(Source: The Daily Journal via Richard Cuff)
KGEI: A forgotten WWII radio story
Sometimes history is hidden in plain sight or site — as is the case of a blockhouse-shaped building located, appropriately, on Radio Road in the Redwood Shores area of Redwood City.
There is no plaque to remind the few visitors to the area that the two-story building played an important role in World War II: It housed the transmitter for shortwave radio station KGEI, which was the only voice from home for GIs fighting from island to island in the Pacific.
Among other accomplishments, the station broadcast Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s “I have returned” speech that fulfilled his promise to return with victorious American troops to the Philippines, occupied by Japanese forces since 1942.
Today, the building of about 7,000 square feet is owned by Silicon Valley Clean Water, the wastewater plant operated jointly by Redwood City, San Carlos and Belmont. The plant is adjacent to the KGEI building, which itself is right next to a much larger transmitter building used by KNBR. Ground was broken in late 1940 for the KGEI structure made of reinforced 3-foot thick concrete walls designed to withstand bombing.[…]
Heard KGEI in Saigon early in 1975 S-3, but polar flutter. Was it coming by long path?
Flutter is usually caused by multi-path signals, They flutter as they are in and out of phase and they can cancel and reinforce the signal itself. Typically the muti-path event is caused by signal reflection by and along cold and warm fronts also by storm fronts. Depending on frequency, E layer propagation can enhance this to farther distances.
The distance from California to Vietnam is about half way around the World so propagation events can happen anywhere along the path and even going both directions around the World. The mid to late 1960s were one of the better years for the Solar cycle max
That may be the reason why after a strong shower and the sky is clear of heavy clouds, I get to listen to a lot of fluttering signals from far away. Thanks.
the picture of that building at the article you linked to looks awesome! not only is it built to withstand bombing it has a cool art-deco look
Cool! I live in Redwood City and never knew about this. I’ll have to go by and check it out.
It’s interesting that the sports AM station KNBR next door also has links with WW2. KNBR began broadcasting on April 17, 1922 as KPO, a 100-watt station owned by the Hale Brothers department store.
In 1927, KPO became an affiliate of the new NBC radio network. In 1933, KPO was sold to NBC’s parent company, the Radio Corporation of America (RCA),[4] and its operation was consolidated into that of its co-owned KGO at the Hunter-Dulin Building, 111 Sutter Street. From there, NBC operated its West Coast network, feeding dozens of stations and operating a news bureau to serve NBC. As NBC’s flagship station on the West Coast, it had a full-time orchestra, five studios, and produced many live shows. During the rise of Hollywood, NBC’s radio operation was moved to Los Angeles.
In 1941, just before World War II, NBC constructed Radio City at 420 Taylor Street, considered one of the best radio facilities built during radio’s golden age. However, with the network control having been moved to Los Angeles, the San Francisco NBC building was never fully utilized. (Later, the building housed KBHK-TV, and now houses the headquarters of Reddit.)
During World War II, KPO’s news bureau was the major source of NBC of news about the war in the Pacific, and operated shortwave radio stations (transmitters located in Dixon) serving the world. It was at the KPO (RCA) shortwave facility that the message was received that Japanese emperor Hirohito had surrendered, ending World War II.
I wonder if Dixon is still standing?
http://www.eham.net/articles/14253