Κυριακή 23 Μαρτίου 2025

Trapped in a City of Noise

 Here you will read my story big problem of the recent years with first  as AI edited with the next part being the original polished with a grammar checker 

----------- the pompous IA version . I like it.

A DXer's Lament: Trapped in a City of Noise

For over 40 years, the airwaves have been my playground. As a DXer, I've chased distant signals, logging countless stations and sharing my discoveries with radio clubs worldwide. But now, my passion is trapped in a city of noise, a concrete jungle that stifles the whispers of the world.

My journey began in the mountains, where the air was clear and the only interference came from my trusty router, its high-pitched hum a constant companion. Then, we moved to a village nestled near the majestic Olympus, where the noise subsided and the world opened up.

With an external antenna reaching for the sky, I reveled in the symphony of the airwaves. From the Italian Marconi to the Ethiopian whispers on 7110, each signal was a treasure, a testament to the magic of radio. QSL cards, tangible proof of my connection to faraway lands, filled my collection.

But fate, it seems, had other plans. We returned to the city, where the walls closed in and the airwaves became a cacophony. My equipment, once a source of joy, now sits in a box, a silent reminder of lost opportunities.

The TV's incessant chatter drowns out the faint whispers of distant stations. The small space offers no room for my antennas, no haven for my ears to escape the urban din.

Yet, the DXer in me refuses to be silenced. I cling to the memories of clear skies and exotic voices, the thrill of the hunt, the joy of connection. I dream of open spaces and quiet nights, where the airwaves once again sing their siren song.

Perhaps, one day, I will break free from this concrete cage and return to the world of DXing. Until then, I will keep the flame alive, nurturing the hope that the whispers of the world will once again reach my ears.

Additions after Sept 2025  

And finally, in mid-September 2025, my wife left her parents’ home — the last familiar place that still carried an echo of our past — and stepped into what I now call the rabbit hole. It is a space barely 15 square meters, after subtracting the twenty more that furniture and boxes have already dominated . Inside this confined world, three and one souls must coexist for a time no one can yet define.

The flat itself is a modest 1+2-room unit, tucked in the middle floor of an eight-plus-three-storey building of sixty-five flats — a vertical hive where every wall hums with other people’s lives. Even something simple, like running a cable or raising an antenna to the terrace, has become a small odyssey. We know no one here — not a single person to ask for advice or to share a conversation aboiut on how to install a n antenna system in the terrace . The verandah is too narrow to stretch even a loop of wire, and there’s no corner near the room where I could dream of setting up a radio.

Meanwhile, the room our daughter once called her own in the old flat remains frozen in time. Her belongings still wait there, like witnesses of what was once a stable life. The DX gear, the antenna cables, the Large  literature — all of it scattered or packed away, impossible to restore to its rightful place. Those instruments were more than metal and wire; they were my connection to the world, my window into distant voices carried by the air.

Now, the only way to listen — to truly be a listener — is through the PC, through remote receivers that whisper signals from faraway lands. Yet, even in this new place, there are few new sounds to chase. Only the Greek pirates drift across the frequencies, their wild transmissions like ghosts of freedom defying the silence.

It’s strange — how the passion that once filled entire rooms now has to fit inside a single screen. Each move, each relocation, feels like a chapter closing — the world shrinking just a little more. Still, I tune in. Because DXing was never only about distance. It was about connection — proof that somewhere, beyond the static, someone is still transmitting.

So think well about what is written here before you reply. These are not just words; they are the echoes of a man who refuses to lose his frequency in the noise of change.

 

-------------ORIGINAL TEXT "trapped in the noise and a false fate"

Here is the original: full story to s sent to a DXer but finally stopped from forwarding it to him
I've been a DXer since the 70s and was much more active after the 90s, with my logs shared via email with many radio DX clubs since 1995.
For  than 50 years a DXer, and finally in the latest years I'm absolutely isolated from real DXing, i.e., meaning from using my radios or SDRs due to 'fatal' conditions of being restricted into …a small space of a PC a very fast router, and a TV jamming in the most dense part of the city, Thessaloniki.
What happened? The story is quite long, but let me make it as short as possible.
Until 4 years ago, I lived with my family in a mountain nearby the city. Reception was excellent due to the low level of noise, except for the router. Hope you know what damage it can do to the shortwaves. In short, it can add very strong noise in 3.8–5.2 and 8.5–12 MHz for 50 Mbps.
Regrettably, I rarely turn it off because my wife and daughter require constant connectivity.
4 years ago we moved to a village nearby the mountains of Olympus. The reception conditions remained unchanged due to the router and the significantly lower local noise compared to an external antenna at a distance of 25 metres. This router produced high noises in between 3.8–5.1 and 8.7–12.1 MHz, with the same thing happening as in the previous home. I again switched it for better reception. Fortunately, there were many cases of walking in a nearby place inside the village with the tecsun radio and doing a near noise-free reception.
I also had the opportunity to travel to the city for several days to care for my parents. I temporarily installed a Youloop and did some DXing between SDRs—typical shortwave radios—and remote kSDRs, as I call them. The main reason to listen via R-kSDRs is that it is much better to listen to stations that otherwise could not be heard locally as shortwave Australia , Wai FM, radio saturno BR, and many more to note here. The list is very gib.
The noise-free reception in the village offered near to excellent receptions in both LMHF and helped listening to the Italian Marconi, as also some stations from Jibuti on 1431 on MW , the Indian music Lyca from the UK in MW, and sometimes the Ethiopian on 7110 or Amhara on 6090, with the most difficult station being Wai FM on 11665 near the end of its transmission heard only on the beach. I had the opportunity to conduct some QSLs at that time, both in the city and in the village.
Finally, after three years, we returned to the city last September. I gave my daughter the room, but I kept the middle room for myself. She is now in her fourth year in high school.
This room is quite small and does not allow any PC or radio installation. Instead, I reserved my Tecsun radio for the primary news, storing the rest of the equipment in a box for later use. The only solution was to place the laptop, along with its standard external keyboard, headphones, and mouse, on the opposite side of the window in the salon where my mum resides. Sometimes the sound from the TV reaches 80-90 dB, making it quite difficult to listen to the SW or even YouTube.
The next family’s step is to move into a smaller house in a nearby building with 40 sqm and possibly ly NO ability to listen to FM!
Not working now at 63+. I have plenty of time for DXing, and sometimes I also do some QSLing and feel like a radio worker, whatever that can mean to you . From the 50+ stations logged for QSL, only 20 have replied with QSLs. I ALWAYS NOTE THE KSDR I USE. Note also that I prefer to provide them the information derived from the kSDR: audio recording, waterfall, spectrum and time signal analysis. Many stations know me as a signal analyst! I did the same the times I used RSP with SDR Console since 2019.


 

 

Σάββατο 22 Μαρτίου 2025

Report for the Wai FM for March 2025

This station never has a stable s/on and s/off program. Supposedly a manual technician work   Last year I have checked for more than 2 weeks the switching behavior and still they continue with the same manner.
Waterfalls have been also used for measuring the correct time
 
QRG: 11665 kHz programmed transmission times: 22-16z   , random kSDRs as they permit based on user load. 

Default kSDR is Negros Occ PHL which provides best reception. Any other kSDR is noted below

Tue 4/3 started 21,57:40 -60dbm via Jakarta (?)

Thu 6/3 already in the  band 2145 possibly due to Ramadan ,based on info Ramadan in Sarawak seems  to start March 1 2025 with  2/3 for most places in Malaysia

Fri 7/3 already in the band on 2142 via Jakarta -57dbm dangdut a and old pop songs

Sat 8/3 signed off 140153 / Already in the band on 2125 need to check for earlier!

Su 9/3 signed off 13.35.48 /Started 2130 with marginal signal in all the region Somehow better after 2200z with  20kHz signature

Mon 10/3 started on 2154,20z -with -85dbm in  Jakarta and same level in the region . 01z with -70dbm in PHL it possibly seem they transmit with lower power.

Tue 11/3?? S-off 1405 /started 215324

Wed 12/3  signed off 140022  unable to look for the night time

Thu 13/3  s/off 140401 / Barely invisible carrier line on 2202+ slight raise to around 15db SNR on 2215 Fast signal increase 2218 with 50+ SNR .. Avail only  in PHL before 2015 Remain kSDs in  INS shown only noise!. look in the bottom in the bottom in the page to see  a similar fading pattern!

Fri 14/3  s/off 140100

Sat 15/3 ?? …………. 2129 already on good signal

Mon 17/3  …….  Started on 2156 -87dbm via Jakarta 

Tue 18/3 off 140323      s-on 2136 -54db

Wed 19/3 off 140038   s-on 213645 -55x dbm 

Thu 20/3 off 140015.. via Jak    2140 already on air ! 

Fri 21/3 1404 already off     , s on 213410 exact,-75dbm

Sat 22/3 s 1-sec audio gap on 134345     S/off 141540!     S on 215816 measured in waterfall -75dbm signal, low signal increase to -65 on ca 2203

Sun 23/3 1-sec audio gap on 134623  s/off 135701  s/on 215940!! -65  I found several more random audio gaps during their transmission

Mon 24/3 s/off 140024 

Τuε 25/3    s/on  214645  -65dbm

Wed 26/3 s off 13.59.12    s/on *2124

Thu 27/3 s/on 214249

Fri 28/3 s/off 140059   s/on 200019 starting with a -90dbm carrier with signal slowly increasing  I keep a signal trace here:  (I can presume that the  transmitter was not properly heated before)

Sat 29/3 UTC   I feel quite sad that the station could not start quite early  for the Ramadan day  carrier *220242  mod 4 secs after apart  and s signal of –55dbm with peaks to -4 max  with the typical pastor program.  

Sun 30/3 with the new sched seen 1359  with CRI Urdu  singing on   while on 135940 Wai was s off.   Also CGTN on *1400 usually the previous season  both freqs were  clear that time… Due to the quite late time of  listening for the night I m stopping this experiment!

 

extra log:

11665  wai FM 1325 with local pop and dangdut music. 1336  with OM talking on Facebook and more . Program continues with long talk session possibly religious  with semi dangdut song on 1354  ID on 1357 WAI FM . Noise has been started around 1345 . -65 dbm   with signal lowering after 1356 There is some QRM from 11660 CRI CC making exactly the same audio sound of the older times The  listening conditions mixed with the audio filtering once again reminds me my reception of the 90s of the station VoM on 15295. A bit before  1359  and station signed off . CRI Urdu on 11660kHz

 


 

Παρασκευή 21 Μαρτίου 2025

Response to an article called QSL CHEATING

Here is my response to a blog of Rob Wagner to a article called QSL and cheating  with SDRs  The text below is  a a bit unabridged (ie lengthier ) with some additions which not provided so far in the reply. 

First  note that  I m not only a DXer but also a blogger with many pages  all  related to gadgets  and shortwaves: one for the logs , one for gadgets and a third  for signal analysis  and other radio related.
After long time of listening to the radio and since 2019  with SDRs  I finally was enforced to be only with one …laptop and  a router due to isolation in one room  as the family and parent conditions forced  me to move between  3 places the last 4-5 years , MY final point is in the city with the radio setup as noted above. If you are interested in more detail I have put the story in a separate  web  page:
Now to the subject. 

Although  I have  read from an email that kSDRs as I call them , (please add this term to the jargon!) that it is very easy to cheat with them, I totally disagree with that . The thing is very simple. Instead form what a typical Xer can do  ie just send e email  and  note that he heard the station without adding some foolproof information that a r-SDR can offer , he is surely cheating  
.
I was  always a sincere radio listener  and especially after the use of SDRs,  I preferred to send tbe material  below to the radio station that goes two steps further than a typical report with SINPO: (just think of using SDR console)

-An audio recording. Sometimes if you are interested in long recs it’s better for reconverting them in lower bitrates. WMA is suggested in such cases
-Screenshot of the SDR program, this can show the spectrogram and also some of the waterfall
-if possible, a long waterfall as derived from SDR Console This is good for the station to know for a possible interference
-A screenshot of the Signal history. this is useful for the propagation effects
This is my norm of sending emails to radio stations. Note that I totally against SINPO as  far as  SDRs are concerned.

The same things can be done easily with a WebSDR or kSDR with the timestamp active.  Note that the user MUST first  convert the WAV file  into MP3 format.
All this above information might be helpful to any radio station as a PROOF OF RECEPTION.  always send this material packed into a zip file . Most times I  had  responses except from stations  not accepting SDR reports,

addition 1 :  some station examples

There are  several stations with policy against remote SDRs or even your SDRS!
Joystick from Germany was  my first experience  He can only accept reception reports with a real radio with minimum time of 15 minutes. I was awarded twice after sending him with my radio and mp3 rec connected. They   transmitted via  Moosbrun  Austria till end last  year on  7330 the fist Sunday of the month .This years they use  a transmitter via UK on 11805 on 11z  with the same3 manner.

Some others  which don’t respond to remote SDR receptions :
Most other  German stations i had the same problem with MRI Marconi radio from Italy
Nikkei , they sent me message that they stopped QSLing via internet . Same is now for NHK as they discontinued responding for QSLing .  Older times  i was a local monitor for them for around 1 year when they stopped this kind of cooperation . 

In the other side there are many stations which responded very fast as : VoMongolia,  Wai FM Malaysia  and R Pilipinas.  They   reply in just one day!
The longest was R Marti  around 2-3 months and  SOHope. TW  Via snail  mail. SoHope is a spacial case already posted before in this blog as Fu Xin!
A few radio stations know me as a signal specialist!


Δευτέρα 17 Μαρτίου 2025

with open AI

 

The Impact of U.S. Government Funding Cuts on International Broadcasting Services

In March 2025, the U.S. government implemented significant funding cuts to its international broadcasting services, including Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), and Radio Free Asia (RFA). These cuts have raised concerns about the future of unbiased news dissemination in regions with restrictive media environments and the potential empowerment of authoritarian regimes.reuters.com+1vanityfair.com+1vanityfair.com

Background of the Funding Cuts

On March 15, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at reducing the federal bureaucracy, which included significant defunding of organizations under the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM). The White House justified this move by citing instances where VOA's coverage was labeled as "exceedingly partisan," leading to the decision to place hundreds of its employees on leave and bar them from accessing their headquarters and equipment.vanityfair.comft.com+1axios.com+1

Reactions from International Broadcasting Leaders

Leaders of the affected organizations have expressed deep concerns regarding these funding cuts. Steve Capus, President of RFE/RL, warned that defunding the service, which provides news to 23 countries with restrictive press environments, would be a "massive gift to America's enemies." Similarly, Michael Abramowitz, VOA's director, described this move as the first silencing of VOA in 83 years, emphasizing the detrimental impact on the U.S.'s ability to disseminate unbiased news globally.reuters.com+1axios.com+1vanityfair.com

International Responses and Concerns

The international community has reacted with alarm to these developments. The Czech Republic, for instance, plans to discuss the future of RFE/RL during a European Union ministerial meeting, emphasizing the need for political action to address the funding cuts. Media advocates have also warned that such moves could empower authoritarian regimes and damage U.S. credibility in promoting democracy and press freedom globally.reuters.comft.com+1axios.com+1

Implications for Global Media and Democracy

The defunding of these international broadcasting services is expected to create a significant information gap in regions lacking access to reliable journalism. Advocates warn that removing these broadcast agencies will leave populations in authoritarian countries without unbiased news sources, potentially allowing oppressive regimes to operate without scrutiny. Furthermore, this move is seen as part of a broader campaign against media organizations perceived as hostile, raising concerns about the future of press freedom and the role of the U.S. in promoting democratic values worldwide.axios.comvanityfair.com

Conclusion

The U.S. government's decision to cut funding to its international broadcasting services has sparked widespread concern among media advocates, international leaders, and proponents of press freedom. As these organizations have historically played a crucial role in providing unbiased news to regions with limited press freedom, their defunding could have far-reaching implications for global media landscapes and the promotion of democratic values.




In March 2025, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) implemented significant workforce reductions across its networks, including Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), and Radio Free Asia (RFA). While exact numbers are not specified in the available sources, these layoffs are part of a broader federal initiative to streamline government operations and reduce expenditures. citeturn0search0 Additionally, reports indicate that government job cuts have been substantial, with 36,044 planned layoffs in March 2025, reflecting a 7% increase from February. citeturn0search1 This context suggests that the reductions within USAGM are part of a wider trend affecting various sectors, including government agencies.