The World of Ham Radio, 1901-1950: A Social History »

Richard A. Bartlett, professor emeritus of Florida State University, lives in Tallahassee.

During the first fifty years of the twentieth century, ham radio went from being an experiment to virtually an art form. Because of the few government restrictions and the low monetary investment required, the concept of ham radio appealed to various people. More than just a simple hobby, however, ham radio required its operators to understand radio theory, be able to trace a schematic and know how to build a transmitter and receiver with whatever material they might have available. With the advent of World War II and the increased need for cutting-edge communications, the United States government drew upon the considerable knowledge and skill of these amateur ham radio operators, validating the fact that ham radio was here to stay.
This book explores the history of ham radio operators, emphasizing their social history and their many contributions to the technological development of worldwide communications. It traces the concept of relays, including the American Radio Relay League, from contacts as close as 25 miles apart to operators anywhere in the world. The book highlights the part played by ham radio in many of the headlined events of the half century, especially exploration and aviation "firsts". The ways in which these primarily amateur operators assisted in times of disaster including such events as the sinking of the Titanic and the 1937 Ohio River flood, are also examined.

Acknowledgments     vii
Introduction     1
The Beginnings     5
Hiram Percy Maxim and the Relay Concept     24
Amateurs During the First World War     40
Amateurs Between War and Peace     53
Surviving the Broadcast Revolution     64
Relays, DX-ing, Strange Languages, and Clubs     80
Amateurs as Experimenters and Adventurers     101
The Olympics, World's Fairs, Trans Radio Press Service, and International Radio Conferences     116
Adventurous Amateurs at Sea and in the Air     130
More Amateurs and Aircraft: The NC-4, Byrd, the Dolebirds, the Lindberghs, and Others     140
Amateurs and Polar Exploration: Phase One     154
Amateurs and Polar Exploration: Phase Two     169
To the Rescue: Amateurs in Emergencies and Disasters     181
Amateurs on the Home Front: 1940-1945     200
Amateurs at War and Beyond: 1941-1950     211
Epilogue     231
Morse Code Alphabet     237
Q Signals and Other Abbreviations     238
Common Abbreviations in Amateur Morse Code     240
Chapter Notes     241
A Bibliographic Essay     261
Index     273