Michael

Amateur Radio Operators Assist in Guiding Disabled Boat to Bay

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We came across a story this month that reminded us of the importance of being educated in radio communication and a reminder of what a resourceful,  knowledgeable, and helpful community amateur radio operators are.

On September 7, 2022, a boat named  SV Nereida traveling from ​​Cape Flattery, the northwesternmost point of the USA to San Francisco, California became disabled after 2 days of 35 knot winds and storms. 

81 year old Jan Socrates, an experienced sailor who has sailed around the world without assistance, and in fact has been the oldest person to do so, found herself very low on power and her onboard radio equipment marginally operational. But her knowledge of amateur meant she knew how to get her message out to a community who could help!

Amateur operators in New Mexico, California, and Canada, and members of Group 7.155 heard her requests for assistance.

One such person who heard her request and in fact was able to contact Socrates on 40 metres was Gil Gray, N2GG. “Her power was extremely low, and she was unable to communicate on 14.300 MHz to notify the monitoring group on that frequency,” said Gray. “She needed help with wind and sea conditions, and tidal data for San Francisco Bay,” he added.

Q5 copy was almost impossible due to the low-power output on the HF radio which would typically be Q2 or Q3. Thankfully several software-defined radio (SDR) operators were on hand  in California, Utah, and Maui, Hawaii, who were able to glean enough copy to understand her situation and answer questions for her navigation.

Another stroke of luck was that several of these radio operators were also experienced sailors and helped guide Socrates through periodic contact with weather and wind reports.

Their last contact was on Monday, September 12, at 11:00 AM (MSDT). By this time, Socrates was sailing with only the forward sail on her 38-foot sloop. Thankfully, a “following wind” kept her moving without a mainsail. 

As the Golden Gate Bridge appeared within sight, Socrates was able to use the tidal information passed on by amateur radio operators to make it safely to Berkeley Marina in San Francisco Bay.

“I wouldn’t call it a rescue,” said Socrates, “just good amateur radio assistance — and I’m grateful for their help.”

This is actually one of 3 events in September in which amateur radio was able to provide emergency assistance.

If you would like to learn more about Jan Socrates’ travels, take a look at her Facebook page.

Do you know somebody who loves to travel and who would benefit from knowledge of shortwave? Send them this article, and indeed a link to this website as we have lots in interesting shortwave news, links, and resources, as well as the best range of shortwave radios available in Australia.

Adapted from the original article that can be found on https://www.arrl.org/news/

 

 

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Michael

Radios for Lismore’s flood effected areas

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As the Bureau Of Meteorology  declares another La Niña, increasing flood risk for the third year in a row, we reflect on those affected by this weather pattern last year.

Something those in eastern Australia have been all too familiar with over the last two soaking La Niña summers. 

According to Dr Margaret Cook, environmental historian and lecturer at the University of the Sunshine Coast and researcher at Griffith University. “The problem with a triple La Niña is that the ground is very wet already, our rivers are quite high, our creeks are full and our dams are quite full,””So we have less capacity to absorb this enormous amount of rain.”

It does not necessarily follow that this summer will definitely bring biblical floods.

But it doesn’t rule out the possibility of floods this summer. 

During a La Niña, the atmospheric circulation across the tropical Pacific is set up so that warm waters to Australia’s north-east and strong trade winds pump moisture into the atmosphere along Australia’s east coast. When the right systems come along they can then tap into that moisture, bringing about heavy rains and flooding. 

A situation all too familiar for those situated on the east coast of Australia.

Like many Australians, we wanted to find a useful way to help those that were affected by the floods.  

Lismore resident Christine Porter created a fantastic initiative to distribute Emergency radios to the flood stricken Lismore and surrounding community.

 Aptly named EMERGENCY RADIO Project Lismore Floods 2022.

Nsw floods

Christine found the BEST Emergency Radio by Tecsun Radios, Sydney. She realised that, as well as it being a great AM/FM radio, its primary function for emergencies matched the emergency we’d just had. It’s a torch, lightweight, stable, not too small. Its lithium battery is charged by USB, an inbuilt solar panel, or its own crank handle. It can be used as a power-bank, will pick-up shortwave, but most importantly: it has a siren and flashing beacon. 

After long discussions with the principal at Tecsun, and testing one herself, she believes something like this would have made a very real difference the night of the flood. Next time there may not be a bloke in a tinny going past at just the right time. 

Her aim is to put one of these radios into as many single-person households returning to the flood zone as she can – especially for older or less-abled people. The river rose 2.4 metres (8 feet) higher than the highest flood on record, so the flood zone has spread into parts of suburban Lismore it never had before. Christine has ordered 50 radios, with an option for another 50 later in the year. Her plan is to contact groups or individuals outside the North Coast region to fundraise for the purchase of the radios, in order to spread the volunteer load, and give people a specific way to help. Tecsun has kindly offered a discount  to support Christine.

Lismore is still broken; there is so much still to do. If you, or your organisation would like to contribute, Christine has set up a bank account to receive donations for the radios. She’ll send you a receipt and follow up info about how the project is going. If you’d like to send a card, or message to the recipient of your radio/s she’ll pass that on. It’s the small things as well as the grand gestures that we see making a difference. That night, in the rain and the noise, no-one would have imagined we’d all be still here knee-deep (waist, chest and chin deep) in worry so far into the future. Christine believes that the radio will save lives should an event like this happen again, but it will also reassure the traumatised that this time, if need be, someone will be able to hear them call out in the night. 

Best emergency radio

lismore flood relief shortwave radios

If you would like to donate a radio to Christine, please contact us at: hello@tecsunradios.com.au for special pricing

 

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Michael

Funding for 24 Hour Shortwave Broadcasts In The South Pacific

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RNZ shirtwave

In recent and welcome news, RNZ (Radio New Zealand) shortwave radio broadcasts have resumed from the hours of 5am to 9am ( NZ time) to the ​​Pacific region. A service that ceased back in 2016.

As a result of this decision, listeners in the remote areas of the Pacific will now have 24-hour access to these broadcasts instead of it turning off early in the morning every day. 

We have previously reported just how important these broadcasts are for many remote communities who regularly endure unexpected weather patterns and can lose contact with the mainland and emergency services. Emergencies don’t stop between the hours of 5am and 9am, therefore access to emergency broadcasts shouldn’t either.

We applaud the decision by the NZ Government to contribute extra funding for shortwave services. We hope the Australian Government is taking notes!

One of the most widely listened to broadcasts is the RNZ Pacific’s flagship daily current affairs programme Pacific Waves which is also broadcast by the BBC Pacific Service.

So, what will be broadcast ? At various times RNZ will run 3 different frequencies, at 5am NZT tune in on 7425 kilohertz, at 6am NZT listen on 9700 kilohertz, and at 8am NZT change the dial to 11725 kilohertz

This information and image is courtesy of the RNZ website.

For the full schedule of shortwave frequencies check out the RNZ Pacific website.

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Ricardo Rosario

A Communications Guide

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Michael

Shortwave Beams From Florida Paddock To Assist Ukraine and Russia

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Unbeknown to many, MIAMI based broadcaster WRMI, one of the largest shortwave radio operations in the world, has a huge shortwave antenna array in a paddock north of Lake Okeechobee in Central Florida. This shortwave broadcaster is able to beam high power signals to Europe, when it is needed most!!

As we know, shortwave was mostly used during the world wars as a means of communication and propaganda distribution. Many countries including U.S. Services like the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe have scaled back shortwave services due to the rise in TV and internet services. However, since the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has shut down journalism as we know it, meaning those sources have been either blocked or heavily filtered. Shortwave radio is now the only way the Russian population can access unbiased reporting of the current conflict.

 As the crisis unfolds in Russia and Ukraine you will see more and more people tune in once again to their shortwave radios to access unfiltered news and events.

Russia is “attempting to pass a law making journalism essentially illegal, imposing a 15-year criminal penalty” according to Kate Neiswender, one of the teams organising funding for news programming for Russian audiences.

Neiswender and fellow former journalists formed a fundraiser to beam news into Russia, where state-controlled media, at best, does not tell the true story of the invasion and many Russian citizens have no clue about the severity of the invasion.

Link below to donate.

Funding for shortwave to Ukraine

So, back to this massive shortwave radio antenna in a Florida paddock… The general manager of Miami-based WRMI, Jeff White says “We have 14, 100,000-watt transmitters and 23 antennas beaming to all parts of the world,”

Why is it important? Thanks to funding it is currently providing much needed unfiltered information and news of the invasion, beamed over in Russian, Ukrainian and even in English with no censorship.

There is also no shortage of shortwave radios and radio listeners in Russia so this can be accessed fairly easily.

This highlights the importance of shortwave radio in the modern age.

Click here if you are interested in contributing to the fundraising efforts to keep uncensored news flowing into Russia and Ukraine.

Information source thanks to https://miami.cbslocal.com/ WRMI

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Michael

Shortwave radio update. UKRAINE BANS AMATEUR BROADCASTS.

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ukraine shortwave ban

The world watches as the crisis in Ukraine unfolds. The Ukrainian government has imposed a state of emergency. This state of emergency allows the authorities to temporarily limit the public’s constitutional rights.

This includes a ban on producing and spreading information that may “destabilise the situation as well as a ban on amateur radio communications during the current conflict with Russia.

To supplement shortwave broadcasts to that country, shortwave broadcaster WRMI (USA based) initially resumed its relays of the daily English language broadcast of Radio Ukraine International, the official overseas service of Ukrainian Radio. (This information is most probably provided to WRMI from the Ukraine via secure internet). Subsequent to this, WRMI reverted to broadcasting in Ukranian.

RUI (Radio Ukraine International) can be heard daily, except Friday, at 1200-1230 UTC on 5010 kHz.

Historically shortwave radio has been banned in Poland and Russia during times of conflict despite it being a critical source of emergency communication.

Our thoughts and prayers are with those currently in conflict.

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Michael

Labor promises $2M Shortwave radio restoration.

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shortwave radio in the NT

A controversial decision in 2017 lead to the ABC turning off its domestic shortwave radio service, much to the disappointment and anger of remote listeners. It’s reasoning for turning off the shortwave broadcasts was that it would only affect a small number of listeners and in fact save operating costs of $1.9M, which could be re-invested in providing infrastructure of digital services located in populated regional areas.

Many industry groups were outraged, particularly in remote areas of the Northern Territory where residents had come to rely on the service as their only regular source of news and entertainment.

In February 2011, cyclone Yasi crossed the Australian east coast between Cairns and Townsville, causing enormous damage and knocking out all local communications. 

Radio Australia carried ABC Queensland coverage of the storm, which was extraordinary. 

The ABC shortwave transmitter at Shepparton Victoria was activated on 9710 and 6080 kHz, and the giant curtain array antenna pointed to Far North Queensland. This broadcast provided emergency information, sheltering information, updates, and calls from listeners in the midst of the storm.

The enormous signal could easily be heard in Sydney and Brisbane on any shortwave radio.

“The ABC expansion of its digital platforms in capital cities provides no benefits to those Australians living in remote areas, and the withdrawal of domestic shortwave services has been seen as a real kick in the guts”. 

“What people take for granted in the cities is a luxury for those living in the bush, who rely on the HF shortwave radio services as a reliable source of news, weather information, and entertainment, There are numerous examples where ABC domestic shortwave has been the only source of information to remote area residents during a weather-related emergencies,” said Garry Cratt owner of Tecsun Radios Australia, who made a submission to government at the time.

Cyclone Yasi approaching the east coast of Australia, Feb 2 2011.

Photo source: Bureau of Meteorology

The federal Labor party has announced that if elected next year, they will provide the ABC with $2M in funding to re-establish the shortwave funding across the territory.

Federal Member for Solomon Luke Gosling mentioned that he was approached by community groups who were angry at the axing of ABC shortwave and said” when shortwave was cut there was a lot of angst, so it will be a good thing to bring it back to keep people on the land and waters connected. Many thousands will benefit from this [bringing back shortwave]”

Article source: NT Country hour, ABC News, Bureau of Meteorology.

 

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Michael

Sydney to Hobart Frequencies 2021

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For the last 76 years, the Sydney to Hobart yacht race has been run on Boxing Day December 26.  Sadly last year due to COVID, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia announced that the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race would not be proceeding in 2020. The great news is it will be recommencing in 2021
The race covers 628 nautical miles from Sydney to Hobart. Installation of an operational HF transceiver is mandatory for all vessels entered in the race.
HF and shortwave radio enthusiasts can listen in to position and weather reports during the race by monitoring the following frequencies:
Primary HF frequency: 4483 kHz USB
Secondary frequency: 6516 kHz USB
6516 kHz USB is constantly monitored by relay vessel “JBW” owned and donated for use during the race by Mr John Winning, owner of Appliances Online. JBW is a 70 foot motor cruiser.
Weather forecasts:
4426 kHz, 8176 kHz, 12365 kHz and 16546 kHz, USB at 1030, 1430 and 1830 AEST daily, 2201 kHz, 6507 kHz, 8176 kHz and 12365 kHz USB at 0230, 0630 and 2230 AEST daily.
Tasmanian weather forecasts on the above frequencies at: 1130 and 1530 AEST
Tasmanian maritime radio:
2524 kHz, 4146 kHz, and 6627 khz USB at 0745, 1345, 1633 and 1903 AEST
Position reports:
4483 kHz USB at 1935, 2035 and 0635AEST daily
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Michael

Christmas Bundles 2021. Bundle and Save With These Great Gift Ideas

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RadioYes, it is the season of giving! With holidays coming up it is also the time for exploring your hobbies and creating your own space to do more of  the things you enjoy

If this year has taught us anything, making sure your home is as comfortable as possible is paramount.

If you have dabbled in shortwave in the past and enjoyed it, perhaps now is the time to invest in this fantastic hobby and expand your horizons!!

We have created some fantastic bundle packs that are not only great as a gift idea but are also great suggestions to set yourself up for the years ahead with some awesome radio listening!! Receive huge discounts when you buy these products at the same time, simply add items to the cart and use the above code at checkout to get your discount!Welcome to the world of internet radio.

Internet Radio listening pack.Already a shortwave enthusiast but want to optimise your shortwave listening to world wide online stations too? This is the perfect pack featuring our stylish Apogee internet radio used in combination with our HiFi communication headphones for comfort and clarity! Simply connect to your existing internet service. You can turn up the music and not bother anyone else in your home!

Deal price $305 Normally $345

Travellers Companion Pack

The FDPRO is perfect for travelling. Keep in touch with others in your immediate area, buy two units and keep in touch with the kids. Ideal for car to car communications, yet with the flexibility to keep in your grab bag in case of emergencies. Keep in touch over the CB band when you are on the go.

Accompany this with an Emergency radio that contains USB charger, emergency alarm and flashlight and you are set for the road and prepared for anything.

 The perfect gift for people who may be about to hit the road travelling around Australia, those who live in rural areas or people who love to go camping and get out and about in nature.

Deal price $285, normally $305The DRM Pack

This fantastic pack broadens your listening to the digital radio world allowing you to both listen to shortwave and ​​receive and decode DRM Shortwave Radio signals

Finally, a stand-alone Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) Shortwave Radio has arrived and is available for DRM and shortwave radio enthusiasts to add to their collection.

The TRA Q-3061 DRM Shortwave Radio has been a long time coming and after evaluating dozens of samples over the years we have finally found a stand-alone desktop DRM radio that is suitable for Australian, New Zealand, and Pacific Islands listeners.

The TRA Q-3061 DRM Shortwave Radio is primarily designed to receive and decode DRM Shortwave Radio signals but the radio can also be used to receive traditional Shortwave (AM) broadcasts, FM, and AM (MW) broadcasts. The Tecsun Radios Australia Q-3061 DRM Shortwave Radio receives DRM, FM, and Shortwave (AW) signals via the inbuilt telescopic antenna, or for superior reception, the radio provides two dedicated external antenna BNC connections for DRM, Shortwave (AM), FM, and AM (MW) signals. On the FM band, this receiver also decodes RDS where broadcast. In slow tuning mode, the frequency step is reduced to 1 kHz. This is an advantage when tuning the extended MW band (530-1710 kHz) to receive specialised broadcasters in Australia.

The TRA Q-3061 DRM Shortwave Radio is for experienced shortwave users. There is a limited number of DRM signals available in our region although the total number of DRM broadcasts are increasing. This radio is squarely aimed at radio enthusiasts and DXers, most signals require an external antenna, experience, and patience.Included in this pack is the reception boosting Tecsun Shortwave and AM Outdoor Antenna which significantly enhances the reception of signals in the medium wave (AM) and shortwave antenna bands covering 0.5-30 MHz. The Tecsun Shortwave and AM Outdoor Antenna is based on a long wire antenna design but provides significantly improved reception over a long wire because the Tecsun Shortwave and AM Outdoor Antenna utilises a matching transformer that acts as a balun with a ratio of 10:1.

This pack is $600, normally $640Complete Hobby Radio Shack Pack.

Receive huge discounts when you buy these products at the same time, simply add items to the cart and use the above code at checkout to get your discount!Go on, you deserve it. You have worked hard your whole life and now is the time you can dedicate to exploring the fantastic hobby that is shortwave. Beyond a man cave, a radio shack is a place you go to tinker, to tune and to uncover some of the world’s mysteries within one of the oldest hobbies around!!To complete your radio shack we recommend the following bundleThe S2000, a quality desktop radio that not only looks the part with its classic styling it also will enable you to tune in to SW, MW, AM and FM to follow your favourite stations and perhaps happen across a new broadcast you have ever heard before!Included in this bundle is the MLA-30+ Shortwave Loop Antenna that can be mounted indoors to boost the performance of your Shortwave radio and increase the number of radio stations and broadcasts that can be received.Once you have found your favourite stations simply program them into your S2000 and add your final accessory for the best and most comfortable listening possible. A pair of Tecsun hifi communication headphones. and add your final accessory for the best listening possible. Some Tecsun hifi communication headphones.Bundle and save, deal price $660, normally $710 when all 3 purchased together in one checkout.For those serious about Ham Radio

The New Ham

This pack contains everything you need to listen to shortwave radio.

Xiegu G90 + Antenna +Headphones Only $1100, normally $1167The star of this pack is the Xiegu G90, truly a world class radio transceiver. The XIEGU G90 HF Transceiver is a High-Performance Portable Amateur Radio Transceiver. This powerful portable HF multimode transceiver covers 0.5-30MHz (10-160 metres on TX) with 20 watts of RF output. The XIEGU G90 HF Transceiver utilises a software-defined (SDR) 24-bit architecture to provide superb transmit and receive performance.Use the supplied separation cable to mount the control head where you can see it and the transceiver out of the way, to maximise operating room in your radio shack.Improve your reception with The TRA HF Portable Dipole antenna is rated at 100 Watts PEP power handling capability. Featuring 10 metres of Rg58 cable for easy connection to most transceivers.Note: Best results will be obtained when the antenna is at least 4 metres above ground. In theory, the antenna should be at least a quarter wavelength above the ground for best results, so the height will correspond to the operating band. Generally, higher is better.Your final accessory in this pack is for the best and most comfortable listening possible in your radio shack. A pair of Tecsun hifi communication headphones. With memory foam ear covers and an extra-long cord to reach your radios.Bundle price $1100, normally $1167

OFFER VALID TILL MIDNIGHT DEC 24.

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Michael

National Radio of the Amazon has decided to use DRM shortwave transmissions to serve indigenous populations in the northern Amazon region.

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DRM radio over the AMAZON

The People of the Amazon will soon be covered by DRM shortwave as National Radio of the Amazon orders a 100 kW BT transmitter

The vast area of the Amazon known as the Amazon Rainforest is the largest tropical ecosystem in the world, with rainforest covering roughly 40% of South America, stretching over ten countries in South America, and is almost as large as the United States! The rainforest is home to both large and small communities in very remote areas, some harvesting crops along the rivers and others in more secluded villages deep within the forests.

As you can imagine communication to these areas can be difficult so it was no surprise when at the end of last year, testing of DRM technology began using a transmitter of 2.5 kW with the digital power of just 1 kW.

Despite this low power of the transmitter supplied by BT Transmitters, recordings were reported from different regions of the country and even from North America and Europe.

As a result of these tests, the National Radio of the Amazon decided to use DRM shortwave transmissions to serve indigenous populations in the northern Amazon region.

At the sizable cost of $650,000 USD. Public broadcaster Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC) ordered a 100 kW BT transmitter to broadcast in DRM at 11,780 kHz in the 25-meter band, an existing shortwave channel used by Rádio Nacional da Amazônia.

This is considered to be the first domestic DRM installation on a locally produced transmitter in Latin America.

AMAZON radio map

Information from The Digital Radio Mondiale Consortium.

Image via https://amazonaid.org/ 

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