[SMCARA] NSS Annapolis

Wed Apr 22 18:49:51 EDT 2020

Bad memory cells!  It was the KL-7/47. The KW-7s came after we got the 
SHIPALT to our comm spaces. The early ones had a nightmarish patch panel 
with many jumpers to set the code.

Tom

On 4/22/2020 5:25 AM, JD Delancy wrote:
> Nice tale, Tom.  In my younger days, in the 60's, I too work with 
> those "mechanical crypto machine" but I remember them being 
> nomenclatured KL-7s and KL-47s.  The KW-7s were the ones used 
> predominately on HF circuits.  They were something else to work with, 
> especially on shaky HF circuits
>
>      jd
>
> On 4/21/20 10:55 PM, Tom Clarke wrote:
>> Hi Chris,
>>
>> Interesting Story.  NSS was a famous Navy Radio Station and was often 
>> used for code practice by hams, since all comms were encrypted into 5 
>> letter groups and transmitted on CW. (NRK NRK NRK DE NSS NSS NSS - 
>> that's for you Sam!) I listened to it as a kid growing up in CT 
>> (K1AST), struggling to get my CW speed up for General.  We also set 
>> our clocks using the WWV, Time Signal which was in Arlington Va 
>> before moving to Colorado!
>>
>> After I joined the Navy, as a ham. I used to hang out in the radio 
>> shack on the ship.  The Radioman (RM) would copy the Fleet Broadcast 
>> from NSS at Annapolis on CW and they would give me, as the junior 
>> Ensign on the ship, the encrypted traffic to decode. The old KW-7 
>> mechanical crypto machine was loud, cranky, needed lots of oil, and 
>> TLC, but such was the life of a "Blackshoe" Ensign (O-1) in the 60s!
>>
>> The RMs were amazing as they could copy 30-35 WPM on a typewriter and 
>> have a conversation at  the same time! I would come up to his 
>> receiving position and wait for his nod. Then I would ask the 
>> question or let him know what he needed to know and he would not miss 
>> a single group on the typewriter (mill). This was all on HF and LF. 
>> Our ship was later equipped with Radio Teletype for comms, but the 
>> RMs still copied the Fleet Bcst for practice.  Eventually SatCom took 
>> over the traffic handling and Morse became a dying art.
>>
>> Being on a ship was fun (at times! ), but I got tired of going 
>> everywhere at 12 Knots, so off  I went to Pensacola and got my wings. 
>> All our our long range communications were on HF. Primarily RATT or 
>> RTTY (Radio Teletype, but with voice and CW as backup. When we 
>> started getting the new P-3C Orions, the CW keys were gone! The 
>> little cubby hole at the comm station was still there, but no key! 
>> The new P-8 replacement for the P-3 only has one HF and all comms are 
>> via satellite, except for local and some overwater long range air 
>> traffic control. They don't even carry an RM, as the Comm duties are 
>> done by the Navigator. The Nav duties are handled by the computer now!
>>
>> After I retired here, I got into Packet (before internet!) and we had 
>> quite a network, all at 1200 Baud! Bob Bruninga, WB4APR, the 
>> developer of APRS,  had a magnificent  digipeater on one of those 300 
>> foot historical towers.  Through a foul-up the tower with the digi on 
>> it was demolished instead of one with no antennas! No more wide 
>> coverage digi! There was another tall digi (called a Node) up at 
>> Andrews AFB that had 6 or 8 different frequencies and if you came in 
>> on 145.01 for instance, it would repeat the packet on 2 meters, 6 
>> meters, 220, 440, etc. We had a digi here at Pax that allowed us to 
>> access any of the bulletin boards up in DC or Balto.  Along came the 
>> internet at 19,500 baud or so and "so long" packet. There were also 
>> DX Clusters on packet that moved quickly to the internet.  About the 
>> only packet anymore is APRS on 144.39.
>>
>> That big antenna array with the 1200foot  center tower was for the 
>> VLF transmitter, which also served as station in Omega Navigation 
>> System. There are several larger and higher power VLF stations around 
>> the world and Annapolis became redundant. We used to use it for 
>> TACAMO testing here at Pax, but when it was decommissioned, we had to 
>> go to Hawaii or Spain for our VLF testing. Darn the bad luck!
>>
>> Time marches on!
>>
>> 73 Tom W4OKW, ex K1AST, WA4DGM,(TN), W4OKW (FL), EA7BXP (Spain) Used 
>> change callsigns when you moved, but no longer.
>>
>>> A sailing friend who runs tours out of Annapolis is often asked 
>>> about the 3 remaining radio towers near the Naval Academy.  Here is 
>>> a great video she found on the history of the installation and some 
>>> detail on naval communication and VLF submarine communication (21.4 
>>> kHz).  At the end is the way to get rid of a tower if you no longer 
>>> need it!
>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=jWuJ6DB9drw&feature=youtu.be
>>>   Hope you enjoy it!
>>>
>>>
>>> Christopher Olson
>>> Sent from my iPhone
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