Birmingham: Airport Nostalgia

[Kevin Farnell]

The search is now on for a scanner the same as I used to use. Remembered it was a Realistic jetsream mini and that my mate used to take the p@@@ out of it (think he had a Sharp which was perceived as superior) As I said in an earlier post I much preferred the old fashioned tuning wheel to the digital tuning nonsense on my Bearcat thing.

I had one of these -

When I was about 12, my Dad took myself and some school friends down to Heathrow for my birthday.
When we got there, he gave me the radio as my birthday present. I still have it, although it's in a very sorry state of repair. I still love it and would very much like to renovate it.
The excitement at Heathrow, when I put the batteries in and started searching for transmissions was incredible.
I agree with you, Wolfheze about the tuning wheel. I went on to get a Sony Air 7, fully programmable. A great piece of kit, but it didn't have that certain something involving trying to turn the tuning wheel to get the very best reception.

Sweet memories!

Kevin

 

[Ray Finkle]

I'm still using one with an old fashioned tuning wheel. I think I bought it some time during the 90's.

I haven't made the leap to digital yet.

 

[wolfheze]

That's good you held on to it. I so regret binning both my radio and cam books. Kept my 20×50s and then left them at a girlfriends house when we split up!

 

[wolfheze]

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTU5OVgxNjAw/z/zFcAAOSwMmBV5kz7/$_1.JPG
This is what my old one looked like. My father bought it for me in I think 1975.

 

[wolfheze]

I had on of these -

When I was about 12, my Dad took myself and some school friends down to Heathrow for my birthday.
When we got there, he gave me the radio as my birthday present. I still have, although it's in a very sorry state of repair. I still love it and would very much like to renovate it.
The excitement at Heathrow, when I put the batteries in and started searching for transmissions was incredible.
I agree with you, Wolfheze about the tuning wheel. I went on to get a Sony Air 7, fully programmable. A great piece of kit, but it didn't have that certain something involving trying to turn the tuning wheel to get the very best reception.

Sweet memories!

Kevin

Wonder if that's the same model my mate had. It does look better than my realistic but if I remember he got his a couple of years after me so things had probably moved on a bit.

 

[Butty]

My kids and I were in the back garden watching the planes as they heading to LHR overhead ( I live in Essex). To the north we could see flights en route from Diabetes. But heading generally north / south were a combination of UK bound flights and UK over flights from Europe. I used Flight Tracker to identify the flights and I was struck by how many were hesdingbto BHX...a very steady stream in fact. Brought back memories of spotting TWA and Pan Am over flights when I was growing up in Solihull and claiming the numbers! The days at the old Eldon seem a long time ago, but the buzz of spotting a plane o bit way there albeit from 130 miles away still causes a bit of a buzz.

 

[Seasider]

I had one of these -

When I was about 12, my Dad took myself and some school friends down to Heathrow for my birthday.
When we got there, he gave me the radio as my birthday present. I still have it, although it's in a very sorry state of repair. I still love it and would very much like to renovate it.
The excitement at Heathrow, when I put the batteries in and started searching for transmissions was incredible.
I agree with you, Wolfheze about the tuning wheel. I went on to get a Sony Air 7, fully programmable. A great piece of kit, but it didn't have that certain something involving trying to turn the tuning wheel to get the very best reception.

Sweet memories!

Kevin

I have one exactly the same although I don't have the Box.

 

[Aviador]

I have one exactly the same although I don't have the Box.

Still have , wow that must be a collectable?

 

[Kevin Farnell]

I have one exactly the same although I don't have the Box.

Thanks for your reply, Seasider. I don't have the box either, the photo, I found from a web search.

Still have , wow that must be a collectable?

WOW , Aviador. I'm sure it would be collectable. Check when the BBC are filming 'Antiques Roadshow' in your area (OK, it's not an antique - but they seem to like things, even from the 60's or 70's that have their original boxes).
I'm sure you wouldn't want to sell it, but it would be interesting to find it's value.

Regards

Kevin

 

[Kevin Farnell]

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTU5OVgxNjAw/z/zFcAAOSwMmBV5kz7/$_1.JPG
This is what my old one looked like. My father bought it for me in I think 1975.

Thanks for the link, Wolfheze. I certainly remember seeing other 'spotters' with those radios.

Wonder if that's the same model my mate had. It does look better than my realistic but if I remember he got his a couple of years after me so things had probably moved on a bit.

Quite probably the same model. I got mine, when I was 11 or 12, which would have been '75 or'76.

Regards.

Kevin

 

[Elmdon80slad]

My first airband radio was one of these Monsters, it was the size of a normal radio and sat on the table, not hand held.

E.View attachment 3220

 

[Elmdon80slad]

Bust the absolute best crystal tunning wheel radio i had, i purchased from a great airband shop down Bristol Rd it was a Signal R537 i loved it.View attachment 3221

 

[Kevin Farnell]

My first airband radio was one of these Monsters, it was the size of a normal radio and sat on the table, not hand held.

E.View attachment 3220

I knew a few people who had one of those - most had hernias 😆.

Bust the absolute best crystal tunning wheel radio i had, i purchased from a great airband shop down Bristol Rd it was a Signal R537 i loved it.View attachment 3221

I also saw one or two people with one of those. I never got to listen to one myself, but thought they looked very professional. Almost 'military' in their design. And, you got a squelch control - very posh, for it's day.

Regards

Kevin

 

[Elmdon80slad]

I knew a few people who had one of those - most had hernias 😆.



I also saw one or two people with one of those. I never got to listen to one myself, but thought they looked very professional. Almost 'military' in their design. And, you got a squelch control - very posh, for it's day.

Regards

Kevin

Might have been me in the mid- late 80s holding one you saw, standing on the spiral stairs old side😉

E.

 

[wolfheze]

My kids and I were in the back garden watching the planes as they heading to LHR overhead ( I live in Essex). To the north we could see flights en route from Diabetes. But heading generally north / south were a combination of UK bound flights and UK over flights from Europe. I used Flight Tracker to identify the flights and I was struck by how many were hesdingbto BHX...a very steady stream in fact. Brought back memories of spotting TWA and Pan Am over flights when I was growing up in Solihull and claiming the numbers! The days at the old Eldon seem a long time ago, but the buzz of spotting a plane o bit way there albeit from 130 miles away still causes a bit of a buzz.

Regarding stuff on airways we used to do exactly the same in Meriden. With binoculars colour schemes and markings were clearly visible even at 30,000 ft, reg numbers could sometimes be seen but not clearly enough to read. An exception to this was Air Bridge Carrier's Argosys that would droan overhead at around 15,000 with the reg numbers painted in nice big letters under one wing.
Nearly bought a 1/400 SAA 747 SP the other week for my bhx collection with the justification that I saw one on airways (not sure where it would have been going? ) 👍

 

[Elmdon80slad]

Hi Elmdon,

I'll mention you to my old man then i'm sure he'll get in contact with you through this site.

I wonder if this has been mentioned to Allan?

E.

 

[andyc941]

I use to have the next radio up from the R537 the R538, where you had to buy crystals for the radio frequencies, and the lights went across and stopped when the pilot or controllers spoke. But before that i had the reliable sharp radio.

 

[wolfheze]

Can anyone remember anything about the old beacon which was I recall somewhere near the Elmdon lane turning? I seem to remember it had a revolving top which sent out a beam of light perhaps alternating green then white or was it just green? Im sure I used to see it working in the early seventies but not sure if it was in use much after that.

 

[Kevin Farnell]

I can remember it, but not clearly enough to give any great detail. I do seem to remember that it did have more than one colour of light and green rings a bell.
I also seem to remember trying to work out if it was transmitting anything in morse e.g. 'BHX' or ''EGBB', but never got very far with that idea.

Kevin

 

[Ray Finkle]

I remember it well, I too attempted to work out if there was any message being beeped 😆

I think it was still flashing away up until fairly recently? Definitely throughout the 90's and possibly into the 00's?