[Milsurplus] TBW A1 v. A2

[mikea]

On Tue, Feb 07, 2006 at 09:45:01AM -0500, C Whitaker wrote:
> de WB2CPN       South Central Pennsylvania    
> 
> Re A2:  Code could be sent to towers, airways stations,
> home base, DF, etc, if the mic circuitry didn't work.  These
> operators were taught 5 wpm by light gun and tone.  In some
> airplanes the mic circuitry included a lot of other equipment.
> (Light guns were called "Biscuit Guns"?  Why?)  

Big cylinder with handle looked like it might be used to cut biscuits
out of dough for baking. 

> Re Chirp:  Modern day CW operators wouldn't know this, but
> it's easier to copy a station with the right kind of a chirp.
> The receiver is tuned so that the audio freq decreases on
> a dash.  Not much noticeable on a dot.  Chirps gave a
> transmitter its own personal characteristic.  Someone should
> design a CW monitor that had a built-in chirp.

That would be interesting, but it would either make a TBW sound 
really chirpy indeed or totally chirpless, depending on which side
the RX was tuned to.

I like a little chirp; it gives a signal some character. But there's 
a limit. 

-- 
Mike Andrews, W5EGO
mikea at mikea.ath.cx
Tired old sysadmin