[CW] Code Speeds

[Bill Lanahan]

On Wed, Feb 12, 2020 at 3:30 PM D.J.J. Ring, Jr. <n1ea at arrl.net> wrote:

> The reason First Class Radiotelephone licenses required certification
> in Morse (20 WPM) is that that AM broadcast licensees was required to
> keep watch on 600 meters (500 kc/s) and 300 meters (1,000 kc/s) for
> distress calls.
>
> If a ship called SOS on 300 meters (1,000 kc/s) all stations were
> required to go off air until the finish of the SOS.
>
> A continuous watch on 600 and 300 meters was required while the
> broadcast (it was AM radio band only in those days) station was
> transmitting.  Even though ships were prohibited from using 300 meters
> calling within several hundred miles from coast, all prohibitions were
> meaningless in time of SOS when ANY frequency could (and should) be
> used.
>
> I believe I have heard an air check (recording) of one station
> announcing it was going off air due to distress.
>
> 73
> DR
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> =30=
>
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