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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 439, June 1, 2003

Marshall Islands on the Air Shortwave

The Marshall Islands are a small group of islands that form a part of Micronesia in the central Pacific, about half way between Hawaii and Australia. The Marshalls are made up of 34 coral atolls with a total area of just 70 square miles and a total coastline of just 75 miles.

These islands run in two parallel chains about 130 miles apart and they extend for 650 miles. The capital island is Majuro and the total population is around 75,000.

The Marshall Islands were first populated by Micronesians who migrated into the area approximately 3,000 years ago. The first Europeans to sight the islands were from Spain, the islands were named by the British, and Germany bought them from Spain in 1885.

The Japanese were granted a mandate over the islands from the League of Nations in 1920, and the Americans were granted a mandate from the United Nations in 1946. The Marshall Islands gained independence in 1986.

Three island atolls in the Marshalls have achieved worldwide fame. Kwajelein and Eniwetok were the location of two fierce battles during the Pacific War, and Bikini and Eniwetok were the locations for the American atomic tests in the Pacific a few years later.

Radio wise, the first transmitter in the Marshall Islands was established under the Japanese mandate on the southern island of Jaluit somewhere around the mid-1920’s. This was a communication station under the callsign JRX.

In 1944, American forces established two stations in the Marshall Islands; WXLG with 1 kW on Kwajelein, and WXLE with just 50 watts on Eniwetok. Two years later, radio played another important role during the American atomic tests on Bikini and Eniwetok. The radio transmitters on several ships relayed a live broadcast from a nearby location, giving a running commentary of the events associated with the atomic explosions.

The mediumwave station WSZO began with just 200 watts on 1500 kHz somewhere around the year 1960. This station was established by the local government and it was supplementary to the two AFRS stations on the air in this island group in the central Pacific.

In 1980, on March 4 to be exact, a new 1 kW transmitter at station WSZO made its first appearance on the shortwave bands. Two channels were in use, 6070 kHz and 4940 kHz, though the tropical band channel gave the widest coverage.

A few months later, the station stated that they were swamped with reception reports from all over the world, though mainly from Australia, New Zealand and North America. The transmitter was a Japanese NEC 10 kW unit and the antenna was beamed north west.

Two years after its inauguration, the shortwave service came to an abrupt end when the antenna balun failed. This service for the outer islands was never revived, and gone was the possibility for distant listeners to hear this exotic radio station in the central Pacific.

However, there is good news. Several recent news reports state that the Kentucky shortwave station WJIE, with its offices in Louisville and transmitters at Upton, indicate that they have bought the three shortwave transmitters from FEBA Seychelles. They are apparently planning to install one in Liberia, another in the United States, and the third in the Marshall Islands.

The government radio station in the Marshall Islands began its on-air service under the callsign WSZO, and this was changed to V7AD after independence. What will be the callsign for this new Gospel shortwave station in the Marshall Islands?


Morse Code Key in the White House

Did you know that there is a Morse Code key in the White House? And it is made of solid gold, no less. This is the story.

Back in the year 1908, when radio was wireless and messages were sent by Morse Code and not by voice, a special Morse Code key was constructed for use in the White House in Washington, DC. The base was made from a small slab of polished marble found in Alaska, and the Morse Code key itself was made from the first gold strike found in Alaska. Around the edge of the marble base are sixteen small gold nuggets, and mounted on the base is an engraved plate stating that the key was presented to President William H. Taft, the 27th president of the United States.

This unique, solid gold Morse Code key was presented to President Taft in the White House by the man who first discovered gold in Alaska, Mr. George W. Carmack, and it has been used on many important ceremonial occasions. Its first usage was when President Taft tapped the key and officially opened the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition on June 1, 1908, just ninety five years ago today.

Another occasion when the Morse Code key in the White House was used for an important ceremony was for the official opening of the Panama Canal. It was on July 12, 1920 that President Woodrow Wilson in the White House tapped on the golden key, thus officially confirming the formal opening of this new waterway between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

However, from a radio point of view, we would suggest that the most important occasion when this historic key was used was for the official opening of a huge radio broadcasting station. This event occurred on May 2, 1934 under the administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States.

The radio station was the massive 500 kW mediumwave transmitter operated by the Crosley Corporation in Cincinnati, Ohio which was on the air with the programming of the famous station WLW. It was the president’s wife, Mrs. Roosevelt, who climaxed the opening ceremony when she pressed the golden key.

The golden Morse Key in the White House is today 95 years old.