Radio Prague :: International service ends broadcasting on shortwave after 75 years

The international service of Czech Radio, Radio Prague, ends broadcasting on shortwave on Monday, 75 years after regular broadcasts on shortwave were first relayed from the Czechoslovak (now Czech) Radio building in Vinohradská Street. The first broadcast was on August 31, 1936 and included recorded music and live announcements in several languages. It also included a speech in English by technical director of Czechoslovak Radio Eduard Svoboda. The station’s decision to cut shortwave after 75 years followed a severe budget cut by the Foreign Ministry in line with government austerity measures aimed at reducing the state deficit. The station, which has seen some reduction in staff, will continue its broadcasts in six languages via the internet as its main platform, as well as on satellite; it will also continue cooperation with partner stations in re-broadcasting.


via http://www.radio.cz/en/news

Croatian Radio B09

CROATIA   Winter B-09 schedule of Croatian Radio HS-1 in Croatian:

0558-0857 on  6165 DEA 100 kW / 320 deg to WeEu/NoAf
0858-1427 on  7370 DEA 100 kW / 320 deg to WeEu/NoAf
1428-2127 on  6165 DEA 100 kW / 320 deg to WeEu/NoAf
2128-0557 on  3985vDEA 100 kW / non-dir to WeEu/NoAf


(Ivo Ivanov, DX MIX NEWS # 595)

 

----

Alokesh Gupta

New Delhi, India.

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GRIMETON RADIO/SAQ PLANNED TRANSMISSIONS, SUMMER AND AUTUMN 2009 via Alokesh Gupta - BanglaDX

There will hopefully be transmissions with the Alexanderson alternator
on 17200 kHz, CW (A1A) at the following dates and times during 2009:

1)  Tuesday, May 19 2009 at 07:00 and 07:30 UTC.

There will be a transmission to celebrate the Japanese VLF-station Josami
Radio/JND when it will be nominated to Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE) Milestone and also celebrate its start 80 years ago. The
radio station is now a museum.
No reports required and no QSL-cards are given.

2) Sunday, May 24 2009 at 10:55 UTC.

A transmission will take place to celebrate the First Swedish Coast Radio
Station and 100 years of Karlskrona Radio/SAA. The station is still working
on military frequencies.
No reports required and no QSL-cards are given.

3) Sunday, June 28 at 09:00 and 12:00 UTC.

The annual transmission on "Alexander Day". The station is open to visitors.
We are glad to receive reports and will exchange QSL-cards.

4) Saturday, October 24 at 09:00 UTC.

As last year we will transmit on United Nations Day.
No reports required and no QSL-cards are given.

5) Thursday, December 24, Christmas Eve at 08:00 UTC.

The Christmas transmission as before.
The stations is open to visitors.
We are glad to receive reports and will exchange QSL-cards.
We will start tuning up some 30 minutes before message.

Also read our web site: www.alexander.n.se

QSL-reports are, when indicated, kindly received via:

- E-mail to: info@alexander.n.se
- or fax to: +46-340-674195
- or via: SM bureau
- or direct by mail to: Alexander - Grimeton Veteranradios Vaenner,
Radiostationen, Grimeton 72 S-430 16 ROLFSTORP
SWEDEN

Yours
Lars Kalland SM6NM

(Ary Boender via udxf  yg)

-----
Alokesh Gupta
New Delhi


------------------------------------

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[bangladx] Radio Free Asia begins new QSL card series via Alokesh Gupta

Radio Free Asia (RFA) announces a new QSL series celebrating musical
instruments of Asia. The first card in the series shows a two stringed
dutar.
The dutar is a traditional musical instrument which is plucked by Uyghurs
and either strummed or plucked by peoples of other nations. The dutar is
considered one of the most common and popular instruments of the
Turkmen people. The dutar pictured on this QSL belongs to one of RFA's
Uyghur broadcasters and continually provides much joy and entertainment.
The dutar is a pear-shaped lute characterized by its long neck and two
strings; some versions have 4-strings. The dutar is primarily found in
Central and South Asia. The dutar's name comes from the Persian word
for "two strings." At the hands of 15th century shepherds, the strings were
made from gut but with the coming of the Silk Road, the strings were then
made from twisted silk. Today, dutars use silk or nylon strings. This card
will be used  to confirm all valid reception reports from May 1 - June 30,
2009.

Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation that broadcasts news and
information to listeners in Asian countries where full, accurate, and timely
news reports are unavailable. Created by Congress in 1994 and incorporated
in 1996, RFA currently broadcasts in Burmese, Cantonese, Khmer, Korean to
North Korea, Lao, Mandarin, the Wu dialect, Vietnamese, Tibetan (Uke, Amdo,
and Kham), and Uyghur. RFA strives for accuracy, balance, and fairness in
its editorial content. As mentioned on the front of the QSL card, as a
'surrogate' broadcaster RFA provides news and commentary specific to each of
its target countries, acting as the free press these countries lack. RFA
broadcasts only in local languages and dialects, and most of its broadcasts
comprise news of specific local interest. More information about Radio Free
Asia, including our current broadcast frequency schedule, is available at
www.rfa.org. RFA encourages listeners to submit reception reports. Reception
reports are valuable to RFA as they help us evaluate the signal strength and
quality of our transmissions. RFA confirms all accurate reception reports by
mailing a QSL card to the listener. RFA welcomes all reception report
submissions at www.techweb.rfa.org (follow the QSL REPORTS link) not only
from DX'ers, but also from its general listening audience. Reception reports
are also accepted by emails to qsl@rfa.org, and for anyone without Internet
access, reception reports can be mailed to: Reception Reports Radio Free
Asia 2025 M. Street NW, Suite 300 Washington DC 20036 United States of
America Upon request, RFA will also send a copy of the current broadcast
schedule and a station sticker.

(Via AJ Janitschek, RFA)

----
Alokesh Gupta
New Delhi, India
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"Wavescan" DX Program to Continue from New Location, and Bengali Schedules via BanglaDX

The final edition of AWR’s DX program "Wavescan" produced in Singapore is scheduled for broadcast on May 31, 2009, with the usual scheduled repeats during the first few days into June. Beginning in the first week of June, "Wavescan" will be written and produced in the United States for broadcast worldwide.
In the new arrangement, the scripts for "Wavescan" will be researched and written in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the program will be assembled and produced in the Miami, Florida, studios of shortwave station WRMI/Radio Miami International. QSL cards acknowledging the reception of "Wavescan" will be available from both WRMI and Adventist World Radio.
At the end of May, AWR’s Singapore office and studio will be transferred to nearby Batam Island, Indonesia. This move will achieve considerable cost savings for AWR.
Many long-time listeners will remember that the original AWR DX program, "Radio Monitors International," was produced in the Poona (Pune), India, studios of Adventist World Radio and broadcast on the domestic and international shortwave services of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. Beginning in 1984, North American coverage was achieved through the services of Jeff White and his original Radio Earth/Radio Discovery service. "Radio Monitors International" became "Wavescan," and Radio Earth/Radio Discovery became Radio Miami International/WRMI.
The new presentations of "Wavescan" will be very similar to the earlier editions as produced in Singapore. Each edition will include a station profile on an important or a little-known shortwave station from a historical perspective. There will also be other features from the fascinating world of international radio broadcasting, as well as regular bulletins of DX news. It is intended that the regular DX bulletins from Japan, Bangladesh, Philippines and Australia will be included as usual in these new broadcasts of "Wavescan."
Other radio entities are welcome to re-broadcast "Wavescan," archive the programs on Internet websites, and reprint items and articles from the scripts and archive the scripts, with the usual attribution to AWR "Wavescan" and to Radio Miami International/WRMI.
As was announced in "Wavescan" earlier, the annual worldwide listener contest during the month of June will continue as planned. Listeners are invited to prepare a list and give details and photocopies of 5 QSLs from silent shortwave stations; to submit 3 reception reports on AWR transmissions; and, where possible, to submit 3 suitable radio cards to the “Wavescan” address in Indianapolis.
Adventist World Radio would like to express appreciation to AWR assistant program director Rhoen Catolico for his splendid work on the production of "Wavescan" during the past three years and to wish him every success with his endeavors as he returns to his homeland in the Philippines. We would also like to express our appreciation to Jeff White at WRMI for mutual co-operation in the areas of international radio broadcasting over the past quarter century, and we are grateful for this new relationship in the production and distribution of the program in his station in Miami.
Jeff White is currently the president of NASB, the National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters USA, in addition to his management responsibilities at WRMI.
Adrian Peterson is DX editor for Adventist World Radio and a Board Member for NASB, the National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters USA. The address is:
Adventist World Radio
Box 29235
Indianapolis, Indiana 46229 USA

(AWR News Release via Dr.Adrian Peterson, AWR International Relations Coordinator)

----
Alokesh Gupta
New Delhi, India

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New File Uploaded 


 File        : /Beng A'09.pdf
 Uploaded by : Swopan Chakraborty
 Description : Bengali A09 summer schedule

You can access this file at the URL:
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BBC changes frequency for evening Bengali & English service

Wed, 28 Jan 2009
In order to avoid interferece the following changes made by the BBC recently

1330-1500 hrs Bengali on 7550(now replaces 7580) - SUN only
1600-1800 hrs WS in Engl on 7355 (now replaces 7270) - daily

(AlokDasgupta via http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bangladx/message/1537 )

----
Alokesh Gupta
New Delhi, India

Shortwave radio still packs an audible thrill

Wed Jan 14, 2009 3:29pm EST
By Robert MacMillan
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Somewhere on a lonely mountaintop on a starry night, or maybe in an apartment on a bustling city block, someone is channeling the whole world onto a mobile device. It's not a phone; it's a shortwave radio.
A staple form of broadcasting in many parts of the world since the 1920s and 1930s -- shortwave in North America has been mostly a hobby for decades.
Now that the Internet is a fixture in many homes in the United States and Canada, there are few practical reasons to buy a shortwave radio. Thousands of stations that once were available only on the shortwave band are online.
Shortwave also is distinctly old fashioned, cast against the shadow of the annual Consumer Electronics Show, which was held in Las Vegas earlier this month. The mother of gargantuan gadget fests featured shortwave radio makers, but the action these days revolves around digital audio devices.
The contrast is stark: iPods and satellite radios are slim and pocket-sized, while shortwaves are throwbacks, typically as square as a textbook and just as serious looking.
So why bother with shortwave?
It's easy and cheap -- and fun. You can hear and learn things that you would never find even if you work your search engine like a mule. From Swaziland to Paris to Havana, shortwave broadcasters can surprise an adventurous listener more than any MP3 playlist.
"You tune carefully, twist the radio from side to side, and there's still a bit of a 'Hey, I made this happen!' sort of thing," said Harold Cones, retired chairman of the biology and chemistry department at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia.
It's also magic. Shortwave radio enthusiasts acknowledge the thrill -- the romance, in a way -- of going out at night and snaring news, music, odd bleeps, religious zealots and other broadcasts from the wild sea of frequencies in the sky.
In aural terms, the Internet wins. Shortwave by nature sounds dirty: Its signals whoosh from clouds of static and are subject to the whims of sunspots and atmospheric disturbances.
But when you hear voices over the noise and squeal, and realize you are hearing Mongolia, live, there is a warmth and a human connection that are hard to find on the Web.
Shortwave also can deliver news faster than you might find it online, and in places where your other devices don't work, said Ian McFarland, a former host and writer at Radio Canada International.
"It's more portable than a computer, especially if you ... don't have a laptop and you don't happen to have a hot spot on your favorite beach," he said. Batteries also keep them going a long time when the power goes out.
On a serious note, shortwave stations often resist many government attempts to jam them.
"Shortwave is unfettered by intermediaries so it's pretty much always there," said Lawrence Magne, publisher of the Passport to World Band Radio (http://www.passband.com). 

GETTING STARTED
You can find shortwave radios at a variety of Web retail and auction shops like Amazon, Universal Radio, The Shortwave Store, Grove Enterprises or even National Public Radio.
Bob Grove, at Grove Enterprises in Brasstown, North Carolina, also offers a handy beginner's guide (http://tinyurl.com/8rq3bt)

You could drop thousands of dollars on a radio, but units such as the Eton E100 (http://tinyurl.com/8x5q9o) generally range from $50 to $250. A perfectly serviceable radio sells for as little as $30, but more expensive models are better at pulling in fainter signals.
Listening is best an hour before and after sunrise and sunset -- and away from urban areas -- because of atmospheric conditions and because many broadcasters in distant lands are gearing up their broadcasts.
Try searching for distant shortwave signals, identify the station, write to them and get a "QSL Card," the broadcaster's acknowledgment that you made contact.
For die hards, listening to shortwave can make hours go by in a dream. For others, its an acquired taste -- Bob Grove said his wife is "partially tolerant."
"I've had radio equipment in my car in the past, and I have learned not to turn it all on when we were going on a date somewhere."
(To find a partial English-language list of what's on shortwave, try RadioShack (http://tinyurl.com/6texnw) or C.Crane (http://tinyurl.com/yjfcrq)).

(Reporting by Robert MacMillan; editing by Richard Chang)

http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSTRE50D6JF20090114

----
Alokesh Gupta
New Delhi, India via http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bangladx/message/1528

Vatican Radio changes morning frequency

Tue, 06 Jan 2009

Due to unavoidable circumstances Vatican Radio ceases its broadcast from
Russia at 0200-0320 hrs on 12070 kHz to South Asia in Hindi,Tamil,
Malayalam, English and moved on to 9545 kHz from Santa Maria station at the
same time.

Source: Alokesh Gupta

Radio Sweden Special broadcast

Radio Sweden Special 70th Birthday Broadcast

Live from Studio Five

Ever since 1938 Radio Sweden has served as an important link between Swedenand the rest of the world. On Wednesday, September 3 we'll be celebratingour 70th birthday with special broadcasts, a panel discusion, and livemusic.Our first English broadcast of the day, at 12:30 hrs UTC, will be a liveprogram from Studio 5 at Broadcasting House in Stockholm. We'll be taking alook back at some of the major stories we've covered over the years, andtalking with many guests, including some wellknown Radio Sweden voices fromthe past.That will be followed by a special panel debate in Swedish with a number ofcultural and media personalities.The 14:00 hrs UTC Swedish broaadcast will also be live from Studio 5.The entire special program, from 12:30 to 16:30 hours UTC, will be carriedlive in a special web broadcast.So don't fail to join us to celebrate our 70th, Live from Studio Five.

RTI listeners club (Kolkata) meet snaps

Dear friends,

Some of the RTI listeners club (Kolkata) meet snaps can be seen at the following URL:

http://picasaweb.google.com/swopan/RadioTaiwanIntListenersMeetKolkata2008
Regards,

--
Swopan Chakroborty
Kolkata, India

International Radio Serbia - EU offers closer ties to Serbia

Following events from Serbia via shortwave radio

EU offers closer ties to Serbia

The European Union has said it wants to accelerate Serbia's progress towards membership following the re-election of pro-Western President Boris Tadic.Mr Tadic claimed victory after taking slightly more than half the votes cast in a tight run-off contest with nationalist Tomislav Nikolic.It comes as Serbia's Kosovo province prepares to declare independence.In a message to Mr Tadic, Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission - the EU's executive arm - said the result was "a victory for democracy in Serbia and for the European values we share".

Continued news story from BBC News at:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7225727.stm

International Radio Serbia is active on shortwave radio on the following
English schedule:
All times UTC
Target Areas; na (North America) eu (Europe)0100-0130 Mon-Sat. 7115
na0200-0230 7115
na1400-1430 7240
eu1930-2000 6100
eu 7240
eu2200-2230 6100
eu 7240eu
(Source: Monitoring Times-SW Guide)

Chad state radio station put out of action by looters/rebels

IR07
International Relations & Political Science

Chad Latest: Radio Off Air
Posted by Editor on February 2, 2008

It is about 1945 UTC (7:45 p.m.) Saturday - and the Radio Nationale Tchadienne frequency is blank. This new and reasonably high-powered transmitter was coming in well here at my location since its recent inauguration. I can only assume its absence is due to the fighting around Njamena. The Media Network blog reports others as saying they are also missing Chadian media outlets.

Chad state radio station put out of action by looters
Chad state radio went off the air on Saturday as rebels advanced into the capital, opposition leader Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh said. He made the claims in a telephone call from the central African nation’s embattled capital, N’Djamena. Saleh said rebels had entered the city and shooting that had erupted in the morning appeared to have died down. He said there were no soldiers in his neighbourhood and the state broadcaster had gone off the air in the morning.
(Source: Press Association)

Update 1645 UTC Sunday 3 February: More fighting is reported in N’Djamena. AFP reported this morning that government helicopters had attacked a column of rebels in the south of the city heading towards the main radio station. No broadcasts were monitored yesterday evening on 4905 kHz, which had been putting strong signals into Europe in recent days (see attached comment from Dr Derek Lynch).

On Sunday afternoon, the AFP news agency reported that the radio station had been “destroyed today by fires and looting.” Witnesses said the radio station had been pillaged by a mob that smashed broadcasting equipment and made off with computers. That suggests it was put out of action rather than totally destroyed.

Dr Derek Lynch, Ireland Says:

February 2nd, 2008 at 8:00 pm

CHAD 4905 SILENT
Radio Nationale Tchadienne’s new SW transmitter went silent today. I was unablke to hear its French newscast at 1930. The frequency was totally blank - it’s not a case of poor reception. But this transmitter was putting in an excellent signal here, both mornings and evenings, since its recent inauguration. DL

YouTube videos of fighting in Chad

In the absence of TV reports from Chad, I came across some videos posted on YouTube by members of Stop Genocide Now, who were at a hotel in N’Djamena, Chad, as the rebel forces entered the city. The group have now been evacuated. These are very high quality videos.
Fighting in N’Djamena Part 1
Fighting in N’Djamena Part 2
Fighting in N’Djamena: Part 3

Chad rebels fight their way into capitalN'DJAMENA (Reuters) -

Rebels in Chad seeking to overthrow President Idriss Deby battled their way into the capital N'Djamena on Saturday and said they were securing it, but a minister said government forces still controlled the city.Residents and diplomats said rebel fighters had entered the capital, but the situation remained confused. Machine gun and heavy weapons fire, sometimes sporadic, sometimes more intense, could be heard as France prepared to evacuate French and other foreign nationals.Consult the following web address for the additional story:http://www.reuters.com/

The following logs of Chad, reflect what has been monitored in recent weeks. Frequencies remain current at this posting.
Gayle VH - via mt-shortwave Blog

All times UTC

Yes, Chad received here in Sri Lanka too, but only in the evening slot, initially mixing badly with CNR. Thanks for the tip. I have ben rather slow with my DXing due to too much work. But one by one the antennas are getting refurbished and will come back with a lot of interest, not that I have ever been off the band. How can I when I earn a living being in front of a radio.

One comment, someone said probably Chad is down here due to interference on 6 KHz. Well the reason is, I am sure, that evening and morning 6 MHz is not serving a wider area due to propagation in an area between the ground wave and the first sky wave coverage area. With the sun spots so low for local shortwave coverage the angle of return has to be wider as the frequency goes up. Right now here in the tropics in Sri Lanka which is almost similar latitude to Chad, till about 8 a.m. in the morning and after 7 p.m. it is hard to have any coverage in an area about 200kms from the txsite on 6, 7 MHz. So as hams we have to come down to the next band 75metres. With a lot of people depending on SW in Chad the 4904.5 is a logical move. (Victor Goonetilleke-CLN 4S7VK, DXplorer)

4905 Radiodiffusion Nationale Tchadienne (Ndjamenne). 2256-2301*. 26 Jan 08. French. Hip hop music in English and Afropop in French. Station promos at 2300. National Anthem to sign-off at 2301S9/very good signal. (J Wood, TN)

4905 (reactivated frequency) Radiodiffusion Nationale Tchadienne, Grevia, 1729-1914, Arabic, announcements, talks, local tunes, Vernacular, tribal tunes; French 1859, news, program "Espace Jeune"; 54444; I was unable to monitor its sign-on time, but estimate it as being 1600, and 4905 is ex-6165 evenings only for the latter is used during the day.

4905 Radiodiffusion Nationale Tchadienne. Armchair level signals from 0509 tune to 0645 end recording peaked at S5 from 0530 to 0630 with quick improvement from 0509 and slower degradation after 0630. Interesting programing. Local indigenous vocals at 0634-0636. Several telephone call-ins heard around 0600 and after 0636. SINPO 4/5-5-4-4-4. Best I have heard Chad here on any frequency. (Bruce Churchill-USA, DXplorer)

6165 Radiodiffusion Nationale Tchadienne , Grevia, 1328-..., French, news. SINPO 25332, QRM de HRV later on only.
6165 Radiodiffusion Nationale Tchadienne , Grevia, 1113-1400,. Vernacular to talks, ... , French at 1340 when signal rated SINPO 25342,..., tribal songs at 1450; 13441, QRM de HRV whose signal is usually felt well after 1400. (Carlos Goncalves-POR, WWDXC BC-DX)

6165 Radiodiffusion Nationale Tchadienne . Replaced by 4904.97 kHz at 0430-0730 and 1600-2230 UT. 6165 or 7120 on Sat/Sun 0730-1000, daily 1000-1600 UTC.
6165, Radiodiffusion Nationale Tchadienne 2210-2230*, Mixing with Croatia. Both in at fair levels with Croatia in English at 2215-2218*. Croatia abruptly off at 2218 leaving Chad in the clear with French talk, Afro-pop music and sign off with national anthem. (Brian Alexander, PA)

6165, Radiodiffusion Nationale Tchadienne, 2050-2200, Good Afro-pop with lively DJ, short ID (as stated) in French, 2115 "(Musique) Internationale" started with "Macarena", then mixed Afro, rap and raggae. Wiped out station underneath (Croatia?) completely almost. From 2145 QRM had completely vanished. 2200 News (Krone) (DX Window # 318 via Anker Petersen)

6165 Radiodiffusion Nationale Tchadienne , 1114-Vernacular, tribal songs. SINPO 23431, QRM de HRV but also de RWN in Spanish via Bonaire. Propagation wiped out all 3 stns lateR.(Carlos Goncalves-POR, wwdxc BC-DX ) (Source: WWDXC Top News (BC DX # 796)

Correspondence may be directed to:Radiodiffusion Nationale TchadienneBoite Postal 892N'DjamenaChad(Source: World QSL Book/Teak Publishing)

Pacific Island Public Radio - RNZI Mailbox documentary January 21

The latest Radio Heritage Foundation documentary on Radio New ZealandInternational [RNZI] looks at the impending sale of government ownedSBC Samoa and considers its impact on local public radio in Samoa.

Previous privatization examples include Radio Cook Islands and WVUVAmerican Samoa. How have these stations fared since? What are the FMradio options that listeners in Apia, Pago Pago and Avarua currentlyenjoy.
Other broadcasters from outside the region, such as Radio ChinaInternational and Radio Australia, are now opening commercial free FMrelay stations across the region. Are the days of locally funded andoperated public radio stations in the islands numbered?
Currently, the 540 AM signal of SBC1 provides cyclone warnings for awide arc of islands including the two Samoas, Niue and Tokelau. Withthe station being sold, will this vital emergency service continue orbe closed down to save costs?
Listen to Mailbox on RNZI on Monday January 21 as David Ricquish ofthe Radio Heritage Foundation explores some of the issues. Visithttp://www.rnzi.com/ for shortwave frequencies and times, and to download anaudio on demand version of the program that will be available onlinefor four weeks from January 21.
For more information about broadcasting in the two Samoas, CookIslands and Tokelau, visit http://www.radioheritage.net/. An online versionof the program script along with exclusive images of Samoan radiowill also be available from later in January at http://www.radioheritage.net/.
Updated versions of the full Pacific Asian Log Radio Guides forMediumwave and Shortwave stations across the region are alsoavailable, and a new series of Pacific Radio Guides including all FMstations in the region will be available shortly athttp://www.radioheritage.net/.

The Radio Heritage Foundation "Sharing the Stories of Pacific Radio"
Radio New Zealand International website: http://www.rnzi.com/

Radio Heritage Foundation website: http://www.radioheritage.net/

Dxers Unlimited's weekend edition 5-6 January 2008

Radio Havana Cuba
Dxers Unlimited
Dxers Unlimited’s weekend edition 5-6 January 2008
By Arnie CoroRadio
amateur CO2KK

Hi amigos radioaficionados around the world and in space… welcome to the weekend edition of Dxers Unlimited coming to you from Havana . I am Arnie Coro, radio amateur CO2KK , and it is my pleasure to begin another year during which Dxers Unlimited will be on the air, as always at the service of radio hobby enthusiasts , people like you and I who enjoy this wonderful way of spending our spare time.Now here is our first item of today’s program, it’s certainly very important news, that I am sure is going to make everyone really happy…

It’s news we were all waiting for ansiously… finally, it has happened, 93 million miles away from Earth, the long awaited first reverse magnetic polarity high latitude sunspot group has appeared, signaling the start of solar cycle 24 !!!Yes amigos, the Sun made headlines asSOLAR CYCLE 24 BEGINS: Solar physicists have been waiting for the appearance of a reversed-polarity sunspot to signal the start of the next solar cycle. The wait is over. January the third a magnetically reversed sunspot emerged at solar latitude 30 N,, and that amigos is what we were all waiting for …this is an almost one hundred percent assurance that the new cycle has now started, but let me add that the solar maximum for this new cycle is still several years away…The magnetic configuration of bipolar sunspots with leading positive/negative polarity in the northern/southern hemisphere, is associated with solar cycle 23. According to what is known as the butterfly rule, the new high latitude sunspot region belongs to cycle 24. It was named active region 10981 or just 981 for all practical purposes.New solar cycles always begin with a high-latitude, reversed polarity sunspot, according to solar scientists."Reversed magnetic polarity " means a sunspot with opposite magnetic polarity compared to sunspots from the previous solar cycle. "High-latitude" refers to the sun's grid of latitude and longitude. Old cycle spots congregate near the sun's equator. New cycle spots appear higher, around 25 or 30 degrees latitude.The region that appeared on Dec. 11th fitted both these criteria. It was high latitude (24 degrees N) and magnetically reversed. Just one problem: There wass no sunspot. That region was just a bright knot of magnetic fields. If, however, these fields coalesced into a dark sunspot, scientists were ready to announce that Solar Cycle 24 had officially begun, something they could not do, as no sunspot appeared there, but things changed radically early during 2008, when a real true active sunspot region was spotted by optical observations around the world. The new sunspot active region 981, at approximately 30 degrees latitude is a perfect match for all the criteria about the start up of a new solar cycle, so amigos, solar cycle 24 is now here with us. Now let me add that during the next several months sunspots from both cycles will be seen, those at high solar latitudes will be from cycle 24 and the ones near the solar equator will be the last ones from now coming to an end cycle 23…As more sunspots from cycle 24 appear, we may see an upward swing in the daily solar flux, and that should improve shortwave propagation all along 2008.Si amigos, yes my friends, oui mes amis… Cycle 24 is here and we are certainly happy that it finnally started !!! I’ll be back in just a few seconds after a short break for station ID. I am Arnie Coro in Havana……………….

You are listening to Radio Havana Cuba, the name of the show is Dxers Unlimited and here is item two of today’s program…Our antenna topics section will be devoted today to a special type of short wave antenna systems that are especially designed to provide short range ionospheric communications, using the so-called Near Vertical Incidence Skywave or NVIS propagation mode. NVIS antennas are very important for emergency communications systems, that use it when other systems suffer damages that reduce their traffic handling capacity or simply take them off the air. NVIS communications stations can be deployed anywhere and even one single individual is capable of setting up such a station in less than an hour, using low height wire antennas. Today, here at Dxers Unlimited’s antenna topics section we will be describing to you some of the most efficient NVIS antennas that have been used here in Cuba during tropical storms and hurricanes related emergencies, achieving a very high degree of reliability. The amateur bands used for NVIS systems here are 40 meters during the local daytime hours and 80 meters at night. The typical NVIS antenna is a half wave dipole installed at a very low height above the ground, so that the signal sent out by the antenna goes almost straight up at angles between 45 and 90 degrees. The signals come back to Earth with high intensity at distances from practically zero to around 700 kilometers around the transmitting station when the degree of ionization is at an adequate level. One interesting fact about NVIS communications is that they work quite well at rather low power levels, making possible for field stations to communicate using power outputs in the 10 to 100 Watt range. Base stations usually run higher power levels, but need to use the same type of low height antennas in order to assure that they are using the Near Vertical Incidence Skywave propagation mode. Another type of antenna recommended for these EMCOMMS or emergency communications stations is a full wave loop that is also installed at very low heights above the ground. One of the big mistakes that is often seen during communications emergencies is that field stations try to establish the NVIS mode links using vertical whip antennas, something that will prove to be a fruitless effort. Vertical antennas radiate at very low take off or departure angles, so very little radio frequency energy goes straight up as required for the NVIS mode to work. A few days ago a group of radio amateurs started to work on a new compact antenna system , that is smaller in size than a half wave dipole, while at the same time still been very efficient on the NVIS mode. The wire antenna , in its 40 meters band version requires just 11 meters of horizontal space between the masts or support structures, and is off center fed with coaxial cable and a coaxial cable choke to suppress the common mode radiation from the outside of the coax shield. The new antenna was designed using up to date sophisticated antenna modelling software and I am going to start testing the prototype next week. As soon as the preliminary test results are available, as always, I will be very happy to share them with Dxers Unlimited’s listeners and readers around the world.……

And now here LA NUMERO UNO, the number one most popular section of Dxers Unlimited, here at the first 2008 edition of the program, YOU have questions and Arnie tries to answer them…

Today’s question was sent by listener Mark in Ontario, Canada, and he wants to know more about low cost amateur radio equipment, because he tells me that he is on a shoestring budget, but nevertheless wants to start his own ham radio station. Well amigo Mark, not too long ago I made an attempt to create a low budget HF or short wave ham radio station, and after a few days , I was pretty happy with the results… Instead of trying to homebrew a sophisticated transceiver, my option uses a portable solid state short wave receiver that has a built in BFO or beat frequency oscillator. In my case the radio used for the project is a Sony ICF-7600-G portable, that is powered from four 1.5 volts penlight cells. The low cost ham station project includes a bandpass input filter and attenuator , with the transmit- receive switching incorporated into it, the 10 to 25 Watts power output solid state transmitter, and the AC power supply . No attempt was made to make anything miniature, in order to simplify the homebrewing. The Sony ICF7600-G is used with communications type earphones, and let me add that this is a CW , that is radiotelegraphy mode station, but a further development may turn it into a double side band voice station in the near future. The switching between receive and transmit is done while providing full protection to the front end of the portable receiver, and you can monitor the output of the transmitter by listening to the signal on the earphones. The whole station can be used for fully portable operation with a gell cell accumulator , that provides twelve volts DC to the transmitter, and 6 volts for the radio trough a simple one integrated circuit voltage regulator circuit. By using the SONY ICF-7600-G portable with its BFO, or any similar receiver, the low cost CW amateur station’s construction is simplified in a very significant way , because homebrewing a high quality digital readout receiver is quite a challenge, even for experienced radio amateurs. Assembling the bandpass input filter and RF attenuator and the transmit receive switching, the CW transmitter and the AC power supply while not a simple task is much more within the possibilities of homebrewers that are familiar with electronics and that can always obtain help from more experienced radio amateurs of your radio club. So amigo Mark, I have already e-mailed to you the block diagrams of this unique low cost amateur radio station project, as well as the circuit diagrams and some notes about the CW transmitter, the bandpass input filter and the transmit-receive switching system. This station is now on the air at CO2KK, operating on two bands, 40 and 20 meters with good results, despite the prevailing HF propagation conditions due to the extremely low solar activity. It like amigo Mark you are interested in learning more about this low cost approach ham radio station, just drop me an e-mail to arnie at rhc.cu, and I will send you the dot zip file with all the information required to duplicate this project.……

And now amigos, as always at the end of the show, here is Arnie Coro’s Dxers Unlimited HF propagation update and forecast … Solar flux is at a rather low 80 units, and the K index, the three hourly geomagnetic disturbance indicator was at a rather high figure of 5 early morning Saturday my local time here in Havana, at 12 hours UTC. This is due to the effects of a high speed solar wind that will disrupt HF propagation at high latitudes during the next two days. The winter Sporadic E season is now coming to an end, and we will have to wait until late April for the spring summer E skip season to start. The effective sunspot number is 20, and the daily sunspot number is now 20…

See you all at the midweek edition of the program amigos…
Send your signal reports,
QSL requests and radio hobby related questions to arnie at rhc.cu
or VIA AIR MAIL to
Arnie Coro
Radio Havana Cuba, Havana, Cuba

Updated Shortwave Pacific Asian Log Online

Updated Shortwave Pacific Asian Log Online
The latest database and pdf editions of Bruce Portzer's shortwavePacificAsian Log are now online at www.radioheritage.net.All the latest changes, new stations, new formats and much more.Thousands of SW radio stations covering the entire Asian Pacificregion. Online search possibilities. Access remains complimentary24/7 for worldwide users.This is the most comprehensive listing freely available anywhereonline. Well over 23,000 data entries to make your listening easier.Some shortwave countries are close to becoming extinct, with only oneentry each for places like Afghanistan, Antarctica, Bhutan, andNepal. Others have only two or three entries.However, China has 865 current entries indicating that shortwavebroadcasting remains very healthy in this growing Asian powerhouse. Whilst at www.radioheritage.net, read our new articles and stories aswell. Plenty of interest for everyone wanting to know all about radioacross the region.The updated mediumwave database version is already online as well.The NewZealand @ A Glance AM database now contains 200+ stations and hasalso been updated.
The New Zealand Low Power FM Radio Guide isupdated daily.Thanks for visiting www.radioheritage.net, home of the Radio HeritageFoundation.