{"product_id":"boom-ssb-and-the-stars-the-golden-age-of-postwar-amateur-radio-1945-1973-ham-radio-books-by-nn4y-by-terry-w-platt-nn4y","title":"Boom, SSB, and the Stars: The Golden Age of Postwar Amateur Radio (1945-1973) (Ham Radio Books by NN4Y) by Terry W. Platt NN4Y","description":"\u003cp\u003eBoom, SSB, and the Stars – The Golden Age of Postwar Amateur Radio (1945–1973)) Volume 2 of 3 - Amateur Radio: A History in Three Volumes After World War II, amateur radio did not simply recover—it exploded into one of the most vibrant eras in the hobby's history. From the reopening of silent bands in 1945 to the early 1970s, ham radio became a global community of nearly a quarter-million U.S. licensees and countless more worldwide, fueled by returning veterans, affordable surplus gear, and an unprecedented wave of technological and cultural change. In this second volume, Terry W. Platt, NN4Y, chronicles the golden age of postwar amateur radio with the same passion and firsthand perspective that made Book One a beloved reference. The story begins with the flood of military surplus—ARC-5 command sets, BC-348 receivers, ART-13 transmitters—that put powerful stations within reach of teenagers and families. The FCC's 1951 creation of the Novice and Technician classes opened the doors wide, sparking a youth-driven boom that filled the airwaves with crystal-controlled QSOs and homebrew VHF projects. The heart of the era was the dramatic shift from warm, plate-modulated AM to the lean efficiency of single sideband (SSB). What started as experimental phasing and filter techniques in the late 1940s became mainstream by the mid-1960s, conquering crowded HF phone bands and enabling low-power stations to compete with kilowatts. Affordable rigs from Heathkit, Drake, Swan, and later Yaesu and Kenwood made SSB accessible, while AM retreated to nostalgic roundtables on 75 and 40 meters. Read more\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Independently published","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48153212190905,"sku":"8249416645","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0793\/7871\/0713\/files\/61CwWfR_lhL._AC_SL1500.jpg?v=1784227558","url":"https:\/\/www.bestbuybook.com\/products\/boom-ssb-and-the-stars-the-golden-age-of-postwar-amateur-radio-1945-1973-ham-radio-books-by-nn4y-by-terry-w-platt-nn4y","provider":"BestBuyBook","version":"1.0","type":"link"}