{"id":1033,"date":"2013-01-20T02:18:38","date_gmt":"2013-01-20T02:18:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/w2pa.net\/HRH\/?p=1033"},"modified":"2021-06-02T21:09:23","modified_gmt":"2021-06-02T21:09:23","slug":"cooperation-and-qrm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/w2pa.net\/HRH\/cooperation-and-qrm\/","title":{"rendered":"Cooperation and QRM"},"content":{"rendered":"

In mid-February 1916, coincident with Maxim\u2019s second article on relaying, one of the first organized relay tests was run. With everyone sharing very little spectrum, cooperation was the only way to avoid QRM (a constant fact of life at the time) and hear weak, distant signals. In a rare cooperative operation between an amateur group and the government, a relay test was conducted on Washington\u2019s Birthday by Colonel W. P. Nicholson, 9XE at the Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois, and included many other stations.1<\/a><\/sup> Its straightforward goal was, \u201c\u2026 to show the United States Government that the amateurs of the United States were in a position to co-operate in radio work,\u201d by relaying a single message across the country and delivering it to various state governors and city mayors.<\/p>\n

In preparation, US Navy station NAA even sent a warning about QRM. A plan was worked out after considering hundreds of suggestions by potential participants. QST<\/i> noted, \u201cConsiderable diplomacy was necessary in handling the situation, as a certain amount of jealousy was found to exist between Special stations, First-class amateur stations, and the little fellow with the gas engine coil and a few dry batteries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Relay stations\u2019 locations and approximate ranges were plotted on a map and covered most of the US except for some of the western desert areas.<\/p>\n

On 18 February, as the time for the first test approached, QRN at 9XE was the worst in recent memory\u2014surprising considering the season. Besides the static, 9XE reported being bombarded at the start by requests from the press (including the Associated Press) for copies of the message\u2014which he refused to provide until after it was sent. At 11:00 that night the test began and, \u201cevery amateur in the country was quiet\u2014truly a remarkable thing,\u201d he observed.<\/p>\n

The message:<\/p>\n

QST QST QST de 9XE -.-.-
\nQST relay MSG
\nA democracy requires that a people who govern and educate themselves should be so armed and disciplined that they can protect themselves.
\n( Signed ) Colonel Nicholson, U. S. A.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"scan0012

A group of Boy Scouts helps 3XC receive the Rock Island Test message in Philadelphia.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Washington\u2019s Birthday<\/em> or Rock Island Test<\/em> was judged a success despite numerous errors in relaying, particularly the spelling of the Colonel\u2019s name. The message reached the west coast in 55 minutes, the east coast 5 minutes after that, and sooner at various points north and south. Amateurs had \u201cbounded the United States in one hour\u201d that night\u2014an impressive accomplishment.<\/p>\n

The New York Times reported that the message had been received in Williamsburg, Brooklyn by A. R. Boedar at 1:30 a.m. and would be delivered to the Mayor.2<\/a><\/sup> The exercise, it said, had tested \u201cthe preparedness and skill of the 25,000 licensed amateur wireless operators.\u201d They were only off by a factor of five.<\/p>\n

9XE\u2019s account in QST<\/i> included a collection of reports contributed by participants, some illustrated with small cartoon drawings. Amateurs reported delivering the message to their state governors, some of whom were awakened at 2:00 a.m. to receive it\u2014such was the importance of the message and the test. One operator in Washington D.C. had delivered it personally, written on an ARRL message form, to the White House.<\/p>\n

\"BT<\/p>\n

\"Hebert

A. A. Hebert, 2ZH, and R. H. G. Mathews, 9IK<\/p><\/div>\n

Maxim\u2019s Star Stations<\/em>, those capable of working 100 miles or more, began to surface along with a large group of regulars. By April the first trunk line managers had been announced, simultaneously spanning the continent and the generations.3<\/a><\/sup> Arthur A. Hebert, 2ZH, a 42-year-old steel industry engineer in Nutley, NJ was appointed manager for lines C and D, the two east coast branches. And 19-year-old R. H. G. Mathews, 9IK of Chicago, would manage line A, spanning the northern route linking Boston, through Chicago to Seattle, and line E running from Chicago via Houston to Los Angeles. Both men would go on to serve in leadership positions in the ARRL, and one to start a famous radio company.<\/p>\n

Monday and Thursday nights were designated for trunk line tests and results were to be reported to HQ.<\/p>\n

The QST<\/em> editor predicted, “Big things will now be happening in the American Radio Relay League, and everybody who has a real wireless set and who is a real American will see that he is identified in this linking up of our entire country. No one can afford to be out of it if he has any wireless pretentions whatsoever.”<\/p>\n

The first results of trunk line operation were reported in May in the form of station lists in order of connection, noting where there were gaps and asking for volunteers to fill them.4<\/a><\/sup> By August the east coast lines were complete.<\/p>\n

The persistent QRM problem led one participant to suggest that the lines ought not to be structured around cities but around the locations of the best stations. That might result in more reliable critical links and would avoid the QRM of the most populated areas.<\/p>\n

\"AR<\/p>\n

de W2PA<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n
    \n
  1. 9XE, “Washington\u2019s Birthday Amateur Relay Message,” QST<\/em>, April 1916, 65. ↩<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  2. “Air Bears Message of Preparedness,” The New York Times<\/em>, February 22, 1916. ↩<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  3. “Trunk Line Managers Appointed,” QST<\/em>, April 1916, 77. ↩<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n
  4. A. A. Hebert, “Monthly Report of Trunk Lines C and D,\u201d QST<\/em>, May 1916, 95. ↩<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    In mid-February 1916, coincident with Maxim\u2019s second article on relaying, one of the first organized relay tests was run. With everyone sharing very little spectrum, cooperation was the only way to avoid QRM (a constant fact of life at the time) and hear weak, distant signals. In a rare cooperative operation between an amateur group and the government, a relay test was conducted on Washington\u2019s Birthday by Colonel W. P. Nicholson, 9XE at the Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois, and … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[115,118,11,116,122,119,114,121,120,113,117],"class_list":["post-1033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-main","tag-9xe","tag-a-a-hebert","tag-naa","tag-new-york-times","tag-qrm-abatement","tag-r-h-g-mathews","tag-rock-island-test","tag-star-stations","tag-trunk-lines","tag-washingtons-birthday-test","tag-white-house"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/w2pa.net\/HRH\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1033"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/w2pa.net\/HRH\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/w2pa.net\/HRH\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/w2pa.net\/HRH\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/w2pa.net\/HRH\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1033"}],"version-history":[{"count":47,"href":"http:\/\/w2pa.net\/HRH\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1033\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3431,"href":"http:\/\/w2pa.net\/HRH\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1033\/revisions\/3431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/w2pa.net\/HRH\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/w2pa.net\/HRH\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/w2pa.net\/HRH\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}