“At the beginning of this current Transmission Period B14 October 6, 2014, Adventist World Radio began a relay service from the Deutsche Welle shortwave relay station near Kigali in Rwanda Africa. The AWR relay via DW Kigali is on the air for a total of 2½ transmitter hours daily in three languages, French, Amharic & Fulfulde. In one particular time block, two transmitters carry the programming in parallel. However, Deutsche Welle has subsequently announced that they plan to close their African relay station at the end of this current Transmission Period B14 March 28, 2015 and then dismantle the station. The last AWR broadcasts from DW Kigali will therefor also end at the same time.
For those who would like to receive a QSL card for these now short term broadcasts, AWR would welcome all reception reports from listeners in any part of the world. Each reception report will be verified with a QSL card (not an Email QSL), and the envelope will be affixed with genuine postage stamps, not postal labels. In addition, while supplies last, a special QSL stamp showing Kigali will be attached to the QSL card. It is not necessary to send an off-air recording of your reception. We just need your honest reception report on paper. Where possible, please enclose return postage in the form of currency notes in any international currency, or mint postage stamps. Please note that IRC coupons are too expensive for you to buy, and they are no longer valid in the United States. Also please enclose your address label.
The only address for the special Kigali QSL stamp is the Indianapolis address at:-
Adventist World Radio, Box 29235, Indianapolis, Indiana 46229, USA. All reception reports, including all that have already been received, will be QSLed in due course. However, please be patient with us as we already hold uncounted hundreds of reception reports still pending, and it may take us many months to process them all.
The current AWR website shows the following scheduling for the daily Kigali transmissions:-
0600 - 0630 UTC 15700 kHz French
0600 - 0630 17800 French
1700 - 1730 9490 Amharic
1930 - 2000 17800 Fulfulde
2000 - 2030 17800 French”
Via the shortwave central blog http://mt-shortwave.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/awr-offers-special-qsl-stamp-for-kigali.html
“The flood of wonderful memories, fueled by the old and not so old photos of Radio Canada International’s 70 years, is now, as I write this, suddenly mixed with regret, lost opportunities, and missing colleagues. In a way I dreaded this anniversary, not knowing how to deal with this important milestone. RCI has survived all these years since its first broadcast on February 25, 1945, as Canada’s Voice to the World. But now, almost three years after an 80% budget cut that took us off shortwave radio, cutting us off from our listeners, how do you celebrate? How do you not look with some exasperation, regretfully, wistfully, at how little people, even colleagues, know about RCI’s proud achievements, and its path-breaking innovations? The contradictions of how some viewed us and the reality is almost too much to bear. People say we used outdated technology, weren’t moving with the times, and no longer needed to explain Canada to the world. Yet none of this is true. Using shortwave radio we reached every corner of the globe. Using satellite, LPs, tape cassettes, CDs, Facebook, Twitter, partnerships with local stations in other countries, we reached the world’s citizens. People who, surprising as some might find, were very curious about this huge democracy called Canada, that tried to carve out its place in the world, beside the huge super-power to the south. The other day a colleague asked me about a service referred to in French as “Transcriptions” and had no idea what it was about. As I talked about RCI’s record label that recorded Glenn Gould, Oscar Peterson, and a host of other classical, jazz and pop musicians, I saw my colleague’s eyes widen in surprise.
“We had a record label?” Yes, a respected catalogue of records which won Juno music awards, and was part of RCI’s mandate of telling the world about Canada, along with so many other services. Imagine, we broadcast live election night coverage of federal elections around the world, created an election website with instantaneous results in seven languages, sent out radio lessons to teach English and French, and produced area specific programming for Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas, in English and French, in addition to all the other languages we broadcast in.
I shake my head as I hear people saying we need to change with the times, really get on board with the Internet. I shake my head because some of us were putting RCI on the web before there was a web. The list of RCI’s achievements and all the talented people who worked for it could be the stuff of a television documentary series. But sadly, no one seems interested now. A death by a thousand cuts, such an apt description, such a horrible process. You’d think we would appreciate the experience of 70 years, the achievements of generations of journalists, producers, and technicians. And this week we trot out the old photos, say how great it is that RCI has been around for 70 years. Then we’ll roll up the posters, the displays, and put the awards we’ve won back in the cupboard. We should have been allowed to think and work for the future. Because, our mandate to tell the world about Canada in a contextualized way, understandable to anyone, even someone who’s never been here, hasn’t gone away. Nor has the need for the honest journalism that many of us believe in, a journalism so necessary for those listening to what a country like us had to deal with and has to offer. Wouldn’t it be incredible, if after the celebrations, we could concretely renew Radio Canada International? Build on our strengths and our experience, and not be limited by false constraints? Lovely dream.
Via the RCI Action Comitte Blog http://rciaction.org/blog/2015/02/25/celebrating-70-years-of-radio-canada-international/
“15165 kHz, Radio Risala International - site unknown (perhaps Issoudun??).
This new SW station started on Feb 20 at 1830 UTC, with numerous IDs as "Radio Risala". I can't confirm this, but the language used sounded like Oromo (a.k.a. Afaan Oromo) which is spoken largely in Ethiopia. The programming featured mainly talk with occasional excerpts of instrumental music. This appears to be a religious group, Muslim-based faith. From 1853, there was a long chant in call and response style. Suddenly off at 1857 in the middle of the chant, so we didn't hear a proper sign off announcement. The signal strength was poor here at Mount Evelyn. The band was not in very good shape this morning. I tried recording it but the quality just wasn't good enough to include here.
However.....
The station has a Facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/RaadiyooRisaalaa
There is also a website but it has virtually no useful information for English speakers!
http://www.risalainternational.org/
Hopefully, further information will shed more light on this broadcaster.”
Via the Mount Everlyn DX Report blog: http://medxr.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/new-station-radio-risala-international.html
"Amateur radio based group rescues released broadcast frequency
When the 'Deutsche Welle' decided to close down one of their 500 KW short wave broadcast transmitters near Munich at the end of 2012, a group containing some 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 at present most transmissions are on a weekend during daylight hours.
Content is mainly provided by existing Internet Radio stations wanting to get their material "on-the-air" this includes several soceities that remember the days of the Pirate Radio pop music stations in the North sea between England and Holland and a lot of their music content is from the 60's and 70's. Additional content is being sought and at only 15 Euros an hour, this is not a corporate big business rather a facility where smaller groups can afford to buy time to transmit their content. One such group is the Deutsche Amateur Radio Club, the National Amateur Radio Soceity in Germany, who hope to have a weekly 2 hour slot on the station from mid-March to send a DX orientated program, probably from 6pm local time on Sundays.
The DARC DX magazine will be in the German language and targeted towards German speaking listeners. Amateur radio is an international medium however so there are thoughts of also producing an international / English hour in addition, to reach out across Europe not only to radio amateurs but also to short wave listeners and the general public.
When I talked with another Rainer DF2NU who is one of the group running the station and the president of the Munich South section of the DARC, he told me that they hope to be able to broadcast more often once sufficient content is available however they are already seeing other broadcasters such as Radio China moving onto the frequency in the evenings as those stations percieve 6070 KHz as a free frequency. Rainer told me that currently "Channel 292" has airtime bookings for 20-25 hrs a week, mostly on weekends at which times it runs at 10 kW output. When the station is idle (as there is no booking), the transmitter power is reduced to 1kW and transmits an infinite music-loop with no actual program. Late evenings, after 8pm local, the transmitter is switched off completely in order to save energy costs. Rainer stressed that the license is for 24/7 so they can use the frequency at any time when they have content. With a current rate of EUR 15,-- per hour airtime you cannot earn any money. This broadcast station is an extenion of the amateur radio hobby and the group seek to simply cover their costs.
Thinking back to the very start of amateur radio, Hams were allowed to transmit music, news and entertainment programs, so it's nice to see some of this coming back onto the short wave bands thanks to the efforts of groups like this one.
I wonder as we see more and more broadcasters leaving the short wave bands in favour of Internet broadcasting, whether we'll see more licences and surplus transmitters being picked up by amateur radio groups? This seems to be somewhat of a repeat of the situation when it was said 200 metres and up is useless for broadcasting - give it to the amateurs. We all know what then followed. Perhaps amateur Radio groups around the world can put new life into released shortware broadcast frequencies?
Via the Southgate Amateur Radio News website. http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2015/february/amateur_radio_based_group_rescues_released_broadcast_frequency.htm#.VPEA5HWUfCJ
[Pirate Theme]
First up we have broadcast annoucements news:
“Dear listeners,
We have plan try to reach more listeners with special quite high powered and directed transmission on 9600 kHz, 31mb next sunday 1st of March 2015 18:00-19:00 UTC. …
Our target is to reach areas of entire Europe, Mediterranean Sea area, Near-East, (Asia) and North-Africa. In any case it will be needed very good receivers and proper antennas for our listeners to get our signal. I wish everyhing will go right with these plans and our strange music will reach bigger areas and much bigger audience?? Let's see what's happens...
Please send ideas of programs and music you like to hear from Spaceshuttle. We would like to fullfill your requests in special musical shows in future. I wish you will have fun with our programes also in future! Please tell you thoughts to us by e-mail: .
Your letters/reception reports are very welcome to our address in Herten:
Radio Spaceshuttle International
P.O.Box 2702
NL: 6049 ZG Herten
The Netherlands
A little fee (2 euros) for return postage (for full info printed QSLs) is needed!
Via swpirates digest
It's time to have a look at the latest pirates logs:
Here are the Europirate logs for the middle of January
Fri Feb 27
4026 1818 Laser Hot Hits. Oldies. SINPO 54444.
6240 1749U Radio Barracuda. Earth Wind & Fire "September." SINPO 44433.
6290 1744 Radio Hitmix. German pop. SINPO 54444.
6300 1738 Radio Mirabelle. Soft rock. SINPO 34333.
6325 2002 Premier Radio. "Hippy Hippy Shake," ID, "Some Girls Do," utility splash. SINPO 33333.
6380 1815 Misti Radio. Oldies, sign off. SINPO 34333.
Thurs Feb 26
4026 1805 Laser Hot Hits. Caroline 558 recording. SINPO 54444.
6290 1726 Radio Mirabelle. Belgian pop. SINPO 44433.
6930 1650 Radio Blackbeard. Dance music, strong peaks. SINPO 44433.
Wed Feb 25
6205 1657 Radio Barracuda. Stevie Wonder. SINPO 34333.
6239 1649 Misti Radio. Polka and Dutch songs. SINPO 34333.
6291 1639 Radio Caroline Int. Move from 6319. Jingles, oldies. SINPO 44433.
6304 1749 Radio Vendor. Dutch songs. SINPO 54444.
6319 1620 Radio Caroline Int. SSTV, jingles, pop. SINPO 44433.
6390 1722 Radio Mirabelle. ID, French pop music, CW QRM. SINPO 43333.
6747 1630 Radio Pioneer. Polka, Hollies "I Love Jennifer Eccles." SINPO 54444.
European logs via shortwave DX blog.
Heading over to North America:
6940 01h29UTC Insane Radio 28th Feb 2015
0130z poss ID
0136z ID "Insane Radio" x3
0140z "American Dream Plan B" Tom Petty
0200z fade out, only see carrier, very slight audio By member Rafman
6950USB 02h19 Radio True North 28th Feb 2015
“Have been noting an S8 carrier w/out audio here for a while. Very quick periodic fades.
0220 Possibly hearing mx with a thump
0224 OM talk, but can't get any detail
0253 hearing what sounded like RTN's voice until a pesc came up in the LSB
0256 pretty sure I heard the ID, then back to the mx
0302 Sounds like "Black Betty"” By member jFarley
6850 23h54UTC 26th Feb 2015 The Crystal Ship “Trying to sign on, but having some troubles.” By member Chris Smilonski
North American Logs via the HF underground forum. (We also thank other members contributions to the pirate logs that may have not got a mention.)
DX Extra is being relayed via World FM 88.2FM in Tawa, near Wellington in New Zealand, Worldfm dot co dot nz and on shortwave via relay partners on Focus International, Magic 6205 Europe, Pandora Radio, Premier Radio, Cupid Radio and Global 24 9395.
Before we go it's time to get an audio clip out of the archives. This is a shortwave recording of WBCQ 7490 13th February 2015 of Behaviour Night showcasing music from the 20th century.
Until next time remember shortwave radio is still full of mysteries – keep tuning and keep reporting. Take care and stay safe
Image: Ivy up brickwall at Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens
