The historic radio station of the Maddalena archipelago symbolically returns to broadcasting. Located between Corsica and Sardinia, the island has always been a crossroads of maritime traffic in the heart of the Mediterranean, and its strategic location prompted the Royal Navy to install important telecommunications infrastructure on the archipelago. These include the secret station on Isola Chiesa, the Becco di Vela station on Caprera, and especially the Guardia Vecchia facility on La Maddalena, which for decades sent operational communications and marine weather reports to sailors.
The system was known as Maritele, the Navy's telecommunications station, whose coded callsign—IIØICH, "India India Zero India Charlie Hotel"—was familiar to radio listeners and sailors. With the changing operational needs of the Navy, some historic facilities were decommissioned, including Maritele La Maddalena itself. Today, however, that callsign is being revived thanks to the initiative of a team of radio amateurs from the Olbia branch of the ARI, the Italian Radio Amateurs Association.
For the second consecutive year, the antennas with the special callsign IIØICH, authorized by the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy, are back on the air on radio frequencies to commemorate the tradition of naval telecommunications and connect radio amateurs from around the world. The activity, scheduled until March 15th, is part of the international award promoted by ARMI, the Italian Association of Radio Amateurs, dedicated to the former coastal radio stations of the Italian Navy. At the same time, the Olbia branch of the ARI will also be active with the callsign IIØICV to commemorate the historic Maritele Tavolara radio station. The activities, open to the public, will take place on Saturday, March 14th, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at the AVPC Civil Protection headquarters in La Maddalena, at Villaggio Trinità and Americano.