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"Wavescan" is a weekly program for long distance radio hobbyists produced by Dr. Adrian M. Peterson, Coordinator of International Relations for Adventist World Radio. AWR carries the program over many of its stations (including shortwave). Adrian Peterson is a highly regarded DXer and radio historian, and often includes features on radio history in his program. We are reproducing those features below, with Dr. Peterson's permission and assistance.
Wavescan N718, November 27, 2022
The Early Wireless Scene in Washington state
The American state of Washington is nestled in the northwest corner of the continental United States, with the Canadian province of British Columbia to the north, and the boundless Pacific Ocean to the west. The first tribal settlers in the area, with their own cultures and languages, came in from Asia via Alaska and Canada.
During the years of its early European settlement, the area now identified as Washington state came under the influence of the Spanish, Russians, English, French, Canadians and the east coast Americans. In 1889, Washington became the 42nd state in the United States of America, with Olympia as its capital.
The rich history of wireless and radio in Washington indicates that many and varied were the electrical and electronic initiatives in this state, including early wireless experimentation, the manufacture of technical equipment, the installation of early wireless stations, very early radio transmissions, the construction of what was then the world's largest radio communication station, and initial planning for an intended VOA-Voice of America relay station.
And there is even the human interest story of two lost airplanes and the attempt to avert a serious tragedy with radio calls for support. In our program today, we turn the pages of history back more than one hundred years, and we come to the year 1903.
It was in the year 1903 that the Pacific Wireless Telegraph Company was organized in Los Angeles, California. This was less than three years after the famous and legendary Guglielmo Marconi opened his first wireless station at Poldhu, on the Cornwall Cliffs in England in October 1900.
During that same year, 1903, the Pacific Wireless Telegraph Company quickly installed two wireless stations at Seattle in Washington state, one at Port Townsend (callsign D) on the north end of Quimper Peninsula, and the other across the waterway at Fort Casey on Whidbey Island. At the same time, the United States Custom Service requested Pacific Wireless to install another wireless station in the same Seattle area, at Friday Harbor, for communication with Juneau in Alaska and with local shipping.
That first station at Friday Harbor was installed at First Street on a bluff overlooking the harbor. The wooden mast that supported the antenna system stood 237 feet tall, and at the time it was the tallest wooden tower in the United States.
The federal licensing authority granted a temporary license in January 1904, and the first test transmission from the new wireless station, in Morse Code, was on February 8 (1904). Two days later, the Friday Harbor station was taken into regular service, and it was operated mainly as a relay station between the continental United States and Alaska.
Quite soon after the station was inaugurated, a storm snapped the top 80 feet off the wooden tower and the station was silenced. The wireless station was then rebuilt at a new location on top of the 320 feet high Bald Hill at Griffin Bay, a little south of Friday Harbor.
That second station was opened for service in April (1904). However, four years later again (1908), that station was closed due to the withdrawal of the government financial subsidy, and the equipment was transferred to wireless station D at Port Townsend.
However, another wireless company, the United Wireless Company, took over the Bald Hill location and installed a more powerful station, with 2 kW on 450 metres (666 kHz) under the regular callsign KPD. Then seven years later again, on May 25, 1915, that station also was closed.
Back then, the United Wireless Telegraph Company operated fourteen wireless stations in various locations throughout Washington state, mostly at 2 kW on what is now the lower end of the standard mediumwave broadcast band. Two of those stations were in Seattle itself, station DA with 2 kW on 425 metres (705 kHz) and station PA with 5 kW on 700 metres (428 kHz).
In addition, the Marine Transmission Company, an equipment manufacturing facility, operated their own wireless station at Tacoma, with 2 kW on 400 metres (750 kHz) under the callsign T2.
Also, the United States armed forces maintained an additional four wireless stations in Washington state. The army station with 1 kW under the callsign FX was located at Fort Worden, and the three navy stations were located at North Head, Puget Sound, and Tatoosh Island, with subsequently three standard navy callsigns, NPC, NPD and NPE.
More about the wireless and radio scene in Washington state next time.