18 Facts About Alfred Traeger

Alfred Traeger attended Balaklava Public School, about 92 kilometres north of Adelaide, then Martin Luther School in Flinders Street, Adelaide, followed by two years at Adelaide Technical High School.

Alfred Traeger had built his own radio transmitter before graduation from college.

Alfred Traeger first worked for the Metropolitan Tramways Trust and the Postmaster-General's Department, but his application to join the Australian Flying Corps in World War I was refused.

Around 1923 Alfred Traeger joined Hannan Bros, repairing motor vehicle generators and other electrical goods.

Alfred Traeger developed an interest in radio, and obtained an amateur radio operator's licence and built his first pedal transmitter-receiver.

Alfred Traeger was instrumental in the establishment and early success of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia.

Alfred Traeger returned to Adelaide and worked on a transceiver for the network, which had to be small, cheap, durable and easy to operate.

Alfred Traeger found that a person could drive the generator using bicycle pedals, and he built his transceiver into a box.

Alfred Traeger's famous "pedal wireless" was a pedal-operated generator which provided power for a transceiver.

Alfred Traeger divided his time between his workshop and the outback, where he taught radio operating and Morse code.

In 1933 Alfred Traeger invented a typewriter Morse keyboard as an accessory to the pedal sets, widely used before the invention of telephony.

Alfred Traeger made subsequent refinements to this system: an alphanumeric keyboard was developed which enabled unskilled operators to type their message in plain language, and later developed a voice-capable transceiver.

Alfred Traeger was assisted by his younger brother, Johann Gustav Traeger, and his father, Johann Hermann Traeger.

Alfred Traeger continued inventing: he designed a turbine-driven car and used solar power to convert salt water to fresh water.

Alfred Traeger married Olga Emilie Schodde on 11 November 1937, who died in 1948, after the couple had two daughters.

Alfred Traeger died on 31 July 1980 in the eastern suburb of Rosslyn Park and was buried in Centennial Park Cemetery.

The electoral district of Alfred Traeger was named after him in recognition of the significant contribution he made to people living in remote and rural areas in Queensland.

In 1999, the model of the transceiver known the "Alfred Traeger Scout" was still in production, with little change to its design except for the colour of the case since the first model produced.