[NJARC] Antennas of Wall Township

[fred-carl-new]

Hello All,

    An article with some pre-Radar Laboratory history of Camp Evans.  I 
hope you find it interesting.  Corrections and additional information 
welcome.  My hope it to get this published to raise awardness of Camp 
Evans importance in communications history to help our fund raising efforts.

Thank you,
Fred

Antennas of Wall Township

       Over the years some of the world’s best antenna developers have 
worked in Wall Township.  They changed communication technology in a big 
way.  They worked with 400 foot giant wireless antennas, 100 foot radar 
antennas, antennas laid on the ground, buried underground, buried in the 
shark river mud, antennas on boats and mobile antennas.

      There are three periods of rapid antenna technology advancements 
in Wall.  The first was during WWI when the U.S. Navy seized  the site, 
the second was the U.S. Army’s radar development during WWII and the 
third was the early days of satellite development for space research. 
We will look at the WWI achievements.

      A memorial antenna is located near the intersection of Marconi 
Road and Brighton Avenue.  It is one of the three 150 foot tall 
balancing towers used with the six 400 foot towers to catch wireless 
messages sent from the Carnarvon station in Wales.

      When the U.S. became involved in WWI the Navy took control of the 
Marconi Station in Wall.  Some of the most important messages of that 
war were dispatched from the station.  A. Hoyt Taylor was the 
Trans-Atlantic Communications Naval officer in charge of making sure 
messages got to and from Europe to Washington.   Allied soldiers lives 
depended upon communication with command.   In Wall Taylor and his team 
of engineers worked to find ways to eliminate radio static, locate 
German spy transmissions to U-boats and in the process eliminated the 
need for the giant wireless towers.   Radio engineers from England and 
France also tested equipment in Wall during WWI.

     One of the famous antenna engineers who worked at the station was 
Dr. Harold Beverage.  His ‘Beverage antenna’ is still used today by 
amateur radio operators.  In fields along Marconi Road he constructed 
his ‘barrage’ antenna network that prevented German saboteurs from 
interfering with wireless communication to Europe.

     Another was Canadian Roy Weagant.  His ground breaking static 
elimination  work in Wall improved radio reception so wireless could 
detect morse code better from across the ocean in all sun-spot 
conditions.   This advance gave the allies a communications advantage 
over the Germans.   The clear high-fidelity radio we enjoy today would 
not be around until Edwin Armstrong developed FM radio in the late 1930s.

       There is emerging evidence that a member of Taylor’s team, Fred 
Schnell received the WWI Armistice terms in Wall and forwarded them to 
President Wilson in Washington.

       Famous electrical engineer Ernst Alexanderson also worked in 
Wall.  One stormy night he was working in the basement of the old 
Marconi hotel with a new experimental radio receiver.  Suddenly the 400 
foot antenna his radio and grounded headphones were connected to was 
struck by a bolt of lightning.  His fellow workers were amazed that even 
though he took a good shock he kept on working.

      Once the war was won, the Navy disclosed the secret work done in 
Wall.  Headlines all over the nation would read - "End of the Giant 
Towers".   The advances in radio static elimination would be hailed as 
the most important technology advancement of the decade.  Technical 
journals written in 1919 would document the details.  The giant 400 foot 
towers could be replaced by 30 foot telephone poles.  What a cost 
savings!   Yes, even in those days businesses wanted to drive down costs 
and increase profits.

       Historians would call WWI the wireless war.  Use of wireless 
would shorten the war and save thousands of lives, American, English and 
German.   Wall’s Wireless station played its part.

      The Naval wireless staff of Taylor, Leo Young and others would 
leave Wall to join the Naval Research Laboratory.  They would develop 
radar for the Navy.  In 1941 the Army developers of radar would move 
their laboratory to Wall.   Army radar developers like Dr. Harold Zahl, 
  Wall’s Peter Kennedy and Belmar’s Bill Lawson would transform radar 
into a effective war-winning weapon.  They and their Signal Corps 
co-workers would eclipse the work done in Wall during WWI.

      Former Mayor Arthur Krumm, Al Siemers and the staff of Wall’s 
public works saved the top 60 feet of a  1913 antenna.  It is a memorial 
to the Marconi station.  They pulled it from the mud of the Shark River 
where it had fallen in the 1970s.  Thanks to their efforts we have a 
vestige of history when all wireless antennas were giants and wireless 
communication was a wonder of science.


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