Also called 5WS the First to get across, this video is  the story of early amateur radio attempts to send and receive signals across the ‘pond’ in Feb. 1921. Nick told of the stations on this side being restricted to 10 watts and small antennas while the US were allowed  1 kilowatt and unrestricted aerials.  At that time all stations were using a frequency of 200M. In the US there were thousands of licensed amateurs while over here there were a few hundred. Operations on this side of the Atlantic were restricted to certain times while the US had no restrictions in operation time.

The tests were  organised by the RSGB and the ARRL.  Skeds were made for times to call but in the first instance no signals were copied.  In the end, the Americans sent an amateur over here to set up a receiving station. Signals were copied in December 1921 coming from US to England.  Later Philip Coursey and the RSGB team got a license for 1kW and a long wire aerial was strung from the top of a 200ft chimney at the generating station at Richmond.  Their exploits were covered by Wireless World in  December 1922 when (G)5WS was the first UK station to be heard on the East to West transmissions. The first  transmissions by 5WS copied East to West will be celebrated by the RSGB at the end of this year.

The entire video can be found on line if you look for RSGB 2022 Convention Presentations – Transatlantic Centenary Tests