The High Seas Stations

The emphasis of this site is on documenting the history of radio on the Great Lakes and inland rivers. Though my original intent for this page was to provide only a listing of the high-seas stations and some links to more information about them on other sites I recently found (2013) that many of the external links were dead. Thanks to the Internet Archive I have recovered some of the missing pages and even added other information that has been long gone from the Internet. Additionally, links to several new external sites were added.

Above: Unknown CW station (probably not Great Lakes) estimated to be about 1920. Right or below: This may be Eleanor Steel of Schenectady NY at the operator position aboard the Marconi Yacht Elettra. The 1922 photo was taken on the Hudson. She's probably not a YL OP, and it's just a publicity shot. The nameplate above her head says "Marconi Wireless Telegraph."

Here on WB0JNR's maritime site (with the list courtesy of N1EA) is an extensive PDF listing of the high seas stations with latitude and longitude co-ordinates. The date of this listing is unknown.

The Big Four - Radiotelephone

This 1991 Frequency List for the high seas radiotelephone stations is from a more reliable source than the one immediately below.

Here's a 1993 Frequency List for the high seas radiotelephone stations.

WLO Mobile Alabama

WLO is listed first because it was the last one to shut down, and late in its life was the main station in a four station network operated by now defunct Shipcom.

2 operating positions, one behind the other - typewriter in forground - multiple pieces of Drake gear - mostly R4 vintage, but 1 TR-7 also showing

WLO Operating Room - Photographer unknown - Submitted by Anonymous

Here's WLO's Sign Off message. - This UK site has the best photos of the WLO facilities.

Some Audio from WLO. A Frequency List for WLO. Two Covers for a WLO document.

The following are recaptured via the WayBack Machine - All the included links may not work (1) 1999 Internet Home Page (2) 2000 Internet Home Page

WOO - WOM - KMI

These three were operated by AT&T and went silent in 1999. The FCC Discontinue Order.

WOO New York - Four pages of photos from the TX site at Ocean Gate, NJ with receivers and control at One page of photos from the RX site at Manahawkin, NJ. The two long links are to Internet Archive captures of the pages which have been removed from the original site.

This 1943? (1953 seems more likely) photo shows the NYC AT&T overseas switchboard that also connected ship-to-shore calls from WOO (and perhaps WOM) to the land-line telephone system. The ship-to-shore switchboard is 106 (the 4th one from the left). At the very rear is a board showing the ships at sea. Click/tap for a hi-res image.

A 22 page 1930 article about AT&T's initial establishment of a Ship-Shore Radio Telephone System.

A 27 page 1932 article about AT&T's first 2 years experience operating a Ship-Shore Radio Telephone System.

Achetron's article on the AT&T high seas service.

Article 1/12/2017 - Historic AT&T high seas radio station WOO to be demolished

Wikipedia on AT&T's high-seas service. Nice KMI control console photo

The demise of WOO, WOM and KMI with a plug for WLO's service. Now avaliable via the Wayback Machine.

All about radio at Dixon, CA. Four powerful transmitters located there. Don't miss the first link under "Internet Resources:"

Wikimapia has three nice KMI Photos here, and 4 of WOO Ocean Gate.

Unfortunately, K2TI, Robert P. Disbrow's excellent High Seas Radiotelephone Service page is dead. This page, and all its great content, are lost forever. Even the Wayback Machine can't recover it, but. QSL.Net has a WOO history page including recognition of Robert P. Disbrow.

Paul Thurst's article about ship-to-shore radiotelephone, CW and USCG radio.

Here's a digital format 1991 Traffic List & Weather report from WOO.

WOM Miami Florida (Pennsuco, FL) pictures transmitter

KMI San Francisco California (Dixon, CA) - RadioMarine.org KMI Photo collection

Three KMI Point Reyes photos from Flicker: 1 2 3

K6NCG's site has page of photos from 1972 visits to stations KPH KET and KMI.

Other Radiotelephone Stations

There were many smaller Radiotelephone stations that could be listed here. Perhaps some are included in the PDF station list - 3rd item below.

CW Stations

A 15 page article describing RMCA's 1932 radiotelegraph operations. Mostly High-Seas, but includes 4 Great Lakes stations.

There are many that could be listed here also, but here is some information on WCC and KPH: WCC article (In two parts) More on WCC-Chatham Both articles retrieved from the dead via the Wayback Machine.

Maritime Radio Historical Society home of several marine radio station and ship radio restoration projects.

This PDF list of US maritime coast stations is a mix of CW and radiotelephone sations. The date of the list is unknown.

Coast Radio Stations of the World - Dedicated to the memory of these now-silent stations including a KPH page. Since the original site is dead, this is a Wayback Machine link.

A nice set of photographs of California marine CW stations provided by Warren T. Reese, K6GC. Again, only available via the Wayback Machine.