The Other Fellow's Station -- W3GV
from the December 1947 issue of CQ Magazine
F. Dawson Bliley, W3GV, has made his mark in amateur ra
dio
twice over. One of the outstanding 2-meter experimenters, and co-holder with
W0WGZ of the 2-meter DX record for home stations, he is also president of
Bliley Electric Company, manufacturers of quartz crystals and associated
equipment, one of the first crystal companies in the field. Dawson received
his first amateur radio license, 8AGR, in 1919, going on the air with a spark
coil, then a ˝ kw spark transmitter.
In 1921 he purchased an Audiotron tube and World War I surplus 50 watter, and
opened up on 200 meters. In 1923 with an experimental license, 8XC. he
cooperated with the Naval Research Lab, NKF, and W1XAM, to explore the high
frequencies to help analyze the propagation properties at various times of the
day up to frequencies of 30 mc. This was before the amateur frequencies were
laid out in “bands.” In 1925 Dawson attempted transcontinental contact with
Frank Jones, W6AJF, on 56 mc. but without success. (W6AJF used probably the
first parabolic type antenna systems on the amateur bands on this test). In
1926 he became 8GU, the call held until 1936. When western Pennsylvania was
shifted into the third call area, W3GV was assigned. In 1930 Dawson started
making crystals as a part of the hobby which quickly grew into a business.
During World War II, he was radio aide to the Erie City and County Defense
Council and established almost 20 active stations throughout Erie County. In
1939, having an opportunity to pick a location for a home, property was
purchased on the must desirable high spot in the vicinity of Erie for very
high frequency communication. That is now the present location of W3GV.
From this spot it is a clear unobstructed jump to the horizon on Lake
Erie, approximately 25 miles, in the two directions in which most DX contacts
are made, west and northeast.
The station is on the top floor of his home and the roof is so designed that a
small part is flat to make it safe to work on. The supporting metal pole of
the beam antenna over the roof extends down through the roof to the side of
the operating table. The beam is a horizontally polarized affair consisting of
three sections stacked one-half wave-1 length apart. Each section consists of
four elements, .2 wavelengths apart. A gain of approximately 15’ db is
achieved. 52-ohm coaxial cable is used throughout the feeder systems. The
receiver is an RME l52A converter fed into a Hallicrafters SX43 receiver. The
transmitter is a Bliley CCO-2A into an 829B with 350 watts power in the final
of a pair of HFCS4 tubes. Phone and i.c.w. only.
Two-meter stations in
the Great Lakes area are fairly well scattered geographically and W3GV is able
to work between 100 and 150 miles most any evening, in any weather, with 150
to 250 miles being the distances on the occasional better nights. Of course,
this year there were several long distance openings when the distance was
extended to between 250 to over 600 miles to the west. As he puts it, all DX
stations in this part of the country are using horizontal polarization. “Work
on 2 seems just like 200 meter spark days all over again.”
Not included in the picture and on the opposite side of the radio room is
another operating table which is used for low-frequency transmission on 40 and
80 meters. This consists of a NC-2-40 receiver and a Bliley Vari-X oscillator
and composite transmitter. The frequency most used is 7299 kc.
Always looking for new horizons in the ultra-high frequencies to conquer W3GV
with other stations in the Lake Erie area are now planning to go on 450 mc
with superheterodynes, crystal-controlled transmitters, and high-gain
horizontal beams from the start. Other hobbies are motion picture photography
and sound recordings. The XYL also has an operator’s and station license to
help the OM. They hay four children, three boys and one girl.