This business was sold off to Quality Semiconductor Australia Pty Limited (now Silanna) in 1996.ĭuring World War II, the Marconi School trained a large number of military personnel in signals and communications. This was a joint venture between AWA Ltd (64%), British Aerospace (25%) and the NSW Government (11%). AWA continued to distribute products from RCA Semiconductor into the mid-1980s.ĪWA MicroElectronics Pty Ltd was formed to design and manufacture integrated circuits and a fully operational wafer foundry was established in addition to an integrated circuit fabrication facility and a design centre.

During World War II AWV produced a range of defence electronics materiel, including klystrons and magnetrons for radar equipment.ĪWV commercialised research work by the AWA Research Laboratories to set up a plant to manufacture transistors and AWA Semiconductors was born. Pty Ltd) with Radio Corporation of America (RCA), to manufacture radio valves (vacuum tubes) at the Ashfield works under the AWV, RCA and Radiola brands. In April 1930 the Empire radiotelephone service commenced.ĪWA transmits the first newsreel pictures from Sydney to London.ĪWA Radiola RadioAWA established a joint venture (Amalgamated Wireless Valve Co.

ĪWA established a similar service between Australia and Canada. This new service undercut the early cable companies and was inaugurated on 8 April 1927, this service continued until. 1926ĪWA established two large beam wireless stations on 180 hectare sites a receiver site in Victoria at Rockbank near Melbourne and a transmitter site at Ballan near Ballarat this site became known as Fiskville.Ī shortwave beam radiotelegraph service was set up between Australia and Britain. AWA Media soon sold 3EE and 2CH was also sold in 1994. AWA purchased 3XY Melbourne in 1991, relaunching it in 1992 as 3EE (Magic 693). In addition to being a maker of broadcasting equipment and a leading manufacturer of consumer radios, AWA Broadcasting (eventually to become AWA Media Pty Ltd) was the first and at one time the largest commercial radio network in Australia.ĪWA owned and operated many Australian metropolitan and country AM radio stations over the years, including 2CH Sydney, 3MP Melbourne and 6KY Perth.

In 1916 Fisk became Managing Director and in 1932 was made AWA Chairman. The first AWA chairman was Sir Hugh Denison and Sir Ernest Fisk, also a founding director, was made General and Technical manager. In 1979 this moved to Launceston, Tasmania and becomes part of the Australian Maritime College. Later, in 1913, the new company established the Marconi Telefunken College of Telegraphy, later renamed the Marconi School of Wireless (MSW). AWA had exclusive rights throughout Australasia to the patents, ‘present and future’, for both Marconi and Telefunken. The two parties settled their differences and July 1913, they formed a new company, Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia) Ltd. The government decided the best solution would be to use circuits designed by John Balsillie, inventor of the ‘Balsillie System’ of wireless telegraphy. The English Marconi Company sued the Australian government for infringing their patent and AWL issued writs against firms who were using Marconi equipment. AWA commenced operations in 1909 as Australasian Wireless Limited (AWL), as a Telefunken wireless agent.

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