https://github.com/GyanD/codexffmpeg/releases/tag/2023-03-05-git-912ac82a3c

RSID: <<2024-08-22T23:31Z MFSK-32 @ 9265000+1500>>
 

Welcome to program 367 of Shortwave Radiogram.

I'm Kim Andrew Elliott in Arlington, Virginia USA.

Here is the lineup for today's program, in MFSK modes as noted:

  1:54 MFSK32: Program preview (now)
  3:01 MFSK32: Senegal's first satellite successfully launched
  5:14 MFSK64: Pakistanis frustrated by slow in internet service
  9:57 MFSK64: This week's images
27:52 MFSK32: Closing announcements


Please send reception reports to radiogram@verizon.net

And visit http://swradiogram.net

We're on X/Twitter now: @SWRadiogram





From AFP via Phys.org:

Senegal's first satellite successfully launched

August 18, 2024

Senegal's first satellite has been successfully launched into
orbit, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye said, adding the move
marked a major step towards the West African country's
"technological sovereignty".

The GAINDESAT-1A satellite was launched at 18:56 GMT Friday
[August 16] from the Vandenberg base in California, Faye wrote
in a post on X late Friday.

"The result of five years of hard work by our engineers and
technicians, this advance marks a major step towards our
technological sovereignty," Faye said.

"I would like to express my pride and gratitude to all those who
made this project possible," he added.

Senegal's public broadcaster RTS said the satellite was designed
and manufactured by Senegalese engineers, in partnership with the
French Montpellier University Space Centre (CSUM).

The broadcaster said a Falcon 9 rocket took off from Vandenberg
base and launched a number of satellites, including the
GAINDESAT-1A, into orbit.

RTS said the satellite will collect data for various state
agencies including the Directorate for Water Resources Management
and Planning (DGPRE) and the National Civil Aviation and
Meteorology Agency.

https://phys.org/news/2024-08-senegal-satellite-successfully.html
 

Shortwave Radiogram now changes to MFSK64 ...



 

RSID: <<2024-08-22T23:35 MFSK-64 @ 9265000+1500>>


This is Shortwave Radiogram in MFSK64

Please send your reception report to radiogram@verizon.net


 

From the Voice of America:


Pakistanis frustrated by slowdown in internet service

By Sarah Zaman
August 15, 2024

Islamabad —

From sharing memes to sealing deals, millions of Pakistanis are
struggling to communicate digitally as internet and data services
have slowed down across much of the country.

Officials are blaming internet service providers for the
slowdown, but media reports indicate the problem may stem from
the deployment of a nationwide internet firewall aimed at
controlling online content and traffic.

Crippling economy

The problem, which began several weeks ago, has worsened in
recent days, frustrating freelancers like Moadood Ahmad, who is
seeing a drop in income.

"If I don't show as available on Upwork or Fiverr, then new
clients can't even approach me. Older clients are also
disturbed," Ahmad told VOA. The Lahore-based digital marketing
services provider says he has made virtually no money in the last
two weeks.

According to DataReportal.com, 111 million Pakistanis in the
nation of more than 240 million have access to internet. The
country has nearly 189 million active cellular connections. State
Bank of Pakistan put the country's IT exports at $3.2 billion in
the financial year that ended in July 2024.

The spokesperson's office of the Pakistan Telecommunication
Authority (PTA) told VOA it has only heard about issues with
internet speed and web access through media. Speaking to VOA in
late July, the PTA spokesperson blamed the slowdown at that time
on a possible technical glitch.

During a hearing Thursday, the secretary for the Ministry of
Information Technology and Telecommunication told a Senate
committee that it was gathering data about the situation from
mobile operators.

But the slump in services is not limited to mobile data users. In
a statement to the media Thursday, an alliance of internet
service providers (ISPs) said internet speeds had plummeted by
30% to 40%, "crippling [the] digital economy."

"Many are leaving the smaller ISPs because they can't sustain the
poor service quality anymore. If this continues, we will see a
mass exodus of businesses from Pakistan," said the Wireless and
Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (WISPAP).

Speaking to VOA, WISPAP Chairman Shahzad Arshad said his alliance
members were inundated with customer complaints.

"The authorities should at least tell us a timeframe that we can
give to the customer," Arshad said.

Without mentioning the firewall, WISPAP's statement blamed
increased "security and surveillance" for the decline in service
quality.

"While the government remains steadfast in its commitment to
enhancing security, the question remains: at what cost to the
nation's digital economy?" the statement asked.

Controlling access

A source familiar with the nationwide firewall told VOA the
system — acquired from China and installed through the Ministry
of Defense — is based at cable landing stations in Pakistan, the
place where the undersea internet data cable meets a country's
internet system.

The firewall, also placed on the systems used by data providers,
can give Pakistani authorities information about an individual
user's online activities and where they are operating from,
allowing for targeted monitoring, the source said.

Efforts to deploy the firewall on servers that major
international companies use to store content close to end users
are also under way. This can give authorities deeper access to an
individual's data and control of their online activities.

Digital rights activists reject the government's claim that the
firewall is only a cybersecurity tool.

"To me, this is about political control. This desperation to do
whatever they can," said Farieha Aziz, co-founder of the digital
rights group Bolo Bhi, an Urdu name that means "speak up."

Government officials "are still not transparent and open about
the capability [of the firewall], what kind of monitoring is
happening," said Aziz. "What are they attempting?"

The country's latest efforts to control internet traffic and user
activity come as the powerful military frequently complains of
rising "digital terrorism," a term it uses for those who
criticize or mock the armed forces on social media.

Digital rights activist Aziz also criticized telecom companies
and internet service providers for not being transparent with
users about the reasons for service disruptions.

Digital freedom is limited in Pakistan. Global rights watchdog
Freedom House describes Pakistan as "not free," with a low score
of only 26 out of 100 on its internet freedom index.

Pakistanis trying to bypass poor connectivity and speed by using
VPNs are not faring much better either.

"Even those who use VPNs, and use our internet services, are
unable to connect," WISPAP's Shahzad confirmed to VOA.

A PTA official told the Standing Committee on Cabinet
Sec­retariat, earlier this month that the regulator was working
on a plan to approve certain virtual private networks. All other
VPNs would be blocked.

Senator Palwasha Khan, chairperson of the Senate's standing
committee on IT, told VOA she expected internet speed to
normalize in Pakistan within days. She said the committee was not
informed if the problem was because of the firewall, but said she
supported the censorship tool.

"I do agree that if some security measures are taken to control
the chaos on social media, I don't have any problem with that,"
said Khan, a senator from the Pakistan Peoples Party, which is
part of the ruling alliance.

Struggling to share voice notes and visual content with clients
via a popular messaging app, freelancer Moadood Ahmad told VOA he
regretted moving back to Pakistan from the United Arab Emirates.

"I am thinking I made a mistake," Ahmad said. "I should go back."

https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistanis-frustrated-by-slowdown-in-internet-service/7744351.html
 

This is Shortwave Radiogram in MFSK64

Please send your reception report to radiogram@verizon.net
 

This week's images ...


The blue sturgeon "supermoon" rises over the historical Galata Tower in Istanbul, August 19. https://tinyurl.com/23f7a8m3 ...

Sending Pic:135x212C;








The Sturgeon Blue supermoon rises behind the ancient Temple of                      =======>  http://www.rhci-online.net/radiogram/VoA_Radiogram_2013-06-29.htm#supermoon
Poseidon in Cape Sounion, Greece, August 19.
https://tinyurl.com/26yupdm3 ...

Sending Pic:199x143C;








A wheat stalk with tiny ladybug, with moon in background,
Montargis, France, August 19. https://tinyurl.com/25j5kejz ...

Sending Pic:195x160C;








Mother hippopotamus and six-week-old calf at the Berlin Zoo.
https://tinyurl.com/2ahtnpuu ...

Sending Pic:207x141C;







Technicians representing Canada show off their skills during the
annual pyrotechnic art festival in Cannes, France.
https://tinyurl.com/27fmxtl6 ...

Sending Pic:154x202C;







Performers get ready for the Pacific National Exhibition in
Vancouver. https://tinyurl.com/27fmxtl6 ...

Sending Pic:200x159C;








This sunset in Buxton, Derbyshire, England, is red because of
fires in North America. https://tinyurl.com/2ddkr8jw ...

Sending Pic:220x110C;









Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Texas. https://tinyurl.com/2byr7jel
...
Sending Pic:152x202C;








Greater Earless Lizard at Franklin Mountains State Park, Texas,
August 20. https://tinyurl.com/25mwp3uf

Sending Pic:198x142C;








Our painting of the week is "just some flowers" by Dutch artist
Ans Debije. https://tinyurl.com/29c7emoc ...

Sending Pic:149x207C;









Shortwave Radiogram returns to MFSK32 ...


 

RSID: <<2024-08-22T23:57Z MFSK-32 @ 9265000+1500>>
 

This is Shortwave Radiogram in MFSK32 ...


Shortwave Radiogram is transmitted by:

WRMI, Radio Miami International, wrmi.net

and

WINB Shortwave, winb.com


Please send reception reports to radiogram@verizon.net

And visit http://swradiogram.net

Twitter: @SWRadiogram or twitter.com/swradiogram

I'm Kim Elliott. Please join us for the next Shortwave
Radiogram.