Commandant (G-STM-2)
US Coast Guard                                   2 March 1996
Washington DC 20593



Pictures of COMMSTA Boston/NMF


Take a picture tour of US Coast Guard Communications Station
Boston/NMF, located in Marshfield Massachusetts.  Photographs and
descriptions were provided by the Commanding Officer and
personnel of the COMMSTA.  Control of this station will be
remoted to the Coast Guard Communications and Area Master Station
located in Chesapeake VA, CAMSLANT Portsmouth/NMN, on November
1996.



NMF1.JPG:  Old 50OKhz guard position.  Two old Collins 651
Receivers.  We guarded remote sites in Moriches New York.  Harris
receivers were on local antennas.  COMMSTA Control System (CCS)
was on the computer.  Logs were kept on the typewriter.



NMF2.JPG: Supervisor Position: Four receivers guard the SCN
frequencies.  Model 40 Teletype was used for the CG MTDS Net. 
That has now been replaced with a computer.  Computer has CCS and
logs on it.



NMF3.JPG: Frame Room: Computer is the MASTER Computer.  In the
middle are demod's and keyers.  The far left is the back-up for the
CCS.



NMF4.JPG: Basic utility and back-up position.  If another
position was disabled, a broadcast or voice call could be made
from here.



NMF5.JPG: Air to Ground Position- Four Harris receivers guard the
Air to Ground voice frequencies of 5696, 8983, 11201 and a spare.



NMF6.JPG: Head on view of the supervisor console.  Receivers
guard the SCN frequencies.  Top left receiver is also used for
phone patches.  SCN stands for System Control Network, and
unclassified radiotelephone network used by coast guard units and
the maritime community when calling the Coast Guard.



NMF7.JPG:  SOOKhz Auto Alarm: Top receiver was dialed to 50OKhz. 
Mackay Auto Alarm sounded if a 50OKhz auto alarm was heard. 
Alarm sounded at supervisor position.  Bottom patch panels are
for equipment patching in house.



NMF8.JPG: Broadcast Position: From left to right.  Computer is
for SITOR.  Receivers are to guard on-call SITOR and to monitor
our own broadcasts.  Three "blue" things are Thrane and Thrane
modems.  Middle computer sets frequencies and antennas utilizing
CCS.  It is also used for NAVTEX.  Far right computer was used
for the old 'LCMP" circuit.  Other receivers were used to monitor
2182Khz and 518Khz for NAVTEX.  LCMP stands for Atlantic
Composite Broadcasts, HF Morse telegraphy broadcast of weather
and navigational information now discontinued.



NMF9.JPG: Close up of "Source Enable" panel.  "Channels" are
associated with receivers.  There are "plug-ins" for voice and CW
and head phone jacks for all the receivers.  Source panel allows
for 8 separate sources to be keyed from one position at any time.


***Thanks to COMMSTA Boston for providing this information