Radio Room S.S. Lane Victory - World War 2 Supply Ship

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Radio Room

Photo taken from this site ussstarr.org/

The Radio Room is on the port side, top deck. In it is the ship's original primary radio communication system: the original RCA 4U Radio Unit that was installed when the ship was launched. This unit is a modular assembly that incorporates all of the radio gear originally required on a ship like the Lane Victory.

The largest part of the 4U utilizes low-frequency radio operations. That is, operation on frequencies below 500 KHz (Kilohertz), the frequencies used almost exclusively by ship radios before and during World War II. For this purpose the 4U includes two transmitters: a 200-watt main transmitter and a 40- watt emergency transmitter. Both can transmit on the frequencies between 400 KHz and 500 KHz that are allocated for ship radio communications. Complementing them is a TRF receiver that can receive signals on all frequencies between 16 and 600 KHz.

High-frequency communications ("short wave") are supported by the 4U with a 200-watt transmitter and a superhet receiver that can operate on frequencies up to about 22MHz.

Of course, both the low-frequency and the high-frequency units utilize only telegraphy communications (Morse code) since voice communication was almost unheard of when the ship was in service.

The 4U also includes an Auto-Alarm (a device that can detect distress signals and raise an alert when the Radio Officer is off-duty) and even a classical crystal set, with its "cat's whisker." Internal motor-generators convert the ship's 110 volt DC power and battery power to the high voltage needed by the transmitters' tubes - there were no transistors in 1945!

This original radio equipment has been maintained and serviced, is fully operational and has passed the mandatory annual Federal Communications Commission and Coast Guard inspections. The current license still specifies the ship's original call-sign: KECW, the same call-sign assigned to the ship during its service in the WWII, Korea and Vietnam conflicts.

Associated with the 4U Radio Unit is the ship's radio direction finder (RDF), located in the Chart Room. The RDF assisted in navigation in pre GPS days by enabling the ship's officers to determine the direction of remote radio stations.

Augmenting the original radio equipment is an SCG-2000 transceiver/SGC-200 automatic antenna tuner. This 150-watt radio system provides world-wide high-frequency communications via Single Sideband radiophone as well as radio telegraphy. With a small personal computer, it can also be used for digital data transmissions via SITOR (a digital communication process used nowadays by almost all ships to automatically send and receive messages).

'A modern ham radio transceiver and a VHF radio are also in the radio room. In addition to these primary radio systems, a number of other modern radio-phone units operating on the marine radio-frequency channels are maintained by the radio group. These radios enable the ship's officer to talk to other ships, to shore stations, and to the Coast Guard. Also aboard the ship are LORAN and GPS navigation systems.

AMATEUR RADIO CLUB

Call Sign: W6LV

The amateur radio club is located in an area starboard and forward on No. 4 Tween deck. It is manned by volunteers. They currently operate regular schedules on every Wednesday from 0900 to 1300 hrs. local time. They monitor on 147.300 MHZ-600, PL 110.9 on a regular basis. Their regular schedules are with the SS Jeremiah O'Brien in San Francisco on 7.245 MHZ at 1030 local time; the 10- 10 International Net on 28.800 MHZ at 1800 ZULU.

If you are interested in volunteering contact the ship at 310-519-9545 or via email W7QHO@aol.com.

Submitted by:
Bob Luckenbill (Emeritus)
Chief Radio Officer
and
Saul Yochelson
Radio Officer