Adventist World Radio

Wavescan program #505 37/1

9/5/2004

Main Script for Wavescan, Edition number 505 airing on Sunday9/5/2004.

Host 2	From the studios of Adventist World Radio, This is Wavescan.
Host 1	Our programme for shortwave listeners and radio hobbyists from around the world. I’m ___________ (Host 1).
Host 2	And I’m ____________ (Host 2).
	Bring music up and then down.
Host 1	In today’s edition of Wavescan we look back and discover some old forgotten callsigns.
Travelogue	We'll visit the arid sands of the Namib to find out what life in the desert has to offer.
IC DX report	Get our monthly report on Far Eastern Listening conditions with the Japan Shortwave Club
2^nd DX report	Along with the latest tips from North America
Feature	Also We'll look at a study into Alzheimer's disease that was conducted with the help of elderly nuns.
	PAUSE HERE . . . with music fade in.
Host 2	So let’s start in with our Wavescan topic for this week and the story of old Forgotten Callsigns. Heres Steve Hamstra.

WAVESCAN TOPIC (5 minutes) Normally read by Student Volunteer

Host 1
	Play Wavescan topic: Back in the 1920s when shortwave stations were first established in the United States, each transmitter was given a callsign that indicated an experimental unit. In actual fact, these callsigns looked a lot like amateur radio callsigns and the only way to differentiate was the letter “X” in the middle of the callsign. The letter “X” indicated “experimental”. For example, the Westinghouse station in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania was allocated the experimental callsign W8XK; the Crosley station in Cincinnati Ohio was W8XAL; the educational station in Boston was W1XAL; and the General Electric station in San Francisco was W6XBE. This system of callsign allocations continued in regular usage for nearly 20 years, from November 1920 till August 1939. At this stage, there were fourteen shortwave transmitters on the air that were considered to be in regular broadcast usage. With the political events in Europe building up towards a continental crisis, the FCC in the United States determined that it was time for the American shortwave stations to change their callsigns from the experimental style to the regular four letter style beginning with either “W” or “K”. During this era, some of the shortwave stations were aware that changes were coming and they had already filed a request with the FCC for meaningful new callsigns. The official FCC date for the change-over of all experimental callsigns was September 1, 1939, though some stations made an earlier change, and a few were just a little tardy. Among the stations that made a change-over a few days early were the following:- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Company Location State Old New ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Westinghouse Pittsburgh Pennsylvania W8XK WPIT Westinghouse Hull Massachusetts W1XK WBOS General Electric Schenectady New York W2XAD WGEA General Electric San Francisco California W6XBE KGEI ========================================================= Now, according to the available information, there were a few stations that made the change-over on the appointed date, September 1, 1939. Among these stations were the following:- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Company Location State Old New ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ RCA-NBC Bound Brook New Jersey W3XAL WRCA RCA-NBC Bound Brook New Jersey W3XL WNBI Isle of Dreams Miami Florida W4XB WDJM Labor Federation Chicago Illinois W9XAA WCBI ========================================================= At the time when these callsign changes were taking place, there was a delay on the part of one station, and when the FCC issued an amended list one week later, that is on September 8, 1939, this change was made:- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Company Location State Old New ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ CBS Wayne New Jersey W2XE WCBX ========================================================= However, most interesting is the fact that five of these American shortwave stations actually made a double change in their callsigns. The first change was made at around the time required by the FCC, and then another change was made just a few days later. These five stations were:- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Company Location State Old 1st New 2nd New ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GE Schenectady NY W2XAF WGEU WGEO CBS Philadelphia PA W3XAU WCAI WCAB Crosley Mason OH W8XAL WLWU WLWO World Wide Boston MA W1XAL WSLA WRUL World Wide Boston MA W1XAR WSLR WRUW ========================================================= Thus the title of our topic for today; “The Story of old Forgotten Callsigns”. Indeed, the early experimental callsigns of these revered old shortwave stations are almost forgotten. In addition, it is very little known these days that there were five old shortwave callsigns on the air for just a few days each, and these were, as we mentioned earlier:- WGEU, WCAI, WLWU, WSLA & WSLR. We are holding nearly 100 QSL cards from these stations during this particular era and they all confirm the interesting transitions mentioned in today’s program. However, it would be almost certain that no QSL cards exist for the five temporary callsigns that were in use on the air for no more than just a few days.
Host 1	Whow! Thank you Steve. You’d never imagine that life was so complicated from the early days of radio
Host 2	You’re listening to Wavescan and if you’d like to write or comment on any of the issues arising in today’s programme, Our address is, AWR, 39 Brendon St . . . Or e-mail letters@awr.org. Those details again at the end of the programme.

Travelogue (5 minutes)

Host 2	Somewhere where shortwave is important is in the desrert. Not many FM stations there! And I don't know about you, but when I think of the desert I tend to think of only hot sands and scorching heat.
Host 1	But perhaps there's more to deserts than meets the eye. Our International Correspondent Marie Lello has been doing some research on one desert very close to South Africa - The Namib Desert.
	Play Travelogue: 1473:The Namib Desert: IN: "The country of Namibia lies on the west . . " OUT: " . . . and so provide you with a way out."
Host 1	Thank you Marie. That was Marie Lello, our International Correspondent sharing some eye opening information on desert life. It's clear that there's much more to a desert than just sand.
	P A U S E H E R E P L E A S E

DX Report (IC and/or programme hosts) (4 minutes IC and 2 minute host tips. Total 6 minutes.)

Host 2	You’re listening to Wavescan, Adventist World Radio’s programme especially for shortwave listeners and radio hobbyists. Our DX report this week is from the Japanese Shortwave Club.
	DX Report
Host 2	And our thanks to the Japanease Shortwave Club. Now to North American and this from - Dr. Floyd Layer, Terre Haute, Indiana Pronunciation Terre, the same as the Latin Terra Haute = HOTE, rhyming with Hope Dr Floyd Layer has also received a QSL certificate from the shortwave station WWRB located at Manchester, Tennessee. His certificate is numbered 34 and the two gold seal stickers verify the AM reception of their transmitter, Global 2 on 9825 kHz. Among the QSL cards that Dr Layer has received recently is one from the mediumwave station WKZO in Kalamazoo, Michigan. This QSL is in the form of a folded card that was printed for their two stations, WKZO & WQSN. Station WKZO emits 5 kW on 590 kHz and WQSN is their comparatively new 10 kW unit operating in the American X-band. Radio station WKZO is the modern counterpart of the original mediumwave station located at Andrews Adventist University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Back some 80 years ago, this station was on the air with the call letters KGFZ and subsequently WEMC. Another QSL card has come in from Radio Prague International in the Czech Republic, and this completes the current set of eight cards featuring various aspects of music in that country. In his previous DX report, Dr Layer gave information regarding the local mediumwave station in his county city that was abruptly taken off the air when a thief accidentally backed his vehicle into a guy wire attached to the transmission tower. He states that this station, WBOW, is now on the air with an emergency transmitter emitting just 100 watts on their regular channel, 1300 kHz. During a visit to the station, Floyd was informed that it will take many months before a new tower can be procured and erected. The station also gave him an audio version CD containing a broadcast program on the history of their station In the meantime, he tuned in to these low powered broadcasts and he has since received a signed and post prepared-card verifying his report on these unique transmissions.

Feature (5 minutes)

Host 2	Your listening to Wavescan and I’d just remind you of our 2004 DX Contest During this month you need to send us . A. 5 QSL card on one specific theme B. another 5 QSL on another theme C. A short Script for Wavescan D. Where possible, Three radio cards E. and finally, Three AWR reception reports, with one of them preferably from the KSDA5 transmitter. Full details on our website, english.asw.org/Wavescan or by writing to the address at the end of the programme.
Host 1	Its known that they give of their time, energy and really their life. Now a group of Catholic nuns in Minnesota will donate their brains in an effort to help science. Since 1991 the Nun Study, as its known, has been looking at the lives of elderly Nuns in an effort to trace the roots of Alzheimer's disease. The study was originally conducted by Dr. David Snowdon at the University of Kentucky, with funding from the National Institute on Aging. Recently AWR's David Barasoain spoke to a representative of the Institute about the study. Her name is Dr. Rose Li.
	Play Feature 748: Nun study: The study . . . In the body
Host 2 ---	Dr. Rose Li is with the National Institute on Aging in the United States. Incidentally, the theory of low and high idea density is quite compelling when you consider that the study found that of the nuns that had aquired Alzheimer's, 70 percent had what they called low idea density. That number dropped to 15 percent for nuns that had shown high idea density. The Nun study is still ongoing and has also recently shown that positive emotional states early in life have been associated with living a longer life.

Ending

1 Host 2	And that brings us to an end of this week’s edition of Wavescan – a production of Adventist World Radio. Next week we will be: 1. visiting All India Radio - Delhi 2. getting the latest listening tips from Europe and across the world. 3. and in a special feature, revisiting September 11, 2001.
2 Host	Your reception reports, tips and comments are always welcomed. Here’s our address:
3 Host	AWR, 39 Brendon St, London, W1, England, or e-mail us at letters@awr.org.
4 Host	That’s also the address for your Bible questions or free Bible Guides: AWR, 39 Brendon St, London, W1, England, or e-mail us at letters@awr.org.
5 Host	Wavescan is written and produced by Adrian Peterson and Steve Hamstra. You can find it on the web at: english.awr.org/Wavescan. I’m . . . (Me)
6 Host	. . . and I’m . . . (You) Thanks for joining us.