Maritime Radio
KFUH - MARITIME RADIO
In 1924, in association with the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, business man Medford Ross Kellum formed the “Kaimiloa Expedition”. The purpose of this expedition was to scientifically study peoples and islands in various areas of the South Pacific.
Originally, this schooner carried a spark wireless transmitter licensed with the callsign KFUH and rated at 1 kW. This is the oldest QSL card issued for wireless and radio transmissions from transmitters aboard ships at sea is postmarked May 21, 1924, and it verifies the reception of a spark wireless transmission from a 1 kW transmitter on board the four masted schooner Kaimiloa.
However, during the first phase of its tour in the South Pacific, the operator had difficulty in making adequate wireless contact with the United States.
In May 1925, the Kaimiloa was taken back to Honolulu and was fitted with a valve, or tube, transmitter. The transmitter was actually a double unit made up of two transmitters rated at 250 watts.
Soon afterwards, the Kaimiloa resumed its exploratory tour in the South Pacific, calling at several different island groups. Several QSL cards were issued from station KFUH, and posted in Suva, Fiji. It is probable that several news items from the expedition were passed on at times to the news world via station KFUH, and perhaps, even some voiced commentaries.
The claim to fame on the part of the Kaimiloa was that the electronic transmitter placed aboard was the very first occasion in the history of radio in which a valve, or tube, transmitter was installed on board a ship.
Link
http://www.ontheshortwaves.com/Wavescan/wavescan100711.html
http://radiomarine.org/gallery/show?keyword=RDS&panel=pab1_7
