[UK-CONTEST] Elitism ?

[Clive Whelan]

Ah the R107, also my first rx. Actually bought by my father, ostensibly 
for his own use, although I now suspect it was really a present for me 
which he didn't want openly to declare. I do remember it cost £10 in 
1958, which was a lot of money , possibly a week's wage or more for him. 
What was my pocket money then as a 16 year old sprog, was it as much as 
2 bob a week?, I really can't remember. So fast forward to 2008 and a 
clunky old WW2 rx is valued at about £150-200? So gear was cheap in 
those days, yeah right! I well remember the beast arriving on a huge 
B.R.S. lorry, and being humped into the tiny prefab by two hairy blokes, 
as my father was war-disabled. Sadly he died in 1959, but at least he 
saw me get my ticket earlier that year. I have to say that I don't 
remember SSB in those days if indeed it was about, and I was already 
smitten by the CW bug ( pun not intended!). The antenna was a half sized 
G5RV supported between two 30ft wooden ( yes wooden!) scaffold poles 
procured by my school friend Neil whose father was an architect and who 
became GW3OAY the next year. I can tell you that it looked quite a 
construction in the environment of a council prefab ( anybody remember 
those?)

So why am I telling you this, apart from a nostalgia trip ? Well, 
referring to other comments about encouragement for newbies, I can tell 
you that I received zero help or encouragement from anyone, and so I had 
to swat for the RAE solo and learn Morse by listening around on the 
R107. In fact the OF two letter calls were frankly only interested in 
puffing their fags and quaffing their ale, rather than encouraging a 
spotty youth like me. My first contest was NFD in 1959- barely two 
months after getting my ticket, when I was pushed onto the key by OM 
Tom/GW3AHN who is still with us although no longer QRV. It wasn't long 
before Neil and I became the chief NFD ops at Cardiff RSGB group winning 
the event for the first time in, erm I think, 1963 and the rest is 
history. Was our case exceptional in any way; I really do not think so. 
So perhaps I may play devil's advocate and question whether the  problem 
is one of encouragement and nurture, or rather of  old fashioned 
motivation and desire to succeed which simply cannot be taught. Sadly I 
am not acquainted with any young/new licencees and so as a latter day OF 
cannot be authoritative :-(



73



Clive
GW3NJW

Chris Tran GM3WOJ wrote:
> Al G3XBV - you made me feel nostalgic with your mention of the R107 - also 
> my first RX - I needed help to lift the thing but you certainly learned SSB 
> tuning skills on this radio with its 1kc/s per minute drift rate !
>
>
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