Photo: Lisa Herbert via Twitter
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, London Shortwave, who shares this tweet from Northern Territory resident, Lisa Herbert.
ABC ad re cutting #shortwave services telling peeps to include an EPIRB and sat phone to their emergency kit. pic.twitter.com/NrKQqNbQjK
— Lisa Herbert (@MsLisaHerbert) December 28, 2016
Is the irony of this really lost on the ABC management? Replace shortwave radio (~$20) with a sat phone (~$700+subscription) @Malarndirri19 https://t.co/kzWRDbvQ7d
— London Shortwave (@LondonShortwave) January 3, 2017
Read about the cuts to the ABC NT service and Radio Australia by clicking here.
Honestly, this is just ignorance gone to seed.
…..or accountants getting their own way, knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing.
Seems like the southern hemisphere is going VHF: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/321809/loss-of-am-radio-irks-french-polynesia
As I’ve commented previously, I find it ironic the ABC thinks you will receive a AM signal. If you are travelling between towns, your chances of receiving the ABC are slim:
http://www.abc.net.au/reception/freq/Frequency-NT.pdf
They have 3 AM transmitters, and none of them are below 700KHz and they aren’t high powered transmitters either.
Alice Springs broadcasts with 2000 watts of power
Jabiru broadcasts with 200 watts
Gove broadcasts with 500 watts
By comparison, ABC Adelaide broadcasts with 50,000 watts and ABC Spencer Gulf (on 639KHz a much lower frequency) gets out with 10,000 watts.
How about increasing the power of the existing AM transmitters in the territory ABC?
Is the response the government requested from the ABC over its concerns about the safety of people in the Northern Territory – unacceptable
There is a petition available to sign. It may not help, but it’s worth a try-
https://www.change.org/p/abc-chair-hon-james-spigelman-save-lifesaving-shortwave-radio-to-the-pacific/u/18844829?utm_medium=email&utm_source=notification&utm_campaign=petition_update
Thanks for the heads up. This could end up costing lives across not only the NT, but also among remote Pacific Islanders. I think it’s outrageous. And they’re not even saving money, but diverting it. This is insane!
I completely agree, Eldee. It’s penny wise and pound foolish at best, dangerously stupid at worst.
To be fair, I don’t think they mean you need a sat phone and an epirb because they are stopping shortwave transmissions, but sensible advice of bringing a sat phone and epirb with you in case of emergencies.
For info, VAST is a free-to-air satellite service – Viewer Access Satellite Television.
Had to revert to local FM radio numerous times this winter due to loss of power here for updates on storm progress, road closures etc.
There should be a strategy for emergency radios in every country because when you lose power the only link to information from the outside world can be a wind up radio. My Degen DE13 has been put to good use the past few months.
But that’s what’s ironic about this announcement, since without shortwave a sat phone is your only hope of getting relevant emergency information, if your local AM/FM relays are affected. Which they might well be – for example, check this story: [ABC: Phones down, posing safety risk in remote north Queensland community] http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-06/phones-down-in-north-queensland-community/8166088?pfmredir=sm
I have to agree with London Shortwave. Either they don’t care, or they have a satellite phone plan to sell.
True and I totally understand that, but I am thinking about being that isolated without a sat phone/epirb (HF kit) would be sensible anyway as a shortwave radio, although useful for weather reports/warnings but no use if you have a broken leg 100’s or 1000’s of miles from the nearest neighbour/town.
What worries me more is the risk of Tsunamis in Kiribati et al. and anyone who could have been listening say in the back yard to ABC on SW will no longer have the alert and would be unaware of an approaching Tsunami, if not alerted by local sirens.
Where is the risk assessment by ABC officials/government for removing this service?