[CW] Question about marine radiograms

[Richard Knoppow]

     My friend, Dave Atkins, worked on the first radio station in 
the Philippines, which I believe was built by Dollar Radio. He 
was also a side swiper user, with a home made one.
    Dollar Radio was originally set up as a private network for 
Dollar Steam Ship Lines but when the radio act required all 
marine stations to handle all traffic it was spun off as Globe 
Wireless. Globe is still in existence but I suspect may have 
little to do with the original company. Globe operated KTK in San 
Francisco until sometime in the 1970s when it was taken over by 
Mackay and merged with KFS. Before WW-2 they operated a number of 
stations on the Pacific coast but only KTK was left by the time I 
started listening to marine stations in the early 1960s.
     The only ITU book I've managed to acquire is a list of ship 
stations from 1958. Globe is not mentioned although they may 
simply not have had contracts with any shipping lines or ships. 
It lists RCA, Mackay and TRT. Other ships show shipping lines. I 
wish I had a list of coastal stations, it would answer a lot of 
questions. I've found only two in book searches, one was 
extremely expensive and the other turned out to be a wild goose 
chase. I ordered it and was told they didn't actually have it. 
The "Marine Radio Manual" which I got on your suggestion, has a 
lot of information in it including a list and map of coastal 
stations in the US, c.1940. Another puzzle, it lists WIM for RCA 
at Cape Cod but not WCC or WSO.  I believe at the time the FCC 
was issuing separate calls for each transmitter. Would be 
interesting to know for certain.
     When I was listening there were stations that are not on 
this old list, KLC (Mackay in Galveston), WLO, I found a listing 
somewhere that it belonged to Mobile Marine Radio, KLB evidently 
in Seattle, I never found an owner. Also KHK in Honolulu, for 
some reason I thought this was an RCA station but a very old 
listing, I think in a FRC publication, says its owned by the 
Mutual Telephone Co.
     Lots of stations listed in the Marine Radio Manual were 
gone, maybe never reactivated after WW-2.
     I have to look but think I have your friend's book as a PDF 
in my computer. All these interesting people are SK. Makes me 
very sad.

On 11/6/2018 3:03 PM, D.J.J. Ring, Jr. wrote:
> My friend, Bob Shrader, W6BNB worked for Dollar Radio, which 
> became Globe Wireless (I believe), he passed at 99 years young, a 
> great fist on the bug and cootie key, he founded the SideSwiper 
> Net (SSN) <http://www.sideswipernet.org/> which is still in 
> existence.  Bob taught at King's Point U.S. Merchant Marine 
> Academy during and after WW2.  He published the classic book, 
> "Electronic Communication" - the 2nd edition still had spark 
> transmitters in it because you'd find them on ships as back up 
> emergency transmitters (still legal for that use even today.)
> 
> Yes it's pronounced "Mack-EE".
> 
> The Resources <http://www.sideswipernet.org/resources.php> page 
> on SideSwiper Net (SSN) <http://www.sideswipernet.org/> is quite 
> informative.
> 
> 73
> DR
> N1EA

-- 
Richard Knoppow
1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com
WB6KBL