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akula65 · 11-26-09, 08:02 AM

After lurking in this forum for years (I even purchased a SubSim CD-ROM a few years ago), I thought it was time to register and post.

Some folks have expressed interest in Morse Code in various threads related to the Silent Hunter series, and an event will be taking place on 28 November 2009 that may be of interest. Last Saturday (21 November), the World War II destroyer USS Cassin Young (DD-793) and the Victory ship SS American Victory used restored original radio equipment to establish CW (Morse Code) communications with the U.S. coast station KSM on HF (shortwave) frequencies. The USS Cassin Young (callsign NTTH) is moored near the USS Constitution in Boston, MA, the SS American Victory (callsign KKUI) is moored in Tampa, FL, and KSM is located in the Point Reyes National Seashore in California. The announcements prior to and after the event can be seen here:

http://groups.google.com/group/radio...7b52399ba34c0#
http://groups.google.com/group/radio...a6698e8940527#
http://groups.google.com/group/radio...01cdce982c739#

On 28 November 2009 at around 1700 UTC/GMT (12 Noon EST, 9 AM PST), the same three stations will again be on the air, and in addition to trying to contact KSM, both vessels on the East Coast will attempt to contact each other using CW. The details can be seen here:

http://groups.google.com/group/radio...a38c0d95f8e52#

I was able to hear all three stations in North Carolina last Saturday, so there is a good chance to do so again this Saturday. If you have a shortwave receiver that can tune signals in SSB (single sideband) or CW (Morse code) mode, then you may be able to hear them as well. Note that the communications are conducted in duplex mode meaning that separate transmitting frequencies are used by two stations in communication with each other. This means that in order to hear both sides of the conversation, you need either two separate receivers or one receiver with a number of memories that can scan or be quickly tuned between the different frequencies in use.

KSM will probably be sending their "wheel" prior to 1700 UTC on all their transmitting frequencies. The "wheel" is a set message sent repeatedly which usually indicates what frequencies KSM is monitoring. You can use the wheel to make sure you are tuned into KSM well before 1700 UTC. If you want to hear either of the vessels, you will want to be tuned initially to 12552.0 kHz (=12.552 MHz), although NTTH (USS Cassin Young) will probably change to another frequency to actually pass traffic.

If you don't have the necessary receiving equipment yourself, local amateur radio operators or amateur radio clubs may be able to help, and if you can find a CW enthusiast, they will probably be thrilled to hear these stations.

Information on the USS Cassin Young can be found here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Cassin_Young_(DD-793)
http://www.nps.gov/bost/historycultu...assinyoung.htm

Information on the SS American Victory is available here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_American_Victory
http://www.americanvictory.org/

You can read more about station KSM here:

http://www.radiomarine.org/

Good hunting!

11-26-09, 08:02 AM	#1
akula65 A-ganger Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 76 Downloads: 23 Uploads: 0	Vessels on the Air on 28 Nov. 2009 After lurking in this forum for years (I even purchased a SubSim CD-ROM a few years ago), I thought it was time to register and post. Some folks have expressed interest in Morse Code in various threads related to the Silent Hunter series, and an event will be taking place on 28 November 2009 that may be of interest. Last Saturday (21 November), the World War II destroyer USS Cassin Young (DD-793) and the Victory ship SS American Victory used restored original radio equipment to establish CW (Morse Code) communications with the U.S. coast station KSM on HF (shortwave) frequencies. The USS Cassin Young (callsign NTTH) is moored near the USS Constitution in Boston, MA, the SS American Victory (callsign KKUI) is moored in Tampa, FL, and KSM is located in the Point Reyes National Seashore in California. The announcements prior to and after the event can be seen here: http://groups.google.com/group/radio...7b52399ba34c0# http://groups.google.com/group/radio...a6698e8940527# http://groups.google.com/group/radio...01cdce982c739# On 28 November 2009 at around 1700 UTC/GMT (12 Noon EST, 9 AM PST), the same three stations will again be on the air, and in addition to trying to contact KSM, both vessels on the East Coast will attempt to contact each other using CW. The details can be seen here: http://groups.google.com/group/radio...a38c0d95f8e52# I was able to hear all three stations in North Carolina last Saturday, so there is a good chance to do so again this Saturday. If you have a shortwave receiver that can tune signals in SSB (single sideband) or CW (Morse code) mode, then you may be able to hear them as well. Note that the communications are conducted in duplex mode meaning that separate transmitting frequencies are used by two stations in communication with each other. This means that in order to hear both sides of the conversation, you need either two separate receivers or one receiver with a number of memories that can scan or be quickly tuned between the different frequencies in use. KSM will probably be sending their "wheel" prior to 1700 UTC on all their transmitting frequencies. The "wheel" is a set message sent repeatedly which usually indicates what frequencies KSM is monitoring. You can use the wheel to make sure you are tuned into KSM well before 1700 UTC. If you want to hear either of the vessels, you will want to be tuned initially to 12552.0 kHz (=12.552 MHz), although NTTH (USS Cassin Young) will probably change to another frequency to actually pass traffic. If you don't have the necessary receiving equipment yourself, local amateur radio operators or amateur radio clubs may be able to help, and if you can find a CW enthusiast, they will probably be thrilled to hear these stations. Information on the USS Cassin Young can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Cassin_Young_(DD-793) http://www.nps.gov/bost/historycultu...assinyoung.htm Information on the SS American Victory is available here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_American_Victory http://www.americanvictory.org/ You can read more about station KSM here: http://www.radiomarine.org/ Good hunting!