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VOACAP: Understanding and Using the Voice of America Coverage Analysis Program

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  VOACAP: Understanding and Using the Voice of America Coverage Analysis Program by Rob Wagner VK3BVW My thanks to Jari Perkiömäki, OH6BG, for his assistance in preparing this article. It first appeared in the April 2026 issue of my World of Shortwave Listening column for The Spectrum Monitor magazine. Further details on this excellent publication are available at www.thespectrummonitor.com When you have spent time on the HF bands chasing DX or tuning across the shortwave spectrum, you will know that propagation can feel unpredictable. Signals that are strong one day may vanish the next, and paths that seem impossible can suddenly open without warning.  VOACAP, the Voice of America Coverage Analysis Program, helps make sense of this constantly shifting landscape. Originally developed by engineers at the Voice of America, VOACAP began as a professional planning tool for international broadcasting and has since become one of the most widely used propagation prediction systems am...
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CHU CLOSURE AND DX QUICK TIPS - May 24, 2026

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  CHU CLOSURE AND DX QUICK TIPS May 24, 2026 CHU Canada's National Research Council has announced that the time station CHU will cease its standard time and frequency transmissions on June 22. The notice simply states: "As of June 22, 2026, the shortwave radio broadcast of the NRC's official time signal will no longer be available."  The NRC announcement does not provide a detailed technical justification on that page. However, it directs users to alternative official time-distribution methods, including the NRC web clock, the telephone talking clock, and Network Time Protocol (NTP). This strongly suggests the same modernisation pressures that ended other HF time stations worldwide: internet-based synchronisation, GNSS/GPS timing, and declining dependence on shortwave dissemination.  This is probably no surprise, as  other Canadian services, such as its Weather Radio, have also been in the firing line.  However, i t is still sad to see a famous time station depa...
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OPENING THE LOGBOOK - MAY, 1972

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OPENING THE LOGBOOK - MAY, 1972 Each month, I open the old records to see what I (and others) heard decades ago.  It has been fun looking back at old issues of the Australian DX News (ADXN - the newsletter of the Australian Radio DX Club), bringing back lots of memories. Here are some memories from  May 1972—54 years ago!  All frequencies in kHz; all times are UTC (or GMT, as we used to say in those days!). Shortwave News In May, a new group, known as the Union of Asian DXers , began operations. Our long-time friend, Victor Goonetilleke, established this group and published an initial newsletter. It was formed to support the more experienced DXers and intended to cover the Asian DX scene. Incidentally, the UADX is still in operation today as a Facebook group - check it out at:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/332654660822467 . Mexican station, XEYU , the shortwave outlet of XEUN Radio Universidad, reappeared on 9600 kHz after two years of inactivity. It was noted by ...
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RETRO RECEIVER REVIEW #24 - The RACAL RA-1771

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  RETRO RECEIVER REVIEW #24 Racal RA-1771 by Craig Seager VK2HBT   This review first appeared in the Australian DX News in May 2009. Once again, I extend my thanks to Craig Seager for contributing this retro review to MEDXR and helping to keep the memories of radio alive! All images in this article can be clicked on for an enlarged view and closer inspection. For this outing, we seek to correct an imbalance by revisiting an iconic British brand name in radio terms that deserves more emphasis within this series. Hmmm… what do we have on the shelf that might help us out in this regard?  Ah, yes, here’s something!  UK-based Racal Limited is synonymous with quality electronic equipment, and the company (founded in 1950 by RA ymond Brown and George CAL der Cunningham) was responsible for some legendary communications receivers, mostly supplied under government contracts.  The RA-17 was one such: based on the Wadley Loop principle and built like a tank. Thousands of t...
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