This week, we visit a Web page for short-wave listeners who were officially designated WPE monitoring stations.

When I was a kid, most folks getting into ham radio came from the Citizens Band radio ranks or the short-wave monitoring mob (or both). Although I owned a pair of toy walkie-talkies at one time, I was an avid short-wave listener (SWL) and considered myself part of the monitoring mob.

Back then, CBers had (and actually used) FCC-assigned call signs and, of course, hams had call signs, but SWLs had no special designation. To sate our call sign envy, Popular Electronics issued call signs to individuals who showed an "active interest in radio communications," possessed "the necessary equipment," and demonstrated "the ability to monitor international radio transmissions."

If you met the necessary requirements, the magazine sent you a suitable-for-framing "Certificate of Registration" that proudly displayed your call sign (mine was WPE1GYX). Now, when you sent a reception report to a short-wave station, the fact that you were a "registered monitoring station" would so impress the engineer-in-charge that he would put your reception report ahead of all others and send you a QSL card immediately.

If you were a WPE, you will wax nostalgically at W1GFH's Web page.

On the Internet, I searched for more information regarding the WPE program and I found the "Were You A WPE?" Web page on the Web site built and maintained by Joe Tyburczy, W1GFH. The page describes the WPE program and includes reminiscences from many members of the monitoring mob who proudly displayed their WPE Certificates of Registration on the walls of their monitoring stations. Their stories are great radio nostalgia.

By the way, the WPE page is just the tip of the iceberg at W1GFH's Web site. Going to Joe's home page, I found links to a collection of articles written by Joe. Stories like "The Fabulous Legacy of the AMECO Transmitter Model AC-1" and "Halp! I'm Being Held Hostage by Boatanchors!" will certainly make you chuckle. I recommend Joe's collection when you need a break from the action.

Until next time, keep on surfin'.

Editor's note: Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU, of downtown Wolcott, Connecticut, is an ARRL Life Member and an incessant contributor to QST and QEX (573 pieces in 24 years), not to mention the author of five ARRL books and contributor to a bevy of other ARRL titles. First licensed in 1969 as WN1LOU, he upgraded to WA1LOU in 1971. Stan began using computers with Amateur Radio in 1978 when he bought a Radio Shack TRS-80 Model I computer and wrote BASIC programs to dupe contests and calculate antenna bearings. A virtual beach boy, Stan has been surfing the radio dials as long as he can remember. Instead of surfing all over Manhattan and down Doheny way, however, he now surfs the Internet searching for that perfect page. To contact Stan, send e-mail to wa1lou@arrl.net.

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