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HISTORICAL ASPECTS OF SW IN LATIN AMERICA - ARGENTINA By Horacio Nigro, Uruguay Transradio International was the first radiocommunications company to be settled in Argentina. It commenced operations in 1923, with a pair of 400 KW alternators as transmitting units, located at Monte Grande, in the province of Buenos Aires, generating a 6000 cycles per second signal. The frequency of one of these transmitters was multiplied by three in order to get 18,000 c/s (i.e.: 16,700 meters) and the signal from the second unit as multiplied by six to get 36,000 cycles equal to 8,350 metrers. The operating frequency was controlled by means of varying the rotation speed of these huge machines. Their power consumption was obviously very high. Later, when it was needed to change the output frequency, a steam turbo-alternator was put into operation generating a frequency of about 50 1/2 cycles, for exclusive use by Transradio. These machines were very noisy due to their keying and control relays. Moreover, in those years,the mechanical and electrical time constant parameters of the circuits being involved prevented the use of high speed telegraphic transmissions. The static and the QRM from stations operating on nearby frequencies just a hundred of cycles apart was a significant problem. Two years later, in 1925, the first shortwave transmitter in South America started its transmissions from the same building. It was bought to RCA. Its power was of 20 KW, operating on 8 MHz with the callsign LP 1, using a self-excited oscillator circuit. In 1931, there were at Monte Grande nine SW transmitters (from 1 KW units on 9 meters to 125 KW on 30 meters. Transradio was responsible of carrying the maritime radiocommunications, the frequency measurement for local broadcasting stations, sending and reception of Press radiophotos, and shortwave broadcasts from all over the world were received for rebroadcast. Also, locally produced programmes were sent for rebroadcast by the big U.S. and European networks. Sometimes, propagation conditions caused to this station to acted as relay between the U.S. and Europe. The messages were sent from N.Y to Buenos Aires and from here to Europe. (Nigro-Uruguay, Aug 22. Source:"Revista Telegrafica", Buenos Aires, Argentina, November 1939) This website is maintained by Don Moore, Association of North American Radio Clubs DXer of the Year for 1995.