556
QSLs Received / Free Thinker Radio eQSL
« on: June 26, 2015, 1503 UTC »
Anthony,thanks a lot for the conformation.
I greatly appreciated.
I greatly appreciated.
Shortwave Pirate Radio In North America And Around The World, And Other Signals That Go Bump In The Night
We seek to understand and document all radio transmissions, legal and otherwise, as part of the radio listening hobby. We do not encourage any radio operations contrary to regulations.
Always consult with the appropriate authorities if you have questions concerning what is permissible in your locale.
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557
SDR - Software Defined Radio / New Cloud-IQ from RFSpace
« on: June 23, 2015, 2324 UTC »
The next chapter in #connected software defined radios.
The Cloud-IQ is the latest high performance software defined receiver from RFSPACE. The Cloud-IQ offers two modes of operation. The IQ mode, offers 24 bit, IQ streaming to the PC over ethernet. This mode uses our SpectraVue software or third party programs like SDR-Radio, SDR# and GNU radio. The stand-alone “Cloud” mode includes a built-in internet server. In this mode, the radio performs the tuning and demodulation of signals and transmits the demodulated information back to a PC, OS-X, Linux or Android client anywhere in the world.
How does it compare to the SDR-IQ:
-Cloud-IQ offers 1.2288 MHz IQ sample rate vs. 196 kHz of the SDR-IQ.
-Uses ethernet interface vs. USB. Can be placed far away from computer.
-Sensitivity is over 15 dB better.
-Broader frequency coverage of 9 kHz to 56 MHz
-Includes low bandwidth cloud mode for access anywhere in the world.
-Powered by a small power supply or USB powered.
-Includes an internal adjustable trigger for capture of repetitive signals (pulsars, Codar, chirps).
-2 antenna input ports for remote or local selection of two antennas.
-All HD2, HD3 products better than -90dBc at -1dB below clipping point.
-Includes a wideband 56 MHz wide spectrum analyzer mode.
-10x faster interface
-Optional RS-232 3.5mm to DB9 cable for external radio control.
-Built-in TCXO
MSRP $649
http://www.rfspace.com/RFSPACE/CloudIQ.html
The Cloud-IQ is the latest high performance software defined receiver from RFSPACE. The Cloud-IQ offers two modes of operation. The IQ mode, offers 24 bit, IQ streaming to the PC over ethernet. This mode uses our SpectraVue software or third party programs like SDR-Radio, SDR# and GNU radio. The stand-alone “Cloud” mode includes a built-in internet server. In this mode, the radio performs the tuning and demodulation of signals and transmits the demodulated information back to a PC, OS-X, Linux or Android client anywhere in the world.
How does it compare to the SDR-IQ:
-Cloud-IQ offers 1.2288 MHz IQ sample rate vs. 196 kHz of the SDR-IQ.
-Uses ethernet interface vs. USB. Can be placed far away from computer.
-Sensitivity is over 15 dB better.
-Broader frequency coverage of 9 kHz to 56 MHz
-Includes low bandwidth cloud mode for access anywhere in the world.
-Powered by a small power supply or USB powered.
-Includes an internal adjustable trigger for capture of repetitive signals (pulsars, Codar, chirps).
-2 antenna input ports for remote or local selection of two antennas.
-All HD2, HD3 products better than -90dBc at -1dB below clipping point.
-Includes a wideband 56 MHz wide spectrum analyzer mode.
-10x faster interface
-Optional RS-232 3.5mm to DB9 cable for external radio control.
-Built-in TCXO
MSRP $649
http://www.rfspace.com/RFSPACE/CloudIQ.html
558
General Radio Discussion / Radio Latino of air for a few weeks
« on: June 23, 2015, 1647 UTC »
Received the below email today:
Dear Listeners,
due to the arrival of a new more powerful transmitter, Radio Latino will be off air for a few weeks for setting the station, changing antennas, cables etc.
Dear Listeners,
due to the arrival of a new more powerful transmitter, Radio Latino will be off air for a few weeks for setting the station, changing antennas, cables etc.
559
General Radio Discussion / Strike 3! A Third CME Raises Watch to G3 Level for 22 June 2015
« on: June 21, 2015, 1924 UTC »
published: Sunday, June 21, 2015 17:15 UTC
A third, much faster coronal mass ejection (CME) is expected to catch up with the two observed on 18 and 19 June bringing them all to Earth in close succession by the UTC day of 22 June 2015. The CME was associated with an R1-Minor flare event observed at 0142 UTC (9:21 pm ET) from Sunspot Region 12371 located near center disk. A G3-Strong Geomagnetic Storm Watch has been issued for 22 June as well as a G2-Moderate Watch for 23 June as the CMEs make their way past Earth. These Watches supersede all prior forecasts. Stay tuned to the website to see how the activity unfolds!
Source: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/strike-3-third-cme-raises-watch-g3-level-22-june
A third, much faster coronal mass ejection (CME) is expected to catch up with the two observed on 18 and 19 June bringing them all to Earth in close succession by the UTC day of 22 June 2015. The CME was associated with an R1-Minor flare event observed at 0142 UTC (9:21 pm ET) from Sunspot Region 12371 located near center disk. A G3-Strong Geomagnetic Storm Watch has been issued for 22 June as well as a G2-Moderate Watch for 23 June as the CMEs make their way past Earth. These Watches supersede all prior forecasts. Stay tuned to the website to see how the activity unfolds!
Source: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/strike-3-third-cme-raises-watch-g3-level-22-june
560
Broadcast Announcements / R.Spaceshuttle Midsummer Fest,6070 & 13600 kHz,20 & 21 June , 03-05 & 22-24 UTC
« on: June 19, 2015, 1650 UTC »
Dear listeners,
Radio Spaceshuttle's Midsummer fest on 6070 kHz Saturday 20th June 03-05 UTC and continuing 22-24 UTC. We shall play traditional Finnish Midsummer music for your fun dear listeners.
Eli Juhannusmusiikkia tarjolla 4 tuntia 20.6. 6070 kHz!
We shall have transmission also on 13600 kHz 21st of June 19-20 UTC!
I wish you will have fun with our programs also in future! Please tell you thoughts to us by e-mail: spaceshuttleradio@yhaoo.com.
Your letters/reception reports are very welcome to our address in Herten:
Radio Spaceshuttle International
P.O.Box 2702
NL: 6049 ZG Herten
The Netherlands
A little fee (2 euros) for return postage (for full info printed QSLs) is needed!
Quick response and communication is possible by e-mail: spaceshuttleradio@yahoo.com
Best Regards!,
Dick of Radio Spaceshuttle
Please note, that we have gathered all reports in here for "One-time" posting after this transmission Season January to end of June. So printed QSLs will be send after that (and e-mail QSLs as well)
Prizes for winners of our contest will be posted same time- For 3 most reports sent persons and to 3 winners picked By Madame Fortune. With prizes there are for example Radio Spaceshuttle T-shirts, Caps, pens, stickers, magnetics, strange music-cds, etc....
Radio Spaceshuttle's Midsummer fest on 6070 kHz Saturday 20th June 03-05 UTC and continuing 22-24 UTC. We shall play traditional Finnish Midsummer music for your fun dear listeners.
Eli Juhannusmusiikkia tarjolla 4 tuntia 20.6. 6070 kHz!
We shall have transmission also on 13600 kHz 21st of June 19-20 UTC!
I wish you will have fun with our programs also in future! Please tell you thoughts to us by e-mail: spaceshuttleradio@yhaoo.com.
Your letters/reception reports are very welcome to our address in Herten:
Radio Spaceshuttle International
P.O.Box 2702
NL: 6049 ZG Herten
The Netherlands
A little fee (2 euros) for return postage (for full info printed QSLs) is needed!
Quick response and communication is possible by e-mail: spaceshuttleradio@yahoo.com
Best Regards!,
Dick of Radio Spaceshuttle
Please note, that we have gathered all reports in here for "One-time" posting after this transmission Season January to end of June. So printed QSLs will be send after that (and e-mail QSLs as well)
Prizes for winners of our contest will be posted same time- For 3 most reports sent persons and to 3 winners picked By Madame Fortune. With prizes there are for example Radio Spaceshuttle T-shirts, Caps, pens, stickers, magnetics, strange music-cds, etc....
561
QSLs Received / Radio Anthony Poland eqsl
« on: June 16, 2015, 1528 UTC »
Thank you very much for the confirmation.
562
QSLs Received / Radio Universe eQSL
« on: June 14, 2015, 1323 UTC »
After a little wait I received my eQSL from R.Universe this morning.
Thanks a lot Wim.
Thanks a lot Wim.
563
General Radio Discussion / A15 Schedules from WRTH
« on: June 14, 2015, 1315 UTC »
The full A15 schedules are now available as a pdf which can be downloaded from this link for free:
http://www.wrth.com/_shop/?p=1931
http://www.wrth.com/_shop/?p=1931
564
QSLs Received / Radio Underground eQSL
« on: June 14, 2015, 1308 UTC »
Thanks a lot Steve for the confirmation.
565
General Radio Discussion / FCC Office Closure Plan Modified
« on: June 12, 2015, 2321 UTC »
Leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee announced an agreement with Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler to amend plans to close Enforcement Bureau field offices.
“The revised plan will keep 15 of the FCC’s 24 field offices open, ensure better rapid response capabilities for the West, provide a mechanism for escalating interference complaints, improve enforcement of the FCC’s rules against pirate radio operators and prevent the commission from transferring field office jobs to the FCC’s Washington, D.C. headquarters,” the lawmakers said in a statement.
The Subcommittee on Communications and Technology also cancelled a hearing on the “Oversight of FCC Field Offices” that had been slated for June 11, which was intended to address concerns about the closures.
In March, the news broke that the commission was planning to close as many as 16 of its 24 field offices, and reduce the number of field agents from 63 to 33.
“Today, I circulated to my fellow commissioners a modified plan to modernize our field offices,” Wheeler said in a statement on the commission’s website. “These changes create the opportunity for the FCC to be more efficient with its resources while actually improving 21st century field activities. The updated plan represents the best of both worlds: rigorous management analysis combined with extensive stakeholder and Congressional input.”
Wheeler went on to thank the lawmakers as well as the National Association of Broadcasters for their input in crafting the proposal. He then urged his colleagues “to approve this revised plan with dispatch.”
The announcement did not address whether the number of field officer positions would be reduced in the amended proposal. An FCC spokesperson told Radio World in an email that they could not discuss the issue further until the commissioners had finished deliberating.
“Communities across America will continue to be served even as the commission becomes more efficient,” Upton said. “It also demonstrates how much we can accomplish when we work together to tackle the many tough issues we face.”
“These changes will keep field offices open in strategic locations and help ensure that the commission can fulfill its responsibilities to the public and public safety communities,” said Walden. “This agreement strikes a balance between the important work of FCC field agents and streamlining field operations to ensure the efficient use of taxpayer dollars.”
The NAB also weighed in: “NAB thanks the many members of congress who expressed concern over proposed cuts in FCC field offices, and we applaud Chairman Wheeler and his staff for resolving this issue in a manner that better protects against airwave interference.”
http://www.radioworld.com/article/fcc-office-closure-plan-modified/276290
06/10/2015
“The revised plan will keep 15 of the FCC’s 24 field offices open, ensure better rapid response capabilities for the West, provide a mechanism for escalating interference complaints, improve enforcement of the FCC’s rules against pirate radio operators and prevent the commission from transferring field office jobs to the FCC’s Washington, D.C. headquarters,” the lawmakers said in a statement.
The Subcommittee on Communications and Technology also cancelled a hearing on the “Oversight of FCC Field Offices” that had been slated for June 11, which was intended to address concerns about the closures.
In March, the news broke that the commission was planning to close as many as 16 of its 24 field offices, and reduce the number of field agents from 63 to 33.
“Today, I circulated to my fellow commissioners a modified plan to modernize our field offices,” Wheeler said in a statement on the commission’s website. “These changes create the opportunity for the FCC to be more efficient with its resources while actually improving 21st century field activities. The updated plan represents the best of both worlds: rigorous management analysis combined with extensive stakeholder and Congressional input.”
Wheeler went on to thank the lawmakers as well as the National Association of Broadcasters for their input in crafting the proposal. He then urged his colleagues “to approve this revised plan with dispatch.”
The announcement did not address whether the number of field officer positions would be reduced in the amended proposal. An FCC spokesperson told Radio World in an email that they could not discuss the issue further until the commissioners had finished deliberating.
“Communities across America will continue to be served even as the commission becomes more efficient,” Upton said. “It also demonstrates how much we can accomplish when we work together to tackle the many tough issues we face.”
“These changes will keep field offices open in strategic locations and help ensure that the commission can fulfill its responsibilities to the public and public safety communities,” said Walden. “This agreement strikes a balance between the important work of FCC field agents and streamlining field operations to ensure the efficient use of taxpayer dollars.”
The NAB also weighed in: “NAB thanks the many members of congress who expressed concern over proposed cuts in FCC field offices, and we applaud Chairman Wheeler and his staff for resolving this issue in a manner that better protects against airwave interference.”
http://www.radioworld.com/article/fcc-office-closure-plan-modified/276290
06/10/2015
566
Broadcast Announcements / BBC Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast on June 21 2015
« on: June 10, 2015, 1619 UTC »
Sunday, 21 June 2015: British Antarctic Survey Annual Mid-winter Broadcast via BBC World Service to BAS staff in Antarctica on midwinter's day in Antarctica. (The schedule in 2014 was is 2130-2200 UTC on 5875-Woofferton UK, 5985-Dhabbaya (UAE), 7350-Ascension). BBC Woofferton issued an eQSL last year.
Last year a "test transmission' for the impending British Antarctic Survey (BAS) broadcast occurred from 21.30 to 22.45 UTC on on 5 frequencies.
The actual broadcast was on 3 of those frequencies. I'm guessing they will do the same this year: test a week before.
The British Antarctic Survey is the UK’s national Antarctic operator, and has for the past 60 years been responsible for most of the UK’s scientific research in the Antarctica. Based in Cambridge, UK, BAS operates four research stations throughout the year in the Antarctic, including Bird Island, South Georgia; King Edward Point, Cumberland Bay, South Georgia; Rothera, Adelaide Island; and Halley, Coats Land.
I will update the times and frequencies as soon as they become available.
Last year a "test transmission' for the impending British Antarctic Survey (BAS) broadcast occurred from 21.30 to 22.45 UTC on on 5 frequencies.
The actual broadcast was on 3 of those frequencies. I'm guessing they will do the same this year: test a week before.
The British Antarctic Survey is the UK’s national Antarctic operator, and has for the past 60 years been responsible for most of the UK’s scientific research in the Antarctica. Based in Cambridge, UK, BAS operates four research stations throughout the year in the Antarctic, including Bird Island, South Georgia; King Edward Point, Cumberland Bay, South Georgia; Rothera, Adelaide Island; and Halley, Coats Land.
I will update the times and frequencies as soon as they become available.
567
QSLs Received / The Chrystal Ship - Sex Rock Show eQSL
« on: June 07, 2015, 1428 UTC »
Thank you very much J.P for the eQSL and the nice email.
568
Huh? / 'Winnetou' actor Pierre Brice dies
« on: June 06, 2015, 1817 UTC »
Pierce Brice, the French actor who fascinated German fans of Western films in his role as Apache chief "Winnetou" has died. He was the hero of 11 films based on German author Karl May's tales of America's colonization.
Brice, a favorite of German audiences in the 1960s, died in a clinic near Paris, according to his management.
Spokesman Thomas Claasen to the news agency AFP that Brice, 86, was admitted to hospital on Friday with a high fever from a lung infection and died early on Saturday in the arms of his wife, Hella Krekel.
The pair, who lived for three decades in a country house 60 kilometers (40 miles) from Paris, had long been planning a return to her home state of Bavaria.
Soldier turned actor
Brice was born in Brest in 1929, served as French soldier in Indochina and Algeria until 1951, before quitting to train as an actor in Paris.
At the Berlin film festival in 1962, he was recruited as Apache chief "Winnetou" for the German filming of the Wild West novel "The Treasure of the Silver Lake" by Karl May.
Brice at the time reportedly knew nothing about either Karl May or his fictional character and took lessons in horseriding from Western specialist Lex Barker.
An unlikely Apache
The televised film was a hit among German-language audiences, drawing 10 million viewers, and surprising Brice, who initially was skeptical because the script gave him few words in the dialog.
In hindsight, his stoic physical presence, memorable facial expressions and third-person speech, turned "Winnetou" into a strong figure of identification for Germans with the plight of America's indigenous peoples.
The fictional chief's death scene in "The Desperado Trail" in 1965 prompted unprecedented audience protests including threatening letters. The production team headed by Horst Wendland brought "Winnetou" back to life.
The series ran to 11 editions before finishing in 1968, with Brice a cult figure in West Germany, Austria and neighboring Czechslovakia, alongside Americans Barker and Steward Granger as the cowboys.
Bambi prizes
Brice, born Pierre-Louis Baron de Bris, was twice awarded German Bambi film prizes, in 1965 and 1966.
He went on to take leading roles in Italian and French feature and television films, including appearances alongside Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni.
Aside from the Winnetou films, Brice also played the fictional Apache role at popular open-air Karl May festivals until 1991. Each year, 300,000 visitors were drawn to the performances.
In 1995, Brice accompanied a humanitarian aid convoy to war-torn Bosnia-Herzegovina. He later campaigned against landmines in Cambodia. In France, he remained relatively unknown as an actor.
Warm tributes
German actress Uschi Glas, who played alongside Brice in one of the Winnetou films, expressed shock at his passing on Saturday.
"He could have comfortably lived another 10 years," Glas told the German magazine Focus. He was a "very fair, collegial actor," she said.
Fans behind the Wall
Gregor Gysi, a veteran leading figure in Germany's Left party, said Brice as Winnetou was also an "idol of a whole child and adult generation" in the former communist East Germany.
"Pierre Brice embodied a truly good and clever Indian, " Gysi said. "In his films were lots of good Indians, only a few bad Indians. lots of bad white villains, but also a few good whites."
"All that contradicted the official [East German] portrayal of the USA," Gysi said on the fringe of his party's convention in the western city of Bielefeld on Saturday.
ipj/xx /(dpa, AFP, Münzinger)
Brice, a favorite of German audiences in the 1960s, died in a clinic near Paris, according to his management.
Spokesman Thomas Claasen to the news agency AFP that Brice, 86, was admitted to hospital on Friday with a high fever from a lung infection and died early on Saturday in the arms of his wife, Hella Krekel.
The pair, who lived for three decades in a country house 60 kilometers (40 miles) from Paris, had long been planning a return to her home state of Bavaria.
Soldier turned actor
Brice was born in Brest in 1929, served as French soldier in Indochina and Algeria until 1951, before quitting to train as an actor in Paris.
At the Berlin film festival in 1962, he was recruited as Apache chief "Winnetou" for the German filming of the Wild West novel "The Treasure of the Silver Lake" by Karl May.
Brice at the time reportedly knew nothing about either Karl May or his fictional character and took lessons in horseriding from Western specialist Lex Barker.
An unlikely Apache
The televised film was a hit among German-language audiences, drawing 10 million viewers, and surprising Brice, who initially was skeptical because the script gave him few words in the dialog.
In hindsight, his stoic physical presence, memorable facial expressions and third-person speech, turned "Winnetou" into a strong figure of identification for Germans with the plight of America's indigenous peoples.
The fictional chief's death scene in "The Desperado Trail" in 1965 prompted unprecedented audience protests including threatening letters. The production team headed by Horst Wendland brought "Winnetou" back to life.
The series ran to 11 editions before finishing in 1968, with Brice a cult figure in West Germany, Austria and neighboring Czechslovakia, alongside Americans Barker and Steward Granger as the cowboys.
Bambi prizes
Brice, born Pierre-Louis Baron de Bris, was twice awarded German Bambi film prizes, in 1965 and 1966.
He went on to take leading roles in Italian and French feature and television films, including appearances alongside Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni.
Aside from the Winnetou films, Brice also played the fictional Apache role at popular open-air Karl May festivals until 1991. Each year, 300,000 visitors were drawn to the performances.
In 1995, Brice accompanied a humanitarian aid convoy to war-torn Bosnia-Herzegovina. He later campaigned against landmines in Cambodia. In France, he remained relatively unknown as an actor.
Warm tributes
German actress Uschi Glas, who played alongside Brice in one of the Winnetou films, expressed shock at his passing on Saturday.
"He could have comfortably lived another 10 years," Glas told the German magazine Focus. He was a "very fair, collegial actor," she said.
Fans behind the Wall
Gregor Gysi, a veteran leading figure in Germany's Left party, said Brice as Winnetou was also an "idol of a whole child and adult generation" in the former communist East Germany.
"Pierre Brice embodied a truly good and clever Indian, " Gysi said. "In his films were lots of good Indians, only a few bad Indians. lots of bad white villains, but also a few good whites."
"All that contradicted the official [East German] portrayal of the USA," Gysi said on the fringe of his party's convention in the western city of Bielefeld on Saturday.
ipj/xx /(dpa, AFP, Münzinger)
569
QSLs Received / Free Radio Service Holland eQSL
« on: June 05, 2015, 1528 UTC »
Thank you very much FRS for the conformation and the nice letter.
570
General Radio Discussion / Nigeria’s Freedom Radio on 9940 kHz via Ascension
« on: June 03, 2015, 2222 UTC »
Residents of Nigeria's north-east have lived in isolation for two years. Terrorists frequently target phone lines in order to cut off communication. Traders avoid the region. Journalists live under threat.
But a new radio programme is now bringing important information to three states - Borno, Adamawa and Yobe - which have been under a state of emergency since May 2013 and turned by the army into a battleground against Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram.
Called Dandal Kura, the one-hour daily broadcast in the local language, Kanuri, provides a mix of news about government actions against the terrorists or updates on displaced and missing persons. It also discusses a range of other topics like farming, health, social issues and sports.
The airwaves even reach across the border in the Diffa region of Niger, Chad's Lake region and northern Cameroon, where Kanuri is also the main language and Boko Haram has been launching attacks.
"With the advent of the Boko Haram insurgency, there was a feeling of dejection in the region," says programme manager Umar Tudun Wada from the northern city of Kano.
"There was a complete absence of communication with the outside world. People felt nobody cares about them. They felt forgotten," Wada explains.
Most radio stations in north-eastern Nigeria are government-owned and broadcast in Hausa or English. For the tens of thousands of Kanuri-speaking people, there is no independent source of information, only state-sanctioned news and Boko Haram propaganda.
"Boko Haram controls people by inducing fear. Without alternatives, people are very much under the influence of Boko Haram's propaganda," says Wada. "Through Dandal Kura, we try to work against the propaganda by giving listeners objective information."
Dandal Kura, which means "the big hall" in Kanuri, was initially set up in January as a three-month pilot project funded by United States development agency USAID. Since April, the programme is managed and run by Freedom Radio, a private broadcaster based in Kano.
In one of Freedom Radio's broadcasting studios, lead presenter Kachalla Kolo sits opposite his colleague Halima Abba Ibrahim, with whom he will moderate a show.
Kolo grew up in Borno State, and many of his relatives still live in the isolated, violence-torn state.
"I'm really happy I can make a small contribution to helping people affected by Boko Haram," he says.
Kolo is part of a team of five presenters and technicians. Three freelance journalists from Borno, Adamawa and Yobe help to supply content. Six additional journalists will be hired in Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
The idea is to soon expand Dandal Kura to a three-hour show, with the hope of eventually turning the programme into a full-service radio station.
"We are hoping to create a sense of community and a space for information exchange," says media advisor David Smith, who helped to set up Dandal Kura.
"One of the goals is to let people know that they are not alone in their suffering, that they can continue with their lives despite the emergency," Smith adds.
What is special about Dandal Kura is not only the language. The programme is transmitted by shortwave, on 9940 kHz, instead of the commonly used FM frequency band.
Shortwave is especially important in rural areas across Africa where FM waves hardly reach, but shortwave radios are easily available for an affordable price. In northern Nigeria they can be bought at any marketplace for about 600 Naira (3 dollars).
There is another key advantage: The shortwave transmission system is located hundreds of kilometres away - on the Atlantic island of Ascension - which means it cannot be destroyed by Boko Haram.
An FM transmitter, in contrast, would have to be installed on the ground in northern Nigeria.
"If we had set up FM transmitters, there would have been a high chance that Boko Haram would take them out," says Smith, who has experience in setting up radio stations in African conflict zones, including Somalia and Central African Republic.
Source:
http://www.albawaba.com/editorchoice/nigeria%E2%80%99s-freedom-radio-takes-battle-boko-haram-air-waves-701212
But a new radio programme is now bringing important information to three states - Borno, Adamawa and Yobe - which have been under a state of emergency since May 2013 and turned by the army into a battleground against Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram.
Called Dandal Kura, the one-hour daily broadcast in the local language, Kanuri, provides a mix of news about government actions against the terrorists or updates on displaced and missing persons. It also discusses a range of other topics like farming, health, social issues and sports.
The airwaves even reach across the border in the Diffa region of Niger, Chad's Lake region and northern Cameroon, where Kanuri is also the main language and Boko Haram has been launching attacks.
"With the advent of the Boko Haram insurgency, there was a feeling of dejection in the region," says programme manager Umar Tudun Wada from the northern city of Kano.
"There was a complete absence of communication with the outside world. People felt nobody cares about them. They felt forgotten," Wada explains.
Most radio stations in north-eastern Nigeria are government-owned and broadcast in Hausa or English. For the tens of thousands of Kanuri-speaking people, there is no independent source of information, only state-sanctioned news and Boko Haram propaganda.
"Boko Haram controls people by inducing fear. Without alternatives, people are very much under the influence of Boko Haram's propaganda," says Wada. "Through Dandal Kura, we try to work against the propaganda by giving listeners objective information."
Dandal Kura, which means "the big hall" in Kanuri, was initially set up in January as a three-month pilot project funded by United States development agency USAID. Since April, the programme is managed and run by Freedom Radio, a private broadcaster based in Kano.
In one of Freedom Radio's broadcasting studios, lead presenter Kachalla Kolo sits opposite his colleague Halima Abba Ibrahim, with whom he will moderate a show.
Kolo grew up in Borno State, and many of his relatives still live in the isolated, violence-torn state.
"I'm really happy I can make a small contribution to helping people affected by Boko Haram," he says.
Kolo is part of a team of five presenters and technicians. Three freelance journalists from Borno, Adamawa and Yobe help to supply content. Six additional journalists will be hired in Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
The idea is to soon expand Dandal Kura to a three-hour show, with the hope of eventually turning the programme into a full-service radio station.
"We are hoping to create a sense of community and a space for information exchange," says media advisor David Smith, who helped to set up Dandal Kura.
"One of the goals is to let people know that they are not alone in their suffering, that they can continue with their lives despite the emergency," Smith adds.
What is special about Dandal Kura is not only the language. The programme is transmitted by shortwave, on 9940 kHz, instead of the commonly used FM frequency band.
Shortwave is especially important in rural areas across Africa where FM waves hardly reach, but shortwave radios are easily available for an affordable price. In northern Nigeria they can be bought at any marketplace for about 600 Naira (3 dollars).
There is another key advantage: The shortwave transmission system is located hundreds of kilometres away - on the Atlantic island of Ascension - which means it cannot be destroyed by Boko Haram.
An FM transmitter, in contrast, would have to be installed on the ground in northern Nigeria.
"If we had set up FM transmitters, there would have been a high chance that Boko Haram would take them out," says Smith, who has experience in setting up radio stations in African conflict zones, including Somalia and Central African Republic.
Source:
http://www.albawaba.com/editorchoice/nigeria%E2%80%99s-freedom-radio-takes-battle-boko-haram-air-waves-701212