# Humming Call Signs



## sparks69 (Dec 18, 2005)

I was standing at the bus stop yesterday unconsciously humming when I was asked what tune it was. I then realised it was HEB in morse ! (==D)
In future I shall be more careful.

(I am after the "Most Pointless Thread" award)


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## Farmer John (Feb 22, 2012)

sparks69 said:


> I was standing at the bus stop yesterday unconsciously humming when I was asked what tune it was. I then realised it was HEB in morse ! (==D)
> In future I shall be more careful.
> 
> (I am after the "Most Pointless Thread" award)


Well, I for one support you.


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## Gulpers (Sep 8, 2005)

HEB - Radio Suisse?


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

I was in contact with an ex RO from Bern/HEB and he told me they had a massive problem with shipowners not paying their radio accounts. Some ships even called using dodgy call signs! .... A little more useless info. 

Did you get a reply or was your bus stop on their blacklist?

John T


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

John,

Not useless at all! One of the services I managed to have provided when the 'repossession' of mortagees property a to establish communications (private if possible) with the staff of the vessel concerned (often for preference NOT the master).

I do not understand HEB's immediate problem. Unless the RTAA had cancelled the vessel's 'membership' the lagel liabilty for settling up was with the RTAA not the owner.

Was this some safety related issue - I think otherwise as GMDSS was the first time a requirement for Public Service was mandated. More an issue of the huge postal organisations - then owning just about all non-USA Radio Admninistrations - insulating themselvse from loss I think.


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

David,

Dunno - just what he told me ... Offenders were mostly Greeks, I think. Maybe using phony call signs for private phone calls. I remember being amazed at their audacity, it would never have entered my head. Maybe there were other crew members who had access to some RT equipment.

I'm assuming RTAA is Radio Traffic Accounts? Maybe some shipowners had their own accounts.

Can't imagine it was anything to do with distress working, even the Gnomes aren't that mercenary. Is GMDSS a pay-as-you-go service now? Imagine working out the Gold Franc exchange rate with water coming under the bridge wing doors!

John T


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## Larry Bennett (Aug 28, 2005)

Towards the end of GKA's life we handled numerous calls from Korean fishing vessels off the African coast, most requesting link calls back to Pusan. All duly connected but were never paid for....AAIC KR01 apparently had no record of the vessel's names and we did suspect that the same vessels were calling on a regular basis but with a different name each day.....when the situation finally clicked such vessels were given a damn good ignoring - but at least for a short time the R/T traffic levels looked healthy.


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## Naytikos (Oct 20, 2008)

An interesting topic.
HEB was my favourite station for R/T. The, usually female, operators would go to great lengths to establish a clear circuit, working cross-band and even LSB if necessary. I used them all the time; the slightly higher landline charge to Greece or the U.K. was worth it for the quality of service. An additional benefit was that, as not many ships did use the station, there were fewer eavesdroppers to the calls.

I had occasion to use MIMCo, IMRC and SAIT QRCs; all slightly different in their 
procedures. IMRC was, perhaps, the slickest, but difficult to get a decent supply of forms. SAIT were very generous with the stationery but had an unusual way of presenting their accounts to the shipowner; so much so that I would receive copies from the owners asking if they should go ahead and pay!

The biggest problem with the whole traffic accounting system was with U.S. coast stations. Only the W/T stations, together with WOM and WOO, appeared to use the international QRC system; the smaller R/T stations didn't know anything about it and I always wondered how they were financed. This meant that, when doing ship-to-ship off Galveston, for example, one had to use WOM/WOO to call the agent sitting in an office just over the horizon.


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

After givimg me his AAIC as SV02, I was asked how did I know that was true. I replied ' I trust you' There was no asnwer to that !! de dah de dah dit - but this is where we came into this thread isn't it !!

David
+


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## Dave Woods (Apr 9, 2006)

sparks69 said:


> I was standing at the bus stop yesterday unconsciously humming when I was asked what tune it was. I then realised it was HEB in morse ! (==D)
> In future I shall be more careful.
> 
> (I am after the "Most Pointless Thread" award)


I am with you, mine is GFMJ -


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## Paul Braxton (Jul 21, 2005)

Hi Sparks 69.

To get back to your thread about humming HEB, I often find myself whistling morse, usually traffic lists of all the ships I sailed on, from GKA, or similar! Quite strange. Oneday I hope somebody out there will come back to me in morse and we can have a chat!


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## sparks69 (Dec 18, 2005)

One thing I always remember being told in Radio School in Brid was that one must always be careful when using morse in public as there were lots of people out there who were ex telegraphists. I guess we must be a dying breed now. So I will continue to hum the odd bit of morse now and then to see if there is anyone left out there !
Happy days


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

sparks69 said:


> One thing I always remember being told in Radio School in Brid was that one must always be careful when using morse in public as there were lots of people out there who were ex telegraphists.....QUOTE
> 
> Loose lips sink ships!
> 
> ...


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## Worldspan (Jan 2, 2012)

*Bursting for a hum ...*

While having a pee in the loo at a motorway service station, I can't resist (through pursed lips and with a chirpy note - à la SUQ - if there's no one around) seeing how many times I can canter through things like "GEREBIT" and "DURAVIT" before running out of juice. And how many times can you send "DYSON" before your 10 seconds at the dryer are up?
W


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## Peter Eccleson (Jan 16, 2006)

.......and here was I thinking early senility was creeping up when I sometimes find myself tapping out CQCQCQ de GYYW (my first ship) or GBTT (my last ship) but it seems I'm in good company!


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

Peter, You surely are. In my case it's GYXD where I was for three years (four on, four off in 1972 - beat that!). It's also my mobile's 'Morse' tone. Merry merry etc. David V


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## Peter Eccleson (Jan 16, 2006)

Dave - must get together for a beer and reminisce in 2013. Currently sunning it in Lanzarote! Happy New Year. Peter


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

Peter, Lanzarote well south of the wog boundary which starts at Dover! You know where I am and we have (now 4) real ale breweries - at least two of them consistently good! You might fish for an invite to the IMarEST HQ dinner (- local committee has allowed me my second year as chairman and would hope to attend myself). David V


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## beedeesea (Feb 28, 2006)

While learning Morse at college I used to practice quietly sending my name and address with my fingers while travelling home on the bus. I still find myself doing it from time to time, even though I haven't lived at that address since 1970. Another habit I have is using (without thinking), objects such as a stapler as a Morse key. I was going to say something similar about grasping knobs, but on second thoughts.........

Brian


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## Dave Woods (Apr 9, 2006)

I’ve got it bad, my car talks to me, it has parking sensors forward and aft and they talk to each other when I am backing out of the garage!


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## Worldspan (Jan 2, 2012)

Have you noticed that a certain kind of bird (wood pigeon?) sends R R R?
W


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

Worldspan said:


> Have you noticed that a certain kind of bird (wood pigeon?) sends R R R?
> W


I think that is verbalised rather than morsified. Luckily for the Wood Pigeon, it's survival is not threatened, unlike the R R R O, which is extinct, and the **** Pigeon which is doomed for obvious reasons.

John T


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

Maybe it was "IN" for Indian Nightjar. Sorry, I've had a couple of nightjars already.

John T


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

trotterdotpom said:


> I think that is verbalised rather than morsified. Luckily for the Wood Pigeon, it's survival is not threatened, unlike the R R R O, which is extinct, and the **** Pigeon which is doomed for obvious reasons.
> 
> John T


The survival of the three fat and lazy birds which the cats watched strip every single cherry from my tree (between episodes of last Summer's deluge) is threatened. Very much threatened!


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## King Ratt (Aug 23, 2005)

For Varley. My ringtone is GYXM de GPK QRJ. Last year I was in Portpatrick when I sighted Graham Mercer of GPK fame. Walking along behind him I fired off this ringtone. Without even turning round Graham uttered "we closed over ten years ago".
All the Best for 2013 to you.

Rab T


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

King Ratt said:


> For Varley. My ringtone is GYXM de GPK QRJ. Last year I was in Portpatrick when I sighted Graham Mercer of GPK fame. Walking along behind him I fired off this ringtone. Without even turning round Graham uttered "we closed over ten years ago".
> All the Best for 2013 to you.
> 
> Rab T


Rab, and to you and yours. We can't both be wrong can we? David V


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## duncs (Sep 8, 2008)

I find that when my hand rests on anything, the four fingers automatically tap "best bent bed wire", at various speeds.(faster than an up and downer)!


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## AllisterSpeirs (Jan 2, 2013)

*Lampie*



Worldspan said:


> While having a pee in the loo at a motorway service station, I can't resist (through pursed lips and with a chirpy note - à la SUQ - if there's no one around) seeing how many times I can canter through things like "GEREBIT" and "DURAVIT" before running out of juice. And how many times can you send "DYSON" before your 10 seconds at the dryer are up?
> W


What is it they say about spar- keys?,was it weird but wonderful? or was that cooks....


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## Trevor Clements (May 6, 2007)

I too frequently find myself whistling DAN/DAM, or GRL GKA3 GKB4 GKC5/6 AS after spending time on the North Atlantic in 60,61, and 62 it must be brainwashing


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