Sunday, February 25, 2007

CHU is it saved?

According to a post on UDXF 2/24/2007 by John Kasupski, "Canadian time station CHU is currently broadcasting an announcement to the effect that they have been licensed to continue broadcasting on 7.335 MHz (7335.0 kHz). Their 7335.0 signal here faded out on me but I just heard it on 3330.0 loud and clear." The announcement is as follows: "CHU has been licensed to continue broadcasting on seven point three three five megahertz."

What has interested me through all this CHU shutdown discussion on UDXF is a study conducted in Canada on adding a CHU2 site to provide coverage in the west of Canada. You can see the details of that study at http://cbc.am/CHU.htm.

And if you go to http://inms-ienm.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/time_services/shortwave_broadcasts_e.html
you will get the whole story about the 7335 kHz dilemma. Seems that this ute service doesn't belong in what is now a broadcast service frequency. Of course the shortwave broadcasters over the years muscled in on this former ute only portion of the spectrum. Wonder which US shortwave broadcaster complained?

Of course that would be very hypocritical on their part and would be like calling the kettle black with most of the US broadcasters occupying frequencies outside the normal broadcast spectrum and operating as secondary assignments on the freqs they are currently using.

But remember that shortwave broadcast are dying, even as the broadcasters scream for more spectrum space.