jan-11 - Lochwinnoch Online

What is that wire for?
I suddenly realised I was from a
different age when a visitor asked,
when looking at my radio aerial ”
What is that wire for?”
How times have changed. When I was
a lad almost everyone had some sort
of piece of wire up in the garden to
receive the National or Regional
Wireless stations.
As an eight year old it was that
'wireless' part on the end that puzzled
me as I looked around the box in the
corner of the dining room and
wondered how a man's voice could
come out of that box with just a wiggly
wire. My Dad and I had to use a tight
string between two cans!
“It's a wireless” Auntie said and when
I asked how could that be because it
had a wire going to the out doors
where it dangled from another one.
“Ask Charles at the weekend” came
the prompt reply so as soon as Charles
my cousin put his head in the front
door I put it to him. And he was really
helpful. “After lunch, we will build a
crystal set and then you will find out
what this wireless business is all
about”. That was eighty years and a
few days ago and I am still finding
things out.
The piece of wire some of you have
seen at my house is one of my
windows on the world. At any time of
the day or night I can go into my back
room, turn the radio on and put out a
call and somewhere in the World
another Radio operator will answer
and no matter what nationality he is
we can talk to one another.
I often have the most wonderful days
discussing everything under the Sun
with like minded friends. The aerial
that stands on top of my TV aerial
enables me to talk to people much
closer at hand mainly in or around
Paisley where we also have a club at
Kerr College.
It is from there that we set off to
discover how other people use radio
communications. Last week it was
with the people who control and fly
the helicopters we see. Not so long ago
it was the Police and before that the
Fire Brigade.
In an emergency the Police or the local
authority can commandeer my station
and ask me to use the radios in the
National interest. There is one thing
that we can do that not all of the
public services can do. We can talk to
other amateurs. Not many public
services can talk to each other. Police
can talk to police but not to the Fire
Brigade or the Ambulance service or
the Army, Navy or Air Force. These
matters are being resolved but as at
Locherbie, it is often the amateurs
who bridge the communications
gaps.
People are quite often surprised that
Radio is used as we use it and they
forget that TV and mobile phones
are also radio machines but going at
different speeds. What is even less
known is that a lot of the research
that has brought these devices about
starts with amateurs in back rooms
making things.
I think they would be even more
surprised to know that some
members of the University space
exploration teams currently building
the next generation of satellites here
in Scotland belong to our radio club.
They’ve come along to find out how
we do things and to get themselves
qualified and licenced so that when
the satellite is launched they will talk
to it using our kind of equipment
and our special frequencies.
Look on the Internet for: http://
www.paisleyarc.wordpress.com
Alan Lovegreen
Teenage Cancer Trust
Thanks
A big “Thanks” from The Teenage
Cancer Trust to Laura and Fergus
and staff at the Brown Bull for
organising the Annual Christmas
Auction for TCT.
Big thanks too to everyone who
donated their skills or an item for
the auction and raffle.
The auction raised a magnificent
total of £4,300 for the charity on the
night, with more to come from the
raffle, which will be drawn at
Christmas.
Finally, thanks to everyone who
came along to the auction for their
generosity and support.
John Delaney
6
Met Iona Biggar-Carr
HELLO DAHLING! How lovely to see
you again. GREAT NEWS in the
Biggar-Carr household, ISOLDE is
ENGAGED! Yes dear, a WHIRLWIND
ROMANCE! Apparently Isolde was
holding one of her deportment classes
(which have to be held outdoors,
KAYAKS, you understand), when a
dashing chap appeared and asked if
she was at school with Itsy
Castenellenbogan. Isolde and Itsy
were practically inseparable at school
until Isolde... hum....left. This chap,
Walter Chambyre-Potte – one of THE
Chambyre-Pottes !– had been on a
sort of Grand Tour, got a little lost,
spotted a friendly face (they'd met at a
Castenellenbogan shoot in Perthshire)
and two weeks later they're engaged!
SOOO romantic!
DAHLING, SUCH a match! The
Chambyre-Pottes are an ancient and
noble family. They were VERY BIG
under Henry VIII and there
apparently hasn't been a monarch
since who hasn't had a Chambyre-
Potte to hand in an emergency. NO
DEAR, they're NOT one of those that
lost all the money. Quite the contrary!
Apparently they were ahead of their
time - got into waste management
very early and made PILES!
Walter (his friends call him Glazed,
and so shall we), is SOMETHING in
the CITY. No darling, I don't know
exactly what but he dresses
BEAUTIFULLY. He is apparently
being trained-up before entering the
family business.
I'm in SUCH a tizzy – a wedding to
plan! Darling, with all my charity
commitments I don't know how I'll
cope. It has become so complicated, I
mean one wouldn't want to clash with
dear William and Kate's nuptials (I
think the Chambyre-Potts are
EXPECTING an INVITATION!).
We're thinking a Spring wedding and
a reception on the West Lawn (need to
keep people away from the East
Wing). I was thinking of hiring a
marquee (have you seen the prices!)
but Ivor thinks the Sea Scouts may
have something suitable and as we
discussed before khaki is SO practical.
There is a TEENSY bit of tension with
the Chambyre-Pottes. They wanted
the wedding in Westminster Abbey
and a reception for 500 at the
Dorchester – CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!
– and they're NOT offering to pay! I
suggested that the Abbey and