Paul,

I was keen on radio as a child, inducted into the hobby by my father from the age of about 6. Whilst still at school, I applied for a monitoring position at the BBC’s Caversham Park site. Told them all about my 10 years operating experience shortwave equipment and my O Level in French and other subjects.. They did send me an application form and pages from a local newspaper indicating house prices. Perhaps I should have mention I was only 16!

Years later a friend and I made some beer money repairing car radios for a local dealer, during which time I acquired a CB radio. After a week of banality, I traded that in at a Ham radio store for a receiver, a Drake SSR 1. I met a ham at a local tyre dealer who introduced me to a local club and I was soon licenced as G6PZZ.

One evening another friend and I had something in bits on the kitchen table when my almost-four year Old some came into the room and dragged a chair and asked my friend what he was doing. When he just patronisingly said I’m taking this thing out, my son replied you mean that carbon resistor? The 22k Ohm 20% tolerance one? That really threw him for six. So proud of my son!

During my varied career I spent about 25 hears in the ham radio business, during which time I was Communications Product Manager with Navico, launching the first fully featured 2m transceiver. The Las 15 years were with Lowe Electronics, famous for their range of general coverage receivers.

In the meantime my son has put his knowledge of the resistor colour codes to Good use by joining our RAF as an Avionics tech, cutting his teeth on Tornados and now back to Typhoons for a second time. He spent 5 years with NATO teaching people to use all sorts of radios and threat detectors and recognising different types of radar and missile tracking signatures.bits radio Jim, but not as we know it!

Radio can be a good career and there are many facets to it. It’s finding what puts the spark in someone to ignite the passion to take it forward. With me it was sales!

Tom G6PZZ