I hadn't heard of banning of ham radio in Australia. It makes sense though if you are trying stop energy agents sending messages. It probably didn't happen, but the ham enthusiast's neighbours would think it was and create hysteria, and create useless work for investigators.

I have heard that the encouragement of ham radio in UK, US Australia etc provided a ready-made source of radio savvy signallers, radiomen and radio repairers for the armed forces.

Germany, because it banned ham activity had to train them up. Also, because they didn't have ready-made tinkerers to fix things that got damaged or broke down, the radios had to be engineered to work perfectly with minimal servicing, a more expensive process. I reckon this is a bit simplistic, and probably only applied at the beginning of the war before training got properly organised.

Yes, amateur radio operations were prohibited here during WW2.

In WW1 maternal Grand mother had two brothers working in the PMG. One went to Gallipoli in Signals, did manage to get shot in the leg, and later got killed on the Somme. Family never got over that.

The German military radios of WW2, were a completely different concept. The Allied stuff was largely throw away as the US could make so much of it. Every one was making it & none of it was the same. So if it broke down there were limited resources to fix it. Conversely a lot of the German stuff was a work of art , but more importantly "Modular". If a module failed, it did not matter if it was Siemens or Messerschmitt who made it: That module number fitted and it worked or it could be ratted from a damaged set.

That meant that all that the radio operator in the field needed to know was, which module failed and how to change it. A physically re useable dud, could then be sent behind the lines evaluated & brought back into spec. reused; whilst the radio kept working in the field.

Re Russia & China for those interested

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-22/china-russia-relationship-australia-strategic-blind-spot/12582356...

We have become very China-centric in our strategic thinking in Australia — and this could be to our detriment.

I don't think this is right. Yes, it is true that Russia and China have a common foe - the USA - however they are at loggerheads over China's duplication of Russian military hardware and China's land claims over territory that is currently a part of Russia. Russia's sales of military hardware to China has been a matter of convenience for Russia as these transactions bypass allied trade sanctions and become a nice, again convenient, earner for Russia. At the same time, Russia has few problems with Australia, aside from the fact that we are an allied nation. The Royal Australian Air Force flew missions in Iraq and Syria in the presence of the Russian Air Force and neither came to blows even though both forces were fighting different people.

China is the big worry going forward. The CCP is behaving dangerously and has ammassed many foes in the last few years including Russia, Vietnam, Australia, the United States of America, Japan, Great Britain, the Phillippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, not to mention Taiwan. China cannot fight all these nations with any chance of success.

Yes, tend to Agree.
China is a huge worry in our back yard and it's looking more like conflict every day
Russia is no threat to us , Europe perhaps but not here.....I truly feel there is going to be a war in Asia.

Pete

China has many ways to vex us. For example they don't like the W.A. govt, so they are bankrolling a certain fatso to bankrupt the state by whatever means necessary.

LiveK AlmerPay?

I doubt they are giving him money. He bagged the Chinese because when they buy our minerals they pay off on strict 90 day terms and not a day earlier.

The Chinese consulate to Perth withdrew, ostensibly for health reasons, about the time that the barley tariffs were imposed. Both sides say it is sweetness and light, but others suspect an implied threat to iron ore exports. It will be interesting to see how that pans out. Meat, barley and wine are small compared to iron ore exports.

I hope it's not a replay of the pig Iron Bob story.... It's not looking to good!