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April 1933 QST
 Table of Contents
Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics. See articles
from
QST, published December 1915 - present (visit ARRL
for info). All copyrights hereby acknowledged.
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The editors of the American Radio Relay
League's (ARRL's) QST magazine went all out for April Fool's Day in 1933.
Maybe it was a way to help ease the pain of the country's ongoing
Great Depression.
Amongst the proof of my statement are items like
The American
Radiator Delay League,
Quiescent
Autonomous Magnification Superintendence,
At Last - Some Different
Toobs!, and
I Will Not Bite His Ear, or the Rover Radio Boys on the Moon. There are others
that I haven't gotten around to publishing yet. Humor was a bit different nearly
a century ago, so expect some head scratching to figure out what the con is. This
"Hog-Wash from Our Readers" column is a variation of the regular reader-submitted
comments. Pay careful attention to the spellings of words - a common mechanism used
back in the day.
Hog-Wash from Our Readers
The Publishers of OST assume no responsibility for statements
made herein by correspondence.
The Publishers of OST assume no responsibility for statements made herein by
correspondence
Washington, Apr. 1, 1933.
A.R.D.L., West Hartford, Conn.
Sirs: It is with pleasure that I write to thank you on behalf of your members
for the forward looking message handling work which has just come to my attention.
For your information I enclose confirmation copy of a message which my sister
mailed to me in 1929, and also the identical message as delivered to me by your
local representative today.
No such example of complete and thorough handling of a message has come to my
attention before. I can but marvel that I received this message. I thank you and
congratulate you on this exceptional and outstanding performance. It is such self-sacrificing
painstaking, prompt and accurate relay work as this that typifies the spirit of
amateur radio.
Thankfully and irrevocably yours,
Henry J. Swiggletree
The following message was filed in 1929 at one of your Official Delay Stations:
Scramdale, Calectieota W7JAMB
nr 3795 March 16
Mr. Henry J Swiggletree, 28 Ninth Ave E.S.W. Washington, D.C.
Dear Brother stop Why don't you write question Weather fair rain and snow have
stopped stop We all send our love and kisses to you stop Hope hear from you shortly
dear Brother Stop As ever
(Signed) Your loving Sister Edna
Three years later this message arrive promptly at our home after having travelled
23,564,765,853 miles. It read as follows:
Mrs. Henrietta I. Treeswiggle
228 Nineteenth Street W.S.N.W. Washington
Drear brothers top Why question fair weather stop don't stop write you have stopped
rain and hope stop we send love to all misses stop as ever from your dear mother
stop shortly sig ned and edith
Febrooary 29tH
Deer Edditor:
I'm gud and mad. Wy doant U tri 2 get tngs strate. Mi surtificit of membrship
in arrl got hr 2da and U got mi name spelt Egbert. This is a insult andi am hiely
irrutated. Mi name is Elbert wich is kwite diferent. Kerrect at 1nce. Annuther tng.
Last mnth qst div repts had mi cl w8LIP. i canot imagin hw ts happend cince i printd
mi cl vry karefuly wen i sent mi rept to Scm. It is W8lid. If thees erors continU
i must be phorced to rite u agn and i shud nt like tt. Remaineing urs hamfuly, 73s.
- Elbert Howe Kumm W8LID
Free Air
Buenos Aires
Editor, OST:
The other night I heard a three-cornered rag-chew between some of your U. S.
hams. They were grumbling about the "bad air" that prevented their signals from
getting out, in spite of the fact that they had the best stations in the world.
True, you've got some of the best hams in your country, but you're always blowing
about something. For a country that is supposed to be perfect, you can find more
things the matter than anybody I know. But this time it was the bad air.
Well, sir, that set me to thinking. Down here in Argentina we have the beet air
in the world, and lots of it to spare. I want to volunteer an idea for you W fellows.
Get together, why don't you, and raise a fund to construct a pipe line, say about
six inches diameter, and run it from your country down here. That's all the machinery
you'll need. Then get your Yank hams on the northern end of that pipe line and see
how good you are. I'll bet an Audiotron with one good filament left that if you
W's can suck as hard as you can blow, you'll get plenty of good air.
None too hopefully,
Yougo Turnback
Editor, OST:
My hobbies consist of the collection of stamps, photography and astronomy. Do
you think I should embrace amature radio?
Signed: Omar Rentmaker
No, Omar, not until you learn how to spell the word amateur.
Posted April 1, 2024
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