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Camperdown Signal Station, also known as Camperdown Hill, is significant in
The station was put in service during the American Revolution, around 1776. It was operated by members of the Army until 1923, after which service was provided by a few civilian signalmen until 1953. This signal building was torn down and replaced by the Port War Signal Station in 1941. The Port War Signal Station was operated by naval signalmen until turned back to the civilian signalmen in 1945.
Operating position Camperdown Radio 1950's. The main receiver was an RCA AR88, A Canadian Marconi CSR5 receiver with a Philips BX925. The transmitters at this station were LCS5 and a Canadian Marconi Company LTT4. The hand key was used for the continental code over the radio. A semi-automatic key and telegraph landline sounder for the American or Morse Code (a faster code) was also used in the station at this time.
The first Radio Direction Finding Station in Canada opened at the site in 1917 with call sign VAV. The Marconi Company closed Camperdown VCS in 1926. The service provided by the VCS station was moved to VAV at that time. This combined service from VAV was from 1926 until 1935.
The Dominion Government Steamer (DGS) 'Canada' was the first ship to contact the Camperdown Wireless Station, on June 19, 1905. She was one of the first three Canadian ships fitted with wireless in 1904. Her wireless call sign was CT then MCT and then VDC.
Camperdown Signal Station, also known as Camperdown Hill, is significant in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native En ...
communication history. Overlooking the entrance to Halifax Harbour
Halifax Harbour is a large natural harbour on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, located in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Halifax largely owes its existence to the harbour, being one of the largest and deepest ice-free natural harb ...
made it a strategic part of Halifax's defence system in the 18th century. The hill has been used as a customs lookout, signal and telegraph station, observation post and redoubt commanding the Citadel Hill
A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core.
In ...
defence complex. The Camperdown Signal Station was built a few miles northward next to nearby Portuguese Cove in 1797, the first of a series of signal stations built by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent
Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, (Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick; born 9 October 1935) is a member of the British royal family. Queen Elizabeth II and Edward were first cousins through their fathers, King George VI, and Prince George, Duke ...
. It later became a wireless station and was operational until 1925. The military took over operating the station and it became known as VCS from 1935 until 1970.
History
The station was put in service during the American Revolution, around 1776. It was operated by members of the Army until 1923, after which service was provided by a few civilian signalmen until 1953. This signal building was torn down and replaced by the Port War Signal Station in 1941. The Port War Signal Station was operated by naval signalmen until turned back to the civilian signalmen in 1945.
Operating position Camperdown Radio 1950's. The main receiver was an RCA AR88, A Canadian Marconi CSR5 receiver with a Philips BX925. The transmitters at this station were LCS5 and a Canadian Marconi Company LTT4. The hand key was used for the continental code over the radio. A semi-automatic key and telegraph landline sounder for the American or Morse Code (a faster code) was also used in the station at this time.
The first Radio Direction Finding Station in Canada opened at the site in 1917 with call sign VAV. The Marconi Company closed Camperdown VCS in 1926. The service provided by the VCS station was moved to VAV at that time. This combined service from VAV was from 1926 until 1935.
The Dominion Government Steamer (DGS) 'Canada' was the first ship to contact the Camperdown Wireless Station, on June 19, 1905. She was one of the first three Canadian ships fitted with wireless in 1904. Her wireless call sign was CT then MCT and then VDC.
Station Operators
* Thomas Raddall was a Canadian writer of history and historical fiction.Equipment
In 1921 the equipment at Camperdown VCS consisted of a 2 kilowatt, nonasynchronous disc, 60-cycle Marconi coast station spark transmitter. This received its power from a generator driven by a 6 HP Fairbanks Morse 2-type engine. Also, a 1⁄4 kilowatt asynchronous disc 500-cycle Marconi cabinet type spark set, powered by a battery which was kept charged from a 1-1/2 HP engine and generator. The main receiver was a Marconi crystal type 2846A. A magnetic detector (ancestor of the wire recorder) formed part of an auxiliary receiver. The aerial was a four-wire umbrella suspended from a 180-foot mast.References
{{Reflist Halifax, Nova Scotia