Signal Kilo Bravo

Signal Kilo Bravo is broadcast from WKML Broadcast Station and is located south of Fort Constantine.

At the WKML station you will pickup a Chinese Radio Becon. Head inside, and you will find the activation switch for the radio signal. It's located on the wall to your right, behind the power generators.

The signal is in continuous wave (CW), otherwise known as morse code. It, like most of the other CW signals, sends: "-.-. --.- -.-. --.- -.-. --.- -.. . / -.- -... -.- -... -.- -... -.." This signal, "CQCQCQDE / KBKBKBD", was explained by Mark Lampert, the Bethesda sound designer: Parsing the message, we get the following:

CQ -- calling any station

DE -- 'from'. The reason this Spanish/French form of the word is used is simply to shorten it as it's a common word to use. Compare sending DE -.. . to sending FROM ..-. .-. --- -- Consequently, operating in CW means heavy use of abbreviations, dropping unnecessary letters, and other handy ways of compressing your message length by use of what are called 'prosigns' and 'Q-codes'.

repeated three times -- that way if you miss it the first time or copy a character incorrectly, there's a chance for error correction

K -- could mean 'back to you', or 'open invitation to transmit' or simply 'over'. The meaning is more or less the same in this case.

Last, but not least, there's a pause as the station's operator momentarily listens for any replies. Hearing no replies, he/she resumes 'calling CQ'. Of course in this case our operator is long expired and we presume that the radio is simply transmitting a message from memory, operating for as long as it's still supplied with power.

The signal comes from a Sealed Cistern south of the WKML complex. Following the signal to the cistern leads you to a small drainage tunnel, blocked at the far end by sandbags. To the right side of the desk is the Explosives Bobblehead that adds 10 points to your Explosives skill.

Along with the Bobblehead, you will find the following: one RadAway, two bottles of Purified Water, one Stimpack, one Rad-X, a .32 Caliber Pistol with 5 rounds in a box, a Fission Battery, and a Lunchbox.

Note
It seems that the radio operator, now a skeleton, had taken his life with the pistol some time ago.