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

[EP Swynar]

Hi Duane,

A MOST interesting history on the old WPE SWL'ing programme...! It sure
brought back a LOT of memories for me --- thanks!

Well, FWIW, my own personal "callsign" was VE3PE2RT, issued back in July
1969. It bears the signatures of Mssrs. Oliver Ferrell, & Hank Bennett, & is
in pristine collection --- indeed, it continues to reside in the original
wooden frame that I mounted it in almost 40 years ago, and remains tacked to
the wall of my shack, right alongside DXCC, WAC, WAS, RCC, etc. etc.

~73!~ Eddy VE3CUI - VE3XZ


*******************************************


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Duane Fischer, W8DBF" <dfischer at usol.com>
To: <boatanchors at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2008 10:09 PM
Subject: [Boatanchors] Re Old "WPE" SW Calls From Popular Electronics


>
>
> 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
>
> _______________________________________________