Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

AMATEUR “HAM” RADIO

Date Range From

1945

Date Range To

1955

Materials

STEEL, BAKELITE, ALUMINUM

No. Pieces

2

Height

18.7

Length

40.6

Width

20.1

Description

HANDMADE. UNFINISHED RECTANGULAR STEEL BASE, MOUNTED WITH VARIOUS OSCILLATORS, TRANSFORMERS, AND OTHER RADIO COMPONENTS. FRONT PANEL OF BASE HAS 7 VARIOUS SWITCHES AND KNOBS, HAND-LABELED FOR FUNCTION. INCLUDES POWER SWITCH, FM/AM SELECTOR, MODULATOR DIAL, ETC., AS WELL AS INSET "MILIAMPERES" GAUGE. PIECES APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN ASSEMBLED FROM SEVERAL PREVIOUS RADIO TRANSMITTERS, AND MODIFIED FOR USE. ALSO APPEARS TO BE MISSING AT LEAST ONE COMPONENT, WHERE SQUARE HOLE HAS BEEN CUT INTO TOP RIGHT CORNER OF BASE. BATTERIES, WIRES, ETC VISIBLE ON UNCOVERED BOTTOM. INCLUDES BLACK BAKELITE KNOB WITH WHITE POINTED INDICATOR; SEEMS TO HAVE COME DETACHED FROM ONE OF DIALS ON FRONT PANEL. TRANSMITTER IS SCRATCHED AND SOILED THROUGHOUT; PIECES BROKEN AND MISSING.

Subjects

TELECOMMUNICATION T&E

Historical Association

TRADES

History

DONOR'S FATHER WAS FOUNDER OF CJOC RADIO STATION IN LETHBRIDGE. FOR MORE HISTORY SEE P19980039001-GA. *** UPDATE: THE TEXT BELOW WAS SUBMITTED AS LABEL COPY TO LETHBRIDGE LIVING MAGAZINE ON 11 JUNE 2014. AS PART OF THE RADIO COPY’S RESEARCH, INPUT WAS SOLICITED FROM MEMBERS OF THE LETHBRIDGE SENIORS’ CENTRE’S AMATEUR RADIO CLUB. FOR MORE DETAILS ON THE CLUB’S ANALYSIS OF PALMER’S RADIO, PLEASE REFERENCE THE PERMANENT FILE. “ THIS HAND-BUILT RADIO WAS CONSTRUCTED BY JOHN E. “JOCK” PALMER, AND WAS DONATED TO THE GALT MUSEUM & ARCHIVES BY HIS SON JOHN IN 1998. “JOCK” WAS A FAMOUS LOCAL. AMONG OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS, HE FOUNDED LETHBRIDGE’S FIRST RADIO STATION, CJOC, IN 1926. JOCK’S FAMILY SETTLED IN LETHBRIDGE IN 1905. WHEN WORLD WAR ONE BROKE OUT, HE JOINED THE CANADIAN INFANTRY AS A MACHINE GUNNER. A SERIOUS WOUND ON THE BATTLEFIELD IN 1916 FORCED HIM TO TRANSFER TO THE ROYAL FLYING CORPS (RFC) IN 1917. GARRY ALLISON, A REPORTER WITH THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD, WROTE ABOUT PALMER IN JUNE 2000 IN THE HERALD ARTICLE “PALMER WAS A JOCK OF ALL TRADES”. IN IT, HE WRITES THAT PALMER DEVELOPED HIS RADIO SKILLS WHILE WITH THE RFC AND THAT HE “PIONEERED AIRCRAFT-TO-GROUND RADIO HOOK-UPS, WITH A TELEGRAPHER’S KEY STRAPPED TO HIS LEG [WHILE FLYING].” IN NOVEMBER 2013, MEMBERS OF THE LETHBRIDGE SENIOR CITIZENS CENTRE AMATEUR RADIO CLUB VISITED THE GALT TO TECHNICALLY ASSESS PALMER’S RADIO. CLUB MEMBER BLAIR SHAW IDENTIFIED A METER ON THE RADIO MARKED “A.M” FOR “AIR MINISTRY”. THE RADIO’S INCORPORATION OF MILITARY PARTS LED SHAW TO SPECULATE THAT THE OVERALL UNIT WAS CONSTRUCTED AFTER THE SECOND WORLD WAR WHEN, HE SAID, “EXCESS PIECES OF MILITARY EQUIPMENT BECAME AVAILABLE.” HE ALSO STATED THE RADIO WAS A “PROTOTYPE”, ADDING, “HE MADE IT WORK. HE USED IT FOR HIS COMMUNICATIONS, HIS HAM RADIO COMMUNICATIONS AND THEN HE WENT ON TO OTHER THINGS. HE PUT IT ASIDE BECAUSE HE THOUGHT “WELL, I MIGHT NEED SOME OF THESE PIECES FOR SOMETHING ELSE.” IT IS LIKELY THAT PALMER BUILT THIS RADIO IN HIGH RIVER WHERE HE WAS POSTED AS AN RCAF FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR IN 1941. PALMER DIED IN HIGH RIVER AT AGE 68 IN 1964.”

Catalogue Number

P19980039012

Acquisition Date

1999-04

Collection

Museum

Less detail