Passport to World Band Radio 2009

World band radio is broadcasting—one way communication to a mass audience—unlike amateur radio, which is two-way chat. Nevertheless, all radio shares something of a common heritage, and in that regard a special non-world-band radio occasion is coming up.

Ralph Dessau, a global roamer I’ve had the pleasure of knowing for decades, reminds me that the 100th anniversary of the world’s first amateur radio voice transmission will be on March 18th, 2009. This marks when his father, Einar Dessau (1892-1988), and Johan Nyrop made radio history by initiating shortwave contact with Peter L. Jensen at a government radio facility about six miles away. They communicated using voice and gramophone music fed into a mic.

There’s precious little about this event on the Internet. However, Ralph Dessau has kindly provided a fascinating MP3 recording of an English interview with Einar Dessau on April 18, 1951, where his father relates how it all came about to Gerda Pullen of Danish State Radio (DSR). It covers not only the 1909 broadcast, but also how in 1898 his Danish mentor Valdemar Poulsen invented and patented the world’s first electromagnetic recording device, which he called the “Telegrafonen.”

Poulsen’s Telegrafonen was actually an early wire recorder. As the first magnetic recording device, it opened the door to everything from taping to hard disks, and in so doing helped turn millions of scattered communities into today’s global village.

Unfortunately for Poulsen, it was ahead of its time. It was of little practical value until it could be combined with two other components, an amplifier and a loudspeaker—neither of which yet existed. Ironically, it was Jensen who, based on his experience as Poulsen’s assistant, subsequently invented the loudspeaker.

The loudspeaker needed a name. Jensen thought of it as a “great voice,” so he christened it Magnavox. The resulting firm remains in existence to this day.

Einar Dessau was also interested in early flight (photo, above), and went on to become a movie scriptwriter and director of Tuborg, the famous Danish brewery. Years later his grandson also worked there, as did research scientist Carol Feil—then a leading light at The Danish Shortwave Club.

The bottom photo shows one of the most prized QSLs in existence: the only known card from Dessau to Jensen confirming this great event. —Lawrence Magne, with photos, recording and firsthand information from Ralph Dessau