WIET Galling ...
WHEN I came to Dartmouth in September as an enthusiastic member of that well-known hobby "ham radio," I eagerly looked forward to the operation of station WiET at Dartmouth. As I viewed the campus through the green eyes of a brand-new freshman, I became more and more impressed with the tremendous resources and organization everywhere in evidence. I naturally assumed that these assets would be as much in evidence at the Dartmouth Amateur Radio Station, and therefore I set out to find the station.
To make a long story short, I was doomed to bitter disappointment. Days of fruitless searching revealed nothing; however, I finally managed to track down a lead and then find my way to the station. It seemed as though my troubles were over as I climbed to the "fourth" floor of Wilder Hall (Wilder has only three real floors), and I had visions of soon booming out over the airwaves.
After forcing the lock, pulling myself up what appeared to be an endless ladder, and navigating through a large accumulation of old blankets, rolls of wire, and dust, I was finally standing in front of the "rig." My companion seated himself confidently in front of the emaciated transmitter and began muttering to himself: "Now let's see ... main power switch on ... filaments on ... a small adjustment here and we just flip this switch and ... well, must be a dirty relay or something. Anyway, we just turn on the modulator and ... well, darn it! The thing worked all right last year. Ask any of the fraternity members who tried to watch T.V."
The language of my companion prohibits any further description of the heartrending details. This article is written, with some slight exaggeration, as a testimony of the present deplorable state of WIET, the Dartmouth Amateur Radio Station. We have plans for putting it back on its feet, and we assure the reader that we have a very congenial and comfortable home for any equipment he might have and not need, or know about and know how to get.
Amateur radio is a fascinating and a worthwhile hobby. Through our own efforts and the help of other interested Dartmouth men, we hope to restore it to its former respectable state on the campus.
