Disconnection Letter Of Telephone

Memories or telegraphy

Mr Michel Baudoin

I was born in 1930. After years of primary education from 1935 to 1944, I left school at 14 years, as many of my classmates at that time and I went immediately into the workforce as a laborer.

At 18, I was obviously unqualified. Dad dreamed of making me go to school to become a radio store "you can be like Mr. B.. Is an interesting job," he said. B. Mr. Was the wireless convenience store on the corner.

Yes, but how? Pay studies were not possible, then? The solution: enlist in the transmissions of the Army for example.

Thus until June 1948, at age 18, I am committed to 118th Battalion Signals in Nancy .

It was not so easy to make this dream become a radio store and I had no training in radio engineering. And then, engaged at that time, we do not ask you your wishes.

I was first posted to the wire, as telephone lineman. Climb poles, it does not please me. After a few weeks, I had the audacity (yes boldness, because we do not allow too much demand at this time) to request to be paid to the radio section.

At this point I started to learn playing the sound of Morse.

He had to train many wireless operators and is probably why he gave me was so easy to change specialty. I was already thinking about audio Morse in 1948, several months before I was 18. I looked for signs of Morse in the dictionary.

I figured (silly idea) that one could write in shorthand Morse. I learned, along with graphic signs dots and dashes of Morse, the shorthand method Delaunay. When I went to work every morning, I recited Morse code in my head. But, of course, I do not recite the sound, I had no idea what it was. I vaguely heard the sound of A was "didah" but as to recognize and ears on shortwave portable radio, I still was not at that stage.

On the portable radio family, I heard some sounds, maybe the Walrus? It was incomprehensible to me anyway.

When I was posted to the 118th Radio BT Nancy , learning Morse is obviously nothing like the idea (false) that I had made.

Sappers wireless operators of the radio section (we called them again as it was then) had started learning Morse four months earlier. He had, somehow, I packed my tardiness. For my debut

learning Morse, I had a sergeant instructor all to myself for several weeks. Then came two others involved. Of course, we did not radio, we were also following the course of military instruction.

The first readings to the sound, I thought that I would never be able to decrypt the audio Morse. (I precise audio to make the difference Morse with the optical, where we read lines and points, while for the Morse audio you should listen only to the sound of each character).
The first day I heard a sequence of sounds, without distinguishing words (points) of roselle (lines).
Then I had the instructor Sergeant Valentin and I began to recognize the sounds of characters letters, numbers, etc. ..
From that moment, everything was very fast. I memorized the sound of each character in a short time. After eight to fifteen days, I was reading VMH 600 (10 wpm). The milestone of 800, 900 words per hour was reached after two to three months.
But not manipulation!

We learned also to use the position of VCC 399 campaign which included: a BC 610 transmitter with a power of 400 watts in spelling, receptors BC 342, BC 312 and numerous accessories. He also had to learn the procedure radiotelegraph codes.

After two months of service, I passed a first review technical radio and got the Diploma No. 151 / Trans (operator position Radiotelegraph Campaign) in Nancy, August 18, 1948.

We were very proud, holders of this Award! We were allowed to wear leg slipped on the shoulder of the khaki jacket, badge black cloth with red letters TSF.
The same badge was gold in color. But to be allowed to wear it, you had to have passed the tests CERTIFICATE No. 251 / TRANS. I should get the certificate until much later, during my stay in Cambodia in February 1951.

During our learning to read to the sound of Morse, we also had workouts with the handling of Morse, with the only vertical type manipulator PTT. The instructor listened to our handling and assigned a rating of 20.

And thus, probably with insufficient training duration, one day of autumn 1948, I was a radio operator in a shelter equipped with an SCR 399 with a sergeant to police chief. We were posted for radio connections between Lille and Nancy.

Our GMC was parked in the park of "Great Offices of Mines" in Lille for the radio link with Nancy.

One evening, while the Sergeant was on leave from the show, I was of service to the radio in the shelter. I had to provide only for the first time, liaising with Nancy. QRU was (that is, without traffic) to each appointment with Nancy for several days. It's pretty excited that I put the devices on, for an appointment with Nancy at the scheduled time.
I had no experience of traffic on the airwaves.
Operator QTC Nancy told me (I have a message for you). With a hesitant
handling and trembling, I gave him: "QRV" (I'm ready to copy). He sent me a message handled quickly, so fast that I have not copied. I asked him to repeat the QTC (message): "QRS" (please handle more slowly). Then he sent me, repeated several Once a code at the time that meant: "Change of operator, put a qualified operator."
I was very panicked. Finally, I stopped to answer him and waited for the Sergeant returned from leave to 23 hours.
When he arrived, I told him what had happened, he had no comment. He called the operator and Nancy began to tamper with it at high speed. I did not understand trade and I was wondering if I could manipulate a day?

Back to Nancy, prices rebounded in radio room.

A short leave At Christmas and on my return, I learned that I was nominated for a stay in Indochina.

From that moment, I miss classes on certain days, I was more often to watch and listen to manipulate a professional radio operator in civilian life. The latter was doing his military service and completed his classes, he now assured traffic radio stations scattered throughout the region. I often went in the room where radio traffic there was very rarely visits to authorities. I never tired of listening to the traffic exchanged and look to the operator.

few weeks after I left in Indochina.
I learned some things, certain behaviors: for example a copy of the quiet part of the operator .. But I still did not practice.

Early in my stay in Cambodia, I was incorporated into a team that ensured the continuous monitoring of a frequency. Each turn we made sure the day shift or night. We had to respond to any calls from stations scattered in nature, which we list, stations may call, especially in case of danger of rebel attacks .. urgent messages ..

December 14, 1949 - Phnom Penh - Mr Michael Baldwin to the radio security

One day, after midnight, calls for a station, QTC (message) encrypted very urgent. I send
QRV (I'm ready to copy) and, as in LILLE last fall, the message ended, I had almost nothing is copied, it was much too fast for the operator that I was young. I asked for repetition of message and two codes: "Please handle more slowly and repeat the word or group twice.
My correspondent began to handle more slowly repeating groups twice. It was all very important ways, the message is received. I read back the message, as it should be .... in the end everything was good. I was happy and it gave me confidence for the first time. It was the beginning of many other messages sent or received over the months and years.

It should be noted that traffic in Morse, in regions like the Far East, is much harder to intercept than in Europe because there are almost always weather disturbances, resulting in spitting at reception .

Imagine, when there a storm in Europe! In the Far East, it was every day that he had read the Morse spitting in the air.

During the stay of 29 months, I improved by numerous contacts and traffic Morse. First, traveling by foot operation, (we walked all day with only 2 to 3 hour break at night) transceiver, an SCR 284 backpack and hand generator. We were two radio operators, one wearing the transceiver, the other generator. The whole thing was very heavy, more U.S. 17 rifle or a submachine gun sten ..... Weapon safer for radios that really effective because it would have been hard to use in case of danger kit with everything so heavy.

My baptism of fire took place during an operation in 1949, this time I was asked to implement the radio link .. by voice this time.

These operations in the rice fields or forest, radio operator on secondment to the Foreign Legion or the infantry, lasted half of my stay of 30 months. The other part of the stay, I was assigned to a wireless operator post in Takeo in Cambodia. That's where I learned to fend for food station on lead-acid batteries that were recharged by a small group that I can not remember the name. Maybe it was a group BRIBAN?

In 1951, it was back in France.

Confirmed in my specialty operator wireless operator by obtaining multiple certificates and diplomas, I have been an instructor radio during my two-year stay in the French forces in Germany.

In 1954, I was sent again to act in Indo-China for two years.

From 1956 to 1959, was a stay in Algeria.

1957 - Dra El Mizan - Algeria - Establishment of a link to the back of a dodge.

After again serving in the French forces in Germany and, finally, stationed in France from 1964 to 1966. During all my trips outside France, it was always the Radio Operations.

In 1966 I left the Army and spent a contest Agent transmissions. Thus I continued to work in radio until 1982.

In 1982, I left with regret the radio, assigned to another job that had nothing to do with radio, until I retired in 1990.