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SEMARC Special Event KØA

September 26, 2020

KØA Flies Again

SEMARC will reprise our Special Event commemorating the Airway Beacon System used by early pilots in carrying the U.S. Mail. As we did in 2017, the club has secured the call sign KØA.

In 1920, the United States established the North American Transcontinental Air Mail Route. By 1924, ground-based navigation aids were in place. The aids consisted of lighted airway towers mounted on concrete arrows indicating the direction of the next link in the system. In fact, two of the artifacts remain in Minnesota: a concrete arrow which can be viewed in Cottage Grove and a lighted tower in Mounds Park in St. Paul. The ground-based system continued for a number of years before functioning radio navigation in airplanes became common.

In 2017 the Special Event was operated from the actual tower installation in Mounds Park.

Because of the Coronavirus pandemic, it is anticipated that SEMARC will operate this Special Event as we did with the USS Ward Special Event this past May with individual members operating at different times, bands and modes from their home, portable or mobile stations.

Listen to us on the General portion of the 12, 17, 20, 40 and 80 meter bands and freqs typical with Phone, CW and Digital modes.

Update:
On September 26, 2020 SEMARC commemorated the Airway Navigation System with special event KØA.
A certificate for stations contacting KØA is now available by clicking here.


SEMARC Website Edited by Dick Roberts NØUC and Joe Hibberd W3QLC