[CW] QRQ

[Gregory W. Moore]

GM, Hans,

Now, tnx much OM for a great story, and a really great lesson. As a 
former Navy RM, and also a holder of that wonderful piece of paper 
allowing one to use "Ye Olde Vibroplexe Bugge" on USN circuits (#CLF-23)
I consider myself fortunate that I never was caught up like that.

I was, however caught up another way.... whilst stationed at NAVCOMMUNIT 
(later NAVCOMMSTA Argentia, NFLD (NWP) I was, literally, in CW heaven, 
since, at that time, the USCG Intl Ice Patrol HQ was there (NIK/NJN) and 
was co-located with our operating positions.  As a result, I, unlike a 
lot of Navy RM's, got experienced with MF and merchant operating, and we 
had a Chief who demanded that we work CW EVERY watch, regardless if we 
had actual traffic or not, he wanted us to copy press, or fleet bcst 
from NSS or NAA, or any comml stations.  Well, we had a CW ASW Air/Gnd 
ckt that was only occasionally used, but happened to be on a freq (I 
recall it to be 9001Khz) that was great at night for hitting the Azores, 
and also Asmara, Ethiopia, where, at the time, we also had Commsta's.

I had a bunch of guys who had graduated from RM "A" school who were 
stationed at those places, along with some other places around the 
world, and sometimes condx would be just rite for some DX 
ragchewing..the approved method, then was INT QTR as an innocent request 
to start the ball rolling, and the ragchew would kind of just take 
off.... well next thing, you would have INT OP, etc, and of course, I 
would reply with my sine (GW) and we would have a good ole chew, taking 
up an hour or so of watch, or until the freq went bad.... we 
deliberately were using that freq because it was rarely (read never, or 
only when I, or another CW addict was flying as radio op in the patrol 
aircraft)... Those were fun times, and, as you probably recall, at that 
point (mid-60's) in our history, ASW was real serious biz, we were on a 
"go to war" footing at all times, and the frequencies were monitored by 
our "big brother".

OK, well, as luck would have it, NAVSECGRU picked one of the nites we 
were having a ragchew to monitor 9001, and let me tell you, they had me 
dead to rights, sine and all, no wiggle room.... the Chief called me 
into his office, and I figured, "Well, GW, you just made RM2, and now 
its gonna be mast for you and the crow is gone, I also, in the way of 
the Navy, also figured that one takes all that comes at one, good or 
bad, without complaining, for that, is the way of the world"....

Anyhow, the Chief picks up the yellow flimsies, and does the Chief thing 
of looking at them for a long time and looking at me a long time, etc, 
etc (The usual discomfort thing, "makem sweat,then drop the axe")..well, 
all of a sudden he bursts out laughing and says "Moore, did you enjoy 
your code practice?" I said the only thing I could, under the 
circumstances "Hell Yes, Chief",  and he replies, "well, look at this, 
you burned the (expletive deleteds) at NAVSECGRU, how fast were you 
sending"  I said " Chief, I don't know, we were just ragchewing, ya 
know, we all know eachother's fists, it was a lot of Q&Z sigs for 
brevity, and a lot of shorthand....." Well he just laughs to beat the 
band, and says, "Moore, Keep up the good work, just don't get caught the 
next time...why don't ya get the 'mitter site to bring up a ham freq, 
you guys are all hams too aren't you?  Set it up with those guys over 
the orderwire, but stay off of 9001 because those guys are mad as hell 
that they couldn't keep up with you ."

Well, that's my QRQ/QRS story, but I gotta tell you, I have been burned 
more than once, and it is a truly humbling experience, and once burned, 
the meaning of QRS, and the golden rule of "always call, or reply at a 
comfortable operating speed" has been burned into my mind permanently..

If you are interested in such things, a pix of my speed key cert, the 
memo of the test given to me by the USCG RM, and some pix of the last 
voyage of the USS America when they towed her out to be used for live 
fire exercises are located at
http://www.moorefelines.com/19_APR_05

73 es tnx for a great story...
de Greg "GW" Moore
WA3IVX/NNN0BVN

K0HB wrote:
> The Day I Learned Some Humility
>  
>            or “Don't Ever Send QRQ To SUQ”
>  
> 
> Uncle Sam kept me busy in my youth as a Navy radioman, sending me on many
> expense-paid cruises to all manner of exciting places, including several
> cruises to the Mediterranean Sea as part of the 6th Fleet.  
>  
> After a few years at sea I fancied myself a pretty hotshot Morse operator.  
>  
> Some of you out there who sailed in the 6th Fleet during the late
> 50’s/early 60’s may remember the famous “Task Group Commanders Circuit”,
> commonly called “SIXES-ALFA”.  This was a high speed Morse net which
> routinely clipped along at 40WPM with busy spurts somewhat faster.  It was
> a matter of some pride that only holders of an official “Speed Key
> Certificate” were allowed on the circuit, and only the best of those were
> qualified as NCS.  (Yes, before you could use a Vibroplex on a Navy
> circuit, you had to pass an examination and obtain a certificate.)  
>  
> Anyhow, as a qualified NCS on SIXES-ALFA, there was no doubt in my inflated
> ego that I was one of the hottest seagoing ops to ever key up a TBL.  (TBL
> was a big black 100W MF/HF CW transmitter fitted in WW-II/Cold War era
> destroyers.)  Certainly there was no mere civilian radioman out there to
> challenge my skills.
>  
> In those days the US Navy maintained a small presence in the Red
> Sea/Persian Gulf called the “Mid East Force”.  The Commander of this force
> was a Commodore who maintained his flag not on a warship, but on a seaplane
> tender (mother ship for seaplanes, which the Navy no longer even flew)
> docked at the Brit base on Bahrain. It was a pretty low-key military
> backwater.  His “force” usually consisted of a couple of destroyers on loan
> from the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean.  These destroyers rotated to this
> duty for about 2 months by a transit of the Suez Canal.
>  
> Vessels transited the canal in convoys, northbound and southbound, which
> were coordinated to meet and pass at a “wide spot in the road” at the Great
> Bitter Lake.  If there were any warships in the convoy, they were the lead
> ship, and the lead ship carried a UAR canal pilot.
>  
> Communications between the pilot and the Suez Canal Authority was via an MF
> (420 Kc/s) Morse circuit between the lead ship and the UAR station SUQ at
> Ismailia.  
>  
> In early October of 1961, my ship, USS Henley DD762, drew the short straw
> and was sent off on Red Sea patrol.  
>  
> After a last liberty port at Piraeus, Greece (remember “Fix” beer) we
> transited to Port Said and embarked our pilot for the trip through the
> canal.  
>  
> The pilot had me file a departure report to SUQ and promptly at 0700 we
> started our transit.  Periodically (at passing El Ferdan and Deversoir, if
> I recall correctly) he issued short progress reports which I sent to SUQ.
>  
> In due time the convoy entered Great Bitter Lake and anchored to allow
> passage of the north-bound convoy coming up from Port Suez.  Prior to
> weighing anchor for the remainder of the passage, the pilot was required to
> obtain updated instructions from the Canal Authority.  Turned out this
> happened just as I was due to be relieved on watch for noon chow.
>  
> Wanting to turn over a “clean” log to my relief, I was somewhat impatient
> that the operator at SUQ was operating at a rather leisurely pace (perhaps
> “only” 25WPM).  Surely this lowly civilian operator could send just a bit
> faster?
>  
> So I slid the weights back to the reaR stop on my Vibroplex and sent…..
>  
>    “SUQ DE NHXW QRV QRQ K”
>  
> What happened next still causes me regret every time I contemplate that
> short cocky transmission.  An image comes to mind of a swarthy-complexioned
> mustachioed Egyptian with a wicked gleam in his eye, chomping an unlit
> cigar, pulling the weights completely off his key, and muttering “I'll show
> this gob some real QRQ!”
>  
> The crisp Morse transmission which came back to me was utterly off the
> chart in terms of speed.  No operator on the vaunted SIXES-ALFA had ever
> even caused me to really concentrate, but I was missing every other
> character this fellow sent.  In embarrassment, I sheepishly unplugged my
> speed key, broke in, and on the pump handle sent….
>  
>    “SUQ DE NHXW QRX OPERATOR CHANGE QRS” 
>  
> ….. and turned the circuit over to my relief.
>  
> Never again, and I mean NEVER again, has the opsig QRQ ever passed my
> fingertips.
>  
> 73, de Hans, K0HB
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
> --
> http://www.home.earthlink.net/~k0hb
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
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> 
> 


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