Another piece of radio history disappeared

[k4kyv]

The HF services at Criggion finished in about 1971/2 and all the transmitters were scrapped. The VLF and LF services continued until March 2003. Then 61 years of a very happy station was consigned to oblivion.

It might be pertinent to mention that Criggion along with Rugby, as the two PO/BT VLF stations, and with Leafield and Ongar their LF/HF transmitting stations; together with Baldock and Bearley, as their counterpart receiving stations, nothing will remain to indicate a total period of over 75 years of radio history. We have mills, steam engines, railways and their associated buildings to advertise our industrial heritage. These radio stations are as much a part of our history and heritage. Some part of these stations should be preserved before it is too late.  With the exception of Rugby -so far- all have gone because no-one, not even those responsible for preserving our heritage have been interested! Sweden has retained in working order its alternator station at Grimeton and its broadcaster at Motala. Was it impossible for Great Britain to retain a little of our radio past?

http://www.oswestry-history.co.uk/criggion-radio-station.html

[W3LSN]

I'm sure there is more than one reason for the neglect, but my observation of Europeans is that they are so used to living amongst the flotsam and jetsam of history that they don't take much note of it.

Then again, here in the US we have only one station left dating back to Marconi times and that is the old KPH site near San Franciso.  There is a group that is struggling to preserve it although I notice from aerial photos that the ocean seems to be drawing closer to their building.

http://www.radiomarine.org/

Contrast that to the original Marconi site of WCC on Cape Cod that I visited three years ago.  It's now mostly gone except for a small pile of bricks. Much the same for all the other RCA stations, including Radio Central on Long Island.

American HF and MF commercial wireless is now down to less than a dozen stations all of which are owned by two companies, Globe Wireless and Shipcom. Globe uses a proprietary implementation of SITOR to deliver e-mail whereas Shipcom still handles some traffic on SSB.

I wonder how long those stations will last since more than one marine radio electronics officer has expressed the opinion that HF is a waste of time when  a satellite telephone can be used from anywhere in the world.

73, Jim
WA2AJM/3

[W4EWH]

I'm sure there is more than one reason for the neglect, but my observation of Europeans is that they are so used to living amongst the flotsam and jetsam of history that they don't take much note of it.

[snip]

Contrast that to the original Marconi site of WCC on Cape Cod that I visited three years ago.  It's now mostly gone except for a small pile of bricks.

The original Marconi station in Ireland was reduced to rubble during the Easter Uprising.

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Contrast that to the original Marconi site of WCC on Cape Cod that I visited three years ago.  It's now mostly gone except for a small pile of bricks. Much the same for all the other RCA stations, including Radio Central on Long Island.

IIRC Jim, that hunk-o-bricks was all that remained of the power house foundation area. I first started visiting that site in the early 80s when there was a good 30-40' more sand than there was the last time I saw it in '94. At that later date, enough sand had eroded to expose the two easterly tower bases, looking like giant toadstools sticking up out of the side embankment. I actually found a couple of loose bricks in the area over the years that hadn't gotten claimed by the ocean. Also some wood from the old towers. South Wellfleet is probably one of the few instances where nothing could be done to save the site short of moving it like the Cape Hatteras light.

CC-MCC-WCC inland receiving station at Chatham was another wonderful place to visit. I haven't been there since before they closed it in '97 and dismantled/demolished the antenna farm in '99 or so. Every time I went there to visit, it was very quiet and very deserted - from '82 on. No cars parked near the buildings, nothing. Here's a station that communicated with Admiral Byrd's expedition, the Graf Zepplin's around the world flight, the Hindenburg just before its crash, and a number of ill-fated ocean liners, passed countless RCAgrams to passengers and witnessed other memorable events. A modern day ham club works out of the old ops building, wonder if they have any of the old gear still around? CR-88s were still in use in the 60s along with Radiomarine CRM-6As through the 70s-80s.

No idea what, if anything, remains of the Marion transmitter site. There used to be a place called the 'Shortwave Grill' next door. Chatham was the ears, Marion was the voice.

WA2PJP and W2XR have some interesting stories about a similar facility on Long Island and its demise. So much of our country's history passed through these places in wartime and peace, it seems sad that more of it isn't preserved.

I can still remember driving along Rte 28 by Ryder's Cove and seeing the WCC masts and towers for the first time. Ah, the good ol' days....   

[W3LSN]

CC-MCC-WCC inland receiving station at Chatham was another wonderful place to visit. I haven't been there since before they closed it in '97 and dismantled/demolished the antenna farm in '99 or so. Every time I went there to visit, it was very quiet and very deserted - from '82 on. No cars parked near the buildings, nothing.

The absence of cars at the WCC facility probably reflects the general downturn in traffic handled by the station as well as the fact that it was being remote controlled from the MCI facility in California by or about the 90's. They could key the transmitters and even swing the antennas all by remote. I think there were a few technicians assigned to Chatham, but they may have been on-call and not permanantly assigned there.

FWIW, the license of WCC survives as a node in the Globe Wireless network. Globe moved the transmitter site down here to Northeast Maryland not far from the Delaware border.

73, Jim
WA2AJM/3