Heinrich Hertz-theorist and experimenter

It is argued that when Heinrich Hertz was appointed professor of physics at Karlsruhe in 1885 he was uniquely prepared for his historic experiments that opened the radio spectrum. Hertz made the first antennas and transmitter-receiver radio system and conducted a series of experiments which establish that radio waves are identical to light except for their much greater length. His description of the radiation phenomenon remains the best ever written, revealing his tremendous depth of understanding of the subject. Hertz's training studies, and experiments are recounted and measurements with a replica of his apparatus are described.>