{"id":57500,"date":"2023-08-14T15:02:47","date_gmt":"2023-08-14T19:02:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=57500"},"modified":"2023-08-14T15:02:47","modified_gmt":"2023-08-14T19:02:47","slug":"radio-waves-great-solar-storm-of-1940-hawaii-djs-lack-vital-info-edison-claims-am-fm-audio-usage-surpasses-youtube-and-radio-4-longwave-reception","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2023\/08\/radio-waves-great-solar-storm-of-1940-hawaii-djs-lack-vital-info-edison-claims-am-fm-audio-usage-surpasses-youtube-and-radio-4-longwave-reception\/","title":{"rendered":"Radio Waves: Great Solar Storm of 1940, Hawaii DJ’s Lack Vital Info, Edison Claims AM\/FM Audio Usage Surpasses YouTube, and Radio 4 Longwave Reception"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

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

Welcome 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 SWLing Post<\/em> contributors Troy Riedel, Dennis Dura and David Shannon for the following tips:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

The Great Solar Storm of March 1940 (Spaceweather.com)<\/h1>\n

This story is shocking. On March 24, 1940, a solar storm hit Earth so hard it made copper wires in the United States crackle with 800 volts of electricity. A New York Times headline declared that a “sunspot tornado” had arrived, playing havoc with any signal that had to travel through metal wires.<\/p>\n

“For a few hours it completely disrupted all long-distance communication,” wrote astronomer Seth B. Nicholson in a recap of the event for the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Radio announcers seemed to be “talking a language no one could understand.” The New York Times reported that more than a million telephone and teletype messages had been garbled: “Veteran electrical engineers unhesitatingly pronounced it the worst thing of its kind within their memory.”<\/p>\n

So why have you never heard of this storm? Even in 1940 it was fairly quickly forgotten. World War II was underway in Europe, and the USA was on the verge of joining. People had other things on their minds.<\/p>\n

Modern researchers, however, are paying attention. A team led by Jeffrey Loveof the USGS Geomagnetism Program just published a new study of the event in the research journal Space Weather. Their work confirms that it was no ordinary solar storm.<\/p>\n

“It was unusually violent,” says Love. “There were very rapid changes in Earth’s magnetic field, and this induced big voltages in long metal wires.” [Continue reading at Spaceweather.com…<\/a>]<\/p>\n

[…]Read Love’s original research here:\u00a0https:\/\/agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1029\/2022SW003379<\/a><\/p>\n

A valued source of communication, Maui radio DJs grapple with lack of information (Hawaii News Now)<\/a><\/h2>\n

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – From taking calls of desperation, to sharing what they know when they know it, local radio hosts have long been a valued source of communication, especially during disasters.<\/p>\n

However in light of the recent fires, many on Maui have expressed concerns that information from the government in times of disasters is far too sparse and delayed.<\/p>\n

Lines of communication remain severed with cell towers burned to the ground. That\u2019s leaving radio as one of the few dependable sources of communication, which is putting added pressure on local outlets.<\/p>\n

Veteran radio host Ed Kapoi of KISS took a call from Napili, North of Kaanapali.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are desperate. Babies need diapers and formula. The elderly need their medication,\u201d one caller said through tears.<\/p>\n

It just rocks you to your core it really does. It\u2019s hard to take those kind of phone calls,\u201d Kapoi said.<\/p>\n

Fellow KISS radio host Brandee Carvalho added, \u201cWe hear their crying, their tears, their desperate pleas. It is real. It\u2019s very real for me.\u201d [Continue reading…<\/a>]<\/p>\n

Hawaii residents turn to radio station for vital updates (YouTube)<\/a><\/h2>\n