RadioBanter - View Single Post

October 15th 04, 12:55 PM

In article , (Steve
Robeson K4CAP) writes:

At least 1XAM/1MO and 1QP had authorizations to operate from thier
respective locations.

That's true - and it brings up some interesting historical points.

Some hams are under the mistaken impression that there was a time when hams had
"everything below 200 meters all to themselves".

This stems from a mistaken interpretation of the 1912 treaty that limited
amateurs to "200 meters and down".

In fact what happened was simply that before the 1912 treaty, amateurs could
legally use waves longer than 200 meters, and afterwards most of them could
not. (There was a special license that inland amateurs could get that
authorized operation on 375 meters, but not many were issued or used because
most hams were on 200 meters)

But at least in the USA, the amateur station license of those times specified
the wavelength used. Since the limited knowledge of the time proclaimed that
longer wavelengths were better for longer distances, almost all amateurs asked
for 200 meter station licenses, and operated there. If a ham wanted to use 100
meters, he/she needed another station license, often with a different callsign.

And amateurs were not the only ones allowed below 200 meters. Some commercial
and experimental stations tried the "short waves" too. But it was amateurs who
demonstrated their usefulness in long distance communication by means of the
first transatlantic shortwave QSO, and later by transpacific and
transcontinental QSOs - all made with simple equipment and low power.

73 de Jim, N2EY