I’ve been the proud owner of this radio since around March 1982 or 83, after the 2 previous Birthday presents, namely Amstrad 901’s from Rumbelows Basildon, had failed, but I seriously hunkered for the Rotel RVC240, from the seductive adverts in Breaker Magazine. I think my Dad could see the disappointment on my face, so in went in more off his hard earned cash over the counter and I walked out of the store with a ‘Rotel RVC240’ tucked under my arm, which from memory was well over a 100 quid, some serious dough in those days!
I had finally come over to dark side and although my President AR7 was still really active with the loyal, I just used it less and less, until the AR7 was collecting dust. I was lucky that I lived in a flat with my Dad, high up above the streets and houses... alright, above the shops in Pitsea Broadway! So I was getting good range up and down the Thames Estuary for a couple of years, going to regular CB club meets at Pitsea Breakers Club and going on usual eyeballs. Life moves on, I eventually moved to a little village near Rayleigh, where I met new friends, started driving and chance to go mobile.
This is where my Rotel and me would part company! The radio was fitted into my Ford Cortina Mk2, which was great fun, fox hunts, cruising with my friends up Southend seafront and it was after one of these excursions, we stopped at the local burger bar to meet up with friends. After probably only 10 minutes, I came outside to find my car was gone, at first I thought it was one of my friends playing a prank, but no. Police informed, my CB friends soon became mobilised looking for my car, with mobiles looking in all the usual places, until word came through, that my car had been found a few miles away in Rayleigh, with doors open behind some shops. I rushed there, to find everything gone! Rig, stereo, tapes, tools, absolutely gutted. Police took the car for prints and a few days later, I collected my empty car. I eventually fitted another little rig in the car, but it wasn’t the same and I was a bit scared to get another one, just in case that got stolen too. A couple of weeks went by and I had forgotten about the theft, to find a message had been left with my Mum to contact Rayleigh Police. Some items have been recovered and I needed to identify them. I called in to the station to be to be shown into a room full of stolen items and immediately, I spotted my Rotel sitting on a desk. Wow, just a couple of small marks but it was all there. I would have loved to seen my face.
The Rotel, was then used homebase for many years along side a Satcom and has given me sterling service over the years, with absolutely no failures. The channels were busy and the Rotel suffered from a little bleedover from a couple of locals, so a trip to DCB Electronics in Southend and I had spectrum filter fitted, this improved the sensitivity and over the years the Rotel has helped me QSO all over Europe. The addition of a Auto squelch brought the radio into the next decade making life so much easier to listen to.
I was beginning to discover the world of DXing and after a number of SSB sets and a visit from the busbys, I settled down with the RCI Ranger, which almost put the Rotel into retirement, then a move in the late 90s, saw me box her up, not to see the light of day for 20 years, I never set the shack up at my new home. CB started to die away until, I gave up. I sold almost everything I had brought over the years. Life trundled on, divorced, new relationship with an old friend and CBer, until Christmas 2019 when I rediscovered the box in the loft which rekindled an interest with 11m radio
