Damped wave

A damped wave is a wave whose amplitude of oscillation decreases with time, eventually going to zero. This term also refers to an early method of radio transmission produced by spark gap transmitters, which consisted of a series of damped electromagnetic waves. Information was carried on this signal by telegraphy, turning the transmitter on and off (on-off keying) to send messages in Morse code. Damped waves were the first practical means of radio communication, used during the wireless telegraphy era which ended around 1920. In radio engineering it is now generally referred to as "Class B" emission. However, such transmissions have a wide bandwidth and generate electrical "noise" (electromagnetic interference) which interferes with other radio transmissions.