Radio Far-Far

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Travelling by Ear

Hey, reader, what's your QTH and how's my SINPO? Are you using a long wire or a whip (quiet at the back there, missus!)? There's a good lift tonight. Are you catching the North Americans?

If all this means nothing to you, or sounds like something dodgy- don't worry, it isn't. You've stumbled on a webspace dedicated to all things weird and wonderful emanating from radio, the life-changing invention largely attributed to the wonderful Guglielmo Marconi and now taken by most of us for granted. An application of science without which the modern world couldn't function and through which history itself is brought to the eyes and ears of the global masses.

You might also just be about to embark on one of the most fascinating journeys you can ever make- and you can even do it in bed! In this blogspot- a companion to my main blog "Anyway" at www.mas59.blogspot.com- you'll find my thoughts and musings on "Anything" to do with radio and -just occasionally- TV broadcasting and reception. Anything from programmes to personalities, listening trends to worldwide friends across the airwaves. It's a blogspot for the radio ham- hi from G7UPT Mark- for the DXer (I've been a member of the British DX Club for thirty years), the listener and the curious.

I make no guarantees as to the regularity of postings, but will do my best to keep this site up to date, interesting and relevant. I also hope that, if you're caught in the net catching world wide utterances, this web presence might introduce you to the much older but no less fascinating fishing of information from across the globe that men and women of every race, creed and colour -even a former king was a radio ham- have trawled for over a century. Welcome to the radio: where the journey will lead us: who knows.

By the way: QTH means "location"- and a long wire and a whip are both radio aerials (called antennas in many parts of the world). Unlike the net, you don't need a posh computer to tune in to distant parts, you can do it on a £5/$8 set from your local drugstore, Lidl or Aldi. And you can listen -or if local law and inclination permit- speak, from the comfort of your own bedstead. Just make sure your XYL or YL (wife, girlfriend) doesn't mind- you could become so fascinated there will be many nights of pleasure...

Bookmark this blogspot and "tune in" again soon. And use the "comments" below if you want to give me any feedback (another term from the communications industry!) or even, perhaps,a SINPO rating for this site: Signal, Interference, Noise, Propagation, Overall!

73 - best wishes in radiospeak- and now I'm going back to bed and my audio companion.