Re: [Swprograms] learning a radio language for 2007, was Seattle, too...with BBCWS 24/7

[Daniel Say <say@xxxxxx>]

> If a list was made of what languages are currently being broadcasted, is 
> Spanish the language to learn to get the most out of SWLing?
> 
> By "most" I mean actual listening and comprehending, not just an entry into 
> the log.
> 
> Have a great weekend!
> 
> Ken
> Mason City, IA
> 

	A list?
	Getting the most is what you might want, then you
	want dozens of languages.

	I'm suggesting something other than English, and 
	with strong signals into Mason City, Iowa.

	Spanish is one of the languages of Mexico (largest
	Spanish-speaking country), Central and most of 
	South America.  Brazil is the world's largest
	Portuguese-speaking country.  There are many 
	indigenous languages as well.

	One advantage is that when the solar storms are
	strong and destroying the European sources, 
	South America becomes wonderfully alive and you
	best bet for hits.

	The same for power blackouts.  Suddenly all 
	the stars in the sky show rather than the 
	few hundred in most urban cities.
	And all those South Americans don't have 
	stateside interference.

	So you have a strong set of multiple transmitters
	from South America and to South America.

	See the ADDX.de hoeherplane
	ADDX: Radio-Kurier - weltweit hvren: Hvrfahrplan Spanisch
	X-URL: http://www.addx.de/cgi-bin/hfp.cgi
	for a resonably uptodate list of Spanish language broadcasts,
	even the big broadcasters.  I get CRI Spanish as
	loud as the English or Chinese broadcasts from CRI
	here next to Seattle.

	Listen to a broadcast and tape it.  Usually there is
	news.  Go to the station's web page.  They may have
	the same script there.  Or you could go to a 
	major newspaper of the region and do the same thing.
	
	There is www.babelfish.altavista.com  but if you
	use the Firefox (Mozilla) web browser, load the 
	extension FoxLingo  and you'll have the translation
	engines.

	1. Listen to the broadcast
	2. Write as much as you can.
	3. Listen to the tape of the news headlines.
	4. Revise the written parts above.
	5. Write your English attempt at a translation.
	
	6. Now compare the web versions, Spanish and 
	      machine translation.

	7. Repeat each day.

	Mason City is at
Sequence Latitude(DEC) Longitude(DEC) Latitude(DMS) Longitude(DMS)
1         43.1535728    -93.2010367    430913N       0931204W

	Go to http://www.qrz.co.il/handbook.php?pid=179
	or http://www.ac6v.com/opaids.htm
	and see such things as 
	Great Circle Maps - azprj104.zip program - For 
		any point on the earth.
 	AZIWORLD  This program is a generator of 
		coloured azimuth world maps centered 
		on any terrestrial position. 
	and so on.

	Make a map centred on the the Centre of the World
	Mason City, Iowa.

	[ the opposite side of the world, the Antipodes,
	is in the south Indian Ocean 
	http://peakbagger.com/pbgeog/worldrev.aspx ]

	Now you have an idea of how to sight/site antennas
	and the distances involved.

	Closer countries are better, but over the oceans
	is another advantage--less antennuation-- so see
	Asian transmitters, the mid-Atlantic relays from
	Ascencion Island, and REE, the Spanish radio.
	Try several times a month to scan all the times
	and frequencies.

	Call up the Iowa State U, U North Iowa, Hamilton
	College, N Iowa CC, Buena Vista Uni
	as well as the M.C. Public Schools 641 - 421=4506
	or maybe Hampton Adult or Continuing Education
	641-456-5668 if that is not too far and ask
	about Spanish classes for learning Spanish
	(not what they call classes for Spanish speakers)
	and how many hours,  price, teacher if known
	and when they start and how to register.

	I'd suggest cheaper classes at first, this is a
	year long project.  You'll get basic grammar,
	pronunciation and instant feedback.
	NIACC offers the online courses called Speed Spanish
        URL: http://www.niacc.edu/continuinged/catalog/internet.html
	Are they still offering
	http://www.niacc.edu/newspub/news/releases/2003/CE408.html
	at lunchtime?
	The NOW program had two-week x 2 hours a couple of years ago.
	Ask around.

	The classes would start in January and may have
	a minimum registration (no class if less than 
	ten students, etc.)
		
	You should also check if they have "summer schools"
	in Mexico, Guatemala and so on.
	Can you get vacation for that period?  Probably you
	have vacation in the summer.  Always consider the 
	climate of the destination.  Maybe northern winter
	might be a better time to go south, but they have
	winter too.  Reversed seasons south of the Equator,
	and somewhat moderated climate if close to the sea.

	Sample : Experimental Courses: Iowa State University (p5 of 14)
   Spanish 195X. Study Abroad. Cr. 1-10, maximum of 10. Supervised
   instruction in Spanish and Hispanic culture; formal class instruction
   at level appropriate to student's training, augmented by practical
   living experience. Consult the department regarding equivalency with
   Span 101, 102, or 110.

	I'd recommend the Cuernavaca schools, but they are pricey.
	http://www.cuernavacalanguageschool.com/fees.html
	There are 50 such schools there.  The most famous one was CIDOC.
	By coincidence Molly Ivins wrote about them in 1981
	FOR GOOD SPANISH AND GOOD BEER
	URL: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res
	      =9C01EFDD1F39F936A25752C1A967948260&sec=travel&pagewanted=print
	 http://www.cuernavaca.ch/spanish/e/cuernavaca.html

	All this time you are doing a daily transcription
	of a Spanish broadcast.
	After a residential intensive class, a regular class
	as a brush up will be easier.  And you are doing your
	daily radio listen-tape-transcribe-translate, but with
	much less translation.

	Now about those Esperanto lessons at the Vatican and 
	in Beijing Foreign Language University with a stopover
	in the Visegrad group of countries .
-------------
               The Columbia Gazetteer of North America.  2000.

                                Mason City

   Mason City, city (1990 pop. 29,040), [circbul.gif] Cerro Gordo co., N
       central Iowa; 43 degrees 08 minutes N, 93 degrees 12 minutes W. 
                    Major RR junction and trade and
   industrial center of a large agr. area. The major industries are food
   processing, meatpacking, and the mfg. of cement and fertilizers. Also
     mfg. of soybean prods., foods, feeds, electrical goods, fabricated
   metal prods., paper prods., bldg. materials, machinery; printing, meat
    processing). Seat of North Iowa Area Community Col. (1918; oldest in
     the state). A large band festival is held here annually. McIntosh
              Woods and Clear L. state parks to W. Inc. 1874.

http://www.bartleby.com/69/18/M04118.html
-------------
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