January 2009
IN THIS ISSUE:
NASB/DRM News
HFCC
News
Book
Reviews
SWL News
|
NASB/DRM News
Latest Version of 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009 – DRM
9:00 am – Opening of DRM USA Annual Meeting in the Holiday Inn Express Amphitheater. Welcome remarks from World Christian Broadcasting and WWCR. The Amphitheater meeting room is sponsored by TCI International. 9:05 am - Welcome remarks from DRM 9:15 am – The Latest Developments in Digital Radio Mondiale – report from a representative of the DRM Consortium
10:00
am – WinDRM: Amateur Radio's DRM Evolution - One of amateur radio's digital
voice and image transfer modes was derived from DRM's Dream
receiver/transmitter software. Mel
Whitten, who holds amateur radio callsign K0PFX, will talk about how these
amateur modes were developed, how they are used and the transmitting and
receiving equipment used.
10:30
am - Coffee Break, sponsored by Media
Broadcast
11:00 am – A Profile of Ten-Tec - the
11:30
am – Roundtable Discussion about DRM
12:00
pm - Lunch at Holiday Inn Express, sponsored by World Christian Broadcasting and WWCR
1:00 pm - Break 1:30 pm - Bus leaves hotel for Sightseeing Tour, sponsored by TCI International, visiting WWCR studio/transmitter site and World Christian Broadcasting headquarters in Franklin 6:00 pm - Dinner at The Factory in Franklin, sponsored by VT Communications, followed by free time at The Factory mall 9:00 pm - Bus returns to the Holiday Inn Express. The rest of the evening is free to explore The District. Friday, May 8, 2009 – NASB Annual Meeting 9:00 am – Opening of NASB Annual Meeting in the Holiday Inn Express Amphitheater. Welcome remarks from NASB officers. The Amphitheater meeting room is sponsored by TCI International. 9:15 am – The North American Shortwave Audience
9:45
am - Panel Discussion: The State of Shortwave Listening and
Broadcasting in
10:30 am - Coffee Break, sponsored by Continental Electronics 11:00 am – Madagascar World Voice, African shortwave project of World Christian Broadcasting
11:30
am – Kintronics and its involvement in HF broadcasting, by Tom King,
President, Kintronics Labs of Bristol, Tennessee
12:00 pm – Lunch, sponsored by Thomson Broadcast & Multimedia 1:15 pm - NASB Business Meeting, including plans for next year's annual meeting in Canada 4:00 pm - NASB Business Meeting ends, conference ends. Brief closed meeting of the NASB Board
Everyone
with an interest in shortwave radio is welcome to attend the NASB-DRM USA
Annual Meeting in
There's
no cost to attend the NASB-DRM USA annual meetings, thanks to NASB members
and associate members who are sponsoring various functions. But you must
pre-register in order to attend, and space is limited. So we suggest you register as soon as
possible. Just send your name and
e-mail address to nasbmem@rocketmail.com and ask to be registered for
the NASB Annual Meeting. Plan to arrive by Wednesday afternoon or evening
(May 6) as the meetings begin early on Thursday, and they will end at about
5:00 p.m. Friday. But feel free to come early or stay late to enjoy all of
the attractions that
Hotel Reservation Details
The Holiday
Inn Express is located at 920 Broadway in downtown
-----
New
NASB Associate Member Kintronic
Labs, Inc.
Kintronic Labs designs and manufactures custom HF
antennas and accessories for transmitter input power ranging from
1-100kW. Antennas offered include rhombic, half-wave dipole,
full-wave dipole, lazy H and corner cube. Custom antenna applications
are also a possibility. Accessories offered include open wire
transmission lines, open wire impedance transformers, fixed and tunable
baluns, and open wire wall feedthrough panels.
-----
DRM Hits
from Winter 2009 issue of Radio News
from NASB associate member Thomson Broadcast & Multimedia
DRM was a hot topic at the recent
Africast exhibition in
The theme of this year’s Africast was
«Digitisation and the Challenges of Broadcasting», and what could have been
more fitting than the live reception of shortwave programs in FM sound
quality, coming from thousands of kilometers away! Africast 2008 was a
huge success, and enjoyed record attendance from
During the conference,
Thomson is at the heart of DRM
developments and has provided various broadcasters in Africa and around the
globe with the technology to implement DRM services in
Digital Radio in Asia: ABU
Technical Committee Meeting in
from Winter 2009 issue of Thomson Radio
News
The Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU)
held its 45th General Assembly and associated meetings on the world’s largest
archipelago,
In many developing regions, radio may still
be the only affordable medium of mass communication with access to target
population. It plays an important role in such regions in binding individuals
into a society by the use of shared language, common interests and
objectives. Countries like
“Radio has been a key player in
“Going digital is the biggest challenge
facing ABU broadcasters,” said ABU President, Yoshinori Imai of NHK-Japan. In
2008, the ABU was instrumental in the creation of the International Radio
Forum, which focusues on radio and its future in the traditional and emerging
markets in west
-----
World Christian Broadcasting to
Offer First
excerpted from WCB Newsletter, December 2008
September
11-23, 2009 is the date for World Christian Broadcasting's first
World Christian Broadcasting
Announces New Senior Producer for
excerpted from WCB Newsletter, December 2008
World
Christian Broadcasting is pleased to join hands with Rex Morgan as our new
Senior Producer for
-----
HCJB Global Transmitter Installed at TWR’s Site in
News release from HCJB dated Nov. 25, 2008
A new 100,000-watt shortwave transmitter
built at the
The
partnership includes having a number of TWR missionaries serving at the
“The new
transmitter is much more efficient and has a clearer, more understandable
signal than the one it replaced,” McGuire said. “The HC100 is also easier to
maintain because it was designed by missionary engineers for that purpose.” Alary said that having “three identical
transmitters at the same site makes our operation in
Tom Lowell,
chairman of TWR’s board of directors, said the new transmitter has many
economic advantages. “For example, parts needed to keep the old equipment on
the air were expensive. The Continental transmitter uses three large tubes,
at $13,000 each, compared to the HC100’s single tube. That’s an immediate
savings of $26,000 on parts alone! The HC100 also operates much more
efficiently, saving us $12,000 per year on our electric bill in
McGuire said
the entire installation process went smoothly. “The cooperation was
great—very beneficial for both.”
David Russell,
director of the HCJB Global Technology Center, calls it a “privilege to work
closely with engineers of TWR
|
|
-----
|
|
|
|
|
VTC Enhances Coverage of South
East Asia
From
VT Communications “Right Click” E-Newsletter
VTC has
recently started offering shortwave capacity from a site on the island of Palau
that provides extensive coverage of South East Asia .
VTC has been successfully testing the site for a number of broadcasters. If you
would like a test transmission on this new service to reach listeners across
South East Asia and China
VTC’s Global Network of over 50 transmission sites provides
extensive, worldwide coverage, ensuring our customers reach their target
audiences. Through these sites we deliver over 1,100 hours of shortwave and
medium wave programming every day for some of the world’s leading broadcasters,
including BBC World Service and Deutsche Welle. Our Global Network offers the
international broadcaster value for money combined with transmission sites that
are geographically close to their intended audience. The Global Network is
connected via VTC’s own fibre and satellite network (called the GMN), which is
controlled from VTC’s state-of-the-art Media Management Centre in London
To find out more about VTC’s Global Network and
discover the benefits it offers international broadcasters please visit: www.vtc-online.com
Focus on Africa
Many of the sites within our Global
Network successfully
reach Africa; these include our UK-based sites, and those located in United
Arab Emirates (UAE), Madagascar, Ascension Islands, Portugal, Rwanda and South
Africa. All these sites offer a flexible range of transmission powers and value
for money. If you are currently broadcasting into Africa
via shortwave then why not discover how VTC can improve your coverage area,
listening experience and save you money at the same time.
VTC recognises that FM radio is expanding rapidly
across Africa and we can offer capacity on FM radio stations in capital cities such as Accra, Ghana,
Yaoundé, Cameroon, and Kampala, Uganda
We also have access to two exciting FM
networks in the Middle East :
• with airtime available on Lebanon Western Syria . This service is already used by Deutsche
Welle, Radio Canada International and BBC World Service to successfully reach
listeners in this mature radio market;
• a new network in Palestine targeted at tourists visiting Bethlehem, with some coverage of Jerusalem.
• a new network in Palestine targeted at tourists visiting Bethlehem, with some coverage of Jerusalem.
If you’re interested in getting your message out to an
Indonesian audience, we can provide access to FM stations in over 28 population centres across the
country.
We have limited airtime slots available for all these opportunities so please register your interest as soon as possible with Tim Ayris at: tim.ayris@vtplc.com. VTC will ensure delivery of your programme to the stations and take care of local contractual and licensing issues – leaving you to do what you do best, producing interesting and informative programmes for your listeners.
Capacity advisory for ad hoc and extra
shortwave broadcasts into the Gaza
VTC is
providing ad hoc capacity on its Global Short Wave Network for broadcasters requiring
extra transmissions into the Gaza Strip during the current hostilities in the
region. VTC currently delivers daily programmes into this region for a number
of broadcasters.
We have available slots that would suit
daily 30 minutes and 60 minute programmes targeting the region including:
-2000 - 2200 UTC, (10pm to midnight local
time), 250/500 kW options, UAE transmitter site
Evening hours, 250/300/500 kW options, UK
VTC's shortwave Global
Network
Recent
months have seen a number of new customers sign contracts with VTC including
the Democratic Voice of Burma, OiV/the Voice of Croatia and IBRA Radio. VTC is
or will be transmitting programmes from these broadcasters to their listeners
in target areas as diverse as Burma ,
West and East Africa, Australia
and New Zealand
These broadcasters have benefited from
VTC’s Global Network of transmitter sites located around the world. The sites
are linked together via VTC’s Global Media Network (GMN) of fibre circuits and
satellite channels. In the case of VTC’s new clients, these transmitter sites
are in Palau , South Africa , the UK
and Singapore
Focus on Afghanistan
Short
wave remains preferred radio medium
VTC offers extensive and powerful short
wave services into Afghanistan
1251 kHz medium wave for northern Afghanistan
VTC already distributes daily programmes from both the
BBC World Service and HCJB on the 1251 kHz medium wave service transmitting from Dushanbe, Tajikistan Afghanistan , reaching as far south as Kabul Uzbekistan ,
Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan
Developing FM Relay opportunities
Recognising the growing role of FM radio in Afghanistan
-----
|
Launch of BBC
and DW Channel in
News release from Fanny Podworny, DRM
Consortium
|
This first ever
joint BBC-DW DRM radio channel has been launched using six transmitters, which
are used in pairs, to cover much of Western Europe .
The signal covers France , Germany , Belgium ,
Netherlands , Luxembourg
A complete flyer
as well as a coverage map is available on the DRM website (www.drm.org).
In other DRM
news, All India Radio, the
national broadcaster of India ,
has been conducting regular DRM transmissions from one of its 250 kW short wave
transmitters located at Khampur (Delhi
-----
HFCC
News
New Dates for HFCC B09 Conference in
Punta Cana
The NASB is
organizing the HFCC B09 shortwave frequency planning conference, which will
take place in Punta Cana , Dominican Republic Union , who informed us that Ramadan begins on August 21
this year. The conference itself will
take place Monday-Friday, August 17-21, and there will be an optional full-day
excursion to Santo Domingo, capital of the Dominican Republic, on Saturday,
August 22.
NASB members and associate members are encouraged to
take part in the conference if they can, as this is only the third time in the
HFCC's history that the event has taken place in the Western Hemisphere, and
the first time it has taken place in the Caribbean . Additional sponsors who have already
confirmed their participation in the event include Indotel (the Dominican
telecommunications authority), Continental Electronics, the IBB, EWTN, and the
DRM Consortium and Thomson Broadcast and Multimedia. There will be a special DRM seminar for
Dominican broadcasters on Friday, August 21 at the conference hotel in Punta
Cana. A special conference rate of $130
per night single occupancy and $168 per night double occupancy has been
negotiated at the Dreams Punta Cana Resort.
This rate includes all meals, drinks, daily entertainment, water sports,
tax, tips, etc. Punta Cana is a major
tourist resort on the east coast of the Dominican Republic, a two-hour flight
from Miami or Fort Lauderdale
-----
Book
Reviews
"Listening On the Short Waves, 1945
to Today" Review
by Jeff White, as broadcast on “Viva Miami,” Radio Miami International
I first began listening to shortwave radio in 1972 as a junior high school student living in Indianapolis, Indiana. I discovered it by accident while tuning around on my parents' multiband portable radio with two shortwave bands on it. One night I heard Radio Deutsche Welle, coming all the way fromGermany
That was a fascinating time to be a shortwave listener -- right in the middle of the Cold War, when President Nixon made his historic visits to Russia and China. The idea that I could follow world events directly from where they were happening on a simple shortwave receiver was a thrill that was hard to explain to the average person inIndianapolis
I'm sure many of you listening to me now have similar stories you could tell. And if so, you'll definitely be interested in a new book I received the other day called "Listening on the Short Waves, 1945 to Today" by well-known DXer Jerry Berg. This is a 400-page trip through the heydays of shortwave listening. The nostalgia is just overwhelming.
Jerry begins with a brief overview of pre-World War II shortwave history, then launches into an in-depth examination of the shortwave audience -- just who listens to this stuff and why. Are we a special breed, and how many of us are there? Research on this subject is scarce, but Jerry Berg summarizes some of what data is available from station surveys, popularity polls, listener letters, shortwave club data and the like.
The story of shortwave listening and DX clubs, primarily inNorth
America , occupies a full 100 pages of the book. While much of this
information may not be of great interest to those who were not involved in
organized DXing, for those of us who were members of one or more DX clubs over
the years, this chapter will bring back all kinds of memories. The history of
each major club is detailed -- and I mean detailed, right down to the columns
which appeared in each club publication and the internal politics and colorful
characters that made them so interesting. I found dozens of names of club
officials and editors with whom I've had some kind of contact since 1972,
bringing back lots of fond memories of friendships that in many cases have
endured until today. I've met many of these people personally at shortwave
conventions over the years, such as the annual ANARC or Association of North
American Radio Clubs conventions that took place in a different part of the U.S. or Canada
Sadly, many of these shortwave club personalities are no longer with us. But they'll always be remembered. People like Arthur Cushen ofNew Zealand , Richard Wood of Hawaii
and many other places, and Larry Shewchuk of Canada
But I'm reminiscing now, which I guess is one of the natural effects of reading "Listening On the Short Waves, 1945 to Today." The extensive shortwave club chapter tells about the club publications, conventions, their high points and low points. In terms of membership, many of these clubs peaked in the 1970's and 1980's, and they have been declining -- or even ceasing to exist -- ever since, as the Internet has largely done away with the need for printed club bulletins. There is some examination of overseas DX clubs as well, although the focus is primarily onNorth America .
An additional 100 pages of Jerry Berg's book looks at shortwave literature, such as shortwave listening columns in various electronic magazines and specialized shortwave listener magazines. These include well-known publications like Popular Electronics, Popular Communications and Monitoring Times, and less well-known but valiant efforts like Voices magazine fromFinland
A shorter chapter in the book provides profiles of the top DX programs and other popular listener programs and clubs sponsored by shortwave stations. Who can forget Radio Australia's "DXers Calling," Radio Sweden's "Sweden Calling DXers," Radio Netherlands' "DX Juke Box and Media Network," the Swiss Shortwave Merry-Go-Round with "the Two Bobs" and Radio Canada International's "SWL Digest" hosted by one of the most popular shortwave personalities in the history of North America, Ian McFarland? And of course there was the "Happy Station" hosted by legendary broadcasters Eddie Startz and Tom Meyer. Some of these programs are still on the air, like HCJB's "DX Party Line," Adventist World Radio's "Wavescan" and Glenn Hauser's "World of Radio," all of which are broadcast here on WRMI.
A fairly extensive chapter of "Listening On the Short Waves" reviews the shortwave receivers that have been on the market inNorth
America since World War II. Some of the technical details and
specifications may go over the heads of laymen like myself, but long-time
shortwave listeners will certainly recall classic receivers like the Hammarlund
HQ-180, the Drake SW-4A, the Realistic DX-150, the Yaesu FRG-7, the Kenwood
R-1000, the Barlow-Wadley XCR-30, and of course the Zenith Trans-Oceanic.
They're all mentioned and reviewed here, along with even the original sales
prices. The history of shortwave receivers is traced by the type of radio --
such as desktop and portable -- and by decade. Many of us will remember
sophisticated receivers with bandspread dials which still left you almost
guessing at which frequency you were on. Newer radios like the Sony ICF-2001
and the Grundig Yacht Boy 400 offered digital readout, which revolutionized
shortwave listening and made it more accessible to the less
technically-inclined.
"Listening On the Short Waves" then moves on to the topic of QSLíng -- the process of sending reception reports to shortwave stations and obtaining verification cards from them. Jerry provides a historical overview of station QSL policies, crafty methods that listeners have used to get QSL's out of recalcitrant stations, QSL contests and awards, and a list of publications with more detailed QSL information. Jerry Berg, incidentally, is Chairman of the Committee to Preserve Radio Verifications, which has collected more than 40,000 QSL's from stations around the world that are archived at the Library of American Broadcasting at theUniversity
of Maryland
No book about shortwave listening would be complete without a brief look at the role computers have played since they became accessible to the average person inNorth America . Shortwave club editors were
suddenly able to prepare their columns and the entire publications with word
processing programs. Listeners could keep lists of their station loggings on
computer and it became easier for them to prepare reception reports which were
very professional. Computer bulletin board systems and online services such as
CompuServe allowed listeners and broadcasters alike to share tons of
information and databases, and this expanded exponentially with the increasing
availability of the Internet in the late 1990's. Now listeners can get instant
schedule and program information for most any shortwave station in the world
online -- not to mention the ability to send reception reports and to
communicate amongst themselves via e-mail. Online DX newsletters have replaced
many printed club bulletins, and the clubs that have survived now generally
have at least some presence on the Internet.
Jerry Berg concludes that while in many ways shortwave listening is every bit as fascinating and exotic as it was back in the beginning, "to listeners it is clear that shortwave broadcasting has been on the wane for some time." Of course this is written from the viewpoint of a North American DXer, and shortwave is still very much alive and kicking in many other parts of the world. I would even argue that shortwave is still a significant niche market inNorth America . There's no question
that many stations have reduced or eliminated their shortwave transmissions to North America in recent years, but there's a real
question as to whether they have done so because of declining listenership, or
whether their listenership may have declined because they discontinued the
broadcasts. Indeed, Berg cites Bob Zanotti, formerly of Swiss Radio
International, as saying that "decision-making on the future of shortwave
is in the hands of theoreticians and technocrats rather than broadcasting
professionals, and that has led to a denigration of shortwave and the premature
promotion of alternatives that cannot serve the large audiences that are
routinely within shortwave's reach."
But that takes us into the subject of broadcasting on shortwave, and that's precisely the title of Jerry Berg's other new book, "Broadcasting on the Short Waves, 1945 to Today," which is another 400 pages or so. I can't wait to begin reading that one, and we'll have a review of it here on Viva Miami in the near future.
With a price tag of $65, "Broadcasting on the Short Waves, 1945 to Today" isn't cheap. But I can guarantee you that you won't find all of this wealth of information in one place anywhere else on earth -- not even on the Internet. And it's presented in a sturdy and attractive hardbound volume with an abundance of photographs that will definitely give you shortwave nostalgia. The book is published by McFarland (no relation to Ian McFarland of Radio Canada International!), and you can get more information and ordering details on the web at www.mcfarlandpub.com. There are chapter-by-chapter titles and descriptions on Jerry Berg's own website, www.ontheshortwaves.com. The book is also available from Universal Radio, amazon.com and other Internet booksellers.
by Jeff White, as broadcast on “Viva Miami,” Radio Miami International
I first began listening to shortwave radio in 1972 as a junior high school student living in Indianapolis, Indiana. I discovered it by accident while tuning around on my parents' multiband portable radio with two shortwave bands on it. One night I heard Radio Deutsche Welle, coming all the way from
That was a fascinating time to be a shortwave listener -- right in the middle of the Cold War, when President Nixon made his historic visits to Russia and China. The idea that I could follow world events directly from where they were happening on a simple shortwave receiver was a thrill that was hard to explain to the average person in
I'm sure many of you listening to me now have similar stories you could tell. And if so, you'll definitely be interested in a new book I received the other day called "Listening on the Short Waves, 1945 to Today" by well-known DXer Jerry Berg. This is a 400-page trip through the heydays of shortwave listening. The nostalgia is just overwhelming.
Jerry begins with a brief overview of pre-World War II shortwave history, then launches into an in-depth examination of the shortwave audience -- just who listens to this stuff and why. Are we a special breed, and how many of us are there? Research on this subject is scarce, but Jerry Berg summarizes some of what data is available from station surveys, popularity polls, listener letters, shortwave club data and the like.
The story of shortwave listening and DX clubs, primarily in
Sadly, many of these shortwave club personalities are no longer with us. But they'll always be remembered. People like Arthur Cushen of
But I'm reminiscing now, which I guess is one of the natural effects of reading "Listening On the Short Waves, 1945 to Today." The extensive shortwave club chapter tells about the club publications, conventions, their high points and low points. In terms of membership, many of these clubs peaked in the 1970's and 1980's, and they have been declining -- or even ceasing to exist -- ever since, as the Internet has largely done away with the need for printed club bulletins. There is some examination of overseas DX clubs as well, although the focus is primarily on
An additional 100 pages of Jerry Berg's book looks at shortwave literature, such as shortwave listening columns in various electronic magazines and specialized shortwave listener magazines. These include well-known publications like Popular Electronics, Popular Communications and Monitoring Times, and less well-known but valiant efforts like Voices magazine from
A shorter chapter in the book provides profiles of the top DX programs and other popular listener programs and clubs sponsored by shortwave stations. Who can forget Radio Australia's "DXers Calling," Radio Sweden's "Sweden Calling DXers," Radio Netherlands' "DX Juke Box and Media Network," the Swiss Shortwave Merry-Go-Round with "the Two Bobs" and Radio Canada International's "SWL Digest" hosted by one of the most popular shortwave personalities in the history of North America, Ian McFarland? And of course there was the "Happy Station" hosted by legendary broadcasters Eddie Startz and Tom Meyer. Some of these programs are still on the air, like HCJB's "DX Party Line," Adventist World Radio's "Wavescan" and Glenn Hauser's "World of Radio," all of which are broadcast here on WRMI.
A fairly extensive chapter of "Listening On the Short Waves" reviews the shortwave receivers that have been on the market in
"Listening On the Short Waves" then moves on to the topic of QSLíng -- the process of sending reception reports to shortwave stations and obtaining verification cards from them. Jerry provides a historical overview of station QSL policies, crafty methods that listeners have used to get QSL's out of recalcitrant stations, QSL contests and awards, and a list of publications with more detailed QSL information. Jerry Berg, incidentally, is Chairman of the Committee to Preserve Radio Verifications, which has collected more than 40,000 QSL's from stations around the world that are archived at the Library of American Broadcasting at the
No book about shortwave listening would be complete without a brief look at the role computers have played since they became accessible to the average person in
Jerry Berg concludes that while in many ways shortwave listening is every bit as fascinating and exotic as it was back in the beginning, "to listeners it is clear that shortwave broadcasting has been on the wane for some time." Of course this is written from the viewpoint of a North American DXer, and shortwave is still very much alive and kicking in many other parts of the world. I would even argue that shortwave is still a significant niche market in
But that takes us into the subject of broadcasting on shortwave, and that's precisely the title of Jerry Berg's other new book, "Broadcasting on the Short Waves, 1945 to Today," which is another 400 pages or so. I can't wait to begin reading that one, and we'll have a review of it here on Viva Miami in the near future.
With a price tag of $65, "Broadcasting on the Short Waves, 1945 to Today" isn't cheap. But I can guarantee you that you won't find all of this wealth of information in one place anywhere else on earth -- not even on the Internet. And it's presented in a sturdy and attractive hardbound volume with an abundance of photographs that will definitely give you shortwave nostalgia. The book is published by McFarland (no relation to Ian McFarland of Radio Canada International!), and you can get more information and ordering details on the web at www.mcfarlandpub.com. There are chapter-by-chapter titles and descriptions on Jerry Berg's own website, www.ontheshortwaves.com. The book is also available from Universal Radio, amazon.com and other Internet booksellers.
Broadcasting on the Short Waves, 1945 to
Today Review
by Jeff White, as broadcast on “VivaMiami ,”
Radio Miami
by Jeff White, as broadcast on “Viva
As I mentioned the other day on this program, I began listening to shortwave radio in 1972, when I was a teenager in
It was amazing to see how many stations that I had first heard in 1972 went on the air decades earlier and were still on the same frequencies when I started listening. Frequencies like 9009 kHz for Kol
The history of shortwave broadcasting very much mirrors the political history of the post-war world. Whenever there was a war or a conflict, shortwave always played a role. The numerous civil wars in
It was interesting to note all of the changes of names of countries over the years, which are usually reflected in shortwave station names too. For example, Southern Rhodesia became
Of course the Cold War was perhaps the heyday of international broadcasting on shortwave. Governments poured millions -- probably billions -- of dollars into their external radio services for propaganda and prestige purposes. The Voice of America, the BBC, Deutsche Welle, Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty and others transmitted in dozens of languages to the communist countries, while Radio Moscow, the Eastern European stations and Radio Peking pumped equal amounts of money into their own shortwave propaganda services, also in dozens of languages to all parts of the world. Jerry Berg examines in scholarly detail how the Cold War fueled a boom in shortwave, and how the boom burst after the Berlin Wall fell. Many stations no longer had a legitimate raison d'etre in the minds of government bureaucrats, so their budgets were cut, causing them to cancel language services, reduce hours of transmission and just plain close down in many cases.
Broadcasting on the Short Waves fills well over 400 pages, and it takes a bit of time and concentration to read because you have to absorb a lot of times, frequencies, transmitter powers and call letters. But that's the beauty of the book; it's an encyclopedia of detailed information about the post-war history of shortwave broadcasting in all parts of the world. I mean, where else could you read about stations like Dickson Norman's NDXE, the most widely-publicized shortwave station that never existed? The book is written primarily from the perspective of a North American shortwave listener and the stations he could hear from this locale -- not just the major government-run and religious stations, but also the domestic services that have broadcast on the tropical bands over the years. DXers in
The book begins with an overview of shortwave broadcasting, including profiles of some of the major stations and sections about domestic shortwave broadcasting, religious broadcasters, private shortwave broadcasting in the United States, clandestine and pirate stations. Berg explains the complicated process of shortwave frequency allocation and management, the development of relay stations, jamming on shortwave, the failed attempt to move to the single sideband mode, and the promise of DRM digital shortwave broadcasting. He talks about the changes in the post-Soviet era at both the communist broadcasters and Western stations. The overview chapter concludes with an examination of relays and the privatization of many stations' transmission facilities in recent years. Many of these facilities sell relay airtime to numerous stations and to smaller programmers who could not afford to put a station of their own on the air. The relay craze has led to some very strange bedfellows, such as
After the year-by-year summary of shortwave activity, which takes up the great bulk of Broadcasting on the Short Waves, Jerry Berg concludes with a chapter about "The Changing Shortwave Environment." He talks about the proliferation of shortwave broadcasting during the Cold War, the gradual decline in domestic broadcasting on the tropical bands, and the tremendous cuts in shortwave station budgets since the end of the Cold War that have led to the downsizing or elimination of many long-time shortwave broadcasters. Berg says that the reasons for the decline in shortwave broadcasting and listening include not only the end of the Cold War, but the introduction of private domestic broadcasting in many countries which gave listeners less reason to seek foreign stations for alternative programming, and the development of new technologies such as the Internet, cable TV, satellite and FM radio, all of which compete with shortwave for the listener's attention. He says that while some think Digital Radio Mondiale, or DRM, will lead to a renaissance in shortwave broadcasting, the lack of DRM receivers and programming still cast doubts on the success of this initiative. Says Berg: "Even if DRM proves successful and is able to compete with other media on audio quality, it seems clear that, absent a doomsday event that severs telephone cables and satellite channels or otherwise untethers the world from the international communication vehicles on which it increasingly relies, shortwave broadcasting will remain a specialized function, serving ever smaller audiences."
Berg notes that shortwave is often at its best during political, economic or military crises, such as the Gulf War and the Asian tsunami. Shortwave may continue to play an important role in times of crisis, although that "will not by itself justify the maintenance of major shortwave broadcasting infrastructures in individual countries."
It's obvious that Jerry Berg loves shortwave. But he's realistic about the medium's future. He writes: "While among shortwave enthusiasts there will always be hope for a resurgence of shortwave broadcasting, the absence of a shortwave constituency in most countries, the retirement of shortwave-savvy personnel, competing budgetary priorities, the march of other technologies, competition from national broadcasters, and other factors...make this an unlikely possibility."
While all of this is true, if you look at frequency allocations, the shortwave bands are still overcrowded and it's hard to find a clear frequency if you don't go out of band. I think shortwave still has a lot of life left in it, even though some of the major players may be changing. So as a shortwave broadcaster, I am a bit more optimistic about the future of the medium. And I suspect that, as a shortwave listener, maybe you are too. Unless, of course, you're listening to me on our Internet webcast!
But one thing is for sure. The magic of shortwave is still there. As Jerry Berg writes, "...after all the changes in the shortwave landscape, it is still the magic of pulling a distant signal out of the air and connecting with a far away place that makes shortwave unique, and not replicable by the new media."
You can order Broadcasting on the Short Waves, 1945 to Today, as well as Jerry Berg's companion volume Listening on the Short Waves, 1945 to Today, from the publisher at www.mcfarlandpub.com. It's also available from Internet booksellers like Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble, and at Universal Radio's website. For complete information about the book, see Jerry Berg's own website, www.ontheshortwaves.com.
Radio
Trilogy – Jerry Berg's Radio Booksellers
Review
by Adrian Peterson, Adventist World Radio, as broadcast on AWR “Wavescan”
program Nov. 30, 2008
At this time of the year, it is traditional to expect the release of annual publications that carry the date for the coming New Year. In the international radio world, we look forward with keen anticipation to the availability at the end of each year of both "Passport to World Band Radio" and the "World Radio TV Handbook", both of which are essential for all serious international radio monitors. The 2009 edition of the "World Radio TV handbook" is due out within a couple of weeks, and the 2009 edition of "Passport to World Band Radio" is already available.
However, this year all international radio monitors, DXers and shortwave listeners alike can celebrate with the availability of two additional radio publications of significant interest. You will remember that the noted radio historian, Jerome S. Berg in suburbanBoston ,
wrote a remarkable book a while back, under the title, "On the Short
Waves, 1923 – 1945" and this was published by McFarland & Company of North Carolina
Volume 1: On the Short Waves 1923 - 1945
At this time of the year, it is traditional to expect the release of annual publications that carry the date for the coming New Year. In the international radio world, we look forward with keen anticipation to the availability at the end of each year of both "Passport to World Band Radio" and the "World Radio TV Handbook", both of which are essential for all serious international radio monitors. The 2009 edition of the "World Radio TV handbook" is due out within a couple of weeks, and the 2009 edition of "Passport to World Band Radio" is already available.
However, this year all international radio monitors, DXers and shortwave listeners alike can celebrate with the availability of two additional radio publications of significant interest. You will remember that the noted radio historian, Jerome S. Berg in suburban
Volume 1: On the Short Waves 1923 - 1945
Now, this first
volume in this trilogy of radio compendiums contains the collective history of
shortwave broadcasting and shortwave listening from the very earliest
beginnings in 1923 up until the end of World War 2 in 1945. In a flowing
readable style, Jerry Berg presents the early events together with many interesting
anecdotes about the early wireless pioneers and inventors. Prominent
during this introductory era in radio broadcasting was station KDKA in Pittsburg Pennsylvania
Shortwave
broadcasting escalated during the 1930s with the proliferation of many stations
located in many different countries throughout the world. Noteworthy
during this era was station PCJ in Holland with
its international broadcast service to the United
States and the Dutch colonies in islandic Asia . Another legendary performer during this era
was the British experimental station G5SW, as the early forerunner of the BBC
World Service. The world’s first Gospel shortwave station was HCJB,
located near Quito in Ecuador ,
South America . This station aired its
initial program broadcast on Christmas Day in the year 1931.
Among the prominent shortwave stations downunder during the prewar era were the three AWA stations with similar callsigns, VK2ME, VK3ME, & VK6ME. These transmitters carried somewhat similar programming, each produced locally, and they were located near the state capitals,Sydney ,
Melbourne & Perth Fiji Islands
Among the prominent shortwave stations downunder during the prewar era were the three AWA stations with similar callsigns, VK2ME, VK3ME, & VK6ME. These transmitters carried somewhat similar programming, each produced locally, and they were located near the state capitals,
One entire
chapter in Jerry Berg’s first book covers the shortwave radio scene in the United States
Another complete chapter tells the story of the origin of the now highly popular QSL card. Originally, "QSL Cards" were what we would now call "Reception Report Cards". The early "Applause Cards" also featured prominently in the development of "QSL Cards" as issued these days by radio stations as a confirmation of listener reception.
The final major area in Book 1 of this radio trilogy presents the worldwide story of international radio broadcasting during World War 2. Featured in this section are the radio happenings inGermany ,
England , Japan and the United States
Another complete chapter tells the story of the origin of the now highly popular QSL card. Originally, "QSL Cards" were what we would now call "Reception Report Cards". The early "Applause Cards" also featured prominently in the development of "QSL Cards" as issued these days by radio stations as a confirmation of listener reception.
The final major area in Book 1 of this radio trilogy presents the worldwide story of international radio broadcasting during World War 2. Featured in this section are the radio happenings in
This initial
volume is profusely illustrated with many exotic QSL cards from major and minor
shortwave stations on all continents, including the German station at Zeesen,
the Cuban station COCQ, the "Australia Calling" VLG, FO8AA in Tahiti,
VE9GW in Bowmanville Ontario Canada, and SEAC in Colombo Ceylon. Other
illustrations feature "Applause Cards", station schedules, logs, and
photographs.
Volume 2: Listening on the Short Waves 1945 to Today
Volume 2: Listening on the Short Waves 1945 to Today
The second
volume in this trilogy by Jerome Berg in suburban Boston
is published, again by McFarland & Company in North Carolina
Volume 2 begins
with an updated summary of the early years, and then it progresses into an
analysis of the shortwave audience during the early postwar era. Who was
listening to the broadcast programming from the international shortwave
stations anyway? Station popularity polls, professional surveys and
memberships in shortwave radio clubs, did at least give some idea of the
widespread usage of shortwave broadcasting as a reliable medium of international
radio coverage.
One entire
chapter presents an outline history of the radio clubs, large and small, that
were functioning half a century ago. In addition to the multitude of
radio clubs located in the United States ,
there is also an alphabetic listing giving an outline history of radio clubs
that have functioned elsewhere throughout the world, including Australia , Canada ,
Europe, New Zealand , and Sri Lanka
Back in those
days, there was not such a proliferation of reliable information about the
shortwave stations located around the world as we have today, and the exchange
of club magazines containing uptodate monitoring observations at least partly
filled that void. Among the official sources were the American
"Broadcasting Stations of the World" produced by FBIS, the Foreign
Broadcast Information Service, and bulletins issued by the BBC Monitoring
Service.
Several of the
popular radio magazines, such as "Radio & TV News", "Popular
Electronics" and "Elementary Electronics" also contained DX
columns prepared by well known and experienced international radio
monitors. And of course, we should also mention the "World Radio TV
Handbook" from 1947, and "Passport to World Band Radio" from
1984.
Another chapter
tells the story of the world’s top DX programs, and the first entry is for
"DXers Calling" from Radio Australia
which was written by Ern Suffolk Sweden
Calling DXers", which was produced and broadcast worldwide by Arne Skoog
in the English Service from Radio Sweden Netherlands
In this volume
you can also find out just which shortwave receivers were available back then,
and just how well they performed. The various designs of the various
receivers are demonstrated with a multitude of photographs showing the wide
market availability back in the times of yesteryear.
The chapter and
the illustrations depicting QSLing in the postwar years presents a variety of
cards seldom seen anywhere in the world. Take for example, the QSL card
verifying the BBC relay station located at Leopoldville in West Africa, or the
card from United Nations Radio in Switzerland, or the old card from EAQ in
Spain, or the card from the German Service of the BBC London.
Yes indeed,
Volume 2 in the Jerry Berg series, "Listening on the Shortwaves, 1945 –
Today", is a very interesting book. Whether you are old or young, an
experienced shortwave listener or a newcomer to the art of international DXing,
you will enjoy the stories and information presented in the printed text, and
you will appreciate the copious illustrations that show in a detailed way what
it was like to listen to international radio back in the era beginning with the
middle of last century.
Volume 3: Broadcasting on the Short Waves 1945 to Today
Volume 3: Broadcasting on the Short Waves 1945 to Today
The third volume
in this trilogy by Jerome Berg in suburban Boston
We go back to
1945. The war is ended, and the shortwave stations are melding back to a
peace time format. The big networks, such as VOA the Voice of America , the BBC London, Radio Moscow
and Radio Canada Quito Ecuador , FEBC Manila ,
and Vatican Radio, are all making their voices
heard through an evergrowing number of shortwave transmitters with an ever
increasing power output.
In addition,
there was a host of local shortwave stations in Latin America, Europe, Africa
and Asia all of which are on the air for
regional coverage to their own peoples. OK, we now take a look at some of
the interesting stations as shown progressively in Jerry Berg’s third volume.
In 1945,
"Australia Calling" became "Radio Australia", with its own
stations VLA, VLB, VLC in Shepparton Victoria, and the part time usage of the
ABC Home Service stations VLG VLH, VLR, VLQ, & VLW.
In 1947, the 200 watt station ZNB inMafeking Bechuanaland was heard at times with a program
relay from SABC in South
Africa
In 1950, on July 4 actually, Radio Free Europe was launched from a 7 kW transmitter located at Lampertheim, south of Frankfurt inGermany
In 1952, the Voice ofAmerica
mobile relay station on board the US
Coast Guard Cutter, "Courier", began test broadcasts from Panama
In 1953, the Voice ofAmerica
commissioned a new shortwave station, co-located with the SLBC station at
Ekala, near Colombo in Sri Lanka
In 1957,Russia
In 1959, a new commercial shortwave station was launched inAndorra
In 1961, Radio Tirana opened a new transmitter station at Shijak with two transmitters at 50 kW.
In 1962, the Voice ofAmerica
closed three stations subsequent to the opening of their massive facility at Greenville North
Carolina Schenectady New York ,
WDSI Wayne New Jersey and WDSI Brentwood Long Island .
In 1964, the Australian chronohertz station atLyndhurst
in Victoria
In 1967, station WNYW atHatherly Beach in Massachusetts
was destroyed by fire, and they took out a temporary relay via RCA at Rocky
Point Long Island and Brentwood New
Jersey
In 1969, VOA Hawaii, the old KRHO, was finally closed down, though the antennas remained standing for another thirty years.
In 1974, RadioCanada
International began a relay from the Deutsche Welle station located at Cyclops
on the island of Malta
In 1977, the clandestine Radio Euzkadi closed down at the end of some thirty years of on air programming.
In 1979 Adventist World Radio took out a series of test broadcasts from RadioAndorra
In 1983, VOA Dixon inCalifornia , which had
been closed for four years, was re-activated for coverage into Latin America .
In 1988, the new BBC shortwave station in theSeychelles Islands
In 1991, Adventist World Radio inCosta Rica
bought the then silent Radio Impacto, including the transmitter site at Cahuita
on the Atlantic Coast
In 1994, the VOA station atBethany in Ohio
In 1997, HCJB inQuito Ecuador
In 2003, the FEBASeychelles
In 2004, RadioMiami International WRMI in Miami Florida
In 2008, World Christian Broadcasting commenced work on a new shortwave station located on theisland
of Madagascar Alaska
In 1947, the 200 watt station ZNB in
In 1950, on July 4 actually, Radio Free Europe was launched from a 7 kW transmitter located at Lampertheim, south of Frankfurt in
In 1952, the Voice of
In 1953, the Voice of
In 1957,
In 1959, a new commercial shortwave station was launched in
In 1961, Radio Tirana opened a new transmitter station at Shijak with two transmitters at 50 kW.
In 1962, the Voice of
In 1964, the Australian chronohertz station at
In 1967, station WNYW at
In 1969, VOA Hawaii, the old KRHO, was finally closed down, though the antennas remained standing for another thirty years.
In 1974, Radio
In 1977, the clandestine Radio Euzkadi closed down at the end of some thirty years of on air programming.
In 1979 Adventist World Radio took out a series of test broadcasts from Radio
In 1983, VOA Dixon in
In 1988, the new BBC shortwave station in the
In 1991, Adventist World Radio in
In 1994, the VOA station at
In 1997, HCJB in
In 2003, the FEBA
In 2004, Radio
In 2008, World Christian Broadcasting commenced work on a new shortwave station located on the
And 2008 is
where we leave Jerome Berg and his trilogy of remarkable volumes that trace the
history of shortwave broadcasting and listening over the past eighty five
years. All three books make fascinating reading, and the illustrations in
each form a unique pictorial panorama of the history of shortwave radio
broadcasting from the very beginning right up to our modern era of 2008.
These three
books, published by McFarland & Company at Box 611 , Jefferson North Carolina 28640
Passport to World Band Radio 2009
Passport to World Band Radio 2009
Review
by Adrian Peterson, Adventist World Radio, as broadcast on AWR “Wavescan”
program Nov. 30, 2008
The new 2009 edition of the remarkable and readable "Passport to World Band Radio" is now available, and it is packed with valuable station information and scheduling that will keep you busy at your radio for a whole year.
The new 2009 edition of the remarkable and readable "Passport to World Band Radio" is now available, and it is packed with valuable station information and scheduling that will keep you busy at your radio for a whole year.
This new edition of "Passport to World Band Radio" is their 25th, and all editions have been produced under the editorial expertise of
It is true, that international analog radio broadcasting in the standard shortwave bands is in a diminishing mode. However, the massive number of entries in the Blue Pages in this new edition of PP2WBR makes it abundantly clear that the era of analog shortwave broadcasting is far from over. In fact, with approximately 40 entries on each of the 168 pages covering the entire shortwave spectrum, this makes a total of nearly 7,000 station entries in this section. Ask any Frequency Co-ordinator in any shortwave broadcasting station, or any international radio monitor who is listening to these multitudinous stations, and he will tell you that the shortwave bands are still clogged full with stations.
Other very
interesting items of information in this 2009 edition of this annual volume
include 140 pages of packed reviews of all types of shortwave radios and
associated equipment currently available worldwide; what type of radio to take
with you on your international travels; 64 pages of station addresses and
information; a double page map showing the location of all shortwave stations
throughout the world; and compiled schedules showing station programming hour
by hour, and country by country in English.
You will enjoy
reading the article on the intertwined radio scene in Colombia
Of interest
also, are the many color and black & white photos showing radio stations
and radio personnel in lots of exotic locations; and you will also see the many
pages of highly professional advertising showing the Grundig-Eton range of
radio receivers.
You will notice that the roster of contributors to
PP2WBR includes well known and experienced personnel from many different
countries throughout the world, including for example, Jose Jacob VU2JOS in
Hyderabad, India.
Altogether, this is a quality volume that is worthy of annual usage by all people involved in the shortwave realm, and equally worthy for permanent reference for those who have a real interest in radio history. In fact, if you are listening to this edition of the AWR DX program, "Wavescan", or if you are reading this script in a magazine or on a website, you do have sufficient interest in the international shortwave scene, and you really do need to obtain once again, the current edition of PP2WBR. You can visit their website at www.passband.com.
Altogether, this is a quality volume that is worthy of annual usage by all people involved in the shortwave realm, and equally worthy for permanent reference for those who have a real interest in radio history. In fact, if you are listening to this edition of the AWR DX program, "Wavescan", or if you are reading this script in a magazine or on a website, you do have sufficient interest in the international shortwave scene, and you really do need to obtain once again, the current edition of PP2WBR. You can visit their website at www.passband.com.
-----
|
|
SWL
News
American DX Report
by
Adrian Peterson, Adventist World Radio, as broadcast on AWR “Wavescan” program
on Nov. 30, 2008
* USA: Currently, there is a concerted effort on the part of radio afficianados to rescue the high powered "Voice of America" international shortwave station located near Delano in California. If their efforts are successful, this station will not be demolished, but instead it will be preserved for possible use in the future, as coming political and international events may suggest. This VOA station near the American Pacific coast was constructed towards the end of World War 2, and over the years it has been modernized and updated as newer equipment has become available. The coverage area for VOA Delano has been the many countries on the Pacific rim and alsoLatin America . You can read about
the rescue efforts that have already been implemented by checking their website
at radionational.org and also by entering VOA Delano into Youtube.
*Canada : The 1 kW shortwave
station located near Toronto in Ontario Indianapolis ,
550 miles southwest of Toronto Indiana
*New Guinea : Adventist
World Radio has contributed half of the funds required for establishing an FM
station at the Pacific Adventist University
in Port Moresby , Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea Port Moresby
* India: Jose Jacob, VU2JOS in Hyderabad, reported on November 16 that AIR Port Blair was noted on 4765 kHz instead of the usual 4760 kHz, thus enabling listeners to tune in AIR Leh which was previously co-channel with Port Blair.
*Indonesia : The BBC
Monitoring Service reports that there are sixty two radio stations on the air
on the holiday island
of Bali Bali .
*Namibia : BBC Monitoring
also reports that NBC, The Namibia Windhoek
*Thailand : A report
from Andy Sennitt via Jerry Berg states that the BBC relay station located in
northern Thailand Netherlands relay station located on the island of Madagascar
*Romania : According to
Alokesh Gupta in India via Cumbre DX , Romania
*Australia : A report
in the October issue of the Australian DX News states that HCJB Australia has received approval to construct a
new shortwave station on an adjoining property at Kununurra at the top of Western Australia
* Australia: The same issue of ADXN also states that the transmitter facilities of Radio Netherlands at Flevo in Holland are in the process of being dismantled, though it is not known yet as to what will happen to all of this equipment and the transmitter building.
* USA: And now an interesting old item of news as our final item in this edition of American DX Report; and we take you to Chicago Illinois, on the edge of the Great Lakes. Back three quarters of a century ago, the mediumwave station WLS inChicago
Baltic States Tour
* USA: Currently, there is a concerted effort on the part of radio afficianados to rescue the high powered "Voice of America" international shortwave station located near Delano in California. If their efforts are successful, this station will not be demolished, but instead it will be preserved for possible use in the future, as coming political and international events may suggest. This VOA station near the American Pacific coast was constructed towards the end of World War 2, and over the years it has been modernized and updated as newer equipment has become available. The coverage area for VOA Delano has been the many countries on the Pacific rim and also
*
*
* India: Jose Jacob, VU2JOS in Hyderabad, reported on November 16 that AIR Port Blair was noted on 4765 kHz instead of the usual 4760 kHz, thus enabling listeners to tune in AIR Leh which was previously co-channel with Port Blair.
*
*
*
*
*
* Australia: The same issue of ADXN also states that the transmitter facilities of Radio Netherlands at Flevo in Holland are in the process of being dismantled, though it is not known yet as to what will happen to all of this equipment and the transmitter building.
* USA: And now an interesting old item of news as our final item in this edition of American DX Report; and we take you to Chicago Illinois, on the edge of the Great Lakes. Back three quarters of a century ago, the mediumwave station WLS in
In the last issue of the NASB Newsletter,
Michael Murray of the World DX Club reported on the 2008 European DX Council
Conference in Vaasa , Finland Baltic States .
Following
on from the European DX Council Conference held in Vaasa, Finland in early
September, seven participants -- three from the UK (myself, Dave Kenny and Alan
Pennington from the British DX Club), two from Japan and two from Finland, including
our leader Risto Vahakainu -- took an extra cultural and radio tour of the
nearby Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
The
journey started by taking the train from Vaasa
to Helsinki Helsinki we had time to walk through the city centre going
from the railway station to the harbour, stopping on the way to look at the Dom Church Estonia ,
Tallinn
After
booking into the St Olav hotel, we took a short walk into the town hall square
for the first part of our cultural visit. The next morning, after a hearty
breakfast we did a longer walking tour of Tallinn Riga ,
the capital of Latvia Riga we walked to the Garden Palace
After
breakfast, we took a taxi to explore the city and find the site of the Ulbroka
transmitter station. The tour started with a trip, through heavy morning
traffic, out of the city to view the local television transmitter, which stands
on an island in the middle of the River Daugava. Then it was on to find the
Ulbroka transmitter station, which was at the end of a long lane, and was used
during the Russian occupation. Following that we continued our drive around the
city looking for a certain building. Eventually we stopped outside a courtyard
and looked up at the roof of building to our left, and saw the letters VEF.
This is what we were looking for -- the buildings in which the VEF radios were
built. But could we find what we really wanted to see? Then in a building in
the far corner of the courtyard, we found the canteen, which contained what we
were looking for -- a museum of the radios made in those buildings. At the end
of the tour our driver dropped us in the centre of the city, close to the Freedom Monument ,
which was erected in 1935 as a symbol of Latvia Town Hall Square
In the
early afternoon, we were once again on our travels, this time from the hotel to
the bus station for our 310 km trip to Vilnius ,
the capital of Lithuania Kaunas United Kingdom
While
I was going to the airport, the others travelled back to the centre of the city
for a walk around the old part, before they all found their way to the airport
at various times in the afternoon. Alan and Dave spent an extra day in Vilnius before returning to the UK
At the
end of three tiring days, it was time to reflect on what we had seen in a very
short space of time and view the various photographs I had taken, to bring back
some very nice memories.
-----
Invitation to
EDXC Conference 2009, Dublin ,
Ireland
from Tibor Szilagyi, Secretary
General, European DX Council
Dear DX-friends and shortwave listeners all over the
world: The EDXC (European DX Council,
the umbrella organisation of shortwave clubs and DX-clubs in Europe) cordially
invites you all to the next EDXC Conference, August 28-30, 2009, in Dublin , Ireland Grand Canal Street Dublin 4, Ireland
Mail: reservations@grandcanalhotel.com. Home-page:
www.grandcanalhotel.com
Please observe: This is a 3-star hotel. Prices: Single-room EUR 115,-- /room
and night, Double-room EUR 115,--/room and night. If sharing a double-room you
only pay EUR 57,50 per person. This hotel accepts the following credit cards:
Visa, Master Card, American Express and Diners Club. On your reservation
request, first you write the special password for this reservation: EDXC
CONFERENCE 2009. Then you write your
family name, your given name, your arrival date at the hotel, your departure
date from the hotel. The hotel needs your credit card number at the time of
reservation to be able to confirm your room.
Edward Dunne of the Irish DX Club and Tibor Szilagyi of the
EDXC are working on the programme of the Conference. What we know now: There
will be interesting lectures about shortwave radio, a sightseeing tour in Dublin
The conference fee is payable directly to Tibor Szilagyi
upon arrival. The Conference Fee: EUR
115,-- per person includes: use of the conference room, relevant papers like
conference covers, name tags, lunch on Saturday, sightseeing tour in Dublin,
visit to the Museum of Vintage Radio and the banquet dinner. What you consume as drinks during the banquet
dinner, you will pay extra to the hotel staff.
For further information you may contact: Tibor Szilagyi , Sweden
E -- Mail: tiszi2035@yahoo.com and
Edward Dunne, Ireland
edxc2009@live.ie
-----
|
New site in
English about 2009 Mexican National DX Meeting
A new website has
come online in English with complete information about the 15th
National Meeting of Mexican DXers and Shortwave Listeners, to be held in
The address
is:
http://www.gratisweb.com/dxmexico/english.htm
|
|
|
Below are some excerpts from the website:
|
|
15th National and International Meeting of
DXers and Shortwave Listeners
Cuernavaca
2009 - July 31-August 2, 2009
What is this meeting?
This
is the annual get-together for all radio enthusiasts: DXers, radio experimenters, shortwave
listeners, associations, groups, clubs and radio listeners in general; from Mexico Mexico
Historical information:
In the year 1995
the First National Meeting of DX Clubs formally took place in Mexico
Who are the organizers? For this 2009 edition, the hosts and organizers are
the local DXers of the Morelos DX Club and members of the Mexico
Who is it for? Anyone who is a radio enthusiast; not
only DXers, but also ordinary radio listeners, students, telecommunications
workers, engineers, students, radio
announcers and producers, technicians, people with or without knowledge of the
subject. All are welcome.
What are the objectives?
Get
people together with a common denominator:
Radio listening and DXing.
Promote
radio listening on shortwave (SW), which is unknown by many people in our
country, and which is vast source of
information about the world. As a
consequence, promote the hobby of DXing, an educational, cultural and
instructive "science hobby." Get stations closer to their listeners,
establishing real and personal communication between each: appreciating the radio listener and his
suggestions in order to improve the service.
Exchange information between participants and DXers, and promote
friendship and comradery. Create a
public forum.
Analyze
the contemporary phenomena of telecommunciations, not only radio and its
future; Internet, satellite, TV, VHF, UHF, AM, FM, LW, shortwave, etc., etc.
DXing, DXing and more Dxing.
Location:
The
city of Cuernavaca is located some 85 kilometers
south of the capital of Mexico ,
Mexico City Mexico City
Reasons to visit Cuernavaca
and all of the State of Morelos
(So
you can enjoy this beautiful region using the DX Meeting as a pretext)
Historical
attractions.-
Here
in Curnavaca, there are important historical attractions such as museums,
monuments, gardens, plazas and historical houses. One of the obligatory visits is to the Museo
Cuauhnahuac or the Palace
of Cortes
Tourist
and ecological attractions.-
This
is a perfect region for eco-tourism, with a favorable climate and an abundance
of cold- and hot-water natural springs, without mentioning the abundance of
campgrounds and beaches, and the largest water park in all of Latin
America . There are also
large greenhouses for plants and ornate flowers such as the poinsettia and roses.
As for lodging and gastronomy, you can find options for all tastes and
pocketbooks.
For
these reasons and more, Morelos is a magical part of our Mexican Republic Cuernavaca
How to get here?
From Mexico City
By air,
a)
Arriving directly from the Mexico
City International Airport Mexico City International
Airport to the city of Cuernavaca
More
information at the web page:
http://www.pullman.com.mx
b)
Arriving at the local airport, the Cuernavaca
Airport in the capital city of the
State of Morelos
More
information at:
http://cuernavaca.asa.gob.mx/wb/webasa/cuernavaca_aeropuertos
Where to stay?
Cuernavaca,
being an excellent tourist destination, has an infinity of lodging possibilities
for all tastes and budgets, from the most luxurious suite to a rustic room in a
guest house (“casa de huespedes”).
-----
NASB
Members:
Adventist World Radio
Assemblies of Yahweh
EWTN Global Catholic Radio
WEWN
Family Stations Inc.
Far East Broadcasting Co.
Fundamental Broadcasting
Network
La Voz de Restauracion
Broadcasting, Inc.
Le Sea Broadcasting Corp.
Radio Miami
Trans World Radio
World Christian Broadcasting
World Wide Christian Radio
NASB
Associate Members:
Comet North
America
Continental Electronics
Corporation
Galcom International
George Jacobs &
Associates
Hatfield and Dawson
Consulting Engineers
HCJB World Radio
IBB
Kintronic Labs, Inc.
TCI International, Inc.
TDF
TDP
Thomson Inc.
VT Communications
National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters
Ph: (863)
763-0281 Fax: (863) 763-8867 E-mail:
nasbmem@rocketmail.com
