[TenTec] Time on their hands

[Don Rasmussen]

<snip> Anybody actually USED their Tentec radio <end
snip>

I did. This morning in San Diego, had the Corsair II
monitoring 14.238 at about 8:00am local. Even at the
lower part of the sunspot cycle and at a bad time of
the season, I was able to hear many of the stations
referenced (below) using a ground mounted GAP Eagle
antenna. Even the XYL was "glued" to the radio. 

Summary written by Skip W5GAI...
 
KC6ORF - Ken Saijo, retired from Alhambra, CA, with
another 60-something male friend on a 35 ft. sailboat
out of Ixtapa bound for Golfita in southern Costa
Rica, got in a storm last night and lost his engine,
then lost his steering, and was floundering off the
Pacific coast of southwest Mexico. He was out of range
of marine VHF radio stations. He had been trying to
raise someone on his marine radio since about 09:00
UTC. He made a MAYDAY distress call on 14238.7 KHz
which was heard by Ralph W9CAR in Wisconsin about
14:30 UTC. Ralph was on a nearby frequency chatting
with N6GJR near Dallas. Ralph who has professional
experience in fire and water rescue, acted as
emergency net control. Ralph was joined by a number of
US amateurs and Jorge XE1JP near Mexico City (who
helped translate Spanish from the Navy stations to
English for the sailboat crew). Ralph contacted the US
Coast Guard, who put him in contact with a Mexican
Navy Yard in the area near the distressed ship. Ralph
talked with them and they dispatched a ship and
helicopter to the 15:10N 95:05W location of the
southwest coast of Mexico. I heard the Mexican Navy
station contact the sailboat to try to get their
coordinates. It was difficult as they didn't hear each
other that well. Jorge XE1JP clarified the coordinates
in Spanish and advised the sailors that a ship and
helicopter were enroute. At 18:32 UTC the sailors
reported a helicopter overhead, and we heard more
Spanish in a weak signal from the helicopter. Soon the
sailors reported that they were going to be taken
aboard the helicopter and the Navy ship would tow
their sailboat into port. Congratulations were passed
around and the emergency net disbanded.