N4on / Portable
Boyce - Winchester, Virginia
April 26-27, 2013
Historical and Campout Event

Curtis Anderson at the Petersburg Museum of Technology

Samuel Finley Breese Morse was born April 27, 1791, in Charlestown, Massachusetts.
He attended Yale University, where he was interested in art, as well as electricity,
still in its infancy at the time. After college, Morse became a painter.
In 1832, while sailing home from Europe, he heard about the newly discovered
electromagnet and came up with an idea for an electric telegraph.
He had no idea that other inventors were already at work on the concept.
Morse spent the next several years developing a prototype and took on two partners,
 Leonard Gale and Alfred Vail, to help him. In 1838, he demonstrated his invention
using Morse code, in which dots and dashes represented letters and numbers.
In 1843, Morse finally convinced a skeptical Congress to fund the construction of the first
telegraph line in the United States, from Washington, D.C. to Baltimore.
In May 1844, Morse sent the first official telegram over the line,
with the message: "What hath God wrought!"

Train Station in Boyce, Va.

Campsite for the night was located in Winchester, Va..  I am using commercial ac power, the  radio was an Icon IC-7000,
Alinco dc supply, and a hustler 40m vertical antenna on an outpost tripod running 100 watts ssb on 40 meters.
  Note: I had a portable generator with me since sometimes I camp in places without commercial power.

The picnic table was small, so I sleep on the grass just behind the table, for what sleeping I did.

My antenna under the stars and moon.

By morning, leaving camp to return to the train station in Boyce, Va.

By morning, I had moved my position of operation to the other side of the table as the sun was in my eyes.

Packing up and leaving the campsite to head back to the train station.

Adjustments on the telegraph equipment were in order for the long day ahead.

The telephone equipment also required some attention.

Each operator took their turn at the telegraph key.

Troubleshooting the telephone equipment.

Found a defective (shorted out)  2 uF condenser.  This component was manufactured in 1904, out of warranty.
Found a 1 uF condenser in another piece of equipment in the back room.  It should work.

Made a test call and all the telephone equipment is now working.  One defective part crippled
the entire network.  The rest of the day was spent entertaining visitors, answering questions,
and demonstrating the technology of the day.  (1900~1960's)

Ham Radio Station 'n4on' in Colonial Height, Va.

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