Jack Martini's Journals

Sept. 17, 1970

The intent of this paper is to give the reader an insight into the marine radiotelegraph profession. Why write about a subject with such dubious interest content? Well, at the present time outside of amateur radio, marine radiotelegraphy is the final chapter of what was once a wide spread vocation employing thousands of people.

Very few accounts of marine coast station operation have been written, although much has been said about our seagoing colleagues. Therefore, since I am employed at Marine Station KPH and have access to and knowledge of the operations and individuals employed therein, I am writing this paper for some of the most intelligent, industrious, loyal, and talented individuals in the communications industry today.

It is a pleasure and honor to work with men who reap from their endeavors a source of personal identity, individuality, and above all, vocational pride. The first section of this paper will present a brief historical background of station KPH. Secondly, a brief explanation of our operations and purpose will be described. And finally, character analysis, professional and personal, of personnel will be attempted.

I believe it is important to know what type of individual will assume such a demanding, stressful vocation. Some have compared an aircraft controller position as an analogy to a coast station telegrapher's depth of job responsibility and stress. Thus, for these reasons, I am writing this paper, and I hope it will provide interesting and informative reading for those in and outside of the communication sphere.

Page 1

"Good morning. This is RCA KPH", the operator pleasantly announced on the telephone. First of all, who or what is RCA KPH? KPH is a ship to shore wireless station owned and operated by the Radio Corporation of America. It is one of the few remaining stations wherein the art of radiotelegraphy is practiced. KPH is a place of work that still allows its employees to retain individual identity. The machine plays a secondary role in the operation of a marine coastal station. It is the human operator, who by means of morse code, establishes contact with a vessel at sea, and then communicates with that vessel. Communication between individual operators, not machines, is station KPH's primary function. It is an animate, not inanimate, process.

Secondly, what is the importance of KPH? Its primary importance and mission is the safety and preservation of life and property at sea. For example, if a seaman becomes ill or is injured, the vessel's radio officer contacts the shore-side radio station for assistance and sends a radio message directed to the United States Public Health Hospital. The shore station transmits the "Medico" to the U.S. Coast Guard for disposition to the hospital and then awaits the reply which in turn will be sent by morse code to the waiting ship's operator.

End Part 1

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