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Vintage Amateur and Military Radio Amateur/military receivers and transmitters, morse, and any other related vintage comms equipment. |
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29th Aug 2021, 3:50 pm | #1 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Scratby, Norfolk, UK.
Posts: 651
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Amateur Radio Licensing 1952
Hi,
Came across the attached 1952 licensing requirements tucked in the back of a wartime RSGB Handbook. The most interesting part (to me!) is the List of Service Exemptions for suitably qualified ex servicemen from taking the technical examination and the morse test attached in Appendix 'A'. I've never seen this before, and didn't know that certain personnel were entitled to both exemptions. The Army seems to be the only service which had only technical exemptions. Kind regards Dave G0ELJ |
29th Aug 2021, 5:04 pm | #2 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Southeast Norfolk, UK.
Posts: 773
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Re: Amateur Radio Licensing 1952
Hi Dave,
I obtained a file from the National Archive called "Amateur Radio Transmissions - Draft Army Council Instructions" which has, amongst other things, info on the deliberations on the form you have found. It was a very complicated process with the GPO also involved as the then licensing body. I certainly knew at least one ex WW2 Royal Signals operator who qualified for a licence and held a G3B series callsign but I believe he let his licence lapse after just a year or two and was made to re-set the RAE and Morse when he took up the hobby again on retirement. There's quite a few other gems in the file, like an assessment by the Army of the British Amateur c/w his American counterpart that was critical of the GPO and their restrictive licence conditions, especially the ban on third-party traffic which was opposite to the American way since the end of WW1 and which produced a pool of experienced operators when needed in wartime. The Army were also worried about QSOs by serving hams with Warsaw Pact "amateur" stations and there are a number of "Box 88" QSL cards in the file. There are several documents referring to Allied military units abroad wanting to get on the amateur bands and reports of piracy by unauthorised units. Hope that's of some small interest, 73 Roger/G3VKM |
29th Aug 2021, 5:48 pm | #3 |
Octode
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Bracknell, Berkshire,UK.
Posts: 1,175
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Re: Amateur Radio Licensing 1952
The latest issue of OT News from ROATA (https://www.raota.org/news.htm) has a fascinating article on the artificial antenna licences issued pre-war. Although it doesn't cover much after WW2 it does mention this strange system of allowing ex-servicemen to obtain amateur licences without having to take the exams.
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29th Aug 2021, 9:11 pm | #4 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Ashhurst, Manawatu, New Zealand
Posts: 571
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Re: Amateur Radio Licensing 1952
Perhaps I was exempt too! In 1982 here in NZ had a chat with the Post Office examiner about what I needed to do to get a ham licence. I had been a sea-going Radio Officer in the 60's and still had my PMG cert - he said all I had to swat up on was the regs and pass a morse test - a couple of weeks later - done and dusted!
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Cheers - Martin ZL2MC |
30th Aug 2021, 11:17 am | #5 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Scratby, Norfolk, UK.
Posts: 651
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Re: Amateur Radio Licensing 1952
Hi Roger,
Many thanks, I find every aspect of early radio fascinating. I was an SWL back in the 1950s, and never lost the interest. The G2+3 callsigns mentioned by dsergeant have always intrigued me too, -I only found out fairly recently that they went back into the early 20's. I still am not sure what the transition was into full licences after the war either, what tests did they have to take to retain the licence. All told, a fascinating era. Best 73 Dave G0ELJ |
30th Aug 2021, 12:42 pm | #6 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Southeast Norfolk, UK.
Posts: 773
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Re: Amateur Radio Licensing 1952
Hi Dave,
As regards the Artificial Aerial callsigns, they only got up to about 2FZZ before WW2 came along. After the war they were re-issued as full licences but with the G added, e.g. G2FZZ. I also read somewhere that the AA licences were issued from the late 1920s to 1939 but it's odd that they never carried on with the sequence. I think if a person had held a pre-war 2XXX type callsign they didn't have to take the RAE and Morse to get a G2XXX call, but I may be wrong in that. Checking the RSGB Bulletins and Short Wave Magazines around 1946-50 might show up some answers. Try here too:- https://ukspec.tripod.com/rf/ukcalls.html Cheers Roger Last edited by G3VKM_Roger; 30th Aug 2021 at 12:45 pm. Reason: Add URL |
1st Sep 2021, 12:17 am | #7 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Scratby, Norfolk, UK.
Posts: 651
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Re: Amateur Radio Licensing 1952
Hi Roger,
Many thanks for the info and the link which shows the 2AAA series having been issued from 1920. This is borne out by a callbook I have dated January 1925 with the latest shown being 2ATM. Strangely, although 2AAA is shown in the book, there are really only a handful of these calls, so I suppose most either dropped out or migrated to 2 letter callsigns! Best 73 Dave G0ELJ |