That was my Short-Wave Monitor call sign --WPE8ETW-- issued by Popular Electronics Magazine on June 9, 1962. Actually, PE didn't use the term call sign; rather, station identification sign. Whatever you called it, it didn't give you permission to transmit or do anything else for that matter, but it made us feel important and provided a means to earn achievement stickers for confirmation of having heard shortwave broadcast stations around the world. Click on the picture at the right for a good view of my registration certificate. Notice how the word shortwave was hyphenated back then.

The WPE program, which ran from the late 50s through the 60s, was the gateway into ham radio for many youngsters. It was a bit different for me, however, since I had received my first amateur radio license (KN8WHB) nearly two years earlier in September of 1960.

Ham radio and shortwave listening are two hobbies that still go hand in hand. In the mid and late 50s, before I received my ham license, I used to listen for hours to shortwave broadcast stations from all over the world on our old upright AM/shortwave radio. I can still remember the thrill of hearing Radio Moscow or HCJB or the thumpidy-thump of ham radio CW signals (using Morse Code) coming through on AM. Later, I listened on my ham radio Heathkit AR-3 receiver. The picture of an AR-3 on the left (not mine) includes the QF-1 Q Multiplier, which I also had (Actually, it belonged to K8UDJ, now K8CH.). The AR-3 was definitely a beginner's radio, with poor stability and selectivity. But, believe me, it was a lot of fun!

My WPE certificate is apparently a rather rare one. Not valuable-type rare, just rather rare. According to an excellent Internet article by John Herkimer, few certificates were issued with the signature of Julian M. Sienkiewicz, Director of Monitor Station Registration. Mine is signed by him. Also, as you can see, my certificate apparently came without the call sign stamped on it, or at least it was hand written, because it appears I either wrote it in myself or traced over the hand written call sign.

Click here to see an older version of the WPE certificate. It was issued in 1958 or 1959 to Phil Finkle, K6EID, when he was in Taiwan. Notice the unique China call sign of C3PE1B. I wonder if the figure 1 indicates the first certificate issued to someone in China?

Joe Tyburczy, W6GFH, has a neat Web site about the WPE program at www.qsl.net/wb1gfh/swl.html. Check it out. I hope this gets your nostalgic juices flowing.

--Dale Holloway, K4EQ (and still WPE8ETW)