Monitoring Brazil on Shortwave

A repost from summer 2015 for our Dxers that enjoy monitoring Brazil on shortwave radio.

A-15 Active Brazilian Stations on Shortwave

All times UTC – all stations broadcast in Portuguese

2000-1100 on  2380 LMR .25 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Educadora de Limeira
0700-0300 on  3365 ARQ 001 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Cultura de Araraquara
0000-2400 on  3375 CAC 001 kW / non-dir to BRA  R.Municipal SG da Cachoeira
0900-2400 on  4775 CGS 001 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Congonhas
0900-0300 on  4785 CMS 010 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Caiari
0800-0400 on  4815 LON 010 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Difusora de Londrina
0800-0200 on  4845 MNA 005 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Cultura de Manaus
0800-0200 on  4845 CAC 001 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Meteorologia Paulista
1000-0300 on  4865 CRZ 005 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Verdes Florestas
0000-2400 on  4865 LON 005 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Alvorada de Londrina
0000-2400 on  4885 BLM 005 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Clube Do Para
0800-0400 on  4875 BOA 010 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Roraima
0730-0300 on  4905 RIO 005 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Relogio Rio de Janeiro
0900-0400 on  4915 GOI 010 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Daqui
0000-2400 on  4915 MCP 010 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Difusora de Macapa
1030-0300 on  4925 TEF 005 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Educação Rural
2200-0200 on  4965 PRS 005 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Alvorada De Parintins
0000-2400 on  4985 GOI 010 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Brasil Central
0000-2400 on  5015 CBA 001 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Cultura De Cuiabá
1000-0100 on  5035 CAI 005 kW / non-dir to BRA  Rádio Educação Rural
0830-0400 on  5035 APA 010 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Aparecida
2100-0800 on  5940vCAB 0.5 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Voz Missionaria
0300-1000 on  5965vCAB 7.5 kW / 060 deg to BRA  Radio Transmundial
0000-2400 on  5970vBEL 010 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Itatiaia
0700-0300 on  6000 PTA 010 kW / 307 deg to BRA  Radio Guaiba
0900-0600 on  6010 BEL 005 kW / 122 deg to BRA  Radio Inconfidencia
0900-0400 on  6020 PTA 010 kW / 310 deg to BRA  Radio Gaucha
0000-2400 on  6040 CUR 010 kW / 020 deg to BRA  Radio RB2 relay R.Aparecida
0000-2400 on  6080 GOI 010 kW / 360 deg to BRA  Radio Marumby
0000-2400 on  6090 SA1 010 kW / 340 deg to BRA  Radio Bandeirantes
0930-0130 on  6105 FDI 005 kW / 176 deg to BRA  Radio Filadelfia
1100-0900 on  6120 SA2 010 kW / 340 deg to BRA  SRDA Radio Super Deus e Amor
0000-2400 on  6135vAPA 025 kW / 030 deg to BRA  Radio Aparecida
1000-2100 on  6160vMNA 010 kW / 070 deg to BRA  Radio Rio Mar
0000-2400 on  6160vPTA 010 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Legião da Boa Bontade
0000-2400 on  6180 BRA 250 kW / 344 deg to BRA  Radio Nacional da Amazonia
0700-0100 on  9515 CUR 010 kW / 310 deg to BRA  Radio Marumby
0700-0100 on  9530 CAI 010 kW / 060 deg to BRA  Radio Transmundial
0000-2400 on  9550 PTA 010 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Legião da Boa Bontade
0000-2400 on  9565 CUR 020 kW / 045 deg to BRA  SRDA Radio Super Deus e Amor
0700-0200 on  9585 SA3 010 kW / non-dir to BRA  SRDA Radio Super Deus e Amor
0000-2400 on  9630vAPA 010 kW / 060 deg to BRA  Radio Aparecida
0000-2400 on  9645 SA4 7.5 kW / 030 deg to BRA  Radio Bandeirantes
0000-2400 on  9665vCAB 010 kW / 030 deg to BRA  Radio Voz Missionaria
1000-2100 on  9695 MNA 7.5 kW / 070 deg to BRA  Radio Rio Mar
0000-2400 on  9725vCUR 010 kW / 020 deg to BRA  Radio RB2 relay R.Aparecida
0000-2400 on  9820vSA5 010 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio 9 de Julho
0000-2400 on 10000 PPE 001 kW / non-dir to BRA  Observatorio Nacional
0700-2000 on 11735 CAB 050 kW / 060 deg to BRA  Radio Transmundial
0000-2400 on 11765vCUR 010 kW / 020 deg to BRA  SRDA Radio Super Deus e Amor
2300-0800 on 11780 BRA 250 kW / 360 deg to BRA  Radio Nacional da Amazonia
0700-0400 on 11815 GOI 7.5 kW / 360 deg to BRA  Radio Brasil Central
0000-2400 on 11855vAPA 001 kW / 060 deg to BRA  Radio Aparecida
0700-0200 on 11895 PTA 010 kW / 336 deg to BRA  Radio Legião da Boa Vontade
0900-0400 on 11915 PTA 010 kW / 310 deg to BRA  Radio Gaucha
0000-2400 on 11935vCUR 010 kW / 020 deg to BRA  Radio RB2 relay R.Aparecida
0000-2400 on 15190vBEL 005 kW / 122 deg to BRA  Radio Inconfidencia

A-15 Inactive Brazilian Stations on Shortwave

0700-0300 on  4755 CGR 010 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Imaculada Conceicao
0930-0100 on  4805 MNA 010 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Difusora do Amazonas
0900-0400 on  4885 RBC 005 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Difusora Acreana
0000-2400 on  4885 ANP 001 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Maria
0000-2400 on  4895 CGR 010 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Novo Tempo
0000-2400 on  4975 SA6 001 kW / non-dir to BRA  Radio Iguatemi
0000-2400 on  6060 CUR 015 kW / 330 deg to BRA  SRDA Radio Super Deus e Amor
0900-0300 on  6080 GOI 005 kW / 360 deg to BRA  Radio Daqui
0800-0300 on 11830 GOI 005 kW / 015 deg to BRA  Radio Daqui
0000-2400 on 11925 SA6 010 kW / 202 deg to BRA  Radio Bandeirantes

Station web addresses
Radio Educadora de Limeira
http://www.educadoraam.com.br/
Radio Cultura de Araraquara
http://www.radiocultura.net/
Radio Municipal Sao Gabriel da Cachoeira
http://treinamento.folhasp.com.br/linguasdobrasil/saogabriel.html
Radio Caiari
http://www.radiocaiari.com/
Radio Congonhas
http://www.radiocongonhas.com.br/
Radio Difusora de Londrina
http://www.radioalvoradalondrina.com.br/
Radio Cultura de Manaus
http://www.tvcultura.am.gov.br/site/pagina/radio-cultura/
Radio Meteorologia Paulista
http://www.portalternurafm.com.br/
Radio Verdes Florestas
http://www.diocesecruzeirodosul.org/index.php?s=radio-verdes-florestas
Radio Alvorada de Londrina
http://www.radioalvoradalondrina.com.br/
Radio Clube Do Para
http://www.radioclubedopara.com.br/
Radio Roraima
http://www.radioclubedopara.com.br/
Radio Relogio Rio de Janeiro
http://www.radiorelogioam.com.br/
Radio Daqui
https://www.facebook.com/daquigoiania
Radio Difusora de Macapa
http://www.difusora.ap.gov.br/
Radio Alvorada De Parintins
http://www.alvoradaparintins.com.br/
Radio Cultura De Cuiabá
http://www.radioculturadecuiaba.com.br/
Rádio Educação Rural
http://radiocoariamot.blogspot.com.br/
Radio Guaiba
http://www.radioguaiba.com.br/
Radio Filadelfia
http://www.radiofiladelfia.com.br/
Radio Marumby
http://radioevangelismo.com/
Radio Bandeirantes
http://radiobandeirantes.band.uol.com.br/radioam.asp
Radio Voz Missionaria
http://www.gideoes.com.br/
Radio Rio Mar
http://www.rederiomar.com.br/
Radio 9 de Julho
http://www.radio9dejulho.com.br/
Observatorio Nacional
http://www.horalegalbrasil.mct.on.br/
Radio Transmundial
http://www.transmundial.org.br/
SRDA Radio Super Deus e Amor
http://www.superradiodeuseamor.com.br/
Radio Brasil Central
http://www.radiobrasilcentral.com.br/
Radio Nacional da Amazonia
http://radios.ebc.com.br/nacionalamazonia/
Radio Aparecida
http://www.a12.com/radio-aparecida/
Radio Gaucha
http://gaucha.clicrbs.com.br/rs/
Radio Legião da Boa Vontade
http://www.boavontade.com/radio/Radio RB2

http://radiorb2.com.br/
Radio Inconfidencia
http://www.inconfidencia.com.br/
(Special thanks to Daniel Wyllyans, Brasil for his assistance)

(original post - Georgi & Ivo Ivanov/SWL DXing 15 Jul 2015)

Monitoring observations from Europe

All times UTC

Voice of Greece (Gayle Van Collection)

 Transmissions of Voice of Greece on December 14

0655-0725 on  9420 AVL 170 kW / 323 deg to WeEu Greek, time announcement 0716
0725-0745 on  9420 AVL 170 kW / 323 deg to WeEu Serbian/Romanian/Spanish/Russian
1020-1030 on  9420 AVL 170 kW / 323 deg to WeEu Romanian/Serbian/Russian/music
No signal of Voice of Greece on 9420 after 1145, typical for Avlis transmitter.

VOA transmitter, Greenville, NC

Additional transmissions of Voice of America to East Africa: from Nov.30

1030-1100 on 13650 Botswana 100 kW / 350 deg to EaAf Somali Daily, no signal
1030-1100 on 15620 Sao Tome 100 kW / 076 deg to EaAf Somali Daily, very weak
1030-1100 on 17550 Botswana 100 kW / 010 deg to EaAf Somali Daily, powerful:
from Dec.14
1630-1700 on 11770 Sao Tome 100 kW / 076 deg to EaAf Amharic Mon-Fri
1630-1700 on 15580 Botswana 100 kW / 350 deg to EaAf Amharic Mon-Fri
(Ivanov/14 Dec 2015)

Early Ventures in Wireless and Radio: With AT&T in New Jersey

Our records show that the main topic in the Asian DX program, Radio Monitors International, on December 6, 1981 was a Station Profile about the experimental shortwave station W3XN.  Here in Wavescan today, we present part 1 of the topic Early Ventures in Wireless and Radio: With AT&T in New Jersey, and this information will lead into the story of the important early experimental radio station  W3XN at Whippany in New Jersey.

            We go back to the beginning, and we pickup the story about early experimental wireless and radio stations that were installed under the direction of AT&T, the American Telephone and Telegraph system in the United States, together with their associated media companies, Bell Laboratories and the equipment manufactory, Western Electric.  All of these wireless and radio developments in this edition of Wavescan were centered in the American state of New Jersey, together with additional locations in nearby states.

            By the year 1912, some 600 full time and part time personnel were in service with AT&T in various forms of experimentation for the development of multitudinous forms of wireless and radio communication.  All of their many experimentations were headed up in their main building in New York which was located at the corner of West and Bethune Streets. 

            Two years later, they made plans to establish an experimental wireless station on Long Island together with an associated receiver station in Wilmington Delaware.  On April 1 of the following year (1915), longwave transmissions from their new station 2XE at lonely Montauk Point on the far eastern tip of Long Island were received successfully at their temporary receiver station in Wilmington. 

            The Montauk station was installed in a new building, and the T type center fed multi-wire aerial system was strung between two self supporting lattice towers standing 175 feet high.  The receiving equipment was on loan from the Du Pont family and it was installed on the roof top of their tall building at 1007 North Market Street in Wilmington, Delaware.   

            With the success of this original experimental venture, AT&T installed a more substantial listening station on marshy St. Simon’s Island near Brunswick in Georgia.  The island measures twelve miles long and three miles wide, with these days a permanent population exceeding 1,000 people.

            In earliest times, St. Simon’s Island was inhabited by Timucuan Indians, and during the colonial era, rice and cotton were grown on the island by new settlers from England.  Both John and Charles Wesley of reformation fame in England, served as missionaries on St. Simon’s Island.

            The specially constructed AT&T receiver station on St. Simon’s Island was installed in another new building, with four wooden masts each 120 feet tall erected in a line to support the long receiving aerial.  During the month of May (1915), many voice communications from AT&T 2XE at Montauk were received with ease on St. Simon’s Island.

            Flushed with the success of this communication venture, AT&T then constructed a special transmitter that was installed in the navy wireless station NAA at Arlington Virginia.  The huge transmitter employed   500 of the newly designed and manufactured tubes which were assembled in mainly cascade amplification, and it radiated 3 kW on 60 kHz longwave.

            Voice transmissions from the three tall towers at this Arlington location were received by AT&T personnel who were temporarily assigned to the navy wireless stations at San Diego, Mare Island and San Francisco in California, at Darien in the Panama Canal Zone, and at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu Hawaii.  Similar tests were also conducted with AT&T personnel stationed at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. 

            At all locations, the voice signal from the east coast of the United States was heard well, depending on the time of day for longwave transmission and reception.  At the conclusion of the successful international demonstrations across the United States, the Atlantic and the Pacific on October 21,1915, AT&T suspended all experimental transmission tests due to the belligerent developments in Europe during World War 1.        

            After peace was restored in Europe, and the United States lifted its restrictions on the experimental usage of wireless and radio, AT&T again took up its own experimentation in the radio arena, this time, with equipment and advanced circuitry that had been developed very rapidly during the  four years of tragic warfare.  Beginning in May 1919, AT&T began to establish a multitude of experimental radio stations, communication facilities and research laboratories in many areas of the United States, which grew to more than 30 in the New Jersey area alone.

            The new era of radio experimentation on the part of AT&T began with plans for a series of new broadcasting stations in New Jersey and nearby areas.  A new longwave transmitter was inaugurated in the AT&T building in West Street Manhattan under the callsign 2XB in 1919, and program broadcasting began over this facility early in the New Year (1920). 

            Quite simultaneously, 2XF was inaugurated at Cliffwood, 2XJ at Elberon (with subsequent name change to Deal), and 2XV at Glenridge, all in New Jersey; and we can remember that all of this radio development took place before the famous KDKA was inaugurated towards the end of that same year.

            On January 15, 1923, AT&T made a one way two hour broadcast that was beamed to London on longwave.  The American voices were on the air in the AT&T office building at 195 Broadway in New York; the transmitter was a 200 kW RCA unit on 57 kHz at Rocky Point, Long Island; and some 60 people, including the famous Guglielmo Marconi, were listening in at the Western Electric factory at New Southgate, London.     

            At the same time as AT&T was conducting experimental transmissions and experimental program broadcasting, all on longwave at this stage, they were also experimenting with the concept of shortwave radio.  According to an AT&T bulletin, their first shortwave experiments took place at their new radio station 2XJ located at Deal Beach in late 1921 with a 200 watt transmitter.  This early beginning in shortwave experimentation would therefore parallel what KDKA was doing in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.

            A year or two later, the power output of their shortwave transmitter was increased to 5 kW and they began to take measurements of the received power level at many different and distant locations.   These reception levels were monitored by staff personnel at fixed locations in Cleveland and Chicago and Minneapolis, and then in North Dakota and Montana, and over on the west coast at Seattle.

            In the next stage of development, reception levels were then measured with the receiver mounted in a moving truck, beginning 50 miles west of New York and extending out to 300 miles.  Similar measurements were also taken with the receiver aboard the passenger liner “Republic” bound for Bremen in Germany, and aboard the “Minnewaska” bound for London.  The “Republic” was previously in use as a German passenger liner plying across the Atlantic, and it had been seized by the American government during World War 1.

            AT&T also conducted shortwave tests between their station 2XJ and ships in nearby Green Harbor.

            As a result of this lengthy series of shortwave tests, AT&T began to plan for the implementation of shortwave communication on an international scale.  Thus in 1927, shortwave tests began between 2XJ Deal and the factory of their English counterpart Western Electric at New Southgate in London.

            Soon afterwards, and still early in the year 1927, a one way commercial service on shortwave was implemented from Deal to London, with the return still on longwave.  However, beginning June 1, of the following year (1928) the AT&T live telephone service between the United States and England was conducted entirely on shortwave. 

            And that’s where the important shortwave station W3XN at Whippany New Jersey comes into play, and that story will come to you here in Wavescan in two weeks time.

(AWR WAvescan/NWS 354)

QSL of the Week: Old QSL Card from Radio Monitors International

It was back on December 6, 1981, that Jawahar Shaikh in South India tuned in to the old AWR DX program, RMI Radio Monitors International.  During that era, this program RMI was on the air from many stations in the nationwide network of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation; shortwave, mediumwave and FM. 

            The National Ekco radio receiver that Jawahar Sheikh owned was tuned to the 20 kW mediumwave transmitter at Jaffna, at the tip of the northern peninsula on the island of Sri Lanka, which radiated on 864 kHz.  At 1300 UTC, or 7:30 in the morning, the signal was loud and clear in South India with no interference.

            The particular QSL card that Jawahar filled in so very neatly was the Do It Yourself style, printed in green ink, and identifying AWR-Southern Asia.  An orange colored AWR QSL stamp was affixed to the card, and the card was signed by Jose Jacob VU2JOS, during his era of volunteer service with Adventist World Radio in Poona India. 

            The program content indicated on this QSL card included the Asian edition of RCI DX Digest with Ian MacFarland at Radio Canada International, and there was a Station Profile on the American experimental shortwave station W3XN.  This 34 year old QSL card, states listener Jawahar Shaikh, was his very first QSL card. 

(AWR Wavescan/NWS 354)

Shortwave News available on DVD

Digital Reprint of all Editions ever published from 1957-2015.

The "Danish Short Wave Club International" (DSWCI) was founded in November 1956 and is one of the most traditional and by far the most international club for radio enthusiasts worldwide. Since January 1957 the club publishes the regular magazine "Shortwave News" which for decades now is a
unique source of information due to a most international network of correspondents and monitors worldwide.

From 1957 to 2000 "Shortwave News" was published on a monthly basis, and after that every sixth week. In 1957 and 1958 the magazine was published in Danish and from 1957 to 1969 two different editions were distributed: "Shortwave News" in English and "Kortbolge Nyt" in Danish. Since January 1970 the magazine is exclusively in English language.

The DSWCI decided on its last Annual General Meeting in 2015 to close the club at the end of 2016.

But it was agreed that everything ever published from the DSWCI should also be available for future generations of radio enthusiasts: A unique blend of accurate news, reports and background information which was only possible with the great support of countless people during the past almost
six decades.

During the last years we got access to every edition of "Shortwave News" and "Kortbolge Nyt" ever published. The magazines were scanned, digitized and processed with an OCR software. The work is finished and therefore we now can offer a DVD with almost 60 years of radio-history and club-history
of the DSWCI.

DSWCI and ADDX in Germany offer this DVD to anyone interested: Price: 49 Euro! (incl. shipment worldwide via Airmail)

Orders should be made by sending the money in cash via registered mail to:

ADDX
Scharsbergweg 14
D-41189 Moenchengladbach
Germany

Alternative: Orders via E-Mail to IBAN: DE25 3007 0024 0868 6800 00
BIC: DEUT DE DB DUE.
Payment via Paypal is possible on request. Please write to
for details.

The DVD will be shipped after the money has been received on our bank account. (Michael Schmitz)

As long as the DSWCI website exists, you may also download from "Shortwave News SWN on DVD" 17 sample editions of SWN from 1957 to 2002 free of charge. (Rolf Wernli)
(WWDXC/Top Nx 1231)

Closure of medium wave transmitters in France, Germany, and Luxembourg.

By 31 December many stations in Europe will close their medium wave transmitters
forever, on the following frequencies

France
603 kHz, 711 kHz, 864 kHz, 1206 kHz, 1242 kHz, 1278 kHz, 1377 kHz,
1404 kHz, 1494 kHz, 1557 kHz.

Germany
549 kHz, 756 kHz, 1269 kHz, 1422 kHz.

Luxembourg 1440 kHz.
(corrected now by wb.; - original per Mike Simmonds-UK via Mike Terry-UK,
mwdx Dec 8)

Re: [mwdx] Closure of MW transmtters. This is not entirely accurate.

1/ The French station Allouiss on 162 kHz will not close.

2/ The German station SR Heusweiler on 1179 kHz is not mentioned in this
list but it will also shut down.
(Remy Friess-F, mwdx Dec 8)
(WWDXC/Top Nx 1231)

All India Radio launches new website for the External Services

All India Radio QSL (Gayle Van Horn QSL Collection)

All India Radio has launched a multimedia website for its external service. The website airworldservice.org  is presently available in English, Hindi and Urdu languages. The content consists of rich bouquet of news, current affairs, programmes on culture, heritage, music, art, tourism, health-care, issues relating to economy, investment, development, education etc. The website which has a blend of text, pictures, video and audio components, also features live streaming of radio programmes. It also has a segment of “Radio On Demand”.

            The External Services of All India Radio have been broadcasting their programmes in 27 languages (15 foreign and 12 Indian). They are reaching out to more than 140 countries through medium and short wave. Broadcasts are aimed at Indians living abroad as well as others worldwide. The programmes of AIR have wide following as is evident from large number of letters, e-mails received by the different language services. It is mainly for Indian Diaspora and to give the listeners a feel of Home away from home. AIR also broadcast in Bangla, Baluchi, Burmese, Chinese, Dari, Pashtu, Punjabi, Nepali, Saraiki, Sindhi, Sinhala, Tamil and Tibetan for the neighbouring countries. Their objective is to project the progress and policies of India, along with its arts and culture. All Indian nationals living in Kuwait, who are interested to see the external service of All India Radio may log to its website www.airworldservice.org

http://www.indianfrontliners.com/article/22882-launching-of-a-website-by-all-india-radio-for-its-external-services/118-embassy-news

---

Alokesh Gupta

New Delhi

Radio Free Asia commemorates Year of the Monkey

Special thanks to Radio Free Asia, for the sneek peak at their upcoming QSL. The new card commemorates 2016 as the Year of the Monkey. Shortwave Central will post details as soon as they become available. In the meantime.....

Weekly Propagation Forecast Bulletins

Product: Weekly Highlights and Forecasts

:Issued: 2015 Dec 14 0121 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 07 - 13 December 2015

Solar activity was at low levels and only C-class flare activity was observed throughout the period, the largest of which was a C7 flare at 12/1346 UTC from Region 2470 (N13, L=087, class/area=Dkc/270 on 13 Dec). No Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were observed this period. 

No proton events were observed at geosynchronous orbit.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit reached high levels every day of the summary period with a peak flux of 10,700 pfu observed at 09/1455 UTC. 

Geomagnetic field activity was quiet to active levels on 07-08 Dec due to waning coronal hole high speed stream effects prior to the summary period. Unsettled to active field conditions were observed
on 10-11 Dec, with an isolated period of G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storm levels observed between 10/0300-0600 UTC, due to the influence of a positive polarity coronal hole high speed stream. 

Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 14 December - 09 January 2016

Solar activity is expected to be at low levels throughout the outlook period with only C-class flare activity expected. 

No proton events are expected at geosynchronous orbit.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to reach high levels on 14-20, 29-31 Dec and 03-09 Jan. Low to moderate electron flux levels are expected throughout the
remainder of the period. 

Geomagnetic field activity is likely to reach G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storm levels on 16 Dec and 06 Jan due to the influence of recurrent coronal hole high speed streams. Active field conditions are likely
on 15, 17-18, 27-28 Dec and 01, 03-04, 07-08 Dec due to coronal hole high speed stream effects. Quiet to unsettled levels are expected for the remainder of the period. 

Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt
:Issued: 2015 Dec 14 0121 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 2015-12-14
#
#   UTC      Radio Flux   Planetary   Largest
#  Date       10.7 cm      A Index    Kp Index
2015 Dec 14     125           8          3
2015 Dec 15     130          18          4
2015 Dec 16     130          25          5
2015 Dec 17     130          18          4
2015 Dec 18     125          12          4
2015 Dec 19     125           8          3
2015 Dec 20     125           5          2
2015 Dec 21     120           5          2
2015 Dec 22     115           5          2
2015 Dec 23     115           5          2
2015 Dec 24     115           5          2
2015 Dec 25     110           5          2
2015 Dec 26     105           5          2
2015 Dec 27      98          18          4
2015 Dec 28      95          15          4
2015 Dec 29      95          10          3
2015 Dec 30      98           5          2
2015 Dec 31      98           5          2
2016 Jan 01     100          15          4
2016 Jan 02     100          20          5
2016 Jan 03     105          18          4
2016 Jan 04     110          10          4
2016 Jan 05     110           8          3
2016 Jan 06     110          20          5
2016 Jan 07     115          18          4
2016 Jan 08     115          12          4
2016 Jan 09     115          10          3
(NOAA)

VOA Radiogram Weekend Programming

Hello friends,

See the section below on The Mighty KBC for an interesting experiment this weekend.


Last weekend's experiments with QR codes were interesting and mostly successful. I failed to inform you, however, that a monospace font (Courier, for example) is required for the QR codes sent via UTF-8 block elements to decode correctly.  See some examples here ...
http://voaradiogram.net/post/134865877817/fun-with-qr-codes


Here is the lineup for VOA Radiogram, program 141, 12-13 December 2015,  all in MFSK32:

 1:32  Program preview
 2:47  Planet Ceres' bright spots explained*
 8:21  Estonian underwater robot*
16:55  Russia's Dozhd TV under pressure*
22:10  Santa on 3916 kHz*
24:46  Closing announcements*

* with image

Please send reception reports to radiogram@voanews.com.

VOA Radiogram transmission schedule
(all days and times UTC):
Sat 0930-1000 5865 kHz
Sat 1600-1630 17580 kHz
Sun 0230-0300 5745 kHz
Sun 1930-2000 15670 kHz
All via the Edward R. Murrow transmitting station in North Carolina.

The Mighty KBC will transmit a minute of MFSK32 this weekend, but at a new time. KBC's broadcast to North America is Saturday 2300 UTC to Sunday 0200 UTC (Saturday evening 6:00-9:00 pm EST in North America), on 7395 kHz via Germany. From 0158 to 0200 UTC, Radio Romania International transmits its interval signal also on 7395 kHz for its French broadcast beginning at 0200 UTC. This creates a co-channel situation between KBC and RRI. The MFSK32 transmission is therefore moved from 0128 to 0158 UTC to see if the text and image can survive the interference.

If you have an Android device, the TIVAR decoding app is available here: http://sourceforge.net/projects/fldigi/files/AndFlmsg/TIVAR/ . For PCs, Fldigi is available here: http://sourceforge.net/projects/fldigi/files/ . See w1hkj.com for more information.

Thank you for your reception reports. I am falling farther behind in answering your reports. The gallery for program 132 is prepared, and today I will get started with the accompanying emails. I hope you can tune in and write in this weekend.

Kim

Kim Andrew Elliott
Producer and Presenter
VOA Radiogram
voaradiogram.net

 

Early Ventures in Wireless and Radio: With AT&T in New Jersey

(via New Mexico Radio Collectors Club)

Our records show that the main topic in the Asian DX program, Radio Monitors International, on December 6, 1981 was a Station Profile about the experimental shortwave station W3XN.  Here in Wavescan today, we present part 1 of the topic Early Ventures in Wireless and Radio: With AT&T in New Jersey, and this information will lead into the story of the important early experimental radio station  W3XN at Whippany in New Jersey.

            We go back to the beginning, and we pickup the story about early experimental wireless and radio stations that were installed under the direction of AT&T, the American Telephone and Telegraph system in the United States, together with their associated media companies, Bell Laboratories and the equipment manufactory, Western Electric.  All of these wireless and radio developments in this edition of Wavescan were centered in the American state of New Jersey, together with additional locations in nearby states.

            By the year 1912, some 600 full time and part time personnel were in service with AT&T in various forms of experimentation for the development of multitudinous forms of wireless and radio communication.  All of their many experimentations were headed up in their main building in New York which was located at the corner of West and Bethune Streets. 

            Two years later, they made plans to establish an experimental wireless station on Long Island together with an associated receiver station in Wilmington Delaware.  On April 1 of the following year (1915), longwave transmissions from their new station 2XE at lonely Montauk Point on the far eastern tip of Long Island were received successfully at their temporary receiver station in Wilmington. 

            The Montauk station was installed in a new building, and the T type center fed multi-wire aerial system was strung between two self supporting lattice towers standing 175 feet high.  The receiving equipment was on loan from the Du Pont family and it was installed on the roof top of their tall building at 1007 North Market Street in Wilmington, Delaware.   

            With the success of this original experimental venture, AT&T installed a more substantial listening station on marshy St. Simon’s Island near Brunswick in Georgia.  The island measures twelve miles long and three miles wide, with these days a permanent population exceeding 1,000 people.

            In earliest times, St. Simon’s Island was inhabited by Timucuan Indians, and during the colonial era, rice and cotton were grown on the island by new settlers from England.  Both John and Charles Wesley of reformation fame in England, served as missionaries on St. Simon’s Island.

            The specially constructed AT&T receiver station on St. Simon’s Island was installed in another new building, with four wooden masts each 120 feet tall erected in a line to support the long receiving aerial.  During the month of May (1915), many voice communications from AT&T 2XE at Montauk were received with ease on St. Simon’s Island.

            Flushed with the success of this communication venture, AT&T then constructed a special transmitter that was installed in the navy wireless station NAA at Arlington Virginia.  The huge transmitter employed   500 of the newly designed and manufactured tubes which were assembled in mainly cascade amplification, and it radiated 3 kW on 60 kHz longwave.

            Voice transmissions from the three tall towers at this Arlington location were received by AT&T personnel who were temporarily assigned to the navy wireless stations at San Diego, Mare Island and San Francisco in California, at Darien in the Panama Canal Zone, and at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu Hawaii.  Similar tests were also conducted with AT&T personnel stationed at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. 

            At all locations, the voice signal from the east coast of the United States was heard well, depending on the time of day for longwave transmission and reception.  At the conclusion of the successful international demonstrations across the United States, the Atlantic and the Pacific on October 21,1915, AT&T suspended all experimental transmission tests due to the belligerent developments in Europe during World War 1.        

            After peace was restored in Europe, and the United States lifted its restrictions on the experimental usage of wireless and radio, AT&T again took up its own experimentation in the radio arena, this time, with equipment and advanced circuitry that had been developed very rapidly during the  four years of tragic warfare.  Beginning in May 1919, AT&T began to establish a multitude of experimental radio stations, communication facilities and research laboratories in many areas of the United States, which grew to more than 30 in the New Jersey area alone.

            The new era of radio experimentation on the part of AT&T began with plans for a series of new broadcasting stations in New Jersey and nearby areas.  A new longwave transmitter was inaugurated in the AT&T building in West Street Manhattan under the callsign 2XB in 1919, and program broadcasting began over this facility early in the New Year (1920). 

            Quite simultaneously, 2XF was inaugurated at Cliffwood, 2XJ at Elberon (with subsequent name change to Deal), and 2XV at Glenridge, all in New Jersey; and we can remember that all of this radio development took place before the famous KDKA was inaugurated towards the end of that same year.

            On January 15, 1923, AT&T made a one way two hour broadcast that was beamed to London on longwave.  The American voices were on the air in the AT&T office building at 195 Broadway in New York; the transmitter was a 200 kW RCA unit on 57 kHz at Rocky Point, Long Island; and some 60 people, including the famous Guglielmo Marconi, were listening in at the Western Electric factory at New Southgate, London.     

            At the same time as AT&T was conducting experimental transmissions and experimental program broadcasting, all on longwave at this stage, they were also experimenting with the concept of shortwave radio.  According to an AT&T bulletin, their first shortwave experiments took place at their new radio station 2XJ located at Deal Beach in late 1921 with a 200 watt transmitter.  This early beginning in shortwave experimentation would therefore parallel what KDKA was doing in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.

            A year or two later, the power output of their shortwave transmitter was increased to 5 kW and they began to take measurements of the received power level at many different and distant locations.   These reception levels were monitored by staff personnel at fixed locations in Cleveland and Chicago and Minneapolis, and then in North Dakota and Montana, and over on the west coast at Seattle.

            In the next stage of development, reception levels were then measured with the receiver mounted in a moving truck, beginning 50 miles west of New York and extending out to 300 miles.  Similar measurements were also taken with the receiver aboard the passenger liner “Republic” bound for Bremen in Germany, and aboard the “Minnewaska” bound for London.  The “Republic” was previously in use as a German passenger liner plying across the Atlantic, and it had been seized by the American government during World War 1.

            AT&T also conducted shortwave tests between their station 2XJ and ships in nearby Green Harbor.

            As a result of this lengthy series of shortwave tests, AT&T began to plan for the implementation of shortwave communication on an international scale.  Thus in 1927, shortwave tests began between 2XJ Deal and the factory of their English counterpart Western Electric at New Southgate in London.

            Soon afterwards, and still early in the year 1927, a one way commercial service on shortwave was implemented from Deal to London, with the return still on longwave.  However, beginning June 1, of the following year (1928) the AT&T live telephone service between the United States and England was conducted entirely on shortwave. 

            And that’s where the important shortwave station W3XN at Whippany New Jersey comes into play, and that story will come to you here in Wavescan in two weeks time
(AWR WAvescan/NWS 354)

QOTW69 QSL of the Week: Old QSL Card from Radio Monitors International

It was back on December 6, 1981, that Jawahar Shaikh in South India tuned in to the old AWR DX program, RMI Radio Monitors International.  During that era, this program RMI was on the air from many stations in the nationwide network of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation; shortwave, mediumwave and FM. 

            The National Ekco radio receiver that Jawahar Sheikh owned was tuned to the 20 kW mediumwave transmitter at Jaffna, at the tip of the northern peninsula on the island of Sri Lanka, which radiated on 864 kHz.  At 1300 UTC, or 7:30 in the morning, the signal was loud and clear in South India with no interference.

            The particular QSL card that Jawahar filled in so very neatly was the Do It Yourself style, printed in green ink, and identifying AWR-Southern Asia.  An orange colored AWR QSL stamp was affixed to the card, and the card was signed by Jose Jacob VU2JOS, during his era of volunteer service with Adventist World Radio in Poona India. 

            The program content indicated on this QSL card included the Asian edition of RCI DX Digest with Ian MacFarland at Radio Canada International, and there was a Station Profile on the American experimental shortwave station W3XN.  This 34 year old QSL card, states listener Jawahar Shaikh, was his very first QSL card.(AWR Wavescan/NWS 354) 

* Focus on the South Pacific: Australian Shortwave Callsign: VLE

In this continuing series of topics on shortwave callsigns in Australia, we come to the story of the fifth callsign in this sequence, VLE.  The earliest origins for the usage of this callsign go back nearly 100 years, not in Australia but rather for New Zealand.

            The luxury liner S. S. “Maheno”, which means “Island” in the Maori language, was built in Scotland for the Union Company of New Zealand, and it was launched on June 19, 1905.  This 400 foot long ship could carry 420 passengers and crew, and its cargo hold contained refrigeration for the carriage of frozen meats and other consumable products.           

            The “Maheno” regularly plied across the Tasman Sea between New Zealand and Australia, and also occasionally right across the Pacific to Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada.  The allotted callsign back in its early years was VLE, indicating a vessel in service under the flag of New Zealand, showing the British Union Jack and the four stars in the Southern Cross.

            During World War 1, the “Moheno” saw service in the international waters of continental Europe as a hospital ship, and after the war it was returned to commercial service in the South Pacific.

            However in 1935, at the end of 30 years of ocean going service, the ship was no longer viable for its original purpose, and it was sold to a Japanese shipwrecking company.  Another ship, the nearly 50 year old  “Oonah”, which had served as a passenger and cargo ship across Bass Strait between Tasmania and the Australian mainland, was also sold to the same Japanese company.

            On July 1, 1935, the “Oonah” towed the “Maheno” (minus its propellers) out of Sydney Harbour at the beginning of what was intended to be its last long voyage way up north to Japan.  However, six days after leaving port, these two ships encountered a massive cyclone, and the 900 ft long steel tow rope, 6½ inches thick, snapped, leaving the “Moheno” powerless in the stormy waters off the east coast of Australia.

             Attempts to re-attach the two ships proved fruitless.  The “Oonah” radioed for help and an airplane flew out to find the “Moheno”, drifting and helpless.

            Three days later again, the “Moheno” was found by the search plane and by this time it was now beached on the eastern shore of Fraser Island, and the temporary Japanese crew were camped on the beach, in fear of retaliation from the  Aborigines on the island.  Attempts were made to refloat the “Moheno”, but this was unsuccessful; the stranded ship had broken its back.

            The “Moheno” was offered for sale but no buyers came forth, so it was stripped and abandoned.  These days the rusting hulk still lies sulking about midway down the island on the eastern shore.  During World War 2, it was used as a practice bombing target for the Royal Australian Air Force, and nowadays it is a major public attraction for half a million tourists who flock to the island each year.

            Fraser Island lies close off the coast of Queensland, nearby to the regional coastal cities, Maryborough and Bundaberg.  It is 75 miles long and 15 miles wide, and it is the world’s largest sand island.  It has an abundance of plant life which includes the world’s largest Frond Fern.  It contains more than 100 fresh water lakes, including one that is 330 feet above the nearby sea level. 

            The 75 mile long and very wide sandy beach along the eastern seashore is used as an island highway, and also as a landing airstrip for small planes.  A nearby notice requires motor vehicles to give priority to the movement of airplanes.  

            In ancient times, Fraser Island was home to the Butchulla tribe of Australian Aborigines who sometimes numbered as many as 3,000.  They called the island K’gari, which is pronounced as Gurri.  The name means “Paradise”.

            Back in 1836, the small ship “Stirling Castle” was shipwrecked on the island.  While sailing across the Great Barrier Reef, the underwater coral had ripped a hole in its hull.  The elderly and ailing Captain, James Fraser, and his pregnant wife Eliza both abandoned the ship in a life boat, and before they struck land, she gave birth to the baby in the lifeboat, though it died soon afterwards.

            The captain also died on the island, though his wife Eliza survived.  She was rescued six weeks later through the efforts of an escaped convict, John Graham, who lived in the bush areas and had learned the local Aboriginal language.  Originally the island was known as Great Sandy Island, but it was renamed Fraser Island in honor of Eliza Fraser.   

            Tree logging was introduced to the island in 1863 by an experienced American logger, Jack Piggott; and in 1932, two very high trees rendered two tall masts to support the aerial system at the new mediumwave station 4MB in neighboring Maryborough.  These masts were 127 and 132 feet tall.

            Then just five years ago, ACMA the Australian Communications and Media Authority issued two FM licences for Eulong, the small tourist town on the east coast of Fraser Island.  It was planned that these two FM stations would relay programing from the network headquarters stations in the Gold Coast, South of Brisbane.  The two new FM stations for Fraser Island were 4RBL on 97.3 and 4BRZ on 94.9 MHz.

            Going back to 1927, we find that new international radio regulations re-allocated the initial callsign letter V to Australia and other countries in the British Empire, though no longer to New Zealand.  So, at this stage, the call VLE could no longer identify the New Zealand luxury passenger/cargo liner “Maheno”, and it appears that the call was held in limbo for the next thirty or more years.

            Eventually, technical developments at the main Radio Australia shortwave station at Shepparton in Victoria introduced the need for some additional callsigns.  The original 100 kW STC-AWA transmitter VLB was bifurcated and with the insertion of additional electronic equipment another 100 kW transmitter was born in early 1961.  This new unit acquired the callsign VLE.

            However, the callsign VLE as an individual specific transmitter was in use for only a very short period of time; in fact for no more than a few months at the very most.  At the end of October of the same year (1961), Radio Australia dropped the usage of transmitter callsigns, and instead used the calls to identify program feed lines from the Melbourne studios to the various transmitter bases.  Thus from that time onwards, callsign VLE, or just E, indicated a feed line to a 50 kW transmitter at Shepparton.

            Due to the fact that the callsign VLE identified specifically the new 100 kW transmitter at Shepparton for no more than a few months, QSL cards showing that callsign are very rare.  The Indianapolis Heritage Collection holds just one such card dated March 8, 1961, verifying the frequency 15180 kHz as VLE15.  However, the Indianapolis collection does hold another four QSLs in the style of Form Letters verifying a 50 kW transmitter at Shepparton under the line feed call VLE.

            And that’s our story for this occasion; the story of callsign VLE, first on the New Zealand liner “Maheno”; then as a new 100 kW transmitter at Shepparton in Victoria; and finally as a line feed to a 50 kW transmitter at the same country location in the center of the state of Victoria.

 (AWR WAvescan/NWS 353)

* WRMI Okeechobee Second Anniversary

WRMI Transmitter displays

As most of our regular Wavescan listeners know, this program is recorded each week at the studios of WRMI -- sometimes at our studio in Miami, but more often than not at our studio in Okeechobee, where the WRMI transmitter site is located.

            WRMI -- Radio Miami International -- first went on the air from a transmitter site in suburban Miami in 1994.  At this location, there was one 50-kilowatt transmitter and a corner reflector antenna beamed to the Caribbean and Latin America.  For part of its lifespan, WRMI-Miami also used a North American antenna beamed toward Vancouver.

            But on the evening of November 30th, 2013, WRMI’s site in Miami went off the air for the last time, and immediately the station’s new transmitter site in Okeechobee went on the air for the first time.

            Okeechobee is a small city located on the north side of the massive Lake Okeechobee in the center of Florida.  The WRMI transmitter site is about 15 miles north and 7 miles west of the city of Okeechobee, located far out in the rural countryside on a one-square-mile cattle ranch.  The site was built by Family Radio, a Christian organization based in Oakland, California, and was owned and operated by Family Radio under the call letters WYFR until it closed down in June of 2013.  WRMI purchased the transmitter facility and put it back on the air on December 1, 2013, which was actually the evening of November 30th local time in Okeechobee.

            The Okeechobee site is the largest privately-owned shortwave transmitter site in the Western Hemisphere.  It is comprised of 14 transmitters and 23 antennas -- a selection of rhombics and log periodics and one curtain array antenna beamed to 11 different azimuths covering primarily North, Central and South America, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.  

            As the site was off the air from the end of June until the beginning of December 2013, it was unknown exactly how quickly the equipment would return to normal operating condition.  When we first went on the air on the evening of November 30th, a number of technical problems with the transmitters quickly surfaced.  Fortunately, we were not using all of the transmitters initially, so when there was a problem with one unit we were able to replace it with another transmitter until the repairs were made to the first one.  And gradually over the course of a few weeks all of the units were brought back into regular operating condition, with the exception of two.  

            Transmitters 5 and 6 were very old Gates 50-kilowatt units that had been used by WYFR when it was originally located in Scituate, Massachusetts, and later relocated to the new site in Okeechobee in the late 1970’s.  Both of these transmitters were out of service at the time Family Radio went off the air, and transmitter 6 was actually scrapped and removed before Radio Miami International took over the site.  Transmitter 5 was not operational, and in fact many parts in it had been cannibalized for use in the other WYFR transmitters.  

            Several months after WRMI began its broadcasts from Okeechobee, the hole left by transmitter 6 was replaced by a transmitter moved from WRMI’s old site in Miami to the new one in central Florida. So now the station had 13 operating transmitters.  Only number 5 was inoperable.  

            All 13 working transmitters have been used most of the time over the past almost two years.  At this moment, 12 transmitters are on the air every single day -- some for just a short period of time such as an hour or two a day, and some for as much as 24 hours a day.  The other transmitter -- number 1 -- was in daily use until just a couple of weeks ago, but is now in standby in case something happens to one of the other transmitters and number 1 is needed to fill in for a short time.

            WRMI has 14 Optimod audio processing units -- one for each transmitter.  These provide an extra punch to the signal.  There is a large Uninterruptible Power Supply which keeps computers, lights and air conditioning operating for several seconds in the event of a power outage.  

            The UPS is replaced by a 25-kilowatt diesel generator which kicks in approximately 20 seconds after a power outage.  The generator is not powerful enough to operate the transmitters themselves, but it keeps the computers and the rest of the transmitter building operating until the power comes back on.  Fortunately, most of the power outages in Okeechobee are very short -- from a fraction of a second to a few minutes in length.

            Currently, WRMI is transmitting about 150 hours per day of programming from a number of clients including religious organizations and relays of overseas stations such as Radio Japan, Radio Taiwan International, Radio Slovakia International and Radio Prague.  Dozens of smaller clients air a variety of programs on WRMI including news and music shows, cultural programs and many others.  WRMI also broadcasts a variety of DX programs in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian, including of course Wavescan.

            As for future plans, WRMI hopes to eventually replace the old transmitter 5 with a new, or at least newer, unit, bringing the contingent back up to 14 transmitters.  The station has a 23-year-lease with the owner of the cattle ranch, so we hope to be on the air on shortwave for a long time come yet.

            By the way, if you happen to be hearing one of the early transmissions of Wavescan and you hear this announcement in time, you are cordially invited to WRMI’s second anniversary Okeechobee Open House.  It will be held at the Okeechobee location.  You can find the address on our website, www.wrmi.net, and it will take place from 11 am until 5 pm local time on Monday, November 30th.  So if you’re in the Florida area, or can be in Florida on November 30th, we invite you to come to our second anniversary celebration.

(AWR Wavescan/NWS 353) 

Deutsche Welle frequency adjustments from December 15

Frequency changes of Deutsche Welle effective from December 15:

All times UTC

0400-0500 12025 MDC 250 kW / 300 deg to EaAf English, ex 11810, re-ex 11800
0500-0600 15405 MDC 250 kW / 300 deg to SoAf English, ex 15520, re-ex 15275
1600-1700 15190 DHA 250 kW / 225 deg to EaAf Amharic, ex 15560
And upcoming frequency change of Deutsche Welle effective from January 15, 2016
0630-0700 11800 ISS 500 kW / 170 deg to WeAf Hausa (alt.freq.13610), ex 9800

(DX Bulgaria 09 Dec)