[QCWA] Fw: Frank Lester, W4AMJ SK

[Walcott, Paul]

I'm pretty sure there's a chapter or so devoted to this subject in Two
Hundred Meters and Down.  

I think it goes back to the time just after the first successful
transatlantic tests, when it became obvious that there needed to be
something included in callsigns to denote the station's nation, since at
that time all official callsigns were simply a number followed by two or
three letters.

I can't get at my copy of Two Hundred Meters and Down, right now to
check, but as I remember there was a time when the U.S. hams used the
letter u as an unofficial prefix.  When it was written, the u was always
shown in lower case because it was unofficial. I think at the same time
Canadians used c and the French used f.

The example which sticks out in my mind:  Wasn't the French station
which was involved in the early transatlantic tests 8FB.  I think under
this system he sent F8FB (no lower case in over the air Morse) but was
recorded as f8FB.

Then somewhat later (somehow I'm thinking 1930's although that's really
just a guess) the current system of callsign prefixes came into use by
international agreement at the IRU or whatever.

73's,
Paul WD8H


-----Original Message-----
From: qcwa-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:qcwa-bounces at mailman.qth.net]
On Behalf Of Harvey&Bessie
Sent: Monday, July 03, 2006 9:30 PM
To: Discussion of QCWA
Cc: newsline at ix.netcom.com
Subject: Re: [QCWA] Fw: Frank Lester, W4AMJ SK

According to my memory, which is sometimes a bit hazy at 91, the prefix 
NU was used for a short time in the late 20's and the W and K prefixes 
were started in about 1927. Qrz does not show Ralph Hasslinger as 
currently licensed, please confir his name and c/s if available.
Harvey,W4TG (originally W9CLT  1931)

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