Few words better characterize the period from 1945-1970 than "science". But while the space program was the most visible and exciting, the eleven nations included in the Antarctic portion of the 1957-1958 International Geophysical Year created several permanent research stations, including the first permanent station at the South Pole. The effort to create a permanent scientific presence at, literally, the end of the earth required enormous effort of scientists and military personnel. The work was difficult and took a toll on the workers who were isolated from their families for months at a time in those days before satellites made global communications something we take for granted today. Their morale was boosted by a couple of teenagers from New Jersey who happened to be ham radio operators with a strong sense of empathy. "The History Guy" describes Operation Deep Freeze in this video and the role the Madey brothers played in running countless phone patches between scientists and Navy personnel at the first permanent research station on Antarctica and their families. Because there is little actual footage of the events described, this is mostly a narration over period-correct films including one showing the assembly of Hallicrafters transmitters. But it is worth the time to watch regardless. |
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Everyone knows the history of the "Missiles of October" - the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. But many - even dedicated radio fans - may not know that 10 US AM radio stations joined the fight against the threat of nuclear proliferation by becoming the medium wave extension of the Voice of America. This excerpt from a 206 page paper entitled "Cuban American Radio W... READ MORE
- Robert Nickels (W9RAN)
Posted: 05/18/2022
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A Peek at the Hayseed Hamfest CollectionWBØDVM's entry-level receiversCategory: Welcome to the Shack
- Robert Nickels (W9RAN)
Posted: 05/11/2022
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A strange yet familiar-sounding voice appeared on 13.56 MHz in 1971...can you identify who and what it was? Your browser does not support the audio tag.First - the "who"....This is the voice of Jane Barbe, which was familiar to everyone from the many recordings she made for the telephone systems around the world. Of course it would be natural to hire the most talented voice actres... READ MORE
- Robert Nickels (W9RAN)
Posted: 05/09/2022
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In an era when many legacy companies seem to have forgotten their legacy, or have been bought out and remnants of their vintage past have been scrubbed from their websites, it's nice to see a company that does just the opposite.Triad Transformers has been around since 1943 and embraces its past, as a supplier that powered everything from Leo Fender's guitar amplifiers to the Apollo missions.... READ MORE
- Robert Nickels (W9RAN)
Posted: 05/05/2022
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UNI-T UT210E Mini Digital Clamp Meter Handheld RMS AC/DC Resistance Capacitance TesterClamp-on DC current measurement!Category: What's New?
- Robert Nickels (W9RAN)
Posted: 05/05/2022
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