W3XK
Encyclopedia
W3XK is widely regarded as the oldest television station
in the United States
. It was operated by Charles Jenkins
of Charles Jenkins Laboratories
from July 2, 1928 to 1934. It was the first station to broadcast to the general public. The station's frequency started out at 1605 kHz, but moved to 6420 kHz (6.42 MHz), and eventually moved to the 2.00-2.10 MHz Frequency. It broadcast from Wheaton, Maryland
(just outside of Washington, DC), at a resolution of just 48 lines. The way to view television at the time was by mechanical television
sets, and this station operated in that way.
Oldest television station
This is a list of prewar television stations of the 1920s and 1930s that were among the first in the world. Most of these experimental stations were located in Europe , Canada and the United States...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was operated by Charles Jenkins
Charles Francis Jenkins
Charles Francis Jenkins was an American pioneer of early cinema and one of the inventors of television, though he used mechanical rather than electronic technologies...
of Charles Jenkins Laboratories
Charles Jenkins Laboratories
Charles Jenkins Laboratories was the enterprise headed by Charles Francis Jenkins that was granted the first commercial television license in the United States, station W3XK. The Laboratories also operated experimental station W2XCR....
from July 2, 1928 to 1934. It was the first station to broadcast to the general public. The station's frequency started out at 1605 kHz, but moved to 6420 kHz (6.42 MHz), and eventually moved to the 2.00-2.10 MHz Frequency. It broadcast from Wheaton, Maryland
Wheaton, Maryland
Wheaton is an unincorporated, urbanized area in Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, north of Washington, D.C., northwest of Silver Spring. Wheaton takes its name from Frank Wheaton , a career officer in the United States Army and volunteer from Rhode Island in the Union Army who rose to the rank of...
(just outside of Washington, DC), at a resolution of just 48 lines. The way to view television at the time was by mechanical television
Mechanical television
Mechanical television was a broadcast television system that used mechanical or electromechanical devices to capture and display video images. However, the images themselves were usually transmitted electronically and via radio waves...
sets, and this station operated in that way.