Through The Static

Early Years: 1923-1954

On the evening of Friday, March 23, 1923, the Gadsden Amateur Radio Club, originally known as "The Gadsden Radio Association," was formally established at the home of its first Club Secretary: John K. Moore, 5QP/U-5QP [FindAGrave].

According to the November Edition of the Citizens Radio Callbook, published in 1922, John Moore's callsign 5QP was previously held by Mr. Earl Clement Hull, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Hull was notably the co-founder of one of the oldest broadcast radio stations in the United States and the very first located in the State of Oklahoma (930 AM WKY).

The first acting club president and treasurer of the club was Marvin Scott [FindAGrave].

Founding Members

Also among the first members of the club were:

• Edward Lessly (Listed as Pvt. Edward H. Leslie) [FindAGrave]
• Joseph E McCormack (5TB) [FindAGrave]
• Robert Joerg [FindAGrave]
• Harry Selvidge [FindAGrave]
• Claude Stokey [FindAGrave]

The club was formed with the purpose of furthering the interest of the amateur radio fans of Gadsden, Alabama and the efforts to address the current problems and developments in the field at that time.

David Cisco, W4AXL of The Alabama Historical Radio Society assisted and conducted additional investigation and discovered that John K. Moore (U-5QP/5QP) had also used the callsign W4AKS post-1928. According to Cisco, state residents had to change their callsigns in 1928 due to Alabama switching over to a 4-call area.

Joe E. McCormack, 5TB

Suspected image of Joe McCormack (?), 5TB, while attending St. James Catholic School.
Photo taken on the front steps of the original Gadsden Public Library (opened December 21, 1906).
Believed to be taken around 1912-1914. Additional citation and verification requested.

Joe E. McCormack, 5TB, another founding member was discovered as having previously held the callsigns 5ADS and W4RC. The callsign of 5ADS was previously held by Billie Hood who was the Founder of the Indurall Paint Company in Birmingham, Alabama.

Testimonial from Marge Ashley about Joe McCormack teaching radio assembly
From "Welcome to Gadsden and Etowah County" Facebook Group

Other callsigns of interest from around this time include, but are not limited to, the following stations: 5AIW of the Electric Construction Co (Believed to be Alabama Power), Greene Jones 5VC, and L.R. Foster 5HM.

Club Member: Robert Joerg Jr.

(b. 10 Oct 1887 — d. 25 May 1948)

Major, 1st Battalion 167th Infantry
42nd Division, World War One
Photo from "Alabama's Own In France" by William H. Amerine, 1919

Major Robert Joerg served in the 1st Battalion 167th Infantry, 42nd Division during World War One. According to former guardsman Charles Hawkins with the Etowah Historical Society, the 167th Inf. Division later became known as the 1/152 Armor of Gadsden, Alabama.

At the time that Robert Joerg, Jr. was Captain over the 167th Infantry, 42nd Division Company — He had these words to say about the commendations of Pvt. Carl W. Dasch of his distinguished bravery and exceptional devotion to duty in action near Croix Rounge Farm (July 26-August 1, 1918) which earned Dasch merit of the Distinguished Service Cross:

"Private Carl W. Dasch, during this entire period (six days and nights), while attached to the Third Battalion, carried messages between the firing line and Battalion Headquarters, through heavy enemy shell fire. Upon returning from the firing line he would pick up a severely wounded man and carry him through and out of the barrage to a first aid station. Finally, he was so badly gassed that he could not see, but had to be given a direct order to report to the first aid station. During the whole series of engagements, Private Dasch did not sleep and taxed his physical endurance to the utmost, at all times setting to his comrades an example of utter disregard of danger and exceptional devotion to duty."

"Best Field Officer Who Ever Served Under Me" — General Douglas MacArthur
(Inscribed in Robert Conrad Joerg II's tombstone, Fairview Cemetery, Alabama)

Confidential Special Order No. 299 — Headquarters 167th Infantry
Camp Albert L Mills, November 5, 1917
Signed by R. Joerg Jr., Captain 167th Infantry, Adjutant

Various newspaper clippings related to Robert Joerg Jr.

During his lifetime he was married to Helen Dudley Joerg and Elizabeth Wood Guice Joerg and had two sons: Robert Conrad Joerg III (b. August 1, 1911 – d. May 28, 1989), and Wood Guice Joerg (b. December 14, 1914 – d. January 7, 1945).

His son Robert the Third served as a Commander in the U.S. Navy throughout multiple tours serving in World War Two, Korea, and Vietnam. His second son, Wood Guice, served with the rank of Lt. Colonel commanding the 551st Parachute Infantry and was killed in action during the Battle of the Bulge. He was awarded the Silver Star, Croix de Guerre with Palm, and the Purple Heart.

Historical images provided by William Kuner
Alabama Department of Archives

Wood Guice Joerg, USMA 1937

One of the United States Army's Airborne pioneers

Lt. Colonel Wood Guice Joerg — Commanding Officer, 551st Parachute Infantry
Killed in action during the Battle of the Bulge, January 7, 1945

Wood lived in many places and attended many schools. After World War I he went with his family on the troop train with the 29th Infantry to Fort Benning. He graduated from Georgia Military Academy, Junior School, with first honor and then went to high school in San Juan, Puerto Rico, graduating from Western High School in Washington, D.C.

Wood graduated with the class of 1937 and was assigned to the 9th Infantry, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Wood married Ethel Bruce Holmgreen of San Antonio in September 1939. He left in April 1944 for North Africa, Sicily, and Italy, and jumped into Southern France August 15. The troops of his organization were the first Americans to enter Cannes and Nice. They also had the distinction of being the first to jump from gliders and tow planes.

"For gallantry in action against the enemy on January 7, 1945. Lieutenant Colonel Joerg was in a forward position observing the assault elements of a unit as they moved to the attack on the village. His position during this phase was continually under extremely heavy and accurate mortar and observed artillery fire. When the fire fight was joined, Lieutenant Colonel Joerg saw that his left flank company had been purposely permitted to advance into open ground which was covered by a tremendous volume of machine gun fire.

Without regard for his own safety, and in order to extricate the company from its position, Lieutenant Colonel Joerg advanced through intense enemy fire toward the unit's extreme front line. Lieutenant Colonel Joerg's heroic action and unselfish devotion to his command were an inspiration to the entire unit and aided materially in preventing elements of the company from moving into an enemy trap. During this action Lieutenant Colonel Joerg was fatally wounded."

Edward H. Leslie

Left: Alabama National Guard Service Company 167th Infantry — Edward H. Leslie conscription record
Right: Gadsden City School photograph
Images: (William Kuner) / (Mollie Smith; Etowah County Historical Society)

John K. Moore's Radio Publications

"Radio Operator Ready to Help All Amateur" — November 21, 1923

"The radio amateurs of Gadsden desire to co-operate with the broadcast listeners in eliminating any interference that may occur when their transmitters are used. This is a policy that is being followed throughout the nation by those amateurs who have the welfare of the 'game' at heart and wish to see radio develop as it should.

The federal government through the Department of Commerce, gives licensed amateur radio stations that right to transmit, under certain restriction. Briefly, these are: To transmit on a pure sharp wave between the wave lengths of 150 and 200 meters, depending upon the type of transmitter used; not to send between the hours of 8 and 10:30 p.m., local standard time, nor when a local broadcasting station is sending out Sunday morning church services; not to interfere with any radio communication and to operate an orderly station at all times." — John K. Moore, The Gadsden Daily Times-News, November 21, 1923

Letter to Editor — July 16, 1924

"Radio is a great and wonderful thing, but it is not yet perfect so don't expect too much from it. Read the radio papers and magazines to keep abreast of the times in radio, and let's all look forward to this coming winter, the greatest in radio yet." — Mr. John K. Moore, U-5QP; Gadsden Amateur Radio Association, 1924

The Radio Fan — Joe McCormack's Column

"The Radio Fan" Periodical by Joe McCormack, R.E. (5TB)
The Gadsden Daily Times-News

Transcription of "The Radio Fan" — Monday, July 28, 1924

"The radio fan has been appearing in the Times-News for the last six months. Now as both papers are combined in one the radio fan will be read by many more radio bugs. Better articles will appear on how to build sets, and much more useful information will be published.

Audio frequency amplification has become one of the indispensable factors of modern radio reception. Without it, the satisfaction and convenience of the loud speaker, which has become so popular, would be practically unknown. In fact, no up-to-date receiving set is considered complete without two or three stages of audio amplification and some type of horn..." — Joe McCormack, R.E., The Gadsden Daily Times-News, July 28, 1924

The League: 1954-1986

1954 The Gadsden Amateur Radio Club officially joined as an affiliate of the ARRL (American Radio Relay League) on January 18, 1954 and was assigned club designation 0716.

K4JMC still remains as one of the oldest long-running ARRL-affiliated clubs in the State of Alabama. [ARRL Club List]

"I graduated high school in 1961 and I was still in high school when I started attending club meetings. The club was meeting then at a log cabin that was down there, by the river, behind Holy Name Hospital. The city owned that property. And they had about, I'd say, 20-30 folks were there every time they had a meeting — they were pretty active at that time.

They also had an ambulance, that someone had retired, and they had bought it and built a big mobile station in it. Run around if there was an emergency or something and they'd stick it up." — Dave Waits, K4VMV (April 9, 2022)

Dave was originally first licensed in 1956 and his call was originally KN4VMV at the Novice level. He became K4VMV two years later passing Technician.

Later Years: 1986-Present

1986 It was decided in February of 1986 that the current in-use repeater, K4RBC would find its home on Hensley Mountain, located between Whorton's Bend and Rainbow Drive, with accommodations of a hundred foot tower, a block building to house the repeater, and electricity on site.

K4JMC Repeater Installation, circa 1986

Joe Patty, the trustee of the club call K4JMC, gave his consent to use the call for repeater identification. Mr. Jim Wallace, of the Huntsville Radio Club, W4NCY, donated a new RCA UHF Transceiver and three used ones that could be used to control the repeater.

The coordination committee recommended the Spectrum SCR77 with Wacom 93 serving as isolation duplexers. At the time it made use of a G7144 Isopole Hustler with a gain of 7dB. Mr. Dale Bigalow and Mr. James Glassco served as overseers for repeater maintenance.

1986-1987 Leadership

Steve A. Smith, WB4NBP
(August 20, 1949 – March 28, 2012)

Dale M. Bigelow
(December 2, 1946 – November 24, 2016)

Handwritten club meeting minutes discussing packet radio contributions

Others included Jim Smith, who served as the packet radio coordinator for the club and was responsible for digipeater KB4EZF-1 during this time. Walt Damkohler, W4EBO [FindAGrave], served as the Alabama Repeater Council and Regional Coordinator.

Packet Radio in Pop Culture

The late 1980s and early 1990s saw packet radio gain mainstream recognition, even appearing in popular media:

Archie Comics featuring packet radio and amateur radio emergency communications
A testament to ham radio's cultural presence during the packet era

Club Activities & Public Service

Club publication featuring Dave Waits, K4VMV handling traffic at the EOC (EMA Van)
and club volunteers participating in river cleanup efforts

Club Officers 1989-1992

1992 July 13, 1992 — The Gadsden Amateur Radio Club was presented a certificate for 25 years of ARRL affiliation.

2017 — Reaching For The Stars

2017 The K4JMC Club and Company made contact with the International Space Station, according to AMSAT, on Wednesday, January 4th, 2017 at 11:29 a.m. CST after an agreement on May 30, 2016 was reached with the US ARISS program.

ISS Astronaut Commander Shane Kimbrough, KE5HOD during Expedition 50

The education proposal from Rainbow Middle School and the Gadsden Amateur Radio Club was one of 12 which were accepted by US organizations to move on to the next stage of the planning process.

Courtesy of Debra Johnson, K1DMJ of the ARRL's Education Services Division.

K4JMC ISS Contact Commemorative Artwork

The station for the event was made up of a crossed 22 element CP M-Squared 2MCP22 yagi antenna with a Yaesu G5400B rotor and its coordinators were comprised of Adam W4AMA, Bill K4FSO, Ray W4YTC, and Jake MK4GXJ alongside Robert Evans, W4RLE.

Ray Forrester, W4YTC, presenting ARISS contact video (September 12, 2016)

Much of the equipment which was used in the ISS contact was made possible through Tim Cunningham, N8DEU from Decatur/Huntsville.

Other Notable Events

• 2016 August 8: Alabama Section Representative Mr. Ed Tyler, N4EDT visited the club during its residency at the American Red Cross Building in Gadsden.
• 2016 November 6: Presentation and Visit from Dr. Ronald Hanson, Lt Col. of the Alabama Wing of the Civil Air Patrol and Director of the Cadet Program.
• 2017 March 8: PowerPoint Presentation by Henry Wingate, K4HAL on RTTY and other digital amateur radio modes.
• 2017 April 10: Presentation by Club President, Robert Evans (W4RLE) on the usage of ham radio software.
• 2017 May 8: Presentation by Delton Hartzog, WA4JLQ on the Dayton Hamvention.
• 2017 November 13: Presentation about Decommissioned Equipment by Ed Tyler, N4EDT, Public Information Coordinator for the ARRL Alabama Section.
• 2017 December 11: The club moves to a new location at the First United Methodist Church in Attalla after the closing of the Red Cross Building in Downtown Gadsden (June 2017).
• 2018 September 10: Presentation "Amateur Code" by Club Member Charles Atchley, K4CEA.
• 2018 September 24: Guest Speaker from Alabama ARES District G: Robert Parsons, KK4UDU.
• 2018 November 20: K4JMC Repeater located at 147.160 is put on the air.
• 2018 December 13: Club Members Bill Rodgers, K4FSO and Robert Maltbie, KN4DSA become coordinators for the Etowah County ARES.
• 2019 January 1: Presentation by Bill Rodgers, K4FSO on VHF/UHF Winlink Global Radio Email System.
• 2019 February 11: Presentation by Vice President Mick Lindley, KB4UPI on Hallicrafter & WW2-era Radios.
• 2019 July 2: The Alabama Emergency Net Y was moved onto the K4RBC Repeater.

Early Repeater Information

Main Equipment (1991)

The club made use of:

• Kenwood TS530S Transceiver, KPS-12 Power Supply
• SCR 77 Repeater, ACC RC-850 Repeater Controller
• Waycomm Duplexers
• RCA-700 430 MHz Transceiver (x2)
• Icom 22S 2 Meter Transceiver
• Kenwood MC-50 Mike
• Drake DL1000 Dummy Load
• Denton W-2 Watt Meter
• Kenwood TR7400A (x2)
• Astron RM50M PSU
• Paccomm DR-2000 2 Port Digipeater

Antennas Used

• Rohn HBX-56 Foot Tower
• Cushcraft A144-11 Yagi 144 (x2), A144-WPK Stacking Kit, A144-SK Stack Harness
• Mosley 33
• AEA ISO-144 ISOPOLE 144/440
• Hustler G7-144 Vert
• 4 Element Yagi Beam 50MHz
• Hustler 5-Band Vert
• 80m Dipole / 50ft RG-8X
• 80m Loop & 100ft Ladder Line
• MFJ Tuner MFJ-941D & 440 Mobile Ant

Repeater Services: Autopatch (24 hours access), Time of Day and Temperature, Bulletin Board Service, Repeater System Temp, Volts D.C., Date, Time, Next VEC Test Session D/T, Next Radio Club Meeting D/T, Net Mode, Epower, and Weather Alerts.