[CW] Obsolete Prosigns

[Richard Knoppow]

I I didit didit was also used by KPH in press transmissions. My 
memory, which may be wrong since its fifty years since I heard 
it, as you remember, sort of. KPH format was to send ITEM II ITEM 
: NEW YORK (RCA/UPI) news item follows here. I am not quite sure 
where the colon went, maybe after the location.
    The MacKay stations, WSL and KFS, who transmitted the same 
press, had a somewhat different format. Also, MacKay used double 
apostrophes for quotation marks where RCA used the standard 
symbols. I have no idea why.
     KPH also used CP for the call for press while the others 
used CQ. I saw CP defined as Call for Press but in fact it means 
a call for any group of stations getting the same message and not 
expected to respond.
     For those who don't know press was transmitted to ships 
subscribing to the service. Once a day from East coast and once a 
day from West coast. I also heard press transmissions from WNU 
(TRT in New Orleans). Sent intermittently by hand between 
traffic. Presumably for United Fruit boats. There were probably 
other press transmissions but I never heard any when I was a SWL 
of maritime radio. Both RCA and MacKay sent from punched tape at 
about 25WPM, a primary source of practice material for me at the 
time. I remember the KPH preamble to the press pretty well.

On 7/12/2020 4:11 PM, D.J.J. Ring, Jr. wrote:
> II was used for "inline collation" or routine repetition of 
> possibly misunderstood text.
>
> CHATHAM RADIO/WCC used it often in the press (PX) broadcasts, 
> one famously funny was:
>
> ROME (AP) - POPE JOHN PAUL II II II TODAY DECLARED ROCCO PETROS 
> TO BE HEAD OF THE SWISS GUARD IN A CEREMONY HELD AT NOON IN THE 
> SISTINE CHAPEL PETROS AND HIS ASSISTANT DENAUGHITALIS II 
> DENAUGHITALIS WERE BOTH ACCEPTED INTO THE SWISS GUARD IN 1992.
>
> They repeated the designator II after Pope John Paul II with 
> the II repeat signal and then sent II again.  It nearly 
> confused me completely, but I figured it out mostly because I 
> knew his title was followed by II, but it made me laugh because 
> it almost didn't need to be sent, His name was so common.
>
> I don't see SN the last published ACP-124D which was WT 
> procedures for radiotelegraphy in 
> http://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/acp/acp124d.pdf
>
> SN always meant "Understood" and may have been defined in 
> Appendix B of the ITU Maritime Mobile and Satellite Service 
> Handbook - supplemental appendix for Morse transmitted and 
> received by ear by either tone or sounder.
>
> 73
> DR
>

-- 
Richard Knoppow
1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com
WB6KBL