Odds and Ends From The MUSEUM!
W1KEZ was the call sign for Eugene H. Fairley of Millinocket, a ham (or amateur) radio operator from about the 1930’s to 1950’s. The museum recently received several of Fairley’s QSL cards from his granddaughter. These cards were exchanged by ham radio operators after a chat.
Amateur call signs date back to before the time when the Federal Government first began issuing amateur radio licenses and call signs at the end of 1912. In the 100+ history of amateur radio licensing, first, the Department of Commerce and now the Federal Communication Commission have issued amateur call signs. It was not uncommon for a call sign to be reissued when it was no longer in use.
had its share of ham operators in days past. Eugene Fairley was on of
those. He came to Millinocket in the early days and worked in the mill. His military registration card (from Family Search.com) identifies him as 20 years old and a private. In his later years Fairley had an interest in ham radio and communicated with many others around the country. He had the radio equipment in his house and an antenna (possibly in his back yard). He lived on Lincoln Street.
It was common for these ham operators to get on the airwaves and tune in to different frequencies to find out if there were others on their radios. If someone answered, they would chat and after they might exchange cards through the mail. Fairley’s card (post card size) had his call sign in large letters, his name and address in Millinocket, a drawing of a deer and a woodsy scene. There is also a place for remarks and spaces for the person to include other information (Xmitter, receiver and more). The term “ham” radio appears to have had its origin in the first letter of three radio pioneer’s first names, Hertz, Armstrong and Marconi
Along with some of Fairley’s actual cards, the museum also received scans of several other local men’s QSL cards. They had all been sent to Fairley after a communication. They were from Gerald H. Leavitt, Ernest J. Mayo, Stanley G. Hawkes, Leon Williams, Howard Kenney, Alson Richards, Mike Gallo, Stanley G, Hawes, and Capt. B. A. Thorpe. Two men from East Millinocket sent cards to Fairley. They were Osborne A. Whorton and John B. Daisey.
The final local card is from Charles Mouckerezi, also known as Charlie Mack (from Millinocket & a SHS graduate). Charlie Mack gained fame for record-setting flights in small aircraft. In 1989 he became the first man to fly a single engine solo non-stop flight from New York City to Paris retracing Charles Lindberg’s route. He turned around and flew solo from Paris back to New York City. The same year, he flew from Point Barrow, Alaska to Helsinki, Finland, but possible fuel complications (after he was in the air) made the flight extremely risky. However, he managed to complete the flight. The museum has quite a long article describing these flights.
Anyone with information on local ham operators of days gone by, please contact the museum. Also, photos of the equipment.
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