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栽怩弌傍利 卦指云慕朕村 紗秘慕禰 厘議慕尺 厘議慕禰 TXT畠云和墮 〆辺茄欺厘議箝誓匂〇

the dawn of amateur radio in the u[1].k.(辺咄字鴨侘議貴伏)-及15何蛍

酔楯荷恬: 梓囚徒貧圭�鮗� ○ 賜 ★ 辛酔堀貧和鍬匈 梓囚徒貧議 Enter 囚辛指欺云慕朕村匈 梓囚徒貧圭�鮗� ● 辛指欺云匈競何! 泌惚云慕短嗤堋響頼���誅卒亮茂�俊彭堋響��辛聞喘貧圭 "辺茄欺厘議箝誓匂" 孔嬬 才 "紗秘慕禰" 孔嬬��





book GREEK BROADCASTING published by Radio Karayianni in 1952。 

His   shack   was     in   the   basement   workshop   at   17a�察    �Bucharest   Street    in 

Athens�察  �an   address   which   became   known   world´wide   as   the   first   QSL 

bureau for Greece。 

       The gang of enthusiasts who met at Bill's included Nasos Coucoulis 

SV1SM�察�Aghis   Cazazis   SV1CA�察  �Nick   Katselis   SV1NK�察  �Mikes   Paidousi 

SV1MP�察  �Pol   Psomiadis   SV1AZ   ��now   N2DOE��   and   the   writer   of   these 

memoirs�察�SV1RX。 Of course all visiting amateurs made a beeline for the 

shack in the basement。 As most of our contacts were with the U。S。A。 we 

were usually up most of the night because of the 7´hour difference with 

Eastern   Standard   Time。   None   of   us   had   motor´cars   and   public   transport 

was not available during the night hours so we all got plenty of exercise 

walking back to our respective houses。 

       Bill was closely in touch with two men who played a very important 

role   in   the   development   of   amateur   radio   in   Greece。   I   am   referring   to 

Stefanos Eleftheriou who was Section Head for Telecommunications at the 

Ministry   ��Greek   initials   T。T。T。��。�察  �and   to    Captain   Kyriakos   Pezopoulos�察�

Director     of   D。R。Y。N。     ��Greek     initials  for  Directorate     of   the  Wireless 

Service   of   the   Navy��。   The   long   wave   spark   transmitter   at   Votanikos�察  �a 

suburb of Athens�察。�callsign SXA�� had been built by the Marconi company 

before World 

       ��Bill Tavaniotis died of cancer in 1948。�� 

     4。 Harry Barnett G2AIQ ��formerly SV1WE��。 

       In July 1946�察�Harry Barnett�察�a Royal Air Force officer attached to the 

Press     Department       of   the   British    Embassy      in   Athens     obtained     an 

experimental transmitting licence from the W/T section of the Ministry of 

Posts & Telegraphs�察�with the callsign SV1WE。 At that time he was living 

in a flat in Athens and could not put up an antenna�察�so it was not until June 

1947 that he became active。 

       The terms of his licence were in themselves rather strange�察�one might 

even     say    quite    'experimental'�察    �the    final   paragraph      reading�此    �This 

experimental research must be carried out as follows�此� 

       1。   With   a   maximum   power   of   50   watts。   2。   In   the   frequency   bands 

��harmonics�� 130�察�260�察�520 Mc/s。 3。 In the frequency bands 28 Mc/s and 56 



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Mc/s。 4。 With the call sign SV1WE。; 

       From June 1947 until April 1948 Harry worked 61 countries�察�mostly 

on phone in the 10 & 20 metre bands�察�at a time when there were not many 

stations on the air ´ a minute fraction of the millions now active。 

       He used a National HRO receiver he had got off a scrap heap which 

he modified to take the efficient EF50 valves in the R。F。 stages and EF39s 

in the I。F。 

       The   transmitter   was   completely   'home   brew'�察  �consisting   of   a   metal 

6L6 Franklin oscillator on 3。5 MHz followed by two more 6L6s doubling 

to 14 MHz。 In the final amplifier stage Harry used a Telefunken pentode�察�

the   famous   and   very   efficient   RL12P35   which   was   used   in   the   German 

tank      transmitters       in    all    stages�察    �oscillator�察    �P。A。     and     audio 

amplifier/suppressor        grid   modulator。     He   adopted     the  same    method     of 

modulation       using    a   record    player    amplifier    and    an   Astatic    crystal 

microphone。 

       W。A。C。 was achieved by February 1948 with about 50 watts of R。F。 

into   a   simple   dipole   antenna。   During   the   ten   months   that   SV1WE   was 

active 750 QSL cards were sent out。 Of the 61 countries worked only 49 

were confirmed。 

       Today   ��1989��   Harry   is   still   regularly   on   the   air   under   his   original 

callsign G2AIQ which was first issued to him on the 1st of January 1938�察�

51 years ago。 

     5。 George Yiapapas ��formerly SV1GY��。 

       George Yiapapas is a Greek amateur who was very active for over 25 

years   yet   nobody   seems   to   have   heard   of   him。   In   1935   George   and   his 

father Costas   built   a   one´valve transmitter   using   a   type   59   pentode   with 

suppressor      grid   modulation�察    �and   succeeded      in  contacting    most    of  the 

world with this QRP  rig。 The electron   coupled   oscillator could   not have 

put more than 4 or 5 watts into the antenna。 

       After  the   war   George   went   to   Jordan   in   1956   to   work   for   Cable   & 

Wireless the English company which operated the old Eastern Telegraph 

cable network。 He used the callsign JY1GY for about a year and was then 

transferred to Tripoli in the Kingdom of Lybia�察�during the reign of King 

Idris�察�where he obtained an official licence with the call 5A3TA。 



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       In   1960   he   was   again   transferred�察  �this   time   to   Kuwait�察  �where   he 

operated the equipment of Mohamet Behbehani 9K2AM for over six years。 

George   now   has   a   small   shop   in   Piraeus�察  �the   port   of Athens   and   is   no 

longer active on the amateur bands。 

     6。 Stefanos Eleftheriou ��1895´1979��。 

       Stefanos   Eleftheriou�察  �Head   of   the   Telecommmunications   section   of 

the Ministry  of   Posts   & Telegraphs   ��Greek   initials T。T。T。��  played   a   vital 

role in the early development of amateur radio in Greece。 

       When he returned from Switzerland�察�where he had studied Electrical 

Engineering�察�he had to do his compulsory military service which had been 

deferred while he was completing his education。 A friend of his told him 

;Don't   go   into   the Army�察  �join   the   Navy�察  �they  have   an   amazing   wireless 

station at Votanikos with which they can contact the Fleet anywhere in the 

world;。 As   it   happened   there   was   a   vacancy  for   an   officer   and   Stefanos 

together with another young man called Nikolis faced a Selection Board of 

naval     officers    who    really   didn't   know     what    qualifications      they   were 

looking   for。   He   was   successful   whereas   Nikolis   went   to   the   Ministry   of 

Posts   &   Telegraphs   where   he   ended   up   as   Director´General   many   years 

later。 

       The    MARCONI          COMPANY   of          England     had   built   an  impressive 

wireless     station   for   the  Greek     Royal    Navy     at  Votanikos�察    �a  suburb     of 

Athens。 There was a transmitter which operated on 600 metres and a larger 

one on long waves above 2��000 metres which used the callsign SXA。 

       Stefanos told me how he was summoned by the Director of the Naval 

Station Admiral Mezeviris who asked him ;Tell me�察�young man�察�what do 

you know about wireless�拭─�

       ;Well   sir;�察  �replied   Eleftheriou�察   �I   studied   Electrical   Engineering   in 

Switzerland ´ I really don't anything about wireless。; 

       ;Neither   do   I;�察  �replied   the Admiral   candidly。   ;Nor   do   most   of   my 

officers。     We    must    set  up   a   school    to  train   technicians     and    wireless 

operators。 I entrust you with the task of getting all the necessary books and 

other   materials。 Write   to   England�察  �the   U。S。A。�察  �France   and   Germany   and 

get whatever you need。 When you are ready I will appoint staff to assist 

you。; That   was   how   Eleftheriou   became   the   head   of   the   first   school   for 



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training wireless officers for the Greek Royal Navy。 

       A couple of years later Eleftheriou joined the staff of the Ministry of 

Post   & Telegraphs。 A  newspaper  of  1930 had   a photograph   of him   with 

one of his triplet sons。 

       In   his   capacity   of   Head   of   the   Telecommunications   Section   at   the 

Ministry   he   worked   hard   to   get   official   recognition   of   amateur   radio。 A 

handful of us who were active 'under cover' so to speak�察�frequently visited 

him   in   his   office。   He   was   a   very   likeable   person   and   had   a   talent   for 

anecdotes。      One    day   he  told   us  that   he  had   attended     a  Joint  Services 

Committee which had been set up to study the requirements for building a 

broadcasting station in Athens。 A station had been in regular operation in 

the    northern    city  of   Thessaloniki     ��Salonica��     since   1928�察   �built  by   the 

pioneer of Broadcasting in the Balkans Christos Tsingeridis。 

       When      the  question     of  wavelength      for   the  proposed      station   was 

considered       somebody       said   a  wavelength       of  2��000    metres     might    be 

appropriate。 One of the military officers�察�who shall be nameless�察�remarked 

angrily ;What� �2��000 metres。 We are spending all this money only to be 

received   up   to   Koukouvaounes�拭  �This   is   outrageous� ─  。�Koukouvaounes 

was then a small village with a funny name about 3 miles south´west of 

Athens。 

       Eleftheriou lived to the ripe old age of 84。 When I last saw him he 

promised to give me his collection of old photographs and a large number 

of    books      and    documents       relating    to    the   development        of   radio 

communications in Greece。 Unfortunately�察�shortly after his death his wife 

and three sons moved house temporarily and a packing case containing all 

these priceless papers was lost in 

     7。 Norman F。Joly G3FNJ。 ��Formerly SV1RX��。 

       I   was   bo
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