The Good Ship KKOL

This article was originally material for a broadcast of “Wavescan” via Adventist World Radio and now forms part of the Radio Heritage Collection ©. All rights reserved to Ragusa Media Group, PO Box 14339, Wellington, New Zealand. This material is licenced on a non-exclusive basis to South Pacific DX Resource hosted on radiodx.com for a period of five years from January 1 2003. Author: Adrian Peterson

The Good Ship KKOL: An American radio station on the air on board a ship and we didn’t know about it!

Quite recently, we received a surprising email message from Dr Martin van der Ven in Germany alerting us to the fact that an internet website contains the story of an American mediumwave station that is now located on board a cargo ship. The radio station is KKOL and the ship is the “Coastal Ranger”.

Mediumwave KOL first launched way back on May 23, 1922 as one of the very earliest radio stations in Seattle in the American state of Washington. More than half a century later, the callsign was changed to KMPS, and then more recently, the call reverted back to KKOL.

For most of its shore life, this radio station was on the air from studios located in downtown Seattle, with the transmitter base on Harbor Island. The 5 kW transmitter on 1300 kHz has been heard far and wide, even in Australia and New Zealand.

In the spring of last year, station KKOL agreed to abandon its long-time location on Harbor Island to enable expansion of the international port facilities. Work began on the construction of a new 50 kW transmitter base 15 miles south of Seattle; but, a temporay location was also needed.

A novel solution presented itself, and so a temporary radio station for KKOL, with 1 kW on 1300 kHz, was installed on a 175 ft long cargo ship, the “Coastal Ranger”. This ship was previously in use with the fishing industry in Alaska and the Aleutian Islands.

Thus it was that the new and temporary radio station KKOL was officially launched, literally, on the “Coastal Ranger” on January 1, 2002. This is currently the only officially licensed radio broadcasting station on a ship in American waters.

The “Coastal Ranger” is tied up at a stationary wharf site in Elliott Bay, Seattle, quite close to its former location on Harbor Island. The transmitter was installed inside a shipping container on the deck and the antenna is a 74 ft long center-fed whip made by Valcom in Canada.

The tide levels in Elliott Bay rise and fall for a full variation of 16 ft; and in addition, the ship rolls a little with the effect of the wind and the moving water. However, these movements make no significant effect on the propagation of the mediumwave signal in its main coverage area.

Way back nearly 100 years ago, the callsign KOL was originally in use for a ship with the name, “Mount Hope”. Maybe it is appropriate that the callsign is again in use on another ship, the “Coastal Messenger”. This one is only temporary though, so those who can, should obtain their QSL while the opportunity is still open.

Radio Broadcasting from Ships – The New KKOL!

References

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Callsign Location Information & Reference
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KOL Mount Hope Callsign for American ship; PC 6-98 18

KOL Harbor Island Previously on 1270 kHz; QSL card Mar 4, 1943
Studios Northern Life Tower 1300 5 kW; QSL Mar 43
Held by Office of Censor; QSL card Mar 4 1943
Studios Northern Life Tower 1300 5 kW; QSL 1943
U. S Censorship; QSL card 26-6-44
1300 5 kW studio 1100 West Florida St; QSL 17-2-58
1300 5 1100 W Florida St (1922); 1960 BYB A249
1300 5 1100 W Florida St (1922); 1972 BYB B226
Station inaugurated in 1922; BY 1960 A249
Full story www.dalke.com; Martin van der Ven email
Same story; Radio World 18-12-2 33
Station inaugurated 23-5-22; WWW
Callsign changed to KMPS Sep 1, 1975; WWW

KMPS Seattle 1300 kHz 5 kW Box 24888 (1922); 1983 YB B262
1300 kHz 5 kW Box 24888 (1922); 1989 YB B319
1300 kHz 5 kW 16-4-90; AMP QSL
Callsign changed to KKOL; WWW

KKOL Coastal Ranger Began Jan 1, 2002 1300 kHz 1 kW; Martin v d Ven
Full story, www.dalke.com/kkol/

QSLs KOL 1300 kHz 5 kW, Northern Life Tower, Harbor Island 13-11-43; AWR QSL
1300 kHz 5 kW, Northern Life Tower, Harbor Island 4-3-43; AWR QSL
1300 kHz 5 kW; 1100 W Florida St, Harbor Isalnd 14-1-58; AWR QSL
KMPS 1300 kHz 5 kW 16-4-90; AMP QSL