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Author Topic: Maritime CW stories  (Read 1474 times)

AE5X

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Maritime CW stories
« on: February 08, 2021, 05:30:38 PM »

PE4BAS recently reminded me of a book I read & wrote about some time ago. I hadn't thought of it in a while... it may be of interest to CW ops here on the forum:

https://ae5x.blogspot.com/2018/10/sos-to-rescue.html
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K6PH

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Re: Maritime CW stories
« Reply #1 on: February 08, 2021, 08:08:51 PM »

Have had that book for many years, and I read at least a part, if not all of it, at least once a year.  Great stories from the heyday of maritime CW.
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K7AAT

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Re: Maritime CW stories
« Reply #2 on: February 09, 2021, 08:00:53 AM »

Sure wish that book was available in digital form, as an e-book.....

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WB0FDJ

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Re: Maritime CW stories
« Reply #3 on: February 09, 2021, 11:20:02 AM »

About a year ago I found a copy through Abe's Books online. A great read!

Doc WB0FDJ
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AE5X

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Re: Maritime CW stories
« Reply #4 on: February 09, 2021, 11:43:03 AM »

How old does a book have to be before it goes into the public domain, or are there other criteria besides age? This book does become available on Amazon or AbeBooks at reasonable prices from time to time.
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W9IQ

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Re: Maritime CW stories
« Reply #5 on: February 09, 2021, 11:56:52 AM »

John,

The answer varies greatly depending upon the initial copyright date as the US copyright code was changed many times over the years. New copyrights (since 1978) are good for 70 years. Any copyright before 1925 is already expired. From 1925 to 1977, the copyright was initially good for 28 years but could be renewed for another 67 years.

- Glenn W9IQ
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- Glenn W9IQ

God runs electromagnetics on Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the wave theory and the devil runs it on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday by the Quantum theory.

SOFAR

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Re: Maritime CW stories
« Reply #6 on: February 09, 2021, 12:00:28 PM »

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KI4ZUQ

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Re: Maritime CW stories
« Reply #7 on: February 09, 2021, 01:30:10 PM »

AE5X, your link is a teaser! What a dynamic treasure you have found!
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73
Karl
KI4ZUQ

AE5X

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Re: Maritime CW stories
« Reply #9 on: February 09, 2021, 02:22:43 PM »

Available in many libraries - and your local library can probably get it thru their lending program:
https://www.worldcat.org/title/sos-to-the-rescue/oclc/1065093036
« Last Edit: February 09, 2021, 02:24:44 PM by AE5X »
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AE0Q

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    • AE0Q Amateur Radio
Re: Maritime CW stories
« Reply #10 on: February 11, 2021, 06:29:36 PM »

PE4BAS recently reminded me of a book I read & wrote about some time ago. I hadn't thought of it in a while... it may be of interest to CW ops here on the forum:
https://ae5x.blogspot.com/2018/10/sos-to-rescue.html

Thanks for posting the link and mentioning the book!  Sounds fascinating, I found an inexpensive ex-library copy on Alibris and ordered it today :-)

Jeff KH2PZ wrote a series of articles about standing watch on 500 kcs at U.S. Coast Guard Radio Station Honolulu (NMO) in the late 70's, part 6 is a VERY moving description of his first SOS while on watch at NMO.  It's a truly gripping account..  The link to Jeff's articles are part way down the page.

https://www.qsl.net/ae0q/history.htm

Glenn AE0Q
« Last Edit: February 11, 2021, 06:39:00 PM by AE0Q »
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W4KYR

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Re: Maritime CW stories
« Reply #11 on: February 11, 2021, 07:39:38 PM »

PE4BAS recently reminded me of a book I read & wrote about some time ago. I hadn't thought of it in a while... it may be of interest to CW ops here on the forum:
https://ae5x.blogspot.com/2018/10/sos-to-rescue.html

Thanks for posting the link and mentioning the book!  Sounds fascinating, I found an inexpensive ex-library copy on Alibris and ordered it today :-)

Jeff KH2PZ wrote a series of articles about standing watch on 500 kcs at U.S. Coast Guard Radio Station Honolulu (NMO) in the late 70's, part 6 is a VERY moving description of his first SOS while on watch at NMO.  It's a truly gripping account..  The link to Jeff's articles are part way down the page.

https://www.qsl.net/ae0q/history.htm

Glenn AE0Q

Thanks for link about NMO, it was real interesting
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ZL1BBW

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Re: Maritime CW stories
« Reply #12 on: February 12, 2021, 12:50:47 AM »

Just read the page, **** it sent shivers down my spine.

Every night when I left the radio room, I would make sure the main tx was tuned up on 500, the log was open and ready and a pen and pencil were by it.

Those AA bells, talk about ringing in yr ears, especially the one over yr head in yr bunk.

As he says, normally not too many alarms in the Pacific, but as we came up towards the English channel they would be every night, sometimes more than one a night.

Only asked to take part in a grid search on one ship, this was in the North Sea, told the OM and all fine, he said do they know what we are carrying, it was a chemical tanker, so notified the coast stn we had 3000 tonnes of pure benzine onboard, we were told to go away.

I remember the lecturing we had at college about what to do if we ever had to in a distress situation, it was chilling, and it was drummed into you, follow the procedure, do not deviate.

Will try and read some of the other pages another night.

Take care everyone.
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ex MN Radio Officer, Portishead Radio GKA, BT Radio Amateur Morse Tester.  Licensed as G3YCP ZL1DAB, now taken over my father (sk) call as ZL1BBW.

AE5X

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Re: Maritime CW stories
« Reply #13 on: February 12, 2021, 07:01:43 AM »

Thanks for the link, Glenn. I can't imagine being able to send good Morse if I were ever in a similar situation. I think you'll enjoy the book - and an interesting qrz.com bio you've got there!

73,
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ZL1BBW

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Re: Maritime CW stories
« Reply #14 on: February 12, 2021, 02:40:18 PM »

Thanks for the link, Glenn. I can't imagine being able to send good Morse if I were ever in a similar situation. I think you'll enjoy the book - and an interesting qrz.com bio you've got there!

73,

At Radio College, it was constantly drummed into us, your life may depend on yr keying, sort of focusses the mind a little.

I dont know what cert the RO held, but I know for my training, there was an exam on distress procedures, the pass mark was 100%, then morse testing at the final exam was done by a Post Office Radio guy, there would be a solo test at 20wpm with figs and accented characters as a bonus, then there was a traffic handling test, the whole group did this at once, with the examiner wandering around the testing room, listening to you and you and him, quite unnerving.

If after all this you passed then you got a certificate.

All that meant was that you could to sea as a junior R/O, the company I joined (direct employ not a radio company) was solely UK to NZ/Australia trading maybe a detour to Ja and a trip home round Cape of Good Hope up turn right at Gib through the med discharge all the way back through the Med and then to UK to finish discharge.

Because once you were a sole RO they were long voyages they insisted on 2 trips = 1 year as a Junior before you could go on yr own.

On joining my first ship, I was told on the the day of QTO get me the wx for 1800, duly taken and presented, good yr on watch at 0000 to 0600, then the CRO took over at 0800 - 1400 I did 16-1800 CRO did 20/2200, then round we go again and again.

But for the RO on many occasions people would never know what happened to a ship.

Crossing the Pacific during the night used to be a lonely stretch, once we got in the middle near Pitcairn it really did become a radio dead zone for a few days, just too far from anywhere.

Well done on the shore op for getting it all down.

Interesting to read how they ran the HF search points that explained a few things, we used to have one op per band as a pure SP they didnt handle any tfc, just took the callsign QSS and put the aerial heading on the chit, and maybe a note QTC3 or something, unless it was a Medico then they would stand up and holler whose free and physically hand the chit over to them.

A
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ex MN Radio Officer, Portishead Radio GKA, BT Radio Amateur Morse Tester.  Licensed as G3YCP ZL1DAB, now taken over my father (sk) call as ZL1BBW.
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