1980s Groups & Clubs

I was reminiscing the other day about the various clubs and group I belonged to in the early to mid 80s. I wonder what clubs other Old Timers belonged to and if they recall them better than me.
From memory I belonged to, & had call signs from: UK International Radio Group, Barnstaple (UK 1641). Cobra Operators Club, Barnstaple, (CO214, my normal call back then).  Jolly Roger DX Group, Cheltenham, (JR820) still in existence! Those are the calls I remember. 
I also recall I belonged to the Edgemoor.Breakers, North Dartmoor? and the Bandit group, ???? but can’t remember my calls.
I reckon there was a couple of other groups/clubs, but can’t remember them!

73, John. 26SW214, 26CT3352, Barnstaple

Legoland was 1 group in Haxby, near York from around 1980, AM days first, we had sheets of paper with code for most of the local area , Legoland name used as Barret a building company just went and built so many same looking buildings up at a fast rate, York was Chocolate City, happy days, was very young but Am radio CB bug got me as soon as i saw my first rig in my brothers car, President Veep.

The BBC box town breakers and Hutch town breakers are all i remember.
And the Pi$$ up night in Rotters (Offerton Palace) i think that was the BBC.
Be surprised if anybody on here remember those 2 lol.

Great Topic John, always enjoy reminiscing

Back in the day there was more CB clubs than you could shake the proverbial stick at!
It often followed that, much like how the football scene changed in the day, your worth was held in the size/popularity or infamy of the club you belonged to

I even recall a 'breaker' making an elitist stance as the club he 'belonged' to had much more DX contacts/QSL's etc. than another club?!?! (I doubt those DX contacts were his own )

As such I wasn't that interested in the CB club culture but I did know a friendly guy, (Fred), who was both a Radio Amateur and proud CBer who above all loved helping people out where he could. He had started a club with the ethos of people helping other people and it had me interested, to the point that I joined them.

The "Foxtrot Papa's" or otherwise known as the 'Friendly People' was a great bunch and despite problems with meeting locations it held together quite well. I think, (but will see if I can dig out an old card I had), that I was FP065.

It's long since gone now as many of the other clubs of the era unfortunately.

A piece of history that we can look back at with 'rose tinted glasses' to the point that some people resurrect those old clubs and names or even start clubs anew.


Gladly so really....

It was 30 odd years since I'd last had a passion for radio, (apart from my SWL interests), and when I undertook it as a hobby to revisit I came across this here Charlie Tango lot

CB .....AND Amateur Radio?? SWL's, PMR, etc. people helping other people out with their radio interests?

Reminded me of my old club, everyone welcome and friendly people!!


It's been a damn good 'club' too!
In just over a year I've gone from dipping-my-toe in, embracing the forum and it's members with a passion, being invited to the admin team, successfully achieving an old goal of becoming a licenced 'Ham' and a plethora of other things.

I've probably not got enough years left in me to 'look back' fondly at Charlie Tango like I do the Foxtrot Papa's.

But I'm damn sure I'll use the years left to enjoy and keep myself involved in such a great place


All the very best to you Charlie Tangos, (or whatever other club you identify yourself to, it's all radio!)

Victor

26CT3228
M7VIC

....and I'll have to check if memory serves on that FP065

Great thread, John.

It is always interesting to hear about the groups and clubs from the old days.

Hi
I was on the committee of the Yankee Kilos.
Chocolate City (York).
We had hundreds of members back in the day with club and business meetings, weekly Chicken Breakers Discos from 7-11, 12-17 and a Adult disco after that too for members and guests which was weekly.
Great times and lots of fun!

That was the great thing about cb back in the day, John, great community spirit.

Alan Pilot wrote:

The BBC box town breakers and Hutch town breakers are all i remember.
And the Pi$$ up night in Rotters (Offerton Palace) i think that was the BBC.
Be surprised if anybody on here remember those 2 lol.

Rotters in Offerton Stockport, John? Aah the memories.

I cant remember the names of CB clubs in my QTH back in pre legalised days or TBH even after legalisation, all I know is we use to go our local disco(old skool term lol)called the Royalty in Southgate in North London which held a CB disco/eyeball meet once a month, other than that my very first proper DX club (pre internet forum style around 1996/7) was The Tango Echo DX Club in Essex where we had a monthly magazine set to us plus our own P.Obox and QSL cards , in fact I still use T.E call sighn now and then .

Does anyone else on here remember the Valley Breakers  from the Blackwater, Frogmore, Yateley area of Hampshire

Bravo Tango, Bridlington Town Breakers. Started and run by a bloke called Mick "Seahawk" and his wife Meg.

Got my first DX callsign from them, BT58. Shows how much CB has dies when you have a town that was only 20,000 or so people with a CB club with 60+ people in it. Nowadays I think there's barely a handful of people on it in the town despite the population being double.