qrper.com/2024/07/sweat-signals-and-history-a-pota-activation-from-the-battleship-north-carolinas-radio-room/?swcfpc=1 Click the link above to read full details about this activation with numerous photos at QRPer.com.
47:37 My first POTA CW contact ever!! To you ironically after months of watching your videos. Sorry my BK was messed up. I’m getting better every day. Thank you Thomas. You’re an inspiration through these RUclips videos brother. 73 K7LZZ
I can't be the only person who was hoping the ship would be seized by a group of bad guys (led by Tommy Lee Jones), and our mild-mannered POTA activator would have to save the ship by signaling for help via Morse code 😊
Oh now that would have made for a compelling RUclips video and (if I'm being honest) would have made some of my more adventurous radio dreams come to life!🤣
What a great video. I am from Kannapolis NC and saw the USS NC the first time around 1976. I have not been since 1982. Great memories. I need to go again. I am glad you got to activate there. Thank you for filming the walk around the ship. That was not there when I was there so many years ago. I hope to meet you on the bands some time. 73 de KM4MMD
This was a fantastic experience not just for you but also for all of us. Thanks for taking the time to operate on the ship. I am sure this will go down for you as one of your most exciting activations. 73s
Love the walk-thru to the radio room. Reminds me so much of the "Admiral's Tour" that we took through the Missouri while visiting Pearl Harbor about 10 years ago.
Aren't the guys from Azalea great?!? I got an activation back a little over a month ago. Mike and Justin were awfully gracious and super nice. If I lived close, I would definitely want to join their club. Awesome guys. 73!
Thank you, Thomas and Mike, for that tour. I haven’t been on that ship for 50 years. I was a young teen. A lot has changed on the tour since then. 73 de ka4ezy
I thoroughly enjoyed watching. The partial tour of the ship and getting to see the radio room was fascinating. I wish I could have hunted you, but watching you operate from the ship was fun. I recognize a lot of callsigns in your log too.
I can't believe I came in as loud as I did LOL. I was surprised when you came in clear as a bell at 529. You're usually pretty down in the weeds. Now I know why. 100w makes a BIG difference!
that was fun to watch, thomas. The anchor lines at 1:31:00 are longer than my EFHW at home. I see every wire on that ship as antenna. I would be walking around with a radio with a wire and a pair of alligators clips asking myself …”Does that Antenna?” “Does that Antenna?” 😂
That’s my family’s home town. I Lived there in the 90’s also. Too bad I didn’t know you were planning it. I would have tried to reach out to you. Thank you Thomas.
Definitely more room than a submarine. Spent 8 years in submarines. We had steep ladders. You dont step down. Your feet don’t touch the rungs. Slide on the palms of your hands gripping slightly to slow down at the end of the descent. Sometimes if boat is rolling in the direction you are sliding it can add to the speed of your descent. I really miss that. Of course the rails must be kept to a mirror’s polish. Also during battle stations and drills, some one is following you at some speed. It’s like a controlled jump. You got to be quick during drills and casualties.
When I was a kid, back in the 1960s, a common past time for the boys was to draw pictures of battleships and sea battles. We would spend hours studying pictures of ships and and WWII scenes and try and recreate them on paper using colored pencils. My favorite ships were the HMS Hood and the USS New Jersey. Two beautiful ladies! Even to this day I am drawn to anything and everything that floats on water. One of my most favorite activities in ham radio is museum hips on the air and of the course the ultimate prize is the USS New Jersey. Amazing video! 73 from KD9SOK.
You did a yeoman's job operating from the USS North Carolina Seaman Thomas H Witherspoon. I could picture you on board somewhere in the Pacific on your way to support the invasion of Iwo Jima and Okinawa in 1945
@@so7na That makes sense. It's amazing how powerful the tendency is to stick with "round number" frequencies. If the hunters started out on Thomas' frequency, it would have worked better. --n1bs
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qrper.com/2024/07/sweat-signals-and-history-a-pota-activation-from-the-battleship-north-carolinas-radio-room/?swcfpc=1
Click the link above to read full details about this activation with numerous photos at QRPer.com.
47:37 My first POTA CW contact ever!! To you ironically after months of watching your videos. Sorry my BK was messed up. I’m getting better every day. Thank you Thomas. You’re an inspiration through these RUclips videos brother. 73 K7LZZ
I'm so honored! So glad to get you in the logs and you're doing a brilliant job on your CW journey! Keep up the good work! 72/73 Thomas
I can't be the only person who was hoping the ship would be seized by a group of bad guys (led by Tommy Lee Jones), and our mild-mannered POTA activator would have to save the ship by signaling for help via Morse code 😊
Oh now that would have made for a compelling RUclips video and (if I'm being honest) would have made some of my more adventurous radio dreams come to life!🤣
What a great video. I am from Kannapolis NC and saw the USS NC the first time around 1976. I have not been since 1982. Great memories. I need to go again. I am glad you got to activate there. Thank you for filming the walk around the ship. That was not there when I was there so many years ago. I hope to meet you on the bands some time. 73 de KM4MMD
This was a fantastic experience not just for you but also for all of us. Thanks for taking the time to operate on the ship. I am sure this will go down for you as one of your most exciting activations. 73s
Glad you enjoyed it and thank you for the kind words!
Best CW activation ever.
Love the walk-thru to the radio room. Reminds me so much of the "Admiral's Tour" that we took through the Missouri while visiting Pearl Harbor about 10 years ago.
Aren't the guys from Azalea great?!? I got an activation back a little over a month ago. Mike and Justin were awfully gracious and super nice. If I lived close, I would definitely want to join their club. Awesome guys. 73!
They're amazing! They make dreams come true. :)
Very cool activation! Love these old warships and the radios of the era!
Thank you, Thomas and Mike, for that tour. I haven’t been on that ship for 50 years. I was a young teen. A lot has changed on the tour since then. 73 de ka4ezy
I thoroughly enjoyed watching. The partial tour of the ship and getting to see the radio room was fascinating. I wish I could have hunted you, but watching you operate from the ship was fun. I recognize a lot of callsigns in your log too.
And the pile just keeps on coming! Great activation!
I can't believe I came in as loud as I did LOL. I was surprised when you came in clear as a bell at 529. You're usually pretty down in the weeds. Now I know why. 100w makes a BIG difference!
Great to get you in the logs, OM. Yeah, 100W and sitting inside a perfect ground plane on brackish water. :)
I did this with my dad on June 12th this year as his first POTA activation. Was a great time. Very unique opportunity. Awesome Thomas!
Wonderful!
What a great "park" ... going to be hard to beat this one.
Agreed!
This is such a cool activation, Thomas. Thank you for sharing it with us.
My pleasure. Thank you!
Awesome !!! Great video Tom
Amazing, 84 years of history and memories. Thanks Thomas!
Glad you enjoyed it
that was fun to watch, thomas. The anchor lines at 1:31:00 are longer than my EFHW at home. I see every wire on that ship as antenna. I would be walking around with a radio with a wire and a pair of alligators clips asking myself …”Does that Antenna?” “Does that Antenna?” 😂
You certainly could! I suspect you could spend all day finding "antennas" here and there! :)
Finally got a chance to watch this today. Very neat!!! 73/72s
Very nice video, learned quite a bit about the old ship. I’m glad that you came out of it safe!
Great to see you made it to the south eastern part of NC brother. Enjoy your channel.
That’s my family’s home town. I Lived there in the 90’s also. Too bad I didn’t know you were planning it. I would have tried to reach out to you. Thank you Thomas.
Next time, OM! I'm sure I'll be back that way again before too long.
Honored to be in the log for this one, Tom. Thanks for hanging in there with me as we both dealt with challenging band conditions. 72. Bill W3WJ.
Was there beginning of may and activated the park. What an amazing experience that was.
What a cool opportunity, thanks for sharing
Awesome activation. N4HFO
I have always wanted to see the radio rooms in operation. Thank you!
My pleasure!
Oh, it's probably been 50 years since I was there. Been wanting to see it again.
Definitely more room than a submarine. Spent 8 years in submarines. We had steep ladders. You dont step down. Your feet don’t touch the rungs. Slide on the palms of your hands gripping slightly to slow down at the end of the descent. Sometimes if boat is rolling in the direction you are sliding it can add to the speed of your descent. I really miss that. Of course the rails must be kept to a mirror’s polish. Also during battle stations and drills, some one is following you at some speed. It’s like a controlled jump. You got to be quick during drills and casualties.
My primary HF radio is a Icom 756 pro3. Those are some good radios. Great video! 73 KX4IG
Very cool
Looks like an ICOM IC-756 early model. Amazing opportunity to activate from a museum ship. Thanks, Thomas!
Marc (N1QGM)
Yes it was! That was a 756 Pro-III.
When I was a kid, back in the 1960s, a common past time for the boys was to draw pictures of battleships and sea battles. We would spend hours studying pictures of ships and and WWII scenes and try and recreate them on paper using colored pencils. My favorite ships were the HMS Hood and the USS New Jersey. Two beautiful ladies! Even to this day I am drawn to anything and everything that floats on water. One of my most favorite activities in ham radio is museum hips on the air and of the course the ultimate prize is the USS New Jersey. Amazing video! 73 from KD9SOK.
Thank you for sharing that, Bill! I, too, find ships absolutely fascinating.
Amazing video.👍👍
TNX Thomas and Mike the interior of the Battleship was very informative grate video brilliant 73 de G6JMX
Thank you Thomas 73 M0GGK Dave
Would have been cooler if you used a straight key XD XD. Great vid Thomas, keep it up!
73s de DN9SRC
Oh man. Is there anything cooler than this? You’re not the first person to send Morse code aboard that ship. And hopefully not the last! 73 de KI7QCF
I think the Azalea Club will make sure many, many others will have this opportunity!
Looks like it was warm in there, your arm looked a little sweaty.
Well now I need to learn CW so I can go activate there. I'm only about 2.5 hours from there.
interesting use of pool noodles.
You did a yeoman's job operating from the USS North Carolina Seaman Thomas H Witherspoon. I could picture you on board somewhere in the Pacific on your way to support the invasion of Iwo Jima and Okinawa in 1945
Thank you so much, Jim. It was such an honor. :)
I can't understand how can you transmit CW correctly while listening other dashes and dots in the middle of your TX..... It seems imposible to me.
Honestly, your brain just eventually adjusts to it. If mine can do it, anyone can.
WooHoo!
Most of the hunters were quite low in frequency. I'm wondering if RIT was engaged on that transceiver? --n1bs
XIT was engaged, -0.10 kHz, so TX was on 14.0609 but RX on 14.061
@@so7na That makes sense. It's amazing how powerful the tendency is to stick with "round number" frequencies. If the hunters started out on Thomas' frequency, it would have worked better. --n1bs
You know, I was so caught up in the excitement of it all, I forgot to check ANY of the radio settings other than CW speed, etc.
wow!!! Great video! 73 de DG1MJH.