Nine decades ago on April 17th, 1934 the club as we know it today was formed under the name of The Lakehead Wireless Experimenters. Our forefathers way back then were the early pioneers of radio and CW / Morse Code was the mode of the day. It was actually Tesla that first invented radio or certainly made a positive impression on Marconi according to some historians but Marconi transmitted and received the first known radio signal in 1865. The first pioneer of radio remains a subject of debate to this day. In 1901 Marconi flashed the first radio signal across the Atlantic Ocean and it was in 1902 when Marconi sent the first Radiotelegraph message triumphantly across the Atlantic. Radiotelegraphy which is a general term for Morse Code is what we in ham radio call CW. Continuous Wave / Morse Code was invented by Samuel F.B. Morse in the 1830’s and in that era it was sent over wires or what we know to be telephone lines today. It was strung up on poles and about 16 ga commonly referred to as 66 mils in the telegraph industry because it measured approximately .066 inch. The International Morse Code was standardized in 1851 to account for symbols not previously included in the Morse Code system.
So in a nutshell that is a brief history of radio and how we got where we are today as a club. We Celebrated our 90th Anniversary at our Annual Dinner Meeting on April 10th, 2024 at Chicago Joes in the Victoria Inn. Many thanks to our guest speaker Chris Dorota, Director of Engineering for CKPR / Dougal Media. He enlightened all of us in attendance with his wealth of knowledge and talent in the broadcast industry. The scope of his presentation in running several broadcast facilities and infrastructure was very fitting for our anniversary supper. Also a shout out and thank you to Wes Tower Communications Ltd for the great door prize that was won by VA3ZU.
You can read the inaugural minutes from The Lakehead Wireless Experimenters here. There are also some historic photos for a stroll down memory lane / HiQ editions that can be found under the Archives section. To commemorate this milestone we will also be moving the website to a new domain that will allow for easy google searches of the club. We will let you know when to update your bookmarks.
That being said, here is to many more years augmenting communications in the region and to the hobby that we call amateur radio. A big shout as well to John Sacek VA3JMS for his continued support in running club volunteer events including the Fire Fighters 10 Mile Road Race occurring this year on Monday May 20th, 2024. Information can be found here http://www.10mileroadrace.org
Many thanks to VP Ryan Edwards-Crewe VE3DXV for his unselfish donation in providing hundreds of hours putting this website together. Further, his outstanding contributions to the Technical Committee and IT expertise being a Software Engineer P.Eng and Graduate of RCC. Leo Wehrsted VE3ATC is also to be thanked for his continued support in the website migration and for the wealth of knowledge he brings to the club. Leo was not an Air Traffic Controller as his call may suggest but a Technologist with Transport Canada. He is an insightful and meaningful contributor to the club executive and his Technical Expertise spans many decades. I would be remiss if I did not give a big thank you to Brandon Rehfuhs VE3OTV for his assistance with the Power Point projector and technical assistance in setting up for the meeting presentation. Thanks everyone for all your hard work. It does not go unnoticed and without meaningful contributors the club would cease to exist and move forward with all these new technologies. Many hands make short order of work from where I am sitting.
73
Sincerely
James VE3OPD – President
Ryan VE3DXV – Vice-President
