Hofdi, Reykjavik,  Iceland

TF3IMD  

In 1905 there was established a Marconi receiving station in Iceland.   The first operator was Mr. W. Densham and he received the first message from Poldhu in Cornwall on June 26th in 1905.

The antenna mast was almost 50m high (abt 150ft) which was considered to be quite an achievement to build in the rather primitive peasant society at that time.   

The station was owned by the Marconi Company and the great poet Einar Benediktsson, who was the first daily newspaper publisher in Iceland.   He also had business affairs with the Marconi Company, was their agent in some affairs, and had great interest in the new radio technology.

The location is quite famous now, the place “Hofdi” is where the Reagan/Gorbachev meeting took place in 1986.   It was out of town in 1905, but is now inside Reykjavik, due to the growth of the town.   

The flagpole currently at Hofdi is where the antenna was  located, and looks like a portion of the original setup, some say it actually is a part of the antenna.

The above was supplied by Vilhjalmur Sigurjonsson, TF3VS, Secretary IRA.