Your Comments - Part 3

Quite interesting...

I liked your comments about explaining why a signal at 945MHz did not go around corners and about those who sell phones and those who know how they work.

Perhaps you should have told them to move to 1.5GHz as those signals from the GPS birds do go round corners, according to many who use their GPSrs indoors! I've been considering security for my motorhome and the number of salesmen that think that mobile phones transmit everywhere, even where there is no signal to receive!

Can't agree with "trying to get the porn tape out of the Betamax before the wife came home". You must be thinking of VHS, which was always jamming or the Philips co-axial tapes, which although an older and more complex design, did occasionally jam. We all called VHS - Very Hard Service, as they were difficult to service compared with Betamax due to Sony using connectors and VHS being hard wired loops between boards.

I was a VTR service eng. at that period, working at Pinewood Studios, mainly reel-to-reel and U-matic 3/4" stuff. I owned a secondhand Philips 1500 and later a 1700 (bought at trade price). I then bought the first Betamax recorder, which I still have stored away until I get round to having a big clearout. I was also G6AGH/T and bought a secondhand Phillips 1520 and got it working again. Those were the days!

I got a bit of a shock when I clicked on your first radio link and read, "THE CANADIAN WIRELESS SET NO 52 Alan Morriss, G4GEN". Remove the second 's' and second 'G' and add an 'S' at the end and it's me!!! Looking him up on QRZ and he's also got an 'R' starting his middle name.

My first true ham receiver was an old portable 405 line TV. I'd modified the tuner down to 70cm and made a 70cm beam on an old broom handle. I'd nailed flat copper transformer wire to the wood. Many around me when I setup to receive my first TV transmission, told me that I was wrong to use wood as it should be metal to conduct the signals.

BTW, my first rig from Bill was the ICOM IC-20 with an external VFO designed to use with the ICOM IC-21A. I was going on holiday and Bill was out of stock with the 21A. The 21A was bought later...

Must get on.... So won't talk about the music of Bob Harris.....

73, G4ENS

What a great site...

It evoked many memories. Your reference to Neville G3LCV brought back to me the occasion in the late 50s when Jim Kastner-Walmesley G3HUI - now sadly a Silent Key - came down from Lancashire on a camping holiday and settled upon Aston-on-Trent at which to pitch his tent. These were the halcyon days of Top Band and as Jim set up numerous QSOs with locals - including Neville Gregory - we all descended on his camp site and assisted in erecting a gigantic aerial for Jim's command transmitter and receiver (no Kenwoods or Yaesus available in those days!) Next, everyone headed for the chippy, which was close to Neville's home. I had gone out to Aston on my shiny, new Humber racing bike, which I had just got for passing my 11+ and this was parked outside Jim's tent. During the fish-and-chip supper, I heard a commotion outside but not being too sure of what-was-what, stayed put and finished my chips. When I went out, I was to discover that some grazing cows had trampled all over my nice new bike and I was looking at a long walk back to Sandiacre! Luckily, Jim took pity on me and took both me and what remained of my bike back home to face the music! Well-known personalities of the time were Norman Birkett ("Birkett's Better Beams") who had a shop on The Spot in Derby and later a manufacturing facility SSB Products, also in Derby. (He ultimately retired to Cornwall). Brian Sandall G3LGK (Ilkeston) Tom Darn G3FGY (later to become a member of the RSGB Committee) Fred Ward G2CVV, Jack Hibberd G3MXI, Joe Gingell G3AAM, Wilf Steele G3GWJ, Alan Cooper G3JRN, G3MHR, Alan G3LXL, Eric West G3KTP (who obtained my first short-wave receiver for me; a CR100) Ken Starnes G3JWK etc all of whom could be heard most night chewing the rag on 160m and most - but not everyone, thankfully - now Silent Keys. I seem to recall that Neville Gregory also made quite a name for himself playing Livin' Doll on his electric guitar (on Top Band!!).

For myself, I went on to pursue a career in communications and never got around to the RAE. Now in my sixties, I unfortunately had a bad stroke a couple of days before my birthday, April 29th, this year. It has left me paralyzed down my left side - face, arm and leg. Now, I am looking towards Amateur Radio again so I can talk to fellow enthusiasts about the things which interest me most and finally getting down to taking the Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced test to enable me to get on the air.

Keep up the good work - your site makes excellent reading! Warmest regards,

Peter Preston

I have recently tried to return to the hobby of radio

I am a licenced amateur (G0SLQ) but am in reality a SWL. I happened across your webpages recently and immediately liked what I saw and read - I liked your style of writing and someone who was prepared not to merely list but have their own opinions.

So, I guess that makes me a bona-fide fan.

I appreciate that as this is a first email (modern technology eh?) I am some way short of being termed a stalker - and as everyone knows one is nobody today without a stalker - maybe a stream of emails and autograph requests might qualify, but that's in the future.

On to my point/question (you knew there was one eventually) I recently mentioned on a forum about SWL - there is a joint forum shared (supposedly) between Short wave and scanning. Needless to say the majority of traffic/postings refer to scanners. Is there still much to listen to? - I'm only 43 years old - yet seem to have been listening to radios and tuning for distant stations, rare countries or just action or interesting speech. I differ from many in that I had no family radio hams or anyone particularly interested in radio apart from a grandad who loved "the wireless" and let me twiddle what was a fairly new-fangled machine (no valves) with a big battery pack in it.

Then of course everything was new and to my young ears exciting 208 - Luxmbourg, Police on FM - ship to shore was high tech stuff - I then got the CB bug and as a lot of friends escaped the asylum (took the RAE) I jumped ship too - now I had 0-30 with SSB - the world was my oyster.

Returning it seems a lesser place. True the hams are still there, as are the broadcast bands - but no ship to shore and very little other stuff to listen to. I've read and re-read your pages - even looked at some of your memory channels - is SW dying a slow death? digital and scanners seem too clean - almost sanitised. Are there any interesting places remaining on the lower bands worth a listen?

I'm not even sure you'll even receive this mail, but if you do thanks for reading this far!

Best regards - Steve

First of all I want to thank you for the entertaining, gorgeously well-written shortwave listener's guide...

...on the AOR UK Web site; what a treat to find that my increasingly obscure hobby has it's own Stephen Potter! One day I hope to secure the Lowe print edition.

You likely have seen this before, but if you haven't: http://www.intervalsignals.net/. Quite a few nostalgic bits on there; when I was a kid in darkest Indiana in the late 70's I'd often encounter Radio Moscow's slightly wistful ostinato on my dad's Realistic DX-160; and on cold, clear winter nights on a slider-tuned crystal set...
Cheers,
Scott Bullerwell
Castro Valley, CA

Thanks for your reply about my printed version of the Guide

I have owned a copy of the Listener’s Guide since the early 1980’s and having read and re-read it to the point where it literally fell apart and I had to re-bind it it’s great to see the modern version on the ‘net.

A quote from my copy of the Guide ” …no home is complete without the ability to download onto twin Winchesters” how times HAVE changed!

We said: Thanks Lee - Good to know the paper version of The Guide is still out there albeit in a state. You must have one of the rare unsigned ones! We take a pride in our ability to print from the web version, so you could build yourself a new one. Anyone else still reading the paper version?

Surprisingly, even after 25 years it’s not really “in a state”. I’ve laminated the front and back covers and held everything together with the type of plastic ring binder that reports are made up with - who said ‘did I do it at work’.

Mine is the red covered Guide, I think the earliest ones were yellow? What were the signed copies? If I remember correctly, I sent off a Postal Order to cover P&P to Lowe Electronics and also received the Airband Guide - Regards, Lee.

Elvaston Rally – End Of An Era

I feel the same pain as many others. The joy of playing with radios and listening to shortwave is slowly being strangled by lack of interest and the internet. Yes it’s just a hobby for me, but it was a great adventure. During the 50’s I could listen to Moscow Mailbag and Radio Swan. I did my listening in the middle of the winter at 9000' in a Colorado mining camp, it was the only other source of entertainment I had. I hung a aerial between my house and my neighbors and used a little Phillips shortwave receiver to roam the bands. I am retired now but the simple pleasure I got from my hobby was something I am glad I was able to experience. Maybe we are at the end of an era or maybe beginning a new one!?

Newbie

I’ve just started in SW listening with a lowly Eton E5 and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading through the listeners guide. I’ve learned a lot from the site and am addicted enough to SW to have started the long saving up process which will lead to an AR7030. Keep up the good work!
Cheers
Matt