Friday, April 06, 2018

Shortwave Radiogram weekend schedule

Mark in the UK received five images (on his Icom IC-7200 transceiver, also pictured), 1 April, 2330-2400 UTC, 7780 kHz from WRMI Florida.
Hello friends,

Program 41 of Shortwave Radiogram was inauspicious. First, the promised transmission Friday at 2030 UTC did not happen because WRMI's automated playout system had not been updated. (I had a suspicion that would happen). Then, as I was listening to the Saturday 1600 UTC show, I had a sense of déjà vu. Ultimately I realized that, due to a production error on my part, the story about plastics in the ocean was broadcast twice, at the expense of the advertised item about SSTV from the International Space Station. I fixed that mistake, and the correct stories were broadcast Sunday and Monday.

You can view, and decode from, Scott's video of the Sunday 2330 UTC broadcast at https://youtu.be/
_KdRVwHBfkM
. And Mark in the UK maintains an audio archive of all Shortwave Radiograms here.

The program that has replaced Shortwave Radiogram Saturday at 2030 UTC on 7780 and 9455 kHz is about US military retirement, with emphasis on reserve military pensions. If that subject interests you, this might be a useful program.

Let's hope for no mishaps this weekend, because it will be a complicated show. It will include text and images in MFSK128, MFSK64, and MFSK32. Usually MFSK128 is too fast for typical shortwave conditions, so expect to see some errors. In general, this is my rule of thumb for the MFSK modes ...

Mode
Text speed wpm
Appropriate for reception condition …
MFSK16
55
Poor
MFSK32
120
Fair (typical)
MFSK64
240
Good
MFSK128
480
Excellent (e.g. local VHF or UHF)


After the closing announcements will be two surprise modes. However, for readers of this email, I will reveal that the first of the surprise modes will be Olivia 64-2000, mixed with some strange noises. The same Olivia 64-2000 will also be transmitted this weekend on The Mighty KBC during its digital mode segment.

Please note that the first broadcast is today, Friday, at 2030 UTC, admittedly not a convenient hour for pre-retired North Americans.

Here is the lineup for Shortwave Radiogram, program 42, 6-9 April 2018, in modes as noted:
 

 1:38  MFSK32: Program preview
 3:09  MFSK128: Scientists find new black holes in Milky Way*
 5:57  MFSK64: NASA commissions new supersonic plane*
10:19  MFSK32: NZ's Rocket Lab readies first commercial launch*
16:00  Interference threat from wireless power transfer*
23:06  DSWCI publishes new domestic shortwave broadcasting list*
25:06  Closing announcements and surprise modes


Please send reception reports to radiogram@verizon.net


Twitter: @SWRadiogram (even if you do not have a Twitter account, visit https://twitter.com/swradiogram to see last weekend's and this weekend's results)



Shortwave Radiogram Program 42
(6-9 April 2018)

Friday
2030-2100 UTC
7780 kHz
9455 kHz
MFSK32,
MFSK128,
MFSK64,
MFSK32,
and surprise modes
WRMI Florida
Saturday
1600-1630 UTC
9400 kHz
Space Line, Bulgaria
Sunday
2330-2400 UTC
7780 kHz
WRMI Florida
Monday
0800-0830 UTC*

7730 kHz
5850 kHz
WRMI Florida

 * MFSK32 has been transmitted on the program "Broad Spectrum Radio," 0700-0800 UTC, same frequencies.

The Mighty KBC transmits to Europe Saturdays at 1500-1600 UTC on 9400 kHz (via Bulgaria), with a minute of Olivia 64-2000 (replacing the usual MFSK32) at about 1530 UTC (if you are outside of Europe, listen via websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/ ).  And to North America Sundays at 0000-0200 UTC (Saturday 8-10 pm EDT) on 5960 kHz, via Germany, with the minute of Olivia 64-2000 at about 0130 UTC.  Reports to Eric: themightykbc@gmail.com . See also http://www.kbcradio.eu/ and https://www.facebook.com/TheMightyKbc/.

Italian Broadcasting Corporation (IBC)  For the complete IBC transmission schedule visit  http://ibcradio.webs.com/ ; Five minutes of MFSK32 is at the end of the 30-minute English-language “Shortwave Panorama,” per the schedule below:


Italian Broadcasting Corporation (IBC)
Broadcasts in English with MFSK32 during the last five minutes of each
Tuesday
0100-0230 UTC
5950, 7730 kHz
Americas
Wednesday
2000-2030 UTC
5845, 6070 kHz
Europe/Middle East/Asia
Friday
0100-0130 UTC
9955 kHz
Americas
Friday
0230-0300 UTC
5985 kHz
Americas
Saturday
0030-0100 UTC
9395 kHz
Americas
Saturday
0130-0200 UTC
5850, 5950, 7780, 9455 kHz
Americas
Sunday
0030-0100 UTC
7730 kHz
Americas
Sunday
1030-1100 UTC
6070 kHz
Europe


Thanks for your reception reports! 
Kim

Kim Andrew Elliott, KD9XB
Producer and Presenter
Shortwave Radiogram
Reporting on international broadcasting at https://twitter.com/kaedotcom