Band Plans of 1941
Vito Chiarappa (W6TH)
on
January 10, 2007
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Here are the band plans back in the year of 1941. You will notice that the CW operation was the going thing in ham radio.
Also as time went by the old CW operators became silent keys and so did building amateur radio sets and transmitters.
I remember during depression days my family grew their own vegetables and canning food crops and now we buy food in cans. Every household today is a must to have and own a can opener. Yes, the change for modernization.
Here is the band plan when I became an Amateur Radio Operator in 1938. You will notice the 20-meter band that it was great for CW operation. You had to have a class: A: ticket to work the 20 meter phone band.
160-meter band from 1.715 mc to 1.800 was CW only, the phone bands from 1.800 mc to 2.000 mc.
The 80-meter band 3.5 mc to 3.9 mc CW and the phone band from 3.9 to 4.0 mc.
The 40-meter band from 7.0 mc to 7.3 mc all CW.
The 20 meter band from 14.0 mc to 14.15 mc CW.......14.15 mc to 14.25 mc phone.......14.25 mc to 14.4 mc CW.
The ten meter band from 28.0 mc to 28.5 mc CW.......28.5 mc to 30.0 mc all phone.
There was no 15-meter band back then. (Not until the Television sets were made with 21 mc "IF" stages).
Then there was the 2 1/2, 5, and 1 1/4 meter bands. All used for CW and phone.
Had to move so the TV can come into use. Moved to 6, 220, 440, etc.
I enjoy bringing back the past as it is history to see the changes, no matter how you look at it.
73 and a Happy New Year to one and all
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Band Plans of 1941
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by LNXAUTHOR on January 10, 2007
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- tks for the look back into the past... interesting on the sandwich CW portions on 20M!
- but aside from the band edges, were these 'gentlemen's agreements' or federally mandated plans for CW and phone?
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RE: Band Plans of 1941
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by W6TH on January 10, 2007
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CW was operated in any portion of any band and there was never a mention of gentlemens agreement as we all were well above the 13 wpm requirement. It was common to jump from operating phone to cw on the same phone frequency.
We were Amateur Radio operators also called hams. There were two classes of tickets, the class "B" and Class "A". If I remember, you could not up grade from class B to class A until you have held your class B ticket for one year. CW was enjoyed in any part of any band with no complaints from any other ham operator.
When you first applied for your ticket and passed, you had to wait for one month before receiving your ticket and never knew if you passed your test until you received your mail. Also, if you did not have a radio station setup, you received a operators permit with no call letters, but if you had a station set up you would be issued a call letter. Upon renewal of your ticket, you had to show proof of at least five stations you have made a contact with, if not your ticket would be cancelled.
Much more interesting information, but would take up a lot of pages to tell like finger prints and a U.S. Citizenship.
W6TH
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by W4LGH on January 10, 2007
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This is certainly not meant as a FLAME or anything else..just and interesting question Vito... How come the post on the past? When we were enjoying our past with old radios, you were pretty negative, now you are going back into time. Just curious.
We all enjoy going back in time, one way or the other, and I have many fond memories of sitting up late as a kid to watch for the 1st snow flakes to fall and report it to my buddies on the radio.
Over the years, I have met and made many a friend in radio, some I never met personally, some are now SK and some are still going strong. Met a new friend on the air last nite, and he worked for RL Drake for many years, and has a huge collection of Drake gear.
Really looking forward to conversing with him some more, maybe getting some of the inside dope on what was really going on there. Another litte trip back into the past!
73 de W4LGH - Alan
http://www.w4lgh.com
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by W6TH on January 10, 2007
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Alan says:
When we were enjoying our past with old radios, you were pretty negative, now you are going back into time. Just curious.
Never at all negative Alan, but every radio you have and talk about I have used for years and sold. I don't believe it is any longer to suit me, but for those new to ham radio I would say go for it, enjoy it.
I still would like to have my Hallicrqafters BC 610 plus my SP-600-JX and the Racal RA 17C. Even to my National SW 3.
It is like one day I threw my suit of clothing out in the garbage and along came a fellow that picked it out of the garbage and next day I have seen him wearing it. Now, I thought that it was a wonderful thing that I have done and felt proud that I had done so. I continue to do so.
73 Alan, my friend and happy hamming.
W6TH.
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Band Plans of 1941
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by N2EY on January 10, 2007
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Couple of points:
- They weren't band plans, they were the regulations.
- There were three license classes: A, B and C. All
required 13 wpm code, receiving and sending, plus a
written exam of about 50 questions that included
drawing block and schematic diagrams, writing essay
type answers, show-your-work calculations, and some
multiple choice. Class A required an additional
written test on more-advanced techniques, plus a
year's experience.
- Class B and C were the same except B was taken at
an FCC office and C was by-mail, for folks who lived
more than a certain distance away. If a Class C moved
closer, or wanted a Class A, s/he had to retake the
test. Class A was only available at FCC offices.
- The use of phone on 75 and 20 meters was Class A
only. This was the only additional privilege granted
to Class A hams.
- Class B and C 'phone were limited to 160, 10 and
above. They could operate CW in the 75 and 20 meter
phone subbands.
- 15 meters would not become a US ham band until 1954.
30, 17 and 12 meters would not become US ham bands
until after 1979.
- The only modes US hams were allowed to use on HF were
CW and AM. SSB was considered a form of AM and allowed,
but only a handful of hams used it before WW2.
- The cost, complexity and size of a pre-WW2 high
power AM phone rig limited their number.
- After WW2 broke out in Europe (Sept 1939), the FCC
began to require proof of identity, citizenship and
loyalty oaths from all US hams.
- There were fewer than 60,000 US amateurs in 1941.
Most had been licensed less than a dozen years,
because in 1929 there were fewer than 20,000 US hams.
- You could only have one operator license. But you
could have several station licenses - one for each
location where you had a station. The callsign
belongs to the station, not the operator, so it was
common for a well-to-do ham with more than one house
to have two or more callsigns.
- There were only nine call districts, and they were
somewhat different than today's, with some states
being split. US amateur calls did not have zeroes,
and all CONUS ham calls began with W. All non-CONUS
USA ham calls began with K. If you moved and changed
districts, you had to get a new callsign that matched
the district you moved to.
- TV and FM broadcasting existed in the USA before
WW2, but on different frequencies than today.
- To renew your license, you had to certify that
you had made a certain number of QSOs in a certain
number of months before the license expiration date.
Those QSOs had to be Morse Code only. You also had
to certify that you could pass all the exams for the
license you held.
- FCC continued to hold license exam sessions during
WW2, and issued amateur operator licenses too. However,
all amateur *station* licenses were suspended for the
duration, so there were no amateur stations to be
operated during the war. Hams who passed their tests
after the US entered the war would give their callsigns
as "LSPH" - Licensed Since Pearl Harbor. FCC waived
the activity requirement for renewal for some time
after WW2, since nobody could meet it legally.
- Many of these requirements continued for decades
after 1941. Others were abandoned soon after the
war ended.
73 de Jim, N2EY
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by AE6CP on January 10, 2007
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Speaking of 1941, Here's a link to an online book that was written that year; 'Calling CQ' by Clinton B. DeSoto. It's out of print and is getting harder and harder to find a soft copy online. You can copy and paste each chapter to a txt file or Word doc.
I think this book along with '200 Meters and Down' by the same author and 'The Complete DX'er' by W9KNI are three great books every Ham should read.
http://www.qsl.net/ng3p/haminfo/desoto/toc.html
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by W6TH on January 10, 2007
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Thanks Jim and great update.
Yes, Rules and regulations. Right on.
- They weren't band plans, I have no idea of where and when band plans came into use.
W6TH
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Band Plans of 1941
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by WX4O on January 10, 2007
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Don't forget what happened to Ham Radio after the war began. There wasn't any.
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by W6TH on January 10, 2007
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Yes, the hams were still on the air. From 1941 through 1946; In foreign countries and I was one of them. Live Free or Die.
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Band Plans of 1941
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by W8AD on January 10, 2007
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Vito, great trip down memory lane. I really enjoyed your article. Nice reply comments too, so far. You have reminded me of some things that I think are now misunderstood.
For example, people complain that we have "dumbed down" ham radio. I think just the opposite is true. Here's why. I got my Class B ticket in 1950 after reading and talking with neighbor hams and buddies during the late 40s. I was 14 years old when I passed the test. You think I was technically proficient? Of course not! Even then, I memorized the 1949/50 ARRL license manual, worked with some young buddies and took the test. I drew a few schematics of oscillators and amps, did a couple of block diagrams and wrote out some essay questions. But then, I had no idea what I was doing. A person could not have been more "dumbed down" than I was! And remember, that was 1950. No, it was NOT a technical big deal then.
It was AFTER I got my license that I started to learn things with mentors and young ham buddies. I didn't know any more then than the "dumbed down" newbies that people complain about now in 2007. The key is to welcome the newbies, encourage them, and help them along after they get their tickets instead of being rude and sneering and saying "they should have known this or that". I had great help in 1950 because there didn't seem to be the flamers then, either on the air or in person. Compare the 1949/50 license manual to the newest ones and you'll find they are definately "dumbed UP".
Because I was encouraged in ham radio then, when I was 14, I went on and got a college degree in EE and had an absolutely wonderful career. I think some people say we have "dumbed down" the hobby because they think that's the popular bandwagon to be on. But, they we're there when I was. Different reality.
Encourage the "dumb" newbies, they'll appreciate it and enjoy it like I did.
73,
Don, W8AD (W9JTN in Peoria, IL in 1950)
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by W6TH on January 10, 2007
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Thanks Don for your most thoughtful and consideration of the rights and feelings of others.
73
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by WA1RNE on January 10, 2007
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The history of amateur radio is great reading. One of the best web sites I've seen so far is ON4SKY's. It's about as complete - probably more so than any one book I've ever read:
http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-ham-history.htm
After World War II, amateurs were moved from 56 Mc or 5 meters to 50 Mc, 6 meters. What perfect timing......the first commercial television broadcast stations were going on the air and '46-'47 was a sunspot maximum. The next peak was '58-'59 which was one of the best in history. A favorite story from one of my elmers was from circa 1959 when he worked the west coast from the Boston area on 6 meter AM with 10 watts and a dipole hanging out his kitchen window.
Another interesting change occurred in 1958 when the FCC pulled 11 meters from hams, paving the way for the first Citizen's Band, starting in the U.S. This explains the inclusion of 11 meters on many amateur receivers and transmitters in the 50's, like the Collins 75A4 and 32V3 up until that year.
WA1RNE
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by AA4LR on January 10, 2007
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I object to the inference that all amatuer building stopped after the OTs from before WW II died.
I wasn't even born until 1961, and I just recently finished a homebrew 6CL6/6146 CW transmitter that I used during Straight Key Night. I had a blast calling CQ on 7075 kHz (the frequency of the crystal I used).
The receiver was a K2/100, that I also built. I've been building gear since even before I became a ham in 1975.
Yup, there certainly was a lot more CW activity back then. I think the cost of tubes and transformers for an AM transmitter of reasonable power was what kept a lot of hams off phone in those days.
As for the 5 2 1/2 1 1/4 meter bands being moved -- that actually had little to do with Television directly.
You see, before WW II, Edwin Armstrong invented FM, and the radio broadcasting executives at the major networks were reluctant to adopt it. Armstrong retaliated by building his own broadcasting network, using frequencies in the vincinity of 72 MHz. (Mc back then)
After WW II, during the process of reallocating frequencies for television, David Sarnoff of RCA/NBC made it a point of manipulating this process so that the FM broadcast band got moved from its current location. This caused Armstrongs broadcasting network to go obsolete overnight -- as all the receivers suddenly became worthless.
Ironically, Sarnoff also saw to it that FM was adopted into the television standard (for the Audio channel), and then proceeded to deny Armstrong licensing for his patents.
These broadcast executives wielded considerable political clout! Armstrong lost his patent fights, although this was overturned more than a decade after his death.
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by KX8N on January 10, 2007
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Great thread! Thanks for all the interesting information.
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by W6TH on January 10, 2007
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Also I may add that the new television sets had 21mc "IF" in their designs and guess what? We now have the new meter band which just so happens to be the 21mc band or called the 15 meter band.
73
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by W6TH on January 10, 2007
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Yup, there certainly was a lot more CW activity back then. I think the cost of tubes and transformers for an AM transmitter of reasonable power was what kept a lot of hams off phone in those days.
Not true as we had Heising modulation and clamp tube modulation and no transformers were needed.
The problem was most didn't like the phone operation and cw was the challenge and enjoyment.
73
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by AE6RO on January 10, 2007
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Edwin Howard Armstrong's FM band was around 42 to 50 MC. It wasn't anywhere near 72 MC. Perhaps you were thinking of 1972.
The FCC thoughtfully moved the FM band up to its present location because they were terribly, terribly worried that FM "skip" would cause interference between stations in different service areas. As you pointed out, this change put Armstrong and his "Yankee Network" out of business. The old FM band was supposed to become a television channel to benefit RCA.
He did alot of work during the war on an OTH FM radar for Uncle Sam, and let Uncle Sam use his patents gratis. He died in 1956 by jumping out of a window. I read a few years ago that alot of his notes were destroyed in a warehouse flood.
One of the great engineers, and so underappreciated.
73, AE6RO
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by AE6RO on January 10, 2007
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W6TH: Thanks for the interesting history. Good one about staying on-the-air during the war! Funny! Where in the world could you do that without getting shot? Bora-bora?
Something else that's interesting is how hams communicated with each other since they couldn't get on-the-air. The most successful used carrier current, putting LF signals over the powerlines. The trick was using low enough power and the right frequency so the signal didn't radiate. A kind of early BPL in reverse. They found that five or ten watts at 175 KC would turn the trick. Range was anywhere from a few blocks to five or ten miles, if you were lucky.
One fellow in Glendale, California got gigged by Uncle Charlie for radiating at 25 watts. The story makes interesting reading in light of today's BPL issue. If anyone is interested I'll dig it up.
All of that was published in QST during the war years. 73, AE6RO
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by W6TH on January 10, 2007
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Very interesting John, yes I tried the power lines, but my transformer on the pole was not in phase so gave up on that idea. Although my very large coils came in handy after the end of WW2.
Put the infor on as that is very good part of the ham radio during the shut down of ham radio.
73
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Band Plans of 1941
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by AG4RQ on January 10, 2007
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Thanks Vito for the wonderful article, and thanks to all those who added information. I really enjoyed this ham history lesson. Very interesting stuff. I'll continue checking back here to read what others might add to this history lesson.
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by RADIOGUYR2 on January 10, 2007
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N2EY
Couple of points:
- They weren't band plans, they were the regulations.
whoooo wait till you go back to 1956 and look up the mobile ham regulations. Its a wonder that anyone worked mobile or portable after reading how one has to jump throught the hoops with the FCC field office and person in charge.
I was looking through a copy of the ARRL mobile handbook that they put out back then. In the back it has the regulations. So if I wanted to go from Arizona Dist 7 to Calif Dist 6 I had to noitify the engineer in charge--in writing--- as to the dates I would be in his area as well as provide him with my credentials. And get approval to do it!!! wow...
Being a ham really got easy after that. I remember the field trip...by buss..to go down to the FCC field office.. very intemidative federal building... to take the ham test and code portion. (some what like the military draft board was like too)
Ahhh the good old days when you really had a adventure in ham radio. The newbies today missed out on the adrenelin and happyness that accompnayed the passing of the ham test. Today its bim bam thank you mam... pay your 18 bucks and your out the door to go to get into the care and start flapping your lips on the radio.
Ya their were 30 days of mental anguish waiting for the mail man to show up with that envelope from the FCC in Gettysburg that had the answer to all your hard work and effort you put in.
Now you know why the older hams are more agressive to the dummying down of the ham radio. they did it the old fashion way... they worked for it.
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by W6TH on January 10, 2007
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Many thanks for the mobile info and I want to thank you for the updating and the enhancement of the good old days. Your new information sure goes back to what was called "security".
Again, I want to thank you Jim for the great help here on this posting and also to thank eHAM and all the nice comments.
73, Vito, W6TH
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by AE6RO on January 10, 2007
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Since you asked, here goes: From QST, January 1943 pg 48. "Experimenter's Section Project A 'Carrier Current'"
"Well, here is another report on my wired-radio activities, perhaps the last for some time. It seems my signals were radiating, because I had a call from the FCC monitoring officials. Since I have been using a frequency of about 150 kc., it seems that I interfered with naval communications at a station about ten miles away and was heard at a distance of about fifty miles. Unfortunatly, I can't tell any more about the conditions of reception, since that was all I was told . . .
Please tell the gang on wired radio to keep their power down to the absolute minimum. I have never run over 25 watts input. I don't believe I was heard until I increased power from 12 watts to 25 watts about October fifth, but I can't be sure. W6*** was also causing interference, and I believe he was using about 15 to 20 watts. I was told that the other stations which I had mentioned in previous reports had not been heard. I don't believe any of them used over 5 or 10 watts.
I don't think the work on wired radio shuld stop; keep it up, but let us all be careful about (signal) radiation . . ." (technical paragraph ommitted)
". . .In regard to the contacts I have had with W6*** in Glendale, I am now inclined to believe that direct radiation was responsible in some manner. Since checks werre made at each end with outside antennas for pick-up, it seems that the sensitivity of our receiving equipment is not great enough to receive these signals by direct radiation. When they are connected to the power line, the signal pick-up is stronger, perhaps because the signals tend to follow the power lines." Art *****, W6****
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by W6TH on January 10, 2007
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Sorry, also to thank RADIOGUYR2 for this mobile posting. Guess I got carried away with the falling snow we have today and was looking out the window and touch typing at the same time. It has been 30 years or so since I seen snow flakes and got very excited. I like the snow and the freezing 13 and the 0 degrees here in the east coast. It is in the lower 30's right now and can't wait to go to the post office and walk through the snow. Maybe throw a snow ball or two. 73 RADIOGUYR2, thanks again.
W6TH
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by W6TH on January 10, 2007
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AE6RO,
Well from that write up then the BPL can be a problem, especially with low power.
Hams again are the first to use BPL and prove its worth.
ARRL had circuits of this in their QST.
Tnx, 73.
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by WB2WIK on January 10, 2007
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Nice stuff.
I often work old timers on the bands, mostly on CW, but most notably W6BNB, Bob, up in Sebastapol, CA.
He was licensed in 1931 and still very active on the bands, using a "bug," and darned well at that.
TVs with 21 MHz IFs must have been great fun to watch in the presence of a local ham running high power on 15 meters.
WB2WIK/6
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by N2EY on January 10, 2007
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W6TH wrote:
"Not true as we had Heising modulation and clamp tube modulation and no transformers were needed."
Well, sort of.
A 1941 amateur high power AM rig was a big expensive deal no matter how you did it.
Heising modulation requires a big choke - typically
30 henries, with enough current rating to handle both the modulator and final plate currents simultaneously.
The Heising modulator tube(s) must run Class A. That
means full plate current in the modulator all the time.
So if you wanted a legal-limit AM rig with Heising modulation back then, you needed:
1) A final amplifier capable of 1000 watts AM input
2) A single-ended AM modulator with the modulator tube(s) capable of 1000+ watts continuous plate dissipation and 500+ watts audio output
3) A suitable choke
4) A power supply capable of delivering 2000 watts continuous - 1000 for the final and 1000 for the modulator.
Clamp tube, screen, grid, or cathode modulation, as well as conventional AM linear, are only capable of about 35% carrier efficiency. The result was less
than half the output of a plate-modulated rig, yet the
final tubes had to be twice as big.
And all of this was before inexpensive WW2 surplus.
--
In 1941, low power AM could be inexpensive and easy. High power AM wasn't.
73 de Jim, N2EY
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by W6TH on January 10, 2007
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W6BNB, Bob is an old friend of mine and a qso a day. We both belong to the SOWP group. Both use bugs.
Yes, we had problems with the 21 mc IF's plus the 10 meter band TVI, all solved with high pass filters.
Just came back from the post office walked to and from, the temp is 19 degs, just love it. Snow covered homes look great.
73, Vito
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by W6TH on January 10, 2007
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Yes all correct. The DX 60, Heathkit if I remember uses the clamp tube modulation.
Also what became famous was cathode modulation.
You must remember, back then we wound our own chokes and the transformers (power).
.:All from the ARRL handbooks.:
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by N2EY on January 10, 2007
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"I object to the inference that all amatuer building stopped after the OTs from before WW II died."
ME TOO!
I was born in 1954 and became a ham in 1967. Built my first ham rx and tx (2 tube regen, 1 tube 10 watt 6V6GT).
Which led to this:
http://hometown.aol.com/n2ey/myhomepage/
73 de Jim, N2EY
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by WB2WIK on January 10, 2007
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>RE: Band Plans of 1941 Reply
by W6TH on January 10, 2007 Mail this to a friend!
Just came back from the post office walked to and from, the temp is 19 degs, just love it. Snow covered homes look great.<
::I grew up in the cold and snowy northeast, and to me, they look a lot less great when they include snow covered driveways, walkways, patios, cars and other stuff that I don't need to be covered by snow and have to clean off to use. If I could figure a way for snow to only fall on houses, trees and yards and not anywhere else, I'd probably still be living there.
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by AE6RO on January 10, 2007
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Thought I'd add that missing "technical" paragraph, hoping to relate it to modern-day BPL:
From QST January 1943 "Experimenter's Section" pg. 48
"...It seems to me that the cause of this radiation may be the lack of cancellation between the two wires of the system. I was coupling only to the 115 volt circuit, hence one wire was the neutral and grounded. Since I have 230-volt service, 115 each side of neutral, I believe that I might have had better luck if I had coupled to the 230-volt circuit, as cancellation might have been more complete. The numerous branch lines leading off the main lines must cause some degree of phase shift and a consequent radiation of the signal. The report of W4** in November (1942) QST also suggests this to me. Since I can no longer try these things, please pass this along: have someone check the comparative radiation of the two methods of coupling." 73, AE6RO
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by KC8VWM on January 10, 2007
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Built my first ham rx and tx
(2 tube regen, 1 tube 10 watt 6V6GT).
----------
I always thought a 6V6GT was an audio amplifier tube, not capable of 10 watts tx.
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RE: Band Plans of 1941
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by W6TH on January 10, 2007
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.
Here is what I mentioned: Also as time went by the old CW operators became silent keys and so did building amateur radio sets and transmitters.
This was meant for the past several years or so and not prior to WWII. In and around 1952, where I lived there was nothing being built from our local hams or adjoining states like CT, NY, NJ, Ma, etc. All were for Swan, Drake, Hammarlund, Collins, etc. The big project was the 9TO keyer, Yagi antennas, Quads. I myself was a big builder of Electron coupled oscillators, power amplifiers usinng TZ 40's, 813's, 808's 811A's, and receivers, up until I ran out of needed ham gear. Then to commercial for the nice looks.
Your building looks great and can see you put much time and effort into your Amateure field. Should you still have it and still in use, the use can be much more fun than with the modern ham gear.
Thanks for the link.
.:
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RE: Band Plans of 1941
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by WB2WIK on January 10, 2007
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>RE: Band Plans of 1941 Reply
by KC8VWM on January 10, 2007 Mail this to a friend!
Built my first ham rx and tx
(2 tube regen, 1 tube 10 watt 6V6GT).
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I always thought a 6V6GT was an audio amplifier tube, not capable of 10 watts tx.<
::6V6 can easily produce 10W RF output in the HF spectrum. The original 6V6 was a metal tube. The "GT" version, which is glass, can probably do about as well. My first "Novice" transmitter in 1965 was a single 6V6 used as a power crystal oscillator (no buffer, no PA), cathode keyed. Slight chirp, definite shocks from the key! What fun...
More memories: I had four crystals (Peterson Radio FT-243 case type) for the 40m Novice band. They were all for different frequencies, but for the life of me, as I remember it, they were all on the same frequency as Radio Moscow!
:-)
WB2WIK/6
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RE: Band Plans of 1941
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by N0NB on January 10, 2007
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W8AD, thanks for sharing your experience of your early years and thanks for providing an example of the way we should all treat each other.
W6TH, thanks for allowing us to learn more of the pre-WWII history of amateur radio. I find it most fascinating.
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Band Plans of 1941
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by AC7CW on January 10, 2007
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I recall that 30 day wait in 1957. By the time I got my Novice license in the mail I had forgotten the code!! I recall trying to work my first qso and having my elmer standing behind me reminding me what the letters were!!
I started off in that great sunspot cycle mentioned previously, I could work the world on 40 cw with a dipole laying on the house roof and 50 watts, a vibroplex and a Navy surplus regenerative RAL5. I had in the neighborhood of $20 invested in equipment, I recall that the Vibroplex cost about twice what the receiver did and the transmitter was borrowed from my elmer. I had tvi like crazy and had to stay off the air until 9pm to keep the lady next door happy. I could work dx way into the night and before school in those days. I used to sleep through classes anyway!!
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RE: Band Plans of 1941
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by W6TH on January 10, 2007
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.
AC7CW Max,
We missed each other as I lived in Lancaster, CA. Came out east in May of 06. My antenna farm at Rosamond, CA.
Keep cool this coming Aug Max.
73, Vito W6TH
.:
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RE: Band Plans of 1941
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by K5FH on January 10, 2007
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It really is possible to be nostalgic for an era you didn't live in (I was born in 1954 and first licensed in 1970).
The following quote from the first chapter of Clinton DeSoto's book pretty much sums it up for all hams past, present and, hopefully, future:
"But the enjoyment of amateur radio is not measured in dollars or even in elaborate equipment. It is rather measured by such gauges as service, self-expression, a sense of personal accomplishment."
Some things, thankfully, don't change.
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Band Plans of 1941
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by N5YPJ on January 10, 2007
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The more I live, the more I find that the good old days weren't so good as we sometimes feel they were. My days as a single foot loose and fancy free guy have lots of good memories for me, but I get the most enjoyment ever from my family.
Ham radio has seen lots of changes, in my time as a ham I believe most have been positive - less FCC hands on and more ham groups doing the hands on, new modes, BETTER equipment, on and on.
Learn from the past, live for today, plan for tomorrow.
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Clinton B. DeSoto, eh?
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by AI2IA on January 10, 2007
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On page 8 of Morse Code: Breaking the Barrier, Dave Finley, N1RZ, says that in 1936 DeSoto suggested one way to limit the number of amateurs was to increase the code speed requirement.
Ah, the good old days?
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RE: Band Plans of 1941
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by KC8VWM on January 10, 2007
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I always thought a 6V6GT was an audio amplifier tube, not capable of 10 watts tx.<
::6V6 can easily produce 10W RF output in the HF spectrum. The original 6V6 was a metal tube.
---------------
Thanks Steve.
I have a few metal ones here (JAN versions.) Well now that I know that it will produce some RF perhaps I can heat up the iron and look into building something like that in the future. Might be a fun project.
73 de Charles - KC8VWM
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RE: Band Plans of 1941
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by NS6Y_ on January 10, 2007
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If you guys haven't, read the book 200 Meters And Down, it's a very interesting read!
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Band Plans of 1941
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by N0AH on January 11, 2007
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Is it just me or does it seem posted comments are getting edited out on a more frequent basis. I simply stated that I wished the band plan could go back to the way it was.....that post has been deleted-
Paul N0AH
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RE: Band Plans of 1941
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by W6TH on January 11, 2007
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.
Here is more of interest:
On the 160 meter band from 1.715 mc to 1.800 mc, there came a change and that change was these frequencies later became the police frequencies. So the 160 meter spectrum is what we now have today, 1.8 mc - 2.0 mc and no longer 1.715 - 2.0 mc.
It was fun to listen to the police in the morning while having that second cup of coffee.
.:
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RE: Clinton B. DeSoto, eh?
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by W6TH on January 11, 2007
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.
On page 8 of Morse Code: Breaking the Barrier, Dave Finley, N1RZ, says that in 1936 DeSoto suggested one way to limit the number of amateurs was to increase the code speed requirement.
Ah, the good old days?
This was done and at first, in the earier years the code speed was 10 wpm and then increased to 13 wpm.
.:
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RE: Clinton B. DeSoto, eh?
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by N2EY on January 11, 2007
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"On page 8 of Morse Code: Breaking the Barrier, Dave Finley, N1RZ, says that in 1936 DeSoto suggested one way to limit the number of amateurs was to increase the code speed requirement.
Ah, the good old days?
This was done and at first, in the earier years the code speed was 10 wpm and then increased to 13 wpm."
end quotes
I haven't read the Finley book, but I have read "200 Meters And Down", plus other articles from that time period.
What really happened was quite different.
From the end of WW1 to 1929, amateur radio in the USA grew rather slowly. While there were radical changes in radio technology during those ten or so years, the number of US hams grew very slowly during that time. There were well below 20,000 US hams in 1929. IIRC the number was about 18,000.
Then in 1929 there came two big changes. First, the new "1929 rules" came into effect. Those rules were a direct result of the 1927 World Radio Conference that recognized amateur radio as a separate radio service, with bands protected by treaty. This was a major victory for amateur radio, which had faced legal extinction many times since 1912 and had existed at the whim of the government in many countries.
These new rules radically narrowed several US amateur bands. 40 meters went from 7000-8000 to 7000-7300 and 20 meters went from 14000-16000 to 14000-14400, for example. They also required much cleaner and more stable signals from amateur transmitters. The available bandspace was radically cut overnight, and many transmitters and power supplies that were only a few years old had to be junked or rebuilt completely. If you think we have fast technology change today, compare a 1920 amateur station with a 1930 one - there's almost nothing from the former that was usable in the latter.
The second change was the stock market crash that led to the Great Depression.
It would seem logical that these two changes would spell big trouble for amateur radio, with many hams leaving the air and few newcomers appearing.
But the exact opposite happened. Thousands of new hams got licenses and got on the air. The number of US hams grew to over 46,000 in less than 5 years, almost tripling our numbers. There has never been a period of faster growth (percentagewise) in US amateur radio history.
The problem was that a lot of those Depression era newcomers had some difficulty keeping in conformity with the 1929 rules. Too many of them couldn't keep their signals and harmonics inside the bands, caused BCI from their key clicks, etc. They weren't "bad", they just didn't know any better, because they'd memorized just enough to pass the tests, and hadn't really spent much time with radio technology at all.
Often they'd taken too many shortcuts with their rigs in an effort to save money, and signal quality suffered.
There was also the problem of huge amounts of turnover in the amateur ranks. Many new hams would get a license, throw together a rig, get on the air and make some noise, then sell their setup and fade away. Sometimes it was due to money troubles, sometimes disappointment in the results they got, sometimes because of too many citations from Uncle Sam about their bad signals.
The problem was so bad that it threatened the existence of amateur radio. A ham signal or harmonic that trashed aircraft radio, press radio, military radio, etc., gave all of us a very black eye. QST and others had many articles on better rigs and methods, but the problems persisted.
The answer was to raise the license requirements. This would ensure a longer preparation period for new hams. The change proposed was to raise the code test speed from 10 to 12.5 wpm *and* to improve the written exam.
The idea was not to limit the total number of hams but to improve their qualifications and to slow down the flood of unqualified newcomers.
46,000 amateurs may not sound like a lot. But back then very few hams had selective receivers or really stable transmitters, and almost all amateur operation then was what we would call "split" today. Most 1936 hams were only on 160, 80, and/or 40 meters, and operated anywhere from several hours per week to several hours per day. The result was crowding, and wide/unstable signals only made it worse.
The FCC rounded the proposed 12.5 wpm to 13, and fixed up the written exams. The code speed increase is often remembered but the written exam changes and the reason behind it all are often forgotten.
73 es KC de Jim, N2EY
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Band Plans of 1941
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by AH6FC on January 11, 2007
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Nice piece, thanks.
Though our current situation with licensing may not be "bad," our ranks might be improved if similar standards still existed. Particularly in regards to the written examination requirements. I was licensed in 1968, shortly after one of the early rounds of "incentive" licensing. The fear generated by the need to sit down for an exam at the local FCC office, and face the cranky old guy with the black rim glasses, narrow black tie, and white short sleeve shirt was not a bad thing. I always had wished I lived far enough away to qualify for a conditional exam...so I wouldn't need to go to the FCC, but alas. Nowadays exams are certainly less intimidating and cognitive performance requirements are less demanding. Not always a good thing.
Anyway, thanks for the nice article. Thanks for pointing out the factual information and not going after the code/no-code differences.
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RE: Band Plans of 1941
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by W5TD on January 11, 2007
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"The idea was not to limit the total number of hams but to improve their qualifications and to slow down the flood of unqualified newcomers. "
Which wouldn't be a bad idea for the exam regulations of today either. Too bad we don't recognize that goal any longer.
73s John W5TD
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RE: Band Plans of 1941
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by WA2JJH on January 11, 2007
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Nice artical. Interesting. I do have a question. Was not all ham radio forbidden during WW2. How long was the ban?
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RE: Band Plans of 1941
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by KC8VWM on January 11, 2007
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Not that I was around at the time but here's what I found out.
In 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 and by 1942, there was about 15,000 Amateurs serving the US Military. But there is a WERS (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.
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.
Source: ARRL
73
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RE: Band Plans of 1941
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by W6TH on January 11, 2007
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.
All I can rememberis I was told to stop using ham radio at about 2:30 pm Sunday afternoon on December 7 1941.
I Then resumed my operation when I arrived home from China on Jan 11 1946 and built up a rig and back on the air a few weeks or months later. I went on 40 meters and the band was full of 40 meter AM phone stations.
.:
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RE: Band Plans of 1941
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by W5HTW on January 11, 2007
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<<Here is more of interest:
On the 160 meter band from 1.715 mc to 1.800 mc, there came a change and that change was these frequencies later became the police frequencies. So the 160 meter spectrum is what we now have today, 1.8 mc - 2.0 mc and no longer 1.715 - 2.0 mc.
It was fun to listen to the police in the morning while having that second cup of coffee.>>
Police HF radio was starting to disappear in the late 1950s but actually continued to some degree until the mid 1960s. Interstate police communications, such as records checks from one state to another, were handled largely by CW. One of the most popular CW transmitters used by police was the Collins 16F 500 watt CW/300 watt AM crystal controlled transmitter.
Our police ogranization still had, when I joined it in 1962, the HF Window antenna, and an NC183D receiver, but the transmitter was gone. We had gone to low=band VHF (46 mhz) FM. Most of our interstate work was now done by land line TTY, much of it direct, some of it by Telex. But we had a carrier system that covered a multi-state network, a voice system kept operational for emergencies. Each 8 hour shift we tested that system, but we never really passed any traffic on it after the early 1960s.
Base to mobile communication was HF voice on 1715 khz. Range was poor, as it was AM, with basically 160 meter mobile antennas. As police comm moved to VHF, the frequencies below 1800 khz became useful mostly for Civil Defense radio systems. I was a CD Radio Officer. Our station operated on 1775.5 khz, AM, with a Johnson Viking II and an SX71 receiver.
To RADIOGUY? Yes, one had to notify the FCC engineer if mobile or portable operation was intended outside of district. However, there was a minimum time limit. If the operation was to be temporary, under a few days, I think, (but I don't recall) no notification was required. If longer term mobile or portable operation was contemplated, one had to notify the FCC engineer in charge of the district one would be operating in, each 30 days, though if the operation would exceed six months, a single notification could be given for six month periods.
By the mid 1960s only one second station license was permitted, as one had to justify being at that location for six months of the year! That meant a maximum of two station licenses could be issued. In 1965 I held W1BXP as my primary in Mass., and WB4LNX as my secondary in Virginia. In the early 1970s, secondary station licenses went away for good.
During World War II operator licenses were issued but no station licenses were issued. Just this past week I went through checking on this for a friend of mine who is not sure if he was licensed in 1941 or in 1946. The first record of a call sign for him is 1946, but he may have been licensed in 1941 with an operator license. There appears to be no way of checking, and he can't remember.
Like Vito, I do not recall when "band plans" came into being. Band 'limits' were rules by the FCC when I came into amateur radio in 1956. Band segments were designated by rules, not by gentlemen's agreements. As a Novice I was permitted CW in the range 3700-3750, 7150-7200, 21100-21250 and 145-146. On 145-146 I could use AM phonem, or CW, MCW or FM.
There were two primary modes of operation - voice or CW. Some had RTTY but it was not awfully popular. Hence bandplans were not needed.
On 20 meters, 14150-14200 was the "foreign phone band," and US hams were not allowed on there except, of course, using CW.
Typically it took about nine weeks for the license to arrive in the mail, and no, you could not operate until the license was in your mitts!
There was a requirement that one had to hold a General or Advanced license for two years before one could even apply to take the Amateur Extra test. Neither Technician nor Conditional licenses qualified.
There was a requirement of three hours of on-air operation as shown in the log, in the last year of one's license term (five years back then) before one could renew a license. The Novice was not renewable, good for only one year. Once held, it could never be held again. I never knew anyone who was asked to show his log for renewal, but the requirement was there.
General, Advanced and Extra Class all had the same operating privileges. Until Incentive Licensing came into being in the late 1960s, no new Advanced licenses were being issued. With the arrival of Incentive Licensing, though, the Advanced was once again open, as a 'step' toward the Extra.
In the 1950s one could hold both a Novice and a Technician license (the later good for 5 years and renewable) at the same time. Since Technicians could not operate on two meters, and Novices could not operate on six meters, holding both licenses permitted one to operate on both six and two meters voice! It also gave one a five year foothold in ham radio during which time one could study and upgrade to General.
The Technician license was exactly that - a license issued to encourage experimentation on and development of the VHF and up frequencies. It was not an entry license, or a "gab" license, as it is today. The FCC had hoped Technician class hams would explore new technology in those still under-developed ranges of VHF into SHF.
Most hams of the era of the 50s and 60s had rather in-depth knowledge in areas of electronics theory. The reason was they had to repair their own equipment. There were very few places one could send a large AM/CW radio to get it repaired, and the cost would be prohibitive. So hams had to be self sufficient to be able to open up a broken radio and fix it, or get a buddy to help them fix it. This just automatically resulted in more basic electronics capabilities. We simply had no choice. (A lot of us had to do the same things with our cars, forcing us to learn auto mechanics as well!! For the same reasons!! )
And yes, the 21 mhz IFs for TVs were a problem for us, and a lot of us stayed off 15 meters for that reason. In the late 1950s the 21 mhz IF disappeared.
Ed
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RE: Band Plans of 1941
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by KB1SF on January 11, 2007
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Don (W8AD wrote): "…People complain that we have "dumbed down" ham radio. I think just the opposite is true…A person could not have been more "dumbed down" than I was! And remember, that was 1950. No, it was NOT a technical big deal then.
It was AFTER I got my license that I started to learn things with mentors and young ham buddies. I didn't know any more then than the "dumbed down" newbies that people complain about now in 2007. The key is to welcome the newbies, encourage them, and help them along after they get their tickets instead of being rude and sneering and saying "they should have known this or that". I had great help in 1950 because there didn't seem to be the flamers then, either on the air or in person. Compare the 1949/50 license manual to the newest ones and you'll find they are definitely "dumbed UP".
---------------------------
Dumbed up indeed.
In fact, while reading your and other's posts on the subject, it is becoming ever more clear to me that, prior to the time the ARRL (and their willing goons in the FCC) turned the Amateur Service in the United States into an instrument of national economic and social policy, Hams WERE largely left alone to be "self-trained".
However, that all seemed to change when the FCC (at the ARRL's obvious urging) launched their "No Budding RF Engineer Left Behind" foolishness (otherwise known as "incentive licensing") in the late 1950s…a mess that they now (thankfully) appear to be ever-so-slowly correcting one element at a time.
I would be interested to also learn what the Morse tests were like "back then". I remember taking my 13 WPM test in front of an FCC examiner in the late 1970s, and I do recall having to both send and receive. But, I can't remember whether the tests were scored based on so many minutes of solid copy or whether I had to answer a bunch of questions on content.
73,
Keith
KB1SF / VA3KSF
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Band Plans of 1941
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by K6YE on January 11, 2007
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W6TH (Vito),
I came along in the early 60's with my ticket and remember crystals. I had an Ameco AC-1, with a Hallicrafters S-85 receiver and then a National NC-300) and had 4 rocks for 40 meters, 3 for 80, and 1 for 15 meters. The Moscow Woodpecker was alive and well then and I remember putting graphite on the crystal face to "rubber" the frequency.
When I upgraded to general (novice license was good for one year and I operated only the DC bands), DX was plentiful below 7.025 MHz. Then license reform helped me to upgrade (had to hold a ticket for 2 years) to get the 40 meter DX back.
It took a long time for me to get on SSB as commercial equipment was very expensive on a light budget.
I have really enjoyed ham radio for 40+ years. I have every issue of QST (managed to get issues before 1962 free from a ham's estate) Thanks for memory lane walk.
Semper Fi,
Tommy - K6YE
DX IS
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RE: Band Plans of 1941
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by AC7CW on January 11, 2007
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Hi Vito
Yup, best thing about the Mojave Desert is plenty of room for antennas!! Now if we just had ground :) If I come east I will look you up for an eyeball QSO.
====================================================
Vito posted:
AC7CW Max,
We missed each other as I lived in Lancaster, CA. Came out east in May of 06. My antenna farm at Rosamond, CA.
Keep cool this coming Aug Max.
73, Vito W6TH
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RE: Band Plans of 1941
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by KC8VWM on January 11, 2007
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But, I can't remember whether the tests were scored based on so many minutes of solid copy or whether I had to answer a bunch of questions on content.
73,
Keith
KB1SF / VA3KSF
-------------------
Basically, it depended on whether or not you wore a tie, shaved or combed your hair the right way that day.
Then after sweating palms and the proverbial slippery CW keying experience, the FCC examiner at no particular time during the test would blurt out something like, "Alright...alright..., that seems good enough for me..."
...And that's how the west was won.
73
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RE: Band Plans of 1941
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by N2EY on January 11, 2007
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"I would be interested to also learn what the Morse tests were like "back then"."
They were very simple, at least at FCC offices.
The receiving test consisted of exactly 5 minutes of plain-language text, usually from a machine. FCC supplied a lined pad of paper and a pencil, and usually (but not always) headphones. You copied what was sent and when the code stopped, you put the pencil down and the examiner took the pad away. Typewriters were sometimes allowed for 20 wpm or if someone was disabled, but I never saw one used for a test.
In order to pass, the examiner had to find the required number of consecutive, correct, *legible* characters on your paper. No going back and fixing up or filling in after the code stopped. The examiner wouldn't ask you to explain what something on the paper was. No second chances, no alternate routes.
The first time I tried 13 wpm, the examiner could not find the required 65 consecutive, correct, *legible* characters on my paper. My "Palmer Method" longhand wasn't good enough for him. So I went home and taught myself to block print Signal-Corps style at 30 wpm, and to copy 18 wpm W1AW bulletins start to finish that way. Next try I passed easily.
If you passed the receiving, you had to send at the required speed with the FCC supplied straight key until the examiner was satisfied you knew what you were doing. Bugs and keyers were allowed *if* you supplied them, could hook them up to the FCC test setup easily and quickly, and if they were self-powered or you brought an extension cord. No keyboards, of course.
Try sending 20 wpm on a straight key with the FCC examiner listening and watching your every move, deciding if you have "the right stuff" to be an Extra.
And yes, people did fail the sending test.
There were some accomodations for the disabled, such as the use of Braille by blind hams or the use of a flashing light or fingers-on-the-speaker-cone for deaf hams. But the disability had to be obvious and well documented, and the accomodations were at FCC's discretion.
If you failed either part of the code test, you had to wait at least 30 days before you could try again.
If you passed the code test, you could try the written test (if required for the license you were attempting).
If you passed the code but failed the written, you had to wait at least 30 days and do the whole thing all over again. No CSCEs, no partial credit, no second chances or do-overs. The only way you got credit for a test element you passed is if it resulted in a new or upgraded license being issued.
One effect of all this, IMHO, is that most hams went to an FCC test session way overprepared, because it wasn't worth taking a chance on failing one part.
IMHO, a lot of the difference between the old and new tests isn't so much the test *content* (adjusted for technology) as the test *methods*. The old methods required you to perform in what was a high-stress environment for most hams.
73 de Jim, N2EY
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RE: Band Plans of 1941
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by AE6QF on January 11, 2007
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Eleven-eleven. We had the 27 Mc band for 11 years, starting in '47. One of the magazines sponsored a 'Save 11 meters contest' back in '57 or '58.
Sunspots. Boy did we have sunspots! One Sunday morning, I was tuning-up a crystal-controlled screen modulated 2E26 rig on 28.62 Mc using a 25 Watt bulb for a dummy load. The line to the bulb was about 3' of zip cord. A ham in Rhodesia heard me tuning-up and called me. At the time, I was a high school kid who'd just recently gotten rid of the letter N before the numeral in his callsign..
73, Quiet-Finger, AE6QF
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RE: Band Plans of 1941
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by WB2WIK on January 11, 2007
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>RE: Band Plans of 1941 Reply
by N2EY on January 11, 2007 Mail this to a friend!
"I would be interested to also learn what the Morse tests were like "back then"."
They were very simple, at least at FCC offices...<
::Like all hams licensed before the 1970's, I went through exactly the same thing you describe, as a 13 year-old kid. It wasn't scary, though. I looked forward to it, and it was "exciting," I'd say. My biggest worry was getting there, because the FCC office was in Manhattan and I lived ~20 miles away in New Jersey and had never been to NYC "on my own" before (without parents, or a teacher, or somebody older).
It was cool taking a bus to a train to a subway...I was so afraid of being "late" (the FCC office opened at 9:00 AM and did not take appointments, it was first-come, first served and if too many applicants showed up, you'd have to come back another time) that I arrived an hour and a half early and had to stand outside on the sidewalk in winter WX (about freezing, and snowing lightly) until the office opened.
To celebrate passing the General exam (code, written -- you had to take it all at the same sitting back then) I treated myself to a hot dog in Washington Square Park (close to the FCC office), spent $1.50 on that plus a Coke, and almost didn't have enough money left to get home.
I think it was GREAT doing it that way. The VE system is obviously more convenient, and maybe even "friendlier," but there's something special about the old way. Maybe it's just me.
WB2WIK/6
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Band Plans of 1941
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by N9VR on January 11, 2007
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Hi Vito
Thanks for that trip into history. Things always change. Or do they?
73 Hiram
Bill N9VR
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RE: Band Plans of 1941
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by W6TH on January 11, 2007
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Testing by the fcc for the class "B" very similiar to what has been posted; given just one minute of 13 words per minute with not missing a single character, having it to be in long hand and not printing. The FCC examiner then checked the solid copy and handed me a package and said to send on the straight key. I bursted at around 20 wpm, he stopped me and said ok. What I sent was from the package which was my 50 question test. He made me change seats to another with no one in front of me or on the sides or the back. I opened the package and in about one hour or 1 1/2 hours I completed the test. The FCC examiner came to the desk and took the paper test papers and said it is ok to go, but let me check your mailing address.
I can't think how it could all be memory when I had to calculate for capacitive reactance and another for inductive reatance when I had to show my math for the calculations. Memory doesn't work as who knows what capacity or inductance the test would supply. Questions were all AC and DC theory, Crystal frequency drift and the percentage. Much more math concerning Ohms law.
My testing for both the class "B" and "A" and the Extra were The Federal Building Washington Street New York City and my call letters came thirty days later and the call letters were W2OGH.
Yes, W2OGH at 15 years of age.
73, W6TH ex W20GH both non vanity calls.
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RE: Band Plans of 1941
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by WB2WIK on January 11, 2007
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>RE: Band Plans of 1941 Reply
by W6TH on January 11, 2007 Mail this to a friend!
My testing for both the class "B" and "A" and the Extra were The Federal Building Washington Street New York City <
::Exactly the same place I took the test. 641 Washington Street, on the West Side, just up from Washington Square Park in the Village. You could see the Hudson River out the windows of the FCC office on the 5th floor (or whatever floor it was -- it was high enough to have a good view). The examiner was a guy named Finkelman who smoked a stinky cigar and liked to leave all the windows open (that did help clear the air from smoke) in the middle of winter. The wind blowing in the windows would blow the yellow lined paper around -- the one we were supposed to "copy" on. And the tablet arm chairs dated back to the Crimean War. But it was fun!
WB2WIK/6
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RE: Band Plans of 1941
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by W6TH on January 11, 2007
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N9VR Bill
Just people change Hiram. Whether for the better or worse, people are people. Stay on the square om.
Harrison lodge 1093.
73 Bill
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RE: Band Plans of 1941
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by W6TH on January 11, 2007
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Steve I drove to the FCC as I had a learners permit and my dad let me drive his 1928 ford four door sedan. I also went for the drivers test and passed on my age 16, but could not drive after 6 pm. For the other tests I went with my Pontiac Fire Bird and passed the rest classes on the first try. Smart Kid you say? NAW, I just put more time in my studies. I studied until I dropped, that is how much I loved my ham radio. AMEN.
73
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RE: Band Plans of 1941
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by K4VVX on January 11, 2007
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Vito,
First of all, thank you for your service to our country. I was born in 1943 and am still a student of WWII history.
Secondly, I would like to thank you for posting this article. It is one of the best that I have seen in a long, long time. I remember back in 1960 when I had two borrowed crystals, 21.180kc and 21.240kc (actually 7.060 and 7.080). I spent many nights trying to wear them out, operating as Kn4VVX, a 16 year old kid. Thanks also for the nostalgia and the memories of "the way it was".
73,
Carl
Harmony #61
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Band Plans of 1941
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by AI2IA on January 11, 2007
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Another thanks to Vito, W6TH! I believe that everyone looking at the Band Plans from 1941 finds them interesting. Sometimes it is very good to look at the past. It helps us appreciate the present and to see where it all come from. - Ray, AI2IA
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RE: Band Plans of 1941
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by W6TH on January 11, 2007
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Thanks Carl. In high school I majored in History and my favorite is American history, from the landing on the Plymouth Rock to the year 2007 and beyond. I don't know how I wound up in electronics, but must have been just a challange as a guess. I thank you and many others that have supported this grand memory post. It turned out better than my expectations and was good for all.
73, Vito
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RE: Band Plans of 1941
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by W6TH on January 11, 2007
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Yes Ray, I thought it was time to have the shootout and what we old timers did to keep it going for others to join and appreciate. Not many of us around so it is up to others to keep it going and the best part is all of the good antenna and designs we now have left behind. Thanks.
73, Vit0 W6TH.
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