Category Archives: Utility

From Missouri to Oklahoma: Discovering America’s Secure Nets on 5140 kHz

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Don Moore–noted author, traveler, and DXer–who shares the following post:

The Missouri and Oklahoma Secure Nets

By Don Moore

Don’s traveling DX stories can be found in his book Tales of a Vagabond DXer [SWLing Post affiliate link]. If you’ve already read his book and enjoyed it, do Don a favor and leave a review on Amazon.

I’m always looking for new stations to add to my logbook, and the more unusual, the better. So I was intrigued by a pair of messages in the Utility DXers Forum (https://www.udxf.nl/) email group in mid-August. Steve Handler posted a list of emergency station call signs from the state of Missouri that he found on the web in a 2014 emergency plan document. Then Jack Metcalfe responded that the last time he had checked, in early 2024, they ran a regularly scheduled net on 5140 kHz.

I immediately sent an email to Jack to find out more. He answered that on Wednesdays the Oklahoma State Secure Net had been doing a check-in at 0900 local time and that the Missouri State Secure Net followed at 0930 local time. Both of these started on 5140 kHz and then moved to 7477 kHz.

Going After the Secure Nets

I was spending my summer at an Airbnb in the north suburbs of Chicago. It wasn’t a good place to DX from, but I had already found a good listening site at the Old School Forest Preserve near Libertyville, Illinois. I began a series of regular Wednesday morning listening sessions. I knew that this wasn’t the best time of year for reception on lower frequencies, but I wanted to give it a try.

All I got from the Oklahoma net was a few very weak and unreadable signals. From the Missouri net, I got two loggings of the net control station, WNBE830, and of WQKX373 in St. Charles County. Two other Missouri stations did check in, but they were too weak for me to copy the call signs. They did say that the net is only on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. And there was nothing on 7477 kHz, so they apparently stick to 5140 kHz only now.

Recording of WNBE830 as heard on 5140 kHz at 1430 UTC on 03 September 2025, as heard in Old School Forest Preserve:

In mid-September, I left Chicago to visit my daughter in western Colorado. While I was planning my return drive back east along I-70, I realized that I would be spending the night of Tuesday, October 14, somewhere around Kansas City. And that meant I would be in the area the next morning for the third Wednesday of the month. I made plans for another mini DXpedition.

I found a hotel in the west suburbs and the next morning headed to a picnic shelter in nearby Wyandotte County Park for another remote DX session with my Airspy HF+ Discovery SDRs and PA0RDT mini whip. It was an excellent location. I logged five stations participating in the Oklahoma net. During the initial chitchat before the roll call, it was mentioned that some of the participants were at a conference. I might have gotten more stations if it hadn’t been for that. The Missouri net, on the other hand, did not make an appearance even though it was the third Wednesday.

Recording of roll call in the Oklahoma State Secure Net on 5140 kHz at 1407 UTC on October 15, 2025, as heard in Wyandotte County Park.

How To Log the Secure Nets

I didn’t hear as many new stations as I had hoped, but then I was listening in late summer and early autumn. There had already been several hours of daylight before the net started, which isn’t the best for propagation on the lower shortwave frequencies. The northern hemisphere is moving into winter, and as that happens, sunrise times will move later. And that will allow 5140 kHz to be heard at greater distances during the timeslot these nets are on. If you can hear WWV on 5 MHz in mid-morning in mid-winter at your location, you should have a chance at these.

The nets are on at 0900 and 0930 local (Central) time. When I was tuning in, that was 1400 and 1430 UTC, but when the US goes off of Daylight Savings Time on November 2nd, that changes to 1500 and 1530 UTC. From what one of the Oklahoma stations said, it sounded like the Oklahoma net is on every Wednesday. The Missouri net did say only first and third Wednesdays, but according to Jack Metcalfe, it was weekly some years ago. And for some reason, they weren’t on the third Wednesday of October.

I’m going to be spending the next four months traveling in Southeast Asia, so I won’t be DXing these again until I return to Chicago for a short visit in March. But hopefully some of you reading this in North America will try to hear these networks, too. Given that there is some question as to which Wednesdays these networks take place, I suggest setting up your SDR to make a spectrum recording including 5140 kHz every Wednesday at 1400/1500 UTC for the next few months. And let me know what you hear by dropping me a message to Don AT DonMooreDXer DOT com. If I get enough good information, I’ll put together an update to this article.

And that brings up something else. Do you know of any other regularly scheduled utility voice networks on shortwave like this one? Over twenty years ago, the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Aviation Administration had weekly voice nets, but those are long gone.

Please post what you know in the comments or send me an email to the above address.

Oklahoma Secure Net Stations

On logs going back to 2005, these are the stations that Jack Metcalfe has heard participating in the net.

KNBV428 Santa Fe, NM
KNFG267 Oklahoma City, OK (normal net control)
KNGR728 Rush Springs, OK
WGY926 Oklahoma City, OK
WNBM839 Stillwater, OK
WNCH624 Department of Emergency Management, Tulsa, OK
WNPV700 Durant, OK
WNUW211 Oklahoma City, OK
WNUW212 Department of Emergency Management, Shawnee, OK
WNUW213 Department of Emergency Management, Altus, OK
WNUW215 Ponca City, OK
WNUW216 Oklahoma City, OK
WNUW217 Ardmore, OK
WPBV938 Beaver, OK (Beaver County EOC)
WPFY721, Oklahoma Emergency Management Agency EOC at the National Guard Armory, Seminole, OK
WQSY836 Byng, OK

My logs include three more stations either participating in or being unsuccessfully called.

WQYW833 Unknown location
WQZT582 Broken Arrow
WSHM692 Oklahoma City

Missouri Secure Net

Stations Jack Metcalfe has logged.

WNBE830 Ike Skelton Training Center, Jefferson City, MO (net control)
WNUW240 Missouri EMA, Jefferson City, MO
WQKE203 Missouri Dept of Transportation, Jefferson City, MO
WQOI753 Missouri Dept of Transportation, Hannibal, MO
WQOI754 Missouri Dept of Public Safety, Sikeston, MO
WQOJ557 Missouri State Police Radio Shop, Jefferson City, MO
WQOL350 Missouri Dept of Public Safety, Chesterfield, MO
WQOL459 Missouri Dept of Transportation, Lee’s Summit, MO

I heard one additional station:

WQKX373 St. Charles County, MO

Next listed are the stations Steve Handler found listed in the 2014 edition, Appendix 2, Section 2.22 of the 2014 Emergency Operations Plan. This plan was publicly posted by the City of Battlefield at the following URL:

https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/4319/CBM/3591786/complete_emergency_operations_plan.pdf

KNNT320 Boonville, MO
KNNT321 Greenwood, MO
WNUW238 Battlefieldd, MO
WNBE824 Jackson, MO
WNBE825 Rock Port, MO
WNBE826 Lee’s Summit, MO
WNBE827 Macon, MO
WNBE828 St. Louis, MO
WNBE829 Springfield, MO
WNBE830 Jefferson City, MO
WNBE831 Poplar Bluff, MO
WNBE832 St. Joseph, MO
WNBE833 Willow Springs, MO
WNBE834 Raytown, MO
WNBE835 St. Charles, MO
WNBE836 Hillsboro, MO
WNBE837 Neosho, MO
WNUS448 Union, MO 64084
WNWU734 St. Joseph, MO
WPCY526 Kansas City, MO
WPBN258 Kirkwood, MO
WNZJ459 Belton, MO
WPES740 Camdenton, MO
WPGA369 Fort Leonard Wood, MO
WPKX561 Hermann, MO

According to the same document, the net is authorized to use the following frequencies. Under 7477 kHz, there is a note that the station uses 1000 watts during the day and 250 watts at night.

2326, 2411, 2414, 2419, 2439, 2463, 5140, 5192, 7477, 7802, 7805, and 7935 kHz.

A big thanks to Jack Mecalfe for his assistance with this and to Steve Handler for making the initial post that drew my interest.

Strange Interference Near 13860 kHz: Mario Tracks It to Kaliningrad

6 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mario, who writes:

Dear Thomas,

It has been about two or three days since it was impossible for me to hear Radio Romania Int in Spanish (1900 UTC) from my home, at Zaragoza.

A strange interference appeared close to my favourite SW station (13860). A little bit on the left of the waterfall an strange emission appeared jamming.

After some research in your past entries I found that it could be a radar over the horizon.

Using the TDoA function of the kiwisdr environment, I found the following:

If it worked properly, the emission source could come from Kaliningrad.

According to old news, another 29B6 facility has been planned to be built in Kaliningrad.

Mario then sent the following update:

Well, it seems that the mystery has been resolved.

I am pretty sure that is a new 29B6:

A 1300 Yards Wide Structure Appeared on Satellite Images – This Is The “Kaliningrad Monster”

It can be see on some satellite imagery services (https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/, at the coordinates of the previous link).

It is not visible on Google satellite images or Bing maps.I hope they change their frequency shortly because they are messing my SW listening at radio Romania Intl in Spanish.

Best regards.

Initial Impressions of the Tecsun S-2200X

29 Replies

By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM

Bob Colegrove inspired this, with his excellent post “Pressing Buttons. Twirling Knobs and Throwing Switches.” If you haven’t read it, go do so now.

And it was our Maximum Leader, Thomas, who some time ago was asked “What’s the best shortwave radio?” His response (if I recall correctly): “The one you enjoy using.” That’s worth taking to heart. It doesn’t matter if you have the highest, techiest, super zoot receiver or SDR with the best lab numbers, if you don’t enjoy using it, how much will you really use it?

Given my age and my radio experience, my belief is that a real radio has a knob or button or switch for just about every function and a real tuning knob that doesn’t snap, crackle or pop as it changes between tuning increments.

The photos show the Tecsun S-2200X is studded with knobs and buttons, enough to satisfy an old retrocrank, but how would it perform? Dan Robinson had already reviewed it here. I respect his reviews, but I had to see for myself. With some trepidation I ordered the Tecsun S-2200X.

It arrived a couple of days ago. First impression: it’s a large radio – measuring approx. 15 inches wide, 7 inches tall, and 5 inches deep. It can run off 4 D batteries or 2 18650 rechargeable batteries, so technically it is a portable, but you’ll probably want something like a gym bag or backpack to transport it.

The fit and finish are pleasing, what you would expect from a radio in this price range. The front panel is studded with (if I am counting correctly) 33 buttons for activating various functions, 7 knurled metal knobs, a lighted analog signal strength meter, and a 3.5 inch by 1.5 inch (approx..) lighted liquid crystal display that serves as information central for the S-2200X.

On the right side are two BNC antenna connectors (one for FM and airband, the other for shortwave), a pair of clips for attaching a shortwave wire antenna, and a switch for selecting between internal and external antennas.

On the back are two hatches for installing batteries and inside one of the hatches, a switch for choosing between powering the receiver with D cells or the 18650 batteries. Also on the back, stereo line-out sockets.

On top, there are a retractable carry handle, a rotatable LW/MW antenna with a connector on the backside for an external LW/MW antenna, and a pull-up telescoping whip antenna for SW, FM, and air band.

On the left side is a port for plugging in the charging cable for the 18650 batteries.

Ease of Use

The S-2200X is straightforward to operate for basic operations (Memory operations will require consulting the well-written manual). On either side of the tuning knob are buttons for selecting FM, MW/LW, SW and Air bands, as well as selecting memory pages. Prolonged pressing of certain band buttons will activate Auto Tuning Storage of frequencies in that band, and these buttons are clearly labeled.

For shortwave, there are two buttons: SW+ and SW-, and, if you are in AM mode, these are used for incrementing between shortwave bands. However, if you are in either upper or lower sideband mode, these buttons will increment between amateur radio HF bands.

Below, and to the right of the tuning knob is a small button for switching between memory mode and frequency mode. A long press of this button will activate scanning of whatever band or memory page is active. To the lower left of the tuning knob is a button for changing tuning steps.

Below the signal strength meter is a 12-button keypad, and to the left of this are buttons for selecting synchronous detection, USB, LSB, and bandwidths. Volume and tone controls are knobs below the speaker grill.

As they used to say in the old sports car magazines: “The controls fall readily to hand.” If your goal is to pop in some batteries and start using the S-2200X right away, I found it easy to do. I particularly enjoyed the smooth tuning – both mechanical and audio – provided by the large, dimpled, tuning knob. On the unit I purchased, the tuning knob, though solidly mounted, wobbles a tiny bit.

Performance

The S-2200X acquits itself well. FM is top notch and the stereo audio is pleasing through headphones, which I routinely use to listen.

The MW performance was also satisfying, and I enjoyed using the rotatable LW/MW antenna to peak signals . . . it works! I tried plugging a Terk AM Advantage loop antenna into the jack on the backside of the rotatable antenna and found no discernable improvement in signal. To be fair, if you want the ultimate in MW DX performance, there are “hotter” MW receivers available, but I was not disappointed. I did not test LW performance.

Airband performance was average. An ATS scan of airband found five active frequencies in my area, and there is the ability to scan stored memories, stopping at each one for about five seconds.

On SW, the S-2200X delivers satisfying performance through its telescoping whip antenna. Using time stations as standards for testing, and switching between the whip and a 45-foot indoor wire loop antenna, the signal strength meter showed signals received on the whip often equaled or were only slightly less strong than those from the loop. Note well: if you conduct this experiment for yourself, there is a noticeable – perhaps one second – delay in the signal strength meter reacting to the change in antennas. If you are a SW program listener, there are a variety of bandwidths and tone controls to fine tune the signal to your liking. I tried using the synchronous detection, and it sharpened the audio but introduced a pulsing quality to the signal that I did not like.

Most of my HF listening concentrates on single-sideband voice signals: the HF ham bands, Coast Guard weather forecasts, aeronautical voice communications, and the like. Here the S-2200X also delivers satisfying performance with impressive sensitivity on the whip antenna, a variety of bandwidths to choose from, and a fine tuning knob for dialing in the signal.

Noise Control

Now here is where the S-2200X got really interesting.

Not long ago, I became aware of a technique used by some of the experienced old hands. They would tune up on an SSB signal, then reduce the RF gain to remove as much noise as possible while preserving an intelligible signal. It made listening much more enjoyable and less fatiguing.

I tried this on my Icom IC-706 MkIIG and found that it was indeed an effective technique, but I wanted a radio I could park bedside so I could listen SSB signals on headphones while the Better Half drifts off to sleep. The Icom requires a separate power supply and an external antenna, and that seemed impractical for a bedside radio. Further, none of my portables have RF gain control.

The S-2200X does have a gain control. Here’s what the manual has to say about it: “When listening to longwave, medium wave, or shortwave, use the RF Gain control knob to adjust the gain for signals of different strengths and obtain the best reception.” I tried it on a SSB signal and it reduced the noise a little, but not nearly as much as the Icom IC-706.

Then I idly tried the squelch knob below the RF gain knob, and – tah dah! – substantial noise reduction, rendering the signal much more pleasant in my ears. The manual says: “Using the squelch control knob may reduce or suppress background noise when listening to LW, MW, SW, and airband.” As they say in the informercials: it really, really works!

Yes, but is the S-2200X really better than the other Tecsun radios that have similar basic circuitry but don’t have RF gain or squelch controls? The short answer is a definitive YES. Doing A/B comparison with my Tecsun PL-880, I found the two radios sounded about the same on a noisy band. But when I activated the RF gain and squelch controls on the S-2200X, it demonstrated a substantial advantage in “listenability” over the PL-880 with no RF gain or squelch controls.

Bottom line: based on my usage so far, I can heartily recommend the Tecsun S-2200X, particularly if you are interested in using it as a communications receiver for monitoring ham and utilities SSB signals.

Check out the Tecsun S-2200x at Anon-Co.

PDF Copy of Utility DXer’s Handbook from 1971

3 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Dan Greenall, who writes:

Hi Thomas

Back in December, I reported on the SWLing Post that I had made the Utility DXer’s Handbook from 1971 available online via the Internet Archive.

I am now pleased to report that I have added a PDF file for this out of print publication, in addition to the existing JPEG format.

It can be found via the same link to my archive.org page at:

https://archive.org/details/udxh-page-66-and-67_202408

Dan Greenall

Thank you for archiving and sharing this guide with us, Dan!

Unlocking Rare DX Treasures with SDR-Console’s Powerful Data File Analyzer Tool

6 Replies

Finding Rare DX with the Data File Analyzer

By Don Moore

Don’s DX traveling stories can be found in his book Tales of a Vagabond DXer.

I’ve been a real jack-of-all-trades in my over five decades of DXing. I began with SWBC (shortwave broadcast) but soon branched out to medium wave and voice utility. Later I added longwave beacons and more recently I’ve gotten into digital utility stations. My goal has always been to log lots of different stations from lots of different places. And the rarer they are, the better.

For SWBC and medium wave stations, as well as scheduled utility broadcasts such as marine and aeronautical weather reports, the DXing process is simple. You tune to a frequency at a time when a station is scheduled to be on the air. It’s either there or it’s not there. If it’s not there then maybe propagation isn’t right or maybe your antenna/receiver setup isn’t the best for that frequency band or the station’s power level. You tune away to find something else with plans to try again another day.

But it’s not always that easy. Most utility stations do not have fixed schedules and only come on as needed. The best example of that is two-way marine, aeronautical, and military voice communications.

In eastern North America, tune to 8906 kHz anytime from late afternoon until morning and set your receiver to USB mode. You’ll probably hear empty static at first but it’s unlikely that more than ten or fifteen minutes will pass before you’ve heard some aeronautical traffic. The frequency is assigned for communication on the North Atlantic and is heavily used by aircraft communicating with New York Radio, Gander Radio (Newfoundland, Canada), and Shanwick Radio (Shannon, Ireland). If you keep listening, the frequency will probably be occupied around 25% of the time. Wherever you are in the world, there are a few heavily used air frequencies like 8906 kHz and listening to them can be fascinating. But I want to log more than just a few easily heard stations.

Sticking to aeronautical DX, there are many assigned frequencies for different regions and air routes around the world. But propagation to those distant areas is unpredictable and less-used routes have fewer flights. Fewer flights mean less radio communication and more empty static. The most interesting frequencies may only see traffic a few times a week.

Hearing the rarest voice utility DX requires listening to lots of empty static just to get a brief DX catch. For years my process was simple. I would set my receiver to an interesting frequency and leave the tape recorder running while I sat nearby listening and doing something productive. I got some very good DX over the years that way. But I don’t want to think about how many long hours of empty static I listened to in order to get that DX.

SDRs offered some improvement. Instead of audibly monitoring a specific frequency I could now make a spectrum recording that included a band of interest, say the 8815 to 9040 aeronautical band. During playback I could visually monitor the SDR waterfall for interesting signals. That works. But watching an SDR waterfall scroll by for three or four hours gets tedious quickly.

(When I refer to SDRs, I mean ones consisting of a small box that is connected to and controlled from a computer using a software program. None of this applies to models such as the Malachite line or the Icom IC-R8600, which use SDR technology inside but mostly function as a traditional receiver.)

Finding a Better Way

That better way is, I think, one of the most exciting DX tools out there – the Data File Analyzer in the SDR-Console program. Since I learned about it a few years ago, the Analyzer has gotten me all kinds of catches that I probably wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. Let’s start with an overview and then dig into the how-to.

SDR-Console is one of the better-known SDR programs and it works well with most of the common SDR radios on the market, including the Airspy, Elad, Perseus, and SDR-Play models. Here’s what the main window looks like:

The Data File Analyzer is a second window that produces a scrollable waterfall display for the entire length of an SDR spectrum recording. The display is similar to a standard waterfall with frequencies along the bottom and times along the side. However, there is also a scroll bar on the right side for browsing through the entire length of the recording. Instead of watching a four-hour spectrum recording slowly roll by in real time, I can scroll through the window looking for DX.

And this is what makes the Data Analyzer really useful. When I spot an interesting signal, I click on it and that causes the main window to start playing at that time and frequency. Now going through a four-hour spectrum recording takes from a few minutes to around half an hour, depending on how much DX I find.

Here’s a closeup of part of that same screen of spectrum recording made on 24 October 2024 at a DXpedition in western Pennsylvania, USA.

“A” marks a short exchange between an aircraft and Ndjamena Radio in Chad on 8894 kHz. “B” is Niamey Radio in Niger on 8903 kHz. “C” is Gander Radio on 8891 kHz. Just to the left of that is a string of digital signals. “D” is New York Radio on 8918 kHz. Again, there is a string of digital signals just to the left. Finally, “E” is communication from Dakar Radio in Senegal and Sal Radio in the Cape Verde Islands on 8861 kHz. I caught four African aero stations in just four-and-a-half minutes. I could also show you long stretches of time when there was nothing interesting coming in. With the Data File Analyzer I was able to visually find and focus on the DX and not waste my time with the empty static.

Here’s another image taken at the same DXpedition. Notice the three transmissions between 8820 to 8845 that seem to be mirroring one other.

That turned out to be Flightwatch Brisbane, the Australian regional aeronautical network. It uses multiple transmitter sites on 8822, 8831, and 8843 kHz to cover the entire country. I had never logged it before and I doubt I would have found it if DXing in the traditional manner.

The How-To

Here I’m going to assume that you already have SDR-Console installed and know the basics of how to use it, including making spectrum recordings. (If not, see the links at the end.) This article was written using version 3.4 of SDR-Console. Some of the functionalities described are not in earlier versions, so upgrade if you are not up to date. And I should point out that while you can do this on a single monitor, it works more smoothly if you have a dual monitor setup and can put each window on a different screen. Continue reading →

Rediscovering the Golden Age of Utility DXing

8 Replies

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Greenall, who writes:

Hi Thomas

Back in the 1970’s, I used to enjoy hunting for “utility” radio stations outside the regular SWBC bands. When I came across a copy of the Utility DXer’s Handbook from 1971 recently on eBay, I couldn’t resist purchasing it. I have since made a page on archive.org for it to help preserve this unique piece of radio history. Anyone interested can follow this link and take a look at the world of utility radio as it was over 50 years ago.

Also, I have included links to some of the recordings and QSL’s from these stations that I have set up on the Internet Archive.

Wow, Dan! What a utility DXing treasure trove you’ve created on Archive.org. Thank you for sharing these resources and recordings with us!

Radio Waves: Who Will Pay, Ham Radio Culture, OTH Support, CarnationFM, Night of Nights, and 100 Years of Radio

5 Replies

Radio Waves: Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio

Welcome to the SWLing Post’s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio. Enjoy!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Richard Cuff, Dennis Dura,
David Korchin, Roger Fitzharris, David Iurescia, and NT for the following tips:

In 1924, a magazine ran a contest: “Who is to pay for broadcasting and how?” A century later, we’re still asking the same question (NiemanLab)

Radio Broadcast received close to a thousand entries to its contest — but ultimately rejected them all.

After yet another day reading about audio industry layoffs and show cancellations, or listening to podcasts about layoffs and show cancellations, I sometimes wonder, “With all this great audio being given away for free, who did we think was supposed to pay for it all?”

I find some consolation in the fact that that question is more than a century old. In the spring of 1924, Radio Broadcast posed it in a contest called “Who is to Pay for Broadcasting and How?”The monthly trade magazine offered a prize of $500 (more than $9,000 in today’s dollars) for “a workable plan which shall take into account the problems in present radio broadcasting and propose a practical solution.”

The need for such a contest more than 100 years ago is revealing enough, but the reaction of the judges to the prize-winning plan turned out to be even more so — and it says a lot about why business models for audio production and broadcast remain a struggle. [Continue reading…]

The Rich History of Ham Radio Culture (The MIT Press Reader)

Drawing on a wealth of personal accounts found in magazines, newsletters, and trade journals, historian Kristen Haring provides an inside look at ham radio culture and its impact on hobbyists’ lives.

Every night thousands of men retreat to radio stations elaborately outfitted in suburban basements or tucked into closets of city apartments to talk to local friends or to strangers on the other side of the world. They communicate by speaking into a microphone, tapping out Morse code on a telegraph key, or typing at the keyboard of a teletypewriter. In the Internet age, instantaneous, long-distance, person-to-person communication seems ordinary. But amateur radio operators have been completing such contacts since the 1910s. The hobbyists often called “hams” initially turned to radio for technical challenges and thrills. As the original form of wireless technology became more reliable and commonplace in the 1930s, ham radio continued as a leisure activity. Hams formed a community through the same general practices of other social groups. They set conditions for membership, established rules of conduct, taught values, and developed a specialized vocabulary known only to insiders. What made hams’ culture different was its basis in technology. In her book “Ham Radio’s Technical Culture,” excerpted below, historian of science and technology Kristen Haring draws on a wealth of personal accounts found in radio magazines and newsletters and from technical manuals, trade journals, and government documents to illustrate how ham radio culture rippled through hobbyists’ lives. [Continue reading…]

CarnationFM: A Decentralized Radio Playing Songs With Encrypted Hidden Messages (Coin Desk)

CarnationFM emerged from EthBerlin 2024 and won the award for Best Social Impact.

Berlin, Germany: A music-focused radio FM which allows songs to act as a transport vessel for hidden messages has emerged from EthBerlin 2024. CarnationFM was created by five hackers and a mentor as a defensive, decentralized and encrypted communication tool enabling private messaging that safeguards anonymity.

The project, which won the award for the Best Social Impact at EthBerlin 2024, is focused on creating real world use cases factoring in privacy in the aftermath of the Alexey Perstev verdict. Alexey Perstev, one of the co-founders of Tornado Cash, was sentenced to 64 months in prison in May.

The verdict rattled the decentralized community because it suggested that a coder could be held responsible for everything that happens using that code. Perstev was found guilty because his open-source mixer Tornado cash allowed North Korea’s infamous Lazarus group to launder millions in crypto. [Continue reading…]

Nation’s last Morse code station comes back to life on annual ‘Night of Nights’ in Point Reyes (The Mercury News)

KPH, established in Point Reyes and Bolinas in 1913, will exchange messages with Morse code enthusiasts around the world

On July 12, 1999, the nation’s final message in Morse code was sent out to sea from a remote Bay Area radio station. The end of an era, the room’s mood was mournful. Grizzled old men wept.

“We wish you fair winds and following seas,” it said, offering a seafarers’ traditional farewell in a staccato stream of dots and dashes. And then the station went silent.

But every July 12, the golden age of maritime radio comes back to life. [Continue reading…]

Navy researchers ask Envisioneering to support over-the-horizon radar that relies on HF radio signals (Military Aerospace Electronics)

Over-the-horizon radar typically uses HF radio signals at frequencies between 2 and 30 MHz to reach beyond the horizon in open-ocean areas.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Navy researchers needed to help develop a new prototype High Frequency (HF) over the horizon (OTH) radar system. They found a solution from Envisioneering Inc. in Alexandria, Va.

Officials of the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington announced a $45.4 million contract to Envisioneering Inc. on Monday for design, development and integration of a mobile over-the-horizon radar (MOTHR).

Over-the-horizon radar typically uses HF radio signals at frequencies between 2 and 30 MHz to reach beyond the horizon in open-ocean areas. HF signals bounce off the ionosphere to achieve long distances and operate beyond the curvature of the Earth.

Envisioneering will work alongside the NRL research team to support key areas such as refinement of system requirements; system and subsystem design; mechanical analysis; specifying and procuring long-lead items; integration; testing; and signal processing. [Continue reading…]

100 Years of 100 Things: Radio (WNYC)

Continuing our centennial series 100 Years of 100 Things, Matthew Barton, curator of recorded sound at the Library of Congress, walks us through the history of radio.

100 Years of 100 Things is part of WNYC’s centennial celebration. Each week, we’ll take listeners through a century’s worth of history of things that shape our politics, our lives and our world. Topics will include everything from immigration policy to political conventions, American capitalism to American socialism, the Jersey Shore to the Catskills, baseball to ice cream.

Click hee to listen via WNYC.