Category Archives: AM

BBC World Service Radio Archive: how you can help

AM sync lessens noise in this The Voice of Greece broadcast

Sometimes, the Voice of Greece plays very little Greek music; October 10th was one of those occasions. Nonetheless, I recorded that evening’s broadcast.

Using AM sync for sideband noise

In the first hour of the 10/10 VOG broadcast, you’ll hear a pulsating noise from an unknown origin (possibly a jammer?). The noise was centered about 20 kHz above VOG.

Fortunately, most of the noise was in the upper side band of the VOG signal, so I was able to mitigate it by using an AM sync lock on the lower side band. Without AM sync, this VOG broadcast––and its music mix––was almost inaudible.

If you have a synchronous detector on your receiver and tune in a station with interference, always try turning on sync lock and locking it on either the upper or lower sideband. If most of the noise resides in one of the sidebands, the lock can help tremendously. I often use this method while listening to AM pirate radio stations in noisy conditions.

A confession…

I have no idea what she’s talking about–it could be something absolutely mundane–but I love this radio host’s voice as she speaks and Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb begins. (Start listening around 26:00)

Click here to download more than two hours of the Voice of Greece, recorded on October 10, 2013, starting around 03:15 UTC on 9,420 kHz, or simply listen via the embedded player below. Most of the noise disappears around 00:21:

Thanks to US shutdown, pirate radio activity reaches an all-time high

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As frustrated as many are over the US government shutdown, it nonetheless offers one unique benefit to the shortwave radio community, and to pirate radio in particular––no FCC enforcement.

As we mentioned earlier, the FCC’s enforcement arm was shut down along with all other FCC activities that weren’t directly connected with “the protection of life or property.”

The result? Pirates––lots of pirates––on the air! The Jolly Roger flaps in the breeze…

Pirate radio activity since the shutdown has truly been at a record high, with pirates taking to the airwaves throughout the week, and especially on the weekends.

Case in point: this past weekend, the North American “pirate radio grounds” of 6,920-6,970 kHz were packed with pirate radio stations. There were even crowded band conditions; at one point I tweeted that there were no less than three pirates broadcasting simultaneously in just a small chunk of bandwidth on AM. Indeed, there may even have been a fourth that I couldn’t quite detect…An unusual occurrence, to say the least. And with pirate radio’s favorite holiday, Halloween (think War of the Worlds), fast approaching, there’s likely to be more such unusual activity.

In the meantime, check out a few of our recent pirate radio recordings.

40th Anniversary Montage of ILR Radio Stations

Review of the RadioShack AM/FM portable digital radio, Model 12-587

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The RadioShack Model 12-587 AM/FM Radio

Three days a week, my father––now in his seventies––takes a three mile walk through his home town, revisiting the neighborhoods of his youth. He began the walks upon retirement, and in my opinion, the routine has helped keep him in great shape. When he first started walking I learned he was carrying around a heavy AM/FM radio with him. I bought him a bargain one-off Coby AM/FM portable that is not only lightweight but sports a handy neck strap. Dad’s loved it. Indeed––much to my surprise––it’s lasted about ten years, and is still playing, although starting to show signs of wear…

So I decided it was time to test drive a suitable replacement. After searching, I found the RadioShack Model 12-587 AM/FM radio. At a clearance price of $14.99 (US), there will be no loss of sleep if Dad misplaces it or drops it on the pavement.

Still, I couldn’t resist giving it the once-over, and thought I might share the mini review that resulted. As I always say for radios in this price range, my expectations were low.

Here’s a summary of this little AM/FM radio’s pros and cons:

Back of model RadioShack 12-587

Pros:

Very good FM selectivity and sensitivity
Excellent FM stereo lock
Scan function both useful and quick
10 AM and 10 FM memories (see con)
Large, amber back-lit LCD display
Simple control lock switch on right side
AM (medium wave) sensitivity adequate
AM nulling above average
Plastic “blister” packaging very easy to open!

Cons:

Tinny sounding audio via built-in speaker
Headphone audio lacks high/low; mid-range only
Memory allocations supposedly volatile (when batteries are replaced)
AM frequency steps fixed at 10 kHz (cannot adapt to 9 kHz steps used in rest of the world)
AM (medium wave) sensitivity mediocre at best
Complete mute while tuning; not capable of band-scanning
Dimple on tuning knob not useful
Very sensitive to noise (QRM) on the AM band, resulting in static popping/crackling in audio

Obviously, this is not a radio for the radio hobbyist or world traveler, as it lacks any real medium wave sensitivity and cannot tune in 9 kHz steps. FM tuning is also locked on odd frequencies, thus will not work throughout parts of the world with even spacing. And though the radio is touted as having “extended bass,” the audio is tinny, even via headphones.

BUT. This is a perfect example of a situation in which, though cons outweigh pros, the RS Model 12-587 is a great match for its intended purpose: my father’s morning walks. Why? It’s a simple-to-operate radio with a large, back-lit display (Dad won’t need to put on his glasses to read it). It receives local AM and FM stations very well. The mid-range audio––while lacking ample fidelity for music––are perfect for the talk shows he listens to while walking. The radio is durable, lightweight, easy to tune, and has a lock feature. It is also remarkably easy to program memories: simply press the program button until preset flashes in the LCD display, use the scan up/down buttons to choose a memory number then press program again. It’s also very affordable, so no problem to replace as necessary.

In conclusion, the RS Model 12-587 is not a performance radio––and I wouldn’t generally recommend it––but it suits my father’s needs very well. Like to walk or run? Maybe it’s just what you’re looking for, too.

The Tuckerton Tower’s long (and unlikely!) history

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The Tuckerton Tower, circa 1916 (Souce: Tom Mcnally mcnally.cc)

I love radio history, and I dive right into it when something especially piques my interest. This morning, a news item from a local newspaper in New Jersey about that state’s famed, but nearly forgotten, Tuckerton Tower did just that.

Built in 1912, the Tuckerton Tower was once the tallest structure in the US. Indeed, it was at that time the second tallest structure in the world (the Eiffel Tower had it beat by 243 feet). Though on US soil, it was originally built by––get this––the German government, in order to communicate with an identical tower in Eilvese, Germany (see comments); of course, it also communicated with naval vessels. According to many sources, the US government may have been completely unaware of the construction of this communication monolith until it neared completion.

But that’s just the beginning of the story: When the US entered WWI, the US government took over the tower’s operations and placed Tuckerton’s German operators and engineers in a POW camp. Then, post-war, the newly-formed Radio Corporation of America (RCA) assumed the tower’s operation with the intention of using it for the latest and greatest innovation in radio communications: voice over wireless. Tuckerton Tower continued under RCA’s operation until the US government drafted it into service again, this time during WWII.

But even though the tower survived two world wars, weather events like nor’easters, and The Great Depression, by the late 1940s it was considered obsolete. Several attempts were made to preserve the historic structure, but on December 28, 1955, it was torn down and cut for scrap. Today, a lower section of the tower can be viewed at the Tuckerton Historical Society’s museum, while the concrete block anchors that once held the monolithic structure upright now rest, somewhat defiantly, in the center of a residential area.

If you find this tower’s history as remarkable as I do, check out this informative and detailed article in The Sandpiper and Tom McNally’s History of Tuckerton Wireless which includes some excellent photos of the tower throughout history.

Are there any readers of The SWLing Post with memories long enough to remember the Tuckerton Tower, or who have heard stories about it? Please comment!

The Take Away interviews Ajit Pai