The Red Oak Victory Guest Book was inactive after 2014. We'd like to revive it in the near future; that said, some of these comments are real gems and worth the look.
To those of you who are not hams (read that as FCC licensed amateur radio operators!) a hint about some ham jargon. Morse code is not the fastest way to communicate. To get a ham license in the days of yore, you needed to send Morse code at 20 words per minute, which is still a respectable speed. Currently, the average typist can do north of 100 words per minute. So, hams have developed short-cuts to get the message across quicker. Here, you will see a lot of "73"'s which means "all the best" and an occasional "88" (love and kisses). If that's interesting, then you might find this article from The Atlantic interesting 88, Or How Telegraphers Coded 'Love and Kisses'
Today, June 7th, 2014, I was operating my mobile station at the Berkeley marina. I was on my way to have lunch when I heard a very strong signal calling CQ - K6YVM. I responded and Steve came right back. We had a brief exchange of 599 reports. I found out he was aboard the Red Oak Victory ship and was participating in the MSW (Museum Ships Weekend) special event activity. Earlier, I had contacted a few of the other ships which were on the air. I looked up the ROVARC website and called the ship's phone number to see if I could talk to Steve. There is no phone in the shack so I left a message. When Steve did not call back, I decided to just drive up to the ship after lunch and see what he was doing. She is only a few miles up the road. I was welcomed aboard, signed in, and shown to the radio shack. I met Steve and had quite a long conversation. He told me that he was about to call me. I eventually asked him about operating the station. He set up the transmitter and receiver on 20 meters and brought out an electronic keyer for me to use and away I went. The band was not in very good shape but I did make 4 contacts before we shut down at 3 PM. I later checked the reverse beacon network website and found that we were indeed getting out, but a couple of the stations told me that there was interference which I was not hearing. Tomorrow, I will be going back for some more airtime from K6YVM. In my 58 years on the air, this is the first time I have had the opportunity to participate in this event from one of the museum ships. Thanks, and 73
Alan Brubaker, Carpenter, Wyoming, KO7X
June 7, 2014
I came across the callsign K6YVM this morning on 40m CW and discovered this web site after looking up on QRZ. I have long been interested in the Victory and Liberty ships as I have two older friends with parents who worked on them during WW-II. I have a color picture of one just after it was completed and being prepared for loading but, there are no markings on the hull and no information on the photo.
Thanks for a nice website for your club and museum. I hope to visit in person some day and work the station on the air as well.
Paul Cavnar, Reno, Nevada, AE7VT
August 12, 2012
Just saw your site and wanted to say "hello" from Red Oak,Iowa My name is Patrick and I have lived in Red Oak since 1974. I obtained my license in 1991 and my call is and has been N0NHB since then. I'll attach a site so if you're interested you can listen to my repeater here in Red Oak. I own 2 repeaters and they are linked to 12 other repeaters covering southwest Iowa. Enjoy 73
Patrick N0NHB
January 27, 2011
Hello- My grandmother Eva L. Thompson worked as a welder below the ship decks in Richmond during WWII, and grandfather Burrell Thompson worked at the �Standard Oil� Refinery. I recently made a cw(Morse Code) contact with your station K6YVM. Date: 6 June 09. Time: 1917zulu, freq: 10.1092 mhz rig: FT-857 Your sig: abt 559. My location: Patterson Pass- E.Livermore,CA Note- the sending was a little erratic, as I was mobile using the UP/DN keys on the Microphone to send the code. Hi
Good Luck,
Eric Thompson N6SPP
Sunday, June 7, 2009
I was so excited to hear about the Rosie the Riveter Exhibit in Richmond. My Mother Mildred Fisher worked at the Kaiser Permanante ship yards during World War II and during the time of the construction of the SS Red Oak Victory. The real irony and compelling story behind my Mother�s work at Kaiser is that she worked on the SS Red Oak Victory in 1944 and it was also the town where she was born, Red Oak, Iowa. So, the story of her work there is both profound and became a full circle discovery for me.
Jon M. Fisher Oakland , CA
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
My husband and I visited the Red Oak Victory in June, 2008. It was particularly interesting to me because my father, Jack Hice, served on the SS Red Oak Victory from 1944 to 1945 as a ship's cook. We were able to get a really thorough and informative tour thanks to volunteer Lou Berg. What a great tribute to WWII veterans and a fascinating look back at our history!
Jody Courtney, Aiken, SC
Sunday, July 6, 2008
My name is Lou Wilson, from Woodburn, OR. Am not a ham. I'm a computer geek. Dad was a ham. He got his novice license WN7NWP in '52 while on the Carroll Victory, during Korea. While at home, he taught Mom hamming, she became W7PTC, then W6REF / rowf / wac / was / blablabla. She'd get msg traffic on Mission Trail on 75 at 7 and send it over on 40 to Swifty in Tachikawa KA6FC, both of them nearing 60 in CW. My brother is still a ham. W7VP. Quite a legacy from hanging out with Sparky on a Victory ship.
Monday, June 23, 2008
MY FATHER,MY BROTHERS AND I , WERE ON THE BOAT SATURDAY THE 17TH OF FEBUARY 2007 AND GREATLY ENJOYED THE TOUR WE WERE GIVEN. I GREW UP ACROSS THE BRIDGE IN MARIN AND NEVER LEARNED ABOUT THAT PART OF OUR WAR TIME HISTORY SO CLOSE TO US. BEING A HAM I LOVED THE RADIO ROOM AND THAT OLD DIRECTION FINDER I NOTICED THE RADIO WAS ON ABOUT 14 MHZ DO YOU GUYS HAVE A CW NET PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I WILL LISTEN IN.(TAKING GENERAL TEST THIS WEEK BEFORE NEW RULES TO EARN MY BONES,SO TO SAY)THANX AGAIN
ED MAKARUK KD7JFB COOS BAY OREGON.
Sunday, Feb. 18, 2007
Great to see work being done on a great ship... I am a 38 yr Naval veteran and in San Fran many times in the past. Spent a month at TI in 1957 and 1967 and 1968 getting ready to fly out of Travis AFB..Best 73,s Alfred Prudhomme Jr., W1DUW, RMCM U.S. Navy retired [email protected]
Saturday, Nov. 18, 2006
MY MOTHERS BROTHER, J COLE BECK, WAS IN THE NAVY ABOARD THE USSR LEXINGTON IN THE EARLY 1940'S. HE WAS FROM BENTON, ARKANSAS AND WAS IN HIS EARLY TWENTIES AT THE TIME OF HIS DEATH. WE HAVE VERY LITTLE INFORMATION ABOUT HIS DEATH AND WHERE IS REMAINS WERE LAID TO REST. ANYONE WITH ANY INFORMATION??
BRENDA KING [email protected]
Tuesday, Mar 21, 2006
Having recently passed the Technician class exam, I want to thank Jim Waite, Gary Elliott, and Ivan Sturman, all members of the ROVARC, for their invaluable assistance and encouragement.
John Reed, KI6BBQ [email protected] Sausalito, CA
Friday, Nov 11, 2005
Thanks for the event. Enjoyed learning more about the ship, and glad to work you too!
Richard KW0U St. Paul MN
July 17, 2005
As a Warship and Merchant ship enthusiast, I try and visit as many vessels such as the RED OAK VICTORY as possible. I was fortunately to be in and around the San Francisco Bay area in mid May of this year (on holiday), unfortunately the RED OAK VICTORY was closed to the public on my day of visiting, although I did get some good photographs of her and my visit was still very much worth while, keep up the good work.
All the best, Graham Prosser G7EJN Birmingham, England
July 9, 2005
HELLO GARRY. YOU ARE STILL MY HERO........ KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK..
RICHARD SECONDARI K6TR SAN FRANCISCO CA, USA
Wednesday February 23, 2005 at 19:30:44 (EST)
I'm trying to repair an old 'mackay radio' amplifier rectifier model CNY1373 (is a microphone preamplifier for fm radio stations), the capacitors are dated 1947, I need to find schematics and voltage charts... can anyone help me?
thanks Luca :) Luca <[email protected] Arezzo, italy
Friday, February 18, 2005 at 09:13:37 (EST)
Visited the ROV in April '04 - just beautiful! My daughter lives in El Cerrito and I hope to visit the club on one of our trips "out west". Keep up the good work!
Joe Fisher, K5EJL <[email protected] Austin, TX USA
Saturday, January 01, 2005 at 03:45:11 (EST)
Hay is T 2 Smitty still the Bosun on your ship. I would like get a hold of him. could you pass this message to him and have him call me at 415-282-4482 or e-mail me at [email protected]
Happy Thanksgiving Steady as she goes........
Joe Potatoe's <[email protected] San Francisco, ca USA
Saturday, November 20, 2004 at 10:02:30 (EST)
SORRY- - -YOU HAVE MY CALL WRONG, IT IS W2BVK NOT W2KVK. ED CHAPMAN,W2BVK
USA - Sunday, November 07, 2004 at 22:45:10 (EST)
A 4.0 WEBSITE - WORKING YOU WOULD BE GREAT.A WELL DONE TO YOUR HARD WORKERS.
ED CHAPMAN,W2KVK <[email protected] BLOOMFIELD, NJ USA
Sunday, November 07, 2004 at 10:40:26 (EST)
Hope to hear that Mackay transmitter some day. I enjoy working with WW2 Navy radio gear. Also have RMCA Ar-8506 in shack. 73,
Rob Rob Flory K2WI <[email protected] Hopewell, NJ USA
Monday, September 20, 2004 at 18:39:27 (EDT)
Sure am enjoying working on the Ship with the world's best crew,thank's guy's for all your help in helping me get in the Merchant Marines...big thank you to Art,Jerry ,Captain Nolan,Dick gifford , Bob the Ship-keeper and all my other dear friend's....
Elyse Elyse Cavagnetto <[email protected] Point Richmond, CA USA - Thursday
September 02, 2004 at 19:01:03 (EDT)
Thanks for the great site!
USA - Monday, August 09, 2004 at 22:21:54 (EDT)
My grandfather was the captain of the SS. Lawrence Victory for Pope and Talbot. I am looking foreword to visiting the Red Oak Victory in the near future...
R MESAK Richard Mesak Woodside, CA USA
Wednesday, August 04, 2004 at 01:46:11 (EDT)
I am restoring a Federal FT-102 and will put it on the air. Looking for the receiver.
JAMES H. TOLAR, P.E. (W5SQE) <[email protected] HOUSTON, TX USA
Tuesday, July 20, 2004 at 10:56:36 (EDT)
THANKS FOR BEING THERE.
BOB Robert Craig WD6ECH HEMET 02545, CA, USA
Sunday, July 18, 2004 at 00:12:56 (EDT)
thanks gary for all the information qso at about 9:pm 7/17 04 signal was 5/9 in western Washington
ed hutchinson n7igw <[email protected] gold bar, wa USA
Sunday, July 18, 2004 at 00:06:31 (EDT)
Hi i talked to gary on 40meters on7-17-04 i will stop by on my next trip to the bay area 73
phil kk0cw Philip R Pierce KK0CW <[email protected] sweet home, or USA
Saturday, July 17, 2004 at 21:34:28 (EDT)
I'm not to active right now. Mostly two meters. I need a new HF antenna.
Bill Drude / AC6UR <[email protected] Pacific, CA USA
Saturday, June 26, 2004 at 22:15:49 (EDT)
I met one of your members a couple months ago at HRO in Oakland and was invited to the meeting. I plan to attend one morning-I've been enjoying ships tours lately, last was the USS Hornet, prior was the Maritime Museum in SF- I understand they go on the air Sundays and want to participate. I'm former US Air Force, but sailed on a Commercial Tuna Boat, enjoy the sea. I'm looking forward to the "eye-ball QSO" with your Club members
73, Jim. Jim Cline, W6JRC <[email protected] Novato, CA USA
Friday, May 21, 2004 at 13:25:46 (EDT)
I'm a brand new Third Engineer out of the MEBA hall in SF. I took a class on the Jeremiah O'Brien recently, and I love all the care that the crew took to restore the old workhorse. I plan to check out the Red Oak Victory soon, and hopefully I can volunteer some of my time to restore the engine room. I love the old machinery, the new engine rooms don't have the same personality.
Keith Deirup <[email protected] Berkeley, CA USA
Wednesday, May 19, 2004 at 23:28:11 (EDT)
Volunteer on ship, just checking web site. Looks great.
Hugh Gralund <[email protected] Lower Lake, CA USA
Monday, April 26, 2004 at 13:43:44 (EDT)
I had a call sign many years ago but I don't remember what it was. I do know that there is a ham book that has every hams call sign in it but I don't know where to find this book. I had a experimenter license and in order to graduate from RCA institutes I had to receive 15 words per minute and I got up to 18 I also had to take an fcc exam for a first class radio telephone license and this was in 1946
edward sidorski AKA shedosky no sign <[email protected] susquehanna, pa USA
Tuesday, March 23, 2004 at 07:14:42 (EST)
I WAS RADIO OP ON SS FREDEERUICK BOUCHARD CARRIED GRAIN FROM HOUSTON TX TO PUSAN KOREA, ALSO COAL FROM JAPAN TO KOREA 1951 HAD 1ST PHONE 1ST TELEGRAPY TICKET
HAM CALL W5PLV HENRY THOMAS <[email protected] BROWNSVILLE TX, TX USA
Monday, March 22, 2004 at 20:20:43 (EST)
Hope to see you in San Francisco this year..73..
Steve STEVE-VE7STB <[email protected] Kamloops, BC Canada
Saturday, March 20, 2004 at 21:03:22 (EST)
Just discovered website- will check it often--served on Liberty ship 1945 as radio op.
Louis Waltz w4zkn <[email protected] Tallahassee, Fl USA
Saturday, December 27, 2003 at 23:10:40 (EST)
Enjoyed working you on 20 mtrs on December 7, 2003. Thanks
Ed Root Ed Root, KC7OKS <[email protected] Gig Harbor, WA USA
Friday, December 12, 2003 at 22:10:13 (EST)
Great work,just happened to see the site,very good keep it up
bernard chintala <[email protected] guntur, AP India
Saturday, November 08, 2003 at 13:13:05 (EST)
Hi, I'm new to the bay area and just checking out the ham stuff... I've seen your ship from afar, now, I plan to go visit ASAP. Great work! 88's
Cheryl Cheryl Adelmann <[email protected] El Cerrito, CA USA
Thursday, October 02, 2003 at 18:38:21 (EDT)
Both my parents worked in yard 2. My mother worked in the machine shop making tooling on a 6'turret lathe. She lost her ring finger on the lathe and had it sewed up at Kaiser Permanente hospital on 14th & cutting blvd. Several years later on a family outing, my older brother slammed the rear door of our Packard on my left hand almost severing my ring finger. My dad rushed me to the same hospital and they sewed my finger back on in the same emergency room where my mother's finger was sewn up! I guess the Kaiser hospital was really "the finger repair hospital!" i'm currently doing a photo essay of the old yard 2 buildings and slipways (including the Kaiser hospital, now abandoned).
DAVID OGLE <[email protected] LOS GATOS, CA USA
Tuesday, September 02, 2003 at 05:52:03 (EDT)
Dynamite web site!!!
Henry KK6PH <[email protected] San Pablo, CA USA
Saturday, August 02, 2003 at 05:40:05 (EDT)
Best wishes! hope you love your ship as much as I do mine. We are the caretakers of the future. Hope you have all success for restoration!!!
O.S. Erik M.Cline, S.S.Lane Victory <[email protected] Orange , CA USA
Saturday, July 26, 2003 at 00:39:12 (EDT)
Looks excellent, please keep up the good work
Ivan WB6PIV USA
Wednesday, July 23, 2003 at 20:00:39 (EDT)
Glad to have worked your station on 20M during museum contest 73
Tom Tom Blatch <[email protected] Winnipeg, MB Canada
Monday, July 21, 2003 at 01:57:23 (EDT)
Just finished working K6YVM on 40 and 20 on the museum ships weekend. Keep the ship on the air.Thanks
Arnold Ridings- - - WA6ZPL <[email protected] Concord, CA USA
Sunday, July 20, 2003 at 13:39:12 (EDT)
Made a few cosmetic changes to the website last week. Hope they improve the look and make navigation a bit easier.
Peter Hoffman, w6dei <[email protected] Berkeley, CA USA
Tuesday, July 15, 2003 at 01:14:06 (EDT)
Hi Received Gary's e-mail and checking in to see site. Potential for TCARES Radio club to make a day trip down.
73 [email protected] DUANE PRILL KG6KFA <[email protected] or [email protected] Twain Harte, Ca USA
Sunday, June 01, 2003 at 20:28:20 (EDT)
Just finished a contact with K6YVM/Gary at the radio. Nice QSO, thank you. Good luck with the renovation. 73!
Fred Karasek - KF6HQC <[email protected] Alta Loma, CA USA
Monday, May 26, 2003 at 20:44:40 (EDT)
Nice layout !!!I was a MM radio op back in 1936-1938 on Merchant Ships plus nearly 5 years in US NAVY during WW-2..Been W3BLN since 1932!
Norman Dalling W3BLN <[email protected] Boyertown, PA USA
Thursday, May 22, 2003 at 19:04:09 (EDT)
The ROVARC page is one of the best things going on the ROV web site. Appreciate all the hard work and look forward to more good stuff. Congratulations to Gary and the new door to the aft radio room.
Jerry Souza <[email protected] San Rafael, Ca USA
Friday, May 09, 2003 at 01:43:42 (EDT)
Excellent website. Very well thought out and installed. Keep up the good work!
Alan Craddock, WB6DXZ <[email protected] Oakland, Ca USA
Monday, May 05, 2003 at 03:05:02 (EDT)
Excellent website! Hope it attracts more visitors.
Karen Stoker <[email protected] CA USA
Saturday, April 26, 2003 at 15:52:54 (EDT)
part time hot springs, Arkansas. keep the e-mail flowing. the web site is going to be the best in the fleet.
tom tom trischan n6avb <[email protected] el sobrante, ca USA
Saturday, April 26, 2003 at 12:37:37 (EDT)
Remember the "ns-" deletion. Never #1, but will settle for #2. This website is looking better all the time. Just a reminder: the USS ROV, was an auxiliary cargo ship, AK-235. Will be doing a mass e-mailing to club members about this GuestBook Sign-in. Feel welcome to make comments to Peter or me about this GuestBook. This GuestBook idea was gotten from the USS Pampanito and other ships.
Gary EEEEEEEEEEEE Gary A. Elliott, wa6kcp <[email protected] Hayward, CA USA
Saturday, April 26, 2003 at 01:28:49 (EDT)
As ROVARC webmaster I'd like to welcome all new visitors. Please add your comments to our guest book per our instructions (i.e., via email). Welcome aboard...
Peter Hoffman, W6DEI Berkeley, CA USA
Friday, April 25, 2003 at 19:13:18 (EDT)