{"id":2409,"date":"2011-12-21T08:00:17","date_gmt":"2011-12-21T12:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=2409"},"modified":"2011-12-21T08:00:17","modified_gmt":"2011-12-21T12:00:17","slug":"for-the-virginia-national-guard-in-afghanistan-shortwave-is-the-solution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2011\/12\/for-the-virginia-national-guard-in-afghanistan-shortwave-is-the-solution\/","title":{"rendered":"For the Virginia National Guard in Afghanistan, shortwave is the solution"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Photos by Spc. Crystal Davis, 55th Signal Company<\/p><\/div>\n

(Source: NATO<\/a>\u00a0Press Release)<\/p>\n

Soldiers of the Virginia Army National Guard\u2019s 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team are deploying technology in a revolutionary way in Afghanistan using a short wave radio transmitter that can reach almost every radio in Zabul province.<\/em><\/p>\n

This is the first time a province-wide transmitter has been used in Afghanistan. The transmitter allows the Zabul provincial and district government to send messages to rural Afghan homes.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNo other unit in the International Security Assistance Force has ever done this at any level,\u201d said Master Sgt. Joel E. Fix of Fort Belvoir, Va. speaking of the novel application of the technology. \u201cWe have the ability to target the signal toward specific districts or the whole province.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Radio and word of mouth are the primary means of spreading news and information in rural Afghanistan. Listening to the radio \u2013 thousands of which were distributed by NATO-ISAF – is a cultural norm for Afghans, many of whom follow both the BBC and Voice of America.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Fix, a 14-year veteran of the Guard on his third overseas deployment, came up with the transmitter solution in response to a problem raised in discussions with Afghan officials: \u201cHow could the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan communicate to their people in remote areas?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

It was a particularly timely dilemma. As GIRoA expanded its influence into every district, GIRoA\u2019s continued legitimacy rested on the ability to reliably reach and involve ordinary Afghans in their parliamentary democracy. Specifically, the district governors of Mizan and Day Chopan in Zabul province each wanted to invite the elders of their districts to grand shuras in September 2011.<\/em><\/p>\n

Day Chopan has the highest elevations of Zabul province with deep valleys unreceptive to radio signals.<\/em><\/p>\n

The 116th \u201cStonewall Brigade\u201d, in partnership with Romanian troops and Soldiers of the Alaska-based 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, all members of Combined Team Zabul, came together to brainstorm a solution. Traditional options raised by CTZ such as leaflet drops, broadcasting radio transmissions from aircraft and even flying aircraft with loudspeakers attached were all denied.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe government was looking for ways to communicate with people on a greater scale, but there were gaps in the coverage. Short wave radio is the solution we came up with,\u201d<\/strong> said Fix.<\/em><\/p>\n

Short wave radio is known in the U.S. as ham radio which allows two way communications. The Zabul transmitter is one way. Most radios used by Afghans are receive-only.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI was soliciting for bids for a transmitter and was referred to Don Butler to assist with the project,\u201d said Maj. William R. O\u2019Neal a Smithfield, Va. native with the 116th.<\/em><\/p>\n

Butler, an Air Force veteran from the \u201860\u2019s, is a ham radio enthusiast from Gun Barrel City, Texas who provided design help for the transmitter. Butler\u2019s call sign is N4UJW.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHam radio is two way communications over short wave. Our transmitter is one way,\u201d said Fix. \u201cWith this configuration, no matter where they are, there\u2019s no reason the Afghan\u2019s can\u2019t get a signal. The frequency is close to but not the same as the one for the BBC. That makes it easy to find and remember,\u201d he added.<\/em><\/p>\n

The transmitter owes its success to a technique called NVIS \u2013 Near Vertical Incidence Skywave \u2013 which involves bouncing radio signals off the ionosphere \u2013 a layer of the atmosphere. Two NVIS antennas are placed horizontal to the ground unlike a traditional vertical transmitter. The second part of the NVIS antenna is called a ground wire and helps to boost the signal by forcing it to go straight up instead of outward and limited by the curve of the earth.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIn a traditional short wave broadcast, you get your antennas up as high as you can go,\u201d said Fix. \u201cIt bounces off the F2 layer of the ionosphere but gives you limited coverage with \u2018skip points\u2019. Using NVIS and our reflector wire, the signal goes up at a very steep angle and straight back down which can penetrate deeper into mountain valleys. When we were looking at this system, it was a no brainer,\u201d he added.<\/em><\/p>\n

The transmitter is operated and maintained by coalition forces including the U.S. and Romanian soldiers and broadcasts content from the local government. At first glance it doesn\u2019t seem very impressive: two antennas, the ever-useful 550 cord, and some wire that feeds into a box with one port and an on\/off switch.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is to transfer the transmitter to the provincial government as part of the transition,\u201d said O\u2019Neal.<\/em><\/p>\n

Unlike some new technologies developed and used as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, this transmitter is inexpensive and effective<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt has resulted in a savings of around 3,100%,\u201d said Fix. \u201cIt would take 30-32 FM systems to cover the same area.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

(Above Source:\u00a0NATO<\/a>\u00a0Press Release)<\/em><\/p>\n

We added emphasis (bold) in the press release above. We also filed this article under “Why shortwave radio?” Feel free to check out all of our articles with the same tag.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Source: NATO\u00a0Press Release) Soldiers of the Virginia Army National Guard\u2019s 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team are deploying technology in a revolutionary way in Afghanistan using a short wave radio transmitter that can reach almost every radio in Zabul province. This is the first time a province-wide transmitter has been used in Afghanistan. The transmitter allows […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[56,3],"tags":[730,733,732,731,102,84],"class_list":["post-2409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-broadcasters","category-news","tag-national-guard-radio","tag-nato","tag-nato-shortwave-radio","tag-virginia-national-guard-shortwave-radio","tag-why-radio","tag-why-shortwave-radio"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-CR","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2497,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/radio-literacy-program-in-zabul\/","url_meta":{"origin":2409,"position":0},"title":"Radio Literacy program in Zabul","author":"Thomas","date":"January 6, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: DVIDS\u00a0via\u00a0Kim Andrew Elliot) FORWARD OPERATING BASE LAGMAN, Afghanistan \u2013 It\u2019s said that education is power and nowhere is that truer than in Zabul province, Afghanistan, where for a time the Taliban controlled the populace by means of intimidation which included preventing people there from working at, or having their\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/RadioLiteracyProgram-300x212.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":36041,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/02\/radio-world-china-makes-its-drm-move\/","url_meta":{"origin":2409,"position":1},"title":"Radio World: “China Makes Its DRM Move”","author":"Thomas","date":"February 12, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: Radio World via Michael Bird) The nation becomes world\u2019s leading Digital Radio Mondiale shortwave broadcaster in just one year Hans Johnson BEIJING \u2014 It appears as if China has jumped into Digital Radio Mondiale shortwave broadcasting with both feet. Some DRM infrastructure has been in place for over a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/China-National-Radio-Test-Transmission-e1549971192464.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/China-National-Radio-Test-Transmission-e1549971192464.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/China-National-Radio-Test-Transmission-e1549971192464.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":50435,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/10\/radio-nacional-da-amazonia-prepares-for-drm-broadcasts\/","url_meta":{"origin":2409,"position":2},"title":"Radio Nacional da Amazonia prepares for DRM broadcasts","author":"Thomas","date":"October 5, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to a number of SWLing Post contributors who share the following news from the DRM Consortium: Brazil prepares for domestic DRM transmissions to Amazonia (DRM Consortium) DRM broadcasts from a locally produced transmitter will be originated for the first time in Latin America, as Brazil will officially start\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Digital Modes"","block_context":{"text":"Digital Modes","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/digital-modes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Brazil-tx-DRM.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Brazil-tx-DRM.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Brazil-tx-DRM.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Brazil-tx-DRM.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":45509,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/09\/university-of-brasilia-and-the-ministry-of-science-technology-and-innovation-to-experiment-with-2-5-kw-drm-transmitter\/","url_meta":{"origin":2409,"position":3},"title":"University of Brasilia and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation to experiment with 2.5 kW DRM transmitter","author":"Thomas","date":"September 23, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: DRM Consortium) A new era begins for Brazilian radio broadcasting with the arrival and installation of a first shortwave digital radio DRM transmitter developed and manufactured in the city of Porto Alegre by BT Transmitters. The transmitter will be sited at the public broadcaster (EBC) Rodeador Park, near the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DRM"","block_context":{"text":"DRM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/drm\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/DRM-Waterfall-Spectrum.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/DRM-Waterfall-Spectrum.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/DRM-Waterfall-Spectrum.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/DRM-Waterfall-Spectrum.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":26961,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/07\/guest-post-night-of-nights-july-12-2017\/","url_meta":{"origin":2409,"position":4},"title":"Guest Post: \u201cNight of Nights\u201d July 12, 2017","author":"Thomas","date":"July 9, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Brian Smith (W9IND), who shares the following guest post: \u201cNight of Nights\u201d 2017 by Brian D. Smith, W9IND \u201cNight of Nights XVIII\u201d \u2013 radio\u2019s answer to \u201cNight of the Living Dead\u201d \u2013 will again unfold on July 12 (July 13 UTC) with the return\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Night-Of-Nights.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Night-Of-Nights.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Night-Of-Nights.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Night-Of-Nights.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":49926,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/08\/german-radio-museum-sheds-light-on-the-wwii-era-zeesen-transmitting-station\/","url_meta":{"origin":2409,"position":5},"title":"German radio museum sheds light on the WWII era Zeesen transmitting station","author":"Thomas","date":"August 9, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Jonathan Marks, who shares the following article and notes in response to our previous post regarding WWII German broadcasts into Australia. Jonathan writes: [F]ound the attached on a German radio history site. 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