|
|
Thread Tools | Rate Thread | Display Modes |
#1
|
||||
|
||||
Historic Radio Exchange Between Battleship North Carolina And Submarine
Wish I knew what time and what frequency range to listen in.
PRESS RELEASE: HISTORIC RADIO EXCHANGE BETWEEN BATTLESHIP NORTH CAROLINA AND SUBMARINE TODAY! The Navy removed almost all of the original radio equipment aboard the Battleship North Carolina when it was decommissioned. What little equipment was left no longer worked. Starting in 1997, volunteer ham radio operators began to restore the remaining equipment and adapt it from Dept. of Defense frequencies to amateur radio bands. Today, two of the ship's original radio rooms are restored, and this week as part of the celebration leading up the commissioning of the submarine, the Capts. of the two vessels will exchange greetings via amateur, or "Ham", radio. This is the first known conveyance of radio greetings between two namesake military vessels since the Cold War era. Capt. David Scheu of the Battleship North Carolina will be using a modern radio, but the antenna and the feedline he will use for his transmission are original equipment installed prior to World War II. Receiving his greetings at the other end at the State Port about a mile away will be the submarine's skipper, Capt. Mark Davis. Capt. Scheu's message will be transcribed onto a Radiogram, a wireless version of a telegram. The Azalea Coast Amateur Radio Club of Wilmington will frame two copies of the historic Radiograms and present one each to the commanders of the Battleship and the submarine as a memento. Much of the original radio gear aboard the Battleship was designed for Morse Code, the predominant form of radio communications through WWII. By contrast, the submarine contains state-of-the art communications equipment that is light years ahead in capability from the now primitive equipment aboard the Battleship. The Navy phased out Morse Code in the 1990s, so the only way for the two ships to communicate electronically is through amateur radio voice communications. "We felt this was an appropriate way for the Battleship to send best wishes to its namesake successor", said Ed Redington, president of the Azalea Coast club, which operates the equipment aboard the Battleship so that many of the world's two million licensed ham radio operators can have a chance to contact the retired dreadnought. "There are roughly 70 retired military and merchant marine vessels with restored radio rooms across the U.S.,", said Redington, "and it's fun when the old ships get on the air." Returning to Wilmington this weekend for a reunion of the crew of the Battleship will be Richard "Mac" McCullough, a radio operator who served aboard the Battleship from 1941 to 1945. Now 84, McCullough is a ham radio operator who uses Morse Code exclusively, and has communicated from his home in Massachusetts with the Battleship via Morse Code. Because of the number of hurricanes in our area, the public associates ham radio most often with emergency communications after cell phones, landlines and the internet go down. About 20 of the area's 1,500 licensed ham radio operators volunteer aboard the Battleship giving tours of the radio room and letting visitors get on the air. This weekend the ham radio station aboard the Battleship will be activated Saturday and Sunday sending commemorative greetings about the commissioning to hams around the globe. Bill Morine, N2COP ARRL Public Information Coordinator North Carolina Section
__________________
KI4RVH |
#2
|
||||
|
||||
Special event this Saturday ofr USS North Carolina
This will be happening this weekend.
73 Chris USS NORTH CAROLINA COMMISSIONING On May 3, from 1200Z-2000Z, the Azalea Coast Amateur Radio Club, NI4BK, is sponsoring a special event station celebrating the commissioning of the Navy's newest Virginia class attack submarine, USS North Carolina. The commissioning ceremony will occur in Wilmington near the submarine's historic predecessor, the Battleship USS North Carolina. Efforts are underway to arrange a ham radio contact between the Battleship USS North Carolina and her new namesake as part of the commissioning ceremony! In addition, a special event station, NI4BK, will be operating SSB and CW in the 20 and 40 m General bands. They will also operate on EchoLink 353118 KI4RMS-L IRLP 9120 N4JDW VHF/UHF and HF. QSL to the Azalea Coast ARC, PO Box 4044, Wilmington, NC 28406. ____________
__________________
KI4RVH |
#3
|
||||
|
||||
Video of Historic Event
http://www.wwaytv3.com/video/sub_bat..._radio_call/04
Looks like they used an HT on the sub deck. The radio room in the old USS NC looks cool. 73 Chris
__________________
KI4RVH |
#4
|
||||
|
||||
My family and I toured the battleship last year. It is really nice now. We went through it real slow, taking our time. It is hard to believe what life was like back then. Anyone who gets a chance ought to do ti. I was astounded by the red drum fish swimming around in the shallows. But they wouldn't let me fish off the bow!
__________________
Peace will not be found at a MidEast table. Peace began at a MidEast STABLE, but everyone seems to deny it. We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light. Believing in evolution is like expecting a tornado to go through a junkyard and create a Mercedes Benz on its way out! If you don't stand behind our US troops, then please feel free to stand in front of them. Yea, that's what I thought.......... |
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | Rate This Thread |
|
|