Radio User 2019 009 - September

Radio & TV: Past & Present Airshow Guide
Enjoy Our New Column Our Summer Listing: Part Four
September 2019 £4.50 www.radioenthusiast.co.uk
WIN CROSS COUNTRY WIRELESS

HF ACTIVE LOOP ANTENNA
SDS-200 First Test

A first in-depth review of this hotly-anticipated new scanner
ISSN 1748-8117
Maritime Matters Winradio Excalibur Radio Astronomy

Exploring distress calls WR-G65DDC SDR Review Ruby Payne-Scott
Apple Watch & Podcasts | Falklands War | Medium Wave Circle

Messrs Yagi & Uda | Newcastle Airport | Radio in Pakistan | Books Display until 26th September 2019
Generous Part Exchange or CASH waiting for your used Gear!
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• Frequency: 150kHz-34.999MHz • 60MHz - 260MHz • 10MHz panoramic spectrum
• Modes: AM / FM / CW / USB / LSB • Frequency: 530kHz-3000MHz no gaps with Pre-selectors for
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DJ-X3ED HEADPHONES AIRSPY Mini
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Yaesu STA77
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headphones - as used
• Memory: 700 channels by our boss!
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antennas inputs £239.95 • Built-in filters £89.95
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• 25-960MHz (w/gaps) TECSUN NEVADA
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decoding • 30A (max) with meter
• 25-1300MHz (with gaps) technology •Voltage: 1.5-15V DC
• 9000 memories • Cigar adaptor output
• AM/FM/WFM Supplied with: UBC-75XLT £99.95
• Band scope • Mains adaptor Popular ‘Airshow’ scanner • FM, SW, MW, LW,
• CTCSS/DCS • DC Car Power Plug
• Telescopic Antenna • 25-512MHz (with gaps) AM Bandwidth selectable PS-40M ......Linear 40A (max) 3-15V DC.............£129.95
decoding • Mounting Bracket • Modes: AM/FM • 3050 memories, PS-08 .........Linear 8A (max) 13.8V DC.................£34.95
• Alpha-numeric and Hardware • 300 channels 25 storage pages £189.95 PSW-50 ......Switch mode 50A (max) 9-15V DC ....£129.95
tagging feature PSW-30 ......Switch mode 30A (max) 9-15V DC ....£79.95
• Close Call PSW-30H .....Switch mode 30A (max) 13.8V DC ....£69.95
• GPS enabled
£249.95 £99.95 PS23-SW1....Switch mode 23A (max) 13.8V DC ....£59.95
PL-680
CREATE ANTENNAS – JAPAN Portable world JIM M75
band receiver
As used by the ‘Professionals’ with SSB Wide Band pre-amp
and VHF Air Low noise pre-amp
band with 3 band pass filters
• LW/MW/FM/SW + VHF • 24-2150MHz
Airband • Variable gain
• 1900 station memories • 12V DC or PP3 battery
• Multi-tuning methods (not supplied)
£149.95
£89.95
WHISTLER ULTRA LOW LOSS COAX
CLP-5130-1N CLP-5130-2N
21 Element Log Periodic Beam 17 Element Log Periodic Beam
• 50-1300MHz • 105-1300MHz
• 500W • 500W
• Gain: 10-12dBi £379.95 • Gain: 11dBi £299.95 Ecoflex 15 plus
per metre........£5.99 price per 102m drum .......£629
ANTENNAS Whistler TRX-2 PL259 connector (Part: 7350)..................................£8.95
N type connector (Part: 7395)..................................£9.95
MFJ-1886X Wideband Receiving Loop Scanmaster HFA £479.95 Ecoflex 10
• Rejects noise and Active Receive Antenna per metre........£3.79 price per 102m drum .......£345
interference for weak Covers: 1.8-30MHz PL259 connector (part: 7378)..................................£5.95
signal reception
Whistler TRX-1 N type connector (part: 7367 ..................................£6.50
• Bi-Directional 8" long c/w all leads £419.95 Aircell 7
• 500kHz-30MHz - just needs 12V DC! per metre........£2.99 price per 102m drum .......£269
£44.95 PL259 connector (part: 7390)..................................£2.65
£269.95 Two Digital Scanners with these specs: N type connector (part: 7392) .................................£5.25
DIAMOND D-777 Airband Antenna • Receives 25-1300 MHz (with gaps) Other 100M Coax Drums
Fibreglass 1.7m long, • Covers DMR, MotoTRBO. And more! Westflex 103 ..Semi Air-spaced low loss ............£159.95
AOR LA-400 • Upgradable CPU, DSP, and library RG-213 (Cabnex).....Low loss good quality ...........£99.95
Low Noise loop lets you this antenna gives
High Gain coverage • Store Scan lists RG-213U ........Mil spec .......................................£136.00
hear weak signals in the • EZ Scan PC software
of VHF/UHF Airband RG-Mini 8.......Super XX........................................£69.95
LW, MW and SW Bands • IF/discriminator output RG58/CU........Mil spec .........................................£39.95
• Receives 10kHz-500MHz • Record & save to Windows
• 30.5cm diameter Loop £64.95 Twin Feeders
• Clock & Calendar function 450 Ohm........Twin feeder ....................................£89.00
• 20dB built-in Pre-amp • Spectrum Sweeper
• Remote mount Sirio SD-3000N Discone 300 Ohm........Twin feeder ....................................£76.50
with optional cable High quality stainless steel, SPIDERBEAM MASTS Nevada Antenna Wire
chromed brass & anodised Coated flex weave Antenna wire...........................£59.95
£399.95 aluminium construction Nevada 28..........2.8mm 2kW.......per metre...........£0.99
• 300 MHz-3GHz Nevada 28D .......2.8mm 2kW.......100m Drum.....£89.95
End Fed Wire Receive Antenna Fibreglass Telescopic Poles Nevada 32..........3.2mm 5kW.......per metre...........£1.20
High quality complete £69.95 12 metre Heavy Duty........................................£89.95 Nevada 32D .......3.2mm 5kW.......100m Drum.....£99.95
18 metre Standard .........................................£199.95
kit includes mounting 22 metre ‘Long John’ NEW .............................£399.95
hardware & coax cable Scanmaster Desktop 26 metre Standard .........................................£499.95
Indoor Discone antenna Aluminium Telescopic masts
• Covers: 2-30MHz
• Kevlar Mil spec. wire 25-1300MHz complete with 10 metre Standard .........................................£299.95
cable and BNC plug 10 metre Heavy Duty......................................£325.00
• Length: 20m 12.5 metre Standard ......................................£329.95
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digital modes (analogue + analogue
• TETRA, P25 (Phase SSB/CW (w/gaps)
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SHOWROOM OPENING HOURS:
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Index
Contents Favourites Reviews Features News
Cover Story
September 2019 Vol.14 No 9 23 Scanning Scene
On sale: 22 August 2019 Continuing his focus on scanner reviews, Tim Kirby
Next issue on sale: 26 September 2019 offers an in-depth assessment of the Uniden Bear-
cat SDS-200 base/mobile digital trunking scanner
RadioUser and has advice on military comms.
Warners Group Publications plc
The Maltings, West Street
Bourne, Lincs PE10 9PH
www.warnersgroup.co.uk 28 The Medium Wave Circle
Tel: 01778 391000 Scott Caldwell and Steve Whitt outline the surpris-
Editor ing scope and fascination of modern medium wave
(c/o Warners Group Publications plc) monitoring, as promoted by this well-known MW DX
PTH
Georg Wiessala
IN-DE NER association.
wiessala@hotmail.com
SCANIEW
Designer REV Bearcat 30 Radio and TV: Past & Present
n
Mike Edwards
23 Unide -2000 In this successor column to DXTV, Keith Hamer and
mike.edwards@warnersgroup.co.uk SDS Garry Smith survey the pioneering days and outstand-
Advertisement Manager ing personalities in the early development of both
Kristina Green 6 Subscriptions Page media in the UK.
kristina.green@warnersgroup.co.uk
Have a look at our fantastic subscription offers and
Tel: 01778 392096
never miss a review, feature article, regular column or 32 The Future of Radio in
Advertising Production news item again. Pakistan
Nicola Lock
nicola.lock@warnersgroup.co.uk Lydia West explains how radio rises to a multitude of
7 News & Products socio-economic challenges in Pakistan, showing how
Publisher
Tactical HF Antennas, Satellite Radio, Komunika broadcasting can educate, bring people together and
Rob McDonnell
robm@warnersgroup.co.uk Aerials, the mAT-125 tuner; Yaesu FTdx101MP and overcome conlict.
the PRTX-7300 high-performance module; WRTH bar
Subscriptions
Subscriptions are available from as little graphs, staff news, and much more. 38 Maritime Matters
as £11. Turn to our subscriptions page for Robert Connolly delineates the use, meaning and
full details. 11 Bookstore technology behind maritime distress calls and
Subscription Administration Visit our online bookshop for a wide and diverse explains how an Emergency Position Indicating Radio
Radio User Subscriptions, range of titles on all facets of the radio hobby. Beacon (EPIRB) works.
Warners Group Publications plc
12 Air Show Guide 2019 (Part IV) 42 Ruby Payne-Scott
David Smith offers the final part of our Guide to 2019 The editor introduces an Australian radio astronomer
Subscriptions Hotline: 01778 395161
Airshows and has some reading suggestions. who both excelled in her work on solar radio emis-
subscriptions@warnersgroup.co.uk
sions and struggled against the structural inequali-
Technical Help 16 Lindars Radios ties of her time.
We regret that, due to editorial time
scales, replies to technical queries cannot
Justin Lindars outlines his journey from small begin-
be given over the telephone. Any technical nings to becoming one of the latest UK-based radio
queries by e-mail are very unlikely to traders to engage hobbyists and the public.
receive immediate attention either. So, if
you require help with problems relating to
topics covered by RU, then please write to
18 Book Review
the Editorial Offices, we will do our best to David Harris reviews the autobiography of the Classic
help and reply by mail. FM presenter Nick Bailey.
Book and back issue orders
Send your completed form to: 20 Aerials Now!
RadioUser Subscriptions Dept Keith Rawlings investigates the Yagi-Uda type of
Warners Group Publications plc aerial and unlocks the secrets of using SMA, SMB
and QMA connectors in the most effective way.
26 Airband News
David Smith profiles ATC operations at Newcastle
Airport and reports on new ways of reducing wake
vortices and coordinating aircraft movements.
42
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4 RadioUser September 2019
Editorial
Welcome
War and Radio –
and a New Column
ello and welcome to the
48
H September 2019 issue of
RadioUser. August 2019 sees
yet another radio-related
anniversary – and a problematical one
to boot: On 31st August 1939, Hitler had
sent the SS to covertly attack the Gleiwitz
45 Emerging Issues in Radio transmitter (Radiostacja Gliwicka),
Chrissy Brand and Tim Sutton Brand take the pulse thus creating a propagandistic pretext
of current audio/ podcasting technologies with the to attack Poland and incite World War
Apple Watch. Chrissy then reports on the latest radio- Two. Silesia, including the Gleiwitz
related conferences and events. (Gliwicka) station, became Polish, the
Wiessala family became displaced, and
48 International Radio Scene the wider history of the event can now
Chrissy Brand blows the doors off the Italian FM be appreciated in the Muzeum Historii
radio scene and races ahead to offer a mini-survey of Radia I Sztuki Mediów – Radiostacja
the very best and latest in contemporary global radio. Gliwice (Museum for Radio History and
Media Art Gliwice).
52 RadioUser Competition www.muzeum.gliwice.pl
If listening to international radio the traditional way is Beyond war and peace, we start off
your interest, here is your chance to win a top-notch this issue with three reviews: Tim Kirby
Cross Country Wireless Indoor Active HF Loop Aerial. has had the new Uniden Bearcat SDS200 a proile of a well-known international
on his workbench, and Nils Schiffhauer Medium Wave DXing association, the
53 Network Radio offers an in-depth assessment of the Medium Wave Circle (MWC).
Chris Rolinson investigates network radio APRS WiNRADIO Excalibur WR-G65DDC Sigma We also continue our occasional series
and 5G safety, before illustrating some outstanding SDR, which he describes as the new on the development of UK radio traders.
initiatives that network radio users in the USA have benchmark in receiver technology. Those of you most interested in inter-
come up with. Last, but certainly not least, Chrissy national radio broadcasting will, hopeful-
Brand offers a review of the Apple Watch, ly, enjoy Chrissy Brand’s recommenda-
56 The Falklands War in terms of its suitability to listen to tions; if you want to perfect your listening
Scott Caldwell observes both the destructive and podcast audio. post, on medium wave, short wave and
the healing potential of broadcast radio and two-way Moreover, we have the Season Finale, beyond, we have a competition this
military communications, before, during and after the as it were, of the RadioUser Airshow month to win the unique Cross Country
1982 conlict. Guide. Part Four, in this issue, concludes Wireless Indoor Active Loop Aerial, which
our 2019 look at Airshows – time has will pull in the DX for you.
61 Utility Monitoring lown by if you pardon the pun. Furthermore, leaing through the pages
In another major equipment review this month, Nils This issue also sees the evolution of that follow, you will encounter a wealth of
Schiffhauer has had the rare opportunity to critically our former DXTV column into a new ven- articles on such diverse subjects as the
review the professional-grade WiNRADIO Excalibur ture: Keith Hamer and Garry Smith are amazing invention of the Yagi-Uda aerial,
WR-G65DDC (Sigma) SDR. broadening their scope to offer a new the variety and uses of maritime distress
column, Radio and TV, Past and Present, calls, the impressive array of social ini-
65 Digital Radio looking at the most exciting develop- tiatives that network radio is spawning in
Kevin Ryan outlines the latest in the international ments, technologies and pioneers in the the USA, and the latest Ofcom News in re-
DRM scene, reports on holiday destination DAB, and progress of both media. gard to digital radio developments in this
shares the most recent Ofcom updates in regard to Our main features this month range country, and their regulatory framework.
digital radio. from the role of radio in the Falklands Enjoy this issue of RadioUser.
War to the future of broadcasting in
70 Rallies & Events Pakistan, and from an introduction
Our latest listing of rallies, swap-meets, club events, to Ruby Payne-Scott, a little-known Georg Wiessala
lectures, and related activities. Australian radio astronomy pioneer, to Editor, Radio User Magazine
Why not visit our new online bookshop at www.radioenthusiast.co.uk/store

RadioUser September 2019 5
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Showground, is the 11th National Hamfest.
Packed with everything you need to set up
and maintain an Amateur Radio Station
cies and the ideal event to attend if you are
ISSN 1748-8117
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What’s new in the world of radio News
What’s New
Have you got something new to tell our readers about? If so, then drop a line to wiessala@hotmail.com
ST
OP
IC-SAT100
PR
ES
S!
PTT Satellite
Radio
The mAT- The IC-SAT100 is a unique Satellite PTT handheld
radio that uses the Iridium satellite communication
125 Tuner network. Unlike a satellite phone, the IC-SAT100

will provide radio service to users with the push of
In a recent video, David, M0XIT, a PTT (Press-to-Talk) button. It can be used as a
introduced the mAT-125 Tuner, a brand- communication tool in remote and isolated areas
new product, which has just arrived where there is no mobile phone or landline network
into stock at LAMCO, the MAT-Tuner infrastructure. Also, in the event that radio or cellular
mAT-125E Portable Automatic HF network infrastructure may be rendered unusable by
Antenna Tuner. The mAT-125E is a human or natural disasters, satellite communications
versatile automatic tuner, which can be can provide a stable and reliable backup solution.
used in almost all types of transmitter. The IC-SAT100 PTT Satellite Radio uses the Iridium
It provides automatic antenna tuning satellite network, which covers the whole earth,
across the entire HF spectrum, plus including both poles, and can provide wide-area
6 meters, at power levels up to 120W. global communication anywhere on the planet.
It will tune dipoles, verticals, Yagis, Using 66 Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, it provides
or virtually any coax-fed antenna. broader, more reliable, network coverage, compared
The mAT-125E will match an amazing to Geosynchronous Equatorial Orbit (GEO) satellites.
range of antennas and impedances, far So someone at the North Pole could talk to someone
greater than some other tuners you may at the South Pole; there’s no other two-way PTT device
have considered, including the built-in that can do this. Latency is incredibly low on the
tuners on many radios. The mAT-125E IC-SAT100. The delay is roughly 500 milliseconds,
has 16,000 frequency memories. When the same as it would be for any trunked radio system.
tuning on (or near) a previously tuned Voice quality on the IC-SAT100 is superb, and the
frequency, the mAT-125E uses Memory radio is also (MIL-spec) waterproof and rugged. It is
Tune to recall the previous tuning suitable for use in the harshness of some of the most
parameters in a fraction of a second. If inhospitable corners of the globe. The IC-SAT100 will
no memorized settings are available, be a perfect communication tool for governments,
the tuner runs a full tuning cycle, storing military forces, humanitarian, multinational or
the parameters for memory recall energy-exploration organisations, plus users who
on subsequent tuning cycles on that need communication in remote, isolated, areas
frequency. In this manner, the mAT-125E or for emergency assistance where terrestrial
‘learns’ as it is used, adapting to the communication does not exist. The IC-SAT100 also
bands and frequencies as it goes. features AES 256 encryption, providing extra security
The mAT-125E contains two 18650 Li in communication. The IC-SAT100 acts as a gateway
batteries, which do not need an external and interconnection to various devices, including
power supply, this makes it easy to use PMR, LTE/PoC Radio, IP Phones and also maritime
mAT-125E. It comes with a dedicated and aviation radio. Therefore, this is an ideal solution
charger and uses a latching relay for those who want global communications, while
that works for a very long time when being able to connect local technology.
charged. https://icomuk.co.uk
https://tinyurl.com/y3gv2r64 sales@icomuk.co.uk
For the latest news and product reviews, visit www.radioenthusiast.co.uk

News What’s new in the world of radio
ST
OP
PR
ES
S!
Analyser/Battery Charger
Nevada are pleased to announce the new (approximately one hour for 20000 mAh). A
Komunica POWEREX C-980 Intelligent charger/

analyser. The C-980 will charge from one
built-in thermal management system ensures
the batteries are kept cool during charge, and
Products to eight AA/AAA NiMH batteries with

independent charging circuits for each
a deep battery conditioning system, enables
old batteries to be revitalised. The unit has a
at LAMCO battery. It also includes a ‘one-touch’ battery

health analyser with capacity readout to
large LCD display that allows easy monitoring
of the processes. The Unit sells for £59.95
LAMCO are pleased to report that the firm provide accurate data. The C-980 has a turbo- and is available from NEVADA.
will be stocking the range of exclusive charge mode for rapid recharging of batteries www.nevadaradio.co.uk
Komunica Products. The high-quality
antennas and accessories are available
now in the shop and on the website:
https://www.hamradio-shop.co.uk
ST
OP
PR
Radio News ES
WRTH A19 BARGRAPH DOWNLOAD: The S!
latest graphical representation of the A19
schedules from the makers of the WRTH can
be bought on CD or as a download from this
URL:
https://tinyurl.com/yy29kzgn
NEVADA STAFF NEWS: Nevada are

delighted to announce that Stephen M0MUU
Yaesu FTdx101MP
As the UK’s only factory-authorised Yaesu was also one of the first all-in-one box rigs, as it
has joined its sales team, relocating from
distributor & retailer, ML&S will be receiving had a built-in mains and 12V DC inverter power
Hereford to be with the firm. Stephen has
their first delivery of the 200W version of the supply and even a loudspeaker, which made
a professional background in electronics
FTdx101, the FTdx101MP, in August 2019. it ideal to use portable (it even had a carrying
and telecommunications, but he is also an
There has been huge interest in the 200W handle on the side). They also included two
enthusiastic radio amateur. He operates
variant, which is priced at just £4,199.95, switched crystal-controlled positions for
mobile or portable on HF, VHF and UHF,
including the additional VCT-101 VC-Tune unit. novice license holders, who were restricted to
from hilltops, beaches and rivers. He loves
The Yaesu FTdx101 series name is based on the crystal-controlled transmission until the late
to experiment with both off-the-shelf
famous FT-101, first released in the seventies 1970s. This feature was also handy for fixed
and improvised homebrew antennas. On
by Yaesu Corporation of Japan. These rigs were net operation. Martin and his team will have a
VHF, Stephen works all modes, from FM /
extremely reliable, and various improvements demonstrator at their London showroom and
fusion/wires-x/repeaters, to DMR, D-star
were made over the model range, especially to are now taking orders for this new flagship form
and accessing subnet. He can often be
the receiver, from Mk1, Mk2, B and E models Yaesu.
found very early morning and early evening
(very few F models were ever produced). This www.MLandS.co.uk
chatting through various repeaters and would
welcome calls from new friends.
Enter our competitions at www.radioenthusiast.co.uk/competitions

What’s new in the world of radio News
Radio News
ST
OP
PR
A NEW VIDEO : An overview of the Icom
ES
IC-9700 SDR VHF/UHF transceiver, has
S!
been made by Icom, with the help from Bob
McCreadie (G0FGX) of TX Films. The video
features Chris Ridley (G8GKC) who goes
through the range of features that the IC-9700
– Icom’s first VHF/UHF/1200 MHz SDR – has
to offer. To view this film, which is on the Icom
YouTube channel, click here:
https://tinyurl.com/y5n8se38
https://tinyurl.com/yyvwvfyq
http://www.txfilms.co.uk
IN-CAR TERRESTRIAL RADIO AT RISK

: The In-Vehicle UX (IVX) Group at market
researcher Strategy Analytics has issued
a new report on car owners’ usage of, and
interest in, ‘audio- infotainment’ sources
in the car. In a study carried out across the
United States, the United Kingdom, France,
CCW Tactical HF Antenna
Germany, Italy, and China, it discovered that Chris Moulding of Cross Country Wireless about to be released. This is the Tactical
after several years of ‘explosive interest’, (CCW) announced that the company has HF Broadband Antenna. It is actually an
consumer demand for smartphone mirroring made significant further developments antenna-kit, which allows operators to
systems has levelled off. “As more mirroring on some of its antenna products. The build a wide range of transmitting and
systems come to market in high-volume Broadband Active Antenna and the VLF/LF/ receiving antennas, to fit in whatever
cars, and more non-early-adopting segments HF Vertical Active Antenna are now equal space they may have available.
are exposed to them, their limitations are or better to the performance of the firm’s (Source: Chris Moulding, CCW)
becoming apparent,” the report stated. “But loop antennas. CCW also has a new antenna info@crosscountrywireless.net
despite this, most embedded systems still do
not provide better UX [user experience] than
smartphone mirroring systems.” According
to the study, radio usage is in ‘fast decline’
ST
across the USA, Europe, and China, even OP
though in the west it remains important PR
for some key consumer segments. It also ES
finds that car owners are sending mixed S!
signals on the next-best ‘must-have’ after
radio. “Flat user interfaces, which allow easy
access to all audio/media sources, will be
more important than ever for the next model
turn,” it found. In addition, the report exhibits
that, “ in the search for a next successor to
the CD player, streaming media has shown a
RadioAnalog PRTX-7300
remarkable surge in usage and interest,” as
regards owned media on portable devices.
High-Performance Module
“The UX of embedded systems still does With the Icom IC-7300 the bestselling SDR internally, with no soldering or alignment
not exceed smartphone mirroring systems, transceiver on the market today, it was only necessary, this high-performance module
essentially driving car owners to CarPlay and a matter of time before a manufacturer allows the user to obtain an RF output to
Android Auto leaving infotainment devoid of worked out how to get an RF output to enable drive any of the SDRs, including SDRplay,
any brand differentiation,” commented Derek connection of an external SDR device, for full AirSpy, and so on. This allows the owner of
Viita, senior analyst and report author. “Given panoramic display. Because of cost restraints an IC-7300 to interface through a low-cost
these shifting infotainment usage habits and and getting too close to the specification SDR, a full panoramic display, which the rig,
consumers’ shifting interest in what is a ‘must- of its bigger brother the IC-7610, Icom left ‘as-standard’, is not able to do. Available
have’ for the next car purchase, designers and out RF output capability, which is a major from ML&S, their sole distributor, at an
product planners must tread carefully in future drawback for its users. Located in Turkey & introductory offer price of just £179.95
product lines.” the USA, RadioAnalog has introduced the new plus p&p
https://tinyurl.com/yyrqumc3 PRTX-7300 for the Icom IC-7300. Easy to fit https://tinyurl.com/y3eff5pc
https://tinyurl.com/y4wqklyh

News What’s new in the world of radio
Radio News
ST
OP
PR
ANGEL OF THE NORTH AMATEUR RADIO
ES
CLUB NEWS: The Angel of the North Amateur
S!
Radio Club, in Partnership with Tyneside
Amateur Radio Society, meets every Monday
from 7.00 to 9.00 pm, except on Bank
Holidays. The meetings are at Whitehall
Road Methodist Church Hall; Bensham
Gateshead NE8 4LH (corner Whitehall Road
and Coatsworth Road). Entrance to radio club
room is through the door at the side of the
building, next to the car park with an entrance
on Whitehall Road. Public Transport Details:
Go-Ahead routes 53 and 54; the nearest
metro is Gateshead. OS X 425375 OS Y
562088 Lat (WGS84) N54:57:10 (54.952798)
Long (WGS84) W1:36:19 (-1.605327). Club
callsign: MX0GGP
Nancy Bone G7UUR
Secretary
IC-A120B Base Station
217 Bensham Road The Icom IC-A120B is a new VHF airband space in an air traffic control room/tower.
Gateshead NE8 1US base station, which provides quality ground- Capable of free tuning across 8.33kHz
Tel: 07990-760920 to-air communications from an office or and 25kHz frequencies, this radio is ideal
nancybone2001@yahoo.co.uk air traffic control room tower. Housed in for airfields and local airports to keep in
www.anarc.ne a smart enclosure with power supply, the communication with incoming/outgoing
IC-A120B can be supplied ready assembled, aircraft. You can find out more about this
AMSAT IN SPACE : “It takes considerable so all you have to do is plug the unit into a new product by visiting its dedicated
volunteer effort and real dollars to keep mains socket and it’s ready to be used. The product page: IC-A120B Aviation Base
Amateur Radio in Space”, AMSAT President IC-A120B with its enclosure is compact Station Radio Product Page. The IC-
Joe Spier, stated in a message that also (133 mm x 185 mm x 200 mm, H x W x D), A120B is available to purchase from all
updated AMSAT activities and issued and without the need of a separate external authorised Icom aviation dealers.
an invitation to the organization’s 50th power supply ,can be situated in almost any https://tinyurl.com/y6odwer5
Anniversary Space Symposium and Annual
Meeting in October. Spier put out a call for
‘important assistance’ in the areas of User annual award is to recognize persons, groups investigation continues and is currently showing
Services and Engineering: “AMSAT has or organizations who help define the frontiers a deadline date of 24th July to announce a
several fund-raising needs,” Spier reported, in amateur radio technology, through the long- decision, although this date may change.
noting that contributions to AMSAT are standing tradition of ‘homebrew’ construction. It (SOURCE: DCMS, Radioworld)
tax-deductible to the extent permitted by is housed at the separate website:
IRS rules. “The daily operation of AMSAT is www.homebrewheroes.org ESSEX CW BOOT CAMP & CONVENTION:
accomplished by donations to the General www.icqpodcast.com The event is taking place on 19th October 2019.
Fund. The other main department needs https://tinyurl.com/yy8bzfme Places for the Bootcamp and convention to be
are the fund for GOLF 3U CubeSats design/ (SOURCE: Frank Howell k4fmh@arrl.net) held in Witham Essex are filling up. If you have
construction and Amateur Radio on the interest in attending this year’s event and to avoid
International Space Station (ARISS).” Spier DCMS APPROVES BAUER ACQUISITIONS: disappointment, contact Andy G0IBN
pointed to the 2018 successes of AO-92 The Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and (See also Rallies page)
(Fox-1D) and the launch of AO-95 (Fox-1Cliff). Sport (DCMS) has given the all-clear to the CMA g0ibn1@yahoo.com
Although the latter satellite’s receiver is over Bauer’s purchase of four radio groups. The
not operational, Spier also pointed out that Competition and Markets Authority referred DIGITAL VOICE VERSTEHEN : Understanding
AMSAT Engineering and Operations has been the takeover to the DCMS, saying it may raise Digital Voice is a new publication in (easy)
trying to determine the cause of the issue. public interest considerations, but the Director German by Bernd Götter. Available on the website
(SOURCE: ARRL) of Media at the DCMS has replied to say it will of the DARC Verlag:
https://tinyurl.com/y6cvubjc not intervene in the case. In a letter sent to Paul www.darcverlag.de
Keenan, CEO of Bauer Media Group UK, the DCMS
HOMEBREW HEROES AWARD: Ridgeland, says the Secretary of State reviewed Bauer Media DANISH SHORT WAVE CLUB
Mississippi (USA): A recent ICQ Podcast Group’s recent transactions of Celador Radio INTERNATIONAL: New Domestic Broadcasting
announced a partnership in the founding Broadcasting Ltd, Lincs FM Group Ltd, UKRD Survey . A completely updated DBS-21 with 15
of the American Homebrew Heroes Award and the local radio business of Wireless Media pages is now available on:
by three members of the podcast. This Group but will not take any action. The CMA’s www.dswci.org

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Airshows
Airshow Guide
David Smith offers the ‘Season Finale’ of the 2019 RadioUser Airshow Guide. If you are visiting
any of these events, do not forget RadioUser. You can get back in touch with the editor and relate
what you saw and heard.
August 3rd (Saturday) August 10th and 11th (Saturday and Sunday) August 17th (Saturday)
EAST KIRKBY AIRSHOW: Held at Lincolnshire Avia- WHITBY REGATTA: Whitby, North Yorkshire. The event SHUTTLEWORTH FLYING PROMS: Old Warden, Big-
tion Heritage Centre, East Kirkby, Lincs PE23 4DE. As includes a small seafront airshow on both days. gleswade, Bedfordshire SG18 9EP. The 22nd incarna-
well as an airshow, there will be Lancaster taxi runs, www.whitbyregatta.co.uk tion of the extremely popular Flying Proms. Flying by
re-enactors, trade stalls, vintage cars, and military ve- resident and visiting aircraft in display sequences to live
hicles. Ticket numbers limited to 5,000. Event raises August 9th to 18th (Friday to Sunday) classical music.
funds for the restoration of Lancaster NX611. FALMOUTH WEEK: Falmouth Seafront, Cornwall. Tel: 01767 627927
TEL: 01790 763207 There will be a small airshow on the 13th. www.shuttleworth.org
www.lincsaviation.co.uk www.falmouthweek.co.uk
August 4th (Sunday) August 15th to 18th (Thursday to Sunday)

SHUTTLEWORTH FAMILY AIRSHOW: Old Warden, AIRBOURNE - EASTBOURNE INTERNATIONAL
Biggleswade, Bedfordshire SG18 9EP. A large number of AIRSHOW: Eastbourne, BN21 3YT. Free airshow along
resident and visiting aircraft on the ground and in the air, the seafront, with ground displays, extensive military
music, a vehicle parade, and many other activities. exhibitions and plenty of flying on all four days, includ-
Tel: 01767 627927 ing a strong military involvement. Also live music on the
www.shuttleworth.org beach stage, children’s entertainment areas, helicopter
pleasure flights and fireworks.
August 8th (Thursday) Tel: 01323 411400
GATHERING OF MOTHS, MOTHFEST: Old Warden, www.eastbourneairshow.com
Biggleswade, Bedfordshire SG18 9EP. The gathering of
de Havilland Moths has returned to Old Warden from
RAF Henlow last year.
Tel: 01767 627927
www.shuttleworth.org
August 8th to 11th (Thursday to Sunday)

BRISTOL INTERNATIONAL BALLOON FIESTA:
Held at Ashton Court, Bristol BS41 9JN. Europe’s larg-
est annual meeting of hot air balloons, which usually at-
tracts over 150 of them. Entrance is free, but car parking
charges apply.
http://bristolballoonfiesta.co.uk
August 10th and 11th (Saturday and Sunday)

BLACKPOOL AIRSHOW: Tower Festival Headland,
Blackpool, Lancashire FY1 4BJ. Free seaside airshow
with afternoon displays of classic and modern aircraft
over two days, centred just to the left of the Northern
Victorian pier.
Tel: 01253 478222
https://tinyurl.com/y48yfq3w

COMBINED OPS: Held at Headcorn Aerodrome, Kent
TN27 9HX. Military vehicles and airshow.
www.headcornevents.co.uk

ECHOES OF HISTORY SHOW: Purleigh Halt Show-
ground, Barons Lane, Purleigh, Essex CM9 6PF. The ‘Mil-
itary and Flying Machines Show’ took a rest in 2018 but
is returning in a new location in 2019 and adopting a new
name. Main focus is ground displays. A WWII Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
Tel: 07543 881528
www.echoesofhistoryshow.com

Airshows
August 17th and 18th (Saturday and Sunday) August 25th (Sunday) September 1st (Sunday)
BIGGIN HILL FESTIVAL OF FLIGHT: Biggin Hill Air- LITTLE GRANSDEN AIR AND CAR SHOW: Fullers SHUTTLEWORTH VINTAGE AIRSHOW: Old War-
port, Kent TN16 3BH. A major event taking place omce Hill Farm, Little Gransden, Cambs SG19 3BP. Over three den, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire SG18 9EP. The Herit-
again at this historic airfield. hours of vintage and aerobatic flying; vintage, veteran age Show become the Vintage Airshow for 2019, but
www.yourairport.co.uk/airshow2019 and classic vehicles, and large scale model aircraft. The the theme remains the same: vintage aircraft, motors,
event is in aid of Children in Need and of local charities. agriculture and bikes from both the collection and from
August 17th to 23rd (Saturday to Friday) Tel: 07730 091132 visitors.
CROMER CARNIVAL: Cromer, Norfolk NR27 9HP. This www.littlegransdenairshow.co.uk Tel: 01767 627927
is the 50th anniversary of the Cromer Carnival; a week of www.shuttleworth.org
events, always held in August. There will be an aerobatic August 25th (Sunday)
display on the 20th. COLD WAR JETS OPEN DAY: Held at Bruntingthorpe September 6th to 8th (Friday to Sunday)
www.cromercarnival.co.uk Proving Ground, Lutterworth, Leics LE17 5QS. Ground SOUTHPORT AIR SHOW: Southport Seafront, South-
high-speed taxi runs by many ex-military aircraft. port, Merseyside PR8 1RY. The Southport Airshow
August 22nd and 23rd (Thursday and Friday) www.bruntingthorpeaviation.com/open-days moves back to its September slot for 2019 after trying
CLACTON AIRSHOW: West Greensward, Clacton Sea- out a July date in 2018. Friday dusk and weekend sea-
front, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex CO15 1NW. Free seaside August 29th to September 1st front air show, but not free. Unusual in that the flight path
air show and ground attractions. Not as big as some (Thursday to Sunday) is over the broad sands of the beach, whereas most sea-
other seaside shows, but a good mix of military and clas- BOURNEMOUTH AIR FESTIVAL: Bournemouth, Dor- front shows are over the sea.
sic aircraft; exhibition and trade stands, food court, and set BH1 3AF. The 12th Bournemouth airshow is one of Tel: 01704 533333
on-site entertainment. the biggest free shows in the country. Expect military www.visitsouthport.com/airshow
Tel: 01255 686633 and civilian favourites in the air, naval involvement, para-
www.clactonairshow.com chutes with flares, and planes with fireworks after dark, September 6th to 8th (Friday to Sunday)
along with lots of music and other entertainment on the THE VICTORY SHOW: Foxlands Farm, Cosby, Leices-
Aug 23rd to 25th (Friday to Sunday) ground. tershire LE9 1SG. Tribute to WW2. The ground show is
SIDMOUTH REGATTA: Sidmouth, Devon EX2 4DR. A www.bournemouthair.co.uk on for three days, but there are usually no airshow/ bat-
variety of sea events over the weekend, along with plen- tle re-enactments on Friday. Static and flying World War
ty of land-based entertainment. Air display on the 23rd. August 30th to September 1st (Friday to Sunday) ll & modern aircraft.
https://tinyurl.com/y5vgkm6l LAA INTERNATIONAL RALLY: Sywell Aerodrome, www.thevictoryshow.co.uk
Northants NN6 0BN. Although not an airshow as such,
August 24th (Saturday) over 1,000 aircraft are expected at the Light Aircraft As- September 12th (Thursday)
HENSTRIDGE WINGS AND WHEELS: At Henstridge sociation International Rally, billed as Britain’s biggest JERSEY INTERNATIONAL AIR DISPLAY: St Aubin’s
Airfield, Henstridge, Somerset BA8 0TQ. A family day fly-in event. Bay, Jersey, Channel Islands. Wartime and modern
out with classic aircraft and cars. www.lightaircraftassociation.co.uk/2019/Rally military and civil aircraft. Expect some impressive per-
www.wingsandwheelshenstridge.com formers, including a great deal of foreign participation
August 30th to September 1st (Friday to Sunday) not commonly seen on the mainland. Flying is over the
August 24th and 25th (Saturday and Sunday) CHATSWORTH COUNTRY FAIR: In the park at Chats- coast in St Aubin’s Bay, adjacent to the island’s capital,
RHYL AIRSHOW: Rhyl, Denbighshire, North Wales worth, Bakewell, Derbyshire DE45 1PP. As well as a full St. Helier.
LL19 3AF. Free seaside airshow with civilian and military programme of ground events, there are military and civil- Tel: 01534 873956
participants and many ground attractions. Main view- ian flying displays. https://tinyurl.com/y5r42yc6
ing areas will be between Blue Bridge and The Splash- www.chatsworth.org/events
point, along the seafront. The events arena will be by the September 12th (Thursday)
Seaquarium. August 31st and September 1st GUERNSEY AIR DISPLAY: St Peter Port, Guernsey,
https://tinyurl.com/y42ozwfq (Saturday and Sunday) Channel Islands. Smaller than the Jersey show on the
AIRWAVES NORTHERN IRELAND INTERNATIONAL same day, this event is centred to the east of St Peter
AIRSHOW: Portrush, Coleraine, N. Ireland BT56 8AP. Port harbour.
Biggest airshow in Ireland. Free air and sea displays, Tel: 01481 728686
ground shows and exhibitions in two areas: East Strand www.guernseyairdisplay.com
and Lansdowne.
Tel: 02870 347234
www.airwavesportrush.co.uk
RadioUser September
June 2019 2019 13
Airshows
September 13th to 15th (Friday to Sunday) not be an airshow, although there will be free (donations
GOODWOOD REVIVAL: Goodwood, West Sussex PO18 welcome) access and an opportunity to see vintage jets
0PH. Revival is not just a celebration, but a recreation of on the ground, possibly with some fly-ins, engine runs,
Goodwood’s early racing days. The event includes flying taxiing and flying.
and static air displays of pre-1966 aircraft. Entry by ad- Tel: 07880 506144
vance ticket only - no tickets on the gate. www.gnatdisplayteam.com
Tel: 01243 755055
www.goodwood.com/motorsport/goodwood-revival October 6th (Sunday)
SHUTTLEWORTH RACE DAY (SEASON FINALE): Old
September 21st and 22nd (Saturday and Sunday) Warden, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire SG18 9EP. The last
BATTLE OF BRITAIN AIR SHOW: Duxford, Cambs airshow at Old Warden, Shuttleworth Race Day will blend
CB22 4QR. Duxford’s September Air Show will celebrate the best of Shuttleworth’s vehicles with the usual super-
the Battle of Britain. As well as flying, there will be living lative flying, including a mock air race.
history re-enactments, sounds of the era and access to Tel: 01767 627927
the museum. Advance tickets only. www.shuttleworth.org
Tel: 01223 835000
https://tinyurl.com/yy43mn9r October 6th (Sunday)
THE VINTAGE FLY-IN: Old Buckenham, Norfolk NR17
September 21st and 22nd (Saturday and Sunday) 1PU. Celebration of pre-1965 aircraft with aero-jumble.
SYWELL CLASSIC PISTONS AND PROPS: Sywell Other aircraft also welcome. Landing fees half-price.
Aerodrome, Northants NN6 0BN. Classic cars, bikes, The 453rd Bombardment Group Museum and the 8th Air
planes, vintage lifestyle and family entertainment, in- Force Heritage Gallery will both be open.
cluding live music. Vintage and classic traders. Tel: 01953 860806
Tel: 01775 768661 www.oldbuck.com
www.sywellclassic.co.uk
September 27th to 29th (Friday to Sunday)

JETFEST 2019: North Weald Airfield, Epping, Essex
CM16 6HR. A weekend of jets at North Weald, organised
by the Gnat Display Team. Friday is ‘photography-day’
when up to 15 jets will be available for a limited number
of photographers. On Saturday and Sunday, there will
A Lockheed P-38 Lightning

Reading Tips for the Low Season
• Brook, M. (2018) Flying Past: Tales of Displaying Classic Historic Aircraft
Paperback (The History Press)
• Doyle, T. (2010) Flying at the Edge ( Pen & Sword Aviation)
• Hoblyn, E. (2019) The Great War Display Team (Amberley Publishing)
• RAF: Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
https://www.raf.mod.uk/display-teams/battle-of-britain-memorial-flight
• Video: The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight - ‘Lest We Forget’.

Listen to weak signals clearly with a bhi
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A Whistler Weekend | Books, News & Products | BNC Connectors
Digital, DRM & DAB Radio | Es’Hail-2 with SDR | Network Radio Display until 27th June 2019
Trader Profile
Justin Lindars
lindarsradios@gmail.com
A
s a child I remember my Dad
spending hours in his work-
shop, repairing and testing
radios. My father was con-
Building
radio magazines.
stantly writing articles for
I will never forget the smell of the sol-

dering iron and hearing the rattle of
screws. He built me my first receiver. Ever
since then, I’ve been hooked on all things
Aladdin’s
ham radio related.
This passion has led me to start my own
company, buying and selling amateur ra-
dio equipment. The business is based in
Yeovil, Somerset.
It all started back in June 2017 from
home, when I won a collection of amateur
Cave
Justin Lindars offers a profile of Lindars Radios, a
radio equipment from a local auction by
mistake! Being a first-time user to the auc-
rapidly-growing radio trader with a long tradition
tion site, I thought I was pressing the refresh of interest, and active involvement, in the hobby.
button each time, watching the bidding go-
ing up. It out this was the bidding button
and not the refresh one, and the lucky win-
ner, to my surprise, was – me!
I went to collect my winnings, and it
turned out there was a lot more than had
been shown in the pre-auction photos. I
sold the first radio from that job lot and
made my money back instantly.
This gave me the idea that, perhaps, I
could this a few more times. Amateur radio
has been a hobby of mine for many years,
and I really enjoyed buying and testing the
radios from auctions.
It wasn’t long before the house started to
fill up with interesting radios and accesso-
ries. I began to realise I would need to take
on small premises. This led to a rather inter-
esting stock system, which utilised, among
other things, the children’s wardrobes and
various cupboards around the house.
I built an e-commerce website to list all
the items of stock; numbers were increas-
ing rapidly and on a daily basis. Due to the
nature of some rather unusual radio equip- it wasn’t long before our space was our new premises!
ment, I made contact with a local amateur completely filled yet again with radios In March 2019, due to increased sales on
radio club member (Rob G3MYM) who very and accessories. both the website and in the shop, I took on
kindly helped me identify various pieces of Six months later, I decided to look for new a new member of staff, Rachel, who pho-
equipment. I joined the local Yeovil ARC, premises in Yeovil and was very fortunate tographs and inputs the stock to be sold
which is always very supportive of any of to find a unit on a local industrial estate that on the website.
my new ventures. we share with a fellow amateur radio enthu- Within the shop, we have a vintage wire-
http://yeovil-arc.com siast Lee (G70GG) of PC Zone (Yeovil). less museum area, a good selection of
My next expansion plan was to take on We moved into the unit in September vintage and collectible Morse keys, and
premises above estate agents in January 2018 and had an official launch day, which a library of books and manuals on all
2018. This consisted of 4 rooms, one of attracted the local mayor, along with things radio related.
which was turned into a small radio muse- many radio amateurs. Thanks to word of We have a popular Call Wall (callsigns)
um. This worked very well; the only draw- mouth, we are now very busy with lots of for every amateur who visits the shop, and,
back was the lack of both customer parking shack clearances and trade-ins. And, of of course, a great selection of new and used
and more space for stock. Consequently, course, we have had no problem filling up amateur radio equipment and accessories.
See our great book and magazine offers at www.radioenthusiast.co.uk/store

Trader Profile
There is also an area available for

customers to sit down and try out our
equipment; we have an external HF aeri-
al, which can be used for both transmit-
ting and receiving.
On the 6th July 2019, we had an open
day with Yaesu demonstrating its latest
FTDX101D transceiver.
On the day, we had a good turnout of ra-
dio enthusiasts; for some, it was their first
visit to the store.
To make the day complete, one of our
customers kindly described the shop
as an Aladdin’s Cave for amateur ra-
dio enthusiasts.
Follow us on Facebook @radioenthusiasts and Twitter @REnthusiasts

Book Review
A Fascinating Global Life in Radio

David Harris Hong Kong. In 1973, he returned to the UK
mydogisfinn@gmail.com where he landed a job with BFBS and was
posted to Gibraltar. This was the begin-
David Harris reviews the autobiography ning of a nine-year career in Forces broad-
of the popular Classic FM presenter casting, which also took him to Cologne
Nick Bailey, who developed an impres- (Köln) and Berlin in Germany, and eventually
sive international profile and chose to back to Hong Kong.
stay true to his roots as a radio pre- Nick paints a vivid picture of the ex-pat of-
senter. ficer class broadcasters, who led a ‘charmed’
life, interviewing visiting dignitaries and en-
Nick Bailey (b.1947) was the first presenter tertaining the troops in the far-flung parts
to be heard when Classic FM (a UK national of Britain’s diminishing number of colo-
commercial classical music station) started nies. He could have stayed with BFBS, but
up in 1992. He remained with the station for his heart was in being a presenter, rather
25 years until he retired in 2017. than a manager.
https://www.classicfm.com
Nick spent almost his entire working life in
NICK BAILEY Nick decided that his future was in Hong
Kong, and he remained there until 1992.
radio. This autobiography gives a detailed ac-
count of his life with Radio Caroline, various
Across the Waves
From Radio Caroline to Classic FM
During his 10-year spell, he started some
television work, became the Hong Kong cor-
Australian radio stations, Radio Hong Kong, With a foreword by Paul Gambaccini
respondent for BBC Radio 5, and he also be-
the British Forces Broadcasting Service came Head of Radio 3, Hong Kong.
(BFBS), and finally with Classic FM. He could have progressed to senior man-
Nick was born and grew up in London, in agement but decided to return to the UK.
Bailey, N. Much had changed over the years, and the
what may be termed a Bohemian environ-
Across the Waves: From Radio Caroline to Classic FM UK now possessed an extensive network of
ment. His father was the actor Robin Bailey,
Otherwise Publishing. 2019 commercial stations. In 1992, several new
and his mother had also worked in the the-
319 pp. Pbk. £17.50. ISBN 9781 999922214 stations were launched, including Classic
atre. He went to a French school in London
www.otherwise-publishing.co.uk FM. Nick had an interest in classical music
and was brought up by a series of au pairs.
From 1958 to 1962, the family moved to and shared the vision of the station’s found-
Australia, where his father played Prof. Henry Nick had enjoyed his childhood years in ers that there was a market for classical mu-
Higgins in a touring production of My Fair Australia. Therefore, in 1968, he emigrated sic presented in the style of popular music.
Lady. The family returned to England and there on the £10 assisted package scheme. Classic FM had a policy of recruiting experi-
Nick found a job in a theatre company, first in After a brief spell working in a factory, he enced radio presenters, rather than classi-
Plymouth and then in London. got his big break as a presenter with a ru- cal music experts.
Through a friend, Nick obtained a job as ral station, 2VM Moree, 400 miles north- He applied for a job with the new station
a newsreader with offshore station Radio west of Sydney. This station is still broad- and ended up presenting the prestigious
Caroline South in 1966, and he moved to casting on 1530AM. Breakfast Show.
Radio Caroline North in 1967. However, Nick wanted to gain more experience in Classic FM became an immediate suc-
with the passing of the Marine Offices Act, broadcasting and moved to Townsville, on cess, getting 4.3 million listeners within
which outlawed offshore stations, he sought the Queensland coast, to work for 4AY (now the first three months, which was double
new opportunities. Hit 103.1). He then tried his hand at work- the listenership of BBC classical music
ing in an island resort and in a bookshop in station Radio 3.
Sydney, before returning to the airwaves at Nick presented a variety of different pro-
4BH Brisbane, 882AM. grammes during his 25-year tenure with the
http://www.2vm.com.au station, which continued to grow in populari-
https://www.hit.com.au/townsville ty. He remained true to his roots as a present-
https://tinyurl.com/y3vvddty er and never chose to climb the slippery lad-
This book really captures the excitement der of management.
and enthusiasm of working in radio at a time This is an extremely entertaining and very
before it became a glamorous, and hard- readable book. Unlike many self-published
to-access, profession. Nick had not done books, this book has benefited from being
very well at school but possessed a good professionally edited. It is also well illustrat-
speaking voice and had a real interest in ed, with many photographs spanning Nick’s
communications. 50 years in broadcasting. This title is highly
After four years in Australia, he moved to recommended to anyone wishing to gain an
the then British colony of Hong Kong, where understanding of what it is like to work as a
Former Classic FM presenter, Nick Bailey he worked for the English service of Radio radio presenter.
Across
Sign the
up Waves
to our is available
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Aerials Now!
SMA, SMB and QMA

Connectors
PICTURES: KEITH RAWLINGS, EXCEPT 5A & 5B: WIKIPEDIA
Keith Rawlings
Keith.g4miu@gmail.com
Keith Rawlings introduces some lesser-

known types of aerial connectors and
compares the construction and ef-
ficiency of the Yagi-Uda Array to that of
the Log-Periodic Dipole type of aerial.
This month I will cover some of the small-

er types found itted on (or in) some
equipment. Let us begin with the SMA
type (Fig. 1). ‘SMA’ stands for ‘Sub-
Miniature version A’.
These are useful little connectors offer-
ing good overall performance and an ex-
cellent working range of DC to 18GHz, with
some working to 26GHz.
This kind of connector has been around 1
for many years, but it seems that it has only
relatively recently been seen on the outside Network Analyser and Radarbox (where I
of equipment used by enthusiasts. Due to never leave the aerial connected when not
its small size, manufacturers often use it in use, Fig. 2).
as an interface for aerial, external/inter- It is important with SMA (and to be fair
nal reference output/input, IF input/output other connectors) to ensure that the male
connections, and so on. pin is not twisted during assembly. For ex-
Just looking around my workbench, I ample, a plug should be inserted into an
can see ive items that would not be able adaptor and the hex ‘nut’ twisted, not the
to make use of a BNC connector. However, adaptor, to lock the pair together.
open up the cases on some test equip- SMA connectors can be found with ‘re- 2
ment, and you will ind many of the RF inter- verse polarity’ as well. This does not have Fig.1: An SMA plug itted to RG223 cable, female/
connections made with SMAs. anything to do with reversing signal po- female inline adaptor, male/male inline adaptor.
larity but the ‘gender’ of the connectors is Fig. 2: A ‘sacriicial’ SMA adaptor itted to a VNA.
Working with SMA Connectors changed. If I look at my Retevis RT3, the
The threaded portion of the SMA is 1/4” in aerial connector is a female socket, but the ance. They provide excellent RF perfor-
diameter, with a 32TPI thread, and the hex socket on the Wouxun KG-UV6 is a male, mance from DC to 4GHz. They are slightly
section is 5/16” AF. exactly the reverse. smaller than their SMA cousins, with the
Ordinarily, tightening to inger-tight is ac- Bear this in mind when sourcing parts, ‘jack’ having a male centre pin; the plug is
ceptable, but some manufactures recom- such as replacement aerials and patch female. I cannot remember seeing any it-
mend that appropriate torque is applied, leads, to ensure that they match your set. ted externally to amateur gear but they are
using a suitable torque wrench. One drawback with the SMA for the used for internal, and sometimes exter-
It is often stated that a connector is casual user is assembly and the mak- nal, connections on some test and radio
only good to 500 mating cycles. Now, I ing up of leads; the price of buying the equipment (Fig. 3).
don’t suppose that this means that, on cy- connectors and crimp tool may not be
cle number 50,1 the connectors will fall to cost-effective. However, a look at one The QMA Type
bits. It is more the case that the electrical particular online auction site will reveal a This is another high-performance type
properties may start to degrade from this whole host of readily-made products at of connector that readers might not see
point onwards. My advice would be that, if semi-reasonable prices. that often (Fig. 4). QMA type connec-
your applications require frequent chang- tors were designed to replace the SMA
ing of connections, a ‘sacriicial’ adaptor SMB Connectors series (and, in some cases, the Type N
be used; that is one left in position, saving In this instance, ‘SMB’ stands for ‘Sub- connectors too).
wear and tear on the one itted to the equip- Miniature version B’. These are snap-on They are a bit of a newcomer on
ment. This is something I have done on my connectors of either 50 or 75Ω imped- the scene and were irst released in

Aerials Now!
3 4
the early 2000s. en element’, and the ‘non-driven’, or ‘par-

Their main advantage is that they are asitic’, elements are excited by mutual
‘quick-lock’ devices, so they may be mat- impedance, coupling with the driven el-
ed/de-mated quickly and without any ement, along with the other parasitic el-
tools. They also allow a safe rotation of ements. Therefore the Yagi is termed a
360 degrees, without stress put upon con- ‘Parasitic Array’.
necting surfaces. Clearly, the minimum number of el-
This comes at a price. One part number ements for a Yagi has to be two, a driv-
from RS I regularly use will set you back a en element and a ‘reflector’ (or ‘direc-
mere £14.50 each, although this reduces to tor’). This ensemble forms an ‘endire’
£11.65p for a hundred or more! array, with maximum radiation travelling
Also available for interconnections with- along the axis.
in the equipment is the ‘Mini QMA’. Typically, the reflective element is lon-
ger than the driven element, and the par-
Feedback asitic directors are shorter, by some 5%.
Noel Waddoup recently contacted me. Elements may be mounted in contact
After moving from Africa to Essex, Noel with the boom or insulated from it; gen-
is building a flag aerial for use with NDB erally, there is only one reflector element,
and MW reception. After my comments although adding more can improve per- 5a
on compression PL259s, he asked where formance slightly.
I got mine from. However, there may be many director el-
Noel, this was some time ago but they ements, improving gain but narrowing the
came from W H Westlake, Devon. beam width (or ‘capture area’). A disadvan-
tage of the Yagi is that the radiation resis-
Log Periodic versus Yagi. tance seen at the driven element can be
My recent mention of Log Periodic Dipole quite low, in the region of 10-20Ω. This can
Arrays (LPDA) and Yagis raised a few be raised by the use of a folded dipole driv-
questions over the merits of either type. en element and/or a matching transformer.
Therefore, I thought I might go over the Another matter of note is that, for best
subject again to offer slightly more detail performance, the tuning of parasitic ele-
into their differences. ments is important. This leads to a reduc-
The Yagi-Uda Array is named after its tion in the useable bandwidth of the Yagi.
‘inventors’ Shintaro Uda (宇田新太, 1896- Furthermore, the further away from reso-
1976) and fellow discoverer Hidetsugu nance it is, the more the radiation pattern
Yagi (八木秀次, 1886-1976). Together, they alters from the ideal. Therefore, the resul-
found that, if a reflector is placed behind a tant bandwidth is only a few per cent.
1/2λ dipole Driven Element, radiation may Therefore, a Yagi is fre-
be focused in a certain direction. By add- quency-dependent. 5b
ing N directors along the same axis, radia- Calculations involved in the design of Fig. 3: Some SMB connectors.
tion can be further focused in that direction a Yagi are straightforward, although op- Fig. 4: A QMA plug and socket used for an aerial
(Figs. 5 a-c). timum placing of the elements can be connection.
The dipole element is connected to tricky. Some software can help you decide Fig. 5a: Shintaro Uda (1896-1976).
the feed line and is known as the ‘driv- ideal lengths and placement of the ele- Fig. 5b: Hidetsugu Yagi (1886-1976).

Aerials Now!
Direction of Radiation Direction of Radiation
Feedpoint
Feedpoint
Reflector Driven Director 1 Direcot N

Element Active Radiation
5c 6
ments on the boom. Details of the LPDA Fig. 5c: A demonstrative plot of a typical Yagi.
A basic Yagi will really consist of three The Log-Periodic Dipole Array was devel- Fig. 6: An indication of the typical active region
elements – one driven element, one reflec- oped at the University of Illinois, as part of of an LPDA
tor and one director, all of those mounted some extensive research into frequency-
on a single boom. independent aerials. While it may look like nant dipole will contribute to the radiation
a Yagi, with tapering elements, the LPDA is, of the LPDA; the other elements, how-
A Popular Aerial in fact, a very different beast and has a far ever, will not.
One reason for the popularity of the Yagi greater frequency range. Broadly speaking, this is because of the
type (apart from its gain potential) is that However, element for element, it is likely reactive impedance of the elements; those
it is simple to build. While a commercial to have a lower gain and a greater beam- shorter than 1/2λ will be too capacitive to
design will be engineered using a sturdy width. To quote R E Colin (Antennas and radiate, and elements much longer than a
boom and similarly sturdy elements, you Radiowave Propagation, McGraw Hill, 1/2λ will be inductive.
will ind all sorts of designs, where users 1985), “The underlying concept of the LPDA Like the Yagi, the design of an LPDA is
have knocked up ‘beams’, from plastic design is that of building a structure that made easier by using computer software
water pipe and old tape measures to con- scales itself periodically as the frequency, to plan and optimise its performance.
structions from wood for the boom, and and hence wavelength, changes. A given Construction is, however, is not quite as
the elements made from pieces of wire antenna (!) that operates satisfactorily at a simple as the Yagi.
stapled into place. wavelength λ1 will perform at a wavelength As stated, the ‘booms’ are transmission
I have been involved in making parts λ2 if its dimensions are changed by the lines and these have to be constructed so
for commercial HF beams utilising BS316 factor λ2 /λ1”. that they are insulated from each other and
Stainless Steel and built with 25mm and https://tinyurl.com/y4vyugqd the spacing between them correct.
32mm diameter elements, and I have also At irst glance, the LPDA may seem to A BALUN is ideally required, and it needs
constructed the ‘wooden-boom-and-wire’ have twin booms. However, this is not re- to work over the complete frequency
method for myself on VHF beams; I am ally the case, as they are in fact transmis- span of the design.
happy to conirm they can work very well! sion lines; elements have to be physical- To sum up, the LPDA, it is a good
Yagis are popular with the military, and ly connected to them, unlike in the case choice for directional operation over a
they found extensive use in WWII, with all of the Yagi, where they may be isolat- wide frequency range with VSWR typi-
of the main protagonists using them in ed from the boom. cally below 2:1.
one form or another. They are also popular By this means, a 180-degree phase re- For a given size, it is likely to have less
with amateurs and professionals alike, and versal between elements is introduced, gain and a wider beamwidth than a Yagi.
you will see TV and ‘FM’ Yagis every day on essential for the LPDA to radiate correct- Like the Yagi, it needs to be rotated un-
peoples’ chimney pots, utility sites as well ly. The LPDA works on the principle that less used in a speciic direction.
as dedicated radio links. all of the elements may be ‘driven’, unlike Both types concentrate power towards
To sum up, the Yagi is an ideal type of ae- the Yagi’ where only the ‘driven element’ is, the front. However, as Fig. 6 shows, there
rial for good performance over a dedicat- in fact, driven. will be other lobes.
ed frequency band, where it is necessary Both may be mounted either vertically
to focus from/to a particular direction. It Active and Passive Regions or horizontally.
also has the merits of reducing reception The LPDA has active and passive regions, I hope this has clariied the differ-
from areas that are not of interest. It has a and the majority of radiation will be from ences between the two designs, but
relatively narrow bandwidth; unless point- the dipoles that have lengths near to 1/2λ then, what about the Log Periodic Yagi
ed in a speciic direction, this type of aerial long at the frequency of use (Fig. 6). You Bandpass Array...?
needs to be rotated. can see that the elements near the reso- See you next month!

Scanning Scene
Review: Uniden Bearcat

SDS-200 Scanner
“The Uniden Bearcat SDS-200 is the base/ toring). Free Sentinel Software keeps the
Tim Kirby mobile version of the hugely successful SDS- SDS-200 database and memory up to date.”
longworthtim@gmail.com 100. It has the same feature-set as the Included with the SDS-200 are an AC
SDS-100, plus some enhancements. This is adapter, a DC lead, a USB cable, a micro-SD
Tim Kirby offers a review of the new Uniden’s latest, and most advanced, base/ Card (already installed), a BNC-type tele-
Uniden SDS-200 base/mobile dig- mobile digital trunking scanner. Frequency scopic antenna, mounting hardware, and an
ital trunking scanner and catch- coverage is as follows: 25-512, 758-824, instruction manual.
es up with his postbag, covering the 849-869, 895-960, and 1240-1300MHz. Although Waters and Stanton sells the
RTL_433 software, the ISS and military The SDS-200 incorporates the latest True SDS-200 with three digital modes (DMR,
communications. I/Q receiver technology, which provides NXDN and ProVoice) enabled as stand-
the best digital decode performance in the ard, the review model was not set up in this
The arrival of the Uniden SDS-200 desk- industry, even in challenging receive en- way, so I was not able to try out reception
top scanner has been much anticipat- vironments. Highlights include True I/Q™ of DMR, which realistically was the only one
ed. Following our review of the Uniden Receiver, TrunkTracker X, Direct Ethernet out of the additional digital modes that I
Bearcat SDS-100 handheld model earlier Connectivity for Streaming and Control, would have been likely to receive here.
this year (RadioUser, February 2019: 14- Complete USA/Canada Radio Database, However, I would expect digital function-
18), I was very keen indeed to have an in- Location Control for Simple Operation and ality to closely resemble what I found when I
depth look at it. 3.5” Customisable Colour Display. reviewed the SDS-100.
Thanks to the helpful team at Waters and “The SDS-200 with Trunktracker X tech- When I reviewed the SDS-100, I noted
Stanton, I did not have long to wait nology supports: APCO P25 Phase I and that, although the publicity for both the SDS-
On unpacking the unit, my irst impres- II, Motorola, EDACS, and LTR Trunking, 100 and SDS-200 makes a splash about the
sion was of a solid, nicely-sized and attrac- MotoTRBO Capacity + and Connect +**, Home Patrol database, which allows you
tive piece of equipment. The Uniden Bearcat DMR Tier-III**, Hytera XPT**, Single-Channel to conigure your scanner with frequencies
SDS-200 has a very good look and feel to it. DMR**, NXDN 4800 and 9600** and EDACS where you are likely to hear trafic, this only
Before we go any further, though, here are ProVoice** (*Additional or 3rd-Party soft- works in the USA and Canada, so you will
some highlights of what the manufacturers ware may be required. ** Paid upgrades re- have to program the scanner for yourself.
say about his radio: quired for DMR, NXDN, and ProVoice moni- Additionally, although the Sentinel soft-

Scanning Scene
Fig. 1: The back panel of the SDS-200. ternal antenna, the SDS-200 comes supplied about the Capacity Plus channel, includ-
Fig.2: The clear display of the SDS-200. with a telescopic antenna. This will get you ing Talk Group ID, Colo(u)r Code, Time Slot,
Fig. 3: Screenshot from the ProScan software, started, but I think most people who are con- User ID, and so on.
controlling the SDS-200. sidering buying a high-end scanner such as
this, will want to get the best out of it, by us- Store – Connect – Remote
ware, which comes free with the SDS-200, ing an external antenna with a reasonably All settings for the SDS-200 are stored on a
allows you to do some manipulation of the wide-band coverage. micro-SD card, which is included. You can
memory banks, it does not allow you to pro- It’s surprising, though, on the airband either use a USB cable (supplied) to con-
gram lists of channels to be imported to the in particular, just how much you can hear nect your PC, running the Sentinel software
scanner. To do this, you will require some with the telescopic antenna on the back to the scanner, or you can take the micro-
additional software, costing between €50 of the scanner, especially if the radio SD card out of the scanner and insert it into
and €80 Euros, depending on which version is near a window. a reader on your PC and edit the conigu-
you choose. Fortunately, there is the ability Something I had found with the SDS-100 ration that way.
to try the software before you buy it. was that it was not particularly sensitive The micro-SD card can also be used to
Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but think around the 430-460MHz segment, which store recordings of audio that you receive.
that on a scanner costing nearly £800, this can be a fruitful area to scan. However, the Unlike the Whistler TRX-2, which we re-
could, perhaps, be seen as a blot on the SDS-200, connected to a decent antenna at viewed last month (RadioUser, August 2019:
overall picture. least, had no such problems. In the 433MHz 41-43), you can enable recording with a
amateur band, I found that I was hearing re- ‘global’ setting (which records all channels
Starting Off peaters at a similar signal strength to what you hear), rather than being able to opt to re-
All that being said, rather than be able to I would expect on dedicated amateur band cord particular channels.
load lists of frequencies into the scanner, I equipment, which was very encouraging. If you have recording enabled, and you
began by using the Custom Search facility Even better, when I was scanning the 450- come across a transmission you have not
to ind frequencies of interest. 460MHz segment, I found the SDS-200 did heard before, it will be recorded, which may
With the SDS-200 connected (by means a very nice job of decoding some Motorola well be a positive thing. On the negative
of a SO-239-to-BNC adapter) to my rooftop Capacity Plus systems, even when the sig- side, you could have a lot of recordings to
tri-band 50/144/1432MHz antenna, which nal level was marginal. I was pleased by wade through. The nice thing, though, once
doubles as a scanner aerial, I started to this, as I had not been able to receive these you are in Replay Mode, the front panel of
monitor the civil airband. systems (even using an external antenna) the SDS-200 shows exactly what was dis-
As expected, the reception was excel- on the SDS-100. played when you recorded the session.
lent, with very many frequencies quickly It is possible, of course, that overall prop- Once you have listened to a session you can
being found and saved into a favourites agation conditions were simply better on opt whether to retain, delete, or rename it.
list, which can be manipulated using the the day I tried the SDS-200. Like the SDS- The SDS-200 features a LAN socket. This
Sentinel software. If you do not have an ex- 100, the SDS-200 shows the various details allows you to plug it into your internet router,

Scanning Scene
using a network cable with RJ-45 connec-

tors. This means that you can access the
scanner remotely across the internet.
Naturally, this involves some more soft-
ware, which costs extra. The ProScan is
such a program, and it allows remote-scan-
ning across the Internet. To purchase, it
costs around US$50.
Fortunately, you can try before you buy
for 30 days and download a demonstration
copy to determine whether this software
meets your needs. Although it nags you eve-
ry now and again, this is not intrusive.
I decided to install an evaluation version
of ProScan. It was a quick install and easy
to get going. The software will automati-
cally detect what serial port the scanner is 2
attached to on your PC and from there on in,
you can control the scanner from your PC. tal modes enabled, you can pay extra to cov-
In addition to the control functionality, I was er the licensing costs the manufacturer has
able to use the Favourites Editor in ProScan to pay to include these modes.
to maintain the frequencies in the SDS- Waters and Stanton have priced the unit
200. I added a couple of channels to make to include DMR, NXDN and ProVoice as
sure that worked. standard, which is sensible because most
Like in the case of the Whistler TRX-2 listeners will want the ability to listen to
remote control program I mentioned last DMR transmissions. Another add-on is
month, I enjoyed the way that all frequen- the software costs. I feel that, in order to
cies received were logged, as well as data, get the best out of the SDS-200 unit, you
such as Talk Group ID for digital systems, will probably want to use at least one ad-
along with how many times the scanner ditional program; perhaps ProScan or soft-
stopped on a particular channel. This gives ware that concentrates on the manage- 3
a great indication of how active a channel ment of the memory banks of the scanner.
is, of course. This is all added expense, so it’s good to PB used a ‘very home-brewed 2m satellite
be aware of this before you decide to pur- antenna’, consisting of 2 x 19-inch 18SWG
Alerting and Customising chase the SDS-200. wire dipoles and a 20-inch reflector, mount-
A reader, Declan Ryan, asked me whether Very many thanks to Mike Devereaux ed 16 inches behind, all secured with ‘choc-
I’d managed to set the alert LED to light up of Waters and Stanton for the kind loan block’ connectors and screwed into a PVC
when a particular channel was active, as of the SDS-200. cable trunk. To boost signals a bit, PB used a
he’d had problems with this feature. I found The SDS-200 costs £799.95, with DMR, Moonraker preamp. He says that there was
that I was able to do this quite easily us- NXDN and ProVoice digital modes enabled. excellent copy throughout the pass.
ing the ProScan software – a useful feature The irst couple of minutes, with the ISS
if you want a visual alert that a particular Listening Post close to the horizon, brought weaker sig-
channel is active. It was nice to hear from ‘Dipole-Denis’ nals – as you would expect – but, follow-
I liked the SDS-200. It performed well again. Denis has been busy trying out the ing that, the rest of the time, there was
across the range of frequencies that I used RTL_433 software that I mentioned a few very good copy.
it on, and I was particularly pleased to note months back, for monitoring licence-free One of our readers in Gibraltar was listen-
good sensitivity in the all-important 420- data transmissions in the 433MHz (and oth- ing to air trafic control on June 7th, when a
460MHz segment, where much trafic can er) bands. He notes that, although he lives British military aircraft flew around The Rock
be found. I did not notice any problems with adjacent to a car park, he has yet to receive six times and subsequently aborted a land-
strong signal handling. Although I am in a any tyre pressure indications or car door re- ing, owing to fog. The flight was diverted to
rural environment, I am lucky not to have mote locking signals. RAF Brize Norton. Communications were
too many very strong signals, outside my However, he said that this is a good noted on the local air trafic frequencies in
control, at least. piece of software with lots of room for Gibraltar and on one of the Spanish ATC fre-
All in all, the unit is a well-built, sol- experimentation. quencies from Seville.
id and attractive piece of equipment to Another reader who kindly wrote That’s it for this month! Many thanks
have in the shack. with some news was PB who had been to everyone who has been in touch; I look
I was unable to test the SDS-200 on monitoring for transmissions from the forward to hearing from more of you –
DMR as the review model did not have International Space Station (ISS), in par- please let me know what you are listening
the mode enabled. ticular, the planned contact between the to, along with any tips you may have, and
The SDS-200 is a fairly expensive item. ISS and the Rowan Preparatory School in which other readers might ind of interest.
Uniden takes the view that, if you want digi- Claygate, Surrey. See you next time!

Airband News
David Smith
dj.daviator@btinternet.com
Wake Vortices,
S
mall and medium-sized aircraft
currently have to maintain
a safety-critical separation
of 6nm from larger ones
flying ahead of them. The
an Innovation
reason for this is wake vortices, which
can have powerful and dangerous effects,
particularly just before the following
aircraft touches down.
Sandbox and
Austro Control and the German
Aerospace Centre (Deutsches Zentrum für
Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) are now working
Experimentation
together with other partners at Vienna
Airport to reduce the lifetime of wake
vortices in the final approach area and thus
further increase safety.
Corridors
The project involves installing so-called
‘plate lines’ in the landing area. These are David Smith reports on the reduction of wake
designed to accelerate wake turbulence
decay. Depending on the aircraft type
vortices during the final stages of an approach
and weight, it takes some time for wake and on a new initiative for the coordination
turbulence to diminish after the aircraft has of aircraft operations. He also outlines ATC
passed by. The plate lines will considerably
shorten this period, resulting in increased operations at Newcastle Airport.

Airband News
protection. Secondary vortices form ATC Profiles 16: Newcastle Airport

on the two rows of plates – which are ICAO Code: EGNT IATA Code: NCL
about 9m long and 4.5 m high – in this
test installation. They are aligned edge- Frequencies (MHz) Hours of Operation
Newcastle Approach/Radar 124.380 H24
on towards the runway. This causes the Newcastle Director 125.830 As directed by ATC
wake vortices to decay much more quickly. Newcastle Tower
Newcastle Ground
119.705
121.730
H24
As directed by ATC
This could also lead to smaller aircraft Newcastle Delivery 121.730 As directed by ATC
(N.B.: Ground and (Clearance) Delivery are - unusually – interchangeable)
potentially making their approaches at
shorter intervals behind larger aircraft, ATIS
Newcastle Information 118.380 H24
thereby increasing runway capacity. Newcastle Fire (non-ATC) 121.600 Fire vehicles attending aircraft on the ground
A spokesman said that the project Navaids ILS CAT III Runways 07 and 25
NEW DME 114.250MHz
represents a major achievement in NDB NT 352.000kHz
providing test results during live traffic Runways 07
25
2329m x 46m
2329m x 46m
at a busy airport. Early conclusions at Hold NT NDB
Vienna Airport are very encouraging, Notes (A-Z)

with measurements showing that wake CAT II/III Operations
a) Runways 07 and 25 are suitable for lower than standard Category ll operations; b) Runways 07 and 25 – subject to the serviceability
vortices near the plates decay significantly of the required facilities – are suitable for Category lll operations by operators whose minima have been accepted by the Civil
faster. A laser measurement system (Light Aviation Authority; c) During Category ll/lll operations, special ATC procedures (Low Visibility Procedures) will be applied. Pilots
will be informed when these procedures are in operation by ATIS or RT; d) For arriving Aircraft: Surface Movement Radar (SMR)
Detection And Ranging, LIDAR) is used surveillance will normally be available to ATC to verify the pilots’ ‘runway-vacated’ reports. When SMR is not available to ATC only
holds D1 and A2 may be used to vacate the runway.
to record the behaviour of wake vortices Continuous Descent Approaches
in detail for subsequent evaluation. If Subject to ATC instructions, inbound jet aircraft are to maintain as high an altitude as practicable and adopt a low-power-low-drag-
continuous-descent profile when appropriate. Turbo-jet and turbo-prop aircraft are expected to apply continuous-descent, low-power-
these measures prove to be broadly low-drag-approach techniques at all times. ATC will provide pilots with an estimate of the track distance to run to touchdown as soon
effective, as expected, this could result in as possible after the first call on the approach frequency, and thereafter on request.
Frequency Monitoring Code (FMC)
improved security and increased capacity Pilots operating in the vicinity of – but intending to remain outside of – Newcastle-controlled airspace and maintaining a listening
at all airports. watch only on the Newcastle Approach frequency (124.380MHz), are encouraged to select SSR code 3737. Selection of 3737 does
not imply the receipt of an ATC service. Aircraft displaying the code are not expected to contact ATC under normal circumstances,
remain responsible for their own navigation, separation, terrain clearance, and are expected to remain clear of Newcastle-controlled
Latest Drone Developments airspace at all times. Whilst squawking 3737, pilots should be aware that Newcastle Approach may make ‘blind transmissions’, in
order to ascertain a particular aircraft’s intentions/route. When a pilot ceases to maintain a listening watch, code 3737 should be
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) deselected.
Ground Movement
has launched a ‘virtual space’, in which ATC Departure clearance may be obtained by voice-RT or datalink departure clearance service (DCL). Datalink departure clearance
new technology can be safely tested – is available for aircraft departing on the GIRLI Standard Instrument Departure. Clearances must be accepted within five minutes of
receipt or a ‘revert-to-voice’ message will be received. If any data errors are detected by the system or the controller, a ‘revert-to-voice’
the Innovation Sandbox. The Sandbox is message will be received too. If the attempt to obtain a clearance is unsuccessful, the aircraft should revert to voice-RT. With the
offering innovative companies the chance exception of the Antonov AN-124, in order to maximise the use of apron parking space, all aircraft using the main apron stands must
be able to accept push-back. Aircraft unable to do this will be parked remotely, marshalled, and only be accepted if space permits.
to discuss, explore, trial and test emerging Handling Agents
concepts, helping the UK’s aviation sector Handling on the main apron is provided by Swissport. The General Aviation Centre on the South side is operated by Samson Jet
(centre frequency 130.650 MHz, callsign Samson Operations).
to continue to be at the forefront of Helicopter Operations
technology. The six initial participants and As directed by ATC. Helicopters must use the runway for take-off and landing. Helicopter parking on the south apron at positions ‘P’
(West) or ‘P’ (East) are restricted to Jet Ranger size or below. Stand 54 is to be used when available for larger types up to S76 size.
their projects are listed in Table 1. Use of Runways
A variable circuit, as advised by ATC.
CAA’s innovation team will work Visual Reference Points (VRP)
closely with the participants to help them Blaydon; Blyth Windfarm; Bolam Lake; Derwent Reservoir; Durham; Hexham; Morpeth Railway Station; Ouston (disused Aerodrome);
Stagshaw Masts; Sunderland Harbour; Tyne Bridges. The use of Bolam Lake, Derwent Reservoir and Ouston VRPs is not
understand how they can meet regulatory recommended at night.
requirements. Ultimately, this will be one of Warnings
Gliding takes place at Currock Hill gliding site, 8nm south-west of Newcastle Airport from dawn to dusk. ATC will advise when the
the elements the participating innovators site is active, but it is the pilot’s responsibility to avoid the area, by passing 3nm south-east of the site. Model aircraft flying takes
will need, in order to market their new place at Newcastle Gosforth Park Racecourse, 2.5nm south-east of Newcastle Airport. The Newcastle City heliport is located on
the north bank of the River Tyne, 0.5nm west of the Tyne Bridges VRP. Helicopters may lift at short notice from the site but will not
aviation and travel products. be above 500ft until contact is established with Newcastle Approach. When a high-pressure weather system is giving way to a low
This month’s photograph is of the former one, the wind aloft can be from the south or south-west, whilst the surface wind still favours Runway 07. There is an increased risk
of a rushed approach onto Runway 07; contributory factors are being held at high altitude, tailwind during descent, and engine anti-
French Air Force Dassault IVA is part of the ice required during descent through the clouds (icing). A sea breeze, due to the sun’s warming overland, can have the same effect.
Yorkshire Air Museum’s collection.
1. Altitude Angel; a company delivering solutions, which enable the safe integration and use of highly automated drones into airspace. Through its airspace management
platform (Guardian UTM O/S) Altitude Angel delivers the software foundations for safer exploitation of the potential of drones.
2. Amazon; a future delivery system from Amazon designed to safely get packages to customers in 30 minutes or less, using unmanned aerial vehicles.
3. NATS and Searidge Technologies; ATC provider NATS and its digital tower partner, Searidge Technologies, are working to implement new technology, such as Artificial
Intelligence (AI) and digital air traffic control towers. Eventually, these will revolutionise how air traffic is managed at airports all around the world.
4. NBEC Consortium (Cranfield University) and its partners, Blue Bear Systems Research, Thales and Vodafone are creating an experimentation-corridor that will enable
drones and unmanned aircraft to fly beyond the visual line of sight, be location-tracked and thus safely fly in the same airspace as manned aircraft.
5. Nesta Challenges; the Flying High Challenge, part of Nesta Challenges, is a collaborative engagement with cities, technologists, researchers, regulators, government,
public services, and the public, with the aim of shaping future urban drone use in the UK.
6. Volocopter; this is a company developing electrically powered urban ‘air-taxis’, based on drone technology to help modern cities solve their increasing mobility issues.
Table 1: Innovation Sandbox Participants.

Profile
Listening,
Scott Caldwell
scottandrew.caldwell@yahoo.co.uk
Steve Whitt
mwneditor@mwcircle.org
T
he Medium Wave Circle (Fig. 1)
is an international club for radio
enthusiasts and Medium Wave
DXers, with its own prestigious
publication, Medium Wave News.
This newsletter has been produced since
DX-Trawling
December 1954 and it is now disseminat-
ed in both hard and soft copy format. It of-
fers essential broadcast station news and
practical information on radio equipment,
receivers, antennas, signal processing,
& Ultra-Light
propagation analysis, a member’s mailbag,
and the offer of help for beginners with this
fascinating hobby.
To prompt and develop a more infor-
mal channel of discussion on Medium
Monitoring
Wave DXing, the club has devised its own Scott Caldwell and Steve Whitt provide a brief
Facebook page, which currently has 1208
members, facilitating its global appeal.
profile of the Medium Wave Circle (MWC), a well-
Most noticeable is the demographics of respected, and fast-developing, association of radio
the Medium Wave Circle; it is still a male- enthusiasts and Medium Wave DXers.
dominated club, relected by the fact that
over 95% of members identify as male.
members. The July/ August 2019 edition, for
The Early Years example, contained 56 pages.
The Medium Wave Circle was initially solely Potential new members may sam-
edited by Ken Brownless who managed ple a free copy of the publication on the
the club’s affairs from his home in York. website beforehand, to enable them to
In order to keep the administration and sample before deciding whether they
costs manageable, the growth of the might wish to join.
Medium Wave, Circle was staggered, and http://www.mwcircle.org/index_free.htm
membership was deliberately kept small.
The distribution network was reliant on Membership Subscription Rates
surface mail, and international members Table 1 shows the current (September 2019)
were often subjected to long delays. membership subscription rates. Payment
Clearly, the advent of Internet communica- may be made via PayPal or by cheque.
tions has allowed the Medium Wave Circle
to grow its membership base to a more mul- The Functions of the Medium
tinational proportion. Its long term future is Wave Circle
now safeguarded and is relected in the fact The rationale and objectives of the Medium
that membership numbers are now dominat- Wave Circle have changed with the advent
ed by a signiicant proportion who are based of the more recent technological develop-
in mainland Europe. ments in radio, such as those listed in Table
One of the earliest members of the Medium Wave News 2. In many cases, traditional, linear long-
Medium Wave Circle was Bernard Brown The Medium Wave News contains a regu- distance listening – often on one receiver,
who has now been elevated to the position lar section to which members can sub- tuned to one frequency and operated by one
of Honorary Chairman, relecting his years mit their latest DX loggings. It is split into person maybe with a tape recorder at hand
of hard work and support. In 1982 the an- two sections: The Home Front and Eurolog – has been superseded.
nual membership subscription rate was £2, cover stations in the UK and Europe. A DX
for a total of 8 printed copies of the Medium Loggings section provides a comprehensive Medium Wave Circle Website
Wave News, and postage rates were in- list of the DX reports from stations originat- The MWC website offers many comprehen-
cluded in the cost. ing from North and South America, Africa, sive articles. The receiver’s reviews are of
This is, perhaps, a stark reminder Asia, Australia, and the Middle East. particular interest and provide appraisals,
that postage costs, in particular, have The Medium Wave News is currently pub- which cover such topics as receiver tuning
risen signiicantly over the years, lished ten times per year and contains be- ranges, stability, static, selectivity, dynamic
creating problems when budgeting for tween 40 and 64 pages each issue, depend- range, original retail price, and a conclusion.
future expenses. ing on news and features contributed by its To assist beginners with the hobby of

Profile
Medium Wave DXing, the website has a fea-

ture that introduces the key concepts in sim-
plistic terms. It emphasises the common-
ly held view that a beginner does not need
to spend a considerable amount of mon-
ey on expensive receivers and antennas.
Reasonable results may be achieved using a
basic random wire antenna and an introduc-
tory receiver, such as one from the Tecsun
range, noted as possessing a remarkable
level of selectability and sensitivity.
A back catalogue of Medium Wave News
is available in the Members’ Section; it con-
tains volume 50 (2004 – 2005) to volume 56
(2010 – 2011) of the newsletter, providing
a wealth of articles ranging from historical
narratives to antenna construction projects. The Tecsun S-8800, a radio often used for Medium Wave DXing.
It is interesting to look back and relect
on the number of stations that have now
Length of
ceased broadcasting on Medium Wave, Membership Location Rate Format (* = e-membership only)
most noticeable is the recent closures in 2 Years UK £29.00 Includes Printed Copy of Medium Wave News
France, Germany, and The Netherlands. 3 Years UK £42.00 Includes Printed Copy of Medium Wave News
The archive section includes a map of 1 Year n/a £8.00 Includes Downloadable Copy of Medium Wave News*
stations received by members and a small 2 Years n/a £13.00 Includes 2 Free Downloadable Editions of Medium Wave News*
sample recording that may be useful when 3 Years n/a £18.00 Includes 4 Free Downloadable Editions of Medium Wave News*
attempting to ascertain weak station
identiications. Table 1: MWC Membership Rates, 2019.
The e-news service is exclusively for the
beneit of members, delivering news, hot DX more recently, they have been published mornings right now.
tips, and the latest global developments in a in CD format, facilitating remote and A contact list for Medium Wave Circle
safe and spam-free cyber environment, and easy accessibility. oficers is provided on the website if any
for 24 hours a day readers of RadioUser would like addition-
Conclusion al information on the beneits of joining this
All Time DX Lists At a time when the future of Medium Wave premier DX club.
A comprehensive archive of reception re- broadcasting is under serious threat in the
ports compiled by members in the UK and United Kingdom, it is refreshing to ind a Acknowledgements
Ireland is contained in a database, known club that is solely devoted to preserving its Thanks to Steve Whitt, Editor of Medium
throughout the club as The All-Time DX legacy and reminding us that in countries Wave News who provided addition-
Lists. Before the technical revolution that like Spain, United States, and Canada it real information on the functions of the
heralded the advent of the home comput- mains a popular form of communication. Medium Wave Circle.
er in the 1980s, these lists were published This is a great time to join the Medium THE MEDIUM WAVE CIRCLE
frequently. They were originally published Wave Circle, with the dark nights just Glackin, 199 Clashmore
as a feature in Medium Wave News, or in around the corner and the irst hint of North Lochinver, Larig, Sutherland IV27 4JQ
a separate, hard-copy, format. However, American stations appearing in the early membership@mwcircle.org
DX-PEDITIONS: taking keen listeners and all their receivers and antennas to MODERN ANTENNA DESIGN: somewhat surprisingly, the last 20 years have
remote locations, looking for unusual signals and reception; locations include revealed several very effective new antenna designs for MW reception.
crofts in Scotland, ishing huts in Scandinavia, cliff-top locations in Oregon USA, PROPAGATION ANALYSIS: better understanding and better information-
desert locations in South Africa & USA, as well as many beachfront locations. sharing have enabled many cases of unusual reception, in terms of times and
DX TRAWLING: using the power of SDR receivers & computers to, for locations, which were previously thought to be impossible.
example, record the entire MW band for ‘staggered’ (non-real-time) listening, SDR LISTENING: using sophisticated, software-deined radios and new digital
appreciation and analysis. signal analysis tools; this can be the expensive end of the hobby.
LOW-POWER STATION RECEPTION: the power race of the Cold War is now ULTRA-LIGHT LISTENING: seeing what can be achieved with modern, low-cost
ended, and most megawatt MW transmitters have been closed. Many new digital portable radios, pushing £50 technology to its limit.
stations radiate 10W or less and pose a new listening challenge. SPECIAL SITUATIONS: reception during solar storms or during solar eclipses
SIGNALS INTELLIGENCE: using special signal characteristics to track to explore what is possible.
and identify weak signals, for instance, precise carrier frequency and UTILITY DXING: capturing and analysing non-broadcast signals, such as
drift measurement. maritime navigation beacons (NDBs).
Table 2: The Attraction of the MWC in a New Radio Landscape.

Radio & TV: Past & Present
Early Days and Legacies

Keith Hamer Television: The Baird Era
Keith405625.kh1@gmail.com The World’s irst regular, public, high-dei-
Garry Smith nition television service began at 3.00pm
garry405625.gs@gmail.com on Monday, November 2nd, 1936, from the
BBC’s 17kW transmitter at Alexandra Palace
In this new column, Keith Hamer and located in north London (Fig. 2), Channel B1
Garry Smith return to take a fresh was used with vision and sound carriers of
look at the fascinating story of radio 45 and 41.5MHz, respectively. The irst if-
and TV. In this first instalment, they teen minutes were taken up by the actual
look at the genesis of both media and opening ceremony, including Adele Dixon
remember some key personalities. singing Magic Rays of Light, which also had 1
the alternative title, Television Is Here (Fig. 3).

The British Broadcasting Company, Limited Programmes inished at 4.00pm and were
(as the organisation was originally known) resumed ive hours later with a programme
was formed on October 18th, 1922, by a summary followed by a BBC ilm called
group of wireless manufacturers, includ- Television Comes to London.
ing Guglielmo Marconi (1874-1937). The This traced in great detail much of the
Postmaster General granted permission for preparations required to build and equip
the service to begin in May 1922. Between the studios and transmitter at Alexandra
1922 and 1929, a total of eight cities were Palace. This ilm was subsequently used
allowed to have their own local transmitter, many times during trade test transmissions
each with an ERP (Effective Radiated Power) to demonstrate the wonders of television to
of approximately 1.5kW. Each city had its own prospective viewers. Programmes ended
studio, and, from August 1923, regular news promptly at 10.00pm. This meant that ini-
bulletins were fed from London. Initially, tele- tially, only two hours of programmes were
phone landlines were not suitable for carrying broadcast each day.
music programmes to these regional studios. 2
However, the quality eventually improved suf- Baird’s First Demonstration

iciently, using the GPO trunk network. Although television as we know it began in
The irst broadcast was at 6.00pm on 1936, the irst demonstration of true televi-
Tuesday, November 14th, 1922, from sion took place on January 27th, 1926, when
Marconi’s 2LO Station (on 369 metres) lo- John Logie Baird (1888-1946) displayed his
cated in the Strand, London (Fig. 1). The pro- apparatus to a less-than-enthusiastic audi-
gramme consisted of a news bulletin, read by ence. Baird didn’t ‘invent’ television (there
Arthur Burrows, Director of Programmes. The were several experimenters actively engaged
items were supplied by various news agen- in this ield), but he was the irst to actual-
cies, and he read the bulletin twice, once at ly put all the theories into practice (Fig. 4).
normal speed and then repeated more slowly One of the earliest theories was developed
so that listeners had the opportunity to take by Georges Claude (1870-1960) in France in 3
notes if they wished. The bulletin was fol- 1902 with his neon lamp apparatus. This par-
lowed by a weather forecast, prepared by the ticular system was used by many early tel- demonstrated. Experimental transmissions
Meteorological Ofice. evision pioneers. of still pictures, using the Fultograph Process,
The irst regular ‘General News’ bulletin However, the most important breakthrough were inaugurated from the Daventry trans-
from London was broadcast on December had happened earlier, in 1897, when Karl mitter on October 30th, 1928. On September
23rd, 1922, together with the irst orchestral Ferdinand Braun (1850-19918) in Germany 30th, 1929, an experimental vision-only 30-
concert, and a mixture of programmes featur- invented the cathode-ray tube. This scan- line broadcast was jointly inaugurated by the
ing speech and dance music. The BBC had ning device had a luorescent screen, known BBC and The Baird Company, Limited from
been very quick to introduce a broadcast re- as the cathode-ray oscilloscope. The screen the 2LO transmitter installed on the roof of
ceiving licence, costing 10 shillings (50p in would emit visible light when struck by a Selfridges. It operated on a frequency of
today’s money), on November 1st, some two beam of electrons. 842kHz. In October of that year, reception
months before all the scheduled fun and fri- Returning to Baird, during the following was reported as far north as Bradford.
volity was oficially inaugurated. three years after his initial demonstration in A second transmitter was brought into
We’ll continue the fascinating story sur- 1926, several ‘irsts’ were notched up. In May service at Brookmans Park. This allowed
rounding the early days of wireless broad- 1927, an image was transmitted by telephone both vision and sound to be broadcast si-
casts next time with an in-depth look at the cable between London and Glasgow. In multaneously from Baird’s London studio
irst transmitters to come into service. August 1928, a simple ‘coloured’ picture was in Long Acre on March 31st, 1930. The vi-

Radio & TV: Past & Present
ALL PICTURES: THE KEITH HAMER+GARRY SMITH BBC COLLECTION
sion was transmitted on 1148kHz (261 me-

tres) with the sound on 842kHz (356 me-
tres). These transmissions were radiated
for thirty minutes on a daily basis. By 1934,
Baird’s studio had moved into the basement
of Broadcasting House in London. The vi-
sion signal was transmitted from London
on 1149kHz (260.9 metres), and the sound
was broadcast from the Daventry transmitter 4
on 767kHz (390.8 metres). Some time ago, 6
a commemorative plaque in Broadcasting
House indicated the original location of
Baird’s studio.
Although very few people at the top of the
BBC tree took any interest in television at that
time (in particular, the Director-General, John
Reith, who “detested television immensely”.
The Baird process was taken over by the
BBC on August 22nd, 1932. The system used
a mirror drum scanner. It was installed at
Broadcasting House in London, together with 4
5 7
the irst BBC Television Control Room (Fig. 5). Fig.1: The BBC 2LO Control Room in 1922. Fig. 2: The birthplace of television: Alexandra Palace in
The Baird system employed only 30 scan- north London. Fig. 3: Adele Dixon sings the opening song at the start of the BBC Television Service on
ning lines repeated 12.5 times per second November 2nd, 1936. Fig. 4: John Logie Baird with his 30-line television equipment in the 1920s.
(12.5Hz). This restricted its ield to close-up Fig. 5: The irst BBC Television Control Room, located in Portland Place, London. Fig. 6: Richard Baker,
shots and bold, high-contrast, scenes. Many the BBC’s irst television Newsreader. Fig. 7: Surprise reception from Ukraine, on 49.75MHz.
experiments were carried out into the possi-
bilities of improving picture quality, but it was mitters at that particular time of the day, not This paved the way for some obscure
realised from the outset that Baird’s 30-line Welsh ones. The only other programme was Russian networks to appear, such as ‘Disney
system would not be suitable for broadcast- Watch with Mother. It featured daily charac- Channel’ on channel R2 (59.25MHz), ‘RTR
ing general entertainment programmes. ters such as Andy Pandy, The Flower Pot Men, Planeta’ R2 and ‘Россия-K’, a cultural
Rag Tag and Bobtail, and The Woodentops, for channel, on R3 (77.25MHz). An unidentiied
Tribute to Richard Baker 15 minutes, from 1.30pm. Richard Baker was oblong logo also added to the intrigue. Other,
An era in television news came to an end with a presenter, rather than a journalist, a veteran more-common, Russian networks noted, in-
the death of veteran newsreader, Richard of the war-time Arctic convoys, and a writer. cluded ‘Россия-1’ and ‘1TV’.
Baker, aged 93. He introduced the irst BBC But his great love was music, and he often ap- The Ukraine‘1+1’ network (Fig. 7) surfaced
News bulletin, News and Newsreel, on July peared as a panellist on Face the Music. on R1 (49.75MHz), despite a drastic pruning
5th, 1954. The programme was aired at For many years, Baker presented the of the transmitter network.
7.30pm with ‘still’ pictures, rather than ilmed Proms, and provided the voice-over for the
sequences. Only his voice was heard. In traditional New Year’s Day Concert from Stay Tuned!
fact, it took years before the BBC allowed Vienna via Eurovision. He had a go at acting, We hope that our new column will meet with
in-vision newsreaders. It was thought that on one occasion alongside Prince Edward. your interests. We aim to continue the origi-
newsreaders’ facial expressions might not For many viewers, perhaps his most memo- nal 1927 remit of the BBC, namely to ‘inform,
always seem impartial and, worse still, they rable appearance was on a Morecambe & educate and entertain’.
may turn the news into a personality perfor- Wise Christmas Show, with veteran BBC We’ll be expanding on some of the topics
mance. The irst female in-vision newsread- Newsreaders, including Michael Aspel and featured this month in forthcoming columns.
er, Nan Winton, didn’t grace our screens until Peter Woods. They all wore sailors’ uniforms, Please get in touch and let us know about
June 20th, 1960. while singing There Is Nothing Like A Dame any topics you might want to see covered
For more than 25 years, Baker helped to from the musical, South Paciic. in this column.
deine the calm, clear, voice of BBC-tv News. Richard Baker was still broadcasting as
In the early Sixties, apart from programmes an octogenarian. He was born in 1925 and Reading
for ‘Schools & Colleges’ during term-time, died at a hospital in Oxford on the morning of Baird, J.L (2004) Television and Me:
and the Welsh-language broadcast Heddiw Saturday, November 17th, 2018. The Memoirs of John Logie Baird
(Today) from 1.00pm, Test Card “C” – ac- (Mercat Press)
companied by some glorious music – would DX Corner Baird, M. and Kamm, A. (2002) John
be transmitted. The broadcast lasted from Sporadic-E activity was below par for Logie Baird: A Life - A Personal Biography
10.00am until approximately 5.00pm. There DXers in the UK for most of June. The (NMSE - Publishing Ltd.)
was only a ive-minute News bulletin at TV DXers’ nightmare arrived on the 3rd, Horrocks, C. (2018) The Joy of Sets:
1.25pm. This was often presented by Richard when Russia switched off another batch of A Short History of the Television
Baker (Fig. 6). By the way, Heddiw, rather bi- analogue transmitters, although advisory (London: reaktion books).
zarrely, was only shown via English trans- trailers ran for a further seven days.

Feature
Does Radio Have a

Future in Pakistan?
Lydia Ritchie returns to RadioUser to critically observe the significance of
radio in Pakistan, against the backdrop of a multitude of challenges and
wider socio-economic changes in the country.
Lydia Ritchie at the end of 1937, and a station in Dhaka camp in Balakot.
lydiacanwest@yahoo.com went on-the-air in 1939. On the 14th August This led to the capture, by Pakistani
1947, Radio Pakistan, in its irst broadcast, forces, of an Indian jet ighter pilot, Wing
et’s begin with a quote, to evoke
L
could announce that independence for Commander Abhi Nandan. On the 5th
the scene: ‘In the evenings, my fa- Pakistan, “came into being with the tick of a March, Pakistan reported success in
ther would crowd with his father, clock at midnight last night….’ thwarting an incursion into its waters by
and with the other men of our vil- It would be October 1998 before Radio an Indian submarine. Pakistani airspace
lage, around a metal box, which Pakistan broadcast in FM. remained closed to all lights, apart from
was kept carefully wrapped and stored in Pakistani independence triggered an in- those to and from major airports, as of 27
the house. It had once belonged to mujahi- lux of mujahidin from India. For all those February 2019. Tit-for-tat-shelling across
din who, in 1947, had made the long trip back leaving behind the life they had known, the Line of Control continues to date,
home. He must have been a man of some im- Radio Pakistan must have been invaluable. and more recent news reported that ive
portance in those days. However, the vacuum tube radios of the Pakistani soldiers were killed in a blast in
“He brought the radio, we were told, as era were heavy and bulky. They required the Barnala area on 3rd July 2019.
small boys, to our village on the back of a cumbersome batteries to provide power.
donkey. I, with the other children and the Furthermore, radio sets were not plenti- Press Freedom and Media
women, would linger at the edges, strain- ful; there would have been one treasured The Press Freedom Index, compiled annu-
ing with excitement to catch a recognisable –doubtlessly battered – set accessible to ally by Reporters Without Borders, placed
word from amidst the hiss and the crackle most communities. Pakistan in position 139 out of 180, in both
that magic box produced. It was the high- 2017 and 2018. The 2019 report places
light of my childhood.” Country Profile Pakistan in 142nd place. There are severe
Experimental radio clubs had come into Modern Pakistan is a country comprising restrictions placed on media freedom in
being in the ‘Indian Empire’ during the years of some 796,096 square kilometres of land the disputed border territories. Reporting of
following the emergence of the commer- (UN data). Rugged and mountainous ter- news remains censored.
cial radio set. Intrepid radio amateurs dab- rain forms the, often disputed, borders be- However, from 2002, the award of radio
bled with design and application in Radio tween Pakistan and Iran and Pakistan and and TV licenses was increased. Today, over
Clubs in the large centres of Bombay, Afghanistan. The 510km-long section of 100 broadcast radio licenses have been
Calcutta and Madras. the Karakoram mountain range, which bor- granted. Radio Pakistan boasts 62 stations,
Giachand Motwane of the Bombay der China, is part of the Kashmir land dis- broadcasting in 23 local languages.
Residency Radio Club is widely regarded as pute. Against this background, incursions by Broadcast stations here tend to self- cen-
being the irst man, in 1920, to have made a armed forces, the presence of non-govern- sor and focus, in the main, on entertain-
radio transmission in the Territory. mental militia, isolation, and the sheer inac- ment. News broadcasts remain the remit of
In 1935, the politics of the Indian Empire cessibility of large swathes of land produce the government-controlled Radio Pakistan.
changed. Powers of autonomy were given a situation of instability. The remainder of licensed stations re-
to the Indian provinces, and Burma was On top of this, Pakistan’s borders remain broadcast content from the state broad-
separated from British India. volatile. February 2019 witnessed an es- caster, and they are permitted to rebroad-
This breakup, combined with the threat of calation in like-for-like attacks in the dis- cast the BBC Urdu and the VOA.
imminent disagreements between the vari- puted Kashmir area. The deadliest attack
ous Princes and provinces played a large on Indian Forces since 1989 took place in Programming and Impact
part in the decision to install, in January Jammu and Kashmir in India when a sui- Programming from illegal stations happens
1935, the irst radio station in present-day cide bomber killed over 40 members of – until the pirates are closed down by au-
Pakistan. It was established in Peshawar, the Indian Central Reserve Police. India thorities. PEMBRA is an independent body,
with a 250W transmitter. retaliated on the 26th February, launch- established by the Pakistani government in
Following this, Lahore Radio was opened ing airstrikes against an alleged militant March 2002, charged with improving stand-

Feature
Gilgit China
Skardu
NWFP
Jammu &
Kashmir
(Disputed territory)
Afghanistan Islamabad
Lahore
Punjab
Quetta
Balochstan
Iran India
Sindh
Gawdar
Karachi
Arabian Sea
ards of broadcasting general information, people, gathered around a short wave radio ble terrain. There may have been short wave
education and entertainment. that is tuned to one of the overseas stations radios scattered in the decimated villages
The organisation reported in 2009 that remains valid to this day. Moreover, the be- and towns, but there were few transmitters.
more than 100 illegal stations were operat- leaguered security services sometimes use The radios that existed proved priceless
ing in the border regions. In these areas, it short wave military bands to communicate during rescue operations.
can be easy for local groups to block the with their city headquarters. They were often the only means of com-
distribution of newsprint, refuse access to munication with devastated rural areas.
education and medical care and sabotage Disaster Radio They were the only way to ensure that sup-
ground-based equipment and electricity Consider this eyewitness report: “I thought plies were airlifted to where they were most
lines. They might also frown on private own- it was a bomb. Then everything went dark. urgently needed. They were the communi-
ership of sets. One government response to When I woke up, I was in a dream. I remem- cation lines from ‘Ground-Zero’, by means
this situation has been to increase the number a lot of dust. I remember the silence. of which news and updates were made
ber of state-governed FM stations permit- Then, as I moved, I heard sounds. Faint calls. available to both the central government
ted to broadcast in these sectors. And keening. We had been hit by a magnitude and the outside world.
7.6 earthquake. Our town was rubble. What Lessons were learned from this particu-
FM Radio and Propaganda the tremors had not crumbled, landslides had lar tragedy. In the aftermath of the disaster,
In May 2019, Mohammed Ashfaq reported covered. Women did not mingle in public. protocols were put into place; rapid access
that the Pakistani Secretary of Information We did not move slabs of concrete with our to satellite imagery, in regard to future seis-
and Public Relations, Mukhiar Ahmed, an- bare hands. We did not cry, side-by-side, with mic events, is now assured.
nounced the opening of ive new FM sta- strange men. We did, on that day.” The worst lood in Pakistan’s recent his-
tions across the Tribal Districts, to coun- Days passed before government and for- tory occurred in July and August 2010. Over
ter ‘terrorist propaganda’, transmitted into eign aid organisations had any idea of the 1,780 people died. The waters resulted in an
Pakistan by foreign broadcasters. Prior to extent of the situation following the Azad estimated US$ 43 billion worth of damage.
this, there were only two operational FM Kashmir earthquake of 8th October 2005. The annual monsoon had triggered lash
government stations, both operating be- Organised assistance was slow in arriving loods; the Indus River overlowed, wash-
tween 2 and 3 hours daily. and hampered by a lack of protocol, intra- ing everything, including communications
Therefore, the image of isolated tribes- agency communications and the inhospita- equipment, before it.

Feature
Deforestation and poorly-maintained ir-

rigation infrastructure were amongst the
factors blamed. However, once again, the
simple, eficient and ever-reliable radio had
a valuable part to play in mitigating the ef-
fects of the disaster. Battery-operated or
hand-cranked radios will, for the time being,
remain essential, where power lines, water
sources, even GPS, are vulnerable to forces
of nature and sabotage.
Health and Radio

‘’I am probably alive today only because
of a radio program about the importance
of inoculation.”
Overcrowded cities, inadequate sanita-
tion, widespread poverty, rural illiteracy,
lack of awareness and resources, use of un-
sterilized syringes, stigma in a conservative
society, and low take-up of inoculation ini-
tiatives, can all lead to an increase in com-
municable diseases, not least in Pakistan.
HIV/AIDS is running at alarming levels
amongst drug injection users in urban ar-
eas and, due to the realities of high levels of
sexual transmission of the virus, on trans- Hand Crank AM/FM Radio
portation routes in trans-border areas. The
National Aids Control Programme has been tal messages reach the poorest of the poor, ble consideration.
active, in attempting to ensure that every in areas which lack reliable electrical power. In the 21st Century, distance learning has
person affected by the virus has access to Radio can reach people who, through lack been well- established around the globe.
quality care, in raising awareness of both of inancial resources cannot be reached Public availability of internet connections
the disease and of vectors of transmission, by television, let alone by the internet. And it adds a visual component, and software like
and, of course, in preventative measures. can be heard where satellite signals are in- Skype enables interaction between teacher
However, awareness in the general pub- termittent or non-existent. and students and between students. In iso-
lic of the existence of these illnesses is still lated regions, where broadband connec-
at low levels. In areas where health access Wider Education by Radio tions, computers, television sets and mobile
is basic, misdiagnosis of HIV is common. A medical practitioner once told me that, phones are scarce, radio broadcasts can be
Resources, inancial and human, are lim- “Because of radio, I obtained an AIOU quali- the only means of obtaining an education.
ited, and much-needed antiretroviral drugs ication”. Allama Iqbal Open University was,
are not readily available in Pakistan. in 1974, the irst University in Pakistan to Listeners and Watchers
A dengue epidemic hit Pakistan in broadcast its curriculum via radio. The Figures from Radioscore and Infographics
2017. By October of that year, 87,250 cas- broadcasts were an addition to course indicate that the number of people who lis-
es had been identiied in KPK Province. work through print. ten regularly to radio throughout Pakistan
Mosquito-borne diseases brought an out- Presenting courses through the medi- stands somewhere between 15% and 25 %.
break of Chikungunya to Karachi in 2017. In um of radio has signiicant disadvantag- Music and entertainment are the most pop-
November 2016, an outbreak of drug-resist- es – there being no visual component be- ular genres. News and current affairs pro-
ant typhoid occurred in Hyderabad and con- ing a major one. There is no direct contact grammes are restricted to Radio Pakistan,
tinues to spread to this day. with the teacher, nor face-to-face inter- rebroadcast on other stations.
The government uses all available means action with peers and, of course, no im- Figures quoted by Gallup indicate that
at its disposal to push its immunisation mediate feedback. around 70% of radio listeners use FM, rath-
projects. Vaccines are made available, and Furthermore, radio-borne courses need er than AM and that listeners appear to be
this has resulted in a noticeable decrease in to be rebroadcast numerous times, and the on the younger side. This appears to be the
communicable disease levels. timing of broadcasts needs to be clearly result of ‘young’ listeners owning and pre-
Radio remains one of the most reliable communicated. Courses need to be con- ferring to receive broadcasts via mobile. In
methods to get health messages to isolat- ducted in a variety of languages. Pakistan, 91.1% of adults are said to have
ed communities. Radio Pakistan can reach However, for those with no physical ac- access to a mobile phone. AM listener-
98% of the population and covers 80% of cess to centres of learning, radio is a cheap ship is still high, compared to other parts
the total area of the country. These broad- means of communication. For a coun- of the globe, but it features most strongly
casts have a signiicant impact. Of even try with a fast-growing population and in rural areas.
greater importance is the role of radio in overcrowded cities with limited space for Television has a greater reach than does
health education. Radio can ensure that vi- educational facilities, radio proves a via- radio in Pakistan. Cable TV prevails in

Feature
Sindh, Punjab and in Baluchistan. Satellite of the reasons for this lie in the lack of a USAID program to radiate services 18 hours
Television fares better in the rest of the national ‘right-of-way-policy’, which would daily over KPK, FATA and parts of Punjab.
country. However, the population of vast ru- enable providers to lay ibre networks. Moreover, in July 2014: a 100kW MW
ral stretches of Pakistan is often too poor Furthermore, delays and uncertain costs digital transmitting station opened in
to afford television sets. Signals are not as can dampen enthusiasm for investment Hyderabad, providing coverage to the ma-
reliable as they might be in less dificult ter- in such projects. jor cities of Sindh. August 2014 witnessed
rain, in areas fraught with electrical power The 2018 installation of a ibre optic a 100kW MW digital station installed in D.I.
outages, or no electricity at all. cable running along the China-Pakistan Khan to cover South and West Waziristan.
On top of this, sabotage in the disputed Corridor will provide a reliable channel for In addition to these, October 2014 saw
territories can also be an issue. broadband in that area. The underlying rea- a previously out-of-order SW 100kW trans-
son for the predominantly Chinese-funded mitter station reopened in Rawalpindi
Connectivity Data project was to provide China with a shorter to cover KPK and Indian-held Kashmir.
The Global System Mobile Association telecom route to the rest of the world, by- And in December 2014, two 100kW MW
(GSMA) estimated that 75% of the Pakistani passing Indian territory. transmitters were imported from Canada
population had access to 3G mobile sys- By contrast, vast swathes of Pakistan and Germany. One to cover the Southern
tems in 2016. The Daily Pakistan publication, do not have enough industry to warrant Punjab, and the other one for Karachi.
amongst other publications, conirmed simi- broadband of any type, and the Government
lar igures in an August 2018 article. subsidises investment for service provid- The Future of Radio in Pakistan
https://tinyurl.com/y4xzw2s5 ers in those areas. The expected advent A number of aspects determine the future
However, only around one-ifth of that of 5G in global markets by 2025 may only of radio in Pakistan in 2019:
segment of the population uses it. Pakistan push Pakistan further down the connec- The new Prime Minister, Imran Khan, ran
ranks at number 114 (out of 140) in the tivity rankings. on a pledge to end corruption, combat pov-
world for download speed on mobile broad- An ever-growing population, crowded erty, economic stagnation and to alleviate
band and is 155 (out of 177) for ixed broad- cities, and high levels of poverty all form other social problems, such as these:
band. (Global Index Speed Test, May 2019). barriers to the acquisition of a mobile de- • There are numerous current restrictions
This may be due to the reliance of most of vice capable of using mobile broadband. on news coverage.
Pakistan internet providers on microwave Estimates indicate that 90% of the popula- • Borders are porous and disputed; mi-
links. Nonetheless, in regard to 4G pro- tion will have access to some level of mo- litias still operate with few restrictions
vision, and according to an article in The bile infrastructure by 2020. in the country.
Express Tribune of July 2018, download However, what percentage of the popu- • The existing infrastructure strug-
speeds in Pakistan are reported to be high- lation will be able to afford the equipment, gles to maintain pace with a rapid-
er than those in India. and the subscriptions, is another mat- ly-growing population.
https://www.speedtest.net/global-index ter altogether. • There are seasonal loods and an immi-
As for 5G, Pakistan is part of the last nent threat of earthquakes
group of nations scheduled for 5G con- Transmitter Installations • Electricity provision is vulnerable to sabo-
nectivity by 2025. The Economist rat- In this situation, the reliability and value of tage or natural disaster.
ed Pakistan 77th out of 100 on its overall radio communication are relected in the • Satellite communications can be blocked,
Inclusive Internet Index Report for 2019. surge in the installation of transmitters. In shut off or become inoperative.
In terms of the quality and breadth of in- March 2014, a 100kW medium wave digital • Pakistan is a place where rugged terrain
frastructure required for internet usage, transmission station was opened at Turbat. restricts access by transport.
Pakistan is placed 84th. As far as the cost In May 2014, a 400kW MW digital transmit- • Therefore, the radio will remain the only
of access, relative to income and to the ter was inaugurated in Peshawar, under a truly reliable backup option.
level of competition in the internet mar- In this challenging framework, the medi-
ketplace, are concerned Pakistan ranks at um of radio has proven to be reliable, cheap,
number 47. With reference to capacity to Resources and easy to operate. It is an instrument
access the Internet (including skills, cul- BRANDSYNARIO used by broadcasters to inluence listeners
tural acceptance, and supporting policy) https://tinyurl.com/yyj5gvop for good or bad, it is also a tool for social
Pakistan sits at number 67. GALLUP good, through the dissemination of infor-
However, poor infrastructure and the https://tinyurl.com/yyaa9jx8 mation in regard to health and education.
availability of services remain problems. GLOBAL SYSTEM In a country sitting on an active seis-
The ITU estimates that the percentage of MOBILE ASSOCIATION (GSMA) mic region, at the convergence of the
individuals using the internet is growing https://tinyurl.com/yy73sgnb South Asian and Eurasian tectonic plates,
– 2016 igures from the Pakistan Bureau Munira Cheema (2018) Women and TV the radio will continue to be, at the fore-
of Statistics put the igure at 15.51%. Culture in Pakistan (I.B.Tauris) front of life-saving rescue endeavours in
Comparable estimates for neighbouring Nabi Bux Jumani (2010) Role of Radio for times of disaster.
countries stand at 10.6% for Afghanistan, Rural Education in Pakistan Half-way through 2019, the available evi-
29.55% for India and 53.20% for China. (VDM Verlag Dr Müller). dence points to a signiicant future for radio
INTERNATIONAL broadcasting in Pakistan.
Mobile Infrastructure TELECOMMUNICATIONS UNION):
Globally, service providers rely on ibre con- https://tinyurl.com/y2zm8cz9. [The italicised quotes have been taken from
nectivity to LTE/4G base stations. Some anonymous sources – Ed.].

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Maritime Matters
Maritime
Robert Connolly
gi7ivx@btinternet.com
T
his month I will be looking at
the various distress frequen-
Distress
cies and procedures cur-
rently in use in maritime ra-
dio. Basically, there are two
main types of distress. Let’s begin with the
best-known one:
Calling
Mayday Calls
Mayday calls are those indicating that the
safety of life is under threat from an immedi-
ate, grave, danger, perhaps due to a person
overboard, vessel on ire or vessel sink-
ing. Although the international language
used in marine radio communications is
English you will ind that all the procedur-
Robert Connolly unlocks the meaning and purpose
al words are derived from French. Mayday of the various types of distress calls across
comes from the French m’aidez, meaning
“come to my aid.”
frequency bands, explains how to receive them and
A Mayday call is classed as a broadcast takes another look at EPIRBS.
call, as it is a call to all ships and coast-
guard stations, for immediate assistance
Therefore, it does not require to be ad- sion, by transmitting the Mayday Relay in the Band Voice DSC Radio telex
dressed to any particular station. By law, following format: VHF 156.800 MHz 156.525 MHz N/A
vessels hearing a Mayday call are required MF 2182 kHz 2187.5 kHz 2174.5 kHz
to offer assistance if possible. Mayday Relay (three times) HF4 4125 kHz 4207.5 kHz 4177.5 kHz
This is … (vessel identity by three times) HF6 6215 kHz 6312 kHz 6268 kHz
The standard format of a Mayday transmis- The following distress message was HF8 8291 kHz 8414.5 kHz 8376.5 kHz
sion is as follows: received from (name of distressed HF12 12290 kHz 12577 kHz 12520 kHz
Mayday (three times) vessel), at (time) HF16 16420 kHz 16804.5 kHz 16695 kHz
Mayday (again) The message begins, followed by the
Identity of the distressed vessel distress message transmitted by the Table 1: Distress Frequencies for the Various MF/
Nature of the distress casualty vessel HF Bands.
Assistance required Message ends
Number of persons on board ‘Over’. ed transmissions, you may hear the phrase
Any other information that may help, and; Seelonce Mayday, meaning Radio Silence,
‘Over’, to signify the end of transmission. Pan-Pan Calls transmitted by the station controlling the
The second type of distress call is the distress or Seelonce Distress, imposed by a
Another vessel hearing a Mayday call may Pan-Pan call, derived from the French en station, other than the controlling one, work-
issue a secondary call to alert other ves- panne, meaning In Dificulty. This is used ing the distress.
sels that may not have received the initial when a vessel is in trouble but where lives When the radio silence inishes, you will
distress call. Before doing so, they will wait are not imminently at risk, for example, in hear the phrase Seelonce Feenee transmit-
for about 15 seconds to ensure the distress cases of broken-down engines, broken ted (Silence Finie, Silence Finished).
signal has not been acknowledged by a masts, and so on. Another word you may also hear from
coast station. This is done by transmitting a The transmission on the distress frequen- the controlling station during a distress
Mayday Relay call on the distress frequency will normally be made to a coast station, situation is Prudonce. This is a conces-
cy. It will irst acknowledge receipt of the rather than a general broadcast and will take sion to briely allow essential transmis-
Mayday call by transmitting as follows: the following format: sions on the distress frequency during the
ongoing distress.
Mayday Pan-Pan (three times) Moreover, the word Sécurité is used as
Name of the vessel in distress (three times) Vessel identiication and position a safety signal to indicate that a trans-
This is … (the identity of the acknowledging The nature of the problem mission of navigational importance is
vessel (three times) Planned action regarding the problem about to be made.
Received ‘Over’.
Mayday. Listening On VHF
Distress calls take priority over all other Probably the best place to begin is with ma-
If it can offer practical assistance, it will indi- marine communications. To ensure the fre- rine VHF. If you live close to the coast or
cate this in the acknowledgement transmis- quency is kept clear of any other, unrelat- are planning to visit one of our many fan-

Maritime Matters
GEORG WIESSALA
Fig.1: The author, at one of our many fantastic

coastal resorts…
Fig. 2: The MK21, Decca 350 Track Plotter.
tastic coastal resorts (Fig. 1), you should

bring your scanner.
One frequency you should have pro-
grammed into your scanner is, of course,
CH16 (156.800MHz) – the distress and
calling frequency. Any vessel encounter-
ing a distress situation is likely to make
an initial distress call on this frequency
or – if they made their distress call us-
ing Digital Selective Calling (DSC) on
CH70 (156.525MHz) – it is likely that the
Coastguard Maritime Operations Centre will
use CH16 for voice communications with
the casualty vessel, and for the coordination
with other rescue assets, such as the RNLI
lifeboat and rescue helicopters.
However, if the casualty vessel is
a leisure craft, the coastguard may
use CH67 (156.375MHz or CH73
156.675MHz instead.
The coastguard, RNLI lifeboat, and coast-
guard rescue helicopter may communicate
with each other on the coastguard private
channel, CH0 (156.000MHz). Please note
that this only applies to the UK Coast Guard.
Irish Coastguard rescue helicopters are
also equipped with this channel but only for
use with the UK coastguard.
For those of you in England and
Wales only, you may wish to moni-
tor the National Coastwatch Institution
on their allocated channel CH65 1
(156.275/160.875MHz). RNLI lifeboats will SEAN DORAN
communicate with their boathouse on CH31

(157.550/162.150MHz).
https://tinyurl.com/yxl9jhov
https://www.nci.org.uk
https://rnli.org
https://tinyurl.com/o26pr9c
Distress Communications
on MF and HF
Now let’s look at MF/HF distress transmis-
sions. Unlike VHF transmissions that can
only be received close to the coast, calls
made using MF/HF frequencies may be re-
ceived anywhere, providing you have a gen-
eral coverage receiver and suitable HF re-
ceiving antenna.
Again, we ind both voice and DSC usage;
in addition to these, there are also radio tel-
ex distress frequencies available.
Table 1 details the allocated frequencies
for the various MF/HF bands.
If you plan to listen for voice distress,
the most popular frequency used is proba-
bly 2182kHz; for DSC 2187.5kHz and radio 2
FREE P&P for all UK orders purchased at www.radioenthusiast.co.uk/store

Maritime Matters
KEVIN HEWITT
Fig. 3: The overall COSPAS-SARSAT system That centre can then quickly contact the alert an RCC that a vessel is in distress.
architecture. closest Rescue Co-ordination Centre (RCC) EPIRBs need to be registered; when acti-
Fig. 4: The Royal Gibraltar Police (RGP) to the casualty, for them to launch a Search vated, they transmit the registered beacon
Interceptor RIB Sir Francis Richards, patrolling and Rescue (SAR) mission. code, including the country the device is reg-
alongside Gibraltar Airport. There is at least one solo round the world istered in, along with the distress informa-
yacht race that prohibits the use of modern tion. This is so that authorities can quickly
telex 2174.5kHz. communications equipment. establish from the registered database the
The message format for distress calls on With regard to DSC distress calls these vessel’s name and other essential informa-
MF/HF frequencies is a similar format as days there are many more ‘ears’ available, tion required for SAR assets.
for VHF but with the inclusion of the vessel due to the mandatory requirement for com- EPIRBs have a GPS system for tracking
MMSI number for DSC. mercial vessels operating outside Sea Area the beacon and transmitting its position
Frequencies in these bands are sub- A1 to carry MF/HF DSC transceivers. once activated. They are normally itted so
ject to propagation conditions, particularly that they can loat free if the vessel sinks,
during darkness. As a result, it is possible Satellite Links and they will automatically commence
to receive a distress call from a vessel sev- Distress calls may also be made using sat- transmitting when this happens. If a vessel
eral thousand miles away, while the clos- ellite communications. The marine satel- sinks quickly, and there has not been time to
est coast station, perhaps a hundred miles lite communication system is not a com- send a distress signal by DSC or voice, it will
away, does not hear that distress call. munications system that many listeners alert RCCs of a distress situation.
I would recommend noting down the de- have access to. This distress signal is received by sat-
tails of the distress call received on MF/HF However, the Inmarsat marine communi- ellite and then re-transmitted to a ground
frequencies and listen carefully for any ship cations system has four priority message receiving station called a Local Users
or shore station acknowledgements. This is levels. The lowest priority, Level 0, is for Terminal (LUT), which receives and process-
particularly important for the voice frequen- routine messages. Level 1 is used for safe- es the satellite downlink signal to gener-
cies due to the declining use of voice MF/HF ty information. Level 2 is used for urgency ate distress alerts. Mission Control Centres
distress transmissions in favour of DSC. calls; and the top priority, Level 3, is for dis- (MCCs) receive alerts produced by LUTs
There have been cases in the past where tress signals and will take precedence over and forward them to Rescue Coordination
calls from a vessel in distress (these days other messages. Centres (RCCs), Search and Rescue Points
often from yachts that are not obliged to If you are interested in additional informa- Of Contacts (SPOCs) or other MCCs.
carry DSC or satellite distress beacons) tion regarding Inmarsat distress and safety
have been received not by the nearest shore service visit this URL: COSPAS-SARSAT
station, but by another station, or occasion- https://tinyurl.com/yykx29xp The international COSPAS-SARSAT pro-
ally, even a short wave listener located many All commercial vessels carry a distress gramme (Fig. 3) includes two types of sat-
hundreds of miles away, who then alerted beacon called an Emergency Position ellites: satellites in low-altitude Earth Orbit
their nearest Coastguard Operations Centre Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB). This bea- (LEO), which form the LEOSAR System; and
with the details. con transmits on 406MHz, via satellite, to satellites in geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO),

Maritime Matters
KEVIN HEWITT
which form parts of the GEO SAR System. ing his EPIRB –, something that cannot period before registering is required.
In the future, the COSPAS-SARSAT sys- be done unless a physical task is carried Please remember that UHF reception
tem will include a new type of satellite in out to switch it on and off – he managed is short-range over land, and the EPIRB
medium-altitude Earth orbit (MEO) which to convince SAR teams that he was alive, transmitter is not a high-power device.
will form the MEOSAR System. and a major rescue attempt was launched Therefore, its coverage area for the soft-
COSPAS is an acronym for the Russian to recover him. ware’s purposes is relatively small.
words Cosmicheskaya Sistema Poiska EPIRBs require to be tested from time to You should also remember that any
Avariynyh Sudov. time, but this cannot be done by switch- EPIRBs in your local area do not activate,
SARSAT is an acronym for Search And ing it on and then off again. Immediately even for test purposes, on a regular basis.
Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking. an EPIRB is switched on, it begins For more information on this software,
https://tinyurl.com/yxjj28va transmitting its distress signal, trig- and for an example of a decoded EPIRB
EPIRBs also have a low power transmit- gering a SAR task. signal, visit the COAA website:
ter inside. It operates on 121.5MHz and As a consequence of this, EPIRBs have www.coaa.co.uk/epirbplotter.htm
can be used by SAR aircraft and lifeboats a self-test system to prevent false alerts. My thanks go to reader Sean Doran
to locate the device. Transmitted data Because they can be activated by water from Howth, Co. Dublin, who tells me that
consists of a 0.5-second burst every 50 contact, care has to be taken when storing there is an MK21, 350T Plotter (Fig. 2) and
seconds, varying over a span of 2.5 sec- them off the vessel. In my own area, occa- a Shipmate RS 3500, both of which are
onds to avoid multiple beacons always sional SAR tasks were carried out, follow- part of plenty of other old equipment in
transmitting at the same time. ing an EPIRB activation. In some cases, the mini-museum (free entry) in Howth.
Apart from activation when coming the SAR aircraft located the EPIRB con- If anyone is interested, they can ind the
into contact with water, an EPIRB can also cerned in a shed on dry land: It had been place at this address: Howth School of
be activated manually. Some years ago, activated due to rainwater getting into the Fish, 7 West Pier Howth, Co. Dublin. The
a yachtsman in the Southern Ocean who shed where it was stored. museum is halfway down the ishing pier,
was taking part in a solo around the world just beside Doran’s Fish Shop.
race actually owes his life to his EPIRB, Monitoring EPIRBS Finally for this month thanks to
along with his presence of mind, to man- COAA (who produces the ShipPlotter Kevin Hewitt for this month’s pho-
ually activate and deactivate it over sever- software) also offer EpirbPlotter. This to (Fig. 4) of the Royal Gibraltar Police
al days. His up-turned yacht was spotted program decodes and displays transmis- (RGP) interceptor high-speed RIB boat
from the air, but it was thought that he sions received from EPIRBs using a suita- Sir Francis Richards, patrolling next to
did not survive. However, he was trapped ble UHF band receiver, tuned to the EPIRB Gibraltar Airport.
under the upturned hull in an air pocket. channels, and linked to your PC’s sound www.police.gi/1
By repeatedly activating and de-activat- card. The software has a free 21-day trial Until next month, Fair Winds.
FREE P&P for all UK orders purchased at www.radioenthusiast.co.uk/store

Feature
WIKIPEDIA
Georg Wiessala
wiessala@hotmail.com
M
ore than sixty years
ago, a little-known
Australian woman laid
the foundations of a
whole new branch of
science using little more than a bent coat
hanger and a few odds and ends of plugs
and switches. Her name was Ruby Payne-
Scott, BSc MSc DipEd; a pioneer not only
of radio astronomy but, to some degree, of
women’s rights too.
I was sure that I had actually heard of
Ruby Payne-Scott (henceforth: RPS, Fig. 1)
before: This Australian scientist had come
to my attention as a Google Doodle – of all
things – in May 2012, celebrating her 100th
birthday. The Doodle (Fig. 2) brilliantly
encapsulated what RPS was famous for,
showing radio astronomy equipment she
developed further, as well as an illustration
of the types of solar radio bursts she was
instrumental in discovering (Goss, 2013: 9).
With ancestry roots in Devon, and
educated in Sydney, a young Ruby
Payne-Scott was a physicist, with a very
strong background in mathematics.
She began her career by working at a
Cancer Research Institute, at Australian
Wireless Amalgamated (AWA) and later by
calibrating and testing radar equipment.
These early projects, no doubt,
beneited from her pronounced interest in
electrical engineering.
As was the case in many other
countries, the UK included, wartime
radar technology was often the midwife
to the emerging discipline of radio
astronomy after the Second World War
1 (1939-1945), and existing facilities and
apparatus were simply adapted to radio
observational purposes.
An Australian
Verschuur points out (2015: 20) that the
intrusion of World War II may have actually
accelerated developments, because of the
intense research into Radar techniques,
which led to the very rapid development of
Supernova precisely those types of radio antennas and

receivers that radio astronomers were to
require for their work.
In the UK, for example, such preeminent
astronomers as Martin Ryle (1918-1984)
The editor introduces the Australian pioneer radio and Bernard Lovell (1913-2012) worked
in this ield.
astronomer Ruby Violet Payne-Scott (1912-1981) In Australia, as elsewhere, the key
whose scientific achievements reflected both research unfolded at such institutions
the technical advances and the socio-political as Sydney University, and it entailed
both employment and collaboration
constraints of her time. opportunities for women.

Feature
GOOGLE
War, Radar and Astronomy

During World War II, RPS was engaged in
some top-secret work investigating ra-
dar technology, and she soon grew into
Australia’s foremost expert on the detec-
tion of aircraft using Plan Position Indicator
(PPI) displays.
After the war, she was part of one of only
two teams of scientists on a global scale
who investigated ‘radio noise’ and ‘cosmic
static’ emanating from nebulae, the Sun
and other celestial bodies. RPS became, in
the words of one of her biographers, one of 2
the irst radio astronomers Down Under, as RESEARCH GATE
well as the irst female Australian radio as-

tronomy scientist – “a driving force in radio
astronomy in Australia” (Goss, 2013: 3).
She worked in conjunction with oth-
er ‘mothers and fathers of Australian
radio astronomy’.
Joan Maie Freeman (b. 1918), Joseph
Lade Pawsey (1908-1962) and other
prominent Australian scientists helped
to make Australia into a world leader
in the (long-wavelength) radio astrono-
my science of this period (cf: Women in
STEMM Australia).
Her main achievement, besides her
proliic publication and research at the
Sydney Radiophysics Laboratory (RPL),
the Australian Council for Industrial
and Scientiic Research (CSIR, later:
Commonwealth Scientiic and Industrial
Research Organisation, CSIRO) and else-
where, was the discovery, in 1946, of Type 3
III solar radio emissions (‘bursts’). Type-III
(‘fast-drift’) bursts are linked to ‘impulse’ ed for radio astronomy. Fig.1: Ruby Payne-Scott, radio astronomer,
(‘eruptive’) lares on the Sun. They are gen- Goss coins a very modern-sounding mother and activist (1912-1981). Fig. 2: The
erated by the acceleration of electrons description when he states that, “Ruby re- Ruby Payne-Scott Google-Doodle of May 2012.
along magnetic ield lines into the Sun’s co- tooled her knowledge set through indepen- Fig. 3: Block Diagram for a Swept-Lobe
rona and drift from high to low frequencies dent study of astronomy techniques.” Interferometer (after Payne-Scott, 1951).
(Lashley, 2010: 7-10). One result of this endeavour – and of her
This discovery was directly based on concrete research in this ield – was the was all too often afforded to others – as the
Ruby Payne-Scott’s ieldwork. conduct of the irst-ever radio astronomy author of a recent biography of this remark-
The bursts have their origins in the solar measurements with an interferometer and able scientist points out repeatedly (Fig. 5).
corona and dissipate via long (decimetre) her theoretical work on aperture synthesis. As a member of the Communist Party
wavelengths. It was, perhaps, serendipi- In particular, she helped to construct an of Australia (CPA), Ruby helped to found
tous that, in 1946, one of the most massive instrument called a ‘swept-lobe interfer- a Trades Union at her institute, to ight for
sunspot groups of the 20th Century had ap- ometer’ (Fig. 3). such issues as equal pay for women. Her
peared on our Star. An interferometer solves the problem of career was affected by name-calling (‘Red-
Ruby quickly made the connection be- being able to distinguish between large and Ruby’), deep-running suspicion and outright
tween sunspots and the appearance of au- small angular diameter radio sources, sepa- hostility. At the time, the Australian Security
rorae on Earth, through her calculations per- rating out, for example, focused sunspot ra- Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) collated a
taining to the magnetic ields involved. diation from the more diffuse radio corona substantial ile on her activities, containing,
However, she had more than one leg (Graham-Smith, 2013: 24, and p. 27 for the as it turned out, many misrepresentations.
to stand on; she made her name also in setup in Australia; cf. Fig. 4). It never established her CPA membership.
Fourier Synthesis, solar noise research, The development of this instrument, Worse than this, arguably, was the bla-
the thermodynamics of radio frequency among other achievements, was instru- tant discrimination RPS suffered from
noise and in imaging techniques, as well as mental in Martin Ryle winning the 1974 the scientiic establishment of this era:
through the development and improvement Nobel Prize for Physics. However, recogni- Australian Public Service regulations at
of the very hardware and techniques need- tion of her work – and praise for her ideas – the time forced women scientists to resign

Feature
WIKIPEDIA
4
SPRINGER VERLAG
Fig. 4: The Parkes Radio Telescope in Australia

(of Apollo11 fame). Fig. 5: The cover of a recent Resources and
biography of Ruby Payne-Scott. Further Reading
• Freeman, J. (1991) A Passion for
upon marriage. Physics (CRC Press)
Consequently, like many women, Ruby • Goss, W. M.; McGee, Richard X. (2012):
hid her marriage from her employers; when Under the Radar: The First Woman in Radio
they, inevitably, found out a few years Astronomy (London: Springer)
later, she lost her permanent post, her • Goss, W.M (2013) Making Waves. The Story
chances of promotion and her superan- of Ruby Payne-Scott […] (London: Springer)
nuation beneits. • Graham-Smith, F. (2013) Unseen Cosmos –
She also changed her name to Ruby Hall. The Universe in Radio (Oxford: OUP)
The ban on the employment of mar- • Greene, L (2016) 15 Million Degrees.
ried women in the Commonwealth Public A Journey to the Centre of the Sun
Service was only abrogated in 1966. (Viking/ Penguin)
Ruby Payne-Scott’s children became fa- • History of Women Scientists
mous Australians in their own right: Peter https://tinyurl.com/yy62ehtk
Gavin Hall (1951-2016) was a world-re- • Lashley, J. (2010) The Radio Sky and How to
nowned mathematician and statistician, Observe It (Springer)
and Fiona Margaret Hall (b. 1953) is an • National Archives of Australia (NAA):
eminent artist. The Secret Life of Miss RPS:
Ruby never returned to radio astronomy; https://tinyurl.com/y4jc959v .
she became a committed school teacher 5
(1963-1974), brought up her children and,
sadly, struggled with a neurodegenerative words may be debatable, there is a kernel of Ruby Payne-Scott, now largely forgotten,
condition in old age. She passed away on truth in them. anticipated many of the most momentous
25th May 1981. Nevertheless, her wider reputation came developments in radio astronomy of later
The legacy of Ruby Payne-Scott is proba- late. It is today relected in the Payne- decades. And while she was instrumen-
bly twofold: As a scientist, she was an early Scott Award, regular lectures and schol- tal in mapping the sky, the map of her own
pioneer of the (then) new discipline of ra- arships, and other academic endeavours, life was often marred by the discrimina-
dio astronomy, with a signiicant portfolio in her honour. tion of the time.
of observations, discoveries and research The irst Australian woman to listen In an ABC Science Show Special, Caroline
papers to match. to the heavens developed a discipline Little, arguably, paid what is, to me, the
As a female scientist, she has been co-founded by Karl Jansky (1905-1950) most itting tribute to Ruby Payne-Scott:
called a “crusader for the rights of wom- and Grote Reber (1911-2002) in the 1930s “Ruby’s life was like a supernova – a great,
en in the scientiic workplace in Australia” and 1940s, and which we today know as brilliant, explosion, that, tragically, died out
(Goss, 2013: 7). While the choice of these radio astronomy. very quickly.”

Emerging Issues in Radio
ALL PICTURES: CHRISSY BRAND, EXCEPT FIG. 1: TIM SUTTON-BRAND
Chrissy Brand
chrissyLB@hotmail.co.uk
T
his month, I give part of the
column to Tim Sutton-Brand,
who is a inal year product
design student at Shefield
Hallam University.
https://www.shu.ac.uk
Like many of us, Tim spends a lot of
time listening to podcasts and music (and
occasionally radio stations too!). He is part
of the next generation of product designers
who will, literally, shape how we consume
audio and radio content in years to come;
from headphones and speakers to the
gadgets we listen on.
These might be new versions of
analogue, digital and internet radios,
smartphones, laptops, televisions and
wearable devices such as watches.
This month, Tim reviews the Apple
Watch, in terms of its use for radio,
audio and podcasts.
A Personal Podcast Player?

The Apple Watch
I recently purchased an Apple Watch
Series 4. It is a product usually marketed
by Apple to be used for itness tracking
1
and communications. Its potential use as a
music player is often overlooked.
Podcasts The watch can be used in two main ways

to listen to podcasts, radio and music:
First, Bluetooth devices can pair directly
to the watch, allowing the use of wireless
headphones or Bluetooth speakers.
On Your
There are various radio apps on the
Apple Watch App Store, such as TuneIn
Radio and Simple Radio, and the built-
in Apple Podcasts app is great for
downloading and playing back podcasts.
Smartphone
However, due to the size of the watch’s
screen, searching through various podcasts
and stations can be a challenge.
Second, the device can be used as a
remote control, of sorts, when listening to
music on the phone. When the audio from
and Watch any app on the phone is playing, the ‘Now

Playing’ screen launches on the watch,
giving quick access to volume controls,
and to the ability to skip forwards and
backwards by 15 seconds.
There is a slight delay, due to the
Chrissy Brand collaborates with a product design Bluetooth connection. This underrated
feature can be useful in many situations.
student with a finger on the pulse of emerging The Digital Crown (the dial on the side of
audio technologies. Moreover, she evaluates the the watch, traditionally used for changing
the time) changes its function contextually.
2019 Podcast Awards night and the Radiodays It is typically used as a scrolling tool but
Europe Podcast Day also acts as a volume dial when users listen

to an audio source. you to know whether the message needs an

They can do this either directly from instant reply or is simply junk mail.
the watch, over a wireless connection, or The watch is a really useful bit of kit,
through a (wireless or wired) connection and a strong element in Apple’s line of
from the phone. Changing the volume with products. The fact that it is iPhone-only
this method is satisfying when paired with compatible is not surprising – the watch
the device’s haptic motor, which provides becomes essentially obsolete if the user
subtle vibrations to simulate the feel of switches their main phone to a device
a dial rotating. running Android. The model I reviewed
The method is more eficient than pulling was the GPS-only version without an
out your phone, especially when all that independent cellular connection. Cellular
needs to be done is changing to a different models are available, assuming you are
music track or other audio. With the happy to shell out an extra monthly fee for
exception of activity tracking, an additional data plan.
It doesn’t do a huge amount that couldn’t The only individuals I can see making
be done on your phone. However, having the use of the cellular model would be joggers
bright OLED screen on your wrist, makes who enjoy going on runs without taking a
simple tasks quicker, such as checking phone, but who still wish to stream music 3
notiications, getting weather updates, and podcasts, as well as receiving texts Fig. 1: A commute can be improved by listening
or using Shazam. and phone calls. to podcasts via an Apple Watch. Fig. 2: The third
Notiication management is one of the The biggest deterrent for most people Radiodays Europe Podcast Day was held in London.
watch’s greatest strengths, and this comes would have to be the hefty starting price of Fig. 3: Over nine decades, BBC Broadcasting House
in particularly handy with emails, allowing £399. Older or refurbished models can be has witnessed many changes in audio technology.

He is, “a London-born spoken-word Service) and Jon Manel (podcast

performer of Ugandan heritage. His commissioning editor, BBC World Service)
innovative brand of musical poetry has won discussed how to build an audience
him critical acclaim, both as a recording and a community of like-minded people
artist and a social commentator.” around podcasts.
The winning podcast is titled Have You They stated that research shows how
Heard George’s Podcast? In it, you can hear podcast fans like to feel ‘part of a club’ and
George and other contributors offering have more loyalty to a podcast than any
poetry, news, music and drama. Looking other form of media.
at George’s Soundcloud channel, the irst The BBC World Service podcast strategy
episode achieved over 9,000 listeners, while has taken this on board. There are listeners
the eighth had more than 1,600. in over 100 countries to the Parentland
Not bad for a podcast on poetry that, podcast, while Ice in Death Valley has won
like many podcasts, came from humble awards for citizen journalism and topped
beginnings. I imagine the episodes on his the podcast charts.
website carried more weight and higher The latter series is made in collaboration
audience igures. with the Norwegian public broadcaster,
Other winners on the night included a Norsk Rikskringkasting A.S. (NRK).
gold award for Project Pleasure, in the sex The BBC is, of course, in an enviable
and relationships category. position when it comes to creating and
This is a monthly podcast presented maintaining audiences, thanks to its history
by Camden-based Anouszka and Frankie. of being publicly-funded (Fig. 3).
Project Pleasure began in October 2017 and This has enabled a huge breadth
goes out on Roundhouse Radio. of radio programme output, most of
The Roundhouse in Camden Town, which is available to listen again on the
London was established over ifty years BBC Sounds app.
ago and is itself a fantastic example of a It is BBC policy not to allow BBC
community and live entertainments hub. radio content to be listed or heard via
It encourages young people to engage some podcast apps, which seems to be
4 with the arts, media and performance and something of an own goal in the publicity
Fig. 4: Most BBC podcasts are not available on the extends that reach to wider audiences stakes (Fig. 4).
Google podcast app. through an online radio and audio service. Despite that, certain BBC podcasts
www.georgethepoet.com and programmes are still available on
bought for considerably less. Twitter: @britpodawards Google’s podcast app, perhaps for BBC
It is also expected that the Series 4 will https://tinyurl.com/y2mm8mhs promotional purposes.
receive a price cut upon the release of the www.roundhouse.org.uk/radio/player These include BBC World Service’s
upcoming Series 5 in September. www.roundhouse.org.uk/transmission Business Daily, Hardtalk, the excellent daily
Next month, I’ll discuss some of the ten-minute history feature, Witness, and the
spoken word podcasts and features that I Radiodays Europe brilliant eight-hour Documentary Podcast,
subscribe to, including a number of media Podcast Day A History of Music and Technology, made
and tech-related podcasts. Another big event in the podcast world is in conjunction with the Open University and
Instagram: tsuttondesign the Radiodays Europe Podcast Day, which presented by Nick Mason of Pink Floyd.
also took place in London in June (Fig. 2). Plus, there is BBC Radio 4’s More or Less,
Podcast Daze Louise Kattenhorn, a commissioning Behind the Statistics – a weekly ten-minute
The annual British Podcast Awards took executive at the BBC and Siobhan programme – and the documentary series
place in London back in May. Although McMenemy (BBC) spoke about what Seriously....
mainstream media award ceremonies can young audiences might want to
smack of self-congratulatory back-slapping get from podcasts.
for already-established big names, the Comedy, in many forms, appears to Radio Events
podcast world seems far more supportive be a part of the answer, from intellectual Upcoming Events
and genuinely encourages new talent. humour to the emotionally funny.
I think it may also champion diversity Of the seven million adults a week that Radiocentre’s Tuning In North,
and contentious subject matter a little listen to podcasts in the UK, three million Manchester, September 25th
better too. Although there are many big are aged 15 to 34 (Source: RAJAR). https://tinyurl.com/y2bkacv3
broadcasters and famous names riding I feel that – with such information in the Community Radio Awards,
high on the podcast bandwagon, smaller public arena – that it would be judicious Salford, September 28th
and minority interest programmes are also for the non-BBC UK radio stations owned https://tinyurl.com/y6yhc2jw
given wider exposure. by Bauer Media Group and others, to IMRO (Irish Music Rights Organisation)
The biggest winner on the night – gaining commission and invest in some innovative All-Ireland radio awards, Dublin, October 4th
several awards, including Podcast of the comedy programmes. www.imroradioawards.ie
Year – was George the Poet. Anna Doble (digital editor, BBC World

International Radio Scene
The Italian Job

Chrissy Brand has a look at the FM band in one province of Italy. She
then rounds up news and readers’ reports, profiling radio stations past and
present, from Vietnam to Peru and Poland.
Chrissy Brand eral bursts of Radio Nostalgia while driving

chrissyLB@hotmail.co.uk around the Tuscan countryside. However,
the sounds of my youth now being classed
M
y summer travels in- as ‘nostalgia’ did make me feel decided-
cluded two weeks in a ly middle-aged!
comparatively remote I unearthed a couple of interesting arti-
part of Tuscany, called cles from Italy Magazine, complete with vid-
San Leolino. It was my eo and audio, about the 1950s and 1960s
irst visit to that region of Italy, but the pro- Italian pop and rock music scene and
gramme content I heard on the broadcast how it flourished, partially thanks to state
bands was fairly similar to my visits to other broadcaster RAI.
parts of Italy over the past thirty years or so. https://tinyurl.com/y6qo3cwz
The most notable exception was how the https://tinyurl.com/y3c6j5vd
use of the medium wave band has declined A lot of my trip was spent exploring the
although, admittedly, I only scanned through numerous medieval hill towns in this region.
this a few times. In doing so, it was interesting to note an ar-
My radio listening was done, by day, on ray of satellite dishes and aerials on many
the radio of the Fiat Panda car that we hired terracotta rooftops on the hillsides (Fig. 2).
and, at night time, from the terrace of our Radio Incontri on 88.4MHz from Cortona
accommodation, on an XHDATA-D808. The (Figs.3 and 4) is a high-quality and diverse
FM band contained plenty of stations, al- station. The output varies from rock and
though a major element lacking was the pop to other music genres. There are also
variety of music on offer, which is often the hard-hitting features, such as the one with
case in the western world. award-winning journalist Nello Scavo. He
has spent several years on migrant rescue
Tuscan Sounds boats in the Mediterranean and also man-
Vatican Radio and Radio Maria are sister aged to break into a clandestine prison for
stations espousing Catholicism. Vatican Libyan smugglers, reporting on the condi-
Radio obviously has the longer pedigree, tions of the trapped migrants.
although I hadn’t realised it was set up in When I visited the town, students from
1931 by no less a personage than the great 1 the University of Georgia in Cortona were
Guglielmo Marconi. Radio Maria started producing their own programme, presenting
in Erb, near the city of Padua, in the 1980s. Mixcloud channel. American music.
I heard the Italian service of Radio Maria www.mixcloud.com/radioeffe www.radioincontri.org
pop up on three FM frequencies (89.4, 89.8 Pop, Rock, RnB, reggae and dance music Another station I enjoyed was based in
and 102.2MHz). It has stations in a fur- were all to be heard across the FM band, Orvieto. Radio Orvieto Web (Fig. 5) is an
ther 73 countries. with many songs sung in English, but also online station that often goes out into the
Virgin Radio boomed in, as it does in a reasonable amount in Italian. Subasio on community to make live broadcasts. It also
many countries. It is almost as ubiquitous 93.9MHz, Radio Freccia on 93.6MHz, Radio encourages new talent and young present-
globally as Vatican Radio – maybe more so Emma on 100.4, and RTL on 100.9 MHz, ers, which is always encouraging to hear. A
these days – and its usual brand of pop and were the main exponents of this. series of programmes called Radio Active
rock were pumping out Here Comes the Sun When I saw the name of Radio Nostalgia sees young people choosing music from
by The Beatles, on 107.9MHz. Local Italian on the RDS of the basic, but perfectly ine, both past and present.
sports fans are catered for in that part of car radio (Fig. 1), I thought it might be a sta- Meanwhile, Radio Orvieto Web’s Open
Tuscany with Radio Sportiva on 94.2MHz, tion specialising in Italian music from the The Cities is focused on the life stories of
while Radio Effe is ‘your friendly radio’ that 1950s and 1960s. However, I was wrong. migrants from, “ancient and new settlement,
offers music from the 1960s to the 1990s. Nostalgic music for this station concen- mostly within the Orvieto area. Reflections,
Along with its on-air output, Radio Effe has trated on a lot of 1990s pop music, with the memories, hopes, difficulties, emotions: all
a strong social media presence, including a likes of British band Texas. I did enjoy sev- this – stimulated by the dialogic involvement

ALL PICTURES: CHRISSY BRAND
of the speakers – will be the nerve-centre of fire in the distance. Radio Peking was very
the transmission. A transmission that we be- weak, not like China Radio International to-
lieve, is necessary, especially in these times. day. Catching Radio Australia for the first
It will also shed some light on so many false time was a great thrill.
or bad pieces of information…”. circulating in “A new phenomenon these days is to reg-
the mass media.” ister lots of frequencies that do not exist with
www.radiorvietoweb.it the relevant authority [HFCC].
I still cannot get over the fact that a piece
Readers’ Reports of wire can pick up radio signals down my
It is good to hear again from RadioUser aerial to my receiver. It is a great hobby, even
reader Andrew Kirby, in Bournemouth. He though it is not as exciting as it once was.
wrote, “I just bought an Icom IC-R 8600 It is even more important to send in sig-
SDR receiver. It is my first adventure with nal reports to the broadcasters and show
an SDR radio. I also splashed out on an HF there is still a huge audience listening out
vertical aerial. there – then we might still have a hobby
“ I have been listening to short wave for left. DRM was to be the future of world ra-
fifty years since I was a schoolboy; I am dio – but where in this country can you pur-
now an OAP. My first radio was a Codar Mini chase a DRM radio?”
Clipper, I built from a kit. I have an 80ft di- Andrew is clearly enjoying experimenting 3
pole aerial, situated right over my house to with the new receiver. There is still plenty to
the back garden. hear as a DXer, across all of the broadcast Fig. 1: Radio Nost(a)lgia is reliving the 1990s.
“Back in the seventies, I used to pick up bands, although it often requires patience. Fig. 2: Dishes and antennas in Volterra.
South Vietnam, with what sounded like gun- I am sure many of us agree with Andrew Fig. 3: Radio Incontri on 88.4MHz from Cortona.

Short Wave Logs

UTC kHz Station and Location Language SINPO Initials
0110 7335 Radio Marti Spanish 45545 GS
0530 6000 Radio Havana Cuba English 34333 NT
0600 15530 Radio Kuwait English 33333 OR
0720 5945 Bible Voice, Nauen, Germany English 54444 SC
0743 11700 Radio France International French 22222 SC
0948 15595 Adventist World Radio Unidentiied 33222 SC
0954 13790 Radio Romania International Romanian 33333 SC
1001 13790 Radio Romania International //15130 French 33333 NT, SC
1100 13750 Radio Romania International English 54444 OR, SC
1230 15450 TRT Voice of Turkey English 43444 OR
1234 13845 WWCR (Worldwide Christian Radio) English 33333 SC
1251 15450 TRT Voice of Turkey English 43333 OR, SC
1256 12005 Radio Farda Persian 33222 SC
1330 21505 BSKSA, Saudi Arabia Arabic 22222 NT
1343 11530 Radyo Denge Welat Kurdish 33333 SC
1418 11670 Radio Exterior de España Spanish 33333 SC
1530 9515 KBS World English 33333 NT
1600 9500 Radio Romania International English 54444 SC
1600 6180 Shortwave Service, Germany English 34333 NT
1638 13710 BSKA Radio Saudi Arabic 54444 SC
1650 6150 Europe 24 German 33333 SC
1722 15540 Radio Kuwait Urdu 32222 SC
1810 9520 Radio Romania International German 55444 LC
1900 11940 Radio Exterior de España //12030 Spanish 54444 NT, SC
1900 7280 Voice of Vietnam English 33333 OR
1918 5900 Radio Taiwan International German 54444 SC
1928 5900 Voice of Islamic Republic of Iran Italian 44444 SC
1941 6080 Voice of America English 43344 SC
2030 11810 BBC World Service, Woofferton English 32222 NT, SC
2100 12095 BBC World Service English 32333 OR, SC
2130 9420 Voice of Greece Greek 54444 OR, SC
2200 5995 Radio Mali, Bamako French 43333 OR
2225 7410 Vatican Radio Chinese 45545 GS
and have happy memories of short wave. With regard to purchasing DRM receivers LOG CONTRIBUTORS: GS = Graham Smith, Bury
Everything continually moves on, and we in the UK, looking in the adverts in RadioUser St. Edmunds, Suffolk. Sony ICF-SW600 and a tele-
must all keep up with what is left and con- is a good start, as is contacting traders to scopic antenna. LC = Lionel Clyne, Faversham, Kent.
tact the radio stations we can still hear. see what they sell, or can source for you, Lowe HF-150, random wire or homemade loop. NT
in the limited DRM range. However, as we = Nicky Tesla, Shefield. XHDATA-D808. OR = Owen
Ease of Contact know, there is very little available anywhere Rutherford, London. Lowe HF-150 and a Wellbrook
It is easier than ever before to do so. Long in the DRM receiver market. It just never loop. SC = Scott Caldwell, Warrington, Cheshire.
gone is the need to write an airmail letter took off in the way the broadcasting organ- AOR AR7030, Sony ICF 2001D, Lowe HF225, and a
and enclose an IRC, hoping to hear back isations and international bodies behind it Wellbrook loop.
weeks, months, or even years later, from a had hoped at the start of the century.
radio station that might send a programme For some years now, DXing has not fo-
schedule and a QSL card. cused on DRM receivers but on Software pear to be the largest presence. It would be
Today, instant interaction through online Deined Receivers (SDR), used by individ- interesting to see a league table of who the
forms, emails and social media platforms uals on their own computer or accessing broadcasters are and what use they make
means that there is no excuse for audienc- them remotely, online. Note the relevant col- of short wave.”
es not to tell radio stations and personalities umn in this magazine. I have seen such tables in the past but
what they like, what they dislike, and that In this context, Martin Rolls 2E0MPR, not recently. I imagine that China, Romania
they are listening. wrote, “I use a number of online SDRs. I am and the USA (with VOA and RFA) would
Indeed, a generation ago, people out- unable to use a radio because of very poor be at the top. Let me know if you ind any
side the DXing community would scoff at signal levels due to the metal frame build- interesting resources containing more in-
us for communicating with radio stations ing in which I live and the hash and noise put formation on this.
by letter. Yet, these days, it is the norm to out by various devices that people insist on Graham Smith disagrees with me about
have a Twitter account, engaging with fel- using. What is noticeable when using SDRs the preacher that he heard broadcast-
low listeners, DJs, producers, reporters and in various parts of the world is the absence ing on 7780kHz (RadioUser, August 2019:
engineers, reacting to radio stations’ out- of MW stations. The other thing I found was 50-53). I surmised it was a WRMI relay of
put as it occurs. the use China makes of short wave; they ap- Dr Roderick R. Caesar, talking on the pro-

gramme called Full Gospel Hour, relayed via Week and History of Romania.
WRMI in Florida. However, Graham respond- For the current summer short wave
ed, “According to the information I have, his schedule and plenty of other information
name is Terry Blalock and he is known as the about this fascinating country and, indeed, a
Screaming Preacher.” Thanks, Graham. great international and domestic broadcast-
Radio Romania International is dealing er, visit the RRI website.
with a backlog of QSL cards for reception www.rri.ro
reports. Due to funding issues, the station’s
2019 series of 12 QSL cards was delayed, Wondrous Websites
and reception veriication letters were being A blog post that will whet your appetite for
sent out instead. travel and radio appeared on The SWLing
However, I hear that QSL cards are now Post back in February. Don Moore wrote
being distributed to listeners and that there about a visit to Radio Tarma.
will be a bonus, thirteenth, QSL card this https://tinyurl.com/y69vmymu
year. The 2019 series celebrates rural cloth- Don wrote, “While wandering around
ing and jewellery from the late 19th Century. central Peru in April 2018, I made a point of
In the past month, Lionel Clyne logged stopping in Tarma, in order to visit the town’s
Radio Romania International in German, namesake broadcaster, Radio Tarma, one of
while Scott Caldwell copied the station in the few Peruvian stations still on short wave.
English, French and Romanian (see the logs Radio Tarma’s frequency of 4775kHz has
section). Scott heard coverage of the EU been a fixture on the 60-meter band for over 5
Elections and a classical music programme. four decades […].
Personally, I have enjoyed some great pro- “When I first stopped by, on Monday af- Fig. 4: A promotional street sign for Orvieto’s
grammes on the English service this sum- ternoon, everyone was busy, and no one online radio station.
mer, including Think Greener, Romanian had time for a visiting gringo. By chance, I Fig. 5: Italian music and investigative journalism
Without Tears, Cooking Show, Athlete of the had arrived on the day of the station’s 60th are aired on Radio Incontri.

Anniversary, and they were preparing for a miss the wonderful QSL cards that used to
big celebration that night. I was invited to be issued (Fig. 6).
come back in the evening when there would https://tinyurl.com/y23745s8
be a huge street party with live music. Graham also reported that a meeting
“That evening I got to talk to several mem- of Swedish radio enthusiasts takes place
bers of the station staff and was introduced on September 7th. The annual Veteran
to owner-manager Mario Monterverde, who Sound Day will have presentations, auction
invited me to come back for a tour, two days and chat, taking place in Hörby. The name
after the celebrations and ceremonies were sounds familiar: This famous transmit-
over. Running radio stations is his passion, ter site, Hörby Mellanvåg (on 1179kHz),
and that includes reaching distant listen- will be on-air between August 31st and
ers on short wave. Don Mario remembers September 13th.
what short wave used to be like in Peru, and www.sdxf.se/WP/?p=8108
he can rattle off station names and frequen- It is a busy time for DXers because that
cies from past and present as fluently as date coincides with the annual European
any serious DXer.” DX Council (EDXC) conference, which is
Don is a celebrated DXer whose website held in Andorra and Toulouse this year. If
accounts of DXing, and some witty spoofs, you are quick, you can still register to at-
go back many years, More recently, he tend. Contact me or have a look at the
published a historical travelogue, inspired EDXC website. There is an EDXC coach
by DXing. It is called Following Ghosts in 6 leaving Toulouse on September 5th, and
Northern Peru. Fig. 6: A 1979 QSL card from Polskie Radio, a the conference commences in Andorra on
www.donmooredxer.com station still broadcasting in English. Friday, September 6th.
https://tinyurl.com/y5ae8oo4 After the conference sessions, visits to
www.donmooredxer.com/books/peru.html 860kHz in the USA. radio stations and a conference banquet,
Graham Smith noted that Polish station https://tinyurl.com/yfyeeya the coach leaves Andorra for Toulouse on
TVN24 carries the news in English, with vid- https://tinyurl.com/y4qy6r2n Sunday, September 8th, via the Spanish
eo and audio. Radio Polonia, the current-day Meanwhile, the external services of Polish enclave of Llivia. A night in Toulouse
version of the former short wave station Radio can still be heard, in Polish, English, is followed by a day of sightseeing on
can also be heard in English. For Polish Belarusian, Russian and Ukrainian. This was Monday, September 9th.
news in English elsewhere, try Polonia once a vibrant radio station when I started I will report back to readers about the con-
Today, hosted by Deb Majca on Philadelphia listening to short wave many moons ago, ference in the November issue of RadioUser.
talk radio station WWDB, online and on and it continues to be so. Nevertheless, I do https://edxcnews.wordpress.com
Competition Time
OR
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Win a Cross Country Wireless

89
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Thanks to our friends at Cross Country Wireless, we are able to offer
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Network Radio
Network Radio APRS

& the DigiComm Café
Chris Rolinson examines 5G safety in network radio, looks at the Automatic
Packet Reporting System and introduces the amazing initiatives of an
unusually-creative user from the USA.
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Chris Rolinson
g7ddn@g7ddn.com
G is the next big development
5 in the world of Network Radio.

Yes, it may be a few months, or
perhaps years, before we see
a 5G NR handset or mobile, but
one will eventually arrive. However, some
users have expressed concerns as to ex-
actly how safe the use of microwaves in
the higher electromagnetic spectrum might
be. The problem is that we haven’t used
frequencies of 24GHz and above (which is
where 5G will work) commercially before,
and 5G will effectively saturate the country
in high-end millimetre radio waves.
Waves, Ionising or Not

What needs to be understood is that all RF
fields are non-ionising (rather than ionis-
ing) waves. This means that they simply do 1
not have the power to alter the structure of Fig.1: The types of radiation in the electromagnetic spectrum.
human cells. Unlike X-Rays, for example,
which are of the ionising variety, and over- Research UK reported that, while the use of operate some distance from the RF
exposure to which can harm us (Fig. 1). cellular devices has increased by around sections. And HT devices tend to be used
500% in the last 20 years or so, brain tu- further away from the body than a typical
The Viewpoint of the mour incidence only increased by 34% over phone-type device.
Authorities the same period. The charity attributes this There’s more on this, in this excellent
The UK Government has decided to apply to improvements in both the reporting and article on the 5G website:
current guidelines for lower power devices detection of tumours: https://5g.co.uk/guides/how-safe-is-5g/
to the 5G spectrum. https://tinyurl.com/y463tqky
This has been backed up by the NHS, Furthermore, one Australian report, which The Automatic Packet
which stated that, “when it comes to oth- has tracked mobile usage for 30 years, Reporting System, Network-
er risk factors for cancer, such as smoking, couldn’t find any scientific correlation be- Style
poor diet, drinking too much alcohol and lack tween brain cancer and mobile usage. In June, some of our Belgian and Dutch
of exercise, mobile phone ownership is prob- https://tinyurl.com/y37rxpde colleagues started tinkering with the
ably not a significant risk to your health”. possibility of APRS position-reporting for
https://tinyurl.com/y45r4fq8 Personal Precautions NR users. By July, thanks to the excellent
In a similar vein, The Health Protection All that said – and at the danger of sound- work and skills of Marc Huyghebaert
Agency (HPA) has concluded that, “there ing contradictory – I personally keep any ON3PHP, we were able to welcome
is no convincing evidence that RF exposure mobile devices away from very close prox- ‘NRAPRS’ (Fig. 2):
below agreed international guideline levels imity to my body. Being ultra-careful has www.nraprs.be
causes health effects in adults or children”. never hurt anyone! As reported in a previous column,
https://tinyurl.com/y5m5sybh Mobile Network Radios are actually only licensed Hams can use the current
In addition to this, the charity Cancer great for this; handheld microphones APRS system, so this initiative from Marc

Network Radio
G7DDN
Fig. 2: The NRAPRS Map in its early days.

Fig. 3: A young Denny Johnson (KD5DLJ).
legitimately gives NR users a similar

capability for our systems.
Marc was assisted in this endeavour by
a team of testers and helpers, including
familiar names like Niko Caignie NR515,
Roland Vandervos, and Filip Everaert
NR001, as well as a few others.
Niko has also added an explanatory
page to his ever-growing website on how
best to access NRAPRS; as usual, it is well
worth your time:
https://www.nr515.be/manuals/nraprs
I hope to be able to report more on
this in a future column. Meantime users
are continuing to work out the little bugs
that inevitably appear at the start of a
project such as this.
Network Radio in the USA 2

Those who have taken an interest in digital KD5DLJ
radio of any variety have probably come helped to bring the ham community in
across the name Denny Johnson KD5DLJ. Arkansas together.
Denny’s interests seem to lie all over the “I began a weekly state-wide DMR Net,
digital radio spectrum, and I took some which we ran for a year before branching
time recently to catch up with him to try and out into experimenting with multiple digital
find out more. He said, “It was in 1968 that modes and bridging them. Now people
I was exposed to amateur radio. My high could use their favourite mode/radio to
school electronics instructor challenged us communicate with others who wanted to
to learn about electronics, through studying use their favourite mode/radio too […]”.
for our ham license. Back then, the initial 3
ticket was Novice and we had to learn DigiCommCafé
Morse code. Six of us decided to give it a A fascinating initiative came out of this. “So we now have a digital ‘mega-multi-
shot and we all passed (Fig. 3). Here is Denny again: mode’ system, comprised of Allstar Link,
“We got to use the school club station - a “I created a unique paradigm called DMR, DSTAR, FUSION, Hamshack Hotline,
Drake with a tri-band beam on the roof. One ‘DigiCommCafé’ to bring people Peanut, Teamspeak, and Zello, with a
of our projects was to build our own QRP together in the spirit of amateur radio - couple of other standalone platforms
CW transmitter. I purchased a Hallicrafters experimentation, fellowship and fun (Fig. 4). (e.g. Orion and Discord), and it’s all for
receiver from a local shop, and my first The Café is not a ‘club’ with a ‘membership’; experimentation and fun!”
antenna was a 40m dipole that my dad it is simply a ‘digital playground’, designed
let me put on the roof! Those first Morse to be a welcoming place for those who Thoughts on Digital
contacts on 40m were very exciting for me - are interested in digital communications. On the topic of digital, Denny elaborated: “I
I was hooked. Being a novice was great, but The idea is to reach hams and non-hams really enjoy digital voice for global comms.
I quickly upgraded […]”. alike and to provide a safe, welcoming, The audio quality is generally superior, and
place to meet and be supported. Radio or it covers greater distances more reliably
An interest in Digital Modes… no radio, all are welcome; many use their than HF. It’s not perfect by any means, but
Denny continued to write that, “[…] While smartphone, computer or network radio. it keeps getting better all the time, given the
I still operate an HF station, I spend most “I also wanted to continue to work ongoing development of software by many
of my time now on digital modes - Allstar, on bridging multiple digital modes talented programmers.
DMR, DSTAR, Hamshack Hotline, Peanut, and be inclusive. “Early on in my digital experience, I was
Teamspeak and Zello. I use Raspberry Pi “I use the theme of a café to promote in regular communications with UK friends
(RPi) hotspots and Shark RF’s OpenSpot. our activities, in a way that might help who were using what they called ‘Network
“It started about 4 years ago when I attract others who normally get put off Radios’. It was a brand new concept for me,
bought a DV4 Mini, although I later changed by typical radio ‘jargon’. The selection of and I really didn’t get it, so didn’t pursue it.
to an RPi, with a DVMega board for both digital modes you can work is presented Nobody was using it in the US at the time.
DMR and D-STAR. Our local repeater as a ‘Menu’, and the experience itself is “But in the past couple of years, it’s
converted to DMR, which made it easy for presented as a ‘Buffet’. begun to get a foothold here in the States,
me to communicate with our local group “I like to think of it as a ‘Virtual Café’ for too. I would have to say that Zello is my
using my hotspot. DMR was fun and really anyone with an appetite for digital comms. favourite platform just now - it appears

Network Radio
KD5DLJ
to be the favourite of all of our users by a

large margin too.
“With Zello running on a computer, you
can easily bridge a channel to other ham ra-
dio modes and, importantly, set it up so that
verified licensed operators can talk into the
channel, as well as across to digital ama-
teur radio modes repeaters” […].
A Supportive Ethos
Our correspondent also reported on an-
other important aspect of these devel-
opments. He said,
“My philosophy has always been to help
encourage and support others in what they 4
are doing - to bring value to our hobby and Fig. 4: Colourful DigiCommCafé Artwork.
introduce others to it. Network Radios is
a great way for non-hams to enjoy the ex- A Plethora of Ideas other support. I have found that in the digi-
periences that we enjoy as hams and gain Creativity pays off for Denny, and he contin- tal communications community.
some experience in the communications ued to put this in context: “One of the things I stress in the
protocols that we use. Many have become “I have been told that I am hyper-creative! DigiCommCafé is that we need to lis-
licensed amateurs and others prefer to just Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the ten first. And we should always ac-
enjoy the Network Radio experience with- night with new ideas and can’t wait to flesh knowledge what is being said to validate
out a license and that is perfectly fine. After them out. Some of them work, some of the one speaking.
all, conversation is really what our hobby is them don’t. But I just keep creating because “Then we too should share in a loving and
mostly about […]”. I am passionate about communications, respectful way, making sure that we do not
especially digital comms. I also have a web- use words that put down or demean oth-
Radio on the Rocks and site platform for building and hosting your ers; I call it a ‘Culture of Kindness’. I believe
Cafécast hobby or business websites called BitWeb. people should be free to share who they are,
Later on, Denny introduced an amazing All my other websites are built on it:” their faith, politics and anything, as long as
case-study he is involved in: www.dennyj.com they do so in a respectful way. We shouldn’t
“This is a new initiative called www.kdtdlj.com use our communications to try to change
‘Radio On The Rocks’. www.digicommcafe.com others to be like us but use our words to al-
This idea adopts a two-pronged low for the acceptance of our differences.
approach to sharing information about Future of NR “And if someone comes into the
our hobby. The first is a live internet radio I’d have to agree with Denny when he says, DigiCommCafé trying to bring drama or divi-
station called ‘Café on Ice’ - it’s an Icecast “Internet propagation is here to stay - the siveness, they will be asked to take it some-
Server dedicated to broadcasting live hardware and software continue to grow where else. This is where the benefits of our
conversations on the multi-mode system and mature. I believe it is doing wonders ROIP platforms really shine; we can easily
within the ambience of a café. Branson – not only in bringing the ham community pull the plug on trouble makers. You can’t
Radio is playing in the background as together but also helping the wider com- do that on “real radio” platforms!”
folks come into our virtual cafe awaiting munity in our growing understanding and My thanks to Denny for taking the time to
global conversations. appreciation for one another and our differ- put together those valuable thoughts.
“The second aspect is my podcast ent cultures and worldviews. And that wraps up the NR column for
or ‘Cafécast’, as I call it. It is on iTunes, “I hear the argument that Network Radio another month! Remember the National
Soundcloud and Stitcher. I use it to inter- is not ‘real’ radio. I respect those who hold Hamfest takes place on Friday 27th and
view amateur radio operators from around that view, but I guess it depends on what as- Saturday 28th September. You can meet
the world and get them to tell their story of pects of radio are prized the most? For me, other NR enthusiasts and, of course, the
how they got into radio and what they are and many others, it’s about chasing the con- amazing Warners / RadioUser / Practical
particularly passionate about. The goal is to versation. Yes, it’s thrilling to work rare DX in Wireless team there too, just as we
help build the hobby, one story at a time. the midst of a pileup. But personally, I never did last year.
“Readers can learn all about these initia- found it to be a lasting excitement – maybe It’s great to put voices and
tives and take a look at the menu by going I’m getting old?” names to faces.
to our website: See you there:
http://digicommcafe.com A Culture of Kindness http://www.nationalhamfest.org.uk
“If you have an Alexa smart speaker or In conclusion, Denny emphasises what is,
a similar device, you can also activate my perhaps, the most vital aspect of Network [ (1) For this time only, I have departed from
‘Ham Buffet’ skill, where you will be present- Radio: “But I do like to be ‘known’ by the few the usual practice of placing direct speech in
ed with our menu; you can also listen to our I communicate regularly with; people who inverted commas; (2) talking about Hamfest,
‘Café on Ice’ live stream […]: ask how I’m doing, friends who share their why not take a look at our comprehensive
https://tinyurl.com/y44drfz8 life struggles and care about giving each Rallies listing, elsewhere in this issue – Ed.].

Radio in History
0 25 50 miles
South Atlantic Ocean
East Falkland
Port Howard
Stanley
Weddel Goose Green
Falkland
Sound
West Falkland
Scotia Sea
At the Ends
of the Earth
The Role of Radio During
the Falklands War
Scott Caldwell explores how radio functioned as a
vital channel of communication, a proxy weapon of
war, and a therapeutic psychologist’s couch during
and after the Falklands Conflict in 1982.

Radio in History
he Falkland Island archipelago islanders’ kitchens, their radios were invariably
T is located some 300 miles from

the coast of Argentina, within the
forbidding and icy conines of the
South Atlantic Ocean.
In 1982, this far-lung location was still
dependent on short wave radio, The very
remoteness of the territory also meant that
on, tuned to the local FIBS (Falkland Islands
Broadcasting Station) during its broadcast
hours in the evening, and to the BBC Overseas
at other times. Many of the BBC Overseas
programmes were also relayed by the FIBS. In
addition, most people had their own ‘diddle-
dee-radio’ [sic], the amateur band, the world
radio played a major role in the reporting of the 2m set, which had spread like wildire
of tensions between the nations of Britain throughout the Islands over the last few years.
and Argentina, who wanted to control Many households had two sets, one in the 2
the sovereignty of the Falklands for very house and one in the Land Rover. Fig. 1: The Falkland Islands Archipelago.
contrasting reasons. “VHF and supposedly line-of-sight only, it Fig. 2: The Logo of the BBC World Service.
War in the South Atlantic broke out, due to deied the experts and bounced off and around Fig. 3: The General Belgrano.
two serious diplomatic misjudgments. On the hills to give freak reception over unheard-
one hand, the Conservative Government of of distances. The experienced hams (which receiver in the hall’s junk cupboard. They
the time in the UK held the view that Argentina meant most women as well as men) could managed to repair it and received regular
would not take the risk of invading the transmit a message through the ‘diddle-dee- evening news broadcasts from the BBC World
Falkland Islands. network’, across the length and breadth of Service. To distract the Argentinian sentries,
On the other hand, the Argentine military the islands in minutes. This was often more other detainees made noises at the windows
leadership perceived that the United Kingdom eficient than the Post Ofice’s 4.5m HF to cover up the cracking of the broadcasts
would merely pursue a formal protest at the Network, which was installed in the managers’ – they were never discovered. This act was
United Nations. houses and served instead of the telephone. It vital to their overall morale and wellbeing,
By early 1982, the Argentine economy was was also a boon to travellers, who could call up especially when the conlict was moving
on the brink of collapse. This was relected in for help if they broke down, or to husbands who towards a British victory and the Argentine
falling industrial output, lower wages, rising could warn their wives that they would be late if military were forced to surrender and vacate
unemployment, and a rampant rate of inlation they became bogged.” the Falkland Islands.
(well above 100%), which showed no sign Therefore, before the advent of mobile
of slowing down. phone communications, many inhabitants of A True News Scoop
Against this background, the military the Falkland Islands utilised amateur radio In 1982, Laurie Margolis was employed as a
government needed a strong political communications as a means of spreading the BBC news journalist. He entertained a strong
campaign to unite the Argentine nation and news from settlement to settlement. passion for short wave and amateur radio,
delect attention away from the disastrous, and his callsign was G3UML. His senior
economic conditions at home. Radio Witnesses editors quickly pressed him into service, by
It looked to the Falkland Islands for an Radio receivers remained on during the instructing him to operate the BBC’s short
answer (Fig. 1). evening of April 1st, 1982, as the population wave transceiver, with the added beneit of a
listened for any reports on the BBC Overseas large, roof-mounted, aerial.
BBC World Service and Service and to the oficial communications The transceiver was actually operated
Diddle-Dee Radio from Governor, Rex Hunt on FIBS. by the BBC’s Amateur Radio Club, located
For those who lived in the Falklands, the BBC The midnight news bulletin broadcasted by in a junk-illed attic, the dreary ‘Room 701’.
relay station on Ascension Island provided a the BBC made for grim listening: The United After spending many unsuccessful hours
much-needed source of entertainment and Nations Security Council had demanded a attempting to contact operators in the
current affairs, bridging a distance of 8,000 cessation of any perceived threats of military Falkland Islands, his luck changed at 4 pm
miles to the United Kingdom. action. However, it was conirmed by Harold (London Time), when VP8LP was received
The Governor of the Falkland Islands Briley (then the BBC’s Latin American News faintly on 21.205kHz.
relected after his inauguration in 1980, on Correspondent), that there was no oficial The amateur radio operator was Bob
this dependency of the islands’ population on reaction from the ruling military government McLeod, and he conirmed that the Falkland
radio, by giving an example: in Buenos Aires. Islands were now under the jurisdiction of the
“That evening, we went down to the The residents of Goose Green had a bad Argentinian military: “We have now been taken
community hall to meet the settlement people. time, following the irst attack by British Sea over. The British Government still denies it, but I
They were a little shy at irst but chatted more Harriers, launched on 1st May 1982. The believe they have no contact with the Falklands,
freely after a beer or two. I was impressed by Argentine troops instigated a forced policy and this is probably why they are still denying
how well informed they were, not only on the of transferring the local inhabitants into the it. But we have been taken over. There is an
Falkland affairs but also on world topics. relative coninement of the recreation hall. aircraft carrier and, I believe, four other boats.
“On the way back to the ‘big house’, Adrian A total of 114 people were held for 29 days, I don’t have the details on them, but they have
explained the reason in two words: ‘BBC while their homes were requisitioned by heavy armoured vehicles in Stanley, details
Overseas’ (The BBC World Service, Fig. 2 – Argentinian troops, in an attempt to reduce the of which I don’t know, and quite a number
Ed.): Here are his words: “Without television possibility of further air attacks by the RAF and of personnel. They landed at approximately
or daily newspapers, or even a choice of radio the Royal Navy. 09:30 hrs GMT this morning in landing crafts
stations, they depended almost entirely on BBC Two local and resourceful men, Bob and stormed the capital Port Stanley and have
Overseas for news and entertainment. As we McLeod and Ray Robson, who were keen taken over the government ofice; they landed
were to discover later, when we went into the radio amateurs, located a broken old radio with heavy armoured vehicles. We’re now under

Radio in History
their control. They are broadcasting that all to override their attempts. In response to was, in effect, operating from a war zone.
local people will be treated as normal. Fairly the operation of Radio Atlántico del Sur, the Les Hamilton was a radio amateur from
peaceful in Stanley at the present time.” Argentinian military government authorised Clydebank in Scotland, who had built up a
the broadcasting of a station dedicated to friendly network with fellow amateurs on the
Radio as a Weapon of War anti-British propaganda: It was named Radio Falkland Islands. He relayed vital information
Radio Atlántico del Sur had one objective: Liberty and transmitted from 2nd April until regarding Argentine troop movements to the
To try and undermine the morale of the 26th June 1982. Ministry of Defence. In this way, he assisted in
Argentinian conscript army. It broadcast formulating the bombing strategy of the Royal
in Spanish, under the overall jurisdiction ‘Argentine Annie’ Navy and RAF. In recognition of his vital intel-
of the Ministry of Defence, although the Its most infamous presenter was Silva ligence work, he was later invited to attend the
station’s day-to-day management was Fernandez Barrio, who was acknowledged 20th Anniversary commemorations of the end
conducted by a specially-established media as being very vocally seductive in her style. In of the conlict.
assessment team. many respects, the style of the radio station
The programming content was broadcast was modelled on the infamous Tokyo Rose, Satellite Communications
from studios in Mayfair, London, and relayed who broadcast anti-American propaganda in The Soviet Union publicly denied any po-
from a requisitioned BBC transmitter, located the Paciic Theatre during World War Two. litical intention of actively assisting the
on the strategically-vital Ascension Island. In an attempt to reduce the overall impact of Argentinian military in strategic intelligence-
The irst broadcast was transmitted on the Radio Liberty, the British establishment nick- sharing. However, a total of 7 reconnaissance
evening of the 19th May 1982. It continued, named it Argentine Annie, in honour of Barrio. satellites were covertly positioned over the
with a total of 47 broadcasts, until 15th June, The broadcast originated from a military base Southern Atlantic Ocean.
when the Falkland Islands had been freed from northwest of Buenos Aires, located near the A number of Bear aircraft were also de-
Argentinian forces. Paraguayan border, and not from the former ployed from Cuba and Western Africa to track
The Argentinian military government FIBS studios on the Falkland Islands. the British leet heading towards the Falkland
attempted to reduce the inluence of Radio Its regular short wave frequency was Islands. However, this was discontinued, fol-
Atlántico del Sur, by jamming its signal. 17740kHz, and QSL conirmation was pro- lowing repeated messages to stand clear of
However, its overall success would have to vided for accurate reception reports. A clear the British leet’s intended course.
be seen as rather questionable, because signal was frequently reported in the USA. This The overall military advantage offered by
the powerful transmitter had the capacity was quite remarkable, given that the station any satellite reconnaissance intelligence is

Radio in History
open to question, given the lengthy time frame to signal Whitehall and formally request that ited the broadcasting of British music.
involved in the transmission of the information the predetermined Rules of Engagement be As a result of the ban, traditional folk mu-
to Moscow, and its subsequent analytical pro- amended, permitting the Royal Navy to attack sic and new Argentinian rock bands became
cessing and interpretation. any Argentinian vessels lawfully, regardless the dominant genres on the station’s play-
The British leet was also dependent on a of its position. lists. Classic Argentine movies of the 1930s
complex network of satellite communications, It was just before lunch when the signal was and 1940s were also given a new lease of life;
especially when one takes in to account the transmitted to Chequers, the Prime Minister’s many of them were played continuously in
considerable distance between Britain and the country house. The War Cabinet was just in the many cinemas and on television.
Falkland Islands. process of assembling for its daily brieing. It The Argentinian population was systemat-
On 1st May 1982, The Economist was quickly agreed to permit HMS Conqueror ically inluenced, as to the course of the war,
newspaper reported on the complexity to attack the General Belgrano. The stakes had and broadcasts indicated – right up to 14th
faced in maintaining effective command become too great in the remote conlict zone. June 1982 – that their forces were winning the
and communications: “The Task Force and Eventually, the Command and Control key engagements.
Whitehall mostly communicated by bouncing Headquarters at Northwood (Hampshire) uti- However, without warning, the ‘victorious
radio signals off a satellite parked in orbit lised their superior communications facili- broadcasts’ suddenly seized transmission,
22,000 miles above the equator. These signals ties and transmitted the attack order to HMS and no explanation was offered to the ci-
were automatically relayed to the big American Conqueror. In many respects, it was a general vilian population.
communications centre on Ascension, then transmission to all Royal Navy vessels, au-
on to Britain. The messages were encrypted thorising the new rules of engagement. HMS Conclusion
by a computer system. The code could not Conqueror inally managed to close down the In an attempt to further undermine the mo-
be broken with today’s techniques. The radio range and ired a total of three Mark 3 torpe- rale of the Argentinian troops stationed in the
frequencies were automatically changed does, in a spread across the target, to com- Falkland Islands, Captain Rod Bell of HMS
many times per second, to prevent jamming pensate for any inaccuracies. Two of the tor- Fearless began broadcasting on a daily basis:
and interception.” pedoes hit home, and it is estimated that 368 “You are in a hopeless position, surrounded by
Furthermore, the Washington Post reported crew members lost their lives in this attack, sea, totally covered by air. There is little point in
on 16th April 1982, that the United States had out of a total of 1,042. Most crew who lost the continued struggle. Decide to give up now!
provided a satellite communications chan- their lives were young conscripts. The captain, Our demands are no relection on the courage
nel for the use of the British leet. It was as- Héctor Bonzo, survived. of your forces.
certained that such assistance was provided “We have taken many prisoners and you
under the jurisdiction of the NATO alliance: Radio as a Healer have lost all the high ground around Stanley.
“US oficials conirmed again yesterday that The more than 30 years that have passed The world will judge you accordingly if you
the Reagan administration is allowing Britain since the end of the Falklands conlict were make no response and there is unnecessary
to use US facilities to communicate with Royal sometimes painful, both physically and men- bloodshed in Stanley. Agree a time for a cease-
Navy submarines. But they said that commu- tally, for both sets of veterans. A total of 649 ire now. Do you understand? Cease ire now!”
nications satellite channels being used for Argentinian and 255 British troops lost their As luck would have it, this broadcast was
this purpose are nothing more than the Royal lives in the 74-day conlict. received in a Stanley radio shack; operat-
Navy would normally receive, as part of any In the aftermath, veterans on both sides ing the receiver was Eileen Vidal, with two
NATO operations.” embraced talk radio as a means of open- civilians and an Argentinian oficer, Captain
ing up about their post-traumatic stress Melbourne Hussey. He set the political ma-
Submarine Links disorder (PTSD). chinery in motion that led to the surrender on
Communication with nuclear submarines was Take, for example, Roque Juarez. He is an 14th June 1982.
strategically far more complex. In order to Argentinian veteran and now hosts a week- To try and stimulate economic growth, and
transmit signals, a submarine was required to ly programme entitled Malvinas From the to appease the disgruntled population, a num-
deploy its antenna above the surface of the Inside, broadcast from the provincial city of ber of reforms – planned for the time before
sea, thus risking possible detection by recon- Villa Mercedes. Roque still suffers from the the Falklands War and subsequently suspend-
naissance satellites and low-lying aircraft. aftereffects of the conlict, most noticeably ed – were reintroduced. There were, for exam-
However, this form of communication was insomnia, and for a time he battled against ple, a number of moves towards the privatisa-
strategically vital to the Royal Navy subma- suicidal thoughts. tion of state radio and television in Argentina.
rine HMS Conqueror. The latter was shadow- However, exposure to his thoughts on the
ing the Argentine vessel General Belgrano (Fig. radio has been a big help in a healing process.
3), operating just outside the 200-mile mari- He concluded that “Radio is kind of like a psy- Reading Tips
time exclusion zone. Regular reports by HMS chiatrist’s couch, only better, because you can BBC: How BBC Man Scooped Invasion News:
Conqueror were transmitted to Rear Admiral reach lots more people.” http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6514011.stm
Woodward, who commanded the Royal Navy Hastings, M. and Jenkins, S. (1983)
leet in the South Atlantic. They were also re- Domestic Radio The Battle for the Falklands
layed to the Ministry of Defence at Whitehall. Argentinian media and culture were one of the (London: Book Club Associates)
Woodward was concerned that he was in irst casualties of the Falklands War. Radio Mastny, V. (1983)
a position of extreme danger: If the General broadcasting was coordinated under the The Soviet Union and the Falklands War, U.S
Belgrano escaped from its pursuers and National Sovereignty Network, which regulated Naval War College Review, 36 (3), pp. 46 – 55
steamed hard for 24 hours, his vessel would programming production from 2nd April until Middlebrook, M. (2001) The Falklands War
then be in range of an Exocet missile attack. 26th June 1982. In a wave of patriotic nation- 1982 (3rd ed., London: Penguin Books).
Therefore, he concluded that it was prudent alism, the state-owned radio stations prohib-

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Yet another surprising receiver

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ceiver Award
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See the review in this issue.

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This is more than twice the complete
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boasts high sensitivity and excellent dynam-
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Above all, the whole 64MHz can be record-
Sigma: SDR ed via a USB 3.0 connection and played back

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Thus, the SDR has inally become the uni-
Sans Frontières? versal HF modem, which – like a DSL mo-

dem – provides the entire short wave (and
many areas beyond), both ‘live’ and ‘off-line’.
This paradigm shift – from listening live
on a single channel to providing a com-
Nils Schiffhauer has had the opportunity to road-test plete panorama – began with the irst
SDRs. However, the range of its possibili-
a WiNRADIO Excalibur WR-G65DDC (Sigma) SDR. ties was not being exploited by hobby ra-
He puts this top-of-the-range, radio through its paces dio enthusiasts.
and asks whether this is a new benchmark-device. In many cases, the more traditionally-in-
clined asked: “What is this for?”
I will try and address this question
Nils Schiffhauer, DK8OK in what follows.
dk8ok@gmx.net
HF Performance
W
ith its Sigma model, The Sigma covers the frequency rang-
Winradio has brought to es from 1kHz to 88MHz and 118MHz to
market a software-de- 190MHz, including airband, amateur and
ined radio receiver that weather satellite radio, but not the FM band.
can digitize, record and This is for technical reasons: At a sam-
playback a frequency range of up to 64MHz pling rate of 210MHz, the FM band just
wide, and with 16-bit resolution. sits between the irst and second ali-
Now read the last sentence again: This as-free Nyquist Zones.
kind of technology allows the user to evalu- I am concentrating here on the demand-
ate all amateur radio bands, from long wave 1 ing range of up to 30MHz, which is record-
to 6m, at one glance, and more. ed with a spurious-free dynamic range of
Rumours had been buzzing through the 16-bit, direct-sampling SDRs. an impressive 111dB, at a practice-oriented
airwaves for almost two years, and the I believe that Winradio products have al- noise-factor of 16dB.
WRTH 2019 ennobled the Excalibur Sigma ways represented the state-of-the-art in this This decreases even further, to the physi-
from Winradio in its irst review to “one of ield. They have, however, produced much cally-sensible limit of 9dB, with the preampli-
the best receivers in the world”, without even more enthusiasm amongst the profession- ier switched on.
scratching the surface of its actual, revolu- als, rather than with (predominantly conser- The dynamic range, however, remains ex-
tionary, potential. vative) hobbyists. tremely respectable at 109dB.
In June 2019, RadioUser became the The manufacturer has taken advantage of Depending on the desired RF bandwidth,
world’s irst radio magazine to get a sam- this demand from the professional market 18 (automatically-switched) pre-selector
ple for an extended practical and compara- and founded its business success on three ilters, which can also be bypassed, further
tive test (Fig. 1). key aspects: irst, being at the forefront of improve the SDR’s performance as regards
technology; second, to introduce serious, dynamic range and noise.
General Information sophisticated, devices to the market and not The attenuator is selectable, in 3dB steps
The receiver represents, in my view, the apex only devise them on paper; and third, to de- between 0 and 21dB, with the S-meter
of a successful series of ‘black-box’ receiv- mand reasonable prices. displaying an error of less than 2dB over
ers, which began in 1995 with the WR-1000i The latter may seem somewhat ironic in the entire range.
as a conventional triple-superheterodyne, the hobby area if one considers the nearly The switchable preampliier raises
covering 500kHz to 1.3GHz and above. £6,300 GBP (US$7,950) price tag attached to the signal by about 7dB; this can be use-
Nearly all functions could be controlled the Excalibur Sigma. ful above 10MHz.
through an RS-232 PC interface – a solution The RF signal now arrives – via an an-
greeted with scepticism by purists, which, From Receiver to Universal ti-alias ilter with a cut-off frequency of
however, gave excellent results in practice. HF Modem 88MHz – in the A/D converter.
The company has continued to drive devel- The WinRADIO Excalibur Sigma (also known The latter samples it – at 210 Mega
opment ever since, eventually offering real, as the WR-G65DDC) is the irst Software- Samples per Second (MSPS), and with a

Utility Monitoring
ALL PICTURES: NILS SCHIFFHAUER
2 3
Fig.1: A small box with a distinctive heat sink: The

Winradio WR-G65DDC Excalibur Sigma Fig. 2: The SDR
captures up to 64MHz, with 16-bit resolution, including
live recording and playback. Fig. 3: In the window
‘DDC2’, the signal can be optimized as if it were ‘under
a magnifying glass’. Here, in the case of the signal
of Radio Free Asia at 11,540kHz, the synchronous
detector is placed on the upper sideband to avoid
the aggressively-modulated transmitter Radio Dengê
Welat from Chişinău/ Moldova. Fig. 4a: The slope of
the filters can be selected; a high slope is draining on
4a 4b the PC. The image shows the minimum filter length
of 64 coefficients. Fig. 4b: As in Fig. 4a, but with the
maximum of 5,120 coefficients. Fig. 5: The actual start
of broadcasting on All India Radio is preceded by a 1kHz
measurement tone, which allows the Sigma to measure
such values as Signal-to-Noise-and-Distortion Ratio
(SINAD) and Total Harmonic Distortion (THD).
Fig. 6: If one of the three temperature sensors (placed at
critical points) strikes, the quiet fan ensures cooling.
User Experience and Tools

Winradio has largely relied on proprietary
formats, not unlike Apple. This leads to a
tailor-made combination of hardware and
software if users are indeed prepared to
embark on this form of operation.
Operating the SDR is very easy. Right from
the start, Winradio had adopted the appear-
ance of classical receivers and has supple-
5 mented this with SDR features such as spec-
trum, spectrogram and ininitely adjustable
16-bit resolution. With bandwidths between 20kHz and bandwidths; this user-interface and appear-
After this, the Digital Down Converter 64kHz, DDC2 offers a view of the magniied ance do not change with the Sigma.
(DDC1) provides the I / Q (stereo) stream HF or the demodulated audio optimization The synchronous detector, selectable
in one of 36 selectable RF bandwidths be- (Figs. 3 and 4) sidebands with an adjustable capture range
tween 20kHz and 64MHz for the PC – with a Measurements, such as Signal-to-Noise- of the carrier, and passband tuning are all
24-bit resolution below 3.2MHz bandwidth, and-Distortion-Ratio (SINAD), for transmit- available for optimized broadcast reception.
to preserve the signal-to-noise ratio. The ter tests with a 1kHz tone, can be carried out The former is the strongest weapon in the
keyword here is ‘processing-gain’. Above easily (Fig. 5). ight against the painful distortion of AM sig-
this, it is 16 bits. Despite the high performance of the nals through selective fading.
The entire range of up to 64 MHz is Sigma, its fan, with three thermo-con- The phenomenon is, of course, omnipres-
available via USB 3.0. through the LAN / trolled sensors and located at critical points ent, thanks to multipath propagation phe-
1GBit connector. (Fig. 6), switches on but rarely, and then nomena on short wave.
It is possible to supply the remote receiver almost inaudibly. Additionally, there are two notch ilters
with power over the same cable. However, By contrast, in many comparable profes- (Figs. 7a and 7b), each of which can be set
in this case, only a bandwidth of 16MHz sional receivers, fans are often too noisy for separately, in terms of bandwidth and fre-
can be supported. desktop operation. quency. The bandwidth of the demodula-

Utility Monitoring
tor can be selected seamlessly, between ing with amateur radio bands is a breeze.
1Hz (for slow CW, such as NDBs or carri- They should show a deep notch on all ama-
er measurements) and 50kHz for broad- teur radio bands.
band transmissions.
The two adjustable noise blankers re- Watching
duce the ubiquitous crackle from the iono- Commercial Stations
sphere, as well as from the local neighbour- Reception of commercial stations (‘mon-
hood. The wideband ADC noise blanker itoring’) often does not follow a ixed
switches over when a certain threshold is schedule with regard to times and fre-
reached, while the DDC noise blanker in the quencies. However, users of the Sigma
path of the further signal pathway is orient- can record data, such as voice radio con-
ed towards the average level of a certain tacts with aircraft.
period of time. In this way, it is possible, for instance, to
watch all the frequencies of an HF network 6
Reception and Synchronising in one fell swoop.
One of the most important features for I tried this every day, for more than a tion (Fig. 10).
professionals is the perfect synchronizing month, plus some nights, and I was always Among features such as memory man-
of time and frequency via GPS. Among looking forward to the reception and the agement, scheduler and server function, I
other things, this enables a phase- swift management of this considerable would like to emphasize the virtual sound-
coherent coupling of the I / Q streams of amount of data, covering even large areas in card option. This links the demodulated au-
various receivers of this type. This can be frequency and time. dio or I/Q output directly to a decoder.
useful for direction-inding according to When playing, the USB interface is only I have found that this works reliably, even
the TDoA method. applied with about 5MB/s, since processing for many hours of recording of, for example,
I found that the reception with the is not done within the Sigma, but in the PC. weather fax, without synchronization errors.
Excalibur Sigma sets new standards: With On the software side, I could have oc-
the practical scheduler, I recorded the entire casionally needed a bit more support for A New Benchmark
range from 0 to 32MHz in a single ile for even better control and analysis of these I tried the Sigma on the powerful Bonito ac-
a full day from midnight to midnight. This volumes of data. tive dipole aerial MD300DX (cf. RadioUser,
occupied around 13 terabytes. The great I did this with Simon Brown’s SDR Console August 2019: 60-62).
fascination is that you have instant access V3. SDRC V3 is running with the Sigma, of- In direct comparison with other SDRs
to even the faintest signals – and those of fering 24 parallel decoders, a unique and (such as the FDM-S2 via a Heros antenna
even the shortest duration and appearance indispensable ile analyser, and a versa- splitter), the Sigma plays out a better signal-
– over a 24-hour span in its frequency range. tile playback tool. to-noise ratio in almost all cases. Frequently,
In addition to this, there are three of the This helps to turn the Sigma into one of the signals are signiicantly cleaner. This is
many applications accessible with this SDR, the most advanced monitoring station mon- not just due to the high sensitivity, notice-
which stood out for me: ey can buy. It surpasses all professional re- able up from about 10MHz (time signal sta-
ceivers I know of (up to around US$50,000). tion WWVH from Hawaii), but extends deep
Broadcast DXers In the meantime, Winradio has also an- into the VLF range, such as in the case of the
The Broadcast DXer can choose the optimal nounced a software option, providing ive time signal transmitter RJH66 on 25kHz (at
times and frequencies. With a focus on DX, different I/Q streams (for example, from 1006 UTC from Kyrgyzstan) in early July.
they will mainly be interested in station iden- ive different amateur radio bands) and up I have put some selected examples on my
tiications. If a DXer pursues international to 32 separate demodulators, for which the website, for you to evaluate:
broadcasting programs, they can quickly hardware is currently under development. www.dk8ok.org
check for the best parallel frequency, then This will provide new opportunities for par- To wrap up: Hardware and reception qual-
switch to another channel, if the irst fre- allel monitoring. ity are unsurpassed in all areas. For me, the
quency is disturbed, or in case the signal Since this is an SDR, whose features are receiver clearly marks the new benchmark.
weakens. Three switchable VFOs, whose essentially determined by software, some Although the difference to other SDRs with
audio can be distributed freely on the left substantial extensions are possible just by 16 bits is often small, it is always noticeable,
and right channel, facilitate this, as well as means of updates, options, or even the de- especially with dificult stations. For the de-
enabling comparative, parallel, listening. ployment of third-party software. manding short wave listener, the verdict is
For integrated DRM modulation (Fig. To make integration easier, Winradio clear: With the Sigma, the development of
8) a Fraunhofer license key (costing €50) provides the XRS function that other soft- receiver technology has reached the highest
has to be added. ware can link with. maturity currently possible.
In this context, I would like to mention the This is, then, the receiver you have always
Amateur Radio Use indispensable (and free) CSV User browser dreamed of in terms of HF performance, and
An amateur radio operator (for example at a by Heinrich Emmerl (DF8RY). This connects in relation to many other key parameters.
contest) has all the amateur radio arenas at the Sigma to some key frequency data-
his disposal. An operator can simultaneous- bases (Fig. 9). Big Data: PC and
ly track the work of DX expeditions on multi- https://www.df8ry.de Storage Space
ple frequencies at the same time. In addition to its many other functions, Winradio states that its Sigma requires
Moreover, checking PLCs for interfer- the browser also polls for levels of recep- (at least) an i5 with 4GB of RAM and, of

Utility Monitoring
ALL PICTURES: NILS SCHIFFHAUER
7a 7b
2 3
8 9
10
Fig. 7a: Each of the two notch filters can be controlled in terms of width and frequency. Their effect is shown here on
the example of a carrier of a strong broadcaster, without the notch filter. Fig. 7b: As in Fig. 7a, but with the notch filter
switched in.Fig. 8: Digital Shortwave Broadcasting (DRM) remains a niche interest. This is Radio Kuwait with the Sigma
DRM Decoder. Fig. 9: Thanks to the XRS interface, DF8RY’s free add-on software integrates seamlessly with the Excalibur
Sigma and expands it. Fig. 10: CSVUB also offers a recording of levels, with an adjustable time resolution from 0.25 to 10
seconds. This is the beginning of the Kirghiz time signal transmitter RJH66 (on 25kHz) from 10:06 UTC but is showing the
actual PC time as playing this recording. Fig.11: The Sigma is a data hog with memory requirements in the terabyte range.
An external hard drive such as the inexpensive 2 x 10TB My Book Duo by RAID0 will provide enough space.
course, a USB 3.0 interface and Windows range, and thus 32MHz HF bandwidth. The
7 or up. For me, the Sigma ran without any demands for data rates and disk capacity
problems on a one-and-a-half-year-old are unsurpassed, if one wants to record 11
laptop Dell Inspiron 5770 with i7 8550U the entire short wave or even twice that (
/ up to 4GHz and a 2TB hard drive, and 64MHz-wide range). The Sigma demands WD (nearly 20TB) over a USB 3.1 interface
a three-and-a-half-year-old desktop with at least 155MB/s at 32MHz bandwidth, (€500), actually measuring a data rate
i7 5820 / 3.3GHz. Simpler PCs do not with the maximum of 320MB/s, at 64MHz. of up to 360MB/s, when recording. This
stop the Sigma, but automatically restrict The latter is leaving some headroom works without dropouts, up to the Sigma’s
available HF bandwidths, concurrently considering the practical performance of maximum of 64MHz of bandwidth. When
available channels, or demanding form USB3.0, so that mechanical hard disks playing back, the interface is demanding
factors of ilters, which can be reduced. For for storage and playback present the too, at just about 5MB/s. A complete ‘short
both of my PCs, the CPU-use was about bottleneck. I’ve been working with the wave-day’, i.e. 32MHz x 24 hours, requires
10% when recording the entire shortwave external hard drive My Book Duo (Fig. 11) by about 13TB of disk space.

Digital Radio
ALL PICTURES: KEVIN RYAN, EXCEPT FIG. 5: OFCOM
Digital Radio Developments

Across A Connected Globe
Kevin Ryan
kevin@kpr-web.co.uk
Kevin Ryan provides last-minute

updates on DRM developments in
Russia, India and China, reports on
the DAB scene in several popular
holiday locations, and shares some
recent information from Ofcom.
DRM+ in Russia
Russia is due to begin a DRM+ test in the
VHF band in St. Petersburg. The Russian
companies Digiton and Triada TV will
join leading DRM technology companies
Fraunhofer IIS, RFmondial and car radio
chipmaker NXP, all key members of the
DRM Consortium in this project. 1
https://digiton.ru
https://triadatv.ru/en https://www.bme.hu/?language=en archived logs, the MSC column needs to
Once again, the main purpose of the Looking back in my records for 2006, show numbers other than 0/0 for activity.
test is to demonstrate the advantages of there were 9 active DRM stations on this Hopefully, this test will get going very
the DRM system for public and private band across Europe, including two in soon. The ‘Charts’ tab provides a snapshot
broadcasters and showcase the benefits London. The signal from WRN in London of their monitoring (Fig.1).
digital radio brings to listeners. There is a used 1.7kW on a northerly beam, but http://nmhh.hu/drm/index_en.php?mid=8
summary of DRM+ on the DRM website. the signal wasn’t strong enough here in The short wave DRM transmission
https://www.drm.org/drm Reading to decode the audio. I remember it from the university aims to demonstrate
The transmitter was installed in the being a lot of fun trying to get even a short the wider possibilities of DRM, such as
middle of July, and regular broadcasting burst of audio from it. slideshows and Journaline advanced text
in simulcast mode will start after the The transmitter in Budapest is services, and to provide an opportunity
site acceptance tests; it should last scheduled to be on a 24-hours per day for receiver manufacturers to test
for 6 months. Power is around 5kW for program, playing a loop of content their products in real life, to see what
analogue and about 800W for digital compiled by Radio Maria. propagation is like in a river valley.
transmissions. This is a more advanced The test will start using AAC coding, I can only think that the receiver testing
test. It is different from the 2015 trial but the intention is to migrate to the is aimed at Starwaves who attended
because the DRM broadcast will be in most advanced xHE-AAC codec a regional conference in May 2019
simulcast mode and work at much higher and to add Journaline, along with a and launched their new DRM module
power. The earlier trial was in the OIRT slideshow. Unfortunately, using xHE-AAC (W102) with an integrated hard-coded
band on 67.46MHz. Russia’s digital plans means that DReaM and Sodira will not baseband decoder.
allow for DRM+ in both the OIRT and the decode the audio. The module contains a high-quality
ITU bands. However, I think the new test The technical details are as tuner frontend and audio DAC, as well
will be around 93 or 98MHz, where there follows: Frequency: 26060kHz; EIRP: as a digital input for external audio
are clear channels at the moment. approximately 100W; antenna: 5/8 l sources, for instance, from an external
monopole; transmission time: 24/7. I device to provide Bluetooth or USB audio.
DRM on 26MHz tried to pick this broadcast up using the It measures only 40x40mm and covers all
The Budapest University of Technology KiwiSDR network, but I couldn’t detect the bands from LW, MW, SW to the FM Band
and Economics started a 1-year DRM test signal. The two available SDRs are well (64-108MHz) in DRM and analogue radio.
on the 26MHz band on 1st June 2019. away from Budapest. The logs kept by the All data services such as Journaline or
With a well-designed antenna installation, National Media and Info-Communications MOT slide shows can be extracted from
this short wave band usually behaves like Authority do not, in fact, indicate that the the data stream for further processing in
an FM (line-of-sight) signal. In the past, station is active. the target device. The module, aimed at
it was mentioned as a way of providing The archive logs only record RRI from receiver manufacturers, will be available in
lower-cost community radio coverage. Galbeni and Kuwait. If you look at the the 3rd quarter of 2019.

Digital Radio
The High-Frequency Coordination

Conference (HFCC) A19 schedule lists
two other DRM transmitters in Berlin
(26040kHz) and Munich (26080kHz).
These are just registrations for now, and
the stations are not active as yet.
http://www.hfcc.org
Changes in India
The threat to All India Radio’s DRM
broadcasts on short wave appears to be
growing. There are reports of all-analogue
transmitters being phased out, in favour
of satellite radio. If true, this would be a
major development, akin to deploying a
SiriusXM system that listeners use in the
USA and Canada. So far, press reports
seem to be based on recommendations
produced by an internal Prasar Bharati
(India’s BBC equivalent) committee.
I can’t see the Indian government writing
off their investment in their DRM MW
system that hasn’t even really come into
operation (Fig. 2). Over a million relatively
new car radios would be obsolete. The
DRM India Newsletter for June stated
that any new MG SUVs now include a
DRM-capable radio.
https://www.drm.org/drm-india-page
I can foresee AIR’s external broadcasts
moving to satellite delivery, even
though this will shrink their audience to
virtually nothing. The people that make 2
these decisions are swayed by clever
presentations and projected savings; when I spent a morning monitoring CNR, Fig. 1: Extract from the ‘Charts’ section of the
they find out that they got it wrong, it is using several KiwiSDRs around China. NMHH Monitoring Receiver. The letters refer to
often too late. There are a few SDRs in China, but they stations detailed on the web page.
Can you see AIR appearing on Sky or have quite high noise floors, and I opted to Fig. 2: There are 34 DRM transmitters in the MW
Freesat? I can’t. It is, perhaps, more likely use SDRs in Japan and Russia instead. I network in India and three new short wave units.
that the future will be apps and streaming, logged 6030, 11695, 13825, 13850, 17700, About 1.1m car radios can receive DRM.
like in the case of many other external 17800 and 21555kHz between 0500 and
services, before they faded into obscurity. 0600 UTC. The broadcast on 6030kHz With a mostly speech-based service,
from Beijing uses 17.46kbps and 64-QAM I couldn’t really hear any difference
A19 DRM Updates to deliver a 12kHz stereo audio output, between the left and right channels. The
The online DRM schedule maintained whereas 17800kHz transmits 10kHz baseband audio is just 4.5kHz, so they
by the HFCC always lags behind what is stereo audio using just 14.56kbps. Most of must be doing something clever with
happening. It should be accurate because the others were in mono, at 11.64kbps. the Spectral Band Replication (SBR) that
the frequency changes are included in the These services decoded in DReaM at synthesizes the higher band of the audio.
HFCC’s file downloads. All times are UTC. a signal-to-noise ratio of 8-10dB, which I say this because the overall bit rate
http://www.hfcc.org/drm was impressive. was just 14.56kbps, using 16-QAM for
http://www.hfcc.org/data/a19 Meanwhile, on July 3rd, CNR revised the transmission.
the DRM schedule from Qiqihar located in I found a CNR radio portal with access
DRM from China northeastern China; on the 11th it did the to numerous local services, including the
China National Radio moved their 0100- same for the transmissions from Kunming Voice of China on DRM. I couldn’t get any
0900 DRM broadcast from Dongfang to in southern China (Table 1). audio to play on the live radio streams (Fig.
17770kHz from 15580kHz. The broadcast I logged 11990kHz at 0715 UTC, but the 3) but the podcasts worked.
from Kunming (also from 0100-0900) was AAC+ P-stereo only produced a few bursts https://tinyurl.com/y4w2r3h4
on 15250kHz but changes to 17790kHz, of audio when the SNR exceed 12dB. The
starting at 0100, moving to 21555kHz at signal from the SDR at Shenzhen China Apps in Ireland
0300, and reverting back to 17790kHz at improved after 0730 UTC, and soon I Irish broadcasters are following the trend
0700, until closedown. had a stereo audio output of 11.5kHz. in the UK, where a major commercial

Digital Radio
ALL PICTURES: KEVIN RYAN, EXCEPT FIG. 5: OFCOM
stations were available on the website. However, this set me thinking of some
https://www.goloudnow.com system that would alert me to a lift. I am
not a TV DXer, but I have read quite a bit
Audials Radiotracker about it and remember that there were
I found this software in the downloads beacon stations around 48MHz that
section of PCPro computer magazine. The alerted enthusiasts to a possible lift. I think
installer updated to the 2019 version, and the AGC line output from a receiver fed an
the magazine provided a full version. The analogue meter, and a quick glance would
product includes more than radio stations, tell you that a signal was there. I searched
of which there are thousands. It focuses the web but couldn’t find an equivalent
on the radio and podcasts section. The for DAB. My only idea is to use a DAB
software lets you record internet radio board (Ugreen) with the free software on a
streams, but the individual must use that Raspberry Pi that I haven’t used.
3 facility legally. I found this to be a curious https://tinyurl.com/yxrbqtcg
piece of software. The radio stations There are many problems to overcome
are divided into genres and countries, with this though, for example learning
but stations are not always categorized how to configure the Pi, finding a useful
correctly. The genres are all music- output like an AGC line, and deciding which
orientated, so it is not much use as a channel to leave the receiver tuned to. If
general internet radio player. Fig. 4 shows you do know of an off-the-shelf solution
the four stations listed in Greenland, with for this, please do get in touch.
one of them very clearly in the wrong
place. I gave up using the country-search DAB+ Spreading in the UK
feature and just used the genres to find From June 2019, D1 National has had four
stations I might like. The software has an DAB+ stations all using HE-AAC-v2. This
4 upgrade button that encourages you to means they won’t appear on the station
Fig. 3: The CNR portal should provide access to buy Audials One; this is a different product lists of DAB-only receivers. Heart Dance is
many of China’s radio services. that does more than Radiotracker and the most recent addition, and the station
Fig. 4: Radiotracker is an interesting piece of costs £19.90 for a one-off purchase. is joining Heart Extra, Gold UK and Smooth
software, in need of better indexing and tagging. https://audials.com/en/radiotracker Extra. Heart 80s remains as a DAB station.
https://www.heart.co.uk/dance/radio
company like Global develops their DAB DX Alarm Together with SDL National (D2), there
own app outside of the country’s The British DX Club (BDXC) reported a are eleven national services in DAB+. I
Radioplayer. The new GoLoud app tropospheric lift on the 28th of June, can receive six other DAB+ services from
includes Communicorp stations Today first of all on FM, and later that evening the London multiplexes. I don’t think the
FM, Newstalk, 98FM, Spin Southwest, on DAB. Reports of Dutch and German BBC has mentioned any plans to move
Spin 1038, a number of independent multiplexes prompted me to scan the to DAB+, but I would have thought that
podcasts and 18 music playlists. I lower channels the next day, but the a station like 6Music would be an ideal
also found another nine themed audio lift appeared to be temporary. I missed candidate for this.
services, mainly from Today and 98FM. one before, only to find the evidence of Hope FM, a Christian radio station that
I downloaded the app from Google Play. a Dutch multiplex, and a local one from only operated online is now on four local
The Today FM trailer stated that the Lincolnshire, on my car radio multiplexes, three of which are using
DAB+ (a mixture of AAC-v1 and AAC-v2)
Time UTC Frequency kHz Site Azimuth and the Hereford & Worcester mux is in
0000-0400 13850 QIQ 225 joint stereo (DAB). The station covers
0100-0400 15180 KUN 32 Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire, NE Wales
0100-0800 17830 URU 98 and West Cheshire.
0100-0900 11695 DOF 41 https://hopefm.org.uk/about/dab
0100-0900 13825 BEI 125 Like Radio, aimed at the 15-30 age
0100-0900 17770 DOF 16 group, plans to extend its DAB coverage to
0400-0800 17790 KUN 32 the Somerset multiplex. The broadcaster
0400-0900 11990 QIQ 225 is currently found on the Hereford
0800-1100 15180 KUN 32 and Worcester, Gloucestershire and
0800-1200 9655 URU 98 Birmingham mini-muxes.
0900-1200 13710 QIQ 203
https://likeradiouk.com
2025-1805 6030 BEI 0
BBCWS on DAB in Europe
The BBC World Service is popping up on
SITES: QIQ=Qiqihar; BEI=Beijing; DOF=Dongfang; KUN=Kunming URU=Urumqi. more DAB services in Europe – good news
All transmitters 30kW; China DRM schedule as monitored 16th July 2019. if you are travelling abroad. I downloaded
Table 1: China DRM Schedule the one-page Guide to Europe from the

Digital Radio
completed in 2020. The trial is on channel

6C, and the stations use 64kbps. A 12th
test channel is at 128kbps. There is a
plan out to public consultation to extend
services to the major cities. A permanent
network could take three to five years.
DAB+ in Tunisia
WorldDAB reported that a DAB+ multiplex
with 18 stations is in operation in
Tunis, but I can’t find any information to
confirm this on the Office National de la
Télédiffusion (ONT) website. However,
I did come across a tender for DAB
broadcast equipment. Perhaps operators
are going to roll out a DAB network. A
report from the Radio and TV Festival
of the Arab States Broadcasting Union
(ASBU), and held in Tunis, confirmed the
establishment of regular DAB+ services.
https://tinyurl.com/yygtlxuo
ONT installed the national multiplex in
March 2019, and it covers over half (51%)
of Tunisia’s 11 million inhabitants. The
multiplex, which hosts 18 DAB+ stations,
covers the capital, as well as other
5 regions in the northeast of the country,
Fig. 5: Part of the detailed coverage plan for small-scale DAB. including Tunis, Ariana, Sousse, Monastir,
Bizerte, and Mahdia.
BBC website and found them nationally in interfere with services in other countries.
Denmark and on many local multiplexes in There is a lot more information in the DAB+ News from Germany
Belgium and the Netherlands. 104-page consultation. Of particular Deutschlandfunk and Deutschlandfunk
For many years, the Digi B network in interest is Appendix A1: It shows the Kultur are to switch their FM frequencies
Malta was the only country carrying the proposed licensing areas (page 48: in three Bavarian cities and instead rely
BBCWS in DAB. In June 2019, the BBCWS Coverage Area Plans, Fig. 5). I learned (in on distribution via DAB+. It’s headline-
joined the station line-up on the EuroDAB Appendix A3) that, after the current round grabbing but these are fill-in FM relays of
Italia private national radio network that of licensing, there are three areas that are 100W, and there is likely to be some FM
covers 80% of the population. BBCWS still without a local radio multiplex: The coverage from the other 49 transmitters
joins stations such as Vatican Radio Borders, Highlands and Islands and Orkney in the region. If this move is successful,
Italia, Radio Monte Carlo, RTL, and Virgin and Shetland, and the Isle of Man. other, more powerful, FM transmitters may
Rock. There is a coverage map on the Table A3.1 in the document lists the be scheduled to close.
operator’s website. local radio multiplex areas that have
https://tinyurl.com/y33c363r capacity available for another local Ofcom Communications
https://tinyurl.com/y6kx85uk multiplex. It is easier to list those that do, Radio
http://www.eurodabitalia.it/copertura as it is Cornwall, Teesside and Tyne & Ofcom published its 2019 Report online.
Wear in England and Wales. Scotland has There are five years of data available here,
Small-Scale DAB a lot of capacity across the country, and and you can see how digital radio listening
Ofcom is consulting what it terms Northern Ireland has one block, subject to is changing, year on year. The only data I
‘stakeholders’, on how the regulator an international agreement. found of interest concerned digital radio
should use its new powers and duties Finally, there is a proposed amendment listening by area and location. From the
in connection with the licensing of to the Technical Code, to the end figures, it seems that Swindon has the
small-scale DAB. that small-scale DAB multiplexes highest DAB radio ownership at 80.6%,
Ofcom plans to issue Community Digital must only use DAB+. replacing Stoke-on-Trent, which has
Sound Programming (C-DSP) licences. https://tinyurl.com/y5l2vsw2 dropped to fourth place.
From 2020, these will use the same https://tinyurl.com/y2wbpml8
processes as are currently in place for More DAB+ Worldwide
analogue AM and FM community stations. An 18-month trial went on air in July 2019 Summary
The new multiplexes will use blocks 7D, in Bangkok and the areas surrounding the It appears this month that, just when
8A, 8B, 9A, 9B, and 9C. Ofcom may also Thai capital, with a total of 11 stations. DRM gets a major boost from China,
use gaps in the 10B to the 12D range, The final phase of the trial – the launch the threat to India’s fledging DRM
where a small-scale DAB multiplex might of advanced services – is expected to be service becomes real.

Devon
DealerGuide
Zeacombe House, Blackerton Cross, East Anstey,
For Sale For Sale
Tiverton, Devon, EX16 9JU
BUILD YOUR OWN DATAMODES INTERFACE! Audio VINTAGE FIREWORK COLLECTOR Do not light the blue
Phone/Fax - 01202 490099 isolation transformers for PSK31 RTTY SSTV etc. 600ohm touch paper and burn British Heritage, private collector
Specialist Suppliers of Amateur Airband 1:1, only £4.99 + postage per pair. For these and more will pay cash and collect from anywhere, licensed explo-
Marine PMR & Shortwave Equipment to great items go to www.technofix.co.uk or technofix.uk sive storage. Call Tony on 07956 506300
the Business User & Hobby Enthusiast
Camping available on our 70
pitch site - quote Radio User
www.shortwave.co.uk
sales@shortwave.co.uk
Trading
TradingPost
FOR SALE
ALUMINIUM LATTICE TOWER, 8 foot YAESU FT-301 S. Fully working in as new
Scotland sections, 5 sections = total 41 foot, 2 foot wide condition from SK sale. All original packing
sides. Heavy gauge vertical extrusion. Angle with mic manual and power lead etc. £240 ono
cross braces 1.25” x 1/8”. Substantial guy rope + post or pick up.
anchors. Climbing rungs. Pictures on Gumtree. Eddie MM0MUN Tel: 01224 573870
Used and in very good condition. Sections eddiemunro@aol.com Aberdeen
can be raised on a single pulley. Collection
preferred but could deliver at cost WANTED
A complete range of Tel: 07765 232183 PHOTOCOPIED ARTICLES ON SLINKY
Multi purpose Masts ANTENNAS. Got PW Nov 2001, thanks.
KENWOOD/TRIO R599 amateur band receiver, Tel: Paul 07748 948685 or 01594 824766
The best of Scottish engineering! excellent condition, good working order. £130
includes p&p. Heathkit RF Signal generator A MANUAL FOR HEATHERLITE HUNTER HF
Tel: 01505 503824 Model RF-1U. GC GWO. £25 includes p & p LINEAR AMPLIFIER. If you can help, please
www.tennamast.com Tel: Rob 01273 834355 Mid Sussex contact me. All expenses will be refunded.
sales@tennamast.com Tel: 07932 473601 Email: c.james1@sky.com
LOWE SRX 30D RX DIGITAL DISPLAY, £120.
South Yorkshire Star 550 RX Valves, mint condition, £90. SHARK RF OPENSPOT 1. Blue case version.
Yaesu YC 500S Frequency counter, £40. For club demo and training purposes.
Nevada MS 1000 scanner 500KC – 600 Mhz Tel: Richard G8ITB 07977 107179
800 Mhz – 1300 Mhz £30. Advance signal Email: g8it6@yhoo.co.uk
generator, SG 62 £40.
All GWO/GC. Prices include P & P. MC52 DM KENWOOD MICROPHONE
Tel: Rob 01273 834355 Mid Sussex Call 01909 472316
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Rallies & Events
Rallies & Events

Plan your visits with our list of forthcoming events. Warners (RadioUser & Practical Wireless) will be attending
events marked with an asterisk (*). Club secretaries/ event organisers: Please send full and accurate details of your
events, affiliations and clubs as early as possible, if you would like to be mentioned here: wiessala@hotmail.com
August 24th and 25th

(Saturday and Sunday)
MONTROSE AIR STATION OPED DAY
AND RADIO RALLY: Montrose Air Sta-
tion will hold an Open Day and Radio
Rally on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th
August. Indoor event and tables will
available to sell your own junk. Open to
the public from 10 am; disabled access
and minor catering available.
Ewan MM0BIX
Tel: 01674)676740
ewandcameron@yahoo.co.uk
August 25th (Sunday)

MILTON KEYNES ARS RALLY: The MK
ARS Rally will take place at the MKARS,
Irish Centre, Manor Fields, Watling
Street, Bletchley, MK2 2HX. Entrance fee
is £3 per person, and there are various
trader options available. Free Parking,
onsite catering, and extra indoor pitches
available. Open to traders at 7am, and to
the public from 9am.
Francis Hennigan M0UKF Don Field (G3XTT) editor of PW, helping at the McMichael Rally in Reading (with Martin Butler (M1MRB) of the ICQ Podcast).
Tel: 07563 498 156
rally@mkars.org.uk Tel: 01480 214 282 via car park in Beach Rd. Doors open its 10th ‘Fog on the Tyne Rally’ on Satur-
http://www.mkars.org.uk/rally events@hunts-hams.co.uk 9:30am to 2pm (8am for sellers); easy day 1 September 2019. The rally opens
parking and disabled access, indoor at 10-30 am at Whitehall Road Methodist
August 25th (Sunday) August 31st (Saturday) spaces and outdoor pitches available, Church Hall, Bensham, Gateshead NE8
TORBAY ANNUAL COMMUNICA- G-QRP CLUB & TELFORD & DARS rafle, onsite café. The museum will be 4LH. The venue is at the corner of White-
TIONS FAIR: The Torbay Annual Com- CONVENTION & BUILDATHON: The open, and there is a special event station. hall Road and Coatsworth Road. The
munications Fair will be at the Newton Buildathon is to be held in the evening of Zane M1BFI entrance fee is now only £1.50, which
Abbot Racecourse, Devon TQ12 3AF. the 31st of August in Telford. More de- Tel: 07711 214 790 includes an entry for the rafle with many
Doors are open at 10am, with disabled tails on the website: m1bi@outlook.com prizes.
visitors gaining access from 9.30am. Martyn G3UKW https://tinyurl.com/y55ntt8e A bacon butty and cup of tea or coffee
This is an indoor event, with plenty of Tel: 01952 255 416 are available for £2.50. There is a junk
free parking on site. There will be a bring- www.telfordhamfest.co.uk September 8th (Sunday) stall, an RSGB stall, a number of traders,
and-buy, as well as an RSGB bookstall. ANDOVER RADIO CLUB AUTUMN and a souped-up bring-and-buy stall.
Catering will be available on site. September 1st (Saturday) RALLY : Organised by The Andover Radio Car parking is available. Enrolment for
Pete G4VTO TELFORD HAMFEST & G-QRP CON- Amateur Club. The rally is open to sellers Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced
Tel: 01803 864 528 VENTION: The convention will take from 9am, and to buyers from 10am. Ta- examination courses and Morse class
Mike G1TUU place at Harper Adams University (near bles in the Hall £10; £8 per Boot & £2 buy- available on demand. Public Transport
Tel: 01803 557 941 Telford, Salop) TF10 8NB. Combined ers. Postcode for your Satnav: SP11 ØJE. routes 53 and 54 from the nearest metro
rally@tars.org.uk with the G-QRP Convention and Builda- arac@arac.org.uk at Gateshead.
thon the previous evening (see previ- www.arac.org.uk Nancy Bone G7UUR 217
August 26th (Bank Holiday Monday) ous entry). Usual trade and exhibition Bensham Road
HUNTINGDON ARS ANNUAL RALLY: stands. B&B. SIGs. Midland clubs meet- September 8th (Sunday) Gateshead NE8 1US
The Huntington ARS (HARS) Annual up. Unlimited free parking, fresh food PENCOED RC TABLETOP SALE: The Tel: 07990 760920
Rally will take place at the Ernulf Acad- and more at this excellent venue. Pencoed RC Table-top Sale is at the Rug- nancybone2001@yahoo.co.uk
emy, St Neots PE19 2SH. Gates are Martyn G3UKV by Club, The Verlands, Felindre Rd, Pen- www.anarc.net
open for Traders at 7am, and at 9am for Tel: 01952 255 416 coed, Bridgend, CF35 5PD. Open 09:30.
the public. Entry is £3. There is free car www.telfordhamfest.org.uk Refreshments are available. September 15th (Sunday)
parking, an RSGB bookstall, and a bring- Madeline Roberts WEST TYRONE ARC RALLY: The rally is
and-buy, with both indoor and outdoor September 7th (Saturday) Tel: 07738-375775. at the Omagh Rugby Club, 7 Mellon Park
stands available. Catering provided on- CAISTER LIFEBOAT RALLY: The Cais- Drive, Omagh BT78 5NE. Doors are open
site. Talk-in will be on 145.550MHz on ter Lifeboat Rally is taking place at the September 14th (Saturday) at 11am, and admittance is £3. There will
GX0HSR. Caister Lifeboat station, Tan Lane, Cais- FOG ON THE TYNE RALLY: The Angel of be a talk-in station, trade stands, special
Malcolm M0OLG ter-on-Sea, Norfolk, NR30 5DJ. Access the North Amateur Radio Club is holding interest groups, a bring-and-buy and an

Rallies & Events
RSGB bookstall. Catering and a licensed barraclough.mike@gmail.com bookstand. Hot and cold food will be £2.50, with those under 12 years free.
bar are available on site. A prize draw/ www.bdxc.org.uk/diary.html available in the café. Cost is £5 per pitch (for traders with own
rafle will take place Les 2E0LBJ tables), or £10 for a pitch with the table
Philip Hosey MI0MSO October 6th (Sunday) Tel: 01377 252 393 provided. Refreshments are available,
Tel: 07849 025 760 WELSH RADIO RALLY : The 46th Welsh lbjpinkney1@hotmail.co.uk including, naturally, bacon and sausage
info@wtarc.org.uk Radio Rally is at Rougemont School, Lla- www.hornseaarc.co.uk butties.
ntarnam Hall, Malpas, Newport NP20 Robert M0NVQ
September 21st to 23rd (Saturday to 6QB. The doors are open from 10am to October 19th (Saturday) Tel: 07778 113 333
Monday) 4pm, with disabled visitors gaining ac- CARRICKFERGUS AMATEUR RADIO m0nvq@outlook.com
ROTA – RAILWAYS ON THE AIR DAY : cess at 9.45am. Admittance is £2.50. GROUP RALLY: The Carrickfergus ARG
This special annual event celebrates the There will be trade stands, a bring-and- rally will take place at the Downshire Sec- November 24th (Sunday)
anniversary of the first steam-powered buy, an RSGB bookstall, and special in- ondary School, Downshire Road, Carrick- BISHOP AUCKLAND RADIO AMA-
passenger railway. terest groups. Lectures will take place fergus. Doors will be open to the public TEUR CLUB (BARAC) RALLY: The
https://rota.barac.org.uk during the day. Catering is available on at 12 noon. All proceeds from the sale of Bishop Auckland Radio Amateurs Club
site. beverages will be going to Belfast Samar- (BARAC) 2019 Rally will take place at
September 22nd (Sunday) Rob Evans MW0CVT itans, a very worthy charity. All visitors Spennymoor Leisure Centre, on Sunday
WESTON-SUPER-MARE RADIO RAL- Tel: 01495 220 455 will be very welcome. 24th November 2019. Please note this
LY: The Weston-Super-Mare Rally is at mw0cvt@sky.com Liz Forde venue is ideally suited for both traders
The Campus, Highlands Lane, Weston elizabethforde64@yahoo.com and disabled visitors, as it boasts good
super Mare BS24 7DX (Junction 21 M5). October 11th to 13th (Friday to Sunday) parking and access to a large ground
Doors open from 10am to 3pm. Ticket RSGB CONVENTION: The RSGB Con- October 19th (Saturday) loor hall. The address and postcode
price is £3.00 There will be trade stands vention will take place at Kent’s Hill Park CW CONVENTION & CW BOOT CAMP: for the leisure centre are 32 High Street,
and a bring-and-buy area, excellent ca- Training and Conference Centre, Swal- The Convention is at the Witham Scout Spennymoor, County Durham, DL16 6DB.
tering and a large car park. low House, Timbold Drive, Kent’s Hill & Guide HQ (rear of Spring Lodge Com- Doors open at 10.30am. Disabled visi-
DAVE DYER Park, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire munity Centre), Powers Hall End, With- tors doors open at 10.15am. Admission
Tel: 07871 034206 MK7 6BZ. am, Essex CM8 2HE. Registration is at is £2; under 14s go free of charge, with
G4CXQ@btinternet.com https://rsgb.org 8.30am, for a 9am start. The event is due an adult.
to finish at around 4.30pm. Pre-register, John G4LRG
September 27th and 28th October 13th (Sunday) as places are limited. Tel: 07775 696 568
(Friday and Saturday) HOLSWORTHY RALLY: The Holsworthy G0IBN Brian G7OCK
NATIONAL HAMFEST *: The National Rally will take place at the Holsworthy Tel: 0745 342 60 87 Tel: 01388 762 678
Hamfest will, once again, take place at Leisure Centre, Well Park, Western Road, g0ibn1@yahoo.com
the Newark & Nottinghamshire Show- Holsworthy, Devon EX22 6DH. There will November 24th (Sunday)
ground, Lincoln Road, Winthorpe, New- be traders, a bring-and-buy and catering. October 20th (Sunday) COULSDON AMATEUR TRANSMIT-
ark, Nottinghamshire NG24 2NY. Please The venue will have separate disabled GALASHIELS RALLY: The annual TING SOCIETY: The 42nd Coulsdon
check out the website info regarding access, via the traders’ side-door en- Galashiels and District ARS Rally is held ATS Radio & Electronics Bazaar is at the
onsite camping. Warners, RadioUser and trance. A club steward will be on duty in in the Volunteer Hall, St Johns Street, Oasis Academy Coulsdon, Homefield
PW will be present at the show. Meet the the car park. The rally opens at 8am for Galashiels, Scottish Borders TD1 3JX. Road, Old Coulsdon, Surrey CR5 1ES.
editors and grab a subscription bargain. traders, and at 10am for visitors. Doors are open from 11am for disabled Time: 10.00am to 2.00pm. Entry £1.50,
http://www.nationalhamfest.org.uk Howard M0MYB access, and from 11.15am for everyone which also includes a free tea or coffee.
holsworthyarc@gmail.com else. There will be traders, a bring-and- Free parking; second-hand equipment,
October 5th (Saturday) https://www.qsl.net/m0omc buy stall and refreshments. lea market tables, refreshments and
READING DX MEETING: The Reading http://galaradioclub.co.uk/?cat=3 trade stalls. Fully accessible facilities.
International Radio Group will be meet- October 13th (Sunday) CATS bring-and-buy.
ing in Room 3 at Reading International HORNSEA AMATEUR RADIO RALLY: November 16th (Saturday) Attendance is invited from clubs, spe-
Solidarity Centre (RISC), 35-39 London The rally takes place at the Floral Hall, ROCHDALE & DISTRICT ARS WIN- cial interest groups and traders/dealers.
Street, Reading RG1 4PS. The meeting Hornsea HU18 1NQ. Doors open at TER RALLY: The rally is at St Vincent Tables cost just £12.00, with each addi-
will take place from 2.30 to 5pm and is an 10am, admission is £2 (under 14s free). de Paul’s, Caldershaw Road, off Eden- tional table £6.00.
opportunity for those interested in listen- There will be trade stands exhibiting field Road (A680), Norden, Rochdale, Andy G0KZT
ing to broadcast stations from around radio equipment, computers and so OL12 7QR. Doors open to the public at Tel: 07729 866 600
the work on the short wave, medium on. The bring-and-buy will be run by the 10.15am, with disabled visitors gaining bazaar@catsradio.org
wave and FM bands to get together. Hornsea ARC. There will also be an RSGB access 15 minutes earlier. Admission is Website: www.catsradio.org
In next month’s Radio

onitoring
Utility MTime Signal Sta
tions
e-Defineduipment
Softwarthe
Receiving
■ Emergency Communications UK (Final Part) Selecting
Right Eq
■ Alan Turing: His Life and Achievements

o.uk
■ Reading Up On Signals Intelligence 8 £3.99
www.radio
enthusiast.c
CrisdisWar
sile the
October 201
the Cuba n MisDur Col
o’s Ro le in al Relations
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■ HF Across the Atlantic: Aero-NAT Radiast
Broadc Propaganda
and Internation
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AN
HOW TO... ur GPS
Marine tiv
Plus all your favourite regular features and columns e yo
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The next issue is on sale on the 26th September 2019

Martin Lynch & Sons Ltd. Wessex House, Drake Avenue, Staines, Middlesex TW18 2AP. E-mail: sales@hamradio.co.uk
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Radio & TV: Past & Present Airshow Guide

Enjoy Our New Column Our Summer Listing: Part Four

September 2019 £4.50 www.radioenthusiast.co.uk

WIN CROSS COUNTRY WIRELESS

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Contents Favourites Reviews Features News

Sign up to our FREE email newsletter at www.radioenthusiast.co.uk

Why not visit our new online bookshop at www.radioenthusiast.co.uk/store

■ SAVE £1.17 every issue – that’s £14 a year!

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6 RadioUser September 2019

125 Tuner network. Unlike a satellite phone, the IC-SAT100

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Komunica POWEREX C-980 Intelligent charger/

Products to eight AA/AAA NiMH batteries with

at LAMCO battery. It also includes a ‘one-touch’ battery

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Auntie’s War Hear My Voice Broadcast Radio Listener’s

World Radio TV The Voices – Spying Scanners 7 x Practical Wireless

Handbook 2019 Includes details of an in- A curated collection of articles

creasing number of “apps” for gleaned the BBC archives

programs for digital scanner

guide to broadcasting. Itagain articles published in 2000-2001, now available in a handy

60 Antennas You Will 50 projects for The Voice of the Point

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August 4th (Sunday) August 15th to 18th (Thursday to Sunday)

August 8th to 11th (Thursday to Sunday)

August 10th and 11th (Saturday and Sunday)

August 10th and 11th (Saturday and Sunday)

August 10th and 11th (Saturday and Sunday)

12 RadioUser September 2019

September 27th to 29th (Friday to Sunday)

A Lockheed P-38 Lightning

14 RadioUser September 2019

Tel: 01444 870333 www.bhi-ltd.com