Radio 'Hams' Broadcast Despite Bad Facilities

If you want to be a radio "ham," don't take it up while you're in college. Life for Harvard's half-dozen active amateur radio enthusiasts is a constant bout with inadequate antennae, insufficient power supplies, and unsympathetic neighbors. They operate as cautiously as spies behind the iron curtain and probably under just as many hardships.

And besides, these explorers of the ether are just plain jealous. Unlike hams at almost all other major colleges, they don't have the facilities or equipment to maintain a radio club and the usual high-power "gear" that goes with such an organization.

This has not always been the case. From 1912 until late in the 20's the College boasted, one of the nation's most respected calls--W1AF. Equipment for the club was loaned by Alexander Hamilton Rice, Professor of Geographical Exploration and Director of the Institute of Geographical Exploration. The shack was located on top of Soldiers Field where an efficient antenna gave the transmitter top facilities for that time.

Early interest in radio gave the club a great start. It grew both in members and fame until hams the world over make a habit of "copying" it regularly. In the fall of 1925, the club established contact with members of the Geographical Institute who were engaged in a trail-breaking exploration of the Amazson wilds. For week, they relayed messages through W1AF, keeping touch with friends and reporting on their progress.

Message Service

At the same time, the Wirless Club announced that it would transmit, free of charge, messages to any friends or relatives of students that it could contact in Great Britain or Europe. Additional equipment had given the transmitter a 1000-watt kick (the FCC maximum) by that date, and W1AF had already circled the globe, establishing contact with a British ham in New Zealand.

A fire in the Soldiers Field headquarters set chary University officials against the club late in the 20's. The organization was denied further use of this location, and the equipment subsequently retired to the Geographical Institute. These were hard years for the club, and were to lead to its eventual collapse. Students operated from their room on smaller sets during this period, as a morass of red tape prevented free usage of the set in its location at the Institute. The University never owned this building, and the only way in which hams could legally use the set was in conjunction with an obscure geographical course calling for familiarity with radio equipment. The set was not available most of the time, and the University never granted the club a location for a new shack.

This is the situation at present, W1AF is barely alive, mostly due to the efforts of William Coburn, a former member of the Geographical Institute's staff. He has renewed the FCC license whenever necessary, thereby keeping the call in Harvard's name should the University propose facilities for the 15 known amateurs (some inactive) in College at present. W1AF, meanwhile, has been intermittently used by the Institute to keep in contact with groups on exploration in Mexico.

Most active ham in college today is Jim Hirschman '52 of Adams House. Hirschman has managed to rig a 33-foot antenna outside his fifth floor bedroom window, and he keeps in constant contact with friends back in Indianapolis. John Ashton '51 and Bob Treadwell '51 operate out of Leverett F-41, while Dave Hagen '50 transmits from Dunster House.

Valuable In Emergencies

Theoretically, these radio amateurs can be of vital importance in times of emergency. Although the chances are small that they might have to supplement regular communications channels--almost an annual chore for midwestern hams in flood areas--they can be of assistance in relaying messages from other disaster areas to relatives and rescue workers.

Without the facilities of a large club transmitter, Harvard's hams must be content to broadcast at a maximum power of 150-watts, generally on the 10-meter band. This band requires only a 16-foot antenna, the size most easily erected by the Buildings and Grounds Department (cost, $15 for installation). There's only one trouble: every nearby wire about 16-feet long is "sympathetic" to this band, and puts out a signal which can be picked up over phonographs, and radio and TV sets. Maximum operation at other frequencies calls for longer aerials and more amperage than the University wiring Circuits supply. Under these circumstances, good "long calls" are few and far between. The ham must generally contest himself with, at best, mediocre contacts under normal weather conditions.

Despite all these handicaps, "hamming" it still gives these students a big kick. "It's a challenge to see how well we can do under the circumstances," according to Ashton.

The biggest challenge, However, seems to be whether or not the hams will ever get back their club facilities. If they do, within six months W1AF should be back at the top of ham call-sheets around the world