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HISTORY Part 1

NO WEB PAGE IS COMPLETE UNLESS THE HISTORY ASPECT IS ON LINE.

                                                                                                                                Courtesy - Louis ZS5LP.

Together with Johannesburg and Cape Town, Durban played an important role in the History of Amateur radio in South Africa. It was necessary to reference the early Magazine of the Radio (Amateur) to pick up the pieces. This first part of our local history page will be followed with more history already in the pipeline to be published on this web page.

Grateful thanks to Dave ZS5LPT who did a wonderful job in putting  this web site together.

It should be noted that although the Divisions were represented before 1928, the “SARL Branches” were formed in 1928. Durban is proud to have right from the beginning been part of this history. The now Club should be ready to celebrate the 75 anniversary of the SARL soon.
This article was put together from writings from Bob during the era 1975, this when the SARL was celebrating their 50th Anniversary. To start with it will be Bob Taylor to tell about the past. .
Bob Taylor ZSGCO:

As the 50th anniversary of our League is with us it is not inappropriate that its development down the years be placed on record. The complete picture can only be found in Headquarters' archives and in the reading pages of our several journals - OTC before the war and Radio ZS after. This present contribution is offered as a presentation of early  events, culled from the former. Some of these have already appeared in recent years in the form of personal reminiscences by that small and fast diminishing group, the old-timers. How-ever, of necessity the presentation of a complete picture demands some unavoidable repetition -  and for this the writer's apologies.

This then is the early story of the League, not necessarily as some of us recall it but as recorded in the pages of its journal of that time. It is a long story and if justice is   to be done, not one which can be presented in a single article. It will therefore appear in a series spread over several months at least. For those who still have recollections of that period it will, I hope, evoke many happy memories. For the younger generation it should serve to portray graphically, an era which saw the building up of the organisation we have today.

Our first-ever journal was issued under the  title  "FO  News"  I"FO"  being the international prefix then allocated to South Africa), a  mimeographed  fortnightly  production running to several sheets and confined to the doings of the small band of those days. Its Editor was Raymond Coombs, the League's founder and first Honorary Organising Secretary, assisted by George Lowe (A6W). It is doubtful whether any copies of this venerable production still survive even in Headquarters' archives.

So the real story commences with a decision taken at the 1928 Conference, held that year in Durban. Implementing this was the production there of a printed magazine, "QTC". The first issue, running to 16 pages plus cover, quarto size, appeared in May; 1928, and publication continued there until December, when the magazine was transferred to Johannesburg. For convenience of presentation this first article covers only that 8-month period.

In effect "QTC" was the brainchild and creation of Ralph Ferry (A9Z). a printer by trade and also its first editor. He was supported by a team consisting of Harold Heywood (A3E) as honorary treasurer, and L.E. Levine (A7H) and G.A. Brickhill (A9U) as technical editors. Bill Heathcote (A9R) was the advertising manager for Johannesburg (where incidentally most of the advertisers were located). Les Peyton (still with US). C.P. Causton and T.J. Chester appear to have functioned as dogsbodies in a some- what nebulous a back ground.

The first issue was really astonishingly good and was of course received with tremendous enthusiasm as about the only other sources of technical data available at that time were the "Wireless Engineer", published by Iliffe & Sons, and the organs of the ARRL and the RSGB, neither of which adequately met local needs. As the Editor says "this is your own publication, produced and managed entirely by members of the South African Radio League, and its success or otherwise depends solely upon the support it receives from members. Its object: To inform members of forthcoming tests and results, divisional news, and more especially for the exchange of ideas and hints which may be of help to others, and, last but not least, to foster the spirit of brotherhood which pervades the whole of the amateur wireless organisations through-out the world". And this, I think, just about sums up the prevailing sentiment of the time.

The reading matter included "A Word from our President", Headquarters Notes, Divisional News, The League's Constitution, I.A.R.U.  Notes,  Silent  Keys,  Technical articles on Antennas, and Electrolytic Rectifiers,  Ham Ads and a QSL and QRA Section advising the arrival of cards and listing new call signs.

Probably far and away the most popular feature was the Divisional News column, to which official correspondents in each Division contributed.

These were:

G.H. Grey (A3J) Division 1 (Western )

B. Hill (A3Z) Division 2 (Eastern Cape)

E. Frost (A9A) Division 4 (O.F.S.)

D.R. Boyce (A7A) Division 5 (Natal)

T. Yule (A8K) Division 6 (Transvaal)

E.C. Ade (4SRA) Division 7 (Rhodesia)

L.J. Huges (1MS) Division 8(East Africa)

(There is no record of activity in S.W. Africa although several stations were located there.)

For the most part this Section consisted largely of  news  of  individual  activities, noteworthy contacts, and the like, bur in the family atmosphere which then existed it was absorbing stuff. And as always, the rank and file were tickled pink to see their calls and doings recorded in print. Incidentally, one cannot pass on without paying a most sincere  tribute  to these Official Correspondents. The devoted and conscientious manner in which they fed the journal month by month with chitchat, gleaned for the most part over the air, is beyond praise. I t is a sad reflection that with our growth as an organisation, and the splitting up of the old territorial Divisions into numerous parochial groups, this type of matter has completely disappeared from our reading columns.

Perhaps next in popularity ranked the well-filled correspondence column. In an era when technical matter was hard to come by, our "giants" contributed freely of their experience with available equipment, while others regularly reported topical events of general interest.

Even the advertising matter is of absorbing interest as indicative of the gear used in those days. In the first issue 10 full pages were taken up by 13 advertisers. Mullard offered transmitting valves rated from 5 to 500 watts; Chenik & Barnett "proudly presented" the New C. & 8. Screened Grid 1-valve All-Wave Receiver; Bartle & Co. a selection of Eveready batteries for H.T. supply; Ferranti, in a double-page splash, smoothing chokes, inter valve transformers. trickle chargers, meters and a speaker with exponential horn; S.A. General Electric the Tungar charger; Hubert Davis Philips valves: and Associated Engineers the Edison primary cell with a capacity of 500 ampere hours.
Penman & Jochelson, Siemens, Electrical Supplies of Durban, the Radio Apparatus Company, and the Wireless Service Station all offered components. Bearing in mind the wage structure of those days (a matriculant considered himself passing rich on 10 Pounds a month in the civil service or a bank the prices suggest that only the more affluent could afford to be well equipped. A 3 mfd 3000v condenser sold for 4.4.0, a 1000w 6000v transformer for 12.10 and Weston  thermo coupled  ammeters  for f3.15.0. On the other hand headphones and slow motion dials were available "from 5/-".

But generally speaking advertisers were cagey  about  disclosing  their prices, obviously preferring to get the mouse to the door.

Incidentally, a Durban firm of hosiery specialists begged  hams to call or write, giving full details of their requirements -  and "15 per cent discount to members of the League". (Pantihose fortunately only came into the limelight in the post-war era, along with other crimes against humanity.)

This period was marked by important changes. An International Radiotelegraph conference had been held in Switzerland, attended by representatives of all sub-scribing  governments, including South Africa. It was followed by a conference in Washington to implement the policies adopted at Geneva. Our own P.M.G.. Mr. H.J. Lenton attended this. He had always shown a friendly and co-operative attitude towards South African amateurs and this contributed greatly towards the harmonious relationship existing between the League and  his  Department.  Consequently his report, as published in "QTC", did much to allay the unease which lurked in most minds.

For unease there was. Commercial interests were determined to ravish our territory as from January, 1929. Fortunately they succeeded only in restricting it drastically. The IARU, as international arbiter in ham radio, then proposed the following allocations (which today seem generous):

North America: 7-7.15 Mc. and 14-14.2 Mc.

Europe: 7.225-7.3 Mc and 14.3-14.4 Mc.

All other areas:  7.15-7.225 Mc  and 14.2-14.3 Mc.

New International Prefixes were to be introduced at the same time. South Africa was allotted ZS, ZT and ZU, the latter two being later dropped by our PMG.

Inevitably these changes led to a campaign, spearheaded by OSR, for a general cleaning up in both the quality of signals and in operating practice, and development of new territory on the higher frequencies.

Interest was encouraged in the 10 metre band, hitherto a most remote area, and OTC published an article on a receiver for 5 metres, at that time regarded as a "laboratory" wavelength and of no practical value to the ham. (Within a few years this region was to have considerable attention focused on it, thanks largely to the pioneering efforts of QST) attended scribing

Attention was also drawn to the merits of the 80 metre band for local contacts when "wipe out" (skip conditions during the hours of darkness on 40 metres commenced, "to avoid the utter stagnation in our work that has been conspicuous during the past winter months". Looking back now it seems quite astonishing to find that this region was almost a closed book for most of us.

Self-excited  rigs were of course the norm, the Hartley being a popular circuit.

However, with the wide open spaces available before 1929 one could find a fairly generous corner between 35 and 40 metres in which to operate, and nobody seemed to mind the resultant noise and splatter. The only really unpopular chap was located in Division 4: he used raw AC. However, gently prompted by our Technical Editors, the cleaning up process forged slowly ahead.

"Radio", QTC's predecessor and by that time defunct, had published details of a low powered rig developed by the Burgess Battery Co. This incorporated a 201A receiving tube and a Split Colpitts circuit. The results this little outfit gave were impressive and the signals fairly clean, and more and more hams were beginning to use it.

The Technical Department predicted that the tuned-plate tuned-grid circuit - and even crystal control - would soon be widely adopted, hints being given on the grinding of old quartz spectacle lenses for the latter.

(A technical description was published of the new Philips transmitter PCJJ, established in 1927 at Hilversum with an output of about 25 Kw on 30.2 metres, and used at the opening by Queen Wilhelmina and Princess Juliana to address their subjects in the Dutch East and West Indies. The lengthy explanation of crystal control suggests that this method of frequency stabilisation was still a closed book for the ham.)

Telephony too was still the preserve of the better heeled. However, interest was stimulated by A5B’s article on Modulation, in which he described the Absorption Loop, Grid, and the Constant-Current Heising systems. (Class B had not yet been developed.) The first of these was almost negligible in cost but certainly caused quite a lot of splatter -- which in those pre-1929 days didn't seem to matter so much. Grid modulation could be effective if kept under proper control. (It was in fact used in the first network of stations linking up the Kruger Park rest camps.) Heising was the best, and of course the most expensive.

Surprisingly little is encountered on the subject of receivers. The Reinartz circuit appears to have been the most popular. It was rare to find more than one HF stage.

And of course rigs were all home-built; the sophisticated jobs you find today were not even a glint in Mr. Collins' eye.

With Escom still to spread its network to farms and the remoter areas, a bank of Edison primary cells formed a useful LT supply, with dry batteries or even a gene-motor for HT.

The potential of the ham in a national emergency has long been recognised. Col. Creswell, then Minister of Defence, had his attention drawn by a Cape Town member to the splendid work being done by American hams on these occasions, and was much impressed.  As a result all transmitting members were circularised by his Department.

Two concrete schemes were submitted by Headquarters to the PMG. The one considered more practicable was in due course passed on to the Minister of Defence.

The League's President, Joseph White, himself a reserve officer in the Australian radio communications service, was thereupon appointed Officer Commanding and directly responsible to the Departments of Defence and Posts and Telegraphs. The number of stations to be appointed at the outset was limited to 32, and the granting of "valuable concessions" hinted at. A "powerful ham station in Pretoria" (A7EI was designated as control.

Early plans envisaged a radio link with the aircraft which were shortly expected to pioneer the route between Cairo and Cape Town, following on the recent flight of the "Southern Cross" from America to Australia.

Of expeditions there were several, most organised by those intrepid pioneers from across the Atlantic.  Earlier on General Motors had sponsored the Chevrolet Expedition from Cape to Cairo, with Wallie Wilson (A7S) as operator.

Unfortunately, this being already ancient history, no details appeared in QTC (except for a puff from Wallie for the "wonderful PM filaments; you can't break them").

In 1928 the Cameron-Cadle Expedition arrived from the U.S.A. and two days later set off into the Kalahari with a full rig, by our chaps, and W. Rhodes set off suppl led (A6S) as operator. Toby Innes and Charles Tennant manned the South African end of the link and press matter  was passed to the States through the Eastern Telegraph Company. Unfortunately there is no information as to the purpose or outcome of this venture but it would seem that the vehicles, being fitted with standard tyres, were unable to progress through the desert sand and it was quietly abandoned.

In December the Byrd Antarctic Expedition to the South Pole was reported under way In the flagship "City of New York" supported by the "Eleanor Belling". It carried no less than 2162 tons of storage batteries, destined for the main base and several sub-bases and their respective exploration parties. Commander Byrd was already a pioneer of note, having accompanied Donald MacMillan to the Arctic in 1925. In 1926 he flew over the North Pole, and the Atlantic in 1927.

At this time two floating trophies were already available for competition. One, the HOS Trough as it was irreverently dubbed, had been donated by Raymond Coombs, and the other by Chenik & Barnett, Ltd. A.S. Innes (A4E), one of the real old timers, followed up with a floating cup, with silver and bronze medals to be won outright each year. Toby's purpose was "to foster intercommunication between S.A.R.R.L. Transmitters and provide a further inducement to the ham who has won his WAC Certificate and finds the world too small".

The first contest opened on 1/9/28. It was to be decided on points scored for contacts, consequently all the usual chitchat dropped completely. Editorial comment: "Anyone who tried to start a confab was soon subdued with a "CUL OM" as the business of hooking another QSO could not be interfered with". This is of course an inevitable consequence of this type of contest,  understandable  however  one  may regret it, and particularly noticeable during these periodical exercises in, say, the U.S.A.

The November issue publishes a full length photo of the League's "very first Lady member",  Miss Marie  Rampf of Senekal, and second op to A9M. The way out garb of those far off days must have delighted the puritans. Some of you may even remember what today would most certainly be called The Sack; no curves, only outlines - and dull as ditch water.

But readers are assured that this YL "pounds the key with the best of them".

The Silent Key column announced the death at the age of 28 of R.S. Fisher (A3K), one of the foundation members of the League and, with Toby Innes, a regular broadcaster of entertainment in the pre-1924 era. Well wishers established a fund to provide  a  tombstone.  This  was  over-subscribed and the balance set aside for maintenance of the grave.

All  this time the League was growing fast, thanks in no small measure to the increased publicity given by QTC. The work at Headquarters could no longer be managed by HOS alone and Bill Todd (A3D) was roped in to assist him, while J.T. McCash (A9F) took over as Honorary Treasurer. 

In the early days there were no Branches as such. but the League was split up into Divisions,

Division 1 being the Cape Province.

Division 2 Eastern Province.

Division 3 South West Africa..

Division 4 Orange Free State,

Division 5 Natal.

Division 6 the Transvaal.

Each Division had its own working Committee and the Headquarters at that time was in the Transvaal, which later issued a monthly magazine called "QTC".

The League was known as the SARRL the second 'R' stood for relay,  which, as we were not allowed to relay traffic. was later dropped leaving the present form of SARL.

This happened. I think, some were around the late 1940's or early 1950's.

The first conference held in Cape Town (the 2nd of the SARRL) was held in 1927 and consisted of about 18 hams, which included such famous names as the late Mr Streeter and the late Reider Brothers, Henn and Charles.

The "Ham Spirit" was as strong, if not stronger than it is today as in those times, the only way to obtain further knowledge of our hobby was by the exchange of ideas.

One of those who had a highly developed sense of the Ham Spirit. was the late Nick Carter, (ZS1A) who gave a lot of his time and knowledge, by arranging a technical and Morse code class every Thursday evening. These classes were very popular being always well attended by beginners as well as the more informed ham. They were held in a converted garage at the home of OM Nick. The above classes were of course in addition to the normal monthly meetings.

The Monthly Meetings were held at various venues, some of which over the years were:- The old Railway Institute Reider et Cie (offices of Henry ZS1P), the YMCA and the old Cecil Hotel, Newlands and occasionally some were held at a private Ham's home. Also the old Parliament Café (now demolished) upstairs dining-room was used at times.

Committee Meetings were nearly always held  in  private homes -- the committee members taking turn and turn about. One of these meetings, I remember, was held at the Cape Town Fire Station, as the then Fire Chief - Captain Thorpe - was a member of the committee. This meeting stands out in my mind as Captain Thorpe turned out the Fire Brigade for our benefit - what the firemen thought of us I don't know - must have done a bit of cussing.

As happens in most Societies there was occasional QRM most of which seemed to occur between Division 1 and Division 6 - as  Bob Taylor ZSGCO who was the HQ Secretary  in  Division  6  will  no doubt remember - not so Bob? remember at one of the Conferences held in Cape Town, we constructed a fly swatter with a figure '6' hanging under the swatter held by a "Division 1.

During the meeting a Div 6 ham got hold of the swatter and straightened the "6" into a "1" showing Div 1 as now being under the swatter. However we came off best as we pointed out to the Div 6 hams that what had happened was that Div 6 had now been straightened by Div 1.

Cape Town also organised two Radio Exhibitions. Though I cannot recall the exact years in which they were held, I do know that one was held in the Drill Hall and the other in some building near Green Market Square. Then there was of course the stand we had at the Van Riebeeck Festival though this of course was in more recent times.

One of our Annual Conferences was held in the City Hall. Cape Town and it was here that I installed my Transmitter and broadcasted the proceedings on the 7 MC band. I

remember I nearly broke my neck putting up the antenna on the roof of the City Hall, which was made of slates and darned unsafe to walk over  This I think was the only Conference ever broadcast over the ham band.

(Before proceeding with this second instalment I must take our Editorial Department gently to task over its choice of caption to the first ("An Old Timer Remembers" in the May issue). This is decidedly a misnomer. This series is and remains the presentation of the League story as reflected in the columns of its pre-war journal, rounded off only where necessary by the background recollections of its compiler.)

In January 1929, QTC  came  to Johannesburg. It was a momentous month in more ways than one. The nations of the world, in solemn conclave, had several years previously agreed on a new parcelling out of frequencies. There were many claimants, all with powerful political backing, and inevitably the ham suffered. His territory was quite drastically reduced, particularly on the more popular bands. He just had to tighten his belt and learn to live with it.

But more of this anon. At this point in our saga the transfer of our journal from Durban is of greater interest. It is a tale which has been briefly told before but which now, for the sake of historical completeness, must be  presented in greater detail.

In those days our League was made up of eight virtually autonomous territorial Divisions.  Headquarters in  Johannesburg was run by a committee, the membership of which included a representative or "proxy" nominated by each Division. It was the latter's duty to keep in close touch with his "principals" and voice their wishes. In trivial matters, of course, he used his discretion, but where considerations of policy were involved the final decision was the Division's exclusive prerogative and it was its representative's task to consult with and obtain the latter's views before voting.

Obviously the system was clumsy in the extreme and completely devoid of flexibility. But the Constitution required it. (It was in fact only a matter of time before commonsense prevailed and Headquarters was given the autonomy it enjoys today, subject only to policies laid down at the League's A.G.M.)

Despite these limitations there were occasions when the Proxy Executive Committee, unthinkingly perhaps, took major decisions without proper authority. After all, the League had  been founded in Johannesburg and Division 6 not  unreasonably  regarded  itself as the parent body, with deservedly high prestige. But others ware earning a place in the sun. One such was Natal, where much enthusiastic activity was in evidence. A faint resentment was in the air. Inevitably this washed over the Proxy Executive Committee, chafing under its constitutional handicaps.

The pot had to come to the boil sooner or later - and it did with a vengeance over the magazine's future. Around July, 1928, Raymond Coombs, that gentle and lovable character, in his capacity of Headquarters Secretary and with at least the tacit approval of the Proxy Executive, wrote to Durban announcing that QTC would be transferred to Headquarters in the very near future and requesting that the necessary arrangements be made. Immediately the fat was in the fire, for this was decidedly one of those occasions where a consensus should have been sought, at least with Durban understandably proud of its achievement in establishing the magazine and providing its very live team. Instead there was this unilateral and somewhat imperious demand - a lasting blot on Headquarters' escutcheon.

Durban's reaction was immediate and, with hindsight, predictable. A deputation of four or five travelled up by train (a wearisome journey in those days) to meet the Proxy Executive. It was headed by Dody Loquet, at that time, if memory serves, one of Durban's Public Prosecutors and happily still with us as ZS5X, and immediately went into  secret  session  with  Natal's  representative, Rupert Owen (Who later hinted ominously to the present writer of the wrath to come). Of the usual lighthearted chitchat when hams get together there was none.

So it was with considerable foreboding that all those directly concerned met the visitors that evening. The fact that a professional stenographer had been engaged by the deputation to take down a verbatim record of the proceedings did nothing to dispel the unease. Dody, surrounded by his colleagues and his dockets ("briefs" I think they are called in the best legal circles, and the term is not unknown also in those useful emporia Vending natty gents' underwear), took up a strategic position at the table. The rest of us took a deep breath.

Joseph  White  presided. We others, belatedly conscious of our lapse, sat around like a bunch of prep school miscreants waiting to be summoned into the Head's August presence.

Well, it was painful enough -- and not least for Dody, inured as he was to the tragedies so frequently played out in his court. There was nothing for it but for the rest of us to take it on the chin; we had been carelessly irresponsible and had to admit it. The proceedings finally ended around 3 a.m. with harmony completely restored and with the stenographer, doubt-less to her great relief, destroying her copious notes. Armed with a sheaf of editorial matter which had already been prepared in Johannesburg, the team returned home the next day.

So QTC remained in Durban and not a word was breathed about the crisis, either in its columns or, as far as can be recalled, anywhere else. The August editorial did carry an apology  for the delay in the appearance of that issue. No explanation was given but those behind the scenes knew the reason only too well.

However, the logic of the proposed change was inescapable: - at least 90 per cent of the  advertisers were located on the Reef, while journalistic and technical resources were freely available at Headquarters. So it was inevitable that ultimately the change was made, this time happily and with the full concurrence of all  concerned. QTC came to Johannesburg in January, where it remained until the League's economic and other resources dwindled to the point some six  or  seven  years  later where publication finally ceased.

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