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White House petition to maintain NIST funding of WWV time stations

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Tom Kelly, who shares the following:

I recently read your article concerning the proposed shutdown of the NIST stations WWV/WWVH.

To that end, I have gone ahead and created a Whitehouse petition to see if this decision can be reversed:

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/maintain-funding-nist-stations-wwv-wwvh

Would there be any way you could perhaps post the link to this so that fellow members of the SWLing Post could sign it? I believe the more folks we have sign the better chance we have of maintaining the radio stations we have all come to rely upon.

Thanks, Tom, for launching this petition–I had planned to do so this morning and am thankful you beat me to it.

SWLing Post readers: please take a moment to sign this petition. It requires only a few seconds to complete and you need only to submit your name and email address. This is an official petition instrument of the White House and, as such, can actually lead to a response and potential review. Please spread the word throughout your radio communities!

Click here to sign.

Please spread the word!

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Richard’s 25 MHz WWV QSL

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Richard Schreiber (KE7KRF), who writes:

The NIST article about WWVH was very interesting and informative.

It reminded me that lately WWV’s broadcast on 25 MHz has been received from time to time here in southern Arizona. I emailed a report and recording to NIST in late June and received a QSL (images above).

I don’t know the status of the 25 MHz frequency. In 2017 NIST was soliciting reports but I haven’t found any current details on the web.

Thanks for sharing this, Richard. I’m under the impression that the 25 MHz frequency is still in use, though I may be wrong. This is also a great reminder–many don’t realize–that WWV does issue QSL cards!

Of course, as we’ve mentioned in a previous post, if the FY2019 presidential budget proposal is accepted/approved, WWV will be no more.

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August 2018 Rockwork Ocean Cliff DXpedition most distant AM-DX

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Gary DeBock, who shares this note from the recent Rockwork Ocean Cliff DXpedition:

The most distant AM-DX received during the August 2018 Rockwork Ocean Cliff DXpedition was 558-6WA in Wagin, Western Australia, received during the last session (9 out of 9) at 1252 on August 9th. At 9,154 miles (14,732 km), the ABC “Nightlife” program content was matched to the related ABC website Podcast. The co-channel music is from 558-Radio Fiji One This was received on an XHDATA D-808 portable boosted by a 17″ FSL antenna:

Click here to download the audio file.

What an impressive catch, Gary! Thank you for sharing!

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Hamcrafters VLF Converter to be produced in Fall 2018

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Ron, who notes that Hamcrafters appears to be planning a replacement for the Palomar VLF converter.

Here’s the product description:

The Hamcrafters VLF Converter is based on the original Palomar design and converts 10 KHz – 500 KHz to 4.010 to 4.5 MHz. This allows use of your HF Receiver or Transceiver and all its filters, noise blankers, DSP, and memories while tuning the VLF band. Modern HF radios have poor sensitivity in the VLF range (by design). Using this converter with a simple wire antenna will allow receiving of navigational beacons, time signals, and other VLF signals.

The Palomar is well-known among longwave DXers but hasn’t been in production for some time. Indeed, Ron adds, “The last two original Palomars went for $343 and $260 on eBay. Is there a demand? You bet!”

Thanks for the tip, Ron.

Click here to check out the Hamcrafters VLF Converter product page.

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FTIOM & UBMP August 19-25

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From the Isle of Music, August 19-25, 2018:
Our special guest is Ricardito Rivera, former lead vocalist with Los Latinos and Rumbavana. He is still performing in Spain, and we will discuss his career and listen to music from the the Los Latinos period until today.
Four options to listen to the transmission:
1. For Eastern Europe but audible well beyond the target area in most of the Eastern Hemisphere (including parts of East Asia and Oceania) with 100Kw, Sunday 1500-1600 UTC on SpaceLine, 9400 KHz, from Kostinbrod, Bulgaria (1800-1900 MSK)
2. For the Americas and parts of Europe, Tuesday 0000-0100 UTC on WBCQ, 7490 KHz from Monticello, ME, USA (Monday 8-9PM EST in the US). This has been audible in parts of NW, Central and Southern Europe with an excellent skip to Italy recently.
3 & 4. For Europe and sometimes beyond, Tuesday 1900-2000 UTC and Saturday 1200-1300 UTC on Channel 292, 6070 KHz from Rohrbach, Germany.
From the Isle of Music is not available for listening on demand but some broadcasts can be heard online during the time of the broadcast using Web SDRs or the WBCQ website (during their broadcast) if you are not receiving the radio signal.

Also recommended:
1. Jetzt geht’s los! (Here We Go!), an excellent program of early German Jazz produced by Radio Ohne Nahmen, comes on right before FTIOM on Tuesdays from 1800-1900 UTC on Channel 292.

Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot, Sun, August 19 & Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Episode 76 takes us to the DPRK (North Korea) for an encounter with its popular music.
The broadcasts take place:
1. Sundays 2200-2230 UTC (6:00PM -6:30PM Eastern US) on
WBCQ The Planet 7490 KHz from the US to the Americas and parts of Europe
2. Tuesdays 2000-2030 UTC on Channel 292, 6070 KHz from Rohrbach, Germany for Europe. If current propagation conditions hold, the broadcast should reach from Iceland to Western Russia, Scandinavia down to North Africa and the Middle East, AND a long bounce to parts of New Zealand.
If you don’t have a shortwave radio or are out of range, the Sunday transmission livestreams (NOT AVAILABLE ON DEMAND) on the WBCQ.com website (Listen Live, 7490) and Tunein.com (WBCQ The Planet). The Tuesday transmission
can be heard on several different Web SDRs throughout Europe.

Also recommended:
Marion’s Attic, a unique program produced and hosted by Marion Webster featuring early 20th Century records, Edison cylinders etc played on the original equipment, comes on immediately before UBMP on Sundays from 2100-2200 UTC on WBCQ 7490 Khz.

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Shortwave Radio Recordings: RNW Media Network, April 9, 1982

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Former RNW Madagascar site (Photo courtesy of RNW)

Many thanks to SWLing Post and SRAA contributor, Tom Laskowski, who shares the following off-air recording of Radio Netherlands and notes:

Along with RCI’s Shortwave Listener’s Digest, Radio Netherlands Media Network was another favorite DX program of mine.

Here is a recording of an episode from April 9, 1982 which is the first recording of this program from my archive.

The show highlights are:

Media coverage of the Falklands War from the British and Argentinian sides,

Pete Meyers with a report that Radio New Zealand did not shut down, the US-Cuban media war,

Richard Ginbey with African media news and

John Campbell with a clandestine radio report.

Audio quality is only fair for this recording.

Date of recording: 4/9/1982

Starting time: 0230

Frequency: 9.590 MHz

Receiver location: South Bend, IN

Receiver: Realistic DX-302