VOA Radiogram for November 28-29

Hello friends,


Last week's experiments on VOA Radiogram were largely successful.

A good demonstration of the simultaneous decoding of text and an image can be seen in this video prepared by Oscar in Italy ....

http://voaradiogram.net/post/133719604758/oscar-in-italy-provided-this-video-of-the-voa

The simultaneous text/image transmission could be very useful for a news organization, especially if one future software application can decode both.

The QR codes were successfully scanned even if the image was not completely crisp. Beyond a certain level of fuzziness, however, the QR codes would not decode.  See some examples here ...

http://voaradiogram.net/post/134055005357/qr-codes-transmitted-via-shortwave-then-scanned

The only advantage of the QR codes that I can think of is that scanning the QR code is a slightly quicker way of accessing a web page than copying and pasting the URL. The plain-text URL, however, enjoys the advantage of error correction. Maybe future software can open a selected URL in a browser.

If you tuned in last Sunday at 1930-2000 UTC on 15670 kHz, trans-Atlantic shortwave propagation to Europe was generally very poor. It was much better to western North America and surprisingly good in New Zealand. See these examples ...

http://voaradiogram.net/post/134028333147/program-138-on-15670-khz-images-tell-the-story-of

Last Saturday's transmission at 0930-1000 UTC on 5865 did not reach Europe, but it will, at least occasionally, around the winter solstice, so keep trying. The 5865 kHz transmission did reach Western Australia, as seen in these images sent by Frank in Perth ...

http://voaradiogram.net/post/134027418152/frank-in-perth-western-australia-sent-this

This weekend on VOA Radiogram, we will transmit two more QR codes, smaller than the ones sent last week. Also, a VOA Turkish news story, so have your Fldigi set for UTF-8.

Here is the lineup for VOA Radiogram, program 139, 28-29 November 2015, all in MFSK32 except where noted:


 1:31  Program preview
 3:10  New Shepard reusable rocket lands after launch*
 7:55  Lasers used to cool water*
14:09  El Niño Brings Unexpected Fish to California*
19:30  News item from VOA Turkish Service**
22:45  Closing announcements*
26:05  Olivia 64-2000: Transmission schedule

* with image

** Requires UTF-8 for proper display of diacritics. In Fldigi:

Configure > Colors &Fonts > Rx/Tx Character set to UTF-8


Please send reception reports to radiogram@voanews.com .

VOA Radiogram transmission schedule
(all days and times UTC):
Sat 0930-1000 5865 kHz
Sat 1600-1630 17580 kHz
Sun 0230-0300 5745 kHz
Sun 1930-2000 15670 kHz
All via the Edward R. Murrow transmitting station in North Carolina.


The Mighty KBC will transmit a minute of MFSK32 Sunday at 0130 UTC (Saturday 8:30 pm EST) on 7395 kHz, via Germany. Reports for this KBC reception to Eric: themightykbc@gmail.com .


I am now preparing the MFSK image gallery from program 131 and will be responding to those reports this weekend.

I hope you can tune in and write in this weekend.


Kim


Kim Andrew Elliott
Producer and Presenter
VOA Radiogram
voaradiogram.net

Experimental VOA Radiogram for November 21-22

From Kim Andrew Elliott:

Hello friends,

This weekend’s VOA Radiogram will include some experiments.

Simultaneous text and image. One experiment will be the simultaneous transmission of text and an image. The text of the VOA News story about men overeating will be transmitted in MFSK32 at the usual center audio frequency of 1500 Hz. The MFSK32 image accompanying this story will be transmitted simultaneously at a center audio frequency of 2200 Hz. You will need two instances of Fldigi; that is, start Fldigi once, then start it again. If you cannot run two instances of Fldigi (some operating systems don’t allow it), you can decode the image at 2200 Hz later from a recording. (You could also run Fldigi and MultiPSK simultaneously.)

At 15 seconds after the text begins, a tuning signal will help you find the exact center frequency near 2200 Hz. The image itself will start 20 seconds after the tone begins. 

I had to reduce the audio level of both the text and image by 3 dB so that the combined audio of the text and image would not overload the transmitter and your receiver. This simultaneous transmission will be followed by the image only, at 1500 Hz, and at full audio level. 

QR codes. The broadcast will include two QR codes.  They look like this …

You scan the QR code, usually with your mobile device, to obtain information.

The first QR code will follow the VOA News Story about Middle East hackers. It will provide the link to the full text of the story. The second QR code will be at the end of the show, with the VOA Radiogram transmission schedule.

I don’t know much about QR codes, so your advice would be appreciated. Are the transmitted QR codes too big? Unnecessarily big? How small can I make them? (The smaller they are, the less time required to transmit them.)

Here is the lineup for VOA Radiogram, program 138, 21-22November 2015, all in MFSK32 except where noted:

    

 1:32  Program preview

 2:44  Earth-like exoplanet may not be habitable*

 7:29  New tool to search for extraterrestrial life*

11:13  Analysts warn of Middle East hackers*

20:43  Men overeat to show off to women (simultaneous image)*

23:45  Closing announcements*

28:41  Olivia 64-2000: Transmission schedule

* with image

Please send reception reports to radiogram@voanews.com .

VOA Radiogram transmission schedule
(all days and times UTC):
Sat 0930-1000 5865 kHz
Sat 1600-1630 17580 kHz
Sun 0230-0300 5745 kHz
Sun 1930-2000 15670 kHz
All via the Edward R. Murrow transmitting station in North Carolina.

The Mighty KBC will transmit a minute of MFSK32 Sunday at 0130 UTC (Saturday 8:30 pm EST) on 7395 kHz, via Germany. This is part of the KBC broadcast to North America Saturday 2300  UTC to Sunday 0200 UTC on 7395 kHz. Reception reports for KBC reception and decoding to Eric: themightykbc@gmail.com .

Thanks for your reception reports. Today I hope to answer the last of the reports from program 130, then I’ll put together the MFSK image gallery from program 131.

I hope you can tune in and write in.  Have fun with the experiments.

Kim

Kim Andrew Elliott

Producer and Presenter

VOA Radiogram

voaradiogram.net

MRHS Mini Night of Nights in Progress

KSM has again this year stayed on the air for its "Mini Night of Nights," in which it broadcasts various special things, and takes commercial traffic from any vessel with the equipment and inclination to come up and pass it.

Big signal in L.A., as always.  Report at 0003Z:

6474.0

MRHS, hand sent CQ and intro to mini Night of Nights, very loud (S9+40), then
into usual QSX wheel: "VVV VVV VVV CQ DE KSM KSM KSM QSX 500/
4/6/8/12/16/22 OBS? AMVER? QRU? PSE ANS 500/HF CH3 AR K;" //4350.5,
louder, //8438.3, same strength, //12993.0,weaker, //16914, like 12, //21445.8, low.

 

Partial text of the intro copied here:

... ANNIVERSARY OF THE BERLIN CONVENTION WHICH ESTABLISHED 600 METERS AS THE DISTRESS AND CALLING FREQUENCY MRHS SAN FRANCISCO RADIO/ KSM WILL OFFER EXTENDED SERVICE HOURS THIS EVENING WITH MEMORIAL MESSAGES AND PRESS STOP ALSO PLEASE LISTEN FOR SS RED OAK VICTORY/KYVM ON 500 AND 425 KC STOP BEST REGARDS + DE MRHS SANFRANCISCO RADIO / KSM

No low band capability here, so no check on 426/500.

As always, thank you, MRHS!

VOA Radiogram (with a QSY) for November 14-15

Note: Saturday 0930 has moved again, this time to AM frequency 5865 kHz. This move is to get off a channel also used by a broadcaster in Colombia.

From Kim Andrew Elliott:

Hello friends,

A few reminders …

1)     I should have mentioned last week (or before) that with the recent time changes, VOA Radiogram is now one hour earlier by local time in most parts of Europe and North America. This is because VOA Radiogram is at the same UTC times year round. See the schedule below.

2)     If you have an Android phone or tablet, the TIVAR (Text and Images Via Analog Radio) app is available at  http://sourceforge.net/projects/fldigi/files/AndFlmsg/TIVAR/  It’s the receive-only, decode-only version of AndFlmsg.

3)     If you use Fldigi to decode VOA Radiogram, Fldigi saves decoded MFSK images as png files in the folder \fldigi.files\images\ . The easiest way for you to send images with your reception reports, and for me to put them in the weekly gallery, is to attach those png files.  Thanks!

This weekend’s VOA Radiogram will consist mostly of the usual MFSK32, but it will also include some Olivia 32-2000 in case we have anything near the poor shortwave propagation that we experienced last weekend.

Here is the lineup for VOA Radiogram, program 137, 14-15 November 2015, all in MFSK32 except where noted:

  1:31  Program preview

 2:43  Ice volcanoes on Pluto*

 9:03  New giant telescope in Chile*

15:26  Mealworms eat plastics* (followed by some music)

21:00  Olivia 32-2000: Bright light in California sky

25:59  MFSK32: Closing announcements*

28:30  Olivia 64-2000: Transmission schedule under closing music

* with image

Please send reception reports to radiogram@voanews.com.

VOA Radiogram transmission schedule
(all days and times UTC):
Sat 0930-1000 5865 kHz         (4:30 am EST)
Sat 1600-1630 17580 kHz       (11:00 am EST)
Sun 0230-0300 5745 kHz        (Saturday 9:30 pm EST)
Sun 1930-2000 15670 kHz      (2:30 pm EST)
All via the Edward R. Murrow transmitting station in North Carolina.

The Mighty KBC transmitter site in Germany repeated (on shortwave, at least) The Giant Jukebox show from 1 November on 8 November. Because of this, the Olivia 64-2000 promised for last Sunday will be repeated this weekend, at 0130 UTC  Sunday (Saturday 8:30 pm EST) on 7395 kHz. Reports to Eric: themightykbc@gmail.com .

Thanks for your reports from last weekend, difficult reception notwithstanding.  Please tune in and write this weekend, as we hope for better shortwave conditions.

I’m now preparing the gallery of MFSK images from program 129 and will begin this weekend to respond to your reports from that program. 

Kim

Kim Andrew Elliott

Producer and Presenter

VOA Radiogram

voaradiogram.net

MRHS Mini Night of Nights this Saturday (US Time)!

From Maritime Radio Historical Society:

Many True Believers will recall that last year around this time we conducted a mini-Night of Nights which was declared to be great fun.  So we're doing it again this year on 14 November.  That's coming right up so put that date in your calendar right now so you won't forget.

The mini-Night of Nights is an event centered around MF transmissions.  KSM will extend is normal operating hours well into the evening and will make a special effort to keep 500kc and our MF working frequency (426kc) active to give listeners the best chance of hearing us.  Our HF channels will be active as well.  And the MRHS amateur station, K6KPH, will be guarding its usual channels for signal reports and regular contacts.

KSM will continue operations past 0000Z on these frequencies (in kc):

426
500
4350.5
6474.0
8438.3
12993.0
16914.0
22445.8

K6KPH will guard:

3550.0
7050.0
14050.0
18097.5
21050.0

Numerous medium frequency experimental stations will also be active for this event. Our ops will tune the MF band to see which of these we can monitor. Dr. Fritz Raab has taken the lead on this part of the event.

Why not join us a KSM to share the fun? You're invited to visit with us at the receive site, 17400 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. in the Point Reyes National Seashore. See this:

The station telephone number is +1 415-669-9646 (answered only when the station is staffed).

Got a commercial radiotelegraph ticket? Sit the circuit at KSM and get your license endorsed as a coast station operator with our special endorsement stamp. Want to sit the circuit at K6KPH? No problem, no license required, just a working knowledge of Morse. If you have an amateur license bring that along and we'll endorse it for operation at K6KPH.

 

 

---------------------------------------

 

 

> SS RED OAK VICTORY/KYVM Will Be Active

We have just received word that SS RED OAK VICTORY/KYVM will be on the air for the mini Night of Nights!  There's more to this than may immediately meet the eye.  The RO at KYVM is Steve Hawes, our transmitter supervisor.  Here's what OM Hawes is prepared to do to provide listening thrills to all.

KYVM

He'll depart his home at around 0730pst for the 1+ hour trip to Bolinas where he will start press and weather service at 1000pst, then turn the station over to manual control from Point Reyes.  He'll remain until about 1500pst when he will board his vehicle for the 1+ hour trip to SS RED OAK VICTORY where he has received special permission to be aboard in the evening.  There he will bring the WWII vintage equipment of KTVM on the air on 500kc and his working channel of 425kc.  He will steadfastly remain at the key until as late as 2300pst, then head home to bed.  That, my friends, is dedication to The Cause.

So warm up those MF receivers and listen out for both KSM and KYVM on mini Night of Nights!

> Clarification of Operating Hours

A fed TBs have written asking for clarification of exactly what hours we will be operating for mNoN.  We're sorry this was not made clear.  Here's the scoop: operating hours will be the same as for a normal Saturday except that operations will extend well into the evening hours.  Here's the list of relevant times:

0900pst, 1700gmt - Services of the Church of the Continuous Wave, Bolinas site
1000pst, 1800gmt - KSM CW press, 426kc/HF
1100pst, 1900gmt - KSM RTTY press, HF
1200pst, 2000gmt - KSM and K6KPH manual operations begin from Point Reyes
1300pst, 2100gmt - KSM CW traffic list, 426kc/HF
1330pst, 2130gmt - KSM CW Pacific high seas weather 426kc/HF

We usually close operations at around 0000gmt.  But that's when mNoN will begin.  We'll continue on all frequencies with press, weather, communications with ships and of course signal reports via K6KPH.  See Newsletter No. 52 for complete frequency information.

You're invited to join us.  All you have to do is show up at the receive site, 17400 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Point Reyes National Seashore.  See the location on this... 

MAP  
The station telephone number is +1 415-669-9646 (answered only when the station is staffed).

Got a commercial radiotelegraph ticket? Sit the circuit at KSM and get your license endorsed as a coast station operator with our special endorsement stamp. Want to sit the circuit at K6KPH? No problem, no license required, just a working knowledge of Morse. If you have an amateur license bring that along and we'll endorse it for operation at K6KPH.

If you've read this far here's your reward: visit us and whisper the words "True Believer" to be granted access to our special equipment storage area. We call it the Treasure Room. 

 

> Where to Send Those Reception Reports

 

Another thing we didn't mention is where to send your reception reports.  As always, send 'em to:

Maritime Radio Historical Society
PO Box 392
Point Reyes Station, CA 94956
USA

Our verification card is particularly attractive if we do say so ourselvees so send in your report to get yours.  We ask only that you have patience as it can sometimes take a while to get out the cards for all who request them.  Oh, and a SASE would be deeply appreciated.  

 

 

Illustrated VOA Radiogram for November 7-8

From Kim Andrew Elliott:

Hello friends,


VOA Radiogram this weekend will be all MFSK32, except for the transmission schedule in Olivia 64-2000 at the end of the show. During the Chinese radio story, you will hear "actuality" in the form of a voice ID for radio station WCRW in Leesburg, Virginia, mentioned in this news item. 


Many of you noticed the waterfall video text ID just before the program preview last weekend. This is a feature of Fldigi that I finally tried.  I'll do it again this weekend just before the program preview. The screen capture below is from Roger in Germany ...

Here is the lineup for VOA Radiogram, program 136, 7-8 November 2015, all in MFSK32 except where noted:



 1:34  Program preview
 2:46  Whisky byproducts as car fuel*
 8:28  Water with tiny bubbles is an effective cleaner*
14:04  Reuters report about Chinese radio in the USA*
22:24  Mysterious crack develops in Wyoming*
27:15  Closing announcements
28:16  Olivia 64-2000: Transmission schedule

* with image

Please send reception reports to radiogram@voanews.com.


VOA Radiogram transmission schedule
(all days and times UTC):

Sat 0930-1000 5910 kHz  (often audible in Asia-Pacific and maybe now in Europe)

Sat 1600-1630 17580 kHz
Sun 0230-0300 5745 kHz
Sun 1930-2000 15670 kHz
All via the Edward R. Murrow transmitting station in North Carolina.


The Mighty KBC digital transmission this weekend will be different. Instead of the usual image with some text in MFSK32, the minute will be text in Olivia 64-2000, mixed with music. This will be Sunday at 0130 UTC (Saturday 8:30 pm EST) on 7395 kHz, via Germany. Last weekend's KBC transmission was on 7350 kHz, but Eric tells me that was an error at the transmitter site.  This weekend, if you don't hear the KBC broadcast to North America Saturday 2300 to Sunday 0200 on 7395, tune around the 41 meter band!


Thank you for your very interesting reports last weekend. I'm now preparing the gallery of MFSK images from program 128, and I'll respond to reports this weekend.  I hope you can tune in and write in.


Kim


Kim Andrew Elliott
Producer and Presenter
VOA Radiogram
voaradiogram.net