Amateur Radio and the Railways

[Asterix2012]

I would be most intrigued to see your 750V experiment!

The point is that staff on the railway are constantly reminded how important it is that they are vigilant against anything and everything. That is the climate in which rail staff are operating. Walking through a shopping centre may or may not attract attention, depending entirely on how the security staff have been briefed and how vigilant they are. There is a tendency for people to get frustrated when staff on the railway question what they are doing. It's entirely understandable, and of course in almost all cases they are doing something completely innocent. And, of course, in some cases the staff concerned have a poor attitude. But equally, it pays to remember that those who may challenge somebody will have been told to be wary. The threat level is 'Severe'. If it seems in any way suspicious, staff are duty bound to take some form of action. The frequent comparisons with various other public places often do not stand up, because many other public places take a less rigorous approach to security.

A phrase comes to mind "presence of the abnormal and/or absence of the normal"
In other words while you may be doing something completely innocent if it is out of place you will bring attention to yourself.

 

[PDG1949]

I bit of historical context for the topic title.

Back in the 1920's the LNER allowed an amateur radio station to be set up in a brake vehicle on a Kings Cross to Edinburgh train. The idea was to test out the practicality of sending and receiving transmissions from the moving train to fixed radio stations elsewhere. The equipment in those early days was bulky, hence the use of a brake vehicle.

When I can find my copy of "The World at their fingertips" by G6CL, I will fill in more detail.

40907

Yes, I seem to recall there was a photo of them operating inside the brake vehicle. Guess what you might call HAM-R ? :roll:

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

I bit of historical context for the topic title.

Back in the 1920's the LNER allowed an amateur radio station to be set up in a brake vehicle on a Kings Cross to Edinburgh train. The idea was to test out the practicality of sending and receiving transmissions from the moving train to fixed radio stations elsewhere. The equipment in those early days was bulky, hence the use of a brake vehicle.

When I can find my copy of "The World at their fingertips" by G6CL, I will fill in more detail.

40907

Did they operate on Guard?

 

[PDG1949]

Did they operate on Guard?

Dunno, but I presume there were various brakes in transmission so that the signal could get through, if you get the point....

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

Dunno, but I presume there were various brakes in transmission so that the signal could get through, if you get the point....

Guard is a reserved frequency - hence my joke

 

[PDG1949]

Guard is a reserved frequency - hence my joke

Oh yes, of course ! My enthusiasm is flagging......

There's also a British Railways Amateur Radio Society with the somewhat uplifting acronym of BRARS
http://www.brars.info/
and a 'Railways-on-the-Air' day (ROTA)
http://rota.barac.org.uk/
this year's is 24/25th Sept.

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

Oh yes, of course ! My enthusiasm is flagging......

There's also a British Railways Amateur Radio Society with the somewhat uplifting acronym of BRARS

You think THAT is bad...? I did a course at college called Travel Information and Tourism Services - do not include the "and" and take the first letter

 

[PermitToTravel]

Didn't (don't?) LU actually have a Cellular Underground Networks Team? Not to mention the grade of Assistant Rolling Stock Engineer...

 

[Tio Terry]

Didn't (don't?) LU actually have a Cellular Underground Networks Team? Not to mention the grade of Assistant Rolling Stock Engineer...

Railways and acronyms!

Those white circular things you see on platforms which you can make an Enquiry Call from, they are Self Help Information Terminals.

We also have FATCOWS, Fixed Automatic Track Circuit Operated Warning Systems. PLODs, Patrolman's Lock Out Devices. ARSE is Automatic Route Setting Equipment. We used to have PIS, Passenger Information System, but that got changes to Customer Information System, CIS.

I'm sure there are many, many more.

 

[mr_towers]

I've worked in a serious organisation that had a 'Fire Action Response Team' who had to investigate 'Areas Requiring Swift Examination' when the fire alarm went off. Slightly enlivened the 30 page fire procedures document!

 

[The Lad]

It is a bit of a challenge to run a decent conversation with someone on 2m let alone 70cm when you are heading north at 125mph.

(the former G8ZHK)

 

[PDG1949]

It is a bit of a challenge to run a decent conversation with someone on 2m let alone 70cm when you are heading north at 125mph.

(the former G8ZHK)

Try this

http://xkcd.com/730/

G4MWO (the former G8PQD)

 

[PDG1949]

Remember we mentioned that amateur radio had participated in early (1920's) communication experiments on trains and particularly that there was a photo of this happening in an LNER luggage van.

Well I’ve eventually found the photo in one of the RSGB's books - 'Amateur Radio, The First 100 Years' (p35), which you'll find attached. The two gentlemen in the photo are Ben Hesketh, callsign (G)2FG and Leslie McMichael, (G)2PG. If that latter name sounds vaguely familiar you’d be correct – the two later established the firm of McMichael Radio. The experiment was supposed to have taken place on a London – Scotland express in 1924, according to the McMichael website.

http://www.mcmichael.org.uk/history.htm

From the looks of it, it seems to have been a reception only experiment, as there doesn’t seem to be any transmission equipment immediately in evidence. Apparently there also seems to have been a similar experiment on a GWR train.

Still researching to find more details.

 

[MikePJ]

From the looks of it, it seems to have been a reception only experiment, as there doesn’t seem to be any transmission equipment immediately in evidence. Apparently there also seems to have been a similar experiment on a GWR train.

What a great picture! Given the lack of any evidence of a laboratory notebook, I suspect that was a staged photograph for the newspapers or the company's internal records!

 

[PDG1949]

What a great picture! Given the lack of any evidence of a laboratory notebook, I suspect that was a staged photograph for the newspapers or the company's internal records!

You may just be right ! How about a caption competition or speech bubbles emerging from the loudspeaker horns with suitable messages......