My radio story - what's yours?

The early years.

After my dad was demobbed from the RN in 1945, he became a fireman. Because of the shift system at fire stations, he had lots of free time which he used to earn a little extra money erecting TV antennas (huge back in the day) and repairing radios.

In 1953 I was five years old and remember watching the coronation with many family members on a tiny TV set that my dad had installed at my grandma's house. So, from a young age I was drawn to all things radio and TV.

Even before my 11+ (which I failed miserable) I was able to construct Xtal sets, and single valve receivers. By my early teens I was tinkering with modified 49mhz walkie talkies, and low power AM transmitters using parts (transformer and EL84 valve) from an old record player. Thankfully the range was abismal and I never got caught.

By the mid/late 60s I was living in the Channel Islands. Heavily into the music of the era, I built and repaired amplifiers and speakers cabinets for a band I was in.

Then came CB!

In the 1970s, back in the UK, I was driving private hire cars and taxis. It was during this time that I was offered a 23 channel Midland 13-853. I can't remember exactly the antenna I used mobile, but believe it was a DV27.

Then the sad day came in 1979 (or may have been 1980) when a nice gentleman from the Post Office radio interference squad relieved me of the rig. That ended my illegal CB activities. (I say 'nice gentleman' because I eventually knew him well when I worked at British Telecom.)

The road to Ham.

After a brief spell with a legal FM CB that the government intentionally made incompatible with what other countries used, I sat the C&G in December 1983 gaining a credit for part one and a distinction for part two. Surprising results considering I didn't attend a course and studied (crammed) at home only a few days before the exam.

In January 1984 I was assigned a G1 callsign, which meant that I could operate on VHF and UHF frequencies only. I had no interest in taking the morse test, so that's the callsign I still use today when in the UK.

What's your radio and/or CB story?

I'd be very interested in how you became interested in radio and what equipment you used.

If you got this far, I congratulate you - here's an image of the first CB rig I used (not my photo)

Deb

I started out with a 2 channel Midland Walkie talkie it had 7 and 14. At 16 I got a Hy-GainI cb. I currently have a cobra 19 and plan on getting a President Adams for Christmas.

I think my CB time started in 1980 with a Midland 3001 for a Xmas pressie with a biscuit tin and a DV27 base, couldnt afford the whip so we used a piece of wire on the base, celotaped to the bedroom wall.

It was amazing, although i remember a neighbour banging on the door and handing my father a cassette tape of me using rude word, as i was interfering with his sterogram and he recorded it. That didnt end well for me 

The good old AM days

Oh and what I didnt mention is, some years later I met my first wife on FM and we had our first date at an "Eyeball"

CB was the original Tinder! 

Don't know why but radio always fascinated me.
Think it was watching Forest Rangers on TV helped.
XNY556....A  for Apple come in please.  

Used to listen to all the local illegal cbers but did not join in until it was made legal.
Mum took over the CB and I went and bought a Yaesu FRG 7700 and got into shortwave.

Went to Worthing Tech in 84 for a course and passed with two distinctions.
It was not hard for me as I did a four year course before that to become an
electrical technician.

In August 84 I became G1HWY.

During my time as a ham I have always been an avid VHF/UHF DXer.
Spent a fair time doing high speed CW meteorscatter, firstly with a reel to reel
tape and then when I got my first PC in 1992 I used sound recording software.

I also got into satellites working the world on AO10 and AO13.
After these went awol I spent a fair time on the Japanese sats F020 and FO29.
I have worked a couple of space shuttles in the past as well.

In 2003 the class B was merged with Class A and I began to dabble with HF.
Having built an Elecraft K2 rig, which I still have, it was nice to work a fair bit
of the world on 10watts of SSB.

I took a bit of time off after 2008 and came back in 2018 and my interest was rekindled.

Now I'm an FT8/FT4 nut all bands 80metres to 23cms.

FT8/FT4 confuses the hell out of me. Maybe, if / when I pass my license I can give you a nudge for some wisdom?  

i started in 1979 during the am days i was around 11 or 12 years old. i was really lucky as my first radio was a148gtl dx which i brought of my brother in law my silver rod was hidden  in a large fern tree in the back garden, i  was only allowed to use it very early in the morning before tv started or on Friday and Saturday night after tv went down. When my parents went out i would use as well wiping out all the TV's in our street it was great fun everyone knocking on each others door complaining about that cber which was me, they even knock on our door as well i would tell them i have idea at all ,all the laughing at them inside
regards 
dave

Teapots story very close to mine, I was lucky I had my brother to drive me around and park up in a location away from homes as much as possible, in York we had many code names for locations,

It all started when I could pick up transmissions on the FM broadcast band back in the 90s when I was a kid and the curiosity built up from there. I then bought some walky talkies from the bargain bin of Tandy for 2 pounds because they were a customer return hence why they were cheap but they worked just fine with a morse button and I could also pick up other walkie talkies on them as well. I was also starting to get into electronics pulling apart old broken electrical junk, collecting circuit boards then eventually learning more about them and making things, lighting up bulbs, playing with motors and various bits and pieces then when I was at school we got a new science teacher who happened to be a radio Ham and he would bring his HF transceiver and have it setup in the class room and I was fascinated by it and wanted to make some receivers of my own. I converted an FM broadcast radio to receive AirBand with the help of my teacher and I started building other things. Shortly after leaving school I trained to be an electrician from there to electrical engineering and over time I had forgot all about Ham radio but I remember buying an old CB radio from a junk shop, I also bought an old mini cab radio, I was still clueless about antennas and then later on I started getting into PMR446 and other forms of radio but then I went to America for a while and I was under the illusion that Ham radio was an old pass time that people didn't do anymore but when I came back to the UK I decided to take the foundation course when I discovered Ham Radio is still very much alive and well.

I started in Paris, France circa 1980 with a small 20 CH AM-FM President radio (can’t remember which one) and a balcony antenna outside my appartement but soon went rogue with an export radio I bought cash from a dodgy shop in the 11th arrondissement which was the Colt Excalibur SSB. I loved that radio. Looked the part too. It was very similar in looks and feel to the Ham International Jumbo except it had a golden colour.

My antenna then became a “massive” Astroplane ballerina which I installed on the roof of the building, not too far from the many TV antennas already populating the space…you can imagine the rest. Residents had no clue as to why their TV sets would get huge interferences always around 20:30 when the movies would be aired every evening on the same 2 main channels. I then had to switch my transmissions habits to different hours.

Back in the days I mainly used FM and talked almost exclusively with local Parisians stations wether fixed or mobile. Once or twice I tried DX and I remember getting so excited to get Australia (I still have the postcard). Keeping in mind the radio was only maxing out 15W on SSB and 5W AM / FM.

I then quit the hobby completely from 1986 until 2021 when out of sheer nostalgia tried to find and purchase a Colt Excalibur SSB on eBay. I was unsuccessful but found the modern equivalent in the modern Ranger RCI 2995 DX which I sourced in the USA. Mounted a Sirio 2008 on my chimney and back on the air I was. This time around I used LMR 400 coax instead of the flimsy RG58 of the old days. I mainly DX these days but am lucky to have local stations in my area with which I can talk almost everyday at 8pm…no more annoyed residents as I am in a house far from any TV antennas and I seldomly use FM! I also switched my gear toward a HF amateur radio despite not having my license. I only transmit on 11 meters and only listen on the other bands

Never used one of those Astro Plane antenna, Gilles. I don't think I ever even saw one up on any houses around here back in the busy days of CB. Guessing they cost a bit more than traditional standard looking silver rod's that most people put up, maybe that's why they were not so popular? I do like the look of it.

Surprisingly they are not more expensive than your more common half wave or 5/8 like the Sirio 2000 series. Maybe a tad more pricey than an Antron 99 but they’re just quite rare and little tricky to put together. I personally never saw one for sale in the U.K. I’ve kept one still in the box that I purchased while in France 2 years ago. The brand still making them is Tagra I believe. Never got around to put it up yet…but the day I do, I will post a small review and compare it vs my actual Sirio 2008. If my memory serves me well, they were quite impressive and very sturdy with a good resistance to wind.
I Hope you are keeping well my friend. G

I Still have my old original Antron99 antenna that has been sitting in my cupboard for the past 20 years. I wish I could put that up. I used to do well on that. Due to antenna restrictions there is no way I can get that up anywhere.

Can’t you put it up without anyone seeing? Most of the time, nobody knows what it is and do not bother. I did that many times when I was living in rental apartments. You just need access to the roof. A bit naughty but well worth it.

I don't know your circumstances, but...

If you have a garden, nomatter how small, you may be able to put up a flagpole  so long as it's no higher than 4.6 metres.

If it's a portable flagpole, that's even better.

Flagpole = stealth vertical antenna.

Deb