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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and noted political cartoonist, Carlos Latuff, who shares his radio log art of a recent Vatican Radio broadcast.
Carlos writes:
Part of Vatican Radio news bulletin, in Portuguese, about destructive floods in Kenya (translation below):
Here’s a translation:
“… caused havoc across the country, the Kenyan Bishops’ Conference expressed its deep sympathy and solidarity with all those affected by this natural disaster. In a press release dated May 7, and cited by Agência Cisa África, Dom Maurice Muhatia Makumba, Archbishop of Kisumu and President of the Episcopal Conference of Kenya, highlighted the urgent need for collective and compassionate action in response to the crisis. . In recent weeks, Kenya has seen incessant rains that have led to catastrophic flooding, resulting in loss of life, widespread displacement of people and considerable material damage. Families struggling with the consequences of this catastrophe find themselves in dire circumstances, with the rains worsening their situation. In a moving statement, Bishop Muhatia invoked the words of Matthew, chapter 25, highlighting the fundamental importance of providing help to those in need. He expressed his sincere condolences to the families who lost their loved ones and called for solidarity in prayer and support during this period of pain. The prelate highlighted in particular the tragic incidents, including the sinking of a boat in Garissa, the loss of lives while crossing the river in Makueni and the displacement of residents in Mai Mahiu and Kisumo. Kenyan prelates urged authorities at all levels to prioritize disaster management efforts, mobilize resources effectively and ensure swift action to save lives and protect assets. In this regard, the Kenyan bishops’ conference launched an appeal in all dioceses for the support of Christian faithful and Kenyans of good will. Contributions are being channeled through local parishes, diocesan offices, and assistance services designed to provide help to those in difficulty. Archbishop Muhatia further highlighted the importance of collective effort and divine grace to overcome the challenges posed by the floods, supporting unceasing prayer and tireless efforts to alleviate the suffering of affected communities, echoing the teachings of Christ, demonstrating compassion and generosity towards those in need. In conclusion, Bishop Muhatia appealed to all Kenyans to demonstrate God’s mercy through their actions during this period of distress. The conference reiterated its commitment to stand in solidarity with those affected and called for continued support and assistance to restore hope and rebuild communities devastated by the disaster. As the nation grapples with the devastating impact of the floods, the message resonates as a beacon of hope and compassion, calling on everyone to come together in solidarity and reach out to those in need.”
…… or as all the locals call it, “Talking to the aliens at the International Space Station.” You might ask yourself, what in the world? Well, I live in a very small, remote bush Alaska village, and my DXing is done outside, yes… even in winter. I’ve been here 3 1/2 years now, and when I first got here, 2 or 3 people seriously thought I was trying to talk to aliens.
I’m kinda “late” to the DXing game… starting seriously in 2014 when I was 30 years old but dabbling in it as young as 5th grade when I thought it was SO COOL I could hear WOWO 1190 Fort Wayne, Indiana, and KDKA 1020 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in central Connecticut clear as a bell at night.
In like 6th grade, my uncle gave me a beautiful tabletop Firestone radio and hooked up a long wire about 100 feet long from my bedroom window to a tree in my yard… wow, WLW 700 Cincinnati every night in Connecticut, I was hooked!
When I discovered how radio waves traveled great distances and at the same time, listening to a really fun oldies station, Big D 103… I was like “This is for me,” and started my quest and desire to work in radio… something about speaking into a radio and being heard 10-20-30-40-50 miles away fascinated me to the umpteenth degree.
That was really before the internet, but I’m 40 now and have been working in radio for 20 years, still DXing mostly every day. Most of my money is spent on food and DXing accouterments.
I’ve had people ask me, especially those who in the small Alaskan village I’m in, “Why, especially in cold weather do you do this?”
I tell them a couple things… I moved up here in part for the hobby, so I’m going to take every advantage I can. There’s too much electrical noise for me to do it from home.
Sitting out here at the park is my “Happy place,” especially after a particularly trying day at work for any number of reasons; this is my place to escape and decompress while being by myself… peace and quiet.
Plus, it’s the magic of how these radio waves travel that got me interested in working in radio. I’ve never lost that childhood magic and wonderment of radio waves and how things work, even though I’m 40. I’m really 40 going on 12 anyways.
I like how when I know when and where to listen, I can hear some amazing things up here in Alaska that many people wouldn’t expect I’d hear at all or as well. There’s something to sitting at the park, especially on a nice summer afternoon, and getting a solid S9+60 or better signal on Radio Nacional de Amazonias 11780 kHz from 12,400 km, opening my radio’s audio filter to 8 kHz bandwidth, and listening to a football match, sounding like I’m right in the stadium or tuned to their music/listener interactive show “Eu de Cá, Você de Lá” hosted by Mauricio Rabelo and sound like I’m tuned in on a 50,000 Watt AM from 50 miles away.
And no, I don’t understand 99.5% of Portuguese, and I only know a few basic words I can speak. I’m way way outside of their target area, but RNA from Brazil being anywhere from “listenable” to “Banging in like a ton of lead bricks” is very common because I’m in just the right place for it.
And I do it all without the internet. Well, OK… I do use the schedule from www.eibispace.de.
All of that combines to fascinate me. And yes, remember… I know how it all works, and I still do a lot of internet streaming, but radio waves continue to fascinate me because it takes some twisting of knobs and fiddling with the antenna to get it just right.
And the fact that it just works and travels through the air is amazing to me.
I live in McGrath, Alaska, which is a community of 275 people that is 355 km NW of Anchorage, completely off the radio system. I manage the daily operations of KSKO Public Radio, an NPR member station, with 8 FM transmitters spread across several hundred miles of Alaska. You can also catch me every Friday on Spaceline Bulgaria’s 5900 kHz transmitter across Europe 2100-2200 UTC with a live relay of my very local KSKO Lunchtime show.
I moved up here for the job, but also knowing that from past experiences living 125 miles north of here 7 years ago, that DX would be amazing. And it’s far exceeded my expectations along with the knowledge and expectations of some of my broadcast engineer friends and station owner friends!
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Carlos Latuff, who shares the Radiofax news report (above) from Kyodo News Agency and his amazing artwork (below) detailing the news and his Radiofax reception. Carlos writes:
Expect the unexpected from the pages of today’s Kyodo News Morning Edition (first two pages).
Few headlines:
281 landslides caused by Noto quake, Hamas demands full withdrawal – Gaza truce proposed by 4 nations including US, massive attack in Ukraine, 12 people injured after being bitten by a dog, contaminated water leaks from Fukushima Daiichi, etc…
Debate about the future of shortwave broadcasting focuses on the correct observation that shortwave listening is no longer a mainstream activity in most of the world.
The future of shortwave broadcasting — “Shortwave 2.0” — will not involve any revival of those large audiences. Instead, it will be an activity of communications enthusiasts and professionals. They would comprise a reserve corps able to relay information to larger populations in their countries when newer media are blocked or otherwise become unavailable.
The beginning of the end of “Shortwave 1.0” was described in “Shortwave Broadcasting Begins Its Long Slow Fade,” an article I wrote in the 1995 World Radio TV Handbook. I noted the elimination, in the post-Cold-War media environment, of shortwave broadcasts in some languages, as well as some entire transmitting sites, e.g. Trans World Radio on Bonaire and Far East Broadcasting Company in California (KGEI). In my (then) role as audience research analyst at the Voice of America, I listed examples of declining shortwave audiences.
The really big chunk fell from the shortwave glacier six years later, when BBC World Service ended its English broadcasts to North America. In the following years, other international broadcasters followed, first dropping shortwave to North America, and eventually to other parts of the world. The aforementioned 1995 World Radio TV Handbook listed 27 European countries with English broadcasts on shortwave to North America. Now only Radio Romania International has shortwave English to North America.
The exodus from shortwave (for both international and domestic broadcasting) was due to competing media, including relays on FM stations in the target country, satellite broadcasting (mostly television) and, especially, the internet.
For the audience, internet content is easier and more reliable to receive. It also allows content to be received on demand, and text or video in addition to the audio to which shortwave was restricted. As an audience researcher, I could see in the datasets that audiences for international media were migrating from radio to internet-based media. [Continue reading at Radio World…]
Hello shortwave listeners! I wanted to share an exciting update about a new high power broadcast I’ll be doing for listeners in Africa, Europe and beyond!
Beginning Monday the 11th of December, 2023 and continuing every Monday – this radio program will be heard across Africa, Europe & Beyond from a high power transmitter in Issoudun, France.
The broadcast is 1 hour in length and I always consider it to be a light entertainment program. The aim of this radio show is to provide good music and occasional news commentary to listeners worldwide. Oftentimes, listener music requests are taken and played – and all are invited to participate.
Here is the broadcast schedule for this additional airing:
Mondays 1900 UTC – 11920 kHz – Issoudun 100 kW – Africa, Europe, Middle East
For this airing I will resume QSL verification of reception reports, there will be a new QSL every month!
Reception reports and feedback are most welcome at [email protected]
That’s all for today, I just wanted to let you all know that there’s a new airing out there if you’d like something to listen to!
The U.S. Coast Guard also is concerned about petition from the Shortwave Modernization Coalition
Numerous commenters have told the FCC that a proposal to “modernize” the shortwave band is a threat to amateur radio operators in the United States and possibly the end of ham radio as we know it. And hams are just one source of opposition to the idea.
The FCC inquiry was prompted by a request from the Shortwave Modernization Coalition for a rulemaking to amend the Part 90 rules.
SMC believes there is underutilized spectrum in the high-frequency bands. The coalition wants to use 20 kW transmitters for the transmission of time-sensitive data from fixed stations. It wants the FCC to allow these fixed, long-distance, non-voice communications in multiple bands between 2 MHz and 25 MHz.
Ham opponents worry about interference. One also characterized the coalition as being “packed with special interest groups that harbor little interest in shortwave modernization beyond their own needs to getting faster financial market information.”
The commission’s Office of the Managing Director sought comments on its proposal this summer. The petition, RM-11953, drew more than 800 comments. [Continue reading…]
Many of us hold fond memories of listening to AM radio in the car. But these days, drivers are just as likely to listen to satellite radio, Spotify, audiobooks or podcasts. Good ole FM radio is still around too. That’s led many people to question if AM, America’s oldest broadcast medium, still has a future?
Not many people noticed when Tesla removed AM from new vehicles a few years ago. Ostensibly, they did so because the frequency interferes with electric vehicles. Never mind that older Teslas previously had functioning AM/FM radios. Or that the Federal Communications Commission has rules to limit electrical interference. Seemingly no one questioned Tesla’s decision.
In the past couple of years, other manufacturers including Ford, Audi, Volvo, BMW and Porche began removing AM receivers from new models or announced plans to do so. This elicited a more passionate response from AM listeners, particularly those in rural areas. For them, the frequency is more than just entertainment. They say it’s a lifeline for those in remote areas who otherwise wouldn’t have access to emergency information. It’s also one of the last places where they can get hyper-local news and entertainment. [Continue reading…]
It has been with great interest that I’ve read about carmakers dropping AM reception capability in new cars, particularly EVs, and about the introduction of the “AM for Every Vehicle” Act.
The reason most often cited by makers of electric vehicles is interference from on-board systems to AM band reception. The truth is we have ourselves to blame.
The assault on AM band purity predates the popularity of electric vehicles by decades. The onslaught of cheap switching power supplies in consumer electronics, RF noise-producing computers and personal devices, and the absolute lack of any care given to protecting the spectrum are incompatible with AM quality.
For far too long, consumers, manufacturers, the NAB and even the FCC did not fight to protect the band. It seemed nobody cared whether new fluorescent lights (remember those?) caused so much noise that they even affected reception in neighbors’ homes. Nobody took up the fight to keep the band clean and make noise-free AM reception even somewhat possible in high-density housing areas. Nobody seemed appalled at this complete disregard for the usefulness of the band in the future. [Continue reading…]
ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio® is asking that all radio amateurs urge the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to continue the existing use of the 60-meter band. A public comment period is open until October 30, 2023. ARRL encourages expressions of support to the FCC for the current 100 W ERP power limit (instead of reducing the power limit to 15 W EIRP) and continuing secondary access to the current channels.
When submitting your comments, be sure the correct proceeding’s docket number, 23-120, is included on the form.Your name and comments will be entered into the official public record of the proceedings and will be viewable by anyone who visits the docket web page.
While radio amateurs are encouraged to include any comments they would like in their submissions, they’re especially encouraged to draw upon their personal experiences using the 60-meter band for public service purposes and for its location between the amateur 80- and 40-meter bands, which is critical to ensuring signal propagation to certain geographic areas during variations in time and the solar cycle.
Some of the main points to comment on for this NPRM are:
Urging the FCC to keep the four existing channels allocated to amateur radio on a secondary basis.
Urging the FCC to keep the 100 W power limit for the four existing channels and the new 15 kHz subband.
ARRL Public Relations and Outreach Manager Sierra Harrop, W5DX, underscored the importance of commenting, urging members to speak up. “ARRL members make up the strongest voice in matters of amateur radio spectrum defense,” said Harrop. “Your membership and participation in the rulemaking process both ensure ARRL continues to make the difference when our band privileges are threatened. Please join us in effort to protect our 60-meter band privileges.”
Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and supporter, Bob Raymond with DXtreme who shares the following product announcement:
Product Announcement
DXtreme Monitor Log 14™
DXtreme Software™ has released a new version of its popular logging program for radio and TV monitoring enthusiasts: DXtreme Monitor Log 14. Its familiar, uncluttered, industry-standard Windows® interface lets listeners and DXers log the stations they’ve heard using features that enhance their monitoring enjoyment.
New Features in Version 14
Signal Modes, Transmission Modes, Grid Square Tracking
We added a Signal Modes field to let users specify the signal mode their receiver is tuned to (for example, AM, CW, FM, LSB, USB, RTTY, etc.) plus a Transmission Modes field to let users specify the transmission mode the station is transmitting (for example, CW, FAX, FT8, HFDL, MIL-STD-188-141A, SSB, STANAG 4285, etc.). And we added Signal and Transmission Mode modules to let users maintain tables of signal and transmission modes.
We added a Transmission Mode Details box to allow users to type free-form information about the transmission mode received, such as baud rate, bandwidth, etc. (for example, 1200bps/L). New Log Variables enable users to share Signal, Transmission, and Detail mode information so readers (and users) can reproduce the monitoring environment and log (or relog) the stations. Here are two examples: “1200bps/L STANAG 4285 crypto tfc on USB” and “MIL-188-110A/B continuous mode idle on LSB.”
We added support for tracking Maidenhead grid squares, which is useful when monitoring/logging stations not located in traditional countries, like aircraft and ships operating in international airspace and waters. Grid squares are calculated from specified latitudes and longitudes. Both Performance and Stations reports let you track grids. Search functions let you find log entries for viewing or editing based on their grid squares.
Verification By Improv Imaging
Similar to the legacy Verification By Audio feature, where the presence of an audio file in a log entry designates the station as “Verified By Audio,” we added a Verification By Improv Imaging feature which counts the station as “Verified By Improv Image” if the Shows ID check box on the Improv Imaging tab is selected, indicating the presence of an ID on the window of a captured digital software application (such as PC-HFDL). Performance, Stations, and Log Entries reports let you track verifications by traditional QSLs, presence of Audio files, and presence of Improv Images for which the Shows ID check box is selected.
Schedule Checker Monitoring Advice and Tuning
When Schedule Checker advises users to monitor a station for a new or verified Country, it does so now for the Class (SWBC, Ute, Ham, etc.) and QSL Type (Verified By QSL, Audio, or Improv Image) selected in Properties. The foreground and background colors that indicate the Schedule Checker’s monitoring advice can be defined by users in Properties. The colors appear in an upgraded legend on the Schedule Checker.
Users can now tune their radios to the schedule item’s signal mode and frequency by selecting the desired signal mode in the Signal Mode list box and double-clicking the schedule item.
Solar Indices Enhancements
Acquisition of current solar indices has been improved on the Monitor Log and Schedule Checker windows. • Editing of solar indices has been added to the Monitor Log window for when NOAA is down.
We restored historic solar indices adjustments based on date and time changes made on the Monitor Log window provided users have downloaded historic solar indices from the NOAA FTP site into the Solar subfolder. An interface is provided on the Edit menu of the Monitor Log window for this FTP activity.
Monitor Log 14 lets users log all kinds of stations: radio, television, broadcast, utility, Amateur Radio, military, etc. across the radio spectrum.
Finding Stations to Monitor
The Schedule Checker lets users import schedules from Aoki, EiBi, and FCC AM web sites and display broadcast schedule data according to the filter criteria they specify. Users can filter schedule information by band, frequency, station, country, time of day, language, and more. EiBi schedules also include utility stations.
For each schedule item, Schedule Checker queries the Monitor Log 14 database to let users know – through user-defined, foreground and background display colors – whether they need to monitor a station for a brand new or verified country. The colors appear in a legend on the Schedule Checker window. When Schedule Checker advises users to monitor a station for a new or verified Country, it does so for the Class (SWBC, Ute, Ham, etc.) and QSL Type (Verified By QSL, Audio, or Improv Image) selected in Properties.
Reporting Reception
Users can create customized paper and e-mail reception reports for sending to stations plus log entry data shares for reporting catches to clubs and magazines. Using the Script Editor window, users can create and edit scripts that format reception reports, eReports, and shares to their liking. The software prompts users to select the script they want to use. Dozens of scripts come with Monitor Log 14. Users can also send eQSL requests to hams automatically via the popular https://www.eqsl.cc site and update their databases with downloaded eQSL.cc Inbox records.
Imaging
Improv Imaging lets users associate ad hoc images with log entries using Capture, Scan, and Clipboard functions. Captures of stations received on digital applications, waterfall displays, facsimile and Amateur TV pictures are popular. The Improv Imaging tab and Application let users view images anytime, and an Improv Image Explorer lets them peruse their entire collection and display associated log entries. A QSL Imaging facility functions the same as Improv Imaging for associating QSLs.
Other Features
Rig Control — Retrieves the frequency and mode from supported radios and permits tuning from the Schedule Checker and Direct Tune. Rig control is provided through integration with Afreet Omni-Rig (http://www.dxatlas.com) and CAT for SDR applications like SDR Console (https://www.sdr-radio.com) and SDRuno (https://www.sdrplay.com).
Audio Archiving — Lets users maintain an audio archive of stations heard.
Reporting and Searching — Produces Performance, Stations, and Log Entry reports that track the performance and progress of the user’s monitoring station and provides criteria-based log entry searches.
Documentation — Context-sensitive Procedural Help, Field Help, and Microhelp are accessible on every window to provide instructions quickly. Installation Instructions and a Getting Started Guide also included.
Supported Operating Systems, Pricing, Contact Information
DXtreme Monitor Log 14 runs in 32- and 64-bit versions of Microsoft® Windows® 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista® XP. Retails for $94.99 USD for Internet distribution (discounted pricing for upgrades available). Product support by Internet e-mail. For more info, visit (https://www.dxtreme.com) or write [email protected].
SWLing Post readers should note that DXtreme was one of our first company supporters. Their ad revenue helps bring the SWLing Post to you daily. Thanks, DXtreme!
Carlos writes:
