W2DKJ/2 1939 Flushing Meadows, Corona Park, New York City, New York

This card was sent to Max Bass in New York City for his January 1st, 1939 reception of Grover Whalen's New Years Message that was broadcast from W2USA on 5 meters. The card is signed by Arthur H. Lynch W2DKJ who was the Managing Director of W2USA and Stanley Oscar Oehman W2KU who was the Custodian of W2USA. Grover Whalen was the President of the 1939 New York World's Fair.

The W2USA Radio Club, under Managing Director W2DKJ, actually started operations in 1938, months before the New York World's Fair opened its gates. At this time operation from the fair grounds was limited to five meters with a 400 watt phone rig and National MO receiver donated to the cause by W2DKJ. The five-meter transmissions were picked up and relayed on all the other bands by other stations.

By the time the gates were opened there were complete stations on all bands from 160 through 5 meters. One of the high points occurred on January 1, 1939, when a message from Grover Whalen President of the New York World's Fair was put out on the hour, every hour, for twenty-four hours on five meters. Within a short time after the first message was sent, a congratulatory reply was received from a Llama in Tibet.

Between April 30, 1939 and October 31, 1940, close to 45 million people from 33 different countries attended the New York worlds fair which covered 1,202 acres in the borough of Queens. The fair's moto was; "The world of tomorrow".

QSL & Info courtesy of N2BTD