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The Kansas-Nebraska Radio Club (KNRC)celebrated fifty years of affiliated amateur radio service September 1997 with a picnic and program at the Airport Park. Two charter members, Lewis M. Edwards and Clarence Trost, were honored guests. Edwards was the principle speaker. He reported on the activites of the club in the early days.
KNRC was organized as an independent club in 1927, and was known as NIGHT OWL AMATEUR RADIO CLUB (NORAC). The Club first met in the Concordia City Hall. Later, the city council provided a room in the city bandshell basement, which had space for meetings, work benches, Morse code practice tables, and the club's transmitter.
Major activities of the twice-monthly meetings were building radio gear, studying code and radio theory. Many amateurs ground their own crystals used to keep their transmitters on amateur frequencies. In the past, members were fined for non-attedance unless excused.
To become a licensed ham, one had to appear before a Federal Communications examiner in a major city, pass a thirteen-word-per-minute code test, and if successful, would then be allowed to take the written examination. A successful applicant would then receive a licence and individual identification call authorizing operation on amateur bands. Ham-built gear sometimes caused intereference, so the club had a committee to help resolve these problems.
Passing the examination was cause for pride and often celebration, and no one wanted to fail. In on case, according to club records, a member traveled to Denver, unnoticed, and passed his exam before revealing his actions to ham friends.
In September 1941, the club voted to affiliate with the American Radio Relay League, a national amateur radio organization. The club name then changed to Concordia Amateur Radio Club.
Charter members were Lewis M. Edwards, W9BRW, Amateur Call; Valta G. Lewis, W9KSK; Clarence Trost, W9HMZ; Paul Moffett, W9GXW; Fred A Young, W9LMS; James R. Christensen; James F. Erickson; Ralph Austin, W9TKU; W.A. Helm, W9PZP; Lawrence M. Berk, W9HTM; Edwin N. Eberling, W9CDM; G.E. Haggard; J.E.Hoover; Lee Daugherty, W9IFH; Clifford H. Horn, W9PBX; and Jack Austin, W9KTU.
During World War II, the club continued to meet, but all amateur radio activity was cancelled for the duration.
In the early 50's, hams in the Belleville area reorganized the club and changed the name to Kansas-Nebraska Radio Club. At that time, a number of members were from southern Nebraska. The club was later incorporated as a non-profit service organization. The club met in many places but principally in Belleville, Cuba, and Haddam, and occasionally in the other area towns. In the late 50's, Concordia became headquarters. KNRC meets monthly, usually in the county courthousse. The club membership of about fifty-five members comes from Cloud and the surrounding counties.
The club is noted statewide as sponsor of the Kansas Amateur of the Year Award for the past thirty years. Each year, the award recognizes a Kansas Amateur for unusual and dedicated service to amateur radio.
Each year, the club participates in National Field Day exercises for training in emergency communications. The club van is equipped to go anywhere in the area to provide emergency communcations. These services are in cooperation with Civil Defense, the Police Department, and the Red Cross.
The club encourages handicapped and youth to become hams by offering class instruction and guidance to applicants.
Hams now enjoy many new modes of communication, including the use of computers, satellite operations, amateur tv, and others.---
article mostly by Wilbur Naylor, W0WXY
