Monthly Archives: August 2016

Radio Prague back on the air for one day via Shortwave Service

Radio-Prague-QSL (Source: Christian Milling via WRTH on Facebook)

Radio Prague celebrates 80 years of broadcasting. We bring them back on Shortwave for one day.

Tune in on Wednesday, 31st of August.

1630-1700 UTC on 9535 kHz towards 65° Russia at 100kW (Russian)*

1800-1900 UTC on 11845 kHz towards 305° Europe at 100kW (German / French)

1930-2030 UTC on 9885 kHz towards 330° Scandinavia at 100kW (Czech / English)

2100-2130 UTC on 9405 kHz towards 280° Southern Europe at 100kW (Spanish)

* tentative

As the broadcasts are shorter than 30 Mins we’d like to fill it with your Radio Prague Birthday Greetings. Please leave a message on our answering machine +4922517724266 or send a prerecorded file to [email protected]

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China’s campaign to eliminate pirate radio

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SX-99-Dial-Nar

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ken Hansen (N2VIP), who shares a link to the following news item on BGR India:

China to crackdown on unauthorised radio broadcasts

Reportedly, in a national campaign aided by more than 30,000 airwave monitors, in over past six months, more than 500 sets of equipment for making unauthorised radio broadcasts were seized in China.[…]

“The broadcast power of pirate radio stations can be 2,500 to 5,000 watts, which is several hundred of times that of commercial radio, and the signal can be received 300 km away,” the China Daily reported citing the department as saying. Pirate radios may also pose a threat to communication between aircraft pilots and ground controllers as their frequency band neighbours that of flight navigation signals and can create interference, the department said.
Under Chinese law, the unauthorised use of radio frequency bands can attract up to seven years in prison.

Click here to read the full story…

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August 28: BBC Atlantic Relay station special DRM broadcasts

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RNZI-DRM-2 (Source: DRM Consortium)

DRM will be part of a big anniversary on a small island in the Atlantic Ocean. On 28th of August at 1155 GMT Babcock International will ensure a special BBC digital transmission on 21715 kHz from the BBC Atlantic Relay station, marking the fiftieth anniversary of the BBC’s first short-wave radio broadcast from Ascension Island.

Since 1966, the Atlantic Relay station has broadcast BBC World Service programmes to Africa and South America, and to this day, continues to broadcast over 250 programme hours every week to East and West Africa in English, French, Hausa and Somali.

The two hour-transmission on 21715 kHz will start with the old, special sound of Bow Church Bell in east London, the sound of which, even if in DRM this time, will remind older listeners of the BBC broadcasts of many decades ago. The 21-hour transmission will be the regular BBC programmes for West and South Africa and will end at 1400.

DRM – Digital Radio Mondiale, is an international digital radio standard designed by broadcasters, for broadcasters, in co-operation with transmitter and receiver manufacturers. DRM is a high quality digital replacement for analogue radio broadcasting in the AM and FM bands.

This special transmission will be sent with greetings from Ascension Island’s BBC and Babcock International staff and visitors, who will be celebrating half a century of sterling broadcasting on August 28th.

Click here to read more about the fascinating history of the BBC’s broadcasts from Ascension Island.

Transmission Details

FREQ TIME (UTC) SERVICE TX kW Bearing Day LANG TARGET

21715 1155-1201 BBC DRM ASC 250 114 1 English S. Africa (Special Announcement)

21715 1201-1400 BBC DRM ASC 250 114 1 English S. Africa (English – ENAFW)

21715 1400-1430 BBC DRM ASC 250 250 1 English Brazil (English – ENAFW)

Additional analogue transmission will broadcast from 13.30 GMT for ceremonial purposes.

15105 1330-1430 BAB ASC 250 27 1 English W. Africa (Special Announcement)

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Radio Fana 6110 kHz Ethiopia; excellent SNR with Elad FDM DUO

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The Elad FDM DUO makes for a fantastic receiver, in both standalone mode and via the FDM-SW2 software. Thus far it has been demonstrating this by outperforming the Sony ICF-2001D in many of my reception tests using an experimental longwire antenna. Bear in mind that whilst this might not be such a surprise, the Elad without the FDM-SW2 software driving it has no SYNC, which is often invaluable for Tropical Band DXing. To make the point further, here is a wonderfully clear signal from Ethiopia, with, in my experience at least, exceptional signal-to-noise.

My 200 metre longwire is still very much a work in progress. I am in the process of building a termination resistance box, receiver-end termination suitable for high and low impedance inputs and earthing straps for metre-long copper pipes that will remain in-situ. When I have completed these tasks, I will record a video because I know some of you are interested in the details. For now though, it just remains an experiment – 200 metres of wire and very late nights/ early mornings! Recorded at the ‘DX woods’ in Oxford UK at 03:23 hrs UTC on 31/07/16. Thanks for watching.

Direct link to Radio Fana reception on the Oxford Shortwave Log YouTube channel

Clint Gouveia is the author of this post and a regular contributor to the SWLing Post. Clint actively publishes videos of his shortwave radio excursions on his YouTube channel: Oxford Shortwave Log. Clint is based in Oxfordshire, England.

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National Parks On The Air: Activating PK01 this weekend (August 28)

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The QRP Ranger (left) and LNR Precision LD-11 transceiver (right)

After two months in Canada and one month spent catching up on work, I’m pleased to make some time this weekend to activate PK01 (the Blue Ridge Parkway) for the ARRL National Parks On The Air (NPOTA).

I’ll be joined by my good friend, Vlado (N3CZ) on August 28–we plan to set up at the Folk Art Center on the parkway around 11:00 EDT and be on the air by 11:30 EDT (15:30 UTC).

I plan to use the LNR Precision LD-11, QRP Ranger and EFT Trail Friendly Antenna combo. Vlado will either use his Icom IC-7000, Kenwood TS-480 or my Elecraft KX1.

Look for us on the following frequencies:

CW: +/- 7031, 14061 kHz
SSB: +/- 7286, 14286 kHz

Life has been so hectic after having been on the road for two months–I’m pleased to finally have a moment to play radio in the field again!

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HAARP Open House this weekend

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(Source: University of Alaska Fairbanks via Andrea Borgnino)

OPEN HOUSE AUGUST 27, 2016

9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at HAARP, 11.3 mile Tok Cutoff Highway, Gakona, Alaska

Facility tours, mobile planetarium, permafrost exhibit, science demos and talks, and BBQ.

Free and suitable for all ages!

ALSO: Science lecture Friday August 26, 7 p.m. at the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park Visitor Center Auditorium, mile 106.8 Richardson Highway, Copper Center, Alaska.

“Radio Modification of the Ionosphere, and Who Uses This HAARP Thing Anyway?” by Dr. Chris Fallen

Free, in partnership with the Wrangell Institute for Science and the Environment (WISE)

For more information on either of these events, download the flyer by clicking on the image above, or email [email protected].

The High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, or HAARP, is a scientific endeavor aimed at studying the properties and behavior of the ionosphere. Operation of the research facility was transferred from the United States Air Force to the University of Alaska Fairbanks on Aug. 11, 2015, allowing HAARP to continue with exploration of ionospheric phenomenology via a land-use cooperative research and development agreement.

HAARP is the world’s most capable high-power, high-frequency transmitter for study of the ionosphere. The HAARP program is committed to developing a world-class ionospheric research facility consisting of:

The Ionospheric Research Instrument, a high power transmitter facility operating in the High Frequency range. The IRI can be used to temporarily excite a limited area of the ionosphere for scientific study.

A sophisticated suite of scientific or diagnostic instruments that can be used to observe the physical processes that occur in the excited region.

Observation of the processes resulting from the use of the IRI in a controlled manner will allow scientists to better understand processes that occur continuously under the natural stimulation of the sun.

Scientific instruments installed at the HAARP Observatory can also be used for a variety of continuing research efforts which do not involve the use of the IRI but are strictly passive. These include ionospheric characterization using satellite beacons, telescopic observation of the fine structure in the aurora and documentation of long-term variations in the ozone layer.

Click here to download event flyer.

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Video: Elecraft KX2 daytime shortwave AM performance

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After publishing the post this morning regarding the AM mode addition to the Elecraft KX2, SWLing Post contributor Ivan Cholakov (NO2CW) created the following video comparing the KX2’s daytime shortwave reception with that of the Kenwood R-2000: