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Wavescan 452 Script for August 31, 2003 *
Narrator: On the Air in Tokyo Bay Tokyo
Bay is a huge and wide bay that is landlocked and protected by several
islands, large and small.
Surrounding the bay are many well known cities such as Chiba,
Kawasaki and Yokohama, and of course, Tokyo itself.
Originally
Tokyo was known as Edo, the name of a ruling family in the Middle Ages.
The name of the city was changed in 1868 to “Tokyo”, a name
that means “Eastern Capital”.
At
the end of events associated with the Pacific War, His Majesty Hirohito,
the Showa Emperor of Japan, announced on radio on August 15 1945 that the
war was over.
The Peace Ceremony was signed on board the navy vessel
“Missouri” nearly three weeks later, on September 2.
The role that radio played in these events forms an important and
interesting chapter in international radio history.
At the time of the signing ceremony on the aircraft carrier
“Missouri”, there were 260 Allied navy vessels at anchor in Tokyo Bay.
The “Missouri” itself lay at anchor eighteen miles out in the
bay and six miles off the coast of Yokohama.
An armada of 1900 planes, airforce and navy, flew overhead. The
USS “Missouri”
was launched in January 1944, the fourth navy vessel to bear this
title.
It was noted on the air in that era by shortwave listeners in the
United States, New Zealand and Australia with the callsign, NCBL. Another navy vessel, the USS “Iowa”, also played a major role in the
relay of radio signals at the time of the historic events in Tokyo Bay.
This ship, the “Iowa”, was launched in August 1942, and it was
often noted on air under the callsign KU1M calling KU5Q on the island of
Guam. At
the time of the signing ceremony, many radio circuits were activated to
ensure reliable worldwide coverage.
The originating point was the main ship transmitters, NCBL, on the
“Missouri”.
Nearby was the “Iowa” which acted as the network control for
these broadcasts with its shortwave transmitters under the callsign KU1M.
The
four shortwave transmitters of Radio Tokyo at Nazaki in Japan carried a
relay of the broadcast for long distance coverage, which was picked up in
Guam, the Philippines and Hawaii for onward relay to the receiving
stations in California and elsewhere.
And from there of course, the relay became a worldwide radio
broadcast phenomenon. It was on September 2, 1945, at 9:02 am local time that General Douglas
MacArthur stepped before the microphone that was set up on the landing
deck of the “Missouri” for this historic worldwide broadcast.
His wife Jean, was still in the Philippines at the time, living in
the German embassy on the edge of Manila.
She heard her husband’s radio broadcast on a shortwave radio. There is only one known QSL from these ships in this era.
A QSL letter was received by Ray Simpson, the shortwave columnist
for the Australian magazine, “Radio & Hobbies”.
This letter, verifying the reception of KU1M on the “Iowa” in
March 1947, was received from the radio section at navy headquarters in
California.
At the time, the “Iowa” was on navy manoeuvres off the coast of
California and it was noted on 9670 kHz. *
Voice of Prophecy Short *
More Radio News *
RADIO STATION VISITS: Radio
station engineer J. T. Anderson states that he has visited more than 2,500
radio stations in the United States during the past 11 years.
In addition, he has also photographed more than 1,000 tower
sites during the past 20 years.
These statistics must be world records.
You can find this information on the WLW website at:-
hawkins.pair.com *
ZANZIBAR: Another QSL card has been received from Radio Tanzania,
Zanzibar.
This card verifies the 1996 reception of their station on 11734
kHz.
The power output is listed in radio directories as 50 kW. Actually,
the QSL card is a reception report card that was signed, rubber stamped,
and returned, confirming this reception report from seven years ago. *
USA: A QSL card has been received from the 50 kW mediumwave station
WWVA in Wheeling, West Virginia.
This welcome addition to our QSL collection is a generic card,
printed on a computer.
Interestingly, this QSL card states that the studios for station
WWVA are located downtown in Main Street Wheeling in the state of West
Virginia, and the transmitter is located in the neighboring state of Ohio,
near the town of St Clairsville. *
Worth While Web *
Narrator: Full Details for September DX Contest, beginning tomorrow Radio
Stamps & Unique QSLs As
with our previous DX contests here in Wavescan, the 2003 DX Contest will
also run throughout the full month of September.
The main ingredient in our DX contest this year is a search for
QSLs that are quite unique, not in design, but in what they verify.
Do you have a QSL in your collection that you think no one else in
the world has?
The
world winner for our “September DX Contest” will receive the 2003
Bronze Medallion and an autographed copy of Jerry Berg’s book, “On the
Shortwaves”.
Additional continental winners will receive a copy of their choice,
either “Passport to World Band Radio 2004” or “World Radio TV
Handbook 2004”.
Several hundred additional awards are also available. All entries must be postmarked during the month of September 2003.
Late entries will not be awarded any prizes though the reception
reports will be QSLed with our new QSL cards and the 2003 endorsement. Here
is a summary of the five parts in our big DX contest for this year:-
Here
now are the contest requirements in full detail:- PART
A: Only QSL in the World Do
you have a QSL that is quite unique and you believe that you are the only
person in the world to have a verification of this nature.
Does your unique QSL verify an emergency broadcast, or an emergency
transmitter, or a wrong frequency or a dramatic event, etc, etc.
Your QSL may verify a broadcast from a station on shortwave,
mediumwave, longwave, FM or utility communication, but not amateur, CB nor
TV.
You may list as many of these unique QSLs as you desire.
You may send a color copy or black & white copy of your QSL, or
you can describe the details. PART
B: How did you become a DXer? Please
tell in two or three paragraphs what led you to become interested in
international radio monitoring. PART
C: Describe and send a radio postage stamp. You
may describe and send any postage stamp from any country, new or used,
that features radio in some way.
PART
D:
Submit 3 reception reports on any AWR transmissions. These
reports can be on the reception of any AWR broadcasts on any station
anywhere in the world. PART
E:
Where possible, submit 3 radio cards. These
cards may be new or old QSL cards, new or old tourist postcards that show
radio in some way.
Not valid for this contest are amateur nor CB QSL cards. Contest
awards:-
1.
The world winner in our “September DX Contest” will receive the
2003 Bronze Medallion and an autographed copy of Jerry Berg’s very
interesting volume, “On the Shortwaves”. 2.
Additional continental winners will receive a copy of their choice
of either “Passport to World Band Radio 2004” or “World Radio TV
Handbook 2004”. 3.
Several hundred other awards are available from AWR, including 10
full sheets of the AWR QSL stamps, and 10 half sheets . 4.
All reception reports will be verified with the new AWR QSL cards
endorsed for the 2003 DX contest and with the 2003 QSL stamp. Things
to remember:- 1.
All entries must be postmarked during the month of September and
received in Indianapolis before the end of October.
Late entries will not be entered into the contest though the
reception reports will be verified. 2.
Where possible, please provide a strong self-addressed business
size envelope. 3.
Where possible, please provide return postage, preferably in an
acceptable form of international currency, though mint postage stamps or
IRCs will also be appreciated. 4.
The only address for contest entries is:- September
DX Contest Box
29235 Indianapolis
Indiana 46229 USA. *
Pacific DX Report - Paul Ormandy *
Program Outro +
This has been WS452 with David Barasoain +
Next week WS453: Two Ships and a Hotel; and also, +
Address: Wavescan, 39 Brendon St, London W1H 5HD, England. http://english.awr.org/wavescan * Theme |
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