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Hi SWLing Post Community, FastRadioBurst 23 here bringing you news of this week’s Imaginary Stations broadcasts. On Sunday 8th October 2023 at 2000 hrs UTC on 3975 & 6160 kHz we have KPET beamed to Europe via Shortwave Gold. This show will be a tribute to beloved pets everywhere from collie dogs, guinea pigs and budgies. Do have your favourite pet or pets with you by the wireless on Sunday so you all can enjoy this shortwave radio tribute.
And via WRMI on Monday 9th October we have WSTL first at 0200 UTC on 9395 kHz and then repeated at 0300 UTC on 9455 kHz . Expect lots of songs that feature whistling and a choir of whistling sports referees (subject to availability). It should be a shrilling show!
For more information on the shows please email [email protected] and check out our old shows here.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Robinson, who writes:
At about the 15 minute mark in the classic movie, Twelve O’Clock High, about B-17 bomber groups in England during WWII, this scene shows a commander and his assistant listening to Lord Haw Haw from Nazi Germany on a small console radio. Anyone recognize it?
Brigadier General Frank Savage is played by Gregory Peck, his second-in-command by Hugh Marlowe, and Robert Patten and Dean Jagger also star.
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist, Carlos Latuff, who shares his radio log art of a recent NOAA forecast. Carlos writes:
Recently I have been receiving NOAA’s Pacific high seas forecast via 12579 kHz USB. According to the NOAA schedule these SITOR-B transmissions come from the USCG base in Guam (NRV). But I’m not sure about that, since the signal is very strong to come from so far away. Attached is the illustrated report.
Signal received with XHDATA D-808 receiver and long wire antenna.
For the past few years we have been working on finding the best way to help beginners get started with L-band weather satellite reception and basic radio astronomy. We have now come up with a solution that we’re calling the ‘Discovery Dish’ – a lightweight 65 cm diameter dish and active filtered feed set.
Discovery Dish is a 65-cm diameter aluminum satellite dish and active filtered feed designed for receiving GOES HRIT, GK-2A LRIT, FengYun LRIT, NOAA HRPT, Metop HRPT, Meteor M2 HRPT and other weather satellites that operate around 1.69 GHz. The dish is designed to weigh under one kilogram, and it splits into three petals, making it easier to ship worldwide. The 1.69 GHz feed contains a built-in LNA right at the feed point, as well as filtering, which means that there is almost no noise figure loss from cables or connectors.
Note that the prototype images show an early non-petalized prototype with rough laser cut wind holes. The production version will obviously be a lot neater looking! […]
State-owned China Radio International is airing its content without attribution on commercial radio stations in Europe.
China has consistently and systematically pursued the dissemination of its narratives on the global stage, with the primary aim of shaping the international landscape to align with its strategic interests and ideological perspectives. These endeavors encompass a diverse array of tactics, including the acquisition of media enterprises, active engagement by Chinese ambassadors in both mainstream and fringe media outlets, the utilization of paid supplements, collaboration with pro-Kremlin media, and the steadily expanding presence of China across various social media platforms.
Recently, China Radio International (CRI), an official Chinese state media outlet broadcasting in multiple languages, has garnered attention for its establishment of partnerships with and provision of content to radio stations worldwide. Remarkably, CRI has effectively outsourced the production of China-related programming to local partners, often without transparently disclosing the sponsorship of content creation to the listeners. This strategy, known in Chinese as “borrowing a boat to go out on the ocean,” plays a pivotal role in laundering Beijing’s propaganda and fostering the acceptance of its messaging among local audiences.
One illustrative case of this approach within Europe involves two Czech radio stations, namely Radio HEY, a nationwide commercial radio station airing rock music, and Radio Color, which positions itself as “one of the last independent radios.” From 2019 to May 2023, these radio stations broadcasted a program titled “Barevný sv?t” (Colorful World), a nearly 30-minute segment aired six times a week, with the objective of acquainting Czech listeners with Chinese culture, language, and history. [Continue reading…]
When cheap digital TV dongles enabled radio enthusiasts to set up software defined radio (SDR) systems at almost zero cost, it caused a revolution in the amateur radio world: now anyone could tune in to any frequency, with any modulation type, by just pointing and clicking in a computer program. While this undoubtably made exploring the radio waves much more accessible, we can imagine that some people miss the feeling of manipulating physical buttons on a radio while hunting for that one faint signal in a sea of noise. If you’re one of those people, you’re in luck: [Kaushlesh C.] has built a portable, self-contained SDR system with real knobs and switches, called SDR Dock 1.0.
The heart of the system is a Raspberry Pi running GQRX, an open-source SDR program that supports many different RF modules. [Kaushlesh] used an Airspy HF+ Discovery, a compact receiver that can work the HF and VHF bands, but it’s easy to modify the SDR Dock to accept other types like those ubiquitous RTL dongles. A seven-inch LCD screen with integrated speakers forms the main output device, with everything powered by a 10,000 mAh lithium-polymer battery. [Continue reading…]
From the article: “Radio JOVE hopes to improve our understanding of the ionosphere… if you’re a ham radio operator, you can get involved with HamSCI, which also plans to observe the upcoming eclipse.”
Sounds like fun!
Regards,
Marty
This is a brilliant idea and Radio Jove is a solid project. You’re right that enthusiasts should also follow HamSCI as they have many opportunities to be a citizen scientist in the radio realm! Thank you for sharing, Marty!
Hi all of the SWLing Post Community, FastRadioBurst 23 bringing you news of this week’s Imaginary Stations broadcasts. On Sunday 1st October 2023 at 2000 hrs UTC on 3975 & 6160 kHz we have The Imaginary Stations Polka Party beamed to Europe via Shortwave Gold. Get the tankard out and get ready for one exciting polka party!
From this weekend the times they are a changing for Imaginary Stations on WRMI. No, you don’t need to set your clocks to fall backwards just yet, but depending on where you have your listening post, you might want to grab some tea and biscuits for some later night listening.
The show will now go out on 0200 UTC Mondays on 9395 kHz and then repeated at 0300 UTC on 9455 kHz. That is four hours later than the time you all have become accustomed to, so translated into Eastern Time we will now be on at 10 pm Sunday evening. This is good news for all the night owls out there, and also good news for those on the West Coast where the show will air at 7 pm Sunday Evening.
The first show for the new times is the debut of WMMR – Mystery Mix Radio where DJ Frederick will be putting together a mix up show from his eclectic record collection, so expect an interesting selection.
For more information on the shows please email [email protected] and check out our old shows here.
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