DX LISTENING DIGEST 12-41, October 10, 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 1638 HEADLINES: *DX and station news about: Algeria, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chad, China, Colombia, Congo DR non, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Germany, Greece, Guiana French, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea South, Mauritania, Myanmar, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Serbia and non, Somaliland, Spain, Sudan, Taiwan, UK, USA, Vanuatu, Zanzibar SHORTWAVE AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1638, October 11-17, 2012 Thu 0330 WRMI 9955 [confirmed on webcast] Thu 2100 WTWW 9479 [confirmed] Fri 0329v WWRB 5050 [confirmed] Sat 0130v WBCQ 5110v-CUSB Area 51 Sat 0630 HLR 7265 Hamburger Lokalradio Sat 0800 WRMI 9955 Sat 1500 WRMI 9955 Sat 1630 HLR 7265 Hamburger Lokalradio Sat 1730 WRMI 9955 Sun 0400 WTWW 5745 Sun 0800 WRMI 9955 Sun 1530 WRMI 9955 Sun 1730 WRMI 9955 Mon 0500 WRMI 9955 Tue 0930 HLR 5980 Hamburger Lokalradio Tue 1100 WRMI 9955 [NEW] Thu 0330 WRMI 9955 [or maybe 1639 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/ ** ALBANIA. 9590, Oct 5 at 0523, CRI Arabic relay is still distorted, while // and stronger 9515 is almost undistorted. 9590, Oct 6 at 0527, CRI Arabic relay remains distorted, unlike // 9515 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ALBANIA. [Re 12-40:] SV: An Italian song about R. Tirana: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grlp3TZXMuk Dear Drita: This was astonishing news. Even more astonishing is the fact that there are TWO different songs dedicated to Radio Tirana by Italian artists, and the YouTube addresses are http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=YQEOVIEqJlY Franco Ricciardi http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=grlp3TZXMuk Franco Battiati The second song is the one reported by the listener with a Russian name living in Illinois, USA, as in your message. I just wonder if there are any songs written outside USA and the United Kingdom about Voice of America and BBC? I doubt it. Radio Tirana is much more exotic to those abroad!! By the way, yesterday there was an interview with me on the Athens International Radio on FM and Internet, in the Albanian language transmission, directed by Bardha Mance - It was decided so late that it was announced only through Facebook. There may be a repeat. Kind regards, Ullmar Qvick, Sweden (Oct 5 via Drita Çiço, R. Tirana, DXLD) ** ALGERIA. ARGÉLIA, 186.3 kHz, R. Algérienne, Béchar, 1441-..., 08/10, árabe, música tradicional, programa falado; 25352. Espúrio, também detectado 33.3 kHz abaixo da freq. fundamental, 153 kHz, mas muito mais fraco. 73. (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) = 119.7 kHz ** ALGERIA. 549, Jil FM, Les Trembles, OCT 10, 0015 - Excellent; classical instrumental rather than the usual pop music, parallel a weak 531 kHz (Bruce Conti, WPC1CAT, Nashua NH; WiNRADiO Excalibur, MWDX-5 phasing unit, 15 x 23-m variable termination SuperLoop antennas northeast and south, mwdx yg via DXLD) ** ALGERIA [non]. 7295, Oct 4 at *0359:50 RTA relay via FRANCE, cut on joining brief NA by military band, VG signal, announcement by YL in Arabic, stinger. Day 4 of the reactivated service (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Via FRANCE. 7295, Radio Algerienne, *0400-0425, Oct 4, sign on with short Algerian National Anthem followed by Arabic talk. Arabic vocals at 0406. Qur`an at 0420. Good (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) 7295, Oct 5 at 0524, RTA via FRANCE, Qur`an with flutter. It`s the Q service, but unlike other countries` it`s not just endless recitations thereof. A minute later they are playing a song, as I also check // 9535, but that weaker signal is open carrier, or possibly just barely modulated (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 7295, October 5 at 0525, presumed R. Algerienne via France with Qur`an singing recitation. Strong, but deteriorating at bottom of hour when programming changed to talk. Marred by rattling pulsing jamming. Also heard the night before, October 4, at same time, with good signal (Eric Bryan, WA, DX Listening Digest) I haven`t noticed any jamming here (gh, DXLD) 9535 at 0527 and 7295 at 0534, RTA relays via FRANCE are both on and modulating tonight Oct 6 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) FRANCE to ALGERIA/SAHEL zone 1800-2000 13820 ISS 500 kW 162 deg to CeEaAF, confirmed Oct. 2, 55555 Yes, RTA also heard again on Oct 6th, when checked from 1800 UT. Symphonic orchestra concert heard and interspersed by female announcement in Maghreb Arabic, this symphonic program lasted til 1831 UT. Newscast from 1831 UT. Very tiny weak Spanish program underneath from North America (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Oct 6 via DXLD) FRANCE to ALGERIA/SAHEL zone: RTA via Issoudun at 1900-2000 UT Oct 6, fair signal on 13820 in short skip zone up to 1000 km - and I guess powerful in Algeria and C Af target. And poor on \\ 11775 kHz, which suffers here in Europe by co-channel CRI German service til 1957 UT, but will be on clean channel til 21 UT then (Wolfgang Büschel, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 11775, Oct 6 at 2057, Arabic music audible under Anguilla, the long cigar-puffing pauses of DGS being helpful, a benefit he could never have imagined at the time. {And which no doubt expedited his transition to Dead Gene Scott.} Is revived RTA transmission via Issoudun, FRANCE at 19-21 to Africa. The collision should be worse in NE America, further off the beam from Anguilla to Los Angeles, so DGS could hear himself. Off after 2100, and RTA supposed to go to 7495 for another hour, but at 2102 the best I can pull is a JBA carrier vs much stronger 7490 WBCQ; forgot that 9375 was scheduled too (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANDAMAN ISLAND. ?? 4760, AIR Port Blair?? 1133 very weak signal here but sounded like talk by M, and talk by W at 1137 and music 1140. M again 1143. About equal with RRI Makassar 4749.96. Other possible Indians about same strength on 4895, 4950, 4970, 4990. 6 Oct (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA USA, At home: NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, Wellbrook ALA1530S+ and 153’ Vertical Triangle Delta Loop, HCDX via DXLD) ** ANGOLA. 4949.8, RNA-Canal "A", Mulenvos, 2044-2105, 05/10, português, canções africanas; 45422. 73. (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANTARCTICA. 15476, no trace of LRA36 carrier, Oct 4 at 1316 or after 1400, despite being a Thursday with rumors of reactivation (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. 13363.5-LSB, believe it`S radio feed to other transmitters, October 6 - talk show - time pip at 1030, anns said "Buenos Aires. Good signal (Bill Riches, WA2DVU, Cape May, NJ USA, Equipment: 7600, 20 meter beam, K9AY loop, NASWA yg via DXLD) 13363.6-bli, R. Rivadavia (presumed) via emissor das Forças Armadas, B. Aires, 2148-2214, 04/10, conversa, info. meteor., discussão acerca de sindicalismo nas forças de segurança e militares, infos. de trânsito; 35433. 73. (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA [and non]. 11945, Oct 5 at 1409, R. Australia which is OK here before 1400, now has equal-level CCI from RRI in Arabic, which is 142 degrees from Tiganeshti, i.e. close to off the back to here, 312 degrees. Surprisingly, RA is still audible at 1409 with no QRM on 5995 as virtually the OSOB (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RADIO DRAMA FACES OFF SWITCH | The Australian The BBC World Service largely gave up on drama several years back; now ABC's Radio National finds itself fighting the same fate over "Airplay". http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/radio-drama-faces-off-switch/story-e6frg8n6-1226490928290 (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA USA, Oct 9, internetradio via DXLD) ** AZORES. AÇORES, 1503, AFN, Base Aérea das Lajes, Terceira, 2154- 2205, 07/10, inglês, música pop?, 22431, QRM da ESPANHA. 73. (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BANGLADESH. 15105, Oct 4 at 1238, very poor signal but I can tell that Bangladesh Betar is on today; a little better at 1255 in English with hum. As usual, no sign of it after 1315; has the Nepali service been dropped permanently or maybe moved to 7 MHz, which ought to suffice over a short night path? 15505, Oct 4 at 1400, Urdu is starting as it more reliably does (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15105, Bangladesh Betar, 1226 OC, then tone start. 1228:15 IS start. 5+1 time ticks, then M with short opening announcement, usual pleasant subcontinental music, then nice ID with frequency/beam "Hello there. This is the External Service of Bangladesh Betar broadcasting ?? shortwave...", and program rundown. 1231 subcontinental music bridge, then W with news starting with ID. Undermodulated and a bit of hum in the signal. A little slop QRM from 15115. 5 Oct (Dave Valko, Microtelecom Perseus SDR with ARR preamp, 315’ Beverage (BOG) at 340 (through the field this time), Pennsylvania State Game Lands #26, adjacent to the field below the pond, near Dunlo PA, HCDX via DXLD) 15105, Oct 5 at 1253, Bangladesh Betar with South Asian song, poor with flutter, retune just in time to hear hum carrier go off at 1259:17*. Still nothing on 15105 during 1315-1345 Nepali; could closer listeners check if that one is back on 7250 or elsewhere? 15505, Oct 5 at 1358, carrier on with tone and hum, ran a bit past 1400, so no IS or timesignal at all, just opening theme of Urdu service and announcements (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15505, Bangladesh Betar, 1402-1429*, Oct 5, tune-in to subcont music. Listed Urdu programming. Test tone at 1428 and off at 1429. Fair 15505, Bangladesh Betar, *1513:35-1545*, Oct 5, tune-in to test tone at 1509. Sign on at 1513:35 with IS. Into listed Hindi programming with talk at 1515:30 and subcontinental music. Fair (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) 15105, BB English before 1300 unchecked Oct 6, but nothing for Nepali after 1315. 15505, Oct 6 at 1358 carrier on with tone, then BB IS at 1358:30, very poor with flutter, but cut off the air at 1359:50 before I could criticize their timesignal, and still off at 1404. So much for Urdu today, depriving tens of millions of Pakistanis from contact with the East Wing; and one Oklahoman (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I checked this morning as well and heard absolutely nothing on 15105 at 1248. On days that I check it, up here in Maine I typically get BB 1 or 2 s levels stronger that what I see in your logs (David Pete, Oct 7, ABDX via DXLD) 7/10: 15105 for Bangladesh Betar 1237 with only carrier, S off 1239. But on 15505 on 1401 with flute tune ID `YO B B h´ [sic] then with talks (news) Signal s3-7max QRM 15510 at S30 (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, Pesawat penerima: ICOM R75, Lowe HF150, Degen 1102, 1103, 108, 1126, Tecsun PL200/550/600/360, Chibo c300/c979, Yupi 7000, Antenna: 16m hor, 2x16 m V invert, 1m Australian loop, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15105, Oct 7 at 1251, BB missing unless it`s the JBA carrier I often hear instead, maybe not right-on frequency and could be a local birdie. 15505, Oct 7 at 1358, open carrier with flutter, 1359:15 IS a couple times almost, stopped early to play a ``time`` signal ending at 1359:46; very poor today from the BB Urdu service, but at least it`s on the air for the first triminute, all that I checked (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Regularly not on air Nepali transmissions of Bangladesh Betar 1315- 1345 on 15105 DKA 250 kW / 320 deg to SoAs, checking from Sep. 29 to Oct. 9 (Ivo Ivanov, DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, Oct 9 via DXLD) 15505, Oct 10 at *1358 very poor carrier weaker than VOR 15510; 1358.5 the BB IS starts, timesignal ends 9.5 seconds before 1400, usual theme and opening Urdu. I am surprised to be getting this trans-polar signal at all as little else is audible on 19m except Cuba (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BENIN. BENIM, 1566, R. Transmundial, Parakou, 1815-1837, 06/10, língua africana, ID em inglês para apresentação do programa em ioruba, às 1825, música, texto; 35342 mas melhorou. 73. (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BIAFRA [non]. via GERMANY. 11870, Radio Biafra, London, *2000- 2100*, Oct 4, sign on with African music and opening English ID announcements. Vernacular talk at 2001. Occasional English. Thur, Sat only. Good (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) See ZANZIBAR ** BOLIVIA. 3310, Radio Mosoj Chaski, Cochabamba vgd in native dialect 1010, then into SS with religious program 14/9 (Bryan Clark, Mangawhai NZ Oct 8 with AOR7030+ and EWEs to North, Central & South America, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. 4409.62 RF [reactivated frequency], Radio Eco, Reyes 0040 to 0100 noted for first time in several months 3 October (Robert Wilkner, Pómpano Beach, South Florida, NRD 535D -746Pro - R8 - DX LISTENING DIGEST 12-40 via WORLD OF RADIO 1638) ** BOLIVIA. 4716.7, Radio Yura opened abruptly at 1009 14/9 with ident in a native dialect, folk music (marching style), fair reception (Bryan Clark, Mangawhai NZ Oct 8 with AOR7030+ and EWEs to North, Central & South America, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. 6134.82, Radio Santa Cruz, Sta. Cruz de la Sierra, 0950 on 10/4 tune-by noted with huge signal. Locutor saying “5 de la mañana, las cinco de la mañana y 50 minutos . . . muy buenos días, amables oyentes. Muy buenos días, Santa Cruz y todo Bolivia . . .” Burst of CP folkloric music, then more announcements and finally into music. Usual het but also atmospheric noise and t-storm static crashes hampering (Ralph Perry, Wheaton, Illinois, Drake R8B; Japan Radio NRD- 545; Eton E1; Hallicrafters SX100; Dentron Super Tuner + Ameco PLF-2 + Palomar P-408 + Quantum Phaser antenna unit (customized for tropical bands); 355-foot bidirectional BOG positioned 150 deg / 330 deg for LA / SE Asia, Phased Longwire + Small Loop, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. 6154.95, R. Fides, 0947 found out the instrumental song played during canned s/on announcements is "Stairway to Heaven"!! 0951-0953 choral NA. 0953 soft vocal music, 0954 short canned announcement by M, then soft vocal by M. 0959 usual W announcer on in Aymara. Unfortunately CNR came on then too. 5 Oct (Dave Valko, Microtelecom Perseus SDR with ARR preamp, 315’ Beverage (BOG) at 340 (through the field this time), Pennsylvania State Game Lands #26, adjacent to the field below the pond, near Dunlo PA, HCDX via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. BRASIL, 4785, R. Caiari, Pt.º Velho RO, 2132-2134*, 05/10, canções, conversa... e, sùbitamente, o tx desligou-se ou foi desligado, às 2134; 25331; melhor recepção em 07/10, 2130. 4825, R. Canção Nova, Cachoeira Paulista SP, 2125-2137, 04/10, canções, programa falado; 35422. Sinal ausente em 9675. 4877.37, R. Dif.ª de Roraima, Boa Vista RR, 2118-2133, 04/10, noticiário local e regional, comunicados (propaganda política para as eleições municipais); 34332, QRM pontual. Melhor sinal em 05/10. 73. (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5970, R. Itatiaia, Belo Horizonte MG, 2103-2122, 05/10, rubrica de informações de trânsito "A Cidade e as Estradas", info. Meteorológica, programa Bate Bola; 44433, QRM adj. 6000, R. Guaíba, Pt.º Alegre RS, 2109-2114, 05/10, noticiário de futebol; 23431, QRM da CHINA. 6009.96, R. Inconfidência, Belo Horizonte MG, 2110-2147, 05/10, programa A Hora do Fazendeiro, até às 2145; 44433; // 15191.5 com sinal bom. 73. (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Plus many other logs in the dxldyg ** BRAZIL. 4754.87v, tentatively Rádio Imaculada Conceição, Campo Grande, heard both on 10/4 and 10/6 in the 2315-2330 time slot with fair signal and no QRM. Drifted upward from initial 4754 .87 to .89 where it stabilized. 2 OM announcers plus YL in program with ‘comentário de futebol’. Theme song at 2326 and then program continued thru bottom of the hour, but no ID then (Ralph Perry, Wheaton, Illinois, Drake R8B; Japan Radio NRD-545; Eton E1; Hallicrafters SX100; Dentron Super Tuner + Ameco PLF-2 + Palomar P-408 + Quantum Phaser antenna unit (customized for tropical bands); 355-foot bidirectional BOG positioned 150 deg / 330 deg for LA / SE Asia, Phased Longwire + Small Loop, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 4785.00, unID Brazilian noted 0912 past 1000 on 10/4, fading up to very decent signal but no ID, likely either R. Caiari, Porto Velho (formerly on 4785.1) or R. Brasil, Campinas (formerly on 4784.5-4784.01). OM with many cheery “MBD!”s plus sound of rooster crowing at 0925, amidst program of ranchera-like country music. Tho fair signal, lots of atmospheric noise and t-storm static, making it hard to copy announcements (Ralph Perry, Wheaton, Illinois, Drake R8B; Japan Radio NRD-545; Eton E1; Hallicrafters SX100; Dentron Super Tuner + Ameco PLF-2 + Palomar P-408 + Quantum Phaser antenna unit (customized for tropical bands); 355-foot bidirectional BOG positioned 150 deg / 330 deg for LA / SE Asia, Phased Longwire + Small Loop, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 4865.02, Rádio Verdes Florestas, Cruz[eiro] do Sul, very strong lately and a nice signal on 10/4 0935 past 0945 and again at 1017 recheck when in morning news show with 2 announcers. Tuned in 0935 and programming already in progress, so believe signed on nominally 0930, as checked a few minutes just before that time and nothing was on the frequency. Programming to TOH was mainly Portuguese ballads. Good ID 0945 when locator gave frequencies, also. Bassy and booming canned ID, but then low-talking live announcer followed. This one often heard well past other Brazilians having faded out, due to QTH in far western Brazil. Seekers of CP Radio Logos, please note! (Ralph Perry, Wheaton, Illinois, Drake R8B; Japan Radio NRD-545; Eton E1; Hallicrafters SX100; Dentron Super Tuner + Ameco PLF-2 + Palomar P-408 + Quantum Phaser antenna unit (customized for tropical bands); 355-foot bidirectional BOG positioned 150 deg / 330 deg for LA / SE Asia, Phased Longwire + Small Loop, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. Rdif. Roraima, noted with excellent power tho usual buzzy distorted signal at 0905 on 10/4, Portuguese discussion between two men who were laughing, joking around. 0909 clear mention of “Roraima” and still strong at 0926 recheck, tho deeply in that mushy, spurious noise. Their engineering staff needs to fix this already, hi (Ralph Perry, Wheaton, Illinois, Drake R8B; Japan Radio NRD-545; Eton E1; Hallicrafters SX100; Dentron Super Tuner + Ameco PLF-2 + Palomar P-408 + Quantum Phaser antenna unit (customized for tropical bands); 355-foot bidirectional BOG positioned 150 deg / 330 deg for LA / SE Asia, Phased Longwire + Small Loop, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) WTFK?? 4877.53, per Alexander Sept 30; 4877.37 per Gonçalves above ** BRAZIL. 4925.22, Rádio Educação Rural, 0035-0204*, Oct 10, Portuguese preacher. Religious music. ID. Religious talk. Weak but readable in noisy conditions (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) ** BRAZIL. 4965.10, another unID Brazilian spotted 10/4 at 0925 with fair signal and nondescript music. 0930 OM Portuguese announcements. 0934 fanfare and talk show continuing. Radio Alvorada, Parintins, used to be here, perhaps them (Ralph Perry, Wheaton, Illinois, Drake R8B; Japan Radio NRD-545; Eton E1; Hallicrafters SX100; Dentron Super Tuner + Ameco PLF-2 + Palomar P-408 + Quantum Phaser antenna unit (customized for tropical bands); 355-foot bidirectional BOG positioned 150 deg / 330 deg for LA / SE Asia, Phased Longwire + Small Loop, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 5940.00, Rádio Voz Missionária, 0435-0445, Oct 5, Portuguese religious talk. Portuguese inspirational music. Not usually exactly on frequency. // 9665.02 - both frequencies weak but readable (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) ** BRAZIL. 6009.94, Rádio Inconfidência, Belo Horizonte, noted several days this week late afternoon, weak but clear. Best in ECSS LSB. 10/4 at 2310 with promo for soccer game with musical theme, OM in Portuguese screaming “goooooool!”, punctuated by electronic stinger sound effects, etc. ID determined via checking against known parallel frequencies and indeed, was // to 15191.44, weak but very clear. Also hrd 10/6 at 2325. Had initially immediately reacted, when spotting a signal on this frequency just below 6010, that perhaps Radio Mil, Mexico DF, had finally reactivated after months of absence. Nope! (Ralph Perry, Wheaton, Illinois, Drake R8B; Japan Radio NRD-545; Eton E1; Hallicrafters SX100; Dentron Super Tuner + Ameco PLF-2 + Palomar P-408 + Quantum Phaser antenna unit (customized for tropical bands); 355-foot bidirectional BOG positioned 150 deg / 330 deg for LA / SE Asia, Phased Longwire + Small Loop, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6009.94, Rádio Inconfidência, 2300-2320, Oct 9, Portuguese talk. Station promos. ID at 2313. Fair. Not usually heard this far off 6010 Barely audible // 15191.48 - threshold signal (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) ** BRAZIL. 6070, Rádio Capital with clear Portuguese ident for “Rádio Capital de Rio de Janeiro” and giving SW frequency then appeared to join SRDA network 3/10. Over Canadian (Bryan Clark, Mangawhai NZ Oct 8 with AOR7030+ and EWEs to North, Central & South America, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 6180, Oct 4 at 0457, RNA reactivated after absence for a week or so, but abnormally poor signal I had to // 11780 to be sure, way weaker than Vietnam/Canada 6175 and also weaker even than Mexico 6185. 6180, Oct 5 at 0527, RNA is back up to usual VG level unlike when reactivated 24 hours earlier, and furthermore tonight has no ACI with Vietnam back on proper 9555 after 0430; see CANADA. And Mexico is gone by now from 6185. 6180, Oct 6 at 0535, RNA now with VG signal // 11780. 6180, Oct 7 at 0531, RNA is gone again after a week`s reactivity, but no help, as now there is nothing adjacent on 6175 or 6185 to be unQRMed. 6180 & 11780, Oct 8 at 0524, RNA is active on both frequencies this time (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 9695.3, R. Rio Mar, 1018 ad block at tune/in. Mentions of Manaus. Continuation of news program with M and W hosts. 1022:50 usual very short singing ID jingle to start ad block. 5 time ticks and TC by M at 1030. 1030:20 nice clear full ID with all frequencies followed by jingle. Fortunately Japan had gone off and it was in the clear. 1031:15 English slogan in ad ("... ?? gets you"). Another ID/promo at 1032. Still fair with soft ZY Pops at 1047. QRM from R. Japan 9695 which was // 9625. Both Japan and Rio Mar about equal. 6 Oct (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA USA, At home: NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, Wellbrook ALA1530S+ and 153’ Vertical Triangle Delta Loop, HCDX via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DXLD) ** BRAZIL. OBSERVATÓRIO NACIONAL 10000 KHz OFF --- O Transmissor do Observatório Nacional em 10000 kHz aqui no bairro de São Cristóvão - Rio de Janeiro encontra-se OFF há pelo menos 10 dias, coincidentemente ou não último dia que tivemos chuva com descargas elétricas na cidade maravilhosa. Estações horárias WWVH e/ou WWV sendo captadas em torno de 15 horas em diante (lima_mrcio, 5 October, radioescutas yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DXLD) ** BRAZIL/ZANZIBAR. 11735, Rádio Trans Mundial good w/ident and website details in Portuguese at 1952, contemporary Christian vocals over co-channel Zanzibar till Brazil closed abruptly 2000, leaving Zanzibar in clear with news headlines & ident in presumed Swahili 12/9 (Bryan Clark, Mangawhai NZ Oct 8 with AOR7030+ and EWEs to North, Central & South America, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BULGARIA. Hi Glenn, Thank you for your reaction, report and your comment. It's much appreciated. We will study it all. The first 15 minutes we had a modulation problem. The TX site is near Sofia Bulgaria. I the att. our e-mail QSL letter. Kind regards, (Eric van Willegen, http://www.kbcradio http://www.facebook.com/TheMightyKbc Oct 7, WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) QSL: 9400, KBC Radio test to NAm, UT Sunday Oct 7 at 0000-0027 UT confirmed later same UT day with e-QSL I requested, 100 kW. Accompanying note confirms the site was ``near Sofia, Bulgaria``. Now added to my collexion via http://www.worldofradio.com/QSL.html Eric van Willegen also tells me, ``Yes, we are testing again next week, same time, same station, same frequency [UT Sunday Oct 14 at 0000-0200]. It is possible that we move frequency if we start with some regular shows. We will keep everybody informed via our website and facebook page`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Plans changed: see NETHERLANDS [non] ** BURMA [non]. MYANMAR [non]. via ARMENIA. 11595, Democratic Voice of Burma, *2330-0030*, Oct 4-5, sign on with local Burmese music and talk. Many mentions of Myanmar. Fair to good (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg, PA, Icom IC-7600, two 100 foot longwires, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) We have been filing the clandestines under BURMA [non], and the others under MYANMAR, in accordance with preferred nomenclature (gh, DXLD) ** CANADA. 680, CHFA, AB, Edmonton – The station has a CP to move to 90.1 MHz, and has been operating on 90.1 MHz // AM since 9/1; the CBC “Espace Musique” station that had been on 90.1 has moved to 101.1 MHz, which used to be a “nested repeater” for CHFA. The original CRTC decision provided that CHFA had to sign off on AM 90 days after the FM came on the air, but some think that since no new FM station actually came on the air, 680 might be able to stay on (Wayne Heinen, AM Switch, NRC DX News Oct 1 via DXLD) ** CANADA. [Re 12-40:] LAST AM RADIO STATION IN QUEBEC CITY TO SHUT DOWN September 14, 2012 – via Steven Faguy, Fagstein Blog, Montreal QC CHRC, Quebec's oldest - and only - commercial AM radio station, is shutting down. The owners (the Quebec Remparts hockey club) made the announcement on Friday, surprising few people but disappointing many, that they would pull the plug on the money-losing station at some unspecified time (probably within the next few weeks). UPDATE (Sept. 30): The station is being shut down at midnight on Sept. 30. CHRC started in 1926, and spent most of its life as a talk station, notably the home of André Arthur (who expressed his thoughts to Radio-Canada). In 2005, it became Info 800, a sister station to Info 690 in Montreal. Then it was taken over by the Remparts and Patrick Roy. Its current format is mostly sports talk, with Quebec Remparts (QMHJL) and Laval Rouge et Or university football games (both of those will move to Cogeco's FM93) and Quebec Capitales baseball games. It's not terribly surprising that such a station wouldn't find a way to work, especially since there's no other AM radio in the region and so little reason for anyone to even switch over to the AM band. There's still some hope that someone else might step in to buy it. And there are a few options. Cogeco probably won't want it if it can make news and sports work on FM93. Astral is in existential limbo at the moment. Bell might be interested, but it doesn't know yet if its RDS Radio project is going to get off the ground. The Tietolman-Tétrault- Pancholy group is another possibility, if they want to make a sister station to their Montreal French AM talk station. If the station does end up going off the air, it would probably be good news for CJAD, which operates on the same frequency. At least, the station's coverage toward the northeast would improve, with no interference from the Quebec City station. A possibility exists that CJAD could apply to change its signal pattern to be better toward the northeast, though how that works procedurally I don't know. UPDATE: There was no last-minute miracle. The station shut down at 6pm on Sunday, Sept. 30. Its final moments are a montage of messages from the station's employees. http://www.quebec800.com/pages/flashplayer_misc/14442/lang:fre Its final word: "merci." (via Oct CIDX Messenger via DXLD) ** CANADA [and non]. [Re 12-40:] ``But no! Streaming of the entire TSE program is now available only within Canada due to music copyright issues! Well, CBW is invading American airspace on 990; how is that really any different? They should put up a wall (or null to protect us from them). On second thought, please don`t (Glenn Hauser, OK)`` Same with US stations here, I can get them via MW but webstream is blocked, at least the big ones like CBS affiliates etc. So now you know the feeling :-( Please tell your congressmen to stop that. :-) (Jurgen Bartels, Suellwarden, N. Germany, mwdx yg via DXLD) ** CANADA. Earthquake --- Hello everyone, Montreal had a 4.5 magnitude quake around 0419 UT on October 10th, and a very surprising one too. About 20 minutes after the quake, I started tuning around the dial on FM. No stations were talking about it; regular programs everywhere. On the Mediumwave AM band, Info Circulation, our local traffic station on 730 kHz, was talking about a high volume of calls from listeners talking about an earthquake. But the big surprise: TSN 690, sports station was in full earthquake mode, getting calls from listeners about it. That was the best coverage, and the announcer getting on the internet to see if there was any new info! Local AM FM radio sure isn't what it used to be! Yet Twitter and Facebook were alive with posts seconds after the quake! 73's (Gilles Letourneau, Montreal, Canada http://www.youtube.com/officialswlchannel dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. 6175, Oct 4 at 0457, VOV Vietnamese is again stuck here instead of 9555. Now I am wondering if they are deliberately attempting to stay on lower more reliable 6175 for the rest of Sackville`s autumn existence. Latest HFCC 3 Oct still shows 9555 in effect until 28 Oct. 9555, Oct 5 at 0522, Sackville has decided to put VOV relay on correct frequency tonight instead of frequent 6175; and once again they are presenting a Vietnamese language lesson in English. No longer a solid bigsig on 31m in the nightmiddle, but sufficient. However, printed material would help a lot. 6175, Oct 6 at 0525, relay of VOV is back on wrong frequency tonight instead of 9555, with Vietnamese music. NHK English relay was however funxioning properly on 6110 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6175, Oct 7 at 0459, Sackville again puts VOV on wrong frequency instead of 9555; very strong with that characteristic squeal from this unit. Needs a new modulator card, but why bother now? 9555, Oct 8 at 0523, Sackville is relaying Voice of Vietnam on correct frequency tonight instead of 6175, which appears about half the time. As usual toward end of Vietnamese-language hour, there is a language lesson presented in English (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA [and non]. Re 12-40, RCI ghost transmission: "What is scheduled on 15320 at this hour? Aoki shows AWR in Chinese via Sri Lanka, as of July 2 while HFCC has AWR Chinese via Nauen until July 1, then Trincomalee. I thought these transmissions were going back to original KSDA GUAM, before resuming antenna work in January." --- The transmissions moved from Germany to Sri Lanka are not part of the KSDA cover arrangement but a site change of original Media Broadcast slots, to the obviously more favourably placed Trincomalee site. Thus they also continue in B12. Btw: Shouldn't that "The Link" format better fall into oblivion as soon as possible, considering that it, as Richard Cuff put it, helped catapult RCI on its descent into irrelevance? (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Oct 7, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA [and non]. 9625, Sunday Oct 7 at 1406, CBCNQ with lo audible het from CCI of at least equal strength. It can`t be Channel Africa in Portuguese, since that is M-F only; instead it must be RTI, 300 kW, 250 degrees from Tainan, TAIWAN in Vietnamese at 14-15, per Aoki and EiBi, certainly not HFCC where Taiwan is banned by the ChiCom; but HFCC compensates with a wooden listing for VOR due south from Novosibirsk (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHAD. 6164.96, RNT, *0459-0525, Oct 4, abrupt sign on with Afro-pop music and French talk. US pop song by Lionel Richie. Good signal. In the clear. Better than usual (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) Hi Bill, Oct 5 I did hear CHAD sign on at 0429 in French on 6164.98; somewhat better than Radio 2 (Zambia) on 6165.0 (Ron Howard, listening at Asilomar State Beach, near Monterey, Calif., dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6165, Oct 5 at 0527, fair signal from RNT in French announcing a Boîte Postale in Ndjamena, theirs? (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6164.96, RNT, *0452-0530*, Oct 8, abrupt sign on with African hi-life music. French talk. Some Euro-pop and Afro-pop music. Poor under Japan at sign on, but in the clear with a good signal after Japan signed off at 0459. Chad went off the air at 0530. 6164.96, RNT, 2025-2045*, Oct 8, French talk. Abrupt sign off. Weak but readable (Brian Alexander, PA, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6164.96, RNT, *0506-0510*, 0522-0600+. Oct 9, abrupt sign on with French talk. Off the air at 0510. Back on the air when checked at 0522 with French talk. Local drums. Still here past 0600. Weak but readable in noisy conditions (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) ** CHINA. Chinese Radar on 7 MHz. 7152.0 and 7155.0 - Chinese OTH Radar 66.66 sps, 10 kHz wide, 11.7 sec bursts, very strong in Germany - S9 and more. Also observed by HB9CET (same measurement results!) (73 de Wolf DK2OM, - INTRUDERALERT mailing list, Oct 4 via BC-DX Oct 8 via DXLD) 60 dB over S9 here, and measured bandwidth 40 kHz (John VK4TJ, QG52XI, - INTRUDERALERT mailing list, Oct 4, ibid.) ** CHINA [and non]. Firedrake Oct 4, before 1300: 17250, very poor at 1245, and QRM from Cuban spur on lo side, q.v. 16920, fair at 1252; none in the 18s 16600, good at 1252 with flutter 15555, good at 1254 with flutter 14700, very good at 1255 13530, very good at 1256 12980, very good at 1256; none in the 11s, 10s, 8s, 7s After 1300: 9680, poor at 1310, and not much else CCI, RRI and/or RTI/CNR gone? But heavy ACI from 9675 and 9685 15485, fair at 1317 15565, poor at 1317 After 1400: 17570, poor at 1426, with V. of Tibet, Madagascar, axually on top! Firedrake Oct 5, before 1300: 9680, fair at 1246 in mix with CNR1 jamming, RTI and presumably RRI 12670, very good at 1249 12870, very good at 1249 12980, very good at 1249 14700, very good at 1251 15550, good at 1253 with flutter; none in the 16s Circa 1330: 15495, good at 1328 with flutter 15610, good at 1328 17250, fair at 1330 Before 1400: 15570, good at 1357, het on lo side 15620, fair at 1357, ex 15610 above Firedrake Oct 6, circa 1330: 12670, poor at 1326; none in the 13s, 14s, with degraded propagation 15490, poor at 1335; none in the 16s, 17s Firedrake Oct 7 before 1300, no full searches: 15550, fair at 1256 After 1300: 15495, poor at 1309, het on hi side 15560, poor at 1309, het on hi side Firedrake October 10: 7445, detectable at 1406 under the CCCCCCI against RTI. Before 1400 around 1352, NO FD found 12-18 MHz, nor did I expect any under current degraded propagation conditions (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. Some Chinese stations coming up on 60 meters now in the mornings, toward local daybreak. Should continue to improve as season progresses: 4800, Qinghai presumed, fading in by 1130 and peaking before 1200 with radio play a bit like Chinese opera, but with YL narrator. Decent signal at peak. 4920, Xizang presumed, noted at 1210, fair sig amidst noise fast coming up with local daybreak. 4940, Fuzhou really blaring at 1213 on 10/6, discussion between two men with musical breaks, light QRM from ute (Ralph Perry, Wheaton, Illinois, Drake R8B; Japan Radio NRD-545; Eton E1; Hallicrafters SX100; Dentron Super Tuner + Ameco PLF-2 + Palomar P-408 + Quantum Phaser antenna unit (customized for tropical bands); 355-foot bidirectional BOG positioned 150 deg / 330 deg for LA / SE Asia, Phased Longwire + Small Loop, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. 4940, "Voice of Taiwan Strait News Radio", 1500-1530, Oct 6. The weekly, Saturday only, “Focus on China” news program in English; starts with echo ID for “Voice of Strait, Focus on China”; “Good evening everyone. Welcome to join in the Focus on China. This is (gave name)”; “Three astronauts of the Shenzhou-9 mission who conducted China's first manned space docking in June were given medals for their service to the country's space endeavors. Jing Haipeng, commander of the Shenzhou-9 flight crew, was honored with a second-class aerospace achievement medal. Liu Wang and Liu Yang, who was China's first female astronaut, were both conferred third-class medals and the honorary title of heroic astronaut. The decision was made on October 1 by the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the State Council”, etc.; music bridges between items; 1530 ID “This is the Voice of Taiwan Strait News Radio”; has been over a year since I last heard this ID; nice to know they still use it; mostly fair. https://www.box.com/s/kozgsbvyd1njqxvk6tzq contains edited (out of chronological order) MP3 audio recording (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Alinco DX-R8T and Par Electronics EF-SWL antenna, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. 5050, Beibu Bay Radio (BBR), 1320, Oct 8. About 3 or 4 times an hour this station repeats the same jingle. Have heard it myself countless times, so I did some research. At http://vod2.bbrmedia.com/np/publicex/BBRdianBo.asp I found what I was looking for under their program schedule: “LOHAS”. BBR’s often played singing jingle is “LOHAS, LOHAS, LOHAS, LOHAS, LOHAS, LOHAS, LOHAS, LOHAS, LOHAS, LOHAS . . .”, which can be heard on the attached MP3 audio file. LOHAS is an acronym for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability. It was first used by sociologist Paul Ray and psychologist Sherry Anderson, co-authors of “The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People are Changing the World”. It is a concept involving a wide range of things, from dress to the attitude towards life, from environmental protection to advocating eating organic healthy food and maintaining ecological balance, waste recovery, recycling and slow living. China is just one of the many counties that are integrating the LOHAS principles into their culture (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Alinco DX-R8T and Par Electronics EF-SWL antenna, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) So doesn`t threaten the ChiComs? (gh) ** CHINA. 5075, Voice of Pujiang (ex: 9705), 1209, Oct 7. First day back here; their normal seasonal change away from 9705; fair to good; also noted Oct 8 and 9 with good signal; // 3280 and 4950. 6035, PBS Yunnan, 1230-1303, Oct. 10. Better than normal reception; in Vietnamese till 1300 ID in English (“This is the Voice of Shangri-La, brought to you by Yunnan Radio”); changed over to Chinese (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Alinco DX-R8T and Par Electronics EF-SWL antenna, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. 9810, CNR-2 Talk by M and W hosts in Chinese with promos 1058-1100, 5+1 time ticks, then Beijing ID. // 9515, 9620. 6 Oct (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA USA, At home: NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, Wellbrook ALA1530S+ and 153’ Vertical Triangle Delta Loop, HCDX via DXLD) ** CHINA. 9849.971, unID Chinese female singer at 2356 UT, S=6-7 strength, likely PBS Qinghai in Tibetan, but Chinese song (Wolfgang Büschel, using Victor Goonetilleke`s SDR in Piliyandala, Sri Lanka, Oct 6-7, BC-DX via DXLD) ** CHINA [non]. 890, GEORGIA, WJTP, Lithia Springs. 1106 October 5, 2012. Huge, local signal with China Radio International audio feed, "Today" magazine format in English, surely this one despite no local breaks through 1135 tune-out per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:China_Radio_International Signal suddenly dropped down at 1111, but still present through Cuban Progreso co-channel, with WGN nulled (Terry L. Krueger, Clearwater FL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) BUT: 890, TEXAS, KXTV, Mabank. 1058 October 10, 2012. Turns out the China Radio International audio is not WJTP, Lithia Springs as I reported (though they may still be relaying CRI) but instead this one. End of program segment with tellmydj @ gmail.com mentions, then a list of cities CRI is in followed at 1059 by male canned, “This is KXTV, 890 AM, Dallas” and back to CRI programming. Also faded in around 2340 October 10 with CRI programming, atop Cuban Radio Progreso and WGN. And my October 6 inquiry to the http://www.radio-info.com Dallas-Fort Worth board, asking what the format of 890 is, scored 158 reads as of this typing, and yet not a single reply. How pathetic that board is (Krueger, ibid.) We already had KXTV/CRI info in DXLD 12-40 and WOR 1637 (gh, DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. 14950.75, Salem Stereo has not been positively heard here since 25 September, with time check insert noted at good level 0421 and followed past 0655. Their transmitter had increasingly sounded sick during September with an annoying hum evident on 25 September. A weak carrier noted 0354 UT on 26 September but no traces since then (Bryan Clark, Mangawhai, New Zealand, Oct 8 w/AOR 7030+ & EWE aerials to NE, East & SE, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 14950+, Oct 9 at 0350 check, nothing from Salem Stereo, when only southern signals might be propagating on the hi bands (K index at 03 was 6; G2/R1). Come to think of it, I have not heard them since October 1, so off the air again? (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CONGO. 6115, R. Congo, Brazzaville, 1804-1819, 06/10, francês, noticiário; 45343. Pelas 1829, o sinal desaparecera. 73. (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CONGO DR [non]. Hola: Hemos escuchado esta tarde en Barcelona, España a partir de las 1725 UT a Radio Okapi en la frecuencia de 9705 kHz con un boletin de noticias e identificación a 1730. Continuando luego con espacio musical. No aparece esta frecuencia en los listados habituales, así que suponemos que será nueva frecuencia, probable también desde UAE. Cordialmente, (Tomás Méndez, Oct 6, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) At 1900 UT usual Radio Ethiopia program in Oromo language noted in Germany, here scheduled 15-20 UT from Addis Ababa. Radio Okapi via UAE scheduled on 11675 kHz since 14 Sept, in winter season from Oct 28 on 11795 kHz. 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, ibid.) Yes, Ethiopia heard at 1801 UT, 9705 kHz. R Okapi s/off at 1800. 9705 is correct R Okapi frequency today. But tomorrow listening job. Cordially (Tomás, ibid., WORLD OF RADIO 1638, via DXLD) ** CUBA. 670, Radio Rebelde. 1100 October 5, 2012. All three listed confirmed active, as the top-of-hour ID proved all out of synch with "... Habana" end tag of canned ID X 3 clearly. The one that's been on 671 is obviously back on frequency, for now at least (Terry L. Krueger, Clearwater FL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [and non]. RHC`s multiple-spur producing 17580 transmitter was back in whack yesterday, but resumed today Oct 4 checked after 1243: all spurs have that whine of same constant pitch, and more of them this time, than last time, also have some *Spanish modulation when tuned in AM mode, while with BFO they are nothing but squishy FMy blobs. Approximate displacement is 56 kHz above and below, putting the primary and strongest ones on *17636 and *17524. Below, also audible circa: 17468, *17412, 17356, [but none on 17300??], *17244 QRMing Firedrake on 17250, 17188, 17132. Above: *17692, 17748, 17804, [but none on 17860?? --- like the fifth order 17300 on the lo side, why?], *17916, [not heard on 17972 either], 18028-barely audible. The 9540 RHC spur-transmitter tries to compete, but only manages a weak, squishy blob circa 9525 vs no VOI, at 1312 Oct 4, and same sounding thing circa 9555, while 9540 itself has heavy CCCCCCI (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5/10, 11760, RHC 0340 with news in English, ID, S9 but undermoded 35343 (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, Pesawat penerima: ICOM R75, Lowe HF150, Degen 1102, 1103, 108, 1126, Tecsun PL200/550/600/360, Chibo c300/c979, Yupi 7000, Antenna: 16m hor, 2x16 m V invert, 1m Australian loop, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Supposed to be in Spanish, but sometimes wrong language, or even after 0500 (gh, DXLD) 17580, Oct 5 at 1255, this RHC transmitter is again putting out spurs over most of the 17 MHz band; the fundamental is not as strong as previously and neither are the spurs, but still plenty of disruption at approx. 56 kHz intervals, worst ones being the closest, 17636 and 17524, and many of them not only with the constant whine pitch, but also with some // Spanish modulation: 17468, 17412, 17356, 17244, 17132. On hi side: 17692, 17748, 17804, 17860, 17916. Today fundamental and spurs still on at 1330, 1355, but not after 1400. 6116 approx., Oct 6 at 0537, huge noise blob with traces of modulation, so with another receiver I search for matchups elsewhere on 49m: soon obvious that it`s RHC English like on 6010, 6050, 6060, 6125, but unseems out of 6125 transmitter, as no match on the hi side. I keep tuning thru entire band and finally find a match around 5904, barely far enough away from Colombia if one tunes to its upper side from 5910. Bingo, these are spurs out of the 6010 transmitter at plus/minus 106 kHz. Listening closely to 6010 itself, it also has a bit of whine at same pitch as the spurs, and is somewhat undermodulated. Could the spurs axually be multiples of 53 kHz? No, none heard around 6063 or 5957. What about further multiples of 106? Yes, detectable but weak around 5798, 6222, 6328, 6434. This behavior is suspiciously similar to what 17580 does in the mornings, altho at very different multiples; same transmitter? Oct 6 that was already off before I fired up after 1300. 17730, Oct 6 at 1446, RHC in English! Playing a knockoff of Procol Harum song, sounds like, during Spanish service switching to news sounder at 1447.5. Did I say news? I mean, propaganda. Seems this is international anti-terrorism day, or some such, with the US being the culprit against Cuba. 9810, Oct 7 at 0017, RHC Spanish with humbuzz marring Fidel(?) on Los Cinco; 0042 now the buzz is overpowering the audio, still at 0108. Not to be outdone by Cairo, French Guiana. 9810, Oct 7 at 0533, RHC English with some hum, as happens periodically on this frequency which is supposed to be in Spanish only and closing at 0500. 17580, Oct 7 at 1307, RHC is still on, not especially strong and no specific spurs all over the band, but a general spread of its modulation audible some 50 kHz either side, which is bad enough. 11680, Oct 7 at 1313, yet another RadioCuba SNAFU, as has happened a few times before, lysdexic operator putting RHC here instead of correct 11860, during mailbag; still there at 1352, and 1403. Much stronger than the weak other site on 11690, 11750. 9540, Oct 7 at 1317, humbuzz atop RHC modulation, but no spurs detectable. Pretty weak fundamental now, so could have been spurs inaudible. Since it`s elexion day in Venezuela Oct 7, I figure it`s worth checking the still-listed on RHC website frequencies http://www.radiohc.cu/de-interes/frecuencias.html for the imaginary `Aló, Presidente` relay on Sunday mornings --- not that El Hugazo would suddenly revive the show, as that might be construed as elexioneering, but if ever worth broadcasting via Cuba, this should be the day --- so is there anything at 1547 on 13680, 11690, 15370, 17750 or 13750? No, at least not from RNV/RHC. On second thought, it makes perfect sense not to revive it: 1) it`s too early for results yet; 2) what if he should lose?! 3) elexion, what`s that? Certainly counter-revolutionary. 11860, Oct 8 at 1252, RHC back on proper frequency instead of confused 11680 yesterday. 15230, Oct 8 at 1250, RHC the OSOB in very degraded propagation with K index of 6, G2 storms and R1 blackouts per WWV. 17580, Oct 8 at 1310, RHC fair but undermodulated signal, apparent source of a noise field gradually diminishing down to 17430 or so and also on the hi side; no specific spur peaks (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CYPRUS. 15470, Oct 9 at 1358, B-B-C- chimes, 1359 opening Hindi, very poor, 300 kW, 97 degrees from Cyprus. Settled on this lacking Bangladesh on 15505, which even if on the air would have been shushed by G2 level storms; little of hi latitude making it on 19m (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** DIEGO GARCIA. 4319-USB at 2243 with great signal untroubled by the ubiquitous ute. Slow om ballads (Bob Wilkner, Pompano Beach, South Florida, Oct 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) AFN ** DJIBOUTI. 4780, Radio Djibouti in Arabic 1620-1634 local chant with instrumental music; brief chant break & W brief announcement; then continuing chanting; from 1627 M talk & some phone calls; better heard in USB; fast QSB and strong statics crashes; almost fair; Oct 1 (Giovanni Serra, Roma, Italy, Equipment: JRC NRD 525; Alpha Delta DX- SWL Sloper-S; RG 8 mini coaxial cable; JPS NIR 12 Noise & Interference Reducer-Dual DSP outboard audio filter; Intek PS-35 5 ampere feeder; JRC – NVA 319 external loudspeaker unit; Yaesu YH – 77 STA stereo headphones; Zoom Corp. H2 handy digital recorder MP3 & WAV files; Oregon Scientific RM912 Radio controlled clock; Toshiba Laptop PC Windows XP2 (offline for loggings); Interkart framed wall board political world map (1: 46,400,000); the DX Edge-Xantek Inc.(daylight- darkness desk world map), DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4780, 1700-1715 06.10 Rdif. TV. de Djibouti, Arta. Somali news e.g. about Somalia, interview 35333 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, done on my AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire in the trees in my garden, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) ** ECUADOR. 4781.70, Radio Oriental, Tena, sat on this frequency from 1055 on 10/4 and was rewarded with abrupt *1058 with catchy, upbeat HC instrumental music, signal quite surprisingly nice, and than a canned opening ID announcements by OM in Spanish at 1100, including frequencies and “Radio Oriental”. Dead air 1101 as perhaps live locutora asleep at the wheel. She finally started a minute later, but with signal’s modulation much, much lower than the previous recorded announcement. Into typical programming of canned ads en eco, time checks, OM & YL apparent morning news chat. Left it at 1112 with faded signal too frustrating to stay with. 4781.70, Radio Oriental, Tena, regularly signing on for morning programming approx 1100 (as early at 1058), as noted 10/5 and 10/6. Typically no open carrier, they just flip the switch and go straight into programming with a brief musical interlude (music seems to change daily, not always the same). Then after about two minutes, they play a canned opening announcement including ID and frequencies. This would be a great ID to record for transcription, on a quiet morning (atmospheric noise and t-storm crashes so far impairing reception). Hoping to record and transcribe soon. Once they switch to live programming, however, modulation often not as good (Ralph Perry, Wheaton, Illinois, Drake R8B; Japan Radio NRD-545; Eton E1; Hallicrafters SX100; Dentron Super Tuner + Ameco PLF-2 + Palomar P-408 + Quantum Phaser antenna unit (customized for tropical bands); 355-foot bidirectional BOG positioned 150 deg / 330 deg for LA / SE Asia, Phased Longwire + Small Loop, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EGYPT. As I am checking out various rude noises on the 9 MHz band, see GUIANA FRENCH, I have to include Cairo, Oct 7 at 0003, but that`s too early for anything on 9305 or 9315. At 0014, 9965 stronger than 9374 has quite a humwhine and no intelligible programming. By 0039, 9315 is on with carrier, no modulation, but not 9305, which is supposedly on straight thru from 19 to 07 UT, but have noticed absences before around this time. At 0200, 9305 is finally on in Arabic, somewhat less distorted than usual (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also UNIDENTIFIED 9276 ** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. GUINÉ EQUATORIAL, 5005, RNGE, Bata, 1737-1807, 06/10, líng. local, canções, prgr falado, múcica pop' após as 1800 h; 35342 mas melhorou. 73 (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5005, Radio Nacional Bata 1950-1956* local chant; M unclear talking; chorus chant; M unclear talk; sudden s/off at 1956; heard in LSB with inter filter to null RTTY and with and without NIR 12; strong statics crashes; fast QSB; poor; Oct 06 (Giovanni Serra, Roma, Italy, Equipment: JRC NRD 525; Alpha Delta DX-SWL Sloper-S; RG 8 mini coaxial cable; JPS NIR 12 Noise & Interference Reducer-Dual DSP outboard audio filter; Intek PS-35 5 ampere feeder; JRC – NVA 319 external loudspeaker unit; Yaesu YH – 77 STA stereo headphones; Zoom Corp. H2 handy digital recorder MP3 & WAV files; Oregon Scientific RM912 Radio controlled clock; Toshiba Laptop PC Windows XP2 (offline for loggings); Interkart framed wall board political world map (1: 46,400,000); the DX Edge-Xantek Inc.(daylight-darkness desk world map), DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. 15190, Radio Africa (presumed); 1544-1550+, 4- Oct; English huxter mixing God and the economy (among other things); The Gospel of the Kingdom with Ben Lewis. 20 sec. Dead air at 1552+ and into Hope for Today. SIO=2+43- with weak whine and slight echo; LSB takes out the hum -- het from Brasil on 15191.45? (but no audio there) 1645-1702+, 4-Oct; Still huxtering with same segment repeated every 30 seconds from tune-in; a stuck huxter. (And, I listened to it for 15 minutes. What a hobby!) Brief DA at 1700:12, into Healing Faith (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time! WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15190, Radio Africa, 2000-2025*, Oct 4, US produced English religious programming. Abrupt sign off. Fair to good (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) 15190, Radio Africa, 0605-0630, 05-10, English, religious comments, male. 24322 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Logs in Lugo, Sony ICF SW 7600 G, cable antenna, 8 meters, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15190, Oct 6 at 0549, English talk about Jesus Christ, poor signal. R. Africa must have come on in the last few minutes as not heard in previous tuneby. Nor have I heard it lately in our afternoons, tho maybe not checking early enough before irregular sign-off. 15190, Oct 6 at 1933, fair signal from screaming preacher, R. Africa. 15190, Oct 10 at 1956 I find R. Africa is in a rut --- in fact a loop, repeating over and over a syllable that sounds like ``dan`` and occasionally with some other sound. Can`t figure out the period of the loop, or be certain of the original language. Goes on the same until 2006 when stops and then a YL preacher in French! Occasional hiccups but audio otherwise OK. Stops at 2019:50, no ID or sign-off, and carrier off at 2020:20*. Harold Frodge, MI, had observed a similar problem at 1645-1700 4 October [as above] (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ERITREA. 7190, Voice of the Broad Masses of Eritrea, *0256-0320, Oct 8, sign on with IS. Vernacular talk at 0300. Horn of Africa music. // 9715.03 - both frequencies fair to good 9715.03, Voice of the Broad Masses of Eritrea, *0255-0310, Oct 7, sign on with IS. Vernacular talk at 0300. Horn of Africa music. Fair. // 7185 - poor with ham QRM (Brian Alexander, PA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA. ETIÓPIA, 1359, A Voz da Revolução do Tigrê, Adis Abeba, 1826-1838, 05/10, líng. local, texto; 23441, QRM adj. // 5950. 1359 idem, 1825-..., 06/10, 45343. // 5950. 73. (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA. Radio Ethiopia / Radio Oromiya, 6030, Addis Ababa-Gedja. Oct. 4, 2012, Thursday. 0320-0340. Afar Oromo with HoA music, on air early (EiBi says *0325, Aoki days *0330). Good but a bit fadey. Fading out by 0335 as it gets light in Jo'burg. Already light in Addis, their sunrise today is 0313 according to www.timeanddate.com Jo'burg sunrise 0344. Radio Ethiopia / Radio Oromiya, 6030, Addis Ababa-Gedja. Oct. 5, 2012, Friday. 0304-0330. Afar Oromo. By 0304 I was hearing faint but unmistakable HoA music, not sure if it was just signing on or fading in. Also a bit of unreadable talk. Once again, much earlier than the 0325 / 0330 listed by EiBi and Aoki. Very weak but improving, although even by 0325 certainly nothing like as strong as yesterday. By now, 0330, it is starting to get light in Joburg; it will already be full daylight in Addis. Jo'burg sunrise 0343. Regards, (Bill Bingham, RSA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EUROPE. P I R A T A S___identificadas: 1611, R. Schaduwjager, HOL, 2122-..., 06/10, canções holandesas; 24442, espalhamento de sinal, de E, em 1602. 1625, R. Korenklopper (t), HOL, 2248-..., 06/10, canções holandesas, música pop'; 35443. 1628, R. Barones, HOL, 2045-..., 06/10, música pop, texto, música holandesa; 45343; anteriormente (1748 h), em 1675. 1629, R. Relmus, HOL, 2158-..., 05/10, música pop, "c&w"; 45444. 1629, R. Calypso (p), HOL, 1917-..., 06/10, música pop'; 35342. // 1620. 1635, R. Barcelona, HOL, *2145-..., 08/10, holandês, conversa, música; ex-1650a (até às 2144), mas regressou a essa freq., às 2154. 1645, Keizer Keizerin, HOL, 2152-..., 05/10, canções holandesas, conversa; 45444. 1650, R. Barcelona, HOL, 2141-2144*, 08/10, holandês, música, refs. às R.Montecarlo e R.Elektron; 35332; QSY 1635, mas regresso a 1650, às 2154. 1670, R. Maverick, 1824-..., 07/10, holand., música ligeira, canções holand., música pop'; 35343; sinal muito forte, pelas 1900, e ainda activo às 2105. 1675, R. Barones, HOL, 1748-..., 06/10, canções holandesas; 35443. P I R A T A S___não identificadas: 1619.6, grega, 1901-..., 07/10, canções gregas; 25342. 1619, holandesa, 2102-..., 06/10, canções holandesas; 34342, QRM adj. De 1620,1. 1620, holandesa, 1750-..., 06/10, canções holand., música pop'; 35342. 1620.1, nacionalidade desconhecida, 2059-..., 06/10, música pop'; 34342, portadora instável, QRM adj. de 1619. 1625, grega, 2207-..., 05/10, canções gregas; 25331. 1625, grega, 2106-..., 06/10, canções gregas; 25342. 1625.6, grega, 1752-..., 06/10, canções gregas; 25341. 1628.8, holandesa, 2104-..., 07/10, canções holandesas, texto; 35343. 1630, nacionalidade desconhecida, 1822-..., 06/10, música pop'; 35342 mas melhorou. 1631, grega, 2253-..., 06/10, canções gregas, texto; 35443. 1631, grega, 2107-..., 06/10, canções gregas; 45343. 1632.6, holandesa, 1902-..., 07/10, canções populares holandesas; 35343. 1634.6, grega, 2112-..., 07/10, canções gregas; 35343. 1635, grega, 2053-..., 06/10, canções gregas, 35342. 1636.5, holandesa, 1749-..., 06/10, texto, canções holandesas; 34342. 1640, grega, 1852-..., 07/10, canções gregas; 35343. 1640.1, grega, 2206-..., 05/10, canções gregas; 35342. 1645, holandesa, 1820-..., 07/10, canções holand., música folclórica holand., polcas, anúncio de n.º de telef. por locutora; 45444. 1646, nacionalidade desconhecida, 2055-..., 06/10, música pop'; 35342. 1647.7, holandesa, 2215-..., 07/10, música pop', conversa; 45343. 1649, holandesa, 1747-..., 06/10, canções holand.; 25342. 1650, holandesa, 2057-..., 06/10, texto, indicação de n.º de telef., canções holandesas; 45343. 1651, holandesa, 2107-..., 07/10, música holandesa; 25342. 1658, holandesa, 2156-..., 05/10, canções holandesas; 35342 1658, holandesa, 1821-..., 06/10, canções holandesas; 35342. 1675, holandesa (?), 2125-..., 06/10, música; 35342. 1676.3, grega, 1826-..., 07/10, música e canções gregas; 35343, modulação fraca até às 1900, mas, depois, muito forte. 1679.8, grega, 2126-..., 06/10, canções gregas; testes de áudio; 35443. 1688.4, grega, 2155-..., 05/10, texto; 25342. 1690, grega, 1856-..., 07/10, prgr falado (eco), música grega; 35343; sinal muito bom, pelas 2100. 1690.4, grega, 1756-..., 06/10, texto, música grega; 25341. 1699.6, grega, 2207-..., 04/10, texto, música; 25342. 1707.9, grega, 2220-..., 05/10, texto; 35343. 1710, grega, 1858-..., 07/10, texto; 35332. 1720.2, grega, 2128-..., 06/10, música grega; 25342. 1730, grega, 2110-..., 07/10, texto; 45343. 1735.6, grega (?), 1755-..., 06/10, texto; 15341. 73. (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Carlos, Tnx for another amazing report, especially all those MW pirates (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) Quanto às (muitas) est. piratas >1610 kHz, só lamento não conseguir identificar as gregas. Entretanto, hoje, 09/10, mais umas quantas, e apenas uma identificada: 1635.8, holandesa, 2137-..., canções holandesas, refs. à R. Caroline, "c&w"; 35343. 1629, holandesa, 2155-..., canções holandesas; 35343. 1630, grega, 2210-..., música grega; 24341, QRM adj. de pir. holandesa 1629. 1643.8, holandesa, 2212-..., canções holandesas, texto, canção italiana; 35342. 1647, R. Montecarlo, HOL, 2217-..., texto, música, "c&w"; 25342. 73 (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DS LISTENING DIGEST) ** EUROPE. Laser 43m New Frequency: On 6967.5 kHz this evening at tune-in 1905 UT (Stuart Satnipper, Oct 4, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) ** FINLAND. Weak signal from SWR, Finland at 1234 UT on 11720. SIO 2,2,2. Currently playing Beatles tracks, very difficult reception this afternoon though (Russ Cummings, North Ferriby, Sat Oct 6, AOR 7030+, 60 ft long wire, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) 6170, 1325-1500 Sat 06.10, Scandinavian Weekend R, Virrat. Finnish and English talks and pop songs, 35433 // 11690 or 11720 11690, 1445-1500 Sat 06.10, Scandinavian Weekend R, Virrat. English talk and pop songs 22221 QRM 11685 and 11695 // 6170 11720, 1155-1335 Sat 06.10, Scandinavian Weekend R, Virrat. Finnish ann, pop songs and talk 24322 Splashes from R Belarus 11730 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, done on my AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire in the trees in my garden, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) ** FRANCE. "Sound Kitchen," the meager listener-contact show that replaced "Club 9516" after the departure of David Page, has changed air times on RFI's English Service. Instead of very short programs on Saturdays and Sundays, it now airs at 0452, 0622 and 0752 UT Saturdays. American host Susan Owensby still runs a weekly news quiz (a carry- over from Club 9516). This week's five winners were all from India and Pakistan, though they won't immediately be getting their prizes. "I accidentally erased all your addresses!," Owensby says. "What an idiotic thing to do, eh?" (Mike Cooper, GA, Oct 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Mike listens on satellite; no shortwave in English (gh) ** FRANCE [non]. 9954.977, RFI Paris in Chinese, female reader at 2350 UT via Tainan-Taiwan site. S=6 signal in CLN (Wolfgang Büschel, using Victor Goonetilleke`s SDR in Piliyandala, Sri Lanka, Oct 6-7, BC-DX via DXLD) ** GAMBIA. GÂMBIA, 648, R. Gâmbia, Bonto, ainda sem sinal, ou extremamente fraco a ponto de não ser captável. 73. (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) No signal, or maybe JBA (gh) ** GERMANY. Lunedì 8 ottobre 2012, 1740 - 3955 kHz: Secondo il sito di shortwaveservice, che gestisce i programmi di Kall Krekel in Germania, dalle 17 alle 18 [ore? ottobre?] dovrebbe essere in onda Stimme Indonesiens e, invece, a me é parso esserci una programmazione sì in tedesco ma non tipica dell'Indonesia, più che altro per le canzoni del gruppo musicale America e dei Beatles (Luca Botto Fiora, QTH G.C. 09E13 - 44N21, Rapallo (Genova) - Italia, Oct 10, bclnews.it yg via DXLD) ** GERMANY [non]. 21780, Oct 5 at 1258, the (almost) original ``Goldfinger`` theme is sung in English by Shirley Bassey, 1300 DW opening Hausa with ID. Before 1300 it was the tail of the French service. Today is the fiftieth anniversary of the first James Bond film. This relay via RWANDA is often the SSOB on 13m with its equatorial advantage over the other European/ME signals. HFCC shows exactly same parameters for French and Hausa, 250 kW at 295 degrees, yet different CIRAF targets, broader ones for French than Hausa (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Re 12-40: DW Chinese SW radio will be cancelled Deutsche Welle will eliminate its shortwave broadcasts, and thus in all likelihood linear radio programmes altogether, for China. This apparently emerged on Tuesday from some newswire that is not online. But a reaction from the umbrella organization of culture institutions in Germany is: http://www.kulturrat.de/detail.php?detail=2395&rubrik=2 A B12 draft still shows frequencies for DW Chinese (1300-1330 9610 / Kranji, 1300-1400 11600 / Kranji and 13700 / Dhabbaya). But of course they could still be cancelled if the decision is to be implemented at short notice. Glenn Hauser just wondered about DW Chinese not being jammed: In recent years this service was indeed under fire for an allegedly friendly stance towards the Chicoms. This led to the firing of the editor in chief; some individual editors claim that they had to go for this reason as well, and critics believe that the new head of the service has been chosen for her right political position, not her knowledge of China (allegedly she is not even able to communicate in Mandarin). But I think the explanation for DW being left alone is more simple: I guess the jamming command considers DW as being of little relevance (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Oct 3, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST 12-40, via WORLD OF RADIO 1638) 9890, Oct 9 at 1259, DW IS, opening Chinese, good signal, 13 degrees via SINGAPORE also USward, no jamming (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY [non]. DEUTSCHE WELLE IN ENGLISH: UGANDA--THE FAILED STATE Tuned DW's English-language current affairs program "Africalink" at 2100 GMT [Oct 9] on 11865 kHz. Signal was strong & clear with my S- Meter registering 4 out of 5. This news program flows from Bonn, Germany via their only relay station at Kigali, Rwanda, aimed at the large African population that speaks English. After the news summary came many other stories during the hour-long broadcast, but I wish to focus on the agonizing report about Uganda "celebrating" 50 years of independence from British colonial rule which ended October, 1962. The report was filled with pessimistic facts about this failed state, even though its economy is growing today. It is a story of missed opportunities, extensive corruption within the government, hunger, personal misery for its citizens, anarchy, police brutality, denial of human rights and endless violent conflict of the most brutal sort. Uganda was given its rightful independence, but how much has been accomplished? And what about the future? These are all being debated in that society today. It is, more or less, still under military rule after 50 years of democratic pretense. Voices on the program lamented that so much time & opportunity have been lost & that "we could have done better." Which, of course, is bitter understatement. It was a sobering report, tinged with a little bit of hope -- a quality form of journalism beamed on shortwave (Grayson Watson; Dallas, TX using a Satellit 750 with an Apex 700DTA active antenna, dxingwithcumbre yg via DXLD) ** GERMANY. ALEMANIA PLANTEA INCLUIR EL CANON DE LA RADIO-TELEVISIÓN PÚBLICA EN LOS IMPUESTOS. viajes.es 08/10/2012 Por Rosalía Sánchez | Berlín A partir de 2013 los alemanes pagarán un canon universal destinado a mantener la radio y la televisión públicas y el Estado se plantea una retención directamente de la nómina. Los ciudadanos alemanes venían hasta ahora pagando el canon de la radio y la televisión pública en facturas bimensuales, domiciliadas en cuenta o pagadas a través de transferencia o en ventanilla, cuyo montante depende del número de aparatos receptores en el hogar. Una factura tipo es de 63 euros cada dos meses. Sucesivas sentencias judiciales han incluido en la obligación de pagar el canon, no solo quienes tienen un televisor o un aparato de radio, sino también un ordenador, un teléfono móvil conectado a internet o una tableta, en la medida en que estos terminales tecnológicos permiten igualmente el acceso a los medios públicos. Finalmente, a partir del 1 de enero y para simplificar, todos los ciudadanos con excepción de quienes carecen de capacidad económica y están exentos, deberán abonar el popularmente conocido como GEZ, independientemente de si poseen uno u otro terminal. Pero aunque la medida había sido pensada como un medio de eficiencia y ahorro público, llevarla a la práctica tendría carísimas consecuencias. Para hacer frente a la nueva burocracia, la central del GEZ debería contratar a unos 400 nuevos empleados antes de 2015 y el economista del Estado Justus Haucap calcula que el Estado se ahorraría unos 163 millones de euros al año si, en lugar de cobrar el canon a través de este órgano administrativo, la cantidad fuese deducida directamente a cada contribuyente en el pago del IRPF. FUENTE: http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2012/10/08/comunicacion/1349677830.html (Via Yimber Gaviria, Colombia, via Juan Franco Crespo, Spain, DXLD) Ya decía, hace años, que lo único que persiguen es tenernos controlados y hacernos pasar por ventanilla (o sea: pagar. Primero te doy el caramelo. Inmediatamente después, vendrá la hostia). Pronto nos cobrarán por respirar. CORDIALES SALUDOS / GOOD LUCK / (JUAN FRANCO Crespo, Spain, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. RADIO 6150 [6070]: Official opening and requests Hello friends, our official launch is planned for Sunday, October 21st, 9:00 am MESZ / 0700 UT. Our tests with the new output amp passed very promisingly, even though we only tested at 25 % of the final power up to now. At the moment we are working on the output amp, we hope to finish by next weekend (6th / 7th Oktober) so we can perform further tests with high power. At the moment only the driver is running with c. 75 Watts. News can, as always, be found at http://www.radio6150.de After the re-naming it will be forwarded to the new homepage. Regarding the launch: Especially on October 21st you can request songs for the launch programs. Please... a) send them to info @ radiotrax.de b) mention "Request" in the subject of your mail. We will keep you up to date! P.S. Please understand, that at the moment we are so busy working on the start of our new station, that we can't answer reception reports; thanks! (via Juan Franco Crespo, WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DXLD; and Hugo Matten, BDX via DXLD) also in German and Dutch ** GIBRALTAR. 1458, R. Gibraltar, Maida Vale, 1216-1306, 06/10, castelhano, música pop', conversa, anúncios comerciais, info. meteor.; 45444. 73. (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GREECE. 9420, October 5 at 0530, Voice of Greece, fair to good signal in the clear with the classic interval theme music. Apparent news program with shifting announcers and reporters; topics separated by musical "swoosh". It's great to hear them on well past 0200, at which time they had been recently cutting transmissions, but hadn't checked earlier what activity there was on 9420. Signal quality deteriorated as the hour wore on. With the threat of Greece's debt default, you would think broadcast hours would be cut even further, instead of expanded. Maybe, while under that cloud, they decided that transmissions are more important than ever (Eric Bryan, WA, WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX Listening Digest) 9420, Oct 5 at 0523, very surprised and pleased to hear Greek talk and good signal here tho with flutter, as VOG is no longer silent between 0200 and 1400 --- but it`s all talk, still at 0540 rather than the great music or Orthodoxing we prefer: maybe Sunday. Permanent revival, or a special occasion? Time will tell. Nothing on 7450 or 7475 at this time. 9420 signal comparable to BBC on 9410 tho VOG sounds louder. Turned on the radio again at 1243 still tuned to 9420, and music playing, presumably still VOG. 15650, Oct 5 at 1357, is in sign-on mode, however, with IS, and even an English ID included, ``This is Athens`` before ``Edho Athinai``. Ivo Ivanov in neighboring Bulgaria also noticed this expansion, confirming as of Oct 5: 02-08 on 9420, 11645, 15630; 12-14 on 9420, 15650; plus Makedonias 12-14 on 9935, but please check at 02-05 tomorrow, he asks (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Surprise, today October 5 I heard Voice of Greece in Greek: 0530 on 9420 (35543), 11645 (35443) and 15630 (55444). Maybe it will resume 24 hours broadcasting. Please check today. 73! (Ivo Ivanov, 0559 UT Oct 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, still going on at 0635. 73, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, ibid.) Not 24 h, all three frequencies closed at 0801 UT. 73! (Ivo Ivanov, 0837 UT, ibid.) Additional two hours of ERT-3 Radiophonikos Stathmos Makedonias in Greek on Oct. 5: 1200-1400 on 9935 (45544) Additional two hours of ERA-5 Voice of Greece in Greek on Oct.5: 1200-1400 on 15650 (45444) 1200-1400 on 9420 (55544) 73! (Ivo Ivanov, 1217 UT Oct 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) How did you know they would stay on until 1400? Altho they did (gh, DXLD) Additional shortwave transmissions from Greece effective from Oct. 5: ERT-3 Radiophonikos Stathmos Makedonias in Greek: 1200-1400 on 9935, confirmed on Oct. 5 ERA-5 Voice of Greece in Greek: 0200-0800 9420, confirmed Oct. 5 0500-0800, check 0200-0500 tomorrow 0200-0800 11645, confirmed Oct. 5 0500-0800, check 0200-0500 tomorrow 0200-0800 15630, confirmed Oct. 5 0500-0800, check 0200-0500 tomorrow 1200-1400 9420, confirmed Oct. 5 1200-1400 15650, confirmed Oct. 5 73! (Ivo Ivanov, 1322 UT Oct 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, all three on air - powerful -, still at 1345 UT Oct 5. 73 (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, ibid.) On Oct 6th at 0240 UT heard Voice of Greece on 7475 kHz S=9+15dB signal, 9420 kHz S=9+30dB signal here in Germany. 7475 left the air approx. 0255 UT. 9420 left the air for short period around 0258-0300 UT, but latter came back on air at 0300 UT with different antenna azimuth, decreased signal here in Germany then. But NO TRACE of 3rd channel, at least no propagation at my post. Nothing heard on 11645 and 15630 kHz either, but on 15650 kHz noted US Radio Liberty Uzbek from Udorn Thani Thailand just above threshold. 73 (Wolfgang Büschel, ibid.) When checked V of Greece Avlis again at 0355 UT Oct 6th, heard 11645 kHz joined on air, proper signal seemingly via 002 degrees antenna? S=9+25dB powerful. 9420 on S=9+5 dB level, seemingly via 285 degrees azimuth towards Central America ? Nothing heard on 7450, 7475, 9935, 12105, 15630, 15650. vy 73 (Wolfgang df5sx, ibid.) 9420, Oct 6 at 0528, V of Greece remains reactive for a second day, very good signal. I`m looking forward to 24 hours later on UT Sunday when they traditionally aired a Greek Orthodox service, violating separation of church and state, but oh, the music (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Once again heard in 1300 - 1400 UT slot Oct 6th, both noted Voice of Greece 9420 and 15650 in Greek, and ERT-3 Radiophonikos Stathmos Makedonias on 9935 kHz, which is always a little weaker than 9420 kHz. At 1930 UT ERT-3 Radiophonikos Stathmos Makedonias on 7450 kHz. And on 9420 kHz powerhouse Voice of Greek, and also \\ fair signal on 15630 kHz (Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Oct 6 via DXLD) 7475 & 9420, Oct 7 at 0201, V. of Greece is still on with music, instead of previous 0200*, a propitious sign that we can expect 9420 still to be on past 0500 with Greek Orthodox Sunday musical service [and non]. 9420, UT Sunday Oct 7 at 0458, VOG`s reëxpanded span is still on in former silent period; recheck at 0534 finds the much- anticipated Greek Orthodox Sunday singing service in progress, lasting past 0618. A nice contrast to the 0530 VatLat mass on even stronger 9645, battle of the sects. 15650, Oct 7 at 1311 poor with Greek music, in another extension on the air before previous *1355 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) All three frequency 9420, 11645 and 15630 of ERA-5 Voice of Greece on Sunday Oct. 7 s/off at 0650 UT: Monitored around 0643: 9420 and 15630 in Greek and surprise 11645 in Polish, maybe Radio Fillia. 73! (Ivo Ivanov, Bulgaria, 0722 UT Oct 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Voice of Greece expanded hours: Voice of Greece heard from 0650 tune in to past 0730 on 9420 11645 and 15630 October 8 (Mike Barraclough, UK, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Voice of Greece this morning Oct. 8: 0300-0800 on 9420 and 15630 in Greek 0300-0800 on 11645 in Greek, but surprise 0500-0600 in Albanian Radio Filia. 73! (Ivo Ivanov, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Please check for Radio Filia foreign languages relay section on 11645 kHz at 03-08 UT. Tentatively THE VOICE OF GREECE (ERA-5) (ERT-3) A-12 short-wave Transmission Schedule (Eff March 26 to October 29, 2012) extended transmission hours from Oct 5th. As monitored from October 5th onwards. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Avlis 1 Avlis 2 Avlis 3 UT (100 kW) (100 kW) (170 kW) 0000-0200 *15650/105& 7475/285 9420/323 0200-0300 15630/285& *7475/285 9420/323 0300-0800 15630/285 11645/002 9420/323 0800-1200 SILENT SILENT SILENT 1200-1400 #9935/285 15650/105 9420/323 1400-1500 #9935/285 15650/105 9420/323 1500-1600 #9935/285 15650/105 9420/323 1600-1700 *#9935/285 15650/105 9420/323 1700-1800 #7450/323 15650/105 9420/323 1800-1900 #7450/323 15630/285 9420/323 1900-2000 #7450/323 15630/285 9420/323 2000-2100 #7450/323 15630/285 9420/323 2100-2200 #7450/323 15630/285 9420/323 2200-2300 *#7450/323 15630/285 9420/323 2300-2357 15650/105& *15630/285& 9420/323 * Transmission ends 10 minutes earlier # ERT-3 Radiophonikos Stathmos, Makedonias (Thessaloniki) & not observed. To Asia, AUS, NE/ME 2300-0200 15650 1200-1800 15650 To North America 2300-2400 9420 15630 0000-0300 9420 7475 To South America, South Atlantic, Panama Zone....... 2000-2400 15630 To South America, South Atlantic.... 2300-0200 15650 Filia program relay 0500-0800 11645 0500 Albanian, 0600 Polish Probably 0700-0730 Russian. (Revised on April 2, 2012, by John Babbis, Silver Spring, MD, USA; updated by wb as of Oct 5th, 2012) Good evening Wolfy: I noticed on your revised A-12 Voice of Greece Transmission Table that you have their transmission to Africa on 11645 kHz on an azimuth of 002 degrees which would go around the top of the world to reach its destination. Print the 3 attached files above that Demetri Vafeas sent me nearly 20 years ago to see that 182 degrees (which was once used by VOG in Z-94) would do a better job. My guestimates are based sometimes on these files (John Babbis, Oct 10, ibid.) Strange situation on Oct. 8 afternoon at 1310 UT: Voice of Greece on air only on one frequency - 9420, no signal on // 15650 and no signal for Radiophonikos Stathmos Makedonias on 9935 Strange situation on Oct. 8 afternoon at 1320 UT: NO SIGNAL FROM VOICE OF GREECE on 9420 (CNR in Chinese heard in Sofia) and 15650 ALSO NO SIGNAL FROM RADIOPHONIKOS STATMOS MAKEDONIAS on 9935 I'll try again in 1400 UT. 73! (Ivo Ivanov, ibid.) This morning Oct. 9 on 11645: 0300-0500 V. of Greece Greek // 9420, 15630 and via Internet channel of Radio Filia 0500-0600 V. of Greece Greek, not Radio Filia, Albanian // 9420, 15630 0600-0800 V. of Greece Greek // 9420, 15630 Radio Filia only via Internet 0500-0600 in Albanian 0600-0700 in Spanish 0700-0800 in Greek 73! (Ivo Ivanov, ibid.) ERT. S. A: THE VOICE OF GREECE SHORT WAVE TRANSMISSION SHEDULE Effective from 04/10/12 to 28/10/12 Service Area GMT/UTC m kHz m kHz EUROPE 0000-0300 31 9420 41 7475* 0300-0600 31 9420 19 15630 0600-0800 31 9420 19 15630 1200-1900 31 9420 1900-2400 31 9420 19 15630* TASHKENT 1200-1600 31 9420 MIDDLE EAST, INDIAN OCEAN, AUSTRALIA 1200-1900 19 15650* ATLANTIC OCEAN 0000-0100 41 7475 19 15650* 0100-0300 31 9420 41 7475* 0300-0800 31 9420 19 15630 1900-2400 31 9420 19 15630* NORTH AMERICA 0000-0300 31 9420 41 7475* 2300-2400 31 9420 19 15630* SOUTH AMERICA, S ATLANTIC OCEAN, PANAMA ZONE 2000-2400 19 15630* 0300-0800 19 15630 South America-S Atlantic 2300-0400 19 15650* AFRICA 0400-0800 16 11645 (*) Transmission end 10 min earlier (languages) Gr=Greek, Eng= English, Al= Albanian, Ar=Arabian, Bg= Bulgarian, F=French, E= Spanish, G= German, Pl=Polish, R=Romanian, Rus= Russian, Sc= Servocroatian, Tr=Turkish [legacy key, not really] LIVE RADIO URL: http://www.voiceofgreece.gr http://www.ert.gr Tel studio: 210 606 6439 Reports via e-mail: era5 @ ert.gr apodimos_era5 @ ert.gr Technical information: bcharalabopoulos @ ert.gr ERA5 "THE VOICE OF GREECE" 432 Messogion, Ag. Paraskevi 15342, ATHENS (+30)-210 606 6895-96, (+30)-210-606 6297-98, (+30)-210 606 6398, Fax (+30)-210 606 6309 (John Babbis, Oct 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) THE VOICE OF GREECE (ERA-5) and ERT-3 New A-12 Short-wave Transmission Schedule (Effective October 4 to October 28, 2012) UT Avlis 1 (100 kw) Avlis 2 (100 kw) Avlis 3 (170 kw) 0000-0100 7475/285º/eu/at/na *15650/226º/at/na 9420/323º/eu/na 0100-0200 7475/285º/eu/at/na 15630/226º/am/na 9420/323º/eu/at/na 0200-0300 *7475/285º/eu/at/na 15630/260º/at/sa 9420/323º/eu/at/na 0300-0400 15630/260º/eu/at/sa 9420/323º/eu/at 0400-0500 11645/182º/af 15630/285º/eu/at/sa 9420/323º/eu/at 0500-0600 11645/182º/af 15630/285º/eu/at/sa 9420/323º/eu/at 0600-0700 11645/182º/af 15630/285º/eu/at/sa 9420/323º/eu/at 0700-0800 11645/182º/af 15630/285º/eu/at/sa 9420/323º/eu/at 0800-1200 SILENT SILENT SILENT 1200-1300 #9935/285º/eu 15650/105º/au/me 9420/323º/eu/as 1300-1400 #9935/285º/eu 15650/105º/au/me 9420/323º/eu/as 1400-1500 #9935/285º/eu 15650/105º/au/me 9420/323º/eu/as 1500-1600 #9935/285º/eu 15650/105º/au/me 9420/323º/eu/as 1600-1700 *#9935/285º/eu 15650/105º/au/me 9420/323º/eu 1700-1800 #7450/323º/eu 15650/105º/au/me 9420/323º/eu 1800-1900 #7450/323º/eu *15650/105º/au/me 9420/323º/eu 1900-2000 #7450/323º/eu 15630/285º/eu/sa/pz 9420/323º/eu 2000-2100 #7450/323º/eu 15630/285º/eu/sa/pz 9420/323º/eu 2100-2200 #7450/323º/eu 15630/285º/eu/sa/pz 9420/323º/eu 2200-2300 *#7450/323º/eu 15630/285º/eu/sa/pz 9420/323º/eu 2300-2400 *15650/260º/sa *15630/285º/eu/na 9420/323º/eu/na *Transmission ends 10 minutes earlier #ERT-3 Radiophonikos Stathmos Makedonias (Thessaloniki) af=Africa; as=Tashkent; at=Atlantic Ocean; au=Australia; eu=Europe; me=Middle East + Indian Ocean; pz=Panama Zone; sa=South America + South Atlantic Ocean (Compiled by John Babbis, Silver Spring, MD,) NEW A-12 VOG PROGRAM SCHEDULE This is the way Google Translate does it in English. John Babbis [these local times, and why does each day start at 08.00? -- gh] THE VOICE OF GREECE - CURRICULUM EMISSIONS MONDAY 08.00-09.00: Songs of the Voice of Greece 09.00-09.03: Where and why the G.Papazachariou 09.00-10.00: Coffee Greek. Broadcast media in Greece and the Diaspora with E. Karagiannis. Journalists: Pikoulas G., I. Mavridis, G. Dionysopoulos, B. Papadakis Journalistic support: K.Choumpa 10.00-10.05 Diaspora news. Editor: G. Papazachariou Presentation: Yiannopoulos 10.05-11.00 Coffee Greek then 11.00-12.00 News - News from the Diaspora. The social, political, business and cultural activities of the Diaspora Yiannopoulos 12.00-13.00 The folk song with our G. Afthino. 13.00-14.00 Culture praise. Cultural Events in Greece and the Diaspora with M. Gaki. 14.00-15.00 Radioefimerida 15.00-16.00 Diaspora news editor: G. Papazachariou Presentation: Yiannopoulos Journal Broadcast deck on Marine and Tourism. Editing - Presentation: N. tacks, Reportage: G.Dionysopoulos 16.00-17.00 News - The news from the homeland. Reviewing the news with N. amanites 17.00-18.00 News - Come as before with S. Brindisi. 18.00-18.07 News - The P. Charalambides reads 18.07-19.00 Interview of the Week Editor - Presentation: G. Tzouanopoulos 19.00-20.00 News - Flight 5-365 Emission bridge with the youth of the Diaspora G. Karapati 20.00-21.00 News - Sports News. In collaboration with the sports editors of the NRA Sports 21.00-22.00 News - Network Without Frontiers homogeneity in microphone Voice of Greece by Papadaki B. 22.00-24.00 The Charter The Greek cuisine and Greek products in Greece and abroad with Vissarion N. and A. Demetriou. 00.00-02.00 Coffee Greek. Broadcast media in Greece and the Diaspora with E. Karagiannis. Journalists: Pikoulas G., I. Mavridis, G. Dionysopoulos, B. Papadakis Journalistic support: K.Choumpa 02.00-03.00 5-365 Emission Fly bridge with the youth of the Diaspora G. Karapati 03.00-04.00 Network without frontiers homogeneity in microphone Voice of Greece by Papadaki B. 04.00-05.00 The news from the Diaspora. The social, political, business and cultural activities of the Diaspora Yiannopoulos 05.00-06.00 The news from the homeland. Reviewing the news with N. amanites 06.00-07.00 Greece in the world with Tsveta Karaspiliou 07.00-08.00 News - Interview of the Week Editor - Presentation: G. Tzouanopoulos TUESDAY 08.00-09.00 Go as before with S. Brindisi 09.00-09.03: where and why the G.Papazachariou 09.00-10.00: Coffee Greek. Broadcast media in Greece and the Diaspora with E. Karagiannis. Journalists: Pikoulas G., I. Mavridis, G. Dionysopoulos, B. Papadakis Journalistic support: K.Choumpa 10.00-10.05 Diaspora news. Editor and presentation Yiannopoulos 10.05-11.00 Coffee Greek then 11.00-12.00 News - Faces of Diaspora Greeks who excel abroad with G. Picula 12.00-13.00 The folk song with our G. Afthino. 13.00-14.00 Culture praise. Cultural Events in Greece and the Diaspora with M. Gaki. 14.00-15.00 Radioefimerida 15.00-16.00 Diaspora news editor: G. Papazachariou Presentation: Yiannopoulos Journal Broadcast deck on Marine and Tourism. Editing - Presentation: N. tacks, Reportage: G.Dionysopoulos 16.00-17.00 News - The news from the homeland. Reviewing the news with N. amanites 17.00-18.00 News - Music arched with L. Zafeiropoulou 18.00-18.07 News - The P. Charalambides reads 18.07-19.00 News - The View theatrofono the Greek Diaspora and theater N. Vissarionos 19.00-20.00 News - Flight 5-365 Emission bridge with the youth of the Diaspora G. Karapati 20.00-21.00 News - Sports News. In collaboration with the sports editors of the NRA Sports 21.00-22.00 News - Network Without Frontiers homogeneity in microphone Voice of Greece by Papadaki B. 22.00-23.00 News - Hello patriotic music and communicate with their listeners with P. Dourdoumpakis. 23.00-24.00 Custody Silent Harmony - G. Papazachariou presentation. 00.00-02.00 Coffee Greek. Broadcast media in Greece and the Diaspora with E. Karagiannis. Journalists: Pikoulas G., I. Mavridis, G. Dionysopoulos, B. Papadakis Journalistic support: K.Choumpa 02.00-03.00 5-365 Emission Fly bridge with the youth of the Diaspora G. Karapati 03.00-04.00 Network without frontiers homogeneity in microphone Voice of Greece by Papadaki B. 04.00-05.00 Faces of Diaspora Greeks who excel abroad with G. Picula 05.00-06.00 The news from the homeland. Reviewing the news with N. amanites 06.00-07.00 News - Newspaper broadcast deck for the shipping and tourism. Editing - Presentation: N. tacks, Reportage: G.Dionysopoulos 07.00-08.00 News - Music arched with L. Zafeiropoulou WEDNESDAY Hello Patriots 08.00-09.00 Music and communication with listeners with P. Dourdoumpakis. 09.00-09.03 From where and why the G.Papazachariou 09.00-10.00 Coffee Greek. Broadcast media in Greece and the Diaspora with E. Karagiannis. Journalists: Pikoulas G., I. Mavridis, G. Dionysopoulos, B. Papadakis Journalistic support: K.Choumpa 10.00-10.05 Expatriate news and editorial presentation Yiannopoulos 10.05-11.00 Coffee Greek then 11.00-12.00 News - New Investments in Greece and reports from the investment world with T. Mavridis 12.00-13.00 The folk song with our G. Afthino 13.00-14.00 News - Modern Greek song Voice of Greece with G. Triantafylli 14.00-15.00 Radioefimerida 15.00-16.00 Diaspora news editor: G. Papazachariou Presentation: Yiannopoulos Journal Broadcast deck on Marine and Tourism. Editing - Presentation: N. tacks, Reportage: G.Dionysopoulos 16.00-17.00 News - The news from the homeland. Reviewing the news with G. G. Dionyssopoulos-Karapati. 17.00-18.00 News - Music arched with L. Zafeiropoulou 18.00-18.07 News - The P. Charalambides reads 18.07-19.00 News - View Log Books and Greek Diaspora cinema N. Hadjianastassiou. 19.00-20.00 News - Flight 5-365 Emission bridge with the youth of the Diaspora G. Karapati 20.00-21.00 News - Sports News. In collaboration with the sports editors of the NRA Sports 21.00-22.00 News - Network Without Frontiers homogeneity in microphone Voice of Greece by Papadaki B. 22.00-23.00 News - Hello patriotic music and communicate with their listeners with P. Dourdoumpakis. 23.00-24.00 Custody Silent Harmony - G. Papazachariou presentation. 00.00-02.00 Coffee Greek. Broadcast media in Greece and the Diaspora with E. Karagiannis. Journalists: Pikoulas G., I. Mavridis, G. Dionysopoulos, B. Papadakis Journalistic support: K.Choumpa 02.00-03.00 5-365 Emission Fly bridge with the youth of the Diaspora G. Karapati 03.00-04.00 network without frontiers homogeneity in microphone Voice of Greece by Papadaki B. 04.00-05.00 New Investments in Greece and reports from the investment world with T. Mavridis 05.00-06.00 The news from the homeland. Reviewing the timeliness with Y. Dionyssopoulos-Z Karapati 06.00-07.00 News - Newspaper broadcast deck for the shipping and tourism. Editing - Presentation: N. tacks, Reportage: G.Dionysopoulos 07.00-08.00 News - Music arched with L. Zafeiropoulou THURSDAY Hello Patriots 08.00-09.00 Music and communication with listeners with P. Dourdoumpakis. 09.00-09.03 From where and why the G.Papazachariou 09.00-10.00 Coffee Greek. Broadcast media in Greece and the Diaspora with E. Karagiannis. Journalists: Pikoulas G., I. Mavridis, G. Dionysopoulos, B. Papadakis Journalistic support: K.Choumpa 10.00-10.05 Expatriate news and editorial presentation Yiannopoulos. 10.05-11.00 Coffee Greek then 11.00-12.00 O Postman broadcast communication with the Greeks of Diaspora N. Vissarionos 12.00-13.00 The folk song with our G. Afthino 13.00-14.00 News - Travelling with art. Tourism, cultural and historical tour in Greece with N. Hadjianastassiou 14.00-15.00 Radioefimerida 15.00-16.00 Diaspora news editor: G. Papazachariou Presentation: Yiannopoulos Journal Broadcast deck on Marine and Tourism. Editing - Presentation: N. tacks, Reportage: G.Dionysopoulos 16.00-17.00 News - The news from the homeland. Reviewing the news with G. Papazachariou 17.00-18.00 News - I tell you with a song by M. Hadji 18.00-18.07 News - The P. Charalambides reads 18.07-19.00 Byzantine Culture Studies and Research The world of Byzantium through its educational and research activities of the University of Athens with T. Kolia 19.00-20.00 News - Flight 5-365 Emission bridge with the youth of the Diaspora G. Karapati 20.00-21.00 News - Sports News. In collaboration with the sports editors of the NRA Sports 21.00-22.00 News - Network Without Frontiers homogeneity in microphone Voice of Greece G. Dionyssopoulos. 22.00-23.00 News - Hello patriotic music and communicate with their listeners with P. Dourdoumpakis 23.00-24.00 The Greeks jazzmen Voice of Greece with P. Tsar. 00.00-02.00 Coffee Greek. Broadcast media in Greece and the Diaspora with E. Karagiannis. Journalists: Pikoulas G., I. Mavridis, G. Dionysopoulos, B. Papadakis Journalistic support: K.Choumpa 02.00-03.00 5-365 Emission Fly bridge with the youth of the Diaspora G. Karapati 03.00-04.00 Network without frontiers homogeneity in microphone Voice of Greece G. Dionyssopoulos. 04.00-05.00 O Postman broadcast communication with the Greeks of Diaspora N. Vissarionos 05.00-06.00 The news from the homeland. Reviewing the news with G. Papazachariou 06.00-07.00 Greece in the world with Fouli Zavitsanou. 07.00-08.00 News - I tell you with a song by M. Hadji. FRIDAY Hello Patriots 08.00-09.00 Music and communication with listeners with P. Dourdoumpakis. 09.00-09.03 From where and why the G.Papazachariou 09.00-10.00 Coffee Greek. Broadcast media in Greece and the Diaspora with E. Karagiannis. Journalists: Pikoulas G., I. Mavridis, G. Dionysopoulos, B. Papadakis Journalistic support: K.Choumpa 10.00-10.05 Diaspora news editor: G. Papazachariou Presentation: Yiannopoulos 10.05-11.00 Coffee Greek then 11.00-12.00 News - Cultural activities of the Diaspora with G. Papazachariou. 12.00-13.00 The folk song with our G. Afthino. 13.00-14.00 Culture praise. Cultural Events in Greece and the Diaspora with M. Gaki. 14.00-15.00 Radioefimerida 15.00-16.00 Diaspora news editor: G. Papazachariou Presentation: Yiannopoulos Journal Broadcast deck on Marine and Tourism. Editing - Presentation: N. tacks, Reportage: G.Dionysopoulos 16.00-17.00 News - The news from the homeland. Review of the current Ch. Frantzeskaki. 17.00-18.00 News - The folk song Voice of Greece to the E. Falirea 18.00-18.07 News - The P. Charalambides reads 18.07-19.00 News - The book Voice of Greece and Greek expatriates Show author by N. amanites. 19.00-20.00 News - Flight 5-365 Emission bridge with the youth of the Diaspora G. Karapati 20.00-22.00 News - The Charter of the Greek cuisine and Greek products in Greece and abroad with Vissarion N. and A. Demetriou. 22.00-23.00 News - Hello patriotic music and communicate with their listeners with P. Dourdoumpakis 23.00-24.00 Will tell you with a song by M. Hadji. 00.00-02.00 Coffee Greek. Broadcast media in Greece and the Diaspora with E. Karagiannis. Journalists: Pikoulas G., I. Mavridis, G. Dionysopoulos, B. Papadakis Journalistic support: K.Choumpa 02.00-03.00 5-365 Emission Fly bridge with the youth of the Diaspora G. Karapati 00.30-01.55 Will tell you with a song by M. Hadji 03.00-04.00 Faces of Diaspora Greeks who excel abroad with G. Picula 04.00-05.00 And Culture of the Diaspora with G. Papazachariou 05.00-06.00 The news from the homeland. Review of the current Ch. Frantzeskaki 06.00-07.00 News - Newspaper broadcast deck for the shipping and tourism. Editing - Presentation: N. tacks, Reportage: G.Dionysopoulos 07.00-08.00 News - I tell you with a song by M. Hadji. SATURDAY 08.00-09.00 Ixeis-Arrivals broadcast information with E. Karagiannis 09.00-09.08 News - Diaspora bulletin 09.08-09.30 Ecological pages with G. Kallitsis 09.30-10.00 Songs of the Voice of Greece 10.00-11.00 The story of a week with N. amanites 11.00-12.00 Byzantine Culture Studies and Research The world of Byzantium through its educational and research activities University of Athens T. Kolia 12.00-17.00 Login with NET Fm Connect with EPA 17.00-22.00 Sports 22.00-01.00 Live emission lines of communication with G. Tzouanopoulo Hello Patriots 01.00-02.00 Music and communication with listeners with P. Dourdoumpakis 02.00-03.00 Travelling with Tourist art, cultural and historical tour in Greece with N. Hadjianastassiou 03.00-04.00 The modern Greek song Voice of Greece with G. Triantafylli 04.00-05.00 O Postman broadcast communication with the Greeks of Diaspora N. Vissarionos 05.00-06.00 The book Voice of Greece and Greek expatriates Show author by N. amanites. 06.00-07.00 Culture praise. Cultural Events in Greece and the Diaspora with M. Gaki. 07.00-08.00 Word goods with G. Afthino SUNDAY 08.00-11.00 Login with NET FM to broadcast the Divine Liturgy 11.00-12.00 Will tell you with a song by M. Hadji. 12.00-15.00 Login with NET Fm 15.00-17.00 Singing tradition with G. Afthino. 17.00-22.00 Connect with EPA Sports 23.00-01.00 Live emission lines of communication with G. Tzouanopoulo 01.00-02.00 Faces of Diaspora Greeks who excel abroad with G. Picula 02.00-03.00 Music arched with L. Zafeiropoulou 03.00-03.30 Gains and losses with T. Barmparousi 03.30-04.00 Music 04.00-05.00 The Greeks jazzmen Voice of Greece with P. Tsar. 05.00-06.00 Interview of the Week Editor - Presentation: G. Tzouanopoulos 06.00-08.00 Songs News-Voice of Greece (Selection by M. Koutsimpyri) Glenn: These are Local Greek Times; an educated guess would lead me to believe that 0800 is the starting work day at the Voice of Greece's offices. It looks as though their web radio is working 24 hours, but the short-wave is off from 0800 to 1200 UT. During the summer, I thought Greek Time was UT + 3 and winter was UT + 2; am I correct? Are they still on + 3 or is + 2 now in effect? (John Babbis, MD, DX LISTENING DIGEST) John, I assume they are on UT+3 until the last Sunday in October like much of the rest of Europe (Glenn to John, ibid.) Glenn: I agree, until October 28. One of those VOG Program Schedules has it "UTC+2 Ora Ellados``, but maybe they are jumping the gun for after October 28, or else they fired the technician who makes these schedules up and now have new help. ``Program Schedule From 08.10.12; UTC+2 Ora Ellados`` (John Babbis, ibid.) Updated summer A-12 schedule of ERA-3 and ERA-5 as of Oct 9 ERT-3 Radiophonikos Stathmos Makedonias in Greek: 1200-1655 on 9935 AVL 100 kW 285 deg to WeEu/NoAm, ex 1400-1655 1700-2255 on 7450 AVL 100 kW 323 deg to WeEu/NoAm, no change ERA-5 Voice of Greece in Greek: 1200-1755 on 15650 AVL 100 kW 105 deg to SoAs/AUS, ex 1400-1755 1200-0800 on 9420 AVL 170 kW 323 deg to WeEu/NoAm, ex 1400-0200 1800-2355 on 15630 AVL 100 kW 285 deg to WeEu/NoAm, no change 2300-0255 on 15650 AVL 100 kW 226 deg to CeAm/SoAm, or 2300-0155 0000-0255 on 7475 AVL 100 kW 285 deg to WeEu/NoAm, ex 0000-0200 0300-0800 on 15630 AVL 100 kW 285 deg to WeEu/NoAm, or 0200-0800 additional 0300-0500 on 11645 AVL 100 kW 355 deg to WeEu/NoAm, additional 0500-0800 on 11645#AVL 100 kW 355 deg to WeEu/NoAm, additional # on Sun, Oct.7 surprise Radio Filia in Polish around 0643 # on Mon, Oct.8 surprise Radio Filia in Albanian 0500-0600 # on Tue, Oct.9 no transmissions of Radio Filia on 11645!! (Ivo Ivanov, DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, Oct 9 via DXLD) Updated summer A-12 schedule of ERA-3 and ERA-5 as of Oct. 10: ERT-3 Radiophonikos Stathmos Makedonias in Greek: 1200-1655 on 9935 AVL 100 kW 285 deg to WeEu/NoAm, ex 1400-1655 1700-2255 on 7450 AVL 100 kW 323 deg to WeEu/NoAm, no change ERA-5 Voice of Greece in Greek: 1200-1855 on 15650 AVL 100 kW 105 deg to SoAs/AUS, ex 1400-1855 1200-0800 on 9420 AVL 170 kW 323 deg to WeEu/NoAm, ex 1400-0200 1900-2355 on 15630 AVL 100 kW 285 deg to WeEu/NoAm, no change 2300-0355 on 15650*AVL 100 kW 240 deg to CeAm/SoAm, ex 2300-0200 0000-0255 on 7475 AVL 100 kW 285 deg to WeEu/NoAm, ex 0000-0200 0300-0800 on 15630 AVL 100 kW 285 deg to WeEu/NoAm, additional 0400-0500 on 11645 AVL 100 kW 182 deg to WeEu/NoAm, additional 0500-0800 on 11645#AVL 100 kW 182 deg to NoAf/N&ME, additional * from 0200 strong co-ch Radio Liberty in Uzbek via Udorn! # on Sun, Oct.7 surprise Radio Filia in Polish around 0643 # on Mon, Oct.8 surprise Radio Filia in Albanian 0500-0600 # on Tue, Oct.9 no transmissions of Radio Filia on 11645!! # on Wed, Oct.10 Radio Filia is back, but only in Albanian 0500-0600 73! (Ivo Ivanov, Bulgaria, WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Dear listeners, we inform you that from 8/10/12 emit short-wave 20 hours in 24 hours (stop transmission from 11.00 to 15.00 Greek Time (or 0800 to 1200 UT) with new fresh program. Wish you good listening and waiting for you soon. Sincerely from the Voice of Greece (Apodimos, VOG, Oct 10, translated, via John Babbis, WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DXLD) REVISED VOG A-12 SCHEDULE Thanks for your explanations, Wolfy. As long as we are going to South America, perhaps they are using 226 degrees for South America and South Atlantic (sat) and 260 degrees for South America, South Atlantic, and Panama Zone (sa); (see Globe). I shuffled things around at the top and changed some azimuths as long as we are all guessing. Even before this Greek money mess, I asked Demetri about azimuths, and they said it was proprietary information; big deal! Now, they never answer mail. We'll se what happens in B-12 (John Babbis, ibid.) THE VOICE OF GREECE (ERA-5) and ERT-3 Revised A-12 Short-wave Transmission Schedule (Effective October 4 to October 28, 2012) UT Avlis 1 (100 kw) Avlis 2 (100 kw) Avlis 3 (170 kw) 0000-0100 15650/226º/sat/at 7475/285º/eu/at/na 9420/323º/eu/na 0100-0200 15650/226º/sat 7475/285º/eu/at/na 9420/323º/eu/at/na 0200-0300 15650/226º/sat *7475/285º/eu/at/na 9420/323º/eu/at/na 0300-0400 *15650/226º/sat 15630/260º/eu/at/sa 9420/323º/eu/at 0400-0500 11645/182º/af 15630/260º/eu/at/sa 9420/323º/eu/at 0500-0600 11645/182º/af 15630/260º/eu/at/sa 9420/323º/eu/at 0600-0700 11645/182º/af 15630/260º/eu/at/sa 9420/323º/eu/at 0700-0800 11645/182º/af 15630/260º/eu/at/sa 9420/323º/eu/at 0800-1200 SILENT SILENT SILENT 1200-1300 #9935/285º/eu 15650/105º/au/me 9420/323º/eu/as 1300-1400 #9935/285º/eu 15650/105º/au/me 9420/323º/eu/as 1400-1500 #9935/285º/eu 15650/105º/au/me 9420/323º/eu/as 1500-1600 #9935/285º/eu 15650/105º/au/me 9420/323º/eu/as 1600-1700 *#9935/285º/eu 15650/105º/au/me 9420/323º/eu 1700-1800 #7450/323º/eu 15650/105º/au/me 9420/323º/eu 1800-1900 #7450/323º/eu *15650/105º/au/me 9420/323º/eu 1900-2000 #7450/323º/eu 15630/260º/eu/at 9420/323º/eu/at 2000-2100 #7450/323º/eu 15630/260º/eu/at/sa 9420/323º/eu/at 2100-2200 #7450/323º/eu 15630/260º/eu/at/sa 9420/323º/eu/at 2200-2300 *#7450/323º/eu 15630/260º/eu/at/sa 9420/323º/eu/at 2300-2400 15650/226º/sat *15630/260º/eu/at/am 9420/323º/eu/at/na *Transmission ends 10 minutes earlier #ERT-3 Radiophonikos Stathmos Makedonias (Thessaloniki) af=Africa; am=Americas; as=Tashkent; at=Atlantic Ocean; au=Australia; eu=Europe; me=Middle East+Indian Ocean; sa=South America+South Atlantic Ocean+Panama Zone; sat=South America+South Atlantic (Compiled by John Babbis, Silver Spring, MD, Oct 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUATEMALA. Stunning Signal --- Greetings!! Just wanted to let you know that Radio Verdad made its way into northeast North America once again. I was tuning around at 0932 UT and decided to look at 4.055 MHz and discovered a very strong signal with your electronic tuning signature, the long Guatemalan national song, followed by a series of station identifications to start the broadcast. I was surprised that you are still using my English identification!! I couldn't believe how strong the signal was. Much much stronger than it used to be. The only problem that I could see was there appeared to be a little distortion in the audio as if the modulation was pushed too high. Other than that, a very nice signal. From what I can see on the Internet, you are 2 hours behind us, meaning that you sign on at 3:30 AM!! Is that correct?? That is very early to start the broadcast. Anyway, it was a pleasant surprise to hear you with such a strong signal again. Take care. Dave Valko (Oct 4 via Édgar Madrid, Radio Verdad, DXLD) Dear Dave: We keep good remembrance of you, and appreciate your good report very much. I will send you our new QSL Card very soon. I will inform our early morning new radio announcer and operator about your distortion remark. She is new, but very good one at work. It was her idea to start transmissions that early. Yes, we are starting transmissions around 3:30 a.m. (Guatemala time), and close transmission at 12:05 midnight. I will tell you what happened about our power improvement. You might have become aware that we were off the air for two years, due to the enormous destruction of our transmitter by a lightning strike in September 2008. No Guatemalan technician, neither engineer was able to fix it, but worsened the situation. In the year 2010, I got in contact with Canadian engineer Wayne Ralph Borthwick, the one who had designed our transmitter power amplifier modules. He came to Guatemala in October that year, and fixed everything. At the same time, he designed a new and different antenna and made several other adjustments. The results were a very high efficiency of the signal, even though we used less power than before. Now, we have received many recorded reports with a fair of very fine signal from countries like Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, a very nice signal in Indonesia and the East of the United States, good reports from California, Texas, and other places. Our signal is very strong and clear in all Central American countries, Panamá, Venezuela, Colombia and Mexico; fair in Argentina, Brasil, Bolivia and Peru. We are transmitting through two Internet channels also, which you can tune through our Web Site at http://www.radioverdad.org Right now, I am doing some procedures in order to get a 15 year extension of our transmission licence. Oh, short wave is marvelous! It was very good to hear from you again. May God bless you. Dr. Édgar Amílcar Madrid, Radio Verdad (Radio Truth) ----------------------------------------- (Madrid, reply to Valko in large blue type, cc to gh, DXLD) ** GUIANA FRENCH. 11995, Oct 5 at 0520, open carrier with hum persists as TDF forgets to turn off their 500 kW transmitter after Taiwan relay ending at 0300. That`s 1166+ kWh wasted so far tonight (much more considering necessary input vs. inefficiency, if it`s really at full bore), but I have never been up late enough to find when they finally turn it off; it`s never audible after I wake up circa 1130/1230. 11995, Oct 6 at 0529, no signal from open carrier with hum, as occasionally happens, but it has always come back. Turkey 11980 managed a poor signal tonight. However, at 0530 I notice a similar- pitch hum on 12045 instead, S9+5 mixing with some broadcast modulation, i.e. DW Portuguese via Rwanda. 12045 is not a GUF frequency at any time. 9374 approx., Oct 7 at 0003, big FMy humblob, just barely modulated. Rather like Cairo is capable of, but nothing yet from there on 9305 or 9315. At 0027 I find another blob on 9276 but they are not //, and there is nothing equally between them on 9325. See UNIDENTIFIED for more on 9276. At 0036 Oct 7, yet another spurblob on 9606 with whine at the same pitch as 9374. Now these two do match, as I hear an announcement in Spanish mentioning 5955 kHz, bingo! It`s Radio República, 9490 equally between 9374 and 9606 by 116 kHz. Each blob spreads about 4 kHz, 2 on each side. Come to think of it, the pitch of the humwhine resembles what I have been hearing for weeks on 11995. 9610, Oct 7 at 0103, Vatican Spanish via doomed BONAIRE has started with VG signal, yet bothered by the GUF spur on 9606 which will be there for another hour; and every night? Fundamental 9490 is so far, enough above the wall-of-noise jamming to be mostly readable if one cares to put up with the blather from paranoid dentroCubans. [+ below] 11995, Oct 9 at 0444, poor signal with usual hum from the TDF carrier; hardly anything else making it on 25m except Brazil, Cuba and WEWN. TDF spurblobs plus/minus 116 kHz from 9490 during Radio República relay: First time I have looked for these since original report Oct 7: 0135 UT Oct 10, 9374 and 9606 are still there, altho not as strong as the first time. But may be due to weaker fundamental at the moment too (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HAWAII. 1080, KWAI, Honolulu – Has a CP to correct its coordinates and antenna pattern, which are incorrect in the current license. To satisfy the CP, it needs to conduct tests to recertify the antenna system, and to do those tests, a total of 14 stations need to go off the air for 6 hours on 2 consecutive nights. The engineering firm wants to do this on a Saturday and Sunday night, “as early in the evening as is practical.” The stations are KSSK-590, KHNR-690, KGU- 760, KHVH-830, KHCM-880, KIKI-990, KLHT-1040, KWAI-1080, KZOO-1210, KNDI-1270, KKEA-1420, KHRA-1460, KHKA-1500, and KREA-1540. In the meantime, KWAI was granted an STA on 9/7 to keep operating at variance from the incorrectly specified license for another six months. Honolulu DXers, expect the mother of all silent periods soon! (Wayne Heinen, AM Switch, NRC DX News Oct 1 via DXLD) ** INDIA. [Re 12-40]. Rajkot: Note the radio on the console. This is a DRM set made years ago and sold under the Morphy Richards brand. I saw one in the Nauen control room as well back in 2006, when they still ran some DRM transmissions (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Oct 7, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. 6/10, 4820.85, AIR Kolkata, 1725 with old pops and talks in English, 1750 with Hindi traditional songs, S5 and passes 1800 in the clear (Xizang left frequency at 1800), S5 Audio on 173x http://www.ipernity.com/doc/zliangas/13580677/ (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, Pesawat penerima: ICOM R75, Lowe HF150, Degen 1102, 1103, 108, 1126, Tecsun PL200/550/600/360, Chibo c300/c979, Yupi 7000, Antenna: 16m hor, 2x16 m V invert, 1m Australian loop, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. 4850, AIR Kohima, 1202-1401*, Oct 5. In vernacular; religious (sounded Christian) songs; talk about a Nagaland Festival; 1305-1315 weekly Friday sports news in English (item about Australia vs West Indies cricket match, etc.); 1315-1340 in vernacular with program for the Naga people; 1340 news in Hindi; 1350 news in English; 1400 started program in English, but was suddenly cut short with pop song till off; mostly poor to at times almost fair. 4850, AIR Kohima. Running true to form, this broadcasts for one day only (last heard Oct 5) and then silent for many days. As of Oct 10 not on the air again, so it is necessary to check every day to catch their erratic scheduling (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Alinco DX-R8T and Par Electronics EF-SWL antenna, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. AIR 60 mb shortwave footprint this morning: 5010.003 powerhouse, S=9+35dB, AIR Thiruvananthapuram in Hindi at 0045 4989.993 carrier only at 0046 UT, S=7-8 fluttery, AIR Itanagar tx? 4970.003 AIR Shillong, pair sung typical Indian film music, weak 5-6. 4965 AIR Shimla, Hindi pop song, at 0048 UT, S=8-9 fluttering, 4920 AIR Chennai, powerhouse in CLN remote unit, S=9+30dB, at 0057 UT Oct 7, young ladies film singer. 4910 AIR Jaipur in Hindi, fluttery poor S=6-7 at 0058 UT, sweet film music. 4895 ? puzzle, UNIDENTIFIED. 4894.993 and 4894.927 kHz rather Brazilian stations, than Calcutta. 4879.993 AIR Lucknow in Hindi, lady singer, typical Indian film music. S=7 at 0059 UT Oct 7. 4840 AIR Mumbai, S=9+10dB, Hindi anncment before newscast at 0101 UT. 4835 not ABC Aboriginal Alice Springs propagation, but 4834.998 kHz likely AIR Gangtok in tentat. Hindi, string and flute music and lady singer. At 0102-0103 UT. 4819.990 AIR Calcutta in Hindi, bongo + flute string instrument mx, at 0105 UT, S=7-8 fair signal strength. 4809.995 AIR Bombay, UNDERMODULATED transmitter, weak S=6 signal, singer performed at 0107 UT. 4800.003 AIR Hyderabad, probably Hindi language talk, at 0108 UT, MUCH UNDERMODULATED (Wolfgang Büschel, using Victor Goonetilleke`s SDR in Piliyandala, Sri Lanka, Oct 6-7, BC-DX via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. 4749.95, RRI Makassar, 1310-1340, Oct 9. Another Tuesday with the “Kang Guru Indonesia” program with Kevin and Ana; played Australian folk songs; today for a change did not hear Bangladesh at all, but instead had heavy CNR1 QRM, causing poor reception (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Alinco DX-R8T and Par Electronics EF-SWL antenna, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. 9526, Oct 10 at 1245 and more chex past 1400, still no sign of even a carrier from V. of Indonesia. There was however a weak spurblob around 9522, probably from RHC 9540. I`ve been in contact with VOI about their problem. They needed replacement tubes, and were going to start testing at 0700 UT today. So be on the lookout for them. Also on alternate frequencies 11785, 15150 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Checked 9526 and 9680.050 channels today at 10 to 14 UT, but heard nothing from Jakarta Cimanggis Indonesia. Only RTI Taiwan and some jammers from China mainland on 9680 kHz heard from 11 UT onwards. 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, Oct 10, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. 9680.050, RRI Jakarta Cimanggis in BI, newscast at 0004- 0005 UT, ID, S=7 heard in CLN (Wolfgang Büschel, using Victor Goonetilleke`s SDR in Piliyandala, Sri Lanka, Oct 6-7, BC-DX via DXLD) INDONÉSIA, 9679.05 RRI, Cimanggis, 1102-desvanecimento total 1140, 08/10, indonésio, programa falado, canções; 24422. 73 (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Have never seen them this far off frequency. Did you mean 9679.95? (Glenn to Carlos, via DXLD) IND_RRI Cimanggis, *9679.05*, correcto, não 9679.95 (Carlos Gonçalves, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Carlos, questionable. RRI Cimanggis is usually on 9680 kHz, plus some 50 - 60 Hertz. Heard recently Oct 7th: 9680.050 kHz, 9680.054 RRI Indonesia 4, Sept 21. And RRI signal can be separated on modern SDR radios by using narrow bandwidth and modern digital notching. But this channel is // covered by an odd Taiwanese RTI progrgram as well as 1-2 China mainland jammer co-channel at same time. 9679.996 CBSC RTWN International in Mandarin language at 1335 UT, via Taipei-TWN site. 1100-1705 UT registered. 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, ibid.) Wolfgang, My other RRI [recorded] observations this year were: February_20_1055-1208_9680.05 July_19_0920-0959_9680 August_13_1050-1150_9680.07 In 2011, just one recorded obs. on this station: August_15_0931-0956_9680.05 So very, very few recorded obs. though not as few unwritten ones, but in such cases I simply don't care to measure the fq, period. So, yes, there is a pattern I am also aware of for ages, be it with RRI 9680v or with others - but maybe you have a point there when you refer to "9679.996 CBSC RTWN Internat in Mandarin language at 1335 UT, via Taipei (...)". On my Oct'12 log, I have ~79.05, not ~80.05, which, by the way, simply makes me believe I am not inventing things, i.e., I suppose that I what I wrote on the paper was what I found at that particular time. However, you can also see, that my SINPO, 24422, denotes the presence of another signal which may well be that of the station you mention, and maybe both signals may have caused (?) a misreading. Perhaps, just perhaps, but I'm afraid I can't get those tiny signals that late here in Lisbon, so a check on the issue will have to wait until my next stay at the SW coast place. 73 (Carlos Gonçalves, ibid.) Or as I suggested in the first place, just a typo somewhere changing .95 into .05. Would you not also notice a het circa 1 kHz with other stations if RRI were really that far off? (gh, DXLD) Glenn, It might be (another!) typo, if only what I have on my handwritten log sheets was different, but it's really 9679.05, not ~95, let alone 9680.05(v). But I agree with Wolfgang, maybe I failed to read the fq as there was another signal on the channel, and wrote down the wrong fq for RRI. Again, I don't think so, but it's a possibility. I seldom tune to RRI, but now I shall try no to forget to observe 9680, and see what's on the fq besides RRI. Meanwhile, I'll give it a try up here in the capital, but the aerials here can't compare with the tools at my my other rx station. 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, ibid) ** IRAN [and non]. IRANIAN JAMMING DISRUPTS U.S. INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING ACROSS SEVERAL CONTINENTS --- Thursday, October 4, 2012 Jamming began as Iranians, like those in this AP Image from central Tehran, protested falling currency exchange rates. Washington, D.C. — Iranian jamming of U.S. government-sponsored news and information programs disrupted broadcasts from Morocco to Eastern Europe to Indonesia, the Broadcasting Board of Governors has found. Satellite operator Eutelsat confirmed that the intermittent jamming was coming from inside Iran. This most recent episode of interference with broadcasts began on Oct. 3 and is in clear violation of international agreements. In addition to Voice of America’s (VOA) Persian Service and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s (RFE/RL) Radio Farda, both of which offer programs for Iranian audiences, the jamming also has affected dozens of satellite broadcasts of BBG radio and TV programs. One of the BBG’s Internet anti-censorship vendors is reporting that traffic from Iran using its software and servers has increased substantially since the jamming began. This suggests that Iranian listeners and viewers are shifting to the Internet to receive news and information. Jamming is prohibited under rules of the International Telecommunications Union. The recent jamming affected not only U.S.- supported programming, but also the British Broadcasting Corporation. International Broadcasting Bureau Director Richard M. Lobo called the most recent interference “an outrage (and) a deplorable violation of well-established international agreements” in a statement issued when the incident started. The jamming coincided with reports of street demonstrations and mass arrests of Iranians protesting falling currency exchange rates. Both VOA and RFE/RL report that in some instances, interference starts just before newscasts, and ends just afterwards. Three satellite transponders operated by Eutelsat and those most popular among Iranian viewers have been affected: HotBird 13B, Eutelsat 25A and Eutelsat 7A. Viewers said the signals reappear intermittently. The interference has diminished or altogether blocked other U.S.- supported programs on the Eutelsat satellites, including Georgian, Armenian, Bosnian, Korean and many other language broadcasts. VOA and RFE/RL programs continue to be broadcast on diverse media platforms, including digital audio and video streams on other satellite paths and on the Internet. In February, the ITU called upon the world’s nations to take “necessary actions” [Feb 20, 2012] http://www.bbg.gov/press-release/new-pressure-on-jammers-of-international-broadcasts/ to stop intentional interference with satellite transmissions. Earlier, the BBG and other international broadcasters called for action against jamming. [Jan 24, 2012] http://www.bbg.gov/press-release/international-broadcasters-call-for-end-of-satellite-jamming/ (via Clara Listensprechen, DXLD) > Iranian jamming of U.S. government-sponsored news and information > programs disrupted broadcasts from Morocco to Eastern Europe to > Indonesia, the Broadcasting Board of Governors has found. In case this was indeed still news to some, as this press release indicates: The BBG/IBB program distribution on Hotbird uses a single RF signal, with the downlink on 12.226 GHz. It contains all carried programming in a single so-called multiplex. Uplink jamming can't be selective towards inividual services in a multiplex, it invariably and inavoidably wipes it out in its entirety. Thus the jamming always disrupts the *complete* USIB program distribution on Hotbird. Shortwave transmitter plants could fall back on dial-up, thus shortwave relays may widely remain on air. But FM relays (also the doomed 1044 at Kurkino), rebroadcasters etc. can easily lose their signals this way. An anecdote may illustrate how far such collateral damage can spread: Iranian satellite jamming already disrupted the CRI relay via the Preiviiki mediumwave transmitter. It so happened that the last stage of the signal path was a Media Broadcast multiplex on Hotbird that contained also some Persian TV programs. (And yes, back then I noted this with quite some malicious joy.) > Jamming is prohibited under rules of the > International Telecommunications Union. Etc. etc. etc. But jamming shortwave radio broadcasts is OK, or what? (And yes, that's a rhetorical question. At least to some degree.) (Kai Ludwig, Germany, dxldyg via DX LISTENNG DIGEST) Eutelsat press release, 4 Oct 2012: "Eutelsat Communications today made a new appeal to international regulatory authorities to urgently intervene in order to put an end to repeated jamming of satellite signals from Iran. This new appeal follows significant deliberate interference from Iran since October 3 of international networks, including BBC Persian, the Voice of America’s Persian service and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Radio Farda, that broadcast via Eutelsat satellites. The practice of deliberate interference with broadcast signals is a violation of rules of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Today’s complaint by Eutelsat officially asks the ANFR, France’s national frequency agency, to renew its objection to jamming to the ITU so that it can be addressed as a priority. This new condemnation and call for action to regulatory authorities follows appeals made by Eutelsat since May 2009 to put an end to unacceptable deliberate jamming of broadcast signals from Iran." (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Re Israel items in: DXLD 12-40/WOR 1637 Hi Glenn and all, of course, Kol Israel and Galei Zahal were off the air with both the home and external services in late September. From 2012-09-25, 16:56 LT to 2012-09-26, 18:06 LT (times referring to Jerusalem, for UT please delete 2h) the highest Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur was celebrated. Kol Israel has been off the air from 16:06 LT on 2012-09-25 to 18:15 LT on 2012-09-26, Galei Zahal from 15:05 LT on 2012-09-25 to 19:00 LT on 2012-09-26. The networks of Kol Israel Reshet Bet and the Galei Zahal main programme are carrying silent carriers during this "programmeless period" since Yom Kippur 1974 (one year after the well-known "Yom- Kippur war") for reasons of national security. -- (Harry Niebuhr, Klein Hehlen, Bonifatiusstrasse 5, 29223 Celle, Germany, Tel: +49 5141 53848, Fax: +49 5141 9939483, Mobile: +49 162 7168189, 2012-10-07, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I.e. they leave the carrier on so they can start modulating immediately in an emergency (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** ISRAEL. ISRAEL RADIO CUTTING AM BROADCASTS, POSSIBLY HARMING ENGLISH NEWS --- Greer Fay Cashman 25/09/2012 Jerusalem Post [is this really 3 years old? See below] The Israel Broadcasting Authority is gradually eliminating AM (medium- wave) broadcasts, a costcutting measure that will seriously harm Israel Radio's news in English and a dozen other foreign languages, The Jerusalem Post has learned. A date for closing the AM service completely has not been announced, but insiders indicated that the move was imminent. Until recently, anyone wishing to ascertain the frequencies used by the IBA for its radio news could find details of both AM and FM transmitters on its Web site. The AM listings have, however, disappeared without any explanation. Asked about the development, the IBA spokesperson confirmed that AM broadcasts were being cut. The spokesperson said the annual cost of maintaining an AM transmitter is NIS 20 million, a sum the IBA, in its current financial situation, can no longer afford. Informed sources voiced particular concern about the future of REKA, the foreign-language network that serves immigrants, the diplomatic community and anyone else whose Hebrew is insufficient to follow regular broadcasts. They said that FM reception for REKA is poor or nonexistent in many parts of the country due to the location and limited power of IBA transmitters. This includes many areas of Jerusalem. Besides its three daily English news broadcasts, REKA features around-the-clock news and programming in a dozen languages, including Russian, Amharic, French, Spanish, Hungarian, Ladino and Yiddish. REKA will continue to be broadcast over FM transmitters and the Internet, but industry sources claim that both suffer from technical limitations that will result in a severe drop in listenership. The IBA's response was that REKA had been given five FM transmitters to ensure that its broadcasts could be received throughout the country. The decision to phase out AM transmissions was made by the IBA's board of directors, with a caveat that FM transmitters first had to be installed and tested for all geographical areas to be affected, the IBA spokesperson said. The IBA said that existing AM transmitters were becoming obsolete, but recognizing that such transmitters should be available for emergencies meant they would not be done away with altogether. Therefore, it has asked the Prime Minister's Office to allocate a special budget for this purpose and has notified the Defense Ministry and Home Front Command that AM transmissions are being phased out. In addition, it will maintain AM transmitters where there is no FM alternative. Meanwhile, according to the spokesperson, the IBA is doing all it can to improve FM reception and strongly believes that efforts to this effect throughout 2009 will help increase rather than decrease listenership. Because they are broadcast on AM - which is more powerful than FM - Israel Radio's news programs in English and French are heard in neighboring Arab countries. "As they will no longer be available, this will deny Israel a voice in places where it is much needed," one source said. "Removing the medium-wave transmitters will just further diminish the ability of listeners to hear an already decimated news service, damaged by salami-style [piece-meal] cuts over many years. There are now growing demands for an inquiry into the way the IBA management has treated its radio services in general and its hitherto much-valued and respected English News," the source said. A source familiar with the situation said that by reducing listenership, the gradual replacement of AM transmitters could provide a pretext for the layoff of some of the 800 IBA employees slated for dismissal within the framework of broadcasting authority reforms. When the IBA switched off its shortwave transmitters two years ago, it promised that its Web site, http://iba.org.il would provide better service. But during Israel's recent assault on Hamas in Gaza, high listener demand - especially for English news broadcasts - often made it impossible to log on. Those responsible for the Web site evidently budgeted for a very limited number of listeners; one estimate is that only 350 people could access the live service at any given time - which an industry source called "woefully inadequate." Should the AM service be cut completely, there are fears that domestic listeners unable to receive FM transmissions will turn to the Internet, which would place even greater pressure on the already-limited service. The IBA said in response that it was upgrading its Web site to facilitate greater access. Areas in which FM transmitters have already? [sic] taken over from AM include Menda and Eitanim (FM 88.5), Safed (FM 94.4), Kochav Hayarden (FM 104.8), Acre, Haifa, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem (FM 101.3), Netanya (93.7) and Beersheba (FM 107.3). Broadcast reception from these transmitters covers an appreciable expanse, from Kiryat Shmona through the Golan Heights and the Galilee down to the Beit She'an Valley, and farther south to Ashkelon, part of Modi'in, Kiryat Gat, Kiryat Malachi and Sderot. Reception was also fairly good to excellent in the central areas of Nahariya, Nazareth, Haifa, Karmiel, Acre, Netanya, Tel Aviv, part of Hadera, Ashdod, part of Ashkelon and Jerusalem, the IBA asserted (via Ehard Goddijn, Oct MW News via DXLD) Israel is slightly larger than New Jersey, tho narrower. It should take no more than three strategically placed hi power/hi tower FM sites to blanket the entire country with all the networks (gh, DXLD) That's an old report from 2009: > Meanwhile, according to the spokesperson, the IBA is doing > all it can to improve FM reception and strongly believes that > efforts to this effect throughout 2009 [...] > When the IBA switched off its shortwave transmitters > two years ago [...] In fact they planned to do it in 2007 (so "two years ago" for a report from 2009) and had already terminated the transmission contract, then were ordered to continue but finally pulled the plug as of April 2008, leaving only Persian to Iran with special funding from the office of the prime minister. Meanwhile REKA has been taken off mediumwave altogether. What still remains are two 100 kW outlets from Yavne (that's where the shortwave transmitters are, too) for Reshet Bet (which until 2007 had been extensively carried on shortwave as well) and Galei Zahal (hmm, really using Bezeq transmitters and not always armed forces facilities?), for IBA also two further 50 kW transmitters at Yavne as well as one 50 kW and four 10 kW elsewhere, one of the latter acting a last gasp of Arabic (Reshet Dalet) on 738 which used to be a big 1200 Kw (Kai Ludwig, Germany, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Apparently so, but why does it bear a date from Sept of this year? I tried searching the article at jpost.com and could not find it this year or any year. Greer has filed a lot of stories about IBA (gh, DXLD) Looks as if this print version is to blame, which always inserts the current date: http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=135162 The article itself had been published on 7 March 2009, cf. http://kimelli.nfshost.com/index.php?id=6055 Actually the move of the Immigrant Absorption Network, as earlier sources translated its name (which thus would be considered very politically incorrect in Europe and, it seems, parts of North America as well), from mediumwave to FM had much progressed already by 2006, with only one 50 kW transmitter left. Now WRTH 2012 lists nine FM frequencies which should leave little if any coverage gaps. And a few mediumwave transmitters are still on air, so a complete AM bail-out, as criticized 3.5 years ago, has not taken place either, at least not yet (Kai Ludwig, ibid.) ** ITALY [and non]. Tonight I checked out the situation on 657 after the closure of the Marcianise transmitter, as seen in DXLD 12-40: It appears that one of the remaining RAI transmitters on 657 (presumably the one in South Tyrol) goes off at local midnight with the usual RAI close-down tone sequence while the other one (presumably Pisa/Coltano) stays on overnight now, having taken over this service from Marcianise it seems. But a bit more monitoring would not hurt here. An interesting detail: Coltano is an almost brand-new facility, built a few hundred metres away from the old 1116 one with the Harris gear from Terrarossa near Firenze, used there to run 657 with 100 kW until that site had been closed and dismantled in 2004: http://www.mediasuk.org/archive/coltano/rai.html http://www.mediasuk.org/archive/firenze.html And the now dead Marcianise site: http://www.mediasuk.org/archive/napoli.html Without this 120 kW there is of course considerably less signal from Italy now, but still I was surprised when hearing a soprano aria mixing with, at times even almost overriding RAI; surprised because this is not something one usually hears on mediumwave. Soon an announcement mentioning Radio Kultura solved the mystery: The Czernowitz transmitter, so far unheard here in the jumble. It it also supposed to still carry the Romanian broadcasts from Radio Ukraine International which I suspect to be rather a regional than the alleged true international service. After midnight CET, when the Bukovina signal signs off (a bit after 2200 it seemed), the other audible signal on 657 here is yet another Spanish station (they have become together with Romania a true pest), in this case the RNE 5 outlet from Arganda (Kai Ludwig, 0033 UT Oct 8, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAPAN [non]. 11850, Oct 6 at 2058, novelty song with orchestra, French ID from R. Japon, signing off with schedule as 0530-0600 on 11730 and 13840 (except the frequencies I heard sounded different), and 2030-2100 on 11850; 4+1 timesignal, 2100 open carrier for a while. 13840, not heard lately, and 11850 are via MADAGASCAR, 11730 Issoudun (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KASHMIR. 4950 0053 UT on Oct 7th. --- Opening procedure with 1045 Hertz test tone noted at 0048 til 0059 UT in progress from AIR Kashmir Radio Srinagar, stratetic IND-PAK border region radio program station. This station has always a two tone signal like TWIN CARRIER, additional at central carrier minus 237 Hertz ! 4949.985 kHz central carrier, real frequency. 4949.748 kHz twin carrier. (Wolfgang Büschel, using Victor Goonetilleke`s SDR in Piliyandala, Sri Lanka, Oct 6-7, BC-DX via DXLD) ÍNDIA, 4950, R. Caxemira, Srinagar, Jamu e Caxemira, 1736-1748, 06/10, líng. indígena, conversa, entrevistas, música; 35342; a emissão já não estava no ar, pelas 1750. 73. (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. 5985 (ex: 6135), Shiokaze/Sea Breeze via Yamata, 1331, Friday - Oct 5. A quick check found they moved again; in English (Fri. only); now blocking Myanmar from 1330 to 1430; ex: 6135 had heavy N. Korea jamming (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Alinco DX-R8T and Par Electronics EF-SWL antenna, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5985, Oct 6 at 1339, seemed Chinese, but at 1348 Japanese, no giveaway sad piano music here, but presumed Shiokaze, from Japan, which Ron Howard reported just moved again yesterday from 6135 back to 5985, English on Fridays. Also barely audible het from Myanmar on hi side JAPAN. 5985, Sunday Oct 7 at 1329, open carrier, poor signal, lite het from Myanmar 5985+; 1330 piano music, Japanese, 1332 ``kochirawa Shiokaze``, from JSR Tokyo to Korea North (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA SOUTH. ? 4925, MND R.?? Signal came on the air at 1158:27. Too weak for audio. Must be MND. 6 Oct (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA USA, At home: NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, Wellbrook ALA1530S+ and 153’ Vertical Triangle Delta Loop, HCDX via DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH. Updated schedule of MND Radio in Korean: 0400-0440 NF 4925 CHC 100 kW / non-dir to KRE, ex 5900 0400-0440 NF 6760 CHC 100 kW / non-dir to KRE, ex 6230 0500-0540 NF 5150 JNG 100 kW / non-dir to KRE, ex 6435 0500-0540 NF 6480 JNG 100 kW / non-dir to KRE, ex 6550 0600-0635 NF 4740 JNG 100 kW / non-dir to KRE, ex 5410 0600-0635 NF 6700 JNG 100 kW / non-dir to KRE, ex 6300 0700-0735 NF 5290 JNG 100 kW / non-dir to KRE, ex 6670 0700-0735 NF 6360 JNG 100 kW / non-dir to KRE, ex 6270 1000-1040 NF 5150 JNG 100 kW / non-dir to KRE, ex 6435 1000-1040 NF 6480 JNG 100 kW / non-dir to KRE, ex 6550 1100-1135 NF 4740 JNG 100 kW / non-dir to KRE, ex 5410 1100-1135 NF 6700 JNG 100 kW / non-dir to KRE, ex 6300 1200-1240 NF 4925 CHC 100 kW / non-dir to KRE, ex 5900 1200-1240 NF 6760 CHC 100 kW / non-dir to KRE, ex 6230 1300-1335 NF 5290 JNG 100 kW / non-dir to KRE, ex 6670 1300-1335 NF 6360 JNG 100 kW / non-dir to KRE, ex 6270 (Ivo Ivanov, DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, Oct 9 via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DXLD) Look, every single frequency has been changed. 4925 has been reported for quite some time, so this new schedule must have started somewhat earlier (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) ** KURDISTAN. 4873.98, 0230-0245, CLANDESTINE, 01.10, Voice of Iranian Kurdistan, via Salah Al-Din, Iraq. Kurdish talk and songs, jammed 43443 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, done on my AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire in the trees in my garden, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) ** KURDISTAN [non]. 11510, Oct 6 at 1355, Kurdish music, ululations, fair signal with flutter, continuing past 1400 from Denge Kurdistan. HFCC claims site is `SMF`, UKRAINE, since 1 September, 300 kW, 129 degrees all the way from 0300 to 1900. However, HFCC participants are allowed to post disinformation. 11510, Oct 8 at 1257, poor signal from presumed Denge Kurdistan, via UKRAINE (?), while there were NO signals from E Asia above 10 MHz (so no Firedrake today) due to, as WWV reported: ``Solar-terrestrial indices for 07 October follow. Solar flux 98 and estimated planetary A-index 5. The estimated planetary K-index at 1200 UTC on 08 October was 6. Space weather for the past 24 hours has been moderate. Geomagnetic storms reaching the G2 level occurred. Radio blackouts reaching the R1 level occurred. Space weather for the next 24 hours is predicted to be minor. Geomagnetic storms reaching the G1 level are expected.`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KYRGYZSTAN. 4009.985, Kyrgyz Radio 1 from Bishkek, UNDERMODULATED signal, female voice heard, otherwise strong S=9+10dB signal, but only 5 to 10% modulation level. 4050.073, Radio Rossii program in Russian, also via Bishkek KGZ, S=8-9 flutter signal, but reliable to understand, talk by two men (Wolfgang Büschel, using Victor Goonetilleke`s SDR in Piliyandala, Sri Lanka, Oct 6-7, BC-DX via DXLD) ** LIBYA. Radio Libia --- en 11600 kHz entrando muy fuerte por Argentina, 1940 UT en árabe (Ernesto Paulero, 1943 UT Oct 9, condiglist yg via DXLD) ** MALI. 5995, RTVM, *0556-0605, Oct 4, sign on with guitar IS. National Anthem at 0558. Flute IS at 0559 and opening French ID announcements. Vernacular talk at 0601. Rustic local music. Indigenous vocals. Fair signal. Better than usual (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) ** MAURITANIA. 7245, Oct 6 at 0534, still no signal from IGIM, if they are ever on the air at all. Seems most other monitors are reluctant to report non-logs like this, which are necessary to establish what is really going on at a station. 7245, still no signal from IGIM, Oct 10 at 0458 check. Theo Donnelly, BC, wonders, ``why are you so challenged by Mauritania not being on air before 0600 UT if they haven't been on-air all night? Their traditional sked is either 0600/0630 opening anyway.`` Challenged? I wouldn`t call it that. I am simply observing their irregularities. But for me to hear them they need to be on before 0630, preferably before 0600. Need someone like you to note whether they are really on the air then, as they could be completely off again. And now we have just such info, from Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal: ``MAURITÂNIA, 7245, R. Mauritanie, Nouakchott, ausente no período 4~8/10, nos horários observados`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) MAURITÂNIA, 7245, R. Mauritanie, Nouakchott, ausente no período 4~8/10, nos horários observados. 73. (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MAURITANIA. 783, R. Mauritanie, Nouakchott, OCT 9 0030 - Fair to good; telephone talk, then highlife-style music, all hosted by a woman (Bruce Conti, WPC1CAT, Nashua NH; WiNRADiO Excalibur, MWDX-5 phasing unit, 15 x 23-m variable termination SuperLoop antennas northeast and south, mwdx yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DXLD) ** MEXICO. 610, Oct 7 at 1214 UT, ``la máxima expresión de la radio en Sabinas, BX!!``, then local time and temp. Cantú: 610 XEBX La Primera Sabinas, Coah. 5,000 500 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 620, Oct 6 at 0604, Mexican NA segué to Chihuahua SA, i.e. XEBU Chihuahua city (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 620, Oct 9 at 1222 UT, ``La Norteñita``, M&W conversation about this station maintaining identity while others have changed format and frequency; loops NE/SW vs an English ESPN station (surely KTAR Phoenix AZ the only possibility; see USA), while Mickey Metroplex is fully nulled. Also mentions a 5 pm event at Parque Palomar. It`s the usual XE dominating 620 here, XEBU in Chihuahua2. At night it has some competition from XENK in the DF (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 650, Oct 9 at 0523 UT, `Mundo del Trabajo`, regular program sponsored by labor union (sindicato) is closing, 0524 Radio 65 ID, 11:25 timecheck, on to band music. WSM nulled making fast SAH with XETNT, Los Mochis, Sinaloa, the dominant Mexican here on this frequency (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 660, Oct 5 at 1203 UT, ``6:03 aquí en La Lupe 98.9`` more IDs and TCs every minute for 6:04 and 6:05 while it was still 1204, ``aquí en Delicias``, local news, then song ``La Nube Gris``. Name change since last year`s IRCA Log, this year`s WRTH; Cantú shows now: 660 XEACB La Lupe + FM 98.9 Cd. Delicias, Chih. 3,000 1,000 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 710, Oct 6 at 0554 UT, Chihuahua state anthem is already playing, mixing with KCMO, i.e. XEDP Cuauhtémoc (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 720, Oct 5 at 1208 UT, CDT TC, ``Radio Centro 10-30, calidad en su vida`` slogan, i.e. relay of network from DF. It`s not easy to match networks with stations if they are non-owned, and I don`t find any list of affiliates outside Mexico City at http://radiocentro.com.mx/ --- and IRCA Log does not include `GRC` under any 720 listing but then it still had XEJCC on 1520 as `GRM` = Grupo Radio México, different. Fortunately, in my recent Sept 26 log at the same hour, I had matched Radio Centro with Extremo 720, which Cantú says is: 720 XEJCC Extremo 7-20 Cd. Juárez, Chih. 1,000 1,0000 [sic] At 1209, IFE and Cámara de Diputados federal PSAs, 1210 song in English, ``I`ll be Watching You`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. Re XECSI 750 log, DXLD 12-40: Mexican NA -- more info than you ever wanted to know (and yes, includes an English translation): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himno_Nacional_Mexicano Sadly, could find nothing about whether it has been RECORDED in English (Earl Higgins, RX-321 and 15 m end fed wire thing outside St. Louis, Missouri, USA (W 90.32 N 38.65), IRCA via DXLD) ** MEXICO. 750, Oct 8 at 0602 UT, national anthem, to Sinaloa anthem as WSB is easily nulled; 0607 pro-Mexico PSA; 0608 Éxtasis Digital 89.5 and 750 ID, i.e. per Cantú: 750 XECSI Éxtasis Digital + FM 89.5 Culiacán, Sin. 5,000 250 This is the regular XE heard here on 750, altho there are 8 others, one of which I heard once, XEOH in Chihuahua at SRS (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 770, Oct 9 at 1229 UT, Sinaloa ad, ``Los 40 Principales`` promo and jingle, FM frequency only heard, but it`s XEREV again from Los Mochis, dominant XE on this frequency, at least after XEACH Monterrey fades out, and no problem from Nuevo México until 1315 in October (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 830, Oct 5 at 1200 UT, ``iniciamos Radio Zócalo, Saltillo`` news and weather, i.e. as relayed by 5 kW groupie XEIK Piedras Negras, elsewhere in Coahuila (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 870, Oct 4 at 1217 UT, XETAR, Guachochi, Chihuahua, La Voz de la Sierra Tarahumara, with numerous IDs in passing, ``Espacio 870``, local music and announcements only in Spanish while I listened briefly. Fair and clear signal, no QRM. XETAR is now an oddity with no // FM outlet to announce with priority. I hope they stick with AM! Many of the other SRS regulars were in, such as 620, 650 (XETNT), 710, 730, which I don`t always bother to relog unless I capture an interesting detail which might be of ID help later to others (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 1000, Oct 7 at 1203 UT, orchestral NA, then full ID, hard to copy with KTOK OKC QRM incompletely nullable making a slow SAH; but I did catch a ``Chihuahua`` and a ``Rancherita`` which makes it XEFV Ciudad Juárez, ruling out the other Chihuahuan in Parral which I think I have yet to hear (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 1010, Oct 10 at 0602 UT, ID amid QRM extracted ``Chihuahua``, ``XETO``, I thought, but must have been this, Cantú: 1010 XELO Exa FM + FM 100.9 Chihuahua, Chih. 5,000 500 And then played NA. XELO of course was the call on CiJz 800 before it became XEROK in deference to cross-border influence, and I don`t mean the 38th parallel (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 1030, Oct 10 at 0600 UT, enjoying the respite from KCTA`s hummy open carrier, mainly hearing KTWO Wyoming, but also a Mexican NA. Per Cantú there are two stations in the UT-6 zone where this would be playing at local midnight: 1030 XEYC Radio Fórmula Cd. Juárez, Chih. 5,000 500 1030 XEMPM Exa FM + FM 98.9 Los Mochis, Sin. 10,000 1,000 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 1090, Oct 5 at 1220 UT, Milenio Radio ID, per Cantú: 1090 XEAU Milenio Radio + FM 103.7 Monterrey, N.L. 5,000 500 Also CCI from another in Spanish. Would be nice to get XEPRS from BCN, never heard here with its tight NNW/SSE pattern but apparently it is only in English with sports (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 1180, Oct 8 at 1227 UT, ``La Ke Buena`` twice between tunes, now definite vs circumstantial as logged Oct 3 at 0536, i.e. per Cantú: 1180 XEJK Ke buena + FM 95.3 Cd. Delicias, Chih. 5,000 1,500 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 1180, Oct 9 at 1203 UT as I tune in, ``Ciudad Delicias, Chihuahua`` probably after NA, and song ``Eres tú, lo que más quiero en la vida``. So it`s XEJK, previously XEDCH. Why in the world would they give up such a perfectly-matched callsign? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO [and non]. Tuned into an almost empty 49 meter band tonight. There was virtually nothing between 6090 and 6180! 6180 very strong with Radio Nacional Brasília, and 6185 presumably Radio Educación with variety programming. No ID noted at 0500. Generally fair to good reception. 49 meters almost looks like what 60 meters looks these days. Sure hope it's not a sign of things to come in the future! 73, (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria BC, Oct 10, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Geomang storm wiped out higher latitudes, and it would have been even emptier a few minutes later as XEPPM signs off at 0500, or rather turns off modluation and eventually transmitter (gh, DXLD) ** MEXICO. MEXICAN TV SHUTDOWN BY CITY Danny asked me to post this link to his site. It has the shutdown dates for various Mexican cities sorted by year. Also note that the shutdown dates can be anytime before the end of November of that year (except for Tijuana). http://tvdxtips.com/mexcitylist.html List is property of SCT Mexico. URL via Doug Smith's "TV News" in the August 2012 issue of VHF-UHF Digest.) http://cft.portaldesarrollo.com/wp content/uploads/2012/05/TDT_rev2012_1.pdf [doesn`t work, something wrong with the URL originally on a single line, but inserting _ or / between /wp and content don`t work either --- gh] (Mike Bugaj, Enfield, CT, WTFDA via DXLD) ** MOROCCO [and non]. 9579.12v, Oct 5 at 0522, ANO Gabon with that big het from mistuned Médi Un, Nador transmitter, but modulation audible only from ANO with hilife music. However, at 0530 recheck, Morocco is off, and Gabon in the clear with French news. I was also hearing a het on 9580 much earlier in the evening. 9579+, Oct 6 at 0527, Médi Un off-frequency hetting 9580.0 Africa No. Un, GABON, with only music modulation from the latter audible. This time het continued way past 0530. 9579.12, Oct 6 at 2104, Médi Un off-frequency transmitter making 880 Hz but slightly wavering het against 9580.0, presumably Gabon at this hour. Oct 7 at 0040, the 880 Hz is on again, altho not heard a few minutes earlier, apparently intermittent transmission. Or is the 9580 station responsible? HFCC shows Vatican registered simultaneously for the entire A-12 season at 0025-0200 both from SMG and UZBEKISTAN, with the latter making a beam change at 0040 from 163 to 131 degrees; which is it? Forget both after 0100, when CRI English via CUBA on 9580 now beats the het, one syllable behind // 9570 via ALBANIA (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MYANMAR. 5770 kHz Defense Forces Broadcasting Unit in Taunggi has been missing for at least 10 days. I doubt a frequency change. Maybe transmitter problem. All other stations appear to be holding to their regular skeds other than the 7200.1 operation, also heard 0130-0230, 1030-1300 (G. Victor A. Goonetilleke 4S7VK, "Shangri-la"' 298 Madapatha Road, Piliyandala. Sri Lanka, 0510 UT Oct 10, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 7110, Thazin R., 1214 playing "Mickey" by Toni Basil!! Still getting some Asian pop music at 1235. 5 Oct (Dave Valko, Microtelecom Perseus SDR with ARR preamp, 315’ Beverage (BOG) at 340 (through the field this time), Pennsylvania State Game Lands #26, adjacent to the field below the pond, near Dunlo PA, HCDX via DXLD) 7200.102, R. Myanmar. Found here this morning at 1045 with talk by M weakly, before peak. Was on at 1110 check but gone at 1113 recheck. 6 Oct (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA USA, At home: NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, Wellbrook ALA1530S+ and 153’ Vertical Triangle Delta Loop, HCDX via DXLD) 7109.994, Pyin Oo Lwin from Naypyidaw, romantic sweet music at 0020 UT Oct 7th, observed on remote CLN SDR radio unit, at S=9+10dB level 5915.0, Myanmar Radio, monks talk in Burmese vernacular, S=9+10dB at 0025 UT. Smooth female voice in between. 5985.812, UNID, but likely Radio Myanma from Rangoon, S=8-9 at 0027 UT, both female endless talk like spiritual Buddhist theme. 6029.991, Myanmar, Pyin Oo Lwin, Kachin radio service, S=8 fluttery, men and female extended endless talk at 0035 UT Oct 7th Myanmar in 31 mb. 9730 ... NOT ! Heard interval signal 0125-0129 UT, like piano play and ID at 0130 UT, but was instead IRIB Tehran in Urdu til 0257 UT 9589.992 footprint. strong Myanmar signal by - tentatively - Pyin Oo Lwin program from Naypyidaw, S=9+10dB proper in CLN SDR rx remote unit, in 0130-0230 UT time slot, boy singer morning signal. 7200.088 Radio Myanma Rangoon in Burmese, distorted audio, like final tube faulty, or antenna/feeder mismatch suffered by strong winds like that ... S=7 but strongly overmodulated. At 0137 UT Oct 7th. At 0140 UT Radio Myanma 5985v and 7110 off, 5915 and 6030 on air (Wolfgang Büschel, using Victor Goonetilleke`s SDR in Piliyandala, Sri Lanka, Oct 6-7, BC-DX via DXLD) 5915, Myanmar Radio, 1154-1158, Oct 10. In vernacular with EZL songs; fading up quickly and in the clear till totally covered by CRI sign on at 1158. 7110, Thazin Radio, 1444-1500*, Oct 8. The weekly Monday show “Myanmar Festivals”; this week a repeat program about the Phaung-daw-oo Festival, during which Buddha images made of gold are rowed around Inle Lake; followed by pop songs. Oct 6 also had a repeat show that I had heard twice before about Myanmar lacquer ware. They really do recycle their English shows! (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Alinco DX-R8T and Par Electronics EF-SWL antenna, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS. Radio Seagull 21 [sic] hours a day on 1395 Until the end of summer time on 28th October, Radio Seagull will be on 1395 kHz continuously from 2100-1900 UK time daily. This is according to an email received from programme director Stevie Gordon. My own programme is on the air every Tuesday at 1000-1200, repeated at 2000- 2400 UK time. I play some recent alternative rock releases and some old rock classics with an emphasis on the 1970s. You can also hear Radio Seagull on various mobile devices - details at http://www.radioseagull.com/listen_mobile.html (Andy Sennitt on Digital Spy today via Alan Pennington, Oct 10, BDXC- UK yg via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS [and non]. [Re 12-40] "Jonathan Marks recently remarked about salvaging some historical audio files before it`s too late" --- You reminded me of something I had already happily forgotten. This was about physical tapes, and I read it with quite some disbelief. Does Dutch public broadcasting (to which RNW belonged until now) have no facility like Gosteleradiofonds in Russia and Deutsches Rundfunkarchiv in Germany? Throwing away the RNW archive, as they are apparently about to do, is nothing less than barbarism. And see also the listener comments at the online version of the notification about the production of "The State We're In" now ceasing as well: http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/state-we%E2%80%99re-finish (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Oct 7, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS. RNW: THE STATE WE’RE IN TO FINISH We have some bad news: The State We're In is being terminated. As many of you may know, Radio Netherlands Worldwide was hit with a drastic 70 percent cutback last year by the Dutch government. We were assured at that time by Radio Netherlands' outgoing management that the show was still going to be an integral part of Radio Netherlands, but those assurances didn't hold. Subsequent changes in the organization's mandate towards a tighter focus on nations in the developing world, and a much slower-than- expected transition to new management have made it impossible for us to continue. The State We're In exits with its head held high: it was the most broadcasted, downloaded and decorated program in the long history of Radio Netherlands Worldwide, and won praise from radio industry leaders from around the world. It was heard in top public radio markets the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland and in select markets in India and Africa. Our overall audience reach was 12 million people. We will miss you and all the engaged, thoughtful responses you had to what we put on the air. It was a privilege bringing these stories - which sometimes included stories you told us - to light. FYI: Our last original program will be produced at the end of October. There will be some repeat shows after that. Greg Kelly, Editor TSWI (Source : RNW via http://sw-radio.blogspot.com/2012/10/rnw-state-were-in-to-finish.html via Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, October 5, dxldyg via DXLD) Original site, with comments: http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/state-we%E2%80%99re-finish (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS [non]. Re: Mighty KBC imminent on 9400 --- So, perhaps the old Radio Bulgaria tx'ers did not meet such a bad fate after all! Signal is coming in at fair to good level in Whitehall, PA (home for the weekend) on my newly-acquired Perseus receiver at 0036 UT. Sounds like they are playing with the modulation levels a bit, but mod is good. Playing some tunes I haven't heard in a while outside of my collection. 73 (Al Muick, Whitehall PA USA, Microtelecom Perseus + Loop antenna, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Albert: It is weak with modulation in and out on 9400 at 0043 UT, presumed English with song. Transmitter cutting on/off at times. Otherwise listenable with little static. 73's, (Noble West, NSW Music And Media, Clinton TN, Sangean ATS818ACS Portable with radioShack SWL antenna 23' from wooden pole attached with 100 foot Belden Coax Dipole, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) At 0130 coming in great here on Long Island (Bethpage) New York, S9 to S9+10. Crystal clear with occasional fades to S8 (Peter Hansen, ibid.) 9400, Oct 7 at 0002, Mighty KBC from Netherlands is making its special broadcast to North America as previously publicized, inconveniently at the same time as WTWW-2 test on 9990, so I am tuning back and forth and also encountering other interesting stuff on 31m. KBC signal peaks at S9+10 but sounds much weaker at first, barely modulated? 0005 a bit better with music, 0006 announcement seems English, very poor, more music; 0009 I recognize ``Surfin` USA``. 0022 announcement, ID, KBC jingle. No better at 0027. At 0107 I give it a generous SINPO of 34433, and wonder what the slight QRM is from? HFCC: R. Liberty in Uighur 100 kW, 79 degrees via LITHUANIA at 0100-0200. Why would KBC pick a frequency for a special already occupied by another European?? I assume reception was better further east, altho not sure we need another station to play classic rock to us on SW. I do recommend that if they want to continue reaching North America, they need a better transmitter site and frequency management to avoid any collisions. During the first hour I compare 9400 to some other stations from Europe, and find 9400 wanting: 9420, Greece is considerably stronger. 9700, Romania in English is very good, and on 11965 good enough; 9685, Serbia is stronger. Altho KBC did not reveal transmitter site, the coverage map indicates from SE Europe, and Wolfgang Büschel is convinced it was Kostinbrod (Sofia), what`s left of SW capability from BULGARIA. Since it did not compare well to neighboring Romania, Greece or Serbia, I have my doubts. Spaceline, the program broker, is involved not only with Bulgaria but also with ARMENIA, which from reception quality would be more like it. The only other convenient Armenian signals to compare were on the next band up, 12060 and 12155 V. of Russia in Spanish, which at 0043 were also poor, much like 9400, but they are also beamed further south. Uplooked later in HFCC, other ERVs I might have checked were 7270 and 12140; but presumably wooden entries as neither in Aoki nor EiBi (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also BULGARIA The confusion about this 9400 test apparently has its roots in Gavar carrying Brother Scare on this frequency and statements being made about this transmission moving to some "secret site SIE" which I never saw explained in any way (was it more HFCC disinformation to fool the evil competition?). It appears that both the RTR test on 5900 and now the KBC test on 9400 originated from Kostinbrod, probably offered free of charge to both broadcasters to try it out. If so the apparent finding would be that Kostinbrod is inferior to other transmission facilities. This would be no surprise; there was already a reason for Radio Bulgaria choosing Padarsko when they had to make a choice between the both sites a year ago. Btw, what has become of Padarsko since February? It was supposed to be demolished, but Kostinbrod was as well. Anyway KBC already has a better transmitter site where they just would have to book another slot besides the established one: Wertachtal (Kai Ludwig, Germany, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Mighty KBC QSL. The Mighty KBC, 9400, e-QSL for Oct 7 at 0000-0200 UT test to North America in about an hour from Eric van Willegen at He remembered me from the 6255 broadcasts in 2007 via Sitkunai and adds, "The broadcasts from Lithuania were great and mostly indeed rocking over the ocean, all the way to South America. We still are getting reactions and comments about the Wolfman Jack shows we aired as well in that period. Than we switched to 1395AM; we also aired the Wolfman on 1395AM. Funny thing was that the youngsters had no idea and sent letters for the Wolfman, so we had to explain it to them. We are now using Wertachtal with a non directional antenna for 6095; sometimes if conditions are OK we hit Japan or some other countries in that direction. Also the time for the USA with our daily schedule is not good for the USA. 9400 was from Bulgaria, it is possible that we will also test from Germany." (John Herkimer, NY, DXplorer Oct 7 via BC-DX Oct 8 via DXLD) Hi, Glenn, Did you hear the test broadcast of KBC last night? I had excellent reception (even 54555 at times) over the two hour broadcast here in WNC. The first part of the broadcast was plagued with a distortion noise, which interfered with audio fidelity. I sent a report to KBC. They worked on and eventually resolved the issue, then audio improved dramatically. I posted a full recording here: http://swling.com/blog/2012/10/shortwave-radio-recordings-the-mighty-kbc-test-transmission/ They mention at the end of the broadcast that there will be another test next week, same time and frequency. Best & 73, (Thomas Witherspoon, Oct 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Later: revised: New KBC TEST on 9500 kHz --- The Mighty KBC has changed the date and frequency for our second test to Canada, USA and South America. We are now testing on Sunday 21 October between 0000-0200 UT on 9500 kHz. If you have any questions or remarks feel free to contact us themightykbc @ gmail.com http://www.kbcradio.eu http://www.facebook.com/TheMightyKbc http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?msg=The+Mighty+KBC+9500+kHz&iso=20121021T00&p1=211&ah=2 (KBC mailing list Oct 9 to WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Will this also be via Bulgaria, or where? That will avoid the 01-02 clash with R. Liberty on 9400; HFCC indicates no ACI or CCI on 9500 at 00-02 (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Glenn, Yes it will be from the Bulgarian site, but it is possible that we move back to 9400, because it seems that there is also a station on 9505. We will soon confirm the right frequency. Kind regards, (Eric, KBC, Oct 10, ibid.) See SUDAN about a station on 9505, but unlikely during that particular bihour (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) HI Glenn, FYI. They just confirmed that the 2nd test is on 9500. After that we will decide what frequency we will use. Kind regards, (Eric, 1752 UT Oct 10, WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEW ZEALAND. Digital Radio Mondiale reception Date: Tue, 09 Oct 2012 17:58:38 -0700 To: info@rnzi.com Dear RNZI folks: Recently at the IBC conference in Amsterdam (which I attend annually, in part because I am a member of the Administrative Committee of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society) I attended a "show and tell" by the DRM folks, and won, as the doorprize, a New Star DR111 receiver. I am pleased to report that, set up on the sunporch of my home in Seattle, the receiver gets very nice reception of the RNZI DRM transmission on 11675 from about 10 or 1030 PM Pacific Daylight time each evening [0500-0530 UT]. Earlier in the evening it gets the occasional burst of decodable signal for a syllable or two or even a broken part of a sentence, but about 10 or so the propagation improves as the sunset line moves toward the west and the recoverable signal becomes very reliable. And, as one would expect from DRM, quite nice fidelity with no transmission impairments. I have heard many demonstrations of DRM over the years but this is the first time I've received it on other than a test setup at out firm's offices. I thought you would be interested to receive a report. Thank you, Ben Dawson (Benj. F. Dawson III, P.E., Hatfield & Dawson Consulting Engineers, LLC, and The dTR/H&D Joint Venture, Consulting Engineers (Electrical Engineers with a Practice Limited to Radio Frequency and Telecommunications Matters) 9500 Greenwood Avenue North Seattle, WA 98103 USA 206 783 9151 206 789 9834 Facsimile, cc to DXLD) This morning (415 AM PDT until now) the 7440 transmission is less satisfactory. It has occasional (every 2 or three minutes) short audio breakup (loss of audio) typical of loss of digital data. The text display is not affected, however, which is typical And note that I am using only the short whip antenna which is integral to the DR111 unit. (B. Dawson, 1158 UT Oct 10, ibid., cc to DXLD) ** NICARAGUA. Auroral DX: 539.87, R. Corporación, Managua, OCT 9, 1000 - Loud het against 540, no audio, identified by offset frequency (Bruce Conti, WPC1CAT, Nashua NH; WiNRADiO Excalibur, MWDX-5 phasing unit, 15 x 23-m variable termination SuperLoop antennas northeast and south, mwdx yg via DXLD) ** NICARAGUA. NICARÁGUA. (?) 8989-bls "Pescador Pregador", 2234-2253, 06/10, castelhano, programa falado, chamadas de ouvintes; 34342, QRM de teletipo, na BLI. 73 (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIGER. NÍGER, 9705, A Voz do Sahel, Goudel, 1100-1259, 05/10, líng. local, programa falado,..., programa em francês, após as 1200; 25432. Sinal não detectado, à noite, entre 4 e 7 de Outubro. 73. (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIGERIA. NIGÉRIA, 1440, Adamawa BC, Yola, 2221-2231, 04/120, líng. local, canções tradicionais; 44433, QRM do LUX. 73. (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIGERIA. NIGÉRIA, 6089.9, R. Nigéria, Kaduna, 2138-, 07/10, líng. local, cânticos, programa falado, canções tribais; 54433, QRM da CHINA (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIGERIA. Voice of Nigeria with singing on 7255 at 2155 Oct 4 in Fulfulde. Sounds like tribal singing. Very strong signal and audio with modest fading. Station ID at 2200 (Alex Klauber, Oneida NY, Sangean 909, MFJ 1045C Preselector, 200' long wire antenna, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15120, Oct 6 at 0520, VON good but some hum, interviewing author; by 0550 with music it`s the SSOB. Most other signals on 19m are from Africa and E Asia, not Australia (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 7254.92, Voice of Nigeria, 1945-1957*, Oct 8, English news program. ID. Abrupt sign off. Slightly off frequency for the English service but back on the air at 2000 in French on 7255.00. 15120, Voice of Nigeria, *0446-0510, Oct 8, sign on with IS. IDs. National Anthem at 0455. Opening English ID announcements at 0456 and preview of upcoming program. News at 0501. Strong but audio somewhat distorted (Brian Alexander, PA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Unidentified station in DRM mode observed on Oct. 10 at 1030 on 15120, maybe Voice of Nigeria test? 73! (Ivo Ivanov, DX LISTENING DIGEST) re Nigeria, maybe Wednesday TX site maintenance? Tuned in too late here. Now 1140 UT, RFA Lao language from Sri Lanka relay site. 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, ibid.) Not really worth to be mentioned in DXLD, but a little note as you are regularly struggling with VON`s morning transmission on 15120: By almost daily checks when preparing coffee at 0600/0630v in the past three weeks or so, I can confirm that is active almost every day, noted absent only twice. 73 (Thorsten Hallmann, Germany, Oct 10, WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NORTH AMERICA. HOBBY PIRATE, 6930-USB, Grizzly Bear Shortwave fair at tune-in 0516 23/9 but vgd by 0628 when airing Canadian fiddle player Natalie McMaster. Ident with gmail address for reception reports. Followed past 0700. Prompt email response with promise of eQSL to follow (Bryan Clark, Mangawhai NZ, Oct 9 with AOR7030+ and EWEs to North, Central & South America, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NORTH AMERICA. [Pirates]. 6925 USB, Grizzly Bear Radio, 0310-0320, Oct 4, blues music. ID. Poor to fair. 6925 USB, Grizzly Bear Shortwave, 0232-0305, Oct 6, ID. Irish music. Poor in noisy conditions. 6955.2, WMPR, 2245-2300, Oct 7, ID. Electronic dance music. Good. Strong. 6924.9, WMPR, 2345-2356*, Oct 10, usual techno-pop dance music. IDs. Poor to fair in noisy conditions (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) ** NORTH AMERICA. TCS Relay Expected Tonight Thursday, October 4, 2012 3:41 PM Dear radio friends, I have been told to expect a TCS relay transmission this evening, and that it would be ok to send out a prior notice to listeners via email with some details. This is likely to be our current "That awful seventies station" music program recently sent to our relay operators. The show is expected to start around 2300 UTC or thereafter. The frequency is expected to be either 6925 kHz, or 6850 kHz, or somewhere else within the pirate range of 6850-6950 if those frequencies are not available. If the transmission shows up as predicted, we would appreciate you posting your loggings to our forum at freeradiocafe.com/forum/ if you are a member, whether or not they are posted elsewhere. If you are not a member, you can register there, and email me here afterwards with what username you picked, so that I can activate it. I have to activate the membership of actual radio people manually, since we get about 50 spam signups a day. On another note, I have "officially" moved on beyond my long-running feud with the operator known as "Commander Bunny". That has been the case for two months, although most may not realize it was a deliberate decision. Online, I intend to just ignore his antics from now on, which is probably the best thing for pirate radio. He has exposed, threatened or abused so many different people now that it has ceased to be newsworthy. We don't intend to delete any past history, but the whole thing really needs no more discussion by us -- he's done more himself to prove our case than we could ever do. While we reserve the right to poke fun at him on our programs from time to time, the online focus of the TCS blog and the Free Radio Cafe forum will now stick to the promotion of pirate radio listening and pirate radio broadcasting. The Free Radio Cafe http://freeradiocafe.com (temporary home page) will be unveiling a number of new features very shortly, the most noteworthy being a members-only download library of pirate radio historical items, and numerous technical downloads dealing with aspects of both FM and shortwave radio transmission which I hope will be helpful to those who would like to break into pirate radio broadcasting or tweak their current efforts. 73s and FIGHT for FREE RADIO! -- John Poet, The Crystal Ship via TCS Shortwave Relay Network Free Radio Cafe forum http://freeradiocafe.com/forum/ FRC Home http://freeradiocafe.com The TCS Blog http://www.tcsshortwave.com The Free Radio Weekly: A weekly Email publication with the most current pirate loggings and information now being published anywhere! Send your free subscription requests to freeradioweekly@gmail.com and tell 'em that we sent ya! (TCS mailing list Oct 4 via DXLD; also via Noble West, dxldyg) TCS Shortwave Relay Network, 10/7/2012, 6925 kHz USB, *2200 UT, sign- on with Soviet National Anthem, ID, into "Ring My Bell" ('That Awful Seventies Station' show), 2204 Lady Marmalade. Faint but readable, average S-0 in Lansing MI, peaking around S-2. SINPO=15442 (Just happened to be sitting on-channel when this one popped up...) 2210- Nice fadeup to S-3/4 on 'Brand New Key'. S-6 on 'Afternoon Delight'. Reception ought to be better west of Mississippi, I suspect. May run through 2345 UT (~John Poet, 2221 UT Oct 7, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Listening to the Crystal Ship Relay Service now (Oct 7, 2255) on 6925 USB. SINPO at 2236 tune-in 45333 with QRN, improving to 55444. Bawdy M call-and-response vocal, followed by a bunch of 70s songs I'd tried to forget: "Indiana Wants Me", Daddy Please Don't", "Billy Don't Be a Hero", "Seasons In the Sun", "The Night Chicago Died", "Undercover Angel" and "She's Having My Baby". Funny vox-populi segment explaining why to vote Republican, with "America the Beautiful" in background. IDs at 2236, 2240 and 2257. 73 de (Anne Fanelli in chilly Elma, New York, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6925 USB, The Crystal Ship, 2245-2305, Oct 7, ID. 70’s pop music. Weak but readable (Brian Alexander, PA, ibid.) ** NORTH AMERICA. 15070-USB, PIRATE (No. Am.) Blue Star Radio (Netherlands), starting at 1350 UT, 10-7-2012. Started out at 50 watts and reduced down to 3 watts in steps. It appears that today I can hear down to about 15 watts. Still going at 1435 (Mike Rohde, Columbus OH, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) Do you mean this was a N American relay of the Neth pirate? (gh, DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA [and non]. 960, Oct 4 at 0500 UT, local KGWA Enid defaults to deadair again for a pentaminute instead of midnight network news, noticed at 0503 so I hasten to null it, turn up the volume and try to ID something else. This time there is an interview, but maybe just part of ABC news via KMA; and also some music, possibly Mexican before KGWA remodulates with a local ad blasting on at 0505. Perhaps the holes of silence depend on day of week in the automation programming. Two nights before, UT Tuesday, there was none. 960, UT Friday Oct 5 at 0459, KGWA with traditional ID as ``since 1950, KGWA has been reaching five of the greatest [or was it finest] counties in Oklahoma, KGWA, Enid``. Think small! Then dead air from 0500 to 0505, so another try to ID something else with KGWA carrier nulled as best I can (which also increases the hum level for some reason, even with battery power). This time there are maybe three signals mixing, one with music, others with talk. By 0503 the talk solidifies into ABC News with a reverb, again signifying from two different affiliates, most likely KMA IA and WERC AL. Nothing local copied before KGWA blasts back on at 0505. 960, Oct 6 at 0500 UT, KGWA Enid continues with modulation instead of a 5-minute hole; this was UT Saturday as I am trying to establish a pattern. 960, UT Sunday Oct 7 at 0500 is another dead-air day from local KGWA during the midnight news hole. Nulled as best I could, this time there is some Mexican romantic music underneath carrier, 0502 maybe a quick X- ID I can`t catch as QRM de ABC news reverb from two other stations is gaining on it. Suspect XEK Nuevo Laredo as it does not loop very far SW, and not near the KGWA null. I watch the seconds tick away to get the volume turned back down in time. 0505 KGWA blasts back on with local ad starting with countertop bellringing, introducing Metcalf Lawn & Garden. 960, UT Monday Oct 8 at 0500 check, local KGWA fails to suspend modulation, with Fox `News` --- so when missing it`s a fox hole! 960, UT Tuesday Oct 9 at 0500 is another Fox-hole at KGWA, so another attempt to ID something else with its big carrier a few km away nulled as best I can: ABC News is dominant, probably KMA, and a second before KGWA desk-bell ad blasts back on at 0505, the understation gets out ``partly cloudy skies``. If they would only say the city or call- letters first! 960, UT Wed Oct 10 at 0500, KGWA Enid continues modulating; soon I will have two weeks of observations and maybe establish any pattern of which days on, which days off (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA [and non]. 1020, Oct 8 at 0556 UT, open carrier from semilocal KOKP Perry. Even so, I can`t pull in KDKA, which I haven`t heard in years. Long before KOKP and others invaded the frequency, KDKA was audible any night here at about a kilomile distance, and I used to enjoy their late-night call-in show {Later: I remember the name now, `Party Line`, but not the names of the M&W (husband & wife) hosts? This must have been in the early 1960s}. KCKN NM isn`t heard either with its deep null toward us and Pittsburgh, which is supposedly 50 kW non-direxional day and night. I wonder if their own signal has degraded (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 1020, UT Oct 10 at 0500, KOKP Perry was also revived from previous dead air, so goodbye, KDKA (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. 1340, Oct 10 at 1305 UT, promo for `The Rush`, weekdays at 2-6 pm on ``1340 The Game``. NRC DX News has listed hundreds of AM stations which have never been reported to Domestic DX Digests, including KGHM in Oklahoma City, or rather officially now, Midwest City. This one is easy here, on daytime groundwave, but now it`s late enough, a semihour past sunrise, to overcome the graveyard. Was it never reported either under previous identities KOCY, KEBC, etc.? Other unreported Okies on their list will not be so easy, and I`m not sure all of them are currently even on the air: KBEL-1240, KTLQ-1350, KMUS-1380, KALV-1430, KBIX-1490, KMAD-1550, KKUZ-1560, KTAT-1570. Except KALV 1430 Alva, which I can also hear on groundwave, altho it`s tough with its null toward Tulsa, and helps to venture a bit north, south, or west from Enid (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAKISTAN. 6/10, 15290, R Pakistan, 1528 with Hindi songs, ID with `Pakistan wunderbar´ (Pakistan anthem?). Under heard AWR with prg in Hindi after closure (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, Pesawat penerima: ICOM R75, Lowe HF150, Degen 1102, 1103, 108, 1126, Tecsun PL200/550/600/360, Chibo c300/c979, Yupi 7000, Antenna: 16m hor, 2x16 m V invert, 1m Australian loop, DX LISTENING DIGEST) German?? ** PAKISTAN. RADIO PAKISTAN WILL START WORLD-WIDE BROADCAST SOON http://www.brecorder.com/pakistan/general-news/84144-radio-to-start-world-wide-broadcast-soon-murtaza.html (via Chris Greenway, dxldyg via DXLD) Radio to start world-wide broadcast soon: Murtaza Saturday, 06 October 2012 19:51 Posted by Muhammad Iqbal MIRPUR: Radio Pakistan will start world-wide broadcast soon to enable its valued listeners around the globe to enjoy the programmes in various languages. Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) is all set to establish its own satellite station in near future, said Murtaza Solangi, PBC Director General, while speaking at the grand music show of ghazals of eminent musician poet and scholar Hazrat Mian Muhammad Buksh (RA) held to mark the 10th founding anniversary of Azad Jammu & Kashmir Radio Mirpur, besides the 3rd anniversary of its second channel FM-93 here. Seasoned singer Nadeem Iqbal Looneywala performed in the music show. PBC chief said that his organization was taking measures to expand and strengthen the Radio as a strong medium of infotainment for the listeners of all ages across the world. He said that radio was providing quality programmes, quick information and entertainment, besides highlighting the problems of the common man. The transmissions of Radio Pakistan as well as its subordinate units could also be heard on mobile phones, internet, smart phones and Radio, he stated. Murtaz Solangi lauded the programmes of AJK Radio and its channel FM- 93 for their exceptionally quality and high credibility. He stated that all stations of AJK Radio deserve applause of airing the quality programs. He lauded the staff and artists of AJK radio here deserve applause for their extra-ordinary and outstanding performance. DG PBC Murtaza Solangi, on this occasion gave away the service regularization letters to some 17 AJK Radio and FM-93 employees in the light of PPP-led government policy. Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2012, via DXLD) As you can see, shortwave not mentioned specifically. In view of previous report that shortwave transmitters would be closed (which has not happened yet), this so-called ``broadcast`` may refer to satellite and/or internet, as FM, which is specifically mentioned, is hardly a ``worldwide`` medium (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) Live streams and satellite distribution are both rather explicitly mentioned. And shortwave would be nothing new anyway. But one could speculate if these announcements are in fact about replacements, without admitting this of course. I see not too much point in weighing the wording of such reports too well, but what could be looming here are plans to expand the satellite service beyond Asiasat 3S. PTV, the TV sister operation, already distributes a special international channel in Europe (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Oct 8, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3204.97, NBC Sandaun, 1113 easy C&W-like song. 1115 W announcer with possible mention of NBC, and PSAs and messages with mention of Saturday, phone number, Highlands, Vanimo, children, 1119:45 NBC Sandaun ID. 1120-1025 Island pop song. 1126 canned announcement by M over music with mention of PNG. 1126-1129 Reggae- like song. 1129 W announcer with TC then canned inspirational PSA announcement by M and W in English about education, (no doubt about "World Teachers Day") over instrumental music 1030-1032. 1132:50 W with ID, frequency 90.7, and TC. 1032 Island song with C&W flavor, turned down after a minute then long talk by W but couldn't determine subject to 1150. 5 Oct (Dave Valko, Microtelecom Perseus SDR with ARR preamp, 315’ Beverage (BOG) at 340 (through the field this time), Pennsylvania State Game Lands #26, adjacent to the field below the pond, near Dunlo PA, HCDX via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3235, NBC West New Britain, 1119 live M announcer with ID over instrumental version of "Careless Whisper" again. Ballads. 1126 live M announcer then reggae song, and conchshell blowing and M again with ID and mention of what sounded like a slogan "The Voice of ??" but couldn't copy as it was too fast. Then classical music and short English ID MW and FM frequencies by M, and studio M announcer. Then a long talk. Studio voice audio was muffled and kind of difficult to copy. 5 Oct (Dave Valko, Microtelecom Perseus SDR with ARR preamp, 315’ Beverage (BOG) at 340 (through the field this time), Pennsylvania State Game Lands #26, adjacent to the field below the pond, near Dunlo PA, HCDX via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3260, NBC Madang. Usual news by W to 1109, then live studio M announcer. PSAs and messages. 1122 ad/promo block with last ending with mention of NBC. 1124 live M again with TC and mention of Madang. 1137 incredible signal!!! M shouting during English speech by local Madang politician promising 1,000,000 kina to the Province of Madang and audience applause. Better than East New Britain. 1140-1146 island music, then lively M announcer with apparent live event including laughing by people. Back to studio announcer at 1149, then speech. 5 Oct (Dave Valko, Microtelecom Perseus SDR with ARR preamp, 315’ Beverage (BOG) at 340 (through the field this time), Pennsylvania State Game Lands #26, adjacent to the field below the pond, near Dunlo PA, HCDX via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3315, R. Manus. 1122 W announcer with several mentions of Lorengau before going into lively island song. 1127:40 W with mention of Manus and then Lorengau during PSAs. 1129 M with speech. 5 Oct (Dave Valko, Microtelecom Perseus SDR with ARR preamp, 315’ Beverage (BOG) at 340 (through the field this time), Pennsylvania State Game Lands #26, adjacent to the field below the pond, near Dunlo PA, HCDX via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3325, R. Buka. Nothing but a very weak carrier by 1030. Just a little bit of audio with M talk at 1122. Nowhere near as strong as on the 3rd. 5 Oct (Dave Valko, Microtelecom Perseus SDR with ARR preamp, 315’ Beverage (BOG) at 340 (through the field this time), Pennsylvania State Game Lands #26, adjacent to the field below the pond, near Dunlo PA, HCDX via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3365, NBC Milne Bay, The Voice of Kula. 1125 end of song and nice quick ID with frequencies by live studio M announcer and talk about some local event. 1128-1133 uptempo island song, then live M again with song announcement and greetings "a very good night to you, and I do hope you had a wonderful day today here in town.". Then government official speech. 5 Oct (Dave Valko, Microtelecom Perseus SDR with ARR preamp, 315’ Beverage (BOG) at 340 (through the field this time), Pennsylvania State Game Lands #26, adjacent to the field below the pond, near Dunlo PA, HCDX via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3385, NBC East New Britain Around 0943 much better than on the 3rd. 1010, 1030, 1050, 1100 no change. Starting to improve slightly at 1105. Right at readability. 1045 ad block with contest announcement and apparently a feed store, then deadair. Finally mention of New Britain weakly at 1047, then pop song "Breathless", then 2 ads at 1051 and studio M returned. 1100 2 ads, live M, then 1102 usual signature and NBC news. 1118:00 ID by W during news "NBC East New Britain Provincial news". Department store ad, start of lumber ad and then just a white noise, must have been having tech problems. 1229 finally a bit of music, then live speech with occasional clapping. 1137 studio M announcer returned, and talk about the "World Teachers Day" celebration. Still getting W announcer at 1218, then ads or promos. The only one showing up at this time. 5 Oct (Dave Valko, Microtelecom Perseus SDR with ARR preamp, 315’ Beverage (BOG) at 340 (through the field this time), Pennsylvania State Game Lands #26, adjacent to the field below the pond, near Dunlo PA, HCDX via DXLD) 3385, R. East New Britain. Again, PNGs beginning to peak at 1115. Way down just 10 minutes prior. ID at 1115. Playing Darude "Sandstorm" then phone caller at 1122, then into reggae song. 1127 "Get ready for a lot of fun" jingle. 6 Oct (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA USA, At home: NRD- 535D and Perseus SDR, Wellbrook ALA1530S+ and 153’ Vertical Triangle Delta Loop, HCDX via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DXLD) R. East New Britain, 3385.0, 1120-1155. Male with call-in show mostly in local language, but with some ads in English; pop music. Signal had dropped considerably by 1140, but bits of audio still there at 1155. This is typically the best PNG station at my location, but it's occasionally hit with RTTY, 10/6 (Art Delibert, N. Bethesda, MD, NRD535D with SE-3 synch detector, Pennant antenna aimed NNW with DX Engineering pre-amp, HCDX via DXLD) ** PERU. 3329.6, Radio Ondas del Huallaga, Huánuco With folk songs 1010, ident 1024 & time/check. Echo effect on announcements, fair 14/9. 4955, OAX5S, Radio Cultural Amauta, Huanta strong in Spanish, 1126 15/9 with short religious talk, website and postal address in Chile. 5039.2, Radio Libertad, Junín with Spanish ident & announcements, folk songs, fair strength 1029 but moderate static and Over the Horizon scatter noise 13/9 (Bryan Clark, Mangawhai NZ, Oct 8 with AOR7030+ and EWEs to North, Central & South America, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 3329.54, Onda [sic] del Huallaga. Carrier at 0935 but didn't get any audio then. Very weak huayno music at 1007 then. Still weak LA music 1024 amid CHU modulation all over (can only notch out so much!!). 1026 lively canned announcements but just a little too weak. Did catch mention of Peru. 5 Oct (Dave Valko, Microtelecom Perseus SDR with ARR preamp, 315’ Beverage (BOG) at 340 (through the field this time), Pennsylvania State Game Lands #26, adjacent to the field below the pond, near Dunlo PA, HCDX via DXLD) ** PERU. 4747.09, Radio Huanta 2000, noted with only fair-good signal 1015 on 10/4, after going missing the previous day, which had been, propagationally, a banner opening into the Andes (Ralph Perry, Wheaton, Illinois, Drake R8B; Japan Radio NRD-545; Eton E1; Hallicrafters SX100; Dentron Super Tuner + Ameco PLF-2 + Palomar P-408 + Quantum Phaser antenna unit (customized for tropical bands); 355-foot bidirectional BOG positioned 150 deg / 330 deg for LA / SE Asia, Phased Longwire + Small Loop, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 4774.96, Radio Tarma, Tarma, usual brilliant signal 1009 check on 10/4, with usual morning OA folklórico program. YL huayno with arpa and plucked bass of guitar. Music cranked down and then deejay talks over with quickie time checks, MBDs, etc. Not there a few minutes earlier when sweeping band, so probably signed on a little later than nominal *1000. Consistently the best Peruvian signal on 60 meters in the morning (Ralph Perry, Wheaton, Illinois, Drake R8B; Japan Radio NRD-545; Eton E1; Hallicrafters SX100; Dentron Super Tuner + Ameco PLF-2 + Palomar P-408 + Quantum Phaser antenna unit (customized for tropical bands); 355-foot bidirectional BOG positioned 150 deg / 330 deg for LA / SE Asia, Phased Longwire + Small Loop, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 4789.9, R. Visión (presumed), Chiclayo, 0823-desvanecimento total 0845, 07/10, castelhano, música, anúncio de freq., programa falado; 15331. 73. (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4789.91, Radio Visión, 0725-0750, Oct 8, presumed with a very distorted blob of noise. Too distorted to make out any program details. 4789.91, Radio Visión, 0555-0610, Oct 9, Spanish religious music. Spanish talk. Good signal strength, but very poor, distorted audio. Programming slightly readable (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) ** PERU. 4955.00, Radio Cultural Amauta, Huanta, usual brilliant signal 10/6 at 1028 tune-by. OA folklórico program with very interesting offerings. Huayno with traditional melody, but performed on electric guitar as 2 singers harmonized. Cool beans! ID by YL at 1029 along with quick solo on charango, likely canned ID. Then at 1033, live announcer with low, bassy voice: “Son las 5 de la mañana, 33 minutos, 5 – 33 en Radio Cultural Amauta . . . “ Left it 1035. Amauta continues to reign: best OA on the band today and many mornings, competing with likes of 4747, 4775, 4790, 4810 and 5039. They are really doing something right lately! (Ralph Perry, Wheaton, Illinois, Drake R8B; Japan Radio NRD-545; Eton E1; Hallicrafters SX100; Dentron Super Tuner + Ameco PLF-2 + Palomar P-408 + Quantum Phaser antenna unit (customized for tropical bands); 355-foot bidirectional BOG positioned 150 deg / 330 deg for LA / SE Asia, Phased Longwire + Small Loop, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 5120, R. Ondas del Suroriente, Quillabamba, 2207-2215, 06/10, castelhano, canções; 15331, ligeira melhora, às 2230. 73. (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 5921.2, R. Bethel, Arequipa, 2242-2254, 06/10, castelhano, programa falado; 15321. 73. (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ROMANIA. 9700, Radio Romania International with Ident tune, and ID and into English news, including an item about Romanian frigate "King Ferdinand" joining the EU forces near Somalia on an anti-pirate mission, and an invitation at :06 to participate in RRI's Listener's day question "What does Europe mean to you?" and at :08 talk about Romanian foreign minister's statement in Hungary about cross-border issues including native populations. At :15 an ID at the end of Radio Newsreel, and into "Business Club" with an item about Romanian carmaker's new models at the Paris auto show. "Song of the Day" was a pop tune at :21 and into Spotlight on Europe at :23 with talk about 'active aging' and the importance of staying engaged as we age, and examples of people who have won recognition for their activities. At :26 a cultural show about a film festival for animation an into "Living Romania" at the BoH with topical events including medals won by Romanians in a European sports event. "People and Places" aired at :35 with a Holocaust remembrance piece. In quite well as usual: 554+4+4+ but for some noise during fades perfect reception, but by BoH was faded to 45444. 0002-0042 3/Oct (Ken Zichi, Williamston MI, MARE Tipsheet Oct 5 via DXLD) ** RUSSIA [and non]. Re 12-40: more about: Whither RFE/RL Russian? Withering barrage of criticism for mass firing of journalists: see http://kimelli.nfshost.com/index.php?id=13765 And, finally, this: American Thinker, 2 Oct 2012, Kim Zigfeld: "Putin recently announced that he was booting USAID, the primary instrument of American influence in Russia, out of the country. Obama's response? He went Putin one better and shut down Radio Liberty, the literal voice of America in Russia, depriving tens of thousands of listeners in Moscow alone of access to some vague hint of truth. Russia's democracy advocates were utterly shocked, and they decried Obama's policy of appeasement as a betrayal of fundamental American values, to say nothing of their trust." (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) During this bizarre chapter of US international broadcasting, questions abound and conspiracy theories flourish. Will RFE/RL provide an explanation? (Or do we have to accept the conclusion of the "American Thinker," unfortunately named Kim, that Barack Obama took time from his campaign to order the closing of the "literal voice of America in Russia," the actual Voice of America in Russia notwithstanding?) A press conference would be helpful at this point. With local TV, FM, and now even medium wave rebroadcasting not allowed, RFE/RL might want to sell its own brand of portable shortwave radios in Russia, with its frequencies pre-programmed into the memories. Reception of the RFE/RL shortwave signal is good in Russia, and it can be facilitated by an easy-to-use receiver. Such receivers are already manufactured; it's just a matter of the factory slapping on an RFE/RL or Radio Svoboda logo on the front panel. Bonus: the radio can also be used to receive text transmitted by shortwave, a handy capability if Russia blocks svobodanews.ru (Kim Andrew Elliott, ibid.) ** RUSSIA. 5930, Sunday Oct 7 at 1238, R. Rossii with neat weird music, unreadable lyrix sound English, pre-Hallowe`en? As often the case in their final hour before sign-off with unusual music. 1241 brief Russian announcement mentions John Fox, and Elisabeth ---; 1250 another song in English. More music plays right up until 1300 when it stops with no announcement or even time-signal, and carrier off before 1301. This is 100 kW, 30 degrees from Petropavlovsk/Kamchatsky, which is usually paired with unsynchronized 5940 Magadan, but no sign of the latter; it is much further north, but suspect not on the air tonight. It`s also 100 kW, 30 degrees per Aoki, so both USward. With Putin ruling out continuing yearound DST, dumb idea by Medvedev, we can expect these to extend one UT hour longer until 1400 come winter. Previous B-seasons, 5930 has switched to 6075 instead, but B- 12 plans to stay on 5930, perhaps to avoid Vatican, if not 8GAL and 2MTL. 5940, Oct 9 at 1253, R. Rossii via Magadan is barely audible again, // but a couple of seconds ahead of stronger 5930 Pet/Kam, with a song in English. 7320, Oct 10 at 0457, R. Rossii, good signal despite degraded hi- latitude propagation otherwise, especially from eastward. 0459 ID and timesignal three sesquiseconds late after 0500. Aoki says 100 kW, 45 degrees from Magadan. This is // 5940, but at this early hour, no good there, especially with WWCR on 5935 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA [and non]. [Re 12-40:] "Selenginsk? Looks like that`s a.k.a. Ulan Ude, SE of Lake Baikal" --- Yupp, that's the exact location of that transmitter site where also a 150 kW longwave transmitter is in operation, on 279 kHz. Re. Radio Rossii via Taldom: At a quick check of 9480 at 1455 it still had some hum (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Oct 7, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SAAR [and non]. [Re 12-40:] "Die Zeitung vom Westdeutschen Rundfunk "WDR PRINT" gibt es auch noch" And it was awful PR puff already 15 years ago. Also still published is the PR paper from Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, called Mittendrin (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Oct 7, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SAO TOME & PRINCIPE. SÃO TOMÉ E PRÍNCIPE: 1530, Voz da América, Ponta Praião, 1716-..., 06/10, português, notícias, relatos, programa musical às 1734, fim da emssão ás 1800, mas o tx permaneceu com portadora; 44333. 73. (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SERBIA. All transmissions of International Radio Serbia on 9635 are cancelled: 1300-1400 on 9635 BEO 015 kW / 310/130 to WeEu English/Serbian 1400-1500 on 9635 BEO 015 kW / 310/130 to WeEu Spanish/Arabic 1500-1600 on 9635 BEO 015 kW / 310/130 to WeEu Russian/French 1600-1630 on 9635 BEO 015 kW / 310/130 to WeEu German 1630-1700 on 9635 BEO 015 kW / 310/130 to WeEu Chinese/Albanian 1700-1730 on 9635 BEO 015 kW / 310/130 to WeEu Hungarian/Greek 1730-1800 on 9635 BEO 015 kW / 310/130 to WeEu Italian (Ivo Ivanov, DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, Oct 9 via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DXLD) ** SERBIA [non]. 9685, Oct 7 at 0041, IRS in Serbian, as I compared it to KBC on 9400, which was weaker if really from Bulgaria. At 0101, IRS is now in English by that rather boring and accented YL announcer, and this is again contrary to their own schedule as in EiBi, which shows NO English on the NAm frequency UT Sundays, and not even on the air after 0100: 9685 0000-0030 SRB Int. Radio Serbia SR NAm /BIH 9685 0030-0100 Tu-Sa SRB Int. Radio Serbia E NAm /BIH 9685 0030-0100 Su-Mo SRB Int. Radio Serbia SR NAm /BIH 9685 0100-0130 Mo-Sa SRB Int. Radio Serbia SR NAm /BIH However, Aoki has it right showing English at 0100 is UT Sundays only: 9685 R.SERBIA INT. 0000-0030 .234567 Serbian 250 310 Bijeljina SRB 9685 R.SERBIA INT. 0000-0100 1...... Serbian 250 310 Bijeljina SRB 9685 R.SERBIA INT. 0030-0100 .234567 English 250 310 Bijeljina SRB 9685 R.SERBIA INT. 0100-0130 1...... English 250 310 Bijeljina SRB 9685 R.SERBIA INT. 0100-0130 .234567 Serbian 250 310 Bijeljina SRB 02008E 4433N IRS a12 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SIKKIM. 4835, AIR Gangtok (presumed), 1410, Oct 7. Surprised at how well I was hearing subcontinent music underneath ABC Alice Springs; also noted Oct 8 and 9 (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Alinco DX-R8T and Par Electronics EF-SWL antenna, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOLOMON ISLANDS, SIBC, 5019.87, 1106-1118, with news in English, ID at 1107:30, into music at 1113. Somewhat readable when Rebelde not playing music. Still audible at 1200 recheck, male with prayer in English, unreadable announcement by female, anthem(?) and s/off, 10/6 (Art Delibert, N. Bethesda, MD, NRD535D with SE-3 synch detector, Pennant antenna aimed NNW with DX Engineering pre-amp, HCDX via DXLD) 5019.89, Honiara noted with fair sig 1135 with pleasant orchestrals and OM announcer but way too much splatter from 5025 for this to make for enjoyable listening. 10/6 (Ralph Perry, Wheaton, Illinois, Drake R8B; Japan Radio NRD-545; Eton E1; Hallicrafters SX100; Dentron Super Tuner + Ameco PLF-2 + Palomar P-408 + Quantum Phaser antenna unit (customized for tropical bands); 355-foot bidirectional BOG positioned 150 deg / 330 deg for LA / SE Asia, Phased Longwire + Small Loop, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOMALILAND. Somaliland Sun, 22 Sept 2012, Yusuf M Hasan: "A British engineer from a London firm called Transmitters 'R' us, has been hired to go to Hargeisa soon, to repair the old 25 kilowatt shortwave transmitter (Brand name: ELCOR) which was installed at Radio Hargeisa about 5 years ago. The transmitter, which never worked well because of a mismatching of transmitter to antenna, and has been off the air mostly, not working, for most of that period, is a lower powered transmitter, only one-fourth of the power of the new 100-kilowatt Chinese shortwave transmitter. The old ELCOR transmitter, if working, should also cover all of East Africa nicely, and perhaps Europe and India, and possibly, though not too well, the US. Information is yet to be availed on whether Radio Hargeisa engineers are considering using it as a 'back up' in case of future temporary problems with the new Chinese transmitter, or if the intent is to broadcast simultaneously with two SW transmitters on difference frequency bands." (via kimandrewelliott.com via Oct CIDX Messenger via DXLD) 7120, Oct 4 carrier on at *0331.3 from R. Hargeisa; Qur`an starts around 0333.6; at 0350 I notice an extended talk portion. I see that today`s Aoki shows this as 04-07 irregular & 15-19, despite numerous reports confirming that it starts around 0330 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 7120, Radio Hargeisa, *0333:30-0404, Oct 4, strong carrier on at 0331. Sign on with local chanting. Talk at 0340, past 0405. Good. 7120, Radio Hargeisa, *0332-0355+, Oct 8, strong carrier on at 0331. Sign on with local chants at 0332. Talk at 0344. Good (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg, PA, Icom IC-7600, two 100 foot longwires, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOMALILAND. 7120, Radio Hargeisa/Hargaysa, *1500-1510, Oct 9. Suddenly on with brief HOA music before reciting from the Qur’an (qira’ut) till 1508; more HOA music; weaker than normal without the usual boost in the audio level shortly after signing on; transmitter open carrier noted at 1453. Recently I have been checking this daily and the reciting from the Qur’an (qira’ut) is now their normal format shortly after signing on (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Alinco DX-R8T and Par Electronics EF-SWL antenna, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOUTH AFRICA [and non]. 7285, Oct 10 at 0459, Sonder Grense audible now, but notable by their absence were 7275 Tunisia, 7295 Algeria via France, (and of course Mauritania 7245). Possibly they were all off the air, but apparently only lower-latitude paths making it from eastward. Above 10 MHz was dead, and nothing but Costa Rica 9630 on 31 m. WWV reported: ``Solar-terrestrial indices for 09 October follow. Solar flux 106 and estimated planetary A-index 42. The estimated planetary K-index at 0600 UTC on 10 October was 2. Space weather for the past 24 hours has been minor. Geomagnetic storms reaching the G1 level occurred. Radio blackouts reaching the R1 level occurred. No space weather storms are predicted for the next 24 hours`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. 13570, Oct 5 at 1250 on WINB I notice that Brother Scare (and anyone else speaking on The Overcomer) now has reverb imposed; I always thought he was down in a hole. Then at 1403 check, other unsynchronized outlets which sound just the same so it`s going out that way on satellite feed: 15215 IRRS via ????, 13810 via Nauen, and 9370, where Capt. Dave interrupted for legal WWRB ID at 1404. Also noticed earlier after 0500 via WCKY 1530 Cincinnati, hardly worthy of a distinct log entry (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Next day and since then, reverb removed (gh) ** SPAIN [and non]. 21610, Thursday Oct 4 at 1251, REE is really in Basque today instead of defaulting to Spanish. 21540, Oct 4 at 1434, R. Kuwait has built up to very good signal with Qur`an on this poached frequency which they continue to register as ``21520``, and as usual with co-channel interference making a SAH of about 5 Hz from a much weaker signal: but it`s enough to tell that it is NOT // Spain on 21610 (or 17595)! Altho can`t copy the understation or even be positive of the language, it`s a woman`s voice or at 1439 even music, while 21610 is a man`s voice. It`s hard to imagine any other station butting into this collision, so there must be some other explanation, like Spain not running // programming at this time for some reason. Checking the official program grid, http://www.rtve.es/radio/radio-exterior/programacion/ there are certain blocks with alternative programming, and this is one of them if you roll over: `Paisajes y Sabores` or `Africa Hoy` L-V at 1430. 21540 must be the latter. 9630, Oct 6 at 0529 via COSTA RICA, REE with electronic music theme closing `Amigos de la Onda Corta`. Missed it, but at least I have confirmed it`s still on air at 0505 UT Sats, unlike 1230 Sundays. 9535, UT Sunday Oct 7 at 0030, REE is starting `Amigos de la Onda Corta`, so another airing confirmed, but will it still be absent from Sunday 1230? 11880, Sunday Oct 7 at 1254, REE COSTA RICA, music rather than `Amigos de la Onda Corta` but did not check earlier to be sure it was missing; then `La Costa de las Tormentas`, presumably just a promo for it. After 1305, `Mundofonías`, world music. 11880, Oct 8 at 1252, another Monday and REE COSTA RICA relay again in Castilian, not Basque. 11880, Oct 9 at 1246, REE via CR is again Basque-less, instead a rock song in English, ``Welcome to the Picture Show``, and at 1250 ``En 5 Minutos``, either starting or ending, the evergreen fill-show heard rather often on REE. Frequent absences of the Basque news supposedly M-F at 1230-1255 make me wonder if there is bad blood between RNE Bilbao and Madrid, and if Madrid censors any shows which are too separatist. The same could apply to the Catalan news, but that only gets 5 minutes at an inconvenient time in the first place. 11880, Oct 10 at 1247, REE COSTA RICA relay still Basqueless, just Castilian. At 1250 it`s a feature about Radio España Independiente, the anti-Franco, pro-Communist ``Estación Pirenaica`` clandestine via Romania, which closed down after 8,300 programs on 14 July 1977 as democracy was being established in Spain. Included clips and/or interviews afterwards with those involved. Apparently one of those 5-minute fillers REE inserts when scheduled programming is missing, stopped at 1255 but mentioning `Amigos de la Onda Corta` where this probably aired originally, altho not in the voice of Antonio Buitrago; on to a song to fill out the hour (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SRI LANKA. 7189.786 SLBC Ekala provider on Hindi progrs? S=9+20dB at 0140-0145 UT (Wolfgang Büschel, using Victor Goonetilleke`s SDR in Piliyandala, Sri Lanka, Oct 6-7, BC-DX via DXLD) ** SUDAN. 7200, R. Omdurman (presumed) with African sounding chants with drum beats, into Arabic chanting/reading at :46. Into Arabic talk at the ToH with a VERY tentative mention of Omdurman and into what sounded like news and features. Listed as 100 kW from Al Aitahab which is something like 11,000 km from Michigan. In OK – surprisingly little QRhaM 34+443 0240-0340 3/Oct (Ken Zichi, Williamston MI, MARE Tipsheet Oct 5 via DXLD) 7200, Oct 4 at 0354 Arabish but cut off already at 0355:20*. Is this typical of Khartoum? Aoki shows 0200-0430, but it`s also wrong about time for Hargeisa, q.v. (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 7200, SRTC, *0230:30-0401*, Oct 8, sign on with Qur`an. Arabic at at 0231. Back to Qur`an at 0232. Arabic talk at 0237. Indigenous vocals. Local Sudanese music. Fair (Brian Alexander, PA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Glenn, since about a week I observe both Ethiopia and Sudan absent on 7200 before and after 1800 on several days. Instead I observed a fairly strong, somewhat noisy signal with weak modulation at that time on 9505, today Oct. 10 with some slow traditional music until approx. 1900:50*, and then approx. *1901:10 sign-on on 7200 with traces of a female announcer. So Sudan would be a strong guess, but unlikely to ID it under given conditions. 73 (Thorsten Hallmann, Germany, Oct 10, WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN [non]. 15400, Oct 6 at 0548, R. Dabanga via MADAGASCAR with fair signal; it`s no longer so reliable as in summer here/winter there, and // 11650 via VATICAN is better (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN [non]. 6/10, 17745, SRS, 1645 with program in vernacular than [sic] English S20 (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, Pesawat penerima: ICOM R75, Lowe HF150, Degen 1102, 1103, 108, 1126, Tecsun PL200/550/600/360, Chibo c300/c979, Yupi 7000, Antenna: 16m hor, 2x16 m V invert, 1m Australian loop, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ?? This supposedly closed down its SW service in September. Something else here now? By ``than``, did you mean ``then`` == ``followed by``, or did you mean ``instead of``? (gh, DXLD) ** SWEDEN. Save Solvesborg MW - a letter --- Hello! I've typed a letter that I will send to the Swedish National Heritage Board to make a new attempt to save Solvesborg MW from being demolished as the owner Teracom wants to do. The Solvesborg Community is positive to preserve the station if it can be made through state funds. The county administration board has said no because they don't find it old enough and not important enough since it has been aimed toward foreign countries. It'd be great if some of you would like to sign this letter. Please send me an e-mail with your name and QTH. 73's de (Chris Stödberg, SM6VPU, c_stodberg @ hotmail.com Oct 10, mwmasts yg via DXLD) ** TAIWAN. 1557 Taiwan changing --- Everybody who gets YFR via Taiwan on 1557 (I see it makes it to WNAm as well as to Europe), note that as part of FR cutbacks it will soon be ceasing. Presumably RTI will find some other use for the transmitter, but what? (Glenn Hauser, MWCircle yg et al., via DXLD) Viz.: Revised schedule of FSI transmissions via RTI for B-2012 (kHz) (kW) Time(UTC) Hours Languages Remark 1557 300 0000~0300 3 Mandarin stop on November 12 1557 300 0800~2400 16 Mandarin/English stop on November 12 Sincerely, (Brenda Constantino, WYFR Okeechobee, Oct 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Glen[n]. Thanks for the news. I'm not a fan of Family Radio but this station is an excellent beacon signal revealing propagation from the Far East. Heard it last night at 2100 UT. 73 (Steve Whitt, England, ibid.) ** TAIWAN. 9955, 1730-1800* 03.10, R Taiwan International, Tainan. German free phone-in test with listeners in Germany, 1756 song from Taiwan, 45434 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, done on my AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire in the trees in my garden, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) 11654.847, RTI Vietnamese service from Tainan, at 0014 UT, S=9+10dB noted in CLN (Wolfgang Büschel, using Victor Goonetilleke`s SDR in Piliyandala, Sri Lanka, Oct 6-7, BC-DX via DXLD) ** TANNU TUVA. [Re 12-40:] "Whew! Any idea what this is really saying?" --- Renewal of the aviation obstruction beacons (i.e. the red lights) it seems, on the shortwave antenna system as specified in this bid for tenders. PKM-5 / Tsiklon would be the transmitter model (although I seem to recall that Tsiklon was some higher powered rig, so the term could refer to something different here), installed in 1968 it seems (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Oct 7, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) RTRN has put out a request for tender for writing project papers of reconstruction (really new construction) of old SW antenna in Kyzyl. Old (1968) four larch poles are in bad condition. 51 41 11N 94 36 06E Report (Sept 2011) in Russian but many pictures too http://www.rtrn.ru/data/documents/issled_rekonstr_opor_ant_zenit_izl_Tyva_24.09.12.pdf (5mb) (Victor Rutkovsky, Russia, ibid.) ** THAILAND. 9890, R. Thailand, 1242 news by W in English, 1143 ID by M, then canned PSA on education and couple more announcements, then 1245 canned ID/program promo by M again. Decent signal but just blasted by VOA Greenville 9885. Had to use USB to make it even semi- readable. 6 Oct (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA USA, At home: NRD-535D and Perseus SDR, Wellbrook ALA1530S+ and 153’ Vertical Triangle Delta Loop, HCDX via DXLD) ** UKRAINE. 29.09.2012 with 0655 to 0658 UT took “Dneprovskaya Volna” ("Dnieper wave") in the Ukrainian language at a frequency of 11980 kHz. Broadcast transmission of Ukrainian radio. Reception - 44444. In 0658 UT sounded identification, declared address the frequency and time of broadcasting, mentioned the QSL. 30.09.2012 with 0725 to 0759 UT took “Dneprovskaya Volna” ("Dnieper wave") in the Ukrainian language at a frequency of 11980 kHz. Broadcast transmission of Ukrainian radio. Reception - 45444. In 0759 UT sounded identification of the Radio "Dniprovska Khvilya", declared address, the frequency and the time of broadcasting. Prior to this were three Ukrainian the songs. (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 RusDX 7 Oct via DXLD) ** U K [and non]. BBC World Service - How & When to Listen "You can listen to BBC World Service in English on a range of platforms, including online, satellite and cable, digital radio, internet radio, AM, FM and short wave." Comprehensive (hopefully!) details here http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmeguide/ (Mike Terry, Oct 9, dxldyg via DXLD) No mention of the cell phone only service: 712 432 6580 (Leonard J. Rooney, Delaware County, Springfield PA, ibid.) The tip as to receiving the BBC Worldservice is a good idea badly executed. Entering Melbourne Australia into the search box results in No Service available - presumably no shortwave. The page Digital Radio suggests that this is only available in the UK and Europe but here in Melbourne we have 24/7 coverage in Digital radio DBA+ using SBS Radio 6. This is available in all state capitals so 90 plus percent of the population has it but the BBC seems unaware or at least is trying to keep it a secret! (Morrison Hoyle, Australia, ibid.) Morrison, we do not have DAB+ in Tasmania and no plans for it to happen due to opposition of local commercial radio stations. However BBC World Service is available on Foxtel Radio 24/7 plus overnight relays over the RPH network. DAB+ is only available in mainland capitals and personally don't know how may receivers are here in Oz. Most still opt for the standard FM anyway (Robin VK7RH ibid.) ** U K [non]. 6035, Oct 5 at 0529 something African audible too close to the DentroCuban Jamming Command on 6030, but off in less than a minute. HFCC shows BBCWS Hausa, 250 kW, 27 degrees via ASCENSION at 0500-0530 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Ascension Island: 5875, BBCWS English with "NewsDay". OK, I gave it a try, I really did, but the lisp of the South African woman announcer, the technical 'issues' and continual silliness and yes, I'll say it, UNPROFESSIONALISM of the production values of this show (things like hearing vacuuming(!) in the background as announcers deliver their segments, typing as interviews are being conducted audibly coming through and the appearance that the announcers have NO idea what the import of the topics they are talking about is) has turned me off enough that this is likely the last time I'm going to bother listening to this. At least NewsHour is still pretty well done, but I can't hear that except on FM these days! Sigh. And on top of this, at the ToH they did NOT have Lillibullero. The 'African horns and drums' 'lively' bumper music for this show annoys me no end, and now they have apparently deep-sixed one of the traditional 'classics' as well. Double sigh. Not in well, 2444+3 0340-0400 3/Oct (Ken Zichi, Williamston MI, MARE Tipsheet Oct 5 via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DXLD) ** U K [and non]. "GROWING FEELING IN THE CORRIDORS" THAT BBC WORLD SERVICE SHOULD START A KOREAN SERVICE (updated). Posted: 05 Oct 2012 The Independent, 10 Sept 2012, Ian Burrell: North Korea's "Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un presides over a state with the least free media in the world and where accessing the output of foreign news organisations remains a criminal offence. At the BBC World Service, recently relocated to new offices in the refurbished Broadcasting House, there is a growing feeling in the corridors that something needs to be done about this. The world's largest international broadcaster transmits to 188 million people in 27 languages – but Korean isn't one of them. ... Among the broadcasters based in South Korea is the US government-run Voice of America, and Radio Free Asia, which is funded by grants from Washington and transmits to North Korea for five hours a day from a studio in Seoul. ... For obvious historical reasons, the United States is still viewed with distrust in North Korea and the BBC, with its unrivalled international reputation for impartiality, has a great opportunity here. ... The BBC told me it had "no plans at present" to open a Korean service and claimed "it is not clear that we would be able to reach anything more than a tiny proportion of the population". But it did say that it was 'open to the possibility of broadcasting World Service to new audiences'." (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) Although VOA and RFA have correspondents in South Korea, their Korean services are "based" in Washington. VOA and RFA are US-government- funded, but VOA is not "government-run," as long as the Broadcasting Board of Governors' firewall remains in place (and is taken seriously). The BBC's "unrivaled international reputation for impartiality" is probably an unknown commodity in North Korea, except perhaps among the ruling elite. While shortwave radios are available to members of that ruling elite, as well as to those who are able to buy shortwave radios smuggled from China, BBCWS would really need access to medium wave relays to reach sizeable audiences in North Korea. Such medium wave lease opportunities exist in Russia and South Korea, but are scarce (Kim Andrew Elliott, ibid.) Update: Daily NK, 1 Oct 2012, Chris Green: "Lord David Alton of Liverpool recently received a letter from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in London, rejecting a proposal from a small group of people, of which he is a member, calling for the BBC World Service to be extended to the Korean Peninsula. ... The British government, the official reply he received in September notes, is concerned that broadcasting the BBC World Service into North Korea might hinder London’s policy of critical engagement with the North Korean authorities, but would like to point out that the British Embassy in Pyongyang negotiated the broadcasting of ‘Bend it Like Beckham’ on state television in recognition of the importance of free access to information. Yet the BBC never shied away from broadcasting into the former USSR or China for fear of putting diplomatic relations at risk in those places. Suspecting that financial calculations may have won the day, Lord Alton is not ready to quit just yet." (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) ** U K. BBC radio iPlayer? BBC Radio 4 on the 1700 (UT) News on This Evening, mentions a new iPlayer exclusively for RADIO. Has anybody any further information? Thank You (Ken Fletcher, Oct 9, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) BBC overhauls its online radio http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19869320 (Ian Kelly, ibid.) BBC World Service website transformed: The BBC has consolidated its websites across its various radio services; it appears the World Service website is less unique than before. Biggest reason for the change is the rapid takeup of tablet devices (iPads / Kindle Fire etc). The new "iPlayer Radio" is being highly touted as well. While the desktop/laptop version of the player works fine, US iPhone owners don't get access to it. Here's their blog about the developments: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/ (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA 18104, internetradio via DXLD) ** U S A. WWVB TRANSITION PERIOD POSTPONED [60 kHz] WWVB is continuing to have problems with its Time Code Generators that will be used with their new phase modulated signal. In fact, they are going so far as to do some redesigning and additional testing. (Synopsis of correspondence with WWVB's John Lowe, 10/3/12) (CGC Communicator Oct 8 via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD) ** U S A. Glenn: Re Item in latest DXLD on VOA promo for presidential debate. The day of the debate, I believe I heard anchor announce around 1245 UT during International Edition, that the debate would be available on the web site and there would be later coverage on the next day's International Edition. But I also heard a similar "also on shortwave radio" comment -- and wondered if that meant shortwave broadcast of International Edition. I tuned into the VOA English stream to hear how the debate coverage was, but there was none. Normal newscast and music programming Baffling (Mike Cooper, Oct 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [and non]. 17530, Oct 4 at 1426 VOA Music Mix ID but underneath much stronger carrier with some crackle, producing fast SAH. At 1431, now only one signal with VOA news. Most likely the carrier a warm-up test from Greenville, which does not really start 17530 until 1700 in Portuguese, but it really ought to do this on a separate frequency so as not to QRM VOA via São Tomé at 1400-1500. In between, Vatican relay is scheduled at 1500-1530 in Hausa, but such warmups are not typical of SMG; and also Wertachtal adds another semihour of Portuguese from 1630, but only on Fridays and this is Thursday. See also UNIDENTIFIED: 17520 17870, Oct 4 at 1429, SW Asian language, mentions Washington, and long-path echo. HFCC shows VOA Kurdish, 250 kW, 120 degrees from Wertachtal, GERMANY at 1400-1500. Off the back USward would be 300 degrees, with most of the signal pushed toward the long path. It so happens this transmission is within a degree or two of being exactly opposite from us, altho the 120 azimuth from Wertachtal is toward Jerusalem, considerably missing Kurdistan further north. It exits Asia across the Arabian peninsula, grazes the NE tip of the Horn of Africa, then all over-water across the Indian Ocean, way south of Australia & New Zealand, up across the Pacific hitting North America across Sinaloa. Short path is approx. 5100 miles, so long path is 19800 miles, which is 14700 miles further, for a delay at the speed of radio of 0.079 second. Usual proviso about being slightly further bouncing off the ionosphere than all at sea level. 15265, Sat Oct 6 at 1410, sufficient signal from VOA with `On the Line` discussion, interviewing Reuters` Pentagon correspondent about betrayals by murderous Afghan trainees; 1415 on to another guest. And still more talk rather than vapid music fill after 1430, discussing presidential debate. HFCC shows 14-15 daily is 100 kW, 100 degrees from São Tomé, but also lists MBR Issoudun during this hour on weekends, which must be wooden, fortunately. Then found stronger // VOA on 17530 but a few words behind 15265. HFCC says this one is also Pinheira, at 124 degrees, but why aren`t they synchronized if really same site? Some sites deliberately de-synchronize in order to even out power consumption (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1637: ready for first airing on WRMI 9955, UT Thursday Oct 4 at 0330: as usual, totally blocked by wall-of-noise jamming. Tnx a lot, Arnie! Repeats on WRMI: Sat 0800, 1500, 1730, Sun 0800, 1530, 1730, Mon 0500, 1130. On WTWW: Thu 2100 on 9479, UT Sun 0400 on 5745 On WWRB: UT Fri 0330v on 5050 (resumed last week) On Area 51 via WBCQ 5110v-CUSB: UT Sat 0130v (last week, 0135) On Hamburger Lokalradio: Sat 0630 & 1630 on 7265; Tue 0930 on 5980 On WRN via SiriusXM 120: Sat & Sun 1730, Sun 0830 WORLD OF RADIO 1637 monitoring: Thursday Oct 4 at 2100 on WTWW 9479: this time, the QSY-to-5745 announcement was interrupted for the canned ID, resumed, and then WOR started intact. WWRB airing did not make it. I was monitoring webcast only, and no point in checking 5050 later. At 0330 UT Friday Oct 5, I noticed that the SC preacher audio had some weaker programming underneath it. He finished at 0331 and then there was silence or only noise on the feed; 0333 silence. 0334:50 Capt. Frantz must have been at the controls himself, for we heard him apologize for not being able to get WOR on the air; tho it`s been received, he can`t get the computer to play it. Eventually put on `Unshackled` to fill, with some interruptions, for the rest of the semihour. Next: UT Sat 0130v on Area 51 via WBCQ 5110v-CUSB (Anker Petersen measured Sept 24 on 5109.73) UT Sun 0400 on WTWW 5745 WRMI 9955: Sat 0800, 1500, 1730, Sun 0800, 1530, 1730, Mon 0500, 1130 Hamburger Lokálradio: Sat 0630 & 1630 on 7265; Tue 0930 on 5980 WRN via SiriusXM 120: Sat & Sun 1730, Sun 0830 If anyone missed the first three airings of WORLD OF RADIO 1637 on WTWW, WWRB or WBCQ, there`s one more good chance on SW tonight: UT Sunday 0400 on WTWW 5745. Also on WRMI 9955: Sat 1730, Sun 0800, 1530, 1730, Mon 0500, 1130. WORLD OF RADIO 1637 monitoring: confirmed on WTWW-1 5745, UT Sunday Oct 7 at 0400. Next: on WRMI 9955, Sunday 1730, Monday 0500, 1130. Also on WRN via SiriusXM 120, Sunday 1730 which feeds WRMI. Meanwhile, WTWW-2 was still on 5085 past 0400, Ted Randall interviewing some celebrity who is integrating ham radio into a TV show and inviting studio audience for tapings on some Tuesday evenings, probably replay of a QSO show. WORLD OF RADIO 1637 monitoring: the UT Monday 0500 broadcast on WRMI 9955 checked at 0523 was more or less atop the pulse jamming (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. George McClintock notified me Saturday afternoon that WTWW-2 would be on the air again that evening, from 2300 UT with other programming, and then from 0000 UT Sunday Oct 7 until 0400 or later, Ted Randall with another music and call-in show. He didn`t mention frequencies, so I assumed it would be on usual 9990 until 0100 QSY to 5085, but this did not eventuate. From 2300, nothing on either frequency; at 0000, still nothing, tho WTWW-1 is still inbooming on 9479. By 0007 check, 9990 has come on with classic rock. At 0018 Ted is inviting requests, plays some ABBA. At 0059 he is introducing a new program `Nightshift` to be previewed tonight, after which he will be back (when?). Turns out to be from Rod Hembree, who lauds SW as superior to unreliable internet, from Quick Study Television = Radio 2:11 = Good Friends Radio-TV Network in Orangeville, Ontario. Just as he is starting, WTWW canned ID fires and talks over him and he then plays some music. I check WBCQ 9330-CUSB, and QSTV/211/GFRN programming there is not //, and the signal much weaker than WTWW on same band (as it always is vs. 9479). Meanwhile WTWW-2 has stayed on 9990 rather than QSYing to 5085 as expected at 0100, altho WTWW-1 9479 did to 5745. I notice at 0109 that 9990 is starting to fade down, so at least tonight 0100 would have been a good time to change frequency. I needed to turn the computer back on, so tuned a radio nearby to 5085 expecting to hear WTWW come on whenever, but never did, maybe too much local noise. Another check at 0200 found 5085 now on and very good with ID, then ``Classical Gas`` but marred by IADs: problem in the studio-transmitter feed? And so it goes (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9479, WTWW Lebanon TN with the peripatetic pastor Peter J. Peters pontificating politely, poetically and partly (mostly?) psychotically about prayer in public schools with mentions of www.scripturesforamerica.org and a book called "Awake America" or something like that available for a 'donation' of $10; $20 for the tape. Probably a smart marketing tactic since most of the intended audience either can't, or doesn't like to, read most likely! Full legal WTWW ID at 2100 and into more PPJP Prophesy including why it is OK to kill people who are crazy. He better be careful if that is true! Goodness but what people must think of America if they think THIS stuff is typical. Wonder when we'll see riots and ambassadors murdered about this stuff? Shudder. In well, 54+54+4 with only my local QRM causing issues. 2054-2114 29/Sep (Ken Zichi, Williamston MI, MARE Tipsheet Oct 5 via DXLD) ** U S A. 9330-CUSB, Oct 6 at 0528, open carrier/dead air from Radio 2:11 = Good Friends Radio Network = TV soundtrack via WBCQ (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 9955, Oct 6 at 1943, pleased to find WRMI jamming-free, allowing poor-fair signal to be more or less readable, during report about Maoists in India. WRN North America schedule shows Sat at 1930 is Radio Australia with `Asia Review`. I hope WRMI was just as audible a bihour earlier during WORLD OF RADIO (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9955, Oct 9 at 0352, WRMI with Japanese accent during `Wavescan`, fair signal and no jamming audible, surviving the K-index of 6 blotting out northerly signals. So the Cubans do not necessarily jam everything at 0330, like WORLD OF RADIO on Thursdays. At 0445 recheck, the wall-of-noise jamming is back upon WRMI, i.e. `Moments in Bible Prophecy` is getting creamed, now on the schedule at 0445-0500 UT Tue-Sat. I hadn`t looked at the WRMI program schedule grid for a while, as you never know when it will be updated: dated 19 September. I see there has been one change in WORLD OF RADIO timings: Tue 1100 replaces Monday 1130. There are no exile programs any day of the week during the 11-12 UT hour, so there is no excuse whatsoever for any jamming then. I see that the R. Martí relays are now off the WRMI schedule in the mornings. In fact, except for a few scattered exile programs on weekends, the main blox of anti-Castro shows are now only: 2200-2300 M-F `Cuba al Dia` (Radio Martí) and 2300-2400 M-F `Radio Libertad` Arnie, please turn off your jammers elsewhen and attempt to regain a modicum of goodwill among SWLs (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 7506.5, WRNO New Orleans LA with pop music that was REALLY overmodulated and distorted. WHAT the pooch do they think they are doing? It almost sounded like NBFM rather than AM -- 'slope tuning' made it a little better. I'll have to try NBFM when I'm at the lake next to see if that's it! I THINK it was Jesus pop, but I couldn't really understand a word of it, so your guess is as good as mine. ID at :52 by OM and into more pop vocals. Nice and strong, but really pretty unusable because of the distortion/overmod: 4+554+2 0045-0100 3/Oct (Ken Zichi, Williamston MI, MARE Tipsheet Oct 5 via DXLD) WRNO 7506 up early at 2315 UT tonight, with their mix of secular and Christian music. Saw they have a new program on their website: 8:00 am to 12:00 pm Mornings Live with Thadeus Steele Wonder if they're thinking of going 24 hours on shortwave soon. Might want to fix the audio problems, as well as the off frequency transmitter (Tom Nyberg, Sumner, Iowa, Oct 7, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 7506.8, Oct 9 at 0350, K-index at 6, extremely disturbed weak fluttery signal with heavy flutter, I can only assume is WRNO, but off- frequency further than usual (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Or I miscalculated ** U S A. 15550-USB, Oct 6 at 2054, Scott Mock`s favorite preacher he pushes thru WJHR. I`ve seen some reports of this as 15550.1, but whenever I hear it including now it`s right on 15550.0 (reference frequency, no carrier), e.g. with BFO matching the JBA carrier from 17550 Kuwait one biMHz higher (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 9825, UT Sunday Oct 7 at 0425, `Pirating with Cumbre` this week with very strong signal from WHRI, unlike last week when it was JBA. In fact, at 0457 it`s still on and overloading with images around the 31m band (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 15615, Oct 6 at 1335, WEWN English, poor signal with co- channel fax QRM, presumed Australia but at least no Firedrake on, above or below 15615. All three WEWN transmitters are acting up, perhaps more obvious because of enhanced HF sporadic-E propagation producing very strong signals, Oct 6 at 1939: 12050 Spanish, with hash out to 30 kHz, 12020-12080 13830 Spanish, with squeal on channel, but not spurring outward 15610 English, usual squishy spurblobs peaking at plus and minus 9 and 18 kHz, but also audible in between 15592, 15601, 15619, 15628, and the top one bothering 15630 Voice of Greece (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. 17605, Oct 4 at 1430, AWR ID in English, introducing Afar, VG signal, then nice HOA music. Is 300 kW, 145 degrees from AUSTRIA. Before 1400 this frequency bears an equally good signal from YFR Burmese, presumably still substitute Pridnestrovye site instead of Uzbekistan (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. Revised schedule of FSI transmissions via RTI for B- 2012 (kHz) (kW) Time(UTC) Hours Languages Remark 11520 100 1100~1200 1 Tagalog Will Continue 9280 100 1100~1300 2 Mandarin Will Continue 6240 100 1100~1300 2 Mandarin Will Continue 6220 100 1100~1200 1 Burmese Will Continue 7540 100 1300~1400 1 Vietnamese Will Continue 9280 100 2100-2400 3 Mandarin drop on October 28 1557 300 0000~0300 3 Mandarin stop on November 12 1557 300 0800~2400 16 Mandarin/English stop on November 12 11565 100 0900~1000 1 Mandarin stop on November 12 11895 100 0800~0900 1 Korean stop on November 12 9545 100 0900~1100 2 Mandarin stop on November 12 9920 100 1000~1100 1 Mandarin stop on November 12 11535 100 1200~1300 1 Mandarin stop on November 12 11570 100 1200~1300 1 Burmese stop on November 12 11540 100 1300~1500 2 English stop on November 12 11550 100 1500~1600 1 Hindi stop on November 12 9540 100 2300~2400 1 Mandarin stop on November 12 11865 250 0000~0100 1 Indonesian stop on November 12 9465 250 0900~1100 2 English stop on November 12 9450 250 1000~1100 1 Vietnamese stop on November 12 11915 250 1100~1200 1 Indonesia stop on November 12 9940 250 1300~1400 1 Vietnamese stop on November 12 11630 100 0000~0100 1 Vietnamese stop on November 12 7460 100 1200~1300 1 Vietnamese stop on November 12 6240 100 1300~1600 3 Mandarin stop on November 12 9280 100 1300~1600 3 Mandarin stop on November 12 6215 100 2200~2400 2 Mandarin stop on November 12 Sincerely, (Brenda Constantino, WYFR Okeechobee, Oct 4, WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Transformed from xls, with spelling correxions by gh. So that leaves a total of 7 hours per day, presumably same for RTI exchange via WYFR. Previous schedule no longer included any of the times when English has been running, 0200, 0300 or 0500. People should be pressing RTI about what is really going to happen! (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DXLD) See also TAIWAN ** U S A. logs from Pres. Debate --- I was driving home, scanning dashboard dial and found it amazing how many stations coming in on DX were running the debates. some were waaay out of sync with one another. I decided to do bandscan with the DX-375 when I got home. Some common abbreviations are used where applicable. Logs are from Thursday evening local, between 1900-1930 MST. [He means Wednesday evening = 0200-0230 UT Thursday Oct 4 --- gh] 1080 KRLD TX Dallas VG 1070 KNX CA LA Good 570 KNRS UT SLC Fair 640 KFI CA LA Fair 630 unID. Fair-Good 650 KMTI UT Manti 720 KDWN NV Las Vegas. Poor, mixing co-channels 760 (unID). San Diego or San Antonio likely 780 (unID) didn`t catch ID at ToH. Either KKOH (Reno) or semi-local KAZM (Sedona AZ). Very very good 810 KGO CA San Fran. Excellent 820 WBAP TX Ft. Worth. Good 850 KOA CO DEN. VG 890 KDXU UT St. George. in-blasting 980 (UNid) Likely KSVC (UT) or KFWB (CA). Strong 1140 KNWS CA PSP. Poor 1160 KSL UT SLC. In - Blasting! 1200 unID. Likely WOAI San Antonio. (weak) 1430 KLO UT Ogden 1520 KOKC OK OKC 1600 (unid). weak 73 and good listening! (Rick Barton, El Mirage, AZ, Realistic RF-2200, barefoot, Oct 7, ABDX via DXLD) ** U S A. 620, Oct 9 at 1222 UT, ESPN station in English is QRMing XEBU (see MEXICO). At this hour, surely nothing but KTAR Phoenix is possible. It`s ND day, but night pattern has a secondary lobe at 28 degrees, null at 83 degrees; Enid is at 72 degrees from KTAR, 1328 km. BTW, KTAR is Mormon-owned (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WMAL, DC, Washington – A mini-documentary by Rick McClure entitled “WMAL AM 63, the Story of the Grand Family Station,” covers the history of the station from the early 60s to the late 80s. Available online at http://vimeo.com/47881352 (Wayne Heinen, AM Switch, NRC DX News Oct 1 via DXLD) ** U S A. 650, Oct 5 at 0518 UT in WSM null, instead of an XE I am hearing `Coast to Coast`, so which station is a `B` affiliate in the NRC AM Log? The one I suspected, only KGAB Orchard Valley (Cheyenne) WY, 500 watts at night, 3-tower directional northwest with of course null toward Nashville, and only tiny lobe meward. Must be out of whack. On an optimum winter day and if lacking 640 WWLSIBOC, I have heard KGAB`s 8.5 kW non-direxional daytime at some 500 miles, could even be groundwave (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. CBS BUYS NEW YORK FM FOR WFAN Inside Radio October 8, 2012 CBS Radio’s quest to find an FM signal for sports WFAN, New York (660) has led it to Merlin Media. CBS is buying Merlin’s modern rock WRXP (101.9) for $75 million. CBS will begin operating the station under a local marketing agreement in the coming weeks, putting WFAN on the FM dial. In a memo to staff, Merlin CEO Randy Michaels says the sale will put the company on firmer financial footing and allow them to put more of a focus on operations. InsideRadio.com (Inside Radio via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) Speculation is that CBS will move the news format of WINS 1010 to the better 660 signal, and sell 1010 in order to comply with market ownership caps (Steve Luce, Houston, Texas, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) WFAN's Sports move to WRXP 101.9? The WFAN web site said this afternoon that they plan to simulcast the AM on FM (Mike Hunter WTFDA via DXLD) This is what I'm reading on radioinsight.com this afternoon. Should happen in November. So, based on what I read about Family Radio about their leaving FM and moving to AM (as in Philly), could that possibly mean that WFME leaves 94.7 and moves to 660? Good grief, could you imagine that happening. Maybe the IBOC would go :-) I suspect Scott has a good answer (Mike Bugaj, Enfield, CT, Oct 8, WTFDA via DXLD) I was listening to "the FAN" when Mike Francesa made the initial announcement at the beginning of his show Monday afternoon. He said that those who had become accustomed to listening to 660 AM wouldn't have to change a thing, the station would continue to broadcast on that frequency. He said the move to add an FM outlet was in response to a desire on the part of management and staff to pick up listeners "who never, ever listen to an AM radio." Regards, (Fred Laun, Temple Hills, MD, ibid.) Isn't 660 pretty well the entire NY Mets network? If FM only, they'd have to add affiliates (Saul Chernos, Ont., ibid.) They've already quietly started expanding the network. There are affiliates now in Albany (WOFX 980) and Syracuse (WTLA 1200/WSGO 1440 and FM translators). I doubt they'd have much trouble signing up more if the need arises. The Mets have never had the kind of passionate following outside the immediate NYC market that the Yankees enjoy. Before they were on 660 (or even 1050 before that), the Mets were on a succession of much lesser signals (the 1969 World Series team was on WJRZ 970 in New Jersey!), and even then, there wasn't much of a network outside the metro area (Scott Fybush, Rochester, ibid.) Thanks, Scott. I actually use sports network lists as DX target aids (knowing they can be prone to the occasional error or inconsistency). WOFX? They actually carried the Red Sox this year. Have they announced a switch to the Mets for next year? (Saul Chernos, ibid.) That's what I get for posting before I've had my morning orange juice. WOFX went from Mets to Sox, while WTLA/WSGO went Sox to Mets. It's WMML 1230 up in Glens Falls that added the Mets. The Mets are also now on in Utica via WUSP 1550/WADR 1480 and their FM translator at 95.5 (Jeff Lehmann, - N1ZZN, Hanson, MA FN42NB, Sangean HDT-1X, Yamaha T- 85, Perseus FM+ APS-13, ibid.) Inside Radio October 09, 2012: Radio’s first sports station goes FM: For months the stated top priority for CBS Radio was to find a New York FM to simulcast its sports powerhouse WFAN (660) making the question when, not if, it would join the growing ranks of FM sports stations. In a $75 million deal — one of radio’s biggest sales so far in 2012 — CBS has fulfilled that mission as it buys modern rock WRXP (101.9) from Merlin Media. Sports AMs don’t always score with FM move: The move by CBS Radio’s WFAN, New York follows a similar effort by ESPN Radio rival WEPN-FM (98.7) in April. Both are the latest in a long string of FM migrations for the sports format. While simulcasts may help station ratings overall, Arbitron says the impact of moving play-by-play from AM to FM may not be all that sizable. insideradio.com (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) October 8, 2012, 5:07 pm WFAN FINDS ANOTHER HOME, ON THE FM DIAL By RICHARD SANDOMIR 6:46 p.m. | http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/08/wfan-finds-another-home-on-the-fm-dial/?pagewanted=print Updated For a quarter-century, WFAN been a staple of AM radio, the band where sports talk stations blossomed. From Pete Franklin to Mike and the Mad Dog to Boomer and Carton, WFAN was first heard at 1050 on the dial, then at 660, where WNBC once reigned. But on Monday, CBS Radio said that WFAN will take a major leap into FM: the station will start broadcasting at 101.9 starting in November, and the possibility exists that after a period of simulcasting, WFAN's voices could vanish from its AM digs. Dan Mason, the president of CBS Radio, said that if the format at 660 changes, it would not happen for a while. "We don't see this as a 30- or 60-day deal," he said. "We think there is a long period of time before an audience gets acclimated to moving back and forth from AM to FM. That's not to say the stations will remain identical forever. We're taking it a day at a time." Michael Harrison, the editor and publisher of Talkers magazine, which covers the talk radio industry, said Mason was being conservative. "It would take about a week to shift from AM to FM," he said. "We're no longer in the 'What's FM' era." Sports might never actually leave WFAN-AM, which has one of the strongest brands in news media and has advertising billings that place it among the top 10 of all radio stations nationally. It could convert from a schedule full of local voices like Mike Francesa and Joe Benigno, and Mets, Giants, Nets and Devils games, to one filled with programming from the CBS Sports Radio Network, a new venture that will start full-time in January with shows hosted by Jim Rome and Scott Ferrall. In Philadelphia, a template exists for what could be duplicated in New York. In September 2011, CBS started the FM equivalent of WIP-AM, a longtime sports-talk station. A simulcast that has been in place since then will end in January when WIP-AM becomes a full-time network station. Until - and unless - WFAN-AM converts to something else, Mason said CBS Radio's primary reason for buying WRXP-FM, an alternative rock station at 101.9 FM, was to complement the booming signal at 660 AM. He also said the FM station would help capture "an emerging sports market on FM that may not be serviced by AM radio." WXRP [sic] turned to music in July after a year as an all-news station. CBS is paying Merlin Media $75 million for it. The decision to put WFAN on FM follows by almost six months ESPN Radio's changeover of its New York station at 1050 AM to 98.7 FM. For a while, both stations simulcast ESPN Radio, but 1050 is now the full-time home of ESPN Deportes New York. "They needed to put FAN on FM to be competitive with ESPN down the dial," Harrison said. "This is the most logical thing." Mason said that CBS and ESPN's business models are so different that ESPN Radio's AM-to-FM shift offered him no lessons. "I wasn't happy that they beat us by a few months," he said. One concern for listeners will be whether WFAN will have the geographic reach on FM that it has on AM. Mason said 101.9 could not reach 25 states at night, as WFAN-AM can, but it has a strong signal that emanates from the Empire State Building. "Anyone would tell you that these two are outstanding signals," Mason said. Harrison said: "I don't think they need to reach 25 states, because WFAN already has a tremendous following on the Internet. So the idea of a radio station that is heard in 25 states is kind of a quaint concept." Still, assuming that WFAN's game rights move to FM if WFAN-AM changes its format, some fans who cannot be reached by 101.9's signal would not be able to use the station's Web site to hear Mets and Nets games, because WFAN lacks the audio streaming rights of those teams. It can, however, stream Giants and Devils games. This post has been revised to reflect the following correction: Correction: October 8, 2012: An earlier version of this blog post misstated the first name of the president of CBS Radio. He is Dan Mason, not Mark (NY Times via Mike Cooper, DXLD) THE DISMANTLING OF AM RADIO I was in radio when radio was big and AM radio was the big dog! There weren’t as many stations. There certainly weren’t many FM radios. Where they did exist, FM stations spent little on programming. In the early 70s I was on 1110 WBT in Charlotte. We were a 50,000 watt AM station with a nighttime signal that blanketed the East Coast. My dad would drive home on the Belt Parkway from Brooklyn to Queens listening to me. How cool was that? No one cares about AM anymore. Today’s prime example is WFAN in New York City. CBS Radio just bought WRXP 101.9 FM. 101.9 has featured every format possible under a series of callsigns. Even good friend, blog reader, golden throater v/o guy Rick Allison worked there! The progressive rock format begun on 101.9 just months ago is out. Sports talk WFAN will now be heard WFAN will continue to be simulcast on 660 AM, but the smart money says not for long. FM is where the listeners are–certainly the younger ones who still listen to terrestrial radio. . . http://tinyurl.com/8h4pspa (Geoff Fox blog http://www.geofffox.com/ via Mike Bugaj, Enfield, CT USA, WTFDA-AM via DXLD) For those who don't know, Geoff Fox was a DX'er and in the NRC back in the 1960's and early 1970's. He started in the industry in Boston, and moved to a number of other markets. He was in Philadelphia while I still lived in NJ (Russ Edmunds, WB2BJH, 15 mi NW of Philadelphia, ibid.) ** U S A. 670, Oct 5 at 0544 UT I happen to null WSCR and hear not only Cuba, but an ID for ``KWXI AM & FM``. Oh oh, KWXI is a 5 kW daytime ONLY non-direxional in Glenwood, Arkansas, per FCC and NRC AM Log 2012, not even a PSSA, but their FM is really K255BH on 98.9 which means programming continues 24 hours, but not supposed to be on AM in the nightmiddle! Glenwood is SW of Little Rock beyond Hot Springs more than halfway to OK (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 680, Oct 5 at 0545 UT, `Jim Bohannon Show` which is hard to find anywhere around here during 0207-0459 UT live broadcast. Loops NE and must be only known affil on 680, KFEQ St. Joseph MO which starts at 0500 with first repeat. Guest is talking about Iran. Now it`s easy to pick out interesting and/or unduplicated guests, at http://www.jimbohannonshow.com and listen to podcast but not so easy to find the time to do so (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 680, Oct 10 at 1320 UT, Tom Jones(?) song, segué to ``Slow Hand`` C&W, how suggestive; loops NNE/SSW, and the groundwave primary here is KFEQ St. Joe MO, but a talker so can`t be this, instead the source of a growing slight SAH. As suspected, the music station is KKYX as IDed with a San Antonio traffic report at 1323; on non- direxional 50 kW day pattern, but it still needs some skywave to get this far this well (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 730, Oct 6 at 0516 UT tuneby, ``KKDA, Soul 73`` and music. Surprised to hear this Grand Prairie TX (DFW) 500-watter instead of XEX or some other Mexican, but none of them at least for the moment. KKDA pattern does have a main lobe northward (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 760, Oct 5 at 0549 UT, EAS test is ending, then phone something at 888-964-WABE (or WADE?). Certainly not referring to a callsign on 760. Lookups lead nowhere on either. Then to `Red Eye Radio` coincidentally taking a caller from Ohio listening to WJR, just like I am now in OK. That is not their toll-free number. Not sure if the EAS and RER were from the same station; possible is KCCV Kansas City in the way but with only 200 watts at night (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 770, Oct 9 at 1328 UT, Albuquerque NM traffic, temperatures, KKOB ID. Official sunrise and switch to non-direxional in October is 1315 UT when I need to hear it pop on. 770, Oct 10 at 1314 UT I am standing by for KKOB to pop onto non- direxional day pattern, and so it does 3 seconds before 1315, official local sunrise in October. Amid talk about ``beautiful day for mass ascension``, info about park & ride locations for the Balloon Fiesta which lasts until October 14 (seems a week later than usual); from Newsradio 770, KKOB, Albuquerque. Weak but steady signal. How many people will be killed this year, and will the KKOB tower in the North Valley near the Fiesta survive without an impact? Parking elsewhere and riding a bus is certainly recommended, as one year my car in the BF site lot was almost hit by a balloon basket landing off-course (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Fairfield CA, strange station --- Heard a station on 890 which identifies itself as KIRB, serving Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, CA. Couldn't find anything on a station with call letters of KIRB. My QTH is about 32 miles from the AFB and the signal is not very strong and was mixing with KDXU from Utah a 10 KW station about 465 miles from me. They were broadcasting a taped message about 1-2 minutes long - sort of like a TIS or HAR. Anyone else ever heard this one? (Neil Bell, KJ6FBA, 0023 ut 7 Oct, IRCA via DXLD) This has been reported on and off for years; a friend of mine heard it when driving through the area in 2006 or 2007 (Paul B Walker, Jr., ibid.) Yep, it's on now. Why they picked 890 kHz is beyond me. Thanks (Derek Vincent, 0058 UT 7 Oct, ibid.) He`s somewhere around San Francisco?? ** U S A. 890, Maybank TX relays CRI: see CHINA [non] ** U S A. 950, WPEN, PA, Philadelphia – Family Radio is applying to buy this station; Family Radio is downsizing after its incorrect prediction of the end of the world in 2011 and sold Philly-market WKDN-106.9 (now WWIQ) last year. The WPEN calls will stay on WPEN-FM- 97.5 (“The Fanatic,” home of NBA Sixers and NHL Flyers), but presumably the AM calls will change. The SPT format will stay on WPEN AM for the time being. (Radio Insight, via Shawn Axelrod, Domestic DX Digest-East, NRC DX News Oct 8 via DXLD) 950, WPEN, PA, Philadelphia – Harold Camping’s Family Stations Inc. (a.k.a. “Family Radio”) has purchased this station, will flip from sports, // 97.5 which will remain allsports “The Fanatic”, to (well, duhhh) Christian format. http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/70577/family-radio-acquires-950-wpenphiladelphia/ (via Mike Brooker, Ont., Domestic DX Digest-East, NRC DX News Oct 8 via DXLD) ** U S A. 1020, Oct 9 at 0458 UT I find that semi-local KOKP Perry OK is in open carrier/dead air again, so what else can I hear? My recent remark about not hearing KDKA spurs me to try harder, and by golly I do barely hear it as Jim Bohannon is signing off; and yes, KDKA is the only 1020 station on his affiliate roster. CBS News bong comes 24 seconds late after 0500 UT! 0506 meteorologist from ``Newsradio 1020 KDKA``, 0507 mentions sister station KMOX St. Louis. Meanwhile there is a weaker 1020 signal in Spanish under the KOKP carrier and which I can`t null from KDKA. Can`t really make out the Spanish, but at 0512 the intonation is consistent with a sabelotodo predicador. Suspect this is a remnant from KCKN Roswell NM, now turned over to Radio Visión Cristiana, and which has a deep null toward KDKA and OK. On a flat US map in the Rand McNally atlas, Roswell, Enid and Pittsburgh are right on the same line. Great Circle Distance Calculator shows azimuth from KCKN to KDKA is 62.92 degrees, while KCKN to Enid is 59.73 degrees, so about 3 degrees off the null. FCC AM Query shows Roswell call is still KCKN, but I`ll bet RVC will eventually change it to something more apropos and sell off `KCKN` to the highest-bidding country-format station elsewhere. Hmm, KRVC is now available; at least not assigned to any AM station (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. UNIDENTIFIED. 1030, Oct 4 at 0502 UT, the open carrier with hum from the south is still here, presumed KCTA 50 kW non-direxional daytimer Corpus Christi TX. Maybe they won`t notice until they get the next electric bill. Meanwhile, why don`t the FCC and other 1030 stations operating legally jump on them? 1030, Oct 5 at 0505, big open carrier with hum is still rampant, dominates the frequency even when nulled, and DF still points to KCTA Corpus Christi, 50 kW daytimer (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) It's on, humming, and loud, covering WBZ here at 0300 UT October 6. Scott, does anybody in Boston care to complain to the Federal Candy Company? It's basically on every night for about a week so far. Sincerely, (Earl Higgins, RX-321 and 15 m end fed wire thing outside St. Louis, Missouri, USA (W 90.32 N 38.65), DX LISTENING DIGEST) No hum noticed here in Fort Wayne, Indiana. WBZ is weaker (some static), but absolutely listenable (Blaine Thompson, 0313 UT Oct 6, ABDX via DXLD) I noticed it earlier here, it really ruins 1030 at night. It seems stronger to my west, or south-west. I heard KCWJ on late with HSFB, so I think we can rule them out. Ditto for KFAY - they were also heard clearly tonight under this mess and I'm fairly certain I heard KBUF during the UNID buzz earlier in the week (Tim Tromp, West Michigan ibid.) As I have reported repeatedly this is coming from due south (or north) of here in Enid OK, i.e. 99% likely KCTA Corpus Christi. Doesn`t anyone else have a radio with a ferrite bar antenna? Easy to get at least an approximate idea of which direxion MW signals are coming from. From west or east of here, the DF should also point to CC. 73, (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) I just checked 1030 kHz at 11:20 EDT and I am hearing the same thing here in SC. Just a plain, open carrier with mild hum that sits there doing nothing. Haven't noticed it before but it's definitely there. At times WBZ fades up to a good level and overpowers the open carrier. 73, (Todd WD4NGG Roberts, Delco 16194955 AM Mono Car Radio + outdoor active whip ant., ibid.) It was pretty loud here for the past few days but I heard RELIGIOUS programming on 1030 last night (Kevin Redding, Crump, TN, ibid.) 1030, Oct 6 at 0500 UT, open carrier with hum N/S from presumed KCTA Corpus Christi TX 50 kW daytimer is still going; nulling it, at 0503 I hear SRN News, seems like the start of the cast, delayed, instead of mid-break. NRC AM Log 2012 shows KVOI Cortaro AZ (Tucson) is on that net, 1 kW at night, most likely the one, close to right angle from CC. But also SRN on WCTS in MN, and if the 50 kW daytimer in NC happens to be on overnight, WDRU. Earl Higgins in St Louis says the OC was covering WBZ at 0300 Oct 6 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The next time I hear the open carrier on 1030 I will try to get a null on it using an RF2200 with the big ferrite bar antenna. Only problem is when I heard it the other night the carrier was fading in and out. I will need to catch it when the open carrier is strong and constant for at least a minute or two. I would think if it was a US station someone would have surely turned it off instead of leaving it on for days or even weeks? 73 (Todd WD4NGG Roberts, ibid.) Glenn & others, I have been hearing the OC on 1030 consistently at night, too. By rotating my radios to determine null and broadside directions, I think the OC is coming from the Corpus Christi area, too. It is so strong at my QTH (far southeast Houston, TX), that is more of a hum than a simple OC. I cannot hear any other station beneath it because of the hum (more like a low growl). I'm getting a noisy signal from KCTA, 1030, Corpus Christi, right now (Sunday, 07 Oct at 2026 UT). It's not as strong as it usually is at this time of day, so maybe they're having problems. 73 & Good DXing, (Steve Ponder, N5WBI, ibid.) Loops SW/NE from Crump, TN FWIW (Kevin Redding, ibid.) 1030, Oct 7 at 0506, open carrier with hum is still here, presumed KCTA 50 kW Corpus Christi daytimer. 1030, Oct 8 at 0550 UT, open carrier with hum is still going every night after a sesquiweek at least, looping N/S from here. On ABDX, Steve Ponder in SE Houston says it`s coming from the Corpus Christi area; Kevin Redding in Crump TN, says it`s SW from there, so that makes a fix on KCTA Corpus Christi TX, not anything north of here. Altho there has never been any ID heard, on the basis of this I am moving it out of the UNIDENTIFIED category (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 1030 humm --- really strong tonight best I`ve heard it; after listening for a while I began to pick up changes in the humm, not sure if that means anything? Sounds like someone switching an amp on or off at times. BTW, it's looping mostly N/S here (Dean_0, 0312 UT Oct 9, ABDX via DXLD) And where is here? I had to search out some 2009 entries in DXLD to find him: Dean Wayman, O`Neill, Nebraska, if he`s still there. That`s in NE NE, junxion of US 281 and 20, N of Grand Island and west of South Sioux City (gh, DXLD) 1030, Oct 9 at 0502 UT, humbuzz is still here from 50 kW KCTA Corpus Christi TX carrier running way overtime past sunset-mandated closedown. You`d think if nothing else, they`d notice at morning sign- on time, that it never got turned off. Could this possibly be deliberate, like to reduce the seaside humidity? FCC map shows site is 22 km NE of CC across Nueces Bay beyond Portland near Gregory, about 6 km inland. Legal hours in October are 1230-2400 UT. Need to hear what happen at 1230 or if really modulating earlier. 1030, Oct 10 at 0559 UT check, finally no open carrier with hum from the south, so has KCTA 50 kW daytimer Corpus Christi finally fixed it, since first heard Sept 30? Audiblized KTWO: 1030, Oct 10 at 0559, YL with weather forecast, IDs as KTWO and K-2 radio, into Fox ``news``. From Casper WY. Also could hear a weak Mexican NA under, q.v. (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 1060, Oct 5 at 0559 UT, norteña hymns, interrupted for legal ID in Spanish from KIJN, Farwell, Tejas. Looping west, it dominates 1060 but otherwise makes fast SAH with other carriers. Notorious cheater (sorry, is that offensive?), 10 kW daytimer-only with PSRA of 3 watts, but this is the nightmiddle. Recheck 1218 UT Oct 5, similar signal with norteña hymn including accordion (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 1060, Oct 10 at 1330 UT, ``Colorado area traffic``, mentioning I-25, Parker, then promo high school football on ``1060 The Biz``, i.e. KRCN Longmont, which is now 50 kW non-direxional during daytime. NRC AM Log does not mention this slogan per se, but certainly BIZ as the format (except during stupid ballgames, apparently). RCN stands for Radio Colorado Network, but they`ll be all set if ever sold to Radio Cadena Nacional (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 1090, Oct 10 around 0507 UT, sure sounds like Roy Masters, the British-accented anti-feminist advisor. Haven`t heard him, or of him in years; in fact last in DXLD for March 22, 2008 when he was on KOKC 1520. Now it`s presumably KAAY Little Rock AR --- Yes, on their comprehensive schedule for Wednesday midnight at http://www.1090kaay.com/programschedule.asp as `Adviceline``, and also matches Brother Scare heard but hurriedly avoided at 0605 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 1160, Oct 10 at 0608 UT, KSL Salt Lake City UT, Jim Bohannon opening this hour with guest Cary Funk from Pew Research, about the ever-growing numbers of non-believers. This is similar to Jimbo`s website introduxion altho he ad-libbed here and there: ``The United States was founded as a haven for religious freedom. Anyone can choose to worship as they please, or, alternately, not worship at all. Most Americans consider religion to be a significant part of their lives. However, the number of people who claim no specific religious affiliation is now at the highest level ever recorded. That's according to a new study by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, which says the percentage of people who say they are "nothing in particular," agnostic, or atheist has skyrockets from eight percent in 1990 to just under 20 percent today. And the rise has been very balanced: there is little variance based on income, education level, or ethnicity. The unmarried do tend more to unaffiliation than the married, as do Westerners more than Southerners. In addition, for the first time, the number of Americans identifying themselves as 'Protestant' dropped below the 50 percent mark, to 48 percent. We'll discuss the study's findings with two distinguished guests: Cary Funk of the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, and Religious Studies Professor Vivian-Lee Nyitray of the University of California at Riverside.`` This segment starts 39:42 into the compressed 2-hour audio archive, which contains three hours of programming, minus all the breaks and commercials, just the way real radio should be! Click on October 9 at: http://jimbohannonshow.com/programhighlights or permanently linked at: http://jimbohannonshow.com/programhighlights?date=20121009 And all this aired on the #1 LDS station, KSL (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 1260, Oct 10 at 1332 UT, long series of siren sound effects, with urgent speech by YL in Spanish; seems NNE/SSW, 1335 TC for 8:35 and temp as 34; 1337 ``La Mexicana`` and mentions Kansas City (I think), but no such station near KC KS or MO. The only two SS known around here on 1260 are KDLF in Boone IA which fits for the DF unless it`s skewed, but listed as ``La Reina``; and KBHC in Nashville AR, listed as ``La Más Mexicana`` in the NRC AM Log 2012-2013. NWS for Boone IA shows temp at 8:35 today was 37, but it had been 34 during the previous hour: http://w1.weather.gov/data/obhistory/KBNW.html while it was 60-61 degrees near Nashville AR. Ergo presumed: KDLF (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WHGS AM-1270 Back on Full Power --- Hi All, I am recently hearing WHGS AM 1270 in Hampton, SC back on full daytime power. WHGS seems to be an on again, off again operation. I was hearing them in the noise for quite a while with Spanish programming, but recently they seem to be back on full power in the daytime, with a very nice signal here on Hilton Head Island, SC at 50 miles distance. They are now paralleling WBHC FM 92.1 in Hampton, SC. Programming is adult contemporary variety hits. This makes WHGS the 5th AM music station in my listening area. WHGS AM 1270 is licensed for 10,000 watts non-directional daytime and 219 watts at night. This is quite a bit more power than the other AM stations in my area. 73 - (Todd WD4NGG Roberts, Oct 4, ABDX via DXLD) WHGS had to get back on. Their STA ran out. Here is a link. http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=35015 (Bob Smoak, Bamberg, SC, ibid.) Thanks for the interesting info from the FCC. I had no idea they had until Sept. 20, 2012 to re-commence broadcasting or lose their license. Perhaps they were trying to avoid paying their electric bill for the AM side? I imagine their monthly utility bill could be pretty expensive running a 10 kW AM transmitter? It sounds like they have a first-class AM transmitter and installation though. 73 (Todd WD4NGG Roberts, ibid.) Yes, they were trying to cut the electric bill. He also bought an older used Nautel transmitter (it came from Alaska) and it cost him a LOT of money to have it changed to his frequency. Milton who did some of the work said changing frequency on a Nautel is not for the faint of heart. I think he had to send some of the modules to Nautel for conversion. In a lot of cases it ends up being almost as expensive as a new transmitter. And Bob says knowing the signal strengths of other nearby stations, he feels the station is at MOST 5000 watts. He's not operating full time, either. The FCC would not be pleased as he is not following the letter of the law for full time stations (Powell E Way III, W4OPW, ibid.) Hi Powell, Thanks for the info on WHGS using a Nautel transmitter. Whenever they are on the air it does sound first-class. I noticed Friday morning 10/05 WHGS was off the air again but they just came back on around 11:45 AM. It will be interesting to see how long they stay on the air this time? Oops, back off the air again as I am typing this at 11:52 AM. Now back on again at 11:54 AM. Maybe they are working some bugs out of the system? I would think with a little promotion the AM side would be a popular addition to their FM 92.1. I can only barely hear 92.1FM at 50 miles distance but their AM signal is clear and strong on 1270 kHz in the daytime. 73 - (Todd WD4NGG Roberts, ibid.) ** U S A. 1330, WTRX Flint has found a new way to fail. 8 pm 9/29 noticed it sounded strong, as if still on day pattern. Audio is OK for about 15 seconds at a time, then carrier pumps down, making 3 to 6 thumps in the audio. It's like something is overheating; trying to shut down. This continues for hours; 9 pm, 12:15 am rechecks. Thumping pattern again 10/1 9 pm, and much later. WTRX was off 9/28 8:20 pm missing another Tiger baseball game (Larry Russell, Flushing MI, MARE Tipsheet Oct 5 via DXLD) Times EDT = UT -4 ** U S A. 1450, Oct 10 at 1307 UT, KO-KO Weather Center, forecast for Warrensburg, refers to UCM, apparently some sports institution. Missouri graveyarder atop the mess at the moment, a semihour after LSR (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Auroral DX --- Seemed best around 2015 EDT in the car. Not so good when I returned home. 1589.9, WASB, NY, Brockport, a full 0.1 off channel (Jim Renfrew, Holley NY, Oct 9 = 0015 UT Oct 10, IRCA via DXLD) Is that Brockport off channel? I heard a lot of ESPN mentions and mention of Salamanca on that, and closer to 1589.774 I thought (Rick Shaftan, NJ, ibid.) implying it was WGGO Salamanca NY near Olean (gh, DXLD) WGGO 1589.775 --- Off frequency and doesn't seem to be 14 watts either (Rick Shaftan, NJ, 2321 UT Oct 9, WTFDA-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. 1630, WYOMING, KRND, Fox Farm. 1045 October 10, 2012. Again looking for the new WQPJ336 Nocatee, FL MIS station David Crawford discovered, only to find someone here strong atop WRDW with a Mexi- tune, then male canned “la Jota Mexicana” slogan, into another Mexi- tune again followed by the same slogan at 1050, back to vocals. Surely running their day power of 10,000 watts and not the 1,000 night. Regardless, very happy to hear Wyoming from Florida! And their sparse website is: http://www.lajotamexicana.com/ (Terry Krueger, FL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) For those who need it, KRND-1630 Fox Farm Wyoming "La Jota Mexicana", with regional Mexican music and frequent IDs, is absolutely destroying KCJJ [Iowa] here at a distance of 786 miles. As usual, only audible in upper side band. Dare I suggest they might not be running just 1000 W? Good hunting! Sincerely (Earl Higgins, RX-321 and 15 m end fed wire thing outside St. Louis, Missouri, USA (W 90.32 N 38.65), 0207 UT Oct 11, NRC-AM via DXLD) Here in central PA, KRND is distant third, but occasionally dominates over top of KCJJ and weaker WRDW, definitely stronger on USB than LSB; heard on west-pointed split delta loop with Wellbrook FLG-100LN amp. Thanks for the heads-up! (Brett Saylor, Drake R8 and Perseus SDR, 0220 UT Oct 11, ibid.) ** U S A. Re UNIDENTIFIED, 1650, KSVE El Paso? KSVE is indeed broadcasting Spanish música romántica. Between each song is a canned ID similar to "María, siempre romántica todo el día. María, 1650 AM. Siempre romántica; galanoñes, sin comerciales." `María` is a format style, much like the "Jack" and "Bob" style formats in the U.S. 1090 KMXA logged also using the "María, siempre romántica" style. And, no, I have yet to hear a commercial on this station; which makes me wonder what it does for funding. They are part of Entravision, a good- sized media conglomerate (Robert Vance, El Paso TX; WiNRADiO G303e/PD, 12 x 9-ft terminated corner-fed north and east loops, 25-year old Palomar Loop, NRC International DX Digest Oct 5 via DXLD) More about the "Maria" stations: http://www.entravision.com/radio/all-radio-stations/ lists all Entravision AM/FM radio stations along with URL's including those carrying the "José" and "María" monikers (Bruce Conti, NH, mwdx yg via DXLD) Including: El Paso KSVE 1650 AM María Texas http://www.maria1650.com ``Siempre Romántica`` with streaming (gh, DXLD) 1650, my several logs of romantic music in Spanish here and a mention of `sin comerciales` must really have been KSVE El Paso, altho I never heard any call letters or `Maria`, as now we have info from a local listener via NRC International DX Digest Oct 5: [as above] What`s ``galanoñes``? Not in my Random House, nor Google translate, which asks if I meant ``gananones``? And then doesn`t translate that either, also ``detects`` Filipino; nor is this in Random House. I am still wondering why there have been *no* other DX reports of KSVE on 1650 that I can find in NRC or IRCA. Has Wilkins in Colorado ever heard it? {well, he does have a local on 1650} Deeper searching finds one [presumed?] log of it on the Ultralight yg, UT Jan 25, 2010: ``0015Z 1650 kHz, KSVE, El Paso, TX. Spanish singing (bo-ring) and SS M ann. Weak, in and out. Stated 850 W, 1180 miles. PL-380 with 340-uH internal antenna mod. 73, Jim, KR1S http://qrp.kearman.com/ `` Jim is now in Stuart, Florida, per ARRL FCC lookup, but where was he then? I wish hams would quit omitting full name and location from logs (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. The National Radio Club (via BD) report the situation with 1700, WJCC which, officially, has been broadcasting unlicensed since the FCC deleted their licence in February 2006. I've often wondered what the situation is and the NRC offer this explanation along with the most recent developments in this strange story. "The FCC reconsidered its 2006 denial of the licence renewal request of WJCC-1700 (Miami Springs FL) and granted the licence renewal on October 5. Stations that moved to the expanded band had to surrender either their original licence or their expanded-band licence on the fifth anniversary of their move. Here, the licensee surrendered the licence for WJCC and kept the licence for WNMA-1210 in 2006, but then joined a group of 14 such licensees seeing a general waiver of the five-year rule. WJCC requested special temporary authority (STA) to broadcast in the interim, and most of the other 14 stations just didn't surrender either licence and applied to operate both their stations on STAs. The FCC has decided that WJCC is operating in the public interest and granted the licence renewal, but made clear that this action is simply to preserve the status quo while they continue to mull over the waiver request, which has been pending for six and a half years" WJCC has been heard regularly here in East Yorkshire since it was officially shut down by the FCC. I'd looked on the web to try to find out why but failed to find anything - perhaps I didn't look in the right places! We now have an explanation (Andrew Brade, MWCircle yg via DXLD) ** U S A. Who is the Spanish pirate on 1710? Thx (Rick Shaftan, NW NJ, 0425 UT 6 Oct, WTFDA-AM via DXLD) There are likely several at any given time, and not easy to tell who is dominant. There's been one in the area of Virginia Beach, VA, there are a couple reported in NYC, a couple in Boston - if you get past the two Haitian pirates - and probably others (Russ Edmunds, WB2BJH, 15 mi NW of Philadelphia, ibid.) Hi Rick: The 1710 pirate you are hearing, (especially if you hear it in the daytime, too) is the religious Radio Celestial in the South Bronx. It is a part of an evangelistical church on Webster Avenue. Here's their web site: http://www.smjrc.com/ I was down at LaGuardia Airport a few days ago and could even hear it well inside a steel and concrete parking garage. It has been on the air for about ten years with no signs of any FCC challenge. I hear it in Stamford, too. They must be using a reasonable amount of power with a reasonably good antenna. It sounds like a computer on auto-pilot and the audio quality can get grizzly (Karl Zuk, N2KZ, ibid.) I've heard the one Rick is speaking of while at Long Beach Island, NJ. Have not caught them here in Chesapeake, VA ("next door" to VA Beach). That's probably the same one Karl is speaking of. Never heard the one out of VA Beach which is probably due to my simply not checking the frequency often enough (Chuck Rippel, Cheasapeake, VA, ibid.) The church's web site even has pictures of their tower going up. http://www.smjrc.com/galeria5.html They look like Field Day snapshots. Note the lack of safety harnesses. It looks like a lash-up of Rohn or similar aluminum tower sections on a typical Bronx roof. Boy, these pirates are bold! (Karl Zuk N2KZ, ibid.) Why shouldn't they be ? There's not much to interfere with on 1710, and the FCC doesn't care unless they interfere with safety broadcasts or a licensed facility, and only then if there are complaints. Same reason why many licensed broadcasters ignore the terms of their licenses in terms of hours, power, antenna pattern. FCC enforcement has been gutted by budget cuts over the past couple of decades (Russ Edmunds, 15 mi NNW of Philadelphia, ibid.) Looking over the pictures carefully, it looks like they are not using the tower as a radiator. A loaded whip is mounted at the top of the tower. This design is typical to TIS/HAR stations you'll see along highways. A short whip-like design with a loading coil. No hi-hat. No ground system? These guys are obviously not from the broadcast engineering mold and/or have some interesting ideas regarding how to make this work (Karl Zuk, N2KZ, ibid.) Probably because their target audience is within a radius that this kind of low budget, non-technical installation would adequately meet. I wouldn't doubt that someone there had seen an HAR/TIS antenna and figured it would work for them with low power and modest radius. And we all know how well some of those TIS/HAR stations get out (Russ Edmunds, 15 mi NNW of Philadelphia, Grid FN20id, ibid.) Re: [Amdx] Technical specs - 1710 Pirate --- Coming in nice and strong now so that seems to be it! (Rick Shaftan, NJ, 1404 UT Oct 6, ibid.) ** U S A. AM: DROP THE GLOOM AND DOOM http://www.radioworld.com/article/am-drop-the-gloom-and-doom/215687 The AM radio band has been serving the needs of the American people for more than 80 years, and remarkably well. The future of AM can continue to be remarkable, but only if those of us in the broadcast industry adopt a new attitude. Gloom and doom have overtaken our industry. Even though there are hundreds of millions of radios in service in the United States, and the erosion of listenership has only been slight, many in radio broadcasting have become passive in response to the attempts of outsiders to raid the successful and profitable radio broadcasting industry. What’s more, we allow streaming jukeboxes to call themselves radio even though they do not operate in the 540–1700 kHz and 88.1–107.9 MHz radio bands, and are no more radio than the piano player in the neighborhood bar. On the senior band These issues apply especially in reference to the AM band. AM radio can become robust again if we overcome the self-doubt and lethargy that is consuming the thinking of radio operators. We have the infrastructure and resources to push back. We must invigorate programming and invest in improvements in the technical side of the AM facilities. A word about my background so that the reader can better understand my perspective on AM. I helped pioneer FM radio in the l950s at a time when there were few FM receivers and almost total indifference to the advent of FM broadcasting by the radio establishment. Because of my personal passion for broadcasting, I was able to obtain a construction permit for 105.1 (KKGO) and place it on the air in l959. I still operate the station. It was a channel that had been licensed to a major Los Angeles broadcaster, and the license was turned back by the operator due to lack of faith in FM. The broadcaster didn’t even want to pay the power bill to keep it on the air. It took more than 10 years for the station to become profitable. Along with a handful of other independent operators, I steadfastly believe that we would be able to convince the public to invest in FM radio. We achieved this with program content that was not otherwise available — and in mono, too, since stereo had not yet been approved for FM radio. FM had its signal problems, too, like multipath and picket fencing while driving, eventually resolved through circular polarization and other technical advances. My experience makes me think that AM could use the same kind of faith in its potential that my colleagues and I maintained toward FM. You can fix it now AM has become a dumping ground for lackluster programming, a lack of investment and a dismal outlook. The good news is that there are immediate steps that AM broadcasters can take to turn this around. KMZT(AM) recently invested in new equipment including Nautel transmitters (a 25 kW main and 12.5 kW aux) as well as a Kintronic Labs phasor. Writes author Saul Levine, ‘We put our money where are convictions are for AM.’ First, get over this belief that everything must be digital, and that analog is a bad word. There are immediately available technical improvements that can bolster the analog AM signal. AM operators should dump the ancient RF and audio equipment it is using, and replace with state-of-the- art new transmitters, antenna phasing systems, new ground systems, new audio equipment, new processing equipment and anything else that replaces gear producing a negative impact on the signal. This one change alone will amaze many. I have operated KMZT (1260) since l993. Back then, it operated with 5 kW, but I have since replaced all four towers and ground systems and increased power to 20 kW during the day, 7.5 kW at night. And I am playing classical music, which almost everyone warned me could not be done on AM. There is no real magic here. We are simply supplying program content that people want. No need to wait I reside about 12 miles from the AM transmitter and monitor the station at home with a McIntosh Tuner pre-amp and a 1961 McIntosh tube amplifier, fed into dual Thiel speakers. There are times when I forget I am listening to AM rather than FM transmission because it sounds so good. And that’s night-time with reduced power. My message for the redemption and survival of AM radio is to get the best transmitting and studio equipment that is available, and present programming that is unique, innovative and filling a need for the public. Just think of this: Taylor Swift releases a new song that can only be heard on AM radio. Suddenly, nearly every young person in the USA is listening to AM radio. The message is obvious. And the next time someone disparages analog technology, remind them that the Big Bang was analog technology. And that was almost 14 billion years ago. Digital elements will come eventually to AM radio, but that could be years away, and we don’t need to wait to improve signal quality and programming vastly. Saul Levine has owned and operated radio stations since 1959. Related: Ben Downs: AM Needs Technological Help (via Kevin Redding, Oct 7, ABDX via DXLD) Saul Levine should get on the AM Stereo bandwagon then and prove that listeners want to listen to their music in Stereo, whether it is FM or AM. All he has to do is pick up an AM Stereo exciter and use it. If he can afford a Nautel transmitter he can afford to add an AM Stereo exciter. 73 - (Todd WD4NGG Roberts, ABDX via DXLD) ** VANUATU. 3945, R. Vanuatu, 1200-1215*, Oct 8. In vernacular; sounded like a religious sermon and songs; ID; National Anthem and off; poor with ham QRM; first time I have been able to make out any audio here in a while (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Alinco DX-R8T and Par Electronics EF-SWL antenna, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VATICAN. Hi Glenn, In a follow-up to the 3 October 2012 DXLD entry, I have collected my first ten data points for Vatican Radio programming in English to West Africa. (QSL for their 19 September 2012 broadcast lists via SMG, 250 kW, HRS 4/4/0.5, 223 degrees). I am still receiving this programming on 9755//11625 with a good signal. My SINPO=44434 (data point average) and there is little difficulty encountered reading their signal on either frequency. This leads me to ask the question as to exactly what, if any, changes were made to the antenna. I have presented the data and raised the question with Sergio Salvatori, Frequency Management, in an e-mail along with my reception report log. I'll keep you posted, Glenn. 73's, (Ed Insinger, Summit, NJ, Oct 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VATICAN. 3975.5, Vatican Radio with chiming bells 0529 then “Laudateur Jesus Christus” and into Mass, poor 2/10 // 7250 vgd, 6075 good, 9645 strong but het QRM from Brazil 9645.4 (Bryan Clark, Mangawhai NZ, Oct 8 with AOR7030+ and EWEs to North, Central & South America, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Bryan, Audio signal only on upper side of 3975.325 ! 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, ibid.) Viz.: VATICAN GARDEN. 3975.325usb mode, peak tiny signal from Vatican city downtown Rome, S=5-6 in Germany. Scheduled 0230-0645 UT, not every day (Wolfgang Büschel, Oct 2, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Oct 8 via DXLD) ** VATICAN [and non]. 17650, Oct 7 at 1305, good signal but very heavy short/long-path echo on VOA Somali talk, 250 kW, 139 degrees from SMG at 13-14. So 319 degrees would be directly off the back, close to USward with, like other European examples such as Wertachtal, most of the signal pushed toward what is for us the long path, but also plenty of signal direct off the back short-path, auto-QRMing. Without breaking out the globe again, no doubt this also went across the Indian and Pacific oceans, all overwater once it got beyond EurAfrica (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 11730 UZBEKISTAN, Vatican Radio via Tashkent, 0149 Oct 11, English, ending “Rights and Wrongs” program which looked at Nepal, then 0150 news. Good here in BC (Harold Sellers, Vernon, Editor of World English Survey and Target Listening, available at http://www.odxa.on.ca dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Special live broadcasts of Vatican Radio on Oct 11 & 14: Thu, Oct. 11: Holy Mass for the opening of the Year of the Faith from 1000 on 11625 SMG 100 kW / 210 deg to NWAf in French from 1000 on 13765 SMG 500 kW / 215 deg to NWAf in English from 1000 on 21620 MDC 250 kW / 300 deg to CSAf in Portuguese Sun, Oct. 14: Angelus from 1200 on 6075 SMG 100 kW / 350 deg to WeEu from 1200 on 7250 SMG 250 kW / 150 deg to WeEu from 1200 on 9645 SMG 250 kW / 004 deg to WeEu from 1200 on 11740 SMG 100 kW / 310 deg to WeEu from 1200 on 15550 SMG 500 kW / 200 deg to NoAf from 1200 on 15595 SMG 250 kW / 107 deg to N/ME from 1200 on 17570 MDC 250 kW / 260 deg to SoAf from 1200 on 17590 SMG 250 kW / 084 deg to SoAs (Ivo Ivanov, DX Re Mix News, Bulgaria, Oct 9 via DXLD) ** VIETNAM. 5925.00, 2255-2305 02.10, Voice of Vietnam, Xuan Mai, Hanoi Vietnamese talk, 2300 time pips, talk, orchestra music 35232. Not heard on 5975, 9530 or 9875. 6165.00, 2230-2255 02.10, Voice of Vietnam, Xuan Mai, Hanoi Dao (presumed), talk and local songs 33232 sideband QRM (Anker Petersen, Denmark, done on my AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire in the trees in my garden, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) ** VIETNAM [and non]. 11605.107, SIRENE HOWLING jamming by VTN, against RFA Vietnamese Tanshui from Taiwan relay site scheduled at 2330-0030 UT, S=8-9 at 0008 UT Oct 7th. (Wolfgang Büschel, using Victor Goonetilleke`s SDR in Piliyandala, Sri Lanka, Oct 6-7, BC-DX via DXLD) ** VIRGIN ISLANDS US. RADIO STATION SIGNS OFF, BLAMES RISING POWER BILLS --- BY LOU MATTEI (DAILY NEWS STAFF) Published: October 3, 2012 ST. THOMAS - A 100,000-watt radio station based in the Virgin Islands went off the air Tuesday afternoon thanks in large part, the owners say, to climbing electricity costs from the V.I. Water and Power Authority. As of Tuesday evening, WWKS-FM - better known as Kiss 101.3 FM - stopped broadcasting from Cruz Bay. "Basically, it is way, way too expensive," said Sarah Ackley, sales manager of Ackley Media Group, which owns the station. . . http://virginislandsdailynews.com/news/radio-station-signs-off-blames-rising-power-bills-1.1382514 (via Blaine Thompson, IN, ABDX via DXLD) ** WESTERN SAHARA. 711.11, SNRT, Laayoune, OCT 8, 2320 - Hets against 710 WOR with only bits of audio. Measured a bit higher frequency than usual for Western Sahara at 711.111 kHz along with an unID 711.000 kHz (France Info typical) on the spectrum analyzer (Bruce Conti, WPC1CAT, Nashua NH; WiNRADiO Excalibur, MWDX-5 phasing unit, 15 x 23-m variable termination SuperLoop antennas northeast and south, mwdx yg via DXLD) ** WESTERN SAHARA [non]. C L A N D E S T I N A S, 702, Frente Polisario, Rabouni, ALGERIA, 2200-..., 08/10, árabe, noticiário, programa falado; 44433, QRM de ALGERIA 1550 idem, 1213-1302*, 06/10, castelhano, notícias, canções, etc., hino por altura do fecho; 35343 (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZANZIBAR. ZBC Radio, 6015 Dole. Oct. 4, 2012, Thursday. Heard afro- pop come on air briefly, presumed Spice FM relay as usual during warm- up period, but it was a weak and noisy signal quite unlike recent reception. The carrier suddenly went off air at about 0256 (sorry, I did not note exact time). I was expecting it to come back in time for the sign-on of ZBC Radio at *0300, but it did not. Still nothing there as of 0335. Oh dear. Unlikely to be propagation-related, since almost- next-door neighbour Ethiopia (just a Kenya away to the north) was clearly audible with a strong signal on 6030. Jo'burg sunrise 0344 (Bill Bingham, RSA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ZANZIBAR/BRAZIL. 11735, Rádio Trans Mundial good with ident and website details in Portuguese at 1952, contemporary Christian vocals over co-channel Zanzibar till Brazil closed abruptly 2000, leaving Zanzibar in clear with news headlines & ident in presumed Swahili 12/9 (Bryan Clark, Mangawhai NZ Oct 9 with AOR7030+ and EWEs to North, Central & South America, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 11735, R. ZBC, 1940-2056:20*, Usual program of Arabic music and host M announcer in Swahili every so often. 1958 short announcement by M over music with mention of Dar-es-Salam. 5+1 slow time ticks, then local news by M starting with mention of radio in what sounded like a very fast "ZBC Radio" ID, then several mentions of Zanzibar. 2005 another announcement with "Radio ZBC" ID. Went off the air in mid-song again before ToH. Fair to good signal. tnx Brian Alexander info on new ID via Ron Howard. (4 Oct.) 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA USA, At home: NRD- 535D and Perseus SDR, Wellbrook ALA1530S+ and 153' Vertical Triangle Delta Loop, HCDX via DXLD) ZBC Radio, 6015 Dole. Oct. 5, 2012, Friday morning. AWOL. No show, at least up to 0330 when I gave up. Should have signed on at *0300. Whatever went wrong yesterday morning must have been terminal; or at least temporarily so. Jo'burg sunrise 0343 (Bill Bingham, RSA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Bill, Started checking at 0255 till 0306 and like you found no trace of Zanzibar on 6015. Re-checked at 0325 with still no results. So I picked the wrong day to monitor them (Ron Howard, listening at Asilomar State Beach, near Monterey, Calif., ibid.) Hi everyone, Zanzibar is back today after a two day break. ZBC Radio, 6015 Dole. Oct. 6, 2012. Saturday. *0254-0330. Spice FM on at *0254 with afro-pop. 5+1 time pips at 0301, then ID "ZBC Radio", normal introductions and programming. Jo'burg sunrise 0342. Apart from their time pips and start being a whole minute late today, ZBC Radio cannot be blamed for the lack of a clean handover from "Spice FM" with their IDs and jingles. It seems to be Spice FM itself which has no respect for the TOH. They just play right through TOH, so ZBC Radio has no option but to cut in. Hearing the Spice FM jingles and ID before handover to ZBC Radio is clearly a matter of chance; it depends on a musical track finishing at just the right time, which they seldom do. Regards, (Bill Bingham, RSA, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [and non]. 11735, Oct 6 at 2056 tune-in to song, cut off at 2056:39*, no doubt ZBC, which others have also reported chopping off the transmission before hourtop. Poor signal, but better than nothing I had been getting all summer; just need to listen a bit earlier. This was much better than the other thing to check Saturdays during this hour, 11870 V. of Biafra London, which was JBA from UK site (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6015, ZBC Radio, *0254-0307, Oct 8. On with Spice FM intro of pop African songs; 0301 reciting from the Qur’an (qira’ut); poor reception, but luckily Bill Bingham (RSA) was listening at the same time and made a very fine recording of the Spice FM ID, time pips and ZBC Radio ID; have taken the liberty of editing his recording and attaching it here as a small MP3 audio file. Thanks to Bill for providing this clear reception that I will never be able to duplicate here on the WCNA (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Alinco DX-R8T and Par Electronics EF-SWL antenna, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 11735, ZBC, 2030-2108*, Oct 8, local Mid-East style music. Local pop music. Swahili talk. “Spice FM” jingles at 2100 along with other English and Swahili ID announcements. Many station promos. “The best radio station in the land, Spice FM.” “Number one station, Spice FM.” “Spice FM Radio.” Abrupt sign off. Fair to good. Once again, running past their usual 2100 sign off. 11735, ZBC, 2045-2054*, Oct 9, local Middle-East style music. Swahili announcements. Good (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg, PA, Icom IC-7600, two 100 foot longwires, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. TP carrier search Oct 7 at 1218 found a few just barely audible: 738, 747, 774, 828. The last 3 surely the big 300 kW NHK Japan units, and the first, looping further south, Tahiti. Today`s sunrise was 1232 UT (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 800, Oct 5 at 1213 UT, ``Donald Duck`` is back with extremely distorted talk vs clear signals from KQCV OKC and XEROK CiJz, which I think must be either XEZR in Coahuila or XEDD in Nuevo León. Is there no member of any of the clubs where I post this or any of the lists in south Texas or even NE Mexico who could nail down the source of this, easily in daytime? I suppose it could also be a spur from some other frequency, but seems right on 800 and no match in the area. I only hear it around sunrise (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 980, Oct 5 at 0554 UT, a ~5 Hz SAH between open carrier N/S, and Spanish romantic music E/W, direxions approximate. Suspect the former is KRTX Pasadena etc. TX as heard Aug 2 during this hour with Spanish religion, rather than KMBZ, KC/MO. And the SS most likely an XE rather than a K. IRCA Log shows ROM format on 980 only for XEKE in Navojoa, Sonora, 24 hours irregular, 250 watts night, which would be an interesting catch instead of my usual XEFQ Cananea (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 1030, open carrier with hum; see U S A: KCTA UNIDENTIFIED. 1710 kHz "W807" Mystery station? Hi All, I was monitoring 1710 kHz last night and heard something different around 0200 UT. A variety of music was heard ranging from Aerosmith to James Brown. This went on for a good hour or two until an ID finally around 0320: "More music in just a moment, here on W807" and then directly into an ad for a Chicago area tattoo parlor. Googling "1710 W807" returned this list of pirate and Part 15 stations on the x-band and "W807" is shown to be from Glasford, IL - a good 180 mile drive or so from Chicago: http://www.angelfire.com/mb/exband/misc.html Here's a video showing part of my reception including the ID and some music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3ye2ITydcE At 0330 the station started airing some kind of old-time radio drama that lasted until at least 0500 UT and perhaps later. So my question, has anyone around Chicagoland heard of this "W807" station before on 1710? I was hoping that what I heard was a Part 15 station, but another DXer from Detroit was hearing the same so I think we can rule that out. Surprisingly, I found only very few references to "W807" on the net. 73, (Tim Tromp, West Michigan, Perseus SDR + phased BOGs, Oct 6, IRCA via DXLD) Hi Shawn, This is Tim T in Michigan. I came across an usual station last weekend IDing as "W807" on 1710 kHz with ads for a Chicago area tattoo shop. In trying to research this station, your fantastic ex- band list popped up in my search results. Do you have any additional information or history on this station or how it ended up on your list? Have you heard it before from your location? I see another listed on 1610 as "WR63" also from Glasford, IL - probably run by the same person(s). 73, (Tim Tromp, Muskegon, MI via Shawn Axelrod, MB, amfmtvdx at qth.net via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 7205, Oct 4 at 0357 two stations making fast SAH, and also some broadcast on 7185. I assume Ethiopia and/or Eritrea, no way to sort them out (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 9276 approx., Oct 7 at 0027 spurblob with unreadable distorted modulation, while I was figuring out the ones on 9374 and 9606, to which this was not // and not related. No matching spur found, nor a fundamental // on the band. One possibility would be Cairo, missing from 9305, where it resumed by 0200 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 9784.986, puzzle! 100% like Lao Thai language family, S=9+5dB signal, heard at 0002-0005 UT Oct 7th. Religious? program, female reader. From TWN, FEBC?, or SLBC Ekala, 9770 wandered upwards? Please help: 9784.986 at approx. 0000-0030 UT, puzzle! (Wolfgang Büschel, using Victor Goonetilleke`s SDR in Piliyandala, Sri Lanka, Oct 6-7, BC-DX via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 15061.5-LSB, Oct 6 at 1931, 2-way in Spanish: stronger signal has engine noise, mentions ``el vuelo`` (flight), and one of them mentions ``a ver que pasa`` (see what happens). Since this is an off-route aero band, maybe legit, but sounds suspicious. Why don`t these ever ID, inside or outside the SWBC bands? Also surprised to find them in LSB, vs usually preferred USB which I was trying to tune at first (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 15456-USB, Oct 6 at 1936, weak Spanish 2-way (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 17520, Oct 4 at 1432, open carrier. Aoki shows the only thing scheduled is R. Pakistan in Urdu at 1330-1530, 250 kW, 312 degrees from API-6 Islamabad, but I seriously doubt that. HFCC lists 282 degrees instead, and also Vatican, 250 kW, 45 degrees from Madagascar. The latter would be much more likely here propagationally, even off the side, except this transmission expired 26 August. Yet another possibility is Greenville testing, shifting off 17530 a few minutes earlier, where it was clashing with São Tomé; see U S A [and non] (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Really radio Pakistan on 17520, confirmed on Oct. 4. Vatican Radio now on new 17510, ex 17520 in various SoAs langs+English 1415-1600 from Madagascar. 73! Ivo Ivanov (Sofia) and Georgi Bancov (Troyan), DX LISTENING DIGST) Ivo, Was it also without modulation when you heard it, at what time? (Glenn to Ivo, via DXLD) No answer. Yes, Vatican is no longer there but still doubt I heard Pakistan (gh) UNIDENTIFIED [non]. 24001 kHz African French, heard from tune in at 1642 to fade out 1650, professional presentation, with music beds, etc., clear audio, no distortion, news about Algeria, very sudden fade out. Can't make the maths work on this one, presumably a mixing product. Vietnam has French on 12000 but can't imagine a a 24 MHz path at this hour (Tim Bucknall, Congleton, UK, Burkhard Reuter RDR54D1 (copes with local noise better than the Icom), + CLP 5130 Log P, Oct 5, harmonics yg via DXLD) But 24 MHz harmonic path from Moscow to Albion will be wide open at 16 UT. Compare content with this schedule. 73 wolfy df5sx V of Russia French, they started in April in A-12 season: summer Sep/Oct 1600-2100 12000 12000 Moscow 250 EUR (Wolfgang Büschel, ibid.) UNIDENTIFIED. 55.25 MHz, Oct 6 at 1532 UT a split-second burst of NTSC video on channel A2 thanks to a meteor, antenna aimed south and surely from Mexico. I still run my old 12-inch analog Zenith TV set several hours a day in mostly vain hope of seeing some sporadic-E DX, no doubt shortening its lifespan by an equivalent amount as it`s otherwise nothing but snow. So this was a treat (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Ch A2, Oct 7 at 1445 UT, another meteor-scatter burst of NTSC video with antenna south. Presumably a Draconid relaying Mexico, that shower peaking about now (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ ACKNOWLEDGED ON WORLD OF RADIO 1638: Visiting the UK and I have listened to you in my teenage days back in the 80s. Tech and broadcasting have changed but you have been a constant. Thank you for the valuable and timely information. By the way I meant to mention I have started uploading WOR to a phone system into which a number of blind and visually impaired people who do not have net access can listen: 832-999-8142, Option 2 (Ray T. Mahorney, WA4WGA, with a contribution via PayPal to woradio at yahoo.com) TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED FUTURELY: Thanks to David Cole, OK for a generous check (gh) This contribution is in honor of Mal Fuller who has medical issues. I also sent a check to WBCQ for Mal (William T. Hassig, IL, which a check to P O Box 1684, Enid OK 73702) Thanks to another, anonymous via PayPal, $50. I may mention the amount only in such cases (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ MEDIUMWAVE REFERENCE SITES A site or 3. AM tools. http://topazdesigns.com/ambc/ http://www.mwlist.org/mwlist_quick_and_easy.php?area=3 http://www.myradiobase.de/mediumwave/mwoffset.txt Just in case, Rich. (Richard, radioman, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Great AM station lists (global) This seems a great place to answer Duane's question, and plug the great AM logbook the NRC publishes, which is paper only and can be ordered via the NRC. IRCA has a great Mexican log. Some other great MW lists I couldn't DX without: Euro-African MW Guide: http://www.emwg.info Plenty of details, listed by country, frequency, yet easy to flip through and figure out networks and parallels. It's worth paying a tiny handful of Euros to get a PDF personalized for your QTH, where Herman Boel measures many station distances. Pacific Asia Log http://www.radioheritage.net/pal.asp Equally detailed, though no personalized PDF like the EWMG that I know of. Brazilian Medium Wave Radio Stations List http://www.dxing.info/lists/lista_om_brasil.pdf Cuba: http://www.dxing.info/lists/Cuba_AM_2009.pdf You'll find lots more via dxing.info! Lee Freshwater has a decent AM list: http://www.amlogbook.com/amlog.htm Good AM Canada-US search page at: http://www.topazdesigns.com/ambc There are other great lists. I'm curious to know of really good ones I've not included here. Enjoy! (Saul Chernos, Ont, amfmtvdx at qth.net via DXLD) Try this: The MWLIST has a series of links located at: http://www.mwlist.org/mwlist_quick_and_easy.php?area=1 This is the link to a great listing of AM stations in Europe Africa and the Middle East http://www.mwlist.org/mwlist_quick_and_easy.php?area=2 This is the link to a great listing of AM stations in Asia and the Pacific http://www.mwlist.org/mwlist_quick_and_easy.php?area=4 This is the link to a great listing of AM stations in South America http://www.mwlist.org/mwlist_quick_and_easy.php?area=3 This is the link to a great listing of AM stations in North America Central America and the Caribbean [missing] Should keep you busy for a bit. LOL. 73 Best of DX (Shawn Axelrod VE4DX1SMA , VEPC4SWL, Winnipeg MB, REMEMBER ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN HEAR FOREVER, ibid.) RADIODIFUSÃO INTERNACIONAL: O DESENHO DO MUNDO NA SINTONIA DAS ONDAS CURTAS ANTONIO ARGOLO SILVA NETO ABSTRACT [sic:] This dissertation aims to investigate the imaginary and the world`s vision conceptions created from the communications? international radios proposal which transmit to the whole Brazil in shortwaves. Goals: identify the function of those radiophonic transmissions, investigate the designs and imageries which are transmitted through sound and visual dimension; analyze the Brazilian listeners? perceptions and how they apropos of these languages in order to understand the mental and world imageries. The research is divided into two methodological conceptions: “mental design” (radiophone) and “visual design” (radiography). In radiophone, the semiotic analysis has been used and, in radiography, the iconographic method has been used, which uses tune, recording and Portuguese and Spanish programs analysis as technique; besides the QSLs card analyses from foreign radios and a semi-structured questionnaire sent by mail and e-mail to the Brazil DX Club`s and Listener Yahoo List partners. The universe is composed by 12 listeners which answered the questionnaire and constituted themselves in the pattern because they have the habit of listening international radios. The date collected show that the radio has a sedimented communication in imageries which contribute to understand the world and psyque. This is pointed by the listeners in their radiophonic experiences as a way to transpose mentally to the irradiate countries, emancipate the sound imageries, access the cultural traditions and the politics information silenced by mass media. In a search of relations of meaning, the listeners meet the other and themselves, because the radio constitutes itself in a extension of the own man in the in mediating their needs and collective experiences (via gh, DXLD) Here`s a guy who has turned DXing and QSL collecting into a 206-page dissertation. Yes, it`s in [literate] Portuguese except for this abstract. I started searching on his name following reproduxion of a much shorter article about Radio Habana Cuba`s philatelic program and its images, which was in the September Atividade DX print magazine. I could not get to the original pdf http://www.sarmento.eng.br/Documentos/DISSERTA%C3%87%C3%83O_ANTONIO_ARGOLO.pdf but to Google`s html version, minus images. It begins with his poem: As vozes do éter Os berros transportam a vida Durante o corte umbilical E apresentam a nova imagem De um universo biocultural Os gritos se perdem ao vento Apelam ao saber e à utopia Evocam o mistério do fogo E encontra refúgio na mitologia Nos tambores tribais criam asas Sobrevoando outros lugares Mas a pouca frequência sonora Impede-nos a ganhar outros ares Em vozes povoam o cosmo Numa noite, véspera do Natal Até os alto falantes se tremem Nessa radiofonia experimental Seria o diabo encaixotado Ou profecia do fim do mundo? Temores e desejos se confundem Tecendo um sentido profundo É o humano que se autoamputa E se aproxima do status divino Não há limites de tempo e espaço Para construir seu novo destino Assim é possível compreender Da humanidade as suas labutas Culturas e seus desenhos de mundo Na sintonia das Ondas Curtas You may have better luck and also reach some of his other writings by searching on his full name (gh, DXLD) CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ Re 12-40, HFCC B12 Photos & Presentations Just a note: It is really no good idea to discuss hotels, buffets, dinners etc. at such length. It creates a certain impression, and pointing at informal communications does not help much here. http://www.hfcc.org/doc/HFCC_REP_2012-009a-B12_Paris_Thomson%20Presentation_28082012.pdf I strongly assume that the statement about the existing Tashkent transmitters being manufactured in the GDR is a mere rumour. These are no doubt Sneg transmitters, as the photo confirms, and I'm not aware of Soviet transmitter designs ever being assembled by East German companies. Instead Funkwerk Köpenick made also shortwave broadcasting transmitters of its own. Just in case this is not so widely known: The facility not just "mainly acts as a relay", it exclusively transmits programming from abroad since the state broadcasting organization of Uzbekistan years ago eliminated its whole foreign service. And it made me shudder that it is seriously proposed to use 14.5 kbps feeds as source for FM services. Seems to be an ever increasing trend that audio quality in radio goes down the hill (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Oct 5, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) XXIII INTERNATIONAL MEETING EXCHANGE STICKERS RADIO TV ORGANIZED BY MARCO SALVI IN COLLE VAL D'ELSA, 09 & 10 DECEMBER 2012 LOOK LIKE IN THE PRECEDENTS EDITIONS THE CITY COUNCIL OF COLLE VAL D'ELSA (TOWN 20 km NORTH TO SIENA) HAS MADE AVAILABLE A PLACE TO DO THE MEETING. THIS YEAR THE MEETING WILL BE AT "MUSEO DEL CRISTALLO" AT PRO LOCO BUILDING IN VIA DEI FOSSI 8, IN THE CENTER OF COLLE VAL D'ELSA. HERE YOU MAY LOOK TO A GOOGLE MAP OF THE AREA: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=it&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=PRO+LOCO+VIA,+DEI+FOSSI+8+COLLE+VAL+D'ELSA.&fb=1&hq=PRO+LOCO&hnear=0x132a3ae7ad1b1fb5:0x1e399ff4ebc58ea1,Via+dei+Fossi,+8,+Colle+di+Val+D'elsa+SI,+Italia&sa=X&ei=-FN0UJLbEqSH4gT2zoHQDQ&ved=0CHIQyBM DETAILS TO ARRIVE AT THE MEETING PLACE: A) IF YOU WILL ARRIVE BY CAR: FROM HYGHWAY 1 GO OUT AT FIRENZE, KEEP SUPERSTEET FIRENZE- SIENA, TILL COLLE VAL D'ELSA NORD, ENTER INTO COLLE VAL D'ELSA TILL CENTRAL SQUARE PIAZZA ARNOLFO DI CAMBIO, PARKING YOUR CAR, THE VIA DEI FOSSI IS A PEDESTRIAN AREA, 300 meters FAR FROM THE PARKING AREA. ASK FOR MUSEO DEL CRISTALLO (CRISTAL MUSEUM). B) IF YOU WILL ARRIVE WITH TRAIN, STOP INTO FIRENZE RAIL STATION, BRING THE SITA BUS STARTING FROM THE LATERAL SQUARE NEAR THE RAIL STATION, SITA LINE FIRENZE-SIENA, GO DOWN AT THE COLLE VAL D'ELSA STOP IN PIAZZA ARNOLFO DI CAMBIO, ASK FOR THE MUSEO DEL CRISTALLO. IF YOU ARE EVENTUALLY LOST, YOU MAY CALL MOBILE PHONE 0039 348 6510382 (DARIO MONFERINI) or 0039 331 3808049 (MARCO SALVI) AS USUALLY MARCO SALVI WILL OFFER TO ALL THE PARTECIANTS THE MIDDAY SATURDAY 08 DECEMBER LUNCH IN A RESTAURANT AND THE HOTEL ROOM FOR ONE NIGHT (08-09 DECEMBER NIGHT) FOR THIS REASON IF YOU WILL COME TO THE MEETING YOU NEED TO CONTACT SOON THE ORGANIZER MARCO SALVI EMAIL: adesivi @ marcosalvi.it THANKS VERY MUCH TO SPREAD THESE INFORMATIONS IN YOUR PROGRAMS OR/IN DX MAGAZINES. HERE YOU MAY LOOK AT THE PHOTOGRAFIC REPORTAGE OF THE EDITION XXI OF DECEMBER 2010 : http://www.playdx.com/foto/collevaldelsa2010/index.html THE ORGANISATORS : Marco Salvi & Dario Monferini adesivi @ marcosalvi.it info @ playdx.com PRESS REALISE 09 OCTOBER 2012 [also available in Italian] (playdx yg via DXLD) DX-PEDITIONS ++++++++++++ DAVE VALKO TO THE GAMELANDS AGAIN 5 OCTOBER 2012: Since I was hearing bits of audio on 3385 at 0845, I decided to try going out again. It wasn't until I was just about at the pond that I chose to try running the BOG through the field. Did so at 340 degrees, closer to Asia. When I started I was shocked to hear at least some audio on all the PNGs!! It looked really promising. Not overly noisy either. It was quite fady though. The PNGs were stagnant again however until they started suddenly rising around 1105. In 10 minutes they were getting decent. And by 1125 they were peaking. A little later than Wednesday. RX: Microtelecom Perseus SDR with ARR preamp. ANT: 315' Beverage (BOG) at 340 (through the field this time) QTH: Pennsylvania State Game Lands #26, adjacent to field below pond Duration: 0935-1245 UTC Solar Indices: Solar Flux = 113 A Index = 2 K Index = 0 No storms. WX: Clear. Warm, upper 50's. (Dave Valko, PA, HCDX via DXLD) Logs from this credited as above LANGUAGE LESSONS see also USA: KSVE ++++++++++++++++ FINAL WORD FROM CROMARTY: SCOTTISH BLACK ISLE DIALECT SILENCED FOREVER AS LAST NATIVE SPEAKER DIES AGED 92 Bobby Hogg was the last person still fluent in the fisherfolk dialect His younger brother Gordon had been the second speaker of the Cromarty language until he passed away last year aged 86 By Jane Borland PUBLISHED: 15:17 EST, 3 October 2012 | UPDATED: 15:17 EST, 3 October 2012 Comments (43) It was a traditional dialect used for centuries by fisherfolk. But yesterday it emerged that the language of Cromarty had finally died with the passing of its last speaker. Bobby Hogg was the only person still fluent in the age-old tongue of the Black Isle and his death at the age of 92 means it will now exist only in audio recordings. . . http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2212466/Final-word-Scottish-Cromarty-dialect-silenced-forever-native-speaker-dies-aged-92.html?ito=feeds-newsxml (tnx to Terry Krueger for link to another story about this which no longer worx, via gh, DXLD) MUSEA +++++ Photo ID of KS2XBS rare photo ID of KS2XBS, the Zenith pay-TV station on channel 2 in Chicago circa 1952. They did not scramble during IDs. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151025127290806&set=o.338649959509&type=3&permPage=1 (Jeff Kadet, Macomb IL, Oct 6, WTFDA via DXLD) WORLD OF HOROLOGY +++++++++++++++++ Cripes! Have you looked at the actual time zone line-ups in Russia? The Russian Far East for example is UT+10, i.e. it's an hour ahead of Japan even though it's to the west! Add DST to that, and believe me, daybreak in Khabarovsk becomes hilarious. When I was there in June / July many moons ago, a wander Downtown at 9.30 a.m. local was like being up and about in Vancouver at 6.30 a.m., and both cities are basically ~50 degrees north (Theo Donnelly, BC, Oct 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, Russian timezones are a mess, already double-daylight time in many areas. But so is Enid in the summer, or at least sesqui-daylight time. And so is western China (Glenn to Theo, via DXLD) Estimado Glenn Hauser, Se puder divulgar agradecemos. Forte abraço, Ulysses Galletti ------------------------------------------------------------------- 1º DIA DA ESCUTA Todos poderão participar, os ouvintes de rádio, radioamadores, radioescutas e dexistas, é fácil se increver na Lista Radioescuta mantida pelo DX Clube do Brasil. Para se inscrever envie e-mail para: radioescutas-subscribe @ yahoogrupos.com.br Matérias que poderão, se consultadas, auxiliar na participação: PADRONIZAÇÃO NOS REGISTROS DE ESCUTAS Link: http://www.labre-sp.org.br/docs/radioescuta/2011%20radioescuta%2036.pdf CÓDIGO SINPO Link: http://www.labre-sp.org.br/docs/radioescuta/2010%20radioescuta%2025.pdf Para maiores detalhes consulte: O site do DX Clube do Brasil Link: http://www.ondascurtas.com/ A lista Radioescuta, mantida pelo DX Clube do Brasil, Link: http://br.groups.yahoo.com/group/radioescutas/ DX Clube do Brasil promove o 1º Dia da Escuta O DX Clube do Brasil – DXCB - estará promovendo o 1º Dia da Escuta no próximo dia 21 de Outubro de 2012 em comemoração ao seu 31º aniversário de fundação a ser comemorado no dia 17 de Outubro. Poderão participar todos os radioescutas e dexistas que estiverem inscritos na Lista Radioescuta mantida pelo DX Clube do Brasil. O evento terá duração de 24 horas e terá início a 00h00 do dia 21 de Outubro encerrando-se as 23h59 do mesmo dia. Os 3 participantes que obtiverem a maior pontuação nos logs enviados receberão um Diploma e os seguintes prêmios oferecidos pelo DX Clube do Brasil: • 1º colocado: 1 Antena RGP-3 SW para ondas curtas • 2º colocado: 1 assinatura anual do boletim Atividade DX (ou renovação se o ganhador já for assinante) • 3º colocado: 1 camiseta polo e 1 boné do DXCB Todos os participantes receberão um Certificado de Participação emitido pelo DX Clube do Brasil. Para maiores detalhes consulte o site do DX Clube do Brasil: http://www.ondascurtas.com/ Conselho Executivo DX Clube do Brasil Setembro de 2012 MATÉRIA SELECIONADA POR (ULYSSES GALLETTI - PY2 UAJ, COORDENADOR SWL LABRE – SP, 05/10/2012, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ MODERN DAY RADIO INTERFERENCE Radio interference at my QTH Across the entire radio spectrum... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRGz1mC1Oq4 I have actually contacted the cable company - this 30db over S9 from 100khz through the entire FM band on VHF is the last straw. I told the service rep the signal levels in DBM, micro-watts, etc... And they said that these were normal levels. Then I said, "That is the leakage level!" That got their attention. I think we all need to be diligent that we are not completely over- run with this RFI rubbish (Colin Newell, BC, Oct 10, IRCA via DXLD) If it`s cable leakage, the way to get their attention is via a different path. Check the frequencies associated with a local airport (12X.xx MHz, approach, GCA, etc...) and see if you can hear it there. If so, call the FAA. CATV facilities are super sensitive to reacting to Safety of Flight issues. THAT may get the problem solved perhaps before the weekend (Chuck Rippel, ibid.) Good tip -- the QRN covers everything -- 40 feet away from the cable outlet it is not even possible to listen to AM stations that I used to enjoy at bed time -- like KGO - 810 - which is normally HUGE here. Of course it is one big thing in an orchestra of noise that has been building over the years. I have a small 2-meter Chinese made handheld that has a little switching-power supply wall-wart that generates a ton of similar interference. My iPhone display creates a small wall of noise that is audible on AM radios 10 feet away - and there are millions of these in use. My Drake R8 mated with Wellbrook loop antennas on my balcony are now paper-weights with an S9 digi-buzz across the entire dial. Time to move away from this area, I think (Colin Newell, ibid.) DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DRM See INDIA; NEW ZEALAND ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DAB ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ [Re 12-40:] "As was the case for television, for digital radio to achieve supremacy it is essential that it provide unarguably better technical quality than analogue transmission. No such broadcast system presently exists." --- Actually DAB can be such a system. The problem is not the system itself but the way it is run, with much too low bitrates, and with the replacement of the old MPEG 1 Layer II codec by AAC not being used to fix the audio quality (at 128 kbps Layer II is crap but AAC pretty good) but instead to lower the birates even more. The article hints at this circumstance, but perhaps it should be emphasized once again. What also must be subject of a critical discussion is the hailed spectral band replication (SBR) technology. It produces an artificial highrange, for which already DRM was infamous. But at higher bitrates the issues such as unnatural "cyber" voices are still present. It is a widespread opinion that SBR should not be used on broadcast distribution systems at all (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Oct 7, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- IBOC +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ AM Radio in North America: the Future Life or Death? NAB DEBATING THE FUTURE LIFE OR DEATH OF AM RADIO Inside the radio industry there has been quite a bit of hand-wringing about the AM dial. Though conservative talk stations and sports stations in big markets continue to generate ratings and revenue, there's an increasing recognition that other AM stations aren't doing as well. Many blame overcrowding on the dial which leads to more interference, especially at night. Others claim broadcasters themselves are to blame, for not maintaining facilities and uncreative programming. Over at DIYmedia.net John Anderson takes a critical overview of the solutions being examined by the National Association of Broadcasters, which has formed a task force to tackle the future of AM. John writes, The Task Force seems to be considering two primary ideas for "revitalizing" AM broadcasting. One is to phase it out completely and migrate all AM stations to new spots on the FM dial. The other involves a wholesale conversion of AM broadcasting from analog to digital, using AM-HD as the mechanism. Neither of these proposals are optimal. Both would necessitate listeners buying new receivers to take advantage of any changes, and they would be expensive and disruptive to all AM broadcasters – many of whom are on shaky financial footing already. The NAB, as the handmaiden of the largest broadcast conglomerates (and with the close cooperation of National Public Radio) seems to be leaning toward the digitalization route. Either will be a tough sell. I tend to come down on the side of thinking that the big broadcasters made their own bed, similar to how Clear Channel and its ilk squeezed the life out of commercial music radio on FM over the last 16 years. Just like HD Radio has failed to rescue FM, I have serious doubts that digitizing AM will save it, either. I also don't agree with scrapping AM. Although it is an older technology, which poses technical and fidelity challenges that FM does not face, it also has distinct advantages. First, AM transmissions can cover a much bigger geographic area than FM, nearly half the North American continent with the right power level. Because they don't travel line-of-sight, it's easier to send and receive AM signals in hilly or mountainous areas than FM. Second, AM receivers are simple to build and operate — a crystal set doesn't even need batteries. While this may seem downright antiquated in the mobile internet age, it can be a real lifesaver during a natural disaster or other emergency that results in extended power outages. Finally, the infrastructure is already there, and is in use. There are still millions of listeners tuning in AM radio each day, who would likely lose many of their favorite stations were the service eliminated. Furthermore, the AM broadcast band is a tiny swath of spectrum, not particularly useful for data services like the FM and UHF bands are. Of course, any change would require a long FCC proceeding. But that doesn't mean change is necessarily unlikely or impossible. What it means is that those of us who care about preserving the service need to be aware and ready to engage in the debate. Posted on October 4, 2012 by Paul Riismandel http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2012/10/04/nab-debating-the-future-life-or-death-of-am-radio/ (via Sergei S., dxldyg via DXLD) DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DTV See also MEXICO! ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ TV SPECTRUM AUCTIONS -- FCC RELEASES ITS NPRM As mentioned in last week's Communicator, the FCC has voted to launch the incentive auction of TV spectrum. The process will be complex with many of the details yet to be determined. In this sense, the brand new 200+ page Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) is more like a Notice of Inquiry -- they want you to help fill in the blanks: NPRM Overview: http://tinyurl.com/SpectrumAuction-NPRM-Highlight The 200+ page NPRM: http://tinyurl.com/SpectrumAuctionNPRM (CGC Communicator Oct 8 via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD) And Now 500 MHz not Enough? First it was 300 MHz --- *** Genachowski: FCC Will Exceed 2015 Target of Freeing Up 300 MHz of Spectrum Suggests Broadband Plan's longer-range 500 MHz target may need to be upped By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, October 4, 2012 *** FCC chairman Julius Genachowski said Thursday that the FCC will exceed its 300 MHz target for freeing up spectrum for broadband, a target the commission set in the National Broadband Plan. "I am proud to announce today that we are on track to exceed our first benchmark of freeing up 300 MHz of spectrum by 2015," he said in a speech to the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School Thursday, according to a prepared text. Genachowski gets to that 300-plus through a variety of routes, including the broadcast incentive auctions, though he did not say how much that would contribute to the total. The FCC's initial estimate was 120 MHz, but that total is expected to be less. "While we can't know yet exactly how many megahertz incentive auctions will free up," he said, "the opportunity is large, particularly given the highly desirable nature of this 600 MHz spectrum for mobile broadband." The FCC just this week released its framework for those auctions, which the FCC hopes to have completed by 2014. More spectrum is being freed up through other auctions -- 75 MHz of advanced wireless service spectrum to be auctioned by 2015 and allowing unlicensed spectrum use in the TV white spaces, he said. The Broadband Plan also set a 2020 target of freeing up 500 MHz, but Genachowski suggested that goal may have to be raised given "game-changers" like tablets and machine-to-machine connectivity. "In fact, 500 MHz may not be enough," he said. "Since we issued the National Broadband Plan in 2010, we've seen new developments that have turbocharged mobile demand." http://tinyurl.com/9hnnwn6 (via Mike Bugaj, Enfield, CT USA, Oct 5, WTFDA via DXLD) If OTA DTV survives, it will probably be relegated to VHF and very low UHF (14-20)? More people are now watching OTA TV than 10 years ago, with an antenna, but the FCC is trying to kill it. Go figure! (Jim Thomas, Springfield, Missouri, ibid.) Follow the money (Saul Chernos, Ont., ibid.) Yes, Saul, follow the money. While the FCC wants to take back frequency, it turns its head the other direction and continues to approve more and more of what it says it wants to take back. But wait, if the FCC continues to assign more and more new CPs, that means there will be more and more frequencies to buy back which means more and more $$$$$$$$$$$$$. Now I get it! Thanks to Doug's post at http://www.wtfda.org here's the latest list of FCC money-making CPs: NEW LPTV GRANTS: ALAB Tuscaloosa W21DM, W32EQ, W40DL, W44DQ, W47EL ARIZ Golden Valley K15IT, K22LA, K40MZ, K45MP ARKA El Dorado K25NT, K30NH ARKA Hot Springs K14PS, K34MO, K38OS, K41NH ARKA Jonesboro K38OR ARKA Paragould K17LV, K26MF, K33MV, K36MT ARKA Texarkana K32LA, K35LN, K36MU CALI Bakersfield K24LC, K30NK, K35LT CALI Buttonwillow K17LW, K49MW CALI Gustine K33MZ, K39ME, K41NL, K45MQ CALI Lost Hills K24LD CALI Newman K22LI, K28MZ CALI Orland K16KV, K33NA, K47OI CALI Santa Maria K28MW CALI Tupman K32LF COLO Arriba K16KW, K30NL, K38OV, K44LY COLO Seibert K26MJ, K32LG FLOR Greenville W21DN, W25EX, W35DH, W41EK FLOR Madison W29EK, W32ER, W38FS, W45EE FLOR Panama City W20DX, W33DU, W43DQ, W50ER GEOR Byromville W14E1, W27DT, W50ET GEOR Byron W20DZ, W48EI IDAH Blackfoot K29KY IDAH Mc Cammon K34MQ ILLI Jacksonville W19EE, W25EW, W38FQ ILLI Mount Vernon W36EU, W38FP, W42EM, W48EH ILLI Quincy W40DM, W43DP INDI Brazil W30DQ, W34ET IOWA Cedar Falls K14PR, K21MI, K32KZ, K34MM IOWA Fort Dodge K36MR, K43OF, K45MM IOWA Keokuk K30NF IOWA Ottumwa K17LU KANS Fort Riley K30LZ, K34LZ, K39LQ, K41NN MINN Albert Leo K30NI, K32LB, K38OU, K44LT MINN Blue Earth K45MN MINN Brewster K20LV, K24KZ, K44LS MINN Dakota K28MV, K36MW MINN Oakland K14PU, K19KB, K34MP, K47OF MINN Racine K34OH, K45MO MINN Sherburn K33MW, K39MD MINN St. Charles K19IT, K27KL, K29JH, K31KX, K40NI MINN Wells K22LG, K26MG, K28MU, K50NB MISSI Clarksdale W18EK, W20DW, W31DZ, W34ER, W45ED MISSI Greenville W14EH, W19EF, W22EO, W24EJ, W36EV, W40DN, W44DR, W47EM MISSI Laurel W18EL, W33DX, W43DS MISSI Starkville W17DV, W22EP, W27DS MISSI Tupelo W38FT MONT Clancy K15JQ MONT Dillon K30NG, K36MS, K38OP, K42LK MONT Glen K20LX, K28NB, K32LH, K47OJ MONT Great Falls K33MU, K38OQ, K48OB MONT Terry K25NU, K49MS MONT Wolf Creek K31ML, K43OG MONT Wordon K26LB, K44LU, K47NK NEVA Battle Mountain K35LP, K47OH, K49MU NEVA Fernley K18KX NEVA Golconda K42LN, K44LX NEVA Imlay K16KT, K20LW, K22LH NEVA Lovelock K32LD, K41NJ, K48OD NEVA Rocky Point K14PV, K16KU, K25NV, K28NA NEVA Spring Creek K21MJ, K41NM NEVA Wells K18KY, K30NJ NEVA Wendover K23MN, K35LR, K39MF, K49MV NEVA Winnemucca K28MY NEWY Elmira W50ES NORTHD Bismarck K19KD, K32LE, K36MX, K40NK NORTHD Garrison K21MK, K27MH, K43OI, K48OE NORTHD Williston K16KS, K33MY, K36MQ OHIO Lima W16DM, W29EL, W42EP, W49EM OKLA Enid K36MV, K42LL, K48OC OKLA Geronimo K33MX, K35LO, K41NI, K42LM PENN Dubois W17DU, W19EI, W21DO, W28EO TEXA Abilene K38OT TEXA College Station 34 K34MN TEXA Victoria K24LA, K32LC, K44LV, K50NC UTAH Wendover K26MI, K41NK, K44LW, K47QG WASH Centerville K35LQ, K40NJ, K45MR WEST Clarksburg W26EL, W42EO, W49EL WEST Roanoke W20DY, W35DI, W45EF, W47EN WEST Sutton W30DU, W32ES, W42EN WISC Elk Mound W16DL (Steve Rich, ibid.) Note that these are LPTVs. They will NOT be participating in the incentive auctions -- that's only for full-power and Class A stations. They are a secondary service, which means they're a tertiary service. They'll lose their channels to full-power stations which are forced to move to lower channels; they'll be ignored when it's decided which channels can be reassigned to wireless services (and thus will lose their channels to that). My suspicion is we're going to see MANY LPTVs shuttled down to low- band VHF, where nobody else wants to go. Nearly all of these are owned by a small number of firms which have no experience in broadcasting (and every one in the same community has identical technical facilities -- for example, these five in Tuscaloosa are all 10 kW at 33-06-02N/88-05-23W.) I have no idea what their business plan is. These were applied for in a 2010 filing window, so they didn't know any details about the incentive auctions (heck, we still don't :) !). They may have figured it was worth the cost of filing in case they *did* get into the auctions. I have my doubts they actually plan to operate any of these as TV stations. There are two bits of information I find new & somewhat interesting in the recent incentive auction release: - The FCC will establish full 6 MHz "guard bands" separating new wireless spectrum from TV spectrum (in the same way they're clearing channel 51) These guard bands will be for unlicensed systems -- basically, "white space". I'd been wondering why they bothered with the recent whitespace proceedings, knowing that repacking was specifically designed to eliminate whitespace. I'm suspecting they got started with the incentive auction plans when they realized the same thing. I wonder how long they'll stay with that once they see how little spectrum they're going to collect in the auctions? - Ex-TV spectrum will be sold in *5* MHz blocks. Yes, 5 MHz, even though TV channels are 6 MHz. Apparently wireless service spectrum has traditionally been sold in 5 MHz blocks, so that's what they're going to continue to do (even though wireless services are far more flexible in terms of block size). Obviously that's going to leave some large chunks of spectrum unsold. That's going to be added to the guard bands. – (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View, TN EM66, ibid.) Doug, thanks for correcting and clarifying my misunderstanding of the LPTVs. I was thinking (DUH!) they were included in the incentive auctions and would have at least some value. I guess I was equating these LPTVs with the Class A stations. Now it seems fairly clear why the holder of one of these LPTV CPs would not be motivated at this time to spend money getting one on the air when it could be yanked off the air in the near future. Stay tuned for future updates (Steve Rich, Indianapolis, IN, ibid.) It does seem odd that when OTA TV has never been better, cable subscribers are dropping and other ways to view television (including OTA) are increasing that the FCC is planning to take more frequencies which, in my opinion, will destroy broadcast television. Is all this spectrum really needed for other services? I get somewhat angry when I see my daughter (16) texting to friends see can actually see and not talking to them. I'm sure she and her friends are not the only people doing that. And I get even angrier when I have near misses while riding my bike by drivers texting or talking on the phone. I would rather there not be enough frequencies for them to partake in those activities for which I may give my life someday. What happened to the excess spectrum we read about that was going unused? If the television band is further reduced to channels 2 to 30 there isn't much space left even if some broadcasters do sell for the auction. I looked at the local channels in this area and counted six usable channels (5 UHF and 1 VHF). There are 8 stations broadcasting on channels 31 and up. That's two stations that could not be repacked if no station sells out. I have excluded channels 2 to 6 which are in my opinion unusable for TV. While living in Anchorage for a year I was able to receive local channel 5 once and that was for a couple of seconds. We couldn't watch their programming until they added a UHF translator shortly before we moved in June. Our area is somewhat remote compared to the more densely populated areas in the east. I think it will be chaos trying to watch OTA when the FCC gets done. I do suspect that some stations will "voluntarily" shut down when they get paid, but I think most will want to remain. After one year on the air I am convinced that KSQA-TV (12) here in Topeka is on the air to make it to auction time. They still only transmit the Country Music Network on channel 12.1 with a poor signal, have no local advertising and do no promotion. They haven't even bothered to get on Cox cable as a "must-carry" station. They are listed in the phone book, but never answer the phone. If VHF remains fairly open here it will be like DXing when I began in the early 50s. Then it was only on VHF until 1953 and after that an occasional UHF station was seen. With no or very few UHF channels open UHF DX will be quite rare again. Time for a new hobby (Dave Pomeroy, Topeka, Kansas, ibid.) Dave, CH 2-6 can be used for digital TV, but you probably have to use a directional antenna. I have a CH 6 (WPVI) at about 73 miles and they have a very strong stable signal here, but I am using a deep fringe VHF antenna, a Winegard PR-5040. VHF signals, even high VHF, do break up with electrical interference. In the eastern part of PA, the band is fairly well saturated since I am within about 100 miles of Philadelphia, NYC, Harrisburg, Allentown, Binghamton, NY and Scranton (Bob Seaman, Hazleton, PA, ibid.) I am 80 miles from Philadelphia. With my antenna pointed towards Philly, I get WPVI only about 5% of the time with a viewable signal. And that's the strongest of the Philadelphia stations for me (Rick Shaftan, NJ, ibid.) Dave, your band is wide-open compared to here. Here in Poughkeepsie, there are NO available channels (other than lo-VHF), and we only have 2 local full power stations. In nearby New York City, not only are there no available channels, most full power DTV Manhattan transmitters are close spaced to someone else. WPXN ch 31 is severely close-spaced to 3 stations: Wilmington (Philadelphia) 82 mi, Hartford CT 89 mi, and Scranton, PA 102 mi. Minimum UHF spacing should be 122 miles. Two Boston stations share a channel with Hartford very close-spaced at 93 miles. And another Boston on ch 30 is adjacent to Worcester, MA on ch 29 at 25 miles; it's supposed to be more than 68 miles (or less than 15). A lot of stations throughout the Northeast are close-spaced. In New York City, only ch 30 (WFUT) and ch 38 (WWOR) are properly spaced. Even Albany, NY, more removed from the Washington-Philadelphia-New York-Boston corridor, only has one apparently available channel, 38. There really isn't much room at all for repacking here. (There are "available" channels 14-16 in this area, but I believe they are reserved for Land Mobile use). I will say that the current allocations were done a bit haphazardly; there was no master FCC allocation plan, so perhaps station channels could be assigned a bit more efficiently, but I don't think that would help much. Stations here are suffering from reduced coverage due to short-spacing. What we really need are more channels, not fewer. (Chris Lucas - Poughkeepsie, NY - FN31bs Insignia NS-DXA1-APT DTV Converter Antennas Direct 91-XG UHF antenna @ 25', w/ CPA19 pre-amp Winegard YA-1713 VHF-Hi antenna @ 21', w/Channel Master 7778 pre-amp. Winegard YA-6260 VHF-Lo antenna @ 14', w/Chromstar 2000 pre-amp, ibid.) In the Philadelphia market, we could probably do with fewer. Between the additional HD channels plus what was here in analog, we have too much program redundancy. How many traffic channels or weather channels does one market need? And how many does it need running the same programs? Maybe if the stations had enough different programming to fill what they have, I might consider that we needed more. I think it's reasonable to speculate that the FCC doesn't really want to keep OTA. The cable industry is big and has lots of money, and the same is true of the other potential users for data. OTA is inefficient and is used by a small portion of the population in their view (Russ Edmunds, WB2BJH, 15 mi NW of Philadelphia, ibid.) And in the *remote* Midwest, it`s basic necessities. All you get in a city of 200,000 is the networks. The local network affiliate execs could care less about offering additional programming. It`s like living in the desert here, almost. I can compare it to the Denver market, which I used to live in. Denver now has over 30 program choices via OTA (Jim Thomas, Springfield, Missouri, ibid.) Outside of cities, almost no one watches OTA, because you can't pick up the signal. I can't even get all the NYC stations on a regular basis. I am 40 miles away and have monster antennas on the roof. Once you get more than 5 miles from the transmitter, the OTA viewership drops to almost nothing (Rick Shaftan, NJ, ibid.) I'm sorry you're having a poor experience. For many people, OTA works great, including those beyond 5 miles out (Trip Ericson, http://www.rabbitears.info ibid.) It's not me. I'm a pollster. We ask people this question. I have thousands of surveys worth of data on this from all over the country. (Shaftan, ibid.) Works fine here; we watch our OTA from Albany, NY app. 100 miles and it's in all the time including the weaker stations. Getting Burlington (45 miles away) is tough as the only one I can get is WPTZ 5 & I have to aim exactly at it. Even in this rural woods I can pull in about 25 or so stations OTA; much better picture than Dish. 73's! (Jim in Western VT Knight, ibid.) I use OTA here, but I'm within 10 miles of most of the transmitters. Even still I have problems with 6 and 12 the only remaining low VHF's. But my son, who is about 20 miles west of me, and so about 25-30 miles from the transmitting antennas has a little elevation and can get most of them reliably with and indoor antenna. Given the right circumstances, OTA should work better between 10 and 30 than it does within 10 for a good number of people. With digital it doesn't pay to be in too close when there's either horizon or structure blockage or even lots of trees (Russ Edmunds, WB2BJH, 15 mi NW of Philadelphia, Grid FN20id, ibid.) 100% fulltime - no dropouts: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 11 miles - Hamilton 11, 35, 36 16 miles - Fonthill 42 33 miles - Toronto 9, 19, 20, 25, 40, 41, 44, 47 34/61 miles - Buffalo 14, 32, 33, 38, 39, 43, 49 45 miles - Paris 6, 28 56 miles - Kitchener 13 57 miles - Jamestown 26 60 miles - Springville 7 (95%) 80 miles - Batavia 23 81 miles - Barrie 10 (95%) In/Out Daily with Tropo Scatter - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 83 miles - Erie 50 100 miles - Rochester 10 , 45 In/Out Daily during Spring/Summer with Lake-Effect Tropo - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 198 miles - Watertown 21 So that's 25 fulltime + 3 parttime - not including subchannels. If you include subchannels and delete duplicate rebroadcasters - it's 33 fulltime + 9 parttime. Kids watch 80-mile Batavia more than any other channel (Bill Hepburn, Grimsby Ont., ibid.) That's what should happen and for many of us it is. But when repacking takes place I'm afraid a lot of that will disappear. The promise of digital is here, but may soon be snuffed out by the FCC and I suspect the CTRC (Dave Pomeroy, Topeka, Kansas, ibid.) Could be that the reception problems are caused by stations being too close together. There is some problem here where markets are not so close and viewers are able to get UHF stations at a greater distance. KWCH-19 from Wichita can be seen most days here at about 125 miles and the Zenith box shows some sign of it almost all of the time. Of course, it is fairly flat here, but not as flat as most people elsewhere think. Certainly not as flat as some areas in northwest Ohio, southern Michigan and the Chicago area. Rick, as you may recall, I have been at your location. You certainly should be getting stations at 40 miles. Here in eastern Kansas we have very reliable reception from Kansas City at about 65 miles with the exception of channel 31 where there is another channel 31 in Wichita. I know other viewers further west who report getting those stations at 80 miles. Repacking will likely make much of that very difficult. As I ride my bicycle in rural areas I continue to see new antennas pop up and read today online in an article about saving money that dropping pay TV and using an antenna was one good way to save money and that cable bills average $75 per month. For us, with four HDTV sets, and some more SDTVs it would cost over $100 a month to get HDTV cable service. No way (Dave Pomeroy, ibid.) Another problem with OTA is that most young people do not even know it exists. They think all TV is satellite or cable, including Internet. When the cable goes out people are helpless (Mike, Indy, ibid.) That's definitely true. I meet people frequently who are surprised to find out that stations can be viewed for free without cable or satellite. And they are surprised when they see how good the picture at our house is as they are used to cable signals. Stations for the most part do a very poor job of promoting the OTA service. Some are starting to promote their sub-channels, but for the most part ignore them even when the programming is good. We find Antenna TV on channel 34.2 and Me-TV on channel 31.2 quite appealing. Works well as much of that programming is B&W or poorer quality color from the past and doesn't need HDTV. Outside of co- channel interference disrupting service we have very reliable DTV reception as do our neighbors. And we live in a forest (yes, there are forests in eastern Kansas) where the trees in our yard are higher than the top of my Channel Master 6' parabolic. The Channel Master 4228 below the rotor is pointed to Kansas City and is just as reliable (Dave Pomeroy, Topeka, Kansas, ibid.) Few people under 40 even know of a world without cable/dish, nor do they know what AM radio is (Rick Shaftan, ibid.) No issues with OTA here (68 mi from Shinall Mtn) since I "overbuilt" the antenna array by local standards. I anticipated the possible issues with DTV and used my hamradio/DX knowledge. But... Joe Sixpack OTA'er isn't using an 8 bay UHF antenna or a separate high VHF yagi combined with a preamp. My parents whom live 25 mi closer to the LR Arkansas antenna farm cannot receive locals from the Shinall Mtn site with an indoor antenna and would need an outdoor antenna and amp for all of the market's primary stations. They subscribe to a sat provider. Also many live in restricted communities where outdoor antennas (of any kind) are unwelcome. Add to the fact that the pay tv industry has done a great job of convincing the general public that TV antennas are 1950's-style buggy whips. OTA won't die a quick death, but it will be slow and painful. I expect OTA to be relegated to VHF only with 4-5 widescreen SDTV feeds with 2- 3 transmitters in all but the smallest markets. And since the stations will be closely spaced, range will also be more limited than today. To the DX'ers: record/aircheck, and DX while you can. (Fritze H. Prentice, Jr, KC5KBV, Star City AR EM43aw, twitter.com/fritzehp ibid.) It's pretty weird here with HDTV. I used to get on a daily basis from Toronto (19) to Mount Washington (8) to DC (20) and Charlottesville (29) but no more (Rick Shaftan, NW NJ, ibid.) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ Geomagnetic Summary September 2012 Via Phil Bytheway – Tabulated from email status daily. Date Flux A K Space Weather 1 146 7 2 minor, S1 2 142 12 4 minor, S1 3 142 32 5 moderate, G2, S1 4 138 13 3 minor, S1 5 133 28 2 moderate, G2 6 128 11 1 minor, R1 7 133 9 3 no storms 8 129 8 2 minor, R1 9 123 5 1 minor, R1 10 111 4 0 no storms 11 105 3 0 no storms 12 103 6 2 no storms 13 99 6 1 no storms 14 101 5 3 no storms 15 98 6 2 no storms 16 97 7 2 no storms 17 102 6 2 no storms 18 104 8 1 no storms 19 110 14 4 no storms 20 117 9 2 no storms 21 117 5 1 no storms 22 125 4 1 no storms 23 134 2 0 no storms 24 137 2 1 no storms 25 140 2 0 no storms 26 139 6 2 no storms 27 133 5 1 no storms 28 138 2 0 minor, S1 29 136 4 1 no storms 30 136 10 4 minor, R1 Sx – Solar Radiation Storm Level / Gx – Geomagnetic Storm Level / Rx – Radio Blackouts Level (NRC DX News Oct 15 via DXLD) DISCUSSION OF SOLAR, SPACE & GEOMAGNETIC WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT CAN IMPACT MF & HF RADIO WAVE PROPAGATION IN A NEGATIVE MANNER- For the 7th day in the row the daily sunspot number has languished below 100 at 56. There are no significant impediments to good radio wave propagation on the HF bands as far as solar, space and geomagnetic weather. However the daily sunspot number needs to be higher than the present 56. The higher the sunspot number (100 & >) (150 & > best) the more ultraviolet light available to increase ionization in the F/F2 layer, for more consistent east-west radio wave propagation openings on 12 and 10 meters. On the medium frequency (MF) band there exists the normal absorption of RF signals through the D layer due to incoming cosmic rays and hard x-rays. Also the background x-ray flux is running in the B range so there is some absorption of RF signals through the D layer. 73 & GUD DX, (Thomas F. Giella, NZ4O, Lakeland, FL, USA, Oct 5, IRCA via DXLD) P.I.G. Bulletin 121007 Solar & Geomagnetic activity forecast for the period Oct 8 - Nov 3. Solar activity will be a bit enhances at solar flux levels between 95 - 145 s.f.u. in next few weeks, depending on present active regions on solar disc (high about October 20, next low about November 5). Occurrence of C class, sporadically M class flares is expected. Geomagnetic field will be: quiet on October 14, 16, 20 - 22, 24 - 27, 31, November 1. mostly quiet on October 10, 29 - 30, November 3. quiet to unsettled on October 11, 13, 15, 18 - 19. quiet to active on October 8, 12, 17, 23, November 2. active to disturbed on October 9, 28. High probability of changes in solar wind which may cause changes in magnetosphere and ionosphere is expected on October (8-)9, (15-)16, 21, 23 and 27. F. K. Janda, OK1HH, Czech Propagation Interest Group (OK1HH & OK1MGW, weekly forecasts since 1978) e-mail: ok1hh(at)rsys.cz (via Dario Monferini, DXLD) 1 PM Europe eskip map The DX Sherlock map is pretty interesting right now. Europe to Africa TEP, starting at points in Europe as far north as Philadelphia in NAm. Also some 50 MHz eskip. I didn't know TEP could be experienced that far from the tropics (Rich McVicar, Oct 9, WTFDA via DXLD) There's a reason for that. If you look at http://www.dxmaps.com/spots/map.php?Lan=E&Frec=MUF&ML=M&Map=W2L&DXC=N&HF=N&GL=N you will see that the geomagnetic equator is fairly flat around the world except where it reaches North and South America, where it takes a huge dip south. That's the solid line. That's probably why TEP is usually heard on FM from Argentina to the Caribbean but not much higher, and why paths from deep into South America only make it to Florida and some of the southeast. The European DXers do get F2 on TV at times but that happens when you are situated at the right place geographically and your TV band starts at 48.250 MHz. I've never seen TEP reported on ch E3 (which is our ch 2). Was it in 2011 that TEP got up to VA on 50 MHz, but there was an Es link from where the TEP ended that allowed it to travel north? I'm positive I'll never see any TEP on TV up here. One reason is that I took down the antenna yesterday and packed it away for the winter. (Mike Bugaj, Enfield, CT, ibid.) TEP on A2 Ref Mike's summary including: "The European DXers do get F2 on TV at times but that happens when you are situated at the right place geographically and your TV band starts at 48.250mhz. I've never seen TEP reported on ch E3 (which is our ch2)." TEP into and above TV channel 2 (55.25) is actually quite common but as Mike correctly says you must be where this can happen; the southern Florida Keys might be included, and with an Es link there is no reason why someone in Michigan or New York or Nova Scotia might also see TV TEP. In fact those three locations, plus Kansas, did record Brazilian reception back in the early-mid 50s (including Bob Seybold as I recall). When I lived (1979-1990) in the Turks & Caicos evening TEP in the fall but especially the March-April period was an almost nightly occurrence. Brazil would start around 6 PM and by midnight it had shifted step by step west to end in Perú and Ecuador; I'm talking TV channels 2-4 (and occasionally to channel 6) here, not just 6 meters. (Bob Cooper in New Zealand, ibid.) And TEP is also ``common`` up thru all of the FM band from Caribbean to Southern Brasil, as frequently preserved in DXLD (gh) Geomagnetic field activity began the week at severe storm levels after an earth-directed CME from 27 September arrived late on 30 September. Severe storm levels were observed for the 01/00-03Z synoptic period, decreasing in the subsequent periods to major storm levels for 01/03- 06Z, and then active levels for the 01/06-09Z period. The remainder of the week saw quiet geomagnetic conditions with the exception of the first synoptic period on 03 October which was unsettled. Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 08 October-03 November 2012 Solar activity is expected to be at generally low levels with a chance for an M-class event, particularly during 12-26 October when Old Region 1583 (N12, L=187, class/area=Dso/90) returns. No proton events are expected at geosynchronous orbit. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to be at high levels on 11-13 October as a result of a coronal hole high speed stream. Flux for the remainder of the forecast period is expected to be at background levels. Geomagnetic field activity is expected to begin at quiet to unsettled levels, increasing to active to minor storm levels late on 08 October with the arrival of the earth-directed CME from 05 October. Minor storm levels are expected to continue through 09 October. Then geomagentic field activity is expected to decrease to unsettled to active levels for 10-11 October under the influence of a coronal hole high speed stream. Quiet conditions return on 12-14 October before subsequent coronal hole high speed streams bring unsettled to active conditions on 15-17 October. :Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt :Issued: 2012 Oct 08 0351 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 2012-10-08 # # UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest # Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index 2012 Oct 08 95 18 5 2012 Oct 09 95 20 5 2012 Oct 10 90 12 3 2012 Oct 11 90 8 3 2012 Oct 12 95 5 2 2012 Oct 13 100 5 2 2012 Oct 14 110 5 2 2012 Oct 15 120 8 3 2012 Oct 16 130 12 3 2012 Oct 17 140 10 3 2012 Oct 18 140 5 2 2012 Oct 19 145 5 2 2012 Oct 20 150 5 2 2012 Oct 21 145 5 2 2012 Oct 22 140 5 2 2012 Oct 23 140 5 2 2012 Oct 24 135 5 2 2012 Oct 25 135 5 2 2012 Oct 26 135 5 2 2012 Oct 27 135 5 2 2012 Oct 28 130 5 2 2012 Oct 29 125 5 2 2012 Oct 30 120 5 2 2012 Oct 31 115 5 2 2012 Nov 01 110 5 2 2012 Nov 02 105 5 2 2012 Nov 03 100 5 2 (SWPC via WORLD OF RADIO 1638, DXLD) ###