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Admin
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 28, 2001 - 3:35 pm: | 
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It is winding up to be quite the year to reflect upon. So much has happened in the past few months that has changed history forever. We are attempting to return to our daily lives and old routines, however slowly, but perhaps with a bit more awareness and tolerance of each other than before.
People appear a bit kinder to each other, more willing to lend a helping hand to a neighbor, and patriotism is the buzz word. Statistics show the crime rate took a plunge since September eleventh, when compared to last year's statistics encompassing the same time frame. It is of interest to note that along with the crime reduction came an increased curiosity from the public.
It would appear many are not only concerned with monitoring official communications that take place among the professionals and public servants which are charged with keeping the peace, public safety, and our protection, but also wish to be aware of happenings as they occur, as opposed to reading about it in the newspaper the next day or seeing it on the nightly news.
Tandy Corporation, the outfit from Texas that has a store location in almost every mall in the country, confirmed as much by reporting that sales of short-wave radios and scanners since the second week of September, are up by thirty percent in some areas of the country, when compared with the same period last year.
Uncle Sam's Free Afghanistan Pirate Radio? The idea of beaming radio signals to the Afghan population certainly isn't new, but it is rapidly gaining momentum and popularity.Several broadcast efforts in and around Afghanistan are taking place in response to the Taliban owned and operated Shari'ah, Afghanistan's only radio service.
In 1996 when the Taliban came to power, Radio Afghanistan was renamed "Shari'ah", which translates to "The revealed and canonical law of Islam." The station forbids any type music and is largely utilized as a propaganda tool by the Taliban and not much else. Most transmitters in the region have been destroyed by Taliban forces with the exception of the Shari'ah.
As we go to press, Taliban officials have denounced and correctly accused the Allied forces of jamming their broadcasts. Not only was the jamming effective, but recent reports seem to confirm that the staion may now be off the air permanently in certain areas due to destruction suffered by Allied air strikes.
The majority of Afghanistans have long relied on the BBC News Sevice, who recently established broadcasts in Afghanistan in a dialect known as Pashto, which millions of Afghanis speak. Other friendly broadcasts are being heard as well.
A small contingency of American military planes which are outfitted with radio broadcasting transmitters and capabilities are responsible for several ongoing transmissions to the Afghan people.
A shared trait among the majority of programming is a deliberate mock to the Taliban, in part by broadcasting all that is forbidden by the regime and it's strictly controlled radio broadcast content, such as Afghan music (banned by the Taliban) and commentary addressing the issue concerning the treatment of Afghan women.
Other broadcasts target the youth of the nation with anti-Taliban sentiments while reinforcing support for the Afghan citizens. Several sources have reported that along with food and supplies, Allied efforts are including solar powered or battery free hand-crank radios in the relief aid packages that are being dropped to the Afghan citizens. The Pentagon has not confirmed these reports, however.
The fall in temperatures across the land always coincide with increased radio activity. As the nights get chilly, our outdoor summer activities are but a fond memory, and we give way to warmer, indoor activities. Like radio.
DX nets are again active, and mother nature is still holding her own by graciously allowing us to take full advantage of her worldwide skip conditions and propagation techniques. She can take these conditions away at any time, so I urge you to turn it on, tune it in and key it up.
It's not too late to get that wish list in to Santa. There is nothing like finding a shiny new radio under the tree on Christmas morning with your name attached and DXing your way into the new year. Why should the kids have all the fun? The radio selection at Copper has never been better and the prices are right.
FCC Actions
- Just a tiny step north of Eugene, Oregon is a small town by the name of Coburg. The Truck and Travel Center located there was the recent recipient of a letter from the FCC.
- The standard letter from the FCC demands a response from the truck stop concerning alleged violations that the business was engaging in practices resulting in violation of commission rules. The inquiry questions and refers to the legal status of certain transceiver types and makes mention of type acceptance.
- It was reported that no further action will be taken toward a South Carolina business that received a similar notice several months ago. The owner has certified to the FCC that he is no longer engaged in selling the items that were in question and of concern.
- In Sycamore, Illinois, a licensed ham operator was notified by the FCC to respond concerning the charge that he has been causing intentional jamming and interference to the Family Radio Service (FRS).
- Worth mention from the Bluegrass state is the towing service from Florence that was informed it was operating it's business on the ten meter band unlawfully. They most likely will respond in the manner of the Alaskan fishermen who also were recently made aware that unlicensed and unauthorized use of the ten meter band is being carefully scrutinized, and on occasion, enforced. The fishermen agreed to no longer transmit on the frequencies that were causing the violations of FCC policy and the case is considered closed.
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. FCC officials confirmed what they claim were two meter transmissions being rebroadcast on other frequencies as a means of interference. The offender in question was also commanded to respond to the FCC concerning these allegations.
Jake Elliot 11/2001 |
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