"The Eternal Wave"

The telegraph of the early 1980s

Author: Lin Changhua

In the 1980s, the author was one of the two radio operators of the Minnan Fishery Headquarters Radio Station on the hillside near the Tai O Fishing Port in Tongling Town, Dongshan Island, Fujian Province, who was responsible for issuing fishing conditions, weather and notices to the fishing boat stations operating in the Minnan Fishing Ground on a daily basis, and receiving fishing information, dangerous situations, etc. from the fishing boat radio.

In March 1974, I was selected to work as a radio operator at a fishing station, achieving zero-distance contact with radio. Since then, I have gained a greater understanding and personal experience of the status and role of radio communications in the national economy and people's livelihood. My hometown of southern Fujian has a vast sea area, many fishing boats, and very rich marine resources, and radio communications, with its rapid, accurate and error-free characteristics, play a role in fishery production that cannot be underestimated.

Once, several fishing boats from Tongshan Commune on Dongshan Island sailed to the Penghu Sea Area for fishing operations, and soon after the fishing boats set sail, I received the latest fishing information from the Production Department of the Headquarters, saying that there was a yellow croaker in the sea area that was in full swing and needed to be sent by telegram. I had just shut down and left work, and according to the regulations, I had to send a report after 1 hour. I think that the fishing situation is the catch, and if it is delayed, the farther the fishing boat may be from the yellow croaker Wangfa sea area, which will not only consume fuel, but also delay the favorable opportunity to catch gold and silver. Time is the benefit, I resolutely asked the director of the station, obtained the consent to immediately translate the code, start the call, and send out this valuable fishing information in time. Fortunately, two fishing boat radio stations copied the telegrams. At that time, the spirit of cooperation between the team and the boat was very good, and everyone told each other that soon some fishing boats turned their bows and rushed to the Yufa Sea area to catch gold and silver. Although the yellow croakers in the 1970s were only three or five cents per pound, the fishermen said with a smile: "If there is no radio to inform the fishing situation in time, there will be no such harvest!" ”

I remember once, a fishing boat had just arrived at the operation area to get off the net, and suddenly a fisherman suffered from acute appendicitis, and if he did not give first aid, he was afraid that his life would be in danger. Unexpectedly, "the boat leaked and encountered the wind of the head", and the fishing boat broke down when it was about to return. Fortunately, the fishing boat was equipped with a 15-watt radio, and the fishing boat operator sent a report to the main station in time. After receiving the report, I quickly contacted a fishing boat that was returning by telegram, and informed the fishing boat to pick up the sick nearby, and the critically ill fishermen were rescued in time and the danger was turned into a disaster. The role played by such wireless telegraphs in maritime rescue and disaster relief is really innumerable.

Years flow like water, time flies, and suddenly 44 years have passed, and radio communications have undergone earth-shaking changes. Although wireless telegraph has long since withdrawn from the stage of history, the contribution of these invisible radio waves to fishery production in those years is obvious to all, and this indelible radio wave still reverberates in my ears and leaves an indelible mark on my heart.

【Source: People's Political Consultative Conference Daily】