[Hammarlund] Oscar Hammarlund's clocks

Tue, 16 Dec 2003 15:21:21 -0500

The actual story of how the term "Ham" came to be is in the Boat Anchors
archives, and I have a copy on file here too. None of the above is correct. The
three people involved had the initials of "HAM", so pursue this in the archives
for the true account guys.  	

The real story is quite interesting, check it out.	

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From: Todd Bigelow - PS <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Hammarlund] Oscar Hammarlund's clocks
Date: Tuesday, December 16, 2003 3:01 PM

[email protected] wrote:
<snip>

>Amateur radio operators may have gotten the 
>name "Hams" from the very first amateur radio 
>equipment made by The Hammarlund Manufacturing Co.
>
I don't think this is accurate, though. I've read accounts of the term 
'ham' being used as early as the 1910s with early wireless experimenters 
using sloppy CW and being referred to as 'ham-fisted' or 'hams' 
(apparently a holdover from the LL code days) as a result. There is also 
some documentation to support an early wireless club at Harvard whose 
ops were known as H.A.M.s. Just can't recall the rest of the club name 
right now. (o: Whatever the case, the term seems to have been in use 
well before the days of an established Hammarlund or Hammarlund-Roberts 
company.

>In the early seventies, Hammarlund became The 
>Electronic Assistance Company. They manufactured R-390 
>radios for the US Government under Collins patents.
>  
>
I seem to recall this being in the mid/late 60s, maybe around 68 or so? 
Can't remember how it unfolded, but I think EAC bought Hammarlund or 
something along those lines? Certainly some interesting ads in the old 
QSTs of that time. Must've been something when such high-end, 
formerly-reserved-for-goverment gear became available to the average guy 
on the street. Somewhere around $2K, weren't they? Wonder what that 
translates to in today's money?

>Oscar Hammarlund also invented the mechanical pencil.
>

Much simpler and more practical design than Edison's earlier electric 
version. The mechanical pencil is a clever little gadget, but I still 
like the radios that bear his name a lot more.

de Todd/'Boomer'  KA1KAQ

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