Varberg Radio Station in Halland County, Sweden was erected in 1922-24 as a link in the worldwide network of broadcast transmitters. With an aerial system of six impressive steel towers and an Alexanderson alternator, the transmitter symbolizes a crucial step in the evolution of modern wireless communications and is the only one of its kind still in operation.

The need for rapid, secure communications between Sweden and the United States became increasingly evident in the early Twenties. Transatlantic cables had proven to be highly vulnerable, particularly in wartime. So the Swedish Parliament appropriated close to 5 million kronor in 1920 for construction of a major new radio station. Built by RCA and started up on 1 December 1924, the transmitter boasted of the latest technology. King Gustaf V officially inaugurated it on 2 July 1925. As one link in an international network of similar transmitters, it played a major role in transatlantic telegraph communications.

Grimeton´s pride, and the heart of the transmitter, is an alternating current generator dubbed the Alexanderson alternator. Its inventor was Ernst Fredrik Werner Alexanderson (1878-1975), a Swedish-American engineer and pioneer in radio and television engineering who obtained more than 300 patents during his lifetime. The Grimeton transmitter has the last complete Alexanderson alternator still in operation.

The six 127 meter towers are awesome to behold. Spaced 380 meters apart, each tower has a 46 meter cross beam. Eight wires carry antenna current between the towers. A vertical antenna wire transmits from each tower. Adjacent to the towers are the station's buildings, still well preserved more than 80 years after their design by architect Carl Åkerblad. A little nearby village houses the staff.

The Grimeton transmitter not only represents a major advance in the evolution of modern wireless communications, but is one of western Sweden's biggest structures and a unique historic monument.

Contact:

Alexander Association - +046 340 67 42 51.
County Museum of Halland - +046 340 828 30.
Varberg Tourist Bureau - +046 340 887 70.
Administrative Board of Halland County - +046 35 13 20 00. Halland County Tourist Bureau - +046 35 10 95 60.

See also:
World Heritage Site Grimeton
Alexander Association
Administative Board of Halland County
National Museum of Science and Technology - in Stockholm.
Varberg Radio Station - UNESCO