In this eighth annual "Night of Nights", historic Morse code radio
station KPH will return to the air in commemoration of the closing of
commercial Morse operation in the USA.
Frequency and reception report information for all stations appear below.
KPH, the ex-RCA coast station located north of San Francisco, will
return to the air for commemorative broadcasts on 12 July at 1701 PDT
(13 July at 0001 GMT), 8 years and one minute after what was thought to
be the last commercial Morse transmission in the US. Now the Maritime
Radio Historical Society's own KSM carries on the tradition of
commercial Morse.
These on-the-air events are intended to honor the men and women who
followed the radiotelegraph trade on ships and at coast stations around
the world and made it one of honor and skill.
Transmissions are expected to continue until at least midnight PDT
(0700GMT).
Veteran Morse operators, including former KPH staff members, will be on
duty at the receiving station at Point Reyes, CA listening for calls
from ships and sending messages just as they did for so many years
before Morse operations were shut down.
The transmitters are located 18 miles south of Point Reyes in Bolinas,
CA at the transmitting station established in 1913 by the American
Marconi Co. The original KPH transmitters, receivers and antennas will
be used to activate frequencies in all the commercial maritime HF bands
and on MF as well.
Many of the KPH transmitters will be 50s vintage RCA sets. KFS will use
a 1940s vintage Press Wireless PW-15 transmitter on 12Mc. This is the
transmitter that was in service at KFS on the "last day" of American
Morse and is thought to be the last PW-15 in service in the world. The
transmitting antennas include a Marconi T for MF, double extended Zepps
for 4, 6 and 8Mc and H over 2s for 12, 16 and 22Mc.
KPH will send traffic lists, weather and press broadcasts as well as
special commemorative messages, some of which will be sent by hand. At
other times the KPH, KSM and KFS "wheel" will be sent to mark the
transmitting frequencies.
Members of the public are invited to visit the receiving station for
this event. The station will be open to visitors beginning at 1500PDT
(3:00pm). The station is located at 17400 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard
and is on the route to the Point Reyes lighthouse. Watch for a cypress
lined driveway on the right about a mile past the entry to Coast Guard
station NMC.
KPH and KSM are operated by the Maritime Radio Historical Society in
cooperation with the Point Reyes National Seashore, part of the National
Park Service.
Further information may be found on the Maritime Radio Historical
Society Web site at http://www.radiomarine.org or by contacting Richard
Dillman at +1 415-663-8982 (email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]).
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