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Have a radio (against emergencies), have rarely used it. Would like to use it more. Few broadcasts are available that reach us these days, because Pacific broadcasts are targeted towards the islands in the Western Pacific, not to New Zealand. Australia no longer broadcasts, leaving New Zealand and China as the primary broadcasters it seems. I already get NZ propaganda through the domestic media, but I know I can pick up China's propaganda station down here.
Anyone know of a good, up-to-date list of stations to check out, that might be detectable down here and actually interesting or useful to follow?
Anyone know of a good, up-to-date list of stations to check out, that might be detectable down here and actually interesting or useful to follow?
This is the best directory I know of for the Pacific / NZ / Australia / South East Asia, but it is a directory of broadcasts made from that region, not broadcasts able to be received in that region from outside it, which is what I'm more interested in.
http://www.swld.com.au/pages/shortwave.htm
http://www.swld.com.au/pages/shortwave.htm
I guess it would be more difficult to list where broadcasts can be heard than to list where they’re from haha
That would be Ham radio, if I’m not mistaken.
I found an excellent website yesterday that others may find useful: shortwaveschedule.com
It's a bit unintuitive to use, as you have to set the settings before you can fully utilise it, but there is no obvious link to the settings page until you've set them once. So, first go to this page:
https://shortwaveschedule.com/index.php?settings
And set your location (if you didn't allow the website to detect it from your browser) and the languages you speak (if you want English, you'll need to select >20 options as you'll want English/German and English/Japanese etc so you pick up stations that are in English only sometimes). By default all languages are selected. At the bottom of the page is a button to invert the selection.
Click Save.
Then go to the top right of the page, and click the "Show me" button under "Live stations". This will show you every station, anywhere in the world, that should be transmitting right now in your chosen languages. It even tells you the transmitter location, transmitter power, and an estimated distance to your own location (the distance I have found very inaccurate but the rest is good). Transmitter power is very good to know.
Alternatively, if you're tuned to a station and you want to know what it is and where it's from, you can type in the frequency and search for it. Also really helpful.
Last night I was listening to the news on China Radio International (500W transmitter near Beijing), and music on a Christian station from the USA (100W so much more faint) and on Radio New Zealand's service to the Pacific (clear as a bell as "only" around 500km away), all with my little portable receiver. Bad reception though unless I was standing outside. Next step, set up a decent aerial...
By the way, 60% of tourist attractions in Hubei province are open for business, some of which are really high quality attractions, but they're limited to 30% of the visitor numbers as usual and are only allowed to open outdoor parts of their facilities. Also, China is imposing very heavy export regulations on medical supplies in response to the quality issues reported around the world. That was about all I learnt from China's news...
It's a bit unintuitive to use, as you have to set the settings before you can fully utilise it, but there is no obvious link to the settings page until you've set them once. So, first go to this page:
https://shortwaveschedule.com/index.php?settings
And set your location (if you didn't allow the website to detect it from your browser) and the languages you speak (if you want English, you'll need to select >20 options as you'll want English/German and English/Japanese etc so you pick up stations that are in English only sometimes). By default all languages are selected. At the bottom of the page is a button to invert the selection.
Click Save.
Then go to the top right of the page, and click the "Show me" button under "Live stations". This will show you every station, anywhere in the world, that should be transmitting right now in your chosen languages. It even tells you the transmitter location, transmitter power, and an estimated distance to your own location (the distance I have found very inaccurate but the rest is good). Transmitter power is very good to know.
Alternatively, if you're tuned to a station and you want to know what it is and where it's from, you can type in the frequency and search for it. Also really helpful.
Last night I was listening to the news on China Radio International (500W transmitter near Beijing), and music on a Christian station from the USA (100W so much more faint) and on Radio New Zealand's service to the Pacific (clear as a bell as "only" around 500km away), all with my little portable receiver. Bad reception though unless I was standing outside. Next step, set up a decent aerial...
By the way, 60% of tourist attractions in Hubei province are open for business, some of which are really high quality attractions, but they're limited to 30% of the visitor numbers as usual and are only allowed to open outdoor parts of their facilities. Also, China is imposing very heavy export regulations on medical supplies in response to the quality issues reported around the world. That was about all I learnt from China's news...
Quality issues is an excuse.
My point was that China's radio news isn't that informative, and is geared very much around messaging they wish to send to the outside world about matters of direct importance to China itself. Every single news article (and there were very few) was directly about coronavirus. But that in itself is interesting.
Can you hear from there, word wide Christian radio at 4840 late evening our time?
I hear that one from Colombia at night, some good general stuff.
Glad to hear that, Pete, congratulations, and 73s from the southern Rockies, and to all the others here. Can't say I'm surprised at the interest, that's a good thing.
I've been teaching ham classes for, well, more than a few decades...
have over a dozen new hams here on the Mesa now from a very small community over the last couple years, very interested in local VHF communications, and some have moved toward HF, too. (I've had a triband Mosley CL-36 at 70', 2M beam, etc, up for a few years here. Don't have as much time to get on HF, but when I do, it's easy to work 'Down Under,' etc.)
Phone service, even before TSHTF, can be unreliable, and folks are finding that 2M in the car (or a cheap Baofeng HT) can be a lifesaver, since there are lots of areas here at 9000' where a cell just won't work if you really need it. Most are off-grid solar already, so it's an easy sell to add some RF and electronics skills to what they see they need.
On First Day, I finally flipped the switch on a local repeater at the highest point on the Mesa, and we have some great coverage from it, 500' above most of the terrain. It, too, is 100% self-contained, and was quite a project.
73s,
N0MC
I've been teaching ham classes for, well, more than a few decades...
have over a dozen new hams here on the Mesa now from a very small community over the last couple years, very interested in local VHF communications, and some have moved toward HF, too. (I've had a triband Mosley CL-36 at 70', 2M beam, etc, up for a few years here. Don't have as much time to get on HF, but when I do, it's easy to work 'Down Under,' etc.)
Phone service, even before TSHTF, can be unreliable, and folks are finding that 2M in the car (or a cheap Baofeng HT) can be a lifesaver, since there are lots of areas here at 9000' where a cell just won't work if you really need it. Most are off-grid solar already, so it's an easy sell to add some RF and electronics skills to what they see they need.
On First Day, I finally flipped the switch on a local repeater at the highest point on the Mesa, and we have some great coverage from it, 500' above most of the terrain. It, too, is 100% self-contained, and was quite a project.
73s,
N0MC
I'll holler via email. Looking to try to wrangle someone in each of multiple community and homestead groups in thecregion to get licensed and equipped. I'd like a little guudancevre equipment and network thoughts as back up comms.Glad to hear that, Pete, congratulations, and 73s from the southern Rockies, and to all the others here. Can't say I'm surprised at the interest, that's a good thing.
I've been teaching ham classes for, well, more than a few decades...
have over a dozen new hams here on the Mesa now from a very small community over the last couple years, very interested in local VHF communications, and some have moved toward HF, too. (I've had a triband Mosley CL-36 at 70', 2M beam, etc, up for a few years here. Don't have as much time to get on HF, but when I do, it's easy to work 'Down Under,' etc.)
Phone service, even before TSHTF, can be unreliable, and folks are finding that 2M in the car (or a cheap Baofeng HT) can be a lifesaver, since there are lots of areas here at 9000' where a cell just won't work if you really need it. Most are off-grid solar already, so it's an easy sell to add some RF and electronics skills to what they see they need.
On First Day, I finally flipped the switch on a local repeater at the highest point on the Mesa, and we have some great coverage from it, 500' above most of the terrain. It, too, is 100% self-contained, and was quite a project.
73s,
N0MC
I am hoping to find self sustainable communities and individuals to chat with, also on HF, maybe 20m etc. Need to throw a fan dipole out there here in Georgia. Waiting till the fall to enjoy doing it. Lol
It's mostly propaganda like stuff from Cuba. Can't expect non approved info from them and many other government funded compliant stations. Here in USA there are more that talk more freely. Not that many but a few. Anyone familiar with south American shortwave stations?
I like listening to stuff from paipa, very low noise floor. I hear stuff from China, Japan, south Korea, Cuba, Argentina, Ecuador, USA, and some lower power ones from Central America. I find it entertaining, just some quiet radio time. The family doesn't understand why I enjoy that. My dad and I used to enjoy that together, different times when there was more freedom and stations.
And that's why you enjoy it. I enjoy spinning wool because I remember hours spent with my late grandmother learning it.