[Elecraft] Re: "Cans" and KPH (was something else unrelated)

[Phil Kane]

On Fri, 07 Apr 2006 10:16:10 -0700, Fred Jensen wrote:

>The MRHS at Ron's link recently received a coastal marine license (KSM -
>first one issued in over 20 years or so), and can generally be found on
>Saturday afternoons (2000Z - 2400Z) running their wheel on 6474 Kcs.
>The also sometimes activate KPH on 426 Kcs sending press.

  KSM is authorized for 426 KHz (and others) for traffic under its own
  call sign (see below).

>They usually guard 7050 and 14050 Kcs from the second operating position
>as K6KPH,

  Just two days ago the organization was issued an additional amateur
  club station call sign K6KMI --  KMI was the now defunct and
  cancelled AT&T High Seas Marine OIperator, whose receiving station
  was the next-door neighbor to KPH/KSM (transmitters were at Dixon,
  CA).  Does that mean that they are trying to restore KMI as well
  (don't know....).

>and they will QSL KSM/KPH reception reports on authentic radiogram forms
>if you ask them to.  If you want to play "commercial CW op" a typical
>report might be:
>
>K6KPH DE <yourcall> QLB KSM 6474 QSA 5/KPH 426 QSA 4 K

  I amuse those who know what I am doing by using the following as a
  beacon ID from my 2-meter packet stations (I have 2 channels up and
  running 24/7):

  VVV VVV VVV DE K2ASP QSX THIS FREQ  MAILBOX K2ASP  DIRECT K2ASP-2

  That has served to pique the interest of several young and not so
  young "packeteers" who were not familiar with marine CW procedure.

>The site is in the Point Reyes National Seashore and they get a lot of
>visitors on weekends for whom they handle traffic on the ham bands.

  They will also handle commercial traffic at no cost if it is going
  to a station authorized to receive marine radiograms.  They are on
  the GGNRA using equipment which belongs to the GGNRA so they can't
  charge fees.

  Last summer several of us received the "nickel grand tour" of both
  the receiving station at Pt. Reyes and the transmitters as Bolinas,
  mainly becaause we were fly-on-the-wall supporters of the MRHS on
  technical and legal matters from the start and the operators at both
  places were long-time friends and "day job" colleagues of ours.

  I had the "honor" of originating the first unplanned commercial
  message which was sent to the Jerimiah O'Brien (KXCH), their
  restored WW-II Liberty ship in San Francisco harbor.

  In essence it said: "PLEASE PREPARE YOUR LOGS AND RECORDS FOR
  INSPECTION - /S/ PHILIP M. KANE" (I was the FCC's chief ship radio
  inspector in SF for almost 30 years).  The ship's reply, sent by the
  ship's operator - the first female coast station operator at KPH -
  was  "OUR LOGS AND RECORDS ARE ALWAYS READY FOR INSPECTION, PHIL".

  "A good time was had by all."

>There are still a few HF-equipped ships with proficient ops, and you'll
>occasionally hear KSM respond to them too.

  The MRHS and its counterparts on all three coasts are working hard
  to get the MF and HF marine stations onboard "museum" ships restored
  to original condition.  AFAIK this includes several WW-II era
  Liberty and Victory ships, smaller vessels, and the "crown jewel",
  the USS Massachusetts, as well as another coast station or two.

  I urge any of the CW (or phone) ops here to visit these stations if
  they are in the area.

--
   73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane

   K2/100 s/n 5402 - coming to
   a HF band near you soon.