Click photo to enlarge
Alf Bell, of Lake Hayes, with some of the equipment used in
1924 to transmit the first transworld radio broadcast, at
Shag Valley Station yesterday. Photo by Gregor Richardson.
It was off the beaten track but it was a trip well worth
making.
Dunedin hosted the New Zealand Association of Radio
Transmitters Inc annual conference during the weekend and as
an "add on", 30 members of the association went to Shag
Valley Station, near Palmerston, yesterday to visit the site
of the first transworld radio broadcast in 1924.
Amateur radio experi- menter and operator Frank Bell made
history on the evening of October 18, 1924, when he
transmitted Morse code messages from his home in Shag Valley.
The short-wave signals were received and replied to by
London-based amateur operator Cecil Goyder.
At the time, this was not only the first amateur radio
contact around the world, but also the first radio
transmission of any kind to be sent and received at such a
distance.
Mr Bell's radio gear has been preserved at Shag Valley
Station and was visited by the enthusiasts yesterday.
Conference organising committee member Lindsay Strong said
the equipment was fascinating and although had little in
common with modern devices, it demonstrated Mr Bell's
perseverance.
Frank Bell's son Alf Bell was present to talk about the
pieces of equipment in the collection.
