[QCWA] Tape downfall

[Norm Gertz]

Memories of Pearl Harbor.....they had a signal light tower there which could 
communicate by blinker to at least six ships at the same time.....after 
sundown the blinking that went on between ships and "H1" lit up the sky and 
was good entertainment for a ham like me who stood at the rail and read the 
mail.

73   Norm   K1AA


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "B Roske" <broske at hutchtel.net>
To: "Discussion of QCWA" <qcwa at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2006 1:04 AM
Subject: Re: [QCWA] Tape downfall


> Hi Joe,
>
> I spent enough time on the Signal Bridge to know that reading light was a 
> horse of a different color.  Don't remember how fast I could read it, 
> never checked, but not near as fast as I could copy a radio signal.
> I knew an SM1 that could read light so fast  it looked like a solid beam, 
> at least it did to me.
>
> 73,
> Bob N0UF
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Joseph Fenn" <jfenn at lava.net>
> To: "Discussion of QCWA" <qcwa at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 11:45 PM
> Subject: Re: [QCWA] Tape downfall
>
>
>> Bob,
>> I was in GITMO in 1941 for several days on the USAT
>> Col Penrose.   It use to be the steam yacht Florida
>> before Vanderbilt donated it to the ATS.
>> We had to go into GITMO for serveral days as the Master
>> almost capsized just north of Cuba.  We sent a msg to WAR
>> about the thing and advised them that the Master refuses
>> to take the ship to sea unless they poured some cement
>> balast in the keel.  I and oneother RO were the only 2
>> GI's on the ship.  Rest of crew were all Civil Service.
>> We sent our msg out via radio to WAR just prior to entering
>> the harbor.  After about 3 days of sittin behind the Radio
>> Shack on upper deck and listening to The Dorsey bros and
>> Sinatra,  one night suddenly we were blinded by the Tower
>> light flashing in our face.   After several mins Charlie
>> and I recognized that they were keying CW with the light.
>> We had no idea what to do about it so went and asked that
>> ships Master whats going on.  He just reached in a drawer
>> and pulled out a hand key with a cable attached to it.
>> WE pushed the key down and the lights on the forward mast
>> went on.  So Charlie (the other RO) W4GAT said ok who wants
>> to read the stuff so and which of us is gonna type it out.
>> I said ok I'll read you type.   The msg was originated at
>> WAR and said in essence that we were cleared to sail out
>> the next morning and the ballast was finished.
>> Funniest part was getting the ball rolling.  I started
>> reading the code out but the light paused and repeated
>> the same stuff over and over.  Finally the guy at the lighthouse
>> said in blinker  "please send me a long dash for each word you
>> copied ok".  After that things went smooth as butter.
>>                        Joe
>>
>>
>> **********************************************************
>> * Ham KH6JF AARS/MARS ABM6JF QCWA WW2 VET WD RADIO SYSTEM*
>> * Army MARS PRECEDED by AARS (Army Amateur Radio System) * *       Hi 
>> State ARMY MARS COORDINATOR                   *
>> **********************************************************
>>
>>
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> QCWA mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/qcwa
>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.html
>> Post: mailto:QCWA at mailman.qth.net
>>
>>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> QCWA mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/qcwa
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.html
> Post: mailto:QCWA at mailman.qth.net