Category Archives: Broadcasters

Don’t expect WWV to only give you the time of day

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WWV building in Fort Collins, Colorado (photo courtesy: NIST)

Last Monday, while taking a walk and listening to a Tecsun PL-380 in review, I tuned to WWV (10,000 kHz) at 10 minutes after the hour. I heard a full NOAA marine weather report including tropical storm activity in the Atlantic and a weather system in the Pacific that could potentially threaten west coast marine traffic.

This reminded me that WWV is a one-stop source for a lot of information, not “just” the time of day that we all expect of it.  In fact, the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Time)  recently conducted a survey where they asked listeners what they liked/used of the existing WWV programming and asked for any suggestions of potentially useful content.  Indeed, due to the results of the survey, WWV will keep the Geo Alert information they had considered dropping.

Thanks to all of you who took the survey.

WWV (or the NIST) in many respects, is not only broadcaster, but a tool–a basic radio listener right, at least if you live in North America. Of course, there’s Canada’s CHU too, but it doesn’t have the panache of  WWV. Well, in my humble opinion at least (for more on my thoughts of WWV, check out this previous post).

For reference purposes, below, (and for our Kindle subscribers) I’ve included information from the NIST website which states all of the features of WWV. Next time you tune in, listen for special announcements in the mix.

PS-If you’re a serious fan of WWV, then consider listening to the album “At The Tone.”

WWV Broadcast Format - Click to enlarge

(Source: The NIST)

Time announcements
Voice announcements are made from WWV once every minute. The WWVH announcement occurs first, at about 15 s before the minute. The WWV announcement follows at about 7.5 s before the minute. The announced time is “Coordinated Universal Time” (UTC). UTC was established by international agreement in 1972, and is governed by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) in Paris, France. Coordination with the international UTC time scale keeps NIST time signals in close agreement with signals from other time and frequency stations throughout the world.

UTC differs from your local time by a specific number of hours. The number of hours depends on the number of time zones between your location and the location of the zero meridian (which passes through Greenwich, England). When local time changes from Daylight Saving to Standard Time, or vice versa, UTC does not change. However, the difference between UTC and local time does change-by 1 hour.
UTC is a 24-hour clock system. The hours are numbered beginning with 00 hours at midnight through 12 hours at noon to 23 hours and 59 minutes just before the next midnight.

The WWV interval pulse diagram. Click to enlarge.

Standard Time Intervals
The most frequent sounds heard on WWV and WWVH are the seconds pulses. These pulses are heard every second except on the 29th and 59th seconds of each minute. The first pulse of each hour is an 800 ms pulse of 1500 Hz. The first pulse of each minute is an 800 ms pulse of 1000 Hz at WWV and 1200 Hz at WWVH. The remaining seconds pulses are short audio bursts (5 ms pulses of 1000 Hz at WWV and 1200 Hz at WWVH) that sound like the ticking of a clock.

Each seconds pulse is preceded by 10 ms of silence and followed by 25 ms of silence. The second marker for the broadcast is at the end of the 10 ms period and the start of the 5 ms period. The station’s on-time marker is synchronized with the start of the 5 ms tone. The silence before and after the pulses makes it easier to identify the second pulses. As shown in the graphic below, the total zone around the second pulses lasts for 40 ms, consisting of 10 ms of silence, the 5 ms tone, and another 25 ms of silence. Then, the standard frequency audio tones resume.

Standard Frequencies
Both WWV and WWVH broadcast standard frequency audio tones that alternate during most minutes of the hour. Most minutes feature a 500 or 600 Hz audio tone. However, a 440 Hz tone is broadcast once per hour, and some minutes do not include any audio tones at all.

The 440-Hz tone (the musical note A above middle C) is broadcast once each hour, during minute 2 on WWV, and minute 1 on WWVH. In addition to being a musical standard, the 440-Hz tone provides an hourly marker for chart recorders and other automated devices. The 440-Hz tone is omitted, however, during the first hour of each UTC day.

UT1 Time Corrections
The UTC time scale broadcast by WWV and WWVH meets the needs of most users. UTC runs at an almost perfectly constant rate, since its rate is based on cesium atomic frequency standards. Surprisingly, some users need time that is related to the rotation of the Earth, which is less stable than UTC. Applications such as celestial navigation, satellite observations of the Earth, and some types of surveying require time referenced to the rotational position of the Earth. These users rely on the UT1 time scale. UT1 is derived by astronomers who monitor the speed of the Earth’s rotation.

You can obtain UT1 from the time signals broadcast by WWV and WWVH. UT1 is available at two levels of accuracy. If you need UT1 with an uncertainty of 1 s, you can simply use UTC, since the two time scales are always kept within 0.9 s of each other. Occasional corrections of exactly 1 s are inserted into the UTC time scale to keep the two time scales in agreement. These corrections, called leap seconds, are coordinated under international agreement by the International Earth Rotation Service. Leap seconds can be either positive or negative, but so far, only positive leap seconds have been needed. A positive leap second is normally added every 1 or 2 years, usually on June 30 or December 31.

If you need UT1 with an uncertainty of 0.1 s, you can apply a correction to UTC. UT1 corrections are encoded into the broadcasts by using doubled ticks during the first 16 s of each minute. You can determine the amount of the correction (in units of 0.1 s) by counting the number of doubled ticks. The sign of the correction depends on whether the doubled ticks occur in the first 8 s of the minute or in the second 8 s. If the doubled ticks are in the first 8 s (1-8) the sign is positive. If the doubled ticks are in the second 8 s (9-16) the sign is negative. For example, if ticks 1, 2, and 3 are doubled, the correction is +0.3 s. This means that UT1 equals UTC plus 0.3 s. If UTC is 8:45:17, then UT1 is 8:45:17.3. If ticks 9, 10, 11, and 12 are doubled, the correction is -0.4 s. If UTC is 8:45:17, then UT1 is 8:45:16.6. If none of the ticks are doubled, then the current correction is 0.

BCD TimeCode
WWV and WWVH continuously broadcast a binary coded decimal (BCD) time code on a 100-Hz subcarrier. The time code presents UTC information in serial fashion at a rate of 1 pulse per second. The information carried by the time code includes the current minute, hour, and day of year. The time code also contains the 100-Hz frequency from the subcarrier. The 100-Hz frequency may be used as a standard with the same accuracy as the audio frequencies.
Geophysical Alerts

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) uses WWV and WWVH to broadcast geophysical alert messages that provide information about solar terrestrial conditions. Geophysical alerts are broadcast from WWV at 18 minutes after the hour and from WWVH at 45 minutes after the hour. The messages are less than 45 s in length and are updated every 3 hours (typically at 0000, 0300, 0600, 0900, 1200, 1500, 1800, and 2100 UTC). More frequent updates are made when necessary.
The geophysical alerts provide information about the current conditions for long distance HF radio communications. The alerts use a standardized format and terminology that requires some explanation. Before looking at a sample message, let’s define some of the terminology:
Solar flux is a measurement of the intensity of solar radio emissions with a wavelength of 10.7 cm (a frequency of about 2800 MHz). The daily solar flux measurement is recorded at 2000 UTC by the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory of the Canadian National Research Council located at Penticton, British Columbia, Canada. The value broadcast is in solar flux units that range from a theoretical minimum of about 50 to numbers larger than 300. During the early part of the 11-year sunspot cycle, the flux numbers are low; but they rise and fall as the cycle proceeds. The numbers will remain high for extended periods around sunspot maximum.

The A and K indices are a measurement of the behavior of the magnetic field in and around the earth. The K index uses a scale from 0 to 9 to measure the change in the horizontal component of the geomagnetic field. A new K index is determined and added to the broadcast every 3 hours based on magnetometer measurements made at the Table Mountain Observatory, north of Boulder, Colorado, or an alternate middle latitude observatory. The A index is a daily value on a scale from 0 to 400 to express the range of disturbance of the geomagnetic field. It is obtained by converting and averaging the eight, 3-hour K index values. An estimate of the A index is first announced at 2100 UTC, based on 7 measurements and 1 estimated value. At 0000 UTC, the announced A index consists entirely of known measurements, and the word “estimated” is dropped from the announcement.

Space Weather describes the conditions in space that affect earth and its technological systems. Space weather is a consequence of the behavior of the sun, the nature of earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere, and our location in the solar system.

Space Weather storms observed and expected are characterized using the NOAA Space Weather scales. The abbreviated table below shows the levels of activity that are included in the announcements and the associated terminology. The descriptor used to identify observed or expected conditions is the maximum level reached or predicted. The NOAA Space Weather Scales are further described at the Space Environment Center’s web site.

NOAA Space Weather Scales

Geomagnetic Storms

Solar Radiation Storms

Radio Blackouts

 Descriptor
G5 S5 R5 Extreme
G4 S4 R4 Severe
G3 S3 R3 Strong
G2 S2 R2 Moderate
G1 S1 R1 Minor

Geomagnetic storm levels are determined by the estimated 3-hourly Planetary K-indices derived in real time from a network of western hemisphere ground-based magnetometers.

Geomagnetic Storm Levels

 

Planetary K indices Geomagnetic storm level

K = 5

G1

K = 6

G2

K = 7

G3

K = 8

G4

K= 9

G5

 

Solar Radiation storms levels are determined by the proton flux measurements made by NOAA’s primary Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES).

Solar Radiation Storm Levels

 

Flux level of > 10 MeV particles Solar Radiation Storm level
10 S1
102 S2
103 S3
104 S4
105 S5

 

Radio Blackout levels are determined by the x-ray level measured by the primary GOES satellite.

Radio Blackouts

 

Peak x-ray level and flux Radio Blackout level
M1 and (10-5) R1
M5 and (5 x 10-5) R2
X1 and (10-4) R3
X10 and (10-3) R4
X20 and (2 x 10-3) R5

 

Every geophysical alert consists of three parts as shown in the two tables below. The first table describes the information contained in the geophysical alert. The second table provides example text from an actual message.

Information in Geophysical Alert Voice Message

Section Information in Voice Message
1 The solar-terrestrial indices for the day: specifically the solar flux, the A index, and the K index.
2 Space Weather storms observed during the previous 24 hours. Includes all observed geomagnetic storms, solar radiation storms (proton events) and Radio blackouts (class M1 and greater flares).
3 Space Weather expected during the following 24 hours.

Example Text from Actual Geophysical Alert Message

Section Example of Actual Geophysical Alert Message
1 Solar-terrestrial indices for 08 November follow.Solar flux 173 and Mid-Latitude A-index 14The Mid-latitude K-index at 1500 UTC on 08 November was 3.
2 Space Weather for the past 24 hours has been severe.Solar radiation storm(s) reaching the S4 level is in progress.Radio blackouts(s) reaching the R2 level occurred.
Alternate section 2 No Space Weather storms have been observed during the past 24 hours.
3 Space Weather for the next 24 hours is expected to be severe.Solar radiation storms reaching the S4 level are expected to continue. Radio blackouts reaching the R2 level are expected.
Alternate section 3 No Space Weather storms are expected during the next 24 hours.

Marine Storm Warnings
Marine storm warnings are broadcast for the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and the Gulf of Mexico. The National Weather Service provides the storm warning information. Atlantic highseas warnings are broadcast by WWV at 8 and 9 minutes after the hour, and a Pacific highseas warning is broadcast at 10 minutes after the hour. WWVH broadcasts a Pacific highseas warning at 48, 49, 50 and 51 minutes after the hour. Additional segments (at 11 minutes after the hour on WWV and at 52 minutes after the hour on WWVH) are used if there are unusually widespread storm conditions. The brief voice messages warn mariners of storm threats present in their areas.

The storm warnings are based on the most recent forecasts. The forecasts are updated at 0500, 1100, 1700, and 2300 UTC for WWV; and at 0000, 0600, 1200, and 1800 UTC for WWVH. All marine forecasts rely heavily on the Voluntary Observing Ship (VOS) program for obtaining meteorological observations.

Here is the text of a typical storm warning announcement:
North Atlantic weather West of 35 West at 1700 UTC; Hurricane Donna, intensifying, 24 North, 60 West, mov­ing northwest, 20 knots, winds 75 knots; storm, 65 North, 35 West, mov­ing east, 10 knots; winds 50 knots, seas 15 feet.

For more information about marine storm warnings, write to: National Weather Service, NOAA, 1325 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Or, visit the National Weather Service web site.

Global Positioning System (GPS) Status Reports
The United States Coast Guard sponsors two voice announcements per hour on WWV and WWVH, giving current status information about the GPS satellites and related operations. The 40-s announce­ments begin at 14 and 15 after each hour on WWV and at 43 and 44 minutes after each hour on WWVH. The announcement can be heard by telephone by dialing (703) 313-5907. For further information, contact the U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center, 7323 Telegraph Road, Alexandria, VA 22310, or call (703) 313-5900.

(Source: NIST)

All India Radio – special Independence Day broadcast tomorrow

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All India Radio (AIR) will broadcast a running commentary in English and Hindi of the flag hoisting ceremony and the Prime Minster’s speech to be held at Red Fort, New Delhi between 0135-0240 UTC (0705-0810 hrs IST) on 15th August, 2011 (Monday) on the following frequencies.

English:
4,860 kHz Delhi 50 kW
11,830 kHz Delhi 50 kW
13,620 kHz Bengaluru 500 kW
15,050 kHz Delhi 250 kW
17,510 kHz Delhi 250 kW

Hindi:
6,030 kHz Delhi 100 KW
6,155 kHz Bengaluru 500 kW
9,595 kHz Delhi 250 KW
11,620 kHz Aligarh 250 KW
15,135 kHz Delhi 50 KW

(Source: Shortwave Central)

SWLing Book Review–Roger Tidy’s Hitler’s Radio War

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Not only am I a long-time radio enthusiast, but I’m also something of a history buff—I have a particular affection for WWII era radios, often experiencing virtual time travel while listening to, for example, my Hallicrafter’s SX-24, or my father’s RCA console radio.

I suppose that’s why I was so intrigued to receive a review copy of Hitler’s Radio War by Roger Tidy. Although I know quite a bit of WWII history, I knew relatively little about Hitler’s radio propaganda machine, which Tidy describes in detail in this recent work.

Hitler’s Radio War (Robert Hale, publisher, 2011) is a comprehensive history of the multi-language, insidious Third Reich initiative to brainwash their perceived antagonists, both prior to and in the aftermath of each invasion.

Tidy’s complex and multi-faceted history unfolds in a very logical and deliberate manner. By placing his emphasis on the broadcasters, or radio talent, Tidy also presents a history of traitors, misguided expatriates, and political opportunists. Personalities such as the infamous Lord Haw Haw and Axis Sally (although there are actually two Sallies, as Tidy reveals) often had a passion for political change or their own self-centered achievement, and allegiances which were known to shift with the wind. Tidy describes how the Third Reich’s Gestapo became particularly adept at hunting this type of personality and turning any discovered talent into the “friendly” voice of Fascism.

Tidy’s comprehensive radio history is made particularly relevant to radio enthusiasts like myself in a number of ways. For example, his text frequently includes large sections of original broadcast transcripts, most fascinating in their revelation of the seductively crafted politicism of Hitler’s war machine.  And Tidy’s mention of stations quite often includes specifics such as:

  •  frequency information (i.e., the meter band),
  • a description of the interval signal or theme, and
  • the geographical transmission sites of broadcasts, particularly useful in understanding their efficacy.

It is clear that Tidy has spent a great deal of time conducting original research in BBC monitoring archives and listening to recordings of many of these broadcasts first-hand, which significantly enriches his work.

In short, I found Hitler’s Radio War an insightful, thought-provoking, and enjoyable account of WWII radio history. Also of particular interest to current-day radio listeners, Tidy’s book describes the birth of large government international broadcasters, many of which are still on the air today–namely, Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia, and the like.

Many thanks to Roger Tidy for writing this fascinating history with radio listeners in mind.

Click here to purchase Hitler’s Radio War from Amazon.com.

Scrambling to keep VOA China on the air

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(Source: Fox News)

Congressional lawmakers are scrambling to prevent America’s international media arm from going off-air in China, arguing that a plan to shift much of its reporting to the Internet won’t do much good in a country notorious for its web censors.

[…]The Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees Voice of America, argues that it only makes sense to go digital in a country with the largest Internet-using population in the world. Board officials claim the existing shortwave radio broadcasts don’t have the audience they used to and that the Chinese government is jamming them anyway. In changing platforms, the board projects it will save $8 million and eliminate about 45 positions.

But critics of the move, including Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., say the United States is setting itself up to cede vital territory in the battle of information abroad.

The article goes on to mention that the BBG would like to fuel internet services, citing, “one-tenth of 1 percent of Chinese listen to VOA in Mandarin, with radio ownership on the decline…[a]nother survey showed computer and Internet usage on a steep upswing.”

Internet usage is up everywhere, but even if VOA succeeds in creating proxy servers that would allow Chinese guests to punch through internet censorship in China, there will still be a risk that Chinese authorities could monitor this circumvention and take action against the listener/web guest.  With shortwave radio, this is a non-issue. Shortwave radio listeners cannot be traced. In fact, ironically, this strength makes it difficult for the BBG and other international broadcasters to justify shortwave service. They can’t identify who is listening!

VOA China services could receive up to 14 million dollars if lawmakers are successful in their push. The hope would be that the BBG would then allow continued services into China.

One can hope.

Read the full article here.

BBC Hindi brings Indian and Pakistani artists to talk music and peace

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(Source: indiaPRwire)

London, Delhi, London, August 2, 2011 /India PRwire/ — BBC Hindi is launching special programming which will bring together musicians from India and Pakistan. Every day, between 3 and 7 August, the Friendship beyond Borders series on the BBC Hindi FM programming, broadcast via partner FM stations across India, talks to some of the best known singers and musicians from India and Pakistan about music, mutual understanding and peace.

Artistes such as Shafqat Amanat Ali, Arif Lohar, Ali Azmat, Rekha Bharadwaj, Salim-Sulaiman and Mohit Chauhan are talking to BBC Hindi about the role of music in bringing people together from across the borders. Talking on the Friendship beyond Borders series, Salim Merchant of the Indian singer and composer duo, Salim-Sulaiman, says that music has no language: “It is a business of the heart. It has no nationality or religion.” The Pakistani singer, Shafqat Amanat Ali, tells the BBC that visa issues between the two countries should be relaxed so that people can meet their loved ones and families without any obstacles.

[…]The Friendship beyond Borders series will be aired across India by BBC Hindi’s FM partner radio stations. BBC Hindi will also broadcast the series on shortwave in the lead-up to India’s Independence Day on 15 August. The website bbchindi.com will feature special stories based on the series as well as the audio of the music of the profiled artistes.

Read full article at indiaPRwire.

CRI’s growing Tamil audience

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(Source: The Hindu)

S. Pandiyarajan was fiddling around with his shortwave radio set one hot summer evening at Villupuram, Tamil Nadu, when he stumbled upon a strange station.

At first listen, it was a language he couldn’t identify. It sounded like Tamil, but spoken in an accent he could not recognise. He listened on, straining his ears. To his surprise, he discovered that the voices were coming from faraway China.

“I could hear two Chinese people speaking in perfect Tamil!” he said. “And this was Sentamizh [classical Tamil], which you never hear anywhere, anymore, even in Tamil Nadu.”

That evening, Mr. Pandiyarajan became the latest member of China Radio International’s fast-growing overseas fan base. The station, run by the Chinese government, has, for more than six decades, been tasked with carrying news from China — from politics to arts and culture — to boost the country’s image overseas.

[…]Remarkably, CRI’s Tamil station enjoys the widest reach of all its channels. Its popularity underscores the quiet success China’s “soft power” push is having in unlikely locations. The Tamil station, which broadcasts every day from a modest 12th floor office, has more than 25,000 registered listeners — besides thousands of others who tune in casually every day — in Tamil Nadu and the rest of India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Germany, the United States and Japan.

The Tamil station started broadcasting in 1963. Since then, it has continued to beam its shows uninterrupted, building up an almost cult following overseas, with its fans even organising themselves into a network of listeners’ clubs.

[…]This month, the station invited the heads of some of its listeners’ clubs in Tamil Nadu to visit its Beijing headquarters, part of an effort to engage more with listeners.

S. Selvam, head of the All-India Listeners’ Club, said the station’s popularity was driven by its novelty. “The first thing that strikes you is, why are these Chinese people learning Tamil, and speaking perfect Sentamizh?” he said. “You think, if they are making such an effort, we have to reach out to them.”

Mr. Pandiyarajan agreed. “This is something completely new,” he said. “We have Villupuram Tamil, Chennai Tamil, Puducherry Tamil. But I never thought I would discover that there would also be a Cheena [Chinese] Tamil.”

Read the full article at The Hindu. Also, read about CRI’s broadcasts in the local US radio market.