News from the Alexander Association Grimeton SAQ Veteran Radio Friends
www.alexander.n.se
Grimeton’s sister station shall reappear in the stratosphere!
A balloon experiment, launched by Warsaw University of Technology, is planned to lift off on September 12th 2020, carrying an unique VLF 210-m-long fully-airborne antenna system, creating EM field on 14.2 kHz – former frequency of the Babice Radio Station in Poland. The project is delivering very important data for a doctoral dissertation – any and all feedback on the reception of the signal (reception location, SNR, bandwidth etc.) is extremely important; your help with the listening to the transmission would be invaluable!

More details on the flight & transmission:
12.09.2020, estimated lift-off time: 13.00-14.00 CEST [11.00-12.00 UTC]
Lift-off location: Przasnysz Airport, Poland (53°00’46.3″N 20°55’52.4″E)
Flight duration: ~3 hours
Max. altitude: 30 km ASL
Emission type: A1 (narrow-band carrier) @ 14.2 kHz (1st class mobile EM device)
Operation starts on ground, the antenna rises with the balloon ascending.
Additional radionavigation signals: 144.8 MHz (seen on aprs.fi under callsign SP5AXL), 868 MHz.
VLF antenna type: center-fed half-folded vertical electric dipole with capacitive sphere and vertical axial coil.

If you have any questions, the Babice Radio Station Culture Park Association (trcn.pl) – the patron of the experiment – can answer via e-mail: stowarzyszenie@radiostacjababice.org or Facebook.
https://alexander.n.se/grimetons-sister-station-shall-reappear-in-the-stratosphere/?lang=en
Mike Terry (2020-09-09)

Local stations add FM broadcasting.
After more than seven decades in the broadcast business, including several years simulcasting online, one would think there are no more worlds to conquer for local radio stations WPAQ and WSYD.
One would be wrong.
Earlier this month, those long-time local AM stalwarts expanded their reach to the FM dial, giving the stations more reach, and far more time, on the air.
The stations officially made the switch on Aug. 7, with WPAQ now available on the FM radio dial at 106.7 while WSYD resides at 105.1. Both stations will continue to also be heard on AM, WSYD at 1300 and WPAQ at 740, as well as reaching a worldwide audience online.
https://www.mtairynews.com/news/89476/local-stations-add-fm-broadcasting
via RW NewsBytes (2020-09-03)

As of today September 1st, mediumwave.info has a new design.
Since 1998 the website has been looking almost the same way with the well-known sunset-photo on the front page. This photo has been replaced by one showing the LW antenna masts of Kalundborg 243 kHz, taken on the 90th anniversary of that station in 2017.
As a new feature in mediumwave.info, there is a search function, which can be used in all pages except for searching in the Loggings-page.
Enjoy.

The August 2020 edition of the Pacific Asian Log [PAL] is now available. It can be downloaded from the Radioheritage website: http://www.radioheritage.net/
The link for the PDF version is at the center of the site’s main page.
There have been many changes to the station and network listings, especially for Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan and China. Examples include the demise of two New Zealand networks and the start of a new one, the emergence of the SENTrack network in Australia, and the silencing of the ABS-CBN network in Philippines. Schedules and other information have been revised for many of the listings. I’ve also removed a few stations that don’t appear to exist anymore.
Comments and updates from users are welcome and encouraged. They can be sent to portzerbt@gmail.com. There are undoubtedly some website and audio links that need to be to be added, so if you know of any let me know.
Bruce Portzer to WOR groups.io (2020-08-28)

AM stations affected by hurricane Laura.
Kinda curious to know if stations like KLVI-560 in Beaumont, KOLE-1340 in Port Arthur, and KLCL-1470 in Lake Charles are still on the air.
If so, does anyone know if they are going with all-local programming for the time being, focusing on storm damage reports and other emergency broadcasting?
Rick Dau, South Omaha, Nebraska to WOR groups.io (2020-08-27)

Yes, KLVI 560 is on the air, but not as strong as they usual are, so may be on
reduced power.
As yet, I have not heard from KLCL 1470, usually in with “Magic 1470”.
There is no sign of KDEI 1250 as yet with “Radio Maria” usual in here pretty good.
I checked 1600 KOGT in Orange and there appears nothing as yet, usually good on south antenna with Country. Orange is East of Beaumont.
I will be recording on the South antenna tonight so may hear some new stations if lucky.
James Niven, East of Austin, Texas to WOR groups.io (2020-08-28)

Many radio and TV station may go off in Canada.
The Canadian Press Aug. 26, 2020 7:50 a.m. Business
[…]
As many as 40 local television outlets and up to 200 Canadian radio stations could be forced to close in the next three years as the pandemic adds to financial pressures media companies were facing before COVID-19, according to a new study from a media advocacy group.
[…]
https://www.boundarycreektimes.com/business/media-study-says-hundreds-of-canadian-radio-stations-tv-outlets-risk-closure/
Artie Bigley to WOR groups.io (2020-08-27)

The original 43 page report by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters in English:
https://www.cab-acr.ca/english/media/news/20/cmi_report_aug24.pdf
Stephen Kellat via WOR groups.io (2020-08-27)

The IRCA MEXICAN LOG 23nd Edition (Fall 2020) lists all AM stations in Mexico by frequency, including call letters, state, city, day/night power, slogans, schedule in UTC/GMT, formats, networks and notes. The call letter index gives call, frequency, city and state. The city index (listed by state, then city) includes frequency, call and day/night power.
The transmitter site index (listed by state, then city) tabulates the latitude and longitude of transmitter sites. Also, in this edition, there is a spread sheet with links to web sites, live broadcasts and facebook page of many of the Mexican stations. This is an indispensable reference for anyone who hears Mexican radio stations.
The 2020-21 Mexican Log .pdf is posted on the IRCA website for all to download.
The link is:
https://www.ircaonline.org/editor_upload/File/2020-21_IRCA_Mexican_Log.pdf
Phil Bytheway, IRCA via WOR groups.io

„audio content fund.
Round 4 winning bids announced.
Eight indies to receive £197k of funding, for public service programming on 32 stations.
Unedited will document the history of England’s black footballers for talkSPORT.
Audio Frontier will search for Scotland’s Greatest Song on Greatest Hits Scotland.
Belle Media will bring kids’ character Captain Bobo to life in English and Gaelic.
The Audio Content Fund has announced the latest recipients of grant funding to make public service content for commercial and community radio.
[…]
Scotland’s Greatest Song – Audio Frontier, for Greatest Hits Radio Network Scotland.
Greatest Hits Radio want to celebrate St Andrews Day [30 November] by finally determining Scotland’s greatest song of all time! A series of 12 mini docs will profile selected songs, concluding in a special show which commemorates the finest music this country has offered the world.
[…]
Coming In From The Cold: The History of Black Footballers in the English Game.
– Unedited for talkSPORT and talkSPORT2
7-part documentary series about the history and rise of black footballers, broadcast in Black History Month 2020. The series will span two centuries of injustice, inequality, accomplishment, sporting moments and iconic symbols of our national game.
[…]
These latest awards follow the successful funding round to support audiences during Coronavirus, which distributed £400k to 28 projects during April and May of this year.
They take the Audio Content Fund’s running total of grant funding to £1.25m since it launched in April 2019″.
https://www.audiocontentfund.org.uk/2020/07/29/round-4-winning-bids-announced
via Dr Hansjoerg Biener (2020-08-15)

An interesting article from Radio Eins’ “Radio News” about LW and MW in Moldova. It is in German but thanks translating pages, it should be possible to read.
Today, in addition to the two transmitters of Radio Moldova Actualitati on 1494 kHz in Chisinau, only the main frequency 873 kHz from Codru is active.
https://www.radioeins.de/programm/sendungen/medienmagazin/radio_
news/beitraege/2014/pridnestrowje.html
Ydun Ritz (2020-08-14)

Radio Taiwan International 1557 kHz.
In the evening and at night, in Siberia and the Far East of Russia, the medium-wave signal of Radio Taiwan International at a frequency of 1557 kHz passes well.
Now on this frequency the national RTI service broadcasts in Chinese. Until April 1, 2017, RTI station “I Love Music” (Music Interactive Network) was broadcast here. Its broadcast at 1557 kHz was discontinued and replaced by RTI Chinese. In the 2000s, the frequency was used by Family Radio.
The transmitter has a power of 300 kW and is believed to be located in Kouhu in western Taiwan.
The signal from the island was received in Ulan-Ude on July 25, 2020 at 13.59 UTC. Music was broadcast on 1557 kHz, and then the news broadcast began.
The SINPO reception was rated at 44433.
https://kolkeradio.blogspot.com/2020/08/radio-taiwan-international-1557-khz.html
Igor Kolke, Ulan-Ude, Russia (2020-08-05)