(LINGUISTIC NOT YET CORRECTED)
ACTIVITIES IN AND AROUND THE RADIOROOM
In the sixties ships up to 1600 BRT were not obliged to have radiotelegraphy on board; radiotelephony was enough.
On ships of 1600 BRT and above radiotelegraphy however was compulsory and therefore the availability of a
radiostation and telegraphist as a crewmember. As for the radiostations they were devided in four categories.
A ship of category H24 is ”open “ 24 hours per day , H16 means 16 hours open and H8 of course 8 hours.
Furthermore there are HX-ships, that are allowed to be open less than 8 hours. With “open” is meant that the
radiostation is open for public service, such as transmitting of telegrams, making telephone calls etc. It is of course
obvious that for instance on a H16 ship a listening watch is kept on the international emergency frequencies 500 KHz
(telegraphy0 and 2182 KHz (telephony) during those 16 hours. In this case of course the ship accomodates more than
one telegraphist.On board of H24-ships (passengerships) at least 3, but mostly 5 telegraphists were occupied.
The mentioned emergency frequencies are not merely used in cases of emergency, but also as calling frequencies.
One can be called on it or make a call to a ship or coaststation. After contact on this calling frequency both stations
switch to their working frequency. Many coaststations can directly be called on a certain, prearranged
working frequency; they answer on their first working frequency. For instance Scheveningen Radio has to be called
on 454 KHz, while it transmits on 461 KHz (the first working frequency). While operating on these working
frequencies on short or middle waves one has to listen simultaneously on one of the two emergency frequencies.
Because a radiostation normaly has only two receivers and one of these is used for radio traffic, only one receiver is
left to listen on one of the emergency frequencies. Besides the working frequency one constantly listens on the
500 KHz. Between all morse signals on the 500 KHz the own callsign has te be recognized or in an emergency case
the distress signal. To improve the reception of distress signals (think of weak distress signals of lifeboats or a
mid-ocean distress case) two periods per hour are established, in which it is worldwide forbidden to transmit on
the emergency frequencies. On the 500 KHz the silence periods are between the 15th and 18th and between the
45th and 48th minute of each hour. On the 2182 KHz the periods are respectively 00-03 and 30-33.
... haha, no madam, RH does not mean “Radio-Helpdesk" ...
So on an H8-ship the radio-officer each day listens on the 500 KHz for eight hours. During the remaining 16 hours
his job is done by the Automatic Alarm Receiver (A.A.T). This device has been designed in a way, that it reacts on
a signal consisting of 8 dashes with a length of 4 seconds seperated by a space of one second. This signal is called
the alarmsignal and is sent by a ship in distress before sending the distress message. One minute after sending
the alarmsignal the transmitting of the distress message begins. This minute is necessary for the radio-officers
whose A.A.T. went off to have the opportunity to rush to the radiostation and receive the distress message.
More R/O’s will have to leave their beds during the night than than in daytime, because the range of a ship's
transmitter is bigger during the night hours due to atmosferic circumstances. In daytime a 150 Watt ship’s
transmitter will have a range of about 300 km, while this can rise to about 2500 km during the night. Coaststations
have transmitters of 10.000 Watt or more and cover in medium wave over 1000 km in daytime. In shortwave with
relative small power – but a good adapted antenna – the easily cover over 20.000 km. More is not necessary to
reach any place on earth.
A random watch consists of the following activities:
a) An eight, sixteen or twentyfour hour listening watch
b) Receiving the traffic lists of Scheveningen Radio/PCH
c) Receiving traffic lists of stations in the country of destination, countries where passengers originate from
and/or countries where the headoffice has its seat i.c.w. possible orders (think of tankers)
d) Receiving weather bulletins from different coaststations
e) Receiving the newspaper report of Radio-Holland/ANP via PCH
f) Receiving the English newspaper report via Portishead Radio, if there are foreign passengers on board
g) Working out the received newspaper report on orm RH56a
h) Daily sending the ship’s position to PCH for the Ministry of Defence and the newspapers
i) Daily correct the chronometer(s) on the basis of a timesignal. Chronometers are used for zenith
measurement of heavenly bodies by means of a sextant
j) Daily taking a radiobearing (if positioned under the coast)
k) Sending and/or receiving of telegrams of captain, crew or passengers
l) Ditto as for telephone calls (if equipped with telephony)
m) Keeping up to date the radio logbook, in which is reported everything happened during the radiowatch
n) Keeping up to date the administration
o) Testing of and switching on the Automatic Alarm receiver
Requirements for radio installations
Radio installations have to meet the needs of certain demands, internationaly recorded in the International Treaty
for Safety of Human Life at Sea and nationaly in the Dutch Ship’s Law and the matching Ship’s Decree.
Moreover applicable are: the regulations of the Telegraph and Telephone Law of 1904, as well as of the Radio
Regulations, together with the International Telecommunication Treaty.
In accordance with article 3 of the Telegraph and Telephone Law of 1904 for the installation and use of a ship’s
radio installation an Authorization is required, granted by the Postmaster-General. This applies for obliged
(in accordance with the Ship’s Decree) and non-obliged radio installations (for instance on yachts).
Just after an Authorization is granted it is allowed to place a radio installation on board. In accordance with the
conditions of the authorization the station however shall not be used before being approved. The installation shall
meet a couple of technical requirements, laid down in the Ship’s Decree, the Radio Regulations and PTT-
specifications for radio installations. The approval for use is just granted if, after an inspection on board, it is clear
that the installation and operation meets all specified requirements.
In proof of this a Certificate of Approval is issued by the Inspector Coastal and Shipsradio. The Certificate of
Approval and an extract of the Authorization shall hang clearly visible near the radio installation.
Besides theAuthorization and the Certificate of Approval ships over 1600 GRT shall be equipped with a valid Radio
safety certificate. This document is issued, on behalf of the Inspector-General of Shipping,by the Shipping
Inspection and is valid for 12 months with the opportunity of prolongation by the appropriate authorities.
Without such valid certificate the ship is not allowed to sail. Mentioned document is just issued after the conclusion
of an official of the department of Coastal and Shipsradio, that the installation meets all requirements concerning
placing and arrangement of ship’s radiostations as described in the Dutch Ship’s Law and Ship’s Decree.
The personnel in charge of operating the installation has the obligation to keep secret (and store safely) all
messages that are transmitted or received by means of the installation and not being allocated for publication.
Measures shall be affected to prevent that persons not being involved in the radio service, can note the exchange
of messages. In case messages are received not intended for the own ship, it is not allowed to record them.
Such messages shall not be notified to others or used for any purpose.
Since the captain is responsible for everything concerning the services on board the ship under his command and
thus also for the operation of the radio installation, he may be informed of transmitted and received messages.
Naturally the secrecy does not count with regard to messages, that are transmitted “to all” for a propagation as
big as possible, such as weather bulletins, storm warnings and notices to mariners.
A candidate who passed his exam for the certificate of proficiency in radiotelegraphy shall be taken the oath or
the promise of secrecy.
A radio-officer is the only crew member who works two hours and is two hours off . Mates and engineers work four
hours and are eight hours off, as shown hereafter:
0000 – 0400 Middle watch 1600 – 1800 First dog watch
0400 – 0800 Morning watch 1800 – 2000 Second dog watch
0800 – 1200 Forenoon watch 2000 – 0000 First watch
1200 – 1600 Afternoon watch
To remember the watches there is a typical seaman’s memory aid:
Maidens May Fuck At First Sight Fanaticly (Invented by myself!)
The fourth mate accompanies the first mate and apprentices accompany the second mate. Apprentice-engineers
accompany the second and third engineer.
Every now and then an electrician (shortly elec) roams among the engineers, but he again has a dayshift (0800-1200
and 1300-1700). Is there no elec on board, then the electric works mostly are done by a third engineer with
principal part getting/keeping the winches on deck going, which are used to serve the cargo booms. The big boss
of the engineers and elec is the chief engineer, who has no watch duty. The big boss of the mates is the captain,
who of course has the overall leading of and responsibility over the ship. The sailor’s boss is the boatswain (bosun),
who’s boss again is the first mate (after the integration the chief engineer, more about this later).
The engineroom personnel, such as oilers, wipers etc., come under the second engineer. On tankers comes a
foreman between them and the second engineer. The serving part on board is done by the steward department
under the leadership of the chief-steward (after the integration the first mate, more about this later).
This chief-steward wields the sceptre over kitchen personnel, the stewards and eventually a laundryman.
The stewards maintain the cabins of the passengers and officers. One privileged steward is the captain’s steward,
who sometime also maintains the radio-officer’s cabin, because those two quite often live on the same deck.
On (bigger) passenger ships the chief-steward’s superior is the purser, a sort of administrator, responsible for
the financial procedure and well-being of the passengers.
Ordering a beer was done by pressing a button in the cabin, upon which in a jiffy a steward appeared with a beer
and a kind of receipt book. The receipt was signed by the one who ordered the beer and the amount of money
was found on the bar account at the end of the voyage. Four beers and one gin was ordered by means of four short
and one long press on the button. Down in the pantry the cabin’s number lighted and by counting the signals the right
order was delivered in the right cabin.This room service was soon doomed to die because of the reducing
of personnel and reorganisation of job activities. One had to get his drinks in the pantry himself (except when
there was a bar on board, then of course everybody was sitting on a bar stool). By absence of a bar or when the
bar was closed, one had cases of beer or soft drinks in his cabin, eventually a part of it in the refrigerator of a
nearby pantry.
are hanging with the names of the persons on board and their assigned lifeboat as well as their possible task in
the boat. Someone has to remove the wooden cover from the boat and does not throw it overboard as persons might
jump into the water; someone places a wooden plug into the bottom of the boat (normally not fitted because
rainwater must escape), the winches of the davits must be prepared and operated and the radio-officer sees to it
that the portable lifeboat transmitter is placed into the lifeboat. Each lifeboat has a mate as commander; sailors
are as fair as possible spread over the boats. Besides the lifeboat drill on tankers regular a firedrill is held.
The radio-officer is then supposed to stay in the radioroom to send if necessary a distress or emergency message.
A distress message, as known, is preceded by three times the sign …---…, wrongly called Save Our Souls or SOS.
An emergency message, less imminent, is proceded by three series of XXX. A safety message, such as stormwarnings
sent by a coaststation or a danger to navigation sent by a ship or coaststation, is preceded by three series of TTT.
The series callsigns PAAA-PBUZ is used by the Royal Navy and her services, such as the pilot service with amongst
others the Marcab/PAHF, Betelgeuze/PAHH, Rigel/PAHM, Deneb/PAHO, Sirius/PAHS and Zeemeeuw/PAHY.
Further activities by the R/O outside the radiostation are:
a) Taking bearings with the directionfinder, mostly situated in the chartroom
b) Maintenance and sometimes repairs of the directionfinder and its aerial, VHF
transmitter /receiver, echosounder, telephony-installation on the bridge, radar (if not done by the
2nd mate), Central Antenna System with often the bygoing sound equipment, the fascimilé (Fax) for the receiving of weather charts
c) Maintenance or even replacement of the main aerial and its insulators, mostly stretched between the masts and of the emergency aerial, mostly stretched from a smaller mast to the input above the radioroom
d) Maintenance of the accumulators as a part of the emergency equipment. These batteries are mostly found in a so-called “accu cabinet” next to the radiostation and sometimes in a box on the deck above the radiostation and bridge
e) Weekly measurement of the acid level and clamp voltage of the batteries and fill in the battery report (RH38)
f) Testing of the portable lifeboat transmitter
g) Maintenance and eventually repair of electromotors and generators, belonging to the different devices
h) Possible repairs to radio receivers or taperecorders of people on board
We all have knowledge of portable TV’s, haven't we ?
SUMMARY TELEGRAMSERVICE
The calculation of telegram charges on board of Radio-Holland ships is done in two ways, namely:
A traffic with Scheveningen Radio (PCH), in which all taxes are calculated in Dutch guilders
B traffic with foreign radiostations, in which all taxes are calculated in goldfrancs.
Traffic between two R-H ships is considered as foreign traffic as well, unless the traffic goes via PCH.
On board of Radio-Holland ships the following permitted telegrams can be found:
P fully charged telegram. All taxes are full, except Coastal rate telegrams in South-Africa, on which a
reduction of 50% is granted on the ship tax and coastal tax, the land tax is 10 centimes.
PDH A telegram presented by a crewmember. Just a rebate on the ship tax, namely in traffic with PCH 5 ct.
per word with a minimum of 10 words and in foreign traffic 5 centimes per word with a minimum of
10 words.
PDHK A telegram presented by the captain. No ship tax, full coastal and land tax.
PDHVR A telegram presented by a free ship tax-card holder. No ship tax, coastal and land tax full. (These “free
ship tax cards” are numbered and dated. On the telegram form shall be noted down 1. the number
2. the company of issue 3. date of issue. The validity of the card is one year after the date of issue.
MSG A telegram presented by the captain. No ship tax; full coastal and land tax.
SLT A Ship Letter Telegram, presented by passengers. Full ship and coastal taxes..
SLTV A Radio Letter Telegram presented by a crewmember. Lowered ship tax, full coastal tax.
SLTVK A Radio Letter Telegram presented by the captain. No ship tax, full coastal tax.
SLTVR A Radio Letter Telegram presented by a free ship tax-card holder. No ship tax, coastal tax full.
SLTMSG A Radio Letter Telegram presented by the captain concerning ship’s matters. No ship tax, coastal tax
full.
The following telegrams are allowed in traffic with Scheveningen Radio only:
GTG A greetings telegram with a standard text allowed from ship to shore and shore to ship. The only standard
texts permitted are those as laid down in the PTT Medgraafs.
CTV A surprise telegram with exclusively a standard text from RH76 (Catalogue Surprise Service)
No Medgraaf texts allowed. Is a free text added to the standard text, then the surprise telegram shall be
sent as a P or SLT. To be used by passengers and crewmembers.
GST A surprise telegram that can be sent as P, SLT or CTV. The amount of the surprise is added to the
telegram charges. A GST can be sent as P via any coaststation; sent as a SLT or CTV via Scheveningen
Radio only.
POSTV These are radioletters exclusively allowed for crewmembers and are posted in the Netherlands via another
R-H ship. The charges for those telegrams are ƒ 2,50 per 40 words. They can also be used for
radiosurprises.
NRT These telegrams can be sent to the U.S.A. only via American coaststations. They are delivered with delay.
SLT’s, GTG’s and such are forwarded to the addressee by mail. Employees of Scheveningen Radio brought those
messages at 3 a.m. from the coaststation on the Sluiseiland to the postoffice on the Marktplein in IJmuiden.
10 years 2289 days
13 ships 1?,445 beers
.-.-.