[From the WOR mailing list]
International Broadcasting
Kim Andrew Elliott ◊
5001 25th St. North ◊
Arlington, VA 22207 ◊
[email protected]http://www.kimandrewelliott.comAt the tone, time to revive CHU
I can’t get over the loss of CHU, Canada’s
time signal station. It was useful for the
exact time here in the eastern USA, because
WWV, out west in Colorado, was not always
audible.
Yes, of course, now we can get the exact (for
practical purposes) time online and from our
mobile phones. But the internet and cellular
networks are not infallible, nor precise to the
millisecond. So it’s good to have radio as an
alternative and workaround.
How can we restore CHU, or at least its
functions, without burdening the Canadian
government budget? My suggestion: Make it
a commercial station. Now please stop
laughing and read on.
A commercial station needs an audience to
attract advertisers. CHU (or its successor) on
shortwave would always have a very small
audience. But it would also be a very
specialized audience of professionals and
enthusiasts. Advertisements and promotion
announcements can be tucked in between
time announcements every minute. Bien sûr,
they would alternate between English and
French.
On Shortwave Radiogram
swradiogram.net
we have demonstrated that text and images
can be transmitted on an analog AM carrier,
on shortwave, medium wave or longwave.
Text might be preferable for a commercial
CHU, because it can get through when voice
is unintelligible. And it can be used to add a
URL to the end of a brief promotional
message.
Who would operate a commercial CHU?
Canadian universities might be interested for
its scientific value. They can publicize their
achievements and recruit students between
time announcements.
Private companies with an interest in science
and precise timekeeping could also take over
CHU’s functions. There is a Canadian watch
company under the Momentum brand
momentumwatch.com
In addition to their
watches, they could sell a device or app
calibrated by the new CHU, with advertising
inserted.
Transportation companies such as Air
Canada, Westjet, Porter Airlines, VIA Rail, CN
or CPKC might also want to look at this
possibility. The freight railroads are
especially interesting because they can solve
the problem of CHU transmitting only from
Ontario, thus limiting its reception range. CN
or CPKC could position transmitters at three
or more locations along their
transcontinental lines. These railroads have
offices and other buildings all along their
properties which could house HF
transmitters. And room parallel to the tracks
for dipole or bazooka or maybe even rhombic
antennas. The railroads have radio
communications technicians familiar with
VHF equipment, but probably willing
(especially if they are radio amateurs, and
with the Union’s blessing) to do some HF
tasks.
Finally, these regional CHU’s each would
need an atomic clock. Can you buy an atomic
clock on Amazon? Maybe not, but given
modern technology, these devices are
probably less expensive and more portable
than in past decades. They would all have to
be calibrated periodically with the mother
clock at National Research Council Canada.
Topic: [WOR] Kim Andrew Elliott: revive CHU with commercials (Read 3580 times)