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    Surfin': Telling the Pacific Radio Story

    By Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU
    Contributing Editor
    June 01, 2007


    This week, discover a Web site that recalls the history of radio in and on the Pacific Ocean.


    screenshot
    The Radio Heritage Foundation Web site documents the history of radio in and on the Pacific.

    My college major was history. If nothing else, my history degree prompts me to remember the past and not be condemned to repeat it. Also, my interest in history carried over to Amateur Radio, thus, my interest in radio history.

    One thing leads to another. At the Dayton Hamvention last month, I was talking to a fellow ham about QSL cards, and he mentioned the name of someone who is reputed to have a fantastic QSL card collection. I noted the name with the intention of looking him up on the Internet when I returned home.

    Back home, I Googled “Adrian Petersen” and discovered that he had written a bunch of articles on radio history. I also found out that some of his writings resided at Radio Heritage Foundation Web site, that I found so amazing that I chose it as this week’s featured Web site. Like I said, one thing leads to another.

    The Radio Heritage Foundation Web site bills itself as “Sharing the stories of Pacific Radio.”

    “More than anywhere else in the world, radio found an easy home here, conquering vast distances of ocean, and connecting the scattered islands with each other in much the same way early Polynesian seafarers used the sea itself as their main means of communication.”

    Living all my life on the right coast (with the Pacific on the left coast), ham and broadcast radio stations in and on the Pacific Ocean were always more exotic to me (and more difficult to work, too). So exploring this Web site brought back a lot of memories about working those tough and exotic stations in the big ocean.

    I don’t know where to begin describing all that this Web site has to offer. There are a lot of stories told accompanied by wonderful images. You can spend days visiting and sampling all that this fun Web site offers and I highly recommend that you take a look for yourself.

    Until next time, keep on surfin’.

    Editor’s note: Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU, will never forget receiving a QSL from Radio Hanoi during the height of the Vietnam War. To discuss shortwave listening, FBI files and other interesting stuff, send him an e-mail or add comments to his blog. By the way, every installment of Surfin’ is indexed here, so go look it up (whatever it may be).


       



    Page last modified: 04:49 PM, 31 May 2007 ET
    Page author: awextra@arrl.org
    Copyright © 2007, American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved.