[Elecraft] CW SWL Opportunity On Now

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

When I visited KPH last July during their "night of nights" event we were
chatting in the operating room while the "code wheel" ground away when we
suddenly heard a ship calling! Denise (DS) was the op on duty and sat down
at her operating position only to discover that her key line was
disconnected somewhere.

There ensued about 5 minutes of chaos pulling patch cables, etc., until the
problem was found and she had a live key. She responded to the call. It was
a ship wondering about hearing a US station operating CW on the 600 meter
band again! 

Just goes to show that some of the chaos with cables that we see at Ham
Field Days and the like aren't limited to Ham activities <G>. 

For those who haven't seen one of these stations, a photog friend of mine
who lives in the area went along and shot some pictures. Some of them are
still available on line at http://tinyurl.com/7q58c. When she gets the time
she'll post some more. (A perfectionist!). 

Not a "radio person" she mistakenly identified the tape reader doing "code
wheel" duty as a teletype. Good guess. Similar tapes were used for teletype
machines. The long fingernails on the Vibroplex are DS at her key talking to
the ship. DS was the first woman operator at KPH. What are identified as
"antennas" are really the poles holding the open wire feeders leading to the
real antenna farm in the distance! Huge weights mounted on pulley
arrangements at the station held tension on the lines. Many of the wires are
broken now. The gang there are fixing them up as time permits, but it's a
big effort. 

Talk about having a little real estate for a decent dipole, and that's only
the receiving end! When DS hits the key, the closure travels by phone line
to Bolinas about 20 miles south where the transmitters and transmitter
antenna farm is located. It is true, full QSK since she hears her
transmitted signal in the 'phones' just like the ship at sea does. No
special switching, muting, or other tricks needed. 

Ron AC7AC



-----Original Message-----

Thanks Ron,

In case some don't know, KSM is the new licensed call sign of the 
Historical society that maintains (and occasionally operates on Marconi 
Day with original equipment) at KPH on the northern California coast.  I 
believe it is the first commercial license issued for the MF radiomarine 
band -- roughly 400 - 550 kc/s and certain HF radiomarine bands in many 
years.  I generally copy them on 425 and 500 kc/s during those events 
and report it to K6KPH in the ham bands.  I knew they had been licensed 
and were planning to start a traffic wheel, I just didn't know they had. 
  I wonder if anyone afloat is listening anymore?

www.radiomarine.org

Ain't old time radio fun?

Fred K6DGW
Auburn CA CM98lw