I studied up on the subject, reading many of the publications of 1956 and decided that I wanted to contact a UFO.
I found instructions in a magazine (probably Popular Science) for building a A"Light Transmitter" out of a 6 volt lantern. The lantern contained a large 6 volt battery. The instructions called for hooking up a carbon microphone into the lantern battery circuit. As one spoke into the microphone the resistance in the circuit would change slightly and a "modulated" or perturbed light would shine out from the bulb reflector. Think of a lantern with no battery (no light), weak battery (a little more light) and new battery (full light). The modulated light would be so slight that the eye couldn't pick it up but a photo cell in an amplified receiver circuit could detect small changes in the light intensity and translate them back into voice sounds.
I built one of the transmitting devices but never constructed the much more complicated receiver, so I never knew if the transmitter worked. None-the-less, I beamed the light out my bedroom window into the night-sky and spoke into the carbon microphone to any passing UFOs inviting them to contact me at 530 on my AM radio dial. I figured that they would certainly have the technology to receive my modulated light signal and also the intelligence to convert English into their native Alien language and the rudimentry ability to transmit radio signals back to me.
Shown below is our Kraher's Meat Marked that dad owned. Standing at the opened door in winter garb are my older brother Mike (now deceased) 9 years old at the time, and younger brother Jim standing behind, 6 years old. Our family lived in a narrow but long apartment above the Market. Dad closed shop in 1957 and moved our family to Rochester, MN.
Below is an April 5, 1980 photo of "Kraher's Market" transformed into an Insurance Agency. I took this photo on a "Down memory Lane" trip to Kasson that Spring day. The upstairs apartment can clearly be seen. Three bedroom windows are seen on the right, including the third window beneath a TV antenna. I shined my UFO light out one of the rear windows.
As far as I know, I never got any reply at my 530 AM radio dial, unless static was some sort of reply.
I, therefore built a 2nd generation, more basic UFO contacting device consisting of a 100 watt light bulb inside an aluminum reflector (garage light), and mounted the reflector on our apartment roof near where the antenna is showing in the 1980 photograph. Of course, the bulb and reflector were aimed up at the night sky.
Now, don't try this at home, but I used a long extension cord to reach from the light through my bedroom window and into a 110 AC outlet. I pushed the switch at the bulb end to "ON" to turn the light on. Then I removed the plug from the AC outlet, cut one of the 2 cords , stripped the cut ends of the cord and screwed the ends tightly to the two terminals on my Morse Code key. I plugged the light back into the AC outlet and in doing so, I could control the lighting of the bulb on the roof by pressing my Code Key.
I had learned Morse Code as I was intending to get a Ham Radio license. So on several occasions at night, I sent out code (sparks flying as my code key contacts touched) to any passing UFOs, again telling them to contact me on the 530 AM dial.
My light flashing da dit da dit | da da dit da ("CQ" meaning in Ham Radio lingo "Calling all others") into the night sky over Kasson, MN [in the state of Minnesota in the United States of America, in the North American continent and on the 3rd planet from the Sun] on several nights in 1956, never produced any concrete replies!
Because I was concerned about getting electrocuted by 110 volts going through exposed terminals on my code key, I gave up trying to contact UFOs. I still dreamed of them however and even thought I saw one!
I would never forget about UFOs always believing in their possibility. My last official UFO involvement was in the 1969 3M Company UFO Club. My Membership card is shown below.
