Category Archives: Civil Defense History

1955 CONELRAD Markings

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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

1950July30LifeThe 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

1949DecPESeventy 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

1939OctPracMechBritain 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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Mississippi Mobile Communications Center, 1954

1949OCTRadioNewsSeventy years ago, the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol and Civil Defense Council operated this state-of-the-art mobile communications center. The need for such a facility had been shown by recent disasters such as the Gulf Coast hurricane of 1949, the severe ice storm of 1951, and the December 1953 Vicksburg tornado.

The state’s basic police radio network consisted of nine 3000 watt stations, and this one would be the tenth, ready to roll at 60 MPH to wherever disaster struck. In addition to the state radio, the van was equipped with VHF low-band and high-band stations, complete with crystals for local departments. At the scene of the disaster, the correct crystals could be installed, and that station manned by personnel from that department. The van included a conference room and bunkroom with six bunks. A power generator was in a trailer. With the exception of the antennas, everything was operational while in motion.

The amateur station consisted of a Johnson Viking 2 transmitter and National NC-125 receiver. Six separate booths were available for the radio operators.

The photo is from the cover of Radio News, October 1954.



ATR Power Inverters, 1954

1954AugRadioElec4We’ve previously featured AC power inverters from American Television & Radio Co., of St. Paul, Minnesota. This ad for their products in the August 1954 issue of Radio-Electronics stresses their usefulness in an emergency situation. In addition, it points out how they can be used to power a tape recorder, allowing the busy businessman to dictate memos right from his car, boat, or plane.



1954 Two Transistor Regen

1954AugRadioElecSeventy years ago, the August 1954 issue of Radio Electronics showed how to make this two-transistor regenerative receiver. It used two CK722 transistors, one for the detector, and another for one stage of audio amplification. It was said to provide ample volume on stations hundreds of miles away.

The set was billed as a preparedness device, as it made “a reliable receptor for emergency use during a power failure should a sudden air attack occur.” Since it was an emergency receiver, the antenna requirements were flexible. Two separate antenna connections were provided, one for a long antenna, and one for a short antenna. The short antenna could include “the shell of a floor lamp or table lamp, the shell of a telephone box, or to one side of an a.c. outlet. No ground connection is made if any of the above antenna substitutes are used. This precaution is necessary because of the possibility of a short in C1.”

The author noted that there was some variation in transistors, and for that reason, it was a good idea to hook the circuit up breadboard style to test them in operation before final assembly.

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1954 CONELRAD Alarm

1954AugPMSeventy years ago this month, the August 1954 issue of Popular Mechanics showed how to put together this CONELRAD monitor for the ham.  This one was more extravagant than most.  It was hooked into the AVC circuit of a broadcast radio, and would trigger when the station being monitored left the air.  In addition to setting an alarm, the author had it wired to automatically shut down the transmitter and switch to receive.

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Broadcast Station Protection Program, 1984

1984RadioFalloutShelterShown here is some key station in the Emergency Broadcast System, after it was equipped to stay on the air after a nuclear attack. The diagram appears in a 1984 FEMA publication, Broadcast Station Protection Program, which outlined the program. Much of the hardening would be paid for by the government, such as construction of fallout shelters for station personnel, emergency generators, and remote pickup equipment to link the station back to the EOC.

The cost of stocking the station with food and supplies for the staff was the responsibility of the station owner and licensee. Facilities were designed to be adequate, although austere.



1954 Civil Defense Radio Truck

Screenshot 2024-05-02 8.34.56 AMScreenshot 2024-05-02 8.36.16 AMShown above is the 1939 Studebaker employed in 1954 by the City of Malden, Mass., as its mobile emergency communications center. Shown at left are Sgt. Orin Hood, W1LD, of the Malden Police Department, along with Eli Nannis, W1HKG, the city’s radio officer and emergency coordinator.

The photos and description appeared 70 years ago this month in the May 1954 issue of Radio Electronics, which explained how such a station could be set up on a reasonable budget. The Studebaker patrol wagon was about to be surplussed by the police department. It had been rarely used, and was in good condition.

The City was also going to get rid of a 1800-watt gasoline generator, and it was obtained and placed on a two-wheel trailer.

For radio equipment, it was equipped with a Harvey Wells model TBS-50C transmitter and National NC-183 receiver. As a backup station, the truck was equipped with a 10-watt 10 meter transmitter, and a car radio and converter. That station could run off the truck batteries. The truck also contained a radio for police frequencies, as well as telephones and wire for hooking them up as needed.

The station had already been put into service when tornadoes struck nearby Worcester.