Memories

 One of a sporadic, few posts about my memories of radio, electronics, computers and whatever else strikes me might be interesting.

 

My first transceiver, an imported FCC spec Midland 100M, the very first contact was someone two streets away, maybe 150mtrs, because the final was blown, i had the stereotype DV-27 on a biscuit tin, no idea about SWR.

I knew a bit about radio and electronics, I'd built a few things from Everyday Electronics and even modified them to do 'stuff', I repaired radios and cassette players for friends at school, more by luck and persistence than any actual knowledge but I learned.

However, the insides of the Midland were a whole new level and I really didn't know an awful lot, plus I had nobody to ask, the internet was only a military research project called DARPANet so, as tempting as it was to tinker, I had to take it to the local CB shop and was mildly terrified because CB was illegal to use back then in the UK * (see below).
 
The owner was a guy called Colin Stubbs, he had a plain as day window display of all sorts of exotic stuff, Colt Black Shadow SSB, Stalker 9 (not the FDX, UK FM wasn't even a proposal at that time)
 
Colin, or rather Colin's tech fixed it for me and charged me £5 which was a fortune to me at the time, but I'd saved up some pocket and chore money so I was finally on the air and chatting to locals, some not so local too.
 
I ended up being quite friendly with Colin and spent, I suspect to his annoyance, lots of time hanging about in his shop, listening and learning as he talked to customers, even ended up getting involved a little.
 
Our paths crossed in my career too, he sold satellite TV stuff and had contracts to supply televisions to the local hotels as well, a market I was involved in for my first proper job as a domestic electronics repair tech.

When he closed the shop to retire he asked me if I'd like to clear out his cellar of all the old 'junk', I found dozens of CBs, accessories and schematics, service info etc. Made me quite a lot of money and kept me amused for a few months repairing them all.

* (We've got weird laws, it was legal to sell and own AM CB gear but illegal to "install" and use, there was also a high probability that the radio had been smuggled in, I believe usually via Ireland or the Isle of Man, so it wouldn't have had import duty paid on it leading to the scary possibility that you could be prosecuted by HM Customs and Excise for tax offences too)

 

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