Sunday, July 18, 2010

Radio Bulgaria DX Program

This is Radio Bulgaria’s weekly DX Program for radio amateurs and short wave fans and DXers which is included in our one-hour broadcasts starting as follows:

Friday at 21.00 UTC on 5900 and 7400 kHz beamed to West Europe, at 23.00 UTC and Saturday at 02.00 UTC on 9700 and 11700 kHz to North America, as well as in the half-hour broadcast at 06.30 UTC on 9600 and 11600 kHz to West Europe.


In this issue by DX Editor Dimiter Petrov, LZ1AF, with Broadcast Tips by Rumen Pankov:

Did You Know? WWV and WWVH
Today, most amateurs know that radio stations WWV and WWVH broadcast time and frequency information 24 hours a day, seven days a week to millions of listeners worldwide. Administered by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), WWV is located in Fort Collins, Colorado, about 60 miles north of Denver; WWVH is located on the Island of Kauai, Hawaii on a 30 acre site near Kekaha. Both stations broadcast information that includes time announcements, standard time intervals, standard frequencies, UT1 time corrections, a BCD time code, geophysical alerts, marine storm warnings and Global Positioning System (GPS) status reports. Most hams today think of WWV and WWVH as “time stations.” According to QST Editor Steve Ford, WB8IMY, that’s only half true: they are really time and frequency stations. “The time signals that you hear are regulated by an atomic
clock that uses the oscillations of Cesium atoms as its standard – 9,162,361,770 oscillations equal 1 second.

Morse Code or CW is Alive
Felipe, NP4Z, from Puerto Rico says: “I’ve been at this now since February 2006 running primarily CW mode. My Morse Code proficiency has improved slowly and the desire to improve at CW is always there. But many times I stop and ask myself “why would a grown man be attracted so to CW?”. I think I can begin to answer this with certainty and enthusiasm:

Within Ham Radio there is a fraternity whose membership adheres to a mutual goal to preserve through the use of a time honored technological skill of communications and that anyone willing to endure the necessary efforts to learn will be welcomed by encouragement from its members in ways not equaled in any other hobby.

While this statement could be taken as pure ambiguity, for those who have enjoyed the thrills of learning and using CW and have received the endless flow of good will and true brotherhood from experienced CW operators know exactly what is meant by these heart felt words”

Yet Another Appreciation of CW

This time from Gerry, W1VE:

CW is the binding power of our common Amateur Radio heritage. CW embodies the Amateur Radio Creed, which is blind to race, religion, political beliefs, or place in life. CW is inclusive, accepting all willing to learn. CW is not a sword, not a weapon to be brandished against those not yet enlightened. CW does not discriminate rag-chewer, contester, QRQ, QRS, QRO or QRP, DXer or Moonbounce enthusiasts. CW is our universal language of communication.

CW, after all, is an art, not a science. Throughout the history of our hobby, modes may come and modes may go, but CW will remain. Why?

CW is, most of all, a lot of fun!

India HAMSAT May Launch in September
An Amateur Radio satellite being built by students at S-R-M University may be launched by the Indian Space Research Organization in September. An S-R-M University press release describes the new bird called S-R-M-SAT as a 15 watt satellite weighing between 10 and 15 kg and measuring one meter.

S-R-M-SAT may use the bands 145.8 MHz for the uplink and 434.5 MHz for the downlink. It will launch along with the primary payload known as load Cartosat and two other amateur radio satellites called STUDSAT and TISat-1.

B R O A D C A S T T I P S
Ukraine. Radio Ukraine International has resumed broadcasts on short wave after a few months of silence due to financial reasons. One-hour programs in English have been heard in Sofia from 00 to 01 hour and from 19 to 20 hours on 7440 kHz, from 05 to 06 hours on 9840 kHz and from 21 to 22 hours on 6145 kHz. Three other programs will be aired when financial funds are available and they are: from 03 hours on 7440 kHz, from 09 and from 11 hours on 11620 kHz. The station confirms reception reports with QSL cards from the address: Radio Ukraine International, English Service, Kreshchatyk 26, Kiev 01001, Ukraine.

Netherlands. Radio Netherlands broadcasts special emissions live from the bicycle race Tour de France which this year started from Holland and will continue until July 25. The frequencies are 5955, 7235, 9595, 9620, 9895 and 13700 kHz. The address for QSL cards is: Radio Netherlands Wereldomroep, P.O.Box 222, 1200 JG Hilversum, The Netherlands.

Central African Republic. Radio Bangui broadcasts in the evening and the morning on 5035 kHz and during the day on 7220 kHz. The other short wave radio in this country - Radio ICDI uses during the day 6030 kHz and in the evening - 3390 kHz.

Greece. Radio Fila or Radio Friendship already broadcasts to Europe in English from 09 to 09.30 hours on 11645 and 666 kHz. On certain days programs in Greek are aired instead, the same as on 9420, 15630 and 729 kHz, the reasons being strikes, maintenance (usually on Tuesday) and religious emissions from churches (mostly on Sunday and on Orthodox holidays.

Myanmar. Radio Myanmar was heard in Sofia with news in English from 15.30 to 15.45 hours on 5986 kHz and in local languages between 00 and 00.20 hour on 5986 and 7200 kHz with two different music programs.

Italy and Slovakia. Radio International Radio Relay Service in Milan, Italy uses a transmitter located in Slovakia and was heard in Sofia after 18 hours with a religious program in English. As station Identity signal is used the well known Rriumph March from the opera Aida by Verdi.

USA. Radio Christian Science, known from the past as Radio CSM, has ceased broadcasts due to financial reasons.

Guinea. A new radio station on short waves is Radio Familia from the town of Timbi Madina broadcasting now on 4900 kHz with a power of 1 kW.

This has brought us to the end of our weekly DX Program. Your opinions and suggestions will be appreciated and all reception reports confirmed with the QSL card of Radio Bulgaria. Please address your letters to English Section, Radio Bulgaria, Sofia, Bulgaria or by e-mail to english @ bnr.bg .
An online reception report form is available at http://www.bnr.bg/ – click on English and navigate!

So, 73 and DX!
Source:BNR Radio Bulgaria: DXprogram July 16, 2010 http://bit.ly/d93XFs
(Yimber Gaviria, Colombia)