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Monster Media 1994 #1
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QSL.TXT
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1993-12-22
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HOW TO SEND FOR QSL CARDS
QSL cards are postcards, often colorfully printed, sent out by shortwave
stations verifying reception of their signal. A QSL card is a sort of
"thank you" sent by the station to a listener for giving information about
how well the signal is being received, and for showing interest in the
programs. Many SWL's (Short Wave Listeners) collect them in albums.
To request a QSL card from a station, identify the program listened to,
giving a few details of its content for verification, the time (in UTC) and
its frequency. Also include a SINPO report (see below). There are many
books available listing the addresses of international short wave stations,
such as PASSPORT TO WORLD BAND RADIO and WORLD RADIO TV HANDBOOK (see
BIBLIO.TXT), and many times the stations themselves broadcast their
addresses. Addresses of a few of the better known stations are given at the
end of this file. Sending an International Reply Coupon (IRC) with your
request will usually expedite a reply and is a courtesy always appreciated
by the staff of an underfunded radio station in a poorer country. Be
patient. It may take months to get your QSL cards. Some stations may not
respond to your requests, but many will.
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UTC
The international broadcasting community keeps time by a universally
accepted standard system, independent of local time zones. It was once
called Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), but has since been renamed Universal
Coordinated Time (UTC). The initials are from the French version of same,
Universel Temps Coordiné.
To calculate UTC, add 5 hours to EST. Add one extra hour for each additonal
time zome westward (for example, 6 hrs. for CST, etc.). Subtract one hour if
you are using Daylight Savings time.
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THE "SINPO" SYSTEM
The SINPO system is the internationally accepted method of making reception
reports when writing in for QSL cards. SINPO is, of course, an acronym.
S = Signal strength
I = Interference level
N = Noise level
P = Propagation [how often the received signal oscillates]
O = Overall sound quality
For each of the above categories, report signal quality rated from 1 to 5 as
follows.
5 = excellent
4 = very good
3 = acceptable
2 = poor
1 = terrible
The category 'O', or overall sound quality is a summary of the other four,
but the rating for it may not exceed the lowest of the 'I' and 'N' category
ratings. For example, if S=5, I=3, N=2, P=5, then O may not be greater than
2.
The information contained in SINPO reports from listeners helps broadcast
engineers at the station determine how well the signal is received in the
intended listening area. They then decide whether to change broadcast
times, increase or decrease signal strength or modulation, etc.
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MAILING ADDRESSES OF SELECTED INTERNATIONAL SHORTWAVE STATIONS
[Write to them for QSL cards and English Language schedules]
BBC World Service
Bush House
London WC2B 4PH
England
Deutsche Welle
Raderberggürtel 50
P.O. Box 10 04 44
D-5000 Köln 1
Germany
Radio Austria International
A-1136 Vienna
Austria
Radio Canada International
P.O. Box 6000
Montreal, Canada H3C 3A8
Radio France Internationale (RFI)
B.P. 9516
F-75016
Paris
France
Radio Japan
Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK)
2-2-1 Jinnan
Shibuya-ku
Tokyo
Japan
Radio Nederland
English Section
PO Box 222
Hilversum, Netherlands 1200JG
[responds quickly to QSL requests]
Radio Moscow
Moscow, Russia
Radio Nacional de España (Spanish National Radio)
Casa de la Radio
Prado del Rey
28023 Madrid
Spain
Swiss Radio International
P.O. Box CH-3000
Berne 15, Switzerland
Voice of America
330 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20547
Voice of Free China (Taiwan)
P.O. Box 24-38
Taipei
Taiwan, Republic of China
[responds quickly to QSL requests]