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Adventist World Radio
AWR "Wavescan" - DX Program
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* Program No NWS51 (ENGPU_WAVE_20100214)
* Production Date Tuesday February 9, 2010
* Uploaded Date By - EST Wednesday February 10, 2010 7:00 pm EST
UTC Thursday February 11, 2010 0000 UTC
Singapore morning, Thursday February 11, 2010
* Broadcast Date Sunday February 14, 2010
* Contents 1. The Story of the Good Ship Seth Parker
2. Identification Signal
3. In the Air with Many Callsigns & Many Locations NBC SW - 1
4. National Anthem
5. DX Report from Philippines
6. Music of the World
* Research & Script Dr. Adrian M. Peterson, Indianapolis, Indiana USA
* Recording Studios of shortwave WRMI, Radio Miami International, Miami, Florida
* Distribution AWR Network
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Wavescan NWS51
* Theme - 00:00
"Birthday Waltz" with Willi Glahe
* Opening Announcement - 00:13
Welcome to "Wavescan", DX program from Adventist World Radio
Researched and written in Indianapolis, produced in studios of shortwave WRMI
Program outline
1. The Story of the Good Ship Seth Parker
2. In the Air with Many Callsigns & Many Locations NBC SW Transmitter - Part 1
3. DX Report from Philippines
* The Story of the Good Ship Seth Parker - 01:02
The story of the sailing ship Seth Parker is filled with indecision, controversy, adventure and perhaps even intrigue. In addition, the Seth Parker also provides us with a remarkable glimpse of early radio history during its developing era way back some eighty years ago. There is also an interesting sequel to the story of radio broadcasting on the good ship Seth Parker. It all happened this way.
In the year 1918, a small sailing ship, less than two hundred feet long and weighing only 867 tons, was built in Portland Oregon for use in hauling lumber along the west coast of North America. It was named the Georgette.
Thirty years later, the young radio entertainer, Phillips Lord, purchased the Georgette, installed a diesel engine, refurbished the vessel luxuriously, and installed a decorative radio station in its decks, all for a total outlay of nearly a quarter of a million dollars. This ship in its new condition was renamed Seth Parker in honor of the main character played by Phillips Lord himself on an NBC network radio drama.
In addition, the Frigidaire company in the United States installed state of the art refrigeration and air conditioning on the vessel, and they supported the project with their advertising. They also printed an attractive advertising booklet in color, giving details about the Seth Parker and its intended round the world voyage.
As part of the publicity campaign associated with the sailing of the Seth Parker, arrangements were made in advance to post attractive envelopes from various exotic ports of call in several different countries. The sale of these envelopes would of course provide additional funding for the entire project.
It was on November 20, 1933, that the Seth Parker set sail from New York Harbor with twenty seven people on board; crew, staff, and radio personnel. In fact, NBC provided a 1 kW shortwave transmitter valued at $12,000 and the engineer to operate it, so that radio broadcasts on shortwave could be fed to the NBC radio network in the United States. The broadcast transmitter was licensed with the callsign KNRA, and an additional low power experimental transmitter on the Seth Parker was licensed as W10XG.
Beginning at Portland Maine, the Seth Parker called in at several ports on the American east coast, and the first known radio broadcast at the beginning of this venture took place on February 13, 1934, at Wilmington Delaware. Special shortwave broadcasts were made each Tuesday evening from progressive locations down the coast, and out in the Bahamas, and also from Haiti in the Caribbean.
However, controversy had already entered the scene at this stage and NBC ended their contract with Phillips Lord. The reasons for this move are unstated, but rumor would suggest that many unsavory and scandalous events were said to be taking place on board the Seth Parker. NBC in New York even made moves to send staff down to Jamaica to remove their radio station from the ship.
New network broadcasting arrangements were made, and the ship moved on, down to the Panama Canal, and out into the Pacific. A shortwave broadcast was made from the Galapagos Islands; and the final known shortwave broadcast from the Seth Parker was made in February 1935 when it was some three hundred miles from Tahiti.
It was at this stage that additional controversy entered the picture. The Seth Parker supposedly encountered two storms in the Pacific, off the coast of Tahiti, badly damaging the vessel. In fact transmitter KNRA was on the air with an urgent SOS message in April 1935 that was picked up by the
maritime station WCC at Chatham in New Jersey. Chatham Radio forwarded the information onwards to the Pacific and the British Royal Navy was asked to assist.
The Royal Navy vessel, HMAS Australia, was diverted to pick up all nine people now aboard the Seth Parker, but the Australia stated that they they had encountered no storms in the area. The Seth Parker was then towed by a tug boat, the Ontario, and brought into Pago Pago harbor in American Samoa.
Soon afterwards, the Seth Parker was sold for use in tuna fishing; and ultimately, it was towed to its resting place in an artificial lagoon near Kane'ohe Bay on the island of Oahu in Hawaii where it was scuttled in shallow water. At this location, the ship became a tourist attraction where it finally decayed and was demolished.
During its more than a year of spasmodic radio broadcasting, station KNRA on board the Seth Parker in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans was logged by multitudes of international radio monitors located in North America and the South Pacific. It is true, these radio broadcasts were intended for relay on the NBC mediumwave network throughout the United States.
However, these relay broadcasts were also heard direct, off air shortwave, from many exotic seaboard locations. Several different shortwave channels were in use, and the corresponding land based stations heard in two way contact with KNRA were the RCA communication facilities located at Rocky Point on Long Island, Bolinas in California, and Kahuku in Hawaii. Additionally, KNRA was also heard on occasions in contact with station LSX in Argentina.
Back in the Seth Parker era, QSL cards, generic in nature, were issued by NBC from their radio building in New York City. These cards are these days a quiet reminder of the short but hectic era of radio broadcasting aboard the now notorious schooner, the Seth Parker.
Oh, and by the way, before we forget. The shortwave transmitter KNRA on board the Seth Parker was rescued by NBC personnel before the ship was sold, and it was integrated with other electronic equipment from another historic shortwave transmitter for use in radio broadcasts in the Pacific and Europe. More about that next week.
* In the Air and on the Air with Many Callsigns & Many Locations, NBC SW Transmitter - Part 1 - 07:20
In this feature, we go back to the balloon era some eighty years ago, and we trace the history of a small shortwave transmitter that was on the air, and in the air, under three different callsigns. This is what happened.
Back during the early 1930s, there was a space race on between the United States and Russia to see who could get the highest first. In 1933, plans were implemented to launch a massive high flying balloon somewhere in the United States. This would be a joint project between the National Geographic magazine and the United States army.
The location chosen for launching was near Rapid City in South Dakota, and teams of personnel, civilian and army, made all things in readiness. The balloon when inflated stood at a mind boggling height. There was a strong gondola strung beneath the balloon, and it contained many scientific measuring instruments, as well as an 8 watt shortwave transmitter under the callsign W10XCX.
On July 28, 1934, the launch of the Explorer balloon began with a rapid ascent near Rapid City South Dakota. Progressive observations were radioed on shortwave from W10XCX to a 200 watt station on the ground, W10XCW, for onward relay to shortwave W3XL & W3XAL in New Jersey. There are no known QSL cards verifying these relay broadcasts.
Just before the Explorer reached a new record height, a tear was noted in the fabric of the balloon, and the entire craft began to plummet towards the ground. In good time, the three man crew parachuted to safety, and the gondola crashed to the ground.
Soon afterwards, plans were laid for another balloon flight from the same location with similar equipment and this took place on November 11 in the following year 1935. It would appear that the previously used low powered shortwave transmitter was rescued, repaired and re-installed in the gondola for the next flight. It was still rated at 8 watts and still operating on the same channel 13050 kHz, though a new callsign was given, W10XFH.
The balloon, re-designated as Explorer 2, was upgraded and fitted with a newly designed and sealed gondola and the strange craft now stood at a staggering height of 315 ft. This second flight proved to be more successful than the earlier flight and they set a new height record at 74,000 feet, a little over fourteen miles high.
During this flight the Explorer 2 personnel talked with ground station W10XFN, and also to the new China Clipper airplane, callsign KHABZ, that was on a test flight in California. Relay broadcasts from the gondola were again carried by the NBC network via their shortwave stations W3XL & W3XAL in New Jersey. NBC in New York issued specific QSL cards for the transmissions from both W10XFH in the air and the 200 watt W10XFN on the ground.
During this same era, Pan American Airways, known better as PanAm, were implementing plans to launch an air service across the Pacific. They procured three Martin seaplanes which they named as China Clipper, Hawaii Clipper, and Manila Clipper, though the first one, China Clipper, became the most famous.
As part of a publicity plan, a shortwave broadcast transmitter was installed on the plane for its inaugural flight across the Pacific. This transmitter was the previously used light weight unit, known as W10XCX & W10XFH for the balloon flights during the past two years, though it was repaired and modified, with a power increase from 8 watts up to 100 watts. A new callsign was allocated, this time WOEH.
The farewell ceremony in Los Angeles for the commencement of the inaugural flight was a gala event. The Captain, with the family name Musick, read a congratulatory letter from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, there was band music, and the usual speeches from participating dignitaries.
The China Clipper flew out of Los Angeles California on Friday afternoon November 22, 1935 with a cargo of postal mail numbering 110,000 items, as well as two personnel from the NBC radio network, an engineer and an announcer. The first leg of the flight was to Honolulu, a journey of two thousand four hundred miles, a flight of eighteen hours, at an air speed of 125 miles per hour.
The first official flight of the China Clipper, from Los Angeles in California to Manila in the Philippines, took almost sixty hours of total flying time, for a distance of more than seven thousand miles. Overnight stops took place at Honolulu, Midway Island, Wake Island, and Guam, with the final destination for this historic pioneering flight at Manila.
En route, the transmitter WOEH was in use for progressive radio broadcasts to nearby radio stations. On several occasions, these broadcasts were picked up and relayed back to the United States for network mediumwave coverage. One such broadcast was taken on relay by the RCA communication station located at Kahuku on the northern tip of the island of Oahu.
Other noted broadcasts were made from Midway Island and also Wake Island. As the China Clipper was nearing Manila on this first occasion, the NBC personnel aboard the plane made a broadcast specifically to the well known mediumwave station KZRM in Manila.
During the following year, 1936, the NBC portable shortwave transmitter WOEH was transferred into a Douglas DC plane for a flight to Alaska piloted by the well known aviation entrepreneur, Howard Hughes. Program relays were arranged with the RCA stations at Bolinas in California, KEE on 7715 kHz and KEI on 9490 kHz.
Later in the same year, Howard Hughes made another memorable flight in a low winged monoplane from New York to Paris. With him on this occasion also was the same 100 watt transmitter, WOEH. Relay broadcasts in the United States were arranged through the RCA receiving station located at Riverside on Long Island.
Even though the relay broadcasts from the transmitter WOEH were heard by international radio monitors throughout the United States and in the South Pacific, there are no known QSLs verifying these transmissions.
No, that was not the end of transmitter WOEH. During the next year, 1937, it was incorporated into the electronic equipment of another radio broadcasting station that was on the air in the Pacific and later in Europe. More about that next week.
* Program Announcement - 14:55
Jeff White
* Identification Signal - 15:25
Canada RCI - Identification Signal, tone notes O Canada
Identification announcements - several languages
* DX Report from Philippines - 16:45
Henry Umadhay
* Music of the World - 25:31
Dominican Republic - Vocal & instrumental, My Homeland
* Closing Announcement - 25:50
Thanks for listening to "Wavescan", weekly DX program from Adventist World Radio
Researched and written in Indianapolis
Next week:-
1. Listener Request: The Story of Radio Broadcasting in Tajikistan - Part 1
2. On the AIr with Many Callsigns & Locations RCA SW Transmitter - Part 2
3. DX Report from Bangladesh
Wavescan address:-
Box 29235
Indianapolis
Indiana 46229 USA
Wavescan @ AWR.org
Jeff White, shortwave WRMI
* Music Outrun - 27:03
* Program End - 28:55
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1. The Good Ship Seth Parker
KNRA QSLs
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Call Watts kHz Information Reference
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KNRA 1000 NBC generic QSL card, call inked in Several copies
KNRA QSL card RN
KNRA QSL letter SWC 12-34 467
KNRA NBC QSL issued to listener in Pittsburgh ISWC 10-34 35
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The Ship & its Events
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Year Date Event Reference
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1902 Phillips Lord born Maine
1918 Ship Georgette built Portland OR as lumber hauler
1933 Phillips Lord purchased schooner Georgette, installed diesel engine
1933 Renamed Seth Parker, character he played Sun evening radio show
1933 Outfitted with refrigeration & air conditioning by Frigidaire - total $200,000
1933 Watercolor drawing of Seth Parker
1933 May 10 Photo shows Phillips Lord at airport boarding United flight
1933 Ship departs Jonesport ME
1933 Jul 8 Stamp magazine story about Lord making stamped envelopes at ports of call
Will travel Atlantic, Mediterranean, Suez, Pacific Panama Canal
1933 Nov 20 Ship left NY, 27 on board, bound for Portland ME PC 2-88 27
1933 Dec 5 Ship departs Portland ME, Baltimore, Charleston, Savannah
1933 Dec 16 Stamp magazine states change, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Ceylon
1933 Dec Ship at Providence RI
1933 Dec Set out on round-the-world cruise, East Coast, Panama Canal, Galapagos, Pacific
1933 Dec 28 Ship at Bridgeport CT
1933 Dec 29 Ship arrives NY Harbor
1934 Jan 26 Ship at Pier 7, Washington DC
1934 Feb Ship at Newport News VA
1934 Feb 12 Ship at Wilmington NC
1934 Feb Voyage will take a year ISWC 3-34 8
1934 Mar 6 Ship at Jacksonville FL
1934 Mar 13 Ship at St Augustine FL
1934 Mar 27 Envelope postmarked Miami FL
1934 May 23 Postmarked envelope shows Seth Parker in Haiti
1934 Booklet published by Frigidaire
1934 Jun Ship at Kingston Jamaica
1934 Aug 3 Envelope postmarked Balboa, PCZ
1934 Sep 4 Galapagos envelope posted in Panama
1934 Nov 6 Ship at Galapagos
1934 Nov 19 Ship still at, or near, Galapagos
1935 Jan 11 Envelope postmarked Papeete Tahiti
1935 Jan Ship near Fiji
1935 Feb 8 Ship damaged in storms between Tahiti & American Samoa
HMAS Australia longboat removes most passengers, 9 people
1935 Feb 9 NY Times, ship 300 miles near Tahiti, damaged in storms (hoax)
1935 Feb 11 Ship in another storm (hoax) ISWC 3-35 13
1934 Apr KNRA SOS heard WCC Chatham, relayed message Guam, HMS Australia RN 8-38 65
1935 Towed by tug boat Ontario to Pago Pago American Samoa
1935 Apr 19 Envelope postmarked American Samoa
1935 Ship moved to Tutuila
1935 Apr Ship sold to Fleischmann heir Christian Holmes, bait ship tuna fishing, $10,000
1935 Jul 3 Ship left for Honolulu
1935 Sep 16 Ship arrived Honolulu
1935 Sep 21 Stamp magazine offers refunds to purchasers of stamped envelopes
1935 & 1936 Many envelopes posted at locations not visited by ship
1936 Mar Ship towed to Kane'ohe Bay
1936 Ship towed to Coconut Island, artificial lagoon, scuttled in few ft water
193 Modified into tourist attraction
1945 Masts removed
1948 Used in John Wayne movie film, Wake of the Red Witch
1950 Approx, ship Seth Parker in Hawaii
1960s Fire
1975 Phillips Lord died
2003 Nov John Heinz working on model of Seth Parker Johnheinz57@aol.com
2005 Jul 16 Father worked on ship 2 years
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3. The Good Ship Seth Parker
Radio Events
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Year Date Event Reference
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1934 World cruise KNRA 1 kW PC 4-85 28
1934 NBC SW equipment $12,000 for Seth Parker, NBC engineer on board Encyc OTB 606
1934 Jan KNRA 1 kW on Seth Parker, broadcasts planned each Tue night ISWC 2-34 24
1934 Jan Heard on 8550 6660 6650 kHz working Rocky Point W2XBJ ISWC 2-34 24
1934 Feb 13 Broadcast from Wilmington DE
1934 Feb 27 Broadcast from unstated location
1934 Mar Broadcasts each Tue evening ISWC 4-34 10
1934 Apr 22 Shortwave broadcast from Bimini Bahamas
1934 Apr 29 Sunday evening broadcast included SW insert Phillips Lord in Haiti
1934 Apr Programs had stopped, new contract signed ISWC 5-34 12
1934 May KNRA Miami heard testing with New York Radex 1-6-34
1934 May No sponsor now heading for Panama Canal, W10XG also on board ISWC 6-34 13
1934 Jun Broadcast from Jamaica 12345 kHz, then 8840 kHz ISWC 7-34 14
1934 Jun Heard in USA on 6160 kHz RN 7-34 15
1934 Ship caries also W10XG 3492 6425 8655 152862 kHz ISWC 7-34 14
1934 Heard on 6660 kHz testing with LSX ISWC 7-34 14
1934 Jul Workmen sent to Jamaica to remove radio station ISWC 8-34 15
1934 Aug KNRA will not be dismantled, will continue ISWC 9-34 27
1934 Sep KNRA heard working WQO 6735 kHz ISWC 10-34 36
1934 Nov 11 In broadcast, Lord interviewed 2 men on Charles Island, Galapagos via SW
1934 Nov Broadcasts from KNRA SWC 12-34 466
1935 Jan Tuesday programs, 8840 kHz, KKH KEE KEQ WET WCG ISWC 2-35 14
1935 Jan KNRA heard in New Zealand working KEN LI 79.23 9-2-35 57
1935 Feb Last broadcast heard ISWC 4-35 13
1934 Apr KNRA SOS heard WCC Chatham, relayed message Guam, HMS Australia RN 8-38 65
1935 Apr Radio station KNRA removed from Seth Parker ISWC 5-35 12
1935 Jun 18 Parents wedding announced on KNRA - date seems wrong Angelheart7895@aol.com
1937 Parts from KNRA transmitter assembled into WMEF ISWC-ISWR 5-37
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4. Many Callsigns & Many Locations
Station W10XFH & WOEH
Year Date Event Reference
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Callsign W10XCX - National Geographic & US Army, SD
1933 Plans presented for stratosphere ballon flight Goliath.ecnext
1934 Jul Information about stratosphere balloon W10XCX & W10XCW ISWC 7-34 15
1934 Jul Tests W10XCX 8 watt with W10XCW 6350 kHz Rapid City SD ISWC 8-34 15
1934 Jul 28 Relays to W3XAL & W3XL in NJ ISWC 8-34 15
1934 Jul 28 Ascent of balloon, W10XCX 8 watt 13050 kHz ISWC 8-34 15
1934 Jul 28 Flight of Explorer 60,000 ft, fabric tears, uncontrollable dive, explosion, crash, chutes
Callsign W10XFH - National Geographic & US Army, SD
1935 Jul W10XFH 8 w in gondola, 13050, tests MN, W10XFN already QSLed ISWC 7-35 14
1935 Nov 11 W10XFH 13050 kHz 8 w, relay to W9XF & W3XL, damaged on landing RG 30-11-35 19
1935 Nov 11 W10XFN ground station Rapid City SD, NBC RG 9.615 30-11-35 19
1935 Nov 11 W10XFH talked with China Clipper during test flight KHABZ PC 4-85 28, 5-87 23
1935 WOEH used 1st in gondola of stratosphere ballon RG 9.615 1-8-36 14
1935 W10XFH 8 watt 13050 kHz Explorer 2 74,000 ft, photo, 14 miles PC 11-95 22 & 24
1935 QSL cards, W10XFH & W10XFN Ebay & PC 5-87 22 & 23
Callsign WOEH - PanAm, Pacific
1935 Oct 9 China Clipper delivered to PanAm, built Baltimore Wikipedia
1935 WOEH used 1st in gondola of stratosphere ballon RG 9.615 1-8-36 14
1935 Nov New 100 w SW on China Clipper soon 2760 4797 8655 12862 RG 9.615 28-12-35 27
1935 Nov Relay via Bolinas & Kahuku RG 9.615 28-12-35 27
1935 Nov New light weight portable SW transmitter on PanAm Philippine Clipper Nat Geo 12-36
1935 Nov 11 W10XFH talked with China Clipper during test flight PC 5-87 23
1935 Nov 22 Inaugural flight; Los Angeles, Honolulu, Midway, Wake, Guam, Manila Wikipedia
1935 Nov WOEH contacted stations en route Nat Geo 12-36
1935 Nov China Clipper broadcast Midway Island, NBC reporter & engineer Radioheritage
1935 Nov China Clipper broadcast Wake Island, relay to NBC USA Radioheritage
1935 Nov WOEH contacted stations en route, including KZRM Nat Geo 12-36
1935 Nov 29 Arrival in Manila Wikipedia
1936 Feb WOEH heard west coast on 7495 & 8865; relays via KIO Kahuku RG 9.615 22-2-36 29
1945 Jan 8 China Clipper crashed Port of Spain Trinidad, killing 25 Wikipedia
Callsign WOEH - Douglas DC, Alaska & Siberia
1936 NBC portable WOEH Douglas NC223Y Howard Hughes, LA Nome Siberia, Nome LA
1606 2020 2102 2760 4797.5 6425 6655 12862 RG 9.615 1-8-36 14
1936 Portable NBC WDEH Alaska relays via Bolinas KEE 7715 & KEI 9490 RG 28-3-36 4
Callsign WOEH - Atlantic & Europe
1936 WOEH installed in Howard Hughes low winged monoplane, NYC-Paris RG 3-10-36 18
4795 6525 8655 12862 17310; receive at Riverside LI
1937 Parts assembled into WMEF ISWC-ISWR 5-37
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Call Watts kHz Year Date Location Event Reference
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W10XFN 200 6350 1935 Nov 11 Rapid City ND Stratosphere flight PC 5-87 23
W10XFH 8 13050 1935 Nov 11 Rapid City ND Stratosphere flight PC 5-87 22
WOEH 100 SW 1935 - 1936 Flights No known QSLs
Source: Juan Franco Crespo, Spain
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