Author Archives: Thomas

RTI Tamsui transmitter tests for future broadcasts

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul Jamet, who shares the following article (translated into English, from the Radio Club du Perche:

RTI – Taiwan on direct broadcast from Tamsui transmitter center

As in recent years, the German and French services of RTI – Radio Taiwan International – will broadcast their programs to Europe and North-West Africa from the Tamsui transmitter center.

To determine which two frequencies will be used for the retransmissions, tests will be carried out on three frequencies in 10-minute increments, as follows:

Saturday July 6, 2024 by the German service:

    • 11,995 kHz (17:00-17:10 UTC) – 9,545 kHz (17:30-17:40 UTC) – 7,250 kHz (17:45-17:55 UTC)
      report your reception observations to the German service: [email protected]

Sunday, July 7, 2024 by the French service:

    • 11995 kHz (Angle 325 degrees)?17:00-17:10 UTC – 9545 kHz (Angle 315 degrees)?17:30-17:40 UTC – 7250 kHz (Angle 315 degrees)?17:45-17:55 UTC
      Report your reception observations to the French service: [email protected]

Official broadcast dates:

German service: every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from July 12 to August 4, 2024
French service: every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from August 9 to September 1, 2024

A special QSL card is being printed for all listening reports received as part of this “Summer 2024 direct broadcast” (test phase and official broadcast). RTI thanks you for your support.

Paul JAMET

See:

https://de.rti.org.tw/radio/programMessageView/programId/2001/id/108778

https://fr.rti.org.tw/radio/programMessageView/id/107165

Carlos’ Shortwave Art and Recording of NHK (June 24, 2024)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist, Carlos Latuff, who shares his radio log art of a recent NHK (Japan) broadcast.


Carlos notes:

Part of NHK news bulletin, in Japanese, about a deadly fire that broke out at a battery factory in Seoul, South Korea.

Click here to view on YouTube.

AWA Presentation: Working at WWVH in Hawaii

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mark Erdle (AE2EA), who writes:

Hi Thomas,

Steve Johnston, WD8DAS, gave a presentation to the AWA last night about his job at WWVH, the time and frequency shortwave station in Kauai, Hawaii. I have to admit that I’m envious of someone who has the job of Engineer in Charge of a multiple transmitter shortwave station on the beach in Hawaii.

His presentation is here:

Mark Erdle AE2EA

Thank you for sharing this, Mark!

Micro FM Broadcasting: Boyz II Men repeating ad infinitum

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia, for sharing the following news item:

How a tiny Montclair radio station came to play a continuous loop of one Boyz II Men song (NorthJersey.com)

George Louvis has broadcast WVRM on short wave radio [SWLing Post note: FM not shortwave] from his office on Valley Road since the late-1990s. Its signal is weak, only commanding antennas for one block between Bellevue and Lorraine avenues.

Unwitting listeners tuned to 91.9 FM as they drive through the uptown shopping district are delighted to find the signal as it plays its only program: a one-minute loop of Boyz II Men’s 1994 hit “I’ll Make Love to You” that repeats ad infinitum. But the bemusing broadcast is no irreverent prank. Or, if it is a joke on anyone, it would be Louvis, who’s been pumping the signal into Upper Montclair’s airwaves for more than 15 years.

“The mystery of it has been so amusing to people,” Louvis said from his home in the Midwest ? although he still returns to New Jersey regularly. “I feel obligated to let it play until the machine dies.” [Continue reading…]

Radio World: “A New FM Class ‘A10’ for Radio?”

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dennis Dura, who shares the following article from Radio World:

A New FM Class “A10” for Radio?

Commander to FCC: Make it so

his story has been updated to reflect that the FCC is now seeking public comments on the proposal.

A Mississippi broadcaster is asking the FCC to establish an FM station class called A10, hoping that hundreds of Class A stations would be able to increase power.

He thinks his proposal might stand a better chance at the FCC than the previously proposed Class C4. And on Thursday the FCC announced it will take public comment on the idea. [Continue reading…]

Please share your recording of the 2024 BBC Midwinter Broadcast to Antarctica here!

Halley VI: The British Antarctic Survey’s new base (Source: British Antarctic Survey)

In the comments section of this post, I’d like you to share your recording of the BBC Midwinter Broadcast to Antarctica!

Time and frequencies

Our intrepid contributor, Richard Langley, reports the following message from the British Antarctic Survey:

The BBC Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast will be transmitted at 21.30 GMT on 21 June on shortwave frequencies: 9585kHz, 11685kHz and 9870kHz.

Please comment with your recording on this post!

Listening to the 2017 BBC Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast from the back of my vehicle in Saint-Anne-de-Beaupré, Québec, Canada.

I’ve created this dedicated post where you can comment and include links to audio and video of your 2024 Midwinter Broadcast recordings. This will allow you to post your logs and recordings at your convenience without my availability becoming the bottleneck.

Here’s the format I’d like you to leave in your comment of this post:

Name:

Listening location:

Notes: (Include frequencies and any details about your receiver and antenna.)

Link to audio or video: (YouTube, Vimeo, Internet Archive, SoundCloud, etc.)

Video and Audio Recordings

There is no way to directly upload audio in your comments, however, you can link to the recordings if you upload them to the Internet Archive (which I’d highly recommend) or any of the video streaming services like YouTube and Vimeo–or audio services like SoundCloud.

To be clear: I will not have the ability to upload your videos for you–so please don’t email me your video files–you’ll simply need to upload them to a service above and share them here with a link in the comments. 🙂

As with each year, I’ll make sure the BAS team and the BBC receive a link with all of your recordings!

Help record the 2024 BBC Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast later today (June 21, 2024)

Every year, the BBC broadcasts a special program to the scientists and support staff in the British Antarctic Survey Team. The BBC plays music requests and sends special messages to the small team located at various Antarctic research stations. Each year, the thirty minute show is guaranteed to be quirky, nostalgic, and certainly a DX-worthy catch!

After successful listener events from years past, I’m once again calling on all SWLing Post readers and shortwave radio listeners to make a short recording (say, 30-60 seconds) of the BBC Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast today and share it here on the SWLing Post. Details on this below.

Time and frequencies

Our intrepid contributor, Richard Langley, reports the following message from the British Antarctic Survey:

The BBC Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast will be transmitted at 21.30 GMT on 21 June on shortwave frequencies: 9585kHz, 11685kHz and 9870kHz.

Recording the Midwinter Broadcast has become an SWLing Post community tradition! Read our previous post for more details.

I’m especially fond of this broadcast as it always falls on my birthday and it’s always fun capturing this unique DX!

Share your recording and notes with us!

Comment with your recording!

During the Midwinter broadcast, I will publish a dedicated post where you can comment and include links to audio and video of your 2024 Midwinter Broadcast recordings. When this post is available, I will link to it here. This will allow you to post your logs and recordings at your convenience without my availability becoming the bottleneck.

So that there’s no confusion, I’ve turned off comments on this post so that comments are left on the appropriate article.

Here’s the format I’d like you to leave in your comment of the dedicated post:

Name:

Listening location:

Notes: (Include frequencies and any details about your receiver and antenna.)

Link to audio or video: (YouTube, Vimeo, Internet Archive, SoundCloud, etc.)

Video and Audio Recordings

There is no way to directly upload audio in your comments, however, you can link to the recordings if you upload them to the Internet Archive (which I’d highly recommend) or any of the video streaming services–like YouTube and Vimeo–or audio services like SoundCloud.

If you have a photo you’d like to include in your comment, send me an email from the same address you used in your comment. I’ll manually post the image at the top of your comment when time allows.

As with each year, I’ll make sure the BAS team and the BBC receive a link with all of your recordings!