[Boatanchors] Re Old "WPE" SW Calls From Popular Electronics

[Peter Markavage]

I thought the WPE program was started by Tom Kneitel back in the late
50's and wasn't taken over by Hank Bennet until after Kneitel left
Popular Electronics in 1961.

There's a big list of "WPE" calls embedded in this SWL list:
http://kc5jk.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/swlcs.html

And, there are 4 "Guestbook" lists here with lots of WPE calls:
http://www.qsl.net/wb1gfh/swl.html

Pete, wa2cwa
WPE2RC
http://www.manualman.com

On Thu, 8 May 2008 22:09:11 -0400 "Duane Fischer, W8DBF"
<dfischer at usol.com> writes:
> 
> 
> Hi All,
> 
> About five years ago I attempted to put together a database that 
> contained 
> as many as possible of the original Short-Wave Monitor certificate 
> call 
> signs issued by Hank Bennet who wrote a SW column for Popular 
> Electronics as 
> I could locate. These calls are began with the prefix of "WPE". 
> After Hank 
> left Popular Electronics he continued to issue the call sings, but 
> changed 
> the prefix to "WDX".
> 
> There were three different certificates printed by Popular 
> Electronics over 
> the aprox. twelve years that Hank did this for them in his monthly 
> SW 
> column.
> 
> Many of you remember your SWL call sign, but no longer have the 
> certificate. 
> Some of you do not remember your call, but would like to find it 
> again and 
> get a certificate to go with it. Others of you have your original 
> certificate, but time has not been kind to it and now it looks like 
> one of 
> the Dead Sea scrolls!
> 
> Yes I contacted Hank Bennet, who had vanished. Most thought he was 
> dead. How 
> I found him, is a story worth telling, believe me! But not here.
> 
> Hank had fifty thousand 3X5 index cards with all the SW certificate 
> data 
> hand written on them. He was certain he could revive the long dead 
> SW 
> certificate program again, but ... He was elderly, he was ill, his 
> memory 
> had failed, and it was not going to happen. Especially when those 
> who had 
> written to him for a number of years, never got an answer, figured 
> the man 
> was among the dearly departed!
> 
> All of my efforts to obtain the information on those cards, were in 
> vain. 
> Keeping in mind that a large percentage of the holders of the SW 
> call signs 
> were no longer alive, as it was almost forty years since he wrote 
> his last 
> column for Popular Electronics, many of those index cards had 
> unseless data 
> on them. A friend of mine who was also interested in putting together 
> a 
> database to help you who would like to remember your long forgotten 
> call, 
> even offered to purchase the old boxes of index cards. He even 
> offered to 
> drive to NY to pick them up, as Hank Bennet was in no condition 
> physically 
> to box them up etc. Hank refused. He just knew that one day everyone 
> was 
> going to want a SWL certificate etc. Sad, as that chapter on the 
> life of a 
> man who gave so much to the SW hobby came to an unfortunate end.
> 
> Several of us have decided to try and build the database ourselves 
> by using 
> the names and call signs printed each month at the end of Hank's SW 
> column. 
> This is NOT a complete account of all who received the calls, but it 
> is one 
> source!
> 
> Those of you who know your call sign can send it to me and we will 
> enter it 
> into the database. Those who want a certificate reproduction, can 
> obtain 
> one. NOT a new call sign, just a new certificate with your original 
> call on 
> it!
> 
> This could be quite an expensive undertaking. So I am wondering how 
> many of 
> you have copies of Popular Electronics from January of 1957 through 
> December 
> of 1969?
> 
> I 'think' these are the years that Hank Bennet issued the "WPE" SW 
> call 
> signs! If not correct, please give me the correct start and finish 
> dates!
> 
> My original certificate is in excellent condition and can easily be 
> 
> reproduced. If you remember, they came with blank lines for 'you' to 
> fill 
> in; such as name, date etc.
> 
> Again let me stress! We are 'NOT' going to start issuing new SW 
> calls, 
> regardless of the prefix! This is simply an effort to get each of 
> you who 
> had a SW certificate and no longer have it, another copy of it. An 
> effort to 
> help those of you who had one, but have lost the certificate and 
> forgotten 
> your SW call sign, to locate your original call. Finally, to provide 
> those 
> of you who still have your original certificate, but would like a 
> new copy, 
> a new reproduction copy.
> 
> If you can help with loaning me issues of Popular Electronics to be 
> scanned 
> into the database and returned to you, if you can help with the 
> graphics 
> involved in preparing certificates for printing, or if you are 
> interested in 
> getting a reproduction of your original certificate or want to find 
> your old 
> SW call sign, please contact me direct. This is a HUGE project, but 
> one many 
> of you thought was worth the time and effort to accomplish.
> 
> I wanted the project to be a tribute to Hank Bennet, but 
> unfortunately my 
> hopes will not become a reality. Nevertheless, we can all still look 
> at our 
> new reproduction Popular Electronics SW Monitor certificates and 
> remember 
> those countless hours we spent staring transfixed at dimly lit 
> dials, 
> straining to hear that faint voice of the announcer fade up and down 
> in our 
> headphones and the excitement of when one of those stations on the 
> other 
> side of the planet mailed us a QSL card and two pounds of 
> propaganda!
> 
> I still have a little decorative metal pin that fastens to a shirt 
> pocket 
> from Radio Bucharest that I received in 1961. I also have a QSL card 
> from 
> Radio Habanna, Cuba after President Kennedy declared the mail 
> embargo in 
> 1962! How that postcard style QSL got through the mail, who knows! I 
> still 
> have it.
> 
> I am sure that many of you also have momentos from that era that 
> have 
> survived, as well as many fabulous stories that need telling. So, 
> send me 
> the story and I will assemble a collection of Tales From When 
> Short-Wave Was 
> King and make it available to all interested parties for printing 
> and 
> mailing costs. If you should happen to have some photos of your 
> listening 
> post, equipment etc., be sure to include a high resolution copy on a 
> good 
> grade of photo paper. Besides all the work, this could turn out to 
> be both a 
> lot of fun and a great way to recover the lost "WPE" SW calls.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Duane Fischer, W8DBF - WPE8CXO
> E-Mail: dfischer at usol.com
> Hallicrafters web site: www.w9wze.net
> HHRP web site: hhrp.w9wze.net
> 
> _______________________________________________
> 
>