MRHS NEWSLETTER No. 29
Dedicated to True Believers World Wide 
27 February 2013
 

Headlines 
  • Maintenance Department Report - Transmitter Keying Reverse Engineering
  • Radio Archeology - Part 5 of a Series     
  • Wonderful Donation 
  • Operations Report 

 

 

Maintenance Department Report - Transmitter Keying Reverse Engineering 

 

We're in the somewhat enviable position of having more transmitters in Bolinas (BL) than we have transmitter control switches at Point Reyes (RS).  That's because for most of the station's life there was just one station to control: KPH.  We're controlling two stations, KSM and K6KPH.  

 

As many will know, during the last years of KPH operations at Bolinas/Point Reyes sister station WCC on Cape Cod was controlled from RS as a cost saving measure.  That applied to both the CW and SITOR operations but it's the CW operations we're concerned with here.

KPH (blue) and WCC (black) transmitter control panels at RS
The installation of control facilities for WCC was a big deal, involving a WCC control panel at each of the six operating positions at RS, a dedicated rack of WCC tone sets and a T1 line to connect the two stations.  The receivers at WCC were also remotely controlled from KPH but with the closure of operations at Bolinas/Point Reyes that system disappeared.  The control circuits for the WCC transmitters remain however and therein lies the subject of this narration.

 

Mr. Bill Ruck (RK) or the Maintenance Department has taken on the task of a> understanding the WCC control system and b> reverse engineering it so we can use it to control additional transmitters at BL.  This is no easy task.  There are multiple layers in the system, some added to correct problems with earlier layers, and the documentation is thin and sometimes unreliable.

 

We have an expression when we encounter a particularly puzzling or poorly executed system as part of our restoration: "Welcome to KPH", this coined by Warren Reese, last transmitter technician at BL.  To this Bill now adds "Welcome to WCC". But we should really let him tell his own story, as he does in this report:

 

The next step in getting more transmitters controlled is to revamp the transmitter keying system at RS. The plan is to use the KPH system for KSM and the WCC system for K6KPH. This will give each operating position the ability to select 20 transmitters which is more than the tone sets can transmit. (The tone sets are limited to 16 frequencies; 2 of which are used for the order wire TTY.)  

 

My first attempt at verifying the WCC system was not successful. To coin a new phrase, "Welcome to WCC". This may be just a special case of "Welcome to KPH". The issue is that some of the documentation is correct. We also do not have complete documentation. Which part of what we have is correct is always the problem. I read through the documentation that we have for WCC keying and based on that fabricated a test jig so I could test the CW Position 1 control panel on the bench. This is important because otherwise I'd drive Mike Payne (MP) nuts.

 

The WCC CW Position 1 control panel clearly has several layers of modifications after it was constructed. The first generation workmanship was OK. Then there are layers of poor workmanship with wires spliced in mid-air. The modifications are mostly all done with blue wire. It also has a row of miniature toggle switches at the top which does not appear in any documentation.   

Bill Ruck hard at work at the bench at RS

 What I learned Saturday:  

 

1. The control panel needs -12 VDC. The main schematic does not show this but after being unable to key the output lines I read through other schematics, including what are called "insert" schematics for the main schematic, I saw that the keying relays are powered from -12 VDC. Then in another schematic, "POWER AND SIGNAL DISTRIBUTION BOX" I saw hand corrected designations which puts -12 VDC on Pin 23 of the DC-37 connector. When I did that I could key all lines. Note that on most documentation Pin 23 is labelled "PK232". There are four relays: two for the wheel and two for manual keying.  

 

2. Mercury wetted relays do not work upside down. I should know this but while trying to follow wires I had to look at the bottom of the panel. After some head scratching when things worked some of the time it was look, turn it right side up, and test.  

 

3. The top row of miniature switches are in series with the DC-37S connector that goes to the FDM multiplex (tone sets). If the switch is down nothing happens.  

 

4. The transmitter select toggle switches are mechanically sticky. At times you have to move the switch and wiggle it until it clicks. The red "busy" LED indicates if the switch hasn't clicked. I noticed this with other WCC panels at other operating positions.  

 

5. There are two three-position toggle switches on the CW Position 1 panel that select "WX" / "WHEEL" or "PK-232" / "LIST". (The functions are labelled differently in different places.) Center off. The upper switch selects transmitters 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10. And transmitter 1 (MF) only in "PK-232" / "LIST" mode. The lower switch selects transmitters 3, 5, 7, and 9. One of these switches clearly was added later.  

 

6. For some reason there is an interaction between the KPH and WCC keying system. If the CW Position 1 DC-37P and DC-37S are not connected to each other (either through the panel or directly) CW positions 2 through 6 KPH keying does not work. This was a surprise; I have not found anything in the documentation that explains this.  

 

7. When I removed the WCC panel MP reported that he lost side tone. After studying the switches on the audio control panel I showed MP that he could get KPH side tone in either ear. The audio control panel had been left with WCC side tone. The CW Position 1 hand key is plugged into the WCC panel and then feeds the KPH panel. I had bypassed this with a 1/4" jack to phono jack temporary adapter but that did not allow WCC side tone to be generated. I have a vague notion of how local side tone is generated but will have to fully document the system as it exists. It may be likely that there may be more than one configuration; i. e. how CW Position 1 is configured may not be a model for other positions.  

 

Now that I understand how the WCC keying works the next trip will be to learn how to connect this system to the 901 tone sets. The 901 tone sets are -8 VDC keyed to ground. The WCC FSM-76 FDM mux has a circuit somewhere that converts the FSM-76 positive voltage to ground to -12 VDC keying through a photo isolator. Exactly where that lives I have to find so that I can isolate the 10 keying lines from this circuit. Ultimately those 10 lines will terminate in the tone set rack. I will also transcribe my notes to a clean schematic and share that.  

 

RK  

 

This kind of thing can easily drive the best intentioned engineer 'round the bend.  Luckily for us Bill enjoys reverse engineering the the feeling of triumph that comes with finally understanding what's going on.

 

Bill makes passing reference to the test jig to built to allow bench testing of the keying panel.  With the modesty typical of great men, he fails to mention that the jig is a thing of beauty, better engineered and constructed than much of what it's testing, complete with rows of LEDs to confirm keying and power.  If he had relied on the usual jumble of clip leads to analyze the keying panel he would have long ago been led off gibbering to the radioman's padded cell.  

   

If you've been following these reports of our activities you know that all of us, including Bill, are volunteers.  And Bill, yet to retire, is trying to make a living in between sorting out the arcane systems of KPH.  He makes the trip from San Francisco to remote West Marin and even brings morning buns along to be consumed at morning Services of the Church of the Continuous Wave at Bolinas.  It's really hard to ask for more than that.

 

Of course we all participate happily in this project and feel lucky to be involved with The Cause.  But you know... a little assistance from our fellow True Believers would be a great help.  It allows us to make purchases of needed parts and equipment that otherwise would have to be paid for from our personal bank accounts - which we are happy to do when needed.  

   

 

Make a Donation    
 
Are you in a position to help The Cause with a donation?  Even the smallest amount helps.  And it lets us know that the project means a lot to other folks, not just to ourselves. 

Thanks!
   

  

 

  

Radio Archeology - Part 5 of a Series

The great coast stations of the world are the stuff of interest for us and mighty WSL on Long Island east of New York City must certainly appear on this list.  Chief Operator Richard Dillman (RD) grew up as a radio obsessed kid on Long Island and detected the presence of WSL early on.  We'll let him tell the story:

My dad liked big cars.  After the 1936 Packard that came as our first post war car there were a number of others, finally culminating in a beautiful blue Cadillac convertible.

The Cadillac with RD's brother Jim in baseball gear
Although it may not be immediately apparent, there's a direct connection between the Caddy and WSL because the car's radio was equipped with Wonder Bar tuning.  This magical arrangement allowed you to touch the Wonder Bar which would tune the AM radio automatically from the bottom of the band up and stop on any signal it found.  It was an amazing thing to watch in operation.  But in order to be sure to cover all stations the Wonder Bar started tuning well below the bottom of the AM band.  By now I'm sure you grasp the implications.  Right, the Wonder Bar radio covered 500kc.

I well remember hearing the enormous thumping in the Caddy's radio when the Wonder Bar happened to scan by 500kc when WSL was on the air.  I recognized it for what it was but for some reason didn't track the signal down to its source.

But later, on my return visits to Long Island after moving to California, I tried to visit as many radio sites as possible.  I'd heard that there were some remains of WSL at its Amagansett transmitting site so that became the target of one of my expeditions.

What I found was breathtaking.  This is chronicled on the WSL section of our Web site.  But as is so often the case information about important sites arrives when it is ready to arrive.  And now there is more to tell.

At first I had just the photos I took on site and information in the ITU List of Coast Stations to go on.  These were posted on the MRHS Web site.
One of the two WSL towers remain standing at the Amagansett site
The transmitter building was well secured.  But the grate across the air intake vent for the generator was rusted away.  I was able to extend my arm up through it to take some flash photos of the interior "in the blind" and so get a look at what remained.
Interior of the WSL transmitter building as found. Note the ceiling beams for later reference
Soon after the photos appeared on the MRHS Web site George Flanagan was good enough to contact us - with photos!  With his contribution I was able to put the photos of the remains of the station together with the images of the station in operation in my mind's eye and get a good feeling for where things were and how things worked.
The interior of the WSL transmitter building in full operation. Dillman stuck his arm up through the vent for the generator in the left rear of this photo. Note the black transmitter at the rear near the oil tank for future reference
I and my colleagues thought we had most of the pieces of the puzzle in place with George Flanagan photos.  But there's never really an end to these stories.

I make it my business to scour eBay for any historically important photos or documents.  I almost missed a big find but one of the H set restoration crew tipped me off to it.  So I was able to purchase an extraordinary photo of the interior of the transmitter building as it looked well before the time of the Flanagan photos.
WSL interior in the glory years
Note the ceiling beams in the photo above and compare them to the photo I took when I visited the site.  If that's not enough to confirm that we're seeing WSL the caption attached to the photo says "Interior of the Mackay radio marine transmitting station at Amagansett, L.I."  The photo is dated 22 April 1942.  Can you imagine what it was like to be at WSL and all the other US stations at this early time in the war?

This is the kind of discovery that gives me a real rush of pleasure so I wanted to share it with my fellow True Believers.

But wait, there's more.  Remember the black transmitter at the end of the row in Flanagan's photo?  Check it out in close up in another of his photos:

Harris RF-726 transmitter in WSL transmitter building
Note the horizontal hinge in the middle of the transmitter front panel.  We have two other Harris RF-726 transmitters recovered from the KFS transmitter site south of San Francisco.  None of them have this hinge.  But we have a third RF-726, partly cannibalized (not by us).  It has the hinge.  And written inside in pencil is "WSL".

So the circle has been completed.

VY 73,

RD

  



Wonderful Donation

As our project has become more widely known folks have sent us things they think belong in the MRHS collection.  It's always a wonderful surprise when these things arrive unexpectedly, as did this small slim volume sent our way by Mr. Dave Ross of Las Vegas.
Frequency Allocations book and Dave's kind note
It's a book of world wide frequency allocations from the RCA Frequency Bureau published in 1973.  It makes great reading for those of a certain frame of mind - which we all are.

In Dave's note he mentions that he was assigned to the FCC's Livermore monitoring station in 1973 and that he spent a lot of time keeping Petropavlovsk and Sakhalin Island off the KPH receive frequencies.  You must have doine a great job, Dave.  We almost never hear them now!





            

Operations Report

  

KSM Phone: +1 415-669-9646 <==<< Corrected number!

  

  

KSM email: [email protected]

  

The details are in Mike's report below.  But first let's review our operating hours. 

       

Operating Hours -  


Here are the current operating hours for both KSM and K6KPH two way operations.  KSM press and weather broadcasts begin at 1000pst (1800gmt).

Saturday - 1200 - 1600pst, 2000 - 0000gmt

Sunday - 1200 - 1600, 2000 - 0000gmt (No KSM RTTY)

Wednesday - 1900 - 2300, 0300 - 0700gmt (No KSM RTTY)


We have been having a great time working ships at KSM.  Mike Payne (MP) submitted a particularly well worded note on the topic which he titled "Ghosts of KPH". He gave us permission to post here:

Good afternoon all.

As some of you may already be aware, traffic has been passing back and forth between KSM and USS LST325 (currently in Port Arthur, TX awaiting favorable wx cond to put out to sea) this past weekend; with QRX for more tfc this coming Wed nite ops. It has been fantastic!

And from my perspective, there is nothing in the world that beats this. Just two commercial ops slinging hash. It's almost like mind reading, just send a GA or K and you are off to the races. And as we all know, this is how it used to be, all the time, all over the world.

A very important point worth remembering: during the mid 60s es late 70s when in the Navy or Coast Guard whether I was at a shore station or on ship (Navy two destroyer escorts out of Pearl; CG CGC out of Seattle) all I ever did to get on the air was to just plug in my bug into an RCA phone jack (or something similar) and I could just dit, dit, dah, dah because USN or CG ETs would always take care of making sure the electrons were always present, although tune-up and or antenna maintainence/repair RMs had to take care of...

So I think it is important to remember that every time I dit or dah it is not really me, but the entire MRHS team who are engaging NWVC USS LST325, or W8IM with is KSM signal reports or any QSO. The ghosts of KPH are still engaged at KSM...and I think NPS should know about this, too.

73,

MP

As we said, well worded.  This really shows what a team effort it is to keem KSM on the air and how we all seem to have found the slots within our project where we can contribute the most and still have the most fun.

Here are some signal reports submitted just before press time that MP has requested be included in this edition:

Good afternoon,

Signal reports (QSA/QRK) for this afternoon follow:

4350.5 - nil
6474.0 - nil
8438.3 - 1/3 QSB
12993.0 - 5/5
16914.0 - 5/5
22445.8 - 5/5

Best wishes for the coming week.

73,

John, K5HGX, WCV2859

-----

That 8 mc frequency was solid as a rock in here and sometimes 20 over 9. I left the 6 mc channel because of severe QSB. 100% copy at 45.45 baud and now i'm watching the 100 baud FEC stuff come across. Thanks for great copy from KSM, the voice of San Francisco!

Larry W0OGH
Gilbert, AZ.

-----

Mr. and Mrs. America and all the ships at sea... let's go to press with Mike Payne's operations report for
KSM and K6KPH...

Please follow the link below for recent scanned KSM and K6KPH logs.

As always, Mike says:

  

Please advise any c/s or data errors in this weeks report and I will attempt to correct same.

 

For the list of stations worked, go >>==> HERE <==<< 

  

73 fm ZUT central, MP

MRHS Operating Department 
                                           

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These are high quality items you'll use and enjoy for a long time.  And every purchase you make helps to support the MRHS.

Click on the image below or on the link below that to go to the MRHS True Believers on line store.


 

 

Until next time we wish you fair winds and following seas.                      

VY 73,
   
MRHS



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