{"id":41294,"date":"2019-12-24T12:05:36","date_gmt":"2019-12-24T16:05:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=41294"},"modified":"2019-12-24T16:09:34","modified_gmt":"2019-12-24T20:09:34","slug":"wi2xlq-brian-justins-annual-longwave-broadcast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/12\/wi2xlq-brian-justins-annual-longwave-broadcast\/","title":{"rendered":"WI2XLQ: Brian Justin\u2019s annual longwave broadcast"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Canadian Reginald Aubrey Fessenden in his lab believed circa 1906 (Source: Radio Canada International)<\/p><\/div>\n

(Source: ARRL News<\/a> via Harald Kuhl)<\/p>\n

The Canadian inventor, experimenter, and entrepreneur Reginald Fessenden has been credited as the inventor of radiotelephony. Fessenden claimed to have made his first voice \u2014 and music \u2014 broadcast on Christmas Eve in 1906 from Brant Rock, Massachusetts, although his account is disputed. As he has done each December for the past few years, Brian Justin, WA1ZMS, of Forest, Virginia, will transmit a program on 486 kHz, under authority of his FCC Part 5 Experimental License WI2XLQ ito commemorate Fessenden\u2019s accomplishments.<\/p>\n

Justin will transmit for at least 24 hours starting at around 2000 UTC on December 24, with a repeat transmission on New Year\u2019s Eve likely, \u201ckeeping in step with what Fessenden was reported to have done on both nights in 1906,\u201d Justin explained.Fessenden\u2019s transmitter was most likely a high-speed \u201cdynamo\u201d or alternator \u2014 a predecessor to the later Alexanderson alternator \u2014 modulated by placing a carbon microphone in series with the antenna feed line to create an amplitude modulated signal. Fessenden a few years earlier had limited success making voice transmissions using a rotary spark gap transmitter. Fessenden fed his signal into a substantial antenna system erected in Brant Rock for his experiments. Accounts say on Christmas Eve 1906, he transmitted recordings of two pieces of music and read a verse from the bible.<\/p>\n

Justin will use somewhat more modern equipment \u2014 a home-brew master oscillator, power amplifier (MOPA) transmitter based on a classic design from the early 1920s. It uses a UV-201 oscillator tube driving a VT-25 tube \u2014 a modern equivalent to a UV-202 \u2014 to generate \u201ca few watts\u201d on 486 kHz. His modulator consists of another VT-25, which uses a large inductor in the RF amplifier\u2019s plate supply to serve as a Heising modulator. The audio program comes from a laptop computer.<\/p>\n

\u201cHeising modulation was used in World War I as an easy way to achieve AM in rigs such as those used in aircraft,\u201d Justin said. \u201cMy particular Heising modulator can deliver only around 60% modulation, so an audio processor is used to help boost the average volume level ahead of the modulator tube.\u201d<\/p>\n

Justin uses far more modern technology to boost \u201cthe few watts\u201d of modulated RF to drive a modified Hafler 9505 solid-state 500-W audio amplifier. \u201cThe idea for the amp came from W1TAG and W1VD,\u201d he said, \u201cand information on using such an amp on the 630 and 2200-meter ham bands can be found on the web.\u201d After a multi-pole low-pass filter, the carrier output is 150 W.<\/p>\n

Justin\u2019s antenna is a Marconi T, crafted from a 160-meter dipole some 60 feet above ground and fed with open-wire line, which is shorted at the transmitter end. A homebrew variometer \u2014 constructed from 14-gauge wire wound on a piece of 4-inch diameter PVC pipe \u2014 is placed in series to resonate the antenna, which is fed against an extensive ground system. \u201cMost of the RF is lost due to the ohmic losses of the ground system, but at least 15 W ERP is possible, depending on the dampness of the soil. Damp soil helps lower the ground losses,\u201d Justin said.<\/p>\n

Click here to read the full article on the ARRL News.<\/a><\/p>\n

Listener reports may be sent to Brian Justin, WA1ZMS, at his QRZ.com address<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you would like more information about Brian Justin and WI2XLQ, check out our interview with him in 2013<\/a>. Indeed, I successfully heard\u00a0the 2013 WG2XFG broadcast and posted\u00a0this audio clip on the Shortwave Radio Audio Archive<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Additionally, SWLing Post<\/em> reader, George Stein has a very personal connection with radio pioneer, Reginald Fessenden:\u00a0click here to read\u00a0his story<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Source: ARRL News via Harald Kuhl) The Canadian inventor, experimenter, and entrepreneur Reginald Fessenden has been credited as the inventor of radiotelephony. Fessenden claimed to have made his first voice \u2014 and music \u2014 broadcast on Christmas Eve in 1906 from Brant Rock, Massachusetts, although his account is disputed. As he has done each December […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2436,3,305,288],"tags":[2438,4123,4094,4091,2437,1281,2441,2439,2440,5756],"class_list":["post-41294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-longwave","category-news","category-nostalgia","category-radio-history","tag-brian-justin-wa1zms4","tag-longwave","tag-nostalgia","tag-radio-history","tag-reginald-fessenden","tag-special-broadcasts","tag-special-event-broadcasts","tag-wa1zms4","tag-wg2xfq","tag-wi2xlq"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-aK2","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":55119,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/wi2xlq-brian-justins-annual-longwave-broadcast-on-christmas-eve-and-new-years-eve\/","url_meta":{"origin":41294,"position":0},"title":"WI2XLQ: Brian Justin\u2019s annual longwave broadcast on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve","author":"Thomas","date":"December 21, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Now an\u00a0annual Christmas tradition, Brian Justin (WA1ZMS) will put his longwave\u00a0experimental station WI2XLQ on the air to commemorate the anniversary of Reginald Fessenden\u2019s first audio transmission. As in years past, he will be conducting the Fessenden transmission on Christmas Eve, as well as New Year\u2019s Eve. The plan is to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Longwave"","block_context":{"text":"Longwave","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/longwave\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/reginald-fessenden-1906_sn635.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/reginald-fessenden-1906_sn635.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/reginald-fessenden-1906_sn635.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":29639,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/12\/wi2xlq-brian-justins-annual-longwave-broadcast-dec-24-26\/","url_meta":{"origin":41294,"position":1},"title":"WI2XLQ: Brian Justin\u2019s annual longwave broadcast Dec 24-26","author":"Thomas","date":"December 22, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Now an\u00a0annual Christmas tradition, Brian Justin (WA1ZMS) will put his longwave\u00a0experimental station WI2XLQ on the air to commemorate the\u00a0110th anniversary of Reginald Fessenden\u2019s first audio transmission. WI2XLQ will be on the air from 17:00 UTC Dec 24th on 486 kHz and run for 48 hours until 16:59 UTC on Dec\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/reginald-fessenden-1906_sn635.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/reginald-fessenden-1906_sn635.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/reginald-fessenden-1906_sn635.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61456,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/12\/wi2xlq-brian-justins-annual-longwave-broadcast-starting-christmas-eve-and-new-years-eve\/","url_meta":{"origin":41294,"position":2},"title":"WI2XLQ: Brian Justin\u2019s annual longwave broadcast starting Christmas Eve and New Year\u2019s Eve","author":"Thomas","date":"December 20, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Brian (WA1ZMS), who writes: What has now become an annual LF listening event, WI2XLQ (an FCC Experimental Callsign) will once again be QRV for a recreation of the alleged first voice transmission made by Reginald Fessenden in 1909. Transmission on 486kHz in full carrier\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Longwave"","block_context":{"text":"Longwave","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/longwave\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/reginald-fessenden-1906_sn635.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/reginald-fessenden-1906_sn635.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/reginald-fessenden-1906_sn635.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":51312,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/12\/experimental-station-wi2xlq-will-recreate-1906-fessenden-transmissions-again-this-holiday-season\/","url_meta":{"origin":41294,"position":3},"title":"Experimental Station WI2XLQ will recreate 1906 Fessenden transmissions again this Holiday season","author":"Thomas","date":"December 24, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: ARRL News) Experimental Station will Recreate 1906 Fessenden Transmissions Experimental station WI2XLQ will be on the air on 486 kHz AM for the Reginald Fessenden commemorative transmission. Brian Justin, WA1ZMS, is the licensee. He will transmit for 24 hours starting at 2000 UTC on December 24, with a repeat\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Longwave"","block_context":{"text":"Longwave","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/longwave\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/reginald-fessenden-1906_sn635.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/reginald-fessenden-1906_sn635.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/reginald-fessenden-1906_sn635.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":22998,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/12\/wi2xlq-formerly-wg2xfq-brian-justins-annual-longwave-broadcast-dec-24-25\/","url_meta":{"origin":41294,"position":4},"title":"WI2XLQ (formerly WG2XFQ): Brian Justin\u2019s annual longwave broadcast Dec 24-25","author":"Thomas","date":"December 23, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Now an\u00a0annual Christmas tradition, Brian Justin (WA1ZMS) will put his longwave\u00a0experimental station WI2XLQ on the air to commemorate the\u00a0110th anniversary of Reginald Fessenden\u2019s first audio transmission. WI2XLQ will broadcast under its new callsign (formerly WG2XFQ) on 486 kHz from Forest, Virginia,\u00a0beginning on December 24 at 0001 UTC. WI2XLQ will remain\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Longwave"","block_context":{"text":"Longwave","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/longwave\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Reginald Aubrey Fessenden (October 6, 1866 \u2013 July 22, 1932)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Fessenden-202x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11811,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/12\/wg2xfq-brian-justins-annual-longwave-broadcast-dec-24-25\/","url_meta":{"origin":41294,"position":5},"title":"WG2XFQ: Brian Justin\u2019s annual longwave broadcast Dec 24-25","author":"Thomas","date":"December 23, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Now an\u00a0annual Christmas tradition, Brian Justin (WA1ZMS) will put his longwave\u00a0experimental station WG2XFQ on the air to commemorate the\u00a0108th anniversary of Reginald Fessenden\u2019s first audio transmission. WG2XFQ\u00a0will broadcast on 486 kHz from Forest, Virginia,\u00a0beginning on December 24 at 0001 UTC. WG2XFQ\u00a0will remain on the air for 48 hours. Listener reports\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Reginald Aubrey Fessenden (October 6, 1866 \u2013 July 22, 1932)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Fessenden-202x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41294"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41294\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}