All ships and stations please copy...
HISTORIC MORSE CODE RADIO STATION KPH
RETURNS TO THE AIR FOR "NIGHT OF NIGHTS VIII"
Plus...
o Station KFS will return to the air!
o MRHS station KSM will be on the air.
o Coast Guard station NMN to be heard for the first time since
USCG ended the use of Morse!
o Coast Stations WLO, KLB, NMC, NOJ and NMN may join in.
o Amateur station K6KPH, with commercial operators at the key, will
be QRV signal reports.
If you're not already a member, join the MRHS mailing list for late
information. Just send an email message to:
Radiomarine-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
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It's hard to believe that this will the eighth annual Night of Nights.
What began as a modest effort on the part of a small band of dedicated
enthusiasts has grown into a truly global event.
Listeners around the world wait with their earphones on to hear the
first signals rise up out of the static. Many write wonderful
letters with phrases like "It was tough going there for a while but
I stuck with you through to the end!". Words like those let us
know that we're on the right track and that this event is as close
to the hearts of many other "true believers" as it is to ours.
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: ddillman@igc.org).
BT
Station Information follows...
------------
KPH
KPH will transmit on 426, 500, 4247.0, 6477.5, 8642.0, 12808.5, 17016.8 and 22477.5kc.
These frequencies and those for KFS have been made available through the generous cooperation of Globe Wireless, the current owner of the KPH and KFS licenses.
KPH operators will listen for calls from ships on ITU Channel 3 in
all bands. The Channel 3 frequencies are 4184.0, 6276.0,
8368.0, 12552.0, 16736.0 and 22280.5kc on HF and 500kc on MF.
Reception reports may be sent to:
Ms. DA Stoops
P.O. Box 381
Bolinas CA 94924-0381
USA
Denice is a former KPH operator and was the first female telegrapher
hired at the station.
------------
KFS
KFS will transmit on 12695.5 and 17026.0
KFS will listen for calls from ships on HF Channel 3 (see
KPH listing for frequencies).
------------
KSM
KSM will transmit on 426, 500, 6474 and 12993kc.
(We don't have enough antennas to accommodate the other KSM
frequencies.)
KSM will listen for calls from ships on 500kc and HF Channel 3 (see
KPH listing for frequencies).
Reception reports may be sent to:
Ms. DA Stoops
P.O. Box 381
Bolinas CA 94924-0381
USA
------------
WLO
(NOTE: This information has not been confirmed by WLO
at the time of this announcement.)
WLO will transmit on 438, 500, 8514.0 and 12660.0kc
WLO will listen for calls from ships on 500kc and HF Channel 3 (see
KPH listing for frequencies).
Reception reports may be sent to:
WLO/KLB
7700 RINLA AVENUE
MOBILE, ALABAMA 36619
USA
Or via email to: wloradio@wloradio.com
------------
KLB
KLB will transmit on 488, 500, 6411.0 and
12917.0kc beginning at 0030 GMT
KLB will listen for calls from ships on 500kc and HF Channel 3 (see
KPH listing for frequencies).
Reception reports may be sent to:
klb@wavecable.com
------------
NMN
For the first time since the USCG ended Morse operations NMN
will be back on the air!
NMN will transmit on 448, 468, 500, 8471, 12718.5 and 16976kc
NMN will listen for calls from ships on 500kc and HF Channel 3 (see
KPH listing for frequencies).
No reception report information has been supplied for NMN.
------------
(NOTE: As of this writing operators are unavailable to put NMC on the
air. But it will be worth listening in case there's a last minute
change.)
NMC
NMC will transmit on 448, 472, 500, 6383.0, 8574.0 and 17220.5kc
NMC will listen for calls from ships on 500kc and HF Channel 3 (see
KPH listing for frequencies).
Reception reports may be sent to:
COMMANDING OFFICER
ATTN ITC ERIC SIMMONS
COMMUNICATIONS AREA MASTER STATION PACIFIC
17000 SIR FRANCIS DRAKE BLVD
POINT REYES STATION, CALIFORNIA 94956-0560
USA
------------
NOJ
(Note that NOJ will be operational on MF this year!)
NOJ will transmit on 416, 470, 500, 8650.0, 12889.5
and 16909.7kc.
NOJ will listen for calls from ships on Channel 3 (see
KPH listing for frequencies).
Reception reports may be sent to:
COMMANDING OFFICER
ATTN OSCM WILLIAM KECKLER
US COAST GUARD COMMUNICATIONS STATION KODIAK
PO BOX 190017
KODIAK, ALASKA 99619
USA
------------
K6KPH
Amateur station K6KPH will transmit and listen on 3550, 7050 and
14050kc for KPH, KFS and KSM reception reports. Professional
operators will be at the key and commercial procedures will be used.
But please don't hesitate to call, not matter what your code speed
or experience level may be.
K6KPH verification reports may be sent to:
Ms. DA Stoops
P.O. Box 381
Bolinas CA 94924-0381
USA
BT
BV ES VY 73 TO ALL,
MRHS
