19-09-2015, 09:45 PM
I'd have thought that anyone not wishing to draw attention to themselves would have dismantled any aerials they'd had in place prior to the occupation of the Germans, and use some sort of concealed aerial as large as the could. I'm very sceptical about crystal sets being used to listed to say the BBC, given the short range capabilities of crystal sets and the distance from transmitters in England. Jersey is only 20 miles from the coast of France, but again, I've no idea how far the nearest French station would have been, and though French domestic sets weren't confiscated, their news would have been heavily censored.
Apart from that, few Jersey Islanders at the time could speak or understand French or even 'Jersey French', which is now almost extinct, except among a few older residents, though there are efforts to revive it:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%A8rriais
Of course, there didn't need to be many clandestine sets of any kind because once received, news spreads rapidly by word of mouth.
Most of the Germans were around the coast, busily preoccupied with building and manning the extensive defensive structures so I guess that in the more rural areas there was more chance of having a valved radio and it going undiscovered, albeit there aren't any 'remote' areas on an island which measures only about 5 miles x 9 miles, so the Germans were never far away. I didn't get the impression that Germans actively sought out clandestine radios - I think that most were discovered as a result of 'tip-offs' from people betraying neighbours etc, maybe to settle scores or to gain 'brownie points' or favours from the Germans.
Apart from that, few Jersey Islanders at the time could speak or understand French or even 'Jersey French', which is now almost extinct, except among a few older residents, though there are efforts to revive it:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%A8rriais
Of course, there didn't need to be many clandestine sets of any kind because once received, news spreads rapidly by word of mouth.
Most of the Germans were around the coast, busily preoccupied with building and manning the extensive defensive structures so I guess that in the more rural areas there was more chance of having a valved radio and it going undiscovered, albeit there aren't any 'remote' areas on an island which measures only about 5 miles x 9 miles, so the Germans were never far away. I didn't get the impression that Germans actively sought out clandestine radios - I think that most were discovered as a result of 'tip-offs' from people betraying neighbours etc, maybe to settle scores or to gain 'brownie points' or favours from the Germans.
Regards, David.
BVWS Member.
G-QRP Club Member 1339.
'I'm in my own little world, but I'm happy, and they know me here'
BVWS Member.
G-QRP Club Member 1339.
'I'm in my own little world, but I'm happy, and they know me here'
