#popshopradio — Public Fediverse posts

Getting past the “Persian Paradox” – on Shortwave

Weekend at Last

Time to sit back and to listen to the radio while taking it easy. But there are a few frequencies that I’ll try not to miss today and tomorrow.

Pop Shop Radio (British Columbia, Canada) is one of them, on 1467 kHz at 23:00 UTC tonight (Update: it would have been on Friday night). It will probably be followed by Radio Six International (Lismore, Scotland) at 00:00 UTC. Pop Shop Radio operator Tony Pavick is particularly interested in reports on transatlantic reception.

Both transmissions are scheduled on the Romoules mediumwave transmitter in Southern France.

Radio News

(1) Deutsche Welle

A protest with several hundred participants reportedly took place at Berlin Alexander Squaare and the Brandenburg Gate on April 22 (Wednesday afternoon). VerDi and Deutscher Journalistenverband, two labor unions representing media workers, had registered the demonstration. The demonstrators reacted to the announcement that about 160 full-time jobs at Deutsche Welle are in danger after budget cuts of 21 million euros by Germany’s national parliament, the Bundestag.

Meantime, a spokesperson for the cultural minister countered the protests, saying that Deutsche Welle had seen funding rise by almost 100 million euros during the past eight years.

(2) Iran / Reporters without Borders

Reporters without Borders, in cooperation with "Radio for Peace International" (RFPI, not to be confused with the one broadcasting from Costa Rica in the 1980s) and the news org "Iranwire", have announced shortwave transmissions on 9770 kHz, apparently daily from 08:30 to 09:30 UTC and from 19:30 to 20:30 UTC (Midday and 23:00 Tehran time respectively). These transmissions are scheduled to start on Monday.

Deutsche Welle staff, according to a former employee, celebrated a "Persian Paradox" in 2009, i. e. they felt vindicated by being blocked by Iran’s authorities and consequently declining or dying traffic. While DW’s Persian service has remained an online service at Deutsche Welle for almost 15 years, Reporters without Borders appear to be taking shortwave seriously.

The Deutsche Welle shortwave transmissions were terminated in 2011 and haven’t been revived since.
 

It was a good show, and I had great reception from WRMI in FL.

#SWL #shortwave #radio #popshopradio #radiogram

Decoded this almost flawless MFSK64 image.

Enjoyed the classical music afterwards also which was an unexpected bonus; WRMI is such a programming crapshoot every hour!

A nice #eQSL from Pop Shop Radio, via their transmission on WRMI at 900p Eastern on Sunday night.

They also do a Radiogram, which I recorded with GQRX, but I haven't yet sorted out decoding it.

[ #popshopradio ]