The Origin of Radar

by Robert Morris Page

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

216 pages, Hardcover

First published August 27, 1979

Reviews

[Conrad · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tough read for me, whose entire experience with electronics was constructing a crystal radio from a kit as a kid, building a Heathkit portable stereo phonograph as a teenager, and helping my father replace vacuum tubes similar to the ones Mr. Page describes in the book in our huge Zenith side-table radio. I slugged it out 5 and 10 pages a day and did my best to follow the technical explanations. Nevertheless, this book was a very interesting read. Most interesting to me were the role of fortuitous events in the development of this application of electrical science, and Mr. Page's attribution of them to "divine providence." From his comments throughout the book, he was obviously a Christian. Had not these "accidents" happened, we likely would have lost World War II. Radar was that important to the Allies. I recommend this book.

[John O’Neill · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy read and a nice mix of technical details and personal storytelling of the Allied efforts during WWII to develop radar for military purposes. The book is laid out as a series of technical challenges that had to be completed to get a functional and usable radar system, but the necessity and the use of the invention isn't lost. A quick and fun read, and technically interesting to anyone familiar with basic electronics and circuits, although the age of the book made me have to look up some of the obsolete components mentioned.