Morse Code

PRC-320 HF manpack: FAIL /  by David Korchin

This is how it happens: you spend earnest hours charging batteries, testing peripherals. You might solder a bit here and there. You pack for bugout.  You tell family and friends and bosses “Gee I’d like to [insert family, friends or bosses commitment here] but I’m deployed elsewhere…” You grab a GPS, some jerky, your tuff boots (you know the ones), say goodbye to the pup, grab the car keys and you’re off!

You make the infil point and it’s empty—you planned it that way! The WX is amazing, rich with golden-hour vibes. It’s coming on grey-line, and the bands will be hopping. That tingly DX sensation enters the fingers, readies the mind. “Today,” you say to yourself, once more, “I’ll work that Capetown station…”

And you sit on frequency, waiting out the pileup. Putting up with the long-winded. You keep calling. Tide’s coming in. The sea is swallowing your counterpoise, but the saltwater amp is dead. And no matter how many times you press the button, or how many tweaks you make to the tuning, no matter which mic you use, it’s just not happening. And crows gather to laugh and caw: “NEGATIVE CONTACT! NEGATIVE CONTACT!”

Some days its just not on, is it?

the last maritime radio station? /  by David Korchin

A couple of years ago I was traveling around Point Reyes, CA. From the highway one day we spied an impressive Cypress tree tunnel, and stopped to walk the long driveway through it, where we discovered the historic Radio Station KOH.

Signs pointed to the side door where guests could enter—it’s part of the National Parks Service, and open to the public—so we took a tour of the facility. The place is a radio time capsule.

KPH was one of hundreds of coastal installations around the globe that served working ships and their crews in what is now the Golden Age of maritime radio. The expansive and long-serving Morse Code transmission site served merchant seamen and sailors of all stripes along the Pacific West coast and beyond. But with the advent of GPS, satellite communications and cell phones, commercial radiotelegraphy was made obsolete. In 1999 KPH sent its final commercial Morse message to ships at sea—but through the work of volunteers and savvy Amateurs, KPH was saved for history.

K6KPH the Amateur station of the Maritime Radio Historical Society at the KPH facility. Station operators still use the protocols and practices of commercial services.

Learn more about KPH and maritime radio in this lovely segment by ABC10 television.

2023: A year's worth of milspec /  by David Korchin

After a hiatus, THE HAMATEUR project refocused on documenting Amateur Radio enthusiasts around the country. I’m hoping to cover more Northeast gatherings this year, and have Dayton Hamfest penciled in for May 2024.

But I started off the year—literally—in my own backyard, with one of my favorite transceivers: the British Army PRC-320 HF Manpack radio.

Some background: The PRC-320 was part of a system of man-portable HF/SSB radios spec’ed for British Army combat anywhere in the world. It was used by long-range patrols and Special Forces and was renowned for its durability and flexibility.

The full deployment includes the transceiver, battery pack, headset + PTT and/or handset, morse key, solar shield, 4-element counterpoise, dipole and long-wire antennas, a 2.4m whip antenna, and a pack frame into which the radio is bolted for the operator to carry. It’s all stuffed into a large Bergen-type bag. The whole shebang is about 21 Kgs.

The radio works in CW(wide or narrow)/AM/SSB(USB; LSB optional) from 2 MHz to 30 MHz in up to 100 Hz increments through decade-switches, for a choice of 280,000 frequencies. You won’t enjoy a free-wheeling VFO knob experience; your fingers will feel the love as you hunt for POTA on those icy Winter outings.

RF power output is either 3 or 30 watts, fed by rechargeable 1.0 or 3.3 Ah 24-volt Ni/Cad batteries. They are brutes that clip to the base of the unit. Operators could stay in a forward position without returning to base for a recharge, since the PRC-320 can use an accessory hand generator with a 1.0 Ah battery. So there’s a lot of cranking.

Oddly—or tactically—transmit power is reduced by 1/2 in the High power setting after a few seconds, perhaps to establish contact with another operator, then force them to listen harder, or to confuse enemy combatants looking for RF signatures. Most likely scenario: it saves battery.

The tuning section sets this radio apart. It accommodates long wires and whip antennas by electrically matching antenna length to the frequency in use. It’s not automatic. There is a handy reference chart mounted to the chassis with frequencies and lengths and coded tuner settings, making it dead-easy for operators to get the rig up without having to remember antenna math.

The small CW key accessory wraps to the knee or arm. Like every component of the Clansman system, it’s a robust, combat-ready piece. You’ll see this in action once I get up to 20 WPM. Someday.

The Clansman system was deployed throughout the world, and saw early action in Zimbabwe and the Falkland Islands war. The British Army migrated to other platforms over the years, while the PRC-320 served in the UK's Cadet Forces training until about 2015.

You can buy these amazing radios and accessories on the used market, and there are dedicated user groups built around this solid piece of military ware.