BEGINNER'S CLASSROOM FOR AUGUST 2012

AN UPDATED LOOK AT UTILITY "BROADCASTING"

The last time a Beginner's Classroom was devoted to Utility Stations was
back in February 2004, so I thought this month's column could have a twofold approach. First, we'll look at the basics of Utility "Broadcasting" as was
stated eight and a half years ago, and then we'll take a gander at what,
when and where utility stations can be heard today.
A Utility Station is defined as a non-broadcast station that is not directing
its transmissions to the general public. Before the turn of the millennium
there were many types of Utility Stations that people could hear on the high
frequency (HF) bands. CW, or Morse Code, RTTY (teletype), international
aircraft, weather broadcasts, ship-to-shore these were all over the 2 30
MHz frequency range for listeners to catch. Things have changed a lot since
the advent of VHF technologies, the Internet and Satellite broadcasting, all
of which have seen transportations, companies and other groups who used
utility transmissions switch their methods of communication. However,
there are still a number of utility broadcasts that are still out there for the
listening.
There are a couple of good reference guides you might wish to consider
purchasing if you're getting into this portion of the listening hobby:
JUST THE FAX: A Shortwave Radio Listener's Guide to Weather
Facsimile Reception - This new book by Steve Handler, mentioned in the
July 2012 Beginner's Classroom, is a handy guide on how to receive WEFAX
(Weather Facsimile). Go to www.shortwavereport.com for details on how to
purchase this book.
Utility DXer's QSL Address Handbook - This new book, also by Steve
Handler, gives known addresses for various types of utility stations, as well
as comments and suggestions on how to send reception reports to these

"non-broadcast" broadcasters. Again, go to www.shortwavereport.com to

find out more about this book and its contents.
2011/2012 Guide to Utility Radio Stations - This is one of a number of
informative books published by Joerg Klingenfuss. It includes station and
frequency lists, as well as schedules for various VOLMET and NAVTEX
transmissions. There is already a free supplement published in January
2012 that comes with this reference. For these and other books from
Klingenfuss Publications, go to www.klingenfuss.org or go through Universal
Radio in the USA at www.universal-radio.com (Phone: 1-800-431-3939).
How do you find HF Utility Stations? Apart from looking up frequencies for
various services still in the 2 30 MHz range, my suggestion is to take one
full megahertz, say the 6 MHz range, and slowly scan from 6000 to 6999
kHz. You might hear something such as Air Force One on 6122 kHz, New
York Radio (aircraft/weather) on 6128, Shannon aircraft broadcasts on 6580,
an LDOC (Long Distance Operational Control/Airline Companies) two-way
aircraft transmission on 6637, 6640, 6643 or 6646 kHz, or even the Halifax
Military on 6694 or Trenton, ON, Military on 6706 or 6715 kHz. Although
they can pop up anywhere, try the 6, 8, 10 and 13 MHz range as well! A
couple of my favourite stations were always the Shannon VOLMET station on
5505 kHz and the International Distress and Safety frequency of 2182 kHz.
I used to state that it is better to look up material on the Internet to find
interesting Utility stations. However, much of the resource-tank of Utility
transmission sites has dried up in the past few years. That being said, there
are a few places that you can try.
One website that still exists is Utility World, found at www.ominousvalve.com/uteworld.html. This site comes directly from the Utility World
column found in Monitoring Times by Hugh Stegman. I encourage you to
go to the site, as well as pick up a copy of MT either through their own
website or at a magazine store for all the wonderful information found within
its pages. Another possibility would be Bill Hepburn's DX Info Centre
located at www.dxinfocentre.com. Bill has a page which give HF Radio
Facsimile frequencies and another which gives current VOLMET frequencies
for aviation weather info.
If you are a member of the ODXA Yahoo Group on the Internet, then you
can see what is being heard on aviation, Navy MARS (Military Amateur Radio
Service), maritime broadcasts, etc. Allan Stern forwards items he has sent
to the HF Monitors Yahoo Group to our own ODXA Group on a regular basis.
I've noticed that two of his favourite frequencies to listen to are 11175 kHz,
which has a lot of transmissions from aircraft out of Dover AFB, and 13927

kHz. Allan has also heard a few emergency transmissions on the 11175 kHz
frequency.
I hope I've whetted your appetite for an interesting sub-hobby within our
radio listening pastime. Look up some references, peruse some HF areas
and begin having some fun listening to the UTEs! Until September,
73, keep smiling and keep listening,
JOE