HAM HOOKUP

by TSgt. Curtis W. Jordan, USMC

Copyright Marine Corps Association Dec 1953

[Headnote]   Marine amateur radio operators relay messages to colleagues around the world in a few seconds

SHORTLY BEFORE THE truce was signed in Korea, Sergeant Neil Jacobson, a lanky, towheaded Korea veteran stationed at Headquarters, Marine Corps, was on the air gabbing with another ham radio operator. The phone jingled and he stopped broadcasting to answer it. The woman at the far end of the telephone voiced a familiar plea: she hadn't received a letter from her son in Korea for more than three weeks could the sergeant get word to him via ham radio?

Jake (Sgt. Jacobson's call name) got busy. In less than three hours, the woman's anxiety was relieved. Her son was safe; a letter from him was in the mail. The query had been passed from Jake's W4NTR at Henderson Hall, in Arlington, Va., to El Toro, Calif., to Japan. Armed with the name of the Marine's outfit, an operator in the Far East tracked him down and relayed the worried mother's message via radio. The request was not new to the ham operators; they'd experienced the same routine many times since the start of the war.

When hordes of Chinese Communists pounced, on the Chosin Reservoir in the Winter of 1950, ham radio stations throughout the country worked overtime to pass along information about those men who fought their way out of the Iran. The tornadoes which wrecked cities in Texas, Michigan and Massachusetts during the past year. had rescue crews frantically digging to remove victims from the rubble of buildings left by the twisters. Hams were standing by, jotting down the names of casualties as they were broadcast by amateur operators from the disaster areas. When the search ended, the hams began pouring messages into the stricken cities. Calls had come into the ham stations from persons all over the country seeking word about the safety of relatives. Many of the inquiries were from servicemen.

Cooperation among Henderson Hall's W4NTR and the American National Red Cross in Washington, D. C., and all local chapters within the metropolitan area makes it possible for the ham set to serve Marines and other military personnel in emergencies. When verification of emergency data is needed on the double at a military installation, ham radio cuts time and red tape.

Other branches of the armed forces boast amateur stations, too. Inter-service cooperation helps beam traffic from one section of the country to another in a matter of minutes until the message is picked up by the ham operator nearest the addressee. If someone at Camp Pendleton, Calif., wanted to send birthday greetings to Aunt Matilda in West Weasel Trot. Texas, the ham operator nearest that town would deliver the message. Usually the ham making delivery checks to see if the party has a telephone. Calling directly from the ham station saves steps and permits the operator to keep on listening and' talking with people all over the country.

"Amateur" is an unjust word when it is applied to hams. It takes plenty of inside-and outside-knowledge of radio to pass a Federal Communications Commission test. All hams-more than 100,000 of them in the U.S.-must be licensed. While the exam isn't a snap, hams usually have little trouble with it. They're somewhat fanatical in their love for radio and retain an amazing understanding of its theories and applications. It's a growing business, too. The FCC receives more than 5000 applications each month for operator and station licenses.

All hams are subject to the Amateurs' Code. This "constitution" demands a standard of conduct and service which raises the status of a ham station from an expensive toy to a useful hobby. When disaster strikes an area, radio becomes a life line to the community. Often, the amateur station is the only link between a devastated district and the outside world. The code also provides that the amateur will keep his station abreast of science; his set must be well constructed and efficient. Hams pledge never to use the air for their own amusement in any way which might lessen the pleasure of others. They agree to uphold the promises made to the public and the government by the American Radio Relay League on behalf of ham operators. It's a strict set of rules but rarely disregarded by hams who respect their interesting pastime.

The American Radio Relay League is a group of amateur operators who have banded together to promote the interest of hams. While membership in the League is not mandatory, in order to get a license from the FCC, amateurs holding membership in the outfit can share in its benefits. The League's influence was largely responsible for the standard of ethics used by amateurs today. QST, a monthly booklet published by the League, is often referred to as the amateur's bible. Regularly scheduled broadcasts over W1AW, the league's station, at Newington, Conn., offer helpful hints and lessons in radio.

Amateur radio stations have been set up at most of the larger Stateside posts throughout the Marine Corps. Special Services offices support this "network" of hams but it is believed that most Marines don't know about the privileges available to them. Ham stations actually have a dual-purpose aboard a Marine base: to foster interest in radio as a hobby, and to send and receive messages wherever possible. All accommodations are free to the troops.

Marines who do know about the amateur station on their base make frequent use of it-especially when time is important. One matrimony-inclined Marine lacked the cash necessary to execute his intentions. A quick-thinking lad, he radioed the following message from a Marine ham station:

"Mom, have found swell apartment furnished completely except gas and lights. Please wire $150 right away or I will lose lease. Have paid deposit. Bought rings and made all necessary plans. Need money now, so hurry. Love . . ."

The message was delivered to Mom pronto. It wasn't any fault on the part of ham radio that the lease was lost.

During seasonal holidays, amateur traffic is overtaxed, Servicemen and women, gradually becoming more conscious of the availability of ham facilities, radio greetings to loved ones at home. Messages like, "Your senator loves you, but not as much as I do. Merry Christmas," are typical. Marines returning from a tour of over-seas duty often find ham radio messages waiting for them when they dock.

W4NTR is a powerful little 900-watter. That's strong enough to reach distant countries-W4NTR has talked direct to hams in Germany, Italy, Spain, Britain, Australia and Greenland, as well as many South American countries. Time has been known to build fast friendships, even between persons who have never seen each other. Radio is the common denominator among ham operators. A man in Texas talks to another operator in Boston several times a week; they compare notes on equipment or swap advice on technical matters relative to radio. Soon, a lasting friendship may be born although they probably will never meet personally. They'll just be voices on the ether waves. But some of these benevolent feelings are carried to the limit and ripen into marriage between men and women operators. One ceremony actually was performed over a ham radio station. Femmes are enthusiastic boosters for amateur radio and the number of women operators has increased sharply in the postwar years. To prevent embarrassing entanglements, the gals are distinguished by call letters-YL indicates a Young Lady, XYL means the Young Lady is married.

Photos not printed - annotations follow:

• Marine hams in Japan can pick up stations in the U. S. with this huge tower and antenna. It belongs to KA2MB

• Marines man the air waves as MSgt. LeRoy Hogberg and his crew at MCRD, San Diego, operate station W6YDK

• Sgt. Neil Jacobson, ham operator at Headquarters Marine Corps, makes quick contact for WM. Hams are usually Special Services men

• Sgt Peter H. Hasenpusch and MSgt. Samuel E. Cribb check on the modulator section of KA2MB. Regular maintenance is essential job