[SFDXA] Night of Nights - An Historic event this Friday July 12th
Bill
bmarx at bellsouth.net
Wed Jul 10 08:37:02 EDT 2013
http://tinyurl.com/llmqlr6
The U.S. Coast Guard will participate in an historic return to the air
of several maritime coastal radio stations.
Marvin
K2VHW
NIGHT OF NIGHTS 2013 FINAL INFORMATION
FLASH!
USCG WILL PARTICIPATE IN NIGHT OF NIGHTS!
Event Date: 12 July 2013 Pacific Daylight Time
First Transmission form MRHS Stations: 5:01pm Pacific Daylight Time 12
July, 0001Z 13 July
Historic coast stations KPH, KFS and KSM will return to the air
RCA "H Set" Transmitter 298 to be on the air
USCG Coast Stations NMC and NMQ will be on the air
Historic Stations WLO and KLB may join the event
K6KPH will be listening for calls and signal reports
Join us in person or on the air
Morse code.
It's just beeps in the air. Yet on 12 July 1999 some very tough looking
grizzled old radio pioneers had tears in their eyes as the last
commercial Morse code radiogram was sent. It was the end of an era. And
as the last beeps faded away into the static they witnessed the end of
the career to which they had devoted their lives.
These men - and some women - had stood watch over the airwaves on shore
and at sea. Theirs was mostly the business of maritime commerce. But
when their ship was in peril they were called upon to send the most
electrifying three letters in radio, S O S, knowing that all their
fellow radio operators would press their earphones close to get every
scrap of information and bring aid to their stricken ship.
Once, our coasts were dotted with great Morse code radio stations, all
communicating with ships at sea. They're all gone now... all except one,
the one they called the Wireless Giant of the Pacific, located at Point
Reyes.
On that sad day in 1999 another event took place. The Maritime Radio
Historical Society (MRHS) was formed. We made it our life's work to
honor the men and women of wireless by restoring that wireless giant.
One year and one minute later the giant's voice once again spanned the
oceas as we picked up the thread and kept the faith with our colleagues
of the air.
Every year since, in an event that became known as the Night of Nights,
Morse code station KPH has returned to the air, joined by KFS and the
station of the MRHS, KSM.
This year our friends and colleagues at USCG station NMC have labored
mightily to bring that storied call sign back to life on Morse code for
the evening along with NMQ in Cambria, CA.
We hope that stations WLO and KLB will join us again as hey have in
years past.
This is a global and local event. Hundreds of listeners around the
world will be waiting with their earphones on, waiting for the signals
of the great station to once again arc over the dome of the Earth to
their receivers.
You can be with us in person!
Dozens of people will join us at the RCA receiving station in the Point
Reyes National Seashore to watch as the signals are transmitted by hand
using vintage telegraph keys.
A guest operating position will be available so bring your key and
'phones or use ours and operate K6KPH. No license required! So if
you're an ex-commercial op who never became a ham here's your chance to
sling some Morse again. Or if you hold a current commercial
radiotelegraph ticket you can operate KPH, KFS and/or KSM and have your
license endorse to that effect.
Date: Friday 12 July 2013 Pacific Daylight Time
Location: RCA receiving station, 17400 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Point
Reyes National Seashore
Click HERE for a map of the location from Google Maps
Time: Doors open at 3:00pm pdt, first transmission 5:01pm pdt (0001gmt
13 July)
Refreshments: Served
Photographs: Encouraged
Tours: Given
None of this would have been possible without the trust and vision of
the Point Reyes National Seashore. The only reason these facilities
were spared the bulldozer that visited all the others is that they are
on park land. And the only reason they have been restored to operation
is that the PRNS staff understood their importance and trusted the MRHS
to restore them to life.
THIS IS THE MOST ACCURATE AND COMPLETE NIGHT OF NIGHTS 2013 INFORMATION
AVAILABLE AT PRESS TIME BUT LAST MINUTE CHANGES MAY TAKE PLACE
This year we will send last minute changes and signal reports by
Twitter. You can join Twitter free at:
https://www.twitter.com
and follow us at @Radiomarine
MRHS Stations
Sixteen transmitters will be on the air from the MRHS transmitter site
in Bolinas. That doesn't include transmitters held in ready reserve in
case of failure. Members of the crack MRHS Transmitter Department and
the H Set Team will be on hand to assure that all goes well.
> KPH:
Frequency Transmitter Antenna
500/426 Henry MF-5000D Marconi T
4247.0 RCA K Set Double Extended Zepp
6477.5 RCA K Set Double Extended Zepp
8642.0 RCA L Set Double Extended Zepp
12808.5 RCA L Set H over 2
17016.8 RCA L Set H over 2
22477.5 RCA H Set H over 2
The restoration of the H set has been chronicled in past issues of the
Newsletter. It will return to revenue service for the first time in
decades for Night of Nights. See Newsletter No. 38 for information
about and photos of this magnificent transmitter.
FLASH! We have just confirmed that Point Reyes National Seashore
superintendent Cicely Muldoon will press the button to formally dedicate
H Set Transmitter 298 and put it on the air for Night of Nights!
> KFS
Frequency Transmitter Antenna
12695.5 Press Wireless PW15 H over 2
17026.0 Henry HF-5000D H over 2
> KSM
Frequency Transmitter Antenna
500/426 Henry MF-5000D Marconi T
8438.3 Henry HF-5000D Double Extended Zepp
12993.0 Henry HF-5000D H over 2
16914.0 Henry HF-5000D H over 2
> K6KPH
Frequency Transmitter Antenna
3550.0 Henry HF-5000D Double Extended Zepp
7050.0 RCA L Set Double Extended Zepp
14050.0 Henry HF-5000D H over 2
21050.0 Henry HF-5000D H over 2
> Reception Reports
Reception reports and verification requests for the MRHS stations listed
above may be sent to:
Maritime Radio Historical Society
PO Box 392
Point Reyes Station, CA 94956
USA
> Station Telephone
The receive site may be contacted by phone on +1 415-669-9646
USCG Stations
> NMC (Transmit Bolinas, Receive Pt. Reyes)
Frequency Transmitter Antenna
448.0 Nautel ND2500TT/6 173' monopole tower
472.0 Nautel ND2500TT/6 173' monopole tower
500.0 Nautel ND2500TT/6 173' monopole tower
6383.0 Harris RT-2200 Conical omni-directional
8574.0 Harris RT-2200 Conical omni-directional
17220.5* Harris RT-2200 Conical omni-directional
> NMQ (Transmit Cambria, Receive and Control Pt. Reyes)
Frequency Transmitter Antenna
448.0 Nautel ND2500TT/6 173' monopole tower
472.0 Nautel ND2500TT/6 173' monopole tower
500.0 Nautel ND2500TT/6 173' monopole tower
> Reception Reports
Reception reports and verification requests for the USCG stations listed
above may be sent to:
Attn: OSCS Phil Marsh
USCG CAMSPAC Point Reyes
17000 Sir Francis Drake Blvd.
Point Reyes Station, CA 94956
USA
Shipcom LLC Stations
The participation of Shipcpm LLC stations WLO and KLB was unconfirmed at
press time but the stations used these frequencies for previous Night of
Nights events. We list them so you can make them part of your listening
scan - just in case!
But Wait! Just before pressing the Send button we received word that
WLO and KLB will be on the air for Night of Nights 2013!
> WLO
2055.5
4343.0
8658.0
12992.0
16968.5
> KLB
488.0
500.0
8582.5
> Reception Reports
No information is available for the Shipcom LLC stations
> Calling Channels
All commercial and USCG stations listed above will listen for calls from
ships on 500kc and on ITU Channel 3 HF:
4184.0
6276.0
8368.0
12552.0
16736.0
22280.5
Listen on these frequencies if you want to copy both sides of ship to
shore contacts.
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