RCA/Victor Historical Photos Series - KPH Point Reyes Facility

RCA/Victor Historical Photos Series

KPH Pacific HF Radio Site, Point Reyes, CA

VICTOR AMATEUR RADIO ASSOCIATION, Camden, NJ W2VTM

	The RCA Pacific High Seas Receiving Station, KPH, Point Reyes, California (just north of San Francisco). Built in 1919, it is now used by the National Park Service as an office, but still houses Amateur Radio Station K6KPH (Maritime Radio Historical Society, www.radiomarine.org). Over the years, the facility was owned by Marconi, RCA, GE, AT&T and MCI. Decommissioned in 1997, it is now an historical site within the Point Reyes National Seashore. See this NPS history of the site.
The entrance way to the KPH Point Reyes Receiving Station. The Monterey cypress “tree tunnel” is a signature landscape feature that evokes some of the prestige that RCA placed in this profitable, historic operation. The building can be seen at the end of the "tunnel."
	This is the KFS transmitter selector, now housed at KPH as part of the Maritime Radio Historical Society display. The KFS transmitter station was located at Half Moon Bay, CA, about 20 miles south of San Francisco. On July 12, 1999, the new owner of KPH (Globe Wireless) transmitted the last commercial CW broadcast from North America from KFS. See Walter J. Kane III's page on the historic closing of this (and other) commercial HF radio station.
The KPH receive antennas at Point Reyes, California. The antennas were fed with ladder line elevated above the ground on "cable trays" made from telephone poles (see below).
	Teletype equipment located at KPH. Note punched paper tape.
K6KPH operating position at KPH as it appeared in February 2003. K6KPH still goes on the air occasionally. The Park Ranger who showed us around said she's always thrilled when visitors actually know what all this equipment is!
	The KPH High Seas Transmitter site at Bolinas, CA. It is now used by a cancer research organization.

All photos copyright © 2003 by Pete Greene, N2LVI. All rights reserved.
Photos and content may not be reproduced by any means without prior written permission by the author.

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