What limited the distance you could transmit with lectrical telegraph before using a repeater?

The distance of electrical telegraph transmission was primarily limited by signal degradation due to resistance in the wire, which caused attenuation of the electrical signal over long distances. Additionally, factors like capacitance and inductance in the telegraph lines would further diminish signal clarity. Without repeaters to boost the signal, these limitations restricted effective communication to relatively short ranges. Repeaters allowed the signal to be amplified, enabling longer distances to be covered reliably.