Shortwave Log, Northern Germany, March 2014: “Voice of the Sky”

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1. All India Radio

All India Radio‘s (AIR) shortwave signal beamed to Europe, on 7550 kHz, is about as strong as Radio Romania International‘s (RRI). You could basically build a receiver yourself to tune to AIR’s 7550 kHz frequency – from a toaster, your old kitchen clock, of from anything that contains a bit of copper. Seriously, a very very basic shortwave receiver with its built-in antenna will usually do, and AIR will come in more clearly than a local medium wave station next to you. If you listen from central Europe, that is.

AIR QSL card, 1985, depicting the Writer’s Building, Kolkata (Calcutta). Click picture for Wikipedia article.

Just as is the case in China, shortwave remains an important means of radio broadcast in India, for domestic, regional, and international broadcasting. AIR’s shortwave transmitting site near Bangalore (aka Bengaluru) became one of the biggest transmitting centres in the world in September 1994, according to the station’s website, but is only one of many sites all over the subcontinent.

 

The Delhi studios are apparently linked to the shortwave transmitters by satellite. Once in a while, especially in broadcasts to East Asia at 10:00 UTC, you may only get the carrier signal (beautifully strong on 17510 kHz, for example, but without modulation, i. e. any content). Usually, things get better during the one-hour broadcast in such cases. AIR seemed to suggest that the satellite links may be occasionally interrupted in reply to a Japanese listener in a feedback program on March 31. Earlier this year, the frequency of 7550 kHz to Europe saw some short power blackouts during the broadcasts between 17:45 and 22:30 UTC.

The regional broadcast aired daily at 15:30 to 15:45 UTC on 9910 kHz is much shorter than the external programs, but with a more lively news bulletin (for including some original soundtracks or sound snippets from covered events). The General Overseas Service, on the other hand, contains much more Indian music, such as Carnatic instrumental music, Hindostani classical music, and music from Indian films.

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2. Recent Logs (from/after March 29)

Some or many of the international broadcasters’ frequencies are likely to have changed on March 29/30, with the usual, twice-a-year, adaptation to winter/summer propagation conditions. Therefore, only a handful of very latest logs for March.

International Telecommunication Union letter codes used in the table underneath:
EGY – Egypt; F – France; IND – India.

Languages (“L.”):
A – Arabic; E – English; J – Japanese.

kHz	Station	Ctry	L.	Day	GMT	S	I	O
15130	Radio Japan	F	J	Mar 30	20:19	4	5	3
9910	AIR Delhi	IND	E	Mar 31	15:30	4	4	4
7550	AIR Delhi	IND	E	Mar 31	19:05	5	5	4
7550	AIR Delhi	IND	E	Mar 31	20:45	5	5	5
9965	Radio Cairo	EGY	A	Apr 2	00:45	3	5	3*)

Sony ICF 2001D receiver plus inverted-V antenna for 1rst /2nd / 5th entry; Silver XF-900 analog shortwave receiver with its built-in telescopic antenna for 3rd/4th entry (AIR Delhi, 7550 kHz).

^*) Contrary to Radio Cairo‘s foreign-language services’ modulation which is usually intelligible unintelligible, this Arabic broadcast’s modulation was beautiful.

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Related

» Special Programme, BDNews24, March 26, 2014
» Logs February 2014
» AIR Bangalore GOS transmitters, Wikimapia

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Tags: Bremen, Germany, India, media, propaganda, public diplomacy, shortwave radio, soft power