After Action Report
MARITIME RADIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY
18 July 2018
BULLETIN
After Action Report
Volume I, No. 4
Night of Nights XIX
2359 GMT, July 12, 1999: A day and time that will live in infamy in the hearts and minds of all those who have an interest, might we rightly say a passion? for the technology, history, and culture of maritime radio in the United States of America. On that day, the vanguard of a body of souls that would shortly be known as "True Believers" gathered to mourn at the KFS/KPH/WCC receive site near Half Moon Bay, CA as what was believed to be the last Morse transmission in the maritime service from these shores was sent out into time and space. Perhaps those last signals -- appropriately ending with the words that legend has it that Samuel Morse himself used to launch the era of telegraphy, "What hath God wrought?" -- escaped the ionosphere and are, even now, emanating through space. Ever weakened by the harsh realities of the inverse-square law, but still perhaps detectable, these simple "dots and dashes" are now safely past the star Alsafi in the constellation of Draco. And then, Morse silence ...
But July 12, 1999 was not, as expected, the end. It may have been the end of the century-long Golden Age of Wireless in the maritime service, but it was not the end. Some of those Proto-True-Believers, gathered at the wake of Maritime Morse at Half Moon Bay, had the inspiration, the vision, and the will to give the lie to that seeming reality. Maritime radio was not dead, it was simply asleep - at the abandoned "tomb" of the Wireless Giant of the Pacific - perhaps the greatest station of them all, at KPH, at "Bolinas Radio" and at "RS," the receive site on Point Reyes. From that wake arose what we now know as the Maritime Radio Historical Society. And in a few short years, with restoration of KPH sufficiently complete, new transmissions of the "Music of Morse" from KPH, KFS and KSM went chasing after those "last signals" from KFS, and are now well clear of Luyten's Star, in the constellation of Canis Major. A New Golden Age of Wireless had begun.
Each year at 0001 GMT, July 13, True Believers tweak the nose of history, and another "Night of Nights" commences. Each year, on that day, and at that time, KPH resurrects the art and science, the technology, history, and culture, of Morse in the maritime radio service in a special way by simply doing what countless shipboard and coast station operators did for over a century - communicate by wireless telegraphy. Many, most, of those wireless pioneers of the Golden Age are gone ... most lost to the vagaries of mortal life, but some, true heroes, gave their lives by practicing their craft in service to the safety of life at sea. It is their memory that we honor, in a special way, each year on this "Night of Nights." If you could not be there, we send along these words to offer you a glimpse into this world on this most special night, which was marked by preparing, remembering, and homecoming,
"Preparing"
"Night of Nights" began at 0001 GMT (5:01 pm PDT) on Thursday, July 13 (July 12, local time), but for the Transmitter Department the campaign began in earnest on Wednesday, July 11, and would continue (due to normal Saturday operations) until late in the day on July 14, local time - an intense four-day effort. It takes a significant amount of work to configure the transmitters and antennas for KPH and KFS operations on "Night of Nights." This includes rearranging heavy antenna transmission lines and bolting them into place on the proper transmitter. This also means adjusting the antenna tuners positioned near the clerestory windows that serve as the egress points for the transmission lines, as they head out through the fields surrounding Building 2A (the home of "Bolinas Radio"), and to the many antennas that populate the vast spaces, where the quiet is interrupted only by the wind off the sea, and the varied sounds of grazing cattle.
Here is MRHS member Paul "The Human Fly" Shinn, working on the antenna tuners.
From this unusual, rarely seen, perspective, you can see the main transmitter gallery in all its splendor. In the foreground, to the left and right of Paul, you can see the vintage RCA "H," "K", and "L" sets. Above Paul's head are the "modern" Henry transmitters installed at KPH by MCI at the time of the last re-build of the station.
On behalf of the Operations Department, Chief Operator Dillman spent Wednesday at the Receive Site on Point Reyes, preparing that space for the influx of True Believers who gather there for "Night of Nights."
With "Preparing" complete, it was time for "Remembering" ...
"Re-Membering"
When we think of "remembering" the first thought that comes to mind is perhaps the psychological process of recalling past events or thoughts. But there is a deeper meaning to remembering, that is, to "re-member" - to be united once again to things that are in the past, but still live within us. The essence of "Night of Nights" is to "re-member," to be united once again to a technology, history, and culture that was, and is. And, in this, we are united to all those who share in that "re-membering."
As tradition demands, "Night of Nights" began on the published: 0001 GMT, July 13. Chief Operator Dillman was at the key and sent the Opening Message - inviting the vast throng present in the Morse room, and those listening afloat or ashore, to remember what was, and to celebrate what is. During the Opening Message the MF transmitter went off line, but the crack Transmitter Department had it back in revenue service in minutes. With the exception of the historic RCA "H" set, operating on the KPH 22 mc channel, all transmitters performed well for the long hours of this annual event.
Chief Operator Dillman sending the "Opening Message" at 0001 GMT, July 13.
An important aspect of "Night of Nights" are the commemorative broadcasts. This year we added a message remembering two recent "Silent Keys": Rene Stiegler, the proprietor of MOBILE RADIO/WLO, who passed away suddenly in February, and MOBILE RADIO/WLO itself, which suspended operations in recent weeks after seventy-one years of faithful service to the maritime community. Rene was a faithful supporter of "Night of Nights" over the years, with WLO once again participating as a Morse coast station. We missed their participation this year.
MOBILE RADIO/WLO -- Another "Silent Key"
True Believer, and holder of the coveted Radiotelegraph Operators License, Rob Harris made the pilgrimage to KPH from Southern California. Here he is at Position One sending a memorial message in honor of all radio officers.
Former US Navy & US Coast Guard Radioman Mike Payne/MP sitting the circuit at K6KPH. Notice the Word War One era Vibroplex Blue Racer "bug". This key served in World War One, on the Canadian National railway, and now at KPH.
During the first batch of commemorative messages, the 22 mc calling channel came to life with signals from MV POMPLUN CIRCUMSTANCE/WDI4501, with our good friend RO Don Pomplun at the key. KPH was holding one radiogram for him. Shortly after the 0100 GMT Traffic List went out we were called by SS AMERICAN VICTORY/KKUI in Tampa, FL on 16 mc - QTC 5! As RD went to work clearing the hook at KKUI, we were also called by MV RJ PFEIFFER/WRJP, enroute to Guam, also on 16 mc! As MP later observed, how long has it been since KPH was called by two ships at once, on the same channel? And to add to the drama, one ship was in port by the Gulf of Mexico and the other was underway in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Truly, one of the memorable moments of NON XIX. We hope that those listening enjoyed joining in, and being a part of, this experience that was very much a connection to the world of the Morse maritime service, at its best. Later in the evening, KPH relayed a radiogram from KKUI, on the Gulf coast, to WRJP, on the Pacific - "re-membering" these two great ships, united via the facilities of "The Wireless Giant of the Pacific." We are grateful to these three ship stations for their participation in "Night of Nights," enriching the experience for everyone.
Our Amateur Radio station, K6KPH, also did yeoman work in uniting hams around the world with our commemoration of maritime radio. We were fortunate to have five guest amateur radio operators who "sat the circuit" at K6KPH, joining regular KPH staff MP and KM, keeping all four sets humming throughout the duration of NON. Over the course of the event, these stalwart operators made 116 QSOs (contacts) with other amateur radio stations around the world. Some highlights from the log: our friend from AUCKLAND RADIO/ZLD, Neil/ZL1NZ, former RCA coast stations operator, Ed/AL7N in Fairbanks, AK, and Toza/JA7CME in Tokyo. Via email we also received a KPH/K6KPH signal report from Bernard/F5DE in Touvre, France.
Chris/AI6U and John/WB6UBK from the Samuel Morse Radio Club in Sacramento, made the trip to Point Reyes to help keep K6KPH standing tall during Night of Nights!
Operations at the receive site ended at 0500 GMT with the solemn "Salute to Coast Stations." This broadcast is a roll call of the many Morse coast stations of the United States that are now "silent keys." Each coast station is called, and a long pause is left for them to reply. Sadly, none answered the hail ... KPH and KFS are the last ones standing. This broadcast ended with a memorial "silent period" of three minutes, in memory of these silent keys, and the countless coast station operators who served at these stations throughout the twentieth century.
With that, operations at RS were secured and the Operations Department headed to "Bolinas Radio" for the Closing Benediction ...
"Homecoming"
"Night of Nghts" is not just about "re-membering," but it is also a time of "homecoming" - sometimes in mysterious ways, as will be seen ...
Like those who gathered at Half Moon Bay on 12 July 1999 to mourn the end of the Golden Age of Wireless, countless True Believers gather each year on 13 July to celebrate the New Golden Age of Wireless. For some, it is a true homecoming - former staff members, or former ship or coast station radio operators, come to re-member and revel. As always we were joined by our beloved "DA," Denice Stoops, the first woman telegrapher hired by RCA. Denice is a true treasure, and we are grateful that she assists us each year by simply telling her compelling story to our visitors. Sadly, the last station manager of KPH at Point Reyes, Jack Martini, and Senior Morse Operator Ray Smith were not able to join us this year. We look forward to their next "home coming."
Jane Puleo Rivera (Left) made a return visit to RS on Night of Nights. Jane's father had been a Merchant Marine Radio Officer during World War Two. Jane donated her dad's vintage National receiver to our collection. On this trip she left us copies of some fascinating documents related to her dad's service in the Merchant Marine.
While almost everyone who comes through the door at RS has a compelling story, and a reason for "coming home," during the time of Night of Nights, two stories will have to suffice for now.
On the Saturday following Night of Nights two couples came through the door and were obviously very interested in the station and its history. In the course of receiving their first-class tour of the facilities it was revealed that one of these visitors was the granddaughter of one Walter Adams, who was a carpenter who lived in Bolinas in the early years of the twentieth century. His story joins ours in that he worked on the construction of the Marshall receive site and Bolinas transmitter site of the Marconi point-to-point station, which opened in 1914. Our visitors appreciated learning more about the place where their ancestor made a lasting contribution to the history of wireless. They believe that they have a rare picture of the "hotel" at Marshall, under construction. If that photograph comes our way, we will definitely share it with you in these pages.
On Night of Nights itself we were joined by the son and the granddaughter of RCA engineer Walt Matthews, who served at KPH. Walt's son offered a curious gift that marked a true "home-coming." Chief Operator Dillman will tell us this fascinating story:
"Readers of a certain age will recognize the BC-453 as one of the command set receivers that were used by so many hams when they became available as surplus after WWII. The BC-453 is the low frequency version that became known as the Q-5er when used as a tunable IF for high frequency receivers.
The BC-453 covers 190kc to 550kc - which includes the medium frequency maritime mobile band. And that, brothers and sisters, led to the unraveling of what first seemed a mystery.
On Night of Nights XIX we here honored by visits from the son and granddaughter of Walt Matthews. Walt was an engineer at the RCA receive station in Point Reyes. The son and granddaughter brought with them some artifacts from his estate - including a BC-453. At first this generated no more than mild attention. But gradually the true importance of this particular BC-453 came into focus.
The first discovery was the true purpose of an obviously home built mystery box that came with the receiver.
After some pondering it became apparent that this was the power supply for the receiver which fit neatly on the rear deck of the BC-453 where the dynamotor originally was. But why would Walt have a BC-453?
The first clue was obvious: a Dymo label on the front panel above the frequency dial with the numbers 426. This is of course the MF working frequency of KPH. A closer examination revealed that the spot on the dial for 426kc was marked with barely visible red paint.
At this point the memory of an early post war photo of KPH came to mind - a photo in which a command set receiver could be seen. After some searching that photo was located. And there it was. A BC-453 with the same manual tuning knob as the one we had on a shelf at a KPH operating position.
Notice the BC-453 in the top rack on the left.
Now the whole picture became clear. BC-453s were used at KPH as keying monitors for KPH MF transmissions. Why only 426kc and not 500kc too? Because, unique in commercial maritime radio communications, 500kc is a simplex Morse channel. So no keying monitor was needed there.
We love this kind of thing. The detective work, the emerging of a complete story about an artifact and, most thrilling, the return of that important artifact to its original home."
"Benediction"
For the members of the Operations Department, perhaps the most satisfying moment of the day comes after a fantastic evening of operating what we believe is the greatest Morse coast station the world ever knew - KPH. After a long, relaxing drive south through the dark roads of Marin county one arrives to see Building 2A of "Bolinas Radio" blazing with light emanating from the clerestory windows, high above the transmitter gallery. As you approach and make the short walk towards the building one often encounters a merging of two powerfully meaningful sounds: the "Music of Morse" and the pounding of surf. An aural experience, truly, of "maritime - radio." Once inside, the transmitters are pounding away, rectifier tubes flashing in rhythm with the dots and dashes. The weary members of the Transmitter Department, their work almost done, can take a moment of leisure to exchange a passing word, and a report of the days activities. All of this leads to the Control Room, and perhaps the most solemn moment of "Night of Nights": the sending of what has come to be called the "Closing Benediction." The text of this message was composed many years ago by DA, and was traditionally sent by her. This year, Chief Operator Dillman took to the key, while the rest of the staff and visitors stood in respectful silence.
These words are a fitting way to end this report of another successful "Night of Nights" ...
"DEAR GODDESS THE MEMBERS OF THE MARITIME RADIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY ARE YOUR HUMBLE SERVANTS AND WE THANK YOU FOR PROTECTING US THIS PAST YEAR AS WE CONTINUED OUR STEWARDSHIP OF THE STATIONS KPH AND KFS STOP THE MUSIC OF MORSE HAS GLADDENED THE HEARTS OF MANY AS OUR SIGNALS CROSSED THE BARRIERS OF TIME AND SPACE AROUND THE WORLD STOP WE ASK THAT YOU GUIDE OUR DECISIONS AND ACTIONS DURING THE COMING YEAR THAT WE MAY BE WORTHY OF THE VALUABLE EQUIPMENT AND THE HONORABLE TRADITION THAT HAS BEEN ENTRUSTED INTO OUR HUMBLE HANDS STOP BLESS ALSO THE MANY EARS THAT SHARE THE FRUITS OF OUR LABOURS ZUT 73/88 ("Morse Forever! Best Regards and Love and Kisses") DA ("sined" by our Denice Stoops) - WE NOW INVOKE AND REQUEST THE BLESSINGS OF THE RADIO GODDESS TO HELP OUR BELOVED DENICE AND ALL RADIO MEN AND WOMEN IN THEIR HOUR OF DIFFICULTY WE WISH YOU FAIR WINDS AND FOLLOWING SEAS GL ("good luck") AND VY 73 DE KPH/KFS SK CL ("end of communications and closed")
At the conclusion of the "Closing Benediction" we were "finished with sets," so the Transmitter Department powered down the thirteen transmitters that had served us so well once again this year. The assembled True Believers then repaired to the Engineers Lounge for the traditional "Night of Nights" cake ... an appropriate way to conclude the celebration of the "birthday" of the Maritime Radio Historical Society.
There is much more that could be said, and perhaps will be in coming issues of this report. Stay tuned. While "Night of Nights XIX" is in the log, "Night of Nights XX" will be here before you know it, and 1700 GMT on Saturday, when operations resume, can't come soon enough. But until then ...
... QRU BV ES GL 73/88 ZUT DE KPH SK EE
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As always, any gift is appreciated!
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