Some little known history of Ham Radio

 

From Steve Sizemore

June 25th 2017

 

Hey Paul!

 

I was doing some research today to further both my knowledge of Ham radio operations for August license testing and to compile information for the communications plan I am writing for my chapter.  In that research, I found an absolute gem of a document published by the FCC during May of 1943. As I believe you like American history as I do, I have attached a PDF copy from the FCC website for you on this email.  I’m almost tempted to print and frame this for hanging in my office, and I may do just that!

 

http://www.fm2way.com/fcc1943.pdf

 

We both know of course, that this document was made during the years of World War II, and that 1943 was a year when victory for our country didn’t look promising. From everything I have read in terms of after action reports by battlefield commanders and like information (I focused on this part of history during college for my minor in American history), we were pretty much getting our butts handed to us on all fronts!

 

What makes this document relative to us however, is how much Ham operators contributed to America and Allied forces during war years, both at home and abroad.  The Coast Watchers of the Pacific, the French and European underground movements, and other organizations of lesser celebrity all relied on Ham radio communications to get messages back and forth to Allied forces and arrange for logistics and supplies that supported them.  In many cases, news of Axis invasions and major offenses would never have reached the free world any other way, as Ham was the only form of intercontinental communications during the era.

 

As we all know today, Ham radio is the single and reliable communications form that has never been interrupted by any cause of disaster that knocked everything else offline, and why I am so interested in learning and licensing for it. I find it a very notable item of history (and one that could easily be repeated!) that one of the first priorities of both German and Japanese military occupation forces focused on was to confiscate every radio receiver and transceiver immediately after taking control of the area. The German occupation forces posted bulletins after their initial sweep warning all the residents of occupied areas that anyone found in possession of radios of any kind would be subject to summary executions immediately after their initial sweeps of confiscation. It’s an understatement to say they weren’t fooling around!!

 

Anyway Paul, I thought this was worth sharing with you.  I am sending this to both email accounts I have for you, so you might want to delete the other duplicate once you read this one.

 

Steve

 

Great research Steve.

I have put this document on my server so you can send it with a simple link instead of trying to get the pdf through the spam filters.

http://www.fm2way.com/fcc1943.pdf

Great letter by the way.

Paul