|
Quote:
There is a better article about an American journalist who attended the festival a year or so ago, posing as a German, including an illegal passport. Many bits of strangeness occur during his stay, and eventually he is spooked into leaving. Here it is: http://www.gluckman.com/NKFilmTokion.html I didn't know about the Stones incident in China. I've been reading a bit about how China is starting to becomes a bit more relaxed with its bizarre paranoia. China surely must realize that with its growing economic and political power, social change is inevitable. |
While this is not directly or completely related to shortwave radio, the bit about radio is an interesting and creative take on the medium, and the article as a whole is worth a read.
Afghanistan's press Thriving yet threatened Jun 14th 2007 | KABUL From The Economist print edition Legal and illegal attacks on Afghanistan's press RADIO WATANDA is broadcast from a basement in a suburb of Kabul. It has no presenters; just music and a jingle that counts out a phone number. When Watanda went on air in 2004, listeners were baffled. Those who rang had their confused calls broadcast. Those who asked for songs found their requests ignored. But the first person to realise he could use the station as a platform rang in to harangue the authorities about the capital's crippling electricity shortage. Thousands followed, expressing any view they wished. Three years later, unstructured on-air debates have become Afghanistan's talk radio. A caller recently complained that the dress of Kabuli women was too revealing. For days callers, including many anonymous women, talked of little else. “In Afghanistan the media has always been controlled by the literate,” says Mirwais Social, the station's youthful manager. “On Watanda there is no presenter to intimidate people. We have removed everything to prevent them talking.” Freedom of expression is intoxicating in a conservative country where the government and religious establishment have long kept a tight rein and where the Taliban regime banned music and television. Since its overthrow in 2001 more than 60 FM radio stations, hundreds of magazines and newspapers and eight independent television channels have been founded. Young Kabulis devour satellite television and the unrestricted internet. The media, say many Western commentators, have been one of Afghanistan's few clear-cut success stories of the past six years. But many government members think the freedoms have gone too far. They argue that journalists are often poorly trained, biased and prone to defame institutions and individuals. The government of Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan's president, has supported a free press, but has been hurt by press criticism at a time when it wants to counter Taliban propaganda. Episodes of press intimidation and harassment have been on the rise. On April 17th, staff at Tolo TV, the country's leading independent broadcaster, were beaten by police. The attorney-general, Abdul Jabar Sabet, had ordered their arrest because he objected to the editing of an interview he had given. Tolo hit back by airing footage of the raid. Then this month a prominent female journalist, Zakia Zaki, was murdered by unknown gunmen. Her murder, following the Taliban's beheading of two pressmen in April, has rattled nerves. No less worrying to local journalists and Western governments is debate over a new media law. Freedom of speech is enshrined in the constitution and the existing media law is the most liberal in the region. But the lower house of parliament has just finished discussing a law that includes ill-defined bans on “discussion that would ridicule, offend or defame an individual” and, more vaguely still, on anything that has an impact on “the manners and psychology of people, especially children”. Even so, it is less the wording of the law than the spirit in which it will be interpreted that worries Afghan journalists. Saad Mohseni, Tolo TV's founder, is one who argues that the press can expect little protection from harassment by government officials and other bigwigs. The new law still has to win approval in the upper house of parliament. But there it is not likely to become more liberal. A bill put forward by the upper house's National Reconciliation Commission suggests censoring “trite movies and those TV programmes that are contrary to Afghan beliefs...and harm the feelings of our people”. It proposes an increase in religious programming instead. |
That was interesting; there doesn't seem to be much more info available.
|
I've just been listening to a German-language programme which I assume (I don't speak German) wasa history of electronic music. There were some interesting noises.
The Romanians are concerned with a heatwave that's affecting that part of Europe. Amongst other things, the worry is that potato crops are seriously threatened. |
I've been meaning to tell you Hipster, that I heard the faintest broadcast of one of you favorite stations, that is Radio Romania International. I caught the end of a broadcast beamed at the Eastern US (or so Passport tells me so). Poor audio quality, but what I gather it had something to do with last weeks EU summit.
About to have a scan tonight. |
I'm glad you got to listen to Radio Romania International.
I'm waiting for eleven o clock to have a scan. |
I can't tune any shortwave radio stations. My radio sucks.
|
Quote:
Don't forget that you can listen to many of them online. It's not the same as having to get up and adjust the aerial every 30 seconds to battle the interference, but it's better than nothing. |
Cripes, blimey, Пятхъдесят Шест, not to mention a double dash of gosh.
I am agog with excitement. you remember that on-off noise I keep hearing, that I always wonder the cause of, that has bemused me for years? Well, guess what? Well? No? I'll tell you then. I know what it is! That's right. And it's Russian. Turns out it's pretty well-known too. There's even a wikipedia page about it: UVB-76 is the callsign of a shortwave radio station that usually broadcasts on the frequency 4625 kHz (AM full carrier). It features one of the most unusual, mysterious, and widely discussed broadcast contents on the shortwave dial: a short, monotonous (E-natural) buzz tone, repeating at a rate of approximately 25 tones per minute (Sample Sound), for 23 hours and 10 minutes per day (transmitter maintenance apparently takes place between 7:00 and 7:50 GMT). One minute before the hour, the repeating tone is replaced by a continuous tone, which continues for one minute until the short repeating buzz resumes. Notably, the buzzer has ceased for a voice transmission exactly three times in the station's (20+ year) history. Its purpose, however, remains unknown. How's about that? Here's the noise: http://www.geocities.com/uvb76/buzzer-1.mp3!!! And here's the details of the station: http://www.geocities.com/uvb76/. Whoo, eh? I'm happy. AND THERE's MORE!!! Here's a site that has recording of many of the interval tunes: http://www.intervalsignals.net/. I've always liked the one for TRT Turkey's foreign service. |
More exciting news: Radio Sweden are broadcasting a good programme about folklore: ...also we take a dip into this country’s quirkier side with a brand new book, packed with Sweden’s best oral traditions, sayings and folk tales stretching back over the years, decades and even centuries..
The show is here (the folklore bit starts about halfway through): http://www.sr.se/laddahem/podradio/S...0827040029.mp3 |
Эврика, товарищ!
So much for the fridge theory, eh? How did you stumble upon this revelation? Not only does it have a distinctly Soviet sound to it (and sounds a bit like what international calls to Russia are like on the senders side), but it also sounds mournfully like my alarm clock; A completely dreaded sound. I can't say I've ever heard that, or anything similar while scanning. But this site with all the interval signals is a gem! I now need my radio. |
Yeah, I'm glad to find that I haven't been listening to the fridge for the past few years. It was through a brief discussion at another part of the 'net that I found out what it was. Another chap was asking if I'd heard it and linked the geocities address. I'd always heard the on-off buzz, but today I tuned in just before the hour and heard the continuous buzz the the wikipedia article mentioned.
There has been a tendency in the last couple of weeks for nice things to happen, it feels like part of a chain of little events. It's nice. I've been listening to SW radio a lot in the past week or so, after a period where I was doing other things. I've had Radio Belarus on a bit - they are pretty good, I think, and do their English stuff as podcasts. The site's here: http://www.radiobelarus.tvr.by/eng/. Today they were talking about manufacturing concrete pipes - it sounded like a source of considerable pride to the Belerussians - but the reception was wobbly, so I'm not sure exactly why. |
I think there is a blurb some pages back about Radio Belarus, and (the deplorable) Mr. Lukashenko.
We've accumulated 17 pages worth of material here, so looking back could be tedious. |
I thought there might have been.
not much going on at the moment, so I'm checking out the Russian buzz again. I've grown quite fond of it, really. I wonder if the dates of voice broadcast can be related to current affairs events or something. I'm sure people must have thought of looking at that before. |
Unfortunately It's not possible for me to scan and surf the web at the same time anymore, If I've got the radio on in this room, a local station (KFAB) constantly interferes with my radio.
Last night I listened to Radio Habana Cuba for a good hour, which is an easy pick up, and always bizarre. Raul Castro had made a speech last night and parts of it were being rebroadcasted in English. Some good old fashioned propaganda. No longer picking up a nightly station from San Cristobal, Venezuela, which has oddly (or purposefully) been replaced by Venezuela's state run Radio Nacional. Thanks Hugo. |
That's a shame - there's always online listening, but the clarity kind of ruins it a bit, doesn't it?
|
Yes, a bit of the 'charm' of shortwave is taken from listening online. Unless of course we're talking Radio Canada International which is fine in any tone. Plus you don't have the capability to scan a few bands ahead and hear something completely different.
|
That's a good point.
I've just been listening to Germany's Deutsche Welle's Newslink/Asia programme, at 9980. Decent show from a station I rarely bump into, but there was a lot of reception issues. Now I'm with Radio Prague. The broadcast at 7345 is aimed at N America, but reception here is superb. |
...speaking of which, I'm just hearing this report:
Archaeologists to use radar, mini-camera, to explore Rozmberk crypt [29-08-2007] By Jan Velinger Archaeologists from the Museum of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice have been putting together a project to explore an underground level of the famous Cistercian monastery in Vyssi Brod, which houses the final resting place of the monastery's original founders, the Rozmberks. The vault was sealed almost 400 years ago after the death of nobleman Petr Vok - the last in the family line - and was never again reopened. Archaeologists now sense room for discovery. For almost 400 years the grounds beneath the Cistercian monastery in Vyssi Brod have remained sealed and shrouded in mystery: its spaces were the final resting place for generations of the Rozmberk family, including the last, Petr Vok, buried there in 1611.The site has not been accessed since. Now, as early as next year, archaeologists will know more: as part of a project mapping the monastery's past, specialists from the Museum of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice plan to use non-destructive methods - namely radar and a mini-probe - to explore the grounds. The aim is to learn more about where and how the Rozmberks were buried, while leaving the interior and its "inhabitants" untouched. A little earlier I spoke to archaeologist Zuzana Thomova, in charge of the project: "We're doing non-destructive research in the whole area of the Church of the Ascension of the Virgin Mary, of which the monastery is of course a part. The monastery was founded in 1259 and it was always intended that the Rozmberks be buried below the church. But the exact location of the crypt remains uncertain: it is most likely to lie beneath the church's most significant spot, that is, before the altar in the presbytery, but we do not know for sure. Around 23 men and 17 women were buried there, but for them to have all been buried in one crypt is unlikely." Archaeologists and team specialists will first use cutting-edge technology, including geological radar, to measure and produce a full layout of the grounds and its forgotten interiors. Tiny two-centimetre wide holes will then be drilled for a mini-camera to be lowered. The probe should explore - as well as record - areas of the crypt, eventually providing information for a detailed 3-D computer model, even of Petr Vok himself. Zuzana Thomova again: "We hope we will be able to find the resting place of the last of the Rozmberks - Petr Vok - to be able to examine his remains. Many paintings of the nobleman survive to this day. We would like to be able to make a model based on his remains to determine how he really appeared in life. There could be problems: he could be buried within a broken casket or in a zinc tomb. In such an event we would hope to drill yet another hole to allow for access by the mini-camera." Numerous legends abound about the final resting place of the Rozmberks, among them that anyone who disturbs the noble family vault will be cursed and will die within a year. Other legends pertain to World War II, when the monastery grounds were occupied by the SS and used to store, among other things, stolen artefacts. One legend, dating back to the 17th century, states that the Rozmberks were not buried in coffins at all but were left in chairs in seated positions - which specialists say is almost certainly untrue. By next year, when research takes place, archaeologists should know the truth. Experts from the team and Museum of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice hope to release all their findings for the Vyssi Brod monastery's 750th anniversary in 2009. http://www.radio.cz/en/article/94912 edit, 11:21 UTC. Excellent reception for Radio Bulgaria. |
I was very pleased at 01:00 (midnight at UTC) to get crystal clear reception of Radio Ukraine. A station I used to really like, but haven't chanced upon recently. I'm going to make them a regular listen at that time.
http://www.nrcu.gov.ua/index.php?id=157 |
THE SEVEN WONDERS OF ROMANIA (18.09.07)
Following a campaign run by the daily Evenimentul Zilei, some 60 thousand Romanians have designated what the press called “the seven wonders of Romania”. The campaign involved the participation of local communities, interested in ‘putting their wonders on the map of Romania’. In random order, these wonders are: The Brancusi Ensemble in Targu Jiu, the Corvin Castle, the Alba Iulia fortified town, the Dacian fortresses in the Orastie Mountains, the cultural centre of Iasi, the painted monasteries in northern Moldavia, and the historical centre of Sibiu. The ensemble in Tg. Jiu was built by great Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi, in memory of the WWI heroes. It includes the Gate of the Kiss, the Alley of Stools, the Table of Silence and the Endless Column, the central piece of Brancusi’s creation, symbol of the ups and downs of life, and of the souls’ ascension to the sky. The Corvin Castle in Hunedoara, western Romania, is the largest medieval building in the country, which saw its development peak in the 15th century. Last year, the castle was visited by 160 thousand tourists. The fortified town of Alba Iulia, in the historical province of Transylvania, was built between 1714 and 1738 in the shape of a star. The complex of Dacian fortresses in the Orastie Mountains, in central Romania, has joined the UNESCO heritage list as ‘symbol of European history’. In the centre, there lies Sarmisegetusa, the capital of Dacia, a kingdom conquered by the Romans in 106 and turned into a province of the Empire. The town of Iasi, in north-eastern Romania, boasts the Culture Palace, the Metropolitan Bishopric, the Trei Ierarhi Church, erected between 1637-1639, and the University Building, the first in Romania, inaugurated in 1860. The monasteries in Northern Moldavia, also part of the UNESCO heritage, are famous for their mural paintings, whose colours have remained as clear as they were 400 years ago. Among them is the Voronet blue, whose fabrication secret has not been revealed yet and the Sucevita green. The 7th wonder, the historical centre of Sibiu, a genuine medieval gem, built by the Saxon settlers starting with the 13th century, was designated, together with Luxembourg, European capital of culture in 2007. |
Bump. Sorry, I'm spamming. Caffeine/Alcohol overdose. But over the last few days, after ripping apart an old electrical lead and tying the wires end to end, and winding up with a 40 foot longwire - my little radio has become a shortwave receiver worthy of the title. Like anyone who listens regularly to Shortwave - I just love the sound. I find it easier to listen to garbage propaganda from Moscow when it sounds like it's after traveling those thousands of miles to get here. It adds character. In contrast I couldn't listen to crystal clear Irish FM stations. To a dispassionate observer, that's quite hard to explain. To a shortwave listener, it's perfectly understandable. Anywho, I've been listening to everything from the aforementioned VoR, Radio Ukraine, Radio Sweden, Radio Prague.. to VOLMET stations, to numbers stations like the Lincolnshire Poacher. I've also picked up a few transmissions on 11.175USB - the USAF GHFS. If you have the time, it's a really awesome way to while away an afternoon or night, turning a tuning dial and listening to different voices from around the world - and then occasionally stumbling across transmissions to spies in the field. I've also picked up and decoded MFSK & PSK31 transmissions from Eastern Europe which was cool. Shortwave is a band that is constantly intruiging, something the WFM broadcast bands will never match.
|
Hello Пятхъдесят Шест, and all other observers of the Shortwave Radio thread.
Until recdently, I was largely unaware of the semi-official nation of Pridnestrovie ( Pridnestrovskaia Moldavskaia Respublica, also known as Transnistria, Trans-Dniester and Transdniestria), de jure a part of Moldova but de facto an independent (albeit unrecognised) state. I have become a regular listener to the broadcasts of their radio station Radio PMR. I've become quite fascinated by this country. Their newspaper, , The Tiraspol Times, has a decent website. Always plenty of political coverage (some might prefer 'propaganda', but, you know), and an article is there about one of the nation's favourite sons, the excellent artist Mikhail Larionov: see here. Their national anthemn is pretty good too: http://pridnestrovie.net/nationalanthem.html |
Further to the above post
The Tiraspol Times site isn't coming up. I'm a bit concerned that might be due to the continuing pressure being place on Pridnestrovian media by Moldova. Radio PMR should be broadcasting in English in about five minutes, so hopefully I'll find out. |
It appears the Lincolnshire Poacher and its sister station Cherry Ripe are no more :(
They went off the air in July It was the first numbers station I ever managed to pick up, and I loved the fact it went like clockwork. Unfortunately I never recorded a TX to my computer... damnit. |
How do I get these?
|
I listen to a lot of Shortwave Radio.
Radio Australia BBC World Service DW World KBS World Radio Radio Netherlands Polish Radio External Service Radio Prague Radio Sweden Radio Romania International World Radio Network They're all on CBC Radio One, as part of CBC Radio Overnight. From 1am to 6am. It makes me laugh because when it all starts they say something like, "Night owls, why toss and turn? Turn on CBC Radio Overnight." and that exactly what I've been doing for a good two years now. Radio Netherlands is probably my favorite. |
??: just get yourself a shortwave radio. Or look the stations up online, but it's not quite the same when you're not battling against poor reception.
EMMah: that's quite a good service they are doing. Romania and Prague are always a good listen. Reception hasn't been too good here lately; even reliable stations like Radio Romania International and the Russian buzzer are clouded by heavy interference. The exception is Radio Sweden, which has been very clear. |
Yeah, I really enjoy it. I never have to worry about shit reception either, they're always clear unless for whatever reason I can't get CBC Radio One.
I'd still like to get a shortwave radio though, and see what I can pick up. |
Listening is pretty good lately. Right now I am listening to a very clear Pridnestrovian broadcast and last night, for the first time in a good long while, I got reasonable reception from Indian radio.
|
Hello there Hip Priest, good to see you.
I didn't listen to any shortwave radio for the better part of this summer, only recently (within the past month) have I busted out the Eton. Nothing of too much interest. Radio Habana Cuba is still broadcasting quality bizarreness, insanity and music, thankfully! Think I'll have a listen tonight, see whats happenin'. |
Quote:
Hello Пятхъдесят Шест; it;s good to see you are still on the board. Are you still in Nebraska? I haven't listened much this summer either, mainly as reception has been pretty poor across the board for some time now, but it has definitely picked up recently. Havana sounds great, but I can't get that with my little radio. A friend deals in all sorts of military things, and he's keeping a lookout for a good shortwave radio for me. So maybe soon, I'll have something more powerful. |
Yes, I'm still located in the Cornhusker state, 'the good life'. And still frequent the board every now again, don't post as much though.
I'm always hesitant to buy a powerful radio for fear of not being able to operate it correctly. |
Quote:
It will be an old used one, so it shouldn't cost too much. I'd love to be able to listen to more stuff from further afield, especially Middle Eastern and Asian broadcasts. The internet is great for those things, but I'm still very attached to shortwave. Right now I'm listening to Voice of Russia, a programme about the composer Georgy Sviridov. |
Quote:
I agree completely listening to a online steam of a station is not the same at all, dare I say it can even get boring! I get some Asian stations but not many, or I should say I used to not sure anymore. Voice of Russia is always a very difficult pick up for me. But I used to listen to it online sometimes. |
I'd like to get some Pakistani broadcasts on shortwave, rather than always online.
Radio Romania International are discussing the 'Horses Waterfall'. |
Quote:
frikkin spooky |
It has been a good listening week.
Radio Havana Cuba was the highlight, just because I was actually able to recieve it for once. A fair amount of interference, but nice nontheless. Also, it was great to hear Radio Tirana again. |
| All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:22 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin Version 3.5.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
All content ©2006 Sonic Youth