Commemorative Armstrong broadcast on 42.800 MHz 6/19/25

[scanlist]

First FM broadcast station operated from 1938 to 1949 on 42.800 MHz as WA2XMN.

This would make for a great DX catch if the conditions are good this day.

Full article from Radioworld:

Armstrong-broadcast-returns-to-new-jersey-in-june

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[MTS2000des]

One of the most under appreciated an unrecognized true heroes of radio. Radio was his life and it took his.

 

[BinaryMode]

I bet it was quite remarkable to hear FM for the first time.

I'll mark my calendar and see if I can't hear it on a live SDR tuner website.

 

[kc2asb]

Thanks for sharing! I will definitely be tuning in -should be very easy to hear as it's maybe 20 miles from my location.

 

[jaymatt1978]

Hoping for a little ducting that dad

 

[902]

First FM broadcast station operated from 1938 to 1949 on 42.800 MHz as WA2XMN.

Actually, the original experimental license was W2XMN. This is engraved above the entrance to the Armstrong Field Lab building. The commemorative broadcasts were given WA2XMN because W2XMN was given out as an amateur vanity call sign. X used to be held in abeyance for experimental licenses, but that policy has changed.

 

[kc2asb]

To mark Major Armstrong's 100th birthday in 1990, Pop Comm magazine published an in-depth article on his contributions to radio, his invention of FM, and the W2XMN station. The article starts on page 20 of the PDF.

https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Popular-Communications/90s/Popular-Communications-1990-07.pdf

 

[jaymatt1978]

Actually, the original experimental license was W2XMN. This is engraved above the entrance to the Armstrong Field Lab building. The commemorative broadcasts were given WA2XMN because W2XMN was given out as an amateur vanity call sign. X used to be held in abeyance for experimental licenses, but that policy has changed.

I just searched QRZ.com an W2MXN isn't in the database

 

[kc2asb]

I just searched QRZ.com an W2MXN isn't in the database

Found this, but it's not QRZ.com:

W2XMN Callsign on QRZCQ.com

Ham radio call database for everyone

www.qrzcq.com

Major Edwin H Armstrong Memorial Radio Club

Loxahatchee 33470
United States, FL

 

[N9JIG]

I just searched QRZ.com an W2MXN isn't in the database

Transposed some letters, try W2XMN: W2XMN Callsign Page

 

[jaymatt1978]

oops

 

[902]

oops

It's something I would do, too.

 

[kc2asb]

oops

Same here - easy mistake to make. I've transposed numbers many times.

 

[jaymatt1978]

Same here - easy mistake to make. I've transposed numbers many times.

Well the frequency is correct!!! That's the important thing!

 

[kc2asb]

Well the frequency is correct!!! That's the important thing!

Agreed! I hope propagation is favorable to your location that day.

 

[N9JIG]

It's something I would do, too.

Oh, yeah. My dyslexia gets in the wya sometimes too!

 

[902]

Oh, yeah. My dyslexia gets in the wya sometimes too!

I never knew I was dyslexic. I got well into my 50s and began working with a lot of numbers, and I was getting them wrong. Consistently. So, I went to an optometrist and got a pair of glasses. Had very good vision, I could see everything the way I did in my 20s, but I was still messing up letters and numbers. I could get a call sign much of the time because it started with a K or a W, but the rest of the sequence was a mixed bag. At that point, I realized how profoundly dyslexic I actually was. I had to triple check my work before I sent it out, otherwise I wouldn't catch transpositions. It just takes so long to learn about one's self. This explains a lot about why I did better in non-math coursework in high school and college. Good thing I was never a missileer.

 

[YalekW]

One of the most under appreciated an unrecognized true heroes of radio. Radio was his life and it took his.

radio always takes lives of many due to the people operating with either such high wattage, frequency, etc. Can all depend on those circumstances. People realllly gotta be careful when they experiment with tx hardware. Even if the rules werent in place, it still is a dangerous place to transmit and receive. And depending on band (Xray, Gamma ray, ultraviolet), it will kill a person.
Human genomes have a small limit for seeing, and even smaller for hearing. Humans see visible light at Thz, then 20-20000 hz at *baseband*, either at (0 hz, or at the beginning of Thz, dont quote me on that). Humans simply cannot adapt (yet) to higher frequencies because their de-evolution is highly unnoticed and needs to be dealt with ASAP.

 

[902]

radio always takes lives of many due to the people operating with either such high wattage, frequency, etc. Can all depend on those circumstances. People realllly gotta be careful when they experiment with tx hardware. Even if the rules werent in place, it still is a dangerous place to transmit and receive. And depending on band (Xray, Gamma ray, ultraviolet), it will kill a person.
Human genomes have a small limit for seeing, and even smaller for hearing. Humans see visible light at Thz, then 20-20000 hz at *baseband*, either at (0 hz, or at the beginning of Thz, dont quote me on that). Humans simply cannot adapt (yet) to higher frequencies because their de-evolution is highly unnoticed and needs to be dealt with ASAP.

I'm sorry, but that's not what happened. Not even close.

Edwin Armstrong's death had to do with his battle with David Sarnoff over the use of his patent for frequency modulation. RCA, under Sarnoff, offered a one-time payment, whereas Armstrong sought a percentage of sales. Armstrong knew his invention was groundbreaking and had continued to battle with RCA and Sarnoff for his rights as the patent holder.

These legal battles left him financially devastated and exacerbated his wife's mental illness causing her to jump into the East River and be committed for a time. Some time after her release, he got into an argument with her because he wanted to dip into their retirement money for continued legal expenses and ultimately hit her with a metal fireplace poker. He moved out, fearing he would hurt her. He went to live in a Manhattan apartment at 435 East 52nd Street and, 3 months after their split-up, jumped out of his 12th floor window.

She later took up the battle with Sarnoff, took somewhat of a settlement, and continued to find that the other entities involved in the court battle had infringed upon her deceased husband's patent. The courts had also determined that Armstrong was indeed the inventor of frequency modulation.

 

[kc2asb]

These legal battles left him financially devastated and exacerbated his wife's mental illness causing her to jump into the East River and be committed for a time. Some time after her release, he got into an argument with her because he wanted to dip into their retirement money for continued legal expenses and ultimately hit her with a metal fireplace poker. He moved out, fearing he would hurt her. He went to live in a Manhattan apartment at 435 East 52nd Street and, 3 months after their split-up, jumped out of his 12th floor window.

She later took up the battle with Sarnoff, took somewhat of a settlement, and continued to find that the other entities involved in the court battle had infringed upon her deceased husband's patent. The courts had also determined that Armstrong was indeed the inventor of frequency modulation.

According to the 1990 Popular Communications article I posted the link to above, Major Armstrong had made $15 million from his invention of FM. The article, however, is not clear as to how much he spent battling Sarnoff/RCA.

Also per the article, Major Armstrong's widow received a $1 million settlement with RCA/NBC and "other monies and royalties on the heels of the settlement added $4 million to the amount his widow received".