Michael

Pirate Radio: An Introduction

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what is pirate radio

Pirate radio is the name for somebody who broadcasts over the airwaves without a valid license, But it gets deeper than that.

There are several factors that would classify a broadcaster as a “Pirate”.

Besides not having a valid transmit licence, actions like failure to transmit a station identification or exceed the transmit power ( wattage) limit of the station, even if it is simply an amateur radio transmission can be deemed “pirate”.

 More sinister factors like transmitting illegal content or politically motivated information can also be considered pirates.

Interestingly, many of these transmissions contain content that is legal in the country of origin, however trouble can occur, when the information transmitted is illegal in the region or country where it is received.

Historically “pirate radio” is also known as free radio. 

This name came about during the “Summer of Love” in San Francisco during the 1960s.

These secret and unlicensed land-based transmissions of “free radio” were tagged as being pirate due to the radio transmissions being beyond government control, as was offshore radio in the UK and Europe.

Have you seen these movies that feature shortwave? 

Pirate radio movies

Pirate radios have featured in a few movies and TV shows over the years including

On The Air Live With Captain Midnight, filmed in 1979, which tells the story of Captain Midnight, who runs his own pirate radio station and becomes a cult hit! 

Jump ahead to the 1990s film “Pump Up The Volume” with Christian Slater. Mark is an intelligent but shy teenager who has just moved to Arizona from the East Coast. His parents give him a short-wave radio so he can talk to his pals, but instead he sets up shop as pirate deejay Hard Harry, who becomes a hero to his peers while inspiring the wrath of the local high school principal. When one of Harry’s listeners commits suicide, inspired chaos breaks out at the school and the authorities are called in to put a stop to Harry’s broadcasts (info from IMBD)

More recently pirate radio is seen in the 2009 film, “The Boat that Rocked”  a 2009 British comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis about pirate radio in the United Kingdom during the 1960s.The story is loosely based on the famous pirate radio broadcaster, “Radio Caroline”. The station operated in international waters off the coast of the UK, broadcasting pop music the BBC would not include in their programming..

There are still many pirate radio stations in operation today available for you to listen to like Free Radio Santa Cruz (FRSC) which is an unlicensed radio station in Santa Cruz, California, United States. The station has been on the air since Spring 1995; its broadcast content is a mix of daily news, music, and cultural programs, produced both locally and nationally. Free Radio Santa Cruz exists due to donations, membership, and listeners can call in live during shows.

Recently, there have been claims that the FCC (Federal Communications Commision) that they are cracking down on pirate broadcasters and several broadcasters in NYC have been sent legal letters to cease illegal transmission or face fines up to $2M.

It may very well be an interesting time for pirate radio.

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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

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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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

This Feb 13th is World Annual World Radio day.

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World radio day 2022

This Annual event dedicated to radio was created by *UNESCO in 2011.

*UNESCO stands for The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation which is a specialised agency of the United Nations aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences, and culture.

The first-ever world radio day commenced in 2011 on the anniversary of the founding of United Nations Radio.

This year 2022 theme is devoted “Radio and Trust”

Reporting of radio use around the world indicates that radio continues to be one of the most trusted and used media in the world. In more recent times, even during the most connected era, the isolating nature of word pandemics, natural disasters, and weather events, radio has continued to be a trusted source of communications,  not only to those in more isolated regions but also when power is out and connectivity is severed.

Radio is a powerful medium for celebrating humanity in all its diversity and constitutes a platform for democratic discourse. At the global level, radio remains the most widely consumed medium. This unique ability to reach out to the widest audience means radio can shape a society and serves as an arena for all voices to speak out, be represented, and heard. 

Radio stations serve diverse communities, offering a wide variety of programs, viewpoints, and content, and reflect the diversity of audiences in their organizations and operations.

What will you do to celebrate World Radio Day? Turn on your radio, tune the shortwave bands and see what countries you can hear. There is always something happening on the shortwave bands, someone to listen to and learn from.

 

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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

All Hallows Eve and Thriller Radio In Australia.

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Halloween Radio 2021Picture this, a family huddled around the radio on Halloween, the sun is going down and a spooky story unfolds, everybody listens intently, imagination is working overtime, a bell chimes, there is a scream…. 

Before television, radio was the entertainment of choice in homes across Australia. During the 20th century,  radio broadcasts varied greatly, with something for everyone including music shows, talks on politics, gardening and various topics, sporting event coverage, news, and of course serial dramas! 

One of the most popular genres broadcast was serial thrillers! Not too dissimilar to many of the thriller podcasts that are popular today. Instead of reading a book one could go about what they were doing while being entertained by this gripping episode broadcast across the airwaves.

Having gained huge popularity in the USA, many thriller scripts were sent over to Australia and adapted locally, featuring well known Australian actors of the time like Ruth Cracknell

On “All Hallows Eve” 1941 A witch’s Tale was broadcast to Australian audiences. 

A witches Tale was written especially as a Halloween broadcast and adapted for Australian radio.

The original American series of The Witch’s Tale was significant as the earliest horror program produced for radio. It was first heard in May 1931 out of radio station WOR in New York City.

The opening sets the tone of the episode, with the chiming of a bell, an eerie voice informing you that you will hear tales from Nancy the witch of Salem and her cat Satan accompanied by sinister music and sound effects.

The Brisbane Telegraph described the program in 1947 as ‘not the sort of radio program the timid would enjoy listening to when alone in the house after nightfall.

In fact, Newspapers began to receive letters from outraged listeners protesting the broadcasts of such horror and the damaging effect it had on young people.

‘Do parents realise the serious damage that may be done to the minds of their children by the horror story of the radio? One serial broadcast from a local station between 6 and 7pm for children could cause untold mischief to many an innocent child … This mental cruelty is worse than punching a child in the face’ – CT Turnbull, Assistant Secretary of the Newcastle Young Men’s Christian Association, Newcastle Morning Herald, 6 June 1941.

Since we are so close to Halloween, want to hear that very tale from 1941 yourself? You are in luck!!

The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia have provided some Samples of these thriller podcasts/ Click here to listen to A Witches Tale broadcast in 1941 (program duration 26 minutes).

Information courtesy of the NFSA.

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Michael

76th 2021 Oceania DX (OCDX) Contest

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What is the contest?

Every year a contest is held that promotes HF contacts to and from amateur radio stations in the Oceana region as well as contacts between stations inside Oceania. Points are allocated for each contact depending upon the location. There is no penalty for working non-Oceania stations but contacts between non-Oceania stations will score no points or multiplier credits. Each contact or QSO is credited with twenty points on 160M; ten points on 80M; five points on 40M; one point on 20M; two points on 15M; and three points on 10M. Note that the same station may only be counted once on each band for contact points.

The aim is for Oceania entrants to contact as many stations as possible, anywhere in the world !! In 2020 over 1600 stations participated.

Oceania shortwave listeners should try to log as many stations as possible both inside and outside Oceania.

When is it on?

This year there are two separate contests held a week apart. The phone contest will be held on Saturday October 2nd from 06:00 UTC to Sunday, October 3rd 06:00 UTC . The CW contest will be held on Saturday 9 October from 06:00 UTC to Sunday 10 October 06:00 UTC.

Enter one contest or both! See summarised notes provided by the contest holders.

For a clearer map of Oceania click here

SPECIAL NOTES FOR THE 2021 CONTEST

  1. A reminder that the Phone and CW sections each start at 06:00 on Saturday and end at 06:00 on Sunday.
  2. The deadline for submitting logs is 31 October 2021.
  3. Entrants are reminded of the need to observe any COVID related restrictions (e.g. social distancing and travel constraints) that may be in place for the contest dates.
  4. Electronic logs are to be submitted using the form at https://ocdx.contesting.com/submitlog.php. Please contact the Contest Committee at info@oceaniadxcontest.com if you are encountering difficulty in submitting your log.
  5. Electronic logs are to be in Cabrillo format which is generated by all popular contest logging software programs. Alternatively, entrants can use the forms at http://www.b4h.net/cabforms.
  6. Only one entry may be submitted by each operator or team of operators (Rule 6a).
  7. If the station worked does not provide a serial number for the Oceania DX Contest, then log the received number as 001. See Rule 8.
  8. A reminder that logs from Single Band entrants must record all contacts made during the contest period, even if on other bands. Only contacts made on the band specified in the Cabrillo header or summary sheet will be used for scoring purposes.
  9. Indonesia entrants are reminded that the Indonesia amateur radio regulations do not permit the YH club prefix to be used in the OCDX and other national or international amateur radio contests. Only the 7A, &I, 8A or 8I club prefixes may be used for this purpose.
  10. All entrants are reminded that UTC must be used for recording the date and time of each QSO and that care must be taken to ensure the times are recorded correctly.

The Phone and CW contests are scored separately.

Prefixes are multipliers (e.g. N8, W8, WD8, HG1, HG19, KC2, OE2, OE25, LY1000, VK2 …) on each band on which you work them.

    • For multiplier purposes, prefixes and callsigns without numbers are notionally assigned a zero e.g. PA/N8BJQ counts as PA0, and XE/KT5W counts as XE0. All callsigns should however be logged as sent.
    • Maritime mobile, mobile, /A, /E, /J, /P, or interim license class identifiers do not count as prefixes.
    • Special event, commemorative and other unique prefix stations are welcome.
  • The total score is the (sum of the Contact Points) multiplied by the (sum of the Multipliers).

 CATEGORIES

  • Transmitting Single Operator:
    • QRP (SO QRP) 5 watts
    • low power (SO LP) 100 watts
    • high power (SO HP) the lesser of license limit or 1500 watts
  • Transmitting Multiple Operators
    • Single Transmitter (M1)
    • Two Transmitters (M2)
    • Multiple Transmitters (MM)
  • Short Wave Listener (SWL)
  • DXcluster assistance is permitted in all categories, with the usual restrictions (see the full rules for details)
  • Entries on individual bands are supported.
  • World Stations operate in a separate category to Oceania stations

 CQs and EXCHANGES

  • Participants typically call “CQ Oceania” on phone, and “CQ OC” on CW.
  • Contest exchanges are signal reports plus a serial number, starting at 001.
  • Be careful to log callsigns and reports accurately, especially multipliers, since typos can be costly.
  • If someone does not send you a serial number, log them as serial number 001.
  • To help the adjudicators cross-check other entrants’ logs, please log every completed QSO:
    • Log zero-point QSOs (e.g. if DX stations work other DX stations)’
    • Log any duplicate QSOs’
    • Single band entrants: log your QSOs made on all bands (the Cabrillo header tells us which band you are entering)’
    • If you participate but choose not to enter, a checklog would be welcome for the same reason.

 SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY

  • The OCDX contests are adjudicated electronically, hence we need your electronic logs.
  • If possible, use contest logging software to generate a Cabrillo file, then upload it using the on-line submission form.
  • Otherwise please use the online form or some other means to generate a valid plain text column-aligned Cabrillo file, then upload that.Provided you made less than 50 contacts, you can mail in a legible paper log with a summary sheet (see the official rules for details).
  • Get your log in before November!
  • Every submitted entry will be checked and given a final score as part of the adjudication process … but naturally you are welcome to calculate your claimed score and hope that’s close!
  • A veritable profusion of certificates, trophies and plaques will be awarded.
  • Please email the Committee at info@oceaniadxcontest.com if you have any problems entering.
  • Good luck!
  • Click here for the contest rules

 

 

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Michael

Amateur Radio Remembrance Day Contest August 14 and 15 2021

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A radio contest designed to encourage community, improve operating skills and encourage the participation of radio users.

 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 14 and 15, 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.

Suitable Tecsun receivers for this contest would be the PL-365, PL-330, PL-880, PL-600 and 660.

 

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Michael

DRM Is Growing In Popularity And There Are Now Many More Stations To Receive Than At Any Time In The Past.

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DRM radio

After many years of stagnation, DRM is emerging as a perfect fit for shortwave broadcasters seeking to increase their audience, and at the same time reducing their energy consumption.

DRM is an open source, non proprietary standard for terrestrial broadcasting, promoted by the DRM Consortium, a group of transmission equipment and receiver manufacturers as well as international broadcasters.

Over 30 broadcasters from around the world now carry DRM broadcasts. The latest schedule can be found here: http://www.hfcc.org/drm/

To receive DRM broadcasts a suitable receiver is required. The GR216 receiver, https://www.tecsunradios.com.au/store/product/tecsun-drm-radio/, promoted by Tecsun Radios Australia is a high-performance receiver, both on DRM and analogue shortwave. It is a self-contained unit, with provision for the connection of external antennas for shortwave and FM.

The receiver includes a self contained linear power supply which eliminates interference caused in  receivers powered by switch mode power supplies.

drm radio australia

 

We recommend an external antenna for good DRM reception and our MW/SW Outdoor Antenna  https://www.tecsunradios.com.au/store/product/tecsun-shortwave-outdoor-antenna/ is most suitable. This antenna incorporates a 9:1 balun to provide the correct impedance for most shortwave receivers with an external antenna socket.

antenna shortwave drm

The typical improvement over the same length of wire without the matching components is between 10 and 15dB in signal level.

A word about antennas:

Directional characteristics of random wire and long wire shortwave receiving antennas are dependent upon the antenna length, height above ground, received frequency and directional orientation of the antenna wire. The four elements are interactive.

Generally the antenna should be aimed so that the transmission source is at 90 degrees to the antenna. So if the transmission source is to the West, run the antenna on a North South direction if possible. This works best on antennas that are less than a quarter wavelength in length and mounted a quarter wavelength above the ground (such as the antenna mentioned above).

In the case of a simple longwire without matching, the length of the wire cut for one quarter wavelength at popular DRM frequencies is as follows:

13Mhz: 6 metres in length, 15Mhz: 5 metres in length, 7 Mhz: 10 metres in length

A simple long wire antenna will work better at greater elevation above the ground, ie the higher the better. Multistrand insulated wire will work better and for longer that solid copper wire, which will weaken with repeated movement.

In practical terms, a DRM receiver with an external antenna will be able to hear most current DRM broadcasts from 13-18Mhz. Check the broadcasting schedule for the appropriate times.

Remember that all times are given in GMT and that means AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time) is 10 hours ahead of GMT. Hence (for example) the BBC Relay from Singapore on 15620Khz will appear between 2pm and 8pm AEST.

One more factor that can influence the success of your reception is the direction in which the signal is being beamed.

This information is also available on the DRM HF schedule site. If you are in the target area you will have a much better chance of sucessfully receiving DRM broadcasts.

Target areas can be seen here: https://www.drm.org/what-can-i-hear/broadcast-schedule-2/

There are many stations that can be received if suitable attention is paid to antenna orientation, and broadcasting schedules, with more stations being added to the schedule every month.

Good Listening !

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