W3KZ: Daily Pennsylvanian Article Contributions

[john campbell]

Team - Our Club has a new president starting this semester, Jefferson Ding ’27.  Welcome Jefferson !

Jefferson looks to market the Club this semester and has asked for the help of Penn alumni - in particular those that like to write. We are looking for material for a future Daily Pennsylvanian article.

I have heard from many alumni in the last couple years with stories of fond memories of operating, solving technical problems, and creating enduring friendships.  I know amateur radio has also aided many tangentially or directly in their careers post Penn.  

If anyone would like to contribute, including spearheading this effort from the alumni angle, please get in touch with Jefferson and Myself at the above e-mails.  I was never one of the “Student Paper” kids so not the best Editor here but I can always try.

Of course our history is well documented by Russ WA3FRP on our website.  So this would be personal stories or anything anyone would like to add for posterity.

https://w3abt.seas.upenn.edu

https://w3abt.seas.upenn.edu/history/

As spectrum gets more crowded I see a resurgence in HF communications. 

Below is a summary (done by Claude.AI) of our history from the website.  Please let us know if you can contribute - even with just a short note or spearheading the project for the alums.

73

John Campbell

Penn ’92

W3MHZ

_____________________

From Claude:

W3ABT Amateur Radio Club - Historical Summary

University of Pennsylvania Amateur Radio Club

Founded: October 4, 1909 by Julian S. Simsohn (College 1911)

Early Pioneering Years (1909-1920s)

The Wireless Club of the University of Pennsylvania was established as one of America's first collegiate amateur radio organizations. Operating from Houston Hall's first floor with antennas spanning to Logan Hall, the club quickly attracted fifty members and achieved remarkable early success, receiving signals from 500 miles away and communicating with ships at sea. Penn played a pivotal leadership role by organizing and hosting the first Intercollegiate Wireless Association meeting on April 9, 1910, with MIT as a charter co-member.

The club's early callsigns evolved from the self-assigned "UP" (pre-1912) to the federally licensed 3ASO (1915), and later to 3KZ (1925) before transitioning to W3KZ in 1928. By the mid-1920s, the club operated a modern 100-watt, 80-meter transmitter from the Engineering Building, maintaining regular contact with distant stations as far as the Rocky Mountains.

Golden Era and War Years (1930s-1940s)

In 1932, the club was reborn as W3ABT and became ARRL-affiliated. By 1934, members had constructed an impressive one-kilowatt AM and CW transmitter with innovative double-antenna systems. World War II brought a complete halt to amateur radio operations, with station W3ABT "off and under lock" for the duration of the conflict.

Post-War Renaissance (1945-1980s)

Following WWII, W3ABT resumed operations from Moore School Building room 214, becoming an ARRL Affiliated Club and providing extensive public service. During the 1949 Christmas season alone, the club handled over 500 messages to families and overseas GIs. The 1950s and 1960s brought significant technical advances, including rotatable beam antennas that enabled contacts with Australia, Europe, South America, and behind the Iron Curtain. The club achieved both ARRL Worked All States and DXCC awards by 1967.

Notable innovations included early RTTY operations using a donated Bell Telephone Model 19 teletype, earning WAC RTTY Award #106 as the first college/university club to achieve this distinction. Field Day operations moved to Penn's Valley Forge Research Center (a former Nike missile site) in 1967, continuing for decades.

Challenges and Renewal (1970s-2000s)

The club faced significant challenges from television interference issues related to Penn's experimental "distance learning" studio, leading to restricted operating hours. In 1976, the club transitioned from W3ABT to N3KZ callsign, though W3ABT remained unused and unassigned for thirty years. The 1980s brought both triumph and tribulation: successful emergency communications during the 1977 Johnstown Flood, but later equipment destruction during building renovations and loss of recognition.

A dramatic revival occurred in 1987-1988 under presidents Al Broscius N3FCT and Jeff DePolo WN3A, who secured substantial Student Activities Council funding and rebuilt the station with modern equipment including a new 40-foot tower and tribander antenna. The club thrived through the early 1990s, consistently winning contests and maintaining active operations.

Modern Era (2000s-Present)

After another period of dormancy, alumni Jim Talens N3JT and Russ Miller WA3FRP restarted the club in 2004-2005. Eight alumni reformed the organization, successfully petitioned the FCC for the return of historic callsign W3ABT in 2006, and reestablished both W3ABT and W3KZ callsigns. The club achieved its first W3KZ contact since the 1930s on September 24, 2012.

Despite ongoing challenges with antenna installations and leadership transitions, the club persevered through various undergraduate leadership changes. 

Following pandemic-related disruptions, the club found new life in Fall 2022 under the leadership of rising sophomores Micaela Alpert W2LP and Nitin Seshadri KD2ZJU.  Under their leadership  W3ABT got back on the air, using a new ICOM 705 and an Alexloop antenna with the equipment and office space provided by Dr. Jonathan Smith.  Nitin also developed a proposal for a more permanent antenna on campus. The Club followed with the purchase of an ICOM9700 for UHF/VHF and a Yaesu FT10dx with an auto-tuner for 100 Watt HF operation using a Chameleon Sloper and a G5RV dipole (off campus).  The Yaesu has a LAN for remote operations.

Legacy and Impact

Throughout its 114-year history, W3ABT has served as a pioneer in collegiate amateur radio, contributing to emergency communications, technical innovation, and student education. The club's continuous evolution from spark gap transmissions to modern digital modes reflects both the progression of radio technology and the enduring appeal of amateur radio to university students. Today, W3ABT continues its mission of advancing radio communications education and public service at the University of Pennsylvania, maintaining its position as one of America's oldest and most historically significant collegiate amateur radio organizations.

[Dennis DeMarco]

What’s going on with Remote Hams? Haven’t heard an update for weeks.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to wireless+u...@seas.upenn.edu.

[Cooper, Elizabeth G.]

Yeah, that’s me. Thanks for asking. I couldn’t figure it out, and while I was looking, I found a different app vfview. I installed it and it can talk to the radio and control it, but I get no sound through the computer. I’m currently working that part out. I’ve just been busy and haven’t looked at it in a while.

 

Lizz