On April 25, 2009 the Cape Cod National Seashore will have a full day of special old and new “communication” activities and programs to celebrate both International Marconi Day and National Junior Ranger Day. The event is free. A free shuttle bus will run between the sites in Eastham from 9:30 AM- 2 PM.
In celebration of International Marconi Day, the Marconi Cape Cod Radio Club, KM1CC, will operate from the Coast Guard Station, Eastham from 9 AM-4 PM. This is a global event, radio operators from around the world will make contact with KM1CC to honor the birthday of the “Wizard of Wireless,” Guglielmo Marconi, on his birth date, April 25, 1874. Morse code or continuous wave (CW), and voice operations will be used.
KM1CC Operating Plan for International Marconi Day, April 25, 2009 UTC
CW and Phone on the following bands (General and Extra Class allocations):
17M 18.160 SSB 18.080 CW 40M 7.130-7.260 SSB 7.035 CW
20M 14.260 SSB 14.035 CW 80M 3.660-3.860 SSB 3.535 CW
From 10 AM-1 PM, to expand the celebration of communication history on Cape Cod beyond Marconi, additional park sites in Eastham and the Marconi Station Site, Wellfleet that relate to communication history will be open. Eastham sites include: Nauset Lighthouse, Three Sisters Lighthouses, and the French Cable Hut at Nauset Light Beach. Kids can participate in a variety of activities at each site as part of a Kids’ Signal Jam: Talking and Texting with Wires and Without.” Activities will include: keys to practice sending Morse Code messages, walkie-talkies, rescue with signals, lighthouse flashing activities, signal flags, and testing wired equipment related to the early French Cable that sent telegraph messages from the Eastham and Orleans area to France for 80 years, 1879-1959.
At 2 PM at the Salt Pond Visitor Center, NASA space educator Rick Varner will revisit the recent space communications advances and offer speculation on visions for the future. Recently, NASA announced successful tests of software and satellite hardware that could essentially create an interplanetary internet. Such a communication network will open the gateway to the development of more complex missions and reliable communications for astronauts living and working upon the surface of the moon.
For more information see the enclosed press release, kid’s schedule, or contact Barbara Dougan, KB1GSO at 508-255-3421 x16.