College Hams Hit Air-Waves Again On Pre-War Basis

With removal of war-time bans on amateur broadcasting, half a dozen University radio "hams" are once more transmitting nightly small talk to the antennas of similar ethereal hobbyists all over the globe.

The small group of vacuum-tube tinkerers is an ambitious one, constantly trying out new techniques in short-wave transmission, with "rigs" that range from a miniature half-watt set to a high-powered 350 watt transmitter.

WINTE are the call letters of the smallest sending set in the college, a Wermacht "walkie-talkie," owned and operated by Robert W. Merriam '45, who "liberated" his apparatus in Europe. A battery-operated transmitter, its range is limited to approximately one mile.

Taft Builds Large Set

Edward A. Taft '50 is assembling a more elaborate station, with an expected transmission radius of several hundred miles. The range of most student transmitters is reduced, however, by a University restriction on antennas which will mar the scenic beauty of the Houses.

Long range bull sessions are not so colorful as the discussions conducted in college rooms, the broadcasters complain, since the Federal Communications Commission slaps a $5000 fine on any amateur heard "swearing" or using "indecent language." As a result, one student calls most of his radio conversations "extremely dull."