I can't believe it's been 11 years since the last stations pulled the plugs on commercial Morse telegraphy in the US.
Be that as it may, this infamous anniversary will once again be marked by several large stations spitting dits and dahs defiantly into the Ether as if nothing had changed. All hail to the Martitime Radio Historical Society for taking the point on this important work.
Period equipment will be used on many frequencies, and ships may call on the receiving frequencies (500 kHz and HF calling Channel 3). KKUI, the restored SS American Victory, has announced its plan to work all stations. They most frequently use the 12 MHz frequency of Channel 3, but others are possible.
The fun starts at the exact time Morse went away, or 0001 UTC on the 13th. Reception reports are welcome, and QSL info is here.
For those in the Bay Area, the receiving station on Point Reyes is open for visitors starting 15 minutes ago. Trust me: it's worth the trip. Directions to the receive site are at the same link. GPS is desirable for navigation, if you have it. The place is really out there.
Here are the frequencies:
KPH
Xmit: 426, 500, 4247.0, 6477.5, 8642.0, 12808.5, 17016.8, 22477.5
Rcv: 500; 4184.0, 6276.0, 8368.0, 12552.0, 16736.0, 22280.5 (C3)
KSM
Xmit: 426, 500, 6474, 8438.3, 12993
Rcv: Same as KPH
KFS
Xmit: 12695.5, 17026.0
Rcv: HF Channel 3 (same as KPH)
WLO
Xmit: 2055.5, 4343.0, 8658.0, 12992.0 and 16968.5
Rcv: 500; 8368 (C3)
NMC (USCG CAMSPAC Pt. Reyes))
Xmit: 448, 472, 500, 6383.0, 8574.0 and 17220.5
Rcv: HF Channel 3 (same as KPH)
NMN (USCG CAMSLANT Chesapeake)
Xmit: 8471.0, 12718.5 and 16976
Rcv: HF Channel 3 (same as KPH)
K6KPH
Simplex 3550, 7050 and 14050 (taking reports)
K6KPH ops use some commercial procedures. DE means about the same as QRZ?
All emission CW Morse telegraphy, and loving it!
Showing posts with label NMC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NMC. Show all posts
Monday, July 12, 2010
Monday, November 02, 2009
NMC FAX Satellite Image Nov. 2
Copied on 8682 kHz at 2113 UTC. Note the multipath and cyclical selective fading, both of which are typical of this path and time of day.
Also note the pronounced "Pineapple Express" moisture feed from the tropics near Hawaii to the northwestern continental United States.
Also note the pronounced "Pineapple Express" moisture feed from the tropics near Hawaii to the northwestern continental United States.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
More Point Reyes Google Earth Coordinates
As promised, here's part two of our Google Earth tour of Point Reyes, CA:
38° 6'6.95"N 122°56'12.98"W
These will put you just north of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, and south of the bunkerlike headquarters and receiving facility for NMC. This is the US Coast Guard Communications Master Station, Pacific. Pictures of CAMSPAC can be found on the Internet. It's a relatively new and very impressive facility. Note the large tower and rotary antenna just to the building's north.
The large treeline north from that shows one edge of the fenced off antenna farm. Two right angle bends in the fence take you south and then east until you're back near where you started. The lighting isn't very good, but close examination of the area thus bounded will show a number of shadows that are obviously structures holding up wire antennas.
"But wait," you ask, "It sure looks like there are antennas south of the fence."
You are right. These are for:
38° 5'44.22"N 122°56'51.28"W
These put you bang on top of KPH's historic old receiver building. This is a neat old structure put up by RCA to serve originally as the point-to-point receive site for much of the Pacific Rim. This was a prestige operation (and a very lucrative one), and the building has a lot of details visible in ground photos that are again all over the Internet. Note the tree-lined access road going northwest from Sir Francis Drake.
KPH moved here after World War II. Between the two stations, RCA put up a LOT of antennas here, some of which are sort of visible on Google Earth. This farm goes clear northeast to the NMC fence line mentioned before. There's another access road, some undistinguishable structures, and an interesting trail leading almost due west to what sure looks like a tower base with a large ground radial system.
There are other buildings and antennas in this area. These were formerly used by KMI, San Francisco (Inverness) Radio. This was the big AT&T High Seas station that could be heard 24/7 running commercial ship-to-shore phone calls from cruise ships to the landline phone network. Along with WOO, New York (Ocean Gate) Radio, and WOM, Miami Radio, these fed into High Seas Operator positions in Pennsylvania where the calls were completed. All gone.
This entire area is also part of Point Reyes National Seashore. Here too, the Maritime Radio Historical Society seeks to preserve the radio heritage of skilled operators at sea, and the consummate professionals who served them ashore as operators, technicians, and workers.
38° 6'6.95"N 122°56'12.98"W
These will put you just north of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, and south of the bunkerlike headquarters and receiving facility for NMC. This is the US Coast Guard Communications Master Station, Pacific. Pictures of CAMSPAC can be found on the Internet. It's a relatively new and very impressive facility. Note the large tower and rotary antenna just to the building's north.
The large treeline north from that shows one edge of the fenced off antenna farm. Two right angle bends in the fence take you south and then east until you're back near where you started. The lighting isn't very good, but close examination of the area thus bounded will show a number of shadows that are obviously structures holding up wire antennas.
"But wait," you ask, "It sure looks like there are antennas south of the fence."
You are right. These are for:
38° 5'44.22"N 122°56'51.28"W
These put you bang on top of KPH's historic old receiver building. This is a neat old structure put up by RCA to serve originally as the point-to-point receive site for much of the Pacific Rim. This was a prestige operation (and a very lucrative one), and the building has a lot of details visible in ground photos that are again all over the Internet. Note the tree-lined access road going northwest from Sir Francis Drake.
KPH moved here after World War II. Between the two stations, RCA put up a LOT of antennas here, some of which are sort of visible on Google Earth. This farm goes clear northeast to the NMC fence line mentioned before. There's another access road, some undistinguishable structures, and an interesting trail leading almost due west to what sure looks like a tower base with a large ground radial system.
There are other buildings and antennas in this area. These were formerly used by KMI, San Francisco (Inverness) Radio. This was the big AT&T High Seas station that could be heard 24/7 running commercial ship-to-shore phone calls from cruise ships to the landline phone network. Along with WOO, New York (Ocean Gate) Radio, and WOM, Miami Radio, these fed into High Seas Operator positions in Pennsylvania where the calls were completed. All gone.
This entire area is also part of Point Reyes National Seashore. Here too, the Maritime Radio Historical Society seeks to preserve the radio heritage of skilled operators at sea, and the consummate professionals who served them ashore as operators, technicians, and workers.
Saturday, January 03, 2009
New Google Earth Coordinates for Pt. Reyes, CA
Google Earth appears to have greatly improved its images of the Bolinas area. This is on Point Reyes, north of San Francisco, and is home to some truly historic old antenna farms. Visibility of antenna hardware used to be practically nonexistent, but now you can make out quite a bit.
We begin our tour at 37°54'52.32"N by 122°43'30.26"W. These coordinates put you right alongside the venerable RCA transmitting facility used by proud old KPH for commercial maritime communications. Much of this building was shared by RCA's real money making operation. This was KET, the West Coast hub for many point-to-point fixed-station links that connected up the entire Pacific Rim in the days before satellites. In the past few years, the facility has also been used by KSM, a new Maritime Radio Historical Society station with a commercial license on traditional coast station frequencies.
This building was added onto, and both halves are clearly visible. At least on my monitor, if you look real hard you can make out the many open-feed wires coming out of this building to the two long wooden structures to the northwest and southeast that show as white lines. From there you can easily trace the H structures that still carry largely intact balanced feeders to the two major parts of one of the world's great antenna farms.
At either end, right angle marks on the ground suggest the presence of large rhombics, once used by the point-to-point station. Closer in, a small service road leads southwest to a square building right on the cliffside by the ocean. This is the original "Power House," that held the Marconi company spark transmitters and subsequent RF alternators.
The massive antenna structure for these is mostly gone, but several of the concrete bases for the 300 foot support towers remain. One of these is just northeast of the building, looking like a white donut. Shadows make it possible to spot many poles that hold up wire antennas of various types. Several of these are still in use by the Maritime Radio Historical Society.
The land is now part of the Point Reyes National Seashore, and some of the main transmitting building is now used for offices of "Commonwealth." They at least used to operate a small 12-MHz sea surface research radar near the old Marconi building. It does not interfere with maritime frequencies.
Now go almost due north a bit, to coordinates 37°55'32.46"N by 122°43'52.57"W. These put you dead on top of the transmitter building used by NMC, the US Coast Guard Communications Area Master Station Pacific (CAMSPAC Point Reyes).
It's hard to miss the fairly new log periodic just due south, and various other circles, masts, and square fences make it easy to see the positions of various HF antennas. This farm is actually right next to KPH, separated by a low fence which shows up as a line running southwest to northeast all the way back up to the street (Mesa Road).
More on Point Reyes later.
We begin our tour at 37°54'52.32"N by 122°43'30.26"W. These coordinates put you right alongside the venerable RCA transmitting facility used by proud old KPH for commercial maritime communications. Much of this building was shared by RCA's real money making operation. This was KET, the West Coast hub for many point-to-point fixed-station links that connected up the entire Pacific Rim in the days before satellites. In the past few years, the facility has also been used by KSM, a new Maritime Radio Historical Society station with a commercial license on traditional coast station frequencies.
This building was added onto, and both halves are clearly visible. At least on my monitor, if you look real hard you can make out the many open-feed wires coming out of this building to the two long wooden structures to the northwest and southeast that show as white lines. From there you can easily trace the H structures that still carry largely intact balanced feeders to the two major parts of one of the world's great antenna farms.
At either end, right angle marks on the ground suggest the presence of large rhombics, once used by the point-to-point station. Closer in, a small service road leads southwest to a square building right on the cliffside by the ocean. This is the original "Power House," that held the Marconi company spark transmitters and subsequent RF alternators.
The massive antenna structure for these is mostly gone, but several of the concrete bases for the 300 foot support towers remain. One of these is just northeast of the building, looking like a white donut. Shadows make it possible to spot many poles that hold up wire antennas of various types. Several of these are still in use by the Maritime Radio Historical Society.
The land is now part of the Point Reyes National Seashore, and some of the main transmitting building is now used for offices of "Commonwealth." They at least used to operate a small 12-MHz sea surface research radar near the old Marconi building. It does not interfere with maritime frequencies.
Now go almost due north a bit, to coordinates 37°55'32.46"N by 122°43'52.57"W. These put you dead on top of the transmitter building used by NMC, the US Coast Guard Communications Area Master Station Pacific (CAMSPAC Point Reyes).
It's hard to miss the fairly new log periodic just due south, and various other circles, masts, and square fences make it easy to see the positions of various HF antennas. This farm is actually right next to KPH, separated by a low fence which shows up as a line running southwest to northeast all the way back up to the street (Mesa Road).
More on Point Reyes later.
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