Radio Hams keep 'Queen Mary' on the Air

The Queen Mary, an ocean liner that once sailed the North Atlantic, is now permanently berthed in Long Beach, California, where it's a tourist attraction and hotel. In one of the rooms aboard the ship, the tradition of ship-to-shore wireless operations is continued and visitors are introduced to the hobby of ham radio.

A young visitor recently got an introduction to Morse code, the system of dots and dashes once used for wireless communication. Amateur radio operators, called "hams," still use it today.

The Queen Mary was the pride of the Cunard Line after its 1936 launch, and is now a popular tourist attraction.

The wireless room preserves the ocean liner's communications hub. Queen Mary Commodore Everette Hoard said it was a lifeline in emergencies, providing two-way messages -- ship to shore.......

CQ 'Queen Mary'

New Members Wanted

A Northumberland-based amateur-radio club wants to broadcast its existence to the world with the aim of attracting new members.

Northumbria Amateur Radio Club (NARC) has its base in Ellington, but welcomes enthusiasts from all over the county.

Formed in 1969, the club moved around for a number of years before finding a new permanent home in the village’s old telephone exchange.
Ever since, it has had a good level of membership, although that has dropped slightly in recent years to 23.

There are three honorary members, two foreign members, including one from Italy, and three junior members.

And committee member Michael Smith believes there may be amateur-radio fans in the area who don’t even know about the club, which is also interested in attracting newcomers to this hobby.......

Northumbria ARC