DX LISTENING DIGEST 9-011, February 3, 2009 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 2008 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn SHORTWAVE AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1446 Wed 1630 WRMI 9955 [or old 1445] Thu 0630 WRMI 9955 Thu 1630 WRMI 9955 Fri 0030 WBCQ 7415 Fri 0200 WRMI 9955 Fri 1230 WRMI 9955 Fri 2030 IPAR/IRRS/NEXUS/IBA 7290 Fri 2129 WWCR1 15825 Sat 0000 WBCQ 5110-CUSB Area 51 [irregular] Sat 0900 IPAR/IRRS/NEXUS/IBA 9510 [exc first Sat] Sat 0900 WRMI 9955 Sat 1730 WWCR3 12160 Sun 0330 WWCR3 5070 Sun 0730 WWCR1 3215 Sun 0900 WRMI 9955 Sun 1615 WRMI 9955 Mon 0600 WRMI 9955 Mon 2300 WBCQ 7415 [confirmed Feb 2] Tue 1200 WRMI 9955 Tue 1630 WRMI 9955 Wed 0600 WRMI 9955 [or new 1447] Wed 1630 WRMI 9955 [or new 1447] WBCQ is also airing new or archive editions of WOR M-F 2000 on 7415 Latest edition of this schedule version, including AM, FM, satellite and webcasts with hotlinks to station sites and audio, is at: http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html or http://schedule.worldofradio.org or http://sked.worldofradio.org For updates see our Anomaly Alert page: http://www.worldofradio.com/anomaly.html WRN ON DEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 WORLD OF RADIO PODCASTS VIA WRN NOW AVAILABLE: http://podcast.worldofradio.org or http://www.wrn.org/listeners/stations/podcast.php OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO: http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html or http://wor.worldofradio.org ** ALBANIA. R. Tirana, 13720 to NAm, Feb 2 at 1542 with ID, then item about the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Albanian angle. Some fading, S9+10 to 15, and good modulation. Hope that keeps up (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Glenn, Noted recently the much improved and even very good audio quality of Radio Tirana. I checked this evening at 1945 UT Feb 2, on 7465, SINPO 45444 and at 2100 on 7510 kHz, 55555. No longer undermodulated, as it sounded before (Chris Lewis, England, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANGOLA. 4950v, RNA --- This one has been missing for a couple of months, at least during our afternoons. If it has permanently shut down, I guess that means no more Angola on SWBC except flea-power 7216.8 kHz, which is never more than a tiny het here (Bob Hill, MA, DXplorer Jan 28 via BC-DX Feb 2 via DXLD) ** ANGUILLA. 11775 Feb 13 at 1430 and 1515 checks, just open carrier, no PMS. Is anyone in The Valley paying attention? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA [non]. THE AUSTRALIAN LONDONERS --- From the Pirate Radio Hall of Fame: Former Radio Caroline Senior DJ Bryan Vaughan contacted The Pirate Radio Hall of Fame recently. He told us about a programme made for Australian television in 1965. Called The Australian Londoners it was presented by Rolf Harris and looked at the lives of a number of expat Australians living and working in London, including Barry Humphries, Jack Brabham, Ron Grainer and many others. The programme contained a segment filmed in Caroline House and on the mv Mi Amigo, home of Radio Caroline South, featuring Bryan, Jon Sydney, Colin Nicol, various other Australian staff members and their boss, Allan Crawford. Bryan very kindly sent us a copy of the programme. It had never been shown on British television so the footage was completely new to us - and fascinating. The DVD included a credit for the programme maker, Stefan Sargent, and a quick search on the internet revealed that Stefan is still working as a film-maker today http://www.stefansargent.com We emailed to ask his permission to include some of the Caroline footage on The Pirate Radio Hall of Fame. Not only did he grant permission, he even went to the trouble of uploading that segment of his original master onto YouTube for us. We are very grateful to Stefan for his help and to Bryan for the suggestion. So, from 1965, this is the Radio Caroline segment of The Australian Londoners, narrated by Rolf Harris: http://www.offshoreradio.co.uk/album81.htm (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) ** AUSTRIA. See UNIDENTIFIED 1476 ** BOLIVIA. RADIO FIDES: 70 AÑOS AL SERVICIO DE BOLIVIA La Paz - Bolivia, 02 de febrero.- Radio Fides, perteneciente a la Compañía de Jesús, cumple este lunes 70 años de vida, un jueves 2 de febrero de 1939, día de la Candelaria, de la Virgen morena de Copacabana, el Nuncio Apostólico, Mons. Antonio Taif, bendecía solemnemente las modernas instalaciones de radio “Fides, la voz católica de Bolivia”, a las 19:15, Fides nació en dos habitaciones ubicadas en el sector norte del patio de primaria del Colegio San Calixto. Fides fue la primera radiodifusora católica y jesuita de Bolivia e Iberoamérica. Surgió en tiempos cuando el mundo se hallaba convulsionado por la Segunda Guerra Mundial, en Bolivia se vivía un tormentoso periodo de posguerra del Chaco. . . http://fmbolivia.com.bo/noticia7817-radio-fides-70-aos-al-servicio-de-bolivia.html (via José Miguel Romero, Spain, dxldyg via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 4754.92, 0220-0230 29.01, R Imaculada Conceicão, Campo Grande, MS, Portuguese religious talk, orchestral music, 25322 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, on my AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1446, DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 10000, 02/02 2336, Observatório Nacional, time signal, forte e ensurdecedor zumbido de praxe; eu acho que devem estar estudando o efeito da incompetência através das ondas hertzianas, sem nota SINPO para esse sinal espúrio no éter, ou se preferir -1-1-1-1-1. Não consigo entender em que essa transmissão pode contribuir para experiências ou estudos científicos; sinceramente eu não vejo motivo para isso estar no ar a não ser a teimosia e a falta de humildade de seus dirigentes que estão pondo em ridículo essa organização. Atrevo- me até a falar algo, pois segundo eles é uma transmissão para pesquisadores e eu sou pouco menos que leigo. O comentário sobre a tx(???) do Observatório Nacional é um desabafo a teimosia dessa transmissão horrível. Tem chegado muita portadora com sinal baixo e áudio pouco audível em OT (Jorge Freitas, SWL1023B, Feira de Santana, Bahia, 12º 15' 1.57" S 38º 58' 40.30" W, Degen 1103, Antena fio longo com 20 metros e balum 9:1, HCDX via DXLD) ** CANADA. IMPACT ON CBC OF A $200 MILLION CUT - Friends of Canadian Broadcasting warns that Conservatives plan even more draconian cuts to CBC funding: http://www.straightgoods.ca/2009/ViewBrief.cfm?Ref=21 (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** CANADA. CBC BROADCASTER RUSS GERMAIN DIES AT 62 --- Longtime CBC broadcaster Russ Germain, former host of flagship radio news programs World Report and The World at Six, has died at the age of 62. Germain died in Toronto Monday night after a lengthy battle with cancer, diagnosed after his retirement in 2002. "One of his values was to do the best job he could and to tell the truth," Germain's former colleague and current World Report host Judy Maddren said Tuesday afternoon. . . http://www.cbc.ca/arts/media/story/2009/02/03/obit-germain-russ.html (via Dale Rothert, WORLD OF RADIO 1446, DXLD) TORONTO — Veteran CBC broadcaster Russ Germain is being remembered as a grammar guru who maintained a zest for life and an infectious sense of humour behind his staid demeanour. Ex-colleagues say the radio newsman, who anchored national news shows including "The World at Six" and "World Report", succumbed to lung cancer in hospital on Monday. Germain was 62. Friend and former co- host Judy Maddren says Germain battled the disease valiantly for five years. "He said to me that he considered it a condition that he would live with, and he did," Maddren said Tuesday. "He really was quite ill, but boy, Russ Germain lived. He had to sell his sailboat but (he and his wife) continued to sail and they continued to travel. He just didn't let it get to him." Maddren shared an anchor desk with Germain while both hosted "World Report" for several years in the early '90s. She joked that she and Barbara Smith, who also served as Germain's co- host on the show, would joke about being the newsman's "other wives." Smith said she was impressed by Germain's constant professionalism. "He was so strong and so solid in the studio," Smith recalled from her home in Stratford, Ont., where she retired three years ago. "Anything can happen at that time and stories break and technical problems happen and he was always solid and it was always good to have that strength sitting next to you because you weren't handling it all on your own. And being a stickler for language of course, if you needed a pronunciation he always had it," she said, referring to Germain's other role as CBC Radio's broadcast language adviser. Germain spent 29 years at the public broadcaster, also serving as host of CBC Radio's "Ideas" through the late '70s and early '80s before joining the "World At Six" from 1983 to 1990. After a stint at "World Report" in the '90s he returned to "The World at Six," where he remained until he retired in 2002. One of Maddren's fondest memories is of seeing Germain read Charles Dickens' classic novel "A Christmas Carol" for their holiday broadcast. "He was an upright kind of person, when you first met him, you'd think, 'Oh my goodness, this man is quite a staid, sane, sensible man,' but most people like that have this other side and he was quite funny," Maddren said. "When he took part in 'Christmas Carol' readings he could do the voices of children and his face and his whole body got into it and because he looked so upright it was doubly wonderful to see him becoming these characters." Germain was born in New Liskeard, Ont., and started his career at the University of Manitoba in 1966 as an announcer on a university radio show. From there, he got a full time job at CJOB-FM in Winnipeg as an announcer and for the next three years moved around to various broadcast stations in Winnipeg and Edmonton before joining the CBC in Saskatoon in 1974. Even though he had long ago left the CBC's flagship broadcast building in downtown Toronto, Maddren said his spirit was still very much a part of the newsroom. She couldn't help but get a little emotional as she remembered his influence. "I had to read a little piece about him on the Vancouver edition of 'World Report' (Tuesday morning) and just as I was getting to the end I really wasn't sure if I could finish the last line," she recalls. "And there was Russ's voice in my head, saying, 'Buck up, Maddren.' And it kind of made me smile." Germain is survived by his wife, Wendy Stratten, and his daughter (CP via Ricky Leong, DXLD) ** CHINA. Re 9-010, CNR-10 "Lao nian zhi sheng" --- Dear Glenn, 1053 kHz seem to broadcast the Beijing locality. My friend informed that the reception was difficult in Tianjin. The output seems to be less than 10 kW (S. Hasegawa, NDXC, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. 6185, China Huayi BC, Fuzhou. During a bizarre midday summer opening to [from] SE China, Chinese news 0203, fair strength. Quite exceptional reception, 1 Feb. I’ve never heard this other than in our evenings. 7280, V. of Strait, Fuzhou. Midday mode, Chinese song without accompaniment 0207, fair 1/2, and practically nothing else on the 41m band (Craig Seager, Bridle Track, near Bathurst, NSW DX-pedition, Feb ADXN via DXLD) ** CHINA. 9000, 02/02 2334, TAIWAN, Xi Wang Zhi Sheng SOH, em Chinese, mx folclórica chinesa, parece se ouvir em meio à música ocasional fala em chinês; sei que se trata de um jamming, mas o que acho interessante é a potencia de 1 kW, será mesmo só isso? 45333 (Jorge Freitas, SWL1023B, Feira de Santana, Bahia, 12º 15' 1.57" S 38º 58' 40.30" W, Degen 1103, Antena fio longo com 20 metros e balum 9:1, HCDX via DXLD) The jamming is certainly much more powerful. These out-of-band channels of Sound of Hope are believed to be ham radio transmitters on the order of 1 kW (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CONGO DR [non]. New 9635, 1615-1700*, SOUTH AFRICA, 01+02.02 R Okapi, Kinshasa, via Meyerton. French/Lingala talks about Congo, closing ann, ex 11890, 55333 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, on my AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) ** CUBA. 8700, 02/02 2352, R Havana(???), harmônica, espúria, ou imagem do meu degen? SS, OM talk, mx cubana, fim tx às 2359 e reinicio com ID e hino nacional, gravado, 45433. Pode ser ouvida em http://www.ipernity.com/doc/75006/home?t=74925&c=6&s=uploaded (Jorge Freitas, SWL1023B, Feira de Santana, Bahia, 12º 15' 1.57" S 38º 58' 40.30" W, Degen 1103, Antena fio longo com 20 metros e balum 9:1, HCDX via DXLD) Surely receiver-produced image from 9600 (gh, DXLD) ** ECUADOR. HCJB, 11920, Feb 2 at 2248 with declamation by missionary in clearly enunciated, unlike a native-speaker, Kulina, Brazilian Amazon Indian language scheduled 2245-2300 at 150 degrees. Shortly into duet with a song to the tune of ``Silent Night``, long after Xmas; I am not sure a literal translation of the original German would make much sense in the jungle, so would not be surprised if that carol tune has been reworked into something else, as common among hymnalists. 2251 segué to OM solo mentioning Maria. Rest of show was instrumental music rather than Bible readings, 2259 into Portuguese (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EGYPT. 9360, 02/02 2318 R Cairo, Portuguese, desde Abu Zaabal, com 250 kW, OM Talk, (péssima modulação com zumbido de portadora, há momentos em que o zumbido diminuiu consideravelmente e o áudio melhora), gravado, 42(zumbido da própria portadora?)432. Pode ser ouvida em http://www.ipernity.com/doc/75006/home?t=74925&c=6&s=uploaded (Jorge Freitas, SWL1023B, Feira de Santana, Bahia, 12º 15' 1.57" S 38º 58' 40.30" W, Degen 1103, Antena fio longo com 20 metros e balum 9:1, HCDX via DXLD) ** ERITREA. 7175, Voice of Broad Masses of Eritrea, Asmera (presumed), 0458-0516, 2/2/2009, Amharic. Faint Horn of Africa style music heard at 0458. Talk by woman at 0500 with occasional HOA bridges. Mixed talk and very short music segments after 0505. Music after 0515. Very poor signal initially, improving to peak at 0507, then declining until slammed by ARO interference at 0516. Heard similar program last night, but too weak then for even a tentative ID. SINPO 23222 (Jim Evans, Germantown, TN, Eton E1, Random Wires (90' and 200'), Eavesdropper Dipole, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) VOBME (Dimtsi Hafash) has been noted on 7210 last two days in the evening. On 1st Feb they were still on the air past 1900 UT (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, Feb 3, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. BELGIUM(non) Changes of TDP stations from Jan. 19: Radio Xoriyo Ogadenia in Somali: 1700-1730 NF 7530 SAM 250 kW / 188 deg EAf Mon/Fri, x Wed/Fri 11720 1700-1730 on 9485 SAM 250 kW / 188 deg EAf Mon/Fri, x Wed/Fri on same (DX Mix News, Bulgaria, Feb 2 via DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. New 7530, *1700-1710, CLANDESTINE, Monday 02.02, R Xoriyo, via Samara, Russia. Somali opening ann, 2 ID's, website: http://www.radioxoriyo.com (working OK in English and Somali), short Muslim prayer and talk, another ID, ex 11720, 45444 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, on my AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) ** EUROPE. Re 9-010, Mystery R 6220: QTH - Thanks for the information! From the moment I first logged this one years ago, I suspected of two things: location and the accent of the almost certainly non-native English speaker. Also, the signal is normally very strong & steady here, so the Balearic~Sardinia~Sicily areas came to mind: am I too wrong? (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE. RADIO FRANCE INTERNATIONALE CUTS --- An article in the French weekly magazine Telerama discloses a little more about RFI job cuts and future plans. According to the magazine, RFI is letting go 206 employees, including 106 journalists, or about one-fifth of the broadcaster's staff. The magazine blames RFI's low profile in France, saying that it can't be heard outside of Paris. It says few French people know that RFI broadcasts in 20 languages. Telerama says Alain de Pouzilhac and Christine Ockrent, the heads of France Monde (which includes RFI and televison channels TV5 and France 24), made the decision to abandon programming in Albanian, German, Laotian, Polish, Serbo-Croat and Turkish, claiming they have little audience. They declare that RFI's priority languages will now be French, English, Portugese, Hausa, Swahili and Arabic. And in the coming months, they propose to expand offerings in Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, Persian and Vietnamese, doing so with reduced staff. "It's a development strategy," the magazine quotes a director, Geneviève Goetzinger, as saying. "For example, we want to speak to all of Africa, and not just the French-speaking countries." She adds that RFI had a 9 million Euro deficit in 2008. If there are too many employees, Telerama asks, why did the previous directors of RFI hire a hundred people in 2006? While 34 new positions have been announced in conjunction with the new changes, that doesn't make up for the cutting of 206 jobs, the magazine says. Telerama says the common sentiment in the Maison de Radio France is that they are victims of the financial needs of the all-news TV channel France 24. French commercial broadcaster TF1 is pulling out of France 24, which has been headed since its inception by de Pouzilhac. He's now RFI's boss, since he heads the France Monde organization. The magazine says RFI had an estimated 27.8 million listeners in Africa in 2007, 10.5 million in the Middle East, 4.2 million in the Americas, 2.2 million in Europe and 1.7 million in Asia. It's my personal opinion that the quality of RFI's news and programs is far superior to either that of France 24 or TV5. News reporting on France 24 is bland and superficial. TV5's programming is getting drearier by the month. There is a blog about the cuts at: http://rfiriposte.wordpress.com (Mike Cooper, GA, Feb 2, WORLD OF RADIO 1446, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GREENLAND. Re 9-010, beacons: 331, FH GREENLAND Frederikshab 0331 25/Jan (Ken Zichi, MARE DXpedition, MI, MARE Tipsheet via DXLD) 331, FH Paamiut, Greenland; 0331, 25-Jan; separate from 329 YHN splash going to 331.3. Tnx KZ! (Harold Frodge, MI, ibid.) --- Based on what I've been able to dig up, 331 FH is the Paamiut Airport at Frederikshab, so we were both right. I sent KNR an e-mail report for my 3815 log. Have heard nothing yet, but info @ knr.gl did not bounce. —HF (Harold Frodge, MI, Feb 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GREENLAND. 3815, 2155-2200 29.01, KNR, via Tasiilaq (USB) Greenlandic announcement and music - very weak, 13211, Utility QRM (Anker Petersen, Denmark, on my AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) ** GUATEMALA. LANZAN LA PRIMERA RADIO DIGITAL EN BANDA AM EN EL PAÍS Prensa Libre - Edición Electrónica Guatemala, 2 de febrero de 2009 La emisora "Carretera Radio" en la frecuencia 810 AM, fue lanzada hoy a las 18 horas en Guatemala, con lo cual se completa otra etapa de la historia radiofónica, ya que es la primera emisora digital de esa frecuencia. Los locutores informarán constantemente sobre reportes del tránsito en todo el país, así como "talkshows", noticias y música. NOTA: No hay más información sobre esta emisora. Fuente: Prensa Libre http://www.prensalibre.com/pl/2009/febrero/02/292972.html (via Yimber Gaviria, Colombia http://yimber.blogspot.com DXLD) IBOC??? WRTH 2009 has three stations on 810, none by this name, and none in Guatemala City; there is a G.C. outlet on 820, so none of this makes sense (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUINEA. 7125, 01/02 2113 R, Conakry, French/Dialects, desde Conakry, com 100 kW, OM talk com diversas menções a Conakry, gravado, 43433. Pode ser ouvida em http://www.ipernity.com/doc/75006/home?t=74925&c=6&s=uploaded (Jorge Freitas, SWL1023B, Feira de Santana, Bahia, 12º 15' 1.57" S 38º 58' 40.30" W, Degen 1103, Antena fio longo com 20 metros e balum 9:1, HCDX via DXLD) ** INDIA. AIR LAUNCHES DIGITAL RADIO TRANSMISSION -- From AIR Website: All India Radio has launched first Digital Radio Transmission from Delhi in Short-Wave band by using DRM Technology on 16th January, 2009 for the following services: Service Time (IST) Time (UTC) Frequency (kHz) Target / Coverage Area GOS-IV 2315-0115 1745-1945 9945-9950-9955 UK & WEST EUROPE HINDI 0115-0215 1945-2045 9945-9950-9955 UK & WEST EUROPE GOS-V 0215-0400 2045-2230 9945-9950-9955 UK & WEST EUROPE VIVIDH BHARATI SERVICE 1430-1730 1430-1730 6095-6100-6105 800 Km (Approx.) With the advent of Digital Transmission in Short-Wave band significant improvement in the reception and coverage of AIR programmes is expected. People can listen to near FM quality programmes of above services by tuning the respective frequencies on DRM Radio receivers only. The reception reports on technical quality of DRM Transmission on the above Short-wave frequencies are welcome and may be sent to Director (Spectrum Management & Synergy) through email: spectrum-manager @ air.org.in (via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, Feb 3, dx_india yg via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. NEW SIGNS OF LIFE DETECTED AT JODRELL BANK AS TELESCOPE ENTERS FUTURE OF SPACE EXPLORATION The Guardian, James Randerson, science correspondent, 2 February 2009 The esoteric details of how stars form and what gravitational lensing can tell us about Einstein's theories may not seem the stuff of impassioned public protest, but when the radio telescope at Jodrell Bank was threatened with closure last year, there was a national outcry. Now the revered observatory is about to begin a new era of exploration. At the height of the campaign to save it YouTube was flooded with protest videos filled with a fervour more usually directed at football than astrophysics. Apparently close to tears, Peter John Glynn told the camera: "It's a sad day to be a Briton. A sad day for those of us who have looked up to the stars and we've thought, 'There must be something out there, there must be something a little bit better'." Another protester, Charlie Georgia, implored her viewers: "If you have any way of helping then please help." A local radio station, Silk FM, even produced a protest song including the lyric "Don't take our dish, you'll leave a black hole/ You'll take away Cheshire's heart and soul." Founded in 1945 near Macclesfield, Jodrell Bank began to etch itself into the public consciousness when its instantly recognisable, 76- metre-diameter Lovell telescope was used to track the Soviet Sputnik I satellite mission in 1957. It has since acted as a secret missile warning system, as well as providing insights into phenomena such as pulsars, quasars, neutron stars and black holes. It now operates in concert with six other radio telescopes across central England - the so-called Merlin array. . . http://www.guardian.co.uk:80/science/2009/feb/02/jodrell-bank-lovell-telescopes-astronomy (via Mike Terry, England, dxldyg via DXLD) ** ISRAEL [and non]. 15785 with SAH estimated at 11 Hz between two roughly equal stations, one in Arabic, i.e. WYFR at 45 degrees, and the other presumably Galei Tzahal in Hebrew. WYFR is scheduled on this frequency only at 1600-1645, and this was at 1601 Feb 2. Aoki says GZ stops at 1600, just in time, but not today. WRTH and PWBR say 24 hours and 10 kW while Aoki says 5 kW (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAPAN. 9760, R. Nikkei, Tokyo. Second program, Japanese talks 0219, fair and improved by 0235 re-check. Tends to be heard only during mid- summer modal reception, 1 Feb (Craig Seager, Bridle Track, near Bathurst, NSW DX-pedition Feb ADXN via DXLD) ** JAPAN. REVAMPED NHK WORLD IS ON THE AIR. "NHK World TV went on air Monday as the latest English-language international news network as Japan joined the race to boost clout overseas by reaching out to viewers. Broadcast 24 hours a day, the channel is accessible on five continents via satellite, cable, or on high-speed Internet connections at www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld. Japan becomes the latest nation to launch an international network. France 24 and Al-Jazeera have both launched English-language channels to challenge the supremacy of CNN and the BBC. ... NHK World TV, which is revamped from an earlier more modest NHK English service, carries half an hour of news every hour on weekdays -- 10 minutes at weekends -- with the rest devoted to features on culture, science and economics. Much of the coverage will focus on Japan but there will also be material on other parts of Asia." AFP, 2 February 2009 (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) A live video stream is available at http://www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld but the schedule at that site does not seem to have been updated to reflect the new programming. At 0730 UT, the live stream was interrupted with the announcement: "You cannot access this program. Please wait for the next program." So I went downstairs to watch NHK World via MHz Networks terrestrial digital channel here in the Washington area. It was a program about fashion that was not allowed on the internet stream. Overall, I am impressed by the new NHK World. It does focus on Japanese and Asian affairs. As such, NHK World does not really compete with the "big three": BBC World News, CNN International, and Al Jazeera English. These three are characterized by 1) global coverage, 2) extensive and exclusive video journalism, 3) at least a fair amount of credibility engendered by independence, 4) a formidable pool of English-speaking talent, and 5) a budget sufficient for the task. NHK World's regional focus might be most successful in Asian markets. In this case, its competition would be Channel News Asia and Australia Network (Kim Andrew Elliott, ibid.) "The pubcaster also plans to expand its Internet offerings from English only to other languages, including Chinese, French, Spanish and Arabic. ... The channel is operated by Japan Intl. Broadcasting, which is 60% owned by NHK, with the remainder of the investment coin coming from a consortium of 15 private companies, including four commercial networks." Variety, 2 February 2009. (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) There is already some content in those four languages, and thirteen others, at the NHK World website. So far, I have not seen any ads on the revamped NHK World. I assume this is how the 15 private partners will recoup their investment (Kim Andrew Elliott, ibid.) "Time and concerted effort are necessary to build the credibility and legitimacy that will make people want to tune in." Leader, South China Morning Post, 3 February 2009. "Weston Konishi, adjunct fellow at the Mansfield Foundation in Washington D.C., subscribes to the criticism that foreign media sometimes do not accurately or fairly report on Japan, although this is not always the case. Often there is overemphasis on the exotic, and the weird, he said. ... The broadcaster will try to match Al Jazeera which is a respected news channel that gives the Arab view on various events in the world, especially in the Middle East. Jeffrey Kingston of Temple University in Tokyo does not see [NHK World] filling a niche in the way Al Jazeera does, providing an alternative non-Western view with special appeal to and emphasis on the Muslim world. 'It is entering an already competitive service niche with established heavyweights,' Kingston said. 'NHK will have to overcome its institutionalised bureaucratic style of journalism and often tentative reporting.' Whether all this will be commercially viable is the big question. 'NHK is run more like a bureaucracy than a media business. Its habits, inclinations and practices are not business savvy and it tends to shy away from hard-hitting news stories,' notes Kingston." Catherine Makino, Inter Press Service, 2 February 2009 (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) The fashion show, mentioned above, might be construed by some as "weird." See previous post about same subject. Posted: 03 Feb 2009 (Kim Andrew Elliott, for linx to all above see http://kimelli.nfshost.com/index.php?id=5805 via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. TWR SMUGGLES 3400 RADIOS INTO COMMIE BASTION http://www.noticiacristiana.com/news/newDetails.php?idnew=84734&country=0 Corea del Norte, (Joel news / NoticiaCristiana.com) Durante el año pasado la organización de misiones Radio Transmundial introdujo en forma encubierta 3.400 radios a Corea del Norte. Como los receptores que se venden en el país están sólo sintonizados con la cadena que maneja el estado, importando radios dentro del país es la única forma para los norcoreanos de poder escuchar el evangelio. Radio Transmundial ha puesto un transmisor en la región que emite programación cristiana y anima a las iglesias subterràneas. Los observadores de los derechos cristianos dicen que alrededor de un millón de personas,muchos de ellos cristianos, que se cree están en campos de concentración, donde muchos no van a sobrevivir. Radio Transmundial dijo que era riesgoso distribuir receptores de rado bajo el actual liderazgo norcoreano. La frontera entre China y Corea del Norte está monitoreada estrechamente a causa de la relación difícil entre los dos países. Anteriormente era muy difícil alcanzar Corea del Norte a causa de las grandes lluvias e inundaciones. Además hay toque de queda [curfew] para las personas de hasta 40 años. El gobierno cree aparentemente que este grupo puede ser más fácilmente influenciado por los intrusos. A pesar de las dificultades, Radio Transmundial fue animadada por 19 respuestas de los escuchas, que se han recibido hasta aquí (via José Miguel Romero, Spain, dxldyg via DXLD) As usual, this gospel-huxter faxion acts as if they are the only ones capable of broadcasting the gospel to a certain audience. On SW there are also AWR and Family Radio; on MW, FEBC and others. The only known Korean-language broadcast by TWR is at 1400-1515 UT on 11570 via Guam. So are these 3400 radios fix-tuned to that frequency, in order to lock out competing evangelists, and everyone else who may broadcast on SW in Korean, including numerous secular clandestines, VOA and RFA? It may well be that there are some TWR-sponsored broadcasts on MW or even FM over other stations from South Korea, but this story isn`t going to provide such details; WTFK? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. REPORT: FREE NORTH KOREA RADIO TO RECEIVE DIRECT [Department of] STATE FUNDING "The U.S. Department of State will directly provide groups organized by North Korean defectors here with financial support for the first time, according to reports Sunday. Thus far, Washington has funded local groups working for improvement of North Korean human rights via the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a private organization supporting freedom around the world. The move was construed as part of increased U.S. efforts to shed light on humanitarian issues in the Stalinist state. ... Among the beneficiaries, Free North Korea Radio and the Coalition for North Korean Women's Rights were granted $500,000 and $300,000, respectively. ... An official of the department was quoted as saying on condition of anonymity by Radio Free Asia (RFA) that a total of $3 million has been set aside for the program." The Korea Times, 1 February 2009. (via kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) Wouldn't these defectors' organizations, especially Free North Korea Radio, prefer to receive their U.S. funds more obliquely by way of the NED? Posted: 03 Feb 2009 (Kim Andrew Elliott, ibid.) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. Sat here writing this at 1700 GMT and hearing a weak but variable carrier with some modulation on 3912 kHz. Programming includes music (classical) plus occasional speech. According to B07 schedule http://www.short-wave.info/index.php?station=&language=Korean&now=17&now2=16&GMT=true&submit=GO this could be Voice of the People, however none of the other Korean stations listed in and around that frequency are audible. Any ideas? (Richard Womersley, UK, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Surely that`s it, with no one else using that frequency; except jamming, but I think that is of the noise type which could not be confused with another broadcast. That seems to be indicated as B-08 (current) anyway, not B-07. That`s clandestine from S to N Korea. Also on 6518 and 6600 (Glenn to Richard, ibid.) Believe Glenn must be correct. Feb. 2 heard fair reception on 3912, in Korean during random checks from about 1340 to 1420. The propagation must have been bad from the jamming site today, as it was minimal, as opposed to the usual strong interference (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, ibid.) Thanks all. Surprised how strong the signal is given the supposed power of the station and also that none of the other Korean stations on similar frequencies heard (though others from N. Korea so maybe a power cut!) Incidentally, whilst monitoring this, heard G1A call RFA on 3910.4 kHz USB (Richard Womersley, ibid.) So what are G1A and RFA? What mode? (gh, DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. Broadcast to the North Korea at Feb. 2 Furusato no Kaze 1333-1357 9965 (Japanese) via TWN 1430-1500 9880 (Japanese) via DRW 1600-1630 9780 (Japanese) via TWN Nippon no Kaze 1500-1530 9690 (Korean) via DRW 1530-1557 9965 (Korean) via PLW 1700-1730 9820 (Korean) via TWN JSR Shiokaze 1400-1430 5985 (Japanese/Korean/English/Chinese) via YAM 2030-2100 5965 (Japanese/Korean/English/Chinese) via YAM Free North Korea Radio 1100-1200 7460 via TAC 1400-1600 7585 via TAC 1900-2100 7530 via ERV Open Radio for North Korea 1300-1400 7515 via TAC 2100-2200 7550 via ERV Radio Free Chosun 1200-1300 11560 via TWN 1230-1300 7550 via TAC add. February 2- 1545-1615 9970 via ERV CMI: Voice of Wilderness 1300-1400 9830 via ERV 2000-2100 Sunday only 7265 via Wertachtal North Korea Reform Radio 1300-1330 9965 via TWN 1330-1400 9365 via DB VOF: Voice of Free Radio 1600-1630 7530 via TAC de Hiroshi (S. Hasegawa, NDXC, Feb 3, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LAOS. Presumed Sam Neua, Laos heard on 4412.6 January 16. Tuned to the frequency at 2253 and three minutes later a signal just about penetrated the background noise. I didn't hear the interval signal mentioned by Hans Johnson but a grandiose-sounding choral composition (National Anthem?) followed by a short announcement and then music, SINPO 15411. Left the frequency 2310, at 2330 recheck soft music. At 2350 the signal strength had improved but the background was becoming noisy, SINPO 24322. Mix of songs and talk to 0010 when I left the channel, gone at 0030 recheck. Not heard January 17 (Arthur Miller, Wales, Feb World DX Club Contact via WORLD OF RADIO 1446, DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. MOST RADIO STATIONS IN CAPITAL RESUME BROADCASTS http://blogs.rnw.nl/medianetwork/madagascar-most-radio-stations-in-capital-resume-broadcasts (Media Network blog Feb 1 via WORLD OF RADIO 1446, DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. 5009.94, 1810-1903* 29.01 R Nasionaly Malagasy, Ambohidrano. Malagasy talks and soft, local songs, s/off in the midst of a song. But the transmitter is still on the air despite the headquarters has been burned! 35433 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, on my AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1446, DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. Re: 5009.8v Dominican? Listening to this since 0107 on 21 January, and definitely Madagasikara. Measures 5009.94 kHz on the NRD-535 (didn't bother flipping an antenna to the more precise .000 read IC-R75). Malagasy male DJ, good reggae- ish tunes. Best USB, but weak elements present in LSB, so presume still running some concocted attempt at carrier + USB. Someone else underneath, maybe AIR Thiru. This is not to say the Dom Rep isn't again active pre-0000, as I haven't had the opportunity to check. But it's been quite awhile since they've been active (Terry L Krueger, FL, DXplorer Jan 21 via BC-DX Feb 2 via DXLD) 5009.94 --- Seemingly the old made by Siemens Vienna transmitter? This unit sold some 4 years ago by Suedwestrundfunk Rohrdorf to MDG as foreign aid, with procurement help of Radio Nederland. Was also often odd frequency at SWR like 7264.96 kHz (Wolfgang Buschel, Jan 21, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Feb 2 via DXLD) History: Ex Radio Bremen/Sender Freies Berlin 6190 kHz 50 kW unit in 1983, later from 1997-2004 at SWR Rohrdorf on 7265 kHz, 20 kW. Two German domestic radio sce programs on SW did end on Oct 19th, 2004. End of SWR Rohrdorf 7265 and Muehlacker 6030 txions for ever. 7265 old antenna 7265 new antenna 7265 kHz pict #18 - #21 - Der neue Wiener Siemenssender (ehemals Radio Bremen/SFB aus 1982 ist nur noch 2 m lang, 2,20 hoch, 60 cm tief.) und wurde im Dez. 1997 aufgestellt. History: MADAGASCAR/GERMANY x7265 former SWR Rohrdorf Germany unit shipped to Madagascar. Peter Beck reports that SWR sold the Rohrdorf SW tx to Madagascar. This tx was built in 1983 for Radio Bremen (6190), in 1997 taken over by SWR, thoroughly refurbished and afterwards used as new main tx for 7265. Actually the people from Madagascar were interested in the SW antenna as well, but too late: It had been already scrapped by a demolition crew, together with two of the four mediumwave masts at Rohrdorf (I assume the directional array, so 666 should be always non-directional now). No new home has been found for the ex-6030 transmitter yet, but apparently SWR engineering considers this quite new rig as too valuable for the junk yard as well (Kai Ludwig-D, dxld Sept 22, 2005) Jetzt ist es offiziell, so dass ich es hier erzaehlen darf: Der SWR verkauft den 20 kW-Sender, der einst von Rohrdorf aus auf 7265 kHz spielte, nach Madagaskar. Der Sender ist Baujahr 1983 und wurde 1997 vom damaligen Suedwestfunk von Radio Bremen uebernommen. Jetzt ist er verpackt und wird via Hamburg verschifft (Peter Beck-D, A-DX Sep 22, 2005) (all via BC-DX Feb 2, 2009 via WORLD OF RADIO 1446, DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. SILENT KEY. It was reported by Ben, PA5BW, that Solofo Randrenjason, 5R8ET, became a "Silent Key" (SK) unexpectedly in the hospital on January 19th, "during a more or less routine surgery". Ben states, "Solofo was my colleague and later even my 'second man' at the Radio Netherlands shortwave station in Talata Volonondry, Madagascar, where I worked there back in 1993-1995. Together we started the Madagascar Amateur Radio Association in 1995. His keen interest in radio and shortwave lead to his amateur radio license in 1994, using a simple transceiver borrowed from visiting Japanese hams and a homebrew dipole antenna. Solofo was the first local ham to obtain an amateur radio license. All licensees before that were foreigners that traded in their foreign calls for a local ham radio permit. Several other local hams were to follow him which led to the first ever 5R8 Ham Dinner in Antananarivo in 1995, counting nine (!) 5R8 hams on 10 square meters. The highest 5R8-concentration ever. I remember Solofo as a very friendly and kind man, a real friend (and a very loyal one) and a committed amateur radio DXer. For me it is very hard to understand that I will never meet him again. The world will be a little bit colder without him. Our hearts go out to those that are left behind: his family, his colleagues at the radio station, his fellow radio amateurs." (Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 894, February 2, 2009, Editor Tedd Mirgliotta, KB8NW, Provided by BARF80.ORG (Cleveland, Ohio), via Dave Raycroft, ODXA yg via DXLD) ** MALAYSIA. 6049.60, Suara Islam/Voice of Islam via RTM; 1530-1540, Feb 2; in vernacular; regularly scheduled Monday segment about higher education; today talking about "Universiti Malaysia Pahang, UMP"; program started and ended with the singing "Malaysia" jingle; played EZL songs; ID "Suara Islam, Kuala Lumpur"; fair (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MYANMAR 7185.1, R. Myanma at *0030 UT. Presumed Yangon coming on with soft instrumental music and announcement by woman. Vocal past 0032 UT, when man and woman swapped mic. Into Buddhist-style solo chant at 0034, then back to instrumental music at 0037 UT. Very poor; not audible any day since (Bob Hill, MA, DXplorer Jan 22 via BC-DX Feb 2 via DXLD) Since when? For such an item to have meaning, we need both the date of the log and the date of the report (gh, DXLD) ** NIGERIA [non]. BELGIUM(non) Changes of TDP stations from Jan. 19: Aso Radio in Hausa: 1600-1700 on 15180 to CeAf Mon-Fri, ex 1600-1645 (DX Mix News, Bulgaria, Feb 2 via DXLD) Axually, reported as a full hour from the outset (gh) ** OKLAHOMA. Tulsa AM jumps off the RAFTT --- And straight into the local Diocese of Tulsa - KEOR-AM will be exiting the commercial world to enter into the world of Catholicism. The seller is the RAFTT Corporation (via Ben Dawson, DXLD) Transactions for Feb. 2, 2009 --- Transactions At A Glance The RAFTT Corp.'s KEOR-AM/Catoosa, OK, to Catholic Diocese of Tulsa for $532,500 KEOR-AM/Catoosa (Tulsa) PRICE: $532,500 TERMS: Asset sale for cash BUYER: Catholic Diocese of Tulsa, headed by Chancellor John Johnson. Phone: 918-294-1904. It owns no other stations. This represents its entry into this market. SELLER: The RAFTT Corp., headed by President Jerome Friemel. Phone: 281-564-7064 FREQUENCY: 1120 kHz POWER: 2 kW FORMAT: DARK BROKER: John W. Saunders COMMENT: The RAFTT Corp.'s KEOR-AM/Catoosa, Okla., to Catholic Diocese of Tulsa for $532,500. $30,000 escrow deposit. (Radio & Records via DXLD) From Radio Info's Tom Taylor: *Around Tulsa*, AM daytimer KEOR, Catoosa, OK is being acquired by the Catholic Diocese of Tulsa, for $532,000 cash. The typical deals we're seeing with Catholic buyers are with lay-Catholic organizations, but this one's being done directly by Bishop Edward J. Slattery. Seller is the RAFTT Corporation, and the broker is Houston-based John Saunders. Currently-silent KEOR has 2-kw of power, daytime only (via Paul B. Walker, Jr., NE, Feb 3, IRCA via DXLD) It`s NOT dark, most of the time. Heard it again Feb 2, around 2230 UT, I think, usual oldies music fading up altho by this hour KMOX is dominant. Also Feb 3 at 2111 check with music. This is the nail in the coffin of local AM radio for the little town of Atoka OK, where this station started, until being hijacked to the Tulsa market where it would be worth more(?) and to get it out of the way of super- saturating The Metroplex market. Now, who can come up with an appropriate Catholic slogan to match the existing call letters? Keep `Em Orating [on] Radio? Hmm (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. Re 9-010, KLHO-17: I've not heard of TV Alabanza (and Googling it suggests a YouTube video teaching piano lessons) so I don't think it's a network. Wikipedia suggests they carry LFN, a Hispanic religious network out of the Rio Grande Valley. It does suggest a network website http://www.lafamiliatv.com/ unfortunately this site insists on loading a huge Flash animation before accessing any content so it's off-limits for this dial-up customer. Re OETA: With the conversion to DTV they [Suddenlink] had to replace their receiving equipment anyway. That doesn't necessarily mean they would move the receive site but it really would have been a good excuse to make the change (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View, TN EM66, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PALESTINE [non]. NEW, 5835 1900-2130* ??? 31.01+02.02 Al-Aqsa R, Gaza, via ??? Arabic talks and interviews about Palestina, Ramallah, Kuwait, Yemen, America, Hamas, Iran, Iraqi regional elections, Kurdistan, on 02.02 at 2006 was an ambulance siren heard twice, phone talk with screaming woman, 2010 ID: "Al-Aqsa.... ", Arab vocal songs and choir, modulation poor at start, but later acceptable, sign off in mid-sentence of a report 45444. Former // 5815 was not heard (Anker Petersen, Denmark, on my AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) 5835, Radio Al Aqsa, 1903-1906, escuchada el 3 de febrero en árabe a locutor con comentarios, sin señal en 5815, ya son varios días sin señal en esta frecuencia, posiblemente cancelada, también se sigue escuchando de forma esporádica señal sin identificar, ¿digital?, SINPO 24232 (José Miguel Romero, Burjasot (Valencia), España, Sangean ATS 909, Antena Radio Master A-108, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PALESTINE [non]. UNIDENTIFIED. ARABS. As reported by others, I also noted an unID Arab station on 2nd Feb on 6220 under Mystery R at 1820 UT. Weakish and fady signal here and to me it sounded like they had same kind of audio drop-outs that Al Aqsa TV sound has on shortwave. No parallels I could find in the 6 and 7 MHz band. Al Aqsa 5815 was off but 5835 was on and not in parallel with 6220. Still audible past 1900 UT. At 1900 noted another Arabic speaking station on 6210 but that was some kind of mixing product of V of Russia Arabic (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, Feb 3, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6220 kHz, Al Quds TV audio carrier. Hello DXers, on 2/2/09 I picked up the UNID Arabic station on 6220 around 1910 UT; the news was on with some interviews. I noticed that the terms spoken are very similar to Al Aqsa TV audio carrier on 5815/5835 (mainly when they talk about Israel and the Israeli army). I tried to get an ID, but in vain; but I heard an announcer saying "to all our viewers`` !!!) so my guessing was right, it's an audio carrier of a TV station. My Friend Mauno Ritola from Finland sent me an audio file with the news of TOH and I heard the ID, the news from AlQuds network. Alquds in Arabic means Jerusalem; that station is transmitting on the Atlantic Bird satellite, 7 Degrees West on the following freq: 10873 GHz, polarization Vertical, S/R 27500, FEC 3/4 Also on Badr sat (ex Arab sat) on 11900 GHz, V 27500, 3/4 That station went on the air on 11 November 2008. Beirut-Lebanon based station website of the Al Quds organization is: http://www.qudstv.com/ You can see a live stream on that site and compare it to the audio on 6220. More to come soon, [later:] Hello DXers, 6220 kHz around 1610 UT, Al Quds TV with the news in the clear with news about Hamas, Palestine, Iran, Pakistan, 1625 dear viewers, this is the end of our news bulletin. Followed by some music, 1630 people of Gaza talking about the last Israeli attack on Gaza and how they lost their relatives and homes; sounds like they sign on as Al Aqsa on 5835 (only at the moment no sign of 5815) around 1600 UT. All the best (Tarek Zeidan, Cairo, Egypt, skype : mrdxer, Feb 3, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1446, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Great job, Tarek, thank you! Noted also here again today at start 1600 on about 6220.4. Shortwave audio is about 30 secs ahead of the web stream. 73, (Jari Savolainen, Finland, ibid.) Thanks Tarek, I confirmed it by a check of the Web streaming, too. I identify that not synchronize as 5835 kHz by the yesterday's reception. Is a transmitting station two places? (S. Hasegawa, NDXC, ibid.) 6220, Al Quds TV, 1854-1903, escuchada el 3 de febrero en idioma árabe a locutor y locutora con comentarios, a pesar de buena señal el nivel de audio es muy bajo, a las 1900 se escucha música de sintonía y la voz de un locutor con titulares, SINPO 34332. Una vez más hay que agradecer al amigo Tarek Zeidan desde El Cairo por su inestimable ayuda a la hora de identificar emisoras en árabe (José Miguel Romero, Burjasot (Valencia), España, Sangean ATS 909, Antena Radio Master A-108, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 1737 kHz, PNG beacon KUT doing well this morning, easily audible in USB mode, 1527 UT. 1725 kHz, PNG beacon GA also barely audible in USB mode, but much better with narrow CW filter. (Steve Ratzlaff, NE Oregon, Feb 2, R75, longwires, IRCA via DXLD) ** POLAND [non]. 9450, POLAND. Polish Radio External Service via Wertachtal, Germany, 1300-1359, Jan 31 2009. Poland in English, seldom heard up here in past years, broadcast nominally to Western Europe, SINPO 42243, best heard upper sideband. QRM/QRN sounds like somebody else is doing some jamming (Firedrake maybe?) of other things. Annoying but manageable. Catch it while you can (Bill Tilford, Chicago, IL: Grundig Sat 800 with whip, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) There is not supposed to be anything else on 9450 during this hour; hi-power Sound of Hope via Taiwan plus Chicom jamming at 1400-1600; getting an early start? (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** PORTUGAL. Glenn, Re 9-010 of 01Feb'09, ``QSL: RDP Internacional, Lisbon, 13720 kHz. "Patrimonio Natural: Anandia" card in one month and thirteen days after using the online form at http://tv.rtp.pt/canais-radio/rdpi/rescuta.php?canal=5 (Jon Pukila, (Thunder Bay, ON, Canada), Jan 31, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) --- "Anandia"?! It's most certainly Anadia; check: http://www.regiaocentro.net/lugares/anadia/index.html http://www.cm-anadia.pt/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=23&Itemid=473 home is at http://www.cm-anadia.pt/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anadia_(Portugal) (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PORTUGAL. RDP DRM transmission heard Feb 1st on 9810-9815-9820 kHz at around 0930 UT, good signal and audio, with announcer talking about RDP transmissions in DRM as well as regular shortwave transmissions. Came up with Deutsche Welle ID on screen. Best wishes from a very snowy England (Chris Lewis, England, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PRIDNESTROVYE. MOLDOVA, Radio PMR as of January 19 has resumed announcing their email address as well as their postal one (Edwin Southwell, England, Feb World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. VOA SECRETLY RESUMES RUSSIAN RADIO BROADCASTING Voice of America Russian is heard on radio again. For now it's only in Moscow and its vicinity where VoA leases an AM relay station on 810 kHz. Russian broadcast Panorama is heard there Mon.-Fri. 1400-1430 UT. The program seems to be heavily dependent on audio tracks of VoA's video reports. The online version of Panorama has been heard for a few months now at http://tinyurl.com/d9oyky Moscow DXers aren't sure when exactly VoA Russian radio broadcasts resumed (Sergei S., Moscow, Feb 2, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1446, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. Could you please publish the following in your Bulletin: Dear colleagues! Russia's DX-Portal invites all of radio enthusiasts to take part in the Survey named "How do you listen to international radio" It is conducted together with Russia's State Broadcasting Company "Voice of Russia". Your participation is very significant for to receive complete and impartial picture of view of most active part of radio listeners' audience. The survey deadline is the 20th of February, 2009. For more information and Survey questions please visit http://dxing.ru and click the link from the main page or go to this item directly: http://www.dxing.ru/content/view/930/52/ Thank you very much to all the participants in advance. Best regards, Vadim Alexeew, VoR Russian WS, DX-programme editor (via Michael Bethge, WWDXC, Germany http://www.wwdxc.de/ Feb 2 via Wolfgang Büschel, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Altho carefully worded not to influence the `vote`, I suspect the results of this will be used to justify cutback or elimination of SW, à la Radio Netherlands (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. 7320, GTRK Magadan; 0220-0300, Feb 3; local/regional programming scheduled from 0210 to 0300, on weekdays only; in Russian; before BoH phone numbers given and singing jingle; after BoH many mentions of Magadan; sounded like an interview; played Russian pop songs and ballads; ToH joined "Programa Radio Rossii" after the pips (5+1). The reception would have been fair except for a moderately strong het. Have not listened to Magadan in over a month, so assume this het is a new development. I asked Mauno Ritola (Joensuu, Finland) if he could also hear this het and asked for his opinion/comments about it: "I can also hear the het, actually 600 Hz on both sides. It looks like it is separate from the Magadan transmitter, please check and hear the attached documents [he attached an audio file and a Perseus SDR frequency spectrum]; when I switch to another antenna, the strength of the side carriers change independently of Magadan audio and carrier. Hopefully it goes away." (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SAUDI ARABIA. BSKSA, 15435, Feb 2 at 1505, VG signal with Qur`an, but the buzz is back --- it sounds like something frying, which may be exactly what`s happening somewhere in the transmitter, tho so far it has not burned up! It`s easily audible but not strong enough yet to impede readability. The recitations were interrupted every few minutes for some slow talk in unsung Arabic; // 15225 which was as usual weaker, and no buzz detectable. Not // 13710, another BSKSA program which was also Qur`aning. By 1530, the buzz had cleared up on 15435 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1446, DX LISTENING DIGEST) While the day before BSKSA was inbooming on 15435 with buzz, also 15225 and 13710 audible after 1500, on Feb 3 at 1505 check, no signals at all from any of these. Some European signals were making it thru somewhat weakened such as Farda 15410 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SLOVAKIA. Re Slovakia leaving the MW band --- Hello Karel, At the moment. I am still hearing (at 1515 UT Feb 1) a strong signal on 1098 kHz in a Slavic program. I am wondering if Nitra has really left the air? It is best on the 90 degrees beverage. 73, (Guido Schotmans, (on DX-weekend in Walsoorden, the Netherlands), Belgium, mwdx yg via DXLD) Hi Guido, thanks for your info. As I wrote, they should switch off on Sunday; it means on Sunday evening. Today - Monday - the frequencies should be empty. The change was not typical; usually it happens at the end of the month, in this case it was the end of the week. Yes, in SVK (and in CZE too) the week starts with Monday. 73 (Karel Honzík, Czechia, Feb 2, ibid.) 702, 1017 and 1098 kHz Slovakia are quiet this morning, Feb 2nd, 2009. 73 (Bengt Ericson, Sweden, 0849 UT, ibid.) ** SOMALIA [non]. INTERACTIVE RADIO PROGRAMME FOR SOMALIS (IRIS) The transmissions have been replaced by Somali Interactive Radio Instruction Programme (SIRIP), see below. SOMALI INTERACTIVE RADIO INSTRUCTION PROGRAMME (SIRIP) Web: http://ies.edc.org/ourwork/project.php?id=3734 Revised complete schedule Somali Days Area kHz 0545-0615 mtw..s. SOM 15340dha 0620-0650 mt...s. EAf 15340dha (WRTH update Feb 2 via DXLD) ** SOMALIA [non]. New 17680, 0845-0915, CLANDESTINE, 01.02, IRIN R, via Dhabbaya. Somali talk by three people, native music and song, ex 17695, now scheduled *0830-0930*, 35343. Best 73, (Anker Petersen, Denmark, on my AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) ** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. Brother Scare via Germany audible on both 13810 and 17485, but the two were an echo apart, Feb 3 at 1509; 13810 is Nauen, 17485 is Jülich, so that explains the disparity there. WWRB 9385 with same program was 34 seconds behind. Is WWRB taking a webfeed? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SPAIN. Re 5555 mixing product: Dear Wolfy, - Afterwards when I could hear the weak signal, night after night with the exact schedule *2300-0157* UT, I became suspicious that it was a mixing product and not R. Juventud [Colombia, as first thought, and reported as presumed several times]. I then checked in the WRTH and only two stations had a broadcast in Spanish with that schedule. It then was easy to check the parallels of REE, hi (Anker Petersen, Denmark, Jan 29, bc-dx Feb 2 via DXLD) ?? He should have become suspicious earlier than that when I suggested that because of the precise frequency, and timesignals on the half hour, he should look for REE parallels (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** SPAIN. RADIO EXTERIOR DE ESPAÑA RENUEVA SU PROGRAMACIÓN 03.02.2009 [times probably local = UT+1; mentions `hora peninsular` once --- gh] http://www.infoperiodistas.info/busqueda/noticia/resnot.jsp?idNoticia=7501 Radio Exterior de España, la emisora de RNE que emite fuera de nuestras fronteras, renueva en febrero su programación. La nueva parrilla, además de reforzar el servicio público para las más diversas audiencias, se vertebra en torno a dos nuevos grandes magacines, "Puntos de vista" y "Travesías", y cuatro informativos diarios. Desde el lunes, 2 de febrero, Radio Exterior de España pone en marcha una nueva programación basada en dos grandes magacines de mañana y tarde que se emiten de lunes a viernes. Desde las 9 de la mañana hasta el mediodía, hora peninsular, Alberto Martínez Arias dirige “Puntos de Vista”, que recogerá la actualidad, la opinión y la tertulia en un formato en el que tienen cabida el entretenimiento y la diversión. A las seis de la tarde, “Travesías”, dirigido por María Álvarez de Eulate, ofrece la diversidad cultural de nuestro país para darla a conocer en todo el mundo. Los oyentes de la emisora podrán seguir disfrutando del programa decano de la radio pública en un nuevo formato reforzado con más tiempo para sus protagonistas: “Españoles en la mar”, con más de treinta años en antena, pondrá en contacto a los pescadores repartidos por el mundo con nuestro país. Será de la mano de Paco Arjona de lunes a viernes de 15:00 a 16:00 horas. El turismo y la gastronomía tienen su cabida en “Paisajes y sabores”, con Juan Roldán, de lunes a viernes, de 7:00 a 8:00. La música que se hace en español en todo el mundo y que no ha llegado a los circuitos comerciales es descubierta con actuaciones musicales por Pilar Tabares en “Me lo dices o me lo cantas”, un programa que suena desde el pasado 1 de septiembre, de lunes a sábado, de 17:00 a 18:00 horas. La vocación internacional de REE tiene una de sus apuestas en “Mundo Solidario”, dirigido por Esther Ferrero. Este tradicional espacio recoge, de lunes a viernes (12:00-12:30), las iniciativas de ayuda y colaboración, especialmente la social. El español se difunde en los cinco continentes con “Un Idioma sin Fronteras”. A través de nuestra lengua y literatura difunde, de lunes a viernes (12:30-13:00), el español a los interesados en nuestro idioma. Radio Exterior de España hace una apuesta firme por la información, elaborada por el equipo de Informativos de REE. Cuatro diarios hablados estructuran la parrilla de lunes a viernes para que el oyente conozca lo que ocurre en cualquier rincón del planeta. Los boletines horarios se refuerzan con información internacional y la proyección de España en el mundo. Marcelino Blanes se encarga de “El mundo al día” de 8:00 a 9:00. Vicente Ortiz edita “Las noticias” (14:00-14:30). José Luis Pérez Manzano presenta “Crónica del exterior” de 20:30 a 21:00, mientras que Chema Forte conduce “Diario América” de 00:00 a 1:00. Miguel Ángel Pérez dirige ”Las noticias” del fin de semana de 14:30 a 15:00. Radio Exterior de España, la emisora de RNE que emite en el extranjero, no sólo supone la proyección de la radio pública fuera de España, sino que es el soporte que tienen millones de personas de todo el mundo para conocer lo que ocurre en nuestro país. A través de onda corta, satélites e internet, REE informa puntualmente cada hora a los españoles que se encuentran más allá de nuestras fronteras y a los extranjeros que se interesan por la actualidad española. REE, además de emitir programas en otras lenguas (inglés, francés, portugués, árabe, ruso y sefardí), realiza una gran labor difusora del idioma español. Con esta nueva programación, Pepa Benéitez, directora de REE desde el pasado mes de septiembre, da un paso más en el relanzamiento de una la radio española más internacional (via José Miguel Romero, and José Bueno, Spain, Feb 3, dxldyg via DXLD) ** SUDAN [non]. CRITICS SAY U.S. RADIO PROGRAM FOR DARFUR GOES SOFT ON SUDAN --- by Sheri Fink, ProPublica - February 2, 2009 http://www.propublica.org/article/critics-say-u.s.-radio-program-for-darfur-goes-soft-on-sudan-090202 [see original for several internal linx] It was an inspired idea -- bring independent radio programming to one of the most isolated, war-scarred regions of the world, providing millions of displaced Darfuris with news about the political, military and humanitarian responses to their plight. Funded with a million dollars from the U.S. State Department, Radio Afia Darfur, a half-hour shortwave radio program, is beamed three times a day into war-torn Darfur, Sudan, and refugee-packed eastern Chad. "The idea was to accurately report what was going on," former Special Envoy for Darfur Andrew Natsios, who left his post before the program was launched, told ProPublica. "Both the government and the rebels were manipulating the people by lying to them and withholding information." But critics charge that the program -- meant to provide displaced people in Sudan with "accurate and objective information about their country" -- is instead broadcasting in a language most of its target audience doesn't understand and has watered-down criticisms of Sudanese officials (whom the U.S. government holds responsible for genocide in Darfur). An outspoken Darfuri-American news reader who repeatedly challenged the program's non-Darfuri editors has also been fired. After questions from Congress, the federal agency charged with overseeing the broadcasts, the Broadcasting Board of Governors , began reviewing the allegations. The program's defenders counter that actions taken to preserve balance are being perceived by Darfur human rights activists as bias. "Conflicts within the communities that are in conflict can spill over in terms of conflicts within the broadcasting," Letitia King, director of public affairs for the International Broadcasting Bureau, a part of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, told ProPublica. Radio Afia's first broadcast was on Sept. 29, 2008. The news was and continues to be delivered in standard Arabic, which differs significantly from the local version of Arabic spoken in Darfur, according to James Dickins, a professor of Arabic at the University of Salford, England, who specializes in Sudanese dialects. "You're talking about really different languages," he told ProPublica. "Standard Arabic isn't understandable really if you're not educated, and since most people [there] are not educated, they can't understand." Three Darfur-born employees of Radio Afia tried to impress on their employers that standard Arabic was not only incomprehensible to the program's intended audience, it was also offensive because it was associated with the people who were killing them. The "language issue is very sensitive," they wrote (PDF) in a draft of an October 2008 letter to the president of the network that produces the program. "The majority of Darfuris in the IDP camps -- the victims -- suspect any broadcasting in the language or accent of the central Government or the Janjaweed tribes." By contrast, another independent news program [Miraya FM] created for Sudan by the United Nations includes programming in "simple" Arabic. A radio program [R. Dabanga] for Darfur launched by the Dutch media organization Press Now translates the news into both the local version of Arabic and three non-Arabic languages spoken by the main tribes displaced by the violence. "Given the grant amount and urgency to begin broadcasts, there was neither the resources nor the time to support broadcasting in three languages," the BBG's King told ProPublica in an e-mail. King said that the use of local reporters and local interviews means that large portions of the program include voices speaking in the Darfuri dialect. Radio Afia originates from the studios of Springfield, Va.-based Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc., which is also overseen by the BBG and focuses on communicating with the Middle East, not Africa. (A ProPublica investigation last summer detailed the failings of AlHurra, the U.S. government-funded Arabic TV station, which is also managed by MBN.) Radio Afia's two news editors, longtime veterans of the Voice of America, are both Sudanese, but they are not from Darfur. Former Radio Afia news reader Mohamed Suleiman -- one of the three Darfur-born news readers -- told ProPublica he repeatedly clashed with his Sudanese editors when they argued that events in Darfur did not amount to genocide and when they asked him to focus his interviews with camp residents on their food and medical needs rather than on reports of government harassment and violence. (The Broadcasting Board of Governors, through King, refused ProPublica's request to interview the editors.) In December, Suleiman's employment was terminated. "I am very confrontational," Suleiman told ProPublica. "Anything I see wrong I just voice it." A U.S. government official, who requested anonymity because she is not authorized to speak on behalf of the program, said that Suleiman was an activist on behalf of his suffering community. "We can't allow ourselves to be hijacked by people regardless of how right they may be," she said. "That's not what news is." If Suleiman, an engineer by training with little traditional journalistic experience, was seen as an activist (he wrote commentary on the Darfur conflict for years), that raises the question of why he was hired to work at Radio Afia in the first place. The journalistic code of ethics governing the broadcasts requires that opposing views be presented, and that journalists' personal opinions or judgments be left out of factual reporting. Suleiman's firing has led to a volley of protests from other activists. "He's a trusted colleague," said Sam Bell, director of advocacy for the Genocide Intervention Network . "It seems that information [on Afia Darfur] is being corrupted in precisely the same ways that the Sudanese government is filtering information." Several congressional representatives have also become involved. On Jan. 15, U.S. Congressman Frank Wolf formally requested (PDF) that the Broadcasting Board of Governors investigate Suleiman's firing, writing to the board's executive director, Jeff Trimble, that "it would be deeply troubling if there were any evidence of manipulation of content on the air." Letitia King, the BBG spokeswoman, told ProPublica in an e-mail that "the Board is carefully reviewing the issues recently raised concerning Radio Afia and understands the tremendous importance of fulfilling our journalistic mission to provide accurate and balanced news and information." With an uptick in violence in Darfur over recent days, there is one point on which most of those involved seemed to agree: Getting news to Darfuri civilians is more important than ever (via Paco Alameda - Lackawanna, NY, WORLD OF RADIO 1446, DXLD) Another legacy of the Bush regime, and bumbling efforts in USG external broadcasting, failure to grasp the first thing about the target audience (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1446, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SYRIA. Saludos cordiales. SIRIA, 9330, Radio Damasco, Adra, 1802- 1805, escuchada el 2 de febrero en alemán a locutora con boletín de noticias, se aprecia buena señal aunque el nivel de audio es bajo, emisión en paralelo por 12085, SINPO 45443. 12085, Radio Damasco, Adra, 1805-1812, escuchada el 2 de febrero en alemán a locutora con noticias, emisión en paralelo por 9330; a las 1802 se observaba portadora sin modulación, pero poco a poco va llegando, buena señal con un nivel de audio más bajo que en 9330, la modulación es buena y el nivel de zumbido que acompaña a estas emisones es menor, SINPO 35542 (José Miguel Romero, Burjasot (Valencia), España, Sangean ATS 909, Antena Radio Master A-108, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1446, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RADIO DAMASCUS - URGENT APPEAL: My friends at Radio Damascus are asking to monitor both frequencies which are registered at Radio Damascus: 9330 and 12085 kHz. Although I haven't personally monitored 12085 for a very long time, some listeners did think to have heard the Spanish program of Radio Damascus recently again on this frequency (see Glenn Hauser's DX LISTENING DIGEST 9-010, February 1, 2009). Maybe Radio Damascus re- activated 12085 again. My own monitoring of Radio Damascus on 9330 in Belgium gives the following results: 1800 UT: German: if on the air, fair to strong signal (1) 1900 UT: French: idem but heavy interference from Radio Farda (?), using a transmitter in Kuwait (1) [i.e. 9335, which is Sri Lanka at 1900-1930 at 332 degrees, 1930-2130 at 322 degrees --- gh] 2000 UT: English: only on satellite - no shortwave 2100 UT: English, second hour: no reception on shortwave - signal too weak 2200 UT: Spanish : idem as English at 2100 (1) Very weak modulation. Even when 9330 is on the air with a strong signal, it is very difficult listening because the extremely low audio signal. May I ask all listeners of Radio Damascus, wherever they are, to monitor both frequencies (9330 and 12085 kHz) in the coming days and to send their comments and reports to this email address: radiodamascusenglish @ yahoo.com Please also report on the modulation. I will forward every report immediately to the head of the English section at Radio Damascus. unofficial website of Radio Damascus: http://www.radio-damascus.net Radio Damascus Listeners club: http://www.radio-damascus-listeners-club.tk or http://groups.yahoo.com/group/radio_damascus Kind greetings from Belgium! (Kris Janssen, Feb 2, WORLD OF RADIO 1446, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Via Globaltuners receiver located in Kleine Brogel, near Peer is a municipality located in the province of Limburg, Flemish Region, Belgium I have this: on 9330, 1650-1655 I can note a strong, very strong carrier with strong hum, no audio heard. Then carrier off for a couple of minutes and at 1601 same humming carrier with barely audible audio with modulation by woman, but whose level varies between zero and barely audible. At 1608 recognisable vernacular music and man singer. The same problem is audible on 12085, but 31 seems to be lousier in signal as well as in hum. Obviously these transmitters are not working properly (Horacio Nigro, Montevideo, Uruguay, Feb 3, ibid.) R. Damascus English announces in its mailbox program (heard online) that 12085 is targeting Europe and N. America while 9330 - Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Pretty good reception of the Turkish service at 1630 on 9330 in Moscow. Nothing on 12085. By RD's standards the modulation on 9330 right now is amazing - good enough for enjoying the music. Often, RD provides just the powerful carrier (Sergei S., Moscow, 1642 UT Feb 3, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TURKEY. Correxion to my 9-008 item about the Eurovision Song Contest on TRT`s website. Upon closer inspexion the flash link on homepage http://www.trt.net.tr/International/news.aspx?Dil=en shows the YL with a halter-top, and it`s a strategically placed curl of hair hanging down, not her breast peeking out. This became clear when I viewed video of the entry it linx to, Dum Tek Tek, in English! with lyrix displayed: http://www.trt.net.tr/genel/eurovision.aspx Still, plenty of bareness, hip-gyrating, etc., the final straw in kicking Turkey out of Middle East/Ages and into Europe where it belongs (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K [non]. Frequency changes of BBC: 0300-0500 NF 6155 CYP 250 kW / 173 deg, ex 6015 in Arabic 0400-0430 NF 6125 CYP 250 kW / 160 deg, ex 6155 in Somali (DX Mix News, Bulgaria, Feb 2 via DXLD) ** U K [and non]. B-08 V T Communications Relays. Part one of two: Radio Japan NHK World 0000-0020 on 5920 SKN 300 kW / 140 deg to WeEu English 0200-0300 on 11860 SNG 250 kW / 340 deg to EaAs Japanese 0500-0530 on 5975 RMP 500 kW / 140 deg to WeEu English 0800-1000 on 11740 SNG 250 kW / 001 deg to SEAs Japanese 1030-1100 on 11740 SNG 250 kW / 001 deg to SEAs Burmese 1100-1130 on 9750 WOF 035 kW / 102 deg to WeEu English Fri DRM 1130-1200 on 9750 WOF 035 kW / 102 deg to WeEu Russian Fri DRM 1130-1200 on 11710 RMP 500 kW / 062 deg to EaEu Russian 1130-1200 on 11740 SNG 250 kW / 001 deg to SEAs Thai 1200-1230 on 17585 DHA 250 kW / 315 deg to WeEu English 1300-1330 on 11740 SNG 250 kW / 001 deg to SEAs Chinese 1400-1430 on 11780 RMP 250 kW / 062 deg to EaEu English 1500-1700 on 12045 SNG 250 kW / 315 deg to WeAs Japanese 1700-1900 on 9575 DHA 250 kW / 285 deg to NoAf Japanese 2200-2300 on 7225 DHA 250 kW / 285 deg to NoAf Japanese Radio Prague 0000-0027 on 7420 ASC 250 kW / 245 deg to SoAm Spanish 0400-0427 on 6080 SAC 250 kW / 268 deg to NoAm English 1300-1327 on 9850 WOF 035 kW / 102 deg to WeEu German DRM Fri/Sat 1330-1357 on 9850 WOF 035 kW / 102 deg to WeEu English DRM Fri/Sat 2330-2357 on 6000 SAC 250 kW / 212 deg to CeAm Spanish Gospel for Asia 0000-0130 on 6140 DHA 250 kW / 085 deg to SoAs SoEaAs langs 1600-1615 on 9820 DHA 250 kW / 100 deg to SoAs SoEaAs langs 1615-1630 on 9820 DHA 250 kW / 070 deg to SoAs SoEaAs langs Sun-Wed 1615-1630 on 9820 DHA 250 kW / 120 deg to SoAs SoEaAs langs Thu-Sat 2330-2400 on 6040 DHA 250 kW / 085 deg to SoAs SoEaAs langs Voice of Vietnam 0100-0125 on 6175 SAC 250 kW / 212 deg to NoAm English 0130-0225 on 6175 SAC 250 kW / 212 deg to NoAm Vietnamese 0230-0255 on 6175 SAC 250 kW / 212 deg to NoAm English 0300-0325 on 6175 SAC 250 kW / 212 deg to NoAm Spanish 0330-0355 on 6175 SAC 250 kW / 212 deg to NoAm English 0400-0425 on 6175 SAC 250 kW / 212 deg to NoAm Spanish 0430-0525 on 6175 SAC 250 kW / 240 deg to NoAm Vietnamese 1800-1825 on 5955 MOS 100 kW / 300 deg to WeEu English 1830-1925 on 5955 MOS 100 kW / 300 deg to WeEu Vietnamese 1930-1955 on 5955 MOS 100 kW / 300 deg to WeEu French 2000-2025 on 5970 WOF 250 kW / 075 deg to EaEu Russian 2030-2125 on 3985 SKN 250 kW / 121 deg to WeEu German 2130-2125 on 7370 WOF 300 kW / 105 deg to SEEu Vietnamese Radio Solh/Radio Peace, all cancelled from Jan. 26 0200-0300 on 5925 DHA 250 kW / 045 deg to WeAs Dari/Pashto 0300-1200 on 11675 DHA 250 kW / 045 deg to WeAs Dari/Pashto 1200-1500 on 13830 RMP 500 kW / 085 deg to WeAs Dari/Pashto 1500-1800 on 9875 RMP 500 kW / 076 deg to WeAs Dari/Pashto Adventist World Radio 0100-0200 on 15445 TAI 100 kW / 250 deg to Asia Vietnamese Sat Sudan Radio Service 0300-0400 5975 DHA 250 kW / 240 deg to EaAf English/Arabic, deleted 0400-0500 7280 DHA 250 kW / 245 deg to EaAf Arabic Daily, ex Mon-Fri 0500-0600 13720 DHA 250 kW / 240 deg to EaAf Ar/En Daily, ex Mon-Fri 1500-1530 on 17745 SIN 250 kw / 114 deg to EaAf English 1530-1700 on 17745 SIN 250 kw / 114 deg to EaAf Arabic 1700-1730 on 9840 DHA 300 kW / 240 deg to EaAf Dinka Mon 1700-1730 on 9840 DHA 300 kW / 240 deg to EaAf Zande Tue 1700-1730 on 9840 DHA 300 kW / 240 deg to EaAf Muro Wed 1700-1730 on 9840 DHA 300 kW / 240 deg to EaAf Bari Thu 1700-1730 on 9840 DHA 300 kW / 240 deg to EaAf Shiluk Fri 1700-1730 on 9840 DHA 300 kW / 240 deg to EaAf Arabic Sat/Sun, new 1730-1800 on 9840 DHA 300 kW / 240 deg to EaAf English Daily, ex M-F RTA Radio Algeria, all cancelled from Dec. 15 0400-0600 on 6090 RMP 500 kW / 180 deg to NoAf Arabic Holy Quran sce 0500-0600 on 6125 SIN 250 kW / 134 deg to NoAf Arabic Holy Quran sce 1900-2000 on 7435 RMP 500 kW / 180 deg to NoAf Arabic Holy Quran sce 1900-2100 on 9455 RMP 250 kW / 160 deg to NoAf Arabic Holy Quran sce 2000-2100 on 7435 SIN 250 kW / 170 deg to NoAf Arabic Holy Quran sce 2100-2300 on 5915 RMP 500 kW / 160 deg to NoAf Arabic Holy Quran sce 2100-2300 on 9850 SIN 250 kW / 170 deg to NoAf Arabic Holy Quran sce Radio Okapi 0400-0600 on 11690 MEY 250 kW / 340 deg to Congo French/Lingala 1600-1700 on 9635 MEY 250 kW / 330 deg to Congo French/Lingala YFR 0500-0600 on 3955 SKN 250 kW / 106 deg to WeEu German 1300-1400 on 17735 DHA 250 kW / 100 deg to SoAs Kannada 1300-1500 on 17810 DHA 250 kW / 100 deg to SoAs Telugu/Tamil 1400-1500 on 9855 DHA 250 kW / 105 deg to SoAs Marathi 1400-1500 on 15520 DHA 250 kW / 090 deg to SoAs Hindi 1500-1600 on 12015 DHA 250 kW / 090 deg to SoAs English 1600-1700 on 11740 DHA 250 kW / 090 deg to SoAs English 1700-1800 on 6045 DHA 250 kW / 225 deg to EaAf Amharic 1700-1800 on 9430 SKN 300 kW / 110 deg to ME Turkish 1700-1800 on 9530 RMP 500 kW / 105 deg to ME Arabic 1700-1800 on 21680 ASC 250 kW / 085 deg to SoAf English 1800-1900 on 6045 MEY 100 kW / 015 deg to SoAf English 1800-1900 on 7240 SKN 300 kW / 110 deg to ME Turkish 1800-1900 on 9660 SKN 300 kW / 140 deg to ME Arabic 1800-1900 on 9895 DHA 250 kW / 230 deg to SoAf English 1830-1930 on 17660 ASC 250 kW / 085 deg to CeAf French 1900-2000 on 3230 MEY 100 kW / 005 deg to SoAf English 1900-2000 on 3955 MEY 100 kW / 076 deg to SoAf Portuguese 1900-2000 on 6100 MEY 100 kW / 335 deg to SoAf Portuguese 1900-2000 on 9660 MEY 250 kW / 019 deg to EaAf Swahili 1900-2000 on 9685 DHA 250 kW / 260 deg to NoAf Hausa 1900-2000 on 9885 DHA 250 kW / 210 deg to EaAf English 2000-2200 on 15195 ASC 250 kW / 065 deg to WeAf English BBC Darfur Salaam: 0500-0530 on 9440 CYP 250 kW / 185 deg to Sudan Arabic 0500-0530 on 11865 CYP 250 kW / 177 deg to Sudan Arabic 1700-1730 on 5965 CYP 250 kW / 185 deg to Sudan Arabic 1700-1730 on 9760 CYP 250 kW / 185 deg to Sudan Arabic BBC/DW: 0600-0800 on 3995 SKN 100 kW / 120 deg to WeEu English/German DRM 1600-2200 on 3995 SKN 100 kW / 120 deg to WeEu English/German DRM Voice of Croatia 0600-1000 on 15360 SNG 100 kW / 140 deg to AUS Croatian+English news Radio Vlaanderen Internationaal: 0700-0757 on 9790 SKN 250 kW / 177 deg to WeEu Dutch 1900-1957 on 6040 SKN 250 kW / 150 deg to WeEu Dutch (DX Mix News, Bulgaria, Feb 2 via DXLD) ** U S A. Re SUDAN [non], above: Another legacy of the Bush regime, and bumbling efforts in USG external broadcasting, failure to grasp the first thing about the target audience (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1446, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, Glenn, I agree with your comments at the end of the article (I don't think that highly of VOA TV) but perhaps there is one BBG success --- I was recently in a taxi in Abu Dhabi and the driver had Radio Sawa on the car radio. I was so surprised that I mentioned to him that I thought no one really listened to the station. He said it was very popular with taxi drivers as they enjoy the mainly music format of Sawa. He said they just let their minds tune out when the news break is on at quarter to and quarter past the hour. But in the taxi I was thinking about this, maybe the 90% continuous music with a DJ and jingles format works after all, the news breaks are so short that the driver doesn't bother to change the station, and even if he is thinking of other things during the news break there is probably still some content being absorbed. At least Sawa broadcasts in the appropriate language! Cheers, (Mark Fahey, NSW, Feb 3, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. VOA SECRETLY RESUMES RUSSIAN RADIO BROADCASTING Voice of America Russian is heard on radio again. For now it's only in Moscow and its vicinity where VoA leases an AM relay station on 810 kHz. Russian broadcast Panorama is heard there Mon.-Fri. 1400-1430 UT. The program seems to be heavily dependent on audio tracks of VoA's video reports. The online version of Panorama has been heard for a few months now at http://tinyurl.com/d9oyky Moscow DXers aren't sure when exactly VoA Russian radio broadcasts resumed (Sergei S., Moscow, Feb 2, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1446, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [and non]. Standing by for WRMI to switch to NW antenna on 9955, Feb 2 at 1459, just heavy Dentro-Cuban jamming against previous program, R. Cuba Libre; can`t have any talk of a free Cuba, now, can we? 1459:30 I could tell the WRMI carrier came on, but still too much jamming; at 1501 could make out English, presumably R. Prague relay as scheduled (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 7415 WBCQ, Monticello. Poor with ute QRM and splash from Delhi at 2006 during Glen[n] Hauser’s DX programme on 21/1 (John Adams, Beech Forest, Vic (JRC NRD-535 Ewe and Folded Dipole), Feb ADXN via DXLD) Surprised it was audible at all, maybe longpath? (gh, DXLD) ** U S A [non]. New, 3975 1940-2000* ??? 31.01+02.02, Family R, new service via unknown European site Slavic language broadcast with talk and music, 1959 ID: "Family Radio, Oakland, California, U.S.A." 55555 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, on my AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) Wertachtal, started Dec 16 (gh, DXLD) 9280, 02/02 2328, TAIWAN, Family Radio, em chinese, desde Yunlin, com 100 kW, tradicional programa de perguntas e respostas, QRM de jamming, 43433 (Jorge Freitas, SWL1023B, Feira de Santana, Bahia, 12º 15' 1.57" S 38º 58' 40.30" W, Degen 1103, Antena fio longo com 20 metros e balum 9:1, HCDX via DXLD) What kind of jamming? I didn`t think the Chicom bothered to jam YFR (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** U S A. PUBLIC BROADCASTING STATIONS CUT STAFF, BUDGET --- Joe Garofoli, SF Chronicle Staff Writer, Tuesday, February 3, 2009 Northern California Public Broadcasting will cut 13 percent of its budget and lay off 30 employees because the recession has reduced the corporate giving that funds much of the organization. The stations' 291 employees were told Monday of the move, which officials expect will save $8 million. No reporters will leave San Francisco's KQED-FM, and no TV staff will depart, officials said. Employees with enough seniority were offered a buyout package; others were dismissed immediately. . . http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2009/02/03/MNNJ15M1UJ.DTL (via Benn Kobb, DC, DXLD) Also covers NPR and the national situation ** UZBEKISTAN. Name of the station: CVC; Date: 02.02.2009; UT: 0030- 0045; Frequency: 7395 kHz; Language: English; SINPO: 54554; RX: ICOM IC PCR-1000; Antenna: DE 31M; QTH: Moscow (South) (Andy Martynyuk, Russia, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Tashkent, 150 degrees to S Asia (gh) ** VIETNAM. 5925, V. of Vietnam, Hanoi. Home Service 2, popping up here briefly at weak level 0228, talks in Vietnamese. In years gone by, surprise daytime appearances on this band have centred around the Indonesia/Singapore/Malaysia area, though SW activity in those countries generally has diminished. Areas further north are a whole new treat, remembering that this is 1.30 pm in the middle of summer! 1 Feb (Craig Seager, Bridle Track, near Bathurst, NSW DX-pedition Feb ADXN via WORLD OF RADIO 1446, DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. NEW 7430, *1700-1710, CLANDESTINE, 02.02, Voice of People, via Talata-Volonondry, Madagascar. Vernacular talk towards Zimbabwe, ex 11610, 33232 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, on my AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. MADAGASCAR, Frequency change for Voice of People from Jan. 27: 1700-1757 7430 MDC 050 kW / 265 deg Zimbabwe English/local, ex 11610 0400-0457 11610 MDC 050 kW / 265 deg Zimbabwe English/local, no change (DX Mix News, Bulgaria, Feb 2 via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. My last sentence below lacks one word: "It certainly does *not* appear to be another Balkan pirate" - tiny word that changes the sense completely. Mauno Ritola in Finland suggests this UNID is nothing else but Iran. As to Austria, ÖRF/R.1476 Bisamberg is audible, or at least *was* audible some weeks back (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 1476.3, DF=Southeast relative to SW Europe. Same as observed on 03 Jan last; today 01 Feb, 1919-, chanting was all I could hear on a 13441 rated SINPO.; QRM was from adjacent channels, not 1476 where Austria seems to be the only country audible. The sort of chanting I heard seems to relate this to some Arabic country. It certainly does NOT appear to be another Balkan pirate 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Thot AUT was QRT 1476.3, All right, Mauno Ritola suggests what seems to be quite plausible - Iran. Nevertheless, I must apologise for a typo: I implicitly misled you when said "It certainly does [*not* is missing here] appear to be another Balkan pirate" - a comment that even contradicts my previous sentence. But as I said to Mauno, the very few IRAN MW frequencies I have logged so far seem to be right on the channel (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn, You were absolutely right about the ÖRF going QRT on 1476. Kai Ludwig in SWN Jan'09 of DSWCI brings the story on this now defunct channel/project - and with it ÖRF is no longer available on MF. R 1476 with its 60 kW (correct?) was always a marginal signal down here: little of no QRM, yet typically poor. 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 1476 QRT was also reported fully in DXLD, and Kai`s item in SWN was quoted from DXLD, the first source one should read (gh, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 6215, spy station? 1609-1611*, Feb 2; woman with series of numbers (or letters?) in Korean; fair-good; this is the same time and frequency I heard her on back on Nov 26 (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) I noticed it too around 1400; same old stuff; really random? (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) Viz.: Dear Ron, 6215 kHz are the random number station of S. Korea. I can sometimes receive even 5715 kHz at 1400 (S. Hasegawa, Japan, NDXC, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 8760, 02/02 2347, já li algo a respeito dessa tx, mas não achei a referência, em chinese, uma entrevista a um OM e YL, gravado, 45333. Pode ser ouvida em http://www.ipernity.com/doc/75006/home?t=74925&c=6&s=uploaded A propagação por aqui ontem 02/02 estava horrível, justamente quando estava testando a nova formação da antena fio longo. Agora com 20 metros, triplo aterramento sendo duas hastes em terra e uma em um tanque de água, fio de cordoalha em uma altura de 8 metros e uma inclinação de +/- 20 graus, sloper. O coaxial é de 50 ohms da marca Pirelli, infelizmente ainda não deu para saber o rendimento com respeito a anterior devido à propagação ruim e aos ruídos. Ouvi algumas transmissões entre 8000 e 9000 kHz que não constam nas listas, em 8760 kHz eu já li algo a respeito, acho que através dos boletins do Glenn, não tenho certeza, as outras estou preocupado, serão imagens do Degen? Se for, será a primeira vez que as vejo por aqui e começo a ficar preocupado (Jorge Freitas, SWL1023B, Feira de Santana, Bahia, 12º 15' 1.57" S 38º 58' 40.30" W, Degen 1103, Antena fio longo com 20 metros e balum 9:1, HCDX via DXLD) Very likely a receiver-produced image from 9660 --- Chicom jamming and/or RTI as per Aoki; like you are getting from Cuba on 8700. All you have to do in such cases is see if you are hearing the same thing 900 kHz higher. If you weren`t getting these images before, you are now by overloading the receiver with an antenna of higher gain (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTEING DIGEST) I have to keep explaining images to people UNIDENTIFIED. OTH radar pulses, presumed, weak, 9185-9205 at 1456 Feb 2 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Re: 11835 at 1710-1730 fade out, CLANDESTINE Sat Jan 24, UNID, via Nauen, Germany. Vernacular talk like a speech without audience, 1717 UT song from Horn of Africa, more talk 25332 (Anker Petersen-DEN, via Dario Monferini-ITA, playdx yg via dxld Jan 24 via BC-DX Feb 2 via DXLD) According to DTK/M&B schedule: ADM Abu Dhabi Media Company. Sats 1700-1758 UT only: 11835 1700-1758 47E,48 145degr 7-Sat 030109-280309 NAU 500 kW ADM (Wolfgang Büschel, BC-DX Feb 2 via DXLD) Yes, but what is the program, the client, the language; another Ethiopian cland? (gh, DXLD) [NOT THIS, SINCE IT SKIPS SATURDAY]: VOICE OF ETHIOPIAN UNITY Amharic Days Area kHz 1700-1800 ..w.f.s ETH 11835nau ex (19-20) (WRTH UPDATE FEB 2 via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 13830, some ute with a whine, but on BFO, multiple carriers evident at close separation, Feb 2 at 1503. Perhaps we can expect more utility activity on this frequency now that R. Solh has been abolished (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 17515, 5-digit spy numbers in Spanish by robot YL, Feb 2 at 1602, with ``Atención, 86082 18381 37422`` repeated twice when I intuned, then just 86082 repeated thrice, and into secret message of other groups (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ WRTH UPDATE #1 is now available at http://www.wrth.org/files/WRTHB08UpdateFEB2009.pdf Just as some who ordered via Amazon are about to get their original copies (Glenn Hauser, OK, Feb 2, WORLD OF RADIO 1446, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WRTH is pleased to announce an update file for the Winter (B08) International radio schedules is now available to download from: http://www.wrth.com The file is a pdf file and will require the free adobe acrobat reader, available from http://www.adobe.com The file is 8 pages long and is approx 51 kB in size. Included in this file are updates for: Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Benin, Croatia, Ecuador, France, Gabon, Germany, Guam, India, Iran, Italy, Korea (Rep), Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, UK, USA, Vatican, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia and more. We hope you find this a useful accompaniment to the printed WRTH. Regards (Sean Gilbert, International Editor - WRTH and the WRTH editorial team. sean.gilbert@wrth.com Feb 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) JSWC NEW MAILING ADDRESS HQ of Japan Shortwave Club has moved from Sendai, northern Japan, to Kamakura, Kanagawa prefecture near Tokyo. The new mailing address is: P. O. Box 44, Kamakura, Kanagawa, 248-8691 Japan. E-mail address: jswchq @ live.jp Kamamura is a medieval city located 50 km south from Tokyo, which is now applying for the nomination of "World Heritage". (Takahito Akabayashi, Japan, Feb 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) BOLETÍN CLUB S500 Por fin, y aunque nos ha costado un gran esfuerzo, hemos conseguido publicar un número más del boletín diexista Club S500. Es un boletín record con más de 30 secciones (o artículos) y con un anexo dedicado a una comparativa de radios antiguas. Sigue caracterizado por su colorido en sus imágenes, y ahora añadimos miniartículos que de seguro serán de vuestro agrado. Entrando en materia, en este número 17 podéis encontrar: Los sellos y la radiodifusión, El radio club de la Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, 75 años de Radio Castellón, una visita a una exposición de receptores en Paiporta, una recomendación de viaje a un museo en Valladolid (España), El mensajero de la VOA, Una torre-radio en Chequia, el papel de la radio en la guerra de las Malvinas, un festival aéreo en Valencia (España) como otra forma de Dx. Sin olvidarnos del comentario invitado, esta vez a cargo de Jaume [sic] Terricabras, una dedicatoria especial al desaparecido Pancho de La Voz de Rusia, nuestras salidas nocturnas de agosto, un completo artículo del genial Álvaro López Osuna sobre la historia de la radio en España. Y a todo ello hay que sumarle las secciones habituales de: escuchas, tablón de anuncios, radionoticias, historietas de la radio, la radio en prensa (con la Pirenaica), y si os dedicáis a las utilitarias un artículo sobre Dx-utilitarias. Para terminar exhortaros a todos para que os suméis a la campaña para solicitar de la Real Academia de la Lengua Española (RAE) que reconozca los términos Diexismo y Diexista, y los incluya en su diccionario. Para ello incluimos una carta modelo para rellenar y enviar al Secretario de la RAE. Esperando que satisfaga vuestras expectativas podéis mandarnos vuestras sugerencias y opiniones como siempre. El boletín se encuentra en PDF y pesa 12 MBytes, se descarga de la web: http://www.upv.es/~csahuqui/julio/s500 o al poner en cualquier buscador del tipo google las palabras "Club S500". Un saludo, Emilio Sauquillo, Julio Martínez (via José Miguel Romero, dxldyg via DXLD) CAMPAÑA INCLUSIÓN TÉRMINOS DIEXISMO Y DIEXISTA EN DRAE En el grupo Noticias DX el colega Julio Martinez, de España, anuncia la puesta en línea del boletín S500, en su edición de enero 2009. Un magnífico esfuerzo puesto al beneficio de la comunidad DXista de habla castellana, con interesantes tópicos y notas gráficas. Con sumo interés y aplaudiendo la iniciativa observo que uno de los contenidos del boletín esta dedicado al siguient topico: "Campaña de sensibilización y participación diexista. Para este número tenemos preparada una campaña de movilización de los lectores (radioescuchas y diexistas), con objeto de exigir a la Real Academia de la Lengua Española que acepte en el diccionario los términos diexismo y diexista (pgs 42 y 43) Estoy totalmente de acuerdo con la iniciativa y he tomado el texto modelo para enviar mi petición a la Institución: Sr. Secretario de la Real Academia de la Lengua Calle Felipe IV, nº 4 28014 – Madrid Fax +34 – 917455534 secretaria@rae.es (Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, ibid.) Campaign to get the words diexismo and diexista into the official Spanish dixionary of the Royal Academy (gh) LANGUAGE LESSONS CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ READING INTERNATIONAL RADIO GROUP The next meeting of the Reading International Radio Group will be on February 7 in the Main Hall or Room 3, Reading International Solidarity Centre, 35-39 London Street, Reading at 2.30 p.m. Amongst other items we will be continuing our look at pre-war shortwave broadcast listening, BBC programmes in 1936 as well as more recent developments and audio from international and UK radio. For more information email me or phone 01462 643899 (Mike Barraclough, Feb 1, worlddxclub yg via DXLD) DIGITAL BROADCASTING IBOC? see GUATEMALA ++++++++++++++++++++ DRM: see also INDIA; PORTUGAL; UK [and non] DRM – WHY? Just wondering -- besides the fun of playing with a new electronic toy, which I also enjoy, what is the advantage of listening to DRM via computer over listening to the streaming audio off the website. This is assuming one has broadband and external speakers on the computer (Sheryl Paszkiewicz, Manitowoc WI, Jan 31, NASWA yg via DXLD) I Sheryl. I've never tried DRM; I do the streaming thing via my computer and although it`s not perfect, it does meet my needs. Main problem is that I can't get some stations to work via Reciva; have not tried to go to the station website directly to determine if the problem is Reciva or my computer, though. I use the computer to "receive" the station and use a CCrane FM transmitter to feed the audio to my stereo or to my 2010 in the bedroom. Some people prefer a dedicated wifi radio. I prefer the idea of using something I already have or something that will allow me to use something for multiple purposes. Advantage of DRM in my opinion is similar to that of shortwave. You cut out the middleman/filter/censor whatever you want to call it; you get the signal directly from the source. That for me is the real strength/appeal of shortwave. Best, (Mike Wolfson, ibid.) DRM is kind of like a dog walking on its hind legs. The fact that a dog does it at all is amazing, regardless of how well the dog does it. The fact that shortwave propagation can result in a static-free, high fidelity sound is impressive. However, in countries with unblocked internet access, it is difficult for DRM to be of value to the listener versus the alternatives that Mike has articulated. My two cents, for what they're worth (Rich Cuff, ibid.) That`s the point exactly; people who listen shortwave radio in the free developed countries do it for a hobby or pastime. DRM on shortwave is the equivalent of IBOC AM here in the USA, both useless. (Chris Lobdell, MA, ibid.) It's not exact enough for me. Are you saying that DRM on shortwave is useless, or that shortwave is useless? If shortwave is useless, why engage in shortwave broadcasting? Why not give the frequencies over to the maritime and defense interests that are always clamoring for more? If shortwave is not useless, how can DRM, which makes it more listenable, and less technical for the listener, be useless? Is IBOC on MW useless but IBOC on VHF useful? (Benn Kobb, ibid.) Shortwave is not useless, of course, but just not relevant in the developed world. It`s not needed to get news and information where in the third world such as Africa it`s very much needed and relevant. DRM is useless to the third world because no one has the capability to receive it there on the $30 Chinese made radio. In order to make DRM relevant, all radios would need to incorporate it. I don¹t see that happening. IBOC on medium wave is useless because it shuts out the adjacent channels with hash and works only in strong signal areas close to the transmitter. IBOC on the FM band [HD Radio] works pretty good, so I`m told, but I`m not interested in it. Just my 2 cents (Chris Lobdell, ibid.) However, most of us here would likely say there's an appeal to listening to shortwave because of the sheer fact that radio waves propagate and we get a chance to listen in. Is that a logical reason? No. Is it practical? No. But to those of us who grew up with radio, neither of things needs to matter. If Chris were to interview the heads of RNW, DW and the BBC, he'd get the same answer from them, too. I pulled out an early-1990s edition of Passport the other day; sad to see how many transmitter-hours targeted North America then that are no longer around. That makes it more difficult nowadays to listen in North America. What saddens me is that broadcasters have abruptly gone from saturating the shortwaves to abandoning them. Back in the day, it wasn't unusual to simultaneously hear DW at 0100 using a half-dozen frequencies to reach North America from various transmitter sites. Now there are zero frequencies used for that purpose. Selfishly, I'd like a DW to keep one transmitter going at 0100 and 0300 in English to North America, but what they'd likely tell you is that those transmitter hours would have more impact targeting Spanish or Portuguese speakers in North America, or English speakers in Africa. So, I'm of two minds. It's easy and convenient to stream audio and then transfer it to an inexpensive MP3 player that I listen to on my commute or on a walk or on the treadmill. But it's fun to sit there with a radio and tune away. I agree with Chris's IBOC assessment as well. Given the overall erosion in MW listening I would expect IBOC MW to experience the same fate as AM Stereo. Couldn't happen soon enough for my taste (Rich Cuff, / Allentown, PA, ibid.) ``DRM is useless to the third world because no one has the capability to receive it there on the $30 Chinese made radio.`` The installed base may take a long time to replace, but owners do replace their radios. I don't think anyone involved in DRM thinks it will take anything but years to leave behind the analog systems, but you have to start somewhere. And they know they have to compete with the $30 AM radio. I think the question of whether they should proceed or give up is a useful one to discuss. ``In order to make DRM relevant all radios would need to incorporate it. I don`t see that happening.`` All radios? ``IBOC on medium wave is useless because it shuts out the adjacent channels with hash`` Your observation is really about how well or poorly the technology works, not about whether digitizing MW radio is useless. Should MW remain AM forever? I used to cover the cellular telephone industry for trade publications. I remember vividly an all-star conference panel of engineers who agreed that the portable, digital cellular telephone was a pipe dream that would never come to pass. They argued that the computational power needed could never fit in a handheld device; the power consumption would be so great that you would have to carry the batteries along in a wheelbarrow; the technology would be at least 10x more costly than mobile phones (which were about $3000 at the time) and because it was mathematically impossible to keep the connections of different users orthogonal anyway. I think about that when I sit on a bus and 75% of the crowd are gabbing, interference-free, on their code-division multiple-access cellphones not much larger than a business card (Benn Kobb, ibid.) Yes, I am pro shortwave all the way. I just wonder why one would bother listening to DRM with a computer interface. There are almost no stand alone DRM receivers available in the US so wouldn't the audio quality be the same pulling it off the web (Sheryl Paszkiewicz, Manitowoc WI, ibid.) Judge for yourself, listen to http://pfs-digitalradio.com Peter has connected his Himalaya receiver in Cologne to the web. You can listen to the daily BBC+DW service in DRM. It is interesting to listen to the service as it changes frequencies throughout the day. The DW portion does not mention DRM but the BBC portion does periodically include DRM promos. Its slogan is, "Better radio altogether." As to standalone DRM receivers, see http://uniwave.us (Benn Kobb, ibid.) Hi Sheryl, You are certainly correct to say that there is no advantage to DRM, as long as you have to use a computer anyway. If there were DRM radios available, it would be a different story, and you could go to the beach or wherever and hear this perfect radio. But why would somebody install DRM on a computer just hear the same things they could hear on the same computer via the internet? The other thing that has always struck me as bizarre is that the the DRM poeple expect would-be listeners to purchase a software license. Go figure (David Walcutt, OR, ibid.) Please visit our DRMNA Yahoo group where that's just what people do. Comparatively few have done so, given that the most popular DRM receiving software is free. Moreover, no one expects the use of DRM software to be some kind of mainstream requirement. DRM was 'meant' to be received on standalone radios by a nontechnical public. The software has always been just an interim measure, a quicker way of picking up the broadcasts for those with the equipment and the technical knowhow to use it. Much easier to deploy that, than dedicated DRM hardware. Most digital technology nowadays contains intellectual property (IP) of owners who expect to be compensated for its use. MP3 (Fraunhofer) would be one example. IBOC (Ibiquity) is another example. That compensation is built into the cost of the product. But the choice of whether and how to obtain that compensation is up to the product's maker (Benn Kobb, ibid.) Keep in mind that DRM should largely still be considered as experimental technology. What has made DRM different from IBOC and DAB is that its development has been more "open", with anyone interested invited to participate in the experimental process. Listening to DRM is a lot like DXing. Why do it? Because you can. Consider that people will chase DX targets and then use web streaming (via PC or wifi) to help confirm that they've received that DX target over the air. The purveyors of DRM technology would expect to earn license revenue from radio stations installing transmitters and from receiver manufacturers building radios; we users would thus pay indirectly, not directly (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA, ibid.) DTV CONVERTER BOX INTERFERENCE Glenn, I thank you for the information in DXLD 9-010 concerning Converter Box interference. I was using a converter box (Magnavox) with my DVD recorder which didn't select DTV channels. I had placed converter box next to my large TV, a couple of rooms away from my shortwave receiver. When I purchased a DVD recorder with SDTV tuner a week ago, I move the converter box to an analog TV (9" Screen) next to my receiver so I could watch DTV on it. Guess what, I suddenly started getting terrible interference on my shortwave receiver? I was changing cables and ground wires, tuning different bands and nothing helped. Trying to find the reason? Even when the small TV and the converter box were off, I still heard the interference. My favorite bands (4 and 6 MHz) were useless. Then I read DXLD this morning. Eureka! After unplugging the converter box, EVEN THOUGH IT HAD BEEN TURNED OFF, the interference disappeared. Thanks for the help (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston, Florida, DX LISTENING DIGEST) DTV CROPPING Re: ``Cropping: well, PBS isn`t in on it, with subtitles, etc., cut off at the edges of the screen.`` We've had a few growing pains with that as well. One station (WZTV-17) has been simulcasting two versions of their signal: 17-1 is HD, 16:9 when available. 17-2 is SD, always 4:3. Presumably they've asked Comcast to deliver 17-2 to their analog customers. That gives WZTV full control of their 16:9=>4:3 downconversion. The same thing is being done in other markets. This is going to be a dilemna for broadcasters. Arguably over time the number of 4:3 viewers will decline to negligibility and you can start putting important action/titles outside the 4:3 screen. On the other hand, will mobile TV replace the 4:3 viewers who are being lost as analog TVs are scrapped? (or will the small number of 16:9 mobile TVs mushroom?) In the short term we just have to monitor *every* delivery means & adjust things to make them fit... It's not entirely clear to me what "set by program" means (my Insignia has this setting too, and I too have not observed it to do anything). There are provisions in DTV for something called "Active Format Descriptor". This is data that's sent along with the picture, which allows the program producer to describe how they think the 16:9 picture should be displayed on 4:3 receivers. NBC is promising to support it with the new satellite delivery system being installed. We've got a LOT to learn (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View, TN EM66, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also OKLAHOMA DTV, HDFM RECEPTION OPTIMIZATION Amazingly sophisticated and (in our quick checks) accurate site for DTV reception optimization, http://www.tvfool.com And the companion FM site, http://FMfool.com is equally good (Ben Dawson, DX LISTENING DIGEST) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ Re: LONG HAUL TROPO NEW ZEALAND TO AUSTRALIA - approx 2200 km Question on this: how is possible to identify if it's long-haul tropo or Es phenomena? (Horacio Nigro, Montevideo, Uruguay, playdx yg via DXLD) Experience is the best teacher. Early on in my VHF/UHF DXing, I developed a `sixth sense` about this. There are many clues, such as the fading rate, length of reception, distance, whether other bands are open at the same time from the same area, whether the MUF climbs or not, what kind of terrain intervenes, etc., etc. For example, in Uruguay you could never expect to hear any Chilean stations over the Andes via tropo, but you might by sporadic E. Also I am sure the surface weather patterns between Australia and NZ would correlate with this opening, whereas they would have no connexion with a sporadic E opening which in this case would be over similar distance. Es is more `volatile`, subject to abrupt fade-in and fade-out, and also the max strength can be much greater than long-haul tropo. With Es the lower end of the FM band might open, but not the high end. With tropo, the entire band would be open. 73, (Glenn Hauser, Oklahoma, ibid.) Glenn, Yes, I was asking to differentiate Es vs. Long-Haul Tropo. In fact, Chilean stations were heard from Valizas, and also in Montevideo, but since the year 1986 I don't have any other report of Chile as a DX in FM. In that time, vacation was a couple of weeks in Feb, the Es was only from Chile.. when there were logged half a dozen of regionals. In other occasion there was a single catch from Chubut with rising and falling signal a rather fast QSB and was lucky to get the ID in a signal peak. Tropo was the way I heard to Brazilian stns, a few from Rio Grande do Sul and cities like caxias do Sul, Pelotas, etc.; this time it didn't happen, except one from Pelotas. This time the Es appeared to be aligned with province of Cordoba, and San Juan, and just a few hours ago, Marcelo Cornachioni got one from San Juan via the FM receiver in his cellphone. FM DX is replacing the excitement I had with SW twenty years ago and earlier. Another dream is the MW, but I couldn't get anything of interest. Hope to get the Kenwood R600 and feed it with a good-in- length Beverage, but tourists have to be away and I have to get the correct date to travel again to the Eastern coast of Uruguay, which is the easiest one I have (Horacio Nigro, Montevideo, Uruguay, ibid.) Geomagnetic field activity was at mostly quiet levels during the period. Isolated active to major storm periods were observed at high latitudes midday on 26 January. This activity was due to a sustained period of southward IMF Bz in association with a recurrent coronal hole high speed stream. A weak, 9 nT sudden impulse was detected at Boulder at 30/2156 UTC. During the summary period, ACE solar wind velocities ranged from a low of 327 km/sec at 26/1311 UTC to a high of 527 km/sec at 31/2334 UTC. The Bz component of the IMF ranged primarily between -5 nT to +6 nT for the majority of the period. However, at the beginning of the period, Bz varied between -10 nT to +8 nT. Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 04 Feb - 02 March 2009 Solar activity is expected to be at very low levels. No proton events are expected at geosynchronous orbit. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to be at normal levels. The geomagnetic field is expected to be at quiet levels 04 - 14 February. Activity is expected to increase to quiet to unsettled levels on 15 February, with isolated active levels due to a recurrent coronal hole high-speed stream (CH HSS). Activity is expected to decrease to quiet levels during 16-21 February as the HSS subsides. Activity is expected to increase to quiet to unsettled levels with isolated active levels on 22 February due to another CH HSS. Activity is expected to decrease to mostly quiet levels from 23 February - 02 March. :Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt :Issued: 2009 Feb 03 1852 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 2009 Feb 03 # # UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest # Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index 2009 Feb 04 70 5 2 2009 Feb 05 70 5 2 2009 Feb 06 70 5 2 2009 Feb 07 70 5 2 2009 Feb 08 70 5 2 2009 Feb 09 70 5 2 2009 Feb 10 70 5 2 2009 Feb 11 70 5 2 2009 Feb 12 70 5 2 2009 Feb 13 70 5 2 2009 Feb 14 70 5 2 2009 Feb 15 70 8 3 2009 Feb 16 70 5 2 2009 Feb 17 70 5 2 2009 Feb 18 70 5 2 2009 Feb 19 70 5 2 2009 Feb 20 70 5 2 2009 Feb 21 70 5 2 2009 Feb 22 70 10 3 2009 Feb 23 70 5 2 2009 Feb 24 70 5 2 2009 Feb 25 70 5 2 2009 Feb 26 70 5 2 2009 Feb 27 70 5 2 2009 Feb 28 70 5 2 2009 Mar 01 70 5 2 2009 Mar 02 70 5 2 (SWPC Feb 3 via WORLD OF RADIO 1446, DXLD) TIPS FOR RATIONAL LIVING ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Re: [Swprograms] Still Ga-Ga For Radio http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/4413487/Why-were-still-ga-ga-for-radio.html (via David Goren, swprograms) "Television tends to steal your hours while radio doubles them." I don't believe truer words have ever been spoken (John Figliozzi, NY, Swprograms mailing list via DXLD) ###