[ARC5] Re: Ricebox hams on WW2 warships...

[David Stinson]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Hue Miller" <kargo_cult at msn.com>
Subject: [Milsurplus] Ricebox hams on WW2 warships...


> .... went thru the U-505. There were a couple hams
> pressed into a darkened narrow space next to (if i recall correctly) the 
> radio
> room. The tour guide was dismissive, "Oh those are some radio hams doing
> their thing."  My take on this was how irrelevant  & pointless to any 
> other visitors
> just so they could exchange some nebulous credits with other hams.  If 
> hams
> with modern gear in there are fine, why not CBers doing  a special event 
> station?

Amen, Hue.  Say it again, brother!
I know other people disagree,
and that there is a place for occasional special event stations
aboard WWII ships, using whatever radios, of course.
But to build a permanent station with plastic radios
in a place that's supposed to honor
WWII service and sacrifice?
IMHO, a plastic radio station installed on a WWII memorial
honors no one.  It's self-indulgent and disrespectful.
If we're going to install such a thing in a memorial ship,
thus advertising modern ham radio, why not make some
money for the museum and put a picture
of Ronald McDonald at the con, or perhaps fix it up
so kids could look through the periscope and see
Mayor McCheese waving from the bridge of
a Japanese freighter?  Maybe have the tour guides
wear brand-new Nikes and T-Shirts that say
"Just Do It."  Catch the kiddies on the way out
and sell them "My Little Pony"  toys.
It's only a matter of degree.
Once the public understands the plastic radios
aren't "the real deal," they don't just lose interest-
they get a negative impression that sticks.

I attended an AM forum at a recent hamfest.
One of the leaders of the a local AM group spoke about an annual meeting
of the survivors of the Doolittle Tokyo raid, which is going to be held
next year in the Dallas area.  He suggested we field a commemorative
special event station to honor these vets, using WWII equipment.
"So if someone can bring an ART-13...." he said.
I wasn't the only one to politely point out that the B-25s
on the Tokyo raid did not carry the ART-13, that it came out
much later, and that the B-25s at that time were outfitted with
SCR-287 and SCR-274N, and if we wanted to honor
these veterans, we should field the equipment they used,
which I have available, operation and ready to go.
His response was dismissive:
"well, we want to use something that has a chance of
being heard.  We need some power" (the difference between
the two transmitters doesn't amount to 1 dbm).
Most of the crowd agreed.   I did not.
And while I wish them well and hope it goes smoothly for them,
I decided I would not participate.
I feel for me to do so would be
false and disrespectful to those veterans.
Other people feel differently and God bless them.
I have to live by the light I have, and will sit this one out.

IMHO, if we're going to present something
other than what the raiders used at such an event,
thus mislead people into believing
that an ART-13 flew in a 1942 B-25,
we might as well field KWM-2s or Icoms;
the public won't know any better.
Because the *real* point of fielding "better" radios
(and "better" by who's lights?)
becomes the promotion of  *us,*  and AM, not the vets.
I'm not interested in polishing either the
Ham Radio apple or the AM Mode apple
at the expense of  WWII vets.
I'll bring my stuff to polish *their* apple in a heartbeat,
but I'll stay home otherwise, thanks.

73 D.S.