The Amateur Radio Club, later called VE5US, was formed during the 1956-57 academic year.
It gave members lessons on Morse Code and basic theory which could be used toward obtaining government certification to broadcast on-air.
The club operated a well-equipped station atop the Engineering Building. Weekly it would communicate with other universities across the country at a set time, allowing students and their families free contact. Over time, the club expanded its reach across the globe.
The popularity of the Internet eventually led to the end of the club.
Club records in the Archives are primarily contact confirmation cards collected by members over its decades of operation. QSL cards are, perhaps, the most visible aspect of this hobby.
The radio operator would send a “confirmation of reception” (or QSL in the ham's Q-code) to a listener, who then had proof of reception time, date and frequency as well as information on the quality of the signal received. This image is the front side of a confirmation card sent from Moscow acknowledging contact with VE5US on Feb. 17, 1968.
The image is of “the back side of the moon taken by the Soviet Interplanetary on the 7th of October 1959.”