[CW] Coast stations in CW

[uranito]

Hello dear OMs:

Many thanks for your messages, I will try to answer all in one..

As you know L2 to L9 ITU block is used for Argentina http://gacw.no-ip.org
(ITU Prefixes List in the english menu) then L2B and L2C are QRA / CALL of
our Coast Guard CW Stations in 4 and 8 MHZ.
They use L2B/C when are using both frequencies at the same time with same
report.
In previous MSGS we listed L2C in Ushuaia but it is wrong because it is
located in Buenos Aires harbor Coast Guard building.

SVH is a SVC message with all information about signals, etc. to make a safe
sailing in coast and rivers. They announce that this ligth or buoy is out,
etc.
QAM is the WX report. L2B/C is reporting WX from south Brazil to Cape Horn.

There are many STNS that still running Morse traffic and/or SVH and QAM
report. Specially in those undeveloped countries, some are in SA and in AS.
Some of the stations belongs to the local Navy and are sending encrypted
messages to his ships.

We receive a report telling us that some Russian ships still have Morse
radioperators on board.

Rome and Ancona Radio still running 500 KHz. and this week were early
reported from England by Stan G0CLV in this list.

The officers of our Coast Guard Comm. Service said that they have this
broadcasting service to fill the VHF "black holes" in our coast and seas.
>From Baires to Mar del Plata = 400 km. etc.
Coast Guard have VHF and SSB stations in many places from north to south,
but some places are very distant from others. Last summer I visited Beagle
channel and Ushuaia stations.

The Sitor service is provided by a private company in Argentina, a very poor
one. When I visited this company in a small room, it seems to me that it�s
not in a very good shape. My station looks better...!!! - This company is
located in Buenos Aires.

CWA from Montevideo , Uruguay is sending traffic list too.

It seems to us that some companies and/or govenment decided to mantain this
services for a while, basically for the cost of communications and
equipments. I can�t answer who is the assurance company in those cases,
probably local ones.

Muchos saludos
Best regards
Alberto U. Silva LU1DZ
(QSL Manager EA3RE)
GACW Co-ordinator
http://gacw.no-ip.org
gacw@lan.no-ip.org