Looking Back - 1939 to 2011 - the Autobiography of Robert V. J. Padula, OAM

1950 - Radio and Hobbies Magazines

Home
1941 - Bikes and Cars
1943 - Hiking - Hills and Coasts
1944 - Growing up in the War Years - Part 1
1944 - Growing up in the War Years - Part 2
1944 - Growing up in the War Years - Part 3
1945 - Auburn schooldays - Part One
1945 - Auburn Schooldays - Part Two
1945 - Auburn Schooldays - Part Three
1945 - Upwey and the Puffing Billy
1945 - Gramaphones and Record Players
1946 - Flinders St Station
1946 - Astronomy
1946 - Beach and Swimming Adventures
1946 - Going to the Pictures
1947 - Adventures at the Altona Bungalow
1947 -The Listener-In Magazine
1947 - Balwyn WIldlife Sanctuary
1948 - Fishermen's Bend Aerodrome
1948 - Radio Australia QSL cards
1948 - Excursions
1949 - Australian Rules Football
1949 - Radio Monitoring at Auburn
1950 -Trains and Ships
1950 - Radios for Communications
1950 - Radio Listening Clubs in Australia
1950 - World Radio TV Handbook
1950 - Shortwave Radio Propagation Research
1950 - Medium Wave Radio Propagation Research
1950 - Radio and Hobbies Magazines
1950 - Discovering shortwave radio at Auburn
1951 - Photography
1951 - Competitions on local radio stations
1952 - Camp Buxton - YMCA Shoreham
1952 Tennis and Ten Pin Bowling
1953 - Stamp Collectiong
1953 Camberwell High School
1954 - Royal Visit to Melbourne
1954 - Shortwave Radio reception at Auburn
1956 - Melbourne's Olympic Games
1956 - Trainee Telecommunications' Technician
1957 - Trainee Technician - field work
1957 - National Service Registration
1958 - Laverton Air Show
1958 - MOOMBA Parade
1958 - Trainee Technician - field work
1959 - The move to Mont Albert
1960 - Working at Deepdene Telephone Exchange
1963 - Trade Unions, Staff Associations, Industrial Relations
1964 - Senior Technician work in the Melbourne CBD
1964 - Project support for Radio Australia
1964 - Project support for Radio Australia
1964 - Amateur Radio
1964 - Media Writing
1964 -Travels
1964 - Engineering Support for International Broadcasters
1965 - Professional Employment with PMG/Telstra
1967 - Professional Qualifications - Institution of Engineers Australia
1967 - Australian Radio DX Club Photo Gallery (to 1979)
1972 - Wireless Institute of Australia
1972 - Natural disasters in Melbourne
1980 - Australian Radio DX Club Gallery (to 1995)
1981 - Award of the Medal of the Order of Australia
1995 - Padula Books
EPILOGUE
LINKS TO AUTHOR'S PERSONAL WEBSITES
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEPENDENT BIOGRAPHIES
SPECIAL CHAPTER - Oldtime Australian Radio Drama from the 1930s
SPECIAL CHAPTER - Radio Monitoring Clubs in Australia - 1920 to 1949
SPECIAL CHAPTER - Melbourne Picture Theatres - History - 1906 to 1970

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Radio and Hobbies mag - April 1939

RADIO AND HOBBIES MAGAZINE - A CULTURE NOT FORGOTTEN!

 

Radio and Hobbies magazine, and its successors Radio Television and Hobbies and Electronics Australia, were instrumental in the 1950s in supporting an active involvement by younger people in radio and electronics construction.

 

Electronics Australia was Australia’s longest-running general electronics magazine.

 

It can claim to trace its history to 1922 when the Wireless Weekly was formed.

 

Its content was a mix of general and technical articles on the new topic of radio.

 

In 1939 the magazine became monthly and was renamed Radio and Hobbies. As its name suggests it was a more technical publication for hobbyists, but it also featured articles on TV, optics, music and aviation. Nonetheless its base was radio, and it contained many how-to-build projects. The first editor was John Moyle.

 

With the advent of television, television to its title in the 1950s, Radio Television and Hobbies, or RTV and H. During these years numerous how-to-build articles on high fidelity, amateur radio, even electronic organs and television sets were published.

 

The growing fields of scientific, medical, computing and other applications of electronics necessitated a name change to 'Electronics Australia' in 1965.

 

Electronics Australia published a number of innovative computer construction projects, including the Educ-8 in 1974, the Mini Scamp, the Dream 6800 and the Super-80 a joint venture with Dick Smith Electronics.

 

Although many competitors came and went during the 1970s and 1980s, such as Electronics Today International and Australian Electronics Monthly, Electronics Australia survived into the 2000s.

 

For a couple of years more consumer electronics items were introduced, and technical material occupied the rear pages. Possibly due to this reduction in importance of technical slant, several of the magazine's staff moved to its main rival Silicon Chip.

 

A change of name to Electronics Australia Today spelt the death knell. All technical content was removed and EAT changed focus to become a purely consumer publication. Original readers and advertisers deserted in droves and the magazine failed to pick up new readers (there were already many established magazines covering consumer electronics).

 

The rights to Electronics Australia are now owned by Silicon Chip have now made some back issues available on CD.

 

In the 1950s, the release of a new edition of RTV&H was eagerly awaited by thousands of young people, including myself, around Australia!

 

Browsing through the old magazines provide a fascinating insight into the development and evolution of radio and electronics. Careers were shaped by the magazines, as well as electronics as a long term, lifetime hobby.

 

From the early 1940s, the Shortwave Notes, compiled by Ray Simpson, were very popular, as were the Ham Band Notes, written by Bill Moore.

 

I first started buying RTV&H in 1953 whilst in Year 8 at High School.

 

I have in my possession many older editions, the first being September 1946. I picked these up from the old Eastern Market, for almost nothing around 1950 – that establishment was in Bourke St, Melbourne, just up from Russell St, and had thousands of old books and magazines dating back to the beginning of time!

 

Below are cover photos of R&H from my personal collection, and the R&H Crystal Set.

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Wirelesss Weekly - Sep 2, 1927

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Radio and Hobbies mag - September 1958

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Radio and Hobbies Crystal Set Circuit 1948

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Radio and Hobbiis Crystal Set 1948

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Radio and Hobbies mag - April 1948

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Radio and Hobbies mag - Sep 1946

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Radio and Hobbies Mag - February1952

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Radio and Hobbies mag - September 1947

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Wireless Weekly Sep 2 1927

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Wireless Weekly Sep 2, 1927

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Wireless Weekly Sep 2 1927

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