Category Archives: Longwave

Radio Waves: Fans Mourn Fading Longwave, “Prodigal” RadioShack, and Titanic’s Wireless Recovery

Radio Waves:  Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio

Welcome to the SWLing Post’s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio. Enjoy!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Ron Chester and Dennis Dura for the following tips:


Long wave radio fans mourn fading frequencies (BBC News)

As he turned the dial gently but purposefully, the sound of people speaking in foreign languages and the lilt of unfamiliar music burst through a haze of crackle and buzz.

Clint Gouveia was only about seven years old at the time, listening to long wave radio in bed, late at night.

“I could hear all these voices from far away,” he recalls. “It inspired me to want to see the world when I got older, to travel, which eventually I did.”

Back then, in the late 1970s, there were dozens of long wave stations broadcasting. Now, only a handful are left. Among them are those in Denmark and Iceland – but they are due to shut by the end of 2023 and during 2024, respectively.

The BBC still broadcasts Radio 4 on long wave as well as on digital radio, FM, and online. However, separate scheduling of BBC radio programmes on long wave will end in March next year – for example Test Match Special will not be available on long wave. The long-term future of the BBC’s long wave output is far from certain.

The only other remaining broadcasters in the world using the long wave band are those in Romania, Poland, Algeria, Morocco and Mongolia.

“The band is basically almost dead,” says Mr Gouveia, who enjoys listening to radio stations from his home in Oxford. “It all feels a bit sad, really.” He adds that, when a long wave station shuts, he makes an effort to record its last moments. [Continue reading…]

The Return of the Prodigal Shack? (Sound and Vision)

I remember it like it was yesterday. I was consulting for a car company and I needed to A/B two tweeters. I dashed over to the nearest RadioShack and picked up a speaker-switching box. Crazy to think about it now – a brick-and-mortar store selling something like that. Of course, RadioShack is just a distant memory now. Or is it? Is RadioShack making a comeback?
Founded in 1921 to sell amateur radio gear, RadioShack grew to achieve genuine ubiquity. In its prime, there were over 5,000 stores in the U.S. and another 3,000 in other countries. The company boasted that it was the biggest seller of consumer telecommunications in the world. But times change. The internet came along, the company declined, and in 2015 it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Aside from a few stalwart independently owned stores, the brand disappeared in the U.S. The company was sold, bounced around with various owners and their revitalization plans, and generally went nowhere. Few noticed that an outfit called Unicomer Group, based in El Salvador, had bought the brand’s exclusive use in Central and South America, and the Caribbean. Price? $5 million.

Unicomer had been a franchisee of RadioShack since 1998 and by 2015 it had expanded to 57 physical stores in four countries. After its purchase from the bankruptcy court, things got even better. They added company-owned stores and picked up existing franchises in other countries. In fact, under its new management, RadioShack is doing pretty well.

Now here’s the really interesting part: In May of this year, Unicomer acquired the RadioShack brand in about 70 more countries – including the U.S., Canada, Europe and China. With a 25-year proven track record of successful retail management, could Unicomer bring RadioShack back to its brick-and-mortar global glory? [Continue reading…]

Future Salvaging Missions to the Titanic Are at Risk After the U.S. Government Blocked the Recovery of a Historic Artifact From the Wreck (Art Net)

The federal government has filed a motion to block a proposed mission to salvage the ship’s wireless telegraph.

The wreck of the Titanic has been a source of ongoing fascination since it was first discovered in 1985. As it continues to decompose, there has been a race against time to capture and preserve the ship and its contents, whether through high-tech scans or by salvaging artifacts.

Many fascinating items have been successfully recovered, including one passenger’s alligator purse, jewelry, vials of perfume, a bowler hat, sheet music, and a logometer. Their retrieval has been controversial because the wreck is not only a site of historical significance but also the resting place of over 1,500 passengers that sunk with the ship on April 15, 1912.

Now, the U.S. government is aiming to block a proposed mission to rescue the Marconi wireless telegraph. This important machine was used to transmit a distress call when the ship was sinking and helped save the 700 people who made it onto lifeboats. It has been located on the wreck and will eventually disintegrate if not salvaged, but its removal risks damaging the boat’s hull.

The recovery would be carried out by RMS. Titanic, Inc., a company based in Atlanta, Georgia that was handed exclusive salvaging rights to the wreck by a federal court in Norfolk, Virginia in 1994. Prior to this, U.S. Congress had discouraged disturbing or salvaging the wreck, but no formal, legally-enforced agreement had materialized. [Continue reading…]


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Radio Waves: Great Solar Storm of 1940, Hawaii DJ’s Lack Vital Info, Edison Claims AM/FM Audio Usage Surpasses YouTube, and Radio 4 Longwave Reception

Radio Waves:  Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio

Welcome to the SWLing Post’s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio. Enjoy!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Troy Riedel, Dennis Dura and David Shannon for the following tips:


The Great Solar Storm of March 1940 (Spaceweather.com)

This story is shocking. On March 24, 1940, a solar storm hit Earth so hard it made copper wires in the United States crackle with 800 volts of electricity. A New York Times headline declared that a “sunspot tornado” had arrived, playing havoc with any signal that had to travel through metal wires.

“For a few hours it completely disrupted all long-distance communication,” wrote astronomer Seth B. Nicholson in a recap of the event for the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Radio announcers seemed to be “talking a language no one could understand.” The New York Times reported that more than a million telephone and teletype messages had been garbled: “Veteran electrical engineers unhesitatingly pronounced it the worst thing of its kind within their memory.”

So why have you never heard of this storm? Even in 1940 it was fairly quickly forgotten. World War II was underway in Europe, and the USA was on the verge of joining. People had other things on their minds.

Modern researchers, however, are paying attention. A team led by Jeffrey Loveof the USGS Geomagnetism Program just published a new study of the event in the research journal Space Weather. Their work confirms that it was no ordinary solar storm.

“It was unusually violent,” says Love. “There were very rapid changes in Earth’s magnetic field, and this induced big voltages in long metal wires.” [Continue reading at Spaceweather.com…]

[…]Read Love’s original research here: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2022SW003379

A valued source of communication, Maui radio DJs grapple with lack of information (Hawaii News Now)

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – From taking calls of desperation, to sharing what they know when they know it, local radio hosts have long been a valued source of communication, especially during disasters.

However in light of the recent fires, many on Maui have expressed concerns that information from the government in times of disasters is far too sparse and delayed.

Lines of communication remain severed with cell towers burned to the ground. That’s leaving radio as one of the few dependable sources of communication, which is putting added pressure on local outlets.

Veteran radio host Ed Kapoi of KISS took a call from Napili, North of Kaanapali.

“People are desperate. Babies need diapers and formula. The elderly need their medication,” one caller said through tears.

It just rocks you to your core it really does. It’s hard to take those kind of phone calls,” Kapoi said.

Fellow KISS radio host Brandee Carvalho added, “We hear their crying, their tears, their desperate pleas. It is real. It’s very real for me.” [Continue reading…]

Hawaii residents turn to radio station for vital updates (YouTube)

Click here to watch on YouTube.

AM/FM Radio Is Most Listened to Audio Source in U.S. (Radio World)

Edison Research says streaming music and YouTube claim 2nd and 3rd place

Edison Research just released its latest “Share of Ear” findings. The quarterly study determines what portion of all audio time is spent with different platforms.

The analysis looks at all audio usage across the United States among Americans age 13 and older. The data is gathered from a detailed one-day diary entry administered either online or via mail. Share of Ear data has been continuously updated since 2014. Find this quarter’s insights compiled in the graph below.

Per Edison’s findings this quarter, AM and FM radio (counting both over-the-air and streams) accounted for 36 percent of all listening for Americans age 13 and older. Streaming music via platforms like Spotify, Pandora and Apple Music, among others, accounted for 18 percent of all listening time. Using YouTube for music and/or music videos accounted for 14 percent of all listening time; followed by podcasts, SiriusXM and “owned music” — a.k.a. CD’s and other digital music files.[Continue reading…]

Radio 4 gets a terrible reception over scrapping long wave amid fears older people will struggle with digital radio” (Daily Mail)

[Editor’s Note: Per Wikipedia, “The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news website published in London.”]

Listeners have criticised Radio 4’s retreat from long wave amid fears that older people will struggle with digital radio.

The BBC said last year it will stop scheduling separate content for the long wave version of the station in ‘anticipation of the closure’ of the platform.

Programmes which are on long wave but not Radio 4 FM include Test Match Special, editions of the Shipping Forecast, the Daily Service and a longer version of Yesterday in Parliament.

These shows will be available on other platforms once separate scheduling for long wave ends next March.

It is expected that listeners will be directed to the digital BBC Sounds audio platform to find these programmes. [Continue reading…]


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BBC Radio 4 campaign to transition from long wave

Droitwich transmitting station (Public Domain via Bob Nienhuis)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Chris Greenway, who shares the following article from the BBC:

BBC Radio 4 begins information campaign to transition listeners from Long Wave (BBC Media Centre)

BBC Radio 4 begins information campaign to transition listeners from Long Wave 

The BBC has begun an information campaign to help transition listeners of Radio 4 Long Wave (LW) to alternative BBC platforms.

This follows the announcement in May 2022 that the BBC is to stop scheduling separate content for Radio 4 LW in anticipation of the closure of the LW platform, owned and operated by a third party, which is coming to the end of its life as a technology.

Radio 4 LW is starting to run targeted on air trails from today, giving listeners plenty of advance notice of the coming changes.

All programmes on Radio 4 LW –  Shipping Forecast, Daily Service, Yesterday in Parliament and Test Match Special – will continue to be available on other BBC platforms.

Digital listening has grown significantly over the past decade as the range of alternatives has become easier to switch to, and listeners are increasingly accessing content elsewhere on the BBC. The audiences for Radio 4 LW are small, but we know there are some who still tune in on LW for their favourite programmes.

The BBC is working with key organisations so that specific audiences will be notified how they can switch to other BBC platforms to hear programmes between now and the end of Radio 4 LW separate scheduling in March 2024.

The Shipping Forecast will cease to be broadcast four times a day, and will instead be available via the Radio 4 FM simulcast twice a day (weekdays) and three times a day (weekends) as well as on DAB and BBC Sounds.

It will also continue to be broadcast via HM Coastguard’s channels. Whilst modern technology and new methods means the Shipping Forecast is no longer integral to mariners, the BBC has been working closely with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Met Office to ensure seafarers have adequate advance notice of the changes taking place next year and can prepare accordingly.

The Daily Service and the longer version of Yesterday in Parliament will also continue on LW until March 2024 and will then be available on BBC Radio 4 Extra and BBC Sounds.

Yesterday in Parliament will still be broadcast on the Today programme on Radio 4 FM/DAB.

Test Match Special is already available uninterrupted on Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds where listeners will continue to be able to access it digitally. All scheduled cricket matches on Radio 4 LW will still be broadcast this summer, for the final time. Radio 4 LW listeners will be reminded where they can hear the cricket across the BBC going forward.

Helpful links:

BBC Weather: Coast and Sea

https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/coast-and-sea

Maritime safety: weather and navigation

https://www.gov.uk/maritime-safety-weather-and-navigation

 

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RTÉ Radio 1 will end longwave service on April 14, 2023

RTÉ Radio 1 long wave 252 service to end next month (Source: RTÉ)

RTÉ has announced that it is ceasing the long wave 252 service for Radio 1 from next month.

The move was originally announced in 2014 but was postponed because of protests from Irish organisations in Britain.

RTÉ said in a statement that the LW 252 is no longer sustainable as the transmitter in Summerhill, Co Meath uses up 2.5% of the organisation’s energy use.

The current cost is €250,000 a year and this could rise to £400,000 next year, it says.

When the move was announced originally there were complaints from Irish people in Britain, particularly the elderly, who would no longer be able to get RTÉ Radio 1 on their transistor radios.

The closure was deferred – initially for three years – but the long wave service will now end on Friday 14 April.

However Radio 1 will be available in Britain to listeners on Freestat (channel 750), Sky (channel 0160) and Virgin Media (channel 917).

It will also be available on streaming devices including RTÉ Radio Player and Irish Radio player apps.

In Ireland it will continue to be available on FM as well as through TV channels and online. [Continue reading at RTÉ…]

RTÉ Radio 1 names the day to turn off 252 Long Wave (Source: Radio Today)

RTÉ Radio 1 will cease broadcasting on Long Wave 252 from Friday 14th April 2023.

The station continues to broadcast on FM, on Saorview and Saorsat, along with RTÉ Radio Player and Irish Radioplayer apps.

In the UK, Radio 1 will still be available on Freesat, Sky, and Virgin Media, along with online streaming services such as smart speakers.

The phasing out and closure of the Long Wave service was one of the recommendations of the Future of Media Commission Report which was published by the Government in July 2022. This was part of a wider recommendation aimed at ensuring RTÉ could invest available resources in innovation and digital services. [Continue reading at Radio Today…]

 

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Survey: What type of radio is your daily driver?

A little over a week ago, many of us participated in the 2023 Virtual Winter SWL Fest.

I enjoyed all of the presentations and the casual conversations many of us had in the hospitality lounge and various break-out rooms. Again, kudos to the Fest organizers and all of the volunteers who moderated the various rooms and forums–you all did an amazing job!

The one thing I always pick up when hanging with other radio enthusiasts is the type or class of radio they tend to operate the most.

Case in point: I noticed one friend is currently enamored with tube/valve radios–in past years he loved compact DSP portables. Another friend switched from using primarily a portable radio to a Drake R8 series tabletop radio.  I noticed that many others have been bitten the SDR bullet since last year.

Daily drivers

For many of us, the type of radio we use daily changes over time.

For example, when I first started listening to shortwave in my youth my daily driver was a portable radio. When I got my ham license I found that I enjoyed using my general coverage transceiver connected to a multi-band doublet. Later, with the advent of Software Defined Radios, I became an avid SDR enthusiast.

At present, I’m back to using general coverage transceivers (specifically, the Icom IC-705).

Of course, I always have portables and vintage radios on the air, but they’re not my primary, or “daily driver,” these days. 

Survey

I’m curious: what’s your daily driver?

I’ve created a short survey. If you’d like to participate, simply enter your answer in the form below, click the submit button and it will tally the results. Alternatively, you canclick on this link to open the survey form in a new tab/window. Of course, feel free to comment on this post as well! Thank you!

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Radio Waves: RÚV LW Transmitter Demolished, Dave Rowntree & Longwave, Radio Angela Anniversary, and Como Audio Closes Permanently

Radio Waves:  Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio

Welcome to the SWLing Post’s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio. Enjoy!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Dennis Dura, ______ for the following tips:


Third largest structure in Iceland demolished (RUV English)

Once ubiquitous, few radios now receive long wave broadcasts. Priority is now given to boosting FM signals. RÚV’s long wave transmitter in East Iceland has been demolished.

Monday saw RÚV’s East Iceland long wave transmitter switched off. The mast at Eiðar, at 218 metres the third tallest structure in the country, transmitted RÚV’s radio services across the east of the country and out into the Norwegian Sea. In a statement, RÚV say that the equipment needed to maintain the service is very expensive, and few radios now receive long wave broadcasts.

The change is being made in association with Iceland’s Civil Defence and other bodies concerned with emergencies, as long wave signals have traditionally formed part of emergency communication planning. However, an upgraded FM system will take over this function.

The long wave signal from Eiður, on 207kHz, has been replaced by a more powerful FM network in East Iceland. RÚV has increased the number of FM transmitters and renewed existing masts. Long wave transmissions will continue for a time on 189 kHz from Hellissandur at Gufuskálar in West Iceland – Iceland’s tallest structure at 412 metres – but it too will ultimately close, and then the FM system will fully take over the role of safety broadcasts. [Click here to continue reading and watch demolition video…]

Click here to watch the RUV report on the end of this longwave service (in Icelandic).

Blur’s Dave Rowntree: Long wave radio changed my life – BBC mustn’t switch it off prematurely (iNews.co.uk)

Long wave radio changed Blur drummer Dave Rowntree’s life. Now he warns the BBC not to switch off the shipping forecast signal until the whole country is digitally connected

From childhood to his chart-topping days with Blur, long wave radio has played a central role in Dave Rowntree’s life.

Now the drummer has warned that the BBC’s plans to switch-off the crackly signal could disenfranchise millions of radio listeners who still struggle to receive digital transmissions.

The BBC will end AM radio transmissions – including long wave, home of the Shipping Forecast and medium wave – currently still accessed by an estimated 6.5 million listeners each week.

BBC Radio 5 Live’s medium wave frequencies will fall silent by the end of 2027 with a date for ending long wave currently under discussion.

Rowntree, who holds an amateur radio licence and took inspiration from the shipping forecast for Blur’s hit “This Is A Low”, said the signal should not be turned off prematurely. Continue reading

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Frans’ meditation at 198kHz with the Siemens REL 445 E311 b1b

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Frans Goddijn, who writes:

Hi Thomas!

Yesterday was dark and rainy and as I switched on my old Siemens REL 445 E311 b1b there was an interesting snippet of program on BBC4 with a meditation that nicely fitted the afternoon’s atmosphere:

Best regards,

Frans

Wonderful–thank you for sharing that with us, Frans! A warm sound emanating from your Siemens receiver on such a rainy day. Beautiful.

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