John , A fascinating story and a treasured possession from the Queen Mary, a personal reply and? a lovely QSL card.
My route into the hobby was the fault of my parents? hi hi , who owned a very nice all in one TV, radiogram and multiband radio receiver. A work of art in Carpentry, the cabinet had the radiogram and radio housed in a slide out drawer. Made by "DECCA" I do recall. To an ntrained 10 year old however, the radio was particularly annoying ...... other than the usual mundane BBC Home or Light programme there was this very boring band marked? "SW" on which nothing could be heard.? Very disappointing.? My Father advised me that it wouldn't work because it needed a separate aerial ... which he duly demonstrated using a length of wire across the lounge :-) Well the TV was soon replaced? (625 line TV helped ), and the radio receiver section removed from the cabinet into the attic and a much better random wire antenna attached with the help of a washing line post? at the end of the garden. .
The SW band came alive and I was hooked.
Tony, my first true Short Wave radio receiver was an H.A.C single valve regen receiver. Battery powered with separate "HT" and "LT" batteries it gave me hours of fun.
Still prefer twirling a knob on a receiver than clicking a mouse on a waterfall display ....... maybe that's me getting old ?
73
Bob G4DBW
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Bob Hammond G4DBW