2013 Event has been completed!
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.
> Commemorative Messages
Was your father, uncle or grand dad a commercial op or amateur operator? Would you like to send a commemorative message in their honor over KPH, KFS and KSM? We have sent several of these messages in past events and they were all very moving. If you would like us to send such a message this year please send it to us no later than Thursday 11 July pdt so we can be sure to include it. Sent it to info@radiuomarine.org
