Some history tidbits, 1916-1917

[Jeffrey Herman]

- The lastest baseball scores were transmitted nightly by ham radio
  (QST, May 1916)
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- The end-of-message signal, AR, is nothing but the American Morse FN
  (._._._.), meaning "Finished," and the sign-off, SK is simply the
  landline 30 (..._._), which meant half-past the hour, and thus, the
  end of the operator's shift. (July 1917)

- Postcard acknowledgements, forerunner of the ever-popular QSL card, were
  suggested to be sent when amateurs hear a distant station (June 1916)

- But amateurs were slow to answer cards received, then as now (Feb 1917)

- An amateur worked a military airplane over distances up to 114 miles
  (Sept. 1916)

- Car generators were suggested as a source of power for portable
  spark stations (Oct 1916)

- A Cuban amateur was ready to get on the air; soon amateurs would be
  enjoying truly international radio QSOs (Oct. 1916)

- A tube transmitter and receiver were demonstrated to the public by
  amateurs at the Iowa State Fair (Oct 1916)

- The Wouff Hong, the Rettysnitch, and the Uggerumph, all instruments
  of torture to help insure good operating practices, were revealed
  to eager amateurs by The Old Man in his fabulous story, "Rotten
  QRM" (Jan. 1917)

- A correspondent commented on how long it took amateurs to say goodbye
  (March 1917)

- A League member proposed higher technical standards, harder license
  examinations, and 12 wpm instead of 5 wpm (March 1917)

Jeff KH2PZ

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