Maritimes Scanning Site

Bill's Certificates

Last updated March 30, 2008

This is not meant to be a bragging page, as I don't have anything to brag about!   I am placing these images here for interest sake and to preserve these, and this is as good a place as any.  Some of the certificates shown are poor photocopies and will eventually be replaced here with better images.   Birthdates and other sensitive sections have been made unreadable.

1.  My short-wave monitoring certificate.   Back in the 60's Popular Electronics was the major magazine for general radio enthusiasts.   They started a program to have short-wave listeners, or really listeners to any band, to register themselves and get a "neat" (the word before "groovy" came along) certificate.   They also offered certificates for having proved listening to various states and countries.   Actually they may not have required proof, just an itemized list.  The listener registration system involved call-sign-like identifiers that were made up of the ham call sign prefix for the area of residence followed by PE and a number/letter pair.  I lived in BC so mine was VE7PE9T.    

2. Monitor Certificate.  Later when Popular Electronics itself discontinued  the registration program, Hank Bennett who I suspect had left Popular Electronics, continued the system under the auspices of "Monitor and DX Headquarters"  The certificates were identical except for colour and names, and the identifier was changed.    I also received certificates for 20 States confirmed and for 25 Countries confirmed.   I dont know why I never received higher ones, likely I did not meet the next plateau, or the system was discontinued.

3.  My first ham licence, from 1978.   Basic level and call sign VE1BWC  (temporarily unavailable)

4. Restricted Radiotelephone Operators Certificate.  This one is endorsed as Class 24 meaning that it is good for Land, Sea and Air.  I got this for fun or maybe I thought i was going to be a pilot or something.  Here is the back of the same one.

5. My grand fathered ham licence, also showing my new call sign, VE1CV.    I had obtained the new call on request after I had had my ticket for at least ten years. Also, when the amateur system in Canada was revised and did not require any longer a Morse code proficiency, anyone who had the old style basic licence was automatically raised to Advanced status, much to the understandable chagrin of those who had actually earned it in the past.    But I didn't refuse it.

6. Pocket edition of my present ham licence, with the further change in call sign to VA1WW.

7. This is really a QSL card, but not sent to me.   This is from VE0NA, the amateur station on board HMCS Restigouche,  a destroyer escort in the Canadian navy.   This ship now lies at the bottom off the coast of Mexico, but in the early 70's I was the Communications Officer on this ship and technically in charge of all the radio equipment and even the amateur station (which of course used the naval equipment)   I was not a ham at the time and never operated the equipment.

8. Oh, what the heck, here are a couple of my naval certificates as well.  For now these are images of photocopies, and not very good ones. First and foremost my watchkeeping certificate that I earned over the course of a year or so of driving captains crazy.  Involved navigation, pilotage, and a whole lot of other things.    This is what gives permission to take charge of the ship temporarily for a 2 or 4 hour watch, sometimes when the captain and all the other officers are asleep.    Then here is the one showing I qualified as a Communications and Electronic Warfare Officer.   This is my commission, granted when I miraculously got through Officer Candidate School before I started naval training. Actually this is an image of a reduced photocopy of the real certificate.  I have lots of other things to show and talk about from my short naval career, but not here!  Just in case you are interested, here is a shot of the Restigouche, with myself in charge on the bridge.... well maybe not, but I could have been!   This photo always makes me think this ship was top heavy and could flip over quite easily, but apparently not...