Inverness in Marin County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Providing Global Communications

Point Reyes Receiving Station

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, March 30, 2017

1. Providing Global Communications Marker

Captions: (bottom left) (Left) Guglielmo Marconi, the first to realize the dream of a commercial network of wireless stations "gridling the earth." (Right) The first Marconi-built receiving station at Marshall on Tomales Bay, today the Marconi Conference Center State Historic Park.; (top center) (Left) The RCA Receiving Station in the 1930s and (right) David Sarnoff, Chairman of RCA who started out as a railroad telegrapher.; (bottom center) Denice Stoops is at the key sending a Morse code message from the Bolinas control room. She was the first female radiotelegrapher to work at KPH beginning in the 1970s. Behind her is MRHS Transmitter Chief, Steve Hawes, adjusting controls.; (upper right) Point Reyes National Seashore Superintendent, Cicely Muldoon, gets ready to press the primary power button officially returning the RCA T3 transmitter No. 298 to service in July 2013. Original to the station as completely restored by MRSH it is believed to be the only working transmitter of its type in the world. MRSH members who spent three years on the restoration look on in anticipation.; (lower right) Richard Dillman, founder of the Maritime Radio Historical Society, documents station traffic.

Inscription.

Providing Global Communications. Point Reyes Receiving Station. , The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) wireless stations on the Point Reyes Peninsula were know as the "Wireless Giant of the Pacific." The station locations and cutting-edge wireless technology developed by the company under the leadership of long-time chairman, David Sarnoff, transmitted a signal recognized by shipboard operators throughout the Pacific as station KPH. , Station KET operated point-to-point services at this site beginning in 1931 through receivers affectionately know as "Green Giants." In 1946, ship-to-shore Morse station KPH relocated here and continued commercial operations until 1998. , KPH received one of the first standard three letter call signs in the United States in 1904 when it was located at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. KPH was acquired by Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America in 1912. Two years later Guglielmo Marconi completed a new long-wave receiving station on Tomales Bay, as well as a state-of-the-art transmitting station in Bolinas. The stations successfully made the first wireless transmission across the Pacific that same year, opening up instant communications to Hawaii for the first time, a boon for business and news. The stations were acquired by the newly formed RCA following world war one. , NPS and MRHS: Partners in Station Preservation . , Following the station's closure in 1998 due to technological advances in ship-to-shore communications, the National Park Service acquired the Point Reyes and Bolinas radio sites. Members of the Maritime Radio Historical Society (MRHS) stepped forward to partner with Point Reyes National Seashore. Currently operated under the call letters KSM, and licensed for Morse transmission, MRHS members operate the station and a docent program. They work with the park to assure that the equipment, archives, station history and the legacy of its operators are preserved and its storied past shared with the public. Tour information is available at www.nps.gov/pore.

The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) wireless stations on the Point Reyes Peninsula were know as the "Wireless Giant of the Pacific." The station locations and cutting-edge wireless technology developed by the company under the leadership of long-time chairman, David Sarnoff, transmitted a signal recognized by shipboard operators throughout the Pacific as station KPH.
Station KET operated point-to-point services at this site beginning in 1931 through receivers affectionately know as "Green Giants." In 1946, ship-to-shore Morse station KPH relocated here and continued commercial operations until 1998.
KPH received one of the first standard three letter call signs in the United States in 1904 when it was located at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. KPH was acquired by Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America in 1912. Two years later Guglielmo Marconi completed a new long-wave receiving station on Tomales Bay, as well as a state-of-the-art transmitting station in Bolinas. The stations successfully made the first wireless transmission across the Pacific that same year, opening up instant communications to Hawaii for the first time, a boon for business and news. The stations were acquired by the newly formed RCA following WWI.

NPS & MRHS: Partners in Station Preservation
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the station's closure in 1998 due to technological advances in ship-to-shore communications, the National Park Service acquired the Point Reyes and Bolinas radio sites. Members of the Maritime Radio Historical Society (MRHS) stepped forward to partner with Point Reyes National Seashore. Currently operated under the call letters KSM, and licensed for Morse transmission, MRHS members operate the station and a docent program. They work with the park to assure that the equipment, archives, station history and the legacy of its operators are preserved and its storied past shared with the public. Tour information is available at www.nps.gov/pore.

Erected by National Park Service, Point Reyes National Seashore.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Communications. A significant historical year for this entry is 1904.

Location. 38° 5.499′ N, 122° 56.772′ W. Marker is in Inverness, California, in Marin County. Marker is on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard (County Route A109 at milepost 34.2) near North District Operations Center Road, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 17400 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, Inverness CA 94937, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. AT&T & RCA Receiving Stations (a few steps from this marker);

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, March 30, 2017

2. Providing Global Communications Marker

Note the radio antennas in the background.

Portus Novae Albionus (approx. 3.9 miles away); Cross Honoring First Protestant Service in the Future USA (approx. 4.4 miles away); Nova Albion (approx. 4½ miles away); Getting to Marconi (approx. 5.2 miles away); Beryl and Leonard Buck Hall (approx. 5.2 miles away); Drakes Bay (approx. 5.6 miles away); Whalewatching (approx. 6.8 miles away).

More about this marker. KMI & KPH Receiving Stations are located in Point Reyes National Seashore.

Also see . . . Maritime Radio Historical Society. Society website homepage:
Who are we... Let's be honest... We're a bunch of radio squirrels. And very lucky radio squirrels at that. We inhereted the last remaining Morse code coast station in North America. It was off the air but it was an intact time capsule.
Visit Us... The KPH receive site is open for visitors every Saturday and Sunday from 1200 to 1700 local time. Wisitors are welcome! The receive site is located at 17400 Sir Francis Drake Blvd in the Point Reyes National Seashore, just past G Ranch on the way to the lighthouse. Whisper "True Believer" when you visit for access to our Treasure Room! (Submitted on April 11, 2017, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)

The KPH Receiving Station image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, March 30, 2017

3. The KPH Receiving Station

Credits. This page was last revised on July 27, 2021. It was originally submitted on April 11, 2017, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 257 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 11, 2017, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.