Category Archives: Broadcasters

Radio Waves: Great Solar Storm of 1940, Hawaii DJ’s Lack Vital Info, Edison Claims AM/FM Audio Usage Surpasses YouTube, and Radio 4 Longwave Reception

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!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Troy Riedel, Dennis Dura and David Shannon for the following tips:

The Great Solar Storm of March 1940 (Spaceweather.com)

This story is shocking. On March 24, 1940, a solar storm hit Earth so hard it made copper wires in the United States crackle with 800 volts of electricity. A New York Times headline declared that a “sunspot tornado” had arrived, playing havoc with any signal that had to travel through metal wires.

“For a few hours it completely disrupted all long-distance communication,” wrote astronomer Seth B. Nicholson in a recap of the event for the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Radio announcers seemed to be “talking a language no one could understand.” The New York Times reported that more than a million telephone and teletype messages had been garbled: “Veteran electrical engineers unhesitatingly pronounced it the worst thing of its kind within their memory.”

So why have you never heard of this storm? Even in 1940 it was fairly quickly forgotten. World War II was underway in Europe, and the USA was on the verge of joining. People had other things on their minds.

Modern researchers, however, are paying attention. A team led by Jeffrey Loveof the USGS Geomagnetism Program just published a new study of the event in the research journal Space Weather. Their work confirms that it was no ordinary solar storm.

“It was unusually violent,” says Love. “There were very rapid changes in Earth’s magnetic field, and this induced big voltages in long metal wires.” [Continue reading at Spaceweather.com…]

[…]Read Love’s original research here: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2022SW003379

A valued source of communication, Maui radio DJs grapple with lack of information (Hawaii News Now)

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – From taking calls of desperation, to sharing what they know when they know it, local radio hosts have long been a valued source of communication, especially during disasters.

However in light of the recent fires, many on Maui have expressed concerns that information from the government in times of disasters is far too sparse and delayed.

Lines of communication remain severed with cell towers burned to the ground. That’s leaving radio as one of the few dependable sources of communication, which is putting added pressure on local outlets.

Veteran radio host Ed Kapoi of KISS took a call from Napili, North of Kaanapali.

“People are desperate. Babies need diapers and formula. The elderly need their medication,” one caller said through tears.

It just rocks you to your core it really does. It’s hard to take those kind of phone calls,” Kapoi said.

Fellow KISS radio host Brandee Carvalho added, “We hear their crying, their tears, their desperate pleas. It is real. It’s very real for me.” [Continue reading…]

Hawaii residents turn to radio station for vital updates (YouTube)

Click here to watch on YouTube.

AM/FM Radio Is Most Listened to Audio Source in U.S. (Radio World)

Edison Research says streaming music and YouTube claim 2nd and 3rd place

Edison Research just released its latest “Share of Ear” findings. The quarterly study determines what portion of all audio time is spent with different platforms.

The analysis looks at all audio usage across the United States among Americans age 13 and older. The data is gathered from a detailed one-day diary entry administered either online or via mail. Share of Ear data has been continuously updated since 2014. Find this quarter’s insights compiled in the graph below.

Per Edison’s findings this quarter, AM and FM radio (counting both over-the-air and streams) accounted for 36 percent of all listening for Americans age 13 and older. Streaming music via platforms like Spotify, Pandora and Apple Music, among others, accounted for 18 percent of all listening time. Using YouTube for music and/or music videos accounted for 14 percent of all listening time; followed by podcasts, SiriusXM and “owned music” — a.k.a. CD’s and other digital music files.[Continue reading…]

“Radio 4 gets a terrible reception over scrapping long wave amid fears older people will struggle with digital radio” (Daily Mail)

[Editor’s Note: Per Wikipedia, “The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news website published in London.”]

Listeners have criticised Radio 4’s retreat from long wave amid fears that older people will struggle with digital radio.

The BBC said last year it will stop scheduling separate content for the long wave version of the station in ‘anticipation of the closure’ of the platform.

Programmes which are on long wave but not Radio 4 FM include Test Match Special, editions of the Shipping Forecast, the Daily Service and a longer version of Yesterday in Parliament.

These shows will be available on other platforms once separate scheduling for long wave ends next March.

It is expected that listeners will be directed to the digital BBC Sounds audio platform to find these programmes. [Continue reading…]

Do you enjoy the SWLing Post?

Please consider supporting us via Patreon or our Coffee Fund!

Your support makes articles like this one possible. Thank you!

Spread the radio love

Radio Waves: Battle for the Airwaves, Insane FM DX to Voyager 2, 100 Years of Australian Radio, and Ham Practice

2 Replies

An artist’s concept of NASA’s Voyager spacecraft. Credit: NASA

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!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Paul, John Drake, William Lee, and Dennis Dura for the following tips:

Ham Radio Enthusiasts vs. High-Frequency Traders: A Battle for the Airwaves (Wall Street Journal)

Ham radio operators are sounding the alarm over the latest threat to their beloved hobby—and this time, it is coming from Wall Street.

A group of high-frequency trading firms are asking the Federal Communications Commission to open shortwave frequencies to greater commercial use, so they can use radio to zip financial data around the world in milliseconds.

Prominent members of the amateur-radio community say interference from traders’ broadcasts could ruin their hobby, which often involves tuning in to weak radio signals so they can chat with fellow hams in faraway places. Hundreds of hams have filed letters with the FCC opposing the traders’ proposal, and some have railed against the plan in YouTube videos.
Brock Fansler is among those speaking out. A 40-year-old Los Angeles resident with shoulder-length hair, he likes using his radio to send digital data about weather conditions to other hams.

He complains that the traders are looking to transmit with up to 20,000 watts of power, whereas amateurs are capped at 1,500 watts, and many use off-the-shelf radios with 100 watts.
“They’re asking for an insane amount of power,” Fansler said. “It’s like having neighbors move in with a drum set and guitar. This is going to be blasted all over the planet, with how much wattage they’re going to put behind it.”

The group behind the proposal, called the Shortwave Modernization Coalition, says such fears are overblown. The coalition—whose members include such trading giants as Jump Trading Group, DRW Holdings and Virtu Financial —says it has already been using shortwave for several years and there haven’t been any verified complaints of interference. [Continue reading at the Wall Street Journal, or via this article archive…]

“Interstellar shout” reestablishes contact with Voyager 2 (New Atlas)

In a dramatic bit of improvisation, NASA’ Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, has managed to reestablish communications with the Voyager 2 spacecraft 12.3 billion miles (19.9 billion km) from Earth after losing contact on July 21.

On August 4, 2023, NASA engineers managed to make contact with the Voyager 2 robotic probe even though previous estimates were that this would not be possible until October 15. Contact was lost on July 21 after a series of commands sent included an error that caused the spacecraft’s antenna to point about two degrees away from Earth – a small shift that still managed to prevent the craft from maintaining radio contact.

[…]Since Voyager 2’s 20-W radio signal from the edge of the solar system is 1,000 times weaker than that of a conventional FM transmitter and can still be picked up by the DSN while off beam, the engineers reasoned that it might be possible to send a much more powerful signal from the DSN that Voyager could not ignore.

This “interstellar shout” was easy enough to set up, but putting it into practice took some patience because a one-way radio signal to Voyager 2 takes 18.5 hours to reach its destination and another 18.5 hours for a reply. That is a very nerve-wracking 37 hours.

Fortunately, on August 2, 2023 at 12:29 am EDT, Voyager 2 began returning science and telemetry data. [Continue reading…]

In addition, click here to read NASA’s updates directly.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland celebrates 100 years of Australian radio (RadioInfo)

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland acknowledged the commercial radio industry’s upcoming 100th birthday with a speech at Parliament House recalling the launch of 2WS in Seven Hills and the continued advocacy and up to date information that radio provides its communities.

Rowland spoke of her childhood growing up in Western Sydney saying:

“I’ll never forget the day that 2WS officially launched in Leabons Lane in Seven Hills. It was the first time that we felt recognised as a community by the media. Here were local voices telling the stories that mattered to us. We were being given at a platform at a time when Western Sydney stories weren’t always reflected in the news of the day coming from the CBD.

And now look how far our humble 2WS has come!”

Ham radio operators practise for the next emergency (Mountain View Today)

RED DEER COUNTY — The world became a little smaller late last month as the Central Alberta Amateur Radio Club (CAARC) held its annual Field Day at the Hillcrest Community Hall, at the corner of Township Road 342 and Range Road 22.

From June 24 at noon to June 25 at noon, members of the club competed to make as many contacts as they could on a wide variety of radio frequencies.

The goal was to do so without using regular power – utilizing portable generators or solar power instead.

When the Albertan was there, contacts had been made as far east as Finland and as far south as Arizona.

A forest of antennas of differing sizes and heights was set up and club members did their communicating in a nearby shelter.

The idea of the challenge, held worldwide, was to prove the operators’ ability to communicate to others without relying on traditional power in case of an emergency. [Continue reading…]

Do you enjoy the SWLing Post?

Please consider supporting us via Patreon or our Coffee Fund!

Your support makes articles like this one possible. Thank you!

Spread the radio love

Radio Waves: DRM from Ascension to Brazil, Commercial Radio Boost, FM HD Power, and New Pakistan DRM Project,

2 Replies

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!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Dennis Dura and Mangosman for the following tips:

Swiss Private Radio Station Broadcasts DRM To Brazil (DRM Consortium)

The next DRM shortwave broadcast of DRM Swiss supporter C.M. Obrecht is scheduled for August 11th UTC 2300 on 12030 kHz. The transmitter (100kW) site is Ascension Island in the Atlantic Ocean (245 degrees) and the broadcast will be carried out by Encompass Media Services with the main target of Brazil. This is the first time that the original music of Mr Obrecht will be beamed out of Ascension. Other similar transmissions of our Swiss supporter reached parts of Asia going as far as Australia, though the broadcasts were originating in the UK and not Ascension.

Commercial radio’s billion dollar boost to Australian economy (RadioInfo Australia)

With commercial radio in Australia turning 100, a new report has shown the industry contributes $1 billion to the nation’s annual GDP, which includes a $320 million boost to regional Australia.

The “Connecting Communities: The Economic and Social Contribution of Commercial Radio and Audio in Australia” report was commissioned by industry body Commercial Radio & Audio and produced by Deloitte Access Economics.

The study found commercial radio stations broadcast 1.1 million hours of Australian content, 2.7 million Australian songs, 42,000 hours of news and 2,200 hours of emergency service content in 2022.

The industry also supports 6,600 full-time equivalent jobs with 38% located in regional Australia.

CRA CEO Ford Ennals said:

“The Connecting Communities report is the first time in 100 years of broadcasting that we have evaluated the economic contribution of radio and its role in delivering trusted, local content to listeners all over the country. These figures show how important it is to have a sustainable Australian radio industry that delivers great audio content free of charge to everyone, everywhere.”

Seventeen million Australians listen to commercial radio. 74% believe radio and audio build a sense of community. $82 million in charitable contributions were made through donations and airtime in 2022. It also plays a key role in music discovery.

FCC Advances FM HD Power Proposal (Radio World)

NAB and Xperi have argued that the current formula is too conservative

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include a statement from the National Association of Broadcasters.

A rule change that would allow more U.S. FM stations to increase HD Radio power is closer to reality.

The Federal Communications Commission has adopted a notice of proposed rulemaking that we told you about earlier, doing so a couple of days before its August monthly meeting. The action does not give final approval of the changes but indicates tentative approval and asks for public comment.

“Broadcasters and consumers increasingly prefer digital FM radio because it delivers better sound quality than traditional analog FM service,” the commission stated in its announcement.

“Currently, over 2,000 FM stations broadcast digitally, providing listeners with enhanced sound quality, song information and other data through their FM broadcast radio signals. The NPRM seeks comment on two proposals and asks whether these changes will benefit the public or impact existing FM services.” [Continue reading…]

Pakistan Breaks Ground on Massive DRM Project (Radio World)

The new 1,000 kW transmitter will reach from Eastern Europe to the Far East, as well as across South Asia

Pakistan’s national broadcaster broke ground July 30, 2023, on a new transmission facility that will extend its reach from the Mediterranean to the Pacific.

The modernization project marks a significant milestone for Radio Pakistan, including adding capabilities to broadcast in the Digital Radio Mondiale digital radio standard.

The project centers on a new 1,000 kW DRM transmitter being installed at the Radio Pakistan high-power transmission complex in Rawat, near the capital Islamabad. The new facility is expected to cost 4 billion rupees (nearly US$14 million) and is set to be completed in 2025.

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb oversaw the groundbreaking, noting that the project will extend Radio Pakistan’s reach to 52 nations across South Asia, Central Asia, the Far East, Middle East, and into Eastern Europe. [Continue reading…]

Do you enjoy the SWLing Post?

Please consider supporting us via Patreon or our Coffee Fund!

Your support makes articles like this one possible. Thank you!

Spread the radio love

Radio Waves: BBC Monitoring Story, Police Comms Backdoor, LRA 36 Inclusion, and New 1000 kW Transmitter in Pakistan

4 Replies

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!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Ulis Fleming, Mark Hirst, Mangosman, and Adrian Korol for the following tips:

The story of BBC Monitoring (BBC World Service)

The Global Jigsaw is brought to you by BBC Monitoring, a part of the BBC you may not have heard of. This team of journalists reports on media from 150 countries in up to 100 languages and provides information and analyses to BBC newsrooms and the UK government, as well as commercial clients including universities and thinktanks. It also has an intriguing and, at times, dramatic history dating back to the eve of World War Two. This bonus episode is all about us.

Researchers find deliberate backdoor in police radio encryption algorithm (ARS Technica)

Vendors knew all about it, but most customers were clueless.

For more than 25 years, a technology used for critical data and voice radio communications around the world has been shrouded in secrecy to prevent anyone from closely scrutinizing its security properties for vulnerabilities. But now it’s finally getting a public airing thanks to a small group of researchers in the Netherlands who got their hands on its viscera and found serious flaws, including a deliberate backdoor.

The backdoor, known for years by vendors that sold the technology but not necessarily by customers, exists in an encryption algorithm baked into radios sold for commercial use in critical infrastructure. It’s used to transmit encrypted data and commands in pipelines, railways, the electric grid, mass transit, and freight trains. It would allow someone to snoop on communications to learn how a system works, then potentially send commands to the radios that could trigger blackouts, halt gas pipeline flows, or reroute trains.

Researchers found a second vulnerability in a different part of the same radio technology that is used in more specialized systems sold exclusively to police forces, prison personnel, military, intelligence agencies, and emergency services, such as the C2000 communication system used by Dutch police, fire brigades, ambulance services, and Ministry of Defense for mission-critical voice and data communications. The flaw would let someone decrypt encrypted voice and data communications and send fraudulent messages to spread misinformation or redirect personnel and forces during critical times. [Continue reading…]

Radio from Antarctica: sovereignty, identity and inclusion (télam – Translated from Spanish)

The station aims to inform about the Antarctic activities that are carried out in the different Argentine bases, to disseminate the country’s culture to the rest of the world and also to “Malvinize from Antarctica”, highlighted its coordinator, Juan Benavente, in dialogue with Télam

Antarctic identity, sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands and inclusion are the axes of the programming carried out by LRA 36 Radio Nacional “Arcángel San Gabriel”, installed at the Esperanza Base in Argentine Antarctica , from where almost 44 years ago it began broadcasting on different frequencies to around the world and that this year it has been developing a series of technical and content innovations to amplify its dissemination strategy.

Regardless of the national situation, the station aims to inform about the Antarctic activities that are carried out in the different Argentine bases, to spread the country’s culture to the rest of the world and also to “Malvinize from Antarctica”, reflecting not only testimonies of war veterans but also of stories that unite sports and education with the archipelago, indicated its coordinator Juan Benavente.

As in the case of the “historic” communication made on March 15 with the Argentine marathon runner Daniela Badra when she was in the Malvinas to participate in a competition and which was broadcast to the world via short wave band during the “Uniendo Voces” program. . “This was something that filled us with emotion, it is something that had never been done before,” said Benavente, in dialogue with Télam.

Its inauguration in October 1979
LRA 36 broadcasts to the world on shortwave and is currently the only station on that band in the country. It works jointly with Radiodifusión Argentina al Exterior (RAE) – in charge of the experienced producer Adrián Korol – and they are listened to from places as far away as Alaska, Iceland or Japan, according to the latest reception reports. It also transmits by modulated frequency with local reach and a few years ago added streaming over the internet. [Continue reading in English, or in the original Spanish version…]

A new 1000 kW transmitter commencing construction to match the Indian one on the other side of the common border

Many thanks to Mangosman who writes:

It’s now happened https://www.radio.gov.pk/30-07-2023/marriyum-aurangzeb-performs-groundbreaking-of-pbcs-digital-transmitter-in-rawat

$US 14 million is the price

Location: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Rawat,+Islamabad,+Islamabad+Capital+Territory,+Pakistan/@33.4953825,73.192091,16z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x38dff190effb3607:0xd69db1f7c3dccba4!8m2!3d33.4951028!4d73.1969108!16s%2Fg%2F11bc5zzsz6?entry=ttu

Do you enjoy the SWLing Post?

Please consider supporting us via Patreon or our Coffee Fund!

Your support makes articles like this one possible. Thank you!

Spread the radio love

Radio Waves: AM Vehicle Act Passes Committee, iHeart Supports AM, Swan Island and Equatorial Guinea

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!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dennis Dura and Tracy Wood for the following tips:

Senate Committee Passes “AM For Every Vehicle Act,” Sends It to Senate Floor (Radio World)

Committee gives the legislation a green light

On Thursday morning, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation officially passed the AM For Every Vehicle Act on to the Senate floor. The executive session was broadcast live and facilitated by committee chair Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Democrat representing Washington state.

The ranking Republican, Sen. Ted Cruz, supports the measure, saying in a statement that “AM radio is vital to free expression and viewpoint diversity” and “allows Americans, especially conservatives, to communicate their points of view and help free speech flourish.”

The legislation was passed via a voice vote, and, while not every senator’s vote was recorded, the National Association of Broadcasters said Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat from Michigan, asked that he be recorded as a ‘no.’” Michigan is home to the U.S. automaker industry, which opposes the AM For Every Vehicle Act. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which has a base in Michigan, recently said, “Congress has never mandated radio features in vehicles ever before.” It called the bill unnecessary. [Continue reading…]

“iHeart Is Still Focused on AM as a Medium” (Radio World)

Littlejohn and Mullinax describe recent projects to protect and extend its investment

At a time where the viability of the U.S. AM broadcast band has come under the microscope, what’s the prevailing attitude of iHeartMedia and the 250 AM properties it owns and operates?

Continue to invest, says Jeff Littlejohn.

“iHeart is still focused on AM radio as a medium,” said the company’s executive vice president of engineering and systems integration. “We see the importance AM has not only as an entertainment medium, but for news and information.”

Among other things, Littlejohn strongly believes in AM’s importance for emergency weather coverage. Perhaps nowhere is that more evident than in South Florida.

In addition to being an iconic AM signal dating to the 1920s, iHeartMedia’s news/talk 610 WIOD in Miami has received notoriety and awards — including regional recognition from the Associated Press — for its breaking news and weather coverage, notably during Hurricanes Andrew, Katrina and Wilma. [Continue reading…]

Notes about two Spanish language stations (Tracy Wood)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Tracy Wood, who writes:

I continue to enjoy the blog. Yes, those radio sets that appear in Spanish TV (and in the movies) are great! Lots of Grundigs, Philips, Telefunkens, and national brands.

Here are the two items

(1) Swan Island

At one time this was the home to Radio Swan, the US-funded anti-Castro clandestine radio station on AM and shortwave of the 1960s. Now Honduras wants to convert it to a prison island

https://time.com/6295724/honduras-islas-del-cisne-prison-island/

For more details see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Swan

(2) Equatorial Guinea

Thanks to WorldRadioMap for originally posting this audio link [note that this playlist must be downloaded and used with an audio streaming application]: https://rrsatrtmp.tulix.tv/tvgeradio/tvgeradio/playlist.m3u8

Yes. Radio Nacional de Guinea Ecuatorial, Malabo, is now streaming on the Internet. The main language is Spanish but I suspect other languages may be heard. The hosting company (out of Atlanta) handles both their TV and radio streams. The TV channel’s website is https://tvgelive.gq/ but there is no radio-specific website yet.

As a reminder, the country’s other station is commercial – Asonga Radio. It is owned by the president’s son. Audio is at https://asongaradio.com/

Do you enjoy the SWLing Post?

Please consider supporting us via Patreon or our Coffee Fund!

Your support makes articles like this one possible. Thank you!

Spread the radio love

Radio Waves: FCC Issues FM Pirate Warnings, Shortwave Modernization Petition Comments, Morse Code Love, and The Art of Listening with BBC Monitoring

5 Replies

Caversham Park (Photo source: BBC)

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!

Many thanks to John Smith and Chris Greenway for the following tips.

FCC Issues Nine Warnings To Miami Area Landowners And Property Managers For Illegal Radio Broadcasts (FCC Press Release)

The PIRATE Act Prohibits Landowners and Property Managers from Aiding Pirate
Radio Operations
—
WASHINGTON, July 21, 2023—The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau today issued nine warnings to landowners and property managers in the Miami area for apparently allowing illegal broadcasting from their properties. The FCC may issue a fine exceeding $2 million if it determines that a party continues to permit any individual or entity to engage in pirate radio broadcasting from any property that they own or manage.

“Providing a safe haven for pirate radio operations that can interfere with licensed broadcast signals and fail to provide emergency alert system notifications can have serious consequences for landowners and property managers that allow this conduct to occur on their properties,” said Loyaan A. Egal, Chief of the Enforcement Bureau. “I want to thank our field agents for their continued efforts to ensure compliance with federal law in this area.”

The Notices of Illegal Pirate Radio Broadcasting sent today target properties identified by
Enforcement Bureau field agents as sources of pirate radio transmissions. These notices formally notify landowners and property managers of the illegal broadcasting activity occurring on their property; inform landowners and property managers of their potential liability for permitting such activity to occur on their property; demand proof that the illegal broadcasting has ceased on the property; and request identification of the individual(s) engaged in the illegal broadcasting.

The PIRATE Act provides the FCC with additional enforcement authority, including higher
penalties against pirate radio broadcasters of up to inflation-adjusted amounts of $115,802 per day with a maximum of $2,316,034. In addition to tougher fines on violators, the law requires the FCC to conduct periodic enforcement sweeps and grants the Commission authority to take enforcement action against landlords and property owners that willfully and knowingly permit pirate radio broadcasting on their properties.

The Notices of Illegal Pirate Radio Broadcasting are available at:
https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-issues-warnings-allowing-illegal-radio-broadcasts.

Shortwave Modernization Petition Comments (FCC)

Readers note that the number of comments on the Shortwave Modernization Petition have surpassed well over 600 at time of posting. No doubt, this particular petition is getting more visibility and notice than expected.

Click here to view comments.

Falling in love by morse code (ABC Radio)

You may know someone who met the love of their life through writing letters, and these days you’d be hard pressed to NOT know people who’ve met online… but have you ever come across someone who’s met her husband in Morse code?

Ulla Knox-Little knew that getting to do an expedition to Antarctica as the radio room operator would be a life-changing experience, but she never expected it to lead to her meeting the love of her life.

Hosted and produced by Helen Shield.

Click here to listen to this short radio piece.

The Art of Listening: BBC Monitoring and the Historical Significance of the Transatlantic Open Source Intelligence Relationship [VIDEO] (Readex)

Last month, Readex welcomed librarians to a special breakfast presentation at this year’s ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, IL. Dr. Alban Webb, lecturer of Media and Cultural Studies at the University of Sussex, captivated the audience in attendance with his talk on “The Art of Listening: BBC Monitoring and the Historical Significance of the Transatlantic Open Source Intelligence Relationship”

Dr. Webb—a noted historian of BBC World Service—gave a fascinating and informative overview of the history of open-source intelligence (OSINT) and the role of BBC Monitoring, highlighting perspectives these newly digitized archives represent for the study of the 20th century history. Click here to read the full article.

Do you enjoy the SWLing Post?

Please consider supporting us via Patreon or our Coffee Fund!

Your support makes articles like this one possible. Thank you!

Spread the radio love

Radio Waves: RTI Test Broadcast Today, Messages to North Korea, Exploring Space Weather Book, Vintage Radios at Auction, and WMLK

3 Replies

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!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Dennis Dura, Sten Odenwald, Paul Walker, and David Iurescia for the following tips:

RTI test broadcast July 1, 2023

Many thanks to David Iurescia who shares the following announcement (translated from French):

Dear listener,

The French service of Radio Taiwan International is pleased to inform you that during the month of August 2023, we will be broadcasting directly from the Tamsui transmission center in northern Taiwan to Europe and South Africa. north.

In order to better prepare for this radio activity in French, a test broadcast will be carried out on Saturday July 1 on short waves, at the following times and frequencies:

- Frequency 11995 kHz (325°), 5:00 p.m.-5:10 p.m. then 5:30-5:40 p.m., universal time
- Frequency 9545 kHz (315°), 6:00 p.m.-6:10 p.m., universal time
- Frequency 7240 kHz (315°), 6:20 p.m.-6:30 p.m., universal time
- Frequency 7250 kHz (315°), 6:40 p.m.-6:50 p.m., universal time

Your listening reports on these 10-minute segment tests will help us identify the two optimal frequencies for August’s “Live from Tamsui” broadcast under the best possible listening conditions.

Thank you for your valued input!

A special QSL card is produced for all the listening reports that you will send us by post, email to the French service or via the stations’s online form, both for the test broadcast and during the August broadcast.

Thank you for listening and for your loyalty.

Cordially,

French Service, RTI

[email protected]

Abductees’ relatives record radio messages for broadcast to North Korea (NHK)

Family members of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea have recorded encouraging messages for a radio broadcast aimed at the country.

The messages were recorded in Tokyo for Free North Korea Radio, a shortwave broadcaster. Its daily radio program is run by a group of people who defected from the North to South Korea.

The abductees’ relatives called on their loved ones never to give up until they are rescued.

The leader of the relatives’ group, Yokota Takuya, is a younger brother of Yokota Megumi, who was abducted in 1977 at the age of 13. He asked his sister how she is doing. He also said he is sorry that she has had to spend a long time in North Korea without freedom.

He added that the relatives will never give up until they achieve the return of all the abductees.

His twin brother, Yokota Tetsuya, told his sister about their parents. He said that their father, who died three years ago, thought about rescuing his daughter every day.

He added that their 87-year-old mother often falls over, but is doing well. He vowed to get back his sister and asked her to stay healthy until she can be reunited with her mother.

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio said last month that he wants to start high-level talks under his direct control to hold a summit with North Korea at an early date.

Yokota Takuya said after the recording that he wants the Japanese government to continue its steady diplomatic efforts until all the abductees are returned.

He expressed hope that a Japan-North Korea summit can be held and that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will decide to hand over all the abductees. [Read the full story and watch the video here…]

New Book: Exploring Space Weather with DIY Magnetometers (Amazon)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Sten Odenwald, who writes:

Hi Thomas!

Thanks so much for your contribution to the History of Space Weather book I published several years ago!

I have just published a new book I think you might be interested in. It’s called Exploring Space Weather with DIY Magnetometers, and it’s now available at amazon.com (see below). It provides step-by-step designs for building six sensitive instruments for under $60.00 that can measure real-time changes in Earth’s magnetic field.

If you are interested in such a building project, or you know of a family member, teacher, or even a student looking for a science fair project, this book will show you how to build these instruments. I also provide examples of storm events that were actually detected by each design so you can see what typical data looks like. For additional examples and updates, visit my blog page at http://sten.astronomycafe.net/diy-magnetometers/

Thanks again for your help!
Sten Odenwald
Astronomer

Click here to check out this book on Amazon.com (SWLing Post affiliate link).