Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-20
NAVY ORGANIZING
AMATEUR STATIONS
Network of "HamS" Is Being
Divided Into 9 Army
Corps Districts.
BY MARTIN CODEL.

Army radio amateurs of the 4th Corps
Area, with headquarters in Atlanta,
were at their post when the Southern
rivers rose suddenly last week and they
will continue to maintain radio watches
for possible emergency calls from the
food areas of Alabama. Georgia and
Florida. The wire communications
situation. however. appears to be well
in hand. and their services have not
been in demand so far.
The hams" of the Army network did
woman service during the Mississippi
and Vermont floods and the Florida
hurricane, of recent memory. The fact
that they are on the Job again illustrates
their actual and potential value in times
of stress. 1t also calls attention TO the
plan of reorganizating the Nationwide
network of Army amateurs that has
Just been undertaken by the War De-
partment
The primary purpose of the reorgan-
ization is to have a complete system OF
civilian amateurs disciplined to military
efficiency and working and training like
the Army's field network. About fifteen
hundred of the country's eighteen thou
sand hams" have certificates In their
radio rooms that designate them as
Army amateurs. which means that they
have been selected to be part OF the
net because of their expert ability and
their strategic location.
Work in Districts.
Under the new plan of operation,
which went into effect March l, each of
the nine Army Corps Areas has been
districted into the States it comprises.
Each State is divided into approximate
ly five districts. Each district COM
prises a network of the Army amateurs
within it.
Thus, where formerly all the Army
"hams" within the corps area worked
headquarters direct, they now work
district clearing station, which, in turn,
works a principal or alternate station
established in each State capital. The
State capital stations communicate di-
rectly with the corps area headquarters
stations at Boston, New York. Balti-
more, Atlanta, Columbus, Chicago,
Omaha. San Antonio or San Francisco,
depending upon the corps area that
embraces their respective States.
The key station of the whole network
Is 2-CXL of the Army Signal School at
Fort Monmouth, N. j. 1t can set up
communication at a moments notice
with any one Of the corps area head
quarters stations. 1t is to the Army
ington, is to the Army's transconti-
nenetal network of radio stations. or
NAA, Arlington, is to the Nays system
of radio.
Drills Held Weekly.
Drills are conducted every Monday
night by the amateurs in the net. Reg
ular traffic is usually carried, and re-
ports are filed with the corps area sig
nal command. Efficiency Is the key
note, and the progress already reported
indicates that the country will be ade-
quately covered by system Of wireless
communications that can be called into
play whenever and wherever a war or
police emergency may occur.
The Army amateur network was in
stituted three years ago by Gen. Charles
McSaltzman, now retired, then chief
of the Army Signal Corps. Keen inter-
est in the furtherance of the system
has been manifested by his successor,
Gen. G. S. Gibbs, ever since he took
Office. Maj. D. NJ. Crawford is in ac-
tive charge of the training division of
the Signal Corps, under which the
amateur activities come.
Perhaps the most graphic Illustration
OF the work ever done by the Army
amateurs was furnished during the
Florida hurricane. Ralph Dana, who
operated Station 4-ACF at West Palm
Beach, Fla. set up radio contact direct
ly with Washington. D. c., when all
other lines Of communication we're
down. A young fireman who operates
a radio station as hobby, Dana for
several days handled all the messages
for the stricken zone that cleared to
and from the War Department and Red
Cross and he assisted greatly In ex-
pediting relief measures.
Copyright, 1929. by North American News
paper Allianee.l.