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Man and two women, one in a wheelchair, assembling a vertical aerial in the backyard for an amateur shortwave radio. This photograph shows Brian Austin helping his sister in law Valda to assemble a vertical aerial for her Kenwood amateur shortwave radio in her backyard in Brighton Beach, October 1980. Her 'call sign' was VK3VUO, and the next year Val received her full call sign VK3DVT. Valda could speak to her sister Marlene (call sign VK5QO) and Marlene's husband Brian (call sign VK5CA), and to others all around the world. Users could talk all hours of day or night, for as long as they wanted, but you never knew who was listening in. To use amateur radio, Valda, Marlene and Bill had to pass official exams. According to Marlene, quite a lot of people don't get their full call sign even now. Valda had just acquired her licence in this photograph. Brian had achieved his licence during World War Two, and helped Valda and Marlene get theirs.

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