nofars.net

By 1910, hams and professionals had diverged into two distinct groups.  The first legislation affecting amateurs came in August 1912.  The Radio Act of 1912 designated frequencies below 1500 kcs (200 meters) exclusively for use by those conducting "bona-fide commercial business by radio communication or experimentation."

Non-commercial users were assigned to frequencies above 1500 kc. where technology limitations severely hampered effective use. 

Fortunately, the state of the art advanced quick enough to make amateur radio viable during pre-WWI years.  Operators used code and transmitters that produced sparks and arcs to send wireless signals.

The 1912 act also required licensing of operators and unique official callsigns when signals crossed state lines.  The Department of Commerce administered licensing and Florida was part of its  Fourth District under authority of the Savannah, Ga. DoC office.  The 4th district covered Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Puerto Rico.

Within amateur ranks, two subgroups evolved: experimenters and communicators.  Experimenters predominated early but as technology improved, communicators gained in numbers.

Opportunities to provide communications during relief efforts arose and attracted some to public service.

By the end of 1912, the Secretary of Labor and Commerce issued 1,185 amateur licenses nationwide and in 1913 the number reached 2,000. Many more were active but slow to apply for licenses and official callsigns.

In 1913, the Dept. of Commerce published its first callbook. It included 15 Florida hams--three in Gainesville and a dozen in Jacksonville.  No other Florida operators were listed.

The 1913 Jacksonville radio amateurs were:

4AC  Elmer M. Rice           1702 E. Duval St.     880 watts authorized

4AE  John R. Flagg           118 Forest St.          900 watts

4AM  Lawrence F. Sebastian 224 Parker St.    10 watts

4AP  Emmitt R. Peer           419 Duval St.         800 watts

4AS  Beverly A. Brandon    1408 Main St.        330 watts

4AT  Frank R. Ehle              1337 Liberty St.      220 watts

4AV  Robert T. Treisback    2228 Riverside Ave. 500 watts

4AW  Joe N. Crevasse       1605 Boulevard St.  165 watts

4AX  Raymond J. Cole       1712 Silver St.        250 watts

4AZ  Thomas R. Dunk        1424 Laura St.        300 watts

4BC  Earl I. Marx                1654 Main St.          300 watts

4BG  Alvin G. Stanton   1031 Highway Ave.  (Edison Ave.) 27 watts

Jacksonville was much smaller then with around 60,000 population.  Hams lived in Springfield, Fairfield, Riverside and Downtown.

According to old Jacksonville city directories--4AX was chief clerk at Southern Railway, 4AW was a tugboat captain and 4AZ was president of New York Steam Laundry.

1914-1916

In 1914, commercially-produced audion vacuum tubes became widely available and introduction of the Armstrong regenerative circuit led to a leap forward in receiver performance. 

Hiram Maxim, 1WH in Hartford, Connecticut claimed a 100-mile signal range but this distance could not always be reliably spanned.  Maxim designed a relay system to route messages. 

While Maxim was not the first operator to use relays, his vision led to formation of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and a roster of 400 stations in 32 states and Canada.  These operators formed a network to handle long-distance messages.  They became known as traffic handlers.  By the end of 1915, this relay system was well-organized and a 15-page, monthly magazine, QST, began publication.

World War I started in Europe during August 1914 but seemed far away to most who lived in an isolationist United States. By mid-1915, the U.S. government was more concerned about war and planning started for effective radio communications.  The ability of hams to span increasing distances with improved equipment and relay systems attracted attention.

In Jacksonville, the number of licensed amateurs declined from the dozen active in 1913. The 1914 Department of Commerce listing includes nine locals.

Beverly Brandon, 4AS moved from his former address near 4th and Main Sts. to 322 E. 6th St. between Liberty & Walnut Sts.

A new licensed operator was Ralph L. Milam, 4BJ at 1039 Highway Ave. Today, this former section of Edison Ave. is covered by the I-10/I-95 interchange.

Alvin Stanton, 4BG shown at 1031 Highway Ave. in the 1913 listing was missing in 1914.

Lawrence Sebastian, 4AM moved from Parker St. in Fairfield to 336 South Myrtle Ave. near Forest St. 

Besides 4BG, others missing in 1914 included 4AX and 4AE.

Seven more Florida operators in Miami, Tampa, St. Pete and Key West were included in the 1914 callbook.

The July 1916 callbook includes six Jacksonville licensed operators.  Only three from 1913 were still listed in 1916: Elmer Rice, 4AC; Thomas Dunk, 4AZ and Emmitt Peer ex-4AP who signed 4DC in 1916. 

Three new hams were:

4AO  Lloyd D. Smoot          1443 Laura St.

4CC  Henry W. Breden         1304 Myrtle Ave.

4CQ  Elliott E. Blankenship  803 W. Monroe St.

The 1916 listing was the final one before the U.S. entered the war.

FROM TODD LOVELACE, K1KVA...... 

Robert Todd Treisback (4AV) at 2228 Riverside Avenue was my maternal grandfather. 

In 1913 (when he was listed in the DoC callbook), he was just 21 years old living in his parents house. 

In 1918, he was inducted into the US Army and spent his time at the Army hospital in Washington DC hauling dead from the influenza pandemic from rooms for burial.

Grandpa Treisback was a "Bell Pioneer", one of the very early engineers at Bell Telephone. My grandfather was my elmer, but not in the ham radio sense, just as my mentor and my technical teacher. 

Interestingly enough, he never told me that he was a ham radio operator (even though he gave me his Popular Electronics magazine collection when I was in high school) and let me watch him build hi-fi (not STEREO) amplifiers that he designed on the work bench when I was small.    

I only found out that he was a ham about two years ago when researching another family member. I still have his Rumkhorff coil   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV6OViGi5zE 

My first son, Robert Todd Lovelace,  (KJ4LYQ)  is named after my grandfather.

WORLD WAR RADIO 1917-1919

As months passed on the calendar in early 1917, U.S. participation in the so-called Great War became more likely.  In response to Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare, the U.S. severed diplomatic relations in early February.

ARRL had grown rapidly with transcontinental message relays accomplished in less than 2 hours during 1916.

In February 1917, a series of meetings in New York City led to formalizing ARRL's governing structure with twelve directors and four officers.  Besides telegrapher hams, those interested in the new radiotelephone technology were welcomed to join.

One of ARRL's initial directors was Jacksonville ham John C. Cooper, Jr.

With U.S. entry into the war in April 1917, hams were ordered off the air.  Antennas came down and stations, including receivers, were disassembled.  Some amateur  equipment was converted for military use and the rest was mothballed.  Many hams answered the call and became military radio operators. 

According to ARRL's Two Hundred Meters & Down, "the military forces were faced with an absolute lack of the great corps of radio officers, instructors and operators that was needed.

500 radio operators were needed immediately. Then another 2,000.  In all, an estimated 3,500 to 4,000 hams served as Navy radiomen, and as communicators in the Army Signal Corps and Army Air Service.  Among those serving was Jacksonville's John C. Cooper, Jr.

The superiority of U.S. and Allied electronic communications was a major factor in the outcome of the war. 

Though non-military hams were silenced during the war, major advancements in radio technology occurred. Better vacuum tubes and high-gain amplifiers led the way. The war ended with the Armistice on Nov. 11, 1918.

ARRL reorganized.  It took a year though for hams to be allowed to return to the air in November 1919. A December ARRL QST Directory of Calls lists only one 4th district station--Georgia Tech's Radio Club--4YA.

On Dec. 4, 1919--6EA and 1AW completed the first post-war transcontinental message relay in three hops.  ARRL expanded activities to include Canada.  And international capabilities were on the way.

JaxRadio.net