# Maritime Radio Day



## R651400 (Jun 18, 2005)

Interesting image to promote Maritime Radio Day (MRD) which will take place on the amateur bands (cw) 1200 UTC 11th April to 1200 UTC 12th April.
Attachment shows a pot-pourri of radio equipment. IMR, MIMCO and possibly Redifon. Brocklebanks perhaps?


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## K urgess (Aug 14, 2006)

Thanks for the pointer.
Highly polished or very new Lodestone D/F to the extreme right [=P]


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## R651400 (Jun 18, 2005)

Marconi Sahib said:


> Thanks for the pointer.
> Highly polished or very new Lodestone D/F to the extreme right [=P]


More your era than mine. Rings on the sleeves?


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## K urgess (Aug 14, 2006)

Certainly not Marconi. Standard Merch braid was the rig of the day for us.
Looks like.... I was going to say someone like P&O, Brocks or SSA but the stripes look too close together and trans-Atlantic. 
Cheers
Kris


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## R651400 (Jun 18, 2005)

Lodestone was easily spottable as was the IMR junk. On the left? Looks like something Redifon but as I say past my sell by date!


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## K urgess (Aug 14, 2006)

Lodestone was well established as part of Marconi's frontline equipment by 1947.
I haven't a clue about the rest of the gear but it all looks fairly new and distinctly 50s.
Well out of my experience. I don't even recognise the stand-off insulators. [=P]


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## R651400 (Jun 18, 2005)

No wavy rings on the R/O's sleeves, IMR junk and panelled radio room. It has to be a 1960's Cunarder or Brocklebank.


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## gwzm (Nov 7, 2005)

Evening All,

I plead guilty! 'Tis me as a still spotty Burrah Marconi Sahib on Brocklebank's Maturata/GTVL on a short coastal trip in March/April 1965.
= salaams es bv de gwzm + VA


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## R651400 (Jun 18, 2005)

Thanks for putting us right GWZM. I don't know where Alfredo gets his pics. Can you perchance tell us what the gear is to the left. I sailed with that IMR receiver once and remember it required lifting the lid to put it on the emergency batteries and was not very sensitive.


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## R651400 (Jun 18, 2005)

Just in case anyone is wondering who Alfredo is!

http://digidownload.libero.it/radiofficer/index.html

My original was to draw attention to MRD and hopefully find new participants.
I haven't been able to successfully get into the event rules url but I understand one signs with the callsign of their last ship.


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## gwzm (Nov 7, 2005)

Hi 654100,
The equipment on the left of the photo is probably a Redifon auto-alarm but it's a long time ago so I can't be sure. I don't recall the model number for the IMR receiver in the photo but they were used as emergency receivers and always seemed OK to me. The Maturata had R50Ms as main receivers and it's a bit difficult to touch-type copy traffic and keep following the receiver drift at the same time so I'm actually sitting at the emergency position using the emergency receiver.

Although most Brocklebank ships had gear from different manufacturers it was all pretty reliable - with one exception: the dreaded Redifon R50Ms which were used as main receivers on several ships. The only GWZM ship that I sailed on with an almost all single manufacturer radio fit-out was the Makrana/GWWV. It was all IMR, with the exception of the VHF which was Redifon and the radar which was a BTH RMS2
Salaams,
gwzm


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## R651400 (Jun 18, 2005)

Thanks GWZM. I thought it might be a Redifon AA which I also sailed with. The wee white test button just visible in the pic. The R50M like all Redifon gear was beautifully constructed. Why a receiver of this quality fell short on performance and never had as much as a simple calibrating oscillator is beyond me.


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## K urgess (Aug 14, 2006)

Thanks, GWZM. (Thumb)
I had a feeling I'd seen the picture before. 
Later than I thought but I was a relative latecomer in 1966.
Cheers
GZJE


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## Naytikos (Oct 20, 2008)

Thanks for the info re MRD. Unfortunately I shall not be able to participate having lost all my antennae/towers in a disastrous hurricane last November. Might be able to listen in with a bit of wet string though!


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## caseman (Apr 9, 2009)

R651400 said:


> Just in case anyone is wondering who Alfredo is!
> 
> http://digidownload.libero.it/radiofficer/index.html
> 
> ...


The Rules are here : http://www.radiomaritimeday.org/ and yes, you sign as Call, QSA report and last ship call.
I shall be operating as G4CMQ, last ship Cardiganbrook/GNTL.
Hope to catch some of you there.

regards
David/G4CMQ


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## caseman (Apr 9, 2009)

Spent a very enjoyable few hours working in the MRD Contest over Saturday/Sunday and worked over 100 ex R/O's and ex Coast Station ops. Furthest was a UA9, conditions very poor for DX. Guess who forgot the first couple of Silence Periods (Cloud). Biggest problem when the JA and Gagarin Cup DX Contest were competing for QRG was that after each SP you had lost your calling frequency to all the others.
Still very nostalgic. Skip was not good for inter G working so did not catch anyone I had seen on this Forum. Maybe next year.

Regards
David/G4CMQ


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## RO Vintage (Feb 13, 2008)

GTZM
------
Dont Knock Mimco Gear We Were All Happy In The Old Days Rem! The O!Span
vii 50W And Still Had QSOs With GKB Etc From Mid Pacific, Long After The Area Scheme Ended For UK Vsls.
Try Working SVA Like The Greeks Had To ,Could Tell You Stories But Not On
This Web.

Do I Sound Bitter? Should Be Cos We Sat Back And Let The Ship Owners Run
Us Ashore, Not To Mention A Certain Union Still Going, God Helps All R/Os Who
After Five Years Or Less Could Not take The North Atlantic, So Ran Home
To Mammy "Dobie" I Suspect And Smoko In Bed.

Leave GTZM Alone And Remember We Were Our Own Worst Enemy.

Rgds

George Ex Mimco 1960s


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## R651400 (Jun 18, 2005)

Was unable to participate but from feedback it appears MRD was a resounding success. 
Gentlemanly standards of operating from the past very much to the fore and one participant was able to renew a couple of old aquaintances from either his college or seafaring days.


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