Alice's Restaurant Rock Radio
Europe's favourite classic album rock radio station - www.rockradio.eu.com
Short Wave Reception.
The ins and outs of short wave radio reception.
You
may be wondering why Alice's is going to be on short wave, rather than
more conventional radio bands such as long wave, medium wave, vhf/fm
- or even the new DAB.
Unelected radio
licencing 'authorities' who decide what is, and isn't heard on radio,
plus existing broadcasters, all discriminate and censor rock music.
I've personally read several applications for rock stations in the
regulator's [ex Radio Authority, now Ofcom] reading room, with a great financial
package, well known influential backers and well known 'names', but
they've all been turned down in favour of more pop/ethnic stations.
When approaching hospital radio stations, asking why they don't have a
rock show - and would they like one, I've been turned down and/or
ignored on virtually every occasion. I've spent time in hospital as
have many other rock enthusiasts, and after telling one hospital radio
station this they changed their mind and said yes, but did so
"reluctantly"! I subsequently dropped the idea. Of course hospital
radio stations with narrow formats nurture future radio 'personalities',
so you can see why radio is so awful in this country. Take it
from me there IS a conspiracy against rock music radio. Therefore
it's impossible to get an am/fm broadcast licence or a 'foot in the
door'
within our target area. But on short wave we can broadcast towards that
target area from beyond in less narrowminded countries, without any
restrictions or licencing problems.
DAB is an old
system, and has been abandoned in Finland. In the UK, several DAB stations have closed down. DAB costs a humungous amount of money for broadcasters.
Short wave radio is the only method available which allows us to broadcast
[to a very large area] on ordinary 'steam radio' while keeping the
suits/accountants and big money - all of which would have us playing
stuff like Bryan Adams, Phil Collins and Simply Dreadful - at arm's
length. Rather than ELO, we wanna play ELP - right?
On short wave we can provide an enthusiast's album rock service, and remain independent - thus achieving all our aims.
What you'll need.
Ideally
a good quality digital frequency readout 'world band'
radio or 'ham' radio communications receiver, with provision for an
external
antenna. It's possible to buy cheap radios with long wave, medium wave,
short wave and vhf/fm for under £10, with memories for storing
favourite stations, alarm and snooze functions, but obviously you get
what you pay for and a more expensive radio will obviously work better.
Just like normal outside tv aerials or satellite tv dishes, short wave radio works best with an outside antenna, but good results can be achieved indoors. More about this in a moment.
Rock enthusiasts live all over the place - so shortwave radio is an ideal platform to use in order to reach them, wherever they are in Europe. Whether at home, in your garden, travelling, or camping out at a festival or on a mountain top far from anywhere, you'll always be able to hear Alice's. Can't do that with Internet, Sky satellite or DAB radio can you?
Some may think that digital satellite radio is the way to go.
But one Sky digital satellite receiver may have to be 'shared' with
Mum's soaps, Dad's sports, Star Trek, Buffy the Vampire Eater
and loads of other tv channels. In the average household, what chance has satellite radio got?
Listeners don't have to buy expensive equipment or get someone to install dishes or rooftop antennas in order to listen to short wave - and may even have short wave on existing radios. Why not check your radios now to see if you've got short wave? You may be surprised.
Short wave is the same type of transmission as long or medium wave; am [amplitude modulation], but short wave behaves in a different way and covers a huge area unlike long/medium wave. It may not offer fm stereo reception [yet] but short wave has its advantages; it's 100% genuine proper portable radio - and hey, some rock on your radio is better than no rock - right? Try experiencing the sheer nostalgia of real 'steam radio'; atmospherics, fading, and even the odd lightning crackle or two in stormy weather. On fm or digital radio, it just doesn't happen.
Back to the nitty gritty. There are a number of short wave bands, but we're interested in three or four as you'll discover.
FREQUENCY COVERAGE! If you don't already own one, we strongly recommend that you purchase a *good* short wave radio - well, you won't be able to hear Alice's unless you do have a short wave set! These days, portable transistor radios with short wave coverage are often known as 'world band radios' - and yes they have the 'normal' radio bands - long wave, medium wave and fm. ** If buying a new radio, make sure yours has the 75 meter band and tunes to 3.9MHz [75 meters = 3.9MHz, same thing] **. Many short wave radios don't cover this frequency and Alice's may use the 75m band at some stage, so if you want to hear Alice's wherever we broadcast, make sure yours does. If you already have an older switchable 'banded' rather than a newer continuous coverage short wave radio that covers all the 'gaps' between the broadcast bands, it should ideally have the 49, 41 and 31 meter bands [6, 7 and 9MHz] on it, as these are the most popular short wave radio bands - but remember about the aforementioned 75 meter band. You can get a good short wave radio here; www.ogormans.co.uk or simplyradios.com Please tell them you saw a link to their site on the Alice's Restaurant Rock Radio web site - and quote our website addy; www.rockradio.eu.com
This is a typical
'world band radio'. Small isn't it? Actually the real
thing is much larger than this. But really, a world band radio is
merely a transistor radio which covers the many short wave radio bands,
as well as the normal ones. The world band radios have a calculator
type keypad. Enter the frequency you want and hey presto - you're
right there - easy peasy.
DIGITAL FREQUENCY READOUT! There are many many radio stations on short wave, so ideally you'll want a radio with a digital frequency readout, ie one that has numbers displayed [3.955] rather than a marker or needle moving along a tuning scale. With a digital frequency readout, you'll know you're tuned exactly to the right frequency, rather than just twiddling along trying to find Alice's in amongst a lot of other stations.
EXTERNAL ANTENNAS! The option to hook up an external/outside antenna may sometimes make a big difference with hearing Alice's.
Please note that Alice's Restaurant Rock Radio cannot be held responsible for situations arising from advice given on this web site.
For those 'in the know' or old enough to remember, a long wire aerial down the garden is great for am radio reception. [am = long, medium & short wave]. It should be insulated - kept clear of 'earthy' objects such as metal window frames and metal garden fences. There's a 'proper' way to erect a long wire and a quick way - this is the quick way just to get you going:
A long length of plastic coated wire, going out of the house - perhaps via a ventilation block in an upstairs room - secured inside the room so as to avoid any movement within the room - kept as high up as possible, and attached to a fixture at the end of your garden [rather like a high level 'washing line'], should give satisfactory reception for a quick 'lash up'.
** If you tie the 'garden' end of the antenna to a tree, you may have your radio whizzing across the room when the wind blows and the tree moves! ** Instead of attaching the 'garden' end of the wire directly to a tree, after hanging the 'free end' over a branch, you could just weigh the 'free end' down with a suitable weight and let it hang there. This way when the wind blows, the tree will move but your radio won't! Obviously you'll need to strip the plastic insulation from the 'radio end' of the wire aerial, to make a good connection with your radio's antenna socket.
Make sure you know what socket or connection on your radio is the antenna one, especially if using a mains powered radio!! We don't want listeners disappearing in a puff of smoke. If in doubt ask someone who knows or e-mail us here at Alice's and we'll help all we can.
Alternatively you could attach the wire to your radio's antenna
or external antenna connection, and just hang it [the wire - not the radio] out
of your window. Using a bit of common sense you should be able to rig
up an external antenna.
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The Resurgence of Short Wave
“Shortwave radio listeners are growing globally, with shortwave penetration at its highest in the developing countries. That is not to say that shortwave is not having an impact in the western world. Recent surveys revealed that 97% of regular business travellers listened to international shortwave." This increase in the shortwave audience, according to Merlin, is spelt out dramatically by just one factory in China that is frantically producing 300,000 shortwave radio sets per month just to support demand. Grundig in America report growth each year on their sales of shortwave receivers. There are at least 600 million shortwave radio sets worldwide. In France, according to a Merlin survey, 70% of households with radio have access to shortwave. In Slovakia, the figure is 77%. “What is most interesting, is the growth over the last 10 years in shortwave usage by business travellers, diplomats, aid workers and others who move about the world as a result of their jobs. This change has occurred because of the portability of new sets and the simplicity of their use. Modern synthesized sets, which have the facility of actually entering the precise frequency number, makes shortwave easy for everyone. People learn to tune their sets, forgetting about kHz, MHz and wavebands. The new sets went in pockets, handbags and briefcases. Now sets weigh as little as 220 grams and are easily available and affordable.”
Teledifusion de France, which operates Radio France International’s extensive shortwave transmitter network, says that “An estimated 2.5 billion people tune in to programmes broadcast on shortwave, and about a billion receivers pick up shortwave transmissions. At any given moment, over 200 million receivers are tuned in to shortwave broadcasts. Shortwave remains the only means of reaching a broad audience anywhere in the world, via a simple portable radio that can be bought for around $25. Listeners include expatriates, business travellers, tourists, or simply people who want to hear programmes in a language other than their own or who want to open a new window on the world".
Who Listens?
An estimated 600 million people (called SWL's) of all ages and races listen to shortwave radio for news, politics, information and entertainment. In many countries, the free flow of information is withheld or restricted, resulting in shortwave becoming a dominant source of information for listeners. Even when reception is difficult, people will try to listen because it provides what they cannot get any other way.
Two years ago a study was done in Kano, Nigeria where all the FM stations and television were state-run. Over 80 percent of the adult population listened to a foreign broadcast by way of shortwave at least once a week. Listeners are on the rise in many parts of the world, including North America. Radio World reported over a million shortwave receivers sold in the U.S. and Canada each year, with sales growing yearly since 1991.
Radio Caroline via short wave, easter 2008
During the easter 2008 broadcast, which was also relayed on 9290KHz short wave, dj's on board the Radio Caroline ship; Ross Revenge stated.....
'The vast majority of listeners are listening on short wave'.
Who says short wave is dead?
Shortwave broadcasts and music
Don't shortchange your shortwave
23/07/07
Shortwave radio is an excellent medium for keeping tabs on global events. Signals can be received from around the world at absolutely no cost to the listener, with a wider range of content than most local radio programming. Shortwave transmitters can be operated at a relatively low cost by organizations or even individual hobbyists, lending shortwave a freedom of expression unparalleled by mainstream media. In addition, the multilingual and multicultural content of shortwave fosters the development of a great diversity of perspectives. "DX'ing," or distance listening, is a rewarding hobby with little overhead required.
Despite being more affordable and easier to access than ever before, many people are completely unaware that shortwave exists. Technical considerations have also given a certain stigma to shortwave as difficult to use. The high frequency waves (3 megahertz to 30 megahertz) are too high to be picked up on an ordinary AM radio, requiring the purchase of special equipment.
What we call shortwave is simply a range of frequencies within the larger set of all electromagnetic radiation, which includes all other types of radio, as well as visible light, X-rays and microwaves. Signals in the shortwave range have a peculiar tendency to be reflected by our planet's ionosphere, a layer of gases extending from 50 to 600 miles above Earth's surface. Instead of beaming directly out into space, a shortwave signal sent from Earth at the proper frequency and angle will reflect back toward the planet's surface, where it can be received at another location.
By modifying the frequency and transmission angle, a shortwave transmitter can send signals to literally any point on the planet. Because the transmission relies on natural conditions rather than commercial satellites, there is no fee to receive the transmissions. Anyone wishing to receive a broadcast need only set up a suitable antenna and find the proper frequency.
Yet shortwave continues to remain popular and is in many ways growing in popularity. A sturdy low-end receiver can be purchased for $150 or less, allowing full reception of the entire shortwave frequency range. Newer computer-controlled receivers make the task of finding signals much easier by providing scanning functions and visual maps of current planetary weather conditions. Some bold-hearted and technically inclined users even build their own receivers.
Many DX'ers enjoy listening for the quirky eccentricities of the shortwave spectrum, which carries a variety of unusual and often unidentifiable transmissions. Particularly intriguing, for example, are "number station" broadcasts, during which a voice reads out long strings of numbers, with no explanation of their purpose and no identification of the transmitter. Some people think these transmissions are coded instructions for international spies. Other signals to listen for include weather satellites and ham radios. Natural phenomena, such as sunspot activity, can also be received and studied, allowing the shortwave receiver to function as something like a low-end radio telescope.
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That could have been written 30 years ago. In fact, it has just been written by Chris Handy, a student at the University of Texas, and published in the Daily Texan Online. It’s not often nowadays that we see DXers getting the chance to explain their hobby to a relatively young audience, so full marks to Chris for bucking the trend of iPods and listening online, and getting back to basics.
Life in the old wireless yet
Short-wave radio
Snap and crackle goes pop
Jun 19th 2008
From The Economist print edition
Life in the old wireless yet
PROPAGANDA, news, curiosity and even espionage were the fuel of short-wave radio broadcasts. Readers of a certain age may recall the thrill of hearing a crackly, venomously worded broadcast from far away, such as the Voice of Free China denouncing the communist bandits on the mainland, or Radio Peace and Progress in Moscow deriding the imperialist hullabaloo about human rights.
The huge advantage of short-wave was that such material was simple to send and hard to stop. Thanks to their high frequency and short wavelength, even low-powered signals can bounce off the ionosphere halfway round the world; anyone can listen. Jamming them—a favourite Soviet tactic, still practised by China today—is an expensive and patchy business.
The end of the cold war, deregulation and new technology made short-wave look out of date. The propaganda war between east and west abated. Poor countries liberalised their broadcasting regimes, turning information famine into abundance. New stations, transmitting on crackle-free FM, soaked up listeners. Many started partnerships with international broadcasters who had previously used short-wave. Satellite-television news from stations such as CNN provided powerful competition in meeting the needs of the news-hungry. Broadband internet connections and even mobile phones can be used to listen to a plethora of radio stations.
But short-wave's retreat has slowed. Though the BBC's World Service uses around 15 different technologies to reach its listeners, short-wave is still king: latest figures, published last week, show 105m of its 182m-strong global audience still listen that way, the majority of them in Africa. In Nigeria the short-wave audience even grew slightly last year. That's not going to change soon: the BBC is upgrading its transmitters on Ascension Island (to be powered, greenly, by a new wind farm). Mike Cronk, a BBC bigwig, says the business case was “compelling”.
As competition for slots on the spectrum has eased, private broadcasters are moving in, notably American-based religious ones such as Assemblies of Yahweh, Adventist World Radio and the Fundamental Broadcasting Network. Short-wave also stays useful after natural disasters or political crises. Foreign broadcasters such as Voice of America have been stepping up their short-wave offerings to Zimbabwe in recent weeks.
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