Topband: Strange CW Coded Messages

[Robin]

an experiment to see if a couple of photos will make it through-  I shrunk them to be 
small enough that they might be tolerated -  but I suspect they will be stripped off

these are two of the fish beacons we found washed up on shore at VP6DX.  you can read the 
freq on one of them 2202 KHz.  the smaller one we found actually has a small micro and 3 
boards.. in another shot you can read the ID on the PROM-  EK92.  the bigger one with the 
D cell stack intact shows Z5 for the callsign.  What is amazing is that these two were 
virtually intact-  and were not the corroded pile of electronics you would have expected

a pile of D cells for ballast, a buoy with a whip, and a simple CW ID timer, and thousands 
of miles of sea water and you have QRP heard round the world

73

robin, WA6CDR

I tried to find a better link, but here is one on a commercial fishing supplies site
http://www.commercial-fishing.net/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage-ask.tpl&category_id=15&product_id=27&Itemid=179

if that doesn't make it through try
http://www.commercial-fishing.net/
and marine electronics
Radio Beacon


I know nothing about these people, its just the first useful example I found for a source 
for the beacons we hear

Robin



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "GeorgeWallner" <aa7jv at atlanticbb.net>
To: <herbs at vitelcom.net>; <topband at contesting.com>
Sent: Monday, June 11, 2012 19:20
Subject: Re: Topband: Strange CW Coded Messages


> On Mon, 11 Jun 2012 18:37:26 -0400
>  Herb Schoenbohm <herbs at vitelcom.net> wrote:
>> These fish beacons are sometimes very strong and
>>normally out in the Gulf of Mexico.  I just wish I could >replicate the QRP transmitter 
>>and antenna....or is it >just the saltwater ground?
>>
>  Herb,
>
> It is simple: 2 W output, 10 foot whip wiht loading coil,
> and a 3000 mile wide perfect ground plane. Easy. :-)
>
> 73,
>
> George
> _______________________________________________
> UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
>