The Ark was a spark gap transmitter

In 1887 Heinrich Hertz developed the first spark gap transmitter in the modern era. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spark-gap_transmitter

A spark-gap transmitter is an obsolete type of radio transmitter which generates radio waves by means of an electric spark.^[1][2] Spark-gap transmitters were the first type of radio transmitter, and were the main type used during the wireless telegraphy or "spark" era, the first three decades of radio, from 1887 to the end of World War I.^[3][4] German physicist Heinrich Hertz built the first experimental spark-gap transmitters in 1887, with which he proved the existence of radio waves and studied their properties.

The Ark of the Covenant was a spark gap transmitter very similar to the early version spark gap transmitter by Hertz.  But the Ark was thousands of years earlier. 

On the left of the circuit diagram we have the person transmitting (the Priest). In the middle we have a spark gap transmitter with capacitor (the Ark). 

Hertz used a battery but the Ark communication system did not use a battery. It used the piezoelectric energy generated by pressing a quartz gem. 

In 1915, famed inventor and indisputable genius Nikola Tesla published an article entitled “The Wonder World to be Created by Electricity.” In it, he stated the following:

“Moses was undoubtedly a practical and skillful electrician far in advance of his time. The Bible describes precisely, and minutely, arrangements constituting a machine in which electricity was generated.”

Ark of the Covenant

This site describes the Ark of the Covenant and the Priest's breastplate in technical terms as parts of a working communication system. 

The Ark was a spark gap transmitter.. The Ark was extremely dangerous and the priest had to wear protective clothing. 

Breastplate

 

The High Priest pressed on the gems (quartz) on the breastplate to transmit a message. In the same way we press on the keys of a phone or computer to transmit letters. 

Pressing a gem creates a piezoelectric charge.

Piezoelectric material, such as quartz, produces a small electric charge when you press on it. 

Exodus:

And they mounted on the breastplate four rows of gemstones:c

The first row had a ruby, a topaz, and an emerald;

11the second row had a turquoise, a sapphire, and a diamond;

12the third row had a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;

13and the fourth row had a beryl, an onyx, and a jasper.

 

https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-540-72816-0_2897

(1) red jasper (sardius), (2) citrine quartz (topaz), (3) emerald, (4) ruby (carbuncle), (5) lapis lazuli (sapphire), (6) rock crystal (diamond), (7) golden sapphire (ligure), (8) blue sapphire (agate), (9) amethyst, (10) yellow jasper (chrysolite), (11) golden beryl (onyx), (12) chrysoprase (jasper).

What the actual stones were is disputed. I suggest that they were all piezoelectric.

The breastplate had 12 gems. 

They could have been:

7 buttons for consonants (one button has 4 letters associated with it, the others have 3)
3 buttons for vowels
1 button for end of letter (1 press), end of word (2 presses), end of message (3 presses)
1 button for correction

With the ark of the covenant and the breastplate with 12 buttons, it is possible to transmit the Hebrew alphabet. 

There are 22 consonants and 9 vowels. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_numerals

The system of Hebrew numerals is a quasi-decimal alphabetic numeral system using the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The system was adapted from that of the Greek numerals in the late 2nd century BCE.

The current numeral system is also known as the Hebrew alphabetic numerals to contrast with earlier systems of writing numerals used in classical antiquity. These systems were inherited from usage in the Aramaic and Phoenician scripts, attested from c. 800 BCE in the so-called Samaria ostraca and sometimes known as Hebrew-Aramaic numerals, ultimately derived from the Egyptian Hieratic numerals.

The Greek system was adopted in Hellenistic Judaism and had been in use in Greece since about the 5th century BCE.[1]

In this system, there is no notation for zero, and the numeric values for individual letters are added together. Each unit (1, 2, ..., 9) is assigned a separate letter, each tens (10, 20, ..., 90) a separate letter, and the first four hundreds (100, 200, 300, 400) a separate letter. The later hundreds (500, 600, 700, 800 and 900) are represented by the sum of two or three letters representing the first four hundreds. To represent numbers from 1,000 to 999,999, the same letters are reused to serve as thousands, tens of thousands, and hundreds of thousands. Gematria (Jewish numerology) uses these transformations extensively.

Shoulder antenna to ark antenna

 

Pressing a gem causes a charge to flow up to the onyx and looped wire at the shoulder. The current in the coil (looped wire) produces magnetic waves. 

This induces current in the ark antenna/inductor. The coil on the left (below) is the shoulder antenna/inductor. The circular wire on the right represents the Ark antenna/inductor (on the Ark it was actually rectangular):

The Priest was close to the ark. Within the Near Field. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_and_far_field

The near field and far field are regions of the electromagnetic (EM) field around an object, such as a transmitting antenna, or the result of radiation scattering off an object. 

Non-radiative near-field behaviors dominate close to the antenna or scattering object, while electromagnetic radiation far-field behaviors dominate at greater distances.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loop_antenna

Some antennas look very much like loops, but are designed to couple with the inductive near-field – over distances of a meter (3.3 feet) or two (6.6) – rather than to transmit or receive long-distance electromagnetic waves in the radiative far-field.

 And the Ark was within the Near Field of a meter or two.

Ark antenna/inductor

 The Ark antenna/inductor is the fancy "crown molding" around the lid of the Ark. 

What they call "crown molding" (also "gold molding") is a rectangular large loop antenna. It is attached to the lid. When used by the priest the Ark is in the Near Field.

(Exodus 37)

10And they are to construct an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.b 11Overlay it with pure gold both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW2E3LzEhA

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spark-gap_transmitter

The earliest spark-gap transmitters before 1897 did not have a resonant circuit; the antenna performed this function, acting as a resonator. 

The Ark operating as transmitting antenna produced damped waves. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damped_wave_%28radio_transmission%29

A damped wave was an early method of radio transmission produced by the first radio transmitters (spark gap transmitters) which consisted of a series of damped radio 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. 

A series of damped waves, such as would be radiated by a spark-gap transmitter. In this graph, the vertical axis is the amplitude of the wave, in units such as voltage or electric field strength; the horizontal axis is time.

Steps

 CHARGING:

In separate processes charge the arks with static electricity.

COMMUNICATION:

1. Mechanical energy (pressing the gem)
Electric principle: The gems operate as piezoelectric crystals.

Variables: 30 N is reasonable.

2. The mechanical pressure is converted to electrical energy (piezoelectric effect)
Each gem is in its own setting and all are connected. By pushing on a gem you induce a specific frequency into the gold perimeter which is then transferred up the gold chains to the shoulders.
Electric principle: The gems operate as piezoelectric crystals.

Variables: Quartz types used (piezoelectric co-efficient), Pressure (30 N)
Formula: Q = d * ΔL

3.(a) The electrical energy (in the gold chain) is fed to the shoulder and then converted to MAGNETIC waves (by acceleration of the current in the gold chain) by the loop antennas at the shoulders.
Electric principle: Current in wire is converted to MAGNETIC waves

3.(b)The MAGNETIC waves radiate IN NEAR FIELD to the Ark of the Covenant antenna in front of him
Electric principle: Current in wire is converted to MAGNETIC waves

Variables: Length of antenna? Length of gold chain (1 foot)
Formula: ?

3.(c) The electrical charge is grounded.

4. The MAGNETIC waves are received and INDUCE electrical energy in Ark antenna
Electric principle: MAGNETIC waves INDUCE electrical energy in an antenna

Variables: Length of antenna?
Formula: ?

5. (a) The electrical energy in the ark antenna produces magnetic waves that cause the spark at the spark gap and then back and forth between capacitor and coiled antenna.
Electric principle: MAGNETIC waves INDUCE electrical spark in spark gap (electrostriction).

5. (b) The electrical energy from the spark is induced in the ark antenna and converted to DAMPED radio waves.

RECEIVER

6. Radio waves are received and converted to electrical energy at receiver's antenna

7. (a) The electrical energy is amplified by acceleration of the current in the conductors (the cherubim)
The acceleration is caused by the spark.

7. (b) The electrical energy is converted to DAMPED radio waves by receiving Ark antenna
The end result is a high energy amplified current, radiating the radio frequency equal to the frequency sent by acceleration of the current in the conductors (the cherubim).

8. Radio waves are converted to electrical energy by the antenna.
The chains attached to the shoulders of the receiving high priest act as antennas, picking up the signal and passing it as electric current to the set of gems.

9. The electrical energy in gold chains is converted to mechanical energy (reverse piezoelectric effect) on gem on breastplate of receiver (luminescence and/or vibration)
The gem that has that natural frequency lights up.
Electric principle: The gems operate as piezoelectric crystals.

Hertz used a battery. The Ark communication system used the piezoelectric gem press.
When a gem is pressed it makes a circuit as seen on the left side. Including the coil at (B) which generates magnetic waves.
From that point it is the same as the Hertz middle section which we know works.

The ark as capacitor

Video:

https://rumble.com/v27dd61--ark-of-the-covenant-moses-electrical-capacitor-static-ions-image-of-god-.html

Residue:

After functioning for some time, the cherubim as spark gap conductors need to be cleaned of residue. 

That is accomplished as follows:
Every morning, priests waved incense smoke into the air including the air in the spark gap. This caused any residue to be burnt off such as in a self-cleaning oven.  

https://youtu.be/9gDFll6Ge7g

Construction

 This shows the way that one cherub (angel) contacts the inner plating and the other cherub contacts the outer plating:

The Ark of the Covenant
(Exodus 37:1–5)

10And they are to construct an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.b 11Overlay it with pure gold both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it.

12Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, two rings on one side and two on the other. 13And make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 14Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, in order to carry it. 15The poles are to remain in the rings of the ark; they must not be removed. 16And place inside the ark the Testimony,c which I will give you.

The Mercy Seat
(Exodus 37:6–9)

17And you are to construct a mercy seatd of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide.e 18Make two cherubim of hammered gold at the ends of the mercy seat, 19one cherub on one end and one on the other, all made from one piece of gold. 20And the cherubim are to have wings that spread upward, overshadowing the mercy seat. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the mercy seat.

21Set the mercy seat atop the ark, and put the Testimony that I will give you into the ark.

22And I will meet with you there above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony;f I will speak with you about all that I command you regarding the Israelites.

https://lightforthelastdays.co.uk/articles/the-second-temple-the-ark-of-the-covenant-and-the-glory-of-god/

https://lightforthelastdays.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Holy-of-Holies.png

Spark gap transmitter in action

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LC_circuit

 

The spark at the spark gap (on the right) generates oscillations in the coil (the Ark antenna/inductor on the left) which radiates radio waves.