{"id":42983,"date":"2020-04-25T08:17:22","date_gmt":"2020-04-25T12:17:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=42983"},"modified":"2020-04-25T08:17:22","modified_gmt":"2020-04-25T12:17:22","slug":"radio-waves-zombie-sats-radio-provides-undemanding-friendship-boom-in-new-stations-and-one-retailers-ham-radio-connection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/radio-waves-zombie-sats-radio-provides-undemanding-friendship-boom-in-new-stations-and-one-retailers-ham-radio-connection\/","title":{"rendered":"Radio Waves: Zombie Sats, Radio Provides Undemanding Friendship, Boom in New Stations, and One Retailer’s Ham Radio Connection"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Radio Waves:\u00a0 Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio<\/h2>\n

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\u00a0SWLing Post<\/em>\u00a0readers.\u00a0 To that end:\u00a0Welcome to the\u00a0SWLing Post\u2019s<\/em> Radio Waves<\/em>, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio.\u00a0<\/strong>Enjoy!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many thanks to\u00a0SWLing Post<\/em> contributors BJ Leiderman and Richard Black\u00a0 for the following tips:<\/p>\n

\n

Long-Lost U.S. Military Satellite Found By Amateur Radio Operator (NPR)<\/a><\/h3>\n

There are more than 2,000 active satellites orbiting Earth. At the end of their useful lives, many will simply burn up as they reenter the atmosphere. But some will continue circling as “zombie” satellites \u2014 neither alive nor quite dead.<\/p>\n

“Most zombie satellites are satellites that are no longer under human control, or have failed to some degree,” says Scott Tilley.<\/p>\n

Tilley, an amateur radio operator living in Canada, has a passion for hunting them down.<\/p>\n

In 2018, he found a signal from a NASA probe called IMAGE that the space agency had lost track of in 2005. With Tilley’s help, NASA was able to reestablish contact.<\/p>\n

But he has tracked down zombies even older than IMAGE.<\/p>\n

“The oldest one I’ve seen is Transit 5B-5. And it launched in 1965,” he says, referring to a nuclear-powered U.S. Navy navigation satellite that still circles the Earth in a polar orbit, long forgotten by all but a few amateurs interested in hearing it “sing” as it passes overhead.[…<\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ken Bruce: ‘Radio provides friendship in an undemanding way’ (BBC News)<\/a><\/h3>\n

You wouldn’t normally hear a tractor driving past or birds tweeting in the background of Ken Bruce’s BBC Radio 2 show.<\/p>\n

But, if you listen closely, those are just a few sounds you might be able to pick up on now the presenter is broadcasting from his Oxfordshire home.<\/p>\n

“I do live in dread of the binmen arriving or the Royal Air Force flying over in extremely noisy Chinooks as they do sometimes,” Bruce laughs. “But so far it’s been fine.”<\/p>\n

Bruce’s mid-morning show on Radio 2 – which he has hosted continuously since 1992, following an earlier stint in the 1980s – is particularly popular at the moment as more listeners turn to the radio while confined to their homes.<\/p>\n

“At a time like this, people want to hear the news, but they don’t want it all day,” Bruce says. “From my point of view, I’ll pay attention to one news broadcast a day, and after that I don’t really want to know too much unless it’s a major development.<\/p>\n

“So escapism is a big part of keeping people feeling right during this and I think we provide a certain amount of that, a chance to put the worries of the world to one side.”[…<\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The coronavirus is bringing about a boom in new radio stations (The Economist)<\/a><\/h3>\n

MILLIONS OF PEOPLE in lockdown are finding diversion at the flick of a dial. According to Radiocentre, the industry body for commercial radio in Britain, local and national stations reported increases in daily listeners of between 15% and 75% in the second half of March. They\u2019ve got competition. Radio stations offering information, entertainment and reassurance to listeners isolated at home have sprung up from Ireland to Syria, Italy to India. Informal and interactive, many are run by amateurs from their homes, with producers learning the ropes as they go.<\/p>\n

In Italy Radio Zona Rossa (Radio Red Zone) began broadcasting from the town of Codogno, the site of the country\u2019s first locally transmitted coronavirus infection, just days after Lombardy went into lockdown on February 21st. Hosted by Pino Pagani, an octogenarian whose co-presenter and friend was killed by the virus in March, the twice-daily programme uses the registered FM frequencies of a local station, Radio Codogno, to provide updates on the spread of the virus and the opening hours of local essential services. Mr Pagani also interviews experts and invites residents to call in for a chat. [Note that the full article is behind a paywall …<\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Unclaimed Baggage began from a social distance connection, 1970\u2019s style (Unclaimed Baggage)<\/a><\/h3>\n

Doyle Owens loved radios\u2013\u2013specifically ham radios. We don\u2019t use them much these days; most of us don\u2019t even know what they are (for the uninitiated: \u201cham\u201d is slang for \u201camateur\u201d radio, and its enthusiasts make a hobby of connecting with each other over radio frequencies). In the \u201860s and \u201870s, it was the equivalent of a group FaceTime call, sans face.<\/p>\n

Doyle, call sign K4MUR, went to bed early so he could be on the radio by 4:30am to talk to friends in different time zones all around the world. Some were friends from childhood, friends from his days of service in the Korean War. Most of his friends, however, were friends he\u2019d never met in person, who he knew only from the airwaves. Many of them knew him more intimately than the friends and neighbors he saw every day.<\/p>\n

Those mornings were his window into the world outside Scottsboro, Alabama, population 9,324 (in 1970), where he\u2019d been working in insurance since shortly after the Korean War. The insurance business paid, but it bored him to tears. Creative energy ran in his blood: during the Great Depression, his father ran a general store on wheels in rural Alabama, which he used to barter for much needed goods. Doyle knew he was destined for more, but he didn\u2019t know what.<\/p>\n

One day, a ham radio friend who worked for Trailways Bus Company in Washington, D.C. let Doyle and his friends in on an unusual problem: the bus line had an accumulating pile of unclaimed bags that they didn\u2019t know what to do with. Doyle\u2019s ears perked up. \u201cHow much would you sell it for?\u201d he asked his friend. \u201cWell, I\u2019m not sure,\u201d his friend said. They settled on three hundred dollars.<\/p>\n

That afternoon, Doyle borrowed his father\u2019s \u201965 Chevy pickup truck and stopped at his father-in-law\u2019s house on the way out of town to borrow three hundred dollars. When he returned, he and his wife Mollie Sue set to unpacking the massive load of luggage. They rented a house on the outskirts of town and set up card tables inside to display the contents of the luggage. Outside, a homemade storefront sign read \u201cUnclaimed Baggage\u201d. That Saturday the doors opened for business, and by the end of the day the tables were empty.<\/p>\n

The rest isn\u2019t exactly history. It took many more loads of luggage, many more loans, many more long days and short nights before Doyle\u2019s business grew into the worldwide, fifty-year-old retail phenomenon it is today. But it all started with an idea.<\/p>\n

No one knows where they come from, ideas. What we do know is that the right environment\u2013\u2013the kind populated by dear friends, clear air, long drives down country roads and the like\u2013\u2013clears space for them to land.<\/p>\n

The current moment, plagued by uncertainty, financial distress and, well, actual plague, could be seen as less conducive than ever to creativity. Ernest Hemingway once wrote that worry destroys the ability to create, and ill health, which produces worry, attacks your subconscious and destroys your reserves. If we all, like Hemingway, had the ability to combat the malaise with all the fishing, sailing and boxing our hearts desire, we might not be in such a tough spot.[…<\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

Do you enjoy the SWLing Post?<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

Please consider supporting us via\u00a0Patreon<\/span><\/a>\u00a0or our\u00a0Coffee<\/span>\u00a0Fund<\/span><\/a>! <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Your support makes articles like this one possible. Thank you!<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Radio Waves:\u00a0 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\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0readers.\u00a0 To that end:\u00a0Welcome to the\u00a0SWLing Post\u2019s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting […]<\/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":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[373,3781,545,3,43],"tags":[104,3479,8312,8358,20,4563,8471,8470],"class_list":["post-42983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-am","category-fm","category-ham-radio","category-news","category-shortwave-radio","tag-bbc","tag-bj-leiderman","tag-coronavirus","tag-covid-19","tag-npr","tag-satellites","tag-unclaimed-baggage","tag-zombie-satellites"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-bbh","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":43553,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/05\/radio-waves-hacking-satellites-close-knit-ham-radio-culture-tv-drama-diplomacy-and-ofcom-relaxes-restricted-service-licence\/","url_meta":{"origin":42983,"position":0},"title":"Radio Waves: Hacking Satellites, “Close-Knit” Ham Radio Culture, TV Drama Diplomacy, and Ofcom Relaxes Restricted Service Licence","author":"Thomas","date":"May 28, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Radio Waves:\u00a0 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\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0readers.\u00a0 To that end:\u00a0Welcome to the\u00a0SWLing Post\u2019s Radio Waves, a\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\/2020\/05\/satellite-NASA-e1590581853624.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/satellite-NASA-e1590581853624.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/satellite-NASA-e1590581853624.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/satellite-NASA-e1590581853624.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":42924,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/radio-waves-burning-5g-wauk-simulcasts-c-19-radio-remote-us-ham-exams-and-guardians-top-10-radio-stations\/","url_meta":{"origin":42983,"position":1},"title":"Radio Waves: Burning 5G, WAUK Simulcasts C-19 Radio, Remote US Ham Exams, and Guardian’s Top 10 Radio Stations","author":"Thomas","date":"April 21, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Radio Waves:\u00a0 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\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0readers.\u00a0 To that end:\u00a0Welcome to the\u00a0SWLing Post\u2019s Radio Waves, a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "FM"","block_context":{"text":"FM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/fm\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/CEll-Phone-Tower-5g-4g-1024x696.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/CEll-Phone-Tower-5g-4g-1024x696.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/CEll-Phone-Tower-5g-4g-1024x696.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":45773,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/10\/radio-waves-signals-from-mars-two-more-hamstronauts-m17-digital-voice-mode-and-climbing-trees-for-a-better-signal\/","url_meta":{"origin":42983,"position":2},"title":"Radio Waves: Signals from Mars, Two More Hamstronauts, M17 Digital Voice Mode, and Climbing Trees for a Better Signal","author":"Thomas","date":"October 8, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Radio Waves:\u00a0 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\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0readers.\u00a0 To that end:\u00a0Welcome to the\u00a0SWLing Post\u2019s Radio Waves, 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\/03\/Kenwood-HT-AM-Dial.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Kenwood-HT-AM-Dial.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Kenwood-HT-AM-Dial.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Kenwood-HT-AM-Dial.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":44144,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/07\/radio-waves-sealands-caretakers-bitcoin-ham-radio-cw-training-and-50-years-ago-casey-kasem-started-at-40\/","url_meta":{"origin":42983,"position":3},"title":"Radio Waves: Sealand’s Caretakers, BitCoin & Ham Radio, CW Training, and 50 Years Ago Casey Kasem Started AT 40","author":"Thomas","date":"July 5, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Radio Waves:\u00a0 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\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0readers.\u00a0 To that end:\u00a0Welcome to the\u00a0SWLing Post\u2019s Radio Waves, 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\/2018\/05\/Hallicrafters-Dial-Analog-Black-and-White-e1525169308291.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Hallicrafters-Dial-Analog-Black-and-White-e1525169308291.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Hallicrafters-Dial-Analog-Black-and-White-e1525169308291.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Hallicrafters-Dial-Analog-Black-and-White-e1525169308291.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Hallicrafters-Dial-Analog-Black-and-White-e1525169308291.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":45453,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/09\/radio-waves-a-calm-solar-cycle-25-wwj-history-czech-radios-digital-only-future-and-uk-ham-radio-exam-stats\/","url_meta":{"origin":42983,"position":4},"title":"Radio Waves: A “Calm” Solar Cycle 25, WWJ History, Czech Radio’s Digital-Only Future, and UK Ham Radio Exam Stats","author":"Thomas","date":"September 20, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Radio Waves:\u00a0 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\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0readers.\u00a0 To that end:\u00a0Welcome to the\u00a0SWLing Post\u2019s Radio Waves, a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/RCA-Vintage-Dial.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/RCA-Vintage-Dial.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/RCA-Vintage-Dial.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/RCA-Vintage-Dial.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/RCA-Vintage-Dial.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":61113,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/11\/the-shipping-forecast-a-special-1993-filmed-version\/","url_meta":{"origin":42983,"position":5},"title":"The Shipping Forecast: A Special 1993 Filmed Version","author":"Thomas","date":"November 15, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor and good friend, BJ Leiderman, who shares the following video on YouTube--a special Shipping Forecast tribute: On 18 December 1993, as part of the Arena Radio Night, BBC Radio 4 and BBC 2 collaborated on a simultaneous broadcast so the shipping forecast \u2013 read\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Longwave"","block_context":{"text":"Longwave","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/longwave\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/shipping-forecast-locations.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/shipping-forecast-locations.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/shipping-forecast-locations.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42983"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42983\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}