# Researching a callsign.



## Robert B. (Sep 23, 2008)

Greetings all,

I have a much modified Sailor 76D transmitter that I have recently put back into amateur service (along with it's matching 66T receiver). A faded dymo label gives the original vessel callsign as MVUK.

Obviously a british registered vessel, would anyone know where I could look up the particulars? I know this equipment was popular with trawlers and other small coastal vessels.

Production of these sets seems to have taken place in the late sixties, and the 6833B output valve is dated 1972, so I assume I am looking for a vessel in existence around the early seventies onwards. Being an AM only set, when did SSB become standard on the trawler bands?

(It is now installed on a vintage narrowboat, pictures on QRZ for those that are interested) 

Many thanks,

Robert B.


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## CrazySparks (Apr 21, 2008)

I don't think that C/S is British, Robert. the'UK' is just coincidental. All the UK ships I sailed on and heard on traffic lists started with G.


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## holland25 (Nov 21, 2007)

They did used to have M ones as well. Saxon Star was MARX


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## P.Arnold (Apr 11, 2013)

CrazySparks said:


> I don't think that C/S is British, Robert. the'UK' is just coincidental. All the UK ships I sailed on and heard on traffic lists started with G.


Sailed on
T & J Harrison. Arbitrator. MMZR
Shaw Saville. Delphic. MBLQ

Remember those in the 60’s, now what am I supposed to do today?

Peter


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## martin winn (Oct 10, 2007)

Ropner tanker Thirlby MYDZ


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## P.Arnold (Apr 11, 2013)

martin winn said:


> Ropner tanker Thirlby MYDZ


Bet you enjoyed the blind TFC lists?


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## Ron Stringer (Mar 15, 2005)

P.Arnold said:


> Bet you enjoyed the blind TFC lists?


Could have been worse, Pete. Other flags than UK that were in the Red Duster group were also permitted in the blind transmissions - including those with Z--- callsigns. If I remember correctly, Shell Tankers had at least one such ship.


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## Bill.B (Oct 19, 2013)

No MVUK listed in 1983 ITU Callsigns list. Closest was FV Valkyrie MVUU


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## martin winn (Oct 10, 2007)

Any Commonwealth country could use the Area Scheme. Pakistani ships had to stop when Pakistan left the Commonwealth for a period. Indian ships were required to QSO because they didn't send a QSL, thus not paying for the telegram.I remember taking the svc message re that.
RE MYDZ; yes blind TFC lists were a pain. However as the ship was for most of my time, 15 months,in the Caribbean I switched to area 9 Halifax CFH.


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

I found this searching on MVUK

FLYING CHRISTINE III	MVUK2	235003493	G	G	906610 30/04/2018
CAMAR	MVUK7 G	G 30/04/2018
LADY EMMA	MVUK8	232018876	G	G 06/11/2018

But they appear VHF fittings.

David

+


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## CrazySparks (Apr 21, 2008)

P.Arnold said:


> Sailed on
> T & J Harrison. Arbitrator. MMZR
> Shaw Saville. Delphic. MBLQ
> 
> ...


Apologies - I must have simply forgotten those. Maybe you can start here https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/merchant-ships/


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## Robert B. (Sep 23, 2008)

Thank you all who have replied so far. This particular set certainly hasn't seen power for a very long time, so i doubt it is a current vessel.

Would any of the Lloyds lists record a vessels callsign?

The set came channeled with the following frequencies:
* 2182 Calling and distress
* 2381 UK calling
* 2009
* 2016
* 2527
* 2056 Internat. ship - shore
* 2241 ship - ship
* 2246 ship - ship
* 2301 ship - ship
Looking at that lot, I'm thinking probably a fishing vessel. 

One of my other sets is an Eddystone 500 khz watch receiver from Niton radio/GNI, although sadly not working at present. It looks as if it has been abandoned in a salty shed by the sea for many years.

Robert


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## gordonarfur (May 27, 2018)

There were plenty of British ships with M callsigns in the fifties and early sixties. They were a bloody nuisance if your ship had an M callsign as you had to wait for all the tfc lists G,s from Portishead until finally you got to the M list.


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## Stephen J. Card (Nov 5, 2006)

Passwords are a nuisance! Letters and numbers, I use Call Signs, not all the time, but for a few and some of the old 'M'. The jumbled letters mean nothing and doubt any hack could work them out. I would show one of them, but it is my password for ShipsNostalgia!


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## inandaship (May 5, 2007)

Constantine's Eskwood MNFV 1965, funny how these stick in your memory and I can't remember what I did yesterday.


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

Robert - It could have been a west coast vessel. At GKZ we had Ch 3, 4 and 6 allocated. Yours has Ch 1, 2 and 5. Though that may have been GCC. Ship transmit channel allocation shown below.

David

+


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

Robert - Attached is the corresponding Cost Station Transmit frequencies. If the Rx part is pre-set, these may give a clue as to area of operation.

David

+


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## bpsparks (Nov 27, 2019)

I left BP in 1970 and got involved in the world of yachts and fishing boats fitting a lot of Sailor radio gear most of which was 76D/66T tx/rx. If you reverse the type number i.e. 76 becomes 67 that is the date of the initial design,super equipment very reliable the 76D gave 35 watts aerial power. Happy days


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## bpsparks (Nov 27, 2019)

the frequencies shown on the list are for a yacht or small commercial ship, fishing boats had different ship/ship frequencies


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## Robert B. (Sep 23, 2008)

Thank you all for the help shown so far.


Hebrides, Cullercoats, Anglesea and Niton are all shown as using Ch.1 and 5. Stonehaven, North Foreland and Lands End all used Ch. 2. Unfortunately my 66T receiver is from a different source, so it's receive channels don't help us to narrow down the duplex options.

I have a feeling that either 2241 or 2246 was a specific fishing vessel inter-ship channel, although I cannot find a reference now.

I've recently been reading Larry Bennets excellent book on Portishead radio and he has a chapter discussing racing yachts and other small craft. _Teignmouth Electron_ (of Crowhurst fame/infamy) has the call MZUW.

I ran it last night on 5 watts output to a base loaded 20' vertical (estimated radiated power c. 350 mW) and have had good reports up to 750 miles or so. Daylight coverage is a fairly dependable 200 miles. Come the winter months it might manage to go transatlantic. 

Robert


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## Ron Stringer (Mar 15, 2005)

Robert B. said:


> I have a feeling that either 2241 or 2246 was a specific fishing vessel inter-ship channel, although I cannot find a reference now.


If I remember correctly, those frequencies were standard intership R/T frequencies - not specific to fishing vessels. I certainly recall 2241 on at least one ship that I sailed on and I'm sure that 2246 was also fitted on several of the ships. However after coming ashore we did lots of work trialling new products on fishing vessels (lousy mains electrical supplies tested the resilience of lots of PSU equipment), so I could be wrong about 2246 kHz.


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

Have found a bit more info. NSWS 1 of 1979 has these two tables in. The first indicates Coasters, yachts etc as allocated 2241, 2246 and 2301. Fishing vessels are different. 

David


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