Radio Australia frequencies lost to China

[VK4ADC]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-22/ch...es/9898754


PHOTO: Radio Australia's old frequencies now broadcast content from China Radio International. (Radio Australia)
RELATED STORY: ABC boss grilled in Senate Estimates over axing shortwave service
RELATED STORY: Xenophon leads calls for ABC to reinstate shortwave radio service
RELATED STORY: Pacific loses radio service that evades dictators and warns of disasters


A Chinese station has taken over some of the shortwave radio frequencies once used by the ABC in the Pacific region, following the broadcaster's decision to end shortwave services.
Key points:

• The ABC chose to end shortwave radio broadcasts in early 2017
  
• China's state-owned broadcaster now uses Radio Australia's old frequencies
  
• Australia's overseas broadcasting in the Asia Pacific is being reviewed
  

Radio Australia switched off its shortwave transmissions to remote parts of northern Australia and across the Pacific in January 2017.

The ABC insisted at the time the shortwave technology was out of date and it would save $1.9 million by cutting the service, which it said would be reinvested in expanding content and services.

The decision was met by an outcry from affected listeners, and there has been continued agitation to bring the service back.

More in the original article as per the link to the ABC at the top of this post..

[VK2CSW]

To paraphrase Kent Brockman:

"I, for one, welcome our new Chinese Overlords..."

[VK4RW]

It is very disappointing to see decisions made by people who do not understand technology (read pen pushers).

These same people are the ones who think the only form of communication is via a mobile phone or internet.  A large number of people do not even listen the radio, e.g FM, DAB or heaven forbid AM radio.

Having been in my profession for 41+ years, I have seen many changes from valve HF sets to VHF and now digital sets.  Which is all good, that is progress.

But, what happens when the internet stops working there is no connectivity, no browsing and no email?  And more importantly, a large number of VOIP links between remote radio sites fall over, leaving emergency services stranded outside Upper Gumbuckta West.

I have heard pen pushers bleating that HF is too noisy, we will use mobile phones.  All well and good, until the network stops because the tower and equipment have been burnt.  These same decision makers wont even use a sat phone because, you guessed it, too expensive, and what is this delay?

Lets bring back Radio Australia, even a service for the outback would be better than nothing.

Other countries just sit back and wait for Australia to make another blunder, and then move in and pick up the important bits then make a success of it.
Go figure.

My 2c worth.


Ron
VK4BVI

(edited cause I cant spell!)

[VK2CSW]

To add to Ron's comments (and to be a little less flippant than my earlier post) I have travelled and worked in a few places in the Pacific since the 1980's.

In the early days every where you went there were signs saying that this road, bridge, building, hospital, sportsground, etc, etc, etc was funded by AusAID.

TV and Radio news services if not provided by, were stolen from Radio Australia or some other Australian media outlet.

Even the telecommunication pits in the footpath had the old PMG or Telecom Australia logo.

Over the last ten or fifteen years this has faded and has been replaced by Chinese flags and logos. This is not a new drift towards China, despite the Foreign Minister and DFAT recently saying they were surprised by China's funding wharves* and buildings in Vanuatu. It has been going on for a couple of decades.

I guess our little neighbours aren't as exciting to visit as New York, London or The Hague.

So them not predicting that when they saved a pittance by closing RA that China would fill the gap and use it for propaganda is not that surprising to me.



* I have worked on and from the wharf that was in the news not long ago. It was built by the US in 1942 and had not really been touched since. So it did need replacing, and ships tend to be bigger than they were in 1942 so is it any wonder that the Chinese extended to length of the wharf when they replaced it?

[VK2WP]

Many of the poorer Pacific Islanders would only own cheap non smart type mobile phones that do not have any internet capability.

If they own a mobile phone at all.

VHF FM would not be accessible to them due to terrain and distance or the low population levels.

You can bet a friendly Chinese trader has gone around selling nice cheap Chinese shortwave radios with all of the Chinese S/W broadcast frequencies already programmed in.

Along with a set of cheap AA batteries or rechargeable like the Techsun PL880. More than capable of picking up clearly the powerful Chinese broadcasters.

From my listening of these Chinese S/W broadcaster they certainly present a slick high quality programme with plenty of music, current affairs commentary and news.

So if Western politicians suddenly find pro Chinese viewpoints being sprouted by the Pacific Islanders they have only their unbelieveably blinkered petty cost cutting measures to blame and nothing else.

Radio Australia is gone and it would be unbelievably costly to acquire a site and rebuilt a transmitter.

And the frequencies are gone.

[VK2CSW]

Many of the poorer Pacific Islanders would only own cheap non smart type mobile phones that do not have any internet capability.

If they own a mobile phone at all.

You may be surprised just how ubiquitous smart phones are in the islands.
 Ads like this are everywhere:


 

[VK2CSW]

I guess I should've translated these...

Tok Tok means talk (obviously).

lo ples ia means 'at this place' or more literally 'of this place'.

[VK2WP]

No doubt mobile phones have had the same popularity as in this country, I was rather mentioning the smaller places where there are less people and little infrastructure.

A shortwave radio service would be useful to these people. I would much rather listen to a radio with a reasonable speaker than some small mobile phone.

After what happened in Puerto Rico where all infrastructure and services were simply wiped out in one swoop a shortwave radio would be of great help in getting news and information across to the populace.

Remember one Puerto Rican ham mentioning they all literally went back to the Middle Ages and had virtually nothing.

The Pacific Islands like Puerto Rico are subject to devastating cyclones from time to time with loss of electricity, services and communications.