Re: 12 July 2012 NIGHT OF NIGHTS XIII - SAVE THE DATE

[stan levandowski]

Thanks, Ron.  I've been trying to work K6KPH on Saturdays, during their
"scheduled hours" and following their suggested procedure but so far no
luck.  I regularly work into that part of the country with my 5 watts
and my doublet, so I can only surmise that whatever they are using for
an antenna is pointed westward and does not favor New York.  That would
make sense for a coastal station.

Stan WB2LQF (T200000138)


On Wed, Jun 20, 2012 at 4:23 PM, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:

> NIGHT OF NIGHTS XIII - SAVE THE DATE
>
> 12 July 1999 was a sad day for many of us. We knew it was coming but
> when
> the end finally arrived it was a shock. I was there.
>
> It was the supposed last day of Morse code. The final sign off took
> place at
> a remote station on the Pacific coast. Women attending the event were
> dressed as if at a funeral. Grizzled, hard bitten old men, the kind
> you
> wouldn't mess with in a bar room, had tears in their eyes as the last
> messages was keyed out to the world at 0000 gmt. And then there was
> silence.
> It was just beeps in the air. But that's how much Morse code means to
> the
> men and women who made the profession of radiotelegrapher one of honor
> and
> skill.
>
> But the prediction of the death of Morse code was not to be fulfilled.
> On
> that day the Maritime Radio Historical Society was born. On that day
> we
> began plans to restore a Morse code radio station - the famous KPH.
> One year
> later we held the first "Night of Nights" when not only KPH but other
> coast
> stations appeared once again on the air. Every year since we have
> commemorated that date by returning these stations to the air and
> thereby,
> we hope, honoring the men and women who came before us.
>
> Join us this year for Night of Nights XIII. See and hear a real Morse
> code
> coast station in full song. Mingle with the pioneers who were the men
> and
> women of the airwaves.
>
> Or, if you can't join us in person, join us on the air. KSM and, we
> hope,
> KPH and KFS will be in action (to be confirmed - watch our Web site
> http://www.radiomarine.org for updates). K6KPH will be open to calls
> from
> amateur stations.
>
> When: 12 July 2012 - Doors open at 3:00pm, first transmission at
> 5:01pm
> (0001gmt)
> Where: KPH receive station, 14700 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, past the
> oyster
> company and G Ranch
> Information: [hidden email] <mailto:info%40radiomarine.com>  or
> 663-8982
>
> Light snacks will be served.
>
> VY 73,
>
> RD
>
> =================================
> Richard Dillman, WPE2VT
> Chief Operator, Coast Station KSM
> Maritime Radio Historical Society
> http://www.radiomarine.org
> =================================
>
>
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[k6dgw]

They guard 14050 and 7050 on Saturdays.  It is quite common for there to
be only one op and if he's on one frequency, you'll get no reply on the
other.

They have a new op [Mike Payne - MP] who is also opening K6KPH on
Sundays now too.  If you're not subscribed, I suggest you go to their
web site and get on the RMHS email list.

I'm about 100 miles from KPH/KSM in Auburn in the foothills of the
Sierra Nevada.  K6KPH is QSA 3 or so on 20m, QSA 5 on 40.  Possibly we
could go off list and work out a schedule for a Sat afternoon, and see
just how strong you would be to them.  Not this Sat, it's Field Day :-)

73,

Fred K6DGW
- Northern California Contest Club
- CU in the 2012 Cal QSO Party 6-7 Oct 2012
- www.cqp.org

On 6/20/2012 1:33 PM, stan levandowski wrote:
> Thanks, Ron.  I've been trying to work K6KPH on Saturdays, during their
> "scheduled hours" and following their suggested procedure but so far no
> luck.  I regularly work into that part of the country with my 5 watts
> and my doublet, so I can only surmise that whatever they are using for
> an antenna is pointed westward and does not favor New York.  That would
> make sense for a coastal station.

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[Jim Low man]

The XYL and I attended last year's Night of Nights at the
receiving station.  It was quite the experience.

Richard and the volunteers from the Park Service were
most hospitable, explaining the operation to visitors.
A nice smorgasbord of snacks also awaited us.

I was so inspired by watching Richard send out the
commemorative message with a Vibroplex Original bug
that I bought one for the shack.

Take a copy of your license and operate one of the guest
positions as K6KPH using the 7- or 14-MHz transmitter
that has been throttled back from 5 kw to 1.5 kw.  Take
your key or use theirs.

The receiving site is quite something to behold, not only
in terms of equipment but also the many photos around
the building of the original construction.

I believe that you can make arrangements to see the
transmitter site if you send an e-mail in advance.

Among other things, it's a chance to see the beauty of
Point Reyes National Seashore and their visitor center.
Hopefully, you won't have the thick fog that we
encountered on the drive to the receiver site.

The actual site is set back from the road, so look for the
small sign by the road leading in.

If you can't make the event, Richard was at Pacificon last
year, giving an interesting presentation and showing off
some of the vintage equipment.  Chances are that he'll
be there again this October.

72/73 de Jim - AD6CW

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[Bruce McLaughlin-2]

I have had the pleasure of contacting K6kph on 20 and 40 meters for the past several years on the night of nights. I've also monitored KPH on the various Marine band frequencies. It is certainly brought back memories of monitoring coast stations many years ago. In fact, WCC helped me obtain my amateur license by listening to  it's CW messages  and copying press dispatches.

The organization and volunteers are doing a wonderful job in preserving a glorious history. I would certainly love to attend one of these things in person but it is just too far away. Maybe one day I will be able to do that. I did visit WCC during the period of time when it was in the process of being closed down. It was being operated remotely from KPH and no longer had any operators on site. I was invited to come in by a maintenance man on the premises. Although most of the equipment was gone there were remote receivers being operated from California. I couldn't help but feel the history involved with the place. Even though it was in its death throes (I did not know that at the time) it was well worth a visit. I urge everyone who  are able to participate in this event to do so. It is a unique and very satisfying experience.

 Bruce-W8FU



On Jun 20, 2012, at 8:29 PM, Jim Lowman wrote:

> The XYL and I attended last year's Night of Nights at the
> receiving station.  It was quite the experience.
>
> Richard and the volunteers from the Park Service were
> most hospitable, explaining the operation to visitors.
> A nice smorgasbord of snacks also awaited us.
>
> I was so inspired by watching Richard send out the
> commemorative message with a Vibroplex Original bug
> that I bought one for the shack.
>
> Take a copy of your license and operate one of the guest
> positions as K6KPH using the 7- or 14-MHz transmitter
> that has been throttled back from 5 kw to 1.5 kw.  Take
> your key or use theirs.
>
> The receiving site is quite something to behold, not only
> in terms of equipment but also the many photos around
> the building of the original construction.
>
> I believe that you can make arrangements to see the
> transmitter site if you send an e-mail in advance.
>
> Among other things, it's a chance to see the beauty of
> Point Reyes National Seashore and their visitor center.
> Hopefully, you won't have the thick fog that we
> encountered on the drive to the receiver site.
>
> The actual site is set back from the road, so look for the
> small sign by the road leading in.
>
> If you can't make the event, Richard was at Pacificon last
> year, giving an interesting presentation and showing off
> some of the vintage equipment.  Chances are that he'll
> be there again this October.
>
> 72/73 de Jim - AD6CW
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

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[Phil Kane-2]

  I have had the pleasure of visiting both the receive site (RS)
  and the transmitter site (BL) on several occasions - the first
  of which was an official visit when it was in full operation in
  the 1970s.

  When the MRHS started I joined up, but distance and other
  factors have precluded me from taking more of an active role in
  spite of the urging of RD and others whom I have known for
  decades.

  As usual, I won't be able to be there for the NoN although I
  usually copy the KSM 8 MHz CW, RTTY, and FEC transmissions
  whenever I am home on Saturdays to feel connected.

--  73 de K2ASP - Phil Kane
    Elecraft K2/100   s/n 5402

    From a Clearing in the Silicon Forest
    Beaverton (Washington County)  Oregon

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[k6dgw]

On 6/20/2012 8:20 PM, Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:
> For those of you who have not visited their web site recently, there are a
> series of cool 360-degree panoramic views of the facility at:
>
> http://www.radiomarine.org/gallery/show?keyword=kphpano&panel=pab1_1#pab1_1

Cool!  Still a little puzzled about how he does this.  KPH is a lot
bigger than I thought.  Sadly, no people in the photos would have loved
to see Steve again.  I REALLY need to get over there for a visit.

I was glad to see what I think was a leftie straight key.  Everything at
my positions was screwed down by a right-hander.  Discrimination at its
worst. :-)

73,

Fred K6DGW
- Northern California Contest Club
- CU in the 2012 Cal QSO Party 6-7 Oct 2012
- www.cqp.org

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[Les Gasser W9XC]

Ron, this announcement led me to the radiomarine.org site, and from there to
the magnificent on-air recordings of the coastal stations and marine operations.

What a fantastic historical resource - not to mention a superb trove of
real-world (and often hand-keyed) CW that is great for CW practice, right in
the context of the golden age of CW. For a sense of realism they definitely
beat the W1AW code practice runs (which are a great service, don't get me wrong).

Thanks for posting this,

- Les, W9XC

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