RNW radio equipment for sale

mixing_board (Source: Andy Sennitt via Facebook)

From the Dutch website (my translation):

The disappearance of a number of tasks of Radio Netherlands Worldwide means some of the technical equipment is now available for sale. This includes a fully equipped Network Operations Centre with a network matrix of NTP, a complete Studer system with four presentation cells and and a master console, six Studer ‘WPM’s’, all of the type ‘On-Air’ 3000 or ‘On-Air’ 2500. In addition, many peripherals are offered, including Airtools voice processors.

Are you interested in these assets? Respond by March 15, 2013 by sending an e-mail to roland.hiltermann [a t] rnw.nl

Massive sunspots appear, solar flares could follow

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(Source: NASA/SDO/AIA/HMI/Goddard Space Flight Center via CSM)

(Source: Christian Science Monitor)

A colossal sunspot on the surface of the sun is large enough to swallow six Earths whole, and could trigger solar flares this week, NASA scientists say.

The giant sunspot was captured on camera by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory as it swelled to enormous proportions over the 48 hours spanning Tuesday and Wednesday (Feb. 19 and 20).[…]

“It has grown to over six Earth diameters across, but its full extent is hard to judge since the spot lies on a sphere, not a flat disk,” wrote NASA spokeswomanKaren Fox, of the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., in an image description.

[S]ome of the intense magnetic fields in the sunspot region are pointing in opposite directions, making it ripe for solar activity.

“This is a fairly unstable configuration that scientists know can lead to eruptions of radiation on the sun called solar flares,” Fox explained.

Propagation in the higher portions of the HF band could be very interesting over the course of the next few days. If a solar flare erupts, however, it could make shortwave listening quite difficult.

Thanks for the tip, Bill!

Zimbabwe: are shortwave radios now illegal?

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According to SW Radio Africa, it appears that shortwave radios could now be considered “illegal communicating devices” in Zimbabwe:

Police have announced a ban on ‘specially designed radios’ that are ‘not compatible with state owned stations’, claiming the devices would be used to communicate hate speech ahead of polls scheduled for this year.

In a move seen as an attempt to silence external radio stations, such as SW Radio Africa and VOA’s Studio 7, broadcasting to Zimbabwe via shortwave and medium wave, police spokesperson Charity Charamba threatened to deal with organizations that helped to distribute portable radios, saying recipients would also be arrested.

She told journalists at a press conference in Harare on Tuesday: “We have information that some people or political parties are engaging in illegal activities, that is to say they are distributing illegal communicating devices to unsuspecting members of the public.

“We strongly believe that the intentions of such people are not holy but meant to create and sow seeds of disharmony within the country, especially now that the country is about to embark on the referendum and harmonised elections.”

The shocking news comes as police upped their onslaught on civil society organization looking for subversive material, gadgets and recordings.

[…]Co-Home Affairs Minister Teresa Makoni revealed [..]that […] receivers only, without ability to transmit, are perfectly legal and that there is no law at present which disallows anyone donating radios to the public.

However the minister said she held lengthy discussions with Police Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri, who said he is concerned that NGOs always intensify distribution just before elections.

Makon[i] said: “I was very clear that airwaves are still restricted to other parties, that is why my party is distributing radios to our poor rural members…in the meantime he will have his engineers verify that the radios are simple receivers.”

Observers say this response ignores the fact that there is likely to be massive intimidation as the average police officer will not know the difference between a receiver and two-way radio communicators.

Click here to read Violet Ganda’s full report on SW Radio Africa.

Thanks, Rich, for bringing this to my attention.

Shortwave Radio Recordings: Radio Australia, Jazz Notes

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This Jazz Notes starts with a performance of "evidence" by Thelonius Monk

This week’s Jazz Notes starts with the Thelonious Monk song”Evidence” interpreted by the Blaine Whitaker Group (Photo source: Ohio University)

This morning at 13:30 UTC, I enjoyed listening to 11,945 kHz, home of Radio Australia and their Wednesday music show, Jazz Notes. I recently posted a recording of Jazz Notes and described my fondness for this particular show. Moreover, I find that the sonic texture of the shortwave ether enhances the nostalgic character of one my very favorite music genres.

As on most mornings, the signal out of Shepparton, Australia, on 11,945 kHz was very strong; the audio fidelity was, in consequence, very impressive for a transmission emanating from some 9,800 miles away.

Click here to download the full recording of Jazz Notes as an MP3, or simply listen via the embedded player below:

Pirate Radio Recordings: WMPR

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“Mama, they’re playing your favorite dance music!”

For your listening pleasure: 32 minutes of pirate radio station, WMPR.

I recorded this broadcast of WMPR on 6.925MHz AM on February 17th, 2013 at 10:00 UTC. You’ll note that this recording sounds a little “brighter” than a typical shortwave radio recording. This is due to the fact that I widened the AM filter to match the bandwidth of WMPR’s signal (about 17 kHz!).

Click here to download the MP3 of the recording of WMPR, or simply listen below:

NASB & DRM USA Annual meetings, Birmingham, Alabama

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I attended and presented at the NASB meeting last year at Radio Free Asia’s headquarters in Washington DC. It was an amazing meeting and great opportunity to talk radio with industry leaders. You should consider attending an NASB meeting if your schedule allows. Here are the details:

(Source: NASB Newsletter)

The 2013 Meeting will take place May 15-17, 2013 at EWTN Television in Birmingham, Alabama.

Registration for the meeting is free of charge, and it is open to anyone with an interest in shortwave broadcasting or listening. To register, fill out our online registration form at www.shortwave.org/meeting/meeting.htm or send your name and e-mail address to Jeff White at radiomiami9 [ a t ] cs.com.

As usual, the NASB Annual Meeting will be held in conjunction with the DRM-USA platform on May 15-17, 2013, at the headquarters of NASB member EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network) in Birmingham, Alabama. NASB President Glen Tapley, Terry Borders and other EWTN staff members will welcome shortwave broadcasters, listeners and anyone with an interest in shortwave radio to the Birmingham venue.

Arrangements have been made for hotel accommodation at the nearby Holiday Inn Express for a price of $75.00 plus tax, including breakfast daily. The Holiday Inn Express Irondale (a suburb of Birmingham) is about a half-mile from the TV network, the location for Thursday’s meeting and tour of the TV studios. The hotel will provide a free shuttle service to and from EWTN and a continental breakfast. EWTN will provide lunch Thursday. On Friday, participants will take a 40-minute trip to the WEWN shortwave transmitter site high in the picturesque mountains surrounding Birmingham, and the radio staff will have a cookout on the hill for attendees. EWTN is looking forward to your visit!

TENTATIVE AGENDA FOR NASB 2013

WEDNESDAY EVENING
Reception at hotel with cocktails (including non-alcoholic) and hors d’oeuvres for all participants, sponsored by the Holiday Inn Express

THURSDAY
Meeting takes place at EWTN TV station 9:00 am-5:00 pm
The meeting will be opened by the EWTN President/CEO
Tour of TV plant
Lunch at TV plant
Afternoon presentations: DRM talks, AJ Janitschek of Radio Free Asia (on “Green Engineering”); Dr. Dowell Chow, President of Adventist World Radio; Mike Rosso, Vice President, and Dave Hultsman of Continental Electronics; Mark Allen of Rohn Tower Company; and Jerome Hirigoyen of Télédiffusion de France about TDF’s Issoudun transmitter site

FRIDAY
Tour of shortwave transmitter site – vans will pick up at the hotel. Remarks by Terry Borders.
Cookout on the mountain for lunch
Back to TV plant for business and board meetings (or on the mountain if agreeable)

HOTEL RESERVATION DETAILS

Room reservations need to be made at the Holiday Inn Express by April 16 to ensure the group rate. After that, reservations can still be made, but only based on availability. There is no cancellation fee if the reservation is canceled by 6 PM the date of arrival. Otherwise there is a one-day charge.

Attendees simply need to e-mail: [email protected] with the Subject: NASB Reservations

The hotel will send confirmation within 24 hours. The price is $75.00 per night plus tax.

Those who do not wish to use e-mail can phone the hotel at (205) 957-0555 and request to speak with Adrian or Margarita.

Information you need to provide in your e-mail or by phone:

Name of Guest(s):
Email/Phone Number:
Check in/out dates:
Estimated time of arrival:
Preference of room type (King or Two Queen Beds):
Number of People in Room:
Method of Payment: (Do not provide credit card number with e-mail. The Holiday Inn Express will contact you later for that information.)

If you have any questions about the 2013 NASB Annual Meeting, or would like to sponsor an event at the meeting, contact Jeff White at [email protected]

NASB Members:

Adventist World Radio
Assemblies of Yahweh
EWTN Shortwave Radio (WEWN)
Family Stations Inc.
Fundamental Broadcasting Network
Radio Miami International
Trans World Radio
World Christian Broadcasting
World Wide Christian Radio

NASB Associate Members:

Antenna Products Company
Babcock International Group
Continental Electronics Corporation
Far East Broadcasting Co.
Galcom International
George Jacobs & Associates
Hatfield and Dawson Consulting Engineers
International Broadcasting Bureau
Rohn Products, LLC
TCI International, Inc.
Telediffusion de France (TDF)
TDP (Belgium)
Thomson Broadcast & Multimedia

Trevor Baylis, inventor of the wind-up radio, fights for patent rights

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Trevor Baylis with an original BayGen clockwork radio (Photo source: The Telegraph)

The Telegraph reports that British inventor Trevor Baylis, now 75, who created the first wind-up radio, is unfortunately struggling with patent laws in the UK. The eccentric gentleman (Trevor, I mean this as a compliment) cites the lack of government protection for inventors’ rights in Britain; unlike in the US and other countries, where patent theft is considered a criminal offense, in the UK it is merely a civil one. Meanwhile, Bayliss, who has received many honorary degrees for his work, and an OBE from the Prince of Wales, is currently in a bit of a financial struggle.

This is sad. Radio truly owes Trevor Baylis a great debt of gratitude; his invention spawned an era of self-powered technologies such as those we use at Ears To Our World, that have brought life-saving information and lighting to the most rural, remote parts of the world. He has truly made a difference to people’s lives, especially where there’s no reliable access to electricity.

I still keep an original BayGen radio at my house, just like the one Baylis is pictured with above. It’s an amazing invention, indeed–loud, clear, room-filling shortwave audio from a radio that doesn’t require batteries; only a little winding, as simple as winding your wrist watch, delivers this remarkable sound.

The Telegraph tells the evolution of the BayGen radio into the Freeplay radio, and then Bayliss’ loss of revenue as the original patent for the clockwork radio was not honored when Freeplay began using the same mechanism, with a modification, to charge an internal battery. Ironically, Freeplay spawned The Freeplay Foundation, now known as Lifeline Energy, a worthy organization with the goal of helping others. And obviously, Baylis is not financial guru: he did sell his shares in Freeplay and parted ways with the organization over a decade ago.

But to be fair, Baylis is an inventor, not a businessman. I can see his side of the argument: if you wish to build your life around inventing, your creations and intellectual property need to be properly protected. It should not require another degree–or another full time job–simply to protect your ideas. If Baylis’ inventions had been properly guarded, he would probably still be churning out inventions at age 75 instead of fighting to keep his house and to protect other inventors from the same fate. Baylis–and The Telegraph, in turn–are placing the focus on beefing-up the patent laws in the UK to help protect innovations. In Baylis’ case, I believe it may be a lack of international protection that has had an effect on his bottom line.

How can we help Trevor Baylis? We’re determined to find a way. Stay tuned…

Meanwhile, click here to read the article in The Telegraph.

Many thanks to Ed Cummings for sending the Telegraph link!