Communications with Brian Summers

On Saturday 11th May, Brian Summers talked to the group about how communications have changed over the years in the Falkland Islands.

The group started with a fun activity using tin cans and a piece of string, before moving into the telephone exchange. Brian talked about how the old telephone system worked by illustrating different telephones and batteries. 

Brian showed the group how the switch boards operated before watching a short video clip on how the 480 line system operated prior to closing its doors in 1990.

They then moved on to the first Fox Bay spark transmitter, installed in 1917, and the large, heavy battery that powered the spark transmitter.

Brian showed the group different Morse code keys. All the children had a go using the machines and spelling their names out using dots and dashes.  Brian then demonstrated how the Morse Code Perforator worked.    The machine would punch Morse code into a paper tape. The punched tape was then placed in a transmitter and this machine  would send Morse code down the line. To receive the message at the distant end,  a perforator was used which converted the Morse Code into paper tape.  The group had fun having a go and keeping their 'punched out' names as a keepsake.

We then talked about the radio telephone system which connected the camp stations to Stanley, and the amateur radio two-meter system.

Brian has a vast knowledge of all communications in the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Antarctica. He worked 9 years with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), and 32 years with Cable & Wireless Plc. One of his memories from South Georgia and Antarctica was that you were only permitted to send 100 words to your family every month. 

Thank you very much to Brian Summers for talking to the group, it's very much appreciated.