Eilvese transmitter was an early long-distance radiotelegraphy station at Eilvese,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

owned by Transradio AG, used for transmission of

telegram Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

s. It went into service in 1913, exchanging commercial and diplomatic

Morse code Morse code is a method used in telecommunication to encode text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called ''dots'' and ''dashes'', or ''dits'' and ''dahs''. Morse code is named after Samuel Morse, one of ...

traffic on

VLF Very low frequency or VLF is the ITU designation for radio frequencies (RF) in the range of 3–30 kHz, corresponding to wavelengths from 100 to 10 km, respectively. The band is also known as the myriameter band or myriameter wave a ...

frequencies with Germany's colonies, and a similar station at Tuckerton, New Jersey, USA. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

when the allies cut Germany's

submarine telegraph cable A submarine communications cable is a cable laid on the sea bed between land-based stations to carry telecommunication signals across stretches of ocean and sea. The first submarine communications cables laid beginning in the 1850s carried tel ...

s it was one of two long-distance radiotelegraphy stations which maintained Germany's contact with the rest of the world, and was used for diplomatic negotiations between

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

and

Kaiser Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and List of monarchs of Prussia, King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication on 9 ...

leading to the 1918

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...

which ended World War I. It transmitted on 96 kHz with a 100 kW

Goldschmidt alternator The Goldschmidt alternator or reflector alternator, invented in 1908 by German engineer Rudolph Goldschmidt, was a rotating machine which generated radio frequency alternating current and was used as a radio transmitter. Radio alternators like ...

. There were two

antenna Antenna ( antennas or antennae) may refer to: Science and engineering * Antenna (radio), also known as an aerial, a transducer designed to transmit or receive electromagnetic (e.g., TV or radio) waves * Antennae Galaxies, the name of two collid ...

s: an umbrella antenna, which was mounted in the middle on a 250-metre-tall guyed mast, and at the sides by six 20-metre-tall wooden masts and a ring antenna, which was spun between the central mast and the radial masts. The central mast, which was grounded, but at a height of 145 metres divided by glass insulators, was, when built, the tallest structures of Germany. The umbrella antenna was used for frequencies around 30 kHz, the ring antenna for frequencies around 20 kHz. In 1915 the wooden ring masts were replaced by six 122-metre-tall guyed lattice steel masts. These masts were replaced between 1922 and 1925 by four guyed masts 139 metres tall, which were arranged in a semicircle. Between these masts and the central masts three triangular antennas were installed. In November 1928 the

Reichspost ''Reichspost'' (; "Imperial Mail") was the name of the postal service of Germany from 1866 to 1945. ''Deutsche Reichspost'' Upon the out break of the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and the break-up of the German Confederation in the Peace of ...

central office started to examine how useful it would be to buy the station. Although the station, which was last used on April 15, 1929, did not meet the technical requirements it was bought in 1930 by German Reichspost. However, it was uneconomical to modernise the station and so it was dismantled in 1931. Today there is only the office left, which is used as a dwelling. From the former transmitter building there are some wall remnants left. When digging for peat one can still find remains of the antenna, as the central mast fell to the ground in 1931.

External links

* * * {{Authority control Former radio masts and towers Radio masts and towers in Germany 1913 establishments in Germany Towers completed in 1913 1931 disestablishments in Germany Buildings and structures demolished in 1931