Tag Archives: Radio Argentina To The World

Radio Waves: Radio Facsimile from the 1930s, Public Radio Saving Print, Unlicensed Experimental LW Radio, and RIP Tony Middleton & Milburn Butler

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!


A Look Back at the Radio Newspaper of the Air (Radio World)

Radio facsimile technology never fully caught on, but what if it had?

In the beginning, there were newspapers.

And then radio arrived, challenging the newspapers’ journalistic monopoly.

At first, many newspapers fought the new competitor, refusing to print radio news or program schedules. But some went in the opposite direction, deciding to operate their own radio stations to augment their businesses. And finally, a few brave pioneering publications went even farther: They tried to deliver their newspapers via radio facsimile.

In the early 1930s, radio facsimile looked like the dream application for newspapers. They could use their own local radio stations to deliver newspapers directly to consumers during overnight hours. It would eliminate the cost of printing and distribution and shift those costs onto consumers, who would provide their own printers and paper.

This led several radio stations and newspapers to experiment with facsimile transmission during the late 1930s.

THE FINCH SYSTEM

The person most responsible for this technology was William G. H. Finch. He worked for the International News Service and set up their first teletype circuits between New York, Chicago and Havana. He became interested in facsimile machines and eventually amassed hundreds of patents. [Continue reading the full article…]

How public radio is trying to save print (The Verge)

Why Chicago Public Media and the Chicago Sun-Times are exploring a merger

The Chicago Sun-Times needs help. After being bought and sold several times over the last decade, the 73-year-old paper is looking for a more stable home to continue its award-winning reporting — and it may have finally found it in an unexpected place: a radio station.

Chicago Public Media, which owns the radio station WBEZ, is currently in talks with the Sun-Times to merge. A final deal would combine their newsrooms and audiences in hopes of creating a financially stable enterprise for both teams. Similar mergers and acquisitions have become a common way to bolster the struggling print industry, but if radio were to take on a major newspaper, that would be a first.

“Audio is a growth business,” says Jim Friedlich, chief executive of The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, who advised CPM on the potential merger. “Now Chicago Public Media and other media with audio roots have both the wherewithal and the self-confidence to take a bold step like this.”

Since 2004, US newspapers have shut down at a rate of 100 per year, a pace that’s only accelerated since the start of the pandemic. To stay afloat, some smaller newsrooms have given up independence, being bought by news conglomerates or becoming joint entities with other local outlets — and public radio and TV stations have increasingly offered themselves up as partners. New York Public Radio acquiring the website Gothamist was one of nine similar deals in recent years, triggering researchers to document the trend by creating the Public Media Mergers Project. Public radio has been a particularly strong force, holding its ground amid digitization and the podcasting craze (partially because it’s participated in it), and it might be strong enough to help print do the same thing. [Continue reading…]

The low-down on long-wave: Unlicensed experimental radio (Hackaday via the Southgate ARC)

In the 125 years since Marconi made his first radio transmissions, the spectrum has been divvied up into ranges and bands, most of which are reserved for governments and large telecom companies. Amidst all of the corporate greed, the ‘little guys managed to carve out their own small corner of the spectrum, with the help of organizations like the American Radio Relay League (ARRL).

Since 1914, the ARRL has represented the interests of us amateur radio enthusiasts and helped to protect the bands set aside for amateur use. To actually take advantage of the wonderful opportunity to transmit on these bands, you need a license, issued by the FCC. The licenses really aren’t hard to get, and you should get one, but what if you don’t feel like taking a test? Or if you’re just too impatient?

Well, fear not because there’s some space on the radio spectrum for you, too.

Welcome to the wonderful world of (legal!) unlicensed radio experimentation, where anything goes. Okay, not anything but the possibilities are wide open. There are a few experimental radio bands, known as LowFER, MedFER, and HiFER where anyone is welcome to play around. And of the three, LowFER seems the most promising.

LowFER, as the name would suggest, contains the lowest frequency range of the three, falling between 160 kHz and 190 kHz, with a whopping wavelength of around one mile. Also known as the 1750-meter band, this frequency range is well-suited for long transmission paths through ground wave propagation, a mode in which the radio signals move across the surface of the earth. This can easily carry even low-power signals hundreds of miles, and occasionally through some atmospheric black magic, signals have been known to travel thousands of miles. These ground wave signals also travel well across bodies of water, especially salt water.

Read the full Hackaday item at:
https://hackaday.com/2021/10/19/the-low-down-on-long-wave-unlicensed-experimental-radio/

RAE bids farewell to its historic English voice, Tony Middleton (RAE)

We regret to inform our listeners that our colleague Juan Antonio “Tony” Middleton passed away in Buenos Aires due to health complications, at the age of 82. His distinctive British accent is part of the history of RAE, where he hosted the English-language program for almost three decades. English-speaking listeners around the world remember his warmth and clarity on the air, not to mention his classic opening line: “This is the international service of the Argentine Radio”.

Born in Argentina and son of British immigrants, he ventured into acting in the English language with the group “Suburban Players”, while he was engaged in various commercial activities with his family. In 1981 he had the opportunity to join RAE as a substitute, thanks to his impeccable English and his pleasant voice. In 1983 he joined as a regular and went on to become head of the English-language department at the station, until his retirement in 2008. [Continue reading…]

Milburn Garland Butler Dec 1, 1935 – Oct 10, 2021 (Dignity Memorial)

Mlburn Garland “Gil” Butler was born December 1, 1935 in Bradenton, Florida. He attended local schools, where his mother was a teacher. He grew up in a community where electrification was still being developed, where the Saturday morning movies were an all-day entertainment for kids, and where families would gather in the town square on Sundays for band music and ice cream. After a brief stint in the Army (serving as a quartermaster at a base near Washington, D.C.), Gil Butler went to college in Colorado, returning to Florida where he graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in radio engineering. Along the way, he met and after a whirlwind courtship married Judith Bunten, who would become his lifelong companion. Gil Butler began working as a DJ at a small radio station in Bradenton, Florida in the early 1950s, spinning disks from the very beginning of Rock and Roll. His love of music of all sorts, from Jazz to Rock to Classical, his collection evolved through several formats (LP, cassette, CD, and MPs), and his special chair was always surrounded by the music he would enjoy while reading in the evening. Professionally, Gil moved up to larger stations and more challenging positions in radio and television; working for radio stations around the Tampa Bay area. His first TV gig was as a general reporter for WTVT in Tampa. From there, he moved to WXYZ in Detroit, Michigan, before moving to Silver Spring in the Washington D.C. where he worked as a White House Correspondent for local CBS affiliate, WTOP, covering Washington politics under presidents Nixon and Ford. During this period, Gil appears briefly in Timothy Crouse’s The Boys on the Bus (a recounting of the White House Press Corps during the Nixon Era). He was one of the six “Knights of the Green Ottoman,” named for an item of furniture in the 1972 White House press complex, where the newsmen would gather and share notes. In one passage, he is described: “Gil Butler… the reporter for TV station WTOP, who was chuckling over a volume of Mencken…” This description will surprise no one who knew him, as Gil was a voracious reader. He was always in the middle of a massive nonfiction volume about politics, military history or the Space Race. After WTOP, in 1978, Gil began his ultimate career at the Voice of America, the United States Information Agency’s international radio network. Over a nearly three decade career with Voice of America, he covered 68 countries, working abroad in Cairo, Egypt, Beiruit Lebanon, Beijing, China, London, England, as well as covering the State Department and Pentagon during his time at home between foreign assignments. At the Voice of America’s 40th Anniversary Celebration, Gil received the Meritorious Honor Award for his work in Cairo covering the assassination and funeral of Egyptian President Sadat and its aftermath. Twenty-seven years later, Voice of America News ran a story looking back at that work and the restraint and integrity he exercised in waiting for confirmation before reporting that Sadat had been killed. [Continue reading…]


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RAE Special German Language Program on Sunday, October 18, 2020 via Shortwave Service

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Adrian Korol, who shares the following announcement from RAE’s German language service:

I’m sending you the info about the special German program that airs this Sunday. Includes 3 micros related to the 100 years of radio in Argentina (yours on “The radios that live in danger”, Arnaldo’s “Radio and the Malvinas War” and mine, on the 100 years of the radio) and music (tango)

[…]The program will air this Sunday, 10/18/2020, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. UTC on 7500 kHz

Many thanks for the tip, Adrian!

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Radio Waves: Brazil Proposes End of all Ham Radio Exams, Radio Engineer Files Objection to WIPE, Radio in the Malvinas War, and List of 48 Weatheradio Sites in Proposed Closure

Icom IC-756 Pro Transceiver DialRadio 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 Rob (PE9PE), Bennett Kobb, Harald
(DL1AX), and Dennis Dura for the following tips:


Brazil proposes end of all amateur radio exams (Southgate ARC)

ANATEL, the Brazilian National Telecommunications Agency, recently published a public consultation, CP65, which is available at this link:

In their website, LABRE, the Brazilian Amateur Radio League, was surprised by the CP65 proposal that proposes, among other topics, the extinction of the COER (amateur radio certificate) exam for all classes and replacement by free access to initial class C, as is done today with the Citizen’s Band, as well as access to subsequent classes B and A upon presentation of the Certificate of Technical Course and Graduation in Telecommunications, respectively, or minimum stay of 3 years in each class.

In addition, the aforementioned proposal suggests ending the rules of different prefixes for each of the States of the Federation, remaining only the prefix per class and there would no longer be any special callsigns.

The proposal, in addition to going against what is consensus in the international regulation related to the Amateur Radio Service, is absolutely contrary to the LABRE’s thinking with regard to the minimum requirements to be a radio amateur and also does not match ANATEL’s request for support from LABRE in the revision of amateur radio regulations in Brazil.

For further clarification on the subject, LABRE has already requested a meeting with ANATEL, which will be scheduled soon.

PR7GA

Radio Engineer Files Objection to WIPE (DRMNA.info)

Story by Bennett Kobb:
On September 3, radio engineer Alex Pilosov of Shortwave Solutions filed with the FCC an objection to WIPE, the DRM-based HF station of Turms Tech of New York, presumed to be ready to broadcast from the Armstrong Tower in Alpine, NJ.

WIPE is suspected to be intended mainly for secret, non-broadcast message transmission for private trading clients while broadcasting financial and economic news for the public.

WIPE is not yet operational. The station is waiting on its FCC license, but Pilosov took aim at possible glitches in its license application. He also raises the issue of whether U.S. shortwave stations can legally conduct non-public telecommunications in the broadcast bands in a service limited to broadcasting.

Pilosov is a consultant to HF stations in the Experimental Radio Service, which are not constrained by the broadcast rules; thus he or his clients are prospective competitors to WIPE. This is Pilosov’s second FCC objection. He also filed against the application of Parable Broadcasting for WPBC, a DRM HF station proposed for Batavia, IL.[]

Radio in the Malvinas War (RAE)

In 2020 we celebrate the centenary of radio in Argentina. Such an event can be approached in various ways, since there are several milestones along this century of radio in our country. There are some events that are marked by fire in collective memory.

It is our intention to approach the celebration focusing on an event in which radio was in the spotlight: the 1982 Malvinas War, a conflict waged on various fields: military, economic, diplomatic and, of course, communications, mainly as a means of propaganda.

Most countries over time have recognised the great potential of radio as an effective instrument both in times of war and peace. Historically, Germany was the first country to use this for purely political purposes.

During WWII the broadcasts of Radio Tokyo, Radio Germany, the BBC in London and other stations were used for propaganda and military purposes by combatant nations.

The post-war period and the subsequent Cold War brought along a “war of the airwaves”. During these years, countless stations emerged with their own propaganda styles, looking to advance their social, political and economic systems.

An example of this are the broadcasts of Radio Moscow, Voice of America or Radio Beijing. Along with these stations, others of a clearly political nature emerged, such as Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty, that targeted countries in Eastern Europe, as well as nations that became independent after the collapse of the Soviet Union. This group also includes the so-called clandestine stations, which generally broadcast secretly from conflict zones or from nearby regions or using rented transmission sites.

Before April 2, 1982, the Malvinas Islands had one radio station: the Falkland Islands Radio Service (FIBS) – with broadcasts in English. Content aired included locally-produced programs as well as news services of BBC London. It broadcast on 536 khz and 2370 khz.

The AM frequency was intended to cover the Port Stanley area, reaching a little further with SW transmissions.[]

List of 48 Weatheradio Canada transmitting site proposed for decommissioning (Weatheradio Newsletter)

As mentioned in a previous post, Weatheradio Canada is considering shutting down 48 network transmitters across the country. SWLing Post contributor, Dennis Dura, recommends checking out the Weatheradio Canada Newsletter for updates.

He also forwards the following list of sites that are proposed for decommissioning. Click here to download the list as a PDF.


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Joint RAE and LRA36 Radio Nacional Arcangel San Gabriel test transmission today July 25, 2020

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Adrian Korol, who shares the following announcement:

RAE Argentina to the World, broadcasting from Antarctica

RAE will join a trial transmission by LRA36 Radio Nacional Arcangel San Gabriel, broadcasting from Base Esperanza, in the Argentine zone of Antarctica.

This Saturday, July 25, between 17:00 and 21:00 UTC, the Antarctic station will perform a series of tests on the 15476 kHz frequency (19-meter band), Upper Side Band, via a Collins HF80 transmitter and a rhombic antenna.

RAE Argentina al Mundo will put on the air two 30-minute programs, one in Spanish and the other in English, hosted by Fernando Farias, focusing on the history of RAE and LRA36 with historical files and information that listeners, DXers and radio amateurs alike will appreciate. On the Spanish-language show, Fernando is joined by RAE’s director Adrián Korol.

Let’s recall that last Saturday, July 18th, the first test USB transmissions were carried out with excellent results amid optimal broadcast conditions .

Damian Tranamil, LRA36 operator and technician, answered afterwards more than a hundred reception reports from all over the World.

Many listeners said they had the chance to pick up a station from Antarctica for the first time, while others said they were thrilled to be able to receive Arcángel San Gabriel’s signal for the first time in 20 years.

Accurate reception reports will be verified with an electronic QSL card (eQSL). They are to be sent to : [email protected]

We also appreciate listeners sending clips of them receiving our broadcast, or tagging us when they post on social media.

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RAE: Announcement and Updated schedule from WRMI

Many thanks to Adrian Korol, Director of RAE Argentina, who shares the following broadcast schedule update via WRMI as of January 8, 2018:

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RAE – Argentina To The World: RAE’s new name and new commitment to shortwave broadcasting

RAE Antenna farm (Source: RAE)

RAE Antenna farm (Source: RAE)

Many thanks to Luis Maria Barassi (RAE Director) and Adrian Korol (RAE Executive Advisor) for sharing the following press release:


RAE- RADIODIFUSION ARGENTINA AL EXTERIOR becomes RAE- ARGENTINA TO THE WORLD

A new stage begins in the history of RAE, that will transform from RAE-RADIODIFUSION ARGENTINA AL EXTERIOR to RAE- ARGENTINA TO THE WORLD, updating the identity of our international signal.

argentina-rae

Among the news to share, there’s the decision to maintain presence on the shortwave frequencies of 15345 and 11710 KHZ, which are broadcast from the transmission plant located in General Pacheco. Currently, we’re facing some technical problems with regard to modulation, but we’ll face the challenge of fixing this and increase our presence on the shortwaves.

We’ll keep on transmitting in eight languages, now with a homogenous programming, that will be coherent with regard to contents, with the specific contribution of each language considering particular characteristics. RAE’s new stage will feature programs Mondays through Mondays.

Each language will have a daily 55-minute broadcast on the shortwaves, with one daily re-run.

In addition, the daily show will be available on the new website of RAE, where the program will be on streaming 24 hours a day.

Specific applications for RAE will be developed for mobile devices and on a second stage, podcasts and RAE content broadcast by local stations in other countries. The most recent shows will also be available to download on demand.

Another innovation are the six channels of Argentine music available on RAE’s website, organized by genre: Tango, Folk, Rock, Pop, Jazz and Classical, that will play music 24 hours, with playlist in constant expansion and a radio sound, that’s to say, with a presentation of songs, that will provide additional data about the tunes.

This way, listeners will be able to enjoy at any time of the day the best works by artists such as Charly Garcia, Yupanqui, Piazzolla, Sandro, Malosetti, La Camerata Bariloche, announced in various languages, with a radio format. This is part of the new design of what we call DIGITAL RAE.

The daily programs of RAE cover various topics developed jointly by the new production team of RAE as well as the language teams. After the news bulletin, with the inclusion of music and bite-sized features about various topics.

In addition, we’ll now have a new interval ID signal.

The schedule for our station in all languages now will be:

MONDAY: Our Football/Argentine Tango

TUESDAY: Argentines Without Borders / La Folklórica

WEDNESDAY: The Conversation/Argentine Roads

THURSDAYS: Welcome/Science and Technology

FRIDAYS: Multi-Sports Center/Histories in Common

On Saturdays, a SUMMARY OF THE WEEK will be broadcast, followed by ACTUALIDAD DX.COM.AR, the new segment dedicated to DXing, radio, media and information technology.

This program will be produced and presented in Spanish by ARNALDO SLAEN and RAE’S director, LUIS MARIA BARASSI, featuring news about radio and technologies applied to communication, plus audio files, interviews, etcetera. The program will have an average duration of 25-30 minutes.

This format will be broadcast also on various languages and will not only be available on RAE’s website, but also in the spaces dedicated to DX-related content on the web.

Finally, Sundays will be the day of program THE BRIDGE, a weekly space focused on the contact with listeners, music and interviews. The show will also pay homage to classics of international broadcasting such as the STATION OF JOY and similar programs that left their mark in the history of international radio.

rae-argentina

The support of all DXing colleagues, radio ham enthusiasts and fans of the Short Waves is paramount, in order to spread their messages, emphasize the importance of the shortwaves as well as the need to increase the presence on various bands, complementing digital content.

A new stage begins for RAE, ARGENTINA TO THE WORLD, with many ideas and challenges ahead, a phase in which the participation of all sectors linked to our field will be key for our growth and for the steps that will follow.

It’s important to underline that after many years of being practically ignored by various administrations, the new stage of Radio Nacional, under director Ana Gerschenson, and Deputy Director Pablo Ciarliero, includes a project for RAE, with the participation of the excellent and historic professionals of RAE, plus the arrival of experts in digital content and with the incorporation of Adrián Korol, who, beyond his renown for his work in Radio and TV, is a passionate DXer and Radio Ham fan.

Over the next few days, we’ll release the definitive schedule, with timetables, frequencies and targeted zones for all languages.

The launch of this new phase will be next October 5 at 7PM, at the Auditorium of Radio Nacional Buenos Aires. We let you know, as well, that next week a definitive timetable will be released. It’s clear that all ideas, proposals and specially the dissemination to this news will be greatly appreciated.

73 & DX

RAE ARGENTINA TO THE WORLD

Luis Maria Barassi – Director

Adrian Korol – Executive Advisor

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