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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 418, December 29, 2002

Indian Army Radio Stations

There was an interesting report in the Melbourne based radio magazine, "Listener In" in Victoria, Australia back in the year 1946. Ern Suffolk in South Australia reported hearing the Indian army radio station in Basra, Iraq on 875 kHz. This tantalising report spawned a spate of research into the subject of "Indian Army Broadcasting".

Actually, there are very brief reports of at least three stations that could be considered as radio broadcasting stations operated by the Indian army. One was in Basra Iraq, another was in India itself, and a third in the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal.

The mediumwave station in Basra, Iraq was operated by the British Forces Broadcasting Service, BFBS, and it was on the air from 1944 to 1947. This BFBS station was allocated the channel 870 kHz, and it carried programming in English and Indian languages, with Iraq and Iran as the designated coverage areas. Available information would suggest that the station was on the air under the callsign JFPA with programming in English and JFPB with programming in Indian languages.

There is a single brief entry in a radio directory printed in 1949 which shows a military station on the air in that year. However, this entry can be read to show that the station was located at Hyderabad, with the callsign VUV, or it can be read as Jodhpur on 4000 kHz. That is all that is known about this station.

There was a Gurkha transit camp located at Dharan, 150 miles east of Kathmandu in the kingdom of Nepal, and a cable radio station was in use with distribution to all barracks and buildings. Programming for this station came on tape from BFBS stations in London and Hong Kong.

In addition to the three radio stations in Iraq, India and Nepal, there were several additional stations that carried programming for Indian troops on service in other countries. In Europe towards the end of the war, the BFBS mobile station, identified as B4, was on the air in Italy and later in Athens, Greece with programming in Indian languages. There was a small volunteer station at Serla in Brunei on the island of Borneo that also carried Indian language programming.

During the Asia-Pacific War, the Japanese established a radio station at Macassar in the Celebes Islands in what is now Indonesia. The original output from this shortwave station was 3.5 kW and this was increased to 6 kW in 1946. This station was noted in the United States with programming in English and also Hindustani.

The large BFBS station in Singapore was on the air shortwave and FM, and the schedule shows that they were broadcasting in five languages, including Indian languages for the local contingents. When the Singapore station was closed, the Indian personnel were transferred to the BFBS station in Hong Kong which carried Indian language programming until Hong Kong was re-absorbed into China.


Review of the Radio Scene During the Past Year 2002

In view of the fact that this is the last edition of Wavescan for the year 2002, it is appropriate for us to take a look back over the past year and to observe some of the significant radio events that have transpired throughout the world. It would seem again this year that events in the international radio world have moved in both directions at the same time. There have been major closings and a diminishing of shortwave coverage in some areas, and yet in other areas rapid progress has been made.

It is very significant that good progress has been made in experimenting with digital radio broadcasting, on mediumwave, FM and shortwave. The European organization, Digital Radio Mondiale, has continued its experiments with shortwave transmissions in the digital mode and they plan to begin regular broadcasting in this mode within a few months.

In the United States, the FCC has given approval for mediumwave and FM stations to simulcast in the digital mode on the same channels under the concept of IBOC, in-band on-channel. Interestingly, it seems that Canada will move their digital broadcasting from a very high frequency band to the standard mediumwave and FM bands also.

The BBC station on Masirah Island is now closed, though a new shortwave and mediumwave facility in Oman on the mainland has been opened. The new shortwave facility for HCJB in the north west of Australia is now on the air with programming to Asia and the Pacific, and work continues in rehabilitating the Darwin shortwave facility of Vision International. Radio New Zealand International is moving ahead with its plans for shortwave relays in the digital mode for reception and local broadcast in the Pacific Islands.

In the United States, several new shortwave stations are making their appearance on the international radio dial, though it will be some time before all of these new movements are finalised. Station KNLS in Alaska is installing a new 100 kW transmitter, and another Gospel station, as yet without callsign, appears to be moving ahead with the construction of its new facility.

The Gospel station WJCR in Upton, Kentucky is now consolidated with a local FM station in Louisville as WJIE, and the California-based KVOH is now associated with the same organization in Kentucky. Station WGTG in McCaysville, Georgia became WWFV, and it is now WWRB in Manchester, Tennessee.

Another Gospel station, WTJC in North Carolina, has launched an additional shortwave station under the callsign WBOH. Station WRNO in New Orleans is still not fully activated; and, by the way, if you would like to buy a shortwave radio station, both WRMI in Miami and WSHB in South Carolina are available.

Over in Europe, they tell us that the shortwave station in Germany on 6085 kHz is now off the air, and there are moves to close out all specialty programming from ROI in Vienna and to broadcast instead just a few hours daily from the local radio networks. Deutsche Welle, Radio Netherlands, Radio France International and Radio Moscow seem to continue at their same levels without interruption. The BBC closed its shortwave services to North America and the South Pacific, though monitoring reports indicate that they quietly reactivated several shortwave channels to these areas due to the listener response.

China Radio International has activated a whole series of new shortwave transmitters, and All India Radio announces that they will close each of their regional shortwave transmitters when they malfunction.

In Latin America, some of the small shortwave stations have been reactivated and some have been closed. Radio National Espana continues in its services to the Americas at the same level, and HCJB in Ecuador has commenced work on their large new shortwave station on the coast.

In Africa, several small shortwave stations, both Gospel and political, have been activated, and broadcasts from Europe and the Americas into Africa continue at a high level. In addition to the installation of new shortwave stations in Africa, some countries have refurbished their equipment for more effective coverage in their own country as well as for a wider coverage beyond.

All in all, 2002 has been quite an interesting radio year. So let's see what interesting radio events transpire during the coming year, 2003.