I am a British historian working on the International Geophysical Year, and am currently researching the "surprise" aspects of Sputnik 1. I found your web page fascinating, but rather too much focused on sputnik as an *American* event for my present interests. I think radio amateurs might be interested in and able to help me with some of what follows.

As is well known, the Soviet amateur radio magazine *Radio* published several detailed accounts of the future sputniks, including their telemetry frequencies, of which western scientists were still largely unaware, in June thru September 1957. Slightly less well known is the fact that mock sputnik signals were actually broadcast, for Soviet hams to work, during August and September.

My current research is looking at two questions. First, to what extent was the international ham community aware, not merely of the general imminence of a Soviet satellite, but of these *details*? Second, were there any other indications, before June 1957, of the importance that would be attached to radio amateur observations in the Soviet program?

On the first question, I shall of course be reviewing 1957 issues of *Wireless World* and *QST*. But perhaps you know of other sources I should look at, such as memoirs by leading hams of the day, or later, historical articles in those journals?

On the second question, I have found a few interesting indications. A leading ionosphere physicist gave a lecture to the Central Radio Club of Moscow some time before May 1957, in which she drew attention to the importance of radio to many aspects of the IGY, as well as to the likelihood that IGY results would be beneficial in respect of propagation problems. However, in the text as we have it, slightly revised for a 1958 publication, she makes no reference at all to any role for radio hams. On the other hand the lecture was already being referred to by her boss in an interview for *Radio* in May 1957 as being important for hams, who would be able to help in several ways with IGY observations. (Of course that leaves the puzzle of how they were supposed to get hold of a copy.)

Next, there is the case of Station A-7-B (possibly A-G-B?). This station was featured in the December 1956 issue of *Radio* as broadcasting on 37.8 - 40.2 MHz, for working by hams. I would like to find out when it was established, how long it existed for, and best of all, was it one of the stations used to broadcast test sputnik signals in the summer of 1957? Are there historical catalogs somewhere of all the stations there have ever been? (I am thinking of the history of transportation, for example, where every canal lock and every railway spur line is lovingly recorded, at least in the western world.)

So, if you know where I can learn more about the Soviet radio clubs in general, about that station, or about prior awareness of the sputnik frequencies etc amongst radio amateurs in the summer of 1957, I would be most grateful for anything you can tell me.

With best wishes,

Rip Bulkeley
ripb@gn.apc.org