Passive Microwave Repeaters
7 days ago
- #microwave-technology
- #telecommunications
- #history
- Development of microwave radio was a significant advancement in telecommunications, evolving from radar technology during WWII.
- Microwave relay systems offered greater capacity at lower costs compared to coaxial cables, leading to the first transcontinental telephone link via radio waves in 1951.
- Microwave's high frequencies and large bandwidths made it ideal for radar and later for telephone communications, dominating until fiber optics in the 1980s.
- Passive microwave repeaters, developed by James and George Kreitzberg, used flat metallic panels to redirect microwave signals without power, solving line-of-sight issues in difficult terrains.
- Microflect Company, founded by the Kreitzberg brothers, became a leading manufacturer of passive repeaters, widely used in the western U.S. and globally.
- Passive repeaters were cost-effective, required no maintenance, and had minimal environmental impact, making them popular in mountainous and remote areas.
- Improvements in technology, such as fiber optics and active repeaters with independent power supplies, led to the decline of passive repeaters by the late 1990s.
- Today, passive repeaters are largely obsolete, with few remaining in use, and their history is poorly preserved despite their significant role in telecommunications.