A coast (or coastal) radio station (short: coast station) is an onshore maritime radio station which monitors radio distress frequencies and relays ship-to-ship and ship-to-land communications.
A coast station (also: coast radio station ) is – according to article 1.75 of the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) ITU Radio Regulations (RR)ITU Radio Regulations, Section IV. Radio Stations and Systems – Article 1.75, definition: coast earth station / coast earth radio station – defined as «A land station in the maritime mobile service.»
Coast Radio Station had an important role in the history of wireless radio communication as well as in maritime and war history.
Recent coastal radio station provides medical advice services for ships, transmitting meteo messages and navigational warnings (NAV-Notice) on a regular base and all of them do a distress channel watch (DSC-Watch) on VHF Channel 16. Not all stations monitor 2.182 MHz shortwave anymore.
Coast radio stations Name CallsignLocation Operator Period of activityKystradio RadioBodø, Norway.Telenor Maritim Radio, 1938 - ongoingScheveningen RadioPCHScheveningen, NetherlandsPTT1904-1999Navy Coast Station MarlowDHO26Marlow, Rostock, Germany German Navy1990 - ongoingBern RadioHEBBern, SwitzerlandSwisscom Broadcast AG 1941-2016 PNS HameedKarachi, Sindh, Pakistan Pakistan Navy 2016 - ongoingIsfjord RadioKapp Linné, Spitsbergen, Svalbard, NorwayNorwegian Polar Institute1933 - ongoing Norddeich Radio DANOsterlood, Norden, Germany German Telekom 1907-1998KPHKPHInverness, California, USARCA1930-1998 WCC WCCOriginally Cape Cod, USA RCA, Western Union 1903-1997Shanghai RadioXSG XSG21Shanghai, PR ChinaongoingTaupo Maritime RadioZLMLake Taupō (tx), Lower Hutt (HQ), New ZealandMaretime New Zealandongoing
See also Marconi Station Utility station KPH - A preserved RCA coastal wireless station in California WCC - A former coastal wireless station on Cape Cod, now operating from Maryland Portishead Radio - former UK station
References / sources
International Telecommunication Union (ITU)