[Hallicrafters] First MW Broadcast. Do You Know?


Ian ianwebb5 at comcast.net
Sun May 1 15:40:34 EDT 2011


You are brainwashed like the rest who think that the Eastern US was first...

Here's the true story from San Jose, CA -  A DECADE EARLIER!!!!

Ian, K6SDE


"This is San Jose calling" - World's First Radio station

While many people were experimenting with "wireless" point-to-point
communications in 1909, the first radio broadcast was the brainstorm of Dr.
Charles David Herrold, who ran a small engineering and wireless school in
San Jose. In early 1909 Herrold and one of his students, 16-year-old Ray
Newby, connected an antenna, battery, spark coil and microphone to broadcast
some random comments from a 14-watt transmitter.

Local amateur radio operators, who at the time communicated only with the
dots and dashes of Morse code, were surprised to hear voice coming over the
air and contacted Herrold to let him know his transmission had worked.

Soon after, Herrold was broadcasting a short program every Wednesday night,
often identifying himself as "This is San Jose calling". By 1910 he was
broadcasting both regular news reports read from the local newspaper and
records played on a phonograph. His wife also invented a program, "The
Little Ham Program" where she played "young peoples" music from records
borrowed from the local music store. The "hams" - as amateur radio
enthusiasts were called - would buy the record they had heard on the radio,
making the radio "station" truly commercial.

When licenses were instituted for radio operators, Herrold was given the
call sign KQW in 1912. The station remained KQW until it was purchased in
1942 by CBS, and was eventually moved to San Francisco to become what is
today KCBS.

>-----Original Message-----
>From: hallicrafters-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:hallicrafters-bounces at mailman.qth.net]
>On Behalf Of Duane Fischer, W8DBF
>Sent: Sunday, May 01, 2011 8:54 AM
>To: hallicrafters at mailman.qth.net
>Subject: [Hallicrafters] First MW Broadcast. Do You Know?
>
>
>
>Hi All,
>
>As I was sorting through the myriad of different things I have written over
>the decades, I came upon this interesting item.
>
>Do you know who made the first commercial transmission with a commercial?
>
>Do you know who made the first commercial radio broadcast and when it was?
>
>Now before you do an Internet search for the answers, I am just curious how
>many of you remember this important bit of radio history. Do not be ashamed
>if you do not know, as thos who do not know, or remember, are in the
>definite majority!
>
>Here is the answer:
>Frank Conrad worked forWestinghouse. He had only a seventh
>grade education. He worked on his radio transmitter in his
>garage. His voice got sore from talking so much into the
>microphone, so he brought out a phonograph. The music he
>played was the first ever transmitted over the air. He soon
>ran out of record albums, a local record store offered to
>loan him albums if he would mention their name on the air.
>This was the first ever commercial.
>
>When the head of Westinghouse learned of Frank's radio
>transmissions from his garage, he recognized the potential.
>He asked Frank if he could build a transmitter on top of the
>Westinghouse building. KDKA was born.
>
>The first transmission was on November 2, 1920 at 6:00 PM EST
>It was on KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Frank Conrad
>broadcase the election returns for the presidential election.
>
>There were very few home radio receivers in 1918-1920. Most
>of Frank's transmissions were heard by Ham radio operators.
>
>
>Duane Fischer, W8DBF - WPE8CXO
>E-Mail: dfischer at usol.com
>Hallicrafters web site: www.w9wze.net
>HHRP web site: hhrp.w9wze.net
>
>______________________________________________________________
>Hallicrafters mailing list
>Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/hallicrafters
>Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>Post: mailto:Hallicrafters at mailman.qth.net
>
>List Administrator: Duane Fischer, W8DBF
>** For Assistance: dfischer at usol.com **
>
>
>This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html



More information about the Hallicrafters mailing list
This page last updated 18 Mar 2024.