DX LISTENING DIGEST 12-24, June 14, 2012 Incorporating REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING edited by Glenn Hauser, http://www.worldofradio.com Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. Materials taken from Arctic or originating from Olle Alm and not having a commercial copyright are exempt from all restrictions of noncommercial, noncopyrighted reusage except for full credits For restrixions and searchable 2012 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn WORLD OF RADIO 1621 HEADLINES: *Drastic cuts at another SW broadcaster and yet another threatened *Specials for Antarctica and from Lithuania *The last days of Radio Canada International and Radio Netherlands *More news about Anguilla, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Chad, Croatia non, Fiji non, Germany, Indonesia (frequency 9526 omitted), Japan non, Korea North, Mexico, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Romania, Sarawak non, Sri Lanka, Sudan South non, USA, Vatican SHORTWAVE AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1621, June 14-20, 2012 Thu 2100 WTWW 9479 [confirmed] Fri 0329v WWRB 5050 [confirmed] Sat 0130v WBCQ 5110v-CUSB Area 51 [confirmed] Sat 0800 WRMI 9955 Sat 1500 WRMI 9955 Sat 1730 WRMI 9955 Sun 0400 WTWW 5755 Sun 0800 WRMI 9955 Sun 1530 WRMI 9955 Sun 1730 WRMI 9955 Mon 0500 WRMI 9955 Mon 1130 WRMI 9955 Tue 0930 HLR 5980 Hamburger Lokal Radio Thu 0330 WRMI 9955 [or maybe 1622 if ready in time] Latest edition of this schedule version, including AM, FM, satellite and webcasts with hotlinks to station sites and audio, is at: http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html or http://schedule.worldofradio.org or http://sked.worldofradio.org For updates see our Anomaly Alert page: http://www.worldofradio.com/anomaly.html WRN ON DEMAND: http://www.wrn.org/listeners/#world-of-radio WORLD OF RADIO PODCASTS VIA WRN: http://www.wrn.org/listeners/customize-panel/addToPlaylist/98/09:00:00UTC/English OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO: http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html or http://wor.worldofradio.org DAY-BY-DAY ARCHIVE OF GLENN HAUSER`S LOG REPORTS: Unedited, uncondensed, unchanged from original version, many of them too complex, minutely researched, multi-frequency, opinionated, inconsequential, off-topic, or lengthy for some log editors to manage; and also ahead of their availability in these weekly issues: http://www.hard-core-dx.com/index.php?topic=Hauser DXLD YAHOOGROUP: Why wait for DXLD? A lot more info, not all of it appearing in DXLD later, is posted at our yg without delay. When applying, please identify yourself with your real name and location, and say something about why you want to join. Those who do not, unless I recognize them, will be prompted once to do so and no action will be taken otherwise. Here`s where to sign up: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dxld/ ** ALASKA. Summer A-12 of KNLS The New Life Station English 1000-1100 on 9655 NLS 100 kW / 270 deg 1200-1300 on 7355 NLS 100 kW / 270 deg 1500-1600 on 9655 NLS 100 kW / 270 deg Mandarin 0900-1000 on 9655 NLS 100 kW / 285 deg 1100-1200 on 9610 NLS 100 kW / 285 deg 1300-1500 on 9655 NLS 100 kW / 285 deg Russian 0800-0900 on 9655 NLS 100 kW / 285 deg 1600-1800 on 9655 NLS 100 kW / 315 deg (DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, 11 June via DXLD) ** ANGUILLA. 12180, University Network (presumed); 0353, 2-June; Harmonic Barbi 2 x 6090, waxing about Deuteronomy. Poor with pulse & blaaaaat burst QRM. // 6090 has S30 peaks. (Frodge-MI) 23550, University Network (presumed); 2145, 5-June; Harmonic Dead Dr. Gene 2 x 11775, waxing about using the Bible to date events (Harold Camping tried this!) Said that Jesus was born late September to early October. Harmonic poor, but copyable // 11775 with S20 peaks (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 125 ft. bow-tie; 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time! WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) As I recently reported the lower one and suggested searching for the higher one; tried for it again around the same time here June 8 but no luck yet (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANTARCTICA [non]. Re DATE FOR THE DIARY: Antarctic broadcast A thought occurs to me: what day will the annual British Antarctic Survey mid-winter SW broadcast be on? Because this year has been a leap year (and because of the once-in-400-years leap year in 2000) the exact moment of the solstice has been pulled back into 20 June (at 2309 GMT). This will be only the third year since 1896 that the GMT date of the June solstice has been the 20th (because 1900 was not a leap year, so allowing the time of the solstice to drift later in our calendar). So, will the broadcast be on the 21st (as in previous years) or the 20th? (Chris Greenway, June 10l, dxldyg via DXLD) Here are the frequencies for the 2011 and 2010 transmissions, if we don't hear any more about it it might be worth a try on both the 20th or 21st: 2011y: 2130-2145 UT Tues June 21 only. 5950 SKN 300 kw 180 degrees 7295 RMP 500 kw 180 degrees 7360 ASC 250 kw 207 degrees 9850 SKN 300 kw 180 degrees 2010y: 2130-2200 UT Monday 21 June. 5950 kHz (49 metre band) 7295 kHz (41 metre band) 7360 kHz (41 metre band) (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, USA, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENIG DIGEST) BBC winter (so. hemisphere) broadcast to Antarctica The BBC winter (southern hemisphere) solstice broadcast to Antarctica will be aired at 2130-2145 GMT Thursday, June 21 only, on 5950 (Skelton), 7360 (Ascension), and 9850 (Skelton). (Dan Ferguson, SC, June 14, NASWA yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DXLD) BAS employs over 400 staff and operates three stations in the Antarctic, at Rothera, Halley and Signy, and two stations on South Georgia, at King Edward Point and Bird Island. 14.295 km distance from BBC-BAB Woofferton-England to BAS Halley VI station at 187 degrees azimuth from Woofferton. exact BAS location mentioned in PDF file 75 36 56 S 26 07 52 W but in G.E. visible at some difference at 75 36 19.01 S 26 12 32.18 W (Wolfgang Büschel, BC-DX 13 June via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. 11710.776, Very odd frequency RAE Buenos Aires, French service at 03-04 UT June 8, S=6-7 fair and fluttery, female locutora, journal parlé de Chine (Wolfgang Büschel, June 8, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews June 13 via DXLD) Good reception in Bulgaria of R. Argentina Exterior European service on June 8, 1800-2400 on 15344.2 BUE 100 kW/035 deg (45444), instead of 15345 as follows: Mon-Fri 1800 English; 1900 Italian; 2000 French; 2100 German; 2200 Spanish. Scheduled also 1700-1800 in German, but frequency 15344.2 is totally blocked by strong signal of Radio Cairo English to Central & South Africa on 15345 (DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, 11 June via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. 4835, ABC VL8A Alice Springs, 1218-1230, June 9. Post game commentary on the Sydney Swans vs Essendon Bombers; // 6020, 6080 and 9580. After 1230 no longer //; most days reception here is fair to good (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. 11880, Radio Australia at 1608 with "Late Night Live" with Phillip Adams - Fair to Good Jun 11, It's nice to see this excellent program available to us in eastern North America again. (Mark Coady, Peterborough, ON K9J 6X3 DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. International Broadcast Station Radio Australia Shepparton From BDXC-UK member Don Rhodes via Rob Wagner VK3BVW in Australia, a nine minute video tour of Radio Australia's Shepparton facility done a while ago by VK3ASE. "It's a good rundown of the equipment and antennas at that ageing facility. Also note the DRM monitoring receiver in action! The video is simply called International Broadcast Station" (Webwatch, by Chrissy Brand-UK; in BDXC-UK 'Communication' Magazine June 5 via BC-DX 13 June via DXLD) BECAUSE EVERY ENTITY MUST HAVE A PARENT ENTITY, PARENT ENTITY OF RADIO AUSTRALIA AND AUSTRALIA NETWORK HAS A NEW HEAD. Posted: 13 Jun 2012 mUmBRELLA, 13 June 2012: "ABC managing director Mark Scott has announced a senior staff move. Lynley Marshall has been appointed head of ABC International, overseeing Radio Australia, Australia Network and International Development. According to an internal memo from Scott, the move is after an 'extensive international search to fill the position left vacant by the retirement of Murray Green.' The memo continues 'This convergence strategy will see Radio Australia, Australia Network and News 24 working more closely. Lynley, who will bring a clear strategic focus and a track-record of bringing about significant organisational change to her new position, will also seek to identify other opportunities to take existing ABC content into international markets.'" (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) -- And if the convergence strategy succeeds, the components under ABC international would become one component, which means there would no longer be a need for ABC International to keep peace among the components (Kim Andrew Elliott, ibid.) ** AZERBAIJAN. Cf. RUS DX PLUS # 440: Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh remain on standard winter time UT +4 and Azerbaijan on DST UT +5 (maybe), so radio Fedaletin Sesi on 9677.7 kHz is remaining on Winter time: Tue and Fri 1400 and repeats Wed and Sat 0600 UT (Rumen Pankov, Sofia, Bulgaria, Rus DX June 10 via DXLD) ** BANGLADESH. Bangladesh Betar, 4750, confirmed on remote receiver in Australia including news in English 1530-1545 daily (Dave Kenny, June BDXC-UK Communication via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DXLD) ** BELARUS. 11730, Radio Belarus. 2200 June 9, 2012. Tune in with bassy male, “This is Radio Belarus” and news-ish items, all very hard to understand with crappy modulation and bassy audio. Music fill from 2207. Recheck 2258, closing announcements, 2300:12* (Terry L Krueger, from the Clearwater, FL static site with (highly abridged equipment list): JRC NRD-535, ICOM IC-R75, Sony ICF-7600GR, and Sangean PR-D5; 1 X roof dipole, 1 X room random wire, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BENIN. A very weak audible carrier is being heard 0455 UT on 1565.9994 or so, here in Victoria, BC. Likely Parakou, but the likelihood of getting identifiable audio is pretty slim; and it faded out about Parakou sunrise which is 0525 UT (Nick Hall-Patch, BC, UT June 10, IRCA via DXLD) ** BHUTAN. 5900, April 3 at 0432-0440, BBS, Thimpu, in English, YL with news, item about China followed by OM and audio clip with OM. Sigs to only 15 dB with much QRN, hard to copy (Richard W Parker, Pennsburg PA, Collins 51S-1, 55G-1 LF tuner, R-390A with Sherwood SE3, Yaesu FT-840, 120 ft center fed doublet in 40 feet fed with 2 inch spaced open wire line, 901B matchbox, 160 ft flat top random wire at 35 feet, running against ground with FC-800 autotuner at feed point; Alpha-Delta DX Sloper at 40 feet, 20m dipole at 35 feet, June World DX Club Contact via DXLD) Considering that it`s less than a sesquihour before noon in Bhutan, I daresay it would be impossible to copy, even with all that equipment, especially since no one else even from Asia has reported BBS active on this frequency. Did he get an ID? It`s not in Aoki or EiBi, but 5900 is a frequency registered in HFCC A-12, at 0000-1600, 100 kW, non- direxional, along with never-reported 6225, 5070, as well as axually used 6035 and occasionally tested 5030. These were also mentioned as wooden in DXLD 12-03. However, nothing else is listed on 5900 around that time (with Bulgaria long gone), so what could it really be? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BIAFRA [non]. 11870, R. Biafra London (via Wertachtal). Signal on at 1959:30, and into Afro Hi-life music, M announcer in Hausa with opening mentioning "…11.87 megahertz shortwave 25 meterband…", "Radio Biafra London", and phone 044-7831308376 (although some of the numbers were hard to copy due to the rapid pace). Couldn't listen further as thunderstorms were on the doorstep. Weak signal and noisy of course. (7 June) Thanks to Steven Handler's fine website www.shortwavereport.com 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, NRD-535D with T2FD antenna, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Via GERMANY. 11870, Radio Biafra, London, *2000-2100*, June 9, sign on with local African music and opening announcements. Vernacular talk. Some occasional English. Poor to fair in noisy conditions. Thur, Sat only (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) 11870, 14/Jun 1959, Germany (Relay), R Biafra London in Igbo. At 1959 open carrier, then instrumental African music. At 2000 full ID by OM. At 2002 OM talk with several reference to “Biafra”. 35433 (Jorge Freitas, Feira de Santana, Bahia, 12 14´S 38 58´W - Brasil, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. 5952.44, R. Pio Doce, talk by M and W at 0032 with mention of Selva. Long ad block then starting with cat whistle. One with dialog with child. 0038 "Pio Doce" choral song, same as heard many times in the past, ID promo, then live M and W announcers returned. Improving. (11 June) (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D with T2FD, CumbreDX via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 4451.2, Radio Santa Ana, Santa Ana de Yacuma 0000 to 0025 on 8 June (Wilkner) 4716.57, Radio Yura, Yura, fading in at 2320 on 2 June; 1020 sign on 9 June (Wilkner) 5580.2, Radio San José, San José de Chiquitos 2340 to 2350 on 5 June 6134.77, Radio Santa Cruz 1000 to 1010 very strong signal 9 June (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, South Florida, NRD 535D -746Pro - R8 - Sony 2010XA, Cumbre DX via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DXLD) 6134.8, June 8 at 0148 weak music audible here with heavy QRM from the TADIL-A bonker on the lo side, constant intruder into the exclusive 49m SWBC band, and lots of storm noise on the band. Is well-known off- frequency of R. Santa Cruz, and I have no doubt this is it. BFO did not help much; music ran past 0201. At 0207 when I had switched to AM, could then barely copy ID, ``Transmite Radio Santa Cruz, Bolivia``, and more music. 0208 said ``Emisora del Instituto ---`` algo, some Andean music and off at 0211*. Others report some nights it closes an hour earlier (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6134.83, Radio Santa Cruz, 0107-0109*, June 10, just caught the end of their transmission, signing off with their “Santa Cruz” song. Fair. Sign off time seems to vary quite a bit (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) Clear reception of Radio Santa Cruz, Bolivia, 6134.8 kHz, this morning at 0105 UT. Close down announcement gave 960 kHz MW and an FM channel, 92.3 MHz along with 6135 kHz. Carrier off 0109. 73's (Nick Rank, Buxton, UK, June 10, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) Thanks to the tip on the bdxc-news list yesterday from Nick Rank, was able to enjoy some nice South American music from Radio Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia on 6134.82 kHz last night (10 June). Two extracts below including IDs / Jingles: At 2322 UT: http://www.box.com/shared/d6d405258af7af3c370a At 2335 UT: http://www.box.com/shared/35569595a9cdee8acbe9 (Alan Pennington, Caversham, UK, AOR 7030plus, longwire, bdxcuk yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DXLD) Thanks to both Alan Pennington and Nick Rank for the tip, Radio Santa Cruz Bolivia coming in really well right now 13 June at 0005 in Spanish. Cracking signal for 10 kW and S America seems to be coming in well at the moment (Chris Sentence, Huddersfield, UK, Kenwood R-5000 + Long wire, ibid.) ** BOLIVIA. 6134.85, 2345-2357 06.06, R Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Spanish conversation with musical interludes, heterodyne 24232. AP-DNK 6154.94, 2357-2400 06.06, R Fides, La Paz (tent.), talk in unidentified language, 15121 (Anker Petersen, All heard on my AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire in Skovlunde, Denmark, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. TUNING THE DIAL: COMMUNITY RADIO IN BOLIVIA BY CLAIRE June 4th, 2012 Packing away the clothes, books, papers and trinkets I wouldn’t be needing in South America, I found a mixtape of my own design, from the early 90s. I had made the mixtape from the radio, vigilantly sitting in front of my boombox to press stop and record in order to get the least amount of radio talk in between the songs I wanted. It was a common practice among my friends. How else were we going to obtain all the latest hits with our elementary school budgets? --- [more] http://whatsupstreetkids.org/2012/06/tuning-the-dial-community-radio-in-bolivia/ (via SW Bulletin June 10 via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 4805, Brasil, Rádio Difusora do Amazonas, Manaus, 0940 to 0950 with om, strong signal, 9 June (Wilkner - XM - Cedar Key) 4877.25, Rdif Roraima, Boa Vista RR, 0930 to 1000, very strong signal, distorted best in AM difficult to zero beat in ssb 8 June (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, South Florida, NRD 535D -746Pro - R8 - Sony 2010XA, and XM - Cedar Key - South Florida, NRD 525D - R8A -E-5, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. A Rádio Difusora, de Macapá (AP), está adquirindo dois transmissores: um para as ondas médias, e outro, para a frequência de 4915 kHz. Para o canal de ondas curtas, a potência será de 10 kW, o que deve melhorar o sinal da estação em até 90%. - Há algo de sui generis na frequência de 4885 kHz. Atualmente, duas emissoras brasileiras ocupam o canal: a Rádio Clube Paraense, de Belém (PA), e a Difusora Acreana, de Rio Branco (AC). Em diversas partes do país e do mundo as duas estações se revezam, sendo ouvidas praticamente ao mesmo tempo. Só que tem mais um detalhe. Tem outra emissora que também transmite no mesmo canal: trata-se da Rádio Maria (antiga Rádio Voz do Coração Imaculado), de Anápolis (GO). Ocorre que a estação emite com um transmissor de apenas 1 kW. Com isso, só pode ser captada quando uma das outras estações estão fora do ar. Em 8 de maio, por exemplo, quando a Clube Paraense estava fora do ar, foi possível ouvir a Rádio Maria em São José (PB), conforme constatou o Lenildo da Silva (Célio Romais blog 30 May via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 5940.10, Voz Missionária, 0610-0625, June 8, Portuguese religious talk. Some inspirational music. // 9665.03. Both frequencies weak (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) ** BRAZIL [and non]. Rádio Deus é Amor on 9584.92 kHz (reactivated?) and IS of KTWR Agana at 1258 UT, June 7, here in Montevideo, Uruguay. (// 9565 kHz) http://youtu.be/2GotyoZdE3o 73 de CX2ABP (Rodolfo Tizzi, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, I heard the Rádio Deus é Amor (IPDA) on 9585. I'll try to confirm tomorrow. 73 (Jorge Freitas, Feira de Santana BA - Brasil, ibid.) 9585v, Super R Deus é Amor from São Paulo SP ? according to TBS. We hear 9565.051 Super R Deus é Amor, from Curitiba PR here in Europe usually. 73 wb df5sx (Wolfgang Büschel, ibid.) Yes Wolfgang, seems to be the transmitter of São Paulo from Rádio Globo. Very weak signal than 9565 kHz here in Montevideo. 73 de CX2ABP (Rodolfo Tizzi, ibid.) Rádio Deus é Amor en 9585 kHz --- Al parecer reactivada en esta frecuencia y en paralelo con 9565 kHz. En este momento (1717 UT) escuchada en Montevideo con señal mediocre y mucho fading. 73 de CX2ABP (Tizzi, June 7, condiglist yg via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 9819.504, Rádio 9 de Julho, 0250 UT. 11764.946, R Deus é Amor, 0330 UT. 11925.227, R Bandeirantes, São Paulo, SP, 0355 UT (Wolfgang Büschel, Log on SW at 0250-0430 UT June 8, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Log on SW at 0250-0430 UT June 8: 9819.504, Rádio 9 de Julho, Port at 0250 UT, S=6 in Germany. Very odd frequency. 9675.011, R Canção Nova, Cachoeira Paulista SP, Port, fluttery signal at 0305 UT. 11764.946, Super R Deus é Amor, Curitiba PR, male Port voice, sermon at 0330 UT, stronger Brazilian voice, S=7-8 better audio. 11925.227 R Bandeirantes, São Paulo, SP, male Port announcer 0355 UT, poor signal, only just around threshold level (Wolfgang Büschel, June 8, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews June 13 via DXLD) 11915.08, R. Gaúcha (presumed), 0048 discussion program with men announcers. Mentions of São Paulo. 0056 program outro then ads. Suddenly went off in mid-ad at 0057:32 unfortunately. Fairly good and was hoping for full ID at ToH. (11 June) (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D with T2FD, CumbreDX via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Olá, Conforme notado por PY4ZBZ Roland anos atrás, a emissora do ON no Rio não emite a banda lateral inferior. Você poderá obter melhor recepção da WWV se usar o modo LSB no receptor. –hg (Huelbe Garcia, Brasil, radioescutas yg via DXLD) Says there is no LSB from Observatório Nacional, 10000 (gh, DXLD) re: 10000 kHz ON e Colorado? Huelbe, Uma pequena correção: O ON transmite em AM-USB ou seja, portadora mais banda superior, e não em banda inferior. Pode ser recebido em AM ou em USB. Veja o espectro do ON na penúltima figura no final do meu artigo aqui: http://www.qsl.net/py4zbz/sdr/sdriq.htm 73 de Roland. (PY4ZBZ, 9 June, ibid.) ?? That`s what he said already (gh, DXLD) ** BRAZIL. BRASIL: 15191.65, ZYE622, Rádio Inconfidência (tentative); 1945-1959+, 4-June; Tuned in to see who might be on 15190; no audio there but strong het. Poor with almost no copy till heard W say "Brasil" at 1956 after Rolling Stones' Start Me Up bumper. Mainly 2M talking with occasional bumper. Improving but killed by abrupt Family Radio sign/on at 1959 on 15195 (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 125 ft. bow-tie; 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time! DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15191.8, Radio Inconfidência, 0559, June 9, Portuguese, with English pop music, 0601 announcements and ID. Fair (Harold Sellers, Vernon, British Columbia, Listening from my car with Eton E1 and Sony AN1 active antenna, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. CBC PRESIDENT SAYS BROADCASTER CAN'T 'BE ALL THINGS TO ALL PEOPLE' http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/cbc-president-says-broadcaster-cant-be-all-things-to-all-people-157858795.html Documents Hubert Lacroix's first pronouncements since the cuts were announced. There's a "Your Reaction" interactive feature at the bottom of the item; we should all register at the Free Press website and click the "Sad" box (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA USA, ODXA yg via DXLD) ** CANADA [and non]. 900 CKMO's transmitter's finally off! I don't know when it happened, but finally, the huge open carrier on 900 kHz has finally been switched off as I check at 0240 UT 7 June, 2012. Last I looked a few days ago, it was still on. Now, how long was that? A few months anyway! 73, (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Since CKMO cut their modulation, CHML Hamilton Ontario has been very common here. In fact I have been trying for MN, but so far no luck. But I do hear CHML a lot. 73, (Patrick Martin, Seaside OR, IRCA via DXLD) It happened today I guess, Walt. At 1200 UT (5 AM PDT) this morning the carrier was still there. Your personal antennae are working well. After years of DXing, certain centers of the brain must detect subtle changes in the electromagnetic environment, hi. Best wishes, (Nick Hall-Patch, BC, June 6, ibid.) Not sure if I will be that lucky -- but I did check last night. There were a couple of stations present on 900 kHz. I did not hang out long enough to squeeze out any ID's. Many thanks to Walt for pointing out the carrier collapse of CKMO - it seems like we have been sitting on our hands waiting for this for some time. This is a historic event for AM radio in Victoria - I imagine the last time we only had one active frequency in the city of Victoria on the AM band was.... uhm... http://www.cucvictoria.com/history-radio.html 1923! Enjoy the new frequency, folks! 73, (Colin Newell, http://www.dxer.ca ibid.) Colin, CHML may have more of a lobe towards me, being 160 miles South of Victoria, but they are sure common. The three fairly common Ontario stations there days are Hamilton-900, Toronto-740, and Oshawa-1580. But Quebec is really tough to hear. Very rare (Patrick Martin, Seaside OR, ibid.) At the moment, I'm hearing KBIF, Fresno over another weaker cochannel with a SE Asian sounding language. Lots of mentions of Fresno. Possibly Vietnamese? Good level. All this at 0440 UT or 9:42 PM PDT. 900 kHz, of course. A "new" frequency for me! At 0501 I heard Prince Albert, SK weather, so that's CKBI, while there was no ID over the TOH for presumed KBIF, Fresno with same Vietnamese (or? Hmong) programming. Their website is not very useful. It's now 10:17 PM/0517 UT. On the Perseus waterfall, the low side of 900 shows a clear, but very weak IBOC band, presumably from 910 kHz. Just audible on LSB, so USB best to monitor 900. 900 is otherwise totally in the clear here in Victoria, without any other adjacent splatter issues. The presumed Fresno station continues, over a weaker SS station. Maybe Mexico, here? 73, (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria BC, UT June 8, IRCA via DXLD) Walt, I believe 910 Oakland CA is IBOC. I get the hash here on 900/920 off the SW EWE. 73, (Patrick Martin, Seaside OR, ibid.) Yahoo!?? It's time to turn the old radio on again. I was starting to lose interest in DXing but this gives me another excuse to do some late night listening. Did anyone here witness the sudden disappearance of the carrier and at what time it was shut down? I just now checked the IRCA emails at 23:45 PDT on 06/07/12 and saw the notes. I wasn't tuning in until now and so what I'm hearing is 2 or 3 signals and the dominating one is the non English talk show on what I read is KBIF in Fresno CA with a secondary playing music and it sounds like C&W from Prince Albert SK which is now getting lost in the jumble of signals and so no IDs at TOH at 0 hour going into Friday. A very unstable mix and nothing is really peaking but some SS talk? and singing. I guess some earlier tuning in will make things a little more interesting. It's time to call it a night. I don't know why they waited so long to pull the plug but all that BS about waiting for nice weather to take a boat out to a rock near Victoria to go and slowly turn this tranny off was exactly that: BS. Today`s weather wasn't exactly favourable for that. At 00:12 PDT on 06/08/12 I heard a good ID from CKBI and the C&W is trying to outdo everybody else. I've heard enough and will continue tomorrow night to see if I can pull in something a little further out like Hamilton. 890 is now a good deal better wherever it is coming from and 910 will also be looked at in the near future (Bill in BC Kral, ibid.) ** CANADA. JUST A REMINDER TO EVERYONE THAT JUNE 24TH IS SCHEDULED TO BE THE LAST DAY OF RADIO TRANSMISSIONS ON SHORTWAVE FOR RADIO CANADA INTERNATIONAL. Everyone is still holding on to a hope that something might change but, at this late date, hope is slipping away. You might want to be around your radio on that day to catch the farewell on-air broadcasts. After that, RCI will only be found on the Internet. Still hard to believe it is happening. Is it too late for anything to be done? Many listeners around the world who feel that RCI broadcasts via shortwave are important have taken the time to write or e-mail to express their concerns. However, unless something is done by the government of Canada to reverse the CBC’s decision, June 24th will be the last day that RCI appears on the shortwave bands around the world. We will know in about two weeks. Best wishes, (Sheldon Harvey, June CIDX Messenger via DXLD) Re: Shortwave broadcaster will sign off as of June 25 ``This news leaves me very, very sad`` (VY2PR, ABDX via DXLD) I just heard this news. It is so unbelievable that I thought it was a hoax! An April Fool joke in June? I am quite a news junkie. I watch news channels sometimes all night long. How is it that I never came across this story until I checked this group and the Grundig 750 group? I, too, have criticized CBC in past. But --- have you been to some other countries and seen their state broadcasters? Suddenly, CBC don't seem so bad! I guess we must believe that what is killed can sometimes rise up again. Maybe when the current government is gone (likely next election), we can fix this little problem (VE7HA, June 7, ABDX via DXLD) Not if they scrap and sell off the Sackville Station. Then, it will be gone for good, I am afraid. Maybe they will sell it to a Bible Banger International Broadcaster? 73, (Kevin Raper, KJ4HYD, CE WCKI WQIZ WLTQ, ibid.) Could this be one of the reasons that NHK World Radio Japan has experienced recent problems? I mean, they share the RCI transmission site for their North American English-language rely station, right? I've been following that story pretty closely. As I've said before on several occasions, I'm a pretty big fan of NHK's broadcasts. It's really sad to see yet another major short wave broadcaster fail, especially considering the recent scale backs at Radio Netherlands Worldwide and Radio Bulgaria (narvorr/wolfwere, ibid.) ** CANADA [and non]. Since the NHK relay at 0500 on 6110 has been missing since May 31, still absent June 6, I check whether any of the RCI frequencies are missing too from Sackville, June 5: At 1957, 17735 is on in French making SAH with Tunisia in Arabic; but nothing on the only listed // 15235; however it might have just closed early. *1959, 15235 does come on with RCI in English, joined a few sex later by 15330 with `The Link` intro already in progress, into news; both these are stronger than // 17735 which continues. 15235, June 6 at 1900, RCI in Arabic, very poor, while 17735 is much better in French. 17735 is the only scheduled Sackville frequency for French; I was misled by the HFCC schedule at http://www.hfcc.org/data/schedbybrc.php?seas=A12&broadc=RCI which shows language ``FrA`` at 1900-2000 on 15235, while RCI`s own schedule reminds us it`s really on the air only for the first half hour and only in Arabic. 7305, June 8 at 0446, VG signal with CRI English story about Hainan Island, // 6020, here instead of correct 6080. So Sackville failed to change transmitter to 6080 after the 7305 Vatican relay in Spanish until 0400. But they woke up again in time to cut 7305 off at 0459:20* and retune it to 6190 from *0459:50 with CRI English continuing, having interrupted the dispensable Chinese lesson filling last 5 minutes of every hour. 9650, June 8 at 1255, KBS World Radio relay via Sackville is in Spanish instead of English! Interview with a Castilian about Corea`s relations with España. This compensates for at least once having run the 06-07 broadcast on 6045 in English instead of correct Spanish, as caught June 3 by Juan Franco Crespo, Spain. I assume Seoul is responsible in these cases for playing out the wrong languages, rather than Sackville --- unless each is pre-fed and stored for later transmission. 6080 // 6020, June 9 at 0450 check, Sackville has CRI English relay on two correct frequencies, instead of 7305 as employed 24 hours earlier while nothing was on 6080 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also KOREA SOUTH [non] Hallo dear Glenn, Do you know the exact ending H O U R at June 26th in Sackville for RCI and CBC North Quebec sce ? Sackville would be June 27th at 0300 UT, Montreal at 0400 UT. Last RCI/CBC transmissions, despite of KBS relay at 0200 0100-0129 SAC 11990 250 212/189 HR 2/1/0.5 11 SPANISH and 1100-0605 SAC 9625 100 348 4, 9N ENGLISH 73 wolfy (Wolfgang Büschel, DX LISTENNING DIGEST) Dear Mr. Gerald Theoret and Mr. Jacques Bouliane, WHEN does the last RCI Montreal program shortwave transmission H O U R happen at Sackville transmitter site on June 26th, 2012 ? Does the small shortwave transmitter unit of CBC North Quebec on 9625 kHz for the Eskimo people target appear hardware SHIFT to another CBC mediumwave transmitter site in Montreal? Kind regards de (Wolfgang Bueschel, df5sx, Stuttgart Germany, June 13 to RCI, via DXLD) Hallo Wolf, hallo Mikes, hier anbei der Sendeplan Stand März für A-12 Saison. Die Meldungen lauten auf letzter SW + Satellite Sendetag am 26. Juni. Nur der Web Online Dienst wird fortgesetzt. - - - [as previously published:] ``Drastic Cuts-Severe Impact-the end of broadcasting (2012) On April 4, 2012 an approximate 80% budget cut to the International service from $12.3 million a year to $2.3 million a year was announced by RCI Director Hélène Parent. In the 2012 federal budget, a 10% funding reduction was announced for the domestic broadcaster, CBC/Radio-Canada. Radio-Canada subsequently translated this to an 80% reduction to the International service under its financial and managerial control.[3] These changes will effectively end broadcasting by RCI via shortwave and satellite. RCI News service (as a separate news service from the CBC-SCR derived news) will end, and the Brazilian and Russian sections will be cut. All shortwave transmissions (including those from the Sackville Relay Station), satellite, and all broadcast programming will end on June 26. a.. All contractual and temporary staff, along with fully two-thirds of permanent staff will lose their jobs. b.. China Radio International, an important user of RCI Sackville will have to find a new shortwave relay site. c.. A skeleton remainder will provide some limited online services in 5 languages (Spanish, Arabic, French, English, and Mandarin)`` - - - Aber alle meine Gedankenspiele mit dem Datum 26./27.6. sind obsolete. Siehe Mail aus Montreal, "Jacques Bouliane" letzte Sendung am Sonntag 24.6. end 2329 UTC, Por 13760, Sp 11990 15455 kHz. {MESZ June 25 at 0129 hrs} siehe unten. ``The last RCI program to be transmitted out of Sackville will be a Spanish/Portuguese program on June 24th, both at 2300-2329 UT. Small low-power FM transmitters are planned for selected communities affected by the cessation of SW transmisisons. Regards, Jacques`` 2300-2329 SAC 13760 250 163 HR 4/4/1.0 12,13 NW,13S,14,15W PORTUGESE 2300-2329 SAC 11990 250 176 HR 4/4/1.0 12SE,13NW,13S,14,15W,16NE SPANISH 2300-2329 SAC 15455 250 176 HR 4/4/1.0 12NE,12S,13NW,13S,14,15 W SPANISH mhg Wolfgang df5sx (Wolfgang Büschel, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This is still rather vague about the final shutdown of Sackville. A definite date for the end of RCI, but doesn't specifically say that the non-RCI broadcasts end at the same time. Odd that only CRI is mentioned, and not KBS, NHK, and Voice of Vietnam, also users of the facility. [see also VATICAN] If RNW keeps Bonaire going until the end of A-12, could some of the Sackville transmissions be moved there for July-October? (Steve Luce, Houston, Texas, June 14, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA [non?]. 15455, June 14 at 0534 very surprised to find a station in Spanish here, soon obviously RCI with Canadian news stories about the Chinese guy whose body parts were mailed around the country, then RCI ID, `Canadá en las Américas`, totally wrong time for Latin America, most of which is after local midnite. Fairly good signal, could be Sackville, but can`t tell. Nothing is scheduled here. It so happens that 15455 is used for earlier Spanish from Sackville at 2200- 2230 & 2300-2330 daily (for a little while longer), so maybe a monumental failure of automation scheduling. At 0559 concluded with ID and said would be heard only on the web from June 29; 0559:30 into Russian also plugging internet, and 0600 Russian program! also not scheduled now on SW. And no frequencies announced in either language, but why should there be? It so happens, just as I suspected, that this lineup is on the Hotbird satellite RCI schedule: http://www.rcinet.ca/english/illustration/schedule/iTLSPm_E12_RCI-3.pdf 0500 Spanish, 0600 Russian, 0700 English, 0800 French, 0900 Arabic. Furthermore, Ivo Ivanov in Bulgaria also heard the 15455 transmission in those languages of 06, 08 and 09 until cut off at 0901*. So someone was relaying the Hotbird feed for some reason, from where? Check again at +0500-0900+ on 15455. Could they have left it on this time ever since 2330? 15455 will also be one of the frequencies for RCI`s last-ever broadcast from Sackville, Sunday June 24 at 2300-2329 in Spanish // 11990, and Portuguese at same time on 13760, per Jacques Bouliane of RCI via Wolfgang Büschel. So the last English broadcasts would be at 1800 and 2000 earlier that same day on usual frequencies (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: Dear all, Surprisingly broadcast of Radio Canada International on June 14 on 15455 with good reception in Bulgaria 45444 0600-0700 in Russian 0700-0800 no checking, I traveled to work 0800-0900 in French 0900-0901 in Arabic and stopped suddenly What is this? 73! (Ivo Ivanov, WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Wolfy guesses that the site was BaBcoCk in the UK (gh) I have meanwhile an impression that they avoid being specific about this aspect for legal reasons. And the moment RCI really ends is still unknown. The question is here when the program playout (or even live continuation, if still some remains at RCI) will stop, as heard on webstreams and satellites. The latter concerns for North America the US-uplinked 12.120 GHz v mux on SES 1, which contains besides one RCI channel also RNW radio and TV (is the former "RNW 1" channel with Dutch still there with the looped closure announcement or has it meanwhile been removed?), Radio Maryja radio and TV (which once was on shortwave, too) and VRT Radio 1 (in place of the defunct RVI). For Europe and much beyond it concerns no less than three separate language channels RCI uses on Hotbird 13A, on the London-uplinked 12.597 GHz v mux that also contains the WRN satellite channels, NHK World (apparent feed to SW transmitters in Europe), Radio Armenia (instead of shortwave), Family Radio (for Europe instead of shortwave now, too, otherwise being the feed), IBC Tamil (used to be on Wertachtal transmitters, too), Voice of Russia (in English if I'm correct) and CVC radio Hindi (for whatever purpose, perhaps just part of a roundabout feed route from the old days when there used to be an English CVC radio channel as well, the one taken off shortwave when the Cox/Darwin facility closed). Juging from what RCI announces for shortwave it appears that they observe UT for their closure, which would mean that the satellite channels could go silent or to looped announcements on June 24 at 2400 UT. But that's entirely speculation about the most likely moment (Kai Ludwig, Germany, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RCI Action Committee blog, 13 June 2012: "We’ve just learned that last week the 2003 Order in Council that obliged Radio Canada International to broadcast on shortwave radio has been amended, and that obligation removed. As well, the obligation to consult with the Foreign Affairs ministry regarding geographic target areas and languages has been removed. Both changes were made on the recommendation of Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore, and came into effect on June 7, 2012." (kimandrewelliott.com via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DXLD) ** CANADA. VOICE OF THE NORTH MAINTAINED A BALANCE BETWEEN JOURNALISM AND CRUSADING --- PRINCIPAL MESSENGER FOR INUIT COULD THINK AND FEEL IN BOTH INUKTITUT AND ENGLISH WHIT FRASER, The Globe and Mail (Alberta Edition), 14 June, 2012 Even as a child he was special. All the kids in the camp used to say he was spoiled because all the adults just loved him so much. His father raised him to be a leader. --- Ann Hanson, Former Nunavut commissioner When I visited Lake Harbour south of Frobisher Bay in deep winter of the late ’60s, I noticed the town went black at 2:00 p.m. The diesel generators were turned off for an hour because they were creating static and the townsfolk couldn’t hear Jonah Kelly. When Jonah went off the air, the power came back on. --- Ted Morris, Jonah Kelly’s first boss Among Canada’s 50,000 Inuit, the voice of Jonah Kelly was the most familiar, enduring and influential. From relaying messages back and forth between Inuit confined to distant southern hospitals and their families in the most remote Arctic settlements to reporting, interpreting and educating Inuit on national and international events, he was both a cultural bridge and a lifeline connecting two very different worlds. Kelly was part of the generation of Canadian Inuit who in the 1950s made the transition from traditional Inuit camp life to government- structured settlements and professions. At barely 20 years old, he became the “authoritative voice” that guided Inuit as they made the difficult and rapid transition from the igloo to the space age. As he was growing up on Baffin Island, communications across the Arctic could only be described as primitive. Most communities were without telephones. Mail and airline service was sporadic, perhaps once a week or even once a month for the smallest settlements. The link with the outside world was shortwave radio, and beginning in l966 the principal messenger was Jonah Kelly. . . http://www.pressdisplay.com/pressdisplay/showlink.aspx?bookmarkid=Y6YNH5773IX6&preview=article&linkid=677ae24f-f55b-495f-8dcf-a0229d0f3ec2&pdaffid=mlkcpz5QbCphv%2fc22HZPlQ%3d%3d (via Ricky Leong, AB, DXLD) Yes, with the CBC Northern Service (gh) ** CANADA. Any ideas for "Global Toronto" on channel 2? (Dave Pomeroy, Topeka KS, UT June 8, WTFDA via DXLD) CIII-2 Bancroft or CFGC-2 North Bay ... both 2+ ... only way to figure out which is the carrier frequency - North Bay is 55.259.97; Bancroft is 55.260.01. wrh – (William R Hepburn (VEM3ONT22), Grimsby ON, ibid.) ** CANADA. Sporadic E analog TV DX is starting to show at 1500 UT June 10; G7IZU 6-meter Es map shows lots of contacts centering over northern Indiana and vicinity. By 1510 I can tell it`s from the NE to the N in English on ch 2 and best on 4 with ads; also video on 3 and 5. Ch 4 had ad string until 1514 including Futura Ford: could that be the name of a dealer now for the ex-model or instead of it? Also mentioned ``global`` but maybe in the context of warming. Are rival networks allowed to say the word? 1518 on 2, Canadian political discussion. Video too weak so far to make out the network bugs. More to come in next report. As usual, no DTV signals showing up for me on 2 or 3 (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yesterday evening and today (through UT Monday at 0300) is the ARRL June VHF QSO Party (contest), which brings out most of the 6m (50MHz) ham radio ops, including myself. – (Fritze H. Prentice, Jr., KC5KBV, Star City AR, EM43aw, twitter.com/fritzehp HCDX via DXLD) ** CHAD [non]. Hi Glenn, I have been listening to ZNBC 2 since 1350. Will spare you the lengthy details, but no sign of Chad at all. Some co channel QRM from CRI between *1600 and 1757* (in Turkish and English), the last hour confirmed by id "China Drive --- English Service, China Radio International Beijing". Now at 1813 the news on ZNBC 2 is just ending, fair-good reception, no Chad het or speech. If they are on air, it is not reaching South Africa. Joburg sunset today was at 1523, almost three hours ago, so I would have expected to hear them if they were there. Regards, (Bill Bingham, RSA, June 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Glenn, Monitored 6165 on and off all night, but missed ZNBC 2 sign off (listed at 2205*, Aoki), asleep. Reception had improved to good after my last report (June 11 at 1820). No sign at all of Chad, and I've been listening continuously since 0145. Voice of Turkey in English came on at 0255 with repetitions of their interval signal and id "This is The Voice of Turkey", time pips at 0300 followed by announcements and into the news at 0302; all very poor and barely readable. Still audible as of 0322, but unreadable. No sign of ZNBC 2 on 6165, should be there now, but I can only barely and intermittently make out ZNBC 1 (I'm guessing that's what it is) on 5915, so presumably thats down to propagation. Both inaudible at 0400. Regards, (Bill Bingham, RSA, June 12, WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) BTW - Radio 2 (Zambia) noted June 14 on 6165 from 0420 (with signal slowly improving towards their local sunrise ) to 0450 (just about faded out), still with no hint of Chad. Lusaka sunrise was at 0430 UT and my local sunset was 0329 UT. Thanks again (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, June 14, WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Chad has disappeared before but eventually come back, not necessarily on the same frequency. Alternates are 4905 and 7120, the latter of which ought not to be available now in the exclusive hamband (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHILE. A-12 for Voz Cristã / [CVC] La Voz via SGO=Santiago: Spanish to Northern South America 1200-2300 on 17680 SGO 100 kW / 000 deg till Sep. 1 2300-0200 on 11665 SGO 100 kW / 000 deg till Sep. 1 1100-2300 on 17680 SGO 100 kW / 000 deg from Sep. 2 2300-0100 on 11665 SGO 100 kW / 000 deg from Sep. 2 Spanish to Southern South America 1200-2200 on 9635 SGO 100 kW / 030 deg till Sep. 1 2200-0200 on 9780 SGO 100 kW / 030 deg till Sep. 1 1100-2200 on 9635 SGO 100 kW / 030 deg from Sep. 2 2200-0100 on 9780 SGO 100 kW / 030 deg from Sep. 2 Portuguese to Brasil in DRM mode 1600-1800 on 17640 SGO 015 kW / 045 deg June 19-21 special 1800-2000 on 17640 SGO 015 kW / 045 deg (DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, 11 June via DXLD) See also ECUADOR [non] ** CHINA. Re 12-23: ``17398-USB, June 1 at 1302, YL in Chinesish, sounds like a broadcast, one-way rather than two-way, but stops at 1304; after that around 1306, on & off in contacts, other side not heard, no doubt duplex. Among several other coastal stations around the world, Klingenfuss` 2002 SW Frequency Guide shows XSQ, Guangzhou Radio on 17398, and this is/was Channel 1653, QSX on 16516.0 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)`` According to the HP http://www.gzrdo.com/intro.asp of Guangzhou Coastal Radio Station, their SSB broadcast schedule is as follows; Time UT, all in Chinese only: 6510/17398-USB: 0100 0200 0300 0400 0500 0600 0700 0900 1100 1300 1500 meteorological and marine forecast 1910 2010 2110 2210 safety and typhoon information, maritime and navigation alert 8782/13107/13149/13182/19770/22735-USB: 1910 2010 2110 2210 safety and typhoon information, maritime and navigation alert. This is really a "broadcast". (Takahito Akabayashi, Tokyo, Japan, June 11, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. 6145, Qinghai PBS, Xining, 2156, June 13, open carrier surfaced as soon as co-channel CRI Hungarian off, 2200 Chinese & English opening announcements with full ID & frequencies after 5+1 time pips. Frequency is clear until CRI English appears at 2259 (Martien Groot, Schoorl, Netherlands (TenTec RX340, 25m. longwire), dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. Flaming Goose Report --- Crash & Bang Chinese Opera Music Jammer, a.k.a. Firedrake, a.k.a. Chinese Opera Music Jammer From 2012 posted logs (various sources); during the UTC hours noted. All broadcasts originate from East Jammerstan. Transmissions will typically change frequency and time often, as the jammer's target moves. * Not reported on this frequency during 2011. 7525* 15 7595* 13 7605* 15 7610 15 7970 10 9200 02, 09, 12, 13 9315 14 9355 17, 19 9450 14 9455 17, 19 9725 16 9905 16, 17, 19 9930* 14 9935* 14 9970* 10, 11 9980* 14 11500 00, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 22, 23 11545 12 11790 18 11870 15 11945 18, 19 11970* 08, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 11980 11, 14 12005* 15 12130* 14 12230 00, 02, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 12300 00, 02, 10, 12, 13, 14 12500 12, 13, 14 12600 00, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 12650* 12 12670 12, 13, 14 12980 00, 12, 13, 14, 23 13100 12 13130 02, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 13155* 10 13430* 10, 11, 12, 13 13665* 08 13670* 12, 18 13675* 15 13680 12, 13, 14, 23 13780* 17 13795 12, 13 13830 12, 13 13850 00, 02, 05, 08, 12, 13, 14, 23 13880* 08, 13 13920 02, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 22, 23 13935* 12 13960 13 13970 02, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 22 14003* 10 14400 02, 08, 12, 22, 23 14600* 10, 12, 13 14700 00, 08, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 22, 23 14800 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 14870* 12, 13 14950 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 23 14970 00, 12, 13, 14, 23 15290* 13 15295* 13 15375* 13 15390* 13 15395* 13 15425* 13 15435 12 15440 12 15445 12, 14 15450* 12, 13 15455 13 15485* 12, 13 15490* 13 15495 13 15500* 12, 13 15505* 13 15535 13 15540 13 15545 12, 13 15550 12, 13 15555 12, 13 15560 13 15565 13 15570 12, 13 15590* 13 15595* 13 15600* 13, 14 15605* 13, 14 15610* 12, 13, 14 15615* 13, 14 15670 13 15710* 13 15750 13 15760 12, 13 15765* 12 15775 13 15785 13 15795 13 15800 00, 09, 11, 14 15870* 01, 11, 12, 13, 14 15900 02, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 23 15940* 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 15970 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 15980* 13 16100 00, 04, 10, 11, 12, 13, 22, 23 16120 02 16200* 12 16700 00, 02, 12, 13 16920* 00, 07, 11, 12, 13, 14 16980 00, 02, 04, 11, 12, 13 17100 12, 13, 14 17170 04, 11, 12, 13, 14 17250* 04, 11, 12, 13, 14 17370* 12 17450 04, 11, 12, 13, 14 17560 14 17565* 14 17570 14 17730 02 18200 13 --Updated 7-June-12 (Harold Frodge, MI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Harold also provided same info in a grid format, too wide to display here, but availablized in the dxldyg (gh) China, Firedrake, June 7 after 1100 16100, Good at 1155, Off the air at 1200 15970, Good at 1156, Off the air at 1200 (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston FL, 26N 081W, Excalibur, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Firedrake June 7, before 1300, incomplete survey: 15970, very good at 1257 15900, fair at 1257 15555, fair at 1259-1301+ After 1300: 15485, poor at 1309, het on hi side; just started here 15500, poor at 1319, ex 15485 15570, fair at 1319, ex-15555 before 1300 Before 1400: 17450, fair at 1346 17170, poor at 1346 16100, very good at 1346 15970, very good at 1347 15605, poor at 1348, het on lo side 15490, poor at 1348, het on lo side, ex-15500 14700, fair at 1348; none in the 13s, 12s, 11s Firedrake June 8, before 1300: 11500, fair at 1256 with CCI, from VOR if not SOH 13920, poor at 1256; none in the 12s 14800, good at 1256 15555, fair at 1258 15900, very good at 1257 15970, fair at 1257 16100, fair at 1259 16980, poor at 1259 17100, poor at 1259 17250, good at 1259, music cut off at 1300 but stayed on air another 15 seconds with announcements in Chinese starting with ``Beijing`` Before 1400: 16100, poor at 1346 15900, very good at 1346 15605, very poor at 1346 15490, very poor at 1346 14800, very poor at 1349 13920, poor at 1349; none in the 12s Firedrake June 9, the only one I had time to find: 15435, fair at 1203, het on the hi side (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Steve Handler's Firedrake Logs 6-10-12 --- Hi Glenn, An interesting day today (6-10-12 ) with the 1130-1159 time slot having 11 // frequencies running. Steve Handler 12230, 1140, 1218 and 1249; Fair-Good at 1140 and 1218 and fair at 1249. 12320, 1146, 1218 and 1248 Poor at 1146 and Fair-good at 1218, Poor at 1248. 13920, 1148 JBA 14700, 1149 and 1217. Good 14800, 1150 and 1247. Good 15445, 1219 15555, 1241 15900, 1151, 1225 and 1240. Fair at 1151 and Fair-Good at 1225, Good at 1240. 15970, 1152. Fair-good 16100, 1153, 1225 and 1239. JBA 1153 & 1225 and poor at 1239. 16980, 1155, 1226 and 1338. Good 17100, 1156. Fair-poor 17450, 1157. Fair-poor (Steve Handler, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Firedrake June 10, before 1300: 12230, poor at 1249 14800, very good at 1252; none in the 13s 15555, good at 1253 15760, fair at 1253 15900, very good at 1252 with flutter 16100, good at 1254 16980, very good at 1254; none in the 17s After 1300: 15485, fair at 1306, with het on hi side Circa 1330: 12230, very poor at 1330; none in the 13s 14600, fair-good at 1331 15570, fair-good at 1331; none in the 16s 17450, fair at 1335; none in the 18s, nor for a long time now (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Glenn, Similar results at 1223 on June 10. 12230 fair 12320 fair 13430 poor 14800 good 15445 fair 15760 good 15900 good 16100 good 16980 good (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, Calif., dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Firedrake June 14, before 1300: 13130, poor at 1239; haven`t heard this one in quite a while; no 12s 13970, good at 1239 14700, very good at 1239 15545, fair at 1234 15940, good at 1235 15970, very good at 1235 16100, fair at 1237 16980, good at 1236 17250, very poor at 1237 17450, poor at 1237 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA [non]. CRI English on wrong frequency: see CANADA ** CHINA [and non]. June 9th Es FM opening, Philippines to China 6-9 Es - times LOCAL Philippine time GMT+8 All stations are from CHINA unless otherwise specified, mileage about 800-1200 miles for most of these stations. 88.2, 1142 ads, M in CH w/anmts, light pop-vocal music 88.3, 1142 W in CH w/anmts, light rock-vocal mx 88.6, 1139 CH radio play, comedy with lots of animated talk, laughter and applause 88.9, 1137 M in CH w/anmts, light pop vocal mx 90.0, 1134 M in CH w/nx headlines, apparent ID, light rock-vocal mx 90.6, 1129 light pop-vocal mx 90.9, 1130 w in CH w/anmts, ads 91.0, 1128 light CH pop-vocal mx 91.2, 1126 W in CH anmts light vocal mx 92.4, 1125 light vocal mx 92.8, 1124 M in CH talking to a W on the phone 93.0, 1114 EG movie preview, then M in CH w/review 93.2, 1115 W in CH w/anmts 93.4, 1115 W in CH speaking to a M on the phone 93.6, 1116 W in CH w/anmts 93.7, 1059 light vocal mx 93.8, 1053 M in CH w/anmts 93.8, 1059 M on the phone in CH giving a report, mixing with the above station 94.0, 1051 W in CH w/anmts 94.1, 1120 M in CH w/nx headlines 94.3, 1119 W in CH speaking to a M on the phone 94.5, 1121 M in CH w/anmts 94.6, 1120 M in CH speaking to W on the phone, echo at times, so there is a co-channel relay station, maybe lower power. 94.7, 1050 M in CH reporting over the phone 95.0, 1050 M in CH reporting over the phone 95.4, 1047 M in CH reporting over the phone 95.5, 1048 M & W in CH, ads, promos 95.7, 1045 M in CH w/anmts 95.8, 1046 M in CH reporting on the phone 95.9, 1046 M in CH, ads, light vocal mx 96.0, 1044 M in CH speech or lecture 97.0, 1042 M in CH anmts 97.2, 1047 W in CH, light instrumental background mx 97.5, 1040 M in CH w/anmts, light vocal mx 97.7, 1041 M in CH w/business report 97.7, 1041 light vocal mx, MIX w/above 97.8, 1039 W in CH, light rock mx 98.0, 1037 W in Ch, ads 98.4, 1031 M&W in CH, ads 98.5, 1031 light vocal instrumental mx 98.6, 1036 W in Ch, anmts, light vocal mx 99.0, 1026 W in CH speaking on the phone to a W, light vocal mx 99.1, 1020 M in CH w/lecture or speech 99.2, 1033 M in CH w/anmts 99.4, 1029 M&W in CH. Ads, 99.5, 1023 M&W in CH w/news headlines, background electronic music. 99.7, 1021 light romantic vocal mx, 104.6, 1207 M&W in CH, ads 105.2, 1206 M in CH anmts 105.9, 1207 M in CH w/anmts, ads 106.2, 1200 M&W in CH, time pips at the top of the hour, light vocal music, ads. Very Strong! ID sounds like “V-FM” 106.9, 1159 M in CH w/anmts 107.2, 1158 CH rock-vocal music 107.3, 1150 M in CH w/anmts (Steven C. Wiseblood, Tuguegarao, CAGAYAN, Philippines, Radio ULTRALIGHT: Kchibo KK-D6110, 50-foot random wire, June 11, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) On June 11, 2012 many Chinese stations noted in Siliguri, WB, India - most of them were Uighyur from XJ, China, one even announced http://www.uycnr.com web site url -- videos have been uploaded in youtube at http://www.youtube.com/user/dxinginfo interested DXers can find the clips and there is few unidentified stations - ID help would be much appreciated. Thanks & Regards, (Partha Sarathi Goswami, Siliguri, Dist. Darjeeling, West Bengal, INDIA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) More Philippines to CHINA FM Es --- all are from CHINA unless otherwise specified, mileage about 800-1200 miles for most of these. 6-13 Es - Times LOCAL Philippine time GMT+8 87.5, 1116 M in CH speaking to a W over the phone 87.8, 1113 M&W in CH w/nx, field reports from correspondents 88.0, 1110 W in CH w/anmts, promos 88.9, 1118 M & W in CH w/nx and business reports 90.0, 1109 light romantic vocal mx 90.6, 1119 light romantic vocal mx 90.9, 1120 W in CH w/anmts, travel agency promo, ads 91.2, 1120 W in CH reading a story from a book, maybe Literary Channel. Very STRONG at times! 93.2, 1103 M in CH w/nx 93.6, 1059 “CHINA National Radio”, brief ID in EG, W in CH w/anmts, ads, time-pips 1100, promos, ID’s, nx in CH by M&W 94.6, 1057 Literary Channel. W in CH reading a book over the phone 95.7, 1056 phone conversation with M&W in CH 96.9, 1049 ads, M&W in CH w/anmts 97.1, 1052 ads, M speaking to a W in CH on the phone 97.2, 1050 M&W in CH w/anmts, light vocal mx 97.4, 1050 phone conversation with two M in CH 6-14 Es 87.8, 1407 M&W in CH w/anmts 88.8, 1416 M in CH w/anmts 88.9, 1416 W in CH w/ads 91.3, 1412 animated CH talk between cartoonish sounding characters amid sound effects. 93.5, 1419 apparent literary channel, W in CH reading from a book (Steven C. Wiseblood, Tuguegarao, CAGAYAN, Philippines, Radio, ULTRALIGHT: Kchibo KK-D6110, 50-foot random wire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COLOMBIA. THE SHIFTING SOUTH AMERICANS see MUSEA ** COLOMBIA. Re: ``Hi All, back in 1961 I logged, and verified, a SW station broadcasting from Bogotá, Colombia. They sent me a colorful pennant which I proudly displayed in my radio room, AKA bedroom! Unfortunately the pennant was lost over the ensuing decades. Odd in itself, as nothing else was lost! I am now wondering what SW station was broadcasting from Bogotá back in 1961? Per chance is it still on the air, is there no longer a SW station in Bogotá or has it been replaced by another? Does anyone have a good guess? Thanks! (Duane Fischer, W8DBF - WPE8CXO, swl at qth.net via DXLD) ``Duane, I am sure there were several in 1961. The big one was Radiodifusora Nacional, IIRC on 4965. None are left, and only two or three elsewhere in Colombia. 73, (Glenn Hauser, ibid.)`` I don't know if Radio Santa Fe was on in 1961 but I logged them on 4965 in the mid 60s. They were a fun station, lots of music and jingles. JL (Jerry Lenamon, Waco TX, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Jerry, I believe you are right, and R Nacional is recalled here as on 4955, as do I now: http://www.pateplumaradio.com/south/colombia/colombiadx.html (Glenn to Jerry, ibid.) ** CROATIA [non]. One of the most regularly enjoyable shortwave broadcasts is that of Radio Croatia (the Voice of Croatia) on 9925, via the 100 kW transmitter they use located in Wertachtal (Bavaria), Germany. I listen about twice or so weekly, usually the hour of 0100- 0200 GMT, because that is an uninterrupted hour of hauntingly beautiful traditional Croatian pop music, with many instruments, but so often featuring the acoustic guitar as lead instrument. It is a pleasurable hour featuring one tune after the other -- usually without any talk! There was brief, slight fading at 0125 and 0147 tonight, but the signal restored itself quickly both times. Had station ID at 0200, with 15 minutes of news/comment in English following. Their SW transmission is almost always clear and stable during these hours, with my S-Meter (10 scale) registering a steady 6-8 (Grayson Watson in Dallas, TX using a Sangean 909x portable and a 25' random wire antenna (sitting on my balcony, as usual), Cumbre DX via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DXLD) ** CUBA. 910, Radio Metropolitana, Villa María, Ciudad de la Habana. 1631 June 10, 2012. Very good with female announcer, into “Till the World Ends” by Britney Spears, “Club Rocker [Play & Win Radio Version]” by Inna, “Late Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” by Katy Perry and other pop-tart songs in top dance hits of the week countdown, reverbing female DJ hosting between every couple of tracks. Finally something in at least Spanglish -- albeit another lousy one – “Tengo Tu Love” by Sie7e. Reverbing male mentioned “Studio 91” (or maybe “Estudio 91” – those “e's” are often almost silent) at 1652, maybe the show name, into a real all-Spanish lyrics song, “Bienvenido” by – hark! My new love Laura Pausini (see 1120 MEXICO log about her). Into Noticiero Nacional de Radio news pick-up at 1700 (1 pm). So much for their incredibly slow-loading website schedule, obviously wrong for at least Sunday: http://www.radiometropolitana.cu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17&Itemid=17 NNdR ended late at 1730:30, quick Metropolitana ID, into way better Spanish salsa/pop now. 1121, CUBA unidentified. 1620 June 4, 2012. I've been hearing this one for a few weeks, never any audio, seemingly carrier only or nearly no modulation in use. Prompted to get a better DF on it after Gerry Bishop, David Crawford and Paul Zecchino from the other corners of the state also confirmed hearing it. For me, it seems to be around 210-degrees at local high noon, putting it maybe in Pinar del Río province. Paul – probably more accurate – gets a LOB much farther east of this, slightly west of Santa Clara and east of Cienfuegos. Smack on 1121.00 and no sign of anything Cuba otherwise on 1120 proper, daytime or nights here. 1210, CUBA, Radio Caribe, Isla de la Juventud. 0027 June 12, 2012. Fading up atop all the others with the usual canned male/female ID over steel pan music bed, parallel weaker and listed 1220. Again, this one -- indeed for a long time on 1210 -- isn't entered on other lists, including the WRTH 2012, etc. despite my repeated reports. To sum, Caribe remains on not only 1220 but also 1210. Refer to my online archive for said (Terry L Krueger, from the Clearwater, FL static site with (highly abridged equipment list): JRC NRD-535, ICOM IC-R75, Sony ICF-7600GR, and Sangean PR-D5; 1 X roof dipole, 1 X room random wire, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. 11840, June 10 at 0501, RHC Spanish is still running late, with ACI from the DentroCuban Jamming Command pulsing on 11845, which is running *very* late; but 11840 cuts off in mid-word at 0501.5*; how rude! 6010, June 10 at 0513, RHC English is instead dead air, as failed to apply modulation on this frequency from 0500, unlike the other three, 6050, 6060, 6125. No loss. 11760, Sunday June 10 at 1500, RHC Esperanto starts after quick crossfade from Spanish overrun a few sex past 1500. Had not reconfirmed this for a few weeks (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CYPRUS. 9760, Cyprus Broadcasting Corp, *2215-2244*, June 8, sign on and sign off with their usual Greek theme music. Greek talk. Good signal. Very weak on // 5925. Nothing heard on listed // 7220. 9760, Cyprus Broadcasting Corp, *2217-2244*, June 9, sign on with their usual Greek theme music. Greek talk over lite piano music. Abrupt sign off. Good. // 5925 - very weak. // 7220 not heard earlier in broadcast but was on the air at 2243 check. Fri, Sat, Sun only (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) ** ECUADOR. 4781.5, Radio Oriental, Napo 2310 to 0000 on 31 May, irregular at this time; heard on three occasions (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, South Florida, NRD 535D -746Pro - R8 - Sony 2010XA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) 4781.5, Radio Oriental, Napo, *1100 with om, no music to 1128 fadeout 7 June (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, South Florida, NRD 535D -746Pro - R8 - Sony 2010XA, and XM - Cedar Key - South Florida, NRD 525D - R8A -E-5, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** ECUADOR [non]. CHILE, A-12 for HCJB Global Voice via SGO=Santiago: German to Brasil 2300-2400 on 9835 SGO 050 kW / 045 deg Kulina to Brasil 2245-2300 on 11920 SGO 050 kW / 025 deg Portuguese to Brasil 2300-0045 on 11920 SGO 050 kW / 025 deg (DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, 11 June via DXLD) See also CHILE ** ECUADOR [non]. Fw: [A-DX] 3995 kHz HCJB Weenermoor Germany broadcast address? ----- Original Message ----- From: "HCJB - Die Stimme der Anden" To: Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2012 6:54 AM Subject: AW: [A-DX] 3995 kHz HCJB Weenermoor Adresse ? Guten Morgen nach Deutschland! Wir sind noch in Quito im "Gestern" :-) RRs bitte an deutsch @ andenstimme.org Ich leite eine Kopie an Stephan weiter. QSLs werden weiterhin in Quito ausgestellt. Ohne Rückporto elektronisch, mit Rückporto per Brief, der jetzt grundsätzlich mit schönen Briefmarken aus Ecuador versehen ist. Die ecuadorianische Post hat uns eigens einen Briefkasten installiert, der zweimal die Woche geleert wird. Via Homepage http://andenstimme.org kann auch online ein RR an uns geschickt werden. Herzliche Grüße aus Quito, Horst (via Wolfgang Büschel, DXLD) Hello Glenn, quick answer from HCJB Quito Horst Rosiak in A-DX ng this morning: Google translation [improved by gh]: ``Good morning to Germany! We are still in Quito in "yesterday" :-). Reception Reports please to . I forward a copy to Stephan. QSLs will continue to be issued in Quito. Electronically without return postage, with return postage per letter, which is now generally provided with nice stamps from Ecuador. The Ecuadorian post has specially installed for us a drop box that is emptied twice a week. Via an online website http://andenstimme.org can also be sent to us RR. Best regards from Quito, Horst`` (via Büschel, June 9, DXLD) see also GERMANY! ** EGYPT. 9305, spurious splatter from Radio Cairo, Abis-EGY on 9255 to 9355 kHz frequency range, 0311 UT June 8. 15610, Radio Cairo at Abu Zaabal site, opening procedure early around 0346 UT June 8, scheduled Swahili from 0400-0600 UT, but heard with frequent 990 Hertz tone opening. S=8-9 sidelobe signal here in Germany (Wolfgang Büschel, June 8, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews June 13 via DXLD) 15610, June 9 at 0504, Arabic, maybe Qur`an, then ME music, undermodulated. HFCC shows R. Cairo in Swahili at 0400-0600, 250 kW, 170 degrees from Abu Zabaal (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ERITREA. VOBME heard on 28 April signing on with interval signal and IDs at 0256 on 5945, 7120, 7175, 7205 and 9705. On 2 May at 0256 IS on 5950 (over Ethiopia!), 7120, 7175, 7205, 9705. At 0300-0325 in Arabic and again at 0330-0335. Then music until 0345 when talks were in vernaculars except 7205 which had another programme. At 0428 only 7175 and 9705 (co-channel Ethiopia, Niger and ?China) were heard; and DRM jammers on 7175 and 9705 (Rumen Pankov, Sofia, Bulgaria, June BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) 7179.990, Probably V of Broad Masses 2 (Dimtsi Hafash) Asmara-Selea, Daro noted around 1724 UT June 7 with children`s choir performance, S=5-6 signal on remote unit in Japan. From 1729 UT noted short piece of Horn-of-Africa music. Pip at 1730 UT, then news in vernacular, seemingly Somali language according to Japanese Aoki list. No Ethiopian jamming in digital mode noted so far tonight (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews June 6 [sic], dxldyg via DXLD) 9705.03, Voice of the Broad Masses of Eritrea, *0257-0310, June 9, sign on with IS. Vernacular talk at 0300. Horn of Africa music. Fair until 0258 when covered by Ethiopia 9705 sign on. But still able to hear a weak Eritrea under Ethiopia past 0258. // 7175 - poor with ham QRM (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) ** ETHIOPIA. 9564.66, 27.5 1755, R. Ethiopia, French program, music and announcement, new frequency shift? 2-3, recording of the S/OFF at 1800 here: http://www.sendspace.com/file/7b2b77 (Giampaolo Galassi, Savignano, Italy, SW Bulletin June 10 via DXLD) ** EUROPE. PIRATE. 6323 USB, Flying Dutchman, 2350-0008+, June 9-10, pop music. ID. Poor in noisy conditions. Fair on peaks (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg, PA, Icom IC-7600, two 100 foot longwires, [initial tip], dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) PIRATE. 6323 USB, Radio Flying Dutchman, 2350-0033*, June 9-10, pop music. Paul McCartney and Wings’ “Band on the Run.” IDs. Poor in noisy conditions. Fair on peaks. Improved to a fair to good level by 0015 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) ** EUROPE. 6910 kHz LSB Baltic Sea Radio is active now at 2250 UT. Good signal in LSB with IDs and oldies. 73 (Harald Kuhl, QTH Goettingen/Germany, June 10, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) ** FIJI. URBAN PACIFIC RADIO - SUVA, FIJI --- RNZI Airs new Radio Heritage Feature --- Media Release, Radio Heritage Foundation http://www.radioheritage.com June 7 2012 ____________________________________ Join us from Monday, June 11 2012 to explore the world of breakfast radio on several of the 15 local FM radio stations in Suva on the Mailbox program from Radio New Zealand International. With a population of some 330,000, the Suva-Nausori corridor is one of the largest urban areas in the Pacific islands. This is not the Pacific of golden beaches, swaying palm trees and the gentle roar of the distant surf. This is high population density, traffic jams, shopping malls, and 15 radio stations competing for listeners. You can listen directly via shortwave radio from RNZI in New Zealand, or audio on demand [for the following month] with full details of current broadcast frequencies [both DRM and analog] and times possible for your area as well as audio downloads at www.rnzi.com. We'll take you to the home of breakfast radio personalities Allan & Sophie [2day FM], Peceli & Serafina [Gold FM], Koliaci & Apenisa [Bula FM], Apakuki & Luisa [Radio Fiji 1], Ravin [Radio Fiji 2], Ashmita & Jitendra [Mirchi FM] and wonderfully named Epi Work [Mix94] and tell you how you can join them all for breakfast! English, Fijian and Hindi radio stations, personalities and music, from just a few of the stations in Suva, Fiji. So join us from Monday, June 11 2012 as we enjoy breakfast with the radio DJ's from Suva, Fiji on the Mailbox program from Radio New Zealand International http://www.rnzi.com You can also use our Pacific Asian Listener and Pacific Traveller Radio Guides at our global website http://www.radioheritage.com Use our Google Search to find more features about broadcasting in Fiji (David Ricquish, RHF, June 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FIJI [non]. Re 12-23: Fiji Democracy & Freedom Movement FDFM Radio Mondays at 0830 on 11565 kHz --- There seems to be a question as to whether they were using a transmitter located on Palau or one in South Carolina. Different sources are providing conflicting information. I am working to resolve the issue and will post when I have an answer (Steve Handler, June 6, NASWA yg via DXLD) Despite postings of incorrect --- or more likely, outdated --- information about Palau, the first transmission early Monday was from the U.S., that is, WHRI`s South Carolina xmtr. No issue, no question. To anyone Stateside who heard the broadcast, that would be beyond doubt (Don Jensen, WI, ibid.) Agreed, and as I have told Steve, the broker WRN Broadcast has confirmed directly to me it was WHRI, just as I figured. And explained why in my original report. The client is down the line and doesn`t necessarily know the facts. 73, (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) I had not bothered until now to look up the azimuths in use from HBN, but they only range from 270 to 345 degrees, clearly no good for Fiji (unless something could be reversed). WRN had previously used Palau for Sarawak and Japan relays to Asia, and someone there apparently assumed the Fiji service would also be via Palau. It so happens that WHRI in SC already has an antenna aimed right at Suva and set up the relay to be from there instead (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) FDFM RADIO TARGETS FIJI WITH NEW SHORTWAVE BROADCAST -- Media Release, Radio Heritage Foundation http://www.radioheritage.com June 7 2012 The Australian based Fiji Freedom & Democracy Movement has launched a weekly one hour shortwave radio program in Fijian targeted at Fiji says the Radio Heritage Foundation Broadcast at 8.30 pm on Mondays [Fiji time] the program features news, information, interviews and music designed to reach local Fijian listeners and promote the FDFM vision of the restoration of a democratic Free Fiji under the 1997 constitution. The shortwave radio broadcast is heard on 11565 kHz and the first broadcast this week was widely heard in Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, USA, Sweden, Finland and Germany. It apparently originates from a leased time privately owned transmitter located in the USA. Local radio media in Fiji must operate under regulations including news censorship by the military government which came to power in a series of coups and which has, at times, closed down the local FM relay stations of both the BBC and Radio Australia. Since the 1970's radio stations and programs opposing Pacific governments have broadcast from a number of Melanesian states such as Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, the autonomous region of Bougainville, and now Fiji. Whether indigenous Fijian listeners have modern shortwave receivers capable of hearing FDFM Radio is questionable, as they already have access to a large variety of state and private local FM radio stations broadcasting popular programs in Fijian. The Fiji Freedom & Democracy Movement is the same organization that said it planned to broadcast from a pirate radio ship off the Fijian coast in 2010. It's clearly found that paying a few dollars to rent a shortwave transmitter thousands of kilometers away from Fiji for an hour each week is far less expensive. Listeners can hear podcasts of the broadcasts and find out more information about FDFM Radio at https://sites.google.com/site/fijidemocracyfreedommovement as well as an email address to which reception reports and comments can be sent. For more details about radio in Fiji, we recommend the Pacific Asian Listener Radio Guide and Pacific Travellers Guides at http://www.radioheritage.com Features about the history of broadcasting in Fiji can also be found here. Radio Heritage Foundation is a registered non-profit organization connecting radio, popular culture, history and heritage and features and radio guides are available for free community use (David Ricquish, RHF, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Fiji Democracy & Freedom Movement ("FDFM Radio: Na Domo i Viti- Kacivaka na Dina" ) broadcast on June 4th was using the WHR Cyprus Creek, South Carolina transmitter facility and will be broadcast on Mondays on 11565 at 0830 GMT. Beside being confirmed by WHR as I previously mentioned WRN confirmed the transmitter site this evening. Both Glenn and Don had it correct. The sources on which I originally relied were apparently using old information. The next opportunity to hear the broadcast of FDFM Radio: Na Domo i Viti-Kacivaka na Dina" will be at 0830 GMT on Monday on 11565 kHz (Steve Handler, June 7, NASWA yg via DXLD) Hi, I have had several nice and positive contacts (one of them a written confirmation of my listening) with Tui Savu on the Fiji Freedom and Democracy Movement [sic] Radio during the week. In his latest mail he tells me the following: "BTW, we will not be broadcasting next Monday as it’s a public holiday here and difficult to arrange it, but will the following week." [Later:] Hi Glenn, Latest news from my Fiji friend, Tui: "Bula Bjorn, We will be replaying last week’s broadcast this week and have a new one the following week. Have a great weekend. Tui." 73 from (Björn Fransson, Sweden, June 7, WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) USA, 11565, FDFM R. via WHRI, 0851-0855 talk program segment with M host and phone interview. Soft Island music at 0855. Vocal Island song with voice-over ID by M at 0858:30 with mention of "Na domo i viti...program...Fiji Democracy....Radio Fiji Democracy Freedom Movement...Australia...Fiji Democracy Freedom Movement..." and off. Didn't hear any mention of e-mail or mailing contact addresses. Good and clear of course. Was hoping to get the entire broadcast recorded but set the timer on the NRD one hour later by mistake. (11 June) (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D with T2FD, CumbreDX via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DXLD) SHORTWAVE RADIO CARRIES ANTI-GOVERNMENT MESSAGE TO FIJI http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/stories/201206/3522684.htm?desktop The Fiji Freedom and Democracy Movement in Australia is broadcasting a program to Fiji which aims to provide an alternative to government sponsored media. [ABC] Last Updated: Mon, 11 Jun 2012 17:17:00 +1000 The Australia-based Fiji Freedom and Democracy Movement is now broadcasting its own radio program into Fiji. The Fiji Freedom and Democracy Movement in Australia has leased half an hour a week on the World Radio Network, a shortwave broadcaster, to get its anti- government message across. Tui Savu, from the Australia-based Fiji Freedom and Democracy Movement told Pacific Beat that they have received positive feedback about the new program's impact. "We have had two test broadcasts and we have had our contacts report from all over Fiji. The contacts are coming back that it is being received loud and clear," he said. "Fijians, the way they have been raised, is that whatever comes through the media, they take it as gospel. So we are wanting to show an alternative, the other side." "The reason why we went for the radio is because the internet is only limited. This is a heart and mind campaign, directed at Fijians staying in the villages and rural areas. These are the people whose only source of information is through the radio." At present the program is for just 30 minutes broadcast only in Fijian. But Mr Savo says there are plans to eventually increase the program to one hour and address different groups within Fiji. "Information is power, and that is why the Government has monopolised the media in Fiji, both the print and the spoken media," he said. " They know very well that if people start listening to the truth and to the other versions of what is truly happening in Fiji, then the people will be able to make up their own decisions." (via Mike Cooper, WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DXLD) ** FRANCE [non]. 21690, June 6 at 1231, RFI with world news in French, now reduced to only one hour, and currently via GUIANA FRENCH at 75 degrees to W Africa, good signal tho we are way off-beam. Yet it`s virtually the OSOB, with but a trace of 21780 DW/Rwanda also in French even tho beamed USward at 295 degrees. From Sept 2, this broadcast is scheduled to switch to Issoudun site within France. Mike Cooper reports the controversial merger of RFI with TV services is being reconsidered by the new government (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Thanks to a tip from Simon-Peter Liehr in Germany, who advises that HCJB started testing today on 3995 kHz from their own site at Weenermoor in northern Germany. Simon reports that the Classic Broadcast transmitter at Kall Krekel which has previously relayed HCJB on 3995 kHz is currently off air (today only?). Noted with very strong signal here on 3995 at 2020 UTC tune-in carrying HCJB in German, switching to HCJB in Russian at 2030 UTC. The audio modulation sounds much more punchy and compressed that it did from Kall. 73s (Dave Kenny, England, June 8, BDXC-UK yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DXLD) Hi Glenn, here are some mails by google translations, on first test series of HCJB via new 3995 kHz SW unit at Weenermoor in NW Germany next to Holland border. 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Stephen Schaa" Sent: Friday, June 08, 2012 3:38 PM Subject: [A-DX] Weenermoor tests Hi all! We are here just in Weenermoor on our new transmitter site and will be -- if all goes well --, start at 1400 UT {June 8} with the first test run. Before our 4-hour broadcast block starts, first the stream running from our HCJB Partners SW Radio http://www.sw-radio.com to be heard on test broadcast from Weenermoor. Reception reports are of course welcome as always. :-) 73, Stephan - - - - - Hello Christian, Thanks for the hint. I record the same HCJB announcements anew. Special thanks for letting us send the last few months from Kall! Best regards from Quito, Horst {Rosiak, at HCJB Quito, Ecuador, wb.} ----- Original Message ----- From: owner-liste a t a-dx.at On Behalf Of Christian Milling (Kall technician) Sent: Friday, 8 June 2012 14:46 Subject: Re: [A-DX] Weenermoor tests Kall is Off {on 3995 kHz, wb.} (via Wolfgang Büschel, DXLD) Station announcements are annoying at present, still the Kall tx site {Radio 700} is mentioned, but Horst Rosiak at HCJB Quito will start recording some new station / program announcements soon, regarding new Weenermoor tx site. SW-Radio e.V. Postfach 8025 32736 Detmold Germany Tel: (+49) 05232-803009 Email: 73 wolfy (Wolfgang Büschel, via DXLD) German service at 2115 UT on 3995 kHz, booming signal of 9+10 dB here in Goettingen/Germany. Around 2130 UTC announcement for test transmission coming from Classic Broadcast in Kall. Then into another religious program in German. So, now signal coming from Kall again? Or just using an old recording for testing from Weenermoor? 73 (Harald Kuhl, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) Classic Broadcast schedule no longer lists 3995 so presumably its all from Weenermoor now see http://www.shortwaveservice.com/?page_id=27 73 (Dave Kenny, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) I still have a good readable S6-signal from HCJB Weenermoor on 3995 kHz now at 0810 UT. German program. Distance between tx site and rx in Goettingen is around 250 km. 73 (Harald Kuhl, June 9, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) 3995 kHz, Permanente Austrahlung von HCJB aus Weenermoor, n i c h t mehr ueber Radio 700 aus Kall Eifel, von dort nur nach Bedarf mit mit finanzieller Uebernahme der Strom- und Senderroehrenkosten dort. Hallo Wolfgang! Seit Freitag {June 8th, 1400 UT} laeuft der Sender in Weenermoor nonstop, nur hin und wieder kurz unterbrochen von ein paar Tests und Aenderungen an der Konfiguration. :-) Die (Audio-) Aussteuerung ist zzt noch Baustelle das wird sicherlich noch ein Weilchen dauern, bis ich da ein halbwegs brauchbares Audiosignal rausbekommen. Die Sendeleistung ist leider aktuell noch etwas mickrig, 1500 Watt PEP Gesamtleistung, 320 Watt Traeger plus Seitenbaender. Wenn alles gut laeuft, moechte ich die Sendeleistung in moeglichst abesehbarer Zeit auf mindestens 6 kW PEP aufstocken, wird aber sicherlich noch etwas dauern. Dazu waere noch eine Tagesfrequenz im 49 od 41m Band schoen, mal sehn, ob wir das noch hinbekommen. Mit Kall sind wir aber auch weiterhin gut verbunden: wenn es noetig ist, koennen wir dahin ausweichen (Stephan Schaa, HCJB Germany, June 10, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews June 13 via DXLD) IN A CONTRARIAN MOVE, HCJB IS TRANSMITTING VIA SHORTWAVE FROM GERMANY TO EUROPE. Posted: 13 Jun 2012 @hcjbgermany, 8 June 2012: "In this very moment, the first transmission of our German transmitter in WNM, Ostfriesland, Germany is on air at 3995kHz on 1KW! RR are welcome!" -- "RR" are reception reports. HCJB has been testing from this site since August 2011. See discussion in DX Listening Digest, 24 Aug 2011. @hcjbgermany, 11 Oct 2011: "This historical transmitter from 1973,built in GDR, will be the first transmitter for the site in Weenermoor, Germany." With photo. @hcjbgermany, 11 Oct 2011: "It will replace the damaged one until the Collins 3 KW-transmitter is repaired." Transmission schedule is here (pdf). http://www.andenstimme.org/uploads/media/Schedule_Program.pdf (kimandrewelliott.com via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DXLD) -- Establishing a shortwave transmitter in Europe would seem a contrarian move, and could be contrasted with Vatican Radio's decision to stop shortwave and medium wave broadcasts to the Americas and Europe on 1 July. On the other hand, this frequency should, in theory, provide a useable intra-European signal. It might be more convenient, and it would use less bandwidth, for HCJB listeners to tune via shortwave than via the (also available from HCJB) internet. I wonder if the site will be used for DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) shortwave, as HCJB has been an active DRM experimenter (Kim Andrew Elliott, ibid.) see also ECUADOR [non]! ** GERMANY. New EMR Schedule on 49, 41 & 31 Metres --- Dear Listeners, From this Sunday the 17th of June 2012, EMR will Transmit the following Schedule: 0700 to 0800 UT on 7265 via MV Baltic Radio, and with a repeat programme between 0800 to 0900 on 9480 via MV Baltic Radio and 6005 KHz via Radio 700. This extra relay channel on 7265 will give EMR a much better coverage over Europe. Good Listening! 73s (Tom Taylor, June 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) = European Music Radio, or do they just say ``EMR`` all the time like Tom does? Like IBM and countless brands (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** GERMANY [and non]. [SW BCB TX Site Archive] Re: Kvitsøy SW RIP > What about the Pori-Preiviiki shortwave equipment? http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89metteur_d%27Issoudun claims, without quoting a source, that the three 500 kW transmitters have in 2009/10 been moved to Issoudun. If so, they must have replaced some of the 1973/74 vintage gear at the Centre E complex, a replacement of the newer transmitters of the ALLISS units can certainly be ruled out. This Wikipedia page further claims that TDF decided to concentrate its shortwave business at the Nauen, Montsinéry and Issoudun sites, which would imply that Wertachtal is slated for closure (Kai Ludwig, June 12, shortwavesites yg via DXLD) Hello Kai, It is not true that the Wertachtal site is slated for closure. As a matter of fact, when I was there a month ago, I was told that Wertachtal will become the heart of the TDF-Media Broadcast network. At the moment they are installing a complete new network and applications that will enable them to control the Nauen, Issoudun, Montsinéry and Wertachtal sites from the control room in Wertachtal. They are even hiring new personnel, but because knowledge of shortwave sites and engineers with that knowledge are hard to find, that is a problem. A few months ago they hired a new engineer from Hungary. At the moment only 3 transmitters are still controlled by the old computersystem and software. Among these 3 is the old AEG transmitter SV2500 which were the first transmitters in 1972 to be used. These transmitters will be ruled out in the near future, I expect. The rest are already controlled by a complete new system that they built themselves using software modules that are obtainable from the Software market. If you like, I can supply you with photos of the new system. Regards (Jan Oosterveen, Netherlands, ibid.) ** GERMANY [non]. 9800, June 7 at 0523, BaBcoCk lullaby music loop over and over until 0529:30 switch to closing of DW English broadcast we could have been hearing via RWANDA on new 11800, and then 0530 opening Portuguese. The 0500-0600 English via Rwanda on 9800 terminated on 31 May, and was replaced by Portuguese at 0530-0600 via SOUTH AFRICA, says HFCC, but they turned the transmitter on way early. Also heard the music loop on 9555, Vietnam via Sackville until 0529* with RCI IDs. Hard to tell if it was // 9800, since it`s so lo-key and repetitive, but unlikely to have been synchronized (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Julio says about these DW verifications that “All these QSL cards correctly verified a series of 10 Mp3 audio reception reports sent to the station in a CD, along with a letter by certificated postal mail in attention to Mrs. Andrea Schulz of the Customer Service. All the QSL cards arrived in 56 days and some of them are signed by Mr. Horst Scholz, who retired more than a year ago as reported by Mrs. Schulz. This was a hit, getting some vintage and contemporary QSL cards including some commemorative to very special events in Germany, just before the definitive close down of some of these transmitter sites or stop broadcasting of D-W from some of them; furthermore this was also a hit getting F/D QSLs from sites and countries like Sines, Portugal; Meyerton, South Africa; Trincomalee, Sri Lanka and Cypress Creek, USA” NETHERLANDS ANTILLES: Deutsche Welle 5905 kHz via Bonaire, F/D QSL card displaying the “Stuttgart Staatstheater”. (Cordón, GUATAMALA) PORTUGAL: Deutsche Welle 12070 kHz via Sines, F/D QSL card commemorative to the “Start des Belarus-Programms: 1.August 2006”. (Cordón, GUATAMALA) RUSSIA: Deutsche Welle 15595 kHz via Krasnodar, Tbilisskaya, F/D QSL card displaying the “Schweriner Dom”. (Cordón, GUATAMALA) RWANDA: Deutsche Welle 12050 kHz via Kigali, F/D QSL card featuring the “Brandenburger Tor”. (Cordón, GUATAMALA) SOUTH AFRICA: Deutsche Welle 11875 kHz via Meyerton, F/D QSL card showing the “Potsdamer Platz” in Berlin at night. (Cordón, GUATAMALA) SRI LANKA: Deutsche Welle 13780 kHz via Trincomalee, F/ D QSL card commemorative to the “20 Years Fall of the Wall” and the computer- animated documentary by DW-TV “Walled in”. (Cordón, GUATAMALA) UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Deutsche Welle 12070 kHz via Dhabayya, F/D QSL card commemorative to the “Ukrainisches Programm auf Sendung 27 März 2000”. (Cordón, GUATAMALA) UNITED KINGDOM: Deutsche Welle 9845 kHz via Rampisham, F/D QSL card displaying the Sines, Portugal relay station. (Cordón, GUATAMALA) Deutsche Welle 9480 kHz via Woofferton, F/D QSL card dedicated to the Digital Radio Mondiale. (Cordón, GUATAMALA) UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Deutsche Welle 7400 kHz via Cypress Creek, F/D QSL card displaying the “20 Years of German Unity Tree”. (Cordón, GUATAMALA, June CIDX Messenger via DXLD) I suspect these were really from Julio Pineda in Guatemala (gh, DXLD) ** GREECE. RADIO HARGEISA SOMALILAND RADIO HARDWARE SUPPORTER HAS COURT DATE TODAY JUNE 7. DJ6SI Baldur Drobnica - a dazzling personality - court date today on Kos, Greece. {Google automatic translation.} Great anger was the arrest of radio amateur Baldur Drobnica (DJ6SI) in Greece and the charges against him in the world of amateur radio triggered. Today (June 7) is now to a date before a Greek Judge to take place. The judge will listen to Baldur and, if necessary decide on further action. Baldur was in Greece for the prosecution (Mis) interpretation of a Greek law from 1929 arrested ("Illegal operation of a telegraph"). The Hearing before the court was scheduled for today. It is this assumed that there is a renewed habeas corpus concerns. Whether Baldur is currently in custody is not known. The whole story is a total tragic than represented. Summarized from various publications was that because making A 75-year-old German radio amateur (DJ6SI) together with its also older woman stay in a hotel on the island of Kos island. Of his hotel room he operates an amateur radio station to applicable law (a "CEPT" ITU European radio operator standard amongst European states). But because the 30-meter Antenna wire and the unusual noises (RTTY and CW) and Other notice, there is a police investigation and a nighttime arrest (01.00 local time clock!) in hotel and Confiscation of equipment. During the arrest of the device German amateur radio in a panic. The matter came before the prosecutor used an old section from the year 1929, the telegraph service only in state agencies Greece allowed. It comes at a time before a Greek Court. The attorney accused of amateur radio reaches a Shift of the court hearing on the 7th June, after the court an official translation of the German certificate of license Defendants demanded. Meanwhile, the attorney for the German radio amateur by the Chairman the Association of Radio Amateurs of Greece and contacted advise on the current legislation for radio amateurs. Meanwhile, make wild reports of an arrest and a "Espionage" against the world by prestigious German DXers amateur radio specific blogs around. It is noted that Baldur connected with the big guns {constitutional protection, German domestic intelligence service officer} was one of the Survivors of the tragedy Spratly Island amateur radio pedition from the 80s, when 2 German radio pedition operators came to death. Nears, the Greek amateur radio association a Declaration, the ignorance of the Greek officers of the Amateur radio and accused its legal foundations. "It is their Duty to all competent authorities of the Amateur Service to inform "it says." Finally, the action may as a be seen against tourism, which is likely the wave of Tourists who come to our country to degrade." A few years ago there was already a similar case, again in Kos island Greece. At that time, an English amateur radio has been arrested, he later published a comment in the RADCOM, the journal the RSGB, where he more or less the British Amateur Radio asked for their amateur radio activities not to travel again to Greece, (from German A-DX ng by Tom, via wb df5sx wwdxc BC-DX TopNews June 7) in English in Greek Baldur has also connection with Radio Hargeisa in Somaliland and helped to bring radio tx gear into this separated area. Recent cluster spottings prior to Baldur's arrest. (June 7) (all via Wolfgang Büschel, DXLD) ** GREECE. Good morning: No signal 1900-0100 on June 8-9 and June 9-10 from ERA5 Avlis 3 transmitter on 9420 kHz. Either down or Greece is saving electricity. We'll see what happens later today. Regards, (John Babbis, Maryland, 1410 UT June 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi John, heard normally here in Finland at 1420, under the co-channel Chinese station (Mauno Ritola, ibid.) Now at 1445 UT June 10, all three Avlis broadcasts on air, in Italy and western Europe on S=9+20dB, on 9420 + 15650 kHz, and also Thessaloniki festival pop mx 9935 kHz too. 73 wolfy df5sx ps. congrats to the Greek football team on - EURO_2012 - great (Wolfgang Büschel, ibid.) Hello again: None of the 3 transmitters heard here at this time; will probably open up here later in the day (John Babbis, 1459 UT, ibid.) The schedule of Athens studios on SW is not so simple: there are programs of Voice of Greece but much of time are relays from their 1st, 2nd, kozo and ERA Sport programs. For example: on May 23 Wed at 1900-2000 UT 6210, 9420 & 15630 were \\ MW 666 but on June 2 Sat 1900- 2000 UT was own program of V of Greece and from 2000 UT \\ 2nd program which is only on FM(?). (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, June 5, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Jun 13 via DXLD) ** GUAM. 15240, June 6 at 1312, fair signal with S Asian ballad much preferable to the blather from Cuba 15230; 1315 ``Namaskar``, mentions Agana (not Agaña), Guam and KTWR IS twice; opens another program with ``Salaam Aleikum``. Thus the first is Hindi-influenced, and the second is Arabic-influenced, which fits for the listed transition from Santhali to Bengali (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUAM. 13362-USB, AFN, 1312 and 1334, June 8. A rare day that they did not switch frequency over to 5765-USB; fair with the usual TV audio feed (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUYANA. 3290, Guyana, GBC, 0030 to 0200 eclectic program of news, religion and music. 8 June (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, South Florida, NRD 535D -746Pro - R8 - Sony 2010XA, and XM - Cedar Key - South Florida, NRD 525D - R8A -E-5, Cumbre DX via DXLD) 0800 chorale music, 8 June (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, South Florida, NRD 535D -746Pro - R8 - Sony 2010XA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** INDIA. 4970, AIR Shillong, 1245-1305, June 10. For over three years now this Sunday time slot has always been a show of C&W songs with DJ in English. Today continues with the C&W music show with several segments with program schedules and promos; weak, but still with nice clear audio and no hint of their former hum (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. AIR Web site refurbished --- Dear friends, The refurbished web site of AIR can be seen at http://allindiaradio.gov.in/ Of special interest are the following in it: List of 277 AIR stations as on 18 Apr 12 http://akashvanisamvaad.blogspot.in http://www.facebook.com/Aakashvani2012 Yours sincerely, (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, National Institute of Amateur Radio, Hyderabad, India, June 12, Mobile: +91 94416 96043, http://www.qsl.net/vu2jos dx_india yg via DXLD) DX India database has been updated & information is now available for 553 AIR stations! Please see the updated lists of AIR stations here : http://qsl.net/vu2jos/air/loc.htm http://qsl.net/vu2jos/air/state.htm Thanks to Jose Jacob, VU2JOS for painstakingly maintaining the database (Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, ibid.) ** INDIA. DRM LAUNCHES DEDICATED INFORMATION FOR INDIA The Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) Consortium is pleased to announce the launch later this week of their new online information web page targeted at India. This is the first initiative of the new DRM chapter/group for India which was established a year ago in New Delhi. The new “Noticeboard” is for the benefit of all stakeholders and members of the public who are interested in making DRM a reality in India. Led by former AIR senior executive, Mr Yogendra Pal, the India chapter brings together AIR, some commercial broadcasters, chipset and receiver manufacturers, OEMs and other expertise from India and abroad. Mr Pal described the new initiative as “coming at an opportune time as India is preparing for the introduction of DRM”. Ruxandra Obreja, DRM Chairperson, welcomed the launch of the new “Noticeboard” which can also be found on the DRM website: “We want all those interested to have an open space to share information, ask questions and get real news about DRM developments and receivers primarily in India”. (Press Release via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, June 12, dx_india yg via DXLD) Viz.: India Update from Mr Yogendra Pal Prasar Bharati, the only public service broadcaster in India, broadcasts radio services through All India Radio (AIR) and television services through Doordarshan India (DDI). The Indian Government has already taken the vital decision to complete the digitisation of the terrestrial Radio and Television broadcasting network of AIR and DDI by 2017. AIR's one hundred and forty-nine medium wave (MW) transmitters, of different powers, provide Radio signals to over 98% of the population of India and to most of the neighbouring countries, whereas forty- eight short wave (SW) transmitters of AIR enable the radio listeners, in most parts of the world, to enjoy AIR's programmes in a number of Indian and foreign languages. AIR has adopted DRM and launched the DRM service, from one of the 250 kW SW transmitters, on the 16th January 2009. The service is in pure digital mode. Initially about four hours of programmes for the UK and Western Europe and three hours for the areas around Delhi were being broadcast daily. However, from 30th Oct 2011, AIR extended the DRM transmissions to about 15 hours per day. This service is now available in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Russia, NE Asia, Mauritius and East Africa. In the first phase, another nine SW and seventy-two MW transmitters are in the process of either being replaced or converted to DRM by AIR. Out of these, eight medium wave DRM transmitters, including two of 1000 kW power each, have already been received by AIR and are in the process of being installed. An order for one short wave transmitter has also been placed. It is understood that the orders for the procurement and/or conversion of rest of the transmitters are at the advanced final stage. AIR proposes to digitise the remaining MW and SW transmitters in the second phase, achieving total digitisation by 2017, the cut off date fixed by the Indian Government. AIR have decided that before the switch over in 2017, MW transmitters are to be operated in simulcast mode and the SW transmitters only in pure digital. On MW transmitters the existing programmes would continue to be available in analogue mode but special entertainment programmes, which are now available in a very limited area, will be provided in digital mode. Value added services are also being planned. Source : DRM India Chapter Noticeboard, 13th June 2012, Issue 01 (via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, June 13, dx_india yg via DXLD) ** INDIA [non]. UZBEKISTAN, A-12 for CVC The Voice Asia via TAC=Tashkent: Hindi to India 0000-0400 on 6260 TAC 100 kW / 153 deg 0400-1100 on 13630 TAC 100 kW / 153 deg 1100-1400 on 9660 TAC 100 kW / 153 deg 1400-2000 on 6260 TAC 100 kW / 153 deg Hindi to South Asia 0100-0400 on 9975 TAC 100 kW / 186 deg (DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, 11 June via DXLD) UZBEKISTAN, TWR India via Tashkent change 11725 ex 11930 kHz to zone 41 TAC 100kW 131degr UZB TWR RAM 11725 1315-1615 TRANS WORLD RADIO India Broadcast Schedule for A-12 START STOP CIRAF AZI SLEW ANT DAYS LANGUAGE 1315-1330 25 131 10 2/4/0.5 .23456. DOGRI 1315-1430 25 131 10 2/4/0.5 1.....7 HINDI 1330-1400 25 131 10 2/4/0.5 .23456. HINDI 1400-1415 25 131 10 2/4/0.5 .2.456. HINDI 1400-1415 25 131 10 2/4/0.5 ..3.... AWADHI 1415-1430 25 131 10 2/4/0.5 .23456. GARHWALI 1430-1445 25 131 10 2/4/0.5 1234567 HINDI 1445-1515 25 131 10 2/4/0.5 1...... PUNJABI 1445-1515 25 131 10 2/4/0.5 .234567 HINDI 1515-1545 25 131 10 2/4/0.5 1.....7 PUNJABI 1515-1615 25 131 10 2/4/0.5 .23456. PUNJABI (Edwin Southwell-UK, in BDXC-UK 'Communication' Magazine June 5 via BC-DX June 13 via DXLD)) ** INDONESIA. 7289.96v, RRI Nabire (presumed), 0747-0817, June 12. In Bahasa Indonesia with program EZL songs; tentative ID; started out poor, but improved till almost fair at 0817 tune out; rechecked at 0825, but was already gone (Ron Howard, San Francisco at Ocean Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Sunset there is about 0857 UT and this is a ``daytime`` frequency only (gh, DXLD) ** INDONESIA. 9526.0, Voice of Indonesia, 1302, June 9. English segment; “Voice of Indonesia with the news”. June 10 at 1315 “Today in History”; back on the air again after being off briefly; poor both days (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9525.97, Voice of Indonesia, June 12 (Tuesday) with special edition of the Tuesday only “Exotic Indonesia”; not the usual co-production between Jakarta and RRI Banjarmasin. 0949: In English with welcoming introduction to VOI; EZL songs till 1000 ID. 1002-1100: “Exotic Indonesia, a weekly network program jointly broadcast by Voice of Indonesia and 100.9 Paradise FM and RRI Denpasar”; mostly chatting via phone between Jakarta and Bali about the Bali Arts Festival that is being held now. Very enjoyable! Website: http://www.baliartsfestival.com/ Edited MP3 audio file posted at https://www.box.com/s/7aef9843b19f6563a042 (Ron Howard, San Francisco at Ocean Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9525.98, V. of Indonesia. Barely audible 1044 phone interview of M by studio W all the way to 1100. Heard bits of English. News after 1100. Only 2nd time heard in the last 2 weeks and not before 1000 (12 June) (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D with T2FD, CumbreDX via DXLD) ** IRAN. Re: More accurate mediumwave transmitter sites On the linked Iranian website that was posted by Alan Davies, several transmitter sites are listed which are otherwise unmentioned, such as: Jahad Exhibition 1548 kHz, 1 kW NMG (unknown site) 1188 kHz, 10 kW Eshtehard 1170 kHz, 400 kW and 1548, 50 kW Sepiddasht 765 kHz, 50/200 kW Kordestan (unknown site) 1206 kHz, 50 kW (unknown, possibly jamming ARMENIA) 1350 kHz, 100 kW http://nmg-co.ir/en/news-details/32/Transmitting-stations-in-the-country/ I have located the Eshtehard transmitter site, consisting of 2 mediumwave masts. 50 35'36 E 35 43'46 N (larger mast, perhaps used for 1170 kHz) http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=35.729672,50.593417&spn=0.03805,0.06727&t=k&hl=en 50 35'36 E 35 43'54 (smaller mast, perhaps used for 1548 kHz) http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=35.731864,50.593406&spn=0.03805,0.06727&t=k&hl=en The large rmast is presumably used for 1170 kHz with and the smaller mast is for 1548 kHz; possibly this site is used for jamming (both frequencies are used by Radio Sawa). Several high power transmitters are nearby in Tehran, it's unclear for which purpose this site is used. 73, (Björn Tryba (editor, www.fmlist.org - www.mwlist.org), mwmasts yg via DXLD) Iran jamming Arabic Sawa?? (gh, DXLD) Re Björn's latest post. 1) It appears that Radio Iran etc may be expanding MW coverage to include previously unserved ones. No MW is noted in WRTH for Alborz province. 2) Are these masts actually being used for broadcasts. Alan Davies has followed WRTH or the other way round! The discrepancies revealed by "nmg" will need to be clarified. Possibly the Alan Davies/WRTH list is not up to date? Any thoughts? (Dan Goldfarb, mwmasts yg via DXLD) Yes, it is an interesting list clearly with some new information, but also including some entries that are definitely not on the air at the moment or have changed frequency. > Jahad Exhibition 1548 kHz, 1 kW Maybe a temporary station. > NMG (unknown site) 1188 kHz, 10 kW A pity that the list doesn't include networks :-) At least this can't be the extremely strong Payam transmitter. > Eshtehard 1170 kHz, 400 kW and 1548 kHz, 50 kW > Sepiddasht 765 kHz, 50/200 kW > Kordestan (unknown site) 1206 kHz, 50 kW Maybe there during the times of the Iraqi Kurdistan station and gone now? > (unknown site, possibly jamming ARM) 1350 kHz, 100 kW Nothing to jam on 1350 kHz at least now. > nmg-co.ir/en/news-details/32/Transmitting-stations-in-the-country/ > The large rmast is presumably used for 1170 kHz with and the smaller mast is for 1548 kHz, possibly this site is used for jamming (both frequencies are used by Radio Sawa). 1170 kHz one(s) may be there when it used to carry Farda. R. Sawa as being in Arabic isn't a target for jamming from Iran as such, but of course too much of a coincidence that each fq seems to have strong co- channel Iranian transmitters these days. 73, (Mauno Ritola, ibid.) QUESTION on this site: both locations 58 km away .. IRN (Sepidasht?) Khorramabad 810 / 1053 kHz 100 kW 33 27'00.45"N 48 19'15.03"E or IRN ? Sepi Dasht 765kHz 200 / 50 kW 33 13'06.44"N 48 52'58.35"E MW mast - or Telecomm - mast in background ? but it would be nonsense to put a MW tx in the river valley ?! http://www.panoramio.com/photo/55519089 http://www.panoramio.com/photo_explorer#view=photo&position=15&with_photo_id=55519089&order=date_desc&user=5459798 IRN Iranshar 531 / 783 kHz 200 / 100 kW {600 / 150} 27 14 06.26 N 60 28 58.30 E AEG Telefunken Berlin made Sirjan site, addit SW site images and MW 549 kHz 400 / 100 kW too please discuss IRN Qeshm / Gheshm island 1017 / 693 kHz 300 / 100 kW, probably 26 40 47.86 N 55 53 33.31 E please look out for IRN Bojnourd 873 100 1134 10 location 37 28'39.72"N 57 19'23.85"E > IRN Qeshm / Gheshm island 1017 / 693 kHz 300 / 100 kW, probably > 26 40 47.86 N 55 53 33.31 E see two masts on island capital http://www.panoramio.com/photo/68805032 http://www.panoramio.com/photo_explorer#view=photo&position=35&with_photo_id=68805032&order=date_desc&user=740056 http://www.panoramio.com/photo/50129077 http://www.panoramio.com/photo_explorer#view=photo&position=602&with_photo_id=50129077&order=date_desc&user=4525765 73 wb (Wolfgang df5sx wwdxc BC-DX TopNews, mwmasts yg via DXLD) Wolfgang and others, With these towers positioned so close to the Straits of Hormuz, is it possible that they may be used instead for shipping control? Only a thought after looking at the surrounding area. On the other hand I am confident that the Bojnurd 873 and 1134 are at the site referred to. On such a large project, mistakes can occur and I am now entering the missing 2 Iranian stations on 873 onto the Active database! (Dan Goldfarb, ibid.) etc., etc. ** IRELAND. 27600, // 27650, 27790, 27880, 27910, 27950, Church broadcasts, Dublin area (Tim Bucknall, bandscan from Llaniestyn, NW Wales, 14-19 May, four miles inland from Abersoch and seven from Pwlhelli. The Liangwta guest house sits on high ground with an excellent take off in all direxions, June BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) This was a mostly FM-bandscan. Frequencies were expressed in MHz without the final zeroes, so may not be this precise. // is supposed to mean with exactly the same programming; really in this case? No times given. Was this Sunday morning only, or when? No, those dates were everything but Sunday. Irelands have a quasi-legal allowance, or tolerance, for CB equipment to be used for church services to shut- ins. See also ITALY (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY. 40700 kHz, Radio Maria, sporadic E May 15 (Tim Bucknall, bandscan from Llaniestyn, NW Wales, 14-19 May, four miles inland from Abersoch and seven from Pwlhelli. The Liangwta guest house sits on high ground with an excellent take off in all direxions, June BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) No time given. This was mostly FM-bandscan of groundwave. Frequencies were expressed in MHz without the final naughts, so may not be this precise. The questions are, what was R. Maria doing on such a frequency, and which R. Maria was it? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAPAN [non]. 6110, NHK English via CANADA is still absent June 6 at 0514 check, but still going for the only remaining broadcast to North America, 1210 on 6120 with fair and fading signal during news. 11970, June 7 at 0500, NHK World Radio Japan opening in English via FRANCE is fortunately sufficient, as still missing from 6110 via Canada as it has been for the past week. Can`t hear it on scheduled 5975 via UK either; is that still on? 6110, June 8 at 0504, still missing for the 0500 NHK World R. Japan relay in English via Canada; and still audible only on 11970 via FRANCE (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) As Glenn noted a couple of days ago, NHK Radio Japan has been missing on 6110 at 0500 via Sackville. Nothing on that frequency for me checking the past couple of nights, and not hearing anything more than an unidentified faint flutter on 5975 (should be Woofferton relay) at the same hour. However 11970 via Issoudun quite good into Houston. The NHK website still lists both 6110 and 5975 on the schedule. What's going on? Haven't checked 6120 via Sackville at 1200 as 3000 km of daylight path this time of year on 49 meters is not favorable to decent reception. Is that still on? Bonaire relays of NHK still there at various checks. Anyone noticing any other missing NHK transmissions? (Steve Luce, Houston, Texas, 0533 UT June 9, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Here it should be checked if the other way round the Yamata transmissions of RCI are still on air, since a possible explanation would be an early end of the airtime exchange as of June 1 (which of course would not affect leased airtime at RNW, Babcock and Media Broadcast at all). (Kai Ludwig, ibid.) I, too, heard NHK in Japanese on 5960 during several checks between 0255 and 0500 on June 10. Still appears to be Sackville, judging from the audio processing. But NHK English on 6110 at 0500 is still missing, and I'm not hearing anything on 5975 at the same hour. But decent reception on 11970. I think this has gone on long enough that it is not a technical error, and the frequency has been cancelled, although it is odd that the 1200 broadcast is still there. There is plenty of spare capacity at Sackville at 0500 in the event of transmitter failure, and even if there wasn't, I imagine NHK could easily book an alternate site (Bonaire, Montsinery.) Would appreciate any European listeners checking 5975 at 0500 to see if NHK is indeed still there (Steve Luce, Houston, Texas, UT June 10, ibid.) Hi Steve, I was listening to NHK on 5975 from about 0510 UT this morning, not too strong a signal, but easily readable; their segment on Ramen noodles made me hungry so I've just had some for breakfast :-) 73s (Tony Molloy, nr Winter Hill, UK June 10, SD639114, 53.6 N 2.55 W, IO83ro, ibid.) SDR-Radio & Pebble CCW SDR-4+ http://www.crosscountrywireless.net/sdr-4.htm Slinky dipole running N/S Twitter @swlistener swlistener.wordpress.com NHK just signed on 5975 kHz at 0500 UT and is loud and clear here in NW UK, S9+45-50dB on a clear channel. 73 (Tony Malloy, June 11, ibid.) Thanks for your reports. NHK on 6110 still missing as of a check at 0510 June 12 (Steve Luce, Houston, Texas, ibid.) Ah, I've overseen a change here: This is no longer a reciprocal exchange, at such a ratio of six vs. just two transmitter hours. Same circumstance as noted already earlier for CRI. In practice the question is now what will happen in two weeks, or have there already been follow-ups to the hints from third parties that Sackville could remain in operation until Oct 28, beyond the imminent closure of RCI as a radio station? (Kai Ludwig, ibid.) 6110, NHK World Radio Japan, English relay via CANADA at 0500-0530 is still absent for a sesquiweek as of June 10. All the others scheduled are still heard, reconfirmed: 0200-0500 5960 Japanese (still on at 0323 June 10) 1200-1230 6120 English (still on, poorly audible June 10) 1300-1500 11655 Japanese (confirmed June 10 at 1357) The only RCI relay via Yamata still left on the schedule is: 1500-1559 6110, 11730 Chinese I could not expect to hear 6110 at this late hour, but Chinese language confirmed at 1500 June 10, presumably this still running (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also CANADA NHK English is back via Sackville! The NHK Radio Japan English broadcast via Sackville at 0500 on 6110 is back on as of June 14. Had been missing for two weeks. Wasn't on yesterday when checked. Usual solid signal into Houston. Have to wonder if the outage was an automation error that was finally discovered? (Steve Luce, Houston, Texas, June 14, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH. Voice of Korea operates 3250 and 3560 kHz again from Jun. 6. I was able to receive DRM on 3560 at 1400 in Korean, 1500 in Arabic. de Hiroshi Probably this transmitter will be a new transmitter of China. DRM continues now at 2000 UT on 3560 kHz. Screenshot: http://userimg.teacup.com/userimg/6127.teacup.com/tanukioh/img/bbs/0042554.jpg (S. Hasegawa, Japan, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 3560 is/was considered a feeder frequency, studio to transmitter site inside NK, so DRM has replaced AM or SSB for this, and no doubt is a huge improvement if they really can`t depend on other routings (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DXLD) Or not: Hello. I also heard VOK DRM. http://youtu.be/4jI9Z0AZyR8 Terrible band width!! It's a nightmare (dfs_shimane, Japan, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DXLD) A meaning of "CUC ECDAV" of the label became clear. CUC-Communication University of China http://www.cuc.edu.cn/ in Chinese ECDAV-Engineering Center of Digital Audio & Video http://ecdav.cuc.edu.cn/wiki/index.php/%E9%A6%96%E9%A1%B5 in Chinese de Hiroshi (S. Hasegawa, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DXLD) What about 4405, has it been restored on June 6 as well or was it perhaps the other way round on all the time (or is it, again the other way round, already gone for some time)? This would be of interest because both 3560 and 4405 have earlier been determined to be feeders, meant as back-up for Kujang which indeed had been caught putting 3560/4405 reception on air. Now they have of course for one program channel the Thaicom signal as possible substitute for disrupted lines. Other Pyongyang area signals have already been observed as obviously being run with new transmitters now, so these DRM experiments fit in perfectly. But remarkable is the circumstance that they are done by a Chinese university, with which the equipment manufacturer BBEF presumably cooperates in this field. Has DRM gear only been handed out to Korean engineers or have indeed Chinese engineers entered the transmitter site now? (Kai Ludwig, Germany, ibid.) It is only 3250 kHz-AM and 3560 kHz-DRM to have been activated again on Jun. 6, 4405 kHz as off the air continuous (S. Hasegawa, ibid.) http://drmnainfo.blogspot.com/2012/06/we-welcome-dprks-vok-to-drm-community.html "As you will hear, the high production values, overly aggressive compression and sibilant laden distortion present in VOK analogue broadcasts translate well to the digital medium of DRM." ROFL! (Benn Kobb, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) And also linx to: NORTH KOREA APPEARS TO BE TESTING DIGITAL RADIO BROADCASTING. Hiroshi Inoue, a radio monitor in Japan, received on Wednesday the country’s international radio service, Voice of Korea, broadcasting on shortwave using DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale). DRM is a digital broadcasting technology developed for use on AM and shortwave services. He posted a couple of clips of the on YouTube. While reception isn’t perfect, the audio identification of Voice of Korea can clearly be heard. . . . http://www.northkoreatech.org/2012/06/08/north-korea-apparently-testing-digital-radio/ (via DXLD) The audio samples show the tendency of DRM signals to drop out, even under not-especially-difficult reception conditions (Kim Andrew Elliott, kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) 2850, DPR KOREA, Pyongyang, 1154 good signal with music. 3220, DPR KOREA, 1204-1205, poor signal with man in Korean. 3250, DPR KOREA, 1206 fair with song of General Kim Jong-Il followed by Japanese program. Best regards, (Dennis Vroom, Kalama, WA, NRD JRC 545, SW ewe & High Performance Active whip, IRCA via DXLD) Mostly-MW club IRCA does officially cover tropical SW bands too (gh) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. 6135, Shiokaze/Sea Breeze via Yamata, *1330, June 8 (Friday). Scheduled: *1330-1430*; continuing with English on Friday; fair with jamming. Both Shiokaze and the strong pulsating jamming which some days starts as early as 1300, are causing significant QRM for Laos on 6130 during their foreign language segments (English from 1400 to 1430). Of course is also covering Radio Madagasikara, which I tentatively believe is now on 6135.0 (ex: 6135.2v), but needs to be confirmed after Shiokaze moves away (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5910, 28.5 2010, JSR Shiokaze (Sea Breeze Radio) Ibaragi-Koga-Yamata, japanese YL talk 2-3. Quite interesting infos here: http://www.chosa-kai.jp/SWR.html (Giampaolo Galassi, Savignano, Italy, SW Bulletin June 10 via DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH [non]. KBS World Radio in wrong language: see CANADA 9650, June 9 at 1201 I tune across the KBS World Radio relay in English via Sackville --- except it`s in Spanish again! However, within the minute it switched to English as if nothing had happened; so presumably not in Spanish for the entire hour this time, altho did not check again later. But accompanied by those clicky annoying audio artifacts. 9650, Sunday June 10 at 1215, KBS World Radio via CANADA will be in what language today? Playing songs, presumably in Korean, two segués, finally English announcement at 1223 talking about Japan --- but it`s not // NHK 9695, as KBS music show is about the popularity of Korean performers in Japan. With audio artifacts going right along with the music beats which provoke them (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KUWAIT. 12015, Deewa R. via Kuwait, *0100 ID by W in Pashtu, then news headlines with many mentions of Pakistan. ID 0105 and another clear ID at 0115 by M and W with mention of VOA and Deewa R., and e- mail address // 11540 and 9380, but this frequency by far the best. (11 June) (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D with T2FD, CumbreDX via DXLD) ** KUWAIT. USA (non). Updated summer A-12 of IBB via Kuwait: 1730-2130 on 5830 KWT 250 kW / 058 deg to WeAs FAR Farsi 2130-2400 on 5830 KWT 250 kW / 070 deg to WeAs FAR Farsi 0200-0430 on 5860 KWT 250 kW / 058 deg to WeAs FAR Farsi 0430-0830 on 7220 KWT 250 kW / 058 deg to WeAs FAR Farsi 0000-0100 on 7250 KWT 250 kW / 080 deg to CeAs VOA Tibetan 0400-0500 on 7280 KWT 250 kW / 080 deg to WeAs FAR Farsi 0030-0100 on 7430 KWT 250 kW / 070 deg to SEAs VOA English 0100-0200 on 7430 KWT 250 kW / 070 deg to SoAs VOA English 1000-1400 on 7435 KWT 250 kW / 058 deg to WeAs FAR Farsi 1900-2100 on 7475 KWT 250 kW / 350 deg to EaEu RFE Belorussian 2200-2300 on 7480 KWT 250 kW / 058 deg to SoAs VOA English Sun-Thu 2300-2400 on 7505 KWT 250 kW / 070 deg to CeAs RFA Tibetan 0000-0030 on 7555 KWT 250 kW / 070 deg to WeAs VOA English 0030-0100 on 7555 KWT 250 kW / 070 deg to WeAs ASH Pashto 1600-1700 on 7555 KWT 250 kW / 054 deg to CeAs RFE Uzbek 1830-2030 on 7555 KWT 250 kW / 070 deg to WeAs ASH Pashto/Dari 2030-2130 on 7555 KWT 250 kW / 070 deg to WeAs VOA English 1430-1630 on 9335 KWT 250 kW / 070 deg to WeAs ASH Pashto/Dari 1630-1830 on 9335 KWT 250 kW / 070 deg to WeAs ASH Pashto/Dari 0100-0400 on 9380 KWT 250 kW / 080 deg to WeAs DEE Pashto 0100-0300 on 9680 KWT 250 kW / 078 deg to CeAs RFA Tibetan 2200-2315 on 9815 KWT 250 kW / 080 deg to CeAs RFA Tibetan 2315-2400 on 9900 KWT 250 kW / 080 deg to CeAs RFA Tibetan 0300-0400 on 11540 KWT 250 kW / 078 deg to WeAs DEE Pashto 1230-1330 on 11550 KWT 250 kW / 070 deg to WeAs AFG Dari 1330-1430 on 11550 KWT 250 kW / 070 deg to WeAs AFG Pashto/Dari 0130-0230 on 11565 KWT 250 kW / 070 deg to WeAs ASH Dari 1630-1830 on 11565 KWT 250 kW / 082 deg to WeAs ASH Pashto/Dari 1630-1830 on 11580 KWT 250 kW / 070 deg to WeAs ASH Pashto/Dari 1400-1500 on 11615 KWT 250 kW / 078 deg to CeAs VOA Chinese 0200-0300 on 11745 KWT 250 kW / 078 deg to CeAs RFA Tibetan 1500-1600 on 11835 KWT 250 kW / 078 deg to CeAs RFA Tibetan 1730-1800 on 11905 KWT 250 kW / 185 deg to EaAf VOA Afan Oromo Mon-Fri 1800-1900 on 11905 KWT 250 kW / 185 deg to EaAf VOA Amharic 1400-1500 on 11975 KWT 250 kW / 035 deg to CeAs RFE Tajik 0100-0400 on 12015 KWT 250 kW / 078 deg to WeAs DEE Pashto 0400-1200 on 12130 KWT 250 kW / 078 deg to WeAs MAS Pashto 1800-1900 on 13570 KWT 250 kW / 185 deg to EaAf VOA Amharic 1000-1100 on 13680 KWT 250 kW / 078 deg to CeAs RFA Tibetan 1700-1730 on 13680 KWT 250 kW / 185 deg to EaAf VOA Somali 1300-1400 on 13690 KWT 250 kW / 035 deg to CeAs RFE Kazakh 1200-1400 on 13795 KWT 250 kW / 078 deg to CeAs RFA Tibetan 0830-0930 on 15090 KWT 250 kW / 070 deg to WeAs AFG Dari 0930-1130 on 15090 KWT 250 kW / 082 deg to WeAs AFG Pashto/Dari 1130-1330 on 15090 KWT 250 kW / 082 deg to WeAs AFG Pashto/Dari 1330-1430 on 15090 KWT 250 kW / 082 deg to WeAs AFG Pashto/Dari 1430-1630 on 15090 KWT 250 kW / 082 deg to WeAs ASH Pashto/Dari 1500-1530 on 15100 KWT 250 kW / 046 deg to CeAs VOA Uzbek 1200-1230 on 15265 KWT 250 kW / 045 deg to CeAs RFE Kyrghiz 0900-1000 on 15360 KWT 250 kW / 080 deg to WeAs MAS Pashto 1500-1600 on 15445 KWT 250 kW / 035 deg to CeAs RFE Tatar 1630-1700 on 15620 KWT 250 kW / 185 deg to EaAf VOA Somali 1400-1500 on 15725 KWT 250 kW / 078 deg to SoAs AAP Urdu 1630-1700 on 15730 KWT 250 kW / 185 deg to EaAf VOA Somali 0900-1000 on 15740 KWT 250 kW / 070 deg to WeAs MAS Pashto 1100-1200 on 17495 KWT 250 kW / 078 deg to CeAs RFA Tibetan 0600-0700 on 17560 KWT 250 kW / 035 deg to CeAs RFE Russian 0230-0330 on 17670 KWT 250 kW / 070 deg to WeAs AFG Pashto/Dari 0330-0530 on 17670 KWT 250 kW / 070 deg to WeAs AFG Pashto/Dari 0530-0600 on 17670 KWT 250 kW / 070 deg to WeAs AFG Pashto 0700-0730 on 17670 KWT 250 kW / 070 deg to WeAs AFG Dari 0730-0830 on 17670 KWT 250 kW / 070 deg to WeAs AFG Pashto 0730-0830 on 17690 KWT 250 kW / 080 deg to WeAs AFG Pashto 0600-0700 on 17765 KWT 250 kW / 070 deg to CeAs RFA Tibetan AAP=Aap Ki Dunyaa AFG=Radio Free Afghanistan ASH=Radio Ashna DEE=Deewa Radio FAR=Radio Farda MAS=Radio Mashaal RFA=Radio Free Asia RFE=Radio Liberty SAW=Radio Sawa VOA=Voice of America (DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, 11 June via DXLD) ** LEBANON [non]. 11715, June 9 at 0456 ``hunting call`` tune and ``Huna Idha`at`` something ID; 0457 one note of Vatican IS before cut off the air. Presumably the scheduled relay of ``Radio Charity`` or ``Voice of Charity``, as WRTH 2012 names it in English, daily at 0430 in summer instead of 0530 in winter, via Vatican Radio, SMG. Fair signal (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also VATICAN ** LITHUANIA. [re 12-23:] Correct time for RMRC Rhein-Main-Radioclub on June 9 is 0200-0300, see below [all SIT 100 kW] 0100-0200 9400 / 079 deg CeAs Radio Free Asia in Uyghur ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 0200-0300 11900 / 310 deg NoAm Rhein-Main-Radioclub in English June 9 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 0300-0400 9635 / 079 deg CeAs Radio Liberty in Tatar 0430-0500 6165 / 079 deg EaEu Radio Japan NHK World in Russian 0500-0600 9635 / 079 deg CeAs Radio Liberty in Tatar 1400-1500 6180 / 259 deg WeEu Rhein-Main-Radioclub in German June 10 1530-1600 6180 / 079 deg EaEu HCJB Global Russian Sun 1600-1630 6180 / 079 deg EaEu HCJB Global Chechen Sun 1730-1830 11900 / 079 deg Asia Rhein-Main-Radioclub in English June 10 73! (Ivo Ivanov, Bulgaria, June 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) previously he had it one hour earlier at 0100-0200 June 9. But further questions have arisen about whether the dates are correct by UT (gh, DXLD) Harald, aber Sigitas Zilionis hat die Stunde zwischen RFA Uyghurisch und Radio Liberty Tatar für die RMRC Nordamerika Sendung 11900 kHz am 9. Juni gebucht ! 73 wb df5sx (Wolfgang Büschel, A-DX, DXLD) 11900 09/Jun 0215 Lithuania (?), RMRC Radio in English 0215 Speeches in English by OM intermixed with beep signal. At 0217 OM talk, then instrumental music. At 0218 OM seems to disclose some scheme of frequencies. At 0220 short music pop, then OM talk. Very weak signal. 11900 09/Jun 0257 LTU, RMRC. End of transmission (Jorge Freitas, Feira de Santana, Bahia, 12 14´S 38 58´W - Brasil, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) They had a lot of problems getting this on. The beeps were along with RFE/RL Praha ID loops, since feeding the program thru there to Lithuania. More dead air, even heard a R Japan IS and ID. After 0216 or so rejoined programming. Fair signal with lots of fading. Hope they will availablize this on the web. Anyhow we now know they really meant UT Saturday at 0200. But they should make-good repeat it intact, like 24 hours later. 73, (Glenn Hauser, 0228 UT June 9, ibid.) Help Identify Broadcast June 9 SW Broadcast --- Tonight -- June 8 in Dallas -- from 0230 to 0257 GMT (June 9 in Europe), I listened to a solid, clear signal on 11900 MHz [sic] beamed to N. America. I stumbled onto the station simply "cruising" the SW bands. The male host spoke in a heavily accented English. He gave an extended report on the recent European DX Council (EDXC) that met May 31-June 3 in Germany. I listened until the end of the transmission (sign-off) at 0257 GMT but never got an ID. I am almost certain that it was Lithuania's Radio Vilnius. Did anyone else hear this, and did you get an ID? I immediately checked a couple of shortwave frequency services, but neither gave record of anything in English at that time on 11900! Very peculiar but fascinating nevertheless (Grayson Watson, Dallas, TX using a Sangean 909x. My antenna tonight was a 43' Par End-Fed for SW (my best antenna), Cumbre DX via DXLD) The site was Sitkunai, Lithuania, but nothing to do with defunct Radio Vilnius. The first quarter of the hour was a loss, with dead air and feed mixups. They really ought to try again and make it good, like 24 hours later. Signal was sufficient but very choppy here in OK. This was a one-time special, altho to be repeated Sunday at 1730 also on 11900 aimed eastward, unlikely to be audible in N America then. Let`s hope they availablize the hour on the web so we can really hear it. 73, (Glenn Hauser, Cumbre DX via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DXLD) 11900, UT Saturday June 9 at 0202, EDXC Conference special via Sitkunai has just started; there was some confusion with conflicting reports about the correct date and the correct time. Unfortunately, the first quarter-hour was a loss. After a few minutes, the program stopped and instead we heard at 0204 the ``RFE/RL Praha, beep`` filler announcement several times, and then a few minutes of dead air. 0209 or so even the NHK IS and ID were played a few times, and more dead air. 0215.5, RFE/RL ID again briefly, and 0216.5 finally brings up program audio initially in German, but soon into English; 0218 discussing receivers. Kai Ludwig thinks the messup resulted from the control board operator bringing up the wrong audio feed, as Sitkunai does relay RFE/RL from Prague afterwards and at other times. Signal strength was sufficient, but quite choppy and unpleasant to listen to. I had been rolling tape and continued to do so; recheck at 0258, it was already off. This English hour is scheduled to be repeated Sunday (not Saturday) at 1730 to Asia also on 11900, but doubtful to be audible in North American then. I may not listen to the tape unless the program produced by the Rhein-Main Radio Club is not availablized on the web. Bryan Clark in NZ says they have a special QSL ready for reports to mail @ rmrc.de (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Certainly not routed through RFE/RL but played out locally in Lithuania, presumably at the Sitkunai site itself. The audio they brought up by mistake apparently originated from sources used for the remaining daily shortwave transmissions, all satellite receivers on a dish aiming at Hotbird 13E, at least one for a channel in the IBB mux and one for a channel in a Globecast mux (listed as a shabby 64 kbps, so presumably indeed merely meant as feed for AM transmissions). Scenario: The shortwave transmitter is fed by the output of a mixer to which all needed sources are connected. By mistake not only the fader with the playout computer was open but also another one with the output of a satellite receiver, perhaps just the one needed at 0300. They did not note what was going on for almost ten minutes or so, and the descriptions read as if someone in panic first put down all faders, then momentary opened another wrong one, the one with the NHK Hotbird feed, and finally restarted the RMRC playout. I have no satellite equipment at hand here, but if the RFE/RL audio went "This is Radio Free Europe. Radio Liberty. Praha. BUUUP." it is well known and also heard on certain shortwave transmissions prior to the start of the actual broadcast. It's kind of an IBB equivalent to the music loop Babcock London puts on unused circuits (Kai Ludwig, Germany, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Good reception here on the west coast of North America, tape-delayed as I was out for the evening. Nice clear signal. Anyone know about an email address to send reports to? 73, (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, ibid.) 11900, Heard the report on few remoted Perseus net rxs in western Europe. S=9+40dB huge signal heard on 11900 kHz from 0200 UT June 9th onwards. 0200-0204 UT a short piece of EDXC-conference 2012 RMRC report heard, but always with other different feeder line annmt "This is Radio Liberty Praha" in the underneath background, very annoying for listener. At 0204-0206:10 UT heard only feeder line annmt "This is Radio Liberty Praha" over and over again. Then only TX carrier heard, seen on Perseus screen. At 0215:40 short piece of feeder line annmt "This is Radio Liberty Praha" heard for few seconds. 0216:45 UT s t a r t e d again EDXC-conference 2012 RMRC report program. Few seconds in English lang, then after that in German lang. piece from 0219 UT featured a Reuter RDR50B / RDR54D rx report, and an interview followed with an Italian DXer til 0223 UT. Pause mx at 0225 UT. Interview about German stations til 0229 UT. At 0231 UT George Brown DXer since 1948 from Scotland interviewed, NASWA, DSWCI, BDXC member. At 0234-0236 UT Dutch DXer since 1969 Max van Arnhem interviewed. From 0237-0239 UT Interview of Japanese DXer Toshi Ohtake followed. 0240-0244 UT interview with former GDR journalist Manfred Böhm of Radio Berlin International and RadioRopa followed. From 0248 UT general secretary of EDXC Tibor Szilagyi from Sweden interviewed. Followed at 0252-0254 UT by interview of coming EDXC secretary from Finland. Final announcement of Nick Barker RMRC at 0254 UT. http://www.rmrc.de/index.php?lang=en with wrong broadcast time: http://www.rmrc.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=152&Itemid=149&lang=de From 0256-0257 UT the feeder line annmt "This is Radio Liberty Praha" heard over and over again. 0257:30 UT TX Sitkunai Lithuania on 11900 kHz OFF air. 0258:45 UT TX Sitkunai Lithuania on 9635 kHz ON air for Radio Liberty Tatar program, heard as feeder line annmt "This is Radio Liberty Praha". 0300:11 UT Radio Liberty Tatar program started on 9635 kHz, heard at backlobe S=9+15dB signal here in southwestern Germany. vy73 wb df5sx (Wolfgang Büschel, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Apparently anyone looking for a ``do over`` of last evening`s 11900 kHz Rhein Main Radio Club transmission to North America is doomed to disappointment. Because of the confusion with the announced day and time, some DXers in NAm missed the Friday night broadcast and hoped it would be repeated. No such luck. No sign here of anything on 11900 at 0200+ tonight (Don Jensen, WI, 0212 UT June 10, NASWA yg via DXLD) RMRC just started its EDXC broadcast on 6180 kHz (at 1400 UT) in German. Very strong signal (S 9+10 db) and good modulation. 73 (Harald Kuhl, QTH Goettingen/Germany, June 10, bdxcuk yg via DXLD) Surprisingly weak signal here in the south of England on 6180, no better than S2 initially, though improving slightly by 1445. As this is the German broadcast presumably the frequency was picked for optimum reception in Germany. Hopefully the English transmission to Asia at 1730-1830 on 11900 (also via Lithuania) will be audible. 73s (Dave Kenny, ibid.) 49 mb propagation was not very well today, and on mid-summer June propagation a little early for 49 mb usage, 9 MHz would be better at this mid afternoon time slot. Heard on Perseus network near London on S=9+5dB, and same level like in Belgium, Holland, Germany and Switzerland, only poor signal southwards near Vienna and Venice at S=8 level. At best in Berlin Eastern Germany and on technical university Brunswick rx unit at S=9+25 - +30 level. 73 wolfy (Wolfgang Büschel, 1507 UT June 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 11900 kHz AM from 1730 UTC with English version of EDXC 2012 program by RMRC. S9+20 dB Signale here, but interferences from co-channel CRI in English (program "China Drive") in the background. 73 (Harald Kuhl, QTH Goettingen/Germany, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) Excellent reception here in UK of the 1730-1830 broadcast on 11900. CRI English underneath, but Sitkauni is much stronger here. 73s (Dave Kenny, England, ibid.) 11900 kHz at 1730 UT for Asia was a poor choice since CRI is on 11900 kHz till 1757 - till then we only heard it under CRI poorly; after 1757 the signal was nice but splatter from Mr China at 11895 started at 1800. Anyway, Sony SW7600GR handled it with Sync. + USB mode. There was also VOA Amharic I think at 11905 kHz which was not a big problem. Reception from 1757 to 1830 UT was like SIO 434 in portables. Anyway I think there can be clear channels availed but someone just overlooked the CRI when scheduling. Now it`s time to get another Lithuania QSL which is precious these days -- Thanks & Regards, (Partha Sarathi Goswami, Siliguri, Dist. Darjeeling, West Bengal, INDIA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) RMRC EDXC report via Sitkunai, 100 kW, 259 / 79 degrees. 6180 at 14-15 UT June 10. At best network SDR rx at DL7PV in Berlin and Brunswick S=9+25db signal, all others EUR England, Belgium, Netherlands, North GER, Darmstadt, Amberg and Switzerland S=9+5dB signal, next to Pöllau Vienna Austria and Italy only S=8 in southern Europe. 11900 at 1745 UT June 10, signal 8-9 in Island, S=9+30dB in Brunswick and Berlin, S=9+20dB in Frankfurt/M and Italy, S=9+5dB at AOR Tokyo Japan. 73 wb (Wolfgang Buschel, DXLD) Wouldn't it have been easier to simply put the audio feed directly on a web stream, without the unnecessary shortwave detour...? At Dresden, where I happened to be at this time, the signal level was at the fringe of the requirements for good portable-outdoor reception. I think 31 metres would have been a better choice. At least this transmission went well, starting with audio crash-start on already running carrier at 1400, being wrapped up at 1454, fill music continuing til 1500 and carrier off after another 20 seconds or so. I assume the contents were identical to the English version hardly anyone could hear properly, just with German voice-over (in some cases only partially) on English interviews and no voice-over on German interviews. Into the latter category falls one with Manfred Böhm, ex- RBI, ex-Radioropa and now DW (but ex-radio). He said frankly that he had been invited and rather spontaneously decided to attend although all the technical stuff is not of primary interest for him, instead he was hoping to meet Wolf Harranth, but in vain. Well, earlier GH had been promised as well, something I considered as too unlikely for even bothering to ask. And what else during this broadcast on the 49 mB? King was Wertachtal on 6095. Third tier, actually almost on a par with 6180, was Woofferton on 6195, with the BBC service in the major European language of Dari. 5970 had weakish RL Russian from Lampertheim, on 6005 at times a faint carrier faded up which presumably was Krekel with 20 dB less transmission level than the others. And that's all of it between 1400 and 1430. After 1430 another weakish signal had appeared, Radio Vatican on 6075. And at 1450 DRM racket had to be noted on 6155, what's this? Looking up after coming home revealed that it was Bolshakovo, scheduled to start its broadcast into nowhere here at 1500. Wonder if the DRM signal contained the usual interrupted test tone? Situation still not much different at 1500, except Wertachtal now also being on 6105 with RL for Belarus (Kai Ludwig, ibid.) Copied the Sunday RMRC broadcast on 11900.0 at *1730-1830* here in VA but wanted to here it well enough to kick back and enjoy the actual programming. PA0RDT's Perseus located in the Netherlands and Total Recorder turned out to be the solution. Here is the 2nd half of the broadcast containing some interesting interviews: https://www.box.com/s/52ef057a112e7f976def (Chuck Rippel, Chesapeake, VA, NASWA yg via DXLD) Confirm top Indian DXer Partha Sarathi Goswami's report and comments. Ditto here. Disappointed that the frequency was poorly selected. BUT I want to thank RMRC for having made the broadcast in this day and age when stations are going off the air. A bouquet to EDXC and RMRC for giving us the opportunity. I can imagine it is a lot of work and expense. This is how I heard it after 1757 when CRI s.off. http://soundcloud.com/user6004348/edxc-11900-6-10-2012-1759-59 73 and good wishes from Sri Lanka (Victor Goonetilleke, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Meanwhile I read that reception of this 11900 transmission in parts of Germany and Austria was pretty good, in some cases almost local-like, overriding co-channel China completely. In fact it often was, rather ironically, better than 6180. Concerning precious Lithuania catches: There appears to be still HCJB Russian, starting at 1530 on 6180, if that's what I heard in passing yesterday. There should also still be NHK World in Russian, too, 0430- 0500 on 6165, RFA Uyghur 0100-0200 on 9400, RFE/RL Tatar 0300-0400 and 0500-0600 on 9635 each. Anything else in HFCC is wishful thinking, including 5940 since IRIB has apparently cancelled after six years. (Kai Ludwig, June 11, ibid.) I have recently heard (about 2 months ago) RFA Uyghur via Lithuania, this is my first Lithuania QSL, I have blank QSL from Radio Vilnius from past, in those days I haven't sent reception reports much although listened a lot. -- Thanks & Regards, (Partha Sarathi Goswami, Siliguri, Dist. Darjeeling, West Bengal, INDIA, ibid.) RFA QSLs come fast but not with the location for non IBB transmitting sites which is their policy and it will be ticked off as 'other' (Victor Goonetilleke, ibid.) RMRC REPEAT THE SPECIAL BROADCAST FROM SITKUNAI TO USA Hello Rich and all DXers everywhere, The Rhein-Main Radio Club special broadcast to USA from Sitkunai in English concerning the EDXC / DSWCI Conferences 2012 will be REPEATED on 16. June 2012 (UT Saturday) in 11900 kHz at 0200-0300 UT. Good listening and 73, Robert Kipp, RMRC, DSWCI (via Jaisakthivel, ADXC, Tirunelveli, India, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DXLD) ** MALI. 5995, RTVM, *0555-0605, June 8, sign on with guitar IS. National Anthem at 0558. Heard flute IS and opening French ID announcements at 0559. Vernacular talk at 0600. Indigenous vocals at 0602. Signal strength at good level but weak modulation (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) ** MAURITANIA. 7245, June 8 at 0445, there is a weakish Arabish signal between 7240 DW/Rwanda, and 7250 Vatican, presumably IGIM as usual rather than V. of Tajik; and on the air earlier than usual for the Fribbath. Lately it has not been showing up before 0600 on Islamic weekdays (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Mauritania was already on air at 0350 UT, seemingly at the whole night, June 8. 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 1120, MEXICO unidentified. 1025 June 9, 2012. Tentatively Mexico, anyway. Soft Spanish Smooth Jazz-type vocal, male announcer 1029, then signal faded. But at 1037, “Venus” by Frankie Avalon faded up, segued into “Sunny” by Bobby Hebb at 1039, then at 1041, "Non C'è" sung in Italian by previously unknown to me Italian-born Laura Pausini, which my iPhone's SoundHound app (a great music ID tool when DXing) identified, and being on her debut album released in Italy. She's now 38, big in Italy since beginning her career in the early- 90's, and even bigger in Latin America after issuing several albums in Spanish. Seemed an odd song choice to follow the previous two. Pretty much lost the signal after this, with KMOX sports talk dominating till they too faded out a little after 1100. No US stations that should be audible at this time are listed with an Oldies format, but that's what I presumed this set of songs must be sourcing from. Until re-checking the next morning, June 10. Tune-in to soft vocal in English by female, Spanish male announcer 1014, signal fade. But back up at 1023 with John Lennon's “Beautiful Boy” (which wasn't even a single) from the 1980 “Double Fantasy” album, then male announcer mentioning, “... música... ---dente...” into Spanish female vocal (“no SoundHound matches” message this time, Italian is prettier I would agree). At 1030, male again mentioned, twice, a slogan seemingly ending in “-- -dente” and signal lost by 1033, local sunrise enhancement not allowing the signal to hold through any potential Mexican anthem around 1100. Again on June 11: “Diary” by Bread at 1020, segued into unidentified English female singer, segued into Spanish female vocal, signal lost 1030. The signal LOB is roughly W/WNW. Very unusual format, if a Mexican, and no slogan or format seems to fit in Fred Cantú's online list (Terry L Krueger, from the Clearwater, FL static site with (highly abridged equipment list): JRC NRD-535, ICOM IC-R75, Sony ICF-7600GR, and Sangean PR-D5; 1 X roof dipole, 1 X room random wire, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. Estimado Sr. Hauser. Según parece, XEQM 6105 KHz no ha reparado sus problemas técnicos; según parece le destaban dando prioridad al cambio de AM a FM. Por otro lado Candela XEMH 970 KHz, Candela FM 95.3 MHz, W Radio XEMQ 810 KHz funcionan con normalidad. Átomo 810 en XEMQ se trasladó a XEUL 930 y XHUL 96.9 MHz como Átomo FM. Atte. (Ing. Civ. Israel González Ahumada, M.I., June 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 6185, June 7 at 0455, XEPPM is back to just-barely- modulated, I think, unless they have already finished and just not turned off the transmitter yet, maintaining an S9+20 signal. 6185, June 8 at 0205, XEPPM is back to just-barely modulating. A pity as much of the evening now, there is no CCI and little ACI. 0444 recheck, still JBM but I can tell there is music; as usual blasted away at *0459:50 by 6190 CRI via Sackville, unfortunately still on the correct frequency, unlike an earlier broadcast: see CANADA 6185, June 9 at 0450, XEPPM is again just barely modulated, shortly before sign-off, and presumably so, all day/evening. Can`t they tell that a certain something is missing? (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. Sporadic E analog TV DX UT June 6: 0226 on 2, turn on TV to find heavy CCI in progress, peaking SSW in Spanish 0227 on 3, NEXTEL presenta --- 0230 on 3, drama on video with net-5 bug; audio from something else 0237, MUF reaches 4, and then 5 with some ads from south 0238 on 2 and 3, net 5 drama, audio slightly out of synch 0243 on 5, promo or political ad? By kid, ``Nuestro México del Futuro`` on screen; looked like another word below that was COLIMA. I wish I could be certain of that as this small state should be a TVDX rarity with only a handful of less than full-power stations including this ch 5 per W9WI.com in the city of Colima with appropriate calls: Colima, CY[5] XHCC-TV 14.000 0.00 +H 19-5-14.00N 104-18-0.00W XV-XLIC XHGC (5) http://www.w9wi.com/states/CY.html 0258 on 6, signs of video here, the MUF peak 0300, opening is mostly gone 1419, turn on the TV again, and ch 2 is bearing two zero-beat videos from the SSE, audio in Spanish, no doubt the Yucatán peninsula again. The dominant one has the f = FOROtv program, so that`s XHY-TV in Mérida. Fading by 1430, brief resurgence at 1440, nothing more. The other: probably the next ch 2 east, 100 kW XHQRO-TV in Cancún, Quintana Roo, about 175 miles away. I would hate to be midway between the cities trying to get either channel 2 without interference. XHY-TV is listed as less, only 76.5 kW, yet is seen far more regularly (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. Es analog TV DX June 10, continued [from CANADA], UT: 1726 on 2, I was aiming NW toward CANADA as last seen, but now there`s video in Spanish, so back to south. Political ad for PRI presidential candidate Peña Nieto. Getting dirty with laughter at names of many competing candidates, Alianza logo xed out; further adstring 1726 on 4, algo is starting to show. 1731 on 2, net-7 promo; 1732 into drama with net 7 bug UR: most likely XHTAU Tampico 1740 on 2 animated movie, no audio, with gringo girls playing guitars; then credit roll starts but cut off; probably same as above 1745 on 2, soccer 1814 on 2, animated with apes in space; net 5 bug UR almost off-screen 1816 on 3 // 2 as above, briefly peaks to VG level, dubbed 1831 on 2, docu? on kids playing fútbol in Ukraine, Spanish subtitles 2042 on 2, movie or something fades in briefly, antenna still south 2103 on 2, CCI peaking SW, Spanish 2104 on 3, lucha libre, brief fade in 2105 on 3, bug in upper right of a starry? Symbol, and TELE - something underneath it. Don`t see a match for local or network at Oglethorpe`s site. Local dance show. Then there is typical Baja California Norte almost-zero beat bars between XHBC and XETJB 2107 on 2, Xtremo tabloid news show over CCI, peaks SSW, with Azteca- 13 bug in UR; soon gone and nothing more tho plenty of Es on the maps further north in the continent (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MICRONESIA. 4755.42, Pohnpei, The Cross Radio, 0915 to 1040 on 5 June, heard with decent signal this time all week. Same 9 June (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, South Florida, NRD 535D -746Pro - R8 - Sony 2010XA, and XM - Cedar Key - South Florida, NRD 525D - R8A -E-5, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** MYANMAR/BURMA. 7185.87, Myanmar Radio. An unusual development here! For several years I have reported this frequency as a spur of 7200.1, due to the fact it always had a very weak signal compared to 7200.1 and was always definitely //. Not so on June 8. Today seemed a much better signal than the spur heard in the past. From 1209 to 1235 definitely // 5985.84. Therefore speaking just for today’s reception, I believe it must follow that 7185.87 was actually a separate Myanmar Radio transmitter and not a spur. What was even stranger was that by 1235 I started to hear a very weak secondary audio which was clearly // 7200.1, underneath the primary/ predominant audio. So there were two audios: a primary/predominant audio // 5985.84 and a secondary much weaker audio // 7200.1. Fair reception on 7200.1 and certainly was broadcasting their normal single audio, so was not a spur from there. Appreciate hearing any feedback anyone has regarding this unique development (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) This can happen when two open-wire feedlines run parallel one another; in which case, this would be a mixing product of two frequencies, rather than a spur. Anything around 7215?? (Dave Walcutt, NASWA yg via DXLD) Hi Dave, Thanks for your input. Have never heard Myanmar on 7215 before, nor have I seen any reports of it being heard there. Thanks again (Ron Howard, ibid.) Received an interesting response from Mauno Ritola (Finland): "Hi Ron, Victor's Sri Lanka remote rx happened to be free today [June 10] at 1300 and I can confirm the situation there just as you say. There is only one carrier on 7185.87-88 kHz, so it is a duplicate feed. But it is a symmetrical spur of 7200.1 kHz, because respective carrier is found on 7214.33 kHz. Unfortunately it is too disturbed for any audio. But I think there is also a secondary, extremely weak audio on 7200.1 kHz, sounding like // 5985.87 kHz. Funny also, that both 5985 and 7185 kHz are on about the same offset. For fun I checked the half way: 6585.87 kHz but nothing there. 73, Mauno" (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Great Mauno, spurs also symmetrically at 14.23 kHz away, what about minus 1200 kHz at 4785.87 kHz? vy73 wolfy df5sx (Büschel, ibid.) Thanks. Nothing around 4785.87 kHz. Those similar offsets must be just a coincidence; they are actually slightly different, checked at 1220 via Victor's rx and they were on 5985.858 and 7185.875 kHz. 73, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, ibid.) ** NETHERLANDS [non]. All transmissions of Radio Netherlands World Service in English on short waves will be terminated from July 1. Here the current schedule: 1000-1057 on 15110 PHT 250 kW / 283 deg to SEAs 1400-1457 on 9800 TRM 250 kW / 345 deg to SoAs 1800-1957 on 17605 SMG 250 kW / 144 deg to ECAf 1900-2057 on 7425 MDC 250 kW / 270 deg to SoAf 1900-2057 on 11615 ISS 500 kW / 192 deg to WeAf 1900-2057 on 15495 SMG 250 kW / 193 deg to WCAf 73! (Ivo Ivanov, Bulgaria, June 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Ivo, Where do you get the July 1 date? They have been announcing that the last broadcast will be on June 29 (Glenn to Ivo, via DXLD) According HFCC registrations 1000-1057 on 15110 PHT 250 kW / 283 deg to SEAs till June 29 1400-1457 on 9800 TRM 250 kW / 345 deg to SoAs till June 30 1800-1957 on 17605 SMG 250 kW / 144 deg to ECAf till June 30 1900-2057 on 7425 MDC 250 kW / 270 deg to SoAf till June 30 1900-2057 on 11615 ISS 500 kW / 192 deg to WeAf till June 30 1900-2057 on 15495 SMG 250 kW / 193 deg to WCAf till June 30 (Ivo Ivanov, June 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RADIO NETHERLANDS ANNOUNCEMENT OF END OF ENGLISH SERVICE Posted on the RNW website today; last day will be June 30: http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/were-changing Indonesian apparently ending the same day, but also Spanish? HFCC still shows those broadcasts continuing through the end of A-12. Not seeing any similar announcement after a quick look at the RNW Spanish website (Steve Luce, Houston, Texas, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) No, last day is June 29, as they have been announcing on air for a while, and as given on this page. Don`t wait until June 30 to hear The End (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) Dear reader, we're sorry to inform you that the English service of Radio Netherlands Worldwide will be closing at the end of this month. As a result, this website will see some changes. From 1 July 2012 there will no longer be a daily review of the Dutch papers. Our coverage of Dutch news stories will also cease. And since RNW's English webstream will end on 29 June, there will be no more Listening Guide. We will continue to serve you, however, on this website, with background articles relating to our new brief: promoting free speech in areas where people are not free to gather information, or to form and express independent opinions. The measures are a result of steep budget cuts imposed by the Dutch government and a concomitant change in focus. Providing the world with a realistic image of the Netherlands, as we have proudly done since 1947, will no longer be one of our statutory duties. The last radio show On 29 June we will broadcast a radio show looking back at the past decades of Radio Netherlands Worldwide. Have you got a memory to share? Please let us know, at the usual address, letters@rnw.nl We'd love to hear from you. Updates Please keep checking this site for updates on our final day. There may be a surprise or two... The RNW English team (via DXLD) They are even ending their webstream. Just a couple of years ago, this was one of the premier international broadcasters in English. How the mighty have fallen (Pat Blakely, SC, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) What remains is the question if still radio content will be produced for rebroadcasters and/or offering as podcasts. But apparently this will not be the case. And already now they are just a shadow of their former self, having cancelled all English radio news and offering only canned, untimely stuff anymore. The Indonesian service meanwhile has an extended farewell section online: http://www.rnw.nl/bahasa-indonesia/dossier/Perpisahan%20Ranesi (Kai Ludwig, ibid.) 9715, June 10 at 1226, RNW via BONAIRE closing `Cartas @ RN` show, so I listen to hear whether they will then announce the termination of all Spanish at Junend like they do for English? No, just usual sign- off for now with frequencies of this and the 0000, 0100 Spanish broadcasts. Then I tune at 1231 to 11880 via Costa Rica, for REE`s `Amigos de la Onda Corta` and hear Antonio Buitrago quoting `Cartas` with news about RNW as his very first item: From 1 July RNW will continue with only one 30-minute Spanish broadcast M-F only, for freedom-challenged areas Cuba, Venezuela, also Mexico and Central America. No time or frequency given but it will be on SW plus partner stations. I can`t find anything about this yet on the RNW Spanish website (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Ultimo programa de Cartas@RN --- Cartas @ RN emitirá su último programa el 24 de junio. Les pedimos a los internautas que lo deseen que nos envíen un mensaje muy corto, de no más de 30 segundos, de ser posible grabado, al correo electrónico cartas @ rnw.nl (RNW FB via Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, June 10, condiglist yg via DXLD Andy Sennitt has said on Facebook and Digital Spy that additional shortwave frequencies are planned for the final English service broadcast and will be announced shortly (Mike Barraclough, June 11, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Spanish to Cuba 1100-1130 UT BON 9895 kHz And maybe: Local languages to Surinam 0930-1000 UT BON 6020 kHz The measures are a result of steep budget cuts imposed by the Dutch government and a concomitant change in focus. Providing the world with broadcasts in various languages through shortwave, as we have proudly done since 1947, will no longer be one of our statutory duties. We thank you very much for your many reports you have send to us and wish you and your family, all the best for the future. With kind regards from Holland, Karen van Lierop" (via Dmitry Puzanov, Kazakhstan, open_dx yg via Aleksandr Diadischev, Ukraine, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Retaining Spanish to Cuba would make sense under the new RNW mandate. However with Bonaire closing at the end of the A-12 season, the transmission would probably be moved to Montsinéry, should it continue into B-12. Or book a 30 minute slot on WRMI? Montsinery would of course be perfect for the Suriname broadcast. Didn't this facility conduct some groundwave tests for the area on 49 meters not too long ago? (Steve Luce, Houston, Texas, ibid.) All transmissions of Radio Netherlands World Service in English on short waves will be terminated from July 1. Here the current schedule: 0200-0257 6165 BON 250 kW / 345 deg NoAm till June 29, new additional 0200-0257 11640 BON 250 kW / 350 deg NoAm till June 29, new additional 0300-0357 6165 BON 250 kW / 315 deg CeAm till June 29, new additional 0300-0357 11640 BON 250 kW / 320 deg CeAm till June 29, new additional 1000-1057 on 15110 PHT 250 kW / 283 deg to SEAs till June 29 1400-1457 on 9800 TRM 250 kW / 345 deg to SoAs till June 30 1800-1957 on 17605 SMG 250 kW / 144 deg to ECAf till June 30 1900-2057 on 7425 MDC 250 kW / 270 deg to SoAf till June 30 1900-2057 on 11615 ISS 500 kW / 192 deg to WeAf till June 30 1900-2057 on 15495 SMG 250 kW / 193 deg to WCAf till June 30 (Ivo Ivanov, Bulgaria, June 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RNW resumes English to NAm for a bit? [as above] Unless there is some misunderstanding, it appears that until The End, RNW will be reviving some English to NAm in the evenings. Please check at 0200-0357! (gh, DXLD) There is indeed a misunderstanding: These additional frequencies to North America will be on air on June 29 only, for a final farewell. Will they bid one to Europe, too? See also http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/were-changing which right now still says that the farewell will go out on the usual frequencies "at least", so perhaps the HFCC data is indeed not complete yet: "Our last day on radio is 29 June. We're starting at 0000 UT, and our final hour will begin at 2000 and last until 2057." So no transmissions on June 30 anymore. Don't get confused by the HFCC registration format. And see also the comment by Kim Andrew Elliott on this announcement: "The fact that RNW's new brief uses the verb 'promote' is a clear sign that RNW is leaving the news business." http://kimelli.nfshost.com/index.php?id=13361 (Kai Ludwig, Germany, ibid.) RADIO NETHERLANDS ENGLISH SECTION WILL QUIT RADIO ON 29 JUNE WITH SPECIAL PROGRAM. Posted: 12 Jun 2012 Radio Netherlands Worldwide, 11 June 2012: "We're very sorry to inform you that the English service of Radio Netherlands Worldwide will be closing at the end of this month. ... However, we will continue to provide articles online relating to our new brief: promoting free speech in areas where people are not free to gather information or to form and express independent opinions. The measures are a result of steep budget cuts imposed by the Dutch government and a concomitant change in focus. Providing the world with a realistic image of the Netherlands, as we have proudly done since 1947, will no longer be one of our statutory duties. On 29 June we will broadcast a radio show looking back at the past decades of Radio Netherlands Worldwide. ... And, perhaps most importantly, thank you - for listening, reading, and riding this bumpy road with us over the years and through the recent, difficult times." (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) This is the end of an era, as Dutch international shortwave broadcasting dates back to 1927. The fact that RNW's new brief uses the verb "promote" is a clear sign that RNW is leaving the news business. For news in English about the Netherlands, there are alternatives, including http://www.dutchnews.nl http://www.dutchdailynews.com http://www.nisnews.nl and others listed at http://www.world-newspapers.com (Kim Andrew Elliott, ibid via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DXLD) Persian Dutch Network, 9 June 2012, via Payvand: "The activities of RNW's Persian Service actually ended in December 2011. May 2012 was the deadline for those interested in re-launching the service to come up with independent funding. RNW is still negotiating with applicants but it is unclear when there will be clarity on continuing the service. The Persian service of Radio Netherlands Worldwide, Asr-e Holland, was launched in February 2011 and was active for around 10 months. It seems RNW was not serious about this service from the beginning: Persian Service's website was created as a sub-category of the Arabic section and the design was not compatible with other sections of RNW. Since 2006 Dutch government funding has been directed at the Persian-language radio station Radio Zamaneh". (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) So can we assume those final English transmissions from Bonaire will happen Thursday evening, June 28 North American time? Was curious: Is Vatican Radio actually using the entire block listed on HFCC from 0100 to 0230 on 15470 via Bonaire? I'll admit I've never checked. NHK regularly heard from Bonaire on 11935 at 0200, so including the farewell English broadcasts on June 29 would seem to indicate four transmitters in use at Bonaire, which is not the case. Will be nice to hear Bonaire in English one last time. My very first reception of RNW was in 1966 when the station leased time on Trans World Radio (Steve Luce, Houston, Texas, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Thursday evening NA time now confirmed on their webpage. http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/were-changing (Mike Barraclough, ibid.) That's sad news. I remember the special program that RNW broadcast when they took over the frequency that had just been abandoned by the BBC when they stopped broadcasting to North America. The program stated RNW's commitment to shortwave. I also liked the "contest" run during that program. BBC and RN (now RNW) are/were among the stations I used to listen to most of any shortwave stations. I started shortwave listening in 1976. I remember hearing the Jody and Dody Carroll (excuse spelling of last name [! They were Dody and Jerry Cowan -- gh]) shows and a bit later I discovered the Happy Station program hosted by Tom Meijer and assisted by Rosemary de Jong and Ann Mulder. When I went on vacations I always took along a small portable shortwave radio. I remember on a trip with my sister to LA that I took time off one afternoon to catch the Happy Station program. I also used to listen fairly regularly to Media Network. This type of announcement reminds me I should be spending more time listening to the International broadcasters we still have left on the air and letting them know regularly that they still have an audience. So many of the stations I used to listen to are gone now. Many of the broadcasters say they aren't gone because their programming can still be heard over the Internet. While that may be true, I spend enough time on the computer as it is. I don't want to spend more time listening to radio stations. Shortwave radio was a way to get away from the computer and something I could do in the backyard, at a beach, or while on vacation. For me, if a station leaves shortwave they might as well pack it in completely. I could count the number of times in the last year (or last several years) that I've listened to international broadcasters using the Internet on one hand and have a few fingers left over. I keep thinking that in a few years there won't be any stations left to listen to on shortwave. R.I.P. RNW. You will be missed. -- Cheers! (Kevin Cozens, VE3SYB, ODXA yg via DXLD) Keep checking http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/were-changing (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This is truly a sad moment. I'm a new listener to Radio Netherlands Worldwide, and I've recently been enjoying their Dutch language broadcasts. I'm learning Dutch, so they were really quite helpful. Apparently, though, even the Dutch language system is going to be shut down [already was, May 11 --- gh]. I'm really curious what's going to happen to their transmitter relay sites in the former Netherlands Antilles states. After all, aren't those shared with other stations? The loss of RNW is going to be a big one felt throughout the shortwave listening community. I've sent in my thoughts for their special broadcast. I sincerely hope there's some sort of policy change. I remember when Radio Bulgaria was going under there was a letter writing campaign. They're still doing some things. Maybe we can save RNW. At one point, there were Save Radio Netherlands t-shirts on their website. Were these ever actually for sale? I'd like to help them if they were trying to raise funds that way, but I wasn't aware that they could (narvorr/wolfwere, June 14, ptsw yg via DXLD) It`s a little late for that (gh, DXLD) RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLDWIDE SAYS GOODBYE TO ITS AUDIENCES --- Irawaty Wardany, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 06/14/2012 5:55 PM The Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW) will end its Indonesian and English broadcast services on June 29 with a-three-hour live broadcast from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. [UT + 7 = 1000-1300 UT; WTFK??] The RNW official website announced on Thursday that the measures were a result of steep budget cuts imposed by the Dutch government and a concomitant change in focus Once RNW’s English web stream ends on June 29 there will be no more daily reviews of the Dutch papers, coverage of Dutch news stories and listening guides, the website announced. On 29 June RNW will broadcast a radio show looking back at the past decades of the station. Have you got a memory to share? Please let them know, at letters @ rnw.nl They would love to hear from you, according to the announcement at the website (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** NIGERIA [and non]. 15120, June 6 at 0506, no sign of V of Nigeria, just Chinese. The two-night streak is broken. VOA Botswana is in well on 15580, so propagation is not to blame. 15120, June 7 at 0516, VON with relatively good modulation (for them) but still with whine, US accented reporter about Syria, Russia offering Assad asylum and he can take 6 gigadollars with him?! She was ``Priscilla Hough? in Washington for Voice of Nigeria``, apparently the same stringer I heard on Vatican Radio`s 1200 broadcast! This was not on the air when last tuned by a few minutes after 0500; normally would be on by 0445. Googling soon finds her as Priscilla Huff, with portrait: http://www.featurestorynews.com/about/about/people.html ``Priscilla Huff is a correspondent in FSN's Washington Bureau, and joined the company from CNN in 2001. With extensive experience covering the US political scene, Priscilla invariably spends her days on Capitol Hill, at the US State Department or at the White House, chasing the major issues that matter to FSN’s clients. Her work for FSN also includes extensive travel across the United States - she's sauntered down the Red Carpet at the Oscars and waded through the muck in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Priscilla's reporting has literally spanned the breadth of the United States - from the Tsunami Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, to the halls of the United Nations in New York. A native Washingtonian, Priscilla previously worked for WBIS TV in New York, and the political website Voter.com.`` Newjerseynewsroom.com also has a batik story from her in August 2009 as a VOA News correspondent. And here she tweeteth: https://twitter.com/#1/phuffdaddy Some other Priscilla Huff is linkedin (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15120, Voice of Nigeria, 0543-0602, June 8, late sign on at approximately 0543 with English talk. Local pop music program. News at 0600. Strong but with whine in audio and some programming was slightly muffled (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg, PA, Icom IC- 7600, two 100 foot longwires, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15120, Voice of Nigeria, 0552, June 9, English, “Weekend Magazine” with items on reading rate in Nigeria and the eradication of polio, 0555 music to closing of program at 0557. Very good but growl noise from transmitter. Also at 0658 English, closing arts program “Celebration”, 0659 email address and traditional Nigerian music, 0700 into French (Harold Sellers, Vernon, British Columbia, Listening from my car with Eton E1 and Sony AN1 active antenna. Editor of World English Survey and Target Listening, available at http://www.odxa.on.ca dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) From June 1 Voice of Nigeria is back on SW with a full schedule: 0500-0700 on 15120*IKO 250 kW / 007 deg to NoAf English [this transmission and probably the next one are still heard only irregularly, as I have reported --- gh] 0700-0800 on 15120 IKO 250 kW / 007 deg to NoAf French 0800-0900 on 9690 IKO 250 kW / 248 deg to WCAf Hausa 0900-1500 on 9690#IKO 250 kW / 248 deg to WCAf English 1500-1600 on 15120 IKO 250 kW / 007 deg to NoAf English 1600-1630 on 9690!IKO 250 kW / 248 deg to ECAf Swahili 1630-1700 on 9690!IKO 250 kW / 248 deg to WCAf Yoruba 1700-1730 on 9690 IKO 250 kW / 248 deg to WCAf Igbo 1730-1830 on 15120 IKO 250 kW / 007 deg to NoAf Arabic 1830-2000 on 15120 AJA 100 kW / 007 deg to NoAf English DRM mode M-F 2000-2100 on 7255$IKO 250 kW / 248 deg to WeAf French 2100-2200 on 7255$IKO 250 kW / 248 deg to WeAf Fulfulde 2200-2300 on 7255$IKO 250 kW / 248 deg to WeAf Hausa * co-ch AIR in Hindi till 0530 and CRI in Chinese till 0700 # co-ch AIR in English from 1330 ! co-ch RRI in Romanian $ co-ch CRI in Russian till 2100 and Radio Belarus in English and Russian (DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, 11 June via DXLD) 15120, Thanks to a tip of Ivo in Bulgaria, Voice of Nigeria English program again on AM mode, at 06-07 UT seemingly from old Ikorodu site. Formerly used new Abuja unit in DRM mode to all Africa. Today terrible BUZZY signal, heard with news read by Gloria around 0605-0607 UT, speech to crowd on Nigerian domestic news. Followed by news of all Africa, UN help services report to southern Sudan and Somalia, read by male. Powerful S=9+20dB transmission heard here in Germany (Wolfgang Büschel, June 6, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews June 13 via DXLD) This morning transmission is always in AM mode when active (gh, DXLD) 15120, June 11 at 0437, tone test is already on preceding VON`s 0500 English broadcast, with some hum (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15120, VON, 0452, June 11. IS and ID “Voice of Nigeria, Lagos”; 0455 marching band; in English; gave all of today’s programming schedule in G.M.T.; 0500 drums; news; poor with hum/whine and QRM underneath. Edited MP3 audio file at https://www.box.com/s/cd8f474668df85fb9783 15120, VON, 0457, June 14. In English; gave all of today’s programming schedule; will be focusing on World Blood Donor Day; announced they switch frequency to sounded like 9590(?), whereas website shows 9690, for the program “Health Corner” at “09-15 G.M.T.” to West Africa; good signal strength, but with the usual prominent whine/hum. MP3 audio posted at https://www.box.com/s/a1350bf02c71a43b5908 (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15120, June 14 at 0530, VON is on again in analog English, still with whine and modulation breaking up; with BFO the carrier is also wavering slightly (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NORTH AMERICA. PIRATE-NA. My Name Is Yawneb, 6925 USB, 0214-0437*, 06-03-12 SIO: 343/444, Long show. Opened with ID as "My name is Yawneb; I come to you from a planet in your solar system". Played lots of electronic music, gave shout outs to various DXers and played music requests. Near the end of the show there was a segment about the last surviving civilization on Mars. Gave email as [sic] yawenb6925@gmail.com Yawneb is Benway spelled backwards, so might be connected to Dr. Benway of Undercover Radio? (Chris, Lobdell, Stoneham, MA 02180, USA, Receiver; Eton E1, Aerial: 40 Meter Dipole, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** NORTH AMERICA. [Pirate]. 6925 USB, North Sea Radio, 0118-0154*, June 9, sounds of seagulls. IDs. Pirate-themed music. Fair (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg, PA, Icom IC-7600, two 100 foot longwires, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS. CHINA/MARIANA ISLANDS. 21580, Two 24 kHz wide spurious signals noted on remote Perseus network in Japan, around 0400-0430 UT June 8. Fundamental 21580 RFA Mandarin program from Tinian-MRA and accompanied China mainland jammer. Spurs appeared symmetrical on center 21505 and a little stronger on 21655 (21645-21668) kHz. Another RFA Mandarin channel used today: 21480 kHz (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews June 8, dxldyg via DXLD) ** NORWAY [and non]. [Re 12-23:] What about the Pori-Preiviiki shortwave equipment? Years ago transmissions for both IBB and Media Broadcast did not materialize, in the latter case at such short notice that only Nauen could be thrown in and hardly substitute due to skipping (41 metres on winter evenings). But finally there were some test transmissions for Ralph Gordon Stair, so at least shortwave transmissions from Preiviiki did not finally cease with the closure of Radio Finland. And the mediumwave transmitter is, as well known, still active for China. NRK posted a video from Kvitsøy, too, perhaps not referred to so far: http://www.nrk.no/video/forste_radiomast_pa_kvitsoy_sprengt/3D432D45916ADE25/ And here is a picture of Sveio before the second transmitter has been added: http://home.wolfsburg.de/elbe/norwegen.html So indeed initally just two curtains there, one 250 and one 330 deg., mounted on three towers. Must have been one of the least versatile shortwave facilities in the world until further curtains (if I see it right on the satellite images) and, first of all, the LP had been added. The only similar case I'm aware was the Greenbush site in the forests north of Bangor/Maine, also with just one transmitter and two curtains, in this case a high/low pair. It's hardly a surprise that WHR finally decided to do without it, not having at Furman to deal with restrictions like the ones at Kvitsøy. Must have been almost a nightmare to find a suitable location for the transmission facilities in Norway (Kai Ludwig, Germany, shortwavesites yg via DXLD) See also GERMANY Re: Fredrikstad --- These two Thomson transmitters came from Hörby (Sweden) when they were replaced with new ABB/Thalès. Also the Thomson-transmitters became prohibited to use in Sweden due to PCB in the isolation (Chris Stödberg, SM6VPU, Swden, June 11, ibid.) ** OKLAHOMA. 1580, KOKB Blackwell was in dead air or open carrier again for an extended period around 0030 UT June 14, while sister station 1020, KOKP Perry was nominal with sports talk (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. Enid translator on 93.1 noticed to be on at last as of June 9 or so, ex-93.3, of KIMY 93.9. Now it also messes up a relatively free DX frequency 92.9 (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. McCARROLL TO RETIRE FROM OKLAHOMA PUBCASTING NETWORK BY YEAR'S END John McCarroll, executive director of the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA), will retire by the end of the year, he told the authority's board this week. McCarroll arrived at OETA in 2003 from KLRU-TV, the PBS station in Austin, Texas. His accomplishments include completion of the $12 million digital conversion of the Oklahoma Network, which included replacement of 18 transmitters; a new OETA studio; and two regional Emmy Awards for his work on OETA projects. Dr. James W. Utterback, chairman of the OETA board, said it will form a search committee for McCarroll's replacement (Current.org blog June 6 via DXLD) As OETA`s budget grant from the state became more and more threatened, he also transparently started hosting a half-hour show interviewing legislators, three per week, sort of a serious version of what Colbert does periodically on a national basis. This may well have acquired a few very needed votes not to kill off OETA, quite yet (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3275, NBC Southern Highlands (presumed), briefly noted in passing at 1309 on June 7 with patriotic slogan in English for “One Nation”. 3325, NBC Bougainville (presumed), 1245-1304, June 7. Indeed seems to be a new schedule; ex: 1200*. Reception stronger and more prominently heard than on the 5th; C&W songs underneath RRI Palangkaraya which fortunately was just OM & YL chatting the whole time; BTW – RRI again played “Garuda Pancasila” after the Jakarta News rely today. Lost about 1303 or 1304, so possibly signed off then? 3915, Radio Fly, 1310-1348, June 7. Instrumental music and EZL pop songs (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young with “Teach Your Children Well”, etc.); QRN; QRM from 3912, so best in USB; poor, but better than normal and decent for 1 KW; “Radio Fly” ID heard. Have been hearing this almost daily during this time period, but often I cannot make out an ID, so today was nice (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I was listening earlier, around 1100 UT, and signals were very weak, but I did note PNGs or Indos on 3205, 3260, 3275, 3315, 3325, 3345, 3365 (Harold Sellers, BC, ibid.) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3260, R. Madang, 0918 W with what sounded like regional music. Mentions of PNG and Highlands. Best signal as of late. Other PNGs on this morning include 3204.97, 3275, 3315, and 3915. (13 June) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D with T2FD, CumbreDX via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3315, NBC Manus, 1240-1313, June 14. In Tok Pisin with many IDs for “N-B-C Manus”; gave frequencies (“shortwave frequency 3,315 kilohertz”); on air phone calls; pop songs (“Can't Stop Loving You” by Phil Collins, etc.); 1301 NBC National “News Roundup” in English; PSA about upcoming national elections on June 23. Nice to hear this with so many IDs! Edited MP3 audio at https://www.box.com/s/859e086432ab9829fafb 3915, Radio Fly, 1320-1335, June 14. Continues with decent reception; pop songs (Tina Turner with “What’s Love Got To Do With It”, etc.); clear ID: “You are listening to Radio Fly”; poor. Edited MP3 audio at https://www.box.com/s/adbde642fc79a9581b7e (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Shortwave Radio Broadcasts from Papua New Guinea Radio Heritage Foundation http://www.radioheritage.com June 12 2012 We ask all active shortwave listeners to help us update the World Radio TV Handbook 2013 listings for the government NBC radio stations in Papua New Guinea so that our listings are as accurate as possible. The current listing is based on official government licencing records, information direct from stations and monitoring during 2011, but the situation in PNG is very fluid. The government crisis there, states of emergency in some provinces, the creation of two new provinces in the past weeks, and general elections during June offer unusual opportunities for SW stations to broadcast longer hours, or even restart previously silent SW transmitters. Please tell us: 1. name of station you heard as announced 2. frequency 3. location as announced 4. any other frequencies mentioned such as an FM or MW outlet 5. any other name by which the station seems to be known and email your reply DIRECT to us at radioheritage@gmail.com Thanks for your help with this special request, and for helping us keep the Papua New Guinea content at the World Radio TV Handbook as accurate as possible. Special thanks to several DXers who have already monitored some stations and sent their observations to us! Kind regards (Dave Ricquish, PNG Country Editor, Radio Heritage Foundation, http://www.radioheritage.com DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 7324.95, Wantok Radio Light, 0808-0921, June 12. One of their better receptions, even with QRN! Highlights: 0808-0833: Christian songs in English; “Bringing the gospel to you 24 hours a day, this is Wantok Radio Light, your inspiration station”. 0833-0858: preaching by Dr. Tayo Adeyemi (New Wine Church); conforms to http://www.newwine.co.uk/media_radio-listings.asp “Wantok Radio Light at 6.30 daily - Available on 93.9FM, 105.9FM and 7325kHz (SW)”. 0901-0911: usual bird call; NBC National News in English with items about the upcoming national election. 0911: “Wantok Radio Light would like to thank the National Broadcasting Corporation . . . join us again at 7 o’clock tomorrow morning for the next N-B-C National News”. 0913: PSA about the upcoming PNG elections. 0914: ID and frequencies; schedule. 0919: Bible program; gives phone numbers. https://www.box.com/s/b71804694f2b65b01564 contains edited MP3 audio file (Ron Howard, San Francisco at Ocean Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 7324.95, Wantok R. Light, Religious program with emotional M preaching from 0849-0857 ending with soft instrumental religious music. 0901 usual NBC signature and national news by M. 0914 simple ID, then another at 0915. Signal a little better than it has been lately. (13 June) (Dave Valko, Dunlo, USA, NRD-535D with T2FD, CumbreDX via DXLD) ** PERU. 4824.53, Perú, La Voz de la Selva, Iquitos, 0000 noted on June 2nd. Signs on well after 1100 in local mornings (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, South Florida, NRD 535D -746Pro - R8 - Sony 2010XA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) 4824.411, Perú, La Voz de la Selva, Iquitos, 1120 noted with om español, signs on very late for Florida. 7 June. 60 meters has been open till 1200 last few days. 4826.5, Radio Sicuani, Sicuani, Cusco from 1020 to 1100, long om español, no music noted. Had been silent for close to three weeks. 7 June (XM - Cedar Key - South Florida, NRD 525D - R8A and Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, South Florida, NRD 535D -746Pro - R8 - Sony 2010XA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) 4826.63, Perú, Radio Sicuani, Sicuani, Cusco, 0930 first Peru in the morning, with om chat and music 8 June (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, South Florida, NRD 535D -746Pro - R8 - Sony 2010XA, and XM - Cedar Key - South Florida, NRD 525D - R8A -E-5, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** PERU. 5921.26, R. Bethel, "Amazing Grace" choral song 0041-0044. M talk with roomy effect like a church service. Into another song. Hopeless, as it was just too noisy and too much 5935 slop QRM. Better by 0103, canned announcements by audio too muffled to copy. Church service hymns. 0119 canned promo announcement by M and W with mention of "1,?80 AM". Didn't hear any mention of Bethel. 0120 alternating 2 live men preaching, 1 in English and 1 repeating in Spanish!! Because of the muffled audio and noise, it took a while to realize it was in both English and Spanish. Mentions of Esperanza, La Palabra, Gloria, and many animated "Hallelujah's". Dropping down by 0130 and went off at 0140. Blasted out by 5920 WHRI next night, but it was in the clear this night. (11 June) (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D with T2FD, CumbreDX via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DXLD) ** PHILIPPINES. 9920, FEBC, 1053 different version of IS; continuous and no IDs as like the other versions. W with ID and sked at 1059. Fair. (12 June) (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D with T2FD, CumbreDX via DXLD) ** PHILIPPINES. 11720, June 6 at 1914, spirited dialog in non-English, fair signal. 25m is pretty much useless at summer middays, so this caught my ear; at first thought it was an African language, but must be V. of Philippines as scheduled 1730-1930 in Filipino. This frequency has made unexpected appearances before, and when it does is much better than // 15190 if at all (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ROMANIA. RADIO ROMANIA INTERNATIONAL AND THE FUTURE OF ITS SW BROADCASTS Today during a press conference the Romanian President Traian Basescu said this: "I can tell you that the Presidency made an intervention related to Radio Romania last week, when they raised the issue of ceasing the short-wave broadcasts, which would affect the reception for those who live abroad." I didn't find any other information regarding this subject, but what the President said makes me think the end of SW broadcasts from RRI may be near. 73, (Tudor (Gura Humorului, Romania) Vedeanu, June 13, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Two newspaper reports both translate to the same wording on shortwave, better translated to English as Tudor has above. http://www.revista22.ro/traian-basescu-tvr-trebuie-desfiintata-si-reinfiintata-pe-baze-noi--15647.html http://www.evz.ro/detalii/stiri/traian-basescu-tvr-trebuie-desfiintata-si-reinfiintata-pe-baze-noi-986664.html (Mike Barraclough, ibid.) What a pity it would be if this station closes too, a few years after installing all those new transmitters and antennas which provide such great signals direct from Europe with RRI`s excellent programming (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) If so, I suppose this trashes the heavy investment the country just recently made in those new, powerful shortwave transmitters, let alone its investment in DRM (John Figliozzi, Halfmoon, NY, swprograms via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DXLD) To me it sounds like the President intervened to save the broadcasts; hard to know for sure with no further information (David Goren, ibid.) David, I read the item the same way; but I'm a "half full" kind of guy. Just don't know what I'm half full of (Richard Cuff, ibid.) Sounds like that the countries that can budget SW have decided that this a place they can cut budgets. The countries that can't afford their own SW just happen to be the ones that need SW the most. A loss- loss on both sides. The assumption that the Second world can balance their budgets by ignoring the Third world leaves out a whole group of people that the First world decided to ignore years ago. It won't be long before the US, Canada and Europe will be blindsided by those they ignore under the guise of "fiscal Restraint." (Steve C, ibid.) The Romanian government is facing the same budget problems as many other countries, and will be looking for cuts, likely putting RRI shortwave on the chopping block. Hard to keep going when everyone else all around them is turning off the transmitters. RRI has extensively covered all the budget issues, to their credit. The wording of the statement is a little vague, so it possibly might not really mean anything --- yet (Steve Luce, Houston, Texas, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) The statement is also from the President rather than the Prime Minister. Maybe we'll get a reaction from RRI itself at some point (Mike Barraclough, ibid.) The enclosed message says that the quoted statement from president Basescu was a mention in passing, made yesterday on a press conference. The situation is described as such that terminating the shortwave broadcasts is considered. A draft for such a decision was already on the governmental agenda; it has been adjourned to discuss an objection which raised the question how Romanians abroad will then be kept informed. Foreigners are of no interest in this regard. RRI staff told in May that the shortwave transmissions are safe until yearend (Kai Ludwig, Germany, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DXLD) ** RUSSIA. If you believe the Handbook WRTH at a frequency of 12010 kHz through the Voice of Russia broadcast three religious station Missionswerk Werner Heukelbach, Lutherische Stunde and Radio Freundes- Dienst. On the German site of the Voice of Russia have not found information about them. On the sites of religious organizations are specified "winter" frequency. Only on the Radio Freundes-Dienst specified 12010 kHz. Can anybody clarify the situation? (Vladimir Rozhkov, Kansk-RUS, "open_dx" RUSdx June 10 via BC-DX June 13 via DXLD) RADIO FREUNDES-DIENST 1825-1840 .t....s Eu 12010sam LUTHERISCHE STUNDE 1755-1800 m.w..s. Eu 12010sam MISSIONSWERK HEUKELBACH 1840-1900 mt.tfss Eu 12010sam PDF file: There they are listed as "Geistl. Program" (religious program) (Aleksandr Diadischev-UKR, "open_dx" RUSdx June 10, ibid.) ** RUSSIA [non]. RT (RUSSIA TODAY) "MOST-WATCHED FOREIGN NEWS CHANNEL IN FIVE KEY US MARKETS." Posted: 08 Jun 2012 The Moscow Times, 6 June 2012: "RT, the Kremlin-backed English- language TV channel formerly known as Russia Today, cranked up its U.S. viewership to become the most-watched foreign news channel in five key U.S. markets in 2011, a media analysis report said. Viewership in New York alone nearly tripled, while the channel also made significant advances in Washington D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco, the report by media analysis company Nielsen said, RIA- Novosti reported Tuesday. 'The growth of our audiences in major U.S. cities, including New York and Washington, proves that we have become firmly established as an international channel that gives an alternative to the American mainstream,' RT editor Margarita Simonyan said, Itar-Tass reported. ... Currently, 85 million people in the U.S. have access to the channel, according to Itar-Tass. The channel got a boost in 2011 as it began to be carried by cable networks in San Francisco, Chicago, and Philadelphia, also joining the lineup for satellite provider Dish Network. RT says it reaches over 430 million people globally in at least 100 countries. The report said RT beat out EU's Euronews, France 24, Germany's Deutsche Welle, the Middle East's Al Jazeera English, Japan's NHK World and China's CCTV News in the five cities in the report, though the BBC was not included in the analysis. In New York, RT's weekly audience was nine times that of NHK World, and in Chicago, daily viewership was three times higher than Al Jazeera's. The report also said RT's typical viewers were men between the ages of 35 and 49 who have college degrees. Twenty percent of viewers have master's or doctorate degrees, and most viewers are business owners, entrepreneurs, managers, or government officials, the report said." (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) Why this apparent success for RT? (Comparative success: the actual audience size is probably very small.) There might be parallels here to CNN versus Fox and MSNBC. RT's competitors are merely news channels, whereas RT itself is edgier, appealing to a coalition of groups with motivations to view like-minded content. The RT coalition consists of the far left, the libertarian right, conspiracy theorists, UFO believers, adherents of the gold standard, and perhaps a few who want to meet Russian ladies (Kim Andrew Elliott, ibid.) RT (RUSSIA TODAY) IS "DANGEROUS NONSENSE," WRITES CANADIAN COMMENTATOR. Posted: 14 Jun 2012 National Post (Toronto), 9 June 2012, Robert Fulford: "A Wikipedia article about RT says 'Its neutrality is disputed,' a mammoth understatement. Anyone bored by news channels that try to be objective, or say they do, can look for relief to RT. If we don’t know RT’s opinions when we switch on, we soon learn them. Everyone speaks the party line, not just commentators but also the anchors and reporters. When Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin survived the recall challenge on Tuesday, RT saw the results as tragic. 'Recall Blues,' read the online heading. The RT reporter in Madison was all but weeping: 'People are shocked and devastated,' she said. The anchor woman was incredulous as well as upset: How had the workers failed to unseat their rabidly right-wing Republican governor? An RT newscaster, asking questions of a source, usually signals the answer she wants. Having noticed that the American government is using cyber warfare while trying to prevent cyber attacks on American institutions, she asked a source in San Francisco, 'What do you think of the hypocritical rhetoric' of the United States? ... RT often seems nonsensical, but it’s dangerous nonsense, no doubt widely believed, significant for that reason, and valuable to anyone who cares to know what a large part of humanity is thinking." See previous post about RT (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) ** RWANDA. 6055, 09/Jun 0358 Rwanda, R Rwanda in Vernacular. OM talk. AT 0400 local pop music. At 0401 ID by OM QRM from REE at the same frequency. At 0402 what appears to be jingle ID, I hear Rwanda. At 0403 several mentions Rwanda by OM and YL. 33433. 73 (Jorge Freitas, Feira de Santana, Bahia, 12 14´S 38 58´W - Brasil, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SARAWAK [non]. 15420, R. Free Sarawak (via Palau), 1105 pleasant instrumental music with canned announcement by M voice-over. Talk segment by M to 1120 ending with "Mission Impossible" theme music. Discussion by M and W. Speeches and interviews. Nice clear R. Free Sarawak ID at 1159, then cut off and off the air 5 seconds later. Didn't sound like Malay, so I presume it was listed Iban. Signal strength improved and fairly good by end. No QRM. (7 June) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, NRD-535D with T2FD antenna, Cumbre DX via DXLD) 15420, R. Free Sarawak via Palau, 1149-1159*, June 7. In vernacular with monologue about “Section 9”, native customary rights (NCR) land, etc.; ID before suddenly going off the air; better than normal. Edited MP3 audio posted at https://www.box.com/s/472de71034f78e22129b with ID at 1:25 (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RADIO FREE SARAWAK HOST IN HIDING, "FEARS FOR HIS SAFETY." Posted: 07 Jun 2012 Radio Australia, 4 June 2012: "A radio presenter missing in Sarawak, Malaysia, has said in an online post that he is safe but in hiding over fears for his safety. Radio Free Sarawak criticises authorities. Radio Free Sarawak presenter Peter John Jaban - who is based in London - was taken away by three men soon after arriving in Sarawak state, on the island of Borneo. ... Jaban has filed reports critical of the state government. ... Radio Free Sarawak's reports often focus on alleged graft by the state government in the harvesting of the state's rich rainforest timber resources." See also Radio Australia, 6 June 2012, with audio. The Star (Kuala Lumpur), 4 June 2012, Yu Ji: "Peter John Jaban, who has admitted that he staged his own disappearance, is willing to meet with the police. 'I can come to a police station with my lawyer, provided the police are not rough with me,' Jaban said, according to Sarawak Report founder Clare Rewcastle-Brown." The Star, 3 June 2012, Yu Ji: "The mysterious disappearance of Radio Free Sarawak (RFS) presenter has brought much mainstream media coverage to the pirate radio station." See also radiofreesarawak.org (kimandrewelliott.com via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DXLD) 15420, R. Free Sarawak via Palau, 1109, June 12. Probably is just improved reception conditions, but this has recently been heard with almost good reception till 1200*; usually with on air phone conversations in vernacular with occasional IDs (Ron Howard, San Francisco at Ocean Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SAUDI ARABIA. Cf. BC DX 1067: The traditional mistaken schedule of Saudi Arabian Radio on SW of the cribbers from HFCC % (maybe?) plan. For many seasons there is not Second program on SW. The broadcasts on SW are: as relay from Home Services and as Foreign Service. For example the programs in Arabic, English & French are \\ of their MWs and in French are of Radio Riyadh and in English of Radio Jeddah. The broadcast in French is 17660 kHz at 1400-1555 UT only* for many years etc. All broadcasts of External/Foreign Service are beginning with specific IS - it is for the programs in Swahili, Turkish etc. (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, June 5, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Jun 13 via DXLD) % HFCC entries are a reflection of the work of Saudi Arabian Radio & Television engineer at * 17785 kHz French service is always also at 0800-0955 kHz (Wolfgang Büschel, ibid.) 9714.986, BSKSA Riyadh, non-dir antenna to NE/ME, HQ sermon / prayer / singer 0300 UT, cock cry at 0301 UT June 8 (Wolfgang Büschel, June 8, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews June 13 via DXLD) ** SOLOMON ISLANDS. 5019.87, SIBC/R. Happy Isles, 1008 nice quick "Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation" ID by M between news items. Fair signal but heavy slop QRM from 5025 Rebelde. (12 June) (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D with T2FD, CumbreDX via DXLD) ** SOUTH AFRICA. Springbok Radio: Viendo los mails anteriores sobre R. Sonder Grense, no pude menos que recordar la desaparecida Springbok Radio, una emisora comercial sudafricana que se recibía bien por acá en los '70 (por lo que recuerdo era común escucharla en la banda de 60 m). Buscando información en internet para mi sorpresa descubrí que hay una página en Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springbok_Radio y además sus archivos estarían siendo relanzados mediante streaming en un emprendimiento de preservación http://www.springbokradio.com A la hora que lo visité el streaming no parecía estar activo. Entre las cosas que preveían subir, están miles de comerciales irradiados a lo largo de la historia de la emisora. Sin embargo no me queda claro si en este momento ese proyecto sigue vigente. Siguiendo este link http://www.goear.com/listen/c2cc643/springbok-radio-springbok-radio pueden encontrar una grabación que conservo, seguramente hecha en la banda de 60 m en alguna madrugada de la década de 1970. 73, (Moisés Knochen, Montevideo, Uruguay, June 12, condiglist yg via DXLD) ** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. 13570, June 6 at 1908, Brother Scare is still/again on WINB, apparently filling more available airtime than just weekday mornings. There had been a gap between 1845 or 1900 and 2030, depending on the true length of the 1830 show. WINB program schedule still hasn`t been updated to show BS at all. And the afternoon slot is not shown either at http://www.overcomerministry.org/ [later: he did not start before 1900] 9385, June 7 at 1317 I notice that WWRB is still not on the air. Yesterday it came on at *1239. Today finally *1354 on 9385 with open carrier, cutting off and on the air several times; 1357 adding BS modulation but very low; by 1402 more or less normal (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SPAIN [non]. 11815, June 6 at 1259, NHK ID in Japanese accompanied by, what else? steel drums. Accurate time signal to 1300 ends just as co-channel REE via COSTA RICA is starting its always-delayed and thus totally erroneous timesignal. Don`t rely on that for navigation or you may crash into a reef or a mountain! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SRI LANKA. AWR Trincomalee --- Dear Radio Colleague, Just a timely reminder that the original schedule for the AWR relay from Trincomalee in Sri Lanka showed that these broadcasts would end on June 30. A special QSL card is available, and also a rare (these days) QSL stamp. Available only from the AWR address in Indianapolis. Adventist World Radio Returns to Sri Lanka Scheduling from the Trincomalee Relay Station ---------------------------------------------------------- UTC kHz All AWR Usages at 125 kW ---------------------------------------------------------- 0000 - 0100 11955 1100 - 1200 15540 1200 - 1300 15490 1300 - 1400 17635 1400 - 1500 12105 1500 - 1530 15715 1530 - 1600 7410 1600 - 1630 11835 1630 - 1700 11740 2100 - 2200 11750 2200 - 2230 9455 9545 2230 - 2400 9730 ====================================================================== (Dr. Adrian M. Peterson Co-ordinator - International Relations & DX Editor Adventist World Radio N9GWY - Ex KA9YPQ Board of Directors NASB National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters USA Radio Heritage New Zealand Board of Directors Emeritus - Adventist World Radio wavescan@awr.org adrian.m.peterson@gmail.com Adventist World Radio Box 29235 Indianapolis Indiana 46229 USA 317 891 8540 WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SRI LANKA [non]. From June 4 no signal in BUL from new Tamil Naatham Radio, 1455-1600 on 12225 or 12250. Checking day by day, maybe move on a new frequency (DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, 11 June via DXLD) He is still not acknowledging our conclusion that what was heard here was really jamming by SLBC (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN [non]. UAE, 15549.956, Radio Dabanga, 44 Hertz on lower side, in Arabic at 0535 UT Friday June 8, S=6-7 fair signal also on sidelobe reception here in Germany (Wolfgang Büschel, June 8, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews June 13 via DXLD) ** SUDAN SOUTH [non]. Some changes for Voice of South Sudan Revolutionary Radio, Arabic and English effective from today June 11: 0600-0815 15725, co-ch till 0700 R. Pakistan WS in Urdu, ex till 0800 1200-1500 NF 15725, co-channel 1400-1500 Radio Aap Ki Dunya in Urdu, ex 11650. 73! (Ivo Ivanov, Bulgaria, June 11, WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SWEDEN. 5895 3.6 1344 R Dellen Tack till Ronny, Rolf och Dan (med flera) för avslutningsintervjuerna efter DX-parlamentet, intressant! Hörbarheten i Ängelholm ganska bra, men en och annan riktig fadingdal. Kul också med att Bernt-Ivan hållit föredrag om fjärrlyssning. Ämnet har varit aktuellt ett bra tag och ännu mer finns att läsa för den intresserade på min hemsida http://www.thomasn.sverige.net/remote.htm TN 5895 1.6-3.6 alla möjliga tider Radio Dellen hördes lite då och då på den här frekvensen, men nästan bara med nonstop musik. Jag orkade inte sitta och vänta ut eventuella talade inslag och intervjuer från DXP, så lite besviket var det nog ändå. BEFF 6065 2.6 1608 R Dellen också här med nonstop mx, men med sämre hörbarhet än på 5895. 1609 flyttade man över till 5895 enl Mauno Ritola på NORDX som hade koll. TN (SW Bulletin June 10 via DXLD) Viz.: 5895, 1.6-3.6, At all sorts of hours, Radio Dellen was heard now and then, almost only with non-stop music. I could not sit and wait out the promised interviews from DXP, so I was a little disappointed. BEFF (Björn Fransson, Sweden, SW Bulletin June 10, translated by Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5895, 3.6 1344, R Dellen. Thanks to Ronny Forslund, Rolf Larsson and Dan Andersson (and others) for the final interviews after the DX- Parliament, interesting! The reception in Angelholm pretty good, but a few real fade aways. Also Bernt-Ivan Holmberg’s presentations of remote listening was very interesting. The subject has been up for some time and even more is available for interested DX-ers on my website http://www.thomasn.sverige.net/remote.htm 6065, 2.6 1608, R Dellen also here with nonstop music, but not as good as on 5895. At 1609 moved up to 5895 according to Mauno Ritola in NORDX who checked the transmission (Thomas Nilsson, Sweden, translated by himself, SW Bulletin June 10 for DX LISTENING DIGEST) Sabato 2 giugno 2012, 2125 - 5895 kHz, tent. R. DELLEN INT. (Svezia). Musica melodica, country e annunci OM anche in English. Segnale sufficiente-insufficiente, PL-660 in LSB per sfuggire da un QRM CW e l'ha quasi eliminato tutto! Emissione di max. 400 W dall'1 al 3 giugno in occasione del DX Parliament del Delsbo Radioklubb svedese. Un confronto fra la mia registrazione fino alle 21.55 ed alcuni video di YT [yours truly? YouTube?], sia della ricezione che dello studio dell'emittente durante la trasmissione, dimostra che c'è una certa analogia, sia per la voce dello speaker che per il genere musicale. (Luca Botto Fiora, G.C. 09E13 - 44N21, Rapallo (Genova) - Italia, bclnews.it yg via DXLD) ** SWEDEN. Transmitter moves: see NORWAY [and non] ** TAIWAN. PCJ Radio --- Keith Perron on Facebook: Well, we did manage to have 3 days of nice weather and some work was done building our 20 kW relay. I knew this was all too good to last. Last night we had a thunder/lighting with monsoon rains that have now lasted for nearly 10 hours. Very early I was contacted by the Taipei Power Company [that] they will need to stop work for 2 weeks due to a landslide. So I went to look for myself and sure enough, the ground has turned to mud, and none of the heavy equipment can be used until everything dries up. Here is the forecast for the next few days: http://www.cwb.gov.tw/V7e/forecast/taiwan/Taipei_City.htm See http://www.pcjmedia.com/medianetworkplus (via Mike Terry, June 11, dxldyg via DXLD) ** THAILAND. 9890, June 6 at 1213, R. Thailand in English outroing some other language, listed as Malay, 1214 bells IS until 1215*. Scheduled for a 15-minute break before resuming in English at 1230, not checked. VOA GB Spanish 9885 was sufficient but not strong enough to be a problem (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TUNISIA. 17735, June 9 at 0506, pop music in Arabic, IWT sharing SSOB honors with 17770 RRI in French, but I knew it was about over, and cut off air at 0508* as usual (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE. [Re 12-23]: "Radio Ukraine International --- Has anybody been able to get the streaming audio at to run? I've tried a number of browsers, but no luck." Works fine in Windows Media Player: 128 kbps http://89.187.1.165/NRCU4?MSWMExt=.asf 16 kbps http://89.187.1.165/NRCU4?WMContentBitrate=20000&MSWMExt=.asf (Aleksandr Diadischev, Ukraine, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) starts MS Windows Media Player Firefox Plugin 1.0.0.8 of 10 April 2007 as http://nrcu.gov.ua/tvhall.php?q=http://89.187.1.165/NRCU4 (Wolfgang Büschel, ibid.) ** U K. Orfordness transmitters on 648 and 1296 kHz are both now silent. The 1296 transmitter was last used for Radio Netherlands' farewell broadcast in Dutch on 10-11 May. No new clients have been announced for Orfordness, so Babcock will have to decide whether to keep the station in mothballs in the hope of a customer appearing, to sell it as a working transmitting station (I can't see that as likely) or to dismantle it and hand the site over to the National Trust (U.K. News, by Chris Greenway-UK; in BDXC-UK 'Communication' Magazine June 5, via BC-DX June 13 via DXLD) ** U S A. A MONUMENTAL CHANGE AT WWVB Probably the most popular radio station in the United States is WWVB on 60 kHz. Almost all atomic clocks and self-setting wristwatches are tuned to that station to obtain the correct time of day. On paper at least, WWVB could improve its signal penetration by 14 dB if it added phase modulation (PM) to its existing amplitude modulated (AM) carrier. Because AM would be maintained when PM is added, almost all existing clocks and wristwatches should continue to work well. However, new receivers designed to decode the PM signal should work much better - as if WWVB had increased its power by 14 dB. WWVB has already conducted about five experiments where PM has been added for brief periods of time. The first PM injection was in about March of this year. The latest PM injection began at 11AM PDST on Thursday, June 7, 2012 and concluded 24 hours later. The next experiment is planned to start on June 14 and will run for 15 consecutive days, ending June 29 prior to the June 30 Leap Second addition. Field data will be gathered on the east coast to better determine how much of the calculated 14 dB improvement is realized in practice. Again, almost all existing WWVB receivers should operate properly regardless of whether PM is turned on or off. However, certain old fashioned time and frequency receivers using phase-locked-loops (PLLs) will be confused by the PM signal and will not operate properly, notably old PLL-equipped Spectracom and Tracor receivers. Fortunately, WWVB plans to shut off PM for one hour on each of the work week days during the 14 day test window in order to allow those old receivers to resync. Assuming the 14 day test is successful, WWVB plans to permanently add PM in August or September. So, if you happen to have one of the old fashioned affected receivers, you should have plenty of time to replace or upgrade it, or switch to a GPS reference standard. Questions or comments should be directed to WWVB broadcast manager John Lowe at 303-497-5453, or by writing to john.lowe (at) nist.gov. Watch the following Website for updated information: http://www.nist.gov/pml/div688/grp40/wwvb.cfm (THE CGC COMMUNICATOR June 12, 2012, Robert F. Gonsett, W6VR, Editor, via Mike Terry, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 7811-USB, June 14 at 0544, AFN Florida with 2-minute Jim Hightower commentary about Bank of America`s dishonesty, as audible and visible here: http://jimhightower.com/node/7767 Then I checked // 12133.5-USB, but if on, it was inaudible; noise level was considerable on 7 MHz and would have been worse on // 5446.5-USB (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. MEETING AT RFE/RL, BBG MOVES TO LEVERAGE NEW OPENNESS IN BURMA, CONTROL TRAVEL COSTS, HONOR FORMER GOV. WIMBUSH Thursday, June 7, 2012 Prague — The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) is moving to take full advantage of the recent liberalization of press restrictions in Burma. At its regular monthly meeting, the board approved a resolution offered by Gov. Michael Meehan that seeks new coordination among the BBG, the Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) to build on recent breakthroughs to raise the profile of U.S. international broadcasting in the South Asian nation. VOA Director David Ensor recently signed an agreement that would bring VOA English teaching programs to Burmese state radio. In addition, journalists from both VOA and RFA have been given enhanced access to Burma in recent months. Under the resolution, the BBG, VOA and RFA would communicate with the Department of State and the Congress on its plans, including the possibility of establishing offices in Burma. The board, holding its annual meeting at the headquarters of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), also met with Czech Republic officials, RFE/RL staff and held an open town hall meeting. Several board members attended the meeting via remote access. The board passed a resolution calling for the development of a broader and more transparent policy to control spending on government- sponsored conferences and travel. The board’s governance committee was asked to develop the new policy for consideration in July. Also during the session, the board approved a resolution honoring S. Enders Wimbush for his service on the board. Wimbush, who served as Director of Radio Liberty from 1987-93, was named to the board by President Obama in 2010. The board unanimously approved a resolution establishing ground rules pursuant to which members of the BBG board agree to keep information regarding deliberations on budgetary and legislative matters confidential, with the level of confidentiality of legislative proposals to be determined by the current head of the board. (The BBG Governance Committee will consider other categories of information that may become subject to the nondisclosure ground rules.) The board unanimously approved a resolution establishing that members of the BBG board must keep information regarding deliberations on budgetary and legislative matters confidential, with the level of confidentiality to be determined by the current head of the board. Noting numerous reminders of the risks BBG journalists face when reporting on regions in conflict or transition, Alternate Presiding Governor Dennis Mulhaupt denounced the arrests, threats, legal harassment and interference that have been endured by reporters at an accelerated pace in recent months. “I want to join the many voices that have spoken out against these arrests, threats, legal harassment and interference. We urge officials and local authorities to ensure the safety of all journalists and punish those that misuse authority, threaten or harm reporters or their families,” Mulhaupt said. The board heard reports from the International Broadcasting Bureau Director and other BBG broadcast executives regarding agency activities and programming coverage. Highlights included the work of VOA’s Cairo bureau chief, Elizabeth Arrott, who managed to get into Syria in early May to produce a series of radio, TV and Internet reports on anti-government demonstrations that have spread into neighboring Lebanon. Special Event On Demand Links Windows Media Broadband On Demand Link: http://www.voanews.com/wm/live/special-events/BBG_Open_Meeting_060712-8-vb.asx Windows Media Dialup On Demand Link: http://www.voanews.com/wm/live/special-events/BBG_Open_Meeting_060712-8-v.asx Windows Media Audio On Demand Link: http://www.voanews.com/wm/live/special-events/BBG_Open_Meeting_060712-8-a.asx MP3 Audio On Demand Link: http://www.voanews.com/mp3/voa/special-events/BBG_Open_Meeting_060712-8.mp3 The Broadcasting Board of Governors is an independent federal agency supervising all U.S. government-supported, civilian international broadcasting, whose mission is inform, engage and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy. BBG broadcasts reach an audience of 187 million in 100 countries. BBG networks include the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (Alhurra TV and Radio Sawa), Radio Free Asia, and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (Radio and TV Martí). (BBG PR June 7, via Clara Listensprechen, dxldyg via DXLD) ** U S A. BBG "UPSET" BY VOA DEAL IN BURMA, ORDERS COOPERATION BETWEEN VOA AND RFA. [several stories at:] http://kimelli.nfshost.com/index.php?id=13351 So why the sudden desire on the part of the BBG for more cooperation between nemeses VOA and RFA? During the VOA portion of the meeting, BBG member Dennis Mulhaupt, presiding in Prague, recognized Michael Meehan by saying "Governor Meehan has a motion he wants to offer, I believe, on the subject you raised." It's unclear who "you" is, perhaps Meehan, and the subject must have been raised before the public BBG meeting. In Meehan's motion, "the Board directs the Voice of America director and the Radio Free Asia president ... to work with the IBB director to coordinate the activities in and for Burma, including in-country bureaus, sharing of stringer networks, and where appropriate, sharing of content." Later in the meeting, during discussion of a motion requiring non- disclosure of "deliberative" board matters, BBG member Vistor Ashe said to Meehan, "just as you became upset, and rightly so, about Mr. Ensor announcing an office in Burma without Board's approval... ." (Apparently Ashe sneaked in one more disclosure of a deliberative matter before the motion was passed.) It is not certain that the government of Burma will be as willing to host the content and offices of RFA as it would be for VOA. Will the BBG require that RFA be included in such agreements with VOA? Would such a stipulation cause Burma to terminate these agreements? And that's the news from The Broadcasting Board of Governors, where all the entities are above average (Kim Andrew Elliott, ibid.) ** U S A [non]. GERMANY/KUWAIT/SRI LANKA, 13690, Radio Liberty's program in Russian called 'Crossing'* was heard on new frequency 13690 kHz, replacing 12005 kHz (where is already Radio Farda) from 1330 UT on June 3rd and from 1430 UT on June 2nd. (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Jun 5 via Wolfgang Büschel, DXLD) * maybe RL's Russian language embedded segments in otherwise Kazakh and Uzbek language segments? 13690 13-14 UT Kazakh via Kuwait tx. 13690 14-15 UT Uzbek via Lampertheim tx. RL Persian of Radio FARDA 12005 11-13, 15-16 UT via Iranawila tx 12005 13-14 UT via Lampertheim tx. 12005 14-15 UT via Biblis tx. (comments by wb. June 6, ibid.) Yes, must be those (Mauno Ritola, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. Frequency change of Radio Liberty in Avari / Chechen / Chercassian: 1500-1600 NF 15480 LAM 100 kW / 075 deg to CeAs, ex 11810 effective from June 13 Frequency changes of Radio Free Afghanistan and Radio Farda: Radio Free Afghanistan in Pashto/Dari from June 9: 0230-1430 delete 15680 from various txs KWT/IRA/WER Radio Farda in Persian from June 9: 0230-1430 add 15680 from various txs IRA/UDO/WER (DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, 11 June via DXLD) ** U S A. 9805, Sunday June 10 at 1228, R. Martí atop jamming closing `Música y Palabras de Inspiración desde Salt Lake City, Utah``. A gross violation of separation of church and state, as this is obviously the Spanish version of the LDS` ``Music and the spoken word``, meaning Bible stuff, but do they dare to quote the Book of Mormon as well? The show, in English at least, masquerades as mainstream Christian, just like performances by the MT Choir. IIRC, RM used to carry Roman Catholic mass during this hour, so they are diversifying! Now every other sect should demand airtime --- or none at all with the US government keeping completely out of the religion business, especially propagating any certain faiths to other countries (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 13750, June 10 at 1250, VOA Spanish in `Música Country`, Sunday fill program instead of `Buenos Días, América` newscast on weekdays, since nothing ever happens on weekends. Was announcing a few FM/AM affiliate stations carrying the show in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, // 15590, 9885, not much jamming if any (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Estimados amigos: Luego de mi visita a La Voz de América el pasado 19 de marzo de 2012 y coincidiendo con sus 70 años de existencia, Luis Alberto Facal, uno de los integrantes del servicio en español de VOA me ha enviado una serie de recuerdos cuyo contenido detallo a continuación: * Calendario ilustrado 2012 "70 Años"* Bolsa plástica con insignia estampada "VOA Voice of America"* Bolígrafo con repuesto * Pin rectangular* Pin redondo 70 Años* Autoadhesivo* CD de Mercedes Antenaza (periodista, locutora, cantante y actriz)* Anotador de escritorio* Calculadora* Llavero de colgar. Probablemente el paquete que recibí hoy sea el último regalo de una emisora internacional. Saludos! (Rubén Guillermo Margenet, Argentina, June 13, condiglist yg via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. 17530, 10/Jun 1923, Pinheira (relay), VOA in French. Music with very good signal and strong noise, but the modulation very low, almost inaudible. At 1925 disappeared the noise. At 1926 OM with ID. At 1929 interval signal, ID VOA in French and beginning transmission from Bonaire with good signal and modulation. 45442 (Jorge Freitas, Feira de Santana, Bahia, 12 14´S 38 58´W - Brasil, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 25990/FM, WBAP Fort Worth TX (Dallas transmitter) studio relay; 2239-2253+, 6-June; Talk show; WBAP Traffic Watch, at 2249 into ad string. KLIF relay usually here. // 25910/FM! first time heard //. Both with good peaks, but fair overall with deep QSB, One rat-a-tat burst on 25990. Neither detected at 1400, 6/7, but both there and // at 1704, 6/7. 25950 KOA relay absent both days (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 125 ft. bow-tie; 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time! DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 26110 FM, KOVR TV, Stockton CA. Audible virtually daily now, adverts including Walmart & program preview, mention of “CBS-13” 0559, news 0600 on 10/6. On 11/6, “60 Minutes” 0115, Tony Awards coverage at re-tune 0450, ID “In high definition, CBS-13 News” 0508, weather 0513. Quite good on peaks (Craig Seager, Bathurst NSW, Icom R75, Discone, ARDXC via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DXLD) KMK282 is its own symmetrical call. KOVR is really on RF channel 25 now with a megawatt ERP, but pretends still to be ``channel 13`` for continuity and to avoid confusing viewers (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) ** U S A. 5050, 0235 25 May, WWRB with Pastor Larry Cain, then, after some dead air, Glenn Hauser`s `World of Radio` at 0329. Off abruptly at 0357; SIO 353 (Alan Pennington, England, June BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) 5050, 0330 11 May, WWRB, WOR with gh, English, SIO 252 (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, ibid.) I like to see those I=5s. UT Fridays (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1620: ready early UT Wednesday June 6, so first SW airing should be UT Thursday 0330 on WRMI 9955; then Sat 0800, 1500, 1730, Sun 0800, 1530, 1730, Mon 0500, 1130. On WTWW: Thu 2100 on 9479, UT Sun 0400 on 5755 On WWRB: UT Fri 0330v on 5050 On WBCQ Area 51: UT Sat 0130v on 5110v-CUSB/LSB WORLD OF RADIO 1620 monitoring: first broadcast confirmed on WRMI webcast, after 0330 UT Thursday June 7, but as usual totally blocked on 9955 by wall-of-noise jamming which only abates after 0500. Tnx a lot, Arnie! Further WRMI airings, some of which may escape jamming: Sat 0800, 1500, 1730, Sun 0800, 1530, 1730, Mon 0500, 1130. There are many more WRMI times on webcast only. Also: Thu 2100 on WTWW 9479; UT Fri 0330v on WWRB 5050; UT Sat 0130v on Area 51 via WBCQ 5110v-CUSB (measured recently by Bernardini in Italy on 5109.78; by Büschel in Germany on 5109.766); UT Sun 0400 on WTWW 5755; Tue 0930 on HLR Germany 5980. Also on WRN via SiriusXM 120 Sat & Sun 1730, Sun 0830. WORLD OF RADIO 1620 monitoring: confirmed Thursday June 7 after 2100 on WTWW 9479. I missed monitoring the 0330v UT Friday on WWRB 5050; if anyone heard it or noticed anything amiss, please let me know. Next: UT Saturday 0130v on Area 51 via WBCQ 5110v-CUSB/LSB. On WRMI 9955: Sat 0800, 1500, 1730, Sun 0800, 1530, 1730, Mon 0500, 1130. On HLR Germany 5980: Tue 0930. On WRN via SiriusXM 120: Sat & Sun 1730, Sun 0830. This edition includes a clip of the Fiji clandestine via WHRI 11565; Björn Fransson hears from them that due to a holiday, they will be replaying exactly the same program June 11 at 0830 as on June 4. WORLD OF RADIO 1620 monitoring: did not show up at 0130 UT Saturday June 9 on WBCQ 5110v-CUSB, so I belatedly check the Area 51 schedule at http://www.worldmicroscope.com and discover that this week`s time is 0200, with something else inserted at 0130. Only music heard on webcast, and 5110, but WOR does start promptly at 0200. Will this be the regular time from now on? Then UT Sunday June 10 at 0400 on WTWW 5755, confirmed. And on WRMI 9955: Sunday 0800, 1530, 1730, Monday 0500, 1130. On HLR Germany 5980: Tuesday 0930. On WRN via SiriusXM 120: Sunday 0830, 1730. WORLD OF RADIO 1621: First airing is Thursday June 14 at 2100 UT on WTWW 9479; it was completed just a sesquihour earlier. Then UT Friday 0330v on WWRB 5050; UT Saturday 0130v on Area 51 via WBCQ 5110v-CUSB (last week it was at 0200, but the June 15 schedule shows 0130 again); UT Sunday 0400 on WTWW 5755. And on WRMI 9955: Sat 0800, 1500, 1730, Sun 0800, 1530, 1730, Mon 0500, 1130, maybe Thu 0330. Also on WRN via SiriusXM 120: Sat & Sun 1730, Sun 0830 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 5085, WTWW, Nashville [sic], 0118 OM English mention R Netherlands. Continuous Music ID "This is WTWW on 5085 kHz" "I am Ted Randall, tedrandall.com" This was repeated several times over a period of about one hour. Thank you to Glenn Hauser for his lead on what he described as a test transmission. I tried to email this to Ted, but was rejected, as "This is not a known member - an AOL error". I don't often get a chance with a test and I thought I would try. In checking back, the station was off at about 0219. Good. 5/27 (Jerry Ervine, Mission TX, ICOM R-75, June 9, HCDX via DXLD) 12104.973 odd, WTWW sermon in Portuguese, S=9+15dB here in Europe. Armchair listening at 0400 UT even (Wolfgang Büschel, Log on SW at 0250-0430 UT June 8, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 3 GUILTY IN $194 MILLION PONZI SCHEME Article by: DAN BROWNING , Star Tribune [Minneapolis; with video] Updated: June 13, 2012 - 4:08 PM http://www.startribune.com/business/158578925.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue Jurors convicted three men of helping convicted fraudster Trevor Cook to bilk 700 investors of $194 million in an international scheme. Jurors in Minneapolis on Tuesday found three men guilty of helping convicted fraudster Trevor Cook pilfer the savings of more than 700 investors in an international Ponzi scheme that targeted conservatives and Christians and spoiled the retirement dreams of mostly elderly victims who have little chance of recovery. All three were found guilty of all the charges resulting from the $194 million fraud scheme -- the second-largest Ponzi scheme in Minnesota history. Jason "Bo" Beckman, a 42-year-old Plymouth man who claimed to be among the top portfolio managers in the nation, was convicted of a variety of fraud and money-laundering charges. Beckman, a former Anoka High School hockey standout, also was convicted of attempting to defraud the National Hockey League on his failed effort to buy a $5 million piece of the Minnesota Wild; of defrauding an elderly Spring Lake Park couple out of nearly $4 million in life insurance proceeds that he used to bolster his NHL bid; and of several tax charges. Faribault entrepreneur and former coin dealer Gerald Durand, 62, was convicted of fraud and money-laundering charges; of attempting to mislead the government about two foreign currency transactions; and of several tax charges. Minneapolis huckster Patrick Kiley, 73 -- whose "Follow the Money" radio talk-show program lured the most investors -- was found guilty of fraud and money laundering counts. Cook's Ponzi scheme is second only to the $3.65 billion, decade-long fraud of Twin Cities businessman Tom Petters, who's serving 50 years in federal prison for his crimes. Unlike Petters, who sacked hedge funds, Cook and his cronies pinched the nest eggs of ordinary people. Their victims ranged from Margueritte Witte, 73, of Meadview, Ariz., who lives on Social Security and lost her entire $20,000 life savings, to Richard and Rita Myers, who lost their dream home in Gambrills, Md., to foreclosure after entrusting Cook with $3 million in cash plus $2 million in gold and silver coins -- the hard-won savings from running a moving and storage company. Cook pleaded guilty in 2010 to fraud and tax evasion charges and is serving 25 years in federal prison. Christopher Pettengill, an heir in the family that launched the Kroger grocery chain, pleaded guilty last July to conspiracy, fraud and money laundering in the case and awaits sentencing. He testified against his former business associates in hopes of a reduced sentence. Islamic law, Christian sales Cook's scheme evolved from currency swaps he was running through several commodities and futures brokers, where he lost millions on risky trades. He claimed in 2006 to have finally found the Holy Grail with two Swiss firms: Crown Forex SA and JDFX Technologies. Cook said that Crown Forex, owned and operated by Jordanians, complied with Islamic sharia law and could not charge interest on the loans he took out to buy currencies. JDFX, he said, had high-speed computer technology that allowed investors to take advantage of momentary "inefficiencies" in the currency market. By partnering with these firms and others, Cook and his associates claimed they could produce steady, double-digit returns with no risk to principal. The investment strategy was fully liquid, they claimed, because the transactions closed daily. And investor funds were safe, they said, because they were held in segregated accounts. Kiley and Durand pitched the investment strategy on a Christian shortwave network and broadcast radio. Kiley, by far the most successful, bought time on more than 200 stations nationwide and brought in about two-thirds of the investors. Though he never graduated from college and eked out a living selling appliances, kit cars, hair replacements and other consumer products, Kiley told his listeners -- whom he called "truth seekers" -- that he had 40 years of experience in the financial services industry. He said the currency strategy had previously been available only to banks and international corporations, but that he and his partners were making it available to individuals to save them from an impending economic collapse. The appeal worked especially well with retirees living on fixed-incomes. Kiley closed his programs with a prayer. Durand also appealed to Christians. One investor said Durand sent him a book called the Prayer of Jabez, which links prosperity to religious faith, and told him to pray every day for wealth. Scheme sold at seminars Beckman solicited investors among the wealthy clientele of his investment advisory company, Oxford Private Client Group. He also made presentations at investment seminars, suggesting the currency program as a good alternative during a bear market. He and some associates in Minneapolis and Arizona raised about $47 million from 143 investors that way, according to court records. In fact, the currency program was a fraud from top to bottom and Beckman, Durand and Kiley knew it but never informed their investors, prosecuors argued. All withdrawals from Crown Forex had stopped in December 2008 when Swiss regulators began investigating the firm, which according to trial testimony had been "illiquid" for nearly a year by that point. Several attorneys had advised Beckman in the spring of 2008 that the currency program likely violated a number of laws and urged him to shut it down immediately, return investors' funds and report the matter to U.S. regulators. Beckman, bent on his NHL bid, kept soliciting clients. He claimed that he believed in the program and followed his attorneys' advice, though his attorneys testified to the contrary. Attorneys called against him Chief U.S. District Judge Michael Davis let prosecutors break the attorney-client privilege and call the attorneys to testify after providing evidence that Beckman hired them in an effort to defraud the NHL. The NHL's investigators saw through Beckman's misrepresentations and he ultimately withdrew his application in the spring of 2009 as the currency scheme unraveled. Crown Forex was locked down for good in May 2009 when Swiss regulators began liquidation proceedings. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission was already investigating by that point, and the FBI had an informant gathering evidence at the Van Dusen mansion in Minneapolis, where Cook and Beckman had their offices. The scam became public in July 2009 when some Ohioans filed suit in a Minneapolis federal court to recover $10 million that they had invested. Cook and his cohorts had claimed to have $4.4 billion under management, but they couldn't scrape together enough cash to hold off the lawsuit and inevitable run on the accounts that followed. Davis appointed a receiver in November 2009 to round up assets for investors, who've received just pennies on the dollar (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) See previous stories on the `Follow the Money` scheme, wherein the ``Christian shortwave network`` was identified as WWCR; apparently they are still held guiltless. http://www.w4uvh.net/dxld9079.txt http://www.w4uvh.net/dxld9085.txt http://www.w4uvh.net/dxld1130.txt (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. I see that the WRNO website is back, http://wrnoradio.com/ and it autolaunches streaming with IDs claiming it is on ``seventy- five-oh-five``, and also shows a program schedule covering from noon to last show starting at 10 pm Central time (1700-0300+ UT). I check 7505 again Jan 11 at 0104, after the time it used to sign on: nothing, natch. Seems they are adopting the WHRI model of pretending to SW broadcast, except WHRI really does, a fraxion of the scheduled time (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) There seem to be some web sites that have some of WRNO's programming. They are listed on the WRNO Radio page on Facebook (Rich Lewis, MS, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) [later:] A little more information on WRNO worldwide. WRNO worldwide is streaming the programs they have listed on the site http://www.wrnoradio.com I found this out by accident. Our monitoring is by SW but their signal on SW is nonexistent. This seems to be the only way that you can hear their programs, by streaming signals in the interim. I would keep an eye on their frequencies in the meantime. They tell people that 7505 is working but the signal is still nonexistent (Richard Lewis, Forest, MS, ibid.) ** U S A. 9370-, June 7 at 0458, WTJC modulation is back in whack for the moment. Still audible before 1300, but at 1318 no signal at all. Carmen D`Rocco linked from HCDX this visual display of the WTJC mess: http://blog.whats-your.name/public/9370.png 9370, June 9 at 0455, no signal at all from WTJC; altho 9330 WBCQ is in quite well. 9370-, June 10 at 0512, WTJC is back on with hymn, after having been absent 24+ hours earlier (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 7555, June 6 at 0512 check, the sporadic WEWN transmitter in Spanish is back on tonight, also heard around 1230. 15615, 12050, 11550, WEWN is missing from all frequencies, June 7 at 1312 and later. Propagation is poor, but not that poor, with e.g. WWCR still audible on 15825, later building up with sporadic E. Still no WEWNs at 1548 on 15610, 12050 or 11550 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 30 minutes of classic radio theatre from the golden days of Hollywood. Saturdays, 0530 UT on 11520 (WEWN/EWTN). (Ian David Evans, UK, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) ** U S A. 7570, June 6 at 0512, RTI in Spanish via WYFR is not overtime tonight, unlike 24 hours earlier (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [and non]. 11535, June 6 at 1253, Bible story only in slow English, then some harp music, and Chinese announcement 1256-1257*. It`s YFR, 100 kW, 342 degrees from Paochung, TAIWAN site per Aoki at 1200-1257 only; and bothered by slush circa 11538 from the 2 x 9 kHz spur above 11520 WEWN English but which also closed at 1257*. As the latter was retuning its spurs from 11502, 11511, 11529, 11538, to 15597, 15606, 15624, 15633. Was Caths vs Prots! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. ASCENSION: 12070, Family Radio: 2140, 5-June; Beyond Intelligent Design program on naturalism (nudism?), creationism, evolution, atheism, agnosticism, etc. "The Bible is accurate -- our only source of truth." (The story of man's creation is much more colorful in the Popol Vuh, and just as plausible.) ID at 2142+, The Inspirational Ministry of Family Radio. All in English. SIO=3+53 (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 125 ft. bow-tie; 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time! DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [and non]. Where to find AWR Wavescan's podcasts? Until recently, I was able to download Wavescan programs via the following website: http://audio.awr.org/asia/Wavescan/AWRWavescan/ I'm now getting the 404 error code. Any idea where it went? 73, (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, June 10, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hello Walter, Try this link http://audio.awr.org/asia/ENGMI/WAV/unchecked/ Regards (JM Aubier, France, ibid.) `Unchecked`? Maybe not final edit? Hello Walter! Could this be the new folder? http://audio.awr.org/asia/ENGMI/WAV/unchecked/ 73, (Stephan Schaa, HCJB, ibid.) Yes ** U S A. CAMBIOS EN EMISORAS AM EN MIAMI Oscar de Cespedes me envía este anuncio publicado en Elnuevoherald.com acerca de Radio Mambí de Miami. http://www.elnuevoherald.com/2012/06/13/1227848/oscar-haza-pasa-a-radio-mambi.html (via Rubén Gulilermo Margenet, Argentina, condiglist yg via dXLD) ** U S A. KWKH 1130: FOX Sports Radio/The Tiger --- Decided to spin the AM dial on the Yaesu FT-897 tonight. Ran across some live "sporting" event on 1130, which turns out to be a simulcast of FX cable's UFC Fight Night (Mixed Martial Arts) via Fox Sports Net. The long time country music (and recently classic Country) on KWKH 1130 Shreveport is history, per this bandscan and also a quick check on wiki. Also found the current KWKH website. http://1130thetiger.com/ Another 50 kW music station on AM Radio is history. (Fritze H. Prentice, Jr., KC5KBV, Star City AR EM43aw June 8, twitter.com/fritzehp WTFDA-AM via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DXLD) ** U S A. This morning I'm getting a constant "bad" subdecode on DT-4. Maybe WAPC Atlantic City?? (Chris Lucas - Poughkeepsie, NY - FN31bs, June 7, Insignia NS-DXA1-APT DTV Converter, Winegard YA-6260 VHF-Lo antenna @ 14', w/Chromstar 2000 pre-amp, WTFDA via DXLD) I have received confirmation from one of my sources that this is, indeed, WACP. It's been testing on and off today. Here's TSReader data: http://www.rabbitears.info/screencaps/pa-phl/189358-0_0.htm (Trip Ericson, www.rabbitears.info ibid.) So that's the little bugger who is howling away on 66.309 USB. It's not moving the Icom S-meter at all. It will be a long haul for that signal to struggle to S6 or s7 so it can decode (Mike Bugaj, Enfield, CT, ibid.) The DTV pilot carrier frequency for this channel. So New Jersey finally gets a channel 4 station with the demise of WNBC-TV (gh, DXLD) WACP-DT-4 Atlantic City --- Got this to decode its PSIP over WHBF which is pretty amazing. Video is still trying (Jeff Kadet, Macomb, IL, 0057 UT June 8, ibid.) Good going on WACP!! Obvious skip is working both days, WHBF-4 has been the best of the DTV's in here in SE New York state this evening. (Chris Lucas - Poughkeepsie, NY - FN31bs, Insignia NS-DXA1-APT DTV Converter, Winegard YA-6260 VHF-Lo antenna at 14', with Chromstar 2000 pre-amp., 0110 UT June 8, ibid.) I was doing FM but kept the Icom on watching carriers on 4 and 5. Ch 4 could only have been WHBF (and it was), so left the DTV box on ch 5. While logging FM DX I saw video flash for a couple of seconds through the reflection on the tuner, so I went to the box and found WGVK-DT1 showing from Kalamazoo, MI. This is DTV Es logging #12. All in all, video was seen from WOI-5, WHBF-4 and WGVZ-5. Total time of actual video was less than 30 seconds. Don'tcha love DTV DXing. FM was just through the roof for 3 hours. It's going to take a while to sort this out. Skip was from Chicago to Tulsa. I'm especially noting RDS info for updating FM List. The Ray Dees Decoder with RDS Spy and my NAD 4155 tuner is doing its job (Mike Bugaj, Enfield, CT, 0302 UT June 8, ibid.) Geez Jeff, it actually took you *three hours* after we knew about WACP to log it? (grin!) – (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View, TN EM66, ibid.) Here is their PSIP scan hot off the press. http://oldtvguides.com/New%20DTVs/4-WACP-DT%20%20%20Atlantic%20City,%20NJ%20%20%20864%20mi%20Es.html (Jeff Kadet, ibid.) Russ, are you receiving them? (Or Trip, does your contact know?) I'm curious whether there's any programming yet (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View, TN EM66, ibid.) I hadn't tried, as I was busy chasing FM Es. I haven't really followed this - are they on actual channel 4? I doubt that I'd see them as all I have are rabbit ears on an old analog TV with Zenith box, and I'm well beyond normal DTV distance - in fact AC was beyond analog TV range here for me (Russ Edmunds, WB2BJH, 15 mi NW of Philadelphia, Grid FN20id, ibid.) Just testing yesterday with image from traffic camera. Not on yet this am. Marginal reception here at 48 miles. Also this week, WZPA-LP 33 analog has returned to air with HSN (John Zeis, Exton, PA, 1227 UT June 8, ibid.) I had them in pinned full signal using my VU-190xr; can't null them either full bar all 360 rotation. Ugh, lost 4 for Eskip. Hobby is shortening overtime (Lee Molineux, 14.9 air miles from the Philly antenna farm in grid FM29HU, ibid.) Doug, I had a partial decode on WACP-DT 4 tonight around 1:00 AM EDT. There were trop enhanced signals. Using a Winegard PR-5040 VHF antenna and a 27 dB VHF Winegard pre-amp there was information using the Display button on the Zenith box. The ID shows WACP-D1 and the only program information that was shown was Scheduled Program. The video was only broken rectangular blocks. I will have to check the distance from the WACP transmitter to my location. Atlantic City is about 150 miles. I went back to check for signal on CH 4 and found a 4-2. Going into the Manual tuning shows WACP-D2. It appears that the Zenith digital box detected a subchannel on WACP. [later:] I am now getting a decode on WACP-D1. There is a camera fixed on what appears to be a section of Atlantic City with buildings and street lights. The light intensity seems to fluctuate. I suspect it is due to the camera that they are using. There isn't any audio. There is a white rectangle in the upper right corner of the screen with WACP in dark blue or black and "4"in red which is slightly longer than WACP. There appears to be smaller writing under the WACP, but on my older standard definition 26" TV, I can't make it out. I suspect it would be Atlantic City, New Jersey, but that is only a guess. The Display button shows "Regularly Scheduled Program". WACP-D2 switches between "Regularly Scheduled Program" and "No Program Information". The signal is about 60% on the meter of the Zenith box (Bob Seaman, Hazleton, PA, 0817 UT June 11, ibid.) ** U S A. Translator caught on E-Skip --- I was camping on 88.5 this evening (6-10) at 5:20 PM CT, had a station for about 5 minutes with a pledge drive, mentions of NPR. They gave a phone number of 800-???- 2727 and talked about pledge levels of $75 and $91 before fading away to KZTH in OK. Coming in to the internet to check my clues and Colorado College's KRCC was having a fund drive, with an 800 number ending with 2727, and levels at $75 and $91. They have one translator on 88.5, K203AT in Westcliffe, CO at 250 watts. Thank you internet! Take care, (Eric Loy, Catlin, IL, June 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. A quick treatise on K-LOVE, based on lots and lots of airchecking during my travels for tophour.com: K-LOVE started out as one of the biggest "satellator" users, taking advantage of a loophole in FCC rules that allows translators in the noncomm band (87.9-91.9) to be fed by satellite or internet or microwave instead of directly relaying a full-power station picked up over the air. As its budget has ballooned, parent company EMF Broadcasting has moved away from translators and into buying full-power signals in larger markets, often commercial stations that have struggled commercially (cf: 107.3 Utica NY, 101.7 Pulaski NY). EMF also aggressively applied for new noncommercial full-power signals in the 2008 application window. Full-power EMF signals run a local ID right around TOH, played from a solid-state device at the transmitter site. In addition to the call and frequency of the station itself, it usually includes frequency (but not call) for one or two nearby signals. (i.e. - "WKVU 107.3 Utica, also at 101.7 in Syracuse and 94.5 in Albany.") It is very rare (but not unknown) for a K-LOVE legal to include more than one full- power station; this usually happens when one station is fed over the air by another one. I'd have to dig into my tophour.com archives to pull out an example. Of EMF's remaining stash of translators, IDs vary. Those operating in the commercial band (92.1-107.9) have to be fed over the air, and most of those are fed from (and thus carry the IDs of) the nearby local K- LOVE that feeds them. So on 101.3 in Syracuse, for example, you'll hear the ID for 101.7 Pulaski. But EMF's translators in the noncommercial part of the band can be fed by satellite, and for those, the nominal "parent" station is indeed KLOV Winchester. (I have also heard the "KLOV Winchester" ID occasionally on other full-power stations where the local ID doesn't cover it up; this happened for the first day or two that K-LOVE was on what's now my local WKDL 104.9 Brockport.) The "KLOV" translators exist all over the country, since they're all fed by the same satellite feed. I think Yankton is a good guess for what Saul heard. (It should be noted that EMF has also struck deals with Clear Channel and other commercial broadcasters to partner up - the commercial broadcaster usually gets some leftover EMF translators and EMF gets to put K-LOVE programming on the commercial station's HD2 or HD3, allowing it to feed more translators. I know this is happening around Detroit, where K-LOVE translators are fed by - and ID with - Clear Channel's WMXD 92.3-HD2.) Hope that helps! s (Scott Fybush, NY, June 12, WTFDA via DXLD) A particular source of frustration here - and probably in other locations as well - is that once K-Love buys a full-power signal, they don't turn loose any of the translators that are now served by the full-power signal. The result is K-Love all across the dial. I don't mind K-Love, though I prefer Air1 for its basic premise. What I do mind is their saturation on the FM band (Mike Hawkins, ibid.) ** U S A. LYNKS RADIO MIAMI - MIAMI NUMBER ONE FOR ALL ISLAND SOCA, REGGAE AND MORE http://www.lynksradio.com/ This Pirate Radio Station is back on the air. When it was on in 2007, it was actually getting Ratings in Arbitron and getting Community Service Awards by doing Live & Local Radio and lots of Remotes & Public Service. Did they Win any Legal Battles or did they just light it back up a couple of Years since the last Raid on the Station? 73, (Kevin Raper, KJ4HYD, CE WCKI WQIZ WLTQ, June 8, ABDX via DXLD) WTFK? 92.1 ** U S A. SAN FRANCISCO CLASSICAL and NASHVILLE By Marty Ronish on | June 8, 2012 in | Comments { 4 } San Francisco: The somewhat convoluted steps that have gone into making commercial classical KDFC into a public station in the crammed Bay area market is starting to resolve with a new ruling by the FCC. Commercial KDFC’s powerful signal was sold 17 months ago, and to keep classical music on the air, the Classical Public Radio Network in LA acquired a group of smaller stations that would cover the Bay area. KUSF at the University of San Francisco was one of them. But the students and community listeners of eclectic KUSF were not pleased and they mounted a p.r. offensive against the University, filed a number of requests to deny the deal, and issued a challenge to the FCC questioning the legality of the dealmaking. The ruling this week from the FCC consented to the sale, refused to deny the deal, but said the Operating Agreement that allowed the station to begin airing classical music immediately had some irregularities, including selling air time on a public station for a profit. KUSF is paying a $50,000 fine, which they are calling a “voluntary contribution,” and the case is closed as far as the FCC is concerned. You can read about it at radio-info.com. Nashville: Radio-info.com also reports that Nashville’s old WRVU listeners are still making noise a year later about Vanderbilt University selling their eclectic station to Nashville Public Radio which took it classical. Nashville Public Radio has until the end of the year to raise the funds and close the sale. …that affords protesters plenty of time to make noise… Yesterday’s consent decree in the case of KUSF, San Francisco may quiet them down, because the Commission firmly repeated its “well-settled policy” about not considering formats or programming when processing station sales. Meanwhile, the Nashville Scene says some fans miss the “engaging, erratic mishmash of everything from punk rock to country classics, jump blues and hip-hop” that WRVU used to feature. Over at LMA operator Nashville Public Radio, classical is going well and gaining listeners. President Rob Gordon says they’ve secured bridge financing from SunTrust that guarantees they’ll be able to close. Until then – they’re fundraising like crazy. Gordon says “we’ve learned a lot about capital campaigns” in the year since announcing the deal to add 91.1 to non-commercial news/talk WPLN-AM (1430) and WPLN-FM (90.3). About Marty Ronish Marty Ronish is an independent producer of classical music radio programs. She currently produces the Chicago Symphony Orchestra broadcasts that air 52 weeks a year on more than 400 stations and online at http://www.cso.org She also produces a radio series called "America's Music Festivals," which presents live music from some of the country's most dynamic festivals [recommended! gh]. She is a former Fulbright scholar and co- author of a catalogue of Handel's autograph manuscripts. Reply: Michi Eyre June 8, 2012 at 10:05 pm # When a local voice, operated by local people, mainly student volunteers is displaced by an out of town interest like in the case of KUSF, we have a serious problem. This deal was 150% about greed (on both the part of USF and USC). You can not dispute that those who underwrite classical music radio are more likely to be in the category of much more affluent than the many different minority and underprivileged audiences that college stations try to reach out to. I am sure that a classical music format would work just as well on a HD2 signal in a market. Many classical music listeners, who are also avid audiophiles are more likely to own a receiver capable of picking up HD Radio where minorities and the poor are more likely to not have that capability. They Bay Area lost a great radio station out of the greed of a local private university and an out of town private university. We might as well as give all of our non-commercial radio stations to Clear Channel and mega-ministries. Reply: Marty Ronish June 8, 2012 at 11:50 pm # Michi, I hear your pain. I worked for a station that got sold twice because of greed and consolidation. They jerked us around, stole our tower, moved us to a worse frequency, moved our studio into a closet, either fired or chased out all the old-timers, made hash out of the programming, and just generally ruined the station. [this was KHFM ex- 96.3 Albuquerque NM, fortunately long, long, after I announced there – gh] Huge money is buying up bandwidth like mad these days, but the folks at KUSC are really good people who are trying to preserve the classical format and in no way should they be compared to Clear Channel. They are improving the classical music environment in SF. I’ve been tracking the steady decline of classical music on the radio all over the country for many years now, and I think classical listeners are just as much victims of a lousy media environment as college station listeners are. I’m sorry you lost your format. I can think of a dozen top 40 stations all playing the same music that are more expendable. Reply: Kathy Cunningham June 9, 2012 at 9:18 am # There are two errors in this post that I am aware of. There was no sale in January, 2011 of the 33 kW ERP signal on 102.1 MHz in San Francisco, despite what Wikipedia says. The FCC says the sale from Bonneville to Entercom was consumated March 14th, 2008. Entercom still owns it. The call sign was changed from KDFC to KUZX on January 28th, 2011, however. As the consent decree posted on the FCC website and the radio-info site both indicate, the fine will jointly be paid by USF and 90% USC-owned CPRN. It is clear CPRN does not want their contributors to know some of their pledges are going to pay off a fine. (from http://www.insidethearts.com/scanningthedial/2012/06/08/marty-ronish/4542/#comments via DXLD) ** VATICAN [and non]. 13730, June 6 at 1204, Vatican Radio relay via CANADA in English hasn`t been canceled yet in seemingly objective newscast about killing Al-Libi, from stringer Priscilla somebody ``in Washington for Vatican Radio`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also NIGERIA 11740, June 10 at 0459, WYFR signing off in Spanish, as Vatican Radio IS is playing, prior to Swedish at 0500, by when YFR has gone off, but for a minute it was Catholix vs Protestants, making a SAH of about 4 Hz which I did not have time to count precisely. I had just looked for the Lebanon relay on 11715, but nothing heard; probably tuned in too late. 13765, June 10 at 0503, VR with African English supplications alternating with drumbeats, good signal, but with variable-pitch whining. Now its more like a deep-voiced (or winged) mosquito than a cat`s miau as I heard during same broadcast May 29. The noise got a little louder as VR faded a bit, so likely from an external source. At this hour, 13765 is via MADAGASCAR, as the RNW relay has no problem with propagating various religions, as long as they are Christianish. 13730, Sunday June 10 at 1205, RV with pascua story in Spanish instead of news in English, which we continue to hear other days of the week via Sackville, CANADA at 1200-1215 after Spanish at 1130-1200 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) VATICAN RADIO REDUCES BROADCASTS AND STRENGTHENS WEB AGI 12 June 2012 Vatican City - Vatican Radio will end its short and mediumwave broadcasts on 1 July, strengthening its web service. Spokesman of the Holy See and Director of Vatican Radio, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, announced: "From 1 July Vatican Radio will end all its medium wave broadcasts and its shortwave ones to most of Europe and the Americas, which are regions of the world where the rebroadcasting of programmes by the local Catholic radio and internet access are more developed." ... http://www.agi.it/english-version/italy/elenco-notizie/201206121327-cro-ren1038-vatican_radio_reduces_broadcasts_and_strengthens_web (via Mike Terry, June 12, dxldyg via DXLD) I had to read the article twice to know what the "all" referred to. The "all" refers to the MW broadcasts, so it appears Africa and Asia will still be SW targets (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA USA, swprograms via DXLD) It´s true: Vatican Radio will cease its MW and SW transmissions or most of Europe and for all the Americas on July 1st. Just received this link via their German Service: http://www.oecumene.radiovaticana.org/ted/Articolo.asp?c=595720 73 (Harald Kuhl, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) Report now on the Vatican Radio website http://www.radiovaticana.org/en1/Articolo.asp?c=595927 (Mike Barraclough, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) VATICAN RADIO: NEW COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGIES 12/06/2012 15.23.22 Announcing Vatican Radio’s intention to reduce its Short and Medium Wave transmissions to most of Europe and the Americas, starting July 1st, the Director General, Fr Federico Lombardi, today spoke of what he called, “A new chapter in the history of Vatican Radio” as it evolves “from Short Waves to new communications strategies”. Here is the full text of his comments. “After celebrating its 80th birthday last year, Vatican Radio is ready to open a new chapter in its history by committing its message of service to the Gospel and the Church to new communication technologies. Vatican Radio’s 40 different language programmes can currently be received via satellite and the internet, and are rebroadcast by around a thousand local radio stations on FM or Medium Wave in over 80 countries around the world. They are also available live on five web channels, on demand and in podcast, from Vatican Radio’s website at www.vaticanradio.va Written reports and texts on the website represent 40 languages in 13 different alphabets and provide a wealth of information. Daily RSS feeds and newsletters are sent to subscribers in a variety of languages, including Chinese, Hindi and Tamil, aside from European languages. Close collaboration between Vatican Radio and the Vatican Television Centre has led to the development of on-line video services and an innovative instrument called the “Vatican Player”, which offers sound and images of Papal events, live and on demand, texts and written reports related to those events, and a permanent link to the Pope’s Agenda of public activities. The Vatican Player allows websites all over the world to receive and redistribute images, sound and text concerning the Pope and the Holy See, on a regular basis. The 24-hour “Vatican Radio Live” channel has a strong audience on FM in the Rome area and on DAB and DAB+ in most of Italy, and encourages ongoing dialogue between life and culture in Italy and the Catholic Church in the country. Webcasting and satellite transmissions, along with rebroadcasting by local, regional and national radio stations, guarantee the widest possible outreach to Vatican Radio’s programming and services. Which is why Vatican Radio believes the time has come to reduce its reliance on traditional technologies, like Short and Medium Wave broadcasts, and to develop its resources in new directions. On July 1st, Short and Medium Wave broadcasts from Vatican Radio’s Santa Maria di Galeria Transmission Centre, to most of Europe and the Americas, will be suspended. These areas of the world are already well served by Vatican Radio’s local rebroadcasting partners and by widespread internet access to its services and language programming. The reduction of Short and Medium Wave broadcasts to these areas accounts for about 50% of the Centre’s transmission time and will allow Vatican Radio to restructure the Centre according to more innovative technological criteria. Short Wave broadcasts will be further reduced over the next few years – but not at the expense of those poor, needy and suffering parts of the world (like Africa, the Middle East and Asia) which have no alternative means of receiving news of the Church and the voice of the Pope. Over the next few days, Vatican Radio’s language programmes will be informing their listeners of these changes, indicating alternative ways by which traditional Short and Medium Wave users can listen and benefit from Vatican Radio’s services. Vatican Radio’s international Short and Medium Wave broadcasts have made a priceless contribution to the history of the Church, especially in 20th century Europe where they were a source of strength and encouragement for nations oppressed by war and totalitarian regimes. As this unique service is gradually phased out, making way for new communications technologies, it is important to thank those who dedicated their hearts and minds to it for so long – and for the good of so many (also via Mike Terry, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DXLD) The only English broadcasts to Americas from VR are now via Sackville: less than half an hour daily from 0250 on 9610, 7305; and a quarter hour from 1200 except Sundays when Spanish is extended, on 13730 (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Does this mean the end of DRM broadcasts to NA from Santa Maria de Galeria, as well? We already know the one from Sackville is "toast". (John Figliozzi, Halfmoon, NY swprograms via DXLD) Didn't expect to see this coming today, but given the current climate in international shortwave broadcasting, not a surprise. And this closedown comes at the same time as the end of Radio Netherlands, which had a time swap agreement with Vatican Radio. Also means the end of several hours of transmitter time via the Bonaire facility, which will now be down to only a few daily transmitter hours, mostly for NHK. Perhaps The Vatican was also tired of dealing with all the lawsuits over RF exposure from the transmitter site near Rome? (Steve Luce, Houston, Texas, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) RADIO VATICANO SE ESCUCHARÁ SÓLO POR INTERNET EN EUROPA Y AMÉRICA Ciudad del Vaticano, 12 jun (EFE).- Radio Vaticano dejará de emitir desde el próximo 1 de julio en onda media y onda corta para la mayor parte de Europa y América, donde se escuchará a través de internet, informó hoy su director general y también portavoz vaticano, el jesuita Federico Lombardi. Lombardi señaló que tras haber celebrado el pasado año su 80 aniversario, Radio Vaticano "está preparada" para afrontar una nueva etapa, echando mano de las nuevas tecnologías de comunicación para difundir el Evangelio y la voz de la Iglesia Católica. Subrayó que los programas que emite a diario en 40 idiomas y 13 alfabetos diferentes, que envía por vía satélite o internet, son retransmitidos por un millar de emisoras de radio locales o regionales en Frecuencia Modulada (FM) y en Onda Media (OM), en unos 80 países de los cinco continentes. A ellos se puede acceder a través de cinco canales web y otros a a la carta. Lombardi explicó toda la tecnología de última generación usada y la colaboración con el Centro Televisivo Vaticano (CTV, que también dirige él), que permite al oyente escuchar y ver la voz e imagen del papa y de la Santa Sede. "Por ello, a partir del próximo 1 de julio, el Centro Transmisor de Santa María de Galería (a una veintena de kilómetros al noroeste de Roma) terminará todas las transmisiones en Ondas Medias y en Ondas Cortas hacia la mayor parte de Europa y de las Américas, que son las regiones del mundo en las que los servicio de Radio Vaticano se reciben ya a través de Internet", precisó Lombardi. El portavoz vaticano agregó que en los próximos años continuará la supresión de emisiones en ondas cortas, pero que continuarán utilizándose para cubrir aquellas regiones y poblaciones más pobres o en situaciones de dificultad, "en particular en África, en Oriente Medio y en Asia, que no tienen otros medios alternativos para recibir de forma capilar la voz del papa y de la Iglesia". EFE FUENTE: http://feeds.univision.com/feeds/article/2012-06-12/radio-vaticano-se-escuchara-solo?refPath=/noticias/mundo/noticias/ (Via @yimbergaviria, DXLD) RADIO VATICANA TAGLIA LE ONDE CORTE PER L'EUROPA E L'AMERICA VATICANO: LA RADIO DEL PAPA SCEGLIE IL WEB, ONDE CORTE E MEDIE ADDIO = STOP A TRASMISSIONI DA CENTRO SANTA MARIA DI GALERIA VERSO L'EUROPA E L'AMERICA Citta' del Vaticano, 12 giu. - (Adnkronos) - Dal prossimo 1 luglio la Radio Vaticana dira' addio alle trasmissioni in onde medie e in onde corte. E' l'ora di Internet anche per l'emittente della Santa Sede. E' questa la svolta alla quale si prepara la Radio Vaticana diretta da padre Federico Lombardi. I programmi radiofonici in circa 40 lingue della Radio Vaticana - ricevuti via satellite o via internet - sono oggi ritrasmessi da un migliaio di radio locali o regionali in FM e OM in circa 80 Paesi dei cinque continenti. Sono inoltre accessibili live su cinque canali web e on demand e in podcast in ogni punto del mondo da cui ci si possa connettere al Sito della Radio Vaticana. Dunque, recita un comunicato ufficiale diffuso oggi, ''tenuto conto della vasta accessibilita' dei suoi servizi tramite le ritrasmissioni radio locali, regionali o nazionali, e tramite il Web e alcuni canali satellitari, la Radio Vaticana ritiene che sia giunto il tempo in cui sia possibile ridurre l'impegno delle trasmissioni con le tecnologie tradizionali delle Onde Corte e delle Onde Medie, trasferendo cosi' risorse in nuove direzioni''. Per questo motivo dal primo luglio ''verranno terminate dal Centro Trasmittente di Santa Maria di Galeria tutte le trasmissioni in Onde Medie e quelle in Onde Corte verso la maggior parte dell'Europa e delle Americhe, che sono appunto le regioni del mondo in cui la copertura da parte delle ritrasmissioni radio e l'accesso tramite Internet sono ormai le vie di gran lunga preponderanti per fruire dei servizi della Radio Vaticana''. E' un cambiamento che si annuncia complesso anche sotto il profilo organizzativo: ''La riduzione attuale interessa circa la meta' dei tempi di trasmissione dal Centro Trasmittente, dove si avvia lo studio per la ristrutturazione del Centro stesso in funzione delle nuove tecnologie di comunicazione' '. ''Nel corso dei prossimi anni - si spiega - si prevedono ulteriori riduzioni delle trasmissioni in Onde Corte, tenendo pero' sempre presente il dovere di servire con particolare attenzione quelle aree e popolazioni piu' povere o in situazioni di difficolta' (in particolare in Africa, nel Medio Oriente o in Asia), che non hanno altre vie alternative per ricevere capillarmente la voce del Papa e della Chiesa''. (segue) (Fpe/Zn/Adnkronos) 12-GIU-12 13:22 NNNN (via Andrea Borgnino IW0HK, bclnews.it yg via DXLD) Vaticana: il comunicato stampa ufficiale RADIO VATICANA: DA ONDE CORTE A NUOVE STRATEGIE DI COMUNICAZIONE "Dopo aver celebrato lo scorso anno il suo 80 anniversario, la Radio Vaticana è pronta per affrontare una nuova tappa della sua storia affidando in modo sempre crescente il suo messaggio di servizio al Vangelo e alla Chiesa alle nuove tecnologie di comunicazione" . Sono le parole con le quali il direttore generale della Radio Vaticana, padre Federico Lombardi, introduce il comunicato dal titolo "Una nuova tappa nella stroia della Radio Vaticana. Dalle Onde Corte alle nuove strategie di comunicazione", spiegando che "i programmi radiofonici in circa 40 lingue della Radio Vaticana – ricevuti via satellite o via internet - sono oggi ritrasmessi da un migliaio di radio locali o regionali in FM e OM in circa 80 Paesi dei cinque continenti. Essi sono inoltre accessibili live su cinque canali web e on demand e in podcast in ogni punto del mondo da cui ci si possa connettere al Sito della Radio Vaticana. Anche le notizie e i testi pubblicati per scritto in 40 lingue in 13 alfabeti diversi sul Sito - rileva - sono una fonte di informazione ricchissima, e il servizio RSS e le newsletter vengono inviate quotidianamente a numerosi abbonati in molte lingue diverse (non solo europee, ma anche, ad es. cinese, hindi, tamil…)". Inoltre, ricorda ancora padre Lombardi, la "stretta collaborazione con il Centro Televisivo Vaticano" ha permesso di "sviluppare anche un servizio video molto ricco sulla Rete e lo strumento innovativo del 'Vatican player', che offre non solo le immagini e i suoni delle attività del Papa live e on demand, ma le collega sistematicamente all’Agenda degli appuntamenti del Papa e così anche ai testi e ai servizi giornalistici attinenti. Tramite il 'Vatican player' i Siti web di tutto il mondo possono ricevere e rilanciare sistematicamente nella Rete immagini, voci e testi del Papa e della Santa Sede. Il canale radiofonico “Radio Vaticana in diretta” sulle 24 ore è ormai ben seguito in FM su Roma e in DAB e DAB+ su buona parte del territorio italiano, permettendo un dialogo sempre più intenso con la vita e la cultura italiana e con la Chiesa in Italia. Dunque, si legge nella nota, "tenuto conto della vasta accessibilità dei suoi servizi tramite le ritrasmissioni radio locali, regionali o nazionali, e tramite il Web e alcuni canali satellitari, la Radio Vaticana ritiene che sia giunto il tempo in cui sia possibile ridurre l’impegno delle trasmissioni con le tecnologie tradizionali delle Onde Corte e delle Onde Medie, trasferendo così risorse in nuove direzioni. Perciò - si afferma - dal prossimo 1 luglio verranno terminate dal Centro Trasmittente di Santa Maria di Galeria tutte le trasmissioni in Onde Medie e quelle in Onde Corte verso la maggior parte dell’Europa e delle Americhe, che sono appunto le regioni del mondo in cui la copertura da parte delle ritrasmissioni radio e l’accesso tramite Internet sono ormai le vie di gran lunga preponderanti per fruire dei servizi della Radio Vaticana. La riduzione attuale - illustra padre Lombardi - interessa circa la metà dei tempi di trasmissione dal Centro Trasmittente, dove si avvia lo studio per la ristrutturazione del Centro stesso in funzione delle nuove tecnologie di comunicazione. Nel corso dei prossimi anni si prevedono ulteriori riduzioni delle trasmissioni in Onde Corte, tenendo però sempre presente il dovere di servire con particolare attenzione quelle aree e popolazioni più povere o in situazioni di difficoltà (in particolare in Africa, nel Medio Oriente o in Asia), che non hanno altre vie alternative per ricevere capillarmente la voce del Papa e della Chiesa". Dai prossimi giorni, annuncia anche il comunicato, "i programmi radiofonici nelle diverse lingue informeranno i loro ascoltatori della nuova situazione, dando anche suggerimenti e indicazioni appropriate perché I tradizionali radioascoltatori in Onde Corte o Medie possano ricorrere alle vie alternative disponibili per fruire dei servizi della Radio Vaticana". Quindi padre Lombardi conclude: "Le trasmissioni internazionali in Onde Corte e Medie della Radio Vaticana hanno svolto un servizio di valore incalcolabile nella storia della Chiesa - soprattutto in Europa - nel corso del Secolo XX, a sostegno delle popolazioni oppresse dalla guerra e dai totalitarismi. Mentre questo tipo di servizio si avvia al tramonto per lasciare il passo alle nuove tecnologie di comunicazione, sentiamo di dover esprimere viva gratitudine a chi vi ha dedicato con intelligenza e grande generosità le sue forze e il suo cuore per il bene di innumerevoli persone" (via Andrea Borgnino, IW0HK, bclnews.it yg via DXLD) VATICAN TO ERADICATE BULK OF ITS SW BROADCASTS http://www.radiovaticana.org/en1/Articolo.asp?c=595927 (via Bill Patalon, DXLD) Re: Vatican Radio reduces broadcasts and strengthens web Catholic News Agency (CNA) By David Kerr Vatican City June 13, 2012 The Vatican has announced that it wants to create a “.catholic” domain name as a way of validating official Catholic institutions online – just one day after rolling out a major shift in its communications strategy. “Our idea is that those communities that make up the Church will be able to apply to have this ‘dot catholic’ web address as a way of authenticating their presence in the web space,” said Monsignor Paul Tighe, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, in an interview with Vatican Radio. The online suffix would be granted by the Vatican to Catholic bodies across the world so that internet users “can be certain that it’s coming from a genuinely Catholic source,” he said. The Vatican is just one of nearly 2,000 new applications to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the California- based organization that decides on new domain names. The news comes only a day after the Vatican announced that the Holy See Press Office will start to publish media releases in English, Spanish and French from September 2012 onwards. At present, Vatican media releases are published principally in Italian, unless the original texts are in other languages. The Vatican Press Office will also increase its staff, following the parallel decision to transfer workers across from the Vatican Information Service, which will close down at the end of July. Commonly referred to as the “VIS,” the service has issued news updates at 3:00 p.m. every Vatican workday since 1991. It currently has about 60,000 subscribers. They will now receive the translated Press Office bulletin instead. The Vatican’s Press Office also announced June 12 that “the extensive archive of more than 85,000 articles” in various languages that were created by the VIS … “will be conserved and integrated, with a simple and rapid search engine,” which will be accessible on the press office’s website. Meanwhile, those VIS employees who are not transferred to the press office will be deployed “to reinforce the multilingual 'news.va' portal which was established a year ago by the Pontifical Council for Social Communications,” the statement said. Launched by Pope Benedict XVI in June 2011, the news.va site brought together all the Vatican’s communication outlets into one online location for the first time. That list includes Fides News Agency, the newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, the Holy See Press Office, the Vatican Information Service, Vatican Radio and the Vatican television service, CTV. However, each news source still maintains its own independent website. Finally, Vatican Radio has also announced plans to reduce its short and medium wave transmissions to most of Europe and the Americas, starting July 1. Founded in 1931, the station is increasingly using the newer technologies of satellite and the internet, as well as local rebroadcasting, to transmit its programs in 40 different languages around the world. “After celebrating its 80th birthday last year, Vatican Radio is ready to open a new chapter in its history by committing its message of service to the Gospel and the Church to new communication technologies,” said the station’s Director General, Father Federico Lombardi. http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/vatican-looks-online-as-it-retools-its-communications-strategy/ (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DXLD) This could be subtitled, "The Office of the Inquisition Comes to Cyberspace." Reminds me a bit of the use of the Imprimatur that signified that a publication had the approval of the Church hierarchy. (John Figliozzi, Halfmoon, NY, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VIETNAM. The Voice of Vietnam, 12019.27 kHz. Nominal fq is 12020, of course. In English at 1344 UT. http://youtu.be/3WfuwmdjBbg 73 de CX2ABP (Rodolfo Tizzi, Montevideo, Uruguay, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZAMBIA. 6165, Radio 2 – ZBC. In DXLD 12-23 Glenn asked: “0441? Isn`t that pretty late? Maybe not in winter. So Chad is definitely missing from 6165, at least not all-night any more?” 0341-0445 on June 11. No trace of Chad; in English; 0341-0400 pop songs (Kool & The Gang “Celebration”; Whispers “Rock Steady”; etc.); 0400 drums; into the news; 0408-0445 Hi-Life African songs/music; poor with QRN, but clear ID for “Radio 2, the natural choice”. MP3 audio at https://www.box.com/s/6e4a17784c37d3a671fc (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) BTW - Radio 2 (Zambia) noted June 14 on 6165 from 0420 (with signal slowly improving towards their local sunrise ) to 0450 (just about faded out), still with no hint of Chad. Lusaka sunrise was at 0430 UT and my local sunset was 0329 UT. Thanks again (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, Calif., USA, June 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZAMBIA. A-12 of CVC International, 1 Africa via LUS=Lusaka: English to West Africa and Nigeria 0600-2000 on 13590 LUS 100 kW / 315 deg 2000-2200 on 9505 LUS 100 kW / 315 deg A-12 for Christian Voice via LUS=Lusaka: English to South and Central Africa 0500-1700 on 6065 LUS 100 kW / non-dir 1700-0500 on 4965 LUS 100 kW / non-dir (DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, 11 June via DXLD) ** ZANZIBAR. 11735, ZBC, Dole 2031-2055* June 5; Hilife & Hindi music; whisper quiet announcer in listed Swahili at 2048; music at 2050 until pulled the plug at 2055; fair-good (Scott R. Barbour Jr. Intervale, N.H. USA, NRD-545, MLB-1, 200' Beverages, 60m dipole, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Dear DXers, 07.06.2012, Last Night, I listened to this radio station, Radio Tanzania Zanzibar, 11735, 1800-1810 UT. Reception condition was good. Ten minute programme only news broadcast (Abid Hussain Sajid, Mailsi, Pakistan, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6015, 09/Jun 0340-0350, Tanzania, Zanzibar BC in Swahili. OM talk. At 0342 short music, then YL talk. At 0343 OM back talk. At 0344 YL says “Tanzania”. After 0345 various external comments and YL and OM talk. 25332. 73 (Jorge Freitas, Feira de Santana, Bahia, 12 14´S 38 58´W - Brasil, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6015, ZBC. June 11 late starting (usually hear IS about 0257); not heard through 0308 tuned away, but was heard at 0316 with better than normal reception; usual OM with monologue; 0329 African song; another monologue till 0339 Islamic chanting. DXLD 12-20: Bill Bingham had a “QUESTION: Has anyone (are you there Ron?) managed to catch all the IDs for this early morning broadcast on 6015? I have been dipping in and out since it came back on air, but reception is still very poor and difficult to hear more than two or three consecutive words. But I am in no doubt that the most common ID is now a simple "ZBC Radio". I have heard it several times, also an occasional (but rare) "Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation". I fancy I have also heard a few "Radio Tanzania (something)" and "Radio (something) Tanzania Zanzibar"; maybe old habits die hard, either at the studio or in my head. Surprisingly, I do not think I have heard "Sauti ya" in any of its likely pronunciations, but maybe that's just my ears (or lousy reception). Would love to resolve this (Bill Bingham, RSA)”. Sorry I was in Shanghai (China) for much of May and didn’t see Bill’s question. My IDing this as Zanzibar is based upon my frequently hearing their distinctive IS and also it matching their scheduled sign on time. Frankly I have never been able to get good enough reception to make out a spoken ID, so afraid I am of no help with the “ZBC Radio” issue (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Zanzibar on 6015 is fair-good this morning. As of 0329, Indian-style song. Swahili, with ID at 0330 "ZBC Radio" then YL talking, probably local current affairs. At 0338 a few seconds of presumed Koran and another ID "ZBC Radio". At 0339 "ZBC Radio" and into another Indian song, at 0340 "Tanzania Zanzibar" and almost immediately another "ZBC Radio" followed by YL's and OM's talking, sounds like local news with telephone interviews. Getting noisy as of 0346 (according to http://www.timeanddate.com sunrise in Zanzibar today is 0330, so already daylight there. Joburg sunrise is 0452). At 0357 into an Arabic song, followed by what sounds like a "Western Union" advert in Swahili and at 0359 "ZBC Radio". 5+1 time pips at 0400 and ID "ZBC Radio", into news. Regards, (Bill Bingham, RSA, June 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi all, amazing signal from Zanzibar BC, 11735 kHz. Have been listening since before 1700 UT; ID, English news at 1800, lead story on Kenya. Into Swahili at approx. 1810, music talk with OM and phone ins. SINPO 55544. Regards & 73's (John, BDXC 1741, Hoadd, June 12, JRC NRD-515 / ALA1530 bdxc-uk yg via DXLD) Zanzibar - 1811 UT, 11735 kHz - 34333 - fair with fading, OM Talking with some speaker / news recording clips, 1843 UTC mx - Afro-Arabic tune instrumental, 1816 UTC OM announcer back in local language, Hindi Song (old bollywood) clip and another OM talking in African - presume Swahili - into phone talks with callers (Partha Sarathi Goswami, Siliguri, W.B., India, Rx: JRC NRD-72, Ant: 20 meter copper wire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) HI Glenn, Reception from Zanzibar on 6015 not so good today June 13, but an interesting start. No transmitter warm up time. At 0257 it suddenly cut on with afro-pop music, Swahili talk mentioning Tanzania, and a jingle comprising three IDs for "Spice FM". This was faded out at 0259 in time for 5+1 time pips at 0300 and ID "ZBC Radio". Definitely no Zanzibar anthem was played this morning, and no interval signal before start up. Following the ID, and brief talk by OM, into Koran at 0302. This sounded very fluttery, like a faulty tape player or mis-fed tape; Koran stopped briefly (a few secs) at 0303, and came back with normal sound. At 0308, back to OM"s talking, with several mentions of Tanzania and Dar es Salaam. At 0316 into a brief Indian song mentioning Zanzibar, then to another OM talking. At 0318 it sounded like he mentioned "ZBC TV", and at 0330 sounded like "Tanzania Zanzibar Sauti", into the same brief Indian song which again mentioned Zanzibar, presumably a jingle. ID at 0330 "ZBC Radio" followed by YL talking Swahili, several mentions of Tanzania, Zanzibar, and Dar es Salaam. Local news ?? 0335 a few secs of Koran or similar chant, then ID "ZBC Radio" twice, to Indian (Bollywood ??) song. ID "ZBC Radio" at 0340 followed by more Swahili talk by YL's and (sounded like) recorded telephone interviews. This continued until 0356 when an OM and another YL took over (but still with telephone interviews). At 0359 jingle music, adverts for DSTV (a South African satellite TV company with tentacles throughout Africa) and Western Union, ID "ZBC Radio". 5+1 pips at 0400, into more "ZBC Radio"s and news. Regards, (Bill Bingham, RSA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Bill, This is very interesting! It was May 9 that I last heard their IS (*0257-0259). On June 11 they did not start broadcasting till after 0308 (was heard at 0316). So will be interesting to see if they continue with the new starting format you observed today. Well done! Thanks for the heads up! I am driving down to Monterey tomorrow, so will try to check from the beach there tomorrow night. Best regards, (Ron Howard, San Francisco, Calif., DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Glenn, I listened in on 6015 from 0245 June 14. Nothing at all until 0337, when it suddenly cut in with OM talking Swahili, and mentions of Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam, presumably the news (which, if like yesterday, began at 0330). Brief islamic chanting (just seconds) at 0341 followed by Indian style jingle and YL talking, she mentions "Tanzania Zanzibar", and then various correspondents via telephone. Looks like we don't get our daily Koran today; will someone be in trouble? Their late appearance on June 11 (per Ron), rushed entrance and apparently improperly threaded tape yesterday (June 13), and late entrance today (June 14), all conspire to make it look as though someone in Zanzibar has difficulty getting out of bed on these dark "winter" mornings (if Zanzibar at 6 degrees south can be said to have a "winter"). The way it cut in mid-programme gave the appearance that the live production studios were working normally all the time, but unaware they were not being broadcast. Fair-good reception today. Regards, (Bill Bingham, RSA, ibid.) Hi Bill, Just back from the beach. Yes, June 14 I also found 6015 suddenly started at 0337. As you indicate, they have become most irregular recently regarding their sign on time and format. Time will tell if they settle down again to their usual IS at 0257 or so. Thanks for continuing to monitor Zanzibar! (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, Calif., USA, ibid.) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. 9870, MADAGASCAR, V. of the People, Talata Volondry, 0442-0456 June 5; Interview at tune/in in unID language; brief hilife music at 0447 into M announcer with passing mention of Voice of the People; W announcer at 0450; music bit & M announcer at 0454 with URL I could not fully copy; another bit of music & pulled the plug at 0456; fair (Scott R. Barbour Jr. Intervale, N.H. USA, NRD- 545, MLB-1, 200' Beverages, 60m dipole, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Even lower down in frequency, whilst listening on my atmospheric noise detector, heard 4 "whistlers" during the day (1430 UT), last week, along with lots of distant lightning "crashes" and "fizzes". 73's (Nick Rank, Buxton, UK, June 10, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 1210.1 kHz, 1038 June 11, 2012. Threshold, Spanish vocals. Carrier is always slightly warbly, USB to avoid as much of WNMA, Miami Springs (Spanish format) as possible. It's been here forever, as there are entries are in my logbook from September and October, 2010 and October, 2011. Rebelde also present and weak, but spot on 1210, so not them. Suspect something Central American or maybe Mexican (Terry L Krueger, from the Clearwater, FL static site with (highly abridged equipment list): JRC NRD-535, ICOM IC-R75, Sony ICF- 7600GR, and Sangean PR-D5; 1 X roof dipole, 1 X room random wire, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 6104.962, 1.6 2306*, Very weak station here sounds like a Brazilian. Just above noise level every time I have observed them so not possible to get any program info or ID. Noted almost every night. Maybe Cultura Filadélfia?? (Thomas Nilsson, Sweden, SW Bulletin June 10 for DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Ditter jamming on 7270 kHz 1745 UT June 7 {7267...7273} Ditter jamming against WHOM? Noted annoying ditter jammer signal (from Vietnam ?) at 1745 UT June 7. Some peak signals seen on Perseus screen like 180, 460, 640, 870, 1500 Hertz, "though wobbling tones around" (Wolfgang büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews June 7, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 10520-USB: Hi all, Been hearing lots of these Asian language transmissions in USB lately; anyone have an idea what they could be? I had one tonight with good signal on 10520 USB around 0430 UT. here's a video of it : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BPx1Ss-oGM&feature=plcp Can someone tell me if it's Chinese language? thanks! 73's (Gilles Letourneau, Montreal, Canada. http://www.youtube.com/tecmtl June 11, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 11807 approx., extremely distorted FMy signal, June 9 at 0457, a horrible blob of unreadable modulation. I quickly tried to match it to nearby stations such as Brasil 11780, Habana 11760, but it did not. 0458 the intentional modulation stopped, and just the noise continued. 0459 mod resumed and I could tell it was the BaBcoCk music loop! and cut off at 0500*. During a brief overlap it was far enough away not to interfere with DW Rwanda starting English on 11800. Looking thru HFCC, the likely closest culprit in terms of time and frequency is: ``11800 0400 0500 47E,48NW DHA 250 225 0 216 1234567 190412 281012 D 9000 Non-Specif UAE BAB BAB 19434`` But what is it really, specifically? Aoki answers: ``11800 Sudan Radio Service Darfur 0400-0500 12345.7 Arabic 500 225 Dhabbaya UAE 05415E 2410N EDC a12 BAB`` i.e. daily except Fridays (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) No such problem 24 hours later, and 11800 unheard UNIDENTIFIED. 13620, June 8 at 0141 big open carrier not quite as strong as 15590 found three minutes earlier, q.v.. Never any modulation here either until cut off at 0156*. In this case there is something scheduled, R. Cairo in Spanish, 0045-0200, 250 kW, 241 degrees from Abis, which of course is a strong suspect for broadcasting without modulation. India in Pashto via Bengaluru is also scheduled to start at 0200, but only in HFCC, not EiBi or Aoki, so may not really exist either. FCC, HFCC, Aoki and EiBi, also show WHRI-5 on 13620 at 22-23, so possibly they were testing the transmitter or frequency later (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 15590, June 8 at 0138, big S9+25 open carrier. Kept monitoring and never any modulation past 0200 until cut off at 0204.5*. (Meanwhile found another one just like it on 13620, q.v.). So what could it be? Nothing scheduled, of course at this time, but HFCC reminds us 15590 is a longstanding imaginary registration for inactive WRNO at 14-01. I don`t think so. Maybe it`s the ghost of KUSW/KTBN. It`s also the morning frequency for VOA Greenville in Spanish. They have to fiddle a lot with their old transmitters to keep them going, and I suspect this was most likely (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. unID analog LPTV 3 / summary --- A mystery analogue 3 received while AR / TN / LA / TX in; but with this opening who knows as NE & FL Panhandle also in. It was WAY off frequency - video at 61.196 MHz & audio at 65.70 MHz. That's one BIG minus offset. With one that far off, I'm guessing it doesn't necessarily mean it's a 3- ... could easily be a poorly-maintained 3z or 3+. Programming... infomercials... 7:30 PM CDT - My Pillow 8:00 PM CDT - Brazil Butt Lift 8:30 PM CDT - Nopalea The signal was in from 7:46 until 8:40 PM CDT. The possibilities: 1) WDVZ 3n Greensboro, AL - 1st one I thought off, but I saw it recently with a WVUA ID (This TV Network). Programming doesn't match WVUA. Plus I think I would have remembered it being this far off frequency. 2) WBCF 3z Florence, AL - Only 18 watts. Doug has it with America One programming - which doesn't match. 3) WPNG 3- Pearson, GA - 600 watts. Doug has it with White Springs TV - but this network is defunct. Leading candidate ? even though east of other DX ? 4) W03AO 3n Madison, FL - Only 31 watts. Listed as a translator of religious WACX Orlando - programming doesn't match. Any ideas? Anyone know what WPNG has as programming? Thanks, Bill H. ES summary can be found here... http://dxinfocentre.com/hepburn/logs/dxlog.htm#Z -- (William R Hepburn (VEM3ONT22), Grimsby ON CAN 43 10 59.5 -79 33 34.3, June 7, WTFDA via DXLD) I also had this station, with My Pillow. UnIDed as well. Was weak to moderate signal, but fairly stable (Saul Chernos, Burnt River ON, ibid.) I also had this one too, constant infomercials with no IDs at either top or bottom of the hour. Was in for a long time to near snow free levels at times. Infomercial with something called the "Booty Strap" was interesting (Brazilian Butt Lift). The channel maps only show WDVZ-CA in ?AL? and WWWB-LP in TN. WMC-5 was in strong. Area of Es for me was Western TN, AR, DFW area, se corner of OK. K04AR was in with America One for a long time too (Jim Pizzi, 15 miles ESE of Rochester, NY, ibid.) UNIDENTIFIED. Unid 87.9 from yesterday morning http://forums.wtfda.org/showthread.php?7214-Unid-87-9-June-8th-11-30am-ET-Who-what-is-it&p=23129#post23129 http://tinyurl.com/7dybuxg All the info is on the post at the Forums. I'm positive it's Es but there's still a nagging doubt. Check it out and tell me what you think (Mike Bugaj, Enfield, CT, June 9, WTFDA via DXLD) It does sound like an XM or Sirius converter using the RF output into a car radio. Hertz still has some of the old Audiovox ones in their cars. The vehicle was probably moving nearer (Mike Hunter, ibid.) UNIDENTIFIED. 912/WFM, 5:57-6:32 PM [? EDT = 2157-2232 UT], 7-June; No idea what's going on here. Mainly Fox News with host Bret -- all national items, nothing local and no IDs. One item about Clinton apologizing to Obama about a tax cut comment repeated 3 times in succession; twice cut abruptly to a few minutes of a JAG episode; ads seem to be randomly thrown in and some DAs. Obviously not off-air stuff. Excellent except for occasional complete dropouts. Bret Baier is a Fox News anchor (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 125 ft. bow-tie; 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time! DX LISTENING DIGEST) Broadcast studio-transmitter linx operate in this area. Presumably some station put their produxion-studio audio on this unit. At that MHz frequency it was probably something near you rather than DX, and could be heard again. WFM = wideband FM (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ ACKNOWLEDGED ON WORLD OF RADIO 1621: Thanks for bringing the most timely and informative DX news to the international radio listening community week after week. Sincerely (Robert W. Gruska, Glendale NY, with a MO to P O Box 1684, Enid OK 73702) At this point we have no pending contributions to acknowledge (gh) PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ FREE MAGAZINE ARCHIVE ON GOOGLE BOOKS I don't know if it's been shared yet, but Google Books is hosting a huge magazine archive at the moment. Countless issues can be read online for free. I thought two titles in particular would be useful to us radio fanatics. They have Popular Mechanics going back to January 1905: http://books.google.com/books?id=J98DAAAAMBAJ&lr=&source=gbs_all_issues_r&cad=1&atm_aiy=1900#all_issues_anchor and they have Popular Science going back to May 1871: http://books.google.com/books?id=wzsEAAAAMBAJ&rview=1&source=gbs_all_issues_r&cad=1&atm_aiy=1870#all_issues_anchor Both of these archives extend well into the 2000s. That's quite a lot of issues to read! They have a ton of magazines I'm finding, on a bunch of different topics, so there really are things for everyone. I hope we got more radio stuff in the near future. Anyone find any great old radio books on Google Books or any of the other legal web archives? Please share! Plenty of people talk about all of the strange stuff going on sponsored radio shows. Apparently those weird things DXers hear are nothing new. In May 1931, Popular Science Monthly, as it was then called, covered fortunetellers on the air: http://books.google.com/books?id=ZigDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA80&dq=radio+popular+science&hl=en&sa=X&ei=R57RT7aYBon02wWEoamADw&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=radio%20popular%20science&f=false The early principles of modern short wave broadcasting were all the rage in April 1923: http://books.google.com/books?id=VCoDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA43&dq=radio+popular+science&hl=en&sa=X&ei=R57RT7aYBon02wWEoamADw&ved=0CEAQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=radio%20popular%20science&f=false This article on receiver sensitivity was actually really interesting: http://books.google.com/books?id=3icDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA70&dq=radio+popular+science&hl=en&sa=X&ei=R57RT7aYBon02wWEoamADw&ved=0CEgQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=radio%20popular%20science&f=false I kind of want to build this DXer's antenna: http://books.google.com/books?id=UOIDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA946&dq=shortwave+popular+mechanics&hl=en&sa=X&ei=V6XRT_DyEsfU2QXR0pmGDw&ved=0CFUQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=shortwave%20popular%20mechanics&f=false Those were the sorts of articles I was trying to link to in the first place: things that have to do with DXing and the like (John, ABDX via DXLD) CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ SHORTWAVE BROADCASTERS MULL THEIR OPPORTUNITIES Radio World by Alexis Hauk June 7, 2012 http://www.radioworld.com/article/shortwave-broadcasters-mull-their-opportunities/213810 A large portion of presentations at the National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters meeting, held in Washington in May, centered on the issue of how shortwave radio — dismissed by some as in its last throes, a relic of the Cold War era disappearing under the shadow of digital — can eke out a place in the 21st century. As many of the conference’s speakers argued, that solution for now may reside in areas with little electricity, where shortwave is seen as an effective and necessary means of relaying information under the nose of repressive regimes. Presenting the results of a recent study on shortwave audiences across the globe, Dr. Kim Andrew Elliott, an audience research specialist at International Broadcasting Bureau, pointed out that in countries like Nigeria and Zimbabwe, radio ownership far surpassed television. In the impoverished landscape of Mugabe’s Zimbabwe, 32 percent of those surveyed own shortwave radios, according to Elliott. The surveys were conducted randomly, face-to-face and door-to-door. Burma, another stronghold for shortwave, with a 60 percent listenership, is ranked by the Reporters without Borders website as 169 out of 179 for freedom of the press, slightly up from its 2010 spot (174). “People are listening to radio at work. They may not have a radio at home but they’re listening where they can,” said Elliott. People are “very comfortable about owning shortwave radios and tuning them.” The attendees of the conference, all representing various interests in the shortwave world, hailing from across the country, got a tour of Radio Free Asia, the conference’s host location, which has managed to broadcast even to the highly censored North Korea via shortwave, which is more difficult to interrupt than the Internet and is one of the only means of bringing in news from the international community. Presenter Thomas Witherspoon, who founded Ears to Our World, a nonprofit based near Asheville, N.C., which supplies shortwave radios to South Sudan, said, “I get asked all the time, ‘Why do you still use shortwave radio? That’s like something my grandpa had.’ People know by and large that it’s on the decline ... We’re working in the places where it’s not on the decline as much.” He said he was skeptical when people dismiss shortwave radio’s future on premises like “the Internet is everywhere.” “I always like to think there’s an opportunity in this,” Witherspoon said. “We can look at all these reasons why (radio) is on the decline, or instead ways we can invest in shortwave radio and why we should do that. First of all, it’s affordable, and you broadcasters are doing it pretty efficiently.” One of the conference’s few women attendees, Shahnaz Ghavami, of the FCC, said, “After sitting here today, it’s fascinating. It makes you think about shortwave as something new.” The group also heard presentations by the USA DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) group and from one of NASB’s newest members, Antenna Products of Mineral Wells, Texas. In the business portion of the meeting, NASB Vice President Brady Murray, President Glen Tapley and Secretary-Treasurer Jeff White were all re-elected. "Of course those of us who are involved in shortwave radio know that it’s very much alive and kicking. It’s our job to make sure that the big bosses who fund shortwave stations know this too, so they don’t keep eliminating funding for these operations,” White wrote in an email after the conference. “And along with this, we need to find new, innovative ways to make shortwave relevant in today’s media-saturated world. So it’s important for us to get together – if only once a year – and share ideas with each other.” Next year’s NASB annual meeting will be held in Birmingham, Ala., May 16 and 17, 2013 (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) LANGUAGE LESSONS ++++++++++++++++ THE Ukraine or The Ukraine: Why do some country names have 'the'? By Tom Geoghegan BBC News Magazine 7 June 2012 Last updated at 06:06 ET As Ukraine prepares to co-host one of football's biggest tournaments, Euro 2012, why do some people call it "the Ukraine"? And why do some other country names also have a definite article? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18233844 (via Terry L Krueger, FL, DXLD) LANGUAGE SAMPLES ADDED Many more languages have been now uploaded in my mediafire account as follows: [sic; how about putting them in some order, and proofread?] Dori MIsing Marwari Sarchopa Lepcha Karbi Kukna KOtwla KOnyak Newari Bhojpuri Magah Maithili Mundari Somali Azeri Amharic Oriya Koya Nepali Kannada Thadou Tangtul Sumi Yerukala Banjara Garo Khasi Chin Assamese Marathi Kyrgyz Tagalog GUjarati. Sindhi Santhali Nokte Kokbrok Halam Sherpa VAdari Meittei Soura Garo Kui Sambalpuri Dzonkha Tamang Chtisgarhi Bundelkhandi Avadhi Monchi Kaubru Deshiya Bondo Gamit Mishi Varli Maithili Sadri http://www.mediafire.com/myfiles.php#7fwpl575bnw5u If you are quite perceptive, most of these above languages come from GFA Atme Yatraa which is now back on 15390 15350 15215 and 9810 (not heard here). Several of this list also come from VoA/RFE, R Veritas and YFR. Some very important notices of GFA is that the Aoki listing of 2 weeks ago has many inaccuracies, but still the sample from the GFA listing has some differences from the program transmitted. As for example the 11/6 language transmission for 15350 was entirely different from the program schedule. That requires very careful listening for the identification of languages before and after each language transmission (i.e. every 15 minutes) especially if the main language (Hindi) is one you don`t know. Some noticed there in brackets mean with the listed by GFA (but not confirmed) language. And 15215 is the replacement of 13750 as noticed on the GFA's listing. Meanwhile the strong noise has been stopped last Saturday leaving a different spark type noise which is dependent on the time. For 13-6 evening the band is clear from any of these mentioned noises except the standard DSL noise (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) MUSEA +++++ THE SHIFTING SOUTH AMERICANS Hola Colegas, He publicado una entrada al blog con un artículo publicado hacia mediados de los años 30, donde reseñan los cambios que se estaban presentando en las frecuencias de operación en onda corta de las emisoras colombianas; señalan que primeramente estaban concentradas alrededor de los 49 metros, luego algo importante para la historia de la onda corta en Colombia: la decisión del Ministerio de Transporte y Comunicaciones de la época en trasladarlas a los 31 metros que en los siguientes años provocó las quejas por las interferencias producidas a estaciones en USA y Europa, que al final desembocaría en la "creación" de las bandas tropicales hacia 1939. Pueden leerlo en http://dxdesdecolombia.blogspot.com/ Buenos DX (Rafael Rodríguez R., Bogotá D.C. - COLOMBIA, June 6, condiglist yg via DXLD) The article is blurry but legible, in bmp, and cut off incomplete after the first 3 pages as moving on to other countries, Panamá and Dominican Republic. No author or source shown. And yes, it`s en inglés (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) WORLD OF HOROLOGY See AZERBAIJAN +++++++++++++++++ DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DRM See also AUSTRALIA; CHILE; ERITREA; FIJI ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ [non]; GERMANY; INDIA; KOREA NORTH; LITHUANIA; NIGERIA; ROMANIA; CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES Re: How is DRM Green? While I'm very familiar with the energy draw from full duty modes, having operated a lot of RTTY on VHF when I was still an amateur radio operator, I can't imagine that a system like that would ultimately save power. Even if we imagine that the pulsed sideband system works wonders, wouldn't the extra electricity consumed by every receiver to run the decoder circuitry more than make up for any saved from the transmitter side? My portable short wave receiver works just fine, and only uses 12 watts of power. I doubt a full DRM rig would only sip that much out of the wall AC. I also completely agree with what Glenn Hauser was saying, considering that DRM does have some serious faults. If one really wished to save power, couldn't transmitters use some form of full-carrier sideband, where a sideband is compressed but the carrier is maintained? These formats allow compatibility with both SSB and AM receivers, while allowing more transmitter power to be packed in a smaller bandwidth. Granted, I'm convinced that these aren't exactly the best places to be experimenting to save power. I think if everyone unplugged his or her radio when not using it, the amount of vampire power saved would probably be measurable to a degree far exceeding that of anything we could save with DRM. Just one of my thought experiments though - I have no wish to sound hostile. [and re silence-non-sensing] I had a question from a technical standpoint in regards to this, and Internet radio got me thinking. When an Internet stream dies, it just goes off. A few broadcasters, mostly shortwave, use single sideband as a transmission format. If nothing were to be loaded up so to speak, wouldn't the transmitter effectively shut itself off since SSB doesn't have a carrier? I suppose the same would be true of other carrier-compressed systems. While this is merely a thought experiment, I'm curious if this would actually fix the issue. Naturally, it's not a real solution since SSB doesn't provide the fidelity of AM. Moreover, I doubt people would like to have to replace their existing equipment! (narvorr/wolfwere, June 7, ABDX via DXLD) DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DTV ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ FCC PLANS WORKSHOP ON SPECTRUM CHANNEL REASSIGNMENT REIMBURSEMENTS The FCC is sponsoring a workshop on June 25 on its plans to reimburse broadcasters for channel reassignment costs following the upcoming spectrum auctions. http://www.current.org/fcc/fcc1204spectrum-buyback.html The 2012 Spectrum Act established a $1.75 billion TV Broadcaster Relocation Fund for those costs. Panelists will discuss issues they feel the FCC should consider when designing the payback, as well as possible models and lessons learned from similar previous programs. Appearing will be Jay Adrick, v.p., broadcast technology, Harris Corp.; Brett Haan, principal, Deloitte Consulting; Jane Mago, e.v.p. and general counsel, National Association of Broadcasters; and Patricia Tikkala, v.p., spectrum, Sprint Nextel Corp. The workshop will run from 2 until 3:30 p.m. at FCC headquarters in Washington D.C. Watch live here, http://www.fcc.gov/live submit questions here, incentiveauctions@fcc.gov and participate via Twitter using hashtag #fcclive (Current.org blog June 1 via DXLD) SMALL AND INDIE TV STATIONS PROTESTING FCC BID TO END ANALOG VIEWABILITY RULE A group of more than 200 TV stations is protesting the FCC's proposal to end the viewability rule in December 2013, reports Multichannel News. In September 2007, in anticipation of the digital transition, the FCC decided that cable operators would be required to convert digital signals to analog so must-carry channels could still be viewed by households with analog television sets. The FCC now wants to sunset that requirement, citing the availability of free or low-cost converter boxes. But Independent Voices for Local Television, representing smaller and independent TV stations, say that 12.6 million households of more than 34 million viewers don’t have any digital TV sets. "Many millions more have analog sets in their bedrooms, even if they have one digital set in the living room," the group says on its website. "If the FCC shifts the burden to consumers, these cable viewers will lose access unless they lease new equipment." "Voices for Local TV will have to talk fast," Multichannel News notes: The FCC's proposed order needs to be voted on by June 12 or the rule sunsets immediately (Current.org blog June 8 via DXLD) American Carrier Frequencies List online Since there is obviously a demonstrated demand from some DXers for an American TV carrier frequency list, I have resurrected my list. It can now be found online. There isn't much on it now, but it will be fattened up as I log more skip this summer. Local measurements have been updated. http://www.dxinfocentre.com/TVOffsets-A.htm Cheers, Bill H. (William R Hepburn (VEM3ONT22), WTFDA via DXLD) CARRIER FREQUENCY LIST DISCONTINUED [a few days later] I've discontinued my carrier frequency list. I still don't see the point in it. It really is a waste of time. If I can already ID a station by its general offset ( - o + ), I don't need to know its carrier frequency. If I can't ID a station by its general offset because there are more than one with same network & same offset, I can't match a station to carrier frequency anyway - how do I know which is which? So what's the point? Unless we spread TV DXers across sparsely populated parts of Canada, Mexico, etc. to measure frequencies. The carrier frequency list alone won't help us ID a station. For the Euro folks: if you have a NTV on 4z - you have Grand Falls. If you have a NTV on 4- you have Stephenville. If you have TVES in Spanish on ch 2 - you have Venezuela. What more do you need? If you can't decide between two CTVs on 3+ --- neither can we. Like I said, unless we send someone out to NB and NL to measure them in person. If you need help IDing stations, we will do our best to help you. Cheers, (Bill Hepburn, Ont., June 10, WTFDA via DXLD) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ THE FUTURE OF TV DXING Hey, I'm Canadian. We watch snow fall from the sky seven or eight months of the year, and then it's Es season and we watch snow on our TV sets for the remaining four months. Gotta problem with that? ;-) Now, all kidding aside, I'd like to see this discussion - which I've been following with interest - move forward in a practical way, so a few questions to get this party started: 1) Is there enough analog TV left, within actual skip range, for enough time moving forward, to make an investment in equipment and training on how to set up and use it worthwhile? If not, I think I consider this case closed. So, what will I potentially see / hear, and for how long moving forward? If the prospects are good, let's move on to more questions: 2) What equipment does a DXer need? What is the cost range? Where does one obtain it? How easy is it to install and set up? 3) Does one need a tower? Pre-amps, Other technology? What are the costs? Where are the sources? 4) Location, location, location. I presume Burnt River, Ontario is ideal. Tons of land here around me. Very rural. But what if the DXer has a very small lot in an urban centre, or is in an apartment where outdoor antenna are difficult or verboten? 5) Now, I want to emphasize that from what I'm reading, European DXers are using equipment to analyze signals to (1) know if stations are potentially about to fade up (i.e., to avoid 'watching snow'); (2) to help determine what geographic region they're coming from; and (3) as a tool to *HELP* ID the station (but with the DXer also relying on observation of content such as program, ID slide, corner bug, etc). Now, just so you know where I'm at - I am not a technical person. I work as a journalist, I'm university-educated in the arts, not in science or technology. I'm coming at this hobby from the content side, not the technical side. I am in a rural area, I don't want to install a tower (at last for now), and I don't want to spend huge gobs or money. I'm using old, cheap B&W TV sets. I'm not sure if I'll actually move in this direction - it will depend on a number of factors - but I am curious, and others on this list may want to try new tricks (Saul Chernos, Burnt River ON, WTFDA via DXLD) As with most hobbies, some people enjoy the technical side of it as much as (or more than) the actual activity. We all have our own goals to achieve with TV DX. Some are interested in distance, some in total logs of new stations, others in developing the most effective way to receive DX, and a few are interested in signal propagation. Very few people are even aware that such a hobby exists. It would be interesting to conduct a study of TV-FM DXers to see what kind of person does this! (Mike Glass, N9BNN, Indianapolis, Indiana USA, ibid.) V-POLES PARIS, MAY 14th --- Vancouver writer and artist Douglas Coupland, today at the New Cities Summit in Paris, unveiled the V-Pole, a simple proposal for the future of complex urban utilities, including wi-fi and wireless data traffic. The V-Pole (‘V’ for Vancouver) is a slim, modular utility pole connected to underground optical wiring... http://v-pole.com/pdf/V-Pole_Press_Release.pdf (June CIDX Messenger via DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ SPORADIC E: THE SWIRL OR VORTEX THEORY --- By Simon Hockenhull [from May and June 2012 issues of British DX Club Communication] Introduction I first became aware of this phenomenon in the late 1960's and early 1970’s when as a boy I lived in the small fishing village of Coverack in West Cornwall. During certain times of the summer our normally clear TV pictures of BBC1 would be affected by varying levels of interference, affecting both picture and sound. Sometimes it would last for a few hours and other times it would last all day. Sometimes it would occur almost on a daily basis, and then disappear for weeks. Sometimes it was just annoying and other times BBC1 reception would be totally swamped out. At the time there were a lot of explanations for these effects including weather conditions, freak atmospheric conditions, nearby Russians’ factory ships and of course satellites! I learned through magazines such as Hi Fi News and Practical Television that it was all down to an ionospheric effect called Sporadic E which mostly only affected the lower VHF frequencies as used by the BBC1 405 line service. Sporadic E Effects & personal observations Our local BBC1 405 line TV signal originated from the North Hessary Tor transmitter which was located some 60 miles away on Dartmoor. This used the VHF band 1 channel 2 with a vision frequency of 51.75 MHz with sound on 48.25 MHz. These frequencies being shared or very close to those used for television transmissions in many countries around the world. Normally this is not a problem, with careful frequency planning in normal conditions the same channels can be used many times in one country to provide extensive TV coverage. But during outbreaks of SpE these signals can be reflected off these ionospheric clouds often with very low losses causing widespread co and adjacent channel interference effects. Due to the different line standards which were used across Europe (625 & 819) pictures could not be resolved on a UK 405 line set all you got was a spectacular display of lines. Occasionally we would see BBC1 405-line pictures from the north of England and Scotland, but only very occasionally. More recently I have been studying SpE openings during the summer using a special tuner (D100) feeding a normal television set. This set up allows me to watch and identify most of the received signals as today all analogue television broadcasts across Europe use the 625 line standard, the only differences being vision modulation and sound spacing. After all these years I am still fascinated by the sheer unpredictability of these openings, some lasting for less than an hour, some for all day. Sometimes only certain directions would be favoured whilst another opening will bring signals in from all directions. Sometimes these signals were just above noise levels but in a very short period of time sometimes less than a minute these same signals can be crashing in at almost overload levels. It is also very intriguing to see stations fading in and out, for example you could be watching Italian signals they would fade out as southern French signals fade in then they would be replaced by strong Iberian signals. I have also been studying the effects of SpE frequencies below VHF on the higher frequency Short Wave or HF bands. During daylight hours on the higher frequency broadcast HF bands such as the 15, 17, 21 and 26 MHz you can normally hear the BBC World Service broadcasts from nearer European countries such Spain, France, Germany and Scandinavia via backscatter from the F2 layer (due to the UK being well inside the typical skip distance for F2 layer reception), the signals normally being weak and fluttery affairs. But during SpE openings these signals can increase in strength to local station like levels often with minimal fading effects. Over the years I have noticed this effect not only in the summer but occasionally throughout the year when the muf very rarely rises to the VHF bands. Questions arising Over many years I have had many thoughts about how and why SpE occurs. Here are some of the questions; Why does it mainly occur during the summer months only? One of the main questions is why does SpE take place at all? After all during the summer season the muf of the normal E layer lies between 10-12 MHz during the middle of the day then falling rapidly after dusk to between 3-5 MHz. Why are some years better than others and why certain directions are favoured during some years and other directions other years? Why is it so unpredictable? I shall now try and provide some answers to the above questions. Sporadic E and the E layer From earlier studies we do know that these clouds are forming within the E layer as the distance achieved by SpE propagated signals compares well with the distances achieved by medium wave am radio stations heard via the E layer after dark. Both have an upper limit of typically 1200-1500 miles the only differences being the minimum skip distances, zero for medium wave transmissions and between 400-500 miles for the VHF signals. Swirl or Vortex Theory So on to my ideas for what they are worth, which are based on my observations over the last umpteen years monitoring television and FM radio signals via SpE on the VHF bands 1 and 2. Most of my theory is based on the way the direction and strength of the signals change with further inspiration from watching the nearby River Avon in flood. First I believe that something very substantial is going on to raise the muf (maximum usable frequency) from a summer day high of 12 MHz to 70-80 MHz and often even higher. The quality of these reflected signals can be very good, surprisingly stable and sometimes from different directions at the same time. I have been told that the cause of SpE is due to clouds of ionisation forming within the E layer, but have also been told that within the E layer very strong winds blow with speeds up to several hundred mph, mostly from an easterly point during our summer. I also know that the SpE does occur throughout the year in the equatorial regions of the world, whilst the southern hemisphere experiences the same SpE peak during our winter or their summer. The reason for these seasonal variations is possibly linked to the higher background muf of the E Layer due to the higher radiation levels from the sun that exist during the summer period and of course all year round in the tropics. Many of us DXers have noticed that during periods of quiet summer anticyclonic weather (especially if the anticyclone covers much of Europe) we see a decrease and weakening of SpE openings. When the high pressure starts to decline with the inevitable breakdown of the weather then the SpE openings start to become more frequent and intense. I have noticed that by observing the Spherics chart on the web that SpE openings are often at their best when large thunderstorms are affecting parts of Southern and Eastern Europe. This possibly suggests a link between thunderstorms and the level of ionization in the ionosphere and notably the E layer! Anybody that listens to European medium wave radio transmissions after dusk will be aware of the variable fading effects, sometimes making reception very poor whilst at other times reception is almost up to local standards with the signals both very strong and relatively fade free. (This is what we had to put up with when we listened to Radio Luxembourg on 208m back in our younger days). Also reception favours certain directions for e.g. Spain and North Africa and at other times reception is better from the east and northeast favouring stations from central and north Europe. This tells us that at these lower frequencies the E layer is often very turbulent with very fast varying conditions which is possibly due to strong winds blowing within the E layer causing turbulence and instability within the ionised gas layer. These are normal conditions found every night and throughout the year. I believe that SpE clouds capable of reflecting vhf signals are caused by even stronger wind patterns very similar to the jetstreams that occur at the top of our troposphere. These E layer jetstreams could vary from a few hundred miles to several thousand miles long perhaps at times completely circling the globe, tens to perhaps a hundred miles wide but only several miles deep. The length of duration seems to last for up to an hour to perhaps several days often with little change in direction but sometimes like its nearer to earth cousin after it has blown out it will be replace by another one on a different route and from a slightly different direction. Its direction I believe to be blowing from an easterly quarter. Further studies will be required to find the reason for these E layer jetstreams, but I believe they are due to the effects of stronger radiation, possibly infra red from the sun on the circulation patterns that exist at these altitudes during the summer months. On the boundaries of these jet streams, especially if there is a slight bend or wave in its direction, large swirls or vortices form, just as can be seen both near the banks of a river in full flow, again especially where the river bends in direction or on the boundary of the fast flowing current and slack water. A similar effect can be seen near the edge of a fast flowing current at sea. Within these vortices will be areas of intense ionisation as surrounding ionised gas is sucked into these intense swirling circulations. It is here, within these intense vortices, I believe SpE clouds are formed. These clouds or areas of intense ionisation can measure from a few miles to perhaps 20-30 miles across but are only a few miles deep or less. This of course is the size of the vortex which will move in a general east-west direction along the flow of the jetstream but much slower than that of the winds in the jetstream. Sometimes these vortices will be almost stationary, especially if the jetstream is of a stable nature and shape. At other times these vortices will be fairly fast moving and as one dies to be replaced by another, see diagram. Another effect that has been seen is for fairly stable reception to alternate between two countries such as Norway and Sweden or Spain and Portugal and lasting for hours. This effect can be explained by a dumbelling effect, i.e. two of these vortices almost stationary but circulating around themselves again as can be seen near the banks of a fast moving river, or on the weather charts during an unsettled spell of weather where a large complex area of low pressure is involved with two or three centres slowly revolving around each other. These vortices or system of vortices position is entirely dependent on the state of the jet stream. Any change in the direction or speed of its flow will obviously effect the positions and formation of these vortices. From sustaining or increasing their intensity, to creating many new ones along the jet streams borders, to their weakening and final decay depends entirely upon the state of the jetstream. I believe that further studies of conditions within the E layer will reveal that this area of the ionosphere has complex wind flow and circulation patterns that are perhaps every bit as complex and varied as those found in the troposphere. For e.g. some years the weather patterns completely change the course of the jetstreams so the same happens within the E layer. This is why no two SpE seasons are ever alike with some years having a much lower count of SpE outbreaks than others and some years like last year having a high count plus some record breaking intense events such as occurred on the 7th of June 2003 when trans Atlantic SpE reception took place on both VHF Bands 1 & 2! My vortex or swirl theory also explains another phenomenon that is instantly recognisable by any seasoned television dx’er. When signals from television stations are observed via SpE the signal, especially on the lower end of Band 1 (channels E2, R1 & IA), although received at great strength with sound and colour present will often suffer rapid flutter effects very similar to that seen from aircraft flutter plus be accompanied by continually changing multi path effects. This is caused by the SpE clouds revolving around the vortex. These clouds will be continually forming and fragmenting and often breaking up into perhaps several different clouds before reforming into one cloud again. So although the same signal is being reflected, it is subject to the continually varying levels of ionisation found around these vortices. Television signals on the higher frequency end of band 1 i.e. channels R2, E4 & R3 are often more stable and suffer less with the multi path effect. The reason for this can be explained by the lower frequencies are being reflected by the lower more ragged edge of the cloud whereas the higher frequencies penetrate deeper into the cloud where conditions are more stable. If the muf of the clouds go high enough to effect vhf band 2, the FM radio band or the Russian R4 & R5 channels then the quality of reception can be surprisingly good with minimal fading or multipath effects. I have often heard FM radio signals from across Europe in stereo accompanied with the RDS carrier sounding as good as local reception. All this just using the telescopic rod aerial of a portable radio! Further Studies Obviously more studies need to be carried out involving television DXers, (whilst we can before Europe switches off its analogue television networks), radio amateurs using the 6m and 4m bands and all other interested parties. If an intense study is to be done then a network of beacon stations will need to be built across Europe and not just confined to the narrow bandwidth limitations of the existing amateur bands. Alternatively perhaps we should look into ways of keeping the existing vhf band 1 television transmitter networks switched on for a few more years so that further studies can be done over a fairly broad band of frequencies. Conclusions I hope, with these few words, I have gone a little way down the road to shed some light on why the muf of the E layer can suddenly go from 10-12 MHz maximum to as high as 100 MHz or more and explain the nature of these reflected signals. Further studies will help us to understand further conditions that exist within the E layer area of the ionosphere of which we know very little about. Also there may be opportunities to study any possible connections that may exist between the weather systems found within the troposphere (particularly thunderstorms and the high altitude lightning) and the continuing varying conditions that we know to exist within the ionosphere. This hopefully could lead us to a better understanding of any links that may exist between solar events such as CME’s, flares, sunspots and our weather or climate. One final thought: if SpE is found to be caused by these intense vortices, what effect do these have if they are encountered by some of the lower orbiting satellites or even other types of space vehicle that travel through the E layer. Especially those on their return journey back to earth? Abbreviations used AM -- Amplitude modulation. The original analogue broadcasting system where the carrier amplitude is made to vary in sympathy with audio or vision signal Band 1 -- Vhf band of frequencies between 47-68 MHz used for television broadcasting. (But not in the UK since 1985) Band 2 -- Vhf band of frequencies between 88-108 MHz used for FM radio broadcasting. CME -- Coronal mass ejection. Dxer -- Enthusiasts dedicated to receiving long distance radio/television signals. E layer -- Layer of the ionosphere that lies between 50-70 miles high. Normally reflects radio signals up to 12 MHz during the daytime which drops to 2-3 MHz during the hours of darkness. FM -- Frequency modulation. The carrier frequency is made to vary in sympathy with audio or vision signal. The amplitude is kept at a constant level dependent on the power of the transmitter. F2 Layer -- Upper layers of the ionosphere that reflects HF radio signals and occasionally low VHF radio signals. HF -- High frequencies Description of radio frequencies that lie between 3-30 MHz. Also known as Short waves. Medium wave -- The original AM radio broadcast band that lies between 525 and 1605 kHz. MHz -- Mega Hertz or frequency in millions of hertz Muf -- Maximum usable frequency RDS -- Radio data system used with FM radio broadcasts often used to carry station identity for tuning or display features on FM radio receivers. SpE -- Sporadic E Clouds of more intense ionization that occur within the E layer. Troposphere -- Lowest layer of atmosphere that extends from the earth’s surface to an altitude of 10-12 miles high. All the weather systems that we are so familiar with are contained within this layer. VHF -- Very high frequency. Description of radio frequencies that lies between 30-300 MHz. Various geometries of Sporadic E Signal Propagation Es signal paths are usually bi-directional. In other words, if the DXer in Kentucky is hearing FM stations in Colorado, a DXer in Colorado will be able to hear stations in Kentucky. Since Es clouds often move with respect to the receiving station, the DXer will often hear a changing selection of distant signals. Diagram and accompanying text from: http://www.dxfm.com/Content/propagation.htm (via DX Listening Digest) Very interesting. I especially like reading my theory from a few years ago that was laughed at and discarded - " This possibly suggests a link between thunderstorms and the level of ionization in the ionosphere and notably the E layer" (Bill Nollman, Farmington, CT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I was hoping for a few more comments or discussion about the article I posted a few days ago. I guess everybody is too busy doing something else, like DXing Es. If you get a break, feel free to comment. 73, (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) 89.7 in MN just did an EBS test (what perfect timing!) with all kinds of cities mentioned. Heavy T-storms and Tornados in the forecast. I again rest my case (and agree with the theory proposed in the article) - big storms cause eskip, sometimes (Bill Nollman, Farmington, CT, June 10, ibid.) [later:] Just got RDS from 89.7 in Milwaukee, WI! (Bill Nollman Farmington, CT, WTFDA via DXLD) BIG SPORADIC E OPENINGS IN JAPAN Greetings from Japan! Yesterday, Sporadic E had opened for a long time here. I think it's the best opening in this year. http://listening-overseas.air-nifty.com/radio/ (Koji Hoshi, Japan, June 11, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) See also CHINA: Es FM DX to Philippines CYCLE 19 AND SINCE You've heard of the glory days of Cycle 19 (maybe you were on the air in the late 1950s?) and that the twentieth century was an unusual period of heightened solar activity? Well check out this interesting piece, presented by a researcher who thinks the modern sunspot numbers may have been inflated: http://www.leif.org/research/The%20long-term%20variation%20of%20solar%20activity.pdf (QST de W1AW, Propagation Forecast Bulletin 23 ARLP023, From Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, WA June 8, 2012, To all radio amateurs, via Dave Raycroft, ODXA yg via DXLD) This is an excellent presentation, very readable even to the layman and with well-done grafix (gh, DXLD) Viz.: Abstract In his famous paper on the Maunder Minimum, Eddy (1976) conclusively demonstrated that the Sun is a variable star on long time scales. The Lockwood et al. (1999) study reinvigorated the field of long-term solar variability and brought space data into play on the topic. After a decade of vigorous research based on cosmic ray and sunspot data as well as on geomagnetic activity, an emerging consensus reconstruction of solar wind magnetic field strength has been forged for the last century. This is a significant development because, individually, each method has uncertainties introduced by instrument calibration drifts, limited numbers of observatories, and the strength of the correlations employed. The consensus reconstruction shows reasonable agreement among the various reconstructions of solar wind magnetic field the past ~170 years. New magnetic indices open further possibilities for the exploitation of historic data. Reassessment of the sunspot series (no Modern Grand Maximum) and new reconstructions of solar Total Irradiance also contribute to our improved knowledge (or at least best guess) of the environment of the Earth System, with obvious implications for climate debate and management of space-based technological assets (via gh, DXLD) RUSSIA`S SUNSPOT REVOLUTION And last, baby boomers (those of us born in the United States between 1946 and 1964) of a certain age may recall the scary early-1960s, when we lived with fear of The Bomb, and the Cold War raged in the news. There was great fear of Russia and the Eastern Block, and we would see occasional references in the news to the Soviet newspaper Pravda and what seemed to us like wild propaganda. At the same time, we saw public service announcements on television about Radio Free Europe, transmitting a USA version of truth (Pravda, by the way, literally translates from Russian as "true" or "truth") to people "behind the Iron Curtain," who we were told were hungry for an alternative to state-controlled media. Well Pravda is still publishing, and it turns out Radio Free Europe is still broadcasting. Check out this wild story from RFE quoting a Russian scientist who posits that increased solar activity correlates with periods of heightened social unrest: http://www.rferl.org/content/russias-sunspot-revolution/24604395.html (QST de W1AW, Propagation Forecast Bulletin 23 ARLP023 From Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, WA June 8, 2012, To all radio amateurs, via Dave Raycroft, ODXA yg via DXLD) Viz.: June 05, 2012 If you thought it was the result of anger over falsified elections and an increasingly confident middle class becoming discontented with President Vladimir Putin's authoritarian rule, think again. According to Georgy Golitsin, a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the rise in street protests in the winter of 2011-12 was the result of increased solar activity. Call it the "Sunspot Revolution." Golitsin cited a 2008 study by scholar Yury Zaitsev. It predicted an increase in solar activity in late 2011 and early 2012 which could lead to social unrest. And in case you're tempted to giggle, some Russian media have noted that the increased emission of radiation and flares during the latest peak of the solar cycle coincided with mass protests in December, January, March, and May: [po-russkii] http://www.ntv.ru/novosti/301957 (RFE/RL via DXLD) BERMUDA TROPO MONITOR? One of the things I've been DXing for a few years now is Marine AIS - it's a bi-channel (161.975 / 162.025 MHz) data broadcast from ships, coastal stations and navigation aids using ultra-short data bursts. Tune to either channel to hear it (there are 2 channels for redundancy - all broadcasts are on both channels). It's like a radar for ships. You can plot ship tracks on a map. We use it at home sometimes to correlate the freighters we see out our window with their names, purposes & destinations. Anyhow, I've been using the program Ship Plotter to plot ships - and have received DX as far away as Montreal. (using the pre-emphasis audio output of the Icom R-8500). A few days ago, I stumbled across a neat website that has AIS receivers and their current reception pattern. There are tons in coastal areas. One is in Bermuda! http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/default.aspx?zoom=7?erx=-64.78?ery=32.29&oldmmsi=810 Since it picks up ocean targets such as ships and buoys - it might give a better indication of possible Bermuda tropo than the APRS maps do. I can envision the coverage area spreading towards the coast during tropo. Here is the main site... http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/ Click "more" on the left panel and only leave "Stations" checkmarked to see where all the receiver sites are. The rx sites are green triangles. Click on sites to see a link for a live coverage map. The other link is for graphs & stats. Cool stuff. For coastal DXers, maybe there's a site near you that you can use. Bill H. – ((William R Hepburn (VEM3ONT22), Grimsby ON CAN 43 10 59.5 -79 33 34.3 DX PIX : http://dxinfocentre.com/hepburn/ WTFDA via DXLD) Subject: [SkywavesDX] G7IZU MUF maps advisory Date: Tue, 12 Jun 2012 10:12:53 -0000 Hi all. I know that many members of this group like to use the MUF propagation maps on my site http://www.tvcomm.co.uk/radio/muf.html and I'm pleased that they get benefit from using them. I just thought that I should update you on the current situation with my maps as I've had a few interruptions recently. It's already been noted that the DX Sherlock site (of which I have no connection) was down for a few days recently. Whilst I have no actual knowledge of the reason why it was down, I suspect that the site might have gone over its monthly bandwidth limit. If anyone can confirm or deny this if they know? The reason I suspect this is that my own site has, in the first few days of this month, received a massive amount of extra attention. This was mainly caused by it's wide discussion on a US DX forum, and the breaks in service by DX Sherlock diverting traffic to myself. In the first 10 days of June, my site went through 50% of it's bandwidth limit for the month. Do the math - it would crash in the third week of June! I've had to take some urgent remedial action to slow the download rate, including reducing the image quality and decreasing the page refresh rates (from 1 minute down to 3 or 5 minutes depending on the page). It's now possible that DX data shown on the maps could be up to 8 minutes old bye time you see it. Please check the time in the information block at the bottom left of the map so you know how old the data is. Whilst I'm very aware that having up-to-date information is very important, I can't allow my site to crash due to over-use. To this end I will protect it, even to the point of closing the map pages for a few days towards the end of the month if necessary. This may sound worrying, but the problem will not last beyond July. I am committed to offering this free service for the benefit of all, so I will change to an unlimited bandwidth account in a few weeks. When this happens, I'll reset the refresh rates to 1 minute and increase the map qualities to as high as possible to make them more readable. In the meantime, my apologies for the reduced quality of service! Best regards and good DX! Andy Smith, G7IZU. http://www.tvcomm.co.uk/radio/ (via Mike Bugaj, WTFDA via DXLD) Geomagnetic field activity was at quiet to active levels with isolated major storm periods observed at high latitudes. For a majority of the summary period, Earth was under the influence of a favorable positioned coronal hole high speed stream (CH HSS). Early on 04 June, solar wind speeds, as measured by the ACE spacecraft, hovered around 350 km/s. Around midday on 04 June, solar wind speeds increased to almost 650 km/s as a CH HSS arrived. This increase in solar wind speeds helped drive the geomagnetic field from quiet to active levels with isolated major storm periods observed at high latitudes through 05 June. Predominantly quiet to unsettled levels prevailed from 06-09 June as effects from the CH HSS waned. A return to quiet levels was observed on 10 June as solar wind speeds returned to normal background levels. On 08 and 10 June, small changes were observed in data from the ACE spacecraft indicating the possible arrival of a weak, partially Earth-directed CMEs, however very little if any correlating activity was attributed to these arrivals. FORECAST OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY 11 JUNE - 07 JULY 2012 Solar activity is expected to be at low to moderate levels from 11 June - 21 June as Region 1504 rotates across the solar disk. A return to predominantly low levels is expected for the remainder of the period. No proton events are expected at geosynchronous orbit. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to be at high levels from 11-12 June, 20-25 June and then from 03 July through the end the period. Normal to background levels are expected for all other time periods. Geomagnetic field activity is expected to be at predominantly quiet levels from 11-17 June, 21-30 June and 04 July through the end of the period. From 18-19 June and 01-03 July, quiet to active levels are expected due to the CH HSS effects. :Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt :Issued: 2012 Jun 11 0626 UTC # Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Weather Prediction Center # Product description and SWPC contact on the Web # http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wwire.html # # 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table # Issued 2012-06-11 # # UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest # Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index 2012 Jun 11 130 8 3 2012 Jun 12 130 8 3 2012 Jun 13 130 8 3 2012 Jun 14 125 5 2 2012 Jun 15 125 5 2 2012 Jun 16 125 5 2 2012 Jun 17 125 5 2 2012 Jun 18 120 15 4 2012 Jun 19 115 12 4 2012 Jun 20 115 8 3 2012 Jun 21 115 5 2 2012 Jun 22 110 5 2 2012 Jun 23 110 5 2 2012 Jun 24 110 5 2 2012 Jun 25 115 5 2 2012 Jun 26 120 5 2 2012 Jun 27 120 8 3 2012 Jun 28 125 8 3 2012 Jun 29 125 5 2 2012 Jun 30 125 8 3 2012 Jul 01 125 15 4 2012 Jul 02 125 15 4 2012 Jul 03 125 15 4 2012 Jul 04 125 8 3 2012 Jul 05 125 8 3 2012 Jul 06 125 5 2 2012 Jul 07 125 5 2 (SWPC via WORLD OF RADIO 1621, DXLD) ###