# The Wave Messengers



## Searcher2004 (May 3, 2012)

Found this link on the Southgate ARC site:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03w379j/Trusadh_Series_6_The_Wave_Messengers/

Subtitles for those who don't have the Gaelic (*)) and some great lamp-swinging.

73

Searcher2004


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## Moulder (Aug 19, 2006)

Brilliant - thanks for that link.

Steve.

(Thumb)


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

R651400 said:


> At this historical stage of the game admission of sleeping on radio watch came as a bit of an eye opener!!


(EEK)


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

Yes, shock.

Anyone that slept on watch should be flogged.

Then logged.

Then sacked.


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

Unfortunately, the programme only seems to be available to UK viewers. What's this about him being asleep on watch? I think that was permissible as long as you were pissed up.

John T


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

Thanks. Hola looks good.


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## duncs (Sep 8, 2008)

R651400 said:


> At this historical stage of the game admission of sleeping on radio watch came as a bit of an eye opener!!


I feel I must clarify a bit on this...

After reading the above, I was quite stunned, as I had watched the program and hadn't heard anyone mention 'sleeping on watch'. I thought, how the hell did I miss it?!!
So I watched it again and found what the above quote is referring to.
I had been listening to it, ignoring subtitles, hence missed it, since there was no reference to 'sleeping on watch'. I watched that part again, with the sound off, and understood the misunderstanding.
What the old Gent was trying to explain was how your own ship's callsign got lodged in your brain and hearing it would penetrate all else. He gave as an example, waiting in a long qry with GKA and behind GBSS/TT, even if you were to fall asleep, your callsign would wake you up. He didn't, for a moment, suggest that he slept, while waiting his turn in the queue at GKA, relying on his callsign to wake him up.
His interviewer, Hamish, understanding what he's saying, agreed with him.
Knowing Hamish, the very thought of an RO sleeping on watch would be anathema to him!

I hope this clears things up a bit. 'Lost in translation', I think its called.

Duncs

P.S. Having reviewed my, and previous posts on this thread, as well as the program, I suspect R651 is deliberately denigrating the Gaels, as well as stirring the proverbial excrement!


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## Naytikos (Oct 20, 2008)

I would be very surprised if no member of SN other than myself fell asleep while waiting for a long QRY. 

There is, to my mind, a distinction between that and sleeping when one was supposed to be on watch. Most long QRYs ran way past the normal 2-hour watch period, so if one waits conscientiously for ones turn to come up is one still 'on watch' or not. I would say no; the time being outside the statutory watch hours and one is still there merely out of a sense of enthusiasm/duty/nothing else to do anyway, or whatever.

On a UK-flag ship, one might enter 'off watch' in the log and still sit there waiting; and perhaps listening to World Service on another Rx to pass the time. On ships of other flags, such detail might not be required.

In between the two-hour watch periods, the auto alarm would be 'on watch' anyway so what's the difference if the R/O is in the room, but asleep, or not there at all.


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## duncs (Sep 8, 2008)

#13
R65, thanks. Perhaps, with all this nonsense in Scotland, I'm becoming a bit paranoid. I also apologise for my negative inference.

D


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## BobDixon (Oct 17, 2008)

duncs said:


> What the old Gent was trying to explain was how your own ship's callsign got lodged in your brain and hearing it would penetrate all else.


Well I don't have the gift of the Gaelic but, even relying on sub-titles, that's the message I took from what was being inferred. Being tuned to the sound of your own callsign in the same way as you were tuned to the sound of SOS XXX or even Mayday - sounds which would alert you even when involved in other tasks such as traffic working, copying weather, etc (and who says we men can't multi-task?)


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## Moulder (Aug 19, 2006)

BobDixon said:


> Well I don't have the gift of the Gaelic but, even relying on sub-titles, that's the message I took from what was being inferred. Being tuned to the sound of your own callsign in the same way as you were tuned to the sound of SOS XXX or even Mayday - sounds which would alert you even when involved in other tasks such as traffic working, copying weather, etc (and who says we men can't multi-task?)


........... and who says all Radio Officers were men? tut tut [=P]

(Thumb)


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## IAN M (Jan 17, 2009)

Large liners such as the Queens were never in the traffic lists.


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## G4UMW (May 30, 2007)

I remember hearing GBTT on GKA's traffic list.


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## IAN M (Jan 17, 2009)

*Wave Messengers*



G4UMW said:


> I remember hearing GBTT on GKA's traffic list.


I worked at Portishead from 1954 till 1956 and sometimes sent the traffic lists and broadcast the messages myself. The Area System, which closed in 1972, was in operation, and if the big ships had been included, the broadcasts would have been bogged down so that they communicated directly with the Station. 

A detailed account of the work at Portishead is given in my Kindle book LAST VOYAGE AND BEYOND.


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## G4UMW (May 30, 2007)

Quite possibly. That's the trouble with recycled callsigns!


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## King Ratt (Aug 23, 2005)

I recall sitting in a classroom in HMS Collingwood ( Naval Electrical School) and hearing the siren blasts from Queen Mary as she departed Southampton docks.


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

I remember turning the DF Beacon on the Nab Tower on for Queen Mary and then watching her swing for the calibration. I believe she was departing on her last trans-Atlantic voyage.

John T


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## endure (Apr 16, 2007)

R651400 said:


> Maybe just some flippant remarks for the camera but there are ex R/O's out there who may think otherwise..
> Thanks to our member endure you can watch bbc iplayer worldwide via google chrome and this freebie vpn prog.
> https://hola.org
> Endure I've done a fair comparison with Hola and Hotspotshield and can say it is as good as the defunct Expatshield and will make me think whether or not I'll be renewing my Hotspot subscription this coming September. Mni tks for the info.



My pleasure. Glad you found it useful B\)


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