RCA History Tour Multi-Cache
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Learn some history of RCA's Radio Central facility in Rocky Point, NY.
This is a multi-cache which has the former RCA Radio Central transmitting site
at Rocky Point, NY as its theme. By visiting each of the sites described below
you will gather the information needed to find a locator box which then gives
the coordinates of the actual cache. Since this is about the early days of radio
communications it is only fitting that you know, or at least have a copy of, the
International Morse code.
Site-1: The Marconi Shack. (40 deg 56.306 min N, 72 deg 56.416 min W)
Here you will find the Marconi shack originally built in Babylon by a local
farmer around 1901. It housed some of the radio equipment used for ship-to-shore
communications with ships entering New York harbor. The shack was purchased by
Edwin Armstrong in 1930 and moved to the RCA facility at Rocky Point as a
wireless artifact. After RCA closed down, the shack was moved to various
locations in the Rocky Point area before settling at its current location. In
the early 1970’s the building was restored by a retired local builder, Rosario
Aurucci. The Rocky Point Chamber of Commerce, The Vincent P. Landi Lodge of the
Sons of Italy, and a few local businesses were instrumental in the restoration
project. A second restoration effort began in the summer of 2006 and is still
underway. The shack is used by the Radio Central Amateur Radio Club for its
special event stations.
Above the entrance to the shack is a small metal plaque. Take the last two words
on the plaque and write them out in Morse code. Count the total number of dots
and dashes to get the latitude information of Site-5.
MS = total dots + total dashes + 64
Latitude of Site-5 = 40 deg ??.?MS min N.
Site-2: Antenna Tuning Coil. (40 deg 55.161 min N, 72 deg 55.892 min W)
You will find many concrete structures like this on the RCA site. Tuning colis
were mounted on these foundations. Bolted to the top surface were several
porcelain columns about six inches in diameter and ten feet tall. Wrapped
around these columns was a heavy wire forming a coil. Connections were made
to particular locations on the coil from the inside according to the
transmitting frequency they wanted to use. The connecting wire would then
lead up to the antenna wires overhead.
Count the total number of bolts that were used to hold all the columns in
place and look for a number on a wooden tag to get the longitude information
of Site-5.
TC = total number of bolts + tag number
Longitude of Site-5 = 72 deg ??.?TC min W.
Site-3: Wooden Poles. (40 deg 55.444 min N, 72 deg 56.830 min W)
Here you will find several of the 120 foot wooden poles used to support some of
the antenna wires. About 50 poles came from Douglas Fir forests in the state of
Washington in 1933. They came by boat through the Panama Canal to New York
harbor. They then made their way by the Long Island Railroad to the station in
Rocky Point and then to the RCA site. In case you are wondering about the Rocky
Point train station, the Long Island Railroad ended the line in Port Jefferson
in the late 30’s. The Rocky Point station became the Thurber Lumber Company. The
electric company now uses the rite-of-way for their high voltage lines. When the
RCA site closed down, the poles were taken down. Many were gathered in piles
near the roads on the site, while others were left where they once stood and can
still be found along the trails.
Attached to a climbing rung on one of these poles is a wooden tag with RCA and
three digits in Morse code on it. The digits give the value of WD.P information
of the Site-5 latitude.
Latitude of Site-5 = 40 deg WD.P?? min N.
Site-4: 165-foot Tower. (40 deg 55.312 min N, 72 deg 56.679 min W)
Here you will find one of the few remaining 165 ft steel towers that supported
some of the wire antennas. On one of the lower cross braces you will find three
digits written in Morse code. These give the TT.T information of the Site-5
longitude.
Longitude of Site-5 = 72 deg TW.R?? min W.
Site-5: 410-foot Tower. (40 deg WD.PMS min N, 72 deg TW.RTC min W)
Here you will find the four concrete foundations for the legs of one of the 410
foot towers constructed in 1921. The original site plan called for constructing
12 antennas radiating out from the transmitter site like spokes on a wheel. Each
antenna was to be about 1.5 miles long and consist of 16 wires strung on these
tall towers. The towers were placed at about 1200 foot intervals. Two of the
spokes were completed when it was discovered that recent developments in short
wave radio made such long antennas unnecessary. The original plan was abandoned.
Six of the twelve towers were removed in the late 1950’s and five more in 1961.
Tower #1 remained standing and was used as a beacon for planes and ships. It
was removed with great fanfare during a public ceremony in the late 1970’s.
The only other big news event for that day was the airing of the last episode
of the TV series "Mulligan’s Stew" and a Geminid meteor shower over Colorado.
Look for a wooden tag alongside the foundation of one of the tower legs. On
the tag you will see two numbers, A and B. To each of these two numbers add
the month number, the day number, and the last digit of the year in which the
last RCA tower came down. This gives the minutes for the latitude and longitude
of the locator box at Site-6.
N Latitude = 40 deg, A + month number + day number + last digit of year
W Longitude = 72 deg, B + month number + day number + last digit of year
Site-6: The Locator Box. (Latitude and Longitude determined above.)
The locator box is a box attached to a tree at the location determined from
above. It is in a private yard with owner's permission. It provides the
information for the coordinates of the actual cache. When you push the
button inside the box you will hear a six digit message. The first three
digits give ABC, the next gives DEF. You will also need to know the date
when President Warren Harding pressed a button in the White House to signal
the official startup of operations at Radio Central.
X = ABC + month number + day number + last TWO digits of year
Y = DEF + month number + day number + last TWO digits of year
N Latitude of cache = 40 deg 55.X min.
W Longitude of cache = 72 deg 56.Y min.
Site-7: The Cache. (Latitude and Longitude determined above.)
The open area near the cache is the site of the main transmitter building.
Hint: dit-dah-dah-dit dah-dah-dah dit-dah-dit-dit dit
dit-dah-dah-dit dit-dit dit-dah-dah-dit dit
dit-dah-dah-dit dah-dah-dah dit-dah-dit-dit dit
More Radio Central history and photos are available on the internet. Some key
search phrases are:
Historic Places in Rocky Point
The Book of Radio-Radio Central Chapter(1922)
Radio Central Amateur Radio Club
I hope you enjoy the history and adventure of this cache hunt and I look forward
to hearing from all who take it on. And thanks to Dave Reisfield for checking
out this cache while in its development stage.
Enjoy the hunt.
DE K2RFP
Additional Hints
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