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!
AU2JCB Special Event Station (Nov 25 – Dec 13, 2022)
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Datta, who shares the following announcement:
AU2JCB is a special event call-sign to commemorate the birth date (30 NOV) & to pay homage & to tell about the great INDIAN scientist Acharya JAGADISH CHANDRA BOSE who is recognized as the “Father of Wireless Communication” by the scientific community of our world &IEEE.
I, VU2DSI, have been operating with this call sign for the last 17 years since 2005 & operate AU2JCB from 25 NOV 2022 to 13 DEC 2022.
The Details of operation —-
Period: 25 NOV 2022 to 13 DEC 2022
Frequencies:
- 10 M: 28545, 28510,28490
- 21 M: 21235, 21310, 21350
- 20M: 4210, 14250, 14310
- 40 M: 7040, 7150
- 80 M: 3710
- 6M in FM mode 50800, 51500
- 10 M: 29700
Preferably the operation will be on higher bands according to propagation conditions.
QSL— Direct to VU2DSI, “SURABHI” MEHERABAD. AHMEDNAGAR.414006. INDIA.
FOR DX STATIONS PLEASE SEND 2IRC’s—–IF POSSIBLE— as many many DX stations are requesting QSL’s.
I will appreciate the GOOD number of used postal stamps instead of IRC as I love collecting stamps.
About
Aacharya J.C.Bose is well known as the “Father of Wireless Communication”.
Acharya Bose’s demonstration in 1895 & 1897 predates all.
Bose transmitted wireless signals to a distance of a mile. Popova in Russia was still trying remote signaling at this time & the first wireless experiment by Marconi was not successful until May 1897.
Bose is a pioneer in microwave optics technology.
Bose’s invention of 1-centimeter to 5 millimeters radio waves is being used in radars, satellite communication& remote sensing.
Bose’s concepts from his original 1897 papers are now incorporated into a new 1.3 mm multi-beam receiver on the NRAO (National Radio Observatory) 12 Meter Telescope.
Bose anticipated the use of P-type& N-type semiconductors & hence 60 years ahead of his time. Bose developed the use of GALENA crystals for making receivers.
In Bose’s presentation to the Royal Institution in London in January 1897, he speculated on the existence of electromagnetic radiation from the sun. This radiation from the sun was not detected until 1942.
Video: Exploring a 1 MILLION Watt FM Tower (YouTube)
My Dad and I took a road trip to tour the 1 MW FM community tower in Crestwood, MO, serving the entire St. Louis metro area combining 10 FM radio signals into two antenna systems.
Special thanks to the Audacy engineers who allowed us to take a peek at their (very clean!) transmitter rooms and equipment!
Click here to view on YouTube.
3ZZZ breaches community radio broadcast rules in its coverage on Ukraine (ACMA)
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has found Melbourne-based community broadcaster 3ZZZ in breach of community broadcasting rules in its coverage of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
An ACMA investigation found that content broadcast on 3ZZZ’s ‘The Russian Program’ on 24 February 2022 breached rules around factual accuracy and also stereotyped and attempted to demean Ukrainian people.
During the program, which is presented in the Russian language, the host made a number of comments stating that Russian armed forces had not carried out any “missile, air or artillery strikes on the cities of Ukraine”. The ACMA investigation found this was not accurate at the time of broadcast, with credible evidence citing 24 February 2022 as the start of Russia’s missile attacks against Ukrainian cities.
The investigation also noted the program host made statements presenting the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk from Ukraine as fact. In assessing credible external sources, including comments from Australia’s then Minister for Foreign Affairs, the ACMA is of the view that these statements were inaccurate.
ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin said rules around accuracy in community radio news are in place so that listeners can be confident that what is being reported is true and credible.
“Community radio, including in-language services, fulfils a vital role in Australia’s broadcasting landscape, providing access to content audiences may not otherwise be able to find. Therefore, it’s important that audiences can trust that the information presented is accurate.
“In this case, 3ZZZ has aired material that did not meet the accuracy standards expected of a community broadcaster,” Ms O’Loughlin said.
The ACMA also found the program included content that was demeaning towards Ukrainian people on the basis of their nationality, language and political affiliations. This included a song which mocks the Ukrainian government and people, presenting a stereotype of Ukrainians that attempted to undermine their dignity.
Following the findings, 3ZZZ has entered into a court-enforceable undertaking with the ACMA that will see it provide training for all relevant staff and volunteers on compliance with the Community Radio Broadcasting Codes of Practice. The station will also establish systems, processes and practices for the identification of geo-political matters and environmental sensitivities of a serious nature, so that these can be appropriately managed in broadcasts in the future.
For more information, please contact ACMA Media on 0438 375 776 or [email protected].
ABC launches Australia Calling: The ABC Radio Australia Story (RadioInfo)
The ABC has released an official history of Radio Australia, Australia Calling: The ABC Radio Australia Story.
Written by long-time ABC Radio Australia journalist and presenter Dr. Phil Kafcaloudes, Australia Calling tells the story of the radio service’s evolution and change through the decades as geopolitics and the media landscape shift across the region and the world.
It charts the push and pull of the service from pressures on the ABC budget over the years and as political support for the value of international broadcasting has ebbed and flowed within Canberra.
ABC Managing Director David Anderson says, “In the ABC’s 90th year, Australia Calling is a timely reminder of the historic importance of the ABC’s International Services in the Indo-Pacific. In an increasingly challenging international context, it is an opportunity to reflect on the ABC’s role in supporting a free media, regional democracy, and collaboration with our international neighbours.”
Read more at: https://radioinfo.com.au/news/abc-launches-australia-calling-the-abc-radio-australia-story/ © RadioInfo Australia
Blog: Redwood City was once home to the only radio station broadcasting to GIs overseas (RWC Pulse)
During WWll, television had yet to become the great medium it is today. Instead, Americans were kept informed and entertained by radio, a platform so popular that many Americans purchased radios rivaling today’s large-screen TV’s in size. They became furniture for many households.
In an effort to promote patriotic material to eager listening audiences, General Electric launched a short wave radio station at the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island in 1939. The call letters were W6XBE. Soon after, in August the letters were changed to KGEI, referring to General Electric International.
In 1941, at the conclusion of the Exposition, KGEI’s 50kw transmitter was relocated to the bayside marshlands of Redwood City—now Redwood Shores.
In addition to being a platform for General Electric to promote its products, KGEI was the only voice from America for GI’s who were stationed overseas in the Pacific during WWll. General Douglas MacArthur’s famous “I Shall Return” (to the Philippines) speech from Australia in 1944 was broadcast over their airwaves. [Continue reading…]
Wireless EV Charging Could Pose Threat to AM Reception (Radio World)
New medium-frequency interference concerns are raised by Xperi
Consumers are eager to cut the cord on their electronics charging devices, a trend that could soon benefit drivers of electric vehicles (EVs).
HD Radio developer and licensing company Xperi is seeking to raise awareness about a potential new threat to AM radio broadcast reception: the proposed introduction of wireless power transfer systems for electric vehicle charging, or WPT-EV, that use switching frequencies that generate harmonics in the lower AM band.
Xperi recently filed comments about this concern in response to a notice of inquiry at the FCC about radio receiver performance. It hopes to raise awareness and also believes its HD Radio technology can be of help.
Interference to AM from unintentional radiators including low-cost switching power supplies in EVs is a concern, even before the question of wireless charging comes into the discussion.
EV sales are rising across the globe, and the United States has set a lofty goal that half of new vehicles sold are to be electric by 2030, according to the National Association of Broadcasters. With that comes growing concern over noise on the AM band in EVs. The electromagnetic interference from EV motors to AM radio signals is well established, and some carmakers have pared AM radio from dashboards because of concerns over audio quality. [Continue reading…]
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Wireless EV charging is *really* catering to the lazy. Beyond the RFI, it’s just stupidly wasteful. A car can take more than 30 kw in a single overnight charge. Even a 10% inefficiency means wasting over 3kw of energy, just to avoid having to grab a cord and stick it in a port. That’s like leaving a “60w equivalent” (9w) LED light bulb on for 333 hours. Cars are not phones.
I already own one EV (well, 2, if you also count the bicycle), and the hassle of plugging it in is absolutely not one of the limiting factors on EV adoption. I wholeheartedly agree with anyone trying to fight these wireless charging systems, as stopping them won’t have any impact at-all on the transition.
RFI from operating EVs isn’t much of a concern to me. It typically only effects the radio in the vehicle it’s self. EVs don’t have an effective MF or HF radiator to transmit the RFI very far. Good engineering is sufficient.
Hi, unless you wish to go out in the fields with a portable, which helps a lot, you might prefer to obtain rather a magnetic loop antenna for indoor use. A magnetic loop alone is not too expensive when bought and can significantly improve your experience, probably more than a radio upgrade at this point 🙂
A magnetic loop can also be self-built (there have been several good instructional texts here on swling recently).
$NZ4.4 million = $US2.7 million. The transmitter is 100 kW.
Over the passt 5-6 yearsI have spent several hundred US Dollars buying a couple of Tecsuns and Sangeans each with extremely poor results when tuning in on SSW USB frequencies, I got virtual no positive results only static to my chagrin. A friend of mine who is an electronics engineer and amatur handle too told me that over the past decade or so the “transmitability” on SW bands have deteriorated so much that if I really want to enjoy SW traffic I have to look at buying some expensive sets i.e. Etons $360+ plus appropriate antennaes.
Can you please share your personal insights on this matter, I´d really appreciate it before I take the plunge knowing that I won’t be very disappointed again. By the way I live in Quito, Ecuador, South America. 73 DX and cheers as well.
Don’t fret, Arthur. Tecsun and Sangean produce very good shortwave receivers. Radios that, for a hundred bucks, would have been the thing of dreams during the SWL heydays of the 80s. I’m sure your radios are great.
It’s quite likely a result of local noise conditions. There’s certainly less to listen to on SW, but you should be able to hear some stations at any given time.
Step #1: Analyze what local noise sources are under your control. The simplest, is if you have access, flip all the breakers off in your home, one at a time, while listening to the noise on the radio. Once they are all off, you can hear the noise floor that is under your control. If that makes a big difference, you may want to hunt through your devices to learn what exactly is causing all the noise. If you don’t have access, you may have to unplug/switch off everything.
Step#2: improve the antenna. The one downside to these cheaper portables is that they tend to dislike very high signal levels. That means long wires are often not helpful, like they might be with more robust radios. Instead, look to antennas that naturally reject local noise. There are various small loop antennas out there that are good at this. Don’t forget to walk around and see if there are locations that are better than others.
Hi Arthur,
I must disagree with your amateur radio friend. Shortwave “transmitability” sounds like a pejorative and subjective statement. Fundamental to one’s training in receiving SSB signals is always a combination of things. I am also an amateur radio operator and have to deal with many limitations at my home location and I am learning how to hear stations better (I live in an apartment-like building on the second floor with a nice outdoor porch).
One of the biggest factors is less transmissions being beamed directly to your location. Signals may be less strong than in the past if they are not directly aimed at South America.
Secondly, what Jason mentions is important – Noise! I have had to setup two separate receive antennas and I have a “phaser” box to mix the two antennas to try to reduce noise from my neighbors. There is AC line noise, LED light bulb noise, and a number of other kinds of noise. Drives me crazy!!! You can try to obtain an MFJ-1026 or perhaps google something called “QRM Eliminator”.
Thirdly, most portable radios, while in SSB mode, have audio that is perhaps only 3 kHz wide. This makes it hard to understand shortwave broadcasters because it sounds too muffled. If you get another radio, see if it has 4 or 5 kHz wide audio setting while in SSB. 6 khz is even better. I think the Eton radios have 4khz audio while in SSB.
I like Jason’s idea. Try to identify your sources of noise first before buying anything. Then try going to a park and listen outdoors away from noise to the SAME shortwave broadcast. You might be very surprised how much better you hear it while outdoors in the park! And you can try his idea of building or buying a loop antenna that can easily be rotated and tuned by hand (try it out in various places in your home).
If you have an outdoor porch like I have, you can also try a two different simple and cheap wire antennas to see what works better. Combine these with one of those QRM Eliminator boxes.
Good luck in your journey. I am sure you can figure out something better if you look into it carefully without overspending.
TomL