Portishead Radio

For those of you with at least a passing interest in the 500 kHz w/t service, this hour-long DVD is a must. It shows basically the last hour of service at Lands End Radio (GLD) with loudspeaker recordings of the numerous messages received on 500 kHz before and after the last transmission from coast radio stations all over Europe. Famous (or infamous) coast station R/Os are featured prominently, and this DVD acts as a permanent reminder of the 500 kHz service in the United Kingdom. An essential purchase. If only the GKA closedown was captured on video......maybe it was?

Marconi's Beam Wireless Station at Dorchester

by Paul Hawkins

2004 (privately published)

This slim but extremely well-illustrated brochure describes the history of Dorchester Radio Station, from its earliest carnation as part of the fixed 'beam' wireless network in 1925, to its ultimate demise in 1979 as part of the Post Office's Maritime Radio Services. Details of the aerial construction and transmitter facilites are given, as well as details of the site's development over the years. The highlight of the brochure are, however, the high quality photographs, which are worth the cost of the publication alone. For anyone interested in the development of long-range radio communication in the UK, this brochure is essential; it comes highly recommended.

Copies are available from myself - £3.50 including P&P to the UK.

Sparks What's Going On?

by Sylvester Foecking, Rolf Marschner & Hans Polak

2003 (Privately Published)

This is a collection of anecdotes and humourous stories involving both sea-going and coast station radio officers. Most of them are supplied via German R/Os, although there are other contributions from the rest of the world. GKA gets a mention from time to time, although DAN seems to be the centre of attention in the majority of the stories. Not really surprising taking into account the nationality of the authors. I am sure that I have met some of the contributors during the annual football tournaments organised by the N.European Coast Stations during the 1980s and 1990s!

Most coast station R/Os will be able to relate to many of the stories, although some do lack the essential humour which would make good stories better; nonetheless an essential read for those who wish to read about the lighter side of maritime radio operations! Recommended highly.

Further information re. ordering and prices from www.seefunker.de

The History of the Radio Officer in the British Merchant Navy and on Deep-Sea Trawlers

by Joanna Greenlaw

Dinefwr Press (www.dinefwrpress.com), ISBN 1-904323-01-4, 2003, £19.95

Probably one of the longest titles I have come across in a long time. However, this publication, written by a veteran of World War 2 Convoys and the Falklands Conflict, does contain a wealth of both interesting and fascinating information, dating right back to the early days of Marconi. The 'Titanic' episode is covered in depth.

Indeed, with Joanna being an ex-Marconi R/O and Manager, there is a heavy bias towards the company which does tend to detract a little from the general perspective. In spite of this, there are many stories of heroism and selflessness, many submitted by other WW2 veterans, which does make for interesting reading.

One criticism I do have is that the book does tend to concentrate very heavily on the early days of maritime radio, leading me to assume very little changed for the sea-going R/O after the 1950's. The Falklands conflict is covered in a few sentences, where I would have thought there would have been ample scope for some interesting narrative. The final decade of the R/O would also have been of great interest, as new technology and GMDSS brought a great deal of change after the mid-1980s. This period is hardly mentioned, a shame really, as it would have been interesting to look back on how the job changed during the final years.

The writing style (for me at least) is a little dry in places, and I feel a little too technical for the non-R/O who may read it, although this is compensated for by some amusing experiences which hold the book together well. There are many photographs of ships, radio rooms and training schools, which will no doubt bring back many memories for the more aged amongst us.

On the whole, however, this is a worthwhile read, and if you are interested in the early history of the British R/O this could well be the book for you; however, the definitive history from start to finish still needs to be written.

Many thanks to Dinefwr Publishers (01269 851989) for the review copy.