Amateur Radio - The Beginning
So, how did I get into Amateur Radio. As a schoolboy in the mid 60's, I had never
heard of Amateur Radio. I recall my dad messing about with old valve radios and
televisions and I had a basic interest in getting bulbs to light up and recall having
a Meccano set (didn't every boy?) which had a few electrical bits and pieces in
it so the various things you built would light up.
In about 1967, a school chum (Peter) invited me to his house for tea. After tea
he showed me a few electronic things he had built using a Philips Electronic Kit.
This was basically a piece of hardboard with holes in it. You placed a card on the
board (which had the circuit) and then connected the components together using wire
clipped into spring retainers. You could build radios, buzzers, intercoms, flashing
lights etc. No integrated circuits in those days, all discrete components such as
resistors, capacitors and transistors !
Following the demonstration, which I found reasonably interesting, he switched on
an old valve radio and tuned into what I later found out was the "Leyland Hundred
Top Band Net" with several chaps having a natter about this and that. I was bored.
I've never admitted this to him, but I couldn't wait to get home! However, something
must have bitten as I soon found myself pestering my dad to see if one of his old
radios would work and I became a Shortwave Listener, limited to 'Top Band' and the
standard broadcast frequencies. Bits of electronics started arriving in my bedrooom
(including the obligatory Philips Electronic Kit AND Extension Kit) and the carpet
became a lovely shade of silver as I practised my soldering skills. Bits of wire
were thrown up outside and a neighbour 'agreed' to let me run it over his land and
tie it to one of his trees.
The old valve set soon outlived it's usefulness and a better radio was demanded.
This came in the form of a kit, produced by Heathkit - The GR-64 general coverage
receiver which covered 500KHz to 30MHz and was as stable as a jelly! At the same
time, my friend Peter, obtained a Heathkit RA-1, which was an Amateur Bands only
receiver and much more stable - the swine ! An upgrade was needed!
This came in the form of a Lafayette KT-320 general coverage receiver, purchased
second hand from a local TV shop. This had twice as many valves (9) and a lot more
knobs and switches so obviously had to be better! This was the kit version of the
HE30 and I believe had the same 'inards' as the Trio JR59DE. I had a lot of fun
with this receiver, adding a voltage stabiliser, product detector and spent hours
rebuilding and retuning it. I later added a 144MHz to 28MHz convertor so that I
could listen to the two metre band. This was connected to an 8 element yagi antenna
using the 'handraulic' or 'armstrong' method of rotation using some gears and cogs
my dad fixed up. By now, I had been banished to the attic where my 'mess' could
not be seen! I had also joined the leyland Hundred Amateur Radio Group, helping
out on Field Days and Contests.
It soon became obvious that the next step had to be taken; I had to obtain the 'ticket'
so that I could actually speak as well as listen. In those days you had to pass
the City and Guilds Radio Amateurs Examination (RAE) pluss the 12 words per minute
Morse Code test if you wanted to transmit below 144MHz. Peter's father was a lecturer
at the local college and found out that an RAE Course was available, starting in
September 1969, but as 14 year olds, we would need our headmaster's permission to
attend. It took some doing but with a lot of support from our physics teacher. 'Little
Bill Rigby' we were given permission and in due course sat the examinination in
May 1970, with both Peter and I passing - step one towards the ticket!
I applied for my 'Class B' licence and was allocated the callsign
G8EBK
in September 1970 and Peter went on to do his Morse Test and obtained his 'Class A' licence,
G3ZRE.