lunedì 6 settembre 2021

The American Shortwave Scene in 1924

During the year 1924, there was a total of five shortwave radio broadcasting stations on the air in the United States. However, only two of these transmitters were active throughout the entire year, and both were operated by Westinghouse.

The KDKA 10 kW shortwave transmitter 8XK at Forest Hills in Pennsylvania was in use as a program feed to mediumwave KFKX in Hastings Nebraska throughout the year 1924. The shortwave counterpart in Hastings 9XW carried an onward program relay to mediumwave KGO in Oakland California. In addition, the KDKA-8XK programs were often relayed by local radio stations in other distant countries, such as England, South Africa and Australia.

During the year 1924, General Electric in Schenectady New York was on the air via three shortwave transmitters, though each was in use only part of the year. The 10 kW transmitter 2XI in the GE Building 40 on what had been Van Slyck Island was in use during the first half of the year with experimental transmissions. However mid year, the 2XI transmitter was removed from Van Slyck Island and reinstalled for RCA at Tuckerton New Jersey for use in Morse Code traffic under the new callsign WGH.

{my favorite initials, better known today as 1310 AM in Newport News VA, ``World`s Greatest Hau-- I mean, Harbour``
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WGH_(AM)
--- wgh}

However at the same time as 2XI was removed and reinstalled elsewhere, General Electric was constructing a new transmitter building at South Schenectady in which two shortwave transmitters were installed, 25 kW W2XAD and 40 kW W2XAF. Both of these transmitters were inaugurated in mid 1924, and they carried a tandem relay of programming from mediumwave WGY which was heard virtually worldwide back during that era.

The first Crosley shortwave station was installed in a two storey country farm house near Harrison Ohio under the callsign 8XAL, though it was still under construction during the year 1924.

(Adrian Peterson, IN, script for AWR Wavescan Sept 5 via WOR io group)