Special Event – 100 th Anniversary, Fort Warden Radio Station

W7R

August 29-30, 2009 (8 a.m. Saturday until 4 p.m. Sunday), the Radio Station at historic Fort Warden, Washington, will be revived as the site of a special event celebrating the 100 th anniversary of this communications site.

Using call sign W7R, members of the local Jefferson County and Port Ludlow Amateur Radio Clubs will be on the air in the original brick building completed in 1909, which is located on the Fort’s Artillery Hill, surrounded by the original gun batteries.

In the early 1900’s this station was used to communicate with forts in Hawaii and the Philippines using a spark gap transmitter. In the early 1930’s, communication was by voice, code and teletype, using an SCR radio set with a 300-foot long wire antenna with a center tap supported by two 150-foot tall fir poles.

During this event, Hams will be operating off-grid, on single side band, CW, PSK, and RTTY (specific frequencies to be announced).

The building needs some clean-up before the event and we’re hoping for volunteers to participate in this part of the project and/or during the event, as operators, loggers, or otherwise (set-up, providing food, clean-up etc.).

Anyone who can provide additional information about this historic building is encouraged to contact us through our clubs’ web sites (JCARC.com or N7PL.org).

Construction began on Fort Warden in 1897, with commissioning in 1902. Located on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, it guarded the nautical entrance to the Puget Sound. It’s one of the few military forts of that era with military buildings and batteries still preserved and accessible, and many of the buildings have been restored to original - used now as museums, housing for park visitors, and other uses. Fort Warden is on the State and National Registers of Historic Places and has been declared a National Landmark. Movie buffs might recognize it as the site of the film, Officer and a Gentleman.