this is Wisconsin call--ouch! that static was loud!
Finally carted the shortwave radio down from marsh country and set it up here. I am a happy, SWLing, DXing Chanter! One drawback remains, though. Does anybody know if there's such a thing as a device that'll plug into a shortwave set and speak or Braille out frequencies and bands as you scroll through them? It's a real pain in the butt to be spinning along the dial at speed and realize that oh yeah, I forgot to count taps of a button and I now have no idea what frequency or band I'm on! This is especially true when DXing; weak signals plus languages that are identifiable but not anything you speak makes this even trickier. Even if you hit something you can understand and catch a frequency listing, there are usually multiple broadcasts for locations around the world, and that doesn't even get into simultaneous transmissions on two or more frequencies at once. Argh, in other words!
Anybody have a clue? My ham-savvy friend on the East Coast doesn't know of anything SW-specific, sadly.
For the interested, which I imagine will be a fairly small number, say sorry, have a look at my first feeble attempts at reporting signals. I had to guess the RNZI frequency from the winter schedule posted online; it was the only one that fit with the time I caught the station. ... Aaaand now that frequency guess for RNZI is moot, because I've heard that same station since, same time, and clearly caught a national ID instead. Whoops!
March 20, 2012.
16020, VOA Arabic service, 1755-1801. Middle Eastern/North African (Malian?) music at tune-in, VOA interval signal, then male Arabic-speaking announcer. Signal fair to good with fades. Transmission abruptly ended.
Unsure of frequency darnit! Radio Marti, 1930-? Spanish language features with multiple presenters male and female. Caught one 'Curiocidades', all about various languages' analogs of the letter L.
March 21, 2012
Voice of Russia in English, China Radio International in English, and at least one annoying and one creepy English language preacher on unknown frequencies throughout the evening.
Radio New Zealand National, 0920-1000. English language in-depth local news coverage with male announcer and various reporters, mainly about the case against a high-ranking government official? Heard mentions of the Crown's prosecution. Caught one mention of the Pacific region, and one definite RNZ ID. Initially thought this was RNZI, but subsequent monitoring got me a clear national ID. Oops! Fairly good signal with slight distortions and significant fades.
March 22, 2012
Radio NHK in Japanese, Vatican Radio in English, Radio Netherlands in Dutch (I missed the bell caralon interval signal at least twice darnit!), Voice of Vietnam in Spanish and English, Radio Havannah Cuba in Spanish and English, Radio Exterior de Espana in Spanish, Canada's CFRB 1010, BBC Worldservice in Arabic, and one annoying and two creepy English language preachers, all on unknown and often multiple frequencies throughout the night.
Unsure of frequency darnit again! Radio Somalia, 0415-0428. Arabic or Somali music, at least two spoken station ID's, and conversation between male presenter and telephone interviewee. Fair signal with significant fading, signal nearly faded out several times before returning. Can't find a Radio Somalia listed anywhere online - is this unlicensed?
I doubt anybody cares about that lot, but there it is. :)
This entry was originally posted at http://chanter-greenie.dreamwidth.org/218865.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
Anybody have a clue? My ham-savvy friend on the East Coast doesn't know of anything SW-specific, sadly.
For the interested, which I imagine will be a fairly small number, say sorry, have a look at my first feeble attempts at reporting signals. I had to guess the RNZI frequency from the winter schedule posted online; it was the only one that fit with the time I caught the station. ... Aaaand now that frequency guess for RNZI is moot, because I've heard that same station since, same time, and clearly caught a national ID instead. Whoops!
March 20, 2012.
16020, VOA Arabic service, 1755-1801. Middle Eastern/North African (Malian?) music at tune-in, VOA interval signal, then male Arabic-speaking announcer. Signal fair to good with fades. Transmission abruptly ended.
Unsure of frequency darnit! Radio Marti, 1930-? Spanish language features with multiple presenters male and female. Caught one 'Curiocidades', all about various languages' analogs of the letter L.
March 21, 2012
Voice of Russia in English, China Radio International in English, and at least one annoying and one creepy English language preacher on unknown frequencies throughout the evening.
Radio New Zealand National, 0920-1000. English language in-depth local news coverage with male announcer and various reporters, mainly about the case against a high-ranking government official? Heard mentions of the Crown's prosecution. Caught one mention of the Pacific region, and one definite RNZ ID. Initially thought this was RNZI, but subsequent monitoring got me a clear national ID. Oops! Fairly good signal with slight distortions and significant fades.
March 22, 2012
Radio NHK in Japanese, Vatican Radio in English, Radio Netherlands in Dutch (I missed the bell caralon interval signal at least twice darnit!), Voice of Vietnam in Spanish and English, Radio Havannah Cuba in Spanish and English, Radio Exterior de Espana in Spanish, Canada's CFRB 1010, BBC Worldservice in Arabic, and one annoying and two creepy English language preachers, all on unknown and often multiple frequencies throughout the night.
Unsure of frequency darnit again! Radio Somalia, 0415-0428. Arabic or Somali music, at least two spoken station ID's, and conversation between male presenter and telephone interviewee. Fair signal with significant fading, signal nearly faded out several times before returning. Can't find a Radio Somalia listed anywhere online - is this unlicensed?
I doubt anybody cares about that lot, but there it is. :)
This entry was originally posted at http://chanter-greenie.dreamwidth.org/218865.html. Please comment there using OpenID.