New Shortwave Broadcaster

[davideduardo]

WRMI broadcasts Brother Stair, or at least did for awhile, on 5015 KHz at night. WWCR and WWRB both have signals at night in the 90/60M bands also.

Interesting. I was not aware of that. Both 90 and 60 meter bands have generally been widely used for domestic purposes. And in this specific case, I can not see how Brother Stair would be of any interest in Latin America due to both language and cultural issues.

 

[CTListener]

Interesting. I was not aware of that. Both 90 and 60 meter bands have generally been widely used for domestic purposes. And in this specific case, I can not see how Brother Stair would be of any interest in Latin America due to both language and cultural issues.

Haven't evangelical Protestants been making major inroads in Latin America for a while now? Or is there something about the borderline wacko version of evangelical Christianity that Stair brings to the table that would have problems connecting there?

 

[Mediafrog+]

Interesting. I was not aware of that. Both 90 and 60 meter bands have generally been widely used for domestic purposes. And in this specific case, I can not see how Brother Stair would be of any interest in Latin America due to both language and cultural issues.

As far as the tropical (60 and 90 meter) bands go, here is the current usage for U.S. stations:

WWCR: 3195, 3215, 4840, 5070
WWRB: 3185, 3195, 3215, 5050
WTWW: 5085
WBCQ: 5110

WWCR and WWRB use some of the same frequencies, but at different times. Of course, they also use additional frequencies in the higher SW bands. Most of the programming is very definitely NOT intended for Latin American audiences.

Outside of Brazil, Peru and Bolivia, use of the 60 and 90 meter bands is essentially nonexistent in Latin America these days. A far cry from 40-50 years ago when those bands were full of signals from all over the region.

BTW, WWCR was using 2390 (120 meter band) a few years ago. That band used to include a handful of Latin Americans.

 

[davideduardo]

Outside of Brazil, Peru and Bolivia, use of the 60 and 90 meter bands is essentially nonexistent in Latin America these days. A far cry from 40-50 years ago when those bands were full of signals from all over the region.

Very true. When I owned stations in Ecuador in the 1964 to 1970 period, I saw the beginning of the decline of stations in those bands.

As more and more smaller towns got radio stations, and the medium markets got more and higher powered stations, the use for SW was reduced. Simultaneously, FM began to be popular around the world making AM FM radio more common and AM SW ones less common.

Even though Ecuador did not get its first FM until 1966, by the mid-70's FM networks of master stations and repeaters literally covered the whole country with none of the interference and static and fading of short wave tropical bands. And by that time, the herd had begun to thin, with stations often going silent when the transmitter could no longer be maintained or the costs were too great.

When I acquired HCSP1 in Amaguaña, Pichincha, so that I could move it into Quito, it came with a 90 meter shortwave license as well as the AM on 595. After looking at raw ratings data for the larger cities and seeing absolutely no listening to either domestic or international shortwave, I shoved the transmitter into a ravine (we were not environmentally aware back then) and turned in the license to save the monthly license fees.

 

[davideduardo]

Haven't evangelical Protestants been making major inroads in Latin America for a while now? Or is there something about the borderline wacko version of evangelical Christianity that Stair brings to the table that would have problems connecting there?

Yes, there is definitely a growing evangelical movement, but it is highly unlikely that most of the converts would know English even if they had shortwave radios.

 

[spiritof67]

The 2390 kHz frequency once was the home to Mexican domestic broadcaster Radio Huayacocotla, but that was many years ago. I have tape of it from 1984 somewhere.

I look forward to the new station signing on, and I'm also aware how difficult these kinds of stations can be as a commercial venture. I have fond memories of stations like WRNO, KYOI, and KUSW. The new station sounds similar to what WCSN (World Service of The Christian Science Monitor) did in the late 1980's and 1990's.

While I like internet streams for better fidelity and a better chance to hear domestic broadcasters than in the past, there is a certain vibe to shortwave that isn't replicated elsewhere (personally I like the way signals have that certain 'fade' that is an audio equivalent of an ocean tide). It would be great if short wave, or at least the frequency spectrum in it would be relevant in the 21'st century.

Back when WRNO signed on in 1982, I remember an interview of owner Joe Costello talking about the non-domestic broadcast rule, and how he crafted the station to operate within that framework. But why is that rule still in place today? Why couldn't it be scrapped--other rules are. Is it inertia or lack of interest? And even if it was, would it matter for broadcasters here? Domestic short wave broadcasting could open the door to lower wattage broadcasters that cover a region (say 5 or 10 kW). In Europe, there are a few of these types of stations that have sprung up as specialty stations, or full time broadcasters, such as Germany's "Radio 700." They may not work as a commercial venture, but as a cultural or non commercial operation, maybe.

 

[gr8oldies]

The Brother Stair wacky fringe, not so much. HCJB (in whatever incarnation they are in now) and Trans World Radio were/are just 2 evangelical broadcasters with Spanish programming (at one point HCJB programmed Japanese to a Brazillian minority).

US stations being on the tropical bands was unheard of in my 70s SWL days. When VOA's Bethany relay was around, you'd only hear them driving by on I-75 on a portable SW reciever

 

[CTListener]

While I like internet streams for better fidelity and a better chance to hear domestic broadcasters than in the past, there is a certain vibe to shortwave that isn't replicated elsewhere (personally I like the way signals have that certain 'fade' that is an audio equivalent of an ocean tide). It would be great if short wave, or at least the frequency spectrum in it would be relevant in the 21'st century.

Only old SWLs like you and me could even begin to "like" fading. And truth be told, I hated it when it was actually happening and I was trying to log an ID or enjoy a program. The whole SWLing experience brings back a lot of nostalgia -- the fading, the Cold War propaganda, the mailbag shows, the distinctive smell of the hot tubes in my old Hammarlund HQ-180. even the Russian Woodpecker over-the-horizon radar. But would I want to experience all that today to hear a station whose programming interests me? Not on your life. I'll find the Internet stream.

 

[boombox4]

Only old SWLs like you and me could even begin to "like" fading. And truth be told, I hated it when it was actually happening and I was trying to log an ID or enjoy a program. The whole SWLing experience brings back a lot of nostalgia -- the fading, the Cold War propaganda, the mailbag shows, the distinctive smell of the hot tubes in my old Hammarlund HQ-180. even the Russian Woodpecker over-the-horizon radar. But would I want to experience all that today to hear a station whose programming interests me? Not on your life. I'll find the Internet stream.

I'll find the internet stream -- that is, if it's working. Iran radio and others from that part of the world are quite dodgy, for example -- they almost make SW seem dependable, even with it's propagation characteristics.

 

[boombox4]

Haven't evangelical Protestants been making major inroads in Latin America for a while now? Or is there something about the borderline wacko version of evangelical Christianity that Stair brings to the table that would have problems connecting there?

The closest I've heard to evangelical radio coming from Latin America is that Super Deus E Amor station coming out of Brazil on 31 meters.

 

[spiritof67]

CTListener, I'll agree with you about people like you and me who 'like' fading, but who are you calling old???..... I never owned Hammarlund gear myself, but I too like the smell of hot tubes from gear like that--it goes great with coffee. My radios were/are a Panasonic RF-2200, Sony ICF-2001, and then an ICOM IC-R71.

 

[Mediafrog+]

Very true. When I owned stations in Ecuador in the 1964 to 1970 period, I saw the beginning of the decline of stations in those bands.

I noticed the steady decline around the mid-1970's. Some of the commercial operations were able to hang on for quite some time, such as Radio Reloj in Costa Rica which was still on 4832 in the early 90's (their midnight combination of "Ave Maria" with the Costa Rican national anthem was always a treat, as well as their pleasant selection of music.) Elsewhere it seems the religious broadcasters are always the last to go.

There has been some talk in Brazil about implementing DRM digital on the domestic SW stations to revive the medium, but that country's plan to expand FM down to 76 MHz might make the SW option moot.

 

[Mediafrog+]

The 2390 kHz frequency once was the home to Mexican domestic broadcaster Radio Huayacocotla, but that was many years ago. I have tape of it from 1984 somewhere.

I could usually get a fairly decent signal from them in Houston during the winter, when the sun set early (Radio Huayacocotla signed off at 7pm.) The station was granted an FM license around 2006, at which point the SW was shut down.

In the late 80's-early 90's there were still a couple of Guatemalans on 120 meters that would put listenable signals into Texas. Long gone.

 

[spiritof67]

For me, Radio Reloj de Costa Rica is an old friend. Their 4832 kHz signal easily made it to St. Louis, although their 6006 kHz signal was less reliable. They were one of the earliest Latin American stations I listened to on a regular basis. They were 24/7 whereas most stations signed off at 0400 or 0500 UTC. The first legal ID I heard used the music from "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind"

Here is 30 minutes from Radio Reloj from the winter of 1980:

http://www.4shared.com/mp3/WFv4qlPZ/Radio_Reloj_Winter_1980.html

 

[davideduardo]

The Brother Stair wacky fringe, not so much. HCJB (in whatever incarnation they are in now) and Trans World Radio were/are just 2 evangelical broadcasters with Spanish programming (at one point HCJB programmed Japanese to a Brazillian minority)

Going back to the 60's a number of Latin American countries had evangelical Christian stations, some with shortwave and others just local AMs.

TIFC, Faro del Caribe in San José. HOXO in Panamá. The 820 AM in Guatemala City. Radio Estrella del Sur in La Paz. WIVI in Vieques, PR. And several others.

Now, there are many more with cases like El Salvador where half of the remaining AMs are evangelical.

HCJB was very much the international broadcaster, with dozens of languages and 500 kw transmitters beamed at China, Oceania, Euripe and Russia as well as the Americas. The domestic service on 700 AM was more a cultural station than a hell-and-brimfire evangelical operation, and was magnificently engineered and operated. When I built Ecuador's first FM, their engineers helped me with the transmitter design and construction. Nice people, both dedicated to their faith and to the community they lived in.

 

[boombox4]

I remember hearing a few of the Latin American tropical band SW stations. There was one out of Venezuela (I think it was Radio Barquisimeto) that was audible most nights, and they played a lot of cool music. If memory serves, they were in the 60 meter band. I also remember tuning in a couple CARACOL stations from Colombia, probably also in the 60 meter band.

There also was the supposedly CIA run station in Costa Rica in the late 1980's, which had a great signal. Can't remember the call or the slogan. I think they were in the 49 meter band. Just looked it up using Google -- Radio Impacto. Lots of easy pop music. Rumors were that it was some sort of front for the CIA.

Now the only stations I have heard from Latin America on any of the bands are the handful of Brazilians, most of them in the 31 and 25 meter bands (two of them in the 60 meter band, usually semi-readable), Radio Nacional da Amazonia, and sometimes the Colombian station on 5910 khz, Radio Alcaravan. I think there is a Mexican station from Mexico City that still operates in the 49 meter band, but I haven't heard that one in a long time.

 

[CTListener]

Radio Barquisimeto was the first tropical I got a QSL from. They were on 4990. I also QSL'd a couple of evangelicals that David didn't mention: HRVC in Honduras and 4VEH on the French side of Hispaniola, Haiti. Both of these stations broadcast programs in English as well as the local language, and they were most assuredly evangelical Protestant, not Catholic.

Of course, what I was really looking for on the tropical bands were the Africans, much more of a challenge than the Latin Americans that boomed in every night. South Africa's Radio Five used to be on 60 meters, and I logged Uganda and Nigeria there as well.

 

[Ai4i]

I shoved the transmitter into a ravine.

This brings a lot of tears to a lot of eyes.

There has been some talk in Brazil about implementing DRM digital on the domestic SW stations...

India has plans to launch nationwide DRM service on shortwave.

 

[Icangelp]

Going back to the 60's a number of Latin American countries had evangelical Christian stations, some with shortwave and others just local AMs.

TIFC, Faro del Caribe in San José. HOXO in Panamá. The 820 AM in Guatemala City. Radio Estrella del Sur in La Paz. WIVI in Vieques, PR. And several others.

Now, there are many more with cases like El Salvador where half of the remaining AMs are evangelical.

HCJB was very much the international broadcaster, with dozens of languages and 500 kw transmitters beamed at China, Oceania, Euripe and Russia as well as the Americas. The domestic service on 700 AM was more a cultural station than a hell-and-brimfire evangelical operation, and was magnificently engineered and operated. When I built Ecuador's first FM, their engineers helped me with the transmitter design and construction. Nice people, both dedicated to their faith and to the community they lived in.[/SIZE][/FONT]

When I began listening to shortwave, HCJB was using 30KW transmitters and delivered an excellent signal to my home in Indianapolis, and we used to listen to their Monday DX Party Line. In fact, I first became interested in shortwave after seeing the HCJB call letters ("Heralding Christ Jesus Blessing") and frequency listings on the side of a church in Indianapolis. I suppose that church either supported, or purchased time on the station.

Edit: I just looked at the 1966 WRTH and see 595, "The Voice of Ruminahai", was a mighty 200 watter!

 

[Ai4i]

HCJB's two mailing addresses were PO Box 699, Quito, Ecuador, and PO Box 699, Miami FL, USA.
The Miami operation was across the street from the local radio station, WINZ.