In 1937 one of the 20th century’s premier inventors, Maj Edwin H. Armstrong, began regular FM radio broadcasts from experimental W2XMN, a 40 kW station transmitting from his iconic tower on the Palisades above the Hudson River in Alpine, New Jersey. Legend has it that Armstrong, who invented FM as well as the superheterodyne and superregenerative receiver, picked the site so he could view the tower from his home across the river in Yonkers, New York. That home was demolished after being damaged in a fire, but on June 17, Yonkers officials and relatives of the renowned will gather at Hudson-Fulton Park to dedicate a plaque honoring Armstrong’s legacy on that side of the Hudson. Also attending will be Steve Klose, the New Jersey resident who raised more than $4400 to have the plaque designed and installed. In fitting tribute the occasion will include a broadcast on WA2XMN, the Armstrong memorial low-band FM station that sporadically takes to the airwaves at 42.8 MHz from the Alpine tower. The FM broadcast band initially was 42 to 50 MHz, but the FCC shifted the band to its present 88 to 108 MHz after World War II, rendering early FM radios useless. — Thanks to North East Radio Watch (www.fybush.com)