Radio World: Bryan Broadcasting Asks FCC to Allow All-Digital AM

A prominent advocate for the AM band is petitioning the FCC to allow stations to use all-digital transmissions in the United States.

Bryan Broadcasting Corp. on Monday filed a petition for rulemaking asking the commission to initiate a proceeding to authorize the MA3 all-digital mode of HD Radio for any AM station that chooses to do so.

Permitting such modernization would “give AM broadcasters a needed innovative tool with which to compete” without harming others in the spectrum ecosystem, it wrote.

Bryan is licensee of four AM stations, five FMs and six FM translators in Central Texas. Ben Downs is the vice president and general manager, and submitted the petition along with the company’s attorney David Oxenford of Wilkinson Barker Knauer. Downs also has served on the NAB board in the past, and he has been a vocal advocate for various regulatory steps to “revitalize” the AM band.

All HD Radio receivers in the market that have AM functionality would be able to receive such all-digital signals. But legacy AM receivers would not, which has long been a barrier to serious discussion of all-digital. Now, some observers say, the availability of FM translators for AM licensees has made something that once seemed unthinkable at least worth discussing.

There is one AM station in the country with special temporary authority to broadcast in all-digital. Hubbard’s WWFD in Frederick, Md., near the nation’s capital has been on the air since last summer. The station’s Dave Kolesar has been speaking in public about the ongoing experiment and will do so again at the upcoming NAB Show.[…]

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Encompass DRM tests from Woofferton March 26 and 27

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Photo by Flickt user Shirokazan via Wikimedia Commons.

(Source: Mauno Ritola via WRTH Facebook page)

Encompass (BBC content) Encompass DRM tests from Woofferton are planned for March 26th and 27th:

1200-1300 UTC 11780 kHz

1500-1600 UTC 11790 kHz”

Very strong signal on 11780 kHz now.

Thanks for the tip, Mauno!

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“A Shorten Government will bring short-wave radio back to the Northern Territory”

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(Source: RadioInfo via Michael Bird)

The Shadow Minister for Financial Services, Clare O’Neil, has told ABC Radio Darwin that a Shorten Government will bring short-wave radio back to the Northern Territory, after it was disbanded by the ABC in 2017, saying restoring the service “is actually crucially important for safety in the Territory.

“Malarndirri (McCarthy) spoke earlier today about a gentleman who was out fishing, and he didn’t know about the cyclone because he didn’t have access to short wave radio. We know there are long haul trucks travelling around the Territory, and short-wave radio is crucial for them to understand what’s going on around them. So that’s why a Shorten Labor Government will bring this back.”

Asked if that meant that Labor would fund the million dollars or so to meet the expense, the Shadow Minister said “That’s correct” though she was unable to commit to any further expansion of the short-wave service outside of the NT.

Read more at: https://www.radioinfo.com.au/news/labor-will-bring-back-short-wave-nt © Radioinfo.com.au

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John spots a spark gap transmitter in Netflix series “Rebellion”

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, John Harper (AE5X), who writes:

Your readers might be interested in the spark gap transmitter depiction in Rebellion, a series currently on Netflix:

https://ae5x.blogspot.com/2019/03/spark-gap-transmitter-depicted-in.html

Many thanks for sharing, John!

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Radio Deal: Eton Executive Traveler $44.72 shipped

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

The Eton Executive Traveller’s price has dropped to $44.72 shipped on Amazon.com. This is the best price I believe I’ve ever seen for this little guy. I’ve got one and love it. As I’ve mentioned before this is Amazon, so the price can change without any notice.

Thanks for the tip once again, Christian!

Click here to view on Amazon.com (affiliate link supports the SWLing Post).

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Bloemendal shortwave station’s final transmission end of March

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Meyerton Shortwave Station

(Source: Southgate ARC)

The South African Radio League report Sentech will close its Bloemendal Shortwave Broadcasting station on 30 March, which means that today’s Amateur Radio Today will be the last programme to be transmitted on the 7 and 17 MHz broadcast bands.

Amateur Radio Today will however still be available on 7 082 kHz from Durban and on many repeaters around South Africa and from the SARL home page on www.sarl.org.za.

Sentech inherited South Africa’s Bloemendal shortwave radio station near Meyerton when Radio RSA was closed down. Radio RSA started its broadcast on 1 May 1966 and by 1976 the station transmitted for 36 hours a week in twelve languages including English, French, Portuguese, and Afrikaans. The service was discontinued in 1992. The only transmission that survived the close down was a broadcast into Africa, renamed Channel Africa. The SABC also transmits Radio Sonder Grense (RSG) on shortwave to the Northern Cape. Sentech also took over the sponsorship of Amateur Radio Today.

To increase coverage on HF in the Southern African area the SARL is looking at transmitting the programme on 7 MHz from more locations like the Western Cape, Free State and Gauteng to compliment the 7082 kHz transmission by Louis, ZS5LP from Durban. The frequencies being considered are in the band between 7 100 and 7 200 kHz. On Monday evenings 80 metres is also under consideration.

Radio Amateurs willing to offer their services on Sundays at 10:00 CAT and/or on Monday evenings on 80 metres are invited to send their contact details to [email protected].

The SARL could not make this announcement earlier as Sentech was unable to confirm their planned close down and requested the SARL not to announce the closure earlier.

The South African Radio League

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Radio World: Koode Radio Aims to Reduce Conflict in Africa

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(Source: Radio World via Mike Hansgen)

ABUJA, Nigeria — Koode Radio International, a new shortwave program with considerable goals, has begun broadcasting to much of Western Africa.

With programs in the Fulani (or Fula) language, KRI aims to “educate, enlighten and entertain” its listeners, the Fulbe people. This predominantly Muslim, nomadic herder and farmer group is spread across Africa from Senegal in the west to Lake Chad in the east. Dialects of the language are spoken in some 20 countries and the station chose the name “Koode” because it means “star” in all of the dialects.

Usman Shehu in the KRI studio in Abuja. Photos courtesy of KRI.
While some Fulbe are able to communicate via the likes of WhatsApp and Facebook, others cannot. Because a number of Fulbe are herders, they are not only beyond the range of the internet, but beyond the range of electricity.[…]