Atop the Engineering Building is a new addition to the State campus. The “shining telephone pole” is the all-band vertical antenna for WSYD, MSU’s ham radio group.
Work on the transmitter, which runs the maximum allowed by the Federal Government, is near completion. Mr. Hoyt Wooten, owner of WREC Station in Memphis, donated a one kilowatt transmitter to the club with the stipulation that it would be put on the amateur bands. The club wili make its first contact with Wooten.
Within two weeks, a milestone in the club’s history will be reached. It will be the first time 1000 watts of energy has ever been radiated from the “shack,” headquarters for the group’s equipment.
All these accomplishments have been manifested in the operator’s activities on the air. During hurricane “Betsy”, WSYD kept a hurricane watch for the area around State College. This meant keeping the transmitter and receiver functioning on one part of the radio spectrum so that any message could be relayed to and from the disaster area.
