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May 1935 Short Wave Craft
 [Table
of Contents]
Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics. See articles
from Short Wave Craft,
published 1930 - 1936. All copyrights hereby acknowledged.
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News headlines are filled with
stories about how certain segments of the society are routinely excluded from participation
in activities which have been historically 'dominated' by adult white males - not
unlike Santa's sleigh propulsion units banning poor
Rudolph from joining in any reindeer games. Not only have 'outsiders' been prevented
from engagement, but, you would likely conclude based on the
invective words that
drip from the pens and/or mouths of those reporting, tireless campaigns have been
mounted to see to it that exclusiveness continues. I will agree that there have
been instances of preferential treatment by some groups and people, but I also know
many attempts have been made over the decades to attract other than white males
into all kinds of activities normally associated with white males. In fact, it is
not a stretch to say many specialty groups go out of their way to make a big deal
out of non-typical persons interested in joining. Model rocket, model boat, model
aircraft, electronics, amateur astronomy, woodworking and many other magazines and
organization are always sure to include coverage of women,
colored people, handicapped people,
youngsters, etc., at every opportunity. Often extensive efforts are made to recruit
members
of all stripes. I have seen it repeatedly over the decades. Here
is one of many examples that appeared in a 1935 (yes,
1935) edition of Short Wave Craft where the editor, Hugo Gernsback,
encouraged women and girls to get involved in amateur radio.
Given the reality that so much effort has been put into active recruitment by
private entities and monumental amounts of tax money has been spent by the government
agencies to encourage other-than-white-males to take an interest in these hands-on
activities of sport and craft hobbies, and that such a relatively small portion
of the population has opted to participate, maybe the truth is they, as a whole,
genuinely have no interest. What a radical, hate-filled thought that will be deemed
by media agitators.
Other YL Contests:
May 1935,
August 1935
$5.00 for Best "YL" Photos
 Hats off to Mrs. Alice R. Bourke, owner
of this remarkable short-wave transmitting and receiving station, which she operates
under Uncle Sam's license call - W9DXX. Several well-known makes of short-wave receivers
are to be seen in the photo.
Alice R. Bourke, W9DXX, photo of whose station appears to the left, has what
appears to be possibly the finest "XYL" station in the country. The transmitter
used at W9DXX is not shown in the above photo, but for the benefit of our Ham friends,
we may say that it is crystal-controlled, uses a 47 oscillator, 801 doublet, 203-A
buffer, and a pair of 203 A's, push-pull in the final amplifier, with an input of
450 watts on 40 meters. Signals from this station have been heard in Poland and
Russia.
The operator of station W9DXX handles regular message "traffic" and likes to
hear from other amateur short-wave station operators. Mrs. Bourke is a member of
the A.R.R.L., the Anglo-American Radio and Television Society, éseau BeIge,
and other radio societies, besides being the only XYL member of the Society of Wireless
Pioneers.
The owner of W9DXX has been connected with the Chicago newspaper world for a
number of years and she has had some very interesting and exciting experiences as
a police reporter for the Chicago Tribune .
We are sure that this excellent photo of Mrs. Bourke and her station will inspire
other YLs both in this country and abroad to send in to the editors a good photo
of themselves and particularly of their station. Please keep in mind that the photos
must be as clear and sharp as possible, and at least 4 by 5 inches, but preferably
5 by 7 inches or larger. We can use separate photos of the operators where they
do not appear with the station apparatus.
In any event, be sure that the photo is good and clear and as large as possible,
and send this along with a short description of three hundred to five hundred words,
preferably typewritten, describing briefly the apparatus used and also schedules
maintained and what countries the operator has had contact with. YLs and XYLs are
all eligible in this contest for the best photo and the editors will be anxiously
awaiting for the coming mail to see what our lady "Ham" operators have been doing.
Let's go!
Rules for Entering Photos
There are many fine amateur short-wave transmitting stations operated by "YL"
(young lady) operators; married women add one more initial and are known to the
short-wave fraternity as "XYL's."
The editors are offering a $5.00 prize for the best photo of the licensed lady
amateur operator and her station and the opinion of the judges will be final. The
deadline for photo entries for the next issue will be April 20.
In the event of a tie, equal prizes will be given to both. Send entries to "YL"
Photo Editor, W2AMN; c/o Short Wave Craft, 99-101 Hudson St., N. Y. City.
Posted January 27, 2020
(updated from original post on 4/3/2015)
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