Media Network Ends it’s 30 Year Run

Media Network web editor Andy Sennitt announced late this afternoon that their international media news blog is closing down as of Saturday March 24th 2012. Andy is retiring. Radio Nederland Wereldomroep (Radio Netherlands Worldwide) is heading off in a very different direction in the future. So it makes sense to bow out knowing that a job has been well done. Several thousand people a week have relied on Andy’s sharp eye in spotting international media developments and their implications for those who work in the business of international story-telling. I understand the plan is to keep it online as a reference, since it’s a searchable record of media stories over the last decade that has more than academic value. That’s good news.

I hope you’ll join me in thanking Andy for great time and effort he put into editing the on-line version of Media Network. There are over 15,000 stories on the blog going back to October 2003 and he’s continued the tradition of international media reporting in fine style. That can only come from someone who is fascinated by the medium – it’s not a job – it’s a passion. As you can hear in the Media Network vintage radio archive, Andy was a regular contributor from the very start of the programme in 1981. I particularly remember that show we did about the offshore radio days. Andy has spent his career following the media, especially radio. He worked for BBC Monitoring in Caversham Park, UK as well as becoming Editor of the World Radio TV Handbook in Denmark. He moved the HQ of the WRTH to Amsterdam and Diana Janssen recruited him to work on a web-version of the radio programme.

It’s not going to be possible to replace the Media Network news blog. But I will increase the frequency and focus of this Critical Distance blog to include more international media stories. I have been playing around with the Storyful platform, which allows you to mix video and audio clips to add to the traditional text and photos. So if you’re interested to follow what we get up to, visit the blog (if you’re not already there), subscribe and contribute to the next stage of the journey. We’re also on Facebook. I hope we can persuade Andy to drop by from time to time. But for now, Andy we salute you. Big time!
(Thanks to Jonathan Marks and his criticaldistance.blogspot.in)

Info via dxld

Radio Heritage Foundation Extends Coverage to Europe

Radio Heritage Foundation
Extends Coverage to Europe
_________________________

WELLINGTON [New Zealand]

The addition of major new European radio history content at its website [www.radioheritage.com] marks a move by the Radio Heritage Foundation to extend its coverage of radio heritage connections to Europe.

Chairman David Ricquish says ‘the borderless nature of radio waves has always made it inevitable that our focus would one day expand beyond our initial work in the Asia and Pacific region. In fact, our collections already have many materials relating to broadcasters based in Europe going back to the 1920’s. European broadcasters, their ideas, policies and cultures have had a major influence on Pacific broadcasting for decades.’

The new content covers individual station features, 44 European countries, almost 100 separately researched years of local European broadcasting, over 15 digitized early radio frequency guides and some 250 audio samples and images.

The material has a special focus on local European broadcasting history centered on mediumwave [AM] and longwave stations, events and personalities covering the entire 20th century and the first decade of the current period.

Mr Ricquish adds ‘Belgian based Herman Boel has collected together, with help from other European sources, a wonderful treasure trove of radio heritage material. Herman needed to spend more time on other projects so we are delighted to make sure his efforts and dedication are maintained and continue to be freely accessible to the community.’

There are many connections between European and Asia & Pacific radio heritage issues that can now be explored and showcased at www.radioheritage.com. These include the many European based shortwave broadcasters that are now fading from the airwaves but which have influenced several generations of audiences in the wider Pacific region. Amateur radio heritage connections with Europe are another area of immediate concern.

The Radio Heritage Foundation already has over 200 Asian and Pacific radio heritage features at www.radioheritage.com, hosts detailed radio guides such as the PAL Radio Guide series with thousands of stations covered on AM, Shortwave and FM, has researched and produced some 40 radio documentaries for Radio New Zealand International, and is the official World Radio TV Handbook country contributor for over 25 Pacific countries.

(Via bclnews.it )

Info via dxld

RNW Historical Audio Archive: 50 years of shortwave in Holland

RNW Historical Audio Archive:
50 years of shortwave in Holland

On 30 March 1977 Radio Nederland (as we were then called in English) broadcast a special programme marking our 30th anniversary, and 50 years since the first shortwave broadcast from the Netherlands. The complete programme is now available to listen to/download from the RNW Historical Audio Archive. Here’s a synopsis of the programme:

Hendrik (Henk) van den Broek, Radio Nederland’s first director, recorded in 1955, explains why Radio Nederland was set up.
The origin of Dutch overseas broadcasting goes back to 1927, the pioneering year of shortwave telephony. The Philips Laboratories in Eindhoven experiment with the PCJJ short-wave transmitter. The transmissions reach as far as the East-Indies. Mr. A C de Groot, a technical official of the Netherlands East Indies PTT and a radio amateur, is sitting up all night monitoring the 30 metre band in the hope of hearing amateurs operating in morse code from The Netherlands. Somewhere around 3:00 AM, he hears a voice speaking in Dutch saying “This is an experimental transmission from the Philips Laboratory in Eindhoven, Holland, on a wavelength of 30.2 metres”.
That same year, the NV PHOHI (Philips Omroep Holland-Indië) was set up, a joint commercial operation of Philips and other Dutch Companies with interests in the East-Indies. It used the PCJJ transmitter.
In November 1928, Edward (Eddie) Startz began broadcasting over PCJJ, marking the beginning of his popular “Happy Station” programme. Startz dropped the second J of PCJJ and said that PCJ stood for “Peace, Cheer and Joy: The Happy Station of a friendly nation”.
Engineer Martin Ruis speaks about the closure of the shortwave transmissons because of the invasion of the German Army in May 1940. They tried to destroy the transmitter, but later on the Germans succeeded in reparing the PCJJ-equipment, and used it to broadcast propaganda to India (”The Voice of Free India”).
Paris and London took over when broadcasts from Hilversum ended: The Dutch first used the French shortwave service for a programme called “Vrij Nederland”. That ended after a month with the German invasion of Paris. Over in London the Dutch Government in exile in late 1940 created “Radio Oranje”, the official voice of the Dutch Government.
Fragment of a Radio Oranje transmission: Bob den Doolaard speaks about sabotage (in Dutch).
Unknown Dutch speaker about listening to Radio Oranje and the BBC during the war.
Hendrik van den Broek became head of Radio Oranje and in 1944 he created a station called “Herrijzend Nederland” in the grounds of the Philips Company in Eindhoven. When the whole of The Netherlands was liberated he moved his operation to Hilversum. Radio Nederland was born.
On 15 April 1947 the private non-profit foundation Stichting Radio Nederland Wereldomroep was founded, after many discussions about the future of Dutch broadcasting.
Short quote from Queen Wilhelmina about the end of Dutch rule in Indonesia.
The story of Radio Netherlands in the fifties and beyond.
Eddie Startz with the Happy Station station in Spanish, French and English.
Technical expert Jim Vastenhoud talks about technological developments and the future of shortwave radio.

Radio 6150 testing

Guten Morgen,

heute läuft unser erster Test mit mittlerer Leistung.

Start ca. 11.00 Uhr MESZ / 9.00 Uhr UTC.
QRG: 6150 kHz

Empfangsberichte an
qsl@radio6150.de
sind sehr willkommen, und werden mit einer QSL-Karte bestätigt (wir bitten aber noch um ein wenig Geduld).
Audio-Files sind sehr hilfreich; wenn möglich, bitte mitsenden.

Wir bitten insbesondere um:

a) Beurteilung der Modulation; Qualität / Klang und Lautstärke
b) exakte Sendefrequenz (falls eine Möglichkeit zu genauen Messung besteht)
c) Vergleich mit unseren Low-Power-Tests (falls diese seinerzeit gehört wurden).

Wir würden uns freuen, wenn unsere Hörer evtl. auch andere Hobbyfreunde informieren könnten, den Empfang zu versuchen und Berichte zu schicken!

Danke!

Good morning,

today for the first time we’ll be running a test transmission with medium power.

Starting around 9.00 h UTC = 11.00 h local time in Germany.

QRG: 6150 kc
Reception reports to
qsl@radio6150.de
are very welcome, and will be confirmed with our QSL card (but we ask for some patience).
Audio files are appreciated, if possible, please attach to the report.

Especially we are interested in:

a) Quality of modulation; loudness, sound;
b) exact frequency (if there is equipment for an exact metering)
c) Comparison with our low power tests (if one of those have been heard).

We would be glad, if our listeners could inform some of their friends,
to try and send reports, too!

Thank you!

Radio Serbien

Unter
http://glassrbije.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=58&I
temid=205
hat das Internationale Radio Serbien eine Bildergalerie mit Fotos von seinen beiden Sendestationen Bijeljina und Stubline veröffentlicht. Sehr schöne Aufnahmen sind dabei. Zu sehen sind u.a. auch Fotos aus der Geschichte von Bijeljina (Bosnien-Herzegowina, 6100 kHz) und einen Blick darauf, wie die Station in Stubline nach einem Bombenangriff 1999 aussah bzw. heute aussieht (und auch wieder sendet, 9505 kHz).

Den Sendeplan findet ihr unter
http://glassrbije.org/N/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=21
&Itemid=46
. Auf dieser Seite gibt es auch einen Livestream bzw. Audio on Deamand & Videonachrichten. Empfangsberichte bestätigt man nach meist etwas längerer Wartezeit mit einer hübschen QSL-Karte (am besten Rückporto beilegen).

Info via A-DX

Radio Vatikan 80 Jahre

Hören Sie hier einen Beitrag zur Geschichte von Radio Vatikan mit
historischen Aufnahmen (Link:
http://www.oecumene.radiovaticana.org/ted/Articolo.asp?c=461471 )

Ein neuer Service für unsere Leserinnen und Leser
Radio Vatikan wird zwar 80 Jahre alt, ist aber immer noch jung und voller neuer Ideen. So gibt es ab diesem Freitag einen neuen Service, der vor allem unsere Berichte im Internet und die Übertragungen neu zugänglich macht: Vatican-TIC.

HIER (Link:
http://212.77.9.30/live/ContentPlayer/StandalonePlayer.asp?language=de )

ist der Audio-Viedo-Player abrufbar, mit Hilfe dessen man RV hören und die Live-Übertragungen verfolgen kann.

Info via A-DX

Five new Klingenfuss products for 2011: All advance orders have been shipped!

Dear friends,

all new products for 2011

– 2011 Super Frequency List on CD
– 2011 Shortwave Frequency Guide
– 2011/2012 Guide to Utility Radio Stations
– 2011 Frequency Database for the PERSEUS Software-Defined Receiver
– 1997-2010 Digital Data Decoder Screenshots on CD

have been published by 4 December. We’ve worked around the clock and hundreds of advance orders have been mailed by Monday 6 December, i.e. well in time for the Christmas holiday and radio monitoring season. Enjoy!

Please note that we did NOT increase our prices for 2011.

Since Larry Magne’s Passport to World Band Radio has been
discontinued in 2009, our 2011 Shortwave Frequency Guide remains the only international handbook that gives you full schedule details for each entry in the unique broadcast frequency list, e.g.

4824.4 – La Voz de la Selva – Iquitos – PRU – 01.00-03.00 – Sp – dom – Mon-Sat

7210.0 – All India Radio – Kolkata – IND – 04.00-05.00 – En Hi Bg –
dom – Sat Sun

11675.0 – Radio New Zealand International – Rangitaiki – NZL – 06.59-07.58 – En – Pa – DRM

On our updated website

www.klingenfuss.org

you can download full A4 size PDF sample pages of our latest printed
products as well as the new 2011 catalogue, plus detailed product
descriptions, sample pages, screenshots, and a list of dealers
worldwide – from Australia to the United States of America!
Alternatively, you may ask for our free 24-pages 2011 printed
catalogue to your postal address.

The 2011/2012 Guide to Utility Radio Stations is the 26th edition of
this standard reference book for both professional HF radio
monitoring services and non-professional radio listeners worldwide.

Deadline for the very latest 2011 broadcast schedules published in
the brandnew Shortwave Frequency Guide was on 20 November 2010.
Unlike traditional publications in this field, our clear layout and
new typeface provides for excellent legibility. See the brandnew PDF
sample pages on our comprehensive webpage!

Apart from the usual up-to-date broadcast and utility station and
schedule databases, the 2011 Super Frequency List on CD now covers 418 fascinating new digital data decoder screenshots from
professional HF stations around the globe.

Our product Digital Data Decoder Screenshots on CD now covers more than 7,800 (seven thousand eight hundred!) digital data decoder screenshots from 1997 to today, essentially produced with WAVECOM equipment. Feed your Windows PC with this CD, and the “slide show” will keep you busy for a few days – or weeks!

WAVECOM W-CODE is a software decoder with inputs identical to the famous W61PC. It allows seamless integration with SDR (Software-Defined Radio) receivers with IQ data or digital audio outputs, and provides all functions required to analyze, decode and process data communications throughout the complete radio spectrum (HF, VHF, UHF, SHF). RADIXON’s Excalibur or MICROTELECOM’s Perseus and the W-CODE make a real dream team!

The W-CODE and W61 series of Digital Data Analyzer and Decoder
products are clearly targeted at the professional market. Typical
applications are manual or automated monitoring of radio
communication transmissions in the HF + UHF + VHF + SHF + satellite
bands, SIGINT, and signal analysis and classification. The superb new software cracks 200+ modes with worldwide leading technology.
Detailed information can be found on our website and in the printed
brochure available upon request.

As precisely predicted by ourselves – and by nobody else! – already
10 years ago in 2000, HF e-mail continues to spread rapidly and has
developed into the major application of modern digital HF techniques
that we have marketed – and used! – for years.

After Hurricane Katrina, the Indian Ocean Tsunami, and the Haiti
Earthquake, Lesson # 1 says: Forget about satphone, BPL, cellphones, e-mail and Internet. HF radio is vital!

Best wishes, Joerg Klingenfuss

Klingenfuss Publications
Klingenfuss Radio Monitoring
Hagenloher Str. 14
72070 Tuebingen
Germany
Phone +49 7071 62830
Fax +49 7071 600849
www.klingenfuss.org
E-Mail info@klingenfuss.org

Info via A-DX

Radio RMRC St Helena 23 October 2010

RMRC Broadcast about RSD2009 to Japan and Asia on 23. October 2010 ================================================== The Rhein-Main Radio Club (RMRC) will broadcast a special program in English on Saturday, 23. October 2010, from 13:00 to 14:00 UTC on 11640 KHz with 100 KW (AM-modulation) from Sitkunai in Lithuania to Japan and Asia. The program will be essentially the same as the English broadcast to North America on 09. October. The main feature will be audio clips from the Radio St. Helena Day 2009 programs. There will also be information about the RMRC, comments on RSH and RSD by Robert Kipp, and ( we hope) some special comments by Mr. Toshi Ohtake of the Japan ShortWave Club (JSWC). The RMRC wishes listeners everywhere good reception conditions. No return postage is needed for the special RMRC QSL-card. There is also an electronic QSL for email reports. The postal address can be found on the club web page at www.RMRC.DE With best 73, Robert Kipp

Info via A-DX

RMRC Broadcasts about RSD 2009 on 09. October 2010

** SAINT HELENA [non]. The Rhein-Main Radio Club (RMRC) of Frankfurt, Germany, will broadcast two programs concerning Radio St. Helena Day 2009 on Saturday, 09. October, 2010, using the 100 kW transmitting facilities at Sitkunai in Lithuania.

Target Area Time (UT) Frequency Language
Europe 1530-1630 9770 German
North America 2230-2330 6130 English

Each program will be hosted by the RMRC. There will be several audio clips taken from a studio recording of RSD 2009. Robert Kipp will comment on these audio clips and present other information about RSH and RSD.

QSL-Cards for these programs will be issued < ONLY > by the RMRC.
Do NOT send any email or other reports directly to RSH.

Reception Reports :
—————————————-
QSL via Regular Mail (“Snail Mail”) :
———
RMRC e.V.
Postfach 700849
60558 Frankfurt am Main
Germany
——————————————-
E-QSL via e-mail : mail(at)RMRC.DE
——————————————-

Good listening and best 73 de (Robert Kipp, Rhein-Main Radio Club www(dot)RMRC(dot)DE, Oct 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST)

Info via dxld