As I do from time to time, I like to highlight articles that appear in the “100, 50, and 25 Years Ago” column in QST. Here are some gems from July 1919, 1969, and 1994:
- Essentials of V. T. Transmitters by K. B. Warner (July 1919). The V. T. in the title stands for vacuum tubes. In 1919, amateur radio was at the cusp of changing over from spark-gap transmitters to vacuum tube transmitters that enabled the use of continuous-wave, or CW. This article not only explains how vacuum tube transmitters work, but why CW transmission is more desirable that spark-gap transmission. This wasn’t a foregone conclusion at this point. Indeed, Warner notes, “It is new ground for all of us.”
- Something Old, Something New (July 1969). This editorial in the July 1969 issue chronicles the rise of VHF/UHF FM. It says, “Hams by the droves are getting on channelized f.m., mobiles are in wide use, and v.h.f. repeaters are popping up on many a mountain top.” It’s kind of amazing that only 50 years later we’re all bemoaning the lack of activity on VHF/UHF and the repeaters.
- 144-MHz Sporadic E by Emil Pocock, W3EP (July 1994). The nice thing about articles on topics like antennas and propagation is that they are still relevant today. After all, the physics behind antennas and propagation never changes. This article discusses some studies on 2-meter sporadic E propagation and how we can make use of it. You still have some time to take advantage of summertime sporadic-E propagation, if you’re so inclined.
Here are two more articles from the July 1919 and 1969 issues that you might be interested in:
- Loop Aerials by Dr. Radio. Hasn’t there been a lot of talk about loop antennas these past couple of years?
- Touchcoder II by J.A. Bryant, W4UX. Send CW with this electronic keyboard that uses integrated circuits!
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