Editing American Radio Relay League (section)

=== 1920–1964 ===
[[File:ARRL Radiogram front.jpg|thumb|right|ARRL radiogram delivery postcard, c. 1925]]
The 1920s saw tremendous technical growth in radio. Pushed both by wartime demands and by the growing commercialization of radio, equipment rapidly improved. The use of [[Spark-gap transmitter|spark gap technology]] quickly disappeared as the more efficient [[continuous wave]] system of generating radio-frequency energy and transmitting [[Morse Code]] became standard. In 1923 a two-way contact between [[Connecticut]] and [[France]] bridged the [[Atlantic Ocean]] for the first time.

With government uncertainty as to how to allocate both commercial and amateur frequencies, the ARRL kept discipline in amateur ranks so that spectrum was not unnecessarily occupied. They worked with Washington and the result was that amateurs received the orderly series of [[harmonic]] frequency bands that they largely hold today (originally 1.8, 3.5, 7, 14, 28, and 56&nbsp;MHz; other bands have since been added and the 56&nbsp;MHz allocation was changed to 50&nbsp;MHz).

Other activities during this time included transcontinental relays to quickly move messages across the United States, communications assistance in several emergencies, and encouragement for an amateur radio operator on an Arctic expedition of [[Donald B. MacMillan]]—perhaps the first beginnings of [[DXpedition]]s. The League also began to act in an advisory capacity for the American delegations at international radio conferences. In 1925 the [[International Amateur Radio Union]] was formed, and it remains headquartered at Newington. The long-running [[Frankford Radio Club]] (W3BKX) was founded around 1927 and affiliated with ARRL in 1930.<ref>{{cite web |title=FRC History Introduction |url=https://www.gofrc.org/frc-history-introduction/}}</ref>

In the 1930s the [[Great Depression]] took its toll on development. Hiram Percy Maxim died in 1936. His [[callsign]] W1AW was licensed to the League and remains in use as the first-ever Memorial Station. In 1937 the [[DXCC]] Award, for working 100 countries, was established, and it still is the premier achievement in amateur radio. Operators, often under the ARRL Emergency Corps, helped at numerous disasters. The League's ''QST'' magazine acted as a forum for experimenters in voice, television, and [[very high frequency]] work.
[[File:Amateurradiostamp.jpg |thumb|right|US postage stamp for 50th anniversary of ARRL (1964)]] 
During [[World War II]], US amateurs were again told to leave the air. The ARRL developed the government-approved [[War Emergency Radio Service]], a [[Civil Defense]] system. Thousands of League members, and many thousands more who received technical training through its publications, served in the conflict. In late 1945 the bands began to reopen. The end of the war brought a tremendous expansion of amateur radio as large amounts of [[war surplus]] equipment was available, many recently trained operators became active, and experiments began in such newly developed modes as [[single sideband]] and [[microwave]]s.

The 1950s saw the continued development of amateur radio and consequent growth of the ARRL. New civil defense systems and procedures were developed by the League, including regular communications between isolated service members and their families. Equipment rapidly improved, although there was some trouble with television interference. The ARRL and many of its members cooperated with scientists during the [[International Geophysical Year]] in 1957, measuring the effects of solar activity on propagation in the [[VHF]] band.

A controversial idea was originated in 1961 when the League encouraged "incentive licensing", which sought reversion to the principle that higher levels of license privileges should require higher levels of demonstrated knowledge and [[Morse Code|CW]] skill but took away some amateur privileges until licensees requalified at higher levels; "incentives" are still in effect and only holders of the highest class of license ([[Amateur radio licensing in the United States#Current license classes|Amateur Extra]]) maintain all amateur privileges. By 1964 the positive influence of the ARRL was so evident that the United States issued a [[commemorative postage stamp]] on its 50th anniversary. As the League prepared for the future a new headquarters building was opened at Newington.<ref>"Fifty Years of A.R.R.L.", American Radio Relay League, 1965</ref>