# Coast Station call-signs ....



## Moulder

I wonder whether we can go through the alphabet and list a coast station call-sign for each of the 26 letters.

I'll start with *A*

*A9M - Bahrain Radio.*

The letter *B* - anyone?

Steve.
(Thumb)


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## Roger Bentley

Hankow radio BSN working frequencies 470, 4580, 5295, 8333 A1 A2 H24


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## Ian

Havana CLA, M/F and H/F.


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## K urgess

DZR - Manilla on 17136.8, 13074, 8486, 6446 Weather transmissions.

DAN (Nordeich?) if you insist on MF [=P]


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## Ian

Tenerife - EAT

Cadiz - EAC


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## R58484956

Geraldtown VIN


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## Ian

St Lys - FFL

Boulogne - FFB


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## R58484956

Perth VIP
Hobart VIH
Oban GNE
Humbergate GKZ


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## Drunkensailor

Here's a strange one, I seem to think Berne Radio was HEB. A landlocked country. How many other landlocked countries had *coast* radio stations ?


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## Orbitaman

Im surprised no one has come up with this one yet

GKA - Portishead


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## sparkie2182

HEB ........ Berne radio was actually quite a busy station.
i used to have to exchange messages with a continental " route planner" private organisation which was supposed to advise on possible changes in course, to avoid bad weather.
as we were a bulk carrier fully loaded with german steel bound for east coast u.s.a.....making 7 kts on a good day......how we were supposed to dodge weather was a bit of a mystery.
but this contract depended on contacting HEB daily...... and was a bit of a bind....... the messages tended to be just a comprehensive treatise of the weather......(available from gka for nothing......which had to be copied also, of course)....... and they insisted on a qsl daily.
this was a condition of the cargo charterer......apparantly.
the QRY list of HEB was never too long......but was often quite respectable for a mid european, land locked "coast" station.

best regards............


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## K urgess

IAR - Roma


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## Moulder

Drunkensailor said:


> Here's a strange one, I seem to think Berne Radio was HEB. A landlocked country. How many other landlocked countries had *coast* radio stations ?


*UAT - Moscow*

(Thumb)


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## gwzm

Here's a few to go on with:-

Calcutta: VWC
Aden: ZNR
Colombo: 4PB
Port Sudan: STP
Aqaba: JYO
Awarua: ZLB
Irirangi: ZLO
Vizakhapatnam: VTO
Malta: GYZ

I'll stir up the old grey cells and see what other "exotic" coast staion call sign I can recall.

John/gwzm


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## K urgess

HIA - Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.


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## Ian

Barranquilla radio (Colombia) HKJ


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## K urgess

HKC - Buenaventura, Colombia.


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## K urgess

HCG - Guayaquil, Ecuador


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## K urgess

HKA - Cartagena, Colombia


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## lakercapt

Any "Sparkies" remember this one.
Some said there never was anyone there to hear us calling.

*
VKT*
No cheating by looking up the ACS


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## K urgess

Must be a longitudenal relative of CWA, Montevideo, who never answered either.

Anyone remember who HNT was up the PGulf?


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## Trevorw

YVG - Puerto La Cruz Venezuela
NBA - US station Panama Canal
9MG - Penang after Independence
4PB - Colombo after likewise
KOK - Long Beach 
UVG - Riga
SUK - Suez Canal, somewhere
SVA - Athens
PCH - Scheveningen
WSB - WSY - hundreds on the US East coast
JCS- Chosi

I could go on for hours!!


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## King Ratt

GNV Bahrain Radio


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## Moulder

King Ratt said:


> GNV Bahrain Radio


Anyone remember the callsign of Muscat - beginning with *G* before it changed to *A4M *?

(Thumb)


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## lakercapt

*VKT was Nauru*


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## Tai Pan

GUJ Jersey (British Rail Station)
SUQ Suez Canal
VTF. Vigazapatam


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## hawkey01

Well as I have surfaced from deepest Spain I better get back into the action.

Moulder, I believe Muscat was either GNM or GNW.

Also one that all the OBS vessels should remember from the Gulf - 2AI15 which was Das Island, cannot remember what it bacame later.
Another station that never seemed to be there even when anchored off was 
5OW - Lagos. Even called him on full power with the Crusader one time on the Aureol while anchored off without a reply.



Another thing with the site I am having some very strange happenings with delays in the type appearing on the screen any ideas why??

Hawkey01(Jester)


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## K urgess

If that's as your typing, Hawkey01, then it's more than likely your computer doing something in the background.
If it's taking it's time when you click submit/post quick reply then it's probably the net on go slow again.

Kris


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## Ian

Here's some goodies:-

Chatham (Mass) WCC

Amagansett (NY) WSL

Ojus (FL) WAX

Slidell (LA) WNU

Halifax (NS) CFH

Vancouver (BC) CKN

San Francisco (CA) KFS

I think I'm right in saying that all the big US ports had both RCA and Mackay radio stations. Being with IMR I was expected to work into the Mackay stations, eg WSL on the eastern seaboard and KFS or KOK (LA) on the west coast. Further south, stations like Slidell (Louisiana) WNU were United Fruit Co. (or associated with them). It's a long time ago and I stand to be corrected, but pretty sure I'm right.

Just come to mind, the old c/s for Singapore and Hong Kong were VPW and VPS respectively.


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## hawkey01

Hi Kris,

yep I suppose that is most likely. It is running Ok this time. I must take more water with it.

Neville - Hawkey01


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## R58484956

LGS Svalbard
VRX Daguilar


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## hawkey01

Kris,

On another topic - when and why did Aviation nostalgia close? Was it lack of 
members?

Neville


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## Moulder

Marconi Sahib said:


> ..........
> 
> Anyone remember who HNT was up the PGulf?.......


Hi Kris,

Must have been a Saudi station? I remember *HZY *was Rastanura - Was it Dammam? If I also remember rightly these stations were operated by ARAMCO - Arab American Oil Company.

(Thumb)


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## Ian

Gibraltar ZDK

Aden ZNR

Originally Algiers was FFA then changed to 7TA.


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## K urgess

hawkey01 said:


> Kris,
> 
> On another topic - when and why did Aviation nostalgia close? Was it lack of
> members?
> 
> Neville


Yes, Neville.
It disappeared last week or the week before I think it was.
Lack of support.
I was winding up to post some pictures when I got chance but it vanished before I could.
A pity because there's nowt else like it that I've found yet.

Cheers
Kris


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## K urgess

The trip I used HNT we went to Khora and Mina so it could have been Khora or wherever was closest, Moulder.


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## K urgess

Dakar was 6VA


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## Trevorw

We seem to be missing 'B' and 'Q'.
B was allocated to China: Nationalist or Communist, I can't remember, but they were all four letters, i.e. ships, not coast stations.
Q, I don.t think you will ever find. I suspect it was never allocated. Too close a resemblance to the Q Code. Imagine a South African coast station being given the call sign QSA!


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## K urgess

On my first trip the chief sparks and I had a competition about who heard the most and furthest stations on 500.
I've still got the list and there's not a single B amongst them.
Theres even a Wikipedia entry for it - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_sign


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## Trevorw

Marconi Sahib said:


> On my first trip the chief sparks and I had a competition about who heard the most and furthest stations on 500.
> I've still got the list and there's not a single B amongst them.
> Theres even a Wikipedia entry for it - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_sign


B was definitely Chinese, (one or the other)
If your such an authority, tell me which ships had a three character call sign!?


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## K urgess

I thought mainland China was X.
I've got China having XSG, XSQ, XRK, XUQ but on H/F sending weather.
I do have Taiwan with BMB sending weather on H/F.
Which leads nicely into 3 letter ship callsigns like 4YA, 4YB, 4YC, 4YD, 4YE.
All North Atlantice weather ships Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta and Echo.
Not sure if there were more but those were the only ones I QSOd with OBS.

Cheers
Kris


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## sparkie2182

i have had lots of things missing from b&q


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## Ian

R651400 said:


> If FFA was Algiers who was FGA, possibly Dakar?


Senegal became independent from France in 1960. Prior to that time the c/s of Dakar radio would very likely have been FGA (I can't remember) and following independence would have changed to 6VA as mentioned by Marconi Sahib.

Also comes to mind the Israeli station (Haifa?) c/s 4XO.


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## Moulder

I also associate the first letter *B *with mainland China but just cannot recall any callsigns. 

Hang on though - I do remember hearing *BLX *sent a few times but was nowhere near China when I heard it. [=P] 

(Thumb)


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## King Ratt

Another Persian Gulf station that comes to mind was EPY8 which I think was Khorramshahr


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## Moulder

Who was *EQK *as this springs to mind for the Gulf area as well.

(Thumb)


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## King Ratt

Another PG c/s, YIR, which was Basra.


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## Moulder

Trevorw said:


> We seem to be missing 'B' and 'Q'.
> B was allocated to China: Nationalist or Communist, I can't remember, but they were all four letters, i.e. ships, not coast stations.
> Q, I don.t think you will ever find. I suspect it was never allocated. Too close a resemblance to the Q Code. Imagine a South African coast station being given the call sign QSA!



Just had a recap and post 2 came up with *BSN * - Hankow Radio.


(Thumb)


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## Ian

Moulder said:


> Hang on though - I do remember hearing *BLX *sent a few times but was nowhere near China when I heard it. [=P]
> 
> (Thumb)


Usually in the Silence Period?


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## Moulder

BA204259 said:


> Usually in the Silence Period?


Yeah - thats it! Think it meant *Been Listening *(Jester) 

(Thumb)


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## hawkey01

Just adding a reply to one of the other threads which jogged my memory.
9H2015 or similar - Kuching Radio - which if I remember correctly was on the air for about 5 mins at various times during the day. I did once manage to get him but think we were about to pick up the pilot at Sejingkat. Think he had even less power than my Span VII.
Hawkey01


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## Tai Pan

EAR. Monsanto or Gentle Jesus. wx report aleays gentle breezes.


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## Ian

John Garner said:


> EAR. Monsanto or Gentle Jesus. wx report aleays gentle breezes.


EAR was a Spanish station John, 'tho can't remember which one. Monsanto was Portuguese and his c/s was CTV. It was a monastery and the monks did the wx and ran the radio station. As far as I recall they just broadcast a wx report (that is they didn't offer a commercial service) and it was invariably "gentle breezes" (hence Gentle Jesus) and "light airs and zephyrs". Often when there was a Biscay gale howling round your lug'oles.


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## Trevorw

John Garner said:


> EAR. Monsanto or Gentle Jesus. wx report aleays gentle breezes.


You're getting old John! Monsanto wasn't a Spanish coast station, it was Portugese, call sign CTV.

His claim to fame was in his weather forecasts - you never had light breezes, it was always, "Gentle zephyrs".

Incedentally John, Monsanto was run and manned by monks!


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## trotterdotpom

Trevorw said:


> You're getting old John! Monsanto wasn't a Spanish coast station, it was Portugese, call sign CTV.
> 
> His claim to fame was in his weather forecasts - you never had light breezes, it was always, "Gentle zephyrs".
> 
> Incedentally John, Monsanto was run and manned by monks!


I recall Monsanto broadcasting "Gentle Breezes" too - I think they updated from "zephyrs". Whatever they were sending, there obviously wasn't a window in the building.

It's interesting to hear that the place was run by monks, I thought it was a Portuguese naval station. They must have spent a lot of time at mass because they were never listening to ships (apart from the time they reported me for transmitting in Silence Period!).

John T.


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## Ron Stringer

Gentle breezes - and don't forget the 'smooth wavelets'. Never mind that in reality you were rolling onto your beam ends, Monsanto always had a more optimistic and gentle view.


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## andysk

I thought Monsanto was *CTB* ? maybe the memory cells are deteriorating quicker than I thought ! Their other favourite phrase was "fluffy white clouds" at one time, when in the middle of a storm !

The West African coast, *TUA*, Abidjan, always reliable for sending the OBS messages to on MF.


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## Tai Pan

I give up, you are quite correct, getting old.


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## Empordà

EAR was La Coruña Radio (funny A2 noise) which operated together with Vigo Radio EAF. Both were closed down in 1986 and substituted by Finisterre RADIO EAF.


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## Ian

Empordà said:


> EAR was La Coruña Radio (funny A2 noise)...


Thanks for the reminder.. I remember some of the Spanish coast-stations didn't have a very musical tone, more of a hiss!


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## K urgess

Try *this* for a blast from the past. (Sad)

Just click on the Kunstfunkstellen/ Coast Station button


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## Roger Bentley

*Very busy monks!*

I don't think CTV Monsanto radio had anything to do with a monastery if they did they must have been awful busy as they worked every frequency from the usual MF up to 22 Mhz. According to the list accounts were settled by Minstry of Marine, sounds more like a commercial or naval outfit rather than the Franscicans etc. Although they did persist in the old zephyr breezes in their Wx bulletins.


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## Ian

Marconi Sahib said:


> Try *this* for a blast from the past. (Sad)
> 
> Just click on the Kunstfunkstellen/ Coast Station button


Often have a shufti round Seefunker, including just now EAF and EAS, they sounded more musical than the ones I remember from the early sixties.


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## Ian

Roger Bentley said:


> I don't think CTV Monsanto radio had anything to do with a monastery if they did they must have been awful busy as they worked every frequency from the usual MF up to 22 Mhz. According to the list accounts were settled by Minstry of Marine, sounds more like a commercial or naval outfit rather than the Franscicans etc. Although they did persist in the old zephyr breezes in their Wx bulletins.


Couldn't argue with you Roger if you've seen where the accounts were done. I know when I was at sea the perceived wisdom was that CTV was a monastery. All I remember is taking their weather forecast on M/W and I certainly don't remember them on H/F or as a commercial station. As far as I'm aware the only commercial H/F marine radio station in Portugal was Lisbon/CUL. But that was a long time ago and the grey cells tend to disappear at a rapid rate now, so who knows? Truth or just merely legend? I know which I prefer to think. (Thumb)


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## Trevorw

Talking of funny warbling notes - does anyone remember IAR (Roma) sounded like he'd got laryngitis!
Malin Head/EJM had a teriffic sound.
For me though, the best one of all, both in terms of sound quality and good morse, was PCH, Scheveningen


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## Cunarder

Agreed Trevor - and usually the first Euro station to appear on 500 homeward bound around the Cape or from any other direction....


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## Moulder

The best sound of all was the commanding tone of *GLD *when you first heard him homeward bound.

(Thumb)


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## Tai Pan

SUQ. Suez canal station sounded like a camel breaking wind.


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## Roger Bentley

BA204259 said:


> Couldn't argue with you Roger if you've seen where the accounts were done. I know when I was at sea the perceived wisdom was that CTV was a monastery. All I remember is taking their weather forecast on M/W and I certainly don't remember them on H/F or as a commercial station. As far as I'm aware the only commercial H/F marine radio station in Portugal was Lisbon/CUL. But that was a long time ago and the grey cells tend to disappear at a rapid rate now, so who knows? Truth or just merely legend? I know which I prefer to think. (Thumb)


Thanks for the comment - I had another look at the 1955 list of coast and ship stations just to recap and the listed stations for Portugal at that time were Boa Nova CTI, Cascais Radio CTC, with CTAA listed as the call sign for all Portugese warships, Faro radio CTT, Monsanto CTV numerous listed with figure suffixes, Sagres radio CTS, and Pilotos Cascais radio CTS, the only station not using T as the second letter was good old CUL, and I now note that the settlement for the CT calls was as stated the Ministry of Marine, therefore I now think these were all Naval stations. As CUL charges were settled by CPRM Companhia POrtugese Radio Marconi. so you are quite correct there was only one commercial station. I learn something new everyday! Best regards, Roger(Thumb)


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## K urgess

GLD sounded a bit different.
Something to do with the transmitter offset on 500, I believe.


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## mikeg

Kris,

I like your new radio room clock avatar, are you hopeing time will go backwards?

Mike


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## K urgess

Can't find the reference to GLD that I had before. It may be on the "QRT 500" DVD about the close down.
I thought it might be on *here* which has some interesting info. It may have just been that their tone was as low as was allowed.

That's right, Mike.
We spend all our time looking back in time so I thought turning the clock back would be a good idea. [=P]
Now I have to find an appropriate "pig Latin" saying.

Cheers
Kris


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## K urgess

Yes the reference was on the DVD "QRT 500".
GLD's note was produced because they actually transmitted on 498kc/s.
The crystal controlled transmitters were specially designed to transmit on 500kc/s plus or minus 2kc/s.
This was done so that all the British coast stations on 500 could be distinguished from each other in the UK's high traffic area.
The first transmitters were 1Kw W5 replaced later by the W50 2kW units. GLD had a booster amplifier to give 5Kw.

Salaams
Kris


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## trotterdotpom

Marconi Sahib said:


> .......
> Now I have to find an appropriate "pig Latin" saying.
> 
> Cheers
> Kris


Not Pig Latin but how about..."Tempus fugit, non autem memoria" (Time flies but not memory).

John T.


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## Moulder

Anyone remember the c/s of St.Helena Radio (Jamestown)? - believe it was operated by C&W and remember sending them my OBS.



Steve.
(Thumb)


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## Moulder

Re. my last - I'm gonna go from memory and suggest - *ZDH *- can anyone confirm?

Steve.
(Thumb)


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## Orbitaman

Quiet day in the office, so here goes for the alphabet and numerical callsigns:-

A9M - Bahrain
BPM - Shaanxi
C6N - Nassau
DYH - Cebu
EAF - Finisterre
FJP - Noumea
GNI - Niton
HKC - Buenaventura
IAR - Rome
J2A - Djibouti
KUP - Majuro
LZL - Bourgas
M - Not currently assigned for commercial stations
NCF - Miami
OST - Oostende
PPS - Santos
Q - Not currently assigned for commercial stations
RBN - Tashkent
S3D - Chittagong
TYA - Cotonou
UAT - Moscow
VCS - Halifax
WLO - Mobile
XYR - Yangon
YIR - Basrah
ZKR - Rarotonga
1 - Not currently assigned for commercial stations
2 - Not currently assigned for commercial stations
3DP - Suva
4PB - Colombo
5BA - Cyprus
6VE - Dakar
7TA - Algiers
8RB - Demerara
9PA - Banana


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## K urgess

Don't recognise NCF. Must be new. NMA was Miami coastguard or WAX commercial when I was out there.
Dakar was 6VA by the way.


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## Orbitaman

Marconi Sahib said:


> Don't recognise NCF. Must be new. NMA was Miami coastguard or WAX commercial when I was out there.
> Dakar was 6VA by the way.


You are quite right, 6VA is indeed Dakar - I can't read my own handwriting!


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## Moulder

Moulder said:


> Re. my last - I'm gonna go from memory and suggest - *ZDH *- can anyone confirm?
> 
> Steve.
> (Thumb)


Have just been corrected by a mate down that way - its *ZHH .*

(Thumb)


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## hawkey01

*GLD Txs - W5 - INFO.*

Kubar, et all,

Regarding the GLD tx note etc. The tx that is relevant to this discussion is the W5. The later W50 were 2Kw SSB and were not off tuned.

The following is direct from an ex colleague of mine who served at GLD from 1967 until retirement. He also supplied me with the attached photos. 

Quote.

When I started at GLD in 1967 we had three W5 tx's which were both WT and RT with a power output of about 750Watts. One of these also had a 5Kw, power amplifier for use on WT only ( 498, 438, 512, 522 Kcs).
The frequency of this power amp was 498 Kcs and this is what gave GLD its distinctive note. Most of the other British coast stations were transmitting on 500 Kcs but PCH was slightly high on 501 or 502 Kcs. This in theory meant QRM on 500 would be slightly less if some stations were just a bit higher or lower.
Unquote.

The photos are the Power amp and also the W5 tx. I had to play with the W5 picture to get it to upload so not quite as good as the original.

Neville - Hawkey01


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## K urgess

Seems that none of the people that worked at GLD can agree.
The narration on the DVD "QRT 500" was done by John Chappell who was an operator at GLD. I think he was the last operator.
I was quoting what he said. Sounds as if he's reading from a script.

Salaams
Kris


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## Trevorw

Orbitaman said:


> Quiet day in the office, so here goes for the alphabet and numerical callsigns:-
> 
> A9M - Bahrain
> BPM - Shaanxi
> C6N - Nassau
> DYH - Cebu
> EAF - Finisterre
> FJP - Noumea
> GNI - Niton
> HKC - Buenaventura
> IAR - Rome
> J2A - Djibouti
> KUP - Majuro
> LZL - Bourgas
> M - Not currently assigned for commercial stations
> NCF - Miami
> OST - Oostende
> PPS - Santos
> Q - Not currently assigned for commercial stations
> RBN - Tashkent
> S3D - Chittagong
> TYA - Cotonou
> UAT - Moscow
> VCS - Halifax
> WLO - Mobile
> XYR - Yangon
> YIR - Basrah
> ZKR - Rarotonga
> 1 - Not currently assigned for commercial stations
> 2 - Not currently assigned for commercial stations
> 3DP - Suva
> 4PB - Colombo
> 5BA - Cyprus
> 6VE - Dakar
> 7TA - Algiers
> 8RB - Demerara
> 9PA - Banana


Don't forget 9MG - Penang: used to be VPX


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## hawkey01

Kris,

Sorry don't follow why you say they disagree. I know both these people personally and they are both fonts of wisdom with regard to GLD as both served there for many years. They both agree that GLD was operated with the W5 on 498 thus giving it the distinctive note. The reason being as stated to try and alleviate some of the QRM on 500. I am fairly certain that none of the other coast stations at that period operating W5 had power amps. As Malcolm has said they did not have this at GND and that was a high traffic station. I worked at GLD myself at several times at both the old and new sites. The original site housed the W5 but I cannot remember much about it. By the time the new station was in use the txs were W50's.

Best regards
Neville - Hawkey01


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## Moulder

Two not to get muddled with:-

*VAI *- Vancouver.

*VIA *- Adelaide.

(Thumb)


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## andysk

EAT - Tenerife
EAL - Las Palmas

Both had very distinctive notes on MF

(and slightly erratic timekeeping at times !)


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## Ian

Remember heading for the Caribbean coast of Guatemala, Puerto Matthias de Galvez and Puerto Barrios. Consulted "Sparkie's Bible" and it informed me that the local station on 500 was TGA. Called him on and off for a few hours with no reply. Eventually a Panamanian registered ship called me and said.."You're wasting your time... TGA has been closed for 15 years.." So much for the Admiralty being up to date. All traffic to and from the agents was passed via Slidell radio/WNU in Louisiana, United Fruit Company. I think they still ran a lot of Central America as a fiefdom in those days, even as late as the early '60's.


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## K urgess

Sorry Neville and R651400.
I read that as the power amp giving the 498kc/s not the amplifier. The Tx must've been on 498 since the PA can't change the frequency. So just a matter of my reading ability or lack of it. [=P]
The credits at the end of the DVD do give David Nuncarrow's name as the last operator so that was me not listening properly. (egg)
John Chappell's narration says, "The Post Office 1Kw W5 installed in the mid 1950s. Crystalled for 500kc/s plus or minus 2 to give differing notes in the high traffic area around the UK coast gave sterling service."
I interpreted that as meaning that all the UK coast stations had a slightly different note. I must admit that thinking back 40 years gives me a headache but I was sure you could tell them apart with reasonable accuracy and not just by the operator's "fist".
If you, who worked on the stations, say it was not so, apart from GLD, then I must modify my memories to account for it.
Thanks again for all the input. It's been very interesting learning how the "other half" operated.
Cheers
Kris


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## Moulder

BA204259 said:


> .........Called him on and off for a few hours with no reply. Eventually a Panamanian registered ship called me and said.."You're wasting your time... TGA has been closed for 15 years.." So much for the Admiralty being up to date.........



..... or previous R/Os not having done the ALRS corrections ???(MAD) 

(Thumb)


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## ernhelenbarrett

VKT was the callsign for Nauru If I remember correctly until it changed to C2N
after independence. It was okay when it had an Australian Chief R/O but went rapidly downhill after independence. Had a couple of Coast Stations which were hard to contact when on the Tongan Registered vessel Taulotto2/A3BB and those were Nukalofiaradio/A3A and ApiaRadio...cant remember the callsign but it will come back to me
Salaams Ern Barrett


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## Moulder

ernhelenbarrett said:


> VKT was the callsign for Nauru If I remember correctly until it changed to C2N
> after independence.......
> Salaams Ern Barrett


Ah thanks for that Ern - was thinking of that one t'other day. Loaded there once for Shanghai. Remember having to come in gingerly to tie up to a couple of 'mooring dolphins' that were sunk in position in very deep water - we had to keep the radar on during loading to keep watch for weather squalls. If any were sighted then off we went back out to sea so as not to drag the mooring buoys out of position.

Regards,

Steve.
(Thumb)


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## hawkey01

Malcolm,

those photos of GND bring back a few memories. Those barge channels and the rigs etc were a real work out. Happy memories.

I still have happy memories of trying to understand my fishing colleagues on the RT especially on Hebrides Lewis etc. 

Great walk around Dunottar Castle. 

Nevile - Hawkey01


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## Trevorw

NBA The US station for the Panama canal - an absolute sod to get a QSO with, but Marconi wouldn't let us work Cristobel, HP something or other, because it was too expensive!


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## Ron Stringer

Trevorw said:


> NBA The US station for the Panama canal - an absolute sod to get a QSO with, but Marconi wouldn't let us work Cristobel, HP something or other, because it was too expensive!


The costs of messages sent on ship's business were of no significance (or interest) whatever to Marconi's, Trevor. 

Marconi's just settled the bills that came in from the coast station authorities (plus any additional land line charges for forwarded messages) and then billed the resulting total to the shipowner. 

Shipowners, however, were often very sensitive to message charges and took their Masters to account if they thought they sent too many (or too wordy) messages, so much so that many Masters would send telegrams in abbreviated language that no one could understand. I often would see messages back from agents or owners asking for clarification - vastly increasing the costs over what they would have been had the original been clearly expressed.

When telex came in, things seemed to go in a completely different direction and we had Masters that thought they were writing War and Peace instead of a report on the reason for delay.


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## freddythefrog

With regards to question of MUSCAT radio callsign before being A4M i think it was GPJ if my memory serves me correctly.ftf


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## lakercapt

ernhelenbarrett said:


> VKT was the callsign for Nauru If I remember correctly until it changed to C2N
> after independence. It was okay when it had an Australian Chief R/O but went rapidly downhill after independence. Had a couple of Coast Stations which were hard to contact when on the Tongan Registered vessel Taulotto2/A3BB and those were Nukalofiaradio/A3A and ApiaRadio...cant remember the callsign but it will come back to me
> Salaams Ern Barrett


See my post #21
Our sparkie was certain that there never was any person manning that station as he would call for ages trying to get traffic away.
Very relaxed attitude on that island when I unfortunately had to spend some time in hospital there in 1965. Never did find out where the location was and I was all over the place
Bill


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## hawkey01

Malcolm,

sometime before the introduction of the DOC system Oban was closed and they remoted the VHF stations to GND. We also had MF RT as well so it was like having another coast station within GND. There was a dedicated area - see the photos of GND. Cannot give you a year the closure happened but I was at GND during the terrible Piper Alpha disaster, which was 1988.
Neville - Hawkey01


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## geobro

*Coast Station Call Signs*

Did any of you work ZBH fifty years ago?


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## Tai Pan

Dont recognise, give us a clue george


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## Degema

Wasn't there a 2A01 up the Gulf in the 60s?


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## geobro

*Coastal radio call signs*

R651400

Indeed! Give the man a teddy bear!


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## geobro

*Coast Station... Call Signs*

Yes, But before my time. I knew him as Asst Secretary at Leith Harbour Whaling Station. An ebullient character. Ken - I think his surname McLeish - was R/O & AB on one of Salvesen's catchers. He was below laying out the whale line while whale was being hauled in, when it did a runner. There was rope flying everywhere and looped around Ken's leg.


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## geobro

*coast station call signs*

Thanks for the memory prompt.... Sinclair, yes. I guess he has passed on then, eh?

Edinburgh W/C (oops! will let that pass) was in Torphichan Street,( Square or Place ?)- sort of halfway between West End and Haymarket


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## geobro

Then I must have been Edin. W/C's last student when I got my 1st PMG in 1954, mebe I sent them broke!


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## znord737

What about XSG ? Shanghai Radio

HZY Rastanura Radio

9KM Meina Al Amhadi


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## Empordà

Lantana WOE
Tampa WPD
Port Arthur WPA
Galveston KLC

Limón TIM (Costa Rica)

Panamá HPA formerly NBA 

Belem PPL
Olinda PPO
Rio PPR
Rio Grande PPJ

and more and more.....


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## IAINT

VCS - Halifax


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## Moulder

*VAI * Vancouver.

*VIA * Adelaide.

(Thumb)


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## pippin

Sorry, but Marconi Marine "ELECTRA" Rx's are HF.

You actually had "MERCURY" MF Rx's at the UK CRS!!


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## pippin

Here is a callsign conundrum!

GAN

MEX

Got it?


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## gwzm

Hi Pippin,

MEX was the callsign of the RAF station on Gan Island. He usually ran the characters together so that MEX came out as GX. They had no appreciation of 500 kc/s as a calling frequency and silence periods. I had the bizarre experience of him asking me to transmit our arrival information 500 kc/s during a silence period! They were used to military point-to-point working with the receiving and sending operators in different locations.

Happy days.

John/gwzm


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## Keckers

sparkie2182 said:


> HEB ........ Berne radio was actually quite a busy station.
> i used to have to exchange messages with a continental " route planner" private organisation which was supposed to advise on possible changes in course, to avoid bad weather.
> as we were a bulk carrier fully loaded with german steel bound for east coast u.s.a.....making 7 kts on a good day......how we were supposed to dodge weather was a bit of a mystery.
> but this contract depended on contacting HEB daily...... and was a bit of a bind....... the messages tended to be just a comprehensive treatise of the weather......(available from gka for nothing......which had to be copied also, of course)....... and they insisted on a qsl daily.
> this was a condition of the cargo charterer......apparantly.
> the QRY list of HEB was never too long......but was often quite respectable for a mid european, land locked "coast" station.
> 
> best regards............



I used this quite a bit - relatively cheap and usually pretty quick.


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## pippin

*Gibraltar radio zdk*

I know this is an old thread but does anyone know where ZDK was physically located?

I think it was operated by C&W.

I have plotted the QTHs in Lat/Long from ALRS V1 on Google Earth.

There are three different Lat/Longs - for W/T Tx, Em W/T Tx & R/T.

None of them make any sense in Google Earth.


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## lakercapt

Moulder said:


> Ah thanks for that Ern - was thinking of that one t'other day. Loaded there once for Shanghai. Remember having to come in gingerly to tie up to a couple of 'mooring dolphins' that were sunk in position in very deep water - we had to keep the radar on during loading to keep watch for weather squalls. If any were sighted then off we went back out to sea so as not to drag the mooring buoys out of position.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Steve.
> (Thumb)


The mooring buoys at Nauru were indeed in very deep water and if there was any possibility of weather (adverse) you cast off immediately. We at times drifted off this island for many days the record being 34 !!!!
The coast station as I mentioned in an earlier post was VKT as the sparkie got carpal tunnel syndrome off the key calling to no avail!!!!


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## Moulder

lakercapt said:


> The mooring buoys at Nauru were indeed in very deep water and if there was any possibility of weather (adverse) you cast off immediately. We at times drifted off this island for many days the record being 34 !!!!
> The coast station as I mentioned in an earlier post was VKT as the sparkie got carpal tunnel syndrome off the key calling to no avail!!!!


Yes it did take a few calls to get his attention. They probably did hear you first call though but, the RO ashore was usually busy with teleprinter skeds with the other Pacific Islands which had a priority over routine maritime comms. Happy Days …………..

(Thumb)


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## Keith Adkins

I'm surprised that the following haven't been mentioned before
PKM Pladju
PKI Djakarta
PKN Balicpapan
PKB Belewan


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## bobharrison2002

KPH San Francisco (RCA)
KFS San Francisco (ITT)
NMC San Francisco USCG
KMI San Francisco (AT&T)
KLB Seattle


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## Paul Braxton

KMI was Point Reyes, wasn't it? Up in Washington state near KLB? Might have got that one wrong.

KLB was one of the best stations to work on the west coast. Brilliant for VHF link calls when alongside at the Seattle grain berth.


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## bobharrison2002

All four of the SFO stations were located at Point Reyes just to the northwest of Oakland but were generally referred to as San Francisco much the same as Burnham on Sea was Portishead.


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## Troppo2

Moulder said:


> Yes it did take a few calls to get his attention. They probably did hear you first call though but, the RO ashore was usually busy with teleprinter skeds with the other Pacific Islands which had a priority over routine maritime comms. Happy Days …………..
> 
> (Thumb)


I worked C2N when I was in Baron Murray/GWES. Actually...not bad.


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## Troppo2

P2M - Port Moresby
P2R - Rabaul


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## Moulder

Troppo2 said:


> I worked C2N when I was in Baron Murray/GWES. Actually...not bad.



That has just jogged my memory further - I'm sure I used C2N when QSO Nauru late 70's.

(Thumb)


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## spaarks

2 A I 1 5 Das Island

Glad I had an el-key!


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## R651400

When with Niarchos was on time charter to Brazil's Frota Nacional de Petroleiros who had there own station in Rio de Janeiro (PPR).
Not a coast station but would like to give it a mention here..
PPA25


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## Wismajorvik

LPD86 HF station for Buenos Aires, (General Pacheco Radio ?).
Would take calls after tfc list but would work Argentinian ships first.
Once requested I set up a sked with Portishead for him. Another time was not available, being used for traffic with the Navy during a mini-coup.


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## trotterdotpom

Remember when Argentina had the official exchange rate, the unofficial exchange rate and the official unofficial exchange rate ... or somat like that. One of the operators at LPD explained it all to me and was very keen to become my personal exchange executive. Unfortunately, I don't think I had enough cash to hold his interest.

John T


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## Manchester

Anyone any idea of JNA, presumably Japanese. Was sorting out some old cassette tapes and found CW call giving Navarea missile testing near Marshall Islands followed byTony Blackburns top of the pops. Don’t ask !! Seems to be around 1982. In which case I was on STUK “Siam”


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## R651400

See *here* . STUK Sudanese Flag?


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## Manchester

R651400 thanks for your prompt reply. Thought it was a Government station but just couldn’t remember hearing it!!

STUK is short for Shell Tankers UK. “Siam” was ex Shell tanker “Dorcasia” sold to Thailand but managed by STUK with several Thai cadets and officers under training.


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## trotterdotpom

Manchester said:


> R651400 thanks for your prompt reply. Thought it was a Government station but just couldn’t remember hearing it!!
> 
> STUK is short for Shell Tankers UK. “Siam” was ex Shell tanker “Dorcasia” sold to Thailand but managed by STUK with several Thai cadets and officers under training.


JNA is/was Tokyo Hoan, Japanese Coast Guard. (I found a list).

John T


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## R651400

Manchester.. All my voyages on the Japanese coast never once heard JNA.

STUK... Had a funny feeling it wasn't a Sudanese call sign!


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## Manchester

Finally managed to upload JNA tape


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## Ystradgynlais

Nauru VKT became C21(something, cant remember.
The m.v. Eigamoiya was C2EM, which was one of the first letter followed by a numeral c/s in Australian waters and created quite a stir!
Ah, just remembered, C21 was Amateur prefix) and Nauru was C2N.


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## 7woodlane

*coast stations initial letters.*

Memory being what it is, I remember in the list of coast stations during the Fifties a station (name ?) located in the Lebanon whose callsign was quote AD2AAD unquote. Never heard it on 500 nor did it respond to any calls on 500.
David Whitehead.


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## 7woodlane

*coast station letters*

I did say my memory wasn't the best. So, re my earlier message I now recall that coast station should have read : OD2AAD. Apologies for that lapse.


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## CrossedFlags

I note someone mention NAB Panama, but there was also the other N stations belonging to the US coastguard:
NMA Miami
NMC San Francisco
NMF Boston
NMO Honolulu
NMR Puerto Rico
who were always on the hunt for AMVERS and OBS


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## Ron Stringer

CrossedFlags said:


> I note someone mention NAB Panama, but there was also the other N stations 000


I remember it as NBA = Balboa rather than NAB (which is a sort of lighthouse in the Solent) (Jester)


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## trotterdotpom

Ron Stringer said:


> I remember it as NBA = Balboa rather than NAB (which is a sort of lighthouse in the Solent) (Jester)


Yes, NBA sounds right for Balboa. I was a sort of lighthouse keeper for a bit on Nab Tower and it's actually in Spithead I believe.

John T


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## IMRCSparks

Re Balboa Radio/NBA. On a trip on the Columbia Star/GOTD we were just entering the Miraflores locks (Balboa end) when the OM instructed me to send an urgent telegram to our Panama agents. NBA didn't respond on 500khz so in order to get the QTC away quickly I did a scan through his hf frequencies and ended up sending the message to him on 22MHz. Must have been the shortest - long distance communication ever? Who needs skywave when you have a couple of miles of ground wave from a 1.5Kw transmitter. At least NBA must have thought I was a fair distance away as I didn't get reported for transmitting in the locks.
Kevin.


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## holland25

NBA from memory could be quite hard to contact. I seem to remember trying to send our ETA at the canal. There was a lot of static around due to thunderstorm activity. It took a while but I managed to clear the traffic. I often wondered if I had been reported for overcalling. If I was it never caught up with me.


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## trotterdotpom

NBA was a US Coastguard Station, I didn't think they accepted commercial messages.

Pretty sure there was a coast station at Balboa or Colon but can't remember the call sign. 

John T


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## Keith Adkins

I can't remember using any other station than NBA when enroute to the Panama Canal and that is with 3 different ships - Southern Cross, Tuscany and the City of Canberra


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## martin winn

NBA was the coast station for the canal up until it was handed over to Panama. The station to contact then was HPN60, which had a very wobbly transmitter, and even more wobbly operators. You could send to any US coastguard station if you couldn't get NBA. I use to use Puerto Rico a lot. (Can't remember callsign)


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## IMRCSparks

A quick bit of googling reveals that NBA was a US Navy station (not USCG). So that makes me even more confused as to why it would be accepting commercial traffic; but it's the only station that I can recall working when approaching or departing the Canal.


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## jimg0nxx

Was not the canal run by the US Corps of Engineers or some such name? Therefore in effect the US Government, so the station was a US Government station run by the Navy.
Not sure on details but just a thought.


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## Ron Stringer

More than that, the entire Canal Zone belonged to the USA and was completely administered and controlled by the Americans until the end of 1999 when it was turned over to the Panamanian government. (Grateful acknowledgement to David Varley for correction)


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## Varley

Panamanian, surely, Ron?


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## Ron Stringer

You are right of course David, thank you Don't know what happened there - I know what I meant to write but the fingers thought differently. I'll correct it when I'm back at my PC - don't see the Edit button on my phone.


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## R651400

Almost certain there was a Panamanian commercial coast station HP or HO something in the ITU List of Coast and Ship Stations. Panama City rings bells or maybe Cristobal.


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## PeterY

The two Panamanian stations listed in ALRS 1978 is Puerto Armuelles (HPN) (Pacific Coast) and Balboa (NBA) Panama Canal Zone. NBA was the better stn as it had 8 and 12 MHz H24 as well as MF and $ MHz. Ahh the good old days of gliding through the canals.


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## holland25

Wouldn't an ETA to the canal admin be some kind of service message.


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## Paul Braxton

Yes indeed. Did it back in 2007, aboard "Tikeibank", southbound to Tahiti and NZ from Europe - emigration trip no. 3! Gliding, as you say, through the Culebra Cut in the dark; dead silence, water meeting land boundaries impossible to make out, a black sheet of dead calm and us gliding through, seemingly soundlessly ourselves. I was up in the foc'sle with the Mate and his men, ship eventually passing under the massive road bridge and onward... Amazing place back in the day and still is now.


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## CT1GZB

*CTV in 1955*

This is a QRG from Monsanto Radio/CTV in 1955


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## trotterdotpom

That would have been handy if you could ever get an answer out of them.

John T


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## pippin

Just to resurrect the thread and also our grey cells:

What were the callsigns of the two Argentinian pilot stations out in the middle of nowhere when approaching BsAs in the River Plate?

Also, back in 1970 we loaded oil from an isolated wooden platform out in the sea off Fao/Al Faw off Basrah.
Do I remember correctly that there was a 500kHz Coast Stn on the platform - YIS?
Or is it a flight of fancy!
I do remember the Iraqi Army coming on board and sealing the radio gear. 
I pointed to the biggest switch - which was the emergency battery charger, which they duly sealed.
The same trick I had played on the Russians in Riga.
No way was I going to miss the football results and suffer the wrath of the crew!!!


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## majoco

znord737 said much earlier..


> remember *HZY *was Rastanura


IMHO he got a Vibroplex key for his birthday and hadn't quite got the hang of it. I think he sent instructions for the pilot boat and I just gave him a "QSL TNX" and we always managed to find the pilot!


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## Baulkham Hills

There were a few very low powered stations A1/A2 in the "English narrows" in Chile, which service msgs were sent to inform of progress through the narrows. I can't remember the callsigns but they were not listed on ALRS.
Another unusual one was WNY with the aerials on the Empire state Building again A1 A2.


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