From the Isle of Music & Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot, Nov 12-Dec 2

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From the Isle of Music episodes for November 12-December 2:
1. For the week of November 12-18, our special guests are from Manguare, one of the leading bands in Cuba’s Nueva Trova movement. We will be spending the hour with them with a lot of music.
2. For the week of November 19-25, we will rebroadcast on of our favorite episodes from 2016, which includes award-winning Jazz piano virtuoso Harold López-Nussa and other good things.
3. For the week of November 26-December 2, we will feature some interpretations of part of Schubert’s Trout Quintet lead by Cuban pianist Frank Fernandez along with an part of an intriguing album from the 1980s, Leningrado, featuring moments by several of Cuba’s Jazz elite from the time.
Four opportunities to listen on shortwave:
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 0100-0200 UTC on WBCQ, 7490 KHz from Monticello, ME, USA (Monday 8-9PM EST in the US) NOTE THAT UTC CHANGED FOR B17 BUT EASTERN US TIME IS STILL THE SAME.
3 & 4. For Europe and sometimes beyond, Tuesday 1900-2000 UTC and Saturday 1200-1300 UTC on Channel 292, 6070 KHz from Rohrbach, Germany.

Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot episodes for November 12-November 26

Here is fair warning of the next 3 episodes of Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot:
Episode 36 (November 12): Funky music from Benin
Episode 37 (November 19): German versions of hits from other countries
Episode 38 (November 26) : Bluegrass meets Hard Rock
Sundays 2300-2330 UTC (6:00PM -6:30PM Eastern US) on

WBCQ The Planet 7490 KHz  from the US to the Americas and parts of Europe

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Radio Romania International launches a weekly “experimental” show in Hebrew

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, David Iurescia (LW4DAF), who writes:

Radio Romania Internationas has started a new service every Sunday in Hebrew language, since October, 29th. All the info here:

http://www.rri.ro/pages/october_29_2017_update-2571263

“As of Sunday, October 29, RRI broadcasts a weekly, experimental show in Hebrew, devoted to Jews born in Romania and their families, but also to all Hebrew speakers who are interested in learning about Romania. The show will be broadcast every Sunday, from 7:05 pm to 8 pm Romania’s time, on short waves and via the internet. Also, contents in Hebrew will be available on RRI’s web site, Android and iOS applications, on Facebook, Twitter and SoundCloud. RRI boast a rich experience in producing shows devoted to the hundreds of thousand of Jews originating from Romania, who since 1990 have had the opportunity to listen to a show in the Romanian language. Their descendants, now at the third generation after Aliyah, the immigration of Jews from the Diaspora to the Land of Israel, speak Hebrew and their ties with their parents’ and grandparents’ birth country should be developed and maintained, including with the help of RRI.”

Wow! Thank you for the tip, David! I’m simply amazed at the amount of content Radio Romania International produces.  Certainly one of my favorite shortwave broadcasters.

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PNG Minister for Communication wants to invest in shortwave

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(Source: The Post Courier via Bill Lee)

Minister for Communication, Information Technology and Energy Sam Basil wants all 22 provinces to have short wave frequency radio stations.

He said this during the Central Province assembly induction program last week Friday in Port Moresby.

“My role as the minister is to make sure that we go back to all the 22 provinces to make sure that we revive the radio stations,” Mr Basil said.

He said most of the radio stations currently using frequency modulation (FM) face the problem of signal loose in the rural settings as it is only powered by repeater and could not be able to penetrate when it meets obstacles.

“This is to ensure that people are kept informed and in tuned with the government of the day,” Mr Basil said.

[…]“I want to go short wave and we want to bring back to all the provinces capital in Papua New Guinea through National Broadcasting Corporation so that people in the mountains can have excess to communication,” Mr Basil said.

Click here to read the full article at The Post Courier.

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Universal Radio taking pre-orders for the 8th Edition of the WWLG

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Troy Riedel, who notes that Universal Radio is now taking pre-orders for the 8th edition of the Worldwide Listening Guide by John Figliozzi.

Click here to check it out on the Universal Radio website.

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Rolf’s PL-680 modification allows external antenna on LW and MW

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The Tecsun PL-680

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Rolf Snijder, who writes:

I did a modification today on the Tecsun PL-680 [which allows for an] external antenna on LW and MW.

The internal ferriet is also working, but on my active loop, MW and LW is now working !

So far away stations I can now receive on this portable radio.
It is only a560 pF capacitor added!

Click to enlarge.

Click to enlarge.

It works on LW and MW now with this mod.

FM is less now I think, maybe I will put it on a switch so I can turn it off.
And now also the ferrite is still working, so I hope to find a solution for that.

Many thanks for sharing your modification and photos, Rolf! Check out Rolf’s other PL-680 mod by clicking here.

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Video: Dan’s RNZI reception

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Dan Hawkins, who writes:

Thomas, this RNZI transmission is on the new schedule:

Click here to view on YouTube.

RNZI is exceedingly well received at my location. That may have something to do with the following factors.

1. The RNZI antennas were designed, built and are maintained by a contractor located in the San Francisco Bay Area.

2. This contractor has SW receiver locations in the SF Bay Area.

3. I am located about 50 miles away from the SF Bay Area receivers and in-line to the New Zealand signal path.

Then again, maybe not. LOL.

Time: 09:00 10-31-2107 UTC. Frequency: 9765 kHz. Receiver location: Davis, California, USA. Radio:Sangean ATS-909X. Antenna: 83m horizontal loop. Transmission distance: 6,600 miles.

I do love RNZI–thanks for sharing, Dan. Indeed, since the demise of Radio Australia on, RNZI has become the voice of the Pacific on shortwave. Amazing signal!

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“Why Australia must restore shortwave radio to the Pacific”

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(Source: Devpolicy Blog via Mike Bird)

On our Australian doorstep is an amazing place, Papua New Guinea. Seven of us were there for the month of August, exploring a remote region of islands and atolls in the Massim district of Milne Bay Province by boat, visiting places most people would not think of seeing.

[…]As Australians we were warmly received everywhere. Australia was the PNG administrator for decades and has left many good things in place. The Australian influence was there in diverse ways, including an inspired wooden Hills Hoist and outdoor bench setting at Boagis village, way out at the extreme end of PNG territory.

[…]But there was a worrying side that we shared. We visited many remote islands where basic services are deplorable, particularly their health services. At one sub-provincial health centre in Guasopa village [Woodlark Island], they had nothing but Panadol. We shared our first aid resources and knowledge, and treated those we could with spare drugs we had brought from Australia. There are so many issues facing PNG that we despaired at its future prospects.

Australia is the lucky country, but right now New Guinea is not. We were most surprised and quite angry to learn that Radio Australia no longer transmits to the region, or even the wider Pacific. One small service that Australia could offer is the return of shortwave radio.

The island of Panaeati, south of Misima, is typical of many we visited. It has a population of 2,080 people, many well educated, and fluent in English. The missions and the former Australian administration are responsible for this. Our contacts there expressed great disappointment at the loss of Radio Australia services in January 2017. So much so, that they discussed the prospect of raising a petition at local government level to the Australian government.[…]

Click here to read the full article at the DevPolicy Blog.

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