08-03-2014, 08:15 PM
'THE RADIO OFFICER’S LAMENT'
In a cold and lonely radio shack, where the last receiver stands,
A museum set of manuals held idly in my hands,
With my jargon half forgotten, of my stock-in-trade bereft,
I wonder what's ahead of me - the only RO left.
With the office sprouting gadgets like a nightmare Christmas tree.
There are keyboards for computers, where my Morse key used to be.
And I couldn't read steam morse 'midst this lunatic array,
For at every height and angle there's a visual display.
The proud, efficient Sparkie has been rendered obsolete
By electronic equipment fitted in the Merchant Fleet,
And tho' a signal's through the system in the blinking of an eye,
No-one's got the time, to even make a cup of kye.
To delete the human error, to erase a noble breed,
We rely upon a microchip, we put our faith in speed.
We press a key, and make a switch, and spin a little disc,
it's one ton per cent efficient - and never mind the risk.
But again I may be needed, for the time will surely come
When there's a fault within the system and the modern stuff is dumb,
When the satellites are useless but morse is there for free -
T’was good enough for old Marconi, and it's good enough for me.
Contributed by David Tunnicliffe ex I.M.R.C. to this interesting 'Merchant Navy Nostalgia' website with lots of photos:
http://iancoombe.tripod.com/id21.html
How times change!
I found this prog interesting too on i-player. Reminiscences of a Marconi Radio Op from the 60s. Nice good humoured avuncular chap - from the Isle of Harris. The commentary is in Gaelic, but it has English subtitles. At the 35 mins stage the program features radio amateurs at an amateur radio club. He visits the Marconi Museum in Chelmsford to handle the equipment he once used:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03...essengers/
Hope that's of interest to someone.
In a cold and lonely radio shack, where the last receiver stands,
A museum set of manuals held idly in my hands,
With my jargon half forgotten, of my stock-in-trade bereft,
I wonder what's ahead of me - the only RO left.
With the office sprouting gadgets like a nightmare Christmas tree.
There are keyboards for computers, where my Morse key used to be.
And I couldn't read steam morse 'midst this lunatic array,
For at every height and angle there's a visual display.
The proud, efficient Sparkie has been rendered obsolete
By electronic equipment fitted in the Merchant Fleet,
And tho' a signal's through the system in the blinking of an eye,
No-one's got the time, to even make a cup of kye.
To delete the human error, to erase a noble breed,
We rely upon a microchip, we put our faith in speed.
We press a key, and make a switch, and spin a little disc,
it's one ton per cent efficient - and never mind the risk.
But again I may be needed, for the time will surely come
When there's a fault within the system and the modern stuff is dumb,
When the satellites are useless but morse is there for free -
T’was good enough for old Marconi, and it's good enough for me.
Contributed by David Tunnicliffe ex I.M.R.C. to this interesting 'Merchant Navy Nostalgia' website with lots of photos:
http://iancoombe.tripod.com/id21.html
How times change!
I found this prog interesting too on i-player. Reminiscences of a Marconi Radio Op from the 60s. Nice good humoured avuncular chap - from the Isle of Harris. The commentary is in Gaelic, but it has English subtitles. At the 35 mins stage the program features radio amateurs at an amateur radio club. He visits the Marconi Museum in Chelmsford to handle the equipment he once used:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03...essengers/
Hope that's of interest to someone.
Regards, David.
BVWS Member.
G-QRP Club Member 1339.
'I'm in my own little world, but I'm happy, and they know me here'
BVWS Member.
G-QRP Club Member 1339.
'I'm in my own little world, but I'm happy, and they know me here'
