VISITS TO RADIO AMATEURS IN EUROPE

USSR CENTRAL RADIO CLUB, MOSCOW,1960

During the summer of 1960 I went to Moscow, USSR, to attend the IUPAC Conference on “Macromolecular Chemistry” This gave the opportunity to try to contact Hams in Moscow. A letter I sent to the Central Radio Club of the USSR opened the door. and I met with a group at the “House of Friendship”. The next photo shows us assembled on the steps of the Dom Druszvi!

 

 

THE VERY LONG FRENCH CONNECTION: 1960-2005!

MY FIRST CONNECTIONS ON “ LA FREQUENCE MAGIQUE” BEGAN WITH F8RQ, GUY ROY!

“ La Frequence Magique “ , “The Magic Frequency”, 14.223mhz, evolved through a series of contacts with F8RQ. They took place most Saturdays and Sundays over many years at “ L’Heure Magique “, or the “Magic Hour” on “La frequence Magique”. Over 415 stations were contacted in French during the ensuing years. They included F2, F3, F5, F6, F7, F8, F9, Italy, ON4, CN8, CT, DL, HB9, PY, SV, CR6, CX8, TU2, VE2, FA2, FA7, FO8, FG7, FM7, FH8 and FK. These qualified K2JFV for the French Medallion Award for working all F prefixes.

F8RQ, F9HF and W2VZV/W2DD and K2JFV/VE6JW are still communicating with each other in 2005 as shown in the photo! My latest visit with F8RQ, age 96, hale and hearty, was in September 2004.

 

 

A VISIT in 1965 WITH F8AB WHO MADE THE FIRST TRANSATLANTIC AMATEUR CONTACT BETWEEN EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA.

W2ICE of the Antique Wireless Association ( AWA ) of Holcomb , New York, arranged for me to met F8AB during my April, 1965 visit to France. F8AB, Leon Deloy, formerly 8AB, had made contact with 1MO, Fred Schnell, in Connecticut on November 27,1923. This was the first ever trans-atlantic QSO made by licensed radio amateurs. F8AB resided in France just above the coast of Monaco. Though I took many pictures, here is the single photo of F8AB I still have in my hands.

 

 

A brief reference to the story of the 8AB to 1MO transatlantic contact appears in QST,page 81, December 2000.

THE ENGLISH CONNECTIONS

A VISIT IN 1960 TO THE RADIO SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN AND THE ROYAL SCIENCE MUSEUM, LONDON

In July of 1960 I visited the offices of the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) on behalf of the AWA and to meet with the RSGB Secretary, John Clarricoats, G6CL. There I was to pick up an antique item, a “ Coherer Receiver” that was donated to the AWA by The British Marconi Company. The picture following, taken on the roof of the RSGB shows G6CL and K2JFV during that visit.

 

 

During the same trip to London I visited the British Science Museum, and spent some time there in the Radio Amateur Station, GB2SM, as well as with the Deputy Keeper of the Communications Department, Gerald Garatt, G5CS, shown seated at the operating position of GB2SM!