The AM Forum

From the ARRL web site:
"ARRL Presents New Membership Benefit
With just a mouse click or two, ARRL members can now access the online QST magazine archive. This new benefit -- a service of the ARRL Technical Information Service (TIS) -- provides PDF copies of all QST articles from December 1915 through December 2004, enabling members to view and print their favorite article, project or advertisement. For many years, the TIS has provided members with assistance researching ARRL periodicals and publications, as well as providing members and non-members with article reprints for a small fee. Access to the new online digital QST archive is free for ARRL members"



For more info, see http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2008/09/09/10322/?nc=1

Give it a try -- fantastic!

Thanks for the tip, that wasn't there yesterday...

Just another way the ARRL makes they world a better place.

I remember sitting in the Enoch Pratt Free Library ( D town Baltimore ) pre internet days. circa 19 and 78 or so.  I saw they had QST's, and you'd write down the month and year you wanted, and some clerk would bring them to you, maximum 10 at a time  so I wrote down some 50''s, then 30's, then some 20's, not expecting I'd get any. I got all of them.

Read them for a few hours, then asked the clerk how far back they went. He said 1915. So I ordered up Issue #1 with the blue cover, and this was not the 1960(?) reprint. It had two autographs in it on the inside front cover - both Maxim's and Tuska's. Some others too, but I didnt know them.

It was in close to new condition. All of them were. I wonder if that 1st issue is still there, or did someone who knew what it was get the 5 finger discount on it? I bet you cant get the actual magazines anymore. What's a mint condition Issue 1 of QST signed by TOM and Tuska worth these days?

Imagine the size of that data base, Time in Archiving,..Proofing...Somebody was a Busy Bee, Earned their Paycheck that's for sure...

It's a Good Move and About time.....

(In infomercial voice)
But wait, there's more!
If you call right now, we'll throw in not, not two, but 89 years of QST...and a chance to get your very own personal high quality scans!


"Need a higher quality reprint or scan? Some of the scans contained within the periodical archive were produced with older imaging technology. If you require a higher quality reprint or scan, please contact the ARRL Technical Information Service for assistance. Photocopies are $3 for ARRL members, $5 for nonmembers. For members, TIS can send the photocopies immediately and include an invoice. Nonmembers must prepay. The availability of past articles from QST is a great membership benefit that will save a nonmember $5 just by joining ARRL. Details are available on the ARRL TIS page or email photocopy@arrl.org."

Bruce:

Thanks for the head's up.

I checked it out and golly it works!

I remember in my young days going to the library at the University of New Orleans and spending an hour or so before doing homework looking through all the old bound issues of QST. A great past time. Now I am slowly collecting the series. I did have most of them, but sold them during a move and now regret it. paper is best, but the ARRL now has provided a great research tool. Note they kept the copyright.

Thanks!

73,
Dan
W1DAN
Dan

Bruce,
 TNX for the tip, and as a result, the league has  an on again/ off again member back on! This service is well worth the 39 bux all by itself. Also as an added bonus, I now have a fresh monthly supply of bird cage lining!  ;)

Mike, W2ZE

Hi Mike!

Good to hear from you OM, hope you're setting in well in the new homestead.

I missed seeing you and your dad at the AWA Conference, had a nice time, but many of the "regulars" who spiced it up were missing.

I understand and appreciate the bird cage comment, personally I'm done with the current QST in under 15 minutes, just not enough to catch my interest there.  :(
Then again, I understand, and do think the League is trying.
I rely on Electric Radio, and increasingly, the AWA Journal for my vintage gear.

Yes Bruce, good to hear from you again. Kim and I are settling in nicely to MD, and I hope to be back on AM by October.

The AWA journal has been the best kept secret for years. If you can get your hands on some of the earlier years, well worth the effort. Also, the AWA reviews provide some of the most valuable sources of radio history. In certain circles, people are collecting these and the first editions are becoming very hard to find since they are now out of print.

I thought about everyone, and remember some of the great times my OM and I had at them, especially when BK was alive. I have been following your saga with the Gross tx's with interest. My OM and I scored one at an AWA conference and restored it as well. Its a CP-25, and I remember John 'FPZ was going to get us some labels for the coil forms (he had some printed special for his restorations), but things fell through the cracks, and now I wish I had.

Well, off to print some more Ross Hull articles about building a "1929 type signal"!

Mike

Yes and yes on the OTB and Reviews.
The writing is top notch, great reference material.

Ah, yes, Gross Radio.
I've had a blast with the rigs, and the replica one that John built for Marshall won two blue ribbons at this year's Conference.
John had graciously gifted me with the rig last summer, and I spent the fall and winter restoring it.
Was all apart, powder coated, and even got it back together again.
My one regret was that John passed 1 month before I finished it in April of this year.
You'll hear it on A1A this winter, just need to build some sort of period appropriate T/R system, like a big knife switch!

Mike, I've got the Gross labels for you!
You can find them on my website, see -->> www.w1ujr.net/gross_coil_labels.htm
I had a graphic design friend make them up, all you need to do is print out and use rubber glue to secure to the coil form.
They are identical to the NOS labels, Paul even added some "patina" so they look like they are 75 years old.

FYI, I ended up with the 1FPZ Gross archive, so if you need data or info on winding, schematics, etc. let me know.
Most of the Gross info is up on my website, www.w1ujr.net/gross_radio_company.htm, and I'm adding more as time permits.

Glad to hear that you're settling in down south.
My mother's family is from the D.C. area, and I spent many a summer on the waters off Annapolis.
There is a good chance I'll be down there next summer for a visit, so I'd like to look you up.

Please tell you dad hello for me, saw him last Christmas when visiting with K2VH.
I'll look for you on the air, getting the 160m set up going now.

-Bruce

Excellent on the labels, OM!
Thanks for the info and resources, I will put them to use.

OK, no problem, feel free to look me up when you get down here. I will be building another oscillator once I get the station up and running, probably for 40 meters. I will be getting the 80 meter TPTG on soon as well. I would get to it sooner, but it now looks like I have a r 390a rstoration project coming up (my OM's I brought down with me when I visited Upstate last).

Hope to work you pre war to pre war soon OM, untill then, ditdit

 ::) ::) ::)

Dude, gimme a call, lets put that antenner up.  THen lets descend on Derb and set him up too.  The season fast be approachin and I presume you're gonna be busy harvesting Bambis for a while too.

Antenner's been up since august. Woke up one morning, and decided to just get r done. All of the iron is re-located, and last weekend wired up the legal limit mini maul (HF300x 805's). i will be flying out to Austin, Tx for work this week, and back next weekend. Anytime da Derb wants us over, is fine with me.

As far as hunting goes....
We'll maybe next year. Maryland in thier infinite wisdom has deemed that even though I went and passed a hunter safety course in NYS, and have been hunting since I was 14, I need to pass thier hunter safety course before I can be licensed in Maryland. That means next year I will be sitting in a room at some mildewy smelling conservation club with zit faced 14 year olds who will be starring at me wondering why some bald old fart like me would be taking this class.

Once I get back from my travels, I'll PM or call ( I swear! ), and maybe we can rally a crew over to Derb's and get those Gonshit mauls swingin'!

Get a haircut and clothing like Ed Gein, and give 'em a real crazy glare Mike. Then in their minds you'll become the crazy bald old fart with a gun, stalking them in the woods.  ;D  I haven't held a license since the early/mid 80s, so I'm in the same boat.

FB on the new ant, and it was good meeting you at Slab's pharty. Looking forward to being on the air soon myself from the mid-Atlantic region with such a fine, strapping AM community. Finishing up the 'radio load' today for the next trip down to NC. House is getting empty (I know that'll be hard for some to believe, but it's true).

hay,

now that I can spend more time at home I'm getting more done. It's hard to get anything done when you only spend one full day of the week at home. I'm back to being insured and off the full time seizure watch.  Let me drill the holes for the W7FG antenna thru the wall and finish wiring up Maul #1 - wife is going away to a grooming convention and my dad will be up this weekend.  Then doctors appt. on Monday  to get a new MRI scheduled. I need to clear that, it's real important.

There's really not that much to do.  Should be able to advise clear weekend soon...plan on eating at the track for buffet lunch.....

 8)

Hey Johnny...

Great job on hijacking this thred!

Speaking of Tuska, Clarence Tuska interviewed me for my job as an electrical engineer with the RCA Laboratories in Princeton in 1949. I had no resume for him to review, but we talked mainly about ham radio. He was impressed that I knew about his involvement with Atwater Kent Radio in the 1920's, as well as his being the founder of QST and co-founder of the ARRL. I stayed with RCA until I retired in 1980.

Walt, W2DU

Walt, did you know Lawrence Boyer, he worked in the RCA labs at Camden NJ from just after the war until sometime in the '70s.
After retiring Larry and his wife the moved to Myrtle Beach SC. He was a good friend of mine and our club. We auctioned off his collection a few years ago at the Charlotte show.
He had some amazing stuff stashed away in the attic.
He and Betty were really fine folks.

73, Ron w4ron

Not true. You can also search by month and year. So, if you want to see a list of all the articles in March 1917 QST, you put 1917 in the Year Box and highlight March in the Month Box. The "continued on another page" issue is being addressed. When you find one like that, send them an e-mail and point it out.

It is a Start an it's About time ...Let the information Flow that's the whole Idea isn't it....Myself, I've been waiting on this...

I know it takes Time and I understand that...and I Respect that..But get it Done...I'm Tired of Snail Mail...

I'm not sure how the QST archives affect you jack unless you've recently became a member.  Please tell us if you're now a card-carrying ARRL member. Actually, I view the posting of the  QST archives as more of market strategy to provide even more "value-added" pluses to the "being a member" column rather the "information flow that's the whole idea" scenario. Most, if not all, of the QST archives on CD's, are no longer distributed by the ARRL, and probably wasn't worth expense to request another batch in volume from the manufacturer. The "search" function on the CD's left a lot to be desired in the way of convenience and the original groups of 11 CD sets (1915-1994) sold for around $440, which comes out to $40 a set. For $39, you can become an ARRL member and reap the benefits of the QST archives, including light years better search functions, and all the other many membership pluses. I expect to see a nice upward hit in membership with this most recent membership bonus. I wouldn't be surprised to see even more memberships benefits in the near future.

I don't understand the logic there Pete...

This is the internet...

All those CDs are available for free....

Along with the QEX CDs, and Ham Radio Magazine.

Bootleg copies are floating around all over.
Just find them and download.

Why would someone pay to become a member, JUST to download these articles?

Oh I suppose there will be those few who "wouldn't feel right" about it, and pay for it....

But I don't see this as enough to push many folks over the edge and becoming members.

I understand Pete, and that's great..

 They'll stand a Better Chance of getting alot of us back with these type of ideas, getting more things available on the net..Stuff we need and use....it's 2008 for crying out loud...and I don't mean that as a Smarty Either...there's alot of the league information i use..especially for my Microwave stuff and I'm never going to stop building there...matter of fact i'm even more motivated now than I ever was..I don't know why...it just is...

 Now today i put Two Antennas, finished up the PSK system for the Satellite system, i also built this past week that Software Science PSK Monitor system, neat little thing...don't take up much room...and it's an Auto run device, turn it on and let it go...it'll keep the system from splattering... Finished the Interface that's done.. The 813 machine is just about complete..Modulator is waiting on Parts....I'll be all band all mode again...I got things i wana do now get finished up.....the beacons are all done for UHF and Microwave...

 I never had a problem supporting the league Pete...My issues were, well, you know,  we'll let it go for now... "No More Arguing from me"...I'm done with that...

 I got things I wana do..and I need them just as much as they need me...and that's the way it shud be,... always...I'm Done....

73 jack.

I looked at the page on the ARRL members-only website.  I thought it was a little confusing.  I didn't tarry on the website page for long, but I noticed that they mention something about articles from QEX and NCJ as well.  Have they also posted complete searchable archives of QEX as well as QST?  From what I was able to find, no.

I tried searching the QEX index, but each item stated:  "This item is not available for download by members".

This gives me the same gripe as I have about putting all the technical stuff in QEX to begin with.  Why is all the QST drivel of the past decade or so, but not the good technical stuff, available to paying  members for download?