An Amateur Radio special event on December 11 will commemorate the 95th anniversary of the first transatlantic shortwave reception between Greenwich, Connecticut, and Scotland. A school near the original site is hosting the event. ARRL, the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB), and the Radio Club of America (RCA), are partnering in sponsoring the activity. The Greenwich Historical Society will also participate.
On December 11, 1921, reception in Ardrossan, Scotland, of a radio signal transmitted from an RCA test station — located in a small shack on the property of Minton Cronkhite, 1BCG, on the corner of Clapboard Ridge Road and North Street in Greenwich — helped to usher in the age of global communication. The special event will use N1BCG, the call sign of Clark Burgard of Greenwich, who obtained that call sign to commemorate this bit of radio history. Burgard was instrumental in making arrangements for the event.
The N1BCG special event will begin on Sunday, December 11, at 1200 and conclude at 0300 UTC on December 12. It will include an attempt at a two-way contact between N1BCG and GB2ZE, operated by Jason O’Neill, GM7VSB, in Ardrossan.
Reception in Scotland of the 1BCG signal was part of the second series of ARRL transatlantic tests. For the receiving end, the ARRL Board had selected a receiver designed by Paul Godley, 2ZE, and Godley traveled to the UK to oversee that end of the circuit. Joining Godley in a field in Ardrossan, southwest of Glasgow, was Marconi Company District Inspector D.E. Pearson. As the QST article, “The Transatlantic Tests” (QST Dec. 2014) by Michael Marinaro, WN1M, recounted, “The two attempted to keep out of the driving wind and rain by sheltering themselves — and their equipment — in a tent. This rough listening post was comprised of a (superheterodyne and regenerative) receiver, a 1,300-foot Beverage antenna suspended 12 feet above ground, batteries, and auxiliary equipment.”
On the morning of December 10, CW signals of 1BCG, which had been designed and constructed by Radio Club of America members — were solidly copied on 230 to 235 meters (about 1.3 MHz). They were the only signals heard that morning in Ardrossan. By the end of the test, eight spark and 18 CW stations had been heard as well.
N1BCG operation will be on AM on 75 and 40 meters; CW and SSB on 40 meters, CW on 30 meters, and CW and SSB on 20 and 17 meters.
Approximate frequencies are 3.880 (AM), 7.290 (AM), 7.235 (SSB), 7040 (CW), 10.112 (CW), 14.280 (SSB), 14.040 (CW), 18.125 (SSB), and 18.088 MHz CW.
Source:ARRL
Equipment
IC-R8600 – Wideband Communications SDR Receiver
The IC-R8600 is a super wideband communication receiver that covers the radio spectrum from 10 kHz to 3 GHz. It also has the capability to decode sele... Read more
Icom IC-7300 – PRE-RELEASE INFORMATION
High quality real-time spectrum scope Now, a serious spectrum scope is NOT a “privilege” of high-grade models. The high-resolution real-ti... Read more
The Classic Astatic D-104 Microphone
Let’s take a quick look at the classic Astatic D-104 microphone! Read more
Solar Power Pack Plus 60-300
Solar Power Pack Plus 60-300 PORTABLE SOLAR POWER BATTERY/CHARGER Enjoy maximum power no matter what. The revolutionary EnergyBar 300 provides an un... Read more
Works with Flex Radio
Applications that work seamlessly with your Flex Radio. Any comments can be sent to the Flex Community FlexRadio Mestro Flexradio Power Amp. 1.5KW Read more
Review
Ailuance HD-1 Dual Band DMR HT Debut [ Video ]
Check out this new dual band DMR HT and how easy it is to program! Read more
Good Grounding
Doug, K0YP, is grounding his station with a very over the top grounding supplies and set up and is asking for Dave’s feedback on his system. Read more
IC-9700 Review and Smackdown vs the IC-910H
George and Tommy from AmateurLogic review the IC-9100 with Ray Novak, N9JA from Icom. In this classic smackdown episode, the IC-9700 goes up against t... Read more
Set up an entire HF station for under $1000?
“A viewer asks: I want a home base station trans/receiver so I can listen till I am licensed. Need an antenna too. But all for under $1000 if po... Read more
News
Amateur Electronic Supply Signs Off
By Meg Jones of the Journal Sentinel Among ham radio operators, it’s known as the candy store. Amateur Electronic Supply sells radios, antennas... Read more
NASA Announces CubeQuest Challenge
“Amateur Radio satellite development teams take note: Registration is now open for NASA’s CubeQuest Challenge, the agency’s first in-space compe... Read more
D-STAR Live 2017 — All About D-STAR from A to Z
by Ray Novak Here’s the list of key topics covered during the session: D-STAR 101 Setting Up, Programming, and Updating D-STAR Radios New Features of... Read more
Pot lights give ham radio operators a buzz
By MARINA VILLENEUVE Associated Press AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Retired Coast Guard officer Roger Johnson sometimes notices a harsh buzz when he tu... Read more
ARRL VEC Issues Statement on Video-Supervised Online Exam Sessions
Very few ARRL Volunteer Examiner teams have successfully conducted in-person exam sessions (following social distancing guidelines) and video-supervis... Read more
ARRL Responds to Story of Radio Amateur Told to Remove His Antenna
ARRL has responded to an Orlando, Florida, news story on August 23, 2021 by WFTV Channel 9 alleging a radio amateur was told to remove his antenna by... Read more