[ARC5] [MRCA] CW Keying Wheel

[Richard Knoppow]

    I am sorry to hear about WCBS. It was originally WABC (for Atlantic 
Broadcasting Company) bought by CBS in the early 1930s. The call was 
changed to WCBS about the late 1940s and WABC picked up by the ABC 
network for their NY station WJZ. Musical chairs. CBS found it could not 
get adequate coverage for its all news format in several cities. 
Chicago, WBBM, moved to a different transmitting site (with lower power) 
and also went to FM. KNX in Los Angeles is still on the air but is now 
repeated on FM. AM radio is rapidly going away.
     I thought the former WNBC became all sports as WFAN. Maybe they 
moved aggain.
     You probably know that WCC was a historic station. CC means Cape 
Cod and it originally used just that call. Under the original Marconi 
ownership it became MCC, then when RCA was formed WCC. I suspect the 
signal you heard was more likly a spurious response from the receiver's 
IF than a second harmonic.
     All the marine shore stations ran beacons. Mostly they sent either 
VVV or CQ CQ CQ followed by the call sign and then QRU? or TFC? and 
sometimes OBS? for metorological observations from shipe, then QSX 
meaning "I am listening on" and the bands they were active on.
     In the same way you heard WCC I used to hear KOK (MacKay) on a car 
radio. Before I knew code but could make out the call.

On 8/24/2024 9:11 AM, Christopher Bowne wrote:
> The WCC VVV de WCC QSX beacon
> was an old friend, probably the first CW I ever tried to copy as a JN 
> SWL in the east 60s.  Last heard it in 1996 while driving past their 
> transmitter site in Chatham/Dennisport on Cape Cod on while on the way 
> home from
> a January VHF Contest multi op activation
> from the Marconi Beach National Park, it’s location is east enough to 
> place it in the FN51 grid square.  Was listening to WCBS Newsradio on 
> 880 KHZ AMand in the vicinity of Chatham and Dennisport, what I assume 
> must have been the 2nd harmonic of WCCs LF marine CW band signal near 
> 440 kHz made a very nice note beating against WCBS’s carrier.
> 
> WCBS News Radio itself will be going dark
> tomorrow August 26.  The call sign goes away as well, I understand that 
> the station will now be an all sports format with a new call sign.
> 
> Chris AJ1G
> Stonington CT
> 


-- 
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
SKCC 19998