shortwave summary, sep 2006 (part 4)

september 2006 reception reports: (part 1) (part 2) (part 3) (part 4) (part 5)

I continued using my Eton E5 with the DE31 antenna. My SW7600GR is nearby but I took its batteries out and haven't charged them yet.

Folks, this is a fun one! The Pope visited Germany, the Swedes make computer games, North Korea isolates itself, a preacher urges exporting morons to China, and Thailand turns instrumental.

Stations received:
* Deutsche Welle
* Voice of Korea
* WBCQ
* Radio Sweden
* Radio Thailand

* 16 Sep 2006, 0005 UTC, 9695 khz (Deutsche Welle): Blaine posted a comment to say that from his place in Oakland (just across the bay from me), he could hear DW coming from Rwanda! That excited me, so I tried the same frequency and got excellent reception. Thanks for the tip, Blaine!

Reactions to the Pope's comments in Germany regarding Islam. Outrage came from the Muslim world over "derogatory remarks" by the Pope "linking Islam to violence". Religious leaders in Indonesia urged against violent reactions. The German chancellor said that the reaction ignored the intention of the speech. Europe and China had 200 billion euros worth of trade in 2005. Both sides have their grievances in this arrangement. Europe wants better intellectual property protection. Unionism is a difficult issue for Chinese firms setting up in the EU. EU regulations and high taxes are also barriers.

Cuba is hosting the 14th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, with representatives of 100 nations, and Kofi Annan. Press access is severely restricted. The Iran nuclear standoff, the mideast crisis, and terrorism were on the agenda. India and Pakistan planned a bilateral summit on the sidelines at the conference in Havana. Poor countries must do more to fight corruption to continue receiving aid from the World Bank, according to Paul Wolfowitz, speaking in Singapore. The World Bank seeks to make resources available to the people that make good use of them. Ivory Coast affected by a toxic waste dumping. The number of people seeking treatment for infections due to inhaling toxic fumes was still rising. Household garbage was no longer being collected.

Oktoberfest opened on Saturday in Munich. There will be plenty of buxom waitresses. Up to 14 tents will hold as many as 5000 people each. Men will be wearing lederhosen. 1-liter mugs of beer cost 7 euros. In Germany, Oktoberfest haters are mostly in the north. Heard ident: "English service of Deutsche Welle radio broadcasting from Germany."

A bionic eye has been developed to combat blindness, using technology similar to the bionic ear. The work is taking place at the University of New South Wales. A famous mountain in Switzerland is changing shape due to glacial melting. The runoff is permeating limestone, which is cracking. Global warming is the cause, and it could eliminate Europe's glaciers by the end of the century. Glacial meltwater is used for irrigation and to cool nuclear reactors. Motorists give greater leeway to cyclists if they are not wearing a helmet.

Games are fast becoming Sweden's cash cow. First-person shooters and online games are the most popular. Games are very complex now, and it requires a lot of work to keep them fun. It's reportedly more complex to make an interactive "shooter" game than a movie. Sweden got started early with the Amiga and Atari platforms, and was involved in demoing. They want to learn more about what American gamers like. Computer games are "the new TV."

That's the first time I heard Deutsche Welle in English. They had excellent news reporting, lots of stories, and it was easy to log as well. I picked up DW in 2 or 3 more receptions after this one, and I will send them my reception reports soon.

* 16 Sep 2006, 0103 UTC, 15180 khz (Voice of Korea): What does Kim Jong-Il's nation have to say for itself? The broadcast reportedly will include news and a listener mailbag. They're always sure to specify "the great leader Kim Jong-Il." Talking about medicine exports "which are the envy of all people." I think they said that Kim Jong-Il received a gift from the communist party of Great Britain, Marxist Lernst. (Anyone understand this?) Discussing the 58th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Something about the U.S. imperialists isolating and suffocating North Korea. They're hoping to improve the quality of their medical service. The Russian orchestra visited on 14 September. U.S. imperialists have reportedly divided Korea. When discussing the notable terrorist attack, they use the degrading phrase "September 11th incident." Discussing importing American beef. Then there was a boring presentation of Kim Il-Sung reminiscence from a book. There was a song with boisterous choral singing. Sounds like a march.

Contempt. (I didn't stay for the mailbag.)

* 20 Sep 2006, 0107 UTC, 7415 khz (WBCQ): Religious. Excellent signal quality! The web schedule lists "Christian Media Network." Talking about the idea of people being killed by plagues. "We're gonna lose half the population of earth here in the very near future." Uhhh! This guy talked about idiots, morons, and dunderheads. "Let's sell morons to China!" ... "If you're a real moron, you can be exported. Then you can reproduce elsewhere." ... "You lose those meanings when you lose your bible and read from your New Lesbian version." A new bible supplanted the King James version, "and the world goes to hell." New candidates for the UN secretary general are gathering in New York City. Discussing politics and military. "Chaos is coming to town, folks." Calls for donations with background music, "New world man" by Rush. Mailing address is in Jacksonville, Oregon. Talking about the spirit of antichrist. At this point, I added the man's name to my dinner guest list and changed the channel.

* 20 Sep 2006, 0137 UTC, 6010 khz (Radio Sweden): This broadcast focused on the recent elections and the structure of Swedish government. Election was lost at a time when the economy was growing; the people's trust was lost. A victory for the right in the parliament. New York Times and Washington Post covered Sweden's elections. Radio Sweden podcasts are at www.radiosweden.org. Podcasts are no substitute for shortwave, buddy. The Swedish parliament is the supreme decision-making power in the country. It first formed in the 1400s, then power shifted to the King in the 1800s. The bicameral system was abolished in 1971. The current parliament comprises 7 parties. All 349 members of parliament are elected by the people every 4 years. Parliamentary decisions are now impacted by Sweden's EU membership. Around much of the country, the morning fog cleared, leaving partly cloudy skies. 17C (62F) in Stockholm.

* 20 Sep 2006, 0201 UTC, 5890 khz (...): This should be Radio Thailand. Static is coming in and out. Wondering what's happening there following the coup. Seems like there will be no broadcast. Oops, at 0204 UTC, I'm hearing music! Brief pause in the transmission there. Music continued at 0207 UTC. Instrumental piano music. The same song is repeating! This continued until 0229 UTC. No voices, just looping music.