A Hundred Years
of Amateur Radio
The conception of the transmission of electromagnetic waves from one
point to another, with no material connected between them is just over
a century old.From the last decade of the nineteenth century, scientists, amateurs,
experimenters and engineers have worked together to develop radio as
a practical means of communication.This miniature thesis tells the story of the pursuit of one of the most
fascinating hobbies - Amateur Radio - in which many people living in
the United Kingdom played a pioneer role.The term "Radio Amateur" can be defined as the practice of two-way
short-wave radio communication, not as a business or means of profit,
but as a hobby, pursued for the pleasure to be derived from an interest
in the radio technique, construction and operation for the ensuing
friendships which can be made with people all over the world.
Marconi in 1896
Marconi's Transmitter 1895
The beginnings of amateur radio, as of radio itself, lie deep in the past, indeed
one could begin thousands of years ago with those persons whose curiosity was
aroused by the attraction of small particles by beads that had been rubbed.
This was not really investigated until Gilberts' experiments in electricity during
the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, followed by the discoveries of Ampere, Volta,
Faraday and Maxwell, which prepared the world for what was to be one of
the greatest revelations of all time - the means of telecommunication by wireless
telegraphy.Michael Faraday was the first to suggest that this relationship existed between
light and the new "electromagnetism", but it was Heinrich Hertz at Karlsruhe,
Germany who in 1887 finally established by experiment the principle of radiation.
This was called Hertzian wave wireless communication.Marconi's first wireless system (patented in 1896) was based directly on the
experiments conducted by Hertz some eight years earlier. In 1897 Marconi
succeeded in transmitting signals across a distance of eight miles; the following
year a distance of eighty-five miles was achieved.
In December 1901, the world was startled by the news that Marconi at St. Johns, Newfoundland, had received the Morse letter "S" transmitted by Ambrose
Fleming at Poldhu, Cornwall. And so, as the twentieth century began to take
shape, hundreds of people, young and old, possessed of a scientific bent and
thrilled by the news that transatlantic wireless communication had indeed taken
place, accepted the challenge of the unknown laid down for them by their
illustrious forbears and became the world's first radio amateurs.
Information taken from QSL Card for contact (15/01/78) with G3NGD on 3.737 MHz
QSL Card: contact between G3NGD and VO3CC (14/01/78) on 3.8MHz SSB.
The Postmaster General (Lord Stanley) in his Report to parliament for the year
1903-04 recalled that he had recently introduced in the house of Commons, a bill
for the purpose of requiring all wireless stations to be licensed. He gave as a reason
the Government's decision to secure an adequate control of all wireless telegraphy
installations.The Wireless Telegraphy Act 1904 became law on August 15 of that year, and was
the first piece of legislation of its kind in history. It remained in force until July 31,
1906, after which it was extended on a year - to - year basis under the Expiring
Laws Continuance Act until replaced by the Wireless Telegraphy Act of 1924.The Postmaster General, in his Report to Parliament for 1904-05 referred to the
strategic importance of Wireless Telegraphy. He reported that he had received
numerous applications for licences under the terms of the Act; the majority being
from persons who desired to use wireless telegraphy for experimental purposes.
His desire to encourage the wireless experimenter was confirmed when he said,
"the class with whom I have the greatest sympathy are those who wish to go in for
experiments in this science. I have been able to frame a clause which will give
absolute freedom in that direction, merely requiring registration on the part of those
who wish to engage in experiments. In a matter of this description the House will
doubtless desire that the Act should be administered as liberally as possible and I
shall certainly do my best in that direction. For what it is worth, I will give an
understanding that no request for a licence for experiments shall be refused unless
the refusal has been approved by me personally".
Extract from first page of Experimental Form 1.
Quoting this speech by Lord Stanley at the opening of the Fourth RSBG Amateur
Radio Exhibition on November 22, 1950, Mr Hugh S. Pocock MIEE (then Editor
of Wireless World Magazine), suggested that if it had not been for this sympathetic
attitude to the amateurs on part of the then Postmaster General, it was conceivable
that private experimental licences would never have been granted.Although Lord Stanley had indicated that those who wished to experiment would
merely be required to register, Section 2(1) of the Act stated that "where the
applicant for a licence proves to the satisfaction of the Postmaster General that the
sole object of obtaining the licence is to enable him to conduct experiments in
Wireless Telegraphy, a licence for that purpose shall be granted, subject to special
terms, conditions and restrictions as the Postmaster General may think proper, but
shall not be subject to any rent or royalty.On May 29, 1906, the then Postmaster General (Sydney Buxton MP) was ordered
by the House of Commons to render a Return "applications for Licences under the
Wireless Telegraph Act 1904, showing how each Application had been dealt with".
This Return dated June 13, 1906 is of interest because it gives the name and
addresses of sixty-eight persons to whom an Experimental Licence had been issued
- the first such list ever published.
From Encouragement to Restriction In April 1913, the Postmaster General announced that the number of licences for
experimental purposes had increased to almost two thousand. It was certain that
certain people in high places began to show concern, and Parliament was informed
that new licence conditions were to be introduced. The new conditions would ensure,
as far as possible, that licences to conduct experiments would only be issued to
persons having the necessary qualifications. In addition, the Post Office would
impose a licence charge of one guinea.Each station was to be allocated a call-sign which was to be used for
identification purposes.It was with the knowledge that new conditions were to be introduced that wireless
enthusiasts up and down the country began to realize the urgent necessity for taking
collective action. Against that background the London Wireless Club was formed
(later to become the Radio Society of Great Britain - RSGB).Then the war clouds rolled up, bringing in their train a telegram to all licence holders
that was destined to put an end to amateur wireless experiments for a very long while.
The First World War culminated with the signing of an armistice on November 11,
1918. The enthusiastic amateurs looked forward to the return of their licences.
Months passed by with no word from the Government of their intention in regard to
the wireless amateur. The pages of Wireless World Magazine throughout the period
from January until December 1919 were alive with references to "Amateur Radio
Position".Senatore Marconi wrote:
"In my opinion it would be a mistaken policy to introduce legislation to prevent
amateurs experimenting with wireless telegraphy.
A great
deal of the development and progress of wireless telegraphy is due to the efforts of
amateurs". Late in November 1919 the Post Office announced that a new Wireless
Telegraphy Bill would shortly be introduced into Parliament.The new licences were issued in April 1920, and contained additional conditions to
the previous licence. The applicant must now satisfy the Post Office that he/she has
"some definite object of scientific value in view". Applicants must "have a knowledge
of the regulations insofar as they relate to interference". A Morse operating speed
of at least twelve words per minute sending and receiving would be required.Many and strange were the applications composed to fulfil the requirement as to
the object of scientific value. Perhaps it was fortunate for many that once the
experimental licence was issued, the authorities seemed to lose interest in those
"experiments".An "Artificial Aerial" licence was available which required no examinations to be
taken. This licence gave no right to radiate signals, but merely to install or build
transmitters. Sometimes it seemed the Post Office had engaged the applicant in
a form of chess. The applicant would-be amateur would submit a list of proposed
experiments to improve transmitter design .... the Post Office would counter by
declaring such experiments could be equally well carried out with an artificial aerial
permit. The frustrated applicant would consult one of the fortunate, who had already
obtained a licence, and together they would concoct a new thesis, this time bringing
in some mention of aerials and propagation.After a licence had been held for a period of six months, a permit to run high power
could be applied for. This usually meant that the applicant would have to dream up
some more "experiments" that would justify the application.One of the main developments in radio after 1918 was the discovery of the
usefulness of the shortwave-bands. It was generally considered that wavelengths
below 200 metres (1.5MHz) were useless except for short distance transmission,
though cases were known of long ranges being obtained on short waves.
QSL Card to confirm contact between G3NGD (England) and
K1PBW (America) during the "Low Power" annual transatlantic test in 1976 using morse code (cw, A1A)
These were regarded as freaks, however, and wavelengths below 200 metres were after
1918, allocated to amateurs who encouraged by these "freak" results, arranged trial
broadcasts from America to England. Their success showed that short-wave low power
broadcasts could be heard over long distances.The first American amateur stations were heard in Britain during November 1921, and
the next year, amateur stations in London and Manchester were heard in America.
A year later, in November 1923, the first amateur two-way trans-Atlantic contact took
place on about 110 metres between France and America; and within a few days of this
event British amateurs reduced their wavelength and began to communicate across the
Atlantic. With valves and components then available it was no simple matter to achieve
operation on wavelengths of 100 metres and below. By the following autumn, two-way
contacts between Britain and New Zealand on the eighty metre band represented the
longest distance of communication possible on the globe.
Soon operation on the forty and twenty metre bands were producing long-distance
contacts at all times of the day and night, and there began a flood of commercial
stations opening up to exploit those discoveries which had stemmed directly from
amateur radio. By 1928 the Atlantic was spanned on ten metres, and even five
metres was being used by amateurs before the end of the 'twenties.The authorities became alarmed at the ease with which the amateurs were working
one another throughout the world and introduced a ban on international working
by British amateurs. These restrictions were eventually removed, but not until after
a tough fight with officialdom.In June 1933 a National Field Day was held at many locations in the British Isles.
The purpose was to demonstrate that low power portable stations set up at short
notice out of doors were capable of maintaining reliable communications with other
low-power portable stations in different parts of the British Isles. The results
showed "that if the necessity arouse, the Amateur Radio Movement in the United
Kingdom could place into operation an emergency network at short notice".
Six years later, many radio amateurs who were among the first of the many
thousands of R.A.F. reservists to go abroad, were grateful for this experience.During the summer of 1938, a civilian reserve was established, and licensed radio
amateurs between the ages of eighteen and fifty-five were recruited. As part
of their training, they visited R.A.F. stations and studied R.A.F. procedure and
servicing. On passing the Morse examination at eighteen words per minute, a
grant was made of two pounds stirling, and opportunities were provided for
promotion to commissioned rank.The blow came suddenly but not unexpectedly. A notice in the London Gazette
of Thursday 31 August 1939 proclaimed:"I Major George Clement Tyron, His Majesty's Postmaster General, hereby give
notice that ... all licences for the establishment of wireless telegraphy sending and
receiving stations for experimental purposes are hereby withdrawn".
The second world war had begun!
Return to the Menu
Click here to continue with "Part Two" - the next fifty years.
Update: June 2006 GTop
