As Stanford University celebrates its 100th year, the Stanford Amateur Radio Club is celebrating its 67th year of operation. Rumor has it that the Stanford Amateur Radio Club was founded on a dark and dreary day in 1922. The truth of this rumor cannot be ascertained, as records containing the club's history have mysteriously disappeared. It is certain, however, that a "Stanford University Radio Club" became affiliated with the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) on March 8, 1924. In the twenties, the club's unique callsign was 6YX, which was changed circa 1927-28 to W6YX, a designation which it retains today. The change was undoubtedly made in order to accommodate the great number of people joining the hobby affectionately known as "ham radio."
One ham, William Wells, 6AEG, remembered the club's formative years: "We had a regular schedule at around 3-4 a.m, Pacific time, with a ham in central Rhodesia, South Africa. Did excellent two-way CW DX for over an hour until ionosphere conditions became unfavorable again. No wonder I barely got by in Prof. Terman's newly introduced radio course!"
The equipment used to make these contacts was described by another ham, George Watson, K6WL: "The 'shack' (fall quarter, winter quarter 1929; spring quarter 1930) was right near the fire station. I don't remember what kind of antenna, but probably was a vertical, with counterpoise... CW (code) was the only means by which 'intelligence' got outside the club's doors. Believe a mercury vapor rectifier tube got the AC out, and think a 50 watt UV 203-A was the 'final'. (There was nil else, of course -- just the exciter). Circuit used was a tuned plate tuned grid affair, using copper tubing in the tank circuit. The receiver was, I believe some sort of 'National'; regeneration with a stage of audio amplification."
Over the years, the Stanford Amateur Radio Club has gone through periods of growth and periods of dormancy. Orin Levis, W6DZK, notes that "When I arrived on campus, Oct. 1929 (Soph. transfer), W6YX was dormant. I got OK from Dr. Fred Terman and put station back on the air. Also started Radio Club up again and had QSL cards printed. We enjoyed CW schedules to Long Beach while I was in school. The last year (1932) we had to move station from 2nd floor of Machinery Hall to a room in Corporation Yard. I put up a new Zepp antenna from roof to smoke stack. Transmitter was a self-excited TPTG, using 852 tube. Dr. Terman talked to the club once or twice, but mostly the club existed to justify having a ham shack... There was some other, more sophisticated rack-and-panel gear at the University, but it was not available to the undergrads, so the old TPTG did the job."
Frederick Terman's name stands out prominently in the memories of these hams. Dr. Terman was a true pioneer of amateur radio, who received his first ham license in 1916. A freshman at Stanford in 1917, before the founding of W6YX, Terman was nonetheless an active ham, operating under various callsigns and contacting stations as far away as Denver. W6YX dedicated their 50th anniversary directory to Dr. Terman, noting that,"Always a staunch friend of the Radio Club, he elected to remain in the background. But without his unfailing support and encouragement, the Club might easily have disappeared. For example, he made possible the separate building behind the Ryan Laboratory. And on more than one occasion, vacuum tubes which he acquired as "samples" during trips around the country to gather material for his textbooks, found their way into W6YX transmitters..." Dr. Terman was an authority on radio engineering, author of two of the most-used textbooks on the subject, Radio Engineering and The Radio Engineer's Handbook.
Another pioneering amateur who supported the Stanford Amateur Radio Club was Dr. O.G. Villard, Jr., who for many years served as the club's Trustee. Dr. Villard experimented with many modes of radio operation, often using the equipment at W6YX to test his theories. He published papers on "A Deluxe Multi-band V.F.O. Exciter," "Overmodulation Splatter Suppression," "Meteor Detection by Amateur Radio," and "Single Sideband Operating Tests," all based on his experience at W6YX. The ARRL 1985 Operating Handbook notes that "On September 31, 1947, Oswald G. Villard, W6QYT, operating W6YX, worked Winfield G. Wagener, W6VQD on the 75-meter band. The SSB [single side-band] era had begun." This was the first amateur single-sideband transmission, and it was made from the club station. SSB is still one of the most used modes of HF operation.
Over the years, W6YX has located its "shack" at various sites around campus. They began operations near the old Fire House, moved in 1930 to the second floor of the Machinery Lab, then, 1938, to the basement of the Ryan High Voltage Lab and, in 1940, to a shack on Frenchman's Hill south of Ryan. That shack was replaced by a portable building in 1947. Currently, the club operates out of two trailers, one for VHF/UHF and one for HF, located near the intersection of Campus Drive and Searsville Road. There are plans to move the club to a permanent building at Site 530 sometime in the future. That site is currently used for temporary operations.
The club has a selection of equipment, all of which may be used by W6YX members. The HF equipment includes two transceivers, for coverage below 30 MHz, two linear amplifiers for running up to 1 kW of power, and separate rotatable Yagi antennas for 10, 15, 20 and 40 meter bands all mounted at least 50 ft up. A triband (10-15-20) Yagi is also available for additional coverage. A delta loop is available for 80 meters as well. The VHF/UHF shack has transceivers and antennas covering the 6m, 2m, 60cm, and 1.2 GHz bands. The club also manages two FM repeaters on 1.2 GHz and one on 70cm. Other equipment includes an OSCAR satellite station, facilities for packet radio, and a satellite TV receiving station. The HF trailer also has a well stocked experimental bench with an oscilloscope, frequency counter, multimeter, and a SWR/power meter. Much of this equipment was donated by area businesses and hams in the '70s to replace the club's old gear.
Over the years, W6YX members have used the club's equipment to make many contacts with other radio stations in the U.S. and abroad. The club has earned numerous ARRL operating awards, including WAC (worked all continents), WAS (worked all U.S. states), and one of the most prestigious awards, DXCC (worked one hundred-plus countries). Members continue to earn awards individually and for the club, and they regularly participate in amateur radio events such as Field Day, a nationwide contest designed to test emergency preparedness.
The Stanford Amateur Radio Club is open to all licensed amateurs within the Stanford community, including undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Prospective hams should contact the club for information on license preparation classes for the novice and tech no-code licenses. Dues for the academic year are $15 for currently registered Stanford students (graduate and undergraduate) and $35 for Stanford faculty and staff and other interested amateurs affiliated with Stanford. Club meetings are held on the 2nd Monday of each month and all members are encouraged to attend.
For more information about the Stanford Amateur Radio Club, contact John Beale, SARC President, or send an e-mail note to w6yx@stanford.edu.