[CW] Early Radio Operator Licensing

Tue Aug 25 14:48:10 EDT 2020

    I am not sure who the Great White Fleet was. The term was 
used for a U.S.Navy operation to show off U.S. Naval power during 
the Theodore Roosevelt administration. Was this who was 
advertising in QST?   Sildell was Tropical Radio Telegraph Co, 
WNU. TRT was owned by the United Fruit Company. Before WW-2 TRT 
had at least three stations in the U.S. WBF (Boston Fruit) in 
Boston, WNU in New Orleans, and WAX, near Miami (I think Hialeah 
originally). WBF seems to have been discontinued and was not on 
the air after the war.
     There is considerable history of the Robert Dollar company. 
They established Dollar Radio to service their own ships but the 
radio laws required that all wireless by universal in who they 
communicated with so Dollaradio was spun off into Globe Wireless, 
which took over the Dollar stations. They had at least KHK, in 
Honolulu, KTK in San Francisco and KSM in Los Angeles. Dollar 
also had a connection with Heintz and Kaufman but I don't 
remember the details. Globe still survives providing service to 
yachts. I don't think Globe had any East coast stations as TRT 
had none in the West. It would be interesting to have a time line 
of coastal stations with locations and owners.

On 8/24/2020 9:05 PM, Richard Knoppow wrote:
>    I wonder if any copies of the exams survive.
>
> On 8/24/2020 8:55 PM, D.J.J. Ring, Jr. wrote:
>> I remember Slidell Radio advertising for operators, they 
>> always had
>> the highest standards, I also remember seeing advertisements 
>> for "The
>> Great White Fleet" in "QST" when I was young.  These high 
>> standards
>> didn't start late in the century, far from it, this is from 
>> Department
>> of Commerce Radio Service Bulletin May 1916.
>>
>> COMMERCIAL EXTRA FIRST-GRADE LICENSES FOR OPERATORS ON UNITED 
>> FRUIT CO. SHIPS.
>>
>> Under date of January 26, 1916, the Tropical Radio Telegraph Co.
>> issued the following circular pointing out to operators on United
>> Fruit Co. ships the desirability of securing commercial extra 
>> first
>> grade licenses:
>>
>> TO ALL OPERATORS:
>>
>> Ship operators are again reminded that it is highly desirable 
>> to hold
>> the extra first-grade commercial operators' licenses issued by 
>> the
>> Department of Commerce.
>>
>> The possession of such a license is a distinct mark of 
>> ability, and in
>> considering men for promotion to positions as chief operators 
>> on board
>> ship, as well as trick operators at shore stations, those 
>> holding an
>> extra grade license will be given preference regardless of their
>> length of service.
>>
>> In general, it should be the aim of every radio operator on 
>> board a
>> United Fruit Co.
>> ship to hold an extra grade license.
>>
>> Operators who obtain an extra grade license should notify the 
>> general
>> office promptly, giving the license number and date issued.
>>
>> Yours very truly,
>>
>> GEO. S. Davis,
>> General Superintendent.
>>
>> The commercial extra first-grade license is the highest class of
>> license, and is issued by the Department of Commerce to radio
>> operators who pass a special examination demonstrating unusual
>> experience and skill. These licenses are given consideration 
>> by the
>> Civil Service Commission in examinations for positions requiring
>> knowledge of radiotelegraphy when experience is rated as a 
>> part of
>> such examinations. To be eligible for the examination for the
>> commercial extra first-grade license applicants must hold 
>> commercial
>> first-grade licenses, and their certificates of skill in radio
>> communication, issued under the act of June 24, 1910, or licenses
>> under the act of August 13, 1912, must record 18 months' 
>> satisfactory
>> commercial service at sea or at land stations, either or both, 
>> during
>> the two years previous to the filing of the application for
>> examination, as shown by endorsement on the license service 
>> records,
>> or other satisfactory evidence, and provided that the 
>> applicants have
>> not been penalized for a violation of the radio laws and 
>> regulations.
>>
>> A speed of at least 30 words per minute, Continental Morse, 
>> and 25
>> words per minute, American Morse (five letters to the word), 
>> must be
>> attained. The technical questions and the questions of the 
>> radio laws
>> and regulations will be considerably wider in scope than those 
>> for
>> commercial first grade, and a higher percentage will be required.
>>
>> All examination papers, including the code test sheets, are 
>> marked and
>> forwarded to the Commissioner of Navigation with a 
>> recommendation by
>> the radio inspector or examining officer. Examination papers are
>> marked upon the basis of 100, and licenses are recommended 
>> only if 80
>> or better is attained.
>>
>> 30 WPM Continental Morse, and 25 WPM American Morse!
>>
>> 73
>> DR
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>> =30=
>

-- 
Richard Knoppow
1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com
WB6KBL