Whats a QQVO3-20A?

This amazing valve, which looks a little strange, was a wonderful device for VHF and UHF transmitters. Driven correctly, it would provide 20w output on 144mhz and 10w output on 432mhz. The device had twin anodes which was great for balanced tuned circuits. It's 'big brother' was the QQVO6-40A which would provide 50w+ output, but needed a higher voltage. It's little brother was the QQVO3-10 which looked like a conventional valve.

My first 70cm transverter used two of these QQVO3-20 devices, one to 'triple' the frequency from the 144mhz input to 432mhz and the other to provide the power output.

The base was made of ceramic and quite difficult to obtain. The transverter was Grid Modulated for Amateur Television Transmissions and worked quite well! Quite a bit of metal work was needed to build the transvertor, including tapped brass anode and grid lines. It was tuned with a PTFE square which passed between the anode lines.

Now, I had some of these devices in a box in my loft, but I can't find them...surely I didn't throw them away? I'm still looking!

Radio Rallies

These well worn badges were bought and made at the Leicester Show by one of the dealers. I must admit that sometimes I stayed incognito at rallies!

Radio Rallies were great events for Radio Amateurs! It was a chance to meet others amateurs that you talked to on the Radio and buy equipment and components from dealers that normally would advertise in Radio Communication Magazine or Short Wave Magazine. You could get some real bargains!

In 1969 I went to my very first Radio Rally at Preston. The venue was at the T.A. Headquarters on Deepdale Rd, next to the football ground. I only had about 50p to spend! I was amazed to see so much equipment all under one roof. I came away with a huge bag of mixed components which lasted me for years afterwards.

During the 70's and 80's I travelled to many Rallies on Sundays, Drayton Manor was one of my favourites and in 1982 when I went down with Kath and little Jacquie now 2 years old, it snowed...at the end of April! The whole thing was a disaster as most of the Rally was set in large Marquees. I remember carrying Jacquie freezing cold and unable to use the buggy because the snow was so deep. To top it all, Kath lost her engagement ring in the snow!

Rallies I went to in the 70's and 80's include: Drayton, Leicester, Belle-Vue (Manchester), Bolton (Silverwell St and Horwich Leisure Centre), Bury (Castle Leisure Centre), Telford (a pain to get to!) I went to few other 'odd' ones as well.

The best, without doubt, was the Leicester Show at Granby Hall. A brilliant rally where you were guaranteed to get everyhing on my shopping list and some great bargains (70cm Transverter to match my FT101E for 30 quid...boxed and new!!) Could spend hours at Birkitt's stand and buy hard to get components dead cheap! I actually took time off work to go to the Leicester Show as it was a three day event.

In the late 80's I had my own stand at the Bolton Rally in Silverwell St and the Bury Rally just to sell off my own 'junk' I really enjoyed it!

Sadly, Radio Rallies are not what they were....the best ones have now gone, and the ones that are left have lost the atmosphere and appeal. Although, it is the Blackpool Rally next week...might just have a look!

In the Digital World, Radio Rallies have been replaced by 'Computer Fairs' ...more on this later!

Analogue Weather Station

In the early 1980's Bill Kay (My Uncle) sent me a complete analogue weather station which came off the Television Mast at Winter Hill. (along with some spare bits) It had actually been struck by lightning (several times) when on the mast and was replaced. This machine was painted grey and built of solid brass to military standards for weather recording. A superb piece of equipment, but REALLY heavy! The equipment had a wind speed rotor and wind direction fin with sensors which could be connected to meters.
I had the station running at one point with the station mounted on the shed, but the weight of this monster was not really practical!

When I spent some time on Sundays at the Winter Hill Transmitter, every hour the Manchester Met office would ring the station for the latest weather readings. In the reception area on the wall were the wind speed, direction, pressure and humidy meters that were read and passed on to the Met Office along with cloud type and height (which could easily be estimated from the cloud cover of the Mast)
Amazing to think that I had some of the same equipment in my back garden!

The weather station was eventually passed on to a school to be used as part of the Science Curriculum. (I seem to remember putting it in Loot to see if any local school wanted it!)

I now have a digital weather station sitting on my desk which tells me the inside and outside temperature, humidity and what the weather is like at the moment!

Analogue Native - Digital Rebel!

Here is Winter Hill taken from Scout Rd with my 200mm Zoom lens.

I'm now truely a Digital Rebel!
Bought the Canon EOS 350D Kit with 18mm - 55mm lens and 55mm - 200mm zoom lens. At last I have updated my kit to DSLR. My Pentax MV is great, but like everything else...time to move on!

Test images with the Canon are superb! Easy to use in Automatic Mode, just point and click!

I'm going to have some fun with this camera!

Digital Rebel!

The EOS 350D DSLR 'Digital Rebel' (It really is called 'Digital Rebel')

Twenty five years ago I bought a Pentax MV automatic SLR camera. It was state-of-the-art then and cost me 120 pounds which I bought through Littlewoods Catalogue. A super piece of equipment, fully automatic, 35mm...great!

Last year, I finally bought, on Ebay, a wide angle lense, 200mm zoom lens and flash for less than 30 quid! I have a superb 35mm set up!

So whats the problem?

The problem is....technology...digital technology!

Film Photography is dead, you can still get photos processed two days later, but today you can choose and print your pictures immediately on the computer.

I want a state-of-the-art DSLR (Digital SLR) so that I can catch up on the latest techniques in photography, particulary in Astro-Imaging. My Sony Cybershot is fine for snaps, but when it comes to Deep Space Imaging it is useless. I use my Philips Toucam Pro II webcam which is great, but the best images that I see are with the Canon 350D DSLR.

So do I splash out and buy one of these....or carry on with my webcam?

Am I opening a new Pandora's Box when it comes to imaging with a DSLR?

Will it cost more money for all the add-ons, adaptors and stuff?

How can I justify spending 399 pounds when I already have a 35mm film set-up?

I'll let you know when I decide!!

Test Card F

An institution! Never to be forgotten and I will certainly always remember the famous BBC Test Card! During my twenty years or so as a Television Technician this wonderful piece of analogue art would light up the screens. As an apprentice I used to time the start of the BBC2 Test Card with it's music at Nine O'clock in the morning and try to guess which tunes would play first! Sometimes my favourite two tracks would come on first!

The test card of course was used for setting up and aligning colour televisions. The blackboard and noughts and crosses marked the centre of the screen. The cross was used to accurately align the Red and Green Static Convergence, the horizontal and vertical lines on the blackboard were used to align the Blue Static Convergence. Other outer white lines were used to set up the Height, Width, linearity and dynamic convergence controls. Many an hour spent trying to get the alignment 'that little bit better' and wishing you had never started!

During bad days the smile of that little girl and the relaxing music became quite theraputic when things were not going right!

So who is this little girl?

Her name is Carole Hersee, daughter of the Engineer and Designer George Hersee. She made her first appearance on BBC2 in 1967. (Where are you now Carole?)

Check out the Test Card History site and this great news page from the BBC about Test Card F

What about Test Card 'C' and the music? ....click HERE!

How about your own Test Card F Wallpaper? ....click HERE!

Some facts:

Carole Hersee has had more television airtime than Carol Vordermann, Coronation St, News 24 and Bart Simpson! (all put together!)

The ITV Test Card F which was transmitted from Winter Hill, was a 35mm photographic colour slide and flying spot scanner. (I actually held the slide!!)

The clown's name is called 'Bubbles'

Carole Hersee is four years younger than me!

Telpro Kids!

The only picture I have of me working on televisions! here I am with Brian quality checking some Telpros. OK...this was a set up... the photo went in a management magazine, so the televisions were not actually connected (note the wires!) We were given a couple of newly ironed white coats to make it look good. (In reality, I wore a short grey dust coat!)

Do you like the long hair and flared jeans?

Back in the 1970's Telefusion launched it's own version of the Decca Bradford television called the 'Telpro'. The circuit was identical to the Decca 2230, but the chassis and components were totally different. At first production started with the black and white TV called the M101 followed shortly after by the Telpro Colour Receiver.

Production started at Cobden Mill (where I worked) then later moved to a new factory at Kearsley. I remember the very first employed production line girls (Janet and Susan) fresh out of school who later became managers on the production lines (where are they now?)
I was involved a bit with the design of the Telpro by telling Gerald, the design engineer and radio amateur, who I was pally with at the time, that it was not a good idea to use cheap foreign transistors, especially in the video output drivers! I got them changed to proper ones!!

I worked at the Heywood warehouse later and set up a Quality Control system for incoming goods from different suppliers, including Telpro. Managed to get them to change a few things at the factory like the convergence yolk, which cause havoc to the convergence of colours after the sets had been moved.

The Telpro was a good little earner for Telefusion and even produced a prototypes of a new model based on the Decca 80 /100 system.

Sadly...Telefusion was taken over by Visionhire, who didn't want to know when it came to producing televisions, so promply closed down the factory at Kearsley!

The end of an era!