RadioBanter - View Single Post - They are Talking about Shortwave Radio Numbers Stations on Fringe

Geoffrey S. Mendelson · November 15th 10, 11:54 AM posted to rec.radio.shortwave

wrote:
We have dealt with Aviation/aero comm here. Not Amateur Radio.

Obviously you did not read what I posted. It was to establish a timeline.
Hams started experimenting with SSB (although it was first patented in the
1920's) in the 1950's.

This led a ham, Arthur Collins (of Collins radio) to propose it to
another ham, General Curtis LeMay, who was in charge of the US Air Force
to experiment with it on millitary aircraft.

There was a famous world tour of hams, with Collins, Wayne Green and others,
to show that SSB could provide the communications the Air Force required.

That was a success and with LeMay's urging, it was adopted by the Air Force.

Without Collins and LeMay being hams, SSB probably would not of been chosen
from among the other competing systems. So ham's use of SSB, and in particular
two hams (Collins and LeMay), it would have never been chosen by the Air Force,
and therefore not chosen for commercial air traffic.

So yes, ham radio useage of SSB was relevant to establish both how and when
it became used by millitary/commerical aircraft.

It was not the exact date commerical aircraft converted over, but it was a lot
more precsise than "Earhart (1937) did not use SSB".

And to keep it SWL relevant, you can listen to an AM broadcast on an SSB
radio, I do it all the time. It's called ECSS and is the basic
technology behind synchronous AM detection.

Geoff.
--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson N3OWJ/4X1GM
To help restaurants, as part of the "stimulus package", everyone must order
dessert. As part of the socialized health plan, you are forbidden to eat it. :-)