The camouflaged PTF shown in the title page photo may look familiar to any seasoned Ham Radio folks out there.  It’s PTF-17 “operating somewhere in the Lake Michigan Theater of Operations”.   It appeared in the American Radio Relay League Handbook in the late 1970’s; 1978 Page 336 for sure.  Same PT boat, same photo, same guy.  I had sent that photo to the ARRL with a note telling them that I was operating my Heathkit SB-102 transceiver while aboard as Maritime Mobile.  We were doing cold weather training there after the boats redeployed home from Vietnam in 1972.

They liked it, posting it in the “Amateur Radio Afloat” section of the Handbook.  I was WB2VYU/MM Region 2 back then.  Here is a shot of the radio while aboard.

I ran the SB-102 into the 28 foot fiberglass whip and had fun talking with other Hams while underway but usually while anchored someplace.  More on that, later on.

For more info on radio systems on PTF-17 and PTF training in general, take a look here: PTF-17 Communications equipment

 

PTF-17 Underway

It’s a nice photo of the boat while underway.  I had “contracted” LT Curt Froyen, Officer in Charge of PTF-19 to take our picture from his boat using my trusty Minolta SRT-101 camera.