R A D I O A C T I V I T Y

NordAM on shortwaves on June 2nd

noreply@blogger.com (Alokesh Gupta) — Wed, 30 May 2012 18:00:00 +0000

Dear listeners and friends, Thank you so much for your kind letters, reception reports and comments regarding our last transmission in April. We were wondering how we could thank you (besides of sending you our brand new QSL card, what we did already) and came to the conclusion that a magical selection of amazing tunes from all over the world would be the greatest "thank you" we could send out to all of you. Well, after having finished writing down our playlist, we aren't sure anymore wheather our selection of music is that magical acutally, but we hope you will like it anyway (plus dance while listening to our records which we will have in the show, too!)

To sum it up: The seventh edition of NordAM will be broadcasted next Saturday:

02/06/2012

1400-1500 UTC on 6005 kHz

2000-2100 UTC on 3995 kHz

We use Radio 700's transmitters in Kall-Krekel, Germany (with 1000 Watts). Furthermore, we can be heard on Radio 700's online live streaming. Just go to <http://radio700.de/player/player_kw.php?p=1> and select the frequency we are currently broadcasting on. These streams and frequencies normally carry the nice broadcasts of Radio 700.

Once again, we will bring you some current (Indie) pop and rock music from all over the world and hope to bring you around 60 minutes of entertainment and joy. Furthermore, we have a short listener's mailbox-program and invite you to send us again your comments and reception reports.

Detailled and correct reports will be verified with our new QSL card (by regular mail or email). Please send all your letters and reports to: nordam @ shortwaveservice.com Or visit our Facebook site: http://www.facebook.com/pages/NordAM/231948116860158

We would like to thank all listeners for writing and sending reports regarding our previous transmission. If you like, you can add some comments on our show and tell us if you liked the music we played. All reception reports of our previous transmission have been confirmed and the QSLs were posted on May 19th. Of course we are also glad to hear from you if you have any advice for us regarding new bands etc., maybe from your hometown or country.

We are excited to read where our little "student-radio-project" can be received. Feel free to forward these information to your DXing friends. Let's meet on the airwaves in the 49 and 75 metre-band next Saturday!

All the best, Torben & Daniel

P.S: More details about Radio 700: http://www.radio700.eu/. Our transmission is made possible thanks to http://www.shortwaveservice.com/ (see this page for technical details and schedule updates !).

Next transmission of Scandanavian Weekend Radio

noreply@blogger.com (Alokesh Gupta) — Fri, 25 May 2012 18:01:00 +0000

Next transmission of Scandanavian Weekend Radio broadcast :

1st-2nd June 2012

22nd-23rd June 2012 Midnight Sun Radio

Schedule as usual at : http://www.swradio.net/schedule.htm

Radio Baltic Waves, Lithuania granted license for MW DRM broadcast

noreply@blogger.com (Alokesh Gupta) — Fri, 25 May 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Radio Baltic Waves, Lithuania hs been granted license to broadcast on 1386 kHz MW in DRM mode.

More at : http://air-radiorama.blogspot.it/2012/05/radio-baltic-lithuania-in-drm.html

KTWR Guam DRM Test on 26th May

noreply@blogger.com (Alokesh Gupta) — Wed, 23 May 2012 06:49:00 +0000

KTWR, Guam will be testing in DRM mode on Saturday 26th May 2012 at 1330-1342 UTC on 15240 kHz. Azi = 290 Deg, Power = 75 kW

India Radio Forum 2012: The key is to increase radio market share

noreply@blogger.com (Alokesh Gupta) — Wed, 23 May 2012 02:42:00 +0000

MUMBAI: Shedding light on the growth of radio as the preferred medium for advertisers and the key challenges lying ahead, the Indian radio industry convened at the seventh edition of India Radio Forum today at Mumbai. This year, the forum focused on the future of radio, advantages of phase III auction, including new licenses, digital options, new funding sources and a host of innovative ways to connect with the audience.

More at :

http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k12/may/may183.php

Radio goes online

noreply@blogger.com (Alokesh Gupta) — Tue, 22 May 2012 18:20:00 +0000

It's perfect for the discerning listener , the kind who simply won't settle for the "hits" being played on the radio. Internet radio is the perfect platform for the independent musician and indie music lover. It's a bit reminiscent of the old days of radio where one could discover music.

I&B Ministry, GOI, plans amendments in Prasar Bharati Act, 1990

noreply@blogger.com (Alokesh Gupta) — Tue, 22 May 2012 16:11:00 +0000

Based on recommendations of a group of ministers (GoM), the I&B ministry is planning several amendments in the Prasar Bharati Act, 1990 which include omitting provisions for constitution of a Broadcasting Council and a separate Parliamentary Committee for Prasar Bharati.

More at : http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=763411

World Radio TV Handbook A12 CD

noreply@blogger.com (Alokesh Gupta) — Sat, 19 May 2012 13:25:00 +0000

We are delighted to announce the availability of the new WRTH Bargraph Frequency Guide for the A12 season. The CD contains the complete, and monitored, A12 international broadcasts, and fully updated domestic shortwave, displayed as a pdf colour bargraph.

This CD is only for sale on the WRTH site. Visit our website at http://www.wrth.com/ to find out more and to order a copy.

I hope you enjoy using this Frequency Guide.

Nicholas Hardyman

Publisher

Direct link to order :

https://secure400.sectorlink.com/wrth/order_cd.asp

DX Antwerp 30th Anni Special QSL

noreply@blogger.com (Alokesh Gupta) — Sat, 19 May 2012 07:48:00 +0000

Received this e-qsl in a day for Beligum DX Club's special txn via Issoudun on the ocassion of thier 30th Anniversary.....

Report on NASB 2012 Annual Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Alokesh Gupta) — Sat, 19 May 2012 02:29:00 +0000

The Voice of America's Chief White House Correspondent Dan Robinson spoke to the 2012 Annual Meeting of the National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters (NASB) in Washington on May 10 and 11. Robinson, an avid shortwave listener since 1968, talked about how his interest in shortwave radio led him to a career as an international broadcast journalist. Over the years, he has served as VOA correspondent in East Africa and Bangkok, and director of the VOA's Burmese section. Today, he works out of the White House and travels with the U.S. President to places like Cartagena most recently, where he reported on the Secret Service controversy and the other news made at the recent Summit of the Americas there.

Other recent news events such as the activities surrounding Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng made the NASB annual meeting location quite timely. The conference was hosted by Radio Free Asia at its headquarters in Washington. Dan Southerland, Vice President for Programming at RFA and editors of the Chinese, Tibetan, Burmese and Korean services talked about the challenges they have with newsgathering and reporting in their target countries, and about the loyal following they have among millions of listeners throughout Asia. They explained that while RFA is using a lot of new technologies to reach Asian listeners, shortwave radio remains a primary form of delivery for the station. In countries like North Korea, shortwave is virtually the only means of reaching listeners from abroad. Dr, Kim Andrew Elliott, audience research specialist at the U.S. International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB), presented survey results showing what types of media, including shortwave receivers, people have access to in Asian and Africa countries, and via what means they listen to international broadcasters. While he noted that shortwave listenership is small or decreasing in many countries, Elliott said it is still very popular in some countries, including many parts of Africa and in other areas of the world where press freedom is limited and people seek information from abroad. Other speakers at the NASB annual meeting included A.J. Janitschek, RFA's director of program and operations support, who told broadcasters about many smartphone applications that help broadcasters and engineers do their jobs more easily. Janitschek was also the principal organizer of the NASB meeting for RFA. Part of the meeting was dedicated to presentations by the USA DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) group. DRM Consortium steering board member Adil Mina of Continental Electronics in Dallas gave an update on the status of DRM, which is the only method of digital broadcasting approved for shortwave broadcasters in the United States and around the world. He talked frankly about the political and technological obstacles that DRM has encountered, including slow development of mass-production, low-cost DRM receivers. But Mina said that there are positive developments in that regard under new DRM Consortium leadership, and he demonstrated a new DRM receiver that currently costs about $120, but is not yet available in the U.S. market.

Charles Jacobson of HCJB's Global Technology Center in Elkhart, Indiana told about their conversion of 100-kilowatt shortwave transmitters to DRM transmission capability, and John Wineman, also of HCJB, explained how a group of students at LeTourneau University is helping to develop a "DRM diversity receiver." Jacobson said that HCJB's German partner, Vozandes Media, has just decided to abandon its plans to build a new 100-kilowatt shortwave transmitter site in Ecuador to transmit to the Amazon region of South America. A low-power (eight kilowatt) shortwave transmitter on 6050 kHz intended to reach rural areas of Ecuador is the only remaining HCJB shortwave transmission from Ecuador, and it is operated by Vozandes Media. Dr. Adrian Peterson, International Relations Coordinator for NASB member Adventist World Radio and a member of the NASB Board, provided a report on the latest activities of AWR, which continues to rely highly on shortwave broadcasts in many parts of the world. AWR is installing new antennas at its shortwave station in Guam, and it uses many shortwave relay stations around the world to transmit its programming from dozens of studios located worldwide. Thomas Witherspoon heads a non-profit organization called Ears to Our World, which distributes "wind-up" shortwave receivers free of charge to teachers in Africa and other areas of the world where there is little or no electricity or Internet. He gave an emotional presentation called "Shortwave for Good" about how these listeners often have no other form of contact with the outside world, and about how shortwave radio transmissions are being used to educate young people in remote locations. Tom Lucey of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) International Bureau presented his new colleague Shahnaz Ghavami to the group and said that there have been two recent applications for new privately-owned shortwave stations in the United States. Lucey said that it is still very difficult to find clear in-band frequencies, so shortwave is far from dying. Dr. Donald Messer, formerly of IBB engineering and former head of the DRM Technical Committee, presented the good news that a new system of oceanographic radar that is using HF frequencies has decided to stay clear of most of the frequency ranges that U.S. shortwave broadcasters use. Mark Allen of NASB's newest associate member, Antenna Products of Mineral Wells, Texas, explained the work that his company does with government and private clients around the world, including sophisticated high-power shortwave transmission antennas. He pointed out that 90 percent of the world's airports have antennas manufactured by Antenna Products. [Anyone who would like a printed or electronic copy of the Antenna Products master catalog may e-mail Mark Allen at: allen at antennaproducts dot com Another new NASB associate member is the Far East Broadcasting Company. FEBC was one of the founding members of the Association in 1990, but in 2011 it closed its shortwave station KFBS in Saipan, a U.S.-administered area in the Pacific Ocean. Only FCC-licensed shortwave stations can be voting members of the NASB, so FEBC is now an associate member. FEBC's Chris Slabaugh explained that his organization decided to consolidate its shortwave operations as a cost-cutting measure, so the transmitters in Saipan were moved to two shortwave transmission sites which the company already owns in the Philippines. Dismantling the Saipan station and moving everything to the Philippines turned out to be a long, complex project, but it has now been successfully completed. Dr. Jerry Plummer of NASB member WWCR in Nashville, Tennessee, presented to the group the results of a one-year survey of Spanish-speaking shortwave listeners that the NASB carried out via its webage. Not surprisingly, most respondents were from Latin America and Iberia. Interestingly, however, the survey showed that the average age of respondents to the Spanish language survey was significantly lower than that of respondents to a similar English-language survey that the NASB did the year before. This supports a conclusion that shortwave listeners in Latin America are overall younger than shortwave listeners in North America, Europe and some other parts of the world, perhaps boding well for the future of shortwave listening in Latin America. The final speaker at the 2012 NASB annual meeting was NASB President Glen Tapley of WEWN in Birmingham, Alabama. He invited everyone interested in shortwave broadcasting and listening to attend the 2013 NASB annual meeting, which his station will host in Birmingham on May 16 and 17, 2013. Activities will include a visit to the breathtaking mountain location of WEWN's shortwave transmitter facility on the outskirts of Birmingham, complete with a mountain-top barbecue. More details will be available shortly on the NASB's webpage, www.shortwave.org. In the coming days, the website will also be posting audio files of most of the presentations at this year's annual meeting, and PowerPoint presentations as well. At the annual business portion of the meeting, Brady Murray of WWCR was elected to a second three-year term on the NASB board of directors. Murray was re-elected NASB Vice President, and Glen Tapley was re-elected as President. Jeff White of WRMI in Miami was re-elected Secretary-Treasurer, and Thais White of WRMI was re-elected Assistant Secretary Treasurer. The NASB board voted to grant the status of "Associate Member Emeritus" for the first time, issuing the award to George Jacobs, who for decades worked as an HF frequency planner for the International Broadcasting Bureau and later for many privately-owned shortwave stations in the United States.

Photos from the NASB 2012 annual meeting will soon appear on the Association's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/nasbshortwave (Via Jeff White, NASB)

Newly-Delivered, Innovative Equipment Gives Libyan Listeners Expanded FM Access to Radio Sawa

noreply@blogger.com (Alokesh Gupta) — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:18:00 +0000

Washington, DC — The Broadcasting Board of Governors has launched an FM radio transmitter in Tripoli that covers the Libyan capital and its suburbs, home to about two million people.

The new transmitter broadcasts a 24/7 stream from Radio Sawa, with a signature mix of more than six hours of daily news combined with popular Arabic and Western music. "This is a country in turmoil, seeking a foothold in democracy," said Brian Conniff, president of the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc., home to Radio Sawa. "We offer a reliable source of news and information essential as the people of Libya strive to shape their future. We are proud to support free media in Libya, most especially during its political transition." The BBG, which provides and maintains technology around the world to support its broadcasters, had been working non-stop since mid-2011 to get the new transmitter in place. Compact enough to fit in a refrigerator box, the equipment enables programming on 106.6 FM, an easy-to-find frequency. "It's crucial that we reach audiences via the media that they prefer," said André Mendes, the BBG's Chief information Officer and Chief Technology Officer. "In this region, at this time, that means FM radio. And we're delighted to be able to use a frequency with such a good signal, so people will hear our programs loud and clear." Audiences in Benghazi have heard Radio Sawa programming around the clock on the locally well-known 88.1 since October 2011. A major Libyan city, Benghazi was the stronghold of Libyan rebel forces. As the protests of the Arab Spring swept across the Middle East in 2011, correspondents for Radio Sawa and its sister station, Alhurra Television, reported on the wave of uprisings in Libya by traveling from Benghazi to Tripoli. Their on-air and online reporting tackled the news from the front lines as well as the challenges facing Libya during its transition to a new government. Radio Sawa has a weekly reach of 14 million listeners, according to international research firms such as ACNielsen. In addition to Libya, Radio Sawa broadcasts on FM in Morocco, Jordan, the Palestinian Territories, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, U.A.E., Lebanon, Iraq, Sudan and Djibouti. Radio Sawa also broadcasts on medium wave to Egypt, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Syria and online at http://www.radiosawa.com/

(BBG Press Release)

AWR launches campaign to upgrade Guam txn facility

noreply@blogger.com (Alokesh Gupta) — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:46:00 +0000

From the tiny island of Guam, AWR’s shortwave broadcasts are carrying the gospel to the most populated countries on earth. But the facility needs a crucial upgrade.

For 25 years, AWR’s shortwave towers on the tiny Pacific island of Guam have been broadcasting messages of hope to countless listeners across Asia.

More at :

http://www.awr.org/en/news/show/55

AWR Begins Armenian Broadcasts

noreply@blogger.com (Alokesh Gupta) — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:43:00 +0000

by Shelley Nolan Freesland AWR Communication Director

AWR has begun broadcasting programs in the Armenian language, through two FM stations. Programs featuring spiritual, health, family, and children’s topics are being carried on Radio Ardzaganq, in the capital city of Yerevan, and Radio Mig, in the city of Vanadzor. Both stations are repeating the programs a second time during the day at almost no charge.

Located at the foot of Mount Ararat, Armenia is the oldest official Christian country in the world. The country has a population of about 2.5 million people, of which only 801 are Adventist church members.

“Many of the young people are moving to the capital for jobs and education, and the nation is facing hard economic times, especially in the villages and small towns,” says Vigen Khachatryan, Media Center director of the Transcaucasus Union Mission. “Radio programs can help the church’s outreach efforts in Armenia, because the most traditional Christian people in the world are more open to the gentle message from media than from so‐called ‘sectarians’.”

This is the first time that official Adventist radio programs will be heard in Armenia. (Years ago, a church member from the United States – Daniel Kaffenberger – was supporting radio in Vanadzor.) Production is taking place in a studio built by AWR. The studio director, Knarik Petrosyan, is a student at Yerevan State University; the team includes businessman Tigran Stepanyan, who is working as a presenter and programmer, as well as a whole family, the Mkhitaryans. Hovik is a journalist, while his wife, Gegecik, is a teacher; their son, Joseph, is 10 years old. The family has broadcasting experience from their involvement with the earlier radio work in Vanadzor.

“The most challenging problems in Armenia are smoking, alcohol, decrease of family values, atheism, and poverty,” Khachatryan says. “Our programs will offer hope, help in overcoming secularism, more complete family principles, assistance with stopping smoking and drinking, and more.”

Within the next few months, the programs will also be available on the web: on demand at awr.org, and as podcasts through awr.org and iTunes. Online access is particularly valuable, as there are more than four million Armenians living outside of their home country.

(Press Release)

VOA Swahili Service Celebrates 50th Anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (Alokesh Gupta) — Fri, 18 May 2012 10:36:00 +0000

VOA’s Swahili service is marking its 50th Anniversary this May, with tributes to the reputation the service has built throughout its broadcasting history...

More at :

http://www.insidevoa.com/content/voa_swahili_service_celebrates_50th_anniversary/666384.html

DRM Receiver Task Group visits China

noreply@blogger.com (Alokesh Gupta) — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:46:00 +0000

The Receiver Task Group, represented by Ludo Maes and Mireya Martinez, (TDP) went to China to meet with various radio broadcasting organizations and companies. Read the report by Ludo Maes at : http://drm.org/news_item/DRM_Receiver_Task_Group_visits_China

Govt advised to transform Radio Nepal into public broadcaster

noreply@blogger.com (Alokesh Gupta) — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:13:00 +0000

The government has received a suggestion to transform Radio Nepal into a public broadcasting agency or run as a corporation under the communication institution act. The suggestion was furnished by Radio Nepal Reform Taskforce in a report submitted to the Minister for Information and Communication, Raj Kishor Yadav on Tuesday, according to RSS.

More at : http://www.nepalnews.com/home/index.php

India households with radio's falls by 18.4 million in ten years

noreply@blogger.com (Alokesh Gupta) — Wed, 16 May 2012 08:59:00 +0000

Buried in the census data on household assets is one fascinating statistic: Even as almost half of Indian households now own television sets, the number of Indian households with radios has fallen by almost 15 percentage points between 2001 and 2011.

More at :

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-05-15/news/31711559_1_households-fm-radio-transistor

Shortwave Gathering Identifies Broadcast Opportunities

noreply@blogger.com (Alokesh Gupta) — Wed, 16 May 2012 05:49:00 +0000

A large portion of presentations at the National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters meeting, held in Washington, May 10–11 centered on the idea how shortwave radio — dismissed by some as in its last throes, a relic of the Cold War era disappearing under the shadow of digital — can find a place in the 21st century.

More at :

http://www.rwonline.com/article/shortwave-gathering-identifies-broadcast-opportunities/213464

DRM Website - Your views invited

noreply@blogger.com (Alokesh Gupta) — Mon, 14 May 2012 17:45:00 +0000

Dear All,

We would be very grateful if you could spare a few minutes to complete a survey on your experience of using the DRM website www.drm.org.

Your feedback is important as users of the website. Please feel free to forward the survey to your colleagues also. Please click on the link below to begin the survey. We have a very special prize for the first 3 surveys we receive so we look forward to your participation. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Z5VGBZ2

The survey is also available in this month's Newsletter and if you haven't signed up to receive our Newsletter, don't miss this month's issue there's lots for you to read and find out more about DRM activities.(link below) http://newsletters.lavishcreative.com/t/ViewEmailArchive/r/0124FA1E3EBE82A5/C67FD2F38AC4859C/

Kind regards, Charlotte

(via drmna yg)

Future of QSL'ing ?

noreply@blogger.com (Alokesh Gupta) — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:15:00 +0000

How about this ......you listen to a broadcast, email a reception report and voila the broadcaster acknowledges your reception report by displaying a message for you on the receiver itself !!!

It happened during DX Antwerp, Belgian DX Club's special DRM broacast on the ocassion of their 30th anniversary last saturday, 12th May on 15775 kHz towards South Asia at 1530-1630 UTC.

Here's a video ...

http://youtu.be/nu7zlERJgNU

Another innovation of DRM !!

Trans World Radio Transmitter Threatened By Flooding

noreply@blogger.com (Alokesh Gupta) — Mon, 14 May 2012 10:52:00 +0000

International Christian broadcaster Trans World Radio (TWR) was struggling Sunday, May 13, to prevent flooding at one of its main transmitter sites on the island of Bonaire.

Read the full story at :

http://www.bosnewslife.com/21638-mission-watch-trans-world-radio-transmitter-threatened-by-flooding

DRM Newsletter May 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Alokesh Gupta) — Fri, 11 May 2012 07:24:00 +0000

Read the DRM Newsletter May 2012 here : http://tinyurl.com/c8w3645

Main Stories : - NAB 2012, Las Vegas

- DRM Receiver Task Group visits China

- Voice Of Nigeria – Reaching the World Louder and Clearer

- The Broadcasters’ User Guide launched in Russian language

- All India Radio gears up with a new transmitter at Rajkot

- European Community Radio stations meet European Parliament members to discuss digitization

- ABC Australia joins the DRM Consortium

RadioAsia 2012 opens in Jakarta

noreply@blogger.com (Alokesh Gupta) — Tue, 08 May 2012 09:59:00 +0000

Radio broadcasting experts from the Asia-Pacific and beyond are meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia from today, to plan for the future of the industry in the region. As the only international radio programming conference of its kind in the Asia-Pacific, the ABU Secretary General says there is a lot riding on the RadioAsia Conference in Jakarta from 7-9 May 2012. According to Dr Javad Mottaghi, RadioAsia 2012 comes at a critical time for radio in both Indonesia and the region.

More at :

http://www.abu.org.my/Latest_News-@-ABU’s_RadioAsia_2012_opens_in_Jakarta.aspx

Shortwave radios for Sarawak longhouses

noreply@blogger.com (Alokesh Gupta) — Mon, 07 May 2012 09:39:00 +0000

The radio. This simple device that comes in all shape and sizes, is often taken for granted. But is a lifeline to information for Sarawakians living in the interior. More at : http://hornbillunleashed.wordpress.com/2012/05/07/30087/

Shortwave listening like a fishing expedition

noreply@blogger.com (Alokesh Gupta) — Mon, 07 May 2012 07:29:00 +0000

Trading clicks for turns, clarity for static ... and really loving it By Bill Husted My secret is revealed: I'm an analog guy in a digital world. Shortwave listening, once the drug of choice for nerds, is an unlikely hobby nowadays. After all, that distant station I'm straining to hear probably is also available as a crystal clear audio stream somewhere on the Internet.