"That was how, late in 1957, we formed the Radio Amateur Association of Greece, R.A.A.G., Greek initials E.E.R.
"At the same time, after considerable effort, we got the Ministry to issue 7 licences based on the Wireless Telegraphy Act of 1930 (No 4797) and the regulations relating to Law 1049 of 1949, as well as a document dated July 8th 1957 issued by the radio division of the Central Intelligence service (Greek initials K.Y.P.-R).This order authorised the installation of a 50 watt transmitter to an applicant under certain strict limitations, one of which was that the station could only be operated from 06.00 to 08.00 hours and from 13.00 to midnight.The seven lucky recipients are shown in the accompanying photograph.
Akis Lianos SV1AD, Socrates Coutroubis SV1AE, Nasos Coucoulis SV1AC (silent key), George Zarifis SV1AA, Mikes Psalidas SV1AF, George Vernardakis SV1AB and George Gerardos SV1AG (silent key).
"At that time (1958) my AM station consisted of a Hammarlund SP600 receiver and a home-built transmitter using an Italian Geloso VFO- exciter driving a pair of 6146s in the final, with anode and screen modulation by a pair of 807s in class AB2.I had also assembled a double conversion receiver using a Geloso front end.This was typical of the equipment used in Greece and Italy in the early 1960s.
"Licences continued to be issued until 1967 when the Junta Colonels Papadopoulos and Patakos established the military dictatorship.We were all ordered to seal our equipment and obtain written confirmation from the nearest Police authority that the disablement had been carried out.
"Six months later, in December of 1967 we started getting our licences back.Most of us believed that because some of the younger officers in the military government had received training at the Pentagon in the U.S.A.they convinced their superiors that it was better for the genuine amateurs to be allowed to operate their equipment under closesupervision by the military and under new regulations, rather than have under cover operators starting up all over again.
"George Gerardos SV1AG had a friend Oresti Yiaka who was involved in government telecommunications and it was through him that draft legislation for the issue of amateur licences was instigated, but not for the first time.Unsuccessful attempts had been made before the war.
"In 1965 when George Papandreou was Prime Minister, on the very day when the Draft Bill was going to be put before Parliament the government resigned and another 10 years went by.When legislation was finally published in the Government Gazette in 1972, owing to the prevailing political situation (military dictatorship) it had serious limitations imposed by some Ministries which had to look after their own interests, especially the Ministry of National Defence.But George Gerardos, SV1AG, who had been closely involved, decided that it would be better to overlook certain details which may seem strange to us at the present time - details which could be rectified at a later date, provided the law was finally on the Statute book.For instance, I refer to the very restricted frequencies we were allocated in the 80-metre band, 3.500 to 3.600 MHz.Obviously when we began transmitting SSB telephony below 3.600 we were greeted with angry protestations from the CW operators there.And what was worse, the voices of Greek amateurs were not heard in the DX portion of the phone allocation from 3.750 to 3.800 MHz.
"Unfortunately, there was another and more serious snag.The last paragraph of the Law said that it would come into force only after publication in the Government Gazette of regulations clarifying certain details and procedures.So we were back to square one.
"But this did not prevent the General Staff of the military dictatorship from continuing to issue new licences under the special restrictions they had laid down.When the dictatorship came to an end the new government finally published Regulation 271 on April 30th 1976, which made the 1972 law fully operative."During the period of the military dictatorship a break-away club was formed by Dinos Psiloyiannis SV1DB who added the word 'national' to its name making the Greek initials E.E.E.R.His motives were rather dubious,one of them being that he objected to a regulation which required an applicant for a licence to produce a declaration signed by the President and the Secretary of Radio Amateur Association of Greece.Psiloyiannis, who had contacts with the military authorities (both his father and brother were officers) declared "I will form my own association and issue declarations myself." By this manoeuvre he obtained licences for quite a few newcomers, but after a year or two his club ceased to function and most if not all of its members joined the R.A.A.G.
An amendment of Law 1244 of 1972 published in the Government Gazette No.114 dated June 3rd 1988 finally abolished the requirement of the controversial declaration, as well as the rule which said that before anyone could apply for a licence they had to join an officially recognised association or club.
