The Philip B. Petersen Collection Broadcast May 20, 1989

     Almost all active radio amateurs are members of the American Radio Relay League, known as the ARRL.  It is a non-profit organization of 162,000 licensed radio amateurs.  The members elect the officers who govern the League.  It was started in 1914 to organize a network of radio amateurs who worked together to develop an extended range wireless radio system.  This later became known as the National Traffic System.
     In those early days with rather primitive radio equipment, signals did not go very far.  This new organization formed a system of stations to relay messages and in a few years it extended all across the country.
     In January 1921, a record-breaking message was sent via these amateur radio relay stations across the United States and returned to the sender in six and one half minutes.  Over the years, the National Traffic System of radio relay stations has continued to expand and grow with thousands of radio amateurs participating.  It's now a well-organized amateur radio network that operates daily sending and receiving hundreds of formal written messages to all areas of the United States, its remote possessions, and other countries of the world that authorize third-party messages.  These messages are sent between stations by various modes such as Morse code, teletype, voice, and now in this personal computer age, a mode called packet radio is also used.  The bulk of the messages are usually transmitted by Morse code.  These messages, of course, are sent free by volunteers in the interest of the public.
     In normal day-to-day operations, the messages generally consist of non-priority communications such as birthday, anniversary, and holiday greetings and messages of a non-business nature.  This daily operation increases the ability, speed, and accuracy of operating techniques.  These radio amateurs take great pride in their ability to relay and deliver the messages promptly.  They must be delivered to the addressee.  If not, the sender is notified why it is not delivered.  It may have had the wrong address or there was no one to accept it.  If this occurs, the sender is so notified by a service message.
     During local and national emergencies, when normal public communications are not available, such as in earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and explosions, the National Traffic System dispenses with routine messages and then handles priority messages that are concerned directly with the emergency.
     Our Government and Armed Services recognize radio amateurs as a national technical resource of hi-tech personnel.  This is just one example of the voluntary service that radio amateurs provide in peacetime.
     In times of national emergency, such as during World War II, a critical need for technical electronic personnel suddenly existed.  Within four months after war was declared on December 7th, 1941, over 25 percent of all licensed men and women radio amateurs were already in service.  Those radio amateurs not available for service were developing and making electronic military equipment to help bring our fighting men to an early victory.

May 20, 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 **

Page updated January 12, 2004  page created June 11, 2001