sabato 10 aprile 2010

NASB NEWSLETTER March 2010

March 2010


IN THIS ISSUE:         
Review of the  HFCC  A10  Conference
2010  NASB Annual Meeting in Hamilton, Ontario
Potpourri of Shortwave News


A Review of the HFCC A10 Conference
by Dr. Jerry Plummer, WWCR

The A10 HFCC Coordination Conference was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, February 1-5, 2010. The theme, or key, of the conference was “Developing Friendship.
Domestic U.S. shortwave broadcasters were represented by Tom Lucey of the FCC, George Ross and Mike Sabin of Trans World Radio ( Guam ) and Dr. Jerry Plummer, representing the NASB and WWCR. A total of 118 attendees were present for the Conference.

Regarding climactic conditions in Kuala Lumpur, temperatures in the Fahrenheit scale typically were 92-94 daily and 73-76 in the evenings. To me, it felt like Punta Cana, but no pool or ocean nearby. However, it was generally tolerable, and being located directly in the “Golden Triangle” of KL offered much dining and shopping activities, with a myriad of varied type restaurants, offering all imaginable types of fare—as well as a milieu of merchants, offering everything from knockoff Rolex watches to “reflexology” sessions (i.e. massages).

The meeting opened promptly at 9:30 Monday morning, and the opening included welcoming remarks by several members of the Board, including Horst Scholz of Deutsche Welle; Oldrich Cip, Chairman of HFCC and representative of Czech Radio; Geoff Spells of VT Communications; and Bassil Zoubi of Arab States Broadcasting Union. Upon completion of the opening remarks, the coordination activities began, and ran through Friday morning.

The conference room was a spacious, well-equipped area with plenty of room for all members, including room to suitably place extra chairs across each table for visiting representatives to sit and discuss collision correction. The wireless network worked well, including external Internet access; although (as expected) peak times of activity slowed down overall speed. However, the system was usable the entire time. The print server never was operable to several representatives, but anything needing to be printed could be at the four workstations located at the back of the conference room.

A meeting was held Tuesday afternoon for the G8 representatives and Steering Board regarding the Russian contingent(s) and its requirements entries. GFC, as one group, and TRW and RAM as another group, previously separately entered requirements. If I understand correctly, one group was VOR and the other two combined for all “retail” sales to out of country leased transmitter time. GFC told the G8/HFCC group that they were now responsible for all Russian shortwave coordination activities, and requested the HFCC to announce as such, and to remove all entries not posted by GFC. The HFCC, preferring to not become politically involved, declined to do so at the current time. Thus, there are 173 duplicate entries in the database.

To quote the HFCC:

Wording of the Russian Delegation for the HFCC Conference Minutes:

“The delegation of the Russian Federation gave explanations regarding 173 radio broadcasting requirements which were submitted on 01.02.2010 on behalf of the General Radio Frequency Centre (GFC) of Russia within the process of the HFCC Conference.

“The above mentioned radio broadcasting requirements fully duplicate the requirements submitted by the Radio-Agency-M Ltd. (RAM) and TV Radio Wave (TRW) organizations with the used technical facilities to broadcast radio programs from the territory of the Russian Federation . Only the name of the Frequency Management Organization (FMO) was changed in the above requirements.

“Coordination of new 173 radio broadcasting requirements was carried out by the GFC organization at the HFCC Conference. In doing so the former requirements of the TRW and RAM organizations which were duplicated should have been ignored within the process of the HFCC Conference.

“To avoid confusion and misunderstanding in the work of the HFCC conference the delegation of Russia requested the HFCC Steering Board to delete the RAM and TRW requirements with the use of technical facilities to broadcast radio programs from the territory of the Russian Federation from the list of the requirements to be coordinated.

Answer of the SB for the HFCC Conference Minutes:

“The HFCC Steering Board thanked Alexander Stadinchuk for the detailed explanation for the duplication of requirements of RAM and TRW via facilities in Russia by GFC.  However, the SB stated that it cannot accept the request to delete the corresponding RAM and TRW requirements for those transmissions from the territory of the Russian Federation . The reason for this is that both RAM and TRW are members of HFCC and the SB does not have the authority to delete requirements of any member.  The SB states that the duplication of requirements significantly hampers the informal co-ordination process. On this occasion the Steering Board of the HFCC suggests to the Administration of the Russian Federation to work with the three FMOs on the territory of the Russian Federation with the aim of eliminating the duplicated requirements and to resolve this difficult problem.  As RAM and TRW are not present at the joint HFCC/ASBU/ABU-HFC meeting held in Kuala Lumpur, the SB will inform them of this matter.”

Coordination flowed smoothly all during the week, with no computer or network anomalies. Much interaction was noted among all members during the coordination times.

For the first time that I remember, no group dinner was held at the Conference, although a Friday afternoon tour was arranged, which included trips to the 500 metre Communications Tower, as well as KL’s skyline Twin Towers. The tour also included a visit to Malaysian radio studios and a trip to a local group of craft shops.

During the conference, the Group of Experts met (Wednesday) and offered the following information on the Friday Plenary (closing) statements:

G. of E. documents will soon be placed on the website for everyone to review.

Regarding the new software showing target ID by polygon, the testing is going well. It will offer clearer and better collision calculation.

Antenna design frequency, used in the requirements file, must be filled in. It is used for calculation of collisions. A warning message will be displayed whenever a requirements file missing this information is entered.

More information regarding a new antenna program will be coming in future.

Older DOS versions of the plotting software should not be used; consider using newer software.

A list of minutes from Punta Cana of requests and their updates will be issued shortly.



Geoff of VTC says that ITU is considering adding DRM to its system, which includes HD Radio, etc. This will be reviewed in April, 2010 for acceptance. The following items came from Geoff, also:

26 MHz DRM for local broadcasts services proposal is in the ITU pipeline.

A proposal for DSP for new receivers was not approved, but will be reviewed again in April, 2010.

G9960 includes a proposal regarding powerline devices to extend range to 200 MHz. The intention is greater bandwidth for data services, but also offers tremendous interference for many bands, outside of shortwave, too. Much discussion has occurred over this proposal.

Oldrich addressed the need to increase access to shortwave listeners, particularly via the HFCC website. Currently, the public access database is updated twice per year, and there was a vote to update the public record more regularly. The delegates approved this measure.

Regarding finances, Geoff reported that 2008 was a lean year for the HFCC, but 2009 year-end numbers indicated that things were back financially where the HFCC should be. Geoff says that this is partially because member arrearage has been paid. He noted that Czech law has changed, and there is a chance that the HFCC will be exposed to a value added tax. This must be investigated more to determine if the HFCC is applicable to this taxation law change. Results will be forthcoming.

Horst chaired the election activities, where two posts were to be voted on: Chairman and System Coordinator. Oldrich Cip was the only candidate for the former, and was unanimously elected. Gerald Theoret of Radio Canada International and Sergio Salvatori of Vatican Radio were co-elected to the System Coordinator position. Upon election Oldrich called for an increase in public awareness of the HFCC and its functions.

Oldrich noted that REE Spain, who had been absent for two years, will be back next time; and that an FMO name change was awarded for DTK changing to MDK.

It was noted again about the duplication of requirements due to the Russian situation noted above.

In closing the Plenary meeting, Oldrich thanked the ABU for hosting and orchestrating the Conference.
                                                                              -----




Join us in Hamilton, Ontario for the 2010 NASB Annual Meeting

Final plans are being made for the 2010 NASB Annual Meeting, which is being hosted by associate member Galcom International at its headquarters in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada May 20 and 21.  Below is all of the information you need to know to join us.  Anyone with an interest in shortwave radio – listeners, broadcasters, consultants, etc. – is very welcome to take part.  You can find a registration form on our web page:  www.shortwave.org/meeting.htm

As usual, the two-day meeting will be combined with the DRM USA annual meeting.  The agenda for the two days includes the taping of a television show about shortwave radio, a tour of the Galcom factory where it makes fix-tuned shortwave receivers, talks and lectures about shortwave radio with a focus on Canada this year, the annual NASB business meeting and a tour to world-famous Niagara Falls, complete with dinner.  Here's a look at the preliminary agenda:

Thursday May 20, 2010
           
8:30 am - Live taping of the "100 Huntley Street" syndicated television show

10:30 am - Crossroads Christian Communications facility tour

11:00 am - Tour of the Galcom International factory
           
12:00 pm - Barbeque Lunch at the Galcom factory
           
1:00 pm - DRM USA Meeting at Mohawk College, with updates on DRM broadcasting and receivers

2:30 pm - Coffee Break

4:00 pm - Meeting Ends

4:30 pm - Bus Tour and Dinner, Niagara Falls
           
Friday May 21, 2010

9:00 am - NASB Meeting begins at Mohawk College Conference Center.  Speakers will include Steve Canney of the Ontario DX Association, which acts as QSL coordinator for Toronto shortwave station CFRX.  Invited speakers include representatives of CBC/Radio Canada International.

10:30 am - Coffee Break

11:00 am - NASB Meeting continues

12:00 pm - Lunch (catered at Mohawk College)

1:00 pm - NASB Business Meeting

5:00 pm - Meeting Ends


Everyone with an interest in shortwave radio is invited to attend the NASB/DRM USA annual meeting in Hamilton.  There is a C$55 registration fee (that's 55 Canadian dollars) per person, which includes lunch and coffee breaks on both Thursday and Friday at the Mohawk College Conference Center.  For those who wish to participate in the optional tour to Niagara Falls on Thursday afternoon/evening, there is an additional C$55 fee.  Galcom has arranged for accommodation at the Mohawk College student residence, or there is alternative accommodation at the Courtyard Marriott.

Those who plan to attend the NASB/DRM USA annual meeting should fill out the registration form.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Jennifer at galcom@galcom.org or Jeff White at radiomiami9@cs.com.

Note that for those coming from long distances, you can fly into either the Buffalo Niagara International Airport in Buffalo, New York; or the Toronto International Airport in CanadaHamilton is located about equal distance between the two airports (about an hour or so driving time).  There is bus transportation from Buffalo airport to Hamilton, and there is bus or train transportation from the Toronto airport to Hamilton.  Or, of course, it is convenient to rent a car at either airport and drive to HamiltonHamilton also has its own international airport, with service by WestJet and Flyglobespan airlines.

We look forward to seeing many of you at the NASB annual meeting in May!

Explanatory Notes for Registration Form:

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: m.frame@concordhotels.com 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.




(Registration Form follows below)


NASB May 2010 Registration                                                      
                                                          
Name:
                                                          
Address:
                                                          
Phone:                                               

Email:
                                                          
Company or Organization Name (if applicable):                                                    
                                                          
A         C$55.00          NASB REGISTRATION                            
I will be attending:                           
                       
Thursday    Friday      Both   
                                                          
_____  I have taken care of my own overnight accommodations               
                                    (Please circle 'BOTH' in A above)                
                                                          
B                     FULL CONFERENCE ACCOMMODATIONS                           
                        C$87.50          Wednesday and Thursday night accommodations only...               
                                   (Mohawk College Fennel Campus not available Friday night)                   
                                   Includes Continental Breakfast                    
                                                          
                        NOTE: Each room has a private sleeping quarters with a double bed, shared        washroom and kitchenette. Specific rooms will be assigned when registration
 is closed.                              
Please list the person or people you plan to share a washroom & kitchenette 
with:                          
                                                          
                                                          
C                     C$175.00          I'll have my own room.                   
                                                          
D         OPTIONAL...visit to Niagara Falls (Thursday) including Dinner                         
            C$55.00          Bus will leave Mohawk at 4:30pm               
                                                          
TOTAL:                      Please add amounts A, B, C and D as applicable.                           

            ________       Canadian Dollars                                          
                                                          
Please circle payment method (cheque, Visa or Mastercard)

Cheque                       (Payable to GALCOM INTERNATIONAL)                    
                                                          
Visa    

Mastercard      

Name on card:____________________________________                     
                                  
Card Number: ____________________________________                     

Card Expiry Date: _____/_____                  
                                                          
Please send all completed REGISTRATION FORMS, payment or any questions to Jennifer at:                                                           
                                    Galcom International                        
                                   115 Nebo Road
                                   Hamilton, ON
                                   CANADA   L8W 2E1                      
                                   TEL: 1-877-242-5266                       
                                   FAX: 1-905-574-4633
                                   EMAIL: galcom@galcom.org          
                                                           -----
HCJB Global, Samaritan’s Purse Join Efforts in Haiti After Massive Quake
HCJB Global news release by Ralph Kurtenbach and Harold Goerzen

A quick response by NASB associate member HCJB Global put an emergency medical response team from Ecuador en route to the devastation on the Caribbean nation of Haiti after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck on Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 12.

In response to Samaritan Purse’s request for medical help, International Healthcare Director Sheila Leech immediately began assembling a medical team including surgeons, family physicians, nurses, an anesthesiologist and a water engineer. A registered nurse, Leech is heading the group as she has done in previous disasters around the world such as in 2005 when a medical team from Ecuador helped in quake relief efforts on Nias Island, Indonesia.

Samaritan’s Purse is centering its relief efforts at a 100-bed hospital in Port-au-Prince operated by a local partner, Baptist Haiti Mission. The hospital, 20 miles from the quake’s epicenter, only suffered minor damage and had electricity from back-up generators. The hospital’s director of operations, Kyrk Baker, called the situation “overwhelming” with patients lining the floor. “There are big box vans coming in with people to see a doctor,” he told Samaritan’s Purse. “It’s just unbelievable the amount of people that are lined up trying to get basic medical care.”
Samaritan’s Purse chartered a DC-3 cargo plane from Missionary Flights International (MFI) to transport supplies such as water, shelter materials, medical supplies and other emergency needs to Port-au-Prince.

HCJB Global and Samaritan’s Purse combined efforts after two natural disasters in 2007, including an earthquake that left thousands homeless in Pisco, Peru, and flooding that inundated southern Mexico’s Tabasco state.

The quake struck while an HCJB Global engineer was in Port-au-Prince to repair an automation system for partner radio station Radio Lumière. The engineer and three other technical workers, including two volunteers from the U.S., escaped injury. Operated by the Evangelical Baptist Mission of South Haiti, Radio Lumière is a radio ministry with a network of nine stations that reaches 90 percent of Haiti’s population.

Radio station 4VEH, operated by cooperating ministry One Mission Society (formerly OMS International) in Cap-Haitian, was not damaged by the temblor.

                                                           -----
Special Happy Station Show for Relief to Haiti

The January 21 edition  of the Happy Station Show was a special program on the relief work that is being done by organizations like SATERN www.satern.org (Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network), which was very busy after the earthquake trying to establish contact with the ham radio operators on the island to contact family and friends that were affected by this disaster.  At the same time Thomas Witherspoon from Ears To Our World http://earstoourworld.org was on the Happy Station program to talk about the 100+ self powered radios that were sent to Haiti shortly after the quake. Happy Station, hosted by Keith Perron, is aired on NASB member station WRMI in Miami each Thursday at 0200 and 1600 UTC on 9955 kHz. An audio file of the program is available at www.pcjmedia.com.
                                               -----
Message from Lauren Libby, President of NASB Member Trans World Radio
via Dino Bloise

It's difficult to quell the emotions when viewing the images of or reading about the devastation that has hit the people of Haiti.

The outpouring of support from countless individuals, organizations, churches and governments has been tremendous. Many emergency response teams are either on the ground already or are en route to bring much needed relief in the form of clean water, food, medical supplies and treatment for the survivors.

To address the spiritual and emotional needs of the people of Haiti, TWR has partnered with Haiti’s Radio 4VEH to rebroadcast its local Christian programming over our 100,000-watt AM station on the Caribbean island of Bonaire.  

Since Radio 4VEH is located in the northern part of Haiti it was not severely impacted by the earthquake. But because its broadcasts do not effectively reach listeners in Port-au-Prince, Radio 4VEH has agreed to allow TWR to rebroadcast its live Internet audio stream, in the local language of Creole, into Port-au-Prince.

NASB Board member Bill Damick of TWR added:  "TWR is rebroadcasting 4VEH's audio stream from Bonaire (over our 100 kW AM station in Bonaire on 800 kHz in hopes of getting a better signal into Port-au-Prince) from 10PM to 2AM with content designed for the quake recovery."
                                                           -----

Message from NASB Vice President Mike Adams of Far East Broadcasting Company

Several of you have asked, so I am sure others are thinking, "Is Mike planning to go to Haiti?"  The short answer is no.  FEBC's FIRST Response teams are working in countries that FEBC and FEBA radio have an "on the ground" presence in already.   FEBC work in the Far East and FEBA radio is across South Asia, Mid East and parts of Africa. This means that FIRST Response only has the capacity to respond in these regions, and only if we have people there.

This means we don't respond to disaster in the Americas, Europe or where we don't have people.  We do anticipate partnering with other missions and agencies who work in the areas we do not - and will pass on our experience to them allowing them to fill these big gaps where we can't cover.   This will take time before FIRST response, or some form of Rapid Response Radio Unit is operating on all continents and across most disaster prone countries.

So what will happen in Haiti? There are some stations in Haiti already that are run by Christians. One (Radio 4VEH) appears to still be on the air, while another (Radio Lumiere) says its transmitter on the hill is “down,” but studios and staff are OK.  I think other groups like HCJB and TWR are already working with them in the past.   Pray for these Christian stations who are in the middle of things right now... they will be concerned about their own needs and families first and then will try to help their listeners if they can get back on the air.   I will make contact with the other Christian missions to see if they need any support/advice but we will leave it to those who already work there and have the contacts.

It is very hard to see the need and feel the pull knowing “we can help,” but if you don't speak French and Creole and have partners on the ground you will find that you have just taken up valuable seats arriving in Haiti and then are just in the way.

Thank you for your thoughts about us and our team.   Pray for those who are on the ground now and those going.
                                                           -----
Adventist Assistance to Haiti

Here is a summary of the work that the Adventist denomination is performing in response to the earthquake situation in Haiti.  This information was gathered from many different sources by NASB Board member Adrian Peterson of Adventist World Radio on February 12.

1. Adventist presence in Haiti

     * 335,000 baptized members in Haiti; 100,000 in Port-au-Prince

     * 973 congregations, large & small throughout Haiti

     * 470 church buildings in Haiti, 123 in Port-au-Prince

     * 55 church buildings destroyed & 60 damaged

     * 1 university, partly damaged

     * 1 hospital, partly damaged

     * Nationwide school system; 4 schools in Port-au-Prince destroyed, some staff & children killed

     * 1 bakery, in Port-au-Prince

     * 1 orphanage, no damage, no staff nor children injured

     * 1 book shop

     * 1 office for ADRA, Adventist Disaster & Relief Agency

2. Adventist relief work in Haiti

     * Adventist Disaster & Relief Agency ADRA working locally

     * Adventists on all continents providing funding in multi-millions of dollars for relief in Haiti

     * Several ADRA teams from USA, Canada, Dominican Republic, many countries of Caribbean and Latin America & Europe now serving in Haiti

     * Several medical teams from Adventist universities & hospitals in USA, Europe, Dominican Republic, Martinique etc, rendering service in Haiti

     * Flow of aid flown in to Santo Domingo and convoyed to Haiti by road

     * All available Adventist properties in Port-au-Prince serving as aid centers, emergency shelters, providing food & water, medical treatment, disaster counseling, religious meetings, etc

     * Some 15,000 people sheltering on Adventist university property

     * Inflatable hospital flown in

     * Giving aid to 1,000 children in other orphanages in Haiti

     * Constructed 60 toilet facilities

     * Provided 2 million water purification tablets

3. Media coverage

     * Fox TV news in USA gave coverage to community relief work on one Adventist church property where the building is destroyed 

     * One Adventist radio station in Port-au-Prince, AM & FM, but at this stage it is not known whether this station is currently on the air

     * Nationwide network of Adventist radio stations in the nearby Dominican Republic

         Santo Domingo AM 10 kW
         Santiago AM 3 kW
         Santiago AM 5 kW
         Neiba      AM Relay station
         SanPedro AM Relay station
         Santo Domingo FM
         Santo Domingo Shortwave 1 kW (affiliated with Adventist WorldRadio)

      At this stage, the details are not known, but it is presumed that Radio Amanecer in SantoDomingo, through the AM network and the shortwave relay, are providing at least some programming for the benefit of Haitian survivors.
-----







Haiti Aid from Other NASB Members

Brady Murray of WWCR in Nashville offered airtime on 13845 kHz during daytime hours to help with communication efforts.  He noted that this frequency was strong when he was in the Dominican Republic in August of last year.  WWCR also ran an HCJB spot directing listeners to their website.

The Voice of America increased its Creole-language broadcasts to Haiti, even cutting into Radio Marti's airtime in some cases.

Charles Caudill, President and CEO of NASB member World Christian Broadcasting which operates KNLS in Alaska, explained:  "Since Haiti is not in our primary listening area, we have not tried to do any broadcasts directly to the Haitian people.  We have broadcast prayers on behalf of everyone involved in the tragedy and we have broadcast information about how to give financial help to the people of Haiti.  These broadcasts were in English and Chinese."

WRMI in Miami began a daily one-hour broadcast to Haiti and the French-speaking Caribbean with programs in French and Creole, including relays of news programs from Radio Prague, Vatican Radio and United Nations Radio, as well as religious programs in Creole and English.  This hour is currently running Monday-Friday from 1400-1500 UTC on 9955 kHz.
                                                           -----
2009 Clandestine Shortwave Activity Survey
from Mathias Kropf – Bad Hersfeld, Germany

During the year 2009 the activity of political clandestine stations broadcasting on shortwave has decreased by 13.4 % to 1088 Weekly Broadcasting Hours (WBHs). This is the lowest level of activity  ever recorded since this survey has been introduced in the year 1986 (so far the low had been 1116 WBHs in the year 1999).

The activity of clandestine stations broadcasting to target areas on the Asian continent has dropped by 18.7 % to 744 WBHs. On the American continent the activity has decreased by 8.4 % to 197 WBHs. However, on the African continent the activity has even increased (although from a very low level) by 21.5 % to 147 WBHs.

For the second year in a row the most active target area worldwide is  North Korea with 252 WBHs (+7 when compared with last year), followed by China P.R. with 226 WBHs (+2). On the third place is Cuba with 197 WBHs (-18).

The number of different target areas active worldwide has remained unchanged at 17, although some changes have occurred. While Laos and Iran are no longer thought to be active, Madagascar and Sudan have emerged as new/reactivated target areas.

                                                           -----




Galcom Announces New Cornerstone Transmitter
News release from Galcom International

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada – For over 20 years, Galcom International has been working with Christian radio broadcast ministries, providing solar powered, fix-tuned radios to help un-reached people groups around the world hear the Gospel message. More than 780,000 durable Galcom radios have been distributed in 126 countries. Galcom has also helped with the installation of more than 100 Christian radio stations worldwide.

Now, Galcom is pleased to introduce a new, high quality, affordable transmitter that will further help Christian broadcasters communicate the Gospel message. Galcom’s new Cornerstone FM Radio Transmitter has been approved for use by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC). With accompanying amplifier it has a power range of 0.1 to 45 watts. Standard features include a complete digital design with LCD touch-screen display for control and monitoring; a mono/stereo encoder; 50 or 75 micro-second pre-emphasis; an internal audio processor/mixer; built-in SWR monitoring; SCA broadcast capability; two balanced or unbalanced mic/line inputs plus four component inputs all mixed separately; and table top or rack mount capability.

For more information contact Galcom International at 905-574-4626 or by e-mail at galcom@galcom.org.
                                                           -----

Review of the Year 2009 on Shortwave
by Rumen Pankov and Ivo Ivanov of Radio Bulgaria, via Yimber Gaviria in Colombia

In 2009 a large number of stations cut part of their shortwave programming, and other transmitters went off the air.  New stations came on the air and other old stations resumed their transmissions after a long interruption.  On January 1st, 2010 a new public radio station, Radio Vidin, began operating in northeastern Bulgaria

On shortwave, Irish radio began to broadcast again for an hour each day, and on Vanuatu in the Pacific, a shortwave transmitter came back on the air.  A station called Super Radio Dios del Amor began to be heard.  This station was the successor to Radio Tupi in Curitiba.  Despite comments by the management of the Voice of America and the BBC that broadcasts on shortwave were not necessary, the two stations created new programs for the Caucusus, and Radio Liberty began a special program called "The Eco of the Caucuses." 

Almost all international stations abandoned the new spectrum assigned to radio amateurs from 7100 to 7200 kHz, in which two exotic transmitters from Guinea and Somalia began to operate on 7125 and 7145 kHz, respectively.  In July of 2009 the BBC carried out experimental transmissions to Antarctica.  On Nov. 14 the traditional annual broadcast of Radio Saint Helena took place in the Atlantic.  The program was heard by few listeners due to low solar activity. 

A new Christian station from the United States, WJHR, began experimental transmissions on shortwave.  In April 2009 to mark the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the KBC broadcast from the Netherlands a special series of musical programs.  The 25th of April was officially proclaimed for U.S. stations Willis Conover Day, the presenter and host of a program dedicated to world jazz in the 20th Century [on the VOA].  Another legendary radio program, "Happy Station," broadcast from 1925 to 1995, interrupted during the Second World War years, via Radio Netherlands, was re-established and began to broadcast on shortwave from Radio Miami in the U.S. 

In 2009 a large number of political programs came on the air destined for countries like Zimbabwe, North Korea, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Madagascar, and broadcast by transmitters located in Germany, Japan and the United Arab Emirates, among other countries.  The year 2009 will be remembered also for the strikes at two important radio organizations, one in France and other in India.  The events at Radio France International began at the start of 2009 after it was learned that authorities planned to shut down some of the overseas broadcasts. 

During the solar eclipse of April 26th, anomalies in shortwave broadcasting were noted, typical for that phenomenon.  The year 2009 will also be remembered for the closure of Radio Vilnius and Radio Ratia in Lithuania, Radio Center in Latvia, Radio Peace for Afghanistan, Radio Star from Liberia, the Radio Reading Service of New Zealand and Radio Vlaanderen in Belgium.  Dec. 31, 2009 was the last day of transmission on shortwave for Radio Austria and the Radio of the French-speaking Community of Belgium.
                                                           -----

Invitation to the 2010 European DX Council Conference
from Tibor Szilagyi, EDXC Secretary General

Dear  DX --Friends and Shortwave Radio Listeners all over the World:  The EDXC           (European DX Council, the Umbrella Organisation of shortwave clubs and DX-Clubs in Europe) cordially invites you all to the next EDXC Conference, September 30-- October 3, 2010, in Ankara, Turkey.  We kindly ask you to make your hotel reservation now. 

Venue of the Conference: Hotel Dedeman, Ankara.  Address:  Akay Cad. Buklum Sok No. 1, Ankara 06660, Turkey.  Phone:  + 90312 416 88 00.  Fax: + 90 312 418 13 86.  Homepage:  www.dedeman.com.  For room reservations, contact Mrs. Ozlem Gollu, E-Mail: ozlem.gollu@dedeman.com.  Single Room: EUR 91,80 / night, including VAT and full breakfast. Double room: EUR 113,40 / night, including VAT and full breakfast.  If sharing a double room you only pay EUR 56,70 including VAT and full breakfast.  The hotel accepts the following credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, Eurocard, American Express and Diners Card. 

Please make your room reservation now.  First you write the special password for this conference reservation:  EDXC Conference in Ankara. Then you write your family name, your Christian name, your arrival date at the hotel, and your departure date from the hotel. The hotel needs your credit card number at the time of reservation to be able to confirm your room.  Please observe:  When you reserve your room, please inform me about your name(s), because I am producing the name tags, and I have to know that you are coming. 


The preliminary programme of the Conference looks like this:

Thursday, September 30:  Arrival at the hotel, Registration from 12.00 hours Ankara Time. Informal gathering in the bar/restaurant of the hotel from 19.00 hours Ankara time.

Friday, October 1:  After breakfast at our hotel, visit to the Voice of Turkey, External Service in Ankara. Visit the different studios, different language sections. Lunch in the canteen of the Radio. Possible visit to the shortwave transmitter site either in Cakirlar or in Emirler. This visit is subject to the permission from the radio management.  Back to the hotel late afternoon or evening.           

Saturday, October 2:  After breakfast at the hotel, EDXC Conference in the Conference Room of the hotel. Internal EDXC matters and interesting lectures.  If you would like to give a lecture, please let me know as soon as possible.  Lunch at our hotel.  After the lunch: Sightseeing in Ankara with English speaking guide.  Back to the hotel and in the evening the traditional Banquet Dinner at the hotel restaurant.

Sunday, October 3:  Departure home            or tourism in Turkey.  Please do not forget : This year Istanbul is one of the European Cultural Capitals.                   

The Conference fee is :  EUR  96,-- per person, which you pay to me at the registration table in the hotel when you arrive on Thursday, September 30.  This fee includes use of Conference Room at the hotel, relevant papers like conference covers, name tags, lunch on Saturday, sightseeing tour in Ankara and also includes the Banquet Dinner.                      

For further information please contact:  Tibor Szilagyi, EDXC Secretary General, E-Mail:  tiszi2035@yahoo.com.
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John White to Retire from Thomson

John White of NASB associate member Thomson Broadcast and Multimedia reports that he will be retiring on March 31, 2010.  John has been an active participant in NASB annual meetings for many years, and on behalf of Thomson he hosted a very nice beachside reception and dinner at the HFCC B09 Conference in Punta Cana last August which the NASB organized.  We wish John and his wife Nicki all the best in his retirement.
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All India Radio Confirms Order for Two Megawatt DRM MW Transmitters
DRM Press Release

New Delhi, 3 Feb 2010: India’s national broadcaster All India Radio (AIR) has placed an order for the supply of two 1000 kilowatt DRM capable medium wave transmitters. These will replace old analogue transmitters of same capacity at Chinsurah (West Bengal) and Rajkot (Gujrat), with state-of-the-art solid state transmitters.

The new Megawatt transmitters can be operated in analogue, in simulcast or in DRM mode with automatic change-over between these three operational modes. The transmitters shall provide coverage to very large areas in the Indian sub-continent as well to the West, North, East and Southeast Asia.

This significant purchase was revealed at the recently concluded Broadcast Engineering Society (BES) India’s conference in New Delhi, attended by exhibitors and participants from all over the world. The need for cheaper digital radio sets and content innovation was highlighted by speakers during the event.

All India Radio has already chosen DRM as the technology for converting its vast analogue network to digital. This is part of its digital radio switchover strategy where more than 40 transmitters are to be made DRM capable in the near future. AIR is already broadcasting in DRM from one of its high-power shortwave transmitters located at Khampur near Delhi that covers an area of approximately 800 kilometre radius.

The DRM Consortium is delighted with this development which underlines the commitment made by India to new technology in general and the DRM standard in particular.
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Shortwave Radio Remains Important
by Md. Azizul Alam Al-Amin, excerpted from January 2010 Monitoring Times

It is clear that, even now, there is not an appropriate alternative to shortwave broadcasting, at least in the rural places, where people have no access to Internet, no devices to receive satellite signals, no television or even newspaper or electricity. In so many places in the world, shortwave broadcasts are the main source of news, information and entertainment, and the reality is that most of the world’s population lives in these areas.

In the last century, the discovery of shortwave technology made an important breakthrough to bring the world together as a "global village." And, shortwave radio has been enjoying a dominant position throughout most of the last century because it can reach across borders even when governments halt FM broadcasts, block Internet sites and jam television programming.

Graham Mytton, a former head of the BBC’s audience research unit said "Shortwave does not respect boundaries and reaches the rich and poor." Ian McFarland, former host and writer at Radio Canada International said, "Shortwave also can deliver news faster than you might find it online, and in places where your other devices don’t work." 

Vincent Nowicki, director of the engineering and technical operations at America’s International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB), also recognized the importance of shortwave. In the response to Jack Quinn and Nick Olguin’s guest commentary on the Broadcasting Board of Governors, "Don’t Close Shortwaves, Improve Them," published in Radio World, he said, "The BBG is keenly aware of the value of shortwave in distinct markets such as some parts of Africa and parts of Asia.  Shortwave sustained international broadcasting throughout the Cold War and still makes a significant mark today in the global war on terror."  There are so many people around the world who still favor shortwave as the prime vehicle of international broadcasting.

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The World is Waiting
Excerpted from World Christian Broadcasting Newsletter February 2010

On July 23, 2010, Station KNLS in Anchor Point, Alaska will celebrate its 27th year of broadcasting the gospel to more than one-half of the world's population.  The goal to introduce people to Jesus Christ where our missionaries could not go or where there were not enough missionaries helped us to keep our focus through the years.  This is why we continue to broadcast 10 hours in Mandarin Chinese, five hours in Russian and five hours in English – a total of 20 hours each day. The Lord has enabled us to hear from every country of the world, every province in Canada and every state in America and Mexico

In addition to literally millions of people being contacted each day by shortwave radio, our website readership continues to grow each month.  Our websites received a total of 3,651,951 hits during 2009.

Construction continues on the Madagascar World Voice station in Mahajunga, Madagascar.  In the fall of 2009, two much-needed diesel-powered generators arrived after months of delay.  Electrical wiring, destroyed by vandals last year, has been ordered and should arrive during April.  In early 2010, the antennas will be erected between the four towers that are already standing.  We will then ship the three 100,000 watt transmitters which are already built, tested and packed in three 40-foot containers ready
for shipment.

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VT Group Wins Transmission Contract With R. Australia
By Andy Sennitt, Radio Netherlands Media Network
Support services provider VT Group has expanded its network of shortwave transmission customers with a contract to broadcast programming from Radio Australia. VT, which has over 40 customers for its broadcast services, will output ten hours a day of Radio Australia programming to audiences in South East Asia. The content will be in English, Indonesian, Chinese and Burmese.
VT has a worldwide network of transmitter sites and the programming will be broadcast from locations in the United Arab Emirates and Palau in the Pacific Ocean. The programming will be downlinked from Radio Australia’s satellite channels to VT’s central London Media Management Centre for scheduling and frequency management. VT will then utilize its Global Media Network to backhaul the programmes to the two transmitter sites.
The contract will be for a year and follows VT’s recent success in adding the Polish state broadcaster Polskie Radio to its global transmission customer base.
VT’s John Prior, General Manager Broadcast and Security, said: ”Having previously transmitted Radio Australia programming until 2006, we are delighted that they have re-joined the network of broadcasters using VT’s facilities. It extends our broadcast service customer base and we hope to increase our partnership with Radio Australia further within the scope of the contract.”
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Chinese, Japanese Broadcasts Resume from HCJB Australia
by Ralph Kurtenbach, HCJB Global

Repairs to a storm-damaged antenna at the international transmitting site of HCJB Global-Australia were completed in mid-February, allowing the station’s Chinese and Japanese language broadcasts to return to the air.

Strong winds had damaged the antenna at the Kununurra-based site in late January. A team consisting of Dave Brewster, Mike Ewers, Daniel Forrer and Greg Wilson assessed damages to a broken tower guy wire and seven broken element guy wires. The broadcast team assembled all materials needed for the repairs. Dennis Pease traveled from Perth, Western Australia, to supervise repairs.

Rains during Kununurra’s wet season made the ground too soft to use a crane, so Pease and Wilson climbed the tower, assisted by staff on the ground. Replacing the broken guy cable made the tower secure. Then they dismantled the broken section of the antenna, hauled up a new section, and fitted and secured it.

The repairs were completed on Thursday, Feb. 11, and regular programming in Chinese and Japanese resumed the next day after being off the air for 12 days. “Several Japanese DXers wrote to us regarding loss of signal,” said Peter Penford, the studio manager. “One of them in particular often writes.”

The site broadcasts 15 hours of programming per day in 21 languages, including English, Urdu, Hindi, Nepali, Chhattisgarhi, Indonesian (Bahasa), Mandarin, Bhojpuri, Tamil, Marathi, Marwari, Telegu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kurux, Japanese, Malay (Bahasa), Rawang, Fujian, Punjabi and Hmar.
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SWL  Fest
World Christian Broadcasting and KNLS were part of the annual Shortwave Listeners Festival (SWL Fest) held March 5 and 6 in Kulpsville , PA. The Fest is sponsored by the North American Shortwave Association (NASWA) and ably led for the past several years by Richard Cuff and John Figliozzi. It’s an excellent opportunity to meet our listeners and shortwave enthusiasts from the U.S. and Canada , as well as other countries on occasion. Shortwave clubs and manufacturers were also in attendance and had exhibits alongside ours. Ears to Our World, a charity that provides crank-powered radios to impoverished and disaster-stricken areas, also had a representative at the Fest. This year’s forums included a session on archiving radio, the latest on digital and internet radio, and the impact of shortwave and ham radio during World War II.
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NASB Members
Adventist World Radio        
Assemblies of Yahweh
EWTN Shortwave Radio (WEWN)
Family Stations Inc.
Far East Broadcasting Co.                                        
Fundamental Broadcasting Network
La Voz de Restauracion Broadcasting, Inc.
Le Sea Broadcasting Corp.                          
Radio Miami International
Trans World Radio
World Christian Broadcasting
World Wide Christian Radio

NASB Associate Members
Comet North America
Continental Electronics Corporation
Galcom International
George Jacobs & Associates
Hatfield and Dawson Consulting Engineers
HCJB World Radio                           
IBB    
Kintronic Labs, Inc.
Richardson Electronics
TCI International, Inc.
TDF
TDP
Thomson  Inc.                       
VT  Communications
National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters
10400 NW 240th Street, Okeechobee, Florida  34972
Ph: (863) 763-0281  Fax:  (863) 763-8867    E-mail:  nasbmem@rocketmail.com