Wednesday, June 29, 2016

A Countrywide Tour of the Radio Scene in Modern Day Turkey

(via JSWC)
Two weeks back here in Wavescan, we presented Part 1 in the topic:  A Countrywide Tour of the Radio Scene in Modern Day Turkey.  In this previous topic, we presented the story of regional radio stations, both shortwave and mediumwave, and we got halfway around this circular tour, covering just 5 cities: Ankara, Istanbul, Trabzon, Erzurum, and Van. 
            In our program today, we pick up the story of this clockwise radio tour around Turkey, and we begin in the city of Hakkari which is located right in the south east corner of Turkey, quite close to the international borders with Iran and Iraq.  This city, Hakkari, is a quite smaller city with a population of around 60,000, and it is located in a ruggedly beautiful majestic mountain area.  It is a little known fact that this area was the original home of the beautiful tulip flower.  The tulip was transplanted to Holland in the 1500s, where it has become a world famous icon of florid beauty.
            A radio station was installed in Hakkari in 1973, a shortwave facility of just 1 kW operating just above the 41 meter band on 7650 kHz, and available information would suggest that it was on the air for a little over a half dozen years.  There was no high powered mediumwave station in this city to serve as a replacement for the then defunct shortwave transmitter.
            We move next to the city of Diyarbakir which is located on the banks of the historic River Tigris, a little north of the border with the country of Iraq.  The name of this city is derived from its association with copper which has been mined in this area for centuries.  Diyarbakir is famous also for silver artifacts, and also for its huge watermelons that can weigh as much as 80 pounds.           
            In the radio scene at Diyarbakir, there was a shortwave station that began as a low power facility of just 300 watts around 1962.  The introductory channel was 9760 kHz, though half a dozen years later when the power was increased to 1 kW, a new channel was chosen, 7650 kHz.   
            This regional shortwave station was on the air for a little over a dozen years, and it was replaced by a high powered 300 kW mediumwave station on 1062 kHz.  Mediumwave Diyarbakir is still on the air to this day.
            Location number 8 in our circular radio tour around the Middle Eastern nation of Turkey is Iskenderun which was established by the famous Greek army general, Alexander the Great of ancient Macedonia in the year 333.  The current name of this city is derived from the original name of its founder, Alexander.  This city, Iskenderun, is located in a narrow peninsula-like section of Turkish territory that juts down into coastal Syria.
            The records inform us that there was a shortwave station here, and it was on the air for half a dozen years during the 1960s.  This station was also a low power operation, with just 300 watts on 9770 kHz.
            Near the eastern edge of Turkey’s Mediterranean coastline is the almost twin city complex of Mersin and Tarsus, an area that is also rich in Biblical backgrounds.  The Old Testament Scriptures inform us that God called the Prophet Jonah to visit the city of Nineveh, and warn its inhabitants of impending doom. 
            However, Jonah became overwhelmed with the magnitude of the task and he decided instead to board a ship and flee to Tarsus.  Although the Bible does not inform us of the exact location of this Tarsus, the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus states that Tarsus was located in Cilicia, that is modern day Turkey.  In those ancient times, there was another city with a similar name, Tarshish, on the Mediterranean coast of what is modern day Spain.   
            The early Christian traveling evangelist, St Paul is also associated with the city of Tarsus, his birth location when the city was a Free City under the Roman occupation government.
            The nearby city Mersin is named after the Myrtle Tree, or the Mersin Tree as they call it in their language.  There is currently another high powered 300 kW mediumwave station giving coverage to these areas, and its operating channel is 630 kHz.
            The city of Anatalya is located on the edge of the Mediterranean about half way along the south coast of Turkey.  This city is a major tourist location, with a resident population of one million, and a tourist influx of 12 million each year.  It is recorded in the New Testament Scriptures that Paul and Barnabas traversed through Anatalya on their way homeward from Europe to Jerusalem.
            The high powered mediumwave station giving coverage to Anatalya and its environs is a 300 kW unit operating on 891 kHz.
            Our final visit in this circular radio tour of 11 locations in Turkey is the city of Izmir which is located at the center of the very irregular western coastline.  The chief export from this city has been myrrh, from which the city received its name.
            Likewise, Izmir is mentioned in the New Testament of the Holy Bible as Smyrna and the Prophet John, who was named as one of the brothers of our Lord, wrote a short epistle to the Christians living in this city.  It is contained in the Book of Revelation as one of the 7 cities on a circular travel route in western Turkey.     
            Izmir was the first regional city in Turkey in which a shortwave transmitter was installed, and it was also allotted a callsign.  This station, a 1 kW unit on 7650 kHz under the callsign TAZ, was inaugurated in the early 1950s. 
            This regional shortwave station was in operation for the longest period of time, nearly a score of years.  Some time after its demise, a new high powered mediumwave station was installed and this unit, still on the air to this day, emits 200 kW on 927 kHz.
            And so we come to the end of this our double program as a circular radio tour of Turkey, a visit to 11 different locations in two programs here in Wavescan.  During this circular journey around Turkey, we discovered that there were seven low powered shortwave stations on the air from regional locations during a 30 year period in the 1950s, 1960s and into the 1970s.  We discovered also that these days there are now six high powered mediumwave stations on the air in Turkey.  Just two locations have hosted both an earlier low powered shortwave station and a subsequent high powered mediumwave station, and these were the cities of Diyarbakir and Izmir.
            More on the Turkish radio scene here in a coming edition of Wavescan.

 (AWR/Wavescan/NWS 380)

Monday, June 27, 2016

Isle of Music program June 27 on WBCQ




Our June 28 (June 27 in the Americas on WBCQ) program includes special guest María Felicia Pérez, director of Coro Exaudi, winner of the Choral Music category in Cubadisco 2016. We'll also play some Popular Dance Music by Jesús Cutiño, nominated in the Popular Dance Music - New Talents category and some of Live in Cuba by Wynton Marsalis, which was awarded an International Prize at Cubadisco. Also, some Irakere.
Two listening options on shortwave:
WBCQ, 7490 KHz, Tuesdays 0000 UTC (8pm EDT Mondays)
Channel 292, 6070 KHz, Tuesdays 1900 UTC (2100 CEST)
See the NOTES section of our Facebook page more information.
William "Bill" Tilford, Owner/Producer
Tilford Productions, LLC
5713 N. St. Louis Av
Chicago IL 60659-4405
email: bill@tilfordproductions.com

Weekly Propagation Forecast Bulletins


:Product: Weekly Highlights and Forecasts
:Issued: 2016 Jun 27 0346 UTC
# Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Weather Prediction Center
# Product description and SWPC web contact www.swpc.noaa.gov/weekly.html
#
#                Weekly Highlights and Forecasts
#
Highlights of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 20 - 26 June 2016

Solar activity was very low during the entire summary period with only B-class flare activity observed. No Earth-directed CMEs
occurred.

No proton events were observed at geosynchronous orbit.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit reached high levels on 21-22 Jun and 25-26 Jun following coronal hole high speed stream events. Normal to moderate levels were observed on the remaining days.

Geomagnetic field activity was quiet on 20-21 Jun. Mostly quiet conditions were observed early on 22 Jun but activity increased after 22/1800 UTC due to enhanced solar wind parameters and unsettled to minor storm levels were observed. Quiet to unsettled conditions with isolated active periods were observed on 23-24 Jun due to negative polarity CH HSS effects. Quiet to unsettled conditions were observed on 25-26 Jun with an isolated period of active conditions observed from 26/2100-2400 UTC due to CH HSS effects.

Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 27 June - 23 July 2016

Solar activity is expected to be very low throughout the forecast period with a slight chance for C-class activity.

No proton events are expected at geosynchronous orbit.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to be at high levels from 27 Jun to 01 Jul following CH HSS effects. Normal to moderate levels are expected on 02-03 Jul as a CIR redistributes electrons. High levels are expected to return from 04-07 Jul following a recurrent CH HSS. Moderate levels are expected from 08-21 Jul followed by moderate to high levels on 22-23 Jul following another recurrent CH HSS.

Geomagnetic field activity is expected to begin at unsettled to active levels but decrease to mostly quiet levels by midday on 27 Jun and remain quiet through 29 Jun. Quiet to unsettled conditions are expected from 30 Jun to 05 Jul with isolated active conditions possible on 03 Jul due to a recurrent negative polarity CH HSS. Quiet conditions are expected on 06 Jul. Quiet to unsettled conditions are expected from 07-12 Jul with minor storms possible on 11 Jul and active periods likely on 12 Jul due to effects from a recurrent positive polarity CH HSS. Mostly quiet conditions are expected to return from 13-18 Jul with unsettled periods possible on 14-15 Jul. Quiet to unsettled conditions are expected on 19-21 Jul due to negative polarity CH HSS effects with an isolated active period likely on 19 Jul. Quiet conditions are expected for the remainder of the period.

Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt
:Issued: 2016 Jun 27 0346 UTC
# Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Weather Prediction Center
# Product description and SWPC web contact www.swpc.noaa.gov/wwire.html
#
#      27-day Space Weather Outlook Table
#                Issued 2016-06-27
#
#   UTC      Radio Flux   Planetary   Largest
#  Date       10.7 cm      A Index    Kp Index
2016 Jun 27      77          10          4
2016 Jun 28      80           5          2
2016 Jun 29      80           5          2
2016 Jun 30      80          10          3
2016 Jul 01      80           8          3
2016 Jul 02      80           8          3
2016 Jul 03      80          12          4
2016 Jul 04      80          10          3
2016 Jul 05      82           8          3
2016 Jul 06      82           5          2
2016 Jul 07      82           8          3
2016 Jul 08      82          10          3
2016 Jul 09      82          10          3
2016 Jul 10      82           8          3
2016 Jul 11      80          20          5
2016 Jul 12      82          12          4
2016 Jul 13      82           5          2
2016 Jul 14      80           8          3
2016 Jul 15      80           8          3
2016 Jul 16      80           5          2
2016 Jul 17      80           5          2
2016 Jul 18      78           5          2
2016 Jul 19      78          15          4
2016 Jul 20      78          12          3
2016 Jul 21      78          10          3
2016 Jul 22      78           5          2
2016 Jul 23      78           5          2
(NOAA)

Friday, June 24, 2016

Hobart Radio special programming


We are issuing special eQSLs for your reports!  
If you're in Europe, the USA, North Asia/Middle East hear us on 11580kHz at 2030-2100UTC and 2330-0000UTC every Saturday evening.

Hear us this weekend!! Our A16 schedule can be found at: http://www.hriradio.org/p/current-schedule.html 

Also available to listen to us on live feeds via:

WRMI 
WBCQ and World FM

​​Interval Signals Special Part 2
Part 2 we continue opening the vaults and exploring present and past interval signals. An interval or tuning signal is a distinctive tune or sound that tells us who's on air. This is a two part series.

LISTEN (MP3)
More at our website: hriradio.org 
For the latest updates:
Join us on Facebook at: facebook.com/hobartradiointl Over 890 likes! 
Join us on Twitter @hobartradiointl 
Subscribe to the RSS feed 

Kind regards,

Rob Wise.
Hobart Radio International - The Voice of Tasmania

The Early Wireless Scene in Florida


Comes the month of August and a large number of radio personnel, perhaps even a hundred or more, will gather in Miami, Florida for the next HFCC, High Frequency Coordination Conference, for the purpose of co-ordinating their programming schedules on the international shortwave bands.  In our program today, we begin to take a look at the fascinating radio backgrounds in the American state of Florida.
            The name Florida means Flowery Easter, and it is a state that has a very varied and interesting historic past.  It is made up of a peninsula 450 miles long and 100 miles wide, together with what is described as the panhandle in the northwest. 
            Then there is also the chain of some 70 islands stretching out west for 120 miles from south Florida that are known collectively as the Florida Keys.  In prehistoric times, a half a dozen sub-tribes of Native Americans inhabited the islands of the Florida Keys, mostly from North America though at times some from the islands in the Caribbean.  The word Key is taken from the Spanish word Cayo, meaning a small island. 
            Florida is noted for its many tourist locations, beaches, fun parks, car racing, alligators, orange orchards, the Kennedy Space Center, and Disney World in Orlando.  Disney World was opened in 1971, and it is the most visited vacation resort in the world, with an attendance in excess of 52 million people annually.  According to Wikipedia, the Adventist operated Florida Hospital is the largest hospital in the United States, and it is the second largest employer in the Orlando area, after Disney World.
            It was on April 2, 1513 during the Easter season that the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon landed on the east coast of the Florida peninsula on his epic voyage from the Caribbean and he claimed the territory for Spain.  Half a century later, the Spanish established a colony at this same location and St. Augustine was born, the first European colony on the mainland United States.
            Over the centuries, England, Spain, France and the United States have all demonstrated a political interest in Florida until on March 3, 1821, Spain sold Florida to the United States for $5 million.  In exchange, the United States gave up its interest in Cuba.
            Forty years later, in January 1861, Florida seceded from the United States at the time of the American Civil War.  However 4 years later again, Florida was once more an integral part of the United States of America.
            In 1905, work began on the Overseas Railroad, running from Miami out over the Keys towards Key West and it was opened to traffic 7 years later.  It was described as the 8th Wonder of the World, and at one stage it employed as many as 4,0000 men in construction.  
            The original Overseas Highway running somewhat parallel to the railroad, was opened for vehicle traffic in 1928, though there was a 41 mile long stretch requiring transportation by ferry.  However, the railroad went bankrupt in 1935 due finally to a hurricane and the roadway took over much of the railroad right of way for re-construction for motor traffic.   
            The city of Key West, at the end of the old Overseas Railway and the subsequent Overseas Highway, was the largest city in Florida in the late 1800s.  On April 23, 1982, the mayor of Key West declared his city as the independent Conch Republic, for one minute.  One minute later, when the independent Conch Republic surrendered symbolically to the United States, he requested $1 billion in foreign aid.  Each year, the re-enacting of the Conch Republic incident forms part of their annual celebrations.
            In 1902 the federal government acquired a block of land at the western edge of Key West that was bounded by Caroline, Whitehead, Eaton and Thomas Streets for the installation of a wireless station.  Three tall wooden masts standing 208 feet high were erected, two within the designated block of land and the third just off the property at the corner on Front Street.  A caged antenna array requiring 8½ miles of 7 strand phosphor bronze wire weighing 1/3rd ton was strung between the three towers.         
            The American De Forest Co installed a 35 kW spark transmitter in a new building underneath the antenna system.  An additional antenna system that was coupled to a rudimentary receiver was installed at the eastern edge of the city of Key West.  The operating channel for the transmitter was 1250 metres, equivalent to 240 kHz longwave.  Initially the callsign for this new De Forest radio station was KW, though under the navy quite soon afterwards it was changed to RD.
            In 1909, the callsign was regularized to an American naval callsign NAR, though when in use for army communications, the call was WUBV.  In 1914, the three wooden masts were replaced by three steel towers, and as this stage, daily time signals were transmitted for navigational purposes.  Electronic equipment was installed in the mid 1920s; and in 1969, the three steel towers were removed and replaced with a single mast.
            These days, radio station NAR at Key West in Florida celebrates the distinction of being the oldest continuously operated American naval communication station in the world.
            For a few years back in the early 1900s, there was another spark wireless station on the air in Key West, and this was a commercial operation under the United Wireless Telegraph Company.  When this station was installed in 1907, it took over the earlier temporary callsign KW from the other station.  However, because the two stations were so close together, there was considerable mutual interference, so half a dozen years later, the United Wireless Telegraph station was closed.

            More on the story of wireless and radio in Florida in times to come.
(AWR-wavescan/NWS 382)

VOA Radiogram Weekend Schedule


Hello friends,

VOA Radiogram this weekend will include the Olivia 16-1000 mode with a center frequency of 2000 Hz. If you happen to experience co-channel interference consisting of voice and/or music, the robustness of the Olivia 16-1000 mode in combination with the higher audio frequency might allow a successful decode. At 40 words per minute, Olivia 16-1000 is faster than Olivia 64-2000.

Here is the lineup for VOA Radiogram, program 169, 25-26 June 2016, all in MFSK32 except where noted:

1:35  Program preview
 2:45  Pluto may have liquid ocean*
10:17  Fiery re-entry for junk from ISS*
16:33  Olivia 16-1000 (2000 Hz): Zuckerberg PC security*
22:06  MFSK32: Image, mobile app transmitted by shortwave*
26:04  Closing announcements*

* with image

Please send reception reports to radiogram@voanews.com

VOA Radiogram transmission schedule
(all days and times UTC):
Sat 0930-1000 5745 kHz
Sat 1600-1630 17580 kHz
Sun 0230-0300 5745 kHz
Sun 1930-2000 15670 kHz
All via the Edward R. Murrow transmitting station in North Carolina.

The Mighty KBC will transmit to North America Sunday at 0000-0100 UTC (8-9 pm EDT) on 9925 kHz, via Germany. A minute of MFSK32 will be at about 0030 UTC. KBC will also broadcast to Europe Sunday at 0900-1000 UTC on 6095 kHz. A minute of MFSK32 will be at about 0930 UTC. Reports for KBC reception and decode to Eric: themightykbc@gmail.com .

DigiDX will provide DX and media news in MFSK32 and a mixture of other modes:
Sunday 2130-2000 UTC, 15770 kHz, via WRMI Florida
Sunday 2330-2400 UTC, 11580 kHz, via WRMI Florida
Monday 2000-2130 UTC, 6070 kHz, via Channel 292 Germany
Look for any additions or changes to the DigiDX schedule at http://www.digidx.uk/ or https://www.facebook.com/digidx/

IBC (Italian Broadcasting Corporation) has a broadcast to Europe on 6070 kHz, Wednesdays, 2000-2200 UTC, with MFSK32 and Olivia 16-500 at 2030-2100 UTC. See http://ibcradio.webs.com/ for the complete schedule and contact information.

Download apps via shortwave? A recent transmission of a mobile app from shortwave station KTWR in Guam, to a DRM receiver in Thailand, has caused much discussion. See coverage at drmna.info and The SWLing Post. While DRM offers more bandwidth and faster download speeds than the VOA Radiogram method of digital modes via analog radio, VOA Radiogram data can be received on any radio.

Software to decode VOA Radiogram includes Fldigi from w1hkj.com and, for Android devices, TIVAR.

Thank you for your reports from last weekend. Reception conditions were generally good, so the Olivia 64-2000 did not get much of a workout. Decodes were good even in Perth, Western Australia.

A reminder that Fldigi saves decoded MFSK images as .png files in the folder \fldigi.files\images\.  If convenient, please attach those .png files to your reception reports.

I hope you can tune in and write in this weekend.

Kim Andrew Elliott
Producer and Presenter
VOA Radiogram
Twitter: @VOARadiogram (active especially before, during, and after broadcasts)




Weekend Euro relays

HLR, KBC, R Gloria & Relay Info
  
Saturday HLR:
06.00 to 12.00 UTC, on 6190 KHz
11.00 to16.00 UTC, on 7265 KHz

KBC this Sunday:
09.00 to 10.00 UTC, 6095 KHz - The Giant Jukebox

RGI on Sunday:
09.00 to 10.00 UTC, on 7310  via shortwaveservice.com
Internet repeats:
15.00 to 17.00 UTC via  Coloradio.org laut.fm/jukebox
Good reception ! Reports welcome at:  radiogloria@aol.com
Radio Gloria International has a NEW Website: http://rgi.fmkompakt.de

Sunday HLR:
09.00 to 12.00 UTC on 9485 kHz
E-mail: redaktion@hamburger-lokalradio.de  Thank you!
HLR FM-DAB+ Program via the Internet :    www.hamburger-lokalradio.net  Daily 24 h


Hobart Radio International:
Please Email: hriradio@gmail.com   Thank you!

 

Radio Channel 292  Transmission schedules:

http://www.channel292.de/schedule-for-bookings/ 


Radio Mi Amigo Transmission schedules:

For outside the listening area please try the Twente/Netherlands Web RX at http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/

You can also hear many European free and alternative stations via the Internet at: http://laut.fm/jukebox


Good Listening!
73s

Tom Taylor

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Weekly Propagation Forecast Bulletins



Product: Weekly Highlights and Forecasts
:Issued: 2016 Jun 20 0550 UTC
# Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Weather Prediction Center
# Product description and SWPC web contact www.swpc.noaa.gov/weekly.html
#
#                Weekly Highlights and Forecasts
#
Highlights of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 13 - 19 June 2016

Solar activity was at very low levels the majority of the period with low levels observed on 13 and 19 June due to a C3 flare at 13/0552 UTC from Region 2552 (N15, L=359, class/area Dao/150 on 11 June) and a C1 flare at 19/1158 UTC from Region 2558 (N13, L=215, class/area Cso/030 on 19 June). The majority of the B-class activity was caused by Region 2555 (S09, L=274, class/area Cao/080 on 17 June). No Earth-directed coronal mass ejections were observed during the period.

No proton events were observed at geosynchronous orbit.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit was at normal to moderate levels throughout the period and briefly reached high levels on 19 June with a maximum flux of 1,030 pfu at 19/1640 UTC.

The geomagnetic field ranged from quiet to G2-Moderate storm levels. Solar wind conditions began the period under a waning positive polarity coronal hole high speed stream (CH HSS). Solar wind speeds decreased from approximately 620 km/s to around 420 km/s by midday on 14 June. Total field decreased from 8 nT to 4 nT. By late on 14 June, total field increased to 15 nT with the Bz component mostly southward near -14 nT while solar wind increased to a maximum of 772 km/s at 15/0410 UTC, indicative of a co-rotating interaction region followed by another positive polarity CH HSS. The geomagnetic field responded with quiet to active levels on 13 June, quiet to G2-Moderate storm levels on 14 June and quiet to G1-Minor storm levels on 15 June. By early on 16 June, total field decreased to around 6 nT with solar wind speeds in the 500-600 km/s range. These conditions continued until 19 June when solar wind speeds decreased to nominal levels. Quiet conditions were observed on 16 and 19 June with quiet to unsettled levels on 17-18 June.

Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 20 June - 16 July 2016

Solar activity is expected to be at very low to low levels for the forecast period.

No proton events are expected at geosynchronous orbit.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to be at normal to moderate levels with high levels likely on 20-22 June, 26 June-01 July, 04-07 July and again on 16 July due to CH HSS activity.

Geomagnetic field activity is expected to be at unsettled to active levels from 23-27 June, 02-03 July, 07-12 July and 14-15 July. G1-Minor storm levels are likely on 02-03 July and 11 July due to recurrent CH HSS activity.

Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt
:Issued: 2016 Jun 20 0550 UTC
# Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Weather Prediction Center
# Product description and SWPC web contact www.swpc.noaa.gov/wwire.html
#
#      27-day Space Weather Outlook Table
#                Issued 2016-06-20
#
#   UTC      Radio Flux   Planetary   Largest
#  Date       10.7 cm      A Index    Kp Index
2016 Jun 20      85           5          2
2016 Jun 21      85           5          2
2016 Jun 22      80           5          2
2016 Jun 23      75           8          3
2016 Jun 24      75          12          4
2016 Jun 25      78           8          3
2016 Jun 26      78          12          3
2016 Jun 27      80          10          3
2016 Jun 28      85           5          2
2016 Jun 29      85           5          2
2016 Jun 30      85           5          2
2016 Jul 01      80           5          2
2016 Jul 02      80          25          5
2016 Jul 03      80          20          5
2016 Jul 04      80           8          3
2016 Jul 05      80           5          2
2016 Jul 06      85           5          2
2016 Jul 07      85           8          3
2016 Jul 08      88          10          3
2016 Jul 09      90          10          3
2016 Jul 10      90           8          3
2016 Jul 11      90          20          5
2016 Jul 12      88          15          3
2016 Jul 13      88           5          2
2016 Jul 14      88           8          3
2016 Jul 15      85           8          3
2016 Jul 16      85           5          2
(NOAA)

Unpaid debt silences Radio Vanuatu public broadcaster


Vanuatu's national broadcaster went off-air on Monday because of an unpaid utility bill, it's reported.
There was a "total blackout" on Radio Vanuatu and Television Blong Vanuatu, with people across the country unable to tune in, Radio New Zealand International reports.
State-owned VBTC, which runs both services, was cut off by its electricity provider last week after failing to settle its debt, according to the Pasifik News website. It had continued to operate using diesel-powered generators - but not for long. On Monday the fuel ran out, leaving both its TV and radio stations silent. The power was reportedly restored on Tuesday.
The website says VBTC has faced this problem before. The same thing happened last year after the company failed to cough up more than 12m vatu (£75,500; $107,000) in unpaid power bills.
Only last week the company's new chairman, Jonethy Jerety, vowed to provide nationwide radio coverage, after Vanuatu's prime minister criticised the service being provided to outlying islands. Communities rely on the broadcaster for essential information during cyclones or volcanic eruptions, which are not uncommon in a country located on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire.

Additional story at: 

WINB announces new programming



Some of our programs are new and are  looking for reports.  Some even have their own QSLs!

New programming includes:
Open Your Eyes People 9265 kHz 0200-0300 UTC Wed and Thu

Radio Waves International  9265 kHz  0300-0400 UTC Sun has own QSL for reports.

Mennonite Radio 9265 kHz 0230-0300 UTC Sun has own QSL for reports.

Truth Beyond the Veil 9265 kHz 0215-0300 UTC Mon looking for reports.

Worship at Home 9265 kHz 0300-0400 UTC Mon looking for reports.

Send report details to: winb40th@yahoo.com

73s
Hans Johnson
WINB

Updated shortwave schedule of WINB Red Lion, PA
Effective from 12 June 2016 
All times UTC
1130-1230 on  9265 INB 050 kW / 242 deg to MEXI English Sun
1230-2000 on  9265 INB 050 kW / 242 deg to MEXI English Sat/Sun
1600-1900 on  9265 INB 050 kW / 242 deg to MEXI English Mon-Fri*
1900-1945 on  9265 INB 050 kW / 242 deg to MEXI English Mon-Fri
1945-2000 on  9265 INB 050 kW / 242 deg to MEXI Eng/Spa Mon-Thu
1945-2000 on  9265 INB 050 kW / 242 deg to MEXI English Fri
2000-2230 on  9265 INB 050 kW / 242 deg to MEXI English Daily
2230-2300 on  9265 INB 050 kW / 242 deg to MEXI Spanish Mon
2230-2300 on  9265 INB 050 kW / 242 deg to MEXI English Tue-Sun
2300-2400 on  9265 INB 050 kW / 242 deg to MEXI English Daily
0000-0230 on  9265 INB 050 kW / 242 deg to MEXI English Daily
0230-0330 on  9265 INB 050 kW / 242 deg to MEXI English Sun/Mon

(# changes/* Bro. Stair)
(DX Bulgaria/21 Jun)

VORW Radio International set for special shortwave broadcasts


VORW Radio International will be having a special shortwave broadcast on June 21st and 22nd. The broadcast will consist of talk and music and I hope to provide listeners in Europe, Asia and North America with a good time over the airwaves, with some good music! 

The schedule for the transmission is as follows:

Tuesday June 21st

WBCQ – 7490 kHz – 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM Eastern 0000 – 0100 UTC - North America

Wednesday June 22nd 

Shortwave Service (via Armenia 100 kW) -- 15780 kHz -- 7:00 AM - 8:00 AM Eastern 1100 - 1200 UTC - Asia

Channel 292– 6070 kHz – 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Eastern 1500 – 1600 UTC - Western, Central and Southern Europe.

Shortwave Service -- 6005 kHz -- 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Eastern 1800 - 1900 UTC - Central Europe

Any reception reports will be met with an E-QSL card and can be sent to vorwinfo@gmail.com

All the best,

John (VORW Radio International)

Deutsche Welle plans test transmissions


Sri Lanka
Test frequencies of Deutsche Welle via Trincomalee Perkara

All times UTC
0300-0400 on 15255 TRM 250 kW / 255 deg to EaAf Swahili June 28 to July 1
0400-0500 on 15255 TRM 250 kW / 255 deg to EaAf English June 28 to July 1
0400-0500 on 17800 TRM 250 kW / 255 deg to EaAf English June 28 to July 1
(DX Bulgaria 21 Jun)

Marconi Radio International slated for June 22 broacast

Just a short reminder of our regular weekly brodcasts on Wednesdays. Marconi Radio International will once again be on air tomorrow 22 June 2016,as follows: 1645-1730 UTC on 13960 kHz (USB mode), 1800-1900 UTC on 15070 kHz (USB mode), 1955-2055 UTC and 2130-2215 UTC on 7700 kHz (USB Mode).
 
Our broadcasts include some kind of programmes now sadly missing from most shortwave radio stations:  an old style DX show in  English “Italian Short Wave Panorama”  and Italian "Panorama Onde Corte" with lot of recent logs  as well as  a mailbag programme in Italian. Our  station identification  announcements are not only in English and Italian but also in French, German, Japanese, Spanish and Catalan.
 
MRI encourages reception reports from listeners. Audio clips (mp3-file) of our broadcasts are welcome! We QSL 100%. Our electronic mail address is: marconiradiointernational@gmail.com - Please don’t forget to include your postal address as some lucky listeners will also receive a printed QSL card.
 
Last but not least,  we need your help! If you use social networks, please post an announcement on Facebook  or send out a tweet the day  before the broadcast. You can also forward this message to a friend. This should help increase our  potential audience.
 
We hope to hear from a lot of shortwave listeners about our transmissions.
 
Best 73's
 Marconi Radio International (MRI)

Broadcasting in Russian book available


The 20th edition of the "Broadcasting in Russian" Handbook, published by St. Petersburg DX Club, has recently been released. The handbook features all radio stations transmitting Russian language broadcasts in AM bands (on long, medium and short waves) at present, both from Russia and abroad.

Station listings include frequency and program schedules, transmitter location and power, target areas, postal addresses, phone/fax numbers, Web sites, social network pages, e-mail addresses as well as QSL policy info. The schedules are generally valid until 29 October 2016 (i.e. during A16 broadcasting season).

The Handbook is in Russian and distributed as a hard copy only. Volume is 68 pages of A5 size. Please address your purchase requests and questions to
St. Petersburg DX Club
Alexander Beryozkin,
P.O.Box 463
St. Petersburg, 190000 Russia
or by e-mail: dxspb@nrec.spb.ru.

The price is 5 EUR or 6 USD (including delivery by registered mail). PayPal and Skrill money transfers are accepted.
Your comments and suggestions regarding the handbook contents are always welcome.

Alexander Beryozkin
St. Petersburg DX Club

AWR - “Grand Finale” Annual DX Contest


AWR  Adventist World Radio  AWR  Adventist World Radio  AWR

“Grand Finale” Annual DX Contest:
                                How Many AWR Shortwave Sites Have You Verified?
Contest Details
* “Grand Finale” Annual DX Contest:
                                       How Many AWR Shortwave Sites Have You Verified?
            Ever since Adventist World Radio was inaugurated way back more than 40 years ago, listeners in many countries on all continents have looked forward to participating in the annual DX contest.    Our historical records show that the first listener contest was conducted by the fledgling new AWR back during the year 1972, just a few months after the official inauguration on October 1, 1971.
            The longest series of annual DX contests began under the original Adventist World Radio in Asia, AWR-Asia in Poona India, and these were introduced just a few years later, in 1977.  Since then, this well established AWR DX program has transmigrated from Asia to the United States, and the name likewise has evolved into the now familiar “Wavescan”.
            Throughout all of these intervening years, the annual winner’s list contains the names of well known international radio monitors living on all continents.  In addition, the long roster of regional winners over the years includes a host of names, international radio monitors living in up to a hundred different countries.  Any and all entrants have an equal possibility of winning one of the many awards that are available each year.
            As Adventist World Radio enters into its 45th year of international radio broadcasting, we take pleasure in announcing our annual “Wavescan” DX contest for the year 2016.  This year’s contest is planned as the last ever contest from the AWR DX program “Wavescan” and it comes to you under the title,
“Grand Finale” Annual DX Contest:
How Many AWR Shortwave Sites Have You Verified? 

            In short, you are invited to make up a list of all of your AWR QSL cards, one only for each different AWR shortwave site.  “Grand Finale” Annual DX Contest:
                                       How Many AWR Shortwave Sites Have You Verified? 

A. How Many AWR Shortwave Sites Have You Verified?
            * You are invited to make up a tabulated list of all of your AWR QSL cards, one only for each AWR shortwave site.  You may also include reception reports for any AWR shortwave site that you have not yet verified, up to a maximum of three additional sites.  The listing of each QSL card for each AWR site that you have verified should show the station name, location, country, frequency, date and a brief description of the card.  Here is a sample listing showing how to give the information:-

1. KSDA          Agat Guam                 11935 kHz       2015 March 1  Yellow Compass Card           
2. WRMI          Okeechobee FL            9955              2013 Oct 29    Dr Chow Interview
3. AWR           Forli Italy                       6205              1985 May 30   Forli Antenna
4. SLBC          Ekala Sri Lanka            6075              1984 Dec 30   Sines Antennas
5. TIAWR        Alajuela Costa Rica    15460              1986 Oct 17    Radio Lira Antenna
6. Media          Nauen Germany           9610              2016 Feb 14    Report enclosed         
                                                                                                                                                etc etc
B. Copy Three Cards
            * Where possible, please copy any three of your AWR QSL cards, preferably in color, though black and white can be acceptable, and enclose with your contest entry.

C. Your Best AWR QSL Card
            * Which is your best AWR QSL card?  Explain why in one short paragraph.

D. AWR Reception Reports
            * You are invited to prepare three reception reports for the broadcast on shortwave, mediumwave or FM of any AWR programming in any part of the world.  You may choose the international shortwave programing from Adventist World Radio, via KSDA Guam, or any of the shortwave relay stations that carry AWR programming, or any of the 1700 local mediumwave or FM stations in any part of the world that are affiliated with Adventist World Radio.  You may include up to three reception reports of AWR programing from shortwave sites that you have not yet verified.
            * Please do not send a recording of your reception; we just need your honest reception report on paper.  All reception reports will be verified with a special contest endorsement.


E. Three Radio Cards
            * Where possible, you are invited to include three radio cards for the Indianapolis Heritage Collection with your contest entry.  These cards may be old or new, and they may be        QSL cards, reception report cards, or picture cards of radio stations, etc.  Not valid for this contest are amateur cards nor CB cards.

Other Contest Details
            * Well, there you have it, the details for our Wavescan 2016 “Grand Finale DX Contest”.  This contest will run through the month of August 2016, and all contest entries should be            postmarked at your local post office anywhere in the world on any date up to the end of the        month of August 2016 and they should be received at the AWR temporary post office address as given below no later than the end of the month of September 2016.
            * Post your entry with all items to Adventist World Radio, remembering that neatness and preparation, will all feature in the judging procedure.  Due consideration will also be given to the area of the world in which the contestant lives.
            * Where possible, please enclose return postage in the form of currency notes in any international currency, or mint postage stamps.  Please note that IRC coupons are too expensive for you to buy, and they are no longer valid in the United States. 
            * Please enclose your postal address label also.
            * The awards for the 2016 AWR “Grand Finale DX Contest” will be similar to all previous contests.  There will be a special award for the world winner, one of Jerome Berg’s radio     history books; and World Radio TV Handbook 2017 for each continental winner.  In addition, there will be other special awards as well as AWR souvenirs and radio curios for many participants. 
            * Each entry will receive the special postage stamp that commemorates the 200th anniversary of Indiana.
            * An additional ward is offered for an entry from Australia or New Zealand, a copy of Dr. Bruce Carty’s colorfully prepared History of Radio Broadcasting in Australia.
            * All AWR reception reports will be verified with a specially endorsed AWR QSL card.  Please remember that it will take a period of many months, well into the new year 2017, to process all of the contest entries and reception reports, but each will in due course be processed. 
            * Here is the only address for the “Grand Finale” Annual DX Contest: How Many AWR Shortwave Sites Have You Verified?  This postal address is temporary, and it is open only during August and September 2016.

TEMPORARY POSTAL ADDRESS, Open only during August & September 2016:-
                        Adventist World Radio
                        Grand Finale DX Contest
                        Box 771
                        Bloomington

                        Indiana 47402-0771 USA