The heroic True Believers of KPH have made some more transmitting antennas active after the damage last winter. Here is the revised frequency list for Night of Nights XX, which begins tomorrow (US time) at the traditional 0001 UTC. That's July 13 on the Prime Meridian, but still July 12 (local time/date) in North America, including at the station location in Point Reyes National Seashore.
The time is traditional. It is when commercial Morse operation was discontinued by Globe Wireless, the last US holdout. KPH (also using the KFS call sign by permission of its current owners) is a triumph of the human spirit, defiantly taking to the same frequencies (still allocated by the ITU) at this time every year.
WLO is not participating this year because it no longer exists. The Coast Guard is not participating this year either. KFS has one frequency active. This is 12695.5 . The rest are KPH.
Here's the latest list, with an addition, and the latest correction:
KPH: 426, 500, 4247.0, 6477.5, 8642.0, 12808.5, 17016.8, 22477.5 .
500 kHz is still the MW calling frequency, and QSY after contact is to 426. Ships call KPH and KFS on ITU maritime channel 3. This is:
4184.0, 6276.0, 8368.0, 12552.0, 16736.0, 22280.5 .
The ships are good catches. Several call and pass traffic every year.
K6KPH is also active, and anyone who can handle heavy-duty commercial Morse can sit the circuit, since control ops with ham licenses are present. Similar procedures are used, such as sending "DE" for a station to call again. QRY and a number means that other stations are waiting, and that's your turn. Pilots know how this works (for takeoffs) only too well.
Everything is CW, of course.
Several of these frequencies are restored vintage "heavy iron" transmitters, and they sound great. The rest, presumably, are the Henry transmitters which were installed at Bolinas High Power when it ceased commercial operation.
Those in the area can visit the receive building, which also houses the National Seashore office, and is reached by one of the best "tree tunnels" in the country.
Full details and links to maps to the receive building are at the MRHS web site.
