[Elecraft] Commercial CW for SWLers and Hams

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

Sure, with the advent of GMDSS under the new Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS)
treaties, commercial CW (A1A) transmissions are now rare, but they are still
out there. Good practice and often fun stuff. 

Uruguay broadcasts regular CW traffic lists (messages awaiting ships to call
in for them), weather bulletins and warnings usually near or on the hour at:

4346, 8602, 12750, 17230 kHz

This is a real commercial CW station, not a "museum" station operated for
nostalgia. 

Of course they work in Spanish. Clearly they are serving ships in the South
American waters.

For anyone who has MF capability (below what the Elecraft rigs cover) you
might hear them using A1A or A2A (CW or MCW) on 421.5 kHz.

Speaking of the growing number of "museum" Stations, for those interested in
hearing what "old tyme" Commercial CW work sounded like the Radiomarine
organization in California and others around North America will be
participating in the annual "Night of Nights" activity commemorating the
tenth anniversary of the end of most commercial CW work. The activity
commences at 0001Z 13 July (5 p.m. 12 July Pacific Time).  The following
stations in North America are expected on the following frequencies around
the MF, HF (shortwave) and even on the Ham bands under the Amateur License
K6KPH:

426         KPH KSM	
488         KLB		
500         KPH KSM KLB	
2055.5	WLO	
2063.0     *KLB	
3550.0	K6KPH	
4247.0	KPH	
4343.0	WLO
6474.0	KSM
6477.5	KPH
7050.0	K6KPH
8582.5     *KLB
8642.0	KPH						
8658.0	WLO							
12695.5	KFS							
12808.5	KPH							
12992.0	WLO							
12993.0	KSM							
14050.0	K6KPH						
16968.5	WLO							
17016.8	KPH
17026.0	KFS (after 0430Z)
22477.5	KPH

*tentative

Everyone is invited to call K6KPH on the Amateur frequencies listed and
exchange comments. K6KPH will be operated by commercial CW ops using
standard commercial practices which you may find different from what some
are used to on the Ham bands these days, but don't let that deter you. They
are doing that to demonstrate what smooth, clean CW as practiced by
commercial stations sounds like and will definitely accommodate Hams (and
follow the most "rusty" fists - commercial ops are expert at reading fists
few Hams could understand!) So don't be shy if you get a "QSA 4" instead of
an RST report. (QSA 1-5 is readability from lousy at 1 to perfect at 5) 

On the non-Amateur frequencies you'll hear news bulletins, CQ wheels (where
the station sends traffic lists for ships and invites calls) and, now and
again over the years, you might hear a real QSO with a ship who calls in. 

KPH and KSM are on the California coast at Bolinas and Point Reyes, just
north of San Francisco.

WLO and KLB are at Mobile, Alabama
 
QSL information and more details are available under Night of Nights X at
http://www.radiomarine.org

It has been ten years since "Sparky" hung up his phones for the last time
and "threw the big switch" in shore stations on land and in the radio rooms
of thousands of ships on the high seas, but it'll be a much, much longer
time before he's forgotten.  

Ron AC7AC