DUBUQUE WIRELESS ASSOCIATION

DUBUQUE WIRELESS ASSOCIATION. Reverend Arthur Clark was one of the first advocates of wireless radio in Dubuque. In 1915 he began work at DUBUQUE COLLEGE to install the necessary equipment. In 1916 Anton Zwack was awarded a contract to construct a sound proof room in the balcony of Clark Library in Loras Hall. During construction, Father Clark had a temporary code practice outfit installed so that interested students could learn the alphabet. The room was finished in March. An indoor antenna was installed in an attic directly over the balcony. When the antenna did not prove entirely satisfactory, some of the wires were run outdoors. (1)

Experiments were tried as equipment continued to arrive. Using a single layer of bell wire wrapped around a cardboard tube, with a telephone receiver and a small GALENA crystal placed in light contact with a fine wire, messages were copied from other local experimenters. Faint inaudible sounds could be pick up from out-of-town stations. Local communication proved possible with an improvised transmitting set using a jump-spark cell, a practice table key, and a few old cells. Improvements over the summer were made by Charles Henry working under the direction of Father Clark. The transmitting set was expected to have a range from 50 to 1,500 miles. Father Clark also maintained a library of radio oriented periodicals. (2)

The DUBUQUE WIRELESS ASSOCIATION existed in Dubuque in 1917 with Clifford Patch as general manager. Wireless radio operations, however, were closed in April 1917 during WORLD WAR I. (3) Following the war, many individual returned to using their equipment. In 1920 Patch, in cooperation with other wireless operators, accomplished the feat of broadcasting a fifty-word message from Dubuque through Clinton and Chicago to Cleveland, Ohio. In 1922 plans were announced to reorganize the Dubuque Wireless Association to "consolidate and coordinate this interest." (4)

On March 10, 192 the first wireless entry in the official blotter of the Dubuque Police Department was made. Fred Kretschmer learned of a bank robbery in Madison, Wisconsin over his wireless set at home and called the information in to the police department. (5)

---

Source:

1. "Radio-Telegraphy at Dubuque College; Fine Wireless Station," Telegraph Herald, Oct. 29, 1916, p. 11. Online: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jhleAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5l8NAAAAIBAJ&pg=2644,7555803&dq=dubuque+wireless+radio&hl=en

2. Ibid.

3. "Dubuque Boy Will Be Radio Engineer," Telegraph Herald, April 18, 1917, p. 11. Online: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7AheAAAAIBAJ&sjid=518NAAAAIBAJ&pg=4456,7886277&dq=dubuque+wireless+radio&hl=en

4. "Dubuque Radio Fans Organize," Telegraph Herald, July 23, 1922, p. 18. Online: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=T5VSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KM8MAAAAIBAJ&pg=3297,3291427&dq=dubuque+wireless+association&hl=en

5. "Reports Robbery Tip by Wireless," Telegraph Herald, March 10, 1922, p. 14. Online: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qpBSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=iM0MAAAAIBAJ&pg=4056,3315684&dq=dubuque+wireless+radio&hl=en