Nos. 1 to 183          Description follows document list below...

1915 - 1919 1920 - 1924 1925 - 1929 1930 - 1932
-- 1915 --
 1 - Jan, 1915
 2 - Feb, 1915
 3 - Mar, 1915
 4 - Apr, 1915
 5 - May, 1915
 6 - Jun, 1915
 7 - Jul, 1915
 8 - Aug, 1915
 9 - Sep, 1915
10 - Oct, 1915
11 - Nov, 1915
12 - Dec, 1915


-- 1916 --
13 - Jan, 1916
14 - Feb, 1916
15 - Mar, 1916
16 - Apr, 1916
17 - May, 1916
18 - Jun, 1916
19 - Jul 1, 1916
20 - Aug 1, 1916
21 - Sep 1, 1916
22 - Oct 1, 1916
23 - Nov 1, 1916
24 - Dec 1, 1916

-- 1917 --
25 - Jan 1, 1917
26 - Feb 1, 1917
27 - Mar 1, 1917

-- 1919 --
28 - Aug 1, 1919
29 - Sep 2, 1919
30 - Oct 1, 1919
31 - Nov 1, 1919
32 - Dec 1, 1919
-- 1920 --
33 - Jan 2, 1920
34 - Feb 2, 1920
35 - Mar 1, 1920
36 - Apr 1, 1920
37 - May 2, 1920
38 - Jun 1, 1920
39 - Jul 1, 1920
40 - Aug 2, 1920
41 - Sep 1, 1920
42 - Oct 1, 1920
43 - Nov 1, 1920
44 - Dec 1, 1920


-- 1921 --
45 - Jan 2, 1921
46 - Feb 1, 1921
47 - Mar 1, 1921
48 - Apr 1, 1921
49 - May 2, 1921
50 - Jun 1, 1921
51 - Jul 1, 1921
52 - Aug 1, 1921
53 - Sep 1, 1921
54 - Oct 1, 1921
55 - Nov 1, 1921
56 - Dec 1, 1921

-- 1922 --
57 - Jan 2, 1922
58 - Feb 1, 1922
59 - Mar 1, 1922
60 - Apr 1, 1922
61 - May 1, 1922
62 - Jun 1, 1922
63 - Jul 1, 1922
64 - Aug 1, 1922
65 - Sep 1, 1922
66 - Oct 1, 1922
67 - Nov 1, 1922
68 - Dec 1, 1922

-- 1923 --
69 - Jan 2, 1923
70 - Feb 1, 1923
71 - Mar 1, 1923
72 - Apr 2, 1923
73 - May 1, 1923
74 - Jun 1, 1923
75 - Jul 2, 1923
76 - Aug 1, 1923
77 - Sep 1, 1923
78 - Oct 1, 1923
79 - Nov 1, 1923
80 - Dec 1, 1923

-- 1924 --
81 - Jan 2, 1924
82 - Feb 1, 1924
83 - Mar 1, 1924
84 - Apr 1, 1924
85 - May 1, 1924
86 - Jun 2, 1924
87 - Jul 1, 1924
88 - Aug 1, 1924
89 - Sep 2, 1924
90 - Oct 1, 1924
91 - Nov 1, 1924
92 - Dec 1, 1924
-- 1925 --
93 - Jan 2, 1925
94 - Feb 2, 1925
95 - Mar 2, 1925
96 - Apr 1, 1925
97 - May 2, 1925
98 - Jun 1, 1925
99 - Jul 1, 1925
100 - Aug 1, 1925
101 - Sep 1, 1925
102 - Oct 1, 1925
103 - Nov 2, 1925
104 - Dec 1, 1925
105 - Dec 31, 1925

-- 1926 --
106 - Jan 30, 1926
107 - Feb 27, 1926
108 - Mar 31, 1926
109 - Apr 30, 1926
110 - May 29, 1926
111 - Jun 30, 1926
112 - Jul 31, 1926
113 - Aug 31, 1926
114 - Sep 30, 1926
115 - Oct 30, 1926
116 - Nov 30, 1926
117 - Dec 31, 1926

-- 1927 --
118 - Jan 31, 1927
119 - Feb 28, 1927
120 - Mar 31, 1927
121 - Apr 30, 1927
122 - May 31, 1927
123 - Jun 30, 1927
124 - Jul 30, 1927
125 - Aug 31, 1927
126 - Sep 30, 1927
127 - Oct 31, 1927
128 - Nov 30, 1927
129 - Dec 31, 1927

-- 1928 --
130 - Jan 31, 1928
131 - Feb 29, 1928
132 - Mar 31, 1928
133 - Apr 30, 1928
134 - May 31, 1928
135 - Jun 30, 1928
136 - Jul 31, 1928
137 - Aug 31, 1928
138 - Sep 29, 1928
139 - Oct 31, 1928
140 - Nov 30, 1928
141 - Dec 31, 1928

-- 1929 --
142 - Jan 31, 1929
143 - Feb 28, 1929
144 - Mar 30, 1929
145 - Apr 30, 1929
146 - May 31, 1929
147 - Jun 29, 1929
148 - Jul 31, 1929
149 - Aug 31, 1929
150 - Sep 29, 1929
151 - Oct 31, 1929
152 - Nov 30, 1929
153 - Dec 31, 1929
-- 1930 --
154 - Jan 31, 1930
155 - Feb 28, 1930
156 - Mar 31, 1930
157 - Apr 30, 1930
158 - May 30, 1930
159 - Jun 30, 1930
160 - Jul 31, 1930
161 - Aug 30, 1930
162 - Sep 30, 1930
163 - Oct 31, 1930
164 - Nov 29, 1930
165 - Dec 31, 1930


-- 1931 --
166 - Jan 31, 1931
167 - Feb 28, 1931
168 - Mar 31, 1931
169 - Apr 30, 1931
170 - May 29, 1931
171 - Jun 30, 1931
172 - Jul 31, 1931
173 - Aug 31, 1931
174 - Sep 30, 1931
175 - Oct 31, 1931
176 - Nov 30, 1931
177 - Dec 31, 1931

-- 1932 --
178 - Jan 31, 1932
179 - Feb 29, 1932
180 - Mar 31, 1932
181 - Apr 30, 1932
182 - May 30, 1932
183 - Jun 30, 1932

 

Radio Service Bulletins were issued monthly by the Bureau of Navigation (and later the Radio Division, Department of Commerce) from January 1915 into the 1930s and beyond to keep mariners, aviators, radio listeners, and others abreast of developments in the new medium of radio.  Radio was used for radiotelegraphy, ship-to-shore, and ship-to-ship communications, and increasingly as the 1920s and 1930s advanced, broadcasting.  The bulletins reproduced here offer a snapshot of the state of the radio art during these years. 

Bulletins issued before 1921 are primarily concerned with radiotelegraphy communications between ships although there are some references to land stations too.  Present-day readers should keep in mind that these bulletins were intended for the use of radio operators who needed to contact other ships or shore stations to relay messages.  As such, the bulletins frequently list radio-equipped ships as well as rates for radiotelegraph and radiotelephone messages.  The bulletins also refer to weather, time, and ice warning stations, and occasional information such as warnings about areas that may contain explosive mines (after World War I).  After 1921, the bulletins increasingly refer to early pioneer broadcast stations, some of which still exist today (although generally on different frequencies and at different power levels than initially authorized).  Notice that many call letters presently used by broadcasters today were once assigned to radio stations aboard ships.

The August 31, 1931, edition of the Radio Service Bulletins contained an index to orders of the Federal Radio Commission that were published in the RSB up to that date.  For your convenience, this index (Index of General Orders of the Federal Radio Commission as Published in the Radio Service Bulletins) has been extracted and is available separately as a PDF document.  Similarly, the August 31, 1931 edition also included a helpful list of items appearing in the Radio Service Bulletins over the previous decade, under the heading Index of Regulations and Miscellaneous Articles Appearing in the Radio Service Bulletin, Years 1920 to 1931

The continuous series of 183 bulletins (in PDF format) available here starts with No. 1 / January 1915.  Note that no bulletins were issued from April 1917 until August 1919 because of World War I.   Bulletins were issued up to 1952, but bulletins after June 1932 are not available here.

When making selections from the list above, please allow sufficient time for the bulletins to download to your browser.  Depending on your connection speed, it may take a short while to download individual bulletins. 

 


Highlights in these documents include the following references:

  • Marine disasters in which wireless figured during fiscal 1916 (September 1916)
  • Total number of licenses issued (all types) (September 1919)
  • Merchant Shipping (Wireless Telegraphy) Act [Britain 1919] (September 1920)
  • WWV signals instituted by the Bureau of Standards (February 1, 1923)
  • Frequency to replace Wavelength in allocating stations (April 2, 1923)
  • Broadcasting Stations of Canada (January 2, 1924)
  • Broadcasting Station List (February 2, 1924)
  • Broadcasting Stations in Britain, France, Cuba; Important Events in Radio (March 1, 1924)
  • Broadcasting status in Mexico, Switzerland, Austria, Greece, Turkey, Japan; British Wireless Act (April 1, 1924)
  • Mexican broadcasting stations (May 1, 1924)
  • Piezoelectricity: Crystal use for frequency generation (October 1, 1924)
  • 6XBM, West Coast counterpart to WWV, established at Stanford University (October 1, 1924)
  • Foreign Broadcast Station list (November 1, 1924)
  • Recommendation to expand the AM broadcast band from 1200 to 1500 kc (November 1, 1924)
  • General increase to 1,000 Watts broadcast power (December 1, 1924)
  • Broadcasting Stations in Canada (August 1, 1925)
  • Foreign Broadcasting Stations list (356 outside the U.S., compared to 506 stations in the U.S. (September 1, 1925)
  • Important Events in Radio (December 31, 1925)
  • Canada / Mexico / Cuba / Haiti Station Lists (January 31, 1926)
  • Building Effects on Signal; Experimental Field Strength Measurements (March 31, 1926)
  • World Time Stations (March 31, 1926)
  • Foreign radio broadcast stations (July 31, 1926)
  • Important Events in Radio (December 31, 1926)
  • List of temporary permits issued by the Federal Radio Commission [FRC] (April 30, 1927)
  • FRC Orders 4,5,6,7; Radio Aids for Civil Aviation (April 30, 1927)
  • FRC Orders 8,9,10,11,12 (May 31, 1927)
  • Daytime-only AM applications to be accepted [FRC Order No. 10] (April 30, 1927)
  • FRC Orders 14, 15 (June 30, 1927)
  • Broadcasting Stations of Canada (July 31, 1927)
  • Regulation Concerning Mechanical Reproduction [sound recordings] (August 31, 1927)
  • Cuban Broadcast Stations List (October 23, 1927)
  • Important Events in Radio (December 31, 1927)
  • List of U.S. Broadcast Stations by Call Sign (January 31, 1928)
  • Broadcast Stations Using 200 Watts or More in the Eastern Hemisphere (February 29, 1928)
  • Radio Aids to Civil Airways (March 31, 1928)
  • Definition of Amateur Station, Amateur Bands (March 31, 1928)
  • Foreign Shortwave Stations by Wavelength (April 30, 1928)
  • Number and Class of Radio Stations in the World (1913 - 1927) (April 30, 1928)
  • Commercial and Government Ship Station Lists (June 30, 1928)
  • High Frequency [shortwave] Channels Allocated to Commercial Stations (August 31, 1928)
  • Principal Broadcast Stations of the World by Wavelength (August 31, 1928)
  • List of Broadcasting Stations of Canada (August 31, 1928)
  • Federal Radio Commission Order #50 -- Television and Picture Transmission (Nov. 30, 1928)
  • Important Events in Radio (December 31, 1928)
  • Foreign Broadcasting Stations list (January 31, 1929)
  • Broadcasting Stations, alphabetically by states and cities (February 28, 1929)
  • The Prague Broadcasting Frequency Plan [for Europe] (May 31, 1929)
  • Visual [television] broadcasting stations (June 29, 1929)
  • List of Cuban broadcasting, experimental, and amateur stations (July 31, 1929)
  • Revised list of European broadcasting stations under the Prague plan (August 31, 1929)
  • Index to FRC Orders published in the RS Bulletins (March 31, 1930)
  • General Orders of the FRC (April 30, 1930)
  • Australian amateur and experimental stations (April 30, 1930)
  • Frequency Allocations to aeronautical services chains (April 30, 1930)
  • Auxiliary (backup) station regulations (October 31, 1930)
  • Mexican broadcasting stations (January 31, 1931)
  • Cuban broadcasting stations over 100 watts (March 31, 1931)
  • Index to Federal Radio Commission orders in the RSB (August 31, 1931)
  • Unlicensed radio station operator fined $2,000 + 3 year suspended sentence (August 31, 1931)

Note: Before the creation of the Federal Radio Commission by Act of Congress in 1927 (and later the FCC in 1934), the Department of Commerce was responsible for the licensing of radio stations.

Some abbreviations in the Radio Service Bulletins:

  • C.Z. = Panama Canal Zone
  • P.I. = Philippine Islands
  • Do.   = Ditto (same as previous item)

 

Information about AM and FM broadcast radio stations is available at the Audio Division on the FCC's website, see also the Broadcast Radio Links page.

FCC > Media Bureau > Audio Division, (202)-418-2700.
 
Bureau/Office:
Updated:
Thursday, May 24, 2018