I’m planning to visit the Edward R. Murrow transmitter station for a few hours on Friday (tomorrow). This will be my third trip to the station and I’ll be hanging out with the chief engineer, Macon Dail. I plan to take more photos–especially of some recent transmitter upgrades.
Any questions/requests?
If you like, I would be happy to ask Macon any technical/engineering questions you may have about the site and post his replies here on the SWLing Post next week.
Additionally, if you have something specific you’d like me to photograph, please ask and I’ll attempt to do so. The only areas I’m not allowed to photograph are those dealing with site security.
Please comment with your questions and requests no later than tomorrow morning!
In case you’re not familiar, the Edward R. Murrow transmitter site is the last BBG shortwave broadcasting site on US soil. Click here for a photo tour I posted a few ago.
Ask them to give Kim Andrew Elliott’s Radiogram an additional 30 minutes a week as I believe that MFSK32 should form part of all shortwave broadcasts in the future.
An idea for MFSK32 in general for broadcasters would be to transmit it at the end of each AM broadcast, where most broadcasts end either with dead air (quite common) or a signature tune/interval signal. The MFSK32 transmission would list broadcast times, languages, frequencies, reception report info, competitions and news specific to that station.
Thomas, please join my “I take pictures of transmitter sites” group on Facebook.
I know our 8500 members would love to see your pictures and If you wrote an article with pictures of your upcoming visit, you can post that link in my group.
I already shared this blog post to that group.
Paul Walker
Hello, Thomas,
I really like the picture you sent of the VOA directional antennas. I think they are HRS antennas. It stands for Horizontal dipoles with a Reflector behind them, and the beam is Steerable. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HRS_antenna. Some day, I want to build one with 16 dipoles in my backyard and use it for 10-meter communication toward the west to California, Arizona and New Mexico. (I know several hams out there.) I would also use it for EME moonbounce on 10 meters using JT65 or JT9 digital modes at high power while the moon is setting in the west.
So, if you get a chance, can you get some more pictures and maybe some info on who built them, the gain and other details?
Thanks.
Steve Y
No, Thomas, I’m serious with my requests, April fool or not! 🙂
Is there an ISB capable SW transmitter working? If so, maybe the Radiogram broadcast could experiment a bit broader … he he
Also, ask if the VOA plans to stay relevant as long as possible by experimenting with DRM. No, dedicated DRM receivers aren’t necessary for the latter process to occur.
One question I have for the people at VOA Greenville – What’s with the 62kW for certain Radio Marti transmissions? Operating expense, antenna, politics or what?
I lived in Raleigh for a couple of years and really regret that I never got over there!
Always enjoy reading you daily SWLing Post!
Best regards
Bob LaRose
I was under the impression that VOA Radiogram audio is sourced from a CD player, as a while back there were slanted image problems caused by playback speed issues. Like Al Holt, I’d like to see how the how VOA Radiogram gets fed into the system – perhaps a picture of ‘the’ CD player ? Please also convey this VOA Radiogrammer’s thanks to the staff there for all their work running such an impressive facility.
Regrettably for GRB they had to evaluate and then use a whole lot of different transmitters in the mid 80’s including AEG/TFK, Marconi and Brown Boveri.
Now that they have had a good time to work on them which do they prefer for general longevity and ease-of-use? We had the Marconi cross-head versions of their senders at Woofferton and our colleagues at Rampisham had the AEG/TFK types as well as Marconi.
It was difficult at RMP to work out which were the better sort!
Could you ask Macon which they prefer then, maybe it will be the GE ones from the 1960’s??
Regards Dave Porter G4OYX Retired STE Woofferton 1982-2012.
Take some photos that would make good desktop backgrounds!
Hello Thomas! I’m a regular listener/decoder of VOA Radiogram hosted by Kim Andrew Elliott and set up a FB group to share images and tips. Whenever the question of the transmitter/antennas used comes up I refer to this page: http://voaradiogram.net/post/47627164533/voa-radiogram-some-details-about-the-transmitters
It would be great to get more detail photos of those older transmitters and closer views of the dipole and curtain antennas used.
Also, it would be good to see the signal chain used for the broadcast. I guess KAE uploads his audio file to them, but I’m not sure how the “playout” is handled.
Thanks for the offer and have a good trip! I hope the weather is good.
Pics of anything with a mimic panel. And pics of power feeds/breakers/etc
Could you ask VOA to beam the Radiogram transmission to Australia : ) thanks Thomas.
Ha! Should be simple, right? Just nudge the antenna a bit! 🙂