Radio DX Programs

All times UTC
v = variable frequency or time
DXing with Cumbre has been discontinued

Monday
0110v R Havana Cuba DXers Unlimited  6000 6165
0210v R Havana Cuba DXers Unlimited  6000 6165
0245 WWCR  Ask WWCR 3215
0250 BBCWS  Over to You UK DAB 198L W
0300 WRMI Wavescan  online 9955
0310v R Havana DXers Unlimited 6000 6165
0410v R Havana DXers Unlimited 6000 6165
0510v R Havana DXers Unlimited 5040 6000 6060 6100 6165


0610v RHavana DXers Unlimited 6000 6060 6100 6165
0730 R New Zealand Inl Mailbox(alt weeks) 11725
1030 All India R Faithfully Yours 7270 13605 13695 1503015410 17510 17895 DRM
1100 WRMI Wavescan online,9955
1130 R New Zealand Int Mailbox(alt weeks) 9700
1130 WRMI Viva Miami online 9955
1145 WWCR Australian DX Report 15825
1315 WRMI Wavcscan online 9955
1330 R New Zealand Int Mail box(alt weeks) 6170
1430 All India R Faithfully Yours 9690 11620 13710
1630 R New Zealand Int Mailbox(alt weeks) 9700
1630 Amateur Radio Today (South Africa) 3230 7082usb
1830 All India R Faithfully Yours 7550 9445 11580 11670 11935 13695 17670
2120 All India R Faithfully Yours 7550 9445 9910 11670 11I620 DRM 11740 DRM
2330 All India R faithfully Yours 9690 9705 11710 1I645 DRM 13605 DRM

Tuesday
0330 R New Zealand Int Mailbox(alt weeks) 15720
0330 WRMI Wavescan online 9955
1100 WRMI  online 9955
1330 WRMI Viva Miami online 9955
1832 BBCWS Click on line UK DAB 1323 6195 7375
1935v R Havana DXers Unlimited 11760
2335v R Havana DXers Unlimited 5040 11880

Wednesday
0000 WRMI Wavescan on line 9955
0132 BBCWS Click online, UK DAB SW 12095 15310
0145 WRMI Viva Miami online 9955
0135v R Havana DXers Unlimited 6000 6165
0235v R Havana DXers Unlimited 6000 6165
0332 BBCWS Click 1323 14130 12095 13660
0335v R Havana DXers Unlimited 6000 6165
0435v RHavana DXers Unlimited 6000  6165
0535v R Havana DXers Unlimited 5040 6000 6060 6100 6165
0630 Hamburger Local R  7265
0635v R Havana DXers Unlimited 6000 6060 6100 6165
0832 BBCWS Click oline, UKDAR
1130 WRMI Viva Miami online 9955
1230 WRMI Wavescan online 9955
1232 BBCWS Click SW E Asia 5875 6195 9740 11750
1315 WRMI  online 9955
1430 Hamburger Local R  7265
1530 BBC R4 The Media Show 198LW 1vlW FM DAB online
1750 Vatican R Communications Update 11625 13765  15570
1900 W1NB Wavescan 13570
1930 WWCR Ask WWCR 15825
2020 Vatican R Communications Update 13765 15570

Thursday
0100 \VRMTWavescan online 9955
0330 WRMI  on line 9955
0520 Vatican R Communications Update 11625 13765
0650 Vatican R Communications Update 13765 15570
1130 WRMT Viva Miami online 9955

Friday
0315 WRMI Wavescan online 9955
0330v WWRB  5050  3195
0345 \VRMI Viva Miami online 9955
1130 WRMI Viva Miami online 9955
1230 WRMI Wavescan online  9955
1330 R Australia Future Tense 5940 5995 6150  9475 9580 9965 12065 12085
1530 BBCR4 Feedback 198LW, MW, FM DAB
2035 R New Zealand Int Mailbox 11725

Saturday
0100 WRMI Media Network Plus online 9955
0200 WRMI Wavescan online 9955
0510 R Japan Media Watch 5975  1 I 970
0605 WWCR Into Tomorrow 4840
0630 Hamburger Local R  7265
0825 KBS World R, Seoul Listeners Lounge 9570
0930 VOA Radiogram (digital tests) 5745
1000 WRMT Viva Miami online 9955
1010 R Japan Media Watch  9625 (3rd/4th Sat)
1045 WRMI Viva Miami online 9955
1050 BBCWS Over to You IJK DAB on line
1100 WRMl Wavescan online 9955
1210 R Japan Media Watch 11740 (3rd/4th Sat)
1245 VO Turkey DX Corner (alt weeks) 15450
1245 WRMI Viva Miami online 9955
1325 KBS World R, Seoul Listeners Lounge 9640 9575
1430 Hamburger Local R  7265
1600 VOA Radiogram(digital tests) 17860
1625 KBS World R Listeners Lounge 9515 9640
1630 WWCR Nashville Waves 12160
1645 VofTurkeyDXComer(alt weeks) 15520
1700 WRN NAm & AfAs Media Network Plus
1800 WTWW QSO w/ Ted Randall  9475
1810 R Japan Media Watch 9755 (3rd/4th Sat)
1825 KBS World R Seoul Listeners Lounge 7275
1845 VO Turkey DX Corner (alt weeks) 9785
2045 VO Turkey DX Corner (alt weeks) 7205
2215 VO Turkey DX Corner (alt weeks) 9830
2225 KBS World R Seoul Listeners Lounge 11810
2230 WRMl Wavescan online 9955
2250 BBCWS Over to You IJK DAB online
2330v WTWW  5085 9930

Sunday
0000 WTWW QSO w/ Ted Randall 5085 9930
0000 WRMI Wavescan 9495
0030 WRMI  9495
0030 WRMI Viva Miami online 9955
0145 WRMI Viva Miami'online 9955
0225 KBS World R Listeners Lounge 9580 9690
0230 VOA Radiogram (digital tests) 5745
0315 VO  Turkey DX Corner(alt weeks) 6 165  9515
0400v WTWW  5830
0450 BBCWS Click 1323  120950 136600
0505 WWCR Nashville Into Tomorrow 4840
0510 R Japan Friends Around the World  5975 11970
0605 WWCR Nashville Into Tomorrow 4840
0800 Amateur Radio Today (South Africa) 7205 17660
0830 WRN  WRN-N Am stream
0900 Studio DX 9790
0945 WWCR Nashville Ask WWCR 4840
1010 R Japan Friends Around the World  9625
1210 R Japan Friends Around the World 11740
1410 R Japan Friends Around the World 1I705 I 5735
1530 Adventist World R Wavescan 15670
1600 Adventist World R Wavescan 1I865 11 995
1810 R Japan Friends Around the World 9755
1902 BBC R4 Feedback 198LW MW FMDAB
1910v R Havana DXers Unlimited 11760
1930 VOA Radiogram (digital tests) 15670
2230 Adventist World R Wavescan 15320
2310v R Havana DXers Unlimited 5040 11880
2330 Adventist World R Wavescan 15320
(www.bdxc.org.uk/ (playdx # 1618/22 May 2014 via Dario Monferini)

Weekly Propagation Forecast Bulletins

Product: Weekly Highlights and Forecasts
:Issued: 2014 May 19 0258 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 12 - 18 May 2014

Solar activity was low all week. Of the 18 active regions observed on the visible disk through the course of the week, only three were responsible for 28 of the 32 x-ray flares recorded. Region 2056 (N05, L=258, class/area: Eko/300 on 12 May) produced 11 flares, including the largest of the week, a C8/1f at 14/1504 UTC. Regions 2060 (S14, L=227, class/area: Dac/180 on 14 May) and 2063 (N10, L=179, class/area: Dai/150 on 15 May) were responsible for nine and eight C-class events, respectively. Each of these three regions developed a beta-gamma type magnetic configuration during the week. 

No Earth-directed coronal mass ejections were observed during the week. The only radio emission observed was a weak type II sweep (est. shock velocity 878 km/s) observed by the Sagamore Hill RSTN site from approximately 15/2028 - 2038 UTC. The sweep was likely associated with a CME first observed in SOHO/LASCO C2 imagery at 15/2048 UTC off the East limb. 

No proton events were observed at geosynchronous orbit.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit was at moderate levels on May 12 through May 16 and at normal levels for the remainder of the week. 

Geomagnetic field activity was quiet all week with the exception a single unsettled period on 12 May. 

Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 19 May - 14 June 2014

Solar activity is expected to be at low levels with a chance for moderate or greater levels through the period. 

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 on 22-24 May in response to a recurrent coronal hole high speed stream. The remainder of the forecast period should see normal to moderate flux levels. 

Geomagnetic field activity is expected to be at quiet to unsettled levels throughout the period. Unsettled to active conditions are possible on 21-22 May, 25 May, and again on 04-08 Jun in response to recurrent coronal hole high speed solar wind streams. 

Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt

:Issued: 2014 May 19 0258 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 2014-05-19
#
#   UTC      Radio Flux   Planetary   Largest
#  Date       10.7 cm      A Index    Kp Index
2014 May 19     125           5          2
2014 May 20     120           5          2
2014 May 21     120           8          3
2014 May 22     120           8          3
2014 May 23     115           5          2
2014 May 24     110           5          2
2014 May 25     110           8          3
2014 May 26     105           5          2
2014 May 27     105           5          2
2014 May 28     105           5          2
2014 May 29     110           5          2
2014 May 30     115           5          2
2014 May 31     120           5          2
2014 Jun 01     120           5          2
2014 Jun 02     120           5          2
2014 Jun 03     120           5          2
2014 Jun 04     125          12          3
2014 Jun 05     125           8          3
2014 Jun 06     130           8          3
2014 Jun 07     130           8          3
2014 Jun 08     135           8          3
2014 Jun 09     135           5          2
2014 Jun 10     135           5          2
2014 Jun 11     130           5          2
2014 Jun 12     130           5          2
2014 Jun 13     125           5          2
2014 Jun 14     125           5          2

(NOAA)

DXtreme Announces New Product

Product Announcement
DXtreme Reception Log — Advanced Edition, Version 9.0
DXtreme Software™ has released a new version of its popular logging program for radio monitoring enthusiasts: DXtreme Reception Log — Advanced Edition™ Version 9.0.
Like other logging programs, DXtreme Reception Log lets listeners and DXers log the stations they’ve heard. But unlike other logging programs, Reception Log provides new features and advanced functions that can add a new dimension to logging activities.
New Features
Version 9.0 includes the following new features:
 Social Media Posting — Each time users add or display a log entry, Reception Log prepares a post announcing their DX catch and displays it on the Social Media Posting tab. From there, users can drag the post to their favorite social media web site(s) to share their catch with others1.
Using the Script Editor window, users can create and edit social media posting scripts that format their social media posts. By applying HTML tags and attributes, log variables, and boilerplate text, users can create customized social media posts.
A browse button on the Social Media Posting tab lets users select the script they want to use. Two default scripts come with Reception Log: one for SWL posts, the other for ham posts.
 Direct Print SWL and Address Labels — Users can prepare SWL and Address labels for direct output to their printers. They can print labels one-at-a-time or in any number up to the maximum number of labels on their preferred label stock (such as 30 per sheet). Users can skip around, too, choosing the physical label they want to print on. Further, they can insert custom closing expressions and signature text on the last line of SWL labels. Print preview and editing features are also provided.
 Direct Tune — Users can now change their rig's frequency and mode from the Reception Log window if their rig is supported by Afreet Omni-Rig2.
Advanced Functions
DXtreme Reception Log includes the following advanced functions:
 Schedule Checker™ — Lets users import schedules from the Aoki, EiBi, and FCC AM web sites and display schedule data according to the filter criteria specified. A list box lets users switch between the three schedules at will. And depending on the schedule type, users can filter schedule information by band, frequency, station, country, city, state, time of day, language, antenna direction, and target area. When the What’s On Now? function is activated, the schedule refreshes automatically at the top of each hour for Aoki and EiBi schedules.

For each schedule item, the Schedule Checker queries the Reception Log database to let users know by means of user-defined display colors whether they need to monitor a station for a brand new or verified country. The Schedule Checker also displays bearing and distance, performs DX Atlas azimuth plots3, tunes supported radios to schedule frequencies via the double-clicking of schedule items2, and starts log entries for scheduled stations.
2
 Last Log Entries Grid— Located on the Reception Log window, the grid shows up to 5000 of the most recent log entries added. Its records can be sorted, and double-clicking records displays detailed data on the Reception Log window.
The grid can be placed above or below the tabbed set of fields on the Reception Log window, and users can resize the grid columns and scroll horizontally to columns that do not appear initially. A Properties dialog box lets users change the order of columns; set font attributes for the grid's frame, headings, and log entry data; and select the number of last log entries to display. As a bonus, the font attributes set for the grid's headings and log entry data also set the font attributes of the headings and schedule data on the Schedule Checker window.
Because the names of stations and NASWA countries can be quite long, users can also display a resizable Last Log Entries Window. This window has all of the functions of the Last Log Entries grid and is much wider. Users can display the grid and the window together or separately. Both the Last Log Entries grid and the Last Log Entries window provide the look and feel of a paper logbook.
 Reception Reports — Users can create customized paper and e-mail reception reports. Plus club report entries for reporting catches to clubs and magazines.
 Rig Control — The program retrieves the frequency and mode from supported radios and permits tuning from the Schedule Checker and Reception Log windows2.
 Multimedia Features — Reception Log has an embedded Audio facility that lets users create and maintain an audio archive of stations heard. Plus it has an integrated QSL Imaging™ facility that lets users scan and display the physical QSL cards they receive from postal mail, and capture and display the electronic QSLs they receive over the Internet.
 Performance Reporting — Produces reports that track the performance of the user’s monitoring station, and lets users FTP those reports to user-provided Web space for remote access. Reports also integrate with DX Atlas3 for pin reports.
 Support for Monitoring Amateur Radio operators — Reception Log retrieves call sign and address information for monitored hams from optional Web services: HamQTH.com, Buckmaster™ HamCall™, and QRZ XML Logbook Data. And the program can send automatic eQSL requests to monitored hams via www.eQSL.cc.
 Documentation — Includes Procedural HTML Help, context-sensitive What’s This? Help, and a Web-based Information Center.
Operating Systems, Pricing, Contact Information
DXtreme Reception Log runs in 32- and 64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows® 8.1, 8, 7, Vista®, and XP. It retails for $89.95 USD worldwide for electronic distribution. Pricing for CD versions and upgrading users is available on our Web site. All prices include lifetime product support by Internet e-mail. For more information visit www.dxtreme.com.
Contact Bob Raymond at bobraymond@dxtreme.com for more information.
1 — The social media web site must be capable of accepting drag-and-drop operations. For sites that do not, users can copy and paste from the Clipboard. 2 — A license for Afreet Omni-Rig is required to use rig control with radios supported by Omni-Rig. 3 — A license for Afreet DX Atlas is required to perform plots and create pin reports
(Bob Raymond)

Radio Broadcast in the islands of Antarctica

Several weeks ago, we presented a feature item here in Wavescan under the title Australian Radio History.  This was a review of the very readable and very interesting book by Dr. Bruce Carty, with the double title, On the Air: Australian Radio History.

            One of the most interesting items in this almost one hundred page large format book provides a glimpse into an aspect of radio history that was completely new to us.  Dr. Carty presents the outline story of six radio broadcasting stations in Antarctica that we had never heard about before. 

            These stations, some on mediumwave and some on FM, and all quite small, have been located on islands in the Antarctic, and also on what is understood to be mainland Antarctica.  This is what Dr. Carty reveals about these stations, all of which have been installed on Australian territories in Antarctica.  

            Back in the year 1948, a 20 watt mediumwave transmitter was inaugurated on Heard Island under the callsign OHI.  The international prefix for amateur radio operators in these territories is the letter O, and the HI in this callsign OHI stands rather obviously for Heard Island. 

            This lonely radio broadcasting station took an off air relay from the mediumwave station 2NZ which is located four thousand miles away at Inverell in the state of New South Wales on mainland Australia.  When propagation was poor and the signal from station 2NZ could not be received satisfactorily, then the relay station OHI on Heard Island remained off the air. 

            In 1954, the Australian Antarctic base on Heard Island was closed and transferred a thousand miles further south to Mawson Base on mainland Antarctica.  At this same time, radio station OHI on Heard Island was closed and much of the equipment was also transferred to Mawson where it was reactivated under a new callsign, OMA, with the letters MA standing for Mawson.

            Ten years later at Mawson Base, an old radio transceiver originally in use in a taxi in Australia was converted for use as a mediumwave broadcast station and programming was received on shortwave from the BBC London and the ABC in Australia and relayed live to local personnel at Mawson.  Currently, station OMA is on the air on FM, where it identifies as Radio Blizzard.

            In 1957, the American navy established their Antarctic operations at Wilkes Base, on mainland Antarctica.  Two years later, this facility became a joint operation with Australian participation.  Then, two years later again, an Australian who was previously station engineer at commercial station 3UZ in Melbourne, Australia, constructed a 5 watt mediumwave transmitter tuned to 1573 kHz.  

            This radio broadcasting station, with the rather appropriate callsign KOLD, was on the air during the day with pre-recorded tapes from a local mediumwave station in the United States, WLEE.  During the evening, volunteers acted as disc jockeys with live programming.  In 1966, another engineer constructed a larger mediumwave transmitter; though two years later the jointly operated base at Wilkes was closed and the radio equipment was transferred to the Australian base at Casey, a mile or so distant.

            That transfer was in 1968, and the KOLD transmitter from Wilkes Base was installed in the chapel at Casey Base, where the callsign was changed to OCY, with the letters CY standing for Casey.  When reception was good, station OCY relayed live the programing from Australian mediumwave stations in coastal areas, including 3UZ and 3XY in Melbourne, 5AN in Adelaide, and 6KG inland at Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.  These days station OCY is on the air on FM 102.5 under the slogan callsign COLD.

            Another radio station on an Antarctic island was OMI, Macquarie Island.  This little radio station used a CD player for providing music programming for local temporary residents.

            Then at Davis Base on mainland Antarctica, there was a station with the callsign ODA.  These days it identifies as ICY.

            And that’s the story of six little mediumwave and FM stations operating on Antarctic islands and on the Antarctic mainland, all of which were unknown to us beforehand.  The only place you can read about all of these intriguing little radio broadcasting stations is in the recent book published by Dr. Bruce Carty, Australian Radio History.  You can read lots of other very interesting information in his book, and you can make contact with him at  Bruce.Carty@bigpond.com.  We might add, that Dr. Carty requests any additional information that anyone might have about these unique little radio stations in the Australian Antarctic Territories.

 (AWR/Wavescan/NWS 272 via Adrian Peterson)

BBC Central Mediterranean Relay Station Malta

The island of Malta is located in the central Mediterranean between Sicily and North Africa.  The name Malta comes from the ancient Greek word “melity” and it means “sweet honey”.

            There are actually five main islands belonging to Malta, three of which are inhabited.  Their capital city is Valetta on the north coast of the main island Malta.  With a total land area of only 122 square miles, and a total population approaching half a million, they are one of the most densely populated countries in the world.  Tourism is one of their  main industries, with more than a million visitors coming to the islands each year.

            There are two official languages in Malta, English and Maltese.  The Maltese language traces its earliest origins back to a form of ancient Arabic spoken previously on the nearby island of Sicily. However, the Maltese language is written with the English script, not the Arabic cursive writing.

            In ancient times there were two unique forms of life on the island; the dwarf elephant and the pigmy hippopotamus, each only half the size of its African relatives, though both are long since extinct.

            In prehistoric times, the earliest colonists constructed Neolithic Stone Temples which they say today are the oldest stone structures anywhere in the world.  The islands were colonized by the Phoenicians from the Middle East, and they were followed by settlers from Greece.  Malta was conquered successively, among others, by Carthage, Rome, the Arabs, Sicily, France, and then by England. 

            The unique toy dog, the Maltese, is quite small, with long silky hair reaching to the ground.  This dog was highly favored by noble women back two thousand years ago. 

            The Roman poet Martial wrote a poem about a Maltese named Issa that was owned by his friend Publius, Governor of Malta.  During the winter of 60 AD, St. Paul was shipwrecked on Malta, at St. Paul’s Bay, as recorded in the Book of Acts chapter 27.  He befriended Governor Publius who converted to the new Christianity, along with the entire population of the island.       

            In more recent times, the British constructed a naval fort at Delimara Point on the extreme eastern edge of the island of Malta in 1876.  The name Delimara in their language means the shadow of a woman.

            The story of the BBC Central Mediterranean Relay Station seems to begin not in Malta, but back on the island of Cyprus, in the year 1959.  The World Radio TV Handbook for that year (1959) lists a radio broadcasting station with the slogan Radio Independent Transmitting Unit, ITU.

            In 1959, as the WRTVHB states, a broadcast unit was on the air at the British communication station at Episkopi with a 3½ hour daily service in English from 1200 - 1530 UTC on 7130 kHz at a power level of ½ kW.  A service in Arabic was also in the planning stage.

             It is probable that this new shortwave service in the Middle East, temporary and experimental, was intended to grow into a larger facility akin to the earlier Radio Sharq al Adna, previously on the air on this same island, Cyprus.  This new radio service, under the title Radio Independent Transmitting Unit ITU, was on the air for no more than a few months, and the entire project was seemingly trans-ferred to the island of Malta.  The WRTVHB listing states that a QSL response was available by letter. 

            In the early part of this same year 1959, a party of BBC personnel made a visit to Malta to assess the radio situation on the island.  They rendered their official report in April.

            A new BBC relay station, designated as the BBC Central Mediterranean Relay Station was soon afterwards installed in the Royal Navy Fort at Delimara Point on the extreme easternmost point on the island of Malta.  This new relay station with its two mediumwave transmitters at 20 kW each was inaugurated during the following year 1960.  The licensed output power from this BBC relay station, which was owned and operated by the Diplomatic Wireless Service, was 10 kW, and only one transmitter was ever on the air at any one time.

            Programming was on the air ten hours a day in two sessions and it was a relay of the BBC Arabic Service which was beamed towards Libya and Tunisia.  The introductory channel when this station was inaugurated was 1079 kHz.  Then in March  of the following year (1961), the channel was changed to 1178 kHz. 

            However, in November 1968, the BBC announced that they planned to close this station.  But instead, it remained on the air, and in September 1969 the frequency was again changed, this time to 1546 kHz.  Two years later, another change was made to 1511 kHz.  Then in February 1973, at the end of nearly 13 years of service, this BBC Central Mediterranean Relay Station was indeed closed, supposedly due to a request from Egypt. 

            The station was donated to the radio broadcasting authority in Malta, and they reactivated it with two channels on the air simultaneously, 998  & 1546 kHz, each at 20 kW.  One channel was programmed in Italian & Arabic, and the other in Maltese.  However, the entire facility was soon afterwards dismantled and re-installed at Bezbezija, some ten miles distant, almost in the center of the island.   

            The fort at Delimara Point was subsequently abandoned, and soon afterwards it was leased to a pig farmer.  Finally in 2005, the land was transferred to Heritage Malta and plans were implemented for turning the location into a museum and tourist site.

 (AWR/Wavescan/NWS 271 via Adrian Peterson)

VOA Radiogram schedules

Hello friends,

Because I will be away from the office most of the rest of May, I will generally not be able to respond to your emails until early June.

Looking ahead: VOA Radiogram on 31 May and 1 June 2014 will be the "VOA Radiogram Picture Show." We will experiment with the X1, X2, and X4 transmission speeds of MFSK images, using MFSK32, 64, and 128. And we will transmit an EasyPal image. Download the EasyPal software from vk4aes.com . For practice, radio amateurs transmit EasyPal images (mostly with Internet assistance) on 14233 kHz.

Here is the lineup for VOA Radiogram, program 59, 17-18 May 2014 (MFSK32 centered on 1500
Hz):

 1:31  Program preview
 2:56  Washington Monument reopens, with image
 8:33  Two-dimensional transistor, with image
14:49  Are reusable rockets a good idea? With image
18:55  Plastic from shrimp shells, with image
26:59  Closing announcements

Please send reception reports to radiogram@voanews.com

The Mighty KBC will transmit a minute of MFSK64 each Saturday at 1130 UTC on 6095 kHz and Sunday at 0130 UTC (Saturday 9:30 pm EDT) on 9925 kHz. The transmitters are in Germany.

Thanks for all your support.

Kim

Kim Andrew Elliott
Producer and Presenter
VOA Radiogram

voaradiogram.net

VOA Radiogram weekend schedule

We will transmit another all-MFSK32 show (except for the surprise mode at the end) for the weekend of 10-11 May, including six images.

Here is the lineup for VOA Radiogram, program 58, 10-11 April 2014:


 1:29  Program preview
 2:42  Taking notes by hand, with image
 7:25  2014 ITU data on Internet and mobile access, with image
11:59  Bacteria could hitchhike to Mars, with image
19:14  VOA Spanish: Microsoft in Miami, with logo
20:49  BBG marks World Press Freedom Day, with logo
25:28  Closing announcements, logo

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 17860 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, transmitting via Germany, will include a minute of MFSK64 Saturday at about 1130 UTC on 6095 kHz to Europe, and Sunday at about 0130 UTC (Saturday 9:30 pm EDT) to North America. Reports to themightykbc@gmail.com .

Once again, I received several excellent reports from the weekend of 3-4 May, including from listeners who have never reported before. I will begin answering those reports now.

See videos of VOA Radiogram reception and decoding at voaradiogram.net/post/85150170272/videos-of-voa-radiogram-3-4-may-2014

Kim

Kim Andrew Elliott
Producer and Presenter
VOA Radiogram
voaradiogram.net
(QSL photo courtesy Kim Elliott)

FM favored over "mindless DRM"

India
India's broadcast chief calls for "mindless" DRM plan to be dropped in favour of FM.

You will soon be able to catch your favourite regional radio programmes on FM radio with maximising of the existing technology and junking of the "mindless" and "silly" plan of introducing digital radio, says Prasar
Bharati chief Jawhar Sircar.

Sircar, the CEO of India's public broadcaster that runs All India Radio and Doordarshan, said plans are afoot to place FM towers \\ to MW towers to achieve "simulcast" or simultaneously broadcast programmes which are run on Medium Wave on the Frequency Modulation towers.

"Simulcast is the new technology. If I put in an FM tower \\ to an MW tower, we can have simultaneously casting," Sircar said in an interview. "With this, you will be able to hear programmes from primary channels, say Kolkata 'A' or 'B' on FM," said the top bureaucrat, known to have had run-ins with the information and broadcasting ministry over the running of the autonomous public service broadcaster. Funds for this venture will come from leasing out the 50-odd centres where SW or Short Wave receiving transmitters stand, and also "closing down DRM" or digital radio mondiale and "putting the money in FM", he said.

SW has no takers any more and the 50 transmitters or receiving centres are standing on prime land located in 50 major towns across India, which could be leased out to government departments. It will earn "enough money to fund the entire exercise", the top official said.

On digital radio, Sircar said the government has already spent a lot of money on digital radio needlessly. "A lot of money has been pushed into DRM, and we have around 100 DRM transmitters. But the DRM radio receivers cost Rs5,000, so who will buy them? So, all the silly targets being made within Prasar Bharati or even in the ministry would require a re-examination before we push any target," he said.

"There are markets and there are issues in which you can't go in for long term views. The long term view was (to go in for) DRM. I think it is silly."

The decision to go in for digital radio was taken six-eight years ago. "But nobody studied to see (the cost of receivers). Then it was Rs10,000 and now it is Rs5,000. No Indian can afford it," he said, adding that the
move for digital radio was akin to "mindlessly" aping World Space radio, a premium satellite radio network that went defunct in 2009. "World Space radio with less (cost of receivers) could not survive ... why put mindless pressure?

"We will close down DRM, and put that money into FM," he said. The money, around Rs20 crore for each DRM phase, could be used to purchase the equipment for simulcasting of FM and MW at around Rs.80 lakh per tower. "If I can save Rs20 crore, I can put 20 FM systems," the CEO said.

http://thepeninsulaqatar.com {4 March 2014 - New Delhi}
via Alan Pennington-UK, in BrDXC-UK "Communication" May 2014 magazine)
(Top Nx 1160/07 May 2014)

Weekend Euro programming

MVBR and HLR this weekend

All times UTC / kHz

Saturday 03.05.2014, HLR programs will be running as normal on 7265 and 6190

Sunday 04.05.2014, MVBR programs will be running on 7265 and 9485.
MVBR on 7265 at 0800
MVBR on 9485 at 0900

MVBR is also streaming via the Internet  http://laut.fm/clubdate
Saturday 03.05.2014
15:00-16:00  MV Baltic Radio (March 2014)
16:00-17:00  MV Baltic Radio (April 2014)
Sunday 04.05.2014
13:00-14:00  MV Baltic Radio (March 2014)
14:00-15:00  MV Baltic Radio (April 2014)

Sunday 0405.2014, HLR programs will be running on:

11.00 to 15.00 on 9485

Good Listening!

73s

Tom Taylor

Weekend VOA Radiogram schedule

VOA Radiogram for the weekend of 3-4 May (program 57) will be all MFSK32 except for the surprise mode during the closing music.

There will be some interesting VOA News items, including amateur radio from the permanently berthed ship Queen Mary, and legislation that could result in major changes to the Voice of America and the rest of U.S. international broadcasting.

Here is the lineup for VOA Radiogram, program 57, 3-4 May 2014 (all in MFSK32 centered on

1500 Hz):

1:30  Program preview

2:33  Amateur radio from the Queen Mary, with image

8:52  Cloudsource to Ukraine, with image

16:15  50th Anniversary of BASIC programming language

20:49  House bill to reorganize US international broadcasting

27:08  Closing announcements, VOA logo

Please send reception reports to radiogram@voanews.com

Please note that MFSK images decoded by Fldigi are automatically stored in the folder \fldigi.files\images\ somewhere in your hard drive.

VOA Radiogram transmission schedule

(all days and times UTC)

Sat 0930-1000 5745 kHz

Sat 1600-1630 17860 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 a minute of MFSK64 via Germany Saturday at about 1130 UTC on 6095 kHz (during The Big Beach Radio Show) and Sunday at about 0130 UTC (Saturday evening 9:30 pm EDT) on new 9925 kHz. 

Thanks for your reports from last weekend, which I will soon be answering.

Kim

Kim Andrew Elliott

Producer and Presenter

VOA Radiogram

radiogram@voanews.com

voaradiogram.net

DX Stamp Service Specials: May 2014

Kazakhstan postage stamps

Dear Customer,
Below are specials for May.
Check out the added bonuses on DX supply special offers. AND some nice ones on U.S. discounted postage....sure would like to move out more of the U.S. postage...hint! hint!

If you need a current stamp list or supply list, I can email it to you.

I also have a list of the countries we stock that have issued their own international forever stamps, yours for the asking too.
 
NEW RATES:
Isle of Man increased 31 March from 1,19 to 1,21
Guernsey increased 7 April from 63p to 66p
free updates available for both.
 
MAKE UPS:

NEW PRICES:

STAMPS IN STOCK AGAIN: Argentina, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, South Korea, Switzerland, Uzbekistan

STAMPS ON BACK ORDER: Morocco, Poland. (A supply of Poland arrived, and I was able to fill a number of back orders. The next shipment ought to fill the remaining back orders and put it in stock again.)

BACK ORDERS will now be sent with your next stamp order, unless I have several to send you.  Am losing money by sending out one at a time. Sorry.
 
U.S. DISCOUNT POSTAGE DEALS!!

****MAY  SPECIAL,  BUY 2 U.S. POSTAGE DEALS & DEDUCT $5.00!****

Save Big on your domestic mailings when you plaster your envelope with colorful stamps.

49c Units
  2 stamps
  3 stamps
  4 stamps
  5 stamps

x 100
 $46.00
 $43.00
 $42.00
 $41.00

x 200
 $89.00
 $84.00
 $81.00
 $78.00

x 400
 xxx
 $161.00
 $157.00
 $154.00

(Three stamps means 49c unit made up in three stamps such as 22c, 22c and 5c)

MORE U.S. POSTAGE for SALE!!

Excess of 20c stamps, want some?

$50 in 20c stamps-$43    $100 for $80    $200 for $150

EVEN MORE U.S. POSTAGE for SALE!!

$100 Grab Bags - $75

Values from 3c to 29c in envelopes of 100 ea. I'll send a great mix!

   
For US postage deals, payment by  
CREDIT CARD NOW ACCEPTED!!

 No charge for shipping US postage deals to US addresses.

ORDER NOW!

 MAY  2014  DX  STAMP  SPECIALS
    3 Canada-$3.90          2 Latvia-$2.00         3 Japan-$3.90
2 Spain-$3.20       3 UK-$5.10
2 Finland 1st Kl.-$3.00     3 Finland 2nd Kl.-$3.00
Finland 1st class is priority rate
 2nd class is economy rate, it goes airmail too and saves you a bit!    
   

May   2014  DX  SUPPLY  SPECIALS
200/200 European Air Mailers and Air Returns -$40.00
200/200 Stateside Mailers and Returns - $19.00
2 Standard QSL Albums - $40.00

Buy Two DX Supply Specials...Deduct $5.00!!

 Priority Mail Shipping Rates: Orders up to $16.00 add $6.50, orders from $16.01 to $40.00 add $9.00, orders from $41.00 to $100.00 add $15.00. orders from $101.00 to $150.00 add $20.00, orders over $150.00 add 15%. When ordering supplies and stamps, the stamps ride free, just use supply total to figure shipping costs. Shipments to Canada and overseas ship at a greater cost. (01/2014)

Stamps Only Orders: Just add $1.00 P&H for posting to USA, add $2.00 for posting to Canada.

73, bill

William Plum
12 Glenn Road
Flemington, NJ 08822
908 788 1020
908 782-2612 FAX
Email: plumdx@msn.com

FRS Holland plans Sunday broadcast

Dear FRS Friends,

After a few months' silence FRS-Holland will be on air with a test next Sunday May 4th. The test will be on 7700 kHz and will be aired twice:

1) 07:52- 09:00 UTC/ 09:52- 11:00 CEST
2) 17:52- 19:00 UTC/ 19:52- 21:00 CEST

In case 7700 kHz cannot be used for some reason, there are a few alternative freqs you could try: 7685, 7705 or 7715 kHz.

We are understandably curious how reception is in your area. We've done antenna maintenance as well as
carried out a few modifications on the modulator. So we would be happy to hear from you about reception
quality including signal strength and modulation (loudness, quality).
Correct reports will be verified with our standard color QSL showing the offical FRS logo.
FRSH hopes to return with a full broadcast early June. Unfortunately the proposed February 23rd broadcast
had to be cancelled.
Currently we are working very hard to have the brand new FRS website online some time this Summer.

Tune in next Sunday!

All the best,

The FRS Team (Jan van Dijk, Roger Davis, Dave Scott, Paul Graham, Brian, Bobby Speed & Peter Verbruggen)

May Events for Castle Hunters

Svyato-Troitskaya Sergieva Lavra

May 2
WCA and COTA-RU & RCA pedition of R4FF/3/P to Svyato-Troitskaya Sergieva Lavra - Slava R4FF will be active from Svyato-Troitskaya Sergieva Lavra, WCA: UA-00306, CTA-RU: C-325, RCA: RC-098, RDA: MO-85. He plans to work as R4FF/3/P on 7.140 and 14.140 from 07:00 - 09:00 UTC.
QSL via Home Call. 73 & 11!

May 3
WCA and DFCF pedition of F4FCE/P to Bazourge Castle. Pierre-Marie F4FCE will be active from Bazourge Castle, WCA: F-06117, DFCF: 42-032. He plans to work on 40 and 80 meters SSB in the morning and BPSK the afternoon as F4FCE/P. QSL via bureau or direct. 73 & 11! [tnx info F4FCE].

May 5
WCA and COTA-RU pedition of RZ1CWC/P to Koporje Fortress! The members of RZ1CWC team inc. Andrew RN1CW and Vladimir UA1CIO once again will be active fom Koporje Fortress, WCA:
UA-00008, COTA-RU: C-108, RDA: LO-30. They plan to work from 07:00 UTC as RZ1CWC/P and Home Call/Portable on 20 and possibly 40 meters CW and SSB (it's a good possibility to fulfil conditions of *"Koporje Castle"  Award* http://rz1cwc.qrz.ru/eng/awards/koporje/home.htm QSL via  RW6HS. Log will be uploaded into the WCA database and COTA-RU E-Log. RZ1CWC].

May 5
WCA pedition of ES2TT/2 to Kiiu Castle! Eduard ES2TT will be active from Kiiu Castle
http://www.castle.lv/est/kiiu.html  WCA: ES-00049. He plans to work as ES2TT/2 only SSB on 7.158 and 14.240 from 08:00 UTC. QSL via ES2TT, bureau or direct. [tnx info ES2TT].

73 & 11! de Andrew RN1CW
THE CASTLES HUNTER
WCA coordinator & award manager
http://www.wcagroup.org