http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CONELRAD

In doing some research on Civil Defense I ran across the CONELRAD stations.
In Wikipedia's entry there is a statement that hams were required in 1957
and later (presumably until 1963 at least) to check that a major broadcast
station was on the air.

Any old-timers remember this requirement? Was it regularly done by working
hams?

--
Bruce Wilson KF7K
http://science.uvsc.edu/wilson

"Bruce Wilson" ) writes:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CONELRAD

In doing some research on Civil Defense I ran across the CONELRAD stations.
In Wikipedia's entry there is a statement that hams were required in 1957
and later (presumably until 1963 at least) to check that a major broadcast
station was on the air.

Any old-timers remember this requirement? Was it regularly done by working
hams?

There was a such a law in the US, though since it was before my time (and
I'm not in the US), I've forgotten the details from when I read the
old magazines.

But for at least some of that period, US hams were supposed to monitor
the AM band to make sure that there was no Conelrad alert, because if
there was they were supposed to go off the air.

The ham magazines at the time were full of construction articles to
deal with this. In a Conelrad emergency, commercial broadcast stations
were supposed to go off the air, with emergency stations coming on at
specific frequencies. So there were lots of little adaptors to connect
to AM radios to either make sure the usual station was still on the air, or
to make sure the emergency frequency was still empty (I forget which
was tested for, and maybe it was on the whim of the individual). These
automated schemes meant the hams didn't have to actually listen to the
stations to see if they were still on the air, which would have caused
problems when transmitting with a microphone since you couldn't retransmit
a broadcast station over ham frequencies.

Michael

Bruce Wilson wrote:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CONELRAD

In doing some research on Civil Defense I ran across the CONELRAD stations.
In Wikipedia's entry there is a statement that hams were required in 1957
and later (presumably until 1963 at least) to check that a major broadcast
station was on the air.

Any old-timers remember this requirement? Was it regularly done by working
hams?
hmm I had heard of the Conelrad system although being born in 1964 it
hardly applied to me

although why would you want all ham of the airs suddenly seems strange
but then so does code testing

--
Bruce Wilson KF7K
http://science.uvsc.edu/wilson

Michael Black wrote:

"Bruce Wilson" ) writes:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CONELRAD

In doing some research on Civil Defense I ran across the CONELRAD stations.
In Wikipedia's entry there is a statement that hams were required in 1957
and later (presumably until 1963 at least) to check that a major broadcast
station was on the air.

Any old-timers remember this requirement? Was it regularly done by working
hams?

There was a such a law in the US, though since it was before my time (and
I'm not in the US), I've forgotten the details from when I read the
old magazines.

But for at least some of that period, US hams were supposed to monitor
the AM band to make sure that there was no Conelrad alert, because if
there was they were supposed to go off the air.

The ham magazines at the time were full of construction articles to
deal with this. In a Conelrad emergency, commercial broadcast stations
were supposed to go off the air, with emergency stations coming on at
specific frequencies. So there were lots of little adaptors to connect
to AM radios to either make sure the usual station was still on the air, or
to make sure the emergency frequency was still empty (I forget which
was tested for, and maybe it was on the whim of the individual). These
automated schemes meant the hams didn't have to actually listen to the
stations to see if they were still on the air, which would have caused
problems when transmitting with a microphone since you couldn't retransmit
a broadcast station over ham frequencies.

The Wayback Machine #29 by William Continelli, W2XOY

Picture the following scenario, in a slightly grainy black and
white for added effect. It's the 1950's; a ham is sitting at
his station, having a CW QSO. He's wearing a suit and tie,
before him is a Hammarlund receiver, a Johnson Viking
transmitter, and a homebrew modulator. On the wall are QSL
cards and his Honorable Discharge Certificate. On the table
is a collection of QST magazines, along with some curious
pamphlets, with titles such as "Protect Them--Join Civil
Defense", "America Calling--Take Your Place in Civil Defense",
"It CAN Happen Here", "Know the Signals", and even a comic book
featuring a character called "Bert the Turtle". While the
Vibroplex clicks away, another radio sits in the background,
quietly spitting out atmospheric noise. It's an AM Broadcast
receiver, one of those 5 tube AC/DC models produced by the
millions. This unit--an Arvin in an Art Deco plastic cabinet-
-is tuned to one of two triangular markings on the dial.
Suddenly, the silence is shattered by a piercing 1000 cycle
tone. The ham looks up, rips off his headphones, and listens
to a message. He jumps from the chair, runs to the door and
yells to his wife "Grab the kids and go down to the Fallout
Shelter. The CONELRAD alarm just went off".

CONELRAD, which stood for "Control of Electromagnetic
Radiations", had its embryonic start in December, 1951 when
President Harry Truman signed an Executive Order directing the
FCC to set up a security system for all civilian radio services.
Throughout 1952, CONELRAD was developed and tested and, by early
1953, it was ready. The purpose of CONELRAD was to relay Civil
Defense information to the public without allowing enemy aircraft
to use our radio signals as a beacon for their direction finding
equipment. In the event of an emergency, all FM, TV and most
AM stations would proceed with the following alarm sequence:

CURRENT PROGRAMMING DISCONTINUED
5 SECONDS-CARRIER OFF THE AIR
5 SECONDS-UNMODULATED CARRIER
5 SECONDS-CARRIER OFF THE AIR
15 SECONDS-1000 CYCLE MODULATED CARRIER
1 MINUTE MAXIMUM-INITIAL CONELRAD MESSAGE
CARRIER OFF THE AIR FOR THE DURATION OF THE ALERT

The remaining AM stations would shift to either 640 or 1240
kc and simultaneously broadcast a more detailed emergency
message. The stations would constantly turn their carriers
on and off. For example, Station A, operating on 640 kc, would
broadcast the emergency message for 15 seconds and suddenly
cut its carrier. The public would then hear Station B, also
on 640 kc, with the same message. When Station B went silent,
Station C would appear and, after a few seconds, Station A would
be back on the air. This "cluster pattern" would continue until
the emergency message had been broadcast. The same activity
would be happening on 1240 kc. No callsigns or other ID would
be given. In this way, the FCC and the Office of Civil Defense
hoped to confuse enemy aircraft trying to use AM radio stations
as a homing beacon.

The ARRL and the FCC realized that amateur stations might also
serve as a beacon. Therefore, from the beginning, amateurs
were urged to keep watch on 640 or 1240 kc, and to kill their
transmitters when the alarm was given.

With the importance of CONELRAD in the early 1950's, it's
surprising that amateurs were not required to monitor for the
CONELRAD alarm. This was rectified on January 2, 1957 when
the FCC amended Part 12 of the Rules and Regulations to require
the following:

All operators of stations in the Amateur Radio Service will
be responsible for the reception of the CONELRAD RADIO ALERT
by monitoring 640 or 1240 kc.

During a CONELRAD RADIO ALERT, all operators of Amateur Radio
Stations will CEASE COMMUNICATIONS IMMEDIATELY.

Stations operating under the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency
Service (RACES), and other stations specifically authorized,
would be allowed to remain on the air under the following
restrictions:
a) No transmission shall be made unless it is of extreme
emergency, affecting the National Safety, or the Safety of life
and property;
b) Transmissions shall be as short as possible;
c) No station identification or location shall be given.
Tactical calls will be utilized if necessary.
d) The radio station carrier shall be discontinued during periods
of no message transmission.

Amateur Stations shall not allowed back on the air until the
CONELRAD RADIO ALL CLEAR MESSAGE is transmitted.

With the requirement of continuous Broadcast Band monitoring,
homebrew projects, kits, and commercial products began to appear
to help the Amateur keep in compliance with Part 12.190. While
some Amateurs simply used an AM radio, others bought or built
specific CONELRAD receivers. Heathkit had the CA-1 CONELRAD
Alarm; Morrow Radio had the CM-1 CONELRAD Monitor; and the Walter
Ashe Radio Co. had the model CA "Conelarm". Radio Shack's first
transistor radio, which sold for a mere $29.95 in 1958 dollars,
was advertised as "perfect for monitoring CONELRAD".

When Class D CB Radio was authorized in September, 1958, the
rules specified that CB'ers also had to monitor CONELRAD. In
the event of an emergency, all Citizen Band operators had to
leave the air--there was no RACES provision for them.

By the early 1960's, the possibility of long range enemy bombers
homing in on our radio signals was becoming remote. Instead,
Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles were the new threat. They
didn't require our broadcast signals as Beacons. CONELRAD was
becoming obsolete. Thus, in the autumn of 1962, CONELRAD was
replaced by the Emergency Broadcast System. Ironically, CONELRAD
disappeared right around the time it might have been needed
the most--the Cuban Missile Crisis.

As the 1960's wore on, the Cold War gradually dissipated, and
the Specter of imminent enemy attack disappeared. Today, only
the faded "Fallout Shelter" signs, and those triangular markings
on old AM radios remain to remind us of CONELRAD and the Cold
War. As I write this, I can hear a Springfield Mass station
on 640 khz, while a hetrodyne of Class 4 stations co-mingles
on 1240. And yet, what is that I hear, faintly in the
background?? A 1000 cycle tone??

by William Continelli, W2XOY


These columns were originally written for the Schenectady Museum
Amateur Radio Association.

Copyright 1999, 2001 by William Continelli, W2XOY.
All rights reserved.

dxAce
Michigan
USA

Michael Black wrote:

"Bruce Wilson" ) writes:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CONELRAD

In doing some research on Civil Defense I ran across the CONELRAD stations.
In Wikipedia's entry there is a statement that hams were required in 1957
and later (presumably until 1963 at least) to check that a major broadcast
station was on the air.

Any old-timers remember this requirement? Was it regularly done by working
hams?

There was a such a law in the US, though since it was before my time (and
I'm not in the US), I've forgotten the details from when I read the
old magazines.

But for at least some of that period, US hams were supposed to monitor
the AM band to make sure that there was no Conelrad alert, because if
there was they were supposed to go off the air.

The ham magazines at the time were full of construction articles to
deal with this. In a Conelrad emergency, commercial broadcast stations
were supposed to go off the air, with emergency stations coming on at
specific frequencies. So there were lots of little adaptors to connect
to AM radios to either make sure the usual station was still on the air, or
to make sure the emergency frequency was still empty (I forget which
was tested for, and maybe it was on the whim of the individual). These
automated schemes meant the hams didn't have to actually listen to the
stations to see if they were still on the air, which would have caused
problems when transmitting with a microphone since you couldn't retransmit
a broadcast station over ham frequencies.

Another article by the fellow whom I jut posted states:

"And, finally, CONELRAD was still alive at the beginning of 1962.
Every ham had to monitor 640 or 1240 kc while on the air.
However, the basis for CONELRAD was becoming obsolete and, on
July 13, 1962, CONELRAD ended. It was replaced by the Emergency
Broadcast System."

http://www.twiar.org/aaarchives/WB028.txt

dxAce
Michigan
USA

an old friend wrote:

Bruce Wilson wrote:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CONELRAD

In doing some research on Civil Defense I ran across the CONELRAD stations.
In Wikipedia's entry there is a statement that hams were required in 1957
and later (presumably until 1963 at least) to check that a major broadcast
station was on the air.

Any old-timers remember this requirement? Was it regularly done by working
hams?
hmm I had heard of the Conelrad system although being born in 1964 it
hardly applied to me

although why would you want all ham of the airs suddenly seems strange
but then so does code testing

Direction finding.

Hams had to go off the air in WWII, from right after Pearl Harbor till November
1945.

Practice that code!

dxAce
Michigan
USA

dxAce wrote:
c) No station identification or location shall be given.
Tactical calls will be utilized if necessary.

I probably still have a RACES card somewhere. Being a kid I would
be home, and was to operate as 3MI10 (MI for Millburn NJ)

As I remember, we had one drill, and then it was forgotten.

The guy in charge had a yellow ford station wagon painted up with CD
doors. Went a little overboard, I guess.

I wouldn't be home anyway. I'd be in school.

--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

dxAce wrote:
an old friend wrote:

Bruce Wilson wrote:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CONELRAD

In doing some research on Civil Defense I ran across the CONELRAD stations.
In Wikipedia's entry there is a statement that hams were required in 1957
and later (presumably until 1963 at least) to check that a major broadcast
station was on the air.

Any old-timers remember this requirement? Was it regularly done by working
hams?
hmm I had heard of the Conelrad system although being born in 1964 it
hardly applied to me

although why would you want all ham of the airs suddenly seems strange
but then so does code testing

Direction finding.
that works if and only if you know where KB9RQZ is located. the logic
of the bans on ars operations that were imposed for the the world war
have always had a rather odd nonlogic about them

Hams had to go off the air in WWII, from right after Pearl Harbor till November
1945.
yes I know

Practice that code!
no


dxAce
Michigan
USA

an_old_friend wrote:

dxAce wrote:
an old friend wrote:

Bruce Wilson wrote:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CONELRAD

In doing some research on Civil Defense I ran across the CONELRAD stations.
In Wikipedia's entry there is a statement that hams were required in 1957
and later (presumably until 1963 at least) to check that a major broadcast
station was on the air.

Any old-timers remember this requirement? Was it regularly done by working
hams?
hmm I had heard of the Conelrad system although being born in 1964 it
hardly applied to me

although why would you want all ham of the airs suddenly seems strange
but then so does code testing

Direction finding.
that works if and only if you know where KB9RQZ is located.

What if the 'tard boy KB9RQZ screws up and mentions his QTH, or (most likely) decides
to communicate with the enemy?

the logic
of the bans on ars operations that were imposed for the the world war
have always had a rather odd nonlogic about them

I'm certain a lot of things just don't make sense to you.

Practice that code!

dxAce
Michigan
USA

dxAce wrote:
an_old_friend wrote:

dxAce wrote:
an old friend wrote:

Bruce Wilson wrote:

Direction finding.
that works if and only if you know where KB9RQZ is located.

What if the 'tard boy KB9RQZ screws up and mentions his QTH, or (most likely) decides
to communicate with the enemy?
a true traitor would simply ignore the rule (except it might well
result in his death

the logic
of the bans on ars operations that were imposed for the the world war
have always had a rather odd nonlogic about them

I'm certain a lot of things just don't make sense to you.
true enough

but allowing one emeny to complete dirupt one life is rather likeke
letting the terorists win

Practice that code!
why?

dxAce
Michigan
USA