From: aj092@yfn.ysu.edu (Kenneth V. Zichi) Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave Subject: Re: Radio history question: CQD vs. SOS In a previous article, reid@ucs.indiana.edu (Frank Reid) says: >When the _Titanic_ struck an iceberg, the radio officer sent the emergency >code "CQD." > >When and under what auspices was CQD changed to SOS? Actually he sent BOTH CQD and SOS .... As for the rest of your question, I'll repost something (without permission!) that Don Mertz posted on the Boatanchors maillist. This is far better than anything I could cook up form memory.... Date: Tue Oct 5 12:59:49 1993 From: 71333.144@compuserve.com (don merz) Subject: Distress Signals To: boatanchors@gnu.ai.mit.edu Please permit me to offer a definitive history of morse code distress signals. The original CQ signal originated on the British Railway system in the late 1800s. It stood for "Stop Sending And Listen." The Marconi Company hired many operators from the rail systems and they carried the CQ tradition with them into wireless service, appending a "D" to the signal to mean "Danger" or "Distress" in emergencies. CQD was the first radio distress message ever sent, being used by the East Goodwin Sands Lightship off the coast of Dover on march 3, 1899. After a number of incidents where Marconi-employed operators would not respond to ships using non-Marconi equipment and operators, the western powers held several conferences that yielded international laws regarding requirments for aiding vessels in distress. A standard distress signal was clearly needed. Among the candidates were "CQD," "SSS DDD," and "SOE." The Marconi Company continued to use CQD and the first American ship to use that distress call was the Kroonland on December 7, 1903. In 1906, the unending maritime conferences finally produced a standard distress call. It was "SOS." As was pointed out in this forum, SOS has no meaning (despite popular impressions to the contrary) and was designed to be sent as one long sign rather than 3 separate letters. CQD was still the most widely used distress call as late as 1909. Even in April of 1912, as the Titanic slipped under the waves, she sent both SOS and CQD signals. By the time of the Great War however, SOS was the worlwide standard distress signal. Radio certainly has a grand history... I don't think Don would mind me recycling his work.... ;) 73 //kvz -- kv zichi -->bz649@Cleveland.Freenet.edu despite what the address above may say!