Adventures In Amplitude Modulation - Part 22

As I mentioned in my last post, I spent a week around the July 4th holiday in Michigan. And many of those evenings were spent in my brother’s backyard scanning shortwave and the AM band for this blog series. Although I’ve yet to dig into all the tapes I recorded, I must admit that I don’t recall that any particular shortwave scan I snagged there to be as compelling as most of the ones I’ve already featured here. To me, what makes a broadcast band tuning adventure memorable is ultimately a crap shoot. It's a roll of the dice under the influence of atmospheric conditions and the happenstance of coming across interesting content. The radio dice weren't so kind this trip.

That’s not to say that in twenty or so hours of recording I didn’t capture some intriguing and revealing broadcasting along the way. But I was ultimately disappointed that most of scans didn't stand out as being blogable or as significant audio artifacts. To me, there’s several factors that make a particular scan worth posting and discussing here. While it’s always exciting to come across viable signals from very far away (or from countries I’ve rarely if ever heard on shortwave), this is an English language blog and it seems imperative to present some radio English content in the mix (although foreign music programs often have a powerful charm all their own). I think it’s safe to say that just discussing the origin of multilingual chatter isn’t what I had in mind when I started this series. And I’m sure most readers would agree.

Of course, exotic non-English programming is part of what makes shortwave so interesting. But in the end radio is supposed to be a communication medium. When I turn on a shortwave set to explore I want to receive information and ideas from around the world, as well as log some far off programming I can’t understand. Actually my recent listening sessions upstate (for only two evenings) yielded more interesting scans, and I may return to those recordings in the next few weeks. Like I said, it’s always a crap shoot.

Most (but certainly not all) of what I did capture in English on shortwave during this were those damned US Christian shortwave broadcasters, as well as some decent AM DXing scans, which I have yet to revisit.

In this post I’m offering a late night scan of the 49 meter band (from June 30, 2006), which is primarily a ghetto of Jesus-casting in the US at that time. The 49 meter band (the frequencies directly surrounding 6000 kHz or so) is the most popular shortwave broadcast band overnight, but after midnight very few international broadcasters aim their mighty transmitters toward North America with English broadcasts (except Cuba and perhaps China, which never seems to stop broadcasting in English and dozens of other languages on shortwave). What you typically get in the wee hours are a few distant stations intended for other continents in between the stronger signals spewing English language Christian evangelism and propaganda, most originating from the US.

If you happen to be a regular reader of this series, you know that I am largely disdainful and disgusted with the glut of disturbing Christian broadcasting on shortwave in this country. Although there have been rare instances where I’ve heard something actually inspirational or original from a Christian shortwave broadcast, in general these stations offer heaping helpings of ignorance and old world authoritarian blather. And what worse, you often catch some creepy xenophobia for good measure. At its worst, shortwave bible-banging is full of intolerance and disdain, if not hatred, for those who are the wrong color or don't embrace the beliefs of the particular Christian sect transmitting the propaganda at hand.

In this sampling you'll hear a bit of that. So, let’s scrape the bottom of the 49 meter barrel, starting out just before 2:30 AM (0624 UTC) on Friday night (or Saturday morning) June 30, 2006 (or July 1 if you’re a stickler).

49 Meter Band (5765 to 6160 kHz) 07-01-06 (Download MP3)

5765 - WWCR (Nashville, TN) - Scriptures For America

It’s the “Scriptures For America” program, with Pastor Peter J. Peters of LaPorte, Colorado. Tonight he’s offering a replay of his Martin Luther King holiday special broadcast from January of this year. And what a tribute it is.

Okay, it’s not a tribute at all. This is a venomous indictment of MLK. Pastor Peters is a leading figure in the American “Christian Identity” movement, a racist theology based on the rather kooky theory that white folks, or “Aryans” (or just generally pale Americans) are descendants of the "lost tribes of Israel." That said, it doesn’t stop these bizarre Caucasoid practitioners from despising Jews (who one would assume they believe are actually their ancient cousins), and of course, loathing African-Americans (and basically all brown and black people). And that’s not all. Christian Identity types really HATE homosexuals, and many aren’t too fond of Catholics either. No surprise, a similar theology has been quite popular in South Africa as well.

Anyway, you get the idea. To make a long story short, Pastor Peters is a hateful little racist asshole who happens to have an international radio show. Funny how Peters barely mentions the civil rights movement (or any need for such a thing in America during MLK's era) in this nasty diatribe. Nothing original here. It’s basically a restatement of the John Birch Society case against Martin Luther King that’s been passed around in racist circles for decades. Much of it is based on rumors based around the infamous FBI surveillance of King, under the pasty guiding hand of J. Edgar Hoover.

What made King such a bad guy to Peters and the Birchers? Well, apparently he was a naughty person first and foremost. But more importantly, they're outraged that anyone would honor a communist sexual deviant, who was also a false prophet (whatever that means). And to be frank, there are lots of rumors that Martin Luther King was an unfaithful husband. And perhaps that’s true. I don't know. But If so, he wouldn’t be the first significant leader on the national or world stage who didn’t adhere to his (or her) marriage vows, or may have committed acts that some find immoral or distasteful. While I’m not an advocate of adultery or of behavior that hurts others, I have long suspected that very powerful men who have at least a moderate level of health and virility will find a way to satisfy their assorted sexual desires one way or another. As long as only consenting adults are involved, I don't personally see it as a political issue. But others disagree, which led to the moronic impeachment of Bill Clinton. (And we never did find out who was being serviced all those nights by Jeff Gannon. Take a look at those White House secret service logs.)

Anyway, more to the point, what really pisses off Peters was those “wild interracial sex orgies” King supposedly participated in so many years ago. While he’s not so happy about the group sex aspect, it’s the miscegenation thing that really burns him up. “Interracial marriage is a violation of god’s law,” Peters says. It’s “a ploy to weaken America’s strength.” No mention of bodily fluids.

What I felt was mildly amusing in all the hatred and spite, was that Peters actually decries the policies of torture and our loss of privacy rights under Bush, despite the fact that Bush seems as close to Peter’s beliefs as any US President in our lifetime. Perhaps he’s only concerned that government sponsored torture might not be used exclusively on black and brown people. Peters doesn’t seem to find any problem with the FBI snooping on King’s every move for years.

I also mentioned Pastor Peters in this previous post.

5850 - EWTN - Eternal Word Television Network (Vandiver, AL)

From scary racist Protestant blather, to equally frightening crap from this huge Catholic shortwave station in Alabama. On the phone is nasty old Phyllis Schlafly, who made a name for herself by fighting equal rights for women and public school sex education for decades. She also once said the atomic bomb was a gift from god. And lately she's been promoting the idea that an independent judiciary is just a plain bad idea. According to Schlafly, some judges have too much power (i.e. independence), especially on the Supreme Courts. According to her recent book, these judges are “supremacists,” which is her terminology for what other rabid right-wingers refer to as judicial activists. It’s shorthand for judges who make decisions Phyllis and her ilk find distasteful, or somehow not Christian enough, whatever. It’s a catchy term, right?– supreme court, supremacists, super-bad... Easy to remember. However, if you happen to look up the word “supremacist” you'll notice that it a tern defining certain humans who believe that their race, religion, belief system or culture is superior, or are more deserving of certain rights, privileges and freedoms than people who are not like them. So, Rowe vs. Wade was a matter of supremacy? Of what, secularism? Please.

Make no mistake about it. Half-wit theocrats like Schlafly and Peters are TRUE supremacists, and these days like-minded people who want to scrap our secular representative republic for something more like Taliban rule are working overtime behind the scenes to make this country a religious state. It’s happening within the Catholic and Protestant church in this country, and it oughtta scare the hell out of you. That is, unless you’re a zombie too.

5920 - The Fundamental Broadcasting Network

Holy singin’ in a big room. How much joy can you handle?

5935 - WWCR - Gene Scott

Hearing an old-fashioned money grubbing (dead) preacher is kind of a relief after all that hate and prudish garbage. Even if it is a bunch of tired gobbledygook about how HE us gave his son, and that makes us givers, or something "axiomatic" like that. Amen.

5950 - WYFR - Family Radio

Spreading Harold Camping’s warped Christian message around the world in Español.

5965 - Radio Exterior de Espana

The first secular broadcast here. Lots of weather noise. Some guitar action.

5985 - WYFR - Family Radio

More Jesus for all garbage, in a Chinese language I believe. With the contact information given in slow distinct English.

6005 - BBC World Service (from Ascension Island in the South Atlantic)

If there was one blip in the news cycle that seemed to eventually snowball into what has become a huge ongoing human disaster in Lebanon, it was the capture of the young Israeli soldier mentioned in this newscast. That already seems so long ago.

And what is really irritating, especially in a time of a major world crisis, is that the BBC World Service is now difficult, and at times impossible, to hear in North America on shortwave. The BBC has decided that American shortwave listeners just aren’t worth the time or money. Sure, it’s still a great news source (much better than NPR), but it’s really not the world service it once was. I wonder if the planet really starts to go up in a ball of flames if the BBC might butch up and offer North America the English service they need and deserve via shortwave again. After all, If things get really bad shortwave could again become the only way to hear what’s happening around the globe.

Gosh, am I pessimistic today or what?

6030 - Radio Marti

It’s freedom lovin’ America, spreading democracy to Cuba via radio instead of using good old fashioned warfare and torture. Broadcasting from North Carolina, I believe this signal is being jammed by Cuba with their infamous “havana gurgle” machine.

6070 - Radio Mundial Mahanaim (Santiago, Chile)?

One thing for sure, this is NOT CFRX (a shortwave simulcasting relay of talk station CFRB in Toronto, which I did hear at other times at this frequency while in Michigan).

It’s a pop song, in Spanish with guitar (and perhaps flute) with hip hop overtones. Not that I’m crazy about this song, and the reception is piss poor, but in my opinion this one stop on the 49 meter band had more humanity and sanity than any other signal I came across that evening. However, the clip is short here.

6090 - Gene Scott

Beggin’ for money from the grave again. I wonder how many years it will go on?

6110 - RAI - Radio International Italy (Rome)?

Or maybe a Christian station in Chile. Not sure. Very poor signal.

6160 - Radio Habana Cuba

In English. AWFUL reception.

Alright, there’s your depressing overview of the 49 meter band. I hope you enjoyed it. Next week, probably some medium wave listening, or something else. I haven‘t decided. Meanwhile, the other posts in this series can be found here. Please post comments and/or email me with corrections, comments or suggestions.

And I thank you for listening.

Comments

[mikronos salmonides]

It's a relief to read about the shortwave listening habits of someone who isn't a right wing religious nut themselves. Judging from the random outbursts of lefty-bashing that I have to endure on the usual shortwave nets, I was pretty sure I was the only one until now. You're right, the big christian broadcasters are mostly annoying, sometimes sickeningly hateful or willfully ignorant, but sometimes interesting- the survivalist conspiracist programs offer up odd things for sale like solar water collectors that you'd never see at WalMart- despite this, still annoying. Have you discovered WBCQ on 7415 yet? They regularly feature the Hour of Slack- produced by the Church of the Subgenius. Now that's a religion I can understand!!

[Kim Scarborough]

"[D]espite the fact that Bush seems as close to Peter’s beliefs as any US President in our lifetime."

Oh please. Just because you don't like Bush and you don't like the racist fringe doesn't mean they agree. The Klan/Bircher crowd is generally against the administration's Middle East policy (including the Iraq war), viewing it as controlled by Israel (also c.f. Buchanan & David Duke, both strongly anti-Israel and antiIraq War). Bush has never been strongly anti-immigrationeven in Pete Wilson's time, when Bush was Texas governor, he was something of a maverick in the Republican party due to his immigration sympathies. Obviously this doesn't sit well with the racist fringe, who constantly talk of the invasion of brown people who want to take our jobs, rape our wives, whatever. And as you said, the natural suspicion they have of the federal governmentall that black helicopter stuffmakes them be very much in opposition to Bush's civil liberties encroachments.

[Dale Hazelton]

Check out BCQs 7415 tranmitter M-TH at 8:00 Eastern for Rabbi Yakov Spivaks "Voice of Torah" call-in radio program. While I'm not Jewish, Spivak is one of the few people on radio --religious or not -- who make any sense. He does get the occasional Nazi skinhead calling in to hurrah the extermination of all Jews. But the program is usually less caustic, but always topical and informative if you have any interest in the Middle East situation.

[Steve Harris]

"Although there have been rare instances where I’ve heard something actually inspirational or original from a Christian shortwave broadcast..."

Well, why not let us know which Christian broadcasts you found to be inspirational or original?

Oh, but wait, by doing that you would open yourself up to ridicule and sarcastic remarks from WFMU Beware of the Blog readers. I guess it's safer to write about kooks instead of sharing what you found to be inspirational. It could indicate that you actually believe in something, God forbid.

[David]

Professor, may I use this forum to thank you for continuing to share Bob Lassiter recordings on Aircheck? Thanks to you, I've become a Bobhead - downloading all the airchecks I can find and obsessively following Bob's blog, as his health sadly declines.

[poesboes]

The message -as always- is in your dedication and passion for radio, Professor. Not a trace of static there!

[Dean W. Armstrong]

I use the American religious broadcasters basically as frequency markers, as I listen on an analog tube radio. That said, on a Saturday night/Sunday morning (5-7 UT) a few weeks ago I caught WBCQ on 7415 playing great rock-n-roll and a DJ decrying the state of American shortwave. He even had a great parody of Gene Scott going.

On the 49 meter band, I usually get a strong relay from Sackville, Canada of Radio Japan and Voice of Vietnam, and Radio Habana Cuba always comes in (I believe it is directed towards Chicago). BBC used to be strong, but I haven't heard it in a while on this band.

[norelpref]

I love this thread and appreciate the Professor greatly. I took the latest mp3 and cut it up a bit.

SHORT WAVE PEOPLE

[norelpref]

Oops, my link got lost somehow.

SHORT WAVE PEOPLE

There we go.

[Doug]

Hi! I am a Christian who stumbled upon this site looking for something else. I actually share your loathing for most of the broadcasting done in the name of the Lord. But could you at least give credit when it is due? Otherwise you risk throwing out the baby with the bathwater or however that goes. What I speak of is your apparent lumping of Family Radio's broadcasts in with all the rest. No matter how you feel about the Bible and the things it may or may not teach, if you are really going to try to be honest about everything, then if you give this radio network your honest appraisal you will simply have to admit early on that they sit in stark contrast to all the rest of what you would so readily lump them into. For one thing the entire organization is ENTIRELY listener supported! ZERO commercials, nada zip. And entirely NON denominational, NON profit and those things make it an amazing breath of fresh air in my book. In fact you may appreciate the fact that they are HATED by EVERY church and every denomination bar none BECAUSE as of a few years ago or so they are flatly saying that ALL the churches are under Satan's rule and that ANYONE that has any desire to do what is right WILL LEAVE their church forever. How can you not appreciate that if you hate the churches so much? Not only that, I think you stated something to the effect that one of their broadcasts was "just more of the Jesus for all stuff" or something to that effect But that simply is not true. Family Radio teaches that Jesus did NOT come for "all" but rather only a remnant equal to only about 3% of the world's population and that in fact Christ has particular contempt for those in the CHURCHES! In fact this contempt seems far above and beyond that of for the pagans, homosexuals, and atheists. In addition Family Radio is totally non political and so you don't hear the often obnoxious political messages of these other so called "Christian" stations out of the US. Basically they will say let Caesar rule the world however he and his senators want to and let us true believers alone to worship as we see fit. We will be endeavor to be good citizens of every country, good workers and respectful to all but our individual focus is on things above. I just think that you give them a bum rap on nearly every point you made. Perhaps you can't appreciate some of the music and so on but they are not the things you accused the average "Christian" broadcaster of and if you want the maximum bashing insult to all those that irk you then you really ought to consider highlighting and defending them even if with tongue in cheek. You know what else? I bet Harold Camping's Family Radio is one of the only Christian broadcasters that is not condemning the unsaved sinners to the conventional eternal torment hell traditionally taught. Harold now teaches that God is much to merciful for any of that nonsense. In fact the very worst of the worst like Charles Manson, Hitler or TV Evangelists will all receive exactly the same punishment in death ... NOTHING. That's right nothing, dead, the end never another conscience moment ....annihilation PERIOD. Not only that but many unbelievers even can find programs of interest on Family Radio. There is one feature that typically highlights some amazing plant or animal even if is used to suggest that it is so amazing it HAD to be created rather than have evolved. There is another feature on health topics totally void of any "faith healing" aspects etc. There is a program aired several times a day that is simply the Bible read out loud by a pleasant to hear deep voice for a half hour at a time WITHOUT comment. Also these portions of Scripture are simply sequentially read, no one is picking and choosing in order to highlight pet view points or or whatever .. just the entire Bible read 1/2 hour at a time day after day. But my favorite programs are the two that Harold does personally "the open forum" and the "Family Bible study" Open forum is a live listener call in program where every question and comment is responded to with Harold using the Bible alone as his ultimate authority. People ask some real doozies! It can be pretty interesting and entertaining at times. Also the Bible Studies are super interesting to me because of Harold’s "Get out of the church" doctrines and his absolute 100% conviction that RIGHT now is going on a massive worldwide awakening of that 3% of the worlds population to salvation some from every nation, kindred and language, skin color, culture etc from all around the world. He teaches that this happens quietly personally without anyone's overall notice but God but that by May 21, 2011 Every last one of them will be called into the fold and then Christ will return to pick up ALL of these elect and at the same time will resurrect the bodies of all the believer who have died so far, resurrected to some kind of brand new eternal super glorious body which every true believer must get changed into to live and reign with Christ forever more. And what does he teach will happen to the BILLIONS left behind? He unfortunately teaches that for 5 months it is going to be super terrible here on earth beginning May 21,2011 with a huge supernatural earthquake felt simultaneously by everyone on earth of a magnitude and nature hereto for unseen as yet! And get this! Every single corpse in every grave (save his elect of course) the graves, tombs, morgue drawers etc will be opened and all those BILLIONS of corpses in various states of decay from daisy fresh to stinking worm riddled rancid to dry bare bones to dust only will be thrown out into public view (not to mention public smell!) for the purpose of displaying the utter shame in dying in rebellion to God. Harold tries to have the listener imagine the disease unleashed by the airing of these billions of corpses combined with the total inability of the population to clean it up to any significant degree because of massive damage done to whole world's infrastructure including transportation, communications, health care ...everything which will have been so severely damaged by this huge initial earthquake the likes of which the world had never before seen. earthquake. Whether you believe it or not you have to admit that it is at least as terrifying as any apocalyptic type horror movie to date! My imagination reels trying to picture the world existing in such a state struggling to overcome such an insult ... and imagining the particularly enraged 1/3 of the world's population that statistically views themselves as some sort of Christian that generally is pretty sure he or she was "in the fold of God" ... If that happens won't they all be just OUTRAGED at God for leaving them behind? Particularly if they saw some loathsome type individuals being raptured into their eternal glory! Maybe a bigoted bunch of southern Bible bangers watch as some black ghetto types or known homosexuals are raptured .... people who never stepped foot in a church and from all appearance sake lived their life in rebellion to

[FalconXFrontier]

wow why do you hate the relgious programs soo much?
pastor peters is alright. I may disagree with the anglo-israli truth but
he does expose lots of stuff

[knEMILY]

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