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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 N597, August 2, 2020
The Early Wireless Scene in the New American State of Columbia?
It was on Friday, June 26 (2020), that the House of Representatives in Washington, DC took a historic vote granting approval for the District of Columbia (Washington, DC) to become a state, the 51st in the Union. It is true, this is just the first step in a political process that may, or perhaps may not, reach a full fruition. We might also add that India still has its national capital city, Delhi, in its own National Capital Territory; Mexico has its capital city, Mexico City, in its own Distrito Federal; and Australia has its capital city, Canberra, in its own Australian Capital Territory.
Among the many matters that would need to be resolved before DC could become a state would be the name itself. Currently, Washington city lies in the District of Columbia, and to call the new state Columbia, for example, could create problems with Canada which has a province with the title British Columbia. Then too, in South America there is an independent country with a similar name, Colombia. Another suggestion for a new name for the perhaps new state would be Douglass, in honor of the African-American abolitionist Frederick Douglass, where the DC for District of Columbia would then become Douglass Commonwealth.
Way back on July 9, 1790, the American Congress passed a resolution approving the creation of a federal capital territory; a perfect square measuring 10 miles each side, and thus containing a land area of 100 square miles. The new federal territory was named Columbia, the feminine version of the name Columbus, which was a symbolic name for the United States at the time.
Originally, the new territory was formed from land donated by the two adjoining states, Maryland and Virginia. However more than half a century later, in 1846, the section of land donated by Virginia was returned to Virginia by act of Congress; hence the irregular border on the south west quadrant of DC now follows the course of the Potomac River. The city was named Washington in honor of President George Washington, who was actually president at the time.
However, just as a matter of interest, let's now take a look at the early wireless scene in Washington city, in what is still, at the present time, the current federal District of Columbia. We go back to the middle of the 1800s, for the very earliest beginnings of the wonder of wireless.
During the year 1856, the 30 year old Mahlon Loomis and his new bride, the 25 year old Achsah Ashley, moved into accommodations in Washington, DC where he began practicing dentistry, a training that he had implemented in several other areas during the previous decade.
While living in the eastern areas of the United States, Loomis began to develop a system of wireless telegraphy, by flying two kites 14 miles apart, to which primitive spark equipment was attached. It was in October 1866, at the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia, that he achieved this successful transmission, some 30 years before the more famous Marconi performed similar experiments.
The earliest known wireless experiments in Washington, DC took place in November 1902 at the Washington Navy Yard in Anacostia, DC under the callsign QI. The navy imported a set of German wireless equipment from Slaby-Arco and Braun, and a set of French equipment from Ducretet and Rochefort. In addition, test transmissions lasting three weeks were also made using a set of American de Forest wireless equipment.
A 180 ft. tall tower supported the antenna system, a fan of 5 wires, and two copper plates buried 6 feet deep made up the earthing system. A similar set of equipment was installed at the Naval Academy in Annapolis in the nearby state of Maryland.
A series of exhaustive test transmissions was conducted between the Washington Navy Yard QI in DC and the Naval Academy QG at Annapolis, Maryland, a distance of 36 miles. These test transmissions were made using different versions of Morse Code, with a speed up to 35 words a minute.
As a result of these early wireless experimental transmissions, the navy declared that the German Slaby-Arco and the American de Forest equipment provided the best results. The navy therefore procured twelve sets of de Forest wireless equipment, for installation on land and on ship.
A few years later, a set of Massie wireless equipment from Rhode Island, rated at 15 kW, was installed at the navy yard, and soon afterwards the callsign was regularized as a navy callsign NAL. This unit radiated on 1000 metres (300 kHz) longwave.
In July 1925, the Washington Naval Yard, under a subsequent callsign NRL, performed a series of transcontinental test transmissions with KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and with Catalina Island KFWO-6XAD California on 4028 kHz and 7195 kHz.
More about the wireless scene in Washington, DC next time.