Ron D'Eau Claire wrote: > but they were operators on some rare, private, closed circuit
[Apologies to all for this off-topic rambling] I was the R/O on the SS Tampa Bay (KNJA), one of the last of the US Flag, all CW, banana boats. Most of the US Flag ships had long since gone to SITOR or INMARSAT -- we had neither. I used to work WLO every day as we plied the waters of South America and Africa. We handled all traffic at speeds between 25 and 30 WPM and it was rare for a fill either direction. And since we both had full QSK and knew how to use it, fills were nearly instantaneous. I don't know but I suspect the WLO guys were using electronic keyers -- I know I was. (I still use that keyer, a Wm. M. Nye ESK-001 that has keyed everything I've ever plugged it in to.) It was my very strong preference to always send my traffic through WLO because they were quick and efficient. Plus, I could hit them from *anywhere* in the Pacific or Atlantic on 12 or 16 MHz. WLO KNJA ================== ================== Sending wheel CQ "WLO" "DE" "KNJA" "UP" DIT QSY to working frequency and handle traffic. There was one incident where we were in heavy seas and I couldn't even stay seated in the chair. Anyway, I kept making mistakes and finally stopped and apologized to the op at WLO. He came back with something along the lines of "you've got the best fist we work". Now, I'm not *that* great of an op so his comment inspired me to listen to some of the other ships WLO was working -- I do not know how the guys at WLO could even copy them. I could only decipher about a quarter of what they were sending. It was the worst CW I've ever heard and I've *never* heard CW that bad on the ham bands.. I tell you this: those guys at WLO were incredible ops! 73, -Doug, W7KF ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
