How to Tune In

If you want to do your own decoding of SSTV and NBTV in real time, you should prepare in advance by downloading and installing  some of the free open source software that will enable you to do that. Instructions, links, and links to sample videos are included below.  (NOTE:  NBTV was only transmitted as a part of Composition No.2 - there is no NBTV in Composition No. 3)

Online:
for people without access to shortwave radio reception equipment, you can tune in online as videos will be streamed on this website.  The live stream will be on the home page of the website.  After each transmission, the live stream will then be archived on the archived videos page.  Each archived video set is a pair of two streams that were transmitted simultaneously in an attempt to mix them together in the ionosphere using the Luxembourg effect.

webSDR:
Another online option is to tune in using a webSDR (web Software Defined Radio).  These are actual physical radio antennas located at different places around the planet that are connected to a software defined radio on the web, that you can control and listen to.  You can connect to a software defined radio anywhere on the planet, and tune around to hear different frequencies in different modes.  Some webSDRs have limits of how many people can be using them at once.  A good starting point to explore webSDRs can be found here: http://websdr.org/

A google search for webSDR will bring up many other options worth exploring.

 

Shortwave Radio:
If you are a shortwave radio listener, take a look at the projected frequencies and set up your antennas and receivers accordingly to tune in.  If you do tune in, I would greatly appreciate it if you would submit a reception report using the reception report form on this web page.  There is a place where you can upload images, audio recordings, and video to share with others on this website.

SSTV (Slow Scan Television):

SSTV images are encoded in Scottie S1

SSTV is a format that converts an image into an audio signal that sounds like an old modem or fax machine.  Using the right software, that audio can be decoded back into the image, line by line.  This can take up to 2 minutes per image (think old school dial-up internet).  To decode the image you can use free online software such as MMSTV.

You can even try decoding SSTV from any audio source (laptop computer, portable radio, home stereo, ghetto blaster, antique tube radio, etc), using an app on your phone.  With the phone app, you just hold the phone's microphone close to the audio source whent SSTV signal is being transmitted, and it will decode the image for you. Black Cat Systems makes a great SSTV app for the iPhone. 

Remember that you need to select the correct mode to decode, and the mode is Scottie S1

You may also need to adjust the phase and skew as the image comes in.  While doing this, you are affecting how the image looks when it is being received, and you are therefore becoming a creative part of the collaboration.

Please send me screen shots and/or videos of your SSTV receptions.

Morse Code with HAARP:

For Composition No. 3, there will be one movement in which Morse Code will be transmitted by simply turning the instrument on and off... so you will only recieve an empty carrier wave for that one, but it will be turned on and off in Morse Code.

Drawing in the Waterfall:

For Composition No. 3, I am trying to make two drawings in the waterfall.  Using a split array and frequency sweeping I am trying to draw a bolt of lightning and a feather in the waterfall.  Each drawing should take 6 seconds, they will alternate and be repeated 25 times over the course of 5 minutes. 

You can view these using either your own radio equipment, or free webSDR sites.

I would especially appreciate videos or screen shots of the waterfall for Movement XXIII:  "A Feather in the Waterfall".
This one is a long shot so I'm really curious to see how it turns out on various waterfalls, various levels of zoom etc.

NBTV (Narrow Band Television):

Note:  NBTV was only transmitted as a part of Composition No. 2.  (October, 2022)
            There is no NBTV in Composition No. 3 (August 2023)


Like Slow Scan Television, NBTV uses an audio signal to encode images.  In this case they are low resolution (36 lines) moving images at 12.5 frames per second.  To decode the audio and convert it into video you can use free open source software such as Gary's "The Big Picture" available for download here: http://users.tpg.com.au/users/gmillard/nbtv/nbtv.htm

More info about NBTV can be found on this discussion forum: http://www.taswegian.com/NBTV/forum/index.php

Decoding NBTV can be a bit tricky at first, so you may want to record the audio and try decoding later, and/or you might want to practice and get familiar with the software before transmissions. 

Test audio to decode can be found here:  East and West

Original source videos to create the NBTV files are posted on vimeo here: East  and West

Originally, the plan was to attempt to mix the two NBTV videos together in the ionosphere, using the Luxembourg effect, by transmitting them simultaneously on two different frequencies, approximately 500 kHz apart,  In "theory" this meant that the two videos could possibly be mixed together, with one video more prominent than the other.  However, even without the possible mixing of the two videos in the ionosphere, transmission alone of a single signal will likely distort, or completely lose the sync pulse, thus resulting in a rolling image.  Given the difficulty of receiving a single NBTV signal, I opted to abandon the Luxembourg effect for this one, and will be transmitting them in two opposite directions (one toward the light side of the world, one toward the dark side of the world) on frequencies very far apart from one another.  I am interested in this form of abstraction and distortion from propagation and would still be very much interested in seeing recordings of abstract and distorted videos.

A mix of the two source videos is posted on vimeo here, as an example of what they might have "theoretically" look like if the signals mixed perfectly and evenly in the ionosphere (which will not be the case).  This is a standard definition mix which is much higher resolution than the 36 line NBTV version: link to video mix