Blackout in Chile: A Reminder of Radio’s Role When All Else Fails

Many thanks to SWling Post contributor Carlos Latuff, who writes:

Good morning, Thomas. I just translated this article from Chilean radio station “Canal 95”, published on February 26. Original in Spanish here: https://www.canal95.cl/magazine/apagon-redes-sociales-rinden-tributo-radio-pila

After the blackout, social media pays tribute to battery-operated radios

Social media users highlighted the importance of battery-operated radios as the only reliable source of information in emergencies, while critics pointed to the fragility of the current system.

After a large blackout left much of Chile without electricity last Tuesday, millions of people were affected and left without communication. All due the fact that the telecommunications and internet antennas service completely collapsed.

In this scenario, and in the absence of real-time information, social media users began to highlight the importance of having battery-powered radios to access news in emergencies such as, for example, the decision to declare a curfew.

“Will we have to go back to copper wire telephones? Cell phones ‘died’ in the emergency. Explanations are useless in the face of a serious incident. Earthquake, tsunami, flood, or power outage like yesterday. Totally incommunicado. Only the battery-operated radio worked ,” remarked the renowned journalist and radio personality, Sergio Campos.

Many also recalled that this device has been key during earthquakes and other disasters in the country, although there was no shortage of jokes.

“Serious question: does everyone really have a battery-operated radio?” asked one user of the X platform. “It’s always good to have one. My mother-in-law has one and it’s super old, but it works. And the radio too,” joked comedian Luis Slimming.

Although some users admitted not having a functional radio at home, implying that they had not previously considered it necessary due to the outdated technology, other users reinforced the importance of having one of these reliable devices that allow them to stay in touch.

The work of radio stations that continued to operate during the emergency was also highlighted. There was no shortage of criticism of telephone companies and the widespread use of smartphones that do not have integrated FM radio.

“I want to give a round of applause to Chilean radio stations. We would still be going around in circles if it weren’t for the fact that they continued to broadcast and report on what was happening. Every Chilean home should have a battery-operated radio ,” wrote @satoruswft .

It remains to be noted that Chile has historically faced natural events that disrupt basic services, but the current dependence on the Internet and cell phones has created a gap in preparation for blackouts.

So, keep this in mind: a battery-powered radio is still a must-have in an emergency.

Polish Radio’s External Service Celebrated 89 Years

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who shares the following news:

Polish Radio’s External Service marks 89 years on air (Polskie Radio)

Public broadcaster Polish Radio’s External Service is celebrating its 89th anniversary on the air.

The station, launched on March 1, 1936, is part of Poland’s public radio network.

It broadcasts programmes on developments in Poland and the wider region, Polish foreign policy, the economy, business and foreign investment.

Polish Radio’s External Service, or Polskie Radio dla Zagranicy, aims to provide objective and impartial information about Poland and the country’s stance on international affairs. [Continue reading…]

A New Eye on the Sun: CCOR-1 and the Future of Solar Weather Monitoring

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jake Brodsky (AB3A), who writes:

One of the key instruments for predicting when solar weather events will
arrive here at Earth is the Chronograph. And one of the most widely used
Coronagraphs is the LASCO instrument onboard the SOHO spacecraft at
Lagrange Point 1 (L1). This is a place where the spacecraft orbits L1 in
a halo fashion, just like the James Webb Space Telescope at L2. The
advantage of L1 is that it gets a mostly uninterrupted view of the sun.

SOHO was designed for a two year mission. And here we are nearly 30
years later and the spacecraft is still working. However, the solar
panels have degraded over that time, the gyros are no longer working,
and though the spacecraft has lots of fuel, it is running on borrowed time.

The older LASCO C2 and C3 coronagraph images are amazing, considering
that they’re 30 year old technology. Still, after 30 years we can do
better.

Enter CCOR, or the Compact Coronagraph. The scientists at Naval Research
Lab decided to see what they could do to improve on LASCO. The result
was CCOR-1. CCOR-1 was launched on GOES-U which, upon arriving on
station in Geostationary Orbit, became GOES 19.

Since it arrived on station last July, I’ve been waiting patiently for
the images from the new coronagraph to become available. It’s taken some
time and it won’t be officially available until April. However, you can
see what it looks like under the “experimental” instruments on NOAA’s
web page.

See https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/ccor-1-coronagraph-experimental

Unlike the LASCO instrument onboard SOHO at L1, Geostationary orbit
doesn’t offer an uninterrupted view of the sun. Often you’ll see the
moon photobombing its way through the image. And there are times when
the Earth may block the view of the sun. However, CCOR-1 reports
reliably every 15 minutes, whereas LASCO images can be delayed for many
hours until the SOHO spacecraft antenna points back at Earth.

When the CCOR-1 data is ready for scientific use, it will become an
important backup for the aging SOHO spacecraft. Also note that NOAA is
planning to launch a new replacement for SOHO at L1 called the Space
Weather Follow On to L1 or SWFO.

Solar weather is critical for many uses, besides just shortwave radio.
These include predicting degraded GPS accuracy, Satellite Operations,
Power Grid Operations, and in extreme cases, even alerting pilots of
excessive radiation risks when flying in the vicinity of the North and
South poles.

Have a look at the CCOR-1 images. It is much better at illuminating the
corona of the Sun, though it does have limitations based upon where it
is located.

73,

Jake Brodsky,
Amateur Radio Station AB3A

Solar Ham Website News

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A website I have used (and supported) regularly for the last 18 years is currently off-line, taking, according to the site’s founder, “an extended break” for the foreseeable future. The SolarHam.com site, operated by Kevin Gibeau, VE3EN, has been an amazing resource for solar weather news for amateur radio folks, astronomers, and, I suspect, hobbyists and professionals from many fields.

I, like many others, will miss the site, and wish Kevin well, and look for his (hopefully soon!) return.

Here is the note posted today on the Solar Ham Space Weather Website:

After 19 years SolarHam will be taking an extended break. The current world events and life in general has made me want to refocus my attention on what matters most, my daughter, my family and my health. Thank you all for the support over the past two decades, I really cannot thank you enough. Space Weather will always remain a passion of mine, but as of right now my heart is not fully committed and that is not fair to you my followers. I hope to return once I feel well enough. Sorry for the sudden departure and I hope you understand.
Kevin (SolarHam).

Robert, K4PKM

Don Moore’s Photo Album: Guatemala (Part Three)- Guatemala City Continued

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Don Moore–noted author, traveler, and DXer–for the latest installment of his Photo Album guest post series:

Photo Source: Dennis Sylvester Hurd via Wikimedia Commons

Don Moore’s Photo Album:
Guatemala (Part Three) – Guatemala City continued

by Don Moore

More of 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.

When I started DXing in 1971, and for several decades afterwards, the most widely logged Guatemalan shortwave station by DXers was Radio Cultural on 3300 kHz. It was also known as TGNA, the call letters of that 90-meter-band frequency. The medium wave outlet on 730 kHz was TGN. The station also used 5955 kHz and 9505 kHz, but those frequencies were always harder to hear because of interference from more powerful international broadcasters.

Back then this Evangelical broadcaster was owned and operated by the Central American Mission of Dallas, Texas, but only received a portion of its funding from the CAM. Additional funding came from local donations in Guatemala and another important source was selling time to American Evangelical preachers to air their prerecorded English language religious programs. These programs were broadcast late at night, when propagation into North America and Europe was best, and were always preceded by an English station identification. That made it an easier log for DXers who didn’t understand Spanish.

TGNA was the station I most wanted to visit when I arrived in Guatemala City in June 1983. But Guatemala DX Club members informed me that the station had been temporarily closed down because of “philosophical disagreements” with the government. They were off the air and would remain so for several weeks. I made four more visits to Guatemala City over the next year but somehow never found the time to visit the station. It wasn’t until my visit in December 1987 that I finally stepped inside their front door. That visit became the subject of the first article I wrote for Monitoring Times magazine in June 1988.

Wayne Berger, station manager and chief engineer, and missionary Bob Rice gave us a very long tour of the station. Wayne and Bob had built or rebuilt most of the station’s technical equipment and even some of the infrastructure. On the day we arrived they were welding a broken door back on its hinges. Wayne had built the 3300 kHz transmitter, shown in the next picture, out of spare parts.

Main studio control room at TGNA in 1987.

At the time of my visit, TGNA had two pennants. The larger one was mostly reserved for local listeners. The smaller one was sometimes included with QSLs to lucky DXers.

But neither of those compared with these traditional handmade weavings given by listeners for the station’s 37th anniversary in August, 1987. (I just wish my color photos had survived.)

English ID from Radio Cultural, 3300 kHz, as heard in Pennsylvania 23 November 1979 at 0427 UTC:

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Radio Cultural, 3300 kHz, as heard in Michigan 23 March 1989 at 1101 UTC:

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Easter in Guatemala

Of all the things I’ve seen in my travels, the Easter processions of Guatemala certainly rank near the top. I am fortunate to have been in Guatemala twice for the holiday, in 1982 and 1984, and I plan a return trip in the next few years. Processions take place all over Guatemala during Easter week, but the most elaborate take place on Easter Thursday and Good Friday in Guatemala City and, especially, in Antigua, the old capital twenty kilometers to the west. There are several processions both days in each city and each procession takes several hours. Continue reading →

Carlos’ Illustrated Radio Listening Reports and Recordings of NHK World and Radio Ciudad (February 28, 2025)

NHK World

Click here to view on YouTube.

Radio Ciudad

Click here to view on YouTube.

Short: RaNi Music/Radio Nikkei 2

Carlos Visits the Studios of UFRGS Radio

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Visiting the studios of the University Radio of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil

by Carlos Latuff

On the morning of Thursday, February 27, 2025, I visited the studios of the radio station of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS in Portuguese) in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Founded in 1950, it’s the first broadcaster in Brazil operated by a university, which currently broadcasts on medium wave (AM) and over the Internet (streaming): https://www.ufrgs.br/radio/ao-vivo/

Headquarters of the UFRGS radio studios in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

The programming focuses mainly on classical music, but it also has programs of other musical styles. Despite the technical, bureaucratic and financial difficulties (a typical scenario of state radio stations in Brazil), the UFRGS Radio has been operating thanks to the efforts of its team. One of the things that catches my attention at this station is the news bulletin, broadcast on weekdays at 12:00 p.m. local time, presented by Mrs. Claudia Rocca.

News bulletin from UFRGS Radio, voiced by Mrs. Cláudia Rocca.

The bulletin is 10 minutes long and brings local, national and international news, some of which are suitable for my already traditional illustrated radio listening.

According to the station’s director, Mr. Claudio Roberto Dornelles Remião, the UFRGS radio station, like most AM radio stations in Brazil, will migrate to FM, but there’s still no set deadline.