The "Hungry Wolf" is a hill near Bad Kreuznach. Locator: JN39wu27
IIn the early 19th century, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte significantly expanded the network of optical telegraph lines that had existed since the end of the 18th century, particularly into occupied territories. One important line, for example, was the one from Paris to Berlin, from which a line to Mainz branched off in Metz. During the attack on the French lines, which ultimately ended with the defeat of the great army at Waterloo, Field Marshal Blücher had both the main line and "our" secondary line destroyed. No remains have been found today.
Using a signal book, messages were encoded into a sequence of pointer positions. These were set one after the other and observed by the neighboring station using a fixed telescope. When the neighbor had adopted the pointer position, the next signal was set. This allowed messages to be transmitted over several hundred miles in minutes. Of course, only in suitable weather. In fog, haze, or rain, a mounted messenger had to be deployed.
On August 24, 2025, the German Amateur Radio Club (DARC) and the Réseau des Émetteurs Français (REF) reactivated all former stations with handheld radios, which have a range similar to that of the optical telegraphs of the time. A message was sent from Mainz to Metz via 23 stations using our modern means, and from there a reply was sent back to Mainz. The message was "Freundschaft - Amitié." ("Friendship" in the German and the French language.) From Metz, the message returned, how original, was "Amitié - Freundschaft." The outward journey took about 20 minutes because the Germans spelled the French word and the French spelled the German word; the return journey took only 10 minutes because no one had to spell anymore.
The photo shows the non-functional (the pointers are not movable) replica of an optical telegraph, which was set up near Sprendlingen/Rhenish Hesse near the original location as a tourist attraction. As can be seen from the photo, it was not set up at the highest point. There is no direct line of sight to the "Hungry Wolf" site to the southwest, but there is to Stadecken-Elsheim.
The "Hungry Wolf" was activated by DARC's Bingen chapter with the call sign DA0HW. Nothing is left of the tower, which was located on the highest point of the hill. Today, there is a small deciduous forest there, with dense undergrowth between the trees. It would take a machete to gain access. The site was activated from a dirt road at the edge of this undergrowth, adjacent to a vineyard.
Since the two Bad Kreuznach DARC local groups (Bad Kreuznach, Lower Nahe) are effectively defunct, the neighboring chapter Bingen am Rhein took over. Consequently, the call sign is assigned to DOK K15. QSL via bureau only. All QSOs are entered into the DCL.
