Category Archives: Shortwave Radio

Shortwave Radio Recordings: Radio Romania International

2 Replies
Victory Avenue (Calea Victoriei), a major avenue in central Bucharest (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Victory Avenue (Calea Victoriei), a major avenue in central Bucharest (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Today at 20:30 UTC, Radio Romania International’s signal on 11,745 kHz was  quite strong, as it so often is.  RRI is one of the few broadcasters that still target Europe and the eastern US on shortwave.

RRI is a treasure of a station, too, with true local flavor–Romanian news, music, and mini cultural documentaries. This Sunday broadcast features the program Inside Romania, Romanian Without Tears (a language program which always reminds me of the similarities between French and Romanian), DX Mailbag, and Roots.

Click here to download the full broadcast as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below. This recording features their interval signal before and after the broadcast:

If you enjoy Radio Romania International, I encourage you to send an accurate and descriptive reception report to: [email protected] Maybe your letter will be featured on their DX Mailbag!

Shortwave Radio Recordings: NHK Radio Japan

Leave a reply
Tokyo, Japan (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Tokyo, Japan (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

For you listening pleasure: thirty minutes of NHK Radio Japan’s English language service.

This broadcast was recorded an hour ago, at 10:00 UTC on 9,625 (April 19, 2013).  Though NHK has dropped their English language services into North America, you can still receive their broadcasts targeting other regions quite easily.

Click here to download the full recording, or simply listen via the embedded player below. note that I include a full five minutes of their interval signal:

Enjoy!

Heritage Foundation: BBG isn’t listening

Leave a reply

BBG-Logo(Source: Heritage Foundation)

U.S. international broadcasting strategy again landed under congressional scrutiny in Wednesday’s House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing.

Representative Brad Sherman (D–CA) wanted to know why the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) ignored the congressional mandate to keep broadcasting to Pakistan in several local languages. In spite of a specific $1.5 million appropriation for broadcasting to Pakistan, everything has been cut except programming in Urdu. “You would not dream of broadcasting to Los Angeles in only one language,” said Sherman.

While Secretary of State John Kerry did not offer an explanation, the problems at the BBG cry out for a solution. The agency leadership time and time again has angered and frustrated Congress by ignoring its mandates to keep radio broadcasting lines open to areas of the world where free and dependable media do not exist. Instead, the broadcasting governors and the BBG bureaucracy are grappling with their own agenda and the impact of technological advances, with the result that the core mission gets short shrift.

In the President’s fiscal year 2014 budget request, the BBG accounts for $731 million, a not insignificant amount of funding. Yet at the same time, deep cuts in language services positions and broadcasting hours are proposed in the budget following already announced cuts resulting from sequestration.

[…]There is no doubt, though, that the BBG structure itself stands in dire need of overhaul. The nine-member, part-time board (on which the Secretary of State or his designate sits) is a poor mechanism for executive oversight of a complex broadcasting system, and board member terms are routinely allowed to expire without timely replacement. The most recent board meeting on April 12 was attended by just two board members.

A composite map of the world at night produced by NASA shows the vast areas of the globe—mainly Asia and sub-Saharan Africa—where there is no power grid to light up cities at night. Many of those areas, where reliance on Internet or television is impossible, are precisely the beneficiaries of U.S. international broadcasting. Let us not lose sight of that fact.

Read the full article on the Heritage Foundation website.

For those of you not familiar, note that the The Heritage Foundation is a US conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. whose mission is to “formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.”

Thanks, Ted, for the tip!

VOA, Mighty KBC and PCJ: Radiograms this weekend

Leave a reply

The Mighty KBC, the VOA and PCJ radio will broadcast radiograms (digital text) over shortwave radio this weekend.

Reception conditions could be challenging depending on the impact of the incoming CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) which is expected to disrupt the high frequency bands today. All the more reason to attempt to decode these messages as Dr. Kim Elliott is studying each digital mode and its ability to effectively overcome adverse conditions. Email your reports and audio files to: [email protected]

Here are details from each broadcaster:

KBCradioThe Mighty KBC

Broadcasting 14 April 2013 from 00:00-02:00 UTC on 7,375 kHz.

At about 0133 UTC, two slow (less than 60 WPM) but robust modes will be transmitted: Olivia 8-1000 centered on 1000 Hertz, and MFSK16 on 2000 Hertz.

At just before 0200 UTC, Olivia 8-2000, with Flmsg format, will be centered on 1500 Hertz.

VOARadioGramThe Voice of America

VOA Radiogram for the weekend of 13/14 April 2013 will feature the Olivia modes, with MFSK modes also transmitted for comparison.

The modes will be transmitted in groups of three, and all will be centered on an audio frequency of 1500 Hertz, except where indicated:

Olivia 8-1000, 58 WPM, 1:32 (program menu)
MFSK 16,  58 WPM, 1:52
Olivia 8-1000, 58 WPM, 1:44

Olivia 32-2000, 50 WPM, 2:09
MFSK 22, 80 WPM, 1:50
Olivia 16-2000, 80 WPM, 1:51

MFSK 32, 120WPM, 2:04
Olivia 8-2000, 120WPM, 2:04
Olivia 4-2000, 160WPM, 1:40

Olivia 16-1000 (centered on 2000 Hz) versus music, 2:03

MFSK 32 closing text and image,  :51

Reception reports with (if possible) sample audio and screenshots would be appreciated. Audio files from outside the United States are especially helpful.

[email protected]

Twitter: @VOARadiogram

Here is the VOA Radiogram broadcast schedule:
(all days and times UTC)
Sat 1600-1630 17860 kHz
Sun 0230-0300 5745 kHz
Sun 1300-1330 6095 kHz
Sun 1930-2000 15670 kHz
All via the Edward R. Murrow transmitting station in North Carolina.

pcjPCJ Radio

PCJ Radio will transmit text on 14 April 2013 at 02:27 UTC via WRMI, Radio Miami International on 9,955 kHz. The mode will be Olivia 8-1000.

Massive solar flare launches CME – poor propagation today

1 Reply
(Source: SpaceWeather.com)

(Source: SpaceWeather.com)

(Source: Discovery News)

The sun has unleashed the biggest solar flare of the year, quickly followed by an Earth-directed coronal mass ejection (CME). Both phenomena have the potential to impact communications and electronics on Earth and in orbit.

[…]A CME is a magnetic ‘bubble’ containing high-energy solar particles. When the CME hits Earth’s global magnetic field, it may align just right to generate a geomagnetic storm. Should this happen, we’ll be able to measure the extreme magnetic distortion of the magnetosphere and bright aurorae at high latitudes may result. Aurorae are caused when solar particles are injected into the polar regions via the Earth’s magnetic field — the particles then collide with atmospheric gases, generating a beautiful light display.

This morning’s CME was clocked traveling at a breakneck speed of 600 miles per second — at that rate it should hit Earth in the early hours of Saturday morning (April 13).

Shortly after the M-class flare erupted, a weak solar energetic particle (SEP) event was detected. This “radiation storm” was the result of relativistic particles slamming into the Earth’s upper atmosphere originating from the flare site.[…]

Read the full news article on Discovery News.

Propaganda from the source: Listening to the Voice of Korea on shortwave radio

7 Replies

FlagNorthKoreaOne of the countries dominating the headlines of global news lately is North Korea. As Kim Jong-un raises tensions and rattles his nuclear saber, the rest of the world is attempting to determine if this is a egotistical show of power for the benefit of all observers (as with previous leaders) or if there is real intention behind the rhetoric.

Just this morning Pyongyang has warned that Tokyo would be a primary strike target if war were to break out, or if their test missile is downed; they’ve even moved their missile launch pad into position.

Regardless of outcome of these provocations, I know that the bulk of the North Korean population will suffer. North Korean mainstream “news” consists of images of military parades in the immaculate capital city of Pyongyang; but the reality is that most of the population live in rural North Korea, which is subject to severe food shortages and extreme poverty.

We know North Korea is a country that carefully controls and manipulates their media internally; they also broadcast the same flavor of propaganda externally on shortwave radio via the Voice of Korea.

As shortwave radio listeners, we have the distinct advantage of being able to listen directly to the case of North Korea. We can actually hear (and analyze for ourselves) the North Korea propaganda directly from the source. Note that it’s not uncommon for the Voice of Korea to unexpectedly go off air, likely due to power shortages: this fact is much more suggestive of the of general conditions in the country than the “news” itself.

Depending on where you live in the world, your ability to hear the (relatively weak) Voice of Korea will vary.  If you live in the Asia/Pacific region, the station is very audible.

Yesterday morning at 10:00 UTC, I recorded an hour of their English broadcast to South America on 11.71 MHz. You can download an mp3 of the recording by clicking here, or simply listen via the embedded player below:

Below, you’ll find the current broadcast schedule for the Voice of Korea English service courtesy of North Korea Tech:

NorthKoreaMapVOK English (time in UTC)

  • 04:00 on 7220, 9445, 9730 kHz to Northeast Asia
  • 04: 00 on 11735, 13760, 15180 kHz to Central & South America
  • 05:00 on 13650, 15105 kHz to Southeast Asia
  • 06:00 on 7220, 9445, 9730 kHz to Northeast Asia
  • 10:00 on 11710, 15180 kHz to Central & South America
  • 10:00 on 11735, 13650 kHz to Southeast Asia
  • 13:00 on 13760, 15245 kHz to Western Europe
  • 13:00 on 9435, 11710 kHz to North America
  • 15:00 on 13760, 15245 kHz to Western Europe
  • 15:00 on 9435, 11710 kHz to North America
  • 16:00 on 9890, 11645 kHz to Near & Middle East; North Africa
  • 18:00 on 13760, 15245 kHz to Western Europe
  • 19:00 on 7210, 11910 kHz to South Africa
  • 19:00 on 9875, 11635 kHz to Near & Middle East; North Africa
  • 21:00 on 13760, 15245 kHz to Western Europe

For a full schedule of the Voice of Korea, please visit this page on North Korea Tech.

Annual InfoAge Radio Electronics Auction, April 27th 2013

Leave a reply

If you live near Wall, New Jersey and love antique radios, this is the auction for you. Proceeds benefit InfoAge, the Radio Technology Museum and National Broadcasters Hall of Fame. View the auction catalog by clicking here, full auction details below:

This beautiful BC-654-A is just one of the antique radios up for auction.

This beautiful BC-654-A is just one of the many antique radios on the auction block.

(Source: NJARC Press Release)

ANNUAL INFOAGE RADIO ELECTRONICS AUCTION

Saturday April 27, 2013

InfoAge Science History Learning Center and Museum
2201 Marconi Road
Wall, New Jersey 07719

Huge Radio/Electronics Auction Conducted By The
New Jersey Antique Radio Club and The Radio Technology Museum

All day sale of vintage radios, electronic test equipment, ham gear, audio equipment, marine radios, military electronics and 1000s of vacuum tubes along with related parts & documentation. Large variety of tubes in box lots, groups or singles; many interesting types. Better tubes are pretested.  300 + lots, including many large box lots. Something here for every radio/electronics collector.

Auction Begins at 10:00 AM on Saturday
Viewing is from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM Day of Sale

Sale of artifacts and donations excess to the centers needs. Proceeds to benefit InfoAge, Radio Technology Museum and National Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

Auction is indoors with ample seating. Noted radio auctioneer Richard Estes will be wielding the auction gavel. Complete auction catalog available two weeks prior to sale. Terms are cash or good check, sorry, we cannot take credit cards. 5% buyers premium is charged.

Directions: http://www.infoage.org/visit#directions
Up-to-date Information: http://www.ar88.net/auction.html
Auction Contact: [email protected] or 908-757-9741

Thanks for the tip, Rich!