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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 N564, December 15, 2019

Ancient DX Report 1919

The ceasefire that officially ended active fighting in The Great War in 1918 was timed for 11:00 o'clock in the morning, on the eleventh day (Monday) of the eleventh month (November). That disastrous conflict that caused the loss of multi-millions of lives brought to an end some long-time empires that lost their royal families, though at the same time it also gave birth to several new territorial countries.

Inventive genius during that stressful four year conflict catapulted the onward development in almost every area of human endeavor. Those rapid developments included three major areas of more recent innovation that have proven to be widely useful throughout the world; the motor car, the airplane, and radio communication.

Before the Great War began, radio was really still wireless, with the dots and dashes of Morse Code as the major form of electrical communication. When the war ended, however, wireless had virtually become radio, and speech communication was replacing Morse Code.

Beginning during the last few weeks of the year 1918, and onward into 1919, an ever increasing number of wireless and radio experimenters began to use their primitive equipment for the broadcast of somewhat intelligible speech, and at best squawky music. These sometimes unofficial and usually unregulated program broadcasts escalated in many countries throughout the world into what became ultimately the actual introduction of mediumwave and longwave radio program broadcasting.

There were many occasions during 1919 in which amateur and professional equipment was used in many different countries for the broadcast of informal programming. In fact, the list of known experimental radio broadcasts during that year (1919) is so long that it is no longer possible to list them all in our progressive topics under the title Ancient DX Report. Consequently we will list only a few as an example of the many.

During the year 1919, the Chicago Radio Laboratory manufactured a simple radio receiver so that jewelers and repairers of watches and clocks could obtain accurate time. The American navy, it was reported, was the largest user of wireless in the United States, with four score wireless stations along the West Coast and in the Pacific, and many more elsewhere.

On April 12 (1919), the United States navy lifted their ban on the operation of privately owned radio receivers, and a few months later, on September 26, they lifted their ban on the operation of privately owned radio transmitters. Regulation of the radio scene in the United States then became the prerogative of the Department of Commerce in the federal government. The Australian government gave approval for amateur radio operators to re-open once again the use of their radio equipment shortly afterwards, on October 1 (1919).

On January 3 (1919), radio station 9XM at the University of Wisconsin in Madison began the broadcast of weather and other essential information. Station 9XM became the more familiar WHA, which is still on the air to this day, with 5 kW on 970 kHz.

Radio station WWV is this year celebrating its 100th anniversary, and it made its first informal broadcast of music during the evening of February 25 (1919) to a group of one hundred specially invited visitors. The first piece of music that was played from phonograph records was Pretty Baby, followed by other popular phonographic music. This significant radio broadcast, apparently under the callsign BS, was made in Washington, DC before they transferred to Fort Collins Colorado under the better known callsign WWV.

On January 31 (1919), the American battleship Marblehead made its first test transmission in preparation for a music broadcast two days later. Several other experimental broadcasts were made from ships in various parts of the world during the year, including additionally the United States, and also Italy and Australia.

On April 17, Mr. F. S. McCullough at the Glenn Martin aviation factory in Cleveland, OH presented a music concert, which was planned as the first in a series of regular program broadcasts. In August, music was broadcast from an airplane flying over New York City; and on October 13, the Army Signal Corp broadcast recorded music from the Transportation Building in Chicago to a local electric show.

Dr. Frank Conrad at 8XK in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania resumed his evening music broadcasts on October 17; and another historic radio station also in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was launched on November 19, under the callsign 8ZAE. Station 8ZAE is better known these days as KQV, and its recent new owners are currently rebuilding it at a new location with the expectation of returning to the air sometime this month (November 2019).

In mid-November, Lee de Forest at 2XG in Highbridge, New York made a live remote broadcast with a commentary on a football game. Late in December, station WN9 at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor made a series of Christmas and New Year broadcasts on 600 meters (500 kHz).

In Ireland, Marconi made his first voice transmission from his communication station YXQ at Ballybunion on March 19; and special experimental transmissions were made over in nearby England during the total solar eclipse in South America and Africa on May 29.

Down under in Australia, the commercial company AWA made demonstration broadcasts of music and speech in both Sydney and Melbourne; and in Canada on September 24, station XWA was granted government approval to send transmissions in speech.

Over in Holland, station PCGG in The Hague began the broadcast of regular Sunday music programs, known as the Hague Concerts, and they proved to be quite popular in England. On December 20, a new wireless service between the United States and Japan was opened; and in China during the year, the Chinese National Wireless Company was formed for the manufacture of wireless equipment.