My Memories

Electrical/Radio/Communications/Computers

Electrical History

 


My Memories - By Year

My Memories - Undated

My Memories - School Years

My Memories - Neighbours


 

This page is my way of following my interest in things Electrical.

 

I started doing this page on my Paternal Grandfathers birthday, 2nd March. I became aware of the date when I awoke this morning, 2nd March 2004. He would have been 103 years old today. It brought back memories of the wonderful times I spent at my Paternal Grandparents home and made me aware of my beginnings in "electricity", so I decided to write my memories down before they slipped away. I had a lot of fun at my Maternal Grandparents home too but as life turned out I spent a lot more time with dad's parents.

As usual with the way I do things here, I go as far as time allows me and return later to add other thoughts. So, if it looks unfinished in certain areas, you are probably correct.

 

I was born 4th October 1949

  • 1957 - Listening to "Short Wave" on my grandparents "wireless" which had a huge "loudspeaker". I later found it was a 12 inch speaker.
    I loved looking at the markings on the dial which indicated the "Frequency" in "Kilocycles" and the "Band" in "Metres".
    Tuning around the dial I was fascinated by the wavering, distorted sounds of the voices, the different languages and the weird but very interesting noises of what I know now as different formats of data transfer.
  • 1960 - Learnt about Dad's Stromberg Carlson "radiogram".
  • 1961 - Found how to use the volume control on the Valve Mantel Radio as an input point to hook a crystal microphone up.
  • 1961 - My Uncle brought his AWA Black & White Television to Kingaroy. Helped him install the antenna on my Grandmothers roof to try to pick up a weak signal from Brisbane, with no luck.
  • 1962 - July - Finally, the advent of Commercial Black & White Television in our area, DDQ-10.
     Watching the "test pattern" with my grandfather for signs of activity when the DDQ-10 transmitter was finally turned on.
  • The arguments that ensued between my Father and my Grandmother over whether my Uncles television was faulty.
    As we lived 3 houses away from my grandparents, we  would visit them very often.
    When TV first started, they had a clock face with the hands in white on a black background. Around 30 seconds before the news, they would run up to it as you watched the second hand moving to the top of the hour.
    On my Uncles TV there was what I know now as a loss of signal, "snow". It was very pronounced.
    As none of us had seen a lot of television before - the only television being my Uncles set when he had it at my Auntie's in Parklands in Nambour before he moved to Kingaroy - we assumed that was how it should look.
    My father however, had watched new television sets in shop windows at night, a practice that was very popular in those days to get people interested in this "new phenomenon" and he knew it should be a very clear white clock on a black background. It took him many weeks to convince my Grandmother that the picture was faulty.
    Then ensued many trips to Nixon's Electrical, now Radunz's Electrical to have it looked at and hopefully repaired. Eventually it was realised that a valve in the tuner section was faulty.
    To this day I can still remember the name of that valve, as on many a Saturday afternoon I was asked to visit Ray Dunstan, the local Television Technician who lived around the corner in Avoca Street, to embarrassingly pester him for another valve.
    Who knows why it continued to fail, maybe it was a design fault in that AWA set, but fail it did, with the very recognizable fault, "snow", loss of signal.
    The valve was a 6BQ7A.
  • 1963 - Watching with excitement and anticipation, from my Kingaroy State High School, "Industrial" classroom and anywhere else I could, the tiny silhouette of the "TV" transmission tower for ABDQ-3 (ABC TV) gaining height as it was constructed near Mt Mowbullan on the Bunya Mountains.
  • 1963 - December - The Australian Broadcasting Commission - ABC - transmitter, ABDQ-3 starts transmitting.
  • Tendered for Magneto type telephones from the PMG - Post Master General - now Australia Post.
  • Finding an array of switches at the rubbish dump.
  • 1963 - Bought my first radio from Frank Sama of Sama's Radio Repairs for 30/- (30 shillings - $3.00). It was just the metal chassis containing the valves etc and a loose 12 inch speaker with a matching transformer mounted on it. No furniture. I had seen it in his window for weeks and wanted it badly! Radio fascinated me. So, I collected soft drink bottles until I had the correct number, then cleaned them and "cashed them in" and walked into Frank's shop and bought it. It was bliss!
  • 1964 - August - Mum payed for my first Radio, Hobbies and Television magazine, later to be changed to Electronics Australia.
  • 1964 - November. Started an Apprenticeship as Electrical Fitter and Mechanic at Kingaroy Electrical Sales and Service.

    I really wanted a
    Radio Apprenticeship but as there were very few Radio Technicians in our area, one being Lou Thiemann of Star Radio and he had an apprentice, I was pushed by Dad to try for an apprenticeship as an electrician.

    My first work involved cleaning and repairing motor mowers which intrigued me and still does but I can only gather that, because part of the goods for sale involved lawn mowers, as someone had to service and repair them, we electrical apprentices were the best people for the job. It was very good experience though and still comes in very handy.
    We were involved with a brand that no longer exists,
    Pope, plus Victa and various other brands like Rover.

    My work then moved on to dismantling, cleaning in Kerosene and then boxing, the usable parts of second hand
    Washing Machines that had been traded in.
    The brands that I remember included
    Australian Hotpoint, British Hotpoint, Lightburn, Pope, Hoover and Simpson. That was my first experience in working on Washing Machines but in 1986 I was to look back and appreciate that experience as I took on a new job at Gow's Refrigeration in Dalby.

    As well, part of my work was to help the Salesman,
    Alan Gerhman, deliver and install Television sets. I really enjoyed that aspect of my work. In those days people were still attempting to receive the Brisbane channels and certain customers asked us to do a test to see if the signal was in their area. This was done with a Telescopic Triangular Mast, a suitable Antenna and a Signal Strength Meter.

    My Apprenticeship was done by "
    correspondence" - as we had no Colleges in our area. The nearest was in Toowoomba.
    I had
    4 subjects. Each had 18 papers to learn and then complete the questionnaires at the end, therefore totalling 72 papers to absorb in the year.
     
    All the theory was learnt after work at night. We were required to attend the
    High School one night a week, Monday, and sit and read our papers for 2 hours from 7pm to 9pm. There was no help, just someone making sure we attended and sat there for the 2 hours.
     
    There was a crazy system in those days where, if you did well, you got a rise in pay, 5% I think - fair enough as an incentive - but if you fell behind no help was available.
    If you did well, you were able to attend College for 2 weeks at the end of the year for
    Practical. I ended up in Toowoomba once.
    What did I do there as an
    Electrical Apprentice for 2 weeks?
    I made a G Clamp!!
    It was only in the last day of the 2 weeks we were given instruction in various types of switching, 2 way, Tunnel etc.
    We were also supposed to visit various places of employment around
    Toowoomba too - to see what type of electrical careers were available, but it was left until the last day and most "country" apprentices had to catch buses home and missed out.

    It was very tough working during the day, then trying to understand the papers at night, with no help and contending with a drunk and argumentative father but after 4 years I made it but not after many hassles.

    Working at
    Kingaroy Electrical Sales and Service, over the years from 1964 to 1972, I was part of a group of tradesmen, apprentices and administrative staff. To make the business function we eventually became allocated to various areas.
    I ended up mainly doing what is known as "contracting" which meant in our area, Kingaroy, wiring commercial, industrial, farming and residential buildings.

    Below are the people I started work with.

    John & Margaret Quatermass - Owners
    Laureen Ciesiolka ( now Green ) - Secretary
    Alan Gerhman - Salesman
    Terry McAuliffe - Foreman - who did Small Appliance repair as well.
    Terry Burns - Leading Hand - mainly Contracting.
    Paul Grills - Apprentice - he left after a year or two.

    The following employees came and went during my time there.

    Trevor Stone - Apprentice - who ended up being the specialist in White Appliance repairs.
    Jimmy Carberry - Apprentice then Tradesman. Mainly Contracting
    Carol Kassulke ( now Fleischfresser ) - Secretary
    Linda Browne - Secretary
    Judy Wolski - Secretary
    Bill O'Connell - Tradesman - Contracting
    Clyde Pethtel - Trainee Salesman
    Graham Prothero - Apprentice then Tradesman. Mainly Contracting
    Paul Clarke - Apprentice then Tradesman. Mainly Contracting
    Alan? Lewis - Tradesman from New Zealand - Contracting
    Gerard Schultz (Spike) - Apprentice - Contracting

    and a "tradesman",  whose name escapes me, from Queensland Railways who was supposed to be better than all of us and after making a mess of a job in Murgon, lasted 2 weeks.
     
  • 1965 - Made a "console" with 2 turntables, various switches, a reel to reel tape recorder and 12 inch speakers. All made of bits and pieces. As a teenager I thought it was wonderful because of the noise it made. I ended up running the sound into each room of the house.
  • 1965 - Using the "telephone" wires we made up. Eventually I changed them to Figure 8 flex and used the "console" as an Intercom between our house and my Grandparents.
  • 1965 - Bought a Pye Pedigree TV from my boss that had been used as a Hire TV.

    In those days some televisions were hired out. The TV was installed in the customers house with a "rabbit's ears" antenna and connected to the power point via a metal box into which you pushed coins.
    2/- ( 2 shillings) gave you one hour of viewing and invariably cut off at a critical point in a show and then there was a scatter, as people frantically searched for a 2/- coin to put into the slot in the box.

    The Pye Pedigree TV had no picture but did have sound. I asked Frank Sama if he was interested in having a go at fixing it and he agreed as he hadn't had any experience repairing Televisions, just radios.
    He allowed me to watch as he repaired it. To both our great delight he found it was just a dry joint on the printed circuit board where the EHT transformer was connected. After resoldering various spots the picture fired up!
    After a lot of experimenting, I mounted it above my bedroom door and extended the tuner and volume wiring for the Pye Pedigree to my bedside. Now I just use the Remote Controller but to achieve a similar concept in those days was great.
  •  1972 - In September I left Kingaroy Electrical and moved to Brisbane. I was looking for a change and as work was going really well that year I was employed at ODG ( O'Donnell Griffin ).

    Working in
    Brisbane was TOTALLY different to working in Kingaroy. Methods I had learnt in Kingaroy were very outdated and I soon learned to take on the methods used in Brisbane or be looked down upon as a "country hick". It was a very fast learning curve.

    When I applied for the job, they thought I would be helping pull cables through the then "new"
    Toombul Shoppingtown but as it turned out I was only there one day for a visit and was then sent to redo the Sunday Sun building.
    I started working with a really friendly, helpful tradesman at "The Sun". I seem to remember his name was
    Gary Hansen. He was obsessed with Jaguar cars. He lived and breathed them. He owned a white one.
    He "looked after me" in the way of doing things the "city" way. 
    It was very different work, with skirting board ducting being a new experience to me. All systems were carried around the building in plastic ducting. Each system had it's outlets fitted into the ducting at the skirting board level. It was very quick, neat and efficient.

    Other places I worked while at
    ODG were:

    The
    Atcherly Hotel in The Valley
    The
    Dry Dock at Bulimba
    The
    Prudential Building near the Victoria Bridge
    The
    Turrawan Private Hospital at Clayfield
    The Royal Brisbane Hospital - Block 7- at Bowen Bridge
    The
    Home and Building Centre in The Valley
    The
    Gatton Agricultural College

    and various locations in the City.

    Below are some of the people I was involved with.

    Col Johnston - Supervisor
    Gary Hansen ? - Tradesman at the Sunday Sun job.
    Gordon Seeman -
     Leading Hand at The Turrawan Private Hospital job.
    Ron Hurst - Tradesman at The Turrawan Private Hospital job.
    Paul Messer - Supervisor?
    Dario Lenac - Leading Hand at The Prudential Building job.
    Gary      ?     - Tradesman at The Prudential Building job.
    ?    
    Grimley - Tradesman from Redcliffe at the Dry Dock job.

    "Grimley" as he was known as, was fantastic to work with. He had a really sick sense of humour but kept me in stitches through the day as we worked on. We really looked forward to lunchtime as we were able to get subsidised meals at the canteen. That was good in itself but the meals were terrific!

    I learnt (for good or bad) about
    Demarcation Disputes at the Dry Dock job. They were a big thing then.
    The
    Gravel Barge - from a very strained memory, I think it was either named Cementco or part of a group owned by Queensland Cement and Lime (QCL) that owned Cementco - we were wiring at the Dry Dock was just another "contracting" job really but with steel walls and from memory, a sort of Marine Chipboard. So the work was no great challenge.
     
    There were all manner of Tradesmen working on it and disputes seemed to erupt over trivial things.
    We left the site one afternoon and were to start work on the barge again at a new location under the
    Story Bridge. I arrived to find the Fire Service dousing the remains of the barge. Apparently, during the night, a fire broke out, caused by a spark from a Welder the day before. The fire was so ferocious that it buckled the steel plating on the walls and deck.
    I was asked by my Leading Hand to follow him onto the barge, as we had been asked to check some electrical connections. I did as he asked, following him closely, as he was the only one with a torch.
    The torchlight was absorbed into the blackness. Without any warning my right leg dropped into the darkness. My groin hit the deck and I was left spreadeagled, one leg fully through the floor, the other horizontal along the decking. As I was going down, the inside of my right thigh scraped against the metal flooring. Luckily the "family jewels" missed any damage, as somehow, as I was falling through, my instincts took over and I reached out to stop myself falling and cushioned the last part of the fall as I hit the deck.
    My Leading Hand must have walked over a circular hole in the deck without seeing it in the darkness but I dropped through it like a rock!
    He helped me up and I was sent to a doctor to check things out. For weeks I had a huge bruise/blood blister, about 8" long and 6" across on the inside of the top of my right thigh. The scar is still there.

    The
    Prudential Building job taught me about wiring lights in an already constructed multi story building. Each floor had conduit run on the concrete ceiling and fluorescent lights mounted into the aluminium suspension ceiling, but plugged into the points on the conduit work. Pretty boring stuff electrically really.

    At the
    Turrawan Private Hospital I started as the extensions were at ground level. The Leading Hand was
    Gordon Seeman. He had Ron Hurst with him. Ron had just become a Tradesman. They were a great pair. They made sure I fitted in. Each smoko and lunch we played the card game, 500, with the Plumbers. It was very competitive but also very friendly. It was one of the best work experiences of my life.
    Eventually Gordon was moved on to start another job site at
    Strathpine by the Supervisor,
    Col Johnston, which left Ron and myself to complete the job.
    It was my first experience installing multi story wiring as the building was constructed. Also I learnt about installing and testing Fire Sensors.
    During the weeks/months we worked at
    Turrawan Private Hospital, a local electrician irregularly visited  to do repairs to their appliances. That was all he did. At that stage of my life I watched him and thought to myself how I'd love that type of job. Little did I know I would eventually get to that point years later and yes, I loved it.

    The
    Gatton Agricultural College job was the biggest nightmare job of my life.
    I was sent, with one apprentice who had a very small amount of Multi Story wiring experience, to wire all of the services,
    Fire, Power and Telephone for a huge floor and the ceiling below.
    It was known by the Supervisors that both of us lacked experience with Multi Story wiring but I was told the one in charge was leaving and didn't care.
    That was bad enough but the worst part was it was all to be done in
    screwed steel conduit to Government Specifications. There was a huge Plan and Specifications to absorb.

    We had 4 days to do the lot.
    I arrived on the site as the concreters were working their way through fitting the meshing. It wasn't a single layer either, it was multi layered in places. Both of us considered ringing and resigning and getting another job as jobs were easy to get then but we relented and decided to do our best.
    The two of us worked feverishly, measuring, threading the lengths of conduit by hand and working around the concreters, trying to fit them into place securely.
    I rang the Supervisor to ask for more help. Another inexperienced helper was sent.

    We were booked into a hotel in
    Gatton. I spent most nights on the verandah till after midnight, going over in my mind what we would do the following day.
    We did the best we could but the concreters said the floor was being laid regardless of whether we had our wiring in.

    As it turned out, some conduits were left out and alternative ways were found to complete the connections after the floor was dry.
    It was the week before
    Easter in 1973. I really enjoyed that Easter!!
     
    After the
    Gatton Agricultural College, the Home and Building Centre in the Valley was a dream. I spent many months there.
    I learnt there how to dim fluorescent lights with special ballasts and resistors. We had row upon row of them to do. Many would not strike and it was assumed it was because of the very humid conditions. Those humid days ended up being the lead up to the
    massive 1974 floods.
     
    I found that job really enjoyable but other things were in the wind and in 1974 I moved back to
    Kingaroy to work for Radunz's Electrical.
     
  • 1973 - All year, after work, twice a week for 4 hours each night, I  drove from where I lived at Toowong, to Yeronga Technical College and did the Electrical Advanced Trade Course - AEL 101 -  Introductory Electronics.
    I gained a Credit.
    I loved doing the course. It was my first experience in learning my Trade at a College. I found it easy to learn as there was always someone to help you if needed. Learning, as I had done for my Apprenticeship, by "correspondence",  was very frustrating and limited by my experience and of those around me.
    The second year of the course was to be Industrial Electronics.
    Because my life took me back to Kingaroy again, where there was no access to a College, I didn't ever get to complete the whole course, sadly.

    While living in Brisbane, I bought a BWD Dual Trace Oscilloscope, Leader RF Signal Generator and Leader AF Signal Generator to try to teach myself more about "electronics" after I moved back to Kingaroy, with the hope of sometime in my life being involved in repairs to "electronic equipment".
  • 1974 - Started work at Radunz's Electrical.

    I moved back to Kingaroy to Radunz's Electrical and spent 11 years there.
    A great deal of my electrical experience was involved in domestic work.
    This involved
    installing wiring for new houses, installing extra Power Outlets, Lights, Hot Water Systems, Stoves and rewiring old houses. Also repairs where necessary.
    Being a farming area, we also installed wiring for farm buildings. A great amount involved 3 phase motors and associated control gear for Peanut Processing plants.
    Hospitals were also part of our work.
    With the upgrading of St. Aubyn's Private Hospital, now the South Burnett Community Private Hospital, many weeks were spent building the switchboard, running the circuits and installing the wiring for the Nurses Call System as well as the specialized wiring for the Operating Theatre. At a later date, we installed an Emergency Generating System and integrated it into the hospital wiring circuits.
    A lot of work was done for the Kingaroy General Hospital and Nanango General Hospital.
    An upgrade at the Kingaroy RSL involved us and Gordon Ivins installing Air Conditioning, as well as the associated wiring for the "new" extension of the time.
    The Kingaroy Shire Council was a major source of work. This work included installation of plant where necessary and maintenance of the town water supply system including the pumping stations around the town and the Telemetry System from Gordonbrook Dam.
    When Swickers Bacon Factory decided to expand, we installed the wiring for the new Switchboard, the Refrigeration, the Meat Meal Area, the Killing Floor, as well as necessary equipment around the supporting area such as pumps and lighting.

    Below are people I was involved with.

    Phil & Betty Radunz - Owners
    Rob & Shirley Radunz - Owners
    Ken Jensen - Tradesman
    Ian Black - Tradesman
    Col Pilcher - Tradesman
    Peter Cox - Tradesman
    Barbara Winter - Secretary
    Debbie Algar - Secretary
    Cassie Blue - Secretary
    Jenny Langan - Secretary
     
  • 1977 - Citizens Band Radio - CB - started.
    From the days of seeing "Walkie Talkies" on the back of comic books as I waited as a young boy to have my hair cut at the barber, Col Greenslade, it had been my dream to use and learn about "radio".
    Finally Australian citizens were legally allowed access to this form of communication.

    I bought various radios including:
    Midland Model 79A - 892
    - SSB (Single Side Band),
    Dick Smith Hornet - SSB
    ,
    Dick Smith Bumblebee - AM (Amplitude Modulated)

    Various Antennas including a Ringo and 3 Element Beam.
    All HF 27Mhz of course, as UHF hadn't even been thought of for CB use in those days.

    I spent hundreds of hours talking to
    CB mates around town and also attempting to get long distance, DX - Skip contacts - before the "10/4 Good Buddy" morons took over the hobby and ruined it. I even collected a few QSL Cards from contacts around Australia.
  • 1980 - Mounted a Phased Array antenna on the house with a Hills Masthead Amplifier to pick up WBQ-8 transmitting to the Maryborough/Hervey Bay area. The days of Aggregation and Networking hadn't raised their ugly head and different programs played on different channels at different times and other than the excitement of picking up distant channels you had the benefit of receiving programs not seen in your local area.
  • 1983 - April - Bought my first computer, a Tandy TRS 80 from a Tandy dealer while in Townsville for $1299.00. I arrived home to find a flyer advertising the exact same computer for $999.00. I rang Townsville but was basically told "stiff!!". I have never trusted Tandy since.
    The dealer was a mongrel but the computer wasn't. I spent hours writing BASIC programs to work out things like how long it would take me to pay off my Bankcard - I had that problem way back then!
    Mark Wical
    , brilliant as he is, even wrote a program to generate groups of random numbers for Gold Lotto with it.
    It payed out twice amazingly on the first run and I won around $35.00. Sadly, that was the first and last time.
  • 1985 - Started work at Stewarts Electrical in Dalby.

    I had just remarried after moving from Kingaroy to Dalby. I was lucky to be employed at Stewarts so soon after arriving.
    I was employed there for roughly 6 months. During that time I did some Small Appliance repairs, domestic repairs and a small amount of domestic installation work. The main work the firm was doing at the time was installation work at the Cecil Plains Cotton Gin.
     
    Names I remember at Stewarts Electrical are:

    Gary Suhr - Owner
    Michael O'Connell - Owner
    Barry Land - Owner
    Bernadette Luck - Owner
    Kev Lindsey - Owner
    Geoff Farquharson - Tradesman
    Alec Edgar - Adult Apprentice
    Phil ? - Salesman

     
  • 1986 - Started work at RG Gow's Refrigeration in Dalby.

    The best bosses/family of all of my working life! Without a doubt. Some of the best times of my life occurred during the time I lived in Dalby, both family and work. If it wasn't for the fact that my stepdaughter became asthmatic from the Dalby atmosphere, maybe I'd still be working there.

    Frank and Don took me on as someone who had mostly "contracting" experience. They needed someone to train up as a White Appliance Repairman. I was looking for a change and was very excited at the chance of learning another facet of being "an electrician".
    In my days at
    Kingaroy Electrical Sales and Service I had started my apprenticeship dismantling and repairing washing machines. The work then didn't really appeal to me as I wanted to get involved with "electricity", not oil!
    As
    RG Gow's Refrigeration had the "warranty" work for most of the brands of home appliances, Frank and Don wanted to teach me the whole range of repairs to Large Appliances, including Refrigerators, Freezers, Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers. The repairs to the Refrigerators and Freezers was to include not only the "electrical" side but the "gas" side.
    And they did. They spent a great amount of time with me, making sure I understood fully what was needed and how it was done.
    I found I was very interested in repairs to
    Large Appliances other than the "oil" type jobs. There was no problem with that though as Jim Smith, a fantastic person, did all of that sort of thing.
    I really enjoyed going to work each day at
    RG Gow's Refrigeration. Each day was a new experience. The atmosphere was very friendly and the work was really challenging and interesting. Everything I was to do in the future was grounded in what I learnt there.
    My work experience included repairs to the following:

    Email - (now Electrolux)

    Refrigerators
    Freezers
    Washing Machines
    Dishwashers
    Dryers

     
    Hoover

    Refrigerators
    Washing Machines
    Dishwashers
    Dryers

    Hitachi

    Washing Machines

    As well as repairs to various other Washing Machine brands of the time.

    I also spent a small time repairing Small Appliances.

    Names I remember at RG Gow's Refrigeration are:

    Frank Monaghan - Owner
    Don Monaghan - Owner
    Ann Monaghan - Owner
    Roz Monaghan - Secretary
    Sandra Monaghan - Sister/Daughter of Owners
    Phil   ?             - Husband of Sandra
    Jim Smith - Appliance Repairer - Mechanical Only
     
  • 1987 - Moved to Hervey Bay around November but travelled back to Dalby each weekend until February 1988.
  • 1988 - Started work at GW Electrical at Pialba.

    When I started with
    GW Electrical it was only on a part time basis - as we both wanted it - a few hours a day on a few days a week. Gary had only recently taken over the business from his partner Warwick. He was feeling his way, seeing how the business was going to go after the change.
    As it turned out, I ended up getting more and more work until pretty quickly I was working full time.
    GW Electrical was like RG Gow's Refrigeration - they did a lot of the "warranty" work for the most popular brands - so it fitted my experience well.
    The only extra brand that I had to learn about was Fisher and Paykel. It was only then making it's mark in the appliance world in Australia. The "Gentle Annie" was around.
    I finished there in 1992 and started my own business, Colrix Electrical.
    Below are people I worked with.

    Gary & Jan Mackie - Owners
    Rick McDonough - General Duties
    Karen Canning
    - Secretary
    Vince Begaud - Tradesman
     
  • 1988 - We bought a double story house at Urangan, Hervey Bay and I set up a special room overlooking the Boat Harbour for my radio equipment. Installed a 50 ft Hills Telescopic Mast ( but only used 3 stages - 30 ft ),  and necessary antennas on the roof.
  • 1988 - Bought GME Electrophone TX472D and TX472S UHF Transceivers.
    Mounted a 12db gain UHF antenna on the mast and was able to access repeaters of the time at:

    Channel 1 - Mt Perry - near Gayndah
    Channel 2 - Gunalda Range, between Gympie and Maryborough
    Channel 3 - Tinana, Maryborough
    Channel 4 - Bundaberg - Sloping Hummock
    Channel 5 - Mt Goonaneman - near Biggenden
    Channel 7 - Mt Watalgan near Miriam Vale
    Channel 8 - Ghost Hill, Pialba
     
  • 1988 - Bought a Sangean Receiver and started listening to local Amateur Radio broadcasts as well as other frequencies including Marine and Police.
  • 1989 - Joined the Hervey Bay Amateur Radio Club.
  • 1990 - Bought my first PC - It was an Acer from Dick Smith and from my memory ran at around 12 MHz.
    They asked if I wanted a Hard Drive. No one at the time could see why you would ever need to put out money for a 20 Meg Hard Drive when you could do everything perfectly well with 2 Floppy drives - and 5 1/4 inch ones at that!
    So, you guessed it, I didn't buy a Hard Drive and for ages worked with the 2 silly floppy drives.
  • 1993 - Bought a State of the Art computer with a 80M Hard Drive, 1 -  5 1/4" Floppy Drive and 1 - 3 1/2" Floppy Drive.
    It was a 386 SX25 and flew at 25 MHz!
    I was so proud, as most of my friends had 4, 8 or 12 MHz models. From my memory it ran on DOS 5. No GUI, just Menu driven or out of Norton's Commander.
  • 1993 - 1995 ish  - Ran a BBS ( Bulletin Board Service ) carrying Amateur Radio bulletins and mail.
    This was in the days before the www - World Wide Web - had arrived in Australia.
  • 1993 - Started my business, Colrix Electrical which I ran until my second marriage break-up in November 1998.


     
  • 1999 - February - Started work at L&J Archer Electrical in Townsville.

    Names I remember at L&J Archer Electrical are:

    Larry Archer - Owner and Appliance Repairer 
    Julie Archer - Owner & Administrator
    Glenda ?        - Secretary
    Shelly Archer - Junior Secretary
    Bernie Walsh - Appliance Repairer
    Russell Cook - Appliance Repairer 
    Craig ? -
    Storeman
     
  • 2001 - June - Finished work at L&J Archer Electrical in Townsville.
  • 2001 - November - Finished full time work due to health problems and was put onto a Disability Support Pension.
  • 2006 - Trying to enhance my income by using my accumulated knowledge of computers.
  • 2008 - Helping friends and acquaintances with their computers.
  • 2009 - Still helping friends and acquaintances with their computers.
 

Last Updated : 27/01/2012 08:22 PM +1000