G3RCQ -established 1960 and trading ever since – who remembers Jobstocks- Relda Radio- HL Smith Proops – TW Withers – Datong – BNOS- Webbs Radio (Eddystone Dealers) in Soho – yes Soho – even Laskys a high street Dometsic retailer even sold Trio before it becam Kenwood.
In 1963 I built a Natterbox SSB transmitter using a B&W phase shift network – the loacals could not understand me as they only had BFO’s with not enough injection – SSB will not catch on they said – SAD because I took the SSB transmitter to bits and used the components for another project. So were all the locals right?
Who remembers G3OCC and G2CCH on top band mobile I used to work them every morning form many years on the early 60’s they often discussed a new method of AM modulation which they called SUPER MOD – the problem as on speech peaks it made the tranmitter run over 10 watts – interesting because now we see linear amps for sale that run 4000 watts – times have changed.
G3RCQ/M was always to be hear on the band – we had to keep a separate mobile logbook and fill it in – not whilst driving of course.
An interesting thing in the early 60’s there were very few lady drivers and it was very unusual to see a car being driven by a lady – back to my mobile.
It was valved and to get the HT – 300v I used a Rotory Converter – My mobile rig was inspected by the then GPO and I ws told to put a case on the rig due to the anode caps of the valves being open – 300v whilst driving was not a good Idea.
Just one further thought before I go – I was living at home with Mum and Dad and one evening I flew a Kite born 160m vertical at 250ft – that night at about 11pm there was a knock at the door – we were all in bed – so my Mum shouted out of the upstairs window – it was the GPO inspector – they wanted to advise me that the ceiling was 200 ft – My Mum told them where to go and come back at a more reasonable time – we never saw the GPO inspectors again.