KPH transmitter room on Night of Nights 10

This is a short video of the KPH, KSM, and KFS transmitter room taken during Night of Nights 10.

Night of Nights is an annual tradition where commercial morse (CW) stations are joined by other stations and vessels and take to the air once again on the day that commercial morse service came to an end in the United States. Transmissions begin at the exact minute that CW 'died' (as reported) and continue well into the night.

Not everyone will ever get the opportunity to be in a living, breathing commercial morse station while it is on the air, so I shot this and threw it together quickly to help you get an idea of what it is like.

Although I work in broadcast (my 'day job') and am around transmitters all the time, it is rare to be around this many transmitters all at the same time. It's different, the energy is different, and the whole building vibrates with excitement as the telegraphers take to their keys and pay tribute to those that came before them. You begin to wonder, just how many lives were saved by this service over the last 100 years? When CW was discontinued, we lost something. I can't explain it, but you can feel it.

My voice is a little high pitched and scratchy due to the need to yell above the noise to be heard by the camera.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• KPH
• transmitter
• room
• on
• Night
• of
• Nights
• 10

[Erzahler]

It's great to see (and hear) these old, venerable glass-and-iron transmitters humming again! Kudos to everyone for all of your hard work!!