CAMPERDOWN WIRELESS STATION

HX  MHX  VCS

June 14th, 1905 - April 4th, 1926

The Canadian Marconi Company Limited owned and operated the Camper down Wireless Station.

 

CHEBUCTO HEAD WIRELESS STATION

VAV

March 15th, 1918 - July 30th, 1935

The Canadian Government owned and operated the Chebucto Head Wireless Station.

This was the first Radio Direction Finding Station opened in Canada.

The service provided by VCS was transferred to VAV when Marconi closed the VCS station.

 

CAMPERDOWN RADIO

VCS

July 30th, 1935 - November 1st, 1962

The Canadian Government closed VAV and moved the station back to a new building at the VCS site.

 

HALIFAX RADIO

VBQ

1936 - November 1st, 1962

This station provided a radiotelephone service for ships from the city of Halifax

and a radiotelegraph (c/w) service for Sable Island VGF and with Ottawa VAA.

This station also provided an operator for the Sambro Lightship call sign VXR.

Halifax Radio VBQ became part of Halifax Marine Radio VCS on November 1st, 1962.

 

HALIFAX RADIO

CFH

January 1st, 1946 - April 1st, 1964

This Naval Station provided a service known as the British Commonwealth Communications Scheme.

The British Commonwealth Communications Scheme portion of this station was moved to VCS.

This made it necessary to build a remote receiver site on the south side of the village of Ketch

Harbour and a remote transmitter site at Pennant.

The British Commonwealth Communications Scheme portion of VCS terminated in April 1968.

 

HALIFAX MARINE RADIO

VCS

November 1st, 1962 - October 1st, 1975

Camperdown was renamed Halifax Marine Radio.

All Canadian Aeradio and Marine Radio Stations were combined and the marine portion was known as Marine Radio.

Halifax was one of the few marine radio stations that was not combined with Aeradio and located at the nearest airport.

The operators were trained for both jobs and often an operator from VCS would go to the airport and operate

Halifax Aeradio VFH5.

Halifax Marine Radio moved from the old site at Camperdown down the road to the remote receiver site at

Ketch Harbour on March 1st, 1970.

 

HALIFAX COAST GUARD RADIO

VCS

October 1st, 1975 - November 19th, 1996

The Aeradio and Marine stations reverted back to the Air and Marine service as separate stations in Canada.

The operators became part of the Canadian Coast Guard on June 29th, 1979.

An opening ceremony was held May 30th, 1988, to open a new operations building.

Major renovations had been made to the 1970 building.

 

HALIFAX TRAFFIC

VBJ20

October 6th, 1972 - November 19th, 1996

The Canadian Coast Guard was formed on January 26th, 1962.

The Canadian Coast Guard constructed a system of stations to control ships and shipping

similar to the system in use to control aircraft. Halifax Traffic was one of the first of these stations to open.

The station operated in a building at the base of the Chebucto Head Lighthouse. In 1985 the operations room of this station moved into a new building next to the A. Murray MacKay bridge on the Dartmouth side of Halifax Harbour known as Shannon Hill.

 

HALIFAX COAST GUARD RADIO

VCS

November 19th, 1996 - Still in service.

When VCS transmitted the final radiotelegraph (c/w) message transmitted by the station the remaining radiotelephone and SITOR service was combined with VBJ20 to form Halifax Coast Guard Radio VCS.

The combined station is located in the building built for Halifax Traffic VBJ20 in 1985 known as Shannon Hill.

 

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