The newest amateur radio club in the UK launched

Thames Amateur Radio Group (TARG for short) started its first day of operations with a special event station from the studios of local community radio station Phoenix FM in Brentwood using the callsign GX0TRG. 

By working together with Phoenix FM, the team have been spreading the word about amateur radio with the station’s audience, and updating them on the number of contacts made throughout the day.

Club secretary Pete M0PSX says “Thames Amateur Radio Group is a brand new group that’s been formed to promote and further the interests of amateur radio in Essex. We're proud to be working with Brentwood-based Phoenix FM on our launch day, allowing us to link community radio and amateur radio together. We're planning to make as many contacts with other amateur radio operators around Essex, and around the world, and will keep listeners to Phoenix FM up-to-date with our progress throughout the day."

The new group, based in South Essex aims to spread the word about the amateur radio hobby, work from exciting and unusual locations in Essex, and most importantly, have fun. As well as talking to other amateurs around the world, the group will be promoting some of the less-common data modes, to showcase the variety of ways to use the amateur radio frequencies. The group plans to be out-and-about in Essex promoting the hobby, and encouraging new people to get a licence and get on-air. 

Club chairman Mike 2E0NGY: “We decided to form a group to explore all aspects of amateur radio and to bring the hobby right up to date. Our aim is to participate, demonstrate and teach all modes of amateur radio operation. Amateur Radio is a great hobby, and our aims are to pass on the knowledge of how to become an efficient radio operator, and how to make your signals reach the far corners of the globe.” 

Phoenix FM presenter Scott Ross is currently taking up the challenge of getting his amateur radio licence, after spending many years as a shortwave listener. His interest in the hobby was rekindled after finding out about the Foundation licence, which offers an easy point of entry to the hobby. Assuming Scott passes his Foundation exam next month, expect Scott to be transmitting to the world, as well as broadcasting to a more local audience on 98.0MHz FM.

To find out more about the Thames Amateur Radio Group, go to www.thamesarg.org.uk or follow ThamesARG on Twitter

(Source : Southgate Amateur Radio News)

Request for proposals to fund a radio propagation-related project

The Radio Society of Great Britain, RSGB's Propagation Studies Committee is inviting proposals to fund a radio propagation-related project, up to a maximum of £1,000.

The PSC was recently bequeathed £1,000 by the late Charlie Newton, G2FKZ, who died earlier this year. 

Charlie was an active member of PSC and also helped educate other amateurs about propagation matters through talks and lectures.

He was also the author of the book Radio Auroras, which is viewed as a definitive guide to this type of propagation. 

His bequest was made to help fund propagation-related research and the PSC is looking to hear from any person or group who might have a detailed proposal for how the money could be used. 

Full written proposals, including details, costings and likely timescales, should be submitted to PSC chairman Steve Nichols, G0KYA by email to steve<at>infotechcomms.co.uk by 31 December 2012.

www.rsgb.org/psc

(Source : Southgate Amateur Radio News)

Malta: KISS on DAB+ launched

One Productions Limited has launched KISS, a radio station aimed at the young and young at heart, in a bid to extend its message to the digital platform DAB+.

The radio station plays music 24/7 and has a comprehensive playlist of over 30,000 tunes from all decades, artists and music genres.

KISS will entertain its listeners with classified music shows at different time slots, featuring niche selections from the golden oldies to country, to the 70's, 80s' and 90's.

It will also provide listeners with news, weather and sport updates on the hour, every hour from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

KISS on DAB+ can be accessed along with all other analogue local radio stations and main digital European Radio stations on DAB radio sets accessible on the local market as well as through the internet or the digital television platform.

Several car manufacturers are also including DAB+ in their new models.

 

(Source : Times of Malta via WorldDMB)

Swedish taskforce affirms value of public media to democracy

An expert committee in Sweden has found that public service media (PSM) have “great intrinsic value'  to democratic society.

Tasked by the Swedish government to  analyze the conditions for public service radio and TV, the committee also concluded that only a 'clear division between broadcasters and state' can safeguard independence and integrity.  

Entitled 'New conditions for Public Service', the report also recommends that PSM be subjected to 'as little detailed regulation as possible' and that broadcasters 'assume a high degree of responsibility for themselves.' Cilla Benkö, director general-designate of Swedish Radio (SR), says the report reinforces the important role of SR in digitisation.

"Among other things, it recommends that the government increase allocation of funds for the next license period to provide for the development of digital radio,” she says. “This is confirmation that independent PSM must be on all platforms to meet public expectations, whatever form they take."

Ms Benkö is currently deputy director general of SR and a member of the EBU’s Executive Board.

The report also observes that increasing use of the internet has had a major impact on radio and TV markets and that former potential sources of income, such as subscriptions and advertising, may diminish if more and more TV content moves to the internet in the form of on-demand services.

Circulation of the report's summary comes as SR begins work on a new charter for 2014-19, and the EBU launches 'Vision 2020,'  a multi-annual strategic plan that ensures the primacy of PSM amid a converging media environment.

The Committee, chaired by Judge Martin Holmgren, also included media professor, Lars Nord, lawyer and former legal advisor to commercial television station TV4, Helena Miksche, former deputy general of Swedish Post and Telecom Authority, Katarina Kämpe and the former deputy director of Swedish Television (SVT) Leif Jakobsson.

Click here to read a full summary of the report.

(Source : European Broadcasting Union)

1st International Radio Orchestras Festival

The 1st International Radio Orchestras Festival 'RadiRo', a major, new event proposed by Radio Romania, will be held in Bucharest from 23rd  to 29th of  September.

This edition, animated and marked by the personality of its Artistic Director - the pianist and conductor Christian Zacharias - will bring together some major symphony orchestras: Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and Orchestra Nationala Radio Romania.

Music lovers will have the possibility of listening to the concerts live, not only in the concert hall, but also on two of Radio Romania's channels: Radio Romania Cultural and Radio România Muzical as well as via the internet on www.radioromaniacultural.ro and www.romaniamuzical.ro.

All concerts will be offered to EBU members.

(Source : European Broadcasting Union)

Radio Reunited: BBC Radio at 90

When the first BBC transmitter, known as 2LO, crackled into life on November 14th 1922 few could have guessed the impact that radio would have on our world. A few thousand enthusiasts, listening by headphones to primitive crystal radio sets, heard a news bulletin read by Arthur Burrows, the director of programmes of the newly formed British Broadcasting Company (as it then was).

Britain was a very different place, still convulsed by the aftermath of the First World War and just entering a new era of technology. However, while motor vehicles and domestic telephones led to more long distance contact with friends and family, it was radio, as the first mass broadcasting medium, that bought people together across the nation to share experiences together. As we know, television and the internet have burst upon us in the decades since, but the wonders of radio have endured. Indeed, today radio is flourishing.

To mark the 90th anniversary the BBC is attempting an ambitious first, bringing together around 60 our stations (network, local, national and international) for a single remarkable moment – a three-minute piece of history broadcast simultaneously around the UK and the world. At its heart will be an idea that explains radio’s success: listening to each other. 

So if you could talk to the audience of the future, people listening 90 years from today, what would you say? What would be your hopes, fears or observations to a generation yet unborn? It may be a piece of advice, a wish or a question. You might address it to the world at large or more personally, maybe to a great grandchild. You’ll need to keep it short, probably no more than 20 words because we reckon the pithier the thought, the better the broadcast. Personally, I think I may remind people on the limits of technology and enduring beauty of the British landscape. Or maybe just celebrate the fact that the relevance of the wireless has never faded.

We’re thinking of this Radio Reunited moment as a message in a bottle across the years. I’m delighted that Damon Albarn has agreed to set the best of the thoughts to music which we can play out to our listeners on November 14th 2012 at 5.33pm, to mark the first broadcast from 2LO. Radio has come a long way since those crystal sets – short wave, medium wave, FM, digital and now the internet – and there’s no telling how it will be broadcast in 2102. But one thing I am willing to bet is that 90 years from today someone in the BBC will dig out our 2012 90 year broadcast and millions of people will still be tuning to radio to hear it once more.

Send your entries by text or email to your favourite station’s drivetime show or tag your tweets using the hashtag #BBC90. You can also leave your entry in the comments below. 

The best will be given to Damon to include in his unique composition. All entries must be submitted by Friday 14th September 2012. Listeners whose messages are chosen will be invited by their chosen station to record their thought.

Tim Davie is director of BBC Audio & Music 

• The information you provide will be collected and compiled by the BBC for purposes of broadcast on air, possible inclusion in Damon Albarn's piece for the 90th Anniversary of BBC Radio and possible inclusion in The Mass Observation Archive at the University of Sussex for research purposes. Full names will not be broadcast or published online or given to the University of Sussex. The BBC may wish to use your contribution in other BBC services, strictly in accordance with the BBC’s Terms of Use (http://www.bbc.co.uk/terms/).
• Your details will not be passed to anyone else and we will only contact you with regard to your contribution and its use by the BBC. If you submit a text, tweet or email by anyone other than yourself, you must obtain their permission first and if the person is a child you will need to obtain their parent’s written consent. Please visit the BBC's Privacy & Cookies Policy (http://www.bbc.co.uk/privacy/) for more information.
• The BBC may need to edit your contribution for technical or operational reasons and we cannot guarantee that your contribution will be broadcast. Please ensure that your contribution complies with the BBC's Terms of Use (http://www.bbc.co.uk/terms/), and any local terms and House Rules.

(Source :  BBC Radio Blog)

Tivizen radio DAB +

Using your Apple iPod Touch, iPad and iPhone for a radio everywhere, without internet connection The Tivizen Radio DAB + is a 30-pin radio tuner for digital DAB radio. The tuner supports DMB and DAB and DAB + and enables crystal-clear, digital radio and mobile multimedia display of DMB content. The device is available from the end of September for 59.95 euros (RRP).

 

Digital radio anytime and anywhere

No need for WiFi or 3G connection  

Free App "Tivizen DMB / DAB +" in the Apple App Store

See More : www.tivizen.com 

 

(Source : Tivizen via DiIGITAL RADIO BAYERN via Google Translate)

IBC: Broadcasting awards focus on consumers

The annual IBC awards this year have focused on new technologies for consumers.

The International Broadcasting Convention’s CEO Michael Crimp said the industry was changing, with new delivery platforms and business models expanding on the foundation of the long history of broadcasting.

“This year our awards have really reflected these changes, taking us right into the home with new ways of discovering and enjoying the finest content,” he said.

This year’s honours went to companion apps and asset management, the latest in home content delivery, an 80-year history of ground-breaking broadcast developments, cutting edge research and the best in exhibition stand design. 

The President of Japanese public broadcaster and ABU member NHK, Masayuki Matsumoto, was at the conference in Amsterdam to accept the IBC International Honour for Excellence for NHK’s Science and Technology Research Laboratories (STRL) for developments over more than 80 years. 

He said he had a firm belief in research and development and it was an honour to receive the award on behalf of all the engineers at NHK.

The IBC Innovation Award for Content Creation went to FX UK for its companion app for The Walking Dead. The Award for Content Management was won by the American motor sport NASCAR with Telestream, in association with Promise Technology and Quantum, for developing a “compact and powerful” system which put control of multiple video replays into the hands of race officials. The Award for Content Delivery went to 4oD, the video-on-demand service from Channel 4 in the UK

The IBC2012 Judges’ Prize went to the Framework for Interoperable Media Services, a collaboration led by the Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) which jump-started the process of agreeing file exchange standardisation.

The IBC2012 Best Conference Paper Award for a technical paper which best communicates cutting-edge research was won by a team from the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications Heinrich Hertz Institute for their paper on auto-stereoscopic television - 3D without glasses.

The three IBC2012 Exhibition Design Awards were won by Marvell Semiconductors, Netgem and SES.

(Source : Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union)

Sweden : Head of Swedish Radio reject tax plan

Cilla Benkö is the incoming head of Swedish public radio

A proposal to replace the Swedish television licence fee with a tax on everyone over 18 has been criticised by the leaders of Swedish public radio.

A government investigation is to decide the future direction of Sweden's public service broadcasters: Swedish Television (SVT), Swedish Radio (SR) and the Swedish Educational Broadcasting Company (UR). Radio Sweden is part of SR.

Writing in Tuesday's Dagens Nyheter the investigators propose replacing the licence fee with a income-based tax to pay for public service broadcasting.

But the heads of Swedish Radio, Mats Svegfors and Cilla Benkö, say that this move would be "a blow against our independence" and bring the public service broadcasters closer to the politicians.

The investigation also proposes switching radio over to digital. Currently only 35 percent of Swedes are in an area with digital radio coverage.

The government study is to be officially presented at lunchtime today.

(Source : Radio Sweden)

Radio Schweden Quiz: Nordpol-Expedition der Oden [German service]

With gifts from the radio-Sweden-box surprise

Sweden's largest icebreaker for the seventh time on Arctic travel. On behalf of the Swedish Polar Research Institute leads the team of Oden - who is also a research vessel yes - by drilling. Twelve cores, scientists have already taken.

The benefits they expect from the analysis of these samples?

a) Several countries are fighting over the rights to the Arctic. Sweden wants to know how much oil and gas can be obtained from the so-called Walfriedhöfen 10,000 years ago. Only if it is worth Sweden will continue to stand up for their rights in the Arctic.

b) The researchers want to check their models for climate change thousands of years ago. If these models agree, they can be reliably used to predict the climate of the future.

c) The cores of eternal ice to provide information on what types of fish from the penguins to 10 000 years ago ate in the Arctic.

Your response should be sent to:

radioschweden@sverigesradio.se

The closing date is Monday 17 September 2012. In our pod broadcast on the same day, you will learn who won.

 

(Source : Radio Sweden, German Service) (Translated via Google Translation)

 

 

Original Text in German

  

Radio Schweden Quiz:

Nordpol-Expedition der Oden

Mit Geschenken aus der Radio-Schweden-Überraschungskiste

Schwedens größter Eisbrecher ist zum siebten Mal auf Arktisreise. Im Auftrag des schwedischen  Polarforschungsinstituts führt das Team der Oden – die ja auch ein Forschungsschiff ist – Probebohrungen durch. Zwölf Bohrkerne haben die Wissenschaftler bereits entnommen.

Welchen Nutzen erwarten sie von der Analyse dieser Proben?

a) Mehrere Länder streiten sich um die Rechte an der Arktis. Schweden will wissen, wie viel Erdöl und -gas man aus den sogenannten Walfriedhöfen vor 10.000 Jahren gewinnen kann. Nur wenn es sich lohnt, will Schweden weiter für seine Rechte in der Arktis eintreten. 

b) Die Forscher wollen ihre Modelle für Klimaveränderungen vor tausenden von Jahren überprüfen. Wenn diese Modelle stimmen, kann man sie zuverlässiger für die Vorhersage des Klimas der Zukunft benutzen.

c) Die Bohrkerne des ewigen Eises geben Aufschluss darüber, von welchen Fischarten die Pinguine sich vor 10 000 Jahren in der Arktis ernährten.

Ihre Antwort schicken Sie bitte an:

radioschweden@sverigesradio.se

Einsendeschluss ist Montag, der 17. September 2012. In unserer Pod-Sendung am selben Tag erfahren Sie, wer gewonnen hat.

(Radio Sweden, German Service)