My own research done for a recent club presentation suggested that Spark
was "dead" around 1920 for commercial purposes as a result of Lee
DeForest's vacuum tube which ushered in the age of CW. I also found
several references to spark having been outlawed for use on the ham
bands in 1923-1924. By the late 1920s the only spark transmitters still
in operation were legacy units on naval vessels. What I wasn't able to
determine is if the term "naval" meant "Navy" or "Merchant" or both. In
any case, my point is the Titanic sent CQD and later SOS using Morse
Code. 73, Stan WB2LQF
On Sat, Mar 2, 2013 at 8:09 PM, Rick Dettinger wrote:
Actually, it was spark that played a role, and we probably won't hear
that from the Titanic II, since it hasn't been legal on the air since
1938. CW was still at least a decade off, though the date seems to be
elusive. Spark was still the mode used in 1920 for ships at sea, as
chronicled in the novel "The Nymph and the Lamp", by Thomas Raddall, a
good read. And, yes, it would be nice if Morse Code could be heard
from the Titanic II, in any mode.
73,
Rick Dettinger K7MW
On Mar 2, 2013, at 4:28 PM, stan levandowski wrote:
I heard about Titanic II on CNN this evening. I don't think there
will be any hams operating from the radio room in today's post-911
days of paranoia about security but I sure do hope that between now
and 2016, those DXpedition- caliber hams with influence and the $$$
will approach the right people to start talks on putting some kind of
plan in place that acknowledges the full historical account of the
Titanic including the Radio Act of 1912 that followed the disaster.
CW played a role and who better to celebrate that around the world
than we hams! What great publicity this could be for amateur radio,
CW, and the sponsors of such an effort. 73, Stan WB2LQF
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