Voice of America Museum and WLW Tour During Hamvention Weekend

All upcoming world powers are on shortwave. In The Netherlands i don't need an antenna (no joke) to hear Radio China International or India. Washington should bring back the VOA, to bring back the voice of freedom.

 

It's hard to find stats on what countries have large SW listening audiences but according to this page, it's mostly African countries. I would think you would only have to concentrate some small relay stations toward these countries in all their various languages: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/VOLUME03/Audience_research.shtml

Actually, I think you might undermine the slightly superior morality of countries like Kenya and Uganda with some of our corrupt western ideas, it might be better for them to leave them alone.

 

I was just there today, May 4, to drop off a couple items for their collection and I have to say it is very impressive. I had been there in the past before it was as it is now, and I did not know really what to expect. Wonderful displays of radio broadcasting, VOA, Crosley, ham radio, and interactive displays. And the active ham radio station is quite impressive too. Up to date and also vintage rig operating positions. They even used a VOA downlink dish and converted it for 10 GHz moonbounce. I recommend the tour and the displays to hams.

 

Actually, I think you might undermine the slightly superior morality of countries like Kenya and Uganda with some of our corrupt western ideas, it might be better for them to leave them alone.[/QUOTE]

True! But i miss VOA, it is Arabic and Chinese on every band.

 

I got to tour the site several years ago, and I would encourage anyone in the area to go see it. It's fascinating. Don't forget to go out back and see the switch gear. The antennas are long gone, but the transmission line switch gear is still there. It will give you pause.

 

Back in the early 1970s, I visited VOA Bethany when the old Crosley transmitters were still being used. They were beautiful things and quite impressive with large glass windows in front of the tops of the water-cooled modulator and PA tubes. I even got to crawl under one of the copper pipe, strip-line, motor-driven PA tank circuits as well as go into the power supply vault of one of the transmitters that was on standby. The engineer who was showing us around took us outside to the old ant./feedline switching matrix to switch antennas just before the top of the hour. He got a cue from inside over the intercom loud speaker that the transmitter was down and it was safe to switch. While still talking to us, he lifted a switch pole and opened the wrong switch! Bang! There was a 3-foot long RF arc above our heads and the modulation on the (wrong) transmitter was heard louder than a rock show on Saturday night! He quickly jerked the switch pole down and sheepishly said "oops!" We then heard a big laugh over the intercom. The old Crosley transmitter that was inadvertently hot-switched never even shot a plate overload relay during the incident. It just kept on cranking out the power. Those were the good ol' days.

Mike
W4AEE