Did you know that Napa was the first place to receive man-made signals from outer space? It scooped the world when it picked up radio signals from Sputnik. It all happened here, at the Press Wireless Radio Station.
Now you see it as a crumbling cement structure on a lonely duck hunting marsh owned and managed by the Department of Fish and Game, but this was a busy place from 1946 until the 60’s. There were three or four men stationed out there, just like a lighthouse; and it had a well, electricity, and a row of Eucalyptus trees to shade it, which are now gone. Nearby at the railroad tracks, was Buchli (pronounced Buckley) Station, where fruit and grains were shipped from the fertile area.
The United Press, who owned Press Wireless, launched its own satellite, which the Press Wireless Station monitored. Considered to have the latest and most powerful equipment, communications were routed by feed from two antennas to receivers on each “diversity rack”. The output of both receivers was put through a combining unit to provide stable Teletype signals and eliminate fading. The signal then went to a “bias and distortion meter” to get optimum reception and be properly analyzed before passing the communication to their San Francisco office by a phone line.
When you are looking for this cache, think about the handheld receiver you have getting signals from the sky, and then go back in your mind’s eye to what it was like at the time when this station was operating. Be thankful for today’s technology and appreciate man’s innovation and intelligence.
*Source: The Napa County Historical Society