Subj : Ham Radio History (1)
To : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Thu Sep 26 2019 12:23 pm
The term "Ham", Q signals, CQ, 73, SOS, Prosigns, The Wouff Hong, and more
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Ham
"Ham: a poor operator. A 'plug.'"
That's the definition of the word given in G. M. Dodge's "The Telegraph
Instructor" even before radio. The definition has never changed in wire
telegraphy. The first wireless operators were landline telegraphers who
left their offices to go to sea, or to man the coastal stations. They
brought with them their language, and much of the tradition of their
older profession.
In those early days, spark was king, and every station occupied the same
wavelength-or, more accurately perhaps, every station occupied the whole
spectrum with its broad spark signal. Government stations, ships,
coastal stations, and the increasingly numerous amateur operators all
competed for time and signal supremacy in each other's receivers. Many
of the amateur stations were very powerful. Two amateurs, working each
other across town, could effectively jam all the other operations in the
area. When this happened, frustrated commercial operators would call the
ship whose weaker signals had been blotted out by amateurs and say "SRI
OM THOSE #&$!@ HAMS ARE JAMMING YOU."
Amateurs, possibly unfamiliar with the real meaning of the term, picked
it up and applied it to themselves in true "Yankee Doodle" fashion, and
wore it with pride. As the years advanced, the original meaning has
completely disappeared.
-Louise Ramsey Moreau W3WRE/WB6BBO
Another possible source of of the term "ham" is from an article that was
originally written by Gerry Crenshaw, WD4BIS, Garland, Texas.
Have you ever wondered why we radio amateurs are called "HAMS"?? Well,
according to the Northern Ohio Radio Society, it goes like this...
The word "Ham" was applied in 1908, and was the call letters of one of
the first Amateur Wireless Stations operated by some members of the
Harvard Radio Club. There were Albert S. Hyman, Bob Almy, and Peggie
Murray. At first, they called their station Hyman-Almy-Murray. Tapping
out such a long name in Morse Code soon called for revision...and they
changed it to HY-AL-MU, using the first two letters of each name.
Early in 1909, some confusion resulted between signals from amateur
wireless HYALMU, and a Mexican ship named HYALMO...so, they decided to
use only the first letter of each name, and the call became HAM.
In the early pioneer unregulated days of radio, Amateur operators
picked their own frequency and call letters. Then, as now...some Amateurs
had better signals than some commercial stations. The resulting
interference finally came to the attention on Congressional committees
in Washington...and they gave much time to proposed legislation designed
to critically limit Amateur Activity.
In 1911, Albert Hyman chose the controversial Wireless Regulation Bill
as the top for his thesis at Harvard. His instructor insisted that a copy
be sent to Senator David I. Walsh...a member of one of the committees
hearing the bill. The Senator was so impressed, he sent for Hyman to
appear before the committee. He was put on the stand, and described how
the little Amateur Station was built. He almost cried when he told the
crowded committee room that if the bill went through, they would have to
close up the station, because they could not afford the license fees, and
all the other requirements that were set up in the bill.
The debate started, and the little station HAM became a symbol of all the
little Amateur stations in the country crying out to be saved from menace
and greed of the big commerical stations who did not want them around.
Finally, the bill got to the floor of Congress, and every speaker talked
about the poor little station "HAM".
That's how it all got started. You will find the whole story in the
Congressional Record. Nationwide end of time, in radio, an Amateur
is a HAM.
GL and 73's de Gerry, WD4BIS
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