Numfier 24 - Summer 1992

orsumagmficat

TieMorse W-[agazine

Comment Contents

the subscription rates for Morsum Magnificatand try to guess what the Post Office will do to

~ur mailing bill in their regularautumn price review.So far as the UK is concerned,they’ve surprised usll by promising no increase in 1992. However, wheth-r that means we can expect one any day after 1

anuary 1993 is not entirely clear. Neither is it clearthether the price-freeze extends to overseas mail.Despite this, we’re taking a chance, and keepingur subscription rates the same for 1992—93. I justope they don’t ‘do the dirty on us’.We sometimes get enquiries from readers about«hen their subscription falls due for renewal. Youray rest assured that we do send out noticeswith thetst issue of your subscription, but you can easilyheck during the year by looking at the address labeln the envelope from any copy of the magazine.The code above your name on the label is in twoarts. The letters are a simple short-hand indicatorrhich tells us what sort of envelope and postage are:quired for each address. The two figures are theumber of the last issue that you’ve currently paidin (At this point, I can hear you all scrabblingtrough your waste—paper bins, trying to find thenvelope this magazine came in!)Finally, a plea When you send us cheques foribscription renewals, books, etc., would you pleasetake them payable to G C Arnold Partners. I knowtat it’s natural to write Morsum Magnificat,but ourusiness account is in the partnershipname, and theew UK Cheques Act can make it difficult to bankheques made out to another name. Thank you forour co-operation!

[T’STHAT TIME OF YEAR when we look at

M4

2 News10 Bookshelf11 SingleNeedle on

the LNER — 216 AmericanTelegraph

InstrumentMakers— 219 Book Review20 More on MobyDick24 Showcase26 The Thin Red Lines30 Radio and RailwayMorse

in Canada32 More on Abbreviations

and Procedures33 MM Back Issues &

in the Next Issue33 Radio Bygones34 Binders for MM34 Readers’ ADs35 AlfredVail —

AnotherView36 Why Famsworth?40 Reflection from

Uncle Bas — 1542 YourLetters48 Poem — Ode to a

WirelessOperator

MvefiisementIndex

9 G-QRPClub38 FISTS39 G4ZPY Keys

NewsMorsecodlans at Alice Springs

THE ANNUAL Canberra/Alice Morsetelegraph circuit was open this year fromSaturday,April 25 to Sunday, May 3, op-erated as usual by membersof the SydneyMorsecodians Fraternity located at theOld Telegraph Station in Alice Springsand the National Science and TechnologyCentre in Canberra.

A brief look at a map of Australiawillshow the enormous distance involved inthis latter—day landline (sounder) circuit,providedby courtesy ofTelecomAustral-ia This year, the Morsecodians offeredthe public ‘free’ telegraphmessages. Spe-cial forms were used for the occasionandthe messages were written out by visitorsin Canberra and transmitted to AliceSprings or written out in Alice and trans-mitted to Canberra, being posted to theirfinal destinationsby mail.

The reaction to this service was over-whelming and unexpected, probably be-cause the word ‘free’ was included in thenotices prominentlydisplayedat each sta-tion. The proximity of Mother’s Day hadalso been overlooked and a lot of peopletook the opportunityto send Mother’s Daygreetings (see example illustrated).

A total of 1007 messages were han-dled during the week, 485 originating inCanberra and 522 in Alice Springs, andthere was a postal allowance at each endfrom the separate administrations. JohnHoulderreports, ‘We blew this in the firstthree days. Fortunatelyeverybodysaw the

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value of the whole exercise so the postalbudget became rather elastic!

‘To give you some idea of the popu-larity of the free messages, I opened upthe line at Canberraon Saturday morning,May 2. This was the “morning after" the“open night” at Alice when the TelegraphStation was thrown open to the towns-people for barbecues, etc., while thoseworking at the station dressed in periodcostumes.

‘After I exchanged pleasantries onthe line, I was informed that they (AliceSprings) had 130 messages on hand fortransmissionto Canberra. This would havebeen a fairly daunting task on a Morsecircuit in the good old days in the PostOffice. We took it in turns, taking aboutforty or so each at this end and we wereclear by l 1.30 am. except for the messag-es that were by now starting to bank upfrom the Saturdaymorning lodgements.

‘The operationcoincidedwith Nation-al Heritage Week in Australia, the themeof which this year was Australian WWIIhistory. It is probably not widely knownto MM readers that Darwin, capital of theNorthern Territory, received about 70bombingraids from the JapaneseAirForceover a period of 18 months, commencingin February 1942.

‘This year was exactly 50 yearsafter the bombing and MorsecodianReg(Curly)Moger obtainedfrom the NationalLibrary in Canberra copies of all the pressstories relating to the bombing in 1942.

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THE NATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CENTRE

ElllCTBlCTl iECllll’ll MES AGE

To ........was A WILLIS‘9 WEMERALD OLD a“HAPPY WTHERS NY LOVE

Transmitted by Morse Code betwemAllceSpi-ingsmdonberra

eALICE SPRINGS TELEGRAPH STATION NT IST MAY 92 @

RAYWND RENE GREG AND KAREN

9-37A JH

Q houdly supported byTelecomand The Morsecodlans Fraternity mElectric telegraphmessage - HappyMothers Day, etc.

)n the evening of Friday, May 1, I re-ransmitted all these stories over the line

0 Alice Springs.In all some 2400 words were trans-

nitted and the press reports were then

lisplayed on notice boards for the public0 read. All in all, it was ourmost success-‘ul year yet and each year in AliceSpringst gets bigger and better and is becomingnore widely known.’

All informationin this report waspro-Iided by John Houlder, Charnwood.ACT,lustralia.

Europe for QRPl\LL LICENSED radio amateurs world-;vide are invited to participatein this year’sEurope for QRP weekend, organised byhe G and OK QRP Clubs (UK andCzechoslovakia) to be held from 1600

JTC on October 2 until 2359 UTC on1 October 1992.

MM4

Mode and frequencies: CW only, on

3.560, 7.030, 14.060, 21.060 and2&0me, all iIOkHz. Power not toexceed 5 watts RF output. Stations unableto measure output should take half theirDC input (e.g. 10W input = 5W output,etc). Call: CQ EU QRP.

Exchanges to be logged: RST, poweroutput and name of operator.

Scoring: Contacts with own countrydo not score. EU stations score 1 point foreach European contact and 3 points forcontacts outside Europe. Stations outsideEurope score 5 points for each contactwith Europe. Final score is the sum of thepoints scored on each band used.

Separate log sheets are required for

each band showing, for each contact,date,time, call,RST, name, andpower receivedand sent. A summary sheet must also beprovided showing call, name and address,claimed score for each band, total claimed

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score,and brief detailsof equipment used.Logs must be sent to P. Doudera

OKlCZ, U1 baterie 1, 16200 Praha 6,Czechoslovakia, by 15 November 1992.Merit certificates will be awarded to thethree leadingstationsfrom each continent.The judges decision is final in case ofdispute.

Informationfrom Gus Taylor G8PG,CommunicationsManager, G-QRP Club.

Russian QRP contestALL AMATEUR STATIONS are in-

vited to participate in this contest whichwill be held from 1500 UTCAugust22 to1500 UTCon 23 August 1992. Call CQRQRP TEST, using 5 watts or less on allQRP frequencies,plus or minus QRM.

Exchanges: RST/serial number/power. Milliwatt stations should use 01for 100mW,02 for 200mW,and so on.

Scoring: Contact with HQ stationRV3GMcounts as 10 points. Russian sta-tions in own continent, 1 point, Russianstationsoutside own continent, 3 points.

Multipliers: EachRussianprefix con-tacted, RAl, RA3, RVl, RV3 and so on,counts as a multiplier on each band. Totalscore is the totalpoints forall bands multi-plied by the total numberof multipliers.

Logs: Separatesheets required for eachband, together with a summary sheetshowing score claimed, station details andname and address of contestant Logs tobe sent to U QRP Club, PO Box 229,Lipetsck, 398043, Russia, within 30 daysof the contest Stationsenclosing a US $1bill will receive a special prize. Leaderswill receive certificates.

Important note: Owing to the recentpolitical changes, stations outside Russiamust only work stations within the Rus-

4

sian Republic in this contest, but eachprefix worked within the Republic willcount as a multiplier.

PleasesupportourRussian friends whoare trying so hard to establishQRP in theircountry despite many difficulties.

From Gus Taylor G8PG, Communi-cationsManager, G-QRP Club.

FOC Late Summer CW 030 PartyALL AMATEURS ARE INVITED tothis party which aims to promotetwo-wayCW activity on all amateur bands. It is nota contest and there is no basic informationto exchange. The idea is simply to chatto each other and non-members workingmemberswill have the opportunity to learna little about the First Class CW Opera-tors’ Club and what it stands for.

The party begins at 00002 on Satur-day September 5 and ends at 2400Z onSunday September 20. The club stationG4FOC will be activated by the Presidentand members of the committee. FOC ac-tivity on the main bands is around25kHz up from the bottom band-edgeandmemberswill make themselves knownby callingCQ FOC during the party.

Logs and reportswill be welcomedbyPeter Miles G3KDB, 151 LeomansleyView, Lichfield, Staffs W813 8AU,England, before the end of October, togauge the levels of activity, propagation,etc. Plaques will be awarded to bothmembers and non-members for thoseworking the greatest number of FOCmembers during this event and to thosewho have contributed to the success ofthe event in any way considered worthyof a prize by the adjudicators.

Informationfrom ChrisPage G43UE,on behalf ofF0C.

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New Samson KeyerHERMANN SAMSONDJZBW, who has)een producing electronic keyers at hisworks in Germany for over 26 years, hasecently released a new iambic memoryceyer, the ETM-9C, containing (by ar-angement with IdiomPress) the samemi-:roprocessor chip and firmware as theCMOS Super Keyer 2 described in QST,\Iovember1990 and the ARRL Handbook{992.

This keyer employs microprocessorechnology and has only four Command)uttons. Some Commands are entered)y using the buttons, but most are simply(eyed in by Morse code via the paddles.

Amongst its many features, the keyerras optionaldot and dash memories; vari-)US other memory facilities, including anemory entry immediate correction facil-ty; nine selectable timing patterns, which:an mimic nine different types of keyer,ncluding Curtis; digital and linear ana-ogue speed control from 6 to 60 wpm,with speed announcement via sidetone;idjustable weight control from 25—75%;)ptional reverse keying for left-handed)perators; auto contestserial numbers, withiwitched decrement facility if contact isrot completed; high speed mode, 500—)90 wpm, for meteor scatter operation;

Samson ETM-QC keyer with integralpaddles

low power consumption, claimed to giveover 12months’operation from three AA-size batteries; and a detailed operatingmanual.

The new keyer has the same paddleassembly as other keyers in the Samsonrange, e.g. the ETM-SCand the ETM—8C,

using point pivot and cup steel bearings,and solid silvercontacts adjustablefor gapand tension. This assembly is also availa-ble separately as the ETM-SQ twin-paddle key mounted on a heavy enam-elled steel base

Two versions of the new keyer are

Samson ETM—QCOG

keyer and ETM-SOtwin—paddle key

5

available, Model ETM-9C with integralpaddlescosts £149.00plus £3.75 post andinsurance; and Model ETM—9COG with-out paddles is £102.00 plus £3.10 postand insurance. The ETM-SQ twin-paddlekey costs £37.00plus £3.75 post, etc.

The sole UK agent, Frank H. WattsG5BM, can arrange for the ETM-9C andETM-9COGto be dispatched direct fromGermany to foreign customers in Europeor elsewhere via airmail (insured) withoutpaymentof Value AddedTax.

Further information about this arrange-ment, and about all Samsonproducts, canbe obtained from him atWoodlandView,BirchesLane, Newent,Glos. GL18 lDN,England.

A1A avallable to MMreadersCLAUDE PASSET 3A2LF publishes anoccasional Morse journal, AIA, in theFrench language, containing much infor-mation of interest to key collectors. IssueNo. 3 (32 pages, A5) has just beenpublished and is available to readers ofMM free of charge except for postagecosts.

To obtain a copy, send two [RCs toClaude Passet, 7 rue de la Turbie,MC-98000Monaco.

Information from Claude Passer,3A2LF.

Nottingham Morse Semlnar for 1993RON WH.SON G4NZU has providedadvance informationthat aMorseseminarwill be held at Sherwood CommunityCentre, Mansfield Road, Nottingham onSaturday, 15 May 1993.

A previous seminar, held in 1989, andreported in MM13, p.34, was extremelywell received by most participants and it

6

has been a matter of great regret to themthat it has not been possible until now toplan a funher seminar.

More details will be published nearerthe date, but in the meantime Ron willwelcomeall ideas and suggestionsregard-ing specific features, etc, which could beprovided as part of the 1993 event, evenif he can’t promise to arrange everythingsuggested!

Please write to him with your ideas at9 Greythom Drive, West Bridgford, Not-tingham,NG2 7GG — and make a note inyour diaries now to reserve the date forwhat promises to be a very enjoyableandinteresting day for all Morse enthusiasts,whatever their abilities.

UCWC Contest 1992ALL LICENSED AMATEURS, andshort-wave listeners, are welcome to takepart in this CW-only contest organisedbythe Intemational Radiotelegraphy MorseClub (UCWC),which is a member of theEuropeanCW Association.

Date and time: 4 October 1992, from0000—0800 UTC. Call: CQ UCWC.Bands: 3.5—28MHz (excluding WARCbands). Mode: CW only. Exchanges:UCWCmembers— RST plus membershipnumber; non-members— RST plus name.

Scoring: Each QSO within samecontinent — 1 point; Each QSO betweendifferent continents — 3 points. SWLsscore 1 point for each loggedQSO, whichmust include calls, numbers, etc., of bothstations.

Multiplier: Each UCWC memberworkedgives one multiplierpoint on eachband. On 3.5 and 7MHz multiply scoringby 2. UCWC members do not qualify formultipliers, score is QSO points only.

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Classes: A — UCWC members; B —

SWL-UCWC members; C — non-mem-bers of UCWC; D — SWLs not membersof UCWC; E — club stations.

Awards: Special memorial cup forwinner of each class; UCWC awards for2nd and 3rd place in each class; Specialmemorial pennants for 1st place in eachDXCC country.

Logs: to be sent ‘th1 November 1992’(presumably that means end ofNovember— Ed), by registered letter to UCWCContest Secretary, UA4YR VladimirMomot, Strelka 23-8, Alatyr, Shuvashia,429800, Russia.

Results: Contestantswishing to receivethe full resultsof the UCWC 1992 contestshould make a note to this effect in theirlogs and enclose one IRC.

UCWC AwardTHE UCWCCONTEST provides a goodopportunity to qualify for the UCWCAward which is available for CW-onlycontacts (all bands) made with UCWCmembers after 1 January 1990. Class 3 isawarded for contacts with 10 members;Class 2 for 25 members; Class 1 for50 members. QSLs from UCWC-SWLmembers are valid for the award.

Applications and fee (DM7; US $5;or 8 lRCs) by registered letter toVladimirStepanenkoUB1RR,PO Pox 28,Chemigov-Postamt250000, Ukraine.

Baby Morse KeyA new key, believed to be the smallest inthe world, has recently been announcedby G4ZPY Paddle Keys International, of41 Mill Dam Lane, Burscough,Ormskirk,Lancs L40 7TG.

The G4ZPY Baby Key has a key arm

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just 25mm (1 inch) long, with fully adjust-able silver contacts and adjustable springtensioner. The key is mounted on a pol-ished Paxolin base measuring 30 x 25 x6mm. (When I went looking for the keyson the G4ZPY stand at the RSGB Conven-tion in Birmingham inMay, I coudn’tfindthem atfirst, they are so tiny! — Ed.)

Although Gordon Crowhurst G4ZPYbelieves it to be the smallest operationalMorse key in the world, the price of theBaby is comparable with that of keys of amore conventional size, as it takes just aslong to make.

Initially, supplies of the Baby are re-stricted, but it is already proving popular,especially with overseas customers ofG4ZPY.

A copy of the new G4ZPY PaddleKeys International colour brochure, withdetails of the Baby Key, can be obtainedby sendinga SASE (UK) or 2 IRCs (overseas) to the above address.

CommemorationDURING WWII Czechoslovak IndependentArmoured Brigade Group was established inGreat Britain. Some of its memberswere trained .

in special paradescent courses. RAF planes(138th Special Tasks Squadron) transported MEBQCDLthem over occupiedCzechoslovakiawhere they

_ _ flew-gm.1921(ngwere dropped.These men performed various tasks, such

as communication, intelligence, organisational,sabotage and terrorist, in the occupied territory.Among them there were 40 radio-telegraphists,12 of whom were killed during the fight againstfascism or were executed.

OK QRPClub decided to commemorate theactivities of these radio—telegraphists during theannual OK/G QRP weekend (see page 3 for

anxezo

'SOZVIZO

1 M," -«,\ MN: 3» - [0 Mn 1.1 ‘53; an“: 3,-5 - 25 mu.1. u - u.“ #5 - u use: : 5.5 - 1.9 ia sus- u; u - m ins-41.1 5 £3 - 41.9 E

I. «,1 - 9,0; 40.1 ~ m 40.!) a“ f «,0 - «u. ‘:. 1,1 - {a

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u.‘

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Mr

unfit

u

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vvsr’LAé §lMANDL:01

Transmitter sectionof one of the Czech—designed sets

8

details). During 1992 a Special eventstationOM5MCP will be active from theQTH of the club station OKlKBS as wellas from some places where parachutistand resistance group radio stations wereactive. On some occasions the originalTX/RX used by the telegraphists will beused (this is a radio station designedand constructedby a Czech constructor inEngland).

QSL for OMSMCP (Memory ofCzechoslovakPara-groups)shouldbe sentvia OKlHR. OKIHR willalso sendacom-memorativecard to all who send logs fromthe OK/GQRPweekend (please include2lRCs to cover costs and postage).

A New Appllcatlon tor the Morse CodeA couple of weeks ago, I was standingwaiting to pay for some purchases in ourlocal B&Q do-it-yourself super—store,when suddenly from the next check-outcame an electronic bleep with the unmis-takable rhythm ‘- ---------- - ’. I

turned in amazement and found that itseemed to be coming from a small blackplastic box beside the till.

The neighbouring check-out was un-manned, and gave the impression of hav-

ing been suddenlyabandoned by its oper-ator, for there were price lists, rubberstamps and pads, etc, still strewn acrossit. Suddenly, a supervisor hurried acrossfrom the office, tidied away all the bitsand pieces, made some adjustment to thetill, and pressed 3 button on the bleepingblack b0x.

The ‘Xs' stopped, and a single, satis-fied ‘OK’ in Morse came from the box,‘ ------ ’ followedby silence.

Obviously it is some sort of securitydevice, but why signal in Morse? DoB&Q workers have to learn the code?The staff were, perhaps naturally, some-what guarded in their response to myenquiries about it at the time.

The development engineer who de—

signed the box obviously knows and usesMorse. In view of the adoption of XXXsas a warning signal, I wonder if he isan ex—seagoing radio officer, for ‘XXX’is a recognised alerting call in the mari-time service indicating that an ‘Urgency’message is about to be transmitted .

Whatever the background to thisstrange happening, it is further proof thatMorse is by no means dead!

G3GSR

G-QRP ClubThe G-QRP Club promotes and encourages lowpower operatingon the amateur bands with activity periods, awards and trophies.Facilities include a quarteriy magazine, Morse training tapes, kits,traders' discounts and a QSL bureau. Novices and SWLs welcome.

Enquiries to Rev. George Dobbs G3RJV, St Aldan's Vicarage,498 Manchester Road, Rochdale, Lancs OL11 3HE. Send alarge s.a.e. or two IRCs.

URTHER EXTRACTS FROMTHE BOOKLET Let’s Send aMessage by the Single Needle,

published in 1943 by the London andNorth Eastern Railway—

gram must have a prefix. There is a com-plete list of the various prefixes in theLNERbook of Instructions relating to theTransmission of Telegraph Messages.(This book should be kept near your in-

strument.) At theThe Parts ofaMessage

Look at the tele-gram fon'n illustrat-ed (Fig. 2.1). Inadditionto the actu-a1 message there is

Single-Needleon the LNER

Part 2

bottom of the list, re-produced here, youwill see ‘DB’, theprefix usedon an or-dinary message. Ifyou are sending a‘DB’ to a station for

a columnat the left-hand side containing letters and figures.This column is for your, the telegraphist’suse.

First there is the prefix. Every tele-

passing on to anoth-er noton yourcircuit, ‘DB’ becomes ‘DL’.The transmitting clerk at the passing-onstationalters the prefix back to ‘DB’ whenhe sends the message on.

p .. LN.E.R. TELEGRIM . ,_ ”anm. __’0_'__é;l9$3 No.

ax”? nonWNut-m. T0 4. JWI ‘ ".@230.“ M (33343449I

. .

1:" .

IS 5 2.4_ W

i andIn From

Tim.

MTim 3?.” Bin-ed 3W‘

Fig. 2.1

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Next there is the code time. This isfully explained under "How to use theTimingCode’.

When counting the number of words(the next part of the message) rememberthat a single character standing on its ownis, for telegraphic purposes, one word. Soalso, is each figure in a number. The firstof the numbers in the specimen messagecounts as six words; the second as fivewords. Thecountingof words is fully dealtwith in the Instructions book mentionedabove.

The portionof the telegram form head-ed ‘Station and Inst. To’ is for a record ofthe callsign of the station to which a mes-sage is telegraphed. If you have a choiceof circuits, the number of the instrumentactually used is in-serted in this space.

The ‘Time’heading of the nextspace refers to thetime the message issent to, and ac-knowledged as re—

ceived correctly by,the other operator.

The spaceheaded ‘CIerk’ isfor the sending op-erator’s initials.

The three spac-es at the foot of thecolumn are usedsimilarly when receiving a message, thetime being that when final acknowledge-ment is sent to the sending station. Attransmitting stations, where a message isreceived on one circuit and sent forwardon another, all the spaceson the left of theform are filled.

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The words above the heavy horizontalline on the message form are the address.Thosebelowthe line are the text, or ‘body’of the message.

The ‘Time’ space at the foot of theform is for the time the message is writtenby the sender, who then signs or initialsthe message for handing in.

How to use the Timing CodeUnder the prefix on the message form

is the code time. This indicates the timethe messagewas actually handed in to thesending Clerk. A message may be writtenby someone a distance from the sendingstation (for example a Locomotive Run-ning foreman), signed by him and timed(at the foot), say, 6.30 pm. Yet by the

time it reaches theclerk at the tele-graph it may be6.40 pm, and thatis the time of hand-ing in.

Returning to thespecimen message(whichwas writtenout at 3 p.m.): thecode time is CAX,which means 3.9pm. Theclock face(Fig. 2.2) is an un-usual one. It hasbeen speciallydrawn to show you

how code time is arrivedat and why CAXmeans 3.9 pm.

Each hour figure from 1 to 12, you see,is representedby one of the letters A to M,excludingJ, which might be confused, inwriting, with I. If a message is handed inexactly on an hour the code time is simply

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the single letter that represents that hour.For instance, 4 o’clock, whether am. orp.m., is just D. Noon or midnight is plainM.

The letters A to M round the clock, aswell as denoting the hours, indicate evenmultiples of five minutes. You know thatD is 4 o’clock. To code 4.5 pm. youwritedown D (for the fourth hour) and add A,which is at the fifth minute. DA, then, is4.5 pm. It follows that DB is 4.10, DC is4.15, and so on.

Refer to the clock face illustrationagain: notice between each hour letter thesmaller letters RSWX. One of these isused when the minute hand of the officeclock, at the time of coding, is betweenany of the two letters in the series A to M.Then you write the hour letter as before,also the last large letter the minute handhas passed and, finally, the letter (R or SorW or X) at which the minute hand nowpoints.

This may sound awfully difficult butactually it is a simple job to code time.Study the following exampleswith the aidof the clock face pictureand see how easyit is:

1.9 AAX 5.27 EES1.10 AB 6.2 FS216 BCR 9.43 IHW3.20 CD 11.50 LK

How to Send a MessageHaving (a) secured the attention of the

receiving station; (b) offered your mes-sage (by sending the prefix); and (c) heardan acknowledgement, you send the mes-sage by repeating the prefix, then givingthe code time, number of words, addressfrom, address to, and finally the body ortext of the message.

9M4

The message on the specimen tele-

gram (Fig. 2.1) would be sent as follows:

Signal ExplanationDB Prefix-ordinarymessageCAX Code time (3.9)

ONE SIX Number of words spelt outwithout Fl before 'one' andFF after 'six'

MARSHAM Address fromT0 Sent but not counted

G Goods Agent (abbreviatedaddress)

IRONVILLE Station to

II End of AddressCHAUCER Codeword meaning

'Following wagons havearrived without labels. Wireconsignee and destination'

Fl Commencementof figuresNINE THREE

TWO NOUGHT Figures speltFOUR SIX

III Full stop (not counted)ONE FIVE

THREE TWO Figures speltEIGHTFF Figures finished

MOSELLE Code word meaning 'Givematter special attention’

SN Message finished

Receivingand Delivering a MessageThe signalled conclusionof a message

is either SN (finished) or SQ (‘that is theend of the message but 1 have another foryou’). The sending operator then pauseswhile the receiver counts the number ofwords and reads quickly through the mes-sage. If a word has been missed (this isrevealed by comparingwith the ‘Numberof Words’ already signalled, its positionmay be obvious because the message aswritten does not otherwise ‘make sense’.

13

Then the receiving clerk, noting thelast word preceding the missing one que—ries ‘after — ?’ Suppose, in the courseof amessage, there are the words tons offorwarded yesterday...’ It seems that be-tween ‘of’ and ‘forwarded’ there shouldbe another word. The receiving clerk sig-nals ‘after of’ , meaning that the word fol-lowing ‘of’ is queried. The sending clerksends ‘wheat’, thus confirming that theword has been missed.

If the number of words counted doesnot agree with the ‘number of words’ al-ready signalled, the sending clerk, uponrequest,checks the whole message by quot-ing the initial of each word or figure.

When satisfied that the message hasbeen correctly received, the receiving op-erator sends ‘RD’ unless there is a furthermessage to take, when he gives ‘T’ or ‘G’,as the case may be.

Needless to add, no time must be lostin delivering the message but the urgencyof one, compared with another, is deter-mined by its prefix.

The Railways’ Telegraphic CodeIn the course of railway business par—

ticular operationsare frequentlyrepeated.Telegrams sent in connection with themsimilarly recur,perhapsmany times in thecourse of a day. Much time is saved anddelays avoided by using code words in-stead of many-worded phrases in com-mon use.

Near each telegraph instrument thereshould be kept a book of Code to be usedin telegrams upon Railway Companies'Business. This contains nearly 800 codewords covering all kinds of railway sub-jects from acceptanceof traffic to wantingofwitnesses to attend apolice court. About

14

330 of the code words are for private useon the LNER but the remainder can befitted into telegrams to other railwaycom-panies.

Always use a codeword if you can — itsaves your time, the otheroperator’s time,and generally helps to speed up telegraphoperation.

At the end of the codebook is a furtherset of private LNER codes for the tele-graphic description of coaching rollingstock, ‘common user’ coaching vehiclesand freight rolling stock. Yet another setof code words is provided for train work-ing in the Scottish Area only.

If you shouldbe handeda wireand thewording could be shortened by the use ofa code word or two, you should ask thesender to do so. All departments are sup-plied with the code book and there shouldbe no difficulty in decoding at the otherend.

AbbreviatedAddressesAnother time—saving idea for use when

sendingtelegramsbetweenLNER stationsis the abbreviation of addresses. A tele-gram for a LocomotiveRunning Superin-tendentis simply addressed‘LR', followedby the name of the station.

When sending a telegram to a smallstation only the station name, or its call-sign, is required in the ‘to’ space, but wherethere are several offices at a large station,telegrams to it require some indication, inthe address, of the person for whom themessage is intended. So this list of abbre-viations is used:

B = BookingOfficeG = GoodsAgentL = LuggageOfficeP = ParcelsOffice

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S = Station Master’sOfficeY = Yardmaster’sOffice.When wiringa large goods station, the

following further initialsare available:A = Goods (Accounts)OfficeF = Goods (Forwarding)OfficeR = Goods (Receiving)Office.

Glance through a copy of the codebook as soon as you can — it’s all in there.

The PrefixesThe priority of amessageis determined

by its prefix. The list below gives a de-scriptionof the variousmessagesand theirorder of importance.1. DM = Danger message.This is used

only in case of accident,or toprevent an accident, andsupersedes all other messageson a circuit. You can interrupta less importantmessagebetween any other two placesthan your own station by‘butting in’ with a ‘DM’.

. MT = Train Report.

. TEQ = Train Enquiry. This prefixrefers only to train enquiriessent as an operatingmatter.

4. TAS = Train Message. For use onmessages about trains inmotion, the running of specialtrains, ordinary trains out ofcourse,reliefof train crews,etc.

5. DS = Telegraph EngineeringMessage. Used only whenabsolutelynecessary in case ofa fault in, or breakdownof,the electrical apparatus.

MN

6. RQ = RepetitionRequired.7. SP = Special Message. For urgent

communicationsonly.

W4

8. CR, SR, SRL, CSR, LR, WR,CWR, SWR, PR, FR =Daily Wagon, Sheet,Coaching Stock, Pillow, Rugand Fmit Reports.

The following three classes are usedonly at stations doingpostal telegram busi-

ness over the wires (at many stations post-al telegramsare phoned to the nearestPostOffice).9. SU = Postal TelegraphUrgent

Service Message.10. SG = Railway Telegraphand Postal

Service Message.11. S = Postal Paid message.

SRP = Postal Reply PaidMessage.SA = Postal Free Pass Message.

SARP = Postal Free Message, ReplyFranked.

Then comes the last on the list, butnevertheless important.12. DB = Ordinary RailwayMessage.

You have already read that when DBhas to be transmitted it is originally sent asDL. Similarlychangedprefixesare sent inthe following cases:

Direct For TransmissionTAS TAXDS DXSP XPSG XGS X

SRP XRPSA XA

SARP XARP.

Extractsfrom the LNER bookletLet’ssend a message by the Single Needle areprinted by kind permission of the BritishRailwaysBoard.

15

ORLD SPEED CHAMPIONfor the reception of radio-telegraph code, Theodore

Roosevelt McElroy started making keysin 1934. Working at home, he brought thevariouspans from the plater and the foun—

dryman togetherand assembled them intohis semi-automatic

ties between successive models and toproperly place them in time. It is not easy.Only afterseveral modificationsdidMcEl-

roy distinguishone by name from its pred-ecessors so the earlier models have beenarbitrarilydesignatedby year name.

The models described (most with il-lustrations) are the

key. These were‘bugs’ in commonparlance, but hegave them a nameto identify the styleand the maker. Hecalled them Mac-Keys although he

Mac-Key Blue BookAn Illustrated guide to the bugs made

by T.R. McElroy

reviewed by Tony Smith

1934, 1935, 1936A(brass plate/alumin-ium plate), 1936B,1936 Special, Jun-ior, 1937 (severalvariations), 1938Aand 19388, 600.500, S-600-PC,

shortly dropped thehyphen from the name. The unusual (butnot unique) T-bar frame style continuedfor six years and the name for two yearsbeyond that. when he ceasedmakingkeysaltogether.Apart from bugs, he also madestraight keys but theseare outsidethe scopeof this present publication.

Tom French’s booklet is writtenfor collectors of Mac-Keys. It is in-tended to show the various modelsmade, the differences and similari-

W4

SbOO—SC, CP-500,500-742 and A-400.

Tom French is performing a valuableservice for key collectors with his everincreasing range of books on specialisedaspects of the subject. In this presentpublication, he hopes that his list is all-inclusive but comments ‘It’s obvious that

Ted McElroy wasn’t satis-fied for long with any of hisdesigns. Few aspects ofthese bugs were safe from

TedMcE/roysfirst'bug' key, bearingthe date 934

continued onpage 23 If

19

HAVE TO OFFER SOMECORRECTIONS to my letter inMM22, p.44, about the rubber-

covered key nicknamed ‘Moby Dick’ inMMI. Contrary to my statement in thatletter, and after looking at the manualfor the US Navy set TBX-Z, I concludethat I reversed the

transmitter valve in earlier TBX modelsis the 837, a 12-volt cathode-typepentodewhich also appeared in Navy suppressor-grid modulatedaircraft transmitters.

The list ofTEX-2components includes‘1 telegraph key (mounted in rubberjacket on special base with cord and

plug attached)’...situation and in factthis key was usedin all TBX modelsbefore the TEX-8and not with theTEX-8 itself which

More on Moby DickbyHugh Miller KA7va

‘Attach the key tothe buttonson topofthe Transmitter-Receiverunit so thatthe top of the setforms an arm rest’.

was the last produc-tion model and significantly different incircuitry from the earliermodelsbased onthe original 1939 design.

Note also that although the eighthcontracted production was the last in theseries this does not necessarily imply thatevery number suffix was in fact produced:a contract may be cancelledand its modelnumber not re-issued. I have never heard,for example,of any TEX-7 in existence.

Boat UseAlso, contrary to the notes in MM22,

the TBX was never intended to befloated to shore, although its very lightmetal cabinet and locking cover did makethat a possibility, and perhaps a valuablefeature. Besides its use as a shore-partyradio, the manualalso refers to its installa-tion in a small one-mast wooden boat ofthe ‘whale-boat’ size class,perhaps a largelifeboat?

The correct number for the TEX-8final is 2E22 (not ZEZZ as stated), a6-volt quick-heatingpentode. The single

20

Thephoto of the keyin MM22 shows the locking mountingholes in the key base. Possibly the re-placementof this key with the metal-boxedmodel of the TEX—8 reflects concernthat the rubber-coveredkey could not beadjustedor have its contactscleanedwith-out destroying the waterproofcover.

Posed PhotosReaders may be interested in the

accompanying location photos. The ‘C0-ordinating disembarkation’ scene, likeso many ‘radio—operating’ photos ofWWII, is a staged piece: the sectioned-mast antenna is leaning against a pipe;the operator’s headset is not plugged in;on the deck beside him is lying the ‘lipmicrophone’ to be worn like a moustachestrapped to the face.

The radio itself is sitting on top of thesame-sized accessory battery box. On topcan be seen ‘Moby Dick’ clamped to theradio. The fellow to the left is pretendingto crank the hand-poweredtransmitter gen-erator. This generator produced 12 and

M124

Coerd/‘nating disembarkationofMarines off Iwo Jima

500V DC and is unlike any other USmilitary design. Rather than standingoff the ground on tripod legs, this one isdesigned to be secured by a ‘U-shaped’mountand tightened to a verticalpost suchas a mast or a palm tree.

The photo shows the generatorclamped to some horizontal piping, butbe assured the fellow could not crank itunder load in this awkward position. Ontop of the radio you may also see thecorrugations used to strengthen the thin

gauge metal cabinet. This is so thin thatevery time the radio is moved one hearsthe cabinet buckle slightly!

No Antenna!The secondphoto, on Roi Island, illus—

trates the radio’s intendedand typical use.The dark lump at the rear of the radio case

W4

§

i2§‘3E:y,

z

is again ‘Moby Dick’. The fellow in themiddle background is, I believe, wearinga TBYVHF-voiceradio in its canvas bag,but without the whip antenna attached.

The last photo, on Okinawa, apparent-ly showsTBXs used as auxiliarycommu-nications receivers. The presence of the'ITY machine in the foreground indicatesthat there was probably better communi—cation equipment elsewhere in the post.The TBXs are seen without keys ormicrophones. What were they monitor-ing? Possibly waming-alen networks?Thiswasa role relegated to simpler,auxil-iary type equipment

The fellow to the left is tuning his'IBX receiver, using his thumbon the edge-wise thumbwheel tuning control. Also I

note that these early TBXs used white-faced panel meters,quiteunusual forNavy

21

22

Supervisors room in CommuniwtionCenter on Okinawa

MMZ4

combat equipment. The TEX-8, perhapsfrom lessons learnedin combat,had black-faced meters.

Sounded GreatAs if this wasn’t enough trivia inspired

by a simple ‘What is it?’ question, letme inflict on you one TBX anecdote ofmy own. Some years ago, I was testing aTBX at home one night and I happenedto tune in Radio Noumea, French NewCaledonia, from the South Pacific. Theybegan playing a pop tune, a long dancenumber that intriguedme.

Thinking it would be stronger on amore powerful set, I hurriedly switchedon my solid state digital read—out radioand tuned in. It sounded awful, a case of‘transistor audio’ at its worst. I went backto the TBX and it sounded great throughits one wide-band IF stage at l600kHzand simple valve (tube) audio stage.

When the song ended, I was flusteredby the announcer’s French language andmissed its title. I wrote to Radio Noumeain English; they sent me a QSLcard, whichI had not requested,but no information!

Several years later, pawing througha bin in a used-records shop, I suddenlyconnected the title on the obscure recordbefore me with the lyric I had heard thatnight years before. (My Special Friendby the Australianmusicians ‘Talk Talk’).

As I pulled out my money to pay, Ibegan ranting to the clerk about how I hadheard the tune on short-wave radio andhad wondered for years... Then I noticedthe expression on her face. She looked.at me as if I was a certified nut case. I

quickly dropped the subjectbut I was veryhappy at this ending to my search.

Deadly PoisonOne final TBX note. Walt Hutchens,

in an article on Navy portable radios inElectric Radio magazine, pointed out thehazards from the copious use of radiumpaint on the TBX (and TBY) front panel.The radio has to be treated as a radio-active source, whichmeansno continuousexposure to it, and as being tainted with adeadly poison when cleaning the set isconsidered.

MM

MAC-KEY BLUE BOOK(continuedfrom page 19)

change. So neither of us should be sur-prised if you have a Mac-Key with a fea-ture not shown in these pages.’ He asksfor details of such further variations to besent to him c/o the publisher for inclusionin a later edition of this authoritative andhelpful booklet.

The Mac-Key Blue Book (16 pages,paperback, saddlewirebound, 5% x 8%in)is available from the publisher, ArtifaxBooks, PO. Box 88, Maynard,MA 01754,

W4

USA. Price $4.50 plus postageas follows:Surface $2.00 per order any quantity ordestination; Air, Europe$3.75, CanadaandWestern Hemisphere $3.00, Asia/Africa/Pacific Rim $4.50. All payments in USfunds only.

Readers outside North America whoprefer to pay in Sterlingmay find it moreconvenient to obtain this publicationfromthe ‘MM Bookshelf”. UK price £3.15 in-cluding post and packing. Europe airmail(elsewhere surface) £3.40. See page 10 ofthis issue for further details. MM

23

ShowcaseFeaturing keys and other collectors’ items of telegraphic interest.Ifanyone can add to the informationgiven please contact TS

Unknown key. Unusual in havinga base which is a copper sandcasting. ltalsohason/ythesmallestamount of machining and fitted

pans. Small size, about 3 x Min,has a very nice feel. Furtherinformation required

Collection/photo: DennisGoacher GSLLZ

J H Bunne/I open circuit leg key. Cat. No. 9035, polishedbrass bodyCollection/photo: Jon HansonGOFJT

24 MM4

US Army Signal CorpsJ-36, Lionel Corp, 1942Collection/photo: Jon HansonGOFJT

US Army Signal Corps J—36, J.H. Bunnell, serial No. 2413, 1942Collection/photo: Colin WatersGSTSS

The SignalCorps designated all bugs J-36. They were basically commercialbugsmade by Vibroplex, Lionel and others, adopted by the military.

lntonnation from Introduction to Key Collecting by Tom French W1IMO

(reviewedin MM17, and available from the MMBookshelf; see page 10 of this issue)

WEI/[24 25

EN THOUSAND MEN ANDWOMEN of fifty-seven differ-ent races, working in some two

hundred stations in seventy countries, andon the high seas, maintained the life—linesof British and Allied communicationsover the 355 000 mile Imperial Cable andWireless network

Greater Invention?Radio messages can be scrambled, or

difficult codes used, but no codes areunbreakable, and both sides probablyintercepted every message sent by theirenemiesduring the war. It makes one won-der, says the author, whether, if wireless

had beendiscoveredduring World WarTwo. Their story istold in The Thin Red The Thin Red Lines

before cables in-stead of after them,cables would not

Lines, by Charles ableand Wirelessat War have been regardedGraves, published ARevlew as a far greater in-by the StandardArt vention than radio.Book Co. Ltd, Lon- by TonySmith Cables which aredon, after the war. seventy years old,

Once the wargot going, it was fought at breakneck speed.Campaigns which would previously havetaken two years, were completed in sixweeks. More miles were covered by thearmies on both sides than ever before inhistory, and all this was due to the im-mensely increased speed of communica-tions — radio being essential for the tacticalhandling of troops, and cable for strategy.

Cable & Wireless owned 155 000 ofthe 350000 miles of cables throughoutthe world, as well as 91 wireless circuits,later increased to 138, which coveredanother 200 000 miles of the Earth’s sur-face. Over this arterial system, throughthese thin red lines, the life—blood ofAllied communications flowed, enablinggovernments to co-ordinatepolicy, strate-gy and supplies; newspapers and broad-casting agencies to receive the latest warnews; and families at home to exchangemessageswith their evacuatedchildrenortheir men fighting overseas.

26

he says, can worktwenty-four hours a day for three hun-dred and sixty five days a year, unlikeradio with its vulnerability to ordinarythunderstorms and other phenomena.Radio too, can give the game away. Asudden increase in the volume of trafficon a wireless circuit is a sure hint to theenemy of some imminentcampaign.

Cable&Wirelesswas created in 1928,when the British governmentand the gov-ernments of the various countries of theEmpire decided to merge, into one net-work, all existingbeamwirelessand cableservices concernedwith international com-munications. This was to be maintainedand developed through private enterprise,with the British government reserving theright to take it over in the event of war.

In the event, this never happened,andthe Companyfunctioned throughout WWIIwithoutgovernment interference,keepingits services going often in the face of greatdifficulties.This book is the story of those

W4

difficulties and how they were overcome,and of some of the individual achieve-mentsof the people involved.

For the most part, high-speed Morseand teleprinter circuits were used for thework, but the hand-key had its day aswell, particularly in emergency situations.

DestroyAll Instruments!After the fall of Singapore,a Japanese

ship shelled the cable stationon the CocosIslands, 600 miles south of Java. This wasa vital link in the communicationsroute toAustralia, the loss of which could not beafforded.

On 3 March 1942, signals stopped,resuming a few hours later with thenews, sent by hand, that the staff weresafe, althoughthe cable officehad receiveda direct hit.

No seaor air protectioncould be givento the station, so a radio message was sentto Batavia, in plain English, to the effectthat Batavia should destroy their instru-ments because Cocos had been perma-nently put out of action.This messagewasintendedto be interceptedby the Japanesewhile, at the same time, the instructionswere countermandedby cable, which couldnot be tapped.

For the rest of the war, the stationremained operational, maintaining vitalcommunications between London andCanberra. When occasional Japanese re-connaissance planes flew over it, all theysaw was a group of damaged buildings,apparentlydeserted.WheneverCocoswasmentionedover the air in official commu-nications it was always referred to as‘Brown’, ‘Robinson’, 'Jones’, or someother name, successfully concealing thetrue state of affairs.

W4

Employees of Cable & Wirelessoftenworked with the armed servicesoverseas,and their status as civilianscausedvariousproblems, particularlyas they were not inuniform in operationalareas.

As a result a new unit called ‘Telcom’was formed. All Cable & Wireless menwere given a status similar to that of warcorrespondents,and were put into uniform,wearing a special cap badge bearing theastrological sign of the god Mercury.

No military ranks were allocated, butit was generally agreed that senior opera-tors were equivalent to lieutenants, man-agers to captains, and the DivisionalManager to a lieutenant-colonel.

Blue TrainsDuring the War, the RAF created mo-

bile radio transmitting stations known as‘Blue Trains’, providing forward radiocommunications.The traffic to be handledwas so great that Cable & Wireless wasasked to help by providing its own BlueTrains. The first one went to Algiersshortly after the landings in North Africa,and consistedof five vans and one trailer,with a staff of nine operators and threeengineers.

The purpose of the C&W Blue Trainswas to handle traffic from warcorrespond-ents at each successive advanced presscamp, in order to pass news of the latestbattle developmentsas quicklyas possibleto the outside world.

Froma forwardobservationposta cor-respondent would observe the action. In asheltered spot just behind the battle line,he would write his dispatch on a portabletypewriter. This would be handed to aradiooperatorin the Blue Trainwho wouldtransmit it, usually by hand, to the receiv-

27

The ’Blue Train' in use on theAlliedArmies' drive from

Salerno to Wanna

From a water-colourbyC. Conway-Gordon, a C&W

operator attached to the uni!

ing room at a main base where it wastaken downmanuallyon typewriters.

After censoring, for security, the storywas punchedon Morse slip and sent to theCentral Telegraph Station in London byautomatic high-speed transmission, fromwhere it was passed by direct line to thecorrespondent’snewspaper office in FleetStreet.

The Blue Trains followed the fightingthrough Italy into Austria. They went toGreece and Burma, and when Singaporewas liberated they took a floating tele-graph station with them to flash the newsto a waiting world.

HardshipsTelcom operators often had to work

in primitive conditions. Four operatorswere sent to Rangoon, suffering various

28

hardshipson the way, often without food,shelter, or sanitary arrangements,and los-ing most of their luggage. When the shiplanded them in the vicinity of Rangoon,they carried their equipment for milesto find the Signals Unit where they wereto set up station.

Although soaked to the skin, withintwo and a half hours they were on the air,passing correspondents’ messages whichhad previously been flown out as theopportunity offered. They sat sideways atthe operating table because it was too lowto get their knees underneath.The tarpau-lin roofwas only inches above their heads,the heat was such that sixty minutes at astretch was too much during the day, andthere was no water for washing.

Despite all this, they dispatched threethousand words to Colombo by the first

W4

evening,using an American ‘under-slung’key, and these were read in newspapersaround the world the followingmorning.

Re-occupationAs the Allied forces re-occupied vari-

ous areas, the Cable & Wireless seniorstaff immediately headed for the Compa-ny’s old offices.

In Singapore,Mr J .D. Mackie foundaJapanese colonel sitting in his chair. MrMackie,from Aberdeen,jerked his thumb,saying with typical Scots brevity, ‘Ootl’,and out went the colonel!

Mr Mackie called his old Sikh watch-man to muster as many of his old staffas possible, and ninety out of a hundredChinese employees soon re-appeared.

Although the offices were intact, theinstrument rooms were out of order, butwithin fourteen days the first messageoutof Singapore was sentby General Sir MilesDempsey, Commanding British Forcesin Malaya, to the Chairman of Cable &Wirelesscommemorating the occasion.

Efi’mnt‘eryIn Hong Kong, the local Cable &

Wireless manager had been a prisoner ofwar. He broke camp twelve days beforethe British fleet arrived, and took chargeof his office again, warning the Japaneseforces, who were astounded at hiseffrontery, that any attempt at sabotagewould result in courtmartial when theNavy and Army arrived.

Once liberated, all the Hong Kongstaff reponed for immediate duty. Theyopened and maintained communicationsuntil relief arrived, transmitting govem—ment messages and press dispatches toLondon, via Colombo.

9101124

When Allied prisoners were liberatedfrom the Japanese, they were allowed tosend free messages to their relatives allover the world, announcing their deliver-ance and state of health, and relativeswere allowed to send messages free inreturn.

Just before dawn on 31 August 1945,the first trickle of messages started fromColombo, having been transmitted fromHongKong,SingaporeandRangoon.Thetrickle became a flood, and finally over114 000 messageswere handled.

These were telephoned from Londonwherepossible,and in hundredsof homes,families, often after years of anxiety anddoubt about the fate of their loved ones,heard the words, ‘Safe coming home

r8001'] .

Trafi‘ic CarriedIn 1944, the last full year of the war,

Cable & Wireless carried 704 719 661words, compared with 231 million in1938, the last full pre-war year, an in-crease of 205.7 per cent

Nearly 85 million Press words weretransmitted from London, from D-Dayto total surrender in Berlin. During 1945more than 720 million words were han-dled over the complete Cable & Wirelesssystem.

The book is long out of print. It may,however, be possible to find a copy in asecond-hand bookshop, or local librariesmay still have it in stock. It is basedon thereports of the staff of Cable & Wirelessthemselves, many of whom died at theirposts, and, as the author says, it is ‘... aslight memorial to some of those whogave their lives that others might live infreedom’. MM

29

HE MORSE TELEGRAPHwas inauguratedin Canada witha line between Toronto and

Hamilton,Ontario,on 12 December 1846,by the Toronto, Hamilton and NiagaraElectromagnetic Telegraph Company.As was usual then, and in later years, therailway and the telegraphwere linked. Inthose pioneering days, when the railwaytracks were run

McMurray, Alberta, radio station andthe Northern Alberta Railways telegraphoffice at Waterways, Alberta, on theAthabascaRiver where the railway endedand water transportbegan.

Northern Radio NetworkThe first station of the North West

Territories and Yukon Radio System(N W T & Y R S ) ,

across virgin coun-try, the telegraphcircuits used for op-erating trains wereusually the onlyavailable means forcomm unicating

Radio and RailwayMorse in Canada

byMoe Lynn VEGBLY

which used Interna-tional Morse, wasopened in Mayo,Yukon Territory, in1923. Fort McMur-ray was the tenth sta-tion to be opened, in

messages. As com-munities developedalong the railways, the railway telegraphcircuits began to carry public as well asrailway traffic.

By 1864, John Rae, surgeon andexplorer (who searched for Sir JohnFranklin with Sir John Richardson in1851), had surveyed a route for a tele-graph line from Winnipeg to the RockyMountains in Western Canada, heraldinga construction era which eventually re-sulted in a telegraphic span fiom coast tocoast with lines extending to the northem-most territories.

Because of its use by the railways,the American code used on these linesbecame known as ‘Railway Morse’, or‘Land Line Morse’ on the commerciallines, and this code was also used by atleast one Radio Communications system.This was the Royal Canadian Signalsthree—mile landline between their Fort

30

1933, and these sta-tions greatly im-

proved communicationswith the remoterparts of Northern Canada. Before 1924,for instance,DawsonCity, YT, had a lim-ited mail serviceand a DominionGovem-ment telegraph line running some hundredsof miles to Hazelton, British Columbia,with maintenance a great problem as theline wandered through bush, up hill anddown dale.

An NWT&YRSstation openedat Her-schel Island, NWT, in 1926. Previously,in 1924, a crew had been sent to Herschelto provide a service for Arctic whalingships harbouring there, only to lose theirfood supplies and equipment when the 35

Lady Kindersley sank on her annual voy-age through the Arctic re-supplying theHudson Bay Cempany’s trading posts.Other stations continued to be openeduntil a total of 19 were in operation, andthese began to be taken over by civilian

W4

Sgt. MR. (Moe) Lynn at the operatingdesk ofa typical NWT&YRS station in 1960

operators in 1957. It is not known exactlywhen Fort McMurray ceased using Rail-way Morse for its trafficwith the NorthernAlbertaRailways telegraph office.

If callsigns are of interest to anyone,they were issued to the radio stationswiththe prefix VE followed by a letter. A wasDawsonCity; B, Mayo; C, Fort Simpson;D, Edmonton; F, Aklavik; G, Fort Smith;H, Fort Resolution and so on through thealphabet until the next prefix, VD, cameinto use with VDI for Beaverlodge Lake,Saskatchewan.

The photograph above shows thewriter of this article in 1960 at the type ofoperating position used by the NWT&YRS

W4

Canadian Forces Photo

stations, with from one to ten positionsat each station. This particular desk isnow in the Communicationsand Electronic(formerly Royal Canadian Signals)Museum, at Kingston, Ontario, wherestation diaries, records, etc., are also ondisplay or are available to visitors.

The writer has available on Commo-dore C-128 floppy disc a concise historyof the NWT&YRS written in 1960 byCW. (Cal) Vince, W01 (Retired).Stories relating to ‘The System’ will begreatly welcomed for inclusion in a futureupdated versionof this history. MM

(Moe Lynn is at 10644 - 146 Street,Edmonton,AB, Canada, T5N 3A7)

31

READWITH INTERESTthe arti-cle ‘Abbreviations and Procedures’in MMZZ, p.32, but seriouslyques-

tion VE7BS’scomment about W—I, whenhe says ‘So whether it means “Questionmark” or “Please repeat” is unimportant.It certainlymeans both to most amateurs.’

Nearly 50 years

have found that ‘rpt’ can easily be con-fused with ‘rprt’ and for that reason donot like it. How often has ‘pse rptended up with yet another signal report!

To ask for a repeat of informationmust be one of the most common prob-lems facing the radio amateur, yet there

is no consistentagonas trained bythe Army that thesymbol M meant‘say again’ or ‘I sayagain’ dependingon the context inwhich it was used.

More Discussion0n abbreviations and procedures

byPhilip Scrivens GOHHL

guidance given inany of the usualreferencebooks.

Is it not timethis unsatisfactoryposition about howto say ‘please say

In The Morse Codefor Radio Amateurs published by theRSGB there is shown a specimen QSOin which M signifies ‘I say again’ andit is also used in this context in RSGBnews bulletins.

When I obtained my new callsign I

tuned with some trepidation to one of theHF bands and replied to a G4 callingCQ.In the course of the QSO I sent ‘my nameis Phil IM—I Phil es QTH is Derby MDerby’. My G4 contact replied somewhattersely ‘don’t you know who you are orwhere you are?’! I have found that mafloperators are confused by the use of [MIand indeed I have met few operatorswhouse this symbol in this context.

UnsatisfactoryPositionSome time later a colleague suggested

I should use II to mean ‘I say again’. Theuse of this symbol is mentioned in theexample QSO in the RSGB’s AmateurRadio Operating Manual. In this QSOthere also appears ‘pse rpt ur name?’ I

32

again’ and ‘I sayagain’ was cleared up on an internationalbasis? If M is unacceptable (and itseems likely to remain so in the absenceof somedefinitive ruling) then I wonder ifthe Q-code could be used. Does not QSMmean ‘please repeat last message’? (Inprofessional use it means ’repeat the lasttelegram' — Ed.) I have never heard itused and when I tried it once I did notmeet with much success!

Why QRK andQSA?It was not unreasonableto expect that

with the advent of the Novice licenceand the QSO-type Morse test some clearforrn of procedurewould be laid down. Itseems unfortunate to me that in the twoexamples of QSOs quoted in the article‘The NewUK 5 wpm NoviceMorse Test’(MM21, p.28) the first QSO commencedwith a whereas the second did not, and,in the list of Q-codes to be learned there

appearQRK and QSA.I wonderhow many amateuroperators

MDWM

remember what these mean, and howmany have ever used them? They seemrather unnecessary when the amateurRST conventionseems to say it all.

Then there is the ‘end of message’symbol KR. Should this be before orafter the callsigns at the end of an over?Should it be used in every over? and, inany case, why use it at all?

UsedOut ofHabit?I suspect that most of us use A—R out

of habit with little or no thought to itsmeaning or purpose. Presumably, whenstation ‘A’ was sending a series of unre-lated messages to station ‘B’, C71“ and A_R

were used to indicate the commencementand end of each particular message. Nowit seems we are left with the symbolsbut seldom the reason for their use.

In the examples of a CW QSO givenin the books likely to be read by a new-comer to the hobby, variations in proce-dure detail are to be found and thesevariations are, to say the least of it, con-fusing. Those who have been operatingfor years may not be unduly concemed

by anomalies in procedures but theseanomalies do little for the confidenceof the newcomer or, for that matter, forinternationalunderstanding.

To tell novices and newcomers tolearn CW properly and not to pick up badhabits is pretty pointless if there is nodefinitive example to follow.

Lost Newcomers?Finally, may I say how grateful I was

to the really good operators who wereunfailingly kind, patient, and helpful tome when I obtained my licence and firstdared to venture on the amateur bands. Isoon learned to ignore those who wererude and unhelpfuland who, by so doing,perform a great disservice to amateurradio.

I had age and experience on my side,but I do wonder how many would-beCWoperators are lost to the hobby throughthe discourtesy of those who adopt anattitude of disdain and intolerance to thestrugglingnewcomer. MM

(MM will welcome comments on thevariouspoints made by GOHHL. — Ed.)

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G C Amold Farmers, 9 Wetherby Close,Broadstone, Dorset BH18 8J3, EnglandOverseas payments must be in Sterling

Readers 721135FOR SALE

27 Keys WT 8 Amp, No2 Mkli, ZA 2869,various versions WER & LMK, some 5-hole base, some 4—hole. Property of Norwe-gian Radio Historical Society, price £10 eachplus postage. Write to Tore Moe LASCL,Kobenhavngt 15, N-0566 Oslo 5, Norway.Three Keys WT 8 Amp, No2 MklII, ZA16929, all bakelite version. One markedC.E.L. Two without maker’s initials butmarked with a circled ‘C’. Price £7.00 eachincluding p&p in UK. Book bargains: SOE— the Special Operations Executive byM.R.D. Foot, list £8.50, few at £5.50 inc.p&p UK; Clandestine Warfare (Weaponsand Equipment of the SOE/OSS) by Melton& Ladd, list £14.95, few at £12.00 inc p&p

34

UK. John I. Brown G3EUR, 74 HumberAvenue, South Ockendon, Essex RM15 SJN.Tel: 0708 852371.

EXCHANGEWorking instructions for Wireless SetsNo. 62 and No. 18/68 offered in exchangefor Key and Plug Assembly No. 8 to enableme to complete my W.S. No. 18 installation.Ian Mam G4WWX, 28 Welbourne Road,Liverpool L16 6A1.

WANTEDAny issues of MM prior to No. 19, to pur-chase to complete my collection. John ClarkGOOWN, 2 Lyndhurst Road, Broadstairs,Kent CT 10 lDD.The same issues are sought by key collectorEnrico Franciosi IK2HSW, Via Marcod’Agrate 10, 20139 Milano, Italy.

MM4

LFRED VAIL’S DECISION ‘I havemade up my mind to leave the Tele—

graph to take care of itself, since itcannot take care of me', quoted in ‘Alfred Vail’sMagnetic Friendship with Morse’, Part 2, in issue21 ofMM, is taken from a letter he wrote to Morseon 21 September 1848.

After congratulating Morse on his latest suc-cess in the courts in defending his patent, he contin-ued, "The Washington and ND. Co. is at lastorganised, and for the last three weeks we havereceived daily communications from N0.Our prospectsare flattering. And what doyou think they havedone with me? Super-intendentof the WashingtonandNO. lineall the way from Washington to Columbiaat $900”!!!

‘This game will not be played forlong. I have made up my mind to leavethe Telegraph to take care of itself, sinceit cannot take care of me. I shall, in afew months, leave Washington for NewJersey, family, kit

somewhat variable and unhappy. Heand 1 got along very well together until Idetermined to order my own instruments,his being too heavy and too difficult, asI thought, for an operator to handlewhile receiving. We had our instrumentsmade by the same maker — Clark & Co.,Philadelphia. Yet even that did not greatlyseparateus, and we were always friends.

‘About some things his notions werevery crude. It was

and all, and bidadieu to the subjectof the Telegraph forsome more profita—ble business...

Alfred VailAnother View

under his guidancethat David Brooks,Henry C. Hepburnand I, in 1845, un—

dertook to insulate‘I have just

finished a most beautiful register with apen lever key and an expanding reel. Haveorders for six of the same kindtobemadeat once, three for the south and three forthe west.’

This letter was quoted by JamesD. Reid (author of The Telegraph inAmerica) in the Electrical World, 12

October 1895, whocommented, ‘The truthis Mr Vail had no natural aptitude forexecutive work, and he had a temper

MM24

the line from Lan-caster to Harrisburg, by saturating bits ofcotton cloth in beeswax and wrapping themround projecting arms. The bees enjoyedit greatly, but it spoiled our work.

‘But I have no desire to criticise him.He seemed to me to have great oppor-tunities which he did not use. He mighthave had, I thought, the register work ofthe country and secured a large business.But it went from him to others, and so heleft the field.’ MM

35

POPULAR METHOD oflearning Morse code is the‘Farnsworth Method’, in

which the characters are sent at a targetspeed of, say, 12, 15, or 20 w.p.m., whilethe spaces between the characters andwords are much longer than is normal forthe chosen charac-

Fisher WZOC reveals that Donald R.(Russ) Famsworth was a blind amateurwhowas first licensedin the mid-1930sasW9SUV, who also held the calls W6'ITBandWOJYC. In the late 19503,Russ Fams-worth asked Bart Bartlett W60WP tohelp him prepare some tapes for a code

learning course heter speed. The extraspacing provides‘thinking time’ forthe learner andas proficiency im-proves this is gradu-

Why Famsworth?by TonySmith

had developed.BarthadaKlein-

schmidt tape perfo-rator and with thishe produced theperfectly timed

ally reduced untilthe spacing is correct for the target speed.At higher speeds spacing is then normalwith nothingextra added.

The idea is to preventthe studentfromcounting the dits and the dahs during thelearning processby sending at such a speedthat rhythmrecognitionis easy and count—ing is not The method is so well knownthat one would assume it is based on spe-cific recommended spacing ratios. How-ever, when the American Radio RelayLeague (ARRL) set about converting allits Morse materials to a Famswonh l8w.p.m. character rate (for its code practiceand test tapes, andWlAW transmissions)no definitive specificationcould be foundand it was necessary for the League todevise its ownMorseTransmissionFams-worth Timing Standard (see panel).

Who Was Famsworth?Apart from the mysteryof the missing

specification, there is also mystery aboutthe associationofFarnsworth’sname withthis leaming method. Research by Bill

36

punched tapes whichRuss then used to make the final audiotapes for his EpsilonRecordscode course.Surprisingly, however, it appears thatFamsworthdid not use the increasedspac-ing idea now universallyattributedto him.

His methodof instruction was to main-tain the code speedat a constant 13 w.p.m.(characters and spacing) throughout thecourse, startingwith simple text and grad-ually increasing the complexityof the textmaterial. But if Famsworth didn’t inventthe system,who did? Andwhy is it namedafter him?

Earlier Uses of the SystemI cannot suggest why Farnsworth’s

name has become synonymous with thisparticular learning method, but I can cer-tainly demonstrate that the method goesback long before him. I have found sever-al references to the idea in old publica-tions and if readers of MM can produceothers I would be pleased to hear fromthem.

A Wireless World booklet, first pub—

W4

1. Standard timingThe period of a single dot is one

unit, measured in seconds. A dash is aperiod of three units. A period of oneunitseparateseachelement(dotor dash)within a character.

A period of three units separateseach character within a word. A periodof seven units separates each word. Forpurposes of specifying code speed, thePARIS 50-unit standard is used...2. Famsworth timing

At speeds below 18 w.p.m., charac—ters are sent using 18 w.p.m. timing, butwith extra delay added betweencharac-ters and words to produce an overalllower speed.

Speeds are specified as s/c, wheres is the overall transmission speed andc is character speed. For example, a 5

w.p.m. transmissionsentwith 18 w.p.m.characters is specified as 5/18 speed.

Thecharacter timing used is as spec-

The ARRL MorseTransmission 11mlng Standard (Extract)

ified in 1. (left), using the unit, dot anddash periods, as well as the one-unitinter-element spacing. The adjustmentto a lower speed is made by addingdelay between characters and words.

The added delays are constant for agiven Famsworth speed and will main-tain the 3/7 ratio of character space toword space. The added delays are cal-culated as follows:

t _ 606—3123‘ sc

3t,I15 =

1971.

t" = —19wheret_ = total delay to add to the characters(31 units) of a standard50-unitwordtc = period between characterst" = period between words.

(all periods in seconds)

lished in 1939, suggests the learnershouldget the assistance of a competentoperatorto send practice signals to him. It advo-cates that, except at the very earlieststage,the symbols for individual letters shouldbe sent at a relatively high speed, corre-sponding to a rate of 12 to 18 w.p.m.

It goes on, ‘Though the spacing be-tween the elements of individual lettersshouldbe in correct ratio, spacingbetweenletters and words should at first be greatlyeXaggerated in order that the learnermayhave time to think about what he has justheard... As the learner gains confidence,

Ell/W4

spacing between letters and words shouldof course be gradually reduced until itfinally reaches the correct ratio’.

My copy of this booklet [Ref. 3] is the13th edition, 1961, which is presumablyareprint of the original 1939 publication. Ifanyone has a much earlieredition,I wouldbe pleased to receive their confirmationthat this assumption is correct

Gamages RecordsAn earlier reference is to be found in

Gamages’ catalogue of 1922. This sug-gests ‘Speed up your Morse by purchas-

37

ing a set of Gamages Morse BuzzerGramophoneRecords. The records(8) aregraduated from beginners rate to regula-tion speed, and in all cases each letter issent at top speed but the “spacing”varies,which governs the rate of transmission.’

AudibleAlphabet SystemEven earlier is a punched tape system

marketed by Frederick J. Drake & Co.,of Chicago, and described by Theo A.Edison in 1902. He says, ‘It is not thespeed at which the letter is sounded thatperplexes the learner, but the rapid suc-cession in which they follow each other.The principle feature of the Audible Al-phabets is the graduation in the intervalsbetween the letters.

‘By beginning with a record in whichthe characters are widely separated andthen changing to otherswith less and lessintervals,the studentgraduallyreachestheone having normal telegraphspacing.’

(This system, with its associated trans-mitting instrument,will be describedmorefully in a later article.)

No Conclusions PossibleSo why Famsworth?— and if he didn’t

invent the system, who did? It is verysatisfying to find a similar method datingas far back as 1902. I wouldn’t be sur-prised, however, to find that similar sys-tems of learning were recommendedalmost from the beginningof professionalMorse telegraphy some 55 years previ-ously. If anyone can provideearlier refer-ences, I would be pleased to hear fromthem.

Referencesl. A Standard for Morse Timing, by JonBloom KE3Z, (ARRL Laboratory), re-printed in SCAG Newsletter, Spring 1991.2. Morse Code: The Essential language,by L. Peter Carron Jnr. W3DKV, 2nd edi-tion, 1991, pub. ARRL. Also correspond-ence (1989) between Bill Fisher W2OC,andW3DKV,courtesyW3DKV.3. ’Learning Morse’. a Guide to WirelessOperating, by HR Smith, pub. WirelessWorld, 13th edition, 1961, first published1939.4. Gamages,London,catalogue 1922.5. Telegraphy Self-Taught, by Theo A.Edison, pub. Frederick J. Drake & Co.,Chicago, 1902.

MM

FISTS CW Club — The International Morse PreservationSocietyFISTS exists to promote amateur CW activity.It welcomes members with all levels oi Morse profici-

ency, and especiallynewcomers to the key.The club has awards, nets (including a beginners“

net), dial-asked for beginners, straight key activities,QSL bureau, newsletter,and discountsfrom traders.

Further information can be obtained fromGeo. Longden 63208, 119 Cemetery Road,Darwen, Lanes 333 2L2. Send an see or two IFle.

38 W24

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MM24 39

URING OUR TRAINING asradioofficers we were taughttelegraphy, electronics, ad-

ministration, English and first-aid, althoughI never understood why first-aid was in-cluded in a course for radio operators.

ships had long wave receivers in thosedays and, as we all know, short wave re-ception is hardly ever QRM free, or asbeautiful as thatBritish transmitteron longwavejust a few hundredmiles away.

However, every seaman knows thatLet’s be honest,

fatal accidents occurquite rarely in radiorooms and even inthe eventof a fatali-

REFLEC'llONS fromUncle Bas — 15

taking weather fore-casts is the most im-portant duty of aship’s radio officer.And indeed the cap-

ty how can aknowl- Weather Forecasts tain of my first shipedge of first-aid informedme that heimprove the condi- by 835m" V3" Es PAORTW wanted that informa-tion of a corpse? tion twicea day, andFortunately suchtragic incidents never occurred in my lifeat sea, nor on shore for that matter.

Besides theory lessons, we receivedpractical training on the use of receivers,transmitters and auxiliary equipment.Apart from CW lessons (90 per cent ofthe time), we had to copy the news onshort wave, and especially the New YorkStock Exchange which was our teacher’sspecial favourite.

Weather forecastswere received fromGBY on 150kHz on an oldMarconi long-wave receiver. It was a very strong andbeautiful signal. For us beginners it wasgood experience while the steady, QRMfree, signal at an agreeable speed gaveus the feeling of being able—bodied radiooperators who had no need for furthertraining whatsoever.

OnlyFram London!Afterwardsat sea I realised it had been

a mistake to let us copy that strong Britishtransmitter and almost nothing else. Few

40

more if necessary.He was a Norwegian captain but he hadno interest whatsoever in Norwegianweather forecasts.

He insisted on reports from Londonand I might have told him to listen to theBBC, which has world-wide coverage withlovely signals, but I didn’t. I was a braveyoung man in those days but to say suchthings to an old experienced Norwegiancaptain would have meant the end of mycareerat sea. I just said ‘Aye Aye Sir’, anddisappeared into the radio cabin in searchof a weather forecast.

He Never NoticedThe main receiver was a WWII

BC-348 with a tuning range of SOOkHz

to 18MHz, so I never found GBY on150kHz. I tuned all day, that day, onshort wave to find a re-transmission ofGBY but although I heard many signalsfrom all over the world I heard no weatherforecast from London. Searching throughthe List of Coast Stations gave me no

W4

clue either. I was getting worried and hadto compose a weather report from theNorth Sea area somehow.

In the end I copied a phone transmis-sion from Scheveningen Radio/PCH, inDutch, covering the Channeland the NorthSea, and translated the entire report intoEnglish. As I mentioned before, the cap-tain was Norwegian, and although he spoke

Fortunately, in approaching the EastCoast of the USA, manystations transmit—ted weather reports and all those stationshad lovely signals, just right for an inex-perienced radio operator.

Atourfirstpmdcall,SanJuan,PuertoRico, I found out what I was doingwrong.Alongside the pier where we were dis—

charging our cargo was another Norwe-

74

[foe/“‘36) ®

SNITCH an arm:cumANY dun-rs! Ml

‘r', _ , Tue couvrrtorl OF A Gonna? . - -

English fluently he never noticed myschoolboyEnglish. It was the summer of1955, beautiful weather, the sea as calmas a bathtub, so he might not have evenread my report for the Channel and theNorth Sea. It was a report which wasnever broadcast, in phone or CW.

Never ToldHimLater, in the Atlantic, I wanted the

weather reports from Washington/N85,a coastguard station in the USA whichalso gave time signals and was a frequen-cy standard. Once again I did not get thesignals I wanted.

W4

gian freighter. I got talking with the radioofficer and explained my problems withN85 and the weather forecasts.

The man, with already a good manyyears at sea, told me that the frequenciesand operatingschedule had changed com-pletely and he gave me the correct details.He also gave me the short wave frequen-cies of British coast stations but, being sofar away from GB, I did not care anymore.

I never told the captain about theproblems I had. He was a lenient man,but even after several years he mighthave thrown me overboard. MM

41

9/0meChlnese Morse

A Chinese student from the Ministry ofPosts and Telecommunications, Peking,working with me on a D'I'I scholarship,recently explained to me how Morse codewas used in China.

It appears that every Chinese charac—ter, of which there are about 4000, hada unique 4—figure code. When a messagewas to be sent, a translator convened themessage into these 4-figure numberswhichwere then sent by an operatorusinginternationalMorse.

At the receiving end, they were re-ceived and translated back into picturecharacters by another translator. Appar-ently receiving translators capable ofwriting down the messagewithout havingto first convert the Morse into figures wereheld in quite high regard.

Dennis Goacher G3LLZ,Swindon, Wilts

(There is an article on ChineseMorse ’inthe pipeline'. ~ Ed.)

Japanese KeyMMZZ’s cover key appears to be an air-craftkey of the JapaneseNavy Airforce. Itcan be found in a photo, together withradio equipment, in the handbook Japa-nese Aircraft Performance and Charac-teristics published by the (US) Office ofNaval Intelligence,December 1944.

In large print on the insidecover is themessage, ‘PREVENT SOUVENIRING’.Perhaps this is one reason why these keysare rare! On the nameplate,just below the

42

button, is an anchor in a small circlestamped into the metal tag.

Just to the right of the nameplate canbe seen the makers’ logo, in this case I be-lieve it is the symbol for Hitachi. Insidethe cover is a heavy nickel-platedkey. Itis not a speed key — the arm is too heavy —

but most aircraft communication was nodoubt at a fairly slow speed.

This is the nicest looking key I haveseen. The finish is dark green flake,almost like a reptile skin pattern, and thequality of materials, the perfect fit andhigh quality finish remind me of theexcellentGerman toy trains of my youth.Another similar key is also shown in theON] handbook but with a toggle switchupper left. Incidentally, I have seen thesame key painted black and I would notdismiss this as a post-war treatment Ihave seen other WWII Japanese equip-ment which was apparently painted blackwhen fresh paint was called for.

Oddly enough, some of the associatedradio equipment I have scrutinised is notof the same quality construction, havingpoor fittingmechanicaldevices.

Hugh Miller KA 7LXY,

Woodinville, WA, USA

CW EtiquetteWhen I first became interested in amateurradio, I was told that it was not the donething to reply to anotheroperatorat a speedgreater than his. To do so showed thatonewas neither a gentleman nor an operator!I must admit that I am still not certain

W4

exactly how to interpret this advice.For example, it is obvious that if a

station is calling CQ at 25 wpm then it is

poor operatingto call him at, say, 35 wpm.However, if you call him at 12 wpm howshould the CQer respond? At 12 wpm,i.e., your speed, or at 25 wpm? It can beimplied that as you have read his call, andnot asked him to QRS, you have indicatedyour willingness (and ability) for him toconduct the QSO at 25 wpm.

The questioncan alsobe asked,shouldthe 12 wpm operator have called thehigher speed station in the first place?After all, the CQer by sending at 25 wpmwas indicating his ability, and perhapsdesire, to have a QSO at that speed.

He may be wishing to improve hisCW and not look too kindly on spending(wasting?) his valuable time at lowerspeeds. This may seem an unfriendlyattitude but compare it with an equival-ent scenario. You call CQ VK and a YUreplies. How do you feel?

I raise the question as I am not toocertain of the correct answer and wonderwhat views other readers of MM mayhave on this subject?

Gerald Stancey G3MCK,Staines, Middlesex

Using the Double NeedleBearing in mind the professed difficultyof some in mastering the code, I wonderhow the DOUBLE NEEDLE could bemastered instead?

‘The alphabet is formedpartly by sim-ple, partly by complex deviations. Takethe left-hand needle: Two movements tothe left indicateA; three, B; once right andleft, C; once left and right, D; once right,E; twice, F; three times, G. The following

W4

eight letters are formed by the simplemovementof the right-handneedle, whilstthe remaining portion of the alphabet isrepresentedby combinedmovements.

The rate of transmission varies great-ly, being dependent not merely on the ex—

perience of the telegraphist but on hiseducation and quickness of comprehen-sion. An intelligent operator would findno difficulty in reading forty words perminute,whilst an illiterate railway signal-man wouldfind two sufficientfor his com-prehension in an equal space of time...’

This is from the Cornht’ll Magazine,July 1860. Incidentally, although the arti-cle does not allude to the event, the open-ing of the Electric and InternationalTelegraph Co’s new Central TelegraphOffice in Telegraph Street, London, in1860 may have sparked off this article.

Bill Guest G41YB,Hinchley Wood, Surrey

Media CWThe French TV channel known as M6sometimes puts out a CW signal, reading‘M6’, before or after publicity announce-ments. It doesn’t use a straight key but amusic synthesiser,- - - - - - making verynice music for a CW enthusiast!

Are there any other radio or TV pres-entationsusingCW?

Claude Passet 3A2LF,Monaco

(In the UK, the InspectorMorse TV seriesspells out ‘MORSE' musically in itstheme tune, and London Broadcasting(LBC) has a specially written signaturetune incorporating ‘CQ’ which is usedto introduce the Clive Bull 1 a.m. call-inradio show. We would be pleased to hearofothers. — Ed.)

43

Double-ended KeyI recently saw an unusual key dating, pos-sibly, from the beginning of the century. Ithas a wooden base and a straightforwardvarnished brass am, just like many otherearly Morse keys, but this one is symmet-rical with knobs at each end of the arm toform what appears to be a double key.

q) /(')\ $3IHHThesketch shows the general arrange-

ment. Does any readerofMM knowwhatthis key was used for?

John Gilbert 0N4AGJ,Brugge, Belgium

I

If It’s T6, Say 80!I’m puzzled about the way many ama-teurs assess the signals they receive inCW as they seem to know only two re-pons, ‘599’ and ‘339’, especially in con-tests or DX working. The tone is always‘9’ though I’m sure many home-brewersdon’t deserve it. I often hearRussianswiththe famous ‘chirp’ receiving "19’ from allstations they work. Only a few (perhapsold-timers) dare to give T9C or T8, andeven then it shouldbe T6, and no more!

So if you hear a ‘U’ runninghigh pow-er with a wide clicking signal, or spread—ing across the band with harmonics, forgoodness sake please tell him about itand long-suffering local hams workingnear him will bless you!

Usually, nobody seems to care so theoffending station, receiving 599 repons,thinks that everything is fine. I once heardseveral stations calling a harmonic and

44

wondering why they were getting noreply!

Here are a few phrases which mayhelp if the ‘U’ station doesn’t understandEnglish very well.

Your signal is very bad. U WASO‘lENX PLOHOJ SIG.

Check your transmitter. SMOTRITEWAlll TX.

You have got harmonics all over theband. OT WAS MNOGO GARMONIKPO DIAPAZONU.

Your signal is very wide. WAlII SIGOHENX lllIROKIJ.

You are causing interference onother frequencies. OT WAS QRM NADRUGIH llASTO'l"AH.

(m = —-—- Li: —-—-)Andy Troubachov UA3PIP,

Tulah, Russia

Key IdentificationThe unknown key in MM3, p.23, is aUS J-48-A (Signal Corps 323448A),specification Nr 271-1800 of March 9,1941. Used with BC654A (SCR 284-A).Made by Crosley Radio Corp. (Ref:PASSET, Claude, ‘Identification desmanipulateurs J -’ in AIA No. 1, 1988;No.2, 1989; No. 3, 1992).*

The J51 ‘unknown’ key in MMS,p.44, is a US Signal Corps 6B452 key forsignal lamp M227 or M438used with sig-nal lamp equipment813-11 and SE-l LA.

The Ducretetet Rogeroilbreakkey onthe back cover of MM20 was used in theFrench Naval Service, c.1910. It was de—

veloped from an earlier ‘laboratory key’as illustrated. To avoid problems withspark transmissions the contacts wereimmersed in petroleum or vaseline oil,while Marconi and others preferred large

{Mm/£24

contacts or large heatsinks around thecontacts. I don’t know of any other makerof oil keys, but there were half-a-dozenD. et R. models from 1910—1920.

Claude Passer 3A2LF,Monaco

(*See the News pages in this issue forinformationabout the availabilityofissueNo.3 ofAlA. —Ed.)

firstmodelofDuaetet 9! Roger‘Laboratory Key’

The Battle of JutlandNorman Burton in his letter ‘Early Ger-manWireless’ (MM23) rightlyemphasis-es the excellent design of German radioequipment in WW1 andWWII but acceptsuncritically the old canard that the Battleof Jutland was brought about by the Brit-ish D/F stations detecting the very slightchange in the bearings of the GermanHighSeas Fleet as it prepared to sail.

Writing in Wireless World, September1985, I pointed out that ‘the first casualty

W4

of war is truth. Churchill believed that inwar truth has to be surroundedby a body-guard of lies. Fair enough, but unless oneis careful some wartime “deceptions”be-come firmly established as “history”capable of misleadingeven such a distin-guished historian of radio technology asProfessorCharles Susskind.

‘In his interestingpaper Who inventedradar? (presentedat the IEE’s“50th anni-versary of radar” seminar) he includedthestory of how the naval battleofJutlandonMay 31, 1916 was brought about by theD/F stations detecting a tiny change inthe bearings of the transmissions fromGerman warships in the Jade estuary nearWilhelmshaven over 300 miles away,representinga change in bearing of aboutone degree. This story has been widelyaccepted ever since the end of the GreatWar. It was not until recently that the truestory emerged in Patrick Beesly’s bookRoom 40.

‘Whereas the success of Alan Turingin 1942 in cracking the four-rotorGermanEnigma cipher remained secret for 30years, the astonishing degree to whichAdmiral Hall’s ‘Room 40’ cryptanalystswere able to read the German naval ci-phers virtually throughout the first WorldWar remainedhidden for over 60 years.

‘Pam'ck Beesly shows that the inten-tion of the German fleet to put to sea wasobtained from a series of messages fromMay 28, 1916 onwards, including trafficvia Bruges informing U-boats to reckonwith their own ships being at sea on May31 and June 1. There can be no doubt thatit was the decodingof the messages,rath-er than super-accurateD/F bearings, thatprovided the intelligence that led to theGrand Fleet sailing to intercept the Ger-

45

man warships and so bringing about thelast major clash of battleships— 35 Britishand 21 German— in an action in which noless than 248 vessels were involved... Thisamendedstory does not deny due credit toHJ. Round, since his sensitive receiverswere used for interception as well as D/F.

‘At the IEE seminar I mentioned thisto Dr Susskind and he graciouslyadmittedthat he had long had reservations aboutthe D/F story. His wife also found myversion credible as she was actually in-volved in decoding German naval trafficin World War II.’

Pat Hawker G3VA,London SE22

Dental Morse PrankThe following, which appeared in ourlocal newspaper, the Minneapolis StarTribune on 13 April 1991, may be of in-terest to MM readers in the current 50thanniversaryrecollectionsofWWII.‘BitingHumorThe US Navy once took a dim view of adental prank played on Japan’s militaryleader, but the joke will live on at a Navalmuseum.

‘A Navy Dental Corps official thisweek picked up mementoesof the taunt-ing message “Remember Pearl Harbor”,engraved in Morse code on the denturesof Gen. Hideki Tojo. They will be dis-played at the Navy Dental Corps Histori-cal Museum on Bethesda,Maryland.

‘The perpetrator, the late GeorgeFoster, was reprimanded at the time.“He’s probably rolling around on hiscloud right now, laughing his fool headoff”, said his widow, Beverly Foster, inPompanoBeach, Florida.

‘Foster, who died in 1989, was the

46

head dental surgeon at a prisoner of warcamp in Tokyo, where Tojo was amonghis patients in 1947. He and another sur-geon engraved the message on the insideof the general’s dentures.

‘When their commandingofficerheardof it, he ordered the message removed.Foster told Tojo the dentures neededclean-ing and took off the codedmessage.

‘Tojo, who as Japanese premier hadbeen a prime architect of his nation’s warstrategy, had asked for new teeth so hecould speak better at his war crimes trial.He was executed for his crimes in 1948.

‘Foster was stripped of a Navy com-mendation for his stunt.

‘Lt. Bill Hanes, of the Navy DentalCorps, took for the museuma gold dentalbridge mold used for Tojo and a photo ofFoster looking down Tojo’s mouth.’

Jay Mathisrud WBOL,Minneapolis, USA

LEM. KeyI recently purchased the new L.E.M.brass key mentioned in MM23, p.5, andnote that you would like comments on it.

I like everything about this key, itsdesign and workmanship are excellent.In my short time as an amateur I haveonlyused three other keys but this one suits mebest. Its long low base makesa rock-steadyplatform when sending. There is also noneed for any further adjustment once thegap has been set. I only wish I had ob-tained this key when starting out!

Very best wishes for your magazinewhich is most enjoyable and interesting.Thearticle ‘My days as an AmateurMorseExaminer’,also in MM23, was a cracker!

G.F. Armstrong GOLIU,Carlisle, Cumbria

W4

Pump, Pipe or PIckaxe?Readers of MM may like to see the latestcreation, made from copper pipe, byF6EQC,which would surely win a contestfor the most inventive home-made key!You can call it a ‘pump’ as it certainlylooks like a water pump, equally youcould call it a pipe as it also looks ratherlike a tobacco pipe. Curiously, althoughwe have the verb ‘pomper’ in French, wecall the hand-key ‘La pioche’, meaning‘pickaxe’, but I don’t know why!

The basic idea with this key is to havea vertical arm so that the base is smallerand the key very stable. My friend is a realcraftsman and the key is a true work ofart. Has any MM reader made anythingsimilar using this principle?

Dominique BourcartFEIOEB,Pair-Terran,France

Pumpkey made by F6EOC

MMZ4

What Key Was It?Ever since I took my Morse test I havebeen intrigued by the key used in the test.This was in 1983 at some governmentoffices in Derby Square,Liverpool.

The key was a delight to use. It wasquite small and looked fairly modern.Thearm was bent, rather like American keys,and made from stainless steel, althoughas time has passed it may have been achrome finish. The rear of the key wascovered by a plastic case and seemed tocontaincomponentswhich may havebeenchokes or relays.

I asked if the pattern was availablecommercially and was told that it wasmade in their own (Post Office/8T?— Ed.)workshops to their own pattern. Cananyone provide more information aboutthis key please?

Rik Whittaker G4WAU,Stockport, Cheshire

Isle of WightI was interested in the article aboutMarconi in the Isle of Wight in MM23. Irecently had the opportunity to spend theday there and made a point of visiting theplaces with Marconi connections. How-ever, a few changes have taken place andthe situation today is as follows:Alum Bay — The Needles Hotel is nomore and has been replaced by a largechildren’s ‘fun park’.The stone memorialto Marconi, with inscriptions on four sides,is still there and is at the far end of thelarge car park.(The fence of the ‘fun park' is hard upagainst the memorial, giving the impres-sion that the developerswould have doneaway with it given half the chance! — Ed.)Ladywood Cottage — Enquiries at

47

Osborne House drew a blank. Noonein the reception area had heard of it butthe senior attendant present thought itmight possibly now be an old people’shome or something similar. Presumablyit is no longer accessible to the generalpublic.Kn0wloa Farm—The Farm and surround-ing land is now owned by the NationalTrust It consistsof two (or three) cottageslived in by tenants of the NT. A 1/4 milewalk has to be made from the nearestparkingarea.

The most westerly cottage is whereMarconihad his living quarters and study.A stone slab with inscription is set in theoutside wall and this may be the samestone erected by Miss Kirkpatrick. In thefield between this cottage and the cliff topa deep hole surroundedby cement can beseen. This is where Marconi installed hismast (or one of them).

John St. Leger G3VDL,Okehampton, Devon

What Is It?Several new readers have written to askabout the meaning of the Morse charac-ters which appear at the bottom of thefront cover of each issue ofMM.

They originated long before my asso-ciation with the magazine began,of course.However, I understandfrom Tony G4FAIthat they represent a ‘tuning-up’ signalused on the air by the magazine’s founder,the late Rinus HellemonsPAOBFN.

The characters are in fact two distort-ed ‘Vs’, with the first dot of the second‘V' tagged on the tail—end of the first, andthe remaining elements of the second ‘V’sent very slowly, in an almost pensivefashion.

The signal became a ‘trade mark’ ofRinus, recognised immediately by thosewho contacted him regularly on the ama-teur bands, and since adopted and usedbysome of our long-standingreaders.

Geoff GJGSR

When the air is fine and balmyand the ether's free and clearand the sigs come in like thunderwith a biff that jars the ear,

Then the PBO* is happy and hewears a sunny smile anddoesn’t curse the traffic thatkeeps comingall the while,

But when the X’s come on steadywith a sizzly fn'zzly roarand the sigs die down to nothing,

Ode to a Wireless OperatorbyMtnyTearson, 5115a Island (OMSD), 1905

Then the common Op gets soreand the language that he usesmelts the contacts off his keyburns the ‘Bradfield’ to a cinder,leaves the aerial hanging free,

And the Old RecordingAngel wearsa stern and saddened look as helogs the bad Op’s language inthe big Recording Book.

*(PBO= Poor BloodyOperator)Contributedby GerryKennedy, Dublin

43 MM24

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