[Milsurplus] Re: Ricebox hams on WW2 warships...

[Military1944 at aol.com]

In a message dated 29/10/2007 11:22:27 GMT Standard Time,  arc5 at ix.netcom.com 
writes:

I  decided I would not participate.
I feel for me to do so would be
false  and disrespectful to those veterans


----------------------------
 
I hear what your saying Dave but taken to its end conclusion, by your rules  
we really should not even be discussing it via this medium but using paper and 
 fountain pens with real ink.
 
I have done many displays etc where I would have loved to use just vintage  
gear. Truth is, 70 odd years on its not reliable. Sets running to phones cannot 
 be heard by the public. Morse is a dying art and again the public do not  
understand it. The training (laugh) that modern hams get means they cannot hear  
weak AM stations and do not know how to fully drive their modern Japanese box 
to  actually get the best out of it (how many times I hear 'my menus are very 
 complicated on my little lcd screen'). Most vintage sets need a three man 
team  just to operate and maintain, loads of wires, power units, batteries etc 
etc  etc. 
 
So, sometimes, it's a choice between putting on a display or putting a  
station on the air to demonstrate 'radio'. I think the best solution is always,  if 
putting on a 'on-air' station to commemorate military operations is to ensure 
 you have a good 'display' of vintage equipment used during and by the events 
 theme, Army, Navy, Airforce, WW2, Korea etc. That way folk get to see 'real' 
 gear but can experience 'radio' easily. 
 
Military comms were in the main short range. The long distance stuff needs  
BIG transmitters and aerials. At a display it might be hard to get a real good  
aerial out, and trying to use a BIG transmitter is hard enough in the shack 
with  all the tools and bits close to hand but out in the field, portable, 
miles from  home, not easy. Sure you can get the BC611 to talk to the guy at the 
end of the  field with another 611 but punters needs more to keep them amused, 
at least  transcontinental contacts, only achievable using ssb I fear. Hence 
the bit of  modern kit, well hidden behind the BIG set. 
 
Just a thought. 
 
Ben. G4BXD



   
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