{"id":52447,"date":"2022-04-14T06:10:48","date_gmt":"2022-04-14T10:10:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=52447"},"modified":"2022-04-14T06:10:48","modified_gmt":"2022-04-14T10:10:48","slug":"radio-waves-insomnia-fueled-pirate-cold-war-high-tech-tactics-for-russia-pl-660-panadapter-women-run-radio-in-somalia-and-building-an-sdr-transceiver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/04\/radio-waves-insomnia-fueled-pirate-cold-war-high-tech-tactics-for-russia-pl-660-panadapter-women-run-radio-in-somalia-and-building-an-sdr-transceiver\/","title":{"rendered":"Radio Waves: Insomnia-Fueled Pirate, Cold War & High-Tech Tactics for Russia, PL-660 Panadapter, Women-Run Radio in Somalia, and Building an SDR Transceiver"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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

Welcome to the SWLing 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

\n

Meet the 68-year-old \u2018bad-boy nerd\u2019 behind this North Side pirate radio station (WBEZ)<\/a><\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re driving through the greater Ravenswood area and tune your radio dial to 87.9 FM, you might just enter a sort of radio twilight zone. On tap? Old timey, crime-thriller radio dramas, complete with sleuthy melodramatic music, damsels in distress and classic radio sound effects \u2013 footsteps, doors slamming, the gun going off.<\/p>\n

There are no call letters or DJs, just \u201caudio noir\u201d floating out over a two-square-mile sweet spot on Chicago\u2019s North Side.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all broadcast illegally out of a nondescript two-flat on a residential block. There\u2019s a spindly antenna on the roof, visible mainly from the alley, and a 50-watt transmitter in the upstairs apartment. And there\u2019s Bill, a retired computer and audio engineer who\u2019s been operating this illegal station for some 15 years. He asked us not to use his last name for fear of \u201cFCC prison.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople on the lakefront up in the high rises can hear it,\u201d said Bill. \u201cAnd they used to listen at Lane Tech somewhere on an upper floor. So it gets out a little ways, but not that far.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bill got into noir not because it\u2019s gripping radio, but rather because it\u2019s not. He has insomnia, and the plot lines from Dragnet and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar help him fall asleep. [Continue reading and listen to this piece at WBEZ.<\/a>]<\/p>\n

U.S. and Ukrainian Groups Pierce Putin\u2019s Propaganda Bubble (NY Times)<\/a><\/h2>\n

U.S.-backed news outlets and Ukrainian activists use Cold War techniques and high-tech tactics to get news about the war to Russians.<\/p>\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 Using a mix of high-tech and Cold War tactics, Ukrainian activists and Western institutions have begun to pierce the propaganda bubble in Russia, circulating information about the Ukraine war among Russian citizens to sow doubt about the Kremlin\u2019s accounts.<\/p>\n

The efforts come at a particularly urgent moment: Moscow appears to be preparing for a new assault in eastern Ukraine that could prove devastatingly bloody to both sides, while mounting reports of atrocities make plain the brutality of the Kremlin\u2019s tactics.<\/p>\n

As Russia presents a sanitized version of the war, Ukrainian activists have been sending messages highlighting government corruption and incompetence in an effort to undermine faith in the Kremlin.<\/p>\n

Radio Free Europe\/Radio Liberty, a U.S.-funded but independent news organization founded decades ago, is trying to push its broadcasts deeper into Russia. Its Russian-language articles are published on copies of its websites called \u201cmirrors,\u201d which Russian censors seek out in a high-stakes game of whack-a-mole. Audience numbers have surged during the war despite the censorship.<\/p>\n

American organizations are also promoting the use of software that allows Russian citizens to leap over the nascent firewall erected by the Kremlin to control internet access.<\/p>\n

The efforts face high barriers as the Kremlin tightens controls on journalists and the internet, passing laws that have forced the closure of independent media outlets, like the Echo of Moscow. President Vladimir V. Putin is doing all he can to keep Russians in the dark about Europe\u2019s largest land war since 1945, with casualties going largely unreported in Russian news media. [Continue reading<\/a>–note, you might need a free NY Times account to read this full article.]<\/p>\n

An RTL-SDR panadapter for the Tecsun PL-660 shortwave radio (RTL-SDR Blog)<\/a><\/h2>\n

Thank you to Joseph IT9YBG for submitting his article describing how he has\u00a0made an RTL-SDR based panadapter for his TECSUN PL660 portable shortwave radio<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[…]The result is that Joseph is able to receive the IF output of the PL660 at 451 kHz in SDRUno with his RTL-SDR Blog V3 running in Q-Branch direct sampling mode. He notes that although the IF bandwidth from the PL660 is small, it is possible to decode digital signals by passing the audio demodulated by SDRUno into decoding software. [Click here to continue reading…]<\/a><\/p>\n

First All-Women Media Outlet Opens in Somalia\u2019s Capital (VOA News)<\/a><\/h2>\n

MOGADISHU \u2014
\nSomalia’s first women-run radio and television outlet has opened in the capital, Mogadishu. United Nations-supported Bilan Media will produce content aimed at addressing issues affecting women and champion women’s rights in the conservative country.<\/p>\n

The launch of Bilan Media in Mogadishu marks another leap in the effort by women to secure their place in Somalia\u2019s patriarchal public arena.<\/p>\n

Bilan means bright and clear in the Somali language, and the founders say they will stay true to its meaning by shedding light on some of the most consequential issues relating to and affecting women.<\/p>\n

Nasrin Mohamed Ibrahim is the editor at Bilan Media.<\/p>\n

This project is designed to overcome many of the challenges facing the community, she says. It will focus on the challenges facing women. She says there are stories about women which will be revealed … because there are a lot of stories in the community and they don’t allow them to be published, so Bilan will reveal those stories.<\/p>\n

By going all-female, Bilan hopes to break the barriers in Somalia\u2019s conservative society where issues such as rape, sexual assault and women\u2019s medical issues are often ignored.<\/p>\n

Bilan says it does not seek to compete with the mainstream media but to chart its course in elevating the voices of women and influencing the agenda in the male-dominated society<\/p>\n

Fathi Mohamed Ahmed is the deputy editor.<\/p>\n

She says, \u201cI can say that the reason for the formation of this media outlet for women is that in most parts of Mogadishu and Somalia as a whole, there are media outlets where both men and women work but are managed and owned by men. The circumstances of women’s needs are not discussed in detail. For example, violence against women is not discussed in depth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ahmed says the owners of the station are not out to make a profit.<\/p>\n

It is not about making money, it is about showcasing the productivity and power of women. So we want to improve our skills and present them at a place free from corruption and abuse by men.<\/p>\n

Practitioners in the industry say the launch of a female-only media house is a bold step in a country where Islamist militant groups do not hesitate to harm or even kill journalists.<\/p>\n

The situation is even worse for female journalists who have to battle other forms of challenges such as sexual harassment in newsrooms, cultural stereotypes, pressures from families as well as low pay, compared to male counterparts.<\/p>\n

Hinda Jama is head of gender affairs at the Somali Journalists Syndicate.<\/p>\n

The potential challenges to this radio station are many, she says. As the radio is only operated by women, women could face challenges from Somali culture. Also, she says, Somali society is not accustomed to women doing things alone or being journalists working alone and most people are not aware of it. Religion-wise, she adds, some clerics may consider women unworthy to speak in the media.<\/p>\n

The answers will come soon as to whether the station can meet these challenges. Bilan Media is scheduled to go on the air April 25th. [Click here to read this article at VOA News.<\/a>]<\/p>\n

Software Defined Radio Transceiver: Theory and Construction of the T41-ep Amateur Radio SDT (Amazon.com)<\/a><\/h2>\n

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Paul, who notes that the following book which details the construction of a T41-ep ham radio SDR transceiver has just been published on Amazon.<\/p>\n

Click here to check it out and note that this is an SWling Post Amazon affiliate link.<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Do you enjoy the SWLing Post?<\/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 Welcome to the SWLing Post\u2019s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio.\u00a0Enjoy! Meet the 68-year-old \u2018bad-boy nerd\u2019 behind this North Side pirate radio station (WBEZ) If you\u2019re driving through the greater Ravenswood area and tune your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","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":[56,869,960,3,43],"tags":[1136,4092,332,1160,1094,2858,2093,9688,157,4087,454],"class_list":["post-52447","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-broadcasters","category-clandestine","category-international-broadcasting","category-news","category-shortwave-radio","tag-free-press","tag-pirate-radio","tag-pl-660","tag-radio-free-europe","tag-rfe","tag-rtl-sdr","tag-russia","tag-russian-invasion-of-ukraine","tag-sdr","tag-software-defined-radio","tag-somalia"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-dDV","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8212,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2013\/12\/pirate-radio-recordings-channel-z-chasing-pirates-in-a-pickup-truck\/","url_meta":{"origin":52447,"position":0},"title":"Pirate Radio Recordings: Channel Z (chasing pirates in a pickup truck)","author":"Thomas","date":"December 14, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"On the afternoon of November 29th, while traveling during the Thanksgiving holiday, \u00a0I took my wife to an art supply store who was having a \"Black Friday\" sale.\u00a0While she was inside shopping, \u00a0I sat in my truck and remembered that I had my Tecsun PL-660 in tow (after all, never\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Music"","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"QSL247","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/QSL247-768x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/QSL247-768x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/QSL247-768x1024.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":50255,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/09\/radio-waves-is-the-titus-ii-still-alive-navajo-broadcasters-make-history-portalo-stranah-and-r-i-p-sir-clive-sinclair\/","url_meta":{"origin":52447,"position":1},"title":"Radio Waves: Is the Titus II Still Alive, Navajo Broadcasters Make History, Portalo Stranah, and R.I.P. 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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributors Dennis Dura, Michael McShan, and David Iurescia for the following tips: Morse Code is\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\/2022\/01\/Elecraft-KX3-CW-Morse-POcket-Paddle-QRP-Ranger-Vance-POTA-1-4-1024x768-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Elecraft-KX3-CW-Morse-POcket-Paddle-QRP-Ranger-Vance-POTA-1-4-1024x768-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Elecraft-KX3-CW-Morse-POcket-Paddle-QRP-Ranger-Vance-POTA-1-4-1024x768-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Elecraft-KX3-CW-Morse-POcket-Paddle-QRP-Ranger-Vance-POTA-1-4-1024x768-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":60376,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/08\/radio-waves-radio-apocalypse-sdrs-and-updated-starwaves-drm-app\/","url_meta":{"origin":52447,"position":5},"title":"Radio Waves: Radio Apocalypse, SDRs, and Updated StarWaves DRM App","author":"Thomas","date":"August 9, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Radio Waves:\u00a0 Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio Welcome to the\u00a0SWLing Post\u2019s Radio Waves, a collection of links to interesting stories making waves in the world of radio.\u00a0Enjoy! 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