| Author |
Tranter, Hugh (author) |
| Title |
Southern signals : a history of innovation, challenge and triumph in Australia's communication history / Hugh Tranter. |
| Portion of title |
Stories of innovation, challenge and triumph in Australia's communication history |
| Spine title |
Southern signals |
| Publisher and/or associated date/s |
Canberra, ACT : NLA Publishing, [2023]. |
| ©2023. |
| Description |
vii, 280 pages : illustrations (some colour), portraits, facsimiles ; 24 cm. |
| Note |
"Celebrating 50 Years National Library of Australia Publishing" |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Contents |
1. 'The ships sail tomorrow' : Sending news to, from and around a big country -- 2. Connecting the world : 1850-1876: The arrival of the telegraph and telephone in the Australian colonies -- 3. 'Seeking Awarua Station' : 1911-1916: Wireless radio and the heroic age of Antarctic exploration -- 4. Running the line : 1914-1918: Getting the message through on the deadly battlefields of World War I -- 5. Fireside comfort : 1925-1939: The wireless radio in Australian homes, and the coming of airmail -- 6. War in the Pacific : 1941-1945: Radio communication in the Pacific theatre in World War II -- 7. Post World War II : TV and the space race : 1960-1970: Television comes to Australia, and the 'Dish' helps televise man on the moon -- 8. Search, rescue, respond : Communicating in a crisis: Finding and helping shipwrecked sailors, lost airmen and bushfire victims -- 9. The daily news : The unique history and distinctive content of Australian newspapers -- 10. Screen time : 1990-2010: Australia and the internet -- 11. An uncertain future: 2020 onwards: Communication and data - opportunities and risks in a time of uncertainty. |
| Summary |
From sea-stained dispatches to data sent back from deep space, Southern Signals is the story of Australia's use of communications to bridge vast distances through war and peace, exploration and growth. Communications have been vital at every stage of Australia's history. From the time the First Fleet transport ship Prince of Wales limped back into port eight months after leaving Sydney Cove, to the breakneck rush during the 1970 Apollo 13 crisis to bring Parkes' famous radio telescope on line, this book shows how adoption (or not) of emerging communication technologies has influenced key events, and formed the backbone of Australia's development as a society and relationship with the world. Chapter topics include: dispatching mail to Britain from a convict colony, and then around a big country; the arrival of telegraph, telephone, and television; wireless radio and Antarctic exploration; wireless radio entering Australian homes; the coming of airmail; Australia's role in televising the moon landing; communications in search and rescue, Australian newspapers; the internet and the opportunities and risks of the future. |
| Subjects |
Communication and traffic -- Australia |
| Telecommunication -- Australia -- History |
| Communication -- Social aspects -- Australia |
| Technology, Engineering, Agriculture |
| Communication -- Australia |
| Communication - Technological innovations |
| Call number |
2023.264 |
