Historic Coast Station KPH Returns to the Air for Night of Nights II

Date: June 27, 2001
Contact: John Dell'Osso, 415-464-5135

KPH, the famous ex-RCA coast station located north of San Francisco, will return to the air for a commemorative broadcast on 13 July at 0001 GMT (12 July at 1701 PDT), 2 years and one minute after the last commercial Morse transmission in North America. Commercial operators, including former members of the KPH staff, will be at the keys.

KPH is operated by the Maritime Radio Historical Society in cooperation with the Point Reyes National Seashore, part of the National Park Service. This on-the-air event is intended to honor the men and women who followed the radiotelegraph trade on ships and at coast stations around the world.

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.

This will be the second annual "Night of Nights", as the event has become known. Last year the transmitters and receivers were both located at the transmitting station in Bolinas, CA. Since then the receiving station at Pt. Reyes, CA has been largely restored. This year several operating positions will be activated at Pt. Reyes and the transmitters in Bolinas will be keyed remotely, just as was done when the station was in daily operation. This should greatly improve our receiving capability, especially on MF.

KPH will transmit on 4247.0, 6477.5, 8642.0, 12808.5, 17016.5 and 22477.5kc/s on HF and on 500 and 426kc/s on MF. These frequencies have been made available through the generous cooperation of Globe Wireless, the current owner of the KPH license. Many of the transmitters will be 50s vintage RCA sets. Power output will be 3 - 4kW.

KPH operators will listen for calls on 4184.0, 6276.0, 8368.0, 12552.0, 16736.0 and 22280.5kc/s on HF and 500 kc/s on MF.

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

Further information may be found on the Maritime Radio Historical Society Web site at http://www.radiomarine.org or by contacting Dick Dillman [phone] or Tom Horsfall [phone]. Reception reports may be sent to Tom Horsfall at 1862 Tulare Ave., Richmond, CA 94805, USA.

-NPS-