| MARITIME RADIO STATIONS OF THE WORLD
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THE FINAL FINAL FINAL
PORTISHEAD RADIO/GKA, the United Kingdom's long range radio station and one of the world's most famous names in the maritime communications field, closed at 1200z on Sunday 30th April 2000. On the day before, Radio Amateurs got their antennas and rigs tuned up for a once-only CW event. With the station using it's multi-kilowatt transmitters at Rugby and it's remote receiving array at Somerton, the station's Radio Officers at Burnham brought them, from the comfort of their own radio shacks, the chance to communicate directly with GKA before the station's transmitters fell silent for the final time. This cw-only event occurred on Saturday 29th April 2000 from 0700z to 1900z.
Tthree stations operated at any one
time, subject to the commercial requirements of the station, and special
efforts were made to beam towards Commonwealth countries at appropriate
times.
BT has appointed the Radio Officers
Association to handle the amateur side of this operation and the liaison
officer was David Barlow G3PLE. All QSO's received a QSL card
via the RSGB bureau.
Event Website: http://you.genie.co.uk/d.barlow
In 2002, with developers
seeking permission to demolish the GKA operational building at Burnham-on-Sea,
efforts were under way to erect a permanent memorial to the station
on the site. Read more here.
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