Marconi in Snowdonia
The Marconi wireless station near Waunfern
Guglielmo Marconi (1874 – 1937), an Italian physicist, formed the Marconi Wireless and Telegraph Company in 1897. Others working in the same field – notably Sir William Preece of Caernarfon (1834 – 1913) actively encouraged Maconi to set up his Transmitting and Receiving stations in Wales.
The amount of machinery required to transmit a simple morse code signal was enormous – hence the size of the building. Power was supplied the North Wales Power Company of Llanberis using water turbines. 30,000 volts was reduced to 440 volts by transformers in a sub-station.
When built this was the largest wireless station in the world, sending signals via means of a 300 KW AC. Spark transmitter.
The aerial system consisted of 1,100 metres of silicon bronze wire, supported on 10 tubular steel masts, each 400 ft (122m) in height. Severe gales damaged the guy wires which held the masts on several occasions.
In 1921 the spark transmitter was replaced by 54 thermionic valves, making it the first high powered station to use valves. The aerial was also extended further up the mountain and an “earth screen” was constructed – a network of insulated wires stretched beneath the aerial at approx. 6 meters above ground. A message could now be sent in 1/16th. of a second.
Towyn (the receiving station) was dismantled in 1923 but this Marconi station near Waunfawn, carried on transmitting, remotely controlled from London.
Another new valve transmitter, water cooled, was installed in 1923 and further improvements kept the station running. By the time of its closure before World War II every type of transmitter in turn had been used at the station.- synchronous disc, timed disc, arc, alternator, glass valves, and finally water cooled valves.
Every year, on International Marconi Day local Radio Amateurs, using there own equipment and aerials, once again transmit from the building to commemorate Marconi’s achievements in Radio Communications. |
  
Commissioned in 1914 by the Marconi Wireless and Telegraph Company, the original purpose of the building was as a Wireless Transmitting Station to send messages to the U.S.A
It cost the Marconi Co. £50,000 to build and 100 men were employed in the construction. 8,000 tons of material was hauled up to the site by means of a light railway using a steam haulage engine and steel wire rope. 6,000 tons of concrete was used for the bases and supports of the ten, 400ft (122 metres) steel masts which stretched up the Cefndu mountain above the station to hold the vast wire aerial system.
Trans-Atlantic messages were sent during World War I (1914 -1918), returning messages being received by another station at Towyn 40miles to the south.
However, the building’s chief claim to fame is that, from here, the first ever Morse Code wireless message was sent to Australia on September 22nd. 1918.
During the 1920's both the building and aerial system were extended, the station then operating by remote control handling further signals to Spain, Egypt and Gibraltar. The operating equipment was constantly updated and by 1932, pictures were being transmitter to the U.S.A.
New technology eventually took over and the aerials were finally dismantled in 1939.
Since then the building has known a variety of uses; among them :- a World War II evacuation centre, a storage depot, a boys holiday centre, a nightclub, and an equestrian centre.
But its large. size, unusual design and isolated location has meant, in recent years, that a large part of the building has been unoccupied. That is until 1994 - when the BEACON climbing centre made the old Marconi Building it’s home.
The rest, as they say. Is history ………………………….. |
   
Thanks to the Dragon Amateur Radio Club for all the above information
Marconi's local Radio Club
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