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Wednesday, November 17, 1999 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER B1 OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR OF THE OAKVILLE WATERFRONT FESTIVAL Focus Your Ultimate Oaky ilia W ebsite LivinqinOakville.com O a k v ille B e a v e r F o c u s E ditor: W ILM A B LO K H U IS 8 4 5 -3 8 2 4 (E x te n s io n 250) Fax: 3 3 7 -5 5 6 7 By Sandra O m and SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER L ike gamblers, they spin the radio dial hoping to tap into as many distant and obscure radio stations as possible, eagerly log ging and recording each find. Called DXers - the DX comes from the Morse Code for long-distance these hobbyists use shortwave radios, HAM radios and even car radios, to monitor the world's airways. Bypassing the strong local broad casts most people listen to, DXers dili gently seek out the weak signal. In their quest, DXers will get up in the early hours of the morning, or drive to a hilltop vantage point in the middle of the night, to pursue that elusive far off signal. Their efforts, like peering into a window of a brightly lit home on a dark night, are rewarded with intimate glimpses of countries and their peo ples. It is traveling, but without the has sles. One such traveler is Steve Canney, 43, of Oakville, who became hooked on DXing (he uses shortwave and HAM radios) when he was 12 yearsold, and was one of the youngest HAM operators in Canada when he got his license at 15. "It is the fascination of being able to turn the dial and hear voices coming from a distant place," explained Canney, owner of A Cleaner House. `T here is a sense of control when you can pick and choose whether you are listening to Moscow, China or England." anney described once listening to Radio Moscow (broadcast in English) and realizing something major had happened when the music changed, becoming somber (it turned out one o f their leaders had died). Music, of course, needs no transla tion and Canney said he has even developed a taste for African style pop music after listening to a station called Africa Number One in Gabon. `T he signal is all in French but I get a real kick out of listening to the African style pop music." Another attraction of short-wave listening for DXers is it allows them to hear news and information directly from the source with a political per spective that is often different from C membership in the ODXA dropped 46%. To regain interest in DXing a web site (www.odxa.on.ca) has been creat ed on the Internet. The ODXA now numbers 700 members worldwide, although the majority are based in Ontario, and publishes a monthly magazine, DX Ontario, that is directed at both short wave and HAM radio users. Both the Internet site and the maga zine have listings of international sta tions ranging from Antarctica's Radio Nacional Arcangel San Gabriel to Zambia's Radio Zambia and offer invaluable information on the art of short-wave listening to both the expe rienced DXer and the beginner. ecendy the ODXA held a mm J R convention in Oakville to B - ^ ^ ^ celebrate its 25th B % anniversary where memJB W L bers got together to com pare notes and share their love of radio. For Canney, and the many others like him who attended the three-day event, shortwave radio listening is not just a hobby, it is a way of life. `The radio is on all the time, it has become as much a part of my lifestyle as turning on a television," he said. Canney said DXing attracts a diverse cross-section of people and gave the example of television person ality Peter Trueman who joined 10 years ago and legendary country singer Tommy Hunter whose name recently turned up on the membership · P hoto by Peter C. M cC usker list. Steve Canney of Oakville, chairman of the Ontario DX Association, tunes his shortwave radio at the organization's Trueman apparently became recent 25th anniversary convention at the Oakville Ramada Inn. hooked on shortwave after discover their own. a feeling of being right there," said the reports to others. ing, while on foreign assignments, that suddenly "Hearing news and information Canney. "It was more real than Today, Canney said, most people the British Broadcasting Corporation's from the country of origin provides CNN." have gotten out of the habit of tuning (BBC) World Service was the most some credibility as it isn't your own -»T-- xperiences using the around the dial. He said people per reliable source of information - even news media providing the interpreta B . * HAM radio are also just ceive radio as finding your favourite about the story he was covering. tion so it is like hearing it first hand, as vivid but different as, type of channel, putting it in memory For those wishing to explore the especially when major events occur," B 1j unlike shortwave radio and that is it. The result is they are world's airways, a basic shortwave said Canney. where you can only lis missing out on the richness of the radio can be purchased for $70 to During the Gulf War, for example, ten, with HAM radios you can talk as medium. $100. HAM radios, however, tend to Canney said he and his wife, who usu well. "What happens when they can't be more expensive as the equipment is ally just tolerates his hobby, were One event using the HAM radio find their station while driving up more sophisticated and requires a glued, to his shortwave radio, listening that stands out for Canney was during north is they put in a tape and the license. to Israeli broadcasts (in English) Hurricane Hugo when HAM radio was radio shuts off," said Canney. "It's More information can be obtained detailing what was happening. the only way to get messages out of like looking at the stars and saying you by writing to ODXA at PO Box 161, "You were actually listening about the Caribbean. He listened to descrip only need to look at the big dipper and Station A, Willowdale, Ont., M2N gas masks being used when the scuds tions of the devastation long before the the moon." 5S8 or by sending email to were being fired on Israel and it gave media were able to get in, and relayed Canney, who is chairman of the odxa@compuserve.com Listening to the world on shortwave Ontario DX Association (ODXA), feels the Internet is also luring people away from radio listening. He noted that while interest in the Internet was increasing during the early 1990s SCORE THE REST OF THE REGULAR SEASON FOR ONLY $79! C'mon, get moving! The season is ending, and there's only one way to see all the teams as they battle it out for the final playoff spots and positions - NFL SUNDAY T IC K E T ". Get NFL SUNDAY T IC K E T " today and you'll receive up to 13 games a week for the rest of the season. Plus, you'll get 30 digital music channels and an Interactive Programming Guide. It's your call. 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