Comments on: Kahuku Marconi Wireless Station, O’ahu, Hawaii

By: Walter Dick

Walter Dick — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 04:40:22 +0000

I too have always been fascinated by old LF apparatus. I am a native of Hawai’i and spent some time at Helemano Army radio in the ’50s. There is a counterpart to the Kahuku site which I only knew as an RCA xmtr site. Until I saw an Alex alternator listed for Kahuku, I was ignorant of its LF history. The Marconi site I’m familiar with is the one at Koko Head on Lunalilo Home Road. I participated in scrapping out the last vestiges of the Koko Head Marconi installation in about 1954. Two guyed masts stood there until we cut them down. They were riveted pipe sections with a wooden plug in the top. At the time we did the salvage job, the site housed the RCA rcvr complex. Lunalilo home itself was the dormtory for the Marconi operators. Have you done a piece on the Navy Haiku VLF? “Builders for Battle” by David O. Woodbury has a detailed account of the contruction by RCA of the antenna and feed system at Haiku. The Navy site at Lualualei rounds out the Island low freq xmtrs of yesteryear.
I would like to exchange additional info about these matters when you have time. W.F. Dick, L.A. CA

By: Jonathan Haeber

Jonathan Haeber — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 01:00:28 +0000

Thanks for the nudge, Hans. Looking forward to the book!

By: hans vles

hans vles — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 15:19:35 +0000

You have written: Second Boeur War: pse spell correctly: BOER This Dutch word means farmer.
Great info about the wireless station. I am finishing a book about Dutch radio pioneers. Cornelius De Groot designed and built the famous Malabar mountain gorge long wave antenna, in 1917, on Java, in order to make contact with Cavite - Honolulu - San Francisco.
He bought a 100 kilowatt Poulsen arc transmitter in the USA. Those good old days!

Thanks for a great site! Cheers, hans vles, Middelburg, Holland.

By: Mike Paahana

Mike Paahana — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 03:54:45 +0000

the place is all empty now, we ride mopeds into there and good place off the main road for party. get some druggys and sex kine stuff over there but cops no can get to u so all g.

By: John Crowder

John Crowder — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 06:24:30 +0000

Very interesting site. I was stationed and lived on the Kahuku Training Area (1976-1979) and visited the Marconi Wireless Station often.