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I visited Neville Campbell, VK7NC, on 25/9/97 and 16/10/97.
Unfortunately I used one side of a tape twice, so I only have
parts 1, 3 & 4 of 4. This transcript and associated notes was
made on 16/10/97. VK7RO.
Tape 1
Born in Scottsdale in 1912, came to Hobart after finishing school
in 1928, started radio about 1925/6 on crystal sets. Old chap at
Scottsdale 1WW veteran name of Lockwood, I could hear his radio
blaring across the paddock. He received mainland stations easily
and I got the bug of building broadcast receivers from him. He
took me into his room showed me a massive coil - must have been a
spark transmitter - he said "don't you ever tell anybody I showed
you that". I made my crystal set - sent to Melbourne for parts -
bakelite - built set in school chalk box - used honeycomb coils -
slid along a darning needle. I got 3LO, 2BE, aerial ran NE-SW -
it went up after dark and down when I went to bed so the inspector
wouldn't see it.
When I came to Hobart in 1929 I tried the crystal set again and in
1930 I got a copy of Wireless Weekly and that was when I got into
valves. My first valve cost me a weeks wages, I've got an idea
it was 24 shillings. A Philips A415 triode, then I added an audio
stage using an A409 and 3:1 transformer [Ferranti transformers
were very good but very expensive] Showed a 1931 ARRL handbook -
cost 7/6 - brought it home in my hot little hand and did I lick
the steam off that - 3 stage crystal controlled. I got into
using valves and read about this short wave business - after that
I never listened to the broadcast stations. At one time I lived
at South Hobart below the 7ZL transmitter on "Keens Curry" hill
which caused some interference.
I joined the Wireless Institute in 1931 and then I was hooked,
hook line and sinker. I had some promise in sport, cricket,
tennis etc, but I just dropped them and did radio 8 days a week.
Being a watchmaker I was used to fiddling around. I was 16 in
1929 and got a job at Taylor and Sharp (watchmakers, jewellers and
opticians) where I stayed until I joined up in 1940. Six years
training learnt on the job had to be lucky to have a boss who
could train you well. Reg Wise was a mechanical sort of bloke
who gave me a lot of clues.
When I came on air in 1932 it was still hard to get stuff and a
lot was converted from broadcast receiver... Showed a crystal
holder - brass bottom plate and top plate on flexible lead -
ground crystals in 1933. Demonstrated using test oscillator.
These were ground out of old spectacle lenses. T&S had a lot of
old stock and I went through them without luck.
I had to buy the lenses from Watties brother. He had a Service
Station at the corner of Murray and Bathurst streets opposite the
Highfield Hotel - Watkins Service Station - they cost 1/- each.
He didn't know a condenser from a valve he was only interested in
selling (Ernie). I sent an old Gilfillan condenser which I had
double spaced and split the stator for push-pull to 4SZ last year,
which I bought from Ernie.
I joined (the WIA) in Sept or Oct 1931 and at the first Institute
meeting I ever attended I remember standing for a minutes silence
in memory of Watty. Watty was a dedicated radio chap who lived
for nothing else but and his ability with the morse code was
phenomenal. [ Nev previously had told me that Watty was recorded
on a Morse inker by the PMG and his timing and spacing was perfect
]. I think he worked at Medhursts.
Ian Campbell, my son, looks after and is responsible for all
broadcasting and TV transmitters in Tasmania NTA. He's a big wig
in radio-controlled aircraft.
7CW, 7XA, 7GH were all professionally employed in radio.
When I came into the game radio was coming out of its nappies.
I had to learn code - basically on my own. Girls in RAAF got up
to 20 wpm in 4 months. I learnt by listening to press stations
KPH, KNB, KBD. You learnt where they were after a while because
sometimes they'd sign off KNB Chicago, mostly on a bug
( Automatic code in QST came out in first month after we were shut
down. ) Press stations were hand operated, you could tell
different blokes on the key. 1931/2 tons of stations sending at
different speeds.
When I first came on air I had a (Radiotron?) 245, an audio valve,
max voltage 250, a triode. I couldn't afford a 210, the most
used thing. Later I had 6-700 volts on a 210. The RF used to
make the bakelite of the base between the plate and grid pins
bubble and we used to put a saw slot between them VERY carefully.
I started on 80M with the 245 as an oscillator, the P/S also ran
my receiver, I couldn't afford another supply. Later I used a
pair of 210s.
Tape 2
[ Here I recorded over and missed a side. He lived at Joynton
Ave, Lenah Valley. In 1934 got on 5M. Talked on 5 to Gil Miles
(a funny man "My wife gets pregnant if I only hang my trousers on
the bedpost.") Gil used a modulated oscillator on 5, very broad.
"How can you expect me to squeeze through that narrow gutted
receiver") at Bellerive. Gil was installing 7HT. Had a narrow
bandpass superhet receiver (IF windings moved apart to decrease
coupling and increase selectivity). Had a W8JK beam mounted on
roof, mast down chimney for hand rotation (1st beam in Tas).
Joined the RAAF in 1940 as an instrument mechanic - experience in
Army signals showed that did not want to be a radio operator.
Cairns, Meraukee. Sold a wavemeter and calibration chart to Pearu
Terts]
Tape 3
Showed some old photos 1934 Field Day; Franklin 1933? 7NC, 7CH,
7OJ(from Victoria had a licence here for a while), 7CK, 7BC; 7CK
at Cooee, born in Huon, used water driven generator 1935/36; 32
Field Day near Teatree; Home made 12-14 tube rx etc; home made
6M gear 815 output; rx converter 2M & 6M; FL100? tx;
FT1010E; keyer EA; ATU; VHF gear in photo built in 60s;
after war tx for HF band had 6L6G osc, 6L6G doubler and 813 final
- at 10 Norfolk Crescent; first 813 from Crosby Walch in early
'46; had it operating on 6M - a lot of trouble to get it there;
perhaps retract - I know I had it on 10M; look in log book -
first 50MHz 12/1/47 CW VK2WJ, 2AZ & 2LZ - first contacts between
Tassie and mainland; lots in Nov & Dec 47; most notes are to
do with aerials; tried an HK54; after 14/2/47 using new 6M tx
6L6G osc, 6.3MHz xtal, 6AG7 doubler, 807 final; before that I
must have been using the HF tx I had trouble with - so I built a
tx specifically for 6M; Rx was a scrounge round - had a 5M
superhet before war - found 5M by harmonic of 10M; left osc
alone and only retuned mixer [using 2nd harmonic of osc]; used
to work 7KI Gil Miles at Bellerive; rx had 2 IFs and IF
transformers had spacing increased for better selectivity; (Gil
- "That squeezeneck thing"; never bought any war surplus rx;
had same rx after war; until built 14 tube job, some time later;
36 - 38 5M must be considered line of sight Gil and I had hills
between us (25 Joynton St); used bit of wire for ant; after
war had vertical antennas; at Norfolk Cres I had beams; At
Joynton St had first beam in Tassie - W8JK; pipe came down
chimney to rotate it; only 180deg as bidirectional; at Norfolk
Cres I had a G4ZU; stubs in boom?; good results on 15M; sold
beam and tower to 7JB, Buck Batchelor; never had beam here
(Willowdene Ave); 12 - 18 months here before I got back on air
here; 14 tube rx - had 3 ganged midget 23 plate condensers -
only amateur bands - coils had a sliding change system - moving a
lever underneath the dial I had 4 bands, 4 positions - coils wound
on solid polystyrene rod - shielding betweeen stages - 1/4" rods -
I first tried a switched multi band system ran into trouble with
too much coupling between the coils; unused coils ; 1 or 2 IF
stages - 455KHz crystal - separate noise silencer (Lamb) was added
later; later built transistorised front end and used valve
recvr as tunable IF - very disappointing as overloaded 7JB, 7CW
nearby; 7RY did quite a bit of building.
Tape 4
Bit missing at start
It was the coupling condensers between the driver and the final -
they'd broken down
More missing
National service compulsory Sat afternoon and 1 night a week;
Country blokes got out of it - Scullin stopped it early 1929 - I
joined Navy as signaller; In 1931 when I got into WI they said
join the army - 7CH, 7RB, 7CW Roy Drake, Norm Gillham (not an
amateur) 7GE George Ebury was the Warrant Officer in charge - all
in Army signalling - was purely voluntary; this photo shows
field day with borrowed army tx; Norm Gilham was an ex navy
operator perfect code operator, he and 7HL Hubert Lovett did a
course together at Marconi Scool of Wireless - 7HL serviced the
Gecophone? equipment in the theatres. NG went to sea with
Australian Shipping line - when it folded NG helped me with the
code - he was in Regent St
RAAF fellows in photos; Wireless Reserve - 1 night /fortnight 80
& 40 M exchange messages with base at Laverton - I was not in
reserve
In the military 12th mixed brigade signals I wore an Army uniform
and we wore spurs! - spent 3 years handling messages - didn't want
to send more bullshit messages - so didn't join RAAF reserve;
when war started they were called up - I joined RAAF as instrument
maker
Motor bike fellow Algy - all the front of this sidecar would be
stacked up with beer - that's Roy Drake