A hello & a call sign request (Issued)

Hello all

Well its been quite a number of years, found myself dusting off an old Cobra 148 with a Teardrop mic. No antenna yet but had the Sigma 4 and GPS or GPsomething (if I'm remembering correctly) 
I started back at 13yrs old in the 1970's. 1981 starting an electronics apprenticeship in a CB centre, supposed to of been the in the largest in the UK at the time, Skyriders in Enfield London. We had the sole import licence on Astatic microphones. Being 16yrs old on £39 a week I spent most of my time wiring up Teardrops and Silver Eagles, the occasional Golden Eagles, along with tweaking rig pwr & modulation, repairing output transistors from bad SWR's etc. 
I'd say it was pretty much one of the best times of my working life, at that age and being recognised at all the CB discos that us pirates use to go to with our handles printed all over sweatshirts haha...

When it was A.M and illegal we'd sell rigs legally as recievers giving reciepts the police couldn't confiscate them, removing ability to transmit, but we'd put a mirco switch in so when you screwed the mounting thumb screw in it'd operate the TX. Then we got further technically using magnets and reed switches. All clever stuff back then to keep us on the air.....

Then came the legal FM we were all so against the move from am & ssb but we got around that. We even had the legal stamp transfers made up which was pure forgery and hard to do back then. Sadly CB started to die out. I understand its gaining interest again along with Ametuer Radio.
I'm finding myself here for community, callsign and fun
I hope I haven't bored any of you with a bit of history from the old days.

Hello Richard, welcome to the forum. 

Thanks for the enjoyable intro!! 

I am delighted to allocate you 26-CT-4275 may you have good luck with it.

73's Gary.

C.T. Admin.

GaryWilson wrote:

Hello Richard, welcome to the forum. 

Thanks for the enjoyable intro!! 

I am delighted to allocate you 26-CT-4275 may you have good luck with it.

73's Gary.

C.T. Admin.

Many thanks Gary. Much appreciated 
73's Richard

Hello and welcome, Richard.

A great intro with some great memories.

73s John.

Thank you John
I've so many more memories that I'll keep the dust on to save you all from. I see there are many old "breakers" entering/returning to the fold again, hopefully I may make a reacquaintance with a couple. 
It certainly doesn't feel like 40yrs ago cough..
73's Richard

Hi Richard, welcome to the CTDX group 
73s 
Steve.

Hi
Reading superfandango's post with the dodges used in the "day" to keep "Buzby" away, I had a company car (TV engineer) in the 70's - 80's which had a legal Pye Westminster radio for the office to contact us, that and my CB aerial, a "little fooler"  and the car radio I looked like a hedge hog and other CBer's went quiet when they saw the car. I wonder how many people had their equipment confiscated.  

73's
Tony

Hi Tony

I knew of quite a few who had CB's consficated but never fined only agreeing to have the rigs destroryed or threat of prosecution back in 1980. I myself in 1981 at 17yrs old regularly pulled over probably due to my custom jacked up Capri  (oooh it had a crushed velvet dashboard:D) but one time they decided to take my rig even though I argued and showed the previously mentioned legal receipt but 2hrs later I was able to collect it from the station... My car didn't look like a pin cushion I'd be sensible with antenna but it did look like a 70's pimp mobil