# WT on Lightships or Lighthouses?



## Worldspan (Jan 2, 2012)

Did lightships and lighthouses have WT and, if so, what callsigns did they use?
Of particular interest is the Royal Sovereign off Eastbourne.
This has been a tower for many years and I understand it is to be decommissioned next year. However, I remember when it was a lightship.
I used to listen to an evening sked around 2200 every evening ... the various lightships along the south coast linked up on the marine MF band using AM on a fixed frequency just below the medium wave broadcast band.
But before this did they communicate via CW?
Thanks in advance.
W


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## djringjr (Feb 11, 2008)

Worldspan said:


> Did lightships and lighthouses have WT and, if so, what callsigns did they use?
> I remember Royal Sovereign off Eastbourne. when it was a lightship.
> I used to listen to an evening sked around 2200 every evening ... the various lightships along the south coast linked up on the marine MF band using AM on a fixed frequency just below the medium wave broadcast band.
> But before this did they communicate via CW?
> ...


W,

Could you give a year when "Royal Sovereign" had a RT schedule below the MW broadcast band? This would help some who have old ship lists and coast station lists look for information.

73

DR
N1EA


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

Worldspan said:


> Did lightships and lighthouses have WT and, if so, what callsigns did they use?
> Of particular interest is the Royal Sovereign off Eastbourne.
> This has been a tower for many years and I understand it is to be decommissioned next year. However, I remember when it was a lightship.
> I used to listen to an evening sked around 2200 every evening ... the various lightships along the south coast linked up on the marine MF band using AM on a fixed frequency just below the medium wave broadcast band.
> ...


I worked on Nab Tower Lighthouse in about 1966 we had a radio schedule with the other lighthouses and lightships along the south coast from the Isle of Wight towards Dungeness in Kent, I forget the exact boundaries but it was the Trinity House Cowes district. We conducted the schedule four times a day, I think, but I can't remember if Nab Tower controlled it or if we took turns. The schedule was to collect reports of current weather conditions at each lighthouse and lightship and they were then forwarded on to the Met Office - I'm a bit hazy on how that happened, don't know whether we sent them in or someone else was wigging in to the sked, but eventually the reports came on the BBC Shipping Forecast. I remember Needles Lt Ho was in the loop and Owers Lightship off Selsey Bill, possibly Shambles Lightship off Portland Bill and a few others. Not sure if Beachy Head Lighthouse was included and I don't recall Royal Sovereign Lightship at all. The sked was conducted on 2 Mc/s radiotelephone. I think initial calls were on 2182 kc/s, the distress and calling frequency, and then switched to a working frequency, same as on ships. As far as I know, radio telegraphy was never used. I do recall crawling across the flat top of Nab Tower on all fours in blizzard conditions collecting the weather data, that was fun. Hope this is of interest, sorry my memory isn't better.

Funny to read that Beachy Head Lighthouse is still going strong but Royal Sovereign is being scrapped after only 50 years.

John T


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## Worldspan (Jan 2, 2012)

djringjr said:


> W,
> 
> Could you give a year when "Royal Sovereign" had a RT schedule below the MW broadcast band? This would help some who have old ship lists and coast station lists look for information.
> 
> ...


OK - I would have first heard them in 1953 or thereabouts. My grandmother's b/c rx happened to tune down to just below the bottom of the medium-wave. It was just a basic domestic set and didn't have 'trawler band', as did some. Later, when I'd got my ham ticket, I had various communications receivers, the first was a CR300 that weighed a ton. I somehow managed to carry it to the underground from Lisle Street and then went down on the train to the south coast. The sked was still going into the 1960s at least. Once in the 1970s I arranged a visit to the Royal Sovereign for a group of students. A local fisherman took us out in his boat ... we brought goodies such as fresh fruit.
M


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

What no beer, Worldspan? I'm reminded of when I worked on Portland Breakwater Lighthouse which was "off shore". Every Christmas the Mayor of Weymouth used to go out in the RNLI lifeboat to the lighthouse and the Shambles lightship to deliver some Christmas cheer. One year they had a particularly grumpy Principle Keeper who told the Mayor to F*** Off and that was the end of that! The Christmas I was there we watched the lifeboat go past the breakwater towards the Shambles, wondering if they'd call in, but no such luck. We got to watch them again at teatime on TV which was nice.

John T


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## Worldspan (Jan 2, 2012)

OK and thanks for the reply.
Were you working as an RO at the lighthouse?
I remember that the Shambles was one of the lightships in that Trinity House net.
An Eastbourne charity ... can't remember which one ... always took goodies to the RS. I think this was on Christmas Day itself.
I believe that even ships that never used WT were issued with a callsign ... (?)
The radio room at Norwood had the usual Oceanspan and so on and this was hooked up to a dummy aerial. There was a G+3 letter callsign above the Tx.
M


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

Worldspan said:


> OK and thanks for the reply.
> Were you working as an RO at the lighthouse?
> I remember that the Shambles was one of the lightships in that Trinity House net.
> An Eastbourne charity ... can't remember which one ... always took goodies to the RS. I think this was on Christmas Day itself.
> ...


No I was a lighthouse keeper. There were three people on board, a Principle Keeper and two Assistant Keepers. I became an RO later.
Yes, any ship with radiotelephone equipment was issued a four letter callsign. British ships' callsigns began with a G or an M. I suppose we had a callsign on the lighthouse too but it was the norm just to use the name when calling on radiotelephone.

John T


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## zl1bbw (May 27, 2014)

Worldspan said:


> OK and thanks for the reply.
> Were you working as an RO at the lighthouse?
> I remember that the Shambles was one of the lightships in that Trinity House net.
> An Eastbourne charity ... can't remember which one ... always took goodies to the RS. I think this was on Christmas Day itself.
> ...


What years were you at Norwood?

All vessels that were licensed had a callsign even small trawlers.


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## Worldspan (Jan 2, 2012)

Thanks for the reply.

I was at Norwood 1955-1957 (1st PMG and MOTCA Radar). Most of our classes were at the main building but we did Morse and some lectures at the chapel.

Danielson was Head of Dept. My main lecturer was Nicholson (a Scot) and for radar MacFazen. We were also taught at times by Ellerington, Mayoh and CT Holmes.

Students that I remember: David Seath, David Harrington, David Olsen. There was also a Nigerian from Kano whose name was something like Imadou. He’d worked on point-to-point circuits in Africa and was red hot at Morse. He could read at 40 wpm and write it all down with a pencil. Seath died a few years ago but ran a HI-FI shop in Eastbourne, Harrington became a licensed radio amateur but I don’t remember his call, Olsen emigrated to Christchurch in NZ when he got married.

I mentioned this on the forum once before but when I’d finished the course, I met my old school pals at the pub and one of them said earnestly, “Well, you’ve got a job for life because there will always be Morse!”

I was with Marconi on Orontes (GBXM); the Chief was Mr Palmer and the 2nd was Mr Boyce. After the MN I was in the RAF as an AEO on the V-Force (617 and 50 Squadrons, Vulcans).

W


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## zl1bbw (May 27, 2014)

Worldspan said:


> Thanks for the reply.
> 
> I was at Norwood 1955-1957 (1st PMG and MOTCA Radar). Most of our classes were at the main building but we did Morse and some lectures at the chapel.
> 
> ...


Well before my time then, late 60's for me, Yep remember Danielson and Mayo, cannot remember the name of the Radar guy though.\

Yep the Chapel, well that building could tell a few tales.

Left Norwood, went straight to New Zealand Shipping co, they arranged the interview for me, then when PnO took it over decided a change was due, so went freelance, first ship was a Bulk Carrier with Houlders, that was rough, then went to NERA and worked for them freelance so spent a lot of time wkg on Salen registered ships, had some great times, fantastic gear and even more fantastic pay. Then ashore to GKA, then London Telephone HQ nothing to do with radio at all, then packed it all in came to NZ about 35 years ago.

Time flies, still on the air as an amateur ZL1BBW, just been working a load of Europeans and a few G stns on 14mcs SSB.

Have fun Gavin


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