[CW] New Annual International Coast Radio Station Event

[D.J.J. Ring, Jr.]

New Annual International Coast Radio Station Event

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   - New Annual International Coast Radio Station Event

On November 13 and 14, 2021 the Greek Amateur Radio Team DX Plus
<https://dx-plus-hellenic-radio-amateur-team6.webnode.gr/en/> will
inaugurate a new annual activity weekend which remembers the Coast Radio
Station services which were once found all over the world, a service which
traced their history right back to the founding fathers of radio and most
of which are no longer active.

The Greek team will be active for 48 hours with the callsign SX1SVA,
remembering the Greek Coast Radio Station *Athinai Radio, callsign SVA*,
and the team will be staffed by former SVA Radio Officers operating from
one of SVA’s former sites.

*The DX Plus team invite Amateur Radio Operators and Amateur Radio Clubs to
join them in this new initiative and set up special event station
representing the former Coast Radio Stations close to them. Clubs and
individuals able to participate in this event are requested to indicate
their activity to sv1rp at yahoo.com <sv1rp at yahoo.com>. *

The aim of the event is to remember the memory of these former stations by
“talking” to each other, other participating stations and other Radio
Amateurs, as many stations as possible, but the event is also aimed at
Short Wave Listeners and wireless operators who are QSL card collectors.
The event will run on the HF bands using CW.

Further information about this new event can be found the event website
<https://dx-plus-hellenic-radio-amateur-team6.webnode.gr/en/sx1sva-event/>.
This page will be updated as more information becomes available.

Coast Radio Stations can trace their histories right back to the founding
fathers of radio, such as Guglielmo Marconi
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guglielmo_Marconi>. Their operations
continued for almost 100 years with technology changing over the years from
Morse Code with spark transmissions then CW using first very long wave
transmissions then medium frequency and eventually spanning the world using
high frequency transmissions. Telephony was added using first Amplitude
Modulation (double sideband) then single sideband. Very High Frequency
stations then came in to use using frequency modulated telephony while on
the medium and high frequencies radio teletype came in to use using the
SiTOR system.

Politics had often followed the existence of the maritime radio service at
sea, with ship owners not happy at the cost of having to carry Radio
Officers on board, but Safety of Life at Sea was always paramount and
always won out. Technology, however, continued developing both on shore, in
terrestrial radio and through satellite radio systems.

Technology and ongoing political pressures brought about the Global
Maritime Distress and Safety System, a system based on a combination of
digital terrestrial radio and satellite communications. Supposedly, but
debatably, easier to use, this gave the excuse to introduce GMDSS to the
Safety of Life at Sea regulations with a period of change over tot he new
system and a defined date for ceasing the former non-digital systems.

At the same time, on shore mobile communications expanded and the
development of digital cellular telephone systems, including the
establishment of more and more coastal based cells, provided the ship owner
with a simpler, cheaper and more secure method of making short range
telephone calls, dramatically reducing the traffic and profitability of the
maritime coast radio station service.

The age of the professional Radio Officer at sea and on shore was numbered.
The day of the efficient but expensive Coast Radio Stations was coming to
an end.

Web Links

   - SX1SVA Event Website
   <https://dx-plus-hellenic-radio-amateur-team6.webnode.gr/en/sx1sva-event/>
   - Maritime Radio Professionals <https://maritimeradio.pro>
   a website dedicated to the former professional Coast Radio Stations of
   the world, ship radio stations, those who staffed the stations at sea and
   on shore and the equipment behind the stations.
   - Historical Maritime Radio Stations
   <https://www.facebook.com/maritimeradio> Facebook page
   - The Maritime Radio Historical Society <https://www.radiomarine.org/>,
   operators and preservers of KPH, KSM, KFS and the historical KPH transmit
   and receive sites in Bolinas and Point Reyes in California, USA.
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