Dutch Telecom Companies In Consumer Privacy Scandal

Deep Packet Inspection reveals everything!

PCJ Radio Contest Starts June 1st

June 1st means YOU, yes, YOU can enter to win a brand new shortwave receiver from PCJ Radio! 

                   
      In September, there will be a grand giveaway! 


DETAILS WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN MEDIA NETWORK PLUS, HAPPY STATION, SWITZERLAND IN SOUND & NASH HOLOS! 


PCJ Radio Contest 2011 from Shortwave America on Vimeo.

Please let PCJ know that you heard or saw this on Shortwave America!

PCJ review of the TECSUN S2000 (aka Grundig Satellite 750)

Another program in the series from PCJ looking at new and old radios that are still on the market. This review is on the TECSUN S2000 (aka the Grundig Satellite 750).The AUTO PLAY ISSUE HAS BEEN FIXED.

Enjoy

Marine Radio Communcations For The USA

Marine VHF Designated Frequencies Posted under FAIR USE guidelines as public information  NOT FOR NAVIGATIONAL USE
Channel Number	Ship Transmit MHz	Ship Receive MHz	Intended And Designated Use
01A	156.050	156.050	Port Operations and Commercial, VTS. Available only in New Orleans / Lower Mississippi area.
05A	156.250	156.250	Port Operations or VTS in the Houston, New Orleans and Seattle areas.
06	156.300	156.300	Intership Safety
07A	156.350	156.350	Commercial
08	156.400	156.400	Commercial (Intership only)
09	156.450	156.450	Boater Calling. Commercial and Non-Commercial.
10	156.500	156.500	Commercial
11	156.550	156.550	Commercial. VTS in selected areas.
12	156.600	156.600	Port Operations. VTS in selected areas.
13	156.650	156.650	Intership Navigation Safety (Bridge-to-bridge). Ships >20m length maintain a listening watch on this channel in US waters.
14	156.700	156.700	Port Operations. VTS in selected areas.
15	--	156.750	Environmental (Receive only). Used by Class C EPIRBs.
16	156.800	156.800	International Distress, Safety and Calling. Ships required to carry radio, USCG, and most coast stations maintain a listening watch on this channel.
17	156.850	156.850	State Control
18A	156.900	156.900	Commercial
19A	156.950	156.950	Commercial
20	157.000	161.600	Port Operations (duplex)
20A	157.000	157.000	Port Operations
21A	157.050	157.050	U.S. Coast Guard only
22A	157.100	157.100	Coast Guard Liaison and Maritime Safety Information Broadcasts. Broadcasts announced on channel 16.
23A	157.150	157.150	U.S. Coast Guard only
24	157.200	161.800	Public Correspondence (Marine Operator)
25	157.250	161.850	Public Correspondence (Marine Operator)
26	157.300	161.900	Public Correspondence (Marine Operator)
27	157.350	161.950	Public Correspondence (Marine Operator)
28	157.400	162.000	Public Correspondence (Marine Operator)
63A	156.175	156.175	Port Operations and Commercial, VTS. Available only in New Orleans / Lower Mississippi area.
65A	156.275	156.275	Port Operations
66A	156.325	156.325	Port Operations
67	156.375	156.375	Commercial. Used for Bridge-to-bridge communications in lower Mississippi River. Intership only.
68	156.425	156.425	Non-Commercial
69	156.475	156.475	Non-Commercial
70	156.525	156.525	Digital Selective Calling (voice communications not allowed)
71	156.575	156.575	Non-Commercial
72	156.625	156.625	Non-Commercial (Intership only)
73	156.675	156.675	Port Operations
74	156.725	156.725	Port Operations
77	156.875	156.875	Port Operations (Intership only)
78A	156.925	156.925	Non-Commercial
79A	156.975	156.975	Commercial. Non-Commercial in Great Lakes only
80A	157.025	157.025	Commercial. Non-Commercial in Great Lakes only
81A	157.075	157.075	U.S. Government only - Environmental protection operations.
82A	157.125	157.125	U.S. Government only
83A	157.175	157.175	U.S. Coast Guard only
84	157.225	161.825	Public Correspondence (Marine Operator)
85	157.275	161.875	Public Correspondence (Marine Operator)
86	157.325	161.925	Public Correspondence (Marine Operator)
87	157.375	161.975	Public Correspondence (Marine Operator)
AIS 1	161.975	161.975	Automatic Identification System #1 (AIS) - Special equipment required!
88	157.425	162.025	Public Correspondence only near Canadian border.
AIS 2	162.025	162.025	Automatic Identification System #2 (AIS) - Special equipment required!
88A	157.425	157.425	Commercial, Intership only.
NOAA	Weather 1	WX1	162.550
NOAA	Weather 2	WX2	162.400
NOAA	Weather 3	WX3	162.475
NOAA	Weather 4	WX4	162.425
NOAA	Weather 5	WX5	162.450
NOAA	Weather 6	WX6	162.500
NOAA	Weather 7	WX7	162.525

WWV Ending Synoptic Geo Alert Product

The below text is quoted from the Sace Weather Prediction Center at http://www.spaceweather.gov/wwv


On 06 September 2011 the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) will discontinue the broadcast of its synoptic Geo-Alert products on the WWV and WWVH radio stations starting with the 12 UTC products. These products are operationally available via the following two other mechanisms:

1. SWPC's Product Subscription Service at https://pss.swpc.noaa.gov. The WWV product can be found under the "Forecast and Summaries" section.
2. SWPC's Web page - http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/latest/wwv.txt

Customer comments and questions related to the cessation of this service can be directed to SWPC by sending email to swpc.wwv@noaa.gov by 30 June 2011

Shortwave America Special - Mourning Randy Poffo (Macho Man Randy Savage)

Randy Poffo, AKA "Macho Man", "Macho King" Randy Savage was not a radio personality, he was not a licensed radio amateur, never partook of anything radio that we are aware of, but he WAS a good friend of the Owner / Chief Editor of Shortwave America.

Randy Poffo was a man of honor and class. Going between face and heel, Intercontinental Champion, and WWE Heavyweight Champ, behind the scenes...Randy was a down to earth person who honored his family first. Randy was a caring, giving, man. As a wrestler and showman, Randy was best known for his high flying acrobatics.

Behind closed doors, Randy Poffo knew how to have fun and could make almost anyone laugh. He was also very intelligent. A conversation with Randy was always a memorable time. Shortwave America wishes to give condolences to the Poffo family, as well as Randy's past and present colleagues who were so treasured by him.

A FACEBOOK MEMORIAL GROUP has gone viral today over the past many hours. No information is available at this time regarding funeral/public memorial services for Randy.

Shortwave America Welcomes Andy Bowe - AB9EW

Since the inception of Shortwave America, one of the purposes was to cover VHF and UHF frequencies from a practical perspective while presenting a useful technical reference. After all this time, the best choice seems to be someone who spends a great deal of time on Railroad and Marine monitoring.

In thinking about this at great length, why should Aviation communications be left out?

Andy was first licensed on Jan 21st, 1997 as a Technician while he was a freshman in High School. In fall of 99, Andy earned his General Class License with a 13wpm code test, and finally got his Extra Class license in the early 2000s. Andy has traveled the world extensively and has practiced radio monitoring in his travels since his early twenties.

Since around 1996 or 1997, he has been an upstanding member of the North Shore Radio Club (NS9RC). Besides radio monitoring, Andy is an avid DX chaser and makes HF contacts almost daily. Andy will be using his vast knowledge at Shortwave America to specialize in writing about Railroad, Marine, and some Aeronautical communications.

Besides radio communications, Andy brings to the table a working knowledge of world culture learned from his real life experiences, also fostered by his love of radio. When Andy isn't chasing DX or monitoring, he is oftentimes reading about different radio technical subjects and using his radio equipment to help him observe what he reads about. In that sense, Andy is also an experimenter who makes useful observations. 

Shortwave America welcomes Andy, and we hope you will welcome him warmly as well.    

How would you like to win a shortwave radio from PCJ?

Well PCJ will have a contest to make this happen. We are giving away 3 Tecsun DR920, and a grand prize a new Sangean ATS909X.

How will this work?

1. Beginning on the May 28th edition with Media Network Plus there will be a small that id asking a question will be played in the show (very easy question). This ID will also be used on Happy Station, Nash Holos, & Switzerland In Sound. All you need to do is answer the question and give details on where you heard the show either FM/AM/Shortwave or internet.

2. There are 3 Tecsun DR920 that we are giving away in June, July and August. Everyone that enters will be entered into the draw to win a new Sangean ATS909X. Winners will be announced in Media Network Plus. The grand prize of the Sangean ATS909 will be announced in the September edition on Media Network Plus.

3. Just make sure when you enter that you also give some program details.

4. Those who enter by snail mail will also receive a small thank you gift. The address to enter for winning one of the 3 Tecsun's and the final grand prize is: PCJ Radio, 8FL, No. 47, Lane 31, Section 1, Sanmin Road, Banciao, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC 22070 Or email: ats909x@gmail.com

Also let us know that you read this on the SHORTWAVE AMERICA BLOG!

Radio Netherlands Worldwide - Earthbeat Presents Dumpster Diving For Lunch

Unfortunately, some places are not so much better than others; especially when people have to resort to dumpster diving. WATCH IT HERE.

Apparently this is a crime in the Netherlands, even though the food was discarded and from a logical point of view, cannot realistically be said to belong to anyone. Hopefully a time will come when no one will have to do this.

Shortwave America Reaches Twenty Thousand Readers!

Over the last twenty four hours, this publication has reached a total count of just over twenty thousand unique readers! Thank you to everyone over the last two years who have chosen to be a part of Shortwave America! The 2011 developments spoken of months ago are being implemented although slowly.

Shortwave America has some really awesome plans for the future to come. These plans will be announced once they are cemented into place. Shortwave America would like to say a word of thanks to the following people who have been integral to the growth of this publication: The readers, Keith Perron & Paulette MacQuarrie, WRN, everyone who links over here, and all of the various people who give this place good mentions or featured headlines at different discussion groups & their moderators, and RadioReference for helping out with some items here and there.

Here's to many more years of publishing at Shortwave America!

PCJ Review of the new Sangean ATS909X

Hi Everyone,

Here is a review of the new Sangean ATS909X.

Radio Australia Presents: All In The Mind - Your Fabulous Bilingual Brain

Speaking two languages is an asset no matter where you go. LISTEN HERE

Shortwave America Announces The New Listening Gallery!

As promised, the nationwide Amateur Radio Listening Gallery is now up and functional! Also as promised, it was posted with some work remaining to be done so readers can see what the offerings will be and get some idea what is being done to have the most useful information in one central place.

Go ahead! Please, enjoy this newest feature of Shortwave America and feel free to leave behind any of your thoughts.

John Poet: Confessions Of A Pirate

It has recently been discovered that "The Poet" has a blog for TCS (The Crystal Ship). On it, Poet gives us an honest peek into why he does pirate radio. Confessions Of A Pirate is perhaps the BEST statement made against the powers that be in American radio, perhaps even worldwide since all of these people hold each others hands to begin with.

The first TCS blog post was on 7 August, 2010 and the newest post came on 7 May 2011. From all appearances at this present time in pirate radio, a war seems to be occurring between TCS and  Radio Jamba International. Shortwave America will contact The Poet and ask for an interview on what The Crystal Ship is focusing on today, future plans, and the war with Radio Jamba.

After looking at the blog for Radio Jamba, it needs to be said that the ability to spell correctly, use good grammar, and construct sentences properly is paramount to running a publication just for starters. Posting your own SINPO reports from FRN is not good practice! Do something original! Seriously, Jamba! Here's a screenshot of Jamba's lameness:

BTW, that bowling alley sign photo, if real, is a great way for the FCC to find you....universally stupid! Why? Because it tells them about the area your sigs are possibly coming out of.  We doubt you know anything about using photoshop. Shortwave America won't even give the link to Jamba for fear of insulting the entire radio community. Another thing Jamba, clean up your signal! Audio doesn't count when the signal is so bad!

Poet, if you're reading this....you run a great station! Keep up the good work! Salute!

China Radio International: Reflecting On The First Beijing Film Festival

                                        Listen Here

BBC Outlook: The Moon and How It Affects Our Lives

Listen to this BBC Outlook programme about the moon and how it affects our lives.

                                                                    

Radio Netherlands World Wide: What Happens In The Interrogation Room

                  Secrets Of The Interrogation Room
                                  LISTEN HERE

QRZ Broil Spills Over

VK1OD and some others have taken to other means in order that they may freely speak out. That is to say they have left Fred Lloyd's QRZ.com. A relatively new thread at the reference speaks about continued management problems, favoritism, cronyism, and general double standards at the garbage fill known as the zed.

The linked post at the reference is quite accurate about what goes on over there and is quite honest about the fact being that only the callsign look-up is worth anything there. Anyone who has been around for any period of time knows that this is not anything new. What goes on at the zed is a circus of the worst sort for Fred and his friends who are no better than the people who occupy certain portions of bandwidth across the HF bands.

Truth be told, Fred doesn't care at all what happens so long as people keep buying ad space from him. QRZ is a business and the folks there are simply filling empty space, giving him the best thing he can have...FREE advertising! When you use Fred's site, and you go tell others about it, you give him free business! Free for him, but advertisers pay.

The same products marketed by Fred can be found on the net for free and also compiled privately by way of simple copy & paste onto a word doc if someone thinks the information is useful enough to them. There are a million callsign look up's out here...why use Fred's? You get the same information you would get there! Heck, if you wanna see geo coordinates you can go use Google Earth! You can use any other geo location service out here, as many of them are free.

Fred Lloyd has perpetrated the best laid scam ever! Don't you get it? You who hang around the zed are his puppets and he laughs at you! He gets rich while all of you create the downfall of the amateur radio community! The public is watching! Fred has succeeded in making fools of all of you.

The zed has archives for the public to see. Anyone can at anytime, go see the current state of the zed as well as the archives! Some of you may say, "but the zed has a logbook feature"...so what? There are logbooks out there for free or for minimal cost! I have yet to see a logbook that has an extravagant cost attached to it!

If you need help with learning something or using a new piece of equipment...there are amateur radio clubs all over the country! Go congregate with them and make some friends! Most amateur clubs are more than willing to give help to a fellow amateur with the understanding that the person give help to others when they know enough.

All the things provided at the zed can be found elsewhere and you don't risk getting flamed, insulted, harassed, bullied, or banned! Shortwave America readers will notice that there is NO LINK here to the zed...there is a reason for that! QRZ is not a family friendly site and the readers here do not want to click on a link that may provide objectionable content.

The zed is a horrible example of how amateur radio ops act in the real world for the most part.


Here's K1OIK's video which was really about QRZ more than amateur ops in the real world with a few exceptions. Please note that there may be some rude, objectionable remarks made at the video and feel free to ignore the comments section if you need to....Burt does! In real life, Burt is an intelligent man who is kind and a lot of fun to be around. Shortwave America presents this without any endorsement in one direction or another.

Media Advisory: U.S. International Broadcasting Experts Available for Interviews/Commentary/Analysis

 

The Broadcasting Board Of Governors announces a few experts who are available for interviews, commentary and analysis on the subject of the death of Osama Bin Laden. 

 

RNW Moves Hörby SW Transmitters To Madagascar

Southgate Amateur Radio News brings us this story about Radio Netherlands Worldwide moving their transmitters. The newly purchased ABB transmitters are said to be much more energy efficient and this will allow the cost of the new transmitters to be recovered in a short time. 

However, it seems that there is some bad news attached to this: (Quote from Southgate)

"Recently, RNW management announced that it intended to speed up the process of replacing shortwave with other distribution platforms, including the closure of its relay stations in Bonaire and Madagascar. The Bonaire facility is scheduled for closure at the end of October 2012, but no closure date has yet been decided for Madagascar."

Of all the stations in the world, no one would have ever guessed that Radio Netherlands would even consider losing shortwave in favor of other media platforms. Thank God PCJ Radio has decided to keep shortwave radio alive with the new world service! If stations keep taking their shortwave operations off the air, all there will be left are pirates and although pirates aren't all bad, they risk getting raided by their respective broadcast licensing authorities if they operate too regularly as to become predictable.

Håkan Widenstedt of Teracom Shortwave

Andy Sennitt at Radio Netherlands reported the following sad news at 1514UTC:

"I’m sorry to report that I have just learned via our Programme Distribution Department that Håkan Widenstedt of the Teracom shortwave station in Hörby, Sweden, passed away on 21 March 2011."

See the entire article at the RNW Blog

Shortwave America on behalf of itself and PCJ Media publicly wishes the family and friends of  Håkan Widenstedt our deepest condolences. 

New Vietnamese program on 1503khz

Beginning May 15th, 2011 Foundation For Democracy Of Vietnam will broadcast a daily program from 1430UTC to 1500UTC on 1503khz. This time slot had been used by the BBC Vietnamese Service until it was vacated because of the restructuring measures that have been taken by the BBC World Service. The 600kw transmitter and directional antenna azimuth of 247deg is located in Fangliao, South Taiwan (Pingtung County). This site is also used by Radio France International in Khmer, Radio Chan Troi Moi (New Horizon Radio) in Vietnamese, Family Radio in Vietnamese, Thai, Burmese and English.

This relay was arranged by Jeff White at WRMI (Radio Miami International) and Keith Perron at PCJ Radio.

Untrained Weather Spotters Get Themselves Into Danger

Those of us who are TRAINED severe weather / tornado spotters know that you NEVER get up cloe and personal with a Tornado. We also know that our training tells us that when observing a tornado, we need to be at the opposite angle from where the tornado is moving, so we can SAFELY help the National Weather Service  to get advance warning out and report on the behavior of the tornado.

The two goofballs you are about to see in this video make us all look bad, they get it all wrong and almost end up dead. The two not-so-bright people you will see in this video got themselves caught in the recent deadly tornado outbreak in Alabama. They have the radio on and the station is warning everyone listening to seek shelter immediately, and they do exactly the opposite!

What does this have to do with radio, you ask? These Darwin Award contestants have no communication with anyone! IF they were properly trained and had their amateur radio licenses, they would be able to actually be of some help to the community and possibly help save a few lives! In scenarios like this, communication with your local NWS and Emergency Management Agency makes all the difference!

United States Executes Osama Bin Laden, U.S. Government In Possession Of Bin Laden's Body

CNN HAS THE STORY

The men and women of the United States Armed Forces have done well in their mission, accomplished it with excellence, and are now world-wide heroes for putting the minds of millions at ease.

In memory of the lives lost on 9-11-01

Royal Wedding Frequencies Confirmed

9590Khz AM 0913UTC and 9580Khz 0942UTC in the United States. No further frequencies found. Both stations were BBC broadcasts.

This So Called Royal Wedding - Part 2

The CQHQ Blogspot has commentary about the special event callsigns in commemoration of William's wedding tomorrow, only to find out a bit later that someone fraudulently signed him up for one of the special GR calls!

Shortwave America inquired about IF there will be any shortwave coverage of the wedding and if so, what frequencies the coverage will be heard. A source at DXLD in Northeast England gave the following information: (Direct quote)

It'll be on the BBC WS from 0855-1300
and highlights from 1605-1700

It will be on which ever WS frequencies you might be able to hear at those times. Try these:

0800-0900 6190af 11760me 12095af 15310as 15400af 15575as
17640af 17790as 17830af 21470af

0900-1000 6190af 6195as 9740as 11760me 12095af 15310as 15400af 15575as 17640af 17760as 17790as 17830af 21470af 21630as

1000-1100 6190af 6195as 9740as 11760me 12095af 15310as
15400af 15575as 17640af 17760as 17790as 21470af 21660as

1100-1200 6140as 6195as 9740as 11760me 12095af 15285as
15310as 15400af 15575as 17640af 17760as 17790as 17830af 21470af

1200-1300 5875as 6140as 6190af 6195as 9740as 11750as
11760me 12095af 15310as 15575as 17640af 17830af 21470af

1600-1700 3255af 5845as 5975as 6190af 9495as 12095as
13820as 15400af 15420af 17640af 17795af 17830af 21470af

The source in Northeast England says it will be a lucky occurrence to catch anything.

Radio News From Across The World

ARRL tells us that James McLaughlin - WA2EWE/T6AF killed in the line of duty

Quick quote from the ARRL article:

"McLaughlin -- a retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel -- was a contractor serving as a flight instructor for Afghan pilots. Licensed since 1972, McLaughlin was a career US military officer. Bob Magnani, K6QXY, told the ARRL that McLaughlin was just in the US a week ago, visiting his family: "His son Adam, KD6POE, works for me. He told me that his dad had been in Afghanistan and Iraq many times over the past few years, most currently serving as a flight instructor.”

Shortwave Central reports on updated Radio Damascus schedule

Shortwave Central says Radio Fly Wants To Hear From Shortwave Listeners

Shortwave Central Pirate Radio Report

Finally, THE long awaited DX Code Of Conduct goes from proposal to reality! There is an update and a FREE PDF E-Book available for CW operators. Maybe IF we get lucky, our fellow amateurs across the world will not have to listen to the mess on the phone bands for long, because someone sooner or later is going to come up with a Phone Band Code Of Conduct for DX operations.

G3XBM gives us news about a 111KM Optical QSO (Conversation) using LED's and Fresnel Lenses between G8AGN and G0EWN. Both stations were portable ops.

N8ZYA has several successful QRP DX contacts on 20 Meters.

Radio World Online gives the world a tour of the VOA facility in Greenville, North Carolina
Written by James E. O'Neal.

Newest logs from DXLD (April 20th) via W4UVH

Last, but not least...The final space shuttle mission known to man, STS-134, will take place this coming Friday at 3:47PM Eastern U.S. time. Here is information from MT-Utility World
Shortwave America strongly suggests getting in touch early with the fine group at HF-Monitors, and SpaceCoastComms on Yahoo Groups to get past frequency information and what frequencies are currently active, or expected to be active. The main man to contact is Allan Stern. 

Radio Free Libya

One of the first voices behind Radio Free Libya, Libya's first uncensored radio station.

Shortwave America Celebrates 200th Article!

Today's offering as a special feature for the 200th article here at Shortwave America is video coverage of the 24th Annual Shortwave Shindig with Keith Perron! David Goren & Richard Cuff were responsible for this great event, so thank you to them!

Shortwave Shindig with Keith Perron - Part 1

Shortwave Shindig with Keith Perron - Part 2

Shortwave Shindig with Keith Perron - Part 3

Sea Water Antenna & Radio From The Big Gun Station

CelleBrite UFED: ACLU and Others Want Information, Worried About Civil Liberties

Slashdot has basic information about this newest invasion of privacy aimed at communication devices we commonly know as "Cellphones", "I-Phones" and "Smartphones". This newest law enforcement gadget is called CellBrite UFED.

The ACLU is quoted on record as saying: "The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan last Wednesday demanded that state officials stop stonewalling freedom of information requests for information on the program.

ACLU learned that the police had acquired the cell phone scanning devices and in August 2008 filed an official request for records on the program, including logs of how the devices were used. The state police responded by saying they would provide the information only in return for a payment of $544,680. The ACLU found the charge outrageous.

"Law enforcement officers are known, on occasion, to encourage citizens to cooperate if they have nothing to hide," ACLU staff attorney Mark P. Fancher wrote. "No less should be expected of law enforcement, and the Michigan State Police should be willing to assuage concerns that these powerful extraction devices are being used illegally by honoring our requests for cooperation and disclosure."

Sources: Slashdot and TheNewspaper.com

Thenewspaper.com closes the article with this statement: "The national ACLU is currently suing the Department of Homeland Security for its policy of warrantless electronic searches of laptops and cell phones belonging to people entering the country who are not suspected of committing any crime."

Here is the PDF Copy of the ACLU Letter directly from the ACLU at their website.  


Attorney Wayne Logan of the Florida State University speaks at Popular Mechanics about the application and limitations of the 4th Amendment in these types of cases.

Findlaw for Legal Professionals has a link to the fourth amendment.


You will also find a history and scope of the 4th Amendment at this link


A copy of the U.S. Constitution can be found here.


This newest development poses an interesting, yet, odd situation for United States Licensed Radio Amateurs because today's phones can double as an amateur station by way of the use of Echolink and other RF linking software. As a way to avoid Michigan State Police searches of your phone when you are NOT suspected of a crime, Shortwave America UNOFFICIALLY suggests Michigan radio amateurs to have Echolink or other RF LINKING software running at all times while you are in your car or out in public as a way to legitimately, legally, say that your phone is actually an amateur radio transceiver because you are using it as such at the time of contact with the Michigan State Police. 


P.R. 91-36 is a good protection in this type of case because it is assumed within reason that your phone, while being used as an amateur station, may possibly have access to public safety, special emergency, or other frequencies. IF MSP were then to search/confiscate the phone in the wrong context (without probable cause) and without a search warrant, they would have presumably violated a FEDERAL ORDER. ONLY the FCC can interfere with amateur radio operations or seize an amateur station pursuant to Part 97 and other Federal Regulations having the same effect / affect as law. 

General searches are outlawed by fact of your fourth amendment rights. 

The above IS NOT legal advice and should never be construed as such. This is simply educated thinking within a reasonable scope.

China Radio International Spotlights Autism: Children Of The Stars

Children Of The Stars is the new documentary in China aimed at educating the public about Autism. For those who may not be aware, April is Autism Awareness Month. The spotlight on Autism this month by China Radio International presents a compassionate, balanced, perspective on multiple aspects of what life is like for the children and their families who live with the unique challenges of Autism. Listen HERE

Autism affects not only millions of children and other people of all ages in China, but also all over the world. Shortwave America would like to ask it's audience to pass this piece on to anyone who may benefit from it. Today's medical professionals do not particularly like making an Autism diagnosis nor do they enjoy the process of working to detect this problem because they openly say that with all of the awareness campaigns, Autism has been over-diagnosed and they are afraid of making a needless diagnosis.

Oftentimes, Sensory Processing Disorder  and Autism look alike. Children and even older people with these disorders are oftentimes misdiagnosed with ADD, ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, and a range of Personality Disorders due to the complexity of what Sensory Processing Disorder and Autism are and how they manifest in each person. There is a push developing by large groups of parents and a growing network of medical professionals, social workers, and others to make Sensory Processing Disorder part of the Autism spectrum because of the characteristics these two disorders appear to share with each other when it comes to the specifics of daily routines, communication difficulties, learning challenges, development, and behavior.

William's Wedding on Shortwave

Shortwave America has been loosely following the impending wedding of William Arthur Philip Louis to his fiance', Kate Middleton. Until any news of shortwave frequencies comes about, this publication wanted to talk about how the so-called "royal" family has been falling apart for decades, and also about how Elizabeth is seriously unhappy about how the impending wedding has been handled.

The groom to be is actually: William Arthur Philip Louis, born 21 June 1982, William's brother, Harry is actually: Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984

So, we have two kids with two entirely different last names, neither of which run in the immediate family on either side. The "Queen" who is actually nothing more than England's national President and therefore, just another overblown head of state is actually: Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, born 21 April 1926 and the father of these kids has the name Charles Philip Arthur George born 14 November 1948 and Diana's name was Diana Frances (Spencer) 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997.

Going back to the first of two original points, the family has been falling apart over a span of several decades due to what would appear to be a morbid need for power over others including the words, thoughts, and movements of the lives of their own family. The fall of the so called "royal family" started early on in England's history when the highest ruling members of the family enacted certain laws (Alluded to in the article linked to above) mandating strict, arcane structure, therefore mixing family relationships with business which separated family from each other in the context of being equals.

Common sense dictates that family cannot be less than equals with each other and also be ranking members of ruling government. These types of family relationships in everyday reality create a chaotic pathology of power seeking, possibly pointing to unstable neuro-psychosocial functioning. The refusal of the family to re-examine arcane laws governing family structure from within in the context of the rank system keeping power only with the family, and to refuse to seriously consider opening up government to a voting public in a system of democracy points to a need to keep skeletons from rattling.

The details of the family & their foibles which have become public knowledge, such details obviously pointing to a myriad of problems within seem to rise to the level of the family having such internal conflict that they could reasonably be expected to be otherwise unable to run a government. All of these details are simply too voluminous to be published here.


All of this being said, it is one thing to hold on to meaningful traditions, but to hold so tightly to arcane conservative schools of thought such as is present with the family is nothing short of self-destructive to themselves and the public. On April 1st, The Bali Times ran an April fool's joke about Elizabeth A. Mary stepping down from her position as a gift to William. In this current day, Elizabeth is attempting to have herself seen as mostly being concerned about the logistics of William's wedding plans. Those of us who have been around long enough to witness the many catastrophies of this family know well that this is Elizabeth being the opinionated, selfish, stuffy old bag she has always been.

If William were smart, he would have already told her to mind her own business and he would have paid for the wedding on his own and done other things to provide for Kate's comfort. The family has always suffered from a need for constant attention which gives the impression that they suffer from an unstable self-image and the attention they get becomes their coping mechanism in the place of more practical, healthier methods of coping with family & professional stresses.

Other than some minor changes in the way some things have traditionally been done, we should expect to see the same old pomp & arrogance that has become the hallmark of all other family events.

Radio Heritage Foundation Media Release: Radio ANZAC

Radio Heritage Foundation
18 April 2011
Official Media Release

ANZAC Radio Heritage 2011 - Fighting Voices from Downunder.

For those who are interested, this is a partial quote from the Official Media Release by the Radio Heritage Foundation:

"Radio was still a teenager when called up for active duty in 1939 with the
outbreak of World War II but had moved into respectable middle age by 1970
when the Vietnam War was raging says the Radio Heritage Foundation in the
latest feature at website www.radioheritage.com.

Released to remember ANZAC Day on April 25 2011, this new feature looks at
how Australian and New Zealand military forces took radio along with them on
their journey to battlefields as far flung as the Middle East, Japan, Korea,
Vietnam, South East Asia, the Pacific, and even within Australia's Northern
Territory.

"Fighting Voices from Downunder' visits the extensive ABC Radio facilities
at Gaza in Palestine, RAAF Madang 'The Voice of the Islands', 5DR Darwin,
9AF Labuan in the Straits Settlements, AKAA Yamaguchi 'Voice of the 2NZEF',
WLKS Kure, Radio Commonwealth near the North Korean border, RAAF Butterworth
and AFR Vung Tau.

This new feature places ANZAC Radio into context with US Armed Forces Radio
networks in the Asia and Pacific region, and British Forces Broadcasting and
Radio SEAC services."

ARRL W1AW Bulletin For 18 April 2011

Experimenting with digital modes is always fun & exciting! For this article today, Digital Master 780 was used to copy the W1AW CW (Morse Code) bulletin from 0330Z to 0350Z. Given the poor propagation, Digital Master really did an outstanding job!

The W1AW bulletin was copied on 3581.10Khz. Note the mistakes made by Digital Master 780 were really not horrible overall.  Clearly, if you are going to use software to copy ANY digital mode, the software will not always copy everything 100%, but DO notice that as the bulletin went on in duration, the copy got better.

N E W GROUP ON WEDNESDAY* APRIL 13, AND YET ANOTHER ON APR* 14. = PA EDICTED SOLAR FLUX VA*UES FROM NMEAA/USIEF FOR THE NEAR IIRM HAVE INCREASID SINCE THE FXRECAST IN THE ARRL LETTER O 5SHURSDAY. PREDICTED SOL TR FLUX IS 125 AND 128 OR APRIL 15 AND 16, 13Ø ON APRIL 17 TO 19, HND WM35 ON APRIL 2*E AND 21 AN5 115 ON APRIL 22 AND 23. PLANETARY A SNDEX FOR THE SAME PERIOD IS PREDI*TED TO BE 5 ON APRI L 15 TO 17, B AND W * EE EI II**TEETEL * EI MAK E I E EWI EE A* E**I TTNT E E I*I * TI
I I SIJE I I ITKETI_TTT TT TT D 1 ON , AND 5 ON APRIL 2Ø TO E7. * ST DE W1AW = GEOPHYSICA5 INSTIHUTE PRRGUE PREDICTS QUIET GEOMAGNETIC C3NDITIONS APRIL 15 TO 17, QUIET TO UNSETTLED APRIL 18, ACTIVE CONDITIONS APRIL *9, AND UNSETTLED CONDITIONS APRIL 2Ø AND 21. = ON APRIL 12 A SOLAR WIND STREAM HIT EARTH, CAUSING AURORA TO BE VISIBLE ACROSS THE NORTHERN TIER STATES IN THE U.S. THE HIGH LATITUDE COLLEGE A INDEX HIT 39, AND PLANETARY A INDEX WAS 23. THE NEXT PERIOD OF HIGHER DIEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY PREDICTED BY NOAA/USAF IS APRIL 28 AND 29, WITH A PLANETARY A INDIX OF 12 AND 15. * QST DE W1AW = JON JONES, NØJK OF WICHITA, KANSAS REPORTS, I HEARD OA4TT IN PERU ON 5ØR135 MHZ ON APRIL 4 AT 2Ø2ØZ. KN5 W IN LA HAD OA4TT IN STRONG, WAS WEAB F6IR ME. PERHAPS DIRECT F2 TO THE GUL CG TST THEN WEAK ES ON TO KSE BR5* IS ON MY GREAT CIRBLE BEARING TO PERU. = 3EFF HARTLEY, N8II OF SHEPHERDSTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA REPORTS, T5ERE HAVE BEEN PLENTY OF *CENT PROPAGATION SURPRISES. LAST FRIDAY, APRIL 8, K3SWZ NEAR HARRISBURG, PA REPORTED T ME WEASKING T V9RG ON 1Ø METER SSB AT 2348Z* SUNSET HERE LAS 2343Z. I DIDNT FIND ROBIN, D UT DID WORVEFILST VKNI OF CYCLE 24 ON 1Ø METERS, VK6DU ON SSB AROUND 235ØZ. THERE WERE SEVERAL OTHER EASTERN VKS AND ZLS WITH GOOD SIGNALS ON 1Ø AROUND THE SAME TIME. * QST DE W1AW = I HAVE WORKED 5N7M AROUND 23ØØZ ON 1Ø CW [353.0° 10,813.5km] AND HE IS FREQUENTLY ON 1Ø AND *2 METERS VERY LATE FOR HIM RIGHT AROUND THE BOTTOM TAIS THE BI E DS I HEARD HIM AS LATE AS E2Ø4Z WITH A GOOD SIGIAL 7N 12 METERS LAST NIGHT, THEN HE WENT DOWN TO THE BOTEOM OF 15 CW [312.7° 18,880.1km] AROUND Ø1ØØZT 5M2TT, IN LIBERIA, WAS RUNNING A BIG PILE UP ON 17 METERS SI B AROUT D MOZAØØZ AND WAS WORKED N MONDAY AROUND 233Ø6 TAN BMITH * TE T E METEFS PHXNE AND CW. I5 HAS BEEN REGULARLN T OSIEN TD A IN OUR EVENINGS THIS WEITT AND WSS STILL OPES AT Ø11ØZ AEAST NIGHT. EARLIER IN THE WEEK I HAD A RUN OF JAS ON 15 CW [353.6° 10,260.9km] AROUND 233ØZ WITH SIGNALS U G TO S9, NOT AN EVERY DAY EVENT FOR THIS QTH WITH ABOUT THE POOREST PROP TO JA IN THE USA, WITH A BEAM HEADE NG IS 33Ø. * QST DE W1AW = TO JAPAN, JEFF IS M 5ER 6,8ØØ MILES. FROM K7RA IN SEATTLE IT IS ABOUT 4,9ØØ MILES AT 3ØØ DEGREES. = IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A COMMENT OR HAVE A TIAI FOR OUR READERS, EMAIL THE AUTHOR AT, K7RA AT ARRL.NET. = FOR MORE INFORMATION CONCERNING RADIO PROPAGATION, SEE THE ARRL TECHNICAL INFORMATION SERVICE WEB PAGE. A DETAILED EXPLANATION OF THE NUMBERS USED IN THIS BULLETIN IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THIS SITE. AN ARCHIVE OF PAST EPROPAGATION BULLETINS IS ALSO AVAILABLE. = MONTHLY PROPAGATION CHARIS BETWEEN FOUR USA REGIONS AND TWELVE OVERSEAS LOCATIONS CAN E FOUND ON THE 41AW WEB SITE. * QST DE W1AW

Hopefully the Shortwave America readers and others curious about radio have enjoyed this piece as much as Shortwave America enjoyed bringing it to you.  

Blago Trial Judge Zagel Violates First Amendment, Freedom Of Choice

Yahoo! News has the story of Judge Zagel warning ousted Illinois Governor , Rod Blagojevich about making comments to the news media because his statements "could be used against him". In the context of media freedom and the freedom of a citizen or citizens to speak with the media, this seems to be the typical Illinois backhanded approach to circuventing the First Amendment, among other constitutional guarantees to freedom of choice when it comes to the right of a person or group of people to decide when and when not to speak.

Illinois has a long history of using coercion & intimidation against those whom it wishes to silence. Blago apparently raised the hairs on the neck of the assigned prosecutor given the prosecutor's conduct in the courtroom in front of th judge when he raised his voice and said he wishes he could put Blago on the stand, supposedly to show what a liar he is.

Shortwave America sees a double standard here: Blago can't air his remarks & opinions to the media under threat of his remarks being used against him & yet, the prosecutor can openly opine in court DURING A STATUS HEARING which is NOT part of the trial itself, that Blagojevich is a liar? HELLO? TALK ABOUT GRANDSTANDING!

There is a reason for a second trial being held and this type of misconduct by prosecutors & judges siding with prosecutors is a big part of it!! The good old boy network is alive & well in Illinois as always!

How about those of us who are full time members of the media getting together in protest to publicly remind the court system and the government of the fact that it is our right to practice reporting voluntary citizen statements and protect the rights of citizens to speak with us!

This judge must really be scared that something is amiss on part of the government in this case because this is not the first time the court has tried to silence Blagojevich by coercion or intimidation in the context of media communications. Through-out this whole circus, it has always been heir apparent that no crime has been committed and that the case has always been about politics. There is just too much wrong with all of this and definitely in the sense that the court does not want anyone speaking to the media nor does the court smile on the media doing what we do....reporting on newsworthy current events.

In Illinois, there have been a long list of criminal cases that have been blown wide open by good reporting and the innocent have been given their lives back, forcing the Illinois Government to re-open or even re-start criminal investigations to search for he or she who is truly guilty. Shortwave America has a message for Judge Zagel: SHUT UP!

Illinois Radio News: DesPlaines & Park Ridge PD Switching To Starcom 21, Possibly Full Time Encryption With Cook County

We knew it was just a mater of time until the near-by Chicago burbs in the West / Northwest areas started to become a bunch of gullible followers. Sure there's an advantage to having interoperability, but rumor has it that DesPlaines PD & Park Ridge PD are not JUST going over to Starcom 21, but that they are joining the Cook County Sheriff on the encrypted portion of the system.

Hopefully, the encryption rumor is false because shutting out entire communities from listening in when they know full well that 99% of the community are their eyes & ears in a law abiding fashion is ill advised. Encryption is also horribly expensive and could potentially pose Officer safety hazards when it comes to that radio being their lifeline.

Lets add to the mix that in this faltering economy, people cannot afford to go buy a five hundred dollar receiver even if they were to stay "in the clear". One more factor is that it adds to feelings of mistrust among community members who are otherwise in favor of our police doing their jobs safely & going home alive. Comsec practices dictate that common sense is best....if it's sensitive then use the cell phone! Use your PDT (assuming it's working).

Here's some good questions for everyone including working officers to ask their bosses:

1. Is Cook County going to share encryption keys with DesPlaines & Park Ridge?
If not, then the whole idea of having interoperability with the Sheriff's Dept. is lost!

2. If the new radios lose their encryption keys and an officer gets killed or so severely injured that they are able to draw disability pension...are the Departments and therefore, the taxpayers gonna foot the bill? Is this worth taking that kind of risk?

3. If anything happens, and an Officer or an Officer's family decides to lodge lawsuits...how is that gonna look in regards to public image? Can they or will they sue Motorola or whoever the vendor is? Can that endanger the business contract with the municipality?

4. Did these respective departments do their homework thoroughly? What we know for sure is that these vendors like to sell products and then stop offering support a few years later. That means no more parts for the radios or the repeaters. How do you then maintain the system?

The standard answer beyond interoperability is that someone in a ranking position believes that the "terrorists" are listening. Anyone who knows anything about terrorism and counter-terrorism, street intelligence, and organized crime rising to the level of potential terrorism knows that the best way to watch the police is to be there on the street observing. A smart terrorist, or really, any smart criminal is watching with their eyes. These public predators are using a street network, not radio equipment because they are not smart enough to even know how to use the stuff.

Going to the newest and most expensive radio system in the name of interoperability with the delusion of increased comsec is just a waste of money & resources. Can anyone out here comment on this rumor at all? Has anything been set in stone? Is there a projected switchover date?  Has anyone reviewed the contracts to see if any inappropriate business practices have gone unchecked (political cronyism, favors, etc)?

A-11 Shortwave Schedules Are Up!

AOKI TXT File (Text)

AOKI Zip File
Zip file contains a spreadsheet (XLS) file

EiBi TXT File (Text)

EiBi PDF File (Portable Document File) requires adobe PDF reader or other PDF software.

EiBi Microsoft Word File (Open Office will also work for this) 
This is a ZIP file!

HFCC A-11 Schedule (ZIP File) contains the following:

Shortwave Broadcast Schedule
Station Administration Reference
Broadcaster Reference
Antenna Listing with comments field
Broadcaster Language Table Reference
Global Transmitter Site Table Reference
All of these are in standard ITU Format!

Also see the HFCC Transmission and Programme schedules by Broadcasters and FMOs
Each station has their specific schedule listed with a link right next to their station name. 
Click the link to see the schedule.

Here is also a quick listing from Dan Ferguson at NASWA: Dan does lots of work to get this stuff together and Shortwave America is thankful to Dan for sharing this with us via direct e-mail. You can also find this posted at the NASWA site and at the shortwave-radio@yahoogroups.com mail list.


The Aoki schedule file was updated earlier today - see http://www.geocities.jp/binewsjp/ .

The EiBi A11 file was posted yesterday - see http://eibispace.de/ .

The HFCC schedule file was updated yesterday - see http://www.hfcc.org/data/index.phtml .

The PTSW file was updated April 4 - see http://www.primetimeshortwave.com/ .

The FCC schedule file was last updated March 24 - see http://www.fcc.gov/ib/sand/neg/hf_web/seasons.html 

The Radio Netherlands schedule file was updated yesterday - see http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/rnw-frequency-schedule-summer-2011 .

The Deutsche Welle schedule file was updated April 11 - see http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,1777509,00.html .

The Media Broadcast file was updated April 11 - see http://www.media-broadcast.com/en/radio/analogue-radio-networks/short-wave.html .

The NASWA Combined schedule file, with all these and more, in a single Excel spreadsheet, as well as text and Perseus versions (all zipped) was posted this morning.

HFSkeds.com has the following files available for everyone as well:

A-11 Combined Schedule built on 16 April 2011, zipped text version of the schedules, zipped version of the schedules for PERSEUS users, and a modified txt file with shortened names for Perseus users.

Please note that these files just are modified broadcas.txt files that makes the HFCC schedules a little easier to read, per Dan Ferguson.  Thanks for the information!

Here is the Media Broadcast A-11 Schedule direct link! (PDF File)

Happy listening everyone! Share what you hear, it really helps the flow of information in the radio community as well as helping your fellow radio enthusiast & fellow radio amateurs to stay informed about all sorts of useful items happening in radio all around us.

UKRAINIAN HAMS LOSE FREQUENCIES ON HF AND UHF

Some restructuring news out of the Ukraine that’s bad news for ham radio operators in that nation. This, as the Ukrainian government has affirmed new rules for amateur radio operations that have resulted in spectrum losses on the High Frequency, UHF and microwave bands.

According to an e-mail from Alexander Doshchich, UY0LL, the spectrum withdrawn from access by Ukranian hams includes 10.100 to 10.150 and 14.250 to 14.350 MHz on the HF bands. On UHF an above the losses include 1240 to 1300 MHz, 2300 to 2450 MHz, 5670 to 5850 MHz and numerous other spectrum slots right on up to 248 to 250 GHz.

From Paulette MacQuarrie

PCJ Media / PCJ Radio Assembles Transcription Department

Keith Perron at PCJ Radio & PCJ Media has assembled a Trasnscription Department specializing in providing public transcripts of the popular Media Network Plus show. You can follow the activities of the new Transcript Department on Twitter @MNP_Transcripts, or you can read updates and other relevant information at the Radio Assignment Desk on Wordpress.The Radio Assignment Desk is the official home of the transcript team.

Keith Perron & Paulette MacQuarrie have chosen an active, visionary, leader who also acts as part of the overall organization allowing them to have their hands free to care for the core duties involved in the production of Media Network Plus.

Foreign Affairs Commitee Report On BBC World Service

The report from the Foreign Affairs Committee is in. To read the submissions made to the committee click here (SUBMISSIONS).

Here is part of the report made to the British Government about the cuts. Today at 0304 (click here to listen to hear recording) (UTC) I heard on the BBC New the cuts would be reversed.

Ring-fence BBC World Service against Cuts,
say Foreign Affairs Committee

The BBC World Service is of such value to the nation that its income should be ring-fenced against spending cuts, says the Foreign Affairs Committee in its report, released today into the future of the BBC World Service. The report says that the decision to transfer funding responsibility for the BBC World Service from the FCO to the BBC will have major long-term ramifications for the future of the World Service.
 
The World Service promotes British values across the globe and has a reputation exceeded by none. Despite this, the Service has suffered a disproportionate reduction in its future Grant-in-Aid under the Spending Review settlement, by comparison with that of the ‘core FCO’: allowing for inflation, 16% as against 10% across the four years 2010–11 to 2014–15. High-level discussions between the Government and the BBC about a transfer took place for the first time only nine days before the formal announcement of the change, and the approval of the Foreign Secretary was secured only 48 hours before. 

The decision was essentially financial, taken at very short notice, albeit with the full agreement of BBC top management.
 
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Richard Ottaway MP, says, “The BBC World Service has been described by Kofi Annan as “perhaps Britain’s greatest gift to the world”. The value of the World Service in promoting the UK across the globe, by providing a widely respected and trusted news service, far outweighs its relatively small cost. The recent dramatic events in North Africa and the Middle East have shown that the “soft power” wielded through the World Service could bring even more benefits to the UK in the future than it has in the past, and that to proceed with the planned cuts to the World Service would be a false economy”.
 
The report says that the decision to reduce World Service spending by 16% during the 2010 spending review period should be reversed, and resources made available for it to continue its operations at roughly the 2010–11 level of staffing and output. If the Service’s funding is reduced in spite of this recommendation, the Committee urges for damage limitation. In particular, the report calls for the World Service to commit itself to longer-term support for an unreduced BBC Hindi and BBC China Mandarin shortwave service, and to providing enhanced resources to BBC Arabic as required by the recent and continuing political developments in the region.
 
There is a discrepancy between the relatively small amounts of money needed to avoid the most damaging cuts to the World Service and the scale of the Department for International Development Spending Review settlement. Some of the activity of the World Service contributes to the wider aims of DFID and it would be appropriate to consider how an additional small element of the DFID budget might be spent on specific activities and projects of the World Service which are consistent with the terms of the International Development Act 2002. A transfer of just 0.35% of DFID’s resource budget over the next three years would compensate for the proposed 16% reduction in World Service funding. There is no reason why such a transfer should not be made if the political will to carry it out is present.
 
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Richard Ottaway MP, says, “We do not believe the decision to transfer funding responsibility for the World Service from the FCO to the BBC will make the World Service’s funding more secure. Despite all assurances, this decision could lead to long-term pressure on the World Service budget, with the risk of a gradual diversion of resources to fund other BBC activities. No transfer of funding responsibility for the World Service from the direct FCO Grant-in-Aid to the BBC should take place until satisfactory safeguards have been put in place to prevent any risk of long-term erosion of the World Service’s funding and of Parliament’s right to oversee its work.”

Tribute To Paul Streeter - Part 3

Paul loved to talk! When he was on the air, the air was all his (As in people paid attention)! Although it did happen that Paul would run out of things to talk about, it wasn't always that often. A conversation with him could run for hours on end, but none of us complained because it wasn't ever boring. Paul had other loves in life beyond radio. Railroad, as mentioned in part two of this tribute, was one of those loves. In the photo above, Paul is shown at the Glencoe Metra station during a local bicycle event for which the Northshore Radio Club provided volunteer emergency radio communications support. This author was his assigned partner during this event.

In the photo we see the famous AB9PS portable dual-band 2M / 70cm Yagi antenna Paul made by hand.  This antenna used a cut wooden 2 by 4 plank as a boom, PVC pipe, and a run of RG8 coax. Anyone who knew Paul or even spoke with him for long enough would eventually hear some of Paul's love for railroad. He could talk about railroad for lengths of time that would have a person dreaming about crossing the continent by rail while simultaneously yearning to learn U.S. history.

The connection is made to U.S. history because Paul would talk about the old days of railroad. I remember asking Paul about the "whine" for lack of better words of modern Amtrak Genesis engines as they go from a standing position at a station stop to full service. First the engineer gets the "highball" from the line dispatcher, releases the air, and sets the engine into motion. As the train starts moving, you hear a very distinct sort of whirring or whine that goes up in pitch before the engine reaches a decent clip.

For anyone that loves trains, it is the release of the air brakes, the whirring/whining, followed by the K5LA horn blast that makes a great day better! Just as in the photo above, where Paul is getting to enjoy radio AND railroad at the same time, I would hope that he is finally getting to engineer his own train while making radio contacts the entire time AND getting full enjoyment of the greatest music anyone has ever heard.

One of the routines Paul had in the final days of his life, and one of the gifts Paul left all of us with was sharing late evening chats on 442.725+, talking about old re-runs of MASH, and of course we talked about food, meals, anything edible. The photo just above shows the five watt Alinco DJ-596 Paul once used just prior to obtaining a five watt Icom D-Star dual band HT.

The late night group usually consisted of Paul, this author, Jan (pronounced Yahn) - NE2AR, Andy - AB9EW, and whoever else was on the air at the time. Usually, Liam, from Evanston, Il, would chime in when his time allowed. Sitting at the control point until my eyes got heavy and ending the evening having fun with a friend was always the best way to end a late evening. Oh, we can't forget Tom - KC9AZJ (All Zebras Jump)! He became part of the group as time wore on. Tom and Paul often had some good talks about railroad because Tom is also a rail fan.

When we say we had late evenings, late is defined for us as a group as 1AM or after. I almost never held out to the end of the QSO, but there were nights when I would last and Paul would be the first to go followed by me and then Jan. Those nights are already missed.

I remember my first time meeting Paul. We went to Quiznos by the CTA Red line station. We both had a sub and Paul had his coffee. We talked about music, radio, and railroad. Paul did most of the talking when it came to the technical / historical stuff of music and railroad, but he also told some of his famous jokes. We talked about life, family, and classic TV.

Thank you Paul, for the years of memories. Thanks for being a friend, for just being you. Although it hurts to see you leave us, it would hurt more to see you suffer. What always earned my respect the most was that you never let your limitations take away your independence nor your dignity. You were never proud in an arrogant way, never did I see selfishness, never did I see contempt, and never did I see you hate.

The key now may be silent, the control point without your presence, but your voice will keep on being heard and your memory alive. With great gratitude for having had you on this earth, and all the memories to treasure....for what you were to each of us, rest peacefully dear Paul and happy seventy three.

Tribute To Paul Streeter - Part 2

One of the things Paul was well known for was his tales of the Church, his love for traditional types of music, and especially his volunteer work at WFMT radio - Chicago's classic radio. In the photo pictured above, we see Paul enjoying an educational lecture given by a Senior Engineer of WFMT Radio during a special presentation given for the North Shore Radio Club. Besides NSRC, Paul was also a well known and well liked member of W9LYA - The Chicago Metro Amateur Radio Club.

This author has attended a few of the MAC meetings with Paul in the past, which always proved to be fun. Paul was a certified genius, and as such, was inducted into Chicago Area MENSA.  Prior to holding the United States Federal Communications Commission assigning him the Extra Class callsign AB9PS, Paul held the call KB9ZIO as a General Class Operator.

Paul was more than just a local amateur radio operator with a gifted brain, he was more than just a local genius, and a Skywarn Net Control Op. Paul and his son, Dave, are both heroes to the railroad service. In 2009, Paul and his son, Dave, were returning home from a meeting at the National Railway Historical Society when Paul noticed a couple of kids playing on a moving railroad engine, and used their radio skills to contact the train engineer, saving the lives of the children. 

Paul would often speak of his family's heritage, and could often be heard recounting the story of the time someone he knew who was a religious man and also a conscientious objector due to reasons of faith, being drafted into the U.S. Armed Services long ago. This person thought that the Amish were exempt from being drafted and Paul would always say "But someone forgot to tell Congress about that!"

If this author ever found anything unique about Paul, it was that he never ever was heard or observed speaking badly about anyone even if he had the chance to do so. There would be times when Paul and myself would be sitting around watching TV and he would say something out of nowhere, and it was always either something funny or something that made you think because it would always be something most people never thought about or even noticed. Paul had a keen sense of observation.

Paul's love for logic seemed to fuel his interest in electronics and communications, or was it the other way around? It was hard to tell sometimes, but either way, Paul knew what he was doing. My mother once said "No man is ever so tall as when he stoops to help a child." Paul has been known to spend many hours on the phone with this author's daughter helping her with difficult & confusing algebra problems, never asking for anything in return. 

No matter what else Paul did in life, you could find him thinking about something. Paul was known as a deep thinker who was never afraid to look for answers. Conversations with Paul could get so intense as to leave a person speechless, and deep in their own thoughts. This author always had a reverent and playful nickname for Paul - "wise old owl".

Part 3 of this tribute to Paul Streeter will continue tomorrow. Thank you to everyone for allowing this publication to share the celebration of Paul's life with you.

Tribute To Paul Streeter - AB9PS

Just this past Tuesday, the world lost a great man and the circle of radio amateurs around the world lost a great member of its fraternity. Paul Streeter - AB9PS became a silent key (SK) in a local Chicago hospital after fighting with medical problems.

Paul made a list of contributions and achievements to amateur radio, most recently serving as a Net Control Operator for Northern Cook County Skywarn during severe weather events. Behind the scenes, Paul was a warm, caring, easygoing, man. He was the kind of person who appreciated everyone around him, and was always the definition of what a friend should be.

You always knew Paul on the air even without his callsign because of his distinctive voice. That voice was welcoming and friendly, fun, kind, and full of humor. Paul liked to tell jokes and laugh, he could make anyone laugh to be honest. Many hours and days were spent with Paul, all of them were pleasantly memorable.

Shortwave America will dedicate the next few entries to Paul's memory. Rest peacefully, Paul, you are never forgotten.