The Philip B. Petersen Collection Broadcast March 17, 1989

     During the first twenty years after Guglielmo Marconi invented wireless communications, all radio stations were using the long wavelengths above two hundred meters.  To increase the distance range of communications, the commercial wireless stations just increased the power and the size of their antennas.  However, radio amateurs are only using relatively low power of one kilowatt, which is about the same power used in an electric toaster.
     As the radio spectrum became more crowded, the radio amateurs were limited to the short wavelengths below two hundred meters since none of the commercial stations could see any benefit in these short waves.  After operating in the new short wave spectrum a few years, radio amateurs using relatively small antennas and low power were noticing that at times their communication distance range would greatly increase.  This aroused much interest in the amateur radio community.
     The American Radio Relay League, which is the largest organization of radio amateurs, proposed an elaborate test to determine if these amateur radio short wave signals would reach across the Atlantic Ocean.  Paul Godley, 2ZE, of Upper Montclair, New Jersey was chosen to go to Scotland and set up his short wave receiving station in Androssan, Scotland and be prepared to listen for amateur radio signals from America starting on December 7, 1921.  These tests attained much publicity in the press and many radio amateurs were ready to take part in this experiment.  The Radio Club of America, the oldest and still active radio club, made a special effort.  They set up a team of six radio amateurs to design and build a short wave station in Greenwich, Connecticut using the call 1BCG.  They previously considered operating from Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey but an antenna supporting structure was available and more convenient at Greenwich, Connecticut.
     These radio amateurs were building this short wave station in a typical radio shack of the day in the middle of a field with about a foot of snow on the ground while putting up antennas.  They built the transmitter with new, unproven designs and made changes almost daily until the start of the tests.
     Paul Godley, 2ZE, was working under difficult wet, cold weather in Scotland getting his receiving radio and special Beverage antenna set up.
     Transmissions were started and there existed some difficulty and confusion with interference from some nearby commercial stations but finally, at 2:52 AM Greenwich mean time, on the 12th of December, 1921, the following message was received on short waves from amateur radio station 1BCG in Greenwich, Connecticut:
     To Paul Godley, Ardrossan, Scotland
     Hearty Congratulations
     Signed, Burghard, Inman, Grinan, Armstrong, Amy, Cronkite
    These were the radio amateurs who designed, built and operated the station.  This became the very first short wave message that was sent across the Atlantic ocean and this successful experiment shed much new knowledge about the capabilities of short wave radio communications.  This led the way to opening up the whole short wave spectrum to thousands of short wave stations for long-range radio communications around the world.

March 17, 1989

** Broadcasts recordings preserved and presented here by Mr. Robert Buss and Mr. Bernie Ricciardi, Phil's friends and fellow Marconi Chapter 138 QCWA members **

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