Greetings from an old Lady in deepest West Cork. [the vessel I mean|], MV Coos Bay /EINX, sends a hello. Got my copy of ‘THE SILENCE’ and am savouring it. Fantastic job done and they can’t totally forget us all now. One little crib, there seems to be a lack of “ship to ship” lateral contact between members of the Cloth and thats a pity as today we all have enough electronics on hand to fill the Prom deck of RMS Queen Mary!. So here I sit apparently the sole surviving Sparkie in Southern Ireland wondering if theres any one into a bit of communication?
The scene here is a now laid up schooner fitted with Marconi gear, a virtual museum, slowly attempting to restore it to er, futile operation. GLD, where art thou now?. So a bit of advice OM would not come amiss. Like the wee Salvor2 TX is reddening its 807″s and won’t load up. No drive?. Anyone know of a supplier of Octal KTW63’s for my senile Ellectra?. Stuff like that. I really don’t want to regress to a Quenched Arc Spark yoke when the micro chips all die! [Only joking].
And, does anyone know about antennas?. Earthing plates on wooden vessels?. Come on, talk to me Guys and Gals. 73’s, BGraham.
Bruce if you’re not already a member of Shipsnostalgia I suggest you join.
Plenty ship to ship to-ing and fro-ing on there with it’s own radio section.
Finding info on the Salvor should present little or no problem either.
73
Malc/F5VBU
Wow! this reminds me when in trepidation , I fired up the Oceanspan , first trip, on the old Pennyworth for a TR to GNF and got an immediate reply!. Many thanks guys and will keep in contact. Very interesting info indeed esp about 490 Kc/s, makes restoring the Salvor viable and I don’t need to scuttle back to 1910 and start winding copper!. er, I changed the Savor 2 O/P valves to more modern types called QV 06/20 and rewired the bases. Lots more gravy!. Think the drive is faulty but will try a dummy load and poke about.
Coos Bay is only 45 ft long and the Wire aerial is a ‘Z’ with a 20ft whip at the end, a 100 turn tapped loading coil on the wheelhouse roof and a sq yd of copper earth plate bolted to ships bottom. It all worked well and GLD, EJK and even GNI were worked.
Reckon the RX could do with new hard valves and capacitors replaced but MIMCO made these things to last! pity about us!!.
So QSL on that OM’s, my Email addrs is [email protected] give me a call.
73’s Bruce
Hi Bruce, ref the valves, I’m sure you can get them from many a UK supplier, just google radio valves UK with KTW63 and the list of suppliers pops up. Good luck with the restoration of the Salvor are the 807’s ok don’t have the circuit diagram but following the diagram in the Oceanspan you may well find similar circuit and point to the problem, its many a year since I faultfind on that rig.
Sole surviving sparkie in Ireland? You are surely a collectors item! Sparkies were Ireland’s greatest export at one stage, there are hundreds about but only so many wish to advertise themselves with the ROA cannot understand that. The ROA was formed for precisely that! Get a members list from John Garner and see who is close to you.If you can make the agm in Chelmsford better again. Communication? I suppose apart from calling Valentia on IF you can choose ham radio they have an allocation on 490kHz and possible fire up the rig on that. Plus the h/f spectrum. Aerials, do you have a long wire/whip in situ and want changing Danielson and Mayoh have a few good ideas check that out. Earthing plates on the hull is that a major difficulty.
Nice to meet you Bruce. From Tom in Galway. At sea in the 70’s, bulkers and general cargo, ashore in the 80’s.
Hi Bruce
Sounds like an interesting situation there. As it’s just 40 years since I changed my last set of valves I can’t help personally but was wondering if you have tried contacting the Marconi Veterens Association? I am sure that there must me a treasure trove of information available through it’s members. Incidentally I think we may have some shared maritime connections and I would like to QSO via email if thats OK?
Regards
Peter