It’s an unimposing brick building, sitting on a small knoll in a residential area yet not out of place. In spring the bright green on surrounding trees frames the building, and winter it is lightly covered with snow that settles on the windows and door frames, giving it the perfect look for a postcard – or QSL card. Accented with unique detail, the architecture of the building sets it back in time and apart from its surroundings. Round windows grace the end walls of the rectangular building and a formal entrance, reserved for special occasions, lies at the top of steps leading down to Main Street in Newington, Connecticut.   

This simple and graceful building represents far more history and accomplishment than most passersby would imagine. Cross the threshold and you enter another world, one in which the magic of radio communication has spanned several generations. You can feel the spirit of Hiram Percy Maxim, whose “Old Betsy” rotary spark gap transmitter graces the vestibule. You can almost see HPM sitting at his desk in the era of Amateur Radio when sparks flew and each contact was a rare event. And his spirit of adventure and experimentation – and above all, service – is still alive at W1AW, the Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial station.  

Today W1AW is a showcase for an Amateur Radio service with capabilities that surpass what HPM, with one of the most imaginative minds of his generation, could have envisioned. A vintage AM station sits gracefully alongside D-Star and other advanced digital technologies. A matrix of antenna connections and a wall of transceivers and amplifiers for every band bring daily bulletins and Morse code practice to every corner of the country and the world. The guest operating suites showcase the most up-to-date equipment.  

W1AW has come a long way since Old Betsy ionized the air with every dit and dah from Hiram Percy Maxim’s fist! And I know he would be glad to see the station that W1AW has become. In recent years, since we launched the W1AW Endowment Fund, the station has been modernized without sacrificing its character and history.  Income from the Endowment Fund has contributed to the replacement of aging equipment and antennas. New band pass filters, computers and cables have been installed.

As an intrepid tinkerer and inventor, HPM would be pleased with how far Amateur Radio has progressed, and proud of the station that bears his name.  Now we need you to help us continue the progress to make W1AW a truly 21st Century operation.   

Your financial commitment will help ARRL maintain W1AW as America’s Amateur Radio station. I hope you will make the largest contribution you can manage to fund a bright future for W1AW to ensure that W1AW will continue to represent the best of Amateur Radio. Click here to access the donation form.

If you are in a position to do even more, you may consider supoprting the W1AW Endowment with a gift of securities. Your  pledge to the W1AW Endowment Fund may be fulfilled in annual, semi-annual or quarterly or monthly installments of $10 or more.  If you you’d like more information or to arrange a schedule of regular contributions using your credit card, contact the Development Office by phone at 1-860-594-0397 or by email at mhobart@arrl.org.   

Your generosity will send a strong message that you honor the history of W1AW and are committed to a bright future for W1AW as the heart of our service. ARRL will use your contribution to build a fund that ensures that the flagship station, W1AW, will continue to represent the best of all of us.  

And if you haven’t visited ARRL and W1AW recently, you are invited to plan a trip to Newington and arrange to operate W1AW and see for yourself the magical role that W1AW plays for Amateur Radio.  

Important Note: ARRL is an IRS-designated 501(c)(3) organization holding tax identification # 06-6000004.  Contributions to the Spectrum Defense Fund are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.