It was such a shame that VOA closed the São Tomé relay. It had more transmitters and antennas than Botswana. Hoping they don't pull the plug on Tinian and Saipan just yet.
Thanks Mike! I use the World Radio and TV Handbook (WRTH), the online version. An excellent resource and always up to date. It is $25 a year for the web app. Here: shop.radiodatacenter.net/product/wrth-web-app/
It’s a shame as Sao Tome was an example of a superb transmitter site. The effect of being close to water increases transmission distance. I wonder what will happen to the site now?
Indeed! My reception from there was usually very clear and very strong. A real pity. I guess the site will now fall into disrepair, I don't think anyone else is using it.
VOA probably running out of money, like everything else. Surprised that it hasn’t happened long ago, like it did with the Voice of Russia. All these big stations are slowly running out of steam so to speak. Only big stations left are the independents in the USA and New Zealand. China has the balance. Even the BBC is being cut back big time. Also government priorities are changing.
Shortwave stations need around US$15 mil per year to operate, which includes electricity, maintenance, logistics, staffing and other costs. That's just for one transmitter and VoA owns about 19 sites today. Eventually American taxpayers have to foot the bill and they're already not happy about their current government in power. 😐
It probably has to do with money, as others have said here. However, I can understand that reducing some transmissions will save money, but I don't understand why they stopped using São Tomé. As I show in this video, many of the former São Tomé signals now just come from other transmitters. I agree with you, as far as I know there is nothing wrong with the São Tomé transmitter. On the contrary, the signals that used to come from there were generally very good. The 1530 MW signal is an example, often very good at my location in Johannesburg, 4000 km away. It is a bit of a mystery why they stopped using São Tomé.
@@swlistening Here's another the dilemma: shortwave radio enthusiasts blame the drop in shortwave radios' listener base on the major broadcasters pulling back on its shortwave operations. Broadcasters in turn are blaming dwindling audience numbers ever since people found out that they can still tune in via Internet radio, as long as their government doesn't block or control the country's Internet. I think money (not having the funding allocation) is the biggest reason any nation's shortwave broadcast services to cease operating. Radio Australia for example, has publicly admitted to this. The SW stations that are still up and running to this day are usually government controlled and/or funded. I'd like to be clear that any particular nation not having money isn't quite the same as getting the funding that is required to operate shortwave radio services. Singapore for instance, is a tiny but rich and well developed republic in Southeast Asia. It used to have a shortwave station called Radio Singapore International and it quit broadcasting in 2001. That country wasn't anywhere going broke at the time, but the government owned SBC (Singapore Broadcasting Corporation) felt that the money that was needed to run its shortwave radio services was better spent elsewhere. The same goes for the Voice of Malaysia and Suara Indonesia's shortwave broadcasts.
Hey André, quite useful information you provide here, thanks, since the two main reference sites SWInfo and SWDB haven't updated their information on VOA transmission sites at all. I'm impressed by the clear reception you have from the Santa Maria di Galeria transmitter. As for the echo, I sometimes get a very strong echo too, much stronger than what you show here on transmissions from the Issoudun site. Since it's ~200 km away from me, I suspect that this is due to a mix of ground wave and short skip reception. I get good reception from Lampertheim in the early morning only, not at all in the evening. All others are received more or less OK here. P.S. has your SR-286 been put to an early retirement? 😏
Thanks Alain, I plan to monitor all the former São Tomé frequencies over the coming week or so, to see which ones are still on air and where they come from now. I will report back in full! Last night I already noticed some were gone completely. Santa Maria di Galeria is always a very strong signal at my location, the Vatican Radio transmissions from there sometimes sound like FM. Very good signal quality, and very clear. I haven't used my SDR-286 for a while, that is true. It's more like a back-up radio now. The DX-286 and the SR-286 really are exactly the same, so I see no need to take out the SR-286 at the moment. The only difference being the antenna amp and the internal/external antenna shortcut for MW. Slightly easier on the DX-286.
IMO, they should've closed either of the German sites, Biblis or Lampertheim. They're now pretty much redundant, especially now that Radio Farda is also cut by some 80% and all its remaining transmissions come from Kuwait. Idk, maybe they want to keep them just in case, you never know with ruZZia... Instead, by closing Sao Tomé they just shot their own feet as they lost a single-hop coverage of West & Central Africa. At least they made up for this loss a bit by using Ascension, which is good to see 👍
I was happy to see that they are using Ascension for some of these transmissions. This whole business with São Tomé just baffles me. Most of the SW transmissions to Africa still seem to be on air. So why did they stop using São Tomé? Just strange.
@@swlistening guess there's plenty of room on other sites to accomodate most if not all of former use of Sao Tome. Especially after USAGM's own cuts, and remember the BBC cuts from March as well. Some of the services removed then were from Ascension too, like the dreaded 19-22 UTC slot on 11810 & 12095 kHz (well, some of it was from Woofferton too, but you get the idea).
Andre, the audio on the Qodosen DX-286 sounds excellent indeed!
Thanks John, I also enjoy its sound, although some people say it is a bit muffled to their ears. Personally I find the sound clear enough and good.
Every day I love it a bit more ❤
It was such a shame that VOA closed the São Tomé relay. It had more transmitters and antennas than Botswana. Hoping they don't pull the plug on Tinian and Saipan just yet.
A real shame indeed. The São Tomé site was really good. I don't understand at all why they ended all transmissions from there.
Andre, just ordered a Qodosen DX-286 today. It should be here Thursday. I'm getting excited! Thanks for all your videos!
My pleasure, hope you will enjoy the Qodosen radio!
What resources do you use to find out where the transmissions are originating from? Always great videos.
Thanks Mike! I use the World Radio and TV Handbook (WRTH), the online version. An excellent resource and always up to date. It is $25 a year for the web app. Here: shop.radiodatacenter.net/product/wrth-web-app/
I have not been able to catch 909khz for a few weeks now :(
Hi Basil, I can confirm that it is definitely still on air, I hear it every day. Maybe conditions are just not good on your side. Keep trying 🤞
It’s a shame as Sao Tome was an example of a superb transmitter site. The effect of being close to water increases transmission distance. I wonder what will happen to the site now?
Indeed! My reception from there was usually very clear and very strong. A real pity. I guess the site will now fall into disrepair, I don't think anyone else is using it.
Do we know the reasons for this to happen? I mean, nothing wrong technically with São Tomé afaik. Plus Mark Shuttleworth loves the archipelago
VOA probably running out of money, like everything else. Surprised that it hasn’t happened long ago, like it did with the Voice of Russia. All these big stations are slowly running out of steam so to speak. Only big stations left are the independents in the USA and New Zealand. China has the balance. Even the BBC is being cut back big time. Also government priorities are changing.
Shortwave stations need around US$15 mil per year to operate, which includes electricity, maintenance, logistics, staffing and other costs. That's just for one transmitter and VoA owns about 19 sites today. Eventually American taxpayers have to foot the bill and they're already not happy about their current government in power. 😐
It probably has to do with money, as others have said here. However, I can understand that reducing some transmissions will save money, but I don't understand why they stopped using São Tomé. As I show in this video, many of the former São Tomé signals now just come from other transmitters. I agree with you, as far as I know there is nothing wrong with the São Tomé transmitter. On the contrary, the signals that used to come from there were generally very good. The 1530 MW signal is an example, often very good at my location in Johannesburg, 4000 km away. It is a bit of a mystery why they stopped using São Tomé.
@@swlistening Here's another the dilemma: shortwave radio enthusiasts blame the drop in shortwave radios' listener base on the major broadcasters pulling back on its shortwave operations. Broadcasters in turn are blaming dwindling audience numbers ever since people found out that they can still tune in via Internet radio, as long as their government doesn't block or control the country's Internet.
I think money (not having the funding allocation) is the biggest reason any nation's shortwave broadcast services to cease operating. Radio Australia for example, has publicly admitted to this. The SW stations that are still up and running to this day are usually government controlled and/or funded. I'd like to be clear that any particular nation not having money isn't quite the same as getting the funding that is required to operate shortwave radio services.
Singapore for instance, is a tiny but rich and well developed republic in Southeast Asia. It used to have a shortwave station called Radio Singapore International and it quit broadcasting in 2001. That country wasn't anywhere going broke at the time, but the government owned SBC (Singapore Broadcasting Corporation) felt that the money that was needed to run its shortwave radio services was better spent elsewhere. The same goes for the Voice of Malaysia and Suara Indonesia's shortwave broadcasts.
Hey André, quite useful information you provide here, thanks, since the two main reference sites SWInfo and SWDB haven't updated their information on VOA transmission sites at all.
I'm impressed by the clear reception you have from the Santa Maria di Galeria transmitter.
As for the echo, I sometimes get a very strong echo too, much stronger than what you show here on transmissions from the Issoudun site. Since it's ~200 km away from me, I suspect that this is due to a mix of ground wave and short skip reception.
I get good reception from Lampertheim in the early morning only, not at all in the evening.
All others are received more or less OK here.
P.S. has your SR-286 been put to an early retirement? 😏
Thanks Alain, I plan to monitor all the former São Tomé frequencies over the coming week or so, to see which ones are still on air and where they come from now. I will report back in full! Last night I already noticed some were gone completely.
Santa Maria di Galeria is always a very strong signal at my location, the Vatican Radio transmissions from there sometimes sound like FM. Very good signal quality, and very clear.
I haven't used my SDR-286 for a while, that is true. It's more like a back-up radio now. The DX-286 and the SR-286 really are exactly the same, so I see no need to take out the SR-286 at the moment. The only difference being the antenna amp and the internal/external antenna shortcut for MW. Slightly easier on the DX-286.
I had an echo on RFI on 15300 kHz yesterday evening, in Poland 😮
IMO, they should've closed either of the German sites, Biblis or Lampertheim. They're now pretty much redundant, especially now that Radio Farda is also cut by some 80% and all its remaining transmissions come from Kuwait. Idk, maybe they want to keep them just in case, you never know with ruZZia... Instead, by closing Sao Tomé they just shot their own feet as they lost a single-hop coverage of West & Central Africa. At least they made up for this loss a bit by using Ascension, which is good to see 👍
I was happy to see that they are using Ascension for some of these transmissions. This whole business with São Tomé just baffles me. Most of the SW transmissions to Africa still seem to be on air. So why did they stop using São Tomé? Just strange.
@@swlistening guess there's plenty of room on other sites to accomodate most if not all of former use of Sao Tome. Especially after USAGM's own cuts, and remember the BBC cuts from March as well. Some of the services removed then were from Ascension too, like the dreaded 19-22 UTC slot on 11810 & 12095 kHz (well, some of it was from Woofferton too, but you get the idea).
@@ArnieDXer I suppose it's true, there are many other sites with capacity. Maybe those other sites are cheaper.
Thanks Andre for the follow up on the VOA schedule on your less expensive version of my QoDosen SR 286…😂!
73! Have a great day
My pleasure!
Bedankt voor het online zetten. Groeten uit Dalfsen 🇳🇱📻
Groot plesier Albert!