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Marconi centenary gathers momentum Plans to mark the centenary of Marconi’s first trans-Atlantic wireless signal, sent from Poldhu in Cornwall, to Newfoundland in Canada on 12 December 1901 are reaching completion. The official opening of the new Marconi Centre, which is the realisation of a joint project between the National Trust, Marconi plc and Poldhu Amateur Radio Club, with funding assistance from the Objective One Partnership for Cornwall and Scilly; An attempt by students from Thunderer Squadron, the Royal Navy’s Engineering Sponsorship Scheme based at Southampton University, to construct an authentic ‘spark-gap transmitter’ similar to that used by Marconi and then to send the letter ‘S’ in Morse code across the Atlantic; The exchange of celebratory messages between Poldhu and radio amateurs throughout the world; culminating in the anniversary transmission itself at 4pm. It is planned that this will include messages of greeting from the Canadian government and Heads of State and will involve Marconi’s daughter, The Princess Elettra Marconi and his grandson, Prince Guglielmo Marconi.
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