Arlington Bell, 2AAC

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

With the recent Old QSL card talk, I thought folks might find the following interesting.

It's a 1921 Provisional Amateur Radio License for 2AAC, a 20 year old Arlington Bell of Yonkers, NY. Some will remember that Yonkers was also the home of C.R. Runyan 2AG along with Major Edwin Howard Armstrong. What a neighborhood to play radio in! Bell also shows up prior to this date in the 1920 Dept of Commerce Radio Division listing of Amateur Stations on pg 68. That's as far back as I've checked.

Aside from the blue "EXPIRED" stamp across the front is also a warning about types and times of transmissions allowed. Along with Power; Transformer Input are included the antenna type along with its height above ground.

Also interesting is the xxxxing out of options like one or one half kilowatt. The footnotes explain more.

From a recent re-read of 200 Meters and Down by DeSoto I remember mention of certain special licenses being issued to allow use of different frequencies than normal for furthering the radio art. The change to frequency use seems to point to this. And the fact that the date of issue is roughly two weeks after the first successful Transatlantic reception tests really sets the stage historically.

And then there's the stamp of Herbert Hoover in place of the blacked out name Edwin F. Sweet, Assistant Secretary of Commerce. IIRC, Hoover or his son was also involved with National Radio later on.

Unfortunately my scanner couldn't handle the full length document, so it's in two shots. But in .jpeg format, it's easy to enlarge for easy reading. Should've scanned the back as well, showing the faded red NY Customs House stamp.

[Bill, KD0HG]

That is so very cool, thanks for sharing!
I am currently operating on a wavelength of 160 meters...

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Wow, you'd be something approaching Low VHF back then? 

Re-sized the shots so they're a bit more reader-friendly.

[W1UJR]

Neat artifact!

But...No TX between 8 and 10:30PM?
Prime radio hours...

[W2XR]

Hoover's son, Herbert Hoover, Jr., was a very active radio amateur, and was a former president of the ARRL. I can't seem to recall his call, but a quick look through an earlier QST would provide that information. It was a two-letter W6 call, if I recall correctly.

I did not know that Hoover, Jr. was (possibly) associated with the National Radio Company.

73,

Bruce

[W1UJR]

Good catch Bruce, found this gem "James Millen (amateur radio call sign W1HRX) in Massachusetts was in charge of the mechanical design. According to several accounts, Herbert Hoover, Jr. (amateur radio call sign W6ZH), son of US President Herbert Hoover, and Howard Morgan (of Western Electric) designed the electronics in Hoover's garage in Pasadena, California." - no direct attribution - but if it's on Wikipedia it must be true...:-)

Interestingly enough, in this months' QST, N4TRB has an article about the early HRO and repeats that very claim about Hoover. Actually, Barry Williams, in his excellent series on the HRO mentions it as well. Too late to ask Jim Millen, but if its any consolation, I bought two receivers from Barry, he is a pretty straight shooter.
http://www.io.com/~nielw/HRO_BarryWilliams/HROArticle.htm

Say, wasn't there also an award or cup offered by Hoover for some high form of radio achievement? (like perfectly restoring TMC gear)  

The award I'd really like to see would be "Elser-Mathes Cup” which was to be awarded to the first Amateur Radio two-way communications between Earth and Mars.  The trophy is on display at the ARRL Museum where it’s been since 1929 waiting to be claimed!

[W2XR]

Hello Bruce & Don,

Bruce, a belated best wishes for a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year to you OM, and to your new bride Nancy!

Yeah, I wish there was an award for restoring TMC equipment, but I don't think there are too many of us out there engaged in this effort. I think it is more a labor of love than anything else. But like the fine gear you have restored, and as you well know, the end result makes it all worth it. I recently completed the full restoration of an SP-600 JX-28 (R-620/FRR); it is the only one I have ever seen. I should shoot some pix of it and send them up to you, along with those of the restored GPT-750D-2.

That Hoover award would not by chance be the annual award that GE gave to an amateur for some sort of public service or technical achievement back in the 1950s, would it?

Don, same best wishes to you and to yours!

Hoover, Sr., if I recall correctly, was a mining engineer by training. I can't remember how he got into politics; it may have had something to do with the existing laws and legislation concerning mining rights of that era, etc. And yes, he was a brilliant man and a true humanitarian, and was in my opinion,  unfairly saddled with the lasting legacy of creating the Great Depression. So much so, that the Hoover Dam was for a time renamed the Boulder Dam, although Hoover was instrumental in moving that major water control project forward in the early 1920s. He really did acquire a bad rap.

I think we may be hijacking this thread; if so, I apologize to Todd. End of my input on Hoover & TMC, etc.,  and back to the topic originally posted. We can discuss Hoover and the other topics off-line, if you wish, or start a new topic.

73,

Bruce

[W1UJR]

Good point on hijacking the thread, sorry about that, not the intent but I see my chatty post was going there.

I suggest we start a "Interesting, Weird and Odd Radio" thread some time...much to talk about, including the Maxim, Hoover and Gernsback awards/cups, etc.

Send over the pics.
The same best wishes back to you OM from Nance and I.

Out.

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Nah, I'm not thin-skinned. It's a hobby, not a lifestyle for me. A dose of the usual self-promotion and mutual back slapping might be considered a bit off the beaten path, but I don't think it rises to the level of a thread hijack. At least there was a radio mentioned in there somewhere, and Ted Nugent didn't show up.

Millen and the HOR-turned-HRO was indeed the Hoover reference I was trying to remember. After decades of cramming volumes of radio trivia and otherwise-needless details into the gray matter, I find it's not always where I left it when retrieval time comes. At least when an old paper document surfaces, the details are still crisp and accurate. More than I can say for my memory some days.

I'm just waiting for Ralphie to show up and tell us he used to drink with this 2AAC guy from wooden kegs dropped off by the beer wagon, hauled down the street by a team of Clydesdale or Percheron.  

[Steve - K4HX]

Yea, but did any of them ever win the AM Transmitter Rally?

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Heh, NO! They didn't have plug-n-play back then, so just getting on the air was a corntest of sorts and deserved a trophy!

I love the ant description, right down to the height. And the reminder in blue ink at top of when and what wasn't okay to transmit, including "...nor Sunday mornings during church services, and is not authorized to broadcast news, music, lectures, sermons, and any other form of entertainment".

Clear proof that 75m as we know it had yet to be invented.

[Mike/W8BAC]

Say, wasn't there also an award or cup offered by Hoover for some high form of radio achievement?

Bruce, I think I have some information at home regarding the hoover cup. Seems to me W6AM Don Wallace received the cup in the late 20's or early 30's. I have at least two references to it. I'll look it up when I get home and post here if it's important.

[Mike/W8BAC]

Here is a clue. http://hamgallery.com/qsl/country/USA/California/w6am3.htm At the bottom of the card. Hoover Cup Winner 1923. I think the Hoover Cup award is detailed in Don Wallace's biography. More later.

Mike

[W1UJR]

That's cool Mike, thanks!

I mentioned to Bruce W2XR that we might want to open up another thread on this, so I've started such a thread, entitled "Weird, Interesting, and Odd Radio Awards", see http://amfone.net/Amforum/index.php/topic,26277.msg198198.html#msg198198

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Looking for more info on 2AAC and the Transatlantic tests, I came across the Radio Club of America site with some great info and photos from the day:

http://www.radioclubofamerica.org/history.php?page=1921.html

Armstrong and the gang at 1BCG are shown at the top. Godley with the receiver gear in Scotland is shown below.


More on Godley, the original 2ZE:

http://www.amateurradio.eu/gm/silent-keys/2ze-paul-godley.html


And here's the actual site where Godley set up the receiving equipment for the Dec '21 tests.

http://wikimapia.org/12376954/First-Transatlantic-Amateur-Radio-Reception-site

Kinda neat to be able to see the actual site from the air, especially since it appears nearly untouched from the day it was used in 1921.

[W2XR]

With the recent Old QSL card talk, I thought folks might find the following interesting.

It's a 1921 Provisional Amateur Radio License for 2AAC, a 20 year old Arlington Bell of Yonkers, NY. Some will remember that Yonkers was also the home of C.R. Runyan 2AG along with Major Edwin Howard Armstrong. What a neighborhood to play radio in! Bell also shows up prior to this date in the 1920 Dept of Commerce Radio Division listing of Amateur Stations on pg 68. That's as far back as I've checked.

If I am not mistaken, Runyan was the original founder of REL (Radio Engineering Laboratories). Frank Gunther, W2ALS, became president of REL sometime in the 1920s or the 1930s, and it was Gunther who was really responsible for the phenomenal growth of the company, and their major focus of bringing FM technology (as developed by Armstrong) to the market. Armstrong always enjoyed a very close relationship with REL, up to the time of his unfortunate death in January of 1954. REL then went on to develop long-haul UHF and S-band FM and digital troposcatter links for commercial and military users, and this became their core business from the 1960s until the demise of the company in the late 1980s.

Gunther's wife, Lillian, was also an accomplished radio amateur in her own right. I have seen Lillian's QSL card from the 1930s (I can't recall her W2 call at this time) with her photo on it, and she was a very attractive woman who frequently operated on 5 meters/VHF during that time, which was a major achievement considering the then current state of the radio art.

It must have been quite amazing to be involved with radio and electronics back then.

73,

Bruce

[W2XR]

Here is Lillian Gunther's (W2FQD) QSL from the 1930s, for those so interested. It is dated 1936, and confirms a contact made on 56 Mhz.

73,

Bruce

[K1JJ]

I'll bet Hiram had the hots for Lillian back in 1936.

[W2XR]

I'll bet Hiram had the hots for Lillian back in 1936.

Probably, and a lot of other hams as well.  

73,

Bruce

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Not sure which is more amazing - Hiram's Mohawk or the amount of activity on 6m back then. I bet there are folks out there who wish for a similar amount of enthusiasm today.

Of course, back in the day there wasn't quite as much to choose from, and if the 2006 bandwarming party was any indication - it was big deal to get 6m access back then.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Not sure which is more amazing - Hiram's Mohawk or the amount of activity on 6m back then. I bet there are folks out there who wish for a similar amount of enthusiasm today.

Of course, back in the day there wasn't quite as much to choose from, and if the 2006 bandwarming party was any indication - it was big deal to get 6m access back then.

It was 5 meters back then. 6 meters didn't materialize until March 17, 1946.

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Good point, Pete. And 2m was actually 2.5 or 1.5 when it came along? Not up on my early VHF stuff at all.

What's amazing by today's standards is to see the tests being perfromed back during the time that 2AAC's license expired being referred to as 'shortwave'. Of course, in comparison to the bands at 200m and below, it surely was. But compared to our bands today, 160 is the lowest frequency band (not including the group experimenting below the BCB).

Amazing how progress changes our view of things.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Good point, Pete. And 2m was actually 2.5 or 1.5 when it came along? Not up on my early VHF stuff at all.

What's amazing by today's standards is to see the tests being perfromed back during the time that 2AAC's license expired being referred to as 'shortwave'. Of course, in comparison to the bands at 200m and below, it surely was. But compared to our bands today, 160 is the lowest frequency band (not including the group experimenting below the BCB).

Amazing how progress changes our view of things.

2.5 meter band created in 1938. During the war years, it was occupied by the War Emergency Radio Service (WERS). In 1945, the band was moved to its present 2 meters. 1.25 meters is the 222 MHz band.

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Thanks, Pete. Figured you'd know. I've got the old Jone VHF handbook from around the same time, packed away, of course. Rather amazing to think that the 20 year old listed on the 2AAC license was already 37 years old at this point, 40 when war broke out.

Finally had a chance to scan the NY Customs House stamp on the back of the license. Had to mess with the contrast and brightness a tad to get it to show up better as it's quite faded. I know many a-ham who took their license exams at a Customs House. Guys in 1 Land had to drive all the way to Boston. Guess you'd better be sure to study a lot beforehand.

[wx3k]

Very nice card. I like the portrait picture !

Here is Lillian Gunther's (W2FQD) QSL from the 1930s, for those so interested. It is dated 1936, and confirms a contact made on 56 Mhz.

73,

Bruce