The Philip B. Petersen Collection Broadcast March 10, 1989

     Radio amateurs like to push new frontiers in the art of radio communications and so it was with radio amateur J. H. DeWitt, W4ERI of Nashville, Tennessee who, in 1940, set up an experiment with his radio set to receive an echo signal from the moon but without success.  The war started on December 7, 1941 and he soon became an officer assigned to the Signal Corp Laboratories at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, the "Home of the Signal Corps."  The Signal Corps Research and Development Laboratories at Fort Monmouth had long been recognized as the leading government electronic laboratories.
     The basic work in the development of RADAR was conducted there by scientists, engineers and technicians, many of them also radio amateurs.  The major effort in the development of radar was to provide an early warning system to detect enemy aircraft.  Other radar developments included a blind landing system to guide friendly aircraft back to their base in bad weather.  Of course, there were many other developments that were accomplished that greatly helped the war effort.  Now I must get back to radio amateur Col. J. H. DeWitt, W4ERI.
     When the war came to an end in the summer of 1945, many of us could investigate and develop some new projects that, if successful, would be of great benefit.  Col. DeWitt proposed this idea he had from his early amateur radio days of getting an echo back from the moon.  A project team of scientists, engineers and technicians, many of whom were also radio amateurs, went to work and developed a special experimental radar set that required considerable design changes before they were successful.
     Finally, on the 10th of January, 1946, they hit the moon with a high-powered beam and  two and one-half seconds later they received the echo signal back after making a round trip of approximately 480,000 miles.  This achievement became big news in the press for several weeks and was the forerunner of space age electronics that was soon to follow.
     After hearing that it was possible to send a radar signal to the moon, another radio amateur, Arthur Collins, WØCXX of the Collins Radio Company used the moon to reflect his radio communication signals and sent the following message from Cedar Rapids, Iowa via the moon to Washington, DC:  "What Hath God Wrought."  This message, of course, is the same message that Samuel F. B. Morse sent on his telegraph about 100 years ago.
     Nowadays, many radio amateurs are using the moon as a mirror to reflect radio communications back to other radio amateurs around the earth.  We call it moon bounce amateur radio.  This is another mode of long distance radio that is being used and improved by radio amateurs.
     Just one thing more - remember this - the moon is our one and only beautiful satellite that was not made by man, but was made and launched by God into an orbit that has always been helpful to mankind.  Now radio amateurs have found another useful and peaceful purpose for the moon.  I am sure that there will be many more to follow in years to come.

March 10, 1989

** Broadcasts recordings preserved and presented here by Mr. Robert Buss and Mr. Bernie Ricciardi, Phil's friends and fellow Marconi Chapter 138 QCWA members **

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