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.”

We’ve previously discussed the War Emergency Radio Service (WERS), a wartime civil defense service set up to harness the talents of amateur radio operators who were otherwise off the air for the duration of World War II.

Eighty years ago this month, the February 1943 issue of Radio Retailing takes a look at how the local radio dealer might fill part of the need in supplying equipment and expertise. The illustration shown above is a mobile repair facility, and undoubtedly some of the personnel shown here service radios as their civilian job as well.

In addition to radio operators, a role likely filled by hams, the dealers might fit into one of five other categories: Maintenance, procurement, construction, repair, and training.

Eighty years ago this month, the February 1943 issue of QST showed this emergency generator. Hams might have been off the air for the duration, but they still had an interest in emergency needs, including WERS operations.

It was powered by a Briggs & Stratton gasoline engine normally rated at 1-3/4 HP, but the accompanying article noted that it was capable of up to 2-1/2 HP maximum as shown here. It was capable of putting out 120 volts thanks to a salvaged Dodge 12-volt generator, rewound, and was capable of putting out over 1400 watts. The field coils needed power, and that was provided by a second six-volt generator also driven by the engine.

The estimated cost of the whole unit was said to be $7.50, although the author admitted that this figure might have been somewhat “under-exaggerated.” The set shown here was the second one constructed, and a third was underway.

One of the gentlemen shown on the cover, although they’re not identified, was apparently Warren Copp, W8ZQ. The article mentioned that he was the father of then-eight-year-old actress Carolyn Lee.  We’re not sure exactly why that’s relevant, but like the author of the QST article, we believe that’s the kind of thing our readers would want to know.

This woman is providing civilian defense communications as part of the War Emergency Radio Service, using a 112 MHz transmitter-receiver shown in the December 1942 issue of Radio News.

The set was completely self-contained. It’s transmitter section put out a hefty ten watts, and the batteries and dynamotor were built in to the cabinet. Both the transmitter and receiver could tune the entire 112-120 MHz band.