Aug 1983, Ross Revenge 558 of 963?

[Gast]

In augustus 1983 was het de bedoeling dat Caroline terug zou komen op 558 khz, gebeurde niet, werd 963. Tot op heden was het niet echt duidelijk wat de reden hierachter toen was. Ik stelde deze vraag op het UK forum en er komen duidelijke antwoorden en zelfs een primeurtje uit.

Lees maar mee:

Augustus 1983, The Ross Revenge, the giant mast and 558 or 963?

Vraag van Paul de Haan mbt de geplande 558 bij de herstart van Caroline in augustus 1983op het UK forum:

Dont worry, I am not going to raise questions about the format during the return of Caroline in August 1983.

This question is all about the frequency during the relaunch.

The ship ship was geared for 558 khz and this was also part of the usp for the return, top off the dial.

Why or what happened for not making it on 558? I have never come across an answer.

Paul de Haan.

Hier diverse antwoorden:

Paul Russling:

The old RCA BT 50 H needed a lot more parts to tune it down as low as 558. I don't know if they ever did get them, so it languished on 963. There are loads of components to change and tune to move frequency very far on an ampliphase. Easier with a ten.

(Also the reason for the 317 never going very far LF I think. )

But 509 on 558 would have been terrific!

Lydia Dustbin:

The components were available, the will was not. It was thought in some circles that the mast would collapse making low frequency high power transmission difficult. The tall mast was always a bone of contention. A T construction was a favoured route for low frequency for some , the big Tower was seen as the big attraction amongst others.

The mast lasted at sea for 4 and a quarter years, 558 was used on low power, an immovable object didn't budge the big rig never changed.

Buick schreef:

The antenna system on the Communicator was superior for low frequency. Add to that the high processing levels made it sound very "loud"

The 7KW (into the PA) (I think it was 3.5KV at 2A) in 1989/90 on the Ross using the salvaged SW TX on 558 into the T antenna didn't actually have a bad signal over a largish area. (That is until Spectrum decided to use 558 as well)

KC schreef:

Using a T antenna it is possible to add extra top loading using extra top wire, or wires, close to, but not connected to the antenna. This improves the very narrow band width of a small antenna & it also improves the feed point resistance of the antenna. Thus improving efficiency of the antenna.

The Admiralty Handbook of Radio Telegraphy, gives a good description of this antenna & how to utilise it on LF.

Buick schreef verder:

To give some idea of the difference in strength of Caroline on 963 & Laser on 558 in 1984, I used to drive into town from the M4. Caroline began to fade heading along the Westway, by the time I was on the Ring Road passing Baker Street, it was suffering badly. Laser held up all the way along the Euston Road, even in the underpass by Capital Radio, and through to The East End. Furthermore, shops on Oxford Street even had Laser on, such was the signal strength

Buick vervolgde:

The 300' mast was an ideal match for 963, but they hadn't reckoned with Laser. It wasn't prestige as such, though it sure was impressive, it was the right antenna for the job, simple as. However, it wasn't the right antenna for 558. LF frequencies like that are better suited to T or inverted Ls (Or even balloon raised antennas

An Anorak schreef:

Anorak history (which is mainly here-say) says that the huge tower on the Ross was a statement from Ronan that Caroline was back , bigger and better than ever before. It served no real technical merit , although it was a bit taller than it might have been , because , from the outset, it was intended to put Caroline on the longer wavelength 558 KHZ. However, the people who were actually onboard , setting everything up prior to the re-launch favoured returning on the last used frequency from the Mi Amigo, 963 KHZ , as more of a resumption of where it had left off three years earlier. Also , the RCA Ampliphase transmitter was configured for the higher frequency half of Medium wave when it arrived on board, and modifying it would have been a lot of work and time - and likely, yet more money. A pair of considerably shorter, but sturdy towers , supporting a 'T' , or inverted 'L' antenna , just a bit taller than the ones that were onboard until last year, would have almost certainly out-performed the single high vertical tower , and lasted for many more years. It would also have been cheaper to build , and easier to service at sea.

Mike Barrington ex engineer op de Mi Amigo en Ross en tegenwoordig permanent bewoner Sealand schreef:

I think the real reason Caroline returned in 1983 on 963 kHz was because Peter could not make the mast tune on 558 a good example 585 kHz 576 kHz no band width pissweek signal with the shunt fed mast as it was it would not have worked at all on 558 kHz on the day we moved to 558khz the out put of the 10k tx was appox 4.5 kw the same as it was on 576 kHz you must have all noticed the big improvement in signal strength ? Some quite simple modes were carred out to the feeder system ..after been told by Peter c not to touch the feeder under no surcumstances..it was time for Change...I'll leave it at that LA

Rob Ashard schreef:

So those struts that stuck out of the mast a bit over three-quarters of the way up that the vertical wires were attached to, if they had been right at the top of the mast so the whole trip up and down was longer, would that have worked better for 558? I thought I'd heard somewhere that the mast was that tall as they had originally planned it to be at the low frequency end of the band. Then the struts were welded on lower down to work at the higher frequency, or is that all rubbish. Entirely possible that it is, but it sounds like it could make sense.

Even in Dartford the Caroline signal was not brilliant after the mast came down. I was in Suffolk when the Ross first arrived and I thought it was a fantastic signal. Also, for me, the audio quality was sweeter than Lasers, which granted, was good 'n 'loud but there was something almost hifi about the Caroline 963 signal.

Rob.

Nogmaals Mike Barrington met zelfs een primeurtje over nog een extra deel voor de 84 meter hoge mast:

One will never know bob maybe ..but I do know that in Spain when the mast was put on the ship there was in fact one more section to go on the top ..But Peter c quite rightly in his own words said ..I Don't want it ! Good move as I think we would have lost it in the first good storm just like the top section on the miamigo's last mast