MOOSE JAW — Members of the Moose Jaw Amateur Radio Club (MJARC) showcased the first social media platform by demonstrating how to send and receive Morse code messages during the Community Heritage Day at the Western Development Museum (WDM) on Feb. 22.
The transmissions aired on a ham radio, also known as an amateur radio. MJARC notes the term “ham” likely dates to 1919 when professionals used it to playfully mock less-skilled operators.
Ham radio systems are non-commercial networks that let licensed operators communicate using designated frequencies. With basic equipment including transceivers, antennas, and a structured language like Morse code, operators can connect locally or globally, even in remote areas where other communication fails.
MJARC uses the call sign “VE5MA,” and was founded by a group of radio enthusiasts including President W.R. (Wally) Pottle (4AO), Vice-President Pat Bayley, Secretary J.E. Brickett, and Treasurer A. Mathers during a time when radio technology was still in its infancy. Ever since its inception on Nov. 16, 1921, MJARC remains the longest running amateur radio club in Saskatchewan.
In the early ‘20s, Moose Jaw was home to only 11 radio sets, making MJARC’s formation a significant milestone for the city. On April 23, 1922, the federal government issued the very first Canadian Station License to Moose Jaw — 10AB.
The club’s earliest transmissions were broadcast at 10 watts, which was increased to 50 watts by 1923. Due to early financial constraints, the station was handed to the local Kiwanis Club who broadcast from the YMCA building until it was returned to the newly organized Moose Jaw Radio Association in 1924. The association’s studio was relocated to the top floor of Norman Bellamy’s furniture store until it faced financial difficulties in November 1933.
On Dec. 17, 1933, the station was repurchased and permanently returned as 800 CHAB in AM radio format.
During the WDM’s Community Heritage Day, members of the MJARC demonstrated this early radio technology with Morse code transmissions.
Visitors had the unique opportunity to send a message from the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan Hangar station that transmitted to the railroad station where a second team was on standby to receive, translate, and present the decoded message.
At the receiving end, one member received and interpreted the message, which was then passed on to another member who typed it out on a historical typewriter — just as it was done in the past.
“This is the first time we’ve done the Morse code (at a public event),” said Tim Feusi, a member of the MJARC who handed out the typed messages. “We’re literally transmitting by radio to another radio inside the building. We’re not hardwired in like railroad telegraphs used to be,” he noted.
During an approximately 20-minute observation, only one transmission had a name spelled incorrectly — otherwise the messages were received with a great deal of accuracy.
“It really is like learning another language,” Feusi noted when describing the process of learning Morse code. Mastery begins with common letters and vowels, then moves to simple phrases.
In a world increasingly dominated by digital communication, the MJARC’s dedication to preserving the traditions of amateur radio serves to remind the public of the ingenuity and passion that have driven technological advancements over the past century.
MJARC is based out of the Wireless Room at the WDM in Moose Jaw, located at 50 Diefenbaker Drive.
To learn more about the Moose Jaw Amateur Radio Club including resources, courses, and upcoming club activities, visit .
For more information about the amateur radio hobby, visit the website of the Radio Amateurs of Canada at .
