What is TB for on my Murphy radio wave change switch and what does it stand for?

[Nuvistor]

Originally Posted by paulsherwin

When there was a lot of maritime comms on these frequencies, it must have been common to sit at home listening to skippers talking to each other, especially in coastal fishing towns where family members would often be at sea.

Quite easy reception in the 50's and 60's of the fishing fleet sailing in the Irish Sea.
I don't remember that much swearing, as you say, their families were listening as well.

Frank

[dominicbeesley]

I remember my grandmother's kitchen set had a trawler band. I was NOT allowed to select that, I suspect because the skippers were rather too profane for my young ears!

[Junk Box Nick]

Originally Posted by Sideband

When I built one of the Philips radio's from the EE kit back in 1965 there were instructions on how to convert it to Trawler Band by winding your own coil. It stated that if you were not too far from the coast (but didn't quantify 'too far'), you could hear whether the fisherman had had a good catch or not. It never worked for me so I don't know if I was too far from the coast or if I did it wrong.

I too tried this and met with complete silence. I think being in the midlands didn't help but more likely was the utter lack of Q of a coil wound from hook-up wire arround a ferrite rod, that the aerial was an untuned bit of wire to the shed that was probably damping the coil nicely and that the EE receiver circuits, presumably for ease of operation by children, did not feature any regeneration.

'Fish phone' is an expression I haven't heard in decades. My first shortwave set of any performance was a Codar T28 and I well remember "HUMBER RADIO - HUMBER RADIO - HUMBER RADIO" on top band. The first year I had it I took it on holiday to Devon and hooked it to a crude home made loaded whip aerial that dad allowed me to perch on the roof rack of the car. It rained all week and we spent many hours sat in the car at some beauty spot with a thermos flask and sandwiches peering through the gloom as each day went from drizzle to downpour and hoping for anything to relieve the boredom. Top band was dead but for the occasional 'fish fone'.