CQ CQ CQ – #HamRadio Saturday : On a Catholic note

A DX contact from a fellow Ham Radio Operator…*

Remember that one of our readers here has made his Echolink node available to us: 554286 – WB0YLE-R  (Thanks!) Remember: You must be licensed to use Echolink. BTW… there is a great iPhone app for Echolink. I can see quite a few hams using that method to connect.

I created a page for the List of YOUR callsigns.  HERE  Chime in or drop me a note if your call doesn’t appear in the list.

73!

*.. / .- — / …- . .-. -.– / .– — .-. .-. .. . -.. / – …. .- – / .–. — .–. . / ..-. .-. .- -. -.-. .. … / .. … / -.. .-. .- –. –. .. -. –. / -.-. …. .-. .. … – … / -.-. …. ..- .-. -.-. …. / .. -. – — / …. . .-. . … -.– .-.-.- / .- — / .. / .– .-. — -. –. / — .-. / .– …. .- – ..–..

I respond:

… – / – . .-. . … .- / — ..-. / .- …- .. .-.. .- / .– .-. — – . —… / .-.. . – / -. — – …. .. -. –. / -.. .. … – ..- .-. -… / -.– — ..- .-.-.- / .-.. . – / -. — – …. .. -. –. / ..-. .-. .. –. …. – . -. / -.– — ..- .-.-.- / .- .-.. .-.. / – …. .. -. –. … / .- .-. . / .–. .- … … .. -. –. / .- .– .- -.– .-.-.- / –. — -.. / -. . …- . .-. / -.-. …. .- -. –. . … .-.-.- / .–. .- – .. . -. -.-. . / — -… – .- .. -. … / .- .-.. .-.. / – …. .. -. –. … .-.-.- / .– …. — . …- . .-. / …. .- … / –. — -.. / .-.. .- -.-. -.- … / -. — – …. .. -. –. .-.-.- / –. — -.. / .- .-.. — -. . / … ..- ..-. ..-. .. -.-. . … .-.-.- / -… -.-. -. ..- / — -… / –… …– / -.. . / .– —-. ..-. .-. –.. / –.- .-. –

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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7 Comments

  1. deaconjohn1987 says:

    It’s been many years (over 35) since I was a Ham Radio fanatic (WA2 VZG) even building my own antennas (falling off the roof was not nice), but I loved 6 meters and spent way too much time on the air! My Drake transceiver was the best at the time! O well, I’m 80 years old now, so I don’t think I’ll renew that life style again! :-) I’ll be transmitting in heaven soon!

    [From heaven, please God! But when He says.]

  2. Lucas Whittaker says:

    First, wish that I had learned about your participation in Ham Radio before we donated my grandfather’s beautiful–relatively–new Kennedy Radio: I would have given it to you, along with his other equipment. You might have been able to make use of a di-pole(sp?) antenna where you live. Second, I had taken the first test when I was in my early teens, KDX0X (I believe). But it was a temporary call sign until I learned Morse Code (required then) and took the more advanced test, thereby receiving a permanent call sign. I wish that I had taken the test after the Morse Code was no longer a requirement. It was easy for my grandfather, Jim, because he was in the British Royal Signals Corp, and became a telegrapher for the, then, Great Northern Railway when he crossed “the pond” to become an American citizen after the Second World War. HE could code and hear code at more than 80 characters(?) per minute. [whew] I believe that 50 characters per minute was standard for others radio operators who were proficient at coding.

    v: A porta inferi,
    r: Erue, Domine, animam eius.
    v: Requiescat in pace.
    Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine. Et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.

    [Amen.]

  3. VexillaRegis says:

    My dear husband worked as a radio operator for a European Navy for some years in the 80-ties. I’ve heard him and his fellows having entire discussions in Morse code at the dinner table! He says, that the required level for coding and hearing MC lay at 60 characters per minute, but that he and the other operators in his department sent and decoded 100 – 120/min. The Russians were even faster sometimes…

  4. Lucas Whittaker says:

    Memory sometimes changes with the passage of time . . .

    It was a Kenwood Radio, as opposed to a “Kennedy”.

  5. Mike of Arkansas says:

    To put some perspective on the code speeds cited so far:

    60 characters per second = 12 words per minute
    80 cps = 16 wpm
    100 cps = 20 wpm
    120 cps = 24 wpm.

    These are all modest skill levels for amateur use. In the USA up to about 25 years ago, the General and Advanced Class licenses required 69 cps (13 wpm), and the Amateur Extra Class required 100 cps (20 wpm).

    A professional (commercial) radiotegrapher’s license required 20 wpm copy and sending plain language, 100 characters straight without error from 500 sent. Also required was 16 wpm copy and sending random code groups, 80 characters straight without error from 400 sent. Even though slow, the 16 wpm code group test was the one most often failed.

    About the minimum acceptable entry-level proficiency for a commercial radiotelegrapher was 25 wpm (125 cps). Coast station news, weather, and radio officer union broadcasts typically ran at 30 to 35 wpm (150 to 175 cps) and experienced operators were commonly found capable of better than 50 wpm (250 cps).

    Morse code is a thing of great beauty, but it’s now sadly relegated to ham band chatter since US maritime Morse coast stations all shut down in July 1999.

  6. Mike of Arkansas says:

    In my previous post, all references to “characters per second” and “cps” should have been “characters per minute” and “cpm”, respectively.

  7. Lucas Whittaker says:

    @Mike of Arkansas: Thank you for the lists of speeds. As I mention above, my memory regarding these things has faded (already! yikes!). I can say with surety only that he was much faster than the other skilled operators. I recall him trying to teach code to me and stating that he had to slow down his coding in order for the other (usually overseas) operators to read his code. He had had many years of experience. And I admit to being fascinated by the Amateur Radio hobby, generally; life had other plans for me, though. Dominus sit in corde tuo!

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