Heather

Talking to my parents about when we went sailing around the South Pacific in the 80's and how you kept in touch pre-Internet. They had a ham radio, they did a check-in with a friend once a week.

But then there was Pacific Net. This was one guy, a hobbyist with a big antenna somewhere in Hawaii. He did a broad cast daily at a set time. Gave weather updates and did check-ins. You'd ask to be added to his check-in list. He would ask for your check-in and you would give your location and your heading. Tell about weather conditions and any other news you had. He would give you information about your location he'd gathered from everyone else he talked with. Like "this is what to expect at the port you are headed for" etc.

If you heard someone on the check-in that you wanted to talk to, you'd ask them to switch to another channel for a private chat.

Absolute early Internet vibes.

#sailing #HamRadio #PreInternet

May 20 at 8:49pmWeb
Show threadAlex H  VA7XF CN892d ago

@HeatherInNZ Hah. You hit *two* of my subscribed hashtags.

It's interesting to see what that group turned into. People complain about the Maritime Mobile Service Network as their operators sit on that frequency and hassle anyone who comes near it.

Show threadPopeASDF  1d ago
@HeatherInNZ @HopelessDemigod and the pacific net lives today if you believe it
Show threadHeather1d ago
@PopeASDF @HopelessDemigod Oh no way that's so cool! Does it function similarly to how it did back then?
Show threadPopeASDF  1d ago
@HeatherInNZ @HopelessDemigod yes somewhat, consistent people on a frequency that are looking to talk to boaters and give weather, messages etc.
Show threadMichael Wyman1d ago
@HeatherInNZ That’s awesome!
Show threadNick's world 🌎 👨‍🦯1d ago
@HeatherInNZ This is so cool, I know people don't really do this kind of stuff nowadays unless they're ham radio operators, but this rocks, and yeah, its old but it makes it fun. I've considered becoming a ham radio operator myself, and learning morse code too.
Show threadSean Randall1d ago
@HeatherInNZ Love this.
Even the POP3 email protocol assumed you were just there to collect your mail. The idea of an always-on connection wasn't even an idea at that point, certainly not in the mainstream.
I remember dialing in to a variety of different bulletin board systems to check in on friends, too.
Today, my daughter becomes concerned if she can't immediately speak with someone on Snapchat.
Show threadJeremy_N1ZZZ1d ago
@HeatherInNZ ive checked into both nets in the last couple of years from my ship. Not as critical now, as most boaters have shifted to Starlink, but still nice to hear a voice on the radio.
Show threadPopeASDF  23h ago
@N1ZZZ @HeatherInNZ yah, that and Winlink kinda made it less critical
Show threadImogen22h ago

@PopeASDF @N1ZZZ @HeatherInNZ

Current of Marine Nets (The lower half is marine HF frequencies while the top is ham radio HF frequencies.

All times are UTC (Greenwich = Zulu = UTC) unless otherwise noted. Please listen first to note the procedures of each net.
Mode is upper sideband (USB) unless otherwise noted.

https://www.cruiserswiki.org/wiki/World_MM_Nets

World MM Nets - a Cruising Guide on the World Cruising and Sailing Wiki

Show threadJeremy_N1ZZZ14h ago
@PopeASDF @HeatherInNZ True. I see that SCS modems are getting cheaper on the used market. This means that one or both of the following are happening: 1) they shifted to VARA HF and/or 2) Starlink Marine is cheap enough for people to forego HF entirely. Of course for a good number of years, boating winlinkers made extensive use of the system. Unfortunately they did not abide by the rules as well as they should have and caused a bit of angst in the community at large.