Experiments

World Listening Radio

This is an experimental html app designed to offer the experience of using a traditional radio.

It builds on the idea that the operation of a radio to explore and find broadcasters worldwide, especially if utilising SW [shortwave] bands, involved a dial which we would now call a ‘user interface’. The dial contributed to skillsets that became key to the practice of musicians and sound experimenters. Radio users had to refine their use of this rotary control to achieve the cleanest reception possible of a dtstant radio station. This skill had to battle interference, noise and sponic phenomena caused by multifarious factors – weather, solar activity, distance, nearby electronics, clusters of broadcasters closing on the same frequency band. This fine skill was useful for anyone working with the controls on their guitar amp, their effects pedals, echo units, organs, synthesisers or mxing consoles.

The radio dial also pre-empted the notion of the ‘data wheel’ on many digital devices that borrowed its logic – which was continuous, searching, incremental. The data wheel or rotary encoder repurposed the radio dial for moving through digital space. So it was a ‘SEARCH ENGINE’ too.

The World Listening virtual radio is a simple reconstruction of some this experience using a dial to find various live internet streams. One uses both aural judgement and the visual feedback of LED emulations to achieve the best reception of a ‘broadcast’. I’ve preloaded a range of stations that are not identified when they play – just like the old radio experience.

When you flick the power switch, this radio takes a few seconds to breath into life, as my old valve set did.

It’s tested in a non-exhaustive list of browsers, and works best on a computer. Some development would help this become a phone app, and sort out bugs. Further development would possibly expand the range of stations, or create further ‘bands’ [to mimic the FM/LW/SW/MW or FM/AM taxonomy of old radios].