Radio Kaleidoscope

Tony was one of the very first people to offer a vehicle as transport, and his light green Austin A35 quickly became a regular feature at our transmissions sites.

Tony started as a CW pirate on the amateur bands, preferring Morse code transmissions to voice, and his radio shack on Brook Road had already seen many hours of broadcasting.

Through Tony we were able to access the old MoD ATC site, which was located along the A13 in South Benfleet, Essex. This particular site came ready-fitted with a rather large and impressive antennae array, and was perfect for our weekend transmissions, as we could hide the vehicle in the compound, lock the large security gates and prevent any unexpected visitors. The red telephone box across the road provided our listeners with some of our early telephone request shows, for which Buster and his family were one of our first callers.

Tony became a very good friend, often taking us to radio rallies and clubs, and on a good day he would even buy us a drink!

We have unfortunately lost touch with Tony and would welcome any information as to his whereabouts.