Tuckerton Wireless Comments - Bob Mathis

I got the following comments from Bob Mathis regarding our January 25th Tuckerton Wireless Blog entry a few days ago and some photos that I had loaned to Bob. His comments are worth reading as they're thoughtful, answer some questions, and raise other questions. He also provides some web links for those who would like to delve into the Tuckerton Wireless subject in more depth.

Pete

 

I have looking over the pictures from the Tuckerton Wireless you gave me.  It's very confusing so I went out on the internet and did some research.  The reason the pictures are confusing is that they are from various times without dates, and as I found out the wireless station went through numerous modernizations and changes.  Apparently, they kept all of them, and the pictures show them in various states of disrepair and cannibalization. (not all parts all there in some cases) 

 

The reason the 850' tower was insulated, is that it was part of the original antenna.  Which consisted of the main tower and nine or ten smaller 300 ft towers at about a distance of 1500 to 2000 feet from the main tower.  An umbrella of wire overhead, and a buried system of wire underneath the antenna.  Today it would be called a top loaded vertical with a counterpoise, I guess.  There were also, probably at each of the 300 ft towers, a huge tuning coil.  The original RF generator was a Goldschmidt Alternator, installed by the Germans.

 

When the Navy took over the station in 1917, they had trouble getting the Goldschmidt Alternator to work properly.  (according to the literature it was very difficult to tune and keep that way)  Some of the coils burned up and they held a court of inquiry to see anybody was responsible.  the conclusion was - no one was at fault.  (they probably suspected sabotage)   They replaced it with an Alexanderson alternator.  From the pictures, it looks like they eventually had more than one and different versions.  Another system installed, and maybe several different ones, was a Poulsen Arc transmitter.  This gave much more power output and higher frequencies.  Note:  The Poulsen Arc system required a huge powerful magnet.  I didn't see one in the pictures.  According to one of the references, some of these magnets ended up in the construction of cyclotrons when scientists started looking for atomic particles.  Maybe they went to Princeton ?  The next systems to be installed were probably several vacuum tube systems.   

 

All in all over the years, the RF generation systems and antenna systems under went  many changes and additions.  Makes it difficult to sort out what is part of what.

 

Tuckerton was a sister station to one built at Sayville on Long Island.  They worked together as a pair.  One would receive and the other transmit.  This is when the Germans first ran them.  Later when the Navy took them over, Tuckerton, Sayville, Belmar, New Brunswick and Chatham, Mass. were all tied together by land lines to each other and to Washington D.C.

 

When we declared war with Germany in 1917 it was taken over by the U.S. Military and the German operators were promptly arrested by the and sent to a prisoner of war camp in Virginia.  (Can you say, "GITMO")  :)

 

Following are some interesting references.  Some are a little technical.  Maybe it will give someone a place to start if they want to really dig into it.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexanderson_alternatorartsida_e.htm

 

http://www.alexander.n.se/startsida_e.htm

 

http://web.mit.edu/ipc/publications/pdf/00-014.pdf

 

http://www.infoage.org/at_eifel.html

 

http://www.oldradio.com/archives/jurassic/dk-poulsen.htm

 

http://www.sayville.com/wireless.html

 

http://www.teslaradio.org/

 

http://mcnally.cc/tuckmain.htm

 

http://www.antiquewireless.org/otb/blw535202.htm

 

http://earlyradiohistory.us/1963hw.htm

Bob is correct when he says that the Tuckerton Wireless photos can be confusing, as they are not in a chronological order. Placing them in chronological order would be a worthwhile project. Anyone wishing to help out in such an endeavor is encouraged to email the Blog or stop by the Tuckerton Historical Society on a Wednesday. A helping hand or hands are definitely needed and would be appreciated. A knowledge of radio technology would be particularly helpful.

Here are a few more samples of photos in the Tuckerton Historical Societies Wireless collection.

I'm glad that's not me taking this photo. I get vertigo just looking at the photo. (Photo courtesy of Tuckerton Historical Society.)

Some of the equipment inside the Transmission Building. Probably from the RCA era. (Photo courtesy of Tuckerton Historical Society.)

Horse pulling concrete along a railway, in 1912, during the construction of the tower support blocks. It was quite an engineering feat. (Photo courtesy of Tuckerton Historical Society.)

A series of small towers can be seen surrounding the main central tower. (Photo courtesy of Tuckerton Historical Society.)

Additional Tuckerton Wireless photos may be seen at the  following web site . . .

http://mcnally.cc/tuckmain.htm

Better yet, stop by the Tuckerton Historical Society some Wednesday from 10 AM to 4 PM and browse through the photo collection in person. Nothing beats a hands on experience.

Pete S