# Porad Baldock



## Paul Braxton (Jul 21, 2005)

..."ATEL PORAD BALDOCK HERTS"...

Well not too sure if the word 'HERTS' was included, but remember that?

I certainly do. It was the one nightmare of my first timer trip, having to set up those HF R/T calls.

"This is a test transmission from the radio telephone service of the British Post Office and is for circuit adjustment purposes only".

For some unknown reason I woke up this morning, thinking of that beautifully delivered message. Can't get it out of my head. Not sure, after all this time, if I've got it exactly right. There may have been a bit more, but I can't remember, although the message is still running its endless loop for me. I can still hear the exact enunciation, the clear voice of that unknown lady, the very slight, subtlest of pauses, barely noticed, just before the word 'radio'. How weird is that?

Maybe someone out there will know exactly how it went, maybe even know who that lady was. Autumn/winter of 1969, I was a green first tripper of 18, having to do the whole job, watches from day one, leaving Thameshaven for the Dover Straits, bound for a distant place called Forcados, Nigeria. Solo, no help from my 'boss', (day one: first immortal words, meeting my chief R/O. 

"Nice to meet you. This'll be your radio room, you won't see much of me." 

True to his word, at least, excepting on those few occasions when someone would come in: "Can I do a phonecall home, Sparky?" 

Shivers down the spine. Oh no! What if, what if I get it wrong? Make some stupid mistake and cock the whole thing up right there for all the world to hear? Acres of confidence on the morse key, even on 2182, but HF RT link calls to the UK? 

Looking back, I can't really see what all the fuss was about. Big fat Marconi Crusader sitting there, pumping out a damn sight more pure, glorious power than the poor old Oceanspan we trained with at Norwood. No problem at all. And never any problem, once I got on to it, talked to the guy at the other end, patient 2/E waiting there in silence, hoping to speak to his wife. If I got it right. 

Took a long time to make that a routine part of the job, but I won't forget. Crikey! Baldock on 16 MHz, booming in so loud and clear with their directional aerials, clearer than the World Service on a good day. 

But the mind is a strange thing. Why wake up now, 47 years later, still with that tape running in my head?


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## Naytikos (Oct 20, 2008)

I remember the address as "ATEL ENTERMINAL BALDOCK"

either way it was a nightmare setting up a call.

The Americans had a similar system where one had to call the station, WOM or WOO on the East Coast, and then, if the operator thought the signal 'was commercial' one got connected to an ordinary AT&T telephone operator to ask for the number.

At least the Americans were in it to make money, so would usually let the call go ahead when conditions were marginal; the GPO operators at Baldock (or wherever they really were) would call a halt if they considered the quality less than perfect.

Another ridiculous aspect of the system in the UK was the two sets of frequencies, designated 'for homeward and outward bound ships'. Obviously intended for transatlantic passenger ships, it didn't help if one was running around the Indian Ocean.

Those older than I will perhaps be able to elaborate, but I seem to recall that, when HF R/T was first instigated in the UK it was from Portishead; the Baldock thing was supposed to be an improvement by utilising the GPO point-to-point network transmitters/receivers.

Of course it all went back to Portishead anyway but perhaps that had more to do with the running down of the international point-to-point network as traffic moved to satellites.


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## hawkey01 (Mar 15, 2006)

Ref Baldock.
The station was as Baldock.

To the best of my knowledge we never had the RT at GKA before Baldock, I stand to be corrected on that but I am sure that is correct. We took over the RT early in the 70's, I do not remember the exact date/year. Maybe Larry has it in the archive material. There was not that much satellite traffic in the days when we took over RT. In fact I would say unless it was experimental none on a commercial basis, possibly military. We had the early satellite system set up in the grounds at GKA, in a couple of caravans or huts. As we know the sat systems were eventually to kill us off. When it was experimental it was muted that we should take it over at GKA but the then powers decided it would never be a success and take over from WT/HF so it went elsewhere and became Inmarsat and the rest is history. If we had retained it GKA could possibly still be around, although in a very much different format. Ancient history and it was not to be.

Neville - Hawkey01


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## Ron Stringer (Mar 15, 2005)

Brent was another UK 'terminal' for booking HF R/T calls but I can't remember if it was before Baldock was used, or afterwards. I believe Brent was the earlier one, around 1960 was when I encountered it. It was also booked (at least 24 hours in advance) via an ATEL service message and I presume it still linked into the same GPO International Telephone Exchange. The girl operators still used to refer to us as 'Tech' in both station.

I never used GKA's R/T service while at sea, only later when on sea trials etc. during my shore service. I did use Ocean Gate's service occasionally at sea during the first half of the 1960s and found the experience way ahead the UK Post Office's weird arrangements.


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## Larry Bennett (Aug 28, 2005)

hawkey01 said:


> Ref Baldock.
> The station was as Baldock.
> 
> To the best of my knowledge we never had the RT at GKA before Baldock, I stand to be corrected on that but I am sure that is correct. We took over the RT early in the 70's, I do not remember the exact date/year. Maybe Larry has it in the archive material. There was not that much satellite traffic in the days when we took over RT. In fact I would say unless it was experimental none on a commercial basis, possibly military. We had the early satellite system set up in the grounds at GKA, in a couple of caravans or huts. As we know the sat systems were eventually to kill us off. When it was experimental it was muted that we should take it over at GKA but the then powers decided it would never be a success and take over from WT/HF so it went elsewhere and became Inmarsat and the rest is history. If we had retained it GKA could possibly still be around, although in a very much different format. Ancient history and it was not to be.
> ...


Pretty sure you are correct Neville. I will go through my archives this weekend and see what I can find. Certainly Baldock and Brent were used for R/T calls. I think there were 2 R/T points opened at Highbridge at the end of "C" wing around 1971. However, bear with me and I will dig up the hard evidence!

Larry +


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## Winmar (Feb 13, 2016)

I thought he was great on Blackadder!


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

That's SIR Baldrick to you... ;-)


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## Winmar (Feb 13, 2016)

Sooty lads, I thought it said "Poor old Baldrick", drink is a terrible thing!


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