(Source: NPR)
Host Scott Simon speaks with David Ensor, who took over directorship of Voice of America last month. A longtime journalist for NPR, CNN and ABC News, his most recent post was in Afghanistan, where he was director for communications and public diplomacy at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.
Click image to go to ARRL page for HR607.
(Source: National Public Radio)
Across Alabama, emergency communications systems fell silent this week when tornadoes knocked down antennas and cell phone towers. Amateur radio operators are helping to restore emergency communication in some of the areas hardest hit by the storms. But those volunteers say their ability to provide that help is threatened by a new bill in Congress.
As a ham radio operator, I ask that all SWLing.com readers (who live in the US) please take action by contacting your member of congress and asking them to protect the radio spectrum which is vital to emergency communications.
I like Bob’s contemporary take on radio listening. Embrace old and new technologies:
Here’s the thing. I have radios that pick up FM, AM and short wave signals, but I also have an IP, or internet radio, that picks up signals that are broadcast from various sources. So while I’m cooking in my suburban Maryland kitchen, I can listen to WFUV originating from the Bronx, or The Current from Minneapolis or KEXP in Seattle. These are traditional radio signals but they are no longer bound by geography. Before finishing the meal I whipped up, I could also potentially hear a homemade folk music show from Norway, some classical Hindi music, a tech show and so much more.
Links:
This weekend, NPR’s Guy Raz interviewed Mark Stout, the official historian at the International Spy Museum. Their topic? Numbers stations. Click hear to go to NPR’s webpage, listen and/or read the full transcript. You can also download an MP3 audio file of the report by clicking here.
For even more numbers station audio, check out the piece that shortwave enthusiast, David Goren, produced by clicking here. Also, read all of our various articles that mention numbers stations.
This week’s Living on Earth Broadcast featured an interview with Internews program director Deborah Ensor about bringing solar and wind energy to the region to power a new radio station in Southern Sudan.
This story is a wonderful example of how radio empowers and promotes community relations in parts of the world that lack a communication infrastructure.
Links: