Friday, July 3, 1959
I just purchased a FCC-mandated accessory for my BC-348 / Heathkit DX-100 station — a new CA-1 Conelrad Alarm.
If you haven’t heard what Conelrad is, its the abbreviation for Control of Electromagnetic Radiation, which was established by President Harry S. Truman in 1951. Basically, Conelrad means that in the event that Soviet bombers are approaching for a possible attack, all radio broadcasts are supposed to go off the air in order that Soviet navigators will be unable to use transmitters to help locate targets in the United States.
Amateur radio didn’t fall under Conelrad regulations until Jan. 1, 1957. At that point, all amateurs had to have also go off the air in the event of a possible attack by Soviet bombers. The rules also required hams to monitor a broadcast station so they would know if that station went off the air. A number of enterprising manufacturers created Conelrad alarms, which would allow hams to operate without having to keep on ear to a broadcast station.
With the Heathkit CA-1, you plugged your transmitter power supply into the unit. The CA-1 would be connected to a standard AM radio of the day. If the AVC signal from the receiver quit, it would fire a tube that controlled a relay. The relay would open and your transmitter would go off the air without warning.
Heathkit’s CA-1 first appeared in the March 1958 Heathkit catalog, and was marketed through 1960. Morrow was another manufacturer of a Conelrad alarm/receiver.
Well, after my CA-1 arrives next week, I’ll be doing my part for National Security. In the event Soviet bombers head our way, they won’t be using my station for radio navigation!
73 es CUL …. de KY4Z .. SK SK … (dit dit) ….