[Milsurplus] Re: [Boatanchors] Tuning assembly

Wed, 16 Apr 2003 08:57:39 -0500

Hi Miguel & Gang,

The MF/LF receivers on American Liberty and Victory ships
was definitely connected to the antenna....
Also, the RadioOperator, later became a ships Officer by law,
was referred to as "Sparks" which came about by the spark
transmitter in the beginning....
500 Kcs. was the "Calling and Distress" frequency....Call the
station you wanted to contact on 500 then immediately switch
to one of the "Working Frequencies" which were 410, 425,
454 and 468....
The Radio Operator/Officer was required to maintain watch
on 500 Khz when not otherwise busy, such as on H/F....
The "Silent Periods" were from 15 minutes to 18 minutes
past each hour and from 45 minutes to 48 minutes past the
hour....This was intended to have all operators increase the
gain of their 500 kcs receiver to listen for possible weak
distress signals such as maybe from a lifeboat transmitter....
The Operator had to stand watch 8 hours out of each day
while on the high sease (International Waters)....
At times when he was not on watch, the Automatic Alarm
Receiver was on watch....This Alarm responded the the
special signal which triggered the alarm to notify the operator
when he was not on duty....A red light in the wheelhouse
blinked with noise pulses and if the blinking was frequent,
the Mate on duty had the radio operator notified in which
case the operator checked the receiver to set the sensitivity
according to noise level....
A bell was in the radio ops stateroom which racked him out
of the sack  when the alarm went off. I only got 2 false alarms
due to static level....
Just to clarify a few not well understood facts....
Incidentally, the distress signal is not the separate letters
S O S....It is one character of three dots, three dashes
and three dots, ...---...,  not ... --- ...
For the automatic alarm, the signal was a series of 4 second
dashes with a one second interval between....
FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH,

Ken....N5CM....NNN0FKQ....

----- Original Message -----
From: "Miguel Bravo" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2003 6:28 AM
Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] Tuning assembly

> Hi Jerry,
>
> Let me one line to thanks all for the replies.
>
> Having worked, from the 70's up to the end of the MF Radiotelegraphy,
> onboard Ships and Coast Stations I can say that those radios have no
aerial
> connected :-). Surely my opinion will be hold by any other Radio Officer
in
> the list. (please, please do it!)
>
> But, curiously, I can remember myself in the Spanish Navy thinking why no
> 500 kc/s signals were listened. I had had 3 years on board merchant ships
> before being called for my, then conpulsory, duty in military service so I
> knew very well the 500 kc/s freq.
>
> At the begining of the 70's, the distress frequency was so crowded that
sent
> QRT SP was a must during the silent periods, and not only shore to ship!.
>
> Tele (short name in Spain for Radiotelegrafista, then Telegrafista and
> Tele), Marconista if Italian, Spark in the movies.
>
> What other nicknames are?
>
> Miss the missing 500 kc/s
>
> Miguel Bravo
> Cartagena Spain
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jerry Kincade" <[email protected]>
> To: "Miguel Bravo" <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>;
> <[email protected]>
> Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2003 2:37 AM
> Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] Tuning assembly
>
>
> > Back around 1960, the Navy modernized it's shipboard radio shack with
> > R-390's, CV-591A/URR's, AN/WRR-2's etc. But they still needed an LF
> receiver
> > that would cover 500 kc for maritime distress requirements, plus be
> > available for LF tactical freqs. The AN/WRR-3's were the answer. The
LF/MF
> > transmitter that matched up with it was the AN/WRT-1. HF transmit was
> > covered by the AN/WRT-2's and AN/URC-32's. We had one pair of LF rigs
> > (AN/WRR-3 and AN/WRT-1), and I think they sat on 500 kc the entire four
> > years I was aboard my first ship. I suppose when they were scrapped they
> > were still tuned up on 500 kc. In the entire time I never heard a signal
> on
> > the receiver, although I suppose there might have been some. They were
> very
> > deluxe and impressive looking receivers, much like the AN/WRR-2's, and
I'm
> > sure cost the taxpayers a bundle.
> > 73 Jerry W5KP
> >
>
>
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