When I tell people I’m a former shipboard radio operator, they always ask if I ever sent an SOS. Well, almost…

I was working on a car carrier, essentially just a big shoe box on a hull, with living quarters on top. We had just loaded cars straight out of the factory in Nagoya. You could still smell the paint. The ship has big blowers to ventilate the cargo holds and cars are packed in just 6 inches apart, strapped down (with the transmission in ‘park’ if auto or first gear if a standard with the parking brake on for extra hold).

The was a typhoon offshore and we were making full speed to get ahead of it. The ship was surging (also called pitching) and we were banging into a heavy head sea. it was nothing the ship couldn’t handle but it is annoying to feel a huge bang every 30 seconds as you hit the waves.

We had just come up from our 10:15 coffee break when all the alarms went crazy. The fire control panel on the bridge lit up like a Christmas tree. We had fire in five decks and we all went to our fire stations.

First we shut off the ventilation for the cargo holds so we wouldn’t fan the flames. The captain took control and sent the chief mate to close up all the ventilation hatches while they opened the hatch door to try and fight the fire with the hoses. Acrid black smoke and flames came roaring out. The AC power was going off and on as circuit breakers tripped all over the ship — but somehow they kept the power on despite heavy smoke in the engine room.

The fire was incredibly hot and the deck began to melt and sag in places. I could feel cars exploding in the hold like popcorn in a kettle. The water was just making steam and things weren’t looking good. I went to the chart room and got our last position at 10:15. I couldn’t send an SOS without the captain’s order because that would expose the shipowners to salvage claims. Instead I sent a PAN notice XXX in Morse code advising ships we were on fire and dead in the water, and our position.

In just a few minutes I had 3 QSL’s and ships were standing by in case we had to abandon ship. On car carriers you can’t just lower the boats because you would bang against the ship and break the lifeboats. You have to swing out the boat, jump in and fasten a 4-point seat restraint and just pull the release and free fall 90 ft. The captain said they did it in the shipyard for the Coast Guard inspection and it wasn’t too bad, but doing it in heavy seas is another matter. Fortunately by then the chief mate had secured all the open ventilators and they fought the fire until they could reach the fire control room. There they released thousands of gallons of CO2 into the holds and eventually the fire was out.

I cancelled the XXX broadcast but it was nice to know that we had help nearby if we needed it. The age old system worked just as it was meant to. In all we burnt up over 5,000 cars out of 7,800 on board and the ship was a wreck.

It would take a month to repair it. The fire investigator believed that the surging of the ship had caused a defective starter to engage on a vehicle with a standard transmission. With straps holding it and the parking break on it couldn’t move and the wire to the starting motor became red hot. The wire in turn was secured to the fender well with a clamp. The fender well was made of a composite material and caught fire and burned very hot triggering a runaway “domino effect” as car after car caught fire.

It was a nice ship and it came to Boston not far from my home but after the fire I gave up the job. I knew I’d never be at ease on a car carrier again, and that was my one and only almost SOS.

Since my last article was published, I made my fourth attempt to pass the extra exam. I knew I had done better, but was pleasantly surprised when the VEs congratulated me. I’m still trying to believe that since it was only one week ago. Never mind that anyway, it doesn’t really have anything to do with the new CW paddle I made.

Way back when, after I had been on the air for a few months, I decided I’d give CW a shot. I knew I’d need a key or paddle, but didn’t really know where to start. A simple Internet search for CW paddle brought up a very large number of beautiful paddles that nearly made me drool. What prevented the drooling was the price attached to nearly all of those lovely paddles. I wasn’t about to spend that kind of money on something that I didn’t even know I could operate.

My next Internet search included the word “homebrew” to see if it were even possible to make a CW paddle that would work. Much to my amazement, there are hundreds of different designs for homebrew CW paddles. Altoid tins, hacksaw blades, plastic, wood, all wire, metal, you name it, someone had created one. Seeing all of those wonderful homemade paddles, I knew it was possible, but was it possible for me?

Read the rest of this entry »

Not much to report from me lately. The weather was not suitable for portable operations, otherwise too busy or too tired to do anything “radio”. We decided to spend our last money on a trip to Europe this summer (necessary family visits, long overdue) and I am one to prepare way in advance.

“What radio shall I bring along?” was of course the first question I asked myself. But being wise I quickly changed it into: “What antenna shall I use?” Since I never worked with end-fed antennas I thought it would be a good opportunity to learn about them and try them out.

Let’s start with buying stuff: a seven meter fishing rod that fit in my suitcase cost US$20. A length of 30 meter strong light Teflon coated copper wire was about the same. Cut in two lengths of 20 and 10 meter it would cover 20 and 40 meters, hence End Fed Half Wave. For the impedance coupler I turned to M0UKD’s excellent website . End fed antennas are no rocket science: the high impedance of a half wave length of wire has to be turned into a low impedance that matches the radio. A tank circuit is used to optimize the power transfer of the transformer used for this. So I build a tank circuit with a 1:8 air core transformer and a 9-50 pF variable capacitor.

After another hard days work at school I went to the parking lot to do some initial tests before going home. I shot this impromptu video with my phone to show you the result.

So I built myself a Full Wave End Fed! It’s not supposed to be like this! With the 10 meter wire I got the same result: on 20 meters I got a dip, but the SWR wouldn’t get below 2.2:1. I didn’t check the performance on 10 meters, but I guess I will get a near perfect SWR there, too. Of course, on my workbench, using a 3300 ohm resistor as dummy load, I had no problem matching 40 and 20 meters.

I’m a bit baffled and unsure what to do next. I already tried some transformers using ferrite cores from my junk box, but non were giving me a tuned tank circuit (inductance too high). I want coverage from 40-20 meters and my capacitor has a range of 9-50 pF. The inductor should be 11 uH then and with a 1:8 ratio the transformer should make 3300 ohm into 51 ohm. The only thing I can think of right now is that my wire is not suitable, but why? As I said in the video, any suggestions are welcome. In the mean time….I’ll keep studying about EFHW antennas.

Stories you’ll find in our May, 2016 issue:

Wi-Fi Radio Primer Part 2: Review of Stand Alone Wi-Fi Radios
By Thomas Witherspoon K4SWL

Wi-Fi radios, by and large, look like traditional radios; they typically have backlit digital displays, front panel buttons to recall memories, and an internal speaker. They function like them, too, in that they play radio stations––but there’s where the resemblance stops. Streaming lnternet audio, and their dependence upon an aggregator to do this, sets them entirely apart. This month Thomas looks closely at some popular Wi-Fi radio choices to find the good, the better and the expensive.

Piggy Bank Ham Radio Part 2
By Cory GB Sickles WA3UVV

Last month, Cory introduced you to the possibilities of getting involved and having fun with ham radio on the HF bands—using (among other things) CW (Morse code), some ingenuity and networking with fellow hams to get started—all within a target budget of less than $100. This month, he explores some of the details of putting together your first station, including a simple antenna you can build, complete with an inexpensive QRP tuner for just $25 as well as tips on making that first CW contact.

Saving AM Broadcasting in North America
By Mike Kohl

For decades the AM broadcast industry has slipped further and further behind what it thought was its main competition: FM broadcast radio. Now, with satellite radio and Internet streaming taking more market share with each passing year, AM radio is frantically looking for a way to bail out a sinking ship. Mike outlines some of the options available to the oldest sector of the broadcast industry through regulation and market incentives. But, will any or all options be enough?

Becoming Radio Active when the Rubber Hits the Road
By Richard Fisher KI6SN

Many hams spend more time in their cars than in their shacks, leading to the notion of going mobile and not just for 2-meters. But it’s not nearly as easy as you might think. Trying to get an HF signal out of a moving, noisy, metal shack using impossibly short antennas are only a few of the difficulties to be overcome. Richard examines the mobile operations of a few of the most successful road operators to find out how to do it right.

TSM Reviews:
Comet CA-500 MKII Antenna Analyzer and A Pair of Cans for your Radio Pleasure
By Mark Haverstock K8MSH

There’s an old saying in ham radio: if you can’t hear ‘em, you can’t work ‘em! A good pair of headphones (sometimes referred to as “cans”) can make the difference in working DX or just being enjoying a QSO in a noisy home environment. Mark takes a look at two popular headphone sets: Audio Technica’s BPH1S broadcast headset and Heil Sound’s Proset Elite amateur radio headset. Both have their advantages and both are under $200.

Scanning America
By Dan Veenaman
Calvert, St. Mary’s (MD) and Lewis (NY) Counties

Federal Wavelengths
By Chris Parris
Summer Vacation Scanning

Utility Planet
By Hugh Stegman NV6H
HF in Death Valley

Digital HF: Intercept and Analyze
By Mike Chace-Ortiz AB1TZ/G6DHU
International ALE Networks

HF Utility Logs
By Mike Chace-Ortiz and Hugh Stegman

Digitally Speaking
By Cory Sickles WA3UVV
New DV Gear from the LMR World

VHF and Above
By Joe Lynch N6CL
Summits on the Air

Amateur Radio Insights
By Kirk Kleinschmidt NT0Z
Forgotten Antenna Fundamentals and Other Curious Tidbits—Part 4

Radio 101
By Ken Reitz KS4ZR
Channel Master’s FlatWave TV Antenna; Help for 3M’s WorkTunes Radio

The World of Shortwave Listening
By Jeff White
Spanning Two Continents and the Mediterranean: Turkey and Cyprus on Shortwave

The Shortwave Listener
By Fred Waterer
“Isle of Music,” BBC, RHC and More

Amateur Radio Astronomy
By Stan Nelson KB5VL
Revisiting Radio Jove with a Low Cost Computer

The Longwave Zone
By Kevin O’Hern Carey WB2QMY
Longwave Beacons: the Ideal DX Target

Adventures in Radio Restoration
By Rich Post KB8TAD
Not Another Heavy Hammarlund HQ-129X!?

Antenna Connections
By Dan Farber AC0LW
Antenna Height Above Ground

The Spectrum Monitor is available in PDF format which can be read on any desktop, laptop, iPad®, Kindle® Fire, or other device capable of opening a PDF file. Annual subscription is $24. Individual monthly issues are available for $3 each.