VOA Radiogram weekend schedule

Hello friends,

This weekend the VOA Radiogram broadcast Saturday at 1600-1630 UTC moves to the new frequency of 17870 kHz. This replaces 17860 kHz, which was suffering interference from Radio Exterior de España on 17855 kHz. For those of you using low cost radios with less selectivity, please let me know in 17870 kHz provides enough separation from 17855 kHz.

VOA Radiogram begins this weekend with a rather lengthy but, I hope, interesting story about a new report on world press freedom.

Here is the lineup for VOA Radiogram, program 109, 2-3 May 2015, all in MFSK32 except where noted:

 1:32  Program preview
 2:45  Freedom House report on world press freedom*
14:12  BBC adds shortwave transmissions for Nepal
17:09  Mobile phone ownership increases in Africa
21:21  Computer servers heat homes in the Netherlands*
27:12  Closing announcements*
28:39  Thor 16: Bonus mode of the week

* 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 17870 kHz (new, replaces 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 (I think) transmit a minute of MFSK64 3 May at about 0130 UTC (Saturday 9:30 pm EDT) on new 9925 kHz (via Germany). Reports to Eric: themightykbc@gmail.com .

Thank you for your reception reports for last weekend's broadcast.  I have not yet finished answering all the reports from program 107, 18-19 April 2015, because of a busy week involving my audience research tasks for VOA and the U.S. International Broadcasting Bureau. I hope to catch up with the correspondence this weekend.

Kim

Kim Andrew Elliott
Producer and Presenter
VOA Radiogram

voaradiogram.net

May Specials from DX Stamp Service

Dear Customer,

Below are specials for May 2015.

If you need a current stamp list or supply list, I can email it to you. Stamp list now shows the countries with their own international forever stamps that I have in stock. Stamp list now highlights a few that offer priority and non-priority international mailing options.

NEWS: UK, version 2.0...Now supplying the 20g rate of 1,33 instead of 10g ww rate of 1,00. A few customers mention their UK contacts sometimes say 10g rate not enuf for some heavy weight QSLs. Stamps are valid for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It's good to list the specific "country" when you order as I have UK stamps with country emblems on them and ur dx contact would appreciate seeing that...much like a dxer in Philadelphia would like to see a Liberty Bell stamp. Units will be made up with 2 x 1st (their forever stamp, 63p) plus a 7p stamp. Selling price of $1.90 will remain. Hopefully, I won't hear the bogus complaint that 1st stamps can't be used on international mail....

Fax Number dropped. 22 yr old fax machine finally went. Things just don't last anymore. Probably received about five fax orders during the past 12 months. I don't think I'll bother replacing it.

NEW RATES:
  Jersey now 85p for 20g  and 75p for 10g. I'll supply the 20g rate now.
  Isle of Man increases May 5th:  1,24 for 20g
 
NEW PRICES:
 
IN STOCK AGAIN: Argentina and South Korea

STAMPS ON BACK ORDER: Algeria, Fiji, Morocco.

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!!

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

49c Units
 in 2 stamps
 in 3 stamps
 in 4 stamps
 in 5 stamps

x 100
 $42.00
 $41.00
 $40.00
 $39.00

x 200
 xxx
 $80.00
 $78.00
 $76.00

x 400
 xxx
 $154.00
 $150.00
 $145.00

(Three stamps mean 49c unit is made with 3 stamps: 22c, 22c and 5c for example)
   
MORE U.S. POSTAGE for SALE!

100 x 32c - $27     300 x 32c - $73

$100 Grab Bag - $75     $300 Grab Bag - $205

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


     U.S. BOOKLET HOARD!!

Mostly booklets containing 25c stamps

$400 face value for $285 !!

Only one remaining! Please buy me!!
                                                                                 
For US postage deals, payment by CREDIT CARD IS OK!!

 No charge for shipping US postage deals to US addresses.
ORDER NOW!
 
MAY 2015  DX  STAMP  SPECIALS
2 Russia-$2.60    3 Japan-$3.90   2 France-$3.60
    Austria :D: -$2.50    Finland :np: - $1.20
2 Spain-$3.40
 

MAY 2015  DX  SUPPLY  SPECIALS
200/200 European Air Mailers and Air Returns -$40.00
200/200 Stateside Mailers and Returns - $19.00
 
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

Email: plumdx@msn.com

KTWR Guam has begun emergency shortwave broadcast to Nepal

1345-1445 UTC on 15280 kHz in English/Nepali

  

The Trans World Radio (TWR) Nepal team visited the affected areas to better understand the situation, and will continue to visit other affected areas over the next several days. To address the long-term spiritual and emotional needs, TWR will produce a 15-minute program in Nepali to be broadcast once a day, seven days a week over 15 FM stations in the affected districts.

TWR will also produce a one-hour program with four 15-minute segments in Nepali, Hindi, Bhojpuri, and English. The programs will be broadcast once a day, seven days a week, over shortwave from Guam to reach those closer to Mount Everest, where they may not be able to receive FM broadcasts.

TWR would like to distribute at least 5,000 radios in the region to replace those that may have been damaged or lost in the quake.

Related :

 http://ktwrdrm.blogspot.sg/2015/04/emergency-broadcast.html

(Alokesh Gupta, India/Cumbre DX)

Martís an Essential News Source in Cuba Admidst Policy Changes

WASHINGTON - Changes in the relationship between the United States and Cuba may have resulted in a relaxation on travel and trade restrictions, but they have not diminished the censorship and media control on the island. Leadership of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, which manages Radio and TV Martí, described the realities of the evolving Cuban media market to the Broadcasting Board of Governors at its meeting today in Washington, D.C.

"Human rights are abused every day, access to information is limited and heavily controlled, and all media is owned and operated by the state," explained Natalia Crujeiras, Chief Content Officer for all the all the media platforms of the Martís including Martinoticias.com. "Cuban officials dealing with the White House may have changed the tone of the conversations, but the Castro discourse and relentless media campaigns haven't budged on the island."

The Martís are providing much needed reliable journalism on multiple platforms. According to a recent survey, 20 percent of Cubans get their news from Radio Martí. In the first three months of 2015, Martinoticias.com received 1.7 million hits. The Martís' following has grown by 71% on Facebook and 23% on Twitter.

"Cuba is a country in transition," explained Carlos García-Pérez, Director of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting. "We have to think long-term. We may not know where the chips are going to fall, and but we have to be ready to help the Cuban citizens get the information they need to live healthy, successful lives. And we are ready."

BBG Chairman Shell agreed, adding, "Our work in Cuba is important, perhaps now more than ever. Some may think our work there is done, but in many ways our work is just beginning."

Noting that Sunday is World Press Freedom Day, Shell acknowledged that for press in Cuba and around the globe, their work is increasingly dangerous. BBG journalists and contributors have faced a myriad of threats including having family members jailed in China, being shot in Iraq, jailed in Azerbaijan, and expelled from an conference in Panama.

Despite these challenges, Shell explained, "We are committed to the pursuit of global press freedom and upholding the principles of professional journalism across our networks."

Prior to the presentation by OCB, Shell expressed gratitude to departing Voice of America Director David Ensor saying, "David has steered the VOA ship through rocky waters and a rapidly changing media environment. It is a big loss for us, and as one of the longest serving VOA Directors, he will be missed."

After the meeting, Shell invited former BBG Chairman and current President and CEO of the Aspen Institute Walter Isaacson to share insights on changes in the media and political landscapes and how they impact the future of U.S. international media.

"Everyone in U.S. international media really deserves a heck of a lot of credit for being so dedicated to this mission, believing that if we report the truth it will benefit people around the world," Isaacson told the assembled journalists, staff and leadership. "Being here today is my tiny way of saying how valuable your mission is and how much I appreciate work that you are doing."

(VOA)

QSL of the Week: One Day Only

Back nearly 20 years ago, William Matthews in Columbus Ohio was on the air with a regular DX report for both Adventist World Radio and also Radio Korea International.  On the occasion of the 200^th edition of his DX Report over Radio Korea International, arrangements were made for a relay of the AWR DX program Wavescan via the RKI network of shortwave stations in South Korea.

            For the occasion, AWR obtained a quantity of QSL cards that had been previously in use by the Korean language Voice of Prophecy in Seoul to verify their broadcasts over Adventist World Radio.  These full color picture cards depicted tourist scenes in South Korea and they were duly rubber stamped in honor of the occasion.

            Christian Ghibaudo in France heard the one day only AWR-RKI broadcasts over the Radio Korea International transmitter at Kimje in South Korea with 250 kW on 6480 kHz.  His QSL card showed a temple scene in South Korea.

(AWR-Wavescan/NWS 322) 

Amidst the Rubber Plantation in Malaysia: The BBC Tebrau

(via shortwavedxer.blogspot)

During the past three-fourths century, the BBC Far Eastern Relay Station has been on the air shortwave from four consecutive locations; Jurong Singapore, Ekala Ceylon, Tebrau Malaysia and back again to Singapore this time at Kranji.  In our program today, we relate the very interesting story about their 30 year venture amidst the rubber plantations and jungles at the southern edge of the Malay Peninsula.  

            Quite soon after the end of World War II in Asia, the BBC in London sent Mr. F. C. McLean on a preliminary search for a suitable location for a relay station in the Malay Peninsula.  At the time, the BBC was on the air from the new shortwave station that had been constructed at Jurong on Singapore island during the Japanese occupation.

            Initially, the BBC was interested in enlarging the Jurong station with the installation of high powered transmitters and tall antenna towers.  However the Malay government, with Singapore as the capital city at the time, was planning a huge international airport nearby and tall towers could not be permitted. 

            Thus the BBC needed to look elsewhere for their big new shortwave station and they chose the nearby Malay Peninsula.  In the meantime, they took out a temporary relay via the new shortwave station that had recently been opened at Ekala in Ceylon.

            In July 1947, a team of three from the BBC in London finally chose the Tebrau site as the most suitable of the various possible venues they had visited.  Their new estate of 450 acres of jungle and rubber tree plantations had no access road, nor any ambient infrastructure; and there were still some leftover Japanese ammunition dumps in the area.

            The design for this new shortwave station was quite similar to the recently constructed Ekala station in Ceylon, and the original complement of electronic equipment at Tebrau would include 6 transmitters and 20 antenna systems.  In addition, it was necessary to build up a self-contained set of housing and amenities, including recreational facilities, for all of the staff who would be employed at the station.  Work on this massive new radio station and all of its additional accessories began quite quickly, and the installation of the electronic equipment in the transmitter building began in mid 1950.

            At this stage, two transmitters at 100 kW each were installed, and they had both served the BBC at two different locations in the United Kingdom during the conflict in Europe; Start Point in England and Lisnagarvey in Northern Ireland.  In order to safeguard the BBC’s capability of international radio coverage during the war, two widely dispersed shortwave stations had been constructed as additional alternatives to the huge well known station at Daventry, just in case that one should be damaged in an aerial attack.  

            A 100 kW Marconi transmitter model no. SWB18 was co-sited with the mediumwave station located at Start Point on the south coast of England.  This transmitter had been under construction at the time for an unstated foreign government, but when war breakout in the middle of last century, it was taken over for use by the BBC at Start Point. 

            This shortwave transmitter was on the air on only one frequency 6075 kHz under the channel callsign GRR.  The informative book BBC Engineering tells us that usage of this transmitter was terminated at the end of the year 1945, and it was “placed under dust sheets”.

            Over at Lisnagarvey near Belfast, another Marconi transmitter at 100 kW, same model SWB18, was co-sited with a mediumwave transmitter and inaugurated on November 20, 1941 under the channel callsign GRW.  This unit was also on the air on only one channel, variously listed as 6140 or 6145 kHz. 

            Interestingly, an international radio monitor in Australia noted that both units, GRR & GRW, were “heard in team”; that is, they carried parallel programming.  This station in Northern Ireland was silenced on May 26, 1946, and the same book, BBC Engineering, states that it was “put under care and maintenance”.

            The events of radio history suggest to us that it was these two transmitters that were duly re-installed in the new BBC station at Tebrau in Malaya.  The first was re-activated in December 1950, and the second was re-activated a month later, in January of the following year, 1951. 

            In addition, four new Marconi transmitters at 7½ kW model SWB11E were installed at Tebrau and at least some of these units were placed in service on May 13, 1951.  A program relay for various language areas of Asia was transferred from BBC Ekala Ceylon to BBC Tebrau Malaya.

            Power for the Tebrau station was generated locally with three huge diesel engines.  The feeder lines from the transmitters to the antenna systems were clustered more than a mile long, and they gave the appearance of a huge highway running through the dense forest of jungle trees.

            BBC programming was phased out via Ekala and transferred in stages to Tebrau beginning at the end of the year 1950.  The final BBC broadcasts from Ekala ended on May 12, 1951.

            Some 20 years later, a modernization plan was implemented at Tebrau, in the early 1970s, and the 4 low powered transmitters at 7½ kW were removed and replaced by 4 @ 100 kW and 4 @ 250 kW.  However, the 2 older units at 100 kW were still retained, though they were not included in official lists.

            However, when the time approached for the expiry of the license for the station, it became clear that it would be necessary for the BBC Far Eastern Relay Station to move once again.  All 8 of the new transmitters were moved consecutively to a new station at Kranji on the island of Singapore, and the Tebrau station was finally closed on Sunday March 18, 1979.

            The BBC Far Eastern Relay Station at Tebrau was heard far and wide during its 30 years of service; and yes, in its earlier years of on air activity, special QSL cards verifying the reception of this station were issued from the BBC headquarters in London.  In addition, for those who were official BBC monitors, the BBC would type in the brief QSL details, using one of their standard acknowledgment cards.

            Next in this story on the BBC Far Eastern Relay Station, we will pick up the events once again, as they occurred on the island of Singapore some 35 years ago.  You will hear this information here in Wavescan on another occasion, some time soon.  
(AWR-Wavescan/NWS 322)

Focus on the South Pacific-New Caledonia

(euroboatcharters-New Caledonia)

French Radio in the South Pacific - New Caledonia, Another American Radio Station

In this edition of Wavescan, we complete our four part story of radio broadcasting in New Caledonia, the French Island in the South Pacific.  In particular, we present the brief story of another American radio station in New Caledonia, together with information about the various QSL cards and letters that were issued over the years, beginning with the original shortwave broadcasting station FK8AA way back before the middle of last century.

            With the influx of American personnel into the South Pacific during the Pacific War, many American shortwave communication stations were established in many different locations.  All of these stations were installed at temporary locations and most were moved with the forces as they moved northwards.

It was in the year 1942 that an American shortwave communication station was installed in Noumea, the capital city of the French colonial administration on the island of New Caledonia.  This station, which was located in suburban Anse Vata, was allocated an American army callsign, WVJN, and it was inaugurated for communication service on May 14 (1942).

            At that stage, General Douglas MacArthur had established his headquarters in Brisbane Australia and his station WTO communicated in high speed Morse Code with the army station in Hawaii WTJ, and also with the new Noumea station WVJN in manual Morse Code.  However, the sophisticated army communication station WVY at the Presidio in San Francisco expressed difficulty in Morse communication with Noumea WVJN and at one stage refused to accept messages in manual Morse Code from them. 

            During the years 1943 and 1944, army station WVJN in Noumea was noted by international radio monitors in both Australia and the United States with the broadcast of radio programming for nationwide relay on mediumwave in the United States.  According to the monitoring reports, the signal was heard at a low level, indicating that the transmitter power must have been quite low.

            For example, South Pacific Headquarters New Caledonia was heard on 15410 kHz with a program insert for the NBC Army Hour on November 28, 1943.  Another similar broadcast was noted on 15490 kHz a couple of months later; and again on 17785 kHz in August (1944). 

            The original (1942) transmitter site for American army radio WVJN was located in suburban Noumea. but it is understood that the transmitter station was moved to the American air force base at Tontouta a year later.  The station was closed in 1945 or 1946 when American forces left New Caledonia and moved north.

            The noted American radio historian, Jerry Berg of suburban Boston, advises that the CPRV QSL Collection holds a QSL letter from the American Expeditionary Station in Noumea, verifying the reception of a shortwave broadcast on 15460 kHz in April 1944.  It would seem that the programming was produced in the Red Cross studios of the AFRS station WVUS and that it was broadcast over the American army communication station WVJN.  The QSL letter was signed by the American serviceman Paul Masterson who, it is known, was on duty with WVUS in Noumea at the time.

            We should also mention that a radio unit was operated in New Caledonia by the National Broadcasting Service of New Zealand during the Pacific War.  This unit was stationed in Noumea from April 1943 to August 1944 and it produced programming for local broadcast and also for re-broadcast back home in New Zealand.

            During its year and a half service in Noumea, this NZNBS radio unit produced a daily program, the Kiwi Hour, which was broadcast by Radio Noumea.  Another regular program was prepared in Noumea under the title With the Boys Overseas and this was forwarded by plane to New Zealand twice weekly for re-broadcast over the NZNBS mediumwave network throughout New Zealand.  

            In August 1944, the radio equipment was donated to Radio Noumea, and the personnel returned to their homeland, New Zealand.

            We come now to the story of other QSL cards and letters from the radio stations in New Caledonia.  The amateur radio broadcaster FK8AA issued its own QSL card that was suitable for verifying both amateur QSO contacts as well as radio program broadcasts.  This QSL card presented a simple QSL text, and international radio monitors in the pre-war era complained that it was just as hard to obtain a QSL card from the station as it was to actually hear the station.

            The communication stations FZM, operated by their PT&T department, and FUJ operated by their navy, have been known to sign and rubber stamp a prepared QSL card.  Then also the government radio station Radio Noumea has issued at least three different QSL cards during its more than half a century of radio program broadcasting. 

            The early cards in the 1950s were a plain text card, in two consecutive printing styles; and in the 1970s, a more elaborate card was issued showing a tower with radiating circles.  In more recent time, Radio Noumea verified with a form letter showing a map of the island with a list of their mediumwave and shortwave transmitters.

            Back in the 1980s, international radio monitors in Australia and New Zealand noted that an AWR program was on the air from the shortwave station in Noumea, New Caledonia.  According to reception reports regarding these broadcasts, this program was produced in the La Voix de l’Esperance radio studio in Paris France, the same studio that produced programming for broadcast by Adventist World Radio.

            The programs broadcasts from Radio Noumea on 3355 kHz & 7170 kHz were not under the direct oversight of Adventist World Radio, though the content and programming was just the same.  Several courtesy QSL cards were issued from the AWR office in Southern Asia verifying these Pacific Island broadcasts.

            The Indianapolis Heritage Collection contains two of these QSL cards, dated November 5 and November 23, 1982.  The QSL card itself showed the orange colored world map that was issued by the original AWR-Asia in Poona India.  The QSL information was neatly typed, and the cards were neatly signed by Jose Jacob during the time when he was serving as a volunteer with Adventist World Radio in Poona.

            That concludes our four episodes on the story of radio broadcasting on the French island of New Caledonia in the South Pacific. This complete story included information on the amateur radio broadcasting station FK8AA.  Around the same era, there were two other shortwave stations with similar callings; FO8AA in Tahiti in the South Pacific and FG8AA in Guadeloupe in the Caribbean.  Coming soon here in Wavescan, we plan to present the story of both of these unique amateur shortwave radio broadcasting stations, FO8AA & FG8AA.

(AWR Wavescan/NWS 321)           

International Callsign Handbook e-book now available at Amazon

Ask any radio monitor what information they consider important during any monitoring session, and usually two items will top their list: frequencies and call signs. If you can hear activity on a particular frequency, unless you can fully identify the participants transmitting on that frequency, you can’t fully appreciate or document the traffic you are hearing.

With millions of radio stations furnishing a variety of communication services throughout the world, it is necessary that their transmissions carry distinctive call signs or identifiers. Call signs have a four-fold purpose: They may identify the nationality of the station, the agency operating a particular station, the type of station, and the identity of each individual station being heard on the monitored frequency.

The need for station identifications/call signs can easily be illustrated here in the United States, which leads all other countries in the use of the radio spectrum, that now has some 85 different kinds of radio services operated by the government, military and civilians entities, providing air, sea, land and space communication services. There are hundreds of thousands of stations on the air and call signs and other forms of identification help the radio monitor sort through the various stations that are heard.

A call sign is defined as any combination of alphanumeric characters or phonetically pronounceable characters (trigraph), which identifies a communications facility, a command, an authority, an activity or unit. To aid the radio monitor in their listening endeavors, the International Call Sign Handbook series of books/e-books has been published.

Teak Publishing is pleased to announce their latest Kindle e-book -- the fourth edition of International Call Sign Handbook. This e-book represents the most comprehensive collection of military and government station identifications ever published for the radio listening hobby. It is the result of year’s research, study and monitoring the HF/VHF/UHF radio spectrum, by the author. Many different radio monitoring disciplines have been used to compile the listings in this book. If you monitor the HF, VHF or UHF radio spectrum, there is something in this book for you.

The information presented in this book has also been gathered through personal correspondence, material published in the former Monitoring Times magazine, various radio publications, newsletters, public domain government and private internet web sites, but most have been gathered the old fashioned way via on-the-air monitoring. In addition, we have received generous support and contributions from many individuals in the radio hobby.

In addition to international and military/government tactical call signs, other types of identifiers such as Automatic Link Establishment (ALE) and Mode-S aircraft addresses have been included in this e-book. There is a chapter that had basic introductory material, as well as chapters devoted to call sign / words used by the Department of Defense including the US. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. There are sections that cover the various Military Auxiliary Radio Services and the U.S. Air Force Civil Air Patrol auxiliary service.

There is also a chapter that covers call signs and ALE identifiers for the U.S. Coast Guard service. Sections in that chapter include a Coast Guard aircraft fleet list, miscellaneous U.S. coast guard calls, and also their international call signs.

Another large chapter covers various U.S. Government call signs. Sections in this chapter include the U.S. Custom and Border Patrol COTHEN radio system and ALE address list, plus call signs from the following department and agencies - Department of Commerce (DOC), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of the Interior (DOI), Department of the Interior (DOI) Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of State, Department of Transportation, Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Federal Communications Commission, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), General Services Administration (GSA), Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD), Miscellaneous Listings, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Communications System (NCS), and U.S. Marshal Service (USMS) service.

One of the larger chapters is devoted to an international / worldwide call signs list. We have a sampling of government and military call signs from 75 counties and international agencies.

The latest craze in aircraft military is decoding Mode-S/ICAO24 radio signals and is included in this book. Our list in this edition covers primarily government / military aircraft and introductory material on Mode-S monitoring.

The last chapter of this book contains a large list of resource information, useful in interpreting the individual entries listed in the book. Sections on U.S. Navy ship/squadron classifications; U.S. Coast Guard cutter designators; a massive list of abbreviations and acronyms that appear in the book; a comprehensive country abbreviation list; and the latest Table of Allocations of International Call signs from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) are included in the last chapter on the e-book.

The Teak Publishing 4^th International Call Sign Handbook is now available for purchase worldwide from Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VV7NR1U. The price for this e-Book edition is US$6.99. This book is being released internationally. Amazon customers in the United Kingdom, Germany, France Spain, Italy, Japan, India, Canada, Brazil, Mexico and Australia can order the e-Book from Amazon websites directly servicing these countries. All other countries can use the regular Amazon.com website.

You do not need to own a Kindle reader to read Amazon e-book publications. You can read any Kindle book with Amazon’s free reading apps. There are free Kindle reading apps for the Kindle Cloud Reader, Smartphones (iPhone, iTouch, Android, Windows Phone and Blackberry); computer platforms (Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8 and Mac); Tablets (iPad, Android and Windows 8), and, of course, all of the Kindle family of readers including the Kindle Fire series. A Kindle e-book allows you to buy your book once and read it anywhere. You can find additional details on these apps at this link on the Amazon website at www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771.

For additional information on this and other Teak Publishing radio hobby books, monitor the company sponsored Internet blogs – The Military Monitoring Post (http://mt-milcom.blogspot.com/), The Btown Monitor Post (http://monitor-post.blogspot.com/) and The Shortwave Central (http://mt-shortwave.blogspot.com/) for availability of additional e-books that are currently in production.

Information on other publications by the author is available on the author’s page at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00G1QMO4C.

About the Author

 Amazon bestselling author, Larry Van Horn, a native of San Antonio, Texas, started his radio listening hobby in 1964, when he received his first shortwave receiver.

In 1971 Larry joined the U.S. Navy and served on U.S. naval warships and in the naval aviation community until his retirement in 1993. He retired in New Orleans with the rank of Chief Petty Officer.

He was first licensed as an amateur radio operator in 1973 with the call sign WH6INU. Later, Larry upgraded to General Class and spent his early ham days operating out of the famed KH6SP ham shack in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, with his his ham mentor and friend Butch Weber, WA4GIF, chasing DX and contesting.

Now a licensed Extra Class ham, holding the call sign N5FPW, Larry enjoys operating digital modes, contesting and chasing DX. Other aspects of the radio hobby that he enjoys include monitoring military communications (throughout the radio spectrum), federal government monitoring, chasing HF utility communications, satellite monitoring, and AM, FM and TV broadcast DXing.

Larry worked for Grove Enterprises in Brasstown, North Carolina, the publisher of Monitoring Times and Satellite Times magazines. His job on the MT staff was the magazines assistant / technical editor and staff journalist. He wrote for Monitoring Times magazine as a freelance writer and full-time staffer for over 30 years until that publication closed in 2013. Larry was the creative force behind a new publication Satellite Times magazine, and was the magazine’s managing editor, a position he held for more than five years.

He has written dozens of radio equipment reviews and several monthly columns in the pages of the former Monitoring Times including the Signals from Space, Utility World, Fedcom – Federal Monitoring column, Milcom- a military monitoring column, GlobalNet, First Look/MT Equipment/Book Reviews. Service Search, Ask Larry, and the magazine’s Whats New column.

Over the years Larry has also written 10 radio hobby books (some with multiple editions), dozens of magazine features, and numerous technical articles for a wide variety of communications publications and radio hobby club newsletters.

He currently resides in western North Carolina, with his wife Gayle W4GVH. They have one son, Loyd W4LVH, who is married and lives in South Carolina.

Larry is the founder and president of the Teak Publishing Company based in western North Carolina. His first e-book published under the Teak Publishing banner, the North American Enroute Aviation Guide, was an immediate Amazon #1 Best Selling Kindle eBook.

Radio New Zealand Summer Schedule

Radio New Zealand Intl QSL (Gayle Van Horn Collection)

Effective to: 24 October 2015

All programming targeted to Pacific regions

All times UTC

AM

0000-0100 15720
0100-0200 15720
0200-0255 15720
0255-0300 15720
0300-0400 15720
0400-0458 15720
0459-0500 11725
0500-0600 11725
0600-0650 11725
0651-0700 11725
0700-0758 11725
0759-0800 9700
0800-0900 9700
0900-1000 9700
1000-1058 9700
1059-1100 9700
1100-1200 9700
1200-1258 9700
1300-1400 6170
1400-1500 6170
1500-1550 6170
1551-1600 9700
1600-1650 9700
1651-1700 9700
1700-1745 9700
1746-1800 9700
1800-1850 9700
1851-1900 11725
1900-1950 11725
1951-2000 11725
1958-2000 Sun 11725
2000-2050 11725
2051-2100  mtwhfa  11725
2100-2200  mtwhfa  11725
2200-2255 15720
2255-2300 15720
2300-0000 15720

DRM

0000-0100  mtwhf  17675
0100-0200  mtwhf  17675
0200-0255 DRM off
0255-0300  mtwhf  17675
0300-0400  mtwhf  17675
0400-0458 DRM off
0459-0500 DRM off
0500-0600 DRM off
0600-0650 DRM off
0651-0700  mtwhf  11690
0700-0758  mtwhf  11690
0759-0800 DRM off
0800-0900 DRM off
0900-1000 DRM off
1000-1058 DRM off
1059-1100 DRM off
1100-1200 DRM off
1200-1258 DRM off
1551-1600 7330
1600-1650 7330
1651-1700 7330
1700-1745 7330
1746-1800 11690
1800-1850 11690
1851-1900 11690
1900-1950 11690
1951-2000 15720
1958-2000 Sun 15720
2000-2050 15720
2051-2100  mtwhfa  15720
2100-2200  mtwhfa  15720
2200-2255 DRM off
2255-2300  mtwhf  17675
2300-0000  mtwhf  17675
(Adrian Sainsbury/R NZ Intl)

Bible Voice Broadcasting Summer Schedule

Amharic
1630-1700  twhf 17515af
1700-1730  Sat  17515af
1700-1800  smn 17515af
1800-1830  tw 17515af

Arabic
0300-0315 7310me
0430-0445  Sat/Sun  9550me
0430-0450  mtwhf  9550me
0500-0515  f 9735me

0530-0600  mwf 9620af
0600-0615 11655af
0830-0900  f   17535af
0900-0915  Sat  17535me
0900-1000  f 17535af
1700-1715  f 13580me
1700-1715  Sun 13810me
1700-1800  mw 13810me
1700-1745  tha 13810me
1700-1745  Sat 13580me
1715-1745 15215me
1730-1800  sf 15215me
2000-2015 5930me
2030-2045 9515af

Dinka
1700-1730   15160af

English
0200-0215  t 11790as
0200-0230  ta 11790as
0200-0300  Sun 11790as
0700-0730  Sun 5945eu
0700-0800  Sat 5945eu
1100-1200  Sat 21480as
1115-1130  Sun 21480as
1400-1500  Sat 17650as
1500-1530  f 15640as
1515-1545  Sat 15640as
1700-1715  Sat 15215me
1700-1730  sh 15215me
1700-1745  f 15215me
1730-1800  Sun 6130eu
1800-1900  Sun 6130eu
1800-1900 15215me
1815-1830  Sun 9435me   11855as
1830-1845  Sat 6130eu
1830-1900  Sun 9635me
1900-1915  Sun 9635me

Farsi
1600-1700 11600as
1700-1730 11600as
1800-1830  h 11855as
1800-1900  h 11855as
1830-1900  st 11855as

Hadiyya
1730-1800 17515af

Japanese
1130-1145 21480as

Nuer
1630-1700   15160af

Oromo
1600-1630  smta 17515af

Russian
1800-1815  f 6130eu
1800-1830  t 6130eu

Somali
1630-1700  Sat/Sun  17525af
1730-1800 17515af

Tigringa
1700-1730   17515af

Ukranian
1800-1815  h 6130eu

Urdu
1530-1600   15640as
(A15/BVB)

AWR in Cameroon

The Story of a Lonely Radio Studio in an Isolated Area of Africa

Let us take an interesting story from a recent issue of an American club magazine about a lonely radio studio in an isolated area of Africa and we adapt it for broadcast on radio.  This story, about a radio production studio operated by Adventist World Radio, was provided by Ralph Perry in Wheaton Illinois and it is found in the NASWA Journal for February earlier this year.

            The small city of Maroua is located in the far north of the country of Cameroon in Africa and it is the regional capital with a population of less than a quarter million.  There is a small regional airport nearby and mail delivery in the area is described as spotty.

            For many years now, Adventist World Radio has operated a small radio production studio in the building that serves as the headquarters for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the northern area of the Cameroons.  Programming in this studio is produced in the widely spoken Fulfulde language and over the years it has been broadcast over various stations that give radio coverage into the Fulfulde language areas, including the usage of Meyerton in South Africa.

            Radio coverage for the Fulfulde programming during this past shortwave Transmission Period B14 has been provided by the Deutsche Welle shortwave station located a little north of Kigali in Rwanda.  However, as was announced quite recently, this powerful Deutsche Welle relay station is closing over this weekend, at the time of transition from the B14 to the A15 Transmission Period.

            The director of the Cameroon AWR studio in Maroua, Pastor H. T. Richard, states his appreciation in receiving a letter from a shortwave listener in the United States who heard his programming via DW Kigali.  He also states that the studio is quite small and quite simple, though plans are underway for location in another building with updated studio equipment. 

            It is intended also that live programming will then be added for broadcast locally to the Maroua city area.  However, until the new studio becomes available, only programming for broadcast in the international scheduling from Adventist World Radio will be produced.

            We might add that somewhere around 75 production studios around the world are affiliated with Adventist World Radio.  Some of these studios are quite large and turning out programming in many languages whereas others are quite small and working in only one language. 

            If fellow DXers are making contact directly with AWR production studios, we would suggest that care should be taken in the these matters, remembering that the staff may not understand the circumstances associated with international radio monitoring and the nature of QSLs.  Even though English is the international working language of the Adventist denomination, yet not all radio staff may be able to communicate in English. 

            Then too, it is possible that finances may be quite tight in some locations, and the cost of posting mail, perhaps even registered mail in order to secure assurance of delivery, may be very high in the local currency.  Remember too, that some of the production studios are located in sensitive areas of the world where the staff has to be very careful about international contacts  

 (AWR-wavescan/NWS 318)

The Radio Scene in Isolated Andaman Island

At the beginning of March, an important radio event was held in Port Blair, the capital city of the Andaman Islands.  This radio event was a large international amateur radio convention lasting nearly two weeks, and the initial venue was the Hotel Megapode Nest.  Hamtec 2015 was held for two days, March 6 & 7, and the following ten days were given to lectures and presentations about the many varied aspects of amateur radio operating and activity.

            This event was organized by NIAR the National Institute of Amateur Radio in Hyderabad, India, and two special callsigns were issued for the occasion; VU4A for foreign amateur radio operators who were visiting for the occasion, and VU4I for Indian amateur radio operators from the Indian mainland.  Among the NIAR officials visiting Port Blair for this occasion, was Jose Jacob VU2JOS, who also provided us with an update on the radio and TV scene in the Andaman Islands.

            The Andaman & Nicobar Islands are a long chain of 572 tropical islands that extend for a distance of some 600 miles, though only 36 are inhabited.  They are located in the Bay of Bengal on the edge of the Indian Ocean, and they are a territory belong to the Republic of India.  The total population is a little over ⅓^rd million, with Port Blair as the capital city, and the only city in the entire island cluster.                    

            Some of the small primitive tribes living on isolated islands prefer to remain in isolation without any contact with the outside world.  Some of these languages have not been identified and the relationship to other known languages is to this day completely unknown.

            Port Blair is located on the east coast of South Andaman Island.  It is the administrative center for both sections of the island cluster, the Andamans and the Nicobars, and it is developing into a recognized tourist destination.

            The original inhabitants of the Andaman Islands are aboriginal peoples whose origins and languages are not fully substantiated.  It is thought that they arrived more than 2,000 years ago and until European exploration of Asia and the Pacific took place, they lived in almost complete isolation.  Occasional early travelers, such as the famous Marco Polo and others, described the islanders as very primitive, practicing a form of cannibalism.

            The British came in 1789 and they established a settlement at what is now Port Blair, on South Andaman Island.  The islands were occupied by the Japanese for two and half years beginning in March 1942.

            The first wireless station in the Andaman Islands was installed by the British in Port Blair just before the beginning of World War 1 and it was on the air in Morse Code under the callsign ROB.  Callsigns for early wireless stations in the eastern area of what was greater India under the British raj all began with the twin letters RO.  After the war, the call in Port Bair was amended to VTP.

            The first radio broadcasting station installed in Port Blair was a 1 kW mediumwave unit operating on 1440 kHz.  The transmitter was located in the studio building at suburban Dilanipur which was built on an 8 acre property on an elevated area. 

            This first transmitter was a Japanese NEC Model No. MB122 and it was officially inaugurated on August 15, 1959.  When the mediumwave band in Asia and elsewhere was changed from 10 kHz spacing to 9 kHz on November 23, 1978, Port Blair remained on the same 1440 kHz.     

            In 1975, an additional transmitter facility was constructed for All India Radio on a 40 acre property at Brookshabad, 10 miles south from the studio building.  Two 10 kW Indian made transmitters Model HMB104 were installed and these were inaugurated on  

November 6, 1975. 

            The original frequency was 680 kHz and this was modified to 684 kHz under the 9 kHz spacing in 1984.  At this stage, the  original 1 kW unit was taken into alternative programming, though subsequently it was in use only for emergency purposes, including as a studio to transmitter program link when needed.  This unit was removed from service and dismantled in November 2004 and it was replaced in t5he same space by an FM transmitter.

            In order to provide adequate coverage to distant islands in the Andamans & Nicobars, a Japanese 10 kW NEC shortwave transmitter Model HFB7840 was installed with a dipole antenna system beamed north & south.   A lengthy series of drawn out test broadcasts began in September 1988, and it was taken into full service on March 11, 1989.  Test frequencies back then were 4760 kHz, 6000 kHz, 7180 kHz & 9690 kHz, though 4760 kHz & 7115 kHz became its standard frequencies.   

            Fourteen years later, one of the exciters developed a fault, and the transmitter power was dropped back to 4 kW.   A specially made Indian exciter was installed in January of the following year (2004) and the transmitter power was then increased to 8½ kW.

            In 1992 an additional studio building was constructed on the hill top property adjacent to the older building.  The total staff at AIR Port Blair in all areas of activity these days is a little more than 100, and they produce programming in the national and local languages.

            A new 100 kW mediumwave transmitter manufactured by Thales in Switzerland was commissioned on the same 684 kHz channel in May 2003, and the twin 10 kW units were retained for standby usage.  A 10 kW Nautel FM transmitter was installed at the studio premises in Dilanipur for direct broadcast of the VB Vividh Bharati network programming during the following year (2004).

            During the disastrous earthquake and tsunami of 2005, AIR Port Blair carried special emergency programming.  When power was not available locally and the station was off the air, a 250 kW shortwave transmitter in Delhi carried special programing beamed to the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

(AWR-Wavescan/NWS 319)