The August 1958 issue of
Radio News marked the merging of All-Wave Radio with Radio
News, both founded by Hugo Gernsback. Radio News began publication
in July 1919 (actually titled Radio Amateur News for the first year)
and All-Wave Radio debuted in September 1936. "All-wave" radio
referred to a class of radios popular at the time which could tune in most of
the worldwide commercial broadcast stations, spurring the accompanying "short
wave listening" craze. This instance of the monthly "Within Earshot of the Editor"
column received a lot of attention because it* fired a shot across the bow of
the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) for not sufficiently lobbying the Federal
Communications commission (FCC) for the electromagnetic spectrum access rights
currently enjoyed and the serious threat of loss. Many people subsequently accused
Radio News of attempting to torpedo (to continue my naval analogy)
the ARRL and replace it with another organization of Ham operators. The editorial
also admonished Hams for putting themselves at risk by not policing themselves
in the area of spurious emissions that were interfering with rapidly increasing
numbers of radios in households.
* Karl A. Kopetzky, editor.
Within Earshot of the Editor - FCC Interference Law
With this issue we bring out the combined
magazines of All-Wave Radio and Radio News. We are happy that the publishers
have acquired the former magazine because it enjoyed a large and varied circulation
among the amateurs, servicemen, DX fans and experimenters. Many of the departments
of AWR are duplications of those presently carried in Radio News. The following
will assist those readers who want a ready and quick reference:
The "Hamfest" column is carried as "Ham Chatter"; "The Circuit Court" will
be found under "Questions and Answers" and throughout the general technical
make-up of Radio News; "Globe Girdling" will be found under our "Short Wave
Flashes"; "Channel Echos" are covered by "Studio Briefs," "Not For Rebroadcast"
and "Short Wave Flashes"; "Ultra High" and "Short Wave Broadcast List" are covered
by our DX department and '''Short Wave Time Table"; while "Night Owl Hoots"
material can be found in "Special DX Broadcasts" column. In all other respects
all of the information heretofore carried in AWR will be furnished in more or
less complete form by Radio News. A column will appear monthly devoted to the
activities of the "Radio Signal Survey League" which will be edited by their
Director, Mr. Barry. Unfortunately the change of management came at a crucial
point of make-up of the magazine and, therefore, RSSL News has been left out
of this issue. It will reappear next month.
We believe this marks an important step forward towards the dissemination
of information on all phases of radio to our readers who are interested in this
hobby and we foretell a brilliant future for the combined magazines. The Editors
will welcome any suggestions from our new readers who were the old readers of
AWR on any radio subject.
We have actively entered the campaign to clean up the ARRL from within. We
don't believe there is room in the United States for more than one league unless
the present League steps down as the official mouthpiece of 43,000 amateurs.
As long as the ARRL is lax, Radio News will continue to conduct its campaign
for the betterment of ham conditions by that body. It can't hope to succeed
in this proposition unless the membership itself becomes cognizant of the emasculation
of its own league. The machinery is there; the membership lacks only the power
of concerted action to put it into operation, and make the League the most powerful
body of amateurs in the World.
There is grave danger (and in fact an official of the ARRL has stated publicly),
that by 1942 the amateurs will lose their 20 and 40 meter bands unless the fraternity
arouses itself from its 18 years' sleep and compels the ARRL Directors to take
suitable action at Washington. It must do this so that the United States Representatives
to the Convention in Rome, to come, will be instructed just exactly what our
Government will do and will not do. If we continue our Rip-Van-Winkle-like attitude,
the chances of the amateur becoming wholly extinct are very great.
There is a Federal investigation starting into the activities of the Federal
Communications Commission and into its allotment of frequencies to the various
services throughout the U. S. This is then the time to strike and to make our
voices heard that we, as amateurs, demand recognition of the value to our country
in times of stress and emergency, and that such recognition be rewarded not
only with the retention of our present frequencies, but with the acquisition
of more.
![Our Booth at the RMA Show in Chicago - RF Cafe](images5/within-earshot-editor-radio-news-august-1938.gif)
Our Booth at the RMA Show in Chicago, with W9KQH at the
portable station, W9ETI reading RN, and Jerry Crosse, The Radio News Girl,
talking to a customer.
It is an obvious fact that since the amateur has been relegated to the five
main bands, which he now occupies, that he has been stagnant in developing anything
startlingly new in the field of radio. It must be made clear to our Government
that by awarding the amateur new frequencies, new developments will take place
which will enable our Government to benefit from such award.
There are many who question whether or not television and broadcast and motion
picture industries will eventually clash with the induction of public television
programs. That this fact has been noticed in a number of quarters is evident
by the fact that Columbia Broadcasting System, through one of its officers,
is quite heavily interested in Warner Brothers motion picture company. Since
Columbia Broadcasting System uses RCA equipment for the most part, it would
seem that these three industries are preparing to develop television for public
consumption, together.
Yielding to the pressure of the millions who enjoy their broadcast radio
reception, the F.C.C., on May 28, 1938, submitted a bill to Congress which stated,
"no person shall operate or cause to be operated any apparatus which uses r.f.
electrical current as an essential to its operation ... in any manner inconsistent
with the rules, regulations, restriction or conditions which the Commission
may prescribe under ... this section." The Commission, in recommending that
Congress pass this bill, predicted that "the use of a large part of the radio
spectrum for communications purposes will be destroyed," unless some laws and
measures can be passed for the suppression of electronic interference. The devices
aimed at by the F.C.C. are motor cars, trucks, buses, neon signs, defective
power lines and electric therapy equipment. The organization interested, is
the National Association for the Prevention of Radio Interference.
In presenting this act to Congress, the F.C.C. follows the lead taken by
the Canadian Communications Commission prohibiting radio interference of any
kind.
To those amateurs who are seriously minded enough to read the handwriting
on the wall, the bill foreshadows a drastic move on the part of the F.C.C. to
reduce not only the interference complained of, but also amateur interference.
The Editors of Radio News freely predict that the time is not far distant when
amateur interference will be met with more drastic measures than heretofore.
It will be up to the amateur fraternity at large to clean its own house and
ascertain whether or not it is causing any interference. * * *
Posted February 15, 2021
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