NASB NEWSLETTER www.shortwave.org
December 2009
IN THIS ISSUE:
2009 NASB/DRM USA Meeting
Upcoming NASB/DRM USA Annual Meetings
Chicago Radio Convention
2009 EDXC Conference
HCJB Report
Trans World Radio Name Change
Catalog of Shortwave Receivers
African Broadcasters Gear Up for Future
Shortwave Demo of DrTV at IBC
DRM Receiver with Color Screen
New Thomson Antenna
Geneva EBU/DRM Conference
Medal for Mother Angelica of EWTN
Shortwave Radio’s Advantage Over Internet
Appraisal of RNW Performance 2004-2008
Shortwave Important for Those at Sea
KNLS Report
WHRA Report
Shortwave Radio in Darfur
Program about Shortwave Radio in Africa
NASB Shortwave Listener Survey
2009 NASB/DRM USA Meeting – Nashville, TN
Report by Michael Murray for World DX Club, England
The annual NASB/DRM two-day meeting was held in May at the Holiday Inn, Nashville, Tennessee, hosted by World Christian Broadcasting and Radio Station WWCR.
The opening session started on the Thursday morning with remarks from the two host companies. This was followed by a report from John Stanley of HCJB, regarding the testing of three FEBC 100KW SW transmitters on Saipan, which Continental had converted to DRM transmissions.
The first seminar covered the latest developments in Digital Radio Mondiale, and was given by Adil Mina of Continental Electronics. He reported that there were plenty of DRM broadcasts, but once again the lack of receivers was holding back the project. India and Russia had now agreed to use DRM, and would provide inexpensive receivers in their own regions. DRM could now be found in the FM band, with a simulcast of AM & FM broadcasts. In addition a new DRM receiver would soon be sold through Universal Radio.
The next podium speaker was Mel Whitten, and his topic was WinDRM – Amateur Radio’s DRM Evolution. He talked about the radio’s digital voice and image transfer modes derived from DRM’s Dream receiver/transmitter software. In his talk he covered how these modes were developed.
A Profile of Ten-Tec, a Tennessee company that makes HF receivers for both radio Amateurs and shortwave listeners, was the next item on the agenda. Gary Barbour spoke about the history of the company and promoted a book written by Nancy William called Ten-Tec the first 40 years. 2008 was their 40th year.
The business part of the DRM concluded with a buffet lunch at a local restaurant, next door to the Ryman Auditorium, the original home of “The Grand Ole Opry” radio programme.
The afternoon was spent visiting the transmitter site of WWCR, which is situated just outside of Nashville. Housed at the transmitter site is a 50KW AM station, WNQM – 1300, along with four 100 KW SW transmitters of WWCR. The SW station operates on ten frequencies, 24 hours a day with gospel broadcasting. This was followed by a brief visit to the offices of WCB, the World Christian Broadcasting organisation who operate transmitters, under the callsign KNLS in Alaska. A video was shown to the delegates of the station and the new work currently being undertaken in Madagascar. Both WWCR and WCB had hosted the buffet lunch.
Following the bus tour, most of the delegates went on to the Stoveworks restaurant for dinner, which is situated in nearby Franklin. The restaurant was in the historic setting of The Factory, which contained a number of small shops.
The second day, Friday, saw the start of the NASB Annual Meeting.
The opening item on the agenda was a three member Panel Discussion on the State of SW Listening and Broadcasting in Europe. Unfortunately at the last minute two of the panelists could not attend so Michael Murray of the World DX Club took the podium. In a revised talk Michael spoke about the changes that have happened, especially in Europe, since he started radio listening in the early 60’s. He commented on the cutbacks from the major radio stations in Europe, who have either stopped broadcasting all together or have moved over to on-line “broadcasting.” He finished this part of his talk, as a traveler, asking the question which would you rather do. Holding a SW receiver in your hand or a Netbook computer? A computer is fine if you are in an area with wifi or a large battery capacity, but not very convenient if you are camping or on the beach! Michael also spoke about the upcoming EDXC Conference to be held in Dublin, Ireland in late August.
In the final part of the opening agenda item, Adrian Peterson of AWR, Adventist World Radio spoke about the changes in SW broadcasting from a broadcaster’s prospective.
The next part of the agenda was an interesting look at a single person’s attempt at promoting a sports programme on shortwave. Bruce Baskin started with World Cricket Today, and had now moved onto World Baseball Today, where he covers that sport in North America, Asia and Europe. These broadcasts can be heard over WRMI on 9955 kHz each Sunday at 14.30 UTC.
Don Messer gave a report on “Tests of Digital Radio Broadcasting (DRM) to Cover Alaska.” The goal is to see if all of Alaska can receive DRM shortwave broadcasts throughout the state at anytime and any day. They had to get an FCC experimental license to conduct these tests. Some of the questions that had to be addressed included: What frequency bands should be used? How much power will be needed? The tests are being done in central Alaska. They are using 10 to 20 kHz channels with various error correction and constellation options. They are putting in place a receiver network of around 18 sites. Then, they will conduct field tests. They plan to report the results to the FCC after a 2-year interval. Three 100kW transmitters are being used.
Allan McGuirl of Galcom International who manufactures small solar radios was the next speaker. Galcom have produced over 750,000 fix tuned radio’s in AM, FM and SW mode, and can be found in over 100 countries. Of the 750,000 radios, over 118,000 are for SW use. The firm has also installed more than 60 low powered Christian radio stations in unreached areas of the world.
Charlie Jacobson gave the latest information on HCJB, Ecuador. Due to building of the new Quito airport, HCJB has been ordered to close down their transmitter site at Pifo. The latest time line shows that the site will close on April 1, 2010 at the latest. They will still use a 49 meter band outlet covering the Andean area and the head waters of the Amazon River Basin from their high powered AM site. Currently there are eight antennas standing, down from the original 31 at the station’s peak.
After a coffee break, Charles Caudill, the President of World Christian Broadcasting spoke about their work in setting up a new transmitter site in Madagascar. Despite the recent change in the government of Madagascar, work has continued on the site at a great pace, with some modification to the work schedule. There have been a number of security problems and their store had been ransacked, with the loss of much equipment.
Tom King, President of Kintronics Labs of Bristol, Tennessee, gave the final lecture of the morning. Kintronics builds antennas, including the corner reflector for WRMI in Miami, Florida. They have also provided a 3-tower antenna for KICY, Nome, Alaska for programmes directed to Eastern Siberia, and a 250 KW 6 tower array, directed in three patterns to North Korea, China and Japan, on 1566 kHz on the island of Cheju off the southern coast of South Korea for FEBC.
The majority of the participants took lunch at a local restaurant, before returning to the Holiday Inn for the NASB Business meeting. During the meeting it was decided that the 2010 meeting would take place in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada hosted by Galcom International.
Agenda Announced for 2010 Annual Meeting in Hamilton, Ontario
NASB associate member Galcom International will host the 2010 NASB-DRM USA annual meetings on May 20 and 21 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. This will be the first time that the NASB has held an annual meeting in Canada, or anywhere outside the U.S. for that matter. The meetings will be held at the Mohawk College Conference Center and will be open to listeners and broadcasters – anyone interested in shortwave radio.
This year there is a registration fee, unlike recent years. However, it includes some meals and coffee breaks, transportation to the outside venues, and allows us to rent the conference center at Mohawk College, where there will be free wireless Internet service.
Meeting Agenda
On Thursday, May 20, meeting participants will go by bus to Crossroads Communications in the morning to participate in the taping of a syndicated television program and to talk about shortwave radio. A tour of the Crossroads facility will follow. Later, the bus will take everyone to Galcom for a tour of the factory where they build fix-tuned shortwave receivers and other broadcast and receiving equipment. There will be a barbecue lunch at the Galcom factory before returning to the Mohawk College Conference Center for the DRM USA meeting. At 4:30 pm, a bus will take meeting participants on an optional trip to world-famous Niagara Falls, including a private NASB dinner in that city. The bus will then return to Mohawk College.
On Friday, May 21, the NASB annual meeting will officially take place. Talks and presentations will focus on Canadian subjects. Members of the Ontario DX Association will tell about their very successful shortwave/DX club and about their role as QSL coordinator for the Toronto shortwave station CFRX. We have also invited representatives of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Radio Canada International and the CBC Northern Service to give presentations. Lunch will be catered at the Mohawk College Conference Center, and in the afternoon the meeting will continue, including the NASB Business Meeting, which will conclude by 5:00 pm.
Explanatory Notes for Registration Form:
DOWNLOAD REGISTRATION FORM - click here
Block A – Please fill out one form for each person attending. The registration fee is C$55 per person (i.e. Canadian dollars). This will cover the basic registration fee, lunches on Thursday and Friday, and coffee breaks on both days. Please check the days you plan to attend (Thursday, Friday or both). If you do not require accommodation, or if you plan to stay somewhere other than the Mohawk College residence, check the box indicating that you will take care of your own overnight accommodations.
Block B – This is the cost of accommodation at the Mohawk College residence. These are student residences which are made available to the public in the summer months. The C$87.50 rate (Canadian dollars) is per person for TWO nights (Wednesday and Thursday), based on double occupancy in a standard suite. This is, for example, if you plan to share a suite with a colleague from your own organization (or anyone else you want to share with). Please indicate the name of the person you will be sharing your suite with. Note that each suite has two private rooms, along with a shared bathroom and kitchenette. See the suite layout at: http://www2.mohawkcollege.ca/dept/market/vtour/WhereToLive.html. The C$175.00 rate is per person for TWO nights (Wednesday and Thursday) if you prefer a private suite for yourself and/or family members. The residence suite includes the two nights' accommodations, two continental breakfasts, free parking and free Internet. The address is 245 Fennell Avenue West, Hamilton, Ontario. It is not possible to stay at the Mohawk residence for just one night. (See Alternate Accommodations below.)
Block C – There will be an optional visit to Niagara Falls on Thursday evening. The price of C$55.00 per person includes bus transportation from Mohawk College to the Falls and back, and a private NASB dinner at the Old Stone Mill restaurant in Niagara Falls, Ontario. You are welcome to bring family members along for the same price of C$55.00 per person. Please note on the registration form the names of any family members who will be accompanying you, and put the total amount in the box. Here is the tentative menu for the dinner: Bread Service. 1st Course: Mixed Green Salad with House Dressing. Main Course: Dry Aged Angus Prime Rib of Beef au jus with Yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables; or Angel Hair Pasta with caramelized onions, crumbled goat cheese, arugula and olive oil; or Eggplant Parmesan. Dessert Course: Choice of New York style cheesecake, Lemon Craze, or Apple Blossom. Coffee, tea.
You may send your registration form by standard mail along with a personal or company cheque payable to Galcom International, or you can pay everything by credit/debit card if you wish. Just indicate if it is a Visa or MasterCard and provide the card details. If paying by Visa or MasterCard, you can fax your registration form to Galcom at the number indicated, or you can scan and e-mail the form to them.
Alternative Accommodation: The Mohawk residence package above is for two nights (May 19 and 20); there is no rate for just one night of accommodation. The Mohawk College residence is not available on Friday night. However, there is alternative accommodation available (for Friday or for any other nights) at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel, 1224 Upper James Street in Hamilton for an NASB group rate of C$129 per night plus tax. The normal rate for May is C$169 per night. The group rate of C$129 per night is for single, double, triple or quad occupancy, with two queen beds or one king size bed, free high-speed Internet and free parking). This hotel is approximately seven minutes from the Mohawk Conference Center by car. To get this conference rate, call the Marriott 800-number (+1-800-MARRIOTT) and tell them you are with the National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters group. If you prefer, you can also e-mail Marilyn Frame, the hotel's Sales Manager, at: to make your reservation with your name, address, telephone number and credit card details. You should guarantee your reservation with a credit card. The group room block expires on April 19, 2010. If you reserve after that date, the price will be at the hotel's regular rate, if rooms are available.