Trevor Wadley
Encyclopedia
Trevor Lloyd Wadley, was a South Africa
n electrical engineer, best known for his development of the Wadley Loop
circuit for greater stability in communications receiver
s.
Born in Durban
in 1920, Wadley trained at Howard College (now of the University of Natal
) in his hometown, where he studied under Hugh Clark and Eric Phillips. He was known as a student for his habit of rarely, if ever, taking notes in lectures due to his near-eidetic memory
. During World War II
, he was recruited into the Special Signal Services and trained on the British
RADAR
project.
After the war, Wadley joined South Africa's National Institute for Telecommunication Research as a designer of radio equipment and instrumentation. He developed an ionosonde
for measuring Earth's ionosphere
, and a ranging tellurometer
. It was also here that he invented the Wadley Loop
receiver, which allowed precision tuning over wide bands, a task that had previously required switching out multiple crystals. The Wadley Loop was first used in the Racal
RA-17 a 1950s top of the range British military short wave receiver still considered one of the finest radio receivers ever made and later in the South African made commercially available "Barlow-Wadley XCR-30" radio. He also invented the tellurometer, which could measure up to a distance of 80 km; it was used in land surveying. Today, it is used in a wide range of equipment but modified with current technology.
He was awarded the Frank P. Brown Medal in 1970.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n electrical engineer, best known for his development of the Wadley Loop
Wadley Loop
The Wadley Loop circuit was designed by Dr. Trevor Wadley in the 1940s and was first used for a stable Wavemeter.- Overview :In a traditional superheterodyne radio receiver, most oscillator drift and instability occurs in the first frequency converter stage, because it is tunable and operating at a...
circuit for greater stability in communications receiver
Communications receiver
A communications receiver is a type of radio receiver used as a component of a radio communication link.-Features:Commercial communications receivers are characterised by high stability and reliability of performance, and are generally adapted for remote control and monitoring...
s.
Born in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
in 1920, Wadley trained at Howard College (now of the University of Natal
University of Natal
The University of Natal was a university in Natal, and later KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, that is now part of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. It was founded in 1910 as the Natal University College in Pietermaritzburg, and expanded to include a campus in Durban in 1931. In 1947, the university...
) in his hometown, where he studied under Hugh Clark and Eric Phillips. He was known as a student for his habit of rarely, if ever, taking notes in lectures due to his near-eidetic memory
Eidetic memory
Eidetic , commonly referred to as photographic memory, is a medical term, popularly defined as the ability to recall images, sounds, or objects in memory with extreme precision and in abundant volume. The word eidetic, referring to extraordinarily detailed and vivid recall not limited to, but...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he was recruited into the Special Signal Services and trained on the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
RADAR
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
project.
After the war, Wadley joined South Africa's National Institute for Telecommunication Research as a designer of radio equipment and instrumentation. He developed an ionosonde
Ionosonde
An ionosonde, or chirpsounder, is a special radar for the examination of the ionosphere. An ionosonde consists of:* A high frequency transmitter, automatically tunable over a wide range...
for measuring Earth's ionosphere
Ionosphere
The ionosphere is a part of the upper atmosphere, comprising portions of the mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere, distinguished because it is ionized by solar radiation. It plays an important part in atmospheric electricity and forms the inner edge of the magnetosphere...
, and a ranging tellurometer
Tellurometer
The Tellurometer was the first successful microwave electronic distance measurement equipment.-History:The original Tellurometer, known as the Micro-Distancer M/RA 1, was introduced in 1959. It was invented by Dr...
. It was also here that he invented the Wadley Loop
Wadley Loop
The Wadley Loop circuit was designed by Dr. Trevor Wadley in the 1940s and was first used for a stable Wavemeter.- Overview :In a traditional superheterodyne radio receiver, most oscillator drift and instability occurs in the first frequency converter stage, because it is tunable and operating at a...
receiver, which allowed precision tuning over wide bands, a task that had previously required switching out multiple crystals. The Wadley Loop was first used in the Racal
Racal
Racal Electronics plc was once the third-largest British electronics firm. Listed on the London Stock Exchange and once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index, Racal was a diversified company, offering products including: as voice and data recorders; point of sale terminals; laboratory instruments;...
RA-17 a 1950s top of the range British military short wave receiver still considered one of the finest radio receivers ever made and later in the South African made commercially available "Barlow-Wadley XCR-30" radio. He also invented the tellurometer, which could measure up to a distance of 80 km; it was used in land surveying. Today, it is used in a wide range of equipment but modified with current technology.
He was awarded the Frank P. Brown Medal in 1970.