Flipping through the old logs

Off Topic
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Although this post is not SOTA related as such, however it can be looked at as a use of ham radio in a distress situation. Unlikely happenning in today’s world where cell phones, sat phones and In Reach GPS are clearly dominating, but still worth to remember that we can actually be heard and helped.

Last night I’ve got out my old paper log book from the 90s. Some long forgotten treasure in my case as I’ve switched to electronic logging many years back. What a difference, when you can actualy flip those paper pages in contrast to scrolling electronic number lines!

I’ve almost forgot about that SOS message I’ve received once, perhaps it would be lost by now if I had an electronic log back then. I was young and didn’t know what to do, where to forward the message et cetera and was relieved getting a NO SOS at the end! QRZ doesn’t recognise the callsign and I don’t know what vessel was that, perhaps a small boat, hope they got on alright.

It is strikingly imressive how the technologies has advanvced now. Getting such a message today would perhaps result a help organised in couple of mouse clicks, when over 30 years ago it would certainly be pretty much delayed.

OLD LOG
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That SOS call appears to possibly be a frigate registered and/or operating from Spain/Portugal. The co-ordinates you noted appear to place the frigate somewhere off of the coast of Nigeria and the Ivory Coast.

The FF part is the callsign classifier. The other part of the call I am unsure of. Source:

I keep a mix of paper logs and PoLo. Paper certainly helps me with CW I find.

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Interesting…… Neat writing but can you confirm the callsign - is it FF6N ? and definitely not a 4 letter ship’s callsign?

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I thought it was FFGN or FF6N, not sure.

If it is FFGN then I would like to hope that was not a prank SOS call, or if it was genuine that they really did put the fire out!

https://www.allacronyms.com/FFGN/Nuclear-Powered_Guided-Missile_Frigate

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Correct, that has to be FF6N Pretty sure I’ve got it right as I used to be fairly accurate back then :slight_smile: and the sigs were good 589

Although it is hard to be 100% certain after three decades …

I suppose a big ship wouldn’t use ham bands for a distress call anyway.

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While the fire was obviously dealt with, I am now intrigued by the status of the women as we had no update on them.

It also seems the original distress call reads like he needed more help with the women rather than the fire.

Wish I had intersting things in my old paper logs, but no such luck.

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Google maps shows the coordinates were quite far from shore. However, the message overall suggests a pleasure craft to my thinking.

FF6N
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Would a pleasure craft be that far offshore?

Dunno what I was doing with the coordinates when I put them in as I had the FF6N not far from Lagos somewhere on the Gulf of Guinea.

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Don’t know, perhaps depends on its size?

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I see where i made a mess of the co-ordinates. I get the same result as yourself now.

Being not far off Spain and Portugal it could still be an Iberian Frigate that matches the FF part of the call. The 6N bit is what I can’t work out.

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Sailing across the Atlantic as plenty of pleasure craft do.

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I remember when the late Paul Allen used to moor up his ‘pleasure craft’ Octopus., literally in my back garden off of West Bay when I lived in .ky. It had a helipad on it and a submarine. He used to launch boats from it to transport teams of George Costanza clones in beige Dockers with Blackberry’s on belt holsters to and from Seven Mile Beach, back and forth all day.

The thing looked more like a cruise ship in real life than something you’d buy in the middle isle at Lidl along with the plasma cutter, chainsaw, pint of milk and loaf of bread you originally went there for.

Tiger Woods would dock in Georgetown near Hammerheads bar when he was visiting to do freediving off of the trench. His pleasure craft looked like a dinghy in comparison.

Then there was this thing. I remember wanting to check out the auction when it happened. Unfortunately it was one of those ‘you need X millions in your bank account (with proof) to even dare to think you can even sit down at this auction’. Just to have a seat in the room and not even have the right to bid was thousands. I dunno what it sold for (with broker fee etc) but it was nowhere near Octopus imho:

https://www.caymancompass.com/2010/04/01/mega-yacht-sells-for-3826-million-bargain/

I’m assuming a trans-Atlantic pleasure craft cannot be had in Decathlon? :sweat_smile:

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Alex

Looking through your log and your handwriting it looks pretty clear to me that it is a 6 and not a B - All your 6s are identical and you printed all the callsigns - so its a 6.

Even if it was some error and it was FFBN - this would mean it was a French ship and FFBN was/ is allocated for French warships and othat call is no longer in use - which is OK - it could have been in use in the 1990s when you logged it.

FF6N ? I’ve not heard of such a format (ltr, ltr, fig. ltr) for use by either merchant or naval vessels.

I actually think it is/was a Prank SOS for a number of reasons, particularily relating to the 1990s.

  1. Your log shows the SOS sent on 7mhz. SOSs were sent on 500khz. I’ve not heard of any exceptions, but……..:thinking:

2. The format and procedure for sending an SOS is very, very different from what you have recorded. a. An SOS is always prefixed by 3 X SOS, The ship’s name is always included, and the position is notated slightly different if I remember. Details of the distress are normally kept brief and normally contain detail that is much more relevant than the crew’s /passengers mood!! - It would/could have stated how many were onboard - not the state of their mood!!! Even in serious life threatening situations they end in …… // Master AR SOS K.

However, lets assume its genuine.

a) Why would a warship send an SOS? I can’t think of a reason. You’d normally be in pretty quick comms with your own people ships- shore stns etc.

b) 1990 CW was a rather outdated way of sending an SOS - I think the last sos was sent around 1982 as it had been largely replaced by GMDSS (Sat comms using (Golobal Maritime Distress Safety System.) Basically press a button on the bridge and it’ll send all the information you want to a rescue centre/ co-ordinator.

c) Lets say the callsign was different and wrongly transcribed and it was a Yacht. A yacht would carry 2182khz (the international safety and distress frequency for voice (Mayday) equipment, MF SSB radio, or ch16 (vhf) Even large Yachts do not normally carry CW equipment..

d). If it was a cargo vessel, then by law it would carry a qualified radio officer who by definition would know exactly how to send an SOS and would send it on 500khz, the International Safety, Distress and calling frequency 500khz and not on a ham frequency. It is almost always the Captains responsibility to decide if an SOS is needed and it would not be for a fire which was put out a short time after sending the SOS, nor would he/she ever bother mention their name. All captains sign themselves off with “Master”. Why on earth send it on an amateur frequency?

e) etc., :enraged_face:

Dave

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I agree with everything Dave. This message does loook quite a bit amateur’ish. Especially from today’s perspective. Perhaps it was a prank or maybe genuine but really very relaxed and informal (both could happen I would imagine).

Being just 21 no matter, - I’ve heard a ‘real’ SOS ! Duly recorded and ready to pass through if needed. Perhaps some of our French friends can advice on FF6N callsign usage dated 1994 January 23rd?

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Top notch info Dave, I learned loads.

I still can’t find anything on FF6N, perhaps the ship foundered at a later date.

If it is a French vessel, could you try asking here?

My French is limited to schoolboy French. Umm, le boulangerie sportif sur le plage dans le salle de bain. Mon chambre c’est dix cent kilometre pres de ici avec boucoup des ananas!

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While trying to elaborate … say a ham named John /MM, capable to operate CW, travelled on a pleasure craft on a trip across the Atlantic. There a situation happened in Biscays where the guys decided to send an SOS, just in case (say as a result of a good mix of rum and coca-cola), without engaging formal channels for whatever reasons. 40m band was an ok choice for EU at 21UT I suppose. There could be tonnes of guesses now-a-days …

I’d say leave them alone after 32 years Ian! My French is not existing as such …

Besides, I’ve looked at JA9BOH on QRZ and sadly Kimio is no longer with us … The + means I’ve got a paper QSL card from him. 80m JA was always a DX for me (I think I was on 31m LW back then), not happening with my indoor aerial in EI though.

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Aha! Found a seemingly most common route from the UK across the Atlantics! The route back from the Azores to the UK looks to be spot on with coordinates I’ve got.
How to sail an Atlantic circuit - Classic Atlantic cruising:
From here: https://www.yachtingmonthly.com/sailing-skills/how-to-sail-an-atlantic-circuit-32675

LRATLANTIC_CIRCUIT_ROUTE_CURRENTS
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At least it wasn’t the “Andrea Dorea”

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I have visions now of a liner, swarming World War Z style with Docker-wearing, Blackberry-holstering George Costanza clones!

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post deleted nby me