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I'm really passionate about signals and communications ever since I was a child where we "built satellites" - little did I know that it would become part of my future. So here is my first question:

When was the first radio transceiver built and by whom?

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When was the first radio transceiver (transmitter/receiver) built and by whom

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The first radio receivers invented by Marconi, Oliver Lodge and Alexander Popov in 1894-5 used a primitive radio wave detector called a coherer, invented in 1890 by Edouard Branly and improved by Lodge and Marconi. Radio receiver - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_receiver

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This is tough to nail down since even the term transceiver is subject to interpretation. It is also often the case that a given answer may only be applicable for a specific geography.

But with those caveats in mind, from a US perspective, I believe the RCA 5 meter ATR-213 introduced in the 1930's might be one of the earliest entries in the US market. It sold for $20. Here is an ad for its 1937 successor the ATR-219:

enter image description here

The Hallicrafters SR-75 was introduced in 1950 and is probably the first US product that would begin to match our current concept of a transceiver but with a crystal controlled, 10 watt transmitter:

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In 1957, Collins introduced their first ham transceiver, the KWM-1 to compete with Hallicrafters. They touted theirs as the first mobile transceiver. Transmit and receive frequencies were controlled with a single knob. Split operation required an optional accessory. It sold for over $8,000 in today's US dollars! It makes the new IC-7300 look even more like a bargain.

enter image description here

I strongly suspect that there is comparable history in the German, Italian, England, and Soviet Union marketplaces based on their general technological development in that era.

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    $\begingroup$ Excellent answer - we are so used to the globalised market that we totally forget that once the market was segmented by geography. A simple example is the invention of Linear Algebra. Invented in two places years apart thus we have two conventions - and we use both. I believe we have the same case with Radio design. In the military we were heavily invested with Marconi and Siemens equipment on the HF spectrum - however both is designed very differently. $\endgroup$
    – Brahm Bothma
    Commented Aug 25, 2018 at 6:29
  • $\begingroup$ I'm a bit intrigued why you compare Linear Algebra with actual industrial products – mathematical methods still are developed by single persons or small working groups, and are only shared once these write a publication on that or talk to their colleagues. That hasn't changed. $\endgroup$
    – Marcus Müller
    Commented Aug 25, 2018 at 8:17
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In 1898 Nikola Tesla made presentation of his remote controlled boat.

It did not only send and receive using radio waves but also used complex encoding to send commands though simple radio channel.

https://www.engadget.com/2014/01/19/nikola-teslas-remote-control-boat/

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    $\begingroup$ Excellent - this was before the Anglo-Boer wars in South Africa and the First and Second world wars. Quote from the article: According to Margaret Cheney's Tesla: A Man Out of Time, when asked about the boat's potential as an explosive-delivery system, Tesla retorted, "You do not see there a wireless torpedo; you see there the first of a race of robots, mechanical men which will do the laborious work of the human race." $\endgroup$
    – Brahm Bothma
    Commented Aug 25, 2018 at 6:39
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    $\begingroup$ Tesla did not have the luxury of watching Terminator as there was no TV at that time. Yes, he was definitely out of time. Way ahead. We are only now experiencing what he foretold. $\endgroup$
    – Brahm Bothma
    Commented Aug 25, 2018 at 6:41

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