Extracted from the Chatham Rochester and Gillingham Observer 1933

 

MEDWAY RADIO AMATEURS

CALLING THE WORLD

 

EXPERIMENTERS WHO ARE FORGING BO'NDS OF INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP

 

THE OBSERVER Gives a Trophy to Stimulate Further Activities

 

It will be news to the majority that there is in the Medway Towns an organisation known as the Medway Amateur Transmitters Society, whose activities in the world of radio are ever increasing in scope and value. In introducing this young and vigorous body it seems appropriate we should first present a brief historical survey of amateur radio transmission. It should be understood that the accepted meaning of the term, "Amateur radio," is the pursuit of the science of short-wave communication, with special emphasis upon transmission.   Before the War [First] many private experimenters were working their own stations, which were mostly of the now obsolete spark type. Those were the days of crackles and sparks,' chemical detectors and enormous coils. The apparatus was usually entirely home made; manufactured apparatus was very expensive and difficult to obtain. At the outbreak of the War [First] all amateur stations were officially closed down and gear ' confiscated. ,Much of this interesting and historical "junk", still lies under Official Seal in some i Government store because its owners have never troubled to claim it. In 1913 the Wireless Society of London [NOW RSGB] had been formed under the aegis of the Institute of Electrical' Engineers, but its activities were cut short by the War. In America, however; the 'amateur continued and much progress was made. Americans handled the early valves and brought the art to considerable perfection with the, as yet, crude apparatus available. The American Radio Relay League was formed, and this has grown to be a vast organisation with thousands of members.                                                                                                                                                       

 

FACILITIES GRANTED TO EXPERIMENTERS.

 

After the War [First], and also after much negotiation, the authorities were persuaded once more to grant facilities to amateur experimenters. It would not be out of place to note here that broadcasting in this country owes its origin to -amateur experimenters.  Representations were made to the Postmaster-General, who allowed a short weekly transmission of telephony from 2MT. at the Marconi Works, Chelmsford, and these were supplemented later by transmissions from 2LO at Marconi House, which, as is well known, formed the beginning of the vast and efficient B.B.C. of to-day. With the exception of the transmissions mentioned above and those from PCGG at The Hague, the only telephony heard emanated from amateur stations. Broadcasting in Birmingham district started in the home of an amateur transmitter.   

 

MATS MEMBERSHIP.

                                              

Weekly meetings are held in Chatham and are always well attended. The society possesses its own experimental station with the call-sign G5MW.To stimulate interest in the activities of this young organisation THE OBSERVER is offering a cup as the premier trophy in a competition the society is arranging to take place in March, 'full particulars of which will be published in subsequent issues. The president of the society is Mr. W. E. Nutton, G6NU, of Gillingham, the hon. sec., Mr. A. 0. Milne, G2MI,'of Larkfield, hon treas., Mr. J. McKinnon, G6VV, of Chatham. Of the transmitting members four have their stations at Gillingham, two at Chatham, two at Rainham, and one each at Snodland, Hoo, Larkfield, Teynham, Sittingbourne and Gravesend. Many of these stations may be heard operating on the short waves, and each week stations all over the world are worked.

                                                                                                                                                                                  

THE AMATEURS' CALL SIGNS

 

All amateurs are allotted a call sign by the licensing authority. This takes the form of a prefix of up to three letters de- noting the nationality, thus: G, Great Britain; EAR, Spain; LA, Norway; W, USA.   Then follows a combination of figures or letters or figures and letters, thus—G5MM, EAR246, LA3D, W2APF. All letters preceding the first figure from the left form part of the national prefix.  It is the established practice that the first time a station is worked a confirmatory postcard is sent, and one is also expected in return. Thus a permanent record is obtained of the activities of each station. These cards are known as QSL cards, QSL being part of an internationally understood code—known as the Q code—which consists of combinations of three letters, the first of which is Q. These have standardised meanings and are intended to facilitate the exchange of information.

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FROM FRIENDS AFAR.

 

An interesting feature of the average amateur's den is the wallpaper, for this consists of dozens of postcards from stations with whom contact has been made. Many and varied are the designs, and the average amateur's wall is a blaze of colour —red, blue, orange, green postcards with call signs overprinted.   No two stations are ever alike, and the numerous ways in which each individual has achieved the same object is a matter of unending wonder. Some have a little set perhaps taking a cubic foot of space, for nothing is quite as simple as a low-power radio transmitter. A coil, variable condenser, two fixed condensers, a valve and a piece of ' oscillating quartz crystal is the minimum of gear required to make an efficient transmitter with a range of 1,000 miles. The valve may be an ordinary two-volt receiving valve, and the power a 120 volt H.T. dry battery. At the other end of the scale is the man with big valves like footballs and 2,000 volts supply. Between these is an endless variety of hook-ups, some known as "hay wire," others neat and tidy, but curiously enough, it is not always the neat and tidy ones which work the best!

 

WHEN THE WORLD “SAT UP”.

 

The Wireless Society of London was once more formed and enlarged its scope by be- coming the Radio Society of Great Britain. At this time commercial transmission was confined to waves of 300 metres and up- wards; the low waves were considered to be of no practical value and were handed over to the amateur to play with.  The world sat up with a start, however, when in 1925 Mr Goyder, G2SZ, of Mill Hill, succeeded in establishing communication with ^an amateur station in the United States, using low power and a wave-length of 120 metres. This was quickly followed by further contacts, and, a few weeks later, the already startled radio world was astonished by the news that a British amateur transmitter bad succeeded in establishing two-way communication with New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and South America soon followed. The amateur with his low-powered set and his despised wavebands had revolutionised radio communication: great commercial stations using tremendous power and long wave- lengths were shown to be expensive and obsolete. A great rush followed and short- wave commercial stations popped up like mushrooms, and the amateur was squeezed into an ever smaller band of wave-lengths.

                                                                            

HUNDREDS OF AMATEUR STATIONS.

 

At the Washington Conference in 1927 the amateur was officially recognised and granted bands of wave-lengths for his special use. These are around 160, 80, 40, 20, 10 and 5 metres, the first two being shared with certain other services, and the others allocated exclusively for his own use. Hundreds of amateur stations may now be heard on the bands mentioned In both morse and telephony, and in half-an-hour it is possible to log stations from all over the world. The British amateur is organised in the Incorporated Radio Society of Great Britain and its offspring, the British Empire Radio Union, with headquarters at 53, Victoria-street,   S.W.I.   National societies have been organised in most countries and these are all linked together in the International Amateur Radio Union.                                                                                                                              

 

MEDWAY TRANSMITTERS.

 

The following is a list of Medway Amateur members holding transmitting licences:—

 

G2MI, A. 0. Milne, South Cot, Larkfield.

G5FN, S. A. Howell, 117a,Trafalgar-street, Gillingham

G5JT, J. Harrington, 15, West-street, Sittingbourne (now removed to Rainham).

G5MM, R. Maidment, Red House, Hoo.

G5XB, S. A. Cook, 2, Queen's avenue, Snodland.

G6FV, N. Kirby, 5, Station road, Teynham.

G6KT, W. Rowlands, 46, St. Mary's-road, Gillingham.

G6NS, N. Shuttlewood, 40, The Avenue, Gravesend.

G6NU, W. E. Nutton, 42, Richmond-road, Gillingham.

G6QC, E. Pethers, .17, Tufton-street, Rainham.

G6QG, W. Bennett, 12, Chalk Pitt-hill, Chatham.

G6RQ, H. Harding, 3, Pond-cottages, Tunstall.

G6TQ,. R. Smith, Keston, Woodlands- road, Gillingham.

G6VV, J. McKinnon, Colaba, Randall- road, Chatham.