Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

CODE KEY

Date Range From

1950

Date Range To

1963

Materials

WOOD, METAL, PLASTIC

No. Pieces

1

Height

5.5

Length

28.5

Width

10.1

Description

MORSE CODE KEY ATTACHED TO COMPRESSED WOOD BOARD; KEY CODE HAS SILVER UNFINISHED STEEL BODY WITH STEEL FITTINGS AND BAR ATTACHED BLACK METAL KEY. SILVER BAR ATTACHED TO BLACK KEY HAS ENGRAVED TEXT AT BASE “IOF/556”. WOOD BOARD HAS HOLE DRILLED THROUGH ALONG RIGHT EDGE. BOARD HAS HANDWRITTEN TEXT IN UPPER RIGHT CORNER IN PENCIL “E.K. REDEKOPP”. BOARD IS STRATCHED ON TOP AND HAS BLACK STAINING BELOW BLACK KEY; BACK OF BOARD HAS STAINING AND DISCOLORATION; OVERALL VERY GOOD CONDITION.

Subjects

TELECOMMUNICATION T&E

SOUND COMMUNICATION T&E

Historical Association

LEISURE

History

ON MAY 10, 2018, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED ED REDEKOPP REGARDING HIS DONATION OF AN AMATEUR TRANSMITTER RADIO AND ACCESSORIES. REDEKOPP BEGAN PURSUING HIS INTEREST IN RADIO TRANSMISSION IN THE 1950S. ON THE CODE KEY, REDEKOPP NOTED, “LATER ON, I JUST DROPPED [USING THIS] HAND KEY AND WENT TO [THE] DOW KEY.” “MORSE CODE, WE HAD TO LEARN. THAT WAS A MUST. IN AMATEUR RADIO, YOU STARTED WITH IT. YOU DIDN’T START WITH [THE MICROPHONE] AT ALL. IN FACT, IN SECOND CLASS YOU COULDN’T USE A MICROPHONE; YOU HAD TO USE THE KEY ONLY IN MORSE CODE. [THE DOW KEY] IS WHAT I USED BECAUSE MY AWKWARD HAND WOULD NOT HANDLE THAT [HAND KEY]. [IT] DIDN’T WORK VERY WELL FOR ME. I DON’T KNOW HOW ANYONE CAN SEND FIFTEEN WORDS A MINUTE WITH THAT THING AND THAT’S WHAT THEY USE.” REDEKOPP DISCUSSED HIS OWN INTEREST IN RADIO CONSTUCTION AND TRANSMISSION, AND HOW HE BEGAN WORKING WITH RADIOS, RECALLING, “I LIVED ON THE FARM IN VAUXHALL. MY DAD’S FARM. I WAS NEVER A FARMER; I’D HAVE STARVED TO DEATH IF I HAD FARMED. BUT, ANOTHER FARMER, WHO WAS TOTALLY ELECTRONICALLY ILLITERATE, HAD AN UNCLE, DORY MALENBERG, THE ASSISTANT ENGINEER AT CJOC. HE WANTED HIM TO GET ON AMATEUR RADIO SO THAT THEY COULD TALK BACK AND FORTH THAT WAY. THIS FARMER – GOT ME INTERESTED IN TALKING ABOUT AMATEUR RADIO WHICH I KNEW NOTHING ABOUT AT THE TIME. I WAS INTO ELECTRONICS BUT NOT AMATEUR RADIO; IT WAS RADIO SERVICING. HE SAYS, “YOU WANT TO GET ON THE AIR,” HE SAYS, “AND WE CAN TALK AND GET A TRANSMITTER GOING.” IT ALL SOUNDED VERY FASCINATING AND INTERESTING. BUT, I’M ON THE FARM, HERE. WE DON’T EVEN HAVE RURAL ELECTRIFICATION. I [SAID], “HOW CAN I EVER DO THAT?” THERE ARE METHODS AND WAYS…YOU TELL ME ABOUT IT. HE FINALLY CONVINCED ME. I [HAD TO] LOOK INTO IT. AND THAT’S WHAT I DID. HE WAS NO HELP BECAUSE HE KNEW NO ELECTRONICS AT ALL BUT I GOT INFORMATION THROUGH BOOKS…AND STARTED STUDYING THE SUBJECT OF AMATEUR RADIO AS A HOBBY. IT BECAME MORE AND MORE FASCINATING, AND MORE RIVETING THE MORE I READ ABOUT IT. [IT SOUNDED] LIKE SOMETHING I [WANTED] TO DO.” “I HAD PREVIOUS ELECTRONIC EXPERIENCE IN TAKING A COURSE WITH THE NATIONAL RADIO INSTITUTE TO BECOME A RADIO SERVICEMAN. I HAD THE BASICS, THE FUNDAMENTALS, AND I KNEW HOW TO DO IT. EVEN THE FIRST TRANSMITTER THAT I BUILT WAS PRETTY SIMPLE, AND THIS [TRANSMITTER] WAS MY FINAL. I HAVE THE MANUAL FOR IT…FROM THE W1AW, THE AMATEUR RADIO RELAY LEAGUE-–THE ENGINEER THAT DESIGNED IT-–AND I BUILT IT FROM THAT, FROM SCRATCH, GETTING ALL THE PARTS TOGETHER. IT WAS A CHALLENGE, VERY ENJOYABLE, BUT REWARDING IN THE END.” “I STARTED TO GET COMPONENTS AND PARTS TOGETHER TO BUILD MY FIRST TRANSMITTER AND MY FIRST RECEIVER. THE CRAZY THING WAS YOU COULD BUILD A POWER SUPPLY AND RUN IT OFF A SIX-VOLT CAR BATTERY. OR [A] TRACTOR BATTERY. THEY WERE ALL SIX-VOLT AT THE TIME; TWELVE VOLTS CAME LATER. I GOT MY VOLTAGES THAT I NEEDED THROUGH THE POWER SUPPLY OFF [THIS] BATTERY. THE NEXT THING I KNOW…I’M [GETTING] SOMEWHERE. THE NEXT THING I KNEW, I GOT INTO IT AND…NOW I GOT IT BUILT AND I CAN’T USE IT. I [HAVE TO] GET A LICENSE FIRST.” “ELMER JOHNSON, THE OTHER FARMER WHO GOT ME INTO IT, [SAID], “I’M GOING TO GO TO CALGARY [TO] WRITE MY EXAM.” SO HE [SAID], “DO YOU WANT TO COME ALONG?” I [SAID], “SURE, I’LL COME ALONG.” BUT, THE CODE…I CAN’T USE THE HAND KEY AT FIFTEEN WORDS A MINUTE AND I WANT TO GET MY FIRST CLASS, NOT MY SECOND CLASS, BECAUSE I COULDN’T USE THE [MICROPHONE]. I SAID, “WELL, I’LL GO WITH [YOU]. I’LL TAKE THE DOW KEY WITH ME, AND I’LL TAKE THE HAND KEY WITH ME, TOO, BUT I’M NOT GOING TO PASS WITH THAT.” I TOLD THE INSPECTOR, “LOOK, I’M HERE TO WRITE MY TEST, BUT I SEE THE REQUIREMENT IS FIFTEEN WORDS A MINUTE WITH THE HAND KEY.” I SAID, “MY CLUMSY HAND WON’T HANDLE THAT.” I [SAID], “AND IF I HAVE TO USE IT, I WON’T EVEN WRITE MY TEST,” I [SAID], “I’M FINISHED.” “WELL,” HE [SAID] TO ME, “I GUESS WE CAN MAKE AN EXCEPTION.” SO HE ALLOWED ME TO USE THE SEMI-AUTOMATIC KEY, WHICH WAS A PIECE OF CAKE. I WENT THROUGH THAT WITH FLYING COLOURS.” “THEN, HE QUESTIONED US ON TECHNOLOGY. HE STARTED WITH ELMER FIRST, UNFORTUNATELY. THE FIRST QUESTION HE ASKED HIM WAS ABOUT AS SIMPLE AN ELECTRONIC QUESTION AS YOU CAN ASK. I CAN’T REMEMBER THE QUESTION, AS A MATTER OF FACT; THAT’S THE BAD PART. BUT, HE COULDN’T ANSWER IT. THE INSPECTOR LOOKED AT HIM AND HE SAID, “YEAH, OKAY,” HE [SAID], “I UNDERSTAND.” HE NEVER GOT A SECOND [QUESTION]; HE FAILED RIGHT THERE. [ELMER] COULD PASS THE CODE, BUT THAT DIDN’T DO HIM ANY GOOD IF HE COULDN’T DO THE TECHNICAL. THEN HE GOT ASKING ME, AND OF COURSE I HAD NO PROBLEM ’CAUSE I WAS CONVERSANT IN ELECTRONICS. I GOT MY FIRST CLASS TICKET USING THE DOW KEY.” “WHEN WE MOVED HERE [AND] BOUGHT THIS HOUSE, I HAD A FAMILY TO LOOK AFTER. I HAD A JOB DURING THE DAY, AND IT WAS TOO MUCH-–I SPENT TOO MUCH TIME ON THE AIR, ON THE RADIO. I’D BE UP SOMETIMES IN THE NIGHT, VERY RARELY, BUT UP TO FOUR IN THE MORNING SOMETIMES, TALKING TO AUSTRALIANS AND NEW ZEALANDERS. AS A WORKING STIFF…I HAD A FAMILY TO LOOK AFTER; THEY NEEDED ATTENTION. I COULDN’T SIMPLY TAKE THE TIME AND BE ON THE AIR ALL THE TIME WITH MY HOBBY. WHEN WE MOVED HERE MY WIFE [SAID], “NO, YOU’RE NOT GONNA GO BACK ON AGAIN.” I HAD A TOWER I WAS GOING TO SET UP, AND SHE [SAID], “NO, YOU’VE GOT A FAMILY TO LOOK AFTER.” AND I [SAID], “YES, YOU ARE CORRECT. I SHALL GIVE IT UP.” THAT’S WHAT I DID, FIFTY-FIVE YEARS AGO.” “BEING ABLE TO CONTACT ANYONE IN THE WORLD, THAT IS OTHER AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS…WAS VERY INTRIGUING. YOU TALK TO VARIOUS PEOPLE WITH VARIOUS LANGUAGES. WE HAD A Q CODE…WHEN YOU DIDN’T UNDERSTAND THE LANGUAGE, YOU COULD USE THE Q CODE…IT WAS FASCINATING BECAUSE YOU CAN TALK TO PEOPLE IN GREENLAND. I TALK TO PEOPLE IN THE DEW LINE, ALL OVER THE WORLD. LATER ON I BUILT MY MODULATOR, AND THEN IT WAS BY PHONE, AND THOSE THAT SPOKE ENGLISH-–AND IN MOST CASES, I MUST SAY, MOST PEOPLE I CONTACTED, KNEW SOME ENGLISH--THAT’S THE AMAZING PART…YOU COULD UNDERSTAND THEM. BUT, IF YOU WERE ON CODE, YOU JUST USE THE MORSE CODE. IT WAS FASCINATING TO TALK TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD.” “I GOT MARRIED AND THEN WE MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE [IN 1953 TO 7 AVE. A.] AND OF COURSE THEN THAT OLD TRANSMITTER WAS OBSOLETE-–DIDN’T USE IT ON BATTERY ANYMORE [BECAUSE] WE [HAD] ELECTRICITY, SO I WENT ON A BIGGER ONE.” “I STARTED WORKING AT CJOC, BUT…I WAS IN THE STUDIO AND I DIDN’T LIKE THE STUDIO WORK. I WANTED TO GET INTO THE TRANSMITTER BUT THERE WAS NO OPENING. I WAS NOT PREPARED-–I WAS TAKING THE RADIO COURSE ON TRANSMITTERS AS WELL, [BECAUSE] I WANTED TO GET INTO THE STATION. THERE WAS NO OPENING, AND THERE WAS ONLY ONE STATION. TODAY I’M GLAD THAT I DIDN’T GET IN FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS.” “INITIALLY I DON’T THINK I WAS EVEN ON THE AIR. IT ALL TOOK TIME. YOU [HAVE TO] BUILD IT…BY THE TIME YOU GET THAT ALL DONE, THERE’S A LAPSE OF TIME WHERE YOU’RE NOT EVEN ON THE AIR. AS LONG AS YOU KEEP YOUR LICENSE UP…MY CERTIFICATE IS PERMANENT BUT MY STATION LICENSE HAD TO BE RENEWED EVERY YEAR, AT THAT TIME.” “THIS WAS [A] HOBBY, AND MY WIFE WOULD HAVE SAID IT WAS UNNECESSARY. IN A SENSE, SHE’S RIGHT. I [HAVE TO] ADMIT THAT…AND FOR GOOD REASON.” “KEEPING THE STATION LICENSE UP THERE, THAT WAS NOT A PROBLEM. YOU CAN KEEP YOUR STATION LICENSE UP, AND I DON’T THINK THEY WOULD CANCEL IT AS LONG AS YOU PAY THE FEE BECAUSE THAT WAS IMPORTANT TO THEM. BUT THEY HAD THEIR RULES, AND I KNOW THAT LATER ON YOU WOULD GET IT PERMANENTLY. WHETHER YOU WERE ON THE AIR OR NOT, I THINK YOU KEPT YOUR LICENSE.” WHEN ASKED HOW MANY PEOPLE IN THE CITY WORKED IN AMATEUR RADIO, REDEKOPP STATED,“TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH, TOO MANY OF THEM HAVE PASSED AWAY. I HAPPEN TO BE A LITTLE BIT OLDER THAN MOST OF THEM. [I’M] NINETY-THREE. THERE ARE STILL SOME AROUND. I HAVEN’T BEEN AT THE AMATEUR RADIO CLUB AT THE SENIORS’ CENTRE IN A NUMBER OF YEARS NOW. I USED TO GO THERE OCCASIONALLY.” “I THINK [THERE ARE] PROBABLY MORE [PEOPLE] THAN I WOULD REALIZE. THERE ARE TWO ENGINEERS THAT ARE RETIRED. THEY CAN FIX RADIOS.” ON DONATING HIS RADIO TO THE MUSEUM, REDEKOPP ELABORATED, “I’M GETTING TO BE OF AN AGE WHERE I WON’T BE AROUND MUCH LONGER. OF COURSE, I CAN’T DETERMINE MY DAYS BUT I’M NINETY-THREE YEARS OLD, AND I’VE GOT TO DISPOSE OF THIS BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE WILL EVER USE IT. IT WILL GO TO THE DUMP PROBABLY, OTHERWISE, AND THAT’S NO PLACE FOR A TRANSMITTER LIKE THIS. I’VE ENJOYED IT A LOT, AND HOPEFULLY SOMEONE ELSE CAN SEE SOME HISTORY OR PAST HISTORY OF AMATEUR RADIO AND THE TRANSMITTERS THAT WERE BUILT BY THE PEOPLE THAT USED IT. A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WERE NOT CAPABLE OF BUILDING THEIR OWN PURCHASED COMMERCIAL EQUIPMENT, WHICH IS FINE AND IT WAS LEGAL, BUT AMATEUR RADIO WAS MEANT TO BE JUST THAT-–FOR AMATEURS, BUILDING THEIR OWN AND ENJOYING IT.” “I THOUGHT PERHAPS SOMEONE WOULD APPRECIATE SEEING SOMETHING SOMEONE BUILT HIMSELF, AND USED, AND COMMUNICATED WITH WORLD-WIDE, A TRANSMITTER. THAT IS WHAT IT WAS ALL ABOUT DURING THE YEARS THAT I WAS ACTIVE ON THE AIR.” FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING THE FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION AND PHOTOGRAPHS, PLEASE SEE THE PERMANENT FILE P20180010001-GA.

Catalogue Number

P20180010003

Acquisition Date

2018-05

Collection

Museum

Less detail