See my signature. A first class radiotelephone license required
passing a rather difficult test. It was meant mainly for technicians who
worked at broadcast transmitters who were required to have them. A first
radiotelegraph license was something more: one had to start with a
second class license and have a history of service as a telegraph
operator aboard ship or at a shore station, I think 18 months minimum
but it changed with time. The code test varied over the years from
something like 30WPM continental and 25WPM American Morse in the early
days for an "extra first". I think much later it was down to 25 WPM
continental only. American Morse was used on wire circuits and required
of radio operators because many shore stations got their message traffic
via telegraph so the operators had to know both. Conventional radio
telegraph for ships was discontinued about 1995, don't remember the
exact year. It all went to digital via satellite. One of the old
stations has been partly preserved, that is the old RCA station at
Bolinas point near San Francisco. This operates on three of the old
call signs of the old days; KPH,
KFS and KSM. Actually, KSM was originally in Los Angeles. This station
gets on the air about once a month. It is a little strange to hear the
old calls again.
On 9/21/2016 9:42 AM, Jean-David Beyer wrote:
On 09/21/2016 12:15 PM, Dana Myers wrote:
On 9/21/2016 8:56 AM, Tim Daneliuk wrote:I used to know W2EPE (eleven pink elephants), W2PNY, and W2QLK (queer
I hope you realize that this particular subthread now just brands us asIt's just a matter of time before we start mentioning our ham radio
Old Guys Nostalgic For The Past (tm) ;)
callsigns at this point ;-)
Dana K6JQ
looking kids), but they are probably dead know. And I heard W2SD, W2OY,
and W2OZR, but I did not know them.
One of my uncle's had a first class commercial radiotelephone and
telegraph license, and he may have had an amateur license as well.
At the time I wanted one, I could not get it because it was necessary to
be a US citizen, and I was not. I had to wait until I was 18 before I
could apply for citizenship, and by the time I got it, I no longer
wanted a license.
