Friday, June 24, 2016

Buzzer/ S28 is not buzzing

The notorious Russian "Buzzer," aka S28, is not transmitting its usual marker on 4625 kHz R3E/H3E.  It seems to have stopped after a voice message.  Now there is only circuit noise of a sort also heard on Russian Air Force voice frequencies.

Occasionally, there is maybe one secondof an odd noise that sounds a bit like mistuned ALE, but isn't.

The parallel frequency, 6998 kHz, is completely silent.

Annual Alexanderson alternator transmission 17.2 kHz July 3rd

REMINDER
OF GRIMETON RADIO/SAQ TRANSMISSION


The annual transmission on "Alexanderson Day" with the Alexanderson alternator on VLF 17.2 kHz with the call SAQ will take place Sunday, July 3rd, 2016 at 09:00 UTC (tuning up from after 08:30 UTC) and will be repeated at 12:00 UTC (tuning up from after 11:30 UTC).


Amateur Radio Station with the call SK6SAQ will be QRV on the following frequencies:
-    7.035 kHz CW or
-  14.035 kHz CW or
-  21.035 kHz CW or
-    3.755 kHz SSB
Two stations will be on the air most of the time.
QSL-reports to SAQ and SK6SAQ are kindly received via:

- E-mail to: info@alexander.n.se

- or via: SM bureau

- or direct by mail to: Alexander - Grimeton Veteranradios Vaenner,
  Radiostationen                          
  Grimeton 72
  SE-432 98 ROLFSTORP
  S    W    E    D    E    N

Also read our website: www.alexander.n.se

The station will be open to visitors.

WELCOME!

Yours

Lars Kalland
SM6NM

I know it's Field Day, but here's VOA Radiogram for June 25-26

From Kim Andrew Elliott:

Hello friends,

VOA Radiogram this weekend will include the Olivia 16-1000 mode with a center frequency of 2000 Hz. If you happen to experience co-channel interference consisting of voice and/or music, the robustness of the Olivia 16-1000 mode in combination with the higher audio frequency might allow a successful decode. At 40 words per minute, Olivia 16-1000 is faster than Olivia 64-2000.

Here is the lineup for VOA Radiogram, program 169, 25-26 June 2016, all in MFSK32 except where noted:

 1:35  Program preview
 2:45  Pluto may have liquid ocean*
10:17  Fiery re-entry for junk from ISS*
16:33  Olivia 16-1000 (2000 Hz): Zuckerberg PC security*
22:06  MFSK32: Image, mobile app transmitted by shortwave*
26:04  Closing announcements*

* with image

Please send reception reports to radiogram@voanews.com

VOA Radiogram transmission schedule
(all days and times UTC):
Sat 0930-1000 5745 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 to North America Sunday at 0000-0100 UTC (8-9 pm EDT) on 9925 kHz, via Germany. A minute of MFSK32 will be at about 0030 UTC. KBC will also broadcast to Europe Sunday at 0900-1000 UTC on 6095 kHz. A minute of MFSK32 will be at about 0930 UTC. Reports for KBC reception and decode to Eric: themightykbc@gmail.com .

DigiDX will provide DX and media news in MFSK32 and a mixture of other modes:
Sunday 2130-2000 UTC, 15770 kHz, via WRMI Florida
Sunday 2330-2400 UTC, 11580 kHz, via WRMI Florida
Monday 2000-2130 UTC, 6070 kHz, via Channel 292 Germany
Look for any additions or changes to the DigiDX schedule at http://www.digidx.uk/ or https://www.facebook.com/digidx/

IBC (Italian Broadcasting Corporation) has a broadcast to Europe on 6070 kHz, Wednesdays, 2000-2200 UTC, with MFSK32 and Olivia 16-500 at 2030-2100 UTC. See http://ibcradio.webs.com/ for the complete schedule and contact information.

Download apps via shortwave? A recent transmission of a mobile app from shortwave station KTWR in Guam, to a DRM receiver in Thailand, has caused much discussion. See coverage at drmna.info and The SWLing Post. While DRM offers more bandwidth and faster download speeds than the VOA Radiogram method of digital modes via analog radio, VOA Radiogram data can be received on any radio.

Software to decode VOA Radiogram includes Fldigi from w1hkj.com and, for Android devices, TIVAR.

Thank you for your reports from last weekend. Reception conditions were generally good, so the Olivia 64-2000 did not get much of a workout. Decodes were good even in Perth, Western Australia.

A reminder that Fldigi saves decoded MFSK images as .png files in the folder \fldigi.files\images\.  If convenient, please attach those .png files to your reception reports.

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

Kim

Kim Andrew Elliott
Producer and Presenter
VOA Radiogram
Twitter: @VOARadiogram (active especially before, during, and after broadcasts)

Friday, June 17, 2016

VOA Radiogram, 18-19 June

From Kim Andrew Elliott:

Hello friends,

VOA Radiogram received some great publicity in the July issue of QST magazine. If you don't receive the magazine, you can see images of the article here. They did change my name to "Kim Andrew Ellis," but that's OK: I don't need the publicity, but the concept of using digital modes on analog shortwave radio to provide information to places where the Internet is restricted or not available does need the publicity. [Hence these weekly postings. -Hugh]

Apologies to those tuned last weekend to the Sunday 1930-2000 transmission on 15670 kHz. It abruptly left the air at about 1949 UTC. There were problems with the transmitters at the North Carolina site, which is to be expected occasionally given that the transmitters are 50 to 60 years old.

Another challenge last weekend was strong interference, perhaps an over-the-horizon (OTH) radar, during the Saturday 0930-1000 UTC transmission on 5745 kHz. It was especially loud in Alaska, per this video made by Paul in Alaska. [Definitely an OTH radar. It obliterated this transmission here in CA a couple of weeks back. Likely candidates are Russian 29B6 and UK Pluto. -Hugh] (I was not able to decode the MFSK32 from the video, but maybe you will have better luck.)  The interference was also heard by Mike in Washington state. If the noise returns this weekend, we'll be prepared: the show includes a story in Olivia 64-2000.

Here is the lineup for VOA Radiogram, program 168, 18-19 June 2016, all in MFSK32 except where noted:

 1:33  Program preview
 2:38  Birds' brains more complex than imagined*
 8:35  Large planet orbits binary stars*
17:40  Olivia 64-2000: North Dakotans overturn farm law*
24:19  MFSK32: Image and closing announcements*

* with image

Please send reception reports to radiogram@voanews.com.


VOA Radiogram transmission schedule
(all days and times UTC):
Sat 0930-1000 5745 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 have an extra transmission this weekend. There will be the usual North America transmission Sunday at 0000-0200 UTC (Saturday 8-10 pm EDT) on 9925 kHz, with a minute of MFSK32 at about 0130 UTC. And there will be a transmission to Europe Sunday at 0800-1000 UTC on 6095 kHz, with a minute of MFSK32 at about 0930 UTC. Both 6095 and 9925 kHz are via Nauen, Germany. Reports for KBC reception and decodes to Eric: themightykbc@gmail.com .



DigiDX will provide DX and media news in MFSK32 and a mixture of other modes:
Sunday 2130-2000 UTC, 15770 kHz, via WRMI Florida
Sunday 2330-2400 UTC, 11580 kHz, via WRMI Florida
Monday 2000-2130 UTC, 6070 kHz, via Channel 292 Germany
Look for any additions or changes to the DigiDX schedule at http://www.digidx.uk/ or https://www.facebook.com/digidx/

IBC (Italian Broadcasting Corporation) has a broadcast to Europe on 6070 kHz, Wednesdays, 2000-2200 UTC, with MFSK32 and Olivia 16-500 at 2030-2100 UTC. See http://ibcradio.webs.com/ for the complete schedule and contact information.

Thank you for your reports from last weekend. I will be responding.

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

Kim

Kim Andrew Elliott
Producer and Presenter
VOA Radiogram
voaradiogram.net
Twitter: @VOARadiogram (especially active before, during, and after shows)

Friday, June 03, 2016

VOA Radiogram for June 4-5

From Kim Andrew Elliott:





Hello friends,


I'm back to a (somewhat) normal schedule now after my family's visit to Vancouver and Alaska. I did not have many opportunities to tune in to VOA Radiogram, but I did receive the broadcast May 22 at 0230 UTC on 5745 kHz, in the Pacific off British Columbia. I did not get to the balcony of our stateroom until the Olivia 16-500, which decoded 100% using a Sangean ATS909X acoustically coupled to a tablet running TIVAR.


I have not yet had a chance to analyze all the reports on the Olivia 64-2000, 32-1000, and 16-500 comparison during program 164, but the preliminary verdict is: they're all good.



This weekend, VOA Radiogram will be all MFSK32. It will include an item in Russian. You will need the UTF-8 character set to decode the Cyrillic text. In Fldigi: Configure > Colors & Fonts > set Rx/Tx Character set to UTF-8.


Here is the lineup for VOA Radiogram, program 166, 4-5 June 2016, all in MFSK32:



 1:34  Program preview
 2:55  50 Cent Party supports China on Internet*
 8:26  US Embassy in Beijing takes break from social media*
14:18  RFE/RL will end shortwave transmissions in Russian* **
21:44  Train trip in Alaska*
26:04  Closing announcements*

* with image

** Russian text requires UTF-8 character set. In Fldigi:
Configure > Colors & Fonts > set 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 5745 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 broadcast to North America for only one hour this weekend: Sunday at 0000-0100 UTC (Saturday 8-9 pm EDT) on 9925 kHz, via Germany. A minute of MFSK32 will be transmitted at about 0030 UTC. Reports for this KBC reception to Eric: themightykbc@gmail.com .


DigiDX will transmit DX news in MFSK32 and other modes on its usual schedule: Sunday 2130-2200 on 15770 kHz, and 2330-2400 UTC on 11580 kHz, both via WRMI in Florida. And Monday at 2000-2030 UTC on 6070 kHz, via Channel 292 in Germany. Also listen for DigiDX on 6070kHz (Channel 292) every day at 1830-1900 UTC (co-channel with Vatican Radio: a good test of the modes) and 0530-0600 (reception in the Americas might be possible.) Consult http://www.digidx.uk/ and https://www.facebook.com/digidx/ for any schedule changes.  



Thank you for your reception reports. I am still working on the gallery from program 137.  I hope to  send those out this weekend.



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


Kim


Kim Andrew Elliott
Producer and Presenter
VOA Radiogram
voaradiogram.net
Twitter: @VOARadiogram (especially active before, during, and after broadcasts)