The Sparks Journal is a fascinating source of information on maritime radio history. All issues from 1977 through 1986 are available in downloadable, searchable form online. Just click on this link, choose your country, and click on the Sparks Journal icon (same one as above) on the lower left.
For some years SoWP also published less frequent but larger publications. Variously called “Ports o’ Call” or “Yearbook” or “Sparks” or “Directory and Newsletter” these are well-written, historically rich sources of radio history. To find these, just click on the links below. We are making these available as they are scanned in, so check back often.
Ports o’ Call 1968 – Member biographies, Society constitution, history of the San Francisco Radio Club, shipwrecks, much more.
Ports o’ Call Winter 1968 – Voices and music heard over the radiotelegraph (!), 60th anniversary of trans-Pacific communications at KPH, early Pacific wireless history by Richard Johnstone, and more.
SoWP 1971 Yearbook and Roster of Members – Includes articles by Henry Dickow, John E. Waters, etc. plus a directory of members by ham call sign.
SoWP 1972 Directory and Newsletter – Stories about early wireless in San Francisco (Dickow), NAA Arlington, wireless history by Ed Marriner, etc.
1973 SoWP Year Book – History of American Marconi (Mayes), Hugo Gernsback (Dickow), Tahiti (Lee), many, many member stories.
Sparks Vol 1 No 2, Spring 1974 – US wireless companies 1900-1920 (Mayes), KPH, Tropical Radio Telegraph Co., etc.
Sparks Vol 3, Nov 1974 – History of Federal (Mann), Father of Radio (Dickow), Titanic (Breniman), fiction (?) by Quimby, much history… Bart Lee’s commentary on Cyril Elwell of Federal can be found in at this link
Yet another SoWP publication was a regular newsletter, the “World Wireless Beacon”. To see some of these click on the links below.
World Wireless Beacon Vol 17 No 1 2005 – Waldo Boyd on the future of the Society, “Old brass pounders never die, they just lose the tension on their key springs, hi,” and more
World Wireless Beacon Vol 6 No 3 Sep-Oct 1994 – Voyage of Liberty ship Jeremiah O’Brien on 50th anniversary, new SoWP president Jack Kelleher, etc.
World Wireless Beacon Vol 6 No 4 Dec 1994 – A Great Grandfather Looks Back (Kaiser), Greenland wx station XPL, My First Ship (Hyder), etc.
World Wireless Beacon Vol 7 No 2 Jun 1995 – Coast Guard Deep Sixes Morse Code, Sinking of the Rohna, The Wireless Almanac (Rosebury), etc.
World Wireless Beacon Vol 11 No 1 Mar 1999 – Jack Binns and the Republic Disaster (Kelleher), member correspondence, SKs, etc.
World Wireless Beacon Vol 11 No 2 Jun 1999 – A Voyage to Freetown Pt 1(MS Josiah Macy, 1941; McKinney), Coast Station KOK (Russell), etc.
World Wireless Beacon Vol 11 No 3 Sep 1999 – End of Morse at KPH (Dillman), A Voyage to Freetown Pt 2 (McKinney), An OT’s Story (Gibson), etc.
World Wireless Register Vol 12 No 2 – Sea Stories from the NCVA Internet, Swan Island ‘US’ (Jackson), etc.