Alfred Traeger's 1927 two-way pedal radio in Adelaide enables flying doctor service and the outback school of air
Alfred Traeger and his two-way pedal-powered radio. He also suggested the idea of the school of the air, later established by Adelaide’s Adelaide Meithke.
Images courtesy Northern Territory Government
The two-way-radio powered by a pedal-operated generator, invented by Alfred Traeger in 1927, became the central to the success of the Royal Flying Doctor Service and long-distance education in the Australian outback.
Traeger studied mechanical and electrical engineering at the South Australian School of Mines and Industries (1912-15) then joined the Metropolitan Tramways Trust and Postmaster-General's Department.
By World War I, Traeger had also become passionate about aircraft and tried to enlist with the Australian Flying Corps. But he was turned down because of his German ancestry, even though his grandparents had long been naturalised Australians.
In 1920, Traeger's bent for inventing led to him applying to the US Patent Office for a combined variable-speed clutch and free-wheel device for motorcycles. He worked for Hannan Bros in Adelaide, handling car generator and electrical repairs.
Always intrigued by radio, he obtained an amateur operator's licence and built his first pedal transmitter-receiver. He was contacted by flying doctor service founder John Flynn to assist in experiments to give remote outback families radio access to medical treatment. He also suggested the idea of the school of the air, later established by Adelaide’s Adelaide Meithke.
Traeger developed a pedal generator to power a Morse code wireless set. He later added a keyboard that enabled unskilled operators to type a message in plain language and have it transmitted in Morse. In 1939, Traeger's set dispensed with pedals and adopted a vibrator unit.
With his brother and father, he founded Traeger Transceivers and started exporting his radios. In 1962, pedal sets went to Nigeria; in 1970, Traeger’s firm provided an educational radio network for Canada. Traeger continued inventing. He designed a turbine-driven car and used solar power to convert salt water to fresh water.
