Product: Weekly Highlights and Forecasts
:Issued: 2017 Jan 23 0615 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 16 - 22 January 2017
Solar activity was at low levels due to a C9/1f flare observed at 21/0726 UTC from Region 2628 (N12, L=173, class/area Dao/210 on 22 January). Region 2628 was responsible for additional C-class flaring on 21 January. The rest of the period was at very low levels. No Earth-directed coronal mass ejections were observed.
No proton events were observed at geosynchronous orbit.
The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit was at normal to moderate levels with high levels observed on 16-17, and 20-22 January. The largest flux value of the period was 3,090 pfu observed at 16/1935 UTC.
Geomagnetic field activity ranged from quiet to active levels over the period. Solar wind parameters were indicative of background conditions to start the period. Early on 18 January, wind speed began to increase as a positive polarity coronal hole high speed stream (CH HSS) became geoeffective. Wind speed reached a maximum value of 651 km/s at 19/0320 UTC and total field peaked at 17 nT at 18/0605 UTC before gradually decreasing throughout the remainder of the period. The geomagnetic field was at quiet levels on 16-17 January, quiet to active levels on 18-19 & 21 January, and quiet to unsettled levels on 20 & 22 January.
Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 23 January - 18 February 2017
Solar activity is likely to be low with a slight chance for M-class flares on 23-31 January and 14-18 February due to the flare potential in Region 2628. Very low levels are expected on 01-13 February.
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 23-27 January, 01-13 February, and again on 16-18 February due to CH HSS influence.
Geomagnetic field activity is expected to be at unsettled to active levels on 23, 27-31 January, 01-07 February and 14-18 February with G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storm levels likely on 03 February due to recurrent CH HSS effects.
Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt
:Issued: 2017 Jan 23 0615 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 2017-01-23
#
# UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest
# Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index
2017 Jan 23 85 8 3
2017 Jan 24 83 5 2
2017 Jan 25 82 5 2
2017 Jan 26 80 5 2
2017 Jan 27 80 12 4
2017 Jan 28 80 15 4
2017 Jan 29 78 8 3
2017 Jan 30 77 10 3
2017 Jan 31 77 12 4
2017 Feb 01 76 16 4
2017 Feb 02 76 18 4
2017 Feb 03 75 20 5
2017 Feb 04 75 16 4
2017 Feb 05 75 12 4
2017 Feb 06 75 10 3
2017 Feb 07 75 8 3
2017 Feb 08 76 5 2
2017 Feb 09 77 5 2
2017 Feb 10 77 5 2
2017 Feb 11 77 5 2
2017 Feb 12 77 5 2
2017 Feb 13 78 5 2
2017 Feb 14 79 15 4
2017 Feb 15 81 10 3
2017 Feb 16 83 10 3
2017 Feb 17 83 8 3
2017 Feb 18 83 8 3
(NOAA)
Welcome to Teak Publishing's Shortwave Central blog. This blog covers shortwave frequency updates, loggings, free radio, international mediumwave, DX tips, clandestine radio, and late-breaking radio news. Visit my YouTube and Twitter links. Content on Shortwave Central is copyright © 2006-2026 by Teak Publishing, which is solely responsible for the content. All rights reserved. Redistribution of these pages in any format without permission is strictly prohibited.
Monday, January 23, 2017
Friday, January 20, 2017
Upcoming test broadcast
Test broadcasts of Shortwaveservice via unknown
transmitter location
All times UTC
Jan.21-22
1200-1300 on 9900 unknown transmitter to EaEu music & announcements
1200-1300 on 9900 unknown transmitter to EaEu music & announcements
Jan.28-29
1500-1600 on 6015 unknown transmitter to WeEu music & announcements
1500-1600 on 6015 unknown transmitter to WeEu music & announcements
(SWL DXing)
1200-1300 on 9900 unknown transmitter to EaEu music & announcements
1200-1300 on 9900 unknown transmitter to EaEu music & announcements
Jan.28-29
1500-1600 on 6015 unknown transmitter to WeEu music & announcements
1500-1600 on 6015 unknown transmitter to WeEu music & announcements
(SWL DXing)
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Review-World Radio TV Handbook 2017
2017 World Radio TV Handbook Review
by Gayle Van Horn W4GVHCEO Teak Publishing
A new year brings many things for radio hobbyists, including new goals to enrich their listening opportunities. Ultimately, world listeners welcome the annual edition of World Radio TV Handbook, now in their 71st edition.
The
new edition begins with receiver reviews. The Icom IC-7300 offers an excellent
overall rating, as one of high quality, good performer, as well as good value
and functionality. As the popularity of software-defined radios continues to
expand, the Reuter Elektronik RDR55D is the newest edition to the market.
Discerning listeners who prefer a self-contained SDR will discover this new
addition significantly advances the state of the art. SDRPlay RSP, a lower cost
SDR known as a dongle, is a very good introduction to the capabilities and limitations
of the software-defined receiver. A review of the wideband loop antenna
Wellbrook ALA1530LNP is complimented for its performance, and an outstanding
value. Listener's using more than one radio receiver will welcome the new
Bonito AAS300. Called an 'Active RF Splitter,' by the manufacturer, it provides
three outputs from a single input. Compared to other multicouplers, it covers a
wide frequency range, and works very well.
A stalwart
of each edition is the features section. The
Mighty KBC explores the well known radio station, popular to medium wave
and shortwave listeners. Who knew KBC had such an interesting and surprising
history? KBC, a small private station has big plans for their future. Remote Reception delves into the modern
SDRs located half a world away - and available to a world audience via the
Internet.
Freelance
writer and active radio enthusiast Hans Johnson, resumes his radio travelogue
expertise covering CKZN St John's. Follow
Han's travels on the history and current use of the most easterly shortwave
transmitter in North America.
Australian
radio hobbyist and DXer Rob Shepherd shares his travels in South America and the Pacific, including a bit of DX,
and reminds us, "radio is alive and well in South America and the
Pacific."
Vagn
Fentz reminisces about radio times long ago, working with the founder of WRTH,
Olaf Johansen, on one of the very first editions.
Michael
Pütz, of Business Radio at Media Broadcast GmbH and Chairman of the
IRDR Project Working Group, outlines setting up and the progress so far in
organizing an HF disaster relief radio network. The IRDR Project, explains this vital role of radio providing
life-saving information at critical times.
Ulf-Peter
Hoppe updates the annual HF Broadcasting Reception Conditions Expected .During
2017 he predicts good year of reception.
The National Radio section includes domestic
radio stations broadcasting to a national listening audience on medium wave,
shortwave, and FM. Listings are grouped by country and include frequencies,
transmitters, kW, contact and website information. International Radio contains the same information from
international broadcasters airing to a world audience.
Clandestine and Other Target Broadcast
list stations broadcasting politically motivated programming, or those targeted
at zones of local or regional conflicts. A one-page listing of Religious Broadcasters Cross Reference Table
closes this section.
The Frequency List covers by-frequency
medium wave stations by-region, SW Stations of the World and listings of
shortwave station broadcasting in English, French, German, Portuguese and
Spanish, plus DRM International Broadcasts schedules.
The
by-country National Television section
includes information on national stations, networks and contact information for
each country listed.
Lastly,
there contains an extensive Reference
section. Informative includes indexes, abbreviations and symbols, target area
codes, transmitter sites, Standard Time and Frequency stations, clubs and
organizations and selected Internet resources.
This
year's 71st edition, and in past editions, continues their reputation as a
comprehensive exemplary reference book for the radio listening audience. It
remains the very best, most authoritative reference book for the radio and
television hobbyist. Teak Publishing wishes WRTH many years of continued
success.
World
Radio TV Handbook 2017, is available from the WRTH website at http://www.wrth.com/info.html.
Click on How to Order for information link. It is also available in the United
States from Universal Radio Inc. Go to http://www.universal-radio.com/ for the online catalog.
Monday, January 16, 2017
From the Isle of Music Programming, January 16-22
From the Isle of Music, Week of January 16-22, 2017
Electronic Cuba – Leonardo Pérez shares more of Una Mecanica Diferente, Jazz saxophonist Emir Santa Cruz shares some of his music, and we are going to explore some of what is happening in Cuban electronic music today.
Three options for listening on shortwave:
WBCQ, 7490 KHz, Tuesdays 0100-0200 UTC (8pm-9pm EDT Mondays in the Americas)
Channel 292, 6070 KHz, Fridays 1100-1200 UTC (1200-1300 CET) and Saturdays 1200-1300 UTC (1300-1400 CET)
See the From the Isle of Music Facebook Page for more information.
(Tilford Productions)
DX Stamps & Supplies Update
![]() |
Bhutan postage stamps |
Dear Customer,
YES!!! ADDITIONS TO THE DISCOUNT POSTAGE GRID!!!!!!!!! Running low on 2 stamp units and may need to substitute units in 3 stamps......2 stamp, 3 stamp and 4 stamp units at 500 qty all priced the same...at 60% of face!!
Below are early bird specials for February 2017....same as January.
If you need a current stamp list or supply list, I can email it to you.
NEWS: Discount Postage Grid has been updated for the 49c rate for mid-January...BUT there are no changes in my prices. SWEET!!
IDEA: Slightly damaged Deluxe QSL Album now $30.00 -or- buy 2 for only $55.00!!!
NEW RATES:
Sweden now massive 19,50 kr!!! YIKES!
If you hear of or notice any new rates, let me know.
NEW PRICES: Sweden now priced at $3.00 ea
IN STOCK AGAIN:
STAMPS ON BACK ORDER: Algeria, Mexico, Namibia
U.S. DISCOUNT POSTAGE DEALS!!
Save Big on your domestic mailings with colorful vintage stamps!
HAPPY MAILING!!
49c units
Forever
in 2 stamps
3 stamps
4 stamps
x 100
$45.00
$40.00
$39.00
$38.00
x 200
$85.00
$65.00
$63.00
$62.00
x 500
$208.00
$157.00
$157.00
$157.00
FINALLY have some low values!!!!!
Payment by Credit card, check or money order, for forever stamps, 49c units & bulk postage!
Also available:
Bulk Postage Lots
(of various denominations in sheets & singles)
$500 Face Value: NOW $300. ppd
No Charge for shipping Discount Postage Offers
FEBRUARY 2017 DX STAMP SPECIALS
2 Germany-$2.60 3 Japan-$3.90
2 Italy-$7.00 2 UK-$3.00 2 France-$3.60 2 Spain-$4.00
FEBRUARY 2017 DX SUPPLY SPECIALS
200/200 European Plain Mailers and Plain Returns - $40.00
200/200 European Air Mailers and Plain Returns - $40.00
European AIR Returns are SOLD OUT!!
5 Packs of Extra QSL Album pages - $22.00
FEBRUARY 2017 CLOSE OUT SPECIALS
500 European Air Mailers - $42.00
1000 European AIR Mailers - $76.00
200/200 Stateside mailers and Returns - $23.00
500/500 Stateside Mailers and Returns - $43.00
Priority Mail Shipping Rates: Orders up 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. (07/2015 modified)
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
Weekly Propagation Forecast Bulletins
Product: Weekly Highlights and Forecasts
:Issued: 2017 Jan 16 0341 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 09 - 15 January 2017
Solar activity was mostly at very low levels with low levels observed on 12 January due to an isolated C3 flare observed at 12/1618 UTC from Region 2625 (N03, L=254, class/area Cso/050 on 14 January). An associated coronal mass ejection (CME) was observed off the east limb in coronagraph imagery beginning at 12/1624 UTC, but was determined not to have a geoeffective component. No Earth-directed CMEs were observed.
No proton events were observed at geosynchronous orbit.
The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit reached
high levels throughout the period. The largest flux of the period was 42,125 pfu observed at 09/1805 UTC.
Geomagnetic field activity ranged from quiet to active levels over the period. Solar wind speed began the period near 700 km/s with total field near 5 nT under the influence of a negative polarity coronal hole high speed stream (CH HSS). By 10 January, solar wind speed was in decline, reaching nominal levels late on 12 January. Total field was variable between 1-7 nT for the rest of the period.
The geomagnetic field responded with quiet to active levels on 09 January, quiet to unsettled levels on 10-12 January and quiet levels on 13-15 January.
Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 16 January - 11 February 2017
Solar activity is expected to be very low with a chance for C-class flares on 16-26 January as Regions 2625 and 2626 (N09, L=244, class/area Hax/140 on 15 January) rotate across the visible disk. Very low levels are expected from 27 January through 11 February.
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 16, 18-27 January and again on 01-11 February due to CH HSS influence.
Geomagnetic field activity is expected to be at unsettled to active levels on 17-24 and 27 January-07 February with G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storm levels likely on 18-19 January and 03 February due to recurrent CH HSS effects.
Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt
:Issued: 2017 Jan 16 0342 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 2017-01-16
#
# UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest
# Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index
2017 Jan 16 77 5 2
2017 Jan 17 77 8 3
2017 Jan 18 77 25 5
2017 Jan 19 78 20 5
2017 Jan 20 80 18 4
2017 Jan 21 80 18 4
2017 Jan 22 80 18 4
2017 Jan 23 80 12 4
2017 Jan 24 80 8 3
2017 Jan 25 80 5 2
2017 Jan 26 78 5 2
2017 Jan 27 77 12 4
2017 Jan 28 77 15 4
2017 Jan 29 77 7 3
2017 Jan 30 77 10 3
2017 Jan 31 77 12 4
2017 Feb 01 77 16 4
2017 Feb 02 76 18 4
2017 Feb 03 75 20 5
2017 Feb 04 75 16 4
2017 Feb 05 75 12 4
2017 Feb 06 75 10 3
2017 Feb 07 75 8 3
2017 Feb 08 75 5 2
2017 Feb 09 76 5 2
2017 Feb 10 77 5 2
2017 Feb 11 77 5 2
(NOAA)
Saturday, January 14, 2017
International Shortwave Broadcast Guide Winter 2016-2017 Now Available
Teak Publishing Company
P.O. Box 297
Brasstown NC 28902
For Immediate Release 8
December 2016
New Winter 2016-2017
International Shortwave Broadcast Guide Now Available
Teak
Publishing is pleased to announce the release of the Winter 2016-2017
International Shortwave Broadcast Guide (ISWBG) electronic book by Amazon
bestselling author Gayle Van Horn, W4GVH. This all important semi-annual
information resource is your electronic guide to the world of shortwave radio
listening.
Shortwave
radio listeners are routinely entertained with unique perspectives to events,
music, culture, history, and news from other countries that you won’t see or
hear on your local or national broadcast channels. Shortwave radio broadcast
aren’t restricted by country borders or oceans, and can propagate thousands of
miles, reaching millions of listeners worldwide, in over 300 different
languages and dialects. These worldwide transmissions are monitored on
internationally assigned radio frequencies between 1700 kHz and 30 MHz.
There
are even broadcasts from the dark side, transmitted from broadcasters known as
clandestine or clanny stations. Clandestine broadcasters are wrapped in mystery
and intrigue, and they usually exist to bring about some sort of political
change to the country they are targeting. Programming may largely be
half-truths or sometimes even outright lies, but it is essentially propaganda
for their cause.
Listeners
who live in the United States can easily hear shortwave broadcast stations from
Australia, Canada, China, Cuba, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Iran, Japan, New
Zealand, North/South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Turkey, United Kingdom,
United States, Vietnam, and many other counties if you have an inexpensive
shortwave radio receiver, and you know when and where to listen!
If
you want to get in on the action, then this Amazon electronic book is your
ticket the travel the world via radio. The ISWBG is our exclusive 24-hour station/frequency
guide to “all” of the known longwave, selected mediumwave and shortwave radio
stations currently broadcasting at time of publication. This unique radio hobby
resource is the “only” radio hobby
publication that has by-hour station schedules that include all language
services, frequencies and world target areas.
New
in this seventh edition of the ISWBG is an Introduction to News and
Entertainment Programming on Shortwave Radio by Spectrum Monitor columnist Fred Waterer; a feature on Online Radio:
The crossroads of old and new technology by former Monitoring Times columnist Loyd Van Horn W4LVH; and comprehensive
radio listeners Crash Course on Shortwave Radio Propagation by Tomas Hood
NW7US, contributing editor to CQ
magazine and Spectrum Monitor
columnist.
There
is also an expanded special feature on Who’s Who in the shortwave radio
spectrum by former Monitoring Times
editor and feature writer Larry Van Horn N5FPW. This story covers services and
frequencies outside the regular broadcast and amateur radio bands, and includes
our new, exclusive Hot HF 1000+ non-broadcast frequency list. The final feature
article in this edition is Getting Started in Shortwave Radio, a primer, by Spectrum Monitor managing editor Ken
Reitz KS4ZR.
Also
new in this edition is increased frequency and station coverage of longwave
broadcasters, selected medium wave broadcast frequencies used by international
broadcasters, and all known international standard time and frequency stations
transmitting worldwide.
The International Shortwave Broadcast Guide
(Winter 2016-2017 edition) is now available for purchase worldwide from
Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N2RRXV2. The price for this
latest edition is US$7.99. Since 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 this electronic book
(e-Book) from Amazon websites directly servicing these countries. All other
countries can use the regular Amazon.com website.
This
new e-publication edition is a much expanded version of the English shortwave
broadcast guide that was formerly published in the pages of the former Monitoring Times magazine for well over
20 years. This one of a kind e-book is published twice a year to correspond
with shortwave station’s seasonal time and frequency changes.
Don’t own a Kindle reader from Amazon? Not a
problem. You do not need to own a Kindle to read Amazon e-book publications.
You can read any Kindle book with Amazon’s free reading apps on literally any
electronic media platform.
The Kindle app is available for most major
smartphones, tablets and computers. There is a Kindle app available for the
iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch; Android Phone; Android Tablet; PC; Windows 8; Mac
Kindle Cloud Reader; Windows Phone; Samsung; BlackBerry 10; BlackBerry; amd
WebOS. This means with a free Kindle reading apps, you can buy a Kindle book
once, and read it on any device with the Kindle app installed*. You can also
read that same Kindle book on a Kindle device if you own one.
You can find additional details on these apps
by checking out this link to 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. You can learn more about
the author by going to her author page on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Gayle-Van-Horn/e/B0084MVQCM/.
The
International Shortwave Broadcast Guide will have wide appeal to shortwave
radio hobbyists, amateur radio operators, educators, foreign language students,
news agencies, news buffs, or anyone interested in listening to a global view
of news and major events as they happen.
Whether
you are an amateur radio operator or shortwave radio enthusiasts, and want to
get in on the action outside of the ham bands, then this new electronic book
from Teak Publishing is a must in your radio reference library.
-30-
Here are some of the public comments from
radio hobbyists who purchased previous editions of the International Shortwave Broadcast Guide Amazon e-book.
VERY Useful Guide! By Dave in Ohio
Being rather new to
the SW DXing, I needed a guide. Most of them were pretty pricey so I decided to
give this one a try. When it arrived, I didn't have a lot of time to review it,
just glanced at it and was a little upset. I had expected something with page
after page of countries with their frequency listings, much like other guides
I'd heard about. This one seemed to have a lot of articles about SWL and only
in the back did I find frequency listings. But the next day I had about an hour
to sit and review the book on my Kindle and I discovered how clever Ms. Van
Horn had been in her formatting. I realized that the last thing I needed was
just a list of frequencies. The gem of the book is the section that divides the
day into UTC hours and what frequency in which country is likely to be on the
air at that time. After all, what good does it do me to know that Radio
Slobovia broadcasts on 1305 if I have no idea of when to listen for them? (The
book also contains a long listing by frequency for identifying those broadcasts
that you stumble upon.) I've looked around the articles towards the beginning
of the book and the ones I've read are well written and interesting. I strongly
recommend that the new readers of Ms. Van Horn's guide use the table of
contents to skip around and become familiar with the format. Very useful book
at a good price. Ms. Van Horn has herself a new fan )
Essential reference
for SWLs
By
Hundedrek
Gayle knows
international SW like few others. She used to write a monthly column and
directory in the late, lamented Monitoring Times mag. A big reason why I I
subbed to it for years. This guide continues the tradition. The Kindle version
is more convenient to use. Now that so many international broadcasters are
streaming their programming, Gayle's guide is even more valuable.
Gayle does us a great
service by publishing this Shortwave Radio Guide
By
Tampa
A needed re hash of
previous books. Gayle does us a great service by publishing this Shortwave
Guide. Many on ships have stopped using short wave as they do not have radio
distribution systems for the crews as Satellite takes over. Many ships have
wired hanging out of portholes as a result and all kinds of antennas stuck
around the ships creating hazards so they can listen to their home countries.
CBC has shut down Radio Canada to save money OMG #Stupid. Clandestine Radio is
on the Rise and this book lists and explains. That in itself is interesting. Should
be of interest to any #SWL or #HamRadio people.
Shortwave
LIVES!!!!!!
By Walter C. Thurman
The
Van Horns are shining stars in the Shortwave Radio and MilComms World.... this
read is helpful for us DIE HARD shortwave listener's and Ham Radio folks alike.
THANK FOR WHAT YOU GUYS DO!!!!! N0RDC
Great Useful (and
highly affordable) Data For SWLs By Randy S.
Gayle's monthly Monitoring
Times roundup of shortwave broadcast schedules was always tremendously
useful. With the demise of the magazine itself it's nice to see that her
massive database (and the years of work on it) aren't going to waste. And at
the price (less than the cost of a monthly issue of the magazine) it makes for
a fine bargain and is well worth it for shortwave-broadcast listeners with
e-reader capability. The twice- yearly updates will keep the project relevant
and useful.
Solid for HF
listening! By
Mr geocacher
Very useful for
identifying what you hear on HF. Lot's of good tidbits for listening hints too.
Shortwave Broadcast
Guide by
Kindle Customer
Since Monitoring
Times is no longer in publication, this guide is required for the
dedicated shortwave listener. There is information provided that I have found
no where else. It will be a welcome addition to any listener's equipment. Gayle
Van Horn has been publishing this research for many years and the followers are
numerous, from beginners to professionals. The author's work is accurate,
concise and thorough. If you have a shortwave radio, you need this publication
as much as a set of earphones. There is none better.
Very Good Source for
Shortwave Stations Broadcast Schedules by Kenneth Windyka
I've got to admit up
front that I don't have a strong interest in this part of the hobby. HOWEVER,
Gayle Van Horn makes it easy to determine what one can hear on the short wave
bands during a particular time period (in GMT time sorted format). I also like
the internet reference available, so that one can listen to programs via the
internet even if its' not possible via the shortwave radio.
NJ Shortwave listener
hears International Frequencies with new guide help by Stanley E
Rozewski, Jr.
This
e-book is complete and accurate in presenting a low cost SW frequency guide and
important must read topics for the new or experienced user. I liked the easy
reading format, and understandable frequency guide. I will order the second
edition next year.
This is my
go-to-first reference
by Mary C Larson
When I turn on the
shortwave receiver and want to find out what's on and where to look, Van Horn's
handy frequency guide is a smart place to begin. The format is not unlike the
one Monitoring Times (R.I.P.) used each month. Presumably, updated ISBGs will
be published twice per year, but you can check for the updates on her blog,
(mt-shortwave.blogspot.com).
Good value by DrP
This is an excellent
well-written book that is very affordable when compared to encyclopedic guides,
e.g., the WRTH. Much the same information is included. The first part is
a nice introduction to SW listening pitched to the beginner. Included is an
informative section on purchasing a radio spanning low-end <$100 models up
through the most advanced transceivers. The bulk of the book contains a list of
world-wide SW broadcasters, organized by frequency band. This makes it ideal
for browsing one band at a time, but much less so if you want to search for
broadcasts from a particular country.
I like this one by Charles
I have only had a
brief chance to scan through this book. From what I have seen of it I will
enjoy getting in to it.
Excellent Shortwave
Introduction and Program Guide by Don K3PRN
Excellent, very reasonable
guide to shortwave radio. As a long time shortwave listener, the listing of all
shortwave stations by UTC time is very useful to me. I had previously a
shortwave website that listed only English broadcasts rather than an all
station listing with the language that will be broadcast. I would highly
recommend this e book for all new shortwave listeners and those that interested
in a very portable listing of all stations by UTC. I only hope that this will
be updated twice a year for many more years.
Good Product by
Radio Freq
Since Monitoring Times stopped
publishing shortwave radio schedules, there has been a dearth of resources for
radio-heads. This guide nicely fulfills gap. It is very comprehensive.
It is nice someone is
dedicated to SWL
by Robert K. Mallory
Very concise and well
organized. Not much to choose from these days, it is nice someone is dedicated
to Shortwave Radio Listening.
New International Callsign Handbook 5th Edition Now Available on Amazon

Teak Publishing Company
P.O. Box 297
Brasstown NC 28902
For Immediate Release` 16
December 2016
New
International Call Sign Handbook 5th Edition Now Available on 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
fifth edition of International Call Sign Handbook by Amazon Bestselling author Larry Van Horn,
N5FPW. 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 5th International Call Sign Handbook is now
available for purchase worldwide from Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MQWYDPX.
The price for this e-Book edition is US$7.49. 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.
Friday, January 13, 2017
Australian Shortwave Callsign VLL
![]() |
SS Talune |
During World War 1, the Talune
served as a troop carrier for New Zealand military personnel, and after the war was over, the Talune
returned to its former duty with cargo/passenger traffic in the South Pacific. Unfortunately in 1919, some of the crew and passengers
came down with the early stages of the horrendous Spanish Flu and this epidemic
was carried to other islands in the South Pacific, with deadly results.
The callsign VLL was applied to the
SS Talune somewhere around the year 1912, and it was in use until the ship was
withdrawn from service nine years later, in 1921. Four years later, the Talune was filled with
rock and scuttled in shallow water at Waikokopu in upper Hawkes Bay on the
eastern edge of the North Island of New Zealand.
This stricken ship served as a
breakwater for many years, and these days the broken up wreckage can still be
easily viewed on Google Earth. The town
of Waikokopu no longer serves as a small country port, though it is now no more
than a few scattered country dwellings.
The next known usage of the callsign
VLL was applied to the transmissions from the now silent shortwave station that
was located a little inland from the coastal town of Carnarvon in Western
Australia. This station was originally
intended to be a temporary fill-in station for Radio Australia after the Darwin
station was disabled due to Cyclone Tracy at Christmas time in December 1974,
and it remained in service for a little over 20 years.
Radio Australia took over the empty
America NASA Space Station at Carnarvon and the second transmitter that was
installed there was an American made Harris SW100. Some time earlier, three Harris 100 kW
transmitters had been obtained from the United States and these had been held
in storage at the new ABC mediumwave station located at Pimpala on the coast
south of Adelaide in South Australia.
It was originally intended that
these three shortwave transmitters would be installed at suitable though yet
undecided locations in South Australia and the Northern Territory, as a
regional shortwave service for dwellers in Australia’s outback. Among the locations that had been given
preliminary consideration were for example, somewhere on the outskirts of
suburban Adelaide, Alice Springs in Central Australia, and Darwin at Cox
Peninsula in the Northern Territory.
However, as changing circumstances
would have it, one of these Harris 100s was taken to Carnarvon and installed as
Transmitter VLL, while the two other units were ultimately taken to Shepparton
in Victoria and installed for Radio Australia.
Test broadcasts from Carnarvon VLL began on February 15, 1975, though it
was removed from service during the next month due to frequent troublesome
transmitter problems. Design engineers
flew out from the states to correct the problems.
When VLL was taken into regular on
air service, the program feed from the Melbourne studios of Radio Australia was
provided by a 2,000 mile microwave link to Perth and thence by telephone line
to Carnarvon. In addition, there was a
VLL program feed from a 30 kW transmitter located at Lyndhurst which operated
as an ISB independent side band unit on 12290 kHz.
Then too, a 100 kW transmitter at
Shepparton carried a parallel relay of the VLL service in the Indonesian
language and this could be utilized as a back up program feeder if needed. The Shepparton VLL service was on the air for
eight years, from 1976 - 1984. At that
stage, the Indonesian service was transferred to the revived Radio Australia
shortwave station near Darwin. Two years
later, (1986) the program feed to Carnarvon was carried by satellite and it was
no longer necessary to receive the VLL service via Lyndhurst or
Shepparton.
The shortwave service from Radio
Australia Carnarvon ended on July 31, 1996, at which time transmitter VLL was removed and sold locally
for scrap.
During its 20 years of on air
service, transmitter VLL was verified by Radio Australia in Melbourne with a
multitude of colorful QSL cards, and for a few years at one stage by Form
Letters indicating the callsign and station location.
(AWR Wavescan/NWS 411)
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