[Elecraft] RST etc.

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

Good point, Mike! 

I serviced MCW transmitters for the MF (500 kc/s) band up until 1993.
They were capable 100% amplitude modulated MCW although for normal use
they were operated as unmodulated CW rigs. That was a carry-over, as you
know, from the fact that for a long time the emergency backup receiver
on many ships was still a crystal detector! I even worked on a few
ancient radio consoles on "tramps" in the 1990's that had a place to
mount the crystal detector, although it had long since been removed to
use a newer "state of the art" regenerative detector as the emergency
receiver. 

Even a relative OT like me has to rely on stories I heard from older ops
about how every signal on the ham bands in the 1920's and early 30's had
some sort of modulation. CW did NOT mean "un-modulated". It meant
"continuous wave" as opposed to the "damped waves" produced by spark
transmitters. And, with the tight purses and high expense of rectifiers
and filters, few hams had anything like a "d-c" note from their CW rigs.
Some  CW rigs used raw A-C, producing 100% modulation at 50 or 60 Hz
power line frequency rate. As fellows started experimenting with
home-brew chemical rectifiers and filter caps (often occupying large
jars full of smelly chemicals under the operating desk) they were as
interested in what their "note" sounded like as they were in the signal
strength, and it made good sense to graduate the tone report into
numbers from 1 to 9 just like the signal strength report. A T-1 or T-2
note was nothing unusual. 

I am all for anything that helps remind current Ham ops that if they
hear someone odd on the other fellow's signal it's their obligation to
tell them about it. If holding onto the old R-S-T reporting helps remind
them, I'm all for it although I'd consider anything other than a T-9
report a sure sign of trouble that wants immediate attention these days!


73,

Ron AC7AC
K2 # 1289

-----Original Message-----
Also Ron, don't forget that, on the MF marine bands, MCW was in general
use right up to the final close-down and was in use on the HF bands upto
approx 1955, so a report on the Tone would have needed a lot more than 9
figures to report it!  I remember the old Canadian Marconi ship MF Tx
(think it was type #LTT4???), had a front panel switch so the op could
choose between MCW at 400, 600 or 800 Hz (then c/s). Some coast stations
were VERY distinctive - who else can remember the 'rasp' of
ZDK/Gibraltar!! 73 to all de Mike, zl1mh.



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