Radio During the Golden Age

Jerry Harris of Ashland MA wrote a wonderful article about radio during WWII. Definitely check it out.


http://www.wickedlocal.com/ashland/news/lifestyle/columnists/x1911310777/OPINION-Remembering-radios-golden-era

Fresno California Invites WWII Radio Heroes to a Radio Near Them!

Mark your calendars for July 25, 2009 at 4 PM (EST).

Listen for me on KMJ 580 with Paul Loeffler. Paul does an outstanding job of recognizing our brave men and women- and those who support them. His show is called Home Town Heroes.

http://www.kmj580.com/pages/paulloeffler

If you miss the broastcast, you can listen to the Podcast from his site.

Thanks Paul. It was a pleasure to be on your show!

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS PUT TO THE TEST — FIELD DAY 2009

Local Radio Operators Test Emergency Communications During Nationwide Event

PRESS RELEASE

Wednesday, June 09, 2009

New Kensington, PA – MEMBERS OF THE SKYVIEW RADIO SOCIETY WILL BE PUTTING
THEIR RADIO SKILLS TO THE TEST DURING THE ANNUAL FIELD DAY EVENT, SPONSORED
BY THE AMERICAN RADIO RELAY LEAGUE. THE 2009 FIELD DAY WILL SPAN 27 HOURS
STARTING SATURDAY, JUNE 27 AT 2 PM, RUNNING THROUGH 5 PM SUNDAY, JUNE 28.
FIELD DAY IS DESIGNED TO TEST AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS’ SKILLS AND
CAPABILITIES UNDER ADVERSE EMERGENCY CONDITIONS, SUCH AS THOSE EXPERIENCED
DURING HURRICANE KATRINA. FIELD DAY OPERATORS FACE THE CHALLENGE OF QUICKLY
SETTING UP AND RUNNING 2-WAY RADIO STATIONS UNDER SIMULATED EMERGENCY
CONDITIONS WHERE COMMERCIALLY GENERATED POWER IS NOT AVAILABLE. ALTERNATIVE
ENERGY SOURCES INCLUDING GASOLINE GENERATORS, BATTERY, AND SOLAR WILL BE USED
TO POWER ALL THE RADIO AND COMPUTER EQUIPMENT BEING USED IN THE EVENT.
PRESIDENT OF THE SKYVIEW RADIO SOCIETY, LARRY KELLER (AB3ER) SAYS, "ONE
OF OUR GOALS DURING THE 2008 FIELD DAY EXERCISE IS TO RAISE AWARENESS WITH
THE PUBLIC AND EMERGENCY OFFICIALS. IT’S IMPORTANT THAT COMMUNITIES KNOW
THAT WHEN AN EMERGENCY ARISES, WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO SEND AND RECEIVE
CRITICAL INFORMATION, EVEN WHEN ALL OTHER MEANS OF COMMUNICATIONS HAVE
FAILED."
THE SKYVIEW RADIO SOCIETY MEMBERS WILL BE OPERATING RADIOS FROM THEIR
CLUBHOUSE LOCATION NEAR NEW KENSINGTON AS WELL AS A SECOND FIELD STATION AT
TOWNSEND PARK IN MURRYSVILLE, PA. THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO OBSERVE, ASK
QUESTIONS AND EVEN "GET ON THE AIR" FOR THE FIRST TIME IF THEY’D LIKE.
IN ADDITION TO EXCHANGING INFORMATION WITH OTHER RADIO OPERATORS BY VOICE,
THE SKYVIEW RADIO SOCIETY CLUB MEMBERS WILL BE USING ONE OF THE OLDEST FORMS
OF DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS - CW - MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS MORSE CODE. THEY WILL
ALSO BE USING LEADING EDGE TECHNOLOGIES SUCH AS SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS AND
COMPUTER SOUNDCARD-BASED COMMUNICATIONS MODES.
"SKYVIEW RADIO SOCIETY IS A VERY PROGRESSIVE AND FRIENDLY CLUB, ESPECIALLY
WHEN IT COMES TO SHOWING PEOPLE WHO HAVE LITTLE OR NO RADIO EXPERIENCE WHAT
WE DO. WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE ANYONE INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT AMATEUR RADIO TO VISIT EITHER OR BOTH OF OUR FIELD DAY SITES. VISITORS WILL BE
GREETED WITH A WARM WELCOME, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW OFF SOME OF WHAT AMATEUR RADIO IS ALL ABOUT," SAYS DAVID KLEBER
(KB3FXI), COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN OF THE SKYVIEW RADIO SOCIETY.
MORE INFORMATION, SUCH AS DIRECTIONS TO THE FIELD DAY LOCATIONS, CAN BE FOUND
AT THE SKYVIEW RADIO SOCIETY WEBSITE AT WWW.SKYVIEWRADIO.NET.

Contact:
David Kleber, KB3FXI
412-720-0210
David.Kleber@verizon.net
Skyview Radio Society
2335 Turkey Ridge Road
New Kensington, PA 15068
www.skyviewradio.net

Reach Out to an American Hero Today!

I was delivering a luncheon keynote recently to distinguished group of women in Upper St. Clair, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. One participant was delighted to share this website with me after my talk. It is a website where you can be matched up with a service member to share emails and letters. The website serves as a pseudo pen-pal matchmaker. I love the idea!

So, don't hesitate to check out www.AnySoldier.com and locate a deserving hero who would like to hear from you, your children's school, your organization, etc...

Let's keep in mind what a kind word from a stranger can do for someone who is serving our country in various capacities.

World War II Radio Heroes: Letters of Compassion is all about ordinary citizens reaching out to those in need during a difficult time in our history. Let's continue in that tradition by thanking and befriending our heroes today.

Bottom line: Let's show some love.

You'll be proud of yourself for doing so.

Mr. President, I am Disappointed.

From Left: Rebecca Neuburger; Michelle Lanier; Joy Ilem; and Lisa Spahr. The Salute to Heroes Ball, January 20, 2009, Washington DC.

I was honored to attend the Salute to Heroes Inaugural Ball in Washington DC. The Salute to Heroes Ball honors those who have received the Congressional Medal of Honor- the highest military honor you can receive. We had 48 of the living 99 Medal of Honor recipients present. It was an awesome feeling to be in the same room with them.

I attended this ball four years ago for George W. Bush's Inaugural also.

The President and Vice President (and their respective spouses) have attended the Salute to Heroes Ball since the 1950's. They usually stop by for 10-20 minutes and share their respect for this honorable group.

Not this time. President Obama and First Lady Michelle did not arrive at the Salute to Heroes Ball. We did receive a visit from Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill.

I was terribly disappointed at President Obama for missing this opportunity to show his appreciation for our heroes. I believe he had a responsibility to be there, particularly at a time when our country is at war.

If you'd like to learn more about our Medal of Honor Recipients visit: http://www.cmohs.org/recipients.htm

Let's show them our appreciation. And, I will hope that the President does the same.

Pittsburgh Magazine Reviews WWII Radio Heroes!

I just got it in the mail yesterday! Pittsburgh Magazine's January Edition has several book reviews. World War II Radio Heroes is one of them!

I want to thank Stephen Knezovich for his thoughtful review.

I am unsure if this review will appear on the website or just in print. The website is http://www.wqed.org/mag/index.php

If you are in or near Pittsburgh the magazine should be widely available. I subscribe to it, and have for years, because it always features some very interesting articles and things to do in the burgh.

I continue to be very appreciative of the positive attention we're getting with this book. Thanks to all!

Lisa

The Lincoln Highway Connection to WWII Radio Heroes

I first met Brian Butko in the summer at the Bridgewater Book Festival. He is the author of a half dozen books, the editor for the Western Pennsylvania History Magazine, and an all around cool guy. He has great interest in history of course, but his areas of interest are more obscure than most historians. He writes about the roadside landmarks you remember as a kid, the places and faces that we love but often take for granted.. until there gone that is.

Brian and I kept in touch over the months and he volunteered himself and his son, Andrew, to read for World War II Radio Heroes: Letters of Compassion (2008). Andrew was our youngest reader and read for our most prominent hero in the book, Flavius Jankauskas (who wrote to my family in 1943 as a 16 year old short-wave listener).

Brian and I most recently came together again at the Heinz History Center's Holiday Book Fair. It was perfect timing for me to give him his copy of our work- the audio book was completed a week prior.

I'm privileged to know Brian Butko. He's a very fascinating man with great stories- and road trips to tell you about.

Check out his site and latest book here: http://www.lincolnhighwaynews.com/ Take a stroll down memory lane.

After hearing Brian talk about the Lincoln Highway, which I drive frequently, I look at it differently. I'm eager for the spring so I can take a road trip of my own!