The Carolina Antenna - CC-AWA

The
Carolina
Antenna
SUMMER 2009
VOLUMNE #15
ISSUE #2
Everett
Ernest Hite III
1951-2009
Carolinas Chapter
of the
Antique Wireless
Association
CAROLINAS CHAPTER OF THE AWA
http://www.cc-awa.org/
PRESIDENT
SECRETARY-TREASURER
Ron Lawrence
P O Box 3015
Matthews, NC 28106
704-289-1166
kc4yoy@carolina.rr.com
Clare Owens
101 Grassy Ridge Ct.
Apex NC 27502
919-363-7608
clare.owens@gmail.com
VICE PRESIDENT
Richard Owens
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
R L Barnett Barker Edwards Kirk Cline
Robert Lozier Stephen Brown Open Seat
EDITORS
Barker & Judy Edwards
116 East Front Street
Clayton NC 27520
919-553-2330
wirelessshop@att.net
Membership in the Carolinas Chapter of the Antique Wireless Association (CCAWA) is open to anyone with an interest in old (antique) radios. The only
requirement is that you must be a member of the "national" Antique Wireless
Association.
By being a member of the CC-AWA you will receive our newsletter.
Membership dues for the CC-AWA are $10 per year.
If you are not already a member of the national AWA, your first year's dues will
$25, this includes the $10 for CC-AWA dues and $15 for your first year's dues in the
national AWA.
Mail your dues to membership chairman Clare Owens - address is listed above.
ISSUE # 15
SUMMER 2009
THE PREZ SAYS ...
...
VOLUME 2
afternoon that thought moving the event inside
was a really bad idea and threatened to go home
because they didn't want to haul all their stuff
inside...but they were still there Saturday!
Moving the flea market inside worked so good
that a number of people asked if we could just
have it inside all the time… While we have no
plans to do that (and I doubt that the Sheraton
would put up with it all the time) we now know
for sure that we can move inside in case of rain
he weatherman starting predicting rain
and it will work GREAT.
10 days before the Charlotte Conference.
I'd watch the forecast and tell myself. In our Thursday forums Barker Edwards did a
"they don't know what it's going to do..." The interesting presentation showing the 3 variations
Monday before the show they were still of the DeForest D-12, Robert Lozier gave a talk
predicting rain for the end of the week. I still told on and had lots of photos from the Italian
collector magazine "Antique Radio". And AWA
myself, "they don't know..."
President Geoff Bourne used a vintage lantern
On Wednesday morning before the show they
projector to show a large group of early radio
were calling for heavy rain for Thursday, Friday
and Saturday, I finally had to admit that maybe
Inside this issue:
they did know what it was going to do and I had
The Prez Says …
1-2
to make the final decision to kick in our
contingency plan that we had been talking about
Editor’s Note
2
for years, but never had to activate. With the
Everett Ernest Hite III
3
Sheraton Hotels support we moved the entire
flea market inside. We normally have about 150
Special 2010 Charlotte Auction
4
vendor spaces, the hotel didn't have near enough
Hite Auction List/Pictures
5-10
tables for that many considering how many we
already needed for our Auction and Contest
2009 Equipment Contest
11-15
rooms. I contacted the company that we get our
The Work Of A Wireless
16-18
tent from and arranged to rent 125 eight foot
Telegraph
man
tables. The hotel allowed us to use all the
By Ron Lawrence,
W4RON
T
available space in the conference area and the
main lobby. They even setup all the tables for us.
Radio Personalities: Paul Godley
18-20
Valdese Swap Meet
21-22
There were a small but vocal group Thursday
1
advertising glass plate slides.
We didn't have a big estate collection to spice up
our auction this year but the preview room was
full and there were lots of choice items offered
and some great deals to be had.
photos of some of the featured items, and text
panels telling about the sale.
There was also one of our club laptops there
running a slide show of the photos we took of the
collection.
The Old Equipment Contest had some fine
entries.
We’ve already heard from collector in Sweden
and Italy that say they plan to be here.
I understand that if you count the number,
attendance was down a little. But you'd never
know it by what you saw at the event. The flea
market areas were full of people, the forums well
attended and the auction was standing room
only. A lot of attendees said they thought it was
our best show ever.
We will have a special auction of the main items
in Ernie’s collection on Thursday evening of the
show. Our regular auction will be on Friday
afternoon as usual.
As my old friend and AWA founder Bruce Kelly
liked to say, "a good time was had by all".
Ernie was our brother, one of our founding
members and a close friend of 30 years.
I'm very sad to report that on Monday morning
after the show we got a call telling us that our
good friend and founding member of the CCAWA, Ernie Hite had died of a heart attack.
Ernie was tied up at work and hadn't been able
to attend the meet for the first time in 30 years.
He had the attack while at work Sunday night.
Ernie was a good friend, and dedicated meet
worker. He will be missed. He leaves behind his
wife Susan, a son and young daughter.
He loved this meet, and we need to do
everything we can to make him proud.
As I’m writing this it’s now August 31, 2009, it’s
been just over 5 months since Ernie passed
away. I still have a hard time going into my
display room, everywhere I look is something
that reminds me of him, a radio I bought when
we were on a trip together, the many photos of
all of us over the years…
It’s hard to believe we’re getting ready to auction
his incredible collection. Back in July a small
group of us went to his home to start to
inventory the collection. Barker Edwards, R.L.
Barnett, Stephen Brown, Robert Lozier and I
spent all day Saturday there, and R.L., Robert
and I went back for another session on Sunday.
Those were two very long days.
The high quality and rarity of the items in this
collection have the potential for drawing a large
number of collectors to our 2010 show. Robert
and I put together a display that he took to the
AWA Rochester meet. It consisted of a
backboard with some high resolution color
2
We will need as many helpers during the show as
we can get. Please step up and offer to help out.
It’s your club and this is your conference.
EDITOR’S
NOTE
By Barker Edwards, Jr.
T
his issue of the CC-AWA Antenna News
Letter is being dedicated to the memory
of Ernie Hite who was one of the
founding members of this organization and
served on its Board of Directors up until he
passed away on March 30, 2009. The CC-AWA
members, and others who knew him, lost a dear
member and friend. He was always setting at the
registration desk when you got to the Charlotte
meet each year welcoming every one. Anywhere
you saw Ernie he was talking to someone. This
year’s Charlotte meet was not the same when he
had to miss it due to his job. He will be surly
missed at the meets in the future.
In this issue of the Antenna there is information
on the 2010 Charlotte Meet where the Ernie Hite
museum quality radio collection will be placed
up for auction as well as the contes winners
from the March 2009 meet.
EVERETT ERNEST
HITE III
Mr. Everett Ernest Hite, III, 58, passed away Monday,
March 30, 2009.
A native of Sumter, SC and formerly of Summerton, Great
Falls, and Spartanburg, SC, Ernie was a son of the late
Reverend Everett Ernest Hite, Jr. and Emily Harvin Hite
Grier of Huntersville, NC. He was a 1973 graduate of
Clemson University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science
Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering. A licensed
professional, Ernie spent his entire career at Duke Power,
which had been his childhood goal. He was currently serving
as Engineering Manager at the Catawba Nuclear Station. A
nationally known authority of pre-1924 radio, Ernie was an
active member of the Carolinas Chapter of the Antique
Wireless Association. He was a member of the Sons of the
American Revolution and Oakland Baptist Church.
Surviving in addition to his mother, are his wife, Susan
Crowson Hite of the home; his son, Everett Ernest Hite, IV
of Columbia, SC; his daughter, Miss Jamison Scarborough
Hite of the home; his brother, David Harvin Hite of
Summerfield, NC; and two sisters, Susan Hite Pollak of
Sherrills Ford, NC and Martha Ann Hite Seay of Cornelius,
NC.
Ernie in March 2000 after buying his 15
panel set
Robert Lozier and Ernie Hite at the registration table at one of the Charlotte Spring
Meet. Photo by: Jim Kreuzer
The following letter was sent to Ron Lawrence by Merrill Bancroft after hearing of Ernie’s passing. It
is reprinted here with permission.
Ron:
As you know, my wife Rita and I have been coming to Charlotte for quite a
few years and have always enjoyed it. One of most pleasurable things was
being greeted by Ernie at the desk after a long drive from Massachusetts.
His friendliness took the burden out of the drive and made us feel very
welcome. He didn't just say hello, he would jump up and make us feel like a
family member. We greatly appreciated that and this type of hospitality
made the trip worthwhile. When we headed home after the meet, he would
walk out to our van with us and wave us on our way. I wish you luck in
maintaining this friendly environment in the future. Ernie had a way of
brightening the whole scene not just at CCAWA but all the meets where we
talked with him. I know your group will miss him as we all will. The attached
picture is how we will remember him.
Merrill and Rita Bancroft
3
EXTRA, EXTRA!!
The CC-AWA will be auctioning
the estate of Ernie Hite III at
2010 Charlotte Antique Radio
Conference!
CHARLOTTE 2010
ANTIQUE RADIO CONFERENCE
A fantastic opportunity to acquire
museum quality artifacts of the 1920s
from the estate of Ernie Hite, WB4KFL.
Most of the radios are display ready
with correct vintage tubes.
MARCH 25-26-27, 2010
AT THE SHERATON CHARLOTTE AIRPORT HOTEL
The Ernie Hite collection will be sold in a special auction on Thursday evening,
March 25, 2010. There will be no reserve; all items go to the highest bidder.
Don’t miss what may well be the Auction of the Decade.
For more information and to see a
complete list of the items being auction,
visit the club web site
http://www.cc-awa.org/
and click on 2010 Charlotte
Conference and Estate Auction.
4
Ernie Hite III - Auction List
#
Item Type
Manufacturer
Model
Description
Circa
0
BC Radio
AnyCorp
Q1
Super-duper super TRF gheto blaster once
owned by Michael Jackson
2007
12
amplifier
Magnavox
AC-3
with brassbase rainbow tubes
1923
13
amplifier
Western Electric
7A
with WE 261A tubes
1922
14
horn speaker
Magnavox
R3 B
nice label on bottom of base, with factory inspection tag
1923
15
horn speaker
Magnavox
R2 B
very early, small stright neck horn, with rare 6"
bell
1921
16
horn speaker
Amplion
Dragon Fly
very rare tiny horn, repaired, repainted horn
1924
18
horn speaker
Western Electric
521
early paper mache version
1922
19
horn speaker
Murdock
500
20
horn speaker
Atwater Kent
M
21
horn speaker
Riley Klotz
22
horn speaker
Thorola
Jr.
24
horn speaker
AJS
LSZ
25
horn speaker
26
1920/21
14 1/2" bell, 22" high
1923
1922
1924
British made
1925
Music Master
Mahogany bell, black & gold neck and base
1924
horn speaker
Atlas
small straight neck
1924
27
tuner
Turney
tuner with crystal set mod
1921
28
radio
Sleeper
type 2400
1 tube detector
1921
29
radio
Atwater Kent
model 10 in
Pooley cab
model 10 breadboard, with 5 good brass base
tubes,
1924
30
radio
RCA Radiola
One
early crystal set,
1922/23
31
amplifier
Daven
RC 3 tube amp
1925/26
32
Crystal
dectector
DeForest type
33
Crystal
dectector
DeForest type
34
Crystal
dectector
JOVE
35
radio
Premier Electric
36
crystal set
Ezra F. Bowman
Time Receiver
37
radio
Firth
235-A
Vocaphone
very early, most likely the first radio to have built 1922
in horn speaker, working set
38
radio
Turney
Monoplex
1 tube detector
1922
39
radio
Paragon
DA-2
Detector and 2 stage amp
1921/22
40
radio
Paragon
RA-10
Tuner
1921/22
41
radio
Paragon
10-R
Tuned RF amp
1921/22
42
Key
Clapp-Eastham
Boston Key
Early Wireless key
1914
43
Tube
Detector
Paragon
VT control
unit
with Morehead valve, open filiment
1919/20
1918
micarta base
1918
1922
4 tube, quarter sawn oak cabinet
1923
1914
5
6
#
Item Type
Manufacturer
Model
Description
Circa
44
radio
Klitzen
Regenarator
45
radio
Klitzen
46
spark coil
Amrad
C-1
1914
47
radio
Paragon
3A
1923
48
radio
Baldwin
9 tube Super-Het
1925
49
radio
Wireless Specility
IP-501A
1922
50
amplifier
Wireless Specility?
2 stage amp
1923
51
spark gear
Murdock
Spark transmitter helix
1914
52
radio
Leutz
model C
8 tube super-het
1923
53
paper
Leutz
model C blue prints
54
paper
Leutz
55
radio
Kennedy
110
1922
56
amplifier
Kennedy
525
1922
57
radio
Clapp-Eastham
HR/HZ
58
radio
Crosley
XJ Super
59
spark coil
Mesco
60
spark gear
Murdock
#483 Spark condensers
1915
61
parts
EI company
42 plate glass enclosed
cond.
1919/20
62
parts
Murdock
mounted condenser
1919/20
63
motor
Robbins & Mayers
High Standard
1920
64
parts
Bryant Electric Supply
Knife switch
1920
65
radio
Sodion
DR-6
1923
66
radio
Federal
110
1924
67
spark gear
unknown
68
radio
Marconi
V-2
with reaction
1923/24
71
radio
Atwater Kent
Radiodyne
number on tag is A2600
1923
72
radio
DeForest
D-10
with loop antenna (repro)
1923
73
radio
William B. Duck
loose coupler
1915
74
parts
Signal Electric
telegraph relay
1920
75
radio
RCA Radiola
RS
1923
76
sceintific
L.E. Knott
Galvonometer
1910
77
radio
Kennedy
281
1922
78
amplifier
Kennedy
521
1922
79
parts
unknown
80
radio
Federal
59
1924
81
radio
Federal
61
1924
82
radio
unknown
83
radio
RCA Radiola
1922
Detector and 2 stage amp
1922
1923
advertising and promo papers
2 units mounted on single board
1924
1923
1924
1915
1919
antenna switch
RC
1920
one tube receiver
1923
with long wave coil and jumpers
1923
7
8
#
Item Type
Manufacturer
Model
84 radio
RCA Radiola
3A, Canadian
Westinghouse
85 radio
homebrew
Regen
with glass top
1924
86 radio
Tuska
225
single panel, with correct audios
1923
87 radio
Cutting & Washington
11A
1923
88 radio
Melco
Supreme
1924
90 paper
RCA Radiola
Radiola Grand original
manual
1922
91 parts
Murdock
antenna changeover
switch
1919
92 radio
Atwater Kent
20 Delux
1924
93 radio
Echophone
A
1924
94 radio
Guthrie Co.
Bluebird
1924
95 radio
Jones
Synphony
1924
96 spark gear
unknown
spark coil
1915
97 test
equipment
Clapp-Eastham
BQ Wave meter
1915
98 radio
NESCO
BC-144
1924
99 parts
homebrew
loose coupler
1914
100 radio
Atwater Kent
model 12
1925
101 radio
deForest
MR-6
102 radio
Northern Electric
R-4
103 radio
Northern Electric
R-11, 2 R-15
104 radio
Zenith
4R
105 radio
RCA Radiola
5
With top and bottom,
1923
106 parts
deForest
Honeycomb coils
coil set on modern wood rack
1919
107 radio
Matthaten Optical
Gundlach crystal set
Large version of this crystal set
1923
108 parts
Western Electric
intercom speaker
109 spark gear
Centeral Scientific
coherer
110 key
Bunnell
spark key
111 radio
Homebrew
112 radio
Marconi
Arcon Jr
113 Telegraph
Western Electric
Relay #25A
114 headphones
SG Brown
115 horn speaker Western Electric
Description
1924
interpanel
1923
1923
Includes 2 R-15 amplifiers
1923
1923
1915
Physics Lab demo unit
1915
1915
Homebrewer gone wild
1924
With Marconi headphones
1922
1914
english made phones, BBC type excepted
10-D
116 horn speaker Granolite horn
Circa
1923
1922
with Baldwin driver
1924
no coils
1923
117 radio
Greebe
CR-18
118 radio
Western Coil
Radiodyne WC-10
1923
119 radio
Greebe
CR-8
1921
120 amplifier
Greebe
RORK
1921
9
#
Item Type
Manufacturer
Model
Description
121 loose coupler
Clapp-Eastham
122 radio
Johnson & Phiips
123 loose coupler
no name
124 spark gear
Young & McCombs
rotary spark gap
125 radio
126 radio
127 radio
RCA Radiola
BTH
RCA Radiola
3
VR3
3
Britsh 2 valve set
128 radio
129 radio
130 radio
131 loop antenna
132 radio
133 radio
134 radio
135 radio
136 radio
137 radio
139 radio
140 radio
141 radio
Liberty Electric
Tungsram
Federal
Duro Metal Products
David Grimes
Radak
Zenith
Wega
RCA Radiola
Atwater Kent
Miraco
Metrodyne
Frankford Arsenal
BC-14A
WW1 crystal set, with early Brandes
headphones
3 valve english set
142 sceintific
143 radio
144 radio
British made
Penn Wireless
Homebrew crystal set
145 spark gear
146 radio
147 radio
148 transmitter
149 radio
151 radio
152 radio
153 radio
154 ham gear
155 ham gear
156 ham gear
157 ham gear
spark transmitter
crystal set
Homebrew
Hallicrafters
Schaub
RCA Radiola
DeForest
Atwater Kent
Hallicrafters
TMC
Collins
Hammarlund
1914
Mark 3
British WW 1 crystal set
1917
1915
1915
Jr. Crustal set
Delux
Baby Grand Duplex
C3
Trans Oceanic 7000
VE301 Dyn
model 2
20
Ultra
Single Dial
SE-1420
nodified as BC-131
Whimshurst
machine
Physics Lab demo unit
SP2
1924
1924
1924
1918
1924
1922
1924
1925
1923
1970s
1937
1923
1924
1925
1926
1923
1920s
1922
1920
with Murdock helix & cond, rotery gap
and Bunell spark key
1919
English homebrew
1924
Canadian super-het
1928
HT-32a
1958
WELT Super 40
German
1940
4
1923
15 unit panel set
1921
20 in Pooley cabinet
1924
SX-115
1960s
GPR-90
1960s
R-388
1960s
SP-600
1970s
Note: Because of space limitations, the condition of the above listed
items was deleted. Please check the online list at
htttp://www.cc-awa.org/
to see verify the condition.
IF YOU PLAN ON ATTENDING THE 2010 HITE AUCTION,
YOU BETTER MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS AT THE
SHEATON HOTEL EARLY THIS YEAR!
10
Circa
and the other made in St. Louis.
OLD EQUIPMENT CONTEST
2009 AT THE CCAWA ‘SPRING
MEET IN THE CAROLINAS’
Second Place to Gary Alley for his
TransAmerica unlicensed regenerative one
tube set.
by Robert Lozier
And the judges were tied on their decision for
2nd place and elected to award a Second
Place to Geoff Bourne for his compact AFRA
set made in Germany.
W
ell the weather conspired against us this
year and it was a real challenge for us to
make the best of it…. All in all, things seemed to
work out just about as good as it possibly could.
The old equipment contest was not spared in
this… Participation was indeed down but true to
form, the overall quality of the items that were
brought for exhibition remain very high. A true
delight to the visitors….
We were fortunate to have Don Patterson, Geoff
Bourne, Louie Scribner, Barker Edwards and our
friend, John Reinicke, the President of the
Michigan Antique Radio Club serve as judges
this year. I serve as a tie breaker when
necessary.
This year we suggested a total of 24 categories
for participants of which there were 11 categories
with no entries. In some of these categories
there was only one entry. Fortunately even these
single entry categories had high quality items
that would have fared well in contests with likely
competition, so the judges frequently had no
reservation in awarding a first or second place
ribbon regardless of no ‘on site’ competition.
So I will now list the findings of the judges:
CATEGORIES:
1. PRE-1912 ELECTRICAL DEVICES
Blue Ribbon to John Reinicke for his Queen
Portable Testing Set
2. PRE-1920 RECEIVERS & TRANSMITTERS
AND WIRE LINE TELEGRAPH ITEMS.
Blue Ribbon to Charles Pierce to his
beautiful transmitter helix with internal spark
gap (maker unknown).
3. 1920’S ERA BROADCAST RECEIVERS
A. PASSIVE DETECTORS
AND
1 TUBE SETS
First Place to Merrill Bancroft for his pair!
of Kennedy 281 receivers… One made in S.F.
Third Place went to Barker Edwards for his
deForest-Crosley (Canadian version of the
Crosley Model 50)
B. 2-3 TUBE SETS
First Place to Gary Alley for his amazing
Sodion DR6 with D-11-1 amplifier stages.
Second Place to Geoff Bourne for his
Edison-Bell set from the UK (a unique
method of wave changing).
Third Place to Merrill Bancroft for his
Clapp-Eastham RADAK C3
C. 4-6 TUBES SETS
First Place to Barker Edwards for three
major variants of the deForest D-12
Second Place to Merrill Bancroft for his
Doolittle radio with extensive documentation
on Franklin Doolittle and his activities
Third Place to Robert Lozier for his Victor/
Northern Electric R-50
4. 1930’S – 40’S – 50’S ERA BROADCAST
RECEIVERS
A. CATHEDRALS & TOMBSTONES
First Place to Robert Lozier for his sets
made in Poland
Second Place to Tom Bourcy for his
restored ‘Waltons’ Zenith
D. TELEVISION RECEIVERS
First Place to Don Patterson with his
Transvision 7” kit set – set up to run.
5. TRANSISTOR RADIOS
A. LARGE MULTIBAND PORTABLES
First Place to John Reinicke for His
Panasonic RF-2200 (with store display stand
11
13. ‘SURVIVOR’ SETS
Second Place to Louie Scribner for his Sony
ICF-6700W
First Place to Louie Scribner for his Russian
made TGK-3 thermoelectric generator.
Third Place to Richard Owens for his JVC
‘ghetto blaster’
C. NOVELTIES SETS
Second Place to Reed Fisher for his display
of a working Philco electrolytic rectifier.
First Place to Pattie Clonninger-Bourcy for
her Americana Spice Chest
7. SOUND REPRODUCERS,
CONES AND HORNS
First Place to the Chidesters for their
Enchanter cone speaker with patent
application
Third Place to R. L. Barnett for his Oneil
cone speaker.
1
Second Place to Geoff Bourne for his O’Neil
“Dancing Nymphs” cone speaker
8. MILITARY RADIO EQUIPMENT
Special thanks to Marty Reynolds for
bringing in a rare Ansley brand morale
receiver model 45A. (In terrible shape but still
interesting.)
9. TEST EQUIPMENT
No entries
10. VACUUM TUBES
No entries but Geoff Bourne brought in a
manual of RCA transmitting tubes of the
1930’s.
11. RADIO ADVERTISING AND RADIO
LITERATURE
First Place tie to Neil Friedman for his
extensive Wartime Radio Listener Maps and
First Place also to Merrill Bancroft for his
extensive collection of folded sales brochures.
Second Prize to Merrill Bancroft for his
collection of DX Listening ephemera.
Third Prize to Don Patterson for his late
1920’s canvas bag advertising Majestic radios.
12. NEW CONSTRUCTION FROM OLD PARTS
OR REPLICAS.
No entries
12
2
3C
3A
4D
4A
5A
3B
13
11
5C
12
11
14
7
A special thanks for Merrill Bancroft for bringing out so
many interesting sets to share with us…
The judges award recognition for the following:
Best Restoration Award (with documentation of
the work performed) to John Reinicke for his
restoration of a Crosley model XJ
Best Presentation Award to Don Patterson for his
display of the Transvision kit television with complete
documentation and a setup to receive vintage programs
via a DVD player feeding a TV booster amplifier driving
a wire antenna… The TV using rabbit ears to receive
the signal.
Peoples Choice – Voting this year was slim and it
generated a tie! Barker Edwards for his deForest D12’s
And to Tom Bourcy for his ‘Waltons’ Zenith set.
Best of Show Award by the judges went to Barker
Edwards for his display of three deForest D-12’s.
As always, I urge all of you to make available items you
have collected by bringing it out to our vintage radio
meets. Think about loaning your items out to local
libraries and museums. Almost always you will have
the opportunity to meet new people and spread the
word that this sort of technological history is really
worth preserving and knowing about for many
generations to come.
Upper right: best Restoration
Middle right: Best Presentation
Lower Left: Best of Show
Lower Right:
15
THE WORK OF A WIRELESS
TELEGRAPH MAN
By Winthrop Packard
A
YEAR or more ago the first Marconi
operator on a transatlantic liner began his
work. Now hardly a week goes by that we do not
learn of a new ship equipped for wireless
telegraphing, and the Marconi man has become
a recognized feature of ocean travel. I have
traveled with these men, and I shall describe a
night spent with one aboard the St. Paul.
A “Marconi Man” And His Instruments
A wet wind blew in from the southwest all the
evening, and the ship swung along through easy
seas at a twenty-knot gait, well in midocean.
Below, on the promenade decks, the passengers
heard now and then a sibilant crackling that
seemed to come from somewhere in the air
above the ship--a peculiar sound, almost too
high-pitched for some ears. Aloft, on the fiddley
deck, the wooden house, ten feet square, whence
the crackling noise issued glowed with electric
light. Here we sat, the operator in his shirtsleeves at the big key, now and then rapping out
a call that, within the narrow confines of the
little cabin, sounded like sputtering pistol-shots;
showing blue-white lightning flashes as the
current leaped from the "sparker" at each bend
of the wrist, and causing blue flames to play
about the six leyden jars.
For minutes at a time the call shot forth, then
the operator would shift connections to the
receiver and listen for as many minutes, care16
fully adjusting and readjusting the delicate
instruments meanwhile. There were two of these
receivers, one to take the place of the other if a
fault should show while a message was coming
in. They were blocks of delicate and complicated
machinery, carefully cased in wooden boxes,
their supports carefully padded to steady them
against the least vibration. There was a strip of
paper to record messages, like the tape on the
old Morse telegraph instruments; but that is not
necessary to the operator who can "read by
sound." This accomplishment is no mean one,
however, for the sound is a very delicate ticking
hardly to be noticed by the inexpert, and very
different from the pistol-shots of the
sender. The wires from the machines
passed through the roof of the office to
the top of the aftermast directly above,
and were held apart by a long wooden
"spreader," which made them look so
much like stays that the uninitiated
would hardly distinguish them from a
part of the ship's rigging.
Word came down from the bridge early
in the evening that we should probably
pass the Philadelphia some time
between midnight and dawn. This
meant all-night work for the Marconi
man, who takes care to be at his instrument an hour or two before a ship is expected to
come within his reach. The amount of electric
power aboard an ordinary liner is sufficient to
send wireless messages 150 miles under favorable circumstances. Knowing the sailing-days
and speeds of the ships that they are likely to
meet or overtake, the navigating officers of a
liner can calculate roughly when they are likely
to come within the required radius of another
floating telegraph office. Thus the operator was
"feeling about" this evening in the upper air.
Toward midnight the first answer came to the
receiver from the unknown deep--faint, disconnected taps. The operator called and listened,
but the faint tapping, though it grew louder, did
not become coherent, nor could he read it on the
tape. We got the letters P. H., which surely
meant the Philadelphia, and our own call; then
everything suddenly ceased. The ship was within
reach, we knew, but there was no further answer
to our constant query of P. H., P. H., P. H.
Connections were broken in some way and it
was for us to find out how.
The hunt that ensued for the cause would have
put a Scotland Yard detective to the blush. One
receiver was tried, adjusted, and readjusted,
then the other was switched in and tested in the
same way, but with no result. We went over
every connection, breaking & remaking them all
and taking especial care that the wires were
bright and firmly attached, assuring ourselves
that they were perfectly right. The "sparker" was
examined, the leyden jars were replaced by new
ones, and the great coil with its ninety miles of
fine wire was critically examined. The insulation
where the wires went through the roof might
possibly have "short-circuited" during the rain,
so this was taken out and renewed. Still there
came no further answer to the raps of the
sender. The trouble was surely outside the
house. It might be a break in the wires aloft.
We went outside and gazed upward into the
Printing the newspaper on board ship. News supplied
by the wireless telegraph.
darkness, but the wires seemed to be intact. For
an instant the full light of the moon flooded
through the scurrying clouds and let us see
where the trouble lay. From a nearby cleat the
operator cast off the slender lines of the signal
halyards, which had blown against the wires and
thus grounded the line, and made them fast and
taut some feet farther away; then he plunged
into the house again.
The instrument was ticking cheerfully with a call
from the Philadelphia and the tape was regis-
tering it accurately. We answered the call, and in
another moment "talk" began to pass between
the two ships--matters of interest to one ship or
the other, messages between passengers, and
finally the news of the day from either side. Two
hours later the reading by sound became difficult, the tape began to miss, and the last faint
goodbys were said.
Sometimes a vessel has been in almost daily
communication with others all the way across.
Such was a recent experience of the Ivernia.
After leaving Liverpool, communication was
kept up with the Marconi station at Waterloo
until the Rosslare station called the ship. On the
following day--Wednesday--when the liner was
thirty miles off Queenstown, the Admiralty's station at Roche's Point informed her that the
weather was too rough to send the tender outside, which necessitated entering the harbor. On
leaving Queenstown bay, communication with
an incoming steamer was established and kept
up f or some time. At noon messages were
exchanged with the Brow Haven station, eightyfive miles east, and rough weather and fog were
reported ahead.
About ninety miles off Brow Head it was learned
that a second-cabin passenger had lost her
ticket. Queenstown was called, and it was
learned from the office that the woman had
bought a ticket, as she said. The difficulty was
satisfactorily adjusted. The same day a homeward-bound steamer from New York was
spoken, and many messages were exchanged
between passengers. The next day another
English ship sent word through the air, and on
Sunday a German liner was heard from, the
vessels communicating for some time over a
distance of 100 miles. Immediately afterward a
Frenchman was heard talking with the German.
Monday was another busy day for the Marconi
operator, for messages were exchanged with the
Umbria, the Minneapolis, the Kroonland, and a
Hamburg boat. The Marconi man on this trip
earned his salary as well as the commendation of
the ship's company.
To borrow money from a ship 100 miles away
would have been an impossible feat a year or so
ago, but recently it was accomplished by telegraph. A young man found himself aboard ship,
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homeward bound, his passage paid, but without
money for incidental expenses and for landing.
He knew that his mother was on an east bound
ship. The probable date and hour of the meeting
of the two vessels were calculated. The purser of
the east-bound ship was instructed to lay the
unfortunate's case before his mother. It took but
a few minutes for her to place money in the
hands of her purser, who instructed the purser
of the west-bound liner to pay it to his passenger.
The charge for transmitting messages from ship
to ship at sea is sixpence a word, with the
address and signature free. From ship to shore
the rate on the American side is $2 for ten words
and twelve cents for each additional word, with
no charge for address and signature, the regular
tolls for transmission from the office on land to
the final destination also being collected on shipboard, of course. On the English side the charge
for a marconigram from a liner is six shillings for
twelve words and sixpence for each additional
word, the signature and address being charged
for in this case.
The Marconi man's status on shipboard is that of
a ship's officer. His duties are confined entirely
to the management and handling of his instruments in the little office on the fiddley deck. At
meals he may mess with the junior officers or sit
with the saloon passengers. If, therefore, his
work is arduous, he has at least pleasant surroundings. There is one post, however, which is
much less comfortable than the service on a
swift liner. That is the Nantucket South Shoals
lightship, where two men are stationed the year
round. In the ground swell of the shoals the vessel rolls and pitches unceasingly. From
November until May the service is continuous,
the operators not being relieved during that
time; in the summer season they alternate
between the ship and the shore station at
Siasconset, one month ashore and two at sea.
The lightship is farther from land than any in the
world--fifty-two miles--and is visited only once a
month by the lighthouse tender. In winter the
weather is often so stormy that the tender is
unable to reach the ship till weeks after the
appointed time. The passing of each ship is
chronicled by the Marconi men to the waiting
wires ashore, messages and news pass
constantly back and forth, and so excellent is the
service that during a whole year there was but
one interruption.
The World's Work
February, 1904, pages 4467-4470:
RADIO PERSONALITIES
PAUL GODLEY
BY A. HENRY
From "Radio Broadcast" magazine May 1922
I
t is doubtful whether any one human being
in radio circles holds the interest of
Americans more completely than Paul
Godley.
Much of this interest is the direct result of the
transatlantic amateur transmitting tests
completed a short time ago, in which Mr. Godley
played the leading ro1e, but he has also taken
part in other remarkable radio activities.
Before considering these recent events it is
interesting to ponder for a moment or two upon
the work this man has done for radio in the past.
The operator sending a wireless message.
The “click” of an ordinary telegraph here
is a deafening crash.
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Paul Forman Godley was born September 25,
1889, at Garden City, Kansas. His interest in
radio began about the time he entered Defiance
College in Ohio. His studies there lasted for five
years. During his summer vacations, Mr. Godley
devoted himself to telegraph work with
commercial companies and railroads in various
capacities, from operator to train dispatcher.
Being interested in communication, it was quite
natural for him to become enthusiastic about
radio and he studied all the available literature
on radio communication published at that time.
In 1908 a commercial wireless station was built
in Chicago, to which Mr. Godley was assigned by
the operating company. Once in a position
actually to handle commercial radio equipment,
Mr. Godley made every effort to become
proficient in its installation and maintenance, as
well as its actual operation.
Institute, Port Arthur, Texas, and in 1912 he took
up the duties of Wire Chief for the Postal
Telegraph Company at their main New York
office.
The year 1913 found Mr. Godley on the "Amazon
-to-the-Andes" radio service for the Brazilian
Government, during which time his experiences
were as varied as they were instructive. In 1914
Mr. Godley returned to the United States, and
began a study of research at his home, Leonia,
New Jersey, where he developed the short wave
regenerative receiver now so familiar to
American radio enthusiasts.
After a winter of experimentation with receiving
outfits, Mr. Godley opened a transmitting
station (2 ZE) and many exceptional distance
records were made during the time this station
was in operation. More than anything else this
station became widely known in amateur radio
circles for its consistency in daylight work.
Communication between Albany, Baltimore, and
Philadelphia via Leonia was a regular
occurrence.
In 1915 and '16 Mr. Godley was called upon by
numerous radio clubs and engineering societies
to discuss radio problems, and one of the first
appreciations of the great possibilities of the
vacuum tube and its application to amateur
radio was contained in his paper “Applications
of the Audion," read before the Radio Club of
America in New York City.
Most authorities on radio credit Mr. Godley with
having taken the Armstrong Regenerative
Circuit, for a time considered impracticable for
short wave work, and arranged it to function
satisfactorily for the amateur.
The United Wireless Telegraph Company
opened a commercial station at Grand Rapids,
Michigan, in the summer of 1909 and Mr.
Godley was put in charge.
Later in the same year, an agreement was made
with Dodges Institute of Telegraphy, Valparaiso,
Indiana, to inaugurate a course in wireless
telegraphy over which Mr. Godley had
jurisdiction.
In 1911, Mr. Godley was placed in charge of a
course in wireless telegraphy at the Collegiate
Toward the end of 1915, Mr. Godley became a
member of the Adams-Morgan Company, Upper
Montclair, New Jersey, and he is largely
responsible for the production of "Paragon
Radio Apparatus."
During the war, Mr. Godley served as Designing
Engineer at the Marconi Wireless Telegraph
Company of America's factory, Aldeen, New
Jersey, having charge of receiver design, and the
apparatus developed by him during this period
for army and navy use has been commented
upon very favorably. One particular type of
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receiving equipment, developed for Signal Corps
use, was the only American built apparatus
mentioned in the report of the Chief Signal
Officer to the Secretary of War.
TRANS-OCEANIC RADIO TESTS
So much has been said regarding the successful
attempt of American amateurs to record their
signals in Europe that it is not necessary to go
into detail. In brief, Mr. Godley was chosen by
the American Radio Relay League to undertake
this very important mission and equipped with
what he considered suitable receiving apparatus,
he left this country and put up a temporary
receiving station in Scotland.
Mr. Godley's first attempts to hear American
signals were greeted by the English press as
more or less problematical and one particular
London paper went so far as to ridicule his
effort. However, twenty-six American amateur
stations were heard during the time Mr. Godley
stayed in Scotland; his operations were checked
by representatives of radio amateurs in Great
Britain as well as executives of large radio
companies there.
THE WASHINGTON CONFERENCE
With the very marked stimulation in radio
communication brought about, no doubt, by the
recent development of radio broadcasting, our
Government appreciates the fact that existing
radio communication laws are not adequate to
cope with existing conditions. For this reason,
Secretary Hoover called upon a number of radio
men to convene in Washington and made suggestions regarding new laws with special
attention to the amateur and the radio
enthusiasts. When asked for his opinion
regarding the conference and its likely outcome,
Mr. Godley replied:
"Brought about by the rapid growth of radio
broadcasting, I feel that the conference recently
held in Washington developed as fine a working
basis as could have been wished by in a short
time, Particularly fortunate were we in having a
man of such calibre as Herbert C. Hoover, to
steer the course of the commission. On the first
day of the conference it had been generally
agreed by all concerned that, firstly, for the
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proper continued growth of the art and industry
proper, governmental control was absolutely
essential: Secondly that the order of importance
of the various classes of service was (a)
insurance of safety of life at sea; (b) radio
broadcasting of desirable information and
entertainment; (c) a continuance of amateur
activities to the fullest possible extent, within
certain suitable fixed bands and point to point
broadcasting to provide communications over
stretches where existing systems are impossible."
A very significant fact brought out at the
conference was that material changes in
wavelengths are likely to be put in effect in order
to eliminate some of the broadcasting problems
which now exist. This legislation is highly
desirable for at least two very good reasons.
Firstly, broadcasting programs are at present
seriously interfered with by "ship to shore"
commercial telegraph work even at points
remote from the seacoast during certain seasons
of the year and with the least selective types of
receivers. These programs are also interfered
with to some extent by indiscriminately &
improperly regulated amateur transmission.
Secondly, broadcasting stations on the shorter
wave lengths designed to cover a radius of 150
miles very frequently cover a radius of 1,500
miles and occasionally their range is even
greater than that.
This phenomenon which occurs at night during
the winter, is known as "fading," and frequently
results
in
interference
and confusion.
It
is
quite
noticeable that
fading
is
comparatively
absent on wave
lengths of the
order of 1,000
or 1,500 meters.
The use of short
wave
lengths,
then,
greatly
diminishes this
reliability of the
Paul Godley
broadcasting schedules and if broadcasting is to
enjoy the very remarkable future which opens up
before it, it must be stabilized in every possible
manner.
greater and grander than is at present possible
its applications may even surpass in
their scope the wonders of the motion picture as
we know it to-day.
To make broadcasting other than a temporary
fad, it must be made dependable and upon its
dependability and permanence in the American
home rests the future prosperity of those
industries built upon it which are now
growing so rapidly.
"But this development is very apt to be much
more rapid, for, in a great sense, each broadcast
listener will be his own operator, critic, director,
and even producer. There will be a great variety
to select from, and each of the purveyors of this
service will be on the continual lookout for suggestions and criticism.
RADIO BROADCASTING
HERE TO STAY
Regarding this very important phase of radio
Mr. Godley made the following statement.
"There is little doubt in my mind that radio
broadcasting is here to stay, and that before
many years it will be utilized in as many as five
million American homes, for it may very well
come to play a part in our lives equalled only by
that of the daily, weekly, and monthly periodical.
Like the moving picture industry, it will need to
grow from a crude infancy into something
"Radio broadcasting can never quite become a
case of 'see our picture or stay at home' and,
besides, the Department of Commerce promises
to follow radio broadcasting very closely in order
to make certain that proper and popular
programmes are provided. This is as it should
be. One might even allow himself to imagine
that some time in the future the popularity of a
political party in office may hinge entirely upon
the quality of broadcasting service."
VALDESE NC
Summer Swap Meet
Date: August 8, 2009
Chair: Richard Owens
Although I haven’t gotten any written reports on
the recent Valdese meet, you can see by the pictures that the meet must have been a success.
Thanks—Richard!
Picture on right: I wonder how much the radio
was without the baby?
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