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| LIFE IN SOLERA | APRIL 2022 | 37 The History of Radio The Solera Radio Club (FCC License KC6SRC) is exploring the interesting evolution of the "Radio." Our series started with the creation of the radio and the subsequent reliance on the little noise box. In the early days of radio, commercial, government, and amateur stations all shared the same radio spectrum, using spectrum- hogging spark-gap transmissions to send Morse code. Essentially, amateurs were those who were not professional operators staffing commercial and government stations. There was so much interference in those early days that the government stepped in to assign specific bands to each type of radio user in 1912. At the time, amateurs were pushed to frequencies higher than 1.5 MHz, which was considered worthless for long-distance use. While the start of the regulation of amateurs, who began using government- issued call signs in 1913, there was a slight decline in activity. However, it picked up again, and there were as many as 6,000 licensed hams by 1917. However, World War I kept hams off the air well after the war's end until late 1919 because the Navy refused to relinquish control of radio operations in the United States. The ban was only lifted after amateurs put pressure on Congress to allow them back on the air. TRIVIA ANSWER FOR MARCH: Question: What was the first radio station licensed by the government? Answer: In 1920, the Westinghouse Company applied for, and received, a commercial radio license which allowed for the creation of KDKA. KDKA would then become the first radio station officially licensed by the government. TRIVIA QUESTION THIS MONTH (answered next month): What are spark-gap transmissions? This article was brought to you by Ray C. Gayton-Jacob (N6KZM) of the Solera Radio Club. Club members are poised to provide communications options when critical communication systems become inoperable. "When All Else Fails – Think Radio Communications." Learn more about the club, at http://www.soleraradio.com/ or send a message to hams@soleraradio.com. RADIO CLUB