Category Archives: Civil Defense History

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.”

Mississippi Mobile Communications Center, 1954

Seventy 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

We’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

Seventy 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.

1954 CONELRAD Alarm

Seventy 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.

Broadcast Station Protection Program, 1984

Shown 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

Shown 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.

When Wires Are Down: 1948

There was a time when electronic communications meant wires running from city to city. In the United States, these were the telephone lines owned by The Phone Company, or telegraph lines owned by Western Union. If those lines were knocked down due to some kind of natural disaster, then whole communities could be cut off from the rest of the world.

When that happened, Amateur Radio might serve as the only link. And 75 years ago this month, the June 1948 issue of QST announced that Western Union had reinstated a cooperative program with the ARRL to ensure that hams were available as backup “when wires are down.” It was a reinstatement because Amateur Radio had been off the air during the War, and the program originally dated to 1939, as announced in the June 1939 issue of QST.

Image, 1950 Handbook.

The ARRL was able to “give W.U. a list of Emergency Coordinators (EC), so in any pinch, the W.U. local managers will know who to call upon for coordinated information on the active amateur stations, radio schedules, points in radio nets, local emergency-powered outlet, and so on, so
necessary emergency traffic might be filed.” For their part, Amateurs were encouraged to fill out ARRL Form 7 and give it to their EC to sign up as members of the Amateur Emergency Corps. In fact, the blank forms were available at Western Union offices, and could even be dropped off there, with Western Union routing the forms back to ARRL headquarters.

In reports of disasters, it wasn’t uncommon to read that hams had assisted Western Union when the lines were down. For example, during the 1940 Armistice Day Blizzard, Sherm Boen of Albert Lea handled traffic for the railroad, since a dispatcher in southern Minnesota needed permission from Minneapolis before sending a snowplow north.

These days, it’s unlikely (but not totally inconceivable) that the normal telecommunications networks will fail completely. In addition to ground-based lines, there are multiple satellite options available for linking various communities. So it’s unlikely that an internet service provider or phone company will call hams for assistance with restoring their networks.

However, it’s not unheard of for individuals and families in areas hit by disasters to be cut off from the outside world. The ability to send a short message to family or friends in other states could be a major morale booster, and could be extremely helpful in reuniting families separated by disasters. Hams spend an inordinate amount of time trying to find a “served agency” to whom they can offer their services. But radio communications today isn’t exactly rocket science, and those agencies can probably have communications in place operated by their own personnel.

But hams still have a major strength, and that is the fact that they are widely dispersed around the country, mostly in residential areas. In other words, if there is a local or regional disaster, they are already there, and they can begin communicating immediately. As exercises such as Field Day and Winter Field Day prove, they can be on the air immediately, even if power is out, and even if part of their station is damaged. A wire antenna can be put up almost anywhere, hooked up to an HF rig and car battery, and communications are immediately established. Even the most modest of VHF rigs can provide local communications with other hams.

It seems to me that individual hams should figure out how they can serve their neighbors in time of emergency. In my case, I will simply make it known, perhaps with a sign in the front yard, that I can send short messages to anyone, just about anywhere, via Amateur Radio. I have multiple radios that can be pressed into service, and all I need is some wire to build an antenna. For power, I have multiple options, such as a car battery, flashlight batteries, or a solar panel. I can be on the air almost immediately, and stay on the air more or less indefinitely. I don’t need any agency to serve. My license is the only authorization I need to offer my services to my neighbors.

Electric Sentry for Air Raid Warden: 1943

Eighty years ago, this west coast air raid warden was subject to call at any moment, but he might need to be somewhere in his house other than next to the telephone. His solution was to use something called an “electric sentry” to alert him.

As near as I can tell, an “electric sentry” was a one-way intercom, which used the house wiring to transmit the signal. The transmitter was plugged in near the telephone ringer. He could then carry the receiver to another room in the house, or even a neighbor’s house, with the assurance that he would hear the ringing phone.

Here, he appears to have the sentry receiver nearby while he repairs a radio. His daughter assists him by trying on his warden’s helmet. The transmitter is shown at right.

The item appeared in the May 1953 issue of Popular Mechanics.

Using the CB in Emergencies: 1973

Our younger readers might find this hard to believe, but there was a time when you didn’t have a phone with you while driving. If you were in your car, you were cut off from the rest of the world. Nobody could call you, and you couldn’t call anyone else. As alien as the concept might seem, you might need to wait to talk to someone!

Believe it or not, being incommunicado in this way has its advantages. It gives you the opportunity to relax, without being bothered by someone else’s trifling concerns. Of course, on rare occasions, there are legitimate emergencies. If you car broke down, you would either have to hike to the closest payphone, or wait until a good Samaritan stops to help. Believe it or not, good Samaritans were more common then, because they realized you didn’t have a phone. Today, when people see a stranded motorist, they assume (usually, but not always, correctly) that the person has a phone. But back in the day, when you saw someone by the side of the road in trouble, you knew that unless someone stopped, they wouldn’t get any help. Armed with that information, it wasn’t uncommon to be the someone, and stop to help.

Of course, most good Samaritans are good, but there are also bad people who might take advantage of someone, especially a woman, helplessly stranded by the road. Therefore, having some mechanism to communicate, especially if you were a woman, wasn’t a bad idea. The billboard above highlights this fact, and it was seen on American highways fifty years ago, as shown here in the April 1973 issue of Popular Electronics.

The magazine highlighted the efforts of REACT and other CB clubs and organizations to provide someone to respond to such emergencies. Since 1970, channel 9 had been designated as a channel for emergencies and motorist assistance. In most areas of the country, REACT and other groups did an admirable job of monitoring channel 9, and the magazine provided a summary of those efforts, and pointers on using your CB in case of emergency. It noted that in addition to routine monitoring of channel 9, many groups assisted with civil defense and emergency communications. It encouraged CB’ers to monitor channel 9 whenever possible as a backup, but it did encourage waiting for organized groups to help before jumping in, since this encouraged people to join the organized groups. One popular activity by such groups was providing coffee to motorists on holiday weekends, as shown here.

The billboard shown above was provided by the Electronic Industries Association as a public service. The magazine provided details on how local CB clubs could contact outdoor advertisers to obtain the materials for the sign.

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