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CCF RADIO NETWORK and U.K. VINTAGE MEMORIES
by AF4K
PAGE 5
The following are more memories of the activities that some were
privileged to enjoy as members of the COMBINED CADET FORCE
(CCF) radio network, which was operated in the 5mhz range.
Date sent: Fri, 24 Oct 1997
From: Trevor Day = trev@southwestuk.demon.co.uk
Subject: CCF Radio
Hi Bry,
Just had a nostalgic look at your CCF page. I used to operate
as call- sign 9C from school in Portsmouth during 1967/68. Best
radio fun I ever had using either a 19 set or occasionally the
62 set which sat in the corner. We used 5.33 MHz which was
designated as 'Delta Oscar'. The sequence used to be: First
station on frequency called Delta Oscar over and over again for
a minute followed by "all stations Delta Oscar this is 9C radio
check over" Then the fun would start. Happy Days... Trev G3ZYY
...-.- -- Trevor Day
NOTE: To BUY Wireless Set 19 and Accessories, you can contact:
Electronic Enterprises (705) 746-1376
Frank Delucca
131 Gibson Street FAX: (705) 746-1570
Parry Sound, ONT Military Surplus Catalog - GREAT STUFF!
CANADA P2A 1X8 He has 19 sets, accessories, parts etc.
From: David Gordon-Smith, G3UUR = esdgs@eng.warwick.ac.uk
Date sent: Fri, 24 Oct 1997
Subject: G3LYW and the good ol' days - really!
Bry,
I took a look at the CCF radio web pages and was frustrated
to
find message after message with the subject purporting to be
about 'G3LYW and the good ol' days' with nary a mention of G3LYW
until I got well down the list. I wish these guys would take the
trouble to find out how to change the subject in their message
header/take the trouble to do it if it's not appropriate.
As an active 160M afficionado in the mid to late '60s and a
resident of Bath in the '70s I also have fond recollections of
John and the large nets that used to form around him. Living
only a mile or so across the valley from him at one time, I
spent a considerable amount of effort developing receivers that
did not sound as if the air was being ripped apart when he was
on 160M!!
I worked John about a year ago on 160M. It was a Sunday
afternoon and he was the usual thundering great signal despite
the fact he was using the half-wave rather than his full-wave
antenna.For those that still care and would like to renew their
acquaintance with him, he can be found on 80M on Sunday mornings
between about 8.30 and 10.30. He does have a favourite
frequency, but I forget what it is for the moment. Perhaps you'd
like to post this information on your website, Bry. I'll email
you next week with a report on the National Vintage Comms Fair
which I'm going to at the NEC on Sunday. Hope all is well at
Gaithersburg.
73 de Dave, G3UUR.
Dr Dave Gordon-Smith
Materials Science
Dept. of Engineering Sciences
University of Warwick, UK.
Note: Visit the G3LYW Network here!
From Keith Jillings
Date: Sat Oct 25, 1997
Bry Carling wrote:
] If any of you chaps would like to see it, I have compiled some of the
] colourful discussions on the CCF (Combined Cadet Force) radio net days
] and posted all of it as a web page!
Yes, took me back to 1959-62! I was one of a group of three likely
lads at 20A (later became 1A, I understand). Now very quiet but
licensed as G3OQT, G3PGN, and G3OIT.
I'll see what I can dig out of the memory and post it to you.
Keith Jillings
amen@earthling.net
Date sent: Sun, 26 Oct 1997
From: Roger Basford = Roger@g3vkm.demon.co.uk
Subject: Re: Greetings CCF Chaps!
Brian Carling, G3XLQ = af4k@earthlink.net writes
] I am writing this to several chaps who wrote about their experiences
] with the CCF Radio Networks earlier this year. Now you've got your
] own WEB PAGE devoted to the CCF memoirs! It's loaded with comments
] from this year; a total of over 50 pages of interestig reading.
Bry,
Many thanks for the message, I had a look at the Web page today
and was amazed to see that it was back in January we had the
discussion, where does the time go?!
It's a great shame that there isn't the supply of war-surplus
gear about nowadays that we had access to, I keep an eye open at
rallies for more modern stuff but it just doesn't seem to make
it onto the ham market any more, is that the case in the US as
well? There are occasional bits and pieces of Warsaw Pact stuff
about, but at silly prices so I haven't bought anything
recently.
I mentioned in the postings my early days in the hobby when
using WWII vintage gear. After I left Sparks college in '67 I
took a job with the Diplomatic Wireless Service in
Buckinghamshire, I worked at a transmitter site where the bulk
of the gear was old Lend-Lease RCA valve transmitters, ET4331s,
4332s and the odd 4336, all 813s, etc and xtal controlled using
those big 10X xtals, beautiful kit. We had a dump on the site
where all sorts of kit would turn up, TXs, tape recorders and
even the old Typex cypher machines. Needless to say the old
motorbike went home heavily laden some nights! I bet most of the
junk is still buried there. After the DWS I went to Decca
Navigator, working on their HIFIX nav system (remember the
"Jingle Bells" on Top Band? - that was HIFIX) I travelled all
over the world with Decca before marrying, moving to Norfolk and
working in the North Sea oil business, a job I still do after 24
years.
I still look back happily on the days when I used to help G3VPW
with his CCF station in Nottingham, I wish I could recall his
CCF callsign but I can't even remember the school he went to, I
last saw John about 15 years ago so I can't ask him! Another
friend from those days, Chris G3XXF, was in the CCF at
Sherbourne School (Ultra-POSH!), I believe he lost the tip of a
finger after sticking it in a generator whilst on a excercise!
The other anecdote is that the tank aerial sections we had made
excellent pea-shooters, they could smash an EF91 at ten yards
IIRC!
Happy days, 73,
Roger Basford, (48 going on 16)
//////////////////////////////////
* e-mail Roger@g3vkm.demon.co.uk *
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
From: G3XLQ = af4k@earthlink.net
To: Roger Basford = Roger@g3vkm.demon.co.uk
Subject: Re: Greetings CCF Chaps!
Date sent: Sun, 26 Oct 1997
Roger thank you so much for writing back with a few more
memoirs!
I bet G3UUR would love to get his hands on some of the items in
that dump you spoke of, HE HE!
You are right that there are very few surplus places left in the
UK, and what sources there are, nowadays are mostly in private
hands.
I think Dave knows of a bloke that has some things, and I bet
there are a few larger collections scattered around the UK here
and there!
As to military surplus supplies in the USA, we still have
several major dealers, and their prices are what I would call
"moderate." More than a poor fellow like me can pay for toys,
but quite reasonable to the average upper middle-class ham or
collector to consider getting more goodies.
There are still thousands of R-390 and R-390A receivers, and a
dwindling, but still large number of "ARC-5" series transmitters
and receivers, which are marginally better than the 19 set, but
nothing sensational in performance.
More recently a number of GRC-109 rigs have found their way onto
the market and a number of the chaps have been enjoying getting
them on the air.
I have at one time about twenty years ago, owned a receiver
called a AN/GRR-5 which is nicknamed the "Angry-5." It was a
jeep radio that covered about 1-18 mc/s the best I remember. I
think I paid $50 for it. It came with a built-in AC Mains
supply. It has the look of a "jeep radio" but obviously was made
for fixed-station applications too. It was an Army field radio
set, (in standard army olive-green) and it had a matching
transmitter, I believe, but I do not know the designated model
number for that. The one I had was clean-looking, but suffered
some capacitor failures so I eventually sold it or traded it off
for something else.
I've got a long list of suppliers of such military surplus
radios in the USA and Canada, al listed at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~af4k/mega/boatanch.htm
ARC-5 information is at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~af4k/ham/arc5conv.txt
Links to more Military surplus Web Sites may be found at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~af4k/hamlynx/hamboata.htm
I hope you find all of this interesting, Roger.
Cheers for now - Bry, G3XLQ / AF4K
Date sent: Wed, 29 Oct 1997
From: Angus Graham = woodtown@mail.zynet.co.uk
Subject: ACF/CCF National Nets
Dear Bry,
Thanks for your mailing. I had no idea that this site existed! I
have lots of QSLs from '63 to about '71 (when the MOD discovered
my 'con' and chucked me off the Nets!!!), so I'll see if I can
match any names from your site!
I've lots of (boring?) anecdotes -- like when kids at my school
(allegedly) used the National Net to pass an 'A' Level paper
over the air to another school that had the same paper later
that day!!!
It's still sad that so many (even with Ham calls) seem to have
just 'disappeared' -- but perhaps that's Life.
Thank you, I'll be back...
73s es ZZV de 40C/32/G3TXL
Angus Graham
Date sent: Wed, 29 Oct 1997
From: Angus Graham = woodtown@mail.zynet.co.uk
To: af4k@earthlink.net
Subject: ACF/CCF National Nets
Hi Bry!
Sorry, one I forgot earlier!
From: David Gordon-Smith, G3UUR
Date sent: Fri, 24 Oct 1997
Subject: G3LYW and the good ol' days - really!
Bry,
I took a look at the CCF radio web pages and was frustrated to
find message after message with the subject purporting to be
about 'G3LYW and the good ol' days' with nary a mention of
G3LYW until I got well down the list. I wish these guys would
take the trouble to find out how to change the subject in their
message header/take the trouble to do it if it's not
appropriate.
That's not fair!
John Weston, G3LYW/GX3LYW, teaches Electronics at Prior Park
College, Bath -- callsign 71B! John is also their 'Pronto' and
is *seriously* trying to encourage use of the National Net. He
is trying to re-establish the 'MetNet' but has had (imho) very
little help from 'those above'! It's very refreshing to see
someone who had great success in their 'youth' (sorry, John!)
with radio trying to pass on the 'fun' of it in very difficult
(again, imho) times. The fact that we are 'talking' on the
Internet perhaps proves my point?
ZZV de Angus Graham 40C/G3TXL
John has a 'net' on 3675 kc/s (!!?!) Sunday mornings, times
posted elsewhere
Perhaps it's only the faint whiff of the 813s from the past that
gets John going? I'm sure the Germans would have an evocative
single-word translation -- cf. 'The call of far-away places'!
Date sent: Sat, 01 Nov 1997
From: Charles Brain = chbrain@dircon.co.uk
To: af4k@earthlink.net
Subject: CCF
Hi,
I just found your page!
I was active in the mid seventies callsign 48 mainly on
5330 Mhz using a C12 and Eddystone 730/4. The CCF unit
was at Hurstpierpoint College near Burgess Hill in Sussex.
The antennae was a dipole made from D10 cable.
Brings back old memories!
- Cheers Charles G4GUO
Date sent: Mon, 03 Nov 1997
From: Martin Swift = martin.swift@virgin.net
Subject: CCF Nets etc.
Reading these pages has brought back a lot of memories, but I
must confess here and now that I'm actually from the other
mob....the ATC! Our radio nets in the late 60's and 70's
operated around the same freqs as the CCF, 4.6, 4.9 and 5.2 MHz,
but evenings and Sunday mornings rather than lunchtimes, and
from other emails it would appear that the gear we were using
and our experiences of propagation was very similar. The Sea
Cadets operated around the 6.7MHz area if I remember correctly,
and occasionally joined our nets for exercises (with permission
from our NCS). My first station, VQ5X54, on the ATC 'B net'
started with a 19 set in 1968, and then progressed via a 62 set
to an ex-marine AP100337 Tx, with a National HRO Rx. Considering
that we used 50'end-fed antennas initially on the WS19 and 62, I
seem to remember that our voice comms were very reliable. I was
still at school (no CCF), and the nets in those days were
pleasantly chatty, rather than for cadets to practice message
handling, as they do now. I seem to remember once radio-checking
'5 Charlie' one lunchtime whilst testing a transmitter, and
GQT73 (SCC) and 4BO61 (TA?) were also to be heard on our
(slightly unofficial but enourmous fun) lunchtime nets in the
early 70s. The ATC didn't get issued radio eqpt, unless you were
at a Network Control Station. Other equipment in use in those
days was a T1154/R1155 with the ground PSU's at VQ5X01, Bendix
TA12 at VQ5X02, a 53Tx at my good friend Bob Williams' squadron
on the Wirral, VQ5X58, and a few issued RAF T1509's at squadrons
with strong floors. They used a pair of 813's to modulate a pair
of 813's in the RFPA, and U19's in the PSU. Boy were they HEAVY
!!! Our 'A net' prefix then was SK4B.., and the 'C net' IQ8Y...
In the early 70's, I aquired an RCA ET4336 HF Tx from RAF
Stafford, re-built it and used it into a 5MHz dipole from my
squadron as VQ5X79 and VQ5X02 for many years...about 300 watts
of well-modulated AM from a pair of 813's gave us 'Loud Clear'
on B1 across the UK every Sunday, until the nets became
SSB-only, callsigns changed and HF AM was relegated to history !
That RCA transmitter is now with the RAF museum. Other eqpt from
the 70's and 80's ATC nets were the Redifon GR410 (C15), BCC32,
GR415, Safari, KWM2A, Pye SSB125, C11 and C11SSB, D11 (also Loud
Clear!), Racal Syncal, and a host of other ex-military and
commercial eqpt. Receivers were mainly RA17s, replacing R1155s,
AR88s and R1475s. The nets still operate, but VHF, the lack of
suitable (free) HF SSB eqpt and numerous other attractions and
activities for the cadets have taken their toll on HF activity.
Anyone remember those early callsigns? And thanks to Richard
Hankins for navigating me in your direction, Bry. 73, Martin
Swift, G4NCE, (and MRB25)
E-mail: Martin Swift = martin.swift@virgin.net
Date sent: 29 Oct 1997
From: Richard Hankins = Richard.Hankins.3310463@nt.com
Subject: CCF days - again
Bry,
I see the CCF webpage is going well - the pictures are a big
improvement and help to break up the text, as well as remind
those with rusty memories what a WS19 looks like. To answer
your request for more memories, one did occur to me that may
amuse everyone.......The day I was arrested as a........well
read on........
The Signals Section decided one day that a spot of mobile
operation would add a little spice to our usual rather static HF
station (ever tried carting a WS19 plus batteries?!). The
necessary wheels were a problem though, with all of us being 16
or less, so having no driving licences, let alone any motorised
transport. This was solved when someone volunteered a loan of
their tandem. This was a wonderful machine, having been rescued
from a scrap heap, and adorned with "ape-hanger" handle bars
(the type beloved by Hells Angels for the motorbikes).
I and another signals op set off on this machine around the
Brighton streets, both of us in full army kit, boots, etc, with
me on the back wearing a WS88 on my belt, and the 4 foot aerial
reaching some way over our heads. Suffice to say, we looked,
well, unusual.
In one very quiet residential street, we pulled over for a radio
check back to base, and a guy clipping his hedge nearby looked
very hard at us, and then strolled over. Instead of the
expected "Thats interesting lads, what have you got there?" We
got (loudly):"PLEASE DON'T MOVE - I AM ARRESTING YOU AS
SUSPECTED IRA TERRORISTS - AND I AM JUST GOING TO CALL THE
POLICE".
I am having difficult keeping a straight face as I write this
some 25 years later - so you can imagine how hard it was to be
(moderately) polite to this chap and not fall on the ground with
our legs in the air! Anyway, we agreed - with glee - to wait
for the police to come and arrest us as IRA terrorists - I think
I expected to appear on the national news - along with their
other exploits of bombing the PO Tower (about that time).
After a long wait, the police came, and after checking us very
carefully, decided we were not dangerous enough to actually cart
off to the cells. They did spill the beans on the guy who
arrested us: apparently, he had called them out previously,
claiming that a milkman had been placing bombs on his doorstep
disguised as milkbottles..........
73s
Richard
G7RVI
N.B. For more pictures, click here!
Date sent: 29 Oct 1997
From: Richard Hankins = Richard.Hankins.3310463@nt.com
Subject: Re: The (still) good - VHF
Resending this cos it bounced.........
Jack Ponton wrote.........
] There's no reason why we shouldn't use AM too on 6m. There's
] lots of underused bandwidth most of the time. PW even published
] an AM design a few years back.
Quite right. There's no reason why we should not put AM on any
band, provided the usual courtesies are shown to other users and
the band plans. However, I don't hold out much hope of finding
other people on AM these days, unless pre-arranged. I am
certainly hoping in the longer term to get my old WS36 on to 6
metres (and lower frequencies if and when I get my class A
license). This is an AM set producing 25W carrier from a pair
of 807s. It dates from the early 40s, and was used - I believe
- as part of the anti-aircraft network - links to searchlight
batteries and the like. It has a matching Rx - the R208 - once
nicknamed the "Sputnik" cos apparently lots of amateurs bought
them to listen to the signals coming from the first Russion
satellites in the low VHF region.
I think the WS36 is a really interesting set - being one of the
early VHF sets successfully produced for the UK forces - not
long before this one of the frontiers of amateur exploration was
the 56Mc/s band, so this was fairly innovative for its day.
However, collecting is faddish and collectors show little
interest in it - I have never seen one in any Museum - if the
Royal Sigs at Blandford have one, they must keep it in a
cupboard somewhere cos it wasn't on display last time I was
there. The complete WS36/R208 set-up is rather bigger than your
WS12/R107 system and was designed to link to phone lines - it
could actually carry a full duplex phone call - although I've
never been able to get the bits to make it do this (If anyone
has a WS36 line coupling unit needing a home - then drop me a
line!)
] Re: the WS19 B section, this was certainly a pretty
] sophisticated superregen design. I remember building a s'regen
] for 10m using an `acorn' valve. I never heard anything, but it
] made interesting patterns on my Granny next door's TV set..
] Was the DET20 the funny looking fellow with `horns': both the
] anode and grid brought out to caps on the top?
I don't actually have a WS19 to hand to be able to confirm a
visual sighting, but the DET20 (CV6) does appear to have two
caps for anode and grid from my data - so you have probably
identified it correctly. Super-regens can work exceedingly well
- but it really is a black art. As you say, they have plenty of
interference potential - modern realisations use a grounded gate
FET as an RF amp in front of the super-regen detector, which
provide plenty of reverse loss to keep the aerial radiation
down.
I wonder if any of the broadcast-oriented guys on this list can
tell us whether super-regens ever made it into early broadcast
sets as well - and how well they worked?
Richard
G7RVI
From richard@waveg.demon.co.uk
Mon Nov 03
Ben wrote:
] I have a pair of 88 sets, working but
] just needing cleaning etc,
] 30 UKP the pair plus postage.
Ah, but what about the horrible brown dry cells to work 'em?
I remember the ones in our 88 sets in the school cadets (I was
conscripted) being so knackered that you could get out of radio range of
the other guy when you could still see him across the training grounds
at Aldershot! In fact, I reckon you'd have managed nearly as well by
shouting. They were antiquated things even then (late 60's), so they
must be real collector's items now.
Good luck
Rick
Richard Sterry G4BLT
Honda VFR750FP rider web site - http://www.waveg.demon.co.uk/
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