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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 454, September 14, 2003
Hidden Meanings Behind Australian Callsigns
As the whole story behind Australian radio callsigns unfolds, it becomes abundantly clear that the most popular choice of callsign identifies in some way the actual location of the station. As far as the identification of the location is concerned, we look at a few of these interesting callsigns and we keep in mind that the initial number in the callsign identifies the state.
The callsign 2CA identifies Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory, 4CA identifies Cairns in Queensland, and 6CA identifies Carnarvon in Western Australia. The callsigns 2BA and 2BE identify Bega in New South Wales, one an ABC government station and the other a commercial station.
Three very similar callsigns identify three cities, but also a liltle more. Station 2AD is in Armidale, New South Wales. Station 5AD is in Adelaide, and this callsign identifies the city and also the "Advertiser" newspaper, which owned the station. The station in the island state of Tasmania, with a similar callsign, is 7AD, and this stands for Advertising Devonport, the station's home city.
The callsigns 2AY, 4AY and 6AY identify Albury, Ayr and Albany. The callsigns 7DN and 8DN identify Devonport in Tasmania and Darwin in the Northern Territory, but the similar callsign 5DN in Adelaide is a mystery. No one seems to know the reason why this 1925 callsign was chosen.
The next most popular form of callsign for Australian radio stations identifies the owners of the station. For example, 3AK in Melbourne identifies the original owners, Akron Broadcasting Service; the call 3AR, also in Melbourne, identifies Associated Radio; and the call 2BL, in Sydney, identifies Broadcasters Limited.
At one stage, it was popular to choose double letters for the callsign of a radio station, and in various areas of Australia you will find for example, 2XX, 2JJ, 3GG, 4CC, 5AA and 6MM. The station in Port Moresby, Papua, with double letters was 9AA, and this call did have a real meaning; the double letters stood for Australian Army.
Stations with a double meaning that included a time reference are 2AM in Sydney, 4AM in Queensland, and 6AM in Western Australia. Interestingly, station 6AM also had its counterpart in the state capital, Perth, with the callsign 6PM.
There are many stations in networks throughout Australia that all carry the same callsign. For example, the stations in the ABC network "Radio National" all carry the same callsign, such as 2RN Sydney, 2RN Newcastle and 2RN Canberra.
Another government radio network is the PB network, and all of these stations have been allotted a callsign in the PB range. The PB stands for Parliamentary Broadcast, and when Federal parliament is not in session this network is on the air with a news format.
Another network is commercially owned, and this is the Eazy Listening music network. All of these stations have been allotted callsigns in the EL range, such as 2EL, 3EL, etc.
Two stations with unusual callsigns are 2OO in Wollongong in New South Wales and 4IO (Four Eye OH) in Ipswich Queenland. The callsign 2OO (Two OH OH) could often be pronounced alternatively as 200 (Two hundred), and the callsign 4IO (Four Eye OH) was often pronounced as 410 (Four-ten).
The first mediumwave station in Australia with a three letter call is station 2WEB in Bourke, New South Wales. These letters probably stand for Western and Bourke. However, of interest is the fact that this three letter call was granted by mistake, and so the station has retained its unique callsign.
There are these days a few other stations that have been granted three letter callsigns, though most of these have come over from the regular three letter calls used by radio stations in the standard FM band in Australia.
Historic DX Report - 90 Years Ago [1913]
On this occasion we compile our Historic DX Report as though it were written just 90 years ago, in the year 1913. By this time there are numerous wireless transmitters on the air all throughout the world, but every communication is still made in Morse Code, or its equivalent in different languages. Let's see what is being heard 90 years ago as we bring you this Historic DX Report.
SCOTLAND: As a result of the tragic sinking of the Titanic in April last year, a Scottish ship, the "Scotia", left Dundee on March 8 to patrol the waters of the North Atlantic and to report by wireless the sighting of icebergs in the main shipping lanes. The "Scotia" is equipped with wireless apparatus made by the Marconi company in England, and it has been allotted the international callsign MJN.
FRANCE: Wireless broadcasts of time signals from the Eiffel Tower in Paris have been received by the navy wireless station NAA at Arlington in Virginia for the purpose of calculating the exact distance between France and the United States. Similar time signals have been heard from station NAA and received at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The callsign of the station with its antenna at the top of the tower was originally just FL, but it was allocated the international callsign FFL as a result of the wireless conference in Berlin a couple of years ago.
NORWAY: The Norwegian government has given approval for the erection of a large wireless station at Stavenger, towards the south of the Scandinavian peninsula. This station, when it is completed, will be in use for trans-Atlantic communication under the callsign LCM.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: On October 11, the Italian liner "Volturno" caught fire in mid-Atlantic, and in response to an urgent appeal using the new SOS signal, ten ships came to the aid of the stricken vessel. A total of 521 people were rescued and transferred from the burning ship to the rescue vessels.
ENGLAND: Plans are in hand for the organization of a Wireless Society in London. Interested business people and those who are interested in wireless are invited to join. It is believed that this will be the first wireless society anywhere in the world.
USA: Plans are in hand for the conducting of experimental wireless reception on a moving train. These wireless tests will be made in late November on a specially equipped train belonging to the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad.
SOUTH AMERICA: It is reported that plans are underway for the determination of the exact border between Brazil and Bolivia by the exchange of time signals by wireless. The Bolivian Survey Commission, which is heading up this border demarcation, is led by Commander H. A. Roberts from the United States navy.
MACQUARIE ISLAND: Over a period of several months, the Australian explorer, Dr. Mawson, was isolated on Macquarie Island due to the wintry weather in the area. He kept in touch with his homeland by means of wireless, making contact with the new station in Perth with the callsign POP. The Macquarie caIlsign was originally MQI, though this was recently internationalized to VIQ.
AUSTRALIA: The new network of wireless stations in Australia and nearby islands is nearing completion. The key station is POS, in Sydney and this callsign stands for Post Office Sydney. Other stations already on the air are POM in Melbourne, POA in Adelaide, and POP in Perth. The station in Port Moresby, Papua, on the island of New Guinea, is expected on air quite soon.
North Korean Radio Anniversary - September 9, 1948
Well, actually, the date September 9 in the year 1948 is not really a date that is associated with radio broadcasting in North Korea. Instead, it is the date on which North Korea announced the formation of its own government. However, there is no known date for the commencement of radio broadcasting in the territory that is North Korea, and at the time of partition there were no known radio broadcasting stations on the air.
We could ask the question: In this land of more than 20 million people, when and where did radio broadcasting actually begin? This information was never made known internationally at the time, and the exact details are still unknown to the international radio world even to this day. A google search on the internet does not seem to bring to light any significant information, and the listings in Ludo Maes' "Transmitter Documentation Project" give very little concrete information.
The first reference that we have been able to locate for the introduction of radio broadcasting in North Korea is found in the Australian radio magazine, "Radio & Hobbies," dated for the month of March 1949. A report by the legendary Arthur Cushen in New Zealand, just six months after their declaration of independence, states that a radio station is on the air in the capital city, Pyongyang. This station was operating on shortwave under the callsign JWM, and it was noted on two channels, 4400 and 7775 kHz.
The first listing for North Korean radio stations in the World Radio Handbook does not appear until eight years later, in the year 1957. In this listing, four channels are given; on mediumwave, 785, 820 and 1075 kHz, with 6250 kHz on shortwave. The hours of on-air operation were quite brief, just a half-hour or an hour in duration.
Programming in that era was in Korean, with a Foreign Service in Japanese. There was also a daily 30 minute relay from Radio Moscow‘s Far Eastern Service in Korean.
It is known that Radio Pyongyang in North Korea procured two of the transmitters at 250 kW from Schwarzenburg in Switzerland when Swiss Radio International closed that station. Ludo Maes gives the year for this event as 1995, and it is presumed that nowadays these units are indeed on the air in North Korea.
The current edition of the World Radio TV Handbook lists 17 mediumwave transmitters on the air in North Korea, mostly very high powered, ranging up to the massive power output of 1,500 kW. For domestic shortwave, 11 transmitters are listed at eight different locations.
On the international shortwave scene, these transmitters are shown as in current use:
It is quite probable that a lot of villages throughout North Korea are still receiving radio programming by cable, through a loud speaker installed in the home.
Occasionally QSLs from North Korea do make an appearance into the international radio world. In the AWR collection we are holding a total of eight QSLs, seven on shortwave and one on mediumwave. A total of four of the regional shortwave locations have been verified.
So, to answer the original question, available evidence would suggest that the first radio station on the air in North Korea was a low powered shortwave unit located near the capital city, Pyonyang, and that was installed early in the year 1949, just a few months after their declaration of independence.