# Fluorescent tubes in radio rooms



## barnsey (Apr 19, 2007)

On one or two ships I sailed on the Sparky secured a fluorescent tube to the transmitting aerial in the radio room which used to light up when he was transmitting.

Can anyone give reasons why this 'Home mod' was done and the reasons for and against.

Anyone got a photo of such a thing please. (Smoke)


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## kewl dude (Jun 1, 2008)

Eons ago around 1957-1958 teen age me was an Explorer Boy Scout. Our troop leader was an amateur radio operator (Ham). One summer at a Scout Jamboree each troop had to put on some kind of a show.

So one moonless night I am standing out in the open in front of a huge group of people sitting in bleachers, holding a 15 watt fluorescent lamp in my hand. I cannot recall the words I used but it was probably something like Shazam. And the lamp would light.

Sitting in a nearby copse of trees within hearing distance idling his quiet new Plymouth our troop leader would hold down the mike transmit button on his mobile, on an empty channel, and the lamp would come on. 

It was very well received. The area where I stood and my person was searched for a power source by several people but they could not figure out how we did it and we were not telling.

Greg Hayden


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## Coastie (Aug 24, 2005)

I've just copied the following from here: http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?p=34657872

"It does happen, my understanding (fully open to correction) AM amplitude modulation is where the audio modulates the carrier power, (as apposed to FM where carrier is deviated by audio) so the power is in effective moving up and down with the audio content, this in turn causes anything induced by the radiation to resonate in time with the audio (not the carrier)
EG example in bournemouth there is a small MW site, which Virgin, Classic gold etc come from. Its low power but has houses very close to it, and residents in that area can hear the audio on their telephones, on amplifiers, and on some metallic objects.

I also remember a tomorrows world episode where they went near to a radio 1 AM transmitter with a florescent tube. Holding one end in their hand and the other in the air, the tube lit up and pulsed with the modulation, as the tube was induced by the carrier.


W "

*Somewhereabouts is a video of (I think) Peter Chicago holding a fluorescent tube near the mast of the MEBO 2 (R.N.I) and that lighting up. I'll try to find it.

It's here at about 5mins and 10 seconds in.* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndftyEvpOtE


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## barnsey (Apr 19, 2007)

kewl dude said:


> Eons ago around 1957-1958 teen age me was an Explorer Boy Scout.
> 
> Greg Hayden


Absolutely cracker tale Greg ...love it. I can just imagine that scene and everyone hunting around to prove you wern't Merlin reincarnated...

As for your reply Coastie that too explains matters pretty well quite simplr really...

Thanks fellows ..... hope there are more tales forthcoming.


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## tunatownshipwreck (Nov 9, 2005)

I banned fluorescent lights from my radio shack because of the noise they put on short wave and medium wave reception.


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## Coastie (Aug 24, 2005)

Fluorescent tubes in their proper holders were noisy on AM because of the choke systems they have (had?) fitted, incandescent lighting was better.

Thank you Barnsey.(K)


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## Searcher2004 (May 3, 2012)

Coastie said:


> I've just copied the following from here: http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?p=34657872
> 
> "It does happen, my understanding (fully open to correction) AM amplitude modulation is where the audio modulates the carrier power, (as apposed to FM where carrier is deviated by audio) so the power is in effective moving up and down with the audio content, this in turn causes anything induced by the radiation to resonate in time with the audio (not the carrier)
> EG example in bournemouth there is a small MW site, which Virgin, Classic gold etc come from. Its low power but has houses very close to it, and residents in that area can hear the audio on their telephones, on amplifiers, and on some metallic objects.
> ...


The effect you mention about domestic appliances picking up local transmissions is called the "rusty bolt effect" and is explained here:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rusty_bolt_effecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rusty_bolt_effect

I'm sure that, years ago, I heard a story of someone getting chronic toothache when near a TX and that was resolved to a bad tooth with an existing filling. If you've ever accidentally bit on a piece of foil from your choccy bar you'll know what I mean! (Cloud)

73

'2004


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## endure (Apr 16, 2007)

It was done so we see that the magic words were actually going up the spout.


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## Bob Murdoch (Dec 11, 2004)

The 'rusty bolt' effect you mention is due to an improper contact between two metal connections, or, as indicated, a metal object passing current better one way than the other, acting as a detector, just like a geranium diode in your old crystal set.
When I was a young radio inspector in Whangarei, N.Z. the NZBC put a MW broadcast transmitter at Awanui, just north of Kaitaia. This was great for we RIs as the number of Broadcast Interference complaints dropped dramatically. However, suddenly we were being inundated with complaints from the mobile radiotelephone users. This in the mid 60's before CB and decades before GSMs. Truckies, vets, small marine craft, all depended on 2 - 4 meg radio.
Eventually the problem was solved when I with the chief inspected the new broadcasting site. Unfortunately, the NZBC high heidyins in Wellington had never visited the site of the new transmitter. It was approximately 500 m from the NDB aero beacon which was also blasting out at great power on about 200 kHz. Just as the BC transmitter was churning out great power on 1440 kHz.
To compound the problem, both were on the derelict site of the war time transmitting station for all aircraft approaching or departing NZ. When this requirement lapsed, the aerial farm was allowed to slowly collapse in itself. There was wire coiled around on the ground, rusty joints and, well you can imagine it.
Each one of these contact points was acting as detectors, and as mixers for the two high powered frequencies. So there was 200+1440, (2 ×200)+1440, and every other possible mix of the two frequencies and harmonics. These were then being radiated on the from the scap wire 'antenas'. Various such signals could be heard up to 25 miles away in daytime.
Fortunately, having found the source of the problem, it was up to the Dept of Civil Aviation to clean the site, a job which took several weeks.
Not really an answer ro the original question re fluo tubes. This was much simpler. The radiated power from the antenna merely 'excites' the gas leading to it emitting light.
Cheers, Bob


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## King Ratt (Aug 23, 2005)

I used to hold a pencil to the base of the main tx aerial where it connected to a Globespan transmitter. On key down, an inch long spark would jump between the pencil point and the base. This scared the wits out of the Chinese steward who was delivering my morning tea. quite safe if you kept your fingers away from the graphite core of the pencil.


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

The fluro tubes were used as a tuning indicator and for impressing female visitors to the radio room.


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## Ron Dean (Aug 11, 2010)

Troppo said:


> The fluro tubes were used as a tuning indicator and for impressing female visitors to the radio room.


I suppose the engine room boys had to resort to the Golden Rivet. (Jester)

Ron.


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## Bill.B (Oct 19, 2013)

Captain on Swiftnes came into the radio room to ask if I had a light. As I didn't smoke I didn't. Tuned up the S1250 and rolled up a message form and hit the key. Old man now has his light. He went down to the bar later and told them "you should see the size of sparkies electronic lighter!" Time before in Mercantile dry dock on Sir Bedivere the radio surveyor turned up and wanted a light. He held up a pencil to the main aerial and put the crusader to tune and burned a nice hole in his finger holding the pencil. We didn't have pencils with rubbers on the end on Bedivere. We still passed though.
Always put neons on my aerials to make sure they were tuning and working.


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## endure (Apr 16, 2007)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP6GeAZSi7A


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## richardwakeley (Jan 4, 2010)

Even in these GMDSS days a lot of ships have a neon lamp lashed to the antenna lead-out near the ATU, at least on the internally mounted ones. It reassures the crew that something is actually being transmitted.


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

On a vaguely related note, did you (Richard) know that there can be a 10dB difference in field strength at 1 nm between GMDSS installs with the ATU mounted in the radio room, and those with external ATUs...

I was very surprised when the results came in.


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## RayL (Apr 16, 2008)

As Bob Murdoch remarked in #9, it was simply the gas molecules in the tube being excited by the radio waves. There was a scene in one of Prof Jim Alkilili's TV do***entaries in which he planted a small 'forest' of fluorescent tubes beneath overhead power cables (i.e. earthed at one end) and in the dark they could be seen to have all lit up. The series may have been the one entitled 'Shock and Awe: the Story of Electricity'.


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## Willum (Feb 20, 2012)

Its a tuning aid, tune for max brightness.


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## Mad Landsman (Dec 1, 2005)

RayL said:


> As Bob Murdoch remarked in #9, it was simply the gas molecules in the tube being excited by the radio waves. There was a scene in one of Prof Jim Alkilili's TV do***entaries in which he planted a small 'forest' of fluorescent tubes beneath overhead power cables (i.e. earthed at one end) and in the dark they could be seen to have all lit up. The series may have been the one entitled 'Shock and Awe: the Story of Electricity'.


This phenomenon has also been used by people protesting about overhead power lines passing over residential areas.
The protesters hold fluorescent tubes aloft which glow in the dark.


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## johnvvc (Feb 8, 2008)

I used small neon voltage regulators taped to the copper antenna feeders on one ship I was on. They would give different levels of brightness depending where along the feeder they were taped (and how close). I seem to remember that you could also have more than one tube positioned to operate on different bands. 

As a previous poster said they worked wonders with passengers. The Junior had the gift of the gab and always weaved a highly convincing story of what was happening and always maintained it all added to the number of notches on his bunk headboard!!! There might have been some truth in it - I don't know - but something was working for him - I've never met anyone - before or after - who put it about so much!


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## Ron Stringer (Mar 15, 2005)

Willum said:


> Its a tuning aid, tune for max brightness.


Not sure that maximum voltage induced in a neon at the base of the antenna coincided with best matching/power transfer between transmitter and antenna, let alone best radiation from an antenna. But it kept a lot of us simple PMG-holders happy.


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

On one ship, the Cook told me his galley stove indicator lights flashed. He realised it coincided with watch periods, and I later pinned it down to 22mhz. Quite a distance, but he assured me it was true.

After some new carpet tiles were laid at GKZ, we used to get static shocks. The worst was when pressing 'start' on the 7B teleprinter - path to earth maybe. It was relieved by pressing start with one of those small neon indicators which flashed over. 

David
+


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## RayL (Apr 16, 2008)

david.hopcroft said:


> On one ship, the Cook told me his galley stove indicator lights flashed. He realised it coincided with watch periods, and I later pinned it down to 22mhz. Quite a distance, but he assured me it was true.
> 
> After some new carpet tiles were laid at GKZ, we used to get static shocks. The worst was when pressing 'start' on the 7B teleprinter - path to earth maybe. It was relieved by pressing start with one of those small neon indicators which flashed over.
> 
> ...


The carpet tiles must have led to each person acquiring a large static charge without being aware of it. Then all that was missing was a path to earth when they innocently reached out and touched something. (Zap! Ouch!).


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## richardwakeley (Jan 4, 2010)

Good morning Troppo,
I wasn't aware of that, although it seems to just make sense that the tuner works better outside at the base of the aerial.
When I was doing the GMDSS retrofits in 1990s, our (JRC) cheapest option had a non-watertight tuner. We usually mounted it in the radio room close to the existing feed-thru insulators, which were re-used together with one of the existing aerials. But on some particular vessels there was a long run of copper pipe, sometimes to another compartment, before reaching the feed-thru. This often gave rather poor results. I was doing maintenance on one at a shipyard in China a few years ago and had very poor communication, and difficult tuning on 2-4MHz, even with a choice of both the old main and emergy aerials, which were fed thru those old trunkings about 2m high above the deck. Eventually I opened the doors on the trunkings and found the copper pipes inside had been stolen. So my tests on DSC to Shanghai had only been using the copper pipes inside the Radio Room.
The current JRC gear has watertight tuners which are either mounted outside near the base of the aerial, or inside very close (less than 1m) from the feed-thru.
Brgds, Richard


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

Richard, reminds me of the day I tried to tune the Crusader on Stonehaven with the aerials isolated- can't remember the band. The error of my ways was revealed by the very hot aluminium band of headphones I had on. David v


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

That's true. I remember arranging an intership p*ssup with an East German ship in Takoradi. Their RO wanted to send a quick message on W/T at a pre-arranged time and wouldn't believe me when I told him my Oceanspan wouldn't operate with the aerial draped all over the deck. Dunno what gear he was using, stupid Commie git. Thinking about it now, I'm wondering what was wrong with VHF - I'm sure we had it then. I think I ended up in the Atlantic Hotel, my favourite haunt.

John T


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## Ron Stringer (Mar 15, 2005)

R651400 said:


> All 1950's/60's gear to the best of my knowledge particularly Oceanspan 1 to 6 would trip out with the slightest hint of mistune or aerial mis-match.


A colleague at Elettra House admitted that, on his first ship after he had completed his supervised 6 months, he inadvertently completed a whole trip on a collier from the London River to the Tyne with the transmitter connected to the dummy aerial. 

Said he had no bother clearing his TRs (the only traffic sent).

That was probably an O'span although quite a few of the colliers carried AEI gear.


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

He probably gotbetter results due to no bother from the bloody coal dust on the aerial insulators.

John T


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## richardwakeley (Jan 4, 2010)

G'day R65,
The GMDSS gear isn't so high powered, most are 150 to 250W. On retrofit ships with a few metres of copper tube feeder in the radio room, the tuner will match it ok on the higher bands and you can even sometimes get a reply to a DSC test call! The usual whip antenna for GMDSS ships is only 8m anyway. I remember calling Portishead from the Indian Ocean on a Blue Funnel ship with an Oceanspan and getting a QRY before realising I had forgotten to select an antenna.
Richard


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

R651400 said:


> All 1950's/60's gear to the best of my knowledge particularly Oceanspan 1 to 6 would trip out with the slightest hint of mistune or aerial mis-match.
> The mind boggles in the case of of missing copper between radio room and dome insulator on the top of the long teak-wood trunking and the transmitter still functional!
> Fluorescent lighting was non-existent on board in my time but there were small neon bulbs we used more for fun than anything else to give indication of power output and I found on plus or minus 100W MF/HF transmitters they only gave a decent glow on MF.


You do me a great wrong if you think I did not tune into 'me'. I'll admit the coupling was a bit off but I never went by charts, always by the instruments.


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## retfordmackem (Aug 30, 2013)

Coastie said:


> I've just copied the following from here: http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?p=34657872
> 
> "It does happen, my understanding (fully open to correction) AM amplitude modulation is where the audio modulates the carrier power, (as apposed to FM where carrier is deviated by audio) so the power is in effective moving up and down with the audio content, this in turn causes anything induced by the radiation to resonate in time with the audio (not the carrier)
> EG example in bournemouth there is a small MW site, which Virgin, Classic gold etc come from. Its low power but has houses very close to it, and residents in that area can hear the audio on their telephones, on amplifiers, and on some metallic objects.
> ...


Yes and a very good video it is.(Thumb)(Thumb)(Thumb)


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## endure (Apr 16, 2007)

R651400 said:


> DV your orthography ('me') is a bit hard to follow.
> As per your posting my comment was I found it strange that the Crusader would allow tune-up without trip out when the aerial termination was isolated ie zilch.
> Metal banded headphones still in use in your time?


Every ship I sailed on between 1975 and 1985 had SG Browns with a metal headband.


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

R651400 said:


> DV your orthography ('me') is a bit hard to follow.
> As per your posting my comment was I found it strange that the Crusader would allow tune-up without trip out when the aerial termination was isolated ie zilch.
> Metal banded headphones still in use in your time?


A perfectly good model could be made of 'me' as a series capacitor, resistor , inductor. I am not sure how good I would have been as a radiator but I was still good enough to be tuned into.

The Crusader overload depended on a photo voltaic (resistive/conductive?) device 'looking' at the two output bottle graphite anodes. I dare say it would have tripped if I had gone on to 'boil my heed' as my shipmates would have had it.

Metal headbands? - for sure.


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## richardwakeley (Jan 4, 2010)

R65,
Your memory seems pretty good, probably better than mine. Can you remember what the main tx/rx gear was on the 'M' boats. I only sailed on Memnon, Blue Sea Line around 1974. Just remember the radio room was at the aft end of the port alleyway, and the main tx had a rotary converter for HT with a dashpot starter, in a cupboard across the alleyway. I seem to think this gear wasn't Marconi. Over to you!
Rgds,
Richard


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## Coastie (Aug 24, 2005)

retfordmackem said:


> Yes and a very good video it is.(Thumb)(Thumb)(Thumb)


In what way? Do you know the film maker or something?(Jester)(Thumb)


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

R651400 said:


> DV/endure thanks yours. Always interesting to read how 'state of the art' gear was designed.
> A tad neanderthal my PA valve experience stopped at 813's (2000V on the anode) but still instantaneous trip-out if abused.
> The Crusader photo-voltaic set up DV describes sounds a wee bit slow/primitive if not positively bloody dangerous. Can you remember what type number the PA valves were?
> Bare metal band headphones I have to say surprises me because I still use my 1963 GND coast station issue to this very day and the portion of the headband that comes in contact with the bonce is plastic.


Sorry. I have seen two separate references to the PA being 3 off 4-400 but my memory is only of two valves inside glass chimneys. The optical overload detection was rather better than measuring the current by other means as it could then ignore momentary overloads as a motor overload does (otherwise they would need some sort of temporary bypass to start). It is the heat that causes the damage so why not measure the temperature?


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

A little off thread, but R65's picture reminded me of the main Tx's at GKZ. The Ajax's had three of those. This is what they looked like at the end of their life !! Not particularly sophisticated were they ? but only single frequency of course. The glass chimney's were easily broken and supply became a concern till someone at GKR came up with a deal from Caithness Glass. Sorry, but can't remember his name, and nor can I remember what they tripped out on. 

David
+


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## johnvvc (Feb 8, 2008)

*Ajax transmitter...*

I think this thread is slowly moving off topic - and I'm as much to blame for that as anyone - posting this...

Was Ajax and SPT the same concern? I ask as in another life, after I came ashore, I was involved in building thermotherapy equipment. This used RF to treat cancer and I seem to remember the prime mover we used was a modified transmitter manufactured by SPT. This was connected to the patient via an impedance matcher (ATU). I remember doing a trip to a Hospital in Brooklyn and watching one of these beasts being used. The patient was inside a Faraday cage. He didn't complain but did say he felt warm - as indeed he should have as we were using the heat generated to treat the cancer cells.

I think we had Ajax transmitters at GLV, and I have the Manual somewhere.


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

John - Yes, I think they were. BT were looking for SSB transmitters to replace the wonderful W5 RT DSB Tx's. We had Redifon 424's (?) single frequency at GKZ, and a Marconi H1000 as reserve Tx with selectable frequencies. The story goes that two guys appeared at BT Maritime HQ with a prototype. When asked if it could do this or that, the engineer of the two got his soldering iron out and 'did it' When the crunch came as to how much, the sales guy hedged around a bit and said something in the region of £3500. Bearing in mind Marconi had quoted £5000 for a drive unit only for the H1000, our Boss ordered 37 !! ( and an SPT drive unit to fit in the H1000)

R65 - Yes there were two small fans in that box. Cleaning was part of regular mtce, but towards the end, it looks like that fell away a bit. 

David
+

ps. Sorry, this is going even further off thread !!


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## johnvvc (Feb 8, 2008)

david.hopcroft said:


> John - Yes, I think they were. BT were looking for SSB transmitters to replace the wonderful W5 RT DSB Tx's. We had Redifon 424's (?) single frequency at GKZ, and a Marconi H1000 as reserve Tx with selectable frequencies. The story goes that two guys appeared at BT Maritime HQ with a prototype. When asked if it could do this or that, the engineer of the two got his soldering iron out and 'did it' When the crunch came as to how much, the sales guy hedged around a bit and said something in the region of £3500. Bearing in mind Marconi had quoted £5000 for a drive unit only for the H1000, our Boss ordered 37 !! ( and an SPT drive unit to fit in the H1000)
> 
> R65 - Yes there were two small fans in that box. Cleaning was part of regular mtce, but towards the end, it looks like that fell away a bit.
> 
> ...


Interesting. We had the W5's at GLV when I was there. Didn't have anything to do with them but they seemed to be pretty over engineered - built like the proverbial brick convenience but not running too much power, they'd probably run for ever. Interestingly when GLV shut shop and it was all being gashed apparently a local guy bought the transmitters and sold them on, apparently to some concern that was gong to ship them out to Africa! Might have been for some relief work.


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

Is this you then John ??

David
+


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## johnvvc (Feb 8, 2008)

Thanks for the picture David, brings back memories.

>>> is this you then John<<< 

No it's not me, though pretty certain this is GLV. Actually some of the other stations were very similar in design. GLV has been converted to a private dwelling and a friend of mine now lives there. I'll show him this picture but I'm pretty sure he'll confirm it is GLV. The smartly dressed gentleman is my old friend Bill Waite who died some years ago. Lots of the stations had these consoles, we had three and this is the main R/T point which would be used when it was fairly quiet. If it was busy (mornings usually) this is where ships would be answered and qry's given out, the actual working would then take place at the second R/T point seen just behind this in the picture.

The W/T point was just to the right of the picture behind where Bill is sitting though you can see a key in this photograph as the main R/T point could also double up as a W/T point. The old Mercury's were replaced by Eddystone EC958's, an EC10 of all things was also sat on top of this console, that was after I left, I think it was used to monitor the oil rigs.

I wonder when this was taken? It's obviously quite an old picture, everything is squeaky clean and tidy and I wonder if it might have been a staged GPO publicity picture, possibly after the station was opened? Don't think I ever saw Bill wearing a tie!

Incidentally when GLV closed down I got one of the operating consoles and set it up in my ham station at home. It was diabolically heavy and I had to borrow a large van to move it. Whilst it didn't look very big at the station it almost filled our back bedroom so with some pressure from the wife I had to give it away. Pity as it looked good!

Peter Davies, one of the other operators at GLV wrote a little book, well booklet really, about GLV, one of my mates has it. I should really try and get it into print or at least post it somewhere. 

I could also tell a few stories - maybe one day...B\)

Lots of pictures here also for anyone interested:-

http://www.coastalradio.org.uk/ukstations/ukstations.html

Happy days.


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## Shipbuilder (Jun 30, 2005)

I always had a neon on the aerial rods, just liked to see something visual to show that I was transmitting.! Aboard the _Frederick T. Everard_ in 1962 with an old SB186x HF Tx the aerial current meter hardly moved when tuned in, so the neon gave me confidence!(Thumb)

Aboard _Windsor Castle_ in 1965 there was so much RF in the radio room that I could take a 6 Volt filament bulb between finger and thumb (finger and thumb holding the brass screw part) and touch the pip on any metal structure such as the main RX and it would light up brilliantly when anyone was transmitting, but I didn't feel a thing. Always wondered why not, as it was a 300mA bulb and the current must have been flowing through me to make it light up! 

That was on the Globespan, but it didn't work with the much more powerful Crusader in the R/T room!

One day on _Windsor Castle_, when feeling bored, I held a pencil point close to the spring on the angle poise lamp whilst holding the key down on HF. It drew a lovely spark, but after a few seconds, the spring softened and opened out, but did not break! I never confessed, and no-one ever figured how it happened. So - if any of you ever noticed it, I am the culprit!(Jester)
Bob


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## Bill Greig (Jul 4, 2006)

It makes you wonder what all that RF energy bouncing about the radio rooms did to our brains. It may explain why older sparkies were all a bit odd, or is that just me!
Bill


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## Ron Stringer (Mar 15, 2005)

Don't know if there is any link but a remarkable number of ex-R/Os that subsequently worked at MIMCo offices ashore seem to have suffered from various cancers. Probably in line with National averages for the rest of the population but it seems a lot of us fell victim in later life.


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## RayL (Apr 16, 2008)

Bill Greig said:


> It makes you wonder what all that RF energy bouncing about the radio rooms did to our brains. It may explain why older sparkies were all a bit odd, or is that just me!
> Bill


My own sea career was quite brief so I'm not a candidate for study in this regard. Any craziness in me must have other explanations.

I do recall being aware of the stories about half-crazed R/Os and naturally being anxious to avoid joining their number if at all possible. Chief suspect at the time (mid-1960s) was using too high a volume when using earphones--and especially using an inappropriate setting of the Beat Frequency Oscillator. I personally witnessed a couple of bad cases when the R/O was listening with a very high volume and with the A.F. adjusted to a very high pitch; to such an extent that one could almost see his head being squeezed in and out by the powerful signals! Any fool could see that the man was unwittingly doing himself harm.


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## endure (Apr 16, 2007)

I was always told that if a Sparks spent more than 10 years at sea he either took to drink or got religion. That's why I left after 10 years (Jester)


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

I heard it said "mad, queer or alcoholic before the age of thirty" (I was Leckie by then!)


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

My first ship as Junior was a big tanker. I think we were in the Malacca Straits somewhere. Very humid, very thundery. When I walked under the copper tube from the Tx to lead out box, I felt a tingle at the back of my head and definitely heard something go 'splat' on the deck. I was sure I had discharged a static build up to earth. My Chief thought I was mad when I told him. Spooky or what ?

David
+


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## Willum (Feb 20, 2012)

As you can imagine the transmitter room on QE2 was very RF 'hot' with up to 5 1.2Kw Tx's going. You could walk round it holding a 4ft fluorescent tube flashing with the Sitor or SSB RF. Brian Martin and I used to remark that if you had to work in there for a while you'd come out with a headache. Can't have been healthy, and might explain that my mid-life crisis didn't involve sports cars but medieval English bagpipes.


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## johnvvc (Feb 8, 2008)

endure said:


> I was always told that if a Sparks spent more than 10 years at sea he either took to drink or got religion. That's why I left after 10 years (Jester)



God be with you son, God be with you...

Marconi Preacher Boy


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## sparks69 (Dec 18, 2005)

I used to do a pre Darth Vadar light sabre stunt on the monkey island holding a 10 ft fluorescent tube with my electronic keyer banging away on 425.
The Serang asked me if it would effect me producing children in the future !
Happy Days !


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