Subject: glowbugs V1 #156
glowbugs Thursday, November 13 1997 Volume 01 : Number 156
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 1997 13:25:35 -0800
From: "Frank A. West" <ke6vhm@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: On bad fists...
WOW ! That will always make me think. I am still trying to get the speed
up for my next Lic class ( GEN ). I have (in the past) skipped an op that
was sending HARD TO READ code (won't call it bad code again) for someone
that was sending very well. After this response I will try and work those
that are having trouble.
TTFN 73 Frank KE6VHM
Grid Square DM13
Woodcrest, CA
CW Forever
- ----------
> From: Dave <nyet@ix.netcom.com>
> Subject: On bad fists...
> Just my 2 cents...
>
> A while back I called CQ on 40 meters and a fellow in
> California with a strong signal came back to me. He had an AWFUL fist,
but I
> gave it my very best shot and got most of what he sent, and
> asked him to repeat the rest. We worked at this for almost an
> hour, and I never mentioned his terrible sending (dits and dahs of
> almost the same length, and space between words and letters the
> same). We actually chatted about alot of things. We parted ways,
> and as always I sent a QSL.
>
> When his card arrived, a short note was attached written in a very
> difficult-to-read hand. He expressed his gratitude at my willingness
> to carry on a QSO, and that since his stroke, he had had almost no
> CW QSO's - most ended in minutes with 'QRM bad hr OM - best of 73's'.
> He felt like now he could still enjoy his hobby, and my hour long QSO
gave
> him the encouragement he needed to keep on trying.
>
> I kept that letter, which I received when I was 14 years old, back in my
novice
> days in 1975 as WN7AWK. I recall it every time I hear a bad fist
> on the air...
>
> There but for the Grace of God go we.
>
>
> Take care and 73
>
>
> Dave WB7AWK
> Tacoma, WA
>
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 1997 19:00:18 -0500 (EST)
From: EWoodman@aol.com
Subject: 500Kcs
What's the story on 500Kcs these days? Is there still traffic and the Coast
Guard has just stopped monitoring it for distress signals or has the traffic
moved somewhere else? I'd like to listen in but am not at all familiar with
how this freq is used. I have a receiver that will tune down there and a long
wire antenna (but not THAT long) and would be curious to see if I can hear
anything. So far no luck. I have copied Globe Wireless' station WCC out of
Chatham but that's up on 4331kcs.
73 Eric KA1YRV
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 00:51:35 +0000
From: Sandy W5TVW <ebjr@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: 500Kcs
At 12:00 AM 11/13/97 +0000, you wrote:
>What's the story on 500Kcs these days? Is there still traffic and the Coast
>Guard has just stopped monitoring it for distress signals or has the traffic
>moved somewhere else? I'd like to listen in but am not at all familiar with
>how this freq is used. I have a receiver that will tune down there and a long
>wire antenna (but not THAT long) and would be curious to see if I can hear
>anything. So far no luck. I have copied Globe Wireless' station WCC out of
>Chatham but that's up on 4331kcs.
>
>73 Eric KA1YRV
>
500 Khz. or "600 meters", having been the maritime calling and distress
frequency for 'eons', will officially be "dead" in 1999. The Coast Guard
has discontinued the use of CW a few years ago, opting for HF "SITOR" Telex and
SSB radiotelephone. Coast stations have been shutting down pretty
regularly. ITU (International Telecommunications Union....something like
a United Nations for radio communications) has adopted GMDSS
(Global Marine Distress & Safety System) to replace the old radio officer
operated manual CW and SSB maritime station. The new system uses digital
coded data distress channels on HF and VHF. Also satellite terminals have
pretty well taken over on shipboard, being capable of operation by ship's
officers not trained in the use of HF CW/SSB radio.
So basically, the Amateur Radio Services worldwide, will be the
remaining
carriers of the torch for Manual CW telegraphy, the thing that started it
all off!
You will see ALL the maritime CW operations dwindle quickly in the next year or
two!
It will be VERY imcumbent on the Amateur community to preserve perhaps
the simplest and one of the most effective ways to "communicate" via radio.
There will be, in the very near future, many moves to liberalize the Amateur HF
operations, and ultimately completely phase out or even "ban" any CW manual
telegraph operation, thereby eliminating ANY requirement for "code"
requirements. This would be very sad news to the "old timer" and "boat anchor"
affectionados, as well as the CW QRP fraternity.
We started it years ago gang! It is about to come "full circle" by
the turn of the
century. It will be up to us to preserve "CW only" segments in our HF bands
in the future. No kidding.
73 and ZUT,
E. V. Sandy Blaize, W5TVW
"Boat Anchors collected, restored, repaired, traded and used!"
417 Ridgewood Drive
Metairie, LA., 70001
**860 Hartley 'ECO' under construction****
*** Looking for a TRC-10 transceiver ******
*** looking for an RAL receiver ***********
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 04:25:21 -0800 (PST)
From: Hy Chantz <chantz@well.com>
Subject: Re: 500 Kcs
There are some REAL chops on this freq who can answer, but my limited
understanding is that the US Coast Guard has announced that they will now
longer listen or pass traffic on this frequency, although other
organizations and ships may still be using it.
I happened to take a peek into the radio room of a Norwegian cruise ship
last week, and they still seemed to be monitoring it. (With nice rigs, Dansk
5001 receivers)
Basically, I believe that by international treaty, all "required" use of 500
Kcs will be eliminated in the next few years - the modes of choice will be
via satellite GMDSS and/or 2182 USB.
(Folks who REALLY know, please correct me!)
Regards,
W2HY Hy
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 11:55:46 -0500 (EST)
From: rdkeys@csemail.cropsci.ncsu.edu
Subject: Re: 500Kcs
>
> What's the story on 500Kcs these days? Is there still traffic and the Coast
> Guard has just stopped monitoring it for distress signals or has the traffic
> moved somewhere else? I'd like to listen in but am not at all familiar with
> how this freq is used. I have a receiver that will tune down there and a long
> wire antenna (but not THAT long) and would be curious to see if I can hear
> anything. So far no luck. I have copied Globe Wireless' station WCC out of
> Chatham but that's up on 4331kcs.
>
> 73 Eric KA1YRV
>
A true regenerative receiver will do quite well there. They were the
standard receiver on the 600M waves until the 70's and beyond.
Listen at H+0, H+18, H+20, H+25, H+48, H+50, or H+55 for call tape headers
to traffic lists and wx bulletins. There are nightly wx bulletins at
0355Z from WNU or WCC (forget which right off....WNU I think). The
call tape header will sign on on 500KHZ and then QSY to the working QRG.
The best that I can hear anymore are 434, 436, 454, 472, 476, and 478 KHZ.
Although the chances of hearing a safety, urgency, or distress call on
H+18 or H+48 are mostly nil, there might be some foreign stations that
will run them, particularly the Cubans and the Russians, and some of
the South Americans.
>From the middle of North Carolina, using my old marine regenerative rx
or the RAL, I can easily hear the west coast stations, gulf coast stations,
atlantic seaboard stations, the Bahamas, England, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland,
and a few others (Hxx calls that I can't find out where they are), reliably.
They come in best around 11pm-3am locally.
This will be one of the last seasons that you will hear much of anything
on the ol' 600M waves. Best listen in while you can, before the ether
goes silent, forever.....
73/ZUT DE NA4G/Bob UP
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 12:28:36 -0500 (EST)
From: rdkeys@csemail.cropsci.ncsu.edu
Subject: 1802R500 and 1995R000 were open last nite
Sandy/W5TVW, Dale/AD4YH, and I did some testing on 1802R500 and 1995R000
and the band was open to LA from NC, quite well. Sandy was a 459 to a 559
on my end. Sounds like some of the crew needs to test the waters on the
200 meters and down QRG.
73/ZUT DE NA4G/Bob UP
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 13:34:12 -0400
From: "Brian Carling" <bry@mnsinc.com>
Subject: Re: 500Kcs
Hey Eric - maybe some of us should petition the FCC to get this
re-allocated as a single-frequency ham "band" since th shipping/coast
guard folkfs don't seem to want it any more, he he!
Bry, AF4K
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 19:50:22 +0000
From: Sandy W5TVW <ebjr@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: 1802R500 and 1995R000 were open last nite
At 05:28 PM 11/13/97 +0000, you wrote:
>Sandy/W5TVW, Dale/AD4YH, and I did some testing on 1802R500 and 1995R000
>and the band was open to LA from NC, quite well. Sandy was a 459 to a 559
>on my end. Sounds like some of the crew needs to test the waters on the
>200 meters and down QRG.
>
>73/ZUT DE NA4G/Bob UP
>
>
Bob beat me to this! I was only running 40 watts out to a quarter wave
"ELL" antenna worked against ground. My aerial current was about 1.6 amps
last night. Come on in guys, the water's fine!
73,
E. V. Sandy Blaize, W5TVW
"Boat Anchors collected, restored, repaired, traded and used!"
417 Ridgewood Drive
Metairie, LA., 70001
**860 Hartley 'ECO' under construction****
*** Looking for a TRC-10 transceiver ******
*** looking for an RAL receiver ***********
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 19:50:18 +0000
From: Sandy W5TVW <ebjr@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: Re: 500Kcs
At 04:55 PM 11/13/97 +0000, you wrote:
>This will be one of the last seasons that you will hear much of anything
>on the ol' 600M waves. Best listen in while you can, before the ether
>goes silent, forever.....
>
>73/ZUT DE NA4G/Bob UP
>
>
The "SHIP" QRG's are: 410, 425, 454, 468, 480, 500 and 512 Khz.
Generally 410 isn't used, 500 is for distress and calling only, and 512
is a "backup" for 500 khz. (more or less) The coastal stations are
on different frequencies. Anyone interested in specific ones, let
me know and I'll look them up in my ITU index and give them out.
There really isn't very much traffic down there anymore (pity).
Listen to old BA Bob, as this winter and next will be that LAST
as I'm sure by then, all the coastal stations will be QRT on the
"MF" band of 400-525 Khz.
73,
E. V. Sandy Blaize, W5TVW
"Boat Anchors collected, restored, repaired, traded and used!"
417 Ridgewood Drive
Metairie, LA., 70001
**860 Hartley 'ECO' under construction****
*** Looking for a TRC-10 transceiver ******
*** looking for an RAL receiver ***********
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 16:01:31 -0500 (EST)
From: rdkeys@csemail.cropsci.ncsu.edu
Subject: Re: 500Kcs
>
> Hey Eric - maybe some of us should petition the FCC to get this
> re-allocated as a single-frequency ham "band" since th shipping/coast
> guard folkfs don't seem to want it any more, he he!
>
> Bry, AF4K
Neat idea, but they still use it for digital sitor broadcasts of the
weather bulletins, etc., and may for a long time still as part of the
GMDSS. Listen in on 510, 512, or 518 khz.
......neat idea tho, and I would be in favor of a 600-700M ham band.
Harmonic attenuation would be a bear, requiring 70db or more, probably,
to get out of the hair of the broadcasters.
Regenerators reign supreme down in those ``short waves''.
Bob/NA4G
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 10:00:25 -1000
From: Jeffrey Herman <jeffreyh@hawaii.edu>
Subject: Re: 500Kcs (fwd)
- -------------------------------------------
Hey Eric - maybe some of us should petition the FCC to get this
re-allocated as a single-frequency ham "band" since th shipping/coast
guard folkfs don't seem to want it any more, he he!
Bry, AF4K
- ----------------------------------------------
That's exactly what I intended to do, but Bob Keys said the band
that includes 500 will still be in use for certain maritime applications.
73,
Jeff KH2PZ (former 500kc op at Coast Guard Honolulu Radio: NMO)
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 16:04:49 -0600 (CST)
From: Bob Roehrig <broehrig@admin.aurora.edu>
Subject: Re: 500Kcs
On Thu, 13 Nov 1997 rdkeys@csemail.cropsci.ncsu.edu wrote:
> ......neat idea tho, and I would be in favor of a 600-700M ham band.
I think everyone would like to see that. Seems to me at one of the
recent WARC shindigs that here was an attempt to get an additional
ham band in the 160-190KC area but it didn't get anywhere. Although,
if a certain freq range is allocated to the "fixed" services, can't
the individual country assign it for amateur use? Don't our ham friends
in G.B. have some kind of small spectrum in that range allocated to them
now in fact?
> Harmonic attenuation would be a bear, requiring 70db or more, probably,
> to get out of the hair of the broadcasters.
Believe 2nd harmonics (all spurs) must be down 40dB. Anyway, who listens
to AM BC :-)
UFO's are real! (It's the Air Force that does not exist)
E-mail broehrig@admin.aurora.edu 73 de Bob, K9EUI
CIS: Data / Telecom Aurora University, Aurora, IL
630-844-4898 Fax 630-844-5530
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 18:29:29 -0500 (EST)
From: rdkeys@csemail.cropsci.ncsu.edu
Subject: Re: 500Kcs (fwd)
> -------------------------------------------
> Hey Eric - maybe some of us should petition the FCC to get this
> re-allocated as a single-frequency ham "band" since th shipping/coast
> guard folkfs don't seem to want it any more, he he!
>
> Bry, AF4K
> ----------------------------------------------
>
> That's exactly what I intended to do, but Bob Keys said the band
> that includes 500 will still be in use for certain maritime applications.
> 73,
> Jeff KH2PZ (former 500kc op at Coast Guard Honolulu Radio: NMO)
The title 47 CFR Part 80 has the scoop on it, and I think 47CFR2 or
something like that has tables of the frequencies. The USCG websites
should have the schedules of the navtex bcsts on 500-520 khz. Point
the webscrapers at http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/index.html for
starters on the CFR. The frequency tables are well worth having, as
are the amateur part 97, and the marine part 80.
I have waylaid the USCG urls, unfortunately (anyone have them).
After the airways bands retire maybe we can get the 200-400 khz band?
Nice thought though......
Bob/NA4G
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 18:35:48 -0500 (EST)
From: rdkeys@csemail.cropsci.ncsu.edu
Subject: Re: 500Kcs
> On Thu, 13 Nov 1997 rdkeys@csemail.cropsci.ncsu.edu wrote:
>
> > ......neat idea tho, and I would be in favor of a 600-700M ham band.
>
> I think everyone would like to see that. Seems to me at one of the
> recent WARC shindigs that here was an attempt to get an additional
> ham band in the 160-190KC area but it didn't get anywhere. Although,
> if a certain freq range is allocated to the "fixed" services, can't
> the individual country assign it for amateur use? Don't our ham friends
> in G.B. have some kind of small spectrum in that range allocated to them
> now in fact?
I was thinking I heard that, but can't offhand remember where. 1 watt
Hartleys and regennies on 175khz ..... hmmmmm.....(:+}}.....
> > Harmonic attenuation would be a bear, requiring 70db or more, probably,
> > to get out of the hair of the broadcasters.
>
> Believe 2nd harmonics (all spurs) must be down 40dB. Anyway, who listens
> to AM BC :-)
40dB would make the grouchy neighbors holler. Realistically, 60 or 70db
would probably be required. But, it should be easily attainable at those
frequencies. Yer Hartley does that, right?
Bob/NA4G
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 13:33:21 -1000
From: Jeffrey Herman <jeffreyh@hawaii.edu>
Subject: Re: 500Kcs (fwd)
- -------------------------------------------------------------------
The "SHIP" QRG's are: 410, 425, 454, 468, 480, 500 and 512 Khz.
Generally 410 isn't used, 500 is for distress and calling only, and 512
is a "backup" for 500 khz. (more or less) The coastal stations are
on different frequencies. Anyone interested in specific ones, let
me know and I'll look them up in my ITU index and give them out.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------
512 kc was the only freq'y (besides 500) which both shore and ship
stations had in common ("simplex"). When 500 was under an extended
Silent Period (say due to distress comms), 512 became the calling
freq'y for everyone not participating in the distress.
Regarding Bob's wish that 200-400 kc be given to hams - If the NTIA
can convince Congress and the ITU, we might be getting 160-190 kc
as a new ham band (currently it's a Part 15 "experimenters' band").
If we do eventually get that band, whatcha guys gonna use for xmtrs
and "skyhooks"?
73 from Hawaii,
Jeff KH2PZ / KH6 (former 500kc "paid" CW op!)
End of glowbugs V1 #156
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