About this episode
Foundations of Amateur Radio
Recently I spent some quality time digging into the origins of a word in common use. In doing so, I contacted the Postal Museum in the United Kingdom and received a lovely reply that included a photo of a document in their archive.
The document, a Post Office Circular from Friday, December 30, 1904, number 1641, introduces a new service offered by the Post Office.
Let me read to you what it says, and I quote:
"Telegrams to and from Ships by Wireless Telegraphy.
"(To be noted at Telegraph Offices only.)
"With the present Circular is enclosed a list showing the wireless telegraph stations in the United Kingdom worked on the Marconi Company's system, and the hours up to which telegrams can be received at those stations for transmission by wireless telegraphy to certain ships fitted with Marconi apparatus. By another notice in this Circular, Postmasters and others concerned are requested to enter the names of the stations in the Code Book with the necessary particulars. Ships will be issued for insertion in the Post Office Guide.
"On and from the 1st January, 1905, Telegrams may be accepted from the public on the following conditions:-
"Subject to the Inland Regulations with regard to counting, the charge, which must be prepaid in the usual way by means of stamps, will be at the rate of 6 1/2d. [six-and-a-half pence] a word, with a minimum of 6s. 6d. [six-and-a-half shillings] per telegram.
"The name of the wireless station will in each case pass as one word in the address.
"The word 'Radio,' which is not charged for, should be telegraphed in the Service Instructions."
When I read that, it made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. The introduction of a Wireless Telegram service, under the service heading of "Radio", with a photo of the actual document that introduced it into the world.
I also learned that there's a dozen pennies in a shilling and over the years before decimalisation in 1971, the composition of coins changed, which made converting this into today's money interesting. As an aside, the Royal Society has a wonderful article: "The science of money: Isaac Newton's mastering of the Mint"
Back to radio, this is 1904 bleeding edge technology and it's priced accordingly. The starting price for a radio telegram on new years day 1905: six bob and six; or three florin and sixpence; or a crown, a bob and a tanner; is worth just over 34 Great British Pounds today, that's just on 45 US Dollars, or nearly 69 Australian Dollars. That's the minimum price.
The price per word, sixpence and halfpenny [sixpence hayp-ny] is just over 2 Great British Pounds today, nearly 4 US Dollars or almost 6 Australian Dollars.
Compare that to the price of SMS, which started at about 21 cents here in Australia, today it's about 3 cents per message of 160 characters.
This seems like a lucrative business to be in, but I digress, again.
From my current, and ongoing research
