From October 1960 to September 2003, Hams everywhere were greeted each month with a welcome sight sticking out amongst the bills in their mailboxes. It was 73 Magazine, the brainchild of editor-publisher Wayne S. Green II, W2NSD/1 (SK), whose lengthy editorials (under the title “Never Say Die”—NSD) were known to both challenge and champion the Ham Radio community, while often rankling the authorities guiding its future. At the height of its popularity, the Reader’s Digest-sized magazine boasted issues crammed with more than 300 pages of news, technical articles, experiments, reviews, DXpedition reports, and advertisements from Amateur Radio manufacturers—many of them still thriving today. A sampling from the June 1970 edition (a mere 145 pages with a heavy focus on antennas), included articles on:
- Top-Loaded Mobile Antenna…an Efficient Short ¼ Wave Twenty Meter Dipole
- Improving the Performance of Trap-Type Vertical Antennas
- Remote SWR Indicator
- A Practical DDRR Antenna
- Low-Cost QRP Rigs for CW Operation on 40 Meters
- 1970 Buyer’s Guide of Antennas and Towers (Rohn, Cushcraft, Swan, et al.)
The issue’s signature piece was a cover story on King Hussein of Jordan, JY1 (SK), who Green visited to talk about, among other things, His Majesty’s interest in Ham Radio. Green became a silent key September 13, 2013, at the age of 91. Lucky for us, his voluminous work lives on. The complete archive of 73 Magazine, which he nurtured for 43 cantankerous years, is available free to the public online. Click here and browse to your heart’s content.
Share with us your fondest memories of receiving your copies of 73. Do you still have them stashed in the attic?
