Halifax Coast Guard Radio VCS

Halifax Coast Guard Radio Callsign "VCS"
Photographs from 1970 onwards

Please click on the small image for a larger version.

	The operations building located at Ketch Harbour, Nova Scotia Taken in 1988		David MacKinnon, VE1ALO, operating the 500 KHZ radiotelegraph (c/w) position May 19th, 1980. Supervisor Bill Gillespie can be seen in the background at the supervisors desk.
	The transmitter building located at Pennant, Nova Scotia		The old Nautel 500 KHZ transmitter on the left and the new Nautel 500 KHZ transmitter on the right. A very small corner of R2D2 can be seen at the far left behind the test meter on the table. May 19th, 1980, VCS Transmitter building, Pennant.
	Matali Das operating the medium frequency radiotelephone position		Transmitting antenna farm Halifax Coast Guard Radio VCS May 19th, 1980. They had no trouble working Radio Officer Paul du Mesnil sailing in LADY FRANKLIN call sign VOCP while at Antarctica from this station in c/w of course!
	Medium frequency radio telephone position on the left and the high frequency radio telephone position on the right. 1988 to 1996		Equipment room in the basement of the operations building just below the operations room VCS, May 19th, 1980.
	The SITOR operating position at VCS on May 19th, 1980. The cage over the standard telex machine is to reduce the nose from this machine while in operation. The main unit is the Marconi Spector via a sweep-tuned Mackay Marine Receiver. The push buttons above the Spector unit select the various transmitting frequencies. The receiver is a ITT Mackay 3020 .		The SITOR operating position at VCS on May 19th, 1980. The cage over the standard telex machine is to reduce the nose from this machine while in operation. The main unit is the Marconi Spector via a sweep-tuned Mackay Marine Receiver. The push buttons above the Spector unit select the various transmitting frequencies. The receiver is a ITT Mackay 3020 .
	Vernon Hillier operating the high frequency radio telephone position		500 kHz on the left, MF RT in the middle & HF RT on the right
	Vernon Hillier operating the high frequency radio telephone position		The Aircom five kilowatt SITOR transmitter at the VCS transmitter building May 19th, 1980.
	Vernon Hillier operating the high frequency radio telephone position		Interior VCS transmitter building May 19th, 1980. Left side front to back. Five kilowatt radiotelephone transmitters as follow: 6, 4, 8, 12 and 16 MHZ. Right side front to back. One kilowatt radiotelegraph (c/w) transmitters as follow: 4 MHZ, power supply, 16 MHZ, 16 MHZ back-up, 12 MHZ, pwer supply, the back-up radiotelegraph (c/w) transmitter with 22, 12, 8, 6 and 4 MHZ, 8 MHZ and 6 MHZ.
	Mark Chatham operating 8 MHz CW, behind him is Spud VE1BC operating on 16/22 MHz CW. The operator of the 6/12 MHz CW in the background is not known.		The operations room Halifax Marine Radio VCS, Camperdown, just prior to moving to Ketch Harbour in 1970. Note the Racal receivers in use at each position.
	Mark Chatham operating 8 MHz CW, behind him is Spud VE1BC operating on 16/22 MHz CW
	Left to right: Spud Roscoe VE1BC 16/22 MHz, Mark Chatham 8 MHz and supervisor Dan MacDonald on the telephone at the supervisors desk.
	Vernon Hillier transmitting the last CW message from VCS on 19th November 1996. The station closed as soon as he finished. They were boarding up the windows actually while he was transmitting the message.
	Vernon Hillier transmitting the last CW message from VCS on 19th November 1996. The station closed as soon as he finished. They were boarding up the windows actually while he was transmitting the message.
	This is MV ALGARROBO callsign LATF4. She was the last ship to contact VCS on 19th November 1996. She was the last station to QSL the final message from VCS
	Left. The Sable Island G.N.T. back-up transmitter. Right. Five kilowatt Harris high frequency radiotelephone transmitter. VCS transmitter building, Pennant, May 19th, 1980.		The teletype operating position Halifax Marine Radio VCS, Camperdown, just prior to moving to Ketch Harbour in 1970.
	Operations room Halifax Coast Guard Radio VCS, Ketch Harbour, May 19th, 1980. Front to back left side: Dave MacKinnon, VE1ALO, 500 KHZ position. Ted Daley, VE1AIG, medium frequency radiotelephone position. Reg Fagan high frequency radiotelephone position. Mike Warden (deep into the newspaper classified ads) on the 4 and 16 MHZ radiotelegraph (c/w) position. Front to back right side: The training position minus a trainee. The late Jim Cable on the 12 MHZ radiotelegraph (c/w) position. The 6 MHZ radiotelegraph (c/w) position minus an operator or else the invisible operator was on duty. Dave Oldridge, VE1EI, on the 8 MHZ radiotelegraph (c/w) position
	The operations room Halifax Coast Guard Radio VCS, July 12th, 1977. Clockwise from lower left corner: 8 MHZ radiotelegraph (c/w) position. Bob Minty 6 MHZ radiotelegraph (c/w) position. 12 MHZ radiotelegraph (c/w) position. Training position. Reg Fagan at the Supervisors/Routing desk. Unidentified at the end of the message belt. Kevin Laydon on the 500 KHZ position. Florence Gulak on the medium frequency radiotelephone position. High frequency radiotelephone position. 4/16 MHZ radiotelegraph (c/w) position.

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