Tag Archives: Kris Partridge

WWII Radio History: D-Day broadcasting and communications

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Maj. Gen. Ralph Royce (second from right), 9th Air Force deputy commander, with engineers on the Normandy beachhead one day after D-Day. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Kris Partridge, who writes:

With the imminent approach, Thursday, June 6, 2024, of the 80th anniversary of D-Day, followed by operation Overlord.

Being both a radio amateur and in the broadcast industry , I have done a little research and find the two items, below, relating to D-Day and post-D-Day communications and broadcasters.

One, from the BBC Archives for a UK ‘view-point’

and Two, from RadioWorld for the US angle

But remember it was nearly a year away to VE-Day, so more research to be done on the effort of broadcasters to “bring the story home”

Also, one amateur radio related note: A SES (Special Event Station) with the callsign GB8ODD: https://g5fz.co.uk/up-coming-special-event-stations-by-the-lswc/

Being a WWII history buff, I really appreciate the links. Thanks, Kris!

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Radio Piko: A New Shortwave Radio Station in Finland Broadcasting with 10 Legal Watts of Power!

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Kris Partidge, who notes that there’s a new shortwave radio station in: Radio Piko! The station is run by a hobbyist and transmits music, old time radio shows, and interviews. The station uses fixed frequencies and announces broadcasts on the website a day before.

Radio Piko even has a few test transmissions this weekend, per their website:

May 25 & 26, 2024 TEST TRANSMISSIONS:
1500-1600 UTC 9770 (Norway, Denmark)
1800-1900 UTC 5980 (Finland)
1900-2000 UTC 3990 (Finland, Sweden, Estonia)

Also, “Random tests on 3990, 5980 or 9770 [kHz]at random times.”

For more info about Radio Piko, including the summer schedule, check out their website: https://radiopiko.fi/ I recommend reading the FAQs.

At 10 watts, this will be seriously weak DX for those living outside of Finland. I, for one, love the format of pre-1950s music and shows. I may have to listen via a nearby KiwiSDR!

Note that this station only plans to be on the air until August 11, 2024.

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BBC World Service Documentary: “World Wide Waves ’22: The sounds of community radio”

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Kris Partridge, who shares the following:

Just heard a trail for this BBC World Service Radio programme to be broadcast at 12h00 UTC this coming Saturday, 12 February 2022.

Here is the background of the programme:

For World Radio Day 2022, we tune in to some more small radio stations around the world that connect communities, spark conversations, keep traditions alive, empower their listeners and spread happiness with music and stories. From Aboriginal radio in Australia to a community station in India run by rural women from the lowest Dalit caste to a prison station in Texas that gives a voice to inmates on death row, the airwaves carry intimate wisdom, vital knowledge, beats and tunes that keep reminding us who we are.

Here is a link to the programme on BBC Sounds. Obviously the programme will not be available before broadcast, but will on-line be for some time after.

Should the blog readers not hear over the air ‘direct’ the 12h06 UTC broadcast there are repeats on Sunday, 13 at 03h06, 15h06 & 17h06 UTC, Wednesday, 16 at 10h06 UTC & Thursday, 17 at 00h06 UTC.

Here is the link to the ‘official’ UNESCO World Radio Day website: https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/worldradioday

73 de G8AUU

Kris

Thank you so much for the tip, Kris! Really looking forward to this piece!

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BBC Crowd Science: “How does my radio work?”

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Kris Partridge, for sharing the following story:

Crowd Science: How does my radio work?

How is a small budget pocket radio able to recreate all the atmosphere and sounds of a football match? CrowdScience listener Andy wants to know about the science enabling his radio listening, so presenter CrowdScience Geoff Marsh sets off – microphone in hand – to follow the journey of sound on the radio.

Starting with the microphone, Geoff learns how acoustic energy is converted into electrical signals. Then BBC World Service presenter Gareth takes Geoff to a little-known room in the BBC called the Radio Shack. Gareth demonstrates how these electrical signals are attached to radio waves before being sent over the airwaves and they take a radio kit apart to understand how these waves are received and converted back into sound waves.
Geoff talks to a speech and hearing specialist who, through the use of auditory illusions, shows Geoff that our brains are often filling in the gaps of lower quality audio.

Finally, Geoff visits an acoustic lab at Salford University where he hears a demonstration of ‘object based audio’. This technology could enable us to create our own bespoke mix of dramas and sports, such as heightening the commentary sound or choosing to hear just the crowd, just by using the everyday speakers many have lying around them, such as mobile phones.

Tune in and join us!
Presented by Geoff Marsh
Produced by Melanie Brown

Click here to read/listen on the BBC website.

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Radio Waves: AIR Doubles Broadcast Times, Radio Prague’s 2022 QSL Cards, Ham On The Moon, and Allouis Transmitter Silenced

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Radio Waves:  Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio

Because I keep my ear to the waves, as well as receive many tips from others who do the same, I find myself privy to radio-related stories that might interest SWLing Post readers.  To that end: 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 David Iurescia, Kris Partridge, and the Southgate ARC for the following tips:

AIR to double broadcast time for programmes in six languages (Deccan Herald)

Starting Monday, All India Radio (AIR) programmes in six neighbourhood languages, including in Dari, Pashto, Baluchi and Mandarin Chinese, will be available to listeners every day in the morning and evening. The AIR’s external services division has doubled the time for the programmes aired in Dari, Pashto, Baluchi, Mandarin Chinese, Nepali and Tibetan languages, the public broadcaster said in a statement on Sunday.

The programmes in these six languages will be aired on shortwave frequency and also live streamed on YouTube, NewonAir App, DD Free Dish, it said.

“The external services division of the All India Radio is expanding its transmission in six neighbourhood languages from January 3, 2022. These languages are Dari, Pashto, Baluchi, Mandarin Chinese, Nepali and Tibetan,” the public broadcaster said. [Continue reading…]

Radio Prague’s QSL Cards (Radio Prague)

The three letters – QSL – constitute one of the codes originally developed in the days of the telegraph. All codes consisted of three letters beginning with “Q”. Later some of these “Q” codes were adopted by radio-telegraphists and radio listeners. QSL means “contact confirmed” or “reception confirmed”. Continue reading →

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BBC Newshour and the first shortwave Transatlantic Tests

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Former BBC World Service HQ – The Bush House

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors, Doug and Kris, who both share a link to BBC Newshour which was broadcast yesterday (Dec 12, 2021).

The final segment of the show focuses on the birth of international shortwave radio and the first Transatlantic tests. You can listen to this report over the next month via the BBC Sounds website. This is the final piece in Newshour and starts at the 45:05 mark. Very much worth your time!

Click here to listen to this segment on BBC Sounds (starting at 45:05).

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1951 US Army Film: Independent Radio Station WMCA

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Kris Partridge, who shares the following:

I belong to a FaceBook group “The Broadcasting Club” and [recently] there was posted a link to a YouTube video of a 70 year old 1951 US Army film called “The Independent Radio Station WMCA”. It’s worth a view to show what the thinking was 70 years ago:

From YouTube:

In 1951 the US Army made this film showing how an independent radio station operates. There was certainly a cold war propaganda motive for the US Army to produce this film, but today, when independent stations are a rarity, this film gives a detailed view of how a large market, independent radio station, WMCA New York, went about producing its programming and paying the bills in post war America.

If you enjoyed this video, consider becoming a member of the Antique Wireless Association at: https://antiquewireless.org/homepage/…

Subscribe to the Antique Wireless Museum channel and you’ll receive news of our latest video uploads.

Thank you so much for sharing this, Kris!

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