The Superflex

A Publication of the Alabama Historical Radio Society     March 2026

NOTE FROM PRESIDENT WAG

Members,

Mark your calendars!

The date for next AHRS Business meeting will be on Monday, March 23^rd, 2026, and will be in person and via Zoom at the link below:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86330579924?pwd=ckZLWEJMb0V2ajhBUzh0S2liQnlmZz09
Meeting ID: 863 3057 9924   Passcode: 631140)

VP Steven Westbrook will be moderating the meeting and minding the shop in my absence! My wife and I are taking our annual trip to England, and when I get home I join our eldest son and his elder son (3 generations of Richards) for a WW II trip, including Amsterdam and the site of Operation Market Garden, then on to Luxembourg and Bastogne-Battle of the Bulge.

If you have not already done so, please renew your membership and dues for 2026 that may be paid via cash, check, and PayPal as usual. As we transition, finance committee member, Steven Westbrook, has been handling dues collection.

We are close to engaging a UAB graduate as an independent contractor to help us complete the Harry Butler 2^nd edition of his book on Alabama broadcast radio history. Once completed, we’ll begin the cataloging process of our reference library and other items we seek to archive.

Boyd’s next class scheduled for Saturday, April 4^th, 2026, at 9:00 AM in person and via Zoom. The topic is the restoration of a pair of Philco 48-481 radios which embody some interesting learning experience. The following link remains in effect:
https://us02web..us/j/88180351990?pwd=N2lucjB3WVhtR05nTSs5S0xGcURadz09

Boyd has edited and archived his classes to date; to access them, please contact Boyd directly boyd.bailey@charter.netwith your email address and he’ll guide you through the process.

We have not chosen another auction date, potentially featuring novelty radios. There are many radios and pieces of related equipment downstairs in storage, and we encourage members to visit. If you find something of interest you would like to acquire, talk to an officer or Board member about its availability. For a donation to the Society, you may well get your wish!

Do not forget our lending library!! Our reference library is on the main floor, same as our shop and radio displays. The lending library is downstairs in the anteroom of the women’s restroom. Signs on both floors help direct the reader to the lending library. If you wish to borrow a book, simply sign it out on the clipboard. (Books in the reference library cannot be signed out.)

The BirmingHamfest was held on March 2026 6^th & 7^th. Dave Cisco’s and Robert Cain’s planned presentation on the History of AHRS has been delayed, but Dave and Robert developed one on the history of WSGN. Robert and Jim McCullers from BARC hosted the forum. We apologize for the technical glitches during the forum; they were, however, due to the AV setup at the hosting facility. Part of the show included a video on “Pop” Ansley which is available on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uakm9lg_XLI  We (Ken Smith, below right) recorded the forum and will make it available once editing is complete.

Dave is recovering from a broken kneecap, so keep him in mind and prayers as he recovers. WSGN is streaming at https://www.radioalabama.net/wsgn/and broadcasts at 98.3 from Stewartville, AL.

The shop is functioning well, remains busy, and I wish to thank everyone for helping   keep the work benches clear. Let us know if there are problems in the shop or lack of critical components, eg, electrolytics.

Our next major event of note is the annual Legends of Broadcast program slated for Thursday, 16 April 2026!

Needed: A non-leadership member for the Finance CMTE. With Michael Spanos selected as our treasurer, this opens a position on the Finance CMTE for someone, not an officer or Board member, as specified in our bylaws. If anyone would consider serving, let one of us know. The primary burden of serving would be attendance at one or two meetings a year to provide oversight of our finances and obligations.

We expect to move totally to the new checking account reflecting our non-profit status and migrate our accounting to online banking and QuickBooks platforms. It has been a slog and we apologize to any members for financial inconveniences during the transition. We could not have done it without Steven taking on the extra duties he shouldered.

In closing, I expect to see few antique, valve-based “wirelesses” in England, but the WW II museums we will see in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg should have loads of radios from that era on display.

Respectfully submitted, I remain,

President Wag, AHRS

Whispering Across the World: WSPR Amateur Radio and the Mystery of Flight MH370

Introduction

On 8 March 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 vanished while in route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, carrying 239 passengers and crew. More than a decade later, the disappearance remains one of aviation’s greatest mysteries. While satellite communications, radar data, and ocean drift modeling have formed the backbone of official investigations, an unexpected technology from the world of amateur radio—WSPR, or Weak Signal Propagation Reporter—has entered the discussion as a possible new source of insight. [mh370search.com], [independent.co.uk]

WSPR was never designed to track aircraft. Instead, it is a low‑power digital radio system created to study how radio waves propagate across the Earth. Yet some researchers argue that disturbances in WSPR signals may indirectly reveal the path of large aircraft such as MH370. This idea has sparked both renewed interest and significant skepticism within scientific and aviation communities.

What Is WSPR?

WSPR (pronounced “whisper”) is a digital communication protocol used by amateur radio operators to study radio propagation under real‑world conditions. Developed in 2008 by Nobel Prize–winning physicist and radio amateur Joe Taylor (K1JT), WSPR allows stations transmitting very low power—often one watt or less—to be detected thousands of kilometers away. [en.wikipedia.org], [onallbands.com]

Each WSPR transmission lasts just under two minutes and carries only three pieces of information: the station’s call sign, its geographic grid locator, and its transmission power. Receiving stations automatically upload reception reports to a public database called WSPRnet, creating a massive, time‑stamped archive of radio propagation data from around the world. [amateur-ra...o-wiki.net], [brokensignal.tv]

Crucially, WSPR is one‑waycommunication. There is no conversation between stations; instead, the system functions like a distributed scientific instrument for monitoring how radio waves interact with the ionosphere, terrain, and other environmental factors.

From Propagation Study to Passive Radar Hypothesis

The link between WSPR and MH370 arises from a hypothesis known as passive radar. Passive radar systems do not transmit their own signals; instead, they analyze disturbances in existing radio transmissions caused by large moving objects. [w6hs.net]

Proponents of the WSPR‑MH370 theory suggest that a large aircraft flying through radio paths between WSPR transmitters and receivers could slightly alter signal strength or frequency. By identifying statistically unusual “anomalies” in WSPRnet data and correlating them with time and location, researchers argue it may be possible to infer an aircraft’s approximate flight path. [hamradio.my], [independent.co.uk]

This approach was developed primarily by aerospace engineer Richard Godfrey, working with Dr. Hannes Coetzee and Professor Simon Maskell. Their published analyses claim that WSPR data from the night MH370 disappeared contain multiple anomalies consistent with a southward flight path into the Indian Ocean.

Prepared by Co-pilot

Quotes of the Month

“My uncles’s dying wish was to have me sitting on his lap. He was in the electric chair”

-Rodney Dangerfield

“If you are the smartest man in the room…. then you are in the wrong room.”

-Confucius

Remember our Lending library in the basement is a wonderful asset available to all members.

Occasionally we receive radios and radio related items from donations that are stored in our basement, but do not make it into an auction. If you are interested in amy of these items please discuss them with Tom Killian or Ray Giles.

We meet every Saturday (unless a Holiday weekend) at 8:30 A.M. until around 11:30 A.M., at the one-story AHRS Shop at the corner of 8th Avenue North and 18th Street, (1801 8th Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35203). Please use the rear (Southeast) entrance.

The Shop is open on Tuesdays at 8:30 A.M. until around 11:30 A.M. Note that parking can be a problem on Tuesdays, so you may have to find street parking occasionally.

Regular monthly members meetings are on the fourth Monday night starting at 7:00 PM with the Executive Meeting starting at 6:30 PM

Please come join us!

The electronics classes are generally on “Zoom” and “in-person” at the AHRS Shop, typically the first Saturday of each month (except when something special is taking place, then we agree on an alternative Saturday)

Check your emails for the schedule and how to participate.

We start from the beginning Ohms Law, inductors, resistor and Capacitors color codes, as well as what each component does within the radio circuits. We also teach how to use test equipment used in the repairing of radios. We teach troubleshooting radio troubles, as well as how to read a radio diagram.

Currently the class is studying advance topics relating to troubleshooting and project radio repair. We are retooling our website in hopes of archiving prior classes for those who may have missed a prior class. Email will provide timely details on date, topics & links.

There are coil winding classes, and one-on-one repair help. Come join these classes!

Membership dues are $25.00 a year, payable beginning in January. If you have questions about your dues, you can contact Treasurer Mike Woodruff at 205-823-7204. Dues can be mailed to AHRS at P.O. Box 131418, Birmingham, Alabama 35213 or paid on-line at https://alhrs.org

Be sure and check out our website at https://alhrs.org, which has copies of all newsletters from 2006 to the present (click on News), videos, photo galleries, museum, Old Time Radio columns, Projects, Reading Rooms, Archives, and Contact Information. Within the next few months we hope to update our website and add additional content and new capabilities

President – Richard “Wag” Waguespack

(205) 531-9528

drminims@aol.com

Vice President – Steven Westbrook

(205) 305-0679

spwestbro@bellsouth.net

Recording Secretary – Grady Shook

(205) 281-3007

gshook@bellsouth.net

Treasurer – Michael Spanos

Boyd Bailey, Member and Instructor

(334) 412-6996

boyd.bailey@charter.net

Newsletter Editor/Webmaster – Steven Westbrook

(205) 305-0679

spwestbro@bellsouth.net

Web Address:

https://alhrs.org

E-mail Address:

ahrs2000@gmail.com

Youtube Channel: Alabama Historical Radio Society - YouTube

The Superflex

A Publication of the Alabama Historical Radio Society     January 2026

NOTE FROM PRESIDENT WAG

Members,

Mark your calendars!

The date for next AHRS Business meeting will fall on Monday, Feb 23^rd, 2026, and will be in person and via Zoom at the link below:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86330579924?pwd=ckZLWEJMb0V2ajhBUzh0S2liQnlmZz09
Meeting ID: 863 3057 9924   Passcode: 631140)

We had sparse attendance for the January 26^th evening business and Exec CMTE meetings due to the weather, although Birmingham was relatively lucky with respect to ice and snow. A program from John Green on radio astronomy is being scheduled for an upcoming business meeting. Does anyone have an idea for a future program?

The Society’s finances remain in good order, and we’re close to completing our updated, and upgraded, financial processes, eg, a new checking account tailored to our not-for-profit status, fiscal year-end tax filing, and migration to the online version of QuickBooks. We welcomed Michael Spanos, our newly elected treasurer designee, to the leadership team. I cannot thank our VP Steven enough for everything he’s done over the past several months as we’ve transitioned from Mike Woodruff’s stewardship to the new team’s.

The AHRS Board of Directors had its Q1 2026 meeting the afternoon of Tuesday 20 January 2026. All officers and 8 of 9 Board members were in attendance. Current members of the Executive CMTE have agreed to serve another 1-year term. Mr. Charles McCrary presented AHRS with a generous grant during the meeting. Thank you, sir!!

If you have not already done so, please renew your membership and dues for 2026 that may be paid via cash, check, and PayPal as usual. As we transition our finance team, Steven Westbrook has been handling dues collection.

The Tech CMTE, chaired by Boyd Bailey, has been formalized and has held a couple of meetings with another planned soon. It will be helping the Society generally and our committees to optimize our use of technology. For example, the Zoom audio recordings of our monthly business meetings are being used by its inherent AI to create synopses of the discussions. My impression of the current summaries is that they are increasingly accurate and require minimal HI (Human Intelligence) to edit. A year ago, I was unimpressed.

Boyd’s next class scheduled for Saturday, Feb 7^th, 2025, at 9am in person and via Zoom. This month’s topic will be the Philco Model 70. Boyd has edited and archived his classes to date; to access them, please contact Boyd directly [ boyd.bailey@charter.net] with your email address and he’ll get you access information.

The following link remains in effect:
https://us02web..us/j/88180351990?pwd=N2lucjB3WVhtR05nTSs5S0xGcURadz09

We have not chosen another auction date, but potential items are being identified. There are many radios, etc, downstairs in storage and we encourage members to visit. If you find something of interest you’d like to acquire, talk to an officer or Board member about its availability. For a donation to the Society, you may well get your wish!

Our reference library is on the main floor, same level as our shop and radio displays. The lending library is down- stairs in the anteroom of the women’s restroom. Signs on both floors help direct one to     the lending library, use of which we want to encourage.

If you wish to borrow a book, simply sign it out on the clipboard. (Books in the reference library cannot be signed out.)

Save the date! The BirmingHamfest will be the first Friday afternoon and Saturday in March 2026 (6^th & 7^th); details will be available soon.  Dave Cisco’s and Robert Cain’s presentation on the history of AHRS has been delayed but Dave is working on a history of WSGN to be given at our forum during BirmingHamfest.

Another date to save is the annual Legends of Broadcast program slated for Thursday, April 16,2026!

The shop seems to be functioning well, and I wish to thank everyone for helping keep the work benches clear. We have acquired a number of power supplies and are deploying one to each station. Let us know if there are problems in the shop or lack of critical components, eg, electrolytics.

Needed: A non-leadership member for the Finance CMTE. With Michael Spanos selected as our treasurer, this opens a position on Finance for someone not an officer or Board member, as specified in our bylaws. If anyone would like to be considered, let one of us know. The primary burden of serving would be attendance at 1 or 2 meetings a year to provide oversight of our finances and obligations.

We have had a subscription to Electric Radio for some time now and Steven Westbrook noted we are not listed in its "Your By-State Bucket List of Communications Museums to Visit" page; Steven contact its staff and we should be included soon.

Respectfully submitted, I remain,

President Wag, AHRS

Screeching Across the Spectrum

When teenage techies sent computer data over FM radio, they unknowingly foreshadowed our modern wireless world. To be honest, I had a completely different column in mind for this week. However, my previous two columns—When Pirates Ruled the (Air) Waves and Good Vibrations and Border Blasters—seem to have stirred many memories among the devoted followers of my humble Throwback Thursdays offerings (I pride myself on my humility). For example, having perused and pondered the aforementioned columns, my good friend Joe Farr, who was born and bred (and is still based) in the UK, emailed me to tell me the torturous tale of how he and a friend inadvertently invented a DIY precursor totoday’s Wi-Fi.

Based on Joe’s story (presented below), I asked Leonardo.ai to generate an image (shown above). The prompt I gave was: “A teenage boy in the early 1980s in England, in a homemade electronics workshop with a BBC Micro computer connected to a CB radio system sitting on the workbench in front of him.” Keep this image in mind as youread Joe’s message to me as follows:

Hi Max, reading your columns on pirate radio reminded me that I accidentally ran a small pirate radio station for several weeks in 1983. This was the era of no internet, accompanied by a multitude of different and incompatible home computers. My friend and I both had Acorn BBC Micros (computers), and we often wanted to share programs we’d written with each other. In those days, many houses had a single telephone, but calls were expensive, and the other residents (our parents and siblings) didn’t appreciate us tying up the phone with the sounds of acoustic modems. What we needed was a private communications channel that could be built using pocket money (allowance) funds and requiring no exotic parts. We came up with an arrangement where we could share our programs and data using our computers’ cassette interface ports, two CB radios, and some software we wrote. This worked great, and I’m sticking to my belief that we invented Wi-Fi.

The only problem was that CB was popular at that time. Living in a busy metropolis, coupled with a limited number of CB channels, made it challenging to maintain clear lines of communication. Also, people didn’t seem to appreciate us tying up a channel with strange screeching sounds.

My brother, who was an electronics genius in my eyes, introduced me to the concept of a simple FM transmitter. These little beasts were simple to build. A basic design requires only two NPN general-purpose transistors and a small handful of cheap, common parts. A transmitter is great, of course, but you also need a receiver.

These transmitters could be tuned from around 87 MHz to 108 MHz, which was accomplished by adjusting a variable capacitor, compressing or bending the tuning coil, and changing the angle at which the device sat on the table. This also happens to be the frequency coverage of a domestic home-use FM receiver. Our transmitters ran on cheap 9V batteries and generated only a few milliwatts of power. However, if you gave them a nice long antenna, say a couple of feet of wire, you could achieve a reasonable distance with them—maybe 400 to 500yards. If you were ingenious enough to connect them to a long wire aerial that ran, say from a bedroom window, all the way down the garden to a tree, then from there across the bottom of several neighbors gardens to another tree, and you’d read the Ladybird book on building a transistor radio and paid attention on how to erect a wire aerial correctly using insulators, you could get a significantly longer range out of them.

Coupled with many evenings of research at the local library in its electronics section, you could perhaps add a 2-transistor RF amplifier to boost the output and increase the range slightly (such as across the city). Finding an unused frequency was tricky—the airwaves were crowded, and nearby police or taxi radios sometimes suffered interference from our transmissions.

We were now in possession of a pretty good long-range communication link. By flicking a switch that swapped from the data cable to a microphone, we also had an audio link. We could place the microphone next to the Hi-Fi and play music to each other. Unfortunately, this wasn’t as private as we’d hoped. It turned out that we were impacting the local taxi company, which didn’t appreciate the lovely music of Vangelis I’d been playing for my friend. I know this because my sister, who had just returned from the train station via taxi, was laughing that the taxi driver was shouting down the radio, and all he could hear was some weird music and strange screeching sounds.

We immediately stopped transmission. We probably should have flung ourselves upon the mercy of the authorities, but we kept our heads down, and nothing came of it. In the UK, the police have now transitioned to their secure Airwave Tetra communication network. Also, most taxis no longer use radios. All this makes the FM band significantly quieter. While illegal to use in some countries, an FM transmitter with a short antenna is a great way to experiment with very low-power transmitters on a budget of a few dollars.

In a follow-up video call, Joe mentioned that there’s a schematic for a simple-to-build FM transmitter on his personal website. During this call, I took a screen capture of today’s Joe, which is shown below. When I shared this image and its computer-generated counterpart with Joe, he responded, “That’s scary… I’m still wearing the same shirt!”

The real Joe in his workshop today (Source: Clive “Max” Maxfield)

Did anything about Joe’s story leap out at you? My eye was caught by the bit at the beginning where he said: “…we could share computer data between each other using the cassette interface port.”

Although this started with their original CB radio-based system, they later extended it to

their FM radio-based implementation. Joe and his friend were both only 18 years old in 1983. I have to say that I am more than impressed to learn that (a) they were the proud possessors of BBC Micros (I dreamed of owning one of these bodacious beauties) and (b) they had the ability to transfer data files between their computers over the radio. Although there are a few documented cases of people broadcasting computer software or data over radio (including FM or VHF) in the early 1980s, this was a niche, technically challenging, and not widespread activity. In fact, apart from Joe and his friend, I’m aware of only a few other examples as follows:

In Yugoslavia in 1983, a radio show called Ventilator 202 broadcast software over FM for use with the build-it-yourself Galaksija computer. Listeners recorded the broadcast onto cassette tapes and loaded the programs into their home computers. Over time, the show evolved into a hub for software sharing, including user-submitted edits that were rebroadcast.

In the Netherlands, there was a project called BASICODE (from the early 1980s) that aimed to standardize a cassette-data format for sharing BASIC programs via radio broadcasts. The idea was that radio stations would broadcast data in this format, allowing listeners to record it and then load it into their computers. In England in the early 1980s, Piccadilly Radio (261 medium wave / 97 FM in Manchester) occasionally broadcast computer programs over the airwaves as audio data bursts that listeners could record on cassette and then load into their home computers, such as the ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro, or Commodore 64. Timmy Mallett had a show on Piccadilly Radio called Timmy on the Tranny that sometimes featured these segments as a “bonus” for tech-minded kids. Timmy would say something like “Get your cassette recorders ready!” Then you’d hear the classic modem-like screeching sound as the computer data was played.

But wait, there’s more, because a few UK bands in the early 1980s included computer programs on the B-side of their 7-inch singles. For example, Chris Sievey’s 1983 single Camouflage included a computer program for the ZX Spectrum on its B-Side. And there’s still more, because one of the more charming and little-remembered quirks of early-1980s British computing culture was the 7-inch flexi-disc, made of thin plastic, which was distributed with magazines such as Computer & Video Games (C&VG), Your Computer, Practical Computing, Personal Computer World, Popular Computing Weekly, and Interface. Readers could play the record on a normal turntable and record the sounds onto a cassette. Alternatively, they could feed the record output directly into the computer’s “EAR” input to load the program (short for “Earphone,” the EAR input was a 3.5 mm audio jack socket used to load programs into the computer from an external audio source—typically a cassette recorder).

As a final aside, Joe informs me that the BBC Micro featured an SAA5050 teletext decoder IC, manufactured by Philips (formerly Signetics). Its primary purpose was to generate text and graphics for the “MODE 7” display, which was the machine’s teletext- compatible screen mode. This device made the BBC Micro 100% compatible with the BBC’s CEEFAX teletext service. This meant that if a user had an optional external teletext decoder attached to their BBC Micro, they could download computer programs from the TV’s CEEFAX.

It's amazing to think how far (and how fast) things have come since those far-off days.

Bluetooth was conceived in 1994 and standardized in 1999, while Wi-Fi kicked off in 1997. I remember when signs at restaurants and hotels saying “Free WiFi” were the rare exception—now it’s the norm. There’s even Wi-Fi access on Mount Kilimanjaro, for goodness’ sake.

Another aspect to consider is the use of satellite phones. The first global handheld satellite phone service was launched in 1998 with Iridium. However, these devices initially cost $3,000 or more, with airtime rates ranging from $2 to $10 per minute, depending on the plan and usage. Over the past few years, smartphone manufacturers and satellite/telecom companies have begun incorporating satellite-linked features.

These features were initially employed only for tasks like emergency messaging, but they are currently moving toward fully integrated connectivity (voice and data). Future 5G Advanced and 6G standards are expected to integrate satellite connectivity natively, making it as common as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS are today. I don’t know about you, but it seems there’s always something new to learn. As always I welcome your captivating comments, querulous questions, and sagacious suggestions, all of which you can share on Hackster's "Throwback Thursdays" Discord channel. I look forward to seeing you there.

P.P.S. Please feel free to email me at max@clivemaxfield.com if you have any questions about this column or if you have any requests or suggestions for future articles.

Clive Maxfield

AHRS Member

Quote of the Month

“Why go out for a hamburger when you have steak at home.”

- Paul Neuman commiting on fidelity

“Before we work on Artifical Intelligence we should do something about Natural Studidity”

- Unknown

Remember our Lending libraryin the basement is a wonderful asset available to all members.

Occasionally we receive radios and radio related items from donations that are stored in our basement, but do not make it into an auction. If you are interested in any of these items please discuss them with Tom Killian or Ray Giles.

We meet every Saturday (unless a Holiday weekend) at 8:30 A.M. until around 11:30 A.M., at the one-story AHRS Shop at the corner of 8th Avenue North and 18th Street, (1801 8th Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35203). Please use the rear (Southeast) entrance.

The Shop is open on Tuesdays at 8:30 A.M. until around 11:30 A.M. Note that parking can be a problem on Tuesdays, so you may have to find street parking occasionally.

Regular monthly members meetings are on the fourth Monday night starting at 7:00 PM with the Executive Meeting starting at 6:30 PM

Please come join us!

The electronics classes are generally on “Zoom” and “in-person” at the AHRS Shop, typically the first Saturday of each month (except when something special is taking place, then we agree on an alternative Saturday)

Check your emails for the schedule and how to participate.

We start from the beginning Ohms Law, inductors, resistor and Capacitors color codes, as well as what each component does within the radio circuits. We also teach how to use test equipment used in the repairing of radios. We teach troubleshooting radio troubles, as well as how to read a radio diagram.

Currently the class is studying advance topics relating to troubleshooting and project radio repair. We are retooling our website in hopes of archiving prior classes for those who may have missed a prior class. Email will provide timely details on date, topics & links.

There are coil winding classes, and one-on-one repair help. Come join these classes!

Membership dues are $25.00 a year, payable beginning in January. If you have questions about your dues, you can contact Treasurer Mike Woodruff at 205-823-7204. Dues can be mailed to AHRS at P.O. Box 131418, Birmingham, Alabama 35213 or paid on-line at https://alhrs.org

Be sure and check out our website at https://alhrs.org, which has copies of all newsletters from 2006 to the present (click on News), videos, photo galleries, museum, Old Time Radio columns, Projects, Reading Rooms, Archives, and Contact Information. Within the next few months we hope to update our website and add additional content and new capabilities.

President – Richard “Wag” Waguespack

(205) 531-9528

drminims@aol.com

Vice President – Steven Westbrook

(205) 305-0679

spwestbro@bellsouth.net

Recording Secretary – Grady Shook

(205) 281-3007

gshook@bellsouth.net

Treasurer –

Boyd Bailey, Member and Instructor

(334) 412-6996

boyd.bailey@charter.net

Newsletter Editor/Webmaster – Steven Westbrook

The Superflex

A Publication of the Alabama Historical Radio Society     December 2025

NOTE FROM PRESIDENT WAG

Members,

Mark your calendars!

The date for next AHRS Business meeting will fall on Monday, Jan 26th, 2026, and will in person and via Zoom at the link below.  

(So, save the Zoom link for the next one in January:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86330579924?pwd=ckZLWEJMb0V2ajhBUzh0S2liQnlmZz09
Meeting ID: 863 3057 9924   Passcode: 631140)

I hope those of you who attended the yearend business meeting and dinner enjoyed yourselves. Personally, I was unable to attend due to an unexpected health issue from which I am recovering. All our current officers were re-elected as are the three Board members rotating off their 3-year terms (Dave Johnson, Tom Killian, and “Doc” Holaday). I look forward to continuing with our leadership team.

The AHRS Board of Directors will be having its Q1 2026 meeting (by invitation only) the afternoon of Tuesday January 20, 2026.  If you think of anything the members might need to discuss, please let one of the officers or (Exec CMTE members) Tom Killian, John Outland, or John Herndon know

If you have not already done so, please renew your $25.00 membership and dues for 2026 that may be paid via cash, check, and PayPal as usual.

Boyd’s next class scheduled for Saturday, Jan 10^th, 2026, at 9:00 AM in person and via Zoom. “This time we are delving back into some 1930s Philco repairs and analysis.  Plus, we will touch on the 1957 Guild Town Crier 380-T tube radio repair. Tom Desaulnier sent another 'puzzler' radio, which I haven't had a chance to look at.  But, likely to be doozy when we do! So, stay tuned the next couple months on this.”

The following link remains in effect:
https://us02web..us/j/88180351990?pwd=N2lucjB3WVhtR05nTSs5S0xGcURadz09

Save the date! The BirmingHamfest will be the first Friday afternoon and Saturday in March, 2026 (6^th and 7^th) ; details when we get closer. Montgomery’s Hamfest was on Nov 8^th and was attended by Society.  Dave Cisco and Robert Cain are working on a presentation about the History of AHRS, including pivotal individuals who are no longer active or with us. Hopefully, this will be available at an upcoming business meeting and evolve into our forum for BirmingHamfest. We have another potential program from John Green on radio astronomy in the works for early next year.

Recently, Steven Westbrook and Dave Cisco met with James (Jimmie) Stephens, the President of the Jefferson County Commission, regarding the recent purchase of the old Alabama Power, Powell Avenue plant site in downtown Birmingham. We understood the new owners intend to renovate the building for community used. Dave & Steven reminded Mr. Stephens of the significance of the building since it was the first location of WSY, the first viable radio station in Alabama. A proposal was made that so type of acknowledgement of the historical significance of the building be noted in the renovation, such as a plaque or some type of display. Mr. Stephens gave his blessing for our further discussions with the building development team with the new owner, KultureCity. Stay Tuned!

In summary, I hope everyone had a fine ending to 2025 and a promising start to 2026, although mine personally was a bit rocky.

Respectfully submitted, I remain,

President Wag, AHRS

Screeching Across the Spectrum

When teenage techies sent computer data over FM radio, they unknowingly foreshadowed our modern wireless world.

To be honest, I had a completely different column in mind for this week. However, my previous two columns — When Pirates Ruled the (Air) Waves and Good Vibrations and Border Blasters — seem to have stirred many memories among the devoted followers of my humble Throwback Thursdays offerings (I pride myself on my humility).

For example, having perused and pondered the aforementioned columns, my good friend Joe Farr, who was born and bred (and is still based) in the UK, emailed me to tell me the torturous tale of how he and a friend inadvertently invented a DIY precursor to today’s Wi-Fi.

Based on Joe’s story (presented below), I asked Leonardo.ai to generate an image (shown above). The prompt I gave was: “A teenage boy in the early 1980s in England, in a homemade electronics workshop with a BBC Micro computer connected to a CB radio system sitting on the workbench in front of him.” Keep this image in mind as you read Joe’s message to me as follows:

Hi Max, reading your columns on pirate radio reminded me that I accidentally ran a small pirate radio station for several weeks in 1983.

This was the era of no internet, accompanied by a multitude of different and incompatible home computers. My friend and I both had Acorn BBC Micros (computers), and we often wanted to share programs we’d written with each other. In those days, many houses had a single telephone, but calls were expensive, and the other residents (our parents and siblings) didn’t appreciate us tying up the phone with the sounds of acoustic modems. What we needed was a private communications channel that could be built using pocket money (allowance) funds and requiring no exotic parts.

We came up with an arrangement where we could share our programs and data using our computers’ cassette interface ports, two CB radios, and some software we wrote. This worked great, and I’m sticking to my belief that we invented Wi-Fi.

The only problem was that CB was popular at that time. Living in a busy metropolis, coupled with a limited number of CB channels, made it challenging to maintain clear lines of communication. Also, people didn’t seem to appreciate us tying up a channel with strange screeching sounds.

My brother, who was an electronics genius in my eyes, introduced me to the concept of a simple FM transmitter. These little beasts were simple to build. A basic design requires only two NPN general-purpose transistors and a small handful of cheap, common parts. A transmitter is great, of course, but you also need a receiver.

These transmitters could be tuned from around 87 MHz to 108 MHz, which was accomplished by adjusting a variable capacitor, compressing or bending the tuning coil, and changing the angle at which the device sat on the table. This also happens to be the frequency coverage of a domestic home-use FM receiver.

Our transmitters ran on cheap 9V batteries and generated only a few milliwatts of power. However, if you gave them a nice long antenna, say a couple of feet of wire, you could achieve a reasonable distance with them — maybe 400 to 500 yards.

If you were ingenious enough to connect them to a long wire aerial that ran, say from a bedroom window, all the way down the garden to a tree, then from there across the bottom of several neighbors gardens to another tree, and you’d read the Ladybird book on building a transistor radio and paid attention on how to erect a wire aerial correctly using insulators, you could get a significantly longer range out of them.

Coupled with many evenings of research at the local library in its electronics section, you could perhaps add a 2-transistor RF amplifier to boost the output and increase the range slightly (such as across the city). Finding an unused frequency was tricky — the airwaves were crowded, and nearby police or taxi radios sometimes suffered interference from our transmissions.

We were now in possession of a pretty good long-range communication link. By flicking a switch that swapped from the data cable to a microphone, we also had an audio link. We could place the microphone next to the Hi-Fi and play music to each other. Unfortunately, this wasn’t as private as we’d hoped.

It turned out that we were impacting the local taxi company, which didn’t appreciate the lovely music of Vangelis I’d been playing for my friend. I know this because my sister, who had just returned from the train station via taxi, was laughing that the taxi driver was shouting down the radio, and all he could hear in return was some weird music and strange screeching sounds.

We immediately stopped transmission. We probably should have flung ourselves upon the mercy of the authorities, but we kept our heads down, and nothing came of it. In the UK, the police have now transitioned to their secure Airwave Tetra communication network. Also, most taxis no longer use radios. All this makes the FM band significantly quieter. While illegal to use in some countries, an FM transmitter with a short antenna is a great way to experiment with very low-power transmitters on a budget of a few dollars.

In a follow-up video call, Joe mentioned that there’s a schematic for a simple-to-build FM transmitter on his personal website. During this call, I took a screen capture of today’s Joe, which is shown below. When I shared this image and its computer-generated counterpart with Joe, he responded, “That’s scary… I’m still wearing the same shirt!”

Did anything about Joe’s story leap out at you? My eye was caught by the bit at the beginning where he said: “…we could share computer data between each other using the cassette interface port.”

Although this started with their original CB radio-based system, they later extended it to their FM radio-based implementation. Joe and his friend were both only 18 years old in 1983. I have to say that I am more than impressed to learn that (a) they were the proud possessors of BBC Micros (I dreamed of owning one of these bodacious beauties) and (b) they had the ability to transfer data files between their computers over the radio.

Although there are a few documented cases of people broadcasting computer software or data over radio (including FM or VHF) in the early 1980s, this was a niche, technically challenging, and not widespread activity. In fact, apart from Joe and his friend, I’m aware of only a few other examples as follows:

In Yugoslavia in 1983, a radio show called Ventilator 202 broadcast software over FM for use with the build-it-yourself Galaksija computer. Listeners recorded the broadcast onto cassette tapes and loaded the programs into their home computers. Over time, the show evolved into a hub for software sharing, including user-submitted edits that were rebroadcast.

In the Netherlands, there was a project called BASICODE (from the early 1980s) that aimed to standardize a cassette-data format for sharing BASIC programs via radio broadcasts. The idea was that radio stations would broadcast data in this format, allowing listeners to record it and then load it into their computers.

In England in the early 1980s, Piccadilly Radio (261 medium wave / 97 FM in Manchester) occasionally broadcast computer programs over the airwaves as audio data bursts that listeners could record on cassette and then load into their home computers, such as the ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro, or Commodore 64. Timmy Mallett had a show on Piccadilly Radio called Timmy on the Tranny (where "tranny" was understood to mean "transistor radio" at that time) that sometimes featured these segments as a “bonus” for tech-minded kids. Timmy would say something like “Get your cassette recorders ready!” Then you’d hear the classic modem-like screeching sound as the computer data was played.

But wait, there’s more, because a few UK bands in the early 1980s included computer programs on the B-side of their 7-inch singles. For example, Chris Sievey’s 1983 single Camouflage included a computer program for the ZX Spectrum on its B-Side.

And there’s still more, because one of the more charming and little-remembered quirks of early-1980s British computing culture was the 7-inch flexi-disc, made of thin plastic, which was distributed with magazines such as Computer & Video Games (C&VG), Your Computer, Practical Computing, Personal Computer World, Popular Computing Weekly, and Interface. Readers could play the record on a normal turntable and record the sounds onto a cassette. Alternatively, they could feed the record output directly into the computer’s “EAR” input to load the program (short for “Earphone,” the EAR input was a 3.5 mm audio jack socket used to load programs into the computer from an external audio source — typically a cassette recorder).

As a final aside, Joe informs me that the BBC Micro featured an SAA5050 teletext decoder IC, manufactured by Philips (formerly Signetics). Its primary purpose was to generate text and graphics for the “MODE 7” display, which was the machine’s teletext-compatible screen mode. This device made the BBC Micro 100% compatible with the BBC’s CEEFAX teletext service. This meant that if a user had an optional external teletext decoder attached to their BBC Micro, they could download computer programs from the TV’s CEEFAX.

It's amazing to think how far (and how fast) things have come since those far-off days. Bluetooth was conceived in 1994 and standardized in 1999, while Wi-Fi kicked off in 1997. I remember when signs at restaurants and hotels saying “Free WiFi” were the rare exception — now it’s ubiquitous. There’s even Wi-Fi access on Mount Kilimanjaro, for goodness’ sake.

Another aspect to consider is the use of satellite phones. The first global handheld satellite phone service was launched in 1998 with Iridium. However, these devices initially cost $3,000 or more, with airtime rates ranging from $2 to $10 per minute, depending on the plan and usage. Over the past few years, smartphone manufacturers and satellite/telecom companies have begun incorporating satellite-linked features. These features were initially employed only for tasks like emergency messaging, but they are currently moving toward fully integrated connectivity (voice and data). Future 5G Advanced and 6G standards are expected to integrate satellite connectivity natively, making it as common as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS are today.

I don’t know about you, but it seems there’s always something new to learn. As always, I welcome your captivating comments, querulous questions, and sagacious suggestions, all of which you can share on Hackster's "Throwback Thursdays" Discord channel. I look forward to seeing you there.

P.S. Don't forget that you are only a click away from perusing and pondering all of my Throwback Thursdays columns in one place.

P.P.S. Please feel free to email me at max@clivemaxfield.com if you have any questions about this column or if you have any requests or suggestions for future articles.

Clive " Max" Maxfield

AHRS Member

Quote of the Month

“What is right is what is left if you do everything else wrong.” -  Robin Williams

“It does matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.” - Confucius

We meet every Saturday (unless a Holiday weekend) at 8:30 A.M. until around 11:30 A.M., at the one-story AHRS Shop at the corner of 8th Avenue North and 18th Street, (1801 8th Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35203). Please use the rear (Southeast) entrance.

The Shop is open on Tuesdays at 8:30 A.M. until around 11:30 A.M. Note that parking can be a problem on Tuesdays, so you may have to find street parking occasionally.

Regular monthly members meetings are on the fourth Monday night starting at 7:00 PM with the Executive Meeting starting at 6:30 PM

Please come join us!

The electronics classes are generally on “Zoom” and “in-person” at the AHRS Shop, typically the first Saturday of each month (except when something special is taking place, then we agree on an alternative Saturday)

Check your emails for the schedule and how to participate.

We start from the beginning Ohms Law, inductors, resistor and Capacitors color codes, as well as what each component does within the radio circuits. We also teach how to use test equipment used in the repairing of radios. We teach troubleshooting radio troubles, as well as how to read a radio diagram.

Currently the class is studying advance topics relating to troubleshooting and project radio repair. We are retooling our website in hopes of archiving prior classes for those who may have missed a prior class. Email will provide timely details on date, topics & links.

There are coil winding classes, and one-on-one repair help. Come join these classes!

Membership dues are $25.00 a year, payable beginning in January. If you have questions about your dues, you can contact Treasurer Mike Woodruff at 205-823-7204. Dues can be mailed to AHRS at P.O. Box 131418, Birmingham, Alabama 35213 or paid on-line at https://alhrs.org

Be sure and check out our website at https://alhrs.org, which has copies of all newsletters from 2006 to the present (click on News), videos, photo galleries, museum, Old Time Radio columns, Projects, Reading Rooms, Archives, and Contact Information. Within the next few months we hope to update our website and add additional content and new capabilities

President – Richard “Wag” Waguespack

(205) 531-9528

drminims@aol.com

Vice President – Steven Westbrook

(205) 305-0679

spwestbro@bellsouth.net

Recording Secretary – Grady Shook

(205) 281-3007

gshook@bellsouth.net

Treasurer –

Boyd Bailey, Member and Instructor

(334) 412-6996

boyd.bailey@charter.net

Newsletter Editor/Webmaster – Steven Westbrook

(205) 305-0679

spwestbro@bellsouth.net

Web Address:

https://alhrs.org

E-mail Address:

ahrs2000@gmail.com

Youtube Channel: Alabama Historical Radio Society - YouTube

Members,

Mark your calendars!

The date for next AHRS Business meeting and Christmas Party will fall on Monday, Dec 29th, 2025. Doors open at 6:00 PM, a short annual meeting at 6:30 PM and dinner at 7:00 PM. The business meeting will include the election on officer and board member for 2026. The meeting will be in person only so we have a list started for people to sign up (name, guest(s), contact number, and what you will bring).  The Society will provide drinks, meats, and rolls; let us know if you have any serious allergies or food issues. Ideally, sign up in the shop in person or call/text/email Steven Westbrook or me to we can keep the list up-to-date.

(So, save the Zoom link for the next one in January:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86330579924?pwd=ckZLWEJMb0V2ajhBUzh0S2liQnlmZz09
Meeting ID: 863 3057 9924   Passcode: 631140)

Mike Woodruff was such an integral part of AHRS and will be missed on many levels. We continue to transition his tasks and duties to current members, especially Steven and me for the time being. If a matter that Mike would have handled arises, let me, Steven, or another officer or board member know.

·  We have opened a new checking account appropriate for a non-profit and are “updating the books”.

·   Our credit union CD account has been updated.

·   We can still accept payments on PayPal and hope to maintain all other financial functions.

There was a celebration of Mike’s life held at the shop on Friday, Nov 14^th, (which I missed, being out of the country) but which a number of our members attended.

It’s that time of year to start thinking about several things:

·         Yes, dues and membership renewals for 2026 are being accepted via cash, check, and PayPal as usual.

·         The Nominating CMTE has been formed, and all our officer positions  are up for re-election as are the three Board members rotating off their 3-year terms (Dave Johnson, Tom Killian, and “Doc” Holaday). If you wish to volunteer to serve in AHRS leadership, let John Outland or John Herndon know; also, we can take nominations from the floor at the yearend business meeting on the 29^th.

We will have a brief update of events from 2025 and those planned for 2026 but let leadership know if you have other topics to discuss by the general membership.

Boyd’s next class scheduled for Saturday, Jan 10^th, 2025, at 9:00 AM in person and via Zoom; he plans to discuss more troubleshooting.

The following link remains in effect:
https://us02web..us/j/88180351990?pwd=N2lucjB3WVhtR05nTSs5S0xGcURadz09

His last class was Dec 1^stand covered low and high pass filters, time constants with capacitors, and a look at practical applications in schematics.

Let me thank the Technology CMTE and chair Boyd Bailey for holding its first follow-up meeting Nov 18th. Topics discussed included adoption of a password manager, AHRS computer backup and integration options, and our shop printer’s unreliability. We now have a new printer integrated into the shop PC and our Wi-Fi network. And thanks again to Boyd for repairing one of our TV-7 tube testers which was somewhat unreliable, but when he got “under the hood” there were major problems to repair on a unit that arguably might’ve be considered for parts. Boyd, we owe ya!

Save the date! The BirmingHamfest will be the first Friday afternoon and Saturday in March, 2026 (6^th and 7^th) ; details when we get closer. Montgomery’s Hamfest was on Nov 8^th and was attended by Society.  Dave Cisco and Robert Cain are working on a presentation about the History of AHRS, including pivotal individuals who are no longer active or with us. Hopefully, this will be available at an upcoming business meeting and evolve into our forum for BirmingHamfest. We have another potential program from John Green on radio astronomy in the works for early next year.

Member Rick Curl helped man the video control console panel for the national broadcast of the annual Birmingham Veterans Day Parade.

I wish to thank VP Steven Westbrook for keeping things running whilst I was gone from the end of October until mid-November. We traveled to Jordan, Cairo, and the upper Nile, a trip I’ve wanted to do for years. Plenty of antiquities (cars, mummies), but no antique radios…

We passed through a  lock on the Nile at the older, smaller Aswan dam, not the High Dam that created Lake Nasser. On the left above, we see the water from the turbines    re-entering the Nile and (right) wires delivering electricity. I took these for the Alabama Power guys in the Society.

Of course, here is the obligatory photo of the Great Pyramid and Sphinx. The Great Egyptian Museum has just opened and is a huge and unbelievable display of     antiquities including the horde from Tutankhamen’s tomb discovered in the 1920’s in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor.

Cairo is a city of about 25 million people with many contrasts and a culture quite     different from ours. The cell service was good and US dollars and VISA cards widely accepted, but don’t drink the tap water or eat street food….

We were back in plenty of time to celebrate Thanksgiving and hope everyone did as well.  Hoping to see many of you with guests in a few weeks.

Respectfully submitted, (mostly) enjoying college football (now that both my LSU and Auburn Tigers have new coaches), and (mostly) welcoming cooler temps, I remain,

President Wag, AHRS

When Pirates Ruled the (Air) Waves
From Radio Luxembourg to Radio Caroline, the pirates who brought British broadcasting—and pop culture—alive.

I’m constantly reminded of the many differences between life today and the world in which I grew up, specifically in England during the 1960s and 1970s. Take the accessibility of music, for example. Today, we live in a world where almost every musical genre imaginable is instantly accessible. Streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube host tens of millions of tracks, ranging from global chart-toppers to obscure regional styles.

Algorithms, playlists, and social media recommendations mean that listeners routinely stumble across artists and genres they’ve never heard of—sometimes from the other side of the world. TikTok trends can catapult a forgotten song from the 1980s into the charts, while online communities share and celebrate everything from Scandinavian folk metal to Japanese city pop.

Another aspect of this is that niche styles blend, mutate, and cross-pollinate in ways no one could have imagined half a century ago. Jazz has splintered into smooth, fusion, and experimental forms; country has merged with pop and rap; metal ranges from classic to symphonic to doom; and global genres—Afrobeats, K-pop, reggaeton, Latin trap, bhangra, and countless others—fill playlists alongside indie folk, lo-fi chill, ambient electronica, and hyperpop. Streaming platforms now let listeners wander freely across this vast sonic landscape, discovering subgenres as specialized as vaporwave, dark synth, or neo-soul with a single tap.

Things were very different in England at the beginning of the 1960s. Commercial radio didn’t exist at that time, and advertising on the air was strictly prohibited. Only the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was legally allowed to broadcast radio in the UK.

There were three BBC radio channels in 1960: The Home Service, established in 1939, which offered news, drama, talks, current affairs, and educational programming; The Light Programme, established in 1945, which offered variety shows, comedy, dance bands, and (cautiously) popular music; and The Third Programme, established in 1964, which was a highbrow cultural channel featuring classical music, poetry readings, and serious discussion.

By the early 1960s, this trio formed a distinctly middle-aged soundscape. The BBC saw itself as a national educator rather than a jukebox. For example, The Light Programme’s musical output was dominated by dance bands and light orchestras, middle-of-the-road crooners and vocalists, musical theatre and film songs, comedy and variety shows, and… as a “tail end Charlie”… occasional “pop” coverage. In this latter case, we’re talking about shows like Family Favorites and Pick of the Pops. These featured a few current chart hits, but only for short segments, and often performed by the BBC Northern Dance Orchestra rather than the original artists.

When it came to appealing to a younger audience, what sort of music wasn’t played on the UK radio? Just about everything, really. A few examples are Rock ’n’ Roll and Early Pop (by the early 1960s, the BBC still viewed rock ’n’ roll as a passing fad and largely ignored it), emerging styles like American Rhythm and Blues (R&B) and Soul were virtually absent, and even bands like The Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Searchers, and The Hollies received minimal air time (you might hear them once or twice a week on the radio… if you were lucky).

As I mentioned in a couple of earlier Throwback Thursdays columns—Be Kind, Rewind: The Home Video Revolution and Student Life and Sound Systems in the Seventies—for many young people, the only real exposure to offbeat music (no “off-beat” pun intended) was the local record shop. If the owner knew you and your tastes, he might say, “Here’s a new group you might like.” Other ways in which young people discovered music were word of mouth and live gigs. Additionally, the music press—in the form of weekly magazines such as New Musical Express (NME), Melody Maker, and later Sounds—had a hugely influential impact.

The scene was set for the emergence of what came to be known as Pirate Radio. In 1964, Irish businessman Ronan O’Rahilly bought a ship, fitted it with a powerful transmitter, and anchored it just outside the UK’s three-mile limit. He named it Radio Caroline, allegedly after Caroline Kennedy, who was a symbol of youthful energy and rebellion.

Radio Caroline went on air in March 1964. The DJs were fresh, informal, and full of energy. They sounded nothing like the BBC’s stiff announcers. They played records by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, and countless other artists that the BBC largely ignored.  Within months, millions of listeners were tuning in daily, and the BBC’s monopoly was effectively broken—even though the pirates were technically illegal.

Later in 1964, Radio London (also known as “Big L” and “Wonderful Radio London”) joined the party. Broadcasting from a ship called the Galaxy, it drew inspiration from slick American “Top-40” stations. With jingles, tight formatting, and upbeat presentation, Radio London felt truly modern—fast-paced, brash, and exciting. It quickly became the most professional and popular of all the offshore stations.

Although it’s not an entirely accurate portrayal in a historical sense, the 2009 movie The Boat That Rocked—which is loosely based on Radio Caroline, Radio London, and other stations—really captures the spirit of the 1960s pirate radio stations.

Also, we should note that long before the offshore revolution, there was pre-pirate rebel Radio Luxembourg. Broadcasting from the tiny European duchy, this began English-language commercial programming as early as the 1930s. By the 1950s and early ’60s, it was one of the few places where British listeners could hear sponsored programs featuring real pop records—albeit only at night, since the medium-wave signal was weak during the day. Luxembourg’s “208” (its wavelength on the dial) became legendary among British teenagers huddled under the bedcovers with their transistor radios, straining to catch the latest Elvis or Cliff Richard song. In many ways, Luxembourg paved the way for the pirate era by demonstrating the massive appetite of young people for non-BBC popular music.

By the time the UK government cracked down on pirate stations in 1967, the BBC was compelled to reassess its entire approach to broadcasting. For decades, it had enjoyed a comfortable monopoly, but the offshore rebels had exposed just how out of touch the corporation had become with younger listeners.

The public’s appetite for pop music and lively DJs couldn’t simply be switched off when the pirates went quiet, so the BBC scrambled to reorganize its networks. On 30 September 1967, it launched Radio 1, aimed squarely at the youth audience the pirates had cultivated, while rebranding its existing services as Radio 2, Radio 3, and Radio 4. In effect, the BBC absorbed the spirit of the pirates even as it replaced them—bringing pop music ashore and into the mainstream for the first time.

Among all the voices who emerged from the pirate era, none proved more enduring or influential than John Peel. Born John Parker Ravenscroft, he joined Radio London in early 1967, presenting a late-night show called The Perfumed Garden. Peel’s program was introspective and eclectic—it sounded unlike anything else on the airwaves, and it won him a loyal following among listeners who sensed they were hearing something genuinely new.

When the government pulled the plug on the pirates later that year, Peel was one of the few DJs invited to join the newly formed BBC Radio 1. At the BBC, Peel carried the spirit of the pirates into the establishment and quietly reshaped British broadcasting. His late-night shows gave airtime to music that no one else would touch — first progressive rock, then punk, reggae, indie, and electronic sounds.

From the very start of his BBC career in 1967, Peel’s programs were scheduled in the evening or late-night hours, typically between 10 p.m. and midnight (sometimes later). As a student in the latter half of the 1970s, I recall lying in bed, drifting off to sleep while listening to John Peel’s show.

Do you remember my column on the Fruits and Vegetables of the Season? I concluded that column by saying:

On the one hand, it’s nice to be able to get whatever you want whenever you want it. On the other hand, there is something to be said for the way things used to be. For example, when you haven’t had even a hint of a whiff of a sniff of a strawberry for six or seven months from October through April, then nothing tastes quite as good as the first strawberries of the season in May.

Well, now that I’ve written this column and reminded myself of the heady days of pirate radio, I realize that—once again—I’m sitting on the horns of a dilemma (and that’s not a comfortable feeling, let me tell you). On the one hand, it’s wonderful to be able to gain instant access to almost any music on the planet. On the other hand, there is something to be said for the way things used to be. Nothing quite compares to the thrill of a pirate DJ playing a new, never-before-heard single for the very first time—a song you had to tune in at just the right time and hold your breath to hear.

I’ll end this column as usual by asking: How about you? If you’re of my generation, has this triggered any memories you’d care to share? And if you hail from more recent times, has anything here made you realize just how lucky you are to bask in the glow of today’s astonishing technologies?

As always, I welcome your captivating comments, querulous questions, and sagacious suggestions, all of which you can share on Hackster's "Throwback Thursdays" Discord channel. I look forward to seeing you there.

P.S. Don't forget that you can peruse and ponder all of my Throwback Thursdayscolumns here.

P.P.S. Please feel free to email me at max@clivemaxfield.com if you have any questions about this column or if you have any requests or suggestions for future articles.

Clive "Max" Maxfield

AHRS Member

Quote of the Month

An electric eel never gets depressed. He always tries to b+.

- Unknown for good reason

We meet every Saturday (unless a Holiday weekend) at 8:30 A.M. until around 11:30 A.M., at the one-story AHRS Shop at the corner of 8th Avenue North and 18th Street, (1801 8th Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35203). Please use the rear (Southeast) entrance.

The Shop is open on Tuesdays at 8:30 A.M. until around 11:30 A.M. Note that parking can be a problem on Tuesdays, so you may have to find street parking occasionally.

Regular monthly members meetings are on the fourth Monday night starting at 7:00 PM with the Executive Meeting starting at 6:30 PM

Please come join us!

The electronics classes are generally on “Zoom” and “in-person” at the AHRS Shop, typically the first Saturday of each month (except when something special is taking place, then we agree on an alternative Saturday)

Check your emails for the schedule and how to participate.

We start from the beginning Ohms Law, inductors, resistor and Capacitors color codes, as well as what each component does within the radio circuits. We also teach how to use test equipment used in the repairing of radios. We teach troubleshooting radio troubles, as well as how to read a radio diagram.

Currently the class is studying advance topics relating to troubleshooting and project radio repair. We are retooling our website in hopes of archiving prior classes for those who may have missed a prior class. Email will provide timely details on date, topics & links.

There are coil winding classes, and one-on-one repair help. Come join these classes!

Membership dues are $25.00 a year, payable beginning in January. If you have questions about your dues, you can contact Treasurer Mike Woodruff at 205-823-7204. Dues can be mailed to AHRS at P.O. Box 131418, Birmingham, Alabama 35213 or paid on-line at https://alhrs.org

Be sure and check out our website at https://alhrs.org, which has copies of all newsletters from 2006 to the present (click on News), videos, photo galleries, museum, Old Time Radio columns, Projects, Reading Rooms, Archives, and Contact Information. Within the next few months we hope to update our website and add additional content and new capabilities

President – Richard “Wag” Waguespack

(205) 531-9528

drminims@aol.com

Vice President – Steven Westbrook

(205) 305-0679

spwestbro@bellsouth.net

Recording Secretary – Grady Shook

(205) 281-3007

gshook@bellsouth.net

Treasurer –

Boyd Bailey, Member and Instructor

(334) 412-6996

boyd.bailey@charter.net

Newsletter Editor/Webmaster – Steven Westbrook

(205) 305-0679

spwestbro@bellsouth.net

Web Address:

https://alhrs.org

E-mail Address:

ahrs2000@gmail.com

Youtube Channel: Alabama Historical Radio Society - YouTube

The Superflex

A Publication of the Alabama Historical Radio Society     October 2025

NOTE FROM PRESIDENT WAG

Members,

Mark your calendars!

The date for next AHRS Business meeting will fall on the usual 4th Monday, Nov 24th, 2025, (just before Thanksgiving) at 7:00 PM. The Exec CMTE will meet in person by invitation only at 6:00 PM.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86330579924?pwd=ckZLWEJMb0V2ajhBUzh0S2liQnlmZz09

Meeting ID: 863 3057 9924
Passcode: 631140

Mike was such an integral part of AHRS and will be missed on many levels. The Celebration of Life is scheduled for Friday, November 14, 2025 starting at 2:00 PM at the AHRS Shop. Many member of his family will attend. All are welcome.

We are working to transition all his tasks and duties to current members. If a matter that Mike would have handled arises, let me, Steven, or another officer or board member know. As a society, we must search for a new treasurer, and Mike Spanos has volunteered on a trial basis. The position involves some knowledge of Quickbooks, but the number of monthly transactions we deal with, and other duties, are minimal. Steven and I are working to make the transition as seamless as possible:

·         We have opened a new checking account appropriate for a non-profit.

·         Monthly automatic debits have been migrated to the new account.

·         New checks have been ordered.

·         Our credit union CD accounts has been updated.

·         We can still accept payments on PayPal and hope to have all other financial functions are operational.

We anticipate participating in a celebration of Mike’s life, especially as it related to AHRS; details are being arranged and will be sent as they develop.

In the way of member updates, Grady Shook’s wife required urgent hip surgery recently but is doing well.

It is that time of year to start thinking about several things:

·         Yes, dues and membership renewal for 2026 will be coming soon, payable in person at the shop, by mail or by Paypal through our website.

·         Our year-end business and board meeting with Holiday get-together, including guests, is on the horizon with a date to be set soon.

·         The Nominating CMTE and election of officers and board members: If you wish to volunteer as a member of the committee and/or in AHRS leadership, let John Outland know; he is forming the Nominating CMTE which will develop the 2026 slate of officer and board nominees.

Boyd’s next class is Saturday, Nov 1st, 2025, at 9:00 AM in person and via Zoom; he plans to discuss the following:
           1.  Project review of the RCA 1050 that had a puzzling hum problem

2.  Troubleshooting 'hum'

The following link remains in effect:
https://us02web..us/j/88180351990?pwd=N2lucjB3WVhtR05nTSs5S0xGcURadz09

Let me thank the Technology CMTE and chair Boyd Bailey for holding its first formal meeting via Zoom on September 29, 2025. Topics discussed included adoption of a password manager, AHRS computer backup and integration options, enhancements to our website, and YouTube hosting. The group has promised to provide tech support to other committees and the society (without having to call a foreign country, navigating an automated menu, or waiting for hours on the phone) and plan meet on a quarterly basis. We will try to keep the membership aware of the committee’s work as it progresses.

Tom Killian, Grady Shook, and Ray Giles hosted our most recent auction on Saturday, October 18, 2025, which was in person, but members were allowed to bid by proxy. Thanks to Ray for his cleaning the radios and Maurice Hill (and anyone else I might’ve missed) who checked them electronically ahead of time! We have some unsold items on the table at the shop so if you drop by and see one of interest, consider making a donation and it will likely follow you home. Also, if you missed the auction and think an item may still be available, contact us.

Save the date! The Montgomery Hamfest (Nov 8^th, 2025, at Alcazar Shrine Temple, 555 East Blvd, Montgomery AL 36117, 8:30 AM-1PM). AHRS is planning to attend so we welcome volunteers!  https://w4ap.org/hamfest

The Helena (Shelby Co) Tailgate/Hamfest was scheduled Saturday October 25, 2025 from 8:00 AM-12:00 PM, but was canceled due to a scheduling conflict at the site; it may be rescheduled, so check for details on its website.  https://www.helenahamfest.com/The upcoming Veterans Day parade on November 11^th should not require closing the shop since it starts at 1:00 PM and stages in another area downtown.

Dave Cisco is working on a presentation about the History of AHRS, including pivotal individuals who are no longer active or with us. Hopefully, this will be available at an upcoming business meeting and become a potential forum for the 2026 BirmingHamfest. We have another potential program from John Green on radio astronomy in the works.

I wish to thank VP Steven Westbrook in advance for keeping things running whilst I am gone from the end of October until mid-November. We are traveling to Jordan, Cairo, and the upper Nile, a trip I have wanted to do for years. Plenty of antiquities, but no antique radios likely to be sighted… Over the decades, a combination of my day job and unsettled politics in the region precluded a visit. We will be back in plenty of time to celebrate Thanksgiving. 🍗🦃🥘

Respectfully submitted, (mostly) enjoying college football (at this writing, Hugh Freeze is still at Auburn, but Brian Kelly was just fired from LSU), and welcoming cooler temps, I remain,

President Wag, AHRS

Power Supplies

In a previous newsletter member Rick Curl submitted an article on wall worts. We recently an email from Rick directing us to the article below in EE World On-line

When I wrote the article about wall warts I touched on the difference between linear and switching supplies.  Here’s a short article that expands on that line of thought:

Rick Curl

AC/DC supply shrink illustrates dramatic technology shift

October 24, 2025 By Bill Schweber Leave a Comment

While looking through some of my accumulated AC/DC wall adapters, I came across an AC-line input, 5-volt, 2-amp output linear power supply from “back in the day.” The Analog Devices model 956 encapsulated-brick module is serious business, as it weighs almost a kilogram (just under two pounds). I have used it occasionally as a bench supply when testing or fixing various small products.

According to its date code, it was made in 1997 (it’s nearly 50 years old!), yet it still works fine. Its output is rock solid despite load transients and has no visible output noise. I couldn’t find a data sheet online, even at legacy-documentation sites, but the solid epoxy block (10.2 × 6.8 × 5.1 cm/4.0 × 2.7 × 2.0 inch) seen in Figure 1 reinforces the definite impression that it is electrically and physically “bulletproof.”

The no-nonsense screw terminals for AC input and DC output connections are clearly marked, as shown in Figure 2. It attaches to a chassis or reinforced PC board via #4-40 screws, which go into threaded metal inserts in each of its four corners.

Going to a switching approach

Thinking again about this supply’s size and weight relative to modern ones with comparable ratings, I started to wonder: we all know that IC feature and transistor sizes have shrunk dramatically over the decades as adjunct of Moore’s “law,” but what about power supplies? While the improvement has certainly not been as dramatic, the development of switching power-supply technology (formally called a switched-mode power supply, or SMPS) and its many variants over the past decades has dramatically shrunk the size, weight, and losses of AC/DC supplies.

I did a quick search for some state-of-the-art switching supplies with the same ratings and found that the fully encapsulated, PC-board mount PSK-10B-S5 (5.08 × 2.54 × 2.1 cm/2 × 1 × 0.83 inch) from CUI/Bel Fuse was a representative 5V/2A AC/DC unit, shown in Figure 3. There are even smaller ones available that operate in the hundreds of kilohertz and into the low-megahertz range, but this 85-kilohertz unit is a good example due to its overall performance specifications.

Note that I deliberately chose not to consider mass-market consumer units such as standard USB adapters/chargers, even though they might be even smaller and lighter than the CUI unit. My reasoning was that their quality is usually inferior to a “proper”  AC/DC supply in terms of DC output stability and transient response, operating-temperature range, and overall electrical and mechanical ruggedness.

Table 1 shows the numbers for the CUI PSK-10B-S5 compared to those for the AD956, illustrating the reality of a switching supply versus a linear one with the same basic ratings. In a word: the differences in volume, weight, and efficiency are truly impressive.

Further, like nearly all of today’s AC/DC supplies, the CUI unit must meet a very long list of complicated and detailed regulatory mandates covering EMI/EMC performance, galvanic-isolation voltage, various safety demands, and ROHS, all in addition to protection against adverse thermal and short-circuit conditions. Many of these requirements were not in place in 1977 or were much “looser” then.

Given the many real and critical advantages of switching AC/DC power supplies compared to linear designs, you might think that linear ones are obsolete, but that’s not the case at all. For example, Acopian Technical Company offers several standard families of linear supplies with outputs ranging from 40 watts to 1200 watts, with voltage outputs from 1.5 VDC to 150 VDC; vendors offer even higher power, and custom units are available.

Acopian doesn’t try to convince prospective users that linear supplies are the better choice in all applications. They note that “a 250-W linear power supply would require 600 in³ of mounting space and weighs 26 pounds, while a comparable AC/DC switching power supply would require 60 in³ of mounting space and weighs 2 pounds.” Further, they present a lengthy table with clear numbers comparing the attributes of these two supply topologies. In addition, they acknowledge that switching supplies can be used to both step up and down the input voltage, while linear ones can only provide a step-down output.

Given the many tangible benefits of a switching supply, why would an engineer even consider selecting a linear one? Sometimes, the positive attributes of the linear supply —lack of switching clock, nearly zero noise, fast transient-recovery time, longer hold-up time, and tight line regulation — outweigh the negatives and are critical factors in an application such as high-resolution X-ray machines. As in nearly all engineering endeavors, making a choice requires a balance among priorities.

Once again, designers first look at conventional wisdom, but don’t necessarily exclude unpopular alternatives. Sometimes they must go against the flow when the technical facts require consideration of less-conventional and perhaps even presumed-obsolete alternative solutions. It’s the classic engineering-design conundrum revolving around the trade-offs, technical costs, and realities of the situation.

References

Power Supply Comparisons: Difference Between Linear and Switching Power Supply, Acopian Technical Company
PSK-10B Series Data Sheet, CUI/Bel Fuse

Battle of the Beams

The Battle of the Beams was a period early in the Second World War when bombers of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) used a number of increasingly accurate systems of radio navigation for night bombing in the United Kingdom. British scientific intelligence at the Air Ministry fought back with a variety of their own increasingly effective means, involving jamming and deception signals. The period ended when the Wehrmacht moved their forces to the East in May 1941, in preparation for the attack on the Soviet Union.

The idea of beam radio navigation was developed during the 1930s, initially as a blind landing aid. The basic concept is to produce two directional radio signals that are aimed slightly to the left and right of a runway's midline. Radio operators in the aircraft listen for these signals and determine which of the two beams they are flying in. This is normally accomplished by sending Morse code signals into the two beams, to identify right and left.

For bombing, the Luftwaffe built huge versions of the antennas to provide much greater accuracy at long range, named Knickebein and X-Gerät. These were used during the early stages of the Blitz with great effect, in one case laying a strip of bombs down the centerline of a factory deep in England. Tipped off about the system's operation by pre-war military intelligence, the British responded by sending their own Morse code signals so that the aircraft crew believed they were always properly centred in the beam while they flew wildly off course. The Germans became convinced the British had somehow learned to bend radio signals.

When the problem became widespread, the Germans introduced a new system that worked on different principles, the Y-Gerät. Having guessed the nature of this system from a passing mention, the British had already deployed countermeasures that rendered the system useless almost as soon as it was used. The Germans eventually abandoned the entire concept of radio navigation over the UK, concluding the British would continue to successfully jam it.

Countermeasure

Efforts to block the Knickebein headache were codenamed "Aspirin". Initially, modified medical diathermy sets transmitted interference. Later, local radio transmitters broadcast an extra "dot signal" at low power on nights where raids were expected. The German practice of turning on the beams long before the bombers reached the target area aided the British efforts. Avro Ansons fitted with receivers would be flown around the country to find the beams' location to be reported to nearby broadcasters. The low-power "dot signal" was initially transmitted essentially at random, so German navigators would hear two dots. This meant there were many equisignal areas, and no easy way to distinguish them except by comparing them with a known location. The British transmitters were later modified to send their dots at the same time as the German transmitters, making it impossible to tell which signal was which. In this case the navigators would receive the equisignal over a wide area, and navigation along the bomb line became impossible, with the aircraft drifting into the "dash area" and no way to correct for it.

Thus the beam was seemingly "bent" away from the target. Eventually, the beams could be inclined by a controlled amount which enabled the British to fool the Germans into dropping their bombs where they wanted them. A side effect was that as the German crews had been trained to navigate solely by the beams, many crews failed to find either the true equisignal or Germany again.^[19] Some Luftwaffe bombers even landed at RAF bases, believing they were back at base.^[20]

Y-Gerät Countermeasure

The British were ready for this system even before it was used. By chance, the Germans had chosen the operating frequency of the Wotan system badly. It operated at 45 MHz, which happened to be the frequency of the powerful, but dormant, BBC television transmitter at Alexandra Palace. All Jones had to do was arrange for the return signal to be received from the aircraft and then sent to Alexandra Palace for re-transmission. The combination of the two signals modified the phase shift, and thus the apparent transit delay. Initially, the signal was re-transmitted at low power, not powerful enough for the Germans to realise what was happening, but enough to spoil the accuracy of the system. Over subsequent nights, the transmitter power was gradually increased.

As Y-Gerät's use went on, the aircrew accused the ground station of sending bad signals and the ground station alleged the aircraft had loose connections. The whole scheme appealed to Jones as he was a natural practical joker and remarked that he was able to play one of the largest practical jokes with virtually any national resource that he required. The gradually increasing power conditioned the Germans such they did not realize that the system was being interfered with, but believed that it suffered several inherent defects. Eventually, as the power was increased enough, the whole Y-Gerät system started to ring with all the feedback.

The Luftwaffe, finally realizing that the British had been deploying countermeasures from the very first day that the system was used operationally, completely lost faith in electronic navigation aids as the British had predicted, and did not deploy any further system against Great Britain, although by this time Hitler's attention was turning towards Eastern Europe.

Wikepedia (edited)

Quote of the Month

“I know a man who gave up smoking, drinking, sex and rich food. We was healthy right up to the day he killed himself.”

-Johnny Carson

We meet every Saturday (unless a Holiday weekend) at 8:30 A.M. until around 11:30 A.M., at the one-story AHRS Shop at the corner of 8th Avenue North and 18th Street, (1801 8th Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35203). Please use the rear (Southeast) entrance.

The Shop is open on Tuesdays at 8:30 A.M. until around 11:30 A.M. Note that parking can be a problem on Tuesdays, so you may have to find street parking occasionally.

Regular monthly members meetings are on the fourth Monday night starting at 7:00 PM with the Executive Meeting starting at 6:30 PM

Please come join us!

The electronics classes are generally on “Zoom” and “in-person” at the AHRS Shop, typically the first Saturday of each month (except when something special is taking place, then we agree on an alternative Saturday)

Check your emails for the schedule and how to participate.

We start from the beginning Ohms Law, inductors, resistor and Capacitors color codes, as well as what each component does within the radio circuits. We also teach how to use test equipment used in the repairing of radios. We teach troubleshooting radio troubles, as well as how to read a radio diagram.

Currently the class is studying advance topics relating to troubleshooting and project radio repair. We are retooling our website in hopes of archiving prior classes for those who may have missed a prior class. Email will provide timely details on date, topics & links.

There are coil winding classes, and one-on-one repair help. Come join these classes!

Membership dues are $25.00 a year, payable beginning in January. If you have questions about your dues, you can contact Treasurer Mike Woodruff at 205-823-7204. Dues can be mailed to AHRS at P.O. Box 131418, Birmingham, Alabama 35213 or paid on-line at https://alhrs.org

Be sure and check out our website at https://alhrs.org, which has copies of all newsletters from 2006 to the present (click on News), videos, photo galleries, museum, Old Time Radio columns, Projects, Reading Rooms, Archives, and Contact Information. Within the next few months we hope to update our website and add additional content and new capabilities

President – Richard “Wag” Waguespack

(205) 531-9528

drminims@aol.com

Vice President – Steven Westbrook                    

(205) 305-0679

spwestbro@bellsouth.net

Treasurer - Mike Spanos

(205) 540-2523                                                            

Recording Secretary – Grady Shook

(205) 281-3007

gshook@bellsouth.net

Treasurer –

Boyd Bailey, Member and Instructor

(334) 412-6996

boyd.bailey@charter.net

Newsletter Editor/Webmaster – Steven Westbrook

(205) 305-0679

spwestbro@bellsouth.net

Web Address:

https://alhrs.org

E-mail Address:

ahrs2000@gmail.com

Youtube Channel: Alabama Historical Radio Society - YouTube

The Superflex

A Publication of the Alabama Historical Radio Society     September 2025

NOTE FROM PRESIDENT WAG

Members,

Mark your calendars!

The date for next AHRS Business meeting will fall on the usual 4th Monday, October 27th, 2025, at 7:00 PM. The Exec CMTE will meet in person by invitation only at 6pm.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86330579924?pwd=ckZLWEJMb0V2ajhBUzh0S2liQnlmZz09

Meeting ID: 863 3057 9924
Passcode: 631140

Everyone should have gotten the news of our treasurer Mike Woodruff’s untimely passing recently. Mike died of complications of heart disease. We express our deepest sympathy to his friend/partner Ann Clarke who is taking care of his affairs, and to family and friends. She expressed a desire to have a celebration of his life at the Society on November 14 at 2:00 PM. All are welcome. Details will be forthcoming. I found his obituary online, a portion of which is copied below:

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/pelham-al/michael-woodruff-12524018

Michael received his formal education at Shades Valley High School in Birmingham, Alabama. He furthered his studies at Emory University at Oxford and later at Livingston State College in Livingston, Alabama.

Michael proudly served his country in the United States Army Reserves. Professionally, he worked in banking and insurance as a systems analyst for several organizations throughout his career.

A man of many passions, Michael was a lifelong Ham Radio Operator and had a deep interest in radios and electronics. He also enjoyed participating in the Fuel Exercise class at Vestavia Hills Methodist Church. Michael was an active member of the Alabama Historical Radio Society, where he served as Treasurer, and he delighted in collecting old radios and vintage electronic equipment.

Michael was preceded in death by his father, Richard Woodruff; mother, Gwendolyn Woodruff; and brother, Richard Woodruff.

He leaves to cherish his memory his long-term partner, Ann Clark; his son, John Woodruff; as well as other relatives, dear friends, and members of the radio community who will miss him greatly.

A memorial service will be announced at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made in Michael’s honor to the Alabama Historical Radio Society or a charity of your choice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mike was such an integral part of AHRS and will be missed on many levels. As a Society, we must search for a new treasurer, so if anyone is interested in serving in this position, please let one of the officers or board members know. Some knowledge of Quickbooks would be welcome but nothing beyond a willingness to volunteer is required, since the number of monthly transactions we deal with, and other duties, are minimal.

Let me add that our VP and newsletter editor, Steven Westbrook has undergone several tune-ups in recent weeks and is doing well.

Boyd’s next class is Saturday, Oct 4th, 2025, at 9:00 AM in person and via Zoom; he plans to discuss the following:

1. A detailed focus on replacing a totally unknown oscillator coil
2. Demonstration of the NanoVNA in making the necessary measurements in this process
3.  Demonstrate a new toy, the 'variable constant current load' for checking wall warts NOTE: Please review the excellent article on wall warts in our last newsletter by Society member Rick Curl.

The following link remains in effect:

Topic: AHRS Radio Restoration Class

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web..us/j/88180351990?pwd=N2lucjB3WVhtR05nTSs5S0xGcURadz09

Tom Killian and Ray Giles are looking to host another auction, and this will be announced in advance. In the meantime, we have auction-worthy radios on the table in the shop; if anyone drops in and sees one of interest, consider making a donation and it’ll likely follow you home.

The fully restored Hallicrafters SX-88 is on permanent display on the main level of the shop near the library door. John Green, restorer extraordinaire, completed his 2-part presentation at our September business meeting the other night. Many thanks to him and Boyd Bailey (Zoom facilitator) for making this possible. We plan to have this archived on the website and/or YouTube channel.

Flood (but thankfully not of Biblical proportions!) A few weeks ago, several members working on Saturday noticed water on the floor of the basement storage room under the vault. Items at risk were moved and members on hand vacuumed up gallons of water. Alabama Power came over to dry out the area. A special thanks to Benjy Thomas who did much of the remediation and used his thermal app to identify wet spots; he went outside and noted a water main leak on the Rev Abraham Woods Blvd side of the shop. The leak has apparently been repaired, and we sustained no long-term damage we know of, but will remain vigilant.

Several of our members attended the Gadsden Hamfest and if anyone wishes to comment about their experience, please send it on for inclusion next time.

Save the date! The Montgomery Hamfest (Nov 8^th, 2025, at Alcazar Shrine Temple, 555 East Blvd, Montgomery AL 36117, 8:30 AM-1:00 PM). AHRS is planning to attend! https://w4ap.org/hamfest

And another pair of events: Saturday October 25, 2025 will be the date of the annual Magic City Classic Parade. The staging area and route are around the Shop and overlap our Saturday opening times. Historically, we have NOT opened that day due to the streets being closed and crowds participating; accordingly, the shop will NOTbe open that day.

The Helena (Shelby Co) Tailgate/Hamfest is the same day from 8:00 AM-12:00 PM PM; this is a relatively informal event so check the details on its website.  https://www.helenahamfest.com/

We recently received a request for informationfrom Sam Badger, a PhD candidate at the University of South Carolina, who earned his BA and MA from the University of Alabama (“I am Roll Tide for life! “) :

He is interested in recordings and transcriptions of speeches from “…key politicos in 1946, like James Folsom, John Sparkman, Richard Rives, Hugh DuBose, James Simpson, Frank Boykin, Joe Poole, Handy Ellis, et cetera. As far as songs go, I am trying to identify the political undertones in the music that Alabamians were listening to in 1946. For instance, I know two country songs from that year that were very political: "Filipino Baby" by Ernest Tubb and "No Vacancy" by Merle Travis. But I would like to see a DJ setlist or something like that to confirm that these songs were actually played on the radio in Alabama...”

We have given him some contacts and let him know what we have in our library and collections. If any of our members feel you might have something relevant to share with him, let Steven or me know and we can get you in touch with him.

Dave Cisco is working on a presentation about the History of AHRS, including pivotal individuals who are no longer active or with us. Hopefully, this will be available at an upcoming business meeting and become a potential forum for the 2026 BirmingHamfest.

It is getting into flu and other respiratory illness season with many of us being at an age where these could be potentially dangerous. That said, I (wearing my doctor hat) will not enter the vaccine controversies or presume to give medical advice but rather ask you to consult your trusted primary care and/or relevant specialist physician(s) about what you should do this fall, if anything, to help you and yours remain healthy.

Respectfully submitted, enjoying college football, and still looking forward to cooler temps, I remain,

President Wag, AHRS

Magic Eye Tube

A magic eye tube or tuning indicator, in technical literature called an electron-ray indicator tube, is a vacuum tube which gives a visual indication of the amplitude of an electronic signal, such as an audio output, radio-frequency signal strength, or other functions. The magic eye (also called a cat's eye, or tuning eye in North America) is a specific type of such a tube with a circular display similar to the EM34 illustrated. Its first broad application was as a tuning indicator in radio receivers, to give an indication of the relative strength of the received radio signal, to show when a radio station was properly tuned in.

The magic eye tube was the first in a line of development of cathode ray type tuning indicators developed as a cheaper alternative to needle movement meters. It was not until the 1960s that needle meters were made inexpensively enough in Japan to displace indicator tubes. Tuning indicator tubes were used in vacuum tube receivers from around 1936 to 1980, before vacuum tubes were replaced by transistors in radios. An earlier tuning aid which the magic eye replaced was the "tuneon" neon lamp.

History

The magic eye tube (or valve) for tuning radio receivers was invented in 1932 by Allen B. DuMont (who spent most of the 1930s improving the lifetime of cathode ray tubes, and ultimately formed the DuMont Television Network).

The RCA 6E5 from 1935 was the first commercial tube.

The earlier types were end-viewed (EM34), usually with an octal or side-contact base. Later developments featured a smaller side-viewed noval B9A based all-glass type with either a fan type display or a band display (EM84). The end-viewed version had a round cone-shaped fluorescent screen together with the black cap that shielded the red light from the cathode/heater assembly. This design prompted the contemporary advertisers to coin the term magic eye, a term still used.

There was also a sub-miniature version with wire ends (Mullard DM70/DM71, Mazda 1M1/1M3, GEC/Marconi Y25) intended for battery operation, used in one Ever Ready AM/FM battery receiver with push-pull output, as well as a small number of AM/FM mains receivers, which lit the valve from the 6.3 V heater supply via a 220 ohm resistor or from the audio output valve's cathode bias. Some reel-to-reel tape recorders also used the DM70/DM71 to indicate recording level, including a transistorized model with the valve lit from the bias-oscillator voltage.

The function of a magic eye can be achieved with modern semiconductor circuitry and optoelectronic displays. The high voltages (100 volts or more) required by these tubes are no longer in modern devices, so the magic eye tube is obsolete.

Method of Operation

Schematic diagram of a magic eye indicator tube: a = anode, k = cathode, g = grid, b = deflection

A magic eye tube is a miniature cathode ray tube, usually with a built-in triode signal amplifier. It usually glows bright green, (occasionally yellow in some very old types, e.g., EM4) and the glowing ends grow to meet in the middle as the voltage on a control grid increases. It is used in a circuit that drives the grid with a voltage that changes with signal strength; as the tuning knob is turned, the gap in the eye becomes narrowest when a station is tuned in correctly.

Internally, the device is a vacuum tube consisting of two plate electrode assemblies, one creating a triode amplifier and the other a display section consisting of a conical-shaped target anode coated with zinc silicate or similar material. The display section's anode is usually directly connected to the receiver's full positive high tension (HT) voltage, whilst the triode-anode is usually (internally) connected to a control electrode mounted between the cathode and the target-anode, and externally connected to positive HT via a high-value resistor, typically 1 megaohm.

When the receiver is switched on but not tuned to a station, the target-anode glows green due to electrons striking it, with the exception of the area by the internal control-electrode. This electrode is typically 150–200 V negative with respect to the target-anode, repelling electrons from the target in this region, causing a dark sector to appear on the display.

The control-grid of the triode-amplifier section is connected to a point where a negative control voltage dependent on signal strength is available, e.g. the automatic gain control (AGC) line in an AM superheterodyne receiver, or the limiter stage or FM detector in an FM receiver. As a station is tuned in the triode-grid becomes more negative with respect to the common cathode.

Use in Radios

6G5 Magic eye tube

The purpose of magic eye tubes in radio sets is to help with accurate tuning to a station; the tube makes peaks in signal strength more obvious by producing a visual indication, which is better than using the ear alone. The eye is especially useful because the AGC action tends to increase the audio volume of a mistuned station, so the volume varies relatively little as the tuning knob is turned. The tuning eye was driven by the AGC voltage rather than the audio signal.

When, in the early 1950s, FM radio sets were made available on the UK market, there were many different types of magic eye tubes with differing displays, but they all worked the same way. Some had a separate small display to light up indicating a stereo signal on FM.

The British Leak company used an EM84 indicator as a very precise tuning-indicator in their Troughline FM tuner series, by mixing the AGC voltages from the two limiter valve grids at the indicator sensing-grid. By this means accurate tuning was indicated by a fully open sharp shadow, whilst off-tune the indicator produced a partially closed shadow.

Common types

In U.S. made radios, the first type issued was the type 6E5 single pie shaped image, introduced by RCA and used in their 1936 line of radios. Other radio makers used the 6E5 as well until, soon after, the less sensitive type 6G5 was introduced. Also, a type 6AB5 aka 6N5 tube with lower plate voltage was introduced for series filament radios. Type number 6U5 was similar to the 6G5 but had a straight glass envelope. Zenith Radio used a type 6T5 in their 1938 model year radios with "Target tuning" indicator (resembling a camera iris), but was abandoned after a year, with Ken-Rad manufacturing a replacement type. All these types use a 6-pin base with two larger pins for filament connection.

Several other "eye tubes" were introduced in U.S. radios and also used in test equipment and audio gear, including the octal-based types 6AF6GT, 6AD6GT and 1629. The latter was an industrial type with 12 volt filament looking identical to type 6E5. Later U.S. made audio gear used European tubes like EM80 (equivalent to 6BR5), EM81 (6DA5), EM84 (6FG6), EM85 (6DG7) or EM87 (6HU6).

Other applications

Magic eye tubes were used as the recording level indicator for tape recorders (for example in the Echolette [de]), and it is also possible to use them (in a specially adapted circuit) as a means of rough frequency comparison as a simpler alternative to Lissajous figures.

A magic eye tube acts as an inexpensive uncalibrated (and not necessarily linear) voltage indicator, and can be used wherever an indication of voltage is needed, saving the cost of a more accurate calibrated meter.

At least one design of capacitance bridge uses this type of tube to indicate that the bridge is balanced.

The magic eye tube appears on the cover of My Morning Jacket's 2011 album Circuital. The tube is shown almost fully lit.

-Wikepedia

Quotes of the Month

“I did turn 75 today  - but remember that is only 24 Celsius.)

- Ronald Reagan

“Reality is just a crutch for people who can not cope with drugs.”

- Robin Williams

“We owe a lot to Tesla – If if wasn’t for him we would be watching television by candlelight.

- Milton Berle

We meet every Saturday (unless a Holiday weekend) at 8:30 A.M. until around 11:30 A.M., at the one-story AHRS Shop at the corner of 8th Avenue North and 18th Street, (1801 8th Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35203). Please use the rear (Southeast) entrance.

The Shop is open on Tuesdays at 8:30 A.M. until around 11:30 A.M. Note that parking can be a problem on Tuesdays, so you may have to find street parking occasionally.

Regular monthly members meetings are on the fourth Monday night starting at 7:00 PM with the Executive Meeting starting at 6:30 PM

Please come join us!

The electronics classes are generally on “Zoom” and “in-person” at the AHRS Shop, typically the first Saturday of each month (except when something special is taking place, then we agree on an alternative Saturday)

Check your emails for the schedule and how to participate.

We start from the beginning Ohms Law, inductors, resistor and Capacitors color codes, as well as what each component does within the radio circuits. We also teach how to use test equipment used in the repairing of radios. We teach troubleshooting radio troubles, as well as how to read a radio diagram.

Currently the class is studying advance topics relating to troubleshooting and project radio repair. We are retooling our website in hopes of archiving prior classes for those who may have missed a prior class. Email will provide timely details on date, topics & links.

There are coil winding classes, and one-on-one repair help. Come join these classes!

Membership dues are $25.00 a year, payable beginning in January. If you have questions about your dues, you can contact Treasurer Mike Woodruff at 205-823-7204. Dues can be mailed to AHRS at P.O. Box 131418, Birmingham, Alabama 35213 or paid on-line at https://alhrs.org

Be sure and check out our website at https://alhrs.org, which has copies of all newsletters from 2006 to the present (click on News), videos, photo galleries, museum, Old Time Radio columns, Projects, Reading Rooms, Archives, and Contact Information. Within the next few months we hope to update our website and add additional content and new capabilities

President – Richard “Wag” Waguespack

(205) 531-9528

drminims@aol.com

Vice President – Steven Westbrook

(205) 305-0679

spwestbro@bellsouth.net

Recording Secretary – Grady Shook

(205) 281-3007

gshook@bellsouth.net

Treasurer – Mike Woodruff

(205) 823-7204

woodruff_michael@hotmail.com

Boyd Bailey, Member and Instructor

(334) 412-6996

boyd.bailey@charter.net

Newsletter Editor/Webmaster – Steven Westbrook

(205) 305-0679

spwestbro@bellsouth.net

Web Address:

https://alhrs.org

E-mail Address:

ahrs2000@gmail.com

Youtube Channel: Alabama Historical Radio Society - YouTube

Members,

Mark your calendars!

The date for next AHRS Business meeting will fall on the usual 4th Monday, July 28th, 2025, at 7pm. The Exec CMTE will meet in person by invitation only at 6:00 PM. The AUGUST meetings will be on Monday, August 25, 2025, at the same times.

Boyd Bailey will host for the meeting despite being on vacation with family and hopefully, we can make things on our end!

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86330579924?pwd=ckZLWEJMb0V2ajhBUzh0S2liQnlmZz09

Meeting ID: 863 3057 9924
Passcode: 631140

Boyd’s next class is Saturday, Aug 2nd, 2025, and plans to discuss

I.            band-pass and band-stop filter configurations, with, I hope, some illuminating clarifications

II.            the trouble-shooting process on one of the most difficult projects we had in the past 5 years

III.            a grounding refresher, couplates, and the 'big one': oscillator coil matching

IV.            try to work in some practical aspects of using a NanoVNA for precise measurements of capacitors at high frequencies

V.            additional topics for the future, eg, ham-related topics, and

VI.            possibly the homebrew puzzler mentioned last time.

The following link remains in effect:

Topic: AHRS Radio Restoration Class

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web..us/j/88180351990?pwd=N2lucjB3WVhtR05nTSs5S0xGcURadz09

The puzzler:    This picture was in our latest newsletter as a donation from the estate of Dave Ingram; we are working on the background of this homebrew device but have been stymied. Let me add it as a puzzler: Does     anyone know what this mechanism is?

The puzzler is solved but we want this now to be a teaser… The homebrew is described in the pamphlet below with details to follow!

Let me thank everyone that volunteered to serve on a committee, both past and those just added!

August will be busy:

·         We will be again exhibiting at the Alabama Broadcasters Association annual meeting August 7^th. This year’s theme is AM (yes, AM!) stereo which was a short-lived technology here in the Birmingham area and overtaken by FM stereo. We have a transmitter and are looking to find an example or 2 of receivers. Personally, I was unaware of the modality until we received the donation.

·         The Society will be at the Huntsville Hamfest on Saturday August 16^th and we’ll need volunteers to help at the shop and at the Von Braun Center South Hall. Details about the event are at hamfest.org.  We plan to bring some vintage keys and have repaired several legacy items of ham radio interest to the sell at our tables.

·         The local Council is hosting an endeavor on August 23^rdto help Scouts earn merit badges. We participated last year and had several at the shop to help them get their radio merit badge. We plan to participate again this year.

Tom Killian and Ray Giles are looking to host another auction,but this will need to wait until we get through our August activities.

On behalf of the Shop CMTE, and all our members, we must reinforce our policy of not leaving projects on benches for extended times. Recently, we have had several days with a couple of workstations unavailable due to projects that had just been left there for days to weeks. This is unfair to the general membership so we must please ask several things:

·         Move your project at the close of your “work session” so another can use the position. We plan to make room on the shelves to facilitate this.

·         Tidy your space and return tools to their proper storage places when you’re done for the day.

·         If you encounter problem with tools or test equipment at the bench, let an officer or board member know.

·         If you need a tube for which we have many available in the tube room, members may use one to repair a personal radio. If a tube is rare, please use it for diagnosis only and return it; consider purchasing the replacement. If we are repairing something for a non-member, generally the replacement should be purchased (unless we have so many in the tube room, we need to thin the herd…). If in doubt about tubes or other parts, ask!

·         Remember also, if a radio is being repaired for a non-member and/or may be left in the shop for more than a few days, please fill out a “repair form” so we know whose it is with contact information, context, and which member(s) are working on it.

Thanks to Robert Cain and Steven Westbrook for putting up signs for both our reference library on the main shop level and the underused lending library downstairs. Now, you can't miss them!

The fully restored Hallicrafters SX-88 is now on display on the main level of the shop near the library door. John Green, a longtime friend of the Society who completed the restoration at his home in NC, will present a several part program about Hallicrafters and this unit in particular. We hope to have the first Zoom program at our business meeting in August. Again, on behalf of the Society, thank you John on many levels!

Back in March, we got a donation from colleagues at BARC (Birmingham Amateur Radio Club) of this Drake R7 receiver which had intermittent audio and S meter function. Member Ken Smith spent hours troubleshooting and repairing circuit boards so that the radio seems to be fully functional again. Thanks so much for your expertise, especially with non-hollow state devices Ken!!!!

Our Board held its quarterly meeting on Tuesday July 22^nd – all officers and 8 of 9 Board members attended. To everyone’s relief the next Board meeting won’t be until year’s end which includes our annual Holiday get-together. (Date and nominees TBD…)

·         One of the goals relating to the library was to create and place signage for reference and lending libraries. The Board commends Steven Westbrook and Robert Cain for obtaining and hanging them, respectively.

·         The Board strongly reaffirmed we enforce our policy regarding projects left at work benches; see above.

·         Boyd asked if other topics, eg, ham-related, should be included in his future classes.

·         We are otherwise in compliance with our bylaws and SOP

In closing, Dave Cisco gave an oral presentation last November on the history of Powel Crosley and his radios, radio stations, and cars as well as other interests in his private and civic life. The audio was transcribed, was edited, and is presented along with some photos in this issue. No AI was used (or harmed) in the process, and we thank Dave for the program and all who assisted in bringing it to print here; proper attribution has been given.

Respectfully submitted,

President Wag, AHRS

Shelley Stewart

Below is an article from B’ham Now about a significant achievement by one of our regular attendee at our Legends of Broadcast events.

A Birmingham legend has earned a spot in the highly-coveted Radio Hall of Fame thanks to his lifelong commitment to journalism, local business and civil rights.

Born in 1934, Shelley Stewart began his radio career in 1953 at WEDR after graduating from Rosedale High School and enlisting in the U.S. Air Force, according to The History Makers. His on-air moniker was “Shelley The Playboy.”

This would just be the beginning of an illustrious career that has spanned over 70 years.

Another trophy for the shelf

This isn’t Stewart’s first major accolade. In 1999, he was awarded the “Footsteps to Freedom Award from the 16th Street Foundation, and in 2013, the National Association of Black Journalists honored him with the Community Service Award.

He was also named a Pioneer of Radio Inductee by the Smithsonian Institution in 1996.

Stewart will join 10 other radio personalities in this year’s induction into the Radio Hall of Fame. The event will take place in Chicago this October.

On the most recent episode of his podcast, Shelley’s Plumbline—which he also calls the “Academy of Common Sense”—Stewart discussed the accolade with humility.

Many people say I have a ‘voice.’ I don’t know whether I have a voice or not, I just talk. Many people think I got there with practice. No, I did not practice being a radio personality. Never in my life had I dreamed of being a radio personality, and I certainly never dreamed of being inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame. That never crossed my mind.

B’ham Now

Shelley Stewart

An inspiring career despite a difficult start

At just 5 years old, he and his brothers watched their mother be murdered by their father, as told in a book detailing his life story, “Mattie C.’s Boy: The Shelley Stewart Story” by Don Keith. This began a childhood of suffering, homelessness, abuse and racism.

That didn’t hold him back, though. He would go on to support Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement, most notably with the Children’s March in Birmingham.

Throughout his career, he worked at WEDR in Birmingham; WOKJ in Jackson, Mississippi; and then back to Birmingham at WENN and WATV. He and Erskine Fausch eventually acquired WATV, transforming it into the most popular radio station in the city.

In an effort to reduce dropout rates and increase graduation rates of high school students, he founded the Mattie C. Stewart Foundation in 2007.

He also founded a prominent marketing company in 1967 called Steiner Marketing, today known as o2ideas.

Today, his podcast is on its 10th season. On each episode, he discusses social topics “that are as relevant today as they were 40 years ago,” the podcast’s description says. Shelley’s Plumbline has produced over 100 episodes since 2023.

At 90 years of age, Shelley still sits down before the microphone as he pursues answers to tough topics, challenging us to change the experience of being human and our outlook on humanity.

Mark Jamroz, Executive Producer of Shelley’s Plumbline

This Birmingham radio station put me in danger of smoking pot

July 15, 2025 David Sher 23 Comments

Terry Barr

By Terry Barr

Before music streaming, there were CD’s, cassettes, 8-tracks, 33, 45, and 78 records, The Sony Walkman, Apple iPods, and of course, AM and FM radio.

Birmingham has a storied radio history but there was one radio station I heard about while sitting in the back of my church.

It was fall, 1974. I was home from the University of Montevallo for the weekend, and on that Saturday night—still warm for late September or early October—as I was preparing to meet some friends, I heard words that literally stilled my soul:

“This will be my last show,” the voice said. “On Monday, the station is changing formats.”

Of course I knew that radio stations did this occasionally. I remembered when WERC shifted from some banal middle-of-the-road playlist (about as Pop as they got were songs by The Association and The Fifth Dimension) to Pop/Rock. “The Big Switch,” they called it, and on a Sunday at noon, the switch meant that “Ticket to Ride” could be followed by “Hold Your Head Up.”

I also remember my father lamenting that yet another station that played “your music” had infiltrated his car radio, leaving him only WCRT, which played big band and other standards from Dad’s youth, to WAPI, which played, well really, who remembers what they played?

I should have been kinder to Dad. Didn’t he deserve a few stations, since now “we” had WERC, WSGN, WVOK (50,000 watts!), and maybe even WAQY was still around.

But greed affects even the otherwise most considerate of us.

So call what happened with WZZK, which had formerly been WJLN-FM, a karmic payback. And yes, even in my devastation, I realized that the universe does like to play these little tricks on us [In full disclosure, when I lamented this change in life’s circumstances to my father, he actually was sympathetic, even if he had no idea what “Free Form, Underground FM”  meant.]

Free Form. Underground. FM. No playlist.

To my memory, WJLN-FM (sister station to WJLD-AM, one of B’ham’s soul stations) began its progressive shows with a DJ named Father Tree, whose time slot was usually the evening—after 6 PM, though I can’t be sure because I listened only once or twice  given that I was still a Top 40 junkie. Father Tree was a legend, and that has to be true because I first heard about him in that most scared of spaces, the back row of our church, during service.

FM radio was a novelty even in the early 70s. I remember when WBRC-FM (106.9) decided to play a rock and roll format, with every other hit being “solid gold.” Later, WAPI-FM did something similar, though what I think is that everything they played early on was an oldie. Stunning, too, was the day my father bought a new car with an AM/FM radio, though he continued listening purely to AM.

As good of a memory as I have, however, I cannot for the life of me remember the first time I really tuned into WJLN (104.9), and even more to my sadness, I don’t remember what my motivation was other than I had likely grown tired of not being as cool as my friends who lived for bands like Wishbone Ash, Cactus, Humble Pie, and, of course, Black Sabbath.

I wasn’t against tuning in a progressive station, but I did think doing so would mark me, would put me in danger, would make me want to…

smoke pot.

At some point WJLN started programming Free Form Progressive basically all day—from 9AM till at least 10 PM. I think on this now and understand that they either thought they had enough support in the Birmingham community to do so, or they understood that their FM frequency was only simulcasting the AM to a lot of dead listener air.

So it was a summer, and let’s call it 1972. I worked for my father at the wholesale jewelry store he managed, my job being to box up and price new merchandise or reprice older stock. That I made $1.65 an hour doing this still amazes me, though in the moment, my weekly wage afforded me a rash of new 45s and then, real 33 and 1/3 LPs. Sure, I saved for college, too, which even in 1972 seemed a distant forever.

I sat in a back office, away from the other clerks and billers. I didn’t mind, because in that office was an old-fashioned tube radio that took its time warming up, but then allowed me to tune in to whatever program I wanted. So in that summer, I decided to try WJLN, which was relatively commercial free, given that most of the ads were for head shops, record stores, and a place called The Angry Revolt.

Radio with no set format, no robotic playlist, felt like floating, except that I had never heard of half the bands making it on air: The Michael Quatro Jam Band, for one. Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, for another, though I figured this had to be the same Manfred who hit with “The Mighty Quinn” back in the mid-60s. Maybe their song “Buddha” did have a kinship to Quinn. I always wondered.

They would also play entire album sides and/or fifteen minute songs like Yes’s “Close to the Edge.” What I particularly loved, though, was that they took requests, and I don’t mean that, like AM, someone would call in and request “Down on the Corner,” a song that was already in rotation and so would have to be played anyway, request or not.

No.

I called in often, requesting Neil Young and Buffalo Springfield tunes. It felt so personal to request “Bluebird” and then hear it come through the radio maybe five minutes later.

One of my best memories, though, was the day after I watched an ABC Tuesday Movie of the Week, a script adapted from a book about a teenaged girl who got heavily into drugs. The film was titled Go Ask Alice, and during it “Alice” listened to a haunting song that I vaguely knew, or at least I knew it was by Jefferson Airplane, a band I thought, again, was too out there and scary. Did I think they were they too hippieish? Too “revolutionary?” Too into drugs? Or was it Grace Slick’s voice, which certainly did haunt my dreams?

So the following day, I called in to WJLN and requested the title I thought was correct: “Go Ask Alice.” The DJ, Bob Gilmore, was his usual friendly self. In fact, whenever he introduced himself, he added, “Your friend” to the “Bob Gilmore.”

“Sure man, I’ll get that on soon.”

And when he played it, by request, he didn’t add that the kid who requested it didn’t know that the song was really called “White Rabbit.”

A kid would remember such a gesture, for sure.

And, of course, that song was about drugs, and Alice in Wonderland.

The other main DJ, the morning guy, was “Brother Bill Levy.” Bill was nice enough though always a bit distant. I loved his voice, and sure, I wanted to be as cool as he was. My memory says that he had the hippie banter down well, but loved nothing more than to get on air and treat the rest of us to a deeper cut from Vanilla Fudge or New Riders of the Purple Sage.

I listened faithfully to the station in those years. It eventually changed its call letters to WZZK, and sometimes the DJs even referred to it as Z-104. They never formatted anything regular, though, and up until the very end, they were playing The Band, or Jethro Tull, and even The Moody Blues.

I know. This sounds like a Classic rock station, except classic rock stations now won’t play the ten-minute version of “Cowgirl in the Sand,’ will they?

So it was Bob Gilmore I called after he announced the end.

It was Bob Gilmore who informed me, with utter distaste, that the station was going “country” (in hindsight, a very shrewd business decision).

And it was Bob Gilmore who played the very last song I ever heard on the only progressive free form FM station I ever heard in the Birmingham of the early 1970s, or ever.

The song was by The Moody Blues, from their LP To Our Children’s Children’s Children.

A song called, “Watching and Waiting.”

And for many years after, that’s what I did.

If anyone knows what happened to Bob or Bill or where they are, please tell them I think of them often, with love.

Other columns by Terry Barr you might enjoy:

·         Celebrate Birmingham authors who tell the truth

·         Man sheds tears over old Birmingham restaurant

·         Did you know Birmingham had a counterculture?

·         My heart aches for Birmingham’s old music scene

·         My heart aches for all those old Birmingham restaurants

·         South Carolinian aches for a trip back to Birmingham

Terry Barr is a native of Bessemer. He has been a Professor of English at Presbyterian College in upstate South Carolina since 1987. His most recent essay collection, The American Crisis Playlist (Redhawk Publications 2021) is available at Amazon.com, and you can find his work at medium.com/@terrybarr.

David Sher is the founder and publisher of ComebackTown.  He’s past Chairman of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (BBA), Operation New Birmingham (REV Birmingham), and the City Action Partnership (CAP).

Reprint with permission from ComebackTown, Terry Barr & David Sher

Quotes of the Month

Success means going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiam. - Winston Churchill

This is a nice place. It reminds me of the reform school. - Larry Fine

We meet every Saturday (unless a Holiday weekend) at 8:30 A.M. until around 11:30 A.M., at the one-story AHRS Shop at the corner of 8th Avenue North and 18th Street, (1801 8th Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35203). Please use the rear (Southeast) entrance.

The Shop is open on Tuesdays at 8:30 A.M. until around 11:30 A.M. Note that parking can be a problem on Tuesdays, so you may have to find street parking occasionally.

Regular monthly members meetings are on the fourth Monday night starting at 7:00 PM with the Executive Meeting starting at 6:30 PM

Please come join us!

The electronics classes are generally on “Zoom” and “in-person” at the AHRS Shop, typically the first Saturday of each month (except when something special is taking place, then we agree on an alternative Saturday)

Check your emails for the schedule and how to participate.

We start from the beginning Ohms Law, inductors, resistor and Capacitors color codes, as well as what each component does within the radio circuits. We also teach how to use test equipment used in the repairing of radios. We teach troubleshooting radio troubles, as well as how to read a radio diagram.

Currently the class is studying advance topics relating to troubleshooting and project radio repair. We are retooling our website in hopes of archiving prior classes for those who may have missed a prior class. Email will provide timely details on date, topics & links.

There are coil winding classes, and one-on-one repair help. Come join these classes!

Membership dues are $25.00 a year, payable beginning in January. If you have questions about your dues, you can contact Treasurer Mike Woodruff at 205-823-7204. Dues can be mailed to AHRS at P.O. Box 131418, Birmingham, Alabama 35213 or paid on-line at https://alhrs.org

Be sure and check out our website at https://alhrs.org, which has copies of all newsletters from 2006 to the present (click on News), videos, photo galleries, museum, Old Time Radio columns, Projects, Reading Rooms, Archives, and Contact Information. Within the next few months we hope to update our website and add additional content and new capabilities

President – Richard “Wag” Waguespack

(205) 531-9528

drminims@aol.com

Vice President – Steven Westbrook

(205) 305-0679

spwestbro@bellsouth.net

Recording Secretary – Grady Shook

(205) 281-3007

gshook@bellsouth.net

Treasurer – Mike Woodruff

(205) 823-7204

woodruff_michael@hotmail.com

Boyd Bailey, Member and Instructor

(334) 412-6996

boyd.bailey@charter.net

Newsletter Editor/Webmaster – Steven Westbrook

(205) 305-0679

spwestbro@bellsouth.net

Web Address:

https://alhrs.org

E-mail Address:

ahrs2000@gmail.com

Youtube Channel: Alabama Historical Radio Society - YouTube

The Superflex

A Publication of the Alabama Historical Radio Society     June 2025

NOTE FROM PRESIDENT WAG

Members,

Mark your calendars!

The date for next AHRS Business meeting will fall on the usual 4th Monday, July 28th, 2025, at 7:00 PM. The Exec CMTE will meet in person by invitation only at 6:00 PM.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86330579924?pwd=ckZLWEJMb0V2ajhBUzh0S2liQnlmZz09

Meeting ID: 863 3057 9924
Passcode: 631140

Boyd’s next class is Saturday, July 12^th, 2025, so as not to interfere with the July 4^th weekend. He is still developing his topics for this upcoming lecture.

The following link remains in effect:

Topic: AHRS Radio Restoration Class

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web..us/j/88180351990?pwd=N2lucjB3WVhtR05nTSs5S0xGcURadz09

Our Society Committees include Library, Museum & Exhibit, Shop, Finance, and Technology. Each committee has a chairman and Board member liaison.  Another goal is to create a meaningful PR/Outreach CMTE and, as a start, launch a presence in social media.  If any member wishes to volunteer for one of these or help in a PR capacity, please contact one of the officers, Board members, or me about your interest.

Some committee updates:

·         Library Robert Cain, Chair; Dave Cisco, Board Liaison; Dee Haynes, Tom Killian. Robert has plans to increase use of our lending library, currently on the basement level in the room outside the ladies’ restroom. We are adding signs to remind and direct people to it and there’s space to sit and read. Robert also wants to highlight some of the books in the lending library with review articles in the newsletter, so be looking for upcoming editions.

The books recently obtained are being incorporated into the reference library, including the bound Radio News magazines, originally owned by Society founder Don Kresge.

§  Museum & Exhibit Steven Westbrook, Chair; John Outland, Board Liaison; Dee Haynes.

This committee needs several additional members since it is responsible both for the formal museum in the Alabama Power atrium and items in the exhibit area at the shop. Please let us know if you have any interest in serving on the committee.

§  Shop Tom Killian serves as both Chair and Board Liaison; Ray Giles; Grady Shook; Willie Henderson; and new members Boyd Bailey and Dave Johnson. The Tubes Subcommittee has John Outland and Gene Samples (who will assume the more active role in coming months when he retires from his day job). Keeping parts stocked and having functional test equipment at each station is a steady job, so thank the CMTE members when you get a chance.

A friendly reminder, or 2: As much as possible, remember to clean (“police”) the places at which you work when finished and try not to leave projects occupying a station for long periods of time, so others may have an opportunity to use the facility.

§  Finance Mike Woodruff, Treasurer & Chair; Tom Killian as Board Liaison; Steven Westbrook, John Herndon, Mike Spanos.

This committee is defined by our Bylaws and will now be standing, rather than formed annually at the end of our fiscal year. Let me thank John Herndon and Mike Spanos for filling open positions on the CMTE as Board and non-leadership member, respectively.

§  Technology Boyd Bailey serves as Chair and Board Liaison; Robert Cain; Rick Curl; Steven Westbrook; Mike Woodruff. This group will meet as needed and serve as a resource for tech-related issues that arise for the Society.

§  Nominating This committee is constituted annually per our Bylaws late each calendar year to nominate candidates for Board and Officer positions voted upon at the annual business (& Holiday) meeting.

Tom Killian and Ray Giles are looking to host another auction,but we have a lot to do in the next couple of months, including our participation at the Huntsville Hamfest in mid-August. We need volunteers, including members to help us select and transport items to the ‘Fest, including keys which we need help identifying and valuing. A panorama of our collection of keys is below.

We have made a good start at identifying items we wish to keep, and those that might be considered for sale or auction. If you have any interest in, or knowledge about, these unique instruments, please help us with the sorting and valuation process.

The fully restored Hallicrafters SX-88 will soon be on display. John Green, a longtime member of the Society and many of our members (see the Shades Valley High yearbook photo below), completed the restoration at his home in North Carolina. We hope to have a Zoom program or two set up soon with John sharing how he came to possess this unique radio and its restoration.

We recently received an additional donation from the estate of Dave Ingram. Dave was a local amateur radio operator, who was a prolific writer and contributor to many magazines, including CQ.

We also received a major donation from the estate of one of our longtime members, Jerry Lowe. The Shop, Auction & Museum committee members inspected the items and placed many items in their appropriate location for further processing. Many items still remain and are located in the downstairs hallway. All of these items are available free to members. Please come by and take look. If you find something you like, just notify Tom, Ray or one of the officers of your selection and then the item is yours.

We plan to work once again in August with the Scouts to help those interested earn their Radio Merit Badge. The Society hosted several young men last year in this endeavor.

Dave Cisco brought his 1957 Shades Valley High School yearbook to the shop which included an interesting photo. Circled (beginning on the top row) are John Outland, John Green (SX-88 restorer), and its president Dave Cisco.

In closing, I made it through my 50^th med school reunion and found another classmate who was a ham in his younger days. We also survived taking our extended family on another trip, this time a Mediterranean cruise. Otherwise, no antique radio sightings though plenty of antique people.  “Spend the kids’ and grandkids’ inheritances while we are all here to enjoy it.”

Everyone have a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July. Next year is our beloved country’s 250^th, so we should remember to cherish what binds us together as a nation and the values we want to pass to future generations.

The shop will be open as usual on Saturday, 5 July 2025.

Respectfully submitted,

President Wag, AHRS

May 1932

Edited from Article in the National Radio News Magazine May 1932

Quotes of the Month

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

- Arthur C. Clarke

I am sure the universe is full of intelligent life. It’s just been too intelligent to come here.

- Arthur C. Clarke

The difference between machines and human beings is that human beings can be reproduced by unskilled labor.

- Arthur C. Clarke

We meet every Saturday (unless a Holiday weekend) at 8:30 A.M. until around 11:30 A.M., at the one-story AHRS Shop at the corner of 8th Avenue North and 18th Street, (1801 8th Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35203). Please use the rear (Southeast) entrance.

The Shop is open on Tuesdays at 8:30 A.M. until around 11:30 A.M. Note that parking can be a problem on Tuesdays, so you may have to find street parking occasionally.

Regular monthly members meetings are on the fourth Monday night starting at 7:00 PM with the Executive Meeting starting at 6:30 PM

Please come join us!

The electronics classes are generally on “Zoom” and “in-person” at the AHRS Shop, typically the first Saturday of each month (except when something special is taking place, then we agree on an alternative Saturday)

Check your emails for the schedule and how to participate.

We start from the beginning Ohms Law, inductors, resistor and Capacitors color codes, as well as what each component does within the radio circuits. We also teach how to use test equipment used in the repairing of radios. We teach troubleshooting radio troubles, as well as how to read a radio diagram.

Currently the class is studying advance topics relating to troubleshooting and project radio repair. We are retooling our website in hopes of archiving prior classes for those who may have missed a prior class. Email will provide timely details on date, topics & links.

There are coil winding classes, and one-on-one repair help. Come join these classes!

Membership dues are $25.00 a year, payable beginning in January. If you have questions about your dues, you can contact Treasurer Mike Woodruff at 205-823-7204. Dues can be mailed to AHRS at P.O. Box 131418, Birmingham, Alabama 35213 or paid on-line at https://alhrs.org

Be sure and check out our website at https://alhrs.org, which has copies of all newsletters from 2006 to the present (click on News), videos, photo galleries, museum, Old Time Radio columns, Projects, Reading Rooms, Archives, and Contact Information. Within the next few months we hope to update our website and add additional content and new capabilities

President – Richard “Wag” Waguespack

(205) 531-9528

drminims@aol.com

Vice President – Steven Westbrook

(205) 305-0679

spwestbro@bellsouth.net

Recording Secretary – Grady Shook

(205) 281-3007

gshook@bellsouth.net

Treasurer – Mike Woodruff

The Superflex

A Publication of the Alabama Historical Radio Society     May 2025

NOTE FROM PRESIDENT WAG

Members,

Mark your calendars!

The date for next AHRS Business meeting will fall on the usual 4th Monday, June 23rd, 2025, at 7:00 PM. The Exec CMTE will meet in person by invitation only at 6pm.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86330579924?pwd=ckZLWEJMb0V2ajhBUzh0S2liQnlmZz09

Meeting ID: 863 3057 9924
Passcode: 631140

Boyd’s next class is Saturday, June 7^th, 2025, and will continue with the following:

1.  We will continue hitting some high points on topics covered in 2020
2.  Mainly will rehash the vacuum tube, with attention to the electron cloud and internal resistance equivalency
3.  Break down the pentode and pentagrid
4.  Demonstrate a practical approach to FM alignment of the RCA 8X71 (Reid's class radio restoration)

The following link remains in effect:

Topic: AHRS Radio Restoration Class

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web..us/j/88180351990?pwd=N2lucjB3WVhtR05nTSs5S0xGcURadz09

Our Board of Directors Committees include Library, Museum & Exhibit, Shop, Finance, and Technology. Each committee will have a chair and Board member liaison.  Another goal is to create a PR/Outreach CMTE and, as a start, launch a presence in social media. We have outlined the newly approved membership and a couple have openings.  If any member wishes to volunteer for one of these or help in a PR capacity, please contact one of the officers, Board members, or me about your interest.

We recently re-evaluated our committee structure and have approved the following:

§  Library Robert Cain, Chair; Dave Cisco, Board Liaison; Dee Haynes, Tom Killian. (Dave wished to step down as Chair and turn the reins over to Robert.)

Robert has plans to increase use of our lending library, current on the basement level in the room outside the ladies’ restroom and perhaps relocating it to the main floor. We also secured additions to our resource/reference library at Dayton, some funded by a donation from Robert and others from the McCrary Family Foundation.

Robert also wants to highlight some of the books in the lending library with a review article in the newsletter, so be looking in upcoming editions.

§  Museum & Exhibit Steven Westbrook, Chair; John Outland, Board Liaison; Dee Haynes

This committee needs several additional members since it is responsible both for the formal museum in the Alabama Power atrium and items in the exhibit area at the shop. Please let us know if you have any interest in serving on the committee.

§  Shop Tom Killian serves as both Chair and Board Liaison; Ray Giles; Grady Shook; Willie Henderson; and new members Boyd Bailey and Dave Johnson. The Tubes Subcommittee has John Outland and Gene Samples (who will assume the more active role in coming months when he retires from his day job).

§  Finance Mike Woodruff, Treasurer & Chair; Tom Killian as Board Liaison; Steven Westbrook.

This committee is defined by our Bylaws and will now be standing, rather than formed annually at the end of our fiscal year. The committee needs two additional members: One additional Board member and a member not on the Board or serving as an officer. Please let us know if you wish to serve on the committee; terms are for one year but can be renewed.

§  Technology Boyd Bailey serves as Chair and Board Liaison; Robert Cain; Rick Curl; Robert Cain; Steven Westbrook; Mike Woodruff.

§  Nominating This committee is constituted annually per our Bylaws late each calendar year to nominate candidates for Board and Officer positions voted upon at the annual business (& Holiday) meeting.

Tom Killian and Ray Giles are looking to host another auctionbut we have a lot to do in the next couple of months, including our participation at the Huntsville Hamfest in mid-August. We need volunteers, including members to help us select and transport items to the ‘Fest, including keys which we need help identifying and valuing. A panorama of our collection of keys below.

A group of us took our annual pilgrimage to the Dayton Hamvention in mid-May and had a wonderful experience. We returned with additions to the library and a donated, fully restored Hallicrafters SX-88. It was produced for only a couple of years (1954-55) and listed at $595 (about $7,000 today which is not too different some prices currently quoted). John Green, a longtime friend of the Society and many of our members, did the restoration at his home in NC. We got it from him along with his notes and a matching R 42 speaker while at Dayton.

Thanks, ever so     much, John!

While we don’t have a photo, yet, John Outland won the raffle sponsored by DX-ers at the Hamvention, a new ICOM IC-705! Congrats John!!

We are looking a making some items that might be considered for auction or at a hamfest, available to our members. We plan to have details in an upcoming newsletter.

We were recently advised an early member of the Society, Jerry Lowe passed away. A representative of the estate states Jerry would have wished his radios and related electronic equipment to be donated to the Society. As a result, a group of volunteer members went to his residence on the southsie of Birmingham and acquires many broadscast and amateur radios. Some of the items were be placed in the Society,s permanent collection and others were will appear in future auctions.

In closing, my med school friend, ham, and antique radio fan sent this which is both shareable and perhaps cringeworthy:

Respectfully submitted,

Wag

President, AHRS

Duke Rumore

Angelo F. “Duke” Rumore was a Birmingham native, attending Glen Iris School and Ramsey High School while growing up on the Southside. He got his start in radio at WVOK-AM in 1952 when his brother, Joe Rumore, another legendary Birmingham DJ, let him work during his vacations. Later on in 1952, Duke worked in Memphis at WMC-AM but 6 months later he returned to Birmingham, this time to stay.

In 1955 Duke Rumore was named the top radio DJ in Birmingham while he was with WJLD-AM. In 1957 he moved on to WSGN-AM where he hosted both morning and afternoon “Drive Time”. He usually came on the air at 4:45 am after “Miss Midnight” signed off and his show ran until 9 am. His afternoon drive-time show was from 3 until 6 pm. He was the number 1 DJ with the high school kids because he always played the records they wanted to hear.

It was during this time that he began his “Duke in Dixieland” record hops. Starting out at the old Pickwick Club on the Southside “Duke’s” traveled around to many different locations including some Sunday afternoons at Holiday Beach just outside of Bessemer where the teens gathered to dance. But his most popular and longest lasting location was at the Ensley National Guard Armory on Friday and Saturday nights. The admission charge was only 50¢ and you could stay all 3 hours, 8 until 11 pm. It’s hard to describe what Duke’s was other than to say it was a “happening”. You had to be there to experience. It was a place where high school students from all over Jefferson County gathered to make new friends, hear some good music, including some local bands. Locally we all remember that night in 1961 when the Premieres, a popular local band recorded “Are You All Right?” live, which became a big hit in five southern states.

In 1962 Duke went to WYDE-AM where he remained until 1977. WYDE had a circular driveway in its early location where teenagers could drive by and see the DJ’s while they were on the air. Duke was popular because he played requests from those who drove by. Sometimes even playing records on the air that were brought by the teenagers for him to play. When WYDE was sold in 1977 Duke went to WZZK-FM where he worked for 5 years until retiring in 1982.

Duke was in radio at a time when DJ’s could play almost any record they wanted to as many times as they wanted to. As such, he helped to “break” many records by playing them on the air for the first time in Birmingham. Thanks to him we were able to hear a lot of the New Orleans R&B and Blues songs before others in the country did and also a lot of “flip sides” of records that became hits here in Birmingham. Duke favored upbeat dance tunes featuring them on the air and at his record hops. He also gave many local area bands opportunities to play before live audiences at the dances.

Duke Rumore, along with his brother Joe Rumore, fellow DJ Tommy Charles and radio station manager, Ben McKinnon were the driving force behind the success of their stations during the hey-day of AM Radio in Birmingham. They were DJ’s who were “personalities” as much as they were record spinners, and what they said on the air was almost as important as the songs they played.

Duke Rumore was one of the best.

The Birmingham Record Collectors are pleased to honor Duke Rumore by inducting him to the Class of 2005 of The Birmingham Record Collectors Music Hall of Fame.

-Birmingham Record Collectors Website

Quotes of the Month

Good friends are like stars. You don’t always see them. But you know they are always there.

-Unknown

“If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody is not thinking.

- General George Patton

We meet every Saturday (unless a Holiday weekend) at 8:30 A.M. until around 11:30 A.M., at the one-story AHRS Shop at the corner of 8th Avenue North and 18th Street, (1801 8th Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35203). Please use the rear (Southeast) entrance.

The Shop is open on Tuesdays at 8:30 A.M. until around 11:30 A.M. Note that parking can be a problem on Tuesdays, so you may have to find street parking occasionally.

Regular monthly members meetings are on the fourth Monday night starting at 7:00 PM with the Executive Meeting starting at 6:30 PM

Please come join us!

The electronics classes are generally on “Zoom” and “in-person” at the AHRS Shop, typically the first Saturday of each month (except when something special is taking place, then we agree on an alternative Saturday)

Check your emails for the schedule and how to participate.

We start from the beginning Ohms Law, inductors, resistor and Capacitors color codes, as well as what each component does within the radio circuits. We also teach how to use test equipment used in the repairing of radios. We teach troubleshooting radio troubles, as well as how to read a radio diagram.

Currently the class is studying advance topics relating to troubleshooting and project radio repair. We are retooling our website in hopes of archiving prior classes for those who may have missed a prior class. Email will provide timely details on date, topics & links.

There are coil winding classes, and one-on-one repair help. Come join these classes!

Membership dues are $25.00 a year, payable beginning in January. If you have questions about your dues, you can contact Treasurer Mike Woodruff at 205-823-7204. Dues can be mailed to AHRS at P.O. Box 131418, Birmingham, Alabama 35213 or paid on-line at https://alhrs.org

Be sure and check out our website at https://alhrs.org, which has copies of all newsletters from 2006 to the present (click on News), videos, photo galleries, museum, Old Time Radio columns, Projects, Reading Rooms, Archives, and Contact Information. Within the next few months we hope to update our website and add additional content and new capabilities

President – Richard “Wag” Waguespack

(205) 531-9528

drminims@aol.com

Vice President – Steven Westbrook

(205) 305-0679

spwestbro@bellsouth.net

Recording Secretary – Grady Shook

(205) 281-3007

gshook@bellsouth.net

Treasurer – Mike Woodruff

(205) 823-7204

woodruff_michael@hotmail.com

Boyd Bailey, Member and Instructor

(334) 412-6996

boyd.bailey@charter.net

Newsletter Editor/Webmaster – Steven Westbrook

(205) 305-0679

spwestbro@bellsouth.net

Web Address:

https://alhrs.org

E-mail Address:

ahrs2000@gmail.com

Youtube Channel: Alabama Historical Radio Society - YouTube

The Superflex

A Publication of the Alabama Historical Radio Society     April 2025

NOTE FROM PRESIDENT WAG

Members,

Mark your calendars!

To avoid a conflict with Memorial Day, the date for next AHRS Business meeting has been moved to Monday, June 2nd, 2025, at 7pm. The Exec CMTE will meet in person by invitation only at 6pm.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86330579924?pwd=ckZLWEJMb0V2ajhBUzh0S2liQnlmZz09

Meeting ID: 863 3057 9924
Passcode: 631140

Boyd Bailey’smost recent class on Saturday, May 3^rd discussed more trouble shooting:

1.  More signal tracing basics;

2.  Trouble-shooting the RCA 8X71 (AM working, FM NOT working) - some preliminary testing and ideas from Reid Braswell; and

3.  A review of highlights and key points in our radio classes over the first of the past 5 years

His next class is Saturday, June 7^th, 2025, and will continue the review of prior classes for topics to revisit or refocus upon. Details forthcoming as we approach this date.

The following link remains in effect:

Topic: AHRS Radio Restoration Class

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web..us/j/88180351990?pwd=N2lucjB3WVhtR05nTSs5S0xGcURadz09

Boyd not only donates his time to teach our monthly electronics classes, but he also hosts the Zoom business meetings. Equally important, Boyd has repaired and calibrated shop equipment, especially Simpson meters and one of our TV7 tube testers. The latter’s bias control, a unique component, broke and Boyd was able to fix the tester with a replacement control from an expert on the West Coast.

Our 2025 Legends of Broadcastluncheon was held on Thursday, April 17^th and by all measures was a success. The meeting space at the shop was filled and included on-air personalities, broadcast engineers and staff, and others whose lives impacted and were impacted by radio. I also want to thank AHRS members who helped put on the event.

Our Board of Directors had its first meeting this year on Tuesday, April 22^nd, 2025, with all officers and directors present. The Society will be transitioning its financial software to the online version. We will be revisiting our committee membership and structure to have both a designated chair and Board liaison. Committees include Library, Museum & Exhibit, Shop, Finance, and Technology. A goal is to create a PR/Outreach CMTE and, as a start, launch a presence in social media. If any member wishes to volunteer for an existing CMTE or help in a PR capacity, please contact one of the officers, Board members, or me about your interest.

A group of us is taking our annual pilgrimage to the Dayton Hamvention in mid-May and will hopefully return with additions to our collections. Details, next month!

Robert Cain has generously donated several hundred dollars for AHRS to potentially add to its library and/or purchase equipment. He has also found a print version of The Hallicrafters Story by Max De Henseler, HB9RS, which he is donating to our library.  Mr. De Henseler was a personal friend of Hallicrafters founder Bill Halligan, and his book provides unusual insights into Halligan’s life and early struggles.  This well-illustrated, indexed book has 245 pages and several lists of models and features.

Tom Killian and Ray Giles are looking to host another auction in May or June, so look for an announcement soon.

It’s not too early to help us with the Huntsville Hamfest in mid-August. We need volunteers, including members to help us select and transport items to the ‘Fest.

Everyone enjoy the springtime and upcoming Memorial Day which perhaps deserves extra emphasis this year since VE Day occurred 80 years ago on May 8^th, 1945. VJ Day won’t be far behind, on August 15^th.  And to think, just over a year from now, we’ll be observing the 250^thanniversary of Independence Day, although it was not until Yorktown and the later Treaty of Paris (1783) that we formally separated from English rule. On a personal note, it seems like yesterday when I moved my young family to Galveston, TX, to begin residency: July 1^st, 1976!

Respectfully submitted,

Wag

President, AHRS

WSGN was the first Birmingham station to adopt a Top 40 format in December 1955 under program director Jim Taber. Its on-air team of "Good Guys" included Duke Rumore, Tommy Charles, and Doug Layton. Other notable announcers were Bill Bolen and Neal Miller. (AHRS additions to the Good Guys: Bob Barry, Glen Powers and Don Mosley)

During the 1950s the station moved its studio to the Southern Life & Health Insurance building (1954) at 2318-20 7th Avenue South. It also built a "Sky Castle" studio in the parking lot of Eli's Drive-In where deejays took live requests from teenagers cruising the area. (AHRS Addition: A large print of the Skycastle is on the wall of the Joe Deneci /WSGN DJ booth at the AHRS Shop) In the Summer of 1964 the station opened a new studio in the penthouse of the City Federal Building under station manager Ben McKinnon.

WSGN was soon challenged by WYDE-AM and WVOK-AM in the pop format, but both of those faded by 1965. The station was credited with helping break Bobbie Gentry's "Ode to Billy Joe" to a national audience in 1968. The next major challenge came from the new WERC-AM in 1972. The upstart station moved into the brighter "teenybopper" pop while WSGN favored harder rock, which attracted a slightly older audience. Rick Dees hosted the morning drive program from 1973 to 1974. Other 1970s personalities included Jon Anthony, John Bass, Scottie Brink, Rick Davis, Amaysa Kincaid, Steve Norris, Glen Powers, and Ronnie Todd.

By 1976 the station reversed course and tried to take WERC head on. New program director Jan Jeffries brought in Tommy Charles and John Ed Willoughby for the morning show and added deejay Kevin McCartny, a veteran of Philadelphia radio.

Later days

The station remained competitive in the Top 40 market until true FM top 40 radio came to Birmingham with WKXX-FM in 1977. By 1981 WSGN was targeting older listeners as adult-contemporary/oldies format "Music 610: The Station That Grew Up With You." The station was one of the first to adopt the "AM Stereo" format for owners Harte-Hanks Broadcasting.

In February 1984, unable to compete with WMJJ-FM, WSGN went for an even older demographic, playing big bands and adult standards. A year later the station was sold. The final broadcast ended at 12:01 AM on April 26, 1985. The last songs played were "We'll Meet Again" by Vera Lynn and "In the Mood" by Glenn Miller. The station became a simulcast partner for country-format WZZK-FM, adopting its call letters as WZZK-AM. WAPI-AM soon adopted the  nostalgia/easy listening format.

- Bhamwiki

Quotes of the Month

“He who thinks to much about every step he takes will always stay on one foot.” - Wisdom of the Ages

“Learning is a weightless treasury one may carry easily.” - Wisdom of the Ages

“The reason I talk to myself is because I’m the only one whose answers I accept.”
- George Carlin

“Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity.”
- George Carlin

We meet every Saturday (unless a Holiday weekend) at 8:30 A.M. until around 11:30 A.M., at the one-story AHRS Shop at the corner of 8th Avenue North and 18th Street, (1801 8th Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35203). Please use the rear (Southeast) entrance.

The Shop is open on Tuesdays at 8:30 A.M. until around 11:30 A.M. Note that parking can be a problem on Tuesdays, so you may have to find street parking occasionally.

Regular monthly members meetings are on the fourth Monday night starting at 7:00 PM with the Executive Meeting starting at 6:30 PM

Please come join us!

The electronics classes are generally on “Zoom” and “in-person” at the AHRS Shop, typically the first Saturday of each month (except when something special is taking place, then we agree on an alternative Saturday)

Check your emails for the schedule and how to participate.

We start from the beginning Ohms Law, inductors, resistor and Capacitors color codes, as well as what each component does within the radio circuits. We also teach how to use test equipment used in the repairing of radios. We teach troubleshooting radio troubles, as well as how to read a radio diagram.

Currently the class is studying advance topics relating to troubleshooting and project radio repair. We are retooling our website in hopes of archiving prior classes for those who may have missed a prior class. Email will provide timely details on date, topics & links.

There are coil winding classes, and one-on-one repair help. Come join these classes!

Membership dues are $25.00 a year, payable beginning in January. If you have questions about your dues, you can contact Treasurer Mike Woodruff at 205-823-7204. Dues can be mailed to AHRS at P.O. Box 131418, Birmingham, Alabama 35213 or paid on-line at https://alhrs.org

Be sure and check out our website at https://alhrs.org, which has copies of all newsletters from 2006 to the present (click on News), videos, photo galleries, museum, Old Time Radio columns, Projects, Reading Rooms, Archives, and Contact Information. Within the next few months we hope to update our website and add additional content and new capabilities

President – Richard “Wag” Waguespack

(205) 531-9528

drminims@aol.com

Vice President – Steven Westbrook

(205) 305-0679

spwestbro@bellsouth.net

Recording Secretary – Grady Shook

(205) 281-3007

gshook@bellsouth.net

Treasurer – Mike Woodruff

(205) 823-7204

woodruff_michael@hotmail.com

Boyd Bailey, Member and Instructor

(334) 412-6996

boyd.bailey@charter.net

Newsletter Editor/Webmaster – Steven Westbrook

(205) 305-0679

spwestbro@bellsouth.net

Web Address:

https://alhrs.org

E-mail Address:

ahrs2000@gmail.com

Youtube Channel: Alabama Historical Radio Society - YouTube

The Superflex

A Publication of the Alabama Historical Radio Society     March 2025

NOTE FROM PRESIDENT WAG

Members,

Apologies for the slight delay of this column this month, but family trips at month’s end intervened….

Mark your calendars!

This is the date and link for upcoming AHRS Business meeting to be held on Monday, April 28^th, 2025, at 7:00 PM. The Exec CMTE will meet by invitation only at 6:00 PM in person.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86330579924?pwd=ckZLWEJMb0V2ajhBUzh0S2liQnlmZz09

Meeting ID: 863 3057 9924
Passcode: 631140

Boyd Bailey’s most recent class on April 3^rd included these topics:

1.  Continued fun and tricks with transformers, with a focus on a 'no-power-loss' method of increasing or, especially, decreasing line voltages by either 6 or 12 VAC.  This can come in handy with certain equipment or radios that are happier at around 110 V rather than the 120 - 124 V in our wall outlet.
2.  Some follow-up on a couple of Tom Desaulnier's interesting repair projects.
3.  Continue reviewing stage-by-stage trouble shooting approach.
4.  Groundwork for systematic signal tracing.
Attention Restoration Techs:  Find us some "puzzlers" for class!

His upcoming electronics class will be on Saturday, May 3rd, at 9:00 AM and will discuss more trouble shooting!

The following link remains in effect:

Topic: AHRS Radio Restoration Class

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web..us/j/88180351990?pwd=N2lucjB3WVhtR05nTSs5S0xGcURadz09

Another thank-you to Dave Cisco and Robert Cain who presented on the history of BARC (Birmingham Amateur Radio Club), which has a very long legacy here in the city.  The video is available on Youtube or directly through our website.

We held another successful auction on site and online Saturday, March 29^th. The VTVM donated by an old med school friend sold at auction to one of our members—so, it lives on. There were 23 items on offer, and I want to thank all the guys who gathered the items and evaluated, and where possible repaired and cleaned them, for potential sale. This includes the logistics guys who got the word out and managed its online aspect.

AHRS Auction Results

I am not going to debate the politics or policy, but it appears that the Voice of America (VOA) and its sisters will disappear from the airways soon. Take a moment to reflect the role VOA has played in radio history as well as that of our nation.

An invitation to our annual celebration of broadcasters,

2025 Legends of Broadcast

Thursday, April 17, 2025 from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

1801 Reverend Abraham Woods Jr. Blvd

(corner of 18th Street and 8th Ave. North or 759 18^th Street in your GPS)

Downtown Birmingham, Alabama   35203

Plenty of free parking next to the building in Alabama Power Parking Lot #2

Fellowship, Lunch, and a Tour of the Shop, Museum, & Facility

Our facility includes a state-of-the-art shop, extensive electronics library, broadcast and communication equipment museum, a functional 1960's broadcast studio that will be open for inspection.

We will have several special guests from the broadcast industry.

All are invited.

Please RSVP to spwestbro@bellsouth.net or call (205) 305-0679

Our Board is having its first meeting this year (by invitation only) on Tuesday, April 22^nd 2025. If any members have an item that should be considered for the agenda, let leadership know.

Mother’s Day is coming up next month and a classic radio or piece of test equipment would be a fitting gift. Of course, my wife was in England for Mothering Sunday which is linked to Easter and will be here in the States for Mother’s Day; naturally, she’ll double dip.

We were in England at the end of March and, on our return, took the grandsons to NYC during their spring break. England did not provide much opportunity to see historical radios, especially near Hadrian’s Wall in Northumbria. My only sighting was a Bush DAC 90A in the restored office of a local archaeologist who’d begun the dig at a major Roman fort (Vindolanda). The 1959 radio with Bakelite case (also available in a cream coloured Bakelite cabinet at extra cost) uses 5 valves for AM reception: Broadcast (MW) and Long Wave. Per Radiomuseum.org: “The best-selling valve radio in Great Britain. Made by Bush Radio Ltd, London”

The boys enjoyed the Intrepid museum in NYC that included the submarine USS Growler. The aircraft carrier Intrepid served from mid-WW II through the Vietnam War; alas, time did not allow me to get to her radio room. We did see the Growler’s however. She served for only a few years as a launch platform for the Regulus cruise missile and is the sole survivor of her class, which was replaced by nuclear-powered, Polaris subs in the early 1960’s. She was diesel-powered and quarters were… cramped.

Perhaps we have a submariner amongst our members who can ID some of these antique radios? Tom D. Can you help us out?

Respectfully submitted,

Wag

President, AHRS

Article by Aineissa Ramirez from the Society’s good friend Jim Wilson, Editor of Dots & Dashes, The Official Publication of the Morse Telegraph Club, Inc. as recommended by AHRS member Dave Cisco

WERD (Atlanta)

WERD was the first radio station owned and programmed by African Americans. The station was established in Atlanta, Georgia on October 3, 1949, broadcasting on 860 AM (now used by WAEC). The National Black Radio Hall of Fame Atlanta Chapter is reopening WERD which still exists at its birth location and will also include a historical museum with it after renovations of the facility are completed.

WERD in Atlanta was the first radio station owned and operated by African Americans. (WDIA in Memphis was on the air in 1948 doing black—or Negro as it was then called—programming, but the owners were not African American). Jesse B. Blayton Sr., an accountant, bank president, and Atlanta University professor, purchased WERD in 1949 for $50,000. He changed the station format to "black appeal" and hired his son Jesse Jr. as station manager. "Jockey" Jack Gibson was hired and by 1951 he was the most popular DJ in Atlanta. Ken Knight from Daytona Beach, Florida was also hired to come in as the station's first Program Director.

The station is still housed in the Prince Hall Masonic Temple building on Auburn Avenue,^[3] then one of the wealthiest black neighborhoods in the United States. Located in that same building was the headquarters of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, formed in 1957, led by Martin Luther King Jr., and staffed by Ella Baker. According to Gibson, King would tap the ceiling of SCLC office (just below WERD) with a broomstick to signal he had an announcement to make. Gibson would then lower a microphone from the studio window to King at the window below.

WDIA, in Memphis, Tennessee, though white owned, had Nat D. Williams as part of the first radio station programmed entirely for African Americans, WERD had "Jockey Jack" Gibson, a friend of Blayton from Chicago. Blayton sold the station in 1968. Ken Knight purchased the callsign and took WERD to Jacksonville, Florida. He changed WRHC to WERD; until his death in 1973. For many years it was a gospel station there and the station decided to name the street WERD Radio Drive; as it is still named today.

-Wikipedia

Quote of the Month

Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

Albert Einstein

Life is like a sandwich, no matter which way you flip it the bread always comes first. - Halo

We meet every Saturday (unless a Holiday weekend) at 8:30 A.M. until around 11:30 A.M., at the one-story AHRS Shop at the corner of 8th Avenue North and 18th Street, (1801 8th Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35203). Please use the rear (Southeast) entrance.

The Shop is open on Tuesdays at 8:30 A.M. until around 11:30 A.M. Note that parking can be a problem on Tuesdays, so you may have to find street parking occasionally.

Regular monthly members meetings are on the fourth Monday night starting at 7:00 PM with the Executive Meeting starting at 6:30 PM

Please come join us!

The electronics classes are generally on “Zoom” and “in-person” at the AHRS Shop, typically the first Saturday of each month (except when something special is taking place, then we agree on an alternative Saturday)

Check your emails for the schedule and how to participate.

We start from the beginning Ohms Law, inductors, resistor and Capacitors color codes, as well as what each component does within the radio circuits. We also teach how to use test equipment used in the repairing of radios. We teach troubleshooting radio troubles, as well as how to read a radio diagram.

Currently the class is studying advance topics relating to troubleshooting and project radio repair. We are retooling our website in hopes of archiving prior classes for those who may have missed a prior class. Email will provide timely details on date, topics & links.

There are coil winding classes, and one-on-one repair help. Come join these classes!

Membership dues are $25.00 a year, payable beginning in January. If you have questions about your dues, you can contact Treasurer Mike Woodruff at 205-823-7204. Dues can be mailed to AHRS at P.O. Box 131418, Birmingham, Alabama 35213 or paid on-line at https://alhrs.org

Be sure and check out our website at https://alhrs.org, which has copies of all newsletters from 2006 to the present (click on News), videos, photo galleries, museum, Old Time Radio columns, Projects, Reading Rooms, Archives, and Contact Information. Within the next few months we hope to update our website and add additional content and new capabilities

President – Richard “Wag” Waguespack

(205) 531-9528

drminims@aol.com

Vice President – Steven Westbrook

(205) 305-0679

spwestbro@bellsouth.net

Recording Secretary – Grady Shook

(205) 281-3007

gshook@bellsouth.net

Treasurer – Mike Woodruff

(205) 823-7204

woodruff_michael@hotmail.com

Boyd Bailey, Member and Instructor

(334) 412-6996

boyd.bailey@charter.net

Newsletter Editor/Webmaster – Steven Westbrook

(205) 305-0679

spwestbro@bellsouth.net

Web Address:

https://alhrs.org

E-mail Address:

ahrs2000@gmail.com

Youtube Channel: Alabama Historical Radio Society - YouTube