Date: March 24, 2008
Contact: Barbara Dougan, Education Specialist, 508 255 3421 x 16
On April 26 Cape Cod National Seashore and amateur radio operators will celebrate International Marconi Day from 9 AM to 3 PM at the Coast Guard Station, Coast Guard Beach, Eastham. The event is free and open to the public.
International Marconi Day is a worldwide event honoring the birthday of the “Wizard of Wireless,” Guglielmo Marconi, on the Saturday closest to his birth date of April 25, 1874. During the event the Cape Cod Marconi Radio Club, KM1CC, will operate high frequency radios to make two-way contacts with historic Marconi Stations and radio operators around the world. Visitors to the event will see Morse Code and voice operators talking to other operators around the globe, and will learn about the role amateur radio operators play during local and national emergencies. Children will be able to use “keys” to practice sending Morse Code messages, and will also be invited to sign a birthday card that will be mailed to Marconi’s daughter, Princess Elettra Marconi in Italy.
On January 18, 1903, Marconi sent and received the first public two-way wireless communication between the United States and Europe (Poldhu Station, Great Britain), from his South Wellfleet Station. This station site is located in Cape Cod National Seashore and is open to the public. A model and remnants of the original station can be viewed at the site.
Cape Cod National Seashore has a free lesson plan about Marconi on its website, http://www.nps.gov/caco/forteachers/curriculummaterials.htm. Marconi: Beyond the Horizon includes activities that meet Massachusetts’ history, physical science, and technology/engineering learning standards.
For more information about historic Marconi Stations around the world and International Marconi Day visit: http://www.gb4imd.org.uk. For more information about facilities and programs at Cape Cod National Seashore visit the park’s website: http://www.nps.gov/caco.
During the event radio operators will use: CW, continuous wave or Morse Code, and voice communication on local 2 Meter repeaters, 17 Meter, 20 Meter, 40 Meter, and 80 Meters.
KM1CC Operating Plan for International Marconi Day, April 26, 2008 UTC
CW and Phone on the following bands (General and Extra Class allocations):
17M 18.160 SSB 18.080 CW 40M 7.130, 7.260 SB 7.030 CW
20M 14.260 SSB 14.035 CW 80M 3.660, 3.860 SSB 3.535 CW
30M --- 10.110 CW
###
