[Qcwa] For Who ever asked!

[Norm Gertz]

Hi Joe.......in 1996 while MARS was still running CW nets I can assure you
that the military had long since stopped using CW......the fast moving
battlefield dictated faster modes.  I know because I did not retire from the
Marine Corps until 1975 and CW was history even then.

All services had closed down their radio operators CW training.  All that
remained was a consolidated school at Fort Devens Mass which trained CW
operators for the signal intelligence outfits.......this school stilll
remains but is now in Arizona....Fort Huachuca.

"   I bet you didnt get in
any sea duty as a WD RO did ya??  USATS or whatever. "

Nope....sorry.....I enlisted in the Marine Corps and  was in four operations
winding up on an island called Iwo Jima..

73     Norm     K1AA

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joseph Fenn" <jfenn@lava.net>
To: <qcwa@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, December 03, 2003 7:29 PM
Subject: Re: [Qcwa] For Who ever asked!


> Well I guess we agree to disagree (grin)!!!
> MARS was still using CW and had many CW nets as late as 1996.
> That was year all MARS activity on MARS freqcys was banned.
> I was NCS at the time of our Oahu CW MARS net on Sunday evenings
> which was my most enjoyable net for sure.  The FCC inspector here
> was also a regular on that net.  Also other OT's that went back
> way back to AARS in the late 1920's.   My certificate for copying
> the final WAR CW bdcast carries the date of Sep 30 1996 and copied
> their 35 wpm solid that day.  Believe it was on 6996 or 6997.
> So your statement that MARS and military quit cw way back before
> that date is way off.  Maybe Military did I dont know but MARS had nets
> going in every CONUS region.  BTW the FCC inspector quit MARS
> that same date.   Yes I know your an old WD RO like me as we
> have talked many times before about that.  I bet you didnt get in
> any sea duty as a WD RO did ya??  USATS or whatever.  I was on
> the "Col George H. Penrose" (better known as Vanderbilts
> steam yacht FLORIDA) before he donated it to the Quartermaster
> Corps and USATS.  Only about 1 year on that and was one of only
> 2 GI's aboard.  Skipper, 1st Mate, Engineer and all rest of
> crew were Civil Service employees.   Great way to fight a war.
> Had only one slightly scary experience,  in 1940 before US
> had finally declared WAR,  A U-Boat trailed us for one day and
> night with his periscope up.   We assume it was a NAZI boat
> and he did'nt want to waste and expensive torpedo on such
> a skinny little boat like ours.
>                            Joe
>
>
>
> ****************************************************
> * Ham KH6JF AARS/MARS ABM6JF QCWA WW2 VET WD RADIO *
> ****************************************************
>
>
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