Carlos improves quality of radiofax decodes

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

I made some adjustments and now I receive better quality radiofaxes. Since I started receiving radiofaxes in 2021, I had forgotten a fundamental detail.

To tune 1.9kHz lower than the advertised frequency. For example, the frequency of Kyodo News is 16971 kHz. I therefore tune in 16970 kHz. Of course, the fact that I tune in at 4:10 am in Brazil also makes a difference, as the propagation is quite good at that time.

Thank you for sharing that tip with up about moving down 1.9 kHz lower than the broadcast frequency. It certainly works–your decodes a very clean.

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Update to Don Moore’s Marine Broadcast List

Marine Broadcast List Updated

By Don Moore

I just updated my by-time listing of scheduled marine broadcasts in the MF 1600-3400 kHz range. This is primarily based on the by-location listings at the DX Info Centre website. Of special interest at the moment is Iqaluit Coast Guard Radio in Canada which uses six different transmitter sites in the Canadian Arctic. These seasonal broadcasts will be ending soon with the close of Arctic navigation.

The spreadsheet also includes a tab of selected scheduled marine broadcasts on HF frequencies. It does not include easier stations such as the US Coast Guard or the stations in Australia. See the DX Info Centre for complete by-frequency listings.

My by-time listings: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Uju43a0ftROV5Dt56IgY7CMwAecDaa6TVLs7iHaHj6I/edit?usp=sharing

DX Info Centre MF Listings: https://www.dxinfocentre.com/mb.htm

DX Info Centre HF Listings: https://www.dxinfocentre.com/marineinfo.htm

My article on MF Marine DXing: https://swling.com/blog/2021/12/guest-post-an-introduction-to-dxing-the-mf-marine-bands/

My article on Norwegian MF stations: https://swling.com/blog/2021/12/guest-post-don-targets-rare-norwegian-stations-during-newfoundland-dxpedition/

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Radio Waves: WWFD All Digital, End of CBC Long Dash, HD Aviation Interference, NC Broadcast History Museum Plans, and Ukrainian Radio Resistant to Jamming

Radio Waves:  Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio

Welcome to the SWLing Post’s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio. Enjoy!

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Dennis Dura, Mark Koskinen, Stuart Smolkin, and Ron Chester for the following tips:


AM Digital WWFD Concludes Its Test Phase (Radio World)

The Hubbard station now is a full-time, all-digital operation

WWFD in Frederick, Md., has concluded the experimental phase of its MA3 HD Radio operation. It has notified the FCC that after five years, it will now continue to operate as a full-time all-digital AM station as is allowed under commission rules.

Dave Kolesar at a meeting of SBE Chapter 37 in Wheaton, Md.
The Hubbard-owned facility was the first AM station in the United States to convert to the MA3 mode, doing so under experimental authority in 2018.

Dave Kolesar, the engineer and program director who spearheaded the initiative and has given numerous presentations at engineering conferences about it, tells me that Hubbard recently asked the FCC to conclude the special temporary authority. [Continue reading…]

The end of the long dash: CBC stops broadcasting official time signal (CBC)

Segment connected Canadians, kept the country on time for over 80 years

The beginning of the long dash indicates exactly 1 o’clock eastern standard time.

For more than 80 years the beeps and tones of the National Research Council (NRC) time signal have connected Canadians at exactly 1 p.m. ET.

But as of Monday, CBC Radio One audiences won’t be listening for the beginning of the long dash — they’ll have listened to the end of it.

Variations of the daily message and the “pips” that sound along with it have played over CBC’s airwaves since Nov. 5, 1939 — forming a link that connects Canadians from coast to coast to coast.

CBC and Radio-Canada have announced they’ll no longer carry the National Research Council (NRC) time signal.

Monday marked the last time it was broadcast, ending the longest running segment on CBC Radio.  [Continue reading and listen to the report on the CBC...]

Xperi Discussing HD Radio Power Boost Proposal With Aviation Groups (Radio World)

The Aerospace Industry Association and the Air Line Pilots Association International have voiced interference concerns

Several aviation groups have recently expressed concern about the potential for interference on navigation systems if a proposal to increase power for digital FM stations in the United States is adopted. Now, HD Radio developer Xperi said it is working to address those concerns.

In comments filed with the FCC (MB Docket 22-405), the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and the Air Line Pilots Association International (ALPA) raised the possibility of interference between HD Radio stations at 107.9 MHz and the adjacent Aeronautical Radio Navigation Service (ARNS) band operating from 108.0 – 117.975 MHz.

The ARNS band is occupied by safety critical navigation and landing systems essential for safety of flight, according to the groups. They include Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) needed for landing during low visibility conditions at night and during inclement weather. [Continue reading…]

State Broadcast Leaders Announce Plans for Broadcast History Museum in North Carolina (Beasley Media)

State broadcast leaders have unveiled details of a North Carolina Broadcast History Museum. Details were announced during a press conference that took place on Friday, October 13th at the Governor’s Mansion in Raleigh, NC.

The museum initiative is a 501(c) 3 non-profit corporation dedicated to preserving North Carolina’s broadcasting legacy.

North Carolina has a rich broadcast history, dating back to March 1902, when radio pioneer Reginald Fessenden transmitted a 127-word voice message from his Cape Hatteras transmitter tower to Roanoke Island. Then fast forward to July 23, 1996, when WRAL-TV became the first television station in the United States to broadcast a digital television signal. The state has been and continues to be a wealth of pioneers and innovators in industry.

North Carolina has been and continues to be a wealth of pioneers and innovators in industry. The State has numerous famous broadcast personalities, including Andy Griffith (born in Mount Airy), Charles Kuralt and David Brinkley (both from Wilmington), National Sportscaster Jim Nantz (from Charlotte), and National Public Radio Newscaster Carl Kasell (from Goldsboro).

The Museum is seeking assistance from the public and people who worked in broadcasting to collect artifacts, documents, photographs and recordings that chronicle the history of prominent radio and television stations, broadcasters, programs and events. Through exhibits and collections, the Museum seeks to highlight the contributions made by North Carolina Broadcasters in shaping the industry and the state’s culture landscape.

The Museum is guided by a distinguished group of broadcast professionals that include Caroline Beasley, CEO, Beasley Media Group; Don Curtis, CEO, Curtis Media Group; Jim Goodmon, CEO, Capitol Broadcasting Co.; Wade Hargrove, media lawyer; Harold Ballard, Broadcast Engineer; Carl Venters, Jr., Broadcast Executive; David Crabtree, CEO, North

Carolina Public Media, Dr James Carson, Broadcast Executive; Jim Babb, Broadcast Executive, Cullie Tarleton, Broadcast Executive, and former member of the NC House of Representatives; Dave Lingafelt, Broadcast Executive, Carl Davis, Jr., Broadcast Engineer, Jim Heavner,

Broadcast Executive, and Mike Weeks, Broadcast Executive.

The North Carolina Broadcast History Museum web site will serve as a digital repository accessible by the public that will grow in content and importance as items are gathered and

displayed. The museum web site is under construction and currently available online at www.NCBMuseum.com. Future plans include a brick-and-mortar facility for education, inspiration and enjoyment.

For more information, please contact Michael Weeks, North Carolina Broadcast History Museum Board Trustees Chairman, at [email protected] or call 252-721-0470.

Ukraine claims to have invented a new radio that’s immune to Russian jamming (Business Insider)

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced on Tuesday the launch of radio technology that “cannot” be blocked by Russian jamming.

Fedorov, who also serves as Ukraine’s Minister for Digital Transformation, wrote on Telegram that the Himera radio is “a unique technology that works despite enemy electronic warfare,” according to Ukrainska Pravda’s translation.

“The Russians cannot block the radio’s signals or decrypt it,” he said, adding: “The radio can also be integrated into a situational awareness system or used as a GPS tracker to search for and evacuate soldiers.”

Russia’s electronic warfare capabilities have long proved a thorn in Ukraine’s side, as Michael Peck previously reported for Insider.

Russia has managed to achieve “real time interception and decryption” of the Motorola walkie-talkie systems in widespread use by Ukraine, according to a May report by the Royal United Services Institute. [Continue reading…]


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Rest In Peace, Larry Van Horn

I’ve been away for almost a week and a number of readers have written in to express their condolences after only recently learning that a legend in our radio world, Larry Van Horn, passed away in August after a short period of illness. 

I remember meeting Larry once when I stopped in unannounced at The Monitoring Times HQ in Brasstown, North Carolina. He was a true gentleman and shared his enthusiasm for the airwaves with me for a couple of hours. He was a passionate radio man through and through. 

Of course, our condolences and hearts go out to his wife Gayle Van Horn and son, Loyd Van Horn, both of whom are also prominent figures in our radio world.

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Carlos’ Shortwave Art and recording of Radio Havana Cuba (October 14, 2023)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist, Carlos Latuff, who shares his radio log art of a recent RHC broadcast.

Carlos’ goal is to vividly illustrate the broadcaster’s message in his own unique artistic style and is not a reflection of his own beliefs or those of the SWLing Post. His objective is for his artwork to add historical context and put a visual with the news, reporting, and broadcast content:


Carlos notes:

Extract from the news bulletin of Radio Havana, Cuba, with the position of the Cuban government regarding the Palestine and Israel conflict. Heard in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Click here to view on YouTube.

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Special Program: Woofferton Transmitting Station’s 80th Anniversary on October 17, 2023

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dave Porter, who shares the following announcement:

Woofferton Transmitting Station UK – 80th Anniversary – October 17, 2023

To mark this anniversary Encompass Digital Media at WOF will be running a special programme on HF :

Tuesday 17th October 2023 from 1330 – 1430 UTC/GMT

Sender 95 Marconi (BD272 from 1963) 250 kW AM 15245 kHz Array 928 294* for North America

Sender 96 Riz 250 kW AMC 17785 kHz Array 904A 114* for Europe and beyond.

Sender 92 Riz 110 kW DRM 11725 kHz Array 909A 114* for Europe and beyond.

There will be an opening interval signal on all three frequencies.

The programme content will be historical facts of WOF in BBC, VoA, Radio Free Europe, R Liberty ,CBC etc and the later privatised times, DW and VoV for example as well as up-to-date information on DRM as well as personal recollections from many former WOF staff. There will be station idents of services over the years.

There will be a special e-QSL card and the chance to enter a competition to win a historic station artifact and an Woofferton 80th mug.

There may be more details to follow…

Watch this space

73

Dave Porter G4OYX

Broadcast coverage plots

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