I’ve always found the Dayton Hamvention flea market to be a great place to find antique radios, but this year, the selection (along with the weather) seems to be exceptional.
I’ve attached a few photos I took yesterday morning as a gallery below. Simply click on a thumbnail to enlarge. Enjoy
This is a brilliant piece on the lack of press freedom in Zimbabwe and the importance of shortwave radio. It was broadcast yesterday on Weekend All Things Considered. Links to the show and audio are below.
(Source: NPR)
In Seke, a rural community 40 miles outside Harare, James Chidakwa and his father eat roasted nuts and cornmeal inside a small brick hut. They’re farmers who rely heavily on maize and chickens to survive. James Chidakwa says that like many, his family refuses to listen to government TV or radio broadcasts.
“They always lie to the people,” he says. “Everything they say is a lie.”
So at 6 p.m. most evenings, they turn on a battery-powered, short-wave radio and tune in to a “pirate radio station.” Chidakwa says Shortwave Radio Africa and Voice of America are their favorites.
“If you want to hear the truth, wait for the end of the day to listen to Shortwave Radio Africa, to listen to VOA,” he says.
The stations, which are based in the U.K. and the U.S., send their signals through radio towers in countries that border Zimbabwe. That means Zimbabwean officials — who claim these broadcasts are illegal — have little recourse. In the past, they’ve confiscated short-wave radios. Chidakwa says that forces some people to listen undercover.
“Some of them, they will take the radios into their bedrooms and, low volume, they listen to the news. But the truth is, there is fear in them,” he says.
But for Chidakwa and his father, it’s a risk they are prepared to take.
The stations, which are based in the U.K. and the U.S., send their signals through radio towers in countries that border Zimbabwe. That means Zimbabwean officials — who claim these broadcasts are illegal — have little recourse. In the past, they’ve confiscated short-wave radios. Chidakwa says that forces some people to listen undercover.
“Some of them, they will take the radios into their bedrooms and, low volume, they listen to the news. But the truth is, there is fear in them,” he says.
But for Chidakwa and his father, it’s a risk they are prepared to take.
You can listen to the full story from Weekend All Things Considered, by clicking here (mp3), or read the transcript on this page.
This is just one more story we’ll file under “Why Shortwave Radio.”
RCI, and others, I wish you were listening. Those in Zimbabwe certainly are.
(Source: Times Union)
[…]Martyn Williams, who writes the blog NorthKoreaTech.org, said that the government’s intense use of its scant resources and electricity to jam foreign news broadcasts reflected its concern about the impact of outside media.
North Korea targets between 10 and 15 frequencies used by international short-wave broadcasters, such as U.S.-funded Radio Free Asia and stations operated by South Korea’s government, for up to 18 hours a day, and on major occasions like the April centennial, it jams radio signals around the clock, Williams said.
The North appears to have recently installed more sophisticated transmitters acquired from a Chinese company, although jamming operations have been up and down this year, likely because of technical problems or power shortages, he said.
Read the full article, the bulk of which deals with social media and mobile phones, on the Times Union website. Obviously, North Korea feels that shortwave radio is a threat to those in power. They should be afraid–shortwave radio signals easily cross their fortified borders. This article will be filed under why shortwave radio.
On Friday’s edition of The Link, Mark Montgomery spoke with Amanda Pfeffer about how international radio is being cut around the world and, more specifically, Canada. They discuss how this happened, who is aware of it and if there is any way to save the service.
It’s an informative segment (though see my correction below).
Since this is one of several features in the show, I’ve recorded this specific segment and posted it for listening below.
You can also listen to the segment by downloading the mp3 here.
Please note that Amanda is a little mis-leading about the bureaucratic structure of US international broadcasting. It is rather confusing.
The BBG (Broadcasting Board of Governors) is the governing body of US international Broadcasting. The IBB (International Broadcasting Bureau) is over all of the broadcast/transmission facilities, engineering functions, human resources, finances and other agency support services. To be clear, the Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe, Radio Marti and the Middle East Broadcasting Network all take direction from the BBG, not the IBB.
The organizational chart (below) can shed some light on this.
The BBG Organizational Chart as of May 2012 (Click to enlarge)
Last week, we noted the upcoming re-dedication of the Edward R. Murrow Transmitting Station and the significance of this particular broadcasting location.
Videos of the event have now been posted on the BBG Watch website, including this one, which features the original dedication of the site in 1963:
Local CBS affiliate, Channel 9, provided raw video feeds from the event, which are also posted. Of particular note is the footage of Governor Victor Ashe’s speech and the tour of the station.
Victor Ashe:
Station tour:
As I previously mentioned, in December 2012, I had the honor of receiving a five-hour tour of the Edward R. Murrow Transmitting Station. Following that marvelous tour, I wrote a piece for the March 2012 issue of the Monitoring Times in which I describe the day’s experiences; the article has already received many kind comments (thanks!) and continues to draw interest to the station. I think this may be one of the best articles I’ve ever written, and the clear reason for this was my sheer delight in the tour, a dream come true for me. Moreover, I had early information about the re-dedication of the site, and was immensely pleased that those who work there should receive such well-deserved accolades.
BTW: While I have a busy travel schedule this summer, I intend to publish some items of interest in my absence that I’ve been saving for the purpose. This will include the article I wrote for the MT–the full, un-cut version–along with dozens of hi-res photos from the site. It’s quite long, thus will be posted in manageable sections; each post will be tagged: VOA Greenville. Keep an eye open for those!
But if you just can’t wait, you can always download an electronic version of the March issue on the MT’s website. Hope you enjoy it…!
And to our good friends at VOA Greenville: thanks again, and congratulations!
Update: Missed this broadcast? No worries–not only did we record the digital message, but we’ll teach you how to decode it.
(Source: WBCQ on Facebook)
On Friday, May 4, 2012, during Allan Weiner Worldwide (8pm US eastern time, 0000 UTC), we will be presenting an experiment in the transmission of text messages in digital formats. During the show, we will transmit a brief message in MFSK64 format. This message consist of text that listeners can save to a file with an .htm suffix, then open and view it in a web browser.
The message can be decoded using a variety of free software packages. One such package is FLDIGI, which can be found at http://www.w1hkj.com/Fldigi.html.
Thanks to Kim Andrew Elliott, audience researcher at the International Broadcasting Bureau, for coordinating this test.
You can find Allan Weiner Worldwide on 5,110, 7,490 and 9,330 kHz tonight (Friday, May 4th) at 00:00 UTC (20:00 in Eastern US)
My feature article on touring the Edward R. Murrow Transmitting Station in the March 2012 issue of Monitoring Times
Last December, I had the honor of receiving a personal five hour tour of the VOA transmitter site near Greenville, NC, USA. It was literally a dream come true for me, and providing a more in-depth understanding of the history, the equipment, the antennas and, most importantly, the people who keep this remarkable site on the air 24/7. You can read all about my experience in a feature article I wrote for the March 2012 issue of Monitoring Times Magazine.
Just before my article was sent to print, I received word from my new friends at the transmitter site that it had been renamed the “Edward R. Murrow Transmitting Station.” Fortunately, timing was on my side and my article carried the new name throughout.
This was much more than a re-naming of the site, however. I knew that to some degree, it was a reassurance by the BBG (Broadcasting Board of Governors) that the site, which had been slated for closure as recently as 2010, was to have a future that would reflect its honored past in international broadcasting. Clearly, the site is very important; it’s the last remaining international broadcating station that is not only wholly owned by the US government, but is nonetheless on US territory, where no restrictions can be imposed upon either what is broadcast, nor for whom the broadcast is targeted.
On a side note, perhaps what disappoints me most about the Radio Canada International cuts, and why I’ve been so vocal about it, is the fact that they plan to close their Sackville, New Brunswick transmitting site. In a sense, it’s the Canadian cousin to the VOA’s Murrow site, which is to say, the only international broadcasting site in Canada, that’s fully owned by Canada and grounded firmly on Candian soil.
Tuning controls on one of the 500 kW Continental Electronics transmitters I admired at the Edward R. Murrow Transmitting Site. Click to enlarge.
I’m very pleased the US government and the Broadcasting Board of Governers made what I strongly believe to be the right decision, namely, keeping Edward R. Murrow Transmitting station open and active. Once that transmission infrastructure is gone, it’s gone. Fortunately, this re-dedicationconfirms that it will live on.
I was personally invited to the dedication, but sadly will be unable to attend, the distance (twelve hours by car) being fairly prohibitive.
Yet I wish you well, broadcast heroes: long live the Edward R. Murrow transmitting site!
The Greenville Reflector published an article about the May 2nd dedication of the Edward R. Murrow Transmitting Station:
(Source: The Reflector)
VOA site to be rededicated
A Voice of America site once scheduled for closure has not only been saved but will be rededicated Wednesday in a ceremony featuring the son of broadcasting pioneer Edward R. Murrow.
Voice of America Site B, located 15 miles east of Greenville outside of Grimesland, was named for the legendary broadcaster when it opened in 1963.
Murrow’s name was removed from the building as part of security measures taken after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Murrow’s name will be returned during a 10 a.m. ceremony being held at the site, 3919 VOA Site B Road.
[…]The Broadcasting Board of Governors announced in February 2010 it wanted to close VOA Site B so it could save about $3.1 million annually and focus on upgrading its satellite, digital and other broadcasting technologies.
The site B location broadcasts via short-wave radio to Cuba, the Caribbean and South America. In the past it also has broadcast to West Africa.
Jones and U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., worked to stop the closure, aided by another member of the North Carolina delegation, Democrat David Price.
The closure never came because Congress had difficulties finalizing its 2010-11 budget and funding was included in continuation budgets.
The broadcasting board notified Jones in January 2011 that the administration wouldn’t pursue the site’s closure.
By that time Victor Ashe, former mayor of Knoxville, Tenn., and former ambassador to Poland, joined the broadcasting board and toured the VOA Site B facility.
Ashe said he was impressed by the facility’s staff members and their dedication to the organization’s mission.
“We believe free and honest information is a prelude and a foundation of a democratic society,” Ashe said.
Like other proponents of the site, Ashe said it’s important to keep VOA Site B operating because it’s the only short-wave Voice of America facility operating under U.S. jurisdiction. Other short-wave locations can be shut down at the insistence of its host nation.
Other methods of broadcasting — radio, television, the Internet and social media — can be cut off or blocked.
And the invitation from the BBG:
Speakers will include:
Congressman Walter Jones
Casey Murrow, son of Edward R. Murrow and Executive Director, Synergy Learning
Victor Ashe, BBG Governor, former Ambassador to Poland and former mayor of Knoxville
Richard M. Lobo, award-winning media executive and journalist and Director of the International Broadcasting Bureau
Edward R. Murrow’s legacy as a journalist and his rich understanding of the importance of press freedom as part of the bedrock of democracy along with the key role of U.S. international broadcasting as a model of a free press will be highlighted in the ceremony to be held in the lead-up to World Press Freedom Day, May 3rd.
The transmitting station, a 24/7 broadcast facility, supports the mission of the Broadcasting Board of Governors to “inform, engage and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy” through about 2,200 hours of transmissions each month.
Program:
Welcome:
André Mendes, Director, Office of Technology, Services and Innovation, International Broadcasting BureauInvocation:
Pastor William Thompson, Burney Chapel Free Will Baptist ChurchPresentation of Colors:
D. H. Conley High School ROTCNational Anthem:
Karen Meetze, Choral Director, J. H. Rose High SchoolMusical Accompaniment by:
A.G. Cox Middle School Band
Barney Barker, Band DirectorRemarks about Edward R. Murrow:
Casey Murrow, Executive Director, Synergy LearningRemarks:
Ambassador Victor Ashe, BBG GovernorIntroduction:
Richard M. Lobo, Director, International Broadcasting BureauKeynote:
Congressman Walter JonesFollowing the ceremony a tour of the facility will be offered.
Register through Eventbrite by April 26, 2012.
For more information, please call 202-203-4400 or email [email protected].
The Broadcasting Board of Governors is an independent federal agency, supervising all U.S. government-supported, civilian international broadcasting, whose mission is inform, engage and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy. BBG broadcasts reach an audience of 187 million in 100 countries. BBG networks include the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (Alhurra TV and Radio Sawa), Radio Free Asia, and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (Radio and TV Martí).