Cultural Interchange – Radio as a source of friendship in the globalized world

Cultural Interchange – Radio as a source of friendship in the globalized world

It was an infinite pleasure to have a meeting with Mr. John Williams and his wife in Rio de Janeiro this Sunday.

In a typical hot day of summer with temperatures around 40 C degrees, but with a clear sky and  beaches crowded but standing an amazing tranquility all over the city, I can say I had a memorable day.

Mr. John Williams and wife, from England, myself and Rocco Cotroneo, an Italian "carioca"

The radio hobby, sometimes called old-fashioned due to its long time age and also because facilities brought by the Internet, still makes the difference.

When I entered the MW Circle, I started a new experience in the radio hobby, to know more about Medium Wave – its techniques, nuances and more important : the European point of view of the hobby and this media itself.

As a member of DX Club of Brasil, the oldest and more active Brazilian entity dedicated to SWL hobby, to participate in the MWCircle discussion list and have access to plenty of interesting information is being very pleasant.

And if we have a opportunity to meet people of MWCircle “in person” now things get even much better.

As we organize ourselves in clubs to exchange information and experience, develop techniques to catch very far away radiofrequency signals, one of the most important goals is in fact to develop relationships, not within our own town or country, but especially with other continents.

Rocco Cotroneo, a friend of mine that is Italian but is already more “carioca” (*) than me, joined us in a brief but delightful sightseeing, exchanging personal experiences, talking a bit about Brazilian history, and experiences related to Dxing.

So we live in a globalized world sharing the same language, same technology to shorten distances and most important of all, learn more about other cultures, and also about radio too.

Mirante Santa Marta, Corcovado, Rio de Janeiro

The pictures were taken in different places in Rio de Janeiro, not typical places that are known all over the world like the famous “Corcovado”, “Sugar Loaf Mountain”, “Maracana Soccer Stadium” and so many other places.

But the sightseeing represented our real life routine of work, fun, contact with nature and people all over the city. 

Urca, Rio de Janeiro - with my son Arthur, worried about the end of summer vacations

I hope soon we have another opportunity to talk more, and by the way, why not make a dx-camp to work transoceanic stations in an nearby beach with Bogs to catch the most faint and exotic signals from Asia, Africa, Middle East and so on.

I would like to thanks for Mr. John Williams and his wife to have shared with us their hospitality and sympathy in this visit on Rio de Janeiro.

Best regards.

(*) “carioca” means not only the person who was born in Rio de Janeiro, but it also represents a state of mind