Massie Wireless Station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Massie Wireless Station
|
|
The station at its current location
|
|
 Location in Rhode Island
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 1300 Frenchtown Road East Greenwich, Rhode Island |
|---|---|
| Built | 1907 |
| NRHP reference No. | 01001157 |
| Added to NRHP | October 22, 2001 |
The Massie Wireless Station (also known as PJ) was built in Point Judith, Rhode Island, in 1907. It might be the oldest working wireless station still around today! It's named after its inventor, Walter Wentworth Massie. He was the head of the Massie Wireless Telegraph Company. In 1983, the building was moved to the New England Wireless and Steam Museum. Now, it's a special technology museum and a historic site where people can learn about old technology.
Contents
How Wireless Communication Started
In December 1902, a company called the American De Forest Wireless Telegraph Company set up an early wireless station. It was in a house near Point Judith Light. They also set up another station near Block Island Southeast Light. This second station was about 15 miles (24 km) from the coast.
By May 1903, they had successfully sent test messages between the two stations. Messages were sent using Morse code, which is a system of dots and dashes. These stations first helped the Providence Journal newspaper. They sent news stories to Block Island so they could be printed there.
Another goal was for ships passing by to send messages to the mainland. These messages would then go to Providence or New York City by phone. This meant news from ships could arrive hours before the ships reached port! Many ships passed by Block Island back then.
The Block Island Wireless newspaper started publishing in July 1903. It was one of only two daily newspapers that printed news sent by wireless. Soon, the stations began sending messages for the public. They charged a fee for this service, calling the messages "aerograms." This early wireless service didn't always work well, and the Block Island Wireless stopped publishing in August 1903.
Massie Takes Over
The newspaper wasn't happy with how the stations were working. So, they offered the management of the two stations to the new Massie company. By 1904, Massie had installed new equipment. This equipment replaced the old system and allowed for reliable two-way communication between Block Island and the mainland.
The stations also helped passenger steamships communicate, especially those from the Fall River Line. When Massie put wireless equipment on the steamship Plymouth, it was the first ship on Long Island Sound to have this technology. A Massie employee even worked on the ship as the wireless operator.
During early tests, the shore station could talk to the ship from 33 miles (53 km away). Ship crews thought Point Judith was a dangerous spot on their route. The shore station would warn them about bad weather like fog hours before they reached it. It would then help them navigate as they passed. By 1905, the Block Island station was improved. It could pick up signals from large ocean liners beyond the Nantucket Shoals Lightship 66. That's a distance of about 150 miles (240 km)!
The New Station and Important Events
In 1907, Massie built a new, better building for the Point Judith station. This is the building that is still preserved today. The spark-gap transmitter inside could send out up to 2 kilowatts of power. It was connected to a huge antenna tower that was 300 feet (91 m) tall! The wireless signals were sent at specific wavelengths. In 1907, it was 400 meters (750 kHz), and in 1912, it was 325 meters (923 kHz).
In May 1910, two steamships, the Santurce and Ligonaire, crashed near Cape Cod because of thick fog. The Point Judith station received their distress call (CQD). The station quickly sent a wrecking tug to help the ships. Wireless operators at the station also listened carefully in April 1912. They were waiting for news from rescue ships about the terrible sinking of the RMS Titanic.
In August 1912, Massie's stations were sold to Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Company. This sale included all the shore stations and ship stations. Massie kept the rights to his inventions and continued to work in his lab. The Point Judith station stopped operating shortly after the sale. When it closed, it could communicate up to 500 miles (800 km) away.
In 1917, a "radiophone fog warning device" was put in the lighthouse next to the closed Massie station. It would send a voice recording saying "Point Judith Light" by wireless. Ships could hear this up to 8 miles (13 km) away. After saying it three times, it would then say "you are getting closer; keep off" at a lower power. This message could only be heard within 2 miles (3.2 km).
The building then became a Western Union landline telegraph station until World War II. After the war, it was used as a summer house for many years.
Other Stations in the Network
The two first stations were joined by others to create a system along the southern coast of New England. Massie ran other stations from New Jersey to Massachusetts. The Point Judith station used the call letters "PJ" to identify itself. Other stations in the Massie system had their own call letters:
| Location | Call |
|---|---|
| Chatham, Massachusetts | AU |
| Block Island, Rhode Island | BI |
| Cape May, New Jersey | CP |
| Providence, Rhode Island | HG |
| Jacksonville, Florida | JX |
| Point Judith, Rhode Island | PJ |
| Wilson's Point at Norwalk, Connecticut | WN |
| New London, Connecticut | WS |
The Fall River Line steamships also had Massie wireless systems. Here are some of the ships and their call letters:
| Steamship | Call |
|---|---|
| Priscilla | CA |
| Pilgrim | GM |
| Chester W. Chapin | HN |
| Providence | PV |
| Plymouth | PX |
| Puritan | RN |
| City of Lowell | WE |
Preserving History
In 1983, the Massie Wireless Station building was moved to the New England Wireless and Steam Museum. This saved it from being torn down. The place where it used to be is now part of Roger Wheeler State Beach. The station is now in the Tillinghast Road Historic District.
The original equipment from the station was given to the Museum by Massie's family. The transmitter still works! It now operates at 850 meters (353 kHz), though it's not connected to an antenna. The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. This means it's recognized as a very important historical site.
The Massie Wireless Club started using the station for amateur radio in 2018. Their club call sign is N1EPJ. Another building at the museum has a collection of old telegraph, radio, and television equipment.
See also
- Archie Frederick Collins – Massie's company joined with Collin's company in 1909, but this arrangement didn't last long.
