Coffee and Radio – with Danilo Nonato
Brazilian coffee, one of the most consumed beverages in the world, Brazil is the second largest consumer in the world, has a long history in world exports. Brazil received the first coffee seeds in 1727.
The idea of these interviews was born with the concern to know the reality of Brazilian and South American listeners in general.
They are conversations sharing a cup of coffee, with another radio listener, just like your reader.
Sharing a cup of coffee means having a moment to talk, to spend a quality moment, to enjoy it, a moment of relaxation, of pleasure.
This will be the idea of these special interviews for the Radio Heritage Foundation called “Coffee and Radio”, with our international member, our correspondent in Brazil, the journalist and radio listener Martín Butera.
He meets and learns from other listeners on the South American continent.
This time Coffee and Radio brings you an interview with Danilo Nonato
Today on Coffee and Radio with Martín Butera, English language edition, he will have a coffee with Danilo Nonato, one of the most interesting radio listeners in Brazil, who currently has a YouTube channel with more than 2,000 subscribers, with an interesting review of receivers, antennas, and stations.
A native of the city of Ouro Preto, a Brazilian municipality located in the state of Minas Gerais, in the southeast region of Brazil.
The following interview is an adaptation of the interview in Portuguese to the English language; those who wish to listen to the full interview in the original language can do so through the following link.
MB: What was your first contact with the radio?
My first contact with the radio was very small, I would be about 5 years old, my mother listened to AM, I had a radio receiver of about 7 bands of Brazilian brand called “motoradio”. She told me that when I was little I was very naughty and cried a lot and when my mother turned on the radio, I calmed down.
At 7 years old, it was when I started to play with the buttons and started to go from AM, to the shortwave bands SW1, SW2, SW3, and others … I remember that the first radio I heard was Radio Nederland, But it wasn’t until I was 15 and 16 that I bought my first receiver and I had an idea of what it was like to be a radio listener or Dxsista.
At that time, of course, we didn’t have the internet and the little information to learn from the hobby was through newsletters that edited other radio listeners. I remember receiving several in Portuguese, which were published in Brazil.
MB: Do you remember what was your first letter you received?
If of course I have it very much in mind, it was from the BBC, I remember it was a Postal QSL that had a photograph of Queen Elizabeth. It was a joy to receive a letter from another part of the world, as well as a country so rich culturally and interesting. This was also a double joy, because the week after receiving the letter, they greeted me on the air by radio, it was an incredible feeling.
MB: Do you think it is important to confirm receptions with QSL cards?
I have many QSLs, today I no longer feel so important, for me personally, the radio goes on the other side.
I like listening to the radio, for example listening to North Korea’s radio beyond its controversies or listening to the voice of America from Botswana or the most common Radio martí or Havana Cuba. Listening to these radios today from their places of origin, in their language is what I love.
Thanks to listening to shortwave, I met several cultures, religions, I knew languages, culinary, radio is much more than a card.
MB: Are you also an amateur radio, I wanted to ask you then why did it attract you more to listen than to talk on the radio?
I think that when you listen, you learn much more from everyone. Today the Brazilian ham radio is going through a very good time. There is a lot of activity, listening to Brazilian radio amateurs today. I think it is vital to learn about science and technology, that’s why always like listening more.
MB: Are you today a great reference in South America and even worldwide about radio listening in mountains that you can tell me about?
It started with the need to find the reception with the least possible interference and I started to climb mountains, it was something incredible. I have videos with receptions for example of The Buzzer (UVB-76) with full signal.
I live in a mountainous area where there are beautiful mountains from 1,500 to 1,800 meters high. In addition to the contact with nature and pure air, I rediscovered the radio from another side, a new side.
MB: What equipment and antennas do you use for your listening?
I have many different receivers, when I go to the mountains I like to make the receivers as original and simple as possible, as sometimes I have a homemade loop, but my idea is almost not to use external antennas and try to get the best possible performance of the receiver in its original state.
MB: What messages can you leave to the readers of Web Radio Heritage Foundation?
I can leave this message: our hobby “did not die”, while there is a broadcasting station and a receiver on the other side “the radio is alive.” The message I can leave is that they interact with the stations either by e-mail or by letter, but let us know that we are on the other side.
Videos of our guest today Danilo Nonato PY4014SWL
You can watch many interesting videos of Danilo Nonato, entering his YouTube channel, do not forget to like and subscribe:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOrACK6ZZUbmfppqiZD4dpA
Martin Butera, special article for Radio Heritage Foundation 2022
What is Coffee and Radio?
Coffee and Radio is an exploration of Brazilian radio listeners.
How they began listening to radio, the local or international stations that influenced them, the interests they have when tuning to a station, the languages they like to listen to, if they send listeners reports and collect QSLs, their antennas and receivers, and all aspects related to their radio listening both in shortwave and in other bands and modes.
About the Author
Martin Butera (PT2061SWL) is an Amateur Radio operator with more than 30 years of experience and has participated in DXpeditions throughout South America, under the Argentine radio callsign LU9EFO and Brazilian callsign PT2ZDX.
He collaborates for several newsletters and magazines, covering world radio, he is our accredited collaborator in South America for the Radio Heritage Foundation, he is also the founder of the Brazilian CREW Radio Oyentes, known as 15 punto 61 (15.61), now simply called 61 CREW.
Martin is Argentinian, born in the city of Buenos Aires capital. He currently lives in Brasília DF, capital of Brazil. He is also a journalist, documentary maker and founding member of Radio Atomika 106.1 MHz (Buenos Aires, Argentina).
