[600MRG] ARRL: Experimenter to Honor Early Wireless Pioneers with Longwave Transmissions

[Ralph Wallio, W0RPK]

http://www.arrl.org/news/experimenter-to-honor-early-wireless-pioneers-with-longwave-transmissions

Experimenter to Honor Early Wireless Pioneers with Longwave Transmissions

12/18/2013

As he has over the past several years, Brian Justin, WA1ZMS/4 --- an 
active participant in the ARRL's WD2XSH 600 meter experimental project ---
will transmit voice and music on 486 kHz as WG2XFQ on Christmas Eve and 
Christmas Day and again on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
Transmissions will begin at 0001 UTC and end at 2359 UTC.

Justin, who may be better known for his microwave exploits on ham radio, 
will use an AM audio loop modulating his vintage-style, homebrew
transmitter to honor Reginald Fessenden's Christmas Eve 1906 AM voice 
transmission.

"While his original transmissions used a set of carbon microphones in 
the antenna lead to modulate the signal," Justin explained, "WG2XFQ
will be utilizing true Heising modulation in honor of Raymond Heising, 
who developed this early form of amplitude modulation during World
War I. Justin constructed his 5 W master oscillator power amplifier 
(MOPA) transmitter using 1920s vintage components. He said a modern
500 W FET linear amplifier allows him to meet his WG2XFQ ERP limit of 20 W.

An RF engineer, Justin collects pre-1920 wireless gear and has a World 
War I Heising-modulated aircraft transmitter he's planning to restore.