The company with sole rights to salvage artifacts from the RMS Titanic has gone to court to gain permission to carry out a “surgical removal and retrieval” of the Marconi radio equipment on the ship, a Washington Post article reports. The Titanic sank in 1912 on its maiden voyage after striking an iceberg in the North Atlantic. As the radio room filled with water, radio operator Jack Phillips transmitted, “Come at once. We have struck a berg. It’s a CQD, old man,” and other frantic messages for help, using the spark transmitter on board. CQD was ultimately replaced with SOS — which Phillips also used — as the universal distress call. The passenger liner RMS Carpathia responded and rescued 705 of the passengers.
As might be expected, the deteriorating Marconi equipment is in poor shape after more than a century under water. The undersea retrieval would mark the first time an artifact was collected from within the Titanic, which many believe should remain undisturbed as the final resting place of some 1,500 victims of the maritime disaster, including Phillips. The wreck sits on the ocean floor some 2 1/2 miles beneath the surface, remaining undiscovered until 1985.
A just-signed treaty between the UK and the US grants both countries authority to allow or deny access to the wreck and to remove items found outside the vessel. “This momentous agreement with the United States to preserve the wreck means it will be treated with the sensitivity and respect owed to the final resting place of more than 1,500 lives,” British Transport and Maritime Minister Nusrat Ghani said in a statement.
The request to enter the rapidly disintegrating wreck was filed in US District Court in Eastern Virginia by RMS Titanic, Inc. of Atlanta, which said that it hopes to restore the Titanic radio transmitter to operating condition, if it is allowed to go forward.
The company plans to use a manned submarine to reach the wreck and then deploy a remotely controlled sub that would perforate the hull and retrieve the radio equipment.
Source:ARRL
Review
How do I Ground My Transceiver in a Recreational Vehicle
Devin, KM4ENW, asks how to ground his 2m/70cm radio in his RV. I show how to use the frame of the RV as a good counterpoise. Read more
FTdx10 & FT-991A SSB Receiver Comparison
“My good friend Joel, KC4WZB, loaned me his brand new Yaesu FTdx10. When I say loaned, I mean he picked it up at Ham Radio Outlet and brought it... Read more
RTL-SDR BLOG L-BAND Patch Antenna Version 2 – Inmarsat – Iridium – GPS
Here we take a look at the brand new L-Band Patch antenna from RTL-SDR Blog. This antenna is designed to work with Inmarsat, Iridium and GPS signals. Read more
The Malahit DSP portable SDR receive
A nifty little portable SDR receiver. I still have lots to explore with it, but here’s an overview. 【Frequency Range】50 kHz~2.0GHz (Registered v... Read more
Comparing the Elecraft KX2 and the Icom IC-705. Which should I buy?
Comparing the Elecraft KX2 and the Icom IC-705. Which should I buy? Read more
TOP 10 ACCESSORIES FOR IC-705
This week Jonathan goes through his top 10 must-have accessories for the IC-705! Read more
Traditional Amateur Radio Contesting Faces a Demographic Cliff
Frank Howell, K4FMH, followed up his two-part National Contest Journal (NCJ) series, “The Demographics of Contesting,” with a post to his Social Circu... Read more
VHF
Wouxun REVEALS the KG-UV8H Dual Band 8-watt HT Radio
Brand new from Wouxun is the KG-UV8H Handheld, which features a different screen than earlier models, an 8-watt output power, and a 3200mAH battery. L... Read more
Amateur Radio Gets a Partial Reprieve on 3.5 GHz
Pending future FCC action, amateur radio secondary use of the 3.3 – 3.45 GHz band segment may continue indefinitely. The FCC, as part of a lengthy... Read more
Dump the UV-5R and Get the GT-5R
“For years the Baofeng UV-5R has been maligned as non-compliant with FCC regulations and a real spreader of spurious emissions. Further, it woul... Read more
Best Handheld Ham Radio Under $150 – 2021
“In early 2021, these are my recommendations of the Best Handheld Ham Radios under $150.” Read more
ANYTONE AT-779UV – Dual Band Mini Mobile Radio
The Anytone AT-779UV Dual band Mobile radio is a compact rugged 25 watt mobile radio Factory pre-programmed with the Moonraker code plug including all... Read more
Ham Radio vs GMRS
Ham Radio vs GMRS – Ham Radio compared to GMRS frequencies and modes – which ones is better? Today let’s talk about both of them, ho... Read more
Best GMRS Handheld Radio 2021 – GMRS Radio Comparison
Best GMRS Handheld Radio 2021 – GMRS Radio Comparison Read more
Equipment
Lab599 Discovery TX-500
Today i’m bringing you an update on a very exciting qrp ham radio from Lab599. It’s called the Discovery TX-500. The TX500 is a HF & 6... Read more
LDG Z-100PLUS/IC-705
Auto Ant Tuner with 2000 Memories Pkgd For IC-705 The Package is IC-705 Ready and Includes The Following: 8 Heavy Duty AA Batteries Icom IC-705 I... Read more
Introduction for Icom AH-705 Automatic Antenna Tuner
JH1CBX Masaco introduces AH-705 designed for IC-705. Descriptions ・Covers the 1.8 MHz to 50 MHz bands 30 m, 98.4 ft or longer antenna: 1.8 – 54 MHz, 7... Read more
How to use a manual antenna tuner – Ham Radio Q&A
“Antenna tuners are a vital, yet slightly misunderstood ham radio station accessory. In this video we talk about what an antenna tuner does and... Read more
Finger Morse CW Straight Key / Finger mounted PTT switch
The Finger Morse CW Straight Key is a very simple product that allows you to easily continue operating your Morse Code QRP Ham Radio while walking aro... Read more
Nice presentation of Power Genius XL by Dan, N7HQ [ VIDEO ]
QSO Today Expo March 2021 – Dan N7HQ gives us an overview of the PGXL and its features. Read more
ACOM Company Tour. HF power amplifier production
ACOM Company Tour. HF power amplifier production – ACOM 1010, ACOM 1000, ACOM 700S, ACOM 1200S, ACOM 1010, ACOM 1500, ACOM 2100 and ACOM 2000A. Read more
App - Mobile
SmartSDR for iOS v3.9.12 Now Available
Marcus, DL8MRE announces that release of SmartSDR for iOS v3.9.12 is now available for download or update from the Apple App Store. SmartSDR is a full... Read more
SignalID – Automatic Radio Signal Identification for Android
There’s an incredible amount of radio signals. It’s impossible to know them all, let alone recognize them. So why not get help from Signal... Read more
EchoHam version v2.10 has been released
EchoHam allows Amateur Radio operators to use the Echolink network from their Mac. You must be a licensed Amateur Radio operator to use this software.... Read more
SatSat for IOS version 1.4.11 has been released
SatSat, by Fabrice Aneche is a satellite tracking software, for radio amateurs, scientists or hobbyists. It displays current and next passes for any s... Read more
GNU RADIO CODE FOR ANDROID NOW RELEASED
Supports the most recent version of GNU Radio (v3.8). Supports 32-bit and 64-bit ARM architectures (i.e., armeabi-v7a and arm64-v8a). Supports popular... Read more
Introduction to SmartSDR for iOS
Welcome to SmartSDR for iOS written by Marcus DL8MRE. This is an introduction video that allows you full control and access of your Flex 6000 series r... Read more
Android APP – Morse Trainer for Ham Radio
Learn or improve Morse code with Morse Trainer. Now with Farnsworth speed and Koch method. If you are a ham radio (amateur radio) operator or just wan... Read more