Hi Wes,
The information on historical coast stations Is very interesting. In the mid-1970s, after a break for university studies, I decided my CW ability needed improving. Casting around the HF spectrum, I found WCC on 13034(?) kHz sending weather warning traffic to NAVAREAS at a useful speed. This was just what I was looking for and I continued to listen to that station from time to time until it ceased operation.
I then moved to the CW segment of 40 m and found that there was plenty of good CW. Some years later, when Morse was no longer required for a UK amateur licence, I noticed an upsurge in very well-formed sending from stations with M3 calls. These were holders of the new Foundation Licence but I suspect many of them were former Radio Officers. it was a great pleasure to listen to them.
My only other involvement with official MF stations was when I was setting up the transmitter for University Radio Essex. Its assigned frequency was 998 kHz AM but something went wrong and we came out on 499. Fortunately GNF did not notice before I corrected matters.
73 John G3PAI and F5VLF
