Ham Radio in Lithuania
History: 1918-1940
Antanas Zdramys LY1DL
From Marconi to W.W. I
1900s: first radio amateurs after Marconi
experiments. 1-7 miles QSOs
 No stations over 200m
 4000 amateurs in 1917
(most in USA)
 200m band alocated
 1000 miles distance reached
 Radio amateurs in W.W. I (3/4 from USA)
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After WW I
Hiram Percy Maxim
proclomation – meeting in
NY (11 veterans)
 ARRL reetablished
 Vacuum tubes invented –
1st 2000 miles
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1921-23: first transatlantic
Paul Godley (ARRL) experiments
 1921: 30 USA stns hrd fm EU
 1922: 315 USA hrd in EU, 2 G and 1 F
hrd in USA, but no QSO even with 1 KW
 1923: experiments on 130m and 90m.
 November 1923: Schnell (1MO) and
Reinartz (1XAM) QSO with Deloy (8AB)
on 110m
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1924-25:
ham radio withdrawn from
HF, only 160, 80, 40, 20,
10, 5 m bands left
 First EU-VK QSO on 40 m.
 IARU founded on April 17,
1925 in Paris
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(about 200 delegates from 23 countries)
B. Talutis LY1X – 1st ham in LY
1918: first QSO on 300m in Šiauliai
 1927: QSO with France fom Kėdainiai
(LYT)
 1928: ET1X
 1931: LY1X
 1932: first license
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LY stations before 1930
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LY1HB B. Heraldas: first phone
QSO with Saarbrucken from
Biržai
LY1E – Eljaševičius from Kaunas
LY1MB – E. Bartninkas from
Marijampolė
LY1B – O. Benkis from Klaipėda
V. Vanagas: YL2BV (student in
Riga)
1931-1932: First licenses
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1931. LY1X started appealing
April 23, 1932.
Permission No. 11865 –
First licence to operate
1932 licences:
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LY1X
LY1AA
LY1J
LY1S
1932-1938
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1933: LY1AC, LY1MB,
LY1ZB
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1934: LY1B, LY1AE, LY1AB,
LY1AG, LY1SV
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1935: LY1AF, LY1AD, LY1AI
1936: LY1AL, LY1AN, LY1HB,
LY1KK, LY1S, LY1VV
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1937: LY1AK, LY1AV, LY1AH,
LY1AP, LY1AS, LY1AT, LY1AU, LY1AX, LY1AY, LY1AZ
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1938: LY1AE, LY1AJ, LY1AO, LY1AQ, LY1AW, LY1BA, LY1BB,
LY1BC, LY1BD, LY1BE, LY1BF, LY1BG, LY1BK, LY1BL, LY1BM,
LY1BN, LY1BO, LY1BR, LY1BT, LY1BV, LY1CV, LY1BX, LY1BQ,
LY1BJ, LY1CA
Birth of LRMD
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LY1AA and LY1J actions
P.O. box No. 100 in Kaunas
 LY addresses in Call Book Magazine
 Proposal to establish LRM
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First Meeting (Kaunas, March 4, 1933)
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LY1AA, LY1AB, LY1AC, LY1AD, LY1E, LY1J,
LY1S and LY1ZB
Lithuanian Short-Waves Radio Amateur
Society (October 2, 1938)
1939
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60.000 amateurs in the world:
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45.000 in USA
64 in LY
35 morse code lessons from
LY1J trx
English class (17 pers.
audience)
Book “Radijo mėgėjas”: 3000
copies
22.000 QSLs printed
2.235 LT income, 1.830 LT
expenses
CQ LRM - First contest
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1939.02.12 06:00-24:00 phone
1939.02.19 06:00-24:00
telegraphy
10, 20, 40, 80 and 160 m.
Trophies for winners, awards
for all
Results: phone: LY1J (54),
LY1AT (44), LY1AP (44), LY1S
(44). SWL: Ms. Balčiūtė (60),
Mr.Stanėnas (59), Mr.
Starevičius (52).
Results: CW: LY1S (34),
LY1BX (34), LY1AI (30). SWL:
LYR04, LYR09.
Second LRM contest
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1940.02.11 06-24,
40 and 80 m.
Telephony winners: LY1AP432, LY1S-420, LY1AT-390. 25
participants.
Telegraphy winners: LY1BX390, LY1J-264, LY1AT-228.
17 participants.
SWL telephony:
V.Severinas-3336,
(8 participants)
SWL CW: (3 participants)
V.Zelenkevicius - 540.
1940
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LRM regular traffics and bulletins:
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1940.01.07 LRM annual meeting
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Nr. 1: 1940.01.30
Nr. 2: 1940.04.19
President: Petras Vanagaitis LY1J
Secretary: Simas Grina LY1AR
QSL manager LY1KK
Log books printed
(packs of 200 pages)
Cold winter, but good DX conditions
on March. LY1S made 70 QSOs
with USA during 1940.03.06-07.
70% telephony S9 reported.
Plans for 1940-41
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Establish HQ - so far every other week in one Kaunas
restaurant
More CW lessons (LY1AT radio)
Next book
Next contest
Consultation centre
Monthly QTC
Radio broadcasts every 2 weeks on 41m
LRMD pins production (started on 1940)
Special QSL stamps (LY1BG QSL manager)
Library for LRMD members
Licensing in 1940
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In general the work of Lithuanian radio amateurs is
subject to the laws issued by the government in 1939
The permit to keep a short wave transmitter is given to
persons not younger than seventeen and who have
passed the necessary examinations
During the first year the new radio amateur can work
only at telegraph and later also at the telephone.
Only 50 watts first 2 years.
Exams on 1940.02.12.
27 invited, 9 participated, 6 passed.
Beginning of WW II
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The private radio transmitters was stopped at 6 o’clock
on the 17th September, 1939
1939.10.28: LY1J and LY1S moved to Vilnius with army
and established communication to Kaunas. They visited
SP amateurs in Vilnius, but found only a few.
Transmission once more allowed from 1940.01.03, but
communication between belligerent states in Europe was
forbidden.
1940 March: transmission forbidden in: OE, ON, XZ, VE,
OK, OZ, OH, F, DL, G, EI, LX, PA, Z, LA, P, CT, YO, ZS,
SM, HB.
ES: Stopped on 1939.10.17, allowed from 1939.11.03
IARU
Applied on 1939
 Voted for LY: K, SU, VY, PA, ZL, YV, F, CT,
G. No votes against.
 Today no info about initiation.
 Re-initiated on 1992.
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Survived LY hams
Almost everybody
emigrated
 LY1AP lives in USA
 LY1VV
S.K. on 2000.
 LY1BX still active,
honor member of
LRMD.
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Wilenski Klub Krotkofalowcow
(tnx UY5XE)
Date of foundation WKK - 29.12.1929
(55 members: HAMs + SWLs).
President - kpt. Roman Siekierski (SP3MR).
 11.05.1930 - president Dr. Adolf Kopec.
 15.05.1931 - WKK (27 HAMs) - one is 5
founders of PZK.
 06.11.1931 - president Dr. Adolf Kopec.
 11.06.1933 - president inz. T.Dabrowski.
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Nw QRU, 73!
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