Foreign Language Recognition
Farland volunteers. (And to which the proceeds of the silent auction at Winterfest were also donated.)
In late 2006, Ian McFarland introduced a two-CD set of shortwave station IDs and interval signals, drawn from his 24 years with Radio Canada International. At the recent 20th Winter SWL Fest, Ian introduced a second set of two CDs which provide a little nostalgia along with a valuable language resource. CD#1 is a Foreign Language recognition course which was presented by Dr. Richard E. Wood on the Radio Canada SW Club program. Sixty-eight different languages are presented in 10 different language families or geographic regions, along with tips you can use to help you identify the language being spoken. Once you know the language, the time of broadcast, and the frequency, you are well on your way to identifying the station you are listening to. CD#2 is a bonus containing three full-length programs selected for their enduring significance. The first show commemorated World DX Friendship Year 1973, with greetings from noted DXers from around the world. The second program on the CD celebrated the 80th anniversary of the first radio broadcast by Reginald Fessenden. It is particularly appropriate to resurrect this nicely-produced show, since we just celebrated the 100th anniversary of this event in December 2006. Last, but not least, is a look back at RCIs history, which Ian produced in 1985 for the 40th anniversary show. Series #2 is available by visiting www.dxer.ca and printing out the pdf order form to mail in, or by PayPal sent to listeningin@rogers. com. Prices are $10 to Canada ($11 via PayPal); $12 to USA ($12 via PayPal); 13 Euros to Europe, or $15 US dollars elsewhere. Send to: Ian McFarland, 6667 Beaumont Avenue, Duncan, BC V9L 5X8, Canada. Best of all, the net proceeds from the sale of these CDs are being donated to the local Food Bank in Duncan, British Columbia, a registered charity where Ian Mc-

Tourist Trains

Kalmbach Publishing Co., publishers of Trains magazine, has compiled a unique travel reference in the Tourist Trains Guidebook. Listed by state or province, the book includes detailed information about the best tourist trains and rail museums in the US and Canada, along with a directory of nearly 300 train rides, museums, and historical depots many with pictures. The 150 highlighted attractions include a little background description, best features, when to go, whats worth doing, how to get there, and other sites worth visiting while youre in the area. All the listings are also indexed for easy use. Among the advertisements at the beginning of the book, youll also find a discount card valid at many of the listed atractions. This 277-page soft-cover book is available in hobbyshops and bookstores, or direct from Kalmbach in Waukesha, WI, for $18.95. To order direct, call (800)533-6644 or visit www. kalmbachbooks.com.
the VHF High frequency band. You can use a simple VHF radio receiver (scanner) tuned to the band between 137 and 138 MHz to pick up the strong signals from these satellites. With Orbcomm Plotter you can decode the telemetry and find out the positions of the satellites, their operational status, and their uplink and downlink channels.

Icom IC-R9500 Now Available
Orbcomm Plotter decodes transmissions from Orbcomm satellites using the sound card in your PC (Pentium level PC running Win95/98/Me/2k/XP with compatible sound card). You will also need a suitable VHF band radio receiver/antenna tuned to the Orbcomm data channels. The program decodes the received digital data, then displays and logs the messages.
Signal mode - displays the raw digital signals on your PC screen in a diagnostic display which helps you to set up the system and adjust the receiver. Message mode - displays each decoded message in plain language on your PC screen. It displays the identity of the Orbcomm satellite, the operating frequency, UTC date time, position, uplink and downlink frequencies, and coded message trafc. Satellite mode - displays the operating frequency and last known position of satellites Chart mode - displays the position of Orbcomm satellites: real-time, history, or prediction. Message log - stores all messages received and decoded in a text le.
The new, "flagship" wide band receiver from Icom received FCC type acceptance February 23rd. The Icom IC-R9500 is expected in April at dealers like Grove Enterprises although at $13,500, it may be on the shelf but still out of reach! The IC-R9500 is targeted to professionals for monitoring radio signals and analyzing spectrum, or to high level scanner enthusiasts. What makes a receiver like this so pricey? Features such as triple conversion, two digital signal processors, digital audio recording, synchronous detection, spectrum scope, ten VFOs, 1000+ memory channels with USB access, and digital twin passband tuning, for starters. The receiver covers 5 kHz to 3335 MHz (less cellular) in all modes. It also offers five IF roofing filters with selectable 240, 50, 15, 6 and 3 kHz widths. The fact that it weighs in at 44 lbs is another indication of rock solid construction. Detection modes include AM, AM synch (selectable sideband), USB, LSB, CW, FM, WFM. A dual-notch filter provides 70 dB attenuation of two heterodynes with wide, middle, narrow bandwidths.

Orbcomm Plotter

Have you ever wanted to intercept and decode a satellite downlink signal? Now, thanks to Bev M Ewen-Smith and the Centro de Observao Astronmica no Algarve (COAA), you can decode downlink signals from some of the easiest to monitor satellites with a new software decoding package called Orbcomm Plotter. This new software is designed to decode the VHF downlinks from the Orbcomm satellite constellation. Orbcomm is a satellite communication system (www.orbcomm.com) providing two-way data and positioning service to small, portable, user terminals in

May 2007

Orbcomm Plotter can be freely downloaded from the COAA website at www.coaa.co.uk/ orbcommplotter.htm and used for 21 days. After that time it must be registered online for Euro 25 (plus VAT for EU residents) or about US$33 for personal use.
The R9500 will scan at an approximate rate of 40 channels per second, using various scanning schemes, such as memory, program, frequency, priority, mode, and auto memory write. An optional P25 digital demodulator enables reception of digital communications; however, it is not able to track talk groups in a trunked system.

Books and Equipment for announcement or review should be sent to Whats New, c/o Monitoring Times, 7540 Highway 64 West, Brasstown, NC, 28902. Press releases may be faxed to 828837-2216 or emailed to Rachel Baughn, editor@monitoringtimes.com.

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