Michael

AMATEUR RADIO REMEMBRANCE DAY CONTEST AUGUST 13 AND 14 2022

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remembrance day radio contest

 This event is held to commemorate the Amateurs who died during World War II.

This year, the event will be held on the weekend of August 13 and 14, 0300 UTC Saturday to 0300 UTC Sunday.

The Aim of the contest: Amateurs try to contact amateurs in VK call areas, ZL and P2 on all bands except WARC bands. Modes allowed are PHONE, CW and RTTY, modes that were used during WW2. 

The prize for this contest is a perpetual trophy awarded to the state or territory with the best performance.

This is also a great opportunity for shortwave listeners to test their antennas, receivers and reception techniques over the weekend.

Contest Rules

As a mark of respect, stations are asked to observe 15 minutes silence prior to the start of the contest, during which the opening ceremony will be broadcast.

Categories

Single Operator

Single Operator – QRP

Multi-Operator – Single Transmitter (Multi-Single)

Multi-Operator – Unlimited (Multi-Multi)

Sub-Category Modes for Single Operators

Phone (AM, FM & SSB)

CW (CW & RTTY)

Mixed

Permitted Bands

Contacts may be made on MF (160M), HF and VHF & above bands except for WARC bands (10, 18 & 24 MHz) which are excluded by IARU agreement from all contest operations.

HF SSB Voice transmissions should be within:

1843-1875, 3535-3570 and 3600-3700, 7080-7300, 14112-14300, 21150-21450, 28300-29100KHz,

otherwise, disqualification or points reduction may result.

For additional contest rules, how to enter please click here. 

Operators using Ex WW2 equipment will be awarded with a special certificate acknowledging their participation and use of such.

 

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Michael

International Lighthouse Weekend 2022

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lighthouse radio competition

Have you heard of the International Lighthouse weekend? This is an annual event held by International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend (ILLW) where radio operators connect with each other from all around the globe on this one weekend in August. But the difference, they are all operating from different lighthouses around the world!!

 

This year it falls on August 20-21. This will be the 25th anniversary of the event. Because it is not a contest, amateurs may operate on any authorised frequency and mode permitted by their licence. 

We came across an interesting article containing suggestions of the origins of this event.

This idea originated after a cold winter in 1992-1993  after two avid amateur operators wanted to encourage operators to get out in the summer and “play radio” . Originally some ideas like historic Scottish castles, however, they decided that the lighthouses of Scotland would be ideal!! The event was not to be a contest but simply “fun” time for the whole family. Take your family to the beach for a picnic and use your radio as an added bonus that day/ weekend. 

It would appear that two lighthouse events were held for many years until eventually, the ‘The Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society assumed sponsorship and management of the ILLW event.

Want to listen in on the event? Most operation will take place on the HF bands, so this is an opportunity to listen on your Tecsun shortwave receiver. Normal operating conventions apply, so frequencies below 10MHz utilise LSB and frequencies above 10MHz use USB (upper sideband).

the lighthouse radio event

The Tecsun PL-365, Pl-368, PL-880, PL-990x, and H-501x can all be used for this event and we recommend our Outdoors MW/SW antenna also!!

Click this link to see a list of light houses in Australia for interested operators and listeners!!

https://wllw.org/index.php/en/

Please note, this is by no means the complete list but will give listeners an idea if the lighthouse closest to them will be operational. 

 

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Michael

The Mystery of Numbers Stations

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shortwave numbers stations

Have you heard of Numbers Stations or ghost frequencies? 

Here are the main distinguishable aspects of a ghost frequency.

The source of these broadcasts is unknown. Their purpose is unknown.

They are all shortwave radio, the source of which can be hard to track.

Many people speculate they are old war time frequencies that have been running for years, however those who have studied these broadcasts and who record the sounds say (UVB76  in particular) never appears to loop and that it is a deliberate transmission..

When you listen to them, they are eerie….

The most famous one is called UVB76 nicknamed The Buzzer because it will play a monotone sound all day long, then occasionally play what sounds like morse code, a series of beeps. Then out of nowhere an old Russian military tune followed by a list of random words, (possibly code) will appear. It’s been playing for over 3 decades.

A recent theory is that the buzzer is actually an official coded military broadcast for military units within Russia and is used to convey tasks and instructions.

number stations call signs

This theory is supported by the fact that listeners have narrowed the broadcast location down to somewhere in Russia. Russia being the huge size that it is means the mystery remains but there are a few interesting theories around the shortwave community and YouTube, here are a couple of those theories

They are broadcasts created pre wartime transmitted to Aliens or other beings in the galaxy!

 

They were used in covert espionage! 

If you want to get your message out to a large number of people you would broadcast on AM with a message people can understand. Remembering that these broadcasts originated prior to telephones, If you didn’t want everyone to hear your message, (perhaps it was only for one person), you might use a numbers station to transmit to one country at a pre-organised time, using a predetermined code.

 

There are some even crazier theories online, like people during wartime being hypnotised and these broadcasts contained random trigger words to trigger people into action.

Either way, it is an intriguing mystery! Why were they started and why do they continue to broadcast and are they still being used to this day?

Want to find UVB76? For many, there is a constant beeping, buzzing, or morse code sound and randomly it will stop for words, music, or speaking then resume its beeping again so you need to be lucky to catch it between long periods of beeping! 

 

Why don’t you try and locate some numbers stations yourself and let us know what you found.

Alternatively, jump on YouTube and you may find some people streaming their experiences whilst tuning in to these stations.

 

 

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Michael

Letters Of Hope – A Shortwave Story of Perseverance.

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A shortwave radio story of hope

We recently became aware of a truly amazing story about the perseverance of shortwave listeners.

During World War II in Europe, many allied airmen were listed as Missing In Action. German shortwave broadcaster DJB, located in Berlin would regularly broadcast the names of airmen captured as Prisoners of War. This amazing story highlights the part that shortwave radio played in keeping hope alive for those distant relatives and the part that shortwave listeners played.

The story is told by the son of the lieutenant we are about to tell you about.

“On July 25, 1943  American Lieutenant, John Chapman Elliot who was tailgunner on a Royal Canadian Air Force Wellington bomber, took off from England to fly a mission over Nazi-held territory in Europe, this flight never returned to base and was named Missing In Action.”

Months later and after receiving no further news and fearing the worst, shortwave listeners in America began sending letters to Lt Chapman’s wife advising her that they had heard his name mentioned in a shortwave broadcast from Berlin.

“On July 30, a letter was sent to his wife. It began:

“Before receiving this letter you will have had a telegram informing you that your husband, Lieutenant John Chapman Elliott, is missing as a result of air operations. I regret to have to confirm this distressing news.

John and the air crew took off on an operational sortie over enemy territory on the evening of the 25th July and we have heard nothing of them since. However, it is decidedly possible that they are prisoners of war or are among friends who are helping them to make their way back to this country . . .

Status unknown . . . “we have heard nothing of them since.” A place that leaves you in limbo without much room for hope.

During September a number of things happen.

A telegram arrived:

Mrs. J C Elliott =

Report received through the International Red Cross states your husband First Lieutenant John C Elliott is a prisoner of war of the German Government . . .

Notation in the scrapbook above the telegram (in my Mother’s hand) reads:

The finest Telegram and the loudest words in the life of Phyllis Nancy Elliott

letters of hope shortwave WWii

Around the same time, Mrs Elliot began to receive more letters and postcards with similar reports and kind words. These letters come from a cherished scrapbook.

 

Quite extraordinarily these postcards hailed from shortwave listeners from all over the country including Boston, Massachusetts ; Chicago, Illinois; Northville, Michigan; Green County, New York; Grand Rapids Michigan; Auburn, Maine; Burlington, Iowa, who had heard the Berlin broadcast that–  First Lieutenant John Elliott is a prisoner of war, and offering words of comfort or explanation:

Wishing you best of luck in his safe return to you,

WW2 shortwave letter

Hoping this may comfort you in knowing that he is alive and alright,

ww2 shortwave anzac day

Hope this cheers you up.

letters of hope to war wife shortwave

Hope this will relieve your worries . . .

shortwave letters from ww2

Jock Elliot (Kb2GOM) recounts his father’s story:

“My Dad later told me what happened. Their Wellington bomber was badly shot up, and the pilot informed the crew that it was time to bail out.

My Dad cranked his tail turret around so that the door opened into the air. He flipped backward out of the aircraft. For a little while, one of his electrically-heated flying boots caught on the door frame. Hanging upside-down, he kicked the boot off, pulled the ripcord on his parachute, and landed with green stick fractures in both legs. He hobbled around Holland for three days while trying to avoid the Germans. He was captured and spent two and one-half years as prisoner of war.”

shortwvae radio story from war

When the war ended, he was repatriated, and in 1946, your humble correspondent showed up. The photos are of actual postcards and letters in an 80-year-old scrapbook kept by my Mother and passed down to me.

And so, dear reader, never belittle your hobby of listening to the airwaves, because you never know when something you heard may be able to offer comfort in times of trouble. I know it certainly did for my Mother.”

This is the most amazing and emotional story about the perseverance of those shortwave listeners in locating Lt Chapman’s family address and taking the trouble to write to his family, doing their bit to support the war effort.

Thank you to  Jock Elliott, KB2GOM for this incredible story published on swling.com

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Michael

MAYHAM 2022

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Mayham 2022

 

The event will be held 1st of May, with a large portion of the event undercover.

Entry Ticket Presales Begin at 8:00 AM

General Entry Opens at 8:30 AM

Tecsun Radios Australia are proud to attend this event that features educational lectures, car boot sales, new product releases, opportunities to attain or extend or upgrade your radio licence, topics by keynote speakers include Collins T-195  transmitter restoration (100 watts output, 2-18 Mhz, 26 valves !), WINLINK HF email system, and Club Owned Remote Stations and integrating the Flex 6000 into such stations (Zoom presentation).

Tune in to the event broadcast while you find a bargain at the car boot sale.

As always, the Tecsun team will be there exhibiting our best sellers and will be available for a chat about all things shortwave. Pick up your free copy of our latest Shortwave Radio Listening Guide. Come and say hi!

One of the most exciting events as part of Mayham happens on the Saturday.

The FOX HUNT!

What is a Fox Hunt, you say?

                                                 Mayham 2022

Fox hunting is one of the many side quests of amateur radio. Fox Hunting or Amateur radio direction finding (ARDF) is an interactive amateur radio sport where individuals use the two meter amateur radio band whilst navigating through varying terrain and locations, searching for hidden radio transmitters. 

All competitors must carry equipment capable of receiving the signal being transmitted by multiple transmitters. You may see quite the array of specialised equipment, including a radio receiver, signal attenuator, and directional antenna. Most equipment designs integrate all three components into one handheld device.

For this year the CCARC is promising to really mix things up!! 

The details!!!

 There will be three hunts operating sequentially.

  1. Short Pedestrian of approximately 30 minutes
  2. Mobile / Pedestrian hunt of approximately 45mins – 1 hour
  3. Long Mobile hunt to last approx. 1½ hours

Participants will be required to assemble on the footpath Wyong Commuter Carpark, Located at Rose Street Wyong. This is due to current access restrictions to the site.

 

Proposed timeline of events: (Allow additional time for any changes and transitions between hunts)

12:45 – Pedestrian footpath, Rose Street, Wyong.

This is for initial gathering, registration, and discussion of rules

13:00 First Fox Transmitter activated on low power. Good luck!

13:45 First hunt to finish, regroup for start of the first Mobile / Pedestrian hunt.

This fox will be on High power for first 15-20 Minutes, then reverts to LOW POWER

14:45 Second hunt ends, reassemble for start of longer Mobile “hunt”

17:00 – End of Mayham Fox Hunt for 2022.

 

Important Information:

1st Prize winner will receive Deluxe hotspot kit and Clear acrylic case courtesy of VK Direct and VK4NGA Amateur Radio to the value of $200

2nd Prize winner will receive $100 Westfield gift card

3rd Prize winner will receive a $50 Westfield gift card.

 

For the full rules of the event and further information click here

 

There will be a great selection of food available on the day. To see the full menu click here.

General Entry Gate Opening Times

 

Entry via Rose Street

Pre-Sales begins at 8:00AM

Entry Gates open at 8:30AM

Cash and Eftpos Facilities available on the day

 

Address

 

69 – 73 Howarth St,

Wyong NSW 2259

Car park entry is located in Rose Street

By Rail

Only a short walk from Wyong Railway Station

For the full details on this event including information about the lectures click here

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Michael

WORLD AMATEUR RADIO DAY APRIL 18 2022

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The International Amateur Radio union (IARU) was formed on this day in 1925.

 A celebration of how amateur radio has been serving people for over 100 years.

With over 3 million radio amateurs worldwide this day is the perfect time to tune in and connect with fellow hobbyists.

Date: Monday April 18, 2022

Time : All Day

This year’s theme is “Celebrating Amateur Radio’s Contribution to Society” 

Every year on April 18, Radio Amateurs worldwide take to the airwaves in celebration of Amateur Radio.

The theme of World Amateur Radio Day (WARD) is celebrating Amateur Radio’s Contribution to Society which is incredibly relevant given the isolation and need for communication as we enter a 2nd year living with the global pandemic.

As we have mentioned previously the increase in interest in amateur radio during the pandemic was significant with many amateurs supporting each other by creating nets or on line meet ups.

The team at Tecsun radios Australia have been humbled to see a rise in interest and participation in shortwave radio.

We celebrate how shortwave began. Here is a brief history:

Amateur Radio experimenters were the first to discover that the short wave spectrum — far from being a wasteland — could support worldwide propagation. In the rush to use these shorter wavelengths, Amateur Radio was “in grave danger of being pushed aside,” the IARU’s history has noted. Amateur Radio pioneers met in Paris in 1925 and created the IARU to support Amateur Radio worldwide.

Just two years later, at the International Radiotelegraph Conference, Amateur Radio gained the allocations still recognized today — 160, 80, 40, 20, and 10 meters. Since its founding, the IARU has worked tirelessly to defend and expand the frequency allocations for Amateur Radio. Thanks to the support of enlightened administrations in every part of the globe, radio amateurs are now able to experiment and communicate in frequency bands strategically located throughout the radio spectrum. From the 25 countries that formed the IARU in 1925, the IARU has grown to include 160 member-societies in three regions. IARU Region 1 includes Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Northern Asia. Region 2 covers the Americas, and Region 3 is comprised of Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific island nations, and most of Asia. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has recognized the IARU as representing the interests of Amateur Radio.

(information courtesy of Iaru.org)

Radio is a fantastic way to discover radio programs from different regions both music and news from unfiltered sources, in addition, a fantastic way to receive crucial weather, aviation, and safety broadcasts whilst out of many standard network zones.
Take some time on Amateur Radio Day to explore the world of Amateur Radio and discover what new friends and communities exist all over the world.
 We have compiled our list below of some fantastic products for World Amateur Radio Day.
Eorlf amateur radio day 2022 shortwave
  1. The TRA Self Powered Communications Speaker 
  2. The TRA HF Portable Dipole antenna 
  3.  The 76th  of the famous World Radio and Television Handbook

A fantastic radio to use on World amateur radio day is the Xiegu G90 transceiver.

To celebrate World Amateur Radio Day, with every G90 purchase we will include a free CE-19 expansion interface worth $80. Use the Expansion interface to connect your G-90 transceiver to a PC, data terminal, or modem for operation in digital modes.

Limited time offer only available until midnight Tuesday the 19th April.

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Ricardo Rosario

A Communications Guide

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Michael

RADIO COMPETITION: THE QRP HOURS CONTEST – 80m – THIS WEEKEND

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There is a fantastic radio competition this weekend brought to you by the VKQRP CLUB.

QRP HOURS CONTEST – 80m –  is on 9th April 2022 

shortwave radio competition

Image and information via the VKQRP CLUB: The VK QRP Club exists for those who enjoy low power amateur radio.

What is it?

the AIM of this contest is to make as many contacts as possible on the 80 metre amateur band only and only during 2 separate time intervals: 1000-1059 UTC – for CW and digital modes, and  1100-1159 UTC – for SSB and digital voice.

Who can enter? The competition is open to Both QRP Club Members and all licensed amateurs.

What gear do I need?  The Xiegu G-90 is ideal for this contest because it covers the 80 metre amateur band and the power can be adjusted to the 10 watt SSB or 5 watt CW limits.

Our TRA HF Portable Dipole antenna would also be perfectly suited to this comp.

The Contest Rules

Output Power Limit: 5 watts CW/Digital, 10 watts peak on SSB. Modes: First Hour – CW/Digital Second Hour – SSB/Digital voice Frequencies: CW 3.500-3.535 MHz Digital 3.570-3.600 MHz – 3570 Dial freq suggested SSB/Digital voice 3.535-3.570 and 3.600-3.700 MHz Exchange a three-digit serial number starting at 001 and incrementing by 1 for each new contact.

Those continuing from the first hour to the second (in a new mode) can optionally continue to increment exchange numbers.

There is no need to restart from 001 in the 2nd block. Score one point per contact.

Digital: Any digital mode may be used subject to the power being limited to 5 W and the mode being allowed by the operator’s licence. Modes such as FT8, FT4, PSK31, RTTY are the most likely to be used.

Every digital contact must be initiated and controlled by the operator, no auto-sequencing is to be used.

Logging Software: 1. VKCL Logger now has an option for this contest. It outputs in Cabrillo V3 format and is compatible with the VK Log Checker. After completing the contest, navigate the menu to export the Cabrillo file as that is the only file accepted by the log checker. Details below

2. N1MM logger: go to Alan VK4SN’s website for his instructions on how to use N1MM+ with a user defined contest file, at https://www.vk4sn.com/Contests/N1MMVK and download the UDC file at https://vk4sn.com/downloads/QRPHRSRTTY-N1MM-UDC.zip 3. Another log capture option is to use Fast Log Entry (FLE) in contest mode so it will capture numbers sent and received. Read the user manual. Save log as Cabrillo. Can be used live or after the contest. You may need to edit the output file to be sure it has selected all the options you want.

You can edit with any plain text editor – not Word! ADIF output available for upload to your station log.

Logs produced via VKCL and N1MM (in Cabrillo format only) should be uploaded directly to https://www.vklogchecker.com where you will find a “log upload” option under QRP Hours contest. An automated receipt for the log will be emailed to you.

If uploading the Cabrillo file fails, please email your Cabrillo file to contests@vkqrpclub.org.

If you cannot use one of those loggers, please send your log by email as a text file, or excel spreadsheet. No PDFs please. Log deadline is 8 days after the contest.

Certificates will be awarded to the highest scorers in each Mode.

 

 

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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

BBC World Service Shortwave Coverage Targets Ukraine and Russia

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Ukrane russia shortwave radiom

The BBC World Service will use shortwave radio to deliver trustworthy news to Russians, now that the Kremlin is blocking Western media websites’ reporting on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This was a propaganda tactic used in World War 2. The broadcaster stopped shortwave transmissions to Europe in 2008.

The broadcaster announced it is broadcasting four hours of English news daily on two shortwave frequencies, both of which “can be received clearly in Kyiv and parts of Russia,” said a BBC media release. The additional shortwave frequencies are on 15735 kHz operating from 1600 to 1800 UTC and on 5875 kHz from 2200 to 0000 UTC.

bbc radio in ukraine

On March 1, two Russian projectiles struck the main radio and television tower in Kyiv, killing two people. Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine’s defence minister, wrote on Twitter that Russia’s goal was “to break the resistance of the Ukrainian people and army,” starting with “a breakdown of connection” and “the spread of massive FAKE messages that the Ukrainian country leadership has agreed to give up.”

Russia bombs ukraine

As it is widely believed that Russia dismantled its shortwave jamming transmitters in the 1990’s, these new broadcasts should easily be received, even inside Russia.

Over the last week of February, viewership of BBC’s online Ukrainian language site more than doubled from a year earlier to 3.9 million visitors, the broadcaster said Wednesday. The BBC also provides news coverage in the country via its website, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, Viber, and Espreso TV.

The BBC’s coverage has led to complaints from Russian officials. Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, said during a briefing broadcast by RT, the Kremlin-backed Russian media outlet, that Russia was the victim of “unprecedented information terrorism” that was “devoted to discrediting Russian actions” and “creating hysteria around Ukrainian events.”

The BBC “plays a determined role in undermining Russian stability and security,” Zakharova said, without providing evidence.

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