Evening star., 1936-06-13
By Alice Rita DeaSy.

r EARRINGS on radio wave length
IL ALLEGATION beginning June Is
at the Federal Communica-
Il tions Commission, may mean
a crisis for amateur radio in the
United States. Americas hams"
heroes of a hundred disasters, un-
known explorers of the short-waveS
and inventors Of a thousand trans
mission Improvements, fear they may
lose some more of their frequently
curtailed territory. Perhaps the MEM
ory of their invaluable services. eS-
pecially during the recent floods, Is
still fresh enough to speak for them
amid the chorus Of powerful COM
mercial demands.
More than 10000 amateurs operate
some $4,000 federally licensed stations
in the United States. There are 500
in nearby Maryland, 400 in Virginia
and 200 in the District of Columbia.
The amateurs story goes back to
the very beginning or radio. Marconi
himself proudly claims place among
them. Around 1900 the great mans
experiments were far enough advanced
to make trial of trans Atlantic COM
munication. Many radio enthusiasts
were able TO listen with him on their
home-built stations for the historic
three dots that meant successful
transmission of the letter S from a
crude apparatus in England.
Amateur scientific contributions,
adventures and services filled the sue
ceeding three decades. Rag chew
ing hams" were holding long-distance
conversation long before there were
any radio laws. In 1912 the public
was beginning to awaken to the vast
commercial possibilities of air COM
munication. Congress passed the first
bill allocating wave lengths. The law
recognized amateurs but provided that
their activities be confined to the use
less" field below 200 meters.
Hams set about to make the best
of their bad bargain. Their expert
ments soon proved, however. that
short-wave lengths were not only not
worthless but the most valuable on
the air. Short-wave radio was born
as they explored with their home
made sets. Amateurs pioneered on
down through the 80. 40, 20 and 10
meter bands. "a band" refers to the
region adjacent to the designating
number; the 16Ometer band means
the 155-165-meter wave lengths. Nom
professionals discovered that short
wave lengths we're unequalled for long
distance communication. Today some
1000 amateurs have WACs, records
of having talked with all continents.
There is probably no terrestrial
space untracked by amateur waves"
ENGINEERS said ultra-high fire.
~ quencies could not be worked.
Self-trained experimenters spurred by
enthusiasm for radio kept trying in
their basement and attic workshops.
They were so successful that the police
adopted ultra-high frequencies for de-
partmental communication. TeleviSion
will use these tyro-developed fields
when it is brought into general use.
Hams are now exploring still Storter
waves. Several Washington amateurs
have made important contributions in
this study.
Non-commercial zest has resulted
In important contributions to radio
knowledge. Directly or indirectly
nearly every important development
in radio has proceeded from amateur
efforts" From their ranks have come
much of the skilled personnel of the
new industry.
Experimenting all night, pinching
pennies to save for new equipment.
rebuilding apparatus time after time
are part of the amateurs code. Yet
there is a light social side to their
activity. BY casually turning the dial
of your all-wave radio set you can
head them chatting almost any time.
Calling CO, calling CO and standing
by" they viii say. This Is the invi-
tation of one Old Man. "opeartor"
to the animated, to another ham to
join him in conversation or a rag
chew" as they call it. Your broad
caster may be anyone from a pre-
cocious 8-year-old Schoolboy to an
S0-year-old bed-ridden graybeard. The
next station worked" may be ten
mis- star, a truck-driver or an eminent
surgeon relaxing after gruelling hours
in the operating room. Lonely house
wives, shut-ins, taxi-drivers and re-
tired stockholders meet in the CANA
darie of casual converse via the air.
A mechanic and a SfNgyman call
each other by their fifames. The