[Boatanchors] Heath CA-1 Conelrad Alarm

Fri, 21 Mar 2003 06:40:06 -0600

Hi Glen & Group,

I know I have gotten somewhat more forgetful than I was
back in the period 1950 to 1960, but Radio Amateurs being
required to monitor a broadcast station???????

No such requirement!!!!!

I have been licensed since 1938 both Ham and Commercial
Raditelegraph and except for WW2 period I was very active
on mostly 80 meters, CW and SSB....

Was I and my Ham friends violating an FCC rule or an 
International Radio Law by not monitoring a broadcast stn?

There was a rule requiring AM broadcast stations to monitor
500 Kcs. because their transmitters would overide ships
signals. The ship's main receiver was mostly regenerative types
and could not reject strong AM broadcast signals....This
was discontinued sometime before I started studying for my
commercial telegraph license....I remember going aboard a
Cuban ship while in port in New Orleans and met the two
operators....The strongest AM bcst station in New Orleans
at that time was WWL, 10,000 Watts and it blanked out
anything else on their low frequency receiver on or near 500 Kcs....

FWIW,  Ken....N5CM....NNN0FKQ....

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Glen Zook" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, March 20, 2003 4:38 PM
Subject: [Boatanchors] Heath CA-1 Conelrad Alarm

> I am "sorta" looking for a Heath model CA-1.  This is
> the "Automatic" Conelrad Monitor manfactured during
> the late 1950s into the 1960s for use by amateur radio
> operators.
> 
> Back during that period of time, every amateur had to
> continuously monitor a broadcast station.  If a
> Conelrad alert was issued, the broadcast station would
> go off the air and everyone was instructed to "tune to
> 640 or 1240 on your radio dial for more instructions".
>  That is why there are the little "CD" emblems at 640
> and 1240 KHz on the dials of many AM broadcast radios
> made during the 1950s and into the 1960s.  
> 
> You either had to have some sort of "automatic" alarm
> attached to a radio or else have it turned down to a
> level that you could hear the station but the audio
> wouldn't be picked up by your microphone if you were
> working "phone".
> 
> The CA-1 hooked to a tube-type AM broadcast receiver
> and when the station to which the radio was tuned went
> off the air, the CA-1 removed the AC from the
> transmitter and turned on a red light.
> 
> Anyway, it depends on what someone wants for one of
> these.  I would rather trade if possible since I am
> still fighting with Hartford Insurance Company over
> long-term disability benefits!
> 
> Glen, K9STH
> 
> =====
> Glen, K9STH
> 
> Web sites
> 
> http://home.attbi.com/~k9sth
> http://home.attbi.com/~zcomco
> 
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