Nantuckett Is – W1AA/MSC
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Nantucket Island W1AA/MSC |
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The island of Nantucket was very much in on the communication action in the first year of the 20th century. In 1901 attempts were being made to link the island with the mainland by phone. A commercial Spark Gap wireless telegraph station, the FIRST of this type in the country was built, using a 186 foot mast to support the antenna. It was built in Siasconset on Nantucket Island 23 miles off the coast of Massachusetts. The construction was financed by the New York Herald. Beginning on August 12, 1901 using the call sign “MSC”, communication was established with the Nantucket Shoals lightship, 50 miles southeast, and also with oceangoing steamers. Two weeks later it was up and running, and “MSC” was contacted by the steamship Luciana at sea 237 miles from Sandy Hook, NJ. The Marconi Co. came back to the island in the fall of 1904 to refit the station with more powerful apparatus. The value of the wireless was dramatically exhibited in late January of 1908, when the Siasconset “MSC” Nantucket station was instrumental in actually saving many lives when the steamers Florida and Republic collided during a dense fog 70 miles south of the island. In September of 1914 the U.S. government closed the Siasconset station for “alleged violation of the neutrality law” and it was reopened the following year, under the watchful eye and imposed censorship of the government until it closed early in 1918. |
QSL Card for 2009 |
From W1AA site
The Marconi Radio Club was formed in 1988 to represent the 1903 Marconi Cape Cod Massachusetts transatlantic
spark gap station. This Marconi Station successfully completed the first transatlantic spark gap transmission
between the United States and Europe in 1903.
The Club secured the W1AA call sign in 1997 through the FCC vanity call selection system. The Club has represented this historic Marconi Cape Cod station in numerous Marconi anniversary special events. You may hear the W1AA call on the bands at any time as the call may be used by any club member for contesting, DXing and casual operating.
A computer logging system is used to log all QSOs and all QSLs received are answered. There are over 27,000 QSOs in the log. All QSL card requests from DX stations are via the W1 QSL bureau and stateside via the CBA with an S.A.S.E.
One of the original IMD operators back min the days of K1VV/IMDNow come in Whitey, bit big for a mobile antenna surely. Well done Mr D
