XACP 1946 Sardinia

I was web surfing looking for items re:QSL Cards when I happened upon a card XACP which stirred a few memories. I operated that station in 1946 when I was with the RAF in the Central Mediterranean Forces. I was an air traffic controller at Elmas after being remustered from RAF Bomber Command on B24s in 1945 and also covered Ajaccio in Corsica from Dec. 1945 to Nov. 1946. The licensee of XACP was G8AB a Flt/lieut. Railton (Nobby) who was the Station Signals Officer.

In 1945 I was re-trained as an Air Traffic Controller and served at many airfields around the Middle East, the last one being at Luqa Malta. While I was stationed at Elmas in Sardinia I became aquainted with G8AB who was operating XACP, one of the many Armed Forces Ham Stations. I had written my Ham Test in the UK in Aug. 1939 so I operated the station which was located in the Signals Service Room in a large apartment type of building, about 500 metres from the Control tower and the one runway 1700 X 60 Yards. Martin built the transmitter used as XACP and we used an AR77 and an AR88 as receivers. There was a problem with the AR88 which drifted off frequency after abt 15 minutes of operation. When conditions on 10 metres were good, I sent a signal to Air HQ in the UK stating that the airfield was "Unfit" due to various reasons, usually Low cloud or fog or high cross winds. I received an acknowledgement that the message was received and the info promulgated to the various airfields around the Mediterranean and North Africa. I had a couple of workers and myself remove the AR88 from the tower and relocated in the signals room and operated on 10 metres. We substituted the bad AR88 and used that in the tower. The tower was about 80 feet high and access was through a trapdoor in the floor of the room. No mean feat lowering the receiver via rope and hauling the other one up 80 feet.
Thought it may be of interest.
Vy 73
Dennis Livesey VE7DK

The photo of myself is the only one that I have from that era.

QSL from the estate of W1DLC
Info and photos courtesy of VE7DK