Category Archives: Shortwave

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This interesting article from the New Statesman helps to remind us that in the Third World, radio and in particular shortwave, is still a valid medium for informing the masses.

Thanks 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.

When 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.

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

California 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.

The 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.

In 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.

The BBC relay station located at Grand Anse on the Seychelle Islands was handed back to the Seychelles government on Tuesday 18th of November. Transmissions commenced in 1988 and in November 2013, they were slated to end, with the last Watt squeezed out on March the 29th. More on this from the Seychelles News Agency web site.

Related articles

• The end of an era – BBC Relay Station site handed back to Seychelles

New, all-news broadcaster is due to ht the air today, Friday 31st October, broadcasting via RMI on 9395kHz.  More on this story from their website.

The Radio World is carrying this interesting comment piece from the chair of the Broadcasting Bureau of Governors, Matthew Armstrong. He explains how they have surmised the needs of shortwave in target markets and hints at further reductions or transitions to other media.

BBC Rampisham (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The ease with which regimes can block websites and streaming audio services may be reason to reconsider the advantages of shortwave. Well, according to this article from the Radio World website, that is.

Following on from the last post, the BBG have identified certain countries as the last bastion of shortwave as a popular medium. Myanmar, North Korea, Afghanistan and a few other central Asian republics. More on this story from the Asia Radio Today website.

It should come as news to no-one that SW audiences are in decline and that the costs of maintaining and running facilities is fast becoming a significant factor in decision-making. The Broadcasting Bureau of Governors (BBG) is the group charged with overseeing US government shortwave broadcasting via Radio Farda, Voice of America, Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia etc and they will no doubt by spurred on by this report to make additional cuts to the ones recently implemented.

On page 16, there is a table of proposed actions for target markets.

Once again, inaction from the ZBC in re-instating the Voice of Zimbabwe’s SW service has riled the country’s politicians, according to this story on the Radio World website.

Note that SW Radio Africa recently announced they were leaving SW so the VOZ has one less competitor.

Well-known DXer Victor Goonetilleke in Sri Lanka laments the state of international shortwave broadcasts from the West in this story on the Straits Times website.