Special Section: Centennial Of The 1921 Transatlantic Tests

SPECIAL SECTION

Centennial Of The 1921 Transatlantic Tests

EDITOR’S NOTE: This issue of the Proceedings celebrates the 1921 Transatlantic Tests, where amateurs successfully broadcast between Greenwich, Connecticut and Ardrossan, Scotland, demonstrating the viability of shortwave radio for long distance communication. The story represents the triumph of newly invented radio and antenna circuitry, the advent of more sophisticated vacuum tubes, the beginning of a century of development toward ever smaller electrical communication technologies using ever shorter wavelength radio spectrum frequencies, and a demonstration of the contributions made by independent inventors and experimenters. In many ways, the 1921 tests represent the beginnings of the modern radio and wireless era, moving electrical communications beyond wireless telegraphy and toward the many applications found today in everyday use.

The successes of these tests were widely heralded at the time in the amateur and professional as well as the general press, and they helped mark the dawn of an era that witnessed explosive growth and new advances in wireless telegraphy, two-way radio, and commercial broadcasting. The decades that followed brought the commercialization of this new form of communication.

The 1921 Transatlantic Tests also marked a period when the Radio Club of America emerged as an important organization. Founded in 1909, RCA quickly became, and continues to be, a forum for those interested in the art and science of radio, where they gather and share information across professional and amateur boundaries and across business and personal competitive rivalries. The participants in the 1921 Transatlantic Tests were each founders and/ or members of RCA. Their test results were presented and debated at many RCA meetings, and details were published in the Proceedings, QST, Scientific American and other journals and periodicals. A century later, that RCA legacy continues. The format of today’s annual RCA Technical Symposium resembles those original meetings; providing a place to present, learn about, discuss, and appreciate the work of others interested in wireless and radio communications, while meeting together in a relaxed, less formal collaborative and collegial environment.

In this issue, we recognize the remarkable achievements of these early efforts in 1921 to communicate over the horizon with shortwaves. This special section includes: • 1921 Transatlantic Tests Photo Montage • “Organizational Resources to Explore The 1921 Centennial of the Transatlantic Tests” • “RCA’s Historical Resources Regarding The 1921 Transatlantic Tests” • “The Transatlantic Tests” by Michael Marinaro • “Legacies of the 1921 Transatlantic Tests” by David and Julia Bart • “Hams Span the Atlantic on Shortwave” by Bruce Kelley • “Legends of 1921” by David and Julia Bart • “The Story of the Transatlantics” by QST • “Bridging the Atlantic” by Bruce Taylor • “QCWA and the 1921 Transatlantic Tests” by Ken Oelke and John Facella • “The Beverage Antenna 100 Years Later” by Ward Silver and Frank Donovan We hope you enjoy this special issue and our commemoration of this historic milestone in wireless communications!