Wavescan NWS248
* Theme - 00:00
"Birthday Serenade" - Willi Glahe
* Opening Announcement - 00:16
Welcome to "Wavescan", international DX program from Adventist World Radio
Researched and written in Indianapolis, produced in studios of shortwave WRMI
* The Big News: WRMI Takes over WYFR - 00:30
As we mentioned here in "Wavescan" last week, the big news in the shortwave scene in the United States at the present time is the transfer at the end of this month of Radio Miami International WRMI from the single 50 kW transmitter near Miami to the large multi-transmitter site of the shortwave station that was previously on the air at Okeechobee in lower central Florida for Family Radio as WYFR. Due to the significance of this remarkable development, we are interrupting the flow of regular programming here in our DX program "Wavescan" to give due honor to the two shortwave stations, WYFR and WRMI.
In our program today, we present our opening topic, "Tribute to the Old WRMI"; and for the first program in December next week, we plan to present our "Tribute to Family Radio WYFR".
All reception reports to "Wavescan" for this last week in November will be QSLed with a special "Last Week" endorsement for WRMI Miami, and all reception reports to "Wavescan" during the first week in December will be QSLed with a "First Week" endorsement for the new WRMI at Okeechobee. These special endorsements will be applied to all QSL cards issued for these special editions of "Wavescan" as heard on any of the stations that carry the program; WRMI Miami, KSDA Guam, AWR network relays, WWCR & WINB, and Spaceline Bulgaria. Where possible direct broadcast from the old and the new WRMI would also be appreciated. "Wavescan" may also be heard via numerous electronic deliveries, including station websites and iPod deliveries.
Listeners are encouraged to send their reception reports for these broadcasts to the "Wavescan" address in Indianapolis with address label and return postage, and also to the station that is carrying the programming, and also to the address for the new WRMI. The last edition of "Wavescan" via the old WRMI will be a special tribute to this station, and the first broadcast from the new WRMI will honor this new development.
* Program outline for today
1. Tribute to the Old WRMI
2. Indian 25th Radio Anniversary BCDX Net
3. Radio & Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines
4. International DX News
* Tribute to the Old WRMI - 03:01
The noted shortwave station WRMI in Miami Florida is currently celebrating its 20th birthday.
And as a birthday gift to honor the occasion, the station will be closed down and silenced forever!
Audio Insert
WRMI music, orchestral
It was on November 11, 1993, just 20 years ago, that the first test broadcast was made from a temporary 400 watt transmitter on 9955 kHz. But, the WRMI story goes way back before that.
Back 10 years earlier, that is 30 years ago, the first broadcast of what was called Radio Earth was made over shortwave station Radio Clarin in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic with 50 kW on 11700 kHz on Wednesday June 1, 1983. At the time, Radio Earth was a newly formed agency for program production on shortwave stations, with the young Jeff White as one of its active partners. Radio Earth had syndicated its programming on several shortwave stations in the United States, including WRNO, WHRI, the previous KCBI near Dallas Texas, and Radio Milano in Italy.
Three years later, some of the Radio Earth partners started Radio Discovery, a small shortwave station in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. Radio Discovery gave way in 1989 to Radio Miami International which was at first also a brokerage service for shortwave programming. However, tentative plans were already under way for their own shortwave station, and this is how it happened.
In 1985, a 5 kW shortwave transmitter was procured for intended installation on the island of Curacao in the Caribbean. This transmitter was made by the Technical Materiel Corporation in Mamaroneck, New York, and it is similar to the shortwave transmitters that were on the air in earlier times at the chronohertz stations CHU in Ottawa Canada and WWV near Boulder in Colorado. This TMC transmitter was shipped to Iowa for modification.
Later on, Radio Discovery made a series of preliminary test transmissions from Santa Domingo with just 50 watts on 6245 and 15045 kHz, in mid March 1986. A request for the callsign HRVC had been lodged with the licensing authorities in Santo Domingo, but it was never implemented.
When the Curacao project did not work out, the concept was changed to Miami in Florida instead to Radio Miami International. Initial test broadcasts were made from an old military transmitter, model number T368, similar to one that was in use as a standby unit at WRNO in New Orleans. The WRMI test broadcasts began from their new transmitter building near Miami with 400 watts on their standard frequency, 9955 kHz, on November 11, 1993.
In the meantime, Radio Miami International had procured the 50 kW transmitter from Radio Clarin in the Dominican Republic, which had undergone earlier test transmissions in Santo Domingo. The transmitter was sold, transferred, refurbished and installed in the new transmitter building in North Miami.
The first test broadcasts from the newly installed 50 kW Wilkinson transmitter went on the air on Friday April 1, 1994. This was an open carrier beamed on South America; and audio tests began a few days later. A schedule of regular programming was inaugurated on 9955 kHz on June 14, 1994 at 0100 UTC.
Audio Insert
WRMI music orchestral, WRMI identification announcement in Spanish
The antenna system at WRMI is a unique though very reliable corner reflector at 160 degrees, beamed on the Caribbean and South America. The prime frequency has been 9955 kHz, though in earlier times, three different channels in the 7 MHz band have been in use, as well as 15725 kHz in the 19 m band.
The programming from shortwave WRMI has usually been in English and Spanish, with at times a relay of programming from other shortwave services, including for example, Radio Prague in the Czech Republic and Radio Desanm in Haiti. When WRMI took a satellite relay from the World Radio Net WRN in England, many different international radio stations have been heard via WRMI, including Radio Australia, NHK Tokyo in Japan, and China Radio International in Beijing.
We might also add, that the AWR DX programs have been on the air via Radio Earth, Radio Discovery and WRMI since way back in 1984. At the time, the program title was "Radio Monitors International" and the broadcasts were recorded in the Poona (Pune) studios of Adventist World Radio.
Beginning in 1993, much of the programming from Miami's WRMI was heard on delayed relay via the 1 kW Radio Copan Internacional in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. When the transmitter was shut down two years later for maintenance and modification, that station never returned to the air on shortwave.
Radio Miami International WRMI has been a very reliable verifier, and the Indianapolis Heritage Collection holds more than 100 cards in many different designs.
And so, after all these many years of splendid service, shortwave station WRMI in Miami is closing for ever at the end of this month, and right around the time of its 20th birthday. The first test broadcast was on November 11, 1993, and the station is going silent twenty years later, on November 30, 2013.
Ah, but as you know, that is not the end of the story. Beginning on December 1, the new and much larger WRMI takes to the air from Okeechobee in lower central Florida. You will hear more about that here in Wavescan next week.
* Program Announcement - 10:06
Allen Graham
* Indian 25th Anniversary BCDX Net - 10:55
Intro: Jeff White
Voice Report from India
* Radio & Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines - 17:55
Several news reports indicate that the recent Typhoon Haiyan, or Yolanda as it was known in the Philippines itself, was the largest, most intense typhoon/hurricane/cyclone with the strongest wind gusts, in the history of planet Earth. Some news media state that the entire area of Typhoon Haiyan was as large as the entire continental United States, the strongest wind gusts were measured at 235 miles per hour, and the intensity was a low barometric pressure at 25.34 inches, 858 millibars; all of which would qualify for entry in the Guinness Book of World Records.
For all intents and purposes, the three names typhoon, cyclone and hurricane, refer to the same type of massive wind storm, though the names are applied in different parts of the world. In general usage, we would suggest that in the North Atlantic and the American side of the North Pacific, it is a hurricane; in the South Pacific it is a cyclone; and in the Asian side of the Pacific it is a typhoon.
Massive donations of aid and supplies are pouring in to the Philippines from many countries on all continents throughout the world. The most needed requirements are food, clean water, clothing, medical supplies and shelter.
Audio Insert
Brief typhoon broadcast
On the radio perspective, the BBC London added two hours daily on three different shortwave channels for its broadcasts into the Philippines. FEBC, the Far East Broadcasting Company with its headquarters in Manila, has taken a low power mobile FM station into the devastated areas to provide emergency broadcasts for the stricken residents. FEBC reports no damage to its own mediumwave and shortwave stations.
A news release from FEBC show a picture of their disaster response team headed up by Mike Adams, who in earlier years represented FEBC at the annual meetings of NASB, the National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters. We might also add that ADRA, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency is also providing relief supplies and personnel to the stricken areas. The Adventist ADRA organization is a sister organization to AWR, Adventist World Radio.
Sadly, two radio personnel associated with station DYVL, Action Radio Tacloban, perished during a live broadcast when a storm surge swept through their coastal radio station. Station DYVL, located within in the area of massive damage, was on the air with emergency broadcasts on 819 kHz at 10 kW.
The president of the Philippines, President Acquino, addressed the nation through station DZMM in Manila with 35 kW on 630 kHz, and this same station is heading up a financial drive for the benefit of survivors. Likewise, MediaCorp Radio in Singapore is heading up a fund raising drive for the Philippines.
We should also add that Typhoon Haiyan devastated the small island of Kayangel in the Palau Islands in its onward drive towards mainland Asia. Every house on the island was destroyed.
* International DX News - 21:51
WRN DRM broadcasts analogue & DRM via Spaceline 5875 & 5885 kHz German for Europe
Harold Sellers items
* Music of the World - 26:49
WYFR Theme: To God be the Glory, orchestral
* Closing Announcement - 27:14
Thanks for listening to "Wavescan", international DX program from Adventist World Radio
Researched and written in Indianapolis
Next week:-
1. The New WRMI at Okeechobee in Florida
2. 72nd Anniversary: International Encounter - 2
The Story of HSK "Kormoran" & HMAS "Sydney": Repercussions in Australia
3. Japan DX Report
Two QSL cards available - AWR & WRMI
Wavescan address:-
Box 29235
Indianapolis
Indiana 46229 USA
Wavescan @ AWR.org
Jeff White, shortwave WRMI
* Music Outrun - 28:20
* Program Ends - 28:55
