100th Anniversary of the First Trans-Atlantic Voice Transmission

On Tuesday the 19th of March 2019, the Marconi “100 Years Celebrations” marked the 100th anniversary of the first voice radio transmission across the Atlantic.

Update : Photos added below...5th Apr 2019

In the photo Jim EI8GS, Marconi’s daughter Princess Elettra, her son Prince Marconi & his wife Princess Victoria

The first voice transmission across the Atlantic in an East to West direction took place between the former Marconi Radio Station in Ballybunion, County Kerry in Ireland and Louisbourg, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia in Canada. The historic event occurred on 19th March 1919 and used the call "YXQ".

A special station was set up at the former Marconi Radio Station, to commemorate this historic event, and visitors in attendance on this day included Princess Elettra (daughter of Marconi), as well as her son Prince Marconi & his wife Princess Victoria.

Marconi with a very young Princess Elettra

In 1918, after the end of the First World War, many experiments were conducted at Ballybunion to update equipment and in March 1919 the first telephony transmitter was installed using a power of 2.5 Kilowatts.

The first person to use the microphone from Ballybunion and be heard on the other side of the Atlantic in Nova Scotia, was Marconi engineer Mr. W.T.Ditcham. His voice was the first to be heard from Europe to America, and the wavelength was 3,800 Metres (approx 79 KHz).

During 2019 the Special Event Call EI-100-YXQ will be on air to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the historic event.

For further information see the Kerry Amateur Radio Group website.

Update... Photos by Jim Barry, EI8GS...



Addendum....
Report by Canadian TV
Radio Kerry Podcast