Author Archives: Paul Ormandy

Moeraki 2016 Convention

Posted on June 26, 2015 | Comments Off on Moeraki 2016 Convention
The settlement of Moeraki, New Zealand

The settlement of Moeraki, New Zealand (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Announcing The: Moeraki 2016 Convention

Pencil in the 18th, 19th and 20th of March 2016 for a convention at the picturesque sea-side village of Moeraki, North Otago. Moeraki is 25 minutes South of Oamaru, 45 minutes North of Dunedin and boasts a tavern and the world renowned restaurant, “Fleur’s Place” right on the harbour. There is a service station, cafe, motel, motor camp, tavern and supermarket at nearby Hampden (5 minutes North).

A clump of highly spherical boulders

Moeraki Boulders (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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Posted in Conventions

DX Slice Recipe

Posted on June 15, 2015 | Comments Off on DX Slice Recipe

Extract from Southland DX Digest August 1956

RECIPE FOR DX SLICE or Good slice of DX

INGREDIENTS: 6 or 7 valves, 1 9” speaker, 1 well Calibrated dial, 1 log book and pencil and 1 pinch of slight Static (to suit your taste!)

METHOD OF MIXING: Stir the whole lot together making sure that the static is well at the bottom, & shake vigorously. (This will ensure that everything is working properly.)

COOKING: Place the mixture in a hot place around 1400 and allow it to simmer slowly. During this part of the procedure it would be as well to listen intently in case some of the small U.S. raisins come to the top!

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Posted in History

New Articles Added

Posted on June 7, 2015 | Comments Off on New Articles Added
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Posted in Antennas, History, Military, Technical, Time-sensitive

Lord Haw-Haw and More

Posted on May 4, 2015 | Comments Off on Lord Haw-Haw and More
William Joyce lies in an ambulance under armed...

William Joyce lies in an ambulance under armed guard before being taken from British 2nd Army Headquarters to hospital. He had been shot in the thigh at the time of his arrest. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The BBC has released archive footage from World War II featuring the infamous Lord Haw-Haw (William Joyce) and more. Check the links on the right hand side of this page. Thanks to Paul Rawdon via DX Dialog for finding this gem!

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Posted in Clandestine, History

NASB Celebrates 25 Years

Posted on May 3, 2015 | Comments Off on NASB Celebrates 25 Years

Thanks to Radiomagonline for advising the National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters have celebrated 25 years. The AGM was held in Radio Free Asia’s Washington premises, more here.

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Posted in Broadcasters

BBC On Shortwave To Nepal

Posted on May 3, 2015 | Comments Off on BBC On Shortwave To Nepal

bbcqslThanks to the Soughtgate Amateur Radio News for posting this item spotted by BDXC’s Mike Barraclough:

BBC WS uses Shortwave for Nepal broadcasts
The BBC World Service has announced an expansion of its shortwave radio transmissions to earthquake hit Nepal

In response to the aftermath of the earthquake in Nepal, the BBC World Service is now broadcasting additional programming on shortwave in both Nepalese and in English.

BBC Media Action – the BBC’s international development charity – is working with the Nepali Service on BBC World Service (radio and online) and local partner radio stations to broadcast ‘Lifeline’ programming.

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Posted in Broadcasters, Shortwave

Radio Marti To Become Independent

Posted on April 29, 2015 | Comments Off on Radio Marti To Become Independent

martiThe White House has proposed turning Radio Marti, the U.S. government-controlled broadcaster created in part to undermine communist rule in Cuba, into a separate entity. This, as Washington seeks as new direction in its dealings with Havana.

Under the plan, the Miami based broadcaster, which is part of the Broadcasting
Board of Governors would become a separate entity along with unspecified parts
of Voice of America’s Spanish-language service. In essence, Radio Marti would
cease to be part of the U.S. government and would turn into a “grantee”
receiving federal funding. The proposal does not specify how it would be
structured beyond that it would a private, nonprofit organization.

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Posted in Broadcasters, Clandestine

On Air – A History of BBC Transmission

Posted on April 29, 2015 | Comments Off on On Air – A History of BBC Transmission

bbcqslA book titled On Air – A History of BBC Transmission is now available for
free download from the BBC Engineering website.

On Air celebrates a lifetime of achievement in the world of broadcast
transmission engineering and includes many anecdotes from the lives of people
involved. The idea for On Air came about back in 1997 when BBC Transmission
was privatized. Prior to that happening BBC Transmission delivered programs
to listeners and viewers for 75 years using a vast network of engineering
systems.

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Posted in Broadcasters, History

Early History of 2YA

Posted on March 29, 2015 | 1 comment

Many thanks to Paul Rawdon who passed on this link to the Porirua City Council’s history of 2YA.

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Posted in Broadcasters, History

German Domestic SW Graces Our Dials

Posted on March 3, 2015 | Comments Off on German Domestic SW Graces Our Dials

ch292rWhen the ‘Deutsche Welle’ decided to close down one of their 500 KW shortwave broadcast transmitters near Munich at the end of 2012, a group of German radio amateurs applied for and were allocated the then available short wave frequency of 6070 KHz in 2013.

This group now have an operational 10KW station on the frequency, using the
driver stages from the old Deutsche Welle transmitter. The rest of the
transmitter was built by and is run by Rainer DB8QC .

The licence allow transmission 24/7, but currently mainly weekends.

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Posted in Broadcasters, Shortwave

Community Radio Hits New Heights

Posted on March 3, 2015 | Comments Off on Community Radio Hits New Heights

Listenership of community radio may not have the reach of the ABC or Commercial Radio but Canberra community radio listeners are getting better reception now that the switch on of a new and higher community radio transmission site at Poppet Hill in Canberra has taken place.

A consortium of not-for-profit broadcasters, ArtSoundFM, 1CMS FM, and 1WAY FM, will manage the new facility, the culmination of eight years of planning.

The Poppet Hill transmitter site replaces older facilities at Black Mountain Tower. Because it is at a slightly higher elevation and is using new equipment the new site will deliver a stronger and higher quality signal to many of the 63,000 people who, according to the 2014 McNair Ingenuity Survey, listen to community radio in Canberra.

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Posted in Broadcasters

Did Anyone Notice???

Posted on March 3, 2015 | Comments Off on Did Anyone Notice???

3senWith the struggle for AM radio audiences, what happens when a station suddenly goes dark? Like 3SEN Melbourne 1116kHz:

A brazen bald burglar has stolen about $10,000 worth of gear from Melbourne (VK3) radio station SEN 1116 and wheeled it away in a rubbish skip — all while presenters were on air in their Richmond Studios.

The sports radio station lost much studio equipment including microphones!

Detective Senior Constable Drew Laughlin said the crime appeared to be opportunistic, as the man was able to break into the building through an unlocked door from the carpark about 11.40pm.

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Posted in Broadcasters, Medium Wave

Tribute To Frank Glen

Posted on February 10, 2015 | Comments Off on Tribute To Frank Glen
ty_frank_glen

Frank at Tiwai, his “magic place”

 

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Posted in DXers

Titahi Bay’s Radio History

Posted on February 1, 2015 | Comments Off on Titahi Bay’s Radio History

rnz1For nearly 80 years, Titahi Bay has played a significant role in NZ’s radio history. This flash back from the Dominion Post tells of the early days.

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Posted in Broadcasters, History

Radio Sweden’s Horby Transmitter Site

Posted on January 31, 2015 | Comments Off on Radio Sweden’s Horby Transmitter Site

sweden_scdxers_40thAustralian DXer Rob Wagner found this interesting story of Radio Sweden’s transmitter site and contributed it on his blog.

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Posted in Broadcasters, Shortwave

Shortwave Rekindled

Posted on December 23, 2014 | Comments Off on Shortwave Rekindled

one_transWhilst the stations may be going, the magic of bringing distant radio stations into your home still remains. This article by Anthony M Castelletti in The Buffalo News shows that our hobby simply needs resuscitated to once again inspire, amaze and thrill.

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Posted in History

Voice Of Hope Africa To Air

Posted on December 18, 2014 | Comments Off on Voice Of Hope Africa To Air

kvohCalifornia religious broadcaster the Voice of Hope has acquired transmitter facilities in Lusaka, Zambia, purchasing the “Christian Voice” facilities from Christian Vision. More on this from the Sys-Con website.

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Posted in Broadcasters, Shortwave

Chelmsford Calling Via Finland On SW

Posted on November 22, 2014 | Comments Off on Chelmsford Calling Via Finland On SW

Tccwshe CCWS (Chelmsford Calling World Service), a programme produced by Jim Salmon (amateur radio call-sign 2E0RMI), has added a relay via Scandanavian Weekend Radio (SWR) to it’s existing sked via WRMI .

The programme can now be heard on the 2nd Friday of each month via WRMI at 2300z (midday NZDST) on 9955kHz and on the first Saturday of the month via SWR on one or more of the following: 1602, 5980, 6170, 11690, 11720 and  94.9 FM. Jim also broadcasts via NZRDXL member Chris Mackerell’s “World FM” in Tawa, New Zealand.

More info on the links below.

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Posted in Broadcasters, Shortwave

Radio Free Sarawak Signs Off

Posted on November 21, 2014 | 2 comments

free_sarawakJust like the Democratic Voice of Burma, another clandestine broadcaster has chosen to promote its ideals via methods other than SW. More on this from the Asia RadioToday website.

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Posted in Broadcasters, Clandestine, Shortwave

A Vital SW Metric

Posted on November 21, 2014 | Comments Off on A Vital SW Metric

bbgIn these days of shrinking SW audiences, the actual rate of shrinkage and geographic dispersal of the audience are important factors when governments and organizations consider funding allocations.  This interesting story from the Radio World website.

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Posted in Broadcasters, Shortwave