" wrote in
ups.com:
Dave Oldridge wrote:
Slow Code wrote in news:SPYSg.4010$o71.3724
@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net:
" wrote in
oups.com:
Please, don't all jump in at once with all the unproven
bragging and dozens of local weekly newspaper clippings.
Let's hear it for the mode that saved the Titanic survivors
in 1912...
Don't know about whether it saved any lives or not, but I once took a
very important NOTAM (Notice to Airman) on CW from a guy in the
Aleutians in the days following the 1964 quake and put it on the proper
teletype circuits for him.
His airport's altitude was changing so that charts and other info were
inaccurate.
Dave, that sounds very suspicious considering my ground school
instructor's 1962 display of a then-old Santa Barbara, CA,
half-hour TTY Wx report (then required by Commerce Dept.).
SBA (ID of Santa Barbara), like all other weather stations at
airports, were required to post their local Wx and airport
conditions every half hour. SBA is on the Pacific coast and
subject to rapid variations of weather. If weather changes more
rapidly than that, weather stations were required to post extra
in-between-scheduled-times reports.
One day, after having fog entering and leaving SBA often, the
operator of the TTY sent: "THE FOG SHE COMES IN THE FOG
SHE GOES OUT." :-)
The ground school class at VNY was presented with a
glassine-protected TTY copy of the Wx message that must
have been old at that time (the cheap TTY paper was
already turning yellow). Got a good laugh from the class.
In 1964 (which is 42 years ago), the weather stations had their
own network over leased telephone lines. At least in the 48
contiguous states. Whether or not Alaska was tied in with
manual telegraphy (radio or wirelines) I can't confirm...nor do I
think it important since I know it was NOT via amateur bands.
NOTAMs take many shapes but back 40+ years ago, the
FAA handled them and saw to their distribution at airports.
Most were press-printed but some current ones were sent
by TTY. That was in times before NOAA.
Lenny, just to help you feel better about morse code, if I ever hear you
are dying and in need of help, I will use CW to get you help. Then you'll
know before you die a ham used morse code to save a life and you can rest
in peace over CW.
SC