Category Archives: Shortwave Radio

The view from the Voice of America

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VOA-Roof - DC

Click to enlarge

Today, I visited the Voice of America in Washington, DC and had lunch with my good friend and fellow shortwave radio enthusiast, Dr. Kim Andrew Elliott, creator of the VOA Radiogram. Besides giving me an update on the success of the VOA Radiogram broadcasts, Kim took me to the roof of the VOA building on Independence Avenue, so that I could check out the antenna farm of the VOA Ham Radio Club (K3VOA). I took several photos on my DSLR camera and will post them here upon my return.

While up there, I couldn’t help but note this incredible view of the Capitol Building; I snapped this quick shot–which can’t do it justice–with my iPhone.

Myke maps his radio recordings

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MykeOur friend, Myke Dodge Weiskopf, writes with an update:

“I went through all 600+ recordings of mine and generated a highly accurate Google Earth KML file pinpointing all the transmitters (along with reception details). Lots of fun for SWL types to fly around and look at antenna farms!

http://dodgeblog.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/SWM-GoogleEarth.kml

It’s also available directly from www.myke.me/shortwavemusic/ along with the normal maps version and the comprehensive spreadsheet.”

This is fascinating–thanks, Myke!

I’ve already checked out the Google Maps version online but will certainly download the KML file and import it into Google Earth as well. It’s fun zooming around the globe and finding all of these transmitter sites; this took serious dedication to plot. (To have had tools like this when I was eight years old…)

Note that the next season of shortwavemusic starts on October 1st. Check out Myke’s website for more details!

Voice Of Russia’s response to reported shortwave closure

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Voice of Russia Antenna site in Wachenbrunn, Germany (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Voice of Russia Antenna site in Wachenbrunn, Germany (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Dominik, for sharing email responses he received from the Voice of Russia regarding news of their closure.

Below are two quotes from two different responses:

“Unfortunately, so far we have no official information as regards the cancellation of shortwave broadcasting. However, we cannot rule out such a scenario for the future, since currently the VOR is speedily introducing modern day technologies of radio and internet broadcasting.”

“Thank you very much for your letter and for your concern about the presumable cancellation of shortwave broadcasting by the Voice of Russia. As I said earlier, so far we have received no official information in this regard, however, we keep receiving letters from concerned listeners. Thank you very much for your support.”

Looks like they’re neither confirming nor denying the news we posted earlier.

Arturo Sandoval listened to VOA “every single day”

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220px-Arturo_Sandoval_photoThe Voice of America provided Cuban jazz trumpeter, pianist and composer, Arturo Sandoval with a source of inspiration through Jazz. In a recent interview with NPR, Sandoval stated:

“We used to listen every day, every single day, [to] Voice of America. [It] was a shortwave radio program, and they play everything in jazz music. That was the only way we have to hear that kind of music and to be connected with the music we love. I was in the obligatory military service for three years when the sergeant [caught] me listen[ing] to the Voice of America, and then they put me in jail because I was listening to the voice of enemies.”

Click here to listen to the full interview on NPR.

Voice of Russia to cease shortwave radio service

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Voice of Russia Antenna site in Wachenbrunn, Germany (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Voice of Russia Antenna site in Wachenbrunn, Germany (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

It appears the Voice of Russia will cease shortwave radio service on January 1st, 2014. According to this article on RiaNovosti, the shortwave service is closing due to “funding  cuts.”

I have listened to the Voice of Russia since they were known as Radio Moscow in the Cold War era. But they’ve been around much longer than the Cold War, indeed, they’ve been on the air since 1922 with their first transmitter station (RV-1) in the Moscow region.

Needless to say, I’m sad to see them leave the shortwave spectrum.

Is Firedrake on the decline?

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(Photo: Satdirectory.com)

(Photo: Satdirectory.com)

Have you noticed less Firedrake broadcasts lately? I certainly have.  My buddy David pointed this out to me last week and since then I haven’t heard Firedrake even once. I have, however, heard the more aggressive and noisy Chinese jamming techniques.

Perhaps it’s just a “watched pot never boils” situation? I’m not sure; some SWLs on the hard-core DX reflector have also noticed a lack of Firedrake across the bands.

Have you heard Firedrake lately? Please comment with loggings.

For readers who are unfamiliar with Firedrake, check out this previous post.

A petition to keep ERT’s satellite and Internet feed live

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NoSignalERTIn response to our previous post regarding the European Broadcasting Union’s plan to cut (Greek national broadcaster) ERT’s satellite and Internet feed, Panagiotis Koustas comments:

There is a petition in Avaaz.org for that matter. Check it [out], please…

The petition reads:

EBU just announced that ERT’s signal will go off air on Wednesday. We, as concerned citizens of the EU ask the President of EBU not to add a “second black screen” to the “first black screen” by the Greek Government and keep the ERT’s signal alive through EBU’s satellites.

If you’re a member of the EU, you can sign this petition at Avaaz.org. Thanks for apprising us of this, Panagiotis.