Michael

RNZ Advances Pacific Broadcasting with Transmitter Upgrade – Futureproofing Initiatives Underway

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In a strategic move towards enhancing broadcasting capabilities in the Pacific region, Radio New Zealand (RNZ) has bid farewell to its long-serving 34-year-old shortwave Thompson transmitter, colloquially known as “Transmitter 1.” This transmitter, one of two facilitating analogue and digital radio broadcasts to the Pacific, has been powered down for the last time in preparation for the installation of a cutting-edge Swiss-made Ampegon shortwave transmitter at RNZ’s Rangitaiki site.

This undertaking represents a significant milestone for RNZ, which has relied on shortwave radio for the past 75 years to disseminate broadcasts across the vast Pacific. The replacement of the aging Transmitter 1 signifies a pivotal step in the futureproofing of RNZ’s service.

Installed just outside of Taupō in 1989, Transmitter 1, a 100-kilowatt Thompson unit, played a crucial role during the Commonwealth Games in Auckland in 1990. However, with the challenges posed by obsolete parts and the transmitter’s exclusive capability for analogue transmission, its replacement became imperative.

The forthcoming Ampegon shortwave transmitter, capable of both digital and analogue transmission, is en route to New Zealand after being meticulously crafted at Ampegon’s factory in Switzerland. Yet, before the new transmitter can be operational, Transmitter 1 must undergo decommissioning, with salvageable parts reserved for future use.

RNZ’s Transmission Engineer Specialist, Steve White, acknowledged the complexities of the switchover, highlighting the need to dismantle Transmitter 1 integrated into the existing building. White explained, “It will take around four weeks to completely dismantle Transmitter 1… We need to isolate the transmitter from the main switchboard, as well as drain the fluids that help cool the transmitter before breaking it into parts.”

The installation of the Ampegon transmitter is anticipated to commence in January, with an estimated six weeks for installation, six weeks for commissioning, and additional time for training. The operational date for the new transmitter is projected to be 1 May 2024.

Once Transmitter 1 is replaced, RNZ will boast two transmitters capable of both analogue and digital transmissions, ensuring a robust backup system in case of technical issues.

In the interim, RNZ Pacific Manager Moera Tuilaepa-Taylor assured that alternative means of accessing RNZ content would be communicated to all Pacific partners. While the analogue service experiences a reduction during the transition period, RNZ content can still be accessed via satellite, downloads, or livestreaming through the official website.

RNZ Chief Executive and Editor in Chief, Paul Thompson, emphasized the indispensable role RNZ plays in the Pacific region, providing critical information during events such as the Tonga eruption when undersea cables were severed. Recognizing its significance, the Government allocated $4.4 million in capital funding for a new transmitter for RNZ Pacific as part of Budget 2022, reaffirming its commitment to the international service provided by RNZ in both English and Pacific languages.

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Michael

Pakistan’s Ambitious DRM Project Set to Revolutionize Broadcasting Landscape

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In a momentous stride toward enhancing its broadcasting capabilities, on July 30, 2023, Radio Pakistan embarked on the groundbreaking ceremony for an expansive transmission facility, poised to connect the diverse tapestry of nations spanning from the Mediterranean to the Pacific.

The heart of this transformative endeavor revolves around the installation of a cutting-edge 1,000 kW Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) transmitter at the eminent Radio Pakistan high-power transmission complex, strategically situated near the capital city of Islamabad. This monumental project comes with a price tag of approximately 4 billion rupees (nearly US$14 million) and is slated for completion by the year 2025.

Central to this project’s significance is its alignment with the Digital Radio Mondiale standard, which is a monumental leap into the digital age for Radio Pakistan. This groundbreaking move underscores Radio Pakistan’s commitment to modernization, leveraging state-of-the-art technology to usher in a new era of broadcasting excellence.

Image via https://www.radioworld.com/

Guiding this landmark occasion was the honorable Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Marriyum Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb highlighted the pivotal role that this initiative would play in expanding Radio Pakistan’s reach, resonating across 52 nations spanning South Asia, Central Asia, the Far East, Middle East, and even Eastern Europe.

Quoting her words:

It’s worth noting that Radio Pakistan, since its inception in 1947, has primarily relied on analog medium, and shortwave transmitters. However, this transformational project acknowledges the changing tides of technology. Out of its current inventory of 20 transmitters, 14 have outlived their utility. This forward-thinking initiative is set to redefine broadcasting norms by empowering Radio Pakistan to transmit up to four distinct signals concurrently with remarkable efficiency. Moreover, the energy-efficient design of the 1,000 kW DRM transmitter is expected to reduce energy consumption by an impressive 33%, subsequently leading to substantial savings in operating costs.

Beyond the transmitter’s exceptional capabilities, Marriyum Aurangzeb revealed another ambitious plan that aligns seamlessly with the government’s vision. A new media city is poised to take shape in Rawat, complementing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visionary commitment to bolstering investment in information technology and media technologies. This holistic approach aims not only to cultivate enhanced employment opportunities but also to actively engage the youth with the captivating world of radio.

As the groundbreaking ceremony set the wheels in motion for this transformative endeavor, Pakistan takes a bold step toward shaping the future of broadcasting. With the fusion of tradition and modernity, the country’s rich tapestry of culture, identity, and communication is set to resonate across borders, reaffirming the enduring power of the airwaves to unite, inform, and inspire.

This article was reproduced by Tecsun Radios Australia from the original article posted on https://www.radioworld.com/

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Michael

DW Arabic Launches ‘Sudan Now’ Radio Program for Unbiased Coverage

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International broadcaster DW Arabic, has introduced a new radio program called “Sudan Now.” This 30-minute daily program is broadcast in Arabic and can be accessed through various platforms such as shortwave radio, Hotbird, SES-5 satellites, and the DW Arabic website.

“Sudan Now” aims to deliver unbiased coverage of current issues in the region, fostering political, social, and cultural dialogue through engaging interviews, talk shows, and reports. 

This program fills a critical information gap in Sudan, where independent sources are scarce, and established media face challenges broadcasting due to internet outages and ongoing conflicts. To overcome these obstacles, “Sudan Now” has been strategically designed for transmission via shortwave radio and the Hotbird- and SES-5 satellites, enabling listeners in the target region to receive the program on their TV sets.

Dr. Nadja Scholz, the Managing Director of Programming at DW, emphasised the necessity of providing the people in Sudan with dedicated programming that offers independent, current, and in-depth information. By utilising shortwave radio, DW expands its reach and ensures access to a wide audience.

Manuela Kasper-Claridge, DW’s editor-in-chief, underlined the urgency of the situation in Sudan, where the humanitarian crisis persists and access to free and independent information is severely limited. The introduction of this Arabic-language radio program is a significant step towards addressing this critical need.

Starting from Monday, June 26, 2023, “Sudan Now” will air every weekday at 2:30 pm (local time, GMT+2), with a repeat broadcast at 8:30 pm. Listeners can tune in to the program on shortwave frequencies 15275 kHz/17800 kHz in the afternoon and 15275 kHz/17840 kHz in the evening.

The launch of “Sudan Now” reflects DW Arabic’s commitment to providing vital information and facilitating dialogue in a region grappling with ongoing conflicts and limited access to independent media.

Information from this article was sourced from :https://corporate.dw.com/en/sudan-now-dw-arabic-launches-new-radio-program-for-sudan/a-66036734

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Michael

Satellite Failure Provides Additional HF Traffic For Shortwave Enthusiasts.

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The recent temporary failure of an Inmarsat satellite serving the Pacific, has forced commercial aircraft to rely on the backup HF communications system used between air traffic controllers and pilots over the Pacific.

On April 16 the satellite began experiencing a service outage affecting aircraft transiting through the North and South Pacific Major World Air Route Areas (MWARA).

Increased traffic was heard on 5643, 8867, 13261, 17904 kHz in the South Pacific (San Francisco, Auckland, Brisbane, Nadi, Tahiti and 5628, 6655, 8951, 10048, 13339, 17946 and 21925 kHz in the North Pacific (San Francisco, Tokyo) areas. All frequencies listed are USB.

The services did not fully recover until April 21. The satellite had experienced a previous failure in 2008 and is 5 years past the predicted operational lifetime. Bearing this in mind, enthusiasts may discover increased HF traffic during this period of satellite uncertainty, proving that HF radio is far from obsolete.

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Michael

Extraordinary Footage from the Argentinian Antarctic Base of Penguin Entertained by Tecsun Radio

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We have received some extraordinary footage all the way from an Argentinian Antarctic base. Penguins enjoying some music being played in this very remote location from a Tecsun Radio.

In an all white landscape, typically quiet apart from the sound of cracking ice, distant seals and penguins honking.

Alejandro LU8YD captured some penguins being entertained by some music broadcast from the local FM station LRA36 Radio Nacional Arcangel San Gabriel, using his Tecsun PL360.

They have named this footage “Pinguino”. It’s interesting to see the penguins gather around and listen to this music while preening themselves and relaxing.

This a reminder of how radio is used around the world, often in extremely remote locations as a source of information and entertainment, even for the penguins!

In a time where the news cycle can be on a constant negative cycle, we thought we would share this fun little snapshot from Antarctica! 

The radio you are seeing in this video is a PL360. Here at Tecsun Radios Australia, we have recently introduced the new upgraded version of this radio, The Tecsun PL-368 DSP Handheld HF SSB Receiver with Synchronous Detection, you can read all about it here.

Speaking of Antarctica, We are excited to announce that Tecsun Radios Australia will donate shortwave radios to the Argentine Antarctic Base.

The Esperanza Antarctic base was founded in 1952 and has approximately 65 people living year-round. There are approximately 8 families with their children and a school with three levels of education. Each family has its own independent house. Scientific activities are carried out in cooperation with other countries. LRA36 is a station created in 1979 and broadcasts on shortwave on 15476 KHz USB, FM on 96.7 MHz, and streaming.

The place is located next to Caleta Choza in Bahia Esperanza north of the Antarctic Peninsula.

Tecsun Radios Australia will supply a range of Tecsun radios to those living at the Argentinian Esperanza Antarctic Base as part of an investigation into DX propagation and MW/SW monitoring in a low noise environment.

We will be supplying a mixture of PL-365s, PL880s, and other models to this community to be used in schools, family homes, communal dining rooms, warehouses, and power plants.

We expect we will receive some details on what shortwave reception is like from down there.

We look forward to sharing with you more details as to how these are put to use once they arrive at the base community.

 

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Michael

DRM MEMBER AMPEGON WINS A NEW SHORTWAVE TRANSMITTER CONTRACT WITH RNZ

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RNX DRM transmitter upgrade

In September 2022, Ampegon Power Electronics AG and RNZ (New Zealand public broadcaster) signed a contract to supply a new TSW2100-V4 100 kW shortwave transmitter to New Zealand. The transmitter will broadcast the RNZ Pacific service to millions of people living across the Pacific with high reliability and energy efficiency:

For many years now RNZ has used DRM to feed FM stations in the Pacific islands, a sustainable and ingenious way to use the digital DRM standard to distribute analogue content and introduce digital broadcasting to far-away places in the Pacific. RNZ provides an essential shortwave service, 24 hours a day, for 22 broadcasting partners across the Pacific region.

This new transmitter upgrades their service to the newest standards, the most modern capabilities, and together with their current transmitter, can provide redundancy or additional services in the future,

The TSW-2100 transmitters is capable of both traditional analogue broadcasts and DRM digital broadcasting. It is designed to provide DSB and AMC analogue modes to significantly reduce power consumption and when broadcasting DRM, energy usage is reduced by up to 40% without compromising broadcast range.

Additionally, DRM provides FM quality stereo sound alongside a data stream which can be used to send text messages, advertising, images and the “Journaline” text service which provides capabilities for remote learning.

RNZ drm shirtwave radio transmitter

Richard Sutherland, Head of News at RNZ explains:. RNZ shortwave transmissions are a lifeline source of information, which helps to support sustainable social and economic resilience”.

The new transmitter is planned to be delivered in 2023 and put into operation in early 2024

A spokesperson from Ampegnon, Simon Keens said “With growing global instability, Ampegon is receiving more and more frequent requests for shortwave transmitters, which are capable of extremely long range international and intercontinental broadcasting. Additionally, with the increasing cost of energy, DRM digital shortwave broadcasting makes a lot of sense, saving over 40% of the energy at the flick of a switch. Radio New Zealand has chosen one of our most economical transmitter setups for maximum efficiency, while providing FM quality DRM coverage over the entire Pacific region over shortwave for decades to come.”

 

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Michael

Amateur Radio Operators Assist in Guiding Disabled Boat to Bay

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

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Michael

Radios for Lismore’s flood effected areas

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Emergency radio donations for Byron

Image via AAP: Jason O’Brien ( abc.net.au)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 Aptly named EMERGENCY RADIO Project Lismore Floods 2022.

Nsw floods

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

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

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

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

Best emergency radio

lismore flood relief shortwave radios

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

 

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Michael

Funding for 24 Hour Shortwave Broadcasts In The South Pacific

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RNZ shirtwave

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

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

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

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

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

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

This information and image is courtesy of the RNZ website.

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

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Ricardo Rosario

A Communications Guide

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