
BIOS Surveys Report
No. 29
Telecommunications
and Equipment in Germany during the period 1939-1945
From the index page it is clear that this survey was
accomplished by members of the British G.P.O.
Keywords:
Permanent magnets; 5000Z; ceramics polystyrene condensers
.. their power factor is even lower than that of mica condensor (Styroflex Cs,
polystyrene film), nothing comparable was available in Britain or America, but
the technique is not likely to be unduly difficult; Chlorinated naphthalene
dielectrics ... ; Z-wax; Metallized paper condensors were made by thechnique
originated in Germany before the war; telephone instruments; cables for
communications; contacts for relays; substitutes e.g. gold
with 5% nickel was found to be an excellent substitute for platinum;
sound recordings, magnetophon, 1 + 3 circuit carrierr system (=S-system) for
loaded cable, L.t.t. and S.E.L.T.); MG15; a number of wideband cables of
interesting construction were laid and equipped between the main centrescarrier
telephony; L-System (1 + 1 cable), S-System (1 + 3 cable), MG15 15 open wire ...
, MEK8 (8 open wire) Mittelton Telegrafie; The German coaxial system routes
cables: Berlin-Munich (being extended to Vienna) : Berlin-Hamburg :
Berlin-Frankfurt a/M : Frankfurt-Cologne : Berlin-Hannover : Berlin-Leipzig;
coaxial cables with Styroflex dielectrics, each cable is arranged to be equipped
with 200 telephone channels at 3 kHz spacing in the range 90-690 kHz, together
with subscriber television (Fernseh) channel between 1 and 2 MHz ....carrier
generating bays .. 60 kHz crystal oscillator controls a 3 kHz oscillator via a
57 kHz difference frequency .; like amplifiers (telephone channels); repeater
arrangementsat approx. 35.5 km and are large underground attended stations with
full battery power supplies .. ; Intermediate repeater stations at the 17.5 km
points are unattended; On the Berlin-Hamburg cable power for the unattended
repeaters is normally derived from the power mains but can be transmitted over
the coaxial cable if the supply fails; V.F. Telegraph system .. 18-channel
system constructed in 1935 .. ; filters no evidence is seen of Cauer, Piloy and
Feldtkeller filters, mostly employs Zobel methodes, Sendust cores, Japanese
origine superior to nickel iron in certain respects, for filfers rolled
Styroflex units largely replaced mica; star-quad (Vierer-Kabel)(Stern-kabel);
For the 12-channel carrier systems loaded quad cable with Styroflex insulation
has been developed. A typical cable has 1.2 mm copper conductors loaded with
1.75 mH coils at 284 metres the attenuation was 0.05 népers/km at 60 kHz
allowing 100-120 km repeater spacing; Organistaion of the German
Telecommunications Industry; Siemens and ITT (Lorenz O.A.B.X. The I.T.T. group
is American owned and manufactured equipment to Reichspost standards, this
equipment being largely identical and interchangable with Siemens-made
equipment; relation between reichspost Reichsbahn and manufacturers; General
character of automatic exchange equipment before the war - the two-motion
selctor - ribbon cable wiring, this allows inspection of the bank soldering
which is a point of some importance in reducing the service difficulties of dry
joints; relays the Siemens & Halske flat-type relay was standardized for
telephone exchanges in Germany ... ; feathures of automatic exchange layout and
design; rural automatic exchanges; local junction working; toll junction
working; Reichsbahn Switching and Signalling System; Automatization Policy of
the Reichspost; Automatic Exchange design motor Uniselector Switching, new
switching schemes;Examination of German developments in relation to British
practice; Telegraph instrument design Siemens&Halske
Telex-Type 68 .. only 15 prototype models were
produced. This machine is undoubtly an interesting
development, Feldschreiber (Feldfernschreiber!); Picture telegraph;
Subscribers apparatus; Carbon transmitters, receivers, capacitors; Dials and
other impulsing devices; coin-collecting telephones; Flamerproof equipment;
Privacy equipment (scrambler), secret teleprinterstime-scrambling; Power plant;
The most remarked difference between German and British practice is the use of
small circuit-breakers. The german designs are not new but the circuit-breakers
are of excellent construction. ... circuit breakers for house lightening
and small motor installations. It is unique in that it provides both magnetic
and therminal overload protection in small enclosures which can be inserted into
standard screw type fuse socket (Stotz!!); Organisation of German Radio
development .. BHF .. Lorenz transmitter (Goliath, Calbe); Radio Communication
in the super high-frequency range .. it seems that
multi-channel systems were being developed and in particular centimetre-wave
multi-channel pulse modulated radio equipment was being designed but was
never actually in operation; Ernst Orlich Institute, Ernst Lecher Institute .. ;
Applications of ultrasonics to physics and biology. Siemens-Schuckertwerke did
much work in applying ultrasonic vibrations to various physical and chemical
processes ...; piezoelectric crystals ... 1944 400,000 were produced 10
firms Telefunken - Zeiss and Steeg & Reuter. Zeiss produced 10,000 quartz BT
plates for oscillations directly at 60 MHz by wringing them on to optical flats
and hand-lapping with rouge, and it is interesting to note that turmaline plates
up to 400 MHz had been produced by skilled operators; radio-sonde transmitters;
quartz clocks PTR Dr. Adelsberger and R&S CFQ tuning-fork, valves Valvo Hamburg
proximity fuses 1941 valves tested for 30,000 g, Telefunken metal-ceramic valves
anodes of iron plated with aluminium or thorium were extensively used, and it
appears that thorium in particular gave an improved cacuum. Ceto geter; Thorium
powder was made into sheets, rod, and wire by Telefunken who were possibly the
only firm in the world to do this; Ceto getter composed of thorium aluminium and
cerium was extensively used in form of a paste applied to the surface of metal
components and also to insides of envelopes; radio components industry ....
the report states, that electrically and mechanically the
best firms were ahead of the United Kingdom in this field .. components
of high stability, particularly those for use in communication systems;
conclusion ... the report give the impression that in the early stages of the
war Germany was well advanced in materials research and could as a result
produce outstanding designs in some details of radio equipment. In the general
development and engineering of H.F. communication systems, however, the Germans
displayed less initiative and originality than the Allies so that, as the war
advanced and their efficiency decreased due to inadequate co-ordination of
associated branches of industry, they fell behind in communication technique
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