1976 American Radio Relay League Amateur Radio Map of the World

This is a 1976 American Radio Relay Union (A.R.R.L) amateur radio map of the world. Employing a modified equidistant Azimuthal projection, the map depicts the world with the United States at the center, and world's countries displayed such that relative distances between foreign countries and the United States are easily discernible.

Radio Call Signs

Large block red letters and numbers are overlaid on each country. These collections of letters and numbers are call signs assigned by the International Amateur Radio Union (I.A.R.U.) to isolate the origin of a radio broadcast. Districts within certain countries are also illustrated, each of which bears its assigned numerical identifier. For example, amateur radio stations within the continental United States bear call signs that begin with either W or K and then a number between 0 and 9 followed by letters used for individual identification. Time zones are also depicted, allowing amateur radio operators to calculate the time difference.

Global Communication

Around the map, information concerning the projection, scale, and notations are situated in the upper left, while an explanation of how to use the map is included in the upper right. Below the two American Radio Relay League logos, a country index lists each country alphabetically, giving the country name, its time zone, and the associated prefix. This map is organized in such a way that any amateur radio operator could, theoretically, contact another amateur radio operator anywhere in the world, if their broadcast strength were strong enough.

Publication History and Census

This map was published in 1976 by the American Radio Relay League and was map No. 12 in the A.R.R.L. series entitled 'The Radio Amateur's Library'.