[Heathkit] Remember The Old Popular Electronics SW Calls?

[Joe Crawford]

I just found a load of P.E. magazines from the first issue in 1954. I have 
the 1954 and 1955's, and will have 1956-1959 soon. I have read all the ones 
from the 1960's. I can give the name of the person I bought them from if you 
send a private e-mail to me.I will probably sell the ones I bought for the 
same price at a later date.
                                         Joe W4AAB
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Duane Fischer, W8DBF" <dfischer at usol.com>
To: <heathkit at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2008 9:14 PM
Subject: [Heathkit] Remember The Old Popular Electronics SW Calls?


>
>
> 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
>
>