Category Archives: Civil Defense History

Atom Bomb Effects, 1946

It’s The Ham In Them, 1955

Seventy years ago this month, the November 1955 issue of Boys’ Life carried this feature, “It’s The Ham in Them,” giving an overview of Amateur Radio. It noted that there were 120,000 hams in the U.S., with another 50,000 around the world, and that Uncle Sam had gone out of his way to make the hobby enticing to youth.

Among other topics, the article detailed the potential for hams in an emergency, some of which are depicted here. For example, when Hurricane Diane hit the Northeast, three hundred trembling youngsters were stranded in ankle-deep water on an island of the Delaware River. Little attention was given to a car stopped on the far bank. Even had it been noticed, it wouldn’t have been capable of rescue, or so it appeared. But a squadron of helicopters soon appeared. The driver of the car had been a ham, and had put in the call to Civil Defense officials. (The incident appears to be detailed at this link.

In another case, a truck had plunged off a mountain in Arizona, a a rancher brought them to Camp Geronimo, a scout camp. The camp director was a ham (Ed Burkhart, W7SUI) who put in an emergency call to Phoenix, resulting in the dispatch of an ambulance plane.

As in 1955, Amateur Radio is primarily a hobby. But it can be a source of information and connection with the outside world in case of an emergency. An excellent example is when Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina in 2024. Hams, and their neighbors, were in a position to provide vital information, because an ad-hoc network quickly formed, mostly using a repeater just outside the disaster area. There might have been a few people “rescued” as a result of this communication. But more importantly, residents had access to current information, such as whether certain roads were open, where stores and gas stations were operating, etc. Radio also provided the ability to notify friends and family members that someone was safe. An excellent recounting of these events can be found at this article by K4SWL, who provided this vital communication for his neighbors.

A Look Ahead at World War III: 1945

Eighty years ago the Second World War was barely over, but the November 19, 1945, issue of Life Magazine was making predictions of what the next war might look like. The scene above shows the ruins of the New York Public Library, as technicians measure radioactivity levels.

Specifically, the magazine reviewed the findings of Army Air Forces General Henry H. Arnold in his report to the Secretary of War. It called it the “36-hour war,” and speculated that it would begin with atomic blasts in places like London, Paris, Moscow, or Washington. The speculated attack began with rocket-launching sites built secretly by some enemy in the jungle of equatorial Africa. In an hour, they would be on American soil, but American radar could give about 30 minutes of warning.

The defense would come in the form of a a counterattack, from firing tubes of American bases deep underground. This would deliver “an immensely devastating air-atomic attack” on the enemy.

Arnold speculated that the last phase of the attack on the U.S. would be in the form of airborne troops, armed with rockets to attack far distant points. But before they arrived, the U.S. could see 40 million fatalities.

“But as it is destroyed the U.S. is fighting back. The enemy airborne troops are wiped out. U.S. rockets lay waste the enemy’s cities. U.S. airborne troops successfully occupy his country. The U.S. wins the atomic war.”

Radio to the Rescue: 1955

Seventy years ago this month, the August 1955 issue of Popular Electronics didn’t contain any articles specifically related to this cover illustration. But the painting was just to good not to use. All we know for sure that the painter was Ed Valigursky. The gentleman with the radio was probably a ham, and probably using six meters. He undoubtedly saved the town by directing the other gentleman to add a few more sandbags at this critical spot.

1945 Automatic Relaying System

The first automatic amateur radio repeater station was put on the air in 1956 by Art Gentry, W6MEP, and it’s been on the air ever since. But you can see that the idea had been around for a while, as shown in this article 80 years ago, in the June 1945 issue of QST.

At the time, Amateur Radio was still off the air for the duration of the war, but some hams involved in civilian defense activities did have authorization to operate as part of the War Emergency Radio Service (WERS), usually on the 2-1/2 meter band. One such WERS station was WKKW in Hanipshire County, Mass. The network was headed up by a net control station (NCS) at one of the highest points in the county, which ensured good coverage. The problem was, however, that not all stations could hear each other. So if a message needed to be relayed, it meant an added step of the NCS relaying it.

The solution was an automatic relaying system at the NCS station. While the article called it “automatic,” it did not automatically hit the air as with a more modern repeater. Instead, the NCS merely patched the audio from a second receiver into the transmitter, with the patch cord shown here. He monitored through headphones, and switched back when the message was over. Of course, the transmitter and receiver had to be on different frequencies, so when a message had to be retransmitted, the originating station was told to QSY to 112.7 MHz, and the repeated signal was on the net frequency of 114.6 MHz.

The equipment had to be reasonably well shielded, and the antennas had to be separated. (The article noted that the feed line was a twisted pair.) The article concluded by noting, “it is to be hoped that others will experiment with this and other simple means of relaying, since it is an interesting field of experimentation and one which offers a good return in the way of improved WERS operation. It suggests, also, interesting possibilities for postwar amateur activities at the high frequencies.”

1965 Fallout Shelter/Ham Shack

Shown here, in QST for April 1965, is the fallout shelter and ham shack of Nathaniel Cole, WA6TOG. He had a contractor cut a deep trench in the hill, into which he lowered a corrugated pipe. At one end was a concrete bulkhead, and the other end was a concrete storageroom. Bunks for 6-8 people (the article reported that he had six kids) were welded to the pipe, and an entry tunnel led from the storage room to the surface, with a door of 2-1/2 inch laminated plywood.

The radio operating position was at the rear, where pipes led up to the antennas. There were an additional three four-inch air vents.

1955 CONELRAD Markings

Seventy years ago this month, the March 1955 issue of Popular Mechanics showed off Chrysler’s “defense minded” radios. The dials were “especially designed to enable motorists to tune in quickly for emergency Civil Defense instructions.” As far as I can tell, that meant that the dials had the required CONELRAD markings on 640 and 1240.

1950 Look at the H-Bomb

The first hydrogen bomb wasn’t tested until 1952, but two years earlier, readers of Life Magazine, January 30, 1950, got a pretty good idea of what it would be capable of. The above picture shows the blast radius for the A-bomb (small circle) compared to that of the H-bomb (large circle).

Colorado Senator Edwin C. Johnson had referenced the new bomb in a television broadcast, the press followed up, and President Truman had failed to either confirm or deny that the project was underway. The magazine noted that the nation was still trying to adjust itself to life with the A-bomb, but the new bomb, which would harness the same energy as the sun itself, would make the Hiroshima weapon look like a stick of dynamite.

1954 Emergency Communications Truck

Seventy years ago this month, the December 1954 issue of Popular Electronics showed this mobile radio station of the Inter County Amateur Radio Club in Detroit, W8IGS. Shown in th epicture are a number of executives of the Dodge Division of Chrysler, which had donated the truck to the club.

The vehicle was equipped with stations for 2 and 10 meters, including 2 meter Radio Teletype. The club had also assembled 25 portable walkie-talkies for use in conjunction with the station.

Wartime Britain: Wind Power and Air-Raid Shelters

Britain was at war by the time the October 1939 issue of Pracical Mechanics hit the newsstands. Undoubtedly, much of the content had been written prior to hostilities. For example, the cover story gives some pointers on wind powered lighting plants for use in remote areas, and the magazine noted that most of the British Isles enjoyed at least eight hours per day of sufficient wind, although some planning was required as to the exact location. The gentleman shown here on the cover looks optimistic, and this view was probably from before the War.

Wartime content was added, however, before the magazine went to press. The editorial, for example, pointed out that within the limitations imposed by the state, it was the duty of each citizen to carry on so as to cause as little disruption to national life as possible.

But the magazine also carried the extensive feature, a portion of which is shown below, with pointers on building an air-raid shelter. It noted that “regrettable though the fact may be, it seems evident that in these modern times the air-raid shelter constitutes a structure which, for some years at any rate, has come to stay.”

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