SWL Winterfest 2007

SWL Winterfest 2007

This year marks the 20^th Anniversary of the SWL Fest. Can it be that soon that time has passed from the conception of this informative event?

Sad; but true!

We have all aged; sort of; since our involvement in DXing, TXing, or any area of radio broadcasting in general. From humble origins and approximately 40 people in attendance, this event has grown in size and value.

One of the things I look forward to is seeing the amicable hosts; John Figliozzi and Richard Cuff. Their friendly dispositions and helpful attitude further the purpose of the SWL Fest and; that is to have some fun but; learn something while you’re at it!

We were not disappointed this year in the learning department. Kim Elliott of VOA always presents a good demonstration with his radio reception demonstrations and knowledge of this area of listening. He has been working on the DRM transmission receptions from various locations in the world. From what was heard at his demonstration table, he was doing exactly that! Good job Kim!

The Stockholm room provides the location of shall we say a Rogue’s Gallery of presentations and presenters? These guys are a hoot! They present the latest in many genres of DXing and listening techniques. The dos and don’ts of police and emergency transmissions is one example of this. You can listen to the police scanners and emergency service channels, but; do not record them for replay at another time. They frown on this second hand entertainment feature. Some people evidently have the habit of recording the emergency calls and replaying them over their radios, computers and other avenues of outreach. Can’t do that so we were told!

The joys of GPS were covered by Skip Arey. This guy could turn just about anything into a fun event. How many people are you acquainted with that would want to know exactly where they are at any given time, and; the exact global coordinates of their location? Oh gee, where am I now? Same place you were 30 minutes ago, only ½ mile away from your last reading. Skip did give the positives of GPS and knowing your location if you were going into some wilderness conditions and were lost, GPS location would help find you if necessary. Many car companies are making this an onboard utility in their newer models.

Will digital radio come into its' own is the question! All things digital is the outlook for broadcasters in the not-to-distant future. Broadcasters are required to change from analog transmissions to digital transmission within two years I believe. Will this revive some areas of radio broadcasting? Perhaps! Satellite Radio is already digital and enjoying some success. Can’t help but wonder if this process will become useful overall. The purpose is to produce FM quality sound for all radio and television formats. Anyway Rob de Santos and Daniel Srebnick presented a good talk and demonstration. It seems that Internet Radio is enjoying the success that is obvious by user numbers. The AE1 radio was a good sounding unit. So! Perhaps there is future hope for broadcasters and listeners overall. Just get those digital radio built and on the market first!

Pirate radio continues to be a thorn in the FCC’s side. Why? These pirate broadcasters just don’t want the FCC to regulate their agendas. Freedom of speech matters to most pirate radio operators overall and; so they continue to broadcast illegally; too many government interventions to suit their fancy so they continue their opposition to FCC regs. Being a rebel carries with it a certain badge of honor, so many of these pirates become icons in their field. Remember Wolfman Jack when he broadcast from across the Mexican border? Wolfman was original in every way. Personally; I know one such pirate rebel as it were, and he’s fun! Just non-compliant! Will pirate radio continue? Absolutely!

We attended as many as we could in the brief time allocation we were constrained to follow. Time is always an enemy when there is so much to see and do. Again the presentations were so good, and you just can’t attend them all.

The display area was well filled this year, and that was a good thing. It is always good to see people coming from all over to present some tools (toys) for our mental moments and entertainment. These products are useful and state of the art technology is displayed for our perusal.

We want to compliment our hosts and all that were involved in making SWL Fest 2007 a success. Thanks guys! Hope to see you again next year!