# Persian Gulf Radio traffic on 500Kc/s:



## les.edgecumbe (Dec 24, 2007)

Has anyone ever made a tape recording of 500Kcs in the Gulf?
I'd like to demonstrate the battle we had chasing stations like HZY/Rastanura etc. to some local operators. Words alone can't describe that sort of bedlam!


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## Ron Stringer (Mar 15, 2005)

Never mind 500, how long did it take to raise them on HF to provide the information required by Aramco and the Saudi authorities before they would give you a berth? Trying to be the one to make the first call at each sked, calling all through the sked with his signal booming in and then hearing him shut down at the end of the sked, not having answered anyone at all. 

If you listened with the spare receiver on the ship calling frequencies, you could hear dozens of ships calling HZY. Amazing that the operators survived for so long.


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## mikeg (Aug 24, 2006)

I remember it well, tried not to get frustrated and be Mr cool  Do you remember raiseing Ras al-Khaimah entering the gulf, mountains blocked signal for a while. Happy days.

Mike


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

I was in NIVOSA/VJNV a VLCC during the Iran/Iraq war in the gulf. 

5ton was just useless...there was even a b/c station there from time to time...


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

My HZY experience was not that bad - well in 1963 and later in 1967. Usually got through within a few minutes. On a regular Gulf-Philippines run, would start qsx HZY rounding Ceylon (Sri Lanka). At hearing GHFJ first time on tfc list would call giving QSL Stnd msg QRU? and on getting nil, you were bound to get orders next day. Same applied, generally got in quickly. However could always rely on a repeat msg at WCC or KPH

David
+


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## Rodney (Jul 21, 2010)

I sailed on the Michelangelo's last trip, she being sold to the Iranian Imperial Navy by Italia Lines. A day out of Suez into the Red Sea, the Italia Line 'sparks' (part of the delivery crew) told me he had been trying all day to raise the naval base at Bandar Abbas with no response. It was a Saturday and I told him "In Iran the weekend is Friday and Saturday, they're closed for the weekend". Can you imagine, a military base taking the weekend off?


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## rknibbs (Mar 11, 2006)

Not sure if my memory is starting to fail - was the call sign for Bandar Mashahr EPY8? If I remember he worked odd hours, never replied until about 2 days out and he complained if you repeated your call sign more than once!


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## hawkey01 (Mar 15, 2006)

Yes I am sure you are correct with EPY8.

Another one for everyone 2AI15 - Das Island. 

Hawkey01


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## Graham P Powell (Jun 2, 2007)

EPY8 2AI15 worked them. Anybody remember the low power broadcast station on Masirah. Used to play pop records interspersed with dirty jokes. Thats where I first heard the one about the twelve inch pianist!. I don't remember having much trouble with either station. I did try and QSP traffic for a bloke from ASK (karachi) and that was impossible.
regards
Graham Powell


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

I worked Jeddah (HZH) when running there and you'll be surprised to hear that they were rubbish. Not to worry, you could drink crap iced tea while watching fat Saudi princes showing off in swimming pools and I discovered pistachios there - yum! I also discovered "sidiqui" - "My Friend" - home made booze made by ex pats, who, reputedly and frequently, blew themselves to bits (is that where they got the idea for sucide bombers?). Not a bad place really - where are you now Claudia from St Petersburg, Florida? Funny how it all comes flooding back.

John T.


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## Roger Bentley (Nov 15, 2005)

R651400 said:


> One of the big UK companies there in the early seventies was International Aeradio Ltd who supplied airports with comms.
> One of the IAL wives was a sidiqi queen and her gin and whisky flavoured versions were excellent. I do believe she made a fortune.
> The home-made sidiqi still fatality was an Aramco employee. Aramco then supplied commercial stills to avoid any recurrence or embarrassment.
> Best pistachios ever and the best shawarma (kebab) I've ever tasted, washed down with a glass or two of fresh orange juice.
> Simple delights in what was a sh!t- awful place to be and work.


I also remember Efes and Raki in another place we visited! Regards, Roger


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## Robert Wheeler (Feb 17, 2009)

I had to work HZH from about '82 to '87 and found them OK - unless it helped having HZ callsigns. By that time though there wasn't so much tfc through HZH as it was mainly telex and I used FFL a lot.


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## hawkey01 (Mar 15, 2006)

Malcolm,

that a fine looking vessel. As you say O´s ships always looked pristine.

Neville - Hawkey01


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## Roger Bentley (Nov 15, 2005)

*Call Sign*



R651400 said:


> The first Saudi flagged ship to make an impact was in 1955 when Onassis managed to secure a contract to ship Saudi oil in Saudi flagged ships
> His first was the Al Malik Saud al Awal and like all O's tankers of this era unquestionably good-looking and pristine.
> Be interested to see if anyone can come up with the call sign.


According to LLoyds register 1962 call sign was 5MDO. Regards, Roger


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## jimg0nxx (Sep 1, 2005)

With the call sign 5MDO then it was not Saudi flagged but Liberian.

Jim


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## Cisco (Jan 29, 2007)

She was registered as owned by Garraway Transportation Co, Monrovia.


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## Cisco (Jan 29, 2007)

Agreed, my 1957 ABC tanker book shows her as Saudi flag but by 1961 she was Liberian.


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## Billieboy (May 18, 2009)

Cisco said:


> Agreed, my 1957 ABC tanker book shows her as Saudi flag but by 1961 she was Liberian.


I can never remeber if she was built to BP, or Shell drawings, as a demise charter vessel.


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## Billieboy (May 18, 2009)

R651400 said:


> Billy, surely the Onassis and Niarchos' early fifties buildings from Howaldswerke set the benchmark for racy looking tankers when BP and Shell were still making ugly bugglies like Plagiola?
> 
> http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/46895/title/st-plagiola/cat/503
> 
> ps Niarchos US built 1948 World Peace and World Liberty were way ahead of their time.


Could be, HDW did build some beautiful ships, also for Deutsche and Royal Dutch Shell, I remember seeing many Onassis tankers when at sea on* Llanishen*, which was also a Shell built ship, she looked just as smart in reserve fleet grey.


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## landoburns (Aug 15, 2006)

I never had a problem working HZY. I seem to remember they had Danish ops there and they were all using bug keys. After the ship sailed you would get a long QTC, the bill of lading in effect, with the "bbls" loaded etc. I recall that QTC was on a tape and if you got a bit of QRM it was a devil to stop them as the ops seemed to put on the tape and walk away! Was EPY8 the station for Kharg Island as well?


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## sparks69 (Dec 18, 2005)

rknibbs said:


> Not sure if my memory is starting to fail - was the call sign for Bandar Mashahr EPY8? If I remember he worked odd hours, never replied until about 2 days out and he complained if you repeated your call sign more than once!


EPY8 it was - Oh bliss !! Apparently there were other frequerncies but never managed to raise him on anything but 8 MHZ - invariably at night.


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## rknibbs (Mar 11, 2006)

On one BP ship we did a number of Kharg - Bandar Mashahr trips back to back and I don't remember any contact problems on other frequencies but coming from deep sea you are right, I remember he only answered on 8MHZ.


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## charles henry (May 18, 2008)

Anyone old enough to remember EQZ. 
He would start a traffic list, someone would call he would break and send that traffic and the result was complete bedlam.

de Chas


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## rknibbs (Mar 11, 2006)

Bad memory, EQZ was where?


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## hawkey01 (Mar 15, 2006)

EQZ

I believe this was Abadan Radio.

Hawkey01


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## charles henry (May 18, 2008)

rknibbs said:


> Bad memory, EQZ was where?


EQZ was Abadan radio and handled all the traffic relative to tankers arriving and departing. Housed in a tiny little hut there was not even a fan to cool the air. I cursed having to work them but at the same time admired the fact that they handled so much traffic under such dreadfull working conditions.

Was absolute bedlam, they would start a traffic list, someone would call, they would pass the traffic, then everyone that had been mentioned in the previous PART of the traffic list would start calling continuously, they would carry on with their list occasionally stopping to pass or take traffic from one of the callers. In other words, there was NO CONTROL.

de Chas


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## Naytikos (Oct 20, 2008)

Does anyone else remember when Bandar Ma'shar became Bandar Khomeinei overnight and refused any QTC with the old name in it? 

I recall a VHF conversation between inbound and outbound ships when the inbound one had been calling the pilots until he was hoarse with no reply, and the outbound one breaking in with "You have to call Bandar Khomeinei"
The inbound one says "I am not going to Bandar Khomeinei, I am going to Bandar Ma'shar"
This went on for quite a while before someone on another ship twigged and asked "Have they changed the name since yesterday?"

All on channel 16, of course.


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## Radiomariner (Nov 7, 2008)

Ron Stringer said:


> Never mind 500, how long did it take to raise them on HF to provide the information required by Aramco and the Saudi authorities before they would give you a berth? Trying to be the one to make the first call at each sked, calling all through the sked with his signal booming in and then hearing him shut down at the end of the sked, not having answered anyone at all.
> 
> If you listened with the spare receiver on the ship calling frequencies, you could hear dozens of ships calling HZY. Amazing that the operators survived for so long.


HZY just sent a shiver up my spine. I recall contacting HZY on Telex
Sent my message and then for about 90 minutes answering his questions "on line" and he then finished up with the following "please confirm vie CW" By this time of course we had nearly finished mooring up!!!


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