Subj : Experimental Station to Commemorate Fessenden Transmission December 24
To : QST
From : ARRL de WD1CKS
Date : Mon Dec 23 2024 08:19 pm
12/23/2024
Brian Justin, Jr., WA1ZMS, of Forest, Virginia, will operate experimental
station WI2XLQ on 486-kHz AM for the Reginald Fessenden commemorative
transmission starting approximately at 22:00 UTC on December 24, 2024.
Transmissions will last for at least 24 hours. A repeat transmission will take
place on December 31, also starting approximately 22:00 UTC and running for 24
hours. All transmissions will consist only of the two Christmas songs claimed
to have been played by Fessenden himself on his violin, as well as a brief
Bible verse. WI2XLQ's voice ID and transmission description is via
computer-generated voice.
The story of Fessenden's alleged first voice transmissions, using an
Alexanderson alternator on December 24 and December 31 in 1906, has never been
proven to have taken place. "While doubt remains that such a transmission ever
took place, Fessenden did perform some crude voice transmissions over a few
miles distance in early December of that year near Washington, DC, as a
demonstration for the US Navy," said Justin. Fessenden is credited for his
early pioneering work of human speech using RF rather than the typical
spark-generated Morse code�of the time.
Long-wire antennas and a simple modern software-defined radio (SDR) are
recommended to copy WI2QXL. SWL reports can be sent to
[email protected] and
e-mail confirmation of reports will follow. Audio samples of the reception are
also welcomed.
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