DX LISTENING DIGEST 12-34, August 22, 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 1631 HEADLINES: *DX and station news about: Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brazil, Chile, Congo DR, Croatia, Hawaii, Indonesia, Italy, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mauritania, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines non, Somaliland, USA SHORTWAVE AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1631, August 23-29, 2012 Thu 0330 WRMI 9955 Thu 2100 WTWW 9479 [confirmed] Fri 0329v WWRB 5050 Sat 0130v WBCQ 5110v-CUSB Area 51 [delayed to 0200 last week] Sat 0630 HLR 7265 Hamburger Lokal Radio Sat 0800 WRMI 9955 Sat 1500 WRMI 9955 Sat 1730 WRMI 9955 Sun 0400 WTWW 5755 [partly off the air last week] 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 1632 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. 9655, August 18 at 1335, English lesson, ``please leave more space`` and spelling s-p-a-c-e, alternating with Chinese. It`s KNLS, as registered in HFCC for this hour on 9655 and 9920, despite one transmitter active and own English website still claiming 9920: http://www.knls.org/broadcasting-front.html Their Chinese website, schedule presented in English does show 9655: http://www.smzg.org/Schedule_in_English.htm (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ALBANIA. 7425, 2258, 18-08-2012, opening theme and interval signal at 2300 as Radio Tirana International "harvask" (??). I guess it's the Albanian language service they broadcast to NAm. Followed a news bulletin by man in which he mentioned to the United States President Barack Obama. SINPO 55444!! At 2313 ended up the news bulletin and started a musical segment with music into Albanian language (Leonardo Santiago, Pueblo Llano, Mérida State, Venezuela, SONY ICF SW35, Outdoor TV type antenna, Kaito KA 33, GE Cassette recorder/ Digitalized with Wavepad, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ALBANIA. 7425, Aug 22 at 0145, R. Tirana`s only English broadcast left to N America, fair signal with noise and fading, somewhat muffled modulation and her accent make it hard to follow what Klara is saying (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANGOLA. 4949.75, R. Nacional Angola. Surprised to find this modulated at a respectable level. 0013-0016 studio W announcer interviewing M on phone in Portuguese. More sound bites to 0022. Canned announcement by M over music. More of the same, apparently a news program. Into lively LA style pop music at 0032. Studio W announcer was even singing at one point. 4 time ticks at ToH followed by ID by W announcer, then news by same W. Unfortunately the signal faded some since peaking around 0030. Noisy conditions. Glad to finally ID this. (3 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) 4949,77 11.8 2020 R. Nac. do Angola gick svagt med afropop. Bärvågen hörs så gott som varje kväll, men denna afton orkade även lite audio fram. Bäst på QX-loopen, faktiskt! HR 4949.77, 11 Aug 2020, R. Nacional de Angola weak with afro pop. The carrier is heard almost every night, but this evening also with a little bit of audio. Best reception with the QX-loop, actually! (Hans Östnell, Vardö, Norway, SW Bulletin Aug 19, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. Hi Glenn. This e-mail is just to tell you the 1700 kHz TX I talked about last time is not the same that is known as Radio Juventud. THe FM Fantástico repeater on 1700 broadcasts from Tigre, while Juventud is from Florencio Varela. Greetings (Eduardo Peralta, Argentina, Aug 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. 15345.235 ... .240 some 5 Hertz up and down drifted, RAE Buenos Aires, - on weekends in Spanish only. Heard 1835 to 1845 UT on Aug 12 (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Aug 17, via DXLD) Altho it`s exactly same transmitter, when funxioning on weekends in Spanish only, it`s not RAE, but R. Nacional domestic relay (gh, DXLD) Hi all, doing a little bandscan tonight on 25 meters; noticed that RAE Argentina is off air. Nothing on 11710 at 0120 UT (Gilles Letourneau, Montreal, Canada, http://www.youtube.com/tecmtl UT Aug 22, dxldyg via DXLD) 11711v, Aug 22 at 0200, RAE is on with multi-lingual IDs in leisurely opening for the English hour, fair signal; earlier at 0137 it was missing, no carrier at all (nor on 15345v), as Gilles Letourneau in Québec had noted at 0120. On Aug 14 at the same time, I had noticed RAE on the 11710.9 air, but no modulation; either way, no Japanese to be heard during that hour. I wonder if that language service is intentionally suspended/canceled? How about at 10-11 M-F on 11711? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Noted at 0345-0400 UT Aug 22 on 11710.636 kHz, not very strong at S=6 level here in Germany (Wolfgang Büschel, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Heard them at 1850 closing in English (that`s a few hours ago) into 12 minutes of tuning signal before starting up Spanish on 15345 kHz. No problem from Morocco [15349.1] (Victor Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka, Aug 21, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ASCENSION. 17640, Aug 20 at 1352, BBCWS in English, with long-path echo, more obvious during brief fades of short-path signal. Is aimed 114 degrees, away from us, so boosting the long-path portion. Still thus at 1412. Believe I have previously calculated the LP delay from this site, great-circle path and distances (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Speaking of BBCWS via Ascension, I've noticed that reception of 5875 between 0300 and 0600 has been much, much better the past few days. Had previously been barely there into Texas during A-12. Perhaps some change in antenna pattern? Or maybe just better conditions for that path as we approach the equinox. The 03 to 04 hour is the best for BBCWS shortwave reception here with good signals on 5875, 6145, and 9410 (Steve Luce, Houston TX, Aug 20, ibid.) ** ASIA [non]. USA(non), Summer A-12 of Radio Free Asia: Burmese 0030-0130 on 9510 12115 15700 1230-1330 on 7390 9335 13675 1330-1400 on 7390 9335 12140 1400-1430 on 7390 9335 1630-1730 on 9945 Cantonese 1400-1500 on 11715 Mo/We/Fr+ 7280 from 1430 1400-1500 on 12130 Tue/Thu + 7280 from 1430 1400-1500 on 12140 Sat/Sun + 7280 from 1430 2200-2300 on 11785 15320 Mon 2200-2300 on 11785 15350 Tue 2200-2300 on 11785 15360 Wed 2200-2300 on 11785 15370 Thu 2200-2300 on 11785 15385 Fri 2200-2300 on 11785 15290 Sat 2200-2300 on 11785 15305 Sun Khmer 1230-1330 on 12140 15145 2230-2330 on 5840 13740 Korean 1500-1700 on 648 5820 7210 7455 1700-1800 on 648 5820 9975 1800-1900 on 648 5820 7465 2100-2200 on 648 7460 9385 11945 Lao 0000-0100 on 15545 15690 1100-1200 on 9325 15120 Mandarin 0300-0400 on 13785 15120 15615 15635 17485 17855 21595 21650 0400-0500 on 13760 15615 15635 15660 17615 17855 21480 21580 0500-0600 on 13760 15615 15635 15660 17615 17855 21580 21710 0600-0700 on 13760 15615 15635 17495 17615 17855 21720 1500-1600 on 9455 9905 11540 11965 13640 13675 15430 1600-1630 on 5895 9455 9905 11540 11870 13675 15430 1630-1700 on 5895 9725 9905 11550 11870 13675 15430 1700-1800 on 5895 7280 9355 9455 9540 9905 11695 13780 1800-1900 on 7280 7355 9355 9455 9540 9690 11540 13780 1900-2000 on 1098 5855 7260 7355 7435 9355 9455 9875 9905 11785 13780 2000-2100 on 1098 5855 6140 7260 7355 7435 9355 9455 9905 11785 2100-2200 on 1098 5855 6140 7355 7435 9455 9905 2300-2400 on 7540 9535 11760 11785 15430 15585 Tibetan 0100-0200 on 9680 9885 11695 17505 17730 0200-0300 on 9885 11695 11745 17610 17730 0600-0700 on 17510 17765 21500 21690 1000-1100 on 13680 15435 17495 1100-1200 on 7470 13830 15670 17495 1200-1400 on 7470 11605 13795 13830 15670 1500-1600 on 9370 11585 11795 11835 2200-2300 on 7505 9815 9880 11975 2300-2315 on 7505 9805 9815 9875 2315-2400 on 7505 9805 9875 9900 Uyghur 0100-0130 on 9350 9400 11895 11945 17640 0130-0200 on 9350 9400 11895 11945 17635 1600-1700 on 9370 9555 9975 11590 Vietnamese 1400-1430 on 1503 9715 11605 12075 13640 1430-1500 on 9715 11605 12075 13640 2300-2330 on 1503 2330-2400 on 1503 7520 11605 13730 15570 0000-0030 on 7445 11605 13730 15570 (DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, Aug 21 via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. R Symban, Marrickville, heard on 2368.480 via Perseus site in Seattle, Aug 12 at 0836-0936. Signal peaked at S2+ from 0836 to about 0845 and then again from 0855 to 0910. This is near grayline in E. Australia. Seemed to go into a long fade after 0915. Usual Greek vocals and Greek male announcer (probably Tom Tsamouras). Overall 25432. E-mailed a report with attached 10-min audio file and Perseus screenshot and got this quick (12 minutes later) e-QSL reply from Tom: “Hi Bruce, Yes I can confirm this is SYMBAN!!! Incredible stuff, what can I say? We are all listening here to the audio and flipping backwards! Thank you for the reception report and enjoy your Sunday, regards, Tom Tsamouras, 00612 49207300, http://www.radiosymban.com ” (Bruce W. Churchill, Fallbrook, CA, U.S.A., DSWCI DX Window Aug 22 via DXLD) Well, since it`s a remote receiver, Tom could have heard this himself (gh, DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. 4835, VL8A (NTS-Alice Springs), Tuned in just after the TOH, F with news in progress. VG signal, best reception I may have ever had of this station. Much stronger than the // 2310 [sic], 2325, and 2485 (not heard today here) but not like the excellent 9580 R.A. transmissions on 31 m. 73 and Good Listening! (Rick Barton, El Mirage AZ, Hammarlund HQ-120-X, Drake R8, Slinky and longwire, ABDX via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. 5990-5995-6000, August 16 at 1215, DRM noise audible here from R. Australia, Brandon. I was wondering if that were still vigent, as RA has been stymied from adding DRM from Shepparton as long planned. Aoki shows 5995: DRM Brandon with only 5 kW at 12-14, preceded by AM from Brandon with 10 kW at 08-12, and followed by 100 kW AM from Shepparton at 14-18. 6020 & 9580, Monday Aug 20 at 1245, R. Australia amid `Media Report` about undercover reporting. A new time for this show, now appearing on RA`s Pacific sked; from R. National, available via: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/mediareport/ Closest thing to a DX program from RA, now re-added to http://www.worldofradio.com/dxpgms.html Mon 1230 6020 6080 6140-Singapore 9475 9580 11945 Mon 1530 5940 5995 7240 9475 11660 11880 Mon 1930 6080 9500 [to Asia only] (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9580, Tuesday Aug 21 at 1322, R. Australia, interviewing head of US National Archives, David Ferriero, about how they decide what to preserve from presidential administrations, more and more stuff thanks to the digital age. RA programs frequently interview Americans, and we are indebted to the Aussies for doing so, a surrogate American station, lacking much any more from VOA and little of a serious objective nature from private US SW stations. Schedule shows this was `Talking Point`, but the RA website won`t link to individual programs properly, and it`s not on the list of ABC Radio National programs as I assumed it would be (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) "Talking Point" appears to be an RA-specific show, so inferred because it doesn't appear on an RN or ABC Local Radio schedule. Most Radio Australia programs do appear to have decent links to specific program pages, though. Thanks for the tip; will have to seek the program out (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA USA, NASWA yg via DXLD) Tuned Radio Australia's "Talking Points" on 9580 kHz today and at 1320 GMT, heard a fascinating interview with the official Archivist of the USA, David Ferriero. He was in Brisbane, Australia's third largest city, for the International Congress on Archives which meets every four years. What made this Congress particularly interesting was the focus on computer-driven, digital, electronic archival material such as e-mails. There has been an exponential explosion of this digital record over the last 20 or so years. One goal, constantly under review, is how to enhance transparency in government and thus increase public access to government records. This, in turn, produces a constant tension over issues of national security, the declassification of documents, etc. One only has to think of the ongoing (and embarrassing) Wikileaks upheaval between Julian Assange and the U.S. government. Radio Australia laid out many important issues in this news report, and did so in an intelligent way for a discerning public via shortwave radio (Grayson Watson in Dallas, TX using a Satellit 750 with an Apex Radio 700DTA antenna, dxingwithcumbre yg via DXLD) ** BAHRAIN. 9744.994, R Bahrain in Arabic from Abu Hayan, usual Arab peninsula music, reception on tune mode selection to USB upper side band H3E type, not strong, but listenable at 0445-0450 UT here in Germany. Aug 22 (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Aug 22, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BANGLADESH. 4750 13.8 1635 Bangladesh Betar, Dhaka. Inhemsk musik vid denna tid. Tillfällig övertid eller har man utökat permanent? Time will show. Även den 14.8 kl 1709 med nx på bengali. Då försvann man kl 1711, mitt i nx-läsningen. HR 4750, 13 Aug 1635, Bangladesh Betar, Dhaka. Domestic music at this time. Occasional overtime or extended permanently? Time will show. Even on Aug 14 at 1709 with news in Bengali. Disappeared at 1711, right in the news-reading (Hans Östnell, Vardö, Norway, SW Bulletin Aug 19, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BANGLADESH [non]. Re 12-33, 15520: Hi Mr. Hauser! About my log of Bangladesh Betar, I am almost very sure it was V of Turkey the one which was still broadcasting at 1745 UT. I don’t have how to prove it now (because I mixed cassettes and I lost that one I recorded my tune of BB in English at the moment), but I know very well the tune Turkey uses to open and close its broadcasts. Just in case, I will try to check it again, despite BB is not there anymore (Leonardo Santiago, Pueblo Llano, Mérida State, Venezuela, SONY ICF SW35, Outdoor TV type antenna, Kaito KA 33, GE Cassette recorder/ Digitalized with Wavepad, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BANGLADESH. 15520, Bangladesh Betar. Tnx Ron Howard tip, heard here with tone at 1744-1756, then IS, and M announcer alternating with music. Flute 1759, then W with apparent news till M took over at 1806. 1811 local subcontinental music program with M host only a few times, however there was some pop-like music at 1836. 1900 M with ID announcement over music. 1922 M announcer in English this time with talk about the song. 1927-1931 "One" by U2. 1929 English closing announcement by M with station mailing address, cont[inued with?]. U2 song, then "A Fifth of Beethoven". Nonstop subcontinental music in the second half of the hour. M announcer with apparent closing announcements over music with horrible twangy box-like voice audio. Deadair 1959 until the signal went off at 2004. Seemed to use tambura music as filler often. Kind of poor at first but gradually got better. Glad to see this one back on. (10 August). 15520, R. Bangladesh, 1312 OC, then IS at 1314. W announcer at 1315 but just too weak. Flute music then, and same W returned. Tnx John Herkimer tip. (11 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) ** BANGLADESH. 15520, 1601, 11-08-2012. After Family Radio ended its broadcasts I finally could see if it was possible to listen to Bangladesh Betar. There was a transmission in Arabic, starting with an off-vocal track, then the Holy Qur`an reCitation and at 1608 a news bulletin by OM. SINPO 45343. According to the schedule published last week, at this time BB is broadcasting in Arabic. So, it must be Bangladesh and the clue to prove this is that the announcer mentioned Bangladesh at 1615. The transmitter has an additional noise when broadcasting, kind of white noise, but it isn't that much! 15520, 1745, 11-08-2012. Confirmed it's Bangladesh Betar. This time broadcasting an English language news bulletin by OM but unfortunately there's some QRM from another station I believe is V of Turkey in English or another language. SINPO 44443. 1803 ID The Voice of The Islam, English service of Bangladesh Betar and then a recitation of the Holy Qur`an. At 1808 ``you are listening the External service of Bangladesh Betar`` and played a song. SINPO 34433 (Leonardo Santiago, Pueblo Llano, Mérida State, Venezuela, SONY ICF SW35, Outdoor TV type antenna, Kaito KA 33, GE Cassette recorder/ Digitalized with Wavepad, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15105, Bangladesh Betar. Carrier with tone as early as 1309 (maybe earlier, but I wasn't running the recorder). IS at 1313. 5+1 time ticks, M announcer with presumed opening announcement but couldn't copy as it was too weak, then lively flute subcontinental filler music. Wasn't really expecting to hear it on this frequency and thought it was something else. Glad I stayed with it to see what it was!! Where will it show up next?? (13 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) 7105, Bangladesh Betar, Khabirpur, Dhaka, 1809-1830, Aug 15, English song by group, talk mentioning Prophet, Islamic calendar, lailatur qadar holy night in Ramadhan, talk on lailatur qadar glorious night, angel come down, shahrul Ramadhan, Qur'an come down from heaven, holy prophet, Aisyah ra, devotions by female, 34322 to 44322 (Tony Ashar, Depok, Java, Indonesia, DSWCI DX Window Aug 22 via DXLD) [and non]. 15105, August 17 at 1345-1349* a weak carrier here, maybe following BB`s Nepali service as allegedly scheduled 1315-1345. I keep tuned to rehear their IS at 1358 before Urdu as on previous days. But from *1358 instead on 15105 it`s B-B-C- chimes from Ascension, about to start Hausa. Not until 1401 do I try Bangladesh Betar`s other frequency, 15505, and there they are on this one today instead of 15105, a good move, with S Asian music, flutter, 1402 YL announcement in presumed Urdu, 1406 music, alternating with talk bits, 1412 vocal music, etc. And none of that self-imposed noise any more. 1442 recheck, the fluttery carrier is still on 15505. Maybe modulation will revive for expected 1515-1545 Hindi, 1600-1630 Arabic, and 1630-1730 Bangla? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15105, ASCENSION, BBC, 1358 Aug 17, very weak interval signal, some music and woman at top of the hour. I was looking for Bangladesh Betar, which had been here according to reports by others. But as Glenn Hauser also reported on DXLD YG earlier today, only the BBC in Hausa was here today. Although he later found Bangladesh on 15505, I couldn’t hear them there during several checks (Harold Sellers, Vernon, British Columbia, Listening lakeside from my car with the 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) 15105, 1240, 18-08-2012, news commentary by man and then ID as "You are listening to the External Service of Bangladesh Betar", followed by beautiful traditional Bangla music by woman. At 1250 another short comment by man about economic affairs. At 1252 pop English language music (kind of like Radio Jordan [or rather Kuwait, now --- gh] broadcasts towards NAm!!!). Also Michael Jackson's “Thriller" at 1256!!! Better modulation than before, but considerable atmospheric noise. SINPO 55343. End of transmission at 1259 with postal and e-mail address. I noted that when they broadcast music the white noise tends to disappear (Leonardo Santiago, Pueblo Llano, Mérida State, Venezuela, SONY ICF SW35, Outdoor TV type antenna, Kaito KA 33, GE Cassette recorder/ Digitalized with Wavepad, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15105, Aug 18 at 1248, finally getting the 1230 English broadcast of Bangladesh Betar, but very poor signal with S Asian music, 1249 announcement in English; 1252 rock music; 1256 segué to another we can recognize, ``Thriller`` by M. Jackson! Just what we need to hear from BB. 1259 closing with request to ``write us`` with Dhaka P O address, probably e-mail too. 1300 cut to tone test over 1 kHz. Thruout, bothered by lightning crashes, but no thunder sonically audible yet, so still on external antenna. 15105, retune at 1314, now the BB IS with drone is playing, signal somewhat better. 1315 5+1 timesignal ending 21 seconds late, sign-on in presumed scheduled Nepali, 1318 news? but soon into music. After Nepali, at 1345-1347.5*, tone test on 15105. Two of the schedule versions via DX Mix News, one for 15520, the other for 15505, neither in use now for these broadcasts, show English at 1230-1300 is for SE Asia at 140 degrees, then Nepali at 1315 reversed 180 degrees to an azimuth of 320 degrees, which is right on Kathmandu, and also London, but hitting the Americas right across Venezuela. At 1359, 15105 only has B-B-C- chimes from Ascension prior to Hausa, so like yesterday I check 15505 and find BB has moved there, with their IS best heard yet. This time the timesignal ends 19 seconds late. Is it consistently circa 20 seconds late? No, on Aug 13 I timed it 7 seconds late. If they can`t do better than that, they should eliminate it, no timesignal at all, but just playing a recording with a margin of error, deception of the worst kind. Anyhow, presumed Urdu is then opening with a ``salaam aleikum``. This one is listed at 290 degrees, further offbeam for us than Nepali. T- storms are getting closer so after 1400 I change to internal antenna, where 15505 is still audible weaker (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) At 1840 UT Aug 18, 7105 Dhaka on air S=9+20dB. Western music (Wolfgang Buschel, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15105, 1229, 19-08-2012, no opening carrier from Bangladesh Betar. The program appeared suddenly at 1234 with an English language news bulletin by a Western-English accent announcer (It sounded very American). Reception is not good. SINPO 35343. There were also those beautiful Bangla pieces of music and some news commentaries. The broadcast ended up without mentioning their QTHs. Some times the transmitter was off for some seconds, and I guess it’s because they still have some problems there, especially because they are in this new frequency (Leonardo Santiago, Pueblo Llano, Mérida State, Venezuela, SONY ICF SW35, Outdoor TV type antenna, Kaito KA 33, GE Cassette recorder/ Digitalized with Wavepad, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15105.0, Bangladesh Betar English service here with a very weak signal, 1235-1300*. Was able to ID them only by going to the webSDR at University of Twente in the Netherlands (see recent HCDX post from Horacio Nigro), which had a very good signal; during musical selection, it was very clearly the same station I was hearing. Program consisted of male with listing of places where Islamic services will be held today for Eid al-Fitr; commentary (one on World Humanitarian Day (which is also today), one on cockfighting in Bangladesh); occasional music. At 1258, promised music, but we got 2 minutes of loud hum instead. At s/off, M with postal and web addresses for Bangladesh Betar, 8/19/12 (Art Delibert, N. Bethesda, MD, Excalibur Pro, Collins 51J-4 with Sherwood SE-3, Pennant antenna with DX Engineering amp, HCDX via DXLD) Bangladesh Betar 15105, noted carrier at 1313 UT, IS at 1314, Sign on with time pips, ID in Nepali at 1315. Good signal here on Sony ICF- SW7600GR with just telescopic aerial. Another update, noted carrier on 7105 at 1743, IS at 1744, into English at 1745, ID, etc. and into news; still a very good signal on the Sony and telescopic aerial in my back garden, enjoying the sun with a nice cold beer! Regards & 73's (John Hoadd, Faversham, Kent, Aug 19, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) 15505, 1650, 19-08-2012, Bangla music by female with short commentaries by OM. At 1700 ID in what I presume is Arabic - Salah maleicum (?)- and then news bulletin by OM mentioning Bangladesh Betar Television and Bangladesh Betar various times, as well as the city of Dhaka. SINPO 55444!!! At 1718 they started a commentary about the 2012 UK Olympics. Very good reception compared with the first days of the tests and the reception early in the morning corresponding to the English Service (Leonardo Santiago, Pueblo Llano, Mérida State, Venezuela, SONY ICF SW35, Outdoor TV type antenna, Kaito KA 33, GE Cassette recorder/ Digitalized with Wavepad, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Signing on 15105 Aug 20 at 1222:37 UT. at 12.25 UT S=9+20dBm, 1129 Hertz test tone procedure. Bangladesh Betar English test scheduled from 1230 UT. 73 wb df5sx (Wolfgang Büschel, HCDX via DXLD) 15105, another attempt to hear Bangladesh Betar`s English broadcast at 1232 Aug 20: no signal here or on the other 15 MHz frequencies. The band really isn`t open yet except for Cuba. Wolfgang Büschel says BB came on 15105 at 1222:37, and from 1225 a tone of 1129 Hz. 19m had opened up in time for the next broadcast on 15105: at 1309 I find some lo hum and a hi-pitched tone approx. C#6 which would be 1109 Hz: I defer to Wolfy`s measurement above. At 1312:54 the BB IS starts, which we have come to recognize easily, 10 notes with a continuous drone (pardon the expression) including during pauses. NO timesignal; have they seen my critique of its inaccuracy? 1315:50 opening presumed Nepali as scheduled. At 1345-1347+ it`s back to the tone. What next? At 1357, nothing yet on 15505; at 1358, 15105 starts B-B-C- chimes from Ascension. There is also noise on 15105, from BB carrier? Finally at 1400, 15505 carrier cuts on air late, with fragment of BB IS, ``timesignal`` [not really] ending at 1400:46! And opening Urdu. Still hear the noise on 15105, so that must be something else (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15505, Radio Bangladesh Betar, Dhaka, 1530-1545, Agosto 20, Hindi, Anuncios y comentarios breves por locutora y mucha música local. Llega con 34433. La transmisión fue realizada con el nuevo transmisor de 250 kW, Conforme esquema en DX RE MIX NEWS # 743 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, GRA blog via DXLD) Ontem às 1845 UT (3 e 45 da tarde, hora de Brasília), uma escuta para mim um tanto inusitada: 7105 kHz Bangladesh Betar, EE, 19/08 1845. Uma sequencia de canções em EE (‘oldies’ da década de 80), e faltando 2 minutos para 1900 UT, locução por OM dentre os quais pude copiar parcialmente a identificação: “... Betar” (infeliz momento de fading...). Consultando o Wolfgang Bueschel (Alemanha, que edita a lista TopNews), este me respondeu que ‘SIM’, Dhaka estava testando o seu novo transmissor Thomson 250 kW, também pela frequência de 7105 kHz de 14 a 19 de agosto (quer dizer, acertei na mosca...). Hoje retornam para a frequência de 7250 kHz (Rufolf Grimm, Brasil, Aug 20, radioescutas yg via DXLD) Updated summer A-12 schedule of Radio Bangladesh Betar: 1230-1300 NF 15105 DKA 250 kW / 140 deg SEAs English, ex 15520 1315-1345 NF 15105 DKA 250 kW / 320 deg SoAs Nepali, ex 15520 1400-1430 NF 15505 DKA 250 kW / 290 deg WeAs Urdu, ex 15520 1515-1545 NF 15505 DKA 250 kW / 305 deg SoAs Hindi, ex 15520 1600-1630 NF 15505 DKA 250 kW / 290 deg N/ME Arabic, ex 15520 1630-1730 NF 15505 DKA 250 kW / 290 deg N/ME Bangla, ex 15520 1745-1815 NF 7105 DKA 250 kW / 320 deg WeEu English-VOIslam, ex 15520 1815-1900 NF 7105 DKA 250 kW / 320 deg WeEu English, ex 15520 1915-2000 NF 7105 DKA 250 kW / 320 deg WeEu Bangla, ex 15520 (DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, 20 August via DXLD) But 7105 just changed back to 7250, says Büschel (gh) 1745-1815 NF 7250 DKA 250 kW / 320 deg WeEu English-VOIslam, ex 15520 1815-1900 NF 7250 DKA 250 kW / 320 deg WeEu English, ex 15520 1915-2000 NF 7250 DKA 250 kW / 320 deg WeEu Bangla, ex 15520 7250, Back on 7250 kHz. From Monday August 20 Bangladesh Betar English service is now back from test service on amateur radio frequency 7105 kHz range. But on regular 7250.0 suffers by odd heterodyne buzzy signal from neighbour country, AIR Goa Panaji in Malayalam 1730-1830 UT on odd 7249.978 kHz. 73 wb df5sx (Wolfgang Büschel, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Updated summer A-12 schedule of Radio Bangladesh Betar: 1230-1300 NF 15105 DKA 250 kW / 140 deg SEAs English, ex 15520 1315-1345 NF 15105 DKA 250 kW / 320 deg SoAs Nepali, ex 15520 1400-1430 NF 15505 DKA 250 kW / 290 deg WeAs Urdu, ex 15520 1515-1545 NF 15505 DKA 250 kW / 305 deg SoAs Hindi, ex 15520 1600-1630 NF 15505 DKA 250 kW / 290 deg N/ME Arabic, ex 15520 1630-1730 NF 15505 DKA 250 kW / 290 deg N/ME Bangla, ex 15520 1745-1815 NF 7250*DKA 250 kW / 320 deg WeEu English-VOIslam, ex 7105 1815-1900 NF 7250*DKA 250 kW / 320 deg WeEu English, ex 7105 1915-2000 NF 7250 DKA 250 kW / 320 deg WeEu Bangla, ex 7105 * co-ch AIR in Malayalam till 1830 (DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, Aug 20 updated Aug 21, via WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DXLD) 15105, Aug 21 at 1249, Bangladesh Betar very poor with S Asian song, 1250 announcement sounds like English with lilt I can`t really understand; 1251 more songs, 1259 sign-off, 1300 brief tone test and carrier stays on a while longer. Recheck at 1313 as VP carrier with flutter starts playing the BB IS prior to Nepali service. 1330 check, S Asian song. 15505, Aug 21 at 1358 fair signal now with IS, timesignal only 8 sex slow! Opening Urdu. Note that Wolfgang Büschel reports BB has been persuaded to get out of the hamband later, from yesterday 7250 ex-7105 for the 1745-2000 broadcasts in English and Bengali, when of course, we have no chance of hearing it in North America (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Day by day changed frequency 1745-1900 English; 1915-2000 Bangla Sunday August 19 - 7105 Monday August 20 - 7250 Tuesday August 21 - 7105 Wednesday August 22 - maybe 7250 --- This is not normal! 73! (Ivo Ivanov, early Aug 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15105, Aug 22 at 1250, Bangladesh Betar, very poor with S Asian music during presumed English semihour. Breakfast of generic shredded wheat and then other DX intervened, so did not check for the usual 1315 Nepali service on 15105 until 1344, when there was a JBA carrier from something (else?). But at 1349 BB was on with carrier and tone slightly above C#6 = 1110+ Hz until 1352*. 15505, August 22 at 1353, I find the same tone here as had been on 15105 a few minutes earlier, 1110+ Hz. 1359 switches to IS better than usually heard so I record to illustrate it on WORLD OF RADIO. 1400 timesignal is 14 seconds slow, ID and sign on in Urdu mentioning Bangladesh Betar, and Pakistan. Finished circa 1430 and at 1431, 15505 has weakened, still on with open carrier and het/hum (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Bangladesh Betar heard today, 22 Aug, back on 7105 kHz signing on at 1745 with their English programme and news in English. By the way, since their re-activation, I have not heard the Voice of Islam ID being used at any time - only the External Service of Bangladesh Betar ID (Alan Roe. Teddington, UK dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, now at 1955 UT fair signal with little fading - OM singing a Bengali song "Ami je Bangladeshi ...", and another MX (song) at 1957 UT. And yes I also haven't heard the "Voice of Islam" ID yet like mentioned in the WRTH (Partha Sarathi Goswami, WB, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Bangladesh Betar V. of Islam ID at 1802z UT 7 Aug: http://soundcloud.com/alokesh/bangladesh-betar-7250-khz-1802 (Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, Aug 22, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) VOI is called a ``program`` rather than a ``station`` (gh, DXLD) ** BANGLADESH. RADIO BANGLADESH BETAR REACHES EXPATS WITH THOMSON BROADCAST TRANSMITTERS: Thomson Broadcast today announced that Bangladesh Betar, the Bangladeshi national radio network, is to install a new shortwave transmitter and rotatable antenna from Thomson Broadcast, to extend the reach of its service to the Middle East, Central Asia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Indian subcontinent. The new transmitter and antenna installation will be located at the Kabirpur Shortwave Station, about 40 km north of the capital Dhaka, and is scheduled to be operational by September 2011 while the antenna is planned to be on air by spring 2012. Thomson Broadcast is supplying a 250 kW TSW 2300D shortwave transmitter, together with the rotatable HP-RCA 2/2/0.5 shortwave antenna system. This configuration will allow Bangladesh Betar to increase its coverage to the diaspora of Bangladeshi workers abroad who rely on Bangladesh Betar for home news and other entertainment programs in their own language. The installation is being carried out in collaboration with Bangladesh-based distributor and systems integrator Triwave Network Ltd. Bangladesh Betar already operates a range of Thomson Broadcast shortwave and medium-wave transmitters, including the S7HP 1000-kW MW transmitter supplied in 2009 for domestic national coverage. The new shortwave installation at Kabirpur will allow broadcasts to reach target areas between 1000 and 4000 km in any direction, and includes Thomson's latest generation of technology for greater energy efficiency and Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) capability. "We have confidence in Thomson Broadcast equipment and services, built on many years of excellent experience with the company's transmitters," said AKM Shamim Chowdhury, the director general of Bangladesh Betar. "It is an important part of our mission as the national broadcaster for Bangladesh to ensure that Bangladeshis who are living abroad are able to receive our programs, and this new installation will make a significant improvement in our coverage." The Thomson TSW 2300D 250-kW shortwave transmitter supports both AM analog and DRM digital operation. Based on field-proven equipment and designed to fit a wide range of customer-specific equipment and subsystems, the high-power TSW 2300D is equipped with interfaces for remote and automated operation and is ready for advanced digital transmission. Originally engineered for 500 kW carrier output power, TSW 2300D provides considerable reserve when operating the transmitter on 250 kW. At the heart of every TSW 2300D is the new PSM solid-state Pulse Step Modulator, designed to meet the stringent requirements for best quality signal during DRM operation and combining classical shortwave engineering at its best with unrivalled digital AM know-how. Providing high overall efficiency, sophisticated remote control facilities, and rugged, day-to-day reliability, the new digital TSW 2300D is optimized for long-term, flexible operation. "Thomson Broadcast has enjoyed a fruitful relationship with Bangladesh Betar for many years, and this latest installation is another important step on the broadcaster's program of upgrades to its infrastructure," said Moritz Steinmann, area sales manager, Thomson Broadcast (Thomson Paris - March 31, 2011) About Bangladesh Betar: Bangladesh Betar, the national radio network has been discharging the responsibility of disseminating information, education, and entertainment with utmost commitment, honesty, and objectivity for about seven decades. It functions to support nation-building efforts of the Government, upholding social values and the country's rich historical and cultural heritage. Bangladesh Betar has been playing a pivotal role toward developing a knowledge-based information society, taking advantage of its unique and distinctive capacity as the cheapest and most versatile medium to reach to the grass-root level. Bangladesh Betar ? with the help of 15 medium wave, three shortwave, and 15 FM transmitters - has the strongest logistic network reaching across the breadth and length of the national boundary and beyond. Apart from the central News Desk spewing out hourly bulletins incorporating the latest national and international events, Bangladesh Betar as a true public service broadcasting medium has been propagating programs and news from its 71 studios around the clock, reflecting national requirements through 12 stations and six units, namely External Service, Transcription Service, Commercial Service, Population-Health & Nutrition Cell, Traffic Channel, and Farm Broadcasting (via Wolfgang Büschel, Aug 13, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Aug 17 via WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DXLD) Puff, puff! But that should resolve any confusion about the source of this new transmitter, originally guessed to be Chinese (gh, DXLD) 250 kW Transmitter Completion date with the old existing antennas is/was September 2011!, according to [as above]: And new revolving/rotatable antenna in spring 2012! So, I guess they have an Alliss antenna like test phase now at the band limits of 7105 and 15105 kHz. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_wave_ratio (Wolfgang Büschel, Aug 22, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BARBADOS. QSL: Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation, 900, no data confirmation of reception email from Pearson Bowen, Program Manager in 297 days for English airmail report and 1 IRC and follow-up via email. Verification email arrived 1 day after follow-up. Pearson stated they had mailed me a QSL and it appeared I had not received it, for which they apologized and they are mailing another one to me. pbowen(at)cbc(dot)bb 73 (Al Muick, Williamsport PA USA, Aug 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BELARUS. 11730, R. Belarus, 2157 W spelling out address in English at tune/in, then program "Welcome to Belarus". ID by M at 2200. Into Russian at 2201. Fairly strong but low modulation. (7 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) ** BELARUS [and non]. THE GREAT TEDDY BEAR WAR IN BELARUS Tuned Deutsche Welle's English news magazine "Inside Europe" via Kigali (Africa) today at 2100 GMT on 11865 kHz. My S-Meter showed a reading of 3.5 out of 5. After a brief news summary, DW reported on a second drop of hundreds of "Teddy Bears" by a Swedish advertising agency, Studio Total, over Belarus -- ruled over by a humorless dictator named Lukashenko. Technically, these two Teddy Bear "bombings" are an illegal (and embarrassing) invasion of Belarus' airspace. The Teddy Bears are attached to little parachutes to aid their proper descent, and have messages attached to them calling for greater freedom of speech and better treatment of political prisoners. These acts have attracted worldwide attention and angered the great leader of Belarus, who has threatened the bold Swedes through his political police, the KGB. He has "summoned" them to appear in Belarus to explain their illegal acts, but his gracious invitation has, so far, been declined. The dictator of Belarus has been so upset by all this that he has fired two of his ineffective generals. What a wonderful, hilarious story about the insecurity of a totalitarian nation through the means of shortwave radio (Grayson Watson; Dallas, TX using a Satellit 750 with an Apex Radio 700DTA antenna, Aug 19, NASWA yg via DXLD) ** BELGIUM [non]. [Re 12-33] No more TDP --- ``NEW NAME FOR TDP - Ludo Maes of NASB Associate Member TDP sends us the following news: "There are some changes in our organisation that we want to inform you about. 1) TDP ceased to exist on July 31, 2012. 2) A new company called Broadcast Belgium has been set up. Its activities are frequency management, international radio consultancy, digital radio expertise and monitoring. Web : http://www.broadcast.be/ (NASBshortwave Facebook August 12 via DXLD)`` But it hasn't been implemented. Seems only to be a test page. The old ones are still working: http://www.tdpradio.com/ http://www.airtime.be/ 73, (Erik Koie, Copenhagen, Aug 23, dxldyg via DXLD) ** BHUTAN. 6035 13.8 1540 Bhutan BS, Thimpu. Tillbaka igen med prat och lugn musik. Betydligt svagare än i slutet av Juli. TX-problem med sänkt effekt som följd? Helt borta när jag återvände till frekvensen kl 1550, förmodligen hade man stängt då. Även den 14.8 1605-164, så det verkar som sändningstiderna är synnerligen variabla. HR 6035, 13 Aug 1540, BS Bhutan, Thimpu. Back again with talk and soft music. Much weaker now than at the end of July. Transmitter problems with reduced power as a result? Completely gone when I returned to the frequency at 1550, probably had signed off. Even on Aug 14 at 1605- 1640, so it seems that their schedules are extremely variable (Hans Östnell, Vardö, Norway, SW Bulletin Aug 19, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BHUTAN. Got this nice verie from BBS in a day for an emailed RR : Quote.... Thank you for writing to us. I am writing to confirm your reception report. I listened to the clip you have sent and I am happy to tell you that it is definitely our station. We are available on 88.1 MHZ, the frequency you have quoted. I also cross checked the time and date which you gave as between 0420 and 0440 UT and 10 July 2012. On that day and around that time, we were broadcasting the discussions in the National Council which is the equivalent of your Rajya Sabha. The language was Dzongkha, the national language of Bhutan. The voices were that of our MPs. We have no QSL card. I hope this short mail will suffice. Regards Kaka Tshering (Mr.) General Manager, radio Bhutan Broadcasting Service Chubachu Thimphu Post box 101 .....unquote Here's the YouTube video of the log : http://youtu.be/DZFTH4w9nJg (Sony XDR-F1HD + Triax 5 Ele Yagi Hor beamed NE) (Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, dx_sasia yg via DXLD) Propagation Mode? 1219 km from Thimpu to New Delhi, so probably sporadic E. Yes, the video info says: ``FM DX Es Bhutan Broadcasting Service FM 88.1 MHz 0431 UTC 10 July 2012`` Has a fade-out in the middle of the clip (gh, DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 5580.28, R. San José, 0037 M with what sounded like a rosary. 0041 lively music. M in definite Spanish at 0048 but way too much QRN to copy. Haven't heard this in a while and glad to see it back on. LAs doing a better this evening. (4 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 4805, R. Dif. do Amazonas. Already on at 0919 check. Has variable s/on between 0900-1000. (4 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 4876, 0305, 11-08-2012. Religious progoram by man. He thanks God for the facilities -radio, Internet, etc.- which make possible to spread the Gospel around the world, especially towards those countries where it's difficult. Portuguese language. SINPO 45344. 0310 ID of the program and also he mentioned Roraima State, Brazil. Radiodifusora Roraima!! At 0325 the pastor started preaching about the Bible. The station's clock is some three minutes before the right time (compared with WWV). Heard until 0339 UT. I noticed the audio was distorted (Leonardo Santiago, Pueblo Llano, Mérida State, Venezuela, SONY ICF SW35, Outdoor TV type antenna, Kaito KA 33, GE Cassette recorder/ Digitalized with Wavepad, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL [and non]. 4915.0, Aug 21 at 0525, I can hear weak music vs local noise level and CODAR, and frequency matches BBC Arabic 9915.0. This CODAR is at the rate of once per second rather than twice; ``tie me CODARoo down, sport``. 0529 announcement perceptibly in Brazilian accent but too weak to copy; 0533 back to music. There are two active ZYs on 4915, so which is it? Recent reports say R. Daqui is off the air between 03 and 09, while Rdif. Macapá is 24 hours. There was a similarly weak signal from the Brazilian(s) on 4885. 4915, Aug 22 at 0518, variety of romantic music, Brazilian announcements, better than 24 hours earlier but still poor vs 1/minute CODAR wipers. I would have settled for one mention of ``Macapá`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 4914.969. UNID at 0415 UT, one from Brazil, but poor signal around threshold. 4885.023, UNID at 0410 UT, one of the Brazilian stations, noted popular Brazilian music. 6059.810. Super R Deus é Amor, Curitiba PR, most likely, at 0420 UT just under RHC in Spanish on even 6060 (Wolfgang Büschel, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 4925, 0027, 18-08-2012, adverts in Portuguese language, mentioning Tefé, Praça Santa Teresa, Brasil. Very good signal 55343. "Rádio Educação Rural de Tefé" (Lot of time since I had tuned them and this time reception is wonderful). Time corresponds to 20.35 local, 0035 UT, when they IDed the station. Program "Saudade na cidade..." Web page www.radio... Heard and recorded until 0125 (Leonardo Santiago, Pueblo Llano, Mérida State, Venezuela, SONY ICF SW35, Outdoor TV type antenna, Kaito KA 33, GE Cassette recorder/ Digitalized with Wavepad, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. Voz Missionaria Camoriu [sic], 5940 kHz, a first for me. I got (that) on July 3rd and in all the years that I have been a shortwave listener or DXer, I have never received such a large QSL card, 210mm x 295mm, and a nice QSL it is too. It came with a leaflet of staff photos and a few words about the station but it’s not in English (Des Davey, Te Kuiti, New Zealand, Aug NZ DX Times via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 6159.98, 17 Aug 2159*, UNID Brazilian still very weak, not possible at my location to get enough audio to tell which station it is here. AN up in the north sent a recording from Aug at 2129. Despite the best reception ever of this one to him, the signal is just above noise level and too weak to hear any ID (Thomas Nilsson, Sweden, SW Bulletin Aug 19 via WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DXLD) 6160.9, 9 Aug 2132, UNID (two stations listed), 2118-2132, 9/8, rlgs. propag.; 25331. Canada also obs'ed. on this very fq on 13/8, 2216. Carlos comments: Yes, puzzling, perhaps, but I did observe CAN and B on those fqs. For some days now, only CAN is audible, no trace of B or anything from LA. Yesterday (Aug 16) for instance, CBG 1400 was audible, and found to be parallel (as usual) to CKZN 6160 nominal (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, ibid.) Very interesting, this indicates that the stations in question, Rio Mar and Boa Vontade are active. Unfortunately at least the station on 6159,98 is too weak for getting a decent ID. /TN [later:] Regarding the unID Brazililan on 6159.98, Mauno Ritola informed me late in the evening yesterday that it is Boa Vontade which he has checked with the help of a local SDR. The signal also checked against the station’s webstream. So one problem less. This carrier is visible almost every evening but very weak on the Flag antenna at my location here in southern Sweden. Arne Nilsson far up in northern Sweden and by using a very long beverage has been able to get enough audio to hear that it is a Brazilian (Thomas Nilsson, Aug 20, WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6160.04 UNID (Brazilian?), 2128-..., 18/8, [unreadable] talks & music; 14331, avoidable heterodyne with CAN [NEWFOUNDLAND] on 6160.9. Received with the unterminated Beverage at 225º, so in theory the signal could also come from NorthEast. 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, Aug 21, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 6180, Aug 19 at 0513, RNA with somewhat distorted music, also on 11780, and rather like Sackville is doing to Vietnam on 9555. These stations need to pay more attention to their modulation, adjust their Optimods or whatever (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 9695.35+ R. Rio Mar, Manaus. 1002-1100+. Just a het at tune in, but audio switched on in mid-sentence about 30 secs later. Man and woman talking in Portuguese, ID jingle at 1003:30. Talk and ads, some vocals. Good level at tune-in, but faded to poor within about 10 minutes. At 1030, still good enough to catch full ID with list of frequencies. Frequency drifted up and down a bit between 9695.30 and 9695.40. There's a het from an inaudible sig on 9695.05 -- suspect Japan from Kranji since it disappeared after 1030 and reappeared around 1100, in accordance with their sked. Stig Nielsen recently reported Rio Mar on 6160, but found nothing on 9695, but they are here -- and I'm glad, because when I accidentally came across them here sometime in about 1960, it was my first encounter with the thrill of DXing foreign domestics, and it began my lifelong fascination with the vagaries of the ionosphere and the way in which it lets us listen in on other cultures! 8/18 (Art Delibert, N. Bethesda, MD, Excalibur Pro/ Collins 51j-4 with Sherwood SE-3, Pennant antenna with DX Engineering amp, HCDX via WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 9820, Rádio 9 de Julho, São Paulo, 0602-0610, 19-08, Portuguese, religious, "Santuário Nacional", "Com a Mãe Aparecida na Rede Aparecida de Rádio". 24322. (Méndez) 10000, Time Signal Station Observatório Nacional, Rio de Janeiro, 0857-0920, 19-08, time signals, female announcing the time in Portuguese: "Observatorio Nacional, 5 horas, 57 minutos, 00 segundos". 12321- (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Logs in Friol and Lugo, Sony ICF SW 7600 G, cable antenna, 10 meters, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 11830, R. Daqui. End of soft ZY song, M with "R. Daqui AM" ID, and back to music. Nice ID with rooster crowing at 1000, then another canned "R. Daqui AM" ID with frequency by M, and talk by M and W with "bom dia" greetings, then back to soft Portuguese song. Good signal but a little slop-over QRM from 11825 Chinese. (5 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 15191.49, R. Inconfidência, 0100 canned announcement by M with mention of Inconfidência followed by usual canned frequency announcement by M. I've heard this canned announcement several times now and there is no ID, just frequencies given. Nice ID though by live M announcer at 0103:50. Good and clear. (4 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) ** CANADA. QSL: CFRA 580, Ottawa, Ontario. No data confirmation email in 171 days for English report via airmail with US $2.00 and follow-up via email. QSL email arrived several hours after follow-up to Steve Winogron, Program Director steve(dot)winogron(at)chumradio(dot)com 73 (Al Muick, Williamsport PA USA, Aug 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Re 12-33: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/renaissance+radio+Montreal/7073268/story.html I also heard about those major changes to come a couple of months ago. In my opinion, the biggest news is that both 690 and 940 clear channels will be busy again. From a DXer point of view, this is bad news as both frequencies become very lively when Latin America open up. This is however quite interesting to observe how dynamic is the AM radio scene in Montreal. If you look at Quebec City for instance which is the second largest city of the province of Quebec, there is still only one AM station remaining (CHRC 800) and to my knowledge, nothing is planned for adding another AM station (Sylvain Naud, Portneuf, QC CAN, http://www.quebecdx.com mwmasts yg via DXLD) ** CANADA. 1610, CHHA Toronto a big surprise for this time of year! Noted in Spanish with distinctive jingle at 0545 11/7 and 0558 3/8 when heard poorly over Anguilla (Bryan Clark at Mangawhai (Northland), New Zealand with AOR7030+, EWEs to North, Central & South America, 100m BOG to NE and Alpha Delta Sloper antennas, Aug NZ DX Times via DXLD) ** CANADA. 5960, 0423 13/7, R Japan fair with music and comment in Japanese. NB: this relay no longer available (Ken Baird, Christchurch, New Zealand, Kenwood R5000, R1000, 18m Wire, SW Eavesdropper, Aug NZ DX Times via DXLD) ? Yes, it is available to R. Japan, not to RCI (gh) [and non]. 6110, Aug 16 at 0526, oh oh, open carrier/dead air from Sackville, CANADA, instead of NHK World R. Japan English relay which is still in effect; lost feed? From the beginning 0500? Remained dead until 0529:34* without any RCI IS/ID at closing. NHK poor but OK on the other relays, 5975 UK and 11970 France. 9555, Aug 16 at 0523, VOV Vietnamese relay via CANADA is still modulating, in fact, overmodulating to somewhat distorted level; 0528 into OK BaBcoCk music loops IS at the end of this transmission. Looks like SAC needs some attention. 6120, August 16 at 1214, next NHK relay via Sackville is again modulating, fair signal, also audible on the only other frequency, 9695 SINGAPORE. Looking forward to the post-Sackville switch to Guiana French for the 1200 transmission on the 25mb which should cover all of N America much better, for those awake as early as 4 am in the winter on the west coast. Even 6 am CST should be too early for me (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. 6159.99, CKZU, 0959 end of BBC program "Heart and Soul". 0959 program outro by own M announcer (Jeff ??) with mention of CBC Radio One, then "technology for gearheads" promo for Sundays "Sparks" program, followed by promo for "Babel" with host Mariel Borelli. 1000- 1004 CBC Radio One news starting with ID by W. Stories about search of survivors in collapsed building, first degree murder charge in death of a police officer, complaint about dogs on someone`s property, fight against bacterial "superbug", recall of police cars, and web donating for Vancouver ballet fundraiser. 1004 ID and program intro by M as "I'm ?? and you're listening to CBC Radio One. Time now for ?? a program ?? intriguing and unusual stories that are broadcast on the BBC 27 different world service programs". 1005-1031 Two BBC programs with first W host focusing, of course, on the Olympics and unusual Olympic stories. Many many journalist reports with sound bites. The other then followed with M host. Couldn't get the program names. 1031 program by Deutsche Welle then. Fair strength, No QRM from CKZN 6160.8 when listening in LSB, but did get a het from another station fading in around 1010 on 6160. Moderate QRN static crashes. Heavy quick fading. Poor overall. (12 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD- 535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) ** CANADA. DTV MULTICASTING ARRIVES IN CANADA I'm surprised I beat Doug to this: the CRTC has approved an application from low-power CFTV 34 in Leamington, Ontario to convert to digital - with FOUR multicast streams! All the gory details, here: http://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2012/2012-446.htm s (Scott Fybush, NY, 17 Aug, WTFDA via DXLD) (Made it to TV News but too busy cleaning the bathroom to post it here. At least that's my excuse.) To be a bit semantic about it, CFTV is NOT the first station in Canada to multicast. CJON-DT St. John's was using their DTV signal to deliver the audio to co-owned CHOZ-FM when they realized the general public was listening & they'd probably better get CRTC approval :) But CFTV is the first one that will use multicast to add new services. – (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View, TN EM66, ibid.) Sun TV Channel 19 in London, ONTARIO (Which is now Defunct) had 2 Sub Channels for a time. One Broadcast Sun TV in HD and the other in SD. That was several years ago!!! The Programming however was the SAME on both Channels!! Regards. ROB VA3SW (Robert S. Ross, London, Ontario CANADA, ibid.) A day late and a dollar short for some populated areas in Quebec that lost CBC English TV service due to the CRTC's and CBC's old No Multicast policy. fhp (Fritze Prentice, KC5KBV, AR, ibid.) ** CHAD. 6164.955, 14 Aug 2045, R Tchad noted this day with quite a strong signal (Thomas Nilsson, Sweden, SW Bulletin Aug 19 via DXLD) ** CHAD. 6165, August 18 at 0527, 4+ kHz het against CKZN but sufficient to escape it by slight uptuning, assertive talk in French, so must be RNT, mixing bits of music; 0528 just drumming for a sesquiminute; 0529.5 French announcements, Chad mentioned, YL with news? Then OM mentioning ``islamique``. S9+12 this late and rather undermodulated. Makes up for degraded propagation from Africa on higher bands, e.g. 15400 Dabanga/Madagascar much weaker than usual, and also even R. Australia on that band. Ndjamena sunrise today was 0449, and will still be a month from now; varies little at 12 degrees north, per gaisma.com, only one semihour over the entire year. RNT had apparently been inactive for a few weeks; always beware of co-channel Zambia which would never be in French. Or rather almost co-channel: Chad has been measured by others at 40v Hz low, while Zambia is spot on (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6164.960, S=8-9 at 1910 UT Aug 18 (Wolfgang Büschel, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Radio Chad, 6165, N'Djamena. Aug 19, 2012. Sunday. 0200-0205. Nothing heard. I note that Aoki no longer lists it as 24h; now shown as off- air during the period 2300-0425. Jo'burg sunrise 0433 (Bill Bingham, RSA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHAD. 6165, Aug 21 at 0502, RNT with heavy-beat music, French announcement, 0506 conversation; no news on the hour at this time. Quite good, better than heard recently around 0530 after fading down. Should be even better around presumed sign-on 0430v (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHILE [and non]. En invierno el Cono Sur se deja sentir en Escandinavia. Como casi todos los años, entre finales de abril y comienzos de agosto se dejan sentir emisoras del Cono Sur en los países escandinavos. La hora de recepción suele ser pasada la medianoche y hasta el amanecer local. Una de las captaciones más interesantes es la de Radio Poder Pentecostal, de Rancagua, Chile, en 1510.013, emisora que fue captada simultáneamente por tres diexistas suecos. Esta emisora funciona desde principios de junio, mientras que Radio Rancagua, que antes ocupaba la frecuencia, se pasó a la FM. Los tres reporteros obtuvieron respuesta por internet a vuelta de correo. La iglesia propietaria de la radio se hizo famosa a nivel nacional por una filmación del culto durante el terremoto del 25 de marzo de este año. En la página web de la radio, http://www.poderpentecostal.org hay videos, incluso el informe que presentó Chilevisión. Junto con la emisora chilena se escucharon dos emisoras raras desde el otro lado de la Cordillera, la primera en 1440 y la segunda en 1370 (en realidad en 1369.894). La primera debió ser Radio Nacional, "la radio pública", de San Martín de los Andes, según lo manifestado por su directora, y la segunda, su homónimo de Ing. Jacobacci, en Río Negro. La primera se escuchó con claridad suficiente como para reportarla. Desde Bolivia se han captado más de media docena de emisoras en AM durante el mismo período, siendo una de las más interesantes Radio Bendita Trinidad, 1540, sita en El Alto, La Paz (Henrik Klemetz, Borås, Suecia, condiglist yg via DXLD) ** CHILE. 17680, 1900-2200* 15+16+17.08, CVC La Voz, Calera de Tango. Spanish talk, news, sports news, frequent ID's, comment about Calera de Tango closing 17.08 and interview with a local employee, 35333. It was not heard on 18.08! Best 73, (Anker Petersen, on my AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire in 9 metres altitude here in Skovlunde, Denmark, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) Final de trasmisiones desde Calera de Tango (CVC la Voz), 1330 UT. En el aire ambas frecuencias, 9635 (55545) y 17680 (45544) kHz. "Sólo éxitos de Radio; Lista de canciones más escuchadas en este día tan especial para nuestros oyentes de la onda corta" Se invita a buscar la señal on-line y acceder a las emisoras locales (ce3BBC, Hugo López C, Santiago de Chile, 1327 UT Aug 17, condiglist yg via DXLD) En este momento, 1425 en los 9635 está en el aire "Energía Total", a las 1430 "Noticias". SINFO=55545. Demasiada buena señal para que quieran justificar el cierre por falta de audiencia. No es creíble! (Rubén G. Margenet, Argentina, ibid.) Por acá en Lima, señal 44424 en 9635 Khz. Como siempre mi Grundig al lado (DXSPACEMASTER, ALFREDO BENJAMIN CAÑOTE BUENO, Perú, 1451 UT, ibid.) Primera e-QSL, comienzo de una despedida A propósito del cierre de emisiones de CVC La Voz en onda corta desde Calera de Tango en Chile, vino a mi memoria sus primeras emisiones de prueba realizadas en 1998, así decidí buscar en mis archivos por que tenia la seguridad de haber guardado un correo electronico recibido al reporte de esas primeras emisiones; para ese momento estaba despuntado en mi país la utilización del nuevo medio de comunicación la Internet, yo ni siquiera tenia correo electró nico propio ni acceso a la nueva tecnologí a utilizaba la direccion electronica de mi jefé en la empresa para la cual trabajaba. En el correo recibido Andrew Flynn, como Ingeniero Jefe me confirma las emisiones de prueba y me detalla los equipos y transmisiones, que se pensaban desarrollar Voz Cristiana desde Chile . En ese momento no me percate y solo hasta ahora vengo a caer en cuenta que este correo se convirtió en mi primera e-QSL recibida, muy tan de moda actualmente; y que el medio que me había servido de contacto con esta emisora a la postre seria el encargado de acabar con sus emisiones en la onda corta. Como siempre y a lo largo de este duro año para las emisiones internacionales de onda corta, solo queda los buenos y gratos recuerdos de haber pasado muchas horas en la compañía de sus ondas. Además de adaptarse a las nuevas realidades que para la practica de nuestra afición nos plantea el desarrollo de la tecnología... más: http://dxdesdecolombia.blogspot.com/ (Rafael Rodríguez R., Bogotá D.C - COLOMBIA, ibid.) 17680, August 17 at 1334, CVC La Voz from Miami studio: Calera de Tango site`s last day ever on the air, with usual gospel rock in Spanish, 1334 announced as the #23 tune on some kind of hit parade. To be cut off and dismantled after 2200 UT today; also on 9635. I wonder if anything special will be said before 2200, even in former languages such as English? Updated with QSL details: http://www.w4uvh.net/calendar.html 17680, Aug 17 I monitor CVC La Voz more than I ever have before, on the last day ever of broadcasts from the Calera de Tango site: it`s all in Spanish, pushing gospel with rock, neither of which appeal to me at all. 1925, mentions 14 years on SW, started in 1998y; interview about future plans reaching listeners instead by mobile phones, for which they already have 100 apps; 1933, Facebook has grown so much in Latin America. 1940, gospel rock with English lyrix, then YL caller in Spanish on the air, from Nazca, Perú. She has been listening for a dekayear. (Faith must be fragile, requiring constant reinforcement). More music at frenetic pace just like the DJs, as required for people under 35, their target demographic, driving away the rest of us and those with taste younger. 2027, DJ asks for phone calls; babbling about Billboard hits, etc. 2058, website promo; go to its section about liderazgo for something about (against, no doubt) homosexuality; another program promo 2100, news headlines, 2103 plug show Juegolímpico 2141, something about trying to get a new license in Chile; are they referring to some kind of broadcasting other than SW? Besides their 413 affiliates in Latin America, they have applications for 100 more (I think, rather than about phone apps). However, I had the impression they have saturated the local FM markets about as far as they can go. 2144, canned announcement about closing down SW 2145, staff from Calera de Tango on the phone, supposedly broadcasting live from site for first time. However, it was broadcast quality, not phone-line quality. First one said there were eight of them left, and he had worked there as a transmitter engineer since CVC took over in August 1998. They were all proud to have been involved in this noble effort. 2148, I check the // 9635, but can`t hear it vs noise level, nor do I need to as 17680 continues to inboom for a few more minutes. The one YL engineer we have seen in photos speaks. Begin to hear a ticking clock in the background, but no formal countdown to oblivion, and it is no longer heard near the end, anyway 2157, someone speaking was Mauricio Molano; was it the DXer in Spain or a namesake at the site? [no: see Klemetz, below] Applause for/from everyone at CdT. Closing program with ``mil, y mil gracias``. 2158, plugs cvclavoz.com where ``estamos a tu lado``; plug newscast `El Mundo Hoy` 2159, URL mentioned again, jingle and the final letters heard before carrier cut at 2200:00* were: ``C-V-C``. And so another shortwave broadcasting country bites the dust (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 081712, 1800, 17680 -- CVC La Voz, religious station in Spanish. This is their last day transmitting on SW from their Calera de Tango site in Chile. Received it with no wire antenna, from the parking lot at my job in West Dallas, near a bunch of power lines. Not bad, everything considered! SINPO 34333. Male ("Erwin Dorado") reads news headlines at hourtop (1 pm CDT): Paraguay elections, talk about a hurricane, sports news with different OM at 1802. I'll be QSLing them soon (Bill Blair, heard on TECSUN PL-380 in Euless, Texas, USA, with 25 foot reel wire antenna, on a second floor, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Audio: Ultimos minutos de CVC la Voz desde Calera de Tango, Chile http://lagalenadelsur.wordpress.com/2012/08/05/chile-visita-al-centro-emisor-de-calera-de-tango-cvc-la-voz/ (Horacio Nigro Geolkiewsky, Montevideo, Uruguay, Aug 17, condiglist yg via DXLD) Despedida del director de CVC la voz a los operadores de Calera de http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIMZRxjw7c8&feature=youtu.be (Jose A. Kucher, ibid.) Glenn, The voice on CVC La Voz at 2157 belongs to Mauricio Bravo, who is part of the local Chilean crew. An audio of the last half hour has been posted by Horacio Nigro. You will find it at the very end of an interesting article on the station at http://lagalenadelsur.wordpress.com/2012/08/05/chile-visita-al-centro-emisor-de-calera-de-tango-cvc-la-voz/ On August 17, I monitored CVC La Voz on 17680.014 on a remote SDR receiver located at the old Radio Sweden transmitting site at Motala, operated by the club station SK5SM. The signal peaked S7 at 2000 which was comparable to that of a remote receiver in NH, USA, and better than that of other remote facilities on the European continent. CVC has 416 affiliates and 100 pending requests, it was said. Yet I heard a listener complaining from La Paz that there is no local day- time relay of CVC in that town, and so SW is necessary. Internet access is still dear and scarce in Bolivia. Even from Perú, in towns like Arequipa, Pucallpa and Huacho, listeners complained on the phone about the closure of the SW service. No callers from Cuba, though. Surely CVC has no affiliates there, and so CVC La Voz has no local phone number as they have for other Latin American countries. I do not think you can expect Cuban listeners to place long-distance calls to Miami on the phone, and access to the internet is, as far as I know, restricted to "official" use. How many Cubans own an iPhone? This said, I believe the closure of CVC La Voz on SW was a bit premature (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, Aug 22, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 17680, "CVC, La Voz," final hour of the last day of their SW broadcasting from Chile, 2100-2200*, Aug 17. Opened with brief news, then for the rest of the first half-hour it was "Juego Olímpico," sports news, with numerous animated, over-produced announcements and promos, plus a number of anns saying, that they were leaving SW from Chile and inviting listeners to tune in via the internet. But at about 2133 they went into a special studio program about their SW service. ”Today we are reaching the culmination of another stage of our lives. Just as someday we gave accommodation to the international operation of signals from the satellite signal, today marks another cycle”. (Translated from Spanish). Then a description of the Calera de Tango site with big shortwave and satellite transmitters and sound bites from real SW reception of CVC la Voz from Calera de Tango. "After 14 years bringing life, CVC The Voice announces the cessation of shortwave transmissions. Grateful to God to have served this time, and with the satisfaction of knowing that this is not a farewell, because we connected through our network affiliate stations". Sr. Juan Mark Gallardo, manager for Latin America, gives explanations on the ending of broadcasts and finding new ways for interaction with audience referring to new technologies, not by SW, but via Android, Iphone. He mentioned that they have 416 affiliated stations and a remaining work for 100 new applications pending. Via a satellite link, personnel in Chile sent greetings, final words and applause. Closed with soundbits from real SW broadcast of CVC, sounds of wind, bird chirping and closing music. Excellent signal (35333 in Denmark). It was not heard on Aug 18! It is expected a special QSL-card to be issued confirming reports for the final broadcast by CVC La Voz (Christian Vision Spanish Service) which is also the last one from this location. The site will be dismantled. Reports to Casilla 395 de Talagante, Chile or via e-mail to antonio @ cvclavoz.cl Two videos showing the transmitter hall and the antenna park can be seen at http://youtu.be/PE1VDnhRWP0 and http://youtu.be/_gv2JFUmLKs provided by Chilean DX-er Luis Valderas (D’Angelo, Berg, Churchill, Jensen and Nigro in DXplorer, Hauser, Jorgensen and Petersen, [who said what?], DSWCI DX Window Aug 22 via DXLD) ** CHINA. 10000, BPM time station, Usual Morse code IDs mixing in with WWVH and WWV at 1129. Didn't hear the voice IDs. (11 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) ** CHINA. Firedrake/Firedragon logs in reverse chrono order: 14980, Firedrake Jammer, 8/9 1133. VG, with noted //s on 12370 (VG), 12800 (Excellent), 14800 (VG). Also checked earlier (1000-1100 hour) , none heard here. 12230, Firedrake Jammers, 8/8 1020. Good, with noted // 14700. Did not check during 1100-1200 period. 13525, Firedragon Jamming Staton, 8/7 1033. Good, with no other //s noted here on bandsweep from 9.9 to 18 MHz. Did hear cupla more after 1130 on 11500 (VG) and 12320 (VG). 12980, Firedrake 8/3, 1030. Strong. Nothing else heard on bandscan 9.8 - 18 MHz and nothing here after 1130. 12980, Firedrake Jammer, 8/2, 1130. 14700, Fair-Good. Only one heard at my QTH with bandscan from 9.8 - 18 MHz. Note: I didn`t check the bands during the 1000-1100 hour this AM. 11500, Firedrake Jammer, 8/1, 1033. Fair. No other //s heard on bandsweep from 9.7 to 10.1 MHz. 11500, Firedrake Music, 7/30, 1130. VG. Also heard //s on 12980 and 13530. 13850, Firedragon, 7/29, 1130. VG, with no audible // stations. 11500, Firedragon Station, 7/28, 1030. Fair/good, with VG // on 12670. 1130 UT recheck had them still on 12670. 11500 gone or not audible. New // sending on 12980. 73 and Good Listening! (Rick Barton, El Mirage AZ, Hammarlund HQ-120-X, Drake R8, Slinky and longwire, ABDX via DXLD) 14970, 0855, Firedrake, v/gd, // 11500, 1/7 (Philip Van de Paverd, Howick, New Zealand, IC-76E, 15m EWE, Aug NZ DX Times via DXLD) Firedrake Aug 16, before 1200: 11500, fair at 1155, none in the 10s 12230, fair at 1156, none in the 13s, 14s, 15s, 16s Before 1400: 15495, fair at 1330 15485, fair at 1344 with flutter, ex-15495 After 1430: 15500, poor at 1432 with flutter, ex-15485 Firedrake August 18, before 1330: 16100, very good at 1320 with heavy flutter; none in the 17s or 18s 15755, fair at 1323; one which jumps around a lot 15570, fair at 1324 with flutter 15495, fair at 1320 plus noise, het on hi side 12320, fair at 1326; none in the 14s or 13s (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Glenn, after looking at your latest DXLD I started tuning around to see what I could receive in the firedrake here in Montreal. So my result tuning at 1344 UT on august 18th 2012 is: 15490 good 15605 weak 15755 weak 16100 strong 16920 weak I have made a youtube video .. explaining a little and showing these frequencies while tuning around. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sSkn5R3K3I&feature=channel&list=UL 73's from Montreal (Gilles Letourneau http://www.youtube.com/tecmtl dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Propagation very disturbed morning of August 19, weak and fluttery signals on all bands except for nearby N American stations. Firedrake before 1300, all with flutter: 13920, poor at 1242 12320, poor at 1244 12670, good at 1244 with flutter After 1300: 15560, very poor at 1309 15485, JBA at 1309 At 1200 WWV Reported: ``Solar-terrestrial indices for 18 August follow. Solar flux 97 and estimated planetary A-index 11. The estimated planetary K-index at 1200 UTC on 19 August was 3. Space weather for the past 24 hours has been minor. Radio blackouts reaching the R1 level occurred. Space weather for the next 24 hours is predicted to be minor. Radio blackouts reaching the R1 level are likely.`` At 1500 WWV report modified part of it: ``The estimated planetary K-index at 1500 UTC on 19 August was 3. No space weather storms are predicted for the next 24 hours.`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9940, Jamming Station 0035 using noise that sounds like an airplane. 8/20/12 (Handler-IL) 15485, Firedrake 1307 with musical jamming. Target appears to be the Voice of Tibet (not heard) brodcasting on 15487 kHz. Fair signal. 8/20/12. 15520, Firedrake 1224 with poor signal until sign off heard at 1230. Target appears to be the Voice of Tibet (not heard). Since I have heard Firedrake in recent days jamming on 15515 or 15520 I assume the Voice of Tibet may be using 15517. 8/20/12. 15555, Firedrake 1255 with Fair signal until 1306 sign off. Target appears to be the Voice of Tibet's broadcast in Tibetan (not heard) on 15553. 8/20/12 (Steve Handler, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Firedrake August 20, after 1300: 15670, fair at 1307 mixing equally with Chinese, probably CNR1 jammer, piling up upon R. Free Asia, Tibetan via Tajikistan 15560, fair at 1307 15485, poor at 1308, het on hi side Before 1400: 15670, at 1350 only hear CNR1 jammer, maybe a trace of FD; see above 15605, very poor at 1349 15490, poor at 1349, het on lo side 14700, very poor at 1354 with flutter; none in 18s, 17s, 16s, 13s, 12s Firedrake August 21, after 1330: 16100, very good at 1332 15495, fair at 1333 14980, very good at 1333 14700, poor at 1333; none in the 13s, 12s (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15555, Firedrake. Target appears to be the Voice of Tibet's broadcast in Tibetan (not heard) on 15553 kHz at 1243 to 1306 sign off with het on 8/22/12. 15560, Firedrake 1310 until 1318 sign off with Good signal. Target appears to be the Voice of Tibet's broadcast in Tibetan (not heard) on 15562. 8/22/12. 16100, Firedrake 1248 with musical jamming targeting the Sound of Hope's Mandarin broadcast (not heard) which uses this frequency either 24/7 or from 2000-1700. 8/22/12. 16920, Firedrake 1249 with musical jamming targeting the Sound of Hope's Mandarin broadcast (not heard) which uses this frequency 24/7. 8/22/12 (Steve Handler, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Firedrake August 22, before 1300, all with flutter: 16100, poor at 1253; none in the 17s, 14s, 13s, 12s 15555, fair at 1253, het on lo side Before 1400: 15605, poor at 1339 with WEWN 15615 squishy spur QRM from 15606 15485, good at 1343 with flutter (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA [non]. Anyone know what's going on with Radio China International [sic]? Their 1400-1600 UT transmission on 13740 was missing last Sunday and this morning. It still shows up in their schedule (last I checked) and on the Prime Time Shortwave schedules. Could it just be a matter of the Cuban relay transmitter being down? Thanks in advance. 73, (Jim K5JG, Aug 19, ptsw yg via DXLD) 13740, Tue Aug 21 at 1447, CRI English via CUBA with usual VG signal for the 14-16 UT relay. Jim, K5JG in the ptsw yg said it was missing Sunday mornings Aug 12 and 19. Could be another anomaly caused by the defunct Aló, Presidente relays formerly at that time, when Cuban SW transmitters had to be reconfigured on Sundays only (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. 17765, CNR, 8/8, 2400 and +. Sign on ToH, familiar CNR intro music and ID by M in Chinese. Have this listed in a cupola refs for two other stations, neither this one, but I heard what I heard. 73 and Good Listening! (Rick Barton, El Mirage AZ, Hammarlund HQ-120-X, Drake R8, Slinky and longwire, ABDX via DXLD) VOA Chinese via Philippines is on 17765 this hour; therefore it Must Be Jammed, by CNR1 programming. 73, (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) Tnx also for the interesting additional angle on the China log. I would almost (almost) be tempted to say the Chi-Comms are a little classier than the Russians were in using actual programming to jam, rather than just a bunch of loud noises. But my libertarian sensibilities are offended by both: blocking the free flow of information is hideous, no matter how it is done, IMhO (Rick Barton, ibid.) ** COLOMBIA. 14950.8, 0026, Salem Stereo, Rio Blanco new station in Spanish with religious talks & soft Christian songs followed through to 0518 tuneout 6/7. Slow fading pattern, peaking fair on occasions with occasional idents. Not heard since mid-July (Bryan Clark at Mangawhai (Northland), New Zealand with AOR7030+, EWEs to North, Central & South America, 100m BOG to NE and Alpha Delta Sloper antennas, Aug NZ DX Times via DXLD) 14950.7, Aug 16 at 0510, tune in to nice peak at a steady fair S9+5 with gospel-tinged music, 0511 citing I Juan 5:14, back to music, 0514 segué to another (two in a row usually between announcements), and this one sounds like karaoke, a YL singing rather off-key but the instrumental accompaniment is OK. 0517 another quotation from Juan, YL TC, ``12 de la mañana ---`` but could not catch the minutes: in the past was usually off by a few. Has faded down now to S7-8; 0531 a Salem Stereo ID. By my indirect BFO/keyboard beat method, frequency measures closer to 14950.7 than 14950.8 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also NICARAGUA Salem Stéreo from Colombia heard here on 14950.7 kHz this morning (August 17) with a best signal around 0630 UT. LA music and songs with male talk (announcement), weak to very weak signal, impossible to understand the talk (Karel Honzik, CZECHIA, RX: AOR AR7030, ANT: 70mtr longwire, HCDX via DXLD) 14950.80, Salem Estéreo, Río Blanco, 1125-1130, Agosto 19, español, escuchada con música cristiana y anuncios ininteligibles en español por locutor. Por momentos la señal era muy buena y por otros apenas audible. Después de las 1130 UT la emisora prosiguió la emisión con una charla religiosa en español. La recepción se hizo siempre en modo USB. SINPO 24422 El municipio de Rioblanco cuenta con un área de 1.443 kilómetros cuadrados, esta localizado al suroccidente del departamento del Tolima, su cabecera se localiza sobre los 3º33’ de latitud norte y los 75º 40’ de longitud al oeste de Greenwich. Su temperatura promedio es de 18,6 grados centígrados Limita al norte con el municipio de Chaparral; por el sur con el municipio de Planadas; por el oriente con el municipio de Ataco y por el occidente con el departamento del Valle del Cauca. En su mayor parte es un territorio montañoso y sus principales fuentes hídricas las componen: el río Saldaña, el Río Rioblanco, el río Hereje, el río Cambrin y las quebrada el Arrastradero y la Italia. Los límites municipales fueron establecidos por la Ordenanza # 011 de 1984. El municipio presenta como divisiones administrativas tradicionales el sector urbano, determinado por el perímetro urbano, y el sector rural el cual está conformado por noventa y cinco (95) veredas y dos Inspecciones de Policía (Herrera y Puerto Saldaña). El sector urbano del municipio de Rioblanco fue determinado por el perímetro urbano establecido por el Acuerdo municipal No. 011 de 1990. Más info en http://www.rioblanco-tolima.gov.co/index.shtml (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, Aug 20, GRA blog via DXLD) 14950.7, Aug 19 at 1242 very poor signal with music, no flutter, from Salem Stereo; could not hear it previous evening chex. 14950.75, August 20 at 0147, Salem Stereo is fair and quite readable, but unlistenable since it`s the sermon segment. 14950.7, Aug 21 at 1952, JBA carrier no doubt from Salem Stereo; and also at 0137 Aug 22 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Olá Colegas, Aguém já conseguiu captar a Rádio Salem 14950 aqui no Brasil? Estou monitorando sempre essa frequência, mas até agora nada. Se alguém da lista (Brasil) já a captou, me informe por favor, OK? Abraço e boas escutas (Cássio Santos - Goiânia-Goiás, 21 August, radioescutas yg via DXLD) ** CONGO DR. 5066,33 18.8 1757 Radio Candip, Bunia. Riktigt bra signal i backriktningen på 340-graders BOG:en. Nyheter på FF kl 1800 med prat om Bukavo och från 1827 ett block med härlig afromusik fram till c/d med trummor kl 1902. Har aldrig hört stationen så bra som denna gången. HR* 5066.33, 18 Aug 1757, Radio Candip, Bunia. Really good signal in the reverse direction of the 340-degree BOG. News in French at 1800 with talk about Bukavu and from 1827 a block with lovely African music until c/d with drums at 1902. Never heard this station as good as this time (Hans Östnell, Cape Skagen near Vardö, Norway, SW Bulletin Aug 19, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5066,36 12.8 0300 Radio Candip, Bunia skapligt bra hörbarhet denna tid när man slog på innan timmen, mjukade upp med lite trevliga rytmer, och hade ett komplett id på timmen. Har faktiskt aldrig hört dem så bra som nu. Man änker på alla de svåra förhållanden som råder i området. 2-4 RÅ 5066.36, 12 Aug 0300, Radio Candip, Bunia reasonable audio at this time at sign on just before the hour, softened up with some nice rhythms and had a full ID on the hour. Actually I have never heard them as good as now. Can’t resist thinking of all the difficult conditions prevailing in the area. 2-4 (Lisette Åkesson, Sweden, SW Bulletin Aug 19, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COSTA RICA. Radio Exterior de España, 5995, Cariari de Pococi. Aug 19, 2012. Sunday. 0245-0256. Spanish, YL talking. Into music and song at 0253. ID by YL at 0255 "Radio Exterior de España". Poor. Barely readable, but never mind; it is unusual for me to log Costa Rica from Jo'burg. Jo'burg sunrise 0433 (Bill Bingham, RSA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 11880, Sunday Aug 19 at 1307 I start to listen to world-music show from REE, `Mundofonías`, when transmitter cuts off and on the air twice, then stays on (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Cariari de Pococi transmitter still malfunctioning Hi, Glenn, I'm listening to 17850 right now (1915 UT Aug 19) and it's obvious that the REE Cariari de Pococi transmitter is still malfunctioning. This has been going on for several weeks, as you well know. Currently, it's sending spurs up the band that are even effecting the 17 Meter Amateur Radio allocation. Best & 73, (Thomas Witherspoon K4SWL -- http://swling.com DX LISTENING DIGEST) [later:] Hi, Glenn, I've published an article on the SWLing Post about the transmitter with an audio sample and spectrum displays showing spurs: http://swling.com/blog/2012/08/rees-cariari-de-pococi-transmitter-malfunctioning/ Cheers & 73, (Thomas Witherspoon, ibid.) Dear Mr. Thomas: We are very thanked for your feedback about the reception in SW. We are certainly going to investigate about and will send your report to the transmitter site. First of all we have to say that the spectrum seems to be a multiple harmonic product, being the difference among these products the same as the difference found in the spectrogram between two close carriers, one of them 17.850 kHz. It suggests that your reception is probably mixed with the other carrier, may be in your reception unit or in a close equipment near yours which re-radiates the products, but definitely can not happen in the transmitter site because the transmitter does NOT work with mixed signals but with tuned single signal. This kind of problem is often reported to us in many circumstances, so we are familiar with this. A directional sweep and filtering can help you to find the cause, but we take note about this. We also have strict regulations and inspections to check that our transmissions are in band. Have a nice day. Aug 20, 2012 at 3:36 AM, LUIS MELGAR GARCIA (via Thomas Witherspoon, Aug 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Mr. H. - I heard the same spurs you discussed this week from Radio Exterior Espana. It was noted by Thomas Witherspoon on the link below, that REE is aware of the issue. They don't seem to be in a hurry to do much about it, though. http://swling.com/blog/2012/08/update-rees-cariari-de-pococi-transmitter/ All the best, (Joe Noussair, Aug 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 17850, Aug 21 at 1951, REE relay shortly before 2000* is not putting spiky spurs all over the place today. Thomas Witherspoon has notified them in Madrid of the problem, but since it was irregular anyway, we can`t assume yet that it has been permanently fixed. 17833-17867, Aug 22 at 1853 check, REE Cariari relay on 17850 is only splattering out to +/- 17 kHz, no further spikes detectable (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CROATIA. RIZ WORKERS GATHER OUTSIDE GOVERNMENT OFFICES IN ZAGREB TO DEMAND ESOP Over 150 workers of the radio broadcasting equipment manufacturer RIZ Transmitters gathered outside the government offices in Zagreb's St Mark's Square on Tuesday morning seeking an audience with government officials to present their demands for an Employee Stock Ownership Plan and for the appointment of Management and Supervisory Board members from within the company rather than politically suitable people. "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the government, open your windows to hear the voice of the people," the leader of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions, Mladen Novosel, said, adding that the RIZ workers wanted the same chance as had been given to the Uljanik shipyard employee stock ownership. "We will persist in our demands. The future of RIZ lies in its own specialists. We don't want politically suitable people being appointed to the Management and Supervisory Boards," said Marina Glokevic of the Croatian Metal Workers' Union, which organised the protest rally. "Behind all these moves are the personal interests of individuals who want to force a good company into bankruptcy so they can get hold of an attractive piece of land for the construction of a business and residential complex," she added. The protest of RIZ workers in St Mark's Square was the first one since the entry into force of the amended Public Assembly Act which, after seven years of ban, again allows public protests in the square that is home to the Government, Parliament and Constitutional Court buildings. PROTEST RALLY. PROTESTING RIZ WORKERS DISPERSE AFTER GOVERNMENT REFUSES TO MEET WITH THEM. Workers of the radio broadcasting equipment manufacturer RIZ Transmitters dispersed after three hours of protest outside the government offices in St Mark's Square in Zagreb on Tuesday after they were told that Economy Minister Radimir Cacic would not receive them, but they vowed not to give up their demands for employee stock ownership and for a management board that would consist of their own employees. Cacic told a press conference that the government had decided to dismiss the unsuccessful management board of RIZ Transmitters, appoint a competent board and help the company to recover. Over 150 workers gathered in the square on Tuesday morning seeking an audience with government officials to present their demands for an Employee Stock Ownership Plan and for the appointment of Management and Supervisory Board members from within the company rather than politically suitable people. Cacic said there was no need for him to receive the protesting workers because the government had held talks with them several times already. He said that the RIZ workers had purchased company shares during its privatisation in 1993 and then sold them to people who took over the company and "successfully destroyed" it. Cacic said that the government had injected 88 million kuna into RIZ in 2008, "after which the same team continued to destroy the company, but this time under the cover of state ownership, because the state had become owner." They have generated an additional loss of 40 million kuna and reduced the company's income by half. In the first quarter of this year they lost 2.9 million kuna, so the government, being a responsible owner, decided to dismiss the management board and appoint a competent one, Cacic said. When asked about the government's plan regarding RIZ, Cacic said that the government wanted the company to recover because it had potential, but noted that more details would be known after the government examined the company's books to see whether the present situation was the result of the incompetence of the management board or of criminal activity. Cacic rejected as a lie workers' claims that some people wanted to destroy the company in order to get hold of its attractive land. Union leader Mladen Novosel said that this was "an example of social dialogue in Croatia," adding that the workers had come to discuss their problems with the government but were arrogantly turned down. "About 200 workers have come here today, and in the autumn thousands will be coming here every day. If this government wants to do things this way, we'll do it this way, if it wants a Spain or a Greece here, it will have it, but in that case this government will cease to exist," Novosel said. RIZ Transmitters management board chairman Robert Inkret issued a statement on Tuesday saying that because of failure to honour the decisions of the government regarding the appointment of a new Management Board and Supervisory Board "it is impossible legally to implement any decisions regarding the Employee Stock Ownership Plan." (Tue 24 July 2012 via BCDX Aug 17 via WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DXLD) ** CUBA [and non]. At top of the hour, 2300 GMT, I tuned Radio Habana Cuba's "English Hour" on 11680 kHz. Again, very strong, solid signal made for enjoyable listening. News report on preparations for Cuba's upcoming general election scheduled (I think they said) October 21, with careful checking of registration tables. Then they slid into their familiar propagandistic mode in a story about Ecuador being pressured by that bully Great Britain over Julian Assange. Assange has taken refuge in Ecaudor's London embassy and has been granted asylum. Cuba & the "Bolivarian alliance" (including that democratic humanitarian Hugo Chávez) have protested Britain's pressure of Ecuador over Assange. RHC picked up on this story again in their first "Commentary" (at 2314 GMT) fearing that Great Britain will seize Assange and deport him to the U.S. on espionage charges. Cuba demands a more "humanitarian" handling of the persecuted Assange and a more faithful adherence to the high standards of international law -- rather than the "law of the jungle" approach of Britain and the U.S. Can one imagine such gush, such moralistic huffing and puffing, coming from a nation like Cuba that still spies upon & terrorizes its own citizens, and imprisons them with impunity? But what else can one expect from a Marxist dictatorship that does whatever it wants to do, even to its own, based on what it refers to as its "revolutionary ethic"? (Grayson Watson; Dallas, TX; using Satellit 750 and Apex 700DTA antenna, Aug 17, NASWA yg via DXLD) Grayson, I didn`t see this until almost 25 hours later, but checked at 2356 August 18, 11680 is in Spanish, outroducing your favorite music. The 2300 English hour is supposed to be only on 5040, which is almost inaudible in the noise level here in the summer, so that must have been another SNAFU at RHC. It will be interesting to see if English show up again on 11680, certainly improving reception. 73, (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) see below Glenn: I will listen also. Thanks for the info (Grayson, ibid.) 6125, Aug 19 at 0514, RHC carrier on but no modulation for English which is supposed to start at 0500; recheck 0524, now it`s modulating music; typical. 11680, Aug 19 at 2310, RHC in Spanish as usual // 11840. Grayson Watson in Dallas says he was hearing ``the English hour`` on 11680, two days earlier, Aug 17 on 11680. The 23-24 UT English is supposed to be only on 5040, which is no good here that early vs summer noise levels, so 11680 must have been a SNAFU, which certainly improved reception. It could happen again? 5955, Aug 20 at 0524, pulse jamming is audible here aside RTI/WYFR 5950. Leftover from much earlier when R. República, Costa Rica is on 5954.3v. Despite being UT Monday during R. Martí 6-hour silent period, at 0526 check, full wall-of-noise jamming is still running on 6030 and 7405, so Arnie`s jammerpals can ruin any chances of hot DX on 6030. 9955 also has rapid pulse jamming, against only a trace of me, maybe on WRMI. 9490, Aug 20 at 1256, lite pulse jamming, leftover from R. República in the evenings, bothering VOA Korean weak signal until its abrupt 1258*, via Tinian as in HFCC, not Thailand as in Aoki; and // but not synchronized 15775 via Tinang, which was much weaker than usual. I`m sure the Cuban jamming was no `help` inside North Korea, but thanks for trying. 13820, Sat Aug 18 at 1737, R. Martí is well atop jamming, inviting listeners to vote for their canción favorita, to the program, interferenciarm@gmail.com Clearly a dig at the commie dictatorship where voting is not an option. Then the jamming gains. 17750, Aug 21 at 2003 tune-in, RHC Brazilian Portuguese service supposedly aimed at Europe, is instead dead air for a sesquiminute until modulation kix on at 2004:28 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CYPRUS. 5925, 2215, 11-08-2012. Cyprus Broadcasting Corp, Nicosia, broadcasting in Greek language. Very good reception. SINPO 55445. First time I can tune in them in this new frequency. I remember they had a lot of interference from Radio Exterior de España on their 31 meter band frequency [9760/9765?]. Now I can hear them clearly! (Leonardo Santiago, Pueblo Llano, Mérida State, Venezuela, SONY ICF SW35, Outdoor TV type antenna, Kaito KA 33, GE Cassette recorder/ Digitalized with Wavepad, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CYPRUS [and non]. 9345-9370, Aug 21 at 0513, poor signals from lo- pitched OTH radar pulses, presumed from here; they no longer have to worry about QRM from WTJC 9367v, whose license has been surrendered, FCC confirms to me. 9438-9463, Aug 22 at 0138, strong OTH radar pulsing, presumed from here; after 0200 it would QRM WYFR on new 9455 in Spanish (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** DENMARK. KALUNDBORG MW ANTENNA MAST DISMANTLED --- Not exactly a news item, but I haven't heard about it until now. Attending a family meeting! on August 18th I was told, that the 147 meter high Kalundborg MW antenna mast has been dismantled. When googling on it, I found out that the dismantling must have taken place about 2 months ago. An article - in Danish - and a photo of what was left after the dismantling can be seen here http://www.nordvestnyt.dk/artikel/161107:Kalundborg--Gisseloere-mast-vaeltede-uden-problemer A photo (copyright Niels Dreijer) of the 2 LW antenna masts - still in use - and the MW antenna mast in Kalundborg can be seen http://www.mediumwave.info/photos.html#LW243 73 Ydun Ritz, mwmasts yg via DXLD) ** DIEGO GARCIA. 4319-USB, AFN 0005 to 0013 strong with excellent signal. Seems less troubled by usual ute (Robert Wilkner, Pómpano Beach, South Florida, UT Aug 17, dxingwithcumbre yg via DXLD) ** DJIBOUTI. 4780, 2200-2203* 17.08, R Djibouti, Arta, Somali, closing ann, National Anthem - late programme due to Ramadan, 45444. Best 73, (Anker Petersen, on my AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire in 9 metres altitude here in Skovlunde, Denmark, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) ** EAST TURKISTAN. BBC World News has followed up last week`s item with another report about Kashgar: CHINA'S SILK ROAD ROUTE TO ECONOMIC SUCCESS 21 August 2012 Last updated at 01:24 ET Help The Chinese government is pouring billions of dollars into the ancient city of Kashgar, to transform it into the transport hub of old. Kashgar, which stands on the old Silk Road trading route, is experiencing its biggest economic boom, thanks to the government investment. Martin Patience reports. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-19328092 And a third, from a traditional brick factory: CHINA EYES DEVELOPMENT OF POOR AREAS IN THE COUNTRY'S WEST 23 August 2012 Last updated at 01:32 ET Help Kashgar stands on the Silk Road - the trade route of ancient times stretching from the eastern Chinese city of Xian to the eastern shores of the Mediterranean. With the advent of major shipping lanes, however, the overland routes fell out of use and Kashgar became something of a backwater. But now Kashgar is experiencing its biggest economic boom in living memory. As the BBC's Martin Patience reports, Beijing is pouring billions of dollars into a city which it designated as a special economic zone back in 2010 - one of only half a dozen such zones in the country. The government believes that economic development will help ease ethnic tensions not only in Kashgar but across the remote western Chinese region of Xinjiang - one of the poorest parts in the country: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19352576 (via Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** ECUADOR. 4781.658, 18 Aug 2330, R Oriental back again. Not noted here for a few days like Aug 16 (Thomas Nilsson, Sweden, SW Bulletin Aug 19 via DXLD) ** EGYPT. 9305, Aug 22 at 0524, R. Cairo with almost readable distorted Arabic instead of customary totally useless buzz. Officially scheduled 19-07 UT, but around 0150 I had noticed it was not on the air, as has happened before (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. 15190, 0546, Radio Africa made one of its irregular appearances 27/7 with very good signal and good readability with American religious feature. However frequent periods of dead air e.g. 0554 till 0601, and 0602 till 0607 when I gave up waiting for it to return (Bryan Clark at Mangawhai (Northland), New Zealand with AOR7030+, EWEs to North, Central & South America, 100m BOG to NE and Alpha Delta Sloper antennas, Aug NZ DX Times via DXLD) 15190, Aug 21 at 1953, fair signal from R. Africa with mumbling gospel huxter who could be the convicted and imprisoned for 175 years ``Tony Alamo``, and whose agents have been trying to get him back on a US SW station; but would not stay tuned long enough to be more sure (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA. Radio Oromiya, 6030, Addis Ababa-Gedja. Aug 19, 2012. Sunday. 0316-0323. Afar Oromo. Eid Mubarak (sp?), then into Horn of Africa music. Good. Jo'burg sunrise 0433 (Bill Bingham, RSA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA [and non]. 9705, Heavy WHITE NOISE JAMMING broadband 18-20 kHz wide, most probably from Ethiopia against Eritrea at 0440 UT Aug 22. Peak by VBME2 V of Broad Masses 2 (Dimtsi Hafash) program on 9705.028, -70dBm S=8 here in Germany. 9558.585 ... wandered up to x.597 kHz, Radio Ethiopia with pure carrier only, S=9+10dBm at 0433 UT Aug 22 (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC- DX TopNews Aug 22 via dxldyg via DXLD) 9558.56, R. Ethiopia, Geja Jawe, 1444-1500, 21/8, Arabic (presumed), talks; 25342, adjacent QRM at 1500. 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, Aug 21, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9705, R. Ethiopia. On with IS at 0258, canned ID announcement by M, choral NA, 3 bells, then another announcement by M, rapid drums fanfare, then W announcer. Broad Masses of Eritrea came on with their IS during Ethiopia's NA at 0300. (11 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) ** EUROPE. Hi there, Laser has moved to 6915 but may move again on 43m soon? 4015 will return within 4 - 5 weeks (Gary Drew, Aug 19, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) Now on 6910. Ute QRM was horrendous on 6915 this late afternoon (Stuart Satnipper, location unknown, 196 UT Aug 20, ibid.) ** GAMBIA. 648, GRTS, "R. Gambia", Bonto, still missing on their frequency. 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, Aug 21, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. On August 13, 2012 accept [received] the Voice of the Andes on 3995 kHz with 0300 to 0400 UT. In EiBi specified time 0530 - 0600. Please pay attention. I take them with [heard them in] November of the previous year. Sent 2 report[s] on [to] this address: Hoffnungswelle@gmx.de Received from Ecuador 2 QSL via 84-day, with an interval of 2 months. Thought from Germany will come some original (Like our Voronezh), there came ordinary HCJB (pre-they sent eQSL, and then in the mail). (Alexander Golovikhin, Togliatti, Russia / “open_dx” via RusDX Aug 19 via DXLD) HCJB Germany 3995 kHz in Russian. Dear SWLs, I just want to inform you that HCJB Germany broadcasts programs in the Russian language every morning from 0300 to 0400 UT at 3995 kHz. The power is sadly low (1.5 kW) but it's maybe possible to get a signal even in Russia or Ukraine (at least in the winter time)?! Reception reports are welcome (Stephan Schaa, Germany, RUSdx Aug 12 via BC-DX Aug 17 via DXLD) Dear Stephan, The first time I have tried to listen to HCJB on 3995 kHz (just today 17.08.12) I got this station carrying a religious programm with SIMPO 24342 from 03-25 till 03-35 UTC. Better reception is via USB mode due to noise so I use ICOM IC-R75 without synchronous mode. I belive in the winter time a reception conditions would be better. Antenna is LW 15 m outdoor. Location is Tver City, 167 km north-west from Moscow (Valentin Kolchanov, Russia / “RUSDX” Aug 19 via DXLD) ** GERMANY. 6070, 2250-2305 13.08, R 6150, Rohrbach, Old R Caroline Flashback with English ann, interrupted by ann in German, English and Dutch about this new station with a new name on 6070, but the new name was unclear! Maybe Radio 6070? 45444. Best 73, (Anker Petersen, on my AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire in 9 metres altitude here in Skovlunde, Denmark, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) ** GERMANY. Observations of Hamburger Lokalradio on Saturday August 18 0500-0800 on 7265 GOH 001 kW / 230 deg CeEu, SINPO 35544 0800-1400 on 7265 GOH 001 kW / 230 deg CeEu bad propagation condition 1400-1700 on 7265 GOH 001 kW / 230 deg CeEu, SINPO 35543 Observations of Atlantic 2000 International on Saturday August 18 1900-2000 on 3955 KLL 005 kW / non-dir to CeEu, SINPO 45444 Observations of European Music Radio on Sunday August 19: 0600-0700 on 7265 GOH 001 kW / 230 deg CeEu, SINPO 35544 0800-0900 on 6005 KLL 001 kW / non-dir CeEu, SINPO 25432 0800-0900 on 9480 GOH 001 kW / 230 deg CeEu, SINPO 35433 1100-1200 on 7265 GOH 001 kW / 230 deg CeEu bad propagation condition (DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, 20 August via DXLD) 7265, Hamburger Lokal Radio, *0500-0537, 18-08, program in Spanish "Radio Tropicana", songs in Spanish and Portuguese, at 0530 program in Portuguese, comments. 34433. (Méndez) 7265, European Music Radio, *0600-0615, 19-08, English, identification: "EMR, European Music Radio via MV Baltic Radio", English pop music. 34433. (Méndez) 9480, European Music Radio, 0822-0835, 19-08, English, pop music. 45444 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Logs in Friol and Lugo, Sony ICF SW 7600 G, cable antenna, 10 meters, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) QSL: Hamburger Lokalradio, 7265 kHz, Göhren-Schwerin. Full-data and very nice C1S 4-color QSL card, the graphics art depicting the needle on a record/turntable, power listed at 1 kW. Apparently there are several QSL card variants, as David Crawford received a QSL in the snail mail the same day, but his was a microphone image. I thank HLR for their great interest in running low power shortwave DX and unusual programming, as well as QSLing for said reception reports. Return address: Hamburger Lokalradio, Kulturzentrum LOLA, 21031 Hamburg, Deutschland (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, FL. Equipment: JRC NRD-535; ICOM IC-R75; Sony ICF-7600GR; Sangean PR-D5; Aqua Guide 705 RDF Marine Radio; GE Superadio III; 1 X roof dipole; 1 X room random wire; Terk Advantage non-active portable loop, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY EAST. Radio Berlin International?????????????????????????? Hi Glenn, Hope things are going well at your end. Yes the saga of Radio Berlin International continues. Today I did an interview with one of the people who is involved on RBI for this week`s Media Network. Well we spoke for over 20 minutes and this is what I can tell you ...................................... ...................................... ...................................... And there you have it. LOL. It was one of the strangest interview I’ve ever done. I ask questions and the answers and kind of answers. I think! So I’m not sure what else to say. I’m going to do some editing of it and use it on this week`s show. All I can say is they plan to come back as Radio Berlin International and use the original logo. Why? Because listeners have very fond memories of RBI and the truth in the way it portrayed the German Democratic Republic. When I pressed the question further about how RBI admitted it lied about its coverage of the GDR. The answer was “goo goo gaa gaa bong bong tick tick wollop kapang”. LOL. What does that mean? I wish I could tell you. Regs, (Keith Perron, Taiwan, Aug 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUATEMALA. 4055, Aug 21 at 0521, no signal from TGAV, Radio Truth/Verdad. This has been highly reliable for many months. Normally on air until about 0610* Hope they have not had a major breakdown again. 4055, Aug 22 at 0159 check, TGAV is on, good signal with music, whew; as had been missing late last night (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4055, Aug 22 at 0405-0410 check, TGAV Radio Verdad Chiquimula is on air. Nice music (Wolfgang Büschel, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HAWAII. Wildfire near WWVH: Koke`e, Kauai: http://www.khon2.com/news/local/story/UPDATE-Kauai-wildfire-50-contained-voluntary/dIAhmzEPx0CCr4KtA69ihg.cspx http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/166617646.html?id=166617646 (Glenn Hauser, Aug 20, WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ICELAND. QSL: RUV, Rikisutvarpid, 189, full data radio receiver collection folder QSL in 302 days for airmail English report with 2 IRCs and follow-up via email. Card received 6 days (!) after follow-up email to frettir(at)ruv(dot)is V/s Jonina Lydsdottir, International Relations. The radio(at)suv(dot)is email address listed in WRTH is not valid and does not exist. 73 (Al Muick, Williamsport PA USA, Aug 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 207, RÚV, Eiðar, 2226-2242, 20/8, pops; 34432, QRM de Morocco. Parallel to Gufuskálar 189 rated 45444 (!).73, (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, Aug 21, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS AT AIR STATIONS Independence Day celebration at AIR Kurseong http://airddfamily.blogspot.in/2012/08/independence-day-celebrations-at-air_20.html Independence Day celebration at AIR Shillong http://airddfamily.blogspot.in/2012/08/independence-day-celebrations-at-air.html Independence Day celebration at AIR Jalgaon http://airddfamily.blogspot.in/2012/08/independence-day-at-air-jalgaon.html (Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, Aug 20, dx_india yg via DXLD) ** INDIA. Yesterday 20 Aug 2012, AIR Sindhi Service was noted on 9835 instead of 9635 at 0100-0200. Severe interference was caused to BBC on 9835. Punching error? Yours sincerely, (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, National Institute of Amateur Radio, dx_india yg via DXLD) ** INDIA. 15045-15050-15055, Aug 20 at 1348, I lament that AIR Sinhala service, which we used to hear sometimes with nice music on AM has not defaulted to that lately; now I can barely detect DRM noise there. How many DRM listeners can they possibly have in Sri Lanka? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. 4749.95, RRI Makassar, 1348-1420, August 16. // 3325 (RRI Palangkaraya) and 9680 (RRI Jakarta); on the eve of Indonesian’s Independence Day, live coverage of the state of the nation address given by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to parliament; still going at 1420 tune out. Today Bangladesh Betar’s Home Service stronger than usual and mixing with RRI Makassar, with CNR1 only faintly heard underneath both of them. 4749.95, RRI Makassar. It’s Tuesday (August 21), so I hoped to again hear the weekly “Kang Guru Indonesia” program in English. Yes, but much earlier than last week’s 1355-1406; today noted from 1314 to 1334 playing some pop songs; presented by Kevin and Ana talking about a new educational center; usual theme music by Men At Work with song “Down Under”; contact information and “practice your English with K-G-I”; a very flexible schedule; moderate QRM from Bangladesh Betar during KGI; 1334-1350 filler pop songs in English; 1350 RRI jingle and Islamic programming in Bahasa Indonesia. By 1435 much less QRM (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN. 11750, V. of Islamic Rep. of Iran, 1947-1953 long news program, current affairs interview with member of "Workers Int.", Koran educational program, press stories with instrumental music between items. ID at 2026 and short newscast, goodnight, instrumental music, and off at 2029 in mid-song. Strong and clear signal. (7 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) ** IRAN. Additional frequencies of VOIRI/IRIB in Arabic: 1030-1127 on 11825 AHW 500 kW / non-dir to N/ME, alt. 11925 1030-1127 on 13720 KAM 500 kW / 238 deg to NoAf, alt. 13580 1030-1127 on 17630 KAM 500 kW / 238 deg to NoAf, alt. 17660 (DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, Aug 21 via DXLD) What do you mean by alt[ernate]? Which ones are axually in use? (gh) ** IRAN?? 9714.92, V. of Islamic Rep. of Iran (presumed), 0250-0256 M with Kor`an. Rather weak. Presumed this is Iran. (11 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) Rather Riyadh ARS? SAUDI ARABIA, 9714.928 Usual odd non-directional service in Arabic from Riyadh, S=5-6 at 0442 UT. Summerly fade-out path signal into western Europe (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews July 23, ibid.) See also SAUDI ARABIA ** IRAN. Thwo [two?] swinging carrier BUBBLE jammer from Iran noted again as every morning om 9499.980 at 0425 UT, against BBC til 0330 UT, and probably against AWR Persian 9505 at 0330-0430 UT, or just parked here in 0330-0430 UT slot? Also on 9565.118 kHz logged at SIGNING OFF time at 0428 UT, jammer against BBC Persian (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Aug 22 via dxldyg via DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. 7460, 0300, 18-08-2012, program by male with music pauses between coments, mentioning some webpage, but I couldn't understand it. SINPO 45333. Violin music played at the end of the program. The station ended up broadcasts at 0315. Radio Payam e-Doost in Farsi, presumed (Leonardo Santiago, Pueblo Llano, Mérida State, Venezuela, SONY ICF SW35, Outdoor TV type antenna, Kaito KA 33, GE Cassette recorder/ Digitalized with Wavepad, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRELAND. Re: DXLD 12-33 Irish Churches --- Hi! As Harald Kuhl mentioned correctly, I got verifications (with signed and stamped PPC, sometimes also with a personal letter) from 15 out of 19 identified stations so far. In Nov/Dec 2011 there was quiet good reception here in Austria. The frequency range for the Irish WPAS-Stations is 27600-28000 kHz as you can see in this ComReg document: http://www.comreg.ie/_fileupload/publications/ComReg0626a.pdf Stations outside this range are illegal, so they most likely won´t reply to reports. You can find a list of stations I have identified at the UDXF-Webpage: http://www.udxf.nl/ute-info.htm under "WPAS Frequency List". But this is only a little help for further investigations, as there may be more than one station operating on a frequency at the same time. 73, (Patrick Robic, Austria, Aug 18, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Three of those are in Northern Ireland, but most in the Republic (gh) ** ITALY. 1566 MW, R Kolbe, Schio, 2234, Aug 14, religious programme in Italian, 33333. (Giroletti) 1584 MW, R Studio X, Momigno, 1736, Aug 14, musical programme in Italian, ID "Studio X", 44444 (Mauro Giroletti, Milano, Italy, DSWCI DX Window Aug 22 via DXLD) ** ITALY. Re: Radio Melody 1566 from Italy --- Well, it's not so easy to define the exact status of these Italian stations. They are not licensed, but then, the myriad of FM stations aren't licensed too. So an italian "pirate" is a contradictio in terminis. In Italy you can set up your own station without an official license. Or better: you could. There were some higher powered, privately owned mediumwave transmitters in Italy, especially one on 1368 kHz running with a power of 10 kW or even more. Half a year or a year ago they were all closed down by the authorities for reasons unknown to me. Interesting, that now, with all the world abandoning MW, Italian authorities showed an interest in these MW operations. So for me it is interesting to see, what will happen to these new stations. Coming back without authorities making problems, or will they be stopped soon? -- Tschüß, (Martin Elbe, http://home.wolfsburg.de/elbe/ mwdx yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DXLD) Sunday morning report about Italian MW: Hello, Radio Studio X (Momigno, Pistoia) 1584 kHz is on the air as usually on Sundays, although not as strong as it used to be in the past. Radio Kolbe (Schio, Vicenza) 1566 kHz is on the air H24 with its "multi-carrier" defeating synchro AM demodulation. Ondamedia Broadcast (Bologna) 1512 kHz on with music, was relaying some religious program till 08 UT. No Radio Melody on 1566 kHz, they broadcast irregularly, preferring local afternoon and evening. Possibly only a Summer station, when the operator is on holiday on the Adriatic beaches? RX: Perseus. Antenna: Wellbrook ALA-1530 and PA0RDT's Miniwhip. 73 (Fabrizio Magrone (Forli, Italy), Aug 19, MWCircle yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DXLD) Radio Melody 1566 from Italy --- Just received this: "Hello to all the mediumwave lovers. Thanks to the very intelligent description of the great SWL fox-catcher Mr Fabrizio Magrone and its very detailed on-the-net infos about our location and transmitting details, we are constrained to discontinue our just short MW tests. Doing so he switched-off our voice in the tentative of future better plains or just delayed all this for undefinite time. Probably we will try again from another location later but we think this was not a correct comportment to who is trying with many difficulties to keep alive the near of die medium-wave band, expecially with the mini experimental AM radios, in an historical time where the AM broadcasts seems to be finished. The many REAL MW LOVERS starting from now, will not enjoy our C-Quam Stereo signal thanks at this guy; we just started to understand how our system does his work. Well; at the moment all is finished. Many thanks Mr Fabrizio. We also ask to this site moderator to DELETE HIS POST ABOUT US ASAP or at least the exact location. Many thanks! The Radio Melody 1566 team." Ups! 73 (Ydun Ritz, Denmark, Aug 22, mwdx yg via DXLD) Great news to hear how easy it is to get rid of pirate stations. I wished other local DXers would do the same with Greek and Dutch pirates, just go there and disclose the antenna location on the internet, and let the authorities know (Jurgen Bartels, Suellwarden, N. Germany, ibid.) ** ITALY. 10000, Time Signal Station Italcable, 10000, 0857-0930, 19- 08, time signal announcements each minute by male in Italian, at 0600, identification by female: "Italcable, stazione radio Italcable, trasmissione sperimentale del segnale orario...". Slight interference from Time Signal Station Observatory Nacional, Brazil. 23422 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Logs in Friol and Lugo, Sony ICF SW 7600 G, cable antenna, 10 meters, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAPAN. 6115, 0859, Nikkei Broadcasting strong in Japanese 8/7 with weekend-only program, full ident including frequency and powers and off at 0900 8/7 (Bryan Clark at Mangawhai (Northland), New Zealand with AOR7030+, EWEs to North, Central & South America, 100m BOG to NE and Alpha Delta Sloper antennas, Aug NZ DX Times via DXLD) 9595, Wednesday Aug 22 at 1308, R. Nikkei fair with mix of Japanese and English by same speaker, presumably language lesson, mentioned ``the pearly gates`` a few times (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAPAN [non]. 6110, Aug 18 at 0525, NHK World R. Japan via Sackville is back to normal, including English modulation unlike 48 hours earlier [see CANADA]. 11655, August 18 at 1307, NHK Warudo Japanese service via Sackville is playing nice traditional music, then into a version of ``Sakura`` I have not heard before; there must be countless ones. 11685, August 18 at 1329 continuing past 1330, I logged as ``praise music, then unknown language``, poor signal but better than adjacents 11680 N Korea, and 11687.5 RTTY NAA Maine. I was expecting to find a gospel huxter, but must not have been praise, as listed really as NHK Bengali service, 1300-1345, 250 kW, 315 degrees via SINGAPORE (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) NHK World in Spanish via Cypress Creek, SC - Radio Japon en español via Cypress Creek, SC --- Excellent signal from NHK World in Spanish to South America via relay in Cypress Creek, SC, USA on 6195 kHz (August 19 at 0952 UT). Excelente señal de NHK World Radio Japón en español para Sudamerica via repetidora en Cypress Creek, SC, EEUU (19 de agosto a las 0952 UT). http://youtu.be/rRqDUO9cK-Y 73 from Montevideo (Rodolfo Tizzi, Uruguay, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Just replaced CHILE as from 18 August (gh, DXLD) 15735, 1300, 12-08-2012, ID as NHK World Radio Japan and then the news bulletin. Broadcast via Uzbequistan. Maybe it is through the facilities of The Voice of Russia, because the transmission started with a very short piece of audio which IDes the WS of V of Russia. SINPO 35333. There is some echo in the audio. It must be due to some problem in the transmitter input. At 1311 "Friends around the world". At the end of the program they read some letters from listeners, but they didn’t read a lot of them as a mailbag program is expected to be. Since they cancelled “Hello from Tokyo”, I think they have not had a listeners’s program as it should be. Compared to both services in Portuguese and Spanish, there is time to read listeners’s letters, reception reports and to answer their questions on the air. I remember that “Hello from Tokyo” even gave time for some monthly DX reports from JSWC, but this new one doesn’t seem to be a mailbag, not at all. 15735, 1329, 19-08-2012, opening carrier and V of Russia's opening theme but then NHK's. This is how NHK Radio Japan always started its English language half an hour program via Uzbekistan, I believe through the facilities of V of Russia. This time it was not very distorted like the previous day, but I noted some Brazilian Portuguese which interferes. The only Brazilian one I know on this frequency is Rádio Río Mar, which is easy to catch here, especially because we are very close to Manaus city (Leonardo Santiago, Pueblo Llano, Mérida State, Venezuela, SONY ICF SW35, Outdoor TV type antenna, Kaito KA 33, GE Cassette recorder/ Digitalized with Wavepad, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KASHMIR. 4950.00, 2208-2321* INDIA 11+16+17.08, R Kashmir, Srinagar. Kashmiri (presumed) Ramadan talk, native choir song without music, ad, radioplay with Indian songs, Hindi closing ann, 44444. Heterodyne from Angola [4949.76]. Best 73, (Anker Petersen, on my AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire in 9 metres altitude here in Skovlunde, Denmark, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. 6700, Aug 16 at 1147, no broadcast or jamming signal here unlike August 13 when MND Radio was heard until 1151* on new frequency; moved again, or off earlier? Propagation funxional, as plenty of juicy Juche jamming on 6600, 6518, 6348, 6230, the last being another MND channel. Also had typical NK noise jamming on 6060 at 1150, against no known target, but in Aoki: ``6060 North Korean Jamming 0350-2400 1234567 Noise jamming 250 Kujang KRE 12505E 4005N // 6003 6015 Mar. 27-`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [- - from DXLD 12-13: UNIDENTIFIED - in response to my posting of either a "strong DRM(?) or white noise jamming(?)" on 6060. “Dear Ron, Noise Jamming on 6060 kHz from North Korea which targeted VOA-Korean (1900-2100). This station discharges jamming for a target of 2 hrs more than 16 hrs. (S. Hasegawa, Japan, ibid.)” I have noted same situation on 6230. When MND formerly broadcast there, they only were on the air for a short period of time, whereas the jamming was on for much longer. Now MND has moved away from 6230, but the white noise jamming did not change at all and in fact continues on also for listed “0350-2400”. Ron Howard, dxldyg] Bruce Portzer also heard a new MND frequency, 5150 and refers to this August 15 entry in Martyn Williams` North Korea Tech blog: ``South Korean Defense Ministry steps up DPRK broadcasts A radio station believed to be operated by South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense has strengthened its radio broadcasts to North Korea, according to reports from radio monitors in Japan. MND Radio added extra shortwave frequencies from August 9 in an apparent attempt to get around the DPRK’s heavy jamming of its signal. The current schedule for the station’s four programs a day now looks like this (all times in GMT) MND Radio Schedule 0400-0440 on 5900, 6760 kHz – Program 1 0500-0535 on 5150, 6435 kHz – Program 2 0600-0650 on 5410, 6700 kHz – Program 3 0700-0735 on 5290, 6270 kHz – Program 4 1000-1035 on 5150, 6435 kHz – Program 2 repeat 1100-1150 on 5410, 6700 kHz – Program 3 repeat 1200-1240 on 5900, 6760 kHz – Program 1 repeat MND Radio begin broadcasting in late 2011 and has steadily increased its broadcasting hours and the number of frequencies it uses. The precise identity of the radio station is a mystery — it doesn’t provide any details on air and has no website — but there are several clues that point towards South Korea’s Defense Ministry. All the clues appeared in documents submitted to the HFCC, a shortwave broadcasting frequency coordination body, in 2011. Perhaps the most obvious clue was the name of the station: "MND Radio," an abbreviation commonly used for the Ministry of National Defense. A second was identification of the broadcasting site as "ChunCheon" with the coordinates 37.56N 127.46E. The location is the same listed as that for a KBS shortwave transmitter that targets North Korea. And finally, the contact information for the radio station in the HFCC database included that of Kim GyuCheol. A participant list for an unrelated conference lists someone with the same name and phone numbers as being a director at the Ministry of National Defense.`` (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH. 6071v, also perceptibly wavering het against CFRX 6070 at 1150, as the VOK Japanese service remains on this unstable transmitter, altho a few weeks ago it stayed on 6070.0. Yesterday it quit on time at 1250* (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, daily erratic! August 9 noted on 6070.45 with IS and ID at 1159; into Japanese. August 12 was on 6070.00 at 1215 in Japanese (Ron Howard, CA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH. 15245, V. of Korea IS at 1700 while looking for V. of Asena. Rather weak. (8 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD- 535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. 1/8, 5870, Siokaze? 2028 YL talks in Korean, at 2029 talks from many children, 2030 reports passes, 2030 with external reports, 24443 (Zacharias Liangas, on vacation in Fourka Chalkidiki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Says he did not have reference material with him; but why not look it up later: really VOA Korean from Tinang at 19-21 (gh, DXLD) Here`s where Shiokaze really is, or was: [Cf ZAMBIA] The bonus logging: Japan. Shiokaze (Sea-breeze) 5910, Ibaragi-Koga-Yamata. Aug 16, 2012. Thursday. 2032-2042. Japanese. YL talking, gentle piano-music in background. Good, slight atmospheric QRN. Much better than ZNBC1 on 5915. Jo'burg sunset 1549. Regards, (Bill Bingham, RSA, Aug 16, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. CLANDESTINE, 9950, Nippon no Kaze (via Palau), 1326 W giving addresses spelled out, then website at 1327 over music. (11 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. UK(non). Changes of Radio Free North Korea in Korean via VTC [sic]: 1300-1400 on 15645 DB 100 kW / 071 deg to KRE, ex 1200-1400 1900-2100 on 7530 ERV 100 kW / 065 deg to KRE, cancelled (DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, Aug 21 via DXLD) Proper name of this station is Free North Korea Radio, as in WRTH page 506. Yet another case of mixing up the proper order of a station name; as in website http://www.fnkradio.com --- why does this keep happening? Cf ``Radio Wantok Light``, ``R. Alcaraván``, etc (gh, DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. 15180, Tue Aug 21 before 1330 there was something weak here, presumed V. of the Wilderness, the Cornerstone Ministry show from California in Korean, via Sri Lanka as scheduled. After 1330, nothing. On Sundays only this is supposed to last a full hour, but on Aug 19, Mark F. Tattenbaum had an unID with a test transmission in English at 1330 on 15180, asking for reports to testtransmission@gmail.com This address was previously used by BaBcoCk, Woofferton; so check next Sunday. However, the current 15180 transmission via SL is brokered by MBR (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see UNIDENTIFIED ** KOREA SOUTH. KBIA (Columbia, MO), 17 Aug 2012, Rehman Tungekar: "When you think about enemies of free speech in Asia, North Korea comes to mind as the biggest villain. South Korea, on the other hand, has a robust democracy and a thriving economy. It’s perhaps the most wired country in the world, with the highest number of broadband connections per capita and an internet penetration approaching 90 percent. But in the past few years, censorship in South Korea has increased dramatically. The number of censored articles doubled after President Lee Myung-bak took office in 2009, and the crackdown continued. South Korea police are regularly making Web administrators remove online posts, particularly those considered pro-North Korean. Some journalists say they’re operating in the worst media climate for South Korea in the past three decades. To hear more about the media climate in South Korea, Global Journalist spoke to Steve Herman and Park Keeyongsin. Steve is the Voice of America’s Northeast Asia bureau chief and President of the Seoul Foreign Correspondents Club." With audio. http://kbia.org/post/censorship-south-korea (kimandrewelliott.com Posted: 21 Aug 2012 via DXLD) ** KUWAIT. 15540, Aug 17 at 1915, R. Kuwait goes from a program about Mohammed the Prophet and how kind he was to his wives and everybody, to Ringo Starr music, in typical culture-clash; good signal with dynamic fading (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Radio Kuwait, 5960, Sulaibiyah. Aug 19, 2012. Sunday. 0237-0242. OM singing devout religious song with many mentions of "Allah", obviously a live audience responding. Fair. Jo'burg sunrise 0433 (Bill Bingham, RSA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Additional unregistered frequencies of Radio Kuwait: 1000-1200 on 15540 KBD 500 kW / 084 deg to SEAs Filipino, new service 1200-1500 on 15515 KBD 500 kW / 059 deg to EaAs Arabic GS from Aug. 17 1600-1800 on 15540 KBD 500 kW / 100 deg to SoAs Urdu, new service (DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, 20 August via DXLD) Or rather::: Additional unregistered frequencies of Radio Kuwait: 1000-1200 on 15540 KBD 500 kW / 084 deg to SEAs Filipino, new service 1200-2400 on 15515 KBD 500 kW / 059 deg to EaAs Arabic GS from Aug. 20 1600-1800 on 15540 KBD 500 kW / 100 deg to SoAs Urdu, new service (DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, Aug 20 updated Aug 21, via WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DXLD) See UNIDENTIFIED. 15515, BaBcoCk test until 1341* Aug 22: That uncovered some other much weaker signal, presumably Kuwait which has just started a lengthy Arabic service at 59 degrees on 15515 at 10-05 since August 17, per Aoki. DX Mix News, Bulgaria also reported this ``additional unregistered frequency`` as 12-15 from Aug 17, revised to 12-24 on August 20 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, R Kuwait seems on 15515 kHz superpower HQ muslim program an hour ago at 15 UT (Wolfgang Büschel, Aug 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBYA. Is off air on MW: 972, 1124 and 1251, but heard strong on 674, 1053 and 1449 (Dario Monferini/PLAY-DX, Milano, Italy, visiting South Malta, DSWCI DX Window Aug 22 via DXLD) 1449 MW, R Free Libya (presumed), Misrata, 2310-2325, Aug 11, Arabic talk and interview on phone about Libya and Mubarrak, QRM BBC R4, 43433 (Anker Petersen, Skovlunde, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Aug 22 via DXLD) Is 11600 still ever on around +17-18+? NO reports in several weeks. I never could hear it here (Glenn Hauser, OK, DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. 5010, Radio Madagasikara, 0350-0415, Aug 18, music and vocals until 0359 when a woman gave several announcements in Malagasy language. 0400 a man with news with instrumental music segments between items. Return to music program at 0404. Poor to fair (Rich D'Angelo, 2216 Burkey Drive, Wyomissing PA 19610, Ten-Tec RX-340, Drake R-8B, Eton E1, Eton E5, Alpha Delta DX Sloper, RF Systems Mini- Windom, Datong FL3, JPS ANC-4, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) Since you don`t say otherwise, are we to assume this was in full AM mode rather than often-reported carrier plus USB, or LSB? (gh, DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. 13765, Aug 18 at 0537, Vatican Radio in Portuguese, defective modulation with whistle varying along with the speech. At 0530 switch from English to Portuguese, Talata also changes from a 158 antenna at 270 degrees to a 105 antenna at 300 degrees, which ought to be more favorable for us. HFCC antenna definition reference table shows: 158 AHR(S)2/4/1.0 105 AHR1/2/0.3 Would anyone like to explain those in plain English? BTW, 15115 after 0600 Aug 18, SW Radio Africa via Madagascar was JBA carrier, with propagation degraded unlike last weekend; not surprised, since 15400 R. Dabanga before 0600 was also very weakened. Hope for better luck on Sunday when in English (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Type Antenna Description Band Feed Reflector Reference Code AHR Curtain antenna, half-wave dipole array multi band centre/end feed reflector aperiodic screen Reference Code 100-299 2.1 Type 1: Multi band centre/end - fed curtain antenna arrays with aperiodic screen reflector Designation: AHR(S) m/n/h, where: (S) slew angle m = number of half-wave dipoles in each horizontal row n = number of rows spaced half a wavelength apart one above the other h = height above the ground in wavelengths of the bottom row of dipoles slew angle and the design frequency are notified separately. Reference Code 158 AHR(S) 2/4/1.0 Reference Code 105 AHR 1/2/0.3 (via Wolfgang Büschel, dxldyg via DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. 15580, August 21 at 2006, two programs are clashing at about equal levels. Either it`s two program feeds into and out of one transmitter, or two transmitters virtually zero-beat; I can`t detect a regular SAH vis-à-vis propagational fading. One of them is obviously VOA African service scheduled via BOTSWANA [sic], mostly music but finally at 2012 English announcement during `The African Beat`. The other is harder to figure out due to all the QRM. At first I think it`s in French, for a while it even sounds like Japanese, then it`s tonal and probably Hausa, assuming this is another VOA service. I was hoping something would ID at 2030 but both just kept going as I listened past 2035. Neither was // 15730 or 17530 which are in VOA French until 2030 weekdays, via Greenville and Bonaire respectively, also mostly African music. If it was Hausa, VOA doesn`t start that language on other frequencies until 2030, and BBC ends at 2030. Since IBB keeps switching transmitter sites even in the middle of a single language broadcast, it`s entirely possible two different VOA sites are mistakenly on same frequency with different programming. But there was no variation in signal/modulation levels between the two thruout on 15580, so my best guess here is that both were coming out of a single transmitter, most likely Botswana [sic]. Don`t they monitor their own air? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15580, Aug 22 at 2000, Besides VOA African Beat, the second station is colliding again today. Sounds Japanese, but not sure. Did not tune in early enough to get an opening ID if any. Can anyone tell what this is? (Glenn Hauser, OK, 2004 UT Aug 22, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) No replies, and I didn`t have time to keep listening amid World of Radio produxion; but checking latest HFCC and Aoki I see that the 20- 21 UT hour of VOA English on 15580 is now scheduled from Madagascar, not Botswana [which is on before 2000]. What else is Talata doing then? Nothing at all at 2000-2030 but: ``11850 2030 2100 46,47,52 MDC 250 305 -15 159 1234567 250312 281012 D Fra MDG NHK NHK 13036`` says HFCC. Now to see if we can get a 15580/11850 match after 2030 (Glenn Hauser, 2300 UT Aug 22, ibid.) So this could still be two programs coming out of one transmitter, just Talata instead of Botswana. We know the Madagascar relay does have a feed available from R. Japan used at this and other times, and has also been caught relaying the wrong station before, i.e. R. Dabanga on 13765 before Vatican at 0500 (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Next day, next issue: seems only Madagascar with double program feed, the other one being VOA Korean, adjacent satellite channel? (gh, DXLD) ** MALAYSIA. 5964.705, Probably Radio Satu / RTM KlasikNasionalFM program from Kajang monitored on this odd frequency, 1804 UT Aug 16, according Japanese Aoki list. Just above threshold, noisy signal here in Germany (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Aug 17 via DXLD) 5964.71v, Klasik Nasional via Kajang site (near Kuala Lumpur), 1228- 1245, August 20. In vernacular with pop songs; Muslim call-to-prayer for the Isha (night) prayer; frequent IDs; fair. Has been off frequency now for many years. MP3 audio at https://www.box.com/s/0ad835ac540b7750279f (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 7295, Traxx FM via RTM, Kajang, 1642-1706, 21/8, English, pops, TS at 1700, talks, more music; 35332, a bit improvement after 1700. 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, Aug 21, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALAYSIA. 7295, 1128, 19-08-2012, English language pop music and short ID by woman at 1130 "Hello? Traxx fm". Also at 1133 with "Traxx FM, ...the music and the news...". Western pop music in English. SINPO 25332. At 1154 comment in English by OM with some webpage. ID at 1200 and kind of news by male. Heard till 1205 (Leonardo Santiago, Pueblo Llano, Mérida State, Venezuela, SONY ICF SW35, Outdoor TV type antenna, Kaito KA 33, GE Cassette recorder/ Digitalized with Wavepad, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALI. ?? 9635, R. Diff. TV du Mali?? 0835 just extremely weak talk by M. Modulation too low to even tell what language. Strong signal and clear, though. Sounded like pop music at 0831. (4 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) ** MAURITANIA. 7245, Aug 16 at 0525, IGIM in Arabish discussing Syria before going into chanting a few minutes later. Ramadan is almost over so expect IGIM to resume later sign-ons. 7245, Aug 19 at 0512, IGIM in Arabish, poor signal and undermodulated. Ramadan is now over. [and non]. 7245, Aug 21 at 0508, no signal from IGIM; as we expected, now that Ramadan is over, no longer running all-night. I suppose they may still turn it on at widely variable times closer to 0600. Other African signals were in as usual: South Africa 7230, 7285; Tunisia 7275 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 570, Aug 16 at 1124 UT, news by M&W alternating, mentions Montemorelos, Nuevo León, 6:24 timecheck, also mentions Monterrey. No doubt per Cantú it is: ``570 XEBJB Radio 570 Monterrey, N.L. 5,000 500``, and 630 XEFB was also in, q.v. (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 590, Aug 16 at 1127 UT, temp a chilly 13 grados en ``la más caliente``, text numbers, romantic music. Prime suspect is XEPH in Mexico City, official name La Sabrosita, heard a couple weeks ago with non-ID as ``Radio Paco``, presumably the DJ`s nickname. Elsewhere in Mexico, there are stations whose prime name is ``La Más Kaliente`` with a K-. But googling on ``La Mas Caliente`` 590 goes right to XEPH as it is one of their sub-slogans. Cool temp also fits for hi- elevation Mexico City pre-sunrise. Speaking of which, Enid sunrise today was 1151 UT. 1100 is now way too early for sunrise skip enhancement, and by 1200 there was little from Mexico even on the high end of MW. In less than a biweek, our own sunrise will reach 1200 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO [and non]. 630, Aug 16 at 1122 UT, fair XE signal here where XEFB Monterrey usually dominates, with promo for some sports event on `La Invasora 99.7` but also on XEFB, sibling station; spoken by that SHVA = super-hype voice actor, heard on so many Mexican and American stations. Also heard him this morning at same time on Fort Worth 1270 and Kansas City 1250. Wonder who he is; must be earning a mint. Maybe there are others super-hyping in the same style (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 710, Aug 18 at 0600, looking for Mexican NAs, but instead hear a different one: since lyric mentions ``chihuahuense`` I am confident it is Chihua2`s and therefore the usual dominator XEDP Ciudad Cuauhtémoc. A good time to hear the state anthem any night. There was also an unusual lo het on the frequency; R. Rebelde reverberators were nulled (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 1140, XEMR Monterey on new religious format 0559 2/8, now regular. Full Spanish ident 0606 over KYDS [Las Vegas NV] as “XEMR… wats de potencia.. Radio Esperanza” (Bryan Clark at Mangawhai (Northland), New Zealand with AOR7030+, EWEs to North, Central & South America, 100m BOG to NE and Alpha Delta Sloper antennas, Aug NZ DX Times via DXLD) ** MEXICO. 1560, Aug 19 at 0530 UT, ID ``en Radio Viva``, timecheck for 11:30, into a song about salvación. barely atop the pileup of signals here, loops rather E/W and wonder if a US station? No, Googling leads right to XEJPV in Ciudad Juárez --- which Cantú lists as a 1 kW daytimer, but it`s almost midnight! 1560 XEJPV Radio Viva Cd. Juárez, Chih. 1,000 D IRCA Mexican Log of 2011 however has it as 10 kW day, maybe 1 kW nite; WRTH 2012 shows it as 1 kW fulltime (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 1650, MEXICO UNID in Spanish mixing with US talk station, no sign of usually dominant KFOX 0824 13/7. Mexican national anthem aired at 0828. Have monitored frequency regularly since – whilst Spanish occasionally heard, no ident as yet (Bryan Clark at Mangawhai (Northland), New Zealand with AOR7030+, EWEs to North, Central & South America, 100m BOG to NE and Alpha Delta Sloper antennas, Aug NZ DX Times via DXLD) ?? Why not the only XE on 1650, XEAZR, Radio ZER as we have been reporting in DXLD? (gh) ** MEXICO. 660, XEFZ, ABC Radio/las Noticias Como Son, Monterrey, Nuevo León. 1107 August 19, 2012. This was a pleasant surprise. Male canned ABC Radio ID into “Goin' Out Of My Head” by Sérgio Mendes & Brasil 66, another ID, into “You Make Me Feel Brand New” by Jerald Daemyon then the BrasoPortuguese-sung “Desafinado” by Stan Getz/Gilberto Gil. “ABC Radio, 6-60 AM, las noticias como son” slogans often. Unusual to hear an all-Smooth Jazz/jazz oldies format station from Mexico. Nicely parallel streamed at http://www.periodicoabc.mx Signal lost by 1128. 660, XEEY, Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes. 1121 August 19, 2012. This one faded up a couple of times over XEFZ with reggaeton and Spanish dance vocals, several mentions of “102 punto 9 FM” and something pesos, so presume XEEY, listed as simulcast of XHEY “La Kaliente” though no slogan heard. Gone by 1130 with mostly just Radio Progreso, Cuba remaining. 700, XERV, Yo FM, Villahermosa, Tabasco. 1059 August 18, 2012. Male ID, ballad, coral short version anthem from 1102, several slogan IDs. Fair. We're back to the prime 1100 window for XE ID/anthems again, after falling off for a few weeks of then more daylight. 720, XEAVR, Radio Fórmula, Veracruz, Veracruz. 1059 August 19, 2012. Bubbled up with slogan ID a couple of times over the Nicaraguan. 1090, XEMCA, Pánuco, Veracruz. 1117 August 18, 2012. Male calls ID into Mexi-tune. Fair in passing. 1190, XECT, Contacto 11-90, Monterrey, Nuevo León. 1102 August 18, 2012. Spanish ballads, short choral anthem from 1107, female ID with calls and slogan. Good (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, FL. Equipment: JRC NRD-535; ICOM IC-R75; Sony ICF-7600GR; Sangean PR-D5; Aqua Guide 705 RDF Marine Radio; GE Superadio III; 1 X roof dipole; 1 X room random wire; Terk Advantage non-active portable loop, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MICRONESIA. 4755.4, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) country code +691. PMA - Cross Radio, Pacific Missionary Aviation, Pohnpé. S=8 signal strength noted on Queensland remote unit. Heard from 1045 till close-down sign-off at 1052 UT Aug 19 (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Aug 19, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MONGOLIA. 12015, 1529, Ulan Bator, S/on in English with program for Mongolia’s National Day. Good level – 13/7 (John Durham, Tauranga, New Zealand, JRC 535Db, Eavesdropper trap dipole antenna, Aug NZ DX Times via DXLD) [non]. 12015, Aug 21 at 1407, 1443, nothing but the usual RTTY audible here. Was checking for V. of Mongolia, Chinese at 1430, since Dave Valko`s [UNIDENTIFIED] log on 12085, English at 1030 had CNR1 jamming right after VOM`s only other Chinese broadcast at 1000. So is anyone hearing 12015 with VOM Chinese and/or jamming? It seems the ChiCom are not too happy with their neighbor for allowing R. Free Asia to broadcast from there in Tibetan on 7470, 17730, which of course are also jammed (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MYANMAR. 5985,85 12.8 1456 Myanmar BC, Yangoon. Första gången denna säsongen, med småprat och lugn musik. Även den 14.8 kl 1619 på 5985,83. HR 5985.85, 12 Aug 1456, Myanmar BC, Yangoon. Noted for the first time this season, with the small talk and soft music. Also noted on Aug 14 at 1619 on 5985.83 (Hans Östnell, Vardö, Norway, SW Bulletin Aug 19, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5985,81 14.8 2257 Myanmar BS, Yangoon. S/on kl 2300 med annonseringar av en tjej, följt av någon slags bön eller religiös ceremoni. Betydligt intressantare än smörsångerna som vi hör på eftermiddagarna. Sändaren verkar flaxa ett par hundra Hz upp och ner. HR 5985.81, 14 Aug 2257, Myanmar BS, Yangoon. s/on at 2300 with announcements by a girl, followed by some kind of prayer or religious ceremony. Much more interesting than the soft songs that we hear in the afternoons. The transmitter seems to flutter a few hundred Hz up and down (Hans Östnell, Vardö, Norway, SW Bulletin Aug 19, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MYANMAR. Hi Ron, can you confirm Myanmar outlets on CA-US post? Around 1136 to 1154 UT Aug 17th heard on Queensland Australia remote unit: peak on 5985.829 kHz - probably ? -, 7109.999 very strong signal, 7185.847 in peaks fluttering, and fair signal, chimes etc. on 7200.091 kHz vy73 de wolfi (Wolfgang Büschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Daily I hear the usual on 5985.83 (poor-fair). 7110 (fair to almost good). Attached is a recent sign off announcement in English (tomorrow morning "radiating on 639 kilohertz and 6 point 03 megahertz") Have not noticed 7200 or 7185.8 recently during my daily monitoring. A few days ago did check 7345 (Rakhine Radio via Pyin Oo Lwin) before 1330 sign off and heard what sounded like them underneath CNR1. Will let you know what I hear on Sunday (Ron Howard, ibid.) 5985.809, Myanmar Radio, Yangon, pop music concert, at 1120 UT Aug 19, noted on remote Queensland radio, S=8 at -78dBm. But nothing noted so far on 5915 kHz channel tonight. 7109.993, Much stronger at S=9+20dB -56dBm. Myanmar R, Naypyidaw, international pop music. 7345, Myanmar Rakhine Broadcasting Station. Myanmar R, Naypyidaw, too heard underneath CNR1 Beijing #572 site, co-channel between 1100 and 1200 UT. Aoki list show 1030 Kayah, 1130 Gekho, 1230-1330 Mon languages (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Aug 19, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) [and non]. 7110, Myanmar Kachin Radio, as called by Aoki, Aug 20 at 1234 music and some talk sounds like Myanmarianese, poor signal but slightly better than usual; maybe conditions are improving. Much of the time with two different ham CWQRMs, one from a W-zero. Aoki shows this in Burmese/dialect at 1030-1430; plus 1430-1500 English, then called Thazin Radio Pyin Oo Lwin; as well as in the local mornings the same 50 kW transmitter at 356 degrees from Naypyidaw carries the Myanmar Rakhine Broadcasting Station, 2330-0030 in Chin, 0030-0130 in Kachin (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) For DSWCI DX Window, Anker Petersen changed ``Myanmarianese`` to ``Bamar``. For those who don`t get it, I made up ``Myanmarianese`` to parody the unnecessary complexity of renaming the country Myanmar instead of plain old Burma, and language Burmese (gh, DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. 11670-11675-11680 and 11725, Aug 16 at 0531, RNZI is missing from both DRM and AM frequencies, where they are normally heard at this hour, good news for BBC Arabic 11680 and NHK French on 11730 freed of QRM. I figured this would be explained in the ``What`s New`` lower-right corner of RNZI homepage http://www.rnzi.com/pages/whatsnew.php but no, there have been no entries about downtime since July 2. Next check at 1151, 7435-7440-7445 DRM noise is on, as well as usual poor AM signal on 9655 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NICARAGUA. 720, Radio Católica, Managua. 1056 August 19, 2012. Child reciting Rosary with choral music under, ID 1102. Good on my sunrise peak (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, FL. Equipment: JRC NRD-535; ICOM IC-R75; Sony ICF-7600GR; Sangean PR-D5; Aqua Guide 705 RDF Marine Radio; GE Superadio III; 1 X roof dipole; 1 X room random wire; Terk Advantage non-active portable loop, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NICARAGUA. 8989-USB, Aug 16 at 2345, I finally get around to checking for the ``Pescador Preacher`` others have been reporting, and do hear a very weak signal with talk, seeming speech/preach rather than 2-way, altho he has also been reported to QSO with adherents after the sermon. 14950+ Colombia was stronger (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIGER. 9705, La Voix du Sahel, Goudel, 0752-0920, 18/8, vernacular, talks, prayer around 0800, more talks; 35433. Silent on occasions. 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, Aug 21, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIGERIA. 917, R. Gotel (presumed), Yola, 2252-2259, 17/8, Arabic, talks, seemingly some Koranic program; 23441, adjacent QTM de España on 918. 917, R. Gotel, Yola, 2215-2224, 20/8, Vernacular, talks, phone-ins, Koranic like songs; 33442, adjacent QRM de E on 918. 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, Aug 21, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIGERIA. 6089.9 [sic], 0506, Radio Nigeria Kaduna poor but quite separable from strong Anguilla 6090, with Swahili talks on measured 6089.85 on 16/7 (Bryan Clark at Mangawhai (Northland), New Zealand with AOR7030+, EWEs to North, Central & South America, 100m BOG to NE and Alpha Delta Sloper antennas, Aug NZ DX Times via DXLD) ** NIGERIA. 9689.9 [sic], 0819, Voice of Nigeria fair in Hausa 25/7 with phone-in reporters. Frequency measured as 9689.94 (Bryan Clark at Mangawhai (Northland), New Zealand with AOR7030+, EWEs to North, Central & South America, 100m BOG to NE and Alpha Delta Sloper antennas, Aug NZ DX Times via DXLD) 15120, V of Nigeria. Signal on at 0426:00 then tone at 0430:58, and drum IS start at 0446. NA 0455, and W announcer at 0458 but horribly distorted. Audio clearer and strong at 0505 with "Listener Letters" feedback program. "Weekend Magazine" program. In French 0700-0800, then back in English again with news at 0800. Much weaker at this time but picked back up by 0825 only to drop down to inaudible level by 0840. Signal finally went off at 0859:56. (11 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) 15120, August 16 at 0507 --- you never know whether VON English will be audible or how well from one night to the next. This time it`s fair with hum, but only a bit stronger than co-channel CRI Chinese. By a semihour later it`s just about gone (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NORTH AMERICA. 6925-USB, Re my UT Aug 12 log of a pirate here with ``crying music``, first heard as Ronin Radio, then thought to be Rave On Radio; Neither: ``I was listening that evening and I believe the "crying" station was Wolverine Radio. He always seems to have a big signal and great audio fidelity for SSB (David Pete, ABDX via DXLD)`` Tnx, David. In the new issue of Free Radio Weekly I see three more gents logged Wolverine Radio on the same frequency, date and time with that music, tho none of them responded to my call for ID help (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. 1210, August 16 at 1103 UT I have been tuning down the MW band looking for Mexican 6 am CDT NAs, sure to be followed by sign-ons or at least full IDs, but the first anthem I come to is one very rarely heard any more, orchestral ``Star Spangled Banner`` so must be a station in El Norte. But no ID afterwards at 1104, but wherever it is, the temp is 70 and it`s Thursday August 16; into C&W music. 1108 two anti-drunk-driving PSAs ``sponsored by`` NHTSA, so does that mean they were axually paid spots instead of free PSAs??? Whatever became of social if not legal obligation by US radio stations to donate PSA time? Still no local references, altho I`m sure this signal completely dominating 1210 has to be KGYN Guymon, habitually on day pattern before sunrise, not nulling toward Enid or Philadelphia like it is supposed to. Finally at 1109 an ad for some business in Elkhart/Liberal/Guymon, the first two being Kansas border towns very much in KGYN`s market. 1110 into AgNews, presumably not Spiro T (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. 91.7, KOSU`s drastic format change went into effect UT Aug 21 at 0000, with The Spy, Oklahoma indie music. No more `Performance Today` classical music (and KCSC-FM OKC tells me they can`t afford to pick it up, at higher rates than KOSU was charged as a mere Stillwater-market station), and no more classical music overnight. The Spy does not appeal to me at all, but spot checks the first evening found talk, talk, talk, about the music scene, I suppose, rather than axual music. And as I feared, NPR news on the hour has also been dropped. I used to hear it habitually at midnight local, 0500 UT before retiring, but The Spy just kept on going. However, on weekends KOSU had already dropped the midnight news, unwilling to interrupt jazz for it. I was wondering what kind of financial arrangement KOSU has with The Spy. KOSU Director Kelly Burley even sent me a copy of the contraxual agreement showing there is no exchange of money. KOSU hopes to use these 10 hours per day to build up its listener base and hence ultimately income, and will no longer have to purchase PT and many other expensive public radio programs. Burley`s complete rationale will be in the next DX Listening Digest 12-34 (Glenn Hauser, Enid, August 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: ** OKLAHOMA. Subject: Spy deal --- Hi Kelly, Exactly what is the financial arrangement between KOSU and Spy? With $$ amounts. No doubt this is a matter of public record. Regards, (Glenn Hauser, Enid, to Kelly Burley, KOSU Director via DXLD) Hi Glen[n], Attached is the syndication agreement with The Spy. As you'll see there are no fees associated with our carriage of their music programs (Kelly to Glenn, ibid., with legalese multi-page pdf) Kelly, Thanks, that`s very enlightening. So you are saving a bundle of money by giving your air to them for 10 hours (?) a day, and not having to buy Performance Today, Classical overnight, and everything else which has been canceled. Could you estimate what that amounts to? (BTW, KCSC says they can`t afford to pick up P.T., at higher rates than you paid.) Last time I looked, your complete new program grid was not yet up. (I sure enjoyed hearing Pipedreams last night, for the last time.) If KOSU`s financial situation should improve, I hope you will consider reducing Spy Time and bringing back some of the lamented losses. Regards, (Glenn to Kelly, ibid.) Glen[n], Actually we aren't reaping much savings here at all. Rather we are holding programming expenses in check. KOSU's costs for Morning Edition and All Things Considered are increasing substantially. We are also now required to purchase NPR's digital services, which we need to operate certain aspects of our Web site. (NPR Digital Services was supposed to have our program schedule online today, but because of some coding issues, it will be the end of the week at the earliest). We will be posting a pdf schedule online in the interim.) KOSU has and will continue to be a public radio news organization first. But after weighing listener feedback, and considering the possible loss of public funding, we have made this format change to help us further build a community of listeners that we believe will provide community support that will be the foundation of future noncomm funding. Just as you are disappointed with the loss of classical programs on KOSU, already hundreds of others have taken to Social Media to express their excitement about the new schedule. Based on feedback from listeners, and when considering the realities inherent with an increasingly-challenging environment for public funding, we feel this move gives us the best opportunity to survive and thrive in the long-term. Regards, (Kelly Burley, KOSU Director to gh, via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Here`s the new schedule grid: http://kosu.org/wp-content/themes/KOSU3/images/KOSUProgramGuide2012.pdf And here`s the old one which I saved, still in effect until Aug 20: http://www.w4uvh.net/KOSUProgramGuide2011.pdf It seems KOSU has outsourced control of its own website and so far has not been able to remove the old deleted programming shown in the day- by-day listings (Glenn Hauser, Enid, August 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. Still no luck decoding low power KOHC-LD 45 OKC which allegedly starting broadcasting the new MundoFox network Aug 13; a `bad` signal on 45 aimed at OKC could just as easily be KSNW full- power Wichita off the back. But UT Aug 19 around 0430, I notice that Kansas tropo is up with KHCC 90.1 R. Kansas `Nightcrossings`, their very nice music show along the lines of `Hearts of Space` with e.g. Vangelis, overriding KCSC in OK. So I turn the DTV antenna toward the north to check what else may be in; instead as I tune thru the channels I notice that MundoFox is now showing up on my local Enid KXOK-LD RF 31 as 31-2! Until now this station has never had a subchannel. May explain the downtime last week, to get this installed. It`s during a film drama of some sort, with plenty of network promos and ads. Continuous OMUNDOFOX logo bug in lower left corner. Now I will have to find a Mundo Fox schedule to see if there is anything worth watching on another Murdoch product. Here are how the PSIP IDs go: RF 31 has 31-1 TV OK, 31-2 M - FOX including the spaces. KXOK also has a duplicate on RF32 intercity relay as I have previously explained. Is it also split now? Its weaker signal barely decodes, but I can`t get anything but KXOK. When directly tuned to RF32, it remaps to 31-1 TV OK (rather than the legal ID KXOK as on RF31!) So that`s one way to tell them apart. 31-2, KXOK-LD with Mundo Fox on subchannel: watched a while on Aug 20; apparently a movie and it`s all in squeeze-o-vision as the Aspect Ratio Cannot Be Changed On This Channel. And the Mundo Fox circular logo becomes an oval. BTW, no local ID in any form seen at 1700 UT hourtop break between programs, nor elsewhen. Looked for program schedule: not anywhere on the zap2it Suddenlink Enid cable lineup of hundreds of channels including exotic ones. TitanTV does not have it in the on-air-lineup for Enid (which axually defaults to Oklahoma City, including lots of outlying stations never to be seen inside OKC, but not this. And still has several outdated/inaccurate ones on its roster.) So I have to go to http://www.mundofox.com There is a drop-down list of cities to ``selecciona tu ciudad`` --- no Enid there tho has OKC with KOHC. Found 24h program grid for the network, where I see nothing of interest tho a lot of the titles are unfamiliar, lots of novelas, apparently {many of them from RCN Televisión = Colombia?}. Nothing resembling a newscast, fortunately, as Murdoch would turn that into another farce like the Fox `News` Channel. {Wrong: see below} A few titles are in English, perhaps kidvid, but maybe dubbed or subtitled. {also includes plenty of cross-promotion in English for shows on plain old Fox network} What about TV-OK`s website? I don`t seem to have it bookmarked, so googled it: would you believe the top hits don`t go to anything except other sites, mostly directories, mentioning it? Found one item of interest, a 4-year-old animated ID I remember seeing on air, but not lately, posted by its producer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0lJxSWxgvk ``Uploaded by sgfx on Dec 2, 2008 --- KXOK is a small broadcast TV station in Enid OK. How Small? The entire station is in one rack mount case in a small 2 room office on the top of Enid's tallest building and was controlled remotely, sometimes via a cell phone. Anyhow this is an Animation I did as their station ID in trade for some unused video equipment. Why the T-38? Vance AFB is just outside of town and they have a ton of these Sexy little T-38 jet trainers flying all over the place.`` [and exhaust falling all over town accounting for sticky dust buildups even inside homes: there`s farmland all around Enid: why do they have to fly over the city, also increasing risk of crashes upon the population?? Some high-risk areas have zoning restrictions to keep down the number of people in the way. I also have to pause WORLD OF RADIO recordings while they roar over. -- gh] Maybe the outdated wikipedia entry will have a link to its own website? No. It does remind us of the shady history of this station, including a lawsuit by Dr Gene Scott who didn`t appreciate being broadcast over it, ``copyright infringement``. I wonder if Mundo Fox even knows they`re on KXOK? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Don't forget, LPTV stations are not required to ID at the top of the hour. Only Class A and full-service stations are required to ID at the top of the hour (Trip Ericson, http://www.rabbitears.info WTFDA via DXLD) So when are they required to ID, ever? Mundo Fox has also shown up on my local KXOK-LD RF 31 as 31-2, and no local IDs seen there either. I can`t get it on the duplicate RF 32 relay, just main KXOK with a different PSIP ID. And Mundo Fox here is all in SD squeeze-o-vision, or at least when they are running wide-screen stuff, that`s only way we can see it. Those Latinos sure are skinny. 73, (Glenn Hauser, Enid, ibid.) 31-2, MundoFox via KXOK-LD Enid subchannel, Aug 22: I keep an eye on it most of the afternoon as I am using its video to go with WORLD OF RADIO audio being recorded on VCR master. The video is really low quality, as input to KXOK, rather like a low-bit web feed, ``swarming & stalling``, not tiling or typical DTV breakup in transmission. Everything continues to be in squeeze-o-vision. Contrary to my previous remark, MundoFox does have news I must have overlooked, as promoed several times, for 6/5c time, meaning 2200-2230 UT. So I have another look at the network`s program schedule, and there it is, Noticias, M-F at ``6-6:30 pm``. But I don`t have time to listen to it and evaluate it today: besides, BBC World News America is on at the same time on OETA. Strangely, altho Enid is still not on the drop-down list to ``selecciona tu ciudad``, the MF website knows by IP than I am in Enid and displays local weather across the top of the schedule grid. {But it`s not smart enough to display the schedule in Central instead of Eastern time} {Also, there is no closed captioning on this channel; nor on 31-1 with RTV for that matter; another LP loophole? That`s OK, don`t have to keep turning it off to avoid covering up the timer display} (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAKISTAN. 15265, R. Pakistan. Heard same instrumental music between news headlines in English by same W as heard 2 months ago when this was coming in. ID during news at 1704. (8 August) 15265, R. Pakistan Shocked and surprised to hear the IS at 1657. 1659 Kor`an-sounding chant very briefly (same as heard on IS Online), then M in presumed Urdu with clear ID alternating with music. Drums, news fanfare, 3 time ticks 1700, then ID "?? This is R. Pakistan. The news read by ??. First the headlines…". I was hoping to hear the IS again and pleased I was able to get it recorded. From what I've heard, they usually don't play it at this time. Sounded like their tape recorder speed was varying too!! Like everyone, I have a few IS's that stand out but this is probably my favorite. (12 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3260, R. Madang, 1021 Island music. Fading after tune/in. 1029 studio M announcer with brief announcement and more music. M again 1034, 1040, and 1045 but too late and couldn't copy. No 3385 or 3345 this morning. (11 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3315, R. Manus. 0904 M with NBC news including a remote report by W, // 7324.95 Wantok, 3364.98 Milne Bay, 3345.03 Northern, and possibly 3260 Madang. "This is NBC news" ID during news at 0909. Still // Northern, Milne Bay, and Madang, and now 3204.97 Sandaun at 0935 with report on election ballots and political parties. Nothing from 6040 or 3385. (7 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3345.03, R. Northern. 1020-1024 "Lyin' Eyes" by The Eagles. W announcer in Tok Pisin but just unreadable. 1024-1032 M announcer with mention of Friday and Saturday. Sounded like English but not certain. Apparent speech by M at 1032-1039. Not very strong and some occasional ute QRM. Glad to see this one back. (6 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3915, Radio Fly via Kiunga, 1357-1405, August 20. Eclectic selections of music; Stevie Wonder “A Place In The Sun”, Kenny G “Winter Wonderland”, Scottish bagpipe music (rare to hear this on SW!); almost fair. MP3 audio posted at https://www.box.com/s/8a69d2a97eb6c5a157b0 5960 continues off the air (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 6040, 2047, NBC Port Moresby first noted 9/7 with election updates till blocked by China at 2055. Subsequent days observed strongly after 0700 most nights and still here 30/7, despite predictions frequency was only activated for the PNG elections (Bryan Clark at Mangawhai (Northland), New Zealand with AOR7030+, EWEs to North, Central & South America, 100m BOG to NE and Alpha Delta Sloper antennas, Aug NZ DX Times via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 7325, 0901 25/7, R. Wantok Lite [sic], Fair/good in English with NBC news (clear audio), 0910 ID, religious promo, then regional news in Tok Pisin (audio poor) (Kelvin Brayshaw, Levin, New Zealand, DR-31, Dipole, & Indoor Coax Loop, Aug NZ DX Times via DXLD) 7324.95, Wantok R. Light. Possibly ID at 0914 on Wantok. Definite ID by live M at 0915:35 acknowledging letter and address, then nice ID with frequency at 0916:10. Couple more IDs at 0918 and "thank you for listening to our program", then canned program promo and live M returned mentioning you could hear the program every Sunday. (7 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DXLD) 7324.98, Wantok Radio Light, Port Moresby. 0845 August 19, 2012. Presumed the one with English ranting male preacher. Clear, fair (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, FL. Equipment: JRC NRD-535; ICOM IC-R75; Sony ICF-7600GR; Sangean PR-D5; Aqua Guide 705 RDF Marine Radio; GE Superadio III; 1 X roof dipole; 1 X room random wire; Terk Advantage non-active portable loop, WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. I'd like to thank radio listeners and others from around the world who contributed monitoring reports of short wave radio broadcasts from Papua New Guinea following our requests in July. Your patient listening and ear for detail has helped us considerably with updating the Papua New Guinea country file in the World Radio TV Handbook 2013 edition. In the space of 10 days during their national elections, two long silent provincial SW stations returned to the air, another provincial station temporarily transferred its SW transmitter for national radio use on a long unused regional SW channel, and for a few hours, another national SW frequency came back on the air from Port Moresby. Four new signals in total. [was the physical SW transmitter at Alotau axually transported to PM for the broadcasts on 6040, or was PM merely using another transmitter on an unused but allocated frequency? ---gh] The future of the 19 provincial NBC studios is coming under review, and it's likely some will no longer remain as NBC stations. The biggest growth is with FM radio across the country, and NBC is now installing three separate FM program channels as engineering upgrades take place. Radio in PNG is still a 'work-in'progress' but you can be sure that we'll do our best to continue accurate reporting of the situation with NBC, commercial and community radio across the country, on SW, MW and FM. Thanks again to everyone who made our work a little easier this year, and please keep monitoring the radio dials for more broadcasts from Papua New Guinea. You'll enjoy www.radioheritage.net/story212.asp for a colorful overview of contemporary broadcasting in Papua New Guinea. An audio visual version of this feature is also available. Radio Heritage Foundation is a registered non-profit organization connecting radio, popular culture, history & heritage at http://www.radioheritage.com We supply 30 Pacific country files for the World Radio TV Handbook as a service to the global broadcasting and listening community (David Ricquish, Radio Heritage Foundation, Aug 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 4810, 1133, OAW-9A Radio Logos, Chazuta, new 1 kW station operated by Iglesia Evangélica Central de Chazuta. First logged 28/7, fair with Christian songs & messages in Spanish and Quechua [sic]. Ident at 1150. On 30/7 noted from 0919 at good strength, full Spanish ident 0958 (Bryan Clark at Mangawhai (Northland), New Zealand with AOR7030+, EWEs to North, Central & South America, 100m BOG to NE and Alpha Delta Sloper antennas, Aug NZ DX Times via WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DXLD) 4810 28.7 0303 OAW9A R Logos, Chazuta stängde när dom blivit aningen för svaga. Hittade ett anrop precis innan nationalsången. Fint timmen innan med musik. Hördes rapporterbart 7.8. FD 4810, 28 July 0303, OAW9A R Logos, Chazuta signed off just when they become slightly too weak. Found a call just before the national anthem. Good strength one hour earlier during the music. Also enough signal and possible to report on Aug 7 (Fredrik Dourén, Sweden, SW Bulletin Aug 19, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Radio Logos is run by Iglesia Evangélica Central in Chazuta, near Tarapoto in northern Peru, and is meant to air Christian programming to the Peruvian Amazon region (Thomas Nilsson, Sweden, SW Bulletin Aug 19 via DXLD) 4810 4.8 2345 Radio Logos blev ju hur tydlig som helst när jag sett att det var något på gång här. Jättebra kompletterande info i senaste SWB – skoj att se lite mer av de stationer man upptäcker. Snx om ”el rumbo de Dios”. 1-3 RÅ 4810, 4 Aug 2345, Radio Logos stood out clearly when I realized that there was something new on this frequency. Very valuable additional info in the past SWB - nice to see a little more info about the stations discovered recently. Talk about "el Rumbo de Dios". 1-3 (Lisette Åkesson, Sweden, SW Bulletin Aug 19, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DX LISTENING DIGEST) R Logos resides in Chazuta which is is a small village on the river Huallaga, 2 hours away from Tarapoto on a bad dirt track. It is in no guide book, which is why very few tourists ever get there. It boasts a beautiful waterfall that is quite a challenge to get to. In the Ethnic Radio website you can read in the AMG Chazuta Radio Update 7/12/12: ``Radio Logos is broadcasting from Chazuta Peru on 4810 SW with listener reports from Sweden, Illinois, New York, and California. These reports demonstrate the far reaching effects of this media. Many language groups can and are receiving this station signal in their own language and dialect.`` http://www.ethnicradio.org/home/project-amg-chazuta-radio (SW Bulletin Aug 19 via DXLD) 4810.00, 2327-2340 13.08, R Logos, Chazuta (presumed), Spanish talk, weak audio, 15211. Also heard at 0215, 15.08 music with CODAR QRM, 12211. Best 73, (Anker Petersen, on my AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire in 9 metres altitude here in Skovlunde, Denmark, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DXLD) 4810, Aug 16 at 1057, very weak signal with a bit of music audible vs noise level, possibly R. Logos; I do think it would be slightly more likely here than Bhopal (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4810.050, Radio Logos, 0227-0320* Aug 17, mix of popular songs without any announcement until just before s/off; at 0257, seven minutes of what seemed to be hymns, and then back to pop. (Are these "pop songs" actually pop gospel? "Logos" in Christian theology is the creative word of God.) At 0216 [sic; must mean 0316], M announcer with clear mention of "Radio Logos" and "kilohertz." Then another song, and into anthem. Signal was good enough that giant ute on USB was not a problem, but CODAR was enough to induce madness. I think I need a good steerable loop antenna. Ondas Suroriente on 5120 kHz also putting in a decent signal tonight from Quillabamba (Art Delibert, North Bethesda, MD, Excalibur Pro, Pennant antenna with DX Engineering amp, HCDX via WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DXLD) Radio Logos` raison d`être is totally religious, so I would be surprised if any of the songs were not gospel; like Salem Stereo, and even the late CVC La Voz, this may not immediately be obvious to the casual non-fluent listener, and is a way of infiltrating the minds of youngsters disposed to pop music (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Thanks for the info. And nice to know someone's actually reading my posts! (Delibert DXLD Radio Logos, Peru on 4810 heard also here in the middle of Europe on Thu August 16 at 0245 UT until s/off at 0300. Popular melodies, national anthem and a short piece of marimba music before the transmitter was switched off. Weak signal (Karel Honzik, CZECHIA, RX: AOR AR7030, ANT: 70mtr longwire, HCDX via WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DXLD) 4810.01, 2255-2315 19.08, R Logos, Chazuta, hymns and orchestra music in UNID language, best in LSB due to strong noise in USB, splashes from Voice of China on 4800, 24232. Best 73, (Anker Petersen, from sunny and warm Skovlunde, done on my AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) Interesting e-mail received from Glenn Smith (see below - works with Ray Rising) on the Chazuta radio project in Peru (R Logos). If you go to Google Earth and dial in Chazuta, Peru, you can see it’s an isolated village in a pretty rugged area of Peru – apparently right on the Huallaga river. The attached R Logos and Glenn Smith PDF files have some interesting photos: Smith June 2012 Letter.pdf Radio Logos Chazuta Peru.pdf Web site: http://www.ethnicradio.org/home/project-amg-chazuta-radio Glenn Smith wrote: ”Thank you for your signal report. From the content of your letter it is clear that you are as excited about the Chazuta Quechua Radio station as I am. My wife and I worked with these 19 language groups in the Amazon and the Andean mountains of Peru for 20 years. On this project I was privilege to return and work with the second generation. Wow what an infrastructure. They are very sharp, enthusiastic, dedicated, full of energy, willing to sacrifice and so very focused. In the Chazuta radio station shipment we included 15 new and used laptop computers for the DJs. We can use 100 more. Many Ethnic Christian dignitaries either have their own stations or they are buying time on local stations. They are producing digital programs to air in their own languages. Thank you for offering to help the Ethnic folk with funds. And thank you for joining the team of Ethnic Radio Broadcasters. You may send your gifts to: Wycliffe Bible Translators, P.O. Box 628200, Orlando, FL. 32862-8200. Attn: ANG- Chazuta Radio. May the Lord bless you and yours. Glenn & Linda for the Team, Glenn Smith, 5011 B Addison Rd, Waxhaw, NC” (Bruce W. Churchill, Fallbrook, CA, U.S.A., DXplorer via DSWCI DX Window Aug 22 via DXLD) ** PERU. 4955, R. Cultural Amauta, 0042 talk by W announcer in Spanish. Sounds like the same announcer I've heard in the past. 0045- 0049 apparent religious music, then W returned. Music again at 0054 but only for a minute. 0058 sounded like a mention of "R. Trans Mundial" to end the program, then W continued with mention of amigos. 0100 catchy short melody, then 2 men announcers, and long talk by M program host. Went off at 0113 in mid-sentence/program, as it usually does around this time. (12 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) 4955, 2305, 19-08-2012, adverts and then ID as “Transmite Radio Cultura, Amauta... 99.9 FM”. "A continuación el programa..." which started with a piece of traditional Peruvian music. There was a lot of atmospheric noise, but I could understand most of what they were saying. SINPO 45343. At 2314 the program started talking about some local affairs related to a Peruvian municipality and its mayor. At 2323 the interview ended up and kept the musical segments. Still heard at 2355 (Leonardo Santiago, Pueblo Llano, Mérida State, Venezuela, SONY ICF SW35, Outdoor TV type antenna, Kaito KA 33, GE Cassette recorder/ Digitalized with Wavepad, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 4986.4, --- --- (Non) R Voz Cristiana 17.8, seems to be absent, not noted for several days now (Thomas Nilsson, Sweden, SW Bulletin Aug 19 via DXLD) ex-R. Manantial, Huancayo (gh) ** PHILIPPINES [non]. Radio Veritas Asia will be implementing a frequency change on August 19, 2012 for the following broadcasts: Delete: 1430-1457 UT Urdu 15435 kHz Add: 1430-1457 UT Urdu 15330 kHz Delete: 1500-1553 UT Filipino 15350 kHz Add: 1500-1553 UT Filipino 15320 kHz 73 from (Ashik Eqbal Tokon, Rajshahi, Bangladesh, Aug 17, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The rest of the stories: Both of these old frequencies are relays via VATICAN, which they failed to mention, and presumably the new ones will be too. I hope Saudi in French at 14-15 is not really on 15330 as registered. I think not; have not noticed it. But what`s wrong with 15435? Saudi Arabia comes on considerably before scheduled 1500. There could also be Firedrake and/or V. of Tibet jumparounds. What`s wrong with 15350? That`s easy, Morocco on 15349.1, where it has stuck since the beginning of A-12 causing big het to 15350 stations. And it has taken RVA 4+ months to fix that?! 73, (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) Frequency changes of Radio Veritas Asia Aug 19: 1430-1457 NF 15330 SMG 250 kW / 070 deg to SoAs, ex 15435 in Urdu 1500-1557 NF 15320 SMG 250 kW / 130 deg to N/ME, ex 15350 in Tagalog (DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, Aug 21 via DXLD) Aug 22 checking out the frequency changes that R. Veritas Asia has just made via the two VATICAN relays, belatedly escaping QRM problems which had been there since the beginning of A-12 if not before: 15330, Aug 22 at 1430, RVA IS in the clear but with some splash from 15340 Cuba, opening Urdu, S9+15; ex 15435 which was OK except for early starts by Saudi Arabia before 1500. 15320, Aug 22 at 1458 open carrier, no IS but 1500 RVA ID, poor signal with Filipino, ex 15350 which had that horrible het from Morocco 15349.1. (At 1430, AWR Chinese had been on 15320, but off in time for RVA. HFCC shows starting July 2 and for the remainder of A-12, site for that is Trincomalee, Sri Lanka instead of Nauen, Germany thru July 1. On 15350 at 1430 there is still a big het clash with Morocco 15349.1, i.e. Gospel for Asia via Wertachtal until 1500). (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RADIO VERITAS ASIA - PULSE STEP MODULATOR UPGRADE Ten years ago, three years after the initial operation of our TX-3 (PSM old generation) according to the supplier’s study; the power savings we can achieved with PSM was 10%, but as of today we are realizing a remarkable 28% reduction in our power with this modification, with other advantages and good development we have achieved the following: * Reduction of the number of tubes to one power tube. * Improvement of the efficiency to 97% with respect to the previous generation. * Energy Savings * Very flexible operation with reduced power * Ease in maintenance (Minimal Downtime) * Digital Transmission ready (DRM) EFFICIENCY AND OTHER PSM QUALITIES Using internal multi-secondary transformers to supply the module, combined with a high degree of mechanical integration and the used of solid-state components, outstanding signal-to-noise ratio, fast switching-off (<10µs), high reliability and availability redundancy (system remains in operation even with defective modules). And good accessibility and highest security for personnel. DYNAMIC CARRIER CONTROL (DCC) Aside from the power savings derived with the elimination of modulator tubes and transformers, PSM features the Dynamic Carrier Control (DCC) circuit which contributes largely to this power reduction. Without modulation the carrier level is at -3dB or depending on the setting as DCC1, 2 & 3 or at -1dB, -2dB, and -3dB respectively. Meaning we don’t need the full carrier level when there is no modulation, or a carrier seems to be useless at the target area when there is no information in it while both consumes the same power. A considerable amount of energy can be saved by means of DCC. The amount of energy saved depends mainly on how low the straight section II may be set without adversely affecting reception, above all in fringed areas. Especially the increase of receiver noise during modulation pauses is considered as disturbing. The DCC procedure operates with reduction functions following the characteristics I-II- III, thereby avoiding disturbing effect and allowing a further average decrease of consumed power. ENERGY SAVINGS With Generator as Power Source During Broadcast time when commercial power is not available, we have to generate our own power to supply the two transmitters using the 1MW Generator set, and before the modification, the average load power reading was .85MW, but with the newly modified transmitters it was registering an average power of .68MW with AM mode and .47MW with DCC mode. A reduction of 20% with AM Mode and 45% load reduction with DCC Mode which translates to fuel savings when using Generator. Commercial Power Saving With power consumption last August to September 2004 at 327,975 KWhrs. to 261,275 KWhrs. from March to April (after modification) this year, we already realized a 20% power savings. And a 17% reduction in power demand DIGITAL TRANSMISSION READY (DRM) With this modification, we are now ready for the digital transmission, there are only few things to add; the PSM filter has to be extended to 40KHz, PLC has to be extended also for DRM application, and some software update on PSM control, RF section will not be changed. If the trend is eventually inevitable we will not be caught in a blank wall (from http://www.rveritas-asia.org via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) ** PHILIPPINES. 17700, Radyo ng Bayan simulcast via R. Pilipinas, 0235-0330*, August 21 (Tuesday). Tuned in expecting the usual weekday programming in English, but instead found Tagalog, so I knew something different was going on; numerous IDs for “Radyo ng Bayan, 738 kilohertz on the AM dial, Nationwide”; fair signal strength, but poor audio; fairly garbled, but not enough to make it unintelligible; 0328 the only ID heard for R. Pilipinas, the Voice of the Philippines; National Anthem and off. Suspect was a special program regarding the death of Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, as his body had just been found at sea after looking for it for several days, after a plane crash. He had been a part of President Aquino's cabinet (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PRIDNESTROVYE. 9665, PRIDNESTROVYA, Radio PMR. 2230 August 9, 2012. “This is the capital of the Pridnestrovya Moldavian Republic” by male, into highly boring quasi-news items. Bad, hollow audio but huge and local level signal. Goes into Voice of Russia World Service in English from 2300. Also noted August 8 at 2138 in German, also a great signal (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, FL. Equipment: JRC NRD-535; ICOM IC-R75; Sony ICF-7600GR; Sangean PR-D5; Aqua Guide 705 RDF Marine Radio; GE Superadio III; 1 X roof dipole; 1 X room random wire; Terk Advantage non-active portable loop, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ROMANIA. 13800, 2047, RRI, Good with DX program in English – 28/5 (Des Davey, Te Kuiti, New Zealand, FRG-7700, 50m Long wire, Eton E5 copper spouting, Grundig Satellit 750, Aug NZ DX Times via DXLD) News to me if they have a DX program; 28 May was a Monday in this long-delayed report; I don`t see anything like that on current ``The Week Ahead`` previews nor on any other day. Seems they used to have a `DX Mailbag` only reading reception reports to them, but I don`t even find that now. [later:] 15210, Sunday Aug 19 at 2052, RRI in English, usual good signal, second best from Europe on band after Spain 15110, reading reception reports including SINPOs as if those were of any interest to the general audience, 2054 outro as `DX Mailbag` before sign-off procedure. Someone in NZ had reported a ``DX program`` May 28 at 2047 on 13800; that was a UT Monday. Perhaps he meant local Monday, really UT Sunday? Just because they use the letters DX in a show title does not make it a DX program, since it`s only about reception reports to that station. I checked ``The Week Ahead`` previews on RRI website but this was never mentioned; perhaps considered a filler, and maybe even dropped in on unknown days (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. 7320, Radio Rossii D1, Arman, Magadanskaya. 0850 August 19, 2012. Terribly slow male vocals, parallel about equal level 5930 Petro-Kam. Female 0858 with program promo, piano/clarinet fill, male ID, time sounders, news. Fair (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, FL, JRC NRD-535; ICOM IC-R75; Sony ICF-7600GR; Sangean PR-D5; Aqua Guide 705 RDF Marine Radio; GE Superadio III; 1 X roof dipole; 1 X room random wire; Terk Advantage non-active portable loop, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. 13775, August 16 at 0515, VOR via Pet/Kam, VG signal on only frequency for English to NAm, but I am put off by the announcer usually heard around this time. It`s not that he has a Russian accent, but his sing-song cadence is really annoying, not what you expect from a professional on a major world broadcaster (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. 15110, Tatarstan Wave Signal on the air. Usual routine of IS and ID by M then W at 0410 transmission start. Best heard. Fairly strong and clear. Was getting a signal on 15195 at 0810 but very weak and covered by local pulsing noise just in this frequency area. (11 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) ** RWANDA. "KILL THE MESSENGER: THE MEDIA'S ROLE IN THE FATE OF THE WORLD" --- From Burbank, California, Maria Armoudian, author of "Kill the Messenger," talks about the positive and negative role that the media plays in global events. Hosted by the Armenian National Committee America—Burbank and Sardarabad Bookstore. Maria Armoudian is a fellow at the University of Southern California’s Center for International Studies and the host and producer of the Pacifica Radio programs "The Scholars’ Circle" and "The Insighters," For more, visit: http://armoudian.com http://www.booktv.org/Program/13723/Kill+the+Messenger+The+Medias+Role+in+the+Fate+of+the+World.aspx C-SPAN`s Book TV episode, deals i.a. with the genocide in Rwanda, as caused by radio broadcasts – Radio Mille Collines, and why the same thing did not happen in Burundi. The link should lead to video on demand shortly, and there is another cablecast Monday Aug 27 at 0600 UT (via Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RWANDA. Radio Rwanda, 6055, Kigali. Aug 19, 2012. Sunday. 0323- 0329. Not English or French as listed (Aoki), probably Kinyarwanda, with afro music. Good. Jo'burg sunrise 0433. Regards, (Bill Bingham, RSA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SAAR. [Re 12-33:] Bonsoir, Avez-vous entendu cette information, un des pilones de l’émetteur Europe 1 sur 183 kHz, avec une puissance de 1 500 kW, est tombé. D’après la radio SR (Allemagne) des cables ont été volés et voilà le résultat: http://www.radioactu.com/actualites-radio/141938/europe-1-un-pylone-de-l-emetteur-grandes-ondes-s-est-ecroule/ Aussi une vidéo intéressante à voir sur le site du Felsberg. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LExYtuQzFyQ 73’s (Christian Ghibaudo, France, Aug 16, via Dario Monferini, Italy, playdx yg via DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA. 15170, BSKSA, Holy Koran Service, 0251:49 ID during announcements between Kor`an recitations. And again at 0252:25, and back to Kor`an. (31 July) 15285, BSKSA Start of IS at 0357:35, NA at 0359, then opening ID announcement by M. Sounded like Swahili. Fair and clear signal. Haven't heard the IS in years. Found on review of Perseus recording. (11 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA. 9714.924, Usual odd non-directional service - Holy Qur`an prayer - in Arabic from Riyadh, S=8 at 0442 UT Aug 22 (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Aug 22 via dxldyg via DXLD) ** SCOTLAND [non]. "Occasionally our programmes may also be carried on 5.110 and 9.330 MHz from transmitters in Monticello, Maine, USA targeted at Europe and south America. Details if available will be given on this website" http://www.radiosix.com/schedule.html (via Mike Terry, Aug 17, dxldyg via DXLD) I think that`s very outdated, or very unusual. Possibly might slip into Area 51 time. Where did they get those targets: FCC listings show both frequencies are 50 kW, 245 degrees to CIRAF 3,4,5,9,10,11 = certainly a strange motley group of zones: central and eastern Canada, Greenland, Mexico, Central America, Caribbean but whew, missing all of the USA! As for the schedule website, you would have to look at every program entry for the following week to see if WBCQ is mentioned anywhere. Not this week; some shows are also on 88.2 FM in Tawa, NZ (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SEYCHELLES. 15490, BBC *0359 promo/ID by M in African language, time ticks, then ID by M and news in African language Good signal on every one of the latest Perseus recordings made of the 19 mb. (13 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) ** SOLOMON ISLANDS. 5019.878, Extended English newscast heard from Solomon Islands BC Broadcaster ID, from Honiara, at 1100-1111 UT Aug 19. Station ID heard at 1106:30 UT. Headlines repeat to 1110:52 UT. S=9+20dB signal heard on remote unit in Queensland Australia. Religious program followed from 1111 (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Aug 19, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOMALILAND. Time for R. Hargeisa --- Ramadan is ending, so it`s time for Hargeisa to make its unlikely reappearance with new 100 kW Chinese SW transmitter, somewhere on 7 MHz, maybe previously used 7530. Be alert, especially in the Eurosomalilandish evenings. Original target was to get it on air in time for an end-of-Ramadan address, as in previous Sun story: `` Eid ul-Fitr Presidential address to be heard on Radio Worldwide`` (Glenn Hauser, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DX LISTENING DIGEST) SOMALILAND: INFORMATION MINISTRY REASSURES ON NEW RADIO TRANSMITTER Saturday, 11 August 2012 23:10 http://somalilandsun.com/index.php/politics/government/1256-somaliland-information-ministry-reassures-on-new-radio-transmitter Director A Suleiman-Right says transmitter on scheduel [sic] after joint Chinese sl engineers complete work [caption] By: M. A. Egge HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) - The long awaited wide-range radio coverage by the state radio is scheduled to be fully installed to function within 20 days are so [sic]. This was confirmed by the Ministry of Information's technical director Mr. Ahmed Suleiman Weyne, during a press briefing at his offices in Hargeisa where he also refuted false claims to the effect that the transmitter of 100 kW was a non-starter. "May it be known that two thirds of the installation process has already been dealt with hence those peddling rumours are liars who spread baseless allegations". He added that the Chinese engineers who were installing and setting up configurations of the antenna have already left the country "having successfully concluded their ordained tasks hence we'll finalize the rest within three weeks". It is to be noted that the importation of the new more powerful radio transmitter whose releighing [? Sic] capacity would reach and cover not only the east and central African region but further afield was one of the major campaign pledges of the Kulmiye party that the administration has been implementing (Somaliland Sun via gh, DXLD) So August 11 + 20 days = Aug 31, relax. Tho there could be tests earlier (gh, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Radio Hargeisa --- The end of Ramadan and the Islamic holiday of Eid- al-Fitr are upon us. And Radio Hargeisa in Somaliland is not on the air. The much anticipated opening and celebratory presidential speech to mark the opening of the new 100 kW Chinese SW transmitter will not be heard today. My source says the transmitter is installed and the antenna is up. But the project currently is dead in the water --- almost literally. The 20+ Chinese installers are gone but the transmitter is not operating. The problem, my non-technical source explains “has something to do with water.” I am assuming that that must mean there is some heat dissipation water cooling involved. The technical director of Radio Hargeisa is off to Ethiopia to try to get some missing part -- perhaps a water filter – to solve the problem. No new date is projected. My frustrated source puts all the blame locally, poor planning, poor execution, and not on the Chinese, who were hired just to install physically and not to actually get it up and running. But since the government has made this a high profile issue --- being able to reach ALL its citizens, rather than just those in the immediate area of Hargeisa --- this is going to be very embarrassing very soon if the “water problem” isn’t quickly solved. Stay tuned! (Don Jensen, WI, Aug 19, NASWA yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DXLD) http://www.iaru-r1.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=288:radio-hargeisa-on-7145-khz&catid=39:iarums&Itemid=87 See mail of 2009 to replace the 7145 kHz channel to go outside amateur radio band. See 12 VERY BIG accumulators on the broadcasting house to serve that service by "portable main power" http://www.pileup.de.com click to 7th line "Radio Hargeisa 2009" in link column http://www.mydarc.de/dj6si/hargeisa/hargeisa.htm see 5th picture from above, as well as Marconi tx on final picture. 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. U S A. New time for relay of Brother Stair TOM via WWRB: 2100-1200 on 3185 WRB 100 kW / 340 deg to NWAm, ex 0000-1200 on same 1200-2100 on 9385 WRB 100 kW / 045 deg to NEAm, ex 1200-2400 on same (DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, Aug 21 via DXLD) ** SPAIN. [Re 12-33:] 11890, August 16 at 0520, REE is successfully amid its own Castilian instead of China`s French as relayed by mistake 24 hours earlier (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SRI LANKA [non]. 4/8 [Saturday], 12140, Tamil tigers (after reading older DXLD), 1533 with short music clips. talk by OM and YL with many mentions of Tamil. Seems mixed with HoA music, 35434 (Zacharias Liangas, on vacation in Fourka Chalkidiki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Is anyone still hearing this? (gh) ** SUDAN. 7200 16.8 1605 SRTC Khartoum, redan vid denna tid med vernacularmusik. Svag, men fullt läsbar. HR* 7200, 16 Aug 1605, SRTC Khartoum noted already at this time with vernacular music. Weak but fully readable (Hans Östnell, Cape Skagen near Vardö, Norway, SW Bulletin Aug 19, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) 7200, 0244, 18-08-2012. Recitation from the Holy Qur`an by man, but with some problems with the modulation. Then, at 0248 started a program by man by greeting in Arabic. At 0253 started a new program which was introduced with Arabic music and the announcer also greeted with "Salah maleicum". But, this time there was another problem: modulation was very bad and it was difficult to understand the announcer's coments. SINPO 45444. According Eibi A-12 this is Sudan RTVC, broadcasting in Arabic language (Leonardo Santiago, Pueblo Llano, Mérida State, Venezuela, SONY ICF SW35, Outdoor TV type antenna, Kaito KA 33, GE Cassette recorder/ Digitalized with Wavepad, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN [non]. 15500, UNITED KINGDOM, (CLANDESTINE), Sudan Radio Service, Rampisham. 1657-1658* August 16, 2012. Caught the last minute or so of this with Arabic vocals, plug pulled. Very good and presumed the one (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, FL. Equipment: JRC NRD-535; ICOM IC-R75; Sony ICF-7600GR; Sangean PR-D5; Aqua Guide 705 RDF Marine Radio; GE Superadio III; 1 X roof dipole; 1 X room random wire; Terk Advantage non-active portable loop, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Can`t be Rampisham: defunct. HFCC shows Woofferton (gh) ** SUDAN SOUTH [non]. CLANDESTINE, 15725, V. of South Sudan Revolutionary R. After listening to Nigeria 15120, tuned here at 0504 just in time to catch the English ID in their opening routine. Talks started at 0507. English segment at 0527-0555+. Stated fading at 0522. Really nice signal early on. (6 August) CLANDESTINE, 15725, V. of South Sudan Revolutionary R. S/on routine with English at 0504:00. 0531:25 ID again and English talk. Dropped down by 0542, as it usually does around this time, but could tell it was still in English until end of segment at 0548 when choral vocals began. (11 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) ** SWEDEN. 5895, 1958 07/07, Sala. Relay of Norwegian station R. North Star. Music with ID & jingle at 2000. Poor to just fair (John Durham, Tauranga, New Zealand, JRC 535Db, Eavesdropper trap dipole antenna, Aug NZ DX Times via DXLD) ** SWITZERLAND. See MUSEA ** TAHITI. How many of you can remember Radio-Tahiti FR3? Back in the late 1950’s, I used to listen around 6 p.m. NZT on Sunday evenings on 6135 kHz to their lovely Island music as it was a regular show, though sometimes in summer it used to get fair and noisy. It was the only time you could hear native Tahitian on air. Any other time, the station transmitted in French. Other frequencies that I heard often were 11825 and 15170 kHz. 6135 was my fav Tahiti station that I tuned to every Sunday for some years before they pulled the plug on this music show in the early 1970’s. I have QSL’s for 6135 and 15170. I think the stations closed totally around the end of February 1971. I had a Tahitian couple who used to come to my place to listen to the music. Regards and happy DX (Des Davey, Te Kuiti, New Zealand, Aug NZ DX Times via DXLD) I think when I finally tracked down a decent receiver – the Eddystone S750 – around 1963 that 11825 was the dominant frequency for me in Hamilton. Having their interval signal booming through the house approaching 0400 UT as I did my high school homework, then switching to Amman, Jordan on 11810, must have driven Ma and Pa to distraction! Weren’t they still on shortwave into the 80’s? I seem to recall being able to hear them on the Icom R71A, and I didn’t buy that till ’81 or ’82 (ed. Theo Donnelly, now in BC, ibid.) ** TAIWAN. FSI Transmissions via RTI for the B-2012 season: LANGUAGE TIME (UTC) (kHz) TARGET Azimuth (degrees) Burmese 1100-1200 6220 Burma 267 1200-1300 11570 Burma 267 English 0900-1100 9465 Philippines 180 1300-1500 11540 India 285 Hindi 1500-1600 11550 India 285 Indonesian 0000-0100 11865 Indonesia 205 1100-1200 11915 Indonesia 205 Korean 0800-0900 11895 Korea 2 Mandarin 0900-1000 11565 China 310 0900-1100 9545 China 285 1000-1100 9920 China 342 1100-1600 6240 China 310 1100-1600 9280 China 335 1200-1300 11535 China 342 2100-2400 9280 China 335 2200-2400 6215 China 310 2300-2400 9540 China 285 Tagalog 1100-1200 11520 Philippines 180 Vietnamese 0000-0100 11630 Viet Nam 245 1000-1100 9450 Viet Nam 225 1200-1300 7460 Viet Nam 225 1300-1400 7540 Viet Nam 250 1300-1400 9940 Viet Nam 225 (Brenda Constantino, WYFR Okeechobee, Aug 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TAIWAN. 13430, 2344 4/6, Sound of Hope (tentative), Poor in Chinese music (Des Davey, Te Kuiti, New Zealand, FRG-7700, 50m Long wire, Eton E5, copper spouting, Grundig Satellit 750, Aug NZ DX Times via DXLD) First assumption should be that you are hearing Firedrake jamming, unless you can recognize that it`s non-Firedrake music. I don`t think SOH plays much music itself, and :44 is a prime hourpart to be jammed (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** TAIWAN [non]. 7570, Aug 17 at 0458, RTI confirmed in correct language, Spanish, via WYFR, wrapping up the 0400 hour with their full Spanish schedule (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TIBET [non]. CLANDESTINE, 15487, V. of Tibet (via Tajikistan) 1304 talk by W. Weak and couldn't really tell what type of language it was. Went off at 1316. Getting too much slop QRM from 15485, but it went off at 1315. Was just playing Chinese music and thought at first it was Firedrake. Must have been a jammer. (3 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) ?? Firedrake *IS* a jammer, just playing Chinese music (gh, DXLD) CHINA/TAJIKISTAN, 15515, HEAVY FIREDRAKE music from mainland China at 1222 UT Aug 13. S=9+25dB powerhouse signal here in Germany. Read also a poor string on SDR unit browser screen at 15517 kHz, so latter could be the Voice of Tibet outlet from Dushanbe Yangi Yul, but couldn't trace any VoT program content today. 15498, The total contrast to yesterday [sic]. HEAVY Voice of Tibet program from Dushanbe Yangi Yul, female Tibetan announcer at 1405-1420 UT Aug 15. S=8-9 signal here in Germany. FIREDRAKE music from mainland China only on fair S=6 signal level on adjacent even 15500 kHz (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Aug 17 via DXLD) CHINA/TAJIKISTAN, At 1208 UT Aug 17 FIREDRAKE ching and bum music from mainland China on 15525 kHz, and on adjacent 15527 kHz the Voice of Tibet's relay via Yangi Yul site in TAJIKISTAN, both same fair signal level here in southwestern Germany on S=8-9 strength. 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UGANDA. 4750, Dunamis BC, Mukono, 1854-1900*, 21/8, songs; 25331. (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, Aug 21, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE. 12.08.2012 with [from] 0625 to 0715 UT took [received] "Dnieper wave" in the Ukrainian language at a frequency of 11980 kHz. Broadcast transmission of Ukrainian radio. Reception - 45444. The signal is very good, I wonder what the power of the transmitter [is] now? (Receiver: Degen 1103; Telescopic antenna; Reception in the village of 150 km South-East of the city of Ryazan, Dmitry Kutuzov, Ryazan, Russia / “deneb-radio-dx” via Rus DX Aug 19 via DXLD) As far as I remember, they called [sic] 250 watts SSB (Alexander Egorov, Kyiv, Ukraine / “deneb-radio-dx”, ibid.) ** U K. BBC MW Local Radio --- Have just heard tape loops on BBC Radio's Nottingham (1584 kHz), Merseyside (1485 kHz), Kent (1602 kHz) and Lincs (1368 kHz) informing us they are not currently broadcasting on MW and directing listeners to FM and DAB. Is this the start of the big MW closedown? 73's (Nick Rank, Buxton UK, Aug 19, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) BBC MW Local Radio - switch off trial According to the BBC Engineering website this is a 5-week trial affecting the four stations you mentioned, Nick: "The BBC is undertaking a 5 week trial from the 17th August to the 24th September to switch off existing MW services for four BBC local radio stations. They are BBC Radio Kent, BBC Radio Lincolnshire, BBC Radio Merseyside and BBC Radio Nottingham Why are you doing this? The BBC is required to make savings. One option to make savings and preserve value to licence fee payers is to switch off MW services except where listeners depend upon MW as an alternative to FM and DAB. MW services mainly duplicate what is already available on FM and DAB, and most listeners will be able to hear their local stations on FM. The BBC is also committed to a full roll out of local radio stations across the DAB network. If local radio is not already available on DAB it will be in the future. The aim of the trial is to get a better understanding of the impact of the loss of MW for our core listeners and also enable us to ensure adequate coverage is available on other platforms in these [areas?]." [...] Q. Why did you choose these station areas for the trial? A. The areas chosen have different levels of MW coverage and allow us to test a spread of MW coverage in both rural and city locations. [ http://www.bbc.co.uk/reception/mwtrial/ ] [Presumably affects BBC R Kent 774 kHz also - anybody confirm this? - [Yes --- Mauno Ritola, Finland, ibid.] I haven't seen any publicity for this so maybe they seeing if anybody notices. Complain if you're affected via the BBC Audience website (not here!) http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/complain-online/ - Alan] (Alan Pennington, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) Have just checked the two Radio Kent frequencies [774 & 1602]. The two loops are not in parallel and in fact differ in that each one only mentions its own frequency (Gareth Foster, ibid.) One very weak point in the BBC's argument must stand out alarmingly, would it not have been better to first research into how many Medium Wave receivers are in operation compared with DAB sets, the range of the transmissions DAB v. MW. Listeners presumably were not asked what they thought and how they listened before this switch off period where to rob MW listeners - then ask - seems somewhat thoughtless. We know the politicians including DC want to 'roll out' DAB whether people use it or not, (though have we ever been told the real cost of DAB) but isn't this a high handed attitude towards 'saving costs' it's going to be so unfair to those on the fringes of the area who get messy FM but can get reliable MW. Favouring a 'hit and miss' DAB, that's if you live in DAB coverage, to an established reliable mode proves this idea to be a botch up plan (Rog Parsons (BDXC 782), Hinckley, Leics. ibid.) The proposals were put out to public consultation as reported in the November 2011 Communication. The BBC Trust, following the results of the consultation, asked the BBC Executive to do more technical work on the proposal which is now what is going on. The decision to postpone closure until this was done was posted to the list in May (Mike Barraclough, ibid.) This, I think, is a well considered and balanced reply, but what troubles me a little, is that there are some who really just want things to 'stay exactly as they are for evermore' (unless I mis-read some postings). I feel that this issue of Medium Wave cannot really be justified in the long run; we really need to move on in these matters, as with rapid technological advancements, 'old' frequencies need to be cleared for other purposes. Incidentally, there can sometimes be advantages from a pure DX point of view, as surely must be happening now (I am no expert in pure DX Matters!!) where many of the European powerhouses are leaving the airwaves, thus opening up possibilities for 'The Real DX'. I will be controversial and say that there is plenty of room for the 'European Medium Wave Power Houses' on the Internet, not directly of course, but for the results of these stations. I hope all this does not sound too convoluted (Ken Fletcher, P-Code CH43, ibid.) Re: UK: BBC MW switch off trial The trial is part of a wider cost saving program within the BBC which you can read more about here As far as I can tell the BBC has not switched off the transmitters, only the programming. I can hear 1368 Lincolnshire and Nottingham on 1584. Both are transmitting a recorded loop telling listeners to retune to FM & DAB. Neither mention why this is happening or that this is for a limited period. If you want to catch these BBC stations now is a good time because they are identifying themselves every few minutes. If you want to hear other stations on these channels (or adjacent trans-Atlantic channels), then you should find this a bit easier because the BBC stations are producing less modulation and splatter than usual. 73 (Steve Whitt, Aug 20 mwcircle yg via DXLD) A BBC spokeswoman said: "This trial, across four different areas in England, will enable us to verify the impact of withdrawal of MW coverage. We do not intend to switch off medium wave until the end of 2013." Liverpool Echo, August 21 http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2012/08/21/radio-merseyside-axes-medium-wave-transmissions-for-trial-period-100252-31663972/#ixzz24H5bxUEM (via Mike Barraclough, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) ** U K [and non]. 91.7, August 16 at 1930 UT, BBC World News headlines amid `The World` via KOSU OK, delivered by that deep-voiced announcer with a strange accent we hear so often, also on SW. This time I finally caught his name, sounded like ``Neal Newness``. Fortunately, that misspelling was enough for Google to find him correctly: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/people/presenters/neil-nunes/ Turns out he`s from Jamaica. Google `Neil Nunes` for wikipedia and more about whether his voice is annoying; not for me, just peculiar (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. ABSENCE OF "LILLIBURLERO" ON THE BBC WORLD SERVICE Apparently its total disappearance was due to Olympics coverage. I frankly can't remember the last time I heard the tune on air during a normal broadcast... http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/mediamonkeyblog/2012/aug/20/bbc-world-service?newsfeed=true (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA USA, Aug 20, Swprograms mailing list via DXLD) Includes a clip of it, sounds like off-air recording. Viz.: There's been something missing from the BBC World Service of late. Well, quite a lot went awry after the government cut its funding, but that's not what we're talking about. Specifically Lillibulero, the World Service's signature tune which has been dropped by the global broadcaster in recent weeks. Lillibulero, readers won't need reminding, was originally an Irish jig and was arranged by English composer Henry Purcell in 1689. Could we have a scandal to match the opprobrium heaped on Radio 4 after the then controller Mark Damazer axed the UK Theme? Fear not. Monkey is told "Lilli" – as it is known in Bush... sorry, Broadcasting House – is only taking temporary leave for the duration of the London Olympics and Paralympics, after which normal (world) service will be resumed. World, you don't need to have your say just yet (via DXLD) (also via Mike Terrry, dxldyg) Why should Olympix have anything whatsoever to do with it? (gh, DXLD) Musically notated: http://kimelli.nfshost.com/images/608.png With audio, which is "Lillibulero," but not the arrangement heard on BBCWS. More authentic and recent versions of Lillibulero and BBC World Service ID packages are available at this YouTube video uploaded by shriramvenu, 22 May 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuJ5_j4U6HQ More information at this BBC World Service page, http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/institutional/2009/03/000000_ws_sig_tune.shtml which uses the spelling Lilliburlero, and states "we regret that we are not able to supply copies or audio files of programme themes, idents or Lilliburlero." Even though they are played on air over and over? And even though audio files of most other BBCWS content is available online? (Kim Andrew Elliott, kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) ** U S A. FORMER RFE/RL PRESIDENT'S PLAN FOR VOA: 1) RELEGATE IT TO PUBLIC DIPLOMACY, 2) BUST ITS UNION. Posted: 20 Aug 2012 http://kimelli.nfshost.com/index.php?id=13584 The American Interest, September/October 2012 issue, Jeffery Gedmin (president of RFE/RL, 2007-2011): "American public diplomacy needs the full and active support of American broadcasting. To this end the BBG should clarify the identity of the VOA and the MBN. Both have developed needlessly complex personalities. Too often taxpayer-funded broadcasters have bristled over the notion that their independent journalistic work should be subsumed as an element of American public diplomacy; yet it must be. The BBG carries the responsibility both to place the work of broadcasting in the service of its mission, and to protect the integrity of the journalism produced under its banner. These ideas are not contradictory; they are rather mutually reinforcing. "Both VOA and MBN should re-focus on U.S. public diplomacy efforts, but MBN should maintain its independent status. Like Radio Free Asia and RFE/RL, it is a 501(c) (3) and, as such, a grantee of the Federal government. VOA should be de-federalized to permit greater flexibility in recruiting and managing personnel. This will mean an end to VOA’s union, a step that will almost certainly have to wait for a Republican Administration. "Surrogate broadcasting was always 'about them.' Public diplomacy (including VOA) was always 'about us.' Any reorganization of broadcasting should reflect these two distinct yet complementary missions. U.S. international broadcasting needs above all simplification and clarity of purpose. Times and technologies change, but a return to some of the most important basics can help us get the most out of broadcasting’s soft power today." (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) Dr. Gedmin would eliminate the VOA union? Now that would send a powerful message to the world about the "freedom and democracy" enshrined in the Broadcasting Board of Governors mission statement. Or does he mean that the VOA's American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO, local would have to be replaced by something like Radio Free Asia's Communications Workers of America, AFL-CIO, local, if VOA were de-federalized? Beyond that, Gedmin's essay is a collection of good and bad ideas for US international broadcasting. A single CEO for USIB, more journalism training (if it's real journalism), and more correspondents in or near the target country are all, in my opinion, good ideas. In the first paragraph quoted above, Gedmin writes the "BBG carries the responsibility both to place the work of broadcasting in the service of its mission, and to protect the integrity of the journalism produced under its banner." This is possible only if journalism with integrity is the mission. Otherwise, the enterprise is pulling in two very different directions. Elsewhere in his essay, Gedmin would have the surrogate broadcasters collaborate more with the National Endowment for Democracy and Freedom House. Worthy as those organizations are, they are not in the news business. Journalists do not do well by trying to do good. Gedmin believes that US international broadcasting should be centrally planned by politicians and bureaucrats in Washington. I believe it should be market-based. The market, in which I have been immersed for 35 years as an audience research analyst, seeks news that is more accurate, reliable, and objective than the news they get from their state-controlled domestic media. Fortunately, such a market-based news service benefits both the audience and the United States. Well informed publics make it more difficult for dictators, terrorists, and other international miscreants to commit mischief. Instead of arguing the merits of democracy, USIB should be an element of the democratic process by giving audiences the information they need to form their own political opinions. The audience for international broadcasting is, collectively, much smarter than all the decision makers and think tank fellows within the Beltway. The audience would spot almost immediately a broadcasting service that is a mix of journalism and "mission." They will tune to another broadcasting outlet, or visit another website, that does not insult their intelligence. Ideally, international broadcasting should be in the private sector, so that the burden of demonstrating insulation from a government is not necessary. CNN is successful globally with its English-language CNN International, in Latin America via CNN en Español, and through its partnerships in India and Turkey. When such endeavors succeed, the US government should get out of the way. In fact, the International Broadcasting Act of 1994 has such a stipulation. In other languages, where international broadcasting has less commercial potential, the government must provide the funding but (this is the tricky part) not insert itself in the journalistic process. Members of parliaments in the UK and other Western democracies seem to understand this concept, so I have not given up hope that American decision makers could do the same. Gedmin writes that the "distinct but complementary" missions of RFE/RL and VOA became "muddled" since the end of the Cold War. Actually, anyone who turned on a shortwave radio back in the day knows they were muddled long before that. By the 1950s, VOA knew its audiences were mostly interested in what was happening in their own countries, and adjusted its content accordingly. The result was duplication, lots of duplication, between VOA and RFE/RL. Radio Free Asia was created on false premise that VOA was limited to news about the United States and English-language lessons (pretty much the VOA as described by Gedmin). VOA leadership at the time did not correct that information, resulting in even more duplication. (BBC World Service was and is probably the most important surrogate broadcaster, although it never uses the word "surrogate." See the previous post about a Vietnamese listener calling the BBC to do what Vietnamese media would not do under current circumstances. Nevertheless, BBC World Service also manages to provide news about Britain and the rest of the world. All from one convenient station.) Duplication is pervasive in US international broadcasting. Duplication is a significant form of waste in federal spending. I would eliminate the duplication by consolidating the USIB entities into one entity. Gedmin, on the other hand, would turn VOA into a "public diplomacy" entity. VOA would then presumably duplicate the work of the public diplomacy offices at the State Department. I would prefer that the complementary roles be on the part of US international broadcasting, in one building, and the State Department's public diplomacy effort, on the other side of town. As part of its new public diplomacy function, VOA would become a station that is "about us." From the hundreds of surveys I've seen, it is is clear that the audience is less interested in "us" than "us" would like to believe. Under Gedmin's plan, it's not so much that the surrogate stations would be "about them" and VOA "about us", but that the surrogates would have an audience, and VOA would not. Or at least not much of an audience. Still, in order for some part of USIB to have a modicum of journalistic independence under a future administration and Congress, it may be necessary for another part of USIB to function as public diplomacy as a sop to those who want international broadcasting to be more "mission" driven. VOA might become that sacrificial animal. It would broadcast an ersatz news product and (Gedmin quoting British historian Andrew Roberts): "stories of Omaha Beach; of the Wild West; of Mr. Smith going to Washington; of the Frontiersman; of the huddled masses who work hard and ultimately succeed; of the Alamo ... ." You get the point. Such stories may bring tears to the eyes of us Americans, but too much of it may bring yawns to listeners abroad. VOA would lose most of its audience. It would become largely a waste of the taxpayers' money, but, in Washington, what else is new? Actually, in the Gedmin scenario, VOA could thrive. It would send messages that are music to the ears of future administrations and Congresses, and thus its funding would be assured. VOA could carry on in such a manner for many, many years, just as the old Radio Moscow, with its huge budget and tiny audience, endured for decades. Finally, Gedmin joins the chorus of experts who think that new technology has rendered obsolete the Smith-Mundt prohibition of domestic dissemination. Back in the shortwave heyday, nothing could stop VOA programs from being heard off the back of the beam in the United States. Now, with the internet, access to USIB websites could simply be denied to those with US IP addresses. New technology has made the domestic dissemination ban finally observable. It is, however, not observed. Fine with me, because the US taxpayers deserve to know what USIB is transmitting to the world. And they can benefit from what is an excellent global news service. For now, at least (Kim Andrew Elliott, ibid.) Foreign Affairs, 31 July 2012, Michael Ledeen, (untruncated at IsraelAmerica): "[T]he time has come for the United States and other Western nations to actively support Iran’s democratic dissidents. The same methods that took down the Soviet regime should work: call for the end of the regime, broadcast unbiased news about Iran to the Iranian people, demand the release of political prisoners (naming them whenever possible), help those prisoners communicate with one another, enlist international trade unions to build a strike fund for Iranian workers, and perhaps find ways to provide other kinds of economic and technological support." (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) -- Right now, VOA has the largest audience in Iran of any USIB entity. Under the Gedmin plan, VOA would no longer "broadcast unbiased news about Iran," because VOA would be "about us." (Kim Andrew Elliott, ibid.) Ghalib Academy of America press release, 17 Aug 2012: "Illinois Governor Pat Quinn congratulated Dr. Sarfaraz K. Niazi, a long-time Illinois resident, for being awarded the Pakistani civil award Sitara- i-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) announced on Pakistan's Independence Day (August 14) by the Government of Pakistan. Dr. Niazi received this recognition for his lifelong contributions in assisting scientists in developing countries to improve their intellectual property assets and improve their economies through creative applied research. ... He is widely recognized worldwide for introducing Asian poet Mirza Ghalib (1797-1869) to the West through the first complete English translation of the Urdu and Persian collections of his love poems. He broadcasts explications of Ghalib's poetry on the Voice of America radio station every Sunday." (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) -- Explications of the poetry of Mirza Ghalib would not be "about us." Even though this content has enhanced the popularity of VOA in Pakistan, under the Gedmin plan, it would be dropped in favor of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (Kim Andrew Elliott, ibid.) ** U S A. A VOICE OF GIMMICKS --- It used to be that the Voice of America was one of the most reliable source of news in the world. Around the clock, it would, as provided by its Charter, "serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news." VOA news were supposed to be "accurate, objective, and comprehensive." Today, thanks to middle managers whose goal has been to turn VOA into a "worldwide CNN", the Voice is but a shadow of itself and pretty much an amalgam of gimmicks. Gimmicks --- on web sites that seek to use a dizzying amount of new technologies, but can't be updated in a timely fashion for lack of staff. Hence a disgraceful coverage of the recent Olympic games, with US medals announced well after most other media organizations. Gimmicks --- on web technologies such as Facebook or Twitter, where some services report having no more than a dozen or two dozen followers, again because while the technologies are pushed, there are no staffers to maintain them. Gimmicks --- because the BBG pretends to maintain language services while eviscerating them to the point where they have become meaningless, a mere shadow of their former selves. Gimmicks --- because while the VOA's Cohen building is littered with advice about civility, management's treatment of rank and file has been so vile that the Agency is rated among the worst in government. Gimmicks --- because management actually makes decisions months before going through the public motion of consulting staffers. Gimmicks --- because while pretending to listen to Congress, management charges ahead with disastrous changes, regardless of the long list of failures in the past 10 years. Shall we name a few: 1. The elimination of the VOA Arabic service, to the immense benefit of Al-Jazeera. 2. The elimination of the Russia radio broadcasts, to the immense benefit of autocratic Russia. 3. The near-elimination of Mandarin and Cantonese broadcasts, to the immense benefit of communist China. 4. The near-elimination of worldwide English, to the benefit of the BBC, CNN and RFI. These are but a few examples of the utterly disastrous policies maniacally followed by the Agency these past 10 years, at the expense of U.S. taxpayers who know that the VOA Charter stands, and that it is being violated on a daily basis. We ask: when will Congress put an end to the "experiment" and save what's left of the Voice of America? Isn't time for an audit of monies spent on new technologies these past 10 years, and an honest accounting of what they paid for and what they achieved, if anything? Today, anyone going on Yahoo news or Google news - not to mention the BBC or RFI - can access news that are better presented and more up to date than anything the VOA can place on its web site. For the simple reason that the Agency has sought to pursue too many new technologies on a radio budget. In the end, as we predicted, the VOA has lost a large chunk of what used to be one of the largest radio audiences in the world, and has traded it for a web audience that can only diminish, since content cannot be sustained. Posted: Wednesday, Aug 15, 2012 (AFGE Local 1812 via DXLD) ** U S A. BBG MEMBERS KEPT IN THE DARK ABOUT VOICE OF AMERICA SATIRICAL TV SHOW TO IRAN BEING OFF THE AIR FOR NINE MONTHS By BBGWatcher on 20 August 2012 in Featured News, Hot Tub Blog with No Comments BBG Watch Commentary BBG Parazit photo http://www.usgbroadcasts.com/bbgwatch/2012/08/20/bbg-members-kept-in-the-dark-about-voice-of-america-satirical-tv-show-to-iran-being-off-the-air-for-nine-months/ Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) members were reportedly appalled to learn last week for the first time that the highly popular Voice of America (VOA) satirical television program “Parazit,” which was broadcast to Iran, has been off the air for last nine months. Sources told BBG Watch that the BBG senior staff — which on the administrative and programming side includes the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) Director Richard Lobo, his deputy Jeff Trimble, VOA Director David Ensor, his deputy Steve Redisch, and Director of the Office of Strategy and Development Bruce Sherman — reportedly failed to inform BBG members that the show is no longer broadcast and has been replaced by other programming. Most, if not all, BBG members were convinced that the program continues and were angry about being kept in the dark about personnel problems at the VOA Persian Service that have led to the show’s cancelation, sources told BBG Watch. BBG members along with members of Congress, congressional staffers and American public may have been mislead by several press releases and announcements put out this year by the BBG executive staff which suggested that the VOA satirical TV show to Iran is still on the air. A press release issued last month referred to “Parazit” as still being broadcast. The BBG employee union, AFGE Local 1812, has accused BBG, IBB and VOA executives of providing BBG members and members of Congress with misleading information about many other broadcasts. VOA Executive Editor Steve Redisch was put in charge of reforming the Persian Service, but an independent blog “VOA PNN Watchdog” blames him and other executives for contributing to continuing mismanagement of VOA programs to Iran. “In spite of the fact that Parazit has been off-air for more than six months (June 2012) VOA management continues to flaunt the show and speak about it as if it still exists. There is no mention that the program is indefinitely off the air and is only mentioned in passing that is is currently on ‘season break.’ This is clearly a lie.” — VOA PNN Watchdog BBG Watch sources describe Steve Redisch a controversial figure at the Voice of America who has alienated many rank-and-file journalists, but the IBB top management defends him as being an outstanding executive who has improved employee morale. Redisch is involved in a controversy over his request to the United Nations to revoke UN press accreditation of independent American journalist Matthew Russell Lee because of a dispute with a VOA correspondent. An op-ed by an American columnist Felice Friedson in The Jerusalem Post suggested that Iranians are profoundly disappointed with Voice of America programs. Four political dissidents living in Iran who spoke by phone with American journalists in New York all said that “VOA might as well be staffed by agents of the Iranian government,” Felice Friedson reported (BBG Watch blog via DXLD) ** U S A. BROADCASTING BOARD OF GOVERNORS EMAILS DOCUMENT VOA EXECUTIVE’S MOVE AGAINST INDEPENDENT REPORTER By BBGWatcher on 21 August 2012 in Featured News, Hot Tub Blog, Media Reports with No Comments BBG Watch Commentary VOA Executive Editor Steve Redisch [caption] Internal Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) emails posted online by Inner City Press reporter Matthew Russell Lee show that Voice of America (VOA) Executive Editor Steve Redisch, who tried to get a United Nations official to “review” the press accreditation of the United Nations-based independent reporter because of his dispute with a VOA correspondent, suggested that Congressional staffers inquiring about Lee’s First Amendment rights might have responded differently if Lee had been covering the U.S. Senate. Lee obtained copies of these emails under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Matthew Russell Lee, Inner City Press “Makes me wonder how they’d feel about him [Matthew Russell Lee] if he covered the Senate!,” Redisch wrote to the BBG Director of Communications and External Affairs Lynne Weil who informed Redisch in an email that Congressional staffer Trey Hicks, who had previously worked for Senator Tom Coburn (R – OK) on BBG oversight matters, was making inquiries about Redisch’s request to the UN to have Lee’s press credentials “reviewed.” BBG Watch believes it is highly inappropriate for an Executive Branch government official like Mr. Redisch to compare the U.S. Senate to the United Nations and to imply that Congressional staffers would be less willing to respect Mr. Lee’s First Amendment rights if he was covering their activities. . . . http://www.usgbroadcasts.com/bbgwatch/2012/08/21/broadcasting-board-of-governors-emails-document-voa-executives-move-against-independent-reporter/ (BBG Watch blog via DXLD) Also ties in with the Iran story (gh) ** U S A. RADIO WORLD EXAMINES THE SMITH MUNDT MODERNIZATION ACT, PRESENTLY GOING NOWHERE IN CONGRESS. Posted: 22 Aug 2012 Radio World, 20 Aug 2012, Randy J. Stine: "Reps. William 'Mac' Thornberry, R-Texas and Adam Smith, D-Wash., introduced H.R. 5736, the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act of 2012, in May to update the law covering how the federal government communicates to foreign audiences through broadcast and other means. The provision has been considered outdated by broadcasters at BBG since the spread of the Internet and satellite broadcasting. ... Former BBG Chairman Jim Glassman, founding executive director of the George W. Bush Institute, supports the amendment and believes the current prohibition is anachronistic. 'All BBG programming is readily available in the United States through websites, and many language services are active on YouTube, Facebook and other social media platforms,' Glassman said. 'Diaspora communities in the United States, seeking information in their native languages, can benefit from the accurate news and information delivered by BBG language services — and they can and do pass it on to relatives and friends in BBG target countries around the world.'" (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) The Thornberry-Smith bill state, in part: "The Secretary and the Broadcasting Board of Governors are authorized to use funds appropriated or otherwise made available for public diplomacy information programs to provide for the preparation, dissemination, and use of information intended for foreign audiences abroad *about the United States, its people, and its policies*, through press, publications, radio, motion pictures, the Internet, and other information media, including social media, and through information centers, instructors, and other direct or indirect means of communication." I added the underlining, [* - * here] because the US ethnic radio stations, often cited as a reason to relax the domestic dissemination ban, are probably more interested in news about the home countries of their immigrant audiences. VOA and the Radio Free stations have plenty of such news, and conveniently in the languages of the those immigrant communities. Would Thornberry-Smith allow the domestic dissemination of target-country news? When the VOA receives a request from a US media outlet to reprint or rebroadcast VOA content, present practice is to decline the request. Perhaps instead, the media outlet should be sent the language of Gartner v USIA (1989), which ruled, basically, that while the domestic dissemination ban is constitutional, US citizens and media outlets can, of their own accord, acquire and disseminate VOA content. Fears about relaxing the domestic dissemination ban are often based on the premise that VOA and other BBG elements are engaged in propaganda, or at least "public diplomacy." It is unhelpful when the BBG refers to its own work as "public diplomacy." The BBG should stress that its entities are in the news business, and invite journalism professors to analyze the output of the BBG entities to look for evidence that the content is anything other than news. The new BBG mission statement has, unfortunately, jettisoned the reference to "accurate, objective, and balanced news" contained in its previous mission statement. As I've written many times, the internet and satellites have not made the domestic dissemination prohibition obsolete. Through IP blocking and specification of footprints, these technologies make the ban finally observable. The ban is not observed, however, and maybe it's best just to let the sleeping dog lie. Continued activity to pass Thornberry-Smith could have an outcome opposite of what was intended. The House passed the Thornberry-Smith bill as part of the Defense Authorization Act. The Senate did not include it in their authorization for the BBG or DOD. Passage of the bill would seem to be an uphill struggle (Kim Andrew Elliott, ibid.) ** U S A [non]. Frequency changes for Voice of America from August 12: 1400-1500 NF 15510 WER 250 kW / 105 deg WeAs ex 15215 ex 11640 Kurdish 0100-0400 NF 9955 KWT 250 kW / 080 deg WeAs ex 9380 Pashto Deewa Ro 1300-1500 NF 9695 UDO 250 kW / 311 deg WeAs ex 9380 Pashto Deewa R 1500-1700 NF 9355 UDO 250 kW / 311 deg WeAs ex 9380 Pashto Deewa R 1700-1900 NF 9965 UDO 250 kW / 311 deg WeAs ex 9380 Pashto Deewa R (DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, Aug 21 via DXLD) [and non]. 15580, Saturday Aug 18 at 1402, YL with VOA news; she`s rather halting and makes some stumbles, probably depressed or inexperienced due to drastic cuts in VOA English. Since it`s a weekend, we don`t have to put up with `Music Mix` fill following, but instead 1405 `On the Line` discussion about Nigeria including the head of VOA Hausa service, about Islamic extremist violence there by Boko Haram vs civilians, SOS Clinton`s recent visit. Then found much better signal on 17530, an echo ahead of 15580. Today`s HFCC shows both as São Tomé, but I think Greenville must be substituting again on the upper one (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Mixup at VOA relay 15580: see MADAGASCAR ** U S A. QSL: received Aug 17 the special card direct from IBB Greenville, except Greenville is mentioned nowhere on it: rather, VOA, with IBB, 3919 VOA Site B Road, Grimesland NC 27837 postal street address. Superimposed over view of antenna towers, and headed ``Edward R. Murrow Transmitting Station``. Full details at bottom: 08 06 [June] 2012 0138 UTC 15590, signed by Glenn Swiderski, W7GS, who wrote this note on the blank back: ``Yes, that was GB6 @ 250 kW testing on 15590 using a rhombic antenna bearing 175 degrees from Greenville`` Since ``DXing`` Greenville is hardly a challenge from here, I wanted my special QSL to be a bit different, so reported this log which was without any modulation: ``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`` My QSL direct from the Edward R. Murrow Transmitting station, Greenville, is now visible as the newest entry at the bottom of my gallery at http://www.worldofradio.com/QSL.html (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. Summer A-12 of Radio Free Europe/R Liberty Pt 1 of 2: Arabic Radio Free Iraq 0200-0700 on 1593 1500-1530 on 1593 1830-2000 on 1593 2100-2300 on 1593 Azeri 1500-1600 on 9400 15565 Avari/Chechen/Chercassian [sic] 0300-0400 on 7290 9480 1500-1600 on 13615 15480 Belarussian 0300-0500 on 612 6105 6120 1500-1700 on 612 6105 7270 1700-1900 on 612 5930 6105 1900-2100 on 612 5995 7475 Dari Radio Free Afghanistan 0300-0330 on 999 1296 17670 17690 0430-0530 on 999 1296 17670 17690 0630-0730 on 999 1296 17670 17690 0830-0930 on 999 1296 15090 17685 1030-1130 on 999 1296 15090 17685 1230-1330 on 999 1296 11550 15090 1400-1430 on 999 1296 11550 15090 Kazakh 0100-0200 on 7215 9750 1300-1400 on 13690 15530 Kyrgyz 1200-1230 on 15165 15265 17735 1500-1530 on 11780 15360 Moldovan 0400-0430 on 5945 Mon-Fri 1500-1530 on 9495 Sat/Sun 1600-1630 on 9850 Mon-Fri 1800-1830 on 6065 Mon-Fri Pashto Radio Free Afghanistan 0230-0300 on 999 1296 17670 17690 0330-0430 on 999 1296 17670 17690 0530-0630 on 999 1296 17670 17690 0730-0830 on 999 1296 17670 17690 0930-1030 on 999 1296 15090 17685 1130-1230 on 999 1296 15090 17685 1330-1400 on 999 1296 11550 15090 Pashto Radio Mashaal 0400-0600 on 621 12130 15560 15740 0600-1100 on 621 12130 15360 15740 1100-1300 on 621 12130 15320 15360 Russian 0300-0400 on 7250 7435 17820 0400-0500 on 5925 7435 9480 0500-0700 on 9480 11850 17560 0800-0900 on 15130 17820 0900-1000 on 15130 17820 1200-1300 on 12025 13745 17800 1300-1400 on 12025 13745 15460 1400-1500 on 13745 15180 15460 1500-1600 on 7355 9520 15460 1600-1700 on 7355 9520 9840 1700-1800 on 5995 9840 11805 1700-1800 on 11845 15530 >>>>> Caucasus Echo 1800-1900 on 5995 9840 11760 1900-2000 on 5920 7285 9840 2000-2100 on 7285 Tajik 0100-0200 on 9760 13680 0200-0400 on 9740 15525 1400-1600 on 9790 11975 1600-1700 on 7485 9790 Tatar 0300-0400 on 7390 9635 0500-0600 on 9635 1500-1600 on 9730 15445 1900-2000 on 9805 Turkmen 0200-0300 on 864 9550 15560 0300-0400 on 9550 15560 1400-1530 on 12025 15240 1530-1600 on 864 12025 15240 1600-1700 on 11780 15410 1700-1800 on 9760 11780 Uzbek 0200-0300 on 9855 12025 15145 0300-0400 on 12025 15145 17770 1400-1500 on 7555 13615 13690 1600-1700 on 7555 9760 11975 (DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, 20 August via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. Summer A-12 of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 2 of 2: Persian Radio Farda 0000-0030 on 1314 1575 5940 7585 0030-0200 on 1314 1575 5860 5940 7295 7585 0200-0230 on 1575 5860 5940 7295 7585 0230-0300 on 1575 5860 7280 9760 15680 15690 0300-0430 on 1575 5860 7220 7280 9760 15680 15690 0430-0500 on 1575 7220 7280 9760 15680 15690 0500-0530 on 1575 7220 9760 13860 15680 15690 0530-0830 on 1575 7220 13860 15680 15690 17840 0830-1000 on 1575 13860 15680 15690 17695 17840 1000-1100 on 1575 7435 13860 15680 15690 17695 1100-1400 on 1575 7435 12005 15680 15690 17695 1400-1430 on 1314 1575 7435 11520 12005 15680 17695 1430-1500 on 1314 1575 11520 12005 15555 17695 1500-1530 on 1314 1575 11520 12005 15555 17695 1530-1600 on 1314 1575 9390 11520 12005 15555 1600-1700 on 1314 1575 7585 9390 11520 15555 1700-1730 on 1314 1575 7585 9390 11520 1730-1800 on 1314 1575 5830 7585 11520 1800-2400 on 1314 1575 5830 7585 (DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, Aug 21 via DXLD) R. Free Asia: ASIA [non] ** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1630 monitoring: confirmed at 2100 Thursday August 16 on WTWW 9479; repeats UT Sunday 0400 on 5755. Next: 0330v UT Friday on WWRB 5050 0130v UT Saturday on Area 51 via WBCQ 5110v-CUSB On WRMI 9955: Saturday 0800, 1500, 1730, Sunday 0800, 1530, 1730, Monday 0500, 1130 On HLR: Saturday 0630 on 7265, Tuesday 0930 on 5980 Also on WRN via SiriusXM 120: Saturday & Sunday 1730, Sunday 0830 WORLD OF RADIO 1630 monitoring: confirmed on WWRB, 5050, also webcast funxioning, UT Friday August 17 at 0330 after a respectful pause of 77 seconds following the SC preacher, amen & amen. As soon as he stopped, the background noise level rose on the webcast, and after 49 seconds, a louder hum came on, which continued once WOR started, the same on 5050. There`s something about the way WWRB is playing this back which causes it, as there is certainly no such hum on the original WOR file. This has been happening for several weeks. But I`m still readable if you ignore or filter the hum. Further opportunities to hear WOR 1630: UT Saturday 0130v on Area 51 via WBCQ 5110v-CUSB UT Sunday 0400 on WTWW 5755 WRMI 9955: Sat 0800, 1500, 1730, Sun 0800, 1530, 1730, Mon 0500, 1130 On HLR, low power in Germany: Sat 0630 on 7265, Tue 0930 on 5980. These are from two different sites, BTW On WRN via SiriusXM 120: Sat & Sun 1730, Sun 0830 Full schedule with many more webcasts: http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html WORLD OF RADIO 1630 monitoring: 5110v-CUSB WBCQ and Area 51 webcast: 0130 onward, UT Saturday August 18, no WOR, but music, faux-ads from Radio Clandestine. Asked Larry Will and he said this unexpectedly ran thru the usual WOR time, which would start at 0200 this week. And so it did after apparently live announcements from the TimTron at Monticello. Next: Saturday 0630 on Hamburger Lokalradio, Germany, 7265 low power Saturday 0800, 1500, 1730 on WRMI 9955 Saturday 1730, Sunday 0830, 1730 on WRN via SiriusXM channel 120 UT Sunday 0400 on WTWW 5755 Sunday 0800, 1530, 1730, Monday 0500, 1130 on WRMI 9955 Tuesday 0930 on Hamburger Lokalradio, Germany, 5980 low power WORLD OF RADIO 1630: in case anyone gave up hearing it before it started late at 0200 UT Saturday this week on WBCQ 5110v, a reminder that there is one more good opportunity, UT Sunday 0400 on WTWW 5755 WORLD OF RADIO 1630 monitoring: tuned in 5755 around 0353 UT Sunday Aug 19 and there was WTWW, but by 0400 it was off the air. Checked webcast and WOR was running as scheduled, flash player via http://wtww.us 5755 was also off a few weeks ago during WOR. 0427 recheck, 5755 is back on; don`t know how much was missed. There has been one problem or another this week with 3 of our 4 best airings of WOR on US stations. Since we are all about shortwave, broadcasts on shortwave of World of Radio are primary and necessary! But a reminder that besides live webcasts from all stations, you can listen any time on demand to latest or hundreds of previous WORs from our archive: http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html Remaining WRMI 9955 airings, subject to jamming: Sun 1730, Mon 0500, 1130. WORLD OF RADIO 1631: ready in time for first airing on WRMI UT Thursday 0330 on 9955; then Sat 0800, 1500, 1730, Sun 0800, 1530, 1730, Mon 0500, 1130. Elsewhere: Thu 2100 on WTWW 9479 UT Fri 0330v on WWRB 5050 UT Sat 0130v on Area 51 via WBCQ 5110v-CUSB (delayed until 0200 last week, but apparently an anomaly; keep listening after 0130) UT Sun 0400 on WTWW 5755 (had transmitter failure at first last week) WOR 1631 includes a clip of Bangladesh Betar IS and sign-on at 1400 on 15105. A longer version is at: http://www.w4uvh.net/bbetar.rm (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 12105, August 18 at 1327, WTWW-3 is on again, only fair signal, in Russian with deep fades. Had not heard it this early in the morning for some time. At 1409 check with better strength, they have switched to Arabic, plus dramatic music accompaniment, Bible story? 12015, Aug 20 at 1912 check, WTWW-3 is missing again (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. New time for Brother Stair via WWRB: v. SOUTH CAROLINA [non] ** U S A. Hi Tom, As in my recent reports, WTJC is off the air apparently for good. Have they surrendered their license? Tnx, Glenn Hauser (to Tom Lucey, FCC, Aug 19, via DXLD) Hi Glen[n], WTJC recently surrendered its license. Regards, (Tom Lucey, FCC, Aug 19, WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 13570, August 16 at 1157, WINB is already on with gospel huxter. Own online schedule dated July 15 still shows a start at 1200 with The Overcomer Ministry. Did not stay with it long enough to match it with TOM, but it was not Brother Scare himself (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 15420-CUSB, August 16 at 1656, WBCQ in pre-broadcast mode, band music IS alternating with IDs also as ``the Planet``. So they start at 1700 this Thursday? Yes, `Global Spirit Proclamation` from Fence Lake NM, is now scheduled daily at 17-21; but on Saturdays there is other programming starting at 1400, and the IS around *1355. {I have also noticed some apparently WBCQ-originated fill music some days before 2100*} (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15420-USB, WBCQ, 2300, 8/18. Radio Timtron Worldwide "slimucast" of 5110 kHz. Rock music with reading of listener's reception reports. Fair (Alan Johnson, Nevada, Icom R-9500, Elecraft K3/10 with 90/60 meter parallel dipole, Barker & Williamson ASW-90, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) Yes, sometimes they run 15420 after-hours ad hoc when they feel like it (gh, DXLD) 15420-CUSB, Aug 19 at 2049, WBCQ is already in honky-tonk fill music as `Global Spirit Proclamation` apparently ends well before 2100* (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 9838-9847 and 9872-9882, approximate expanse of huge dirty distorted FMy spurblobs matching very strong clear signal on 9860, Aug 22 at 0143 with wacky far-right conspiracy discussion, with a gold/money angle, blame Soros. The spurs peaked approximately 9843-44 and 9877-78, i.e. 16-17 kHz either side of WHRI, listed as 100 kW at 315 degrees. Then found same program // and spurless on weaker 5920, despite being 250 kW tho at 47 degrees, all per HFCC, and 5920 was running four seconds behind 9860, why? WHR schedule shows ``TruNews`` with Rick Wiles on both during this hour, what crap to match the spurs (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 11715.0, August 18 at 1330, the occasionally active and heard KJES, The Lord`s Ranch, near Vado NM, where the robokids are back! This time they are really yelling as they repeat in English what the leader has just spoken about Yahweh, Jesus (should that be Yesus?). 1332 into off-key hymn with guitar accompaniment (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 7505.4 [sic], 0222 27/6, WRNO poor with religious talk mentioning the Overcomer Ministry and Overcomer Radio Broadcast. Contact info at end of broadcast then off (Rich D’Angelo, Wyomissing PA, Aug NZ DX Times via DXLD) ?? It`s 7506.4; aside from that, TOM is nowhere else reported to be on WRNO; maybe a brief experiment? Or editing merger e.g. with WBCQ 7490 log? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 7506.4, Aug 20 at 0148, WRNO usual big signal, and modulation is somewhat suppressed but better than usual, during sermon. 7506.4, Aug 22 at 0140, WRNO with usual sermonizing; rather undermodulated but not requiring full volume to hear it, and not very distorted (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 15615, Aug 19 at 1309, dead air from WEWN English, as often happens at the beginning of the 1300 transmission; by 1313 organ music is heard during presumed mass. The dead air was really silent, not a long pause with occasional dings and rustles as often heard during TV masses (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [and non]. 15600, Aug 18 at 1755, African language would be fair if not for WEWN squishy spur from 15610 on 15601; 1757 YFR theme. HFCC shows Somali via Woofferton UK at 17-18; Protestants vs Catholix! 17690, Aug 18 at 1855, after Turkish talk, neat piano version of ``Walls of Jericho``. Good signal but now fading out, also YFR via Woofferton at 18-19. 6145, August 22 at 0139 check, WYFR is extremely strong with only English broadcast aimed across N America, at 355 degrees, 2215-0300, a change made Aug 13 from 6115. 9455, another new WYFR frequency at 02-04 in Spanish, ex-9385, much weaker here at 0240 check August 22 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 9980, I don`t go looking for Brother Scare on WWCR-4, but it occurs to me that this has been missing lately: yes, Sunday Aug 20 at 1912, it`s not on the air. Supposed current schedule for TOM via 9980: Sun 14-20, M-F 16-20, Sat 14-19. 6875, Aug 22 at 0139, WWCR-1 very strong here with typical programming. I log this now for the record as I think I never got around to it since they started using this way out of band channel (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 15550-USB, Aug 21 at 1401, music and ``WJHR Radio International`` sign-on after some music, reports to WJHR@usa.com and then `Rock of Ages`, sounds like on banjo et al. 1404 JIP the usual gospel-huxter. No point in listening or logging this except to confirm periodically this useless glorified ham station still exists. I keep expecting some Firedrake jumparound to collide with it, but so far not (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 7302-USB, Aug 21 from 1340, Air Force MARS net. NCS is Paul, AFA6BP. He is calling every station on his roster, one by one, and addresses each one of them as ``sir`` (bet he was an NCO). They each report on how well they copied earlier digital transmissions, mostly very well, and often a brief local weather comment. Contacts at the moment are AFA6ZU, and AFA6KJ. Calls are invariably given in proper fonetix, and all in the 6-call area, which does not correspond to ham call areas, i.e. California. Locations seldom referred to, but AFA6DH at 1343 says he is in north Texas; some of them have a different letter than A in the third position. Still going past 1357. Googling finds NCS AFA6BP: TX Hughes Springs 75656. Hughes Springs is a little town near Daingerfield, between Mt Pleasant and Atlanta in the NE corner of Texas. 4875-USB, Aug 22 at 0153 looking for some LA AM DX, I encounter some scratchy sideband vs the hi local noise level, so pursue it instead: another Air Force MARS net, not as struxured as it should be as there are some talkovers with people not observing the `over` rule, not giving their callsign with every change, and not always fonetically. They were discussing measuring each other`s frequency offsets, to the Hz, or cycle as one of them prefers (he means cycle per second). Either the net itself or the NCS was going to be away for two weeks. They all seemed to be in the -4- area, and the NCS closing it at 0156 sounded like AFA4GA tho not sure of the third letter. Hunting thru the list I googled for the earlier AF MARS log, I don`t find that call but an AFD4GA: ``AFD4GA GA Ball Ground 30107 Deputy GA State Dir``. Ball Ground is a small town at the end of I-575 north of Atlanta, which means there must be something important there to justify such a highway. Or is it to ``nowhere``? http://cityofballground.com/ Like I say, every DX log is a potential learning experience, even if it`s tentative (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 840, August 16 around 1115 UT, guy talking about stories in Hindu scripture that strongly resemble an atomic explosion thousands of years ago, and how Robert Oppenheimer, father of the A-bomb, frequently referred to them; shivering Shiva! Sounds like Coast-to- Coast fare. WHAS would normally be the dominant signal at night but it`s well after sunrise there and surely would not be running C2C after 7 am EDT (It is on the C2C affiliate list at 1-5 am EDT, ending at 1000 UT). Also looped more E/W than would fit for WHAS. Could it be KXNT Las Vegas NV? Yes, the two 840 affiliates on C2C site are WHAS and KXNT. C2C is on KXNT schedule weekdays 12-5 am PDT = 07-12 UT, per http://lasvegas.cbslocal.com/kxnt-programming-schedule/ I had not realized it`s a CBS O&O station, no less so than WCBS or WBBM. Trouble is, KXNT day and night patterns are supposed to have only a tiny lobe to the east, with major lobes to the north and SSW, 50 kW day and 25 kW night. Weak but steady signal, no QRM, and still in at 1135 when Coast to Coast AM was mentioned. BTW, I`m still hoping to hear KDWN 720 again, but have not since many mornings in Oct 2010, when they were switching to day pattern an hour too early. Maybe this year (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WINZ-940 off pattern? I occasionally do an AM bandscan around 0200 [EDT presumably]. For the past year and a half the top station on 940 has been a weak Macon, GA and just a jumble way below it. Now all of a sudden appears WINZ Miami generally above Macon and sometimes with a signal approaching good. Been noted several times this past week (Joe Fela, So. Plainfield, N.J., Aug 21, AMFMTVDX mailing list, via DXLD) ** U S A. 1270, Aug 16 at 1200 UT, Univisión America mention, apparently affiliated now with that new radio network; and logged legal ID with letters pronounced in English, ``KFJZ, Fort Worth- Dallas`` ---- except it`s really KFLC; I must have been subconsciously expecting to hear the legacy calls which are now on 870 in same The Metroplex market. On to ``En Tránsito`` = traffic report (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also MEXICO: 630 ** U S A. QSL: WFBL 1390, Syracuse, New York, no data confirmation email in 197 days for English report sent via first-class mail with 2 first-class stamps as return postage and a follow-up via email. Verification received several hours after follow-up. V/s. Don Wagner, GM. d(dot)wagner(at)lmgiradio(dot)com 73 (Al Muick, Williamsport PA USA, Aug 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 1600, Aug 16 at 1203 UT, I am tuning down the MW band again, looking for Mexican NAs on sunrise skip which would lead to full IDs. But at 1203 I hear a military band with an unfamiliar anthem, some border state? Ha, followed by ``Good Morning, Vietnam`` twice in English by Williams/Cronauer, and into Vietnamese language. So it`s just KRVA in The Metroplex TX, a regular here while skip is in, and that must have been the South Vietnamese ex-NA (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 1650 KYHN AR Ft. Smith NewsTalk, was SILent, 8-17 now back (DX-midAMerica via Barry : -) Davies, Carlisle UK, Aug 17, MWCircle yg via DXLD) ** U S A. QSL: WHKT 1650, Portsmouth, Virginia, no data email confirming my reception, apologizing for the "snail's pace" of the reply and promising a written QSL in 174 days for English report and US $1.00 sent via first-class mail. V/s Rodney Suiter, Operations (rodney(at)1650whkt(dot)com). Verification arrived several hours after follow-up. 73 (Al Muick, Williamsport PA USA, Aug 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 970, FLORIDA, WFLA, Tampa. 1945 August 11, 2012. Not DX, but amusing that the brokered real estate advice program that revealed itself as apparently originating out of Miami clued me with this malfunction: at 1952, a male canned “News Radio 6-10, WIOD, and FM 100.3, your official hurricane station.” Canned WIOD ID again at 1959 but quickly clipped just as the FM quote portion began, and into a proper WFLA ID, into live local and FOX net news. So, don't believe every ID. 980, FLORIDA, WDVH, Gainesville. 0759 August 19, 2012. Blank air 0800 when an ID should have dropped, into FOX Business Radio promo, FOX News, another blank at 0805 where a local promo should have dropped. Recheck 0830, finally a clue with “News Talk 980, 720...” into SRN News, but another blank at 0834 coming out of the news. It's WDVH, with the 720 simulcast (not audible at this hour) being WRZN, Hernando. Confirmed the one via streaming from WDVH's website. 1440, FLORIDA, WPRD, Winter Park. 0810 August 19, 2012. Kreyòl preacher on what is mostly a Spanish station, so use caution when hearing Kreyòl here. Confirmed via streaming their website (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, FL. Equipment: JRC NRD-535; ICOM IC-R75; Sony ICF-7600GR; Sangean PR-D5; Aqua Guide 705 RDF Marine Radio; GE Superadio III; 1 X roof dipole; 1 X room random wire; Terk Advantage non-active portable loop, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Re 12-33: [Tvfmdx] ``New low-band digital --- At first I was happy to see what looked like a do-able E-skip DX target with WIWN-5. Then I looked at the antenna pattern. Extremely directional with a very deep and broad null to the East; 60 db null, over azimuths from 60 degrees to 120 degrees. That means a radiated power of about 10 /milliwatts/ to the East. On the East Coast that puts everyone from Virginia to north of Quebec City in this null, and I'm right in middle at 92.5 degree azimuth. I don't know if a 60 db null is even possible; I doubt it, so maybe enough power will come this way for someone to snag them. This will be a heck of a lot easier catch in their lobes, basically any place west of a north-south line through Milwaukee.`` I think that's to protect WGVK in Kalamazoo. They apparently objected to WIWN's use of the same channel. In analog the FCC didn't allow tight patterns like this. They've changed their mind with digital (but as you say, one wonders if it's a constructable pattern). It's probably the envy of the other Milwaukee stations, who would rather not be wasting so much power over Lake Michigan (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View, TN EM66, WTFDA via DXLD) ** VIETNAM. 6165, R. Voice of Viêtnam, Xuanb Mai, 2233-2252, 17/8, H'mong, talks; 34432, adjacent QRM de CRI in Portuguese on 6175 via Euro relay. 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, Aug 21, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VIETNAM [non]. 9555, Aug 19 at 0511, VOV via CANADA, nice Viet music usually heard around this time is overmodulated/distorted again. Wonder if VOV will stay with Sackville till end of A-12? VOV plans to replace 9555 and 6175 Sackville in B-12 as follows, but could happen earlier? 0100-0130 English Woofferton 9470 300 kW 282 degrees to ENAm only 0130-0230 Vietnamese Woofferton 9470 300 kW 282 degrees to ENAm only 0230-0300 English Woofferton 9470 300 kW 282 degrees to ENAm only 0300-0330 Spanish WHRI 6175 250 kW 173 degrees to Cuba only 0330-0400 English Woofferton 9470 300 kW 282 degrees to ENAm only 0400-0430 Spanish WHRI 6175 250 kW 173 degrees to Cuba only 0430-0530 Vietnamese Montsinéry 6175 500 kW 310 degrees to WNAm only (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** WESTERN SAHARA [non]. CLANDESTINES: 702, Polisario Front, Rabouni, ALGERIA, 2247-..., 17/8, Arabic, talks, songs; 55444. 1550 ditto, 0947-1020, 19/8, Arabic, chanting, TS at 1001, announcements, talks, music; 25342. 1550 ditto, 1743-1817, 20/8, Castilian program, news, talks, music; Arabic at around 1800, chanting; 35343 but improving; rated 55444 at 2115. Also on 1550 this [21/8] morning and evening. 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, Aug 21, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Legenda segnale IN - Insufficiente SF - Sufficiente BN - Buono MB - Molto buono Alcune prove di ascolto della PL-660 accoppiata induttivamente con la loop LW-MW in ferrite di 75 cm. Le due foto, appena possibile, saranno caricate negli album del gruppo Yahoo! tigullioamfm_ dx. - Domenica 19 agosto 2012, 2045 - 1550, RASD - Rabouni (Algeria) - BN-SF In SYNC-USB il battimento con i segnali su 1548 (a soli 2 kHz!!!) è stato completamente *eliminato*. Ciò, però, ovviamente avveniva *soltanto quando il segnale della RASD era adeguato*, altrimenti la SYNC non entra in funzione. Per fortuna che, cosa rarissima, nel PL- 660 la soglia di attivazione di tale funzione è particolarmente bassa. (Luca Botto Fiora, QTH, G.C. 09E13 - 44N21, Rapallo (Genova) - Italia bclnews.it yg via DXLD) ** ZAMBIA. Hi everyone, Still no sign of Chad at my location in South Africa. But the search for it has given me the bonus of my first log of Shiokaze on 5915 [see KOREA NORTH [non]]. ZNBC2, 6165 Lusaka. Aug 16, 2012. Thursday: 1712-1718. Unreadable, can just make out OM speaking. Poor, barely audible. 1740-1745. YL talking. QRM in English from co-channel CRI Beijing. Fair, but barely stronger than the QRM from China, making both extremely difficult to decipher. 1841-1853. Light pop songs, sounds like a very young Michael Jackson (I Love You Daddy?). Accompanied by the now-standard warbly whistle. Fair-good. Unlike this time last night, no QRM or rapid SAH; no sign at all of any other station. 2013-2042. Nothing there. Around this time last night, Wolfy was hearing Chad on a remote receiver in Sri Lanka. It is not audible here right now, but then ZNBC2 is inaudible as well. ZNBC1 on 5915 is almost inaudible, but I am hearing splash in Japanese from a YL talking, and gentle piano music, on 5910. Can't complain, its probably my first logging of SHIOKAZE (Sea-breeze) from Ibaragi-Koga-Yamata. Certainly no sign of Chad on 6165. Jo'burg sunset 1549 (Bill Bingham, RSA, Aug 16, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) No Chad outlet on 6165v heard tonight Aug 16th. ZNBC1 was on air on 5915 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi everyone, Zambia. ZNBC2, 6165 Lusaka. Aug 17, 2012. Friday. 1842- 1922. Western pop, YL singing. ID "ZNBC" at 1848. Drums and Fish Eagles at 1900 and "National Broadcaster, ZNBC", into news till 1905. Surprised to hear no mention of the indefensible cold-blooded slaughter of striking miners in South Africa, but I guess it would not do to upset the ANC. Into an innocuous chat show about arranged marriage at 1906. Poor, lots of whistle and QRN. No Chad het but from about 1915, some very weak, distorted, unreadable apparently co- channel QRM, not improved by tuning to 6.16496. Guess it could be Chad. Jo'burg sunset 1549. Regards, (Bill Bingham, RSA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZAMBIA. I also received a very friendly email from Ediline Mutize of CVC 1Africa in Zambia, apologizing that I had not received my QSL, and stating that they were preparing to mail another to me. She states that "The times have certainly changed but SW still remains a useful tool in communicating with Africa." I am eagerly awaiting this QSL. She does not re-confirm my reception in the email, so I do not count it as a QSL, but will await the actual postal QSL. Well! It certainly seems that email actually works in follow-ups, providing you are able to reach the right person. Had I actually believed that for the last year or so, I might have saved myself considerable expense in postage and registered airmail fees along with substantial amounts of US currency as return postage. Let's see how long my luck holds out. I visit the station websites and search for email addresses with about 70% success. I find that the email addresses in the WRTH are mostly out-of-date or invalid. At this point, I am absolutely horrified at the amount of domestic and international reception reports which apparently have not reached their destinations and QSLs which apparently have not reached me. I do not know whether this is outright theft or a result of the understaffing of our crumbling American postal system. The only postal mail which seems to arrive at its destination is mail that is accountable (i.e. registered or certified). I am compiling a spreadsheet and statistics which I will mail (ha!) to the US Postmaster General for his edification. 73 (Al Muick, Williamsport PA USA, Aug 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I am sure a sizable fraxion of the stations blaming the postal system for non-receipt of your reports are really covering up their own incompetence (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** ZAMBIA [and non]. 13590, Aug 16 at 1154, CRI Beyond Beijing ID, then starting filler language lesson at hourend; no sign of CVC Zambia which is also here 06-20, and heard without QRMao yesterday after 1300. Aoki shows CRI English is a problem only at 1000-1157 --- but does not list Zambia at all, instead just this: ``13590 CVC INTERNATIONAL (1Africa) 1530-1730 1234567 English 100 90 Wertachtal D 01041E 4805N CVC a12 MBR Aug. 1`` ?? Does this mean CVC has or is about to close down their other Zambia transmitter and replace it with Germany? But I certainly had 1Africa at a different time Aug 15, at 1308, so still Zambia or not? Current HFCC schedule as of Aug 16 for CVC still has Lusaka at 06-20 13590, 20-22 on 9505, effective thru 28 Oct; nothing from Wertachtal. But the separate MBR schedule at the same source shows 13590 at 1530- 1730 effective thru 28 Oct, but like in Aoki, at 90 degrees from Wertachtal, so certainly not for Africa, and no program source or language specified. Not 1Africa, CVC International, so what is that, really? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Re M&B schedule Wertachtal all D MBR MBR and short call "B10" marked entries belong to BVB network, at zone 39,40 Iran etc. and doesn't suffer [bother?] Zambia outlet. 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I am hearing 1Africa on 13590, presumed still Lusaka, this morning, as follows: 1Africa, 13590 Lusaka. Aug 17, 2012. Friday. 0620-0737. Typical 1Africa programming, telling me "open your heart to God" at 0633, ID "CVC" at 0657, S.A. phone number at 0717. During a phone contact, OM DJ introduced himself as "Brad Kirsten from 1Africa Radio" at 0722. Poor-fair at first, but improved to good or very good by 0700. By 0730, back to just fair. Consistent with some of my previous logs of the transmitter in Lusaka. Jo'burg sunrise 0435. Nothing heard at all on their 6065 frequency from Lusaka, which Aoki lists as still current. Regards, (Bill Bingham, RSA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) [and non]. 13590, Aug 17 at 1530, checking whether there is anything but 1Africa here, as in HFCC there is also Wertachtal listed: JBA carrier only, beneath much stronger CODAR pulses at exactly two per second. Why any broadcaster would voluntarily choose to operate in a CODAR band is beyond me. Wolfgang Büschel says the M&B service on 13590 is Bible Voice Broadcasting (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) It's still on 9505, local level in the 2100-2158 (abrupt closing) listening period, same excellent signal level as always has been with the beam presumably shooting close my way. Log to follow with others in a day or two. Bet you can hear it near closing even (Terry L Krueger, FL, Aug 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9505, CVC Christian Vision 1Africa, Lusaka. 2122-2158* August 16, 2012. Local level in UK and South African English, interviewing some dude who nearly drowned about the experience, ID, international dial numbers, etc., more chatter and pop-ish vocals with the usual excellent, punchy production and great audio. Audio and transmitter abruptly off, as always on this closing time. August 18: transmitter up at 2000:31, seconds after 13590 closed. “Shortwave listeners, thank you for listening... tune in at 8 a.m. tomorrow..” 2159:39 audio off, into 1000 cycle tone, off 2200:31-ish. 13590, CVC Christian Voice 1Africa, Lusaka. 1731 August 18, 2012. Still here, at least the presumed site, though registered since August 1 as Wertachtal 1530-1730 per Glenn Hauser. English UK-accented DJ's, Christian pop and rap vocals. Fair but slowly improving to good in hash noise and sparks from loads of storms training nonstop off the Gulf of Mexico and across the house. Transmitter abruptly off 2000:11, with 9505 up at 2000:31, so surely still Zambia to have pulled that switch off so fast (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, FL. Equipment: JRC NRD-535; ICOM IC-R75; Sony ICF-7600GR; Sangean PR-D5; Aqua Guide 705 RDF Marine Radio; GE Superadio III; 1 X roof dipole; 1 X room random wire; Terk Advantage non-active portable loop, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I am not sure we have this straight yet. The ``13590 1530-1730 CVC via Wertachtal`` info was a red herring, a mistake by Aoki, which was later corrected after we pointed it out. These two hours have nothing to do with CVC, are aimed east toward Asia rather than south toward Africa, and are instead MBR with BVB. CVC Zambia continues on 13590 before, during and after those two hours, whether or not Wertachtal is really using them. HFCC has them both registered separately (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) ** ZANZIBAR. ZBC Radio, 6015 Dole. Aug 19, 2012. Sunday. 0350-0410. Swahili. Did not hear it during my early morning band-scan (at about 0315), but I find it there at 0350. Modulation briefly dropped out at 0351, then it all (including carrier) suddenly went off air at 0352 and has not come back as of 0410. Presumably having transmitter problems. Fair to good for the brief moment it was there; lucky I caught it. Jo'burg sunrise 0433 (Bill Bingham, RSA, dxldydg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 11735, 2020-2040, TZA, 21.08, Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation, Dole, Zanzibar, Swahili talk, romantic songs with Indian flavour (Bollywood?), 45444. Best 73, (Anker Petersen, from sunny and warm Skovlunde, Denmark, done on my AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE. 6045, ZBC, Guineafowl, Gweru, 0132, Aug 18, male singer with local pop/rap singing about ”Mario”, very long track, into male/female duet with Southern African rhythms, good (Graham Bell, Simon’s Town [sic], South Africa, DSWCI DX Window Aug 22 via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. I heard a clandestine station on 4025 kHz at 0030 UT last Thursday night [UT Aug 15 or 16?], with long segments of Middle Eastern pop music and an announcement "Radio Farda". It's clear, that it's not the real one, but a another clandestine. Which station could it be? Any ideas are much appreciated. "Voice Of The People Of Kurdistan", "Voice of Iraqi Liberation" and "Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Radio" used to broadcast on this frequency years ago, during the war in Iraq... 73! (Georgi Bancov, Bulgaria, Aug 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 6075.240, 19 Aug 0112, UNID weak station, audible after China sign off on 6075 at 0057. Music and fast talk. Sounded more or less like the old Unid noted last year on 6075.72. Too weak like always (Thomas Nilsson, Sweden, SW Bulletin Aug 19 via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 6160.064, found a signal here at 1005. Couldn't get any audio because of CKZU so close by, and couldn't try USB because of CKZN above. Russia maybe?? Been following the Canadians here for the last couple weeks to get a good recording of Vancouver and have never heard another signal here. (7 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) I don't think Arkhangelsk would have been so far off; at least today they are on 6160.000 kHz. Maybe R. Rio Mar? 73 (Mauno Ritola, Finland, ibid.) The Russians are always accurate even frequency. Radio Mar ZYE245 Manaus AM Brazil? (Wolfgang Büschel, ibid.) q.v. UNIDENTIFIED. 6935.0-AM, Aug 18 at 0535, very poor signal from pirate with music, vs uteblaaps; 0536 quick announcement maybe ID; 0543 still VP but music recognizable as ``Delilah`` by Tom Jones; 0544 quick announcement again unreadable; by 0548 it`s JBA. Will have to check for other logs of this maybe with an ID. Frequency matched 5935.0 WWCR PMS (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 7200 16.8 1730 UNID som låg här och spelade jazz och franska chansoner (bl. a. Edith Piaf) och pratade franska med afrikansk accent. Stundtals jämnstark med Sudan. Vad kan detta vara? HR 7200, 16 Aug 1730, UNID here playing jazz and French chansons (including a.o. Edith Piaf) and speaking French with an African accent. Sometimes even as strong as Sudan. What could this be? (Hans Östnell, Vardö, Norway, SW Bulletin Aug 19, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 9675, August 16 at 0522, as usual I am hearing a het between two near stations, and not much modulation. One of them is about 440 Hz on the lo side. Surely one is Brasil, R. Canção Nova. What else is scheduled at this hour? HFCC has REE/CR, but certainly not that: 9675 is an alternate/erroneous frequency for 9630 normally used including tonight. Also, 500 kW from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. That could certainly be off, or on causing the het. Aoki has this as HQS, plus CNR1 Beijing. A recent report from Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, tho at a different time, makes this more intriguing: ``PERU 9674.9 Pacífico R, Lima, 2241-..., 10/8, Castilian, music; 23431, adj. QRM de B on 9675``. I thought that Peruvian station had long gone off the air. Around the same daypart he reports RCN as merely 9675, not 9675.0 or some offset. 9675, Aug 18 at 0553, I am again hearing a het between two weak signals, both South American? Pitch is about B3 = 247 Hz. Replying to my previous unID, Bryan Clark in Mangawhai, New Zealand says: ``Glenn, Subsequent to Carlos' report last month I began monitoring the low side of 9675. Usually Brazil dominates around 9675.01 to 9675.02 but with a heterodyne from around 9674.8. I was eventually able to establish that the signal on 9674.8 carried a gospel music format and on a subsequent day that it was broadcasting in Spanish. Then on 6 August, just before 0458 UT I caught a full ID in Spanish for Radio del Pacífico [PERU] on 9674.79 kHz. The station address was given. Nothing was traced on their traditional 60 metre channel at this time [4975v]. The heterodyne interference between the two stations is evident most days around 0500 UT but mostly Canção Nova is too strong here, and del Pacífico too weak.`` However, Wolfgang Büschel in Germany was checking 9675 at almost the same time I was: ``At 06-07 UT Aug 18: 9674.766 ... 768 wandered, probably Riyadh Saudi Arabia. 9675.0 CNR Beijing tx center #572 9675.006 probably ZYE971 Radio Canção Nova, Cachoeira Paulista SP`` 9675, Aug 19 at 0510, the het between Brasil and Perú (?) is now circa 220 Hz, A3 below middle C. 9675v, Aug 21 at 0511, tonight`s pitch check between the hetting Brasilian and presumed Peruvian: Bb below middle C = 233 Hz. All I can hear is the het which is much louder than any possible modulation from either station (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED [non]. 9680.008, Harmonic?? "The Power Hour" talk show with Joyce Riley(??) from 0935 to 0957. Gave phone 702-543-8428. Doing a search shows that's in Laughlin NV. Came back later and sounded like a different show at 1032. Very very fady, sometimes very good, other times gone completely. Gone most of the time. Guess it could be a harmonic of 1210 or 880. Not heard since. (1 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) Hi Dave, No, that would be 2 x 4840 = WWCR, which has the Power Hour on at 07-10 UT M-F. If it`s extremely strong on 4840, might be receiver-produced overload? But could also be transmitted (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) UNIDENTIFIED. 10000, Aug 16 at 0542-0546 as I was trying to hear propagation minute from WWVH at 0545, irregular tones of another pitch kept QRMing the frequency (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I have been checking 15 and 10 MHz in recent times on most days at around 0730+UT to obtain some idea of propagation conditions. I also heard the tone(s) reported by Glenn (above), and the signal was strong at my location in NW England, peaking to S9+ on the meter. I don't know when the interfering signal went off, or what it could have been, but it was not present today the 17th (Noel R. Green, NW England, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 11751.5, Aug 17 at 1320, JBA carrier, but none of the others, 1.0-kHz off-channels as usually heard during this hour. Propagation much degraded, with the on-channel stations they usually het barely audible, e.g. Anguilla 11775. Another check for the mystery weak carriers in the 11.7s, August 18 at 1312: only ones I can detect are on 11751.5 and 11768. I have finally figured out the source of all those very weak carriers in the 11.7 MHz range [see UNIDENTIFIED] I have been hearing almost every morning for a couple weeks in the 13-15 UT period; and in retrospect it seems obvious [sic]: the RHC transmitter on 11760. 11736, 11744, 11752, 11768, 11776 and 11784, Aug 21 at 1314 are all audible either with BFO or as beats with broadcasters on 11735, 11750, 11775, 11785. I had previously measured 11752 as 11751.5, an odd one out, but think I must have miscalculated. This now puts them all at exactly 8 kHz intervals above and below 11760 (where there is no het). That RHC transmitter sounds OK on-frequency. Just about every imaginable defect has happened at one time or another from RHC, but this is a new one on me, spur carriers at multiples of 8.0 kHz above and below. To make sure, I am monitoring before 1500 when I know 11760 will be going off the air. By this time they are all weakened, but I can still barely hear the very weak 11776 het on Anguilla 11775. Yup, it goes off just after 1500 at the same time carrier cut on 11760. Only one thing doesn`t fit: 11760 is on the air from 1100, but I`ve not heard these before 1300. Maybe the signals haven`t built up to sufficient strength until then? Or there is a transmission change at that time. RHC uses 11760 at many other dayparts, but have not noticed a constellation of 8 kHz spurs then; may not be there if it`s a different transmitter, but the offending transmitter might also do the same when applied to any other fundamental, so be on the lookout for them. Altho I put them under CUBA in yesterday`s report as coming from RHC 11760 transmitter, the 8-kHz-spaced very weak carriers in the 11.7 MHz range may still be coming from something else. Aug 22 I am searching for them starting at 1242, and none of them heard altho RHC 11760 is strong enough; but there is another one on 11734 vs North Korea 11735, instead of 11736; I had heard that one before too, presumably unrelated. As 1300 approaches I am standing by on 11775 Anguilla, and yes, the 11776 het starts at 1300 sharp. Meanwhile on another receiver, 11760 RHC continues without any break in transmission, so they have made no change at 1300 which could account for this. Since the 8-kHz spaced carriers are centered on 11760, plus and minus up to 3 x 8 kHz, to 11736 and 11784, but none further detected, something on 11760 is still the most likely source of them. What else is on 11760 at this time? CRI English via Kunming, but also with same parameters for two hours at 1200-1400. What else comes on 11760 at 1300, covered up here by RHC? Nothing in Aoki or HFCC, but EiBi shows: 11760 1300-1430 AUS Radio Australia M EAs /TWN. That almost fits, except yesterday we confirmed the carriers stayed on until 1500 when RHC went off (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) To be continued UNIDENTIFIED. 11995, Aug 16 at 0519, yet another log of the open carrier with some whine on it, night after night during this hour. Is it heard this well in Europe, Asia, Africa, Pacific? 11995, Aug 17 at 0453, the mystery open carrier at S9+12 with some hum is already on this early, previously logged several times after 0500. There was nothing to identify it around hourtop. More and more I am suspecting TDF Issoudun, which had RFI English at 04-05 before it was deleted. 11995, Aug 18 at 0453, open carrier with hum again. Someone is burning an awful lot of kW for nothing, heard every night before and after 0500. Today`s HFCC still has nothing here but RFI Issoudun, 04-05 English, which we know is defunct, and 0600-0630 Hausa. 11995, Aug 22 at 0504, the ``signal to nowhere`` open carrier with some hum as always on the air, it seems, before and after 0500; TDF transmitter-control automation misprogramming? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 12085, Heard an anthem-like song mixing in with V of Mongolia IS at 1030. Could hear W followed by M talking in Chinese or similar language at 1058 when Mongolia went off. Then brief music bridge and M and W again for a few seconds before 12080 DRM [Brandon, AUSTRALIA] started at 1059. 5+1 time ticks getting through the DRM at ToH. Beijing?? First time heard any other station on this frequency at this time other than Mongolia. Wonder who that would be. (3 August) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, T2FD antenna, HCDX via DXLD) Aoki does list CNR1 jamming on 12085 at 1000-1100 since June 26. No other possible target than VOM which has Chinese at 1000-1030 before the English. Looks like retribution, for Mongolia allowing R. Free Asia to broadcast via there in Tibetan on 7470 and 17730, per Aoki. VOM has only two Mandarin broadcasts to its big neighbor, 1000-1030 on 12085 and 1430-1500 on 12015: is that one jammed too? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Hey Glenn, I heard an English test transmission today at 1330 UT Sunday Aug 19, 15180 with music requesting reports sent to testtransmission@gmail.com Cheers Doc W2MFT (Mark F. Tattenbaum, M.F.A., 1406 UT Aug 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Doc, Tnx for tip. So do you have any idea where it was from? Let me know if you get an answer (Glenn to Doc, via DXLD) Then I researched: As in DXLD 12-04 back in January, the same gmail address was heard before 1400 UT on 15770, which came from Woofferton UK. Current HFCC as of Aug 18 has MBR via Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, registered on 15180 at 1300-1330 and 1300-1400, 250 kW, 45 degrees. (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Aoki 8 August shows CMI - Voice of Wilderness 15180. 73 (Wolfgang Büschel, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) recent last log: SRI LANKA/TAJIKISTAN, Voice of Wilderness. Trincomalee-CLN 15180 kHz & Dushanbe-Yangi Yul-TJK 15630 kHz. At 1300- 1330 UT on August 6. A woman and then a man spoke in Korean with 2 vocal solos. Signal strength: 15180 fair; 15630 poor (Wendel Craighead, KS, DXplorer Aug 7 via Wolfgang Büschel, dxldyg via DXLD) 45 degrees from Sri Lanka certainly fits for a service to Korea. VOW is religious rather than clandestine; CMI = Cornerstone Ministries, Intl., in Tustin, California. Aoki shows that it`s 1300-1330 daily plus 1330-1400 on Sundays. The unID above was on Sunday, so apparently there was no additional semihour of VOW this week (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 15515, Aug 22 at 1340, good signal with announcement asking for e-mail reports to transmissiontest@gmail.com then some BaBcoCk musical IS, and ``you are listening to a test transmission``, bits of other music, Gypsy? cut off at 1341*. (That uncovered some other much weaker signal, presumably Kuwait which has just started a lengthy Arabic service at 59 degrees on 15515 at 10-05 since August 17, per Aoki. DX Mix News, Bulgaria also reported this ``additional unregistered frequency`` as 12-15 from Aug 17, revised to 12-24 on August 20.) Then I look for BaBcoCk testing on 15180 which had previously been reported during this semihour, and at 1344 there it is, fair signal peaking at S9+5, first with steel drum/orchestral music, and ``You are listening to a test transmission``. Bits of other music followed, only a few seconds of each before changing to something else. 1345 ``please e-mail your reception reports to testtransmission@gmail.com`` and more music alternating with ``test transmission`` announcement. This cuts off at 1347, and then not found on 15515 or anywhere else on the 19m band. I have sent them a report inquiring about the transmitter site and purpose of these tests. Could be only for staff training purposes as they have done previously (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) No answer UNIDENTIFIED. 15438 kHz broadcast. But now at 1600-1630 UT an UNIDENTIFIED Chinese program on odd 15438.0 kHz channel, next to Riyadh Arabic on 15435.0 kHz. Is that a SoH relay via Yangi Yul Tajikistan? 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, Aug 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Very likely, but should have been Firedraked from 15440 (gh, DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SOLICITED TESTIMONIALS ++++++++++++++++++++++ Acknowledged on WORLD OF RADIO 1631: With continuing appreciation for your years of dedication to listeners of shortwave and other broadcast services! Shalom, salaam, namaste--- et 73--de (Jim Gershman, K1JJJ with a contribution via PayPal to woradio at yahoo.com) One may also contribute by check or MO in the p-mail to P O Box 1684, Enid OK 73702 USA. UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ La planta transmisora de Calera de Tango-Chile sigue activa [sic]. En el aire HCJB Global en portugués. Programa "Caminhando com Jesús" da Escola Bíblica no ar. 11.920 Khz 23:30 UTC SINFO=55444 RGM (Rubén Guillermo Margenet, Argentina, Aug 20 condiglist yg via DXLD) Debiera ser Montsinéry [sic]; Calera de Tango hizo ..."chan-chán"... HAN (Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, ibid.) Gracias Horacio; También agradecido por recordarme la información que Glenn Hauser hiciera en julio 2012 a través de su imprescindible DXLD que, con su permiso, copio seguidamente: ``ECUADOR [non]. 11920, July 3 at 2300 checking the HCJB Portuguese relay which this week is reported to be testing Wertachtal, Germany, instead of CHILE, as Calera de Tango is being phased out? HCJB is to return there from July 8, but only until monthend when they will need a permanent replacement. Poor signal with fading, but I haven`t checked this from Chile lately to compare, and anyway it hardly matters here, far off-target. As I tune in, I am surprised to hear them mention Guiana Francesa, with contact info for QSL, so it appears they are testing via Montsinéry instead of Wertachtal.`` Como te comenté en privado, casualmente escuché cuando el locutor aclaraba que estaban transmitiendo desde otra emisora (por referirse a otro sitio), en la misma faixa y frequência. RGM (Margenet, ibid.) Estimados Rubén y Horacio, Todo esto es atrasado. Nos hemos enterado después que *nunca* transmitía via Guiana Francesa en 11920, ni en las pruebas de julio, ni después de cerrarse Calera de Tango a fines de julio. Ya lo informé varias veces. El sitio transmisor correcto es: Wertachtal, Alemania. Así afirma la misma emisora HCJB. Fue un error por su parte creer y publicar lo de Guiana Francesa. 73, (Guillermo Glenn Hauser, ibid.) Gracias Glenn! (RGM, ibid.) El problema con nosotros es que las infos que perdemos, de tus gloriosos DXLD, después no las encontramos fácilmente! Esto es como el Far West antes de la telegrafía; nos ent[e]ramos de las noticias grandes, pero a veces las actualizaciones se nos pierden en el fárrago de informacion, o nos enteramos más tarde y gracias a tu gentil ayuda. Grande GH! TNX! (Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, ibid.) PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ QSL.window Agosto 2012 Colegas, Informamos a disponibilizaçã o da lista QSL.window, edição de agosto de 2012. Um periódico em idioma português contendo boas informações para facilitar o caminho do recebimento de novas confirmações de estações de rádio (cartões QSL, cartas confirmatórias, etc...), cujo formato das informações foi readequado em relação à edição de julho, para melhor leitura. Com um total de 58 páginas na presente edição, as informações que ali estão refletem o resultado do que agora 5 pessoas daqui do Brasil tem recebido em suas confirmações (Fabricio Silva, Rudolf Grimm, Ivan Dias da Silva, Rubens Pedroso e agora também, Álex Robert). Ou seja, não se trata de uma ampla lista de endereços e e-mails de estações de rádio extraída da Internet ou de outros periódicos conhecidos. É o resultado da própria atuação de pessoas que por meio deste projeto decidem compartilhar os seus resultados, abrindo caminho para outros tentarem confirmar algumas escutas de emissoras de cada preferencia. O link para acesso à lista atual é: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B2iEncNE25rNV21XVHZDUEhESDg/edit Esta lista é aberta a todos, e pode além de ser lida, ser salva no computador e impressa, para os que assim o desejarem. Para os que desejarem participar deste projeto, o princípio básico de participação é que a imagem e os dados de cada informação divulgada tenham sido publicados em algum blog ou sites, com evidencia de algum dado pessoal do participante para autenticidade da informação. 73, Rudolf Grimm, PY2-81502 SWL, São Bernardo SP, GG66rg, BRAZIL. DX Clube do Brasil (Aug 18 via radioescutas yg via DXLD) It`s a listing of QSL addresses, quite extensive, e- and p-; some kind of embedded pdf. Tends to be blurry before each page focuses (gh, DXLD) MUSEA +++++ LINKS FOR CALL SIGNS UNDER COMMERCE COMMISSION At last a comprehensive list of early land stations: http://earlyradiohistory.us/speclnd2.htm Note that 9YI (Ames - predecessor to WOI) is on the top of the list. One problem: the list only seems to contain ship, commercial, and training schools call signs. The FCC provides a way to get to these call signs as they were added -- then newest call signs for the month printed in the Commerce Commission's Radio Service Bulletin . FCC provides a page for retrieving these (non-electronically-searchable) bulletins by selecting a date in a dialogue box: http://transition.fcc.gov/mb/audio/decdoc/radio_service_bulletins.html Using the index of the directory that contains the bulletins -- http://transition.fcc.gov/ftp/Bureaus/Mass_Media/Databases/documents_collection/radio_service_bulletins/ can be quicker. (The naming standards for the file names are inconsistent but the name does always seem to contain a numeric year and month, followed by html or pdf.) Still, no amateur call signs, as nearly as I can tell. My dad's first call was 8AHF in the early 1920's, but no sign of that one. Am I missing something? The issue is only important to my research because the 9YA call (predecessor to WSUI) was issued in early spring of 1915, perhaps two years after the spark gap transmitter was installed - that was to be in use at S.U.I. into the 1920's - at least that according to Prof. A.H. Ford (January, 1922 Iowa Alumnus ), under whose name the 9YA call sign is listed in the March, 1916 issue of QST . So, did A.H. Ford have an amateur call sign that the State University of Iowa was using? We might know more if we had the 1913 amateur call list. 73's (Franklin Seiberling (KC0ISV), Iowa City IA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This September 1913 article from the Daily Iowan - the SUI newspaper - talks about the installation of the wireless transmitter at SUI in 1913, the same one that was to be in used into the 1920s: http://dailyiowan.lib.uiowa.edu/DI/1913/di1913-09-26.pdf In the first paragraph the article mentions that SUI will be able to talk to Ames but the Ames won't be able to talk back (because of their low-power transmitter) "Which will not be without advantages" - likely referring to the heated discussions that could arise between supporters of the rival schools, over sports in particular. The article states that the aerial between the Physics Building and the Old Capitol was still in the planning stage (Franklin Seiberling, Iowa City, Aug 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) VINTAGE AMERICAN RADIO LITERATURE One for communication - and one for all mailing list readers in advance - some of you may know about this already of course. If you are interested in vintage American radio up to 1960 the link below will be of interest to you. They have made some scripts and radio related magazines in PDF form for researchers to download. The Radio Times mentioned on the site is not that of the BBC but the member's own newsletter. If you want the latest you have to be a subscriber, but it is possible to register to view their art work. The site describes itself as: The OTRR Group is a community of enthusiastic fans, avid listeners, and strong supporters of ``Old Time Radio`` The group`s goals include restoring, preserving and sharing the classic shows from what is commonly known as the "Golden Age of Radio" (1930-1960). The OTRR Group, comprised of a diverse world wide group of volunteers, has undertaken many ongoing projects and continues to work hard to preserve our wonderful radio heritage. http://www.otrr.org/ (Keith S Knight, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) From memory, this group and its archive started in the north of England some years ago and one chap made great efforts to collect and preserve material on reel tape, disc etc. but simply hadn't the room - so he moved to USA with the archive where the obvious problem of damp weather and various temperature difficulties could be sorted out in a, I believe, purpose built facility - so 'Educating Archie' joined 'The Life of Riley'. I have a few of the groups earlier (English) magazines somewhere. It's a pity we Brits have such a half-hearted regard for radio and TV programme preservation because after all we made some splendid stuff. Unfortunately American broadcasters like the British have often in the past either re-used tapes, junked discs or allowed bad storage to ruin recordings in a back room of the studios - It surprises me how anything survived as apparently it was not unknown for programmes recorded using movie film (sound track) to be dumped in a local river simply to save space after a couple of repeat airings! I'm told Radio Normandy and Radio Luxembourg are not without some guilt. I seem to recall both Roy Plumbley [sic] and Bob Danvers-Walker (later the voice of Pathé News) bemoaning how much was lost both at Fecamp and 'the factory' in London (Rog Parsons (BDXC 782), Hinckley, Leics., ibid.) VINTAGE RECORDING OF ARMED FORCES NETWORK TAIWAN Here is a clip of one of the programs I transferred of Armed Forces Network Taiwan. Since they are log tapes they need to be cleaned up. I cleaned up 2 minutes of the first one. Once the rest of the program is done I will upload it in full. AFNT June 23 1968 CHINA NIGHTS http://www.radio4all.net/ (Keith Perron on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/keith.perron via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) Exact link to mp3: http://www.radio4all.net/files/kperron@gmail.com/3101-1-AFNT_June_23_1968_CHINA_NIGHTS.mp3 (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ARCHIVES OF SWITZERLAND'S SHORT WAVE SERVICE, 1939-1945, NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE. Posted: 22 Aug 2012 Swissinfo.ch, 20 Aug 2012, Olivier Pauchard: "During the Second World War, Switzerland’s fledgling short wave radio service was essential to its attempts to communicate its policies and actions to an external audience made up of both foreign governments and the Swiss abroad. The archives of the Short Wave Service (SWS), founded in 1935, have been digitalised and are now available online. SWS was the forerunner to Swiss Radio International (SRI) which later became swissinfo.ch. The manuscripts of news bulletins from this dark time in Europe reveal Swiss thinking on events both out of its control and right on its doorstep as the country desperately held on to its beloved neutrality. In Switzerland’s national languages (German, French, Italian) as well as English, Spanish and Portuguese, SWS broadcast news and analysis of military events on both sides. ... Broadcasts by SWS at that time were also notable for the fact that they were the first news bulletins produced by a dedicated radio editorial team; previously news bulletins had been written and read by journalists from the Swiss News Agency, a press organisation." With audio report. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/culture/Swiss_Short_Wave_Service_comes_into_its_own.html?cid=33302870&itemId=33302858 See also the Archives web page http://archives.swissinfo.ch/article.php?&lg=en (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) Swiss wartime radio archives come to light swissinfo.ch By Olivier Pauchard August 20, 2012 During the Second World War, Switzerland’s fledgling short wave radio service was essential to its attempts to communicate its policies and actions to an external audience made up of both foreign governments and the Swiss abroad. The archives of the Short Wave Service (SWS), founded in 1935, have been digitalised and are now available online (See link). SWS was the forerunner to Swiss Radio International (SRI) which later became swissinfo.ch. The manuscripts of news bulletins from this dark time in Europe reveal Swiss thinking on events both out of its control and right on its doorstep as the country desperately held on to its beloved neutrality... Full article here: http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/culture/Wartime_radio_archives_come_to_light.html?cid=33301906 (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) WORLD OF HOROLOGY +++++++++++++++++ WWV ONE MINUTE OFF?!?!?!? 5000, Aug 20 I tune in WWV just before 0518 UT to hear the propagation minute, and to my astonishment, the time is announced a minute fast as 0519! And no prop info follows. Either my watch and clock are both off a minute, or WWV is; now which would be more likely?? I quickly tune another receiver to WWVH on 15000 and monitor the time each announces for the following minute: 0519, again! Unfortunately I can`t prove this as of course I was not recording, and even if I were, how could I prove they really said 0519 when it was 0518? But I know I heard it quite clearly. How could this happen? I should ask NIST about it. {Has anyone else ever experienced an incorrect time announcement from WWV/H?} 10000, Aug 21 before 0518 I am monitoring WWV again 24 hours after I heard them announce time a minute off as 0519: no, not tonight, both WWV and WWVH correct. And propagation report followed on WWV: ``SF 96, Ap 12, K 2 at 03, no, no``. The automation system could surely be blamed for playing the wrong timecheck, while the axual pips remained highly accurate. BTW, there`s been a wildfire in NW Kauai near the WWVH site; note if it become absent. KHON-TV and the Star-Bulletin have had several stories about the fire (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DX LISTENING DIGEST) MSF TRANSMITTER AT ANTHORN We have a clock here at my QTH in Winchester which is controlled by the 6O kHz time signal transmitter at Anthorn, Cumbria. Until a few days ago the clock has of course been fantastically accurate. Now I've noticed that it is showing a time which is some three minutes fast. I didn't think this kind of fault was possible with these clocks. Has anyone else had this sort of error happen to them? Are these clocks known to sometimes malfunction and "misread" the MSF signal? (Richard Gedye, Aug 21, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) There are no scheduled outages at Anthorn at the moment http://www.npl.co.uk/science-technology/time-frequency/time/products-and-services/msf-outages So probably it`s either a fault with the clock or perhaps some new local interference blocking your reception. Check with a radio near the clock to see if there is any interference around the 60 kHz frequency. There are any number of electrical devices within the house which can cause interference - wifi, sky boxes, plasma tvs etc so it would be a case of elimination to try and identify the source. 73s (Dave Kenny, ibid.) Hi Richard, I can't speak from recent experience, as I don't currently own any MSF-reading clock or other timepiece, much as I'd like to. But, as I've mentioned in the past, I do have some knowledge of these matters courtesy of my brother, who works on the National Physical Laboratory site at Teddington, Middlesex, which is proud to brand itself these days "the home of time", or at least of the stable source - even more so than an atomic clock these days - that feeds the time information then broadcast by Anthorn. However, I do recall that when I worked for BBC local radio in the nineties, there were several clocks in the building, both portable for OB [outside broadcast = remote] use and a master reference clock for studio reference, which took their information from the then BT [British Telecom] station at Rugby, as I recall (I say this with slight hesitancy, as there is also of course a station in Germany which many timepieces in Britain can also use). After Rugby had an outage for routine or emergency maintenance, it would sometimes take quite a while for these clocks to adjust to the correct time again. Very occasionally, these difficulties did lead to situations where a large post had to be posted in the studio to advise presenters that the studio clock was perhaps anything up to ten seconds slow - which for radio presenters, is an eternity! My suspicion is that Anthorn has been down again for maintenance, as it does seem to have been rather a lot recently, perhaps prior to projected heavy demands for the service next week with the Paralympics? Normally, there is plenty of advance notice of any maintenance, but I haven't seen any for this one recently. On the other hand, I guess while most MSF-calibrated domestic clocks and watches will usually give years of accurate service, any device can only be as good as its processor and I suppose these can be prone to eventual failure as much as in any other radio-controlled device, including radio receivers. Hope you manage to get it sorted soon, Richard, anyway (Mark Savage, Feltham, TW14, ibid.) Interesting. I have a watch which I believe is controlled by a German signal which suddenly this morning is 15 minutes fast. Also a clock using the same transmitter which although right time seems to be searching for a signal. Are you sure your clock is MSF or could it be the German signal? I also have an MSF clock which is behaving normally and received its last hourly update at noon. Maybe the German station is off. Rgds, (Gareth Foster, ibid.) Something must have got wrong at the Mainflingen transmitter. My clock checks the accuracy of the display every hour. At H-1mn it normally displays as small aerial-mast. At H0 that icon starts blinking, which means it is checking for the accurate time. This lasts one minute. Today at 1200 UTC it started blinking as usual, but nine minutes into the hour it was still blinking and at H+10 the icon disappeared altogether, meaning the clock is no longer radio-controlled. 73s, (Rémy Friess, France, ibid.) NATIONAL RADIO DAY IS TODAY --- AUGUST 20, 2012 National Radio Day celebrates a great invention and communications medium. The invention of the radio dates back to the late 1800s. A number of inventors played a role in creating this important medium. A number of inventions and discoveries were required to make the radio a reality. This included both transmission and reception methods and technology. The radio somewhat evolved from the telegraph and the telephone, with wireless telegraph directly contributing to its invention. Celebrating National Radio Day is easy listening. Simply tune into your favorite radio stations(s). You could also give your local radio personalities a little recognition. http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/August/radioday.htm (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) TROTS, further from above site: The Origin of National Radio Day: We found some evidence on blogs and radio station websites suggesting that this is a more recently established holiday, dating only to the 1990s. Radio station personnel, in a number of radio stations, began talking about creating their own holiday. After all, they frequently promoted bizarre and unique holidays of all kinds. From these conversations, this special day took on life. Our research did not find a identify an individual or group having created this day. We did not find any documentation confirming this to be a "National" day. We found no congressional records or presidential proclamation (via DXLD) DX-PEDITIONS ++++++++++++ GRAYLAND BEACH STATE PARK WA DXPEDITION - AUGUST 13-15, 2012 Another Grayland DXpedition is in the history books. The August weather there was sunny and warm but unfortunately the DX haul was a bit gloomy. As always I hoped for at least average conditions but it was if a big, muffled blanket was thrown over the band! Still, there were some interesting catches. Logging eleven Hawaiians (with IDs) was the most fun. Surprisingly I heard stations in Ketchikan and Nome, too, with a SW Beverage antenna at 230-235 degrees! That beverage must have had a big side lobe to the northwest. Nome KICY was particular strong and surprising. The underbrush has grown too much at the south field of Grayland--and I'm less motivated to crash through the obstacles and crawl beneath the dense growth as I get older -- so the Extended DKAZ antenna I had planned was a non-starter. That was disappointing, as I really wanted to try a DKAZ for the first time. There's a couple of sites at the north end of the park that should work for TPs with the DKAZ in the fall or winter though. The first night I settled for a 35 X 16 ft. terminated loop, suspended about 7 feet above the camp site. Even after maximizing the termination there was lots of domestic splatter. That fact coupled with the mediocre reception netted me only a few catches the first evening. The second day I decided to run out an unterminated "Beverage onna bush" to the southwest. I ended up with 850 feet oriented as best I could from 230-235 degrees. This Beverage resulted in a HUGE reduction of domestic splatter during daytime tests. I'll have to show you fellas a couple of Perseus screen shots that are on my other laptop right now. Many signals were 40-50 db down, and I measured one at 57 db reduction from the terminated loop! At night of course the domestic signals really picked up on the Beverage, but it was far better than the loop (oriented on the same bearing). The big difference was doubly surprising, given that it was an unterminated Beverage. This was the first DXpedition for me that RFO Tahiti on 738 didn't make an appearance at all. Very strange. I also didn't note any of the other South Pacific islands like Solomons, Kiribati, Tonga, or Vanuatu. I had quite a few New Zealand stations (mainly RNZ national), but most of them weak and a struggle to hear above the noise floor. It was the same thing with the few Aussies I heard; if it wasn't for the distinctive ABC network trumpet fanfare I wouldn't even be certain I was hearing an Australian outlet in the muck. In most cases I really had to work hard at pulling the DX out of the noise. You can check out 30 audio clips of the DX at this page: http://www.guyatkins.com/dxped/grayland_13aug2012/index.htm 73 (Guy Atkins, DXing at Grayland Beach State Park, WA, Puyallup, WA USA, HCDX via DXLD) CARIBBEAN FM DX FROM GRAND CAYMAN My wife and I are spending some time on the eastern coast of Grand Cayman. Although FM DX is not a priority, last night and tonight I've heard some decent tropo from Cuba and Jamaica, distances around 230 miles, as far as I can tell. I'm using my Grundig G8 and DXing from the end of a ~300 foot pier at the Reef Resort. FM List is excellent for their listing of stations in Grand Cayman. I've heard all of them except one, I think. 87.9 Religious 89.9 92.7 Star FM 94.9 Spin FM 95.5 96.5 K-Rock, or Cay-Rock, active rock 98.9 hip hop/rap 99.9 Z99, CHR 103.1 Love FM, religious 104.1 Reggae 105.3 Oldies, I think 106.1 CHR 107.1 Rhythmic 107.9 Continuous weather for the Caymans 107.1 seems to be on in many of the stores in Georgetown. Now tropo: 92.1 Jamaica 92.7 English, probably Jamaica 93.9 English with a Donna Summers record, prob Jamaica 94.1 RJR Flower Hill 230 miles, more or less 95.9 Cuba 96.9 Jamaica, most likely Negril 97.1 English R&B, prob Jamaica 100.5 BBC, gotta be Jamaica with Newsday program 101.5 Cuba, Radio Reloj and one more Spanish 102.9 Jamaica with web address exenbach.ja.com. Montego Bay or Flower Hill? 102.9 Spanish prob Cuba mixed in with Jamaica 103.9 two stations Spanish 104.5 Newsday program, betting on Flower Hill Jamaica 104.7 Cuba Some of this stuff faded out as soon as I got 150 feet or less from the shoreline so definitely not in a hotel room (even though we're on te 2nd floor with an open view to the east and northeast. Also there are lots, and I do mean lots, of Rohn 30-50 foot towers next to every other home. On top is either a UHF corner yagi, a parabolic or something else that I haven't been able to identify. All are pointed at Georgetown. I wonder if there is an OTA UHF TV channel on the air here. Some of these towers look like new. Oh, how I wish I lived here. Anniversary #41 today. Great place to spend it! (Mike Bugaj, Enfield, CT, Aug 21, WTFDA via DXLD) CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ SUMMARY: 19TH ANNUAL GET-TOGETHER FOR DXERS AND RADIO ENTHUSIASTS The 19th annual Madison-Milwaukee Get-together for DXers and Radio Enthusiasts took place last Saturday August 18 at the home of Bill and Nina Dvorak in Madison WI. The day was blessed with perfect weather, with clear skies, calm winds and a very comfortable high of 76 degrees. Attendees started to arrive and festivities began even before the official 1:00 PM start. Several attendees brought radios and took advantage of a number of options provided by a temporary antenna farm constructed for the occasion. Others settled in for the great DX conversation and fellowship that has always been the mainstay of this event. Demonstrations during the afternoon included a Perseus software driven radio presented by Mark Durenberger. Mark brought along his own 30- foot collapsable flagpole on which he erected a vertical antenna. During the entire get-together he gave individual demonstrations to anyone requesting one. Craig Menning also brought along a Perseus and generously offered use of it to anyone who wanted to experience it hands-on. So it was a great day to learn a lot more about this great ultra-modern radio. A second demonstration, this one given by Bill Dvorak and Mark Taylor, was of Bill's new Double Kaz medium-wave antenna. DXer extraordinaire and antenna designer Neil Kazaross spent part of the previous weekend helping construct and tune this Kaz-designed antenna. This particular one is built at a bearing of 280 degrees and the design favors enhancement to the west while nulling stations to the east. Another hit of the get-together was Jim Green's Collins-designed Korean War era R390 receiver. Yes, this is a pre-R390A receiver featuring crystal, not mechanical, filters. It sounds and works great, and won over many admirers during the day. [correxion below] Following the annual group photo (conducted once again by get-together photographer/DXer Dave Legler), the festivities moved to the Esquire Club restaurant, site of now seven get-together dinners. The food and service were great and so were the company and conversation. The program there included presentation of certificates to those who have attended ten annual get-togethers (a tradition dating back to 2007). This year's certificates went to Mike Henke, Fred Kelcz and Kevin McGill. This was followed by door prizes, another popular get-together feature. After dinner we returned to Bill and Nina's for the night session. Coffee, cake, conversation and more monitoring were the activities, with the get-together winding up at 11 PM. All in all, Saturday August 18, 2012 was a very nice day for the DXers who converged on Madison, Wisconsin. Memories linger among the 34 DXers and six of their family members who joined us. We the organizers have been at this for quite a while now. We believe we have something special going on here, and attendee response has only fortified that belief. Next year the Madison-Milwaukee DX Get-together returns to the Milwaukee area. Tim and Jill Noonan are your hosts, their home in Oak Creek WI is the location, and the date is Saturday August 17, 2013. It will be the milestone 20th annual Madison-Milwaukee Get-together for DXers and Radio Enthusiasts, a reason in and of itself to make this event. Won't you please join us? Contact Tim at dxing2@aol.com to get advanced info or have your questions answered. Hope to see you then! 73 (Bill Dvorak, Aug 22, NRC-AM via DXLD) One small correction, both the R390-A and the earlier more expensive R390 use crystals for the 0.1 and 1 kHz bandwidth positions only, the R-390A uses mechanical filters for the 2,4,8 and 16 kHz bandwidths and the earlier 390's uses LC filters for those positions. The 390 sounds better as a result but the skirts of the mechanical filters on the 390A are steeper (Bob Young, Millbury, MA, ibid.) DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DTV See CANADA; OKLAHOMA; USA WIWN ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- IBOC +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ [and non] OWNERS ARE INVESTING IN THE FUTURE OF AM Radio World By Tom F. King August 22, 2012 http://www.radioworld.com/article/owners-are-investing-in-the-future-of-am/215097 ‘Broadcasters do not invest this kind of money in AM radio stations unless they project a long-term return on their investment,’ Tom King writes. Shown (see link) is a recently constructed dual 50 kW directional antenna facility for Bell Media in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, including the transmitter building and two-tower self- supported tower array, and an open panel and shelf phasing and matching system for the second five-tower directional array. It seems that AM radio is being redefined. What we knew in the 20th century as antenna-to-antenna AM terrestrial radio is now described, post-millennium, as “program content delivery.” As a result of rapidly expanding technologies, the role of terrestrially delivered AM radio has been framed increasingly as an inferior media, old fashioned and irrelevant. I want to set the record straight. From the perspective of an AM radio antenna system manufacturer who works with AM broadcasters every day, I can say that broadcast station owners in the U.S. and abroad are investing in the future of AM analog and digital radio. Why is this? The model of a free single point source of information to the masses is still needed, and still works. AM radio propagation is unique from FM radio and television, in that it propagates along the ground as well as via ionospheric skywave bounce at night, which is the reason that I often listen to WCBS in New York City, WWL in New Orleans, WSB in Atlanta and WSM in Nashville, “The Legend,” the Grand Ole Opry’s famous station. Simulcasting with FM does not replace the nighttime coverage you get with AM stations. I was just speaking recently with Saul Levine, owner of KMZT(AM) in Beverly Hills, which operates on 1260 kHz with a Kintronic Labs 20 kw DA-D and 7.5 kw DA-N wideband phasing and matching system, about his experiences as an AM radio station owner and operator. He has been using a classical music program format on analog AM for several years, and has found it to be very successful in the L.A. market. In fact, he informed me that he frequently receives calls from listeners who live in the canyon suburbs of L.A. and want to express their great appreciation for the fact that they are able to receive his station even when FM reception is impossible. Levine emphasized that he is successful with AM radio because he gives people what they want to hear. He thinks AM has a bright future. In 2010, my company Kintronic Labs was involved in supplying a 50kw AM directional antenna system for a new metro D.C. radio station, starting in a farm field. As envisioned, this station was to serve a targeted demographic that was not, at the time, being reached by radio at all. Today, this multi-million dollar is yielding yielding dividends. Figure 1 includes photographs of the three-tower array and the transmitter building supplied by Kintronic Labs. Another example of a recent major AM radio investment we were involved with, to much success, took place across the border in Vancouver, British Columbia. A two-tower, 50 kw AM station and a five-tower, 50 kw AM station were placed on the same site, again starting from scratch, in an alfalfa field. Our company was grateful for the opportunity to participate in what proved to be a well-managed and exceptional team effort to implement this complex project. Both stations were designed for analog or digital AM radio operation. Broadcasters do not invest this kind of money in AM radio stations unless they project a long-term return on their investment. Figure 2 includes photographs of the transmitter building and the 2-tower directional array and a photograph of the open panel and shelf phasing and matching system for the 5-tower directional array, installed in the transmitter building. With the demise of DAB radio in Canada, the Canadian broadcasters are turning more and more to AM and FM terrestrial radio, particularly to compete with U.S. stations as HD becomes more commonplace. At the moment, Kintronic Labs is involved with AM radio customers in the design, supply, installation and commissioning of new analog or digital-ready AM transmission facilities in various states domestically and in numerous countries worldwide. When you listen to the difference between analog and digital AM radio and analog and digital FM radio, AM stands out. This is why we see digital AM radio as remaining a player in the future. Whether the station is analog or digital, what drives the decisions for new investment in AM radio is the demand for unique programming to an un-served targeted audience in growing markets. I hope that this provides you, the reader, with a more encouraging perspective regarding the future of AM radio. There are many more success stories like the examples above, in which AM radio broadcasters are providing reliable free news, information, sports and entertainment to their respective communities across the United States. (Tom F. King is president of Kintronic Labs Inc.) (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DRM See also: AUSTRALIA; BANGLADESH; INDIA; ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ KOREA; NEW ZEALAND; PHILIPPINES; UNID 12085 Re: DRM+ TESTED IN MORE COUNTRIES I know that HCJB had honed in on that capability of DRM as well. What's interesting is that transforms DRM signals into the realms of utility stations vs. broadcast stations - much like the old independent sideband feeder transmissions that the VOA and others used a couple decades ago as backups to satellite-fed audio. That transformation suggests to me that DRM signals ought to be moved away from the ITU-defined broadcast bands...which I know others have advocated over the years. RC (Richard Cuff, PA, ODXA yg via DXLD) POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ NOISE FROM INHOUSE POWERLINE/HOMEPLUG DEVICES Hi all, a colleague of mine lent me a couple of homeplug devices over the weekend to check the amount of noise they radiate on HF. One set is a first generation 14 Mbit system which showed pretty much no noise in any parts of the spectrum. The other set, is a pair of Netgear AV500 (gigabit) devices that massively pollute many parts of the HF spectrum. It makes no difference whether the system is in standby or actually transmitting data - the noise is always there, as soon as you plug the device into the wall. Even a single adapter will already pollute the frequency spectrum. Frequencies affected the most are (kHz): 5500 - 6500 7400 - 9990 10240 - 13900 14500 - 18040 18350 - 20920 21540 - 24800 25080 - 27920 The amateur radio bands are notched out fairly well, but the remaining parts of the HF spectrum from about 5500 kHz are heavily affected to an extent, that reception of weak AM stations may becomes more or less impossible. As more and more of these devices show up in stores around the world, it might be interesting for all of you Perseus owners to see what you will have to expect if only one of your neighbours decides to use such a system. I've prepared two short Perseus files, which you can use to test the noise blanking capabilities of your receiver/software combo. My impression is, that the standard Perseus GUI does a pretty good job in eliminating the pulses if no AM carrier is present. However, as soon as you have an AM carrier present somewhere within the spectrum window, the noise becomes audible and to some extent visible on the waterfall. The two files are part of a zip-archive and can be found under the following URL: http://signals.taunus.de/PUB/AV500_Perseus.zip Each file starts with a few seconds showing the clean frequency spectrum, then a few seconds of homeplug noise, followed by a few seconds of clean HF spectrum. Cross your fingers, that you won't be affected by such a homeplug network, although chances are good that one day you will --- BRGDS, //Leif Dehio via Perseus_YG (via SW Bulletin Aug 19 via DXLD) POWERLINE HOME NETWORK DIAGRAM Layout for HomePlug powerline home networks. This diagram illustrates use of HomePlug equipment to build a powerline home network. See below for a detailed description of this layout. http://compnetworking.about.com/od/homenetworking/ig/Home-Network-Diagrams/Powerline-Home-Network-Diagram.htm (/Thomas Nilsson, ibid.) RADIO POLLUTION CAUSED BY POWERLINE TECHNOLOGY (PLT) Southgate 16 August 2012 G0NIG has released a video showing the radio pollution that is generated by existing PLT devices. http://www.southgatearc.org/news/august2012/radio_pollution_caused_by_powerline_technology.htm (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) WILL SHORTWAVE LISTENERS' NEIGHBORS UNPLUG THOSE SHORTWAVE- OBLITERATING NETWORKING DEVICES? Posted: 22 Aug 2012 PC Pro, 20 Aug 2012, Paul Ockenden: "Powerline networking can be a contentious subject. On the one hand, it’s a very easy way to network your home or small office, especially if it’s a building that isn’t suited to Wi-Fi (either too old with thick stone walls, or too new with metal-covered plasterboard in the walls). On the other hand, powerline networking can be disastrous for any neighbours who are into shortwave radio activities, either as proper radio hams or who just listen to distant stations. I argued before that maybe those with these antiquated hobbies should get with the times by chatting to other people or listening to distant radio stations via the internet, but I now know this isn’t a popular opinion among the shortwave radio community: I have a stack of angry emails to prove it! In general, it’s a good philosophy to be nice to your neighbours – whether you’re a fan of their hobbies or not – and luckily it’s usually easy to tell whether any of them are into amateur or other forms of shortwave radio, since they’re likely to have a huge aerial strapped to their roof or in their garden." (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) HOMEPLUG IN YOUR POWER SOCKETS Read more: HomePlug in your power sockets | Enterprise | Real World Computing | PC Pro http://www.pcpro.co.uk/realworld/376483/homeplug-in-your-power-sockets#ixzz24Lf4zvaR (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ RIZ WORKERS PROTEST: see CROATIA ONLINE UTWENTE SDR RECEIVER UPDATED. NOW CONTINUOUS COVERAGE!!! August 17: Updated the system (SDR firmware and software) for continuous coverage of 0 to 29 MHz! Also the user interface got a few new features: memory channels and a squelch. http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/ On this page you can listen to and control a short-wave receiver located at the amateur radio club ETGD at the University of Twente. In contrast to other web-controlled receivers, this receiver can be tuned by multiple users simultaneously, thanks to the use of Software- Defined Radio. This site, which in 2008 was the very first WebSDR site ever, was finally reactivated in July 2012 after an interruption of more than 1.5 years; see here for the full story on that. It is now using a small Mini-Whip antenna. Unfortunately, there seems to be some strong local QRM on 80m much of the day (although not always). We have not yet found the source. Comments on the antenna's performance are welcome, either by e-mail to pa3fwm AT websdr.org and/or typed into the "chatbox" at the bottom of the page (website via Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, Aug 19) Very nice set up!!! For me this is a major milestone in radio receiving! Now, if I only had one of this type in my area, it would be fantastic. I think these online facilities will be spreading for use in every continent and subcontinent areas or countries. A good idea to implement by radioamateur associations or club in each country. This concept is by far better than Global Tuners. No lags in tuning vs. audio recovery. Better selectivity. No need to load specific software for perusal of remote SDR (Horacio Nigro, CX3BZ, Uruguay, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) FLORIDA shortwave CODAR sites My recent obsession with west Florida noisemaker CODAR sites has produced this basic site that I will build out when visiting the remaining sites as time permits, including photographs (only one there right now): https://sites.google.com/site/floridadxn/codar-florida?pli=1 (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, FL, Florida Low Power Radio Stations: https://sites.google.com/site/floridadxn/florida-low-power-radio-stations DX LISTENING DIGEST) STICKY E1 A few years ago I noticed the enclosure case of my Eton E1 was starting to get "sticky". With time it was slowly getting worse. While rearranging and organizing the shack recently, I found the E1 has gotten so bad that I could almost lift it (without holding it) by simply sticking it to my hand!! I see a few other people have had the same problem. I'm curious as to how widespread this problem is. So how many of you have this sticky problem with your E1's?? I'm in the process of cleaning mine now. Unfortunately it appears nothing is really good at removing the resin. Alcohol or nail polish remover seems best. Acetone or industrial chemicals like Lenium would probably work better but may harm the case. Any of you have any ideas what is easily available that is a little stronger?? And of course there's all the nooks and crannies that make cleaning it more difficult!! Back to rubbing. 73 (Dave Valko, Aug 17, CumbreDX yg via DXLD) FCC COUNTDOWN TO THE NARROWBANDING DEADLINE [V/UHF commercial 2-way] 135 days, 16 hours, 6 minutes, 37 seconds . . . About FCC Narrowbanding Requirements Overview Deadlines Planning for the Move to Narrowband What does this mean to licensees Take Care of it now Releases FCC Narrowbanding Requirements Most current radio systems use 25 kHz-wide channels. The FCC has mandated that all licensees using 25 kHz radio systems migrate to narrowband 12.5 kHz channels by January 1, 2013. The order affects systems on VHF and UHF channels between 150 and 512 MHz Licensees that do not meet the deadline face the loss of license. Application for modification of operations that expand the authorized contour of an existing station using 25 KHz channels will NOT be accepted after January 1, 2011. (Also applies to "new" systems submitted for licensing.) Manufacture and importation of any equipment on 25 KHz channel will NOT be permitted after January 1, 2011. Part 90 “paging-only” frequencies are exempt from this ruling. Low Band VHF systems BELOW 150 MHz are not affected by this ruling. Licensees need to start planning now to migrate to narrowband systems by assessing their current radio equipment and applying for new or modified licenses. . . . [much more] http://www.narrowband.us/ (via Terry Krueger, DXLD) R L DRAKE TO BE AUXIONED "Discontinuing Dayton Operations. Public Auction - Electronic Manufacturing Facility" http://www.thompsonauctioneers.com/R-L-Drake-Holdings-LLC-a186041.php Karl Forth sent me this link (Kevin Mikell, Aug 19, NASWA yg via DXLD) Thanks to Kevin Mikell from the NASWA Yahoo Group who got the link from Karl Forth we find that another "end of an era" moment is coming up September 20th as the R.L. Drake in Franklin, OH is closing and an auction will be had of many of the contents. Those of us who have owned Drake products over many decades will certainly shed a tear (Mark Coady, Aug 20, ODXA yg via DXLD) This is really sad. I am sure glad I got my R8 rebuilt last year. As far as I know, Drake was the only place to get the receivers repaired. (Patrick Martin, Seaside OR, IRCA via DXLD) Patrick - As noted before, there are a couple of ex Drake techs that were (and hopefully are) repairing Drake radios. But; I don't think you have anything to worry about. Drake is simply moving to a new location. See their web page for details. I have not seen anything from them saying repair services were being discontinued. Their repairs page at http://www.rldrake.com/support-models.php says R6 / R8A / R8B receivers are still serviced and parts are available (Chuck [Hutton???], ibid.) Chuck, Thanks. Hopefully the Drake techs will be around for some time to come. I am very impressed with the work they did on the R8 as it works better than ever. But whenever there is a change in this day, I never know what the future will hold. Except for the Drake techs, no one else seems to work of the R8s and all parts may not be available in years to come. But if my R8 lasts another 19 years, who know what receiver will be like then? 73, (Patrick Martin, Seaside OR, ibid.) Anyways this doesn't mean the closure of the Company, I think. Just moving to Miamisburg, OH. (per info at here) Thanks for clarification. (Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, ODXA yg via DXLD) The Drake web site indicates that they are moving to a new facility in Miamisburg, Ohio, not far from where they are at right now. However, when you Google the address shown, it is a 7500 sq. ft. office building, not the 100,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility that they now have, or perhaps to say that they are now moving from. Wondering if they are closing up manufacturing or shipping it elsewhere and leaving an administrative HQ in Miamisburg?? 'es (Bill Leal, VE3ES, ibid.) COLLEGE FRESHMEN AND RADIO So I come across this fluff news piece regarding the collegiate Class of 2016 as they begin their freshman year, and I found this one statement somewhat telling: "Digital everything has always been a part of their lives -- be it music, movies or e-books. Having grown up with MP3s and iPods, they seldom listen to music on the car radio and pretty much have no use for radio at all." So is it any wonder why broadcasters seeking younger audiences are eschewing good ol' radio, let alone shortwave?? http://www.wfmz.com/lifestyle/List-charts-today-s-college-freshman-culture/-/121514/16206996/-/jbak4yz/-/index.html (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA USA, Swprograms mailing list via DXLD) It's the same old story --- Chasing the girl you want but can't impress while eschewing the one you have or could have (John Figliozzi, ibid.) I saw this, too. While I am wary of ever taking these sorts of over- generalized pieces seriously, there is a kernel of truth here. AM radio listening among those under 19 is in the low single digits and FM is only a few multiples better. I just wrote a column for the November PopComm discussing the future of AM radio in the US for just this reason. -- (Rob de Santos, internetradio via DXLD) I certainly have come across my share of young people who not only don't listen to radio, but they don't even understand what it is. When I mention I'm a radio producer and make a weekly program I only see a glimmer of understanding in their eyes when I say: "It's sort of like a podcast." That said, there's a burgeoning corps of young people interested in storming the gates of public radio --- or public media as they call it. I've recently been holding some intro to recording and production workshops. They've sold out right away. My students are almost all under 30, and almost all lovely young women! Where were they in my radio youth? They're all in love with Ira Glass (David Goren, ibid.) I think it's clear that radio (at least in the US) has not done a good job of marketing itself to younger listeners or given them reasons to listen. I also think that the ability to participate and be part of the dialog is important as David's experience suggests. With the rapid movement of talk and sport formats from AM to FM in the US, it does make you wonder if AM will be viable at all in the major markets a decade from now. Clearly, young people still want to be "heard" but have had little reason to see radio as a way to do that. That's very unlike the generation to which most of us in this discussion belong. – (Rob de Santos, ibid.) I wonder if Canada's experience will be relevant here -- with AM viable only in major cities as there's enough audience diversity and critical mass to require use of both AM and FM to reach audiences. AM will be relegated primarily to religious and minority ethnic interests, just like shortwave in the US. John's point - you want the girl you can't have vs. the girl you got - is an interesting simile to all this. Where I fear the simile loses out is that, in 10 years, the girl you got is dead (figuratively), versus the girl you can't have, who is now someone you desperately need to reach before you lose all chance of influencing her. And anyway, that girl you can't have won't be showing up at a class reunion for radio. RC (Richard Cuff, ibid.) Heck, Rob, my experience with radio is that I want to HEAR things -- wonderful things crafted by true professionals with a high regard for the medium and its virtues. I couldn't give a rat's behind about being heard (via radio at least) or hearing what "the great unwashed" have to say. If I want that all I have to do is go on some crummy social media site where ignorance is freely shared. :) (John Figliozzi, ibid.) Like this list? Heh R (Cuff, ibid.) Present company excluded, of course! (And technically this is a listserve with *select* membership. Social media is... well... you know. (Figliozzi, ibid.) As you can see, ``Radio Equipment Forum`` is a broadly-defined catch-all in DXLD/RIB (gh, DXLD) OK, fair point John. ;-) I guess I'd say that the two are tied together. Great radio comes from those with a message to share, be it musical, political, social, educational, whatever. In turn, great and loyal listeners are generated when great content is there. Radio doesn't need to imitate Facebook or Twitter though some in radio think so. It does need to engage listeners. Radio is no longer the "cool tech" but it can engage listeners if they have a reason to learn about it. We can ask ourselves that question: what is on your local radio that gives you any reason to be engaged today? Do you listen to local AM or FM for anything other than weather and traffic reports? Everyone on this list knows how to find the great content out there or can get help here to do it. We're pro-active in that regard but most listeners aren't (Rob de Santos, ibid.) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ PURDUE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM COULD PROVIDE SOLAR FLARE WARNING Radio World By Doug Lung August 17,2012 (This story originally appeared in TV Technology). http://www.radioworld.com/article/purdue-university-system-could-provide-solar-flare-warning/215007 Solar flares can create beautiful auroras, but they can also disrupt shortwave radio communications, induce harmful currents in power grids, and damage satellites. An early warning of solar flares would give satellite and utility grid operators more time to prepare. Researchers at Purdue University have found a new system could predict solar flares, give advance warning. The system is based on the hypothesis, supported with data published in a dozen research papers since it was proposed in 2006, that radioactive decay rates are influenced by solar activity. Ephraim Fischbach, a Purdue University professor of physics, and Jere Jenkins, a nuclear engineer and director of radiation laboratories in the School of Nuclear Engineering that discovered the effect in 2006, are leading the research. Jenkins began monitoring a detector in his lab in 2006 and discovered that the decay rate of a radioactive sample changed slightly, beginning 39 hours before a large solar flare. Fischbach said, “It’s the first time the same isotope has been used in two different experiments at two different labs, and it showed basically the same effect.” The Purdue University release stated: “Findings showed a clear annual variation in the decay rate of a radioactive isotope called Chlorine- 36, with the highest rate in January and February and the lowest rate in July and August, over a period from July 2005 to June 2011.” Fischbach, after describing the impact of the Carrington event in 1859 (also known as the 1859 solar superstorm), stated, “Because we now have a sophisticated infrastructure of satellites, power grids and all sort of electronic systems, a storm of this magnitude today would be catastrophic. Having a day and a half warning could be really helpful in averting the worst damage.” He added that a “precursor signal” had now been observed repeatedly before solar flare activity and that he thought this might have “predictive value.” The Purdue setup uses Manganese-54 as the radioactive source and a gamma radiation detector. As the Manganese-54 decays, it turns into Chromium-54, emitting a gamma ray in the process. This gamma activity is recorded by the detector to measure the decay rate. The basis of the effect is still being investigated. The effect appears to be influenced by neutrinos, but has not been confirmed. “Since neutrinos have essentially no mass or charge, the idea that they could be interacting with anything is foreign to physics,” said Jenkins. “So, we are saying something that doesn’t interact with anything is changing something that can't be changed. Either neutrinos are affecting decay rate or perhaps an unknown particle is.” (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) GEOMAGNETIC INDICES Compiled by: Phil Bytheway Geomagnetic Summary July 1 2012 through July 31 2012 Tabulated from email status daily. Flux A K Space Wx 1 133 19 3 minor, R1 2 166 19 2 moderate, R2 3 146 10 3 no storms 4 163 9 3 moderate, R2 5 165 14 3 moderate, R2 6 158 16 5 strong, G1, R3 7 158 8 2 strong, G1, S1, R3 8 178 13 4 moderate, R2 9 174 30 5 minor, G1, S1, R1 10 173 13 2 minor, R1 11 162 10 3 no storms 12 165 11 1 strong, S1, R3 13 147 3 1 minor, S1 14 148 17 5 minor, G1, S1, R1 15 141 60 5 moderate, G2, S1 16 138 31 3 moderate, G2 17 128 14 2 minor, S1, R1 18 110 5 1 moderate, S2 19 100 6 1 moderate, S1, R2 20 92 11 3 minor, S1 21 90 11 2 minor, S1 22 94 8 2 no storms 23 97 9 3 minor, S1 24 102 10 2 minor, S1 25 105 6 1 no storms 26 115 4 0 no storms 27 123 5 2 no storms 28 127 11 4 moderate, R2 29 131 6 1 minor, $1 30 136 13 2 minor, R1 31 140 6 2 no storms Sx – Solar Radiation Storm Level Gx – Geomagnetic Storm Level Rx – Radio Blackouts Level (IRCA DX Monitor Aug 18 via DXLD) Geomagnetic field activity was at predominantly quiet to active levels throughout the summary period. Quiet to unsettled levels prevailed from 13-16 August as solar wind speeds, as measured by the ACE spacecraft, remained at nominal background levels. An increase to quiet to unsettled levels with isolated active periods were observed from 17-19 August. Weak CME effects were observed on 17 August and late on 18 August, measurements from the ACE spacecraft indicated a solar sector boundary (SSB) crossing. Following the SSB, coronal hole effects were observed on 19 August with solar wind speeds, increasing from below 400 km/s to almost 600 km/s FORECAST OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY 20 AUGUST-15 SEPTEMBER 2012 Solar activity is expected to be at low levels with a slight chance for more M-class events from 20-31 August as Region 1548 continues to evolve and rotate across the disk. A return to predominantly low levels is expected to prevail from 01-15 September. No proton events are expected at geosynchronous orbit. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to be normal levels from 20-21 August. An increase to high flux levels is expected from 22-26 August. A return to normal - background levels is expected to prevail for the remainder of the period. Geomagnetic field activity is expected to be at mostly quiet levels with a few brief periods of quiet to unsettled levels due to recurrent coronal hole high speed stream effects. From 20 to 22 August, 25-25 August, 08-09 September, and 15 September, quiet to unsettled levels are expected. For the remainder of the forecast period, mostly quiet levels are expected to prevail. :Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt :Issued: 2012 Aug 20 0630 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 2012-08-20 # # UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest # Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index 2012 Aug 20 100 12 4 2012 Aug 21 100 8 3 2012 Aug 22 105 8 3 2012 Aug 23 110 5 2 2012 Aug 24 115 5 2 2012 Aug 25 120 8 3 2012 Aug 26 130 8 3 2012 Aug 27 135 5 2 2012 Aug 28 135 5 2 2012 Aug 29 135 5 2 2012 Aug 30 130 5 2 2012 Aug 31 130 5 2 2012 Sep 01 130 5 2 2012 Sep 02 125 5 2 2012 Sep 03 120 5 2 2012 Sep 04 120 5 2 2012 Sep 05 120 5 2 2012 Sep 06 115 5 2 2012 Sep 07 115 5 2 2012 Sep 08 115 8 3 2012 Sep 09 110 8 3 2012 Sep 10 105 5 2 2012 Sep 11 100 5 2 2012 Sep 12 95 5 2 2012 Sep 13 95 5 2 2012 Sep 14 95 5 2 2012 Sep 15 95 12 4 (SWPC via WORLD OF RADIO 1631, DXLD) F. K. Janda, OK1HH: WEEKLY FORECASTS FROM ONDREJOV FOR THE PERIOD AUGUST 24 - SEPTEMBER 15 Solar activity forecast for the period August 24 - 30, 2012 Activity level: mostly very low to low X-ray background flux (1.0-8.0 A): B1.5-B9.0 Radio flux (10.7 cm): a fluctuation in the range 90-135 f.u. Flares: class C (0-10/day), class M (0-3/period), class X (0/period), proton (0/period) Relative sunspot number: in the range 25-100 Astronomical Institute, Solar Dept., Ondrejov, Czech Republic e-mail: sunwatch(at)asu.cas.cz (RWC Prague) ____________________ Geomagnetic activity forecast for the period August 24 - September 15 Geomagnetic field will be: quiet on August 30 - 31, September 5 - 7, 11, 13, mostly quiet on August 27 - 28, September 1, 8 - 9, quiet to unsettled on August 24 - 25, September 2 - 4, 12, 14 - 15, quiet to active on August 26, September 10, active to disturbed on August 29. High probability of changes in solar wind which may cause changes in magnetosphere and ionosphere is expected on August (24 - 25,) 27 - 28, September 3, (8 and 14). F. K. Janda, OK1HH, Czech Propagation Interest Group (OK1HH & OK1MGW, weekly forecasts since 1978) e-mail: ok1hh(at)rsys.cz (via Dario Monferini, DXLD) ###