[CW] The FBI CW Radio Network

Wed Jun 9 17:40:53 EDT 2021

Your aware I was a Radioman in the Coast Guard 1954-58. When I got out I had a QSO with W8VBU John, who was a technical guru, graduated from John Carol university. He worked at the Cleveland Police DEPT at nights at their police communications repair/install DEPT.

His buddy, Gus Gustincus, a real electronics guru graduated Suma Cum lade also from John Carol University and was working as a CW Operator at the Cleveland Main Hq Station downtown Cleveland. 

He designed a number of items for use at the Police Dept. One was a Radio direction finder.

The Cleveland Police was one station of a number of National police departments throughout the nation to communicate city to city. Our call was KQB57 .

The station was manned by a majority of older “Lake Vessel Radio Operators”.

GUS and John were never in the maritime service.

The “Boss” of the CW station decided to stop standing watches at the station and just work strictly in repair/engineering and administrative work which left an opening at the station which John applied for and got. 

Gus applied to the Government for a job in California. Gus designed the Antennas for the moon to earth Communications system. As I said, a true Guru.. the sad part, a few years later Gus was on a Airliner that crashed into a small plane, the airliner crashed and Gus died.. quite sad....

Prior to Gus leaving the Police, John informed me of an opening for a CW OP at the station. I applied and got the job.. AND I was the only former “Salt Water” CW op and the only who had a FCC 1st Class RadioTelegraph with the 6 Month shipping endorsement.

In its heyday, just about every major city had a CW station they were able to accomplish this because after WWII there were many CW ops who either didn’t want to go to sea as a “sparks” or had no interest. 

As those “Old timers”, began retiring, there was no new blood behind them And therefore those CW stations started closing down.

When I was hired, (Circa 1962) Ohio only had 3 CW Stations left. Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati. 

Illinois had the most, with just about every major city still maintaining a Police CW Network.

John left our station to become a professor at John Caroll University leaving us a man short.

We tried and tried to fill his vacancy with another CW OP who had at least a 2nd FCC RadioTelegraph license. It just didn’t happen therefore we had to cut one shift with no CW.

As time went on, the guys were retiring and were not being replaced. Infact, I left in Circa 1969 to begin my own 2-way Radio sales and service company.

Eventually KQB57 “SS NEVER SAIL” was closed down.

The stations throughout the country were used mainly because the phone company charged a fortune for long distance calls, so combining the police tfc with FBI Tfc saved many dollars for both departments. 

Teletype followed and really reduced the costs...

And thus some past history for you David - 

73 de K8KEM 

David F Eisenberger 

> On Jun 9, 2021, at 09:58, D.J.J. Ring, Jr. <n1ea at arrl.net> wrote:
> 
> Could you answer this? Also give us a quick run down of Police CW nets and traffic.
> 
> I last heard INTERPOL on 15070 kHz around 1989. 
> 
> 73
> 
> DR
> 
> 
> ---------- Forwarded message ---------
> From: Benny K5KV <k5kvm5 at gmail.com>
> Date: Wed, Jun 9, 2021, 9:53 AM
> Subject: Re: [CW] The FBI CW Radio Network
> To: CW Reflector <cw at mailman.qth.net>
> 
> 
> A DEAR FRIEND JACK W5HEZ, NOW A SILENT KEY OPERATED A CW RADIO STATION FOR THE BATON ROUGE, LA POLICE DEPT BEGINNING IN 1937 UNTIL THE WAR BROKE OUT.  HE TOLD ME OF SOME KIND OF WIDE AREA POLICE NETWORK THEY WERE OPERATING IN.  MAYBE THIS WAS A FBI NETWORK?
> 
> 73
> BENNY K5KV
> 
>> On Wed, Jun 9, 2021 at 8:03 AM Bill Lanahan <wa2nfn at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> 
>>> On Wed, Jun 9, 2021 at 1:14 AM D.J.J. Ring, Jr. <n1ea at arrl.net> wrote:
>>> Interesting.........the FBI was operating CW nets starting in 1942.....
>>> The FBI CW Radio Network
>>> 
>>> by Alvin H. Grobmeier
>>> 
>>> The Federal Bureau of Investigation operated the FBI CW Radio Network beginning in early 1957 and ending in June 1976.
>>> 
>>> There were two sites, one for transmitting and one for receiving usually located several miles apart. Locations were as follows:
>>> 
>>> Albany
>>> Albuquerque
>>> Anchorage
>>> Atlanta
>>> Baltimore
>>> Birmingham
>>> Boston
>>> Buffalo
>>> Boston
>>> Buffalo
>>> Butte
>>> Charlotte
>>> Chicago
>>> Cincinnati
>>> Cleveland
>>> Columbia
>>> Dallas
>>> Denver
>>> Detroit
>>> El Paso
>>> Honolulu
>>> Houston
>>> Indianapolis
>>> Jackson
>>> Jacksonville
>>> Kansas City
>>> Knoxville
>>> Las Vegas
>>> Litttle Rock
>>> Louisville
>>> Memphis
>>> Miami
>>> Milwaukee
>>> Minneapolis
>>> Mobile
>>> Newark
>>> New Haven
>>> New Orleans
>>> New York
>>> Norfolk
>>> Oklahoma City
>>> Omaha
>>> Philadelphia
>>> Phoenix
>>> Pittsburgh
>>> Portland
>>> Ramona (for the San Diego FBI office)
>>> Richmond
>>> Sacramento
>>> St. Louis
>>> Salt Lake City
>>> San Antonio
>>> San Francisco
>>> San Juan
>>> Savannah
>>> Seattle
>>> Springfield
>>> Tampa
>>> FBI Washington, DC field office
>>> FBI Headquarters, Washington, DC.
>>> Radio call signs were assigned by the Federal Communications Commission. The Ramona/San Diego station was asssigned the call sign KMG 22.
>>> 
>>> Source: United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, letter of February 14, 1979 to Commander A.H. Grobmeier, US Navy (Ret.)
>>> Return to...
>>> 
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