Showing posts with label BBC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BBC. Show all posts
Saturday, March 9, 2013
BBC Cumbria Welcomes Fluff Cat and The Rock Kittens
Listen for credits at the end of the video. Shortwave America congratulates Terry Askew and his hard working fellow musicians on this new achievement and on their full album being released VERY SOON! To learn more about the Space Gypsy Adventures, which led up to the formation of "Fluff Cat and The Rock Kittens", SEE THE WIKI.
The official Space Gypsy Website is here!
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
China Starts Communications Media War - Targets BBC and VOA Broadcasts
Just when everyone got used to hearing Firedrake, China's most well known music used to maliciously interfere with foreign broadcasters, the world has been hearing THIS! The recording was made on
The sound you hear in the recording resembles one of several digital communication modes that can be heard across the high frequency bands from 160meters (1800Khz) to about 10meters (28500Khz) and usually in SSB (Single Side-Band) mode. What you are hearing is someone knowingly, willfully, and maliciously interfering with international broadcast services.
At first, it seemed as though the BBC was the only victim of this nasty behavior, but the VOA (Voice of America) has also been a target of a well organized and well-resourced country. The guess at this time, given the timing of these instances of interference is that the malicious radio interference is originating from China.
"The BBC said that while it is not possible to know who is doing the jamming, "the extensive and co-ordinated efforts are indicative of a well-resourced country such as China." says an article at VOA's website. The BBC is incorrect that there is no way to know who is performing the illegal and malicious broadcast interference. Triangulation and other RF Direction Finding techniques are available. There has been no news about if the BBC and / or the VOA are seeking such remedies.
Consistent with the recordings out here of the now famous malicious interference which has affected just about every part of the world on the shortwave bands, VOA says this:
"At VOA headquarters in Washington, engineers say that while the agency's Chinese-language broadcasts are routinely jammed in China, its English broadcasts usually are not. They noticed the jamming of the English programs about a month ago and say it appears to use a new technology."
The technology being used is not new, but is a combination of digital modes based on something similar to RTTY and possibly SSTV. Shortwave America is making efforts to identify this mode and how it was written in an attempt to decode it to see if there is anything such as a message or other identifiers being sent in the data stream. Even if there are only zeros and ones being carried, it tells us something about who wrote this digital mode, what their mindset was, what their technical abilities are, and might even tell us about the sort of equipment being used. Just like when police use ballistics to test bullets, we in the communications circles can do a sort of analysis of these signals to identify specific characteristics of it.
This specific digital mode is definitely military in nature because of the wobbly weebly sound that is heard in the recordings. If you scan across the HF bands in any mode, you can hear a digital mode that has nothing but THAT "wobbly weebly" make up to it. It's simply a shifting of tones which is a variance of phase shift keying with data attached to it. Now, listening further, you can hear what almost sounds like a characteristic of what we have known for decades as the "Russian Buzzer"; only it's in a fast high pitch that comes in bursts of sound in a 1-2-3 beat pattern.
All of these details of the mode being used would tend to indicate someone who has knowledge of radio technical arts specific to digital, data, ciphers, code writing and decoding, transmitter and antenna capabilities in high-power environments, antenna radiation patterns, signal propagation, and communications warfare. The offender is going to be a male between 30 and 50 years old, has a background in high level government communications with military experience, holds a certification or license for radio work, likely has an electronics degree or holds advanced mathematics understanding whether documented by an educational institution or not.
The offender is operating voluntarily as opposed to being under duress due to the sort of time and concentration needed to create and then pre-record the digital product. Those affected should know that this is going to be someone of either an Asian or Middle-Eastern culture who holds communist or other extreme beliefs. It appears to be a fact that whoever is performing this interference is someone specifically assigned to run the sound on a repeating loop until the program being interfered with is over, or someone who is actively sitting by a receiver and operating the signal direct from a single site.
Since China has recently had a change in administration, it would make sense if this is someone wanting to show the higher leadership that they have foreign broadcasting under control, someone who wants to project a favorable image to higher leadership. This would be consistent with comments made on certain internet sites who carried the story of the targeted BBC/VOA interference to programs directed to the East and Southeast regions. The comments are pro-Chinese Government, communist in nature / tone, and openly sympathizes with such. This observation of comments and comment posting behavior at these websites was made by retired RNW member, Andy Sennitt.
According to Keith Perron at PCJ Radio:
Shortwave America has learned from PCJ that the Chinese Government employs upwards of 300,000 special agents who do nothing but internet police work aimed at censoring web based communications and creating propaganda. This includes posting their propaganda on internet sites, and comments sections of internet sites with phony accounts.
More information from PCJ says that Sina Weibo has had postings that reveal english broadcasts that were free from interference along with the frequencies and times.
Additionally, an anonymous source inside China says word has gotten around that there is indeed an uncomfirmed order to
BBC Statement regarding interference to BBC World Service Broadcasts
BBC China Crew Detained By Chinese Military After Filming Cyber-Warfare Headquarters
Shortwave America will have more on the renewed Chinese war against foreign communications as it develops.
The sound you hear in the recording resembles one of several digital communication modes that can be heard across the high frequency bands from 160meters (1800Khz) to about 10meters (28500Khz) and usually in SSB (Single Side-Band) mode. What you are hearing is someone knowingly, willfully, and maliciously interfering with international broadcast services.
At first, it seemed as though the BBC was the only victim of this nasty behavior, but the VOA (Voice of America) has also been a target of a well organized and well-resourced country. The guess at this time, given the timing of these instances of interference is that the malicious radio interference is originating from China.
"The BBC said that while it is not possible to know who is doing the jamming, "the extensive and co-ordinated efforts are indicative of a well-resourced country such as China." says an article at VOA's website. The BBC is incorrect that there is no way to know who is performing the illegal and malicious broadcast interference. Triangulation and other RF Direction Finding techniques are available. There has been no news about if the BBC and / or the VOA are seeking such remedies.
Consistent with the recordings out here of the now famous malicious interference which has affected just about every part of the world on the shortwave bands, VOA says this:
"At VOA headquarters in Washington, engineers say that while the agency's Chinese-language broadcasts are routinely jammed in China, its English broadcasts usually are not. They noticed the jamming of the English programs about a month ago and say it appears to use a new technology."
The technology being used is not new, but is a combination of digital modes based on something similar to RTTY and possibly SSTV. Shortwave America is making efforts to identify this mode and how it was written in an attempt to decode it to see if there is anything such as a message or other identifiers being sent in the data stream. Even if there are only zeros and ones being carried, it tells us something about who wrote this digital mode, what their mindset was, what their technical abilities are, and might even tell us about the sort of equipment being used. Just like when police use ballistics to test bullets, we in the communications circles can do a sort of analysis of these signals to identify specific characteristics of it.
This specific digital mode is definitely military in nature because of the wobbly weebly sound that is heard in the recordings. If you scan across the HF bands in any mode, you can hear a digital mode that has nothing but THAT "wobbly weebly" make up to it. It's simply a shifting of tones which is a variance of phase shift keying with data attached to it. Now, listening further, you can hear what almost sounds like a characteristic of what we have known for decades as the "Russian Buzzer"; only it's in a fast high pitch that comes in bursts of sound in a 1-2-3 beat pattern.
All of these details of the mode being used would tend to indicate someone who has knowledge of radio technical arts specific to digital, data, ciphers, code writing and decoding, transmitter and antenna capabilities in high-power environments, antenna radiation patterns, signal propagation, and communications warfare. The offender is going to be a male between 30 and 50 years old, has a background in high level government communications with military experience, holds a certification or license for radio work, likely has an electronics degree or holds advanced mathematics understanding whether documented by an educational institution or not.
The offender is operating voluntarily as opposed to being under duress due to the sort of time and concentration needed to create and then pre-record the digital product. Those affected should know that this is going to be someone of either an Asian or Middle-Eastern culture who holds communist or other extreme beliefs. It appears to be a fact that whoever is performing this interference is someone specifically assigned to run the sound on a repeating loop until the program being interfered with is over, or someone who is actively sitting by a receiver and operating the signal direct from a single site.
Since China has recently had a change in administration, it would make sense if this is someone wanting to show the higher leadership that they have foreign broadcasting under control, someone who wants to project a favorable image to higher leadership. This would be consistent with comments made on certain internet sites who carried the story of the targeted BBC/VOA interference to programs directed to the East and Southeast regions. The comments are pro-Chinese Government, communist in nature / tone, and openly sympathizes with such. This observation of comments and comment posting behavior at these websites was made by retired RNW member, Andy Sennitt.
According to Keith Perron at PCJ Radio:
Shortwave America has learned from PCJ that the Chinese Government employs upwards of 300,000 special agents who do nothing but internet police work aimed at censoring web based communications and creating propaganda. This includes posting their propaganda on internet sites, and comments sections of internet sites with phony accounts.
More information from PCJ says that Sina Weibo has had postings that reveal english broadcasts that were free from interference along with the frequencies and times.
Additionally, an anonymous source inside China says word has gotten around that there is indeed an uncomfirmed order to
BBC Statement regarding interference to BBC World Service Broadcasts
BBC China Crew Detained By Chinese Military After Filming Cyber-Warfare Headquarters
Shortwave America will have more on the renewed Chinese war against foreign communications as it develops.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Hancock - The Radio Ham
Tony Hancock, born 12 May 1924, was a well known actor and radio host at the BBC. One of his greatest hits was something called "The Radio Ham". Hancock had a complicated life and career due to a combination of factors. Learn more about Tony Hancock.
Although Hancock's life and career were complicated matters in and of themselves, Hancock was a genius who continues to be appreciated, and his work lives on.
Shortwave America sort of "commandeered" these videos from Keith Perron at PCJ Radio in good spirit. Thanks for allowing the use of these videos, Keith!
Although Hancock's life and career were complicated matters in and of themselves, Hancock was a genius who continues to be appreciated, and his work lives on.
Shortwave America sort of "commandeered" these videos from Keith Perron at PCJ Radio in good spirit. Thanks for allowing the use of these videos, Keith!
Saturday, September 17, 2011
BBC Comedy - Do You Speak English?
Shortwave America is taking the weekend off in preparation for a couple of new pieces here that is sure to keep you informed AND entertained. In the meantime, please enjoy a comedy clip from the BBC called "Do You Speak English?"
Monday, May 9, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
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.
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 Free Libya
One of the first voices behind Radio Free Libya, Libya's first uncensored radio station.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
BBC Programme On The Future Of Radio
Rajan Datar hosts Mark Selby; Nokia’s expert on mobile radio, Jim Egan; director of strategy and distribution at the BBC World Service and James Cridland; a self-professed “radio futurologist".
Listen to the audio here
Listen to the audio here
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