USA AMATEUR RADIO HISTORY AND LICENSING
For Broadcast Radio/TV History -- click here
For
History
of Communications-Electronics in The United States Navy -- Click Here
New Book! The History of Wireless: How Creative Minds Produced Technology For The Masses
by Ira Brodsky
Day One Mother Nature sends static crashes and lightning crashes around the world - but no one is around to hear them!!! Either audibly or by radio - DX will be!!
DX is an early telephone term for distant exchange. It is also defined in Funk & Wagnall's as Distance. The term DX appears in many math formulas as distance of x. See Origin of DX. At any rate, for Amateur Radio, it is the sending of messages over long distances.
EARLY COMMUNICATIONS
1200 BC In the Iliad, Homer tells of a chain of beacon fires prearranged to signal the return of Agamemnon's fleet to Mycenae and, thus, gave Clytemnestra and Aegisthus time to arrange the assassination of Agamemnon.23
522 BC Persian Army employs a relay system where soldiers positioned on hilltops shout and relay military messages 30 times faster than by runner. Accounts of flags, mirrors and smoke signals appear in early history.
490 B.C Greek runner Pheidippides, Athenian courier is sent to Sparta to request help when the Persians landed at Marathon - runs 150 miles in two days. At the conclusion of the battle, he returns to Athens, where he reportedly shouted “Rejoice! We conquer!” and then died of exhaustion.
Early On - Mirrors are used to signal across visible distances - the heliograph
1206 Genghis Khan is denied importing of radio gear, so develops a "pony express" to keep tabs on his empire -- pony stations at about 25 miles apart.
1500 -1800's Early discoveries of Electricty and Magnetism can be found in the annals of history, names such as Gilbert, Von Guericke, Volta, Oersted, Wheatstone, Cooke, Faraday, Ampere, Ohm, Davy, all contribute to the ultimate development of wireless.
1610 - Galileo observes sunspots through his telescope. He also experiments extensively in the fields of mechanics, astronomy, the microscope, thermometry, and magnetism.
1749-1755 “First” solar cycle observed in Zurich, Switzerland. Solar Cycle 1700-2000
1823 In England, Sir Francis Ronalds builds a 'telegraph' in his garden; no one is interested. 23
1831 - 1903. Early Pioneers and Inventors include, Maxwell, Marconi, Loomis, Edison, Henry, Hertz, Feddersen, Von Bezold, Hughes, Stokes, Tesla, Henry, Bell, Preece, Hertz, Branly, Dodge, Braun, Lodge, and Popoff all lay the foundation of wireless 14
1835 Samuel F. B. Morse formulates the elements of a relay system. By 1837 the system is improved and was demonstrated using 'lightning wires' and 'Morse code,' an electronic alphabet that could carry messages. The patent was applied for in 1840. A line was constructed between Baltimore and Washington and the first message, sent on May 24,1844, was 'What hath God wrought!'
1861 the two coasts of the United States were linked by telegraph. The operating procedures, codes and protocols of the telegraph were carried over to the new age of "wireless". Indeed many wireless operators came from the telegraph ranks.
1861 - 1865 During the US Civil War, Telegraph is used extensively using existing commercial systems, and building and operating more than fifteen thousand miles of lines for military purposes only.
THE BIRTH OF WIRELESS
The term wireless was a natural extension of less wired or the telegraph. Not until 1906 did the term Radio begin to appear.
1850 - By 1850 most of the basic electrical phenomena had been investigated. However, James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879), Professor of Experimental Physics at Cambridge then came up with something entirely new. By some elegant mathematics he had shown the probable existence of electromagnetic waves of radiation. But it was twenty four years later (eight years after Maxwell's death) that Heinrich Hertz (1857-1894) in Germany gave a practical demonstration of the accuracy of this theory. He generated and detected electromagnetic waves across the length of his laboratory on a wavelength of approximately one metre.16
1864 Mahlon Loomis 1 proposes a vertical top-capacity loaded aerial with a keying device and an indicator, all in series to ground. DX Might Be!
1865 Using 2 kites, Mahlon Loomis 2 transmits wireless messages between two mountains 18 miles apart in Virginia. Son Of A Gun - DX IS. The first Dxpedition???
1865 - On 17 May 1865 the first International Telegraph Convention was signed by the 20 participating countries and the International Telegraph Union (later ITU) was set up to enable subsequent amendments to this initial agreement to be agreed upon13
1870 Mahlon Loomis successfully transmitted wireless telegraphic signals between two ships which were two miles apart on the Chesapeake Bay. The U. S. Navy sponsored those experiments.
1876 They were thinking about Television. Get the History of TV -- From The FCC
1883 Edison demonstrated that an electric current could pass between a heated filament and a cold plate in a vacuum.
1886 Heinrich Hertz proved that electromagnetic waves could be sent through space.
1887 Heinrich Hertz experments with parbolic dishes - produces waves at about 30cm - 1 GHz!!!
1896 - First practical wireless by Marconi, 'Hertzian Waves' over two miles! DX Will Be! When he read about the experiments of Heinrich Hertz and about Popov's suggestion, he saw the possibility of using these waves as a means of signaling. Marconi realized that his signaling system would be most useful to shipping.
1898 -- In January, British Leslie Miller 3 publishes an article in the British hobby magazine "The Model Engineer and Amateur Electrician". Here he contributed a superbly written article titled "The New Wireless Telegraphy" encouraging experimenters in the new field of "Wireless".
1898 - US Navy establishes coastal stations and begins to outfit the fleet with wireless communications.
1898 - 1912, experimenters begin transmitting and DX is anything over 10 miles. Early Amateur Radio in the UK can be seen at Dawn Of Radio in the UK and Europe16
1899 Marconi sends a signal over the English Channel - 32 miles. QSL's are in order.
1901 Marconi bridges the Atlantic, a feat which caught the world's attention and fueled the imagination of thousands of potential amateurs, who took their first steps into wireless. His transatlantic triumph came on the 12th December 1901 when the morse letter 'S' was transmitted from Poldhu, in Cornwall and received by Marconi himself at St. John's, Newfoundland, who recorded the historic event in his pocket book simply "Sigs at 12.20, 1.10 & 2.20".
Marconi's original transmitters used high voltage spark gaps to generate 'Hertzian Waves'. The first experimental sets used induction coils with vibrating contact current interrupters to generate the high voltages.
In the way of development after Marconi's high voltage spark gap came the use of high voltage transformers to generate the spark gap voltage. The ultimate came in the powerful transmitters such as those at the U.S. Navy's station at Arlington, Virginia. Here a 500 Hz generator, a step up transformer, and a rotary spark gap was used used to create the high voltage. Some of these produced a deafening noise created by the spark. Spark transmitters were often placed in acoustically insulated rooms to deaden the sound.
Around 1900 William Duddell discovered the principle of negative resistance in connection with a carbon arc. By adding a resonant circuit to the arc it would oscillate at a frequency determined by the LC constants. Duddell's arc would only oscillate at audio frequencies, audible to human hearing, and it was dubbed the "singing arc."
In 1902 Valdemar Poulsen, succeeded in making the arc oscillate at the higher frequencies by using electrodes operating in a sealed chamber, with hydrocarbon vapor, and a strong magnetic field. The arc became the first transmitter capable of generating pure, undamped waves. Arc transmitters were widely used at both shore stations and on ships. They were complicated to operate and were infamous for exploding when an operator introduced too much alcohol into the chamber. Arc transmitters were brought to the United States in 1909.
One of the more powerful arc transmitters constructed were the 1,000 watt units built for the U.S. Navy at Bordeaux, France, during World War I. In Java, a unit was rated at 3,000 W, the antenna was suspended over a mountain gorge. By gradually scaling up the equipment Federal Telegraph finally produced a 30 kW unit that outperformed a powerful rotary spark transmitter at the Navy's Arlington station. The navy wanted still more power and Elwell thought he could build a 60 kW unit by merely scaling up the parts again. But it didn't work. Arc transmitters were gradually eliminated when the new vacuum tube transmitters came into use. However, many were used up to World War II. Perhaps the last to be in operation on land were the stations operated by the Mackay Radio and Telegraph Company between cities on the Pacific coast.
A synchronous rotary had the spark electrodes mounted on the shaft of the motor generator which feeds a HV step up transformer. In this way, the spark would discharge the capacitor synchronously with the peak in the AC waveform. In a non-synchronous gap, the discharge could occur anywhere within the cycle. Buzzer were sometimes used to supply the voltage to an induction coil in early spark coil sets, since they had a higher "tone" than what some other interrupters could produce. Buzzers were used early on as a way to get ICW ( interrupted CW ) signals in early vacuum tube transmitters. The buzzer would interrupt the CW at an audio rate, thus modulating the CW carrier. You could detect the signal with a non-oscillating detector.10 Also see Fessenden and the Early History of Radio Science where the concept of an HF Alternator is discussed.20
1902 - Nathan Stubblefield Kentucky farmer invents wireless telephone! But was it radio? Facts and folklore about Nathan Stubblefield by Bob Lochte24.
1902 Oliver Heaviside predicted that there was an conducting layer in the atmosphere which allowed radio waves to follow the Earth's curvature. This layer in the atmosphere, the Heaviside layer, is named after him. Its existence was proved in 1923 when radio pulses were transmitted vertically upward and the returning pulses from the reflecting layer were received. Propagation has always been the life blood of long distant radio communications and from the early days, Amateurs carefully watched propagation conditions as they do today.
Early wireless codes was The American Morse code, International code and U. S. Navy code11
1904 Sir John Ambrose Fleming worked to develop the first rectifier and in 1904, while working for the Marconi Company, he was faced with the problem of detecting weak wireless signals. He was inspired by his work with Edison’s lamps back in 1889 and decided to try inserting one of the lamps in an oscillatory circuit containing a galvanometer. He had found the solution to the problem of rectifying high frequency wireless circuits.
HISTORY OF VACUUM TUBES - A MUST SEE
1904 One of the first companies to sell radio equipment to experimenters and amateurs was the Electro Importing Company of New York City, set up in 1904 by Hugo Gernsback.
1905 Guglielmo Marconi patented his directive horizontal antenna.23 (A Beam Antenna!!)
1905 Horace G. Martin introduces the The Vibroplex semi-automatic telegraph key, commonly called a "bug". The Use of 500 kHz as the International Distress Frequency is common.
1906 First wireless communication of human speech (and music) on December 24, 1906. Fessenden spoke and broadcasted music by radio from Brant Rock, Massachusetts, to ships in the Atlantic Ocean using a two kilowatt (100 kHz) alternator developed by Alexanderson. Fessenden modulates continuous wave. 23
1906 November 3. The "Berlin International Wireless Telegraph Convention" 4 defined call letters, operating procedures and signals for Coastal Stations and ships at sea. The committee decided that henceforth the term "Radio" would better describe wireless. Radio is derived from the Latin radius (ray or beam of light). The term wireless lingered for many years, but by 1912 the term Radio was used in legislation. Some countries even today are fond of the word wireless. Radio Shack probably gets its name from maritime lore dating back to the invention of the radio at the turn of the century. At the time, wireless equipment aboard ships was generally housed above the bridge in a wooden structure that was called the "radio shack".
1906, Lee De Forest added a third electrode to the diode, the "triode" or "audion" tube could both rectify and amplify; and its greater control it meant that various electronic circuits would finally be commercially feasible.
1908 Hugo Gernsback published his first magazine, Modern Electrics (later to become Electrical Experimenter) which does much to foster and popularize Amateur Radio.
1909, On January 2, the first amateur radio club; The Junior Wireless Club, Limited, of New York City, was organized. Later the club name changed to Radio Club Of America, and their history is a must read, don't miss it.
1909 Young radio amateurs are building receivers with whatever parts are available. Although headphones can be purchased...many public telephone booths become inoperative.23 N6AW reports there are many examples of home brew receivers at the Antique Wireless Association museum in Bloomfield, NY dating to prior to 1909. It seems that very early on the young experimenters figured out that given a little wire for a coil & antenna, a home-made detector described in Modern Electrics or Hugo Gernsback's catelogue and a pair of headphones (some were homemade) they were all set. Don Wallace was first on the air in 1909 with a self-assigned call and working his buddy a block away with a spark coil from a Ford.
1909 First Callbook issued - 1909 The Wireless Blue Book (pdf courtesy University of Pennsylvania Amateur Radio Club (link goes to club history) -- thx go to Russ WA3FRP!). Today many Amateur Radio Callbooks are on the web.
1910
Oct 5. The first Cat's Whisker Detector invented by B. F. Miessner who received
"The De Forest Audion Award in 1963." This patent was sold to John Firth for "a magnificent sum
of $200". From the "On the Early History of Radio Guidance". Library of Congress Card # is 64-2115.
1910 Senator Depew introduces a bill virtually prohibiting amateur experimenting. The Junior Wireless Club organizes a committee to plead the cause of the amateur before Congress. The bill is squashed and again DX IS!17
1910 THE
POULSEN SYSTEM OF WIRELESS TELEPHONY AND
Pre
1912 - Before the advent of Vacuum
Tubes14 - various forms of detectors were used including: The Coherer,
Lodge Muirhead Coherer, Electrolytic Detector, Carborundum Detector, Fleming Valve,
Thermo Electric Detector, and Magnetic Detectors. See World
Of Wireless 14 Also see Crystal
Sets14 1912
- Edwin H. Armstrong6
uses feedback in an Audion - amplifiers and oscillators now
practical. 1912
- April 12, RMS Titanic sinks after
encountering an iceberg, the tragic loss of life prompts new international radio
laws which also affect Amateur Radio, including frequency restrictions and
operating procedures. See the Bill Continelli's
History of Amateur Radio.5 Also see excellent article on Radio
Aspects of the Titanic Disaster and the Transcript
Of The Actual Radio Distress Traffic of the Titanic.
Before 1912, call signs were just made up by the aspiring Amateur and it wasn't
until the Radio Act of
1912 that the first licenses were issued. An HTML version of Early
Radio Laws 4
is on-line. Very interesting reading as it defines DE, CQ, Operating Procedures, Morse Code
of the day, and many Q Signals we still use. In 1911, Hiram Percy Maxim's
assumed call was SNY. In 1912, Irving
Vermilya, 1ZE, 6 received Skill Certificate No. 1, thus considered as the
first licensed Amateur Radio Operator. Some sources indicate the code
requirement was 5 wpm (how things go around and come around - 5 wpm now in the
year 2000!!!). Written exams included essay type questions -- making a diagram of
transmitting and receiving apparatus and how they worked! Also of course International and
US Law questions. For opinions on the origins of Q-signals,
Z-codes, X-codes, R-codes, and S-codes, DE, CQ, 33, 73, ham, lid, SOS, mayday,
pan-pan, RST system, S-meter, prosigns, roger, wilco, boatanchor -- See Origins.
Also each human endeavor seems to develop its own jargon, ham jargon is almost incomprehensible
to others and has a rich history -- see Jargon
and abbreviations.
1913 Amateurs using Audions in their receivers discovered that distances
of up to 350 miles were now possible on 200 meters.
1913 - Radio
Call Letter Policies 4 issued by the Department Of Commerce listed the USA
with call letters of KDA to KZZ - United States, N - All to the United States, W
- All to the United States. This document shows other countries as well.
However, for Amateurs, "The call letters for amateur stations in the United States will be awarded by radio inspectors,
each for his own district, respectively according to the following system:
(a) The call will consist of three items; number of radio district; followed by two letters of the alphabet. Thus, the call of all
amateur stations in New England (which comprises the first district) will be the figure "one" in Continental Morse, followed
by two letters; in California (in the sixth district) the figure "six" followed by two letters; in South Carolina
the figure "four" followed by two letters; in Missouri the figure "nine" followed by two letters, etc. The
letters X, Y, Z, must not be used as the first of the two letters". Examples, 1AW, 6OI,
2MN. Here is a
possible explanation as to how the USA got W and K, no documentation on this but
sounds plausible. The USA had unofficially used N for North America (e.g., NBZ,
Boston), also A for America. The letter "N" in morse is dah dit,
adding a dah to N gives dah dit dah which is "K'. Letter "A" in
morse is dit dah, adding a dah to A gives dit dah dah which is "W".
Somewhere in
this era, an informal system of prefixes evolved and Amateurs used A for Australia, B for Belgium, C for Canada, etc.
This single-letter system
worked until Amateur Radio spread around the world and there were too many countries for
the system to
accommodate. Thus, in 1927, a new system took effect using two-letters with the first letter indicating the continent (E for Europe, A for Asia, N for North America, F
for Africa, etc.) and the second letter indicating the country. Stations in
the 48 United States used an NU call. These were called "Intermediate
Prefixes".
With the advent of the Radio Act of 1912, the first Amateur Radio License is issued. The call letters assigned to the United States were
NAA -NZZ, WAA - WZZ,
and KDA to KZZ (KAA-KCZ was assigned to Germany and was not given to the United States until
1929). The somewhat puzzling Amateur calls like 1AW, 6OI, 2MN, etc. is
explained by the fact that Amateur stations did not qualify for international call signs.
At that time, the USA was divided into nine Radio Districts so Amateurs were
granted calls consisting of their district number followed by letters, the first letter was from A through W, for example,
1AW, 1TS. Recognition was given to certain land stations, X as the first letter for
Experimental licenses (e.g. 1XE), Y for School licenses (e.g. 9YY), and Z for Special Amateur
licenses (e.g. 8ZZ). 1x3 calls (like 1AAA) was issued to Amateurs beginning in 1914.
For a list of early X, Y, Z callsign issues -- see U.S. Special Land Stations:
1913-1921.4 It was not until October 1, 1928,
that the W and K prefixes were
assigned to Amateurs. Amateurs were relegated to 200 meters and
down and shocked the world with making excellent use of these higher frequencies
-- see "200 Meters and Down" by Clinton B.
DeSoto. 1913 to 1980’s
Don Wallace12
W6AM. DX Hall of Fame and early pioneer of Amateur
radio. Don has probably done more to promote DX operation and encourage new
operators than any other individual. Famous for his antenna farms in Rolling
Hills on the Palos Verdes peninsula. N6AW
reports
Don was first licensed in 1913 as 6OC, and he first appears in Radio Stations
of the US, supplement 3 to the first edition, spring 1914. (1st ed.
published in 1913). He received 6AM in 1926, W6AM in 1928. 1914
- The ARRL is organized by
Hiram Percy Maxim to help relay messages, typical ranges
were 25 miles. QST magazine appears in
1915. Hiram Percy Maxim was the son of Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim who invented the machine
gun (the Devil's Paint Brush), father and son are often confused, although Hiram Percy Maxim
did invent a weapons silencer. 1914
Frederick E. Terman 6AE is operating out of
Palo Alto, CA. Later he publishes "Radio Engineering" in 1932 and the Radio
Engineers's Handbook in 1943, 1955, which
becomes the bible for engineers and technicians alike during the vacuum tube
era. . He is also famous for persuading young Bill Hewlett and David Packard to stay in California instead of going East to
start their electronics business. 1915
Ray Kellog invents the The electric ( moving coil ) loudspeaker.
23 1915
John R. Carson applied for a patent on his idea to suppress the carrier and one
sideband. 25 Also See Ham Speak
and Origins 1916 Amateur Station 2IB works
8AEZ Lima Ohio - 750 miles across the USA 1916 Amateur station 2PM succeeded in breaking all records by sending the first transcontinental relay
message from New York to California. Several weeks later the same station and the same operators
succeeded in getting signals to California, a distance of some 2,500 miles
over-land17 Note
that the NAA -NZZ, WAA - WZZ, and KAA to KZZ allotments are used for all broadcasting
stations, aircraft, marine, police, fire, MARS and just about anything else that uses a radio.
Although the N numbers on aircraft are registration numbers with the FAA,
private planes use them legitimately for their "Radio Call". CB at one time had calls like KEV9506 (mine) until this was done away with. Now
CB, FRS, and special low power services do not require a license. GMRS does
require a license -- see CB and
Family Radio Service. Amateur
N call usage has been very limited until the 1970's, but some notable exceptions
at N - CALLS 1917
- There were
about 6,000 Amateurs. By 1917, code speed requirements were increased to
10 wpm. Amateur radio was shut down during WWI and the Navy even issued orders
against receiving as well. Amateurs get back on the air in October - November, 1919. 1918
- The superheterodyne-principle is discovered by Armstrong. Equipment
homebrew and manufacturers switch from direct conversion to superheterodynes around
193414 1918 - The first crystal (Rochelle salt) controlled oscillator is invented by A.M.
Nicolson. 1919 Marconi and Fleming both assume strong
positions on fostering "Amateur Radio". Perhaps without them the
Amateur Radio Service might not exist today.16
1919
E. Kaleveld PA0XE claims that the first QSL was issued 1919 by C. D. Hoffmann, 8UX, but there is no
example in existence. Nor is there a record in "Wireless World" or in any other known
contemporary publication supporting the claim of 2UV to have issued the first authentic QSL card in
Europe or the date it was used. "Wireless World" reproduced a post card bearing the call 8ML in the issue dated May 5, 1923,
and this, according to the caption, was "one of the specially printed cards circulated in
America by members of the ARRL for reporting the reception of experimental mtransmissions", and advocated the adoption in the
United Kingdom of a similar type of card for acknowledging reports. 1919--President
Woodrow Wilson broadcasts to American Troops in Europe, the first Presidential
radio broadcast. 1919 The Alexander Bill proposed to
give the government - specifically the Navy Dept - control of all transmitting, and
leave amateurs out in the cold. There are articles about this in about this in the Jan,
Feb, and Mar, 1919, "Electrical Experimentor". Gernsback claims to have killed the Bill
and so does the ARRL, per the 1936 "Radio Amateur's Handbook", claims that Hiram Percy Maxim killed
it with a single handed job of personal lobbying in Washington. Perhaps both
did.
1920
The Radio
Amateurs Callbook (RAC, Flying Horse) is published. International QSL
bureaus are establihed. 1920 October 27th -- first
licensed Broadcast Station KDKA, Pittsburg, PA. For the
History of Broadcast Radio -- also has a list of the first
100 BC Stations. Another is Broadcasting History Links. 1920
The
Ladies Of Early Radio6 Perhaps the first woman to be both an announcer and an engineer was Eunice Randall. At the age of 19, she was broadcasting on 1XE, a
Boston-area radio station owned by AMRAD. Soon after, she was deeply involved with both professional and amateur
radio, building her own ham station, and ultimately became one of the first women in New England to
hold the first class license (her ham calls were 1CDP, and later W1MPP). 1921
- ARRL membership numbers 6,000 transmitting members. 1921
- Practical horn loudspeakers were developed. 1921
- The Transatlantic Tests
Paul Godley 2ZE (a prominent U.S. amateur) traveled to England with US equipment
and operating from Ardrossan, a coast town near Glasgow, Scotland. At 00.50 GMT on
December 9th 1921, he identified signals from 1BCG located at Greenwich, Connecticut.
Two days later the historic first complete message transmitted by U.S. amateurs and received in Europe on the "short
waves" (actually 230 metres) heralded a new era. The message read: No.1 de 1BCG. Words 12. New
York December 11 1921. To Paul Godley Ardrossan Scotland. Hearty Congratulations.
Signed Burghard Inman Grinan Armstrong Amy Cronkhite. In the summer of 1922 amateurs in France began to
get licences and Leon Deloy 8AB President of the Radio Club of Nice in southern France started hearing
British stations. After a visit to the U.S.A. Deloy was able to improve his equipment and on
November 27th 1923 he contacted Fred Schnell 1MO of West Hartford, Connecticut for the first ever 2-way QSO
across the Atlantic. They used the "useless" wavelengths around 100 metres16 1922
Amateur Radio License Requirements for the two grades of licenses, Amateur first grade
and Amateur second grade, were the same except the second grade license was issued only where an applicant
could not be personally examined by a US Radio Inspector for the district.
Applicants were required to demonstrate technical expertise in adjusting and
operating equipment, and a knowledge of International Conventions and US laws .
The code requirement was ability to transmit and receive in the Continental Morse at
least 10 words per minute and recognize important signal usage of the day
(distress and "keep out" signals). General amateur stations were
restricted to 200 meters and down with input power not to exceed 1 kW. Amateurs within five nautical miles
of a military station were restricted to 500 Watts.11 1922
Carson describes FM and concludes it is inferior to AM, a decade later Armstrong
places a new perspective on the matter. 1923
- Patent granted for SSB. Also See Ham Speak and Origins 1923 Us Bureau Of Standards
suggests the use of frequency instead of wavelength. 1923 - WWV began broadcasting time and frequency information from
its radio station. 1923,
November 27, the
impossible happened. Leon Deloy (8AB), of Nice, France worked (on 110 m CW)
USA stations: Fred H. Schnell (1MO, Connecticut) and John L. Reinartz (1QP/1XAL, after - W3RB).Four thousand miles - DX For Sure. 1923,
from "200 Meters and Down," by Clinton DeSoto, page 85. "It was expected, then, that
every effort would be bent toward putting over the fourth transatlantic tests, to be held from
December 21st (1923) to January 10th (1924). The widest possible publicity was accorded
these tests on both sides of the Atlantic. To facilitate the international identification, an initial
letter was assigned to each country to be used by the amateurs of that country ahead of their
calls. The United States was given "U"; an American station would sign itself u1AA, for
example. For each of the countries participating in the transatlantics: Australia,
Canada, France, Great Britain, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, United States and New
Zealand (z). Cuba was assigned the phonetic Q, Argentina the phonetic R. South Africa was arbitrarily given O."
These were not official prefixes assigned by any authority, but an informal convention adopted to avoid confusion when transoceanic
communications were first becoming "routinely" possible. Later an additional prefix letter was adopted indicating the continent, "N" being
North America, so "1AW" would be "Nu1AW". 1924
- Quartz
Crystals. H.S. Shaw introduces the amateur radio community to quartz crystal control of radio
transmitters and Hams were the first sizable commercial market for crystals. See
in-depth article on The Influence of
Amateur Radio on the Development of the Commercial Market for Quartz Piezoelectric
Resonators. The use of crystals yielded a very clean '9x' note. Amateurs begin
building Superheterodyne receivers. 1924,
Oct 18 A station in England G2SZ
Cecil Goyder worked a New Zealand station Z4AA
Frank Bell, a distance of almost 12,000
miles. In
1924, Amateurs received new bands at 80, 40, 20, and 5 meters. Spark
transmission was prohibited on the new bands. By 1926, Spark transmission was prohibited for use by Amateurs. The existence
of the ionosphere (first proposed by Oliver Heaviside)
is confirmed by the English physicist, Edward
V.Appelton in 1924. Prior to
that the term "ether" was thought to explain the magic. 1925
- Heater type vacuum tubes made possible the first all electric receivers.
Dynamic loudspeakers appeared 1925
- International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) is
founded. Dedicated to organizing and providing representation of the
interests of Amateur Radio, nationally and internationally, for the better mutual use of
the radio spectrum among radio amateurs throughout the world, to develop Amateur
Radio worldwide, and to successfully interact with the agencies responsible for regulating and allocating radio frequencies.
An example of the IARU work is the
NCDXF/IARU International Beacon Network. In
1926, Brandon Wentworth, 6OI, achieved confirmation for working all of the continents. 1926
Hidetsugu Yagi and Shintaro Uda invent the "beam" antenna array. 1927--The Radio Act of 1927 creates the
Federal Radio Commission. (The Federal Communications Commission
came later in 1934). The 10 meter band is opened to Amateurs. 1927-1982
KV4AA Dick Spenceley12 in the U.S. Virgin Islands provides thousands of contacts
over the years. He was inducted into the CQ DX Hall of Fame in March, 1969. 1927
- the Union (forerunner of (ITU) allocated frequency bands to the various radio services existing at the time
(fixed, maritime and aeronautical mobile, broadcasting, amateur and experimental) to ensure greater
efficiency of operation in view of the increase in the number of services using frequencies and the technical peculiarities of each
service13 Amateur bands are established near 160, 80, 40, 20,
10, and 5 Meters, power limits to be set by each nation, and the international
intermediates prefixes are abandoned. 1928
May -- ARRL sponsors what is probably the first organized contest dubbed
"The 1928 International Relay party". There about 17,000 licensed
Amateurs. 1928 - Paul M. Segal,
W9EEA, writes a "Suggested
Amateur's Code". In the USA today, the government's
official position on the purpose of Amateur Radio is defined in Part
97 of the FCC Rules and Regulations -- See Basis and Purpose of The Amateur Radio Service. 1928
- The Federal Radio Commission announces that all old licenses issued by the
Department Of Commerce will be terminated on August 31, 1928. Applications under
the new licensing system must be submitted no later than July 31, otherwise the
applicant must submit to re-examination. Beginning October 1, 1928,
the new W and K prefixes were
assigned to Amateurs. 1928
- As the
transmitting range of amateur stations increased, Hams naturally worked DX and it became
necessary to have international call signs, international prefix structure is
set by the International Radiotelegraph Conference of 1927-1928. This call sign structure lasted for the rest of the
1920's and the 1930's. Stations in the 48 States had a 1x2 or 1x3 call sign beginning with
W and containing a numeral from 1 to 9. Stations in Alaska, Hawaii, or
other US Possessions had a K prefix. See Pre WWII K calls. The zero numeral was not available. Boundaries
were considerably different than today - for example the western sections of New York and Pennsylvania were in the 8th call district.
See Old District
boundaries 4 Note that the suffixes beginning with X was reserved for experimental stations.
Eventually, the FCC relaxed their position on the 1x2 and 1x3 X suffix calls,
but the 2x3 call signs (such as KB6XYZ) are still reserved for experimental use. W#X** calls were
also portable calls - a separate authorization was needed for portable operation and
their suffixes began with X. Apparently
there was a very limited
"vanity call" program - if a ham wanted a 1X2 call and met several
criteria, such a call would be issued. If a ham moved to a different call area,
he/she had to get a new callsign that matched the district of the new location.
Unlike today, you could always tell where a ham station was located by the callsign. At one time in the 1920's and 30's, college club stations were
issued
W#Yx calls. So W6YX (1922) is Stanford,
W9YB (1920) is Purdue, etc. Many of these are still
extant -- try QRZ.com for your college. 1928-1941
On-The-Roof Gang (OTRG) -
unique school located on the roof of the old Navy Department Building trained
to intercept and analyze foreign radio communications. Many would be Hams. Also
see NCVA -- a unique organization of
active and retired U.S. Naval Cryptologists, past and present. 1929
- Screen grid introduced into the vacuum tube. Pentodes came a year later.
January 1930,
QST magazine announces Twenty-Meter Phone Authorization. 1932
- At the 1932 Madrid Conference, the Union decided to combine the International
Telegraph Convention of 1865 and the lnternational Radiotelegraph Convention of 1906 to form the International
Telecommunication convention. It also decided to change its name and was known as from 1 January
1934 as the International Telecommunication Union in order to reaffirm the full scope of its responsibilities,
i.e. all forms of communication, by wire, radio, optical systems or other electromagnetic
systems.11 1933
First Field Day Contest.
1933
Astatic Crystal
Microphones introduced. 1933
and before. Up to 1933, there were at least 1,200 companies producing radios
of some kind. 1933
Franklin D. Roosevelt starts presidential radio broadcasts. The Communications Act of
1934
created the Federal Communications Commission. Amateur Licenses are reorganized into Class A, Class B, and Class C.
In 1936 there about 46,000 licensed Amateurs.
Class
A- 13 wpm code test, sending and receiving. Basic and advanced written tests on
theory and regulations. At least one year of experience as a Class B or C
licensee. Exam given at FCC examination points only. All amateur privileges. Class
B- 13 wpm code test, sending and receiving. Basic written test on theory and
regulations. Exam given at FCC
examination points only. All amateur privileges except 75 and 20 meter phone
were granted with a Class B license. Class
C - Same as Class B, except tests given by mail.8 Licenses
terms were 5 years, and renewable. Renewal required that the operator certify
that he/she could meet all of the current requirements for licensing. Also,
renewal required that the license holder make least three contacts on the
amateur bands in the six months prior to the renewal application - and the
contacts had to be on CW, not voice. All licensees had to be US citizens.
If you lived within 125 miles of a quarterly examining point, you had to
appear in person for the exam. If you lived more than 125 miles from an
examining point, or had a permanent physical disability that prevented you from
going to an exam session, or were on active military duty, the Class C exam
could be taken by mail. This was monitored by a volunteer examiner
(another ham or a commercial licensee). In
this era, crystal controlled operation was used (mandatory ??) and a station
calling CQ would say calling CQ and tuning -- indicating he/she would tune up
and down the band for a response and
it was common if not usual to work another station on a different frequency.
Crystals were expensive, so long CQs and replies to CQs were common, because
most hams tuned the entire band looking for replies. Today you can still hear
the OT's --- CQ CQ CQ from WZ9OOO calling CQ for any station , bye
for a call and tuning. (and the new guys wonder why they would be tuning - VFO's
and transceivers being the norm). 1935
Russ Hall describes tropospheric refraction for the 5M band explaining why
signals might exceed line-of-sight range. 1936
Edwin
H. Armstrong creates a classic paper on Frequency Modulation. His analysis
of a noise free high fidelity system is the basis of our FM broadcast today. 1936
- 56 Mcs - G5BY was the first European to span the Atlantic on 56MHz when his signals were heard by
W2HXD17
1937 The ARRL
introduces the DXCC Program.
Discontinued during WWII and started all over again after the war. In
1938, Amateurs lose the exclusive use of 40 meters, to be shared with SWL Broadcasters. The FCC
grants two new bands, 2 1/2 meters (112 Mc) and 1 1/4 meters (224 Mc). 1938
- The distance record for 56MHz (the old 5 Metre band) was held by W1EYM and W6DNS for a 2500 mile
contact on July 22,1938. For receiving he used a rhombic. 240 feet on a leg 17 1938
- W3CRA (postwar W8CRA) confirmed 100 countries per QST. 1939
The Cubical Quad. Clarence C. Moore, W9LZX,
tackles the problem of Ecuador S.A.station HCJB. The missionary staion had
used a gigantic four element parasitic beam at their 10KW, 25 meter station. Totally
unexpected, was the effect of operating the high-Q beam antenna in the thin evening air of Quito. The 10,000 foot thin
altitude caused gigantic corona discharges from the tips of the driven element and directors.
The ends of the antenna dripped molten metal. Moore designs an antenna with no ends that could discharge. This concept evolved into designing a folded dipole with the loop pulled open. This
loop later became the basis of the Quad design. THE
WAR YEARS From
Jeffrey Herman, KH6O This will give you some background on amateur radio's CD communication
effort during WWII: Thanks Jeffrey Herman, KH6O 1940
- With the advent of the War in Europe, by June 1940, the US invoked the Telecommunications
Convention prohibiting US amateurs from contacting hams outside the USA. Also all portable and mobile
operation below 56 MHz was banned. All licensees were required to send a set of fingerprints, a photo,
and proof of citizenship to the FCC. As
the USA enters WWII in 1941, Amateur Radio Operation is suspended.
Amateurs form a valuable pool of trained technicians and operators and are in
high demand by the Military. By 1942, there was about 15,000 Amateurs in
the US Military. But there is
a WERS10
(War Emergency Radio Service) on 2 1/2
meters (around 2,000 Amateur Stations participated).
1941
- 1945. Skilled code operators on either side could distinguish the enemy
operators by the CW swing or style of 'fist", thus in many cases identifying
the ship or station location. Post war records indicate the Japanese were
monitoring US Navy VHF from long distances -- VHF was thought to be limited to
line of sight. Code breakers in England in a massive project "Ultra"
could recognize German operators from their CW swing, cliques and habits.
Indeed it is reported that the British developed the first
programmable computer, containing 1500 vacuum tubes, to break the German
codes. This preceded the American EINIAC Electronic Computer of 1945. 1939
- 1945 World War II movies are full of radio equipment of the time, look for
the National, Hallicrafters, RME's etc. 1942
Navajo Code Talkers took part in every assault the U.S. Marines conducted
in the Pacific from 1942 to 1945. Their unique code language totally confounded
the Japanese Radio Operators. 1942 British mathematician and science fiction writer Arthur C. Clark suggests using satellites to relay
radio signals about 20 years before the first satellite, Sputnik I was placed in orbit! On November 15,
1945, amateurs
are allowed back on the air -- but only on 10 and 2 meters. By 1946, Amateurs
get most of the bands back except for 160 Meters, this was used by LORAN and other
services
and was not available to Amateurs. Over the next several decades 160M would be
reopened, a little at a time. 1945
- onwards - Equipment Manufactures (some earlier, some later) included:
Tons of War Surplus,
Knight Kits,
Central Electronics,
Hammarlund,
Collins, Drake,
Multi-Elmac, Swan,
E.F. Johnson, Galaxy,
Gonsett,
Hallicrafters,
Heathkit, National,
Henry - See RadioDan, RME, Meissner,
Lafayette,
B&W,
Millen, RACAL,
MacKay, EICO,
Breting, Marconi,
McMurdo Silver, World Radio Labs,
Harvey Wells,
Ameco, Astatic,
Clarostat
Eldico, SBE,
Shure, Simpson,
Sonar, Squires-Sanders,
Stancor,
Adams, Elenco,
Lakeshore, Morrow,
Kenyon,Thordarson,UTC, Philmore,
ElectroVoice, Vibroplex,
Bud,
Tecraft,
Mosley, Cornell Dubilier,
Amphenol,Bliley,
Telex headphones, Cannon
Trimm, Burgess,
Everready, Willard, Atlas,
Murch, Paco, Alliance, Clegg, Midland, Conar, Sprague, James,
M.C. Jones, Telrex,
James Knight Crystals, TMC, Penwood Clocks, American Bell microphones and
headphones, Jackson, Brush, Mytron, KDK, Pierson Holt, Tempo, KLM.
MORE
FROM BAMA Via K4XL (see the mirror if down)
1945
- onwards - Favorite Radio Catalogs of the day -- every Ham had the latest
copy: Allied Radio,
Lafayette (also here), Burnstein- Applebee, Newark,
World Radio Labs, Gotham
Antennas, Fort Orange Radio,
Radio Shack,
Olson, Amateur Electronic Supply, Associated Radio, Digi-Key, Jameco, Poly-Paks,
Fair Radio Sales, Dick Smith Electronics (Australian company), Heathkit, as well as
Eitel-McCollough, Sylvania and
RCA tube
and design manuals. And the very first piece of amateur radio related mail that every new ham received...... a packet of QSL card
samples and a catalog from "The Little Print Shop!" 1945
- onwards - The
Candy Stores. In San Francisco - San Jose, one made pilgrimage to Quements,
Sunnyvale Electronics, Red Johnson's and HRO. In New York there was
Cortland street and Canal Street, where New York's famous Radio Row
was located -- now beneath the World Trade Center. Also nearby Chambers
St and Warren St, Harrison Radio used to be in that area also. In New Jersey, Vetsalco.
In Chicago -- R&W and BC (Ben Cohen) Electronics
as well as Newark Electronics and Allied Radio. For Los Angeles there was
Figart's, Midway, on Venice Boulevard, and there was a row of surplus stores topped by THE
electronics war surplus store of all time "Sam's Surplus, and of course Henry Radio
See RadioDan.
In the greater Boston area, John Meshna, Jr.'s surplus emporium
and Eli Heffron & Sons. In Albany N.Y., Fort Orange Radio owned by Uncle Dave Marks, World Radio
Labs in Council Bluffs Iowa, Fair Radio Sales in Lima Ohio, Lafayette and Radio Shack
in Wilmington, Delaware. In Tokyo Akihabara, In San Diego,
Coast Electric, Ashe & India, Shanks & Wright. In Detroit, M.N. Duffy, Reno Radio, RSE Ham Shack, Lafayette Radio,
also surplus heavens, Silverstine's, and Lambrecht's. In the Washington, DC area the "Electronic Equipment Bank", better known
as EEB, was the local Candy Store. In
Waterbury, Ct, Bond Radio, later Hatry Electronics. Burnstein- Applebee
in several locals .Also see Catalogs and Boatanchors. 1945
Parts manufacturers were Tubes: RCA, Amperex, Continental,
Chatham, Eitel-McCullough, Electrons, GE, Heintz & Kaufman, Hytron,
National, Raytheon, Sylvania, Taylor, Tungsol, United, Victoreen, Westinghouse,
Western Electric. Rectifiers: Federal, Mallory, Sarkes Tarzian, Clarostst,
Amperite. Meters: Triplett, Pyramid, Emico, Simpson. Controls and
Resistors: Mallory, IRC, Clarostat, Centralab, Ohmite, Chicago Telephone,
Sprague, Continental. Capacitors (condensers): Mallory, Cornell-Dubilier,
Aerovox, Sprague, Erie, Centralab, Sangamo, Bud, E.F. Johnson, JFD, Hammarlund,
Cardwell, Barker-Williamson, Transformers: Stancor, Thordarson,
Merit, Altec-Lansing, Peerless, Chicago, UTC, Superior, Raytheon, Sola, Regency. 1945
Just plain Radios included: Admiral, Airline, American Bosch, Andrea, Arvin,
Atwater Kent, Audiola, Belmont, Capehart, Case, Colonial, Columbia, Crosley,
Delco, Detrola, Dewald, Echophone, Edison, Emerson, Fada, Fairbanks-Morse,
Farnsworth, Firestone, Freed-Eisemann, Garod, GE, General, Gilfillen, Goldentone,
Grebe, Grunow, Gulbransen, Howard, Imperial, Jesse French, Kadette, Kennedy,
Lyric (Wurlitzer), Majestic, McMurdo Silver, Midwest, Motorola, Northern
Electric, Oriole, Oxford, Pacific, Packard Bell, Paramount, Philco, Pilot,
Radiobar, RCA, RCA/Canada, Scott, Sentinel, Silver-Marshall, Silvertone,
Simplex, Sonora, Sparton, Stewart-Warner, Stromberg-Carlson, Tiffany Tone,
Travler, Troy, Truetone, US Radio, Wells Gardner, Westinghouse, Wilcox-Gay,
Zenith. Lots of "All-American
Fives" where the heater voltages added up to 117 Volts. Car radios had
vibrators to develop plate voltages -- coupla hundred volts running around in
your dash board! 1945
Coaxial cable in wide use. Although coaxial cable had been around since the
30's, surplus cable was ready available and WWII did much to make coax
practical. Prior to coax, ladder line was common. BNC connectors are used -- "bayonet
Niell-Concelman" named for the inventors. 1945
- Amateurs are allotted the 6 meter band
50-54 Mc. The 2 1/2 meter band is moved to 144-148 Mc. With the exception of
some FM, all phone operation is with AM. 1945
6
Meters. Pioneers utilized CW, AM, and experimented with NBFM. Antennas included rhombics, corner reflectors, folded dipoles,
and of course Yagi's. The first 2-way QSO involving "skip" was reported to have taken place on April 23,
1946 when W1LSN of Exeter, NH worked W9DWU of Minneapolis, MN. This and many other contacts were made on that night via a
combination of aurora and sporadic-E. The distance of this contact was 1100 miles. 1945
CQ Magazine is published. 1945
Rhombic Antennas, although
rhombics had been in use for years by broadcasters, Don
Wallace, W6AM, did much of the pioneer work for Amateur radio rhombics.. 1946
The Northern California DX Club (NCDXC), one
of the oldest DX Clubs, is founded. 1946
- Yasme DXpeditions By Lloyd Colvin
(W6KG - King George) and Iris Colvin W6QL (Queen Lady) - many Dxpeditions over the
years into the 1990’s. 1946
- Amateurs make the first Meteor
Scatter contacts. On the night of October 9, 1946, the night of the Giacobind-Zinner Comet, and its associated meteors,
Amateurs made their first two-way contacts via meteor scatter on the 6M band, the propagation lasted 3 hours with
reports from the east and midwest part of the USA. However it was not until Oct 22, 1953 that a
2M two way contact was made between W4HHK and W2UK. Transoceanic 6M contacts are made in late 1946.
After World War II, about 1946, the tenth call district was added. For the
current USA Ham Districts - see USA Ham
Map. Except for the redrawing of the boundaries, things remained the same
until 1951. There
were about 60,000 U.S. amateurs in 1946. Date not certain but after WWII, the
FCC issues "military base calls" such as K9NBH and K9NCG (Treasure Island Naval Training Center,
CA); KH6MC for the Marine Corps station on Oahu; K9NBH, Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Illinois.
K calls are issued throughout the pacific see OLD
PREFIXES 1947
- Amateurs lose the top 300 kc of he 10M band (29.7--30), and
relinquish the 14.35--14.4 Mc on 20 meters. However the 15 meters (21.0-- 21.45 Mc)
is planned. Also the FCC allows Amateurs to use the 11 meter band (26.96--27.23 Mc) on a shared basis with
other services. 1947
W1AW AND W2GDG conduct narrow band FM tests and the FCC authorizes a one year
trial on some bands. 1947
- W1FH is awarded the first "modern" DXCC membership for mixed and
phone. 1947 VK5KL
makes a two way contact with W7ACS/KH6 in Hawaii - 9000 km, See 50
years on 50 Megs. 22
1947 
Early
to mid 1930's -- From W3HF - During a short period of time in the early- to
mid-30s, 1x4 callsigns were issued for "permanent" portable stations.
They were of the form W#ZZxx (e.g., W2ZZAF). They were only issued for a short
time, first appearing in late 1931. (They were not in the June 1931 government
callbook, but are listed in the Fall 1931 Flying Horse.) It looks to me like the
government was issuing W#ZZx calls (1x3s) to portable stations, and went to 1x4s
after they used up the 26 available 1x3s. The last ones seem to have expired by
1936-7. (There are only a few in my Spring 36 callbook.) From W3HF
What follows is a summary of the War Emergency Radio Service (WERS). Information was gathered
primarily from "Fifty Years of ARRL," an historical record of the League and amateur radio.
First a bit of background: In 1939 there were 51,000 US hams. In September of that year war came to
Europe. Of the 250 DXCC countries, 121 of them immediately went off the air (including Canada and the UK). The US
maintained the strictest sense of neutrality. This was re-enforced by the ARRL, which
came up with a neutrality code for amateurs. Hams were asked by the ARRL to voluntarily abide by the
code, which they did en masse; this earned additional support for the amateur radio service in
governmental circles.
In an effort to streamline its operation in preparation for possible US involvement in the war, the FCC at
this time introduced multiple-choice tests.
By June 1940, the US invoked the Telecommunications Convention prohibiting US amateurs from
contacting hams elsewhere; at the same time all portable and mobile operation below 56 MHz was
banned (except the ARRL Field Day). At the request of the ARRL, the ban was modified to allow the League's
Emergency Corps to continue work on the lower frequencies for training and drills. All
licensees were required to send a set of fingerprints, a photo, and proof of citizenship to the FCC.
The FCC needed 500 radio operators to man listening and direction-finding stations -- they asked the
League's assistance -- the League put out the word in QST and within days of that issue, the FCC had
the 500 operators it needed. (It's important to note for the duration of the war, the
military and government always turned to the ARRL when radio operators and equipment were needed; the League
would put out the call in QST and over W1AW, and the quotas were always filled in short order. Of the
51,000 hams mentioned above, 25,000 enlisted, and 25,000 remained at home to teach
radio and electronics, serve in the communications industry, and serve in WERS.)
By June of 1941, tubes and other components were in short supply; each time the military asked hams
to donate parts, they were flooded with whatever was needed. Many US hams were recruited for a
Civilian Technical Corps to operate and repair British radar equipment. Also at this time,
the Office of Civil Defense, at the offering of the ARRL, created a CD communication system with ham radio as its
backbone (this relationship between between CD and ARS exists even today). Because the Army
needed the 80 meter amateur band, the FCC gave hams 40 meter phone privileges for the
first time, to make up for the loss of 80 (prior to that, 40m was a CW- only band.)
December 7, 1941, the US entered the war; hams were immediately ordered to go
QRT. By special FCC order, the ARRL's W1AW was to continue its transmissions.
At the request of the ARRL, the War Emergency Radio Service (WERS) was created in June 1942.
The Government Printing Office was inundated so the rules for WERS appeared only in QST. At the
League's insistence, the FCC continued to offer amateur licensing throughout the war; this to provide
standards for WERS applicants, and more importantly, to enable amateurs to prove their ability before enlisting in the armed services.
The purpose of WERS was to provide communications in connection with air raid protection, and to
allow operators to continue their role in providing communications during times of natural disaster as they'd been
doing as hams (WERS was not part of the amateur service, but was manned by hams;
non-amateurs were permitted to serve in WERS in low level positions). WERS was administered by
local CD offices; WERS licenses were issued to communities, not individuals.
WERS operated on the former amateur 2 1/2 meter band (112-116 MHz) and on higher frequencies.
Again, WERS was not part of the amateur service but hams were asked by OCD to join -- and they
flocked to it. Until the end of the war, if a ham wanted to operate he could only do so as a WERS
operator. QST fully supported WERS by publishing technical articles on building WERS gear and
modifying existing 2 1/2 meter ham equipment so as to meet the rigid WERS standards.
Nearly every issues of QST contained WERS articles - two examples:
Oct. 1942: WERS operating procedures; how to train auxiliary (non-amateur) operators; and Feb. 1943: OCD's plan for selecting frequencies.
A sample of WERS operations: May and July 1942 -- communications support for flooding of the Mississippi and Lake Erie; 1944 communications support
after an Atlantic Coast hurricane; 1945 -- Western NY snowstorm early in the year, spring flooding, and a September Florida hurricane.
After VJ Day in 1945, hams were given authorization to begin operating again on the 2 1/2 meter band, on a shared basis with WERS. WERS was
terminated in mid-November. By the 15th of that month, the FCC released bands at 10, 5, and 2 meters for amateur use. The post-war era of amateur
radio had commenced.
-----------------------------
1940 - Doc Stuart, W6GRL, worked AC4YN, for 40th zone. QSL not received
till after WW II. Doc Stuart had eight rhombics on beach property in
Ventura. Three prewar confirmed WAZs are ON4AU (QSO AC4AA in 1927), G2ZQ
& J5CC.
1942 During WW-II, Rommel's Afrika Corps used 27-29 MHz for short range
tank communications. Confused SWL'ers (I believe in Virginia and
Georgia) finally figured found out what they were listening to. The
US Gov't set up listening stations to relay the info back to Patton. Short
range in a pig's eye!
As for TV's too many to mention but Mad Man Muntz stripped out the fat in
current TV designs and were noted for being built with few parts and cheap cabinets,
unlike the big RCAs or Zeniths which had 30 or more tubes and elaborate designs.
Crazy but the Muntz sets worked pretty well - as long as you could see the TV
Tower!!
In San Diego, California, the SDDXC
is also established. Many other DX and
Contest clubs.
1948 William Shockley invents the transistor. Within 10 to 20 years, the transition from tubes to solid state occurs. No longer will your cat want to sleep on the TV set!
1948 The. Military Amateur Radio System established, later renamed the Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS). Forerunners of this system existed such as the Army Amateur Radio System (AARS) organized in November, 1925. MARS is a Department of Defense sponsored program, established as a separately managed and operated program by the Army , Navy, and Air Force. The program consists of licensed amateur radio operators who are interested in military communications on a local, national, and international basis as an adjunct to normal communications.
1948
- VP7NG Bahamas - One of the first DX Expeditions. By W4NNN & Others in
the 14th ARRL DX Competition. CQ sponsors its first contest -- The CQ WW
Contest. June 1949,
Citizens Radio Service was established with frequencies in the 460-470 Mc band. 1950
-- US Amateur
population is near 90,000
1950's
-1960's Amateurs are active with Radio Teletype (RTTY)
and take advantage of the surplus market for equipment. Also see RTTY is not dead but I still remember.
1951
CONELRAD10[CONtrol of ELectronic RADiation] system
established by President Truman. See Amateur Requirement
Also See Conelrad.com Novice
- 5 wpm code test, sending and receiving. Simplified written test on theory and
regulations. No experience required or allowed - anyone who had previously held
any class of amateur license was ineligible for a Novice. Extremely limited CW
privileges in parts of the 80 and 11 meter bands, plus CW and phone privileges
on part of 2 meters. 75 (or was it 50) watts maximum power input, crystal control only. One
year license term, nonrenewable. Exams given at FCC examination points or by
mail if conditions for mail exams were met. The Novice was intended to be a sort
of "learner's permit" to help new hams get started.8
3.5-4
CW 3.85-4
Phone, Class A only
220-225
CW/Phone
7-7.3
CW
420-450
CW/Phone (50 watt power limit)
14-14.35
CW 14.2-14.35
Phone, Class A only
1215-1295
CW/Phone
26.96-27.23
CW/Phone (shared service)
2300-2450
CW/Phone
28-29.7
CW 28.5-29.7
Phone
5250-5650
CW/Phone
50-54
CW/Phone
10000-10500
CW/Phone
144-148
CW/Phone
21000-22200
CW/Phone
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 1, 1951, the FCC eliminated the old Class A, Class B, and Class C licenses, and
added three new classes of licenses Novice,
Technician, and Amateur Extra. Now
the license classes were Novice, Technician, Conditional, General, and Amateur Extra Class
licenses. Advanced licenses apparently came later. Novices could get a one year, non-renewable license, which had a special 2x3 call sign with the
letter N following the W, e.g., WN2ODC, WN6ISB. With an upgrade, the
N
was dropped. The Technician Class is created for experimentation, not communication, and has privileges only above 220
Mc. Conditional licenses were the same as general but given by mail,
provided the applicant lived far enough away from the nearest FCC office.
For a complete history of the Novice License - See Novice Historical Society Home Page
Technician
- 5 wpm code test, sending and receiving. Basic written test on theory and
regulations - same written test as General class. All amateur privileges above
220 MHz. Exams given at FCC examination points or by mail if conditions for mail
exams were met. The Technician was meant for those who were more interested in
VHF/UHF experimentation than HF operating. The proposed Class D license was
implemented as the Technician.
General
(old Class B) - 13 wpm code test, sending and receiving. Basic written test on
theory and regulations. Exam given
at FCC examination points only. All amateur privileges EXCEPT 75 and 20 meter
phone.
Conditional
(old Class C) - Same as General, except tests given by mail.
Advanced (old Class A) - 13 wpm code test, sending and receiving. Basic and advanced written tests on theory and regulations. At least one year of experience as a General or Conditional licensee. Exam given at FCC examination points only. All amateur privileges. The Advanced was to be phased out and replaced by the Extra, and no new Advanced class tests were given after 1952. Holders of Advanced class licenses could renew and modify them indefinitely.8
Extra
- 20 wpm code test, sending and receiving. Basic and higher level written tests
on theory and regulations. At least two years of experience as a General,
Conditional or Advanced licensee. Exam given at FCC examination points only. All
amateur privileges.8
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1951 W6SAI, W8AH and others are among the first of the post war major
DXpeditions, Andorra and Monaco. W6SAI, Bill Orr inspired new and veteran hams alike with his consistent encouragement and
technical expertise. Amateur radio has benefited from numerous Bill Orr publications,
many on Antennas - written in a very practical style. For many years W6SAI wrote the monthly "Radio
Fundamentals" column in CQ magazine.
1952--The FCC permits phone operation on 40 meters, previously CW only. The 15 meter band is opened. The Advanced Class is withdrawn, although present holders can continue to renew. The retest requirement for Conditionals was dropped in 1952.
1952 RACES founded, the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) is a public service provided by a reserve (volunteer) communications group within government agencies in times of extraordinary need.
1952
- 1956 SSB
was making inroads on the ham bands.
Early
1953 -- the FCC made a surprise about-face and announced that all amateur
privileges would be granted to all holders of General, Conditional, Advanced and
Extra class licenses.
Around 1953, the FCC was running out of W 1x3 call signs. So1x3 K calls began to be issued in the 48 states, with US possessions receiving 2x2 and 2x3 K calls. Novice calls in the 48 states continued to have the N (such as KN4LOD) which was dropped after upgrading. Had some reports of reissued calls about this time.
1953 Japanese VHF History A must read for VHFers.21
March 25, 1954 -- the first USA color TV sets made for consumers started rolling off the assembly line. Because they were initially too expensive and there was little color programming available, it took more than a decade for color television to become a household fixture. The RCA CT-100, introduced in March 1954, was the first mass-produced all-electronic color TV receiver. It's $1,000 price tag would be equivalent to about $6,000 in today's dollars.
1954 - VQ4ERR receives the first phone WAZ award.
1954 The Novice and Technician licenses became so popular that the FCC made them available by mail only. 50 kHz of 20 meters was lost to other services. and the distance requirement for a Conditional license was reduced to 75 miles.
In 1955, Technicians are given 6 meter privileges. By 1956 there were over 140,000 US hams, and growth was exceeding 10,000 per year
160 meters was returned to hams in a very limited fashion. There was a complex chart describing amateur privileges, depending on geographic location. There were power limits based on location and time of day, ranging from 1000 watts to 25 watts. It was confusing, but better than losing the band altogether.
1955 - 1963 Danny Weil Dxpeditions - Starts from England and in 8 years gives contacts from 30 different countries including -- Canal Zone, Tahiti, Canton Island, Nauru, Solomon Is./Guadalcanal, Buck Isl/Tortola, Br.Virg.Is., Madeira, Aves, Buck Island, St. Kitts, Antigua, Montserrat, Anguilla, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Kingstown, Grenada, Trinidad, Jamaica, Baja Nuevo, Galapagos, Marquesa, Nukuhiva, Tahiti, S. Cook, Raratonga
The US amateur allocations in 19568
| 1.8-1.825 1.875-1.925 1.975-2 CW/Phone (Subject to geographic and power limitations) | (Technicians had all privileges above 30 MHz except 144-148) | 3300-3500 CW/Phone |
| 3.5-4 CW 3.8-4 Phone Novices 3.7-3.75 CW | 50-54 CW/Phone | 5650-5925 CW/Phone |
| 7-7.3 CW 7.2-7.3 Phone Novices 7.15-7.2 CW | 144-148 CW/Phone Novices 145-147 CW/Phone | 10000-10500 CW/Phone |
| 14-14.35 CW 14.2-14.3 Phone | 220-225 CW/Phone | 21000-22000 CW/Phone |
| 21-21.45 CW 21.25-21.45 Phone Novices 21.1-21.25 CW | 420-450 CW/Phone (50 watt power limit) | All above 30000 CW/Phone |
| 26.96-27.23 CW/Phone | 1215-1300 CW/Phone | |
| 28-29.7 CW 28.5-29.7 Phone | 2300-2450 CW/Phone |
About 1956-1958, the FCC started to run out of 1x3 K and W calls in some districts and began re-issuing expired W and K calls before going to the WA's. For example, when K2ZZZ was issued, they went back and re-issued some expired W2 and K2 calls. Up until this point, a normal sequential call sign was always a 'first issue'. At some point, 1958 or so, perhaps when all available expired calls had been re-issued, the FCC began issuing 2x3 WA calls, then WB as necessary. Novices were given WV instead of WN. The V would change to an A or B upon upgrading. A few years later, the FCC reverted back to the Novice N scheme. With the uneven amateur population in the ten call districts, it took time for the K calls to run out in the some areas. In some districts, K calls were issued as late as 1964.
1957 W6NLZ contacts KH6UK via tropospheric ducting. Two years later, they achieve contact on 220Mhz.
From 1957 to 1962 there existed a set of regulations commonly referred to by hams as Conelrad10 Hams were required to monitor a local broadcast station at intervals of 10 minutes or less whenever they were operating, and if the broadcast station went off the air due to an emergency, hams had to leave the air as well.
In September, 1958, the Class D Citizens Band is opened and Amateurs lost the shared use of 11 meters. USA Amateur population is about 160,000.
Late 1950'S -- Log Periodic Antennas -- the ARRL Antenna Book Chapter 10, written by L.B. Cebik, W4RNL, attributes the LPDA to D.E. Isbell at the University of Illinois in the late 1950s.
In 1959, Technicians get the middle part of 2 meters (145-147 Mc).
1960 - first two-way EME contact on 1296 MHz is achieved. See Earth-Moon-Earth Communications.
1960 - 1970 Gus Browning12 (W4BPD) The first DXer elected to the Dx Hall of Fame. Operated from over 100 countries. Dxpeditions included --- Seychelles, Somalia, Monaco, Aldabra, Cosmolédo, Assumption, Chagos, Burundi, Ruanda, Gough, Tristan da Cunha, Bouvet, Basutoland, Swaziland, Mauritius, Reunion, Juan de Nova, Comores, Madagascar, Tromelin, Glorieuses, Europa, Somaliland, Kamaran, Yemen, Aden, Bhutan, Tibet, Sikkim, Nepal, Afghanistan, Kuria-Muria, Pakistan, Laos, Thailand, China, Lebanon, Jordan, Faroer, Luxembourg, Togo, Dahomey/Benin, Mauretania, Volta, Mali, Venezuela, Senegal, Gambia, Rodriquez, Bertaut Reef, Etoile Cay, Boudeuse Cay, Kenia, Comores, Geyser Reef, Farquhar, Agalega, Blenheim Reef, Chagos, Aldabra, Geyser Reef. Gus learned to write left handed so he could send CW with the right.
1961 - December 12. First amateur satellite, Oscar1, is shot into orbit.
1961 - Present OH2BH Martti Laine one of the most accomplished DXers of our time. Only person to be elected to both the DX Hall of Fame and Contest Hall of Fame. Among his many DX operations were: 3CŘAN, OJŘMR, SŘRASD, 4J1FS, BV9P, BS7H, P5/OH2AM, 6T1YP, ST2FF/STŘ, JY8BH, ZA1A, XZ1A, 3D2AM, ZS9Z/ZS1, and XF4L. He has visited more than 115 countries.
1962 June 2, OSCAR II was launched. For a complete history of Amateur Radio Satellites and details of operation, see the AMSAT pages.
1962 - 1982 Geoff Watts12 only non-ham elected to the to the CQ DX Hall of Fame. Eminent British short-wave listener Geoff Watts was the founder and long-term editor (1962-1982) of The DX News Sheet, and in 1964 Geoff Watts created the IOTA (Islands-On-The-Air) Award.
1962 - 1967 Don Miller W9WNV12 Dxpeditions, So. Korea, Rota, Douglas Reef, Cambodia, South Vietnam, Western Samoa, New Hebrides, China, Indonesia, Burma, Thailand, Spratly Island, Ebon Atoll, Tokelaus, Cormoran Reef, Fiji Islands, Niue, Wallis Island, Minerva Reef, MariaTheresa, North Cook, Suvarrow Atoll, Heard, Australia, Laos, St.Peter & St.Paul Rocks, Navassa , Serrana Bank, Bajo Nuevo, Desroches Island, Farquhar, Comoro Island, Aldabra, Glorioso, Geyser Reef, Chagos Island, Blenheim Reef, Laccadives, India, Norfolk Island, Mauritius, Quatre Bornes, St.Brandon (Cargados Carajos Shoals), Raphael Isl., Rodriguez, Cocos-Keeling, Malagasy Republic, Nelsons Island.
Over the years, many of the well known DXers include: K2GL, KH6IJ, G3FXB, OH2BH, W8IMZ, W3GRF, W3GM, W4BPD, W1WY, W2PV, W3AU, K3ZO, W9WNV, W4KFC, W7RM, W1BIH, PY5EG, W6QD, N6TJ, S50A, N6AA, K1EA, OH2MM, K4VX, K3EST, W6RR, ON4UN, LU8DQ, K1AR, N4MM, VP2ML, W6AM, KV4AA, W1FH, W6RGG, W6RJ, W1CW, W6ISQ, W6OAT, W6KG, W6QL. Many of these were inducted into the CQ DX Hall Of Fame. Editor Note , Use search engine http://www.google.com/ to find more information on these famous DXers.N6AW suggests W8CRA & W6GRL could be added to this group. In the 30's, 40's, 50's & 60's they were very well known. Side note N6AA & N6TJ are talented & well-known contesters, however, you will never hear them in a DX pileup.
Other notables in the field of Amateur Radio besides those mentioned throughout are: K7UGA, US Senator Barry Goldwater, staunch Amateur radio advocate;W1ICP, Lew McCoy, writer, antenna expert; W1FB, Doug Demaw, writer; W2NSD, Wayne Greene, editor; W4RNL, L B Cebik, program developer; K6STI, Brian Beezly, program developer; W7EL, Roy Lewallen, program developer; KH7M, Jim Reid, propagation expert; W3WRE, Louise Moureau , historian; W1BB, Stu Perry, low band pioneer; W3HNK, Joe Arcure, preeminent QSL manager and many Celebrity Hams.
1963 The E.B.S. - Emergency Broadcasting System is
established .23
In 1963, the CBers outnumber the Ham
Population.
The number of US hams exceeded 250,000.
From the 1963 Novice Study Guide: "Requirements for the Novice license are the passing of a code test in
sending and receiving at the rate of 5 words per minute, and a written examination in the most elementary
aspects of amateur regulations and theory. The privileges which are currently available to the Novice licensee are:
3700 3750 kc. - telegraphy, 7150-7200 kc. - telegraphy, 21,100-21,250 kc. - telegraphy
145-147 MC. --telegraphy or voice. In addition, the transmitter used by a Novice licensee must be crystal-controlled, and may not have an input exceeding 75 watts. Of course, the
Novice may operate portable or mobile on any of these frequencies. Thus a Novice not only is unable to renew his license at
the end of his term, but he may not again apply for Novice privileges."
1964
Alaskan Earthquake
Magnitude 9.2., one of the worst in US History, Hams are key elements in
communications as they have always been.
1964 -
Geoff Watts12 created the
IOTA (Islands-On-The-Air) Award. 1960's
- 1970's Equipment design is changing rapidly, solid state equipment is
offered and many transceivers are SSB. For an excellent paper on equipment
evolution as well as Ham Radio History -- see 50 Years of US Amateur Radio
Licensing by James P. Miccolis,
N2EY. Items with the superscript 8 are from N2EY and have been
incorporated into this history with permission. Examples of Radio Equipment of
the past can be seen in the Antique Radio Section.
Also see 1945. Mid-to-late 1960's -- A bit of vintage ham radio history and
the start of amateur repeater operation CLICK
HERE In
1967, the FCC
announced Incentive Licensing and over the next 2 years, General and
Conditional operators lost portions of the 75-15 meter phone bands, the Advanced Class
is reopened to new applicants, Extra and Advanced Class operators get subbands on 80-15 and 6 meters, the Novice license
term is extended to two years, however Novices lose their 2 meter phone
privileges. By
1968, amateur access to 160 meters was increased significantly. US hams got
access to 1800 to 2000 kHz - but still subject to complex geographical and power
limitations.
1968,
May -- Hugh
Cassidy WA6AUD publishes the West Coast DX Bulletin. His stories and use of
"DX IS!" becomes legend. Stories of "The QRPer, Palos Verdes Sun
Dancers, and Red Eyed Louie" can be found at K2CD's
fine pages. 18-Jul-79 is Cass's last issue, however VE1DX continues the WA6AUD
style -- at the K2CD site.
Late
1960's
Amateurs start to build 6M FM repeaters and by the mid 1970's, many repeaters are in
operation. Effective Nov. 22, 1968
Phase
1 Nov 22,
1968
Phase II, Nov 22, 1969
| Extra Class Only:
(MHz): 3.5 - 3.525 CW 3.8-3.825 Phone 7 - 7.025 CW 14 - 14.025 CW 21 - 21.025 CW 21.250 - 21.275 Phone |
Extra Class Only: (MHz): 3.5 - 3.525 CW 3.8 - 3.825 Phone 7 - 7.025 CW 14 - 14.025 CW 21 - 21.025 CW 21.25 - 21.275 Phone |
| Extra
and Advanced Classes Only: 3.825 - 3.85 Phone 7.2 - 7.225 Phone 14.2 - 14.235 Phone 21.275 - 21.3 Phone 50 - 50.1 CW |
Extra
and Advanced Classes Only: 3.825 - 3.9 Phone 7.2 - 7.25 Phone 14.2 - 14.275 Phone 21.275 - 21.35 Phone 50 - 50.1 CW |
As older hams became Silent Keys and the number of available 1x2 calls
increased, the FCC instituted a program effective in 1968 whereby those licensed
for 25 years and currently holding an Extra license would be
eligible for a non-specific
(sequential) 1x2 callsign. The length of time one needed to be an Extra was gradually reduced, until July 1977, when
any Extra Class could apply for a 1x2.
1968
- The FCC authorizes SSTV in the Advanced/Extra Class subbands. Generals and
Conditionals are authorized later.
1969 First two-way amateur television contact between the U.S. and Europe is achieved. AMSAT (The Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation) is founded. AMSAT is a worldwide group of Amateur Radio Operators who share an active interest in building, launching and then communicating with each other through non-commercial Amateur Radio satellites.
By 1970 there were about 270,000 US hams. Japanese Transceivers begin to make inroads in the Amateur Radio market
1970, November -- JA1MRS contacted W6ABN and WB6UYG on 6 Meters from History of VHF in Japan
By 1970 - The USA is starting to use the metric system more and more and Mc and kc is gradually replaced with Hertz -- MHz and kHz. Often asked is why kilo is not capitalized -- and its because K is for degrees in Kelvin.
1970 While many vie for DX the furthest with the mostest, QRP (low power enthusiasts) are challenged by the furthest with the leastest. The long-distance low power record is held by KL7YU and W7BVV using one MicroWatt over a 1,650 mile Ten Meter path between Alaska and Oregon in 1970. This is the equivalent of 1.6 BILLION Miles per Watt!! More QRP pages.
1972
The Northern California DX Foundation
is established to assist in worthwhile amateur radio, DX and scientific projects with funding and equipment. Although the words
"Northern California" still appear in its title, the activities of the Foundation are
international in scope rather than regional. Also see NCDXF/IARU International Beacon Network.
AND Early History
Of The NCDXF Beacon Network.
Other DX Foundations and sponsors
includes Chiltern DX-Club, Clipperton DX-Club, Danish DX-Group, DX Family Foundation,
DX-Lovers Foundation, EUDXF, French DX-Foundation, INDEXA, LADX-Group, LYNX DX-Group, Lake Wettern
DX-Group, NCDXF, RSGB DX-Fund, and the Satellite DX Foundation. In addition,
many DX Clubs sponsor member IOTA
and DXpeditions. Radio manufacturers over the years have also generously
donated equipment and support of DX operations.
1972 -- FCC expands the Technician 2 meter allocation to 145-148 MHz. Novices operators are authorized to use a transmitter with a VFO, Date was around Nov 22, 1972. A national bandplan is announced for 2 meter FM , the national simplex frequency is established at 146.520 and the FCC released the first repeater rules. Logging requirements are relaxed.
In
1972, the FCC widened the HF phone bands which reduced much of the impact of
incentive licensing.
1972 US ham
bands8
| 1.8-2 CW/Phone (Subject to geographic and power limitations) | 21-21.45
CW 21.25-21.45 Phone Novices 21.1-21.25 CW Extra only: 21-21.025 21.25-21.27 Extra & Advanced only: 21.27-21.35 |
2300-2450
CW/Phone 3300-3500 CW/Phone |
| 3.5-4
CW 3.775-4 Phone Novices 3.7-3.75 CW Extra only: 3.5-3.525 3.775-3.8 Extra and Advanced only: 3.8-3.9 |
28-29.7
CW 28.5-29.7 Phone Novices 28.1-28.2 CW |
5650-5925 CW/Phone |
| 7-7.3
CW 7.15-7.3 Phone Novices 7.1-7.15 CW Extra only: 7-7.025 Extra and Advanced only: 7.15-7.225 |
50-54
CW 50.1-54 CW/Phone (Technicians had all privileges above 30 MHz except 144-145) |
10000-10500 CW/Phone |
| 14-14350
CW 14.2-14.35 Phone Extra only: 14-14.025 Extra and Advanced only: 14.2-14.275 |
144-148
CW 144.1-148 Phone 220-225 CW/Phone 420-450 CW/Phone 1215-1300 CW/Phone |
21000-22000
CW/Phone All above 40000 CW/Phone |
1972 Sept 9th, - The Palomar Amateur Radio Club in San Diego, CA received the coordination for their 146.730 all vacuum tube repeater on Palomar Mountain from the newly established Southern California repeater coordination body in Los Angeles at their first conference although the club had been successfully operating a test repeater in a garage in Vista during 1971. The duplexer was made from discarded shell casings obtained from a Navy Battleship.
1973 - The waiting period for an Extra class license was reduced to a year.
1974
- WR prefixes began to appear on repeater callsigns.
In 1976 for the USA Bicentennial year there was a special callsign system that all hams could use as a option. W's
became AC's, WA's became AA's, etc. Some of the Pacific islands and territories had some
pretty weird calls (weird for that time, anyway.)
In 1976, the WN calls were eliminated.
Around this time the FCC was issuing
N 1x2 calls to extras. N6AW reports
I believe that these were first issued in mid-January, 1977. (N6AA, AR, AV,
CW, ZZ, etc). My call was issued mid-March, 1977.
Effective July 1, 1976, any Extra class licensee who had been a licensed Amateur for 25 years or more could select one
specific 1x2 call sign. This added the ability to pick a specific call, but did not change eligibility.
Effective October 1, 1976, anyone who had held an Amateur Extra class license prior to November 22, 1967, could
select one specific 1x2 call sign.
Effective January 1, 1977, anyone who had held an Amateur Extra class license prior to July 2, 1974, could select
one specific 1x2 call sign.
Effective April 1, 1977, anyone who held an Amateur Extra class license prior to July 1, 1976, could select one
specific 1x2 call sign.
Effective July 1, 1977, any Amateur Extra class licensee could select
one specific 1x2 call sign. Effective March 30, 1978 this was all replaced
by the strict "sequential" system until the advent of "vanity" call sign
selection in March 24, 1995. However
Extras continued to be permitted to
select a call, in sequence, from any call sign group. That ability was not
extended to other licensees until later. N9AKE reports -- when the FCC
announced that Extras could ask for a new call in any group (around August, I
think), I asked for a Group C call and received N9AKE, which I held until 1996,
now K4QG. By
1977 there were 327,000 US hams. Portable
and mobile identification requirements were eliminated, "instant
upgrades" became available, and license fees were abolished. The code
sending test was waived and repeater rules were simplified further. 1977-- A new repeater subband is established at 144.5-145.5 MHz. Technicians
are given privileges on144.5-148 MHz, and have Novice privileges. All
hams were limited to 250 watts in the Novice subbands. Novices can operate
with power up to 250 watts. The mail order Technician license is eliminated and
new applicants must appear
before the FCC. The Conditional class is abolished. The
waiting period for an Extra class license was
eliminated. 1978
saw the Novice license term extended to 5 years and made renewable, the
Conditional class license abolished (existing Conditionals became Generals), and
secondary station licenses were abolished. ASCII and other standard data codes
were authorized for amateur use. Technicians got all privileges above 50
MHz. WR repeater callsigns are phased out. Prior
to this time, when a ham upgraded, the privileges of the new license class could
not be used until the actual license arrived in the mail - usually six to eight
weeks after the test was passed. "Instant upgrading" ended the wait by
allowing hams to immediately use their new privileges by adding a
"temporary identifier" at the end of their call, which would signify
that they had recently upgraded. No more waiting weeks for the actual license to
arrive in the mail.
By the mid 70's some call areas ran out of WB callsigns. The FCC recycled older WA and
WB calls (but not consistently). Then at the FCC's whim or maybe when the recyclables
ran out, they issued WD#xxx calls. WC was reserved for RACES/ Civil Defense
stations.
In 1978-1979, Technicians receive all privileges above 50 MHz. Novice licenses
are renewable. The World Administrative Radio Conference, (WARC-79) grants
Amateurs three new bands at 10, 18, and 24 MHz, to be phased in over the next 10 years.
30 meter power to be limited to 200 Watts. In
1978 the FCC banned the manufacture and sale of amplifiers that could be
used in the 24-35 MHz region, but a licensed amateur could still homebrew
an amplifier, or modify a manufactured one to cover 10 meters. Hams were
limited to one amplifier per year, however.
Before March 28, 1978,
extra applicants received the 1x2 calls still available.
After March 28, 1978, Section 97.51
required amateur station call signs to be issued
systematically. Extra applicants received an A prefixed 2x1
callsign e.g., AA6E which was issued 5-26-1978, AA6H about June 7, 1978, AA6G in
May 1978, AA6I on June 13, 1978. Depending where in California the test
was taken. AA2E issued 5/26/78. AC6V was licensed 7-20-1978 at 2:30
in the afternoon!
2x2 K calls were given to Advanced class and 1x3 N
calls were allotted to Generals and Techs. When the 2x1 extra calls ran out, (in
6 land around 1994), the FCC started
the 2x2 A calls e.g., AC6HZ. When the N#xxx calls ran out, they started the KA#xxx
series. The structure was: 1970's
- 1980's Amateurs begin too use computers like the Amiga, Commodore, Apple,
and TRS-80 to calculate various formulas. Software is written for Ham use. Later
when the transceiver manufacturers incorporate microprocessors, computers are
used to control the transceiver and beam rotors. Programs for Satellite Tracking
are invaluable for operation. Today, programs for tutoring morse code,
gray
line, logging, digital modes with the sound card, and
contesting are widely
used. 1978
- Amateur packet radio
began in Montreal, Canada in 1978, the current TNC standard grew from discussions in October of 1981.
As packet becomes popular with amateurs, digipeater nodes are built and the DX
Packet Cluster is born. Previously DX announcements were made by voice on 2M
repeaters. 1980's
After nearly 80 years of antennas on roof tops and with the advent of cable
TV, city, county, HOA's, CC&R's and
other restrictive ordnances begin to limit or prohibit Amateur antenna
installations. In 1985, PRB-1
is issued that establishes the FCC's position of "reasonable
accomodation."
1980's
King Hussein, JY1,
who was a life member of the ARRL, avidly
promoted Amateur Radio in Jordan and was an enthusiastic radio amateur whose support was invaluable in obtaining new amateurs bands at the1979 World Administrative Radinference. Also for some surprises --
Famous Hams 1980
ASCII computer code is authorized for amateur transmissions. Two
new digital data modes, AMTOR and packet. Both became popular - AMTOR on HF and
packet on VHF. AMTOR eventually gave way to PACTOR and other digital modes. See Digital
Modes. The current popular mode is PSK31. 1981
FCC authorizes spread spectrum (SS) on amateur frequencies. Limited to 100
Watts. Actress Hedy Lamar (Hedwig Kiesler) co-patented a frequency hopping "Secret
Communication System" Aug. 11, 1942 as a way to keep the Germans from jamming radio controlled
torpedos during World War II. See Spread
Spectrum. 1981
CQ Magazine starts the CQ DX Hall Of
Fame. 1982,
Oct 28, 2200 UTC - The USA gained access to 10.100-10.109 and 10.115-10.150 MHz, the
original 30 meter WARC band. Some countries already had privileges on the band before the
USA. 1983 Cellular phone network starts in U.S.
Hams wonder what took them so long! 1983
The 1000 watts input rule was replaced by a new "1500 watt peak
output" rule. This meant that hams could run more power in most modes, but
a few modes, like AM, actually lost power. In
1984, the 10 year license replaces the 5 year term. The FCC begins to phase out
of giving Amateur exams. A Volunteer Examiner Program is started , but there was an overlap period where the FCC gradually eliminated their
involvement. 1985
- the 24 MHz and 902 MHz bands are opened for Amateur use. The 10 MHz band was
allotted permanently, previously open with restrictions. In 1987, Novices and Technicians
receive 10 meter SSB privileges from 28.3-28.5 MHz. The FCC mandates the 1500
Watt PEP limit for amateur radio station power output.Somewhere in this period
(late
1970s), the
requirement to change callsigns when moving to a different district was removed.
No longer could a US ham's location be determined solely by the callsign.
W3HF Note This
actually happened in the late 70s, coincident with the new callsign system
you discuss under 1978-9. (This was significant to me at the time. I had
received WA2FKS while in college in 1976. When I got my license, the old
rules were still in effect. But by the time I graduated in 1979, they had
changed, and I could take WA2FKS with me to California.) My 1976 License
Manual, for example, states that when moving from one district to another,
you would get a new callsign. N6AW
reports I believe that this was instituted in 1977.
Somewhere in the late 70's, (1977) 2x2
A calls were issued to extras, e.g., (The method of
issuance is uncertain -- some requested specific callsigns were issued --
others sequential). They were added as
an option to 1x2's for any Extra class licensee when the 2nd, 4th and 6th call area ran out of 1x2's. When the "any call you
want" rule went away, so did 2x2's beginning with "A". This didn't last long see 2x1's
below. (Note from W3HF -- 2x2s actually first
showed up in 1977. I have AA4AA and AA4US in the Winter 77-8 book, under
"Stop Press." I think these were some of the last callsigns
issued under the old pseudo-vanity program for Extras, before that was
terminated in 1978, as they came out before the 2x1s. N6AW
reports I believe that these were first issued in early 1977. AA6AA,
Steve Oreland, had one of the earliest ones issued. His buddy, Alan,
K6YRA would know the exact date.
-----------------------------------------
Later this is extended to 2x1 K, N, W calls, (In that Order) e.g., KA6A
issued 11/24/78, NU8I, August 1986, NX7U early 87, WA6H issued 4-9-79.
Here you can see variations in dates due to some districts running out of a
block well before others.
------------------------
From
an 1978 FCC News Release: (Thanks To Jim N4AL)
Group A contained all 1x2, most 2x1, and most "A" prefixed 2x2 callsigns
Group B contained most K, N, and W prefixed 2x2 callsigns
Group C contained all 1x3 callsigns
Group D contained most K and W prefixed 2x2 callsigns
Group E contained WC, WK, WM, and WT prefixed 2x3 callsigns.
This applied to the contiguous US. Territories had different rules.
Hams could request an upgrade from a lower group to a higher one.
Generally, Extras were entitled to Group A, Advanced to Group B, and Generals and Technicians to Group C.
Calls were assigned within groups in sequence of blocks. Block 1 was K#xx, block 2 was N#xx, block 3 was W#xx, block 4 was AA#x, block 5 was
AB#x ... These were followed by 2x1's beginning with K, 2x1's beginning with N, 2x1's beginning with W, 2x2's beginning with AA through 2x2's beginning
with AK. Then came with Group B.
-----------------------------------------
In Group A (Extras), the sub groups were 1x2 (not issued systematically subsequent to 1978), 2x1, 2x2
(beginning with AA#xx through AL#xx, the limit of the U.S.'s "A" allocation, [AM
belongs to Spain] -- See Prefixes). AL reserved
for Alaska and AH for the US Islands.
In Group B (Advanced's), the subgroups were all 2x2 beginning with Kx#xx, Wx#xx,
Nx#xx. (the Kx series may never have been completed in any area). It was the slowest moving of the groups.
In Group C (Generals and Techs), the subgroups were all 1x3 with W#xxx (not issued systematically
subsequent to 1978), K#xxx (not issued systematically subsequent to 1978), and N#xxx.
In Group D (Novices), all 2x3, starting out with KA#xxx, sequencing through KB#xxx, KC#xxx, etc.
----------------------------------------
For Amateur Radio, the NAA-NZZ block was used for various
reasons before they were issued sequentially. In the 1930s, N-prefix calls were issued to amateur stations supporting Naval
Reserve activities. NY4 appears in the 1947 DXCC Country list as Guantanamo Bay,
The Smithsonian Institute had NN3SI
around 1976. The Jet Propulsion Labs had a lot of special calls in the 70's (N6V was a
special event station operated by the W6VIO crew at JPL). N calls and A calls were used by MARS
since ______,
(MARS was formed in 1948) currently in the form of AFA#xxx
for the US Airforce, NNN#xxx for the US Navy, and AAA#xxx for the US Army. There
have been posts about early N0xxx MARS calls. N1 thru N9 reserved for Aircraft.
| 1.8-2 CW/Phone (Subject to geographic and power limitations) |
144-148
CW 144.1-148
Phone |
| 3.5-4
CW 3.775-4
Phone Novice/Techs 3.7-3.75 CW Extra only: 3.5-3.525 3.75-3.775 Extra & Advanced only: 3.75-3.85 |
220-225
CW/Phone
Novices 222.1-223.91 CW/Phone |
| 7-7.3
CW 7.15-7.3
Phone Novice/Techs 7.1-7.15 CW Extra only: 7-7.025 Extra & Advanced only: 7.15-7.225 |
420-450
CW/Phone |
|
10.1-10.15
CW |
902-928
CW/Phone |
|
14-14.35
CW 14.15-14.35
Phone |
1240-1300
CW/Phone Novices |
|
21-21.45
CW 21.2-21.45
Phone |
2300-2310
CW/Phone 2390-2450 CW/Phone |
|
24.890-24.990
CW 24.93-24.99
Phone |
3300-3500
CW/Phone |
|
28-29.7
CW 28.3-29.7
Phone |
47000-47200
CW/Phone 75500-81000 CW/Phone 119980-120020 CW/Phone |
| 50-54 CW 50.1-54 CW/Phone (Technicians had all privileges above 30 MHz) | 142000-149000
CW/Phone 241000-250000 CW/Phone All above 300000 CW/Phone |
1988 - TheGMDSS system was established in 1988 by the International Marine Organization, a United Nations agency that oversees international shipping safety, and it was required to be on all passenger ships and cargo ships over 300 tons and all commercial ships that travel in international waters by today. This signals the end of morse code by both commercial and the military.
1989 -- The last of the WARC bands 17M becomes available in January 31. There were over 500,000 US Amateurs.
In 1991, no-code licenses -- and the No-Code Technician is born. Technicians with code requirements are now Technician Plus. Since existing Techs had Novice HF privileges and new Techs would have only VHF/UHF, another semi license class, the Technician Plus, was created. Existing Technicians, and those who passed the 5 wpm code test, became Technician Plus class.
1993 The US Coast Guard discontinues monitoring 500kHz as the International Distress Frequency, largely replaced by GMDSS. Use of 500 kHz dates back to 1905.
About March 24, 1995, Vanity calls for a price was opened up. See URL: FCC Ruling. Several "gates were set up for eligibility over the ensuing 18 months. The ARRL's suggested method is to open the system gradually through four "starting gates." Gate One would allow a previous holder to apply for that call sign or, where the holder is deceased, a close relative could apply. Gate Two would allow the 66,000 Amateur Extra Class operators, who have passed the most difficult license examinations, to apply. [Extras could apply for a vanity call in September 1996]. Gate Three would allow the 112,000 Advanced Class operators, who have passed the second most difficult license examinations, to apply. Gate Four would open the system to any licensee. A club station license trustee could also apply for the call sign of a deceased former holder.
1997 January 1st the E.A.S., Emergency Alert System goes 'on-line' in broadcast stations - replacing the aging technology of the E.B.S. - the Emergency Broadcasting System.23
1998 1999 -- USA Amateur population exceeds 740,000, Japan has almost twice as many.
1999 -- Many CW stations are closed after decades of service. The Globe Wireless stations, the last coast stations in North America to use Morse, closed down their Morse operations on Monday, 12 July, 1999.
April 15, 2000 -- Latest Amateur Radio License Scheme
Reduction of the number of license classes from six to three and eliminating the 20 and 13 WPM code tests, only three license classes are now issued --Technician, General, and Amateur Extra--and a single Morse code requirement--5 WPM. No new Novice and Advanced licenses to be issued. Licenses prior to the effective retain their current operating privileges, including access to various modes and subbands, and will be able to renew their licenses indefinitely. Starting April 15, 2000, individuals who qualified for the Technician class license prior to March 21, 1987, will be able to upgrade to General class by providing documentary proof to a Volunteer Examiner Coordinator, paying an application fee, and completing FCC Form 605.
Under the new licensing scheme, there is four examination elements. Element 1 will be the 5 WPM Morse code exam. Element 2 will be a 35-question written test to obtain a Technician license; Element 3 will be a 35-question written test to obtain a General license, and Element 4 will be a 50-question written test for the Amateur Extra license.
Technician Class
with no Morse code are authorized to use all amateur VHF and UHF frequencies
(all frequencies above 50 MHz). See Bandplans
Technicians
with 5 WPM Morse code are authorized to use all amateur VHF and UHF frequencies
(all frequencies above 50 MHz) and HF frequencies with limited power outputs on the 80, 40, and 15 meter bands using
CW, and on the 10 meter band using CW, voice, and digital modes. See Band
plans
General Class. In addition to the Technician privileges, General Class operators are authorized to
operate on any frequency in the 160, 30, 17, 12, and 10 meter bands. They may also
use significant segments of the 80, 40, 20, and 15 meter bands. See Bandplans
Extra Class. Extra Class licensees are authorized to operate on all frequencies allocated to the Amateur Service.
See Bandplans
2001 Many Old Timers still active on OT Nets and QCWA nets. For information, contact Jim Palmer W6FOB, president of section 75, QCWA. E-Mail: jkpalmer@charter.net
Feb 2001. Amateur Radio history was made this month when amateurs in Canada and the UK completed what appears to be the first two-way transatlantic Amateur Radio exchange on 136 kHz. Larry Kayser, VA3LK, and Lawrence ''Laurie'' Mayhead, G3AQC, managed the LF feat using extremely slow CW that featured 90-second-long dits and 180-second-long dahs. The two-way contact took two weeks to complete!
2003, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) ratified changes to the Radio Regulations to allow each country to determine whether it would require a person seeking an amateur radio operator license to demonstrate the ability to send and receive Morse code.
15 Dec 2006 New USA Band Allotments -- See
ARRL Page
Feb 23, 2007 All Morse code testing requirements for US
hams were eliminated.
|
1917 - about 6,000 |
1977 - 327,000 |
|
1928 - about 17,000 |
1989 - over 500,000 |
| 1936 - about 46,000 |
1997 June - 678,473 |
|
1950 - near 90,000 |
2001 Jan 1 - 682,240 |
|
1956 - over 140,000 |
2002 Oct 31 -- 684,355 |
|
1958 - about 160,000 |
2007 March 18 -- 652,984 |
| 1963 - over 250,000 |
MORE HAM HISTORY -- CLICK HERE
The
History of Amateur Radio
QRZ.COM
has an old callsign lookup section -- 1993 edition. List Of
Contributors: W5USM, K6VX, K8CX, K0HB, W6FOB, VE3SYB, W9SZ, W5FL, K8AV, W0CM, W9DY, K9CW, N5FG,
N5VD, WN3VAW, K2VCO, WB6PSY, N9AG, AA6AD, N4AL, W3AWU, K4TTA, K6QS, KD1F, K2YOF, K4QG, N2EY, N9AI, NH6YK,
G3IQF, AA6E, AA6H, AA6I, AA6D, AA6G, ZS6IR, K2IXT, N4HT, KE4QOK, PA0CLN, W5FL,
W9DY, W6SAX, N7XM, KA6A, AA2E,
KK7RV, KA6C, WA6E, K8YTO,
NA6E, UY5XE, N6KI, WA6IVD, K7NO, W9FQN, KH6O, K5DH, K6LTS, G4VGO, N4JEE, KD0HG,
N8ETQ, WV8A, N3HVQ, N0QFV, KZ1X/4, K1FHR, WA6H,
KB9TMY, AA1IP, WA9Z,
K6LTS, KF2TJ, NU8I, NX7U, W1IS, KC6YSO, K5RW, AD6L, DJ4BR, W6YOO W3HF. --
Many Thanks Folks!
CAN'T FIND IT? SEARCH THE WEB OR THE AC6V WEBSITE
This Page Last Updated:
July 8th, 2010
From Luxorion -- Nicely Done and Illustrated
4United States Early Radio History
15 Compilation
Of FCC Amateur Radio Statistics
5WayBack Time Machine (dead ink)
16 Dawn
Of Radio in The UK and Europe
6Irving Vermilya -- America's #1 Amateur
17
History of the Radio Club of America, Inc.
18
UKSMG Six Meter News Archives
850 Years of US Amateur Radio
Licensing
19. Deleted
9 Deleted
20
Fessenden and the Early History of Radio Science
10Ham Radio History
Mail List Archives
21 History of VHF in Japan
11
Deleted
22
50 Years on 50 Megs
12
23
A Chronology of Communication Related Events
13 Deleted
24 Kentucky
Farmer Invents Wireless Telephone! By Bob Lochte
14World
Of Wireless
25.
Deleted
Compiled From Numerous Sources By AC6V 1979--2004
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