History of the History

• Created by Peter Laws N5UWY
• Originally compiled, May, 1993
• Updated September 1994
• Updated September 1995
• Updated April 1996
• Updated May 1996
• Last update June 1998 by Jason Reeves KC5TTQ

1897

Professor (and later Dean) William N. Gladson conducts experiments with "wireless telegraphy"

1900

Wireless station constructed at U of A (Washington Co. Historical Society)

1912

United States government, through the Department of Commerce, begin licensing radio stations.

1913

An issue of Arkansas Engineer mentions the formation of a wireless club. No names are given and no corroborating evidence has been found to date.

1914

Reference to "Special Land Station" at Fayetteville in Department of Commerce station list (Poindexter, Wash Co. Hist. Soc.). No call sign mentioned.

1916

Reference to "Special Land Station" at Fayetteville with call sign 5YM in Department of Commerce station list according to Poindexter. Station is authorized for 200-400 m wavelength. Both 9YM and 5YM listed in Bureau of Navigation "Radio Service Bulletins" April and June numbers, respectively.

1917

April: President Woodrow Wilson shuts radio down as part of the War Effort, orders stations to be dismantled and stored.

1919

October: Citizens once again allowed to use the airwaves. Engineering students William Teague, Russel Jourden, Miles Sharp, and Loy Barton work with "Spark Set". Barton later invents Class B Modulation and is instrumental in setting up and running the University's broadcast station.

1920

June 4: University granted license as a "technical and training school" station, call sign 5YM. Authorized for 600 m. (Copy of this license in ARCUA archives.)

1923

December: KFMQ, the University's broadcast station is licensed, goes on-air January 1924. WOK ("Worker of Kilowatts") in Pine Bluff is state's first broadcast station, 1922.

1925

The College of Engineering, indeed the whole University, is preoccupied with broadcast radio, and it is unclear whether there was any Amateur activity during this period. During the late '20s, Loy Barton does his pioneering work on the Class B system of modulation. In 1930, he goes on to RCA in Camden, NJ where he is awarded over 100 patents during his career.

1926

KFMQ becomes KUOA. Later, during the Great Depression the station is sold and moved off campus.

1931

A Class B Modulation Amplifier, based on Barton's research is built as a class project.

1932

Amateur Radio Station W5YM built using the Class of '31's amplifier. Frank Davis (then W5CR) and Bill Stewart (later K6HV) are instrumental in setting up the station and continue to operate it through about 1934. Logs for this period have been discovered, but to date, only two QSL cards have been found. November: Davis writes an article in Arkansas Engineer detailing station's equipment. In the same issue, Davis pens letter to the editor urging more Engineering students become ope rators of W5YM.

1935

Both Davis and Stewart go on to Collins in Cedar Rapids, Iowa after graduating. Davis becomes Chief Engineer, while Stewart becomes Sales Manager.

1940s

A search of Callbooks by QCWA shows that we were licenced as W5JNI in 1941. Amateur Radio is again shut down from 1941-1945. No logs or other documents have been found for the period from 1935 to 1951.

1949

W5JNI is the station's call sign and it is located in the present Ozark hall, then known as the Business Administration building. This call retained until 1951 when W5YM is restored.

1950s

RTTY is a popular mode with traffic handling being the activity of choice. A military surplus BC610 is the main transmitter. Station logs pick up again in 1951 using call sign W5YM. Dr. Walter Cannon, then W5VKE, is trustee and faculty advisor.

1950

Club becomes an ARRL Affiliated Club.

1955

Leo Michaelis W5WHU is president. Larry Price, then W5TIA, is the clubs vice president. This experience apparently served him well, as Mr Price (now W4RA) is now vice president, International Affairs, for the ARRL!

1956

Teletype Corporation donates a state-of-the-art Model 28 teletype machine and accessories to the club to celebrate the opening of their new factory in Little Rock.

1958

The Amateur Radio Club of the University of Arkansas, Inc (ARCUA) is officially formed and a Constitution is written. Fred Spies K5IIX (ex-W3IUT, later W5HF), Houston Taylor K5BUQ (now W0LPR), Ralph "Dee" Goff K5EJQ (now W6IGG) and a young Woody Charlton KN5GOE (!) are among the signatories. Constitution is still in force and is still on file with the University. Later in the year, ARCUA begins the Razorback Award. DX stations must work 25 Arkansas stations including five club members, US stations must include 10 club members.

1960s

Activity continues to be heavy throughout the sixties, again with the emphasis on traffic handling. Six meter AM and CW are popular modes, as is RTTY. Dr. Cannon remains trustee and faculty advisor through 1961.

1960

April 30: W5YM and W5YJ, Oklahoma State University's club have a Field Day style competition at Ft Gibson Lake in Oklahoma. The next morning the two clubs drive to the Tulsa Hamfest. A good time was had by all - at least until the W5YM truck broke down somewhere west of Siloam Springs ...

1963

ARRL Section Net Certificate awarded.

1965

W5YM moves from Engineering Hall to the new Science / Engineering Building. A new station is custom built in the penthouse of the building along with a new radar and microwave lab. This station remains the clubs home today.

1966

ARRL Section Net and Brass Pounder's League Certificates awarded to the Club.

1968

Official Phone Station certificate awarded.

1970s

Little is known of this period and virtually no logs have been found. Fun Fong KD5HW tells us that activity in the late part of the decade was minimal but that the two gentlemen that were the leaders at the time were ROTC members. He does not recall their names or call signs. The main rig in use is a Heath SB series.

1980

Trustee is Tom Brinner W5VHF until 1980 according to Gil Hoellerich WB0KTZ. Mr. Hoellerich takes over as trustee at that time.

1981

Dr. J. Sherwood "Woody" Charlton K5GOE returns to the University and takes over as trustee of W5YM and as faculty advisor of ARCUA, a position he still holds today.

1983

W5YM becomes member of DXCC. By 1994, the Club's country total is 285, mixed.

1984

Kenwood TS430 purchased with help from the Associated Student Government, the Northwest Arkansas Amateur Radio Club and present and former members. This rig still serves the club well.

1985

Club earns International DX Contest Award, Arkansas Section.

1990s

New Technician Class license without the code requirement boosts activity. Emphasis is on space and digital communications as well as public service activities, such as Skywarn.

1990 - 1991

Kenwood TS790A VHF/UHF satellite rig purchased, again with the assistance of the ASG, NWAARC and present and former members. Pres: Kirstian Bognaes LA1PCA; VP: Billy Cooksey KB6JEM; Sec'y/Treas: Andy Schaeffer AA5DL.

1991 - 1992

W5YM's OSCAR station goes on the air. First OSCAR-13 contact is with station in newly independent Lithuania. Dan Puckett K5FXB joins Dr. Charlton as an advisor. January/February: MIR, the then Soviet space station is contacted on several occasions. March: A license for 5YM, and the application for same, are found by Jeff McFarland KB5RUI and Peter Laws N5UWY in while waiting for the S pace Shuttle to pass within range of W5YM. The license is dated June 1920. April: US Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-45 - SAREX) is contacted as it passes over Kansas. July: Astronauts aboard STS-50 are again contacted. August: ARCUA members participate in campus-wide Emergency Preparedness Drill at the request of state officials. Pres: Richard Smith N5VBL; VP: Peter Laws N5UWY; Sec'y/Treas: Walt Carter N5YGR.

1992 - 1993

September: STS-47 is up and is again contacted by W5YM, this time by packet. ARCUA hosts two groups of eight- to twelve-year-olds in an attempt to contact the astronauts. November: ARCUA recognized by ARRL for 25 years as an Affiliated Club. February: Spark gap transmitter and crystal receiver found in Engineering school storage. March / April: What goes around comes around: Charles Tillotson N5NXH begins teaching course in "wireless telegraphy". As a result, Dr. Juan Balda passes the Novice test, becomes KB5ZWW. Field Day is held at the Agri Park at the farm. Pres: Peter Laws N5UWY; VP: Walt Carter N5YGR; Sec'y/Treas: ?

1993 - 1994

A TH6DXX 6-element HF beam is donated by Dr. Harris W5XH, a club alumnus. A tilt-over tower is donated to the club by the widow of Alan Glass N5HG, another club alumnus. January: Razorback Radio News is ressurected by Peter Laws. The newsletter had not been published since 1962 or so. Field Day is held at the Agri Park. Pres: Peter Laws N5UWY; VP: Walt Carter N5YGR; Secretary: Frank Buercklin KB5WAR; Treasurer: Don Faulkner KB5WPM.

1994 - 1995

One of the busiest years in memory. Station improvements continue. A WARC-band beam, a Kansas City Tracker board, and an emergency power supply are purchased with financial help from ASG. October: The WARC-band beam is installed on a tower section refurbished by ARCUA members. In March, ARCUA members arrange for students of the Watson Elementary School in Huntsville, Ark to speak to astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour as part of the SAREX project. Fourteen kids are able to ask questions of the astronaut and local media coverage is abundant. In April and May, club members install the N5HG tower and W5XH beam on top of the Science Engineering building. Field Day is held once again at the Agri Park. Pres: Jeff McFarland KB5RUI; VP: Clendon Gibson KC5JDO; Sec'y/Treas: Frank Buercklin; PIO (voluntary): Peter Laws N5UWY.

1995 - 1996

In November, W5YM participates in the 1995 ARRL November Sweepstakes. W5YM places 5th overall in the Southeast Region, probably the club's best showing ever! A College Championship is also held, and W5YM takes First Place in the phone division! In March and April, ARCUA members assist members of local Boy Scout troops in obtaining their Radio Merit Badges. Pres: Kevin Thornton KC5LDC; VP: Clendon Gibson KC5JDO; Sec'y/Treas: Ryan Wells KC5LDD; PIO (voluntary): Peter Laws N5UWY.

1997 - 1998

Field Day 1997 was rained out, but we still got great press. W5YM fares well in the 1997 November Sweepstakes and the Collegiate Championship. The club places second among all college Amateur Radio Clubs overall, with a CLEAN SWEEP to boot. During the Fall of 1997, ARCUA members begin preparations for retransmitting weather data from the National Weather Service, using the EMWIN system. This becomes a reality in the spring of 1998. During this time, ARCUA is also preparing for the Where's the Bus project.

A brief history of our call sign:

• 9YM: April 1916 (Clerical Error?)
  
• 5YM: June, 1916 - ?; 1920 - 1922 (off air for duration of WW I)
  
• W5YM: 192? - 194?
  
• W5JNI: 1941 - 1951 (off air for duration of WW II)
  
• W5YM: 1951 - present
  

Any "fills" or corrections that you can provide, especially for the periods immediately before and after the World War II and the 1920s would be greatly appreciated! Please send updates to w5ym@cavern.uark.edu.

In addition, I highly recommend Ray Poindexter's book Arkansas Airwaves, from which much of my information comes.