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This is a very incomplete and very selected history of
the Meriden Amateur
Radio Club. This outline is based on interviews, aural tradition and some
meeting minutes, newspaper clippings, and Key Klix articles. We have documents
from 1947-48, some articles and minutes from the 1950s, one Key Klix and some
newspaper clippings from the 1960s and some Key Klix from 1977-1981. More info
will be added as we find more documents (Originally compiled by KB1CIW Feb 2002)
1940s
Meeting Places
- Member’s homes
- YMCA
- Ritz Restaurant
- Dossin Beach / Red
Bridge / Hanover
Pond Clubhouse
Business
discussions and Decisions
- Meriden
area amateurs first begin coming back from WW II and stopping by each
other’s houses (1946)
- Informal
activity increases (Spring 1947)
- The
informal group decides to become a Club – organizing meetings begin (Fall
1947)
- First
slate of officers elected (Feb. 28, 1948)
o
Pres: Frank
Darmofolski W1FYG
o
Vice Pres: Howard
Wessenberg W1HUF
o
Secretary: Herb
Elmers W1QPD
o
Treasurer: Ed
Bishert W1NRG
o
Publicity: Jim
White and Leigh Tryon
o
Entertainment: Larry
Cook, H. Wessenberg, Ed Mertz, and Louis Jacobs
o
Membership: 15
members
- Club
begins to investigate insurance for members (also see 2001)
- Permission
granted to use Dossin Beach Bath House for a clubhouse.
o
Members clean up the building, add walls,
install an oil burner for heat (1948). Antennas and rigs may have been added in
1949. This site is used for some operating and some meetings until 1971(?)
Other meeting sites and operating sites are also used since this clubhouse is
“in a [RF] hole” and apparently somewhat drafty.
- Club
discusses the problem of sharing storage space with the city (see 2002).
- Club
rebukes a member for “bootlegging” on 2 meters.
- Some
members finding it hard to pay $1.00 per month dues are allowed to pay 25¢
per weekly meeting.
- Soap
Box Derby discussed and tabled due to cost.
- W1QM
offers his surplus BC 454 receiver.
- Club
discusses problem of paying taxes. (see 2001)
Nets
- MARC
transmits CW practice on 10 meters after Sunday night meetings. This is later
changed to Tuesday nights. Heard around the world. All full members were
required to take turns sending the practice or were fined 50¢.
- A 40
meter CW net is mentioned in the minutes.
Demonstrations
- CL&P
window display.
- Mobile
rigs at Smoke’s Restaurant and CL&P.
- Hobby
demo at 1st Congregational Church.
- Open
house at Dossin Beach
(June 1949).
Field Day
- First
MARC Field Day (1949)
Activity Nights
- Byron
Goodman from the ARRL discusses SSB.
- Films
on TV and continental telephone cable.
Other Activity
- W1NRG
buys everyone a round of Ritz “beer” (1948).
- Steve
Ames visits first time (Dec. 5,
1948).
- Bowling
team.
- Outing
to Guilford.
- Fox
hunts.
1950s
Meeting Places
Business
discussions and Decisions
- Officers
during the 1950s
o
Joe Myers - President (1950)
o
Lawrence Willard (c1952)
o
Wayen McDermott (c1956)
o
Many Rame (1958)
Demonstrations
& Community Events
Field Day
- West
Peak (1950)
- Jim
Donnelly’s house (1957). Globe King in basement, Gonsett Communicator –
battery
- Operated
from Dossin Beach (1958) in the single transmitter under 30 watts class.
o
Operators included: Larry Willard/Many Rame,
Floyd Steiner/Al Martin, Ed Bischert/Steve Ames, Frank Darmofolski, Red Norton
and Paul Lambert.
Activity Nights
- Frank
W1FG holds open house at his home. All are impressed by matching network
and neatness of station.
- Talk
on Stereo technology
- Talk
on Transistor technology
Member Activity
- Steve
Ames purchases Meisner Signal Shifter from club for $15.00 (1958)
1960s
Meeting Places
- Meeting
moved from Columbus Hall back to Red Cross (1964)
Business
discussions and Decisions
- Club
call is changed to W1NRG in memory of Ed Bischert (1959 – 1960)
- Dues reduced from $12 to $8 per year (1964)
- Officers
during the 1960s
o
Al Borden - President (Al was co designer of
receiver carried in Vanguard Rockets)
Demonstrations
& Community Events
- MARC
participates in 40th anniversary of ARRL by sending Radiograms
for the public (1964)
Field Day
Member Activities
- Frank
W1FG moves to new home
- Bill
W1KKF has addition to family – a boy.
- Bill
W1KKF writes technical column for Key Klix – “Glass diodes” and
“Calibrating Your VOM.”
- Frank
W1FG contacts Czechoslovakian ham who was sending “My country is being
invaded by the Soviet Union.” (1968)
- Dave
K1WJL sells Valliant to go SSB.
1970s
Meeting Places
- Central
Bank
- Cloverleaf
Resturant
- Polish
Legion Hall
- Brands
Mart (1978)
- Meriden
CP (May 1978)
- Polish
Legion Hall (1978)
Business
discussions and Decisions
Demonstrations
& Community Events
Field Day
Member Activities
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