[CW] re sewer pipe r/m

[Stoweboats at cavtel.net]

No...wasnt a sewer pipe r/m....but had run in with 
an RMC on one one time

In the mid 50s I was a rm at CG radio NMN, Norfolk...
back then it was a few miles from the main gate of
Oceana Naval Air Station on Oceana Blvd...all CW except
for AM on 2182 and a few other 2mhz freqs...we stood
500kc watches along with the point to point ckt between
Norva and BDA...anyhow to make a long story longer...
on 500 a guy called NMN using a 5 letter cs...hell I thought
it was a commercial acft with a commo pblm...he sent
the 5 ltr cs agn and assuming it was and acft I sent the
"Q"sig asking him his altitude, heading, speed? He 
responded (still on 500) with NMN de RDCAM (or whatever
it was) then ZBO K....scratching my head I asked him to 
shift to 466/468khz...then he saidsomething else and 
I  sent him the "Q" sig to do a 360deg turn. After a pause
(looking the Q sig up no doubt) he came back and said
ZBM2....ZBM2 ? ...  I said on 500, you're the one having
the pblm...guess the sig to rotate pissed him off to no end...
That was the end of the conversation...Few days later the
Sub tied up at the D and S piers at NOB Norva...and the
RMC paid NMN a personnal visit on his way to the Oceana
PX....wanted to meet the wise ass that told him to "rotate"
To end the story...he told me that the sub was having some
type of commo exercise and then I explained that 500 was
only used for calling and shifting or distress....and that
nobody used "Z" signals and that his coded c/s was mistaken for an acft cs because back then thats what they
used...great guy...

EW
    W4EWJ....REO USMM rtd.