"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 20 Oct 2006 03:59:26 GMT, "Calif Bill"
wrote:


"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
. ..
On Thu, 19 Oct 2006 21:34:46 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:


"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
m...

On Thu, 19 Oct 2006 21:01:14 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:



Mrs.E.'s GB has an Icom IC700 or 710 (can't remember which one) that
has
the
marine freqs plus all the HF ham freqs. Next summer I'll set up the
antenna
again (taken down during the boat refurbishment) and see if I can
figure
it
out.

Wayne has a IC700 I think. Nice radio.

Hey, listen around enough you might even get the bug - who knows. :)

Listen? :-)

I learned code back in the Navy. It wasn't used much anymore, but we
still
had to learn it. To pass the course we had to do 20 wpm minimum with no
more than 1 or two mistakes IIRC. I passed with 35 wpm.
Right now I doubt I could do the alphabet in 10 minutes and would still
need
a book.

It's funny - I learned as a kid and I don't think there was ever a
time that I couldn't keep up at 20 wpm. My mother was a USCG radio
operator during WWII and up until the day she kind of faded away, she
could copy solid at 30 wpm - it's was pretty amazing.

A lot of people don't know this, but learning the code, you've passed
the test. When you learn the code, it's actually at 5 wpm, a little
closer to 7 wpm actually.

Funny thing about code. When the USCG finally put code to bed and out
of service, they had this big ceremony out where the old Marconi
station was on the Cape - whole big last transmission - Auld Lang Syne
- never more to be used - I have a copy of the last transmission and
a certificate from the USCG about the last transmission (you had to
copy it and send in the transcript) - big deal - historical, blah,
blah, blah. Ten minutes later, USCG signed off with SK and that was
that.

In theory.

Half hour later, SOS from a freighter off the coast of Alaska and
rescue operations coordinated.

In Morse. :)

The ground nav aids for aircraft sent their ID in morse, and the pilots
were
expected to copy 5 wpm. We sent at, I think, 3 wpm. I just looked at the
tabs in the equipment to see if we sent the proper codes. This was for
TACAN, LORAN, ILS systems. This was 1965 and I expect they still use
morse
to ID.

I don't know if this is still necessary, but it used to be that AM
radio stations used to use CW under their signals for ID purposes. It
was also a requirement for radio location for AM anyway.

I know when I was a kid, we used to use a small AM radio to radio
locate WESX in Salem, one in Beverly (which doesn't exist anymore) and
WBZ in Boston. You could get a pretty solid fix on your position
doing that. You would fix north, then compare the signal bearing from
WESX, Beverly and WBZ. Head for the station. :)

Eventually, my Dad purchased one of those Zenith portable radios with
the swing antenna with a compass rose - you'd fix North, then sweep
for a bearing on the AM signal. That thing would put you in a box 100
yards by 100 yards.

Ah - those were the days. Navigating by the seat of your pants.

Nothing like it.

----------------
Disclaimer: This is a boating post and applies to boaters. It is not
intended to provoke, annoy, irritate, bother, aggravate, anger,incite,
inflame, infuriate or create controversy resulting in unacceptable
behavior on the part of other posters nor is it intended to generate
political commentary or off-topic debate.

We used a portable radio with the bar antenna on it, that we rotated the
radio to get the best signals from different San Francisco and Oakland radio
stations to find the Golden Gate Bridge entrance to SF Bay. We never failed
to return home, so was a valid system.