VOA Radiogram — More Digital PSK Mode Trials

Again I received fairly late notice that this weekend Voice of America is trial broadcasting several PSK mode broadcasts.

VOA Radiogram — “Soft launch” of VOA Radiogram this weekend.

VOA Radiogram

VOA Radiogram is a Voice of America program experimenting with digital text and images via shortwave broadcasting.

• Modes menu for VOA Radiogram, March 23/24, 2013

  VOA Radiogram for March 23/24 will be similar to the past weekend’s program in that it features the PSK modes. Much of Kim’s script will be the same. In this weekend’s broadcast, however, only one mode at a time will be transmitted. This should improve the signal-to-noise ratio and ability to decode each mode.

  Each will be centered on 1500 Hz:

  1. BPSK31 (1:00)
  2. PSK63F (1:00)
  3. BPSK63 (1:00)
  4. PSKR125 (1:00)
  5. PSKR250 (1:00)
  6. PSKR500 (1:00)
  7. PSKR1000 (1:00)
  8. PSKR125 (3:45) Plain text
  9. PSKR250 (2:40) Flmsg* formatted (with html)
  10. MFSK32 (0:55) Image

  *Install Flmsg. Then, in Fldigi: Configure > Misc >  NBEMS > under Reception of flmsg files click Open with flmsg and Open in browser, and below that state where your Flmsg file is located.

  If decoding performance is still not satisfactory, VOA Radiogram in future weekends will feature more robust modes, such as MFSK, MT63, and Olivia.

  See VOA Radiogram: how to decode the modes.

  VOA Radiogram transmission schedule
  (all days and times UTC)
  Sat 1600-1630 17860 kHz
  Sun 0230-0300 5745 kHz
  Sun 1300-1330 6095 kHz
  Sun 1930-2000 15670 kHz
  All via the Edward R. Murrow transmitting station in North Carolina.

  Please send reception reports, audio samples, screenshots, etc.,  to radiogram@voanews.com

http://voaradiogram.net/post/45415629990/voa-radiogram-how-to-decode-the-modes

This is a neat extension of both the use of the PSK digital modes more popular in Amateur Radio and VoA broadcast mission.

73

Steve
K9ZW