Morse/Radio - related articles

[Lucy Knight]

Some of the below may be of interest to ex R/Os


Morsum Magnificat© Archive http://www.n7cfo.com/tgph/Dwnlds/MM/MM.htm

INDEX to All Issues: http://www.n7cfo.com/tgph/Dwnlds/MM/MMs/MMINDX.pdf

Q and Z Code Book http://www.n7cfo.com/tgph/Dwnlds/MM/MMs/Q&Z.pdf

"The story of the key", Louise Ramsey Moreau W3WRE
http://www.n7cfo.com/tgph/Dwnlds/MM/MMs/TSOTK.pdf

[ChasD]

Hi Lucy, Thanks for the data stream,
Re Q Codes, There was a time I used to remember all those, now I have trouble remembering where the bathroom is !
My favourites were QLF? – Often thought about but never actually used - and QUQ? Though I never found a real use for the latter!
I do have an old 1950’s RO’s handbook still on a dusty part of the bookshelf so the stuff is there some place, trouble is it ain’t where it oughta be !
Best regards ... Chas

[Lucy Knight]

TIf you need a spare radio officers bible, Abe books usually has one or two orr three for sale. Different editions come up all the time.

This one I have just looked at is 1961 edition when it was PMG running the show and label is below.
Photo of it and details if you click on label below.

General with the Q codes Post Office Handbook for Radio Operators: Working Installations Licensed By Her Majesty"s Postmaster General Rg.67

https://www.amazon.co.uk/General-Off.../dp/B0041UH7WY

for+radio+operators+&kn=&

Editing.

Just reslized I gave you Amazon label not Abe books .

Here is an Abe books label with 2 for sale.
A 1978 edition and followed a few books down 1971 edition

handbook for radio operators - AbeBooks

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/S...ors+&kn=&isbn=


If you scroll down from the 1978 edition a few books later is an orange 1971 edition.
(That was the edition I had at start of the 3 year MRRT course I started early 70s (first intake year of new 3 year course which coupled MRGC with C and G finals. Some colleges still ran MPT course or both alongside eg Brunnel)

[Lucy Knight]

Yesterday's The Times 4th Sept had article about Bletchley wartime codebreakers meet again.

Bletchley was known as station X in WW2 and the intercepted enemy Morse transmissions ended up at station X , to be deciphered.

Article below

Bletchley’s wartime codebreakers meet again | News | The Times & The Sunday Times

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/b...gain-zh6grpgrb

[Ron Stringer]

I worked with an ex-R/O in the 1980s/90s who in 1997, on an arranged visit to Bletchley Park from Marconi's to view progress on the rebuilding of Colossus, spotted a reference to someone who shared his unusual surname. He mentioned this to Tony Sale (also ex-Marconi), the leader of the rebuilding team, who was familiar with the list of Post Offices engineers working under Tommy Flowers that had constructed the original Colossus during WW2. He quoted the full name of the man, which turned out to be my colleague's father!

The man had never revealed to his family of his involvement with Colossus and, when he died in 1972, his wife believed that her husband had just been a hum-drum post office engineer who maintained telephone exchange equipment. Following that original discovery my friend has found out a great deal more about his father's wartime activities, including a photograph of him with the group engineers who worked on Colossus and was able to keep his mother informed of all his findings until her death in 2002.

Recently he went to a Bletchley Park reunion and was pleased to view a brick in Bletchley Park's wall of remembrance that carries his father's name. A proud moment for him and for the nation.

[BobClay]

Tommy Flowers and his crew are probably the most unsung heroes of World War Two. What they did was utterly incredible ... and this in place where incredible was the norm !!!

[Lucy Knight]

This story was in today's Mail on Line. I'm not sure they have got their facts right calling her the last listener as a book was recently written by another female ex listener.

Last Bletchley Park ‘listener’ dies http://dailym.ai/2gwn5Je via http://dailym.ai/android

[BobClay]

I'm just a bit curious Lucy about the German Language link. For the most part the messages would have been encrypted, either by Enigma or other devices. However knowledge of the German language could have been very useful examining the 'preamble' or 'closing' part of the message, which might provide a 'crib' which could be a way into the subsequent code.

As you say the story seems to be missing many facts and details, but there's little doubting the phenomenal contribution those listeners made.

[Lucy Knight]

Below is a link about Turin and exhibition coming up.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...schoolboy.html

[Farmer John]

Good old Daily Mail, I didn't know that " Turing would help create the Enigma code which helped win WWII".

[BobClay]

Originally Posted by Farmer John

Good old Daily Mail, I didn't know that " Turing would help create the Enigma code which helped win WWII".

They're just journalists (and that's being generous for the Daily Mail) who don't know sh1t from a biscuit about anything but BS copy. I doubt they had any idea of the what Turing did or appreciation of how he did it.

They're just fluff in the wind.

[Troppo]

An utter rag.

[Farmer John]

Originally Posted by Troppo

An utter rag.

They are to be relied upon in this uncertain world. Similarly, the Daily Express consistently gets their "weather forecasts" wrong. You know where you are.

[Meridian2013]

For those of you interested in code-breaking during WW2, have a listen to this podcast, an unusual story from Ireland.

http://www.rte.ie/radio1/podcast/pod...ntaryonone.xml

BTW, the occasional bursts of Morse are from an amateur radio contest.

Cheers

Roger

[Lucy Knight]

Morse code has its uses in workplace. Will it take off?

Morse code tapping boots to communicate with fellow workers. New technology.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/technol...ts-at-mwc-2018

[BobClay]

What happens if the SIM card crashes. Will you have to boot it up ?

Sorry … (puts Dunce cap on, stands in corner.)

[Lucy Knight]

Thanks Bob for your comment

You've made me laugh and cheered me up, if nothing else.

Lucy

[Farmer John]

What happens if you click your heels 3 times? There's no place like home.

[BobClay]

Kansas is probably warmer than we are right now ….