[AMRadio] Artificial Aerial Licence

[Robert A. Poff]

Ah, that's it.
So much for trying to remember an on the air conversation that occurred a couple of decades ago.

They say memory is the second thing to go.
I can't remember what the first was.

Thanks for the link to Plan Flypaper.
I'll take a look this evening.

Robert A. Poff
Loganville, PA

Pocket PC Mobile

S/V Loon
1983 Hunter 34
Havre de Grace, Md.



-----Original Message-----
From: "Roger Basford"<***@new-gate.co.uk>
Sent: 4/14/08 12:26:33 PM
To: "***@mailman.qth.net"<***@mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [AMRadio] Re: AMRadio Digest, Vol 51, Issue 7

----- Original Message -----

Message: 1
Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2008 11:34:50 -0400
Subject: RE: [AMRadio] Carrier Current Transmission (was
WestinghouseTest Meter Unit Type TCT)
To: "'Discussion of AM Radio in the Amateur Service'"
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Some of the older guys here have told me about using carrier current
during
that time.
And some bootleg operation on 5 meters.
Also if I remember correctly in England they had an "no antenna" class of
license.
There was a specific prefix for them .... G3 maybe?

Hi Robert,

Pre-WWII here in Great Britain we had the "Artificial Aerial Licence" which
allowed testing of transmitters but only into a dummy load! If you google
Artificial Aerial Licence (note British spelling) you'll find a specimen
licence. Callsigns were in the 2AAA-2ZZZ series but they never got beyond
about 2GAA before the War intervened. After WWII, the callsigns were
re-issued to surviving 2AAA, etc holders but with the G prefix added. The
callsign series G2AAA-G2ZZZ was never completed, for some reason, and after
WWII the G3AAA-G3ZZZ series was issued to new licensees, that sequence ran
until the early 70's. There were no legal UK amateur operations during WWII
apart from "Plan Flypaper", see
http://www.zamboodle.demon.co.uk/rss/flypaper.htm

73

Roger Basford/G3VKM



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[D. Chester]

I never could figure out why a licence was ever required to work a
transmitter into a non-radiating load.

Don k4kyv

[k0ng at inebraska.com ()]

Don: If I am not mistaken, the British used to charge a TAX for any license
issued, even broadcast reveivers. Anyone know for sure??

Charlie, K0NG

[Joe Crawford]

I know they charge for TV receivers, and back years ago, probably paid for
radio reception. All this licence talk reminds me of Inspector Clouseau
asking the organ grinder to show him his licence for his minkey(monkey):-)
Joe W4AAB
----- Original Message -----
From: <***@inebraska.com>
To: <***@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2008 1:15 PM
Subject: Re: [AMRadio] Re: Artificial Aerial Licence

Post by k0ng at inebraska.com ()
Don: If I am not mistaken, the British used to charge a TAX for any license
issued, even broadcast reveivers. Anyone know for sure??
Charlie, K0NG
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[Barrie Smith]

When I was a young kid in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, in about 1946, I remember
the black Ford sedans, with the loop antennas on the roofs, cruising around
the neighborhood listening for the 455 kc IFs of unlicensed radio receivers.

If you had a license for your address, that was okay. But, if a 455 IF was
heard eminating from an address that was not licensed, there would be a
knock on your door, and a summons would be written.

73, Barrie, W7ALW

[Joe Crawford]

That would have been the time to put a car radio inside as the home
receiver. IF's were 262.5 kHz(kc in those days):-).Or build a crystal set.
Joe W4AAB
----- Original Message -----
From: "Barrie Smith" <***@centric.net>
To: "Discussion of AM Radio in the Amateur Service"
<***@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2008 5:03 PM
Subject: Re: [AMRadio] Re: Artificial Aerial Licence

Post by Barrie Smith
When I was a young kid in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, in about 1946, I
remember the black Ford sedans, with the loop antennas on the roofs,
cruising around the neighborhood listening for the 455 kc IFs of
unlicensed radio receivers.
If you had a license for your address, that was okay. But, if a 455 IF
was heard eminating from an address that was not licensed, there would be
a knock on your door, and a summons would be written.
73, Barrie, W7ALW
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AMRadio mailing list
List Rules (must read!): http://w5ami.net/amradiofaq.html
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[kenw2dtc]

W7ALW said: "in about 1946, I remember the black Ford sedans, with the loop
antennas on the roofs, cruising around the neighborhood listening for the
455 kc IFs of unlicensed radio receivers."

I remember reading an article about receiver licenses from many years ago in
England. Way back when, they also had big rotating loops on the roof of
their cars but they couldn't receive anything. What they did was start
these cruises in the hot summer, when all the windows were open, and nobody
had air conditioning, and listen for voices or music coming from a house or
apartment open window. They would go to the house or apartment and tell the
homeowner that they picked up the radio with their equipment and asked to
see the receiver license. After a couple of fines, the word was spread that
these cars could pick up their radios and everybody rushed down to get their
license.

73,
Ken W2DTC

[k0ng at inebraska.com ()]

Barrie: When I was in France, they used to listen for the L.O. Radiation
frequency (local bcstn freq- I.F.=L.O.). It is almost always much stronger
than any I.F. radiation. 262 KHz IF was quite common.

73, Charlie, K0NG

[Ed Sieb]

It's the UK Don. _Everything_ is regulated there.

Ed, VA3ES
------------------------------------------------------------------


Don k4kyv wrote:
I never could figure out why a licence was ever required
to work a transmitter into a non-radiating load.

[Roger Basford]

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:45:36 -0500
Subject: [AMRadio] Re: Artificial Aerial Licence
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=original
I never could figure out why a licence was ever required to work a
transmitter into a non-radiating load.
Don k4kyv
Hi Don and Co,

Well, what you have to remember is that after the introduction of radio in
the early part of the 20th Century Britain and the US went completely
separate ways with control and legislation. In the US, cable and radio
companies were private concerns, profit-making. In the UK, all
communications by cable and post were under the control of the General Post
Office (GPO). When radio came along, the GPO took over the administration of
the new medium and issued licences to all services, including amateurs. The
whole ethos was of control, and not profit, from the outset, so it's not
suprising that the GPO required a licence to allow one to build and test a
transmitter, even into a dummy load.

Yes, there was a licence required for domestic radio reception; I can't
remember when it was revoked but certainly you needed one when I was a kid
and also, at one time, a separate one for a car radio! You must remember
that there were no large-scale commercial broadcasting in the UK until about
the 1970s; as a kid I listened to pop music on Radio Luxembourg on 208
metres, because the BBC stations didn't play pop in any quantity. The spur
to change all this came about in the mid 60s, when a bunch of pirate
stations sprang up from ships and abandoned anti-aircraft forts off the UK
coasts. These stations were a huge success and forced the BBC into launching
a modern mass-appeal radio service. There is still a requirement to have a
licence for TVs here; if you buy a TV in the local mall, the law requires
the seller to inform the authorities of your address. If no TV licence is
known at that address under your name, then expect postal harrassment and a
visit from the "Detector Van"! The licence is about $275/year and goes to
finance the BBC, even if you only watch non-BBC stations you still must have
a licence.

Having said all that, from a ham's point of view the situation has got much
easier in the 42 years I've been licenced. Things are lot more easy-going
and sensible changes to regulations are generally made without too much fuss
and hassle. The UK radio spectrum management in now done by an outfit called
OFCOM, having passed from the GPO, through the Home Office and The
Radiocommunications Agency "in my time".

Hope this isn't too boring!!


Roger/G3VKM

------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:59:03 -0400
Subject: RE: [AMRadio] Re: Artificial Aerial Licence
To: "Discussion of AM Radio in the Amateur Service"
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
It's the UK Don. _Everything_ is regulated there.
Ed, VA3ES
------------------------------------------------------------------
I never could figure out why a licence was ever required
to work a transmitter into a non-radiating load.

[Robert Nickels]

Post by Roger Basford
Well, what you have to remember is that after the introduction of
radio in the early part of the 20th Century Britain and the US went
completely separate ways with control and legislation.

Roger, thanks for that "not-boring" history - I suspect like many I knew
parts of it, but it's an interesting contrast. Having never been a part
of the pirate radio movement at the time, I really enjoyed listening to
the "reunion" broadcast online last year, where many of the jocks from
Radio Caroline and other pirates were back on the air - but over Pirate
BBC Essex from offshore near Harwich this time. Even though they didn't
have actual AM transmitters on the ships, it was great fun to listen to,
wonder if they'll be doing this again? I knew the pirate broadcasters
got the BBC to start playing top 40 music, but didn't realize they
actually helped to change the way radio services were licensed in the UK.

I would also suspect the "Detector Van" would have more difficulty with
the modern receiver technology - is there a problem with "TV
bootlegging" today, or is paying the license fee just part of the culture?

73, Bob W9RAN

[cemilton at aol.com ()]

Good afternoon Roger and all................



Your brief comments about licencing and the BBC brought to mind the
certification decals I've encountered on three of my early English
Crystal Sets. Each of the sets have not only the BBC decals, but the
serial numbers are "stamped" into the wooden cabinets. The sets were
truly "licensed" and registered when purchased. One of the crystal
sets had a nice surprise tucked neatly inside. It was a B.B.C.A.A.
(British Broadcasting Corporation Assurance Association) Wireless
Policy. An insurance policy that provided limited coverage for damages
incurred by lightning where an outside Aerial was deployed. This
particular policy was never completed by the owner and is intact. No
mention of the premium amount was given but it was for a period of six
months. Coverage was increased when a W.L.A. (Wavelength Lightning
Arrestor) was installed at the same time as the aerial. The address
for the BBCAA was 825/826 Salisbury House, London Wall, E.C. 2



A small, but fine book on early British Wireless design is "The Cat's
Whisker" by Jonathan Hill. Some very nice photos and a nice anthology
of wireless broadcasting in England. It even has the history of the
BBC stations beginning with London (2LO) on 361 metres and continuing
through THIRD PROGRAMME on 460 metres in 1946.



Thanks, Roger, for sharing your comments..........definitely not boring.



Best 73 de W4MIL

Chuck















-----Original Message-----

From: Roger Basford <***@new-gate.co.uk>

To: ***@mailman.qth.net

Sent: Wed, 16 Apr 2008 4:37 am

Subject: [AMRadio] Re: Artificial Aerial Licence
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:45:36 -0500
Subject: [AMRadio] Re: Artificial Aerial Licence
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=original
I never could figure out why a licence was ever required to work a
transmitter into a non-radiating load.
Don k4kyv
Hi Don and Co,

Well, what you have to remember is that after the introduction of radio
in
the early part of the 20th Century Britain and the US went completely
separate ways with control and legislation. In the US, cable and radio
companies were private concerns, profit-making. In the UK, all
communications by cable and post were under the control of the General
Post
Office (GPO). When radio came along, the GPO took over the
administration of
the new medium and issued licences to all services, including amateurs.
The
whole ethos was of control, and not profit, from the outset, so it's
not
suprising that the GPO required a licence to allow one to build and
test a
transmitter, even into a dummy load.




Yes, there was a licence required for domestic radio reception; I can't
remember when it was revoked but certainly you needed one when I was a
kid
and also, at one time, a separate one for a car radio! You must
remember
that there were no large-scale commercial broadcasting in the UK until
about
the 1970s; as a kid I listened to pop music on Radio Luxembourg on 208
metres, because the BBC stations didn't play pop in any quantity. The
spur
to change all this came about in the mid 60s, when a bunch of pirate
stations sprang up from ships and abandoned anti-aircraft forts off the
UK
coasts. These stations were a huge success and forced the BBC into
launching
a modern mass-appeal radio service. There is still a requirement to
have a
licence for TVs here; if you buy a TV in the local mall, the law
requires
the seller to inform the authorities of your address. If no TV licence
is
known at that address under your name, then expect postal harrassment
and a
visit from the "Detector Van"! The licence is about $275/year and goes
to
finance the BBC, even if you only watch non-BBC stations you still must
have
a licence.




Having said all that, from a ham's point of view the situation has got
much
easier in the 42 years I've been licenced. Things are lot more
easy-going
and sensible changes to regulations are generally made without too much
fuss
and hassle. The UK radio spectrum management in now done by an outfit
called
OFCOM, having passed from the GPO, through the Home Office and The
Radiocommunications Agency "in my time".




Hope this isn't too boring!!





Roger/G3VKM

------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:59:03 -0400
Subject: RE: [AMRadio] Re: Artificial Aerial Licence
To: "Discussion of AM Radio in the Amateur Service"
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
It's the UK Don. _Everything_ is regulated there.
Ed, VA3ES
------------------------------------------------------------------
I never could figure out why a licence was ever required
to work a transmitter into a non-radiating load.