[Пятхъдесят Шест]

Originally Posted by Hip Priest

I wonder if those international films will genuinely be shown to the public. I suspect only officials and dignitaries will be present (like that Rolling Stones gig in China).

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.

[Пятхъдесят Шест]

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.

[Hip Priest]

That was interesting; there doesn't seem to be much more info available.

[Hip Priest]

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.

[Пятхъдесят Шест]

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.

[Hip Priest]

I'm glad you got to listen to Radio Romania International.

I'm waiting for eleven o clock to have a scan.

[mAraujo]

I can't tune any shortwave radio stations. My radio sucks.

[Hip Priest]

Originally Posted by mAraujo

I can't tune any shortwave radio stations. My radio sucks.

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.

[Hip Priest]

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.

[Hip Priest]

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

[Пятхъдесят Шест]

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.

[Hip Priest]

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.

[Пятхъдесят Шест]

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.

[Hip Priest]

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.

[Пятхъдесят Шест]

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.

[Hip Priest]

That's a shame - there's always online listening, but the clarity kind of ruins it a bit, doesn't it?

[Пятхъдесят Шест]

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.

[Hip Priest]

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.

[Hip Priest]

...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.

[Hip Priest]

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