Commercia Morse lives again!

Reposted from ARRL web page:


"Night of Nights VII" to Commemorate Last Commercial Morse
Message in US


July 10, 2006
Coast stations will return to the air this week for an evening of listening for
calls from ships and sending messages just as they did for so many years
before Morse operations were shut down.


Ray Smith ("RC") was the senior Morse operator at KPH. He sent
the last message when the station shut down in 1997.

Last year, the FCC issued the first commercial shore station license
in decades to KSM. Here, Richard "RD" Dillman, W6AWO ,
Denice Stoops, and Steve Hawes, WB6UZX, hold open the display
case where the license resides. The MRHS applied for the license
"in order to assure that American commercial Morse operation on
the marine bands will continue into the future."

Several commercial coast stations will be back on the air Thursday,
July 13 (UTC), to mark the "Night of Nights VII."
The annual event commemorates the last commercial Morse message
sent in the US. Many commercial radio operators also were Amateur
Radio operators. Historic KPH -- which has been maintained in operational
order and hosts Amateur Radio station K6KPH -- will celebrate its 101st
anniversary this year. Other stations to be on the air include KSM
-- celebrating its first anniversary -- WLO, KLB and NMC.

Coast station NOJ in Alaska was also to be on the roster but was
unable to participate this year. Radio amateurs and shortwave
listeners (SWLs) are invited to tune in and send reports.

"These on-the-air events are intended to honor the men and women
who followed the radiotelegraph trade on ships and at coast stations
around the world and made it one of honor and skill," says Richard
"RD" Dillman, W6AWO, of the Marine Radio Historical Society (MRHS).

The Society maintains KPH in cooperation with the Point Reyes
National Seashore, part of the National Park Service. Transmissions are
expected to continue until at least midnight PDT (0700 UTC).

KPH, the former RCA coast station located north of San Francisco,
will begin its commemorative transmission at 0001 UTC on July 13
(1701 PDT), which is seven years and one minute after the last
commercial Morse transmission in the US.

Dillman has issued a special request for those monitoring KPH
on 12,808.5 kHz on the Night of Nights. "The Transmitter Department
plans to alternate transmitters and, more important, antennas on this
frequency at the top of each hour during this year's Night of Nights,"
he said. "Both antennas will be directional H over 2 types but one will
be oriented north/south, the other east/west."

Dillman says the Transmitter Department will carefully log which
antenna is in use at what time and compare this information against
incoming reports. "So for all reception reports, but especially those for
12808.5, please include the time you heard the signal and a detailed signal
report," he said.


The two KPH transmitters on 12808.5 kHz will be an early 1990s-vintage
Henry and a 1950s-vintage RCA "L" set. Dillman says listeners may detect
some slight difference in keying between the two transmitters.

Returning from the Dead

ARRL member Brian Smith, W9IND, in Indiana, says the maritime
Morse transmissions were a great source of code practice when he was
a prospective radio amateur in his teens. "I learned how to send
and receive Morse code by listening to the automatic CW loops of
these very stations -- WLO, KPH, WCC, NSS and so forth," Smith said.
"The rhythms of the characters stuck in my head, which helped me pass
my Novice test at the age of 15; I was soon licensed as WN9ICB."

Smith notes that while the coast stations won't be working amateur stations,
they'll be offering QSL cards for reception reports. He called the event
"a rare opportunity to snare a collectible QSL from CW stations that
are essentially returning from the dead."

Veteran Operators and Transmitters

Veteran Morse operators, including former KPH staff members,
will be on duty at the KPH receiving station at Point Reyes, California,
"listening for calls from ships and sending messages just as they did for
so many years before Morse operations were shut down," Dillman says.

The transmitting station, some 18 miles south of Point Reyes in Bolinas,
was established in 1913 by the American Marconi Co. "The original KPH
transmitters, receivers and antennas will be used to activate frequencies
in all the commercial maritime HF bands and on MF as well."

Many of the KPH transmitters will be 1950s-era RCA sets. KSM will use
a 1940s-vintage Press Wireless PW-15 transmitter on its 12 MHz frequency
, and output power will be in the 4 to 5 kW range. Transmitting antennas
include a Marconi T for MF, double extended Zepps for 4, 6 and 8 MHz
and H over 2s for 12, 16 and 22 MHz.

Dillman says KPH will send traffic lists, weather and press broadcasts
as well as special commemorative messages, some of which will be sent
by hand. At other times the KPH and KSM "wheel" will be sent to
mark the transmitting frequencies.

Streaming Audio Available

A streaming audio feed will be available for Night of Nights VII.
"Audio will be from a remote receiver probably tuned to the KPH 4 Mc
channel," Dillman said. He notes, however, that picking up the Internet
audio feed does not qualify for a QSL card.

"We realize that this way of copying KPH may not be completely in line
with the traditions of maritime communications," he said, "but we thought
we'd provide it as an option for those who are unable to copy the proceedings any other way."

More Information

Members of the public are invited to visit the KPH receiving station
for this week's event. It will open to visitors at 1500 PDT. The station
is located at 17400 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, on the route to the
Point Reyes lighthouse.

There's more information about the Night of Nights VII event on
the Maritime Radio Historical Society Web site or by contacting Dillman
(415) 990-7090, or Tom Horsfall, WA6OPE (510) 237-9535.

Frequencies and QSL Info

KPH will transmit on 4247.0, 6477.5, 8642.0, 12808.5, 17016.8 and
22477.5 kHz on HF and 500 and 426 kHz on MF. These frequencies have
been made available through the generous cooperation of Globe Wireless,
the current owner of the KPH and KFS licenses. Operators will listen for calls
from ships on ITU Channel 3 in all bands. The Channel 3 frequencies are
4184.0, 6276.0, 8368.0, 12552.0, 16736.0 and 22280.5 kHz on HF and
500 kHz on MF. Send reception reports to D.A. Stoops, PO Box 381, Bolinas, CA
94924-0381 USA. (Denice Stoops was the first female telegrapher hired at KPH.)

KSM will transmit on 426, 500, 6474, 12993 and 16914 kHz. Operators
will listen for calls from ships on 500 kHz and HF Channel 3
(see KPH listing for frequencies). Send reception to D.A. Stoops,
PO Box 381, Bolinas, CA 94924-0381 USA.


WLO will transmit on 4343, 8514 and 12,660 kHz, and operators
will listen for calls from ships on HF Channel 3
(see KPH listing for frequencies). Send reception reports to
WLO/KLB, 700 Rinla Ave, Mobile, AL 36619 USA, or via e-mail.

Due to antenna problems caused by Hurricane Katrina, WLO will not be on MF this year.
KLB will transmit on 488, 500, 2063.0, 6411.0 and 12917.0 kHz,
and operators will listen for calls from ships on 500 kHz and on HF
Channel 3 (see KPH listing for frequencies). Send reception reports to
WLO/KLB, 700 Rinla Ave, Mobile, AL 36619 USA, or via e-mail.

NMC will transmit on 448, 472, 500, 6383.0, 8574.0 and 17220.5 kHz,
and operators will listen for calls from ships on 500 kHz and on HF
Channel 3 (see KPH listing for frequencies). Send reception reports to

Commanding Officer, ATTN: ITC Eric Simmons, Communications Area
Master Station Pacific, 1700 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Pt Reyes Station,
CA 94956-0560 USA.