Ernst Fredrik Werner Alexanderson


  1. The world's first radio programme
  2. 344 patents
  3. The station at Grimeton, Sweden
  4. The first television play
  5. Knight of the Order of the Northern Star
Other articles

Telemuseum home page

 Marconi, who on his visit to the States in 1915 had desired to buy the exclusive right to sell the alternators on the world market, made a new offer to GE in 1919. President Wilson appealed to GE not to sell, since he feared that the English would in that event become completely dominant in the field of world communications. Instead, an entirely new corporation was created, the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), for the purpose of marketing the alternators. Alexanderson was brought in as Chief Engineer at the new corporation, and subsequently shared his working time between GE and RCA until 1924, when he returned to working full time at GE.

One of his first tasks at RCA was to plan the equipment for the new Central Station that was to be constructed on Long Island for worldwide radio communications. When fully developed, it was planned that this station would have 12 multiple tuned antennas, another of Alexanderson's numerous important inventions. These twelve antennas were directed to different points of the compass, to cover the entire world. One antenna was intended for communications with Sweden, which had bought alternators for a station in Grimeton on the Swedish West Coast. RCA's representative handling the sale to the Royal Board of Swedish Telegraphs was Ernst Alexanderson.

The station at Grimeton, SwedenPicture: The station at Grimeton, Sweden

The station was officially inaugurated by the then Swedish King, Gustaf V, in 1925. In connection with the inauguration, the King sent a telegram to President Calvin Coolidge, in which he declared his conviction that the new link would greatly strengthen the cultural and commercial relations that had so long existed between Sweden and the United States with its "democratic shelter beneath which millions of Swedes have found new homes". Present at the inauguration were also RCA Vice President David Sarnoff, and Chief Engineer Ernst Alexanderson.

The station acquired great importance for direct contacts with the USA, particularly during World War II, when the cable lines across the Atlantic were broken. Today, this station is the only remaining operable alternator station in the world.

by Bengt V Nilsson
Webmaster: angel@telemuseum.se 1996-06-24