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"Wavescan" is a weekly program for long distance radio hobbyists produced by Dr. Adrian M. Peterson, Coordinator of International Relations for Adventist World Radio. AWR carries the program over many of its stations (including shortwave). Adrian Peterson is a highly regarded DXer and radio historian, and often includes features on radio history in his program. We are reproducing those features below, with Dr. Peterson's permission and assistance.
Wavescan 406, October 6, 2002
AWR Additional Shortwave Relays
This is now chapter 49 in the continuing story of international shortwave broadcasting by Adventist World Radio. On this occasion, we look at a cluster of five different relay locations that are currently on the air with AWR programming.
Back at the beginning of the year 1995, the first edition of this DX program, "Wavescan," was aired on the AWR shortwave network. Two additional stations also took this program relay, and these were stations ZLXA at Levin in New Zealand, and WRMI in Miami, Florida. Nearly eight years later and 400 programs later, both ZLXA and WRMI are still carrying "Wavescan" as part of their regular broadcast schedule.
An interesting fill-in relay sometimes occurs in conjunction with the two shortwave giants in Germany. These two stations are located at Julich, near the border with Belgium, and Wertachtal, near the border with Switzerland. The station at Julich contains 12 shortwave transmitters at 100 kW each, and the station at Wertachtal contains 13 transmitters at 500 kW.
Normally AWR is on relay from the Deutsche Telekom station at Julich for five and a half hours each day. However, due to transmitter loads, sometimes Julich is unable to carry the AWR relay, and so this programming is then switched over to the other Deutsche Telekom station at Wertachtal. When Wertachtal carries the AWR relay, the power output on one of the 500 kW transmitters is reduced to 125 kW, simply because that is all that is needed for the AWR relay.
At the beginning of August last year, AWR commenced a new program relay from the four shortwave transmitters located at Al Dhabbaya in the United Arab Emirates. These transmitters are each rated at 250 kW.
The most recent new relay facility for Adventist World Radio is the one located on the island of Taiwan. On February 1 earlier this year, AWR began this program relay with the usage of two shortwave transmitters rated at 100 kW each.
This shortwave station in Taiwan is located at Paochung, which is situated near the middle of the west coast of the island, and a little inland. Other international broadcasting stations are also on the air from this same shortwave facility.