现在7.28mhz
w1aa/msc
january 16-17, 2009
marconi radio club representing the marconi 1901 siasconset station
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 andrunning, 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 1909, 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. this story is related in the urls listed below about this ocean disaster and its hero, jack binns,. 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.
http://www.marconicalling.com/museum/html/objects/ephemera/objects-i=537.001-t=2-n=0.htmlhttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/rescue/peopleevents/pandeamex90.htmlhttp://www.binns.dircon.co.uk/binnsnl35.html
