Hara Arena (Source: Aesopposea via WikiMedia Commons)
Many thanks to Dave Anderson (K4SV) who notes that the previous home of the Dayton Hamvention–Hara Arena–is on the auction block for back taxes.
Click here to view the Notice of Judicial Sale on the IRS website.
(Source: OddityCentral via Sheldon Harvey and The International Radio Report)
German Radio Station Creates Special Program for Lonely Canines
When dogs get lonely, they sometimes keep themselves busy by wreaking havoc around the house, and that doesn’t really sit well with their owners. That’s why one German radio host, who also happens to be a dog owner, came up with the idea for a 24/7 program designed to relax canine listeners and make them feel like they are not alone.
When 30-year old Stephan “Stocki” Stock, a radio moderator at RadioTon, in Germany’s Baden-Württemberg region, announced the creation of a program aimed at dogs, everyone thought it was just a clever April Fools prank. Only it wasn’t. For the past three and a half months, “Hallo Hasso” has been pumping out music for lonely pooches both on the radio and online.[…]
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jonathan Marks, who shares the following article from Rediff News in which Jim Egan, CEO, BBC Global News, tells Vanita Kohli-Khandekar about the addition of daily newscasts in Telugu, Gujarati, Punjabi and Marathi:
[…]Delhi is by far the BBC’s number one international bureau with over 120 people. This will more than double to 300 by autumn as the language expansion begins.
The BBC is all set to produce daily newscasts in Telugu, Gujarati, Punjabi and Marathi (in addition to the existing Hindi, Tamil and Urdu), which will be distributed through local TV partners.
It will also be expanding its online presence in these languages.
“A lot of people in India tell us ‘My grandfather used to watch the BBC.’ But we don’t want to be remembered by what we were, but what we are,” says Egan.[…]
Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Bud Glass, who writes:
I am attempting to find out more information about this particular radio [see above]. The photo is from around 1959–no idea how old the radio is.
Thanks, Bud. I did a little research and it appears this photo was taken of Elvis while he was traveling in Germany. The radio has a familiar design from the era with a large speaker and round, front-facing tuning dial. I can’t make out the manufacturer’s name in the image.
Post readers: Please comment if you can help Bud ID this portable radio!
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Harald Kuhl, who shares the following:
(Sources: QRZ.com and http://www.martellotowergroup.com/gb5rc.html)
Celebrating five decades of offshore radio broadcasting GB5RC
For the full report of GB5RC in 2016, click here
Thursday 3rd – Monday 7th August 2017
Following our successful activation of MV Ross Revenge in August 2016 we are very excited to be able to run the special event station again in 2017. The Ross Revenge has been the home of the world famous Radio Caroline since 1983. To find out more about our 2016 activation, please click here.
Our plan is similar to last year, however we will be on the Ross a day early, heading out and setting up on Thursday 3rd August with plans to start operating either on the evening of the 3rd or the morning of Friday the 4th. We will operate two stations throughout the weekend, closing down in the early hours of Monday morning, grabbing a few hours sleep and then dismantling everything after a leisurely breakfast before leaving around lunchtime.
We will have two stations operating for as much as possible and this year we will be concentrating on 80m, 40m and 20m with the option to retune the 20m vertical for 17m, 15m, 12m and 10m if conditions are favourable. These bands weren’t very successful in 2016 so we’d rather stick where there’s the most activity. We will have dipoles for 80m and 40m and verticals for 40m and 20m. We may have something for VHF/UHF but we struggled on there last year due to interference from the solar panels whenever the sun shone!
For more details on GB5RC in 2017, please click here ((http://www.martellotowergroup.com/gb5rc.html))
QSL Policy
The QSL card for our 2017 special event station will be a different design to that used in 2016.
Please read this carefully. Failure to follow the procedure will mean your QSL card will either be delayed or you won’t receive it.Please send cards either direct to G6NHU or via the Bureau addressed to GB5RC.
If sending direct from within the UK, please include an SASE.From anywhere outside the UK, please include an SAE and $2.
Do not send stamps or any currency other than US$. Direct cards received without envelopes or the correct postage will be returned via the bureau. No exceptions.
If you’d like to add a few extra dollars to go towards supporting Radio Caroline, they will be gratefully received and passed on to the Support Group.
Remember – If you don’t manage to work us but would still like a QSL card, you can send an SWL report as detailed below. These are best sent direct and not via the bureau.
Please do NOT send IRCs.
Direct QSLs to Keith Maton, 41 Bemerton Gardens, Kirby Cross, Essex. CO13 0LQ, United Kingdom.
SWL reports
We appreciate this will be a busy station and due to the nature of the event, we encourage SWL reports. If you send an SWL report, please make sure you list the exact frequency we were working on, the time you heard us and list the callsigns of two stations or more that we were talking to. It would also be nice to know what radio and aerial you’re using.
For more information about Radio Caroline, including how to join the support group and help keep the station on the air and Ross Revenge afloat, please see the website. Radio Caroline’s main running costs are covered by Support Group subscriptions and donations.
There is a great article by Zaria Gorvett in the BBC Future online magazine concerning several transmitting stations which have baffled folks for decades.
Here is a brief introduction:
In the middle of a Russian swampland, not far from the city of St Petersburg, is a rectangular iron gate. Beyond its rusted bars is a collection of radio towers, abandoned buildings and power lines bordered by a dry-stone wall. This sinister location is the focus of a mystery which stretches back to the height of the Cold War.
It is thought to be the headquarters of a radio station, “MDZhB”, that no-one has ever claimed to run. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, for the last three-and-a-half decades, it’s been broadcasting a dull, monotonous tone. Every few seconds it’s joined by a second sound, like some ghostly ship sounding its foghorn. Then the drone continues.
Once or twice a week, a man or woman will read out some words in Russian, such as “dinghy” or “farming specialist”. And that’s it. Anyone, anywhere in the world can listen in, simply by tuning a radio to the frequency 4625 kHz.
It’s so enigmatic, it’s as if it was designed with conspiracy theorists in mind. Today the station has an online following numbering in the tens of thousands, who know it affectionately as “the Buzzer”. It joins two similar mystery stations, “the Pip” and the “Squeaky Wheel”. As their fans readily admit themselves, they have absolutely no idea what they are listening to.
The whole article is a highly enjoyable read – check it out! 73, Robert AK3Q
Robert Gulley, AK3Q, is the author of this post and a regular contributor to the SWLing Post. Robert also blogs at All Things Radio.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jerome van der Linden, who shares an update from 4KZ Station Manager, Al Kirton:
Hi Jerome
5055 is not on the air yet.
The transmitter failed and requires some inexpensive parts which are not available in Australia. They should be here any day from the US.
We hope to be able to commence in the near future.[…]
Best wishes
Al Kirton
Radio 4KZ
Thanks for sharing this update, Jerome. For more information about 4KZ, check out this previous post.