W2USA 1939 New York

New York Worlds Fair station

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 N2BTD Collection
Info courtesy of N2BTD, K8CX