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Help Save Battle Harbour’s Historic Marconi Towers

Discussion in 'Amateur Radio News' started by VA3ITA, Apr 2, 2025.

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K5CQA Ham Member QRZ Page

VA3ITA said: ↑

Attention all hams around the world!!!
Battle Harbour, a small island located in Labrador, needs our help!

For once, you don't need to open your wallet!

A symbol of wireless history and strength, the Battle Harbour Marconi Towers have been linking communities for nearly a century. Now, they need our vote to continue standing strong for future generations!

The National Trust for Canada's Next Great Save competition gives communities the power to protect heritage sites, with a $50,000 Grand Prize sponsored by Ecclesiastical.

These towers connect modern radio amateurs to the pioneers who helped shape the hobby and technology. Just as modern radio amateurs continue to push the boundaries of communication, preserving these towers can inspire future innovations. These structures serve as a reminder of how far we’ve come and how innovation in the radio world has progressed. Future generations of engineers, hobbyists, and technologists can learn from the past to guide their future efforts.

Please cast you vote here
https://nextgreatsave.nationaltrustcanada.ca/2025/entry/85

The Battle Harbour Marconi Towers are the last remaining structures of their kind in North America, and potentially the world. These towers once broke the isolation of this remote area by transmitting significant messages, such as Admiral Robert Peary’s 1909 announcement of his North Pole expedition, revolutionizing communication in the process. However, time and climate change have placed them in serious jeopardy.

After enduring over a century of harsh storms, their structural integrity is now threatened as extreme weather conditions intensify. This project is not only about preserving these towers but also about promoting sustainability, craftsmanship, and education. Through environmentally responsible restoration techniques and by involving historians, local communities, and youth, we aim to ensure that their legacy endures. Your support will help protect this irreplaceable landmark and inspire future generations.

Project Impact

Restoring the Battle Harbour Marconi Towers will strengthen community bonds and provide an exceptional learning opportunity for visitors. As coastal sentinels, these towers offer a direct link to history, highlighting the importance of communication in connecting remote communities to the broader world.

This project fosters collaboration with various groups, including local historians and residents, to ensure an inclusive and well-rounded interpretation of the site. Youth will have the chance to engage in hands-on learning about heritage conservation, blending traditional craftsmanship with modern restoration practices.

Local engineering firms will contribute their expertise to the restoration, reinforcing the towers' structural integrity with sustainable materials and advanced preservation methods. The project will also bring economic benefits by boosting local tourism and supporting businesses in an environmentally sustainable manner. By incorporating climate-conscious restoration practices, we aim to protect the towers from further decay while maintaining their historical authenticity. Your vote can help preserve this landmark, enriching the community and ensuring its story endures for generations.

About This Historic Site

Located along the rugged coast of Labrador, the Battle Harbour Marconi Towers are a rare testament to early global communication history. Built in 1904 as part of Newfoundland’s wireless network, they played a crucial role in maritime safety and international messaging. In 1909, the towers transmitted Admiral Robert Peary’s announcement of his successful North Pole expedition, gaining global recognition.

Battle Harbour, a National Historic District, was once a bustling fishing village and a key stop for North Atlantic vessels. Today, it offers visitors a window into the past through its well-preserved buildings and cultural experiences. The Marconi Towers serve as symbols of technological progress, connecting this remote community to the outside world.

Although the towers have withstood over a century of extreme weather, they are now at risk due to climate change and structural degradation. Without intervention, we risk losing a landmark that showcases Canada’s pioneering contributions to global communication.

Our goal is to restore the towers using sustainable materials and expert craftsmanship, ensuring they continue to be a vital part of Battle Harbour’s heritage. With your support, we can preserve this historic site and create a meaningful space for education and discovery.

For more info, check on Facebook the Battle Harbour Historic Trust and don't forget to vote!
https://www.facebook.com/bhhtinc

Thank you to all
VA3ITA
Click to expand...

VA3ITA said: ↑

Here is a link to the interview on CBC RADIO yesterday morning

https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radi...s-battle-harbour-need-help-the-marconi-towers

Folks you can submit one vote a day. If you can, please vote and share the word!
Thank you
Click to expand...

W9BRD said: ↑

Googling a bit, I see it said that the original towers were wooden. So the towers didn't transmit; an antenna strung between them -- perhaps a paralleled-multiple-wires "flattop" -- did the radiating. Good to find out more about that aspect and add it to the coverage. Possibly many Marconi installations of the day had similar physical plants; even if antenna info particular to Battle Harbour can't be found, details about other Marconi installations from the same period may inform.

Preserve/refurbish them, and then consider once again stringing an antenna between them -- say, a doublet for shortwave usable as T for longwave. Add a permanent commemorative amateur radio station -- Canadian amateurs have 2200 and 630 meters, bands at wavelengths that the BH-towers antenna may generally have used -- and then the site not only stays on the map but once again returns to the air.
Click to expand...

VA3ITA said: ↑

Attention all hams around the world!!!
Battle Harbour, a small island located in Labrador, needs our help!

For once, you don't need to open your wallet!

A symbol of wireless history and strength, the Battle Harbour Marconi Towers have been linking communities for nearly a century. Now, they need our vote to continue standing strong for future generations!

The National Trust for Canada's Next Great Save competition gives communities the power to protect heritage sites, with a $50,000 Grand Prize sponsored by Ecclesiastical.

These towers connect modern radio amateurs to the pioneers who helped shape the hobby and technology. Just as modern radio amateurs continue to push the boundaries of communication, preserving these towers can inspire future innovations. These structures serve as a reminder of how far we’ve come and how innovation in the radio world has progressed. Future generations of engineers, hobbyists, and technologists can learn from the past to guide their future efforts.

Please cast you vote here
https://nextgreatsave.nationaltrustcanada.ca/2025/entry/85

The Battle Harbour Marconi Towers are the last remaining structures of their kind in North America, and potentially the world. These towers once broke the isolation of this remote area by transmitting significant messages, such as Admiral Robert Peary’s 1909 announcement of his North Pole expedition, revolutionizing communication in the process. However, time and climate change have placed them in serious jeopardy.

After enduring over a century of harsh storms, their structural integrity is now threatened as extreme weather conditions intensify. This project is not only about preserving these towers but also about promoting sustainability, craftsmanship, and education. Through environmentally responsible restoration techniques and by involving historians, local communities, and youth, we aim to ensure that their legacy endures. Your support will help protect this irreplaceable landmark and inspire future generations.

Project Impact

Restoring the Battle Harbour Marconi Towers will strengthen community bonds and provide an exceptional learning opportunity for visitors. As coastal sentinels, these towers offer a direct link to history, highlighting the importance of communication in connecting remote communities to the broader world.

This project fosters collaboration with various groups, including local historians and residents, to ensure an inclusive and well-rounded interpretation of the site. Youth will have the chance to engage in hands-on learning about heritage conservation, blending traditional craftsmanship with modern restoration practices.

Local engineering firms will contribute their expertise to the restoration, reinforcing the towers' structural integrity with sustainable materials and advanced preservation methods. The project will also bring economic benefits by boosting local tourism and supporting businesses in an environmentally sustainable manner. By incorporating climate-conscious restoration practices, we aim to protect the towers from further decay while maintaining their historical authenticity. Your vote can help preserve this landmark, enriching the community and ensuring its story endures for generations.

About This Historic Site

Located along the rugged coast of Labrador, the Battle Harbour Marconi Towers are a rare testament to early global communication history. Built in 1904 as part of Newfoundland’s wireless network, they played a crucial role in maritime safety and international messaging. In 1909, the towers transmitted Admiral Robert Peary’s announcement of his successful North Pole expedition, gaining global recognition.

Battle Harbour, a National Historic District, was once a bustling fishing village and a key stop for North Atlantic vessels. Today, it offers visitors a window into the past through its well-preserved buildings and cultural experiences. The Marconi Towers serve as symbols of technological progress, connecting this remote community to the outside world.

Although the towers have withstood over a century of extreme weather, they are now at risk due to climate change and structural degradation. Without intervention, we risk losing a landmark that showcases Canada’s pioneering contributions to global communication.

Our goal is to restore the towers using sustainable materials and expert craftsmanship, ensuring they continue to be a vital part of Battle Harbour’s heritage. With your support, we can preserve this historic site and create a meaningful space for education and discovery.

For more info, check on Facebook the Battle Harbour Historic Trust and don't forget to vote!
https://www.facebook.com/bhhtinc

Thank you to all
VA3ITA
Click to expand...

Voted. Not recognizing the climate stuff, but yes, save the tower.

K5CQA, Apr 5, 2025

#31
DL4TG Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

It was a pleasure for me to vote for this ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Greetings from Germany DL4TG Tobias

DL4TG, Apr 5, 2025

#32
KA1OXQ Ham Member QRZ Page

KA1OXQ said: ↑

well, nobile cause and you almost had me before you sited "climate change"...OXQ's me, K
Click to expand...

PS...I did vote and... learned to spell "cited" inthis context... thanks...k

KA1OXQ, Apr 7, 2025

#33
W7RY Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

KA1OXQ said: ↑

well, nobile cause and you almost had me before you sited "climate change"...OXQ's me, K
Click to expand...

Agreed!
They claim "climate change" damaged the towers.

Sorry, not going to support you. Weather degraded the towers. All of the climate change advocates running around in the 80s with their hands in the air were wrong. Dead wrong.
So there's that.
Jim W7RY

W7RY, Apr 7, 2025

#34

NL7W and W6NFU like this.
PY1KZ Platinum Subscriber Platinum Subscriber QRZ Page

Let's help to preserve a living symbol of the beginning of wireless transmissions.
Tahnk you for the Vote!!!
Miguel - PY1KZ

PY1KZ, Apr 7, 2025

#35
W4OKW Ham Member QRZ Page

K0UO said: ↑

It definitely needs to be saved it's a national Treasure and was a major advancement in World wide Communications.

I also encourage everyone to cast their vote.

73 from, Steve
The K0UO " Rhombic Antenna Farm" miles of wire in the Air & On the AIR daily
Click to expand...

Reminds me of the destruction of the historic towers at the NSS antenna field in Annapolis. Voted yes

W4OKW, Apr 7, 2025

#36
KC3JH Ham Member QRZ Page

W4OKW said: ↑

Reminds me of the destruction of the historic towers at the NSS antenna field in Annapolis. Voted yes
Click to expand...

Agreed. I have crossed the Chesapeake Bay bridge many hundreds of times and always marveled at the NSS installation. Between all the towers and the top loading wires it was a real sight to behold.

KC3JH, Apr 7, 2025

#37
KC2KLC XML Subscriber QRZ Page

These constitute a wonderful historic treasure, and are worthy of preservation. However, as WA1RF pointed out, they are not quite the "last remaining structures of their kind in North America". In addition to the 1914 WCC towers, there is the 97-foot 1913 Marconi tower in Binghamton, NY (www.lutins.org/marconi) that was instrumental in pioneering communications between a fixed station and moving rail cars.

KC2KLC, Apr 8, 2025

#38

KA1M likes this.
VA3ITA Ham Member QRZ Page

More votes are required! You can vote once a day! Hams are capable in reaching big numbers! Please vote!

https://nextgreatsave.nationaltrustcanada.ca/2025/entry/85

VA3ITA, Apr 9, 2025

#39
MW1CFN Ham Member QRZ Page

As an author on early-mid 20th century Marconi sites, I've just written to National Trust Canada to support the efforts in relation to this exceptionally-important site. I've also voted, of course.

Thanks for making us all aware of this.

Last edited: Apr 9, 2025

MW1CFN, Apr 9, 2025

#40
W6NFU Ham Member QRZ Page

W7RY said: ↑

Agreed!
They claim "climate change" damaged the towers.

Sorry, not going to support you. Weather degraded the towers. All of the climate change advocates running around in the 80s with their hands in the air were wrong. Dead wrong.
So there's that.
Jim W7RY
Click to expand...

Add w6nfu to this. Am tired of everything being blamed to "climate change". Baloney.

W6NFU, Apr 9, 2025

#41

N4WN and AC0GT like this.
VE8MN Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

SAVE Radio heratige of all kinds but this is a milestone and should be updated and used a loop would be nice for sure, and a remote station to to accompany it.

VE8MN, Apr 10, 2025

#42
NL7W Ham Member QRZ Page

W7RY said: ↑

Agreed!
They claim "climate change" damaged the towers.

Sorry, not going to support you. Weather degraded the towers. All of the climate change advocates running around in the 80s with their hands in the air were wrong. Dead wrong.
So there's that.
Jim W7RY
Click to expand...

While I agree with you, these towers should be saved anyway.

Voted affirmatively.

NL7W, Apr 11, 2025

#43

AE8EM and KO4MAO like this.
KI6PMD Ham Member QRZ Page

KC4ZGP said: ↑

No light atop. Plane could crash into it.

Take 'em down.

Kraus/KC4ZGP
Click to expand...

ALPHA HOTEL !

KI6PMD, Apr 13, 2025

#44

AE0Q likes this.
NL7W Ham Member QRZ Page

KC4ZGP said: ↑

No light atop. Plane could crash into it.

Take 'em down.

Kraus/KC4ZGP
Click to expand...

It's likely you cannot see what's on those towers from a distance. Flashing red tower lights are only required to come on at dusk, or when their photo-electric eyes tell them to come on at night. I've worked on those control circuit boxes in the past. If it isn't something simple, the box is outright replaced with a new one. They're not that expensive.

Last edited: Apr 14, 2025

NL7W, Apr 14, 2025

#45

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