My first ham radio shack!

[excalibur]

I thought, as this site has members of a certain age, that others might also have photos and memories of their first adventures into amateur radio? Mine started at school, round about 16-17 years of age, when we had a local amateur radio group in Ilford, Essex, run bra Fred Ruth, G2BRH . Morse Code tuition to a high standard was given and myself and two friends managed to pass the the GPO Morse Test and in 1963 I passed the City and Guilds examination and secured my Amateur Radio Certificate!
Being poverty stricken(well, nothing has changed in that respect!) we used to visit Lisle Street and Tottenham Court Road for surplus radio gear which we then adapted for amateur use-sometimes successfully, sometimes not! I distinctly remember copying a circuit on battery radio control by using two 807's in a Colpitts oscillator design, just for CW. I never knew how much power and probably the unstable frequency it chucked out but suffice it say the signal obliterated TV and MW radio signals for about a quarter-mile radius-sufficient to cause the then GPO radio interference department to be seen cruising our road looking for this pirate signal!
It must have been considerable as placing a screwdriver in the anode tank coil caused it to glow a bright cherry red in a few seconds !
I had to build all my radio gear, using valves, including a double superhet receiver, transmitter, ATU Z-Match, even a microphone using a crystal insert!
The attached photo shows me at 18-years in a freezing cold bedroom when I had achieved some notoriety in the local area after having received an amateur radio distress call from a Russian icebreaker ship and then phoning the police, who then must have relayed it to the relevant government/shipping and foreign embassy!
I still have the QSL card confirming this contact. Nowadays ham radio is very much a "black box" affair, with new equipment being very complex and expensive. To think we sometimes used Lancaster bomber T1154 and R1155 transmitters and receivers for ham use is still somewhat mind-boggling!
After many years with the BBC and ITV plus a lot of overseas working in what we then called emergent nations ( ?!) I still retain an interest in radio communication-hopefully it is this hobby, in all its forms, that prevents boredom and the awful mental problems that afflict many others in these surreal times?

[excalibur]

Oops! I forgot to include the photo....now attached

[Radio Wrangler]

Originally Posted by excalibur

myself and two friends managed to pass the the GPO Morse Test and in 1963 I passed the City and Guilds examination and secured my Amateur Radio Certificate!

That was brave! Most people did the RAE first (because it didn't expire) and then the Morse test.

I think a Morse test pass slip expired after 6 months if you didn't take up a licence.... and RAE dates only came around 6 monthly.

By the way, the photos didn't make it

David

[HECTOR63]

Hey that's a great story during these dark times Very inspiring and likewise keen to see the photos as and when.

[Cobaltblue]

Originally Posted by excalibur

Oops! I forgot to include the photo....now attached

Still not attached

Cheers

Mike T

[CambridgeWorks]

Use advanced for reply.
Top box, upload images, 5 boxes max.
Navigate to image and select the file.
Click on upload.
Second box down i think says please wait. (This is whilst uploading) You must wait! Maybe 15 to 30 or more seconds per image.
Third box down will show the file name of your succesful upload in coloured text, )i think).
You will know when succesful as there will only be 4 boxes now lefts for upload in the top box.
Then, at the bottom it will say you can now close.

I think thats about right, i dont often upload many pictures.
One below is just a test one of my bench psu.

There is probably a "sticky" thread about how to do this.

Nearly forgot, Welcome to the forum! You will find a lot to study or learn from plus participate in yourself. Your first post takes me back to about 1967 when i first built an 807 top band tx.
Rob

[Radio Wrangler]

A farnell E30/2 power supply?

[CambridgeWorks]

Yes, i think it is David. Mostly used on the 30v 1A ssetting.
Rob

[Wendymott]

It was not until I started work as a TV apprentice that I had sufficient funds to buy a "19" set with the "B" section removed and the TX section was also disabled, I then upgraded to an 1155........then CR100/B28..... then HRO.....Finally a Heathkit RA1. A home built 2M converter from the RSGB Handbook, then a homebuilt 2 M transmitter... my QTH was in a valley, but on rising ground on the north side, but the Chevin south... which rises to about 1000 ft so it was up and down the valley. At about this time the Liner 2 came on the scene and within a short time.. no one replied to "CQ CQ CQ tuning high to low".
I returned at Amateur radio a few years ago, but most of my RF kit is home built.. with just an FT817 as a reference. Its eyewatering what people will pay these days to communicate with like minded wallets.

[Graham G3ZVT]

I don't know who this handsome brute could be.

[Station X]

Originally Posted by robinshack

There is probably a "sticky" thread about how to do this (posting pictures).

Rob

It's here:-

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...ad.php?t=77650

[Nicola_Jayne]

Originally Posted by Wendymott

<snip>

I returned at Amateur radio a few years ago, but most of my RF kit is home built.. with just an FT817 as a reference. Its eyewatering what people will pay these days to communicate with like minded wallets.

indeed ,

love the like minded wallets comment - there do seem to be some rather deep wallets and purses in the hobby

but equally 2m and 70cm FM voice kit is cheaper than it has ever been and the emporia are doing 'big name' dual band sets for less than a single banded commercial PMR set

2m and 70cm FM voice kit is cheaper than it has ever been

If you hunt around a bit a dual band (2m 70cm) job can be had for less than £30, that's with rechargeable battery, aerial etc..