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This article
originally appeared in the July 2003 issue of the CDXC
Digest.
Last updated and extended: 20 November 2005 |
Martyn Phillips, G3RFX
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This article
originally appeared in the July 2003 issue of the CDXC
Digest.
Last updated and extended: 20 November 2005 |
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Intro The CDXC Digest might not seem the obvious place for an item on news broadcasts, but seeing as Don [G3XTT] mentioned the subject in his May Editorial I thought I’d add my two-penn’orth. I’ve been a GB2RS newsreader since 1995 and currently read the News on 80m and 70cms. GB2RS on 20 and 15m In 1997 there were even GB2RS news broadcasts on 20m, 14.308 MHz. Somewhat predictably the busy 20m band on a Sunday was not ideal for this and due to the inevitable QRM (and slightly frayed Continental tempers…) they were eventually discontinued! In 1999 I also did a short series of experimental Sunday evening broadcasts on 15m, 21.158 MHz. I had no callers at all. This was mainly because the band had dropped out by this time and so there was nobody there anyway! Yet when this experiment was announced I received several extremely irate e-mails from the USA, saying it was a totally disgraceful idea and that we would be taking up valuable, prime-time band space. And all this on 15m, one of our more spacious HF bands! GB2RS on 40m Our original and invariably very busy 40m band allocation [7.000 - 7.100 MHz] at 1900 UTC was not ideal for GB2RS, especially when there was a major contest in full swing. In which case it was hardly worth pressing the footswitch, unless you were feeling particularly masochistic! Indeed you could argue that nowadays live news broadcasts are largely redundant, bearing in mind our often crowded bands and also the Internet options. However, let’s not forget that the News itself is fairly short, 15–25 minutes at most. That’s only a very small fraction of the day and surely leaves more than enough time for others to do what they want on the air. After all, amateur radio is a multifaceted hobby and news broadcasts are one small, but equally legitimate facet of it. Especially on 40m, the news items contained in GB2RS live often evoked considerable interest from equally live stations in NW Europe and beyond. Call me a hopeless idealist, but I like to think this was very good PR for amateur radio in the UK. As you can see, though, I'm talking in the past tense here! Unfortunately this 40m News was temporarily discontinued towards the end of November 2003 due to unfavourable inter-UK propagation at this stage in the solar cycle. Like many other GB2RS newsreaders too, no doubt, I’ve also received countless letters and E-mails of appreciation over the years for my efforts, from amateurs and SWLs alike. So it would seem that GB2RS live is very much alive and kicking.
Social functions Apart from the actual news content itself, live news broadcasts also fulfil several important social functions. They provide a regular on-air meeting place. This means a lot to some - as indeed do long established nets, be they on 80, 40 or 20m. Surely, though, nobody would dream of suggesting that we try and get rid of these nets because they’re ‘cluttering up’ the bands? Personally I’m not interested in lengthy natter nets. It’s not my style. But then again: each to his/her own. So the live GB2RS as ‘one of life’s certainties’ - in much the same way as ‘The Archers’ is for some, the Times Crossword… or indeed ‘Coronation Street’ or ‘Eastenders’! GB2RS also provides a useful focal point of activity, encouraging stations to call in who might otherwise be reluctant to do so. In my experience this is certainly so in the case of many M3s. It also helps to generate at least some activity where there’s now virtually none at all, eg 70cms. Let's be tolerant I also think it highly unlikely that live news broadcasts have ‘an adverse effect on amateurs in neighbouring countries’. Even if they do, surely here in UK we in turn frequently have to put up with all manner of ‘QRM’ from these countries as well? So what’s the difference? Again, the average news broadcast is fairly short, ie only 15–25 minutes long. So let’s be tolerant. Just think of some contests which take up the entire 2880 minutes (48 hours) of the weekend. I’m not really a contester myself, but I nevertheless respect the activities of those of us who are. It has been said that there are too many GB2RS news broadcasts, especially on 80m. I suspect that there is indeed a certain amount of overkill here and that far fewer would do the basic ‘news job’ just as well. But there are historical and social reasons why, in practice, it would be difficult to change this. Also, especially on VHF/UHF, there’s the issue of achieving effective regional coverage. The newsreader Some people occasionally maintain that the GB2RS News is nothing but an ego trip for the respective newsreader. In some cases this might well be true. Personally I find it very heartening to get the number of reports I sometimes do, especially on 80m on a Sunday morning. However, my main concern is the News itself - and presenting the News content clearly and in such a way that it's accessible to as many people on frequency as possible. Only then will I be doing my job properly. GB2RS on the Internet An Internet recording of the GB2RS News, no matter how well read, cannot compete with GB2RS live. A useful and forward-looking option it may well be, but let’s not forget that not everybody has Internet access, especially some members of the older generation. And surely the RSGB, like similar organisations, is supposed to be a radio society and not an Internet one. Although some people might find it more convenient to get their News off the Internet, let’s not even think about relegating GB2RS off onto the Internet only. Again, let’s be tolerant of this comparatively small, but nevertheless important live facet of our hobby. Its continued existence means a great deal to some.m |
