Marine The last CW commercial station - KPH Pt Reyes

[ka3jjz]

A nice YouTube video on KPH....this is also where 2 Kiwi SDRs are located....thanks to Ron in Maryland (via UDXF) for this

Mike

 

[ka3jjz]

And here's their website with frequencies (some ham, too) and schedule, and it talks about the 2 SDRs there

Maritime Radio Historical Society

www.radiomarine.org

Mike

 

[K4EET]

Very nice video on KPH. Thanks for bringing this video and the website to our attention!

dit dit

 

[ka3jjz]

Those TTY machines sure bring back memories - the ham club I was part of years ago had problems restoring one to put on a RTTY repeater until we got help from a chance on the air encounter I had with the late Walter Cronkite. And it was the tape reader - like the one in the video - that was giving the team fits. They finally got it on the air....Mike

 

[hitechRadio]

I hate CW and never use it. Although I passed my 5wpm long time ago.


I loved this post, looked thru all the pictures on the site. A lot of history in that building.
It is nice they keep it going on Saturdays, keeping the history of it alive.

Thanks for sharing!!!

 

[ka3jjz]

I understand Walter was a big CW fan. I happened to catch him one rainy night testing a 2 meter radio he was repairing for someone. He didn't use voice very much for obvious reasons. Everyone kept calling him 'Walter' not 'Walt' - very particular about that. That alone should have told me something...Mike

 

[majoco]

Here's a good little movie about the UK coast stations all closing down in 1997 - although some of the operators sounded more like hams than the true professionals - Portpatrick Radio was the last of the 'real' coast stations and the others had already gone and were staffed by hams for the shutting down. Notice that some of the European stations were still operating, Ostend chips in with his reply.

qrt500 : Terry George, G4AMT : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

 

[dave524]

Caught them a few times fairly recently

 

[dave524]

KPH is on the air 12808 at 18:40 UTC, hearing CW in Niagara Ontario

 

[ColoradoRedlands]

You pass KPH on your way to the Coast Guard CAMS PAC station if I recall correctly.

 

[mmckenna]

You pass KPH on your way to the Coast Guard CAMS PAC station if I recall correctly.

Correct.

 

[ColoradoRedlands]

I was a USCGR RM1, (81-90) but only visited Commsta San Fran one time.

 

[mmckenna]

I was a USCGR RM1, (81-90) but only visited Commsta San Fran one time.

I was a deck ape on a buoy tender in Alaska in the early 1990's.

Only reason I knew about KPH/NMC is because I was up in the area a few months ago doing some training. I tried to squeeze in some time to visit KPH, but it didn't work out. It's on my list of places to visit when we get released from Shelter-in-Place.

 

[ve1arn]

Great video on KPH. I still have the verification report from them dated January 24, 1984 and signed by manager N.L. Santos.

Thanks for posting this.

 

[LarryGKA]

Here's a good little movie about the UK coast stations all closing down in 1997 - although some of the operators sounded more like hams than the true professionals - Portpatrick Radio was the last of the 'real' coast stations and the others had already gone and were staffed by hams for the shutting down. Notice that some of the European stations were still operating, Ostend chips in with his reply.

qrt500 : Terry George, G4AMT : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Good movie indeed, but not sure if the operators involved would take kindly to their professionalism being questioned! All had been R/Os for very many years both at sea and at UK coast stations. A couple did indeed hold amateur radio licences, but that in no way lessened their professionalism. I can confirm that there was no staffing at UK Coast Stations by anyone who did not hold a valid Maritime Radio General Certificate at least. People simply holding a 'ham' licence would not have been allowed to operate at a Coast Station. I'm ex-Portishead Radio/GKA so have first-hand knowledge of the qualifications required.

 

[majoco]

..and I'm an ex-sea going R/O with a full ticket and a Naval Reserve Op - it was their statement about 'staffed by hams' , not mine.

 

[air-scan]

KPH is on the air 12808 at 18:40 UTC, hearing CW in Niagara Ontario

Just wondering if this is still happening.

 

[dave524]

Just wondering if this is still happening.

As I understand it is only activated for special events by amateur operators, check on holiday weekends

 

[GB46]

As I understand it is only activated for special events by amateur operators, check on holiday weekends

Originally they were on the air every Saturday. I don't know if that has changed, but today is Saturday, and I'm hearing them for the first time since the announcement last year that they couldn't use Point Reyes, CA for their activities, because it was off limits due to the pandemic.

They turned up here today on 12808 and 17016, two of their regular frequencies., sending VVV and their ID, the conventional test signal when not in contact with another station.

 

[merlin]

KPH was an old hang out of mine back in '79 '80
I bid on some old equipment when they upgraded to solid state Harris.