Samba musicians (photo by C Brand)
http://www.radiouser.co.uk/
Chrissy Brand looks at websites with a radio connection from all around the world. Join her this month on a diverse tour from freezing Finland, to small town America, some African beats and a trip to paradise, with much more to take in along the way.
Armchair world tour
We start with five short hops to radio websites in five different continents, all from the comfort of your armchair, or maybe your desk chair if you are not browsing on a laptop computer.
Freezing your toes off in Arctic Lapland at minus 38ºC may not be everyone's idea of a great start to 2010, but for Finns Mika Mäkeläinen and Jari Ruohomäki it was a highlight of the winter. Join Mika and Jari for a DXpedition full of American and Chinese AM stations. See what an array of 11 antennas, each one kilometre in length, can capture from all around the world. A report of the 287th DXpedition to Lemmenjoki in Finland is at:
http://www.dxing.info/dxpeditions/lem287rep.dx
This is part of the always excellent DXing Info website at: www.dxing.info “the reliable information source for radio hobbyists! The site is primarily about DXing for DXers, but if you're into broadcasting, shortwave or radio propagation, you will find interesting information.”
Radio Free Asia has its own Your Tube channel featuring some of its television output. An interesting site to visit where you can see, if not understand, some of the station’s many Asian language services in action: http://www.youtube.com/RFAVideo
The Voice of Africa is a London based FM station. If you can hear them on your radio, try them online http://www.voiceofafricaradio.com/ Along with gospel and religious shows there are phone ins and hard hitting ‘Straight Talk’: “The most controversial, hard-hitting, uncompromising talk show in the UK.” ‘Wake up Africa’ from six in the morning has intellectual interviewing, up to date news reviews, , discussion and live hook ups with broadcasters and journalists across Africa with a full blend of good music.
African Radio online is another resource of the African Diaspora and fans of the diverse music on that continent. US based it is a lively and loud website that makes its intentions clear from the moment you reach the home page: http://www.africanradioonline.com/
An Australian radio station playing the sounds of West Africa is only a click away at: http://www.radioafrica.com.au/ In a slightly haphazard site there are links to a radio show of the same name on Melbourne’s 3CR, plus record labels, audio files and a lot of background. Some of the music is very upbeat, uplifting and an exciting avenue to explore/
Miguel Angel in Mexico has been publicising his websites of late, which has his home made antenna experiments and constructions at: http://antenasautoconstruidas.blogspot.com/ and a blog containing gifts he has received from shortwave stations, at: http://recibidodelaradio.blogspot.com/ and national meetings at: http://encuentrosdx.blogspot.com/
The story of bootleg Radio 1610 is a nostalgic look back to a child’s own pirate radio days at school 50 years ago, including an attempt to hook an antenna to a church steeple. Stemming from an interest in shortwave Robert R Kegerreis’ entertaining reminisces on “K-town Radio, WKPB 1610 on your AM dial” and how it came to the attention of the Federal Communications Commission are at the Radio World website: http://www.radioworld.com/article/72138
Paradise lost and found?
The 30th Edition of the National Radio Club AM Radio Log is available, The 30th Edition of the National Radio Club AM Radio Log is now available: http://www.nrcdxas.org/ The National Radio Club (NRC) is the world's oldest and largest Medium Wave DX Club. It started in 1933, and has a wealth of information to enhance your transatlantic DXing. There is an online chat section, audio clips, and more.
Paradise is the name of a town in California and their local online radio station not surprisingly goes under the exotic sounding name of Radio Paradise. They promote themselves with the following strapline: “Radio Paradise is Old Fashioned Radio for the 21st Century. Each hour of music is carefully blended together to flow smoothly between different musical styles & genres - just like real DJs used to do on FM. We don't use the computer-generated playlists or ‘carefully researched music libraries’ that have sucked the soul out of FM radio.” Tune in for yourself at: http://www.radioparadise.com/
The Anorak Nation website is a useful and entertaining read of current developments as well as a healthy dose or radio nostalgia. “We are a collective ('Nation') of enthusiasts ('Anoraks') of gadgets, technology, new media and communication, especially real radio – free radio born of the pirate radio stations. If you are an early adopter, putting all your cash into the purchase of the next big thing in 'tech', a collector and lover of gizmos old or new, or a 'web-head' exploring the latest social media and 'cloud' developments, then you've found your home. It's also your home if you're tired of bland, boringly presented, syndicated radio stations run by a badly programmed computer, playing the same few safe old songs over and over again. Centred on our discussion, Anorak Nation offers feeds of UK media and new technologies news, debate and lively exchanges of views and more”: http://www.anoraknation.com/
The Mystery Hour is an interesting programme hosted by James O’Brien on Thursday form midnight on LBC. Each week a question is posed and explored. Recent questions include “Why is Colonel Gaddafi still only a colonel”?, “Why can’t I hear when I yawn?” and “What makes a sonic boom?” http://lbc.co.uk/why-is-gaddafi-still-only-a-colonel-mystery-hour-6985
There is a great blog at: http://myradioworldandcatches.blogspot.com/ Larry introduces you to his radio interests, started on board a tanker off of Singapore. Lively, regular postings and photos make it a blog worth a weekly trip. Some interesting photos of scenery and transmitters in Guam too in the radio tations of the Pacific postings.
Beware the loud music on entering the following site. You will doubtless recognise it as a version of the Fawlty Towers theme tune, as composed by Denis Wilson for the show: http://www.jacksjoint.com/brasspounder.htm Once the music has finished then you can enjoy a biography with the bizarre title of “The Adventures and Misadventures of a Brass Pounder.” Frank M Stinson tells of 35 years of brass pounding for the U.S. government, as both military and civilian radio operator, from New York YMCA Radio School in 1932 to the Coast Guard in St Louis on the eve of the Korean war. There are over 900 other stories of coast guards, many with a radio flavour at: http://www.jacksjoint.com/seatales.htm
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