The following are links to the resources referenced during the August 5, 2009 edition of the Radio Waves discussion group on Accessible World.
Accessible World hosts the Radio Waves discussion group the first Wednesday of each month starting at 6 PM Pacific Time. Join us for a wide-ranging discussion on all aspects of radio listening, radio hobbies, and related topics. Although each edition is focused on a particular radio-related topic, the discussion can and does cover all sorts of radio-related subjects. Bring your questions, listening tips and stories and get your monthly radio fix!
The August, 2009 edition focused on mediumwave AM DXing.
C. Crane Company - sells many of the good AM receivers discussed during the session.
The RCA RP7887 - the heir to the GE Superadio III.
Introduction To Ultralight DXing from DX.ca web site.
Yahoo! Group Ultralight DX discussion group.
Select-A-Tenna information page from Universal Radio.
Terk AM Advantage Antenna (from Amazon.com)
Information on the Tecsun AN-200 AM Broadcast Band Antenna from Scanning Tasmania.
Station Information:
Radio-Locator
Federal Communications Commission AM Query page.
National Radio Club and DX Audio Service
e-DXN (Electronic publications and discussion group for National Radio Club members)
International Radio Club of America
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Programming Your Scanner
Have been thinking a lot about scanner radios lately. Maybe because the upcoming Radio Waves discussion session on Accessible World on Wednesday, July 1, 2009 (starting at 6:00 PM Pacific Time) is about scanner radios.
One of the criticisms of scanner radios is that they can be complex to program. True enough, but no more complex than many other consumer electronic gadgets. And, they have a decided advantage in that you can use a computer to program them, with the right software and interface cable.
The available software runs the gamut from the down-and-dirty to the downright elegant. Here are a few examples:
Win95 As basic as they come, but surprisingly flexible and usable. You can even use it to "tick" some scanners in tuning out of range. And it's the right price -free!
ScanCat Lite This is the one I use the most. Very good for programming scanners to receive trunked radio systems. Has a bit of a learning curve, but once you get it, you won't find a better package. About $30 U.S. The best technical support you will find in the business.
ARC898 Software for programming the Uniden BC898T, my erstwhile desktop scanner. Good program that is very feature-laden, including the ability to import frequencies from selected web sites. Around $40.
(While you are at Butel Software's site, check out all the other radio-specific programming software they offer. Many popular scanners have options available.
Whatever you choose for software, you will need to make sure that you have a proper cable to interface with your scanner. Radio Shack sells a USB-scanner cable that works with many of its and Uniden models.
If computer programming isn't your bag, you can always pay someone to do it for you. The Bearcat Radio Club and Scanner Master will program your scanner for a price.
One of the criticisms of scanner radios is that they can be complex to program. True enough, but no more complex than many other consumer electronic gadgets. And, they have a decided advantage in that you can use a computer to program them, with the right software and interface cable.
The available software runs the gamut from the down-and-dirty to the downright elegant. Here are a few examples:
Win95 As basic as they come, but surprisingly flexible and usable. You can even use it to "tick" some scanners in tuning out of range. And it's the right price -free!
ScanCat Lite This is the one I use the most. Very good for programming scanners to receive trunked radio systems. Has a bit of a learning curve, but once you get it, you won't find a better package. About $30 U.S. The best technical support you will find in the business.
ARC898 Software for programming the Uniden BC898T, my erstwhile desktop scanner. Good program that is very feature-laden, including the ability to import frequencies from selected web sites. Around $40.
(While you are at Butel Software's site, check out all the other radio-specific programming software they offer. Many popular scanners have options available.
Whatever you choose for software, you will need to make sure that you have a proper cable to interface with your scanner. Radio Shack sells a USB-scanner cable that works with many of its and Uniden models.
If computer programming isn't your bag, you can always pay someone to do it for you. The Bearcat Radio Club and Scanner Master will program your scanner for a price.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Good-Bye TV Audio Radio
One of the not-oft-talked about results of this week's U.S. transition to digital TV is that millions of multi-band radios will no longer pick up TV audio signals. Since the 1960s scores of portable radios marketed in North America have included audio channels for the VHF television channels 2-13. Over the years, I have owned dozens of different models, and used them frequently to the news and the occasional TV program when being parked in front of a TV set wasn't convenient. In the days before podcasts, I would record audio from the Sunday TV news shows to tape, to listen on my bus commute to work.
As a kid, we often had only one TV in the house, and the parents decided what was watched and when. I remember using a small AM/FM/TV and Public Service Band radio to listen to shows I found interesting. During a brief crush I had on a TV newscaster (Debbie Cutter on WWTV in Cadillac Michigan) I would use my trusty "Wave Commander" multi-band set to listen to her newscasts. My first exposure to PBS was via a TV band radio, as I lived in an area where the video signal could not be received, but the audio could, through a makeshift antenna I rigged up in a tree outside my bedroom.
Many visually impaired folks have used TV audio radios for years as a substitute for a regular set.
But as of Friday, June 12, no more. The remaining analog over-the-air television stations in the U.S. will go dark, switching to digital broadcasting primarily in the UHF television band. The VHF channels will largely be auctioned off by the Federal government for use by public safety agencies, wireless companies and other users.
No digital TV band radios currently exist. The signals won't be discernible on any radio, even if they tune the appropriate frequencies. Eventually radios capable of tuning the audio of digital television may come to exist, although it will likely have to wait until digital radio firmly takes hold in the U.S., something that is not necessarily a sure thing.
But for now, TV audio over radio has gone the way of analog TV itself, into the ether.
As a kid, we often had only one TV in the house, and the parents decided what was watched and when. I remember using a small AM/FM/TV and Public Service Band radio to listen to shows I found interesting. During a brief crush I had on a TV newscaster (Debbie Cutter on WWTV in Cadillac Michigan) I would use my trusty "Wave Commander" multi-band set to listen to her newscasts. My first exposure to PBS was via a TV band radio, as I lived in an area where the video signal could not be received, but the audio could, through a makeshift antenna I rigged up in a tree outside my bedroom.
Many visually impaired folks have used TV audio radios for years as a substitute for a regular set.
But as of Friday, June 12, no more. The remaining analog over-the-air television stations in the U.S. will go dark, switching to digital broadcasting primarily in the UHF television band. The VHF channels will largely be auctioned off by the Federal government for use by public safety agencies, wireless companies and other users.
No digital TV band radios currently exist. The signals won't be discernible on any radio, even if they tune the appropriate frequencies. Eventually radios capable of tuning the audio of digital television may come to exist, although it will likely have to wait until digital radio firmly takes hold in the U.S., something that is not necessarily a sure thing.
But for now, TV audio over radio has gone the way of analog TV itself, into the ether.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Shortwave Radio May, In Fact, Be Dead
Earlier this year, I bought a wi-fi radio. I’d been thinking about it for a while, mostly because I wanted a way to be able easily hear what has become my favorite radio station, an eclectic-format 250-watt daytimer, KBRD in Lacey, Washington. I partially justified the expense by convincing myself that being a radio guy, I needed to experience what is bound to be the next big thing in radio. So, I bought a Sangean WFR-20 wi-fi tabletop radio.
I’ll post a detailed review of the radio in a while. For now, all I can say is: Oh. My. God. In more than 30 years as a shortwave buff, I have never had access to international radio like I do now. Yes, I have been listening to streaming radio for years. I can hardly be in my office without Radio New Zealand, BBC World Service, Radio Australia, or a dozen other favorites coming over my computer speakers. But the Sangean – it looks, feels and sounds like a radio.
Now web radio is untethered from my PC. The Sangean lets me listen to internet radio more conveniently. Over the years, I have rigged up contraptions to record broadcasts to tape, downloaded podcasts, rigged up FM transmitters to allow me to listen to broadcasts away from my listening post. Now I really can. It’s just like regular radio. Only ten million times better. I can hear all flavors of the BBC while I do the dishes. Sit in my living room reading a book while listening to Africa Number 1. Cook dinner to Irish traditional music live from Dublin. Domestic AM and FM stations from everywhere. Hear domestic stations that an AM or FM DXer could barely imagine.
I’ve been stunned at the depth of what I can now hear, and the ease with which I can tune it. I’ve actually been spending time sitting on a chair in front of it, doing what only can be termed “DXing” – spinning the dial, seeing which feeds I can hear, trying to identify them by their sound, and the sometimes cryptic IDs that the scrolling display provides.
It isn’t perfect. Sometimes the feeds don’t connect. Once in a while the thing locks up. The audio can be a bit tinny, on the robotic side. (This from someone who has spent three decades listening to static-filled, fading, buzzy shortwave signals.) Wi-fi audio is better quality than anything you are going to get from your shortwave set. For a fraction of what I’ve spent for middle-quality portable radios, I now truly have access to music, news, perspectives and ideas from all around the world. The shtick that was used to sell shortwave for years is now finally, really true.
I’ve heard people say on the radio-related discussion groups that wi-fi is not “real radio.” Bullshit. It is real radio. Radio you won’t be able to get enough of, radio you’ll wonder why you waited so long to get.
I’ve since added a second WiFi unit, the CC WiFi as a bedside radio. I’m in radio heaven.
Trust me, get yourself one of these things. Go here to find out more. Yes, keep one of your tired analog shortwave radios in your disaster kit for power outages, hurricanes or whatever end-of-the-world scenario you are preparing for. But for the 99.9% of the time when alien spacecraft are not landing or nuclear bombs are not falling, find out what international radio is really supposed to be.
I’ll post a detailed review of the radio in a while. For now, all I can say is: Oh. My. God. In more than 30 years as a shortwave buff, I have never had access to international radio like I do now. Yes, I have been listening to streaming radio for years. I can hardly be in my office without Radio New Zealand, BBC World Service, Radio Australia, or a dozen other favorites coming over my computer speakers. But the Sangean – it looks, feels and sounds like a radio.
Now web radio is untethered from my PC. The Sangean lets me listen to internet radio more conveniently. Over the years, I have rigged up contraptions to record broadcasts to tape, downloaded podcasts, rigged up FM transmitters to allow me to listen to broadcasts away from my listening post. Now I really can. It’s just like regular radio. Only ten million times better. I can hear all flavors of the BBC while I do the dishes. Sit in my living room reading a book while listening to Africa Number 1. Cook dinner to Irish traditional music live from Dublin. Domestic AM and FM stations from everywhere. Hear domestic stations that an AM or FM DXer could barely imagine.
I’ve been stunned at the depth of what I can now hear, and the ease with which I can tune it. I’ve actually been spending time sitting on a chair in front of it, doing what only can be termed “DXing” – spinning the dial, seeing which feeds I can hear, trying to identify them by their sound, and the sometimes cryptic IDs that the scrolling display provides.
It isn’t perfect. Sometimes the feeds don’t connect. Once in a while the thing locks up. The audio can be a bit tinny, on the robotic side. (This from someone who has spent three decades listening to static-filled, fading, buzzy shortwave signals.) Wi-fi audio is better quality than anything you are going to get from your shortwave set. For a fraction of what I’ve spent for middle-quality portable radios, I now truly have access to music, news, perspectives and ideas from all around the world. The shtick that was used to sell shortwave for years is now finally, really true.
I’ve heard people say on the radio-related discussion groups that wi-fi is not “real radio.” Bullshit. It is real radio. Radio you won’t be able to get enough of, radio you’ll wonder why you waited so long to get.
I’ve since added a second WiFi unit, the CC WiFi as a bedside radio. I’m in radio heaven.
Trust me, get yourself one of these things. Go here to find out more. Yes, keep one of your tired analog shortwave radios in your disaster kit for power outages, hurricanes or whatever end-of-the-world scenario you are preparing for. But for the 99.9% of the time when alien spacecraft are not landing or nuclear bombs are not falling, find out what international radio is really supposed to be.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Emergency Radio
We live in grim and dangerous times. Pick your calamity: peak oil, war in the Middle East, economic collapse. And now swine flu. You need to be prepared. Like the U.S. government says, three days three ways. (More like three weeks and for keeps, but that's another post.) Radio should be part of your preparation - you need to have proper radios to find out what is going on.
Which radios? You'll need three types: a good quality AM/FM radio, a VHF-UHF scanner, and a weather alert radio. This will give you access to most of the information you would need during an emergency.
AM/FM Radio: This is obvious. You need access to official news and announcements and local information, and this is how you will get it. Although most everyone and every household has one of these, you want to make sure the unit you use for emergencies meets a few requirements:
Which radios? You'll need three types: a good quality AM/FM radio, a VHF-UHF scanner, and a weather alert radio. This will give you access to most of the information you would need during an emergency.
AM/FM Radio: This is obvious. You need access to official news and announcements and local information, and this is how you will get it. Although most everyone and every household has one of these, you want to make sure the unit you use for emergencies meets a few requirements:
-- It has to be battery powered. Make sure you have several sets of spare batteries - alkalines are best. You don't need to store the batteries in the freezer. Good quality alkaline batteries will last at least five years in storage. Don't keep batteries in the radio if you are going to store it for a time without using it.
-- It needs to have a speaker, and a headphone jack for private listening. A Walkman or other portable with only headphones is not recommended - you may need to be able to listen to the radio whilst being able to hear other sounds.
-- You want a set that has good AM reception. Many small portables don't. In addition to your local stations, it is useful to be able to get out-of-town stations at night.
VHF-UHF Scanner This is a type of radio which receives point-to-point transmissions of public safety agencies, aircraft, ships, government agencies and amateurs (hams). You can learn a great deal about how the world really works (or doesn't work) by listening to the local police, fire department, transit agencies and other public agencies. You can also hear the chattering of ham radio operators, which can be useful monitoring in a real emergency.
Using this kind of radio is a lot more complicated than your AM/FM portable. You'll need advice on which unit to buy, which depends upon what types of radio systems (conventional, trunked, or digital) are used in your area. You'll then need to know what frequencies are used in your locality, and get them programmed into you radio.
You'll need to study up on this. Start here, here and here. Order Two-Way Radios & Scanners For Dummies from the bookstore or library. It's a lot of information. It is also the ultimate news junkie tool, and might someday save your life.
Weather Alert Radio The U.S. and Canadian governments operate 24-hour radio stations that broadcast weather forecasts and severe weather warnings. These stations also send out a special signal that will activate specially-equipped receivers, to warn you about impending storms or other disasters. These warnings can be customized by county or calamity, so you only hear the warnings that are relevant to you. The government can also use these radio to alert the public about geological disasters (like tsunamis or volcanic eruptions) or man-made emergencies. You should think about having one of these on every floor of your home - think of them as smoke alarms for the weather.
Read more about weather alert radios here.
These radios can be purchased at electronic specialty stores, or from online dealers (see below). You want a unit that has (1) Battery backup; (2) SAME (Specific Area Message Encoding) capability.
What about shortwave radio? Shortwave radio is interesting, and listening to it won't do you much good in an emergency. Shortwave signals are subject to a lot of variability in terms of reception quality, and are susceptible to atmospheric interference, noise and fading. Also, most of the reliable international broadcasters (BBC, Voice of America, Germany's Deutche Welle) that would be good sources of information in an international crisis have largely abandoned shortwave radio as a delivery means in favor or satellite and the Internet. What's left are religious nutjobs and bastions of the truth like China and Cuba. By all means, get a shortwave radio and tune around, but don't rely on it in a crisis.
OK, what specific radio should I have? I recommend that you spend a little money and get a good quality portable radio, a handheld scanner, and a weather radio. You can get units that combine the different types of radios, but stay away from the military-looking "multi-band" portables you sometimes see advertised in discount retailer catalogs.
My recommendations:
CC Radio SW About $150. Good quality AM/FM reception, batteries last a long time. Even has shortwave, so you can listen to the aforementioned nutjobs and propaganda purveyors.
Sangean ATS-404 About $80. Pocket-size AM/FM/shortwave portable.
CC Radio Plus About $130. AM, FM and weather band unit. Excellent reception and battery life.
Sangean DT400w About $70. AM/FM weather band. Light and very portable.
Sony ICF-S10MK2 About $10. If you are really broke, poor or cheap, this is the best cheap radio to get. AM/FM only, but is very sensitive, and the batteries last forever.
Recommended weather radios:
Reecom R1630 About $60. AM/FM Weather alert clock radio.
Oregon Scientific WR602 About $50 - $70. Portable weather alert radio.
Finally, about the hand-cranked radios you see advertised everywhere: best to stay away from them. Sure, you don't need to worry about keeping batteries around, but for the most part they have marginal reception at best, and the cranking handles tend toward the flimsy. You don't want to be in the middle of Armageddon and have the handle break. Better to get a decent battery portable, and lay in a supply of batteries.
But if you must get a wind-up radio, get the Freeplay Eyemax WB. It's the only one I've tested that has passable AM reception, and the thing is butch enough that it won't come apart in your hand while cranking it. About $80.
Where do you get these radios? Check electronics retailer locally (but don't hold your breath). Excellent mail order dealers include the C. Crane Company, Universal Radio, and the Weather Radio Store.
Get a decent radio, and keep your powder dry.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Useful Tool For The Upcoming Digital TV Transition
Although the U.S. transition to digital television has been a back-and-forth affair with Congress delaying the final deadline by six months (from the original February, 2009 to June) the fact remains that it is going to happen this year. If you are one of the great unwashed who get your TV via over-the-air signals, you will have to figure out the hardware soon.
Unless you are planning on going out and buying a digital TV-capable set within the the few months, or signing up for cable or satellite TV service, you will have to get an analogue-to-digital converter box, and a proper antenna for said box. The converters are now more available than they were earlier in the year. However, I expect another run on them as we approach the June switchover deadline. You also need to figure out what digital TV stations are in range of your TV set, and what type of antenna you will need to continue to watch the enlightening fare that is the center of your life.
That's the subject of this post. Point your web browser to AntennaWeb.org. Set up by the National Association of Broadcasters, AntennaWeb provides a tool that allows you see which digital TV stations are likely within in range of your home, estimates how strong or weak their signal may be, and provides some general recommendations on the antenna you will need to pull those signals in.
AntennaWeb provides a useful mapping tool that shows you where the digital TV stations signals in your area originate from. You enter your address, and the tool returns a listing and map of the stations, with estimates as to signal strength. The site will make recommendations as to whether you will be able to pick up the local stations with an indoor aerial, or whether an outdoor antenna will be required. General information on types of digital TV antennas is also provided.
My own experience with AntennaWeb shows that the transmitters of the local TV stations are located at various orientations to my home. Given this fact, they helpfully recommended I install an outdoor antenna with rotator, so I can aim my antenna at whichever station I want to view at a particular time. Definitely worth checking out as part of your planning for the digital TV transition. (This of course assumes you care enough about TV to exert the effort.)
Unless you are planning on going out and buying a digital TV-capable set within the the few months, or signing up for cable or satellite TV service, you will have to get an analogue-to-digital converter box, and a proper antenna for said box. The converters are now more available than they were earlier in the year. However, I expect another run on them as we approach the June switchover deadline. You also need to figure out what digital TV stations are in range of your TV set, and what type of antenna you will need to continue to watch the enlightening fare that is the center of your life.
That's the subject of this post. Point your web browser to AntennaWeb.org. Set up by the National Association of Broadcasters, AntennaWeb provides a tool that allows you see which digital TV stations are likely within in range of your home, estimates how strong or weak their signal may be, and provides some general recommendations on the antenna you will need to pull those signals in.
AntennaWeb provides a useful mapping tool that shows you where the digital TV stations signals in your area originate from. You enter your address, and the tool returns a listing and map of the stations, with estimates as to signal strength. The site will make recommendations as to whether you will be able to pick up the local stations with an indoor aerial, or whether an outdoor antenna will be required. General information on types of digital TV antennas is also provided.
My own experience with AntennaWeb shows that the transmitters of the local TV stations are located at various orientations to my home. Given this fact, they helpfully recommended I install an outdoor antenna with rotator, so I can aim my antenna at whichever station I want to view at a particular time. Definitely worth checking out as part of your planning for the digital TV transition. (This of course assumes you care enough about TV to exert the effort.)
Monday, January 12, 2009
World's Smallest Shortwave Radio
OK, it's not really a shortwave radio. But it does the exact same thing as a shortwave radio-bring music, news, commentary, drama into your home. Through your PC.
It's the Aluratek USB Internet Radio Jukebox. A small USB flashdrive pre-loaded with a web radio interface. You plug into a USB port on your computer, wait for the software to load, and within a few seconds you have access to over 13,000 radio stations from all corners of the world. You can search for stations by genre and location. The Aluratek interface also features a "Top 10" list of stations, by genre, and location, as voted by Aluratek users. (You vote for a given station by clicking on a happy or sad face on the interface.
The jukebox has the same requirements as pretty much all other internet radio: you'll need Windows 2000, XP or Vista, Internet Explorer 6, 7 or 8 (sorry, no Mac version at present) and a broadband internet connection. Supposedly it does work with dial-up, but shudder to think of the dropouts and buffering. Operation was flawless on my Vista and XP machine.
The interface is quite intuitive. A few minutes of poking around and you'll get it. In addition to search, you can designate stations as favorites, vote for or against a station, and there's a handy history listing that shows what you have listened to.
Why would anyone buy one of these things, when you can get pretty much the same thing for free through various websites like Reciva and Pandora? Simplicity. This is probably the quickest, easiest way to get someone into international radio. You plug it in and start listening to stations from everywhere. No antennas to string, no controls to figure out, no noise and fading. You don't have to futz around with registering or downloading and installing software. Simple, quick world radio.
This would make a fabulous gift for pretty much anyone who likes music, knowing what's going on in the big wide world, or just wants to vicariously travel. (As I write this, I'm listening to Newstalk ZB from New Zealand. Ads that would be irritating on my local radio station sound so cool in a Kiwi accent.) Over the years I've given away a lot of shortwave radios as gifts, and none of them launched any new radio hobbyists. This gadget would probably hook anyone who used it for even a few minutes.
The Aluratek isn't the only USB internet radio device out there. The iRadio USB and Muzee Internet radio are similar units. But the Aluratek seems to be the most widely available, and can be had via Amazon and many electronic/computer retailers for less than 30 dollars. Highly recommended.
It's the Aluratek USB Internet Radio Jukebox. A small USB flashdrive pre-loaded with a web radio interface. You plug into a USB port on your computer, wait for the software to load, and within a few seconds you have access to over 13,000 radio stations from all corners of the world. You can search for stations by genre and location. The Aluratek interface also features a "Top 10" list of stations, by genre, and location, as voted by Aluratek users. (You vote for a given station by clicking on a happy or sad face on the interface.
The jukebox has the same requirements as pretty much all other internet radio: you'll need Windows 2000, XP or Vista, Internet Explorer 6, 7 or 8 (sorry, no Mac version at present) and a broadband internet connection. Supposedly it does work with dial-up, but shudder to think of the dropouts and buffering. Operation was flawless on my Vista and XP machine.
The interface is quite intuitive. A few minutes of poking around and you'll get it. In addition to search, you can designate stations as favorites, vote for or against a station, and there's a handy history listing that shows what you have listened to.
Why would anyone buy one of these things, when you can get pretty much the same thing for free through various websites like Reciva and Pandora? Simplicity. This is probably the quickest, easiest way to get someone into international radio. You plug it in and start listening to stations from everywhere. No antennas to string, no controls to figure out, no noise and fading. You don't have to futz around with registering or downloading and installing software. Simple, quick world radio.
This would make a fabulous gift for pretty much anyone who likes music, knowing what's going on in the big wide world, or just wants to vicariously travel. (As I write this, I'm listening to Newstalk ZB from New Zealand. Ads that would be irritating on my local radio station sound so cool in a Kiwi accent.) Over the years I've given away a lot of shortwave radios as gifts, and none of them launched any new radio hobbyists. This gadget would probably hook anyone who used it for even a few minutes.
The Aluratek isn't the only USB internet radio device out there. The iRadio USB and Muzee Internet radio are similar units. But the Aluratek seems to be the most widely available, and can be had via Amazon and many electronic/computer retailers for less than 30 dollars. Highly recommended.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Welcome To Radio Enthuisast
Thanks for checking out Radio Enthusiast. This blog and its soon-to-be launched companion web site is here to help radio listeners of every interest get the most out of monitoring. The focus is information, reviews and commentary on radio and resources related to it: books, web sites, equipment, discussion forums, and more. I started Radio Enthusiast to help you find the wide range of information and material you can use to make your radio explorations more rewarding.
Although it is ubiquitous in our lives, radio isn't what it used to be. The march of electronic technology is changing how audio communications are delivered. For its first seven decades of existence, it was delivered solely via analog signals sent over the airwaves to a box in our homes, cars, or on our person.
In the last ten years or so, that model is slowly but inescapably being transformed. Today, analog over-the-air broadcasting is beginning to be replaced (or at least complimented) by digital broadcasting, satellite radio, internet radio, wifi radio, podcasts and other delivery methods.Though I am personally a passionate enthusiast of over-the-air analog radio, Radio Enthusiast endeavors to cover the full range of the spectrum and methodology, both old and new. Electronic transmission of music and the spoken work have played a central role in our history and culture. It will continue to do so, however it is delivered. The medium is not the message, it is the messenger. Radio Enthusiast helps you find interesting and unique resources on both the message and messenger.
Radio broadcasting is mostly seen as being a one-way medium. This blog, however, is two-way and I hope you will take advantage of the blog to post your comments and questions.Thanks for finding Radio Enthusiast. You can contact me through the blog, or email me directly.
Good Listening,
Jim Tedford
Radio Enthusiast
Labels: introduction, welcome
Although it is ubiquitous in our lives, radio isn't what it used to be. The march of electronic technology is changing how audio communications are delivered. For its first seven decades of existence, it was delivered solely via analog signals sent over the airwaves to a box in our homes, cars, or on our person.
In the last ten years or so, that model is slowly but inescapably being transformed. Today, analog over-the-air broadcasting is beginning to be replaced (or at least complimented) by digital broadcasting, satellite radio, internet radio, wifi radio, podcasts and other delivery methods.Though I am personally a passionate enthusiast of over-the-air analog radio, Radio Enthusiast endeavors to cover the full range of the spectrum and methodology, both old and new. Electronic transmission of music and the spoken work have played a central role in our history and culture. It will continue to do so, however it is delivered. The medium is not the message, it is the messenger. Radio Enthusiast helps you find interesting and unique resources on both the message and messenger.
Radio broadcasting is mostly seen as being a one-way medium. This blog, however, is two-way and I hope you will take advantage of the blog to post your comments and questions.Thanks for finding Radio Enthusiast. You can contact me through the blog, or email me directly.
Good Listening,
Jim Tedford
Radio Enthusiast
Labels: introduction, welcome
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