Category Archives: Broadcasters

Oxford Shortwave Log: dxing in the tropical rainforest of Pará, Brazil – part 1

Hi there, I was fortunate enough recently for my work to take me to a very remote area of tropical rainforest in Pará, Northern Brazil and of course, I travelled with a shortwave radio. In fact I take a portable with me everywhere – even to work – just in case. During this trip I was using a Tecsun PL-680, for very specific reasons:

It can handle a longwire very well without overloading (I actually only used a 5 metre wire)
An excellent synchronous detection circuit and audio bandwidth filtering options
Excellent sensitivity, as demonstrating by the many DX reception videos on YouTube
If it got lost or damaged it would be a pain of course, but not difficult to replace

Although effectively travelling on business, I was hoping to find the time for a DXing session because I felt it would be really interesting to find out what could be heard on shortwave (and medium wave for that matter) out in the jungle, in the middle of nowhere! The environment was challenging – around 37/38 degrees C during the day and still 33 degrees C at 2 am, all day and night, every day and night! Furthermore, as you might imagine for a tropical location, the place was crawling with bugs lol, including mosquitos and thus a number of vaccinations were necessary, prior to the trip. Several days after arriving, I eventually managed to find the time for a DXing session in the jungle (with another the following week in Barcarena, on the coast).

So, what can you hear in the jungle? Part 1 of my group of reception videos follow below – I hope you enjoy them.

Tropical rainforest DX in Pará, Brazil: Radio Romania International 7335 kHz

Tropical rainforest SW in Pará, Brazil: Radio Nacional Brazilia 6180 kHz

Tropical rainforest DX in Pará, Brazil: WHRI 7385 kHz, Cypress Creek, Georgia, USA

Tropical rainforest DX in Pará, Brazil: Radio Mediterranee 9575 kHz, Nador, Morocco

Tropical rainforest DX in Pará, Brazil: EWTN (WEWN) 11520 kHz Vandiver, Alabama, USA

Clint Gouveia is the author of this post and a regular contributor to the SWLing Post. Clint actively publishes videos of his shortwave radio excursions on his YouTube channel: Oxford Shortwave Log. Clint is based in Oxfordshire, England.

Is the end near for Vatican Radio’s shortwave service?

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Andrea Bornino, for sharing the following article from espressonline.it:

Goodbye, Jesuits. Vatican Media Get a New Face and New Boss

And this with a Jesuit pope, no less. Vatican Radio will stop broadcasting on shortwave. And “L’Osservatore Romano” will also be absorbed into a single “content hub.” Under the command of Monsignor Dario Viganò

by Sandro Magister

[…]

Because in effect Vatican Radio costs a great deal. It does not run advertising, its revenues are paltry and its numerous linguistic sections push to about thirty-five the number of journalists on the payroll. The total shortfall fluctuates between twenty and thirty million euro per year.

Well then, Monsignor Viganò doesn’t want to hear about shortwave anymore. He sees it as antiquated and to be dismantled, because it has been supplanted by the web. While instead for Fr. Lombardi it continues to have an essential role “of service to the poor, the oppressed, the minorities, rather than of subjection to the imperative of the maximization of the audience.”

They are two antithetical visions. But the marching route appears to have been marked out already. In Africa, where internet access is sporadic, Viganò has announced an agreement with Facebook through which the pope’s messages will be brought to 44 countries by cell phone, through an app.

By December, in short, Vatican Radio will cease to exist as a self-contained reality. It will be incorporated into a single centralized “content hub,” or in Viganò’s words, into “a single center of multimedia production of texts, images, audiovisuals and radio podcasts in multiple languages,” beneath a single editorial leadership held by Viganò himself today and soon to be handed over to a “task force of journalists,” many of them drawn from Vatican Radio itself and adapted to the new role.[…]

Read the full article by clicking here.

I can’t quite tell if this is a news item or opinion piece.

Post readers: Have you noted other sources confirming the closure of Vatican Radio’s shortwave service? I know this topic is certainly on the table at Vatican Radio, especially since it’s been discussed in the past.

Anniversaries of BBC and CBC broadcasting

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Kris Partridge, who writes:

A day or two late, but I don’t know if you have this about CBC:

(Source: Southgate ARC)

Canada’s public broadcaster, the CBC, is 80 years old

Modelled somewhat on the BBC, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation came into being on November 2, 1936.

Surprisingly many of the issues that led to the creation of the CBC, are still around today.

In 1936, there were 74 radio stations across the country; three were CBC stations and four more were leased. All however were dwarfed by signals sweeping across the border into Canada from more powerful US stations. Concerns of US domination of Canadian airspace, is still a concern 80 years later.

Full article here:
History: Nov 2, 1936 -Canada’s Public Broadcaster birthday: 80 today

Also yesterday was the 80th anniversary of the start of Television broadcasting in the UK

(Source: BBC Blogs)

The BBC’s first British television service launched 80 years ago today, on 2 November 1936. To mark the occasion our colleages at BBC History have launched a new website celebrating the landmark anniversary combining archive material from the early days of television.

The site is packed full of video and audio footage telling the story of television including its invention, the opening night at Alexandra Palace in 1936, TV closure during the war and its resurrection in 1946, as well as TV’s milestone moments such the Olympics and the Coronations of 1937 and 1953. We’ve selected some choice clips below to whet your appetite[…]

Read the full article and watch the archived video by clicking here & more here.

Additional links:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15551270 & http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-15554897

Unfortunately due to various geo restrictions the one hour long programme from BBC4 last night is not viewable on iPlayer (catch up TV) outside the UK, sorry about that.

Fantastic! Thank you Kris. I’ve really enjoyed viewing the archived footage on the BBC Blog.

KNL Networks is developing shortwave-powered global Internet access

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Earth

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Steve T, for sharing the following news from Business Insider:

KNL Networks, based in Oulu, Finland, has been in stealth mode during the past four years while developing a revolutionizing system that enables internet connection anywhere in the world – even in the middle of the Pacific Ocean – without using expensive satellite systems.
Today, KNL announced the completion of its series A funding round. The funding amounted to more than $10 million making it one of the biggest Nordic series A rounds. Creandum is the biggest investor.

[…]Facebook and Google have been exploring the possibility of bringing internet to remote locations by relaying data through a network of balloons. KNL’s technology, on the other hand, proposes the opposite: incredibly long range signals, by sending internet protocol over the radio.

KNL’s technology is already being used to provide robust internet connections to ships on the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, but can be used anywhere on the globe for many different applications.

[…]KNL’s technology relies on shortwave radio transmissions, which can transmit data for thousands of kilometers, for a fraction of the cost of a satellite system. Accomplishing this has required the innovation of long-distance high frequency radio systems. In comparison with satellite internet, the radio technology offers the additional advantages of being easier to use, always on.

Read the full article at Business Insider.

This is very exciting news, Steve!

I’ve always had confidence that inherent HF bandwidth and data integrity issues could be addressed with time as our receivers, codecs and digital signal processing improve with each iteration.

As I wrote in, Does Shortwave Radio Have a Future?, I’ve always believed that the shortwave medium could be leveraged for international digital/data communications, and should be. In my article, I focused on Radio Canada International (RCI), which was then dismantling their shortwave transmitter site:

[B]roadcasters should not dismantle their transmission sites as Canada is currently doing. Not only is the current service originating from these sites a more reliable form of emergency communications than the Internet, should a national disaster befall us; not only do they continue to provide a broad-spectrum mode of diplomacy; but should future digital communication modes find a way to take advantage of the HF spectrum as is now under discussion, this would be most unfortunate.

Imagine a wi-fi signal with a footprint as large as several countries, digital devices with tiny fractal antennas that receive this signal containing rich media (e.g., audio and video)––these are not science fiction, but highly plausible uses of these transmission sites, even within the next decade…

We’ll be watching developments at KNL Networks and reporting updates here on the Post. Follow the tag: Shortwave Internet

Future of Radio Netherlands Archive Material

1 Reply

(Source: PCJ Media Press Release)

Over the past few months PCJ Radio International has been contacted by a number of individuals concerning what is PCJ’s plans with the Radio Netherlands archive material that is now in our possession.

Hopefully this will answer some of the questions.

First question: Will PCJ create a website where the programs will be available for download?

Short answer is yes. Clips of various Radio Netherlands programs from 1947 to 1997 will be available.

Second question: Why will only clips be made available for download?

The answer to this is simple. Over the last year PCJ Radio International has been very active to remove youtube videos of Radio Netherlands material that is now our property. By having this material uploaded onto youtube the value of the archive diminishes.

The other reason is 8 months ago we had to bring action against an ebay seller who was selling a CD of Radio Netherlands material that is now the property of PCJ Radio International. We are well aware that if the archives are made available online there is a risk this will happen.

Third question: Will anyone be able to access the full archive of material?

Yes. The Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid (Netherlands Institute for Sound & Vision) in Hilversum, Netherlands will be able to request material for their own research. Those who are doing research will also be able to access the material.

Fourth question: Will concerts, radio shows, and printed material be available for license by second parties?

If audio, visual or printed items will be used for commercial purposes, there will be a licensing fee. The fee will depend on the item.

Fifth question: What will happen if anyone publishes material from the archives without written consent or licensing from PCJ Radio International?

A cease and desist letter will be sent, and the individual or organization will have 14 days after a written warning to remove the copyrighted material. If after 14 days the material has still not been removed, PCJ Radio International will have no recourse but to take legal action.

Sixth question: Why is PCJ Radio International being so controlling of the material?

It has to do with cost. There is the cost of the shipping container, climate control room for the tapes, discs and films, and a full time staffer whose job it is to catalogue the tapes, discs and films. The most expensive cost is the digitizing of the films. Some of these films are 40 years old and need to be sent to a special lab for colour correction and to make any repairs necessary before they can be copied. Just to give you an example, the cost for one 25 minute film can be between 300 to 500 Euros, depending on the condition.

PCJ Radio International’s series From The Radio Netherlands Archives over the next few months will present some of the best programs from the collection.

For more information please contact PCJ Radio International at anytime: pcj@pcjmedia.com.

From The Radio Netherlands Archives Program 4

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(Source: PCJ Media)

October 30th & 31st PCJ Radio International presents program four in the continuing series From The Radio Netherlands Archives.

This month we put the spotlight on Eduard Franz Conradin (aka Eddy Startz). Startz was hired as a program maker for Philips Omroep Holland-Indie in 1927. In 1928 he started presenting programs in English, French, and Spanish. The name Happy Station came from the first words he spoke in English when he said “This is Philips Radio PCJJ your happy station) on November 19th, 1928. Hence The Happy Station Show was created.

The program will include some rare clips from his early days with PCJJ, PCJ and Radio Netherlands. Also part of the program will be a full 80 minute edition of Happy Station by Startz.

Times and frequencies:
Europe – 0600 to 0800 UTC – October 30, 2016
Frequency: 7780khz
North America – 0100 to 0300 UTC – October 31, 2016
Frequency: 7570khz
Email: pcjqsl@pcjmedia.com