His path in communications and radio regulations

Adapted for the web from personnal exchanges. 

 

I went from radio school in St. John's (it was called then The Vocational Training Institute) on October 1st 1957 to Winnipeg Aeradio for training (met and radio) until the end of December 1957.  Then, I was dispatched to  Churchill Manitoba by train and arrived there on New Year's morning 1958.  Churchill (call sign VAP) was not an attractive place for me;  I stayed there until November 1958 at which time, at my request, got a transfer to Resolute Bay, 74N94W, on Cornwallis Island, with Ron Taggart.

Left Resolute  in the fall of 59 with a transfer to Regina Aeradio in Saskatchewan to remain there until Sept 61. I had just been married and wanted to move to the east and so, was able to arrange an exchange transfer to Thunder Bay.

 

There were two stations there when I first arrived,  ( VBA Marine in Port Arthur and one (Aeradio) at the Lakehead Airport. I went to the Aeradio but it was subsequently combined as Marine/Aeradio in about 62 or 63. From there, I went to the Aeradio/Marine Station in Chesterfield Inlet in 1966.

 

After Chesterfield as OIC for five or six months in 66, I returned  south as Radio Inspector (RI) in Winnipeg. Actually I was originally scheduled to stay at Chesterfield Inlet for two years but having won a competition for a Radio Inspector position in Winnipeg , agreed to stay until they could arrange a replacement for me.

 

In August of 1966, I  reported to the Winnipeg Field office to take up my position as radio inspector . Remained as RI in the field and regional office until I went to the Ontario Region in 72 as District Manager of the Kenora field office. Kenora and Lakehead used to be in the Winnipeg Region until around 65 or 66 I believe.

 

My first day on the job as Inspector in Charge in Kenora Ontario was to meet with a couple of DPW surveyors to evaluate a site for an Ionosphere sounder antenna system. No knowing much about the Ionosphere program, it made for a challenging introduction to learn "from the ground up" so to speak. At any rate we proceeded with purchasing the property and then supervising the construction of the antennae site and the building of a road, establishing a base for the building, getting a well drilled and septic system established. The radio equipment itself was imported from Sweden and even though we were a Federal government department, we had lots of fun working our way through the local customs agency rules. By the fall of 1973 we had it up and running. Walter Dueck then a radio inspector in Kingston transferred to Kenora and was given the role of co-ordinating the program and keeping the equiptment maintained. The station was closed in the 1980's and the equipment transferred to the University of Saskatoon. (Curious ? click here from DOT News 1967 and here for some interesting readings on sounders .)

Winning the Regional Supt of enforcement position in the Ontario Regional Office in Toronto in the spring of 77, I laterally transferred to the Toronto District about 1980 ( I was managing both the RO enforcement and the District as the same time for about six months )

 

 

Mike Power retired from the Toronto District on January 27th 1993. Mike is now back in his homeland and is enjoying it. He even has good memories for he'd like to go back up to Resolute ... for a few days that is !

Laval Desbiens

October 2008