Were they ham radio operators, maybe?

Maybe up in Canada there were fees--OJ are you there for this answear? Here we never paid to have a radio unless it was for a ham radio or CB.

I believe she was talking about regular radio. She's 84 and this was when she was a kid.

I've never heard about this before.

I'm not O.J. but Yes, everyone had to have a paid up license. You could run one without, but if you got caught, you were in trouble.

Inspectors were sent around periodically. The radios had to have outside arials to get reception and the inspectors would go around and if they saw wires strung outisde for reception and didn't have you registerd you were easily caught.

I don't remember how much the fee was, but remember back then a days wages were maybe $2.00 or less. What sounds like nothing now, was much then.

We didn't get a radio until about 1937. It had to be battery, as we didn't have hydro until it came into our area in 1948. The battery cost about $10.00 and was rated as a 1000 hour battery. My mother said we could only afford to get one a year, so we couldn't listen to it for more than 3 hours a day, maximum. We thought we were in heaven with such a wonderful thing.

I'm in Ontario,Canada, too so I don't know about other places.

ivamae

I should say that this was just wire strung out - not like later T.V. antenas or towers.

Thirty + years ago, we lived in Great Britian and even though we lived aboard an American Forces base, we had to have a license to watch TV and included radio when we were there years earlier and had no TV. I don't recall that it was hugely expensive. Every once in a while the constable would have a "radar-like" thing on top of a vehicle and cruise the neighborhood checking.

Here we go again ... you know what I've been telling you: "Keep your eyes and ears open ... and you'll learn something new every day!". Well, almost every day.

Yes, we used to have to get a licence to operate a radio ... I think that it was about $2.50 per year, at around 1940 when we got our first one. As Iva Mae said ... that was a substantial amount, in those days. For my first year's work, in 1953, I received the handsome sum of $1,900.00, I think.

I don't remember whether it was a provincial situation, but think Federal, as they regulate how many radio and TV stations there can be, their location, power and issues over programming, etc. It continued for several years: sometimes we had one, sometimes not, I think. They did have inspectors to check who had one and who didn't, and there was a fine if you didn't have one when the inspector showed up. I don't recall how long it contiued, but I think not till 1946, when we moved to the Prairies ... and I'm pretty sure that we were never required to have one when we were there. I think that folks needed a wire strung outside to get short wave signals, but I think that we could get long wave signals from even distant places without one: nearLondon we used to listen to WJR, Detroit, WLW, Cincinnati, KMOX, St. Louis, WCKY, Schenectady - wrong: it's WGY, if I recall well.

I can't figure you guys' surprise: you have to have a licence to put a car on the road or a boat in the water ... and to keep a dog (male) or ... well, it sounds like "itch" (female) - higher priced ... to keep a pistol .. also, to drive that car ...and to have a wife (well - you used to, for that one: still do ... but many don't bother ... sort of like "short-term memory", possibly?) ... and many people in Canada were complaining bitterly a while ago that they were going to have to get one to own a long gun!

Now the (different ideology) government talks as though, after a huge expense to register them .... they're going to destroy the record.

And there's now a rule in our city that one can be fined if one allows an auto to idle for over 5 min. - it was featured at an exhibit regarding "Earth Day" at the local library today!

Anyone game to buy some shares in a company that builds starters for autos??

I must confess to an addiction, folks: to our national broadcaster, the Canadian Broadcasting Coporation at www.cbc.ca/ideas (interesting variety of ideas pursued), or /aih ("As It Happens" an hour and a half after dinnertime "News" weeknights, interviewing people closely associated with major issues currently in the news) or /tapestry, (an hour weekly dealing with various issues regarding spirituality).

Plus almost 5 hours overnight of various interesting programs from half a dozen national broadcasters worldwide - a rich feast!

Listen online ... and many of them are podcasted.

Have a great week, everyone.

ole joyful

When I first got into radio I paid a $40 one time fee for my license to be on the air.

SamKaren
your resident DJ

Ain't that the way: doesn't cost much to listen ...

... but it's much more expensive to talk!

Used to be sort of like that, here ... only more so!

One could read for free.

If you wanted to open your big, fat mouth ... costly!

And some times we put our foot into it, even then!

o j

Never heard of it.