Late-spring shortwave propagation is allowing VOA Radiogram to be heard and decoded in Japan, over 11000 km from the North Carolina transmitter.

TW in Shimane Prefecture prepared this web page on his reception and decoding during program 112, 23-24 May 2015.  It include videos – you can try to decode from the audio of TW’s videos:

http://09326811.at.webry.info/201505/article_31.html

These images are from TW’s reception on 23 May, 1600-130 UTC, on 17870 kHz …

Masahiro in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, was also able to receive the Saturday 0930-1000 UTC broadcast on 5745 kHz during that same week. This web page includes audio of his reception (suitable for your own decoding), as well as decoded text and an image …

http://saitamaradioholicinternational.at.webry.info/201505/article_41.html

Masahiro also received and decoded VOA Radiogram during the same weekend using remote receivers in the Netherlands and New Jersey. Text and images are in this web page …

http://saitamaradioholicinternational.at.webry.info/201505/article_44.html

If you listened last weekend Saturday at 1600 UTC on 17870 kHz, some wideband interference was heard about two minutes into the program. It was a nuisance, but also a good test for the MFSK32. More information in this post to the voaradiogram.net website.

Last weekend’s experiment with the PD180 SSTV mode was largely successful. It certainly provided an interesting comparison of image decodes using PD180 SSTV versus MFSK32.

Now that many of you have downloaded and installed SSTV decoding software, we will transmit SSTV again this weekend. This time we will use the Scottie DX mode, which may be the most robust mode for long distance shortwave.

From your reception reports, I was reminded of other SSTV decoding software. In addition to the MMSSTV we suggested last weekend, there is also the very good RXSSTV receive-only program from ON6MU. Some Linux users decoded the SSTV image using Oona Räisänen’s slowrx.  

Last weekend’s other experiment involved Olivia 64-2000 at 16 dB under the closing music. That was so successful that this weekend, we will transmit Olivia 64-2000 again, but this time at 20 dB under the closing music. That will be followed by the “thank you” message, also in Olivia 64-2000, but at full level, and this time with its own RSID.

Here is the lineup for VOA Radiogram, program 114, 6-7 June 2015, all in MFSK32 except where noted:

  1:29  Program preview
  2:47  Heat-resistant Glassware Celebrates 100th Anniversary*
  8:17  Unusual Store Sells Comic Books and Exotic Plants*
16:24  Scottie DX SSTV: Frecce Tricolori
22:15  Same image in MFSK32
27:24  Closing announcements
28:11  Olivia 64-2000 20 dB under closing music  
29:23  Olivia 64-2000 at full level

* 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 MFSK64 Sunday at about 0230 UTC (Saturday 10:30 pm EDT) on 9925 kHz via Germany. Reports for KBC to Eric:  themightykbc (at) gmail.com . Decode the KBC text, then quickly retune to VOA Radiogram on 5745 kHz for the rest of the half hour. 

PD180 SSTV image as decoded by Alan in England during the 1930UTC broadcast on 31 May 2015, 15670 kHz …

At the Radio Nostalgia event in Uedem, Germany, VOA Radiogram listener Dr. Georg Niepel demonstrated the decoding of VOA Radiogram content, using audio from a Graetz Musica 4R 417 radio, built in 1957. The following is from Dr. Niepel’s website, http://www.radio-hobby.de/ …

VoA radiogram can be received with every normal shortwave radio. Instead of an external speaker or a headphone, you just plug in a connector cable in order to bring the audio signal to your computer. By the way, I wanted to know whether it would work well, even if we would use an old-fashioned tube radio.

The Graetz Musica 4R 417, built in 1957, is an AM/FM superhet tube radio using an ECH81 (6 AJ 8) with a triode for the AM oscillator and a heptode for mixing, followed by an EF89 (6 DA 6) for the IF amplifier stage. AM-demodulation and audio-frequency-preamplification is done by an EABC80 (6 AK 8 / 6 T 8), followed by an EL84 (6 BQ 5) as power amplifier.

This means that the circuit is a rather simple superhet without HF preamplification and with a single IF stage only. Nevertheless, due to the use of tubes, the selectivity and the sensitivity are good enough for clear shortwave reception.

During the presentation of old-fashioned radios on the “Radio Nostalgia” event in Uedem, Germany (Saturday 9th of May, 2015), I received and decoded VoA Radiogram “live” using this Graetz radio, connected to a laptop computer. Four meters of indoor wire antenna were spread out, and after admitting twenty minutes of warm-up, tuning was stable on 17870 kHz. At 16:00 UTC when the transmission began, about a dozen pairs of eyes stared onto the laptop screen.

Picture decoded on 9th of may 2015, using the old-fashioned tube radio …

Well, I must confess that some pixels are distorted, but we could demonstrate that VoA Radiogram can be decoded using an old-fashioned “boat anchor”.

Kim: At the Radio Nostalgia event, the text from VOA Radiogram decoded at least 90% correctly. Here’s an example …

I think that the errors would be attributable not to the Graetz radio, but to the “four meters of indoor wire antenna” in what was probably an electrically noisy environment. Also keep in mind it is about 6500 km from the North Carolina transmitter to Uedem. (The GE transmitter was manufactured in the early 1960s, not long after the receiver was built.)

At about two minutes on VOA Radiogram program 113, 30 May 2015, 1600-1630 UTC, 17870 kHz, a loud wide-band signal was heard, also centered on 17870 kHz.

I’m not sure if it was some sort of military data transmission, an HF radar system, or jamming – but why would anyone jam VOA Radiogram?

Here, courtesy of Roger in Germany, you can see the noise on a spectrum display. VOA Radiogram, with the MFSK32 traces 1500 Hz above and below the carrier, in on 17870. So is the noise, from about 1602 to 1605 UTC. The carrier of Radio Exterior de  España is on 17855. That is probably Oromo Voice Radio, to the Horn of Africa, on 17850 kHz, as well as a jammer against that station starting at 1606 UTC …

From this audio example provided by Alan in England, the noise is not bad enough to affect the decode, as seen here …

But in another audio example, provided by Mark, also in England, the noise was sufficient to cause errors in the MFSK32 decode. I was listening to the same show via a receiver in Italy, and the noise there was very strong, allowing the decode of almost none of the MFSK32 characters. 

Other modes might have performed more successfully against the noise. If the source of the noise would kindly inform me of its schedule, I can arrange for those other modes to be transmitted at that time.

And speaking of VOA Radiogram versus noise, check out this YouTube video of the same broadcast at 1600-1630 UTC, made by Tim in Colorado. At 26:15 into the recording, the VOA Radiogram transmission schedule is transmitted in Olivia 64-2000 16 dB under the closing music, and also under the local HF noise at Tim’s location. The decode mostly succeeds. It probably would have succeeded if I included more blank lines at the beginning. At the conclusion of the the music, I transmitted the thank you message, also in Olivia 64-2000, but at full level. 

At 18:08 into that same video, you can watch the SSTV PD180 mode decode. Or you can use the audio to decode it yourself.

NB: Mark in England and Merkouris in Greece note reports in DX bulletins of Ethiopian opposition stations on 17870 kHz, via Issoudun, France, being jammed by “white noise digital jamming.” See, for example, Ivo Ivanov in Bulgaria reporting to DX Listening Digest, May 27, 2015.

#shortwave

It has been several months since we last transmitted slow scan television (SSTV) on VOA Radiogram.  Emiliano in Italy notes that the International Space Station has been using the PD180 SSTV mode. He suggested that we compare PD180 SSTV images with our usual MFSK32 images. And, so, we will do that this weekend.

To decode PD180, download MMSSTV from http://hamsoft.ca/pages/mmsstv.php . (Other software capable of decoding PD180 is probably available.)

In the MMSSTV interface, under RX Mode, right-click on any mode to reveal the complete list of modes. Left click on PD180 for it to appear in the main menu.  "Auto" under RX Mode should detect that PD180 is the  mode, but to be safe, manually select PD180.

After the image is fully decoded, you can right click on the image, then Copy it to MS Paint or other program that lets you save images. Or, by clicking on MMSSTV’s History, you can use the left-right arrows to find the image you have decoded, then use the copy icon, or right-click to copy.

Another twist in this weekend’s show will be the transmission schedule in Olivia 64-2000 16 dB under the closing music. That will be followed by the usual “thank you” message, also in Olivia 64-2000, but at full level. The RSID will not be sent during the second Olivia 64-2000 transmission, so if you missed it at -16dB, set the mode manually.

Here is the lineup for VOA Radiogram, program 113, 30-31 May 2105, all in MFSK32 except where noted …

1:33  Program preview

2:50  Science of nighttime thunderstorms*

8:21  Plankton are a major source of oxygen*

15:06  Volcano on Galapagos

18:08  SSTV PD180 test

21:28  Same image (but smaller) in MFSK32

25:11  Closing announcements

26:12  Bonus mode: Olivia 64-2000 at -16dB

27 17  Olivia 64-2000 at full audio level

* 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 MFSK64 Sunday at about 0230 UTC (Saturday 10:30 pm EDT) on 9925 kHz (via Germany). This temporary time slot is one hour later than usual, and it coincides with the VOA Radiogram broadcast at the same time. If you have only one radio, decode from The Mighty KBC at 0230 UTC, then quickly retune to 5745 kHz for VOA Radiogram. Reports for the KBC MFSK64 to Eric: themightykbc (at) gmail.com 

VOA Radiogram listener Klaus in Germany continues his experiments decoding the text modes from low cost receivers.  

During VOA Radiogram program 110, 9 May 2015, 1600-1630 UTC, 17870 kHz, Klaus used a Chinese-made clone of the old Sony SW-12. The clone costs only five Euros. 

Klaus describes the radio as having “a bad plastic case and poor reception on all bands.” He decoded the text “with many errors,” and he was able to decode one picture.

This picture shows the original Sony SW12 and the clone …

Here is the clone receiver attached to an mp3 recorder …

And here is an example of text and image decode using the radio – not bad considering the circumstances …

Last weekend’s test of MT63-2000L was successful for those of you who had fair-to-good reception. If your reception was more challenging, MT63-2000L probably did not decode correctly, whereas the MFSK32 did.

This weekend we return to an all-MFSK32 show (except for the bonus mode). It will be unusual in that two of the three items will be press releases: one from Human Rights Watch and one from BBC World Service Group.

Here is the lineup for VOA Radiogram, program 112, all in MFSK32 except where noted:

  1:35  Program preview
  2:42  Media freedom in Turkey*
10:04  Confiscation of satellite dishes in Turkmenistan*
17:33  BBC releases new global audience numbers*
27:17  Closing announcements
28:41  PSKR125: Bonus mode of the week

* 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 MFSK64 UTC Sunday one hour later than usual, at 0230 UTC, on 9925 kHz, via Germany (Saturday 10:30 pm EDT). This means that MFSK64 will be at the same time as the beginning of VOA Radiogram UTC Sunday at 0230. You could decode KBC’s MFSK64 on 9925 kHz, then quickly retune to 5745 kHz. Or use two radios, perhaps with a recorder on one of them. This KBC MFSK64 schedule change is temporary. It will return to 0130 UTC in a few weeks.

VOA Radiogram listener François Bg demonstrated VOA Radiogram at the meeting of the French amateur radio association  ISERAMAT, 9 May 2015 in Tullins.

Using a laptop PC, François decoded VOA Radiogram content from a .wav file loop. He also had a Powerpoint presentation on a large display. (François was inspired by a similar presentation by Mark Hirst, 2E0ECN, in the UK.)

After the MT63-2000L bonus mode of program 108, Walt in the UK suggested that we transmit an entire news story in this mode. That will happen this weekend. This long-interleave version uses the entire 2000 Hz we have available in one sideband of a shortwave AM channel. I have measured its speed at nearly 200 words per minute, about twice as fast as our usual MFSK32 mode.

Here is the lineup for VOA Radiogram, program 111, 16-17 May 2015, all in MFSK32 except where indicated:

  1:29  Program preview
  2:44  VOA increases broadcasts to Burundi*
  8:09  Forest management to reduce hunger*
16:02  Shipwreck found during search for MH370*
23:19  MT63-2000L: Huge demand for US entrepreneur visas
27:11  MFSK32: Closing announcements
28:40  Olivia 64-2000: Bonus mode of the week.

* 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 MFSK64 Sunday at about 0130 UTC (Saturday 9:30 pm EDT) on 9925 kHz, via Germany. (It will be a van Gogh painting.) Reports to Eric: themightykbc (at) gmail.com .

If you have an Android device, try the beta AndFlmsg app, available from http://www.w1hkj.com/vk2eta/

Last weekend we changed the frequency of the Saturday 1600-1630 UTC broadcast from 17860 to 17870 kHz to escape interference from Radio Exterior de España on 17855 kHz. There was, however, no REE on 17855 last Saturday! Our frequency change did, at least, move us farther away from the jamming transmitter on 17850 kHz, which was very active last Saturday.  

This weekend’s program will contain some interesting news items in MFSK32, plus an unusual (and unusual sounding) bonus mode.

Here is the lineup for VOA Radiogram, program 110, 9-10 May 2015, all in MFSK32 except for the bonus mode:

  1:40  Program preview
  3:17  Vinyl records popular again in South Africa*
10:20  US agency announces prize for ocean wave energy*
16:57  Expo Milano 2015 will focus on food supply*
24:20  Robot image* and closing announcements
28:01  Olivia 128-2000: Bonus mode of the week**

* with image

** There is no RSID for Olivia 128-2000, so after the closing announcement, use Op Mode > Olivia > Custom to set the bandwidth to 2000 and tones to 128. Another quick way to do this is to create an Fldigi macro, using this code: <MODEM:OLIVIA:2000:128> .  Here’s one way to do it …

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 MFSK64 Sunday, 10 May, at about 0131 UTC (Saturday 9:31 pm EDT) on 9925 kHz. Reports to Eric: themightykbc (at) gmail.com .

If you have an Android device, the AndFlmsg app B0.5.0 is available from http://www.w1hkj.com/vk2eta/ .  It now decodes MFSK images. VOA Radiogram listeners who are using AndFlmsg are reporting good results.

If you are interested in international broadcasting at the macro level, see my recent essay:

http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/blog/market-based-strategy-international-broadcasting

(Reflecting my own views and not those of the Voice of America or its parent agencies.)