Cornwall. Richard Langford M6RIK

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Gervase Lane
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1 Cornwall 2012 Richard Langford M6RIK

2 We completed the three hundred and ninety five miles in a little under eight and half hours after making three stops. The weather on the journey was much better than had been forecast but from Brighouse to Manchester there was a thick fog, thankfully the fog cleared as the sun rose and from Manchester to Worcester the weather was very good indeed. Unfortunately it then started to rain and continued to do so all the way to Exeter where condition became far more acceptable. The bad weather conditions meant that i had to reduce my speed for much of the journey to around 50 miles per hour, a real pain for the journey time but meant i could average nearly 50 miles per gallon of fuel used, meaning half a tank of diesel was all that was needed to make the journey down an excellent achievement for a fully laden estate car designed in the early 1990's. We had chosen to hire a cottage for our stay and had chosen the village of Mullion which is on the Lizard Peninsula. Mullion is a large village with three general stores, two pubs, a small number of eateries and other shops. Mullion is also just one mile away from Poldhu Cove and the site which is famous for being the place where the very first transatlantic transmissions were made by Marconi.

3 This is Poldhu Cove, the photo was taken from the coastal path just below Poldhu Care home. The Photograph is a scan of a print taken using an Olympus Trip 35 camera and FujiFilm 35mm Superia 200 film. Poldhu Cove is a lovely setting. Louise enjoyed spending time on the beach while i set off exploring the coastal paths and the Marconi Wireless Centre. At the cove is a pay and display car park which is situated behind the beach. On the beach is a lifeguard station, cafe and shop. The cove seems to be quite popular with surfers.

The Marconi Wireless Centre is at the top of the cliffs behind Poldhu Care home and is signposted from the road. However the signs do say to park in the pay and display car park at the bottom.

4 The Marconi Wireless Centre is at the top of the cliffs behind Poldhu Care home and is signposted from the road. However the signs do say to park in the pay and display car park at the bottom. This should be disregarded as the centre does have a small car park next to it. The Centre s a museum but is also the home of the Poldhu Amateur Radio Club. This is the Marconi Wireless Centre at Poldhu, The Poldhu care home is the white building in the back ground. Two radio towers are visible one is fitted with a HF beam and the other with a six metre beam and large collinear antenna. The Photograph is a scan of a print taken using an Olympus Trip 35 camera and FujiFilm 35mm Superia 200 film.

The museum itself was quite interesting. It features a theatre which shows a film explaining what Marconi did at Poldhu and at the receiving station in Canada.

5 The museum itself was quite interesting. It features a theatre which shows a film explaining what Marconi did at Poldhu and at the receiving station in Canada. The museum has some excellent wall displays and features a simple working example of a spark gap transmitter. The museum is great but i was a little disappointed when i learned how under used it is receiving just fifteen hundred visits last year. The museum is free and wheelchair/pushchair friendly. This is the Marconi Wireless Centre, the photo was taken from the coastal path near to the Marconi Monument. Note the extended lattice tower, it is one of a pair. The Photograph is a scan of a print taken using an Olympus Trip 35 camera and FujiFilm 35mm Superia 200 film.

6 Both of the Photographs are scans of prints taken using an Olympus Trip 35 camera and FujiFilm 35mm Superia 200 film.

7 This is the Marconi Monument, the photo was taken from the coastal path and Poldhu Care home can be seen on the right of the upper picture. Note the extended lattice tower which is partner to the one shown in the previous photograph. The monument displays four plaques, what they each say is reproduced here: The POLDHU wireless station was used by the Marconi company for the first trans-oceanic service of wireless telegraphy which was opened with a second Marconi station at Glance bay in Canada in 1902.When the Poldhu station was erected in 1900 wireless was in its infancy, when it was demolished in 1935, wireless was established for communication on land, at sea and in the air. For direction finding, broadcasting and television. One hundred yards north east of this column stood from 1900 to 1935 the famous Poldhu wireless station designed by John Ambrose Fleming and erected by the Marconi company of London from which were transmitted the first signals ever conveyed across the atlantic by wireless telegraphy. The signals consisted of a repetition of the morse letter 'S' and were received at St Johns Newfoundland by Guglielmo Marconi and his British associates on

8 From the Marconi company's Poldhu station in 1923 and 1924, Charles Samuel Franklin, inventor of the Franklin beam aerial, directed his short wave wireless beam transmissions to Guglielmo Marconi on his yatch 'Electra' crusing in the south atlantic. The Epoch making results of these experiments laid the foundation of modern high speed radiotelegraphy communication to and from all quarters of the globe. To commemorate the pioneer work done by Guglielmo Marconi and his research experts and radio engineers at the Poldhu wireless station between 1900 and 1935, the Marconi company presented this historic land to the National Trust. Some six acres of cliff land were given in 1957 and four acres behind the cliffs, on which stood the station and mast, were given in For more images and information please visit the following websites: The Lizard Before Marconi made the first transatlantic radio transmissions he already had a commercial radio company and was operating from his wireless station at Lizard point. Thankfully this wireless station survives to this day and if you are willing to make the effort you can visit, there is no entry fee but access is very difficult by the coastal path.

Marconi s wireless station at Lizard Point. This photograph was captured by an Olympus E400.

something I found difficult to comprehend, how can this equipment which is so basic by todays

The realisation that the apparatus found inside the station was once state of the art really

9 Marconi s wireless station at Lizard Point. This photograph was captured by an Olympus E400. The sheer simplicity of the equipment which is inside the Lizard wireless station was something I found difficult to comprehend, how can this equipment which is so basic by todays standards work? The realisation that the apparatus found inside the station was once state of the art really opened my mind to how far things have come on since the days of the radio pioneers. Inside the Wireless Station at Lizard Point. These photographs were captured by an Olympus E400.

I m not sure how much credit can be given to Marconi for choosing Lizard point as Lloyds signal station was built and in use long before

10 The Spark Gap Transmitter at Lizard Point Wireless Station This photograph was captured by an Olympus E400. Lizard point is the most southerly point in England and this made it an excellent place to build the wireless station. I m not sure how much credit can be given to Marconi for choosing Lizard point as Lloyds signal station was built and in use long before he came along, however it used flags and semaphore as a means of communication. Lloyds Signal Station as viewed from the Wireless station. This photograph was captured by an Olympus E400.

discovered at Lands End when we made the trip there. On the way back from Lands End we visited Porthcurno.

11 Lizard Point Lighthouse as viewed from the Wireless station. This photograph was captured by an Olympus E400. Lizard village was very nice too with ample food outlets of reasonable quality and ample donation only parking, much better than what we discovered at Lands End when we made the trip there. On the way back from Lands End we visited Porthcurno. Porthcurno. Porthcurno is famous for being the place where submarine telegraph cables come to shore and is the home of the Porthcurno Telegraph museum. The Porthcurno Telegraph museum. This photograph was captured by an Olympus E400.

12 The telegraph museum is very interesting and has a large collection of historic artefacts. The museum is split into two sections, the building pictured holds working exhibits of cable technology both old and new including fibre optics and interactive demonstrations. Hidden behind the building is a pair of tunnels which date back to WWII. Inside these tunnels are a large number of exhibits and more interestingly an educational talk about the early history of the submarine telegraph cable. After looking around the museum we set off in search of the cable house, we found it but there was nothing to see other than a small square building near the beach which was locked up. However the beach was truly idyllic but unfortunately was not pushchair accessible. Porthcurno Beach. This photograph was captured by an Olympus E400.

relaying telephone and fax signals. Telstar began operating on July 11th 1962, exactly five decades prior to my visit.

13 Goonhilly Earth Station. Located on the Lizard Peninsula is the Goonhilly Earth Station. The station was constructed to link with the telstar satellite and make live transatlantic television feeds possible as well as relaying telephone and fax signals. Telstar began operating on July 11th 1962, exactly five decades prior to my visit. One of the many dishes at Goonhilly on 11th July This photograph was captured by an Olympus E400. One of the many dishes at Goonhilly on 11th July This photograph was captured by an Olympus E400.

Poldhu Amateur Radio Club. Poldhu Amateur Radio Club had organised a special one day only event station GB5TEL to commemorate five decades of Telstar.

14 Poldhu Amateur Radio Club. Poldhu Amateur Radio Club had organised a special one day only event station GB5TEL to commemorate five decades of Telstar. Unfortunately I was unable to join them at Goonhilly but I did make contact with them on both 20m and 40m while out working portable. I attended the Poldhu Amateur Radio Club on the evening before the special event and was made welcome by the members and officer of the committee, I was even made a cup of tea and offered a biscuit. The club is similar to most other clubs I have visited in terms of demographics and seems to be doing well in terms of membership numbers and going by the modern amateur radio equipment and shack they have. I visited the club again later in the week and heard what a success GB5TEL had been with over 300 QSO s. I also had a very interesting conversation with a gentleman about valves but Unfortunately I did not get the opportunity to use the club equipment. An image cropped from the notice board at PARC. This photograph was captured by an Samsung Galaxy SII.

/Portable. I did most of my portable working near to the Marconi Wireless Centre, quite frankly this was the best spot I could find locally and I had mixed success.

15 /Portable. I did most of my portable working near to the Marconi Wireless Centre, quite frankly this was the best spot I could find locally and I had mixed success. On my first /p expedition I walked to the Marconi Monument and set up just yards away from it. I had with me a wire dipole for 20m, my Yaesu FT-817nd and LDG auto atu. Unfortunately after an hour and half trying to have a QSO I gave up. I could hear lots of stations but no one answered my calls. The wind which comes of the Atlantic is relentless and it is cold. An hour and half was enough. The next couple of times I went out /P I set up using the car so that I could take advantage of the full five watts the 817 is capable of when powered externally. I also used a 40m wire dipole. It was a success and at one point I had to manage the largest pile up I have ever been the cause of. It was an exhilarating experience. /P near the Marconi Centre. This photograph was captured by an Samsung Galaxy SII.

16 One of the more memorable stations I worked was Gordon G7MHQ from Huddersfield. During the next trip out I hoped to repeat my success but the band conditions were not good not many stations could be heard but I did manage to work almost every station I could hear. The highlight of the day was a MM0 station in Aberdeenshire. Cornwall is a nice place with plenty of places to go if you are interested in the history of communications. The Volunteers at the Marconi Wireless Centre and Lizard Wireless station do a fantastic job and are very friendly. The journey home was uneventful, we covered the three hundred and ninety five miles in just over seven hours again with three stops although travelling at the speed limits increased fuel consumption and we used two thirds of a tank, around 40 miles per gallon of fuel used. We had a great family holiday. Lands End. This photograph was captured by an Olympus E400. All text and images are the copyright property of Richard Langford Richard Langford. All rights reserved.

History of Naval Ships Wireless Systems I s to the 1920 s

History of Naval Ships Wireless Systems I 1890 s to the 1920 s Wireless telegraphy was introduced in to the RN in 1897 by Marconi and Captain HB Jackson, a Torpedo specialist. There was no way to measure