DX LISTENING DIGEST 17-05, February 1, 2017 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 2016 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html [also linx to previous years] 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 1863 CONTENTS: *DX and station news about: Anguilla, Australia!, Bolivia, Canada, Cuba, Ecuador, Eritrea non, Korea North non, Korea South, Mali, México, New Zealand, North America, Pakistan, Romania, San Marino, Sikkim, Sri Lanka, Sudan South non, Thailand, USA SHORTWAVE AIRINGS of WORLD OF RADIO 1863, February 2-9, 2017 Thu 1230 WRMI 9955 6855 [confirmed] Thu 2130 WRMI 11580 [confirmed] Fri 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB [confirmed] Fri 2230 WRMI 5950 6855 11580 [all confirmed] Sat 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB [almost confirmed] Sat 0630 HLR 6190-CUSB Hamburger Lokalradio Sat 1531 HLR 7265-CUSB Hamburger Lokalradio [partilly confirmed] Sat 2030v WA0RCR 1860-AM Sat 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB [confirmed] Sun 0410v WA0RCR 1860-AM [confirmed from 0428] Sun 1130 HLR 9485-CUSB Mon 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB Mon 0400v WBCQ 5130v-AM Area 51 Mon 0430 WRMI 9955 Tue 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB Tue 0030 WRMI 7730 Tue 1200 WRMI 9955 6855 Tue 2130 WRMI 15770 Tue 2300 WRMI 9955 Wed 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB Wed 1000 WRMI 5850 6855 Wed 1415 WRMI 9955 6855 Wed 2200 WBCQ 7490v Thu 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB 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 WORLD OF RADIO PODCASTS: Tnx to Dr Harald Gabler and the Rhein-Main Radio Club. http://www.rmrc.de/index.php/rmrc-audio-plattform/podcast/glenn-hauser-wor ALTERNATIVE PODCASTS, tnx Stephen Cooper: http://shortwave.am/wor.xml ANOTHER PODCAST ALTERNATIVE, tnx to Keith Weston: http://feeds.feedburner.com/GlennHausersWorldOfRadio NOW tnx to Keith Weston, also Podcasts via iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/glenn-hausers-world-of-radio/id1123369861 AND via Google Play Music: http://bit.ly/worldofradio 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 NOTE: I have *resolved* to make DXLD leaner, more selective, as I seriously need to reduce my workload, much of which has been merely editing gobs of material into presentable form. This makes it even more important to be a member of the DXLD yg for additional material which may not make it into weekly issues (gh) 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/ ** AFGHANISTAN. Reception of Radio Afghanistan External Service Jan 26 1530-1730 6100*YAK 100 kW / 125 deg to SoAs Eng/Dari/Arabic/Russian *till 1600 6095 KAS 500 kW / 269 deg to N/ME English CRI very strong *till 1600 6105 SZG 500 kW / 315 deg to EaEu Russian CRI very strong *from 1700 6100 BEI 500 kW / 318 deg to WeEu English CRI very strong http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/01/reception-of-radio-afghanistan-external.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, Sofia, Bulgaria, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ALASKA. World Christian Broadcast KNLS The New Life Station Jan 26: 0800-0900 9615 NLS 100 kW / 270 deg to SEAs English tx#1, weak/fair http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/01/world-christian-broadcast-knls-new-life.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, Sofia, Bulgaria, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ALBANIA. 7474.97, Jan 28 at 0247, R. Tirana reception is picking up, S6 of humbuzz and no program modulation audible. For some weeks it had not been detectable at all (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ALGERIA [non]. 7335, Jan 27 at 2229, Qur`an at S9+15 but fading. It`s the final frequency of the day until 2300 from RTA via FRANCE. Aoki shows middle of hour is Qur`an, start and finish in French/Arabic (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS. 4760, AIR Port Blair (presumed), 1508- 1543, Jan 29. Had been off the air for a few days (not heard during eve of Republic Day [Jan 25], nor on Jan 28, at 1513) ; back today with weak reception, but one of their better days; at times almost semi-readable; signal strength seemed to suggest was not AIR Leh (Kashmir); subcontinent music/singing; 1512 with the usual switch over to the New Delhi audio feed (commercial announcements till 1515 news in Hindi and 1530 into news in English [details below under INDIA]). (Ron Howard, Calif., dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANGOLA. On 24th I found Angola 4949.7 at noise level, quite unreadable, at 0407-0408. Wonder why it is always so poor in Jo'burg? (Bill Bingham, RSA, via Ron Howard, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Bill, Am curious about your Angola reception. Jan 26, had decent signal strength here, but bothered by strong QRN (static), that was more like our summertime static (heavy). Brief audio attached (0334 UT). How would you say this compares to your reception? Thanks for any comments (Ron Howard, ibid.) Hi Ron, Ignoring the QRN, your recording is far better than I heard from Angola at 0415 this morning. It was at noise level for me, but then it was 45 minutes after my local sunrise in Jo'burg (0338). Maybe I need to get up earlier! Having said that, I seldom if ever get it at anything approaching the quality of your recording. At about the same time this morning, Zanzibar was much better (not good, but better and readable.) You may have heard that Jo'burg is often regarding as the lightning capital of the world. We certainly get it really bad, and every rainy season it writes off loads of electronic equipment via the electricity supply, telephone lines or aerial inputs (my experience and that of ex-colleagues in the repair trade.) I have read (don't ask where, I've no idea now) that this severe lightning is due to all the minerals below the ground here. I wonder if that has any bearing on radio reception? (Bill Bingham, ibid.) Hi Bill, Thanks very much for you comments! That is certainly interesting, the considerable differences in our receptions, especially as I am such a greater distance away from Angola than you. There indeed must be other factors that result in your poorer reception. So I do feel fortunate to be able to get some decent reception, except for the QRM. Thanks again! (Ron Howard, Calif., Jan 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [and non] Weak but readable signal this evening (0305 UT, 30 January) on approx. 4950 kHz here in NB. VOA in English from Botswana on 4930 kHz much stronger as to be expected (-- Richard Langley, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANGUILLA. 11775, Jan 27 at 1527, PMS is finally back on day frequency, heard for first time in about 3 weeks, and still distorted (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn, I just returned from St. Martin where I could see Anguilla from the beach in front of our rental but was unable to hear anything on shortwave from the Caribbean Beacon. I was likely too close. The 1610 AM was strong and clear just about all day. I found no sign of the 690 frequency that I have seen listed in the past. Back home in Mass. I can hear 11775 with distorted audio but an S9+20 signal at 2000 UT (Stephen Wood, Harwich, Mass., Jan 29, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) You are correct, Stephen. Checking just now at 2123 on 11775 and the signal is strong enough, but totally distorted. Just barely able to make out the content from the XYL Mrs. Scott (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Jan 29, ibid.) 11775, University Network (presumed); 1615, 28-Jan; KiloWatt-wasting Dead Dr. Gene very distorted. Not on usually // 13845 via WWCR which had a different huxter. +++ [same], 1915, 30-Jan; Dead Dr. Gene noticeably less distorted than recently after returning to the air (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 185' RW + 125' bow-tie, ----- All logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time! -----, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6090, Caribbean Beacon at 2233 with upbeat vocals and a man with reservation info for church services and a mention of their website – Good signal but muffled audio Jan 30 - I guess Pastor Melissa Scott hasn’t gotten around to caring about how people are hearing her or her late husband, the still very dead Dr. Gene Scott, on this frequency. They cleared up the problems on 11775 so they can get it done right, if they care enough, but It is a pity that she is such a moron. 11775, Caribbean Beacon at 2140 with the still very dead Dr. Gene Scott pontificating – Very Good with good audio for a change Jan 30 – Maybe Pastor Melissa Scott woke up and got someone to finally work on the transmitter or studio-transmitter link? (Mark Coady, Selwyn, Ontario, Drake SPR4 Receiver, Drake TR7, Kenwood TS440S, and YouKits TJ5A Transceivers, AEA AT-300 and MFJ-941E Manual Tuners, LDG Z-100 Plus Auto Tuner, 40 meter and 80 meter off centre-fed dipoles, ODXA yg via DXLD) not for long ** ANTARCTICA. 1982 AFAN on 6012 recording Via the DXWORLD.com FM TV DX site for today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tq0bs0lXi8M&app=desktop (via Artie Bigley, Jan 31, DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. 1710, R. SELVA. Enero 28. 0031-0045 UT. Música romántica en estilo bailable. A las 0040 nombra al programa: "Bajo el cielo misionero" y luego ID: 1710, Radio Selva desde Misiones, República Argentina. Luego avisos de bailes locales. A las 0045 vuelve a un espacio de música. SINFO: 35322. (Rx: Tecsun pl 660; ANT: ferrita del receptor; Qth: Barraza Bajo, IV Región, Chile) (Claudio Galaz T., condiglista yg via DXLD) This is one of two 1710 Argies in the WRTH 2017 (gh, DXLD) ** ARMENIA. Monitoring. January 19 from 1745 UT on 1395 kHz frequency was taken bad, it seems to [be] Public Radio of Armenia (news program was often mentioned the word "radiolur", by which the almighty Google and brought to Armenia). SIO 454, the receiver Degen 1103. At 1800 broadcast was interrupted, not taking identification. In the following days, I was tuned to the same frequency within plus or minus the same time, but it should be a translation is no longer heard. I rummaged in the distribution archive and stumbled on your message as of 25 February 2015 when a 1803 to 1830 took a non-stop broadcast of The Beatles songs without ads. If I remember correctly, since Transmitter for regular broadcasts are not used? I think that periodic broadcasts its attempt to maintain (Sergey Vinokurov, Zarechny, Penza region, Russia. ("open_dx" via RusDX 29 Jan via DXLD) As for the Armenian radio I do not know, but because through this transmitter Polish Radio broadcast in Russian (or has not). In Moscow, the program Radio Poland at that frequency, I tried. So, the transmitter operable (Vasily Kuznetsov, Moscow, Russia / "open_dx", ibid.) Since July last year, Polish Radio is not transmitted through the transmitter in Armenia (Dmitry Kutuzov, Ryazan, Russia / "open_dx", ibid.) Radio CJSC (Tx Operator) Ad: 3333 Noratus, Armenia Tel.: +374 99 706787 L.P.: Gagik Aloyan. E-mail: info @ radio-int.am WEB: http://www.radio-int.am MW: [ERV] Gavar, Noratus: 1314 kHz 1000 kW; 1395 kHz 500 kW. SW: [ERV] Gavar, Noratus: 4 x 100, 3 x 1000 kW. Key: Transmissions on 1395 kHz have ceased. Notes: The Closed Joined Stock Company (CJSC) “Radio” is the operator of high power transmitting facilities in Armenia. (WRTH-2017 via RusDX 29 Jan via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. 9580, R Australia with News, mention that SW would be eliminated at the end of the month ‘but you can hear us on line or with local re-broadcasters’ (yeah, right!) and then into a long interview/feature with someone who is an expert on fairy tales. Yes, really, and it was pretty darn interesting. For example, Cinderella originated in China, and it was a GOLD slipper there, the Mice and pumpkin and glass slipper were added when the tale made it to France. There was also a discussion of the ORIGINAL ‘red riding hood’ which ended with the naked girl running away from the wolf who made her do a strip tease for him by claiming she needed to poo; that is NOT the version my parents read me! :o In well, 3+44+44 with my local noise being a pest. This has been decidedly weaker than usual of late. Are they trying to wean us from SW gently? 1300-1400 23/Jan (Kenneth Vito Zichi, Willliamston MI, MARE Tipsheet Jan 27 via DXLD) [non-log]. Jan 26, at 0348, did not find any of the normally heard RA frequencies, via Shepparton; 17840 should have been the strongest, next best would have been 15240, and poorest usually 15415. All were silent. A preview of the end! (Ron Howard, Calif., dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Very good signal today, 26 January, at 1448 UT on 12065 kHz using U. Twente receiver. // 12085 kHz, weaker, and 9580 kHz, barely audible. (-- Richard Langley, NB, ibid.) 4835, Jan 26 at 1251, VL8A detectable in slop from 4840 WWCR, but fair in the clear after 1300. Also the other VL8s with JBA carriers on 2325, 2485. Radio Australia had been missing from its day frequencies earlier UT Jan 26, says Ron Howard, and Brian Powell, Sydney, replied, ``Nothing heard here in Australia, on Australia Day (January 26) 0549 UT. Staff at Shepp must be taking a day off like the majority of us!`` Or some irregular maintenance outages. 9580, Jan 26 at 1254, 9580 is back on strong as usual, JBA carrier on 12065, and can`t be sure 12085 is on, but there is an off-frequency carrier nearby. At 1356, `Conversation` is concluding, with Fidler promoting podcasting of his program, but not shortwave! Plus music fill, 1400 ABC News (not Radio Australia news) starting with a private plane crash off Perth during the celebrations, fireworx canceled. [and non] Now I`m getting some splatter from CRI via CUBA 9570, which doesn`t cut off until 1402*, while another transmitter has already been on 15700 with dead air. 1405, `All in the Mind` about how the mind can help heal the body. Countdown to oblivion continues (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) There was an announcement just before 1600 UT that Radio Australia will be leaving shortwave AFTER 31 January. So will there be transmissions during the day (in Australia) ON 31 January? Guess we'll have to wait and see. By the way, the signal on 12065 kHz had deteriorated to just a visible carrier by 1700 (-- Richard Langley, MN, Jan 26, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Noted 9580 in Queensland just: At 2000 UT Jan 26 wonderful strong RA news service with Fanfare started, excellent newsx reader, - will be missed here in coming month. Started as RA listener in Frankfurt Germany in 1967 - 1968 season (wb, df5sx) Also NT Alice Springs at S=9+10dB level 4835, 26degrees C temperature. 2325 and 2485 rather poor their in local morning sunshine S=6 too (Wolfgang Büschel, Jan 26, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Many postings on Twitter #saveourshortwave (Mike Terry, Jan 27, dxldyg via DXLD) At 0105 UT Jan 28: RA Shepparton, all three Shepparton well heard on air, 17840 kHz heard only in Japan. Latter skipped signal - but not heard in Queensland AUS, latter only peak string of S=3 (Wolfgang Büschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Radio Australia off the air again --- Hi Glenn, Jan 28, at 0450+, again with RA silent on 15240, 15415 and 17840. Is the Shepparton crew hungover from Australia Day or are they out celebrating Chinese New Year, hi? So it has finally happened, was listening to SIBC (Solomon Islands) on 9545, at 0500 with the ABC News and it was not // to RA, as they were all off the air. First item on the news was President Trump's executive order regarding immigration; reception well above the norm; before 0500 with C&W song "One More Day" by Diamond Rio and pop song "Fools Rush In"; suddenly off at 0501* during the ABC news. Thanks to Rob Wagner, who posted this to Facebook WRTH: "All three RA freqs back on air as at 0600." So a short lived glitch? (Ron Howard, Calif., dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15415, R. AUSTRALIA. Enero 29. 0529-0541 UT. Mujeres hablan entre sí, luego música pop en inglés. Y luego comentarios sobre la canción. A las 0535, se emite la canción: “Parole, Parole” con recuerdos y acento en la pasión de la canción, junto a recuerdos de época. A las 0541 se recuerdan de Claudia Cardinale. SINPO: 45444. RX: TECSUN PL-660; ANT: Hilo de 70 metros de largo; QTH: Barraza Bajo, IV Región, Chile) (Claudio Galaz T., condiglista yg via DXLD) THE BIG SWITCH OFF AT ABC --- Here's a short message I left on the Australian Government's Facebook page: Regarding the closure of ABC's shortwave service for the Northern Territories. I realise that it is the prevailing fashion to switch off AM transmitters all over the world. However some impact analysis should be mandatory. It is not good enough to make lazy decisions. AM transmitters should not be switched off without viable alternatives for those who depend on these services. Here's the link to the Facebook page if you want to have your say: https://www.facebook.com/AustralianGovernment/?fref=ts All the best, (Martin John Reynolds, Jan 28, BDXC_UK yg via DXLD) Also concerned with feral pigs (gh) ABC EXITS SHORTWAVE RADIO Dear Mr. Leys: On the occasion of the cessation of your network's shortwave broadcasts, I am taking this opportunity to express my dissent from the rationale offered for ABC's decision to shut down its shortwave services. The argument that shortwave broadcasting needs to be phased out because it is an old technology overlooks the obvious point that bouncing radio waves off the ionosphere remains the most cost- effective means available for blanketing the Pacific and Indian Oceans and adjoining continents with a broadcast signal. While the promise of free satellite service and more FM transmitters may be fine for domestic Australian audiences, ABC obviously doesn't have the budget to use such means for reaching audiences in places like California (where I'm located). When your 9.58 MHz Shepparton transmitter went out of service this morning, Radio Australia ceased to exist as a broadcaster in this part of the world. That is not technological improvement; that is an abandonment of a portion of your broadcast audience. Web streaming is often touted as an alternative to broadcasting, but this reflects a profound misunderstanding of both internet users and broadcast audiences. One obvious difference is that virtually all shortwave listeners in Pacific rim countries would encounter Radio Australia at some point, while a tiny fraction of non-Australian internet users would ever visit an ABC website or download an ABC app. It is likely that regular web stream viewers who aren't Australian are even more of a niche audience for ABC than its former overseas shortwave listeners were. Another important difference is that shortwave listening is mostly free from surveillance, in stark contrast to the situation on the internet. The bottom line is that different technologies serve different needs and can be mutually reinforcing if used intelligently; the fact that shortwave went into service a long time ago doesn't make the particular needs of shortwave listeners any less real in the 21st century. I suspect that most of Radio Australia's overseas shortwave audience will not migrate to the internet; instead, we are more likely to tune into other shortwave stations. Sincerely yours, (Vincent Cook, Jan 28, cc to DX LISTENING DIGEST) The January 29th edition of Wavescan (which will begin to air on January 29 and will be repeated several times over the following week) will be a special program about Radio Australia, which will be ending its shortwave broadcasts on January 31 (Jeff White on WRMI Facebook page 24 Jan via Pennington, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) I caught part of the Radio Australia Wavescan special presented by Jeff last night via WWCR 4840 kHz at 0430 UT. Next scheduled broadcast is at 1530 UT today (Sun) on 11750 kHz (see 'Broadcasts in English' page 30-31 for others) It will also be available as a podcast at http://awr.org/program/engmi_wav-2/ at some point. 73s Alan, Sony 7600GR +telescopic, Caversham, UK Posted by: (Alan Pennington, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) [and non]. 9580, Jan 29 at 1405, R. Australia on its third-to-last day, and with rapid regular fading as if a second carrier is on, itching to take its place; but no other modulation audible. It could be as per Aoki, starting Jan 11, DW in Dari and Pashto via UAE at 1330-1430, not usually noticeable here. RA remains inaudible on 12085, and JBA carrier on 12065. 4835 VL8A still audible past 1400 not // RA but maybe 30 or 90 minutes offset (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I've been listening to the ABC Alice Springs this evening (morning time in Australia) via remote SDR on 4835 and via their website and they have been warning people using shortwave that the service will shut down at 12 noon local time on Tuesday (0230 UT) not at midnight as expected. As a 'temporary solution' the ABC will donate to every RFDS base (Royal Flying Doctors Service) in the Territory and to registered 4WD clubs (who both apparently broadcast on low strength HF) a VAST Satellite dish and decoder and they are free to rebroadcast "emergency broadcasts" on ABC Radio via their shortwave frequencies but the ABC made it clear that these organisations don't have permission to broadcast any other programs, including weather forecasts unless there is a danger of cyclones or major flooding. There was no word broadcast about Radio Australia. Regards, (Rob, Glasgow, Scotland, Wilson, 2322 UT Jan 29, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Radio Australia Shepparton English program, noted in south Korea: 15240, S=7-8 signal, fair. 15415, S=9+15dB at 0028 UT Jan 30. Suffers by broadband 28 kHz wide China CNR1 jamming signal of 15425 kHz on S=9+30dB, latter against US VoA Chinese sce from Tinang PHL relay at 0030 UT. 17840, only tiny weak S=3-4 on threshold signal level at 0032 UT Jan 30. [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz] (S Korea SDR, Wolfgang Büschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Jan 30, via DXLD) Hi everyone! Well we are now within the last 12 - 24 hours of Shortwave broadcasts from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. My emails to the ABC in regards to an official shutdown time have remained unanswered, so it still remains to be seen when exactly RA will be closing tomorrow (local time). As per earlier reports that ABC NT will be shutting down at 1200 ACST (0230 UT), if Shepparton is to follow suit by shutting at midday, that is 0100 UT. I will most likely be at work at this time but I will endeavour to check the bands at the earliest chance tomorrow (Brian Powell, Sydney, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Listening to all ABC HF services this evening (local time) [Jan 30] VL8T Tennant Creek on 2325 kHz at 1147 UT. SINPO 55434 – Country Music programming. Announcement of SW Shutdown made at 1150 UT – no mention of the official time on this occasion. Almost parallel (but not quite!) with 2485 kHz. VL8K Katherine on 2485 kHz at 1151 UT. SINPO 55434 VL8A Alice Springs on 4835 kHz at 1155 UT. SINPO 55555 armchair copy and parallel to the other ABC NT services Radio Australia on 9580 kHz at 1157 UT. SINPO 33433 dropping to a SINPO 21331 after TOH due to adjacent channel powerhouse signal from CNR1 on 9575 kHz, signing on at 1200. Simulcast of ABC News24 TV, summing up the laziness at ABC. ABC Radio news at 1200. Radio Australia barely audible on 12065 and 12085 with deep fading. Regards, (Brian Powell, Jan 30, (Base QTH – Southern suburbs of Sydney Australia. Base setup Winradio G305e w/ Buddipole. Mobile setup Baofeng GT3TP), dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 2325 at S8 & 2485 at S7, Jan 30 at 1358, the VL8s still audible past sunrise here, the last chance to hear them as shutdown is announced for 0230 UT Tuesday Jan 31 (noon local time) according to Brian Powell, Sydney. And 4835, VL8A much stronger as usual S9+10, and listenable. W&M conversation continues thru 1400 UT hourtop as that`s their hourbottom. Discussion of road trips around Australia, such as to Cape Tribulation, Thursday Island (surely off-road), and including NT; 1405 outro interviewee as Lara on `Night Life`` (or `Night Light`?), on to national weather, evidently not an NT produxion. 1409 outro Jenny from the National Weather Bureau; into Rachel in studio, discussing the horrific rampage in Melbourne 10 days ago; another victim has died making 6; 9 still in hospital, one of them critical. 1420 now it`s about prison conditions, 1422 financial news; 1424 Trump`s rejection of refugees, and fading town. Meanwhile as late as 1414, there are still lots of Asian carriers on 60m, frequencies corresponding to Indonesia, India, Tibet, East Turkistan. Once ABC is gone from 4835, we shall have a slight chance for Sikkim. 9580, Jan 30 at 1426, as VL8A is fading out, I switch to R. Australia, probably its last day on SW, tho the exact closing time hasn`t been revealed. Item about clown doctors farting at a children`s hospital (attn: Uncle Eric! I think this is for real in Australia, rather than the Adult Swim TV show), 1430 outro as having been `Editor`s Choice` program, and right into next program, title of which I never hear and suspect never uttered, but it`s all about a film shot in a Vanuatu village whose people have decided to live traditionally altho not far from a town. Tena? Tana? Googling finds this review which seems to be it, about Tanna, not exactly recent, from Sept 2015. http://variety.com/2015/film/festivals/tanna-review-venice-film-festival-1201588554/ The ``forbidden love story`` angle in the review was not evident from this discussion, but about how great it was to get away from Western civilization. It`s a contender for a Best Foreign Language Oscar TBA January 24 (2017? Or 2016?), which maybe accounts for this being (re)aired now. Does the Radio Australia online program schedule have any entry for 1430 UT Mon Jan 30? Of course not! Could be a continuation of Editor`s Choice? Furthermore there is a filler at 1455 called `Australian Snapshot` about some ballet dancer getting to study with the Bolshoi in Moscow. From 1453 there is ACI from 9585 with the TWR Swaziland music-box IS, but evitable by LSB tuning. 9580, rechecked at 1535, now interviewing an American about conservative Republicans` hostility toward the arts, i.e. funding NEA and NEH. This brings up another significant point: ABC and RA interview a LOT of Americans on their talk shows, far more than we could ever hear on VOA curtailed schedule! And far more than Aussies are interviewed on American domestic radio. So what program is this? On the sked for 1500 (meaning 1505!) is `Best of the Festivals` which seems to be about talk rather than music, and no entry for 1530, so is it really an almost-hour show? Only way to tell is by downloading the latest podcast, but it`s for Jan 22, lasting 53:52. Anyway the topic heard is not mentioned as content for that edition (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Radio Australia with a good signal into Houston on 9580 at 1200 January 30. Perhaps the last time I get to hear them on SW (Stephen Luce, Houston, Texas, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Also, good signal on 12065 kHz into Europe this morning as monitored using the U. Twente receiver (Richard Langley, 1348 UT Jan 30, ibid.) Last hours of ABC Radio Australia on shortwave, Jan 30 1358 & 1459 12065 SHP 100 kW / 355 deg to EaAs English, weak to fair: http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/02/the-last-hours-of-abc-radio-australia.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, QTH: Sofia, Bulgaria, Equipment: Sony ICF-2001D 30 m. long wire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) VL8A in Alice Springs is still on air. Actually (1800 UT) listening via Sydney on 4835 kHz with -80 to -75 dBm to ABC Radio Overnight. At present taking about "Bird Languages"... ;) 73, (Manfred Reiff, Germany, Jan 30, ibid.) Listening to the same frequency as a matter of fact, 4835 kHz coming in S9 +20 on a receiver in Tasmania. RW (John Jurasek, 1814 UT May 30, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 17840 Jan 30 at 2345, varying S6-S9. YL commentary on a book (hers?) followed by a piece on proper pronunciation of the last names of some celebrities and authors. ABC news at 2400 with first story about the US immigration restrictions as they relate to Australia citizens. Signal strength down to S3-S7 by 0025. Wondering if this 17840 transmission will mark the end or if their early morning (US) transmission on 9580 will be present tomorrow since it will still be January 31st UT. 73, (Jim K5JG, Carrollton, TX, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Radio Australia 15240, 2105 UT Jan 30 with Pacific Beat featuring reports from around the Pacific about the closure of the ABC shortwave service. Legislation will be introduced next week to re-store the service. Too-little-too-late? 73 (Mick Delmage, AB, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Pacific Beat just announced that Radio Australia with be shut off in less than four hours time --- so noon in Melbourne? Did not make it clear? So tune in for possible 0000 or more likely 0100 UT shut down today in NA. 73 (Mick Delmage, 2121 UT Jan 30, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DX LISTENING DIGEST) END OF AN ERA AS ABC SHUTS DOWN SHORTWAVE SERVICE TO PACIFIC Updated 13 minutes ago [sic, without stamping from when??] After nearly 80 years of broadcasting the ABC will today switch off its shortwave broadcast of Radio Australia into Papua New Guinea and the Pacific. The ABC insists the technology is out of date, and short wave broadcasts will cease today at midday, eastern Australian time. Our Pacific Affairs reporter Liam Fox says there's been an outcry from affected listeners, while the ABC's critics argue that the switch off will damage its reputation in the region in return for savings of less than $2 million. (listen via:) http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-31/end-of-an-era-as-abc-shuts-down-shortwave-service/8225752 (via Mike Cooper, WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DXLD) 'THOUSANDS' IN SOLOMON ISLANDS AFFECTED BY ABC SHORTWAVE CUT Radio New Zealand-1 hour ago Thousands of people in remote parts of Solomon Islands who tune in to the ABC's shortwave service will be poorer off from today according to a leading activist ... END OF PACIFIC SHORTWAVE DIPLOMATIC 'MISSTEP' AS ABC PULLS PLUG SBS-50 minutes ago The ABC ends its short-wave service to the region from 1pm Solomon Islands time and says it will focus on FM and online services. . . http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/323443/%27thousands%27-in-solomon-islands-affected-by-abc-shortwave-cut (via Artie Bigley, 2027 UT Jan 30, DXLD) 1 pm SI time = 0200 UT, but don`t count on it that late. 17840 should be best here, propagation permitting, also 15240, 15415 (gh, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 'Thousands' in Solomon Islands affected by ABC shortwave cut 8:00 am today Thousands of people in remote parts of Solomon Islands who tune in to the ABC's shortwave service will be poorer off from today according to a leading activist in the country. Solomon Islands crowd Central Province 2015 Photo: RNZI Courtesy of SIG [caption] The ABC ends its short-wave service to the region from 1pm Solomon Islands time and says it will focus on FM and online services. Ruth Liloqula said people from Choiseul to Malaita and as far south east as Tikopia tuned in to the ABC because the signal was stronger than that of the country's public broadcaster SIBC. Ms Liloqula who works with Transparency International says the ABC has been very valuable for the country and a good way to get her message across. "We are very very mindful of the fact that the SIBC media here is owned by the government. I mean they don't ask the questions that they need to ask for obvious reasons. I mean we do get asked those tough questions by ABC and that gives us the opportunity to talk about the issues that affect this country." Ms Liloqula said after the recent earthquake people in the bush in Choiseul only knew there was no tsunami by listening to the ABC. Human rights activist Ruth Kissam, who works in Papua New Guinea, also said her anti-sorcery message had reached far-flung villages through the ABC and had made her job easier. The ABC said shortwave radio was an increasingly unreliable technology that was prone to outages, expensive to maintain and not viable over the long term. It said it plans to beef up its FM and online services (via DXLD) Sidebar linx to several previous RNZ reports about ABC (gh) ABC QSL NEW http://static.skynetblogs.be/media/145969/3012421177.jpg (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) It`s a recent verification letter from a guy at Master Control, Sydney, for VL8T (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) Was able to listen to the last few hours of RA on 15240 kHz. 0100 played the RA interval signal 3 times and gone. Good bye, my friend; might have had a tear in my eye. 73 (Mick Delmage, Sherwood Park, Alberta, 0105 UT Jan 31, WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I was late, when checked at 0107 UT all Shepparton outlets have gone forever. And when checked at Brisbane Queensland also the three NT services on shortwave are history now. 73 (wolfie df5sx Büschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Listened via a GlobalTuner in San Bernadino, CA. No reception in Sarasota, FL off air, try as I might. Playing Waltzing Matilda for the last time was a nice touch, presumably by the transmitter engineer. Pretty ignominious end. The new and haughty managers such as are running the ABC today have no sense of history whatsoever. For me, that’s the end of a half century of listening to Shepparton. Like you, sorry to see it go. But it was barely a shadow of its former self at the end. Like watching an old friend waste away and finally expiring. Sad. 73 (John Figliozzi, Sarasota, FL, UT Jan 31, WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DX LISTENING DIGEST) And they’re destroying their FM programming too --- a whole raft of beloved music shows got the axe. A misguided digital strategy imho. Music moving to digital…all over the air programming originating as podcasts first (David Goren, DX LISTENING DIGEST) As I posted on Thomas Witherspoon's blog: To paraphrase T.S. Eliot: “This is the way Radio Australia ends Not with a bang but a whimper. (-- Richard Langley, NB, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 2325, ABC Tennant Creek, 1044 end of song and host Rebecca McLaren with song announcement and ID "...on ABC Radio Darwin and the Northern Territory...", and interview of M. 1050 canned announcement by M "ABC will be switching off its shortwave services in the Northern Territory tomorrow. You'll still be able to hear ABC Radio on AM and FM, as well as online with the ABC Radio app. All ABC Radio and digital services will continue to be available on the VAST satellite service. You can find out more at abc.net.au/shortwave. Or call the reception advice line on 1-300-13-9994", then promo/ID, Rebecca again, and into music. // 2485, 4835 of course. 120mb outlets a little better than usual this morning. 4835 really strong. 30 Jan. 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, Perseus with Wellbrook ALA1530S and 153 foot Delta Loop, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) Dave, I heard the same stuff from Rebecca McLaren about digital services. I suspect the people in the outback have no clue what the ABC is doing to them. Also, I had them in the late afternoon for a brief period but far from an enjoyable audio level experience. The morning was terrific for a last appearance. 73, (Rich D`Angelo, PA, HCDX via DXLD) I couldn’t agree more with John Figliozzi’s comments in HCDX and DXLD: “But it was barely a shadow of its former self at the end. Like watching an old friend waste away and finally expiring.” Once all their original programs were cancelled in favour of relaying Radio National, Triple J and News24 TV broadcasts, the joy of listening to RA largely went for me. However, the sense of realising that even this was still important to so many people did not leave me. My earliest memories of Radio Australia were as a 9 year-old in 1989, discovering it with my first newly built crystal radio (that somehow tuned into 9580 despite it being made for MW broadcast band!!) This was my entry point into electronics and shortwave radio as a hobby. I also remember requesting songs on the “at Your Request” program and another fond memory was listening to them in a ger camp in the Gorkhi Terelj National Park in Mongolia back in August 2012. Sadly, I missed the shutdowns as I was stuck at work for the RA shutdown. However, I was home by the time the ABC NT services shutdown but all stations were JBA via the KiwiSDR at Freemans Reach NSW. I was listening to the live webstream of ABC Radio Alice Springs at 0230 UTC and found it quite ironic that at 0233 UTC, news came through of Nick Xenephon’s bid to introuduce legislation into Federal Parliament next week to reinstate ABC HF services. As Glenn said earlier – too little too late? We’ll wait and see. Don’t hold your breath. I have been kindly given permission by the Youtuber that posted this video of the shutdown: https://youtu.be/2ct-RFFDXCM Regards, (Brian Powell, (Base QTH – Southern suburbs of Sydney, Australia. Base setup Winradio G305e w/ Buddipole. Mobile setup Baofeng GT3TP), dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) My perspective as a foreigner (as opposed Brian's as an Aussie) is that I enjoyed Radio National programming on RA. I have always seen international broadcasting as a window to life in another country and what better way to experience it than through everyday radio broadcasts (Jlenamon, Waco, Texas, ibid.) Mr. Lenamon’s rejoinder illustrates a longstanding discussion among listeners— more recently less prominent — about the relative merits of dedicated international services that craft news and programs specifically for international audiences and relays of domestic services that some see as a more “honest” reflection of the country broadcasting (sort of an eavesdropping situation). Being greedy, I like and want both. I remember the “old” RA that was a dedicated international service, not just a relay. And in those “old days”, I could also hear the domestic service through the quite powerful (50kW) regional shortwave stations that the ABC used to reach remote areas of the country. To me, something was definitely lost incrementally as RA morphed from one end to the other. But I, too, appreciated many of the RN programs that RA relayed as time went on and the independent international service faced from earshot. Unfortunately, current ABC management (which has been drawn mostly from Murdoch owned commercial stations and networks) is also progressively killing off what has made RN so valuable and unique. Soon it will sound no different than the chatty, shallow radio fare that those commercial stations are known so well for (John Figliozzi, Sarasota, FL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) The Managing Director who made the decision is a lawyer and ex Google and Rupert Murdoch (Newscorp) employee, by the sounds of it she has no broadcasting knowledge https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/14/michelle-guthrie-the-abc-and-the-turning-of-a-once-shining-jewel-into-mainstream-sludge The could save even more money with her resignation. Last evening I had a short but intense FM band opening from Tasmania, one of the areas which will benefit from the SW closure through development of digital services. Four ABC FM stations were received, I noted that each of the transmitters were running 192 KW. They could save money locally by reducing the transmitter power. Crumbs, I sound as though I'm an Aussie LOL. I'm actually in New Zealand but Australia is close enough. The people I feel sorry for are those in the outback who were reliant on the Northern Territory Shortwave service. The good thing in the sorry saga is that the ABC doesn't own the transmission facilities it is possible that someone else could step in (Paul NZ, HCDX via WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DXLD) Viz.: MICHELLE GUTHRIE, THE ABC AND THE TURNING OF A ONCE-SHINING JEWEL INTO MAINSTREAM SLUDGE Opinion --- Richard Ackland All public broadcasters are engaged in a constant process of chopping, slicing and reinventing, and every boss spreads his or her own brand of unhappiness ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie --- ‘If Michelle Guthrie’s Google genes get the better of her she might entirely ditch the broadcasting frequencies and airwaves and turn the ABC holos-bolus into a website.’ Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian [caption] Shares 4,042 Comments 888 Tuesday 13 December 2016 19.36 EST Last modified on Tuesday 13 December 2016 20.05 EST The Australian Broadcasting Corporation is going through one of its periodic meltdowns, brought about because a new managing director has come down from the moon and set about doing things her way. Michelle Guthrie has arrived at the public broadcaster via Google and the House of Murdoch, with a mission to trim the budget and to keep pace with technology and its impact on viewing patterns. This is not a new mission, because squeezing services into ever tighter financial constraints and adapting to new realities has been going on ever since public broadcasting got under way. In the case of Australia that was in 1932, in Britain 1927, Canada 1936 and New Zealand 1975. All the major public broadcasters are engaged in a constant process of creating, squeezing, chopping, slicing and reinventing. Nor is the tireless criticism from commercial interests and governments – and from within – anything new. Jaws drop at ABC as Michelle Guthrie defends Radio National cuts Amanda Meade [caption] Having said that, each managing director spreads his or her own brand of unhappiness in his or her own way. Guthrie’s appearance at the end- of-year Four Corners postmortem is a case in point. According to Guardian Australia’s Amanda Meade she told the ace reporters, researchers and producers who put together Australia’s premier investigative current affairs TV show that she would like to see in the lineup more stories about successful business people. Advertisement When it came to the program about children on Nauru speaking about their dire existence as captives of Australia’s offshore refugee policy, the managing director thought Four Corners should have found some happy children to interview. In one breath she showed us she hadn’t a clue about journalism – yet journalism is a large chunk of the ABC’s core business. At least previous notable managing directors have had to varying degrees a foot in the journalist camp – Mark Scott, David Hill, Brian Johns – and consequently they had a grasp on how and what the news apparatus should be doing. There are other dispiriting signs including the dismemberment of Catalyst, an appalling decision to strip from the schedule a weekly science program, and the ritualistic plunder of Radio National. The stories you need to read, in one handy email Read more RN has been under assault for so long that it is constantly on a war footing. With an annual budget of $23m, the network costs peanuts while audience surveys show that its specialist programs are one of the factors that generate audience loyalty for the ABC. Radio National is where you find much of the creative brains of the ABC, so to tinker and mess with the formula shows management is not without skill when it comes to shooting itself in the neck. Guthrie goes into defensive mode when pressed about the RN cuts, asking staff at a meeting in Perth, with raised voice, how they “justify their massive budget when their reach is so low”. Along with much of her management, it’s evident she doesn’t “get” Radio National, where the mission is for more light and fluffy “flow” programming, while resources for documentaries, features and specialist broadcasts are diluted. At this rate what was once a bright shining jewel in an ocean of mediocrity will look and sound more and more like the mainstream sludge available on much of the ABC’s metropolitan radio stations, not to mention the drivel on the commercials. Never mind the quality, feel the width. It’s not hard to sense that quite early in her reign Guthrie is on a slippery slope. Heartwarming support from Emma Alberici and Patricia Karvelas doesn’t amount to a hill of beans if a sizeable proportion of staff are offside. We’ve seen it before with the Jonathan Shier experiment. There are dark mutterings that ultimately, and quite soon, the RN network will transmogrify into a bunch of podcasts available online and on mobile devices. A website that ate a radio station. If Guthrie’s Google genes get the better of her she might entirely ditch the broadcasting frequencies and airwaves and turn the ABC holos-bolus into a website where customers can click away merrily for their radio or TV entertainment, sprinkled with advertisements for cars and credit cards. The BBC saved £30m by moving BBC3 online, so imagine the savings if all the public broadcasting system was streamed, courtesy of one great thumping iView. The one thing Guthrie has not mentioned as part of her reform agenda is ABC “news”, and here criticism by the former PM Paul Keating is spot on, with his complaint about stories that go nowhere. “In the case of the ABC news, if you want to watch a good news service, watch SBS news, which tells you what’s happening in Iraq, what’s happening in the US election, what’s happening with Donald Trump. “What you get on the ABC is: ‘A truck has just overturned on the Pacific Highway.’ It’s like in the 1970s. The ABC is letting Australia down in terms of news presentation.” It’s baffling why an organisation stuffed to the brim with journalists should have such a dimwitted view of news. Maybe it’s the fault of managers many of who, in my former experience as an ABC presenter (Late Night Live, Radio National Breakfast and Media Watch), only have a slender grasp of what they are doing. These serried ranks of bureaucrats on fat salaries with undistinguished achievements have floated into positions where they could tirelessly tinker and interfere with talented people trying to make programs. This is not a universal complaint, but there are enough managers who would be better suited as footpath spruikers outside strip clubs than running important parts of a public broadcaster. Michelle Guthrie appoints Murdoch consultant to restructure ABC None of this is unique to Australia. The BBC and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation have been pressured by funding cuts and accusations by conservatives of liberal bias, while the NZBC is a shell of what it is supposed to be. In the end Guthrie and her agents may have made an unfortunate contribution to the dumbing down process but the structural changes are being driven by forces outside their control. While the noble mission for the great old public broadcasters was to provide a service that commercial operators didn’t or couldn’t, today they are expected to be sufficiently “popular” to justify their taxpayer funding. Technology is making the future case for stand alone public broadcasters more difficult, but when you consider what else is on offer and the quality of the people making the complaints, then its clear we’d be a lot poorer without this crucial Australian institution, even with its repeats of the repeats (Guardian via DXLD) See also NEW ZEALAND RADIO AUSTRALIA - THE LAST TWO MINUTES - JANUARY 31, 2017 Hi Folks, On Tuesday morning, I listened to Radio Australia for the very last time. 15240 kHz and 15415 kHz were plagued with local noise and not especially strong signals here. So 17840 kHz was the best option for my final moments with this grand old shortwave broadcaster. The sign off came at 0100 UT after the playing of the old "Waltzing Matilda" interval signal. Mount Evelyn is about 200 km south of the Shepparton transmitter site – not far enough for proper F layer reflection and off the side of the beam, so the signal was a bit scratchy. But I was there for the end and that’s the important thing! The link below has a YouTube video of the last two minutes of the broadcast, including the audible switch-off click and a few parting comments from me. https://youtu.be/M8eJoTXf6Lw Very sad. But the fight is not over yet --- Rob VK3BVW (Rob Wagner, 91 Bailey Road, Mount Evelyn VIC 3796 http://www.medxr.blogspot.com.au http://www.robwagner.com.au ARDXC mailing list Feb 1, via DXLD) Another last-minutes recording, with video of the transmitters, presumably from an earlier visit; repetitions of Waltzing Matilda: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln-Aj6kGXK0 YT of course comes up with more related audiovideos on sidebar, autoplaying next unless you escape (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RADIO AUSTRALIA'S LAST DAYS ON SHORTWAVE vk3ye 6,163 1,020 views Published on Jan 31, 2017 [length: 21:25] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIE8bH5w2nk Snippets from the last couple of days transmissions from Radio Australia and the ABC's Northern Territory service. Receiving from home and the beach day and night. Services ceased on 31 January, 2017. (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) +37 comments (gh) RADIO PIRATE ON FORMER ABC SHORTWAVE FREQUENCIES: 31 Jan 2017 vk3ye 6,163 1,188 views [duration: 8:14] Published on Feb 1, 2017 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIE8bH5w2nk After the ABC and Radio Australia abandoned shortwave frequencies listeners receivers did not go quiet. Instead a pirate took advantage of the audience to broadcast what he thought of the service cuts (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) difficult copy; fake? ID as VK1WIA, American-style EAS tones; +15 comments (gh) VL8A Shutdown Videos --- I have found a couple of videos online (thanks to a twitter user @MaddocksThomas that posted on the ABC news website) showing the end of VL8A Alice Springs. Follow the following link to the Nick Xenephon story at http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-31/xenophon-leads-calls-for-abc-to-reinstate-shortwave-radio/8225694 and follow the link to the video on the right hand side of the page. On his page you will also see a video of someone symbolically smashing a radio at the front gates of VL8A, as well as a member of staff at the VL8A transmitter site sending a Morse Code farewell. Regards, (Brian Powell, (Base QTH – Southern suburbs of Sydney Australia. Base setup Winradio G305e w/ Buddipole. Mobile setup Baofeng GT3TP, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The day the music died; I had been listening to Radio Australia since the mid 70s (Steven Wiseblood, TX, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz NICK XENOPHON TO INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO FORCE ABC TO REINSTATE SHORTWAVE RADIO SERVICE ABC Online - Pacific Beat Updated about an hour ago Related Story: ABC's shortwave radio transition program offers little comfort to Top End fisherman Related Story: 'At least 5,000' people tuning into ABC's shortwave radio services Related Story: ABC resists calls to reverse axing of NT shortwave service South Australian senator Nick Xenophon says he will introduce legislation to Parliament to force the ABC to reinstate its shortwave radio service, which ended today. Key points: Xenophon says the ABC has underestimated the impact of its decision ABC says shortwave radio is outdated technology Pastoralists, remote communities among those calling for reversal of decision The ABC announced in December that it would switch off its shortwave transmission to remote parts of northern Australia and across the Pacific. Media player: "Space" to play, "M" to mute, "left" and "right" to seek. Audio: Pacific Affairs reporter Liam Fox on the end of the ABC's shortwave service to Pacific (Pacific Beat) Mr Xenophon said his introduction of legislation next week was not the ideal way to handle the issue, but something had to be done. "This is a pretty messy way of doing it — putting up a bill — but it will force the ABC management to account," he said. "If it means part of the solution is trying to squeeze more money out of the Government, then so be it." Mr Xenophon said he believed the ABC had underestimated the impact of its decision. "The fact is this will affect thousands of Australians who are in remote areas, but it seems it will affect many tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of people who are regular Radio Australia listeners throughout the region," Mr Xenophon told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat program. "This is an essential service not just for the bush in Australia but for the region. I hope I can get bipartisan support to reverse this decision." The ABC said shortwave technology was out of date and it would save $1.9 million by cutting the service, which it said would be reinvested in expanding content and services. The national broadcaster said in a statement there would be a transition program and it "has offered comprehensive advice on how to best access emergency information, ABC News and entertainment". "The ABC will assist with the transition to new technologies … as well as the use of modern and reliable devices such as emergency GPS beacons and affordable satellite telephones," the statement said. Pastoralists, fishermen among those angered by decision But the decision has prompted widespread criticism from federal and Northern Territory MPs, pastoralists, fishermen and tour operators, as well as from communities across the Pacific. "This is shocking news, totally shocking news," said Francesca Semoso, Deputy Speaker of Bougainville's Parliament in Papua New Guinea. Shortwave evades dictators and warns of disasters The ABC's decision to end Radio Australia's shortwave service has raised questions about who will fill the void. "The reason being that wherever you go — if you are up on the rooftop of your house, if you are up in the mountains in Bougainville, if you are down in the valleys, in the Pacific islands in Papua New Guinea, in Bougainville — the only medium that can reach me at that location is shortwave." Northern Territory Cattlemen's Association chief executive Tracey Hayes said the move would have a profound impact on the wellbeing of isolated workers and families. "There will be just silence in the vehicle and they would have had no contact with the outside world," she said. "I can't imagine what it is going to be like for people who are being put in that position." Northern Territory MP Gerry McCarthy said he had invited ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie to his remote electorate to listen to people affected by the decision. "Come to the Northern Territory for a start, consult with the people that are affected, real Australians out there in remote areas," he said. "Also we've offered the help and support of the [Northern Territory] Department of Housing and Community Development to go and do some serious analysis about who are the users of shortwave." ABC Radio will continue to broadcast across the Northern Territory on FM and AM bands, via the viewer access satellite television (VAST) service, streaming online and via the smartphone app (via Artie Bigley and Mike Cooper, WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DXLD) BBC World Service had the ABCNT/Radio Australia shortwave shutdown as the final item in its newscast at 0500 January 31 (Stephen Luce, Houston, Texas, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) At least, an emotive farewell from Alice Springs: https://mobile.twitter.com/MaddocksThomas/status/826256315198476288 (Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, ibid.) Already miss Radio Australia --- This morning I tried to tune it in (as I often do in the morning/evening), hoping for some listening fare other than the AM Talk Radio shows I also listen to so I can keep up on the Happenings here at home. . . While it didn't surprise me, alas, the frequencies were empty. I really enjoyed their programming, and I found their interviews with musicians, etc., especially interesting. . . Yeah, they say you can 'tune in' (sic) on the web, but I have no interest in streaming audio. I spend enough time on the 'puter as it is. Right now (1615Z) I'm listening to KBS (Korean Broadcasting System) on 9640 KCs. -- 73 de (Phil, KO6BB, Atchley, Specializing in DXing NDBs (Longwave Beacons), Location: "The Beaconeer's Lair", Merced, Central California, Jan 31, swl at qth.net via DXLD) Another major one bites the dust. Eliminating SW transmissions automatically eliminates a significant number of listeners from places that have no Internet and where people depend a lot on radio. On the other hand China has increased their coverage around the World. I will miss RA too. Such good programming. 73s (Guido Santacana KP4FAR, Sony ICF 2010, Tecsun PL-680, Sangean ATS 818, Grundig Satellit 750, Panasonic RF4900, Realistic DX302, Three long wires and one MFJ 1024 Active Antenna, presumably Puerto Rico, ibid.) RADIO GOES QUIET by Barclay White February 01, 2017 http://www.sheppnews.com.au/2017/02/01/71659/radio-goes-quiet At noon eastern standard time yesterday the shortwave broadcast of Radio Australia, which sends out impartial news to the world, went silent. The Shepparton broadcast facility went offline after running almost continuously since 1944, after the ABC announced it was moving away from shortwave broadcasting to focus on webstreaming. The facility, which Broadcast Australia owns, is on Verney Rd to the north of Shepparton, where its specialised array of broadcasting equipment sent out shortwave radio signals that could be heard across the globe. All the way from Arkansas in the United States, Frederick Boerner told The News he had regularly listened to the Radio Australia broadcast for several years and was disappointed it was going offline. ‘‘I would like to say that my 11-year-old son listens to shortwave also,’’ Mr Boerner said. ‘‘He tells his friends at school about some of the ‘cool things he hears from all around the world’. ‘‘It is great to see him and his friends next door interested in things going on around the world on the shortwave instead of being glued to a video game.’’ The shutdown has angered a former district manager at the site, Greg Baker, who has started lobbying politicians and the ABC to keep the site online. He believes the government and the ABC have misjudged the number of people across the globe who still listen to broadcasts. ‘‘You could nearly heritage list this place, maybe that would be a way to save it,’’ Mr Baker said. ‘‘I feel the saddest for the people that are not going to hear Australia any more. ‘‘A lot of the audience that this facility reaches, they can’t talk back because they don’t have internet, or telephones or mobile phone services, so this facility here is reaching way more people than what we think — we just don’t know it because they can’t tell us.’’ The facility was originally built during World War II to send morale- boosting broadcasts to Australian troops serving overseas. Shepparton was picked for its flat terrain, making it ideal for long- range broadcasts, and its distance from the major cities, at a time when aerial bombardments were a significant risk. After the war the ABC used the facility to broadcast Radio Australia out to the world and, via shortwave radios, people could listen in on Australian news in Fiji, Indonesia, India and beyond. Just what will happen to the Shepparton site was still up in the air. Broadcast Australia did not grant requests to visit the site on the day of the final transmission and has said via a statement that no decision had been made on if the facility would be demolished. Although Broadcast Australia did not confirm staffing numbers, a number of former employees said that although numbers were larger in previous years, recently there were only about three staff at the site. Mr Baker said any change of heart by a future government could present its own problems, as the site was not designed to be switched off for long periods. ‘‘Those antennas out there do need maintenance, they don’t last forever,’’ Mr Baker said. ‘‘It will degrade over time; and the transmitters — the longer they are off, the harder it will be to get them back on again.’’ South Australian NXT party leader and senator Nick Xenophon said he would fight the decision to end the service by introducing legislation to force the ABC to reverse the shutdown. ‘‘It’s not too late for the ABC to reverse this daft decision — if it doesn’t it can expect to be on a collision course with MPs from all sides of politics,’’ Senator Xenophon said. The Radio Australia broadcast can still be listened to via http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international By Barclay White February 01, 2017 (via Mike Cooper, Artie Bigley, Brian Powell, Mike Terry, WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DXLD) Dear Mr. Leys: On the occasion of the cessation of your network's shortwave broadcasts, I am taking this opportunity to express my dissent from the rationale offered for ABC's decision to shut down its shortwave services. The argument that shortwave broadcasting needs to be phased out because it is an old technology overlooks the obvious point that bouncing radio waves off the ionosphere remains the most cost- effective means available for blanketing the Pacific and Indian Oceans and adjoining continents with a broadcast signal. While the promise of free satellite service and more FM transmitters may be fine for domestic Australian audiences, ABC obviously doesn't have the budget to use such means for reaching audiences in places like California (where I'm located). When your 9.58 MHz Shepparton transmitter went out of service this morning, Radio Australia ceased to exist as a broadcaster in this part of the world. That is not technological improvement; that is an abandonment of a portion of your broadcast audience. Web streaming is often touted as an alternative to broadcasting, but this reflects a profound misunderstanding of both internet users and broadcast audiences. One obvious difference is that virtually all shortwave listeners in Pacific rim countries would encounter Radio Australia at some point, while a tiny fraction of non-Australian internet users would ever visit an ABC website or download an ABC app. It is likely that regular web stream viewers who aren't Australian are even more of a niche audience for ABC than its former overseas shortwave listeners were. Another important difference is that shortwave listening is mostly free from surveillance, in stark contrast to the situation on the internet. The bottom line is that different technologies serve different needs and can be mutually reinforcing if used intelligently; the fact that shortwave went into service a long time ago doesn't make the particular needs of shortwave listeners any less real in the 21st century. I suspect that most of Radio Australia's overseas shortwave audience will not migrate to the internet; instead, we are more likely to tune into other shortwave stations. Sincerely yours, (Vincent Cook, cc to DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Glenn, Please see below for email received this morning from Nick Leys at the ABC. Regards, Brian Powell (Base QTH – Southern suburbs of Sydney Australia. Base setup Winradio G305e w/ Buddipole. Mobile setup Baofeng GT3TP), dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) From: Nick Leys [mailto:Leys.Nick@abc.net.au] Sent: Wednesday, 1 February 2017 10:14 AM Subject: RE: Exact shutdown times for Radio Australia and NT Shortwave broadcasts Brian, I’m terribly sorry I didn’t reply sooner to your email. As you are no doubt aware, the service was shut off at 1200 AEST yesterday. My sincere apologies for not having this to you beforehand. I have sent your email to our Audience unit who are collating such correspondence. I have also taken on board your observations about our public statements on the decision. I appreciate and respect your views and your right to make your point. Regards, Nick (via Brian Powell, dxldyg via DXLD) Does anyone know when each of the ABC NT transmitters were switched off? (-- Richard Langley, Feb 1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) [and non]. 17840, Jan 30 at 2223, R. Australia is still on and audible fairly. Also at final check UT Jan 31 at 0034, S7 to S9. I had to miss the last gasp of Waltzing Matilda at 0100****, as my only chance to see ``Arrival`` on an Enid screen was at 0050! 9580, Jan 31 at 1417, in the absence of R. Australia, now unblocked weak reception of DW in Dari/Pashto via UAE at 1330 to 1430, when rechecked it is off. This was not enough to bother RA here, nor: Shortly I sent this to Jeff White at WRMI: ``Hi Jeff, With the big hole Radio Australia has left on 9580 this morning, I just got a bright idea. Why not have WRMI move onto that frequency with a relay of RA, say 12-15 UT, give or take? You could afford this by replacing 2 or 3 hours a day of World Music on some other transmitter with RA, at no additional cost. You probably would not want to do it, but perhaps a nominal cost would be acceptable. This could be a crowd-funding thing. It`s hard to think of anything which would be more attractive among ex-SW stations to relay. Should be on a 315 antenna of course, which I think you have available at those hours, without researching it. Would ABC endorse this? Probably not, but you would be doing a great public service to North American listeners, great publicity for WRMI. Do it on your initiative and stop it only if ABC insists. {This would also serve a useful purpose in friendly occupance of frequency to keep other stations away, in case RA can ever revive itself.} 73 (Glenn Hauser, Jan 31, WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also SIKKIM ** AUSTRALIA. 11980, Jan 31 at 1423, we still have Reach Beyond on SW from this continent --- somehow, it`s not the same, with a sermon about Thessalonians. This English broadcast is 1400-1430 daily (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRIA. 6155, Jan 26 at 0718, Ö1 is still on in Austro-German, S8- S9 but tough copy. I thought it ended at 0715, but I see in HFCC it`s 0600-0720, the only ORF/ORS legacy SW broadcast from Moosbrunn (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BHUTAN [and non]. 6035.004, Supposedly Bhutan BS Thimphu, S=7-8 in Qatar remote installation. At 0224 UT on Jan 30, noted like Himalayan hill music group type. INDIA QRM strongly on adjacent 6029.998 kHz, S=9+20dB, AIR Khampur India 250 kW Hindi Uttaranchal program at 0227 UT. [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz] (Wolfgang Büschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Jan 30, via DXLD) ** BIAFRA [non]. SECRETLAND: Jan 27-28 no signal of Radio Biafra London/Brother HySTAIRical on 15325: 1500-1600 15325 SCB 050 kW / 195 deg WeAf English Radio Biafra London 1600-1800 15325 SCB 050 kW / 195 deg WeAf English Brother HySTAIRical 1800-2000 15325 SCB 050 kW / 195 deg WeAf English Radio Biafra London http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/01/irrs-radio-city-radio-warra-wangeelaa.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, Sofia, Bulgaria, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) SECRETLAND, SPL SCB 15325 kHz was back on air with Brother Stair, instead of Radio Biafra, Jan 28: 1700-1800 100 kW / 195 deg to WeAf English Brother Stair as scheduled 1800-2000 100 kW / 195 deg to WeAf English instead of R Biafra London http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/01/babcock-dimtse-radio-erena-via-spl_29.html (DX RE MIX NEWS #990 from Georgi Bancov and Ivo Ivanov, January 30, 2017 via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 3310, R. MOSOJ CHASKI. Enero 28. 0920-0935 UT. Hombre predica en quechua. A las 0930 hay ID y avisos de la emisora en el mismo idioma, luego indican la hora en español: “5 de la mañana y 30 minutos” en la voz de una mujer. Luego avisos de cooperativas agrícolas dedicado a las hortalizas (palabra usada en español), solicitud de crédito, compra de fertilizantes y de semillas de trigo y quínoa con música andina de fondo. SINPO: 45444 (RX: TECSUN PL-660; ANT: Hilo de 70 metros de largo; QTH: Barraza Bajo, IV Región, Chile) (Claudio Galaz T., condiglista yg via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 5580, R. SAN JOSÉ. Enero 28. 1036-1048 UT. Música andina. A las 1043, se escucha la voz de un locutor hablando en castellano. SINPO: 35423. Señal dominada por el fading. (RX: TECSUN PL-660; ANT: Hilo de 70 metros de largo; QTH: Barraza Bajo, IV Región, Chile) (Claudio Galaz T., condiglista yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DXLD) ** BOUGAINVILLE. PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3325.0, Female announcer in progress, NBC Bougainville, in Pidgin/Tok Pisin language, S=6-7 carrier signal, but low modulated audio. Heard at 1015 UT in remote NoEa Australia installation [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz] (Wolfgang Büschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Jan 30, via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Jovem Pan ainda no eFM? Amigos de São Paulo, A Rádio Jovem Pan OM 620 de São Paulo segue fazendo transmissões experimentais no eFM? A frequência, se não me engano, era 84.7 MHz. 73 (Lucio Haeser, DF, Jan 28, radioescutas yg via DXLD) Lucio, quando anunciaram há 2 anos a entrada da frequência da JP em 84.7 MHz, colocaram sim o sinal no ar; ouvi por um bom período aqui em São Bernardo a uns 15 km em linha reta do transmissor e antena desta frequencia (Av. Paulista). Eu moro, vamos chamar assim, na ‘zona sul’ de São Bernardo, a região mais meridional do município, a 10 km do alto da serra. Eu ouvia a JP em 84.7 MHz com bastante facilidade nos meus receptores e antena telescópica. Não como a 100.9 JP FM, mas ouvia. Transmitiam uma alternância do que irradiava os 100.1 MHz (JP FM) e 620 kHz (JP OM). Há duas semanas tentei ouvir este sinal de 84.7 MHz e nada. Vou verificar nestes dias se existe algum indício. Naquele período a JP chegou a informar que estavam transmitindo também por 84.7 MHz, e como a JP é uma das minhas favoritas, nunca mais ouvi falarem disso. Só que antes de afirmar que não estão mesmo no ar através desta frequência, e se for levado ao pé-da-letra a regulamentação deste serviço de migração, banda estendida, etc., eu não deveria mesmo ouvir a JP em 84.7 MHz por aqui, porque a recepção destes sinais não devem superar acima de 6 km de distância do transmissor. Precisamos ouvir alguém que mora menos que 6 km da Av. Paulista. Eu estou a uns 15, mais ou menos. 73, rg (Rudolf Grimm, Jan 29, ibid.) Lúcio, liguei agora pouco o rádio e nada em 84.7 MHz além da interferência e espulios [sic] provocados pelo transmissor de TV da Rede Globo canal 5 VHF; estou há cerca de 8 km em linha reta da Av Paulista na zona oeste de São Paulo e na época dos testes da Jovem Pan AM, há 2 anos atrás, recebi com sinal muito forte a 84.7 MHz 73's (Fran Jr., Sao Paulo SP, Enviado do Yahoo Mail no Android, Jan 30. Obod/_ Senhores, Pelo que fiquei sabendo na época, esta operação da radio JP foi experimental, com forma de verificação (Leandro Guerra, ibid.) Lúcio e amigos, na verdade não entendi bem esta faixa de FM estendida. Tenho 3 receptores novos que têm o FM dividido em 2 partes, FM 1 e FM 2; o que significa? Seria para colocar emissoras novas ou para realocá-las em outras frequências de FM? Geralmente no geral, o FM comercial vai de 87.1 a 108.8, mais nestes que eu tenho tem outra divisão que começa em 76.8 e vai até 90.4. Os 3 receptores que tenho com FM estendida são analógicos da Motobrás (Paulo Michelon, Radio escuta, Porto Alegre RS, ibid.) Prezado Paulo: Acredito que a Motobrás já se antecipou e começou a fabricar rádios com a faixa FM estendida. Essa faixa foi autorizada pelo governo para o FM dentro daquela decisão já aprovada de estimular as rádios AM a migrarem para FM. Acontece que em algumas praças não há mais canais disponíveis, pois todos os canais FM já estão ocupados, senão na própria localidade mas também em localidades próximas, mas cuja área de cobertura inclui a referida cidade e assim não seria possível às emissoras que quisessem migrar para o FM ocupar um canal na faixa tradicional de 88 a 108 MHz. Por isso, aproveitando a desativação das estações de TV analógica que já ocorreram em algumas cidades (especialmente os canais de VHF baixo), a faixa de 76 a 88 MHz foi autorizada para o FM. São 12 MHz livres que podem ser ocupados por até 30 novas emissoras de FM, o que em princípio seria suficiente para atender à demanda de novos canais. Abraços, (Alexandre, ibid.) Paulo, Porque são projetos Chineses. Por lá o FM começa em 64 MHz. Antigamente, países da "cortina de ferro" usavam 65-74 MHz. Japão ainda usa 76-95 MHz (por isso é tão comum ver os Sony começando em 76 MHz). (Lucio Haeser, ibid.) Boa tarde Paulo, achei uma matéria da Abert que chama de faixa estendida e que precisa aguardar o desligamento da TV analógica para funcionar: http://www.abert.org.br/web/index.php/tudo-sobre-a-migracao-do-radio-am "...O dial FM de vários locais não comportam todas as emissoras que irão migra. _Por isso será criado o dial estendido (ou faixa estendida), que vai de 76.1 MHz até 87.5 MHz_ (hoje as emissoras de rádio em FM utilizam canais entre 87.7 MHz até 107.9 FM). Essa faixa estendida deverá ser utilizada em grandes centros como São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba, entre outros, respeitando assim as condições atuais da faixa FM “convencional” (utilizada pelas FMs atualmente). _Com isso, as cerca de 400 emissoras de rádio AM terão que esperar o desligamento do sinal analógico da TV, para que se abra espaço, e assim fazer a migração._ ..." 73, (Renato Tambellini, ibid.) Só como curiosidade, lembro que o primeiro dial do FM era de 42 a 50 MHz, assim definido pelo inventor do FM, Edwin Armstrong (Lúcio Haeser, ibid.) Caros, Falei com o Depto técnico da JP, e a resposta óbvia foi dada, no sentido que o serviço não está no ar, porque não é de uso permanente ainda. E nem será reativado tão rápido quanto imaginamos. Haverá muitas mudanças do cenário comercial da rádio até o “lançamento” da faixa estendida. Eu moro na zona sul de SP, no bairro de Guarapiranga, e na mesma época que houve a transmissão inicial, tal qual o Rudolf, eu acompanhei a emissão, que chegava super bem aqui. Importante dizer que em SP, 6 km não é nada, então, o sinal deverá ser captado em toda região metropolitana etc. Mas isso é algo que nem a J Pan sabe definir ainda. 73, (Denis Zoqbi, ibid.) ** BRAZIL [and non]. Gravações de Rádios do Brasil --- Encontrei na internet um site de gravações de rádios OC e OM do Brasil, com datas entre 1970 até os anos 2000. http://www.dxing.info/audio/index_brazil.dx Bastante interessante. Também existem gravações de outros países, dentro de "Radio Stations/Audio". Atenciosamente 73, (Roney Monte, PY1ZB, 31 Jan, radioescutas yg via DXLD) Muito bacana me parece só que não é possível abrir nenhum áudio das rádios da lista mensagem diz não é possível reproduzir este arquivo tenho um tablet da sansung 25 mega de velocidade banda larga hifi (Paulo Michelon, Porto Alegre RS, ibid.) Paulo, Usei telefone Android com aplicativo chamado "MX Player" (o ícone e uma seta branca sobre círculo azul) e funcionou certinho para vários links (Huelbe Garcia, ibid.) ** BRAZIL. 4865, R. ALVORADA. Enero 27. 2323-2335 UT. Locutor habla sobre la ciudad de Londrina, y de la necesidad de tener un buen comportamiento. Luego avisos de Iglesias de la zona, para pasar al rezo del Padre Nuestro en portugués. SINPO: 43443 con leve QRM de otra emisora en la misma frecuencia. (RX: TECSUN PL-660; ANT: Hilo de 70 metros de largo; QTH: Barraza Bajo, IV Región, Chile) (Claudio Galaz T., condiglista yg via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 11895, R. LEGIAO DA BOA VONTADE. Enero 29. 1628-1639 UT. Música en portugués. Luego rezos e ID, además de saludos desde las 1637. SINPO: 35222. // 9550 SINPO: 35322 (RX: TECSUN PL-660; ANT: Hilo de 70 metros de largo; QTH: Barraza Bajo, IV Región, Chile) (Claudio Galaz T., condiglista yg via DXLD) ** BULGARIA. The transmitting center ---- When he was an employee of Radio Bulgaria, accounting for HH programs in English, German, French and Spanish. Ivo Ivanov was in Russian and other DH Bulgarian program. Several years ago, a new so-called "menazher" Radio Bulgaria (he never had) called me and said that I was fired. "We are closing on HF transmission, they have no future and so on ..." he said. Some time later, the transmitting center to the west of Sofia turned private, and its owners, former or present radio telegraphist and a new name Spaceline center. Ivo tells them how [calls them now] Sekretbrod, but Radio Bulgaria exists on the Internet (Rumen Pankov, Sofia, Bulgaria / "deneb-radio-dx", via RusDX 29 Jan via DXLD) ** BULGARIA. SECRETLAND, Updated schedule of SPL on 15325 & 9465 kHz from Jan 30 http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/02/updated-schedule-of-spl-secretbrod-on.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, QTH: Sofia, Bulgaria, Equipment: Sony ICF-2001D 30 m. long wire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CAMBODIA [non]. UZBEKISTAN (and non?) Additional frequency of Voice of Khmer M'Chas Srok via RED Telecom, to SEAs in Khmer 1130-1200 15600 unknown tx / unknown Thu/Sun from Jan 22, poor/weak // freq 17860 TAC 100 kW / 122 deg Thu/Sun B-16, very poor signal http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/01/additional-frequency-of-voice-of-khmer.html (DX RE MIX NEWS #990 from Georgi Bancov and Ivo Ivanov, January 30, 2017 via DXLD) ** CANADA. 1610, CHHA, Voces Latinas, Toronto --- Coming in quite well, especially a few minutes before the TOH, but still there, especially on my North directed corner fed loop (the others are favouring the TIS in WA). Latin music, mostly, and // to web feed via http://www.sanlorenzo.ca/english/Voces_Latinas_1610_AM.html (Walt Salmaniw, BC, 0606 UT Jan 30, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) CHHA, Voces Latinas, I'm hearing at the best levels ever at 0630 UT tonight. Listed as 6.25 kW and totally dominating the channel. Normally I have terrible splatter from Blaine on 1600, but tonight my North directed corner fed loop is performing admirably. My other antennas are favouring the WA based TIS. Very nice reception, indeed, with lots of ads and IDs, and Latin music. Enjoy it while you can! 73 (Walt Salmaniw, 0632 UT Jan 30, IRCA via DXLD) Hi Walter, Thanks for the tip. Logged them here in Redmond, Oregon. Haven't heard them since leaving Virginia a year ago. Also pretty sure was copying WBZ under KTWO and XESDD. Regards, (George, NJ3H, Redmond, Oregon USA, Perseus SDR, Elad FDM-S2 SDR, Wellbrook ALA1530AL-2 antenna, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) I also noted a much better signal than usual from CHHA earlier that evening (Glenn Hauser, OK, DXLD) And since in general I guess it pays to have the channel almost to yourself, eh Walt? The only interference here on 1610 is the occasional TIS and Caribbean Beacon which almost never IDs (Bill Whitacre, Alexandria, VA, IRCA via DXLD) Bill, more often then not, it's the same here. I've often also heard the CB in Victoria. I just don't remember hearing CHHA here. Correct about the open frequency, although Blaine on 1600 usually splatters terribly but not lately, so wonder if they've changed something. 73, (Walt Salmaniw, ibid.) ** CANADA. 6754-USB, Jan 26 at 0720, CHR Trenton Military with ``no report received`` from Toronto, Bagotville, Trenton(!), Ottawa. 0721 UT time as ``0-6-2-0 zulu``, and NRRs for Calgary, Cold Lake, Winnipeg, Edmonton. Hey, someone, kick the computer controller. 15034, Jan 26 at 1439, CHR is finally funxional again, after at least 5 straight days of ``no report received`` whenever checked: recent conditions at Prestwick, altimeter always in hectopascals (which we would call barometric pressure in millibars). BUT, on to Terminal Forecasts for Shannon, Prestwick, Keflavik, Lajes, all ``no report received``. So CHR is managing to broadcast Aviation Weather reports but not Terminal Forecasts. At 1441, still wrong current timecheck as ``1-3-4-0 zulu``, and weather for Shearwater, Greenwood, Gander, Halifax from 1400z or ``special`` later readings like 1438, 1427. Repeated. 1445, again NRRs for terminals from Halifax to Shearwater. 1446 ID, mis-time as 1345z, and Aviation Weather for the first quartet mentioned above. So where is Bagotville (the T is pronounced)? Near Saguenay, Québec, which is at the northern edge of developed QC, a 100K+ city west of Rimouski and north of Quebec City. At 1502 recheck, no signal. So apparently the transmissions are not meant to be continuous, unless this is another foulup. Unlike NY Radio & Gander, the Trenton frequencies are not time-shared with another station. As for the ``no report received`` defaults, it`s not unusual for them to appear here and there, rather than everywhere. 6754-USB, Jan 27 at 0430, CHR successfully radiates aviation weather for Comox. 15034-USB, Jan 28 at 1922, CHR with aviation weather successfully for Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Cold Lake, giving altimeters in inches of mercury, e.g. 29.89 instead of hectopascals as heard elsewhen; what`s with that? The units for all readings are never specified, but obvious. It`s only minus 6 in Winnipeg, heat wave. 1926 on to terminal forecasts --- non as ``no report received`` from the same quartet; and local mis-time as `1-8-2-5 zulu`. Back to av. wx. OK for next quartet starting with Comox (COE-mocks), etc. 15034-USB, Jan 29 at 1432, CHR Trenton Military with a different quartet of aerodromes than I`ve heard before in random chex, Zagreb, Split, Ancona-Falconara [Italy], Thule. No report received from some of them. Some have altimeters specified in hectopascals while Thule is in inches of mercury, unspecified. Then terminal forecasts for all four: NRR. 1436 ID, mis-timecheck for 1335z, and on to Shannon etc. group. This site has detailed schedules for this and many/all? other VOLMET stations; 5-minute segments on CHR except a break at :00 to :10 for possible live broadcasts: http://www.dxinfocentre.com/volmet-wx.htm (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. HOW TO FINANCE THE NEWS, NOTABLY AT THE CBC Report tackles 'unsolved riddle' of how to fix ailing news industry ‘While fake news takes just moments to make up, real news often requires days, weeks and even months' By Dean Beeby, CBC News Posted: Jan 26, 2017 10:44 AM ET Last Updated: Jan 26, 2017 2:38 PM ET Dean Beeby Senior reporter, Parliamentary Bureau Dean Beeby is a CBC journalist, author and specialist in freedom-of- information laws. Follow him on Twitter: @DeanBeeby A report ordered by the Liberal government on how to fix Canada's ailing news industry calls for major tax changes, stripping digital ad revenue from the CBC and the creation of special government-supported funds to support newsgathering. The 12 sweeping recommendations from the Public Policy Forum, a think- tank, follow months of consultations and research into the massive disruption of traditional business models in the news industry by digital upstarts. The report warns that democracy is imperilled by the collapse and disappearance of traditional newspapers, as small digital suppliers of Canadian news struggle to fill the gap. . . http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/newspapers-news-media-digital-public-policy-forum-report-1.3953067 (via Gerald T Pollard, NC, DXLD) ** CANADA. [Re 17-02, Stuart McLean announcing that The Vinyl Café is suspended due to his continuing cancer treatment] ABOUT THE VINYL CAFE The Vinyl Cafe is a radio show heard on selected public radio stations in the United States, on Podcast, and online. The show is written and hosted by Stuart McLean and features stories, essays and music. The Vinyl Cafe stories are about Dave, owner of a second hand record store called "The Vinyl Cafe". The stories also feature Dave's wife, Morley, their two children, Sam and Stephanie, and assorted friends and neighbours. The stories are collected in books and on CD. The motto of Dave's store - and of the radio show - is "We May Not Be Big, But We're Small." ABOUT STUART MCLEAN Stuart McLean is a best selling author, award-winning journalist and humorist, and host of CBC Radio program, The Vinyl Cafe. Stuart began his broadcasting career making radio documentaries for CBC Radio's Sunday Morning. In 1979 he won an ACTRA award for Best Radio Documentary for his contribution to the program's coverage of the Jonestown massacre. Following Sunday Morning, Stuart spent seven years as a regular columnist and guest host on CBC's Morningside. His book, The Morningside World of Stuart McLean, was a Canadian bestseller and a finalist in the 1990 City of Toronto Book Awards. Stuart has also written Welcome Home: Travels in Small Town Canada, and edited the collection When We Were Young. Welcome Home was chosen by the Canadian Authors' Association as the best non-fiction book of 1993. Stuart's ten Vinyl Cafe books have all been Canadian bestsellers and have sold more than one million copies since Stories from the Vinyl Cafe was published in 1995. Vinyl Cafe Diaries was awarded the Canadian Authors' Association Jubilee Award in 2004, and Stuart is also a three-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour for Home from the Vinyl Cafe, Vinyl Cafe Unplugged and Secrets from the Vinyl Cafe. Vinyl Cafe books have also been published in the U.S., the U.K., Australia and New Zealand. In December 2011 Stuart McLean was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. He is a professor emeritus at Ryerson University in Toronto and former director of the broadcast division of the School of Journalism. In 1993 Trent University named him the first Rooke Fellow for Teaching, Writing and Research. He has also been honoured by Nipissing University (H. Ed.D.), University of Windsor (LL.D.), Trent University (D.Litt.), Saint Mary's University (D.C.L.), University of Calgary (LL.D.), Concordia University (LL.D.), and McMaster University (LL.D.). Stuart served as Honorary Colonel of the 8th Air Maintenance Squadron at 8 Wing, Trenton from 2005 to 2008. Since 1998 Stuart has toured with The Vinyl Cafe to theatres across Canada and the United States, playing towns from St. John's, Newfoundland to Whitehorse in the Yukon; from Bangor, Maine to Seattle, Washington. SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER We will email you news of all things Vinyl Cafe if you sign up below. You'll be the first to know about our concerts, and you can scoop up those front row seats. We promise we won't give your name or address to anyone else anywhere, anytime. Never. Ever. First Name ____________________ Last Name ____________________ https://www.vinylcafe.com/ (via Mike Cooper, Jan 29, DXLD) ** CANADA. STUART HAMILTON: OPERA COACH AND RADIO HOST LIVED FOR MUSIC Robert Everett-Green, The Globe and Mail Published Monday, Jan. 23, 2017 7:04PM EST Last updated Monday, Jan. 23, 2017 7:09PM EST Stuart Hamilton’s passion for the music of Claude Debussy and good leather clothing were shown on the cover of his memoir, in which he discusses the fulfilment he found in his work. (Gilberto Prioste) [caption] His languid, bemused voice rolled out of thousands of radios on Saturday afternoons, as he posed another question about some nugget of opera lore. Many Canadians knew Stuart Hamilton only as host of the intermission quiz on CBC Radio’s Saturday Afternoon at the Opera, but he was also and primarily an expert vocal coach, who honed the talents of many of Canada’s top classical singers. Mr. Hamilton, who died of cancer in Toronto on Jan. 1 at the age of 87, coached and toured with two of this country’s greatest vocalists: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/opera-coach-and-radio-host-l=ived-for-music/article33712751/ (via Dan Say, alt.radio.networks.cbc via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** CANADA. AFTER MOSQUE ATTACK IN CANADA, CRITICS POINT TO ANTI- IMMIGRANT `TRASH RADIO' By Alan Freeman, QUEBEC CITY -- They call it "radio poubelle," or "trash radio." Quebec City has developed the dubious reputation of being Canada's capital of shock jocks, online radio hosts who love to provoke with outrageous talk about women, homosexuals and Muslims. As this city of 800,000 deals with the emotional aftermath of Sunday's shooting at a local mosque that left six worshipers dead and several injured, the role of trash radio in spreading xenophobic attitudes is getting new attention. A 27-year-old local university student and follower of far-right causes was charged Monday with murder and attempted murder in connection with the massacre. There is no indication that the man charged in the attack, Alexandre Bissonnette, was particularly influenced by trash radio, but members of the Muslim community were quick to complain about the corrosive impact of the anti-immigrant rhetoric heard on the city's airwaves. Quebec City's popular mayor, Regis Labeaume, also appeared to criticize the radio stations. Speaking at an outdoor vigil in memory of the victims Monday evening, he denounced those who "get rich from peddling hatred." Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard acknowledged Tuesday that the province has "its demons" and that "xenophobia, racism and exclusion are present here." But he told reporters that Quebec society is generally open and tolerant. [After Trump sows chaos, Canada picks up the pieces] "Whenever you happen to listen to this trash radio, you hear clearly xenophobic language," said Mohammed Ali Saidane, who has lived in Quebec for 30 years. "What I reproach with these media is that they import problems from elsewhere, especially France. We don't live in ghettos here. It's not the same as France," he told the Journal de Quebec newspaper. "The real danger of this kind of radio is that they play with the line between news, opinion and demagoguery," said Louis-Philippe Lampron, who teaches human rights law at Laval University. Lampron said four or five talk-show hosts dominate the market, moving among a handful of stations and constantly competing for listeners with outrageous talk, which is often right-wing and populist in tone. "It's very insidious and aggressive," he told The Washington Post. Jeff Fillion, one of the best-known hosts, was fired last spring by Bell Media, owner of Energie 98.9 FM, after he ridiculed a prominent local businessman who had publicly grieved his son's suicide. But soon after, Fillion was back on the air at another station. "It's like reality TV," said Guillaume Verret, a 21-year-old college student and part-time barista as he sat with friends at a Starbucks in suburban Sainte-Foy. "It's completely stupid and easy. They don't give you facts. They just give you opinions that provoke people." Although Muslims make up a tiny percentage of Quebec City's population, their presence has been growing as the provincial government encourages immigration by French-speaking Africans. . . https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/after-mosque-attack-canadian-muslims-point-to-anti-immigrant-trash-radio/2017/01/31/d34f7db2-e7d2-11e6-903d-9b11ed7d8d2a_print.htm (via Mike Cooper, Feb 1, DXLD) AFTER MOSQUE ATTACK, CALLS TO CLEAN UP QUEBEC CITY'S RADIO WAVES Friday, February 3, 2017 1:45 PM http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-city-radio-poubelle-mosque-attack-1.3964005 (via Gerald T Pollard, NC, DXLD) ** CANADA [non]. Updated B-16 of Bible Voice Broadcasting via Media Broadcast: 0200-0215 11790 MDC 125 kW / 050 deg to SoAs English Tue 0200-0230 11790 MDC 125 kW / 050 deg to SoAs English Thu/Sat 0200-0300 11790 MDC 125 kW / 050 deg to SoAs English Sun 0300-0315 7325 NAU 250 kW / 128 deg to N/ME Arabic Dardasha 7 0430-0450 5980 NAU 125 kW / 120 deg to N/ME Arabic Dardasha 7 Mon-Fri 0430-0445 5980 NAU 125 kW / 120 deg to N/ME Arabic Dardasha 7 Sat/Sun 0445-0515 5980 NAU 125 kW / 120 deg to N/ME Arabic Dardasha 7 Sun 0500-0515 9450 NAU 250 kW / 120 deg to N/ME Arabic Fri 0600-0615 9440 NAU 125 kW / 180 deg to NoAf Arabic Dardasha 7 0800-0830 7220 NAU 100 kW / 260 deg to WeEu English Sat/Sun 1200-1230 21480 MDC 125 kW / 045 deg to EaAs English Sat 1230-1245 21480 MDC 125 kW / 085 deg to SEAs English 1st&3rd Sun 1400-1430 17510 ISS 250 kW / 083 deg to SoAs English 1st Sat 1430-1515 17510 ISS 250 kW / 083 deg to SoAs English Sat 1530-1545 13630 NAU 100 kW / 095 deg to SoAs English Sun 1600-1630 11790 NAU 100 kW / 148 deg to EaAf Oromo Sat-Tue 1630-1700 11790 NAU 100 kW / 148 deg to EaAf Amharic Mon/Wed/Fri 1630-1700 11875 NAU 100 kW / 145 deg to CeAf Nuer 1630-1700 11790 NAU 100 kW / 148 deg to EaAf Somali Sat/Sun 1630-1730 11790 NAU 100 kW / 148 deg to EaAf Amharic Tue 1630-1800 11790 NAU 100 kW / 148 deg to EaAf Amharic Thu 1700-1715 11700 SOF 100 kW / 126 deg to N/ME Arabic Dardasha 7 1700-1715 11915 NAU 250 kW / 125 deg to N/ME Arabic Sat 1700-1730 11790 NAU 100 kW / 148 deg to EaAf Amharic Sat/Sun 1700-1800 9600 SOF 100 kW / 090 deg to WeAs Persian 1700-1800 11790 NAU 100 kW / 148 deg to EaAf Tigrinya Mon/Wed 1715-1745 11700 SOF 100 kW / 126 deg to N/ME Arabic Tue 1715-1800 11700 SOF 100 kW / 126 deg to N/ME Arabic Mon/Wed/Fri 1730-1800 11790 NAU 100 kW / 148 deg to EaAf Hadiyya Sat/Sun 1800-1815 9715 MOS 100 kW / 115 deg to N/ME English Fri 1800-1830 7365 NAU 100 kW / 105 deg to WeAs Persian Fri/Sat 1800-1830 9715 MOS 100 kW / 115 deg to N/ME English Thu 1800-1900 7365 NAU 100 kW / 105 deg to WeAs Persian Thu 1815-1900 9715 MOS 100 kW / 115 deg to N/ME Arabic Sun 1830-2000 9715 MOS 100 kW / 115 deg to N/ME English Sat 1830-2000 6030 NAU 100 kW / 090 deg to EaEu English Sun 1900-2000 9715 MOS 100 kW / 115 deg to N/ME English Sun 1915-1930 9470 NAU 250 kW / 125 deg to WeAs English Sun 1830-1900 7365 NAU 100 kW / 105 deg to WeAs Persian Tue/Sun 1930-2000 5930 NAU 250 kW / 155 deg to NoAf English Sun 1930-2015 9925 NAU 100 kW / 129 deg to N/ME English Sun 2000-2015 5940 NAU 250 kW / 120 deg to N/ME Arabic Dardasha 7 2030-2045 9515 NAU 250 kW / 180 deg to NoAf Arabic Dardasha 7 (DX RE MIX NEWS #989 from Georgi Bancov and Ivo Ivanov, January 29, 2017 via DXLD) ** CHINA. 6105, Jan 26 at 1337, Firedragon music atop algo during a slow passage; 1353 back to heavy percussion. Aoki shows RTI at 10-14 in Chinese languages is *jammed except for Hakka at 1230-1300, an oversight or a political statement? 6045, Jan 26 at 1338 Chinese mix of CNR1 jamming and VOA via Thailand at 12-14. 7435, Jan 27 at 1455, S9 signal with Firedragon music jamming (or is it just New Year celebrating?), one pip and off at 1500* uncovering a JBA carrier. In fact, Aoki does not show 7435 as a jammed frequency, just CRI Nepali via Kunming until 1457 and ALSO CRI Russian via Shijiazhuang until 1500; plus CRI Pashto via Kunming from 1500. And VOV-1 is also on 7435 until 1600 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) EAST JAMMERSTAN: 9455, Crash & Bang Music Jammer; 2052, 26-Jan; Radio Free Asia in Chinese via Marianas listed, but no other audio evident. 9590, Crash & Bang Music Jammer; 2046, 26-Jan; No targets listed in 1/21 Aoki or 1/17 EiBi; no other audio evident (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 185' RW + 125' bow-tie, ----- All logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time! -----, DX LISTENIING DIGEST) ** CHINA. New Year's Eve (Spring Festival) Gala on Jan 27. Carrying live CCTV audio feed, with comedy skits, musical selections, etc. On Youtube - http://goo.gl/MKUbK7 4940 // 6115, Voice of Strait, seemed to be the only station carrying non-stop gala coverage, at 1230+. 6060 // 7225, PBS Sichuan-2, at 1333, found carrying gala (out of sync) // 4940 // 6115; earlier PBS only had their normal (non-gala) programs. CNR2 (6065, 6090, 6155, 7245, 7265, 7314, 7335, 7370 and 7375), seemed to also cover the gala for a while after 1234, but seemed a delayed broadcast and their coverage did not last long. In recent years the SW coverage of the gala has not be as extensive as in the past. BTW - The TV audience in 2015 reached 690 millions! The gala is said to have the largest audience for any entertainment show in the world. RE: My New Year's Eve (Spring Festival) Gala reception on Jan 27: thanks to feedback from Hiroyuki Komatsubara (Japan), who heard Voice of Strait (4940) still with the CCTV audio relay at 1642, which signed off at 1646*, with the end of the CCTV coverage. So about 4 1/2 hours of live gala coverage via VOS (Ron Howard, Calif., dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. 4749.991, Voice of China, Hailar, Nei Menggu, China National Radio program, S=8 in Queensland Australia, at 1020 UT on Jan 30. (Nothing noted of INDONESIA on co-channel so far) [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz] (Wolfgang Büschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Jan 30, via DXLD) ** CHINA. 5945, CNR1 at 2246 in Mandarin with a man and woman with excited talk – Fair Jan 29 – This is a legitimate registered frequency. You can use this to // when Chinese authorities use this feed to jam the VOA, RFA, RTI, and even Vatican Radio in Mandarin (Mark Coady, Selwyn, Ontario, Drake SPR4 Receiver, Drake TR7, Kenwood TS440S, and YouKits TJ5A Transceivers, AEA AT-300 and MFJ-941E Manual Tuners, LDG Z-100 Plus Auto Tuner, 40 meter and 80 meter off centre- fed dipoles, ODXA yg via DXLD) ** CHINA. 5978.984 exact, PBS Gannan, Chinese lang, noted at 0005 UT on Jan 30 [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz] (S Korea SDR, Wolfgang Büschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Jan 30, via DXLD) 5979, Gannan PBS, 1352, Jan 30. In Chinese, with Chinese music; one of their best days so far since moving off of ex: 5970. This indeed would seem to be a permanent change, for whatever reason they did it (Ron Howard, Calif., dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. 9745, CRI. Enero 29. 1943-2004 UT. Servicio en Esperanto para Europa. Datos de la emisora dados por la mujer, especialmente de la página web. A las 1945, un programa especial acerca de un dialogo de Pekin, a las 1951 hay música de salsa en el mismo idioma. Luego se habla de la cultura latinoamericana y de la poesía de Pablo Neruda traducida en esperanto como material de estudio para iniciarse en aquella lengua, entre los cuales se encuentra obras filosóficas de Tertuliano, Erasmo, entre otras. SINPO: 45433 9860, CRI. Enero 28. 2208-2220 UT. Servicio en Esperanto. Mujer habla sobre el inicio del año chino perteneciente al gallo, juntos a música típica de la celebración. A las 2213, habla de las principales actividades de celebración, tal como el canto, junto a los diferentes estilos. SINPO: 55555 // 7315 SINPO: 54554 con leve QRM de otra emisora china en la misma frecuencia (RX: TECSUN PL-660; ANT: Hilo de 70 metros de largo; QTH: Barraza Bajo, IV Región, Chile) (Claudio Galaz T., condiglista yg via DXLD) ** CRIMEA [non]. See UKRAINE ** CUBA. 1080, Radio Surco, Ciego de Ávila, Ciego de Ávila. 1035 January 29, 2017. Latin jazz and soft Cuban vocals, male canned "Esta es CMIP Radio Surco" at 1100. Unlike last week, no broken anthem noted at 1100, so if cutting out of an overnight patch such as Progreso, it happened today well before 1100. Parallel 1140 kc/s (Terry L. Krueger, Clearwater FL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. 5025, Jan 26 at 0553, R. Rebelde is still/again off. 5025, Jan 27 at 0452, R. Rebelde is still AWOL, while 4765 Radio Progreso hits S9+40, and 5040 RHC is still vigent. 5025, Jan 28 at 0245, same situation. Is Rebelde ever on now? (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Noticed 5025 Rebelde was off last night at 0245. But alas it was back on this morning. Think Quillabamba has a later sign on on weekends anyway. 28 Jan. 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, Perseus with Wellbrook ALA1530S and 153 foot Delta Loop, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) 5025, R. REBELDE. Enero 28. 1011-1034 UT. Mujer habla del natalicio de Martí, del 28 de 1853, y se identifica a la emisora como: “Habana Radio, la voz del patrimonio cubano” y luego contacta con un locutor varón que habla de las celebraciones como las marchas de las antorchas realizadas, anoche, por la juventud, además de recordar el aniversario de la emisora. Luego un espacio de reseñas históricas, efemérides y grabaciones de los discursos de las marchas de las antorchas. SINPO: 45444. (RX: TECSUN PL-660; ANT: Hilo de 70 metros de largo; QTH: Barraza Bajo, IV Región, Chile) (Claudio Galaz T., condiglista yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DXLD) 5025, Radio Rebelde; 2241, 28-Jan; missing & not heard since; 5040 RHC on (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 185' RW + 125' bow- tie, circa Jan 30, ----- All logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time! -----, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [non]. 5025, Jan 29 at 0119 check, R. Rebelde is still off and there is a JBA signal about 5024.9, presumably R. Quillabamba, Perú (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5025, Rebelde was off again last night but was back on again in this morning. 30 Jan. 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, Perseus with Wellbrook ALA1530S and 153 foot Delta Loop, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) no times 5025, Radio Rebelde in Spanish from Bauta back on service at 1025 UT on Jan 30, S=8-9 in NoEaAustralia remote post [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz] (Wolfgang Büschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Jan 30, via WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DXLD) 5025, Jan 30 at 1414, R. Rebelde is back on with music and still propagating; had been off a lot at night (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5025, Feb 1 at 0439, R. Rebelde is still off, while 4765 Progreso and 5040 RHC are on. 5025, Feb 2 at 0526, still off while 5040 is on. 5025, Feb 2 at 1329, Rebelde is on again, even S9+10 but undermodulated. Seems to be a regular pattern now: on in the mornings, off in the evenings, why? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. 5890, Jan 29 at 0153, lite pulse jamming in the absence of WWCR on UT Sun --- IIRC, 5890 used to be a VOA Spanish and maybe Martí frequency years ago, requiring jamming, and once that happen, the incompetent DentroCuban Jamming Command will show up again and again ad infinitum (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. 9710, RHC at 2232 // 11760 in Spanish with guitar instrumentals and a woman with talk – Poor Jan 29 – This is not scheduled at this hour according to Dan Ferguson’s SW Skeds files. They are only scheduled 1200–1500. What gives, Arnie? Inquiring minds and DXers need to know (Mark Coady, Selwyn, Ontario, Drake SPR4 Receiver, Drake TR7, Kenwood TS440S, and YouKits TJ5A Transceivers, AEA AT-300 and MFJ-941E Manual Tuners, LDG Z-100 Plus Auto Tuner, 40 meter and 80 meter off centre-fed dipoles, ODXA yg via DXLD) Then Ferguson`s thing must be way out of date. 9710 has been on evenings all B16 season at least, but RHC hasn`t published a B16 schedule even yet. Rely on monitoring instead (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) 15370, RHC. Enero 29. 2125-2135 UT. Mujer habla sobre la cultura de Cuba y da diversos datos sobre el servicio en francés. A las 2131, ID de RHC solamente en español y anuncio de presentación del servicio en Esperanto, primero en español y luego ID de RHC solamente en Esperanto, luego avisos del servicio y datos de la emisora. SINPO: 45444 17730, RHC. Enero 29. 1510-1527 UT. Programa: “El mundo de la filatelia”. Descripción sobre un sello mexicano vinculado a la UNAM y un sello de Guinea Ecuatorial dedicada al centenario del Cine. Concurso anual del 58 de la Revolución Cubana y los sellos de este periodo histórico. Serie de estampillas dedicadas al deporte en Cuba, en la década de los años 30. Y la serie de 1951 debido al triunfo cubano en un evento deportivo, la del año 1957, lo que da entender una despreocupación de la temática por los gobiernos republicanos. Sellos de guerra, lámparas usadas para evaluar el estado de las estampillas, libreta de canje, sello local como parte del glosario. Horarios de la emisión del programa. Reseña histórica del correo postal de Costa Rica. Luego “El sello cubano en el tiempo” con el recuerdo de las emisiones sobre José Martí y la poca preocupación por su imagen en el tiempo republicano frente al cambio del uso de su imagen por parte del Gobierno Revolucionario: Martí hombre universal, entre otras. A las 1524 UT, se dan datos de intercambios filatélicos. Pregunta de la semana: ¿Diga el nombre del diseñador de la emisión cubana conmemorativa del triunfo de la Revolución? Luego resultado de la pregunta de la semana anterior. SINPO: 55555. (RX: TECSUN PL-660; ANT: Hilo de 70 metros de largo; QTH: Barraza Bajo, IV Región, Chile) (Claudio Galaz T., condiglista yg via DXLD) 17730, Feb 1 at 1450, RHC modulation is breaking up, and with BFO on, so is the carrier; then clears up somewhat (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [and non]. POST-FIDEL, THE BROADCAST HOSTILITY REMAINS February 1, 2017 By James Careless Perhaps the months or years ahead will bring change to this situation; but as of the end of 2016, the death of Fidel Castro in November had not lessened the Cuban government’s hostility to outside broadcasters, any more than the restoration of U.S.-Cuban diplomatic relations did on July 20, 2015. Malule González [caption] If anything, the Cuban communist regime’s antipathy to Radio and TV Martí — the U.S. government-funded, Cuba-targeted broadcaster based in Miami — and to WRMI Radio Miami International — the commercial shortwave broadcaster that leases airtime to Cuban resistance groups — seems to have grown. . . http://www.radioworld.com/business-and-law/0009/postfidel-the-broadcast-hostility-remains/339077 (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** ECUADOR. HCJB silent on MW 690 kHz (via Rich McVicar-Syracus-NY, AB2FN, DXplorer Jan 17, via BC-DX 26 Jan via DXLD) Viz.: HCJB’s Edmundo Zarria (wearing headphones) and two others (probably Raul Cedeño and Raul Arias) covering a session of the Ecuadorian congress. (Archive photo) [caption] by Ralph Kurtenbach Hours prior to noisy celebrations as Ecuadorians welcomed 2017 with fireworks, an evangelical radio station with history dating to the nation’s earliest broadcast media went silent on the AM frequency band at 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31. The last song to play featured panpipes and stringed instruments accompanying women singing a Christmas song in the Quichua language followed by comments in the same language by Luis Santillán. Luis Santillan (Archive photo) Earlier in 2016, signal strength from its 50,000-watt transmitter had been reduced and airtime pulled back in keeping with the decision made by the board of trustees of partner HCJB Ecuador to not file with the Agencia de Regulación y Control de las Telecomunicaciones (Telecommunications Regulatory and Control Agency or ARCOTEL) for renewal of the 690 kHz frequency. It was a frequency that HCJB La Voz de los Andes (HCJB The Voice of the Andes) had held since 1974 on the medium wave (AM) dial. The silencing of 690 AM came seven years after shortwave broadcasts were terminated from the international transmitter site at the nearby town of Pifo. [before then, I remember it was on 700 kHz --- gh] HCJB’s first programs aired on Christmas Day, 1931, when there were a dozen or perhaps fewer radio sets in the Ecuadorian capital, Quito. Nevertheless, a telephone call afterwards convinced its founding families that their program of Christmas carols and preaching had been heard. Since then the programming has offered listeners Christian teaching, music, public affairs reporting, news and more. The station operated under the auspices of World Radio Missionary Fellowship, Inc., which has used different mission agency names throughout the years, including HCJB World Radio, HCJB Global and as of 2014, Reach Beyond. Down through the decades, history has been recorded as HCJB-AM’s announcers and journalists have told of events in Ecuador and elsewhere. In January 1956 the station was instrumental in informing the world that five evangelical foreigners had been speared to death in Ecuador’s Amazon rain forest during a risky overture to take the gospel to the Waorani, then an unreached tribal group. Reporters for the religious station also told listeners in May 1981 of the deaths in a plane crash of Ecuadorian president Jaime Roldós, along with his wife and others. Via the airwaves, HCJB listeners were warned over the years of threats of volcanic eruptions and informed of devastation by earthquakes and other natural disasters. Diverse cultural aspects of Ecuador were showcased in interviews with unique musical styles from the nation and the region featured daily. Few if any aspects of Ecuadorian life were left untouched by the station’s coverage, and some of its announcers became household names to listeners. Elisa del Salto, a longtime host of the program Himnos de la Vida Cristiana (Hymns of the Christian Life) on HCJB. (Archive photo) Prior to 1974, HCJB used 974 kHz (circa 1935 to 1950) followed by a shift to 700 kHz in 1951. The shift to 700 was “for better reception with the signal reaching at least to Connecticut in the U.S. at times,” according to missionary Duane Birkey. Throughout its history HCJB has been a not-for-profit entity. Its advertising, therefore, is limited but audience shares are important. Some of the AM programming has been carried as simulcasts on FM 89.3 in Quito and on FM repeaters elsewhere throughout the Andean country. While these will continue and some of the other AM programs will pass to FM, most of them will not as FM has a more musical format. HCJB Ecuador, an Ecuadorian foundation formed in February 2014, operates autonomously but still in close relationship to the U.S.- based founding agency, according to Anabella Cabezas, whose time as the station director began when it was still operated by Reach Beyond. When the mission agency determined in 2012 that HCJB should become independent, Cabezas said, “Reach Beyond’s leadership established that we would work as … strategic partners,” Cabezas explained, adding that “in that relationship … we will continue to work closely, because [the entity] that does media, or the ministry of communications in the Latin America region, is not Reach Beyond; it is HCJB.” Anabella Cabezas with Duval Rueda (Archive photo) A press release from the station on Friday, Dec. 30, emphasized that silence on AM 690 does not signify an abandonment of media work as broadcasts will continue on FM. Also, a youth website, Control Z, exhorts online viewers and listeners to consider a life-changing event—an encounter with Jesus. Programming in the Quichua language formerly carried on the AM station will now be available on MP3 players (with more than 1,000 hours of content) and/or access livestreamed programs at radiohcjb.org. Some Quichua programs will also air on the FM station on weekends. Additionally, “HCJB continues transmitting in association with Vozandes Media via the regional shortwave frequency, 6050 kHz, to the following nationalities and indigenous peoples: Chachi, Shuar, Cofán, Waorani and Quichua.” Vozandes Media became an Ecuador-based organization in 2009, composed of producers from the station’s German Language Service, Die Stimme der Anden (Voice of the Andes). In addition to airing languages indigenous to Ecuador, its staff until recently produced and distributed German-language programming for use in Europe and via the internet. The press release states that four local FM frequencies in Ecuador will continue as well: 89.3 MHz Pichincha, 92.5 Manabí, 96.1 Tungurahua and Cotopaxi, and 98.3 Esmeraldas. “News, music, doctrinal programs and cultural programming will continue on our schedule,” the press release reads. “With technology changes lately, the public has developed new habits for radio listening,” the statement explained, “and so La Voz de los Andes continues adapting to new communication trends.” Whereas several years ago, frequency bands were oversaturated in Ecuador’s two largest cities (Quito and Guayaquil), ARCOTEL in 2016 received just 73 applications for AM frequencies nationwide. The number of FM frequency applications has surpassed 1,000. One of those was HCJB’s, according to Geoff Kooistra, services director for the ministry in Quito. With “less than one point shy of the maximum 100 points,” HCJB met approval from ARCOTEL, qualifying the station for a second round with another agency, Consejo de Regulación de la Información (Information Regulation Council), Kooistra said. “Results from that may come as early as the end of January, but we shall see.” (via WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DXLD) 6050, HCJB. Enero 28 1050-1059 UT. Música andina en quechua y avisos, en el mismo idioma, de “Culto de acción de gracias” (en español) a realizarse hoy en la tarde. Luego hora local: “Son las 5 y 53 minutos”, regreso al espacio musical. A las 1058: ID: “HCJB, esperanza para toda la familia”, luego un aviso de una asociación evangélica. SINPO: 44454 con leve QRM de la emisora china en la misma frecuencia. RX: TECSUN PL-660; ANT: Hilo de 70 metros de largo; QTH: Barraza Bajo, IV Región, Chile) (Claudio Galaz T., condiglista yg via DXLD) ** ECUADOR [non]. HCJB Akhbar Mufriha via Woofferton/Ascension, Jan 29 2100-2115 on 7300 WOF 200 kW / 170 deg to NoAf Tachelhit 2115-2145 on 7300 WOF 200 kW / 170 deg to NoAf Arabic 2145-2215 on 9530 ASC 125 kW / 027 deg to WeAf Hassinya Thu-Tue http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/02/hcjb-akhbar-mufriha-via-babcock.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, QTH: Sofia, Bulgaria, Equipment: Sony ICF-2001D 30 m. long wire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ERITREA [non]. RADIO ERITREA INTERNATIONALE --- 20.01.2017 1700 UT, 11965 kHz R. Erythrée Int. (Radio Erena) via Bulgaria, Oromo, 45444 Ascolti di (Christian Ghibaudo, a Nizza, Francia, Rx Sangean ATS 909X, antenna di 12 metri, Pubblicato da Giampiero Bernardini, playdx blog via DXLD) Includes graphic from ERENA which also spells out sidewise vertically: ``RADIO ERYTHRÉE INTERNATIONALE``, i.e. French version; WRTH 2017 explains: ``Radio Erena (Radio Erythrée Internationale) is a satellite/online radio station run by Eritrean journalists abroad, supported by Reporters Without Borders. Produced in Paris/France and Göppingen/Germany. On SW since November 2012``. Address is in Paris (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DX LISTENING DIGEST) SECRETLAND, BaBcoCk Dimtse Radio Erena via SPL Secretbrod, Jan 28 1700-1730 on 11965 SCB 050 kW / 195 deg to EaAf Tigrinya Mon-Fri 1730-1800 on 11965 SCB 050 kW / 195 deg to EaAf Arabic Mon-Fri 1700-1800 on 11965 SCB 050 kW / 195 deg to EaAf Tigrinya Sat/Sun (DX RE MIX NEWS #990 from Georgi Bancov and Ivo Ivanov, January 30, 2017 via DXLD) ** ERITREA [non]. Strong signal of Radio Al-Mukhtar via MBR Issoudun, Jan 24 1500-1530 on 11670 ISS 100 kW / 125 deg to EaAf Arabic Tue 1530-1558 on 11670 ISS 100 kW / 125 deg to EaAf Tigrinya Tue http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/01/strong-signal-of-radio-al-mukhtar-via.html Radio Voice of Adal via MBR Issoudun on Jan 25: 1500-1530 on 11670 ISS 100 kW / 125 deg to EaAf Arabic Wed/Sat 1530-1558 on 11670 ISS 100 kW / 125 deg to EaAf Tigrinya Wed/Sat http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/01/radio-voice-of-adal-via-mbr-issoudun-on_25.html (DX RE MIX NEWS #989 from Georgi Bancov and Ivo Ivanov, January 29, 2017 via DXLD) Strong signal of Radio Voice of Adal via MBR Issoudun on Feb 1: 1500-1530 on 11670 ISS 100 kW / 125 deg to EaAf Arabic Wed/Sat 1530-1558 on 11670 ISS 100 kW / 125 deg to EaAf Tigrinya Wed/Sat http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/02/strong-signal-of-radio-voice-of-adal.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, QTH: Sofia, Bulgaria, Equipment: Sony ICF-2001D 30 m. long wire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA. 7234.73v, Voice of Peace & Democracy (presumed), 0403- 0415, Jan 30 (Monday). Very poor reception; seemed in vernacular, with mostly monologues and a few brief selections of non-descriptive music; by 0415 was totally unusable (Ron Howard, Calif., dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. GERMANY, Strong signal of Voice of Oromo Liberation via MBR Nauen, Jan 25 1700-1730 on 11810 NAU 100 kW / 139 deg to EaAf Afar Oromo Wed 1730-1800 on 11810 NAU 100 kW / 139 deg to EaAf Amharic Wed http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/01/strong-signal-of-voice-of-oromo.html (DX RE MIX NEWS #989 from Georgi Bancov and Ivo Ivanov, January 29, 2017 via DXLD) [and non]. GERMANY, Poor signal of Voice of Oromo Liberation via MBR Nauen on Jan 29: 1700-1730 on 11810 NAU 100 kW / 139 deg to EaAf Afar Oromo Wed/Fri/Sun + jamming http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/02/poor-signal-of-voice-of-oromo.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, QTH: Sofia, Bulgaria, Equipment: Sony ICF-2001D 30 m. long wire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Good signal of Voice of Oromo Liberation via MBR Nauen, Feb 1 1700-1730 on 11810 NAU 100 kW / 139 deg to EaAf Afar Oromo Wed 1730-1800 on 11810 NAU 100 kW / 139 deg to EaAf Amharic Wed http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/02/good-signal-of-voice-of-oromo.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, QTH: Sofia, Bulgaria, Equipment: Sony ICF-2001D 30 m. long wire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. FRANCE, Radio Sagalee Qeerroo Bilisummaa via TDF Issoudun, Jan 31 1630-1658 17840 ISS 250 kW / 130 deg to EaAf Oromo Tue/Thu/Fri, poor http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/02/radio-sagalee-qeerroo-bilisummaa-via.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, QTH: Sofia, Bulgaria, Equipment: Sony ICF-2001D 30 m. long wire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE. Unscheduled broadcast of Radio France International Jan 26: 1243-1353 9790 ISS 500 kW / 204 deg NWAf strong open carrier/dead air 1353-1430 9790 ISS 500 kW / 204 deg NWAf French, unscheduled program http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/01/unscheduled-broadcast-of-radio-france.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, Sofia, Bulgaria, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5940-5980, Jan 27 at 0438, NHK Japanese relay on 5960 is again splattering out about plus/minus 20 kHz. 13740, Jan 28 at 1909, very poor signal in French talk. HFCC shows RFI on here at 17-18 and 19-20 until Feb 12 when it will be 17-20, but with azimuth changes every hour, four different angles to Africaparts (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Fair to good signal of DWD Deutscher Wetterdienst Jan 31: 1959-2019 on 6180*PIN 010 kW / non-dir to CeEu German CUSB & dead air http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/02/fair-to-good-signal-of-dwd-deutscher.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, QTH: Sofia, Bulgaria, Equipment: Sony ICF-2001D 30 m. long wire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Weak signals of three low powered 49mb stations on Jan 28: 0800-1000 6005 KLL 001 kW / 010&190 CeEu German Daily Radio Belarus 0800-1700 6085 KLL 001 kW / 120&300 CeEu English Daily Radio MiAmigo 0700-1900 6150 DET 015 kW / non-dir CeEu German Daily Radio Europa 24 http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/01/weak-signal-of-three-low-powered-radio.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, Sofia, Bulgaria, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY [non]. KBS Hanminjok Bangsong Korean, instead of Shortwaveservice on Jan 28: http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/01/upcoming-test-transmissions-of_26.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, Sofia, Bulgaria, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Re: Shortwaveservice Testtransmissions coming up "Sat, 28.01.2017 1500-1600 UT 6015 kHz Europe Sun, 29.01.2017 1500-1600 UT 6015 kHz Europe" Listening using the U. Twente receiver, nothing there today (Saturday) except PBS or KBS with North Korean jamming. Guess we have another go tomorrow, possibly using a different transmitter site. [later:] On Facebook, Christian Milling has said the transmission has been postponed one week. Not clear if Sunday's transmission is also postponed or whether the same frequency and time will be used next week (Richard Langley, Jan 28, dxldyg via DX LI STENING DIGEST) According to recent mail of Christian, test transmission will be one week later on Febr 4 / 5, 2017 instead. 6015 is a noisy channel of S=9+10 ... +15dBm SCRATCH audio of mainly North Korean scratch noise jamming, PBS Xinjiang Kazakh service from Urumqi China, also KOR KBS Bangsong in Korean from the south. 5835, 5930, and 6055 kHz for example would be a better choice. The 49 mb is overcrowded by many northern hemisphere stations at this hour, in winter season. 73 wolfie df5sx (Wolfgang Büschel, dxldyg via DXLD) 6055 was chosen (Mauno Ritola, Finland, ibid.) ** GERMANY [non]. Reception of Deutsche Welle via BaBcoCk Dhabayya, UAE Jan 31 1330-1400 NF 11620 DHA 250 kW / 045 deg to WeAs Dari, ex 15430 parallel freq 9580 DHA 250 kW / 045 deg to WeAs Dari very poor 1400-1430 NF 11620 DHA 250 kW / 045 deg to WeAs Pashto, ex 15430 parallel freq 9580 DHA 250 kW / 045 deg to WeAs Pashto very poor http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/02/reception-of-deutsche-welle-via-babcock.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, QTH: Sofia, Bulgaria, Equipment: Sony ICF-2001D 30 m. long wire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9580 WAS R Australia too ** GREECE. 9420, Jan 28 at 0635, ERT is S9+10 with Greek novelty song, and so is // 9935; quite an improvement as overnight MUF has been below this most of the time. If it persist, we may hear Orthodox service 24 hours later (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Reception of Voice of Greece on 9420 and 11645 kHz, Feb 1 0700-0805 on 9420 AVL 170 kW / 323 deg to WeEu Greek*tx#3 and off 0700-0810 on 11645 AVL 100 kW / 182 deg to NoAf Greek*tx#1 and off *including 3 minute news bulletin in Arabic and Serbian 0751-0758 UT http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/02/reception-of-voice-of-greece-on-9420.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, QTH: Sofia, Bulgaria, Equipment: Sony ICF-2001D 30 m. long wire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUAM. Weak signal of KTWR Trans World Radio Asia on Jan 26 1217-1245 on 7400 TWR 100 kW / 320 deg to EaAs English Tue-Thu 1527-1600 on 12120 TWR 100 kW / 293 deg to SEAs English Mon-Sat http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/01/weak-signal-of-ktwr-trans-world-radio.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, Sofia, Bulgaria, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUINEA. 9650, R. GUINEA. Enero 28. 2249-2300 UT. Música pop africana y luego un hombre habla hasta las 23, cuando la emisora queda en silencio. SINPO: 43453 con leve QRM de VOKorea en la misma frecuencia y de splatter de una emisora brasileña [? 9645.4 Bandeirantes is inactive --- gh] (RX: TECSUN PL-660; ANT: Hilo de 70 metros de largo; QTH: Barraza Bajo, IV Región, Chile) (Claudio Galaz T., condiglista yg via DXLD) Normally runs until 2400v* 9650, R. Guinea, Jan 29 0724-0729, 33333-32332, French, Afro pop, ID at 0726 and 0727 (Kouji Hashimoto, JAPAN, RX, IC-R75, NRD-525+RD-9830, ANT, 130m Sloper Wire, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. Re ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS, 4760: New Delhi audio feed, with // frequencies, at 1512+ Jan 29: 4800, AIR Hyderabad - not heard; only CNR1 noted here. 4810, AIR Bhopal - open carrier; no audio. 4835, AIR Gangtok - not heard; only ABC noted here; starting next week we will have a good opportunity to check for Gangtok reception in the clear, once ABC leaves the airwaves. 4895, AIR Kurseong - heard: on frequency today. 4910, AIR Jaipur - only open carrier; no audio. 4920, AIR Chennai - heard well even with QRM from PBS Xizang. 4950, AIR Radio Kashmir, Srinagar - off the air. 4970, AIR Shillong - heard, but not as strong as usual. 5010, AIR Thiruvananthapuram - heard. 5040, AIR Jeypore - heard. 5050, AIR Aizawl - off the air today; only BBR (China) here. 9380, AIR Aligarh - heard. 9865, AIR Bengaluru - heard with ads and news in Hindi, but did NOT carry the 1530 news in English. Details: At 1530 "Good Evening. This is All India Radio"; news in English; Prime Minister Modi earlier addressed the nation via AIR, with a talk addressed to teachers, students and their parents about school examinations not being a matter of life or death and students should not be put under so much pressure; 1537 brief ID and news continued (Ron Howard, Calif., dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. 3344.85, RRI Ternate, 1503*, Jan 29. Off with the usual "Pulau Ambon" (Island of Ambon)/"Love Ambon" (Ron Howard, Calif., dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. Good signal of Voice of Indonesia, Jan 25: 1800-1900 on 9525 JAK 250 kW / 290 deg to WeEu German 1900-2000 on 9525 JAK 250 kW / 290 deg to WeEu English 2000-2100 on 9525 JAK 250 kW / 290 deg to WeEu French http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/01/good-signal-of-voice-of-indonesia-jan25.html 73! (Ivo Ivanov, Sofia, Bulgaria, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Really off-frequency below 9525.0, carrier audible 13/15 UT (gh) ** INTERNATIONAL. CLANDESTINE, UPDATED WINTER B-16 OF CLANDESTINE BROADCASTS BY TIME ORDER, JAN 30 Radio República 0100-0300 9490 ISS 150 kW / 285 deg to Cuba Spanish Radio Payem e-Doost 0230-0315 7460 KCH 500 kW / 116 deg to WeAs Farsi Denge Kurdistan 0330-0600 7350 KCH 300 kW / 130 deg to WeAs Kurdish Radio Tamazuj 0330-0400 7315 SMG 250 kW / 146 deg to EaAf Juba Arabic 0400-0430 7315 SMG 250 kW / 151 deg to EaAf Juba Arabic 0330-0430 9600 ISS 250 kW / 138 deg to EaAf Juba Arabic 0330-0430 15540 MDC 250 kW / 335 deg to EaAf Juba Arabic Radio Dabanga 0430-0600 7315 SMG 250 kW / 151 deg to EaAf Juba Arabic 0430-0530 15540 MDC 250 kW / 335 deg to EaAf Juba Arabic 0530-0600 15540 SMG 250 kW / 151 deg to EaAf Juba Arabic Eye Radio 0400-0500 7250 ISS 250 kW / 130 deg to EaAf Arabic/English* *including other languages Dinka/Nuer/Shilluk/Bari/Zande/Lutoho Radio Dandal Kura International 0500-0700 7415 ASC 250 kW / 055 deg to WeAf Kanuri Republic of Yemen Radio 0600-0900 11860 JED 050 kW / non-dir to N/ME Arabic Radio Dandal Kura International 0700-0800 15480 WOF 300 kW / 165 deg to WeAf Kanuri Denge Kurdistan 0600-1300 11600 KCH 300 kW / 130 deg to WeAs Kurdish Republic of Yemen Radio 0900-1800 11860 unknown tx / unknown to N/ME Arabic Suab Xaa Moo Zoo, Voice of Hope 1130-1200 11570 TSH 100 kW / 250 deg to SEAs Hmong Voice of Khmer M'Chas Srok 1130-1200 15600 unknown tx / unknown to SEAs Khmer Thu/Sun 1130-1200 17860 TAC 100 kW / 122 deg to SEAs Khmer Thu/Sun Voice of Tibet 1200-1230 11513 DB 100 kW / 095 deg to EaAs Chinese Que Me 1200-1230 9930 HBN 100 kW / 318 deg to EaAs Vietnamese Fri Radio Free North Korea 1200-1300 9355 TAC 100 kW / 076 deg to NEAs Korean Radio ERGO 1200-1300 17845 DHA 250 kW / 225 deg to EaAf Somali National Unity Radio 1200-1500 7520 DB 100 kW / 071 deg to NEAs Korean Voice of Tibet 1230-1300 11507 DB 100 kW / 131 deg to CeAs Tibetan Denge Kurdistan 1300-1500 11600 KCH 300 kW / 116 deg to WeAs Kurdish Shiokaze Sea Breeze 1300-1330 6145 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs Chinese Mon 1300-1330 6145 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs Japanese Tue 1300-1330 6145 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs Korean Wed 1300-1330 6145 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs English Thu 1300-1330 6145 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs Korean Fri 1300-1330 6145 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs Japanese Sat 1300-1330 6145 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs Korean Sun Nippon no Kaze 1300-1330 9465 TSH 300 kW / 002 deg to NEAs Korean 1300-1330 9950 TSH 100 kW / 002 deg to NEAs Korean Voice of Tibet 1300-1330 11513 DB 100 kW / 131 deg to CeAs Tibetan Shiokaze Sea Breeze 1330-1400 6145 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs Korean Mon 1330-1400 6145 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs Japanese Tue 1330-1400 6145 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs Korean Wed 1330-1400 6145 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs English Thu 1330-1400 6145 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs Korean Fri 1330-1400 6145 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs Korean Sat 1330-1400 6145 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs Japanese Sun Voice of Tibet 1330-1400 9508 DB 100 kW / 131 deg to CeAs Tibetan Furusato no Kaze 1330-1400 9705 TSH 300 kW / 002 deg to NEAs Japanese 1330-1400 9950 TSH 100 kW / 002 deg to NEAs Japanese Voice of Wilderness 1330-1530 7615 TAC 100 kW / 070 deg to NEAs Korean Shiokaze Sea Breeze 1405-1435 5935 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs Japanese Furusato no Kaze 1430-1500 9560 TSH 300 kW / 002 deg to NEAs Japanese 1430-1500 9960 HBN 100 kW / 345 deg to NEAs Japanese North Korea Reform Radio 1430-1530 7590 TAC 100 kW / 076 deg to NEAs Korean Radio Tamazuj 1430-1500 13800 NAU 125 kW / 152 deg to EaAf Juba Arabic 1430-1500 15540 ISS 250 kW / 138 deg to EaAf Juba Arabic 1500-1530 13800 MDC 250 kW / 340 deg to EaAf Juba Arabic 1500-1530 15540 SMG 250 kW / 151 deg to EaAf Juba Arabic Nippon no Kaze 1500-1530 9800 TSH 300 kW / 002 deg to NEAs Korean 1500-1530 9975 HBN 100 kW / 345 deg to NEAs Korean Living Water Ministry Broadcasting 1500-1600 9650 unknown probably PUG to NEAs Korean Tue-Thu Denge Kurdistan 1500-1600 11600 ISS 250 kW / 090 deg to WeAs Kurdish Radio Biafra 1500-1600 15325 SCB 100 kW / 195 deg to WeAf English Radio Al-Mukhtar 1500-1530 11670 ISS 100 kW / 125 deg to EaAf Arabic Tue 1530-1600 11670 ISS 100 kW / 125 deg to EaAf Tigrinya Tue Radio Voice of Adal 1500-1530 11670 ISS 100 kW / 125 deg to EaAf Arabic Wed/Sat 1530-1600 11670 ISS 100 kW / 125 deg to EaAf Tigrinya Wed/Sat Radio Warra Wangeelaa-ti 1500-1530 15515 SCB 050 kW / 195 deg to EaAf Afar Oromo Sat Nippon no Kaze 1530-1600 9465 TSH 300 kW / 002 deg to NEAs Korean 1530-1600 9965 HBN 100 kW / 345 deg to NEAs Korean Radio Dabanga 1530-1630 13800 MDC 250 kW / 340 deg to EaAf Juba Arabic 1530-1630 15540 SMG 250 kW / 151 deg to EaAf Juba Arabic Voice of Martyrs 1530-1700 7510 TAC 100 kW / 076 deg to NEAs Korean Shiokaze Sea Breeze 1600-1630 6110 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs Chinese Mon 1600-1630 6110 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs Japanese Tue 1600-1630 6110 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs Korean Wed 1600-1630 6110 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs English Thu 1600-1630 6110 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs Korean Fri 1600-1630 6110 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs Japanese Sat 1600-1630 6110 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs Korean Sun Denge Kurdistan 1600-1930 7455 ISS 250 kW / 090 deg to WeAs Kurdish Radio Munansi 1600-2000 15240 WRB 115 kW / 045 deg to ENAm Luganda/English Sat/Sun Furusato no Kaze 1600-1630 9690 TSH 300 kW / 002 deg to NEAs Japanese 1600-1630 9975 HBN 100 kW / 345 deg to NEAs Japanese Radio Xoriyo Ogaden 1600-1630 11970 ISS 500 kW / 130 deg to EaAf Somali Tue/Sat 1600-1630 17870 ISS 500 kW / 130 deg to EaAf Somali Mon/Fri Eye Radio 1600-1700 15250 ISS 250 kW / 130 deg to EaAf Arabic/English* *including other languages Dinka/Nuer/Shilluk/Bari/Zande/Lutoho Radio Voice of Independent Oromiya 1600-1630 17850 ISS 250 kW / 130 deg to EaAf Oromo Sun Shiokaze Sea Breeze 1630-1700 6110 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs Korean Mon 1630-1700 6110 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs Japanese Tue 1630-1700 6110 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs Korean Wed 1630-1700 6110 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs English Thu 1630-1700 6110 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs Korean Fri 1630-1700 6110 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs Korean Sat 1630-1700 6110 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs Japanese Sun Radio Sagalee Qeerroo Bilisummaa 1630-1658 17840 ISS 250 kW / 130 deg to EaAf Oromo Tue/Thu/Fri Radio Ranginkaman/Radio Rainbow 1700-1730 7580 KCH 500 kW / 116 deg to WeAs Farsi Mon/Fri Voice of Oromo Liberation 1700-1730 11810 NAU 100 kW / 139 deg to EaAf Afar Oromo Wed/Fri/Sun 1730-1800 11810 NAU 100 kW / 139 deg to EaAf Amharic Wed Dimtse Radio Erena 1700-1730 11965 SCB 050 kW / 195 deg to EaAf Tigrinya Mon-Fri 1730-1800 11965 SCB 050 kW / 195 deg to EaAf Arabic Mon-Fri 1700-1800 11965 SCB 050 kW / 195 deg to EaAf Tigrinya Sat/Sun Radio Front for Independence of Oromo 1730-1758 17765 ISS 150 kW / 125 deg to EaAf Oromo Sun Radio Payem e-Doost 1800-1845 7480 KCH 500 kW / 116 deg to WeAs Farsi Radio Publique Africaine 1800-1830 11550 ISS 250 kW / 145 deg to SoAf Kirundi 1831-1858 11550 ISS 250 kW / 145 deg to SoAf French Radio Itahuka 1800-1900 15420 MDC 250 kW / 320 deg to CeAf Kirundi Sat Radio Biafra 1800-2000 15325 SCB 100 kW / 195 deg to WeAf English Radio Dandal Kura International 1800-2100 12050 ASC 250 kW / 065 deg to WeAf Kanuri Republic of Yemen Radio 1800-2300 11860 JED 050 kW / non-dir to N/ME Arabic Lutheran World Federation/Voice of Gospel/Sawtu Linjilia 1830-1858 9800 ISS 500 kW / 180 deg to WCAf Fulfulde Sedoye Bahar Voice of Spring 1900-1930 7510 KCH 500 kW / 116 deg to WeAs Farsi Thu/Fri Denge Kurdistan 1930-2130 7455 KCH 300 kW / 116 deg to WeAs Kurdish North Korea Reform Radio 2030-2130 7500 TAC 100 kW / 076 deg to NEAs Korean Suab Xaa Moo Zoo, Voice of Hope 2230-2300 7530 TSH 100 kW / 250 deg to SEAs Hmong Republic of Yemen Radio 2300-0600 11860 unknown tx / unknown to N/ME Arabic (DX RE MIX NEWS #990 from Georgi Bancov and Ivo Ivanov, January 30, 2017 via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL INTERNET. EBU Readies for .radio Launch Radio World By Marguerite Clark January 26, 2017 http://www.radioworld.com/business-and-law/0009/ebu-readies-for-radio-launch/339042 The European Broadcasting Union is launching a new top-level domain name —.radio — for the radio community. The EBU will manage .radio, which it says can be used for web and email addresses, with the support of other world broadcasting unions, including ABU, AER, AIB, AMARC, ASBU, AUB, CBU, EGTA, IAB, NABA, OTI and URTI. According to the organization, this project is a community TLD and is run for the benefit of the whole radio industry and amateur enthusiast and reserved for people and companies with active interest in the radio sector. “We are proposing that the radio community may like to consider securing the integrity of their web presence by requesting appropriate .radio domains for defensive reasons initially,” explained EBU’s .radio TLD Manager, Alain Artero. “The TLD will be focused on content and matters specific to radio and we want to prevent speculators and cybersquatting in this TLD; this extension will therefore rapidly become a high-value internet space for websites, mail systems and other internet applications,” he said. Categories that will be accepted for the use of a .radio domain include radio broadcasting stations, broadcaster unions; internet radios; radio amateurs; radio professionals (journalists, radio hosts, DJs) and radio-related companies selling radio goods and services. The pre-launch phase, which the EBU points out is exclusively reserved for radio stations, will run from May 3 to July 5. All other categories of applications will be managed during the launch phase within a similar period of 60 days. Those interested in requesting a .radio domain should contact an authorized registrar or the EBU directly. Prices will run between €200 and €250 per domain each year for companies, but are expected to be “much lower” for individuals (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. CLANDESTINE, 7510, V. of Spring, Jan 27 *1859-1910, 35433, Farsi, 1859 s/on with opening music, ID, Opening announce, Talk (Kouji Hashimoto, JAPAN, RX, IC-R75, NRD-525+RD-9830, ANT, 130m Sloper Wire, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY. To the IBC 1 kW transmitter on 3975 kHz in Italy: Are there any data known concerning the transmitter coordinates and the legitimation of this broadcast? - also alternative facts would be welcome. Today, IBC DIGITAL transmitted (via 6070 kHz, Rohrbach, Bavaria) a picture of a QSL card with the view in the WRMI studio. http://www.rhci-online.net/radiogram/VoA_Radiogram_2017-01-28.htm#IBC-QSL The original picture can be seen here [WRMI Master Control]: https://i0.wp.com/www.fybush.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/wrmi-mcr2.jpg (Roger, Jan 29, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) I've wondered the same regarding the IBC. They're a nice station but is their 3975 kHz transmission legitimate or is it just a pirate broadcast? (John Jurasek, ibid.) ** KASHMIR [and non]. 6110.059, very odd frequency. AIR Srinagar in Hindi at 0229 UT Jan 30. S=9+15dB, strong and HEAVY OVERMODULATED. Co- channel QRM by registered 6110 even fq probably PBS Xizang Tibetan from Lhasa Baiding site [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz] Qatar remote, Wolfgang Büschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Jan 30, via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. 6145, Thu Jan 26 at 1341, Sea Breeze in weekly English, usual urgent YL, sounders. At 1354 mentions Radio Free Asia, 1355 Sea Breeze ID; from JSR Yamata, JAPAN (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Back to their former 5935, Shiokaze/Sea Breeze via Yamata (Japan), ex: 6145. Jan 30, at 1315 (schedule 1300-1400); in stilted Chinese and no jamming; a check at 1343 had them in Korean for the second half of their broadcast; fair-good reception, which now completely blocks reception of Tibet (PBS Xizang), which can be faintly heard underneath Shiokaze. Wish they would pick a clear frequency to move to! (Ron Howard, Calif., dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DX LISTENING DIGEST) JAPAN, Frequency changes of Shiokaze Sea Breeze effective from Jan 30 http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/02/frequency-changes-of-shiokaze-sea.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, QTH: Sofia, Bulgaria, Equipment: Sony ICF-2001D 30 m. long wire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: 1300-1330 NF 5935 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6145 Chinese Mon 1300-1330 NF 5935 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6145 Japanese Tue 1300-1330 NF 5935 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6145 Korean Wed 1300-1330 NF 5935 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6145 English Thu 1300-1330 NF 5935 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6145 Korean Fri 1300-1330 NF 5935 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6145 Japanese Sat 1300-1330 NF 5935 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6145 Korean Sun 1330-1400 NF 5935 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6145 Korean Mon 1330-1400 NF 5935 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6145 Japanese Tue 1330-1400 NF 5935 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6145 Korean Wed 1330-1400 NF 5935 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6145 English Thu 1330-1400 NF 5935 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6145 Korean Fri 1330-1400 NF 5935 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6145 Korean Sat 1330-1400 NF 5935 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6145 Japanese Sun 1405-1435 on 5935 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs Japanese Dly no change 1600-1630 NF 6085 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6110 Chinese Mon 1600-1630 NF 6085 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6110 Japanese Tue 1600-1630 NF 6085 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6110 Korean Wed 1600-1630 NF 6085 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6110 English Thu 1600-1630 NF 6085 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6110 Korean Fri 1600-1630 NF 6085 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6110 Japanese Sat 1600-1630 NF 6085 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6110 Korean Sun 1630-1700 NF 6085 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6110 Korean Mon 1630-1700 NF 6085 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6110 Japanese Tue 1630-1700 NF 6085 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6110 Korean Wed 1630-1700 NF 6085 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6110 English Thu 1630-1700 NF 6085 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6110 Korean Fri 1630-1700 NF 6085 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6110 Korean Sat 1630-1700 NF 6085 YAM 300 kW / 280 deg to NEAs, ex 6110 Japanese Sun (Bulgarian DX blog via WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. BELGIUM(non), Reception of Living Water Ministry Broadcasting, Feb 1 1500-1558 on 9650*unknown probably PUG to NEAs Korean Tue-Thu via Alyx&Yeyi * co-ch weak 9650 CON 050 kW / non-dir to WeAf French Radio Guinea Conakry: http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/02/reception-of-living-water-ministry.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, QTH: Sofia, Bulgaria, Equipment: Sony ICF-2001D 30 m. long wire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA SOUTH. Note to editors on Korean transmitter locations As mentioned to Gary in his note about receiving 603 (KBS 2 Seoul), I mentioned that 603 is not in Namyang-eup. I often see this very outdated information in station databases, especially those which are run by the older folks in the hobby (no offense, of course!!!) and never blame any DXer for using the locations or old city names that I too often see in station databases. So just a note on some of these stations and Korean locations and proper Romanization - those who edit these guides and want them up-to-date for Korean stations, just let me know and I'll fix all your errors so they're up to date and reflect proper spelling and locations, as many new cities are built in Korea every year and old villages are absorbed into suburbs regularly. Here is the original message I sent to the totally-innocent Gary but decided it was better sent to those who have the power to change their station guides as a benefit to everyone who uses them: About 603, it is in Songsan-myeon, a different administrative division of Hwaseong, while neighbouring 1134 is just down the highway in Mado- myeon, also part of Hwaseong. There are no tower sites in Namyang (it's all part of the city of Hwaseong and Koreans would call all those locations "Hwaseong" if talking to another person or describing where they reside), and while it is awfully close to both tower sites, I'm not sure who has listed it as such or perhaps if many years ago there was a consolidation, though it would be quite highly unlikely for an -eup (town) to downgrade its land to a -myeon (rural township). Hwaseong is the largest city in the country I believe, and "city" in China and Korea is more like "county" in North America actually, so there are some differences when reporting locations to start with. Of course, this is more a note to those who maintain the station databases with these old village names that are sometimes still correct, but that nobody in Korea uses anymore in these modern times, especially given the fact many of them have been entirely overtaken by urban and suburban sprawl. I believe 711 is still refered to as "Sorae," which is another instance of this, perhaps 20 years before it became a highly urbanized area - the village is a neighbourhood of Incheon (a city of 3 million, part of the Seoul metro area of 19 million) and is full of apartment high-rises and lost its name many years ago, only living on through the names of local parks, apartments, and a local subway station). I also see a lot of the radio databases still using the now-ancient pre-2000 Romanization such as Cheju (Jeju) and Taegu (Daegu), etc., a system that only North Korea still uses. But I digress :-). I realize I am younger and that for many DXers, these old names are names that existed through much of your lifetimes and that 2000 is still rather recent - for myself as well, in fact. I made sure to fix all such instances with Bruce in the PAL guide anyway and anyone else who runs databases with Korean stations, I'd be more than happy to sift through your listings and correct these decades-old Romanizations and non-existent locations for better accuracy. After all, when you want to find more information about a location, it's hard to Google it when your original data is misspelled or uses old tower sites that have long been taken down. As long as I'm in the position to help, I'd be happy to! (Just don't ask for help with the Chinese stations, because that is one mess I will not touch, though I will happily listen to station IDs and report back on them as I regularly do for some in Europe these days). (-Chris Kadlec, Seoul AM Radio Listening Guide http://www.beaglebass.com/dx/seoul/ Jan 31, IRCA via DXLD) Seems, that the Koreans themselves have registered it at ITU as Namyang, although the coordinates show to 37 15n 126 45e. There are all over the world many site names, which are a bit illogical. 73, (Mauno Ritola, ibid.) ** KOREA SOUTH. 5857.5, HLL2 Seoul. Thanks to Walt Salmaniw, for the reminder about this station that I hear daily, but rarely think to report on. Good signal, but audio somewhat distorted. Jan 31, at 1312, in English, with weather conditions at different observatories around the country; providing wind direction, wind speed in meters per second, air pressure in hectopascals and temperature in Celsius; they have other segments in other languages (Ron Howard, Calif., dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA SOUTH. 3912, V. OF THE PEOPLE. Enero 28. 0936-0943 UT. Se escucha, levemente, a un locutor hablar en coreano. No obstante, hay presencia de un jammer de Corea del Norte que tapa continuamente la señal con ruido blanco. SINPO: 31441. (RX: TECSUN PL-660; ANT: Hilo de 70 metros de largo; QTH: Barraza Bajo, IV Región, Chile) 3985, ECHO OF HOPE. Enero 28. 0943-1005 UT. Se escucha de manera a dos locutores, una mujer y un hombre, hablar alternadamente en coreano conjuntamente a cortinas musicales y música pop antigua tanto en coreano como en inglés. A las 10 se escucha una cortina usada en KBS y luego una mujer relatando informaciones, al parecer. SINPO: 32442 con ruido blanco procedente de Corea del Norte, aunque tapa moderadamente la señal // 6003 SINPO: 31421 con ruido blanco procedente de Corea del Norte, aparte de una emisión de Radio Pyongyang en la misma frecuencia? // 6250 solamente ruido blanco más algunos pulsos. Es decir, no hay indicios de la emisora surcoreana // 6348 SINPO: 32442 con interferencia de ruido blanco y pulsos desde Corea del Norte de manera moderada a leve frente a la señal (RX: TECSUN PL-660; ANT: Hilo de 70 metros de largo; QTH: Barraza Bajo, IV Región, Chile) (Claudio Galaz T., condiglista yg via DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH. 11795, KBS. Enero 28. 1105-1113 UT. Noticias sobre los distintos candidatos y otras informaciones, así como el pronóstico del tiempo. SINPO: 52442 Sin embargo CRI en idioma inglés en la misma frecuencia va tapando a KBS, mientras avanza la hora. (RX: TECSUN PL- 660; ANT: Hilo de 70 metros de largo; QTH: Barraza Bajo, IV Región, Chile) (Claudio Galaz T., condiglista yg via DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH [non]. 9605, KBS [via WHRI], Enero 29. 0100-0159 UT. Noticias del 28 de enero con Javier Castañeda: Libros escolares cambian de soberanía a las islas de Dokdo, Japón reclama la instalación de estatuas de mujeres abusadas por el ejército nipón, el portal 38 North habla de que los reactores nucleares en Corea del Norte están activos y que el ejército surcoreano está alerta, fiscalía danesa peticiona una repatriación. Descripción de las celebraciones del año nuevo lunar de los pre-candidatos presidenciales. Estudio estadístico revela que el aumento de mujeres que trabaja fuera de casa. Programa diplomático de pasantías ciudadanas. Baja en el consumo de flores. Festival de pesca de trucha en hielo. Luego pronostico del tiempo. A las 0110 comienza “Cine en la Radio” sobre una película del encuentro entre un norcoreano que es espía y un surcoreano que es policía llamada: “Misión confidencial”. A las 0119 se leen reseñas de diversas películas surcoreanas en varios festivales cinematográficos, entre ellas una posible nominada al Oscar, y el ranking de películas en los cines de Corea del Sur. A las 0125, inicia: “Buzón del Radioescucha”, avisos de la subida al portal de KBS de los audios de “Hablemos coreano”, lectura de los 3 primeros signos del horóscopo oriental y la lectura de un solo informe de recepción de papel. A las 0133 comienza: “Memorias de una niña de la Guerra” acerca de las actividades que realiza la protagonista como trabajar con mica, recolectar piñas o hacer prácticas de resistencia física contra un bombardeo aéreo. Y luego una balada en coreano: “Mi destino” que fue banda sonora de una novela. A las 0140, se comienza la lectura de la correspondencia digital. A las 0150 comienza: “Corea en 5 minutos” con la temáticas de las sopas y sus restaurantes, especialmente las sopas de pastel de arroz y una que la cocción dura 24 horas, junto a un caldo de judías fermentadas o pescado crudo. SINPO: 55444 (RX: PHILCO IC 18-R; ANT: Telescópica; QTH: Barraza Bajo, IV Región, Chile) (Claudio Galaz T., condiglista yg via DXLD) ** KYRGYZSTAN. 4010.24, 1525-1535 29.1, Birinchi R, Krasnaya Rechka. Kyrgyz report from a concert 35233 // 4820 inaudible, covered by China AP-DNK (Anker Petersen, Denmark, in Skovlunde on my AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, wbradio yg via DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR [and non]. Reception of Madagascar World Voice Jan 25 1800-1900 on 9570*MWV 100 kW / 355 deg to EaEu Russian tx#1 KNLS 1900-2000 on 9495#MWV 100 kW / 355 deg to EaEu Russian tx#2 KNLS * weak QRM on 9575 NAD 250 kW / 110 deg to NoAf Ara/Fre Radio Medi # strong QRM 9485 WOF 300 kW / 128 deg to EaAf Tigrigna Mo-Fr VOA Again wrong announcement in Russian: one broadcast instead of two! http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/01/reception-of-wcb-madagascar-world-voice_26.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, Sofia, Bulgaria, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 17640, African Pathways R. (WCB). Signal on at 1958, signature music 1959, M with opening announcement. Pleasant Afro music for a few minutes from 2002. M and W and what sounded like live preaching. Religious talk by M from 2041 to 2047 mentioning Bible, Yahweh, the scriptures, etc. Another program segment, then Jazz-like Afro music. 2054 M voice-over English ID, “Thank you for listening to African Pathways Radio…” and frequencies given, then continuous music to 2056, deadair for about 10 seconds and off. Poor but getting better. Tnx Dan Sheedy log. 29 Jan. 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, Perseus with Wellbrook ALA1530S and 153 foot Delta Loop, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) ** MALI. Since the 1980s, China Radio International has operated a shortwave relay station in Mali. For the winter period 2016/17, CRI registered 23 broadcasting hours with the HFCC. On the other hand, the WRTH 2017 attributed only seven hours to the Bamako relay. In a ten day monitoring project in the second half of January, it became clear that the WRTH is probably more correct, since its broadcasting schedule could be largely confirmed. There may be even less transmissions. 08.00-08.57: 7295 ( 0 ) Hausa, probably on the air 14.00-15.57: 17630 ( 85 ) English confirmed 16.00-16.57: 15125 ( 85 ) Arabic confirmed at 15124.00 kHz 17.00-17.57: 15125 (111 ) Swahili 15124 kHz probably not on the air 18.00-18.27: 11640 ( 85 ) Hausa confirmed 18.30-19.27: 11640 ( 85 ) Arabic confirmed 22.30-22.57: 15505 ( 85 ) Chinese not checked because of late broadcasting time (Dr Hansjoerg Biener, 26 January 2017, WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 580, Jan 26 at 1302 UT, Spanish vs WIBW in English, temps in F and C; discussing exchange rates differing little between bancos and casas de cambio, and the puente; this-day-in-history; 7:05 TC at 1305; 878- phone number, US toll-free apparently. So it`s obviously XEMU Piedras Negras, Coahuila on the border. Fortunately, no wasteful wall will prevent signals penetrating from our good neighbor to the south. Also hearing many of the other usual pre-sunrise N/W Mexicans up to 870 XETAR (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 730, XEX W Deportes, México, DF. 1146 January 28, 2017. Scorpions "Winds Of Change" then female "W Deportes" into Poison "Something To Believe In" and same female liner then promo for fútboll game on W Deportes, into "Friday On My Mind" by The Cure, another game promo, truncated anthem from 1158, female canned ID with calls, slogan, frequencies into Bad English "When I See You Smile" then "Take My Breath Away by Berlin. This is the former sports format TDW Radio, and apparently just switched slogan, per Wiki: "The sports format continued through January 5, 2017, when TDW Radio bid farewell to its listeners. The station was relaunched the following Monday as W Deportes." So if it's sports as the slogan and program promos indicate, why all the English language rock? (Terry L. Krueger, Clearwater FL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 770, re my log of XEACH Monterrey, Raymie Humbert, AZ, replies on the WTFDA Forum: ``Luces de la Ciudad is the LHN optout in Mexico City. Radio Fórmula must be pretty lazy to not put the Nuevo León one on the air instead. The NL one has the less inspiring title Nuevo León en La Hora Nacional: http://www.nl.gob.mx/nuevo-leon-en-la-hora-nacional [his tagline:] Este programa es público, ajeno a cualquier partido político. Queda prohibido el uso para fines distintos a los establecidos en el programa`` (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. LIBRO DE GABRIEL SOSA RECUPERA HISTORIA DE LA RADIO EN MÉXICO 27/01/2017 Los inicios de la radio en México, el surgimiento de las estaciones comerciales y gubernamentales, los avances tecnológicos en este medio y los cambios en su oferta programática, son analizados por el académico mexicano Gabriel Sosa Plata en su libro “Días de radio. Historias de la radio en México”. Resultado de imagen para Días de radio. Historias de la radio en México [capción] El ejemplar que se presentará el próximo lunes en el Museo de la Ciudad de México, es producto de varios años de investigación y reflexión sobre la radio en México, indicó el autor en declaraciones difundidas por la Secretaría de Cultura capitalina. “El libro surge ante la necesidad de ofrecer al público en general, así como a los estudiantes y profesionales de la radio, un texto ameno que le ofrezca un panorama general sobre la historia de la radio en México y de ésta recuperar en artículos más amplios algunos pasajes significativos”, explicó. Por lo anterior, el también periodista recupera varios de sus artículos, algunos en coautoría con Perla Olivia Rodríguez, Alberto Esquivel Villar y Felipe León López, publicados en libros colectivos, periódicos y revistas especializadas. Detalló que el libro se divide en cuatro grandes rubros: una historia general, historias de radiodifusoras, historias de programas y hechos significativos e historias de tecnología. Publicado por la editorial Tintable, el ejemplar de 224 páginas relata los inicios de la radio desde 1919 hasta la actualidad; a través de relevantes textos críticos sobre las políticas, la legislación en materia de radiodifusión en México y los derechos de las audiencias. A través del volumen, los lectores se adentrarán a la historia de Radio femenina -en 1950-, así como al surgimiento de Rock 101 -80 y 90-, Radio 590 La Pantera -1970-, Radio Mil -1940-1950- y el surgimiento de la Frecuencia Modulada (FM) en los años 50. Además, podrá apreciar fotografías que ilustran las diferentes etapas de “este poderoso instrumento de comunicación” en México, “la mayor parte recuperadas del Archivo General de la Nación —obtenidas a partir de una investigación realizada hace años por un equipo que encabezó la maestra Beatriz Solís—”. “La principal virtud del libro es que aporta un panorama actualizado sobre la historia y las historias de la radio mexicana, en una época de transición ante los cambios tecnológicos, los nuevos hábitos de consumo y de apropiación de los medios digitales, la convergencia tecnológica, y los cambios sociales y políticos que vive el país”, argumentó. Gabriel Sosa Plata es profesor e investigador del Departamento de Educación y Comunicación en la Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), Unidad Xochimilco. Ex ombudsman de la radiodifusora Noticias MVS y ex mediador del Instituto Mexicano de la Radio (IMER). Ha publicado ensayos académicos en más de veinte libros colectivos nacionales y extranjeros. Autor del libro Innovaciones tecnológicas de la radio en México y ha recibido dos premios nacionales de investigación, otorgados por el Consejo Nacional para la Enseñanza y la Investigación en Ciencias de la Comunicación (CONEICC). El próximo 25 de enero presentará su libro “Días de radio. Historias de la radio en México”, acompañado por la periodista Carmen Aristegui y la experta en derecho a la información, Beatríz Solís Leree, así como el doctor en Periodismo y Ciencias de la Comunicación, Jerónimo Repoll (Terra via GRA blog via DXLD) ** MEXICO. RAYMIE`S MEXICO BEAT this week [including DTV] [report from last week, 17-04 about XETV Tijuana: WORLD OF RADIO 1863] The End is Near...for English on XETV FTVLive was the first outlet to break the latest twist in what's quickly become the most uncertain market in television: San Diego. http://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2017/1/26/san-diego-station-going-dark Their report this afternoon, soon bolstered by one from TVSpy, http://www.adweek.com/tvspy/san-diego-station-to-shut-down-after-losing-cw-affiliation/184920 says that after more than 17 years in its sort-of-current form, Bay City Television is throwing in the towel. The final XETV newscast will air on March 31. The Bay City operation closes May 31 with the station to be converted to Gala TV (or, as GM Chuck Dunning called it in his statement to TVSpy, the "Channel Nine Network from Mexico City"). The decision ends more than 60 years of English-language programming on XETV and marks Televisa's total exit from the United States station business, which through XETV and the Fox affiliates it formerly operated in Tamaulipas, had been around since 1953. The Mexican-side head scratcher is that the station is converting to Gala TV instead of simply moving Canal 5 to channel 6.1. I had been under the impression that Gala TV programs were carried in Tijuana by one of Televisa's local partners, XHBJ. It had become clear that XETV's news service was unlikely to last without The CW. San Diego already had five other English-language news operations, which itself is still a high number in the current TV climate (Raymie Humbert, Phœnix AZ, Jan 26, WTFDA Forum via DXLD) Elsewhere in the country, it's time to see how I did on calling those SPR stations and get some call signs! The SPR stations will operate on channel 13: XHPBPA Pachuca XHPBGY Guaymas XHPBCL Culiacán XHPBDR Durango XHPBMR Matías Romero, Oax. XHPBTH Tehuacán XHPBPV Puerto Vallarta (I'm batting 7 for 7!) The FMs are XHTHP 88.7 Tehuacán XHMRO 104.7 Matías Romero XHTZA 104.3 Coatzacoalcos (10 for 10!) We had the channel of the new Ciudad Guzmán TV station, but now we have its calls: XHPBGZ-TDT 11 Note the unusual scheme of THESE stations! You might recall an XHPBUG- FM was awarded in San Andrés Cohamiata, Jalisco for the U de G Wixárika station. We now know these have nothing to do with the station itself! The PB means PúBlico. Combined with the Lagos de Moreno TV (we have no information on it, though the calls are probably something like XHPBLM), the number of authorized Mexican VHF stations has quadrupled at one stroke (Raymie, Jan 26, ibid.) One IFT project in 2017 should be exciting: "Consulta en línea de coberturas e indicadores de estaciones de TDT, AM y FM Se desarrollará una herramienta de consulta en línea dirigida al público en general y la industria, que a partir de la conexión al Sistema Integral de Administración del Espectro Radioeléctrico (SIAER), permitirá realizar consultas de coberturas, áreas de servicio o indicadores de población cubierta, de cada estación de servicios de radiodifusión que se encuentra en operación a nivel nacional. Beneficios Potenciales Promoverá la transparencia de información; permitirá tomar decisiones más informadas a la industria respecto a los servicios que se brindan por estaciones de radiodifusión; y que el público en general cuente con una herramienta que le proporcione mayor información sobre los servicios de televisión y radio (AM y FM) que recibe" Sounds like a coverage viewer for broadcast stations, which I know some people will enjoy. The INE maps are useful for their purposes but, as they show electoral sections and not much else, are hard to work with in other contexts. Who knows, maybe they'll have transmitter coordinates! There will also be an IFT-8 auction which we'll learn more about later this year and will conclude in December 2018. It will include additional radio stations (Raymie, Jan 27, ibid.) The FCC could learn something from the IFT regarding the frequency of spectrum auctions. The massive speculation in FM transmitter permits they're still working through stemmed from the ten years between translator auctions (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View, TN EM66, http://www.w9wi.com Jan 27, ibid.) Well, in this case, Mexico is responding to a 20-year gap since the last new commercial radio stations, and even then the prior process was not all that fair. The latest concessions I know of were awarded in 1996 and 1997, with XHCAN being awarded in 2010 because it was tied up in more than a quarter-century of red tape. Additionally, the stations in IFT-8 could be awarded in 400 kHz spacing. Also, I have news on the Lagos de Moreno station. Its callsign is XHPBLM-TDT and it will broadcast on channel 9. And while we add a station to the books, we can now safely remove a station from the books. XHHCG in Chilpancingo failed to transition on time and its concession will not be renewed. (This means that RTG doesn't even broadcast to the CAPITAL of its own state!) The inability to adequately budget for the needed conversion killed the Chilpancingo station, according to this RTG report on television services in 2016. http://i.guerrero.gob.mx/uploads/2016/12/RTG-Informe-de-TELEVISION-INTERNET.pdf Given that RTG actually seems competent these days, I suspect this might just turn into a Q. Roo-style permit discontinuity where service is restored a couple years down the road. Last edited by Raymie; 01- 28-2017 at 02:06 AM. (Raymie, ibid.) Point 2 --- Here's a doozy. You might recall that in 2015, the first social TV station concessions to be awarded were a trio in Zacatecas. It was later discovered, by me and by others, that the Zacatecas trio were social wolves, all to be operated in conjunction with commercial radio stations and newspapers. Integración Mexicana con Visión en Zacatecas, or in other words Grupo Radiofónico B-15, got XHZAC-TDT channel 20. On channel 22, XHFZC-TDT was the callsign for the station to be owned by Fundación Cultural por Zacatecas, A.C., an outgrowth of the NTR newspaper. Up on channel 30 is XHZAE-TDT, the station of Grupo Radiofónico ZER's Valores y Tradiciones de Mi Tierra, A.C. (A ZER station on TV...the ultimate social wolf!) It was also discovered that in March, the IFT almost awarded this particular concessionaire a radio station in Culiacán. One of these stations is on the air now for sure: XHZAC-TDT. I know this because they are promoting their broadcast position, channel 20.2. But wait, Raymie! you tell me. 20.2? Why not 20.1? This is where I'm giggling. You might recall that the big VC realignment also meant that certain national public TV services, even on SPR transmitters, were assigned separate VCs. Third-wave SPR transmitters, for instance, have Canal Once on 11.1, Una Voz con Todos on 14.1, Canal 22 on 22.1, Canal del Congreso on 45.1...and TV UNAM on 20.1. (There is one of those in Zacatecas.) So TV UNAM is on 20.1. And 20tv Zacatecas is on 20.2. Is that even allowed? It's not like XHAW and XHSAW. Who knows what will happen when the others come on air, especially XHFZC. Furthermore, the IFT's got its eye on the social wolves, especially given that 20tv's broadcast day is laden with grupera music videos. http://ljz.mx/2017/01/28/revisara-ifetel-concesiones-television-en-cumplan-espiritu-la-ley/ (Raymie, Jan 30, ibid.) I'm not in the habit of posting images around here, but the good folks of Colectivo Pericú (which, if you've been reading me long enough, means you know what's coming next) have a few you might want to see. That is...or, well, was the Radio and Television Center in La Paz, which at one point was home to Baja California Sur's first AM, first FM, and first TV stations. Now it's meeting its maker, and soon, will likely meet residential construction. And what became, you might ask, of all the content in those facilities? Of what anyone in their right mind would describe as a treasure trove of Baja California Sur history, even predating statehood in 1974? Just a big garbage pile at the union offices. (Note the "Discoteca XENT" item in one of those images.) Here's hoping IFT-6 gives Baja California Sur a local commercial television station again (Raymie, Jan 31, ibid.) Pero, pero, pero --- Union offices? Without a rooftop? Don't I detect a view of the sky and some sunlight? So it will all turn to rubbish now? And BCS doesn't have a commercial television station at this moment? (Jim Thomas. Springfield, MO, ibid.) At least not on broadcast. Megacable does seem to operate a cable channel there called "Megacanal", and I do expect IFT-6 to result in a new station there in a year or two. The only other state without any local commercial broadcast TV stations is Tlaxcala, which is basically part of Puebla for TV purposes anyway. (Even Colima comes close with XHCKW.) (Raymie, Jan 31, ibid.) There's been a story in recent weeks I have not been able to describe adequately and thus have not reported here. On February 1, new guidelines enshrining the rights of audiences are to go into effect. They were approved by the IFT in December and include things like: -A symbol to be used on air during advertising -The requirement for stations to distinguish between news and opinion programming, and between programming and commercials -The right for audiences to receive accurate news -A mechanism of ordering stations to suspend broadcasts for violations of these rules The CIRT has been absolutely furious, however. They and others see the new guidelines as censorship. The President joined the fray today and filed a constitutional controversy saying that some of the guidelines step into presidential territory (this is now sitting at the Supreme Court). There's also another story tonight. http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/articulo/nacion/politica/2017/01/31/amenaza-huelga-radio-y-tv El Universal is reporting that partially as a result of these contested guidelines, labor negotiations between the three unions that represent media employees and the CIRT have not been going well. According to this report, unions are seeking a 10% pay raise but broadcasters don't want to offer any pay hike. This could result, according to El Universal, in all commercial broadcast stations going off the air. Given the high stakes, the negotiations have been moved to the headquarters of the Secretariat of Labor. Ricardo Acedo Samaniego, the head of the STIRTT union, says they are sticking with their proposal and will not back down. Stations are preparing for a strike in such places as Monclova. http://periodicoeltiempo.mx/monclova/se-prepara-stirt-para-huelga-nacional/ Such a strike has not occurred in Mexican broadcasting since November 12, 1982, when workers at Canal 13, 70 other TV stations, plus 700 radio stations nationwide went on strike for several hours, paralyzing almost the entire radio industry in Mexico. The STIRT (it only recently added the second T to its name) managed to get the raise it wanted, partly because taking the stations off the air meant they could not receive advertising revenue. The STIRT also says they're ready to exercise their right to strike, posting a picture of the dreaded red-and-black strike flag. https://twitter.com/STIRTTnacional/status/826569276345589760 BREAKING (8:21pm AZ): The CIRT has requested a 24-hour extension, according to a radio personality in Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco (XHPZ-FM). https://twitter.com/DanyDanyRadioFM/status/826630964092686338 Here's a statement from the STIRT... http://www.diariolaverdad.mx/valle-del-mayo/2017/01/31/comunicado-enviado-por-el-comite-ejecutivo-nacional-del-stirt/ Before federal authorities, workers and management in the radio and television industry have agreed a 24-hour extension to reach an agreement with regard to salary changes, in strict adherence to the law and taking into account the lack of real conditions. A strike will thus begin on the first minute of February 2. The parties will meet at 6pm on February 1 in hopes of reaching a satisfactory agreement. Last edited by Raymie; 01-31-2017 at 11:00 PM (Raymie, Jan 31, ibid.) It does not appear much progress has been made in negotiations, with just under 11 hours to go until the first national broadcasting strike since 1982 is set to begin. In the last hour or two, STIRTT's national Twitter account has posted photos of union members from various locals around the country with the hashtag #estamoslistos ("We Are Ready"). From Guadalajara https://twitter.com/STIRTTnacional/status/826867921641156612 to Mérida, [oops, these twits are identical, maybe I recopied]] https://twitter.com/STIRTTnacional/status/826867921641156612 the STIRTT is steeling itself for a national strike. On the other side of the table at the CIRT, they're honestly not saying much at all, mostly reposting some articles about those IFT audience rights guidelines. Negotiations resumed this evening, https://twitter.com/sitatyr29/status/826948493814202368 but with just hours to ago, we continue to near a strike. The negotiations also include the other union representing employees in this industry, SITATYR, whose head Patricio Flores Sandoval http://www.cronica.com.mx/notas/2017/1007597.html#.WJCpsyHOpgM.twitter also cites digitalization and electoral reform (including the elimination of paid political advertising) as reasons why broadcasters are ailing. UPDATE (7:16pm Mexico City): Tweet from legal director Francisco Contreras: https://twitter.com/francontrerasv/status/826958753249554433 "7pm: Threatening attitudes towards workers don't help. We're getting reports of actions by management. We're on the lookout!" UPDATE (8pm Mexico City): The strike will begin on local time. As Quintana Roo is one hour ahead of Mexico City, that means we're three hours away from the strike beginning in Cancún and Chetumal. Contreras reports the Cancún local is ready to go on strike. UPDATE (8:28pm Mexico City): In other news, the IFT has delayed the implementation of the audience rights guidelines http://www.ift.org.mx/comunicacion-y-medios/comunicados-ift/es/el-pleno-del-ift-acordo-diferir-la-entrada-en-vigor-de-los-lineamientos-generales-sobre-la-defensa to August 16 because of the legal actions currently at the SCJN. UPDATE (8:43pm Mexico City): Black and red smoke, for now. https://twitter.com/francontrerasv/status/826983867307454464 No agreement. Two hours and 17 minutes to go until Cancún and Chetumal go on strike. UPDATE (8:58pm Mexico City): It's a late night for negotiators at the Secretariat of Labor offices in Mexico City. https://twitter.com/sitatyr29/status/826986741705932801 UPDATE (9:47pm Mexico City): Still no agreement. https://twitter.com/STIRTTnacional/status/827000456207548416 In just over an hour, QR strikes; in an hour after that, Mexico City. Last edited by Raymie; 02-01-2017 at 10:52 PM (Raymie, Feb 1, ibid.) BREAKING NEWS: STRIKE AVERTED, AGREEMENTS REACHED With under 30 minutes to go before Quintana Roo stations were affected, Mexican broadcasting narrowly avoided its first general strike since 1982. At 10:43pm in Mexico City, Francisco Contreras of the STIRTT announced there would be no strike and that an agreement had been reached at the eleventh hour. https://twitter.com/francontrerasv/status/827014593172078592 Further details are yet to come. Update: Here's more on the negotiations and the 4.1 percent pay increase that was accepted: http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/articulo/nacion/politica/2017/02/1/huelga-en-radio-y-tv-se-conjura-con-45-de-alza Last edited by Raymie; 02-02-2017 at 01:22 AM (Raymie, Feb 1, ibid.) Here's more on the settlement that averted a potential broadcasting strike: -Three unions are covered: STIRTT, SITATYR and SIEMART, a small union that apparently only covers Televisa Radio employees (with the apparent exception of XHMOE). It's the oldest of the three (founded in 1935) and has a logo that is a real throwback. http://siemart.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/logo.svg (Ricardo López Mendez was a former secretary general of this union.) -The agreement calls for a 4.1 percent pay raise immediately and a further .4 percent bump beginning in July. -The joint press release http://www.cirt.com.mx/portal/index.php/comunicacion/comunicado-conjunto-cirt-siemart-sitatyr-stirtt calls this "the most difficult negotiation since contract-law was declared in 1976" and says the IFT's late delay of the audience guidelines "helped to give certainty to the entire radio industry". (Raymie, Feb 2, ibid.) ** MOROCCO. 9575. Jan 26 at 2100, Medi 1, Nador, in French. Man and woman announcers talks News; 2105 A musical program. Transmission with very good signal and fair modulation, 45533 (DXer: José Ronaldo Xavier (JRX), Cabedelo-PB, Brazil, Tecsun S-2000, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) 9575, Jan 28 0635, no signal from Médi 1, despite Greece propagating well on 9420 & 9935. Nador at best has rarely been listenable, but often a carrier. I gather from other reports that despite 24-hour schedule, it is rather irregular, but recently reported to be back (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MYANMAR. Myanmar at 0045 UT Jan 28, at Doha Qatar 5914.989 5985.000 6029.994 6164.993 (Wolfgang Büschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS [non]. 6145, UT Sun Jan 29 at 0145, The Mighty KBC via GERMANY, as Kraig Krist is introducing Conway Twitty on this week`s Forgotten Song, ``It`s Only Make-Believe`` from Sept 1958. Sounds a bit like Elvis, until 0148 back to Uncle Eric. Wish I kould katch Kraig more often but the time is not fixed, and during Saturday night DX sessions there is too much else going on (pirates, etc.) to keep listening to one frequency (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEW ZEALAND. The 49 mb is overcrowded by many northern hemisphere stations at this hour, in winter season. excellent noted NZL Rangitaiki 7355 kHz this hour, 1300-1650 scheduled. 73 wolfie df5sx, (Wolfgang Büschel, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) But after China signs on at 1600 UT on 7350 kHz in French, with a signal stretching from 7342 to 7358 kHz, NZ is almost obliterated. (-- Richard Langley, ibid.) QSL: Radio New Zealand International 13840 kHz QSL-card after two years. They state that they no longer want any reports by regular mail. However, reports are still appreciated provided they are sent via the station's home page and only eQSLs will be sent in the future (Christer Brunström, Sweden, SW Bulletin Jan 29 via DXLD) [RADIO AUSTRALIA:] Gone for now, it's possible that they will be back. It seems that a similar scenario that played out in New Zealand with the closure of Radio New Zealand's shortwave service in 1976 is playing out in Australia. The reason was the same as with Radio Australia - budget cuts. There was a storm of protest from within New Zealand and overseas and a month later the government relented and reinstated the service. This was in the days when the station was located in Wellington and were using war surplus 7.5 kW communications transmitters. Programming on the reinstated service was a relay of the then National Programme network (now RNZ National). You can find a full write up here: http://www.radiodx.com/articles/station-profiles/pacific/rnzi-our-international-voice/the-history-of-radio-new-zealand/ Hopefully New Zealand's international voice will continue but when one considers that Radio New Zealand's funding has been frozen since 2008 when the present National Government came into office there is no telling how long they can continue. We've already seen the mothballing of the analogue transmitter. Age was given as the reason but when one considers the cutbacks in programming domestically and the sale and lease back of their Auckland building, budget considerations are liable to have been the true cause (Paul, NZ, HCDX via WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DXLD) RNZI REMAINS ESSENTIAL VOICE OF THE PACIFIC http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/323555/rnzi-remains-essential-voice-of-the-pacific Press release: Following the ABC's decision to cut shortwave radio transmission in the Pacific, Radio New Zealand International wants to reassure our listeners that we are committed to our Pacific broadcast partners. Radio New Zealand International (RNZI) continues to serve people across the Pacific region, delivering essential day to day news and information and providing a vital lifeline in times of natural disaster. Chief Ben Lovo and his family of Bongkil Village on Erromango, Vanuatu. He says shortwave broadcasts from RNZI during Cyclone Pam allowed him to warn four villages. Chief Ben Lovo and his family of Bongkil Village on Erromango, Vanuatu. He says shortwave broadcasts from RNZI during Cyclone Pam allowed him to warn four villages. Photo: RNZI/Koroi Hawkins [caption] RNZ CEO, Paul Thompson, has confirmed that there will be no reduction in Radio New Zealand's commitment to its Pacific broadcast partners. His reassurance comes as Radio Australia closes its international shortwave transmission service to Papua New Guinea and the Pacific. Paul Thompson has emphasised the importance of RNZI's 25 year relationship with New Zealand's Pacific neighbours. [?? Is that all, 25 years? gh] "Remote parts of Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu who may be feeling the loss of the ABC can rest assured RNZI will continue to provide independent, timely and accurate news, information and weather warnings as well as entertainment to its Pacific listeners." RNZI has been broadcasting since 1990 to the Pacific and is regarded as the authoritative voice of the Pacific. It can be heard across the region and has proven to be a vital lifeline during times of disaster. In 2007 RNZI was named international Radio Station of the Year by the Association for International Broadcasting (AIB). RNZI broadcasts timely cyclone and tsunami warnings via shortwave and can continue to be heard should local broadcasters go off-air due to a cyclone or other disaster. Paul Thompson said the essential nature of Radio New Zealand's role in the Pacific has been regularly underlined by the positive feedback to RNZI following cyclone and tsunami alerts. "A Vanuatu villager has told our reporter Koroi Hawkins that he knew to take shelter during Cyclone Pam just because of the warnings broadcast on RNZI. At times like this we are the essential voice of the Pacific" See attached photograph. RNZI's coverage of the aftermath of Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu in 2015 won RNZI reporter Koroi Hawkins a silver medal at the prestigious New York Festival Radio Awards in 2016. RNZI broadcasts in digital and analogue short wave to radio stations and individual listeners across the Pacific region. Around twenty Pacific radio stations relay RNZI material daily, and individual short-wave listeners and internet users across the world tune in directly to RNZI content. The RNZI signal can sometimes be heard as far away as Japan, North America, the Middle East and Europe. RNZI also provides rich content for online users through our website How to listen to RNZI For further information contact: Walter Zweifel, RNZI News Editor +644 474 1432 walter.zweifel@radionz.co.nz Adrian Sainsbury, RNZI Technical Manager, +644 474 1430 adrian.sainsbury@radionz.co.nz (via Mike Cooper, WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DXLD) RNZI FREQUENCY SKED 30 Oct 2016 - 25 Mar 2017 UTC kHz Target Days 0000-0258 17675 AM Pacific Daily 0259-0458 15720 AM Pacific Daily 0459-0758 11725 AM Pacific Daily 0759-1058 9765 AM Pacific Daily 1059-1258 11610 AM NW Pacific, PNG Daily 1259-1758 7355 AM Pacific Sat 1259-1650 7355 AM Pacific Sun-Fri 1651-1745 7285 DRM Cook Islands, Tonga, Samoa Sun-Fri 1746-1950 11690 DRM Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga Sun-Fri 1759-1958 11725 AM Pacific Sat 1951-2050 15720 DRM Pacific Sun-Fri 1959-2258 15720 AM Pacific Sat 2051-2258 15720 AM Pacific Daily 2259-0000 17675 AM Pacific Daily (via gh, WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DXLD) ** NIGERIA. 7254.92, V. of Nigeria, Jan 26 0656-0710, 35433, French, IS from 0656, 0658 Opening announce, Talk. 7254.92, V. of Nigeria, Jan 29 0634-0720, 35433, Hausa and French, Local music and talk, ID at 0641 and 0654, Drums IS from 0657, Opening announce. 7254.92, V. of Nigeria, Jan 29 0728-0738, 35333, vernacular, IS, Opening announce, Talk (Kouji Hashimoto, JAPAN, RX, IC-R75, NRD- 525+RD-9830, ANT, 130m Sloper Wire, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NORTH AMERICA. YHWH, 1/26 at 0250z tune in on 5790 ranting about Trump & the Russians. Strong signal but was noisy (Rich Near Chicago Ray, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Gone by 0300 recheck on the west coast. No sign of any of his usual frequency choices (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, UT Jan 27, ibid.) Thanks very much, Rich, for this info. It confirms what I have suspected for some time now (since his resurrection), mainly that "Joshua" does in fact have segments that contain new material. This is something I have been unable to confirm on my own, as reception here in Calif. has not been all that readable recently. So reports like yours really help. Thanks again! (Ron Howard, Calif., ibid.) You're welcome - I've always been somewhat intrigued by this guy - that music he used to play gives me the willies! Best to you, (Rich, ibid.) Hi Rich, Certainly I have to agree that the song he formerly used for his intro and closing was rather strange. Since his resurrection, have not heard him closing with any music/song. His former YHWH song ("Days of Hard Life") is posted at Youtube, with good quality http://goo.gl/YQPcv0 (Ron Howard, Jan 26, ibid.) 5790.0-AM, Jan 28 at 0246, Station YHWH is on, averaging about S9 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5790, USA (presumed) YHWH. R Yahweh pirate 1/28, 0411. Familiar voice "Jesus...Yahweh...", etc. Found on random tune in in progress. Long, deep fades more like MW BC. Good on peaks (Rick Barton, AZ, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) (Rick Barton, in Arizona, Grundig Satellit and outdoor Slinky, ABDX via DXLD) 5790.0-AM, Jan 29 at 0154, Station YHWH is on at S9-S7, suptorted modulation, about an ``infamous homosexual in the Catholic whore Church``. Nasty stuff Martin K. Elliott purveys from his trailer transmitter somewhere out West. He was not yet on when first checked this session circa 0105. 7465, Jan 30 at 0325, YHWH on here tonight, steady S9, then some fades to S5. Modulation always a bit rough, but Elliott speaks his nonsense clearly. 0355 still at S9+5, somewhat suptorted. Off at next check 0406 (as 7460 now abuts in Kinyarwanda, VOA Botswana starting at 0330 tho I had not noticed it before 0400) (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NORTH AMERICA. 6925-USB, Jan 27 at 2226, pirate music at S9+5, soon ``Radio Gaga, broadcasting from --??-- Lake. 2232 another ID at S9+20; off at 2246 recheck. Several logs here https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,32531.0.html say that it`s Zipper Lake, and off at 2237 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NORTH AMERICA. 6930-USB, Jan 29 at 0129 tune-in to rude noises and sound FX, good signal, ID twice sounding like Radio El Mundo? And then Radio Garbunzo. Numerous logs here say it`s Radio Garbanzo until 0129* https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,32560.0.html (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NORTH AMERICA. 6950-USB, Jan 28 at 0248, pirate music at S9; 0252 ID over music ``Accelerate`` (not X-L-R-8 this time). These days I am lucky to hear one pirate at a time on The band, rather than two or three (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NORWAY. INITIAL LISTENER REACTIONS TO FM SHUTDOWN AREN'T POSITIVE RadioMagOnline By Doug Irwin, CPBE AMD DRB January 24, 2017 http://www.radiomagonline.com/around-the-world/0020/norway-initial-listener-reactions-to-fm-shutdown-arent-positive/38556 Los Angeles — I’m an advocate of digital radio here in the U.S., and in this newsletter we’re keeping you up-to-date on the progress of digital radio in other countries as well. Still, when listeners have so many other ways to get programming, one would have to wonder if just shutting off FM (as they are now doing in Norway) and compelling listeners to learn how to find you on the (relatively) new medium is such a good idea. Are we really giving them enough reasons to do that? Our Norwegian correspondent Eivind Engberg passed an article along that made me a bit uneasy about the future of radio in general: “Only half of us hear NRK (Norway’s public radio) after the transition to dab, according to a reader survey Bladet Vesterålen made online,” as reported online in blv.no. Presumably this survey was done just with listeners in Nordland county, where the first FM shutdowns occurred on Jan. 11. “Old radios cannot receive NRK anymore, but only half of us care about it.” (Emphasis mine.) “... 1,000 responses from readers, 21% are reporting that they can receive NRK, one week after NRK went off the air on FM. “8% answered that they already were not listening to the radio, while 46 percent of those who responded dropped NRK.” (Again the italics are mine.) It’s my hope that as time goes on and listeners start to miss NRK they’ll come around and accept that DAB is the only radio option. Obviously, streaming media is another good way to reach listeners. For dyed-in-the-wool FM holdouts in Norway, there are still quite a few options for FM radio. About 60% of the country is covered by FM stations coming in from Sweden, plus there are still 199 local FMs transmitting across the country, with licenses that allow them to do so till 2022. If you want to see the entire list, simply look here, http://www.dinside.no/bolig/199-radiokanaler-som-fortsatt-kan-sende-somnbspfm-radio/63973617 and scroll-down the article. Posted by: (Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) Putting all these letters after his name doesn't make Doug Irwin a responsible journalist. The first link, which is two weeks old, given tells us of a so called poll that they admit themselves is not a representative sample so it's meaningless. It then says that "presumably" it included only listeners in the one region of Norway where FM has been switched off, so they'no idea whether if did or didn't. This so-called firestorm to the help line was nearly all from people who needed to rescan their radios as the NRK services had been moved a different multiplex (Mike Barraclough, ibid.) Isn`t Doug Irwin also name of VOA announcer/caster or was? (gh, DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. CPs built, awaiting final licensing: 930, WKY, OK, Oklahoma City – Applies for license to cover CP for U1 5000/510 watts (AM Switch, NRC DX News Feb 6, published Jan 29, via DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. 1210, KGYN, Guymon, 1047 23-Jan Heard New Age Coatsworth and Wolfish Music, then an OM IDed as "Today's Country 12-10 KGYN". Good Signal – (Gary Vance, Grand Ledge MI, Sony ICF-EX5MK2 (“new toy”) MARE Tipsheet Jan 27 via DXLD) Further evidence that KGYN is NOT running direxional-west at night, supposed to null toward Philadelphia. Usually bigsig here too (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. 1600, Sat Jan 28 at 1928 UT, KUSH, Cushing playing jive music, subformat Americana, I suppose. Weekday afternoons, it`s talk shows (after me, the deluge from Trans-Canada) {later: or used to be. Now music also heard weekday afternoon; can`t find a simple program schedule on their website or active FB, but seems to indicate local talk in the mornings ``Kush Girls``; music in afternoons} (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAKISTAN. Radio Pakistan has started work on converting its transmission to state-of- the art DRM Plus technology to make its broadcasts clearer and cost-effective. Director General, Radio Pakistan Khurshid Malik visited the project at Broadcasting House in Islamabad today where he was briefed about progress on introducing DRM Plus technology. He was informed that this technology enhances quality of broadcasts to perfection. The present AM and FM transmitters of Radio Pakistan can be made compatible to this technology with little amendment. Under this technology, three channels can be aired from a single transmitter, which will prove cost-effective. This technology enables listeners to get access to text services as well. Khurshid Malik emphasized the need of improving contents of programmes besides introducing modern technology to cater the need of all segments of society (Press Release via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, Jan 30, dx_sasia yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DXLD) I guess they are trying to do what India has done and convert their MW services to DRM. Very typical of politicians to come up with this idea when probably many listeners - or would be listeners - won't be able to afford a DRM capable radio. Yet it's taken I don't know how many years since they bought their two new SW transmitters and still haven't got them on air' Words fail me!!! (Noel Green, UK, Jan 31, WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Kommen die seit 15 Jahren erwarteten DRM Empfänger jetzt aus Pakistan? oder vom Erzfeind Indien? Die bringen dort noch nicht einmal ein richtiges AM Signal in die Luft... kopfschüttel 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Are the DRM receivers expected for 15 years now coming from Pakistan? Or the arch enemy India? They do not even get a real AM signal in the air... Head shaking 73 wb (Google translation via DXLD) ** PAKISTAN. Radio Pakistan , and Kashmir Jammu 7265 relay 0500-0650 UT -- on web streaming --- R PAK on shortwave? per Stream: Webbrowser: http://78.46.47.245:8000/ http://78.46.47.245:8000/WorldService.m3u http://78.46.47.245:8000/ExternalService.m3u External Service overmodulated. 73 wolfie (Wolfgang Büschel, Jan 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PALAU. Open carrier/dead air of T8WH Angel 3 and Angel 5 Jan 28 Angel 3 0800-0900 9930 HBN 100 kW / 318 deg to EaAs English Mon-Fri 0800-0900 9930 HBN 100 kW / 318 deg to EaAs Japanese Sat, very weak 0900-1000 9930 HBN 100 kW / 318 deg to EaAs English Daily 1000-1300 9930*HBN 100 kW / 318 deg to EaAs English Sat/Sun * from 1210 open carrier/dead air and off the air at 1259 Angel 5 1300-1430 9965*HBN 100 kW / 345 deg to NEAs English Sat/Sun * from 1300 open carrier/dead air and off the air at 1315 Later clandestine Furusato no Kaze/Nippon no Kaze are on with breaks: 1430-1500 9960 HBN 100 kW / 345 deg to NEAs Japanese Furusato no Kaze 1500-1530 9975 HBN 100 kW / 345 deg to NEAs Korean Nippon no Kaze 1530-1600 9965 HBN 100 kW / 345 deg to NEAs Korean Nippon no Kaze 1600-1630 9975 HBN 100 kW / 345 deg to NEAs Japanese Furusato no Kaze http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/01/open-carrierdead-air-of-t8wh-angel-3.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, Sofia, Bulgaria, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3260, NBC Madang, 1127-1204*, Jan 27. Mostly pop Pacific Islands music with DJ in Pidgin/Tok Pisin; 1201 into the NBC News with no intro bird call; 1203 "NBC" promo and suddenly off the air (Ron Howard, Calif., dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PARAGUAY. 920, RNP. Enero 27. 0136-0141. Dos hombres hablan en guaraní. SINFO: 35323 (RX: Tecsun PL- 660; ANT: Ferrita del receptor; QTH: Ovalle, Chile) 1080, R. MONUMENTAL. Enero 27. 0151-0204 UT. Dos hombres comentan la derrota de Paraguay frente a Ecuador en el futbol. Y luego avisos de programas de la emisora, seguros, yerba mate y camiones. SINFO: 45433, Aunque desde las 0203 SINFO: 35333. RX: Tecsun PL- 660; ANT: Ferrita del receptor; QTH: Ovalle, Chile) (Claudio Galaz T., condiglista yg via DXLD) ** PERU. 5980, R. CHASKI. Enero 28. 1114-1135 UT. Hombre predica acerca de la diferencia entre los evangélicos y las falsas doctrinas de otras religiones. A las 1129 se identifica como: “Red Radio Integridad” y luego avisos de materiales existentes en la oficina de la emisora. Luego música cristiana infantil para luego pasar a una ID larga: “Red Radio Integridad, desde Lima, Perú en los 700 AM, Red Radio Integridad, la voz que glorifica a Dios”. A las 1133 comienza: “Jungla Semántica”, con el concepto de “adversario”, de Radio Transmundial. SINPO: 43453 con QRM de otra emisoras (RX: TECSUN PL- 660; ANT: Hilo de 70 metros de largo; QTH: Barraza Bajo, IV Región, Chile) (Claudio Galaz T., condiglista yg via DXLD) 5980, Jan 29 at 0103, JBA carrier from R. Chaski, until autocutoff at 0106:38.5*. Last previous check was 11 days ago, Jan 18 until 0105:25.5*, i.e. 75 seconds earlier, so keeping close to the average slippage of 6.8 seconds later per noctem (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PHILIPPINES [and non]. Two new frequencies of Radio Veritas Asia, Jan 31 1400-1427 NF 11840 PUG 250 kW / 300 deg to SoAs Bengali, ex 11825 1430-1457 NF 11630 SMG 250 kW / 089 deg to SoAs Urdu, ex 15330 http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/02/two-new-frequencies-of-radio-veritas.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, QTH: Sofia, Bulgaria, Equipment: Sony ICF-2001D 30 m. long wire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ROMANIA. 6020, RADIO ROMANIA INT. Enero 26. 0435-0446 UTC Espacio de música clásica hasta las 0440, cuando comienza un programa de lectura de informes de recepción y de carácter diexista. A las 0446 ID. SINPO: 45434 (RX: TECSUN PL-660; ANT: Hilo de 40 metros de largo; QTH: Ovalle, Chile) (Claudio Galaz T., condiglista yg via DXLD) 11975, Jan 31 at 1423, jazz with announcement in Romanian, from RRI, which is at 14-16 from Galbeni to France, and beyond! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ROMANIA. DÍA MUNDIAL DE LA RADIO EN RRI Estimados amigos, Con motivo del Día Mundial de la Radio, que celebraremos el 13 de febrero, RRI os invita a colaborar con nosotros y enviarnos materiales, breves mensajes escritos o grabados, que serán difundidos en un programa especial. Además, podéis enviarnos fotos personales, libres de derechos de autor y que se refieren al papel que la radio desempeña en vuestras vidas, para subirlas junto con sus comentarios a la página de RRI, así como a nuestros perfiles de las redes sociales. Fecha límite de participación: 8 de febrero de 2017. Muchas gracias por vuestro apoyo. Un cordial saludo, Victoria Sepciu (Jan 29 via José Bueno, Jan 30, noticiasdx yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DXLD) Surely applies also to English and all other languages; search website http://rri.ro (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) ** RUSSIA. Weak to fair signal of Adygeyan Radio, Jan 29: 1900-2000 on 6000 ARM 100 kW / 188 deg to CeAs Adygeyan Sun http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/02/waak-to-fair-signal-of-adygeyan-radio.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, QTH: Sofia, Bulgaria, Equipment: Sony ICF-2001D 30 m. long wire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. Qualche ascolto a Milano con l'Elad FDM-S2 e il solito dipolo ripiegato. Questa volta sulla banda dei 40 metri (Ham) è spuntato un pirata russo nostalgico, con tante vecchie canzoni russe. 7055, 27/1, 1515, Pirate radio, presumed Russian, LSB songs, talks, fair/good (tnx to A Borgnino) (Giampiero Bernardini, playdx blog via DXLD) G.B. only puts his logs in this blog, delaying and difficultizing access to them. We appreciate when people just put their logs in original e-mails or group postings (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. 7345 // 7295, Radio Sakha, via Yakutsk, 0401-0515+, Jan 29. Preempted all regular programming to provide non-stop coverage of the action at the Zarya Yakutsk vs Spartak Moscow game; sounds of the loudspeaker and crowd in the background; mostly fair; running past their normal 0500* sign off time; 7345 was stronger, but 7295 was clearly //. 7345 // 7295, Radio Sakha, via Yakutsk, 0501*, Jan 30. Very good reception; IS with Jew's harp, pips (4+1) and more Jew's harp music; suddenly off. Back to normal after broadcasting yesterday's extended "futsal" match. Frankly, I had never heard of this game until checking on the web - http://goo.gl/4Vw8Ta and also http://goo.gl/0LQpDK (Ron Howard, Calif., dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. USA. CIA declassified documents on amateur radio in exSSSR. ------------------------------------------------ --------------------- CIA declassified documents p/amateurism in exSSSR, the Baltic States and Eastern Europe. https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/search/site/amateur%20ham%20radio Documents include translations and assessment amateur radio clubs, including DOSAAF, training, satellite monitoring technologies and equipment, and even ham radio QSL Soviet. Here is a very funny paper https://www.cia.gov/library/readingr...00250017-3.pdf [URL unfortunately truncated as received in all versions of RusDX, but we found it in the qrz.ru link below, 4 pages of pdf --- gh] https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP80-00809A000500250017-3.pdf This is a report on the findings of the equipment, its power, antennas, etc. Soviet p / fans that the CIA received, analyze QSL cards !!! There, the data for 1949! That's why for so long go-mail, and some disappeared. And now the same thing. There are many different articles and archival documents about us !!! (73!) Eugene RA0FF Checkpoint WAZ (CQ zone 19) (Forum.QRZ.ru) http://forum.qrz.ru/55-istoriya-radiosvyazi/46082-cru-rassekretilo-dokumenty-po-r-lyubitelstvu-v-exsssr.html (via RusDX 29 Jan via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. MANUAL "ECHO OF MOSCOW" WILL ALLOW EMPLOYEES TO WEAR HIJAB Employees and guests of the radio station "Echo of Moscow" will be able to wear the hijab. The corresponding order prepares the chief editor of radio station Alexei Venediktov. "I'm preparing an order for "Echo", are allowed to wear the hijab employees and guests of the radio station," - he wrote on his Twitter account. "Echo of Moscow" - the first private information and conversational radio broadcasting around the clock. August 9, 1990 Radio Moscow City Council was registered as mass media. First aired on August 22, 1990. Information baptism radio became morning esters 13 and 14 January 1991, during the operations of the Soviet troops in Vilnius. The fame of the station acquired during the August 1991 coup. KGB disconnected from the radio transmitter, and even the Emergency Committee issued a decision to close the "Echo" as "do not contribute to stabilization of the situation." In 1994, the radio station "Echo of Moscow" began broadcasting room. It was created by news agency "Echo of Moscow", distributes exclusive textual information radio station "Echo of Moscow", and confirmed reports about upcoming events (announcements). In the same year the group "Bridge" Vladimir Gusinsky became the major shareholder of "Echo of Moscow". In 1997, the "Echo of Moscow" first appeared on the internet site among the Moscow radio station. Soon the station began broadcasting in other cities of Russia. In 1998, the station became a holding "Media- Most", created by Vladimir Gusinsky. In 2001, the "Media-Most" became the property of the group "Gazprom". Currently, the founder of "Echo of Moscow" is a Closed Joint Stock Company "Moscow Echo", in which two groups of shareholders - "Gazprombank", which holds 66% of shares, and the US company EM- Holding, which are composed of shares of radio journalists. The radio is included in the holding "Gazprom-Media". "Echo of Moscow" is focused on news broadcasts, the main program - political and cultural news, press reviews, interviews with guests, interactive communication with the audience, the author's programs on various subjects. Every 30 minutes, aired operational newscasts. The radio station has more than 30 transmitters in the cities of Russia and CIS countries. Own broadcasting is in Kazan, Samara, Orenburg, Tomsk, Ufa, Volgograd and Ulan-Ude. Broadcasts in the United States (the city of Chicago and New York). Sociological studies conducted Comcon and services to TNS, shows that the "Echo of Moscow" constantly among the top five commercial radio stations for the audience of the capital volume. The target audience of the radio station are men and women aged 35 to 60 years. Regular audience of the radio station "Echo of Moscow" is focused on high standards of consumption, it has a higher education, a stable position in society. Chief editor of the radio station in 1998 - Alexei Venediktov. http://flashnord.com (OnAir.ru / http://onair.ru/main/enews/view_msg/NMID__64317/ (via RusDX 29 Jan via DXLD) ** SAN MARINO. TWO RADIO DAYS THAT SHOOK THE REPUBLIC OF SAN MARINO Co.Ra.DX (NB a partner of DX Fanzine) has recently obtained an extraordinary document in Italian that dates back to just under 20 years ago (See illustration). It is a San Marino Postal Administration statement, posted on the official website of the government of San Marino, which warned anyone from sending money to the pirate station Radio San Marino International (RSMI) which claimed to broadcast from this tiny enclave inside Italy. RSMI was short lived and the reason was just that official release from the national postal administration of San Marino. The document says with certainty, that the transmissions were undoubtedly "pirate", since no authorization had ever been granted by the San Marino authorities to any broadcaster. There is no reason to doubt about that assertion. Not the same can be said instead about another statement: “The broadcasts were never made from the territory of San Marino”. According to the former operators of RSMI – their broadcasts were instead really indeed originating from San Marino. It should be mentioned that the document was posted on 22 December 1997, the day after the second of only two official broadcasts in Italian, English and German, which were aired according to the following schedule: Saturday, December 20, 1997, at 20: 00-24 : 00 UTC on 7580 kHz LSB and Sunday, December 21, 1997, at 04: 00-07: 00 UTC on 7580 kHz LSB; at 0700-1000 on 7440 kHz LSB and 0700-1700 on 11410 kHz USB. It is quite doubtful that the San Marino authorities have indeed checked that the broadcasts of Radio San Marino International were not originating from the small republic territory. Probably, the true intent of that official statement, which was then actually realized, was to scare the operators of RSMI, which never would have expected a reaction so quick and angry by the San Marino government. The statement in fact not only emphazised the illegality of the broadcasts but warned listeners to refrain from sending money to RSMI. That is really funny : it seems that the San Marino authorities have conjectured that the operators of RSMI were scammers with the aim of extorting money from listeners. In reality, the "money" required by RSMI, was nothing more than the equivalent of a postage stamp for sending a QSL card. It appears even ridiculous the allegation that the transmissions were radiated "from leased sites in some countries of Central Europe, probably from Germany" . This assertion, probably was based solely on the fact that the mailbox announced on the air was in a city of Germany (Mainz). The release also says that there will be a full investigation. However, it seems the authorithy of San Marino have come to nothing, except for the sudden cessation of all of Radio San Marino International activities, which was on the air on the shortwave bands of 41 and 25 meters, not only on the dates included in the official statement, but also on 19 October 1997 and 9 November, 1997. In fact, after the publication of the statement, of which there is also an English version, the operators of Radio San Marino International, who received about 700 reception reports, not only immediately decided to stop their transmissions but also removed all information about their programs, they have included on a dedicated website. The confirmation of this, is also found on the KIWI Radio Weekly (edition 31 January, 1998), which contained the following message received by Radio San Marino International operators: "Due to excessive reaction of the San Marino government and postal authority, RSMI is forced to stop its broadcasts until further notice" (Antonello Napolitano, Jan DX Fanzine [with repro of the original government document in Italian] via WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DXLD) ** SEYCHELLES [non]. U.K. Reception of FEBA Radio, Radio Sama BaBcoCk, Jan 26, 0800-0830 15260 WOF 200 kW / 107 deg to N/ME Arabic, strong: http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/01/reception-of-feba-radio-radio-sama.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, Sofia, Bulgaria, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SIKKIM. 4835, AIR Gangtok, Jan 31. Yes, with ABC gone, is now possible to hear this station that was rarely reported in the past. Today with positive reception; above threshold level, but not quite readable. Ideal reception for me, as my local sunrise was at 1510 UT. Highlights: 1437-1445: monologue. 1445-1450: subcontinent music/singing. 1450-1457: another monologue. 1457-1512: beautiful selection of sitar music; all instrumental, no singing at all. 1512: tones to start the audio feed from New Delhi (commercial announcements, 1515 news in Hindi and 1530 news in English). 1512+ // 4760, 4810, 4895, 4910 (still just open carrier), 4920, 4970, 5010, 5040, 5050, 9865 (as usual, AIR Bengaluru was heard with ads and news in Hindi, but did not carry the 1530 news in English). Off the air today were 4950 and 9380 (Ron Howard, Calif., dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see INDIA ** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. 9955, WRMI Radio Miami Int’l (presumed); 2123, 30-Jan; Bro. HyStairical ragging on Reagan; “Unfortunately Hinckley was a bad shot & Reagan survived.” SIO=4+54 (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 185' RW + 125' bow-tie, ----- All logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time! -----, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SPAIN [and non]. 9690, Sat Jan 28 at 1915, REE with SBG at S8, while 15390 is a JBA carrier, and 15500 a JJBA carrier. Earlier scanning the 16m band, NOTHING! Except a JBA carrier on 17755.6, perhaps a birdie instead of off-frequency REE (at 1903 tried 13m and had only JBA carriers from 21675 WRMI and 21610 WHRI, typically now) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Glenn, Was interested in your REE observations, as I was listening earlier. On Jan 28, on 15500, had fair reception 1529-1544, per attached brief audio clip. Their weekend signal doing well here on the west coast. My local sunrise at 1512 UT (Ron Howard, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The 15 MHz frequencies are also much better here before 1800, unlike 9690. O, 17755.0 would have been off after 1900 anyway, changed to 11685, both of which are always weakest here at wrong azimuth (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9690, REE. Enero 28. 2220-2230 UT. Informaciones acerca de la reunión del Presidente de Ecuador, Rafael Correa en Madrid y sus declaraciones acerca de las relaciones económicas. A las 0224: ID. “Radio Nacional de España”. Luego informaciones del aumento de ventas de la novela “1984” debido a la llegada de Trump a la presidencia de Estados Unidos. Y otras noticias de tipo cultural y cinematográfico. A las 2230, “Cultura con eñe, Radio Nacional de España”. SINPO: 52542 con mucho QRM desde CRI en 9685 // 15390 SINPO: 55555 // 15500 SINPO: 35443 (RX: TECSUN PL-660; ANT: Hilo de 70 metros de largo; Barraza Bajo, IV Región, Chile) (Claudio Galaz T., condiglista yg via DXLD) ** SRI LANKA. Reception of Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation SLBC City FM, Jan 25: 1630-1730 on 11750 TRM 125 kW / 345 deg to N/ME Sinhala and off air, ex 1630-1830 http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/01/reception-of-sri-lanka-broadcasting.html (Ivo Ivanov, Bulgaria, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DXLD) ** SUDAN SOUTH [non]. Eye Radio: 1600-1700 on 15250 ISS 250 kW / 130 deg to EaAf Arabic/English* *including other languages Dinka/Nuer/Shilluk/Bari/Zande/ Lutoho (Ivo Ivanov, Bulgaria, Jan 30, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DXLD) ** SWAZILAND [non]. TAJIKISTAN, 7245. Jan 29 at 0318, Voice of Tajik, Dushanbe, in Tajik language. Woman annnouncer talks; Local songs; 0328 Man talks till 0330. Station with very poor signal and barely audible, 25441 (Rare, 25442). Note and help to Glenn, Wolfgang, Ivanov & others: At 0330 starts an IS of TWR, presumably; Man talks, preaching, says Jesus; 0344 a song; 0345 IS and sign-off. Good signal and fair modulation, blocking all transmission of Voice of Tajik, 45433. Resume: Station on 7245, 0330-0345 UT, in African language. Aoki and EiBi, nothing says; WRTH 2017 Lists says TWR, relay Maiac-MDA (page 574), but there´s no TWR sked 0330-0345 on 7245 (only 9400 kHz, Maiac, WRTH page 488). It´s a change of frequency? Presumably! SWAZILAND(*) ? 7245. Jan 30 at 0328, TWR Swaziland, Maiac, in Amharic. Open carrier; 0329 IS, ID: TWR Swaziland (all in english). 0330 A song; Woman announcer talks in Amharic, presumably; 0342 A short song; 0345 IS and sign-off. Confirmed by Twente WebSDR on 7249,06. Parallel on 9400kHz, Maiac, sign-off. Note:(*) WRTH 2017, TWR Africa in Swaziland, page 490, refers TWR sked to South Africa (DXer: Jose Ronaldo Xavier (JRX).Location: Cabedelo- PB, Brazil (UTC-3). RX (s): Degen DE1103 & Tecsun S-2000, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) MOLDOVA, TWR Africa daily 0320-0350 towards Ethiopia, 7245 kHz, 9400 kHz, via Grigoriopol Maiac Pridnestrovskiy Radiotelecentr (PRTC) in Moldova. Amharic Mon, Fri, Sun. Oromo Tue, Sat? Sidamo Wed, Thur. 7245 0320 0350 48 KCH 300 155 0 156 1234567 301016 260317 Mul MDA TWR RAM RR to PRTC Pridnestrovskiy Radiotelecentr Grigoriopol Maiac, Pridnestrovie Moldova. QSL by V/S: Sergey Omelchenko, Technical Director of Pridnestrovskiy Radiotelecentr (PRTC) (Wolfgang Büschel, ibid.) ** TAIWAN [non]. 11580, Jan 26 at 0100, WRMI is JBA carrier, so can`t tell whether the PCJ Radio International special for Chinese New Year is airing as publicized. Normally 6855 would be // during this hour, and it has a gospel huxter, presumably `Sounding the Alarm` as scheduled. Walt Salmaniw in BC replied about 11580, ``Just barely audible here, Glenn, so I checked the half dozen or so remote Perseus receivers in North America and found one in Rochester, NY. Fair signal, and clearly a huxter . . . at 0124 UT 26 Jan 2017`` Then Gilles Letourneau in Québec replied, ``Hello Glenn, I did receive today the Near Years Special from PCJ around 2200 UT [Wed] on 11580 and I did receive it last night [UT Wed] around 0100 UT 11580. Was pretty good up here in Montreal`` The WRMI schedule just shows `Media Network Plus` but we know these hours can also be occupied by other PCJRI produxions. Wed 2200, MN+ is scheduled on 5950, but UT Wed at 0100 on 11580 is a scheduled MN+ time anyway. So Gilles heard it 24 hours earlier than publicized for the special. WRMI`s own schedules show all these regular times for MN+: Wed 0100 11580 Wed 2200 5950 Thu 0700 5850 7730 [as heard but shows as `Fri 0700``], also 6855 Thu 2000 11580 Fri 2300 9955 [NOT at 2200! in winter] Some of these may also be on unpublicized // 6855. The PCJ website does not show all these times: ``PCJ Radio International twice weekly North American broadcasts Catch PCJ Radio International twice weekly to North America. Wednesday - 0100UTC on 11580khz Friday - 2200UTC on 9955khz PCJ Radio International will present a special program for Chinese New Years Eve for the Year of the Rooster. Extra MV/FM and shortwave frequencies have been added North America 0100 - 0200 UTC Frequency: 11580 kHz Date: January 26, 2017 0100 - 0200 UTC Frequency 7570 kHz Date: January 27, 2017`` So was it already on 7570 at 0100 UT Thu Jan 26? Did not check. Or does the date for that really mean UT Fri Jan 27? Maybe the dates on the website are NAm time, despite the times being UT. That could mean the 0100 airing on 11580 is still coming UT Jan 27, and the 7570 at 0100 will be UT Jan 28. UT dates/days/times MUST always match lest there be confusion like this. And is the CNY special supposed to occupy all the ``non-special`` MN+ times as well? 5850 // 6855 // 7730, UT Thu Jan 26 at 0700, there it is! The Chinese NY special, with Keith Perron about the traits of rooster-people, and explaining the dozen animals correlating with humans in a 12-year cycle; along with SFX and light-hearted music. Do Chinese really believe this nonsense, or just consider it a fun tradition? 6855 as always much weaker than the others. 7570, Jan 27 at 0100 on WRMI, usual VG signal aimed right across us, with the PCJ Radio International Chinese New Year special, at the publicized time and frequency (unlike 24 hours earlier, no-show on 11580). Keith Perron leads up to a drawing for a Sangean SW radio, among those who send in for an e-QSL with answers to which animal matches their birth year. Also there are five varieties of roosters, so that distinguishes 12 x 5 different cycles. 7730 // 6855 // 5850, UT Fri Jan 27 at 0708, WRMI is again playing `Viva Miami` in Spanish about Chequia, rather than `Media Network Plus` as on the skedgrid which axually runs consistently 24 hours earlier on Thu. 0715 into `World Music` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** THAILAND. 8743-USB, Bangkok Meteorological Radio, 1341, Jan 31. In English; marine weather for shipping; ending with their address: "Telecommunication and Information Technology Bureau, 4353 Sukhumvit Road, Bangna District, Bangkok, Thailand 10260"; 1342 played their IS; most days have fair reception; they have other segments in other languages (Ron Howard, Calif., dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** THAILAND. 13745, Radio Thailand in English language, via IBB BBG US relay at Udorn Thani Ban Dung site, business news heard at 0023 UT on Jan 30. Industry 2016 year review, increased income in touristic industry too. S=7-8 signal on remote South Korean SDR unit [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz] (Wolfgang Büschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Jan 30, via DXLD) ** TURKEY. 5960, Voice of Turkey at 2250 on early for their English service with their Turkish service with Turkish pop music to 2253 and a woman with closing announcements and into their Middle Eastern music IS and ID loop to time pips at 2300 and a man with ID, sked, web and contact info, and program highlights then a man with news at 2302 – Very Good Jan 24 – It isn’t often we catch a reputable international shortwave broadcaster screwing up like this (Mark Coady, Selwyn, Ontario, Drake SPR4 Receiver, Drake TR7, Kenwood TS440S, and YouKits TJ5A Transceivers, AEA AT-300 and MFJ-941E Manual Tuners, LDG Z-100 Plus Auto Tuner, 40 meter and 80 meter off centre-fed dipoles, ODXA yg via DXLD) In the case of VOT, it *is* often, cf. my numerous logs, more often starting a frequency late than early (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) 12035.028, Thu Jan 26 at 1343, VOT ending news in English, on to `The Middle East through Turkey`s Window`, commentary about Syria and PKK, always denounced as Terrorists. 1350 on to next segment `Turkey and Eurasia`, analyzing public diplomacy activities of TRT and other agencies in Kazakhstan. Both these attributed to someone in a department of international relations, at a university? Fair signal with some hum. Does anyone have a current schedule of VOT programs in English, in any form? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UGANDA [non]. 15240, Sat Jan 28 after 1600, UTwente is still running, so I check for R. Munansi via WWRB: nothing, nor at 1741, 1815. At 1902 even here on my own NRD-545, I only get a JBA carrier, presumably that. 15240, Sunday January 29 at 1733, big whine on fair signal from WWRB, instead of R. Munansi; presumably, modulation input problem (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE. UKRAINE COMPLETED CONSTRUCTION OF THE TOWER FOR BROADCASTING ON [sic] THE TERRITORY OF CRIMEA In the Kherson region completed the construction of towers for broadcasting stations on Ukrainian Crimea, said a member of the National Council of Ukraine on television and radio broadcasting Sergei Kostinsky. "Radio transmitting station in the village of Kherson region Chongar height of 150 meters was built. Now comes the installation of the equipment. Since the beginning of February Ukrainian radio signal begins to be delivered to the Crimea. This is the First Channel," Ukrainian Radio ", Meydan, Radio Krym. Realii, the FM Kherson", - I wrote Kostinsky Wednesday to Facebook. According to him, the next stage - the organization of digital TV broadcasting. As stated previously the Crimean authorities, broadcast media in the Crimea Ukrainian territory will be prevented as inconsistent with Russian law. ria.ru (OnAir.ru / http://onair.ru/main/enews/view_msg/NMID__64295/ via RusDX 29 Jan via DXLD) ** U A E. 7319.992, odd frequency from Al Dhabbaya UAE site, FEBA Urdu service daily 0200-0230 UT, noted at 0215 UT endless talk by woman [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz] (Qatar remote, Wolfgang Büschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Jan 30, via DXLD) ** U A E. 9580, Feb 1 at 1428, VP talk in presumed Pashto from DW as scheduled preceded by Dari at 1430, 250 kW, 45 degrees from Dhabbaya; 1429 BaBcoCk music IS, 1430 open carrier to 1431.7* (I misremembered this as BBC on WOR 1863). No longer covered by Radio AUSTRALIA, q.v. (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. UK Punjabi station new on mediumwave --- New on mediumwave here in the UK is Radio Panj, transmitting on 1521 kHz from Coventry in the West Midlands. It's a community station broadcasting almost exclusively in Punjabi though with occasional English ads and announcements, such as the station slogan "Sound of Five Rivers" ['Punjab' literally means 'land of five rivers']. They have a website with live streaming (but no information) at RadioPanj.com. Radio Panj is co-channel with another UK community station, Flame Christian & Community Radio, based in the Wirral in the English northwest (David Kernick, Interval Signals Online, Jan 29, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) There is a LOT of low-power AM activity in the UK we normally don`t cover, but the British DX Club does too (gh, DXLD) ** U K. Due to budget cuts at the BBC, Radio 2 from 00000 UT has started to have pre-recorded programmes. PS: when an elephant walks, it goes trump, trump, trump!!! (Jon Collins, Birmingham UK, Jan 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. Test transmission with BaBcoCk Music on Jan 27 1145-1155 on 11690 WOF 250 kW / unknown to Af, very strong http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/01/test-transmission-with-babcock-music-on.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, Sofia, Bulgaria, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 13564, Jan 28 at 1910, GNK beacon on CW from Madison WI. Frequently scan the HIFER band 13550-13570, but hadn`t heard this or any for some weeks (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. 4930, Jan 30 at 0330, VOA via BOTSWANA starting `International Edition` for Jan 30, topix travel ban, protests, Myanmar, social media trendings. First 5 minutes I hear about acting president Thump`s travel ban and protests over the weekend seem even- handed. Better signal than usual on this frequency, and surely the best of any to hear VOA at this hour (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Hi Glen[n] - I may have missed it in one of your past bulletins, but I saw a report on MSNBC's Rachel Maddow show last night which noted that the defense spending bill which was signed by President Obama contained a line buried deep down in the thousands of pages which will allow the VOA to begin broadcasting to the U.S. and would also eliminate the Broadcasting Board of Governors who determine programming. President Obama apparently signed the bill with along with a noted objection to that line item. It now appears that President Trump's new administration is in the process of eliminating the Broadcasting Board Governors and replacing them with two very young Republican operatives. Any idea what is to come of the VOA and its 8 million dollar budget? Will it become the "Voice of Trump's America" along with all the alternate facts? Thanks for your work (Bill - WPE4FSJ/WPC4SC, Jan 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn, Have you heard what's happened at VOA? Buried in the defense bill passed by Congress in November is a provision abolishing the Broadcasting Board of Governors. It was replaced this week by a CEO, appointed by the President. I understand that the CEO office is presently occupied by two Trump campaign volunteers (one, a blogger for "The Daily Surge"), both in their 20s. It's a sad day for those of us who used to respect the VOA. Has there been nothing from Kim Elliott on this? Poor guy -- Perhaps he's in shock (Ken Alyta, Jan 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Re: BBG Announces New Acting Board Chairman ``WASHINGTON - The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) today announced the unanimous election of Kenneth Weinstein, who has served as a Board Member since October 2013, to the position of Acting Board Chairman, effective immediately.[...] ``Does this have any particular current political significance? (gh)`` I would say: No, since it's only an Acting Board because Obama made this objection to the transformation of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (which is supposed to be only the general name of the agency anymore) into an International Broadcasting Advisory Board: "While my Administration supports the empowerment of a Chief Executive Officer with the authority to carry out the BBG's important functions, the manner of transition prescribed by section 1288 raises constitutional concerns related to my appointments and removal authority. My Administration will devise a plan to treat this provision in a manner that mitigates the constitutional concerns while adhering closely to the Congress's intent." https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/12/23/statement-president-signing-national-defense-authorization-act-fiscal So he did not like that he was not supposed to immediately fire them all during his last four weeks, or what?? "The head of the Broadcasting Board of Governors shall be a Chief Executive Officer, who shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, until such time as a Chief Executive Officer is appointed and has qualified, the current or acting Chief Executive Officer appointed by the Board may continue to serve and exercise the authorities and powers under this Act." and "The presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed members of the Board of the Broadcasting Board of Governors who are serving on unexpired terms as of the date of the enactment of this section shall— “(A) constitute the first Advisory Board; and “(B) hold office for the remainder of their original terms of office without reappointment to the Advisory Board." https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/2943/text Will be interesting to see what's next (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 27, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Re 17-04, Dan Robinson on VOA & Trump: In college, I took Soccer 101. One of the first things we American college students learned was what Europeans have known since childhood: Don't kick the soccer ball with your toe. The small surface area of the toe provides little control over the ball, so it might go left, right, or center. Instead, kick with the side of your foot. The increased surface area provides much more control over the direction of the ball. The bipartisan US Broadcasting Board of Governors, like the boards that govern public broadcasting organizations throughout the world, is like the side of one's foot. It guided US international broadcasting generally in the direction of reliable journalism, no matter who occupied the White House. Now, with a politically appointed CEO, US international broadcasting is again being kicked by a toe. One CEO might kick it towards straight news. The next CEO may kick it to the Right. The CEO after that may kick it to the Left. This lack of consistency will kill credibility. As I recently wrote [Dec 21, 2016] in the USC CPS Blog: "Credibility can be lost in a matter of weeks. It will take decades to restore." I.e., not in my lifetime. http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/blog/farewell-firewall (Kim Elliott, Jan 28, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) And this is supposed to be the fix for all long-standing problems and defects. Has ever an explanation been given for this expectation? I have not seen one, although I may have overlooked it within all the rumble that has meanwhile turned into plain hate speech. I found these closing remarks quite depressing. Already the events of last weekend tell a lot. Excerpts from the first Sean Spicer statement are posted to Twitter. In the case of other news organizations they would have been taken as original source material, published without comment for the own judgement of the audiences. Which, I think there is little doubt about it, was the intention of the VOA editors as well. You have seen how these tweets have been received. "Are you part of the press or are you propaganda now?" etc. etc. (Kai Ludwig, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. VoA in Deutsch, heute 75. Jahrestag heute früh um 09.05 MEZ als DLF Kalenderblatt Beitrag "stream" mit Click auf 'HÖREN' den embedded player oder direkt hier mit VLC player gehört: http://dradiohls-vh.akamaihd.net/i/2017/02/01/vor_75_jahren_die_voice_of_america_startet_programm_in_dlf_20170201_0905_f2cd4316.mp4/master.m3u8 "Voice of America" startet Programm in deutscher Sprache: http://www.deutschlandradiokultur.de/vor-75-jahren-voice-of-america-sendet-erstmals-auf-deutsch.932.de.html?dram:article_id=377816 73 wb df5sx (Wolfgang Büschel, Feb 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) VOICE OF AMERICA CELEBRATES 75 YEARS WASHINGTON D.C., February 1, 2017 -- Today the Voice of America (VOA) celebrates 75 years on the air. From its first 15-minute radio broadcast in German in 1942, VOA has grown into a multimedia international broadcast service providing programming and content in 47 languages on multiple platforms, including radio, television, and mobile. On that first broadcast, announcer William Harlan Hale set the standard for all future VOA programs when he told his audience: "We bring you Voices from America. Today, and daily from now on, we shall speak to you about America and the war. The news may be good for us. The news may be bad. But we shall tell you the truth." Today those words carry the weight of the VOA Charter that requires VOA, by law, to "serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news." What's more, VOA news must "be accurate, objective, and comprehensive." "It's been 75 years since we first began broadcasting objective news and information around the world," said VOA Director Amanda Bennett. "And now, I think what we do here is more important than ever." Over the years, VOA correspondents and freelance reporters in many parts of the world have been on the scene to cover major world events. In 1989, VOA East European correspondent Jolyon Naegele reported on demonstrations in Czechoslovakia and the fall of the communist government. That same year on the other side of the world, VOA increased programming and added staff to its Beijing bureau, to cover the demonstrations in Tiananmen Square. VOA Beijing Bureau Chief Al Pessin was expelled from China for his reporting. Today VOA broadcasters use television and radio studios at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. to broadcast news and other programming through 2,500 television and radio affiliate stations around the world. At the same time, they provide content for mobile devices and interact with their audiences through social media. In 2016, the Voice of America's weekly audience across all platforms averaged more than 236 million people worldwide. Click here for more information on Voice of America's 75 years of history http://www.insidevoa.com/p/6370.html and here for a short video on its history. http://www.insidevoa.com/a/history-voa-75th-anniversary/3700428.html VOA reaches a global weekly audience of more than 236 million people in over 40 languages. VOA programs are delivered on satellite, cable, shortwave, FM, medium wave, streaming audio and video on more than 2,500 media outlets worldwide. It is funded by the U.S. Congress through the Broadcasting Board of Governors (VOA PR via WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DXLD) In reply to a PR-message from the Voice of America on their 75th anniversary, I wrote on 1 February 2017: "You might be interested in knowing that Radiokurier, the remaining major magazine on international broadcasting, published an article on the occasion of 75 years of the Voice of America. Having been a short wave listener for four decades, and a VoA medium wave listener when VoA Europe was broadcast on your Munich relay station, I would like to extend warm greetings to the VoA staff. Given the many other US short wave stations with their conspiracy theories, far right talk and Christian fundamentalism, we certainly need a Voice from America that brings us the full spectrum of voices from America. Technological and political developments certainly did not favour the VoA I used to know and value. So I celebrate the VoA for their better years." In less than one hour (!) I got a personal response: "Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and your magazine article with us on the occasion of VOA’s 75th anniversary." So, BBG watchers, there a parts of the VoA that are still "functional". Maybe, listeners will consider it worthwhile to remind US embassies in their countries that we appreciated a Voice of America conforming with its Charter before it is made a trumpet for Donald Trump, although I know the US president prefers twitter. When I attended international conferences, I routinely identified myself as a listener to international services of the respective countries. Most representatives were not aware that their national radio had this kind of soft diplomacy (Dr Hansjoerg Biener 1 February 2017, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. HERE ARE THE HACKS IN CHARGE OF BROADCASTING TRUMP'S PROPAGANDA INTERNATIONALLY --- Trump Appointed Two Campaign Aides To Oversee The Transition Of The Broadcasting Board Of Governors Blog ››› 4 hours 17 min ago ››› MATT GERTZ https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2017/02/01/here-are-hacks-charge-broadcasting-trumps-propaganda-internationally/215206 The work of the U.S. government’s largest public diplomacy program is currently being reviewed by two of President Donald Trump’s former campaign aides. It would be difficult for the administration to have found less qualified candidates for the job. The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), whose mission is to “inform, engage, and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy,” oversees a global network of broadcasters. Through Voice of America, a government-run news agency that provides the world with news about the United States and its policies, and nonprofit grantees like Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which works to inform foreign populations that lack a free press about the news in their own nations, BBG reaches an audience of 278 million people in 100 countries and 61 languages. This is a critical moment for U.S. public diplomacy. Russia is fighting an information war in Europe and across the world in order to produce electoral victories for favored political parties and candidates. China continues to expand its economic influence in Asia and Africa. The Islamic State group uses a vast social media apparatus to recruit new adherents to violent extremism. U.S. efforts to counter those challenges depend in part on ensuring that accurate, meaningful information is conveyed to foreign communities. As the new administration takes over that vast apparatus, it has deputized Matthew Ciepielowski and Matthew Schuck “to the CEO suite at the BBG where they will work with senior management” to oversee the transition, Politico reported. "As is routine for many federal agencies during any presidential transition, yesterday we welcomed the two-person landing team from the Trump administration," BBG CEO John F. Lansing said in a statement to the publication. "We look forward to working with them as we continue to fulfill our mission, and support the independence of our journalists around the world." Lansing joined the BBG in 2015 following nine years as president of Scripps Networks, where he oversaw a $2.5 billion portfolio of six cable television networks and a digital division. Before that, he managed 10 television stations. He also had experience running a marketing association composed of 90 U.S. and Canadian television programmers. He got his start as a field producer in broadcast television and worked his way through newsrooms in that industry. In short, Lansing has decades of experience managing media bureaucracies, working with foreign journalism outlets, and working as a reporter himself. Trump has sent two hacks with little to no experience in journalism and none at all in public diplomacy or international relations to review Lansing’s work. Matt Ciepielowski: The Ineffectual Political Operative Ciepielowski is a 2011 graduate of Quinnipiac University, where he majored in political science and public relations, according to his LinkedIn profile. He was news editor and senior managing editor for the Quinnipiac Chronicle; the school paper’s archive shows his byline on 11 news stories or opinion pieces between September 2010 and March 2011. He once interned with the marketing firm Silver Lake Productions. That is the sum total of what could, under the most charitable circumstances, be described as his journalism background. In an unusual twist for someone now helping to oversee a massive U.S. public diplomacy effort, Ciepielowski titled one of his college opinion pieces “Truth doesn’t kill people, our government does.” In that essay, Ciepielowski praises Wikileaks for releasing U.S. diplomatic cables, disparages Julian Assange’s arrest on Swedish rape charges, and states that the U.S. military “has killed thousands upon thousands of innocent civilians” in Afghanistan. After graduation, Ciepielowski spent three and a half years as a field organizer, first for former Rep. Ron Paul’s (R-TX) presidential campaign in Louisiana and then for the Koch brothers’ organization Americans for Prosperity in New Hampshire. In March 2015, he became one of the first hires to Trump’s presidential campaign when he was named New Hampshire state director. Corey Lewandowski’s hiring was announced the same day. Ciepielowski does not appear to have been very good at his job. During the New Hampshire primary, a more veteran operative was moved into the state due to reported fears that Ciepielowski was “in over his head.” Trump won the primary and Ciepielowski remained in the role, but he still didn’t seem to make much of an impact. In August, he was the subject of a Politico article detailing how “Veteran Republican operatives and key leaders from several critical battleground states say that at best, they've never heard of Trump's state directors or have only limited familiarity with them — and at worst, they know them, and question their ability to do the job.” Ciepielowski was also a central figure in a Trump campaign finance scandal. In July, experts highlighted “red flags” in Trump’s Federal Election Commission filings, including a potentially illegal pattern of “what appeared to be double reimbursements” for the same employee expenses, according to CNBC. Ciepielowski “received the most money, bringing in $7,199 — all tax free,” according to the channel. The Trump campaign paid Ciepielowski nearly $200,000 for his work, federal filings show. It’s unclear whether Ciepielowski’s radical theories about the correct size of government allow room for public diplomacy. During a 2014 appearance on the libertarian Rebel Love Show, Ciepielowski was asked, “Are you participating [in politics] because you want to do whatever you can and take it down from within?” He replied, “It doesn’t even necessarily have to be take it down -- I want to do whatever I can to lessen the boot of the state on people’s throats as we go along.” Asked, “If you could get rid of that boot, would you?” he responded, “Once we get the government down to 20 percent, 10 percent, 5 percent of the size it is now, then I would be more ready to have that conversation.” Matt Schuck: The Right-Wing Media Hack After graduating in 2012 from Montgomery College, where he studied broadcast radio and mass communications, Schuck rotated between jobs in the right-wing media and conservative and corporate public relations gigs before becoming Trump’s Wisconsin communications director in August. Schuck got his start in radio, helping launch the Heritage Foundation’s show and working as an executive producer for the Virginia-based right-wing radio host John Fredericks. He has flacked for the Koch-funded Conservative Veterans for America and for the Online Lenders Alliance, the trade organization for the disreputable payday-lending industry. Between PR jobs, Schuck spent 18 months working for second-tier conservative media outlets. First he was a staff writer at Jason Mattera’s Daily Surge. Mattera was once a conservative wunderkind, becoming the editor of the venerable right-wing magazine Human Events in 2010, at age 26. He was terminated two years later, soon after accidentally conducting an ambush interview of a Bono impersonator (he thought he was actually ambushing Bono). At Daily Surge, Schuck produced garden-variety right-wing clickbait and aggregation, along with a hefty helping of culture war outrage. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to get him a job as a political correspondent at One America News Network (OANN), the then-two-year- old conservative cable news network which has positioned itself as a more conservative competitor to Fox News. At OANN, Schuck conducted softball interviews with a wide variety of Republican and conservative leaders, including Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Citizens United’s David Bossie, and American Conservative Union’s Matt Schlapp. One such interview stands out. In September 2015, Trump announced that he had decided to boycott Fox News for “treating me very unfairly.” Fox responded by saying that Trump’s tweet came after the network had canceled a scheduled interview with him because of his “personal attacks on our anchors and hosts.” While Fox tried to patch things up, Trump did an interview with Schuck instead. Schuck introduced the segment by stating that Trump had just appeared before “a room packed full of supporters” to discuss, among other topics, “why Donald Trump will make America great again.” In the interview, Schuck offered Trump an open forum to discuss his grievances with Fox and repeat talking points. He also interviewed a Trump supporter. Schuck closed the segment by declaring that “one thing is clear: Donald Trump is in it to win it.” WATCH: My interview with @realDonaldTrump discussing his boycott of Fox News and #2016 https://t.co/MXXUCect3b — Matt Schuck (@MattSchuckDC) September 24, 2015 Trump apparently enjoyed the interview: @realDonaldTrump told me that I was a young O'Reilly in training today! — Matt Schuck (@MattSchuckDC) September 24, 2015 A few weeks later, Schuck highlighted Trump’s praise of OANN: The Donald has chosen his favorite network @OANN https://t.co/pDkqeSSEyP — Matt Schuck (@MattSchuckDC) October 14, 2015 Schuck left OANN the next month to become communications director for the Online Lenders Alliance. In August 2016, he joined the Trump campaign. And now he’s helping to lay the groundwork for our international public diplomacy efforts (via WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. WORLD OF RADIO 1862 monitoring: confirmed Thursday January 26 at 2130 on WRMI 11580, good. Not completely confirmed, UT Fri Jan 27 at 0030 on WBCQ 9330v-CUSB; something is there, JBA, presumably me. Also confirmed, Fri Jan 27 at 2230 on new triple- frequency WRMI airing: 11580 at S9+10, 6855 at less than S9, 5950 at less than S8. Also confirmed UT Fri Jan 28 at 0030 on WBCQ 9330v-CUSB, JBA (at 0243 during BS, measured on 9329.79, constantly varying) Next: Sat 0730 HLR 6190-CUSB to SW Sat 1530 HLR 7265-CUSB to SW Sat 2030v WA0RCR 1860-AM ND Sat 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Sun 0410v WA0RCR 1860-AM ND Sun 1130 HLR 9485-CUSB to SW Mon 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Mon 0400v WBCQ 5130v Area 51 to WSW Mon 0430 WRMI 9955 to SSE Tue 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Tue 0030 WRMI 7730 to WNW Tue 1200 WRMI 9955 to SSE, 6855 to WNW Tue 2130 WRMI 15770 to NE Tue 2300 WRMI 9955 to SSE Wed 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Wed 1030 WRMI 5850 to NW, 6855 to WNW Wed 1415.5 WRMI 9955 to SSE, 6855 to WNW Wed 2200 WBCQ 7490v to WSW Thu 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW WORLD OF RADIO 1862 monitoring: 7265-CUSB, Sat Jan 28 at 1545, checking UTwente web SDR in Holland, can only hear CRI alternating Hindi and Chinese in evident language lesson, not WOR. CRI stops at 1558, and then there is a JBA gh from Hamburger Lokalradio, but still weak CCI, maybe Azad Kashmir. *1600 much stronger CRI cuts on with IS, theme and opening Russian. Next WORLD OF RADIO chances: Sat 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Sun 0410v WA0RCR 1860-AM ND Sun 1130 HLR 9485-CUSB to SW Mon 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Mon 0400v WBCQ 5130v Area 51 to WSW Mon 0430 WRMI 9955 to SSE Tue 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Tue 0030 WRMI 7730 to WNW Tue 1200 WRMI 9955 to SSE, 6855 to WNW Tue 2130 WRMI 15770 to NE Tue 2300 WRMI 9955 to SSE Wed 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Wed 1030 WRMI 5850 to NW, 6855 to WNW Wed 1415.5 WRMI 9955 to SSE, 6855 to WNW Wed 2200 WBCQ 7490v to WSW Thu 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW WORLD OF RADIO 1862 monitoring: confirmed Sat Jan 28 at 2330 on WBCQ 9330v-CUSB, good (remember, one hour earlier than 6 other days of week). Also confirmed UT Sunday January 29 at 0431 on WA0RCR, 1860-AM, MO, about 5 minutes in during CHR item, so started late circa 0426. Heavy CW QRM on both sides due to some 160m contest; it`s amazing how many signals pile up on this band only when there is a contest. Checked earlier at 0122 UT during ARRL News on WA0RCR, the CW continued up to 1880, then phone, mostly SSB. Next: Mon 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Mon 0400v WBCQ 5130v Area 51 to WSW Mon 0430 WRMI 9955 to SSE Tue 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Tue 0030 WRMI 7730 to WNW Tue 1200 WRMI 9955 to SSE, 6855 to WNW Tue 2130 WRMI 15770 to NE Tue 2300 WRMI 9955 to SSE Wed 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Wed 1030 WRMI 5850 to NW, 6855 to WNW Wed 1415.5 WRMI 9955 to SSE, 6855 to WNW Wed 2200 WBCQ 7490v to WSW Thu 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW WORLD OF RADIO 1862 monitoring: confirmed UT Monday January 30 after 0030 on WBCQ 9329.8v-CUSB, but very poor. Also confirmed UT Mon Jan 30 starting at 0406 on Area 51 via WBCQ, 5129.825-AM, S9+10/20 (JL ran late, no ``bye, y`all`` until 0406). I missed checking WRMI, 9955, UT Mon 0430, but it was very weak around 0400. Next: Tue 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Tue 0030 WRMI 7730 to WNW Tue 1200 WRMI 9955 to SSE, 6855 to WNW Tue 2130 WRMI 15770 to NE Tue 2300 WRMI 9955 to SSE Wed 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Wed 1030 WRMI 5850 to NW, 6855 to WNW Wed 1415.5 WRMI 9955 to SSE, 6855 to WNW Wed 2200 WBCQ 7490v to WSW Thu 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn: I wanted to let you know the latest WOR had great reception for today in central New Jersey (1/31/2017) 2130 UT on 15770 (WRMI) UNTIL 2154 UTC. Total fade out. The signal went off a cliff (Charlie Harlich, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WORLD OF RADIO 1862 monitoring: confirmed UT Tue Jan 31 after 0030 on WBCQ, 9329.91v-CUSB, fair at S6; also on WRMI 7730, S9+30 but undermodulated. Also confirmed Tue Jan 31 at 2130 on WRMI 15770, fair (while on 11580 is Frecuencia al Día, good). WOR 1862 also confirmed Tue Jan 31 at 2300 on WRMI 9955, when there is always jamming, heavy pulsing; tnx a lot, Arnie! Also confirmed UT Wed Feb 1 after 0030 on WBCQ 9330v-CUSB, fair. Also confirmed Wed Feb 1 after 1415.5 on WRMI 6855, S6, and // 9955, S9+10, good, no jamming. Also confirmed Wed Feb 1 at 2200 on WBCQ 7490, good. Also confirmed UT Thu Feb 2 at 0031 on WBCQ, 9329.8v-CUSB, fair. WORLD OF RADIO 1864 monitoring: confirmed first SW airing of 1230 Thursday Feb 2 on WRMI 9955: at 1253, S9+10, good, no jamming, // 6855 S9-S8 but sounds much weaker. By 1259 trace of lite jamming on 9955. Next: Thu 2130 WRMI 11580 to NE Fri 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Fri 2230 WRMI 11580 to NE, 6855 to WNW, 5950 to S Sat 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Sat 0730 HLR 6190-CUSB to SW Sat 1530 HLR 7265-CUSB to SW Sat 2030v WA0RCR 1860-AM ND Sat 2330 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Sun 0410v WA0RCR 1860-AM ND Sun 1130 HLR 9485-CUSB to SW Mon 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Mon 0400v WBCQ 5130v Area 51 to WSW Mon 0430 WRMI 9955 to SSE Tue 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Tue 0030 WRMI 7730 to WNW Tue 1200 WRMI 9955 to SSE, 6855 to WNW Tue 2130 WRMI 15770 to NE Tue 2300 WRMI 9955 to SSE Wed 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW Wed 1030 WRMI 5850 to NW, 6855 to WNW Wed 1415.5 WRMI 9955 to SSE, 6855 to WNW Wed 2200 WBCQ 7490v to WSW Thu 0030 WBCQ 9330v-CUSB to WSW (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. (7490) webcast since I`m at the computer, UT Sat Jan 28 at 0120 from WBCQ, Allan Weiner is saying a number of projects are planned for this summer at Monticello, including something he can`t talk about that will change everything for shortwave radio, if it works (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 7490, Jan 28 at 0227 as I tune past BS on WBCQ, he`s claiming to be on WRMI for 240 hours a day, and needs reception reports to evaluate what to do over the next year. Obvious very outdated playback, but who cares? At yearend he dropped from ten transmitters at a time (24 x 10 = 240) to approximately 4 (sometimes 5, sometimes 3 or 2). So must have concluded he was Overkilling on WRMI (tho some frequencies dropped in the daytime were the best ones). I`m not taking time to compute it, but would not be surprised if present usage via WRMI amounts to a lower multiple of 24, like 96 hpd. 9329.635v-CUSB, Jan 29 at 1415, WBCQ BS has drifted much lower than usual; in fact quite listenable on 9329.666 where I tuned it first, ha3 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Hello Glenn, My former colleague's program The Global Research News Hour produced at CKUW-FM in Winnipeg as a collaboration with globalresearch.ca will be on WBCQ in a one time set of transmissions: 7490 Khz Wed Feb 1 8-9 pm Eastern (0100 UT [Thu] Feb 2nd) 5130 Khz Fri Feb 3 9-10 pm Eastern (0200 UT [Sat] Feb 4th) My Xmas/New Year's present to him also marks an item off of my bucket list. Hope all is well (or well enough), (David Tymoshchuk, Jan 31, WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 6855, Jan 28 at 1919, JBA signal from WRMI. I`m still waiting for anyone closer to Okee to confirm what`s on this during the daytime, but I hear a trace of music, not // to 11825, so it`s not Brother Scare, presumably World Music. Sked grid shows System B at 12- 20 UT, which at 12-15 means the same programming variety as on 9955, but at 15-22 that`s back to BS. 11580 // 6855, Mon Jan 30 at 2224, WRMI playing World Music, from Mideast to African; 2230 both into `Christian New Age Radio` with Rev. Frederick (with an E) Moe (not spelt, but presumably). It`s the same episode #2 as heard before. Nice low-key N.A. music plays continuously including underneath Moe when he is speaking, also low-key. He`s trying to be inclusive, building bridges, rather than exclusive. Quite pleasant compared to so many screaming gospel huxters. There is still no full sked for this hour on these two frequencies, but it may be the same as virtually inaudible 5950, which has blank spaces for 2230-2300 on Mon & Tue. I can`t find this program anywhere on WRMI`s current schedules, 9955 or otherwise, nor on the initial Programming page. It looks like CNAR expired after two episodes as the latest file on the WRMI server is dated November 2; but still can appear as filler. 15770, Tue Jan 31 at 2123, WRMI, VP S6 signal with `Wavescan` this week on the history of defunct Radio Australia. There will be many more opportunities to hear it better (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also AUSTRALIA, SLOVAKIA, UKRAINE for more items concerning WRMI ** U S A. 5830, Jan 27 at 0435, WTWW-1 is distorted and splattering at least plus/minus 10 kHz, during PPP singing his adaptation into ``This land is His land ---``. Such a corruption and ``Rawhide`` [non] show up frequently (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9475, WTWW Lebanon TN (presumed); 1621, 28-Jan; Permanently Prone & Possibly Petrified Pastor Pete Peters Preaching Pretentious Pontifications; said that hospitals are snake dens & if you go to one use an alias because hospitals sometimes kill people on purpose. S20 (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 185' RW + 125' bow-tie, ----- All logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time! -----, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9930, Sat Jan 28 at 1859, WTWW-2 with Bob Heil already opening `Theater Organ of the Ozarx` early ``tonight``. Will play recordings from Columbus OH, admittedly with ``patrons in the background``. Cut off at 1929.5 for canned WTWW hype ID and into ``Amateur Radio Newsline #2048 recorded January 27``. Excellent signal, needing only PL-880 with whip, but tuning by at 1913 on the NRD-545, also the inevitable matching spurs on 9942.9 and 9917.1 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 12160, Sat Jan 28 at 1911, no signal from WWCR-2! (13845 and 15825 are VP to JBA; 12105 WTWW is S9+25). Sked for 19-21 Sat on 12160 is Brother Scare as of Jan 1. Maybe another curtailment, but you`d think they`d keep the transmitter on with something (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 3215, UT Sun Jan 29 at 0126, WWRB is still purveying paranoid wacko gospel huxters, two or three guys in a lather about the imminent New World Order, economic collapse, blasting Pope Francis, mobile phones, etc., etc., justified by prophetic Biblical citations. Modulation and hum are awful too as usual (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also UGANDA [non] Sunday 1/29, Crazy Dave failed to vacate 3215 when WWCR came up. In fact Crazy Dave continued on 3215 for 45 minutes. Repeated calls to Crazy Dave was met with a busy signal. It was about a 50/50 mix here in Atlanta. Both programs were unintelligible. Crazy Dave should be REQUIRED to compensate WWCR for the lost Inspirations Across America program that was jammed by him. ALSO he will have to EAT the loss on Pastor Willie Davis's program on his own station. Perhaps a hefty fine from the FCC will get his attention when it eats in to his booze funds (Lou KF4RCA Johnson, WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I rererepeat: there would be no such chance, if WWRB just stayed on 3195 only, and WWCR on 3215 only (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. 9258-9272, multi-carrier tone/whine circa WINB frequency: see UNIDENTIFIED [WORLD OF RADIO 1863] ** U S A. Strong signal of WMLK Radio, Assemblies of Yahweh, Jan 31 2057 & 2156 on 9275 MLK 250 kW / 053 deg to WeEu English Sun-Fri Wrong frequency announcement: 9475 kHz, instead of 9275 kHz and 04-09 morning 9475 MLK 250 kW / 053 deg to WeEu, ALSO IS WRONG! http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/02/usa-strong-signal-of-wmlk-radio.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, QTH: Sofia, Bulgaria, Equipment: Sony ICF-2001D 30 m. long wire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 17775, Jan 31 at 2131, KVOH Spanish is *still* on way late after nominal 1900*, good signal, preacher in Spanish, now best on band with no 17840 Australia. I wonder if they do this to compensate for earlier outages? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 660, Jan 28 at 1936 UT, my MW bandscan downward for skywave signals (after 1540 KXEL IA) finds something here on the E-W antenna, country music and talk seemingly in English at 1939 UT; ads in English at 1942 UT, and ending with something -online.com. The N/S antenna has KSKY The Answer talk from The Metroplex as usual dominant on groundwave, but E/W brings this, also making a 1.2 Hz SAH. I`m thinking it`s got to be KTNN Window Rock AZ, at midday! Not listening long enough to hear some clinching Navajo chanting, but their website is indeed: http://ktnnonline.com/ The only other 660 anywhere around here is 1 kW KCRO Omaha, opposite direxion from Dallas, and Christian in English. So I`m confident it is KTNN, which is 1008 km or 627 miles from here, 50 kW ND but I know groundwave doesn`t even reach into the OK Panhandle. 770 KKOB ought to make it too, but too much QRM. 660, Jan 28 at 2330 UT, I turn on the PL-880 still tuned to 660, and there`s Navajo talk from KTNN AZ, as heard four hours earlier already in English, but nothing unusual now, just before sunset here, and while still on their ND 50 kW day power (sometimes, extending past their own sunset) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. The Paris Review re KCEE, 690 kHz [250/3 watts, Tucson] Mike Powell in The Paris Review, January 25, 2017: Driving around for groceries one afternoon I encountered an interesting AM radio announcement for homeschooling. Not any particular method or approach to homeschooling, but for homeschooling in general. Curious about what other forms of isolation such a station might advertise, I listened further. Following the announcement came a string of foggy, sentimental music that the station, 690 KCEE, refers to as “pop classics.” On AM 690, you might hear a teen idol like Perry Como followed by early-seventies soft rock, or “Earth Angel” followed by a highly polished country ballad — Don Williams singing “I Believe in You” or “I’m Just a Country Boy,” maybe — music unified not by style or time but by the internal suggestion that hardship was over and the rest was dream ... Zonies, Part 4: Lullaby https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2017/01/25/zonies-part-4-lullaby/ (via Kim Elliott, dxldyg via DXLD) Later it`s about --- BRAHMS (gh) ** U S A [and non]. UNIDENTIFIED [eventually IDENTIFIED; read on] 840, UT Jan 27 at 0420 UT, another try to ID the Spanish religious station here sometimes audible with WHAS nulled, having to put up with other CCI and IBOC noise from WCCO. It so happens that with LSB fine tuning in 40-Hz steps on the acceptably misaligned DX-398, these signals fall about halfway between, so I can`t get just-right demodulation. In a fade-up as I tune in during gospel huxter`s monolog about how he started an AM & FM station in Dec 2015. More than once he`s plugging for 33 (rich?) people to support his ministry (bet I know where he got that number), as it`s listener-supported and located in ``Mesa, Arizona`` --- so that fits for the 480-AC phone number previously copied, and which I hear again and again, so I am sure of it: (480) 467-4626, presumably belonging now to someone other than the Anglo woman one lookup led to. {There are only two AM stations licensed to Mesa, neither of which looks likely, so maybe an AM/FM duo somewhere else in the Phœnixplex are his flagships?? There is no 840 in AZ of course, one reason being the 50 kW in Las Vegas NV} I still want to ID this by monitoring / research, but if all else fails, I`ll eventually phone him and ask which 840 station he`s on, KVJY Pharr TX? And he announces a second phone number, of which I am not so certain, (770) 989-4791. That AC is not Albuquerque, but suburban Atlanta GA, which makes no more sense on 840 kHz than (480) does. Into a fade at 0425 UT; back up somewhat at 0433 UT with a program ID ``--- radio`` and a website, neither of which I can copy, both given only once. No more fade-ups caught by 0500 UT Jan 27. 840, Jan 28 at 0240 UT another try. Worse reception tonight until 0300 UT; fade up a bit at 0253 UT can tell praise music is playing instead of verbal proselytizing. At 0259 ID time, mixture from something sounding like WGAU, but that`s not even fuzzy (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 840, Jan 28 at 1406 UT wake-up and tune-in, WHAS ID still propagating a semihour after sunrise here and 1:15 after sunrise in Louisville. I null it and hear a snatch of Spanish, ``--- radio`` with SAHs, still suspecting KVJY Pharr TX in the RGV, but fades leaving a gospel huxter in English, presumably daytimer KWDF Ball LA. (The only other 840 around here, daytimer KTIC in West Point NE, I am ruling out as it`s C&W and ``Rural Radio``, barely audible in full daytime.) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 840, Jan 29 at 1402 UT, WHAS still dominant with news, ID, but nulled, a gospel huxter in English, and in third place some Spanish music, presumably praise from suspected KVJY Pharr TX (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 840, Jan 30 from 1340 UT, another try for the Spanish religious station. With WHAS nulled, at first I hear an English KTIC ID in passing from Nebraska; by 1342 UT fades up some praise music in Spanish, and bits until 1353 UT from suspected KVJY. Night before during SW bandscan 0321-0355 UT Jan 30 I also had DX-398 set up for this, but no shows (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [and non]. 840, Feb 1 at 0436 UT, yet another try to ID the Spanish religious station with WHAS nulled. Non-ID immediately upon tune-in as ``--- radio, la mejor alternativa`` and praise music. 0452 UT sermon, 0454 UT Mesa AZ phone number again, (480) 467-4626, then full source ID as ``Voz y Visión Radio, P O Box ---, La Quinta, California, 92248``. And phone there as (760) 889-4791. That chex for Indio, California area, not AC (770) as first thought (in Spanish it`s virtually impossible to tell a setenta from a sesenta without extremely clear reception --- why don`t they do as the French do and make 70 = sesenta y diez??), and a missed call-letter ID ``--FM, Voz y Visión Radio, tu mejor alternativa`` and fade. Just before 0459 UT legal ID but again I can`t copy the call letters, just ``--- AM 840, mejor alternativa``, back to music. Meanwhile at 0500 UT the Cuban NA is audible mixing, from Santa Clara. Finally I have enough to go on, to nail down whether this is really KVJY Pharr TX, as seems to be the ``only alternative`` not just the best one. Searching on the slogan I get this webpage which is not very informative, http://www.vozyvisionradio.com labeled Indio CA in one spot, Phoenix AZ in another, showing traffic from visitors in Hollywood FL, Bryan TX, Phoenix/Mesa AZ (So do they have stations in these cities too?) Who cares about websites? All that matters is FB, and linx lead to that: https://es-es.facebook.com/pages/Voz-y-Visi%C3%B3n/1457015621208536 https://www.facebook.com/vozvisionministries/?ref=page_internal&hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE&fref=nf This page has the (760) phone number and a city map of presumably La Quinta CA: https://www.facebook.com/vozvisionministries/about/?ref=page_internal So are their flagship AM & FM stations in Mesa/Phoenix, or La Quinta/Indio CA? These are way out east near Coachella, Palm Springs, Joshua Tree NM, etc. Looking thru listings for La Quinta and Indio, I don`t see any obvious matches, but maybe this translator per FCC FM Query: K300CW CA INDIO FX LIC Licensee: ONDAS DE VIDA NETWORK, INC. Channel/Class: 300D Frequency: 107.9 MHz [Nuggets pulled out of FB:] Organización religiosa en La Quinta (California) 4.8 NUESTRO MINISTERIO ESTA DEDICADO A PREDICAR EL EVANGELIO UTILIZANDO MEDIOS DE COMUNICACION TANTO DE RADIO Y TELEVISION Voz y Visión 29 de diciembre de 2016 Atención McAllen, Corpus Christi, Webb, Laredo, Harlingen, Brownsville, Kingsville, Texas y todos sus alrededores. Desde hoy 29 de Noviembre pueden sintonizar y disfrutar de una nueva estación de radio: 840 AM Voz y Visión Radio Teléfono en cabina McAllen (956) 616- 5573. Y en Reynosa, Tamaulipas (899) 454-2569. Gratis para toda la Republica Mexicana 01-800-681-1746 [never heard any of those mentioned; this one includes a KVJY coverage map showing all the way up the TX Gulf Coast, clinched!] Voz y Visión 26 de diciembre de 2016 Atención Odessa, Midland, Texas y pueblos alrededor! Voz y Visión Radio empieza sus transmisiones a partir del día 2 de enero de 2017. Frecuencia 810 AM [i.e. KXOI Crane TX 1000/500 U3 Odessa was R. Alabanza per NRC AM Log] Voz y Visión en Albuquerque. 18 de diciembre de 2016 Muy bien día! Voz y Vision está en Albuquerque NM. Estaremos revisando las nuevas instalaciones de nuestro ministerio en esta ciudad. Ya en unos días más podrás sintonizar 1310 AM. Por hoy está en silencio debido a la espera de los últimos documentos de la FCC. Siga orando por nosotros. Seguimos un un recorrido para ver dos frecuencias más en Texas! [KKNS Corrales NM 5000/500 U2, ABQ, was Radio El Camino -- NRC AM Log] Voz y Visión 4 de octubre de 2016 Las señal de Arizona 1340 AM y 102.9fm han regresado al aire! Ya puedes aibtonizarlas [sic] [So must be: 1340 KIKO Apache Junxion 1000/930 U1, address Miami AZ, was WWI OLD with 97.3 KIKO-FM per NRC AM Log. Would you believe the WTFDA DB shows *three* 102.9s IN Phoenix? K275CL // KIKO-1340 102.9 PHOENIX AZ 0.08 0.0 33-29-33 111-38-23 OLDIES 1340/97.3 OLDIES K275CP // KIHP-1310 102.9 PHOENIX AZ 0.085 0.085 33-35-39 112-05-08 IMMACULATE HEART RADIO RELIGIOUS TEACHING KDIF-LP 102.9 PHOENIX AZ 0.1 0.0 -22.0 0.0 33-23-19 112-02-42] So are all these stations now owned by the same entity? FCC AM Query shows all different, so are we talking LMAs here, just buying time? KVJY: BI-MEDIA LICENSEE, LLC KIKO: 1TV.COM, INC. KXOI: HISPANIC OUTREACH MINISTRIES KKNS: EL CAMINO COMMUNICATIONS, LLC Henceforth I will move all my cautious UNIDENTIFIED 840 logs of this to accompany this USA log (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 860, KONO, San Antonio, TX was CBS Sports Radio, now oldies, old slogan: “CBS Sports Radio 860”, new: “86 KONO Greatest Hits Of The 70’s and 80’s” (Broadcasting Info, IRCA DX Monitor Feb 4 via DXLD) IIRC, that`s what it was originally doing in 70s at least (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. 1330, Jan 30 at 2011 UT on caradio, KNSS Wichita KS audio is hitting at modulation spikes only, totally unreadable, still so at 2018 UT. No one at station is listening to station to fix it! So how can they expect any audience? If anyone is there, they are probably paying more attention to some FM station in the cluster, notably duplicate KNSS-FM 98.7, no problem on it? Sean Hannity is scheduled now, after Rush. Good riddance! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. CPs granted: 1380, KRCM, TX, Shenandoah – Granted CP for U5 22000/50, moving night site to 36-39-55/95-45-27 (AM Switch, NRC DX News Feb 6, published Jan 29, via DXLD) ** U S A. 1540, Sat Jan 28 at 1929 UT, SBG and I wonder if it`s KXEL Waterloo IA. Yes, mentions UNI, i.e. University of Northern Iowa, game involving fouls and free-throws, so evidently BKB. Come to think of it, free-throws in FB would make it marginally more interesting. How about melding all the SBGs into one? That would save a lot of trouble. I have been remiss in pursuing daytime MW skywave this winter, and the season is winding up, but here`s one, less than an hour after local mean noon (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 1680, Jan 26 at 1317 UT, W&M in chat show, ``The Morning Scramble at 99.7 My-FM``, i.e. via its AM appendage, KRJO Monroe LA, so format is not just AC music (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 2520, Jan 26 at 1252 UT, S7 open carrier, presumably the WOCO Oconto WI second harmonic from 1260 which others continue to report, so I wonder if they are just warming up for a sign-on? 1259- 1301+ UT maybe a trace of modulation, much less than the carrier level ought to provide, so I`ve yet to get a definite ID on it. Much stronger than a JBA carrier from the other active US harmonic on 2960. 2520 carrier still audible at 1325 UT, S7 = the noise level. I never hear 2520 in the evening, so maybe they really cut from 1000 to 29 watts (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. FM Boosters for AM Stations? Bill Hale found this while working on the WTFDA FM Database: “Don’t know if you were aware of this, but WJNT 1180, Pearl, MS has an FM booster station. WJNT-FM1 on 103.3mhz with 500 watts. It operates from local sunset to local sunrise to overcome Cuban interference to the AM station, according to their application. Evidently it’s been operating since 1999! The facility ID is 166241. I thought it may be a one-of-a-kind situation in the US (an AM station with an FM booster), but it’s not --- Since 1988(!!) WCRT 1160 Donelson, TN has been operating an FM booster. Originally on 106.7, they moved to 98.7 in 1998, then to 103.9 and now are on 106.3. The moves were made in order to mitigate interference to other FM facilities over the years. Its facility ID is 166220. Their current operation is WCRT-FM1 106.3 with 75 watts. It also operates from local sunset to sunrise to alleviate significant interference from co-channel Cuban stations (on AM). (Feb WTFDA VHF- UHF Digest via DXLD) ** U S A. HIGH HOPES FOR LOW-POWER RADIO STATIONS http://www.pe.com/articles/station-823662-public-radio.html Several are heard in the Inland area, including Anza Valley’s KOYT, celebrating its first year. Gail Wesson, Press Enterprise (Riverside CA), Jan. 20, 2017 Those who tuned in to KOYT radio in the Anza Valley on Christmas Eve could hear Merrie Kraatz read the classic “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” poem. Listen to 96.3 FM around Valentine’s Day and one might hear Kraatz reciting love sonnets, if she has her way [caption] Welcome to low-power radio stations, Anza Valley style. The station, which has a signal that reaches about a 10-mile radius, will mark its first broadcasting anniversary next month, among the newest on radio waves in the area. Traveling around Riverside County, a motorist may catch other examples of low-power stations, from the nearly 30-year-old WNKI 578 AM public service station in Idyllwild to the youth-oriented JENNiRADIO at 101.7 FM in Lake Elsinore to the Morongo Band of Mission Indians’ public safety and emergency channel at 89.1 FM. Up in Anza on a recent evening, Kraatz, who has some past theater experience, was recording public service announcements for the station. Volunteer James “Jimmy” Hilzman, who has a background in audio technology and music recording, will edit the recording, maybe add sound and get it ready for broadcast. “I thought it would be great for Anza” as a small town, said Bud Elmore, vice president of nonprofit Anza Community Broadcasting, of bringing radio to the area east of Temecula. The nonprofit Anza Civic Improvement League was issued the license as the broadcast group got its start, soliciting volunteers to help and raise money, including through rummage sales and events like a recent dance. President Erinne Roscoe heard about the station through her mechanic – Elmore – and was interested in broadcasting. She hosts programs ranging from a botanist talking about plants to a fisherman giving the fishing report. Volunteers assemble music programming by theme, including country Western and rock. “They like the mix of music,” Roscoe said she has heard from listeners. Programming is recorded in advance. For live programming, Elmore said the station would need an on-duty radio engineer. The station is hooked into the Emergency Alert System. “We (wanted) to get this set up with minimal hassle,” said Hilzman, who trains volunteers. In the long run, the station may provide a chance for Hamilton School kids to get some hands-on broadcast experience, he said. In Lake Elsinore, JENNiRADIO began airing in June 2015 from Jennifer Smart’s family home, with support from her parents. The UCLA student’s radio experience dates back more than a decade. She offers an eclectic mix of interviews, reviews and entertainment. Up in the San Jacinto Mountains, “We’re not allowed to broadcast any music or advertising,” said Bill Tell, the WNKI station director. The type of license the station holds is “purely for the traveling public and public safety,” he said, and provides recorded area information. The nonprofit Idyllwild Mile High Radio Club operates the station in cooperation with the Idyllwild Fire Protection District. With grant funding, the station is upgrading equipment to make it easier to program, Tell said. Public safety agencies may offer recorded messages in the future. In 2013, the station aired timely evacuation orders and other messages during the Mountain and Silver wildland fires. Down in the San Gorgonio Pass, the low-power station on the Morongo Reservation has been on air for five years. “This system allows the tribe to share vital information during an emergency incident that may have disabled other methods of communication, such as our website,” Floyd Velasquez, Morongo disaster preparedness manager, wrote in an email. On Friday, the radio station broadcast was an integral part of a Morongo tribal earthquake evacuation drill. More than 135 students, the Morongo tribal administration departments, tribal public safety services, off-reservation public safety agencies in the region and the state Office of Emergency Services participated (via Ron Schiller, NRC DX News Feb 6, published Jan 29, via DXLD) ** U S A. President's Budget Update --- Dear Glenn - Late last week, you may have read several stories about budget proposals floated by think tanks that included a proposal to "privatize" the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. In this case, "privatize" is simply another way of proposing to eliminate the annual federal investment in public broadcasting for local public radio and television stations. At this stage, there remains significant uncertainty about the administration's intentions for many elements of the federal budget, including public broadcasting. However, we must be prepared to take all funding threats very seriously. We are closely monitoring the situation and will contact you if public media faces more concrete funding challenges in the future during the budget and appropriations processes. Now, we are focused on building our case for why the Administration and Congress should support continued public media funding and you can play an important role in this effort. Today, resolve to #ProtectPublicMedia in 2017. All you have to do is write or record a video about why you're resolving to protect your local stations this year here. http://protectmypublicmedia.org/tell-resolve/ Don't forget to include your picture and when you're done, invite your friends to make the resolution as well. The more compelling stories we have, the better we can fight to protect public media funding in 2017. Thank you for being a critical partner in our effort to protect federal funding for local public radio and television stations. We'll be in touch on the progress of this campaign and any serious challenges to your stations' funding. Best regards, (Cait Beroza, Jan 26, Protect My Public Media, via DXLD) ** U S A. FCC: DTV CHANNEL REPACKING: SEE DTV below ** U S A [non]. AFN PowerNet Service Discontinued January 19, 2017 AFN Europe discontinued the PowerNet service on January 19, 2017. You can find all the PowerNet programming on the following AFN services: AFN PowerTalk gives you three full hours of Rush Limbaugh, Stephanie Miller, Sean Hannity and Thom Hartmann each weekday - plus a weekend lineup never before seen nor heard in political talk radio. It's the most complete list of shows from liberal to conservative and everything in between all on one channel. AFN PowerTalk is available on decoder channel 20 and streaming online on AFN360. AFN The Voice is your source for news, talk and information. The Voice offers the most complete news coverage available. Stay informed and get up-to-date information all in one place. AFN The Voice is available on decoder channel 33 and streaming online on AFN360. National Public Radio is one of 5 AFN Radio news/talk/sports channels. NPR produces news, talk, music and entertainment programs, including the premier news magazines Morning Edition and All Things Considered. NPR programming 24 hours a day is available on decoder channel 24. Get in the jungle with The Jim Rome Show; check out FOX Sports Radio's First Team with Steve Czaban, or J.T. The Brick; call in and be a part of the show or just get the latest in sports with Sports Byline USA's Sports Overnight America. All this and more is on AFN Fans, available on decoder channel 32 and streaming online on AFN360. Sports talk radio listeners deserve a choice. Check out ESPN Radio's The Herd, Sporting News Radio's Tim Brando Show and many others. Energized by ESPN & more, AFN Clutch brings you the best of ESPN Radio and Sporting News Radio. AFN Clutch is available on decoder channel 31. To view radio programming schedules, please visit http://myafn.dodmedia.osd.mil/Radio.aspx (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ?? So why are they publicizing everything it provided as they are discontinuing it? O, apparently PowerNet was one particular audio satellite channel among many (gh, DXLD) ** UZBEKISTAN. No. Korea Reform Radio via RED Telecom Tashkent Jan 26 2030-2130 7500 TAC 100 kW / 076 deg NEAs Korean, with poor/weak signal From Jan 1 no signal of clandestine Stream of Praise Music Ministries 2100-2130 7530 TSH 100 kW / 250 deg EaAs Cantonese/Chinese, cancelled! http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/01/north-korea-reform-radio-via-red_27.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, Sofia, Bulgaria, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VATICAN [non]. Transmitter changes of Vatican Radio from Tinang to Tinian, Feb 1 1330-1400 9695*TIN 250 kW / 329 deg FERu Russian, ex PHT 250 kW / 332 1330-1400 11875 TIN 250 kW / 329 deg FERu Russian, ex PHT 250 kW / 332 *from 1350 9695 RIY 500 kW / 055 deg WeAs test tone R Saudi Int Pashto http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/02/transmitter-changes-of-vatican-radio.html 73! (Ivo Ivanov, QTH: Sofia, Bulgaria, Equipment: Sony ICF-2001D 30 m. long wire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Watch for further reduxions/deletions of PHT output as Duterte deteriorates relations with USA; or not? Trump`s kind of guy (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** VIETNAM. 7906-USB // 8294-USB, Ho Chi Minh Radio Coast Station, *1305-1310*, Jan 31. Starts and ends with the usual tones; in Vietnamese; starts with ID and then marine conditions; both fair. Has been a considerable amount of time since I last heard their distress announcements in English, so assume there have been no marine emergencies recently. Ho Chi Minh Radio is the most powerful coastal station, so is usually well heard. Operated by VISHIPEL (Vietnam Maritime Communications and Electronics LLC) (Ron Howard, Calif., dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VIETNAM [non]. PALAU, Reception of Radio Que Me via WHRI T8WH Angel 3, Jan 27: 1200-1230 9930 HBN 100 kW / 318 deg to EaAs Vietnamese Fri http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/01/reception-of-radio-que-me-via-whri-t8wh_27.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, Sofia, Bulgaria, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** YEMEN [non]. Reception of Republic of Yemen Radio, Feb 1 0900&1400 on 11860 unknown tx / unknown to N/ME Arabic http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/02/reception-of-republic-of-yemen-radio.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, QTH: Sofia, Bulgaria, Equipment: Sony ICF-2001D 30 m. long wire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZAMBIA. [Re ANGOLA:] Also noted Zambia (5915) continues silent at 0305. Thanks again! (Ron Howard, Calif., Jan 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZAMBIA. 4965.02, 1715-2200* fading out 24 and 25.1, Voice of Hope, Maheni Ranch, Lusaka now on regular schedule English talks and hymns, 35242 AP-DNK (Anker Petersen, Denmark, heard recently in Skovlunde on my AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, wbradio yg via DXLD) Voice of Hope Africa via Zambia is now on 6065 with an extensive sked. Heard here tonight at 2137 with 443+ signal (Harold Frodge, Michigan Area Radio Enthusiasts, Inc., Jan 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4965 Zambia, Voice of Hope, Lusaka // 6065 Jan 30, 2017 Monday. 1826- 1828. Christian programming. Good strong signal. Jo'burg sunset 1701. 6065 Zambia, Voice of Hope, Lusaka // 4965 Jan 30, 2017 Monday. 1826- 1828. Christian programming. Good strong signal. Jo'burg sunset 1701. (Bill Bingham, Johannesburg RSA. Drake R8E, Sony ICF2001D. dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6065, Voice of Hope Africa; 2137, 27-Jan; Very low-key English huxter to VoHA ID at 2140. SIO=443+ with 6070 CRFX splash. +++ [same], 2135-2203:23* 30-Jan; Low-key M in English with low-key religious tunes & VoH IDs. Close at 2158+ “With love from Zambia, this is the Voice of Hope broadcasting on 6065 & 4965…” into lite jazz; another brief closing announcement at 2203 & audio off to tone; transmitter off at 2204:49. SIO=4+44. 2200 UT = midnight in Zambia; no hint of a carrier on 4965 (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 185' RW + 125' bow-tie, ----- All logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time! -----, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6065, Voice of Hope Africa at 2202 with instrumentals then a man with “Voice of Hope is now closing down” and brief vocals to a solid tone at 2203 and off at 2204 – Very Good Jan 30 – Sked is 1700 to 2200 Monday through Friday (Mark Coady, Selwyn, Ontario, Drake SPR4 Receiver, Drake TR7, Kenwood TS440S, and YouKits TJ5A Transceivers, AEA AT-300 and MFJ-941E Manual Tuners, LDG Z-100 Plus Auto Tuner, 40 meter and 80 meter off centre-fed dipoles, ODXA yg via DXLD) ** ZAMBIA. Just guessing, but it sounds like Zambia ZNBC1 is back. Very poor signal, possibly not full power yet? 5915, ZNBC1, Lusaka. Jan 28, 2017 Saturday. 0255-0330. Just guessing here, no ID heard. Sounds like typical ZNBC1 music and talk, Very weak, even Angola 4949.7 is better (miracle!) OM talking though TOH 0300, but no fish eagles heard. Barely above noise level. Zanzibar 6015 much better at 0320. By 0325 can't tell if ZNBC1 is there or not. Usually fair-good at this time. Poor. Jo'burg sunrise 0340. 5915, ZNBC1, Lusaka. Jan 28, 2017 Saturday. 1330-1410. Definitely heard fish eagles at 1400. There has been talk and music on 5915 for some time now, but it is mostly at noise level although slowly improving in the late (local) afternoon. Sounds like ZNBC1, but difficult to pin it down. However, the fish eagles are distinctive and unique to ZNBC1, they seem to be recognisable no matter how poor the signal. Poor so far but improving as time goes on. Will check again after dark. Jo'burg sunset 1702. 1330-1545. Reception has improved a lot since my last report just after 1400, it is now quite readable. At 1538, id “One Zambia, One Nation”. Nevertheless, I remain convinced that they are running at a lower power than usual. Fair. Jo'burg sunset 1702 (Bill Bingham, Johannesburg RSA. Drake R8E, Sony ICF2001D. dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5915, R. One/ZNBC. Thanks to Bill Bingham (RSA) for the alert they are back on the air again; Jan 30, at 0241 open carrier with test tone; tone off a minute later; start of extremely faint IS (African Fish Eagle); certainly not full power; 0244 very dramatic and sudden improvement as they surely went to full power; from very poor reception instantly up to fair; 0250 drums; in vernacular and some African music; 0331* suddenly off the air. Lusaka sunrise at 0356 UT (5:56 AM their time), so still with electrical "load shedding," as only broadcasting for about an hour. Nice to have this one back on the air again! (Ron Howard, Calif., dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5915, ZNBC/R. One, 0258 pleasant W vocal song, 0300 W announcer with nice "Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation" ID then W continued over the song to 0302, then another song. Best signal heard here at this time in quite a while. But still QRM from 5920. 30 Jan. 73 (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, Perseus with Wellbrook ALA1530S and 153 foot Delta Loop, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) Oh dear. Both Ron Howard and I heard ZNBC1 yesterday morning (local), and both of us had the impression they had gone back to full power. If so, probably a bad move so soon after a presumed transmitter repair. Last night (Jan 30) I could find no carrier from ZNBC1, same this morning (Jan 31). Of course, Ray Robinson from Voice of Hope recently speculated that ZNBC1 might be finding it a waste of time to power up for the brief period before morning load shedding sets in. That may account for them missing this morning. 5915 Zambia, ZNBC1, Lusaka. Jan 30, 2017 Monday. 0655-0659. Music. Fair. Jo'burg sunrise 0341. 5915 Zambia, ZNBC1, Lusaka. Jan 30, 2017 Monday. 1825-1826. AWOL, no carrier. Jo'burg sunset 1701. 5915 Zambia, ZNBC1, Lusaka. Jan 31, 2017 Tuesday. 0314-1330. AWOL, no carrier. Jo'burg sunrise 0342 (Bill Bingham, Johannesburg RSA. Drake R8E, Sony ICF2001D. dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5915 Zambia, ZNBC 1, Lusaka. Jan 31, 2017 Tuesday. 1635-1710. Was fading in nicely when I tuned in, and improved steadily. ID at 1700 “Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation, Radio One.” Quite good, its absence last night (Jan 30) and this morning (Jan 31) must have been false alarms. Or extremely strange propagation! Jo'burg sunset 1701 (Bill Bingham, Johannesburg RSA. Drake R8E, Sony ICF2001D. dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZANZIBAR. [Re ANGOLA:] BTW - Yes, also noted Zanzibar (6015) doing well at 0342, with the usual format of chanting, followed by YL who always mentions "Zanzibar." Thanks again! (Ron Howard, Calif., Jan 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 392 kHz, 9- 3- 4-, 1010, XUN, 1/24 1330 (Dave Tomasko: A few new [LW beacons] for the season here in Galena IL (EN42uj) + one Unid, sending 9 dashes, 3 dashes, followed by 4 dashes. Fairly strong last PM and still there this AM at 1330. Best on NW/SE ALA100 loop. Might be daytimer. Will have to check a bit later (MARE Tipsheet Jan 27 via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 840, further logs to last week now confirmed KVHY: U S A UNIDENTIFIED. 1160, Jan 26 at 1314 UT open carrier almost zero-beat over KSL, but hard to DF, apparently a daytimer about to start: 1315 UT no sign-on, no ID, just bringing up a gospel huxter in progress in English. So is it KVCE Highland Park (The Metroplex) TX, which is 35/1 kW U4, not a daytimer? FCC AM Query shows its day and night sites are quite far apart, so one could be interfering with the other during overlap, but the correct LSR time for KVCE in Jan is 1330 UT, not 1315 UT until Feb. Other possibility is WYLL Chicago IL (né WJJD), 50/50 kW U2, where the Jan LSR is indeed 1315 UT. Despite the power, day pattern is tight to the north and night pattern is circular to the SE. It too has separate day and night sites. We should not be getting so much from it; nor from KVCE, with day pattern to the ESE, and night pattern to the SE (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 1460, Jan 28 at 1931 UT, KZUE El Reno OK groundwave in Spanish is dominant on the N-S antenna, but mixed with something in English on E/W antenna. Most likely KHOJ, the RCC station in St Charles MO skywaving in (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 2130 kHz at 1222 UTC and there's a decent carrier with threshold music being heard but too weak to identify a language or other useful details. Loops towards the South from West Michigan. Anyone else? 73, (Tim Tromp, 1233 UT Jan 28, harmonics yg via DXLD) 2130 kHz, Jan 29 at 0121, JBA carrier, presumably a 3 x 710 harmonic, as first reported the previous morning Jan 28 by Tim Tromp, MI, to the harmonics yg [as above] (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Update: Checked 2130 kHz again this evening and found a signal there, presumably the same one I heard this morning but slightly stronger now at 0100 UT. Music now being heard from Madonna and Fleetwood Mac and some older hits from the 50s or 60s. Now at 0127 UT (8:27 pm EST) and the carrier drops and it's gone suggesting a 710 daytimer has just ended its broadcast day. No clear ID heard. Maybe WTPR? 73, (Tim Tromp, West Michigan, UT Jan 29, harmonics yg via DXLD) If a daytimer going off, 0130 UT would have to be the west coast. Official Jan sunset even for KSPN LA is 0100 UT. NRC AM Log says WTPR Paris TN operates according to WOR/NYC SR/SS times, which would be even much earlier. ``Greatest Hits of All Time`` format seems to fit, tho. 73, (Glenn Hauser, OK, harmonics yg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Thanks, Glenn. It's in again tonight and went off the air mid-song during "Hotel California" at precisely 0127 UTC, just as the signal was finally picking up. I suspect WTPR is staying up late but we'll need a DXer from the area to confirm. 73, (Tim Tromp, UT Jan 30, harmonics yg via DXLD) Later he matches it to WTPR on 710 (gh) UNIDENTIFIED. 4739.00, Feb 1 at 0441, open carrier vs CODAR, still at 0457. Maybe an occasionally active RTTY station? 4739.00, Feb 2 at 0527, there it is again, open carrier at S9+25 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 9258-9272, Feb 1 at 0444 and still 0457, S9 multi- carrier ringing sound producing a single hi-pitched tone when tuned in AM, centered on the only WINB frequency, 9265, which is normally off the air by now. What in the world? Are they testing something new, or is this something else? Another check for this 25 hours later, Feb 2 at 0523, not heard (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. EGYPT [sic]. Station with Egyptian music on Jan 28 0900-0920 on 9400 unknown tx / unknown to UNID, very poor http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/01/unidentified-station-with-egyptian_28.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, Sofia, Bulgaria, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. EGYPT [sic] Station with Egyptian music on Jan 26 0930-0940 on 9550 unknown tx / unknown to UNID, poor/weak http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.bg/2017/01/unidentified-station-with-egyptian_26.html -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, Sofia, Bulgaria, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 11472-11502, Jan 29 at 1428, OTH radar pulsing at a low pitch (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ ACKNOWLEDGED ON WORLD OF RADIO 1863: Enjoy listening on WBCQ [9330] at 0030 UT 12/30/16 from Winterhaven, CA on Grundig Sat750 (John Anderson, with a contribution via PayPal to woradio at yahoo.com) Tnx to Robert Waybright for a PayPal contribution to woradio at yahoo.com TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED FUTURELY, one or two a week: Thanks to Ron Howard for a check to P O Box 1684, Enid OK 73702 Always enjoy listening to you Glenn (Robert May, with a contribution via PayPal to woradio at yahoo.com) Note from Frank Orcutt, BallisticProse Trading Company: ``Thank you for all your years of selfless service to the DXing community, Glenn`` with a contribution via PayPal to woradio at yahoo.com "Glenn Hauser, you're the biggest sucker of them all", according to Brother Stair. Sorry, Glenn; things are not looking good for you in the world of Brother Stair and his Overcomer Ministry ;-) PS: Excellent reception, by the way from Okeechobee, FL, WRMI 7570 AT 0004 UT 73 (Walt Salmaniw, BC, UT Jan 30, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ Interesting radio guides from the British DX Club UK: The British DX Club has published/updated a number of interesting guides to AM broadcasting in different regions of the world: Africa on Mediumwave & Shortwave: A comprehensive country-by-country guide to domestic and external broadcasts from Africa, including selected opposition and target broadcasts to the African continent. The document is in pdf format. January 2017. Broadcasting in Afghanistan: A comprehensive guide to shortwave and mediumwave broadcasts to and within Afghanistan. The document is in pdf format. Updated January 2017. External Services on Medium Wave: A frequency-order guide to external services on medium wave from stations in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Also includes some foreign and minority-language programming carried on domestic MW services. Updated January 2017. Middle East & Caucasus on Mediumwave and Shortwave: A comprehensive guide to short and mediumwave radio stations in the Middle East and Caucasus. In country order, pdf format. Updated January 2017. South Asia on Mediumwave and Shortwave: A handy guide to shortwave radio stations in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. In frequency order, pdf format. Updated January 2017. These and other publications can be downloaded at http://bdxc.org.uk/articles.html (Dr Hansjoerg Biener, 31 January 2017, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Radio Stations in the UK & Ireland [new edition just published] Full details on the club website at: British DX Club http://www.bdxc.org.uk/rsuk.html (Alan Pennington, Jan 31, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) ONTARIO DX ASSOCIATION WEBSITE ON THE WAY DOWN You have probably noticed on our ODXA home page that the ODXA website will be taken down in the next while. I will continue to write a Helping Hand column until such time when the website is no more. When we go only with the ODXA Yahoo Group and our Facebook page, there will be no need for such a column, as people can join the Group or the Facebook page to ask questions directly. This will not affect the Beginner's Classroom column which I will continue to write monthly. Have a wonderful February! Until next time, 73, (J O E Robinson, Feb ODXA via DXLD) CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ LU DXERS VISIT TO THEIR CX FRIENDS IN MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY. JAN. 2017. A nice gathering of DX friends from Argentina and Uruguay took place for 4 days in Montevideo, during January 2017. ? DXers Arnaldo Slaen, Rubén Margenet, Enrique Wembagher, Horacio Cilmi and Héctor Goyena crossed the River Plate from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Montevideo, Uruguay. It as a nice and friendly meeting, which included visits to a number of radio stations in Montevideo, a tour of the city, some barbecued meat, good wine and beer, and even some beach baths. In the following link you´ll find a few pics of the gathering. http://imgur.com/a/5v6Zj 73 – (Horacio Nigro, CX3BZ, "La Galena del Sur", Montevideo, Uruguay, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) including 6125 R Nacional Nota: las notas al pie de cada foto están en inglés, en el enlace citado, por lo que traduzco al castellano esos textos. 1): DXistas argentinos y uruguayos se ereúnen en Montevideo. Aquí en una céntrica pizzería: De izq. a der.: Daniel Neves, CX9AU;Hector Goyena, Buenos Aires, (SWL, DXista y coleccionista de radio memorabilia, Gabriel Gómez, CX7BI: Enrique Wembagher, LU8EFF (Buenos Aires); Horacio Cilmi, LU5BE (Buenos Aires); Ruben Guillermo Margenet (SWL DXer), Rosario, Santa Fe; Arnaldo Slaen, LU3AAL, (Buenos Aires), Horacio Nigro Geolkiewsky 2). Reunión en el QTH de Victor Castaño. Fila de atrás, de izq. a der.: Enrique Wembagher (LU8EFF); Horacio Cilmi, (LU5BE); Daniel Neves (CX9AU); Victor Castaño; fila delantera, de izq. a der.: Héctor Goyena, Arnaldo Slaen (LU3AAL); Ruben G. Margenet; Gabriel Gómez (CX7BI), Horacio Nigro (CX3BZ). 3) Radiodifusión Nacional del Uruguay (ex-SODRE). trasmisor de onda corta en 6125 kHz 4) Vista de 360º de la planta emisora de Radiodifusión Nacional (ex- SODRE) en Santiago Vázquez. Las dos primeras torres pertenecen al dipolo de media onda para la onda corta, 6125 kHz. El otro mástil irradiante es de una de las Ondas Medias. 5) En el exterior del edificio sede del sitio emisor de Santiago Vázquez, Radiodifusión Nacional del Uruguay. 6) Antiguo receptor doméstico encontrado en la Feria de Tristán Narvaja, tradicional y concurrido mercado callejero de los domingos, en Montevideo. La siguiente foto ilustra con más detalle el vidrio serigrafiado del dial. 7) Detalle del de este viejo receptor, descansando en la calle, e¡n espera de un jevo dueñoe. Pueden apreciarse los nombres de conocidas y recordadas estaciones de Onda Corta del pasado, como PCJ, (Hilversum), Zeesen, Daventry, etc. 73 – (Horacio Nigro, CX3BZ, "La Galena del Sur" Montevideo, Uruguay, condiglista yg via DXLD) 2017 WINTER SWL FEST EVENTS AND FORUMS SCHEDULE (Updated 26 January 2017. Subject to Change) [EST = UT -5] Hi Glenn - Here’s how the schedule stands for the 30th Anniversary Fest. It remains subject to change but unofficially it appears to be pretty much set. Thursday, 2 March 2017 1200 Registration Table and Exhibit Room Open (until 1700) 1300 “Broadcast Towers I've Known and Photographed" – Scott Fybush provides a visual tour of broadcast transmitter sites including several shortwave facilities he’s had the privilege of visiting lately. 1430 “Radio on the Road” – Once again, travel the world of radio with Janice Laws and Steve Karlock in this popular continuing Fest series. Janice has now visited 84 countries and made many recordings and videos of local stations she’s heard during her travels. Including hot tips on how to make the most of your vacations and radio listening hobby, updated for this 30th Fest! 1600 “Getting Started with RTL-SDR” - RTL-SDR refers to a class of hardware devices based upon a particular DVB-T CODFM demodulator with a USB interface. While designed to receive off air digital television outside of the US ATSC system, hobbyists have found for several years that it makes for a great receiver for VHF and up. Dan Srebnick covers how to get started with free(ly) available software, and describes some interesting uses of this low-cost receiver platform. 1700 Dinner on Your Own 1930 Registration Table and Exhibit Room Re-Open (until 2100) Hospitality Room and Receiver Demonstrations Open (until 2400) 2000 “Radio 101 - The Past, Present and Future of Radio for Newbies and Significant Others of Radio Geeks" -- Charles Hargrove introduces the uninitiated to the history and science of radio, describing what is out there to hear and what new developments are on the horizon. From shortwave to scanners, satellite TV to covert communications, there is much to receive and view the world without having to wait for "film at 11" from your local news outlet. Friday, 3 March 2017 0800 Registration Table Opens (until 1200) Exhibit Room Opens (all day) 0830 “What’s Up at RFA?” – Our good friend, Radio Free Asia Program and Operations Support Director AJ Janitschek, returns with a report on how RFA is faring in its efforts to provide reliable news and information to Asian nations lacking free media. He’ll also unveil a little surprise for DXers on the occasion of the 30th Fest! 0930 “Internet DXing” -- Radio listening is changing. We can now stream global broadcasters and those former tropical band stations on our smartphones, tablets and desktop computers. However, there are many stations that the big aggregators like TuneIn, vTuner and Shoutcast miss in their postings. Tracy Wood demonstrates how to hunt down those illusive Internet “DX targets” using search engines, HTML deep dives, packet sniffers, scripts and online geospatial tools The “Joy of DXing” truly has returned, albeit it’s now Internet-style! 1100 "Pirate Radio Year in Review" – George Zeller leads our annual discussion of the year in pirate radio--oriented both toward veteran pirate DXers and also newcomers to this aspect of the radio hobby -- including official announcement of the 2017 class of inductees into the North American Pirate Radio Hall of Fame. 1200 Lunch on Your Own Hospitality Room and Receiver Demonstrations Open (until 1330) 1315 Registration Table Re-Opens (until 1500) 1330 “Going Digital: Better Scanning in the 21st Century” -- Tom Swisher leads our annual session devoted exclusively to scanners where up-to-date methods for scanning modern communication systems will be demonstrated and discussed. 1500 “Farewell to the BBG: What's Ahead for U.S. International Media and the VOA?” -- U.S. government-funded media -- VOA, RFE/RL, RFA, Radio/TV Martí, and MBN -- are all impacted by legislation signed by Barack Obama in one of his final acts as president. Our good friend and former VOA White House, Congressional and Foreign Correspondent Dan Robinson reviews recent events and offers his views on where things are headed. 1630 "Defining Radio in Software” -- Mark Phillips provides a “1000 mile view” of what SDR (software defined radio) is, what it does, how we use it all the time without realizing and why it's really quite a significant milestone in SWLing. 1730 Dinner on Your Own Hospitality Room and Receiver Demonstrations Open (until 2400) 1900 Informal Radio Swap Meet Starts (in the Exhibit Room) 2000 “Zenith ‘Long Distance Radio’ and the Highway to DXing” -- The early (1919-1925) work of Zenith Radio Corporation poured gasoline on the flames of early DXing and helped spread the fire to the masses. With a description like that, there has to be an interesting story in there somewhere and Harold “Dr. DX” Cones, one of the notorious Gang of Three who invented the Fest, is just the one to tell it. 2115 THE ANNUAL SHORTWAVE SHINDIG! Join David Goren and friends for our annual late night listening hang featuring live music, interviews and audio pieces exploring the history and aesthetics of the shortwave radio listening experience. At 2200 EST we’ll go live via WRMI Radio Miami International for a three hour broadcast including the best of Short Waves/Long Distance, an open call for shortwave based audio work co-sponsored by NASWA The North American Shortwave Association and Wave Farm, a media arts organization. Short Waves/Long Distance celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Fest, and the 20th Anniversary of Wave Farm. (WRMI Radio Miami International frequency TBA.) Saturday, 4 March 2017 0800 Registration Table Opens (until 1000) Exhibit Room Opens (all day) 0830 SWLing in Japan: Past, Present and Future – We are pleased to welcome once again our friend Toshimichi Ohtaké, joined this year by Sakaé Obara, representing Japan Shortwave Club (JSWC) and discussing the current state of the hobby there. SWLing was very popular among teenagers in the country during 1970s-1980s, and that influences the hobby still today. 0945 Broadcast FM DX – Russ Edmunds covers FM propagation, receivers, antennas, as well as examples of FM station receptions via various propagation modes, using audio clips and/or RDS software. 1000 Silent Auction Opens (location TBA) 1100 "Pirate Radio in Continental Europe - A Personal View” – Andy Walker returns with Chris Ise, who have “crossed the pond” to discuss the free radio scene in Europe of the last 25 years. Chris has operated 'pirate station' Crazy Wave Radio (CWR) for around 24 years and was one of the main organizers of Level 48, a network of European pirate operators broadcasting on public holidays in the mid-90s. He was also involved with the infamous Radio San Marino broadcast of 1998. In 1999 he was part of the crew on Offshore 98, the last illegal broadcast station from the North Sea. He will be more well known to American DXers as the 'DJ' voice of Mystery Radio which broadcast on 6220 kHz a few years ago. He has visited most of the major pirate stations throughout Europe over the years and has many photos, plus some video footage of their set ups. We are honored that they chose to join us for the 30th. 1200 Lunch on Your Own Hospitality Room and Receiver Demonstrations Open (until 2400 or later) 1330 Espionage and Numbers Stations: Behind the Numbers – We're all familiar with "numbers stations", which have broadcast, encoded messages to spies since the start of the cold war. Web sites have been devoted to cataloging the broadcasts, which appear to originate from almost every major (and many minor!) world powers. But who actually are these numbers stations intended for? Matt Blaze will examine (declassified) spy cases, how numbers stations have been used, how the messages are encoded (and why it's considered both secure and practical), how they sometimes fail, and why they've endured for so long. 1500 Collective Intelligence, Augmented Technologies and Super-Dark Denim -- We lament that as a breed we are dying out. Radio Australia has gone, interference is high and Norway is switching off all of its FM transmitters - for good! With such decay, surely this must be the time of Armageddon. Actually, no, says Mark Fahey who honors us again by returning from Oz for the 30th. Never before has so much been happening, he argues. There is a tsunami of super-dark denim wearing people, with cool haircuts using our receivers and antennas in amazing ways. Their ideas leverage a blend of technologies and there now are many thousands of SDRs deployed on the planet doing all types of cool things. The range of applications is amazing. This presentation will be a real eye-opener to the power of low cost shortwave radios and their amazing application when augmented with other datasets and technologies. 1630 Silent Auction Ends Exhibit Room Closes 1800 Cocktail Party 1830 Annual Banquet --- Keynote Speaker: Thomas J. “Skip” Arey, N2EI - - ARRL Southern NJ Section Manager and Author of “Radio Monitoring: A How To Guide” and longtime contributor to various radio-related publications. Topic: “A 30 Year Retrospective of the Fest” 2100 The Raffle 2400 The Midnight Ride of Pancho Villa (?) 73 (John Figliozzi, 2017 Winter SWL Fest Co-Chair, Jan 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) OUTREACH INTERNATIONAL RADIO FAIR 2017 Is to be held in Bhubaneswar on the occasion of World Radio Day. The three day event is the biggest radio event and only radio fair of India. The temple city Bhubaneswar hosts the event every year. International Radio broadcasters, broadcasting associations, All India Radio stations, Private FM channels and Community Radio stations are to participate in the event. On the occasion there will be an exhibition consisting Radio shops, live studio, old radio set show, ham radio, radio equipment stall, sand art, food court etc. All the participating stations will also project themselves with respective stalls. Classical, folk and modern music and dance performance will entertain the audience. Seminars and talks on the importance of Radio and World Radio Day will be there everyday. On the occasion, six personalities/organisations will be conferred with Outreach National Radio Award for excellence in broadcasting. Detail: http://radiofairindia.com/ (Via Dr.Thangavel Jaisakthivel, Asst. Professor, Dept. of Journalism & Communication, University of Madras, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) So what are the dates?! Feb 12-14 per website (gh, DXLD) SHORTWAVE RADIO MEETINGS – 2017 Hello friends, here is the annual list of sw and dx meetings of 2017. Amendments and corrections are welcome and if necessary, I'll compile an updated list during February. You are welcome to deliver the list further. 73's Risto Vähäkainu The Finnish DX Association Date: February 13 Description: UNESCO World Radio Day Dates: March 2-4 Location: Plymouth Meeting (near Philadelphia), PA, USA Description: Winter SWL Fest (30th meeting) More info: Expected attendance: 150 NASWA Winter SWL Fest March 2-4, 2017, Doubletree Guest Suites Philadelphia West, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania. The Winter SWL Fest is a conference of radio hobbyists of all stripes ... Date: March 4 (1430-1700 BST) Location: Reading International Solidarity Centre (RISC), 35-39 London Street, Reading RG1 4PS, England Organization: Reading International Radio Group Expected attendance: 20 More info: , barraclough.mike at gmail.com Note: Reading DX meetings are held with about 2 months interval (next one on April 29th) British DX Club Web Site - Home Page The British DX Club Home Page. Welcome to the British DX Club (BDXC- UK) Web site. This page contains information about the club and its services. Dates: March 19-21 Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands Description: Radiodays Europe 2017 -conference More info: http://www.radiodayseurope.com/radiodayseurope.jpg Radiodays Europe www.radiodayseurope.com RDE 2017 Amsterdam. Venue, Hotel, Visa information ... RDE 2017 Programme. Submit a session & speaker. Click here. RDE 2016 CATCHUP. Video streaming of RDE 2016 ... Dates: March 20-26 Location: Hoherodskopf mountain, near Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany Description: DX Camp More info: http://www.rmrc.de Dates: May 5-7 Location: Jönköping, Sweden Description: DX-Parlamentet 2017, the annual meeting of the SDXF Organization: The Swedish DX-Federation (SDXF) More info: Dates: May 19-21 Location: Dayton, Ohio, USA Organization: Dayton Hamvention Expected attendance: 20000 More info: When Hamvention opens May 19 at the Greene County Fairgrounds and Exposition Center in Xenia,… Dates: May 17-20 Location: Simi Valley, California, USA Description: Annual NASB Conference, hosted by KVOH Voice of Hope Organization: National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters More info: http://www.shortwave.org/files/6814/8308/8508/KVOH_looking_over_Simi_Valley.jpg National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters :: Home Welcome to the Website for the National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters. This website contains information about our association, and interesting and helpful ... Dates: July 1-15 Location: Döbriach, Austria Description: DX-Camp of ADXB-OE More info: Dates: July 14-16 Location: Friedrichshafen, Germany Description: Ham Radio, biggest annual hamfest in Europe Expected attendance: 20000 More info: Dates: August 17-19 Location: Reno, NV, USA Description: IRCA Convention More info: http://www.ircaonline.org Dates: August 18-20 Location: Tampere, Finland Description: European DX Conference (EDXC 50 years!) and the annual summer meeting of the Finnish DX Association Expected attendance: 150 More info: http://www.sdxl.fi rv at sdxl.org Dates: September 1-6 Location: Berlin, Germany Name: IFA Internationale Funkausstellung Description: Consumer Electronics Fair - Including Radios More info: Dates: September 2-3 Location: Tokyo, Japan Description: Big ham fair with a SW sector (Japan SW Club stand & lectures) Organization: Tokyo HAM Fair sponsored by JARL Expected attendance: 30000 More info: ohtaket at live.jp Dates: September 14-19 Location: Amsterdam, Holland Decsription: IBC 2017, conference and exhibition More info: Dates: not announced (probably November) Location: Kolkata (Calcutta), India Description: Ham Fest India 2017 (Hard-Core-DX mailing list Jan 30 via DXLD) DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DRM See NEW ZEALAND; PAKISTAN ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DAB See NORWAY ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- IBOC See USA: 840 about WCCO; PROP about Dyer +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DTV See also MEXICO ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ [subject mentioned briefly on WORLD OF RADIO 1863:] FCC REPACKING TIMING Does anyone have an idea about the time frame for DTV repacking? Is there a proposed new channel assignment list yet? Thanks, (Mike Glass, Lebanon, IN, Sent from my iPad, Jan 24, WTFDA gg via DXLD) If I'm reading it correctly, 39 months for the completion, ONCE the auction has been determined as complete. You can read the FCC plan document here: https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-16-1095A1.pdf To track the current auction progress you can go here: https://auctiondata.fcc.gov/public/projects/1000 Current and recent announcements on the auction are posted here: https://auctiondata.fcc.gov/public/projects/1000/reports/reverse_announcements (Jim Thomas, ibid.) Now that the FCC has determined that the current Phase IV of the auction is the last, and now that the reverse portion of this auction has been completed, the FCC knows which stations will be going off the air and which will be remaining. Thus, the FCC is currently working on the new channel assignment plan --- which will not be released until the forward auction phase IV is complete. That could literally be any day, but probably a couple weeks or so. The auction ends once the wireless demand no longer exceeds the 70 MHz spectrum supply; i.e., when enough wireless bidders drop out. Bidding sessions have been scheduled through this Friday, but will continue as long as necessary. The bidding has already exceeded the threshold required to pay the broadcasters relinquishing channels to receive the amounts they bid, plus some relocation costs (for stations remaining on the air) and FCC administration costs. As bidding continues, the revenue generated will continue to grow. Quite shortly after the wireless bidding concluded, the new channel plan will be announced. (All stations will be "repacked" into channels 2-36). At that point, all stations participating in the auction are free to discuss their status. Stations going off the air, have a relatively short period of time to get paid and go dark. (Something in the 1-3 month time frame; I don't remember exactly.) Remaining stations that are reassigned to new channels (this will be a LOT of stations) have 3 months to file for a CP. Then there is a phase in of completion dates, with the stations assigned to "Phase 1" having a bit more than a year to go on the air with new facilities, and all stations will be moved within 39 months. So by mid 2020, the repacking should be completed (Chris Lucas - Poughkeepsie, NY - FN31bs, Jan 24, ibid.) The channel assignments will be issued to the public when the auction is complete and the closing Public Notice issued. (- Trip, http://www.rabbitears.info ibid.) Estimates I've heard are on the order of one month. Plus or minus. If you see me disappear from the Internet, it probably means the channel assignments have been released & I've disappeared into my keyboard trying to create the longest TV News column in WTFDA history :) (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View, TN EM66, ibid.) Does that mean that EVERY MARKET in the US has to re-locate, if the channel is above RF 38? (Jim Thomas, Springfield, Missouri, ibid.) As I understand it --- If a station currently operates on a channel between 38 & 51 and is NOT going dark, then it will be assigned a new channel; this will be the case in numerous markets. ALSO, any station from 14 to 36 that opts to move to VHF will be automatically reassigned, by definition. But also, a station on a channel 2 to 36 that stays on the air in their current band (UHF, VHF-Hi, VHF-Lo) could very well be reassigned also depending on the new table of allocations for that market. For example, your channel 23 could conceivably be re-assigned to channel 30; and channel 23 be allocated to another market, such as Jefferson City, or Joplin. All in all, an awful lot of markets will be affected to some extent. It's going to be a crazy time (Chris Lucas, Poughkeepsie, NY Jan 24, wtfda gg via DXLD) FCC Repacking Timing --- A couple additional notes: - A total of 1274 stations will be moved. (This does not include any LD's and translators that might ultimately survive.) - An unknown number (by me) of stations will be either leaving the air completely, or pairing up with another station covering their COL while going dark themselves. - Within about 2 weeks from now, stations remaining on the air and changing channel will receive notice from FCC of new channel, and other transition info. - New channel assignments will be made public when the auction ends. This could be a bit more than 2 weeks from now. - All stations within a given DMA (market) will be assigned to up to 2 transition phases with a phase completion date. There are 10 phases in all; the final one ends 39 months after FCC releases new allocation plan. - Stations will be required to tolerate a small amount of additional interference during the transition phases. Fun times ahead!! (Chris Lucas, Poughkeepsie, NY, Jan 27, ibid.) I suppose the surviving low power stations will be away from major markets (Mike Glass, Lebanon, IN, Sent from my iPad, ibid.) Not sure where you're getting that 1274 number from, but it's incorrect. The number of stations to be moved has yet to be announced. (- Trip, http://www.rabbitears.info [who works for FCC], ibid.) I got that 1274 number from this recent article on the TV Technology site: http://www.tvtechnology.com/news/0002/fcc-clarifies-auction-assignment-phase/280219 That same info was reported in an October 5 article at the same site, purportedly from an FCC PN. Is the "real" number significantly different? Could this 1274 number be the total of stations moving, pairing up, and going dark? Inquiring minds want to know! (Chris Lucas, Poughkeepsie, NY, ibid.) I found the FCC public notice; dated September 30, 2016. Essentially 1274 is an estimate based on a computer run typical scenario, obviously before exactly which stations are leaving the air was known. Thus the number can vary from 1274, but it ought to be relatively close. I assume this is just full power and "CD" stations; I would expect a large percentage LD's that continue to exist after repack will be moved also (Chris Lucas, Poughkeepsie, NY, ibid.) Ah, I see. That 1274 number came out of a simulation. Not sure why they reported it as a hard fact (Trip, ibid.) Page 29 of DA-16-1095A1. (Appendix A) Yep, it was a simulation intended to demonstrate how the Commission plans to handle repacking. (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View, TN EM66, ibid.) THE SPECTRUM AUCTION HAS SUCCEEDED On January 18th the FCC announced the amount bid by wireless companies in the forward auction had exceeded the "clearing cost". The "clearing cost" is the sum of the amount the TV stations to be purchased had requested for their channels; the cost of moving those stations which will be forced to new channels; and the cost of administering the auction. As I write the amount bid exceeds the clearing cost by roughly $8,000,000,000. (8 billion dollars) The forward auction is not yet complete, so the proceeds are likely to increase. What this means --- is that channels 38-51 will be lost to television. Stations will be repacked into channels 2-36. This is a far better outcome than initially predicted; some thought channels 30-36 could also be lost. It will still be challenging. Remember that the FCC cannot force any station to go off the air; to move from UHF to VHF; to move from high-VHF to low-VHF; or to share its channel with any other station. However, stations may volunteer to make any of these moves in return for a cut of the auction revenue. That's part of (most of) the "clearing cost". We don't yet know which stations have taken any of these options. Remember also that the FCC must maintain the coverage area of any station which doesn't volunteer to shut down. The Commission has an ambitious schedule to complete this repacking. Engineers have expressed doubt that it can be accomplished in the available time. It's been a slow month for classified changes. Depending on how quickly the FCC releases the new channel assignments, next month may also be slow. Once the new assignments are released, things will get busy VERY QUICKLY (Doug Smith, Feb WTFDA VHF-UHF Digest via DXLD) FINAL STAGE AUCTION RULE MET AT $18.2 BILLION Assignment phase to follow Written by Deborah D. McAdams for TVTechnology [Jan 18, 2017] Source: http://www.tvtechnology.com/news/0002/auction-closes-at-xxx-billion/280166 WASHINGTON — The closing criteria of the television spectrum incentive auction have been met at $18.2 billion in bids for 70 MHz of public airwaves. The closing criteria — i.e., clearing costs plus expenses and a benchmark bid price — were finally met after 43 weeks and four separate stages targeting progressively less spectrum. Stage 4 targeted 84 MHz, which participating broadcasters agreed to vacate for $10 billion in the fourth-stage reverse auction that ended Friday, Jan. 13. The clearing cost criteria comprised this $10 billion ask, plus the $1.75 billion Congress allocated to move broadcasters as well as the administrative costs of holding the auction, for a total of just over $12 billion. Bidding in the fourth-stage forward auction commenced at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18. By noon, the clearing cost criteria was met with bids totaling more than $17.7 billion from participating wireless providers, or $17.2 billion after discounts for rural and smaller entities, but still enough to cover the $12 billion. However, bids fell less than three cents short of the benchmark bid price of $1.25 per MHz/Pop (one megahertz of spectrum passing by one person in a given market area), triggering a second round of bidding. Second-round bids totaled $18.2 billion, or $17.7 billion after discounts, and slightly surpassed the $1.25 MHz/Pop benchmark at $1.2570, for the 70 MHz available out of the 84 MHz clearing target after consideration for guard bands. The next step involves implementation of the spectrum reserve rule in which “each Category 1 product for which at least one reserve-eligible bidder has processed demand at the time is split into two products: reserved and unreserved,” according to the Federal Communication Commission’s auction dashboard. “Reserve” refers to 30 MHz of spectrum set aside in each wireless geographic area for wireless providers who hold less than one-third of available low-band spectrum in a license area. “In order to provide bidders with additional time to bid in the first round after the spectrum reserve has been implemented, round 3 will be extended to six hours. It will be held tomorrow, Jan. 19, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Eastern.” There will be no bidding on Friday, Jan. 20, due to the inauguration. Bidding will resume in two-hour increments on Monday, Jan. 23, at 10 a.m and 2 p.m. The auction will close when demand no longer exceeds supply, as it now does in several wireless geographic units. Once the auction closes, an assignment phase where winning bidders of generic frequency blocks will be able to bid on specific frequencies, will begin. Addendum: Outgoing FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler issued the following statement after the final stage rule was met: “The world’s first spectrum incentive auction has delivered on its ambitious promise. Reaching the Final Stage Rule means the benefits of the auction are indisputable. We will repurpose 70 MHz of high-value, completely clear low-band spectrum for mobile broadband on a nationwide basis. On top of that, 14 MHz of new unlicensed spectrum — the test bed for wireless innovation — will be available for consumer devices and new services. The auction will provide $10.05 billion to broadcast television licensees who participated and billions towards deficit reduction. “There is still a long road ahead to successfully implement the post- auction transition of broadcast stations to their new channels and bring the new wireless and unlicensed spectrum to market. This will be an extremely important task for my successor and the new commission; I wish them well. “Now that we are assured of a successful auction, however, it is appropriate to acknowledge and thank some of those who helped us get here; a list that begins with our staff. For more than four years, Gary Epstein, chair of the Incentive Auction Task Force, has led a team of professionals more than 100 strong to assure that our actions were carefully coordinated and considered the public and stakeholder interests from all angles. The Task Force has worked tirelessly on this auction since 2012 and they have my deepest thanks. “Congress made the incentive auction possible – both by passing the Spectrum Act in 2012 and through its continued guidance and oversight – thanks to the leadership of Reps. Upton, Waxman, Walden, Eshoo, and Pallone, and Senators Rockefeller, Thune, and Nelson. Committee staff, together with the staff of our federal agency partners, including NTIA and OMB, collaborated to draft a momentous piece of legislation designed to advance the goals of making more spectrum available for licensed and unlicensed use, funding an interoperable public safety network, and reducing the federal deficit. “My predecessors as chair, Julius Genachowski and Mignon Clyburn, set the process in motion for this auction as well as for the 2014 AWS-3 auction, together with fellow Commissioners Robert McDowell, Jessica Rosenworcel, Ajit Pai and Mike O’Rielly. Congratulations to all on a job well done.” (Feb WTFDA VHF-UHF Digest via DXLD) I've noticed a pile of sub-channel shifts this morning from my locals here in Springfield MO. I wonder how much longer it will be until we get some public information on the results of the spectrum auction? (Jim Thomas, Springfield, Missouri, Feb 1, WTFDA gg via DXLD) Note: there have never been any RF 37s, analog or digital; reserved for radio astronomy. Presumably those 6 MHz, 610-616 will remain off- limits to new users too (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ JOHNSTON LAMENTS FM NOISE by Steve Johnston on 06.16.2011 RADIO WORLD [Note: from 5.7 years ago, even worse today --- gh] The impact of indoor noise on AM broadcast reception is well known. For FM that’s not the case thanks to the ability of FM receivers to hide the noise. Radio hobbyists — ham radio operators, shortwave listeners, broadcast DXers and other enthusiasts — know about the growing radio noise issues in our modern world; but less-technical listeners seem unaware of such noise pollution. Yet while FM receivers may not emit the buzzes, growls or pops that make AM noise obvious, noise can mask weaker FM radio and, probably, digital HD Radio as well. Listeners may not know why; they just know the signal is “weak.” I suspect all broadcast engineers have heard reception complaints; it’s normal. But I’ve noticed a new trend: long-time listeners describing deteriorating reception. “I used to get good reception here, but not anymore …” Wisconsin Public Radio is a three-network, 30-station public radio group. It is one of the largest such groups, with complex interconnection systems serving AM and FM stations around the region. Thirteen of the 30 stations have been upgraded to included HD Radio multicast service. In the past five years, WPR Audience Services “Listener Logs” show a 37 percent increase in e-mail and telephone complaints related to reception. At the same time, FM’s digital HD Radio indoor reception is simply not as good as predicted — both at WPR and industry-wide. Could these phenomena be related? My hypothesis was that growing levels of indoor noise from modern electronics may be masking weaker FM signals — and probably digital HD Radio and HDTV too. I further suspected that this noise increase creates the impression that HD Radio and HDTV have difficulty with “building penetration” and subsequently led to the effort to increase digital power. To get a sense of the noise present in the FM band in a variety of indoor situations, and see if it might explain the trouble these listeners were having with digital reception, I made measurements with a portable spectrum analyzer and antenna. I studied several urban apartments, suburban houses and urban offices. All were found to have higher noise levels inside than outdoors on the same property. I also pinpointed some common sources of this noise. Measurements I made an informal study of some Wisconsin Public Radio listener and staff homes using a battery-powered spectrum analyzer (a radio receiver with visual display of strength vs. frequency) and a loop of stiff wire about one-quarter wavelength in circumference on a short length of coaxial cable as a pickup antenna. My goal was to get a better sense of the noise encountered in the 88–108 MHz range in a variety of indoor situations and see if it might explain the reception troubles. It’s important to note that I did not try to put numbers on the signal strength of the noise, but rather made a comparison of outdoor to indoor reception at the same location. I visited several examples each of three types of locations: urban apartments, suburban houses and urban offices. In each location I inspected the signal-to-noise conditions, as shown on the spectrum analyzer, first just outside the premises, then inside. Results My tests showed suburban homes had much more noise in the FM broadcast band indoors than outside in the driveway. Top: An example of suburban homes tested by the author, this one in Fitchburg, Wis. Left: Inside a suburban house. Right: Outside a suburban house. Note that my spectrum analyzer configuration was optimized to show conditions across the whole band in a very broad manner; the settings would not be appropriate to measure an individual signal. The strongest noise sources I found inside the home were recently- manufactured “wall-wart” switch-mode power supplies used for charging batteries in cellphones and digital cameras. Some made a broad “hash” while others produced a series of noise peaks on discrete frequencies through the band, probably related to the switching frequency. Some HDTV sets and DVD players also were very noisy in the FM band, maybe from their power supplies as well but with their internal supplies it was impossible to be certain. Some personal computers and digital clocks and telephones were quite noisy in the FM band too. The urban apartments I checked also were awash in noise, much higher than the background level in the parking lot outside. With fewer square feet of space, noise sources were more concentrated than in the single-family home. I encountered a similar array of noise sources, though, and a similar increase in the overall noise from outside in the driveway to indoors. Top: An example of urban apartment buildings tested by the author, this one in Madison, Wis. Left: Inside an urban apartment. Right: Outside an urban apartment. We checked several urban office structures on our University of Wisconsin campus in Madison as well. They all suffered a bad combination of significant attenuation of the desired FM signals and high noise levels indoors. I found it harder to find specific causes of the noise in this environment. Some computers were noisy, as were many of the telephones. Printers with their switching-mode power supplies were cranking out the noise as well. An urban office building in Madison, Wis. Left: Inside an urban office building. Right: Outside an urban office building. But some of the noise in the office areas was harder to pinpoint; I’m thinking there are more sources in this environment, on various floors and rooms, with more reflection and multipath propagation on the noise signals from the metallic structures, all of which tends to “blur” the source. Using the loop antenna as a probe, I swept many rooms in the test buildings. Switching power supplies, consumer electronics and office equipment like computers, printers and monitors were among the worst culprits. Noise was pouring out of some of these devices at alarming levels. It seems impossible that they ever met existing specifications for radiated or conducted RF noise. One cell phone battery charger was so noisy that when it was unplugged I could see a change in the noise outside the building. Conclusion All locations visited showed a dramatically higher noise level indoors. Putting numbers on this noise is difficult, as moving the antenna around even a bit greatly varies the absolute strength of the noise. Stepping back and thinking of my overall experience, across the whole band, in all the locations, it would be fair to say I saw as much as a 20 to 30 dB increase in overall noise going from outside to indoors. Even without hard numbers it is clear that the modern indoor environment is much noisier in the 88–108 MHz range than nearby outdoor locations. In the situations in which I was assisting a listener with a reception problem, I was able to find places to put the listener’s radio and antenna to get better radio reception. In most cases the listener had installed his or her radio on a shelf or table quite close to other electronics, some of which were spewing out noise. I moved the radio out from among the noise sources and reception was naturally better. But of course we cannot expect all listeners to have a broadcast engineer with test equipment available to come to their home and help position their radio for best reception. Why the increasing noise problem indoors? My research seems to show that electronic devices are being manufactured without adequate concern for their incidental RF radiation. I contacted five engineers working in the field of switch-mode power supplies. Four of the five indicated that radio frequency interference was not a major priority for their companies — especially if improved RFI performance would result in any increase in manufacturing cost. The fifth engineer said his work was on devices for the medical electronics market, and RFI specifications had some importance for his company. One of these engineers also said that further cost cutting may occur when products are contract-manufactured at a distant factory. For example, shipments of a battery charger built in China were found to be lacking the specified metallic shielding paint applied to the inside of the plastic cabinets. I also heard from several engineers who said the third-party switching power supplies that had been specified and tested for their products were later replaced by less expensive products that had not been tested for RFI compliance. The replacement power supplies had the correct mechanical form-factor and made the right voltages at the right currents, but were probably not as RF-quiet. The fact that these manufacturing abuses can happen indicates to me that the regulatory agencies involved may have lost control of the situation. As interference from these incidental noise emitters increases, all radio and “wireless” systems are at risk. We can expect our signal coverage to decrease and user complaints to rise. And new technologies, such as HD Radio and HDTV, may not perform as predicted due to the increasing noise levels. In the face of intense competition for attention of listeners, broadcasters cannot afford to ignore this problem. Today’s listeners and viewers have little patience with reception problems, and faced with any difficulty will go to other media for their news and entertainment. In the short term, education about the noise pollution problem is helpful. Listeners can often reposition their radios and antennas, and/or disconnect offending noise sources, to get better reception. Radios tend to be placed on shelves or tables quite close to other electronics spewing out noise. Moving the radio out from among the noise sources and reception naturally will help. But this is an example of treating the symptom rather than the cause. For the long-term health of broadcasting, better control of radio noise at the manufacturing end is necessary. This article is based in part on a paper delivered at last year’s NAB Broadcast Engineering Conference (via Feb 2017 WTFDA VHF-UHF Digest via DXLD) IS AM IMPROVEMENT REALLY POSSIBLE? http://www.thebdr.net/articles/bus/view/CC14-AMImprovement.pdf Sent from my iPhone (Dennis Gibson, CA, IRCA via DXLD) Not only that, it's as realistic an approach as I've seen. Market forces can and will thin the herd on AM, perhaps to the point where Am becomes more viable than it is today, although that's probably wishful (Russ Edmunds, 15 mi NW Phila, ibid.) More of the same bad ideas. I have some better ones. Several facts come together pointing in the direction of a solution: (1) The world is abandoning longwave and shortwave in favor of the internet. This frees up a heck of a lot of spectrum. The US could jump on it while the time is right. (2) HD requires new radios. Radios to receive 150 kHz to 30 MHz would require most people to get new radios. Either way - new radios. (3) In spite of the horse and buggy talk, more and more people are clamoring to get on AM. You can hardly find an available frequency anywhere in a metro area. Clearly - something is going on, and it is profitable to somebody. (4) There is still a working stereo technology that would make music viable on AM. It is called C-Quam. Clueless consumers could still be sold on the idea C-Quam is the same as HD-AM. The difference between C-Quam and HD is that C-Quam actually works, and as a bonus, many HD radios decode it - the others would just need a firmware upgrade. So - what can be done? (A) Assimilate all of the existing bands - longwave, AM, shortwave bands into AM radio. Spread out everything on the air now across the entire spectrum, making sure to leave the few remaining shortwave stations untouched. Everybody gets a much better frequency than they have now, unlimited hours, much less interference from co-channels. (B) Allow super power on all AM stations to drown out the interference producers. The genie is out of the bottle with CFL bulbs, defective switching wall warts, and networking. The only option left is to overpower it. (C) Require all new radios, or radio containing devices to tune 150 kHz to 30 MHz, making hundreds, maybe thousands of frequencies available. (D) Mandate C-Quam on all of those new radios, and automatically adaptable IF bandwidth. (E) Combine this with an expanded FM band covering frequencies recently vacated by low VHF TV. Mandate the extended FM band on all new radios (R Bruce Carter, ABDX via DXLD) > (A) Assimilate all of the existing bands - longwave, AM, shortwave bands into AM radio. Spread out everything on the air now across the entire spectrum, making sure to leave the few remaining shortwave stations untouched. Everybody gets a much better frequency than they have now, unlimited hours, much less interference from co-channels. Expand the AM band from 540 where it is now down to 510. Give the stations that move down there 10 kW. Expand the top end of the AM band from 1700 up to 1800. That will take one frequency from the Ham Top band (1800 - 2000 kHz) that will give them from 1810 to 2000. Give the stations that go up there 20kW day and 5 kW night. > (B) Allow super power on all AM stations to drown out the interference producers. The genie is out of the bottle with CFL bulbs, defective switching wall warts, and networking. The only option left is to overpower it. Well; That means that some of the piss ant power night stations will have to get off the clears. I say clear it out and give the stations 100 kW on MW clears. > (C) Require all new radios, or radio containing devices to tune 150 kHz to 30 MHz, making hundreds, maybe thousands of frequencies available. There is a fly in that ointment. Go to Walmart or K-Mart or Target and see how many radios are for sale. You probably can count them on one hand IF they have any. Run the stations on the clears off into the FM band by opening FM up at the top to 108.1 and to 87.5 at the bottom. That won't open up tons of stuff but most radios will get them right now. Give those stations 10 kW as a carrot and you can cover a small town. It will open up some AM frequencies a little bit. > (D) Mandate C-Quam on all of those new radios, and automatically adaptable IF bandwidth. Sure but back to the point where there is almost no radios being sold today. We gotta deal with the fact that radio is a dated technology. Just because we like it and want to save it doesn't mean the generally dumb public likes it. > (E) Combine this with an expanded FM band covering frequencies recently vacated by low VHF TV. Mandate the extended FM band on all new radios. If you are going to clear out the frequencies, this has to happen. It may be shuffling the deck chairs if you know what I mean. All of this stuff should have been done in the late 80s or early 90s (Kevin, Crump, TN, Redding, ibid.) Hard to expand the AM band lower than 530 kHz. Worldwide, 518 kHz is a NAVTEX frequency (Martin Foltz, ibid.) 520 then (Kevin, Crump. TN, ibid.) 520 would still be too close to the 518 network (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) IDING SOURCES OF NOISE/INTERFERENCE I was reading an article in the latest VUD about sources of noise, and it inspired me to try to pin down some noise/interference in my house that may be hindering any long-range DX. In the past, I've already IDed certain sources of noise such as dimmable lights, laptops, and even the LCD TV on the main floor of my home. But with all of these sources off, I was still facing unexplained noise. After investigating (and much to my surprise), I found that the COFFEE MAKER was a problem. I was using my HD Homerun tuner to see signal strengths on vacant low-VHF channels, and when I unplugged the coffee make, signal strengths immediately decreased on the vacant channels as much as 20%. Even high-VHF signals are quieter by 15 to 20% on average. I will continue to see if I've sought out everything I can. I use an outdoor AntennaCraft MXV-5100 VHF antenna on the roof, and the coffee maker is about 30' away from the antenna. I'll just keep it unplugged when not in use (Andrew Knafel, Jan 31, WTFDA gg via DXLD) I have had persistent problems with router whine on certain FM frequencies in the past. I tried ferrites to no avail. I relocated the router with only modest improvement. I also moved it to another electrical circuit with no improvement. I ultimately added two ethernet adapters in series between the router and the computer in the shack. That didn't eliminate the problem, but made it tolerable. I also upgraded the router, again with modest improvement. Lately, I've found that the noise level for AM DX was increasing, and the culprit turned out to be the old switching power supplied for the ethernet adapters - both 10+ years old. These are known to go bad over time. So far I've removed the one which was noisier and found an improvement, however more testing is required. My alternatives seem to be to only use the ethernet adapters during the active FM season or to replace either the adapters or their supplies. Jameco has nothing close to what I need, and multiple port ethernet adapters also seem to be a thing of the past. But as to the article in the latest VUD, I am surprised that more attention wasn't paid to something he mentioned early on - substantially underperforming signals under HD vs analog, coupled with the in or out nature of digital signals. To me, those are as big a piece of the problem for FM and TV as are all of the various devices. (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA, (15 mi NW of Philadelphia), Grid FN20id, ibid.) A couple sources for interference to DTV : DVD players, Blue tooth speakers, vacuum cleaners, flashing Christmas lights, computers, nearby hi-speed trains (Dan Oetting, Elkton MD, Sent from my iPhone, ibid.) I will continue to seek out other possible sources of noise. The signal strengths still seem to be a bit elevated, but they've certainly improved after unplugging the coffee maker. I'll see if the internet router/modem may be another culprit, but I currently have my computer-based tuner plugged into it. I'll try plugging it directly into the computer and turning off the internet router/modem and see if it decreases the noise (Andrew Knafel, Jan 31, ibid.) Andrew, How far is the coffee maker from the coax and TV that you are seeing interference on? I had coax at the rear of the TV that ran from the Zenith digital box tuner to the TV or VCR. The electrical cord for one of the electronic items (tuner, DVD, or VCR) was near the coax and it would create white "speckles" on the picture of the TV. I relocated the coax and electrical cord so they were not against each other. That eliminated the problem. Does the coffee maker have any LED display or a clock with numbers on it. Any LED display can radiate RF that will cause interference. The local transit buses have LED message boards that show which routes the buses are running. They radiate interference that will carry for over 1 or 2 full car lengths when you are driving near them. A friend is a ham radio operator. The one bus route goes past the front of his house. His tower and antennas are at the rear of his house, about 30 feet from the street. He was getting interference from the LED displays on the buses as they were passing by his house. If there is a transformer or ballast to reduce voltage in the coffee maker, they can radiate RF if they aren't designed with the proper shielding (Bob Seaman, Feb 1, ibid.) ADOPT AN INSURANCE POLICY FOR AM PIONEERS January 23, 2017 By David Honig http://www.radioworld.com/columns-and-views/0004/adopt-an-insurance-policy-for-am-pioneers/339013 The author is president emeritus and senior adviser of the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council. MMTC’s 30 years have been wrapped up in AM radio. As the heritage communications technology for minorities, AM has been the voice of the voiceless, the training ground for the underserved and the place to get on the air if most of your audience isn’t fluent in English. As a nonprofit, MMTC has had 10 AM stations donated to us. We’ve used them to train new entrants to become owners programming black gospel, Spanish and Hmong. MMTC recently published a series of recommendations for the next FCC, including a recommendation to create an AM Glidepath. Some people thought this meant that MMTC wants to decommission the AM band. That’s not the case at all. Radio World invited us to explain not only our recommendation but the history of MMTC’s journey around the AM band. Those of us who love AM do not want it be “decommissioned,” as a couple of recent headlines inaccurately suggested. Credit: iStockphoto/bayhayalet [caption] WORTH SAVING In 1979, I was part of the State Department’s World Administrative Radio Conference delegation in Geneva, where I helped negotiate the Western Hemisphere’s new AM treaty arrangements. That got me hooked on AM. When MMTC founded our media brokerage in 1997, we began specializing in AM transactions. Over the years helping buyers and sellers, I rode shotgun with lots of engineers visiting failing AM stations, and it was heartbreaking. These weren’t the 50 kW clear channel blowtorches whose audiences rivaled the 100 kW monster FMs. Those heritage AM market dominators will do quite well — even without the millennials who shun AM, even without the mobile devices that don’t carry AM. The AMs I got to visit and to sell, sometimes for a few thousand dollars, were the “sad sacks” of the AM band: small-market daytimers with aging audio chains, temperamental transmitters, audiences older than me (and Truman was president when I was born), negative cash flow, zero audience ratings book after book, huge sums invested but no buyers except at token prices that would be insulting if they weren’t real. Getting to know these AM pioneers — moms and pops who were giving their lives to their communities using this quirky 107-year-old technology — convinced me that the Federal Communications Commission needed to take dramatic steps to save the band. “But AM is just a bunch of anti-civil rights right-wingers,” more than one friend told me. “Let it go.” My answer to this was “So?” The bulk of minority communications investment was and is on AM. The vast majority of multilingual radio service is on AM. I’m not going to let these folk down just because someone else benefits too. Besides, I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t fess up to having been a conservative talk impresario for a while. Here’s how that happened: A few years ago, someone with a sense of humor donated the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council a right-wing conservative talk AM station. It featured “The Blaze” and came with a first-rate audio chain. I studied the market — and what do you know, the format hole was indeed conservative talk. The audience liked the programming, which included some nonpartisan, informative, non-ideological local talk. MMTC — a nonpartisan civil rights organization — feels strongly that minorities need to become qualified to work in every radio format. So we kept the format and we used the station to train minorities in conservative talk. We actually ran Glenn Beck in afternoon drive, because he belonged there. Yeah, I usually disagreed with what he had to say. And I could have hit the “kill switch” at any time, but I never did. I felt that our audience in Augusta, Ga., had a better handle on what they should be hearing than I did in Washington, D.C. Besides, I always wondered how Mr. Beck felt about being carried on an affiliate owned by a mainstream civil rights organization. Maybe it calmed him down a bit. So that’s the story of MMTC’s journey into AM. That explains why we set out to do everything we could do to extend the life of the band. We knew that AM, like a shopping mall, could collapse entirely if the anchor stores failed. So we sought solutions for the entire band, not just for the small failing stations. RESCUE PLANS A AND B In 2010, our “Radio Rescue Committee” had a Plan A and a Plan B. Our Plan A was to join forces with the Broadcast Maximization Committee and ask the FCC to allow AM to migrate to TV Channels 5–6, where the stations would become frequency modulated and triple in value. That wasn’t in the cards. The FCC wanted those channels for the DTV incentive auction. But thanks to the initiative of Commissioners Ajit Pai and Mignon Clyburn, and the advocacy support of the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters and National Association of Broadcasters, we got our Plan B: AM-only translator windows that are saving a boatload of AM stations from economic oblivion. The FCC still can do more to extend the life of AM. We’ve asked the commission to deregulate outdated rules on minimum staffing, nighttime interference and some of the public file rules that predated the digital age. And for our part, we can lengthen AM’s life by continuing to tell radio’s story with enthusiasm and verve. It’s OK to “accentuate the positive.” Advertisers certainly need to understand that those of us who love AM do not want it be “decommissioned,” as a couple of recent headlines inaccurately suggested. Instead, what we want for AM, and for AM pioneers, is the same thing we want for our parents and spouses: a good life insurance policy. INSURANCE PLAN Having life insurance doesn’t mean we want our loved ones to die. What it means is that we don’t want our loved ones’ families to suffer if/when those loved ones do die. Why does AM need life insurance? Is it in danger? Let’s be really honest, folks. In the short run, no. But in the long run, maybe. Someday — perhaps as soon as 30 years from now — AM may be doomed to go the way of the telegraph service, whether we like it or not. And we won’t like it. We certainly are not asking the FCC to hasten that event. Instead, we want the commission to do everything it can to avoid or postpone it. The nightmare we need to avoid is the nightmare families face when they didn’t arrange for life insurance: The AM band becomes unsustainable, and AM pioneers, who’ve struggled to serve the most underserved communities, get told “Sorry, you are out of luck — thank you for your service to your country. Now go away.” That would be morally wrong, and we cannot allow it to happen. What would be a good life insurance policy for the AM band? There are two key elements. First, we want the FCC to start a process that could lead to lengthening the life of the band by compensating licensees at fair value in exchange for surrendering their licenses, and enabling AM broadcasters to transition their programming to other platforms. The FCC could do that by starting now toward planning for the compression of the band from its present 535–1705 kHz to (for example) 535–1005 kHz, and going from 10 kHz spacing to 20 kHz spacing. Such a band would accommodate fewer stations, but the stations would be much more competitive and they — and the AM band — would have a fighting chance at surviving decades longer. Second, we want the FCC to think three or four decades ahead, toward the inevitable day when AM might no longer be sustainable. If that happens, what other communications services could use AM spectrum? Could it be used for meter reading? The Internet of Things? Drones? The FCC is not known for expedited action, so it ought to start early by convening the best engineering minds to think about these questions. In this way, the federal government could be in a position to offer AM owners fair value for their assets, rather than just letting their companies die if the band dies. Now, we’re not sure what the correct parameters are for this kind of plan. Should the band be compressed? How far? If stations want to continue to operate, but on lower frequencies, who will pay for their relocation? Should we go to wider spacing and perhaps higher power? How much skywave protection will we need; can we convert day-timers into full-timers someday in much of the country? Should we go back to the 100 kW “flamethrower” era when two massive signals cover the nation for public safety purposes? If licensees want to cash out, will the federal government buy their spectrum and redeploy it for such uses as air navigation, sonar, Internet of Things, drones, meter reading, crop irrigation or uses not yet contemplated — and who will pay for this, and over how many years will it be paid for? Finally, where will AM programming go to find a new home, so the public doesn’t lose a valuable service? This is a good time for our AM Glidepath Taskforce to be asking these kinds of questions. As of early January, it appears likely that Commissioner Ajit Pai will become acting (and possibly permanent) FCC chair. Not since former Broadcast Bureau Chief Ken Cox was a commissioner in the 1960s and 1970s and Jim Quello served in the ’80s and ’90s has there been a greater supporter of AM radio on the 8th floor of the FCC. Commissioner Pai loves and understands radio. When we share with him how the FCC has undervalued and ignored radio in preference to newer “shiny things” in the so-called broadband era, he gets that. To summarize: We don’t want AM radio to be decommissioned. We would dearly love to see AM expand and thrive. What we’re hoping the FCC will do is give struggling AM owners an insurance policy: the voluntary option, in a few decades, of exiting honorably and with compensation at full value, rather than being forced out against their will if the band crashes 30 years from now due to FCC neglect or inevitable market conditions attendant to new technology. We need help figuring out the answers, and we sincerely want and need the support of all who love and support AM radio. Please email us with your thoughts, criticisms, ideas and prayers at dhonig@mmtconline.org (via Dennis Gibson, IRCA via DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ AURORA --- FIRE IN THE SKY I`ve just watched a great documentary, which while not dealing directly with DXing, is extremely relevant. Should be currently playing on PBS stations. Check out your schedules. Here`s what OETA says about it: Aurora - Fire in the Sky Thursday, February 2, 03:00 pm on OETA OKLA Duration: 0:56:46 Description: Examine legends about the origins and meaning of the aurora, the colorful glow that often brightens the night sky in Earth's polar regions. Investigate the myths of Finland's Saami, Alaska's Inuit, Canada's Native Americans and New Zealand's Maori. [HD][CC] View Additional Airings [CST = UT -6] 02/02/17, 8:00 pm OETA OKLA 02/05/17, 3:00 am OETA OKLA 02/05/17, 3:00 pm OETA OKLA 02/05/17, 8:00 pm OETA OKLA 03/06/17, 5:00 am OETA-HD Recommended to watch in HD, but getting up at 5 am on March 6 to do that would be rather inconvenient for me. The closing credits are very brief, but I copied this: ``Terra Mater Factual Studios GmbH © 2012. DVD from shopPBS.org for $24.99; or download on iTunes`` As for PBS, itself: http://www.pbs.org/search/?q=aurora Aurora - Fire in the Sky Premiered February 2017 In Earth’s polar regions, the aurora — a ghostly flicker and colorful glow — mysteriously brightens the night sky. One of the most incredible natural phenomena in the world, the array of colors of the aurora is a source of endless theory and wonder. What creates such beauty and spectacle? And here`s link to full video: http://www.pbs.org/video/2365941453/ The native Canadians are the Haida, so we get a good look at Walt Salmaniw`s remote DXing island! Also, about the Maori, we see Invercargill, New Zealand, home of Arthur Cushen. The program mixes stunning photography of aurorae, scientific research with cultural material, legends about the aurora, explains how aurorae emit inaudible sounds (Glenn Hauser, OK, Feb 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) PAT DYER --- One Less DXer We may be reading more about this elsewhere in this VUD, but longtime FM Dxer and WTFDA member Pat Dyer passed away on December 17th of a heart attack at his home in San Antonio, Texas. Pat’s website at qrz.net has been moved to the WTFDA website and can be found at the following address: http://www.wtfda.org/pjdyer And that is it for February. See you next time. Mike Bugaj, Feb WTFDA VHF-UHF Digest via DXLD) This is last known activity that Pat had posted on the TV FM Skip log public forum: Dec17 21:38 copy from log - sri no photo/video - it was 1958 - de WA5IYX http://www.qsl.net/wa5iyx/images/19580420-meteor.jpg Gentlemen, I have just one amusing observation I would like to share, regarding Pat. I didn't know Pat very good or for a very long time, but I would've loved to meet him and spend a little time listening to him speak about things related to dxing. I spent some time chatting with him on the TV FM DX logger, seeing that he was always there. I think that's where he felt his friends were. I know he was a vast well of knowledge on the subject of electronics and radio propagation. And he was very humble in sharing information and passing on suggestions. And, Pat was a true analyst. I spent several hours the last couple days sorting through his archives of pictures he uploaded to his radio website. It appears most of them were there for storage, as he didn't have direct links to view many of them on the pages. As I say, he truly was an analyst. He would take close up pictures of things, and I always noticed he layed a pencil in the picture to maintain scale I was going through pictures and I came upon one from the 50th high school reunion (last year). He snapped a picture of some food, which I presume, he was going to eat. Maybe a diabetic?? On one plate was a prepared hot dog on a bun, and next to it were two chocolate donuts on another plate. And right behind both plates - a pencil was lying on the table! I couldn't help but laugh when I saw that! Just thought I would share that. I know that the people that really knew him are going to miss him and think about him. I'd like to encourage those thoughts to be good ones. It breaks my heart that he had to pass on, all alone. That's what makes me cry inside (Jim Thomas, Springfield, Missouri, ibid.) Editor's note: Artie Bigley also checked in to remark on Pat's dedication to the hobby. They'd exchanged e-mails over the last several years. Pat did do some research on Astronomy, the Sun and VHF prorogation but DXing took about 95% of his waking hours as far as Artie is concerned. He laments the passing of a true DXing pioneer (Feb WTFDA VHF-UHF Digest via DXLD) Pat Dyer's Website --- I'm happy to see everyone caring about archiving this site (I see it has been done). However --- JEFF KADET`S SITE It's a damn shame that nobody took action with Jeff Kadet's site after he passed. He had compiled some of the best stuff in our hobby but it was more or less ignored when suggested that WTFDA archive and host his site and though I had it on my to-do list to save all his pages and files, I just had too many other things in my life to deal with at the time and a site that was barely held together as it was. We should take it as a lesson to better look out for the people in our hobby. It takes so little to lose priceless DX history and broadcasting history information and files when we don't. Imagine the amount of stuff Jeff had on that site, including the old TV Guides, his other big hobby. Imagine spending years of your life on projects like that only to pass away and your whole life's hobby work is just gone and forgotten. Everyone loses out in that case, and he was one of the great Midwestern DXers. I'd hope someone would consider much the same about my own site one day and I make sure to back it up externally for that reason (I'm in the process of making it a site *actually* worth saving in the future). Those who have the resources to do it should better look out for their fellow DXers for the good of the DX community. We selfishly fret over losing local stations to IBOC, analog TV, etc., but don't blink an eye when a priceless amount of information from one of our own disappears into oblivion. Look out for one another (Chris Kadlec, Seoul AM Radio Listening Guide http://www.beaglebass.com/dx/seoul/ Jan 27, WTFDA gg via DXLD) I know there was an initiative put forth by those that *knew* Pat WA5IYX to preserve his website and documents. I also had a very high regard for Jeff Kadet, though I didn't know him near as well as I knew Pat. I encouraged Danny Oglethorpe to do something on his TV Expo website to honor Jeff. Perhaps someone that was *close* to Jeff should've stepped up and got the ball rolling, so to speak. I'm sure the WTFDA would've supported the effort. Not pointing fingers at anyone - its just that the world has leaders and followers. I don't think its too late to capture his memory. His website is archived here: http://archive.is/J52O Someone surely can take the initiative to save this as a WTFDA memorial to K1MOD. :-) (Jim Thomas, Springfield, Missouri, ibid.) Maybe so, but Jeff bears most of the responsibility for this, in my opinion. The reason we got Pat's site on wtfda.org was because it was on qrz.net, a ham site. Jim contacted them and they were very gracious in giving me the ftp info along with a temporary username and password. I forget Jeff's ISP but I'm pretty sure it was a commercial ISP. I very seriously doubt that if I went to them and asked for a username and password to get Jeff's website, they'd give it to me. Besides, it's not my responsibility to ask. I have my original website at wtfda.org. Possibly one or two or three people a week go there, but it's there. Over the years I've offered to host member websites there and if you want to put a backup of your site there, you can if you're a WTFDA member. If Jeff had a backup of his site on wtfda.org this discussion would be moot. Anyway, if you guys with websites wanted them preserved after you're gone, at least give your userid and password and ftp info to somebody you trust and let someone know about it so we can archive it. But I know, egos get in the way and nobody thinks of that. But I did. > I'd hope someone would consider much the same about my own site one day and I make sure to back it up externally for that reason (I'm in the process of making it a site *actually* worth saving in the future). Then make sure somebody has the info so they can get into it. Or let me show you how to ftp your site to wtfda.org and into a folder there. And then if you want to do something with the domain name I think Tim can work with you because he knows that stuff. I don't (Mike Bugaj, WTFDA gg via DXLD) No, it's only his homepage (index.htm or html) No other links work. (Mike Bugaj, ibid.) I'm not counting on anyone else to keep fybush.com or any of my other sites around should I disappear. My webmaster, Lance Venta, has all the data and passwords, as does Lisa. And David Gleason (americanradiohistory.com) and I have a mutual backup deal; each of us keeps a USB drive with the other one's website on it, so when the Big One hits California and it gets knocked into the sea, David's stuff will still exist on this side of the country. s (Scott Fybush, ibid.) FYI, Jeff's FB page has stayed somewhat active from people that knew him. https://www.facebook.com/jeff.kadet.1 (Jim Thomas, ibid.) Hi Chris, The Internet Archive has a fairly good chunk of his site, sad to say, the large version of his DX pictures don't seem to be there. On a brighter note, the sign off audio Jeff had on his site found a new home: http://www.tv-signoffs.com/1964_signoffs.htm TV-Signoffs.com - Audio Clips of 1964 TV Station Sign-Offs http://www.tv-signoffs.com AUDIO CLIPS OF 1964 TV STATION SIGN-OFFS. Page updated Wednesday, 5 October 2016. The audio clips on this page were made in the summer of 1964 by a life-long DX ... From all appearances, his site went dead last October, so we're just a little too late. BTW, Jeff's funeral and burial are posted on Youtube. That one can be found by searching his name (Curtis Sadowski, ibid.) The Wayback Machine has more of Jeff's stuff. Some links still don't work, but many do. https://web.archive.org/web/20160305182749/http://oldtvguides.com/DXPhotos/ Lots of DX pics on this page; and you can click on them too. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303173350/http://oldtvguides.com/all_thumbs/ wrh (Bill Hepburn, ibid.) http://web.archive.org/web/20160303173149/http://www.oldtvguides.com/K1MOD/ http://web.archive.org/web/20160303181759/http://www.oldtvguides.com/DXPhotos/ The Internet Archive scraped the site many times, if something isn't on what you're seeing, it might be present on one of the other saved dates (Curtis Sadowski, Jan 28, ibid.) BTW, I was incorrect in my previous post to Chris, the large photos are present. I think with some effort, the site can be recreated in its entirety, or at least most of it can (Curtis Sadowski, ibid.) Thank you Curtis for digging around on this (Jim Thomas, ibid.) You're welcome, Jim. Jeff started his TV DX site after an online exchange of messages with me. This had to have been more than ten years ago, I think. Anyway, I heard back from him after a few quiet months, and he told me of what he'd done, and I told him "Good grief, Jeff! I didn't mean to cause you so much work!" Jeff was in uncertain health even then, he wanted to find a way to remain memorialized, so he put everything on line. I started searching for what was left of the site last Fall, which was how I knew it had only recently gone off the web. Hmmm; Perhaps instead of getting him to start the site, I accidentally prompted him to revamp it. The TV DX site predates when I was in contact with Jeff (Curtis, ibid.) ROBERT B. COOPER, JR. Looks like Jeff was a friend of our erstwhile WTFDA member Bob Cooper. http://tinyurl.com/jba3lrs Scroll down to the last photo on the page http://tinyurl.com/K1MOD-COOPER1R Bob contributed many articles and publications to The Old CATV Equipment Museum; website: http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/220/index.html His most recent publication was an online history of the cable TV and satellite TV industries: http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org/220/226/index.html If it weren't for Bob I wouldn't be a member of WTFDA! Hey Bob, are you still out there? Are you still a member of this Google Group? I haven't heard from you for quite some time (Neal McLain, Retired Cable Guy, Brazoria, Texas USA, ibid.) He may be somewhere, but he's not on this list. Only he knows. (Mike B, Enfield, CT, ibid.) PROPAGATION OUTLOOK FROM PRAGUE as of Jan 27: Geomagnetic field will be: active to disturbed on February 2, 6 - 7 (8, 16, 18) quiet to active on February 3 - 5, 15, 17 mostly quiet on February 9 - 10, 20 - 21 quiet on February 11 - 12, 14, 22 Quiet to unsettled on February 13, 19 (F. K. Janda, OK1HH, Czech Propagation Interested Group, via gh, WORLD OF RADIO 1863, DXLD) The outlook from Boulder: Lowest A`s and K`s of 5 and 2, February 8- 13; solar flux in the mid 70`s (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) Viz.: :Product: Weekly Highlights and Forecasts :Issued: 2017 Jan 30 0445 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/weekly.html # # Weekly Highlights and Forecasts # Highlights of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 23 - 29 January 2017 Solar activity was at mostly very low levels with low levels observed on 28 January due to an isolated C2 flare at 28/2109 UTC from Region 2627 (N06, L=193, class/area Dai/110 on 22 January). An associated coronal mass ejection (CME) was observed off of the west limb in coronagraph imagery beginning at 28/2148 UTC but was determined not to have a geoeffective component. No Earth-directed CMEs were observed. No proton events were observed at geosynchronous orbit. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit was at normal to moderate levels with high levels observed on 23-24, and 26-29 January. The largest flux value of the period was 2,495 pfu observed at 28/1800 UTC. Geomagnetic field activity ranged from quiet to active levels over the period. Solar wind parameters were indicative of background conditions to start the period. Midday on 26 January, wind speed began to increase as an isolated, positive polarity coronal hole high-speed stream (CH HSS) became geoeffective. Wind speed reached a maximum of 697 km/s at 27/0609 UTC and total field peaked at 16 nT at 26/2330 UTC before gradually decreasing throughout the remainder of the period. The geomagnetic field was at quiet levels on 23-24 January, quiet to unsettled levels on 25, 28-29 January, and quiet to active levels on 26-27 January. FORECAST OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY 30 JANUARY-25 FEBRUARY 2017 Solar activity is expected to be very low with a slight chance for C-class flares on 30 January - 04 February as Regions 2628 (N12, L=174, class/area Dso/220 on 23 January) and 2629 (N15, L=110, class/area Dao/220 on 25 January) rotate across the visible disk. Very low levels are expected from 05-11 February. Very low levels with a slight chance for C-class flares are expected on 12-25 February with the return of Region 2627. No proton events are expected at geosynchronous orbit. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to be at normal to moderate levels with high levels likely on 01-13, 16-18, and 22-25 February due to CH HSS influence. Geomagnetic field activity is expected to be at unsettled to active levels on 30 January - 07 February, and again on 14-18 and 22-25 February with G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storm levels likely on 31 January, and 01 February due to recurrent CH HSS effects. :Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt :Issued: 2017 Jan 30 0445 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 2017-01-30 # # UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest # Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index 2017 Jan 30 76 10 3 2017 Jan 31 75 25 5 2017 Feb 01 75 20 5 2017 Feb 02 75 18 4 2017 Feb 03 74 15 4 2017 Feb 04 74 15 4 2017 Feb 05 72 15 4 2017 Feb 06 72 10 3 2017 Feb 07 75 8 3 2017 Feb 08 76 5 2 2017 Feb 09 77 5 2 2017 Feb 10 77 5 2 2017 Feb 11 77 5 2 2017 Feb 12 77 5 2 2017 Feb 13 78 5 2 2017 Feb 14 79 15 4 2017 Feb 15 81 10 3 2017 Feb 16 83 10 3 2017 Feb 17 83 8 3 2017 Feb 18 83 8 3 2017 Feb 19 85 5 2 2017 Feb 20 85 5 2 2017 Feb 21 85 5 2 2017 Feb 22 80 10 3 2017 Feb 23 80 15 4 2017 Feb 24 80 10 3 2017 Feb 25 75 10 3 (SWPC via WORLD OF RADIO 1863 DXLD) ###