Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Rafman, who shares the following photos that were originally posted by Alberto (I2PHD) on the Elad email reflector. Alberto noted:
“Here it is…. shown for the first time today at the Montichiari Ham Fest. Price TBD….”
Many thanks, Rafman, for the tip!
We’ll continue to post FDM-S3 updates as they become available. I will also plan to review the FDM-S3 when it hits the market.
(Source: Yahoo News via London Shortwave)
Vatican City (AFP) – African bishops have asked Radio Vatican, the official radio of the pope, to restore shortwave transmissions to the continent, the Catholic agency Fides reported on Friday.
[…]The Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), meeting in the Ghanaian capital Accra, has written a letter expressing “concern about the recent shutdown of the shortwave services of the radio, which afforded millions of Africans the opportunity to hear (the) Holy Father and share in the Church’s concerns and mission,” Fides said.
[…]This year, services to Africa, Asia and the Middle East will be slashed, Fides said.”While recognising that Vatican Radio services can still be received through the Internet,” the SECAM said “many Africans simply do not have the means or the technology to enjoy such services”.
[…]Radio Vatican was created in 1931 and has services in 45 languages.
With the latest move “a heritage is in the process of being destroyed,” a Fides journalist told AFP.
Jess Puglisi of WGXC (Wave Farm) and David Goren at the 2017 Shortwave Shindig live broadcast.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Cuff, for sharing the following details:
Repeat shortwave airing of the Shortwave Shindig on WRMI — Saturday 3/11 0300 UTC, same time as last week; same frequencies (9395 aimed north, 6855 aimed west).
Thanks to David Goren and Jeff White for arranging this!! Will update as on-demand / streaming availability is determined.
David Goren (left) and Richard Cuff (right) during the Shindig live broadcast.
Note that for those of us in North America, the Shindig rebroadcast will take place at 22:00 EST tonight (0300 UTC Saturday) on 9,395 kHz aimed north and 6,855 kHz aimed west from WRMI.
I plan to record the broadcast tonight as propagation was so poor last week, very few listeners could enjoy it.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ed, who notes:
I just received a status update on the pantronX Titus II portable SDR from Mike, their chief engineer.
Mike said the self-contained SDR portable will include “SoapySDR as the interface to make it much easier to roll your own SDR app.” Here’s some info about SoapySDR:
https://github.com/pothosware/SoapySDR/wiki
Mike also said, “To be 100% truthful, our biggest push right now is for the international MW & SW broadcasters. They want to go DRM digital is the worst way!”
You might want to share this news with SWLing Post readers.
Thank you for the update, Ed! Click here to view the pantronX website.
Many thanks to a number of SWLing Post readers who shared a link to this article via Radio Slovakia International:
Why is shortwave radio still alive?
If you use the internet to listen to streaming audio and podcasts, you could be forgiven for assuming there’s no need for shortwave radio any more. It seems many broadcasters appear to agree, with stations dropping their shortwave services year after year.
But not so fast. Shortwave’s not dead, say its proponents. Rather, it’s in a state of transformation. Not only does it still provide a vital service for the many millions of individuals worldwide who don’t have access to the internet, but this medium also has a certain ‘magic’ which, we discovered, is very hard for its fans to explain.
In this entertaining, full-length feature, Gavin Shoebridge asked shortwave listeners from across the globe to explain why they still use the service, why they don’t ‘go digital’, and where they think shortwave will be in the coming years.
Click here to download the MP3 audio.
Click here to read and listen via Radio Slovakia International.
(Source: CatholicCulture.org via London Shortwave)
As Vatican Radio ends short-wave broadcasts, others expand
As Vatican Radio closes an era by ending its short-wave transmissions, other broadcasters are stepping up their involvement in the short-wave field, notes Sandro Magister of L’Espresso.
Msgr. Dario Vigano, the prefect of the Vatican’s new Secretariat for Communications, has cut off short-wave broadcasts—long the heart of the Vatican Radio operation—in a move to cut costs and move toward emphasis on communicating through the internet. But Magister observes that short-wave transmissions retain their “unique ability to arrive as a free and true voice even in the most geographically and politically inhospitable places of the world.”
The Italian Vatican-watcher reports that other broadcasters are expanding their short-wave offerings. BBC has invested £85 million (almost $105 million) in a drive to expand its short-wave capacity. And Japan’s NHK network has inquired about purchasing the broadcasting station at Santa Maria di Galeria, just outside Rome, that Vatican Radio will no longer use.
Read this article at CatholicCulture.org.
(Source: Asia Radio Today via Mark Little)
As Radio Australia cuts shortwave services, RNZI becomes the voice of the Pacific
Radio New Zealand International (RNZI) continues to serve people across the Pacific region, delivering essential day to day news and information and providing a vital lifeline in times of natural disaster, as Radio Australia closes its international shortwave transmission service to Papua New Guinea and the Pacific.
Emphasising the importance of RNZI’s 25-year relationship with New Zealand’s Pacific neighbours, RNZ CEO, Paul Thompson said: “Remote parts of Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu who may be feeling the loss of the ABC can rest assured RNZI will continue to provide independent, timely and accurate news, information and weather warnings as well as entertainment to its Pacific listeners.”
Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s decision to switch off its shortwave services as a money saving measure has already drawn criticism and protests from a number of groups in Australia.
Read more at: http://www.asiaradiotoday.com/news/radio-australia-cuts-shortwave-services-rnzi-becomes-voice-pacific © Radioinfo.com.au
In truth, RNZI has always done a fabulous job of covering the Pacific islands with news and information. I’m happy to hear they plan to stick around.