Category Archives: Broadcasters

Radio And Gender Equality

MartinHadlow

From Martin Hadlow:

“She enters the radio field feeling that there is a great chance for her to show the world at large that no science or business is too complex for the feminine ambition.”*

(Radio World magazine, 1922)

History records that, from the very advent of radio, women have had a strong involvement in the development of the medium. When Reginald Fessenden made what is recognized as probably the first wireless broadcast of music and voice in December, 1906, his wife and her best friend were key partners in the event. Reports from the time indicate that, apart from the transmission of the inventor’s own violin performance and a recording of Handel’s Largo, this ground-breaking radio broadcast also included the voices of Helen Fessenden and her friend singing Christmas songs.

DW Makes Major Changes

Deutsch: Deutsche Welle in Köln.Eingang zum eh...

DW Cologne (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Martin Hadlow via the DX Dialog reflector, reports from the ABU conference that DW has announced major changes to increase global reach.

More on this story from the ABU website.

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Shortwave Remains Essential – ABU

abu

From Martin Hadlow reporting on the DX Dialog reflector:

The 10th global High Frequency Coordination Conference (HFCC) with the  Asian Broadcasting Union (ABU) and the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) 20-24th January 2014 meeting reported that shortwave will continue to be an important part of international broadcasting.

The story in detail is available on the ABU website.

 

Apps For SWLs

ShortwaveSchedule-1024x576

Thanks to the good folk at the Southgate Amateur Radio Club, apps (programs) for hams and SWLs are available:

 

The best Amateur Radio and shortwave apps for iOS and Android smart phones

Advances in technology have always gone hand-in-hand with our radio hobby – indeed, in many cases, those advances originated with our hobby.

Because of this, it should comes as no surprise that in a world where we are rapidly replacing home computing with mobile computing, radio hobbies are “app-ly” supported in the the mobile realm.

Check out our extensive list of Ham Radio apps:
http://wp.me/pn3uc-2cL

Veteran SIBC Chief Passes Away

DXers who have previously QSLd the SIBC in Honiara, Solomon Islands will be saddened to learn of the passing of one of the organization’s most prominent announcers.
Patteson Mae died on Saturday at his home on Gela in the Central Province. Patteson joined the Government Information Service in 1972 and transferred to the SIBS and, later, SIBC. He rose from the position of announcer to General Manager of the SIBC and left the organization in 1993.
The “Solomon Star’ newspaper printed this story today:
A veteran broadcaster and provincial politician has died at his home village in Central Province on Saturday. Patteson Mae passed on after a long battle with diabetes and heart problem.

Mae started his career as a broadcaster with the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation in the late 70s. He went to become the station’s general manager in its later years.  While heading the station, he was elected president of the Fiji-based Pacific Islands New Association (PINA) for a term.

WRMI Joins The Big Boys Club

wrmiThis article from Radio World takes a look at WRMI’s transition from a bit-player to a substantial broadcaster. Just hope we don’t end up with another defacto “radio station” that is really just a carrier for anyone who cares to pay to have their opinion aired.

Voice of Russia Continues On SW

vor_qsl

Reminiscent of a Mark Twain’s quote “rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated”, the Voice of Russia is not closing down!

They have been merged with another media agnecy and they have had their transmission hours curtailed.

Here is their 2014 schedule from Wolfgang Bueschel:

RUSSIA   Full schedule of broadcasting WGD “Voice of Russia” in the winter
season B-13, since January 1, 2014.
automatic translation by Google translator

language       UTC       transmitter   kHz   kW direction notes

Changes Ahead For The VOA

voa_qsl

David Ensor may be at once on the side of the angels and the wrong side of history. A former CNN and ABC correspondent, he heads the Voice of America, a proud, underfinanced and embattled government media agency that’s part of a little-known amalgam of Cold War relics that mix virtue, ideological necessity and a whiff of anachronism. Read more at the New York Daily News website.

 

Trucker’s Radio On Shortwave

mgihtykbc

Those familiar with the US AM rafio dial, will now that stations like KRVN and WWL have long catered for truckies hauling their loads across the USA. There is a more international trucker’s radio, the Mighty KBC. This article from the Radio Survivor website explains.

Solomon Islands New Frequency

From Martin Hadlow:

My Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation contacts advise me that the SIBC has been testing a new (Japanese supplied) transmitter on 6080 kHz. This is part of a plan to provide better national radio coverage in the event of a natural disaster, such as a tsunami. The SIBC has been testing in October and more recently in November. There have already been YouTube stories about the new frequency: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZEKEYzNANY
The SIBC is keen to hear from listeners as to whether the signal is getting out widely so please e-mail them if you hear the new frequency. No doubt there will be problems given that Radio Australia is also on 6080 kHz…not to mention several other stations.
Regards,
Martin
Feedback fron Bryan Clark, Mangawhai: Yes Martin, have been monitoring over recent weeks to establish the sign-on time, given that 9545 usually closes abruptly at 0501 UTC.
One night they appeared on 6080 about 0607 UTC, another night they were there at 0525 check.
Understand they should change to 6080 immediately after 9545 closure but yet to confirm that’s definite.
They usually override the co-channel Brazilian.
Very good signal by 0800 and then at 0900 they are clobbered by RA’s Papua New Guinea Service – though still audible underneath, parallel to 5019.88kHz.
Bryan

BBC Seychelles to close…

Location of the Seychelles

Thanks to Georgi Brancov for this info via the Bulgarian DX Blog.

Monday, November 25, 2013

 

WRMI Purchases WYFR’s Okeechobee Facilities

wyfr

Thanks to Paul Rawdon for posting this news to the DX Dialog reflector:

http://swling.com/blog/2013/11/wrmi-purchases-wyfr-transmission-site-and-plans-move-to-okeechobee/

FCC to Revive AM Radio

Logo of the United States Federal Communicatio...

Have just read an interesting article in the ‘New York Times’ about concern in the USA over the fall in audiences for AM radio. It’s also worth noting that AM’s historical links are recognised in the article and the medium is described as “a cultural touchstone”. And five of the biggest commercial money-spinners in the US radio market are AM stations.
73.
Martin
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Broadcasting’s Forgotten Father

doc_herrold

Thanks to Paul Rawdon for posting the following on the DX Dialog user-group:

This is the 1995 PBS Documentary, “Broadcasting’s Forgotten Father, the Charles Herrold Story.” It was written, produced, directed and narrated by Mike Adams. Mike’s film students at San Jose State University participated in the production. The 1909 Herrold station became KQW and today it is KCBS in San Francisco, now over 100 years old.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nIVv_2cGaQ&fulldescription=1&guid=&client=mv-google&gl=NZ&hl=en-GB&app=desktop

“The Story of AFN”

Thanks to Paul Rawdon for posting the following on the DX Dialog user-group:

afn_munich

From 1963: For twenty years one of the United States’ largest radio networks has been broadcasting news – information -music – sports – and dramatic programs to an estimated audience of twenty million – yet has never been heard in the United States. The American Forces Network, Europe (known to its audience as AFN) has served the military community in Europe since it began broadcasting from a basement studio in London, England, on July 4, 1943. This year marks its twentieth anniversary of broadcast operations. THE BIG PICTURE captures on film the sight and sound of this unique radio network as it goes about its daily business. Filmed in Frankfurt – Berlin – Munich and Orleans, France – “The Story of AFN” is informative and entertaining.

ILR Audio Video Montage Online

Logo used by the Independent Broadcasting Auth...

Logo used by the Independent Broadcasting Authority for promoting Independent Local Radio services in the 1980s. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Thanks to Paul, Rawdon for posting the following on the DX Dialog reflector:

Hat-tip to Mike Barraclough for sharing a link to this audio/video montage on the BBC website celebrating the 40th anniversary of Independent Local Radio (ILR) with air check clips from stations across the country.

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Analogue Radio Days Numbered

redradio

Thanks to Andy Gardner for posting the following link on the DX Dialog reflector:

Commercial stations and the BBC expected to confirm the switchover to digital services, 40 years after Britain’s first independent station opened.

Here’s the story from the Independent’s website.

A Quest to Save AM Before It’s Lost in the Static

Hallicrafters SX-28 tuning dial, circa 1945

Hallicrafters SX-28 tuning dial, circa 1945 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Could it be that the AM band survives FM, Pandora, DAB, satellite and the internet threat, only to fall victim to interference from smart phones and  digital devices?

In addition to the tablets, smart phones etc, more and more household appliances are utilising inverters for voltage regulation and speed control in an effort to improve efficiency and earn more energy stars.

In commerce and industry, inverters and variable speed drives are widely used for motor control, to reduce starting currents and offer other control benefits.