VOA Radiogram this weekend will use our usual MFSK32 mode, but if reception is poor, one VOA News item is in the especially robust Olivia 32-2000 mode.  

Here is the lineup for VOA Radiogram, program 132, 10-11 October 2015, all in MFSK32 except where noted:

  1:34  Program preview
  2:45  European court strikes down US data treaty*
  7:49  Russia complicates US pivot to Asia*
15:03  Texting may hamper girls’ high school academics*
22:22  Olivia 32-2000: Hamburgers for Russian cosmonauts?**
26:51  MFSK32: Closing announcements*
28:24  Olivia 64-2000: Transmission schedule

* with image

** the RSID should change the mode automatically to Olivia 32-2000, but if it doesn’t, in Fldigi: Op Mode > Olivia > Custom > see Bandwidth to 2000 (Hz) and Tones to 32. You can also create a Macro with this: <MODEM:OLIVIA:2000:32>

Please send reception reports to radiogram@voanews.com

VOA Radiogram transmission schedule
(all days and times UTC):
Sat 0930-1000 5745 kHz
Sat 1600-1630 17870 kHz
Sun 0230-0300 5745 kHz
Sun 1930-2000 15670 kHz
All via the Edward R. Murrow transmitting station in North Carolina.

The Mighty KBC will transmit a minute of MFSK32 Sunday at 0230 UTC (EDT Sunday at 10:30 pm EDT) on 7375 kHz, via Germany. This is part of the KBC broadcast to North America at 0000-0300 UTC. Reports to Eric: themightykbc@gmail.com . Beginning 17-18 October, the KBC transmission for North America shifts to 2300-0200 UTC on the new frequency of 7395 kHz. The minute of MFSK will then be heard UTC Sundays at 0130 UTC.

The w1hkj.com site, the usual repository for the  Fldigi suite of software, is not working normally due to an apparent attack on the site. Fldigi and the Fldigi suite of software are still available here:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/fldigi/files/

Reception in northern Virginia of The Mighty KBC, 4 October 2015, 0230 UTC, on 7375 kHz via Germany, was difficult.

Nevertheless, the MFSK32 text decoded 100%, and the image, while fuzzy, was good enough to get the idea of the KBC radio ship and  its reflection in Harlingen Harbor.

The audio begins with music and voice, then the MFSK32, including text, and image, and more text …

https://soundcloud.com/voaradiogram/kbc-041015-0230-7375

And this is what the decoded text and image (using Fldigi) looked like …

Oscar in Italy discovered he has 350 images decoded from VOA Radiogram. See his mosaic of those images below, and a description of his picture-decoding efforts here:  https://t.co/vErH4UUywJ

VOA Radiogram for the weekend of 3-4 October 2015 will be all MFSK32 text and images, except for some Olivia 64-2000 mixed with the closing music.

Here is the lineup for VOA Radiogram, program 131:

  1:33  Program preview
  2:43  Map of US Internet backbone*
  8:26  China Internet digital ID card*
14:07  Washington’s Chinatown*
21:38  Radio Sweden relaunches, with less radio*
27:00  Closing announcements*
28:23  Olivia 64-2000: Transmission schedule

* with image

Please send reception reports to radiogram@voanews.com.

VOA Radiogram transmission schedule
(all days and times UTC):
Sat 0930-1000 5745 kHz
Sat 1600-1630 17870 kHz
Sun 0230-0300 5745 kHz
Sun 1930-2000 15670 kHz
All via the Edward R. Murrow transmitting station in North Carolina.

The Mighty KBC will transmit a minute of MFSK32 Sunday at 0230 UTC (Saturday 10:30 pm EDT) on 7375 kHz, via Germany. Reports for this KBC reception to Eric: themightykbc (at) gmail.com .

Here are some scenes from the Notte Europea dei Ricercatori (European Researchers’ Night) event in Frascati, Italy, main target of the special VOA Radiogram broadcast on 25 September 2015, 1830-1900 UTC, on 17880 kHz.  

In the top photo, Bruno, IZ0DIB, who suggested the special broadcast, is on the left, with Simone, IZ0BTV, and Massimo, IW0HNE …

Of course, the special broadcast was also heard in places beyond Italy. Here’s the Frascati Scienza logo as decoded by Chris in New Zealand, 14000 km from the North Carolina transmitter …

MFSK32 images as decoded in Frascati are in the previous post.  

The special VOA Radiogram transmission on Friday, 26 September 2015, 1830-1900 UTC, on 17880 kHz, via the usual North Carolina transmitter site, was heard well at the amateur radio event of the Notte Europea dei Ricercatori in Frascati, Italy. The exhibit in Frascati was organized by VOA Radiogram listener Bruno, IZ0DIB, who requested the additional transmission.

The Notte Europea dei Recercatori was one of several European Researchers’ Night event held throughout Europe.

MFSK32 images received and decoded by Bruno in Frascati are below. MFSK32 and Olivia 32-2000 text was received 100% …

If you are new to VOA Radiogram, information about how to decode the text and images from a shortwave signal is available here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/um21mu1d31bxb41/VOA%20Radiogram%20flyer.pdf?dl=0

VOA Radiogram program 130 will include a special broadcast for this week’s European Researchers’ Night. This will be Friday, 25 September  2015, at 1830-1900 UTC, on 17880 kHz, from our usual North Carolina transmitting site. The specific target is the Notte europea dei ricercatori in Frascati, Italy, where an amateur radio exhibit organized by Bruno, IZ0DIB, will receive and decode (conditions permitting!) VOA Radiogram. Of course, we also welcome reports from anyone, anywhere else in the world.

Here is the lineup for VOA Radiogram, program 130, 25-27 September 2015, all in MFSK32 except where noted:

  1:32  Program preview

  2:36  Greetings to European Researchers’ Night*
13:09  Humans are surrounded by bacteria*
18:32  Olivia 32-2000: USA Pavilion at Expo Milano 2015*
25:26  MFSK32: Closing announcements*

* with image

The program will include some items in Italian, so you will need the UTF-8 character set (Fldigi: Configure > Colors & Fonts) for the accented letters to display correctly. The RSID should automatically change Fldigi to Olivia 32-2000, but if it does not: Op Mode > Olivia > Custom > set Bandwidth to 2000 and Tones to 32.

Please send reception reports to radiogram@voanews.com.

VOA Radiogram transmission schedule
(all days and times UTC):

Fri  1830-1900 17880 kHz (25 Sept only)

Sat 0930-1000 5745 kHz
Sat 1600-1630 17870 kHz
Sun 0230-0300 5745 kHz
Sun 1930-2000 15670 kHz

All via the Edward R. Murrow transmitting station in North Carolina.

The Mighty KBC will transmit a minute of MFSK32 Sunday at 0230 UTC (Saturday 10:30 pm EDT) on 7375 kHz, via Germany. This is part of the KBC broadcast to North America Sundays at 0000-0300 UTC. On Saturday, 26 September, 2300-2400 UTC, KBC will test a new frequency of  7395 kHz, also via Germany. Reports to Eric: themightykbc (at) gmail.com.

VOA Radiogram will participate in European Researchers’ Night 2015, specifically to the Notte europea dei ricercatori at Frascati, near Rome. There will be a special broadcast of VOA Radiogram Friday, 25 September, at 1830-1900 UTC, on 17880 kHz, via the Edward R. Murrow Transmitting Station in North Carolina.

This broadcast is in addition to regular VOA Radiogram schedule:

(days/times UTC):
Sat 0930-1000 5745 kHz
Sat 1600-1630 17870 kHz
Sun 0230-0300 5745 kHz
Sun 1930-2000 15670 kHz
All via North Carolina

More information:

http://voaradiogram.net

http://ec.europa.eu/research/researchersnight

http://www.frascatiscienza.it/pagine/notte-europea-dei-ricercatori-2015

This weekend on VOA Radiogram, our non-Latin alphabet of the week will be Persian. Persian is interesting because it is a “right-to-left” language. You will need the UTF-8 character set in Fldigi (Configure > Colors & Fonts). The Persian should also correctly display using the AndFlmsg Android app, version 1.2, available from http://www.w1hkj.com/vk2eta/ .

And if we are fortunate enough to experience poor reception this weekend, there will be about ten minutes of content in Olivia 32-2000.

Here is the lineup for VOA Radiogram, program 129, 19-20 September 2015, all in MFSK32 except where noted …  

  1:36  Program preview
  3:06  First manned Orion flight in 2023*
  9:58  Saturn moon covered by water*
14:48  Sample of Persian text**
17:19  Olivia 32-2000: VOA Science World Blog***
27:04  MFSK32: Closing announcements
28:06  MFSK32: Logo image under the music

* with image

** requires UTF-8 character set

*** If RSID does not change mode to Olivia 32-2000, in Fldigi:
Op Mode > Olivia > Custom > set Bandwidth to 2000 and Tones to
32

Please send reception reports to radiogram@voanews.com

VOA Radiogram transmission schedule
(all days and times UTC):
Sat 0930-1000 5745 kHz
Sat 1600-1630 17870 kHz
Sun 0230-0300 5745 kHz
Sun 1930-2000 15670 kHz
All via the Edward R. Murrow transmitting station in North Carolina.

The Mighty KBC will transmit a minute of MFSK32 Sunday at 0230 UTC (Saturday 10:30 pm EDT) on 7375 kHz. Yes, the mode is changed from the usual MFSK64 to MFSK32 because of difficult reception in North America in recent weeks. Reports to Eric: themightykbc (at) gmail.com .

This is an opportunity to develop software for PCs and mobile devices to simplify the decoding of text and images transmitted by VOA and other radio stations…

See this page …

http://www.bbg.gov/partnerwithus/doing-business/

… to download this pdf document …

Request for Quotation No. BBG50-Q-15-0915MD – Software Development

 … and note the deadline is September 26.