Re: ARINC CW RE: Radio Officer's Mail List
David Ring
FW,
Thanks for what you've found out. As I had been told I believed that
ARINC had maintained a Wireless Telegraphy (WT) circuit for the CAA in
the days when overseas flights carried Flight Radio Officers. Several
messages from Frederick Wahl of Airinc and others are copied below my
signature.
When the 500 kHz (600 meter) WT based marine SOS system was abandoned
31 January 1999, I started to collect all the recordings of marine WT
- I have recordings going back to the 1910s. I have recordings of
spark, Alexanderson Alternator (SAQ Grimeston, Sweden) which was the
first continuous wave transmission (17 kc/s) and of course modern CW
and MCW (modulated keyed CW). I have recordings from hundreds of
ships, from the Queen Mary/GBTT to the lowly SS KING/WAKL - a tramp
tanker. I have recordings of WSL on Long Island, WNY in New York
Harbor, most of the USCG stations (all the modern ones) and one Navy
station - NSS USN WASHDC.
Alas, I have no recordings of airline WT. Not one.
From the earliest days (August 4, 1910) when Elmo Pickerell brought a
spark transmitter on an Curtiss pusher aircraft and flew from Miniola,
NY around Manhattan. He was able to contact the Manhattan Beach
ground station, as well as several ships at sea and two marine coast
stations.
For more info on Elmo Pickerell see http://www.earlyaviators.com/epickeril.htm
William A. "Bill" Breniman, who founded not only "The Society of
Wireless Pioneers" (www.sowp.org) but also "The Society of Airway
Pioneers" (www.airwaypioneers.com) would have been the perfect man to
ask but he is a "Silent Key" who have flown to the eternal horizon.
I had talked to my dear friend Earl Korf, K2IC who was a FRO and later
a Navigator and he confirmed that there were indeed ARINC circuits.
Earl passed away two or three years ago - but he and I had the
greatest time copying a recreation of the Marconi Spark signal (actual
spark) on the 100th Anniversary of the Marconi feat of spanning the
ocean in December 1901. Earl had lots of marine WT recordings, but
alas no aviation WT recordings.
There is a very good page on the internet about the Diamond
Anniversary of Airline Radio Service here:
http://cerap2001.tripod.com/cerap2004/id1.html
In any event, I am accumulating morse code recordings to be submitted
to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC. I also have some
historic landline morse recordings one of which is the "Last Day of
the NY Times Washington DC Bureau Wire".
I also extend to all of you if your interested an invitation to join
the Radio Officers group at google groups:
http://groups.google.com/group/radio-officers
If you could be of help to me in finding recordings of aviation morse
- meterological morse broadcasts, or point-to-point morse broadcasts,
I would be very happy indeed.
73 (Best Regards)
David J. Ring, Jr.
Chief Radio Officer, United States Merchant Marine (Ret.)
=30=
On 7/25/07, Wahl, Frederick (FWAHL) <FW...@arinc.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> DR
>
> Well, here is what I was able to discover.
>
> You can email Brian Gaffney (b...@arinc.com) or Pat Guido (h...@arinc.com)
> with any further questions. They may be able to provide you with any
> recordings if they exist.
>
> Hope this helped.
>
> 73/ZUT
> FW
>
> ________________________________
> From: Tiongco, Michael (MTIONGCO)
> Sent: Wed 7/25/2007 12:41 PM
> To: Wahl, Frederick (FWAHL)
> Subject: FW: ARINC CW RE: Radio Officer's Mail List
>
>
>
> Here you go Rick.
>
>
> Mike
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Gaffney, Brian E. (BEG)
> Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2007 9:37 AM
> To: Guido, Hugh P. (HPG); Tiongco, Michael (MTIONGCO)
> Subject: RE: ARINC CW RE: Radio Officer's Mail List
>
>
>
>
>
> Pat,
>
>
>
> When I started with ARINC 16 years ago there was a Aerocom 1330 in Riverhead
> NY that was on CW. It was used as an emergency backup to Havana. We had
> only two operators left with telegraph licenses. My telegraph license
> expired in the early 70's when you needed time to renew. The following year
> we (ARINC) did a new data circuit and removed the transmitter. In the late
> 80's, I visited a maritime site in Mobile AL. They had multiplexed 4 or 5
> circuits at 50 baud to Havana. This was also used as backup for the FAA.
>
>
>
> Brian
>
>
>
> ________________________________
>
>
> From: Guido, Hugh P. (HPG)
> Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2007 11:59 AM
> To: Tiongco, Michael (MTIONGCO)
> Cc: Gaffney, Brian E. (BEG); Guido, Hugh P. (HPG)
> Subject: ARINC CW RE: Radio Officer's Mail List
>
>
>
> Devil-Dog,
>
> CW was an integral part of the MIA ARINC Comm Center Operation. NYC had
> a CW circuit to Havana, Cuba but
>
> it was never operated while I worked there (1965 on). This NYC/HAV circuit
> wasn't removed until some time in the 80's!
>
>
> I'm not sure when the MIA CW operation started and terminated. I've
> copied Brian Gaffney/BEG on this e-mail as he
>
>
> may have some history on ARINC CW.
>
>
>
> Gunny 25Jul07 1601Z
> ________________________________
>
>
> From: Tiongco, Michael (MTIONGCO)
> Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2007 11:25 AM
> To: Guido, Hugh P. (HPG)
> Subject: FW: Radio Officer's Mail List
>
> Gunny,
>
>
>
> Do you every remember CW being used by ARINC? I don't think it ever was.
>
>
>
>
> Mike
>
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
>
>
> From: Wahl, Frederick (FWAHL)
> Sent: Tuesday, July 24, 2007 7:40 PM
> To: Tiongco, Michael (MTIONGCO)
> Subject: FW: Radio Officer's Mail List
>
>
>
> Mike,
>
>
>
>
>
> Mr. Ring is interested in the history of Arinc and is under the impression
> that we once did CW (Morse Code). Everyone I've talked to says we've always
> used voice communications (AM or USB). He would also like to know if there
> are any ancient recordings of Arinc operations available.
>
>
>
>
>
> Please let me know if what I've told him is in error or perhaps put him in
> touch with someone who knows.
>
>
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
>
> Rick
>
>
>
> ________________________________
>
>
> From: Wahl, Frederick (FWAHL)
> Sent: Tue 7/24/2007 9:35 PM
> To: David Ring
> Subject: RE: Radio Officer's Mail List
>
>
>
>
> Hmmm... well, I will have to research this more. I based my answer on what
> I remember reading in the "Arinc Story", a company history book that I have
> packed away somewhere.
>
>
>
>
>
> And on what WR (Arinc Op 40+ years) remembers.
>
>
>
>
>
> He says that in the beginning, many of the airlines had their own separate
> radio operations (and RO's), most of which DID use CW. The airlines finally
> got together and decided to create one company to handle all their
> communications needs (Arinc).
>
>
>
>
>
> They also wanted to eliminate as much equipment and personel in the cockpit
> as possible, (to make room for paying passengers), and considered the RO
> expendable if the pilot could transmit the position reports via voice.
> Pilots are not RO's and vice versa, but that is why we have this situation
> today.
>
>
>
>
>
> I have had many discussions with various old timers here concerning the
> pros/cons of CW vs. USB and do not recall hearing anything about any "Arinc
> CW operations", but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.
>
>
>
>
>
> I will try to find out more and get back to you.
>
>
>
>
>
> 73/FW
>
>
>
>
>
>
David Ring
On 7/25/07, joe <w0...@comcast.net> wrote:
Hi Dave:
And as usual you are stirring up most interesting stuff.
I can recall ( I bellieve the early 1980ss) copying russilan aerofloot
jets usilng CW to call COL in Havana. And as an idiot didnt make any
recordings. But lets hear from someone down Havana way that worked on
this circuit Checking my old notebooks to see if made any
observations. .
73 de Joe w0tut
. .