RADIO WEBSITES FEBRUARY 2010 RadioUser PW Publishing

as published in February 2010 RadioUser, PWP http://www.pwpublishing.ltd.uk/  

Chrissy Brand looks at websites home and abroad, from a solar powered radio station to an international station based in Hertfordshire. Join her on virtual DXpeditions to Madagascar and South Africa, and finish off with a visit to radio museums in California and Bucharest.

Home websites

GTFM is a community radio station in Pontypridd, with a difference. They are to be applauded for running the station largely on solar panels. Sadly these panels were stolen late last year. They have won awards in recognition of the fact that they made UK radio history in 2007 by becoming the first full-time community-based operation to power FM transmissions, as much as practicable, from wind and solar energy. Go to the website to find out the latest developments at the station and listen live online too: http://www.gtfm.co.uk/

Along with community and local news there is a wide selection of programming to suit most musical tastes. 1950s rock and roll vie with prog rock, world music complements Stan, Wilf, Adam and Lee with new music, unsigned local bands and studio sessions. Phone-ins and sport as well.

The BBC and commercial radio are launching a new online radio player that aims to offer the output of every licensed UK radio station and to let users search this content by subject, musical style, or even song title. You can read more at the very good BBC blog, About the BBC:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/aboutthebbc/2009/11/the-future-of-audio-the-uk-rad.shtml

and http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/aboutthebbc  It covers all kinds of subjects from Blue Peter to Hamlet via the college of journalism. Senior staff and experts from across the organisation use this blog to talk about what's happening inside the BBC.


You can be forgiven for thinking that South Herts radio would be yet another run of the mill local radio station. Look and listen a little more closely tough and you will be pleasantly surprised. It is in fact a station that relays some of the best international radio going. South Herts Radio http://www.southhertsradio.com/  

As well as broadcasting locally you can listen online, and treats in store for you include: DX Partyline, Happy Station, Sounds of the 70s (there are 1980s and 1990s music shows too!), Shortwave Report with Dan Roberts, Pirates Week with Ragnar covering The U.S. pirate radio scene, DXing with Cumbre and more.

The SHR blog tells you more and the man behind this operation is longtime broadcaster Gary Drew: http://www.southhertsradio.com/shrblog/  






Websites abroad

Shortwave America is a blog with “station loggings, news, silliness, sarcasm, radio ramblings and observations”, at: http://shortwaveamerica.blogspot.com  It also hooks up with a Facebook group. There is inevitably a US focus but radio from all over the globe is liable to crop up. It’s one to keep an eye on.


Rapid TV News is, as you would expect, more about television than radio, but it is enough of an overlap for me to include it. “Rapid TV News is the premier online daily news service for the television industry. The international team of journalists report on all aspects relating to broadcast technology, information, analysis, and provide up to date context and comment on the latest developments. Started in 2007, Rapid TV News delivers global coverage through a network of journalists in the UK, Germany, Australia, Spain, France, and Italy.” http://www.rapidtvnews.com/  


There was an exciting DXpedition to Glorioso Island near Madagascar last autumn. This was the result of several years of planning, and the logs and photos are all up at the website:


http://glorieuses2008.free.fr/e-glorieuses_news.htm


Erik Koie in Denmark has an interesting website which includes his, and others’, collection of Radio Denmark QSL cards, from the 1930s to the 21st century: http://www.qsl.net/oz3yi/QSL.html  His main website is http://www.qsl.net/oz3yi/  with some useful propoagation links.

On the subject of QSL cards, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle has a gallery of 18 cards hidden away at its website. Hard to find from the homepage, this is the actual link: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/0,,9542,00.html  

The Voice of Turkey has a slick slide show of its QSL cards too, in a gallery at: www.trt.net.tr . The simplest way to navigate there though is via Google, where you need to just type “TRT QSL”.

Gary Deacon in Cape Town has a radio blog called Cape DX which covers unusual reception conditions he has experienced plus his coastal DXpeditions around South Africa. The bread and butter of this blog however are logs, QSL cards and audio, with a focus on medium wave stations from across the globe. The posts on “Early Years of a DXer in South Africa” make for interesting reading: http://capedx.blogspot.com/  Complementing his radio portfolio, Gary is a established professional guitarist, composer and musical director of Sound Image, a popular function band in Cape Town.

“Radio Activity” is another good blog, at: http://alokeshgupta.blogspot.com/  Alokesh Gupta in New Delhi posts news from the world of radio, and much more than just those items with an Indian subcontinent flavour.

A night at the museums

Mike Simpson's Midwest Radio Museum in San Diego is an ideal location to spend a happy half an hour. Featuring a private collection of Midwest and Miraco radios, it is a stunning photographic collection of over 50 radios from the early 1930s up to the late 20th century. The Midwest models 1935 Imperial, 1936 Royale and 1937 Regal are aptly named large radio that would grace any stylish home then or now. Because Midwest radios are not easily found, Gary’s display represents more than 25 years of searching and collecting: http://www.midwestradiomuseum.com/

Back across the pond to Europe now, and the Romanian radio museum in Bucharest. You can see it online at: http://www.rri.ro/art.shtml?lang=1&sec=7&art=630

Mihai Gheorghe is the brains behind this collection, which is housed in the foyer of the Concert Hall of the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation. He says: “Here lies the whole history of the Romanian Radio, beginning with actors, musicians and technicians. The radio is the people’s soul and I want this collection to represent the radio in general, to be an emblem. If you ever come to Bucharest, don’t hesitate to visit this Vintage Radio Museum, a museum born out of passion for radio." Radio receivers from all eras are represented. Some of them will be familiar as they featured in the 2009 QSL card series issued by Radio Romania International.

The station itself has really moved on apace in the past year. Along with fantastic upgraded transmitters which give crystal clear shortwave reception (see Broadcast Matters column), they have Facebook, Flickr and Twitter pages too. Access them via the home page: http://www.rri.ro / and http://www.flickr.com/photos/radio_romania_international/  

Finally for this month, there is a guide to museums in the UK at the British DX Club website: www.bdxc.org.uk  

A seasonal selection from my December 2009 and January 2010 columns

A seasonal selection from my December 2009 and January 2010 columns: Radio Websites and Broadcast Matters: Long Medium and Shortwave, published in Radio User PW Publishing, December 2009 and January 2010: http://www.pwpublishing.ltd.uk/ 

Family festive internet fun

A fine selection of Christmas cards you can send by email from Radio Prague is at: http://old.radio.cz/en/html/christmas_greeting.html  


To send Deutsche Welle’s simple but beautiful multi-lingual, audio, animated Christmas e-card, type the following url into an e-mail:

http://www9.dw-world.de/greetings07/index.html  


Winternet Radio
Jump aboard my virtual sleigh and off we go with a selection of internet radio stations and music to entertain you over the Christmas and New Year period.


My album of the year has a strong radio thread running through it. Dave Dark and the Sharks are a band I discovered a couple of years back through Myspace. The band say they are based in Aberystwyth and Scarborough. Their style is upbeat yet chilled, and includes samples from BBC Radio 4's Today programme, the old BBC 2 closedown and 1960s cult television series The Prisoner. The CD is hard to obtain but you can pay for an mp3 download of it. Details and many of their tracks, which have to be heard to be believed, are at: www.myspace.com/davedarkandthesharks  


A favourite internet radio website of mine is the Soma FM Christmas lounge channel, along with other Soma channels. Whilst the Christmas channel may be familiar, the space shuttle mixed with electronic ambient channel is really something else: http://somafm.com/  
Altogether there are 18 unique channels of listener-supported, commercial-free, underground and alternative radio broadcasting from San Francisco. There are also i-phone and mobile phone applications you can use to hear them whilst you are on the move. And many of the channels have a Twitter page so you can see what is being played: http://twitter.com/somafm/  

Amongst the many internet radio stations with Christmas themes are Smooth Christmas, All Christmas, North Pole Radio and Radio Time. Tunes familiar and lesser known are yours for the taking at these websites:
http://www.smoothchristmasradio.co.uk/
http://www.allchristmasinternetradio.com/
http://www.northpoleradio.com/
http://radiotime.com/channel/c_253111/Christmas.aspx  


The Christmas FM station returned to Dublin and Cork this year, raising money for charity, as in 2008: http://www.christmasfm.ie/  


A blog post on it (from October) is at the excellent Airchecker, which states it is the Voice of the Canadian Radio Industry and usually sticks to interesting information on radio above the 49th parallel:
http://aircheckerradioindustry.blogspot.com/2009/10/radio-world-christmas-fm.html


Radio Rudolph is a funny old station, playing as it does non-stop versions of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer: From Gene Autry to Jewel via the Golden Gate Quartet and the Brady Bunch!: http://www.radiorudolph.com/  


Probably as good a place as any to start a search for all manner of Christmas radio stations is at the Radio Directory, where you can click to German and French carols, children’s, eclectic, novelty and country Christmas as well as the usual festive fare: http://www.radio-directory.com/christmas/ 
The rest of the year Radio Directory can point you to stations and genres of music all over the world. Radio 42 in Germany is a regular of mine, one of thousands to choose from: http://www.radio42.com/  for the “finest electronica chilled with soul and downtempo, mixed with house and latin, stirred with nujazz and blended with soulful funky beats.”

DXpeditions for a cold winter’s night
Two recent DXpeditions that took place and have been published online. Just the thing to whet your appetite on a cold winter’s night. Canadian Brent Taylor reports on the 2009 Priest Pond DXpedition that took place on Prince Edward Island. Photos and more at: http://www.vy2hf.com/priestpond2009.html  


There are over 60 mp3 clips uploaded as well of stations heard form the Canadian coast, including Greenland 570, Japan, Tadjikistan, Manx Radio, Estonia, Greenland, Israel, BBC Merseyside, a possible Greek pirate on 1720 KHz, KOMO Seattle and KNX Los Angeles: http://www.vy2hf.com/ppaudiofiles.html  

From Finland, Mika Makelainen has published a report on the recent LEM278 DXpedition to Lemmenjoki in Finland's Arctic North. He states there were lots of reindeer, but even more radio stations. Conditions on the AM band were pretty good, with many interesting catches especially from the Americas. Listening took place in blizzard conditions with 20 cm of snow in 24 hours, and this was early October. Imagine how deep and crisp the snow is laying there as you read this!

It is also interesting, and contentious, to note that “For us, LEM278 marked the end of a transition phase in receiver technology. For the first time we used exclusively software-defined receivers, so there was more room on the table, and the listening experience was more relaxed.” Check out the details at the ever excellent DXing Info website: http://www.dxing.info/dxpeditions/lem278rep.dx  “A log will follow some time next year, as listening with a Perseus takes time.”

The Perseus, if you are wondering, “is a software defined VLF-LF-MF-HF receiver based on an outstanding direct sampling digital architecture.” Details at the Italian website: http://www.microtelecom.it/perseus/ A thriving user group for this intriguing kit which is growing in popularity can be found at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/perseus_sdr/  

Logs from DXpeditions going back to 1996 can be found at the simple but effective website on the Parkalompolo expeditions in Sweden: http://www.furuogrund.se/pax/PAX/pax.htm  

Another Canadian’s website I recommend is Sylvain Naud’s Quebec DX. It’s a place I can always spend a fascinating evening. Packed with details of Sylvain’s listening days, from growing up with radio in Canada in the 1960s, to DXing in Ecuador, where he worked as a volunteer in a radio station, and also met his future wife. Some magnificent antenna arrays and photos, plus audio clips. The latter are in sections by continent with an extra DX curiosities section: http://www.quebecdx.com/  

Ydun Ritz is in Denmark and her website is another inspirational source. “News, Reports and Loggings from the Long and Medium Wave bands”. There is plenty of background and other information and even a photo gallery which includes Ydun’s visit to the studios of China Radio International: http://mediumwave.info/index.html  

Mulling it over
I am just back from enjoying a mulled wine at one of the many Christmas market stalls in the centre of Manchester. For ten years, traders from all over the continent, but mostly from Holland, France and Germany have driven to north-west England to set up festive fare and crafts. The music and languages you can hear from the stall holders make you realise what a European city Manchester has become. Manchester University station Fuse FM states that there are students from over 180 nations currently studying in Manchester.

Back home wrapping Christmas gifts from the markets, the festive music from all across Europe lives on by a tune around the bands. Some of the many options are Deutsche Welle (on 6170 and 9585 KHz at 1600 UTC, 11865 at 2100 UTC and 6180 KHz at many times in different languages). Radio Netherlands is on, amongst others, 11835 at 1430 UTC, 15185 at 1530, 7425, 11655 and 21525 at 2000 UTC.Finally a whole host of French stations on medium wave and long wave (Radio France on 702 KHz, France Bleu 711 KHz, 945 KHz, France Inter on 162 KHz and Radio Monte Carlo on 216 KHz) all offering midwinter merriment in neighbouring lands. The joys of radio!

 My compliments of the season to all readers.

RADIO WEBSITES NOVEMBER 2009, published in Radio User, PWP

Published in Radio User, PWP www.pwpublishing.ltd.uk

Ears to the world

Radio Prague has changed its website design: http://www.radio.cz/  

Editor-in-Chief Gerald Schubert says: “It’s quite a new, modern design and part of Czech Radio’s corporate identity…We have a lot of readers on our website, we will still present everything in text as well, but we have a new feature for listeners on the website, and that’s our own embedded player which means that listeners don’t need to have software on their computer. They don’t have to wait until a new window opens; they can just click on the player on our website and directly listen to the stories. We have about 800,000 unique visits a month in all our six language versions, and when it comes to opened articles it’s almost 1,500,000.” http://www.radio.cz/en/article/119815  

November of course sees the 20th anniversary of the sweeping changes in eastern Europe, A feature at Radio Prague’s website on how Radio Prague was two decades ago is at: http://www.radio.cz/en/article/122438 
http://www.radio.cz/en/article/122311
http://www.radio.cz/en/static/november-1989/index

With the changes to their website it’s even easier to catch up with favourite programmes one by one. For instance Mailbox and Soundczech (learning Czech), Magazine and Letter From Prague. All neatly marked around the site.


Experienced DXer Bob Padula in Melbourne, Australia continues to make the Australian DX Report audio news magazine available. Recent editions include propagation research, features, news and information about shortwave broadcasting, propagation, solar activity, monitoring notes, new schedules, extracts from schedules and schedule updates.
http://airm.edxp.org/  

You can download, listen to or save the episodes as an mp3 file on your computer, set up a Podcast, and even receive or save it on your mobile phone or other portable internet-enabled digital device.


There is an online minute audio tour of the magnificent Bush House in London. Jonathan Glancey describes the entrance as "a holy of holies" where 1920s wooden banisters, marble floors and light fittings remain. As someone who worked there many moons ago I understand the awe he feels: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/news/2008/09/080919_bush_house_wwt_sl.shtml


If hearing the tour inspires you to delve further, the BBC World Service Flickr website has plenty of photographs. They are in categories such as documentary, Outlook, sport, news, outside broadcast, such as the summer coverage of the Indian election when BBC WS covered the country in their special train: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbcworldservice  


An article I myself wrote on Bush House for an American journal some years ago can be found here at: http://dxinternational.blogspot.com/2009/08/tales-from-bush-house.html  


Retro archives
Smashing Magazine is an online-only publication with the rather cumbersome strapline of:


“We smash you with the information that will make your life easier, really.” It strays somewhat from my usual territory of radio websites, but has some overlap. It contains a wide range of articles and downloads on photography, posters, music, downloads, graphics and layout. It covers modern and retro with interesting consumer adverts from all over: 1940s Oldmobile cars to 1970s Swedish wallpaper and television. It’s a great read and has so much to offer visually: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/


BBC 1’s then futuristic science programme from the 1960s to the 1990s, Tomorrow’s World, now has an official BBC archive: http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/tomorrowsworld/ 

The first programme from 1965 is on there plus others that will be of interest. The home computer terminal or what passed for one in 1967 is fascinating. Trevor Bayliss’ clockwork radio in 1994 is another good episode. The episode featuring a cordless mobile phone from 1979 was posted by Trevor on the Radio User email group “The 1979 Tomorrow’s World video about an early mobile phone - actually an Amateur Radio 2 metre FM handheld for 140 and 153 MHz - is a good one.”


The programme’s jazzy and familiar sounding theme tune was by John Dankworth. YouTube has examples. Try Stratworth 78 with plenty of vintage themes at: http://www.youtube.com/user/Stratman78  

You can also hear the theme tune, and music like it by similar artistes at the ever reliable Last FM. Just type in the name of a band or musician: http://www.last.fm/  


http://www.last.fm/music/John+Dankworth/_/Tomorrow's+World+Theme  

Atlantic 252 was a much loved Longwave station broadcasting from Ireland in the 1980s and 1990s. It was heard all over the UK. There is a detailed official tribute site at: http://www.atlantic252.com/  

“We're piecing together the history and memories of the UK's most influential national radio station. This is the only place you'll find the anecdotes direct from the DJ's that spun the records right through to the listeners who won the prizes. Everyone is welcome to contribute and we look forward to receiving your memories and contributions.”

The picturesque town of Trim, County Meath was home to Atlantic 252. Frank Courtney's site features some superb photos of the town including the River Boyne and Trim Castle where Braveheart was filmed: http://www.trimtown.com/

There was an unofficial Atlantic 252 Day in Trim in September. Details of at: http://www.atlantic252.co.uk/  
A Myspace page too at: http://www.myspace.com/atlantic252  

Will we remember them?
When Remembrance Day comes around the Merchant Navy does not have as high a profile as the military men and women who died in World War II. An excellent archive contains names of masters, mates, engineers, skippers and mates of fishing boats, going back a couple of hundred years, is at: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/militaryhistory/merchant/

The British Merchant Navy forum has plenty of interesting photos of cargo ships, engine rooms and potted histories. Primarily a reunited type website, there is plenty there for the casual observer too:
http://www.merchant-navy.net/forum/index.php  

The gripping real-life story of a Merchant Navy radio officer’s exploits and experiences during World War II is at the evocatively titled website “Through salt sprayed eyes”: http://throughsaltsprayedeyes.co.uk/ 

Robert Welsh’s graphic account of when he was a Radio Officer in the Merchant Navy and involved in the Battle of the Atlantic. “The cold hand of death haunted as the U Boats sank their ships, and as fierce storms or the power of a typhoon were encountered.” Other memorials can be read about at: http://www.merchantnavymemorials.co.uk/  

There is an understated and very tasteful war monument to the 42,000 merchant seamen and fishing fleets that died in World War II. It is in Trinity Square gardens, Tower Hill, alongside the Tower of London and, perhaps fittingly, by the river Thames. Weather beaten heroic statues line a remembrance garden naming all those who died and their ships. Most touching is the amount of young who perished, denoted a by a ‘”Master” before their name.

Men from as far afield as the Baltics and Hong Kong are remembered there. A photo website is at The Cemetery, Graveyards, Memorials and War Graves Pages, specifically: http://www.allatsea.co.za/cems/towerhillmemorial.htm

More details and indeed, better photographs are at the poignant website: http://www.merchantnavymemorial.com/thm.htm  

It is worth stopping there for a few minutes quiet reflection.

NHK Radio Japan (B09 schedule)

NHK Radio Japan - Interesting shortwave station, fabulous QSL cards

English to Europe from October 2009

0500-0530 UTC on 5975 KHz
1200-1230 on 9790
1400-1430 on 11280
0000-0020 on 5920

English webpages:
http://www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/radio/program/index.html

Learn Japanese with NHK:
http://www.nhk.or.jp/lesson/english/

Tune in on shortwave, basic guide:
http://www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/radio/shortwave/all_200910.pdf 

SAVE RADIO PRAGUE!

David Vaughan, the former head of the English Section writes:

It has just been announced that the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs is looking for Radio Prague to end all shortwave transmissions from the Czech Republic at the end of 2009. This would be an irreversible step. Radio Prague is the only customer at Litomysl and this would result in the closing and dismantling of that transmitter site.David has written a letter which he would like to be as widely circulated as possible:

12th October 2009

Dear Friends of Radio Prague,

You are probably not yet aware that the future of Radio Prague – the international service of Czech Radio – is under serious threat. The station began shortwave broadcasts in 1936 and, with the exception of the period of the wartime German occupation, has been broadcasting to the world ever since. Like most international public service broadcasters, Radio Prague is state financed. It is paid for through the state budget, via the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Radio Prague is facing a 20% cut in its budget for 2010.

At first glance, this figure does not seem like a mortal blow, but its impact will be devastating. The Foreign Ministry has stated explicitly that it considers shortwave to be an anachronistic means of broadcasting and has called on Radio Prague to terminate its shortwave broadcasts entirely from January 2010. As a result the transmitter in Litomysl (east of Prague), will almost certainly be dismantled. Radio Prague will continue primarily as a website. The saving to the state budget will be tiny. In order to save around half a million euro, Radio Prague will end as a shortwave broadcaster after more than 70 years.

In the course of my time as a BBC correspondent and than as editor-in-chief at Radio Prague (until 2006), when I was also active in the European Broadcasting Union, I followed developments in international broadcasting closely. During that period a number of international broadcasters abandoned their roots in radio – nearly always at the bidding of bureaucrats rather than those involved in the stations themselves. Almost without exception the outcome, sooner or later, was the demise of the station altogether. There are several reasons for this.

One helpful parallel is to compare the position with that of a newspaper with a long and rich tradition, which stops appearing in paper form, and maintains only a web presence. Although the worldwide trend towards digitalization is clear, this does not mean that it is wise to throw out overnight all the advantages of producing a "traditional" newspaper. In the case of radio, the risks are still more evident, because public service broadcasting is a very specific medium with a distinct tradition and audience, and at its core is the spoken word.

In the seven decades of its existence, Radio Prague has built up a huge base of know-how and an impressive reputation internationally: Its role in the events of 1968, when Radio Prague journalists defied the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia is legendary. Radio Prague has built on this tradition in the two decades since the fall of communism, transforming itself into a thriving modern broadcaster.

There can be little doubt that it has a far larger audience than any other Czech radio station, but unfortunately these listeners are scattered around the world and do not form a strong domestic lobby.

Shortwave broadcasts are in decline, but they have to be seen as part of a broader mosaic. Today's international broadcasters have long been aware of the need to broadcast on a number of different platforms: shortwave, medium wave, FM, satellite, internet and others. The more forward-looking among them have learned to be flexible and innovatory. In this respect, the modern transformation at Radio Prague began over fifteen years ago when it was one of the first international broadcasters to set up its own website. That was back in 1994. This was quickly followed by its daily email news service and other innovations, including its enthusiastic commitment to satellite broadcasting. At the same time it has modernized the way that radio is produced; its journalists today take it for granted that they are working in a multi-media environment, where the spoken word is reinforced by text and image.

And Radio Prague has learnt to be extremely cost effective, broadcasting around the world in six languages for the equivalent of less than three million euro a year. In order for this to continue, it is absolutely crucial for Radio Prague not to forget its core activity.

The station's current success is built on its status and tradition as a radio broadcaster. If it forgets its identity as radio, it will inevitably lose its way, desperately trying to compete in a field that is not its own. The news of the latest cuts puts the staff and management of Radio Prague in a difficult position. It will not be easy for them to launch a campaign to save the shortwave broadcasts, as they could find themselves facing the alternative of having to cut jobs instead. Given that the amount of money needed to save the shortwave broadcasts is so small, I am convinced that the cause is worth fighting for and that it does not have to be a case of pitching jobs against shortwave.

If the decision-makers in the government and at the ministry can be made to understand what is at stake, I am sure that the money can be found. That is why I am writing this letter – to encourage listeners around the world to rally behind Radio Prague at this difficult time.

With warmest regards
David Vaughan

Radio Prague needs to get listeners support at this time. Their address is:Radio PragueVinohradská 12120 99 Prague 2Czech Republic

Tel: (+420) 221 552 933Fax: (+420) 221 552 903E-mail: cr@radio.cz

Listeners should also contact The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic

Email: podatelna@mzv.cz
Listeners should contact the Czech Embassies and representatives in their own country.

A List of Czech Embassies can be found at: http://www.mzv.cz/jnp/en/diplomatic_missions/czech_missions_abroad/index.html

RADIO WEBSITES OCTOBER 2009

RADIO WEBSITES OCTOBER 2009

first published in Radio User October 2009, PW Publishing http://www.radiouser.co.uk/index2.asp
by Chrissy Brand

It never ceases to amaze me how the quantity of radio related websites is ever increasing. Even more surprising perhaps is that the quality of information and material out there is so high as well. Many broadcasters, radio clubs and individual enthusiasts around the world do a great job in maintaining standards and delivering ever more fascinating content: photos, audio and written. So there is no shortage of websites to share with you here each month.

European educators and entertainers
Radio Tatras International was a station that aired on shortwave from 2005 to earlier this year, having been created a few years before that. This Slovakian station, named after the Tatras mountain range that straddles the south of Poland and north of Slovakia, also had the aim of helping Europeans practice their English: http://www.rti.fm/

The closure of the station didn’t stop RTI programme content. However as you will hear and read in the blog at the website. Eric Wilshere’s often entertaining Postcard from Poprad podcast is a case in point. You can also link to the station via the usual social networking tools of Twitter, Facebook, My Space etc. Contact them directly via email: studio@rti.fm

Presenters Rob, Peter and Elizabeth have an enviable job, being the on-air team at 106.5 Riviera Radio in the south of France. For over 20 years, English broadcasts have entertained and informed people on 106.3 MHz in Monaco and 106.5 MHz in France. Local news and traffic, weather, BBC World Service news, music from the 1970s to today can be heard online at: http://www.rivieraradio.info/, a website which evidently receives two million hits per month.

Radio Caroline has also introduced English on the continent, with Radio Caroline Spain across the Costa Blanc on 102.7 FM and online at: http://www.radiocaroline.es/

A Dutch ham with a blog in English is where we turn to next. PA1JIM gained a novice licence in 2003, and broadcasts from Bilthoven (a village east of Utrecht). His website contains reviews such as a Kenwood TS-450SAT and TS-850SAT. Also various projects such as building a voice lever, condition updates, DXing in the French High Alps and links. A posting in January 2009 about the status of QSL cards these days is interesting, as is the QSL card accompanying it. It is a spoof, featuring a semi-naked lady stating it is of an HCJB announcer called Mildred Reed: http://www.pa1jim.nl/

My suspicions were confirmed when I tracked Mildred down to Don Moore’s Bland DX site, which I have mentioned here before, but is so humorous that it deserves a mention every month. See: http://www.blandx.com/ but especially the Naughty QSLs from Ecuador at the “Dead DXers’ Stuff” section: http://www.blandx.com/ddx/hcnaughty.html


North American narrators
A more believable blog is that of Ted Landphair. The Voice of America broadcaster and author writes on many aspects of American life. Readers will be most interested in his blog of 30 July this year on the Voice of America Park: http://tedlandphairsamerica.blogspot.com/

You can visit it in West Chester, Ohio and see the site where “VOA transmitters once sent the mightiest signals in international radio into the heart of occupied Europe and elsewhere during World War II; a three-in-one museum that chronicles VOA’s story, the saga of wireless communication going back to Marconi, and local broadcasting history in rich detail; a large and beautiful park named for the Voice of America where you can hike, fish in a 14-hectare lake, sled down a long hill, get a match going on one of 24 soccer fields or a cricket pitch, bird-watch in meadow that’s an official wildlife preserve, and even get married!...a university learning centre that also carries the name of the Voice of America and even a good-sized VOA shopping centre.”

Doing their bit for the Food bank charity in Canada are Colin Newell, Ian McFarland, Bob Zanotti, Kim Elliot, John Figliozzi et al. The long awaited CD Series 3, Yesterday and Today is a 20 year retrospective of SW broadcasting covering the past, present and future of International broadcasting. At a running time of about 155 minutes, the two CD set features a little of the old and a lot of the new, and a bright look into the future of radio. Available to buy at $17 via http://www.dxer.ca/ It took about a week for my CDs to arrive and highly stimulating they are too.

Amongst the many US radio stations that I enjoy hearing online is 88.5 FM WFCR, which broadcasts National Public Radio news and music for the western New England region. As well as good features such as The Liar in your Life and What Dogs can and can’t do, they run an annual coffee mug painting contest. There have been some excellent winners in previous years. Release the artist in you and submit an entry to vcerillo@wfcr.org by 1 October, or hold on until 2010. Details at: http://www.wfcr.org/

New technology
The Q2 Cube internet radio is new this autumn, being launched at IFA in Berlin in September and aiming for the Christmas market. This is an annual consumer electronics event: http://www.ifa-berlin.com/ The Q2 Cube is an innovative way to hear internet radio “with a twist”. It has no controls as such, with each side of the cube playing a different station and a fifth face is dedicated to the speaker. You tilt it forward to turn the volume up and backwards to turn it down.

It is developed by Cambridge Consultants: http://www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/ and www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/news/article/default.aspx?objid=62034

It is also featured at the Infoniac website: http://www.infoniac.com/ This useful site also has all sorts of information and news from the most dangerous computer viruses in history to Cartier filing a lawsuit against Apple after it discovered that several iPhone applications involving fake Cartier watches were available. Worth dipping a toe into, as is Radio Banter, which brings together all kinds of internet forums discussing many aspects of radio: http://www.radiobanter.com/

RADIO WEBSITES SEPTEMBER 2009

RADIO WEBSITES SEPTEMBER 2009

Published in Radio User, PW Publishing: http://www.pwpublishing.ltd.uk/

We have the regular selection of entertaining and off beat websites for you this month with some quality You Tube channels, a language lesson, innovative free radio and some staggering transatlantic FM DX.

Down the tubes
Back in its early years Channel 4 aired a television series entitled “The secret life of machines”. A gentleman by the name of Craig Tube has generously now uploaded these programmes to his YouTube website at http://www.youtube.com/user/CraigTube. The programme on how radio works was of great interest to me, although reminiscent of those 1970s BBC 2 Open University programmes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ehVVpY6XE4

BBC Worldwide sensibly jumped on the YouTube wagon back in 2007, and instead of sitting back and seeing its copyrighted clips compromised, simply broadcasts some of its own work: http://www.youtube.com/user/BBCWorldwide Dr Who extracts, documentaries, news and soaps are featured as well as links to other official BBC You Tube channels including:: http://www.youtube.com/bbc

Giampiero Bernardini in Milan and his Catalan friend Jordi Brunet visited to Bocca di Magra (Liguria region, Italy) with Dario Monferini in October 2008. Giampiero made a superb video, testing some radio and antennas, which captions, which you can enjoy yourself. “BOC 13 International DX Nights” at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZbJ0Wy1Q64

This excellent nine minute video is one of several put up on YouTube by Giampiero, also known as Sprintmania’s channel, at: http://www.youtube.com/user/sprintmania


Late summer treats
A few things now to take on any late summer holiday you are planning: CDs, books and a language course.

Colin Newell, Ian McFarland, Bob Zanotti, Kim Elliot , John Figliozzi et al have released their long awaited CD Series 3, Yesterday and Today - A 20 year retrospective of SW Broadcasting - the past, present and future of International broadcasting. At a running time of about 155 minutes, the 2 CD set features a little of the old and a lot of the new - and a bright look into the future of radio - starring some shortwave gurus.

This is available to buy at $17 via http://www.dxer.ca/ My own copy came from Canada in about a week and is excellent value for money. “In the year 1979, the average shortwave listener would not have given a second thought to the longevity of radio - It had always been readily available. TV had been the competing medium for over 30 years - and in light of its success, and the inability of television to replace radio, the accepted theory at the time would have been: World band radio is here to stay.”

Jerome Berg’s hefty tomes on international broadcasting do not come cheap ($65) but would make an excellent gift. His “Broadcasting on the shortwaves from 1945 to today” and its sister companion “Listening on the shortwaves from 1945 to today” are 500 pages, year by year of stations, technologies and memories.

Published by McFarland, http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/ it follows on from his first, 1990’s volume of “On the shortwaves 1923-1945”. His related, successful and oft updated website is also a treasure trove for all those interested in radio then and now: http://www.ontheshortwaves.com/

KBS World Radio, the overseas broadcasting branch of the Korean Broadcasting System, has published a 244-page conversation textbook and CD for people who want to study the Korean language.

“Let’s Learn Korean,” is a beginner’s guide in ten different languages including English, comprised of 20 lessons that introduce different situations in airports, hotels, restaurants, hospitals, department stores and popular tourist sites in the country. The contents of the book and the audio recordings are also available at the KBS World Radio website http://world.kbs.co.kr/ specifically at: http://world.kbs.co.kr/learn_korean2/

I spent a happy hour myself practicing my pronunciation and dipping in and out of the lessons.

Radio loose ends
A useful and very simply designed website which lists broadcasters by language is at:
http://radiolanguages.tk/ You choose the language you want information on, then are led to three options of viewing a spreadsheet b7y frequency order, time order or station order. It appears to be updated very regularly so might well be worth bookmarking. Maintained by an individual going by the mysterious name of Sintsixtus. Incidentally the tk in the internet address is for Tokelau, a Pacific island.

A highly entertaining radio blog can be read at:
http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2006/03/adventures_in_a_1.html This is called WFMU Beware of the Blog- a radio station that bites back. WFMU FM is a listener-supported, non-commercial radio station broadcasting at 91.1 MHz FM in Jersey City, New Jersey, right across the Hudson from lower Manhattan. It is currently the longest running free freeform radio station in the United States.

The station website itself is at http://wfmu.org/ They play a real mix of oddities and thought provoking music, and, for me, this is what radio should be all about. The website offers a photo of the day, and if you click on it you get a sound bite of the day. WFMU is innovative and worth an evening of your internet time.

Paul Logan, a well known FM DXer based in Northern Ireland, has been having another good summer of Sporadic E openings. His greatest catch this year was hearing 90.7 FM WVAS in Montgomery Alabama at an astounding distance of 4011 miles (6456 km). WVAS is an 80 kw Jazz and National Public Radio station celebrating its silver jubilee. It beats his previous record braking catch of 2003 by some way.

For us mere mortals our best chance of hearing jazz or any type of music from Alabama is online. WVAS is at: http://www.wvasfm.org/ Like any self respecting radio station these days it also has a web presence in Twitter and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ www.twitter.com/wvas

Paul Logan himself is not short of websites. Try these three Paul’s Listening Homepage: http://geocities.com/yogi540/ has details of his radio and TV DXing activities, nicely illustrated by mp3 files, RDS and tv screen shots. More photos are at his Flickr account, which includes QSL cards, radio photos and RDS grabs: http://www.flickr.com/photos/radiofotos/ Paul also has a YouTube channel, where he is known as Yogi 540, containing recordings of some of his catches. This includes a Mexican medium wave station, also local band scans and some experimenting: http://www.youtube.com/user/yogi540