On Tue, 19 Apr 2005 06:05:03 GMT, Michael A. Terrell wrote:

The radio station at Ft Greely, Ak was built in 1948 as the first
permanent "Armed Forces Radio Network" station. It was the first site
built with commercial broadcast equipment instead of modified military
gear used at some sites during WW II. The radio transmitter was a gates
BC250 In the early '70s AFRTS claimed to be the only all tube network
in the world.

A former subordinate of mine at the FCC, Don Browne, was an EE and
ROTC-trained AFRTS officer in the late 1960s and after his three
years on active duty with the Signal Corps went Reserve and came to
work for me. He spent several years at the field office and several
more at headquarters. His reserve billet was abolished in an AFRTS
reorganization (even though he was a MAJ) but when a vacancy on the
civilian engineering staff of the AFRTS came up he transferred to
that. He retired as the chief of engineering for AFRTS several
years ago and still hangs around the broadcast business.

AFRTS IS NOT Amateur Radio

--
73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane

Phil Kane wrote:

A former subordinate of mine at the FCC, Don Browne, was an EE and
ROTC-trained AFRTS officer in the late 1960s and after his three
years on active duty with the Signal Corps went Reserve and came to
work for me. He spent several years at the field office and several
more at headquarters. His reserve billet was abolished in an AFRTS
reorganization (even though he was a MAJ) but when a vacancy on the
civilian engineering staff of the AFRTS came up he transferred to
that. He retired as the chief of engineering for AFRTS several
years ago and still hangs around the broadcast business.

A lot of people got caught in RIFS. I worked with an E5 who was
riffed from Captain to E3 a few years before. he decided to stay in the
service so he took the reduction.

I spent more time in the TV end, but I had to take care of the radio
station as well.

AFRTS IS NOT Amateur Radio

I know its not but those old stations were maintained like a lot of
homebrew ham stations. Jury rigged repairs to get back on the air,
running a very marginal signal because you weren't allowed to shut the
transmitter down till scheduled maintenance, which was once every six
months. Repairs done with used parts salvaged from old radios and TVs.
You could see the handiwork and creativity used by former staff and I
always wondered how many were hams. The station manager at Ft Greely
was, but he was a real lid. He truly believed in tuning for minimum
smoke rather than learn how a transmitter worked, but he was the only
one like that I met in the service. Instead of using the station
monitor, he would call his wife to ask how the picture was as he screwed
with the transmitter.

BTW, I was offered a civil service job while at Ft Rucker and turned
it down. I would have finished my active duty there while I filled the
slot, then the slot would become a civilian job again.

--
Former professional electron wrangler.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

Phil Kane wrote:

AFRTS IS NOT Amateur Radio

--
73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane

Hi! Awesome! Can I borrow that sometime?

On 19 Apr 2005 18:16:07 -0700, bb wrote:

Phil Kane wrote:

AFRTS IS NOT Amateur Radio

Hi! Awesome! Can I borrow that sometime?

It's in the public domain. Knock yourself out.....

--
73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane

Phil Kane wrote:
On 19 Apr 2005 18:16:07 -0700, bb wrote:

Phil Kane wrote:

AFRTS IS NOT Amateur Radio

Hi! Awesome! Can I borrow that sometime?

It's in the public domain. Knock yourself out.....

--
73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane

Thanks, Phil. I'll juxtapose it with Steve's similar quote to
illustrate what a sane and what an insane person thinks.

From: "Phil Kane" on Tues,Apr 19 2005 12:15 pm

On Tue, 19 Apr 2005 06:05:03 GMT, Michael A. Terrell wrote:

The radio station at Ft Greely, Ak was built in 1948 as the first
permanent "Armed Forces Radio Network" station. It was the first
site
built with commercial broadcast equipment instead of modified
military
gear used at some sites during WW II. The radio transmitter was a
gates
BC250 In the early '70s AFRTS claimed to be the only all tube
network
in the world.

A former subordinate of mine at the FCC, Don Browne, was an EE and
ROTC-trained AFRTS officer in the late 1960s and after his three
years on active duty with the Signal Corps went Reserve and came to
work for me. He spent several years at the field office and several
more at headquarters. His reserve billet was abolished in an AFRTS
reorganization (even though he was a MAJ) but when a vacancy on the
civilian engineering staff of the AFRTS came up he transferred to
that. He retired as the chief of engineering for AFRTS several
years ago and still hangs around the broadcast business.

Wow. I'm in the presence of Nobility. I am humbled.

FWIW, AFRTS headquarters used to be just about a mile from my
house on a little jog of La Tuna Canyon Road, just before it
gets changed to Penrose. In some "economy move" of about 7
(or was it 6?) years ago, it was emptied out in Sun Valley,
CA, and all staff moved east about 40 miles to a
decommissioned USAF base somewhat close to Ontario, CA. The
old AFRTS buildings haven't been leased to anyone yet after
all this time (one can still read the name in smudges on the
exterior wall where the raised lettering was).

AFRTS IS NOT Amateur Radio

It's SHOW BIZ !!!

AFRTS IS NOT COMMUNICATIONS per se. shrug

Did AFRS or AFRTS ever do morse code? :-)

wrote:
From: "Phil Kane" on Tues,Apr 19 2005 12:15 pm

On Tue, 19 Apr 2005 06:05:03 GMT, Michael A. Terrell wrote:

The radio station at Ft Greely, Ak was built in 1948 as the
first
permanent "Armed Forces Radio Network" station. It was the first
site
built with commercial broadcast equipment instead of modified
military
gear used at some sites during WW II. The radio transmitter was a
gates
BC250 In the early '70s AFRTS claimed to be the only all tube
network
in the world.

A former subordinate of mine at the FCC, Don Browne, was an EE and
ROTC-trained AFRTS officer in the late 1960s and after his three
years on active duty with the Signal Corps went Reserve and came
to
work for me. He spent several years at the field office and
several
more at headquarters. His reserve billet was abolished in an
AFRTS
reorganization (even though he was a MAJ) but when a vacancy on
the
civilian engineering staff of the AFRTS came up he transferred to
that. He retired as the chief of engineering for AFRTS several
years ago and still hangs around the broadcast business.

Wow. I'm in the presence of Nobility. I am humbled.

FWIW, AFRTS headquarters used to be just about a mile from my
house on a little jog of La Tuna Canyon Road, just before it
gets changed to Penrose. In some "economy move" of about 7
(or was it 6?) years ago, it was emptied out in Sun Valley,
CA, and all staff moved east about 40 miles to a
decommissioned USAF base somewhat close to Ontario, CA. The
old AFRTS buildings haven't been leased to anyone yet after
all this time (one can still read the name in smudges on the
exterior wall where the raised lettering was).

AFRTS IS NOT Amateur Radio

It's SHOW BIZ !!!

AFRTS IS NOT COMMUNICATIONS per se. shrug

Did AFRS or AFRTS ever do morse code? :-)



"Sorry Hans, AFRTS IS NOT Amateur Radio!"

Hi, hi!