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Old December 15th 05, 11:58 PM posted to rec.radio.amateur.policy,rec.radio.amateur.misc
Dee Flint
 
Posts: n/a
Default Don't EVER tell SUQ to QRQ, not EVER!


"KØHB" wrote in message
ink.net...

As some of you know, I supported my bad habits for many years as a Navy
Radioman, and quite frankly considered myself something of a hotshot
operator. To set that stage...... I spent my early Navy years aboard
destroyers in the 2nd and 6th fleets. The amount of traffic you handled
was related to the seniority of your skipper, because senior skippers not
only commanded their own ships, but also often had additional duties as
task group commanders, etc. Our skipper at the time was CDR Grant "Flash"
Gordon, and he was one of these 'senior' skippers. We made a couple of
cruises to the Mediterranean and Capt Gordon was also CTU-60.2.5 which
required our ship to guard the Sixth Fleet Task Group Commanders Net
(nicknamed "Sixes Alfa"). Sixes Alfa was a high speed net, typical traffic
speeds were 40WPM, and routine procedural speed in excess of 50WPM. At the
time, I was one of only 23 radiomen in the Sixth Fleet who were fully
qualified Net Control operators for that net. I go into all of this not to
brag, but only to give you an idea of how big my 21-year-old ego was. If
you were qualified to NCS "Sixes Alfa" (you got a fancy diploma style
wallet certificate signed by the Fleet Commander) then you were pretty hot
stuff.

Unlike today, in those days the Red Sea and Persian Gulf area was a quiet
backwater without much military attention. The US Navy presence was
something called "Middle East Force" and COMMIDEASFOR was a Rear Admiral
whose flagship was a distinctly unwar-like AVP (seaplane tender) anchored
at the Brit base on Bahrain. (K0DQ, Admiral Scott Redd (Retired), now an
active contester and a high honcho in Dept of Homeland Security, once held
that post) The rest of his fleet consisted of a couple of destroyers
loaned to him from the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean for tours of a
couple months at a time to strut around and show the flag. Often we used
that opportunity to also conduct joint training exercises with ships from
allied navies in the SEATO and CENTO treaty organizations.

Our ship, USS Henley, DD762 drew that temporary assignment while I was
aboard. To get from the Med over to the Persian Gulf requires transiting
the Suez Canal, which was under Egyptian (they called themselves the UAR
in those days) control. Ships transiting the canal were arranged in
convoys, on a given day consisting perhaps of 10 or 15 ships, one convoy
northbound and one southbound. These convoys met and passed each other
about midway in the canal at a 'wide spot in the road' called "Great
Bitter Lake". Each convoy carried an Egyptian civilian pilot who knew the
waters and acted as our 'guide' in navigating the canal. If there was a
warship in the convoy, they would carry the pilot and lead the group.
These pilots were required to provide the canal "Traffic Control" with
periodic position reports so that canal authorities could track our
progress and coordinate the 'passing' of the two convoys at the wide spot.
The circuit which handled this traffic was a CW circuit, and the ashore
operator was an Egyptian civilian. This was not a busy circuit, so
typically it was on 'speaker watch' while you attended to other more busy
circuits, and only actually 'manned' the circuit when you had to send or
receive a report.

Now picture me, hotshot NCS from "Sixes Alfa", keeping an ear on this
pilots coordination circuit while handling traffic on another circuit.
Across comes the call:

"NHXW DE SUQ K" ---

I put my regular military circuit on hold with a 'ZUJ' and impatiently
called the 'lowly Egyptian civilian' at about 40WPM with a speed key

"SUQ DE NHXW QRQ K" ....... (QRQ my friends, is the inverse of QRS)

Bad move...... really bad and embarrassing move!

'Lowly civilian' at SUQ came back to me at a blistering speed I'm sure was
60WPM (or faster) of beautiful musical code (there were no electronic
keyers in those days) of which I could copy no better than 50%.

I humbly sent a break signal, then a crisp and polite "QRS PSE", and the
"Kind Sir" at SUQ slowed down to a stately 30WPM. To this day I have never
sent another QRQ to ANYONE! (That guy may be still out there waiting for
the impertinent sailor to challenge him again!)



Cute story. I guess everyone needs at least one humbling experience in
their "hotshot youth".

Anyway, if I send either QRS or QRQ, I always add my desired speed to it to
try to avoid problems like this !!

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE