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June 1989Volume 8Number 6Second Class Postage PaidHfl-:::!,7f04-7Sl-1U -1-1 T0E4:0** **E!N.I.f.b.,r.;.,.:.1imUiITAI i(HAUGAki:1TNT i-19l-iH'aH{?LS'[F p,!(jNQ000*** **** **7A Publication OfGrove Enterpriseslncinln fhir lcrRn.--îEAL1S1 1GL PRtSPEMAY06033932 21-16016t-200201-210V1111LiOUT- v LOA TSTEPTv0251-320361-400371-360CL AR
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i/Vol. 8, No. 6June 1989IM NITORINGÏTIMESLISTENING TO THE HURRICANE HUNTERSby Larry Van Horn7How to hear -- and understand -- vital data reports provided by thoseintrepid Hurricane Hunters from Keesler AFB.USAFIt's calm skies now, butthese are the crews thatchallenge the tempest p.7The New PRO2005:A Review12The PRO2005 stacks up very, very well against its popular predecessor.Compact, yet powerful, there seems little to criticize.The Russian Bear in Troubleby Kyle Henderson15Gorbachev has let the genie out of the bottle, and the Soviet Republics willnever again be totally silent. There's no better time to listen!SPORTS!by Lynn Burke20What's your pleasure -- golf? racing? baseball? -- Well, here's how to"Tune in the Good Stuff"CPRV Showcase23A potpourri of QSLs from the Committee to Preserve Radio Verifications.DEPARTMENTSThe new RealisticPRO2005 brings a worldof excitement to yourdoorstep-p.12Refresh your knowledgeof aero terms - p.42New offerings from Optoelectronics - p.88LettersCommunicationsShortwave BroadcastingUtility WorldThe Scanning ReportWhat's New?Uncle Skip's CornerThe Federal FilePlane TalkOn the )lam BandsThe QSL ReportReading RTTYSatellite TVAmerican BandscanMONITORING TIMES (ISSN 0889 -5341) is published monthly for 18per year by Grove Enterprises, Inc., PO Box 98, Brasstown, NC 28902(ph.1- 704 -837 -9200). Second class postage paid at Brasstown, NC,and additional mailing offices, POSTMASTER: Send address changesto Monitoring Times, PO Box 98, Brasstown, NC 28902.34242832363840424446474850Outer LimitsBelow 500 kHzProgram GuideFrequency SectionMagne Tests .Scanner EquipmentConsumer ElectronicsDeMaw's WorkbenchExperimenter's WorkshopAntenna Topics"Ask Bob"Stock ExchangeConvention CalendarClosing Comments5254566586889092949698102103104ON THE COVER: The new PRO -2005 appears at theSylva, NC, fire department (Photo by Harry Baughn)www.americanradiohistory.com
I/MNITORINGInside this Issue"It's like flying into a brick wall."That's how one veteran Hurricane Hunter describes the trip into the eye of astorm. Below, says Monitoring Times staffwriter Larry Van Horn, the ocean churnswith waves that tower over 60 feet high.This is raw excitement, men and womenliving on the fine line between life anddeath. Fortunately, too, it's excitement youcan tune in on your shortwave radio. Joinus as we take the wildest ride on earth withthe Hurricane Hunters.USAF photoThey came from one end of Tbilisi'smain streets, hundreds of Russian soldiers, each banging loudly on their longmetal shield. At the other end of the street, thousands of Soviet Georgians,who for a week had been peacefully demonstrating for more independenceAs the two groups met, Alex Raley, a public schoolfrom Moscow.fromSouth Carolina, stood on the fourth -floor balcony of theadministratorHotel Tbilisi and watched while one of Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev'sworst nightmares came true. By sunrise, nineteen 19 people lay dead ormortally wounded. S European DXpert Kyle Henderson takes us on ashortwave tour of the Soviet Republics where, more and more, the mostpopular chant is "Russians go home!"The PRO2004 is dead! Long live thePRO2005! That's another chant, heardnot in the Soviet Republics but amongsophisticated scanner enthusiasts fromone end of North America to the other.The '2004 was a great scanner. But howwill the '2005 stack up? Monitoring Timesdives in with both feet and gets you theinformation you need to know beforeyou buy.I For almost thirty years, the Boeing 707 has provided transportation forpresidents of the United States. This year, however, George Bush willinaugurate a brand new Air Force One, aBoeing 747. Inside is 4,000 square feet ofinterior space and enough food andwater to feed 70 passengers and a 23member crew for a week withoutresupply. This is quite a plane and DaveJones -- acting something like aMonitoring Times version of RobinLeach on Lifestyles of the Rich andGoing into retirementFamous -- takes us on a tour.Also on the agenda is a review of the Cougar mini portable world receiver.East meets west with this AM, FM, LW, shortwave radio. The other Larry,Larry Miller, takes a look at the crazy things they're doing in Houston toAnd, of course, there'sbring in ratings. Would you believe a "moon -in ?"Kickyourshoes off. Set a spell.Sotakeafewminutes.much, much more!And get ready to explore the world of communications with America'sfavorite radio magazine, Monitoring Times. Y'all come back now!e112June 1989MONITORING TIMESwww.americanradiohistory.comTIMESPublished byGrove EnterprisesPublisherBob Grove, WA4PYQManaging EditorLarry MillerTechnical EditorIke Kerschner, N3IKAssociate EditorRachel BaughnFrequency ManagerGreg JordanSubscriber ServicesBeverly BerrongAdvertisingBeth LeinbachDealershipsJudy GroveContributing EditorsReading RTTYJack AlbertUncle Skip's CornerT.J. Arey, WB2GHAPlane TalkJean BakerDeMaw's WorkbenchDoug DeMawShortwave BroadcastingGlenn HauserHigh SeasJames R. HayFederal FileDave JonesScanning ReportBob KayOn the Ham BandsIke Kerschner, N3IKMagne Tests.Lawrence MagneAmerican BandscanLarry MillerSatellite TVKen Reitz, KC4GQAOuter LimitsDr. John SantosuoosoProgram GuideKannon ShanmugamAntenna TopicsW. Clem Small, KR6AShortwave Broadcast LoggingsOSL CornerGayle Van HornUtility WorldLarry Van HornBelow 500 kHzJoe Woodlock
LETTERSRobert L. Rankin of Tonganoxie,Kansas, writes to say that he enjoyedHenri Walser's wartime reminiscences in the April edition ofMonitoring Times, "especially hisrecollection of the station that calleditself Soldatensender Calais ( "ArmedForces Radio, Calais ").The station enjoyed great successin confounding the Nazis bypretending to be a geniune Germanstation but Mr. Walser states that,as far as he knew, the story ofSoldatensender Calais has "neverbeen told." The station, he says, was"most probably operated by theBritish across the channel." This wasindeed the case."Soldatensender Calais beganbroadcasting as a "German" stationon August 24, 1943, from Crowborough in the United Kingdom. Itused a 600 kw mediumwavetransmitter, formerly the property ofthe BBC. A smaller portabletransmitter was located just acrossthe channel and synchronized withCalais in order to confuse enemyattempts to DF [direction find] thetransmit location."Actually, the story of this andother British 'black' radio operationshas been told in some detail in abook entitled, Black Boomerang.The author, Sefton Delmer, was aBritish journalist who grew up inGermany and who headed upSoldatensend Calais and other,similar, British operations. Thebookwas published in 1962 by VikingPress but it should be available inlibraries. It makes for intriguingreading.""What's the real story on the big,article about shortwave inInsight magazine ?" asks Peter Carag."Listen to shortwave? After readingthat sleeper, I'm sure people wouldrather watch paint dry."What really fascinates me is thatthis almost intentionally dull articlewould come precisely at a time whenso -much other pro- shortwave material was making its way into thenational press. Maybe that was thepoint. Maybe someone in Wash10-page"Several years ago I sent you a photograph of my monitoring post. Now Iwould like you to see the revised version." So says a letter from Harry Abery, Jr.of Hartford, Connecticut.Holy cow! Look at that picture!"I was lucky enough to be able to obtain the (old) radio console from thepolice department where I'm a radio dispatcher."I use two Uniden BC760 XLTs 100 channel programmable scanners, aYaesu FT -747GX transceiver for amateur, utility and world band, a Robyn 40channel AM /SB CB transceiver plus an MFJ Computer interface for CW /RTTYwith my Tandy 1000TX 640K computer system. A Maxon 35 -watt businessbase station completes the transceivers. Everything is paneled -in to theconsole."I'm only using a Sony AN -1 active antenna right now but I hope to put up a10 through 160 amateur beam as soon as I get my ham ticket. I enjoy the radiohobby now as much as I did when I started back in 1942. Thanks for a greatmagazine!"ington wanted to down -play shortwave listening so no one wouldlisten."I'm intrigued by your letter, Peter.What I thought curious about thearticle was that it was written like aUSIA [United States InformationAgency, parent organization of theVoice of America] press release.Marty Blaise writes to says that hewants to try and encourage thosewho may be new to mediumwave(AM) DXing."Because I live in Houston, Texas,where there are about 30 powerhouse AM and FM stations," he says,"I thought that they would makeDXing impossible. But AM DXingMONITORING "Not counting the locals or semi locals, I've logged 95 differentstations on AM including 17different states, Mexico, Cuba andthe Netherland Antilles."Marty doesn't have the bestequipment, either, but is able toreally make it sing. "I use a RadioShack DX -440 and a Select -ATenna. I even live in an apartment."Use a digital receiver," headvises. "learn about nulls, catchmultiple station IDs on the hour withclose listening, .is possible! Even in a.[See continuation on p.100, plus thesummer schedule for the Thunderbirdsand Blue Angels!]June 19893
COMMUNICATIONSWar of the Worlds IICommunity groups have condemned a radio hoax on Scottsdale,Arizona, station KSLX in whichlisteners were led to believe that a riotwas in progress.The Friday morning broadcast, byannouncers Jeanne Sedello, Bob BozeBell and David K. Jones, includedreports that local Pima -MaricopaIndians had taken over the communitycollege and torched an Abco supermarket. Some listeners who were alsoin on the act had been told prior to7:00 a.m. to use their imagination andcall in their own fanciful reports fromthe field.Apparently the whole thingsounded very realistic and the broadcast quickly got out of control. Policefinally became involved when Sedelloannounced that a gunman had brokeninto the studio and was holding herhostage. Those who had not heard thedisclaimer jammed police 911 lines toreport what they heard."There will be no police determination of criminal responsibility,"Scottsdale police officer Mark Barnettsaid, "but the broadcast raises seriousquestions of corporate responsibility."Tribal spokesman Ivan Makilcalled the broadcast "completely irresponsible, deeply offensive to Indiansand borderline racist." There was nocomment from the station. (ThePhoenix Gazette via Pat Lacey, Tempe,Arizona)ET Is Not ComingInvestigators going over theremains of the collapsed NationalRadio Astronomy Observatory radio telescope say that it was "throwntogether."Tony Rothman, writing on thesubject in Scientific American, saidthat the 300 foot unit was "hurriedlyconstructed" in 1962 because work ona more sophisticated 150 -foot tele-4June 1989scope was behind schedule. Butinstead of lasting for a few years, itremained in service for "two to threetimes its design life."A three -engineer panel praisedmaintenance of the telescope despite aunique set of problems. One was thatbirds like to roost in the receiver horn,far above the surface of the dish.To avoid climbing the antenna toclear out the nests, someone installedan electronic scarecrow that producedloud noises, some
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