Shipboard Radio Officer Career With Historical ties to Ham Radio Moves Into the Modern Age

True, but I doubt if a bartender earns more than $7.00 an hour. I was earning $18.00 an hour as an R/O on oil tankers and that was 40 years ago!

 

I thought "radio officers" in general were long gone and CW ops were REALLY long gone. Besides for hamming in your spare time, who would you CW with? AFAIK the only CW maritime shore station that still exists is run as a museum more than an ongoing business.

 

The global shipping industry went to great lengths to get rid of the radio officer.

Replacement became the GMDSS trained bridge officer, usually holding the GOC certificate.

The advertised position requirement for a radiotelegraph licence is very much an anachronism, as there is no 500 kHz watch or commercial Morse traffic any longer outside of the museum station activities.

A ship-owner having a special crew position with the rank of "radio officer" needs to provide a very good explanation to the shareholders for the extra crew costs.

The R/O could earn its keep in merchant navies where (s)he also had clerical tasks, but when the tasks consisted of only radio operating they carried a considerable cost penalty. This, and requiring the special Morse operator training, spelled the doom over the R/O.

73/
Karl-Arne
SM0AOM

 

Several decades ago I looked into this career alternative as there were similar advertisements in amateur radio media for Radio-Electronics Officer (REO). I already had achieved the required electronic skills credentials, just needed the maritime safety training certs.

Extensive interviews with the maritime labor union made it clear that even then this was not the historical radio operator "Sparks" position, but the duties were more as a electronic engineer responsible not just for planning and operation but hands-on technician maintenance on ALL electronic devices on board the ship, not just communications gear, but including I.T., and lab instrumentation on research vessels. This was actually of more interest to me, but I decided to remain a landlubber.

In addition to the apparently private commercial opportunity of the OP, apparently there are still jobs of that nature, with varying levels of responsibility, open to qualified US citizen civilians, in the US Military Sealift Command.

 

However my vote as best career position for a shipboard amateur radio op would be that of Jean-Paul @XE1C. Per his QRZ bio,

Since 2003 I held the position of Electronics Engineer Navigation for Royal Caribbean International, now I'm part of the new build team for the world’s largest and most advanced cruise vessel M/S Harmony of the Seas (Oasis class).

Harmony of the Seas she's the only cruise ship from Royal Caribbean International fleet equipped with a Ham radio station which the equipment and antennas belongs to me. We sail from Ft-Lauderdale, FL. (home port) around the Eastern and Western Caribbean Sea.



73, John, WØPV

 

I interviewed with the Radio Officer's Union in San Francisco 40 years ago. Don't remember many details now but did not either receive a job offer or I just decided I did not want to go back to sea. I had just spent 6 years riding submarines for Uncle Sam's canoe club. I ended up working in communications for a local public safety agency and retired early at 55 years of age. Life turned out good and did not have to spend half my life away from home. Certainly would have made more money as a Radio Officer. I thought most of those jobs went away 20 years ago.

 

As a U.S. Navy Radioman, I worked Merchant operators (CW mode) and the worst were the Spooks (Russians). The best were Japanese operators. They had the best fist! I sent C.U.N.T. (See you next time) too the a Russian ship operator, who was a female operator ( I did not know that!!) and the Captain of the Spook ship called our skipper on VHF voice circuit and complained that I was sexually insulting her!! Out Skipper gave me a BIG ATTABOY!!

 

Sigh.... I get sea sick.

 

I have quite the opposite experience.

In the final years of the "old system", mid/late 90s, there was a quite dense traffic of ex-USSR cargo vessels in the Baltic, which ran their ship operations using radiotelegrams.

Peak days, there could be 15-20 telegrams to and from these via the SDJ MF Morse system.
Sometimes their signal quality was atrocious, but the operators were real pros.

We had a few ex-SIGINT employees as senior operators, and when a Russian ship called in with traffic, those usually were fetched and started to exchange traffic in 40+ WPM.
The more ordinary, ex-seagoing, operators usually managed 25 or 30 WPM.

It appears that many of the R/O:s onboard had been recruited by the shipping companies from career military operators.

The R/O training was quite good in the USSR, there was a special Maritime Radio Engineering Higher Institute in Leningrad (jokingly referred to as the "Long-Wave Academy" by western maritime radio people) which I visited in 1990.

"Those were the days..."

73/
Karl-Arne
SM0AOM

 

Very good information my friend. As for your commercial R/O experience with the Russians, we (U.S. Navy) kept a close eye on their operations in and around the Gulf region. (1964-78). That was during the Cold War, everything they did or did not do was suspect. They were very active in and out of Cuba. We had just gone through a near war crisis with them in 1962. They resented our presence. We did not handle their commercial traffic or relay any messages. We wanted to know their course and last port-of-call. They would navigate between key West and Cuba at night with no running lights to avoid any visual contact. They were doing a lot of communication snooping in those water back in that era. You and I dealt with them in a entirely different situation and most likely more cordial communications. Best of luck to you and 73's

 

I'd enjoy hearing more about this!

 

Back in the cold war era every Soviet MM ship had a commanding officer who was an officer in the Soviet Navy. In case WW3 broke out he had orders to sink his vessel and block whatever port he happened to be in. They also had a KGB political officer onboard.

 

Another additional requirement not mentioned: You'd better be single or have a very, VERY special marriage. You're going to be underway a LOT!

 

The Spooks M/M were coed crew. I learned later on that they had female R/O's. We, (Navy) weren't that fortunate in my career. They Navy now has plenty of Waves aboard ships, (due to low recruitment of snowflakes I guess). They no longer have the Radioman rate. I don't believe they have as much fun as we did, or maybe they do!!

 

I’m going to call BULL S… on this post, in 2008 I had all the credentials .. Everything.. I joined the ARA union.. then found out the way their roster works I would be 200 years old before I got a posting.
I am 100% pro union, but this is BS,, FYI , I worked in the IBEW for 30 years at the Union Pacific RR.
The ARA ,, some years ago, advertised in QST. I wrote ARRL about the deceptive advertising they propagated. 10 to 1 they are band from QST???? There are VERY FEW jobs that still require a RO, the GMDSS system is 100% totally automated.. If your sinking, just press the red button….
So, since I have not looked for a RO job in over 10 years, I need to say I’m not sure thing haven’t changed ??
My opinion is the ARA is blowing hot air, they were blowing 13 years ago.
Better apply with the Military Sealift Command
signed kØIP