ANALOG ADVENTURES

In January 1945, American radio amateurs were still waiting for the end of the second war to end all wars. For better or worse since the beginning of human history, technology has always made its most rapid advances during times of war. Ghengis Khan’s engineers invented the stirrup so his archers could turn around to shoot their arrows backward without falling off their horses. And long after the Mongol Empire became a footnote in world history, modern equestrian folks are grateful for the invention (even if they don’t do much reverse horseback archery). When the blood and dust clear, one can usually find some new hardware to redeem for more pleasant purposes.

Radio amateurs were quick to beat their radio