| The Early Years Amateur Radio had its beginning in Trinidad and Tobago when in 1929 a radio operator copilot with an Airline in Trinidad made the first contact with another radio operator in Birdsboro, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. That first Q.S.O. was made between Colin Fraser (who adopted the call VP4CF), and S. R. Connelly, W3BCR on the 40 meter band in morse code (CW). VP4CF (operating on the amateur band), utilised his employers station equipment which comprised of a self excited oscillator and a long wire off-center fed by a single wire. Colin was soon joined locally by VP4RB, Richard Bowe and between them both, expanded the communication link between Trinidad and Tobago and the rest of the world. Radios were constructed in those days with receiver parts and were breadboard mounted - no chassis or cabinets. A neon bulb near the antenna was used for tuning the transmitter for maximum radiation - the maximum effective radiated power in those days was in the region of 10 watts. With no licensing authority, examinations or examining body, hams adopted ('home brewed') their own call signs based on the widely used prefix of VP4 applied to air operations existing in the area at the time. Development of Ham Radio In the years that followed, well known ham operators appeared on the local scene - Major Lewis Kerr, Stanley Knowles, Eric Duff, Diego Serrao and Paul Alonzo - building radio receivers and transmitters mainly from drawings and kits. The transmitter was generally of a three stage design comprising an oscillator, and intermediate and final stage mounted on wooden or bakelite breadboards. Components were crude in construction with very high failure rates. One operator Paul Alonzo, VP4TK, promoted the commercial application of Amateur Radio by broadcasting cricket results on the 40 meter band. This was the first application of speech transmission in Amateur Radio locally. This remarkable achievement was short lived when his equipment (primitive as it was) was seized by the police and the operator charged with operating a radio without a license. This action sparked off a wave of public outcry as citizens were deprived of information on their favorite sport coupled with the fact that the perpetrator was recognized as one of the pioneers in the field of amateur radio. The need for a controlling authority in the administration of the hobby therefore became clearly evident. Ham operation moved ahead slowly but forcefully with the informal bond which existed among the 'group of six', reinforced with the availability of imported components for receiver transmitter construction and the expansion of activities to the 20 and 10 meter bands. Difficult Years World War 11 witnessed the confiscation of all communicating equipment but the hobby made a daring comeback at the end of the period with the return of original equipment and the acquisition of military surplus equipment which were designed for operation on the amateur bands. As other aspirants entered the field of ham operations the governmental authorities stepped in and began exercising administrative control over the operations of ham and established regulations for governing the operation of the hobby. A test base on the University of London City and Guilds examination together with 8 words per minute morse code proficiency formed the basis of the procedures put in place by the Governmental authorities. The VP4 prefix was retained by the authorities but was changed to 9Y4 when the country became independent in 1962. Development of TTARS With the regulating and licensing of ham operators by Government and with the burgeoning growth in the number of licensees the step was taken by hams themselves to regulate and co-ordinate their activities and the Amateur Radio Society of Trinidad and Tobago (ARSTT) was formed in 1951. ARSTT continued to function under its first President 9Y4M, Morisson Mc Donald for a few years, becoming dormant in the late 1950's when the South Trinidad Amateur Radio Society (STARS) was formed in 1959. ARSTT was reactivated in 1961 and it name changed to the Trinidad and Tobago Amateur Radio Society (TTARS), a name which remains to this day. As the Society expanded, there was greater demand for communication spectrum space and single side band transmissions were introduced. This era also witnessed the introduction by Dr Mc Donald 9Y4M of 6 meter transmission. However its effect on TV Channel 2 reception severely limited its further development and expansion. Later on, the work of Nick Percival 9Y4NP pioneered the introduction of frequency modulation (FM) and in particular, local 2 meter operation. TTARS became the sole administrative body for local amateurs when the Society agreed to become a member of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) - IARU requiring that only one radio society can represent the interest of amateurs in any one country. STARS became an affiliate of TTARS and relegated itself to the status of a radio club. TTARS has had presidents in the persons of Edgar Borde, Theordore Tempro, Dr. Len Harbin, Morrison Mc Donald and Nick Percival, to name a few. Today, Trinidad and Tobago has close to 400 amateur radio operators with modem and sophisticated equipment. From the first contact made by Colin (VP4CF, VP4TP, 9Y4TP), through the issue of the first license which dates back to Geneva 1932, to the invaluable contributions being made by operators today, time rolls on for hams in Trinidad and Tobago - amateur radio has certainly come a long way since 1929. The TTARS welcomes anyone who has an interest in the hobby, to establish contact. |
| DEVELOPMENT OF AMATEUR RADIO IN TRINIDAD |
 |
 |