DX LISTENING DIGEST JANUARY 2003 ARCHIVE HOME presents...
DX LISTENING DIGEST JANUARY 2003 ARCHIVE
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-017, January 30, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser, ghauser@hotmail.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 HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd3a.html [note change] For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid2.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 NEXT AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1167: RFPI: Fri 1930, Sat 0130, 0730, 1330, 1800, Sun 0000, 0600, 1200, 1830, Mon 0030, 0630, 1230, Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on 15039 and/or 7445 WJIE: M-F 1300 on 7490... WWCR: Sat 0700, Sun 0330 5070, 0730 3210, Wed 1030 9475 WRN: Rest of world Sat 0900, Eu only Sun 0530, NAm Sun 1500 WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1167.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1167.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1167h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1167h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1167.html ** AFGHANISTAN. If you still need this ham country, look for YA6RF around 1200 UT on 28485; QSL via F6IPO, or is it F6IDO? (George McClintock, Ask WWCR Jan 17-31 via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. AFGHAN PRESIDENT CHANGES INTERIOR MINISTER The Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, has replaced his Interior Minister, Taj Mohammad Wardag, with a former resistance leader. The new minister is Ali Ahmad Jalali, who was a senior military commander in the mujahideen rebellion against Soviet occupation in the 1980s. He has recently returned from the United States where he was head of the Pashto and Persian service for an international radio station (Voice of America). The ministerial change follows criticism of the way Mr Wardag handled student demonstrations in Kabul last year in which at least one person was killed. There were also complaints about the security situation in Afghanistan From the newsroom of the BBC World Service Jan 28 (via Ulis Fleming, WORLD OF RADIO 1167, DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. AFGHAN RADIO CHIEF EAGER TO START UP FOREIGN BROADCASTS AGAIN | Text of report by Afghan newspaper Arman-e Melli on 29 January The press and journalism has been age-old in our country. The establishment of the printing press in the era of Emir Sher Ali Khan [1825-79, Emir of Afghanistan (1863-79), son of Dost Emir Muhammad Khan] was the official start of journalistic activities in this country. A 16-page journal was published every 10 days. From that time on, this country has presented its moral, historical and political wealth to the world. Alongside the journalistic and historical achievements, our radio is taking effective steps in the arena of broadcasting. The radio [Afghanistan] had as many listeners as they could gather to listen to the radio broadcasts under the loudspeakers placed at several spots in the city in previous years. Unfortunately, the 23 years of war neither spared the radio programmes that quite in keeping with people's enthusiasm, nor the speakers that allowed people to listen to radio broadcasts for hours. The correspondent of the daily [Arman-e Melli] has interviewed Esteemed Shams Rad, the head of foreign broadcasting of the radio [Afghanistan], which is as follows: With regards to the radio's foreign broadcasts that have long been in abeyance he said: Sixty-five years ago, Radio Afghanistan started a programme broadcasting news and political issues in English, Urdu, Russian, German, French and Arabic. There were eight presenters and translators who prepared programmes for foreigners and those interested in foreign languages inside Afghanistan. Foreign broadcasting has completely ceased operating for the last year and a half. A bomb targeted the short-wave broadcasting unit and still no step has been taken to reactivate it. Seeing the rising demand of local and foreign listeners for those programmes, we hope that the authorities will take steps to coordinate with friendly countries to restore this section of the radio. Source: Arman-e Melli, Kabul, in Pashto 29 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. The "mysterious" transmissions on 4050 kHz (identifying as "Hit Shortwave" and "Hits on Shortwave" in between music titles) seem indeed be targeted at Afghanistan. The language that is used in the spoken word programmes (which were added recently) has been identified as Dari by a WRTH correspondent in Tajikistan. Dari is almost identical with Tajik, and is the language spoken by ethnic Tajiks in Afghanistan (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Jan 29, WORLD OF RADIO 1167, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Sample station ID: http://www.dxing.info/audio/clandestine/4050_Hit_Shortwave.rm (DXing.info via DXLD) ** ALBANIA. Frequency change for TWR via Cerrik: 1715-1730 Czech Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri and 1730-1800 Hungaian Daily NF 6115*, ex 5860 *co- channel Belarusian Radio in Belarusian (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 29 via DXLD) ** ARMENIA. Aquí van más noticias... La dirección de correo-e de La Voz de Armenia: pr@armradio.am (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. 11770: HCJB Australia is expected to start using this new frequency from 0700 UT on Sunday 2 February. This will replace 11755 which has suffered severe interference from co-channel Radio Finland since the new transmitter site at Kununurra began operations on 5 January (Bryan Clark, New Zealand, Jan 29, WORLD OF RADIO 1167, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Why wait? Having just read through DXLD 3-016 tuned into 15480 and found HCJB Australia testing 1255, fair signal strength on clear channel and was able to use a wide filter as BBCWS 15485 quite weak here (Mike Barraclough, Jan 29, BDXC-UK via DXLD) HCJB tests to Asia on 15480 kHz from Kununurra, Australia currently audible (1220 UT 29 Jan). Programme of continuous music, religious messages and announcements in English with 'phone numbers and email to report "reception problems" - english@h... [truncated] Fair signal strength, moderate fading and clear apart from slight splatter from BBCWS (Skelton) on 15485 (so HCJB best on LSB). (Alan Pennington, Caversham UK AOR7030+, longwire, Jan 29, BDXC-UK via DXLD) Hallo vrienden dx-ers, Vandaag heb ik tussen 1340 en 1401 UT (=s/off) kunnen luisteren naar HCJB vanuit hun nieuwe zenderlokatie in Australië. Frequentie was 15480 kHz SINPO: 33333. Programma was non- stop instrumentale muziek met om het kwartier een identifikatie, een telefoonnummer en het e-mail adres voor ontvangstrapporten: english@hcjb.org.au 73, (Hugo Matten - Veurne, Belgium, Jan 29, BDXC via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. Brisbane, R. 1701 kHz, Indian talk 1521 1/30. The best of the DU X Banders as usual. This one gets out! Drake R8 EWE Antenna (Patrick Martin, Seaside OR, KAVT Reception Manager, DX LSITENING DIGEST) ** BELGIUM. POLICE ARREST RADIO PRESENTER LINKED TO ABU HAMZA AFTER FATWA BROADCAST | Excerpt from report by Belgian RTBF radio on 25 January [Presenter] The presenter of a Belgian Arab language radio station broadcasting to the Brussels area - Radio Salam - has been arrested by police. He is reportedly accused of broadcasting a fatwa - that is, an appeal for a holy war - against non-Muslims. Here is Francois Louis [phonetic] with the details: [Louis] Several radio stations broadcast in Arabic in Brussels and the police have been keeping a watch on some of them for a while now. The Islamist activists are suspected of using the air waves to broadcast messages of indoctrination to the immigrant population. Several Arabic-speaking anti-terrorist investigators were instructed to monitor certain broadcasts and as a result they heard a presenter on Radio Salam inciting people to commit violence against the non-Muslim population in the form of a fatwa - an appeal for holy war. The man arrested is said to have close links with Abu Hamza al-Masri, the imam at the very radical mosque in London's Finsbury Park district... The police say that the man who was arrested also made death threats against the investigators of Arab origin who were tasked with questioning him. Source: RTBF Radio 1, Brussels, in French 1200 gmt 25 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) AUTHORITIES TO ASK ARAB RADIOS TO AVOID INFLAMMATORY PROGRAMMMES [sic!] | Text of report by Belgian newspaper De Standaard on 27 January The legal authorities in Brussels want to start a dialogue this week with the managers of various Arab radio stations in order to request their cooperation in preventing the broadcasting of inflammatory comments. Brussels Investigating Magistrate Lugentz arrested Ali M. (aged 31), a manager at Radio Salam, after he had threatened an anti-terrorist detective. The legal authorities went to see M. after another detective had learned that M. had issued a death sentence on Radio Salam, a Brussels-based Arab radio station. Originally, the death sentence came from a radical London-based imam against all European police and intelligence services, which stand in the way of the rise of Islam. M.'s reporting sounded sufficiently alarming to the ears of the Belgian government to have detectives investigating terrorist movements like Al-Qa'idah follow a self-defence course from the federal police's special unit. Up to now, detectives are not aware of any further inflammatory reports from local radio stations or other media. Therefore, they are not considering looking at the broadcasting licences of these stations. It is not the first time that the content of some Arab radio stations programmes have caused unease. At the end of last year, Home Affairs Minister Antoine Duquesne (MR [Reformist Movement]) said during a debate on a television programme on RTBF [French-speaking Belgian Radio and Television] that he was concerned about the "extremist nature of some broadcasts by these stations, broadcasts which sometimes sound outright anti-Semitic, or encourage people to reject the values of western civilization." His analysis ran into strong opposition from the Arab radio stations, although Radio Salam's competitors, like Radio El Manar or Radio El Watan, say that Radio Salam sometimes uses "tough language." Source: De Standaard, Groot-Bijgaarden, in Dutch 27 Jan 03 p 2 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. RADIO CENTENARIO "LA NUEVA" 4865.0 kHz Radio Centenario "La Nueva", Santa Cruz de la Sierra; I visited the station on January 3, 2002. According to David Manzana (Director Gerente), the station changed its shortwave frequency from 4855 kHz to 4865 kHz on August 1, 2000, under the frequency reassignment, performed by government authorities as part of a countermeasure against interference due to an increase in the number of broadcasting stations in recent years. Radio Centenario "La Nueva" broadcasts at 0900-0100 from Monday to Friday, 1100-2300 on Saturday and Sunday simultaneously on medium wave and shortwave. The shortwave outlet was formerly on the air in two time slots: 0900-1400 and 2000-0100, but it broadcasts uninterruptedly as of January 2002. The shortwave outlet is equipped with a "Crown" brand transmitter of 4 kW and a 1/2-wave H type dipole antenna (18 meters high above the ground). The medium wave outlet is equipped with a "HUGHES" brand transmitter of 5 kW, HC07 model and a 1/4-wave vertical antenna (64 meters high above the ground). The transmitter is installed at the site called Plan 3000 in the Departamento de Santa Cruz. It is situated directly at 10 kilometers south from the studio. The studio and the transmitter site are connected by a STL transmission on 462.8 MHz with a "McMarti" transmitter of 10 watts. Radio Centenario "La Nueva" was established by Carlos Ramsay on June 1, 1991. (The former Radio Centenario was founded by Gustavo Bush many years ago.) Studio: Avenida Grigotá s/n 4to Anillo UV64, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. The attached file is a Bolivian station's survey prepared by local- monitoring, realized from December 29, 2000 through January 6, 2001. It may be an old record, however, it has several interesting informations about local broadcasters specially for Latin American DX funs. Takayuki Inoue Nozaki, Editor of RELAMPAGO DX E-mail: inoue@ipcjapan.com http://www.ipcdigital.com Attachment: RELAMPAGO DX BOLIVIANO (1).doc Description: Binary data (Takayuki Inoue Nozaki - Japan - Relámpago DX Jan 27 at hard-core-dx via DXLD) Maybe you can get it to open properly via: http://www.hard-core-dx.com/index.php?topic=relampago (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BURKINA FASO. Has anyone heard R. Burkina 5030 lately? Was coming in strong from 2000-s/off this summer/ fall. Haven't heard them in at least 6 weeks (Scott R Barbour Jr, Intervale, NH, Sangean ATS 818; RF Systems MLB-1 antenna kit; RS longwire w/ RDA balun, hard-core-dx via DXLD) You are right: R. Burkina has been off the air for 3-4 weeks on 5030! I hope it will return soon. Best 73, (Anker Petersen, Denmark, ibid.) ** COLOMBIA. Hola Glenn... Saludos desde Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA. El 29/01 fue captada en 6140 kHz, Melodía AM, "La radio líder", transmitiendo en paralelo en 730 kHz (HJCQ), a las 2300 UT. Según las identificaciones, la potencia en Onda Media es de 100 mil watts. Emitía el himno nacional y luego el programa "El mundo al día". Las siglas de la onda corta 6140 kHz, son (HJQR). Estación perteneciente a la Cadena Melodía de Colombia. SINPO 43433. Parece una prueba del transmisor ya que salió varias veces del aire y al ser buscada una hora más tarde, ya brillaba por su ausencia (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COLOMBIA. FARC SE APODERA DE EQUIPOS DEL CANAL RCN EN EL ARAUCA "THE FARC GUERILLA SEIZED SATELLITE COMMS EQUIPMENT IN ARAUCA" Bogotá.- La guerrilla de las FARC se apoderó de un vehículo y varios equipos de comunicación y transmisión por satélite del Canal RCN de Colombia en el conflictivo departamento del Arauca, denunció hoy en Bogotá esa cadena de la televisión privada, señaló Efe. El Canal RCN precisó que el grupo rebelde despojó de ese material a un equipo periodístico conformado por cinco personas, que la emisora había desplazado el pasado fin de se... Lee el artículo completo en: http://www.eluniversal.com/2003/01/28/28012003_44667.html Copyright 2002, Reservados todos los derechos (via Henrik Klemetz, DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. ELN ANUNCIA LIBERACIÓN DE PERIODISTAS EXTRANJEROS The ELN clandestine station in the Arauca area is called Radio Libertad, says one of their commanders to RCN Radio. El Ejército de Liberación Nacional (Eln) anunció en RCN la pronta liberación de los periodistas del diario "Los Angeles Times", la británica Ruth Morris y el fotógrafo estadounidense Scott Dalton, secuestrados la semana pasada en Arauca. El anuncio fue hecho este martes por el guerrillero "Antonio García", uno de los principales jefes del Eln, en una conversación telefónica con RCN. "Ellos están muy bien y en los próximos días, en uno o dos días, van a estar en libertad", declaró el líder rebelde, cuyo verdadero nombre es Erlington de Jesús Chamorro. Morris y Dalton fueron retenidos el pasado 20 de enero cerca de la localidad de Fortul, en el departamento petrolero del Arauca, fronterizo con Venezuela. "Antonio García" declaró que los periodistas ingresaron a una zona "en la que hay bastante militarización y, como es un área de conflicto, fueron retenidos por las unidades del Eln. Ellos se encuentran bien de salud y en los próximos días van a ser puestos en libertad", aseguró. En su diálogo con RCN, el líder del Eln reveló que Morris se comunicó el lunes con su padre, "que cumplía años, a través de nuestra emisora regional 'Radio Libertad'". "Esperamos que en los próximos días podamos dejarlos en libertad, pero, de todas maneras, hay una situación crítica de confrontación", expresó "García", quien añadió que "la voluntad y decisión del Eln es que ellos estén en libertad en los días siguientes". Indicó que "los compañeros de Arauca" se encargarán de los detalles y "van a entregar algunos mensajes" al diario "Los Angeles Times". Según el comandante rebelde, durante el cautiverio Morris y Dalton pudieron tener "una versión del conflicto, lógicamente desde la óptica del Eln y en las áreas por donde el Eln tiene influencias política y militar". El secuestro de los dos informadores extranjeros ha sido rechazado por el Gobierno de Colombia y las asociaciones locales de periodistas y los corresponsales extranjeros, así como por el Departamento de Estado de EEUU y asociaciones periodísticas de América y Europa. (RCN Radio website, Jan 29 via HK) El Espectador newspaper says the station is known as La Voz de la Libertad. This may account for the previously mentioned slogan La Voz de la Liberación, which seems to have been a mistake, as this slogan has been "copyrighted" by a religious program sponsored by the Brazilian IPDA Church which can be heard in many countries in Latin America (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, Jan 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [non]. La Voz de los Trabajadores, emisión disidente hacia Cuba, escuchada el 27/01, en 9955 a las 0040. Con repetición a las 0200. Nunca falta el jamming. Saludos, (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WRMI; según el horario actual de los lunes TU, son dos programas distintos: 0000-0100 Radio Revista Lux (español) -- Programa de noticias y actualidades del Sindicato de Trabajadores Eléctricos, Gas y Agua de Cuba en el Exilio. Productor: René L. Díaz. Locutor: Marcial Ontivero. Dirección: Radio Revista Lux, 7175 SW 8 Street, Suite 213, Miami, Florida 33144 EUA. Teléfono/Fax: +1-305-262-6050. ... 0130-0230 Radio Oriente Libre (español) -- Una transmisión de la Asamblea Provincial de Oriente en el Exilio para sus compatriotas en Cuba. Dirección: 15611 SW 48 Street, Miami, Florida 33185 EUA (from http://www.wrmi.net/pages/714011/index.htm Jan 27 via DXLD) ** CUBA [non]. ON THE WHOLE, IT SOUNDS LIKE A NET LOSS http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A57958-2003Jan28?language=printer Radio Martí and its television counterpart have a well-deserved reputation for being state-of-the-art when it comes to technology. So it's no surprise that Radio Martí is announcing in a new promo that its programs are available on the Internet as well. The promo begins with a frustrated fellow named Manolo working the dial of his squawking radio, trying to tune in to Martí. His much more techno-astute wife, upon seeing what he's doing, tells him: "You don't need a radio anymore to listen to Radio Martí." What's more, she says, "Radio and Television Martí are also on the Internet without interference" from government jamming. At this, Manolo gets so excited, he logs on and then we hear a loud crash as he tosses his radio out the window. Ain`t technology grand? Couple of small problems with this: First, hardly anyone in Cuba has Internet access, and most of those who do are government-approved. Also, there are, last we checked, only three Internet service providers in Cuba, all of them controlled by the commies. They can and do block the site and they can -- though maybe without the sophistication of the Chinese -- monitor who logs on. "Although Internet usage in Cuba remains small," an International Broadcasting Bureau official said, "we believe we should be using every available technology to reach Cubans on the island." There are about 40,000 people logging on "clandestinely," the official said, citing Cuban government numbers, and "government controls are not perfect." And maybe folks in other countries -- even in Florida -- if they are interested, would be able to log on thru http://www.martinoticias.com For now, let's hope Manolo has a friend in the radio repair business. (via Brock Whaley for DXLD Jan. 29, 2003) ** CUBA [non non]. Special event amateur station CO ZERO JMP is on the air at the time you are listening to this show. The station was set up by the PLAZA Radio Club here in Havana to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Cuba's National Hero, José Martí Pérez. The station is on the air on SSB and CW, and will be operating on bands from 40 meters to 2 meters, providing those who work it or monitor it with a very nice special event QSL card. So look for CO Zero JMP on the ham bands during the next two days amigos; the QSL card is a very nice one, and CO Zero is a special event prefix used by Cuban radio amateurs (Arnie Coro, CO2KK, RHC DXers Unlimited Jan 28 via Bob Chandler, ODXA via DXLD) ** CZECH REPUBLIC [non}. Note that the new WRMI schedule in last issue no longer shows a beam change on 7385 from LAm to NAm at 0330 between the Spanish and Czech R. Prague relays. Wonder if this was ever really in effect? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA. 6210, R. Fana Jan 27 1447-1457 33433 Amharic, Ethiopian music and talk.. // 6940 (Kouji Hashimoto) 9561.5, R. Ethiopia Jan 24 *1600-1610 34333 English, 1600 s/on with IS. ID. Music. Talk (Kouji Hashimoto) 9704.2, R. Ethiopia Jan 27 *1459-1505 33432 Amharic, 1459 with IS. ID. Tree gong. Talk (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan Premium via DXLD) ** GERMANY. Dear Mr. Chakroborty, You mention a 60 minute Mailbag and, of course, this is not possible but Ms. Thofern was referring to a whole slot in our programming and perhaps not taking into consideration the technical aspect of changing over to satellite and/or different frequencies. However, our editors and planners of the English Service are looking into how we can make the turnover at the end of the slot shorter, making some of our programmes a little longer! [+ standard formletter] Regards, (Margot Forbes, DW via Swopan Chakroborty, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUAM. I went over to the other side of the island and wanted to see if there were any changes with KTWR or some of the other shortwave stations. Radio Barragada [sic] was still the same as it was several weeks ago, and AWR was also still the same. I am happy to mention that driving by KTWR, it looked like all 5 antennas were back to normal as compared to what it was like during the storm. I noted some wires between 2 towers that appeared to have been used for transmitting purposes but it was not the same design as the others. So it looks like they got things back to pre storm status. I was noticing that most of the island still has many wires down but not as much as it was before. Lights are still upside down. The weather station a few weeks ago after the last TS was off the air about 1 or 2 days. And was also hardly heard on the south side of the island. I listened close around the areas of KTWR and found no signals. This is about 30 miles south of the station. During that storm only one ship got underway to get out the storm`s way in case it came in. One hour after it left, port control lifted the storm warnings. Also the 2nd repeater on the island is back up and running. Meaning the Echo link (145.430 MHz) is now in service but the owner runs it at certain times, and it`s just as weak on some portions of the island as the other repeater. I may be wrong but they may be only experimenting with it to see what happens and may put it into full operation soon. KGUM radio ran a survey as to what the island may do to boost the economy, and several comments were 1. Geiko chips (those lizards) 2. Brown tree snake jerky (yummy). We may go to Saipan some time but that`s just a possible rumor. The sailboat nicknamed Lucky is still beached but they are still working on it. Waiting for more rain maybe, as the weather is a warm, 85 during the day. 73 from Guam island and hope to give more later; today`s my day off again (Larry Fields, n6hpx/du1, Jan 29, swl via DXLD) ** HAWAII. The Buzz, BY ERIKA ENGLE, Wednesday, January 29, 2003 http://starbulletin.com/2003/01/29/business/engle.html RADIO STATION KAIM RETURNS TO THE AIR, BUT VERY, VERY QUIETLY Hawaii's only 50,000 watt radio station is back on the air, sort of. "KAIM-AM (870) is running a loop right now of praise music while we have a petition before the FCC to relocate over here," said General Manager TJ Malievsky. The Molokai-based transmission equipment for the former Bible- broadcasting blowtorch was fired up to a barely audible 1,000 watts in November, but will remain there "only for a season," Malievsky said. "It's not really meant to be on for commercial purposes, it's really meant to keep the signal going. "What we had to do is put it on the air in a very small wattage situation to fulfill license requirements to keep it on the air for another year," he said. KAIM-AM is owned by Calif.-based Salem Communications Corp. The plan is to relocate the transmitter to Salem's tower in Kunia, which also radiates the signals of KHNR-AM 650 and KHCM-AM 940. Malievsky hopes to resume operation of the station on Oahu at 10,000 watts and believes federal approval will come within the next couple months. The format has not been finalized, he said. Of Salem's other stations, KGU-AM 760 is beamed from tower at Kewalo Basin, while the antenna for KAIM-FM 95.5 is in Palehua, home to the broadcast equipment of numerous other FM stations. Salem took KAIM-AM dark on Dec. 31, 2001, to accomplish two goals. The company wanted to eliminate the $12,000 to $13,000 monthly electric bill for the Molokai facility. KGU's electricity costs about $1,000 per month, station officials said at the time. Salem also wanted to boost its KRLA-AM 870 in Los Angeles to 50,000 watts, but there was concern the Hawaii and L.A. signals would interfere with one another. The Los Angeles population reached by KRLA-AM clearly provides much greater revenue potential for Salem than Hawaii's KAIM-AM audience. KAIM was formerly owned by the Minnesota-based Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, which boosted the station's power to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to the islands of Hawaii and the Pacific. It sold KAIM-AM/FM to the publicly traded Salem in October of 1999, but still owns the Molokai land and transmitter building. At the time the company announced plans to take the powerful AM off the air, then-General Manager Doug Campbell said there were no plans to bring it back (via Brock Whaley for DXLD Jan. 30) ** INTERNATIONAL INTERNET [and non]. Mike Cooper said: "The Internet is clearly clumsy, imperfect and unreliable -- using a bucket-brigade chain instead of efficient electromagnetic transmission through thin air. What are the international broadcasters thinking?" But be reminded that shortwave isn't perfect either: SW reception can be quite frustrating when the sun enters its temperamental phases... (Ricky Leong, QC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM [and non]. Subject : satellite radio I just would like to quickly weigh in on the question of satellite radio that came up on DXLD Jan. 28. I use an MPEG-2 free-to-air satellite receiver in order to listen to WRN-1, Radio Sana'a, Al Quran/Al Kareem R. (location unknown), and of course DW-radio, in German. There is no encryption of many of the channels, and therefore requires no monthly subscription. Aside from the fascinating television that is also available off of Telstar 5, being able to listen to a station like Radio Sana'a just about anytime is very nice, as I like their music. By the way, I checked the satellite channel of Radio Sana'a against 9780 kHz, and it was indeed a live feed on the satellite, with the satellite feed lagging 31m by about 1.5 seconds. Free-to-air satellite TV can be very interesting to anyone with an interest in how TV is done in other countries. Countries such as Libya, Iraq, Yemen, Egypt, Georgia, and many others run one of their national TV services on this satellite, too. i, however, view this medium as a complement to, not a replacement of, shortwave radio. I have been frustrated with the lack of portability of internet radio, not to mention the sterile quality of both internet and satellite radio. Shortwave just has a "feel" that is difficult to describe, almost like being in contact with another far-off nation, free from gatekeeper technology. I still sleep with a shortwave receiver next to the bed (an ATS 505), and even built a 25m-to-1710 kHz converter for use on a sensitive, selective MW receiver that I use on my bike. Conventional portables are difficult to use on a bike, and this layout is ergonomically more friendly, as well as safer; sure beats listening to the MW locals, too! Sorry for the lengthy post, but just wanted to speak up. I too regret DW's decision to axe SW service to NAm, and will always remain an adherent to the time-proven technology of the analog AM medium. 73 (Steven Zimmerman, Milwaukee, WI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. LAUNCH OF KURDISH-LANGUAGE SERVICE OF ISRAELI RADIO SUSPENDED | Text of report by independent Iraqi Kurdish newspaper Jamawar on 26 January According to a declaration by the Kurdistan Jewish Organization in Israel and the Kurdish-Jewish Friendship Association in Israel, the decision to set up a Kurdish service of the Israeli radio by the government of that country has been suspended. Initially, it had been decided to open a Kurdish service of the Israeli radio on 1 January 2003, but so far the reasons for the decision [to suspend the opening] are unknown. Source: Jamawar, Arbil, in Sorani Kurdish 26 Jan 03 (via BBCM via WORLD OF RADIO 1167, DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Greetings from Port Macquarie, N.S.W., Australia, Listening to Kol Israel at 1100 on 17525, reception was quite good at 453 and very readable, much better than 15640 which was only 252 at the same time and could not understand much at all, they came on with Hebrew with music and ads until 1100 then were French till 1115 when they went into English news. Best wishes, (Michael Stevenson, Sangean ATS-909 with 15 metre longwire, Jan 29, EDXP via DXLD) ** ITALY [and non]. Hi all, I've just published a list of Italian area stamps about radio and television (in Italian, sorry!). The URL is http://portale.italradio.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sezioni&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=1&page=2 I remember that Italian Area is: Kingdom of Italy ("Regno"), Italian Colonies (Eritrea, Somalia, Cirenaica, Tripolitania), Italian Republic (Italia), Republic of San Marino (S. Marino), Vatican City (Vaticano), Trieste A, Trieste B, SMOM. I hope it useful. Best regards (Paolo Morandotti, radiostamps via DXLD) ** IVORY COAST. CÔTE D'IVOIRE: BBC, RFI RELAYS STILL OFF AIR AS RADIO NOSTALGIE VANDALIZED The FM relays in Abidjan of the BBC World Service (on 94.3 MHz) and Radio France Internationale (97.6 MHz) continue to be unheard. These relays were forced off the air on 22 September 2002, three days after the start of the military uprising. Meanwhile, transmissions by an independent station in Abidjan, Radio Nostalgie, have been observed to be off the air since 26 January when its broadcasting equipment was vandalized. The Ivorian newspaper Soir Info web site on 27 January reported that the previous day "the premises of Radio Nostalgie were the target of uncontrolled [pro-government] demonstrators, who set the broadcasting equipment on fire... Passers-by who said they witnessed the incidents told us that young men armed with clubs and stones destroyed and burned everything, shouting anti-French slogans. They [the young men] said that Hamed Bakayoko (the station manager) was a rebel leader." Sources: Monitoring research 26-29 Jan 03 Soir Info web site, Abidjan, in French 27 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** JAPAN [non non]. Dear Mr. Joe Talbot, Thank you for your inquiry to Radio Japan. As for your question, please be advised that we no longer use the relay of Dhabbaya, United Arab Emirates for our services. Best regards, -- Radio Japan info@intl.nhk.or.jp (via Talbot, Jan 30, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** MAURITANIA. Glenn, Radio Mauritanie heard here sporadically for the past couple of weeks on 7245 after 0800. 1/30 was probably the best signal so far, with the carrier snapping on at 0804, then directly into Arabic programming with North African music. Good signal to begin with, but it faded quickly with local sunrise at the transmitter. This might not be news to anyone, but it's a new one for me. Have also noted occasional openings to S Africa, especially the Beeb's African stream from the Meyerton transmitters. Given the noise level in my apartment building (City Light handed out a lot of compact fluorescent bulbs during the power "emergency" two years ago, and they have yet to die), I'm lucky to hear anything most nights (Chuck Albertson, Seattle, Wash., Jan 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS. RADIO NETHERLANDS REORGANISATION PLANS TO BE RE-CONSIDERED The management, editor-in-chief and departmental heads at Radio Netherlands have agreed a formula to break the impasse over proposed reorganisation. A draft plan presented by management on 15 January met with widespread dissatisfaction amongst all sections of staff, including the editor-in-chief and the heads of departments. In addition to possible job losses, there were also serious concerns that the plans might pose a threat to the station's journalistic independence. Management have now formally withdrawn the plan in its current form. The heads of department and editor-in-chief Freek Eland will work on the details of a new plan for the future of Radio Netherlands. Their proposals will then be presented to management. The Dutch Union of Journalists has welcomed the outcome of the negotiations. A mass meeting of staff will be held tomorrow (Thursday) at which the latest developments will be discussed (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 29 January 2003 via DXLD) I suspect a letter-writing campaign could be counterproductive, as RN very much values its independence from political control (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1167, DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS ANTILLES [and non]. MAINTENANCE WORK AT BONAIRE 3-7 FEBRUARY 2003 Maintenance work at our Bonaire relay station necessitates some schedule changes between 1057 UT on 3 Feb and 1125 UT on 7 February 2003. During this period, the long-term DRM tests from Bonaire will not be on the air. 6165 will be replaced by Flevo (500 kW) for all transmissions between 2327 and 0425. 50 kW instead of 250 kW will be used for the following Bonaire transmissions: 0357-0456 Dutch on 11985 0457-0545 Deutsche Welle on 11795 1057-1125 Spanish on 15450 2027-2125 Dutch on 15315 2227-2325 Spanish on 11730 (Radio Netherlands Media Network 29 January 2003 via WORLD OF RADIO 1167, DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. RNZI on 6095 today! More Cyclone Warning reports. RNZI 6095 is on again tonight! (Jan 29 in UTC). Great signal into Europe at about 1500-1657 UT on Monday 27th. Was missed yesterday Jan 28th. 1306-1657 6095 To All Pacific -- Usual Closedown is 1305 UT -- this frequency is for occasional overnight broadcasts to the Pacific for Sports commentaries or Cyclone Warnings. RNZI 6095 kHz -- There is a tropical cyclone near the Solomon Islands and between Fiji and Tonga. RNZI is on 6095 kHz until 1657, when the usual morning transmission begins. The program is the overnight National Radio transmission, the announcer reads the cyclone warnings after the news at the top of the hour. Heard also at 1620 on Monday. 73 wb (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, Jan 29, WORLD OF RADIO 1167, DX LISTENING DIGEST) R. New Zealand; 6095; 1345-1400; SINPO 44434; music; OM with ID TOH; then news and marine weather (Al Menzl, Seattle, USA Jan 29, R-75 16m horizontal loop, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** NIGERIA. I had previously associated a big, dirty carrier on 15120 with Cuba, but Jan 30 at 2250 found very undermodulated news in English, mainly about Europe, from V. of Nigeria, as IDed after 2255, to return at 0500, devotional, 2300 half-minute anthem followed by 5 minutes of tone until carrier off. The modulation was so marginal that readability varied depending on which announcer was speaking (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. RENDA Oldies KOMA-A[M 1520]/OKLAHOMA CITY is flipping from its Oldies simulcast with FM sister KOMA-FM [92.5] to News/Talk on MONDAY (2/3). The 50,000 watt station will be spearheaded by News Dir. BOB SANDS, formerly of KKNG (KING COUNTRY 93.3), and will continue to carry WESTWOOD ONE's BILL O'REILLY and CBS NEWS as well as the late night "THE EDGE" sci-fi/paranormal talk show, all of which have been airing on the AM side in breaks from the simulcast (from http://www2.allaccess.com/via Brock Whaley, Jan 30, for DXLD) ** OMAN. Hi, the apparently current schedule of Radio Oman, as taken from their page http://www.oman-tv.gov.om/rdara/radio_frq_channel.asp is as follows (assuming the time given being local time UT +4): 02-04 6085 15355 04-06 9515 17590 06-14 13640 14-18 13725 15375 18-20 6190 15355 20-22 6085 MW: 576, 738, 1242. Yours, (Eike Bierwirth, 04317 Leipzig, DL, Jan 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) *** Find the current overall shortwave schedule on http://www.eibi.de.vu/ Well, the English hours at 03 and 14 have always been on only one of the frequencies shown, the higher one (gh, DXLD) ** PERU. Una emisora andina que se me ha hecho IMPOSIBLE identificar, ha sido la de 6797.5kHz, a la cual hago un seguimiento desde el 27/01. El horario de mejor recepción es entre las 2300 y las 0100 UT. Con comentarios de un hombre y una mujer, y música indudablemente de la región de Los Andes. Incluso grabé unas horas y al escuchar la cinta una y otra vez, sin embargo es incomprensible. La razón: un sistema de radiotelegrafía en el mismo canal, alternándose con radioaficionados (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Sin que se haya cambiado de dueño, siempre en esta frecuencia se halla, según afirmado en la lista LA-DX de Mark Mohrmann: 6797.5 PERU Ondas del Rio Mayo, Nuevo Cajamarca [0919-1150/2205- 0330](varies 96-98.7) (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. RADIO LIBERTY BROADCASTING "NOT LIKELY" TO EXPAND IN RUSSIA - MINISTER | Text of report in English by Russian news agency Interfax Moscow, 28 January: Radio Liberty's broadcasting is not likely to expand in Russia, said Russian First Deputy Press Minister Mikhail Seslavinskiy. Seslavinskiy made this comment while meeting director of broadcasting for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Jeff Trimble in Moscow today, the Press Ministry press service told Interfax. The meeting touched upon the possibilities of expanding Radio Liberty's broadcasting to Russia. Seslavinskiy said that Russian radio stations, in particular the Voice of Russia, still do not have free access to the US radio market due to restrictions in the US legislation. "Any steps in this direction should be mutual," Seslavinskiy said. "Russia made this step long ago by enabling Radio Liberty to broadcast on its territory. Now, a lot depends on the USA and its preparedness to promote an appropriate Russian information presence on the territory of the USA," Seslavinskiy said. The meeting participants also discussed issues relating to the prolongation of Radio Liberty's broadcasting licenses in 2003, the press service said. Source: Interfax news agency, Moscow, in English 1604 gmt 28 Jan 03 (via BBCM via WORLD OF RADIO 1167, DXLD) Russia`s Press Ministry favours an increase in the broadcasting hours of ``Radio Liberty`` in Russia and ``The Voice of Russia`` in the United States on a parity basis. This came in a statement by the first deputy Russian Press Minister Mikhail Seslavinsky following his meeting in Moscow with a member of the US Broadcasters` board Geoffrey Hirschberg and one of the heads of ``Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe`` Geoffrey Trimble. Mr. Seslavinsky pointed out that Russia has already granted ``Radio Liberty`` an opportunity to broadcast from inside this country. Now, he said, the ball is in the court of US law-makers who are expected to lift restrictions from Russia`s information presence in the United States (VoR News, January 29, 2003 via Sergei Sosedkin, DXLD) Is this an excuse, or do the Russians really not realize that there is no such thing as domestic broadcasting by the federal government in the USA, and thus the feds are not in a position to offer such an exchange. Now, some of the excess capacity at Greenville and Delano could be used for relays of Russia on SW, which seems only fair for all the RL relays within Russia! (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1167, DXLD) ** SAIPAN. NORTHERN MARIANAS: New updated B-02 schedule for KFBS, Saipan: 9465 1400-1530 Russian Daily 1530-1545 Udmurt Sun/Tue Tatar Mon Mari Wed Uzbek Thu Kyrghyz Fri Chuvash Sat 1545-1600 Udmurt Sun Tatar Mon/Tue German Wed Ossetic Thu Kazakh Fri/Sat 1600-1630 Russian Sun-Fri Ukrainian Sat 1630-1830 Russian Daily 1830-1845 Russian Sun/Tue/Thu/Sat Ukrainian Mon/Wed/Fri 1845-1900 Russian Sun/Thu/Sat Ukrainian Mon-Wed German Fri 9855 1615-1630 Uzbek Sat/Sun Ossetic Mon Kazakh Tue/Wed Kyrghyz Thu/Fri 1630-1645 Udmurt Sun/Thu/Fri Mari Mon Ukrainian Tue Chuvash Wed Tatar Sat 1645-1700 Udmurt Sun/Fri Tatar Mon/Sat German Tue-Thu 11580 1000-1600 Mandarin Daily 1600-1615 Uighur Daily 11650 0900-1100 Russian Daily 1100-1130 Mongolian Daily 1130-1400 Russian Daily 12090 2230-2330 Vietnamese Daily 12120 1300-1430 Vietnamese Daily 15380 0800-0830 Banjarese Daily 0830-0900 Gorontalo Daily 0900-0930 Makassarese Daily 0930-1000 Bugisnese Daily 1000-1030 Sundanese Daily 1030-1100 Javanese Daily 1100-1230 Indonesian Daily 1230-1300 Bakui Daily (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 29 via DXLD) ** SRI LANKA. COLOMBO PROMISES CONSTANT MONITORING OF LTTE FM STATION A Sri Lankan government press release on 29 January said that the Ministry of Mass Communication will "constantly monitor the transmissions" of the Tamil Tigers' (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, LTTE) FM broadcasting station, the Sri Lankan newspaper Daily News web site reported on 30 January. On 16 January the LTTE's newly licensed radio, Voice of Tigers, began broadcasting on 98 MHz using a five- kilowatt transmitter. Action would be taken against any violation of both the licensing conditions and frequency allocations, the statement said. Source: Daily News web site, Colombo, in English 30 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** SWEDEN. RADIO SWEDEN --- Coming up on Radio Sweden: Thursday: Swedish Cooking Special Friday: Our weekly review Saturday: We link up with other international broadcasters as "Network Europe" includes the controversy over Iraq Sunday: Religious diversity and Kenny Bräck are among the topics for listeners "In Touch With Stockholm" (George Wood, SCDX/MediaScan Jan 29 via DXLD) ** TAJIKISTAN. RADIO LIBERTY WANTS TO BROADCAST IN TAJIKISTAN | Text of report by Tajik news agency Asia-Plus Dushanbe, 28 January: The management of Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) has applied to the Tajik government to consider the possibility of broadcasting the radio station's Tajik programmes on MW and FM wave bands in the country. A source at the Tajik service of Radio Liberty has told Asia-Plus that RFE/RL programmes are planned to be broadcast on the entire territory of the country, including in Dushanbe. In the opinion of the staff of the radio station, which is financed by the US Congress, Tajikistan's participation in the antiterrorist coalition and the expansion of the country's cooperation with Western countries contributed to the creation of favourable conditions for the broadcasting of Radio Liberty's programmes in Tajikistan. In an application addressed to the Tajik head of state, the management of the radio asks to have a meeting to discuss the issue. Source: Asia-Plus news agency, Dushanbe, in Russian 0905 gmt 28 Jan 03 (via BBCM via WORLD OF RADIO 1167, DXLD) ** TURKMENISTAN. TURKMEN WRITER CALLS FOR EXTERNAL RUSSIAN-, ENGLISH- LANGUAGE BROADCASTS | Excerpt from report entitled "The whole world prefers news from radio" by Turkmen newspaper Turkmenistan on 24 January: As is known, God blessed the Turkmen nation with the best position located in the very heart of Central Asia. This advantage of our location has been recalled many times over by our wise leader, [Turkmen president] Saparmyrat Turkmenbasy [Nyyazow] the Great, who makes such remarks with the great art of poetry and as a far-sighted politician. [Passage omitted: recap on Turkmenistan's advantageous geographical position] Here I have a proposal linked to the radio. At present there is no miraculous means in the world except the Internet (which some journalists ironically call the World Wide Web) which can surpass radio in delivering news to everyone. This is the reason why all developed states carry out radio broadcasts in many languages, intended not only for their own nations but also for others. Of course, in doing this they are pursuing their own goals and also making themselves known to the world. Many of their programmes are in Russian, which is known to be one of the working languages of the UN. Such are Radio Liberty, Voice of America, the BBC and many others. Though their broadcasts target mainly the states of the former USSR, their audience also includes many Russian-language listeners beyond this area. Unfortunately, some of these "voices", particularly since recent times, regularly disseminate groundless gossip about our beloved homeland. For cases such as these we have our own place in the world of the airwaves, too. The nice voices of our Turkmen national radio currently extend almost round-the-clock (let us recall that during the USSR period Turkmen radio had to stop its broadcasts at midnight sharp). Indeed, it is true that there are listeners of our radio in other countries. But they are mainly in the neighbouring countries. Whereas the greater part of the world is unaware of our country's progress, its law-governed society, our perfect domestic and foreign policies, their logic and content, just because they do not understand our language. This fact itself is a serious justification for creating a biased and unclear view about our country in the world. My proposal is: it would be expedient to launch external Russian language (initially for an hour) and English-language (initially for half an hour) radio programmes with two or three repeats and with a total duration of four to five hours a day. [Passage omitted: lack of information leads to misinformation; there could be a large audience for external broadcasts] [Author] Annaberdi Agabayew, people's writer and merited elder of Turkmenistan, recipient of the Magtymguly [literary and art] prize. Source: Turkmenistan, Asgabat, in Turkmen 24 Jan 03, p4 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** U S A. Re new VOA broadcast to Zimbabwe which started this week (see DX Listening Digest 3-016): The half hourly news magazine "Studio 7" in English 1730-1800 UT heard on 17895 kHz at 1734 tune-in today (29 Jan). Later announced 17895 from Morocco, 13600 from Botswana (also audible here) and 909 mediumwave from Botswana (Alan Pennington, Caversham UK, AOR 7030+, longwire, WORLD OF RADIO 1167, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Some changes for Voice of America: 1200-1400 Korean on 5985 7235 9555 11895 extended, ex 1300-1400 1600-1700 Hindi on 6060 9815 11730 new transmission 1630-1700 Hindi on 6060 9815 15130 cancelled 1730-1800 Hindi on 7280 9855 12040 cancelled 2100-2200 Korean on 5995 7110 12065 extended, ex 2130-2200 1830-1900 Azeri NF 11770, ex 12030 \\ 9695 9750 73 from (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 29 via DXLD) VOA Hindi also have retimed some of their programs and introduced some new programs including a new serialised program on AIDS on Fri night. VOA Hindi chief Mr Ashok Sarin is presently touring India and will be addressing three listener meetings at Lucknow, Patna (on 2nd Feb) & Jaipur. Source: on-air announcements. Regards, (Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Ex-VOA guy becomes interior minister: see AFGHANISTAN ** U S A. RADIO SAWA LAUNCHES NEW PROGRAM ON DEMOCRACY Radio Sawa is introducing new programming. "The Free Zone" was launched last week. On the program's debut, Secretary of State Colin Powell urged Middle Eastern leaders to support democratic principles such as free elections and free media. "Men and women have certain universal rights ... and we believe that democracy is the best way to allow (people) to have those rights," stated Powell. "The Free Zone" is a weekly 30-minute program that airs on Radio Sawa, a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week Arabic-language radio station. The program aims to address topics relating to freedom, such as human rights, women's issues, press freedom, civil society and elections. (RW Online Jan 27 via Ulis Fleming, DXLD) So, WHEN is it on??? ** U S A. Is there a program schedule somewhere on the WBCQ.com website? I looked for one and could not find a pointer there anywhere that led me to one. I did drop them a feedback e-mail asking about it; we'll see if anything comes of that. (I think I saw or heard a reference to a "WBCQ.net" website, but trying that gets an error screen.) I've been listening to that Alan Weiner discussion of old radios that precedes WoR on Wednesday on 17495 kHz and at first tried to call in to contribute to the discussion. I then discovered that it appears to be the same program on tape repeated over and over at 2200 UT multiple days of the week. Is it EVER on the air live so that we can call in? Also, I heard the announcement of the new "Doom & Gloom Hour" that was supposed to be at 2230 UT Thursday, but it wasn't on last week (just the same old-radio tape cited above). So is it coming on or not? (It sounded that it might be amusing, so I wanted to give it a try.) 73, (Will Martin, MO, Jan 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I believe the show filling in before WOR for a few weeks was Allan Weiner Worldwide, which airs live most UT Saturdays at 0100 on 7415. AFAIK there has never been any useful info at the http://wbcq.com site, the one run by Scott Becker. The http://wbcq.net site is gone, since the webmaster who donated his services wasn`t getting coöperation from HQ. This has been covered previously in DXLD. The new site, http://wbcq.us has been down most of January, but now I see is back, with some schedule updates at last (e.g. WOR at 0545 instead of 0515 UT Mon.) but obviously not entirely accurate or complete, (e.g. WOR Wednesday at 2300 on 17495 is not shown.) Other than that, there is nothing to listen to on 17495 except on UT Saturdays: Available Time Slot 1400-1600 The Kitchen Militia 1600-1700 Allan Weiner World Wide 1700-1800 Zombo's Mondo Record Party 1800-1900 Radio Timtron Worldwide 1900-2000 Pan Global Wireless 2000-2030 Old Time Gospel 2030-2100 There is even less on 9335 --- just R. Caroline, M-F at 2100-2200, so contrary to Tim`s 75m remarks it is still on the station, but no longer on 7415. The Gloom and Doom hour is also shown Sundays at 2100 on 7415. Here`s the portion of the posted schedule, avoiding gospel huxters and far- right shows, tho some with incongruous names may have slipped thru: UT SATURDAYS The Lost Discs Radio Show 0000-0100 Allan Weiner World Wide 0100-0200 Tasha Takes Control 0200-0300 Amos and Andy 0500-0515 Alex Jones - Info Wars 2100-2200 Think Tank North America 2200-2300 Radio TimTron World Wide 2300-0000 UT SUNDAYS The Real Amateur Radio 0000-0030 Fred Flintstone's Music Show 0030-0100 A Different Kind Of Oldies Show 0100-0200 Marion's Attic 0200-0300 The Alan Sane Show 0300-0400 You Are What You Think 0400-0500 Tom And Darryl 0500-0600 Juliet`s Wild Kingdom 0600-0630 Gloom And Doom Hour 2100-2200 Radio Free Euphoria 2200-2300 UT MONDAYS Le Show with Harry Shearer 0000-0100 Radio New York International 0100-0500 Amos and Andy 0500-0515 Radio D.C. 0515-0545 Glen[n] Hauser's World of Radio 0545-0615 The Jean Shepherd Show 2200-2245 Pocket Calculator Show 2300-2330 UT TUESDAYS Amos and Andy 0500-0515 Available Time Slot 2230-2330 UT WEDNESDAYS Good Morning Maine 0100-0200 Amos and Andy 0500-0515 Glenn Hauser's World Of Radio 2300-2330 Goddess Irena 1 music show 2330-0000 UT THURSDAYS Off The Hook 0000-0100 Amos and Andy 0500-0515 The Gloom And Doom Hour 2230-2330 Uncle Ed's Musical Memories 2330-0000 UT FRIDAYS Steppin` Out Of Babylon 0030-0100 Cut The Crap with A.J. 0400-0500 Amos and Andy 0500-0515 Pan Global Wireless 2200-2230 The Pab Sungenis Project 2230-2330 WDCD 2330-0000 (wbcq.us website Jan 30 excerpted and cleaned up by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. The Green Party response to the State of Union address was read on "ieAmerica Radio Network"'s Peter Werbe show noon-3 pm (EST). After reading and saying the Green party is the party of Peace, he asked "Where is the Democratic Party on the war?" His show and the Mike Malloy show, after from 3-6 pm are national radio shows that represent a progressive, or liberal point of view. Both are very anti-war and have many good links for progressive web sites. Malloy presented a "a Progressive View of the State of Union." Both are commercial call-in shows, with Labor news updates, and excellent guests from very progressive groups. Both shows are repeated from 6 pm till midnight. (EST) Both are getting more and more callers from Green Party members from the internet and a small group of over the air stations across the nation. I call both shows, about every other day, with a Green Party point of view. You can listen to the shows on the internet, while doing other work on the net, like reading emails or surfing. It`s very easy. Go to ieamerica.com or search for PeterWerbe.com and follow the directions. I listen with the "Real Radio" player. It`s a great alternative to "Flush Limbaugh" or NPR's coverage of square dancing or something else non-political. And you get to call in with YOUR point of view! (Tim McKee, okgreens via DXLD) Don`t find ieamerica.com – how about a complete URL?? But here`s a progressive talkshow, with lots of anti-war, anti-Bush material: http://www.peterwerbe.com/ THE GREEN PARTY'S OFFICIAL RESPONSE TO PRESIDENT BUSH'S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS and much more: http://www.greenpartyus.org/ a.k.a. http://www.gp.org – not to be confused with gp.com which is Georgia- Pacific! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. KAHN VS. IBOC --- YEA! Engineer and creator of one of the original AM Stereo systems LEONARD KAHN has filed an objection to the FCC's approval of iBIQUITY's IBOC digital radio system HD RADIO, reports INSIDE RADIO. KAHN's filing argues that the use of iBIQUITY's system can only work in daylight hours on AM, takes up too much bandwidth, and costs too much. The filing proposes a new panel of ex-Commissioners and experts to replace the industry committee that recommended the iBIQUITY system. (http://www2.allaccess.com/ via Brock Whaley for DXLD Jan. 29, 2003) Re comments about Leonard Kahn, DXLD 3-016: Leonard Kahn pioneered AM stereo back in the 1950's with his patented system of independent sideband transmission. The upper sideband was the right channel; the lower sideband was the left channel. It was a compatible system in that a mono receiver tuned to the center frequency would receive equal components of right and left signals. (I remember sending him a letter requesting a job interview in the late 1950's. I never got a reply.) The system was ahead of its time in that today's Costas loop detector can produce a high fidelity rendition of the original stereo signal but Costas had only invented his detector a few years earlier and it took a lot of tubes to implement. Today it could be done easily in one IC. To say Kahn was responsible for the failure of AM stereo seems to me to stretch the facts. But if he was responsible, who could blame him. The FCC chose a different system backed by the big bucks of Motorola. Kahn was a victim of powerful powerful big-money interests -- maybe he wanted revenge. Motorola and the FCC simply incurred "The Wrath of Kahn" which became the inspiration for one of the better Star Trek movies. ~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-., (Joe Buch, Jan 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) -*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^ He was wrong on AM stereo, but right on the mark here. IF you want IBOC to have a REMOTE chance of working on the MW band, you take 4000 of the 4800 stations off the air. I wonder if he's had death threats yet on this petition? (Powell E. Way III, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. A LOOK BACK AT THE GOLDEN DAYS OF RADIO From http://www.theday.com BY BILL STANLEY, Day Guest Columnist, 1/26/2003 Once Upon A Time, there was no television, and radio was king. It was a time when The Day was an afternoon newspaper and when, on the radio, Gabriel Heeter and Lowell Thomas would present the news. Radio was big with the people. Everybody listened to radio, and there were teams: Burns and Allen, Amos and Andy, and, of course, Fibber McGee and Molly. These are all names that young people never heard of. In the movies, there were Laurel and Hardy, and Abbott and Costello. From the comic strips, do you remember Dagwood and Blondie, and Maggie and Jiggs? The music world knew teams also: George and Ira Gershwin, Rodgers and Hart, and later, Rodgers and Hammerstein. The mention of all of these teams is just to remind you of what used to be when we were younger, before TV, and when color movies were a big deal. "Gone With the Wind" in color was a major breakthrough. Morning radio also had its teams. On New York's number-one station, WNEW, there was Clavin and Finch, and in Boston, I believe on WEEI, there was Bob and Ray. Locally, I was part of a morning team known as Bill and Jim. The reason for all of this reminiscing is twofold, because a couple of Sundays ago, almost 200 people gathered at the Waterford Library to enjoy a program arranged by Judy Liskov featuring Tom Goulding, the son of Ray Goulding of the famous Bob and Ray radio team. It was an hour and a half of laughter and remembering the golden days of radio. Tom Goulding was beautiful. He is a chiropractor, you know, and lives in Waterford with his wonderful family. Tom brought back the days of Bob and Ray with tape recordings of some of the more hilarious skits. There was the flavor of his father when Tom opened the program and said, "Talking about my dad, let's start at the beginning. He was born at home, because he wanted to be near his mother." Bob and Ray were American classics - legends, if you will. They made fun of all of us and themselves, and they were completely spontaneous. There was Wally Ballou, the newsman played by Ray Goulding. To change his voice, he simply held a drinking glass to his mouth, and they would conduct the broadcast. I remember one so clearly. "This is Wally Ballou broadcasting from Times Square. Let me talk to one of the tourists," and at that point you could hear sirens in the background. He would say, "What is your name, and where are you from?" In the background, you could hear a voice saying "Get the fire trucks over here, and get the ladders up." The man would say. "I'm George Smith from Erie, Pennsylvania, just visiting New York." Then you would hear pistol shots in the background, police sirens and the crowd screaming. Wally Ballou would say, "How do you like New York?" Before the interview was done, half of New York was on fire with all kinds of rescue vehicles, and Wally Ballou returned to the station saying, "Just another quiet day on Times Square." Nobody could do it as well as Bob and Ray. They also played a big part in my life. My brother Jim and I were on morning radio. Jimmy was a genius with comedy, and I was his straight man. Jim could find humor in everything, but he, like Bob and Ray, was completely spontaneous. Tom Goulding, that Sunday afternoon in Waterford, mentioned how his father always had what looked like a script in his hands. One day, after a broadcast, a member of the studio audience noted they left the script behind, and he thought it would be a great souvenir. So, he went up to retrieve it and found that Bob and Ray had nothing but blank paper in their hands. Everything they did was spontaneous. Well, it was 1955, and a fellow named Jack Sullivan, sales manager at WNEW, called us saying that he had heard us on the radio as he was driving back to New York from Boston. He liked our show and asked if we would come down and audition at WNEW. The hottest radio show in New York was Clavin and Finch, but apparently, while they were funny on the radio, WNEW was afraid the team was about to break up. If that happened, they had to be ready, and so, for nine weeks, my brother Jim and I worked with a wonderful producer named Bobby Hodges, who trained us to take the place of Clavin and Finch, should they break up - which they did. Clavin decided to go to the networks. Finch stayed at WNEW - or was it the other way around? Jim and I were disappointed, because it was a lost opportunity. A few weeks later, we got a call from Allen Ludden, who was then program director for CBS Radio. Bob and Ray were killing CBS coast to coast on Mutual Broadcasting, and Allen Ludden said, "WNEW said you fellows might compete with Bob and Ray," and so we auditioned. It was before the days of big television, and Allen Ludden told us, "We need you. We have heard your show and love it, but you have to work with a script." Jim's comedy, like Bob and Ray's, was spontaneous. A script would kill the spontaneity. Jim was right, but CBS was boss. We didn't know it at the time, but my brother, Jim, had dyslexia. He couldn't read, and in a show of independence he said, "Take me as I am or leave me be." Married with three children, I couldn't afford that independence. Although CBS wanted us, and it was the greatest opportunity of our lives, they said they couldn't do business with us without a script. My brother and I split up. Jim went to New York where he managed the Tower of Light at the World's Fair, and I continued for five more years to wake up eastern Connecticut as a solitary morning man. Jim died young, but he was the most wonderful brother and an incredible radio personality. He was as good as Bob and Ray, but it was only after his death that we learned of his disability. Today, I have the same problem with dyslexia, but I have memories of those wonderful days in radio when the audience was big, when teams were funny, and when everybody listened to radio. (Bill Stanley's book, "Once Upon A Time," is available at the Lawrence & Memorial and Backus Hospital gift shops, Suburban Card & Gifts, Magazines & More, Johnson's Flowers & Gifts Shop in Norwich, Dime Savings Bank, or by mail by calling 1-800-950-0331. You can reach Bill Stanley by e-mail at gatewayair@aol.com ) (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. Sign the anti-voicetracking petition if you oppose voicetracking. It will eventually be forwarded to Congress, the FCC, and major media companies. Sorry, you have to include your email address. Spread the word. http://antivoicetracking.tripod.com/ (Adam Rivers, Chicopee, MA, Jan 25 NRC-AM via DXLD) The FCC has on countless occasions refused to intervene in issues related to how programming is produced, no doubt deeming it a Constitutional issue which would be tossed out in a hurry. Voicetracking is a term that came up in the 90's but which represents something that has been done since the later 50's... the partial or total automation of broadcast programming via the use of transcribed announcing and production. This is not new, and it is probably no more prevalent than it was in the 60's, 70', 80's or 90's. It's simply a way, just like national syndication of shows like Limbaugh, Dr. Laura and Imus, to cover airtime with better quality talent and programming at the best possible cost. In the 70's, every market had one or more leading stations doing beautiful music from Shulke, Bonneville, Kala, Churchill, TM, FM 100, RPM, IGM, Peters and others that usually ran "voice tracked" 24/7 except in the largest of markets (the syndicators usually provided both music and voice track tapes). These and other syndicators like Drake Chenault often offered as many as 6 or 7 other formats, all run 100% voiced tracked and automated in most places. In the 80's, we got satellite delivered formats that often replaced tape-delivered ones. Now, we do the same thing using a WAN or the Web. I collect old Broadcasting Magazines (if anyone has pre-70's issues, I buy them!) and the 60's issues always have ads for automation equipment that permitted stations to use technology to produce better programming. Translation: Voicetracking. You truly think the FCC or Congress will care about something that has been done successfully for 40 years? I don't (David Gleason, ibid.) This is very true. The FCC is going to look at the petition and toss it aside. Instead of wasting time on something that is being done on thousands of radio stations and isn`t illegal as some would like to state, let`s spend our boredom trying to draw up a petition to stop IBOC dead in its tracks. At least that would be doing something useful (Bob Carter, Operations/Engineering--Max Media Radio Group, ibid.) The first voice tracked station I ever heard was WZEE (Z-104) in Madison WI in the 70s. Of course voice tracking was just called automation in those days. It immediately became my favorite station. It carried the great Drake Chenault light rock format of the period and I thought it was perfect radio with very little talk and more of the music that I liked. Of course I had never heard of voice tracking and I didn't know it was voice tracked until I visited the station and was given a tour. I was in absolute awe of the technology. I watched the huge room full of automation equipment with multiple rack mounted cart carousels and reels running entirely by itself for hours until they finally got tired of me and tossed me out. The next one I saw was WYBR (the Yellow Brick Road) in my home town, Rockford IL. The station was located in the largest mall in northern IL at the time. The mall actually put a yellow brick road in the floor that you could follow to a window that allowed you to view the automation equipment in operation. The station is long gone but the yellow brick road is still there. Of course today all you see is a desktop computer running the show. Not nearly as impressive. But I still have to admire the technology. Although voice tracking killed a lot of announcer jobs, it also helped to keep a lot of stations on the air that wouldn't have been able to make it with a larger payroll when budgets got tighter. I think it has its place when implemented properly (Patrick Griffith, CBT, Westminster, CO, USA, ibid.) I'd better not, I might lose my minimum wage job with no benefits, voice tracking 20 stations.... ]:) (Powell E. Way, NRC-AM via DXLD) I am ambivalent when it comes to voicetracking. I've heard it done right, to the credit of a very few stations, and I've heard it abused more often than not. It was good old voicetracking that knocked me out of a job years ago, and none of the talking screen reader manufacturers have a clue how to make the stuff work with today's radio automation systems. I think, if done right and with some full service in the mix, voicetracking is tolerable. But the way it's done today, with folks from the big companies voicetracking for stations all over the US, well, that's just not right. These people can't care and don't care about individual markets. Will the FCC do anything? No, they haven't cared about broadcasting for years. Sometimes, even if something is done right, that doesn't make it the right thing to do. 73, (Jim Wiskow, ibid.) When I worked for KPEN (now K-101) in SF in 1961, I played one of the co-owner's voice tracks on Saturday night (Gary Gielow's, not Jim Gabbert's). No computerized timing devices; he checked the cut timings pretty closely and there never was a problem (breaks were every ten minutes). Later on at KFOG, I cut my own for playback on Sunday mornings (so I could get a day off). The guy at the station who was on duty, Tom Edwards, was a radio nut and took great pride in not screwing up. Breaks were more or less after every three cuts; I programmed the music 24/7 as well. At the TOH/BOH breaks, I would add a short selection so if there were insufficient ads, it would get played. At the start of these breaks, I would refer to it first, but in such a way that this reference could be eliminated if there wasn't time for the cut. I would do the same sort of thing with phrases like "It's a foggy day in San Francisco" (or a "sunny day") at the other breaks; Tom would roll it only if it were applicable. The only time we weren't live was on Sunday mornings (me) and evenings when we ran CE Ernie McDaniel's "play the stereo ping-pong demo records" show and our public service programs. When KFOG and WJIB started Schulke/SRP programming in the early 70s, we always had people on duty and did live breaks. However, the 104.5 facility in SF which we bought in 1962 - it was originally KBAY - was automated. KABL 960 was also automated. Their blatant cue tones contributed mightily to our success. I don't think many of the Schulke stations were automated (wasn't the phrase "live assist?") (Pete Taylor, Tacoma, ibid.) Pete, I think you've hit it the trouble with the current age of voice tracking --- there's nothing live about it anymore. The program's recorded in advance and played by a computer. No human's looking out the window to check the weather --- and that's where I gently move the dial to a station where someone's very obviously home. When I can find one (Gerry Bishop, Noicetodayville, FL, ibid.) The Shulke stations were automated outside of the larger markets. I know they let Miami do tracking for most of the day, although Jim insisted on live drives. Pittsburgh was probably the smallest all-live market, and that was top 20. The legendary KRFM in Phoenix was live for some years, then started to go to tracking. Eventually, the owners and Shulke parted company and KRFM did Churchill, successfully, against Bonnevile on KMEO. I remember a story of "Wish" in Pittsburgh. The AM CHR gang at 13-Q was pretty rowdy, and they spliced an Iron Butterfly cut into one of the Shulke reels and changed the printed cue list the announcer had so he could backsell... the guy must have been reading the paper or in the can, but the cut played, and he backsold it. "All day, all night, all nice. Wish! We heard Moon River from Mantovani, Innagaddadavida from Iron Butterfly, The Last Farewell from Roger Whittaker and the Percy Faith Orchestra concluded with "Moonglow." Or something like that (David Gleason, ibid.) ** U S A. YOUR DREAM OF OWNING A RADIO STATION CAN COME TRUE, IF THE PRICE IS RIGHT http://www.14wfie.com/global/story.asp?s=1098704&ClientType=Printable It's a tiny building with big talk inside. WGAB broadcasts to 22 tri-state counties. "We are talk radio. We carry Bill O'Reily, Sean Hannity and Michael savage," WGAB General Manager Jeff Davis says. 27 year old Jeff Davis is the station's general manager. "I remember growing up, playing radio station in my room," Davis says. Davis's father started Newburgh Broadcasting up which owns WGAB. "We started in 1984 doing adult standard, doing Frank Sinatra, that type of music," Davis says. The station has had various formats through the years. "Adult standards, sports talk, oldies and religion," Davis says. For the past year the station has been all talk all the time. Now another change for the family business. "If someone pays the right price for it, we'll pick up and leave," says Davis. Davis put WGAB up for sell on Ebay, an on line auction. The bidding started at $50 thousand, so far it's up to $100, 800. You can buy it now and end the auction for $2 million. Davis says they aren't selling because of money problems but admits it is hard competing with other stations. "We are doing all right. We'd like to do more with advertising. That can get your payments reduced," Davis says. Davis has five employees at WGAB. From college students to retired school teachers like Joe Winchell. Winchell has worked at WGAB for about a year and a half. "I was hired in and basically knew nothing about it. I enjoy it, it's 20 hours a week of quiet and peace, not like having 20 children," Winchell says. Winchell says he won't lose any sleep over a possible change in his part time job. "It's not like missing a meal or anything. I wonder what I'll do if this doesn't exist," Winchell says. If Davis doesn't get the price he wants for WGAB he says they'll keep on with the big talk. If he does, he has a plan. "Write me a check for $2 million and I'll be in the Caymans," says Davis. The Ebay auction ends February 12th. (Daytimer on 1180. 675 watts non-DA. No PSA, PSSA. via Brock Whaley for DXLD) No one ever gets around to mentioning explicitly *where* WGAB is, a datum that might be of interest to buyers. There must be hundreds of `tri-state areas` in the US. MSD 2000 says this is in Newburgh, IN (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. RADIO TOWERS WOULD SPOIL SNOHOMISH RIVER VALLEY David Matthews, Guest Editorial KRKO radio wants to increase its broadcast signal to reach a wider area with more clarity. In order to do so, it proposes erecting four broadcasting towers to increase its power from 5,000 watts to 50,000 watts. We at Citizens to Preserve the Upper Snohomish River Valley (CPUSRV) have no objection to KRKO's desire to expand its coverage. However, we do strongly oppose its plans to construct these antennas in the upper Snohomish River Valley, located next to Deb's U-Cut Trees and across Short School Road from Craven Farm. This valley is rural and unspoiled. In fact, Snohomish County has invested approximately $3 million to create Bob Heirman Wildlife Park here. Many species of wildlife currently occupy the area -- particularly birds including eagles, raptors, herons, migrating passerines, thousands of ducks and hundreds of trumpeter swans. Anticipated impacts as a result of the antennas are a part of the testimony previously offered in the hearing. The loss of these birds, whether due to direct impact or the change in migration patterns that result from their attempts to avoid the tower area, will be greatly detrimental to the quality of life here as well as to Bob Heirman Wildlife Park. Bicycling, skydiving, hot-air ballooning, fishing, boating and hiking are a few examples of the recreational activities visitors can enjoy in the valley. Additionally, each autumn, busloads of school children and carloads of families travel to the valley to find their Halloween pumpkins or to select their annual Christmas tree. These visitors not only enjoy the valley's natural beauty but also help our local economy with the dollars they spend. The current proposal will have a negative impact on all of these interests and activities. Today's farmers have had to change and adapt in order to preserve their way of life. Direct farm markets have sprung up all over the valley, allowing them to sell directly to the public. Tourists visit the farms because they love the open space, the beautiful views and the crops growing in the fields. All of these help market the farms and their produce. The proposed antenna towers will have a negative impact on local agriculture. The scenic view will be gone; further, the radio frequency interference will disrupt the farms' electronic equipment. These proposed towers do not protect agriculture. Instead, they will aid the destruction of what residents in this county love: the unspoiled open spaces and beauty that the farms provide. Contrary to recent claims, the proposed site is not the only feasible site. Formal testimony during the hearing examiner's review included the documentation by CPUSRV's expert witness (who is, incidentally, a former radio engineer for KRKO) of a suitable area located 1,000 feet north of the current 5,000-watt KRKO antennas! This site is in the preferred wet ground area and is already near similar structures, i.e. other antennas and power lines. Additionally, it was stated that broadcast coverage would be equal to or better than the site currently proposed in the upper Snohomish River Valley. The Snohomish County Council has an obligation under county code to protect the environment and quality of life that the citizens of Snohomish County have come to expect. Specific to the antenna site, this includes the open spaces uncluttered by industrial installations, the territorial views of the Cascades, preservation of parks and indigenous wildlife, and opportunities for eco-tourism to thrive. Does anyone really think that this issue is only about the four or eight antennas currently proposed, when the FCC encourages co-location of any future antennas in the area and this precedent could make them a certainty? Does a forest of industrial steel red and white towers with flashing lights seem compatible with the pastoral setting of this area? Of course not! As initially stated, CPUSRV does not object to KRKO's desire to increase its broadcast power. We oppose the proposed towers, not simply because they can be seen, but because of the cumulative impacts on farming, wildlife, the economy, radio frequency pollution, recreation, real estate values, the aesthetic impacts for the entire area and the direct impact on the survival and maintenance of the valley itself. We believe the hearing examiners' decisions should stand with the full support of a council that recognizes its responsibility to preserve the quality of life for us all, now and in the future. David Matthews is secretary of Citizens to Preserve the Upper Snohomish River Valley. (Everett WA Daily Herald via Artie Bigley, DXLD) KRKO TOWERS --- COMMERCIAL NEEDS WOULD RUIN VALLEY We are against radio station KRKO's proposal to erect several towers in the upper Snohomish River Valley for the following reasons: We are concerned that the radio frequency pollution will affect our computer and other electronic equipment and possibly our health. Radio engineer George Frese says the radio pollution will cause such equipment to malfunction, and we use our computer daily for business purposes. We are also concerned about the effects of 50,000 watts of radio- frequency power on the health of our children and grandchildren, who live in our neighborhood. We are concerned that the radio towers with blinking lights will negatively impact birds that use the valley as a migratory path. Such wildlife includes a large number of trumpeter swans, tundra swans, ducks, geese, hawks, and eagles that find refuge in the nearby Bob Heirman Wildlife Park. We are concerned that such towers will violate the current agricultural zoning of the Snohomish Valley. Once an exception is granted, other applications are sure to follow. Let's not allow commercial interests to ruin this beautiful valley (JOHN AND AGNES LAWLESS, Snohomish, letter to the Everett WA Daily Herald via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** U S A. Look for ABC legend PAUL HARVEY to visit CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE" TONIGHT (1/30) at 9p ET (Brock Whaley, GA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I have been watching while finishing up this issue. Repeats at 0500 and 0800 UT Friday Jan 31 (gh, DXLD) ** VANUATU. VISIT TO RADIO VANUATU by DSWCI member 0480 George Brown, Scotland At the end of November 2001 I visited the headquarters of Radio Vanuatu while on holiday in Port Vila. Vanuatu is a "Y" shaped chain of 83 islands running north and south in the Coral Sea 2,500 kilometres north-east of Sydney (Australia), 2,000 kilometres north of Auckland (New Zealand) and 800 kilometres west of Nadi (Fiji). Port Vila is located on the south-west corner of the island of Efate which is roughly at the join of the legs of the "Y". Entrance to broadcasting HQ. [caption] The headquarters on the west side of Port Vila contained administration offices, radio and television studios and facilities tor producing programmes. The station is on the air from 1900 hours until 1115 hours UT Monday to Saturday and from 1900 until 1000 on Sunday. Vanuatu is 11 hours ahead of UT. Most of the programmes are in the national language of Bislama, which sounds like English since 85% of the vocabulary is English based. There is a daily relay of Radio Australia News and Pacific Beat at 2000 and BBC World Service news at 2200 except Sunday. A daily relay of news in French from RFI is broadcast at 2100. In addition, there are broadcasts of programmes produced by Radio Australia, the BBC and VOA in English and RFI in French at various times. Willie at the studio contra! Desk [caption] The transmitter site is on Emten Lagoon about 5 kilometres south east of Port Vila. The site houses a transmitter building containing two short wave and one medium wave transmitter and their associated antennas. The programmes are broadcast on shortwave from a 10 kW two channel Energy Onix Broadcast Transmitter Model HF-10K-2 tuned to 4960 and 7260 kilohertz. The signal is fed via coaxial cable to dipole antennas directed north and south to the islands in the group. 7260 kilohertz is used from 1900 until 0600 hours UT, switching to 4960 at 0600 hours until the end of the transmission. If one of the channels develops a fault, as happened on 7260 kilohertz while I was there, the other frequency acts as the standby. There is a standby transmitter tuned to 3945 kilohertz, but this is currently out of service because of shortage of spare parts to make it operational, and the date for its return to service is unknown. Willie repairing SW transmitter at Ernten lagoon site [caption] The station will answer correct reception reports with their QSL Card. The organisation had not returned to normal operation last November after the journalists strike in the earlier part of 2001 and some of the locally produced scheduled programmes were not on the air. Consequently, I recommend that you address your reception report to the Radio Technician, Willie Daniel. Willie is familiar with the verification of reports, although he was unable to locate the stock of cards while I was there. However, he is fully occupied keeping the studio and transmitting equipment operational as well as presenting the occasional programme, so don't expect a prompt reply. The station appreciates the inclusion of a self-addressed envelope and return postage costs. If you can obtain postage stamps, the cost of a 20 gram letter by air to Europe is 135 Vatus; the current exchange rate is approximately 200 Vatus to One Pound Sterling (Dec DSWCI SW News via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. Ya que las direcciones electrónicas de Radio Nacional de Venezuela no responden, nunca es tarde recordar su dirección postal: Apartado 3979, Caracas 1010, VENEZUELA. Saludos, (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** WALES. MP PLANS TALKS OVER RE-OPENING RADIO STATION WREXHAM MP Ian Lucas is to meet BBC bosses next week to press them about re-opening a local radio station in North East Wales. He will raise his concerns with Mannon Williams, BBC Wales director of public affairs, in Cardiff on February 4. The MP told a House of Commons debate last week he has received more letters about the issue than the possibility of war in Iraq. Culture Minister Kim Howells, responding for the Government, said he would do everything he could to persuade the BBC to start broadcasting in the region. Radio Clwyd was taken off the airwaves in the mid-90s, but Labour MP Mr Lucas argues there is demand from listeners wanting to keep abreast of news in North East Wales. "I had a very strong response when I first raised the matter and a large number of people signed a petition that was sent to the BBC. The feeling among a lot of people is that Radio Wales is not relevant to the North East." Thanks to Mike Terry for the above from Jan 28 2003 Daily Post via uk- radio-listeners@yahoogroups.com (PAUL DAVID, Wembley Park, England, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE. ZBC WORKERS DOWN TOOLS Last Updated: Wednesday, 29 January 2003 Herald Reporter ZIMBABWE Broadcasting Corporation workers downed their tools yesterday demanding a 150 percent salary increment. However, the strike did not affect broadcasting at the stations as all radio channels --- 3FM, Radio Zimbabwe, FM Zimbabwe and Spot FM and the television channel were working normally. ZBC chief executive Mr Munyaradzi Hwengwere said the workers took management by surprise since they had not communicated their decision to strike. "This strike is unfortunate and surprising," said Mr Hwengwere. "As I speak, we have not received any communication from the workers and we do not know who is in charge. "As far as we know, the workers just came in the morning, disembarked from the company buses at the gate and decided to sit there." Workers at the broadcasting station`s studios in Bulawayo and Gweru did not join the strike. The strike came just as the corporation was planning to go on the market next week to raise about $1.7 billion for recapitalisation purposes and other financial obligations. It was expected that part of the money would be used to buy equipment and meet other operational needs. The corporation`s restructuring, which saw it scaling down its workforce by almost 50 percent to 400 employees last year, enabled the public broadcaster to streamline and maintain thresholds between revenue generation and expenditure. "We know that after the retrenchment, workers thought salaries were going to be reviewed," said Mr Hwengwere. But you retrench because you cannot pay." He said the corporation was functioning with a few workers who did not heed the call to strike and personnel from management. "ZBC has resolved to declare this strike illegal," said Mr Hwengwere. "We have no notice from the workers and even if you want to strike, you have to first reach a deadlock, but there was no deadlock reached." He said the strike was surprising because the workers were awarded a 20 percent salary increment in December 2002 which was back dated to July that year and a further 10 percent this month. Negotiations for increments for this year were expected to start at a date that was to be agreed upon between management and the workers. Some workers at ZBC, Mr Hwengwere said, were still living with the mistaken belief that ZBC was receiving grants from the Government. ZBC corporate secretary Ms Jennifer Tanyanyiwa said management remained committed to dialogue with the workers. "We would like to ensure our valued listeners, viewers and customers that the strike will not affect our programming," she said in a statement. "We will continue to flight programmes as scheduled." (via Ulis Fleming and http://allafrica.com/stories/200301290380.html via Scott Morgan, DXLD) What tools? Microphones? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ COMMENTARY ++++++++++ THIS SIDE OF THE DIAL WHY ARE THERE NO SHORTWAVE LISTENING COLUMNS IN HAM RADIO MAGAZINES? I have a beef with the amateur radio leadership. Before I begin, let me point out that I know very well there is a difference between shortwave listening and amateur radio. I guess I am lucky, or crazy, but I enjoy both very much. I know there are many very serious SWL DXers that have zero interest in ever becoming a radio amateur as much as their counterparts in the ham radio world do with SWLing. There is nothing wrong with this. Both sharing the HF radio spectrum, buying radios in many cases made by the same manufacturers, studying propagation, international goodwill and the plain wholesome love of radio. Two similar hobbies but completely different. What really bugs me is how the amateur radio leadership and publications seem to be totally ignorant of the fact that there exist shortwave listeners or for that matter a shortwave listening hobby. Perhaps they are just plain ignoring the shortwave hobby? Who knows? Pick up most any amateur radio magazine and there is zero coverage about shortwave or MW listening or DXing. Why is this? It's a shame because unlike 20 years ago, just about all transceivers made these days have a good general coverage receiver incorporated in the radio. I know the focus of these magazines is amateur radio but certainly out of all those fabulous glossy pages they could dedicate a page to shortwave listening. If the object is to keep radio amateurs interested in radio and selling subscriptions, wouldn't having a page dedicated to SWLing, say in QST, make sense? SWLing would offer another alternative when the amateur radio bands are not propagating well. Heaven forbid if they should enjoy shortwave listening and become informed about global events. And maybe, just maybe sell a few more magazines? Let's turn this around. Pick up just about any of the large SWL/Monitoring magazines and you will find a column dedicated to amateur radio each and every month. Maybe they have figured out that SWLs are pretty well rounded folks and not afraid of learning about amateur radio. Up until the mid-70s, many radio amateurs started their radio experience as a shortwave listener. There are a thousand and one stories how the SWL back then made the next step to amateur radio. Maybe it was stumbling across a radio amateur's QSO, or reading about amateur radio in a shortwave newsletter or perhaps meeting the ham neighbor down the street? SWLs were considered good amateur radio prospects. Then something changed. The CB craze hit sometime in the mid-70s. Many of these CBers, the ones who could read and write, became radio amateurs. Somewhere in this mess in the last 25 years, the SWL was downgraded to a "ham wannabe" or just forgotten altogether. Too bad the amateur radio leadership has forgotten their roots. Shortwave listening can be a lot of fun and informative; but most of all, keep you "radio active". In a few months I will celebrate 25 years of being a ham. In those 25 years I have "shifted gears" more than a few times and pursued different interests in the radio hobby in both shortwave listening and amateur radio. When I was a kid I was just plain DX and QSL happy. The more wallpaper I could collect and the hardest to hear then the better. I couldn't get enough of it. Later on while away at college, since I could not get on the air very often, I always had on my desk in my dorm room a shortwave radio (Uniden CR-2021). College girls aren't too impressed with a shortwave radio in a dorm but it did help me to stay informed on what was going on in amateur radio and the world around me. I read faithfully each month all the radio magazines I could get my hands on. I wasn't very radio active "on the air" but I knew what was going on. After graduation until the present moment, I have "shifted gears" more than ever and explored different aspects of amateur radio. Life's priorities change, marriage, income, location, etc but in the past 25 years I think I can thank SWLing for keeping my radio love affair going (Ulis Fleming, http://www.radiointel.com December 11, 2002 via DXLD) POWERLINE COMMUNICATION +++++++++++++++++++++++ POWERLINE -- : SWISS FIRM ASCOM: RETREAT FROM POWERLINE COMMUNICATION (PLC) ASCOM put out of work 500 people, half of them in Switzerland. Mostly afflicted are 50 people in the PLC department, only 10 will remain their. This means more or less a RETREAT from this technique (Neuen Zuercher Zeitung newspaper, 29.01.03; via Anders Brandborg-SUI, A-DX Jan 29 via Wolfgang Bueschel, DXLD) [A-DX] Ascom: Rückzug aus Powerline Communication (PLC) Ascom in der Schweiz baut 500 Stellen ab, die Hälfte in der Schweiz, wo z.Z. 2500 beschäftigt sind. Besonders betroffen ist PLC, wo 50 Stellen gestrichen werden und weniger als 10 Mitarbeiter bleiben, die mehr oder weniger einen Rückzug aus dieser Technik begleiten sollen. Die Technik wird nicht weiterentwickelt, und für Vertrieb, Industrialisierung und Produktion sucht man einen Lizenznehmer. (Auszug aus der Neuen Zürcher Zeitung 29.01.03) (via Anders Brandborg- SUI, A-DX Jan 29 via Wolfgang Bueschel, DXLD) Strange how PLC`s fortunes in Europe and North America seem to be running 180 degrees out of phase, if you will pardon the expression (gh, DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ FORECAST OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY 29 JANUARY - 24 FEBRUARY Solar activity is expected to be mostly low with occasional moderate levels during the period. The active regions that produced the M-class flares during this past week are all in decay. Further M-class activity from these regions is unlikely. No greater than 10 MeV proton events are expected during the forecast period. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux is expected to reach high levels on 01 - 02 February and again on 16 - 22 February due to recurring coronal holes. The geomagnetic field is expected to be at quiet to isolated major storm levels during the period. Isolated active conditions are possible on 30 - 31 January due to a small recurring coronal hole. Minor storming with isolated major storm conditions are possible on 15 -22 February due to a returning equatorial coronal hole. :Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt :Issued: 2003 Jan 28 2211 UTC # Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Environment Center # Product description and SEC contact on the Web # http://www.sec.noaa.gov/wwire.html # # 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table # Issued 2003 Jan 28 # # UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest # Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index 2003 Jan 29 130 8 3 2003 Jan 30 135 12 3 2003 Jan 31 140 12 3 2003 Feb 01 145 8 3 2003 Feb 02 150 8 3 2003 Feb 03 155 8 3 2003 Feb 04 160 10 3 2003 Feb 05 165 10 3 2003 Feb 06 170 10 3 2003 Feb 07 170 12 3 2003 Feb 08 165 10 3 2003 Feb 09 160 8 3 2003 Feb 10 155 8 3 2003 Feb 11 145 10 3 2003 Feb 12 135 10 3 2003 Feb 13 130 10 3 2003 Feb 14 125 10 3 2003 Feb 15 120 12 3 2003 Feb 16 125 15 3 2003 Feb 17 125 15 3 2003 Feb 18 120 15 3 2003 Feb 19 125 20 4 2003 Feb 20 120 20 4 2003 Feb 21 120 15 3 2003 Feb 22 115 15 3 2003 Feb 23 120 12 3 2003 Feb 24 120 10 3 (from http://www.sec.noaa.gov/radio Jan 28, WORLD OF RADIO 1167, DXLD) And now amigos as always at the end of the show, here is DXers Unlimited's Propagation Update and Forecast... Expect solar activity to start moving up again soon, with the next peak to happen between February 6 and 8, winter conditions continue to provide nice propagation on the AM broadcast band, and the 160 and 80 meters amateur bands, only affected by slight geomagnetic disturbances, solar flux should be in the region around 130 units, still nice enough for those 10 meter band openings to happen... (Arnie Coro, CO2KK, RHC DXers Unlimited Jan 28 via Bob Chandler, ODXA via DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-016, January 28, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser, ghauser@hotmail.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 HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd3a.html [note change] For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid2.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 NEXT AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1166: WWCR: Wed 1030 9475 RFPI: Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on 15039 and/or 7445 WJIE: M-F 1300 on 7490... WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1166.html FIRST AIRINGS OF WOR 1167: Wed 2300 on WBCQ 7415, 17495-CUSB Thu 2130 on WWCR 9475 Fri 1930 on RFPI 15038.6 ** AFRICA. Several pages have just been updated on the British DX Club club web site at http://www.bdxc.org.uk Africa on Shortwave - by country Africa on Shortwave - by frequency These lists, which give times and frequencies for all known African domestic and opposition broadcasters on shortwave, have been fully updated by Tony Rogers. They can be found on the Articles Index Page (Dave Kenny, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** ALGERIA. For those, like me who do not miss the 252 Team Talk try the QRG and have superb daytime reception of Algiers Chaîne 3, French with loads of US rap music at 1330, news at 1400, followed by more music. It was interesting to notice that the severe ME situation was not the top story in the news , but an Italo-Algerian trade and culture treaty, then an item concerning the Sarahoui question. So priorities are of course different in let`s say Kuwait and in Algiers. Although my French is rusty a spot just before the news seemed to be a very commercial one. 73 (Johan Berglund, Trollhättan, Sweden, Jan 28, AOR AR7030, K9AY, longwire, EDXP via DXLD) ** ANTARCTICA. Hi Glenn, 28 January, 2106, LRA36 R. Nacional Arcángel San Gabriel reactivated; just heard signing off at 2106 on 15476.1 kHz. Audio is very distorted, worse than normal, weak signal with noisy band conditions (Stuart Austin, Blackpool, England, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANTARCTICA. The US base at McMurdo has been heard using 7995 and 9032 kHz USB to work aircraft and remote ground operations in various parts of the continent. Callsigns continue to be associated with ice and snow, such as SKIER and SKATER. South polar summer brings the iceberg season, when the bergs drift free of melting sea ice. The Argentine Navy has South Atlantic ice reports on 4305 and 8448 kHz CW. Argentina and Chile, both of which reach to South America`s extreme southern tip, conduct an international ice patrol, similar to the more familiar operation by the US and Canada in the North Atlantic ice season... (Hugh Stegman, HF Communications, Feb MONITORING TIMES via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. With RHC off 11705-USB past several months, it`s nice to hear RAE, English hour to NAm at 0200 on 11710, weekdays, not UT Sun and Mon (Bob Thomas, CT, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA [and non]. Dear friends, It is a pleasure to contact you. As a manager of http://www.deradios.com a place exclusively dedicated to growing Radios in Argentina and Latinoamerica, I would like to propose you to visit the web site and publish an banner on it. If you are interested in the strong diffusion of your event we could make the arrangements for it. I hope to hear from you. Best regards Queridos amigos, Es un placer contactarme con Uds. Como Director General de http://www.deradios.com, un lugar dedicado exclusivamente a las crecientes Radios en Argentina y Latinoamérica, me gustaría proponerles que visiten el sitio en la Web y publiquen un banner en él. Si están interesados en su fuerte difusión podríamos coordinar algo para ello. A la espera de vuestras noticias. Los saluda cordialmente (Darío Durán, Director GeneraL, http://www.deradios.com DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. 1701 kHz, Radio Brisbani (probably) 0940, 25th Jan, Australian Indian station, big, big signal DXing at Matarangi, Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand, AOR 7030, 300m long wire (until stolen) then 50m on ground through balun (David Norrie, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. Here's a message from Anker Peterson regarding HCJB- Australia tests on 15480. I also heard the tests at 1305 playing some music with SINPO of all 4 although I missed the first half hour of the test as I was at office. Went off the air at around 1326 (do no remember the time exactly). Regards (Alokesh Gupta, Jan 28, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Thanks to Alokesh, I have since *1230 today (Jan 27) been listening to the first test from HCJB Kununurra on 15480. It is a test program in English with announcements requesting reception reports to a phone number or an e-mail address, and playing hymns and music. Reception here in Denmark on 15480 which is clear itself, is much disturbed by BBC Skelton on 15485 (QSA 3) carrying its World Service in English towards Europe. SINPO of HCJB is: 23343. Best 73, (Anker Petersen, via Alokesh Gupta, ibid.) HCJB Asia was heard here too, from 1220 to 1320 rather more or less with the same reception quality as Anker Pedersen reports. BBC WS 15485 QSA 4 could be avoided thanks to LSB mode. Mostly Christian songs and music, but also a good old cha-cha-cha. Repeated announcements giving mail address english@hcjb.org.au and phone numbers. A couple of short religious messages also heard. My mail to them has so far not bounced. 73 (Johan Berglund, Trollhättan, Sweden, Jan 28, AOR AR7030, K9AY, longwire, EDXP via DXLD) I listen with SINPO 25322 in the 15480 in Santiago, Chile, South América, 1235 UT Music and ID English. R-5000, dipolos "V" (Hugo López C. SWL - CE3 TIB, Jan 27, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Currently testing on 15480 1230 27 Jan. Very nice signal here in "DXers Paradise". SINPO 55544 or better. Lots religious music and IDs as "HCJB Australia testing on 15480..." giving a phone number and english-@hcjb.org.au email addy. Featuring none other then our own famous newsreader, Roger Climpson with a religious pre-recorded message. "In Touch with Roger Climpson". They seem to be tweaking their equipment as there are occasional sudden changes in the signal or audio quality. All good fun. 73 de jem Cullen, Australia, ARDXC via DXLD) Sounds like this Asian service does better within Australia than the Pacific service! (gh, DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. MEDIUMWAVE NEWS --- I'm not sure if this is common knowledge, but I'm informed that 4KZ is now on air from Ingham [Queensland] on 1620 kHz (Ian Baxter, Jan 28, [Pacific FM Megabase - Research] http://www.fmmegabase.cjb.net ARDXC via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. Here in Melbourne, the fall-out from the Alpine fires has resulted in smoke, haze, and ash over the city (and most of the State as well). On two mornings, visibility was down to less than 1 km across the city - normally 50 km. Our members outside of Australia may not be aware of the terrible damage caused by the fires, which continue to burn in several States and territories. In the Australian Capital Territory alone, over 500 homes were destroyed in one day and the world famous Mt. Stromlo Observatory has been almost totally lost. Here in Victoria, over 20 houses in rural regions have been burnt out, and more than 383,000 hectares of forest have been destroyed. The toll of the native animal population is incalculable. There has been an incredible level of deployment of volunteers and equipment for fire control and containment; here in Victoria, the efforts of the Country Fire Authority have been untiring, in relentless heat, often topping 40 degrees, day after day. Last Saturday, the shade temperature reached over 44 degrees (about 112 F.) here in Melbourne, the second highest on record. The temperature in the open in my back garden was OVER 60 degrees C! I had to spray the budgerigars to keep them from melting - the cold-water goldfish in their aquarium were given iceblocks throughout the day and night as their tank water temperature went up to over 30 C. At one point I thought that I had lost the two cats, but they survived by hiding under the zucchini plants and ferns. The temperature has dropped to the mid-20's, but is expected to rise to 40C tomorrow. Yesterday was a Public Holiday, to commemorate Australia Day, but many activities and festivals were cancelled, and the usual holiday atmosphere was very much subdued, out of respect for the thousands of people involved in fire control, and who had lost their homes and property. During this protracted period of very hot and extremely dry weather, with dense bands of swirling smoke, ash, and haze across Melbourne, low-angle HF daytime propagation has not been affected. Daytime HF conditions on the bands below 12MHz have resulted in no DX signals at all on 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 MHz between 0000-0400 UTC, which is a pattern similar to the previous summer. There have been some interesting DX openings on 9 and 12 MHz during the day, but not enduring. The bands can be very active at one moment, but a few minutes later, nothing!!! The continuing and increasingly high level of power-line noise around Melbourne is appalling. Regards! (Bob Padula, Mont Albert, Vic, Australia, Jan 27, EDXP via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 4930, Radio San Miguel, 0931, big, clear ID on two evenings (21st and 25th Jan) at sign on and huge signal here, no mention of Bolivia, nothing on 4926. Move up from 4926? DXing at Matarangi, Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand, AOR 7030, 300m long wire (until stolen) then 50m on ground through balun (David Norrie, hard- core-dx via DXLD) ** BOUGAINVILLE. PNG, 3850, R. Independente, Bougainville (presumed), 0951 25th Jan, weak even here, South Sea island music, AM signal. DXing at Matarangi, Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand, AOR 7030, 300m long wire (until stolen) then 50m on ground through balun (David Norrie, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** CANADA. CFAN closure I was sorry to read in Glenn Hauser's DX Listening Digest 3-015, January 26, 2003, of the impending closure of CFAN AM 790 kHz. For 9 months after the Cuban missile crisis in the early 1960's I was working at RCAF Station Chatham as a field engineer for Hughes Aircraft Company. Hughes built the RADAR fire control system and air-to-air missiles used on the CF-101B interceptor aircraft based at RCAF Chatham. In those days I lived in a farm house on the only highway between Newcastle and Chatham. Miramichi was not yet a town, just a beautiful river I could see out the front window where the annual breakup of the ice was a welcome harbinger of spring. In those days this station was the only one I could hear reliably during the daytime. There was no FM in that region at the time. I remember an interesting program they used to run on Sunday afternoons. Somebody from the station would visit the homes of old timers in the region to record songs from the late 1800's and early 1900's when the region was a big coal mining empire. The songs were usually sung without benefit of instrumental accompaniment. The recording were assembled into 15 minute programs presented on Sunday afternoons. The project reminded me of the recordings John Lomax and his family made for the Library of Congress in Washington DC back in the 1930's. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/lohtml/lojohnbio.html He traveled all over the South and the Appalachian Mountain regions of the eastern USA capturing music that would otherwise have died with the old timers who remembered those songs. I wonder if the tapes of those shows from the early 1960's have survived the years. I hope they have survived as they would be a treasure of Canada's heritage. Thanks for organizing the DX test. Here in southern Delaware WNIS in Norfolk Virginia dominates the 790 kHz frequency but maybe I will luck out and get a geomagnetic storm this week. They often enhance the level of Canadian MW stations down here. As I was typing this, a country music station faded in with a weather report saying the high temperature tomorrow would be minus 16 degrees. That is more like it. They just ID'ed; it is CIGM in Sudbury, Ontario which is listed at 50 kW. 73, N2JB [to Brent Taylor] ~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-., (Joe Buch, DE, cc to DX LISTENING DIGEST) -*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^ ** CANADA. Re NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR, 3-015: Anyone who routinely mails parcels to Canada knows all too well that Sue Hickey's experience is hardly the exception -- indeed, she got off easy. Not only are exhorbitant customs fees the rule, but major delivery delays, damage, and even outright thievery abound. A set of 5 books I shipped well-packaged and protected arrived with the box opened haphazardly and barely re-sealed, a third of the styrofoam peanuts missing, and the books strewn about with pages creased and dust jackets ripped. I am currently on my 3rd attempt to ship some videotapes (fortunately dubs, not masters) to a gentleman who lives TWO BLOCKS from the International Bridge in Windsor -- the first two shipments simply vanished. The 3rd attempt was made 15 days ago via Registered Air Mail, and they have still not arrived. If you have to send something of value to Canada, and the recipient is within 50 miles of the border, consider shipping it to a U.S. facility and having it hand-carried across the border (Stan Jones, Orlando FL, Jan 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. PAK-CHINA AGREE TO ENHANCE MEDIA COOPERATION Updated on 2003-01-16 11:07:58 BEIJING, China: Jan 16 (PNS) - China and Pakistan on Wednesday agreed to enhance media cooperation to further strengthen the existing bonds of friendship... ...During the meeting with Chen Min Yi, Vice President of CRI, it was decided to take steps for improving the voice quality and reception of their radio programmes. They will consider setting up strong news boosters at appropriate places for improving signal receiving system. Chen said that CRI is also considering increasing its Urdu service from 30 to 60 minutes daily keeping in view its growing popularity in Pakistan... http://www.paknews.com/main.php?id=4&date1=2003-01-16 (via Jill Dybka, TN, DXLD) ** CONGO DR. 9550, 11.1 2015, Radio Okapi, also here with one or another western pop tune among the hot African rhythms. Fantastic how this station now can be heard once in a while after trying so hard to finally get a report. But you have to use antenna pointing towards Africa. QSA 4. Unreadable on the other antennas. JE/RFK (=Jan Edh + Ronny Forslund, SW Bulletin Jan 26, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ** CUBA [and non!]. CUBANS TO REMEMBER HERO JOSE MARTÍ By ANITA SNOW Associated Press Writer HAVANA (AP) -- The little yellow house with blue trim where Cuban independence hero and poet Jose Marti was born 150 years ago is a shrine visited by hundreds of people every day... http://www.austin360.com/aas/news/ap/ap_story.html/Intl/AP.V1770.AP-Cuba-Jose-Marti.html (via Jill Dybka, TN, DXLD) ** ERITREA. VOBME sure used to be a lot easier to hear. Best I could do tonight was to catch their IS at 0326 on 7175 underneath presumed Radio Free Iraq. 7100 much weaker but clear as co-channel presumed Voice of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq didn't come on till 0330 Jan 27 (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** EUROPE. Stations heard regularly with programming: Laser Hot Hits currently 24/ 7 (24 hours a day) on 3970, 6219, 7465, and 9385 from unknown location, reputed to be Eire. There are certain times of the day even the long established 6220 is susceptible to Middle Eastern QRM, as is 9385. Weekend Music Radio still active every few weeks on 7525.7 wmrsw@37.com Wrekin Radio still logged 12256.5 Sensation AM noted recently on 15725/ 30 area. Radio Black Arrow and friends also noted in this part of the band, around 15810. Radio Brigitte still continues sometimes, with signals noted Dec 1st on 6373.5, 8th on 7540.3. Assume station uses the old PO Box 12, Rouveen, NL address?? Ozone Radio can turn up almost anywhere on 48 or 41m, from Dublin, Eire (Ken Baird, Unofficial Radio, Dec DSWCI SW News via DXLD) ** FIJI. HALF COUNTRY STILL WITHOUT RADIO FIJI AFTER CYCLONE | Excerpt from report by Radio New Zealand International audio web site on 27 January Efforts continue to restore services in northern and eastern Fiji, which was hit by Cyclone Ami nearly two weeks ago. Most of the town of Labasa is still without a clean and safe supply of water. Savusavu town [also on the main northern island, Vanua Levu] is also without water because of damaged equipment... Meanwhile, efforts also continue to re-establish radio services in the cyclone-hit areas. Radio Fiji's chief executive officer, Francis Herman, says about half the country has been left without the services of the country's public broadcaster as masts were blown down and transmitters damaged. Mr Herman says this has affected the easternmost islands in the Lau group [in the southeast], Rotuma in the very north and much of Vanua Levu. He says he hopes that despite the poor weather the service for Vanua Levu can be restored. [Herman] Our engineers, as we speak, are trying to get the only [presumably heavy-lift] helicopter that's operating in Fiji right now to ferry the mast and the transmitters up to the mountain. The roads leading up to the mountain have been washed away. Source: Radio New Zealand International audio web site, Wellington, in English 0431 gmt 27 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) To state the obvious(?), all of Fiji could be covered with *one* tropical band SW transmitter --- but SW was deemed obsolete there sesquidecades ago (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Hello Mr. Hauser, Received an e-mail response from Margot Forbes of DW in response to my letter and e-mail to them lamenting their decision to end SW to N America/Australia. Here's an excerpt: "DW plans to introduce digital shortwave transmissions to East Asia and Europe with analogue shortwave transmissions to Asia and Africa continuing for the foreseeable future. However, shortwave broadcasts to the highly developed media markets of North America and Australia and New Zealand will be terminated. Instead, DW will focus on expanding the number of radio stations, like Canadian Broadcasting Corporation or ABC News Radio, who rebroadcast DW-Radio's programmes successfully. Listeners in those regions will of course still be able to hear us via satellite or by means of our Internet page at http://www.dw-world.de/English." I AM listening to them via satellite, but it's a Grundig! Regards, (Ben Loveless, WB9FJO, Michigan, Jan 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) HOW MANY PEOPLE IN THE US ACTUALLY LISTEN TO SATELLITE RADIO? I am still confounded by DW's belief that satellite radio (combined with far too few rebroadcasters) can pick up the slack from dropping their SW broadcasts. I think I know a fair amount of people through community organizations, local government, and friends, and I have yet to meet one person who has a satellite dish with an MPEG decoder and listens to international broadcasting. On the other hand, several people within that group do listen to shortwave radio. Am I just mixing with the wrong people? If anyone out there has some sense of how many people here in the US are listening to these types of broadcasts via satellite please respond... Or, are there any stats on the sales of MPEG decoders versus shortwave radios over the last few years? I have heard that the sale of shortwave radios has increased since September 11, 2001, but haven't seen any stats for that or the sales of MPEG decoders for satellites. Please post your thoughts and comments! (Matt L., Jan 27, swprograms via DXLD) I just don't get it either. I have introduced many people over the last few months to shortwave radio here just in my area. I have also told the same people they can hear these broadcasts over their computer but they don't seem interested in that concept at all. I can safely say listenership of international broadcasting with RADIOS has grown exponentially as of late here in the West Kentucky-Tennessee area. To think that I have to explain to these new listeners and friends that stations I have been listening to since I was 10 years old (I am now 26) have decided that these new listeners are not worth broadcasting to just makes me sick. I can not carry my satellite receiver or computer around to different rooms of the house, out in the yard, or out to my shop for that matter. People can say whatever they want to about internet, satellite, and other forms of broadcasting but there is not and will not be anything with the convenience of a RADIO. OK, enough rambling, time to go bed and fall asleep listening to yes, a RADIO (Ryan Ellegood, Northwest Tennessee, USA, ibid.) ** GRENADA. GRENADIAN MEDIA FIRM RESOLVES LABOUR DISPUTE | Text of report by Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) news agency on 25 January St George's, Grenada: An agreement has been reached ending two weeks of protest action at the Grenada Broadcasting Network (GBN), led by workers aligned to the militant Technical and Allied Workers' Union (TAWU). Under the agreement announced late [on] Friday [24 January], as the dispute headed to the Office of the Prime Minister, the company has agreed to withdraw all letters of termination issued to the protesting workers, to make way for a full resumption of duties on Monday 27 January. However, ten workers, whose planned retrenchment by the media company triggered a work stoppage at GBN on 7 January that later escalated in a full blown strike, will not be required to show up for work until 31 March 2003. They will be paid their full monthly salaries from January 2003 and for the period they are off-duty they are entitled to travel overseas or to engage in any form of employment up to that period. "Within a period of fourteen (14) days from the execution hereof, the parties shall recommence discussions about the proposed retrenchment by the company, which said discussions began on Thursday 7 January 2003," the agreement further states. It said discussions shall be terminated at the end of March, unless otherwise mutually agreed between the parties for termination at an earlier date. However, it was made clear that the final decision on retrenchment rests with the company. At the end of the discussions with the union, GBN may therefore decide to issue three months' notice of retrenchment to workers or make payment of three months' salaries in lieu of notice, together with any other benefits to which workers are entitled under the Collective Agreement. "All workers, other than the ten who are being proposed for retrenchment, shall be paid salaries for the month of January 2003, less payment for the period during which they were engaged in work stoppage at the company, [that] being 8 January to 24 January 2003," the agreement adds. GBN is 60-per-cent owned by the Trinidad based Caribbean Communications Network (CCN) and 40-per-cent owned by the Grenada government. Source: Caribbean Media Corporation news agency, Bridgetown, in English 2004 gmt 25 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL INTERNET. Saturday's massive outage shows the folly of international broadcasters' reliance on the Internet (and faulty Microsoft product). Internet traffic was brought to a near standstill in the U.S. for a 15-hour period. Problems persisted days later in some parts of the world. And broadcasters think this method of delivery adequately replaces shortwave radio?!? Thanks to the Internet disruption, I was unable to access content from major Internet sources and service providers for many hours. Every page at Radiofrance.fr was completely 404. Forget listening to a Webcast! And of course, if you can't get on the Internet, you learn that the Internet has been rendered useless and you're wasting your time going there. The international broadcasters apparently think that what they have to offer is so trivially insignificant that we can do without it for, er, 15 hours. Observers describe the Internet attack as the "most damaging ... in 18 months" and warn it could have been a lot worse. Compare this transmission method (business model?) to shortwave radio! The Internet is clearly clumsy, imperfect and unreliable -- using a bucket-brigade chain instead of efficient electromagnetic transmission through thin air. What are the international broadcasters thinking? Are we supposed to move to Africa to listen to them? (Mike Cooper, Jan 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. Radio Caroline back on the airwaves Jason Deans, Monday January 27, 2003, Guardian Radio Caroline, the original pirate radio station that launched the careers of DJs including Tony Blackburn, Tommy Vance and Kenny Everett [wrong!! - Mike], is back on air - and this time permanently. The station, which broke the BBC's monopoly on UK radio broadcasting when it launched in 1964, based on a ship moored outside British territorial waters, is broadcasting on Sky Digital's network. It has not yet been awarded a slot on Sky's electronic programme guide, but can be tuned manually. Radio Caroline purists may quibble with the fact that the station is now broadcasting from a studio in Maidstone, Kent, rather than a ship. But securing carriage on Sky Digital gives Radio Caroline its first regular transmission slot after a decade in which the service has been only been on air intermittently via analogue satellite and a series of 28 day restricted service licence broadcasts. Radio Caroline, a non profit-making organisation, is branding itself as "Europe's first and only album station" and has a 24-hour daily schedule that majors on easy rock. The service is also available via satellite to dedicated Worldspace radio sets in the UK and Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India. Radio Caroline has always had a precarious existence since launching at Easter 1964, with Simon Dee presenting the station's first show. The first Radio Caroline ship, Mi Amigo, sank in a storm in 1980. Radio Caroline was back on the air three years later, broadcasting from a new vessel, Ross Revenge. But that ship ran aground on the Goodwin Sands in 1990, effectively ceasing regular Radio Caroline broadcasts. Ross Revenge was towed to Dover harbour and has now become something of a Radio Caroline museum, maintained by enthusiasts. The ship is currently moored on the Isle of Sheppey (via Mike Terry, DXLD) Radio Caroline are planning a second specialist service which will be broadcast via satellite. This will be in addition to the main Caroline service currently available via the Eutelsat and Hot Bird satellites, as well as on the Worldspace platform. Peter Moore, Radio Caroline's station manager, revealed the plans while speaking on The Media Show on Laser Radio. He said that the new service would also use the Eutelsat bird at 28.5 East. "If you look at the comments about Caroline there's always a lively debate about whether we're playing the right kind of music," Moore continued. "It's long been our ambition to have a Radio Caroline 2 or a specialist Caroline that concentrates on a focused kind of music." (From Radiowaves via Mike Terry, Jan 26, DXLD) ** IRAN. MPS TO PROBE INTO THE JAMMING OF SATELLITE TV SIGNALS | Text of report, entitled: "MPs will follow up the issue of the centres that jam satellite TV signals in Tehran"; published by Iranian newspaper Iran web site on 28 January We found out yesterday that a number of MPs are planning to hold talks with the president and other high ranking officials about the jamming of some satellite TV channels. A parliamentary source said yesterday: After some satellite TV channels were jammed, investigations were made about the sources of jamming. It was made clear that an organization is producing the jamming signals in seven areas in Tehran. He said that the stationing of jamming centres could create very serious and dangerous physical [health] problems for the citizens. He added: What is important is that mainly the satellite TV channels with political content are being jammed and the networks known for their unethical content are not affected by jamming. Source: Iran web site, Tehran, in Persian 28 Jan 03 p2 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. ANTI-SADDAM OUTPUT ON ARABIAN STAR BROADCASTING SATELLITE TV The satellite TV channel Arabian Star Broadcasting (ASB), in Arabic, was viewed by BBC Monitoring between 1830 and 2035 gmt on 23 January. The output appears to be intended to oppose Saddam Husayn and the Iraqi government. One of the satellites on which ASB can be viewed is a Hot Bird satellite, at 13 degrees east. It can be received in Iraq, but at lower signal levels than those available in Europe. Satellite receivers are not normally available for sale in Iraq and the public is not permitted to receive satellite TV channels directly. According to the Lyngsat satellite information web site, the ASB digital signal on the Hot Bird satellite is uplinked from Spain and is part of a multiplex, a bundle of TV channels which is digitally combined, operated by Telefonica Servicios Audiovisuales of Madrid. Information on the Lyngsat web site also lists ASB TV on the NSS 806 satellite at 40.5 degrees west. That satellite normally carries communications and TV across the Atlantic Ocean, and the ASB signal could be received in Iraq on a dish several metres across. The Lyngsat web site indicates that the ASB signal on the NSS 806 satellite is part of a multiplex of signals uplinked by Globecast America from the Hero Teleport uplink station in Miami, Florida. When compared side-by-side, the ASB signal uplinked from the USA is observed to be broadcast a few moments ahead of the Spanish uplinked version, which could indicate that the signal from Spain is sourced from the USA signal. However, it is not yet clear which country the station operates from. An article in the London-based newspaper Al-Sharq al-Awsat web site on 22 January said that ASB was London-based and originated from offices in London. It said the station was run by a group of British journalists led by a British politician known for his opposition to the war on Iraq. BBC Monitoring has learnt that the station is not been licensed to operate from the UK by the British TV regulator, the Independent Television Commission. Programme output The first monitored item on 23 January, which was already in progress when monitoring commenced at 1830 gmt, was a report over video footage condemning "barbaric" human rights violations by Saddam Husayn and his regime against those who oppose the regime. The item recalled the elimination of opponents and the use of chemical warfare against Iraqi Kurds. The item reported oppression of Iraqis by Saddam and his regime, and showed pictures of people executed by hanging. The next item ridiculed Saddam Husayn. It showed a picture of Saddam on a palace wall, with his lips apparently moving (through TV special effects) as he addressed the Iraqi people, denying all reports of his health being poor. The character representing Husayn said that his health is very good and the proof of this is that he swims 50 metres every day and he moves huge sums of money by transferring billions abroad, saying that this miracle has led people to worship him. It also said that he does not use his heart, to let it rest, and that is why it is strong, by not showing mercy to the people. He also says that he moves daily from one palace to another, not out of fear, but to give jobs to people as he has 50 palaces. He also says to his people: "You need me to show you what is right and what is wrong." There followed miscellaneous items of minor international news and then an item in which Saddam Husayn blamed UN sanctions for the lack of food and medicines in Iraq; however, the report said that all Arab countries have no doubt that Saddam has spent huge sums of money on chemical and other mass destruction weapons and has built large and very expensive palaces. There followed an interlude and "Information Circus" - a programme about painters and paintings. Next, there was a report over video saying that Iraq had agreed to buy food and medicines as part of the oil for food programme, but the report said that Saddam and his aides even steal children's food, by misusing huge sums of money, as these have been used for acquiring weapons and building palaces; Saddam and his regime are responsible for the paralysis of the Iraqi economy and starving the Iraqi people, the report said. There then followed an Arabic language teaching programme, a report over video on the Philippines, an Arab song and a musical interlude before monitoring ended at 2035 gmt. Source: Arabian Star Broadcasting in Arabic, 1830 gmt 23 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. The Reshet Bet live feed is now available in both RealAudio (as before) and in Windows Media (which you can use from inside more corporate firewalls then Real). http://bet.iba.org.il You'll see the Real and Windows Media icons on top of the "Reshet Bet Chai" (Hebrew) "Live" (English) graphic. The 'on-demand' Reshet Bet broadcasts and other languages, are still only available in Real. Direct links (as of now, at least) Windows Media mms://a1371.l856922155.c8569.g.lm.akamaistream.net/D/1371/8569/v0001/reflector:22155 Real Audio. http://bet.iba.org.il/reshetbet.ram (Daniel Rosenzweig, Jan 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. The latest info from BEZEQ is that 17525 will be used to test reception conditions in Australia from today 27/1 until Thursday 30/1. Time is 1100-1130 (Craig Tyson, WA, Jan 26, EDXP via DXLD) ** ITALY. Methinks something`s up at Rai, Radio Roma. Their North American service in English is daily 0055-0110 on 9675 and 11800. Lately I`ve tuned in and no shows. At times only on 9675, at times only on 11800; at times on neither (Bob Thomas, CT, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAMAICA. RADIO STATIONS RESTRICTED TO SINGLE FREQUENCY ON FM BAND STEVEN JACKSON, Observer staff reporter Wednesday, January 22, 2003 http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20030122T000000-0500_38440_OBS_RADIO_STATIONS_RESTRICTED_TO_SINGLE_FREQUENCY_ON_FM_BAND.asp THE Spectrum Management Authority (SMA) has been restricting existing stations to a single frequency band in a bid to free up room on the overcrowded FM band spectrum. This move comes against the background of a growing demand for radio licences by new operators trying to get in on the shrinking FM-band spectrum, which the SMA feels could be distributed more efficiently to accommodate new stations. Presently, some stations broadcast the same programmes on scattered frequencies on the FM dial, utilising more space than is necessary, according to Roy Humes, the SMA's chief technical director. Consequently, the SMA has started a clean-up programme dubbed "channel rationalisation", which will essentially place each station in a single dial location, while at the same time making room for new ones. "What we are doing now is clustering the channels so that they would use just one sub-band. For instance, a station may be scattered across the FM band on 88.1, 93.5 and 101.1 bands, we would make that station control the entire 88 band (88.1 88.3 88.5 88.7 88.9)," he explained. Humes said between four and five bands were expected to be cleaned up within the year, just enough to allow new players access. In fact, Humes told the Observer that a "major broadcaster" was requested to stop operating on a number of sub-bands as of New Year's Eve. "We are now going to monitor whether they have moved based on our paper trail and investigations. (So that) in February when someone asks if they can get a certain band, I can say that it is available for broadcast," Humes added. He pointed out that there were several people lining up to get spectrum space, while the Broadcasting Commission told the Observer that it received three applications for commercial radio licence last year. "The commission has completed evaluation of the applicants. The next stage of the process is for the minister of information to decide whether to accept the commission's recommendations," said Sonia Gill, assistant director at the Broadcasting Commission. But some operators have not welcomed the move to expand the radio arena. Unhappy at being bounced from their spread on the spectrum, some operators have argued that the reduced space will increase issues of interference between stations. For example, last year the Broadcasting Commission recorded a total of 16 complaints of interference from Radio Mona, Irie-FM, Zip-FM and Radio 2 FM. But Humes said that while there was a possibility that the complaints of interference could increase as more people rushed to fill the remainder of the spectrum, the SMA had a responsibility to ensure its efficient usage. "There are several people asking for spectrum so what we now have is a situation where we are trying to make more available for those that request it. "Persons realise that once the spectrum is licensed out there can be no more unless companies fold," he added. The FM band in theory can accommodate approximately 20 nationwide stations without interference, one megahertz per station between the 88 to 108 megahertz frequency -- 16 stations now bombard the airwaves, most with nationwide coverage, four launched last year alone. Prior to the liberalisation of the industry in the early '90s when space was not an issue, the SMA allowed broadcasters such as Jamaica Broadcasting Company (JBC) and Radio Jamaica (RJR) to have scattered frequencies. "How it occurred in the first place was that there was only three channels but when the government opened up the market 10 years ago and a slew of others came in the market. They are now being asked to come to a different location so that there can be more room for others." (via Jill Dybka, TN, DXLD) ** KASHMIR [non]. CLANDESTINE from ? to SOUTH ASIA: 9890, Voice of Kashmir (tentative) getting closer, 0237 Jan 27 with man and woman talking and sub-continental music. Still there at 0300 but fading by then (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH [non]. Reception, propagation has not been the best here on the east coast. I`m not getting RKI Seoul at 0200 via Sackville very well lately, 9560 in English; I have to rely on their 1130 via Sackville 9650 (Bob Thomas, CT, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KURDISTAN [non]. [notes accompanying an audio file] .MP3 7560 kHz Voice of Komalah, 'Aira Dengi Komala' Hello Glenn, here is another recording of todays's outlet for your selection. 2 min. 39 sec recording of station of Jan 26th, 2003, 1659- 1757 UT, Sundays only. At start of the recording you can hear a jump-over 'Overload' program of just nine seconds from ISDN feed at Kvitsøy, from nearby Voice of Eritrean People program in Tigre [of 7530], which was noted at 16.59:30 to 17.00:20 UT also on 7560 kHz. 73 Wolfgang - - - - - Since Sunday, November 3, 2002 on Suns via frequency 7560 kHz on installations of Norskring from Kvitsoe Norway. Voice of Komalah, 'Aira Dengi Komala' Denge Mezopotamya, Kurdish/Persian 1659-1757 UTC, Suns only 7560 KVI There are two Komala stations, [exSoviet ties]: http://www.komalah.org http://www.komalah.org/English/English.htm and radio station page http://www.komalah.org/Kurdish/Kurdi.htm --- and separate Chinese? ties of http://www.komala.org or http://www.radiokomala.org http://www.komala.org/radio/rindex.htm All addresses on http://www.komala.org/adress/adress_index.htm E-mail: komala_int@hotmail.com Radio Komala E-mail: komala_radio@hotmail.com Fax: 001-561-7605814 - - - - - And Robertas Petraitis wrote this: Komala-Revolutionary Organization of the Toilers of Iranian Kurdistan. ID (Kurdish): "Eira dengi Komala, dengi azadi e socializmu" (English translation: Voice of Komala, voice of freedom and socialism). ID (Farsi): "Radio Komali" also "In seda-ye Radio Payama, Radio Payam- seda-ye parezgaran-e azadi Kordestana, seda-ye amnestizi y irbayda ..., seda-ye azadi e socializmu". I think (I'm sure for about 80%) that the reported station is operated by ANOTHER organization of Komala. http://www.komalah.org -"your" Komala in Intel; has a link to CPI - Comm. Party of Iran http://www.komala.org -another (2nd) Komala is presumed broadcasting on 4615/ 6810 kHz I think Komala (1st) runs a station Voice of Communist Party of Iran (as noted in Organization) and maybe also Voice of Iranian Kurdistan. The 2nd Komala has been established after summer 2000 when the majority of members of Komala left the C.P.I. and formed the new Komala (2nd). see: http://www.komala.org - English - A brief history And the new radio station has heard soon after the mentioned time - in 2001... I suggest to put the reported schedule under the head "Voice of Kudilara" (existing now in Intel) but to change that name to "Voice of Komala" (last time I didn't hear ID "Voice of Kudilara"- anyway the station is Voice of Komala). (as reported by R. Petraitis, Lithuania, Feb 22, 2002 for CRW, via Wolfgang Bueschel) ** MEXICO. It seems I`m not the only one hearing XEP-1300 with its supposed 500 watts night power... (gh) 1300.0, XEP, R. 13, Ciudad Juárez; 0529-0540, p/f on 12/30. "Sintonizan XEP R.13, 1300 de amplitudo modulada con 50 mil watts de poder musical emisión(?) de su señal .. 23-29 colonia .. Chihuahua ..R. 13, tu música. Grupo Radio México." (H. Watanabe, Japan : AR7030Plus, Corazón DX via DXLD) ** MEXICO [and non]. XEPRS 1090 operated through last week with a US sales agreement granted to an LA group that programmed La Gigante Tropical. The licensee, in Monterrey, has yanked the rights from the US group as of last Monday. The old programming remains, but the staff was notified that they are now part-time only. A new format, rumored to be Sports in English, is coming. If it is sports, it makes sense. XEPRS does not cover LA, but is a big San Diego signal. Clear Channel recently combined 1150 in LA with 690 in San Diego with one format; there is little local sports in SD. Noise levels of the 90's and today are so high that unless a station has a pretty consistent 10 mv/m signal, it is no longer listenable. Some engineers in LA believe that a 15 to 20 mv/m signal is a minimum for receivability above the noise level created by computers, dimmers, ignition, medical equipment, motors and deteriorating power line maintenance. XEPRS u7sed to show in the LA book; it has not appeared for about 10 years, maybe longer (David Gleason, CA, Jan 27, NRC-AM via DXLD) I wondered how long it would be before that sports-talk gap would be filled. I also wonder if there might be a long-term strategy regarding XETRA, because the recent simulcast doesn't seem to make sense for the San Diego market. Regarding 1090, though, XEPRS doesn't even seem to have the signal strength it did when I moved to Phoenix in 1993. I wonder if their facility has deteriorated significantly, like XEROK's in Juárez has. If so, maybe maintenance or upgrades would make sense before a format change takes place (Rick Lewis, AZ, ibid.) The signal needed today to overcome urban noise and cochannel interference has gotten out of hand. KCOH 1430 Houston has just submitted an Amendment to their nighttime request for 1000 watts, up from 330 watts and the Interference Free Nighttime Contour is 27.8mV/m! Even with 1000 watts KCOH will only cover about 10% of the population within the Houston city limits and the transmitter is within the city limits on the near east side. When KCOH first went to 330 watts in 1996 IIRC, the signal was normally usable. Now until after midnight and sometimes all night, the signal is heavily QRM'd. I've noticed much more QRM on many Houston stations, much of it from low power non directional stations and to a greater extent Mexico and Central America (Mike Westfall, Houston, ibid.) ** MEXICO [non]. El pasado sábado, 25 de enero, logré captar muy claramente a la emisora colombiana, que eliminó por completo la señal de Radio Mil, ¡aqui en la misma ciudad de México! Desde las 5:30 hasta pasado de las 06:00 UTC, que estaba monitoreando la frecuencia (Héctor García Bojorge, DF, Jan 27, Conexión Digital via DXLD) sorpresa, no ** NETHERLANDS. EXTRA RNW SHORTWAVE COVERAGE ON 1 FEBRUARY This week is the 50th anniversary of the North Sea floods which devastated The Netherlands, covering 7.8% of the total land area, with the loss of 1835 lives. In all, approximately 600,000 people were affected. The anniversary will be marked by special programmes in all our language services. For the Dutch service, there will be additional shortwave coverage on 13700 kHz at 1100-1300 UT on 1 February (Media Network 27 January 2003 via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. REORGANISATIE WERELDOMROEP VOORLOPIG VAN DE BAAN De omstreden reorganisatieplannen voor de Wereldomroep zijn voorlopig van de baan. Dat zijn de directie, de hoofdredacteur en de afdelingshoofden overeengekomen. Afgesproken is dat hoofdredacteur Freek Eland en de afdelingshoofden een nieuw plan gaan uitwerken over de toekomst van de Wereldomroep. Het oorspronkelijke reorganisatieplan van de directie zorgde voor veel onrust onder het personeel. Er zouden onder meer zestig arbeidsplaatsen worden geschrapt, en veel radio-uitzendingen zouden verdwijnen. Daarnaast maakte het personeel zich ernstig zorgen over de gevolgen van het plan voor de journalistieke onafhankelijkheid. Al deze onderdelen zullen nu door de hoofdredacteur en de afdelingshoofden worden herzien, en vervolgens worden voorgelegd aan de directie. De journalistenvakbond NVJ heeft verheugd gereageerd op het bereikte resultaat. Glenn, the above just in my mail-box and is translated as follows: REORGANISATION RNW WORLDSERVICE DISCONTINUED FOR THE MOMENT The plans for reorganisation of the Worldservice are temporarily off the table. This is agreed with the directors, Chief editor and department managers. The agreement is that Chief editor, Freek Eland, and the department managers will think of a new plan about the future of the worldservice. The original reorganisation plan caused a lot of concerns with personnel. 60 members of personnel would lose their job, and a lot of radio programmes would disappear. Personnel were also very concerned about the plan regarding independent reporting by journalists. All of these parts will be reviewed and brought under the attention of the Board of Directors. The union representing journalists were pleased to hear the achieved result. Regards, (Harm Deenen, Ireland, Jan 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Good news! Tnx, Harm, this scoops even the RN/Media Network websites, where I find nothing about this yet, in English, as of 0040 UT Jan 29 (gh, DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. DEFENDAMOS A RADIO NEDERLAND --- Nuevos datos de contacto con los Países Bajos Organization: Grupo Pasteur Buenos Aires, 28 de Enero de 2003. Amigos de la lista: Para ampliar la información suministrada en el día de ayer, se entrega la nómina de embajadas, consulados generales y consulados de los Países Bajos en el continente americano, España y Portugal --- con excepción de Argentina, cuyos datos ya fueron ofrecidos --- a los efectos de llevar adelante una campaña de cartas, faxes y correos electrónicos dirigidas a las autoridades del Reino de Holanda en defensa de Radio Nederland. Esta emisora sufrirá una serie de recortes en su plantel de trabajadores de la prensa y en las emisiones al exterior por ondas cortas. Porque la peor opinión es el silencio, quienes quieran emitir su voz lo pueden hacer a las direcciones que se ofrecen. Un abrazo para todos y suerte con la campaña (CLAUDIO MORALES, Argentina, Conexión Digital via DXLD) [gh excerpted only these from long list of Iberoamerican consulates and embassies] {See remark in 3-017 that this may be counter-productive} CANADÁ: Embajada Website: http://www.netherlandsembassy.ca/ Embajador: J.G.S.T.M. van Hellenberg Hubar Dirección: 350 Albert Street Suite 2020 Ottawa On. K1R 1A4 Tel. 00-1-613-2375030 t/m 5035 Fax. 00-1-613-2376471 E-mail: nlgovott@n... [truncated] ESTADOS UNIDOS: Embajada Website: http://www.netherlands-embassy.org/ Embajador: Mr. B.J. van Eenennaam Dirección: 4200 Linnean Avenue NW Washington D.C. 20008 Tel. 00-1-202-2445300 Fax 00-1-202-3623430/ 3631032/ 2378303 E-mail: nlgovwas@n... [truncated] Fuente: (Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores de Países Bajos, adaptación y traducción de Claudio Morales, Argentina, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. RNZI 6095 kHz: It is probable that RNZI will be on air overnight tonight and the next few nights as well, as I have just heard on the midday news that there is a tropical cyclone near the Solomon Islands and a second is forming between Fiji and Tonga. RNZI is on 6095 kHz until 1650 UT when the usual morning transmission begins. The programme is the overnight National Radio transmission, the announcer reads the cyclone warnings after the news at the top of the hour. I wonder if you will hear any of this in Europe? Too much QRM I would think! (unattributed, via Büschel, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Hello Everyone, at 1400 UT nil, but at 1500 UT fade-in and solid S=8 signal here in southern Germany. Carrying National program with some rock-n-roll music at 1530 UT, female announcer. News at 0500 local time Tue in NZ (1600 UT). Very exciting signal. Never heard RNZI with such strong signal in the 49 mb, here on the antipode, some 23.000 kilometers away. 73 (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, Jan 27, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** NIGERIA. Last week I received a nice e-mail QSL from Katsina State Radio and Television Service (they use this name on the air!) 972 kHz which was heard on May 25th, 2002 at my home QTH between 2211-2300 UT. This QSL includes the following information: "...Your report in respect of our radio station is correct. We are transmitting on 972 KHZ in the medium wave Band. As you rightly observed the strength of our signal was fluctuating between poor and fair. The reason for such poor reception has to do with the fact that our Radio station is transmitting on short Wave band (AM) [sic] and using a very old 50 KW Transmitter (13 years old), which is being powered at half strength. After going through out transmission log book, we found out the voice of the man you monitored speaking in Hausa to be that of Salele Yan- Kyaure who was presenting a Hausa request programme and the Duty continuity announcer, but made the closing announcements in English is called Mustapha |Sallau Jibia. Your letter was read on our Radio station and acknowledged on 20th January 2003 at 11:15 (Nigeria time). Please continue to monitor our station. We received similar letters from some listeners with a similar hobby from South Africa and Namibia. It is normal for radio signals to stay to places beyond the coverage area of the station especially at night or early morning hours, depending on the atmospheric condition. Once more I wish to confirm to you that your reception is correct and we thank you most sincerely for writing to inform us. Please keep it up. Yours Faithfuly, Musa Muhammad Kankara, Managing Director." _________________ (via Jari Korhonen, FIN-82500 Kitee, dxing.info via DXLD) ** PAKISTAN. See CHINA ** PALESTINE [and non]. Subject : Alleged BBC bias - DXLD3014.txt After giving so much space to the extremely biased view of the BBC coverage of the Palestine/Israel situation submitted by Joel Rubin (he wouldn`t be Jewish by any chance?) I think that you should give as much prominence to a view that at least corrects the balance. There are many who look at the occupation by force by the Israelis since 1967 of land that was supposed to be the basis of a Palestinian State as an outrage that should long ago have been reversed. I am trying to think of an analogy that might enable some people to focus on this. Suppose all those years ago, North Korea had seized control of the entire Korean Peninsula and had subjugated the South Koreans with tanks, helicopter gunships and the like ever since. If the South Koreans had fought back with mortar attacks and even suicide bombers, I think that the UN, perhaps the USA unilaterally would long ago have gone in to help them and removed the North Koreans. So why is the world standing by while Israel continues its illegal occupation and the denial of all efforts to negotiate by the Palestinians to have their own sovereign state free from all incursions by the Israel Defence (so-called) Force? In view of the above, I consider that the terminology used by the BBC in describing events in the Israel/Palestine conflict has been very moderate. I guess that it is difficult in any one issue of DXLD to balance one extreme view with another, but I hope you will redress this very soon (Morrison Hoyle, Victoria, Jan 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) It was already redressed in the intervening issue, and let`s not get into a flamewar here over the Israel/Palestine issue. The article was from Jerusalem Post, merely forwarded by Joel and even by BBCM (gh) ** PHILIPPINES. 15120, 0200, Radyo Pilipinas English with a big splash opening then the news 353 in // 15270 353 but no sign of 12015 (Michael Stevenson, Port Macquarie NSW, Jan 27, EDXP via DXLD) QATAR: ** RUSSIA/QATAR. AL-JAZEERA TV NOT AWARE OF ITS RUSSIAN NAMESAKE WEB SITE | Text of report by Russian TVS television on 24 January [Presenter] A web site publishing news broadcast by the most powerful mass media outlet in the Islamic world, the Qatari channel Al-Jazeera, has begun operating in the Russian Internet. The news is translated into Russian and - but for one thing - one could say that Al-Jazeera has begun its expansion to Russia. However, when we asked the Al- Jazeera Moscow bureau for comment, its representatives said that they had learnt of the existence of the new web site from us. Our correspondent Oleg Goryunov has been investigating the scandal. [Correspondent] A year ago the little-known Arab information agency Al-Jazeera became world famous after it had become the first agency to publish interviews with terrorist number one Bin-Ladin. The source of this information still remains a secret for all secret services. Five days ago, Al-Jazeera's Russian mouthpiece, as it were, came into being in the building behind me, in the very centre of Moscow. The office of this Internet site is located on the second floor of a private school for rich people's kids. The site is called Al-Jazeera and has a staff of 12 people. The editor in chief, Vadim Yegorov, is a teacher by education. He is known to have tried himself in business but in August 2002 he became the head of the Centran information agency. He says that the idea to set up a Russian-language site named Al-Jazeera belongs to him. [Vadim Yegorov, editor in chief of the Centran information agency] Yes, we know that - or is it being said that - it [Al-Jazeera] became known largely in connection with terrorist activities, in particular, after the well-known events in the USA. Nevertheless, especially after the interview given by the head of their Moscow bureau, we understood that they have a claim to objectivity or at least so they declared. [Correspondent] Yegorov said that the web site under the notorious name is owned by - I quote - a group of individuals. He added that despite its youth, the website has many hits, that is over 1,000 people visit it daily. The web site's staff do not write the news but translate it from Arabic. Two people do it from home. It is surprising but despite the fact that the site is clearly anti-American and anti-Israeli in tone, not a long time ago an Israeli paper, although a Russian-language one, addressed the virtual Al-Jazeera with a request to reprint its news. As for copyright and registration issues, the websites' representatives say that everything is in order. [Malik Aminov, system administrator of the website] We registered a long time ago and our domain is registered. It is a standard procedure - through the ROSNIIROS [Russian Institute for Public Networks]. [Correspondent] The Al-Jazeera [TV] Moscow bureau - incidentally, the television company, like the Russian web site of the same name, is also very young, only six years old - had the following to say on the situation. [Akram Khuzam, head of Al-Jazeera Moscow bureau, in Russian] There are a lot of thieves everywhere, not only in the MID [as received, Russian: Foreign Ministry] but also in economics, in politics, in the social sphere and so on. So yesterday I learnt from you that such a website exists. When I had a look at it, I was horrified. Only today - again from you - I learned the telephone number of their office. If they carry on like this, then on Monday [27 January] I will file a lawsuit. [Correspondent] The story of the mysterious appearance of the Al- Jazeera site among the Russian media would be incomplete but for one little detail. During a preliminary discussion with the web site administrators, their offices were adorned with pennants and calendars of the Russian FSB's special unit Vympel. With the arrival of our camera, they for some reason were put out of view. [Video shows the website offices, computer monitors with http://www.centran.ru and http://www.aljazeera.ru websites on screen.] Source: TVS, Moscow, in Russian 1400 gmt 24 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** RUSSIA/U S A. MOSCOW INSISTS ON "RECIPROCITY" IN ISSUE OF ENLARGING RADIO LIBERTY BROADCASTING IN RUSSIA MOSCOW, January 28, 2003. /from a RIA Novosti correspondent/ - Mikhail Seslavinsky, Russia's first deputy minister of information and press, met with member of the US Board of Directors for Broadcasting Issues Jeffrey Hirshberg and Director of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Broadcasting Jeff Trimble in Moscow on Tuesday. During the meeting the American side raised a question of enlarging RFE/RL broadcasting on Russian territory. At present it is "hard to expect a positive decision on the issue", Seslavinsky said. First of all, this is caused by restrictions in American legislation. Because of the restrictions Russian radio stations "still do not have free access to the American market". Furthermore "any steps in this sphere must bear a reciprocal character", Seslavinsky pointed out. According to the official, "Russia took its step when it entitled Radio Liberty to broadcast on its territory". At present much depends on whether the American side is ready "to promote Russia's adequate informational presence on the US territory", the Russian representative said. (RIAN.ru via Sergei Sosedkin, IL, Jan 28, DXLD) see also UKRAINE/RUSSIA ** SAINT HELENA. I heard a ham on 20m out of this South Atlantic island, Barry, ZD7MY, on 14217 around 0100 (Bob Thomas, CT, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SAINT LUCIA. Another country now webcasting: see RSL, The Sun Station: http://www.rslonline.com/ (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SLOVAKIA. En un reciente mensaje, el diexista Karl Michel de Reims, Francia me informó haber escuchado, a través del espacio semanal "Intermedia" de Radio Austria, la noticia referente al anunciado inicio -por primera vez- de las transmisiones de Radio Eslovaquia Internacional en idioma español dirigidas a Europa y América del Sur a partir del 30 de marzo de 2003. Frecuencias y horarios desconocidos por el momento. Internet: http://www.slovakradio.sk/rsi Cordiales saludos (Rubén Guillermo Margenet, Jan 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOUTH AFRICA. Hi Glenn, Last night while testing a new South America facing EWE antenna, Radio Sondergrense came in loud and clear. 1/25/03 0317 - 0410 UT, 3320 kHz. SINPO 34333 in Afrikaans with Afrikaans and English pop music, ID, News (presumed). (Mark Taylor, Madison, WI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN. 7200, R. Omdurman: I think they are now *0400, ex *0300. Hard to tell Jan 27 as channel is blocked. Perhaps to coincide with sign on of Voice of New Sudan on 6985 (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** SUDAN [non]. CLANDESTINE from ERITREA? to SUDAN: 6985, Voice of New Sudan, 0355 Jan 27 tune in to music. 0400 clock chimes and start of programming in Arabic. Nice signal the last few nights (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** TURKS & CAICOS. Radio Turks & Caicos, now webcasting; see: http://www.turksandcaicos.tc/RTC/ (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE/RUSSIA. The Russian President Vladimir Putin is beginning his working visit to Ukraine... Meeting on the fringes of the next Russian-Ukrainian summit in Kiev on Monday and Tuesday, the heads of the VOICE OF RUSSIA and THE NATIONAL RADIO COMPANY OF UKRAINE, Armen Ogsnesian and Victor Nabrusko, will sign a deal to exchange important relay services. Transmitters in Ukraine will relay VOICE OF RUSSIA radio programmes in Russian, and transmitters in Russia, Ukrainian programmes for listeners in Asia. Ukraine is a great strategic partner of Russia, and THE VOICE OF RUSSIA attaches great importance to covering every aspects of tries [sic!] between the sides (Voice of Russia News, Jan. 27 2003 via Sosedkin...) Actually, Ukraine has been relaying the VoR on AM and SW for some time now. I guess Russia might re-start the SW relays of RUI to the West Coast of North America (Sergei Sosedkin, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Russia`s state-run radio company ``The Voice of Russia`` and Ukraine`s National Radio Company have signed an agreement on cooperation in Kiev today. The two sides have agreed to exchange information and relay services, aiming to strengthen the long-standing friendship between the two states and to give a boost to economic and humanitarian contacts. The Voice of Russia President Armen Oganesyan has characterized this achievement as a breakthrough in information exchanges between the two countries. This agreement will step up the development of contacts in other fields as well, he said. Armen Oganesyan emphasized that his company would pay paramount attention to the harmonization of the Russian and Ukrainian cultures and to the strengthening of the two countries` age-old relations. An agreement on cooperation between the ITAR-TASS and the UKRinform news agencies was signed on the same day as well (VoR News, January 28 2002 via Sergei Sosedkin, IL, Jan 28, DXLD) ** U K. A NEW `RADIO` STATION FROM THE UK Mediasound.net is a brand new internet radio station from the UK, which plans to offer 40% of its time for music, 60% of its time for speech programming from local community groups which would like to be heard around the world. Test transmissions are currently airing from 1000 to 2300 UT, and if you would like to hear the station, go to:- http://www.mediasound.net You will need to be equipped with a computer which has the winamp programme, but I believe you can download this from the site if you don't already have it installed (Paul David, Wembley Park, England, Jan 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. UK CLUB ASIA PREPARES FOR 2003 LAUNCH CLUB ASIA is preparing for its launch next year, after winning the London wide licence from Liberty Radio. The bid was one of a total eight applicants applying for the re-advertised AM licence, which was then awarded last week. The sound of the station will be urban and contemporary and CLUB ASIA will play Bhangra, Modern Bollywood, Asian dance and pop, as well as mainstream RnB. CLUB ASIA has been campaigning for nearly two years to win this licence and has had strong support from the Asian and mainstream music industry. The Chairman is Baroness Flather, the country's first woman ethnic minority peer. The group also includes founders Sumerah Ahmad and Humerah Khan; the country's biggest selling Asian newspaper, Eastern Eye; Infinity Radio; radio professional John Ogden; and the Chief Executive of Sunrise Radio Yorkshire, Usha Parmar. Part of its application process involved taking airtime on Spectrum Radio for a year, and also broadcasting on Sky Digital 895 and via the web at: http://www.clubasiaonline.com Music and Promotions Director Sumerah Ahmad said: "One in eight Londoners are Asian and 70% per cent of them are under 34. Until now they didn't have a radio station they could call their own- but all that changes with this award CLUB ASIA will promote the exciting new wave of Asian music as well as tackling the important social issues confronting young London Asians." CLUB ASIA's Business Development Director John Ogden said: "We are absolutely delighted to have won this licence. It reflects the strength and experience of our board, the fact that we did the biggest research project ever undertaken into Asian tastes, and the professionalism and commitment of all the team. CLUB ASIA knows its audience and has huge support. The new station is destined to become an important part of this great city!" The new station will take over from Liberty Radio, broadcasting on 963 and 972 AM, in the New Year. Via Radio Newsletter (Dec DSWCI SW News via DXLD) ** U K. Since I've complained in the past about some Outlook programmes, let me send you my complements on the programme aired on Jan 27 2003. This one was excellent, and contained all the positive things that made Outlook one of my favorite BBC programmes in past years. This is what Outlook should be ALL the time: a pleasing mix of human-interest (the Mexican surgeon's story), music (the Quebec band), and food (the banana discussion and cooking/sampling), with NO politics or social-agenda issues that you've been spoiling Outlook with over the recent years. The next day's edition was less enjoyable, with the suicide discussion, but even that would be OK if it came once a week or so amongst a continual series of shows as good as the one I cited above. I hope to hear more of the good stuff (William Martin, Saint Louis, Missouri USA, Jan 28 to BBC, cc to DXLD) ** U K. BBC LICENCE FEE UNDER FIRE AGAIN Monday, 27 January, 2003, 13:01 GMT The BBC licence fee has come under attack from the deputy chairman of Channel 4, who said it should be abolished and part-funded by a subscription instead. Barry Cox described the BBC as a "cultural tyranny - a largely benevolent one, admittedly, but a tyranny none the less". But he added that its "great creative strength" across a whole range of programmes meant "it can and should afford, in the digital world, to rely on our willingness to pay for it voluntarily". The BBC is overwhelmingly funded by the £2.3bn a year it receives from TV households paying the licence fee. This is not the first time the fee has been criticised - more than half of people polled about it suggested it should be abolished, according to survey in the Daily Telegraph last October. As well as his post at Channel 4, Mr Cox is also chairman of the digital TV stakeholders' group, which was set up last year to promote digital TV and advise the government on policy. Writing for The Guardian, Mr Cox said that when TV switches from analogue to digital, which he thought would be in 10 years' time, the majority of homes in the UK "will effectively become electronic retail outlets". While this would be a "highly positive development", he cited three major obstacles "which could frustrate such an outcome" saying: The law prevents ITV and Channel 4 from charging for any of the programmes on their core services The BBC licence fee would have be replaced by subscription. Viewers have to pay for channels they do not watch on cable and satellite TV in order to watch premium channels, such as sport and film networks' They would end up restricting their programmes to those that appeal to the most valuable audiences, such as younger people, he said. This would mean that programmes such as expensive drama, comedy and documentaries would "rarely find a place on channels in the digital era". Mr Cox said a way around this would be for ITV and Channel 4 viewers to pay directly for such programmes. Another suggestion was for the existing pay-TV market to be "substantially reformed" so viewers could pay for individual channels rather than whole packages of channels on offer. At least two competing "impartial and high quality news and current affairs services" would have to be available to everyone free, while a range of "other culturally desirable services" would need to be free or "at an affordable price". The BBC was unavailable for comment (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U K [non?]. 4009.74, 11.1 1945, Laser Hot Hits here. Quiet on 6219, but later in the evening also returning back there. QSA 2-3. JE/RFK (=Jan Edh + Ronny Forslund, SW Bulletin Jan 26, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ** U S A. VOA BEGINS SPECIAL ZIMBABWE BROADCASTS Washington, D.C., Jan. 28, 2003 – The Voice of America (VOA) yesterday launched a new, five-day-a-week, half-hour English-language program for Zimbabwe called Studio 7. The new program, which can be heard on shortwave and medium wave (AM) from 7:30 to 8:00 p.m. Zimbabwe time and on demand on the Internet at http://www.voanews.com/EnglishtoAfrica provides listeners with accurate, balanced world and U.S. news and information along with reports from Zimbabwe and the region. Health reports on subjects such as AIDS, polio, and child nutrition will be regular features. "Our new programming will be for all Zimbabweans," said VOA Director David Jackson. "We`ll offer news and information about issues that matter to them and to their lives. Free, credible and unbiased information is sorely needed in Zimbabwe to counteract the government repression of media there." The VOA Zimbabwe Broadcasting Project, which will eventually expand to one hour every day with programming in English, Shona, and Ndebele, is funded by a grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). VOA has hired a group of journalists specifically for the project, including Ray Choto, one of Zimbabwe's best known print journalists. Mr. Choto, formerly the principal reporter for the Standard newspaper in Harare, was arrested in 1999 for allegedly violating Zimbabwe's Law and Order Act, which prohibited journalists from writing and publishing information "likely to cause alarm and despondency among members of the public." (VOA press release Jan 28 via DXLD) Time would be 1730-1800 UT; WTFK? Would it be too much trouble to possiblize actual intuning? IBB schedule does not break this out, so if still part of regular English to Africa service: 1730-1800 UT 13710 15240 15445 17895 1730-1800 UT M-F 909 [Botswana] (gh, DXLD) see also RUSSIA/USA ** U S A. [White House press briefing:] Q. On this new White House Office of Global Communications, how big will it be, who is going to head it, and does it have authority over the VOA or the IBB? MR. FLEISCHER: No, on the last part. It's about a dozen people. It will be headed by Tucker Eskew, very well known to people here -- Deputy Assistant to the President who has very ably been involved in this area for quite a considerable period of time. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/01/20030121-7.html (via Jill Dybka, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. DIFFERENT KIND OF OLDIES SHOW Program News Update: 1/28/2003 In repeats on live365.com: Last weekend's "Mish-Mosh" show and The Vault Of Vintage Vinyl show from 1/25/03. Starting this Saturday night, 2/1, We will begin our live feed over live365.com at 7:30 PM Eastern time with an Old Time Radio show. Join us this week for "Gangbusters". This Saturday, 2/1/03: February 9th is Carole King's birthday and February 11th is her ex-husband and writing partner, Gerry Goffin's. For the next two weeks, the D*K*O*S show will feature their hit music as performed by the artists that made them hits. While the early hits will be featured on the WBCQ portion, most of the later, longer songs of the 70's, will be on our 2nd live365.com only hour. Next week, 2/8/03: More of King & Goffin's hits, but his time we'll feature the versions from Carole King's solo career of the 70's. To listen to the D*K*O*S show on Saturday nights, tune in to WBCQ @ 7415 kHz Shortwave at 8 PM Eastern Time/0100 UT (Sunday Mornings). If we are broadcasting live, and we usually are, you can also hear us in MP3 Streaming audio on the net by way of live365.com. The net broadcasts run 24/7 and are reruns of the previous Saturday night show, usually starting on Sunday morning and also our Sunday afternoon show starting mid week. These repeat broadcasts are in mono over a 33.6 dial-up. Live broadcasts are now in stereo and require a 56kb modem or better line. To listen via the net open up the url http://www.live365.com/stations/15660 in your browser. This may not work if your firewall rejects the cookies. Live365.com now requires first time listeners to register in order to listen and offers an audio ad blocking option for a fee. This fee is purely voluntary on your part. We suggest you use the url http://www.live365.com/play/15660 as the "open location" in your MP3 player program to go directly to the audio stream without the graphics, registration or pop-up ads, (this option may not work with Real Player). "The Vault Of Vintage Vinyl" show is heard on Sundays at 3PM, Eastern by way of Doo Wop Café Radio AND is now also simulcast on our live365.com station in stereo, (56k modem minimum connection). To listen to the V*O*V*V show follow the above procedures to listen via live365.com or go to http://www.doowopcafe.net. You can also open the url: http://www.doowopcafe.net/doowop.ram in your Real Player. For the complete program schedule go to http://www.doowopcafe.net/schedule.html Check the Doo Wop Café website out for more information, the club has exclusively moved to Yahoo! While the DJ's are on the air, our members can use the chat room to be interactive with the host, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/doowopcafe is the url. Sunday nights at 8 PM, (Midnight UT Mondays), I play side kick to Johnny Lightning on his A Little Bit Of Everything Show, a/k/a The 11- L Network presents Radio New York International on WBCQ. For live talk, news commentary and outrageous humor tune into WBCQ or listen on the net at http://www.live365.com/stations/222095 Vintage Johnny Lightning, 11-L RNI shows are now being presented over the net 24/7. To listen, copy and paste this URL into the "Open Location" window in Winamp, (or most other MP3 players): http://64.185.135.77:9292 You can also do a search at http://www.shoutcast.com for "lightning". The rerun service is limited to 6 listeners at any one time and is operated by Joel Glickman. Remember to tune in Dave Kirby, N1DK, and his Cybershortwave Live program on live365.com Join him at 11 AM Eastern, 1600 UT, on alternate Sundays. The next scheduled program is on Ground Hog Day, February 2nd. During the week the program repeats on Live365.com along with many old time radio classics. Go to http://www.n1dk.com for the latest schedule. If you're reading this on our website or on a newsgroup but would like to get it in your mailbox instead, please write me back |^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^| | "Big Steve" Coletti | | A Different Kind Of Oldies Show on WBCQ, 7415kHz Shortwave | | Saturday Evenings at 8:00 ET, 0100 UTC-Sunday | | E-mail: bigstevecole@email.com - http://www.dorsai.org/~bigsteve | | US Mail: P.O. Box 396, New York, NY 10002 | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (Big Steve Cole, Jan 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WSRR - 7355 - Solid Rock Radio. Jan. 26, 0634-0705 UT, fair on AM with non-stop rap and hip-hop songs, "WSRR, Solid Rock Radio" IDs by male dj, asked for reports to Box 1, Belfast, NY 14711 address (maildrop used by U.S. pirates). Promos for http://www.solidrockradio.net web site. Mentioned 104.9 FM simulcast. (Mike Brooker, Ont., Jan 27, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Are you sure this wasn`t on 7385? SRR is a scheduled broadcast at that very time, UT Sundays on WRMI, as recently reported in DX LISTENING DIGEST (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) Yes, I did hear SRR on 7385, not 7355. Typing error. If this is a "legit" station, why are they using one of the maildrop addresses favored by the many hobby pirates on 6955? 73 (Mike Brooker, Toronto, ON, ibid.) WRMI is a legit station, and SRR is a program on WRMI. As for what else they do, I don`t find any listing of a 104.9 in the Buffalo NY area, and the real WSRR-FM is in Millington TN on 98.1. According to the blurb on the http://wrmi.net website, mail is to be addressed c/o WRMI, so it seems they don`t want to give out their true postal address. So apparently their FM broadcasts in Buffalo are piratical... 73, (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) ** U S A. WRMI Schedule/Horario Effective January/Enero 27, 2003 Days are local days in the Americas; times are UTC. Días son días locales en las Américas; horas son UTC. [gh deleted gospel huxters and far-right talkshows, leaving...] MONDAY-FRIDAY/LUNES-VIERNES To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz/ Hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica en 9955 kHz: 1100-1130 La Voz de la Junta Patriotica Cubana (español) 1130-1230 Entre Cubanos (español) 1230-1300 Viva Miami (English/español) Note: This transmission at 1000-1300 UT is temporarily not aired on Tuesday and Thursday. To North America on 15725 kHz/ Hacia Norteamérica en 15725 kHz: 1430-1530 Stock Talk Live (English) 7385 kHz to North America (except as noted)/ 7385 kHz hacia Norteamérica (excepto donde anotado): Note: following are Tuesday-Saturday UT. Los siguientes son martes-sábado UT. 0300-0330 Radio Praga (español; hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica) 0330-0400 Radio Praha (Czech) 0400-0430 Radio Prague (English) SATURDAY/SABADO To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz/ Hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica en 9955 kHz: 1000-1030 Viva Miami (English) 1130-1200 Wavescan (English) 1200-1230 Viva Miami (English/español) To North America on 15725 kHz/ Hacia Norteamérica en 15725 kHz: 1300-2300 Music 2330-0000 Wavescan (English) To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz/ Hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica en 9955 kHz: The following are Sunday UT. Los siguientes son domingo UT. 0000-0100 Foro Militar Cubano (español) 0100-0130 Conversando entre Cubanos (español) 0130-0145 La Hora de Chibás (español) 0145-0200 La Verdad Para el Mundo (español) 0200-0300 Radio Revista Lux (español) 7385 kHz to North America (except as noted)/ 7385 kHz para Norteamérica (excepto donde anotado): 0300-0330 Radio Praga (español; hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica) 0330-0400 Radio Praha (Czech) 0400-0430 Radio Prague (English) 0430-0500 Viva Miami (English/español) 0500-1000 Solid Rock Radio (English) SUNDAY/DOMINGO To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz/ Hacia el Caribe y Latinoamerérica en 9955 kHz: 1000-1100 Foro Militar Cubano (español) To North America on 15725 kHz/ Hacia Norteamérica en 15725 kHz: 1300-1400 Viva Miami (English) 1400-1430 Wavescan (English) 1500-2100 Solid Rock Radio (English) 2200-2230 Wavescan (English) 2230-0000 Viva Miami (English) To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz/ Hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica en 9955 kHz: The following are UT Monday. Los siguientes son UT lunes. 0000-0100 Radio Revista Lux (español) 0100-0115 Radio Vaticano (español) 0130-0230 Radio Oriente Libre (español) 0230-0300 Conversando entre Cubanos (español) 7385 kHz to North America (except as noted)/ 7385 kHz para Norteamérica (excepto donde anotado): 0300-0330 Radio Praga (español; hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica) 0330-0400 Radio Praha (Czech) 0400-0430 Radio Prague (English) 0445-0500 Radio Naciones Unidas (español) 0500-1000 Jupiter 400 (English) And details about the last entry, something new: Jupiter 400 - The International Mélange of Talk and Music. Jupiter 400 Presents (English) The flag ship broadcast and yes it's "LIVE" and brought to you via your shortwave set weekly. This is a 5 hour variety show with music, phone interviews, powerful commentary, talk and of course ............. comedy bits and humor seeks to entertain the listener. So, whether it's serious discussion with political leaders or ordering a pizza for delivery to Pakistan from Domino's, you the listener are there "LIVE". Your hosts Susan and the Bee Man guide you through the journey that is the Jupiter 400 experience. Yes!! Jupiter 400 Radio Network is broadcasting via shortwave from 0500 to 0959 UT Monday on the North American Beam at 7385 kHz from WRMI in Miami, FL. Send reception reports and e-mail to: shows@jupiter400.net. Part of the Jupiter 400 time block will include the "Edge of Reality" show hosted by Dr. Wayne E. Haley. Dr. Haley has been a professional psychoanalyst and paranormal researcher for over thirty years. Recently retiring from the University of California system, Dr. Haley now works exclusively on research in the area of the unusual and bizarre. He is presently the Director of HRL, Inc. a not-for-profit scientific research organization. Over the past twenty years he has written books, screenplays and various professional articles. He is still practicing analysis in the State of Washington where he specializes in UFO abductions and with patients that have had unusual encounters with the paranormal. His current late night radio program is designed to introduce listeners to the strange and unusual world as well as the enigmas that surround us all. http://radio.jupiter400.net (WRMI website Jan 27 via DXLD) ** U S A. WHRI on 5745 kHz seems to have been off the air for a week or two continually; it was back as of this past weekend but was off again last night (UT Jan 28). Anybody know what happened? I expected some explanation or discussion of it on the last Cumbre DX broadcast, since that's one of their main outlets, but nothing heard (Will Martin, St. Louis, MO, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See DXLD 3-013 ** U S A. ENFORCEMENT: FCC CANCELS EXPERIMENTAL LICENSE WC2XZV The FCC has cancelled an experimental license to California company because the agency says its being used for other purposes. According to the CGC Communicator, the FCC cancelled experimental authorization of WC2XZV after Enforcement Bureau monitoring confirmed the operation. In a short letter dated January 17th, the Commission stated that the California station's emissions were not in compliance with the terms of its experimental radio license. But a story on recnet.com says a lot more. It says that that there were published reports of an alleged pirate station operating in the Antelope Valley area prior to the experimental license grant. The station was operating on 104.7 MHz and identifying as Frequency Radio with its website at http://www.1047.fm A check of the website makes no mention of the experimental license or the FCC action to cancel it. A copy of the FCC's letter is posted in cyberspace at http://www.recnet.com/fcc/wc2xzv_cancel.pdf (CGC Communicator via Amateur Radio Newsline via DXLD) ** U S A. From this morning's "Inside Radio" headlines e-mail: ENGINEER LEONARD KAHN PETITIONS THE FCC TO HALT THE ROLLOUT OF IBIQUITY'S HD RADIO Kahn lists a menu of alleged problems, including the "huge costs" and "dramatic increase in interference" in AM signals, which he says "may force many independent rural stations out of business." (Wally Wawro, WFAA-TV Dallas, TX, NRC 2003 in Big D, NRC-AM via DXLD) Wow. Leonard killed AM stereo, now he wants to kill Ibiquity's project. Someone should tell him to retire and go to Cape Coral and buy a home (David Gleason, ibid.) ** ZAMBIA. Hello Glenn, Just a quick note to report that I am hearing Radio Zambia nightly on 6,265 kHz from as early as about 0300 to past 0430 UT. Some periodic ute interference. Programming is mostly very nice local music with man announcer in heavily accented EG, also the occasional longer talk. Signals have varied from poor to quite listenable. I'm currently located on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound, NW of Seattle. Regards, (Ed Tilbury, Jan 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. CLANDESTINE - 7119.97, V. of the People, 0334-0400+ 1/26. Tuned in to what was presumably the final transmission in this time slot. Missed sign-on; tuned in at 0334 to a typical discussion with mentions of "elections," "constitutional crisis in Zimbabwe," etc. Music break at 0342, then back to talk at 0347. VG signal but local noise problem here. Had faded somewhat by 0400 (John Wilkins, CO, Cumbre DX via DXLD) MADAGASCAR ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ POWERLINE COMMUNICATION +++++++++++++++++++++++ GOODBYE DX? POWER LINES SPARK NET ACCESS By Associated Press 03:45 PM Jan. 15, 2003 PT Story location: http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,57240,00.html WASHINGTON -- The same power lines that bring electricity to televisions and toasters may become the next pathway into homes for high-speed Internet access, federal officials said Wednesday. They said the technology offers an alternative to cable and telephone lines as a way to get broadband service, with its ability to quickly deliver large amounts of data and high-quality video signals. "Every power plug in your home becomes a broadband connection," said Edmond Thomas, chief of the Federal Communications Commission's Office of Engineering and Technology. He said companies developing the technology have overcome many hurdles in the past year. "It's starting to look like a very viable technology," said Thomas, who described the technology in a presentation to the agency's five commissioners. "We're very excited." But it is uncertain whether most consumers will get to use it anytime soon, said Mark Uncapher, senior vice president with the Information Technology Association of America, a Washington-based trade group. "It is still very much an open question just how commercially feasible it is," he said. "It's going to need a company or companies that are really going to champion it." Internet access over electric lines would be similar in capability to connections over cable modems and telephone DSL, Thomas said. Such an alternative could lead to more competition and lower prices, Uncapher said. The FCC has been studying the technology for several months and will pay more attention to it this year, Thomas said. He said no regulations prohibit the technology, but the agency is concerned that Internet transmissions carried over power lines could emit signals inside and outside the home that could cause interference. "We want to make darn sure this isn't going to cause problems to your TV," he said. Utility companies PPL in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and Ameren in St. Louis are conducting trial programs with consumers to test the technology, representatives of the companies said. "It is working," said Alan Shark, president of the Power Line Communications Association, which is promoting the technology. The trade group includes Internet companies including Earthlink and 11 utility companies that provide power to about 30 million homes. Earthlink, the No. 3 Internet service provider, has been in talks with utility companies, exploring partnerships to develop and market the technology, said Dave Baker, the company's vice president for law and public policy. "The engineering challenges are largely being overcome," Baker said. "The biggest challenges now are getting the product to market." Shark said the technology works by sending information over existing electric power lines. Cables carrying high-speed Internet information would likely be linked to electric lines after they have left power stations. Internet connections could then flow directly into the power outlets in homes and offices or to an outdoor pole that broadcasts a wireless broadband signal to a neighborhood. The current technology cannot send signals over high-voltage lines that carry greater amounts of electricity to isolated areas, Shark said. Shark said the technology has other potential benefits, including helping utilities monitor the condition of power lines and providing a backup communications system for communities worried about terrorism, natural disasters or other emergencies (via David Crawford, hard-core- dx, and Mike Terry, DXLD) In case you'd like to comment: POWER LINE COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATION 200 N. Glebe Road Suite 1000 Arlington, VA 22203 Phone: (202) 331-7773 Fax: (202) 331-9062 Email: plcaonline@plca.net President, Alan R. Shark (202) 835-7814 Email: shark@plca.net Director of Strategic Comms., Craig E. Schaar (202) 835-7819 Email: schaar@plca.net Chairman, Keith Brightfield (314) 554-3464 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (David E. Crawford, Titusville, Florida, hard-core-dx via DXLD) RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ GRUNDIG INTRODUCES SATELLIT 900 AT CES 2003 Dear Jim, Thank you for your interest in Grundig Eton. Enclosed with this e-mail you will find our press release regarding the Satellit 900. We will also be notifying you again with updated information and the final details one month prior to the release of the S900 to market. Thanks again for your interest. Best regards, The Eton / Grundig Sales Team ************ LAS VEGAS, Nevada, January 9, 2003 --- Grundig today unveiled the new Satellit 900 AM/FM/SW Radio, the premier microprocessor-controlled, fully frequency synthesized, high performance world band receiver. With continuous frequency coverage between 100 kHz and 30 MHz plus FM broadcast band coverage the Satellit 900 sets the standard for high performance receivers of the future. "Grundig represents the leader in shortwave technology and the Satellit 900 delivers the ultimate in world radio enjoyment," said Esmail Hozour, Grundig - Eton Corporation's CEO. "Whether you're an experienced shortwave listener or a newcomer to the wonderful world of international broadcasting the Satellit 900 is an exciting radio with performance standards of sensitivity, selectivity and dynamic range." Sharp, sleek yet compact, the Satellit 900 pairs highly intelligent design with the power of its predecessor, the Satellit 800, known as "the best radio on the planet" by Passport to Worldband Radio. With the large dot matrix liquid crystal display with backlighting, the Satellit 900 provides clear display of all radio modes and settings. The built-in ferrite rod antenna and telescoping whip antenna for longwave, medium wave, shortwave and FM frequencies in addition to the external antenna connector and switch-selected preamp allows customers to optimize reception of hard to pull in stations in spite of location. Tuning abilities have also been revolutionized with the Satellit 900. In addition to tuning by the rotary main tuning encoder or by direct numeric keypad frequency entry, customers can also select stations with the convenient channel increment select keys. This innovative new feature simplifies the tuning process and enables users to scan and store up to 500 of their favorite channels. Attendees of the International Consumer Electric Show were among the first to test the new Satellite 900 for themselves. Release of this simple and intuitive to use Satellit 900 Radio is expected for the fourth quarter of the 2003 fiscal year. About Grundig /Eton Corporation Grundig/Eton Corporation - With headquarters in Palo Alto, California, Grundig/Eton Corporation is a leading manufacturer of shortwave audio and portable audio products for the consumer market. Its focus is to keep customers informed through a variety of shortwave radios, which receive local and international stations from around the world. Information about Grundig Eton and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.grundigradio.com (via Jim Dickey, DXLD) XM SATELLITE RADIO RECEIVERS Wall Street Journal tech reporter Walt Mossberg has changed his tune on XM Satellite Radio, since the introduction of the Delphi SkyFi receiver. Mossberg especially liked the easy-to-read display and compared the unit favorably to the Bose Wave radio ("which is stuck playing FM and AM"). Read more in today's issue of "RAIN: Radio And Internet Newsletter," online at http://www.kurthanson.com "When I reviewed XM last year (Wall Street Journal subscription required here; see RAIN's coverage here), I gave high marks to its 100 channels of programming (now 101), which feature dedicated stations for everything from classic country, folk, comedy and oldies to multiple flavors of rock, rap, jazz and blues... "But I panned the actual radios that were being sold to receive all this stuff... "Today, however, I am pleased to say that the hardware has caught up to the content. XM's rich programming is now available through a new, very well-designed radio that works in a car or a home and is much less expensive -- around $200. And that makes XM Radio a service I can wholeheartedly recommend. "The factor that changed my mind is a product from Delphi, the Detroit auto-electronics giant, designed in close collaboration with XM. It's called the Delphi XM SkyFi Radio. The SkyFi system consists of a small, palm-size modular satellite receiver you use in conjunction with various home or auto adapter kits... "The receiver has a roomy screen that shows at a glance the channel you're on, and the names of the song and the artist...Not only that, but the new SkyFi receiver can display channels either by name, or by the names of the artists or the titles of the songs playing at any moment, a brilliant way to help drivers make quick choices. If you're using the SkyFi at home, the text on the screen can be blown up to a size large enough to read from across a small room... "There are $70 kits for hooking up the radio in a car and for connecting the SkyFi to your home audio system. "But my favorite is a $99 kit called the SkyFi portable audio system, which turns the little receiver into a tabletop radio, or boombox...It can run on either batteries or via an included AC adapter and is relatively wire-free, except for the wire leading to the small satellite antenna. With the remote control, it makes a great tabletop radio -- better, in my view, than the heavily touted $350 Bose Wave radio, which is stuck playing FM and AM." Read Mossberg's entire column in the Wall Street Journal (via Mike Terry, DXLD) DRM +++ Hi Chaps, I've given in to temptation and bought myself a DRM receiver. It's a modified Yaesu FRG-100, which has turned out to be a nice little receiver in its own right. If anyone wants to hear the results of my tinkering so far I have set up a web page on my site at: http://www.owdjim.gen.nz/chris/radio/DRM/ I was going to put the DRM logo on this page, but it has to be referred to the Euro lawyers first apparently... Cheers, (Chris Mackerell, P.O. Box 2241, Wellington 6015, New Zealand Telephone: +64 (4) 232-4216 Fax: +64 (4) 232-4218 http://www.owdjim.gen.nz Mobile & SMS: +64 (21) 238-9861 Email: chris@owdjim.gen.nz & chris@radiodx.com ICQ# 91488073, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-015, January 26, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser, ghauser@hotmail.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 HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd3a.html [Note change; first issues of 2003 are now there] For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid2.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 NEXT AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1166: WWCR: Wed 1030 9475 RFPI: Mon 0630, 1230, Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on 15039 and/or 7445 WBCQ: Mon 0545 7415 WJIE: M-F 1300 on 7490... WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1166.html ** ARGENTINA. Estimado Gabriel: Por que a RAE não tem um site na Internet? 73's (Jorge Silva, Webmaster SRDXC, Jan 23, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Eso depende pura y exclusivamente de las autoridades de LRA1 Radio Nacional de quien depende RAE; siempre primero dan prioridad a Radio Nacional. 73's GIB (Gabriel Iván Barrera, ibid.) En el sitio de Radio Nacional http://www.radionacional.gov.ar hay un espacio para la RAE pero me parece que está en construcción porque el enlace no funciona (ARIEL CROCCO, Rosario, Argentina, http://www.arieldx.com.ar http://www.emisoras.com.ar ibid.) ** AUSTRALIA. HCJB Asian service: Changing originally planned 15130/15135 to 15480 required retuning the antenna, as originally it would not go that high in the band. Further delays in January: Latest problem was an arc in the antenna which burned up an insulator; climbed tower to repair. One of the arms from the tower holding up the antenna collapsed. No one hurt. Busy reconstructing that now, causing another delay until Feb 2. Struxural damage to antenna wires too. (Doug Weaver(?), HCJB frequency manager, on DX Partyline Jan 26, notes by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) 1/26. HCJB-Australia tests on 15480 expected on 27th Jan, quoting below message received from Mr Williams : ``It now looks like being the 2nd Feb but I believe there will be some test transmissions as early as the 27th, so it would be great if you could have a listen around 1230 UT. I will keep you updated as information comes to hand. I will be most anxious to get signal reports on this transmission and appreciate your valuable assistance. Best wishes, Ian Williams, Frequency Manager, HCJB Australia`` Regds (via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) HCJB Australia is about to change its allocated frequency of 11755, for the South Pacific release 0700-1200, to avoid co-channel interference from Pori in the primary target areas of NZ and Australia. The change cannot be effected until formal authorisation has been received from the Australian Communications Authority, and approved by the ABU-HFC and HFCC/ITU. The new channel proposed is 11770, with 11805 as an alternative. The Indian service has been delayed until at least February 2, 1230- 1730, to use 15480. The original channels were 15130 and 15135, but these were not considered suitable due to IBB using 15130 1630-1800 from Udorn and from Briech 1400-1600. The new channel of 15480 was originally used 1300-1500 by IBB- Philippines for B02 from Oct-27 until Oct-30, but was then made available to HCA. Antenna input power is currently 13 kW, and modulation depth is maintained at 85%. The transmitter is capable of DRM excitation, and ultimately for full operation with 100 kW. Four 100 kW transmitters will ultimately be available. Frequency agility is not a problem, and an antenna switching unit is being constructed in conjunction with a second antenna. Antenna design characteristics enable efficient operation up to approximately 100 kHz without retuning. Programming in Oromo for East Africa is planned, 1730-1800, which will be produced here in Melbourne at the HCJB studios in Kilsyth. Introduction of this language service will maintain continuity following the closure of FEBA-Seychelles, which currently provides this broadcast via an evening service 1700-1730 on Fridays and Sundays. Antenna towers at Kununurra were those originally used at the Australian Army's Transmitting Centre at Digger's Rest, Victoria, following the closure of that facilty some years ago (Bob Padula, Melbourne, Australia, EDXP Newsplus Jan 26 via DXLD) ** BELARUS`. Starting 3 January, 6115 kHz has been reactivated, 75 kW, 252 deg. 7210 kHz only carries the foreign service, relaying of domestic broadcasting (BR1) is not planned at present time. 6080 kHz, 150 kW transmitter, signal beamed to Ukraine. Relay of BR1 for Western Europe, with 150 kW power goes out according the following schedule: 0500 - 0700 7170 kHz 1000 - 1200 11960 kHz 1400 - 1700 7105 kHz (including a regional insertion, see below) 1700 - 1800 7255 kHz 2000 - 2200 7105 kHz Each oblast of Belarus` has its own day of the week (Mo-Fr), when its regional broadcast is inserted into the above relay on 7105 kHz. Time is 1600-1640 (some days till 1700). Morning program from Hrodna studios is again available in SW. Low- power shortwave transmitters in Hrodna are again active according to full schedule, i.e. 0400-2300. Local programs go on the air twice a day, the remaining time is used for BR1 relay. Frequencies are 6040 and 7110. During some latest months both transmitters were on only after 1600 (Sergei Alekseichik, Hrodna, Belarus`, Signal Jan 26 via DXLD) Re ``BR1 relay to Western Europe with 150 kW: 0500-0700 on 7170, 1000- 1200 on 11960, 1400-1700 on 7105, 1700-1800 on 7255, 2000-2200 on 7105; acc. to Sergei Alekseichik, Belarus` in active_dx, 19 Jan.`` I just tried it: 7105 was until 1700 blocked by Radio Liberty via Jülich. Now from 1700 there is indeed BR1 on 7255, but with a weaker signal than on 6115; really beamed to Western Europe? (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [Later:] 7105 is actually planned for the Radio Belarus` foreign service 2000-2200 rather than BR1. After 2030 I found only a faint carrier on 7105 while 7210, scheduled to carry Radio Minsk, too, was completely empty. This left 1170 as only audible frequency, as scheduled carrying the German program where both 7105 and 7210 were still announced. There is obviously no audio gain control in use at all; the console operator also failed to compensate for the soft voice of an announcer by turning up the fader, resulting in the audio level at times hardly exceeding -10 db compared with the peaks of the interval signal, all but not ideal for AM of course. Find enclosed a record of the frequency announcement (Kai Ludwig, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. RÁDIO CANÇÃO NOVA TAKES OVER RÁDIO GAZETA IN SÃO PAULO ON JANUARY 1; FOURTH IN A YEAR Cachoeira Paulista, SP, Jan 24 (CRU) --- One of Brasil`s two big Catholic networks, Rádio Canção Nova, took over powerful ZYK690 Rádio Gazeta 890 AM in Brasil`s largest city, São Paulo, on January 1st. It is the fourth new station on the ``totally Catholic`` network in a year. ZYK690 Rádio Gazeta broadcasts with 50,000 watts day, 10,000 watts night. The network website does not indicate whether or not Rádio Gazeta`s three shortwave transmitters are included. These are ZYE963 on 9685 kHz, ZYE964 on 15,325 kHz, and ZYE965 on 5955 kHz, all operating with 10,000 watts (Michael Dorner, editor, Catholic Radio Update Jan 27 via DXLD) Yes, as reported here as recently as 3-013, except for 15 hours a week of areligion; my impression was that the `takeover` is merely a leasing of airtime (gh, DXLD) ** CANADA. CFAN-790 TEST ARRANGED AT LAST MINUTE I will put this info on IRCA's web page ASAP, but I thought I'd better make sure this got out right away... Lynn. ---- Hi Ron (and Bill and Lynn and all), My attempt to arrange a test for soon-to-be-dark CFAN, 790, Newcastle- Miramichi, NB has just been approved by station programmers. I recorded a one-minute test ID for the station a few weeks ago, and the CE just informed me they are going to run it "several times through the night between midnight and 6AM starting Sunday 26th January 2003...(and we)...intend to run it for all of next week." NOTE: His email to me references Atlantic Standard Time, so make that 11pm-5am Eastern, and 10pm-4am Central, etc. [0400-1000 UT] My 60-second tape consists of full legal ID, frequency, three Morse code IDs, a statement that the test has been arranged on behalf of the National Radio Club's Courtesy Program Committee, and the station's email address (twice) at the end. The station will be running full power (actually about 4200 watts) and will still be on the DAYTIME PATTERN (one tower is out of service, so they're onmi off the other one). I know this is short notice. The idea began just a few weeks ago when the FM transmitter went up, and CFAN started making plans to leave AM. The CE is a friend of mine, although he was not working there when I was working at CFAN in 1980. I met him through amateur radio much later, and he will be looking forward to reception reports. My only regret is that they were unable to provide me with exact times. The full script of the 60-minute test ID appears below. I recorded it in an acoustically-poor room on short notice, but it should come out clearly. DX Test: "This is Radio Station C-F-A-N, Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada, broadcasting on an assigned carrier frequency of 7-90 Kilohertz. "The following is a DX Reception test arranged on behalf of the Courtesy Program Committee of the National Radio Club." (Morse code) "de CFAN CFAN CFAN" "If you are able to receive this DX Listening test, you are invited to contact CFAN by eMail, at cfan@nb.sympatico.ca that's cfan@nb.sympatico.ca This ends the test." Brent Taylor, VE1JH Doaktown, NB (NRC, IRCA) btaylor@nbnet.nb.ca (via Lynn Hollerman, DXLD) ** CANADA. Information on the upcoming CHWO - AM 740 DX Test Test Date: Sunday Morning, February 2, 2003 Test Time: 1230 AM to 0130 AM (EST) [0530 to 0630 UT Sunday] --------------------------------------------------------------------- How Test Will Run: (all times are EST and approximates) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Time: 12:29 AM EST - Announcement of DX test. Time: 12:30 AM EST - CHWO voice and code identifiers. Music for 15 minutes beginning with these two songs: Beer Barrel Polka - Andrew Sisters Ricochet Romance - Teresa Brewer Time: 12:45 AM EST - CHWO voice and code identifiers. Music for 15 minutes beginning with these two songs: St. Louis Blues March - Glenn Miller Spin, Spin - Gordon Lightfoot Time: 01:00 AM EST - CHWO voice and code identifiers. Music for 15 minutes beginning with these two songs: The Battle of New Orleans - Johnny Horton Something To Sing About - The Travellers Time: 01:15 AM EST - CHWO voice and code identifiers. Music for 15 minutes beginning with these two songs: Colonel Bogey March - Mitch Miller California Here I Come - Al Jolson Time: 01:30 AM EST - Announcement of thank you for listening to the DX test. ---------------------------- You can mail or email me all reports and they will be forwarded to the station engineer. And don't forget Lynn too ircamember@ircaonline.org Brian Smith am740@rogers.com Box 161, Willowdale Stn A Toronto, Ontario Canada M2N 5S8 Reception Report Manager for CHWO AM 740 http://www.odxa.on.ca/chwo.html (Brian Smith, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** CANADA. FOUR SECONDS THAT GRAB YOU AND DON'T LET GO CBC Radio gets a fresh theme song to herald the news James Cowan, National Post, Wednesday, January 22, 2003 http://www.nationalpost.com/search/site/story.asp?id=E1B227F0-A486-4C7B-BE74-C3B96157B9FD The new CBC Radio news chime is meant to be epic, compelling, grave and grandiose. It has been conceived to tell listeners that what they're about to hear is important and that they should -- nay, must - - pay attention, for if they miss the coming newscast, their lives may crumble under the sheer weight of their ignorance. It's also designed to deliver this dramatic statement in less than 10 seconds. According to the jingle's composer, it took quite a bit of work to cram the tune's message into a tiny package. "I find it's just as much of a challenge to write a five-second bit as it is to write a three- and-a-half-minute-long tune. The music just gets crammed into this short moment in time. It's concentrated," said Adam Goddard. As part of an ongoing revamping of CBC Radio -- which has thus far resulted in the reconfiguring of local programming and the creation of two new national morning shows -- the public broadcaster has replaced its seven-year-old news jingle with a newer, sleeker tune. The new theme debuted at six o'clock Monday morning, accompanying newscasts on both CBC Radio One and Two, with a variation on the theme playing before World Report. Over the next year, variations on the tune will be introduced for Canada at Five, The World at Six and The World This Weekend. By the end of 2003, all CBC Radio news programming will be sonically linked. According to memo circulated to CBC staff, the new themes are meant to "command attention, convey urgency and represent a voice of authority." "The theme was composed to emphasize the distinctive voice and sound of the CBC Radio News service," states the memo, co-written by Adrian Mills, the executive director of programming for CBC Radio, and Robert Renaud, the area head of CBC Radio News. The search for a new jingle began last fall, when the public broadcaster issued an open call for musical proposals. Fifteen composers submitted samples of their work and suggestions for a newsworthy theme. Goddard said the broadcaster was seeking a tune that would "grab you by the sleeve," while not trivializing the newscast's content. "An air of importance was one of their primary requests, because it is news and it is information that we need to know," he said. For his part, Goddard entered three musical "ideas" for consideration, and the CBC programming staff eventually selected one of his proposals as best suited to their needs. The composer then returned to his studio and, over the course of several months, experimented with different sounds, speeds and instrumentations, eventually testing dozens of variations on his original theme. Finally, Goddard returned to the CBC with a bundle of his best work, and senior staff winnowed his final submissions down to the half-dozen or so that listeners will eventually hear. The hourly news jingle is only four seconds long, but as the network introduces its various permutations, listeners may be treated to longer versions -- some of which may last an epic seven seconds. Different variations will be heard before different news programs, but there will also be slight changes throughout the day in the jingle that proceeds the hourly newscast. "At the start of the day, the jingle needs to be like an alarm. It needs to wake you up but not whack you over the head. But later in the day and evening, I think it's going to be more broad sounding to give it a 'wrapping up' feel," explained Goddard. Overall, the different themes will be bound together by, according to the CBC internal memo, a similar "mnemonic," along with an emotional neutrality that Goddard says is essential for music of this nature. "To write a functional piece of music for news that is useful, you have to write something that doesn't sound positive or negative, happy or sad, because the subject matter of a newscast changes so much from day to day," explained the composer. Goddard's work is already familiar to the regular CBC listener. He composed not only the themes for The Current and Sounds Like Canada, but also the requiem that played during CBC radio's Sept. 11 commemorative coverage. He had also produced two radio documentaries, including The Change in Farming, which won the Prix Italia in 1999. When not working for the Corporation, the composer has produced music for CIBC and Chrysler Canada. Goddard's new music -- like any change at the network -- has garnered some complaints from devoted listeners who like their CBC just the way it is, but sources inside the corporation said the negative reaction so far has been relatively muted. The composer welcomes the suggestion that his tune may join Moe Kaufman's Curried Soul theme for As It Happens or the much-beloved Morningside piano in the ranks of great CBC themes. "The Moe Kaufman theme for As It Happens is one of my favourite CBC tunes," said Goddard, "It's rockin' -- I like it a lot. So it would be great to be like that." (© Copyright 2003 National Post via Ricky Leong, DXLD) ** CANADA. Searchword is "Shelagh" at the web site of the Globe and Mail http://www.globeandmail.com/ The results gives 2 stories... CBC RADIO HOST TAKING LEAVE ON MD'S ORDERS By MICHAEL POSNER ARTS REPORTER; With reports from Gayle MacDonald and Sandra Martin Saturday, January 25, 2003 - Print Edition, Page A2 Shelagh Rogers, host of CBC Radio's Sounds Like Canada, is taking a medical leave for "a month or two," her lawyer and agent Michael Levine said yesterday. The medical condition is said to be her high blood pressure. Refusing to comment on rumours that Ms. Rogers is unhappy with the show and her diminished role, Mr. Levine said his client was very tired and suffering from stress. "We had an ebullient conversation today, but she is genuinely exhausted. I can't say a great deal, but I believe the leave will be relatively brief, a month or two." Ms. Rogers herself said yesterday that she is "on medical leave. It is not a stress leave. It is because I have high blood pressure, although I don't really think that's anyone's business." There have been rumours almost since Sounds Like Canada went to air last October that Ms. Rogers was growing disgruntled. Her show, a successor to This Morning, had been cut to two hours from three to accommodate the more hard-hitting The Current (8:30-10 a.m.). And large parts of the Rogers show have been effectively moved outside her domain, produced as shows-within-the-show; Ms. Rogers simply introduces them. Recently, another segment was carved out to provide 10-minute local news updates. There have also been whispers that Ms. Rogers is feuding with executive producer Michael Karapita. He could not be reached for comment. "She's used to working hard, but she's miserable," said a Rogers pal, who speculated that the amiable radio personality might not return. But Ms. Rogers said her condition is not "because there's now a 10- minute newscast taking . . . my precious, precious time." She said: "I have a history in my family of early deaths from heart problems, so I'm being very serious about it. It happens to coincide with everything else. So that is the reason and it is on my doctor's orders. "There's the whole truth. No matter who else tries to get information out of my other friends, that is it. They may have their speculation, but it really is all about me. And aging too rapidly in terms of my veins and arteries." CBC spokeswoman Ruth Ellen Soles said yesterday she expects Ms. Rogers will be gone "for at least two weeks but that's not a given. Whatever rumours are going around simply aren't true. Shelagh is coming back, and we hope it's really soon." Mr. Levine said he plans to meet with CBC Radio executive Jane Chalmers to discuss the case. Although Ms. Rogers is actually on air far fewer hours now than she was when she hosted Take Five, a five- hour classical music show, Mr. Levine said: "People don't get tired from hard work. They get tired from stress. I work all the time, but I love what I do and I'm never tired." Said a former CBC Radio executive: "The new structure at the CBC is so top down that the program is a mess. It's violating every rule of radio. They have no respect for the intelligence of the listeners." -- and --- ROGERS ON LEAVE FROM CBC HOSTING DUTIES Saturday, January 25, 2003 - Print Edition, Page R13 Toronto – CBC's Shelagh Rogers is on a two-week leave from hosting duties at her new Radio One morning show, Sounds Like Canada (10 a.m. to noon). Sources indicate her doctor mandated the time off because the radio personality currently suffers from extremely high blood pressure. Andy Barrie, host of CBC Toronto's Metro Morning, will fill her shoes next week. Staff (both via Ricky Leong, DXLD) ** CUBA. Salomón Olvera Acosta nos indica que el pasado domingo escuchó a Radio Habana Cuba entre las 0217 y 0231 por los 6195 con el programa "El mundo de la Filatelia". Anunciaron estas frecuencias de transmisión: 5965 9505 9550 11760 11875 11970 15230 (Conexión Digital Jan 25 via DXLD) Most except 15230 imaginary now? (gh, DXLD) ** CUBA [non]. CUBAN GOVERNMENT RELEASES LIST OF 'TERRORISTS' Cuba Claims Listees Acting Against Castro Regime --- NBC 6 Reporter Hank Tester POSTED: 6:51 p.m. EST January 21, 2003 UPDATED: 1:56 p.m. EST January 22, 2003 MIAMI -- The Cuban government has released a list of people it calls terrorists. The list, containing 64 names, was released late Sunday by the Cuban Government and printed in the state controlled newspapers. If you live in Miami the list may contain the name of someone you know, or perhaps a relative -- certainly it contains someone you have seen on television or read about in the local papers. The list is the lead story on local talk radio, certainly on Spanish language television, and is getting mention on some English language newscasts.... http://www.nbc6.net/hanktester/1927005/detail.html (via David Crawford, FL) There is a link in this story to the site for the list, http://www.antiterroristas.cu but when I went there I could not find it. David appended the list, which is entirely too huge to run here. The most notable radio person on it is Ninochka Pérez Castellón, Voz de la Fundación. I`m surprised no one has pointed out that all the personal information on the subjects made public is probably to make them easier hit targets, or make them fear that (gh, DXLD) Hi Glenn, Meant to include that anyway but forgot (it was NOT as obvious as TV-man let on): http://www.antiterroristas.cu/index.php?tpl=noticia/anewiciaid=653¬iciafecha=2003-01-16 (David Crawford, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CZECH REPUBLIC. A new series of Radio Prague QSLs, devoted to motor cycles, is available. See them at http://www.radio.cz (Vladimir Doroshenko, Dneprodzerzhinsk, Ukraine, Signal Jan 26 via DXLD) ** ERITREA [non]. Voice of Democratic Eritrea in Tigre language. Only Saturdays at 1500-1528 UTC in Tigre, followed by Sudanese Arabic from 1530 to 1557 UTC, towards Eritrean Diaspora in Europe. Identification in Sudanese Arabic "Idaatu Sawt Demokratiya Eritrea". Frequency is 5925 kHz via installations of T-systems Deutsche Telekom from Juelich Germany. Transmission towards Eritrea in NordEast Africa target is Mondays and Thursdays only, 1700-1800 UTC on 15670 kHz. 1700-1730 Mon/Thu Tigre 15670 JUL 1730-1800 Mon/Thu Ar 15670 JUL 1500-1530 Sat Tigre 5925 JUL 1530-1600 Sat Arabic 5925 JUL Address: Voice of Democratic Eritrea v/s Seyoum O. Michel Postfach 1946 D-65428 Ruesselsheim Germany. (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, Jan 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA. RADIO FANA IS A LEGAL ORGANIZATION! (found on Ethiopian reporter) By Teteka Bekele, Acting Head, Programing Department We have given a sufficient, dispassionate and detailed account of our radio station's legal standing in the June 27 issue of the Amharic- language Reporter in response to an article published in the same newspaper a week before. As we had made it abundantly clear then, we have no intention of taking The Reporter as a neutral forum in which to put forward our case. Nor should there be such an intention. However, we had presented significant legal materials to inform the public, especially the readers of the newspaper, on the issue. But as the repetitious and patchy reproduction of the first allegations, which appeared in an article form on July 29 amply demonstrates, the paper has been labouring during the past month to open yet another polemic front. The author of these articles is still unable or unwilling to produce tangible evidence to support his interpretation and analysis of the relevant provision of the Press Law. Rather, he was more concerned to sideline the real issues of the debate and to concoct far-fetched and fanciful evidences in a bid to mislead public opinion. Radio Fana's stance is still the same - and clear. The law providing for the continued operation of "pre-existing press" did not distinguish between government, party, private or religious media. It did not discriminate between those set up in the city and those coming from the bush. And it did not choose between those utilized by the Dergue and those by the EPRDF. This being so, to engage in an exchange of polemics on the basis of this non-existent distinction would be a sheer waste of time, energy and space. In this regard, we would like to reiterate once again the fact that Radio Fana's legal basis is sound and that there's nothing illicit about the station. In fact, Radio Fana has been tenaciously fighting against any form of illegality - and is doing the same thing now. The history of Radio Fana is something to be proud of. It is not a cause for shame. We don't think that the author is unaware of this fact. It is, indeed, a fact of life that Radio Fana was conceived and born in the tide of popular struggle and not through legal proclamation. But even when it was under the wings of that popular movement, the radio was fighting tooth and nail for justice, equality and peace. And no one can construe this as a social transgression. Even today, the station has assumed the responsibility of fighting for the equality, progress and prosperity of the Ethiopian peoples. We have never been caught blowing with the wind in search of money or cheap propaganda. Our radio station has always been working hard to make sure that the rights of peoples as enshrined in the constitution are being fully respected. The radio is always faithful to its beliefs. When it finds something which goes against these beliefs, it criticizes by citing the facts. And we believe that this is what's expected of a balanced and neutral medium in view of the process of building a truly democratic culture. We advise the editorial committee of The Reporter to see itself through this mirror. As to Radio Fana being a forerunner in the field of investigative journalism in this country, we had said so not because we are short of records (we have piles of them) or many listeners who would testify to this without being asked to do so, but for the simple reason that we don't take this newspaper as a neutral, just, balanced ground to argue our case. Though we are ever curious to know what the author or The Reporter tries to achieve by dwelling on this issue, there is nothing new in the second article whose production has obviously taken them some time. In a sense, the author reproduces in July what was already said in June. To respond to the innumerable allegations, which are based on unfounded hearsay, would be tantamount to wasting our precious time. Any perceptive reader would not fail to notice that the author and/or the newspaper are squandering their energy on an issue which has no relevance to the people - and which has been clearly settled by the pertinent law of the country. What's more, even if it is true, it is meaningless all the same with only an ordinary accusation as its end. Hence, we don't feel particularly bound to waste our time by answering each allegation. We don't want to engage in a fruitless debate before a fanciful moot court whose agenda is yet to be defined. But we would like to mention the following points in order to home in on the fact that the author, who prides himself on using his "freedom of expression," is wasting the radio's as well as the readers' invaluable time on an issue of no relevance to his argument. 1. Radio Fana has never claimed to be a "private business organization." But the author would like the world to believe that it is. Our station has come about as a result of the unique historical circumstances of a popular movement. And it has been accorded the due legal recognition to continue to serve the public until the proper registration process is put in place. Accordingly, Radio Fana is seizing this opportunity to operate in a self-reliant manner. And it has never been - and has never claimed to be - a "private business organization." 2. It is true that Radio Fana is planning to begin a Frequency Modulation (FM) broadcast following the proper legal procedures. This is a plan not only of Radio Fana but also that of many investors (including, perhaps, the author). This being the case, however, Radio Fana has never imported any broadcast materials so far. The writer of the article has referred to "Fortune" to this effect. That newspaper was only able to provide him with a hearsay. On our part, we have dutifully provided that newspaper with information describing the exact state of affairs. In spite of that, "Fortune" wrote what it liked and how it wished things to be. If this, too, can be called "exercising one's freedom of expression," so be it. But the facts are otherwise; and the report is entirely unfounded. "Fortune," to be fair to it, had approached us to discover the real truth. Neither the author nor The Reporter, however, was able to do so with regard to the article which had taken them a month to produce. What's more, the author is trying to take this baseless report as a major reference for a debate he is trying to create. We believe that the reader would find it easy to comprehend the ultimate aim sought to be achieved by both the author and The Reporter in this light. 3. The author has also alleged that journalists from Radio Fana accompany high-ranking government officials in their working visits to foreign countries. But the fact is that at no time had journalists from Fana accompanied the Prime Minister or other government officials abroad. In the short span of its existence, there have only been two occasions when Fana's reporters were sent to cover events abroad. These were the international conference on HIV/AIDS (in Durban) and the Sydney Olympics. And the costs of these were fully borne by private sponsors and by the station. Not a cent was obtained from the government to finance the visits. The points raised above will indisputably prove the extent to which both the writer and the paper would go to mislead readers with their concocted and fanciful "evidences". And we have no intention of engaging ourselves in a debate over false allegations supported by non-existent facts. It is, therefore, our ardent hope that the author would refrain from such an irrational action and devote his full time and energy in the pursuit of positive things that would benefit the country and the people. We have presented a detailed account of the reality of the matter under discussion in our previous article. We hope too that our readers would gather sufficient information from this short response. It may be that the author is forced to fill his over-stretched column with such unfounded polemics for reasons of financial gains. We are not bound, however, to do it for him by replying to his unfounded and misleading accusations. This said, however, our door is always wide open to any one who is in quest of the right information (via Z. Liangas, Greece, for CRW via DXLD) ** GERMANY. Hi Glenn, concerning the recent news from Deutsche Welle you asked about the ``all-or-nothing shortwave approach``. That's something I wonder about, too. Reduced transmission costs are cited as one of the favours of the DRM system. But who in the world says an AM service requires to churn out 500 kW five times? When Deutsche Welle abandoned the Jülich site they argued that 100 kW are insufficient. In fact Jülich is a true powerhouse here when transmitting to Central Europe. Additional power is fine of course, but please, do not lament about the costs if you decide to use five hundred kilowatts. And you also pointed to the use of so many sites and frequencies. Of course I have no idea about the reception in North America, but wouldn't Antigua and Sackville be sufficient? So why burning money by using even more transmitters from Wertachtal and Sines? Speaking about costs, the public broadcasters here in Germany spend 70 millions D-Mark, oooops, of course 35 millions Euro anually for German TV, the TV program that has an audience of just 3,000 people so far. No surprise that no money is left for keeping a cost-effective shortwave service. Some further comments of the debate you documented: Deutsche Welle was described as one of those broadcasters who privatized their transmitters. Not so, the transmitters within Germany were never owned and operated by Deutsche Welle itself. In the past Deutsche Bundespost, the postal office, was responsible for transmitting Deutsche Welle programming from within the FRG. Back then Deutsche Welle time and again lamented about this political decision and the charges they had to pay to Deutsche Bundespost. Of course this was in fact a transfer of taxpayers money from the foreign ministry to another authority, so the question in this case is just if Deutsche Welle itself would have been able to do the transmissions more cost- effectively than the civil servants of the postal office. In the nineties the authority Deutsche Bundespost was turned into several companies, one of them is Deutsche Telekom AG or in short Deutsche Telekom (AG means Aktiengesellschaft = joint stock company). Let me mention that the official abbreviation for Deutsche Telekom AG is DTAG, the ´´DTK´´ frequently seen in the shortwave press is just the three-letter designator for frequency management purposes, like the ´´DWL´´ for Deutsche Welle which is otherwise abbreviated DW. And not long ago it was decided to assign the broadcast services to T- Systems, the DTAG subsidiary originally responsible for Internet solutions and similar things. John Figliozzi noted, ``the average profile of an SWL is decidedly male, roughly 40-50 years of age (if not higher) with an income level somewhere in the middle of the spectrum``. Is this just the profile of shortwave listeners? My impression is that it is in the developed countries in fact the average profile of the audience of international broadcasters altogether, completely independent from the distribution methods. Just let's take a look at the young crowd (I suppose I still belong to it): Do they listen to international broadcasters through the satellite equipment they own? Do they use any Internet offer of international broadcasters through the highspeed connections they have? I do not know anybody who does. It is my impression that the recent news from Deutsche Welle as well as RNW basically reflects efforts to deal with this matter. In light of the money spent for German TV the laments about budget cuts appear to be merely crocodile tears to me. It is my impression that the shortwave shut-down is primarily not a cost-saving measure but part of the ``facelift``. Ancient modulation shortwave is ``uncool`` of course, so throw it away to be up-to-date. Concerning RNW it is interesting that the Roughly Speaking kids (sorry) programme disappeared from their program line-up again, as if it was no big success. By the way, one of the already cited young guys in fact owns a shortwave radio. It is almost unemployed, because ``there is not much interesting to listen on shortwave``. Enough rant for now (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Subject: Don't Stop Shortwave Broadcast Please don't end your shortwave broadcasts to either North America or Australasia! I'm one of those radio fanatics who depends on your news & opinion programming! Regretted when you took me off your mailing list several years ago! Getting internet info just ain`t the same! `Twas bad enough losing our North American mail bag several years' back! Don't make a bigger mistake! Cut down to two broadcasts if you must! Here's hoping you reconsider your decision to end shortwave broadcasts to North America and Australasia! Just like with Auntie Beeb-n-S.R.I. you'll loose more in goodwill than you'll save in Deutsche Marks, er, Euros! Auntie Beeb has slightly capitulated with broadcasts ostensibly for "Mexico" and such! The only time I ever see Deutsche Welle television programming is when the channel 32 signal blows in from San Francisco! Don't make Deutsche Welle a fond memory after 30-plus years of listenership! Thanks from Sacramento-n-Ed Gardner !!! (Gardner, Jan 10 to DW mailbag, cc to DXLD) Standard reply form letter personalized with this: I would just like to add that we have continued supplying our listeners, viewers and users with printed programme information. Our biannual "DW pocket guide" and "DW Kompakt" containing information about our English language radio programmes and details of our TV programmes and info about our German language radio programmes etc., respectively, continue to be sent off to our friends as and when they request them. It is still not too late to receive a copy of the current brochure. Regards, (Margot Forbes, DEUTSCHE WELLE ENGLISH SERVICE via Gardner, DXLD) Et Tu, Brute??? Another short-sighted European broadcaster following the short-sighted lead of the BBC. Is there no end to this???? Maybe when these SHORT-SIGHTED Eurocasters find out there listenership on the "new media" is in a minority, they will wake up and smell the coffee (Vince Ponzio, KA3NRX, Pittsburgh, PA, Jan 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUATEMALA. 4780v, Radio Coatán has been off the last few days. Had been quite regular with a good signal (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** HAWAII [and non]. The DX around the Hawaiian Islands was interesting. This was our third trip there but the first on a cruise. As anyone who has tried DXing there knows, what you hear depends on which coast you're on and which side of the mountains. If you are on the east side of the mountains the North American stations just roll in but on the other side they are mostly absent. The TPs should be easier but there is the time difference to be considered. In Waikiki and Honolulu DXing is greatly hampered by all the locals on Oahu: 17 of them. Adjacent channel reception is almost impossible and you can't believe the signal mixing problems! Outside of Oahu all 27 Hawaiian stations can be heard all day in most areas. We also spent a day on Fanning Island, Kiribati, which is 1000 miles south of the Big Island, and reception there from North America is easy but I heard nothing from the other side of the Pacific, probably because I went to bed too early. The most reliable NAs most places were KBLA, KFBK, KSL, KNX and XEWA (Ben Dangerfield, Wallingford, PA, Jan 25, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** INDIA. The President of India's address to the nation on the eve of India's 54th Republic Day was offically broadcast/ telecast yesterday at 7.30 pm (1400 UT) by all stations of AIR & Doordarshan. However the text of his address was monitored earlier in the day at 3.15 pm (0945 UT) itself on AIR Delhi channel of 6190 kHz. They were announcing that it was a feeder for the AIR stations for translation into the local languages which was to be broadcast after the President's address was over. AIR Jammu's new transmitter is noted back on 4830 after some absence. ===== 73 (Jose Jacob, Jan 26, dx_india via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. THE HUBBLE SITE http://hubblesite.org/ Chances are you haven't seen what NASA's orbiting Hubble Space Telescope sees. Hubble sees the raw beauty of the universe from above Earth's atmosphere and sends back a portrait of the universe in exquisite detail. Here's your chance to leave the ground for a while... and see what Hubble sees. At the Space Telescope Science Institute, we`re working hard to study and explain the once- unimaginable celestial phenomena now made visible using Hubble`s cutting-edge technology. In the course of this exploration we will continue to share with you the grace and beauty of the universe? because the discoveries belong to all of us. Probe deeper! Explore the following links to learn more about who we are and what we do (via Sheldon Harvey, Jan Radio HF Internet Newsletter) ** IRAN [non]. V. of Southern Azerbaijan: Glen[n], The SANAM web site http://www.cehreganli.com mentions its transmission being at 9375 kHz. Sincerely, (P. Boselli, Jan 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAQ [non]. CLANDESTINE, 9715, 1651-, Information Radio, Jan 25. Presumed logging suffering from long/short path effect. DW is just barely audible underneath. In Arabic. Talk only heard. Signal otherwise about an S7. Nothing after 1700. DW Russian only then. (Walter (Volodya) Salmaniw, MD, Victoria, BC, Canada, DXing the world using AOR 7030+/ERGO, Rockwell-Collins HF-2050, Racal 1792, JRC NRD 535D, Kenwood R5000, Collins R390A, Sony 2010, and Sony 1000T with the following antennae: T2FD, K9AY, 60 meter horizontal loop, Eavesdropper, 25 meter dipole, 25 MHz vertical, and random wire, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAQ [non]. PORTRAIT OF THE VOICE OF IRAQI PEOPLE/VOICE OF THE IRAQI REPUBLIC by Achraf Chaabane, CRW North Africa (Tunisia). [Jan 12] The Voice of Iraqi People/Voice of the Iraqi Republic is supported by the CIA with facilities of Saudi Arabia. We can show that clearly in its news. It presents the freshest news concerning the special US actions in Iraq, before any other Iraqi clandestine station. For example, the station says that USA fell down 250,000 warning sheets in the north of Iraq. This news is broadcasted in 30/10/2002, but, for example, the V. of Islamic Revolution in Iraq broadcast it after 2 or 3 days. This station has a wide number of correspondents located in Iraq. The news reports broadcasted by this station are of great level of precision; it controls the situation in Iraq with the smallest details. It controls the mood of the people, economic situation, military movements, and even the simplest events happened in Saddam`s family. So I think that some of these reports are intelligence reports. For example, the station broadcasted in December 7 & 8, 2002, at 2330 UT, a very secret audio recording of a Saddam`s conference with his military commanders who commanded the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait in 1990. The station said that this recording was "found" in Iraq in 1990, but something like that could not be found by chance. It`s a recording of an intelligence agent. The station has a program mocking from Saddam Hussein and his family. It describes them as killers, thieves; It has also a program called "Lies of the dictator"; it shows the "lies" of Saddam Hussein in his speeches. The station analyses the speeches of Saddam part by part, and it compares it to reality. The music broadcasted, are not related with the goals of the stations; it is, usually, old and new Iraqi songs. In my opinion, any Iraqi man how listens to this station and believe it, should hate Saddam and will, no doubt, participate in eliminating his regime. The station is now broadcasting in Arabic, Turkmen and Kurdish at 1300-0300 UT on 9563, 9570 and 11710 kHz. The ID is "Ida`at al- jumhuriah al-iraqiah min Baghdad, Sawt al-sha`ab al Iraqi". Quality of reception as monitored here in Tunisia is poor. You can listen to the station only at 1800 UT and after (Clandestine Radio Watch via DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. 5896.8, 0430-0530* 25-01, Voice of Iraqi People, Voice of the Iraqi Communist Party, Iraqi Kurdistan. Arabic talks about Iraq, frequent IDs: "Huna sawt al-Shab al-Iraq, idha'atu al-Hizb al- Shuju'i al-Iraq", Arab songs and more talks, closed with a short song // 3899.9 (first 35444, but then fading out) 34333 24433 AP-DNK (Anker Petersen, Denmark, @tividade DX Jan 25 via DXLD) ** ISLE OF MAN. Looks like Musicmann [279] (or whatever they decide to call it) will be on the air by around October, possibly earlier. Phoned them the other day and they were still in the office at 9pm! so looks like they're getting busy planning the building of the 500 kw CFA and offshore platform. I would think it should be audible in North America if the aerial works well (Paul Strickland, Lancashire, UK, LWCA via Mike Terry, Jan 26, DXLD) ** ITALY. 6219.97, IRRS, 2050 Jan 18 with English "peace" program complaining about the U.S. Patriot Act, IRRS ID in English at 2100 with Milano postal address, then Italian-language religious program, mostly talk, some music, closing with program address at 2128. Off abruptly at 2129, no further ID. Fairly good signal, some ute QRM. Their website says they would be testing from Jan 18 on 6225, 2000- 2135, no further details. However, quick E-mail reply from them says it is 10 kW to Europe (Jerry Berg, MA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** KASHMIR [non]. CLANDESTINE from PAKISTAN to SOUTH ASIA. 5102, Voice of Jammu and Kashmir Freedom, nice reception of this one the last few days, including *1300. Audio and modulation seem clearer. Noted with open carrier as early as 1245 (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Jan 26, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** KAZAKHSTAN [non]. CLANDESTINE TO KAZAKHSTAN. 9925, 1622-, Radio DAT, Jan 25. Good reception improving as I continue to listen. All in Russian. Many IDs, mostly brief 'Vy slushayte Radyo DAT', but a full ID at 1630 with frequencies, and internet information. Almost a RFE/RL format with many short pieces, with identical short musical piece between items, and usually also an ID. Has the location of this transmitter been identified? Best on LSB when TWR via Meyerton signs on after 1630 with IS on 9930. Off at 1658 (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) LITHUANIA. Should Dat really be all-caps?? This has nothing to do with --remember that? -- digital audio tape ** KURDISTAN [or non]. See IRAQ [non] ** MALI. 11960, 1722-, Radio Mali, Jan 25. Just great reception of Radio Mali with north African music. Always fun to monitor, especially if you can follow the French language programming! Exotic, and always strong before 1800 sign-off (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS. HOLANDA - Conforme o jornalista Tarcisio Lage, que durante muitos anos integrou o Serviço Brasileiro da Rádio Nederland, a emissora lançou este plano bombástico de cortes radicais, demissão e extinção de departamentos com o objetivo de negociar. Segundo ele, os holandeses costumam sempre fazer "muito barulho", enviando releases e divulgando a notícia com destaque. Depois, acabam cedendo em alguma parte. Portanto, novidades podem estar a caminho! (Célio Romais, @tividade DX Jan 25 via DXLD) Says the radical cuts announced are a negotiating ploy (gh) ** NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR. An item of interest received recently which should have made my day was a delightful gift from Deutsche Welle for my regular monitoring reports. The folks at DW had sent me a very nice Walkman and a CD of radio signature tunes; unfortunately I ended up having to pay $12.50 to Canada Customs to pick up the damn box from the post office. They had opened the box, searched it, took apart the Walkman, put it back together --- and charged *me* for the ``handling`` fee plus taxes! 9-11 security paranoia strikes again (Sue Hickey, Grand-Falls-Windsor, NL, CIDX Forum, Jan CIDX Messenger via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3290 Radio Central (presumed) incredible s9 signal here today // 4890 with pops and male announcer at 1246 (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** PERU. BM Bandscan SW 57 Jan 26: 2820.40(Harmonic?), Radio Olmos, el distrito de Olmos, la provincia de Lambayeque, el departamento de Lambayeque. Jan 2003 - 0100 UT. The station is not listed in WRTH on SW or on MW, at least I couldn`t find anything. I presume it is a harmonic from 1410.20 or 940.13 kHz. On 1410 there is listed a "Radio Ideal" in Lambayeque. ID "Transmite Radio Olmos la más poular" or "Radio Olmos la emisora del pueblo". The program consists of information from Olmos and music. Morning program "Alegre amanecer". A great thanks goes to our member Thord Knutsson/TK, at the WRTH staff, who gives has this comment: "Hello Björn! Thanks for some mail. Here is at last an answer. Regarding lists from the Departement I have nothing else than the one found in dxlinks for Peru: "Radiodifusion.com: Radios del Peru". There you can take a look. The big problem with Peru, also on MW, is the great number of unlicensed stations. TIN visited Peru some time ago. He reports 3 "new" stations in Huarmaca, Prov. Huancabamba, Dep. Piura and 3 "new" in San Miguel de Pallaques, Prov. San Miguel, Dep. Cajamarca. I don`t know if they are licensed or not, I have not looked yet. Your questions about stations: A while ago I was in looking at the list mentioned above. I found in Distrito de Olmos, Provincia de Lambayeque, Dep Lambayeque 2 stations: 930 OAU1X R La Favorita e.i.r.l. and 1510 OBU1B Sánchez Villegas Manuel Jesús. Unfortunately only company names are given. Maybe your Radio Olmos is one of those. 930 seems most likely. Not of much help I`m afraid." 73 Thord Knutson http://www.calle.com/world/ Global Gazetteer: Listening to Latin American radio stations often means uncertainty of the QTH. Many geographic names for instance in Peru sounds the same and it is easy to make a mistake. There is a good site listing nealry 3.000.000(!) towns and places all over the world. In for instance Peru no less than 41.000 places are listed. Not only longitude, latitude and height above sea level also the weather just now, weather forecast the coming 96 hours, different maps and an enormous amount of links are given which help you to dig down to "street level" everywhere in the world. Luckily enough it seems there is only one "Olmos" in Peru. Visit the above link and click for "Peru". It is necessary to know the first two letters in the geographic name. Click for "OL" where "Olmos" s listed among a bunch of the places in Peru starting with "OL". When you come to this site you can read the following: "This is a directory of 2.880.532 of the world's cities and towns, sorted by country and linked to a map for each town. This is data presentation demonstration only. No liability whatsoever is assumed. Presentation Copyright 1998-2000 by Falling Rain Genomics, Inc. August 5, 2000: Revised. A widespread and systematic bug in the altitude calculations was reported and corrected. January 19, 2001: Tabulated information on city names only can sometimes be found at http://www.nima.mil; look for the Geonet name server". Regards (Bjorn Malm from Quito, SW Bulletin Jan 26, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENINGN DIGEST) ** POLAND. RADIO MARYJA, POLAND`S CONTROVERSIAL CATHOLIC NETWORK, CONTINUES TO EXPAND, GOES ITS OWN WAY Warszawa, Dec 29 (CRU) --- Embroiled in controversy over most of its 11 years of life, Radio Maryja of Poland celebrated its anniversary last December 8th. It has a controversial international image, but whether that is born of a liberal, leftwing press that dislikes its conservative tenets or of legitimate complaints cannot be known outside Poland, at least on this western side of the Atlantic (see the series in Catholic Radio Update #122-124 in May 2001). The station has run afoul of some members of the Polish hierarchy, whose antipathy is well known. Last September, Cardinal Józef Glemp of Warsaw threatened to revoke his permission for the station to operate unless it made certain concessions (see Catholic Radio Update #192, September 16, 2002). Philip Lawler`s Catholic World News reported that Cardinal Glemp had hoped that other Polish bishops would do the same, but they did not. The end result was that Father Tadeusz Rydzyk CSSR, the station`s founder and director, came to terms with the Cardinal and the permission continued. Some time in the past year or so, Radio Maryja dropped out of membership in the World Family of Radio Maria, of which it had been part and of which its inspiration had been drawn. Radio Maria World Family has an international reputation of cooperating with local bishops, and it is a matter of policy that it opens stations only where the bishop welcomes them. What role Radio Maryja`s endless problems with certain members of the Polish hierarchy (and the Polish government) played in the end of that membership, and who initiated it, is not known. Radio Maria World Family confirmed that Radio Maryja is no longer a member, but did not answer anything more. Despite the endless controversy, the station is eminently successful in the number of listeners it has and in their support. In addition to an extensive nationwide network of FM transmitters, it is also heard on shortwave daily and on two satellites, as well as a cluster of American and Canadian ethnic AM stations at certain times of the day. Just how strong that support is can be seen in its fantastic growth over the last four years. Radio Maryja is truly a national radio station. Since 1998, Radio Maryja has put 33 new transmitters on the air. Six years ago, according to the World Radio-TV Handbook, Radio Maryja had 143 transmitters. Of that number, fully 43 were still operating in the old OIRT Communist-bloc FM band, 66-73 MHz. Two years ago, that 43 had been reduced to 2. Today, both are gone. All have been replaced by 88- 108 MHz band transmitters. Further, new 88-108 MHz transmitters have been set up in areas previously unserved. True, there are fewer transmitters now than six years ago, but the recent ones have generally been more powerful than the older ones they replaced, including many in the OIRT band. Of the 126 transmitters currently on the air, 12 have changed frequencies and 23 have increased their power, some considerably. You can find a color map of Radio Maryja transmitters at http://www.radiomaryja.pl/newv/pol/wersja2002/01.htm Shortwave: The station is also heard on shortwave on leased German transmitters, on frequencies that change according to season. Currently, they are 12060 kHz from 7am-9:15 am Mondays through Saturdays, and 7400 kHz from 5pm-midnight 7 days a week, and on Sundays from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. These frequencies are subject to change seasonally. CARDINAL COMMENT ``For Poland has learned and the world has learned what totalitarianism is, the Nazi system; for Poland has learned what totalitarianism is, the communist system, costing us millions of victims; but Poland has not yet recognized what the liberal system is, liberal totalitarianism. It is more dangerous than the other totalitarianisms`` --Father Tadeusz Rydzyk CSSR, founder and director, Radio Maryja (Michael Dorner, editor, Catholic Radio Update Jan 27 via DXLD) Not German, but: ** POLAND [non]. RUSSIA, 7400, Radio Maryja, 2250 1/23, presumed news in Polish, bit of classical music, ID, frequencies in Polish then in English "Radio Maryja says goodbye to our listeners" and off at 2300 (Jilly Dybka, TN, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Radio Maryja: 12010 (Armavir, Russia) QSL letter in 160 days. Addr: ul. Zwirki i Wigury, 80, 87-100 Torun, Poland (Alexander Polyakov, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Signal Jan 26 via DXLD) ** PORTUGAL. A Rádio Portugal transmite, nas terças, a partir de 0035, o programa Correio do Ouvinte. Destaque para o espaço DX/Internet, com informações sobre dexismo e ondas curtas. Eis as freqüências: 9715, 11655, 11980, 13700 e 13770 kHz. Todos os relatórios de recepção são confirmados com o devido QSL (Célio Romais, @tividade DX Jan 25 via DXLD) ** ROMANIA. 9690, 1712-, Radio Romania International, Jan 25. Always impressed with the 'receivability' of this station at various times of the day, with excellent modulation. Fair to good signal strength with English programming, 'World of Culture' program (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. On 31 Dec heard a relay of Murmansk commercial station Power FM, at 0915 on 17302 kHz. Announced frequency 104.5 MHz. It's a curious continuation of Ukrainian tradition - remember FM relays carried out by Sevastopol` maritime radio (Alexander Yegorov, Kyiv, Ukraine, Signal Jan 26 via DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA [non]. Voice of Reform: I can inform you that there is a new jammer of Voice of Reform (Monitored 11/01/2003 on 9925 kHz, at 2030 UT with SINPO: 54554). It's the Swept Tones Jammer. This is in addition to the Bubble Jammer (A. Chaabane, Tunisia, Jan 11, 2003 for CRW via DXLD) ** SEYCHELLES. 15445, FEBA, 1503 1/22, YL and OM in English talking about how color of room affects emotions. Best in SSB due to splatter. Fair to poor (Jilly Dybka, TN, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** SOLOMON ISLANDS. 5019.9, SIBC had been BBCWS during the 1200 hour and the 1300 hour till fading here. This was an extended schedule for them; I think there official sign off is 1100. Now the station is just running open carrier at 1200 and 1300 (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** SRI LANKA. TIGERS RADIO EXCEEDS RANGE Tamil guerrillas who commenced operations of their radio station Voice of Tigers (VOT) this week in northern Sri Lanka have exceeded the range of their broadcast as stipulated by the licence granted by the government. The licence granted permission to operate the radio station for a radius of 20 km, but the reception of the VOT radio was being monitored over 70 km away from the radio station at Kilinochchi. The government late last month said the licence was issued by the government, subject to conditions that the radio station should be located in Kilinochchi, with a coverage area radius of 20 kilometres. But, the broadcast signals were being clearly picked up in the northern Jaffna peninsula, in the north western coast of Mannar and in Vavuniya situated in the north central part of the country. The issue of granting a permit to operate a radio licence led to a major controversy as the LTTE had already imported the equipment at the time of making an application for the licence. The Norwegian Ambassador in Colombo Jon Westborg was instrumental in clearing the equipment as cargo meant for the mission. Constitutional Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris assured this week that the radio station would be monitored and action taken if the provisions of the licence were violated. "The VOT transmissions are subject to the terms and conditions in the agreement. Earlier they were transmitting in a clandestine manner," he said. "It is helpful for the two parties to put forward their different points of view. It is not sensible to gag one of the two parties. Let the public decide whose point of view they agree with. I see it as a very healthy aspect. Let all points of view emerge. "Eventually the judges are the people and any final solution to the problem has to be approved by them at a referendum. There is nothing wrong in allowing the negotiating parties to express their point of view," the minister said. With the launch of the VOT on Thursday, after the government issued a licence to operate the services, the LTTE also has increased its broadcasting hours by three hours. Half an hour has been reserved for Sinhala programmes. The LTTE has lined up a series of programmes dealing with regional issues, dramas, sports events and children's programmes (Financial Times Information Limited - Asia Africa Intelligence Wire Jan 20, 2003 via A. Sennitt, Holland, for CRW via DXLD) ** SUDAN. 7200, Sudan National Radio, 0450 1/20, time pips and ID, mentioned Omdurman, Sudan, by OM in presumed Sudanese [Arabic?]. Music bumpers between OM and YL announcers, good (Jilly Dybka, TN, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** SWAZILAND: TWR BUILDS NEW SHORTWAVE ANTENNA | Text of report by TWR Africa newsletter on 16 January Soon, South Africa and Zimbabwe will enjoy better reception, as engineers in Swaziland laid the foundations for a new antenna at the transmitter station in Swaziland the first week of November. The anchors and concrete bases for two additional towers for the Zimbabwe antenna have been poured, while preparations are underway to set up the antenna so it can be in service by January [2003]. The process wasn't without incident, as Steve Stavropoulos will tell you, after receiving an injury to his foot in the process. Steve is recovering well and is looking forward to completing the job. Please continue to pray for this project. Source: TWR Africa newsletter, Manzini, in English 16 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** SWAZILAND/ANGOLA: TWR PLANS NEW ANGOLAN PROGRAM | Text of report in English by TWR Africa newsletter on 16 January TWR-Angola plans to begin a new programme in the Fiote/Mbinda language. The Evangelical Church in Angola, the strongest Christian fellowship in the region, will coordinate production. The Fiote people live in Cabinda, an oil-rich region of Angola. Most are farmers and fishermen, while some work for oil companies and the government. Preservation of tradition and language are important to the Fiote, despite pressure to modernize. In other Angola-related ministry news, TWR's Project Hannah, Canada is fully sponsoring the Portuguese version of Women of Hope in Angola, not only for its first year, but also on an ongoing basis. 60 per cent of Angolans speak Portuguese, and the programme began airing in October 2002 from Swaziland. Source: TWR Africa newsletter, Manzini, in English 16 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** TAJIKISTAN. 7245, 0200-, Radio Dushanbe, Jan 25. Fair reception with IS and presumed Farsi program. Music was heard before TOH, but not sure if it was them or another station. Pretty much faded out before the English service at 0245 (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE [and non]. Glenn, Radio Ukraine Int. 7375 January 26, 2003. During the 0100-0159 UT broadcast the RUI signal went off the air at approximately 0142 for a few seconds. During the outage I heard English on 7375 kHz. I had been hearing what I believed was English under the RUI broadcast since tune in at 0059 UT. Perhaps University Radio is back (the cause of RUI's QRM last Winter). [later:] Glenn, COSTA RICA. The station causing QRM to RUI 7375 kHz January 26, 2003 0100 past 0405 UT is Dr. Gene Scott University Network. Positive ID heard at 0400. Therefore, probably University Radio Costa Rica. In addition RUI's is very weak at 0400 with less than S4 reading (RUI is usually very strong, for me, at 0400). 73, (- .. . Kraig Krist, KG4LAC, Annandale, VA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This should come as no surprise; TIRWR has been on 7375 for years. If Kiev is unaware of this, they are not paying attention, or relying on HFCC where DGS CTR frequencies fail to appear (gh, DXLD) ** U K. IS THE BBC BIASED AGAINST ISRAEL? Glenn, You published a long article from an Israeli newspaper claiming that the BBC is biased against Israel. Writing as someone who listens to (and watches) a great deal of BBC domestic and international broadcasting, I have to say that this is not my impression. First, it is extremely rare these days for the BBC to mention Israel's long-standing violations of UN Security Council resolutions, although reference to Saddam Hussein's possible violation of a more recent resolution is commonplace. Nor is equal time given to the assumption, held by many people espeically in the Middle East and the "Third World", that it is Israel rather than Iraq that is the major destabilizing factor in the region. Concerning the article's claim that BBC interviewers are "hostile, strident and clipped, without sympathy and empathy" for Israel, I should like to ask the author why he apparently considers that the BBC should be sympathetic towards, or show empathy for, ANY side. Surely, that it not its function. Moreover, the "hostility" he speaks about is often no more than a technique to secure a lively interview. It is by no means reserved for Israeli interviewees alone! As for the BBC not observing "the legal and dictionary definitions" of the word "terrorist" one should remember that dictionaries are written by people and that people have different political and ideological starting points. Nor is there a single, all-embracing legal definition of the term "terrorist". Mr Begin, the former Israeli prime minister mentioned in the article, was during his struggle against the British regarded by the British legal authorities as "a terrorist" and as a "freedom fighter" by his own people. So whose "legal" definition of the man and his violent underground activities, are we supposed to use? It simply does not help to resort to dictionaries or opposing legal definitions when we are considering conflicts between peoples and ideologies. Don't get me wrong: I'm not saying that the BBC is impartial. On the contrary, it is very partial against whoever happens to be the current hate figure of the British and American governments. I haven't, for example, seen much evidence of impartiality concerning its coverage of Iraq. I suggest that anyone who really wants to discover the "smoking gun" of BBC bias should look at how it treats Iraq and the coming war that the American and British governments seem hellbent on waging against that country (Roger Tidy, UK, Jan 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. 60 NEWS JOBS TO GO AT BBC John Plunkett, Saturday January 25, 2003, The Guardian The BBC is to axe 60 jobs in the news operation as part of a cost- cutting drive designed to save £160m. The head of news gathering, Adrian van Klaveren, blamed spiralling costs and "changes in programme requirements and aspirations". Further job losses are expected when the BBC's Ceefax and online news services are merged at the beginning of next year. "Although we cannot guarantee at this stage that there will be no compulsory redundancies within news, we are confident that we will be able to meet the majority of the savings through ... natural wastage," Mr Van Klaveren said in an email to staff. Twenty-six jobs will go within the news gathering department, where Mr Van Klaveren said there would be "significant changes in order to balance the budget and to meet changing editorial requirements". A recruitment freeze has also been imposed across the BBC news department. The redundancies come as the director general, Greg Dyke, seeks to save £160m. News and current affairs programmes had been expected to bear the brunt but the impact will be felt across the BBC. The budget shortfall in the news division is believed to be about £15m. The BBC director of news, Richard Sambrook, wrote to all his department's 3,300 staff at the end of last year inviting them to consider voluntary redundancy (via Mike Terry, Jan 25, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** U K [non]. LASER RADIO, LATVIA 5935: From Laser Radio laserradio@yahoogroups.com Hello all once again. This Sunday on 5935 sees a new media show - featuring product reviews and an interview with Radio Caroline's Peter Moore - and great music from Geoff Rogers and Mary Warner as well as a second chance to hear Stewart Ross' Anorak hour from last week. SCHEDULE (All times UTC/GMT) 15:00 World Bible Radio Network (Relay service) 17:00 Geoff Rogers' music choice 18:00 Mary Warner's musical mayhem 19:00 Anorak Hour, with Stewart Ross (repeat from last week) 20:00 The Media Show - with Julian Clover - featuring Part One of an in-depth interview with Radio Caroline's 'Peter Moore'. 21:00 CLOSEDOWN As always the broadcast (of Laser proper from 1700 UT) will be simulcast via the website and repeated up to 0100 Tuesday morning. It will also be repeated from 1700 (note the new time) the following Saturday. (At the moment, you can hear last week's shows in a loop via the web site) Happy Listening, Geoff Rogers (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** U S A. Beginning January 27 (GMT) VOA will expand Korean broadcasts, adding 1200-1300 on 7235 and 9555 kHz 2100-2130 on 5995 and 7110 kHz. Beginning January 27, VOA's current Hindi broadcasts at 1630-1700 and 1730-1800 GMT will be replaced by a single hour at 1600-1700 GMT, on 6060, 9815 and 11730 kHz (Dan Ferguson, IBB, Jan 26, SWBC via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. Probably the report about the RFE/RL test on 3985 in DXLD 3-013 should be completed: This was Biblis as announced by Kim Elliot in advance. They also tried 3980 with Ukrainian in the evening, noted here in eastern Germany with a strong signal and noticeable quick fading. Last regular 75 metres transmissions from Biblis (and the IBB altogether) took place in 1998 if my records are comprehensive (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WWKB - The rumors are true BUFFALO'S 'KB' RETURNS From 1958 until June 18, 1988, WKBW/Buffalo served 17 states and much of eastern Canada with Top 40 programming and was the home to such notable hosts as Joey Reynolds and Danny Neaverth. On Monday the 50kw Entercom station (currently known as WWKB) will drop its Business Talk format to go Oldies under Hank Nevins, who will serve as PD and host the 3-6pm shift. Neaverth, who joined WKBW in 1963 and worked at the station until its last day as a Top 40, will co-host the morning show with another longtime Buffalo talent: Tom Donahue. Neaverth held similar duties at Citadel's crosstown WHTT (Oldies 104) until spring 2002, when the station declined to renew his contract. Meanwhile, Reynolds' WOR Radio Networks-syndicated talk program will air in the 1-6am slot. The Buffalo News reports that the new WKBW will focus on hits released between 1958-74 and feature many of the original WKBW jingles and old commercials (from radioandrecords.com via Blake W. Lawrence, Jan 23, NRC-AM via DXLD) Also ... http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20030122/1029537.asp NEAVERTH RETURNS TO A NEW WWKB By ANTHONY VIOLANTI, News Staff Reporter, 1/22/2003 KB music radio is back from the dead, and Danny Neaverth is back from a short-lived on-the-air retirement. "I've risen from the dead and so has KB," Neaverth said Tuesday. The spirit, sound and personality of the old WKBW-AM 1520, a Top 40 giant that dominated radio here from the 1950s until the early '80s, will return on Monday when Neaverth signs on at 6 a.m. WWKB (the station is negotiating to use its old call letters of WKBW) will switch from a business/talk format to a "KB classic format" that day. "Don't call it oldies, we don't use that word around here," said Greg Ried, who runs Entercom Radio, which owns KB. The playlist will feature music released from 1958 until 1974. The main attraction will be nostalgia - many of KB's old jingles and commercials will be played. "I guarantee you this will be the only station where you will hear a commercial for Sattler's department store," Ried said with a laugh about the long-ago closed store at 998 Broadway. Neaverth will be joined in the mornings by Tom Donahue. Both of them formerly worked at WHTT-FM 104.1, the city's dominant oldies station. Neaverth, who had been on the air since 1957, left WHTT in a bitter split last spring, when the station declined to renew his contract and also let go of his son and daughter-in-law, Dan Neaverth Jr. and his wife, Pamela. It was at KB where Neaverth built his remarkable career that earned him a place in the Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame. He has also been recognized by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland for his radio accomplishments. Hank Nevins, longtime local air personality, will program the station and also host afternoon drive from 3 until 6 p.m. Joey Reynolds, famed local disc jockey at the former KB, returns with his nationally syndicated all-night talk show from 1 until 6 a.m. But it's Neaverth who will be the centerpiece of the station. "We wouldn't be doing this if Danny wasn't available," Ried said. "We're going to let Danny be Danny," Nevins said. "Who can tell Danny Neaverth how to do a morning show?" Neaverth is not looking at KB as an opportunity for revenge at WHTT. John Hager, who runs WHTT, was unavailable for comment on Tuesday afternoon. "There's no need for revenge," Neaverth said. "I'm just going on the air to do what I always do. I think this can be special because of the history of the old KB. It touched a lot of people who grew up with the station and we want to have some fun." Neaverth believes the station can make money. "They've got nothing to lose," Neaverth said. "Right now, they're at the bottom of the ratings and nobody is listening to it. We can't hurt them, because it can't get any lower. "We can attract a niche audience. We can generate revenue. That's what this business is all about." The return has also inspired Neaverth. "This is rejuvenating," he said. "The best part is the way Entercom and Hank Nevins feel about bringing back the station. It's exciting to be working for people who are excited about radio." Ried agreed. "Radio today has become too sterile and predictable," he said. "We're not in this to find some magic formula and reach some magic ratings number. We want them to go out and have some fun with KB." (via Mark Hattam, UK, ibid.) I'll be rolling tape all day Monday, either from home (where I get a very respectable 1520 signal) or in Buffalo if I can get up that early (and if it's over 15 degrees out, hi!) In addition to Danny and Tom in the morning and Hank in the afternoon, the new 'KB will also feature Your LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEADER, Jackson Armstrong, at night - probably voicetracked from his current home base in North Carolina. In any case, plenty of tape will be available to anyone who wants to hear it... (Scott Fybush, NY, ibid.) As I listen to Jim Rome on WGR-550, I heard a promo for WWKB's return to oldies "coming to an AM radio near you..." The promos seemed to evoke nostalgia for the Buffalo of the early 70's, i.e. the French Connection era of the Buffalo Sabres (line consisting of Gil Perreault, Rick Martin and Rene Robert), and "Two for McAdoo!!" (Van Miller's call of a basket scored by Bob McAdoo of the Buffalo Braves) I will be listening on Monday just out of curiosity. Even though their pattern should go this way, they don't put such a good signal into the Toronto area. Not to mention slop from CHIN-1540. I wonder how they ever gave CHUM serious competition in the late 1950s. 73 (Mike Brooker, Toronto, ON, ibid.) KB1520's website is ready to roll folks ....http://www.kb1520.com will be the main page....but the good stuff is hidden and not directed to the kb150.com main page...yet.. http://www.kb1520.com/main.php --was hidden..hehehe..until now. A guy on the AM Stereo list found it... dunno how he did it... but thought everyone would like to peek (Bob Carter, Operations/Engineering--Max Media Radio Group, ibid.) I'll definitely make time to listen and send a reception report. Let's flood KB with letters of support for the return to the glory days. Looks like the Rockin' Robin on CHWO will have some distant competition! (Bruce Conti - Nashua NH, ibid.) Danny Neaverth (correct spelling this time) will be on the Sandy Beach Show at 3:30 pm Friday. Beach himself is a former KB jock, although he does talk radio now. The station will call itself "Classic KB 1520" The new/old format starts at 6:00 am Monday Jan 27 2003. They are running an ad on WBEN announcing this....in which they say they are taking Buffalo radio back to its glory days....back in time...to a time when "chicken wings were only served one way (sound of a guy screaming) and when Chippewa Street was well... umm... Chippewa Street" (female voice comes on and says seductively "Hello Sailor") Should be an interesting addition to the local radio scene. Beach mentioned at the end of his show today that "KB has 4 listeners right now and that he was confident that within a month Danny Neaverth could double that. :P (Fred Waterer, Jan 23, ODXA via DXLD) ** U S A. 720, WGCR, NC Pisghah Forest, 1/23 2335 [EST] good; dominant at times over WGN and way over CHTN. On emergency facilities because of severe cold weather; giving shelter announcements and offers of rides for people to get to shelters. New (DH-NJ) I'll be on the lookout for this and others, especially at the NC coastline with a foot of snow on the ground, later tonight. The announcer last night said that they would be on the air as long as people wanted them to be, and there was no regular programming, just the announcer giving very specific information about who was willing to give rides, so call this person's cell phone. Ah, small town radio... (David Hochfelder, NJ, NRC-AM Jan 24 via DXLD) ** U S A. Commentary SHEER POLITICAL BRAZENNESS IS SEALING UP AMERICA`S MEDIA FOR A FEW CORPORATE GIANTS It goes without saying to anyone who knows the American political scene that Republicans have historically been all too quick to give away America`s resources to their cronies in big corporate America under the guise of it being for the commonweal. It is happening again, this time through the combined efforts of every branch of Federal government: the legislative, the judiciary, the executive. Think I am being hyperbolic? Read on. Right now the FCC is reviewing public comments on changing its regulations limiting the amount of media any one owner can have in one market. It is looking at its existing limits on the number of television stations, the number of cable systems, the number of radio stations, cross-ownership of newspapers and local radio and television, and cross-ownership of cable systems and local television for any one corporate owner. FCC Chairman Michael Powell, who claims he is not in favor of giving away the house, lock, stock, and key, sure sounds like it. He has railed against the limits in many a purview, to be applauded by the major media conglomerates whose greed is insatiable. Chairman Powell, the son of the famous General Clayton Powell, is obviously a true believer in the Republican Gospel that turning everything over to businessmen will ensure great prosperity for all. I have read in the online trade press, however, that a number of Democrats are also in favor of loosening the media ownership rules. Carrion attracts all kinds of scavengers. The U.S. Catholic Bishops have decried this turning over our children`s assets to a relentlessly greedy bunch whose only concern is the bottom line and the Wall Street media analysts` latest diagnosis on corporate performance. ``Catholic Radio Weekly`` had an interview with a media attorney just recently on this quiet railroading of easement of ownership caps. The members of the Catholic Communications Campaign committee heard a presentation on the same topic by Cheryl A. Leanza, an attorney with the Media Access Project, in their mid- January meeting in Washington. She explained that the Telecommunications Act, which loosened up ownership restrictions --- up until then, no one could own two radio or television stations in the same town --- as requiring the FCC`s biennial review of media ownership. That is what the FCC is doing. But unfortunately, this comes in the wake of two judicial decisions in which a Federal Court has ruled the FCC`s restrictions as an infringement on the rights of corporate interests, and remanded the matter to the FCC, throwing out its ``arbitrary`` limits and demanding the FCC come up with justifiable limits. One example of a rule found illegal: the FCC would not permit one conglomerate to own several radio stations in a market unless these did not command more than (I think) 35% of the listenership. One expects better things of the courts. They are, especially the Federal Courts, to protect the interests of the American public. How the FCC can argue that, say half of the listeners in a market should not be commanded by one single owner and justify that to the court`s satisfaction, and not the present 35%, or for that matter, any percentage, escapes me. So, we have an ownership regulation review mandated by the legislative branch, Congress, to the FCC, part of the executive branch, and remands by the courts (judicial branch) to the FCC. On top of this, President George W. Bush has said that he is in favor of changing ownership restrictions. In face of this mounted assault by elected officials and the courts on the public electromagnetic radio spectrum, can the American citizen have any hope that the public`s interests will be protected in all this? Recently, the president of Clear Channel Communications, I believe it was, argued that megaconglomerate ownership wasn`t so bad, although he did not call it that, of course; he said that the top five media companies controlled only 10% of the radio stations in the country. Only. What he didn`t say was that that 10% comprises almost every single AM and FM station with any decent signal in the top 100 markets. Recently an Afro-American company running two black formatted stations in the Dayton market threw in the towel because it could not compete against the other stations in the market, all owned by media conglomerates. These were able to offer special discounts, ad rates, and ad packages that locally owned stations could not match. Congressman Billy Tauzin, the marvel from Louisiana, who is pushing digital television down the throats of the public whether they want it or not so that the administration can auction off more UHF television channels to wireless providers, had the effrontery to tell the National Association of Television Programming Executives (NATPE) Convention this past week that restrictions on the number of stations one owner could own was a blow against freedom of the speech! Really? Shutting out minority and local owners who cannot compete even if they could meet the astronomical prices of radio stations, prices driven up by the insatiable demands of the conglomerates, is promoting freedom of speech? The president of NATPE had just given a keynote address in which he attacked the loosening of restrictions on ownership because it would reduce the number of purchasers of independently produced programs and thus put producers, writers, and artists at the mercy of a handful of conglomerates. Mr. Tauzin ignored all this and declaimed for the free speech rights of the very conglomerates that the NATPE president was warning about! This kind of double-talk and double-think seems unimaginable in a free society, but that is the kind of political stuff the poor people of Louisiana are used to from their politicians. The nation`s citizens are getting their first dose of it. Mr. Tauzin, you recall, is chairman of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee. It was pointed out by Miss Leanza and the lawyer on ``Catholic Radio Weekly`` that there has been nothing of this in the media. Well, very little. William Safire, writing in the New York Times, by which he is employed, even joked about the fact that he was heroically attacking the media conglomerates, of which his own Times is one. Mr. Safire quoted USA Today, published by Gannett, another conglomerate that had the honesty to report what the others were ignoring: The top five conglomerates take in 55% of all revenue in local radio. The number of radio station owners has dropped by a third. ``The truth is,`` Mr. Safire concluded, ``that media mergers have narrowed the range of information and entertainment available to people of all ideologies.`` It was FCC Commissioner Michael Copps who, failing to get Chairman Powell to assent to holding public hearings on media ownership, decided to hold them on his own. The first was in New York, and the FCC got an earful. Study after study showed that the amount of serious news had declined, that the fluff was up; that the question of media ownership limits had gotten almost no mention on the major networks and in major press --- this from the media that pride themselves on serving ``the public`s right to know`` by reporting the today`s major issues and their impacts, and then fostering national debate. I rode in a Washington cab listening to the live broadcast of these hearings over Pacifica`s WPFW; the statements of the public were discouraging, to say the least. News coverage, serious programming, a wide range of music formats, offerings, and individual songs were found by analysis to be in short supply or non-existent. In addition, musicians and record labels complain that tight lists make it impossible for many artists, particularly new ones, to get a hearing. (He was an impressive taxi driver to be interested in such matters.) Mr. Safire quotes Mr. Powell as frequently saying, ``the market is my religion.`` Mr. Tauzin sees ownership caps as restricting the freedom of speech of his conglomerate friends, the executives of which he is fond of taking out on his boat to go deepsea fishing or of inviting to his big parties and Louisiana-style suppers. (Asked by a reporter if this was not a conflict of interest, since Mr. Tauzin`s committee ultimately regulates the media, one of the congressman`s loyal retainers replied, ``They don`t have to come. If they refuse, there are a lot others who will accept.``) The court wants proof that there is basis to FCC regulations. The poor man`s calf is ready for butchering. We shall see a day in which all our important media are controlled by a handful of international media outfits. Programming will be even more restricted to the least-common denominator; news will be geared to ``the useful,`` that is, endless health study reports, entertainment world news, and fluff. Journalists who revolt will find themselves on the street, unsuccessfully looking for a job where a few control all. Musicians will have to resort to other means to have their music known. Up until now, we have thought the greatest threat to our cherished liberty of speech and free access of information would be tyrannical governments! (Michael Dorner, editor, Catholic Radio Update Jan 27 via DXLD) ** U S A. FCC FORCES PIRATE RADIO STATION OFF AIR After serving as a forum for Austin bands for 11 months, threats of fines cause KAOS to sign off By Katherine Pace (Daily Texan Staff) January 24, 2003 http://www.dailytexanonline.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/01/24/3e30fae8d8580 Over two years ago, an Austin music lover, dissatisfied with mainstream radio, decided to learn the ins and outs of radio broadcasting. A year ago, after fund-raising parties, equipment purchasing and the installation of a 50-foot antenna atop a house roof, KAOS began its 11 months of broadcasting. The end came Dec. 16 after the station received a letter from the Federal Communications Com-mission threatening its producers with "monetary fines, in rem action against the offending radio equipment, and criminal sanctions including imprisonment" if they continued to broadcast without a license. Before it was forced off the air, KAOS, on 95.9 FM, broadcast 12 hours a day, seven days a week. Primarily a punk rock station, its music ranged from classical to hip-hop and offered Austin bands airspace they could not get from mainstream radio stations, said former KAOS DJ's. "There's never been a radio in Austin that's done what we've done at KAOS," said a DJ who asked to be referred to as Colonel House. "It's a severe loss to people that KAOS is gone." The stations DJ's, who aired shows including The Way Shit Is, the Best I Can Tell, Saturday Night Drunk Club, and Wet Salad Show, played the music because they loved it and not because they though it would sell, said another DJ, who called himself Chicken. "The point was to get away from the shit that's on other stations," Chicken said. The station was a product of demand created by dissatisfaction with mainstream radio, House said. "Once we got on the air, people came flocking, too many people," he said. DJ James C. Smooth was part of the flock. He and his friend broadcast what he called a "hippie show" of music by the Grateful Dead, Phish and other jam bands before moving on to old country and bluegrass music. "Once I did my first show, I was pretty much hooked, just being able to play the kind of music I and a lot of my friends wanted to hear," Smooth said. Chuck Doiron, drummer for the Krum Bums, a local Austin punk band, said KAOS was the only radio station to give his band air time. "Everybody got to hear some good old punk that doesn't get played," said Doiron, whose band has been together for about three years. Pirate radio stations like KAOS are essential to breaking the corporate radio monopoly created by FCC regulations, said Trey Smith, a radio-television-film senior who works with KVRX. "Pirate radio's amazing," Smith said. "It's vital that it exists because FCC regulations are biased against small-scheme radio stations. The very founding purpose of micro radio is to diversify in whatever way possible, and KAOS did that." Pirate radio exists more often than not for a communal purpose, Smith said. KAOS radio started out to serve a community of hard-core punk kids. Unfortunately, he said, these communities are not recognized by the FCC as deserving of a communal radio station. And without an FCC license, radio stations are forbidden to broadcast over a large radius. "For a station that had such a small radius, [KAOS] was really well- known," Smith said. "That dooms any pirate radio station." Jason Kane, regional vice president of programming for Clear Channel Communications, agreed FCC regulations have created an environment where large companies like Clear Channel, which owns six Austin radio stations and more than 900 stations nationwide, can be formed. However, he said he sees the situation as a positive one. "Consolidation has actually created more diversity because we are called on to give each of our radio stations a unique identity," Kane said. FCC regulations and its licensing process are essential to keep airwaves organized, Kane said. "Fundamentally, any society that is going to organize electronic media in some way needs an arbitrating body," Kane said. "If the FCC is not vigorous in cutting down pirate radios in today's environment, we will have anarchy." Pirate radio is a movement by people who simply do not want to play by the rules, Kane said. "What we're really talking about is that people in the movement have a socialist agenda. They are anti-corporate. That's way beyond radio and broadcasting," Kane said. "If these people are so concerned about diversity, they should go through the process." But the process is not so easy, said Jim Reese, chief engineer for Clear Channel Communications. FCC rules include a third-adjacent channel rule, which specifies distances allowed between radio stations. These distances are regulated up to differences of three frequencies, Reese said. The rule was created years ago when the quality of receivers was not good. With today's improved receivers, a large number of people think a second- adjacent rule would be sufficient. Petitions filed with the FCC to change the rules were rejected due to pressure from the National Association of Broadcasters, a powerful air-industry lobby group, because it would put more radio stations on the air, Reese said. "Technically, there is no reason why it wouldn't work," Reese said. KAOS operated only second adjacent to 95.5 FM without interfering, said Beer Princess, a person associated with the station. Instead, KAOS and other pirate stations are being shut down because they take audiences from mainstream radio. "We're taking away their audience because we're better than them," House said. Until the rules are changed, the FCC will not grant any new licenses in Austin, Reese said. Currently, the FCC is not licensing new stations anywhere in the country because, according to the FCC Web site, it is rewriting its licensing rules. The FCC did not return calls regarding its policies. Reese said he did not support total deregulation of the airwaves due to the need for a technically-sound operation, but many pirate radio broadcasters are technologically savvy. Until FCC regulations change, pirate radio will continue to flourish, Beer Princess said. "Once technology is available to people, they are going to use it no matter what legal pressure is applied against them." (via Brock Whaley for DXLD) ** U S A. LowFER beacon NWNJ is enjoying very low tree losses on its signal right now. The antenna current has doubled since Fall because the cold, dry weather is reducing the RF absorption from the hardwood forest here. NWNJ will be on-the-air from Friday (now) until about 10 PM-EST on Monday night. It will be sending CW at about 10 wpm. Its frequency has been running about 6 or 7 Hz higher than its listed 189.650 KHz due to the cold (TX is outside). All reception reports will be greatly appreciated and QSLed, if an address is provided. Thank you (Posted by John Bogath on January 24, 2003 at 17:30:06, LWCA via Mike Terry, Jan 26, DXLD) ** YEMEN. 9779.6, 0350-, Yemen Radio and TV, Sana'a, Jan 25. Fairly good reception with Arabic programming by man and woman. Probably a radio play. Frequency is from memory, as I lost an evening's worth of loggings when my computer crashed. Something to be said about written logs! (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. MADAGASCAR 7120, 0330-, Radio VOP, Jan 25. Transmitter problems tonight with breaks. Unfortunately too weak to hear the program. Did hear the usual sign-on tune, but not exactly at 0330 as is the usual. Not the 5-5-5 signal heard on the beach on Maui at sunset!!! (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 5500: I think this might be a reactivated transmitter from Mekele in Ethiopia. It has been popping on with open carrier at the same times // 6360 [sic] comes on, but that`s all it does, open carrier. Need more work. 6350 was heard signing on at 0400 UT Sun with Voice of Tigray Revolution, usual cool IS and echo ID (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 27795 ? Was looking for Irish church stations this morning and found an American one instead. 1340 nice signal in the middle of his sermon and lost after about 5 minutes. It would be 8:40 AM in the Eastern time zone; that's my guess as to where this guy is (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DRM +++ The announced tests from Sveiø 2000-2300 on 6175 this week did not take place. If they really do it next week they will effectively kill Deutsche Welle in English to Europe 2000-2045 on 6180 from Sines, just to mention the most prominent victim. One guy already commented he would really like to read the faxes they will receive. Best regards, (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) CONTEST +++++++ VACATION BCL CONTEST 2003 Rules of new Vacation BCL contest 2003 http://swlcontest.homestead.com Thank you (Frank Parisot, France, DX LISTENING DIGEST) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ Flare activity remained very quiet until Jan 21; since that time there have been a few M class flares recorded. Coronal hole activity is causing depressed MUFs from Jan 23-25 with the solar wind speed elevated and mildly southward, southern region MUFs are being depressed by up to 20%. Similar conditions were experienced from Jan 18-20 due to another coronal hole. With all this equatorial MUFs have generally been mildly enhanced. Shortwave Fadeouts and flares remain possible for the first part of the coming week, together with continued coronal hole effects for the next couple of days and again Jan 30-31. Prepared using data from http://www.ips.gov.au (Richard Jary, Jan 25, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) TRANS-EQUATORIAL FM DX Últimas escutas realizadas em FM (escutas realizadas em Jaraguá do Sul/SC com receptor SONY ICF-SW7600G e antena telescópica do próprio receptor): 95.10 The Best Mix FM Trinidad and Tobago 22.01.03 02:03 mx, "Heaven" 97.3 Radio Saint Lucia Santa Lúcia 26.01.03 02:17 mx, "I'm alive", Celine Dion 100.1 Sun FM Antigua and Barbuda 02:34 mx estilo country (Márcio Roberto Polheim da Silva, Jaraguá do Sul/SC, Brasil, radioescutas via DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-014, January 24, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser, ghauser@hotmail.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 HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldta03.html For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid2.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 NEXT AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1166: WWCR: Sat 0700, Sun 0330 5070, 0730 3210, Wed 1030 9475 RFPI: Sat 0730, 1330, 1800, Sun 0000, 0600, 1200, 1830, Mon 0030, 0630, 1230, Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on 15039 and/or 7445 WBCQ: Mon 0545 7415 WJIE: M-F 1300 on 7490... WRN: Rest of world Sat 0900; Eu only Sun 0530; NAm Sun 1500 WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1166.html WORLD OF RADIO ON WMQM, 1600, 50 kW, MEMPHIS TN: Saturdays 10:30 am CST = 1630 UT (Adam Lock, WMQM) [week delay] ** AFGHANISTAN. SUPREME COURT ISSUES BAN ON CABLE TV The chief justice of the Afghan Supreme Court, Mawlavi Fazl Hadi Shinwari, banned five fledgling cable television networks in Kabul this week on grounds that some of the foreign programming being shown was un-Islamic. Shinwari has also refused to consider an appeal against an earlier ban he imposed on a cable network in Jalalabad. Shinwari told RFE/RL that there is no political reason behind his recent decrees and that he is not being pressured by any political or religious factions. He denied that he is trying to return Afghanistan to an era of restrictive interpretations of Islamic law such as those that existed under the Taliban regime. The chief justice said he is ready to resign if the Afghan people reject his decrees on what constitutes a violation of Islamic law. And he insisted that the partial nudity in foreign programs shown by Afghan cable do, indeed, violate Islamic law and traditional Afghan values. Shinwari said he is not concerned that his support for the decree could lead to cutbacks in Western aid disbursements, adding that he would resign if the edicts are rejected. The edicts may face just such a test in the near future, as Afghanistan's deputy chief justice, Fazel Ahmad Manawi, said Islamic scholars of Afghanistan should decide whether the ban is valid or not. ("Afghanistan: Ban On Cable TV Seen As Symptom Of Power Struggle," rferl.org, 24 January via RFE/RL Media Matters Jan 24 via DXLD) We keep seeing stories like this evidencing resurgence of Taleban Thought; for this we bothered? (gh, USA, DXLD) ** ALASKA. José Luis López informa sobre el esquema de la KNLS válido desde el 26 Enero: En inglés a las 08 y a las 13 por los 11.765 kHz, mientras que en 9.615 kHz, emite en ruso a las 09 y a las 11 y en mandarín a las 10, a las 12 y de 14 a 16 (Gabriel Iván Barrera, RN Radio-Enlace Jan 24 via DXLD) Ah, yes, KNLS` weird and frequent schedule change dates: from Jan 26 back on 11765 for both English broadcasts. Spring is on the way (gh) ** AUSTRALIA. A failure of an aerial at the RA Shepparton transmitters will mean that RA's English Language Service and the Chinese Service carried on 9475 kHz (1100-1900 UT) and 9500 kHz (1900-2130 UT) will be operating at reduced efficiency until further notice. The aerial which beams these programs on 329 degrees has a broken element and cannot be used safely. The temporary use of a rhombic antenna, on a bearing of 353 degrees, is the only alternative to suspending the broadcasts altogether. As advised by Radio Australia (John Figliozzi, NY, Jan 24, EDXP via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. Glenn, HCJB-Australia was assigned the site indicator of "KNX" for Kununurra many months ago, for official frequency management purposes. "HCA" was allocated as the "admin" and "org" abbreviations. HCA advised Jan-24 that a frequency move from 11755 is urgently being sought 0700-1200, to avoid Pori co-channel. Reception in NZ is reported to be very poor. Here in Melbourne, it's virtually unusable, in the 0700-0930 period. I am in contact with HCA's Freq Manager and I will pass on any further news. Regards, (Bob Padula, Victoria, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 25 Jan '03 Dear All, I just heard in HCJB DX Partyline today that the startup for HCJB-Australia broadcasts to India on 15480 has been further delayed till the 2nd of Feb due to damage to the antenna. Regds, (Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AZERBAIJAN. What I assume Wolfy lists as the Assyrian Dem. Movement was heard on 9155.0 at 1725, but is not on air at 1800 re-check (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Jan 18 via DXLD) Checked Ashur Radio too, V. of Assyrians ZOWAA at same time today, seems on air approx. 1600-1758 UT, but surprisingly measured on EVEN channel 9155.00 kHz, and only S=2-3, so it could be Azerbaijan site. Reminds me of George Jacobs activities via AZE in 1994-1996 ??? (Wolfgang Bueschel, Jan 18, BC-DX via DXLD) ** BHUTAN. Hi Glenn, I can confirm, Bhutan Broadcasting Service from Thimpu was well received here in SW Finland on 6035 kHz with s/on 01 UT this morning. Fortunately AWR via Abu Dhabi in EE on co-channel frequency just closed down. Bhutan carrier noted 0055. SIO 333 for BBS Thimpu 01 UT with quite heavy splashes from both sides. For some reason beautiful music came a lot stronger than the female announcer. I guess the language was Dzongha. Maybe I`m wrong. Definitely it was BBS Thimpu. Tnx Vlad Titarev for this tip! 73´s (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku FINLAND, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This ought to be possible in North America, but I don`t recall any reports of it --- too much QRM, I suppose; and it`s UT M-F only (gh) ** COLOMBIA. ELN: PERIODISTAS RETENIDOS Viernes, 24 de enero de 2003 - 05:29 GMT http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/spanish/latin_america/newsid_2690000/2690025.stm El Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) de Colombia reconoció tener retenidos a dos periodistas que colaboran con el diario estadounidense Los Angeles Times. Durante una transmisión clandestina por radio, el grupo rebelde señaló que la periodista estadounidense de origen británico Ruth Morris y el fotógrafo estadounidense Scott Dalton están cautivos desde el martes. En Estados Unidos, el periódico indicó que ambos se encontraban gestionando una entrevista, lo cual fue desmentido por el grupo guerrillero. Según se informó, ambos reporteros fueron capturados por un comando del ELN en una zona cercana a Arauca, situada a 450 kilómetros al noreste de la capital, Bogotá. En la emisión de radio, el ELN precisó que los periodistas serán dejados en libertad en su debido momento y se comprometieron a garantizar sus vidas. Por otra parte el grupo rebelde expresó en un comunicado que Arauca es una zona de guerra declarada por parte del gobierno estadounidense y el Estado colombiano (BBC Mundo.com via Henrik Klemetz, DXLD) ELN station not named above, but is named in El Tiempo report: COLOMBIA --- ELTIEMPO.COM - CONFLICTO ARMADO 5:10 p.m. EJÉRCITO DE LIBERACIÓN NACIONAL (ELN) RECONOCE QUE SECUESTRÓ A PERIODISTAS DE LOS ANGELES TIMES EN ARAUCA Se trata del fotógrafo estadounidense Scott Dalton y la reportera británica Ruth Morris. Los "periodistas, sí, se encuentran en nuestro poder, pero en ningún momento venían a sostener una entrevista con los mandos del Frente Domingo Laín o el Frente de Guerra Oriental, dichos señores ingresaron sin permiso del Ejercito de Liberación Nacional a la zona y por tal motivo, en un retén de control y registro del Ejercito de Liberación Nacional, fueron retenidos'', dijo el grupo insurgente en un comunicado. La reportera británica, criada en Estados Unidos, Ruth Morris y el fotógrafo estadounidense Scott Dalton estaban realizando un reportaje en el departamento de Arauca, cuando el martes en la mañana se toparon con un retén de guerrilleros a la altura de la localidad de Corocito. Una vez allí fueron internados en las montañas cercanas con los ojos vendados. En principio se les dijo que se les entregaría un mensaje para la prensa internacional. Posteriormente, el Ejército desvirtuó la versión del secustro, tras señalar que se esperaba el retorno de los dos comunicadores el miércoles en la noche. El Eln, la segunda guerrilla del país, sostuvo que los periodistas "en su debido momento se dejarán en libertad cuando las condiciones políticas y militares así lo ameriten". Además, en el mensaje emitido por la estación de radio clandestina 'La Voz de la Liberación' afirmaron estar "dispuestos a garantizarles la vida y seguridad a estos periodistas". El Eln considera que el departamento de Arauca, donde fueron secuestrados los periodistas, "es una zona declarada de guerra por parte del gobierno norteamericano y el Estado colombiano". Mientras el presidente Alvaro Uribe otorgó más poderes a los militares en tres municipios para frenar la presencia de la guerrilla ahí, recientemente llegaron unos 70 instructores militares de Estados Unidos que entrenarán a tropas locales en la protección de un oleoducto. Según el conductor del taxi que llevaba a Morris y Dalton, Madiel Ariza, los rebeldes que los detuvieron en retén, les "dijeron que los necesitaban para una entrevista para mandar a la prensa internacional", pedido al cual los periodistas accedieron. Ariza dijo que él y los periodistas se internaron en las montañas donde pasaron en la noche del martes en compañía de los guerrilleros. Esa noche fue la última vez que los vio, ya que fueron separados a la hora de dormir por un problema de espacio. La mañana del miércoles, un rebelde le indicó a Ariza que partiera sin los periodistas, ya que ellos seguían conversando con los comandantes. "A las 12 del día a mi dijeron que me viniera porque ellos se los entregaban al (Comité) Cruz Roja Internacional directamente", sostuvo Ariza. Precisó que en "en ningún momento los trataron mal", aunque reconoció que les cubrieron la vista al llevarlos al lugar del encuentro por razones de seguridad. Con AP (Via Henrik Klemetz, DXLD) COLOMBIA REBELS: WE KIDNAPPED JOURNALISTS http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35246-2003Jan23.html By Andrew Selsky Associated Press Writer Thursday, January 23, 2003; 9:30 PM BOGOTÁ, Colombia –– An American photographer and a British reporter on assignment for the Los Ángeles Times have been kidnapped by Colombian rebels, the first foreign journalists to be abducted in recent memory in the country's long war. Scott Dalton, a native of Conroe, Texas; and Ruth Morris, a British national, have been "retained" by the National Liberation Army, or ELN, the guerrilla group said in a statement Thursday on a clandestine rebel radio station. The kidnappings come just days after three other Westerners were reported missing and believed taken by a Colombian paramilitary group in Panama, just north of the Colombian border. Robert Pelton, Megan Smaker and Mark Wedeven were reportedly seized by the right-wing United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia. Pelton gained worldwide attention with an interview of American Taliban suspect John Walker Lindh while covering the war in Afghanistan for CNN. Dalton and Morris had been intercepted Tuesday at a rebel roadblock in Arauca state, one of the most violent regions of Colombia. They were led away from their taxi with hoods on their heads, but had been told they were being taken for an encounter with a rebel commander, their driver, Madiel Ariza, told The Associated Press. Ariza said the rebels told him to leave their encampment the following day, and that the ELN would turn over the journalists to the Red Cross within a day or two. But the ELN statement said the journalists were being held. "In due time, they will be freed, when the political and military conditions permit," the statement said. The Los Angeles Times said the pair were working for the newspaper. "The situation is very fluid, and our primary concern is for Ruth and Scott's safety," the paper said in a statement. The kidnapping comes as the United States is beefing up military aid to the Colombian government, which has been battling the ELN and a larger rebel group for 38 years. Last week, dozens of U.S. special forces trainers arrived in Arauca to train Colombian troops to battle the guerrillas. The Colombian soldiers will be tasked with protecting an oil pipeline in Arauca that has been sabotaged by the rebels numerous times. The kidnapping occurred on a road south of the Colombian town of Saravena, 205 miles northeast of Bogota. Several dozen of the U.S. special forces are to be stationed at an army base in Saravena, located near the Venezuelan border. The ELN statement said the two journalists had arrived in the guerrilla stronghold without their permission. "You must take into account that Arauca state has been declared a war zone by the American government and the Colombian state," the rebel statement said. "For that reason, the National Liberation Army is on a war footing and is (acting) in the defense of the dignity of all the people of eastern Colombia." The ELN said they were "prepared to guarantee the lives and security of these journalists," and did not issue any demands for their release. The U.S. Embassy in Bogota said it was following the situation. "We are concerned about the individuals who have been reported missing," an embassy spokesman said. "We continue to monitor the situation closely with the Colombian government and State Department in Washington to obtain the most accurate information." Both Dalton and Morris live in Bogota, the Colombian capital. Dalton, 34, is a freelance photographer. He had been a photographer for the AP for about nine years, based in Panama, Guatemala and then Colombia, until the summer of 2002. He left to pursue video projects while freelancing for Bloomberg News, The New York Times, The Miami Herald and other media. Morris has written articles as a freelancer for the Los Angeles Times, Time magazine, the Sun-Sentinel in south Florida and other publications. She previously was a staff writer for Dow Jones Newswires in Bogota. The kidnapping came as a delegation of the Inter American Press Association was visiting Colombia to urge the government of President Alvaro Uribe to protect journalists operating in this South American country and punish those who kill and kidnap them. Colombia is one of the most dangerous countries to work in, but local journalists have been the ones usually targeted. Nonetheless, foreign journalists working in Colombia could be targeted at any time, warned Jack Fuller, president of Tribune Publishing Co., who was in the delegation. "We have to believe that if Colombian journalists are murdered with impunity, it raises the risk to all journalists who are here," Fuller told the AP on Wednesday. The Tribune Publishing Co. owns the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune. Pelton, a 47-year-old freelance journalist, is also the author of "The World's Most Dangerous Places," a guide book to the world's conflict zones. Smaker and Wedeven are Pelton's traveling companions. The Colombian Red Cross said it was in contact with the paramilitary group for a handover of the three travelers (© 2003 The Associated Press, Washington Post, via Henrik Klemetz, DXLD) ** CYPRUS TURKISH. Radio Bayrak International on 6153 at 0620-0900 UT. In English with music and IDs such as "This is R. Bayrak International, Northern Republic of Cyprus, Lefkosa. SIO 322. Heard on my Grundig Y. Boy R. Normally the frequency is 6155, modulation is not good and some times ORF Austria is on preventing us from hearing R Bayrak and then later in the afternoon R SNG is on the air using 6150. Today no news bulletin was aired, I wonder why (Costa Constantinides, Cyprus non-Turkish, BC-DX Jan 17 via DXLD) ** GERMANY. I am perplexed by DW's move to abandon several hundred weekly HF frequency-hours of English output to Australia, NZ and Americas, considering its strong support to introduce DRM transmissions mid-2003. DRM are HF services! Here in Australia, DW English programming is broadcast over the ABC's Newsradio for 10hrs 15mins weekly. Schedule includes one hour daily Mo-Fr, from 3 to 4 am Australian Eastern Summer Time, 4.30-5.00 am Sundays, and 8.15-8.30 am Sats. There's also 30 mins noon until 12.30 pm on Tu-Sa. Not really sure whether those timings would attract a regular audience! Newsradio has limited coverage, mainly in the capital cities on MW plus FM in Darwin and the Gold Coast. Alternatively, after March 29, I would be limited to RealAudio, costing me 20 cents per MB over a dial-up connection, but I think I will pass on that as the car is not so equipped! I will now need to get a DRM-fix as that seems to be where the future HF action will be... (Not really - will spend my time and money on better things, like watching the Australian Football League - gee, the pre-season Cup starts in two weeks!) Regards (Bob Padula, Victoria, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. We took the North American Mailbag off the air simply because we did not receive enough correspondence to fill the programme. Not because we had no interest in broadcasting to your part of the world. This decision had nothing to do with the present decision. If you would like to be informed about the facelift the English Service of Deutsche Welle (DW) will be experiencing with the start of summer time on 30th March 2003, just send an e-mail to: margot.forbes@dw-world.de - referring to: A Facelift for Radio Broadcasts in English and I will be pleased to send you the relevant information. I would also just like to add that our Distribution Department will be putting some information together about rebroadcasters and the times and details of DW programmes they will be featuring. I have your details on record and will send off further information as and when it becomes available. Regards, Margot Forbes DEUTSCHE WELLE (via Dean Bonanno, DXLD) We have received numerous copies of this form letter, altho with some variations, such as in this one about the Mailbag show. And now, a reply to her (gh, DXLD) Dear Ms Forbes, Many thanks for the letter of explanation regarding the imminent changes in English language programming on the Deutsche Welle. I am really puzzled by the use of the term "Facelift" because your English programs have been and are still very attractive and do NOT need a "facelift" but that's just a side issue. More importantly the matter of relying on local stations to replace daily English broadcasts from DW Radio should be closely examined. Our local Public Radio broadcaster, WUIS, Springfield, ILL has DW's "Inside Europe" at 6 AM on Saturday, not exactly a prime time slot! I seriously doubt whether WUIS will ever carry DW Programming during the morning or evening news slots when NPR is scheduled, so listeners to DW will NOT likely hear much from DW on local FM. You are making the same mistake which the BBC made, assuming that there are enough American public broadcasters who will carry your programs during prime or near-prime hours. Many areas in the USA don't even have local Public Radio outlets. That's why people still listen to SHORTWAVE. Luckily my fluent German will allow me to tune in to your programs in that language, but I feel sorry for those listeners who will lose your English programs on shortwave. Cordially, (Martin Gallas, Jacksonville, IL, to DW, cc to DX LISTENING DIGEST) DW is one of those who have privatized their transmission facilities. It happened indirectly -- Deutsche Telekom took them over several years back, and now Deutsche Telekom is all (or mostly) private...and in tough financial shape. Transmission fees now represent real, arms' length business transactions. Wry comment: T-Mobile, the wireless subsidiary of DT, uses "Get More" as its slogan (sultrily uttered by Ms. Zeta-Jones). In North America, we're "Getting Less"...of DW (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA, swprograms via DXLD) Digital shortwave will be half that cost at least because stations can use lower power and probably fewer frequencies. I don't know the cost arrangements involved in being on WRN, but I would venture a guess that it's a lot lower than the cost of pumping all those electrons into the air. I agree that $700,000 a year doesn't sound like a big nut, but the real question is not the figure itself but the figure relative to what? Also, I haven't seen any research on this, but just from observing the clientele at each SWL Winterfest I would guess that the average profile of an SWL is decidedly male, roughly 40-50 years of age (if not higher) with an income level somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. Now, I ask you: how many radio and TV stations in the US do you see targeting this profile??? |g| Sad but true (John Figliozzi, NY, ibid.) ** INDIA. India is celebrating its Republic Day on Sunday January 26, 2003. The running commentary of the parade in Delhi will be carried by all stations of AIR at 0350-0645 UT on that say. Here are details of additional transmissions then. Hindi Commentary: 11900 (plus 6155 9595 11620 normally used for Urdu service at that time and 15770 used for other External services to Middle then) English Commentary: 7140, 9910, 15020, 15050 (Bangalore). (Note: 7140 is scheduled via Hyderabad and Delhi simultaneously!?) External service in Hindi at 0315-0415 on 13695 will not be there on that day. With Republic Day Greetings, ===== 73 (Jose Jacob, dx_india via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL INTERNET. JUMPTV.COM DEFIANT IN FACE OF CANADIAN WEB BROADCAST 23/01/2003 Editor: David Minto New laws in Canada outlawing unauthorised internet video retransmissions of TV programming that originates in the US have been swept defiantly aside by Canadian webcaster JumpTV.com. Canada`s broadcast watchdog, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), sided on Fiday with North American broadcasters, closing a `loophole` in Canadian law that would have allowed internet broadcasters to screen US TV shows without the permission of US networks. The loophole depended upon only Canadians viewing the broadcast shows, but the commission ruled that it could not be ensured that internet transmissions were so contained. Montreal-based JumpTV.com, however, has said it had abandoned any plans to bend Canadian TV programming retransmission rules in such a way last year. Instead the webcaster is concentrating on delivering a foreign channel service. Around 20 foreign channels are currently transmitted by the service and include broadcasts from Europe, Asia and South and Central America. CEO Farrell Miller believes he is tapping into a lucrative international market with subscribers paying up to E10 (USD10) a month for each foreign language signal. 80 percent of subscribers currently reside in the US, many of whom belong to large expatriate communities based there. Article location: http://www.europemedia.net/shownews.asp?ArticleID=14562 (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. SATELLITE RADIO REPLACES AM, FM Two services offer car drivers the luxury of listening to the radio without commercials --- By Eric A. Taub, NEW YORK TIMES Jan 5 When Michael Scantlen purchased a Sirius satellite radio system for his car, he had to buy not only the equipment but extra gasoline as well. "The first week I got Sirius, I used up an extra half-tank of gas because I didn't want to stop listening to the programming," said Scantlen, 47, an electrical engineer in Agawam, Mass. "I haven't listened to regular radio since I bought it." Comments like Scantlen's must come as relief to Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio, the two companies in the business of supplying an alternative to conventional AM and FM broadcast radio. Both have spent billions of dollars on satellites, transmission equipment, studios and programmers (and seen their stock prices plummet in the process) to create all-digital radio networks. Think satellite or cable television without pictures, and you will understand the digital satellite radio concept. Both Sirius and XM offer 100 channels of static-free radio reception in the car or at home, scores of unique and proprietary channels coast to coast, and excellent sound, no matter whether you are driving through Manhattan or the Arizona desert. Like satellite or cable television, satellite radio requires you to sign up as a subscriber (usually through a car audio dealer) and pay a monthly fee: $12.95 for Sirius, $9.99 for XM (Sirius offers discounts for long-term subscriptions). You also need to buy new equipment. Replacement receivers are available for cars (they also receive AM and FM broadcasts and come with the typical options like CD and tape players), as are adapter kits that work with existing audio systems, feeding the signal through the cassette player or over an unused FM frequency. Starting with the 2003 model year, many auto manufacturers are including satellite radios with certain cars. For the home, receivers are available that connect to stereo systems, usually through an auxiliary input. Sirius and XM use somewhat different satellite technology. Three Sirius satellites orbit the earth in a figure-eight pattern, with two of the three always over the United States. To ensure uninterrupted programming, all three transmit the same signal, but with a four- second delay between any two satellites. This allows a memory buffer in the receiver to smooth over any loss-of-signal problems. XM's network consists of two geostationary satellites hovering over the United States -- one over the East Coast, the other over the West -- that also employ a delay-and-buffer system. A small roof- or window-mounted car antenna picks up the signal. Since the radio signals travel by line of sight, both companies have also created a network of ground-based repeater stations to ensure that the signals can be picked up in the shadow of a mountain, in the steel canyons of New York or in other areas where the transmissions might be blocked. Similar services The similarity of the two services' programming outweighs their differences. Both have created extensive digital studios for live broadcasts and original performances. Both offer at least 60 channels of music plus 30 or more channels of news, talk, variety and sports; an uncensored comedy channel; children's programming; radio dramas; and news from the BBC, CNBC, CNN, C-Span and Fox News, among others. Fans of National Public Radio's signature news magazine programs, "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered," won't find them on either service, although Sirius does offer NPR talk and variety shows. "Our news programs are staples of public radio, and it's important to keep them exclusive to our stations," said an NPR spokeswoman. Sirius hopes that will change. "Stay tuned," said Jay Clark, the company's vice president for programming. "We're having discussions with NPR about that." One difference between the services is in their policies on commercials. All of Sirius' 60 music channels are commercial free. XM runs ads on half its 70 music channels but pledges that it will never program more than six minutes per hour of commercial spots, which is one-third the amount found on standard commercial broadcast radio. Both companies emphasize the abundance of offerings to encourage listeners to surf the dial. Beatles fans listening to the group's songs on one channel might be directed to another channel to hear an interview with Paul McCartney. People who like one type of music may be advised that a similar group is playing on another channel. In that way, the companies hope to build loyalty to the service, not just one channel. Both companies offer a wide range of specialty music genres. Jazz and blues fans have a choice of seven channels on XM, and eight on Sirius. XM has separate channels playing the hits of each decade from the 1940s to the 1990s, while Sirius offers four similarly themed channels. XM and Sirius both classify 11 of their channels as rock- oriented, and both break down the genre into channels playing classic, heavy, album, alternative, soft and mainstream rock. Free samples Listening to the offerings is the best way to decide which service is most appealing. Customers can sample both services free at the companies' Web sites -- siriusradio.com and xmradio.com. XM offers a three-hour loop of each music channel, and Sirius simultaneously provides each channel's content in its entirety. To date, most subscribers have arranged to receive service by buying a replacement car radio or adapter. But both services are counting on licensing agreements they have forged with car manufacturers to push sales to their break-even point. BMW, Ford and DaimlerChrysler are offering integrated Sirius- compatible radios as a dealer-installed option on certain 2003 models. GM is offering XM-compatible radios on 25 of its models, including all Cadillacs. XM service will also be available as an option at many Toyota dealerships and to purchasers of Honda's Accord, Pilot and Acura MDX models. Nissan plans to offer Sirius and XM to customers on select 2003 models, and Volkswagen/Audi says it plans to offer both but has not specified when. Sirius and XM have agreed eventually to market a radio that can receive either service, but both companies say that it will not be available any time soon. Meanwhile, integrated dealer-installed radios for either service typically cost $325, and after-market add-on units can be purchased for $200 or more, including installation. To ease the burden for new-car buyers, manufacturers will often offer to fold the cost of the radio and a year's service into the lease or financed purchase price. Plenty of presets Is digital satellite radio worth the price? Some early adopters, frustrated with the limitations of regular commercial AM and FM radio, say it definitely is. William Dreskin, a rabbi in Greenburgh, N.Y., keeps his children content on car trips with the youth-oriented channels on the XM radio he bought when he leased a new car. "I've set six channel presets on children's programming for my kids, six for me and six for my wife. I like to listen to jazz, but with a regular jazz radio station, I never knew what I'd hear and if I'd lose the signal when I was driving to Queens or Long Island to serve my congregants." Brian Stafford, who owns a machine tool factory in Little Rock, Ark., and travels 200 to 300 miles a week on business, said: "Since subscribing to Sirius, I can't remember the last time I've listened to regular radio. The variety's unbelievable and I can hear the programming wherever I go. I haven't even bothered to reprogram my radio for the AM and FM channels I used to listen to." (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** IRAN. IRANIAN LEADER LAMBASTS US BROADCASTS TO IRAN Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, Head of the Expediency Council of Iran, has said the United States is erroneously following policies aimed at restoring a secular system in Iran. He said US leaders have been listening to statements by a small group of opposition activists who possess propaganda means. Rafsanjani said the US has inaugurated a round-the-clock radio station in the Persian language [Radio Farda] to broadcast poisonous propaganda against Iran, a country rich in natural resources and with a strategic location in the Middle East (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 24 January 2003 via DXLD) ** IRAN. Just been listening to IRIB on the Grundig 600 and telescopic whip that is sat next to the main PC. English broadcast from 0030, still on at 0223 when I quit, 9580 kHz good signal, some fading, no noticeable interference. Announced frequencies as 6120 and 9580 for North America. Never thought I would hear pop songs by groups such as ABBA and the Shadows on an Iranian station, but that is what they use as signature tunes for their programmes! Much religious talk in amongst news and general interest programming. 73 (Sean G4UCJ Gilbert, UK, Jan 25, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. Ashuria/ZOWAA 9155 : see AZERBAIJAN ** KASHMIR [non]. For almost one week now, I am getting a new station identifying as "Radio Sadaye Kashmir" on 9890 at 0230-0300 UT. 0230- 0310 it`s in Urdu and at 0310-0330 in another language. The carrier and test tone comes about 20 minutes before the program starts and it is very strong at my location in Hyderabad, S. India. Station identification is given only once at sign on during the entire program and no address is given. The sign on announcements includes the particular date of broadcast. The program consists of songs and easy going talks (not the hard type.) I did not see any reports on this station any where yet. Any more details are welcome. ===== 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS/AT0J National Institute of Amateur Radio, Box 1555, Somajiguda, Hyderabad 500082, India, dx_india via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. Hi Glenn, just heard the .RAM file of WoR 1166. There was a slight update of the RFA Tinian frequencies at that hour. That`s 13625 from Tinian throughout 1400-1700 in Korean now. 1400-1500 KOREAN 5855U 7475Y 12000T 13625T 1500-1600 MANDARIN 7540D 9905P 11945T 13695T 13745T 15510T 17565T 1500-1700 KOREAN 11870S 13625T 73 (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LEBANON. 837, Radio Lebanon (Ida`atu Lyubnian) booming in here with great signal at 1400 UT Jan 11, news in Arabic. At 1410 ceremonial announcement about new US made superpower transmitter of 1000 kW "covering Egypt, Turkey, etc." and mentioned Bulgaria already too. Reception without using loop-antenna, just built-in aerial (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, BC-DX Jan 11 via DXLD) ** MALTA. From http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=117785 ISLAND SOUND RADIO OFF THE AIR 'TEMPORARILY' BROADCASTING AUTHORITY INVESTIGATING --Herman Grech Island Sound Radio is off the airwaves but the management has denied the station is closing down after 11 years of broadcasting. The station ceased its broadcasting schedule on Monday at 9.45 a.m., mid- way through Marisa B's programme and is now broadcasting Voice of America 24 hours a day. When contacted, station managing director Colin Tabone said Island Sound was off air "because we have some equipment parts missing that need to be imported". Mr Tabone said staff had been informed to take their leave but had not been laid off. There are 12 members of staff at the station, most of them part-timers. "Very soon we will be back on air, and, no, we are not negotiating with anybody," Mr Tabone insisted. A spokesman for Network Publications said however that negotiations were going on with a view to purchasing the station, though he would not give further details. The spokesman said the company was looking to further diversify its media product. Network publishes the Sunday newspaper Malta Today and The Sunday Circle magazine and produces the daily TV programme Reporter, among others. A spokesman for the Broadcasting Authority said the Island Sound case was being investigated. "Island Sound has a promise of performance. It cannot change the schedule content without the permission of the authority," he stressed. The spokesman said Island Sound had been issued a frequency provided it adhered to the "promise of performance". (via Mike Terry, DXLD) WTFK?? ** MONACO [non]. 1467 Superloustic, a station for children under 12, is back on the air after an 11 year absence. They are using the Monaco [sic, outside of Monte Carlo at Fontbonne on France soil, ed.] transmitter on 1467 kHz between 0530 and 1730 with 50 kW. This seems to be just a test and it is not clear yet how long it will last. They are actually testing the program they will put on the air if they are awarded a MW channel by the CSA next month (Remy Friess, France, MWCircle, via Mike Barraclough, UK, Jan 21 BC-DX via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS ANTILLES. The limited series of special DRM tests from Bonaire 12025 0600-0655 to Aus/NZ, being in-band, have wrecked reception of anything else between 12015 and 12040, as anticipated. This stuff is broadband in 20 kHz "spectrum blocks". There are supposed to be spectrum masks to limit output, but this is not effective. These technology assessment tests ought to be out-of-band, or where they can do no damage (Bob Padula, Victoria, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See DRM sexion below ** PAKISTAN. Radio Pakistan noted on every Sat *1530-1600* on 4790, program in English and political commentaries. Just at 1600 there are the news on 4790 11570 15070 etc. (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, BC-DX Jan 11 via DXLD) ** SUDAN. Around 1700 UT on 7200 I picked up a station called (Voice of the Armed Forces) "Sout Alquwat al Musalaha" in Arabic; the program started with the National Anthem followed by an ID by a YL followed by Qur`an Reading and then program details by the same YL. ID followed by a patriotic song and then a program "Called with the Soldiers". They said the program is from 0700 till 1000 P.M Sudan time (1700-2000 UT). (Tarek Zeidan, Egypt, SU1TZ, BC-DX Jan 19 via DXLD) ** TURKMENISTAN. STRUGGLING FOR NEWS IN TURKMENISTAN By Michael Clarke Over the past four years, the Turkmen government has undertaken a systematic campaign to cripple the educational system and prevent any information from the outside world from reaching the people of Turkmenistan. But my personal experience in Turkmenistan -- I lived and worked there as a Peace Corps volunteer from 1998 until 2001 -- has convinced me that these efforts are bound to fail. Three months into my service with the Peace Corps, I began to understand just how hard it is to get real news on the radio. One evening, as a Turkmen friend and I sat watching the national television station, I naively inquired if he ever heard news from outside Turkmenistan. He mentioned ORT, the Russian state-owned television station that is broadcast throughout Turkmenistan (with a tape delay to allow the censors time to cut anything deemed inappropriate). Murat added that if you wanted factual news you had to listen to shortwave radio broadcasts from Prague. Cautiously, Murat fetched his weathered, battery-powered shortwave radio. He made sure all of his family was asleep, and he quietly turned on the radio. He warned me not to tell anyone about this, not even at school or in the Peace Corps. This was our secret, since if word got out that "the foreigner" was listening to underground radio with a local, there could be big problems for both of us. Nearly every night we listened to RFE/RL's Turkmen Service, as my friend translated Turkmen to help me follow the broadcast. Via those broadcasts, Murat heard news about the outside world that certainly would never pass the Turkmen censors. We listened to reports that included news of the opening of a new OSCE office in Ashgabat and Murat's favorite, the sports scores. There are only two radio stations widely available in Turkmenistan: the state-controlled channel and Radio Mayak from Russia. Most of the people I knew listened to Radio Mayak, broadcast out of Moscow, which can loosely be described as a Russian version of the U.S. National Public Radio. Mayak broadcasts every day throughout the former Soviet Union, offering music, news, and human-interest programs. Although, in theory, one can listen to Mayak safely, most people would turn off the radio if a neighbor stopped by. On paper, the Turkmen Constitution provides for freedom of speech and of the press. In practice, those who express views that differ from those of the state are subject to a range of reprisals: having their utilities cut off, losing their jobs, being exiled domestically, or ever being imprisoned. Throughout the time I worked in Turkmenistan, the government- controlled media intensified their focus on President Saparmurat Niyazov. There was not a public building, car, bus, train, airplane, newspaper, television program, magazine, book, or public event on which the president's photo was not prominently displayed. His portrait is literally everywhere. Toward the end of my time in Turkmenistan, underground cable operators began setting up illegal networks of satellite dishes able to receive a variety of uncensored news. Recently, Niyazov ordered more stringent controls on the broadcasting of Russian cable television, saying that these channels "are designed against Turkmenistan and are slanderous." Actually, these channels aired U.S. movies, Brazilian soap operas, and Russian variety shows. Newspapers are another way in which the media serve the state, particularly the president. Each day, a prayer appears on the front page of every newspaper praising Niyazov the Great and asking that terrible punishment come unto those who betray or disappoint him and/or the motherland. Every newspaper must display a front-page picture of Niyazov and cover his daily activities. Such "news" is so predominant that important world affairs are often not even mentioned or appear only on the back pages, as was the case with Turkmenistan's humanitarian involvement in the antiterrorism struggle. Newspapers and magazines from Russia used to provide embassies, Turkmen citizens, and companies with reliable information and a needed distraction from the perpetual onslaught of Turkmen propaganda. These periodicals were available at the bazaar for roughly half the average Turkmen monthly salary. But on 16 July 2002, the Turkmen Communications Ministry officially halted the delivery of all Russian print media into the country. Turkmen, the official state language, limits the range of information available to the people of Turkmenistan. Recent policies discourage children from learning foreign languages in another effort to isolate the country's population. The Turkmen government has also instituted the obligatory teaching of President Niyazov's "Rukhnama," a work Niyazov compares to the Koran or Bible. There are also state prizes for citizens who follow the "Rukhnama's" code. All high-level officials, teachers, and doctors are required to own the book if not to memorize it. The Internet poses a major headache for the Turkmen government. In May 2000, the government withdrew the licenses of all private Internet providers, leaving only state-owned Turkmen Telecom, which has set access fees so high that now the average citizen cannot afford to use the Internet. A few bustling Internet cafes did spring up around the capital city, Ashgabat, and several opposition websites were launched. Unfortunately, in June 2001 the government revoked all the Internet cafes' licenses and forced them to shut down Internet operations. Today, as far as I know, the only public-access Internet sites are funded by the U.S. State Department. Its Internet Access and Training Program provides academics, professionals, and other Turkmen citizens much-needed access to the world of Internet information. On 25 November, President Niyazov survived an alleged assassination attempt that left at least one bodyguard seriously wounded. Turkmen media, particularly state television, were deployed to show a series of Stalinist-style public confessions of the alleged would-be assassins. My experience in Turkmenistan clearly showed me that its people -- and its growing diaspora -- want to be part of the global information community and will persist in finding uncensored news. One personal example will suffice. On 9 September, I took part in an RFE/RL briefing in which three Americans discussed living and working in Turkmenistan. After that briefing was aired, Murat contacted me and let me know that he had been listening to RFE/RL that night and heard my familiar voice. Murat told me that he was proud to be a part of its message: that the people of Turkmenistan represent the country's best hope for the future. Michael Clarke is a development coordinator for the International Research Exchanges Board, a U.S. nonprofit organization (RFE/RL Media Matters Jan 24 via DXLD) ** U K [non]. BBCWS DRM on 6010 confirmed as Sackville tests: see DRM at bottom (gh) ** U K. ISRAEL/UK: EX-AMBASSADOR TO BRITAIN SLAMS BBC'S "UNBALANCED REPORTING" | Text of commentary in English by Yehuda Avner, who served as ambassador to Britain, entitled: "'Sherlock Holmes probes the BBC"; published by Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post web site on 17 January The BBC is a redoubtable establishment with a formidable reputation. Its World Service, which is currently celebrating its 70th anniversary, attracts an audience of 150 million listeners a week. One man who was quite partial to the British Broadcasting Corporation was Menachem Begin. The first thing he did upon rising at five each morning was to switch on the BBC and wash and dress to the intoning of the news announcer speaking with the imperturbability of a cricket commentator during a somewhat dull moment in the match. Begin loved the BBC's economy of style, its unexcitable precision and clarity of speech. His partiality stemmed from his days in the Irgun, when good English phrases were weapons, and he would sit glued to his wireless set in an inconspicuously cunning hideaway absorbing the bulletins and mastering the tongue. In later years he would talk whimsically of those BBC language exercises in the underground. And like an aficionado of history who adores lampooning the foibles of the long-gone famous, he would take pleasure in charming overseas guests with stories of knotty BBC vocabulary tests he had set himself, like Disraeli roundly trouncing Gladstone across the parliamentary aisle, saying: "The honourable gentleman is a sophistical rhetorician with the exuberance of his own verbosity." When the premier recited this nugget of hyperbole the words rolled trippingly off his tongue and his guests would lap it up delightedly. Begin considered the BBC's coverage of world news professional, factual and, by and large, trustworthy. On October 6, 1981, when word reached him that an attempt had been made on the life of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, he typically instructed his secretary to tune into the BBC. He himself used a special line to speak to the Israeli embassy in Cairo, but they could tell him nothing amidst the general mayhem. President Jimmy Carter broke in with a call from the White House to share the good news that Sadat had been only slightly wounded. The American ambassador in Cairo, Alfred Atherton, had told him so. As more initial reports came through, the prime minister's secretary fiddled systematically with the radio, monitoring other stations as he searched for the BBC. The Voice of America repeated what Carter had told the prime minister. Radio Monte Carlo, on the other hand, said Sadat was mortally wounded and might already be dead. Radio Free Europe alleged that the Egyptian president had walked away from the assassination attempt unscathed. And then the secretary finally alighted on the BBC, where its unflappable newsreader told his listeners that Anwar Sadat was dead, shot at the Cairo military parade that marked the eighth anniversary of the Egyptian crossing of the Suez Canal at the start of the Yom Kippur War. "Hinei, ha-BBC," muttered Begin, grimacing at the bad news. "Zo ha'emet. Sadat nirtzah!" ("That's the BBC. It's the truth. Sadat's been murdered!") He gave instant instructions to set in motion an emergency stratagem for fear a military coup was under way in Cairo. One could see the arteries throbbing in his neck as he gave the order. Such were the days when statesmen would sometimes make decisions based upon the reputation of the BBC. And whereas its commentators might spare no rod in criticizing this or that aspect of Israeli policy, its current affairs producers were for the most part impartial, accurate and balanced, bound by the ethic of fair play. A Royal Charter created the BBC in 1926. Over the years, in agreement with the British government, various procedures have been put into place to ensure accurate reporting, among them an official code of conduct called "the Producer's Guidelines". The Royal Charter requires the governors of the BBC to monitor and supervise compliance with this code. Chapter 2 of the Guidelines states that: "Due impartiality lies at the heart of the BBC. All BBC programmes and services should be open- minded, fair and show a respect for the truth. No significant strand of thought should go unselected or underrepresented on the BBC. The BBC is explicitly forbidden from broadcasting its own opinions on current affairs." Thus, impartiality, truth, dispassion, fairness, accuracy, context, faithful representation - these are the ethics of the BBC. Fidelity to that code is what gave the corporation its monumental reputation as the gold standard of current affairs broadcasting. Until the intifada, that is. Just at a time when the Israeli journey turned suddenly perilous, the BBC's coverage of it turned suddenly rough. While professing to blow trusty horns of impartiality, its interviewers have become hostile, strident and clipped, without sympathy or empathy. BBC announcers uttering the word "Zionism", "settler" or "Sharon" seem do so through a curled lip. Opinionated, slanted and emotional advocacy have replaced accurate, honest and straightforward journalism. Obfuscation has taken over from plain speech. Ian Duncan Smith, leader of the British Conservative Party, speaking in Cardiff on December 9, told the BBC: "Stop using platitudes and describing Hamas and Islamic Jihad by such euphemisms as 'radical' and 'militant'. Broadcasters should call these groups what they are: terrorist organizations. Such fudging of what Hamas or Islamic Jihad are confers a dangerous legitimacy on people who could easily extend their war of terror to this country." Internet "bloggers", fair-minded folk with no axe to grind, have been posting their outrage and compiling rap sheets of blatant bias against Israel from those who claim objectivity and then broadcast their political views as facts. The psychological tentacles of innuendo, insinuation and outright bias have seemingly so penetrated the BBC's corporate culture that some analysts conclude a pernicious virus has infected the system, malevolent to the Jewish state. Thus The Financial Times in its weekend edition of 16-17 November, wrote: "In a study earlier this year of the BBC's coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by the British lawyer Trevor Asserson and (his research assistant) the Israeli lawyer Elisheva Mironi, the authors found that the BBC breaches its license agreement to be impartial by 'incorporating use of language, unbalanced reporting, inappropriate selection of material and distortion or omission of facts a clear and significant trend of bias' against Israel and against Jews." The study in question was an analysis by a prominent highly respected London solicitor. He has now published a second report, working with an impressive committee of academics and lawyers. Oxford-trained and a senior partner in one of the world's largest law firms, Asserson first addressed the matter of alleged BBC bias in 1986, not with respect to Israel, but in the context of a British general election. He was at the time a member of the legal team instigated by former British Foreign Secretary David (now Lord) Owen to bring a high-profile action against the BBC for bias in its lack of coverage of the Social Democrats and Liberal parties in that election. The BBC settled the action and amended its policy rather than face its critics in the courtroom. Applying a similar forensic technique, Asserson has now authored two reports http://www.bbcwatch.com exhuming a pattern of BBC bias against Israel. As meticulously documented as a coroner's inquest, Asserson shows how Britain's only tax-funded broadcasting body, is, in fact, purveying biased views as news. "We have found," says his Executive Summary, "that the BBC preserves a superficial impartiality by allotting broadly similar time to supporters of each side to the conflict. However, against most other criteria we have found the BBC to fall consistently short in its aim of impartial and accurate reporting At times, by a mere selection or omission of facts, the BBC provides a report which portrays the very opposite of the truth. "Frequently, the BBC is misleading. At times it appears to invent material to suit its own bias." Over two randomly selected periods of time, Asserson and his team analysed the BBC's major coverage of the Middle East in its main news programmes. Then, collating their findings into the two reports, they documented in devastating detail breach after breach of the BBC Guidelines, among them: emotive use of language; unbalanced reporting; selective use of material; distortion and omission of facts; unfair choice of interviewees; an almost consistent sympathetic portrayal of Yasir Arafat with no corresponding profile of a major Israeli leader; refusal to use the legal and dictionary definitions of the word "terrorist"; calculated omission of Israeli viewpoints; suppression of stories that do not suit the BBC world view; the abusive use of pictures; biased reporters expressing personal views, and an almost automatic attempt to find an anti-Israel angle to numerous news stories. Asserson acknowledges that between the publication of his first report (March 2002) and his last (December 2002), a number of defects have become less blatant. For example, references to "occupied Palestinian land" are now rare. Instead, the less emotive "occupied land" is used. Arafat is now seldom referred as "president," but rather, correctly, as "chairman" of the Palestinian [National] Authority. This is fine. But when measured against the rich tapestry of partiality which the BBC weaves, it adds up to very little indeed. The overwhelming bias Asserson so conscientiously demonstrates, and which myriads of listeners and viewers sense daily for themselves, persists. Which is why the Asserson Report concludes: "The BBC has significant power, heavy responsibilities and clear legal obligations. By failing to break out of its own cycle of inaccuracy and partiality in its reporting of the Middle East the BBC is abusing its power, behaving irresponsibly and is in breach of its legal obligations. If it is to maintain its reputation for impartial and accurate reporting we consider it should now put its house in order." The question is, how? One answer may lie in the fact that, unusually for a news organization, the BBC's Guidelines are not mere aphorisms. They are mandatory. The BBC is a publicly funded body subject to legal redress enforceable in British courts. And Asserson, with his meticulous magnifying glass and assiduous nose for evidence, might well turn out to be the Sherlock Holmes of the case, who, with the help of some keen and generous Dr Watson, could unearth enough material to go to court. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1042690520257 Source: The Jerusalem Post web site, in English 17 Jan 03 (via BBCM and via Joel Rubin, DXLD) ** U S A. CHRISTIAN RADIO HOST TELLS LISTENERS TO ABANDON CHURCH Religion Today Associated Press http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/5014512.htm OAKLAND, Calif. - An influential Christian radio host, best known for his failed predictions of the second coming of Christ, has run into more derision and criticism for telling listeners to abandon the church. Harold Camping says his Bible studies have revealed that what he calls "the church age" has ended. He has told his worldwide radio audience that Satan has taken over all churches. For the past two years, Camping has been teaching that God wants people to worship privately in their homes instead - with no leaders, no baptism and no communion. "The Bible says God is not saving people any longer in the churches," Camping said in a recent interview at Family Radio's headquarters in Oakland. "They're being saved outside the churches." Critics call the idea heretical, and say the self-described Bible expert doesn't know what he's talking about. Some evangelical Christian leaders complain that his call is hurting their churches. "He's in critical locations in the United States and the rest of the world. He has a large listening audience," said David Clark, who tracks Christian fringe groups. "He's got pastors all over the United States in an uproar. He's gone over the edge this time." Camping, 81, parted ways several years ago with the conservative, evangelical Christian Reformed Church in which he grew up. Retired from his own construction business, he serves full time as the unpaid president of Family Radio, which he helped start in 1958. The network grew and gained international attention in 1994 with Camping's well-publicized prediction that the world would end that September. Since then, he has made several more apocalyptic predictions. Christ never came - but the radio network has thrived. From its base, a modest reddish-brown building sandwiched between a burger joint and an auto parts store on a road to the Oakland airport, the network has built a broad and powerful reach. Its signal is broadcast or relayed on more than 150 stations and translators in the United States. It airs in several major metropolitan areas, on the Internet and in Europe, Africa and Asia. It reaches mainland China from a station in Taiwan and is building a station to reach much of Southeast Asia. Its signature show - "Open Forum" - features Camping answering called- in questions, often rambling about obscure Biblical and religious references in his slow, deep voice. He repeatedly refers to Matthew 24, the Bible passage that speaks of how wars and other trials will precede Jesus' second coming. The Sept. 11 attacks were "a diversion from what the real terror is," he said. "When Christ comes, there will be no more mercy, no more Gospel, no more salvation. ... God always follows through." Devoted callers ask Camping - who graduated with a civil engineering degree in 1942 from the University of California, Berkeley - what the Bible says about everything from homosexuality to home schooling to financial planning. He also hears from his share of skeptics. "I understand you had some misunderstandings a couple of years ago. My only question is - should people follow you now?" asked one recent caller. It's not clear how many listeners are tuning in. Camping says he doesn't know. But donations, one measure of the network's effectiveness at reaching people, totaled more than $12 million in 2000, according to documents the nonprofit filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Camping this month released a book, "The End of the Church Age and After," one of many he has written but the first devoted to his new beliefs about the church. Church leaders have complained that Camping's teachings are costing them parishioners. Some are so angry that they have held special meetings to discuss Camping. Many affected congregations are tiny, and the departure of just a few people can have a devastating impact, said Dave Rastetter, 35, a deacon at Faith Presbyterian Church in Akron, Ohio, and the man behind http://www.familyradioiswrong.com - an anti-Camping Web site. Rastetter used to enjoy listening to Camping and stuck with him despite his failed predictions. But in 2000, he says, Camping became obsessed with teaching about Satan. At first, Camping said most churches were bad. Rastetter finally broke away when the radio host declared all churches bad, no exceptions. Rastetter believes Camping was "trying to save face" after his predictions had failed to materialize. Clark, who calls Camping "an authoritarian spiritual meathead," says the talk-show host keeps a tight rein on the radio network and refuses to answer his critics, who say they can find no trace of his teachings in the Bible. "I believe he can be destructive to churches and individual lives. His worldview is nonnegotiable," Clark says. Camping calls all the criticism "character assassination" but says he is not surprised that church leaders aren't embracing a teaching that, if true, would lead to their churches' dismantling. Of his critics, he says, "I worry about their standing with the Lord." (via Ulis Fleming, http://www.radiointel.com via DXLD) (Also a version of the above article appends this:} As for the second coming of Christ, Camping predicts it's not far away. "Most of the people living in the world today will be here when Christ comes." This time, he said, he won't predict the date (via Andy Sennitt, Brock Whaley, DXLD) BTW, Family Radio has a huge SW operation, out of Okeechobee, FL, known as WYFR, which AP didn`t think worth mentioning, and a growing SW relay network. But what, other than Taiwan, is this ``building a station to reach much of SE Asia``??? Obviously, wacky religionists attract equally wacky supporters (gh) ** U S A. KCRW GM Ruth Seymour talks with Norm Pattiz, who helped develop Radio Sawa and Radio Farda to bring American culture to the Middle East, on the Politics of Culture Tuesday (1/28) at 2:30 PM [PDT; 2230 UT] (KCRW Newsletter Jan 24 via DXLD) And should be % ondemand as most KCRW programs ** U S A [non]. 3980 Radio Liberty via Biblis in Ukrainian. 23 Jan. 1800-2100. Interference from 3985 DW and 3975 Budapest (Silvain Domen, Belgium, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. Winter schedule for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Updated on Jan. 20 ALBANIAN 2000-2030 792 7180 9600 11765 ARABIC 0200-0300 5965 7105 7175 0300-0400 1314 5965 7105 7175 0400-0600 7115 9695 11970 0600-0700 11970 15255 17740 1400-1600 1314 6130 9685 11835 11965 1600-1700 6130 9685 11835 11965 1700-1800 9845 11725 11835 1800-1900 9785 11725 11835 2100-2200 9645 11965 2200-2300 6015 9645 ARMENIAN 0300-0400 6170 7120 1500-1600 11895 1700-1800 9825 11865 AVARI 0515-0530 9575 11705 11780 1815-1830 9615 11930 12130 AZERI 0400-0500 9605 1000-1100 15205 17670 21530 1400-1500 11795 15430 17605 1600-1700 9665 1900-2000 9670 BELORUSSIAN 0400-0500 612 1188 6140 9615 9835 0500-0600 612 6140 9615 9835 1400-1600 612 1600-1800 612 7190 9615 15460 1800-1900 612 6150 7205 9865 1900-2000 612 6150 7205 9865 2000-2100 612 1188 6140 7205 9845 2100-2200 612 1188 6010 6140 9845 BULGARIAN 0700-0730 9870 1100-1130 17730 1500-1630 9625 1630-1700 9625 Sat/Sun 2000-2030 9745 Mon-Fri CHECHEN 0530-0545 9575 11705 11780 1830-1845 9615 11930 12130 CHERKESSI 0545-0600 9575 11705 11780 1845-1900 9615 11930 12130 DARI* 0330-0430 801 6010 9825 12140 15690 0730-0830 15690 17595 17710 19010 21690 0930-1030 15690 17595 17710 19010 21690 1330-1400 801 15525 15690 17630 19010 21690 1400-1430 801 15690 17630 19010 21690 1730-1800 801 6170 11770 12140 15120 15690 1800-1830 801 11770 12140 15120 15690 2330-0030 801 972 5835 5910 7175 12140 GEORGIAN 0500-0600 9605 1600-1700 11895 2000-2100 9505 KAZAKH 0000-0100 6135 7145 9625 0200-0300 6135 7145 11795 1200-1300 9520 15110 17680 1400-1500 9660 12010 17680 1500-1600 4995 6055 17680 1600-1700 4995 7105 11920 KYRGHYZ 0100-0200 7295 9555 15590 0200-0300 5035 9555 15590 1300-1330 11660 15515 17750 1400-1430 12030 15515 17750 1500-1600 9540 11780 13865 1600-1700 7260 9595 9675 PASHTO* 0230-0330 801 6010 9825 12140 15690 0630-0700 15690 17595 19010 21690 0700-0730 15690 17595 17710 19010 21690 0830-0930 15690 17595 17710 19010 21690 1230-1330 801 1143 15525 15690 17630 19010 21690 1630-1700 801 11770 12140 15120 15690 1700-1730 801 6170 11770 12140 15120 15690 2230-2330 5835 5910 7175 12140 PERSIAN# 0030-0400 1539 1593 9515 9585 9795 0400-0600 1539 1593 9585 9795 0600-0800 1539 1593 9585 15290 17675 0800-0830 1539 1593 9585 13680 15290 17675 21575 0830-1400 1539 1593 13680 21575 1400-1700 1539 1593 9435 13680 15410 1700-1900 1539 1593 11705 11845 1900-2000 1539 1593 6140 11960 11985 2000-2130 1539 1593 11960 11985 2130-0030 1539 1593 ROMANIAN 0400-0430 6030 6130 Mon-Fri 1600-1630 7165 9725 1700-1730 7165 9725 1730-1800 7165 9725 Mon-Fri 1900-2000 7165 9725 Mon-Fri RUSSIAN 0000-0200 5985 6095 7155 7220 7235 9520 0300-0400 5955 6105 7155 7255 9520 9635 0400-0500 5955 6105 7220 9520 9680 11885 0500-0600 5955 7120 7220 9520 9680 11885 13810 0600-0700 7220 9520 9680 11875 11885 13810 0700-0800 7220 9520 9680 11875 11885 15205 15250 0800-0900 9520 9680 11885 15205 15250 15370 17845 0900-1100 9725 11930 15410 15445 1100-1300 9805 11885 15120 15215 15370 17805 1300-1400 7220 9805 11725 11885 15370 17730 1500-1600 7220 9520 11805 11885 15130 15370 1600-1700 6105 7220 9520 11805 11865 11885 1700-1800 6105 7220 9505 9520 11805 11885 2000-2200 5955 6105 7220 7265 9520 9620 9845 9865 2200-2300 5955 6095 6105 7220 9520 9865 2300-2400 5985 6105 7155 7220 7235 9520 RUSSIAN/CE.AS 0500-0515 9575 11705 11780 1800-1815 9615 11930 12130 SERBOCROATIAN 0330-0430 1197 0830-0900 9565 11730 15215 1400-1430 9555 11885 13650 1700-1800 1188 1197 7115 7245 9695 1830-1900 1188 7155 9705 11750 1900-1930 7155 9705 11750 1930-2000 1188 7155 9810 11750 2100-2200 7175 7265 9680 2230-2300 1188 2300-0100 1188 1197 6115 7115 9725 TAJIK 0100-0200 4760 6050 7275 0200-0400 6050 7275 11665 1400-1500 9695 15405 17660 1500-1630 9695 11705 11910 1630-1700 4760 9695 11705 TATAR-BASHKIR 0400-0500 7255 9635 0600-0700 11730 11855 1600-1700 6180 9505 2000-2100 7245 7295 TURKMEN 0200-0300 864 6160 7295 9680 0300-0400 9680 15470 17865 1400-1500 9565 15185 15345 1500-1530 9530 9565 11740 1530-1600 864 9530 9565 11740 1600-1800 9565 9770 11740 UKRAINIAN 0400-0500 6170 7245 9750 Mon-Sat 0600-0700 5980 7245 9695 Mon-Fri 1800-1900 5985 6170 9625 1900-2000 6170 7125 9625 2000-2100 6170 7125 9625 Sun-Fri UZBEK 0100-0200 864 0200-0400 7190 9725 21770 0400-0600 9725 17655 21770 1300-1400 1143 1600-1800 9835 12020 17610 *Radio Free Afghanistan #Radio Farda 73 from (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 24 via DXLD) ** U S A. COMMUNICATION CELEBRATION: BEDFORD MUSEUM SHOWCASES MARCONI'S BROADCAST ACCOMPLISHMENTS {WHICH Bedford? Must be the one just SW of Manchester NH, base of this paper, but there is also one NW of Boston MA; not New Bedford} By DAVE BROOKS, Telegraph Staff Wednesday, January 22, 2003 Staff file photo by Bob Hammerstrom The Marconi Museum in Bedford celebrated the 100th anniversary of the first two-way, transatlantic broadcast last weekend. Did you stop Saturday and honor the centennial of one of the great events of modern technology, a Cape Cod accomplishment that altered the world more than any three Internet discoveries combined? Well, don't be embarrassed. I forgot about the 100th anniversary of the first two-way, transatlantic broadcast, too. The neglect is shameful in the Nashua area, since we're a snowball's throw from the Marconi Museum in Bedford, which celebrates this event. And it's really bad for me, since I've visited the museum and you probably haven't. Hoo boy . . . call this column a makeup. At least the centennial was marked Saturday in a pretty cool way: Guglielmo Marconi's daughter went to Cape Cod on Saturday and sent a signal to the Space Shuttle. It wasn't exactly gooseflesh-producing copy - "Cordial greetings and good wishes," etc. - but verbal flourishes weren't needed, since the medium was the message. Those words came straight from the Morse-code message sent Jan. 19, 1903, from President Theodore Roosevelt to King Edward VII of England. Before that moment, it took at least a week to get a message from Massachusetts to Cornwall, England. Afterward, it took, for all practical purposes, no time at all. Humanity had never seen as great an improvement in communication times before, and unless we discover a universe-leaping wormhole, never will again. So why wasn't this centennial wildly celebrated - the way that, for example, the Dec. 17 centennial of the Wright Brothers' flight will be? Perhaps it's because the broadcast was part of a continuum. The first one-way broadcast occurred a year earlier, when "S" in Morse code was sent across the Big Pond; and regular transatlantic messaging didn't start up until some time later. Or maybe it's because the arrival of voice-carrying radio, which followed shortly afterward, is what sticks in our memory. Whatever the reason, just a couple hundred people - including many ham radio folks - showed up for the anniversary Saturday on Cape Cod, a few hundred yards from Marconi's original transmitting station, which is now under water because of erosion. They had to make due with a replica on the bluff above. If you head to Bedford, though, you can do better. The weird and wonderful Marconi Museum, in a former school, has one of the original signs from Marconi's station on its wall, and other paraphernalia as well. The founder, Ray Minichiello, snagged the material when owner MCI Worldcom took the station apart in 1997. In fact, the museum has enough goodies to keep fans of engineering, history, broadcasting and even popular culture agog for hours. Material ranges from crystal-receiving sets with "cat-whisker" tuners, to early "ready-made" radios by companies such as the Victor Talking Machine Co., through early transistor radios, and even old transmitting equipment from Nashua radio station WSMN. The museum was placed in the former schoolhouse by the 86-year-old Minichiello, a former General Electric engineer who as a young boy met Marconi. Minichiello collected most of the material before retiring to Bedford in 1990, because he liked the town. It isn't the best publicized, or organized, cultural facility in the region, which explains why it's such a hidden treasure. Even official Web sites of the centennial - such as the Cape Cod National Seashore site http://www.nps.gov/caco/news/MarconiIndex.htm - ignore it. We don't have to: Plan a visit, and soon. If nothing else, then you won't have to feel guilty about missing the centennial. Science From The Sidelines appears Wednesdays in The Telegraph (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. Re Truckin` Bozo station list, 3-013: I would think KLAC would drop the Truckin' Bozo now that they're Adult Standards. (73 and good DX from Eric Amateur Radio Station N0UIH Bueneman, IRCA via DXLD) I've listened to KTDD-1350 on the internet quite a bit in the 10pm-1am time slot and have not heard Truckin Bozo or any mentions of it --- I doubt they are carrying it anymore (Don Kaskey, ibid.) ** U S A. RADIO DISNEY I used to always listen to the radio in bed during the early morning hours, through the earpiece of course as to not alert the parents that I was up. So it actually makes some sense to continue Radio Disney broadcasts through the night. Back when I was growing up, AM was the only choice. Now with FM, it's easy to question just how much of a listenership Radio Disney may have at any hour. In Boston, AM 1260 Radio Disney is heavily promoted on billboards and during weekday television cartoons. A couple of years ago while teaching fifth grade, there was a handful of students familiar with Radio Disney, AM 1560 WQEW in fact, but they were in the minority. Perhaps like many of the ethnic broadcasters in the Boston area, Radio Disney is looking ahead to AM IBOC digital (Bruce Conti - Nashua NH, NRC-AM via DXLD) Guys, I am going to break the mold here and say something that might break ranks with all of you. Kids think that the programming sucks. That we all know. BUT! I know something else that many of you do not. I live in a predominantly Mormon and Catholic neighborhood. This means one thing. BIG families. I have families here with 10 and even 12 kids. There are kids everywhere and I talk to a lot of them. There are a LOT of kids who are interested in DX. A LOT. Most grow out of it about the end of the 8th or 9th grade but some don't as evidenced by all of us here.... The problem is that they are turned off by the (mail lists) clubs because they say they don't like the way they are treated. A large part of this is their fault because of the way they act, but a part of it is the attitudes some of us have with dealing with kids in general. There are a lot of kids who play around with radios at night to see what they can hear. Just because they think radio stinks, doesn't mean that they aren't into propagational aspects and hearing as far as they can. Most are amazed that they can hear things several hundreds or thousands of miles away. Sounds like a lot of us (Kevin Redding, Mesa AZ, ibid.) The entire Radio Disney thing is a strange anomaly. They have 50+ stations with plans to expand to 70 or 75. All but a handful are AM. Some have mentioned that the network might be sort of an advertising "write-off" for the Disney trademark. I guess that is a possibility. If you figure $3 million per station, the entire network was probably built for around $150 million which is not a big investment for a company the size of Disney. But even a company that size can't afford to just throw money away. They must be justifying it with some kind of benefit. There have been 2 full time Radio Disney stations (1550 and 1690 AM) operating here in the Denver market since 06/03/98. I don't think they have ever shown up on the local rating books. Yet I have visited several of their "remotes" (actually public appearances since they don't broadcast from them) and every one of them has always been absolutely jam packed with kids and adults from wall to wall. One I attended in a nearby suburb required the police for traffic control. As far as I know the only advertising for these events is one or two quick local promo inserts per hour on the Disney stations. It seems to me that most of the kids I have seen at these events are in the 8 to 12 year old range. My guess is that most of the listeners are moms in cars with kids on board. :-) (Patrick Griffith, CBT, Westminster, CO, USA, ibid.) Michael Eisner, the CEO of Disney, has said repeatedly that the Radio Disney branding is core to the overall maintenance of Disney as a brand in the entertainment business. They are, in fact, expanding to Argentina, Chile, and Guatemala and elsewhere in Latin America with Disney branded radio, mostly FMs. Remember that ratings don't measure kids under 12... the target of Disney radio. As to why they run overnight, an anecdote: One of my first FMs, HCTT [ECUADOR], ran 6 AM-midnight. One morning, at sign-on time, I got a call that the transmitter would not go on and that there was a strange smell. I suspected a component had shorted, got up and went over to the station. It seems that, at midnight, a rat had been attracted to the warmth of the powered down transmitter, and had gone to sleep in the power supply. When the transmitter was turned on, the rat presented a direct path to ground, and proceeded to heat up and explode all over the inside of the transmitter. Never wanting to clean a dead rat out of a transmitter again, I went 24/7 the next day. Power on is the most stressful point in a transmitter's life. Many a station has gone 24/7 just to avoid not going on in time for morning drive and its associated revenue. It's better to automate overnights and keep the transmitter running... breakdowns will be random happenings, not stressful pre-Drive Time emergencies (David Gleason, CA, ibid.) But at what age were you doing that ? Probably not at 6 or 7, which is about where RD aims its stuff. Much beyond 10, which is about when I started listening at night (of course that was about when I got my first portable), and kids are beyond Disney. I'd bring that downward. I cannot imagine a 12-year-old today being caught dead at a Radio Disney function. RD's aim is younger because they've already lost them by 12. How about ABC/Disney using this to keep the AM facilities warm for something bigger once IBOC becomes prevalent (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA, ibid.) My youngest (almost 13) says she doesn't particularly like Radio Disney, but when she comes back from a trip to see her cousins in Chicago, she'll turn on our local and listen to it because it reminds her of her aunt's car - she says it's always on in there for her 8- and 5-year-old cousins. Considering the amount of Disney videos, CDs, etc. that they have, it's a logical progression! (Lynn Hollerman, Lafayette, LA, ibid.) I just rechecked the interview with Radio Disney president and GM Jean-Paul Colaco in GM Journal from last October. He says their demographics show that they are reaching 2.7 million kids age 6 to 14 and 1.5 million moms each week. That indicates that over 1/3 of their audience are adults (Patrick Griffith, CBT, Westminster, CO, ibid.) WRT late-night broadcasting on Disney affiliates... It seems to me the programming is by no means offensive to adults. It's a whole lot more listenable than an episode of "Barney". More than once I've found myself listening to a Disney outlet for 10-15 minutes, not as DX, but simply because I *enjoy the music*. And no offensive DJ's believing they need to find a way to be more offensive than the competition. I used to listen to 88.7 Way FM (religious rock) for that reason before they started carrying right-wing "preachers". I don't think it's a stretch to believe many parents are listening long after their kids are in bed. I wonder if the business model is simply to get the Disney name out there? Remember that commercial radio existed for years before the first ad was sold. The first commercial stations existed to promote the owners' products. The broadcasting effort itself was a money-loser, but money was made on increased sales in the company's other lines of business. Is it not possible Disney has concluded this business model can still work today? Disney has been in business for a long time. Of course every successful company occasionally makes a mistake, but IMHO there's no way they would have launched Radio Disney if they didn't believe, at the time they launched it, it would *somehow* improve the company's bottom line. They're not stupid, and they're not hobbyists (Doug Smith, ibid.) I tried Radio Disney on my kids at different times through the past years. My daughter who listens to 80s hits and Pop at the time didn't care for it - she was 15 when I first tried Disney on the radio (now she's 17). My two boys who at first listened to CHR/Pop listened a little, but didn't embrace it. They were 8 and 9 at the time. About a year afterward, the boys flipped from Pop (WAPE) to Active Rock exclusively (Planet Radio 93.3 Jacksonville, FL, Rock 104 WRUF-FM Gainesville, FL, and O-Rock 105.9 Deland-Orlando, FL.) When I put Radio Disney on now I get all-out protests. Sometimes I'll listen for some of the contemporary pop hits, I like the formatics and it's on AM. (Radio Disney either 600 WBWL Jax, and 990 WDYZ Orlando) (Ron Gitschier, Jacksonville - Satsuma, FL, ibid.) Kids are much more sophisticated these days (grow up too fast). It seems that most have their own radios by 6 or 7 years old. My niece at age 5 (she says "almost 6") has both the Barbie radio with microphone to sing along, and the Bratz car with its own factory installed radio. (I had nothing to do with it, although I'll likely buy her a shortwave portable someday.) She knows about Brittany Spears, boy bands, and similar pop music, probably more from watching TV and her gymnastics classes than from radio though. From my years with 10 year old 5th graders, I found that most the boys had already graduated to hard rock, punk, and rap, and they knew how to find rap with explicit lyrics on the Internet. The girls seemed to hang on to the danceable kid pop longer. And yes, my interest in radio and pop music didn't start 'til about 6th grade, age 11. Times have changed (Bruce Conti - Nashua NH, ibid.) To date in the past year there have been two major pieces in the local newspapers about Disney on local 1380, and by major, they fill up an entire page of newsprint with multiple pix, all very feature oriented, and seemed to me to be soft puff pieces. I always have suspected they got in there as a favor to someone. I personally have no tolerance for listening to them. Some time ago, my posting 'flashlights and headphones' set out my feelings about Disney programming encouraging small kids to listen late at night while supposedly being asleep for school the next day, against (presumably) their parents' wishes. What are the demos on this?? (Bob Foxworth, ibid.) ** U S A. IBOC News [STA = Special Temporary Authorization] I finally discovered how to get a list of the IBOC STAs that have been issued by the FCC. Here's what you do: go to http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_sear.htm and in the Application Search form, select "AM Digital" in the "Service" box (or "FM Digital" if you want FM IBOC). Leave all of the other fields blank, click the "Submit Search" button, and you should get a nice list of all of the AM IBOC STA applications, and whether they've been granted or are still pending. As of today, the database shows a total of 7 AM and 16 FM IBOC STA applications. The AM stations are: WKDL- 730 VA (DC) WSB- 750 GA KXNT- 840 NV WTMJ- 620 WI WTWZ-1120 MS WKAT-1360 FL WRHB-1020 FL The last two have not been granted yet. Note that this search does not show the experimental IBOC STAs that were issued to stations such as WOR and WCHB prior to the October 2002 FCC Report and Order on IBOC. In other news, the Greater Media group has announced that all 19 of their stations will go IBOC "in early 2003". This includes 4 AMs: WPEN- 950 PA WWTR-1170 NJ WMTR-1250 NJ WCTC-1450 NJ Other AM stations that have announced plans to run IBOC soon: WCGA-1100 GA KMRY-1450 IA And here's an interesting one: WJLD-1400 in Birmingham AL, claims to be the first non-experimental AM IBOC station, and they say they began IBOC operations on Dec. 20. However, the FCC database shows no STA for WJLD - in fact, no applications of any sort since 1996. So, either the FCC messed up and forgot to update the database, or the station is operating illegally (or not actually running IBOC as they claim to be). Hmmm... Th-th-that's all, folks... (Barry McLarnon, Ont., Jan 22, NRC-AM via DXLD) Hey Barry: I don't know what "AM Digital" means in this case but I don't think it means IBOC. Those "AM Digital" grants were listed before the FCC approved IBOC, and some of them (WSB, WTMJ, WTWZ) are stations that have had no known IBOC testing as best I know. KXNT did some IBOC during NAB if I remember correctly, and I know there was a Washington area station other than WTOP who was doing a bit of testing and assume it was WKDL (Chuck Hutton, WA, ibid.) Au contraire, Chuck... I'm quite certain that "AM Digital" does mean IBOC. The WKDL grant was in Nov., WSB and KXNT in Dec., and the others were just this month. These aren't former IBOC test stations, they're the first wave of non-experimental IBOC stations. KXNT is a special case, set up for the CES in Vegas. I've seen some of these stations (e.g., WTMJ) mentioned in other circles as going IBOC soon. BTW, the other DC-area test station was WILC, not WKDL (Barry McLarnon, ibid.) Sorry about that. WSB et al had been listed forever and I didn't re- check to realize there was a November / December / January update. So the FCC site is up to date. That's good news and thanks for spotting that (Chuck Hutton, ibid.) In the FCC CDBS public access database there's a field for "digital status" but I've checked those that have been testing IBOC and the field is blank. I've also noted that digital TV callsigns can't be searched. I've tried entering WBZ-DT, WCVB-DT, etc. and come up empty. There seems to be a void in the database regarding any sort of digital broadcasting (Bruce Conti - Nashua NH, ibid.) The DTs are in there, but they show up as part of the package under their "parent" analog status. So you'll find WBZ-DT by searching on WBZ-TV, etc. s (Scott Fybush, ibid.) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. Voice of the People: This station, which broadcasts to Zimbabwe via the Radio Netherlands Madagascar relay station, will be changing its schedule as of Monday 27 Jan. The broadcasts will be Mon-Fri at 1655-1755 UT on 7120 kHz. The morning transmission at 0330 will be discontinued (Media Network newsletter Jan 24 via DXLD) Get them while you can, they have been pretty regular on 7120 at 0330. 1655 won't be for us in North America. Also seems like a bit of a cutback, I think they were daily at 0330 (Hans Johnson, TX, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ REALISTIC RADIO REVIEWS FROM A SERIOUS DX'ER Solder Drops Of Wisdom, Editors Comment - Duane Fischer, W8DBF Phil Atchley has owned/used more receivers over the four years that I have known him, than most retailers sell over a two decade period. He buys, fixes, sells or swaps them off faster than most of us change our underwear! He is a very serious short-wave, long wave and beacon listener. He has listened since about the time in history that some female decided that weird looking crud covering her cave mate should be called 'dirt'. Phil has logged, and verified by QSL card or letter, in excess of 160 countries. He has a USAF career background and is a very experienced and highly competent electronics repair technician. He has fixed things for me that absolutely nobody else could or even wanted to attempt. Phil has not made any attempt to do a typical radio review, as you can find them in many other places. What he has done is try to give you, the reader and short-wave listener, some personal, practical and real insights based on his listening skills and observations. He is a very demanding DX'er, far more so than most of us, but even the new comer can learn much by reading Phil's commentary. My personal thanks to Phil for taking the time out of his listening schedule to write this up. Somehow, I think, I am going to owe him a favor in return - (patented Fischer smirk) Here is that promised paper on what I Like, dislike, known issues etc on various receivers that I have owned in the past 4-5 years. If I missed any it's probably because after awhile some kind of fade into the haze. This posting just represents my "opinions" and not to stir up controversy or arguments. Phil KO6BB ... http://www.w9wze.org/SWL/Static.php?PathNom=Static/static.txt and page down a bit till you find this long sexion (via gh, DXLD) GRUNDIG YACHTBOY 400PE Just in case anyone wants more information, Nick Hall-Patch did a review of this model and his review is on the IRCA website (link is in my signature) as a .pdf file... (Lynn Hollerman, Lafayette, LA, hard- core-dx via DXLD) IRCA Web site at http://www.ircaonline.org The main reason is that Grundig has kept naming most of its portable radio receivers with different "Boy" names for decades, at least since the mid-sixties. I was a very happy owner of the Yacht Boy 300 since 1982. It gave me long hours of excellent SW/MW/LW reception, and really got me into serious SW DXing later. A fairly simple design, not too expensive, analogue of course (Sony ICF-2001 was like a Space Shuttle then), but still able to pull in a lot of stuff with just a telescopic whip (Igor, YT1MM, Pifat, Serbia-Montenegro, ibid.) DRM +++ This page last updated Monday, 20 January, 2003 Test Transmissions & Latest News Tests are just that. New software becomes available and equipment is tweaked. So sometimes, the transmissions listed below may not be there. Remember too, that consumer grade DRM receivers are not yet on the market. So the broadcasts are for "circuit adjustment purposes only". Extra DRM transmissions from Bonaire From Monday 20 Jan, Bonaire will conduct extra DRM transmissions towards New Zealand and SE Australia for a period of 7 days at 0600- 0655 UT at 12025 kHz. Programming will be in Dutch. DRM transmissions from Sveio Sveio, Norway is on air from 20-24 and 27-31 Jan at 0700-1000 UT on 5945 and 2000-2300 on 6175 kHz. Both transmissions are beamed 23 degrees to Scandinavia. DRM Long Term Test Transmissions Updated 17 January 2003 Long-term DRM tests from Merlin Communications, Deutsche Welle, Deutsche Telekom and Radio Netherlands Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles are continuing as follows: UTC Days kHz Beam Target AM Carrier Power (kW) Av. DRM Power (kW) Programme Site 24h daily 531 Burg 2 Multimedia- Medien-anstalt Sachsen-Anhalt 24h** daily 855 Berlin Deutschland Radio Berlin 0000-0100 daily 6010 268 E North America 250 70 BBCWS+ Sackville 0400-0500 daily 6010 253 W North America 250 70 BBCWS+ Sackville 0930-1200 daily 15440 040 Europe 250 70 DW English Sines 1000-1100 daily 15170 050 SW Europe 25 10 RNW Bonaire 1000-1200 M-F 9780 033 Scandinavia 75 30 BBCWS Rampisham 1400-1450 M-F 5875 105 W.C+SE Europe 75 30 BBCWS Rampisham 1305-1455 daily 5975 290 or 060 *) W Europe 100 40 Multimedia - T- Systems Media Broadcast Juelich 2130-2230 daily 11755 050 SW Europe 25 10 RNW Bonaire *) different beams in alternate weeks. **) may be interrupted for analogue coverage of special events +) temporarily a 5 minute tape loop. BBCWS relay will start soon (de http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/html/drm_latest.html Jan 20 via DXLD) I absolutely agree with Olle - that the DRM operators will need to clean up their transmissions to prevent such levels of spurious emissions. The wide bandwidth is bad enough. If several of these start regular operations at night on 41 and 49m the results can perhaps be imagined. The effects already experienced from some AM splatter are almost as bad as that from DRM via some stations (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Jan 18 via DXLD) ADDX ACCEPTED AS DRM ASSOCIATE MEMBER The German listeners' club ADDX has been accepted as an associate member of Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM). In a press release, the club explains that "Digital Broadcasting on frequencies below 30 MHz will be introduced at the World Radio Conference in Geneva in June 2003. The use of this new and impressive technology will be of major impact for national and international broadcasters and listeners. We are glad that for the first time a listeners club has a voice within this consortium." ADDX has approximately 4000 members, and its magazine Kurier has for some time been devoting considerable space to coverage of digital shortwave developments (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 24 January 2003 via DXLD) PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ MICHAEL SCHNITZER`S NEW HOMEPACE Hello everywhere, here you can see my new four-lingual internet presentation: http://home.arcor.de/mschnitzer/ The site contains information in German, English, Spanish and Italian concerning the following items: - view in my shack - a lot of background information about the EWE-antenna - all about the DX-Camp Bavaria - historical and present station recordings - historical log-book - rare QSL-cards and radio pennants Please have a look. Bye (Michael Schnitzer, hard-core-dx via DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ BUSHFIRE DAMAGE TO IPS CANBERRA FIELD STATION Dear IPS Customer, You will be aware that the recent Canberra fires severely damaged the Mt Stromlo Observatory. IPS has a station located on the slopes of Mt Stromlo which provides data to our ionospheric and geomagnetic monitoring network. Fortunately, our station was not destroyed by the fires - there is some partial damage to the building on the site and there is damage to facilities in the area such as power and telephone supplies. IPS services remain as before, available through the Internet http://www.ips.gov.au or through direct consultation (02-9213 8000). The loss of data from the Canberra site only slightly degrades the general IPS HF propagation services. Such services are based on a network of stations and the loss of any one station is partly compensated by the remaining stations in the network. However, if you need information or advice specific to the Canberra region please contact us. IPS has equipment ready to restore the Canberra operations as soon as power and telephone is available. At this stage, we expect to have the site working within about two weeks. If you experience any difficulties related to IPS services please contact us by telephone on +61-2-9213 8000 or by email on office@ips.gov.au Patrick Phelan, IPS Customer Services, 24 Jan 2003 (via Robert Williams, Sydney, Australia, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-013, January 23, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser, ghauser@hotmail.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 HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldta03.html For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid2.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 NEXT AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1166: WWCR: Sat 0700, Sun 0330 5070, 0730 3210, Wed 1030 9475 RFPI: Fri 1930, Sat 0130, 0730, 1330, 1800, Sun 0000, 0600, 1200, 1830, Mon 0030, 0630, 1230, Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on 15039 and/or 7445 WBCQ: Mon 0545 7415 WJIE: M-F 1300 on 7490... WRN: Rest of world Sat 0900; Eu only Sun 0530; NAm Sun 1500 WRN ONDEMAND from Friday: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1166h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1166.html WORLD OF RADIO ON WMQM, 1600, 50 kW, MEMPHIS TN: Saturdays 10:30 am CST = 1630 UT (Adam Lock, WMQM) [week delay] UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL As a longtime SW listener, I find the WORLD OF RADIO program an invaluable asset. With the various times and frequencies being used, I always find at least one broadcast weekly that`s convenient to hear. I find the information to always be accurate and up to date (R. F. Gero, Pittsburgh PA, Jan 18) Along with a verifiable reception report for WOR on WJIE and WWCR, but I`ll have to disappoint him as no QSLs exist nor are offered (gh) ** AFGHANISTAN/UK. BBC WORLD SERVICE IS AFGHANS' FAVOURITE RADIO STATION - SURVEY | Text of press release by BBC World Service on 20 January An unprecedented 82 per cent of Afghans surveyed in the capital Kabul listen to BBC World Service broadcasts in Persian and Pashto every week, according to the first media survey in that country since the Taleban left power in 2001. The survey, conducted by independent market researchers last month, showed that BBC World Service is the leading broadcaster in the Afghan capital, beating all local and international broadcasters on both radio and television. It is an unprecedented level of market penetration for an international broadcaster. Since the fall of the Taleban, access to newspapers, television and local radio has been growing and market competition has increased. In Kabul, several new newspapers have started up. Afghans are now able to watch television, which was banned by the Taleban. In an extra boost to the BBC, the survey found that BBC World - the international television news and information channel - is the leading international television broadcaster in Kabul, with 15 per cent of the weekly television audience. "These survey results are excellent," said Baqer Moin, head of the BBC's Persian and Pashto language services. "The results confirm many anecdotal reports which reached us even during the Taleban days which indicated that BBC World Service is Afghanistan's favourite radio station. "Even more importantly, this survey confirms that BBC World Service is respected and trusted by Afghans for its objectivity and accuracy," he adds. "This is a great boost as we start to extend our FM transmissions to other cities over the next few months." The survey is the first independent research to be conducted for BBC World Service in Afghanistan since the Taleban fell in 2001. The survey showed: - There was almost universal awareness of BBC World Service - 98 per cent in Kabul - 82 per cent of all Afghans in Kabul listen to the BBC World Service, mainly on the new 88.9 [MHz] FM frequency which began in June 2002 - 44 per cent of BBC listeners in Kabul listen to Pashto broadcasts - 40 per cent of BBC listeners in Kabul listen to Persian broadcasts - 19 per cent of BBC listeners in Kabul listen to both Pashto and Persian broadcasts - 91 per cent of Afghans in the survey said they turn to the radio for news - 88 per cent of Afghans in the capital perceive BBC World Service as a high-quality, trusted source of relevant information The survey shows that Afghans are very interested in Afghan affairs and regional events and have a greater interest in international affairs than people in most other regions of the world. Four out of 10 Afghans say that they are very interested in events in neighbouring countries. Afghan's hunger for news has been stimulated by 23 years of war, a heavily censored domestic media and interest in the current transitional phase of government in the country. Source: BBC World Service press release, London, in English 20 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. RAE - Radiodifusion Argentina al Exterior Periodo A-03 30/03/03 al 26/10/03 Frecuencias: 6060, 9690, 11710 & 15345 khz Lunes a Viernes (dias local) Horas UT 1000-1200 Japones 11710 Lejano Oriente 1200-1400 Español 15345 America (incluido microprograma de lenguas aborigenes)* 1800-1900 Ingles 9690 15345 Europa 1900-2000 Italiano 9690 15345 Europa 2000-2100 Frances 9690 15345 Europa-N.Africa 2100-2200 Aleman 9690 15345 Europa-N.Africa 2200-2300 Español 6060 11710-15345 Europa-N.Africa 2300-2400 Español 6060 11710-15345 America- Europa (incluido microprograma de lenguas aborigenes)* 0000-0200 Portugues 11710 America 0200-0300 Ingles 11710 America 0300-0400 Frances 11710 America Sabados solamente: 2000-2200 6060, 11710 & 15345 khz * No confirmado aun! Telefono/Fax RAE: 54-11-43256368 Email: rae@r... [truncated] Politica QSLs: Actualmente se requieren 2 IRCs para una respuesta debido a la falta de presupuesto. V = QSL. *Direccion postal: RAE --- RADIODIFUSION ARGENTINA AL EXTERIOR, Casilla 555, C1000WAF Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Jan 23, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** ARMENIA. Yes, even though the official Voice of Armenia schedule was created 20 December 2002 and is supposed to be a "new" one, they are still using 9960 instead of 11625 kHz. Please note that they list the German broadcast 2020-2040 also on 11625, not 15270 as written in my first posting. However, also this broadcast goes out on 9960 kHz. 73s, (Bernd Trutenau, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I just checked Voice of Armenia in French, German and English: As always throughout 2000-2100 on 9960 and 4810 (first one certainly 500/1000 kW), neither 11625 nor 15270 are in use. Just reasonable, at least 19 metres would be a quite silly choice during winter nights (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) La Voz de Armenia, en español, 0330-0345, en 9965 (Adán González, Catia la Mar, Venezuela, Jan 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA/ECUADOR. No signal on Jan. 19/20 for English to SAs of HCJB Australia: 1230-1730 on 15480 KNX 100 kW / 307 degrees (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 22 via DXLD) Because it was delayed again until Jan. 26 --- maybe. Note KNX is apparently the new abbr. for Kununurra, not to be confused with Los Angeles (gh, DXLD) ** BELARUS`. The morning schedule of MW 1170 noted as follows: 0200(?)-0400 VOR Sodruzhestvo, 0400-0500 VOR English, 0500-0700 BR1. BR1 high power also on 7170 until 0700 (Olle Alm, Sweden, 22 Jan, DX LISTENING DIGEST) BR1 relay to Western Europe with 150 kW: 0500-0700 on 7170, 1000-1200 on 11960, 1400-1700 on 7105, 1700-1800 on 7255, 2000-2200 on 7105; acc. to Sergei Alekseichik, Belarus` in active_dx, 19 Jan. 73s, (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, WORLD OF RADIO 1166, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. Ola Paulo, Gostaria de lhe informar que no momento a Radio Nacional OC está operando em 31 metros na freqüência 9665 khz e 25 metros em 11780 kHz, pois o transmissor de 49 metros está em manutenção e quanto ao [phone number, toll free?] 0800 617273 o seu funcionamento é de 05:00 às 18:00 hs, porém a Embratel está com problemas para colocar o serviço em busca automática, ou seja quando uma das três linhas telefonicas está ocupada não está sendo repassada para as outras linhas e sim colocando esta mensagem. Agradecemos a audiência e a mensagem, esclarecendo que todas as sugestões serão sempre bemvindas (Valmira Almeida, Chefe da Divisão de Ondas Curtas via Paulo Miled, Jan 23, radioescutas via DXLD) ** CANADA. Hi Glenn, You were wondering how accurate the times listed for "Imagination Theatre" in DXLD 3-011 [USA] actually are. The only ones I can comment on are those listed for CJAD-800 (Sundays 4 AM & 7 PM), and those are OK. CJAD does, though, occasionally do additional runs of "IT" as a fill-in, e.g. perhaps on one of those rare Saturday evenings in hockey season when the Canadiens aren't playing. 73- (Bill Westenhaver, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. BUILDER FINDS UNLIKELY ALLIES IN BATTLE WITH BUREAUCRATS -- - DEVELOPMENT ON CBC PARKING LOT STALLED AS BOROUGH AND PLANNERS DEMAND CHANGES By Mary Lamey, The Gazette, Thursday, January 23, 2003 The battle over a proposed condominium project has made unlikely allies of community groups in Montreal's Centre-Sud neighbourhood and the project's developer, Groupe le Versant. They are squared off against bureaucrats in the city's planning department and elected officials in the downtown borough of Ville Marie who have been holding up the project since the fall. The dispute has also pitted the borough against the CBC and has reached the office of CBC president Robert Rabinovitch... http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/story.asp?id=3CA22855-3342-4B8E-88EF-47EF900A74FE (via Ricky Leong, DXLD) ** CANARY ISLANDS. I had a good log today, 22 January 2003 of the Full Gospel Las Palmas Church on 6715 kHz USB from 2110 to 2136 UT. The usual gospel singing, and a presumed preacher. A good signal, and building till s/off at 2136, going a bit past their scheduled Wednesday s/off of 2130 (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COSTA RICA. VISTA ONLINE BLURB 4.0 January 2003 Saturday the 18th of January presented George Bush with a dilemma of sorts as millions of anti-war protesters rallied in cities big and small internationally, calling for a halt to George's polices and a return to sanity. Meanwhile, I sat in the Radio for Peace studios listening to a four-hour long live broadcast feed from Pacifica Radio of coverage from the massive anti-war protest in Washington DC, of which RFPI was relaying on shortwave. I was caught up with the passion and enthusiasm of the movement and the up swell of people to end war on the planet. A new realization has presented itself, a realization that regardless of the media being owned by corporate interest and lead around by top government officials cheerleading into war, people are becoming aware worldwide and are speaking out against such archaic mechanisms as war. During my school years I witnessed first hand the build up of the anti-war movement during the Vietnam War (funny we always call it the Vietnam war not United States/Vietnam War). The peace movement was slow in building momentum and only when a massive loss of life on both sides had been inflicted did it achieve an order of strength to turn the war machine aside. Today's anti-war movement has started with considerably more energy and is more widespread than in the past -- a sign of a good start. RFPI's staff had our own peace rally to attend; after the Pacifica broadcast was finished we all loaded into the RFPI minibus and headed off to San José, lending support to our Costa Rican brothers and sisters who had gathered in the city center at the Plaza de la Cultura. About five hundred people were in attendance carrying signs and giving speeches, while a group of musicians playing Andean music entertained a crowd of cheering, passionate people standing in a large circle. As I edged up to peer into the circle I was nudged and greeted by a "Hi Daddy" by my 14-year-old daughter Joanna, her Costa Rican boyfriend in tow. Surprised, I asked, "How did you get here?!" She replied, "By bus of course." And with a smile replacing my expression of surprise, we both reached out and gave each other a huge hug amidst the glow of the event. My thoughts drifted back to an earlier anti-war protest and a young 15-year-old boy who had ridden his bicycle, listening wide-eyed to the hopes and dreams of his generation to end war. It was an experience that would change his life, later providing him the courage to propose the creation of a radio station dedicated to peace. In Peace, James Latham CONTACT AND FUNDING As always, we would like to remind our listeners and supporters of our contact information where you can send us comments about VISTA Online, our programming or the radio in general. You can send us an email at: info@rfpi.org Or, you can send us 'snail mail' at our US mailing address: RFPI, Box 3165, Newburg, OR 97132, USA If you are interested in becoming a member, or in making a donation, send us an email at info@rfpi.org or log onto our website to find out how at http://www.rfpi.org. That's all for this edition. We look forward to contacting you again in the next few weeks (RFPI-Vista mailing list Jan 22 via DXLD) ** CUBA. Very good reception here in Bulgaria for Radio Havana Cuba in Spanish on Jan. 19: 1200-1400 on 15230 (55444)!!!. No signal on parallel frequencies: 6000 totally blocked by Radio Singapore International in Mandarin Ch 9550 totally blocked by Radio Bangladesh Betar in English and Nepali 11760 totally blocked by BBC WS in English and CRI in English (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 22 via DXLD) Well, hardly intended for Europe (gh, DXLD) ** CUBA. Hola Glenn, saludos... -Radio Habana Cuba fue captada el pasado 19/01 (sábado local), en 6180 kHz, a las 0310 UT, en idioma español, en vez de la nueva 6195. Así se mantuvo el 20/01 (domingo local) y cambió de nuevo a 6195 el 21/01 (lunes local). En 6180 interfiere bastante a la Voz de Vietnam en 6175 (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Now that Amazônia has evacuated 6180, RHC ought to keep on there, not 6195. AAMOF, RHC heard on 6180 at 1402 Jan 23 with IS, ID, but reception too poor to make out the announced frequencies. Or maybe not, as see BRAZIL above, they say their 6180 is just off for maintenance (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [non]. Aquí van más noticias... Luego de una pausa bastante prolongada, pueden escucharse de nuevo las emisiones disidentes hacia Cuba, en 9955. Captada el 19/01 a las 00 y 0200. Se identificaba como "La Voz de los Trabajadores por el sindicalismo independiente en Cuba". (Adán González, Catia la Mar, Venezuela, Jan 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WRMI, of course ** ETHIOPIA [non]. CLANDESTINE/ETHIOPIA. V. of Democratic Path of Ethiopian Unity 11840 Nice n/d hand-written letter from the POB 88675 Los Angeles, CA address in 46 days for SASE (used). v/s Solomon G/S. Letter apologizes for late response, not sure what "SASE" means, though it was used for reply. Also notes that "we know acknowledgement of your successful recepiton of our transmission is important. However, we are not sure if this letter will serve that purpose. Please let us know if we need to do anything else". I'm sure a prepared card and polite QSL explanation would generate a reply. Does anyone know what "G/S" stands for? (Scott R Barbour Jr, Intervale,N.H., WORLD OF RADIO 1166, DX LISTENING DIGEST) General Secretary? (Hans Johnson, Cumbre DX vi9a DXLD) ** FRANCE. 1557, France Info, Nice, Jan 21 0435-0705 - thanks to a tip from Barry in Ottawa on NRC's "dxtip" alert, I found this one with a man and woman talking over an extended period. Some fading, but at times quite strong. I was unsuccessful in trying to match the France Info web cast with this broadcast; the two seemed different (different, not delayed). No ID heard, although for the first two hours I was mistakenly listening for a Radio Bleue ID, so I'll have to listen to the tape I made. UK's Medium Wave News (JAN 2003) states that this transmitter is to go silent in the next few weeks, and will be replaced at a new site, the former Radio Monte Carlo site at Fontbonne. Not sure if my reception precedes or follows those "few weeks". [non] Weak audio was also heard during this time on 1503 (Spain presumed), 1512 (Belgium presumed), 1584 (Spain presumed). (Jim Renfrew, NY, Drake R8, longwires, Quantum Phaser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Dr Hansjörg Biener and others report that today at noon also the Nürnberg-based Megaradio transmitter was switched on. This is 1 kW on 945, the channel already in use at Munich. During darkness the transmitter has a reach of about 10 km (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY [and non]. Up until now, there have been several claims made by various sources that DW would be shutting down its broadcasts to N. America this spring. DW would not deny or confirm this directly, until now. Below is an email to me which confirms the closure of this service to N. America. I hope you will take the time to write DW and express your concerns to them, as well as any other shortwave broadcaster you value. Aside from losing a great news resource in DW, I also fear is now that the biggest SW broadcasters from Europe, the BBC and DW, have stopped broadcasts to N. America, it will be very easy for smaller countries (e.g. Austria) to drop their service to us. Here is the webpage for emailing DW: http://www.dw-world.de/english/0,3367,266_K,00.html (Broadw, ODXA via DXLD) CONFIRMED: DW TO N. AMERICA ENDS IN APRIL Hi Glenn... I got this in my email today. Sad news indeed. Let's hope people start writing and put some pressure on (Matt L. in New York, Jan 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ======================================= From : "margot forbes" Margot.Forbes@dw-world.de Subject : English to North America I acknowledge receipt of your e-mail and can inform you that we will no longer be broadcasting per shortwave to your part of the world after the end of March. I have no exact details as yet but do know that we have many rebroadcasters in N. America and the Pacific - as well as satellite possibilities. I am sure something is being worked out to improve the satellite situation - not forgetting Internet! As you are probably aware, our budget has been slashed time and time again - by the German Government - leaving us with the problem of what we can cut down on. Shortwave frequencies are particularly expensive and the decision has been made to cancel some frequencies. I will make a note of your e-mail address and, as soon as I know anything definite about this, I will get in touch with you and let you know. Thanking you for your interest - and hoping you are in a position to "tune in" to us by some means, I remain, (Margot Forbes, DEUTSCHE WELLE ENGLISH SERVICE, via Matt, WORLD OF RADIO 1166, DX LISTENING DIGEST) DW ENGLISH SERVICE FACELIFT, SHORTWAVE CUTS | Text of press release in English by Deutsche Welle on 21 January The English Service of Deutsche Welle (DW), Germany's international broadcaster, will experience the biggest facelift in its 40-year history with the start of summer time on 30 March 2003. There will be a substantial increase in the number of daily news bulletins from 13 to 24. "News on the hour every hour will be our visiting card," says Uta Thofern, Head of the English Service. "Newslink", the flagship current affairs programme, will be broadcast round the clock in the form of special editions tailored to meet the requirements of different audiences around the world. This means there will be three live editions of "Newslink" for the Asia-Pacific Region, two for Africa, with repeats, two for North America and two for Europe every weekday. Uta Thofern: "They will highlight not only top world, European and German stories but also news and developments in the respective target regions. In future we will be able to cover breaking stories faster and in greater depth than ever before." Changes will also be made to the feature programming with an increased emphasis on rebroadcasting successful programmes such as "Arts on the Air", "Living in Germany" and "Inspired Minds". The same applies to "Money Talks" or the science programme "Spectrum". "Africa Kaleidoscope", the weekly programme for and about Africa, will tackle the latest stories and developments. And last but not least there will be two new 30-minute programmes for Asia and Africa. This means that "development" will finally get a weekly slot and more attention will be paid to the environment. "In future our team of feature editors will have more time to devote to their successful cooperation with organizations like German Technical Cooperation, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and UNESCO," Thofern says. To date DW Radio's English Service has broadcast to all of its target audiences via the shortwave. As of 30 March 2003 this policy will change. In future Deutsche Welle will take into account the conditions prevailing on individual media markets and respond to new technical developments in the most appropriate fashion. DW also plans to introduce digital shortwave transmissions to East Asia and Europe, with analogue shortwave transmissions to Asia and Africa continuing for the foreseeable future. However, shortwave broadcasts to the highly developed media markets of North America and Australia and New Zealand will be terminated. Instead, DW will focus on expanding the number of radio stations, like Canadian Broadcasting Corporation or ABC News Radio, who rebroadcast DW Radio's programmes successfully. Listeners in those regions will of course still be able to hear us via satellite or by means of our Internet page at http://www.dw-world.de/English Source: Deutsche Welle press release, Cologne, in English 21 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) Notice how they downplay to the last graf shutting off SW to North America, Australia and New Zealand! Always spinning, the wrong way. As I remarked on WOR a few weeks ago, but I think not yet here: Why this all-or-nothing shortwave approach?? Let`s face it, the three half-sesquihours in English to North America, mostly duplicated, on 5 or 6 frequencies each from as many relay sites, is overkill. We could make do with two, or even one broadcast, on perhaps two or three frequencies, like so many other SW stations. Look how well R. Netherlands has done for decades with only two frequencies per broadcast via Bonaire! The cut could back to that level, retain their audience and save a bunch of DM --- oops, Euri (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Wolfgang Büschel forwarded Craig Seager`s remarks in last DXLD to Margot and got this reply: Subject: Re: DW stellt Englischdienst für Australien und America ein. Hello Mr. Buschel, I am afraid Mr. Sieger [sic] is not entirely wrong. This is the information we are sending to interested listeners of DW English language radio programmes: "Many thanks for your interest in our programmes. In answer to your question about the future of DW-English language shortwave programmes to North America and the Pacific region, I would like to inform you that, to date DW-Radio's English Service has broadcast to all of its target audiences via the shortwave but, as of 30th March 2003, this policy will change. In future Deutsche Welle will take into account the conditions prevailing on individual media markets and respond to new technical developments in the most appropriate fashion. DW plans to introduce digital shortwave transmissions to East Asia and Europe with analogue shortwave transmissions to Asia and Africa continuing for the foreseeable future. However, shortwave broadcasts to the highly developed media markets of North America and Australia and New Zealand will be terminated. Instead, DW will focus on expanding the number of radio stations, like Canadian Broadcasting Corporation or ABC News Radio, who rebroadcast DW-Radio's programmes successfully. Listeners in those regions will of course still be able to hear us via satellite or by means of our Internet page at http://www.dw-world.de/English If you would like to be informed about the facelift the English Service of Deutsche Welle (DW) will be experiencing with the start of summer time on 30th March 2003, just send an e-mail to: margot.forbes@dw-world.de - referring to: A Facelift for Radio Broadcasts in English and I will be pleased to send you the relevant information." Regards, Margot Forbes, DEUTSCHE WELLE ENGLISH SERVICE Tel.: +49 221 389 4144 Fax: +49 221 389 4155 E-mail: margot.forbes@dw-world.de Website: http://www.dw-world.de (via Büschel, DXLD) While, someday, unplugging analog shortwave is the right way to go, I still argue it's two years too early. In the case of Deutsche Welle, it seems silly that one of the streams earmarked elsewhere couldn't instead by directed to us in North America -- couldn't Africa or Asia live with two fewer frequencies for one hour a day? Or, perhaps DW should arrange for airtime targeting the Americas from a lower-cost, lower-power transmitter site closer to us. I would think 100 kW from WWCR is cheaper than 250 kW from Antigua -- assuming DW could find broadcasters willing to rent time from Antigua (Richard Cuff, PA, swprograms via DXLD) Relay exchanges, if they exist much any more, could put this reduction in transmissions on a nasty downward spiral. As each broadcaster pulls out, the reciprocal broadcaster's use of a facility, I would think, is also at risk. My impression is that many countries have privatized (outsourced) their transmission facilities, making the transmission costs a real cost, whereas before they weren't. Relays agreements, even if they still exist, would now be a line item open to scrutiny to a bean counter, whereas before they wouldn't have been. Purchase of time from Merlin, etc., would clearly be a transfer of funds to an entity not of your own country, not benefiting your own people through jobs, etc.... A sliding slope, maybe, of things to come (Kevin Anderson, Dubuque, Iowa, Jan 23, swprograms via DXLD) Fine, make the cuts. But don't pretend you won't lose listeners because of your extensive network of rebroadcasters. If DW is on any FM or AM stations in the US (I'm not sure what other rebroadcasters they mean -- unless there are some public TV stations that have them as a Second Audio Program?) it's not readily apparent from their web site. (There is a page explaining how wonderful the English service will be after the summer time change, tho they neglect to mention that the programming changes will be accompanied by the cutoff of NAm service. Though I spose I can't blame them for not wanting to rain on their own parade.) (Kyle Barger, Jan 23, swprograms via DXLD) BBCWS, DW, Swiss R. I., and YLE have fallen short. We listeners feel shortchanged because the decision making process has not been laid out to us -- perhaps because it frankly hasn't been thought through... and the broadcasters don't want us to know how capricious their decisionmaking process really was. I am not too surprised by all this. Germany's economy is in bad shape -- with higher unemployment, lower GDP growth prospects, and a higher (percentage) budget deficit than we face in the USA. The bleeding had to be stopped, and this was perceived as one way to do it. I will miss easy access to DW via shortwave. DW was one of the first broadcasters I listened regularly to when I first became interested in shortwave in the 1960s, and I latched onto DW again when my shortwave interest reawakened in the late 1980s. I am cautiously hopeful that some of the Pacific service (0800 UT?) [0900 on 6160, 9690] will remain, because that was the most audible service here in Pennsylvania aside from the 01/03/05 service (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA, swprograms via DXLD) How expensive is it really to run these shortwave transmitters and antenna farms? I can understand how [not] transmitting shortwave would save money, but it seems like it might be a pittance compared to the larger costs of generating English programming in the first place. But then again how much programming costs would there be for a 45 minute radio broadcast each day? Maybe the costs of transmitter time really does outweigh the programming costs in this case. I have no real context to compare against, nor did I when BBCWS did their changes. Working for a educational institution that is involved in "budget health adjustments" (a fancy way to not say you are in a fiscal problem), I can respect what DW is dealing with. All too often the cuts easily identified, however, amount to a pittance and do little to change things. It is only when substantial changes in how one does business are identified does the real savings/efficiencies come out, other than just laying off people and making everyone work harder. Can some of you folks who actually work for an international broadcaster relay some costs? It would sure help me put things in perspective... Waiting for this nightmare to end... (Kevin Anderson, Jan 23, swprograms via DXLD) [And re Daniel Say`s remarks about cutting German language instead:] That`s only as he sees it; Amongst other aims, the Deutsche Welle law of 1954 as public external service broadcaster is not aimed to 85 millions inland, but to bring European culture to at least 30 million Germans outside our frontier as foreign workers, students and holiday makers annually, and to another figure of approx. 120 million foreigners worldwide who understand the German language. 700 millions EURO cost the DW service annually; and is a much better investment than the German army for example. I would wish the 15.000 Americans plus their relatives serving here at AAFES-Europe in Stuttgart had access to such a fine public broadcasting service like DW or BBC doing for decades (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY/PORTUGAL: During the HFCC meeting in Johannesburg Deutsche Welle will provide a DRM Test in English on February 3 and 4, 2003: 0900-1355 on 25800 SIN 250 kW / 145 deg to SAf 0900-1200 on 21820 SIN 250 kW / 145 deg to SAf ||||| (Alternative) 1200-1355 on 21735 SIN 250 kW / 145 deg to SAf ||||| (Alternative) (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 22 via DXLD) SIN = Sines ** GRENADA. STRIKING MEDIA WORKERS MARCH THROUGH THE STREETS OF THE CAPITAL | Text of report by Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) news agency on 21 January St George's, Grenada: As an industrial impasse at the Grenada Broadcasting Network (GBN) entered its second week, the militant Technical and Allied Workers Union (TAWU) on Tuesday [21 January] stepped up pressure on the media company to accede to its demands. Around midday Tuesday, about 20 unionized workers marched through the streets of the capital, chanting and singing and bearing placards with anti-GBN slogans. The demonstration was to be followed by a picket of GBN's compound later in the day and a meeting of all union shop stewards scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Eastern Caribbean time. On Tuesday, Union activists also visited various workplaces across the country explaining TAWU's position in the dispute, as TAWU's General President Chester Humphrey served notice that the union was preparing for a general call out of its membership in support of the media workers. The stepped-up action follows a breakdown in negotiations at the level of the Labour Department. Labour Minister Lawrence Joseph, who intervened in the dispute over a week ago, has so far failed in his many attempts to broker a settlement. Among a series of recommendations proposed by the minister is for the union to call off its protests, which were launched on 7 January after GBN began issuing letters of retrenchment to 10 employees. The minister has further requested that the company withdraw letters of dismissal subsequently issued to all workers involved in the recent protest action, while the union agrees that the protesting workers would not be paid for the time off the job, except for those workers who were issued with retrenchment letters on 7 January and subsequently dismissed. Humphrey said the union was willing to accept the minister's recommendations but described as "repugnant" and "dehumanizing", a proposal by the company to send 10 workers on paid leave, while talks were scheduled to continue between the two sides on a policy of retrenchment. "We would be aiding and abetting in the subversion of the collective agreement, if we succumb to that," he told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) [this news agency]. Company officials were unavailable Tuesday for comment on the matter. GBN is 60 per cent owned by the Trinidad-based Caribbean Communications Network (CCN) and 40 per cent owned by the Grenada government. Source: Caribbean Media Corporation news agency, Bridgetown, in English 2112 gmt 21 Jan 03 ** GUAM. Some changes for KTWR Agaña in Mandarin Chinese: 7455 100 kW / 320 deg 1100-1700 (ex 1100-1615) ||||| extended 12130 100 kW / 305 deg 1530-1700 (ex 0915-1615) ||||| retimed (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 22 via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. La Voz de Indonesia retoma la frecuencia de 15150 de manera irregular. Escuchada el 19/01 a las 2030, en inglés. SINPO 4/4 (Adán Gonzálex, Catia la Mar, Venezuela, Jan 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL INTERNET/TERRORISM. AL-QA'IDAH RESTORES INTERNET SITE, JIHAD ONLINE TO FOLLOW SUIT - ARABIC PAPER | Text of report from Cairo by Muhamad Salah published by London-based newspaper Al-Hayat on 19 January It appears that Al-Qa'idah organization has regained its "electronic" health, having succeeded in returning to the Internet, despite the sustained American offensive on its web site. The "Islamic Studies and Research Centre" site, that carries the name of "Al-Nida", has reappeared for all, after breaking through the American siege. It has resumed distributing the organization's statements and the speeches, interviews and addresses by its leaders, led by Usamah Bin Ladin and Ayman al-Zawahiri, who has had the biggest share of the site's volume. The book "Allegiance and dissociation are a copied faith without existence" [Arabic: Al-wala' wa al-bara' aqidah manqulah wa waqi' mafqud] has taken centre stage on the site's main page, which devotes a section for presenting the book in full. Al-Hayat provided a review last Tuesday [14 January] of the details and chapters of Al-Zawahiri's new book. It published excerpts in which the Egyptian Jihad group's leader who has become the number two man in Al-Qa'idah organization stressed his determination to continue operations against the Americans everywhere. "Al-Nida" site has been the target of American electronic attacks that have knocked it off the web about 20 times. But those in charge of the site have succeeded in refloating it every time by using a new server, the address of which contains no words indicating that it belonged to Al-Qa'idah or Islamists. The material disseminated by "Al-Nida" after its resumption has not been without threats to the Americans and incitement to the Muslims to "jihad against the infidel Crusaders". Naturally, a place is dedicated for all the audio messages of Bin- Ladin and Al-Zawahiri and their videotapes, plus statements by the organization in which it claimed responsibility for operations carried out over the past months. The site also contains a news bulletin and a follow-up to events in the Afghanistan arena, plus articles and analyses, some by American writers, on the confrontation between the United States and the Muslims in the world. American investigators had questioned officials at the Malaysian Image System [as transliterated] after it became known that fundamentalists had made a contract with it to disseminate "Al-Nida" site via its network. But the company's officials denied any connection with the material contained in the site. Investigations carried out some weeks ago established that Al-Qa'idah had used other firms in Caracas and Bangkok, succeeding each time in restoring the site after it was hacked. Fundamentalist sources say that specialists in electronic warfare at the US intelligence apparatus (CIA) have resorted to a trick to discourage visitations to "Al-Nida". They created sites having the same name but containing old material issued by the organization, without updating them. The aim is to discourage people from looking for the site. The sources said Jihad Online site would also return to the web within days to further fuel the electronic struggle between the two sides. Jihad Online had disappeared from the web after the Americans hunted it down following its dissemination, during the Id al-Fitr feast [festival marking the end of Ramadan], of an audio message by Sulayman Abu-Ghayth, Al-Qa'idah's spokesman. Source: Al-Hayat, London, in Arabic 19 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. Voice of Southern Azerbaijan presumed the one on 9375 January 23rd, 1627 tune in carrier, 1631 announcement by man in Middle Eastern language with many mentions of Azerbaijan, democratia and a frequency announced in MHz, "Azerbaijan sud(?) radyosu" heard, then into commentaries and interviews with occasional musical bridges or music underneath, cut off mid sentence at 1700. Fair strength and steady signal, tinny modulation and some transmitter hum but easily readable (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth, UK, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAQ. Con pocas espectativas le escribí a esta emisora que, no siendo clandestina, está dentro de aquellas difíciles de establecer contacto, por lo menos a mi me ha pasado; le había escrito otras veces sin éxito. En mi opinion, son de aquellos países donde se juntan una serie de cosas que hacen difícil llegar. Por un lado el correo, que no siempre llega; depende mucho del país desde donde se envía el reporte. Esta QSL está escrita en inglés y a mano. En forma personalizada, agradece el reporte y envía saludos, informa de los distintos idiomas en que transmite por los 11.787 KHz: Inglés, Alemán, Francés, Turco y Árabe, de 1900 a 2000 UT en el primer programa y de 0100 a 0200 UT en el segundo programa. Firma Jamila y se despide diciendo que me considera más que un nuevo oyente, un nuevo amigo. La tarjeta está ilustrada en los dos lados, con un mapa del país y con dibujos de su cultura, en color. La confirmación corresponde al dia 7 de julio del año pasado, a la hora 1945 UT. Les envié el informe el dia 18 de agosto y me llegó su carta el dia 10 de diciembre. La dirección es la misma que la de Radio Bagdag: Salihiya, P. O. BOX 8145, Baghdad, IRAQ. (``Goncidani, location unknown, Conexión Digital via DXLD) {Victor G., Milano} ** IRAQ [non]. Hey Glenn, DoD yesterday said that all press briefings will now be broadcast via Commando Solo. This makes me want to DX those old "dollar thirties". (Wm. "Bill" Brady, Harwood MD, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: COMMANDO SOLO TO BROADCAST PENTAGON BRIEFINGS TO IRAQ By Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2003 -- The citizens of Iraq received a taste of democracy in action as the news briefing today by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Richard Myers was broadcast via Commando Solo aircraft to Baghdad. Rumsfeld, speaking at the Foreign Press Center here, said the department is doing this "because the truth matters." He said the Iraqi people should know and hear the truth. U.S. Central Command used Commando Solo II aircraft to broadcast into Afghanistan at the start of operations in that nation. Commando Solo aircraft are modified C-130s capable of broadcasting radio and television on a real time basis. The aircraft are part of the 193rd Special Operations Wing of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard. They are based at the Harrisburg International Airport. DoD officials will say only that the crews are operating "somewhere in the Gulf." Rumsfeld said broadcasting the news briefings shows democracy and freedom at work. Public officials in democracies are held accountable and must explain their actions to the people, he said. "Every week, General Myers and I stand in the Pentagon in front of independent journalists -- professionals -- and . try to answer their questions," Rumsfeld said. "Some of the questions are tough, many are insightful and all add to the information available to the American people and the people of the world." Rumsfeld said that once the reporters leave the studio they do not fear for their lives. "They know that they and their families will not be threatened and that no one will be beaten or punished." Truth matters in a democracy, he said, it is the foundation of justice. He contrasted that with Saddam Hussein's regime, which, he said, is built on "terror, intimidation and lies." In 1991, Hussein agreed to give up his weapons of mass destruction. "For more than a decade, his regime has refused to live up to his promises," Rumsfeld said. "Instead, it has fed the world a steady diet of untruths and deceptions." (via Mike Terry, and Kim Elliott, DXLD) BTW, VOA enhanced its reputation Jan 23 with a TALK TO AMERICA on the anti-war movement (gh, DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. Received a vaguely worded eQSL for my report to the clandestine station Radio al-Mustaqbal (The Future), which apparently transmits from Kuwait using 50 kW of power. I heard the station on 1575 kHz. The following response came from Iraqi National Accord, the opposition group behind the station, from email address wifaq_ina@hotmail.com ``dear Mika Makelainen many thanks for your e mail in 16-1-2003 we would like to inform you that Al-Mustaqbal radio station usually broadcasts on the frequency 1575 - 1580 khz 0f (m.w) sometime a broadcast jamming may occur to it creating by baghdad radio station , running by Saddam's regime. we try to protect our broadcast which is the broadcast of the iraqi opposition from such interferences. Many thanks again and we hope that you won't stop writing to us best regards al - mustaqbal broadcast (via Mika Mäkeläinen, Finland, Jan 23, dxing.info via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Re tests to Australia: Craig, Thanks for the tip off on this one. Noted here last night (22/1) on 15655, 15640 and 17545 all in English at 1125. 15655 went off at 1134 after a closing announcement in Yiddish (or similar language) and some Israeli pop music. The other frequencies sign off around 1130. All channels noted at fair level with a bit of echo on the signals (possibly indicating some multipath reception). (Rob VK3BVW Wagner, Melbourne, Australia, FRG100, Sangean 909, Icom ham IC701 transceiver Dipoles and longwires, Jan 22, EDXP via DXLD) Thanks for the feedback Rob. The tests will continue until Sunday on 15 MHz and then further tests will commence on 17 MHz. A possible test frequency is 17525 1100-1130 (Craig Tyson, ibid.) Greetings to all from Port Macquarie, N.S.W., Australia, Listened to Kol Israel at 1100 on 15655, they were in French till 1115 then English, reception was fair with no QRM, quite understandable, 15640 was poor to fair, not as strong as 15655 (Michael Stevenson, Sangean ATS-909 with outdoor antenna 15 metres (did not have the old Sony fired up last night), EDXP via DXLD) À noter que le 22 janvier, la réception dans le centre de la France sur cette fréquence destinée à l'Australie était aussi bonne, voire meilleure que sur 15640 et 17545, longueurs d'ondes utilisées pour l'Europe (informations issues de http://perso.wanadoo.fr/jm.aubier via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Another update on the royalties fight: http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=252059 (Ha`aretz via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** JAPAN [non]. Dear Sirs, Thank you very much for your daily support of our club activities. The special broadcast in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Japan Short Wave Club (JSWC) was scheduled on 15/16 December 2002 from Adventist World Radio, Guam, but unfortunately it was not held due to the heavy damage to the transmitters caused by a typhoon hit on the island in the beginning of last December. The Japanese broadcast of AWR was resumed a few weeks ago, and according to the AWR Reverend Masaru Kawagoe, the program will be on the air as follows. Station: Adventist World Radio from Agat, Guam Language: Japanese and English Date, time and frequencies: 25 January 2002 / 2100 UTC / 11960, 11980 kHz 26 January 2002 / 1300 UTC / 11755, 11980 kHz Program host: Masaru Kawagoe Guest: Toshimichi Ohtake (JSWC member) Program contents: Since our club`s special broadcasts have already taken place 3 times by the Japanese service of AWR in 2002, we have received many reception reports for the second broadcast on 19 August 2002 from all over the world. So this time, these reports will be introduced during the regular program by the Reverend Kawagoe, with a guest Toshimichi Ohtake, a senior member of JSWC. It is a special bi-lingual, an approximately 20 minutes-long program just after the opening ID at 2100/ 1300 UTC. A special QSL card from JSWC will be issued for correct reception reports sent to: Japan Short Wave Club (JSWC), 50th Anniversary Committee, P.O.Box 138, Yokohama Port, 231-8691 Japan. Please write your report in English and enclose 1 IRC or U.S. 1 dollar bill. Source of information: Masaru Kawagoe, AWR / Toshimichi Ohtake, a member of JSWC. It may be the final opportunity for you to get our special QSL card, so please do not miss to receive the program and send us your reception report !! Finally, we would like to express our deep gratitude to all of you who have heard our club's messages, as well as the broadcasters kindly cooperated to convey them in last year, 2002. And we hope your continuous support of our club activities in the future as well. With kind regards, (Nobuya Kato, A volunteer staff of JSWC 50th anniversary project e-mail: jsw-@par.odn.ne.jp [truncated] 22 January 2003 (via Johno Wright, ARDXC via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. U S A (non): Some changes for Radio Free Asia in Korean effective from Jan. 15: 1400-1500 NF 13625, ex 13790 \\ 5855 7475 12000 1500-1600 on 13625 ||||| additional transmission \\ ? 1600-1700 on 13625 ||||| additional transmission \\ ? 73 from (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 22 via DXLD) ** MEXICO. 2390, Radio Huayacocotla, 2348 YL giving religious dedications between segments of music, constant mention of "El Salvador" in the religious sense, telephone numbers, numerous mentions of "Santa Cruz", 0005 YL and OM time checks, 0035 mention of a string of radio stations and "Santo Domingo, República Dominicana" for program. Clear ID as Radio Huayacocotla by OM 0041. Deep fading at times but overall good signal. NRD 535D R 75 R 7 Noise reducing antenna (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, Florida, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** MEXICO [non]. He notado que aqui en la ciudad de México, la señal de Radio Mil 6010, está completamente interferida por un zumbido o ruido desde las 0100 hasta las 500 UT aprox. también he podido escuchar que parte de esta interferencia es por una emisora religiosa (Héctor García Bojorge, DF, Jan 22, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Bien podría ser la interferencia de LV de tu Conciencia de Colombia; es la única religiosa en español que opera en dicha frecuencia. Aquí, lamentablemente, es dificilísima la escucha de Radio Mil; nos interfiere la Radio Inconfidência de Brasil. 73's GIB (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Argentina, ibid.) Amigos, por aquí en Italia LV de tu Conciencia es la muy regular, en los 6010.9v. Desde esta "pequeña" diferencia el silbido que escucha Héctor. Saludos (Francisco Luis Clemente, ibid.) ** PAKISTAN. RADIO TO BE MADE "MORE PEOPLE FRIENDLY" Islamabad, 21 January: The Minister for Information and Media Development, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, has highlighted the need for making Radio Pakistan a more friendly and effective mode of information, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency reported. In an address to the officers and staff of Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation [PBC] Shiekh Rashid Ahmed said, young blood having fresh ideas, coupled with the capabilities to meet the challenges in the field, should be part of the production centre at Radio Pakistan. Radio Pakistan should be made more people friendly as far as information and entertainment is concerned. An effort should be made for radio to attain the status of an all time companion, equally among the rural and urban population. APP also reported, that it is a false impression that TV has a bigger audience, and added that radio is still more effective and commands a larger listenership. It was announced that Radio Pakistan will make arrangements to upgrade it's Islamabad station to become a 24-hour broadcaster, and that existing budget allocations for programming within the news-sector would be doubled. Speaking live earlier at the FM 101 Studios, he said that his ministry is dedicating effort into making this channel more effective. Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said, he was impressed with the performance of the FM broadcasts, and there was a need to have more dedicated FM channels in other parts of the country as well. The minister was informed that PBC owned a chain of 25 Radio Stations in almost every corner of the country. The FM services catered for around 96.5 per cent of the total population. The chain of FM-101 channels which were introduced initially in three cities: Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore has now been extended to eight cities including Quetta, Faisalabad, Hyderabad, Sialkot and Peshawar. By 2010, he said, 22 more cities would be having the FM-101 network, the news agency reported. Source: Associated Press of Pakistan news agency, Islamabad, in English 1143 gmt 21 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** PERU. 6324.4, R. L.V. DEL DESTINO. Nueva Cajamarca. 1030-1045 Enero 23. Música con el Comunero de los Andes, enviando saludos a varios lugares. "5 de la mañana con 45 minutos, el saludo cordial a los amigos campesinos que a esta hora ya están en la sintonía de su radio amiga, La Voz del Destino..." (Rafael Rodríguez, Colombia, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** PHILIPPINES. FEBC. On 17th December I had the great pleasure of taking part in a prayer meeting and meal with David and Jan Bayliss, Australian workers with FEBC Manila, when they visited Adelaide for a few days. David is working on the digitalisation of FEBC's program production. Jan takes care of the mail in the English Language Department. Although there are no English programs from Manila at present, a lot of mail is still received from English-speaking listeners. Jan deals with reception reports, so if you have any problems in that respect, contact her. Jan said that she sends out QSLs for correct reports. If you haven't received QSLs for your reports, it is quite possible that the reports didn't even reach the station, so try again after a reasonable wait (Robert Chester, Cheltenham, South Australia, Jan 21, EDXP via DXLD) ** PORTUGAL. Frequency changes for RDP International Radio Portugal effective from Jan. 13: to Europe Mon-Fri 1700-2000 NF 11740* LIS 100 kW / 052 deg, ex 11800 1700-2000 NF 11960# LIS 300 kW / 045 deg, ex 13585 * co-ch Radio Liberty in Turkmen till 1800 and AWR in Arabic 1800-1900 # co-ch VOA in Arabic 1800-1900 and Radio Farda in Persian 1900-2000 to Europe Sat/Sun 1500-1758 NF 11775* LIS 100 kW / 052 deg, ex 13790 1500-1758 NF 11960 LIS 300 kW / 045 deg, ex 13660 * co-ch SLBC in Sinhala from 1610 and VOA in Portuguese from 1700 1800-2000 NF 9655* LIS 100 kW / 052 deg, ex 13790 1800-2400 NF 9880# LIS 300 kW / 045 deg, ex 13660 * co-ch VOA in Russian # co-ch Radio Kuwait in Arabic till 2130 to Brasil Sat/Sun 2000-2100 NF 11905* LIS 100 kW / 215 deg, ex 21655 *co-ch VOA in Arabic till 2100 and Radio Tashkent in German/English (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 22 via WORLD OF RADIO 1166, DXLD) Incredibly incompetent frequency management! (gh, DXLD) ** PUERTO RICO. Sunday, February 2, 2003 - WBMJ-1190, San Juan, PR and WIVV-1370, Vieques, PR will conduct a DX test from 12:00-2:00 am AST (11:00 pm-1 am EST) [0400-0600 UT]. This test will be run simultaneously on both stations. At 11:59 pm AST, the stations will come out of a youth program - "Life on the Edge" - and then run a minute of DX information, including Morse code IDs. Then the stations will return to their regular programming from the Moody Broadcasting Network. The same procedure will be repeated at 12:59 am AST and 1:59 am AST. WBMJ will be broadcasting at 5 kW; WIVV at 1 kW. Reception reports (with return postage) may be sent to: Bert Johnson Operations Manager WBMJ Radio/WIVV Radio P.O. Box 367000 San Juan, PR 00936-7000 E-MAIL: bjohnson@cem-wbmj.org (Arranged for the IRCA CPC) (IRCA Soft DX Monitor via DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA [non]. SA`UDI ARABIA/UK: SA`UDI OPPOSITION SAWT AL- ISLAH RADIO OBSERVED ACTIVE Between 15 and 21 January 2003, the Sa`udi opposition's Voice of Reform [Sawt al-Islah], the radio of the Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia (MIRA), was observed on both shortwave and satellite. The Movement is an anti-Sa`udi organization based in London. Sawt al-Islah broadcasts on both satellite and shortwave. Although the satellite feed is 24 hours daily the shortwave feed has only been heard on 9925 kHz between 1830 and 2130 gmt. When heard the shortwave feed is in parallel with the satellite feed. On satellite it is observed in digital format with good reception via Hotbird 6, at 13 degrees east, frequency 11.096 MHz, horizontal polarization. The satellite feed has also been noted off the air on occasion. Announcements indicate that on shortwave it broadcasts from 2200 to 0000 Sa`udi Arabian time (1900-2100 gmt) and that it can be heard on 7590 kHz. Checks on this frequency have proved negative. Programming Programmes last about five hours and are repeated throughout the 24- hour broadcasting day. They consist of talks and discussions, all critical of the Sa`udi regime and ruling family. Dr Sa`d al-Faqih, the head and spokesman of the movement, holds long discussions on subjects related to Sa`udi Arabia. The topic of discussion on 20/21 January lasts for around two hours and deals with the issue of the pilgrimage to Mecca. It is entitled: "The Sa`udi government's performance during the hajj season." It argues that the Sa`udi government fails to organize the hajj and serve the pilgrims in an efficient way. Al-Faqih says: "Our regime lives on misinformation and lies. When you expose this misinformation and these lies you will expose the schism between the regime and religion. You will demonstrate the regime's lies on the issue of implementing Islamic law, on implementing the Kor`an and the Prophet's tradition, and on the issue of monotheism. If we demonstrate that this regime is ruling by polytheism and infidelism and that it fights Islam, we will expose the regime and break this psychological barrier." Al-Faqih also answers listeners' questions. Programming also include readings from the international press on Sa`udi Arabia and remarks by prominent commentators on Sa`udi affairs. The only music heard on 20/21 January was a two-minute, religious song at the end of the programmes lamenting the state of affairs in Sa`udi Arabia and the Islamic world. Programmes and discussions are interrupted to accommodate a 10-12 minute news and press review. Slogans are occasionally heard promoting Sawt al-Islah. "The Voice of the Islamic Movement for Reform is a necessary step to break the unjustified barrier of fear that the rulers planted in people's hearts. Any participation by you is a continuation of efforts towards removing this barrier." In remarks he made during one of his discussions at 1055 gmt on 21 January, Al-Faqih describes the Sa`udi regime as "the ugliest regime" in the world in terms of its "racial discrimination," in humiliating the citizens, and in "considering the House of Sa`ud super-humans and the people slaves and servants". Announcements The radio carries the following announcements at the end of its programmes: "This is the Voice of Reform, the radio of the Islamic Movement for Reform [al-harakah al-islamiyah li al-islah]" and "the Islamic Movement for Reform is your arm by which you can effect some changes. Contribute whatever you can to save the country from the plot that is in store for it." It also announces the following contact details: Tel + 44 208 4520303, Fax: + 44 208 4520808 and E mail: radio@islah.org The Movement's web sites are located at http://www.miraserve.com and http://www.islah.org Both have Arabic and English versions. According to Al-Jazeera television, the station was launched at 1900 gmt on 7 December 2002. [Note: The Movement calls itself in Arabic "al-harakah al-islamiyah li al-islah" [The Islamic Movement for Reform], with the word Islamic describing the Movement rather than the reform. However, in English it identifies itself as the Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia.] Source: BBC Monitoring research 21 Jan 03 (via WORLD OF RADIO 1166, DXLD) ** SEYCHELLES. David Bayliss [see PHILIPPINES] reported that FEBA Seychelles will be closing during 2003. The main reasons for closing are: (1) The antennae have come to the end of their useful life and it is too expensive to replace them. Also, housing is encroaching on the antenna site, bringing with it some concerns about electro-magnetic radiation from the antennae. (2) Power and licence costs are extremely high. It is felt that the wisest use of supporters' money is to close the station completely and buy time on the facilities of other broadcasters. It is anticipated that most of the transfer will take place by the end of June 2003, depending on arrangements with suitable stations. David said that the BBC is also finding it very expensive to stay in the Seychelles, so it seems that they will close their station, but no timeframe is known for that. I haven't heard anything definite about the BBC closing. However, I suggest that if you haven't yet QSLed FEBA and the BBC Seychelles, then send some reports now. This may be your last opportunity to QSL SW broadcasts from the Seychelles (Robert Chester, Cheltenham, South Australia, Jan 21, EDXP via DXLD) ** SWEDEN. Coming up on Radio Sweden: Thursday: The "S-Files" looks at religion in the Viking Age Friday: Our weekly review Saturday: In "Studio 49" the future of the monarchy and gay and lesbian adoptions Sunday: Another chance to hear "Sounds Nordic" on a new Swedish web portal, Eurovision Song Contest hopefuls, and Therese Grankvist (SCDX/MediaScan Jan 22 vias DXLD) ** TAJIKISTAN. There have been various reports in the last time about a speech program on 4050 kHz when usually the "Hit shortwave" program was heard at other times. If any reader of this mailing list has or will make a recording of this speech program, I would be glad to receive a short excerpt of it for further analysis, especially as far as the language is concerned. The timeslot in question has been especially 0300-0330 and 1730-. Thank you very much. 73s, (Bernd Trutenau, Vilnius, Lithuania, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** U K [non?]. Hello! Looks like BBC seriously plan to serve North America on short wave, using the DRM standard. At least, transmissions are on the air 2 h/day now in 49 mb. More details later on (Magnus Wiberg, Jan 19, dxing.info via Henrik Klemetz, DXLD) Hello (again)! The frequency should be 6010 kHz at 00-01 and 04-05 UT. Anybody who heard it ? (Magnus, Jan 20, ibid.) Magnus is the frequency manager at R. Sweden. I expect these are just more DRM limited-span tests. Could this be Sackville? They also use 6010 for relaying RN in Dutch (analog) between those times (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1166, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K [non]. GERMANY: Bible Voice Broadcasting Network/BVBN/ via Wertachtal, 250 kW / 120 degrees: 1900-1930 Thu on 9470 in new language - Arabic, ex in English (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 22 via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. New additional transmission for Voice of America in Kurdish from Jan. 15: 1800-1900 on 6115 BIB 100 kW / 105 deg, 11805 and 12030 MOR 250 kW / 075 deg (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 22 via WORLD OF RADIO 1166, DXLD) BIB = Biblis, Germany; MOR = Morocco ** U S A [non]. 3985 RFE/RL testing via ? 0519-0533/0552-0601*01/22 Russian. Continuous talks with piano music between items. Ham QRM too much by 0533. Re-check at 0552 to a clear signal with OM talk and field reports, music between items. Solid "Radio Svoboda" ID, announcement at s/off. Fair/poor (Scott Barbour, Jr., NH, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** U S A. Hi! To the WWCR web-site maintainers: Why, oh why did you change the PDF-format schedule pages from the previous fine four-page format to the new 8-page design? Some of your listeners use public- access computers, like I do here at the local library to access your web site. Some of these have to PAY for each page printed! (Luckily, the city libraries here print for free, but the county ones charge per-page.) You had a nice, compact 4-page format before, economically putting the maximum data on each page. Your new format is wasteful and no improvement. Please return to the 4-page format or at least offer it as an alternative to the new 8-page layout. (Even if you don't have to pay per-page, why waste paper? Who would want to have to shuffle through 8 pages when 4 would suffice?) (Will Martin, Saint Louis, Missouri, Jan 21, cc to DXLD) ** U S A. Joe, I haven't heard the WHRI Angel 2 transmissions on 13760 or 5745 in about a week. Has something changed, is something wrong, or is it likely just my conditions (Donald Wilson, North Hollywood, CA, to Joe Brashier, WHRI via DXLD) Donald, Angel 2 is down for repairs. We hope to have it up soon. Many of your evening programs from 6PM to 10PM Eastern time have been temporarily moved to 7.580 MHz [WHRA]. (Joe Brashier WHRI, Jan 20, via Donald Wilson, DXLD) ** U S A. 1670, KHPY CA, Moreno Valley 1/16 1956 [EST?] noted with Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman" totally alone in KNRO's null. 1959:30 gave ID and made the announcement that this was their first day of broadcasting. Also noted that they would be dropping power at 2000 and to tune back at 7 am PST for return to full power. Went to and ad for "Penny Saver" and at 2001 singing ID "KHPY Moreno Valley 1670," into an oldies song I didn't know. Easily nulled from KNRO. Cut power at 2002 but signal remained good for a few minutes more before lessening, still alone in KNRO null at 2008. Thought it would be harder to dig out from KNRO (Donald K. Kaskey, San Francisco CA, IRCA Soft DX Monitor via DXLD) ** U S A. 1710, Lubavicher Radio (presumed) -- Site unknown. Jan 19, 0150 [UT?] Music and talk in most likely in either Yiddish and/or Hebrew, similar music. SIO=111 Note: this station comes in equally weakly at my home also. There is Lubavich community approx. 12 miles from my home and will see if I can narrow their QTH using a portable receiver on an upcoming Saturday night (Joe Miller, Troy Michigan and/or Brighton State Park Michigan using a Grundig Satellit 800 Receiver, Cumbre DX via DXLD) NY City, unless there is more than one of these (gh) ** U S A. TRUCKIN' BOZO RADIO NETWORK AFFILIATES 570 KLAC Los Angeles, CA * 630 KFXD Boise, ID 700 KWLW North Salt Lake City, UT 700 WLW Cincinnati, OH 1030 KTWO Casper, WY 1040 WHO Des Moines, IA 1130 KWKH Shreveport, LA 1170 WWVA Wheeling, WV 1180 WHAM Rochester, NY 1230 WTKG Grand Rapids, MI 1350 KTDD San Bernardino, CA * {*correxions in 3-014} (Art Blair (Boss Bozo), Folsom, CA, Jan 23, IRCA via DXLD) ** U S A. Listening to WBEN 930 this afternoon, it was announced that WWKB (formerly WKBW) clear channel 1520 in Buffalo is going back to the future.... Danny Nevereth (sp?) in mornings...Hank Nevins (sp?) afternoons and Joey Reynolds over night. I presume its going back to a music station. I wonder if the apparent success of AM 740 has had anything to do with this. Similarities: 50 kW clear channel, presumably older music, great DJs from the past. And KB was heard over a large area of the East Coast. Coincidence? The new format begins Monday morning Jan 27, 2003. KB was getting killed in the ratings last time I looked. It will be interesting to monitor what effect the format change will have on their ratings. (Fred Waterer, Ont., Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. FCC PREPARING TO OVERHAUL TELECOM, MEDIA RULES From The Washington Post "If All Proposals Are Enacted, Major Firms in Field Will Be Less Regulated and More Free to Expand." By Jonathan Krim, Washington Post Staff Writer, Friday, January 3, 2003 Over the next few months, a single federal agency will begin to fundamentally alter the nation's communications and mass-media landscape, rewriting a broad swath of rules that affect the choices consumers have for getting online and the variety of television and radio programming they watch and hear. If all of the changes being reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission are enacted as proposed, major telecommunications and media corporations will be less regulated, and more free to grow, than at any time in decades. The rules in question govern how much telephone companies need to open their lines to competitors for local phone and high-speed Internet service, set restrictions on how many TV and radio stations can be owned by one company, and determine whether a company can own both newspapers and TV stations that serve the same community. FCC officials say they expect to begin making decisions as early as February, after more than a year of intense debate and lobbying over sharply different visions of the best way to spur growth and competition in the country's information economy. Opponents of the proposed rules fear that, taken together, they ultimately could lead to a few powerful conglomerates controlling the flow of electronic information, from programming of television and radio news and entertainment to owning the pipes that connect people to the Internet. Those pushing for the changes argue that the old rules fail to account for emerging technologies that can provide a wealth of diverse information and means of communication. Burdensome regulation has stunted their deployment -- particularly of high-speed Internet access -- these people say, and this in turn has hampered recovery of the battered technology sector. "We've teed up a lot," said Michael J. Copps, one of two commission Democrats. "It's high noon at the FCC." With the stakes high, the corporate owners of three of the nation's major TV networks came together yesterday to call on the FCC to abolish its ownership rules. Viacom Inc., which owns CBS and the Paramount movie studio, joined with News Corp., owner of the Fox TV network and the 20th Century Fox studio, and NBC/Telemundo in arguing that the regulations are no longer needed given the "wealth of media available to virtually all Americans." Proposed rules often are modified through negotiations among the commission's five members, and FCC officials insist that final decisions have not been made. But analysts are increasingly convinced that, for the most part, the deregulatory agenda of Chairman Michael K. Powell will prevail, marking a definitive turn from the policies of the FCC during the Clinton administration. Powell and Republican commissioners Kevin J. Martin and Kathleen Q. Abernathy have a 3 to 2 majority, and while they don't always vote in lock step, they are in general philosophical agreement that less regulation is beneficial. Meanwhile, Powell's most powerful and ardent critic, Sen. Ernest F. Hollings (D-S.C.), lost control of the Senate Commerce Committee when the Republicans won a Senate majority last month. At one hearing last summer, Hollings all but called Powell a shill for big business in general and the large regional telephone companies in particular. Although the FCC is an independent agency, Congress controls its purse strings. Taking over the Commerce Committee is Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who championed Powell's nomination to the commission in 1997 and who shares his deregulatory instinct. McCain has promised hearings on several of the issues the FCC is grappling with. "The political environment has shifted significantly," said Nancy Kaplan, a Bethesda-based telecommunications consultant. "We'll see just how strong Powell really is." The commission's existing regulatory regime also has been under attack by the courts, which have issued key rulings challenging the commission's requirements on the sharing of telephone networks and its limits on media concentration. In an interview, Powell rejected the notion that he seeks mindless deregulation, or that the contemplated changes would necessarily shift the media and telecommunications balance in dramatic fashion. "No industry is so fraught with impassioned histrionics as this one," he said. Congress requires the commission to review many of its rules every two years, Powell said, and to toss out those that cannot be justified as providing benefit. But Powell said he is determined to keep the Internet relatively free from the decades-old, tightly regulated framework of local telephone service. He also disparages claims that changing FCC rules will mean open season for consolidation that will stifle competition. "That assumes that the antitrust division takes a pill and goes to sleep," said Powell, who once worked in that Justice Department division. He added that the FCC will continue to evaluate mergers to determine whether they are in the public interest. He cited the agency's recent rejection of the proposed buyout of Hughes Electronics Corp.'s DirecTV by satellite competitor EchoStar Communications Corp. as one example. But industry experts, consumer groups and several major technology companies aren't convinced. "The most important thing the Powell commission will do is eliminate all the rules that proactively prevent telecommunications and media companies from entering new lines of business," said Blair Levin, an FCC official in the Clinton administration who now analyzes regulatory policy for the investment firm Legg Mason Wood Walker Inc. "We are clearly going to have a lot of consolidation. The question is, is the nature of technology such that we can still get the vibrant competition that you would want?" Paul Misener, vice president of global public policy for Amazon.com Inc., who also worked at the FCC, said it is "an operating assumption" in his industry that there will be fewer Internet access providers in the future. Misener said the direction the FCC is headed creates the likelihood that while consumers will have a choice between high-speed Internet technologies -- via cable or souped-up telephone service known as DSL -- there will be only one or two Internet providers within each technology. That prospect has Amazon, Microsoft Corp. and a coalition of other technology companies worried that those gatekeepers could prevent users from looking at certain content. © 2003 The Washington Post Company (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. NYC REBUILDS WITH A NEW TV TOWER IN NEW JERSEY A broadcast tower almost a half mile high to replace the structure lost when terrorists felled New York's World Trade Center could rise across the Hudson river in New Jersey. This, as an alliance made up of eleven broadcasters release a report as to why they favor proposed site in Bayonne over one in Jersey City. Amateur Radio Newsline's Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, has more: -- In a 17-page letter to New Jersey's environmental commissioner, the broadcasting alliance says the new tower would restore quality television reception for about three quarters of a million people in the metropolitan area. This is especially important to the region`s poor and elderly who cannot afford to pay for cable or satellite reception. And the alliance called the Bayonne site far superior in terms of size, security, environmental concerns, cost and construction timetables. And the group`s president, Edward Grebow said the $200 million project would also be a boon to construction workers in the region. He also noted that the city of Bayonne wants to make the tower a central element in plan to transform the location into an area of offices, homes, stores and marinas. In addition to its television antenna system, the alliance suggests that the structure might also be used for scientific studies. This could include long term investigations into weather, climate and air pollution. If constructed the new tower would not only become the world's tallest free-standing structure. It would also be the worlds tallest broadcast tower built at near sea level. For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, reporting. -- While New Jersey has the support of the region`s broadcasters, other locations are still believed to be under consideration by local politicians and community leaders (ARNewsline from listener reports Jan 17 via DXLD) ** U S A. BROCHURES DEFAME MLK, JR. Reporter: Andy Schroeder Owensboro, KY January 21 -- White power leaflets are turning up on Owensboro doorsteps, delivering scathing criticism of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It's not really clear who is behind the fliers. The brochures entitled "The Beast as Saint" began showing up stuffed in doors and mail boxes Monday. The 30-paragraph pamphlet targets the slain civil rights leader --- calling him a communist, plagiarizer and sexual degenerate. It's turned up on the doorsteps of mostly white families and appears to be totally unsolicited. The text of the hand-out comes from a white power radio show called American Dissident Voices. The pamphlet directs readers to a web site for the Aryan group known as the National Alliance. Did it stir up racial sentiment in Owensboro? The response so far seems to be no . "They just sneakily slide it under your door and hope that you read it and join their cause---but they didn't get anyone to join it here," Richard Thomson said. "It's not really worth mentioning," Rev. Larry Lewis said. "It's not worth the paper it's printed on." Whoever distributed these won't likely face any charges. This sort of speech is protected by the First Amendment and there is no city ordinance prohibiting its solicitation in Owensboro. The best advice that's out there...if you don't like it, put it in the trash (WTVW FOX 7 News, Evansville IN, Jan 22, via Ulis Fleming, DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. Radio Amazonas muy variable en frecuencia, para demostrarlo sólo 2 días: el 18/01, estaba en 4939.8 y el 19/01 en 4939.6 (Adán Gonzálex, Catia la Mar, Venezuela, Jan 21, WORLD OF RADIO 1166, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA. OPPOSITION, SUPPORTERS OF CHAVEZ FIGHT IT OUT ON THE INTERNET In Venezuela, the explosion of cyberspace as a centre for political confrontation began in 2001, according to researcher Morelis Gonzalo Vega, a Venezuelan newspaper has reported. Rapid dissemination of information is one advantage of the Internet but hacking into the web sites of one's opponents is also a way of putting that means of information out of action (the Venezuelan Ministry of Defence web site has been out of action since 8 December 2002 since it suffered an attack by hackers) or disfiguring it to provide false information. The following is the text of a report by Froilan Fernández published by El Nacional web site on 22 January; subheadings as published: One of the flagships of the opposition on the Internet is called Comacates.com [group of military commanders, majors, captains and lieutenants], a forum with up-to-the-minute updates on incidents related to the six-week-old strike. Meanwhile, on an opposing navigation channel [i.e. web site], the Revolutionary People's Assembly, the tanker Aporrea.org anchors with frequent dispatches in favour of the government and against "the squalid ones [a general derogatory term for the opposition] and the carmoníacos [a derogatory term for supporters of Pedro Carmona, who was declared interim president in the short-lived coup of 11 April 2002 and is now in exile in Colombia]." An examination of political propaganda sites similar to these, of which there are now more than 100, including e-mail forums, reveals new forms of political activity and the development of advanced expertise among webmasters and hackers, which guarantees continuous operation and neutralizes computer attacks by opposing groups. The explosion of cyberspace as a centre for political confrontation began in 2001, according to researcher Morelis Gonzalo Vega, who gave a presentation on the subject at the 1st On-line Congress of the CyberSociety Observatory, held on the Internet last September. Gonzalo Vega concurs with sociologist Tulio Alvarez that most ventures are personal initiatives, begun by cyberactivists who decide to provide a service to the groups to which they belong. Fernando Núñez Noda, a technology columnist and manager of ContenidoDigital.com, says that the political activism of the future will develop on the Internet. "What is most striking about the web is its effectiveness as a vehicle for political information," Nunez Noda says. A political activist, he says, can distribute a crucial document in a matter of minutes to thousands of people, each of whom can then re-send it to everyone in his address books with one click. This effective flow of information follows Metcalfe's Law to a tee, says Núñez Noda: "The effectiveness of a network grows exponentially according to the number of nodes or members of the network." A byte war The impassioned proclamations for or against the government are accompanied by two kinds of attacks: those meant to put enemy sites out of service and intelligence and counter-intelligence operations. In the archives of Aprorrea.org there are records of various incidents of attacks on government web pages, several of which occurred in mid- December. One description reads: "(08/12/02) The Ministry of Defence http://www.minidefensa.gov.ve page was hacked, presumably by computer terrorists from the opposition. We demand a rapid investigation as well as sanctions against those responsible." There are similar descriptions of "disfiguring" attacks (replacement of the original content with propaganda material) on pages belonging to the Ministry of Energy and Mines, Venezolana de Television [state- owned television station], the Foreign Ministry and the National Assembly. The Ministry of Defence web site is inactive and one sees the following message there: "This site is being updated and is out of service." We find a notorious case of disinformation in the attack on the New York Bolivarian Circle [CBNY] web site, managed by Juan Carlos Medina. This web site was hosted on the free MSN server but an opposition hacker managed to get the administrator's password, which then prevented Medina from ever accessing his own web site again. The site now displays an apocryphal letter from Medina in which he renounces Chavism. Later, Medina created another site for the CBNY. Look who is sending messages Although anti-government web sites have been immune to attacks from hackers who sympathize with the government, such hackers have been very productive in infiltrating forums and sending misinformation that at first glance appears to have been sent by well-known members of the opposition or the media. Globovisión, Venevisión and El Nacional, among others, have made it clear to their audiences that they do not send e-mail messages. A recent example of this tactic: A message on a Globovisión letterhead, entitled "Survey makes politicians tremble," describes an alleged poll by the PolitikaPerú site on current voting preferences among Venezuelans. "The data provided by the famous survey service has made the directors of the [opposition] Democratic Coordinating Board change their strategy every time President Hugo Chávez's image improves in the study." E-mail political forums are more numerous than web sites dedicated to the subject, says Morelis Gonzalo Vega mgonzalo@cantv.net "Sometimes, updates of web sites occur at a furious pace and there are repetitions of contributions from multiple users. E-mail discussion lists allow calmer processing of information and, in this sense, they are more effective." Regarding the heated tones used on political web sites, Gonzalo Vega points out that "oral expression predominates there". He feels that the extreme language may be used to "release energy" and, in his opinion, serves as a catharsis for activists. Sources Núñez Noda, Fernando. Conspiracy on the Web. Published in the daily Tal Cual from 24 April to 29 May 2002. http://www.contenidodigital.com/articulos/tc-politica.htm Gonzalo Vega, Morelis. Cyberpolitics in Action: Venezuela is Also Fighting a Battle on the Web. 1st Online Congress of the CyberSociety Observatory. 9-22 September 2002. http://cibersociedad.rediris.es/congreso/com/ms/g14gonzalo.htm The following is a short list of the most prominent political sites. In the documents listed above, as well as on some of the following sites, more exhaustive lists of links may be found. Pro-government sites: Aporrea.org: http://www.aporrea.org Anti-squalid ones sites: http://www.antiescualidos.com Sovereignty: http://www.soberania.info Alternative media portal: http://www.geocities.com/pmavl/ National Forum: http://www.foronacional.gov.ve Rebelion.org: http://www.rebelion.org Pro-opposition sites: Democratic Coordinating Board: http://www.coordinadorademocratica The Firefly: http://www.gusanodelaluz.com We Want to Choose [Spanish: Queremos Elegir; a civil association] : http://www.queremoselegir.org Civic Alliance: http://www.alianzacivica.com Justice First: http://www.primerojusticia.net Comacates: http://www.comacates.com Democratic Military Officers [Spanish: Militares democráticos] (bilingual): http://www.militaresdemocraticos.com Sailing in turbulent waters If we take a step back from the current political situation, says Fernando Núñez Noda fnunez@contenidodigital.com we can see that political activity on the web allows accelerated democratization by providing access to information. "The ethical use of political information on the web will bear fruit for those who handle it properly." Núñez Noda points out that there is a considerable gap between the traditional parties, which have not been able to master the new tools, and the newest groups that do make intensive use of the new technologies. Some examples of effective cyberactivists, according to Núñez Noda, are: Justice First, Project Venezuela, Minister Felipe Pérez Martí and Elías Jaua. Some prototypes, according to Gonzalo Vega, are: Aporrea.org (pro- government) and The Firefly (opposition). Disfigured pages The most common attack on a web site is the so-called disfiguration, i.e. replacing content with offensive or propagandist information against the site. Every time someone asks to view a specific web page, there is an exchange of codes between the computer requesting the page and the site which hosts it. The everyday user does not see these codes but there are freely accessible tools on the Internet with which more advanced users can identify all the components running the web site: its operating system, the software handling the contents of the web page or the e-mail server, among others. Once the web site's technology platform has been identified, the hacker attempts systematically to gain control of the site through the known vulnerabilities of each of its systems. There are hundreds of security holes which a meticulous webmaster can close if he kept up to date on the updates continually published by software companies as the problems are made public. Also, configuring a web site is a complex process, in which any carelessness or inexact combination of certain parameters can inadvertently create a "back door" for hackers, who constantly monitor a set of sites in order to detect their weak points. Administrators also use tools to establish records of access. This software informs the administrator when there is an attempt to gain access to key archives, which are those that are generally the target of malicious attacks. "Disfiguring web pages is not the only goal of hackers," says Jose Blanco Oliver, manager of MonitoreoWeb.com There are also attacks, he says, against DNS [Domain Name Server] servers which control web page addresses. An attack against a DNS server can take users requesting a specific web page to another that contains offensive or pornographic content. "The original web page is not affected but the user is taken to another site every time he wants to access the site that has been attacked, which also means that there has been a failure on the part of the administrators." Source: El Nacional web site, Caracas, in Spanish 22 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. John probably a sub-harmonic of 32.24 [sic] MHz. Some of these baby monitors operate up there or on 27145 or 27095. Probably it is extremely close to where you are (Robin VK7RH Harwood, Tasmania, swl via DXLD) Heard on 16620, so double that is 33240 -- does that fit for baby monitors, or the third multiple as previously suggested? (gh) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WHAT A DIFFERENCE A RADIO MAKES, by Bruce Atchison +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ We sure have it good here in North America. Even our prisoners have a standard of living far higher than many third world people. Our pampered convicts would cringe if they suddenly were transferred to a prison such as the one in Kabwe, Zambia. Through a program sponsored by a religious rights organization called Voice Of The Martyrs, I received an address of a Christian inmate and contacted him. Geoffrey Sakala was very surprised and delighted when I wrote and even offered to send him a few things to ease his time in jail. Geoffrey and I have been corresponding for almost a year and he's told me a lot about his daily experiences. For example, the cell he's in is only 3 by 2 meters. The single window is a very small opening near the ceiling which is not much better than an air vent. He shares the cell with 5 other men due to the shortage of space in the Zambian prison system. There's no toilet in the cell so the men must use a chamber pot. No toiletries are provided and very little food is served to them. They have no TVs or radios and receive no news papers. In a certain catalog, I spotted a dynamo-equipped and solar-powered radio which needs no batteries. A minute of cranking charges up the radio's built-in battery and it plays for hours. Since it wasn't very expensive, I bought it and shipped it off to Geoffrey, along with some toiletries and a bunch of magazines. Months later, Geoffrey wrote and was so happy to get the receiver. In his most recent aerogramme, Geoffrey said that he now can learn what's going on in the outside world. Since batteries cost as much as a month's wages for some people, this little AM/FM receiver is like a window for my pen pal and his cell mates. Everybody admired the radio and Geoffrey was so happy to receive it. When I think of all the electronic gadgetry I have to entertain myself with, Geoffrey's experience has put things into perspective. Even when I was a child and received my first 6 transistor pocket radio, I still had plenty of other things to keep me amused. What a wonderful feeling it is to know that this relatively inexpensive gift from Canada has made such a difference in the life of an African prisoner. Yours in Christ's service, Bruce Atchison. ve6xtc@telusplanet.net http://gideon.www2.50megs.com http://help-for-you.com (DX LISTENING DIGEST) RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ STAPLES CLOSING OUT GRUNDIG PORTABLES Some Staples office supply stores have placed two of their Grundig receivers on clearance. Both sell for $37.50 where available. The two models are the Yacht Boy 300PE (SKU 477139) and the Porsche-designed G-2000A (SKU 466981). You may need to ask a store manager or associate to search the stock room for remaining models. They are usually locked in a glass case with digital cameras, but many employees know little about the radios, so customers may have to ask an employee to check their store computer and stockroom for remaining radios. Neither is a stellar performer, but they are nice travel portables and might be a fine gift for those new to the hobby (Philip Dampier, NY, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) GRUNDIG YB400PE After 9½ years of service, several trips to the Kripalu Center and other yoga retreats, and a pilgrimage to India, my 1993 Panasonic RFB- 45 virtually died. One day it was working fine; I was listening to Imus on WFAN in the morning, but at lunch hour I tried to listen to Jim Rome on WGR-550 and found the tuning had completely conked out. (Since CHUM axed the sports, I've been taking my DX rig to work, just to listen to Rome!) Since the cost to have it fixed would be almost as much as a new radio, I chose the latter option. Yesterday I got a Grundig Yacht Boy 400 PE, for $CDN195 at Bay-Bloor Radio, a long- established electronics shop in downtown Toronto at -- DUH!! -- the corner of Bay and Bloor streets. The YB400PE is slightly larger and maybe an ounce or two heftier than the RFB-45, and takes 6 AA batteries, not 4. The jury is still out on battery life. I haven't done any serious DXing on it yet, but so far I like it. It's got some features the RFB-45 didn't have, like a clock display that doesn't disappear when the radio is turned on, 40 pre- sets (RFB-45 had only 18) and a dial light. Of course for serious AM DXing, it won't beat my trusty old 1978 RF-2200 that's been pulling in DX since the Carter administration. What's with the stupid name "Yacht Boy"? Why don't they call it a "Yacht Girl", given the typical male predilection for slapping feminine monickers on cars, boats, and other machinery. Hopefully this YB400PE will pick up as much good karma as my RFB-45 did. Maybe I will take it with me on another Indian pilgrimage, to Kerala and Tamil Nadu, later this decade! 73 (Mike Brooker, Toronto, ON, Jan 23, hard-core-dx via DXLD) THE HUNT FOR RFI Unjamming a coast harbor. A team of engineers tracked down three rogue television antennas guilty of jamming GPS for months. Link to article in GPS World: http://www.gpsworld.com/gpsworld/content/contentDetail.jsp?id=43404 (via Craig Seufert, NH, swprograms via DXLD) From the article: "Source-2 varied in frequency and level. While on top of the L1 frequency, it had a level of 2106 dBm." 2106 dBm is an ungodly amount of power. An oscillator of the magnitude stated would have consumed enough power to melt the entire California power grid. I hope this paper is not representative of the quality of education being dispensed at the US Navy Post Graduate School. Unfortunately, the authors presented their credentials at the end of the article and four of them should know better. It doesn't say much for the technical prowess of the editor of GPS World either (Joe Buch, swprograms via DXLD) CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ SEATTLE GET-TOGETHER PRESIDENTS DAY WEEKEND Bruce Portzer sends word: "Hello Everyone-- It's time for my annual DX Get-together. This year it will be on Saturday, February 15, beginning at 2 p.m. Here's a chance to meet other radio listeners and talk about hobby stuff - medium wave, SWBC, utility, TV/FM, or whatever flavor of listening you like to do. "Feel free to bring stuff like receivers, QSL cards, antennas, and other paraphernalia to show off or demonstrate. Please bring a potluck snack or something to drink. At dinner time, we'll pass the hat around and order some pizzas. "My address is 6546 19th Avenue N.E. in Seattle. It's not hard to find, since the streets are numbered and parallel around here. But if you need directions, let me know. "If you have questions or want to RSVP, my phone number is 206-522- 2521. See you there. (IRCA Soft DX Monitor via DXLD) THE 16TH ANNUAL WINTER SWL FEST The 16th annual Winter SWL Fest in Kulpsville, PA, is scheduled for March 7-8, 2003. With forums on shortwave, mediumwave, pirates, and—of course -- longwave, the gathering attracts DXers from all over North and South America, and frequently Europe as well. The Winter SWL Fest is sponsored by our sister organization, the North American Shortwave Association (NASWA). For details, visit: http://www.swlfest.com (via Mike Terry, DXLD) 2003 IRCA CONVENTION ANNOUNCEMENT The 2003 International Radio Club of America convention will be held on June 27-29 at the Best Western Merry Manor Inn, 700 Main Street, South Portland, Maine 04106. Phone number for reservations is 207-774- 6151. Mention the IRCA convention rate of $69 per night. This rate is good for your entire stay during or beyond the convention. The hotel is located near shopping, restaurants, radio stations, tourist attractions, the Portland Jetport, Greyhound bus station, Amtrak, and much more. Registration fee is $35, payable to host Mike Sanburn, KG6LJU. We will be officially welcoming the radio club "Decalcomania" as well. Their website is http://www.anarc.org/decal/ On the agenda are activities including station tours, the official business meeting, prize drawings, a guest speaker, the Saturday night Banquet, with the famous Auction following! The hotel can be viewed at http://www.seenewengland.com/merrymanor Tourist info can be found at http://www.visitportland.com If you've been to one of our conventions in the past, or if you are a first-timer, this is an event that is not to be missed. It is the 40th annual IRCA convention, but it is the first time that it has ever been held in New England. Specific questions can be directed to Mike Sanburn at mikesanburn@hotmail.com or P.O. Box 1256, Bellflower CA 90707-1256 (IRCA Soft DX Monitor via DXLD) WRC 03 Glenn, Updating the story in EDXP-WBM 280, Venezuela has pulled out of hosting WRC-03. It will now be held in Geneva. See http://www.itu.ch/ Regards (Bob Padula, Ausralia, DX LISTENING DIGEST) EDXC CONFERENCE 2003 Dear Friends, our member club Rhein Main Radio Club has confirmed the EDXC Conference as planned in Germany on August 15th to 17th, 2003. On the newly designed http://www.edxc.org web portal you can find general information, the preliminary agenda and the registration form both in English and in German. Just point at the "Special Sections" menu on the left side of the first page. You will be guided to the Conference 2003 section. The Conference location Königstein is about 15 km North from Frankfurt, in and you find how to get there at www.ktckoenigstein.de The center hosts Congress and Meetings of European banking associations. The place is in very good conditions, with nicely equipped Rooms in a gree[n?] environment enriched by Sauna, Swimmingpool, Billard and every technical equipment.. The EDXC Conference 2003 in Germany is organized by RMRC e.V. in Co-operation with ADDX, AGDX, EAWRC, SWLXS and other DX clubs with the friendly assistance of Bosch Enterprises. The EDXC Conference is a unique opportunity to meet annually the specialists of long distance radio listening from everywhere in Europe. The Conference is the traditional workshop for exchanging experiences and finding new trends and looking at the future of dxing. After focusing on traditional dxing, this year`s conference concentrates on the future of the hobby as well as of Short Wave, Tropical Bands, FM-DX and Free Radio. See you in Germany, 73's (Luigi Cobisi, edxc sg (via Mike Terry, DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ GEOMAGNETIC INDICES Phil Bytheway - Seattle WA - phil_tekno@yahoo.com Geomagnetic Summary December 31 2002 through January 20 2003 Tabulated from email status daily Date Flux A K SA Forecast GM Forecast Etc. 12/31 115 6 1 no storms no storms 1 1/ 1 115 8 2 no storms no storms 6 2 118 8 2 no storms no storms 6 3 138 15 3 no storms no storms 7 4 143 12 2 no storms no storms 5 5 148 6 2 no storms no storms 6 6 162 6 2 no storms no storms 7 7 163 8 2 minor minor 6 8 174 6 1 minor minor 6 9 183 5 2 minor minor 6 10 185 12 3 no storms minor 8 11 189 9 3 no storms minor 7 12 173 10 3 no storms minor 7 13 172 8 2 no storms no storms 7 14 164 9 1 no storms no storms 6 15 150 6 2 no storms no storms 6 16 145 5 1 no storms no storms 7 17 142 9 2 no storms no storms 5 18 137 13 3 no storms no storms 7 19 130 17 3 no storms no storms 6 1/20 138 16 2 minor no storms 6 ****************************************************************** (IRCA Soft DX Monitor via DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-012, January 21, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser, ghauser@hotmail.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 HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldta03.html For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid2.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn WORLD OF RADIO 1165: RFPI; Wed 0805, 1405 on 15039 and/or 7445 WWCR: Wed 1030 9475 WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1165.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1165.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1165h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1165h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1165.html WORLD OF RADIO 1166 FIRST AIRINGS: WBCQ: Wed 2300 on 7415, 17495-CUSB WWCR: Thu 2130 on 9475 RFPI: Fri 1930 on 15039 CONTINENT OF MEDIA 03-01 is available from Jan 20: RFPI: Wed 0705, 1305 [special timings], Fri 1900, Sat 0100, 0700, 1300, 1730, 2330, Sun 0530, 1130, Tue 2000, Wed 0200, 0800, 1400 (Download) http://www.dxing.com/com/com0301.rm (Stream) http://www.dxing.com/com/com0301.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/com0301.html [not yet available] UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS Hi Glenn, I love reading your DX Listening Digest! (Eric Zhou, China) Escuchada este pasado Sábado 18 a WWCR 5070 kHz a las 0330 con el programa "World of Radio" # 1165 en Inglés con Glenn Hauser. Como siempre bien fuerte y fácil de sintonizar en esta parte de los EEUU. El mejor programa con info sobre el DX !!! (Dino Bloise, New Jersey, USA, Jan 19, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Thanks for your broadcast that I`ve been listening since it began. This is my first e mail ever. So keep up the good work. À la prochaîne. 73, good listening (Richard Casavant, Montréal, Jan 20) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. NORWAY: 18940, Radio Afghanistan (Presumed); 1352..1436, 18-Jan; Only now- familiar stirring IS tune. SIO=2+53 (Harold Frodge, Brighton MI DXpedition, Cumbre DX via DXLD) And also when I checked 1445 UT Jan 21. It`s really *incredible* this has gone on for so long, burning up kilowatts and dollars --- but whose? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. 17705, R. Afghanistan. 0900 "This is radio Afghanistan, the net will be news" said in Pusthu. This was under help by an Afghan guy. Uncommon was that in 0945 I heard many times "R Azadi" (R Liberty) and I was much concerned by this... Local like signal in MVT7100 plus TV antenna (Zacharias Liangas, 20 [Jan], Thessaloniki Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Like many of your logs, I`m not quite sure what to make of it. Current IBB schedule does not include 17705 at this hour, but on 17710: 17710 0700 0730 RFE AFG PA HOL 02 077 17710 0730 0830 RFE AFG DA HOL 02 077 17710 0830 0930 RFE AFG PA HOL 02 077 17710 0930 1030 RFE AFG DA HOL 02 077 I.e. the RFE service from Holzkirchen to Afghanistan alternating Dari and Pashto. Was this a receiver with accurate frequency readout? Some of your others seem to be 5 kHz off (gh, DXLD) ** ARMENIA. Updated winter schedule received from Voice of Armenia: Armenian: Mon-Sat 1930-2000 on 4810/11625, daily to South America: 0300-0330 on 9965; Arabic: 1745-1815 on 4810/1314; Azeri: 1400-1430 (SS -1415) on 864/4810; English: Mon-Sat 2040-2100 on 4810/11625, Sun 0910-0930 on 4810/15270; Farsi: 0330-0400 on 864/4810; French: Mon-Sat 2000-2020 on 4810/11625, Sun 0830-0850 on 4810/15270; Georgian: Mon-Sat 1320-1330 on 234; German: Mon-Sat 2020-2040 on 4810/15270, Sun 0850-0910 on 4810/15270; Kurdish: 1445-1515 on 864/4810; Spanish (to South America): 0330-0345 on 9965; Turkish: 1430 (SS 1415) -1445 on 864/4810 (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Jan 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Really on 11625 now? They keep listing it but not using it, as I recall (gh) ** ASCENSION. 6135, R. Japan via Ascension. Swahili 0345, fair. On only few days during midsummer, when all is still on the lower bands, signals from Africa will suddenly fade up out of nowhere in the 0200- 0430 period. This phenomenon has yet to be explained satisfactorily, and usually lasts for an hour or two, before 49, 41 and 31 metres become silent again (Craig Seager, Australia, Jan ADXN via DXLD) Date, then? ** AUSTRALIA. Progress report from Dennis Adams, HCJB-Australia. Everything going well; only a couple minor failures at the transmitter, really quite good. With fine tuning done, even at low power 25 kW, signal is stabilizing and stronger. Picking it up much better now in Melbourne, quite a distance from Kununurra. Engineers will be ready for Asian service to start this coming Sunday, 15480 full power 100 kW, 1230-1730. [NOT: delayed another week; see below.] Reception reports first two weeks, even with low power and antennas toward S Pacific, amazed that reports have come in from Japan, Scandinavia, India, Pifo. DX Partyline was sent last *Thursday* night, local time via ftp site, received OK on Friday Oz time, in plenty of time to get it on air as scheduled. [Wonder if show must now be produced a day earlier? --gh] Ethiopia test broadcasts? Date still not set, as putting all efforts so far into getting Asian antenna online. Then will turn attention to that, ASAP (DX Partyline Jan 18, notes by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. HCJB-AUSTRALIA HCA plans to test its service to India from January 19, using 15480, 1230-1730. This frequency was originally used by IBB from October 27 2002 for VOA programming 1300-1500 via Philippines (Poro) with two transmitters, to India and the Middle East, azimuth 285 degrees and 215 degrees, but was withdrawn on October 30. The channel was then made available to HCJB-Australia HCA acknowledges that there is a possibility of interference from BBC 15485 via Skelton, servicing Europe. 11755 was chosen, 0700-1100, azimuth 110 degrees, to maintain frequency transparency with the previous Pifo (Ecuador) transmitter, and it has been acknowledged that Radio Finland, co-channel, might be a problem in the Pacific. If necessary, a more suitable frequency may be selected. I have urged that 11755 be changed, as it is not providing a reliable service across the primary target area of Australia and the Pacific. Interference from Radio Finland is annoying, with that transmitter running 500 kW 0600-2100, at azimuth 220 degrees, servicing western Europe. That heading is virtually straight into Melbourne via long- path! Here in Melbourne, the Finnish transmitter often overrides HCJB, especially for the first hour of the broadcast. I have suggested to HCA's frequency manager that long-path transmissions from Europe into eastern Australia on 12 MHz in the period 0600-1200 have been commonplace for decades, providing very strong and reliable signals throughout the year. I visited the Pori station last year as part of the EDXC conference, and I was impressed with the facilities, with 11755 running out of a slewable curtain. Let's hope that something can be done to resolve the problem on 11755, acknowledging Kununurra is presently using reduced power during the test phase. Increasing the antenna input power to 25 kW (from the present 13 kW), may improve audibility across the primary target areas. However, this has he potential to create co-channel interference to Finland service, due to the reciprocity pattern. When Pifo used 11755 to the South Pacific, it ran 100 kW, and put out a thumping big signal across NZ and Eastern Australia, a different set of circumstances as compared with 13 kW from Kununurra! (Bob Padula, EDXP Jan 19 via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. HCJB Australia [tentative] January 18, 2003, 11755 at 1039-1101. Announcers reminiscing about the hobby when they were young on "Ham Radio Today". Buzzing noise began around 1055. At 1057 the R. Habana Cuba ident signal begins on 11760. Is this the cause of the buzzing on 11755? I'm hearing the buzz from 11755 thru 11765. Perhaps dirty RHC transmitter? [No doubt – gh] HCJB Australia, January 20, 11755 at 1127-1131. "This is HCJB Australia..." by male announcer. Into "Word of God" program. SIO 252. 73, (Kraig Krist, KG4LAC, Annandale, VA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. HCJB Australia Update: The Asian service of HCJB (Australia) due to commence on January 12th has been delayed until January 19th. This is due to structural damage to the antenna system by a willy willy (strong but very small tornado type wind) Try 15480 1230-1730 on this date (Jan CQ SW News via DXLD) Later delayed to 26th as already reported in 3-011 (gh) ** AUSTRALIA. Signal quality from Kununurra has been variable in eastern Australia, to say the least, but this is no doubt partially due to the reduced power being used. It is certainly inferior to the signal previously provided from Pifo, also on 11755, and is subject to QRM from Finland co-channel. I must confess that I`m something of an occasional closet listener to HCJB. I don`t mind the folksy format of their mailbag program, DX Party Line sometimes has useful information, and any news and music from South America is a bonus. I guess that the overall message from the studios of the Australian operation is intended to be the same, but it`s not as sugar-coated, and I wonder if all the listeners, like myself, who have HCJB on in the background semi-regularly will be retained. -cs (Craig Seager, Jan ADXN via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. BEND OVER AUSTRALIA! An Arabic broadcasting group has paid a record price for a Section 40 AM 'off-band' radio licence bought from the New South Wales Labor Council. The Council sold its AM station 2KM 1620 to World Media for $2.1 million last week. World Media provides ethnic content to Pay TV, including a feed of the controversial Al Jazeera TV channel. The current music format, which plays "all time favourites" from the 1930s to the 1960s, will be dumped and replaced with Arabic programming. Three 2KM staff will be sacked. Sounds like ``The enemy within!`` ed. (Jan CQ SW News via DXLD) A touch of xenophobia there? ** AUSTRALIA. AUSTRALIAN REGIONAL DIALECTS There are innumerable dialectical differences and idioms used across Australia, with many instances of phrases and expressions being incomprehensible to speakers in different States and Territories The inhabitants of Melbourne speak a form of English which is unique to this part of Australia, heavily influenced in recent yeas by the increasing multi-cultural presence in this State. The ABC has a very useful and interesting interactive Website known as the "AUSTRALIAN WORD MAP". You will find there a big listing of regionalism's, words, phrases, expressions sued by particular language groups. Visitors may post their own additions with comments, or search to see what other people have submitted. I often see references in radio monitoring newsgroups and E-mail lists to "Aussie-accents", as heard over Radio Australia, Australian mediumwave broadcasters, or Australian internet broadcasts, but that is meaningless, as there is no such thing as s single "Aussie accent"! To see what this is all about, please visit: http://abc.net.au/wordmap/ Look for "potato cake"...!!! (Bob Padula, EDXP Jan 19 via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. 1611, AUSTRALIA unID, JAN 10 1136-1208 - Presumed; fair carrier peaked briefly at 1202 with man speaking. Too weak to determine language or accent. This is a frequency to watch as it seems to have the strongest signal of the expanded band Aussies and the noise level is comparatively low (Ray Moore, N Fort Myers FL, NRC IDXD via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. ABC DASH FOR CASH TO FUND ITS DIGITAL VISION By Cosima Marriner January 18 2003 URL: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/01/17/1042520776307.html (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. BOOK: On History of Australian Broadcasting. ``When Radio was the cat`s whiskers``, by Bernard Harte. I received this book for a Xmas present from my sister in law, what a beauty! The book is written by someone who grew up with radio, (just like Alan), and details history of early radio broadcasting, and some later developments. The book is published by Rosenberg Press, and is distributed by Collins bookshops. In fact I found a girl I ``courted``, in my earlier days in Port Macquarie, in a photo. I didn`t know she was a descendant of radio pioneers! (unID writer, Jan Australian DX News via DXLD) ** BOTSWANA. R. Botswana, 4820, January 20, 2003 0401 UT. News read by female. "This news bulletin comes to you from R. Botswana, Gaborone" by female announcer. SIO 454 (-.. . Kraig Krist, KG4LAC, Annandale, VA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. Desde 6 de janeiro, a rádio Gazeta, de São Paulo (SP), leva ao ar, em 5955, 9685 e 15325 kHz, a programação intitulada Jornal da Gazeta AM Universitária. Emite no seguinte esquema: entre 0900 e 1000; das 1500 às 1600, e entre 0100 e 0200, de segundas a sextas-feiras. Nos demais horários, a programação apresentada é a da rádio Canção Nova. Monitorei, aqui em Porto Alegre (RS), a programação apresentada entre 0100 e 0200, em 18 de janeiro. O programa apresenta notícias do dia, futebol, de São Paulo e do mundo. Também leva ao ar entrevistas com músicos e um quadro sobre cidadania. Pude perceber que os apresentadores André e Emanuel são muito simpáticos e, a todo momento, faziam questão de saudar os ouvintes das ondas curtas: "seja muito bem-vindo você que está nos ouvindo em ondas curtas!". Entre as notícias, davam os endereços e formas de contato com a emissora. Inclusive, além de pedirem telefonemas, envio de cartas e mensagens pela Internet, convidavam os ouvintes a visitarem a Gazeta "para tomar um café!". Com toda essa simpatia, é possível que respondam aos relatórios de recepção. Endereços para contatos: Avenida Paulista, 900, 4º andar, CEP: 0310-940, São Paulo (SP). Telefone: (11) 3170.5801. Endereço eletrônico: radiouniversitaria@f... [truncated] (Célio Romais, @tividade DX Jan 19 via DXLD) So the areligious programming on Gazeta has longer hours than previously thought (gh, DXLD) ** BRAZIL. A rádio Nacional, da cidade de Tabatinga (AM), está trabalhando para reativar suas emissões em 4815 kHz, em 60 metros. A informação é do comunicador da emissora, Jocerli Rodrigues. Ele conversou com o dexista e biólogo Paulo Roberto e Souza, de Tefé (AM), que telefonou para a Nacional, em busca de novidades. Conforme o Paulo Roberto e Souza, a emissora já pertenceu à Radiobrás, mas atualmente está nas mãos da Prefeitura de Tabatinga. Opera, no momento, em ondas médias, entre 1000 e 0200, em 670 kHz (Célio Romais, @tividade DX Jan 19 via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Ao que tudo indica, a rádio Nacional da Amazônia, que transmite desde Brasília (DF), deixou de emitir em 6180 kHz, em 49 metros. Entretanto, tem sido captada em 9665 kHz, em 31 metros, além, é claro, de 11780 kHz, em 25 metros. Monitorei, aqui em Porto Alegre, em 18 de janeiro, os 9665 kHz, entre 0015 e 0100. Em dado momento, o sinal que sobressaía era da Nacional. Mas, em seguida, aparecia o sinal da Marumby, de Florianópolis (SC). Às 0052, abruptamente desapareceu o sinal da Nacional da Amazônia, que foi substituído pelo da Rádio Internacional da China, com sua programação em espanhol. Às 0100, ainda pude ouvir o encerramento da programação da Marumby, com o apresentador dizendo: "nos despedimos na paz do senhor!". E entrou no ar a programação da CRI em espanhol. (Célio Romais, @tividade DX Jan 19 via DXLD) So Marumby is still on 9665 and Amazônia clashes with it. 9665 had been carrying CRI Spanish relay at 0100 for some time (gh, DXLD) Recentemente a Rádio Nacional de Brasília deixou de transmitir nos 6180 kHz e agora está transmitindo em 9665 kHz. Bastante estranha esta mudança, em 9665 transmite a Rádio Marumby de Florianópolis-SC há bastante tempo e agora as duas emissoras se interferem mutuamente, será que a Nacional não levou isto em conta? 73 (Samuel Cássio Martins, DX CLUBE DO BRASIL, São Carlos SP, Jan 20, radioescutas via DXLD) Caro Samuel, Não teria sido involuntário, já que a Marumby tem seu sinal destinado mais para a região Sul e a Nacional da Amazônia para o Norte? 73s! (Celio Romais, Porto Alegre, RS, ibid.) ** BRAZIL. 2470, 19/01 0955 R. Cacique, Sorocaba, SP, advs lidos pelo locutor Tomás e muitas conversas deste com ouvintes ao telefone e música com Tião Carreiro e Pardinho ( famosa dupla sertaneja), 35433 SCM (Samuel Cássio Martins, Brasil, @tividade DX via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 5055.04 12/01 2219 R. A Crítica, Manaus-AM, relay da Crítica FM 93.1, nxs: "Informações com Carlos Caldas", advs Águas Amazonas, 33333 CFL (Caio Fernandes Lopes, Brasil, @tividade DX via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 4925 kHz, Rádio Difusora de Taubaté, São Paulo. Ouvida novamente hoje entre 0930 e 0940 UT apresentado o "Jornal Difusora". Recepção apenas regular. Havia algum tempo que esta emissora não era escutada nesta freqüêencia. Há uns dois anos a Rádio Difusora retornou às ondas curtas depois de um longo tempo, mas desde então tem se mostrado muito irregular. 73 (Samuel Cássio Martins, DX CLUBE DO BRASIL, São Carlos SP, Jan 21, radioescutas via DXLD) Caro Samuel, Muito boa notícia! Vale destacar que a Rádio Difusora, de Taubaté (SP), é muito boa pagadora de confirmações. Todos os relatórios de recepção são contestados com carta e material de divulgação da emissora. Pelo menos era assim, há algum tempo. 73s! (Celio Romais, Porto Alegre, RS, ibid.) ** BRAZIL. Brasilian logs in 31 meters : 9515, Novas da Paz, Curitiba, 2210-2315 19 January, Talks religious, usual exalted voice of a MAD man , poor signal. 9565, Radio Tupi, Curitiba, 2215-2235 19 January, Talks religious, usual exalted voice of a MAD man , poor signal (different Mad man than 9515) 9675, Radio Cançao Nova, Cachoeira Paulista, 2230-2325 after 2310 program AGAINST "SEXUALIDADE DA MULHER" OLD MAD MAN crying against women. Good dxs (Dario Monferini, Milano,Italy, JRC 525 , long wire outside balcony 30 meters long, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** CAMBODIA. CAMBODIAN ROYALIST PARTY LAUNCHES RADIO STATION Reports from Phnom Penh say that Cambodia's Funcinpec [royalist] Party will launch a radio station on Saturday to counter the media dominance of the ruling Cambodian People's Party in the run-up to national elections in July. The new station, to be called Ta Prohm Radio, will air news, party views on electoral issues, and songs honouring the monarchy. Radio is the most powerful medium in Cambodia because of the high illiteracy rate. Funcinpec official Nhiek Bun Chhay says the Party has a licence for the new FM station, which will be heard in Phnom Penh and surrounding areas. Mr Nhiek Bun Chhay said the station will broadcast Khmer news programmes "similar to Radio Free Asia and the Voice of America." (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 21 January 2003 via DXLD) ** CAMEROON. 5010, R. Garoua, 1730-1900, Garoua, French, English transmission not-on-air. SINPO 45333. R71A, Longwire. 28/12/02 Confirmed (Tony Smith, 4RK1SWL, [does that mean he`s in Rockhampton?] Jan CW-SW News via DXLD) ** CANADA. The following is a news item posted on CBC NEWS MONTREAL at http://www.montreal.cbc.ca/template/servlet/View?filename=indepth_news_theme20030120 CBC RADIO NEWS THEME CHANGE -- WebPosted Jan 20 2003 05:42 PM EST MONTREAL - On Jan. 20, CBC Radio listeners heard something a little different before the morning news: new theme music now introduces the international, national and local newscasts. The new themes were composed by Adam Goddard, who also wrote the themes for The Current and Sounds Like Canada on CBC Radio One. He also composed the Requiem heard during CBC Radio's Sept. 11 commemoration. While the new theme is only about seven notes long, Goddard says a lot of work went into creating it. "It is a fairly complex process. I started out with several different seven- or five- or eight-note-long themes, all with different types of orchestration or different types of 'feels' to them," he explains. "The lead instrument is a mixture of piano and percussion, and also you're hearing some tympani and some brass and a reverse cymbal, which gives it a little bit of energy, that little snap at the end." "The actual notes that I chose were chosen specifically because they're not really positive or negative or major or minor, so that they can cover a broad spectrum of contexts, types of news, whether it's covering war in Iraq or covering a Canadian winning the Pulitzer Prize you have to cover a wide spectrum," he says. Goddard is continuing work on other newscast themes for CBC. New theme music for Canada At Five, World At Six and The World This Weekend will be introduced later this year. Copyright © 2003 CBC All Rights Reserved (via Ricky Leong, DXLD) ** CANADA [and non]. I welcome a repeat of the domestic service to the SW bands. I was a real fan of RCI and CBC years back when they had the Northern Service telling all who would listen and savor that Mrs. XXX saw a polar bear in her back yard and that all is well with the family, in case her husband on a business trip to Toronto was listening. That's what SW can (and used to) bring us -- a sense for the heart beat of other people, their problems, priorities and their successes as well as failures. (Vern Modeland, AR, swprograms via DXLD) Sigh. Then you were getting only half the story. RCI's French service is far more flexible and has more than read-the-papers of the English side. This is far more noticeable when overseas and trying to get news of Andorra (Canada is a forgotten country in most international news, like Andorra), and getting up and going outside with the radio on a frozen morning at 6 a.m. to hear Canuckistan news, but waiting 20 minutes into the broadcast after news of Norwegian whaling commission, Bushisms for the day, and finally: Strike in Toronto, snow on the palm trees of Vancouver, hockey, hockey, then signoff. That's the English service to China which dumped 'The world at six (pm)' on us. The French service however lead with Canadian stories, too many out of Ottawa -- world's dullest capital, and then Quebec and summary of the nation. I can see how the Northern Service would fascinate some people. I got the CIDX Messenger for the Arctic DX column. But that is intended to be a regional _service_ using a BROADcast technology rather than point to point for communication inside a region. The nearest analogy I can think of is the Tok-Piksun service from PNG, and RA, though that is not just a regional service but what the 20th century called a 'nation' Eavesdropping on national services may be fun, but it is not International Radio, in my view. (Dan Say, BC, Jan 18, swprograms via DXLD) ** CANADA. CANADIAN REGULATOR RULES ON INTERNET TV The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has ruled that is illegal to broadcast television programmes on the Internet without the permission of the appropriate TV network or copyright holder. In explaining its decision, the CRTC cited the difficulty of imposing and enforcing regional restrictions on such broadcasts to protect the rights of copyright holders. "At present, there is no completely workable method of ensuring that Internet retransmissions are geographically contained," the CRTC wrote in its decision. "The likelihood that a programme retransmitted over the Internet would become available worldwide could significantly reduce the opportunities" for copyright owners. The ruling closes a loophole in Canadian law which has allowed a number of Internet-only TV companies to stream programmes such as Friends, The Simpsons, and professional sports worldwide (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 21 January 2003 via DXLD) ** CYPRUS TURKISH. From the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Radio Bayrak International transmitting at location MF Servisleri - Konum: Yeni ískele - 35 13' N / 33 55' E at 1494 KHz (10 kW) and 6150 kHz (25 kW), 0630-2400 [no hint given UT or local time. I presume local time. Ed.]. Postal address is Bayrak Radio Television Corporation, BRT Sitesi, Dr. Fazìl K‡k [sic – lost characters] Bulvarì, Lefkoça - Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, via Mersin-10, Turkey. Web: http://www.brt.gov.nc.tr 1200 News headlines (English & Greek) 1400 News in Greek 1415 News in English 1600 News headlines (English & Greek) 1800 News in Arabic, Russian & German 1930 News in English 2000 News in Greek (BRT Webpage via JKB, 16.01.2003 via Jan WWDXC DX Magazine via DXLD) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. 5009.8, Radio Cristal; 1135-1155+, 19-Jan; Spanish baladas. Male ID as "Ésta es Radio Puebla [sic] ...República Dominicana, la grande de Santo Domingo" and "Radio Puebla"; 1510 relay per WRTVH. SIO=3+43 at start but QSBing rapidly (Harold Frodge, Brighton MI DXpedition, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** DUCIE ISLAND. SECOND DUCIE DXPEDITION SET FOR MARCH The second DXpedition to the newest DXCC entity, Ducie Island, is expected to take place in March, according to an announcement this week. Ducie Island DXpedition leader Yuichi Yoshida, JR2KDN, reports he will depart from Narita, Japan, on March 3 heading for Tahiti, French Polynesia, and then on to Gambier Island. Presumably this is where the vessel Braveheart will meet up with the DXpedition team members. They expect to arrive at Pitcairn Island to pick up the remaining team members on March 5 and then head for Ducie Island. Plans are to begin operations March 8 from VP6DI2 (yes, that's a "2" at the end of that call sign) and continue about a week. The operator list includes Dieter, DJ9ON; Hans, DK9KX; Philippe, FO3BM; Hiro, JA1SLS; Yuichi, JR2KDN; Doug, N6TQS; Dave, VP6DB; Mike, VP6AZ; and Meralda, VP6MW. Activity is being planned for 6 through 160 meters on CW, SSB, RTTY and AO-40. QSL via JR2KDN (bureau or direct). Pilot stations for this DXpedition are JE2EHP, DJ8NK and WA2MOE. The initial Ducie Island DXpedition in March of 2002 racked up some 50,000 contacts. A 2.5-square-mile Pacific atoll, Ducie was approved for DXCC credit in November 2001.-(The Daily DX http://www.dailydx.com via ARRL Letter Jan 17 via DXLD) ** ECUADOR. A programação em espanhol da HCJB - A Voz dos Andes transmite o programa Aventura DX-ista. Vai ao ar, nos sábados, às 1440, em 15140 kHz. A dica é do Oséias Fantinelli, de Jacutinga (RS). (Célio Romais, @tividade DX Jan 19 via DXLD) ** EL SALVADOR. 17835.3, Radio Imperial (presumed); 2045-2112+, 2130, 2214, 17-Jan; Religious program with evangelizing & singing. QSB at ToH and peppier music after 2100. All in SS. SIO=1+31+ (Harold Frodge, Brighton MI DXpedition, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** ERITREA [non]. NEW ERITREAN OPPOSITION RADIO HEARD; SUMMARY OF 19 JANUARY 2003 BROADCAST The new opposition radio station, Voice of the Eritrean People, was heard with its weekly broadcast at 1630 gmt on Sunday 19 January on 9990 kHz shortwave. The station broadcasts in Tigrinya, the main language of Eritrea. After some introductory music and greetings the station identification was given as "Ezi dmtsi hzbi Ertra eyu" ("This is the Voice of the Eritrean People"). Shortly afterwards, a news bulletin contained the following items: 1. The Eritrean government continues to commit atrocities against citizens living around the Mereb River because of their alleged support for opposition forces in the area. 2. The French news agency AFP has reported that the US government has warned Eritrea that unless it improves its style of governance it will face losing US aid and investment. 3. The BBC has reported that, in a bid to create animosity between Eritreans and the peoples of neighbouring countries, the Eritrean government has secretly circulated a directive to hotels and restaurants that they should not play Ethiopian songs in the Amharic language. However, in an interview with the Voice of America on 8 January, a senior government official denied this. 4. The Eritrean Kunama Democratic Liberation Movement, EKDLM, says its forces launched a surprise attack against government forces around the Mereb River, killing three soldiers and forcing others to flee. An enemy truck carrying food rations was blown up by a land mine planted by EKDLM forces. The EKDLM forces also ambushed and destroyed another enemy Isuzu vehicle carrying bread along the Das-Barentu road on 4 January. 5. Eritrean youths continue to flee to neighbouring countries. In addition to the news bulletin, the broadcast included a commentary by the Eritrean National Alliance (ENA) on the need for unity between the various Eritrean opposition groups in order to remove the current government. The transmission was terminated shortly before the advertised time of 1700 gmt, during the reading of a poem. Therefore, no closing announcement was heard. (According to information compiled in recent editions of DX Listening Digest - an Internet news service at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html - Voice of the Eritrean People has hired airtime from the Norwegian transmission facilities company Norkring for a transmission at 1630-1657 gmt (Sundays only) on 9990 kHz. The Norkring shortwave transmitting station at Kvitsoy, near Stavanger, is being used for this purpose. It may be noted that for some time it has been common practice for opposition groups around the world to hire airtime on bona fide shortwave transmitters in Europe.) Source: Voice of the Eritrean People in Tigrinya 1630 gmt 19 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** ERITREA [non]. 15670 *1600-1658* 16-01, Voice of Ethiopian Salvation, via Jülich, Germany. Amharic Flute I/S, Three IDs like "Yeh Ethiopia ....", announcement, Horn of Africa music, talk, abrupt s/off 1658, carrier off 1659, but came back 1700. 35433 AP-DNK (Anker Petersen, Denmark, @tividade DX via DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. 15670 *1700-1730 16-01, Voice of Democratic Eritrea, via Jülich, Germany. Tigrinya. Rhythmic opening tune and ID by man: "Demtsi Democrasiyawit Eritrea", announced two broadcasts, music from the Horn of Africa, talk 35444 AP- DNK (Anker Petersen, Denmark, @tividade DX via DXLD) ** FRANCE. A rádio França Internacional voltou a enviar cartões QSLs a seus ouvintes. A constatação é de Lenildo Silva, de Niterói (RJ). De acordo com ele, a RFI confirmou um informe, enviado em outubro. Lenildo diz que enviou um sem número de relatórios, nos últimos cinco anos, e que jamais foram confirmados. Fica a boa notícia para os demais que ainda não têm a França como país confirmado, ou outros países em que a emissora possui sítios retransmissores (Célio Romais, @tividade DX Jan 19 via DXLD) RFI is QSLing again ** GERMANY. What ever will be will be, I guess – but please God don`t let them suggest that we can all listen to their programs via the Internet, as SRI and the BBC did. Maybe all these European guys have all got cable connections to the Internet, and they assume the rest of the world has also progressed from dial-up as the norm. As for satellite alternatives, Deutsche Welle Radio and TV are both available on Asiasat2, and Australia is considered to be within the target area --- but in most parts of Australia you need at least a 2.3m dish; not really practical for anyone but an enthusiast. -cs (Craig Seager, Jan ADXN via DXLD) I think DW should abandon at least the German language broadcasts to the world. What a waste of money, just to stoke the feeling of Gemuetlichkeit for a few thousand, at the most generous guesstimate, expats. And how about this for even worse misappropriation of German taxpayer money: such an overseas broadcast, carrying a denominational religious broadcast! Good thing that wouldn't fly, over here (Dan Say, BC, swprograms via DXLD) Except on R. Martí, R. Liberty (gh) ** GERMANY [and non]. Postings in a German bulletin board report that the Megaradio outlets Regensburg 819 and Würzburg 1386 are now on air, apparently since yesterday. Regensburg is audible here in a mess when nulling co-channel Egypt. Würzburg would have to be confirmed with Bolshakovo off, until then not even a faint trace here also when nulling the bolshoi transmitter at Groß Skaisgirren. By the way, at times reactivated Kopani on 1431 is as strong as co-channel Wilsdruff here despite Wilsdruff ist just 50 km away, or rather, because Wilsdruff is 50 km away since the ground-/skywave congestion is obvious. Best regards, (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Today the media authority of Saxony declared that it is unable to sponsor DAB (Eureka-147) with the current amount of money beyond September. The chairman of the authority said that all involved parties should have the courage to admit the failure of the DAB project in case there are no prospects for the future. There are still less than 1000 DAB listeners in Saxony. Original news item: Dresden (ddp-lsc). Die Sächsische Landesmedienanstalt (SLM) stellt das Digitalradio im Freistaat in Frage. ``Sollte es keine realistische Zukunftsperspektive geben, muss man auch den Mut haben einzugestehen, dass die Hörfunkdigitalisierung vorerst gescheitert ist``, sagte SLM-Medienratspräsident Kurt-Ulrich Mayer am Montag nach der Sitzung des Gremiums in Dresden. Die Medienanstalt sei ab September nicht in der Lage, die bisherige Förderhöhe zugunsten des so genannten ``Digital Audio Broadcast`` (DAB) beizubehalten. Alle am Projekt Beteiligten sollten sich deshalb kurzfristig zu Beratungen über die Zukunft des Projektes zusammenfinden, forderte Mayer. DAB erlaubt auch mobil störungsfreien Empfang ohne Rauschen und Knistern in CD-ähnlicher Klangqualität. In Sachsen hat DAB seinen Regelbetrieb am 1. September 2000 aufgenommen. Zurzeit können im Freistaat neben den öffentlich-rechtlichen Sendern Deutschlandfunk und Deutschlandradio Berlin vier private Sender empfangen werden. Digitalradio Klassik und Oldie. FM werden von Radio PSR verantwortet, Antenne Sachsen und Project 89.0 von Hitradio Antenne. Anders als in Sachsen-Anhalt und Thüringen wurde in Sachsen kein Platz für MDR Klassik freigehalten. Da die privaten Hörfunkanbieter einer Kapazitätsreduzierung ihrer Sender zugunsten des neuen MDR-Formats nicht zustimmten, sei dieses anders als in den Nachbarländern bislang noch nicht zu hören, sagte SLM-Sprecher Martin Deitenbeck auf ddp- Anfrage. Seinen Angaben zufolge liegt die Resonanz von DAB, das nur über spezielle Geräte empfangbar ist, in Sachsen immer noch bei weniger als 1000 Hörern (via Kai Ludwig, DXLD) ** GREENLAND. Due to a report from Italy that KNR in Greenland was heard on a 75 meter band frequency (3947 kHz) I contacted the chief engineer at KNR and he also contacted the Tele administration. They confirmed Stig Hartvig Nielsen's previous report in, for instance, DXLD Oct. 17, 2002: KNR pays for the transmissions on 3815 kHz USB with 100 W. from Tasiilaq (Angmagssalik) on the East coast - probably from their coast station, which also operates on several SW frequencies. The Danish text on the attached .htm file reads: "We broadcast on 3815 kHz USB 100 watts at 1205-1305 and 1825-1925 local time (for UT add 3 hours). The purpose of the transmissions is not broadcast, but only to supply the fishing fleet on 'Dohrns Bar' and the 'Irminger Sea' (both located between Tasiilaq and Iceland)". More: http://www.knr.gl 73, (Erik Køie, Copenhagen, Jan 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: OPLYSNINGER OM KNR AM SENDERE, OG USB I GRØNLAND USB -- Vi sender på 3815 kHz USB 100 watt i tidsrummene 12.05 - 13.05 og 18.25 - 19.25 lokal tid. Dette kan ikke modtages af en almindelig radio, da der sendes på USB. Formålet med udsendelserne er ikke broadcast, men udelukkende at forsyne højsøflåden på Dohrns Banke og i Irminger-havet. Radiofoni AM Upernavik: 810 KHz - 5 kW Uummannaq: 900 kHz - 5 kW Qeqertarsuaq: 650 kHz - 5 kW Nuuk: 570 kHz - 5 kW Simiutaq: 720 kHz - 10 kW M.h.t. AM modtager og antenne kan man henvende sig til en radioforhandler eller en radioamatør. KNR sender på FM båndet i byerne og bygderne -- Man kan naturligvis ikke modtage KNR´s FM sendere uden for Grønland, da FM har en begrænset dækningsområde, max. op til 50 KM).) (via Køie, DXLD) ** HAWAII. Tests from `K-JAPAN` Honolulu 1370 with Japanese/English announcements that the new station would begin regular broadcasts from January 2003. The call is supposed to be KMDR, but may in fact be KJPN ex 940 (Chuck Boehnke, Keaau, HI, Jan NZ DX Times via DXLD) = Midori? ** ICELAND. 189, Rikisútvarpið, Gufuskálar, JAN 10 0924-0955 - Fair, presumed with variety of music, some traditional/folk and Nordic- sounding talk by a male. Into hymn-style vocal music interspersed with frequent talk at 0926. Sounded like a Mario Lanza opera-style hymn at 0930. My DX Edge shows a total darkness path holding even at that late hour. Never played much with LW here before. First non-beacon station heard here. Also heard the following day but much weaker. Didn`t appreciate the potential from this area until the Miscou trip, where this station was prominent. Occasionally faded up to good on the G5RV, but barely audible on the sloper (Brent Taylor, Doaktown NB; Kenwood TS-680S, G5RV dipole, 60-ft Sultronix top-fed ham HF sloper at 50 feet, NRC IDXD via DXLD) 189, Rikisútvarpið, (presumed); 2205, 2317, 18-Jan; barely detectable at 2205 to better but poor at 2317; 0031, 0231, 19-Jan; Woman in LL [unidentified language, but we can guess] with lengthy talks between pop tunes. Still poor but improving (Harold Frodge, Michigan Area Radio Enthusiasts DXpedition, Brighton MI, Drake R8B + 1000 ft. NEish unterminated beverage + 65 ft. T2FD, MARE via DXLD) ** INDIA. So is AIR's Tibetan service also jammed? (gh, DXLD) Yes, widely reported in DXpress, at least in past four years, when jamming started again against VoA, BBC, etc. and some religious from the Pacific ... 73 wb (Wolfgang Bueschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) OK; the only jamming of AIR I recalled hearing about recently was of their Chinese service (gh) ** INDIA. 3365, All India Radio, Delhi, 1257 Jan 20, Announcements by woman then into Subcontinental music with female singer. Fair copy. The program was parallel to the 4860 outlet, which was strong (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM [and non]. CAN XM PUT RADIO BACK TOGETHER AGAIN? -- By Frank Ahrens Heard Avril Lavigne's "Complicated" just a wee bit too often? You can thank Lee Abrams, the man who shackled FM radio to the tyranny of mass market research. The "Moses of programming," they call him.... To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57791-2003Jan15.html (Courtesy of Tom McNiff, Burke, Virginia, USA, DXLD) Written by the Post's best radio reporter (who now works on the business section). It will only stay on the public site for about 10 days (Bob carpenter alt.radio.broadcasting via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. In a 19 January op-ed, Oliver North writes, "There still is no Radio Free Iraq." Actually, RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq has been on the air since 1998. http://washingtontimes.com/commentary/20030119-85213366.htm [Moony] 73 (Kim Elliott, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. Israel noted on 15655 at 1100-1130 testing to Australia in French and English 21/01/03. Testing on this frequency will continue for the next two days. Fair signals noted here in Perth (Craig Tyson, WA, Jan 21, EDXP via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. From Mike Brand: The chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Judge Michael Cheshin turned down a claim, made by the left wing organization " Keshev ". Keshev turned to Cheshin claiming that Arutz 7 were still broadcasting party political propaganda after they were ordered to stop interviewing all right wing politicians until after the elections here in Israel on the 28th January. Cheshin rejected the claims, stating that Arutz 7 have agreed to stop any interviews with politicians assosiated with the right wing until after the elections, and therefor, there is no reason to take any action against them. And... From today`s Jerusalem Post: CHESHIN REJECTS PETITION AGAINST ARUTZ 7 The Central Elections Committee chairman, Supreme Court Justice Mishael Cheshin, on Sunday rejected a petition to declare the pirate radio station Arutz 7 in contempt of court, and ruled that it had taken steps to reduce election propaganda during the current campaign. The petition was submitted by Keshev (the Center for the Protection of Democracy in Israel) and the Religious Action Center. The two organizations claimed that Arutz 7 had violated an order by Cheshin, in response to an earlier petition, to stop broadcasting election propaganda. In their latest petition, the groups submitted recordings of recent Arutz 7 broadcasts to back their claim that the station was still broadcasting election propaganda. Cheshin disagreed and noted that station manager Shulamit Melamed had presented letters sent to three political commentators who appear regularly on the station, Aryeh Eldad and MKs Benny Elon and Uri Ariel (National Union Party). Melamed informed the three that she was suspending their appearances until after the elections. "Ms. Melamed must have understood that she could not invite the three commentators to the studios without their words spilling over into election propaganda, and therefore she took a step that could not have been easy for her," wrote Cheshin. Cheshin also found that the evidence presented by the petitioners did not constitute election propaganda and that, in fact, the station had toned down its political content since his original ruling (via Mike Terry, Jan 20, DXLD) ** JAMAICA [and non]. Shortwave was an important early influence for blues singer Taj Mahal... http://www.vaildaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Site=VD&Date=20030117&Category=AE&ArtNo=301170601&Ref=AR ...Born Henry Saint Clair Fredericks in New York City in 1942, Mahal was raised in Springfield, Mass. Though he did not start his musical career until graduating from college, music was an integral part of his upbringing, as his father was a jazz pianist from the Caribbean and his mother was a gospel singer in the church choir. Their neighborhood was rich with ethnic diversity which exposed Mahal to a wide range of musical styles at a young age. Equally important was an old short-wave radio that belonged to his father. Through it, young Mahal was able to listen to London, Rio, Havana, Kingston - he "could hear people's souls through their music." When Mahal decided to work with Smith and Rich years later, it was because he'd heard their souls and liked what he heard... (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ZQI? What year did SWBC from Jamaica cease? I can`t remember hearing it, just MW (gh) ** KOREA NORTH. Recent low solar activity has allowed for some interesting lower band DX. THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE`S REPUBLIC OF KOREA. 2850, Korean Central Broadcasting Station, Pyongyang, 1217 Jan 20, Announcements by male, followed by emotionally charged patriotic anthems; undoubtedly praising the paradise that is the DPR, and extolling the virtues of the god-like Kim Jong-il. Confirmed with parallel reception of the outlet on 11679.75. The signal on 2850 peaked to fairly good level at local sunrise, despite my not having a particularly good antenna for this frequency. 11679.75 was readable, yet weak and fluttery, due to unsettled to active geomagnetic conditions (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBERIA. UnID: A station audible today Jan 20 at tune in around 0745 in English on 6100 - Liberia ? Unfortunately, the signal was low and in my local noise level, but English speaking voices were heard, and at least one seemed American accented. Music and song was also heard, and gave the impression of being religious. From 0800 a man alone was heard speaking in English and, by this time, the signal was rapidly going down. Can anyone elsewhere do any better? 73s, (Noel R. Green, Blackpool, NW England, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) 6100, Radio Liberia International 0707 Jan 20, regional news in English, long news clip of President speaking about the constitution, excellent (Jilly Dybka, TN, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** MALAWI. BLANTYRE, Malawi, Jan. 19. A radio journalist was arrested Sunday for interviewing a man who claimed he was attacked by vampires, under a Malawi government campaign to quash vampire rumors. Maganizo Mazeze, who works for a community radio station in Blantyre, was charged with broadcasting false news that could lead to public unrest. President Bakili Muluzi has ordered the arrest of anyone seen to be spreading accounts of vampires attacking villagers at night, which started circulating in this tiny east African nation in October. Muluzi blames the stories on political opposition groups, who he says are trying to undermine him by saying his government gave aid agencies blood in exchange for food. Since the rumors started, frightened villagers have beaten to death two men suspected of being vampires, attacked a ruling party official suspected of harboring vampires, attacked three visiting priests, and destroyed an aid group's encampment they feared was a vampire headquarters. Mazeze's interview with a man from the southern tea- growing district of Thyolo was broadcast Saturday. ''As police, we are saying there is no evidence that we have blood suckers in this country,'' said police investigator Paul Chifisi. ''No one has come forward with evidence, be it medical, physical or otherwise.'' (Steve Whitt, Yorkshire, UK, Medium Wave Circle email list via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) As Paul Harvey would say... (gh) ** MALI. Re 3-011: Keyboard slip. No, 9633.36 is right, also on Jan 16th. 73 wb (Wolfgang Bueschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Another wandering frequency measured with the analyzer today. 73 wb: MALI. At 0800 start of RTN Bamako on 9634.46v (Thomas Lindenthal, Germany, A-DX Jan 20 via Bueschel, DXLD) ** MEXICO. Mexico City was heard last evening on my GE Superradio. La Nueva X was heard on 730 kHz in my Central NJ location from about 0330-0400 UT. At times it was quite strong, other times it was completely covered by two other unidentified stations causing QRM, one in English, one Spanish. The announcer made frequent use of the expression "Qué Buena" and gave the time between every song. The format seems to be contemporary Mexican music, with lots of ballads. This is my first Mexican on MW. Turks & Caicos were booming in stronger than usual on 530, but the Cubans were down in the mud (Dan Srebnick, NJ, Jan 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 2390, Radio Huayacocotla (presumed); 0009-0030+, 19-Jan; W in Spanish with alternating brass band, campo and mariachi tunes. Mensajes between tunes with names and locations. SIO=453- (Harold Frodge, Brighton MI DXpedition, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** MONACO [non]. Superloustic, a station for children under 12, is back on the air after an 11 year absence. They are using the Monaco transmitter on 1467 kHz between 0530 and 1730 with 50 kW. This seems to be just a test and it is not clear yet how long it will last. They are actually testing the programme they will put on the air if they are awarded a MW channel by the CSA next month (Rémy Friess, Montbéliard, France, Medium Wave Circle email list via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) Ciao! Novità in onde medie, su 1467 kHz da oggi 20 gennaio viene trasmesso il programma radiofonico per bambini Superloustic, con studi situati a Parigi. L'amico Christian Ghibaudo di Nizza ci segnala anche lui la buona ricezione su 1467 kHz. La WEB da me reperita grazie al solito Google è la seguente: http://www.superloustic.net/ l'ideatore e coordinatore delle attività radiofoniche è Claude Wargnier la sua e-mail : cwargnier@superloustic.net schedule provvisoria 0530-1730 UT (con emissioni test ripetute alle 0600-0800, 1100-1300, 1500-1700). Hanno anche un annuncio in Italiano!! Sulla WEB c'è pure l'audio. Ecco il testo originale ..... Depuis le 20 janvier 2003 de 6 h 30 à 18 h 30, et après 11 ans d'absence sur les ondes, Superloustic, la radio des moins de 12 ans diffuse son programme test ``à partir d'un émetteur situé au cour même de la Principauté de Monaco, sur 1467 kHz en Ondes Moyennes (bande AM) sur une zone de diffusion s'étendant des abords de Toulon à la ville de Gênes en Italie (bassin de population: 2 millions). Ce démarrage est une première. Depuis 1992, aucune radio pour enfants, en Europe, n'a émis en diffusion hertzienne. C'est aussi la première radio européenne en Ondes Moyennes pour les moins de 12 ans. Ce test ne peut être considéré comme le lancement officiel de Superloustic, lancement envisagé en mai prochain. En effet, les autorisations de fréquences en Ondes Moyennes sur la France qui pourraient nous être délivrées par le Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel et pour lesquelles la société FWDP / Superloustic est candidate, ne seront connues et annoncées officiellement qu'au mois de février 2003. Le test grandeur nature de Superloustic ne comporte donc pas encore d'émissions en direct, ni d'interventions à l'antenne de nos jeunes auditeurs. Il permet néanmoins de se faire une première idée du format, format novateur et enrichissant pour les moins de 12 ans, autour de trois temps forts : le 7 - 9 h, le 12 - 14 h et le 16 - 18 h. Chroniques, contes, histoires en multidiffusion, feuilletons, films (bandes sonores en intégral), habillages musicaux (production La Belle Equipe), habillages sketchs ``maison`` et bien entendu toutes les musiques pour un éclectisme actuel, apaisant et équilibré. A noter 1 Beatles par heure, les liners enfants, les liners en langue italienne (Superloustic est une radio à vocation européenne) et le message institutionnel d'alerte une fois par heure. DERNIERE MINUTE - Lundi 20 janvier 2003 - 12:30 RADIO SUPERLOUSTIC - DIFFUSION EN AM DEPUIS MONACO SUR 1467 KHZ Depuis ce matin 6h30, Superloustic diffuse de manière effective ses programmes en ondes moyennes depuis la Principauté de Monaco, mais également sur le Net via sa plateforme multimédia. En exclusivité pour RadioActu, Denys Didelon et Joël Pons reviennent sur cette nouvelle aventure radiophonique (via Dario Monferini, Italy, Jan 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MONTSERRAT. Laurence Lieberman is professor of English at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, and he has published a poem about a radio station. Yes, a poem. It`s called Ode to Radio Antilles (Plymouth, Montserrat) and you can find it at: http://www.valpo.edu/english/vpr/liebermanode which is the website of the Valparaiso Poetry Review from Indiana. Here`s a small extract: .......about the seven outdoor antennae two tallest near the seashore, five others ranked equidistantly, in a row..... That`s certainly a little different, and, in fact, it`s a tour of the radio station and its programs and technical facilities and some of the characters involved. Radio Antilles broadcast with a 125 kW transmitter on 930 AM and was frequently heard here in the South Pacific. The station began in 1963 with relays of Deutsche Welle and Radio Canada International as well as local broadcasts. The studios and towers were wrecked with the volcanic eruption which destroyed most of this `emerald isle` of the Caribbean several years ago (via David Ricquish, Jan NZ DX Times via DXLD) Glad I could visit it {the station, that is; URL no work} (gh) ** NETHERLANDS. A WEEK OF MEETINGS PLANNED AT RADIO NETHERLANDS A series of meetings will be held this week at Radio Netherlands as management and staff try to resolve differences over the implementation of the new strategic plan unveiled last Wednesday. Today (Monday) RN Director-General Lodewijk Bouwens attended a mass meeting of employees and clarified the management's position on a number of key issues. Central to the concerns of staff are job losses and guarantees of editorial independence. Lodewijk Bouwens said that there was scope for discussion about how the plan will be implemented, but management is not prepared to make fundamental changes to the plan, as it is the result of two years' work. No significant developments are expected until after Mr Bouwens meets union representatives on Thursday (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 20 January 2003 via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. Like comedy? Try tuning into RNZI for an interesting spoof called ``Off the Wire``. 17675 Saturday, from around 0030. Also heard on Friday nights (NZ time). Other frequencies for RNZI include: 11675, 11980, 15175, 15265, and 15340 (Jan CQ SW News via DXLD) ** PERU. 4746.67, Radio Huanta Dos Mil, 1000-1100 Jan 20. Signal was almost perfect with Huaynos music, IDs and brief Spanish comments from a man. Good signal strength. It's cold here in Clewistion this morning (43F) (Chuck Bolland, FL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PHILIPPINES. Greater Manila, Philippines, is comprised of at least 18 cities, including Manila. I live in Quezon City, abutting Manila and about 2.5 times larger than Manila. Greater Manila has about 15 million people (compared to about 20 million in Australia, I was told). Most people around Manila speak quite a bit of English. The official language of the nation is Filipino. For historical reasons it is not the same as Tagalog. Filipino is about 90% Tagalog and a 10% mixture of Spanish, English, Cebuano, or other of the languages or dialects spoken by the inhabitants of the 7000+ islands. There are 9 languages and about 80 dialects. In meetings, radio programs, and one-on-one conversations, Filipinos slide effortlessly in and out of Filipino and English. "He goes in for the lay-up, shoots, maganda, it counts or masama, hindi counts". Us Westerners, usually addressed as Joe (from GI Joe) or Sir or Mr. but never by our first name are usually following only a percentage of any conversation. Bandscan from 11:15 to 11:45 a.m. on a Saturday morning (10:15 to 10:45 p.m. on Friday night Eastern Standard time) from floor 21 of a condo in Quezon City on a Sony ICF-SW7600 using only the internal antenna. Unless otherwise noted, program heard was Filipino Talk (could be a commercial, news, speech, commentator, or call-in show) Pardon my lack of call letter knowledge. Newspapers don't list station, and there are no NRC or IRCA or other publications to help me. Rest assured the first letter is D though. [excerpted by gh] 702 DZAS Religious, Protestant, language primarily Filipino. I was a guest for 15 minutes on a program called Si Bartimeus At Ako (Bartimaus and me) for a blind audience. I was interviewed in English about a job placement program for blind or low vision adults that I am trying to establish. Music is usually current pop or 90's pop. Lyrics usually English by the same celebs as elsewhere, but frequently music played may be by local musicians using English, Tagalog, or Filipino. Lots of repetitive beats; some disco. Very little rap, or country. Regards, (Andy Ooms, Jan 18, NRC-AM via DXLD) Thanks Andy for the Philippine info. Great! Especially since I have heard a lot of filipinos over here on the Oregon coast. Great report! (Patrick Martin, Seaside, OR, ibid.) Okay, Pat, Pete, or any other left coasties: If you pick up a possible Filipino signal and want to make a log for yourself or the News or this list, send me the kilohertz and I'll try to capture the call letters from here (Andy Ooms, Quezon City, Philippines, ibid.) Andy, Thanks for the offer. Unfortunately, I probably won`t hear any filipinos until late Summer. I normally get them from late Aug through October. DZEC-1062 is the most common these days. I've heard 30-40 and have about 20 QSL'd through the years (Patrick Martin, ibid.) ** SOLOMON ISLANDS. VANDALS HIT SOLOMONS NATIONAL BROADCASTER | Text of report by Radio Australia on 20 January Police in Solomon Islands are investigating an incident where vandals put the country's national broadcaster off the air for several hours. The vandals entered the transmitter site of the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation in the Henderson Airport area, east of the capital, Honiara. General manager Johnson Honimae says the damage caused put the national radio service off air for five hours at the weekend [18-19 January]. He says the vandals damaged the building, tampered with equipment and stole two large batteries from a standby generator. Solomon Islands is in the midst of ethnic conflict and continuing law and order problems. Source: Radio Australia, Melbourne, in English 0700 gmt 20 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** SUDAN. 7200, SNBC Radio Omdurman presumed? 0450 Jan 20, time pips and ID, mention Omdurman, Sudan, by OM in presumed Sudanese. Music bumpers between OM and YL announcers, good (Jilly Dybka, TN, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** TOGO. 5047, Radio Togo, Togblekope. 2159 Jan 18. Afro Music, ID on top of Hour, Extremely quiet audio. SIO 331 (Graham Powell, Wales, UK. Jan 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. RADIO AUTHORITY PUBLISHES QUARTERLY BULLETIN OF COMPLAINTS FOR FINAL QUARTER OF 2002 --- 17 January 2003 The Radio Authority is today (17 January) publishing its Quarterly Bulletin of complaints for October to December 2002. During the quarter, the Authority considered 82 complaints about programming and advertising on commercial radio throughout the UK. 31 complaints concerned programming matters, of which 12 were upheld. Of those upheld, seven concerned taste and decency and offence, one related to balance, bias and fairness, one related to failure to comply with Promise of Performance/Format, and three concerned other matters. The Authority also considered 51 advertising and sponsorship complaints, of which 15 were upheld. Of those upheld, four related to offensive advertisements, seven concerned misleading advertisements, and four related to harmful advertisements. Details of all adjudications are set out in the Quarterly Bulletin, published today and available online at http://www.radioauthority.org.uk (Regulation). (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U K. US immigration: Is South Asia getting a raw deal? A World Today debate on this subject will be broadcast on BBC World Service Radio on Thursday 23 January at 0045 and 0245 GMT. A selection of your e-mails will be read out during the debate and daily on the programme leading up to the debate at 0040 and 0240. [SAs stream only???] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/debates/south_asian/2665891.stm (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** U K [non]. This Sunday on Laser Radio on 5935 [LATVIA] sees a continuation of the new broadcast hours started last week. We start at 1500 with a 2 hour religious relay service and then the Laser Radio programmes proper from 1700 to 2100. All output from 1700 is also carried on the internet in mono and stereo via our web site at http://www.laserradiio.net and repeated until midnight Mon/Tue. This week sees the very welcome return to the short wave bands of Eric May, with some excellent music and chat. Julian Clover is here with some music which may be described as 'eclectic' and we also have the first of a brand new monthly series of programmes looking at offshore and land based radio memorabilia - The Anorak Hour - hosted by Stewart Ross. Programme line up today : 15:00 World Bible Radio Network (Laser Relay) 17:00 Eric May 19:00 Julian Clover's music show 20:00 The Anorak Hour - with Stewart Ross 21:00 Closedown Do please join us and tell your friends ... Happy Listening, Geoff Rogers (via Mike Terry, Jan 19, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** U K [non]. Today I heard from Bible Voice Broadcasting UK. Mr. McLaughlin told me they would have Mandarin program in the near future: ``Thank you for your recent reception report. You will receive a letter from Bible Voice UK. You were listening to our signal to India. I wondered if you would also like to check out this signal: 7485 from 1145 - 1400 UTC Monday to Friday 7485 from 1200 - 1400 UTC Saturday and Sunday From 1200 to 1300 the programming is in Mandarin. Check it out and let us know. The identification on the signal is High Adventure - but it will be Bible Voice Broadcasting in the near future. I will send you a schedule soon. Marty McLaughlin --- Bible Voice Broadcasting`` Updated schedule: Middle East 7435 Mon-Fri 1700-1815 UT 7435 Saturday 1700-1900 7435 Sunday 1700-2000 9470 Thu/Fri 1900-1930 Sat 1909-2000 21590 Fri 0900-1000 9860 Mon-Sun 1530-1730 INDIA 12035 Sat/Sun 0030-0100 7315 Mon-Sat 0030-0100 9610 Mon-Sun 0200-0230 7180 Mon-Sun 0030-0100 15775 Mon-Sun 1530-1630 EAST AFRICA 13810 Daily 1630-1700 Tue 1600-1700 Wed 1630-1730 EAST EUROPE 5910 Mon-Fri 1900-1945 5880 Sat/Sun 1800-1900 WEST EUROPE/UK 5975 Mon-Fri 0800-0845 Sat/Sun 0800-0915 CHINA 7485 Mon-Fri 1145-1400 Sat/Sun 1200-1400 SE ASIA 6070 Sat 1400-1430 Mar 1330-1430 [sic – does this mean the second time starting in March??] Best wishes! Yours, (Eric Zhou, China, Jan 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 15385, 2015-2101, KJES Jan 18 Per PWBR, Spanish broadcast to Central America (but reference in Glenn Hauser WOR says to Puerto Rico); listed power 50 kW. Fair signal. First half hour, program consisted of two women talking in Spanish, mostly in unison, with religious talk. ID in SP at 2030 by woman. After ID, talking by woman over female singing religious songs. However, strange thing was that, as the talking women would fade out, the singing would get stronger, almost as if they were two separate stations. At 2100 both faded out together, and a young girl gave an ID. Carrier off 2101 (Brett Saylor, PA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) It`s a regular here, strong enough to stop scan on Philips caradio. Before 2000 in English (gh, OK) ** U S A. Allan H. Weiner, owner of WBCQ, has finally responded to questions first put to him in November 2002, regarding "WBCQ Kansas", which is raising money on the wbcq.com website. His complete response is available at http://swradio.us (Dan Srebnick - NJ, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Checked WRMI 15725 again Mon Jan 20; after 1400 there was still music fill, but not classical; Stox show at 1430, but there was co-channel interference, and again about 20 Hz away judging from the fast SAH. Could Greece be back? No, I don`t think so as Arabic was heard on 15650, where it moved a couple months ago. The QRM went off around 1457. The stox show did no break at hour top, so WRMI cut in with its usual minute-long ID giving all its addresses. They should either get coördinated to leave sufficient time for an ID break, or do nothing but a quick legal ID taking about 2 seconds. Not that I was engrossed in what the host was saying (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 7355, WRNO, no-data letter in 37 days for SASE (used), for a report sent to Good News World, P.O. Box 895, Ft. Worth, TX 76101. Letter states, "We are the proud owners of WRNO Worldwide" and "all former encumbrances" have been cleared. Also notes that they are raising cash for a new transmitter. The old one caught fire just after they bought the station, so they are running on low power for the time being. V/S Robert E. Mawire, Chairman of the Board (Scott Barbour, NH, DXplorer via DXLD) ** U S A. 2480, WGVA Geneva NY (2 x 1240); 2354-2408, 18/19-Jan; "Money Talk" call-in program. Abruptly off at 2359; on/off with tech on air talking about problem to another tech. Back on at 2403 with Geneva ads, Finger Lakes Forecast and Finger Lakes News Net. Off/on again at 2408. Fair/Good, when on. Hearing this harmonic routinely for several months (Harold Frodge, Brighton MI DXpedition, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. U.S. X-BAND AT A GLANCE - January 2003 (8 /1/03) 1610 CJWI Montreal QUE FF Caribbean music 1620 WPHG Atmore AL Rel/Gos. (but silent) possible resurrection as WPNS WDND South Bend IN ESPN Radio 1620 KOZN Bellevue NE ESPN Sport .``The Zone`` WTAW College Station TX `Newstalk 16-20 WTAW` CBS Nx KBLI Blackfoot ID SS ``Radio Fiesta`` KYIZ Renton WA Urban/Contemporary Soul KSMH West Sacramento, CA Rel. EWTN Global Catholic radio WDHP Frederikstad, VI Variety.``The Reef`` //WRRA 1290 & WAXJ 1630 KCJJ Iowa City IA Hot AC /Classic Rock KKWY Fox Farm WY C&W AP nx KNAX Ft Worth/Dallas TX SS. Radio Vida/ Radio Dos Mil Dos. EE ID :58 WTEL Augusta GA `Newstalk 1630 WTEL` x WRDW 1640 WKSH Sussex WI Disney KPBC Lake Oswego OR Black Gospel//KKSL. (soon to Disney) KDIA Vallejo CA Talk/ `Business Radio 1640` KBJA Sandy UT SS/Radio Unica EE ID on hour 1650 WHKT Portsmouth VA Disney. ``AM1650 WHKT Portsmouth, Radio Disney`` KDNZ Cedar Falls IA Talk/ Sport ``The Talk Station``//KCNZ KWHN Fort Smith AR `Newstalk 1650 KWHN` KBJD Denver CO Contemp Christian. ``The Beat` KFOX Torrance CA Korean/ EE ID on hour 1660 KTIQ Merced CA Sports/Sp News `The Ticket`` WWRU Elizabeth NJ PP & SS Radio Unica/R. Portugal WCNZ Marco Is FL `Newsradio 1660` AP nx WQSN Kalamazoo MI Sports/talk ESPN// WKLZ 1470. KRZX Waco TX ``Newstalk KRZX`` (off 6.p.m.-12 NZST) KQWB West Fargo ND Standards ``Star 1660 is KQWB AM` CNN news KXOL Brigham City UT ``Oldies radio`` (60`s rock) KXTR Kansas City KS `Classical 1660` WGIT Canovanas PRico SS oldies ``El Gigante`` 1670 WRNC Warner Robins GA Urban Gospel ``1670 The Light`` WTDY Madison WI Sports/Talk. ``1670 WTDY`` ``The Team`` KHPY Moreno Valley, CA Rock/AC ``KHPY Moreno Valley 1670`` KNRO Redding CA ``Redding`s ESPN Radio 1670 KNRO` 1680 WTTM Princeton NJ Ethnic - Hindu WTIR Winter Garden FL ``Travel Information Radio`` WJNZ Ada MI Urban/AC KAVT Fresno CA Disney/SS KRJO Monroe LA Gospel. ``Gospel 1680`` 1690 KDDZ Arvada CO Disney KSXX Roseville CA SS rel. /Radio Tricolour/ & Asian. EE ID on hour. WPTX Lexington Park ``Newstalk 1690 WPTX`` CNN News 1700 WJCC Miami Springs FL SS/Rel/``Radio Luz`` WEUV Huntsville AL Black Gospel. ``Music of your Life.//1600 WEUC 1kw KTBK Sherman TX Sporting News Radio ``Sports Radio 1310 KTCK.`` KBGG Des Moines IA `The new AM 1700 KBGG``. CNN KQXX Brownsville TX Oldies (880 watts night) (NEW ZEALAND DX TIMES JANUARY 2003 PAGE 35 via DXLD; compiler unknown) ** U S A [and non]. GERMANY OPPOSES US PLAN TO MERGE MILITARY MEDIA, PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE OFFICES | Text of report by German news magazine Der Spiegel on 20 January If the United States has its will, all NATO countries are supposed to merge the media offices of their armed forces with the departments for psychological warfare. Great Britain supports this idea, which was recently discussed at the NATO headquarters in Brussels. Led by Germany, several European states oppose this plan, however: they fear for the credibility of their media staffs, who are officially obliged to tell the truth, if their personnel are mixed with that of the psychological warriors: one of the tasks of the units for psychological warfare is misleading the enemy through deliberate incorrect reports. Since US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld assumed office in 2001, the US military has tried several times to make press officers and propaganda officers at the NATO-led peacekeeping forces in Kosovo and in Bosnia subordinate to joint chiefs, but they have always failed because of the Germans. Even though Rumsfeld buried the plan to disseminate propaganda also in friendly states with an "Office for Strategic Influence" at the beginning of 2002, now Washington is operating an "Office for Global Communications" for this purpose - and the US military has established training camps for journalists. Source: Der Spiegel, Hamburg, in German 20 Jan 03 p 19 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA HAS GONE MAD --- John le Carré America has entered one of its periods of historical madness, but this is the worst I can remember: worse than McCarthyism, worse than the Bay of Pigs and in the long term potentially more disastrous than the Vietnam War. The reaction to 9/11 is beyond anything Osama bin Laden could have hoped for in his nastiest dreams. As in McCarthy times, the freedoms that have made America the envy of the world are being systematically eroded. The combination of compliant US media and vested corporate interests is once more ensuring that a debate that should be ringing out in every town square is confined to the loftier columns of the East Coast press.... http://www.timesonline.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,1-152-543296,00.html (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** U S A. ON MEDIA GIANTISM By WILLIAM SAFIRE, The New York Times, January 20, 2003 WASHINGTON. You won't find a movie nominated for an Oscar with the heroine fighting to expose the dominance of media conglomerates in the distribution of entertainment crushed by the giant corporation that controls film financing, distribution and media criticism. You won't find television magazine programs fearlessly exposing the broadcast lobby's pressure on Congress and the courts to allow station owners to gobble up more stations and cross-own local newspapers, thereby to determine what information residents of a local market receive. Nor will you find many newspaper chains assigning reporters to reveal the effect of media giantism on local coverage or cover the way publishers induce coverage-hungry politicians to loosen antitrust restraints. Should we totally deregulate the public airwaves and permit the dwindling of major media down to a precious few? Should we reduce choices available to cantankerous individualists who do not want their information and entertainment limited by increasingly massive mass media? "Luddite nonsense," answer many merging movie mogul and media magnates, as they point to the seemingly fierce competition from the Internet and the proliferation of cable channels. Tell that to the purchasers of political advertising: the big bucks go into broadcast TV, with its unmatchable cost per thousand viewers. And stop to examine the highly hyped "competition" that consolidating media profess to fear: the leading 20 Internet sites and biggest cable channels are already owned by the expansive likes of G.E.-NBC, Disney, Fox, Gannett, AOL Time Warner, Hearst, Microsoft, Cox, Dow Jones, The Washington Post and The New York Times. (Is there anyone I haven't offended?) Ah, counter the trust-trusters, but most people want the conglomerates they trust to provide the content they watch and read. As for diversity don't 16,000 local radio stations provide much of the vaunted diversity of views and tastes that Americans want? Take a listen to what's happened to local radio in one short wave of deregulation: the great cacophony of different sounds and voices is being amalgamated and homogenized. (The following figures were published by Gannett's USA Today, which kind of blunts my point about big-media squeamishness, but its account of the F.C.C.'s ruination of independent radio is damning.) Back in 1996, the two largest radio chains owned 115 stations; today, those two own more than 1,400. A handful of leading owners used to generate only a fifth of industry revenue; now these top five rake in 55 percent of all money spent on local radio. The number of station owners has plummeted by a third. Yesterday's programming diversity on the public's airwaves has degenerated to the Top 40, as today's consolidating commodores borrowing public property say "the public interest be damned." Granted, Rush Limbaugh's views differ from those heard on liberal NPR, just as an indie movie producer can make money for a cookie-cutter conglomerate with a film going against the grain. But while political paranoids accuse each other of vast conspiracies, the truth is that media mergers have narrowed the range of information and entertainment available to people of all ideologies. Does this make me (gasp!) pro-regulation? Michael Powell, appointed by Bush to be F.C.C. chairman, likes to say "the market is my religion." My conservative economic religion is founded on the rock of competition, which since Teddy Roosevelt's day has protected small business and consumers against predatory pricing leading to market monopolization. One of the Democrats on the F.C.C., Michael Copps, is concerned that "we're relying on institutions to cover this debate which have interests in the outcome of the debate." That inherent conflict of interest is why I have long been banging my spoon against the highchair. Republicans in the House, intimidated by the powerful broadcast lobby, don't admit that some regulation can be pro-business; neither does the D.C. Court of Appeals, which wants further "granulating of evidence" that endless merging harms competition. In the Senate, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Republican of Texas, grasps this. Perhaps Commerce Chairman John McCain will see T.R.'s trust-busting light and start heavy granulating in hearings before merger mania afflicts TV and film the way it is debilitating local radio. Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. DIZZY DATA HAVE FCC IN A CAP TIZZY From Reuters Fri January 17, 2003 12:58 AM ET By Jill Goldsmith NEW YORK (Variety) - Four of the five FCC commissioners said Thursday they're stumped, frustrated and downright scared courts will toss out key restrictions on media ownership -- unless they're handed hard data showing the regulations protect the public interest. It's a complex case to make, which is why the Federal Communications Commission recently published 12 studies to get the ball rolling. But facts on just how consolidation has impacted the media business can be controversial and contradictory. The commissioners seemed hungry for something definitive to help them take a stand, before the courts and before consumers. "The rule falls unless otherwise justified. The court said we want empirical justification for the rules or we'll eliminate it," FCC chairman Michael Powell said ominously during a forum on FCC Media Ownership Rules hosted by Columbia University Law School. He and fellow commissioners Michael Copps, Jonathan Adelstein and Kevin Martin asked the participants for guidance. They got plenty to chew on, although not much was new. The event featured all-day panels where public interest advocates, representatives from think tanks and Hollywood guild members ("Oz" creator Tom Fontana and actor Richard Masur) well outnumbered industry reps like Viacom's Dennis Swanson, Fox Entertainment Group's Ellen Agress and David Poltrack of CBS. Powell himself had said he didn't believe in public hearings, but he was apparently pressured into attending this one. The slowly germinating public interest in the issues may not change the outcome. But it is likely to slow the review process and quiet accusations of back room dealings between the FCC and the powerful interests it regulates. Powell also criticized a congressional mandate requiring the FCC to conduct a biannual review of ownership rules, calling it "regrettable and destabilizing" to have to revisit the regulations so often. "There will be rules when this is done," he promised. "There won't be a rule that lets one person own everything." Neophyte commissioner Adelstein, who was appointed in December, finds the task intimidating. "Imagine, the future of the media landscape and the future of our democracy is something in which you have one of five votes. I think we have too much responsibility and not much guidance." The Supreme Court wants the commission to protect "the uninhibited marketplace of ideas," to guard the public interest. "The courts want that quantified," Adelstein said. But the FCC will be hard-pressed to "get answers to these kinds of questions in the time frame we have been given." Powell has asked for a vote on the regulations this spring. Some rules under review include a 35% broadcast ownership cap; a ban on newspaper-TV cross ownership in one market; cable ownership caps (the FCC's 30% cap was thrown out by a D.C. court); a dual network ownership rule; and restrictions on duopolies and triopolies. Arguments for keeping or beefing up the regulations haven't changed much. Advocates insist the five media giants -- AOL Time Warner, Viacom, Walt Disney, News Corp. and GE/NBC -- rule the media roost to a scary degree and that it's folly to give them any more muscle. Local news and entertainment content have sunk to the lowest common denominator, they argue. There may be hundreds of channels, but 90% of the 50 top networks are owned by the big five, as are the most popular Internet sites. There are few minority voices. TV producers like Fontana fumed at insider deals to "repurpose" (i.e. recycle) shows from broadcast to cable. Critics of consolidation have a potent weapon in the story of what's happened in radio. Even many fans of deregulation don't deny that giant Clear Channel Communications has distorted the radio business. The company amassed more than 1,000 stations since a first wave of deregulation hit after in the 1996 Telecom Act. Trouble is, without facts and figures, caps and regulations can seem arbitrary. "You may agree a media company can become too big. But at what point -- 35%, 42%, 50%?" said one Wall Streeter at the forum. Fox's Agress urged folks to "move away from big must be bad," and claimed that current antitrust regulations that apply to all industries should be the only barrier to media consolidation. "The FCC never thought there could be a fourth network," she said. Fox was able to create a real competitor only because Financial Interest and Syndication rules (prohibiting networks from owning their programming) fell, duopoly regulations were relaxed, and the broadcast cap was raised, she added. Swanson swore that CBS is devoted to local news and said the TV network biz is so expensive that networks need to own as many stations as they can. Besieged by hostile questions, he jibed the forum for a lack of balance on its panels. Poltrack said TV content is better than ever, and if people watch network fare, it's because of its superior quality. He said networks often take stakes in shows because they can't find partners willing to share the risk. And he maintained that networks are experimental in looking for new formats, like reality shows, to attract viewers. "I know it puts actors out of work. I know it hurts the craft unions. But that's what people want to watch." He said it's no secret programs skew young to please Madison Avenue. "That's the commerce of the business." USC is organizing another forum on FCC regulations next month, and the FCC has planned a single hearing on the issues on its own account to be held in Richmond, Va. (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. FCC SEEKS COMMENTS ON WRC-03 DRAFT PROPOSALS The FCC is seeking comments on draft recommendations that the World Radiocommunication Conference Advisory Committee (WRC-03 Advisory Committee) adopted January 8. The FCC established the WRC-03 Advisory Committee in January 2001 to assist the agency in developing WRC-03 proposals. "Based upon our initial review of the recommendations forwarded to the Commission," the FCC said this week in a Public Notice, "the International Bureau, in coordination with other Commission Bureaus and Offices, tentatively concludes that we can generally support the proposals recommended by the WRC-03 Advisory Committee." The FCC said the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has submitted letters to the FCC containing draft proposals developed by Executive Branch agencies, and the FCC requests comment on those draft proposals as well. The FCC will consider the draft proposals and comments during upcoming consultations with the US Department of State and NTIA in the development of US proposals to WRC-03. Once agreed to by these agencies, proposals will be used by US delegations at bilateral, regional and international meetings. "The draft proposals attached to this Public Notice may evolve as we approach WRC-03 and during the course of interagency discussions," the FCC said. "Therefore, they do not constitute the final national position on these issues." The Public Notice includes proposals concerning WRC-03 agenda items 1.35, 7.1, 7.2, 2.16, 1.8.2, 1.13, 1.20, 1.22 and 1.36. Agenda item 1.20 concerns the so-called "Little LEOs." Item 1.36 involves examining the adequacy of the frequency allocations for HF broadcasting in the vicinity of 4-10 MHz. Complete texts of draft proposals are available via the FCC's WRC-03 Web site http://www.fcc.gov/wrc-03 Interested parties may file comments via e-mail to wrc03@fcc.gov. Commenters also may submit an original and one copy of comments to the Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20554. Provide a courtesy copy to FCC WRC- 03 Director Alex Roytblat, Room 6-A738. Comments should refer to specific proposals by document number. The deadline for comments on draft proposals and NTIA letters is January 31, 2003. WRC-03 takes place in Geneva, Switzerland, from June 9 until July 4, 2003 (ARRL Letter Jan 17 via DXLD) ** U S A. How is KKSU doing in making something of itself, after losing its AM 580 frequency? Rechecked the website http://www.kksu.org Jan 21 and found: "THE VOICE OF KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY" The K-State Radio Network is a free audio service from K-State Research and Extension to radio stations throughout Kansas and the U.S. It is distributed each week via CD and on-line. The features are also available to the general public, in streaming formats. Click here to listen to AGRICULTURE TODAY and other features. Affiliate Station Login (coming soon) KKSU-AM The K-State Radio Network was formerly a service of public radio station KKSU-AM which left the air November 27, 2002, after nearly 78 years of broadcasting. Click here to listen to KKSU's final month of local programming or KKSU's final day of broadcasting, including a retrospective of KKSU's 78 year history. PROGRAM DAY TIME [CST] HOST AGRICULTURE TODAY M-F 12:40p-1:30p Eric Atkinson COMPUCATS TH 2:18p-2:19p Randall Kowalik DIVERSITY TH 2:05p-2:16p Richard Baker EXTENSION UPDATE W 2:10p-2:20p Larry Jackson KANSAS PROFILE W 2:05p-2:10p Ron Wilson KKSU NEWS AT FIVE M-F 5:00p-5:29p Richard Baker K-STATE THIS WEEK W 2:20p-2:29p Randall Kowalik OUTBOUND KANSAS TU 2:05p-2:15p Eric Atkinson PERSPECTIVE F 2:02p-2:29p Richard Baker PET CHAT TU 2:17p-2:29p Randall Kowalik PLANTORAMA M 2:05p-2:29p Randall Kowalik and Jeff Wichman SOUND LIVING M-F 1:32p-2:00p Jeff Wichman WILDCAT INSIDER M/F 4:00p-5:00p Wyatt Thompson, Tim Fitzgerald and Eric Atkinson (via Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Re WOR IBOC recordings: || We don't but now that would be a REAL conspiracy if they didn't. You, my friend are a bigger conspiracy theorist than I, if you believe that. It would be something if it never was on RF.... || I wouldn't say that I'm a conspiracy theorist, but having worked with "some" people, and observed "some" things, I think that the possibility is entirely possible. In my career I've seen more than a few people put lipstick on a pig and sell it as a super model. A famous man once said, "trust, yet verify". || It would mean IBOC is even worse than we thought, if the recording came straight out of the board. It would not be the "FIRST" time that this was done. Sometimes when someone has to further their agenda it's easier to fool someone that prove with evidence the fact (Fred Vobbe, ibid.) Indeed, the NAB has done it. During the LPFM debate. When they presented that CD which the FCC's engineers concluded had been fabricated. (IIRC by mixing recordings of two different stations) It would not be a stretch for them to do it again (Doug Smith, ibid.) Yep. Those were as bogus as Lima is cold tonight. Funny, many people didn't want those recordings out, for obvious reasons. Now, several people are trying to find out who falsified the recordings. However, the cockroaches have run under the refrigerator. |g| (Fred Vobbe, NRC- AM via DXLD) ** U S A. Text of President Theodore Roosevelt's message to England's King Edward VII, transmitted by Guglielmo Marconi on Jan. 18, 1903: "To His Majesty, Edward VII, London, England. In taking advantage of the wonderful triumph of scientific research and ingenuity which has been achieved in perfecting a system of wireless telegraphy, I extend on behalf of the American people most cordial greetings and good wishes to you and all the people of the British Empire." Edward's reply, later that night: "I thank you most sincerely for the kind message which I have just received from you, through Marconi's transatlantic wireless telegraphy." (Associated Press via Mike Terry, DXLD) [non]. On 18 January 1903, Guglielmo Marconi transmitted the first wireless telegraph message from the US to the UK. The message was from US President, Theodore Roosevelt, to the British King, Edward VII. To mark this centenary Graham Powell, Webmaster for 'Online DX Logbook', 21MHz.com and Shortwave.org.uk positively identified broadcast stations from a total of 104 countries. Full details of all 104 countries heard, including all log details are available at: http://www.shortwave.org.uk (Graham Powell, Editor of the Online DX Logbook, http://www.shortwave.org.uk DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA. 4830.04, Radio Tachira, San Cristóbal. 0040 Jan 18. Music 'The Ketchup Song' ID Jingle. SIO 242 (Graham Powell, Wales, UK. Jan 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA. 4830, Radio Táchira (presumed); 2302-2316+, 18-Jan; Male speech in Spanish with crowd noises and many mentions of Venezuela, venezolanos, pueblo, patria, etc. SIO=4+33- (Harold Frodge, Brighton MI DXpedition, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** YEMEN. 9780.36, Republic of Yemen Radio, Sana'a. 1830 Jan 18. News Bulletin and ID. EE SIO 222 (Graham Powell, Wales, UK. Jan 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. I am reporting a very strange reception out here in Delano, CA. I am hearing what sounds to be a baby monitor on 16,620 kHz. I heard this yesterday also. It is about 1900 UT right now. I am hearing it on my R.S. DX-350 cheapy and on my R-390A. It has instrumental music in the background and a baby crying, people talking. Any ideas?? (John @ Delano Vodenbik, CA, SWL via DXLD) John. Nothing here in Merced California at 1907 UT (not all that far from you). Perhaps somebody in your neighborhood has a baby monitor. These typically operate in the 45-49 MHz range and 16.620 is 1/3 of 49.86 MHz. That would add up to the device using a third overtone Xtal Oscillator which makes sense. If you have a scanner check on 49.86 and see what you hear. 73 de (Phil KO6BB Atchley, ibid.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FREQUENCY MANAGEMENT [and non] ++++++++++++++++++++ BROADCAST ENGINEERING PLANNING -- WORLD RADIOCOMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE 2003 Organised by the ITU, WRC-03 will take place in Venezuela {NOT: Geneva instead} in June 2003. Important issues concerning the BROADCAST SERVICE will be addressed. For an excellent professional overview of the formal Agenda, please visit http://www.hfcc.org/pro/HFCC_WRC.doc HIGH FREQUENCY COORDINATION CONFERENCE (HFCC) The next HFCC meeting will be at Sandton, in South Africa, early February, attended also by delegates from the Arab States Broadcasting Union. The meeting will produce the Master Schedule for participating administrations for the A03 transmission season, which starts on Mar-30, 2003. - Process Management and Control Documentation. Flow charts and other documentation used at the previous meeting at Bangkok for the B02 transmission season may be viewed at http://www.hfcc.org/bangkok/b02procs.pdf This shows how the HFCC meeting functions, and the way in which frequency requirements are submitted and analysed for incompatibilities, using propagation prediction software. That site also gives a full listing of many identified frequency "collisions" which were examined at the meeting. CIRAF ZONES Some members may not know what "CIRAF Zone" means. CIRAF is the acronym for CONFERENCIA INTERNACIONAL DE RADIODIFFUSION POR ALTAS FREQUENCIAS, and signifies (generally) zones used in the management of international broadcasting. The term was introduced at the ITU's World Administrative Radio conference, held in Mexico, in 1948. CIRAF zones are mostly analogous to "ITU Regions". A world map of CIRAF Zones may be viewed and downloaded from http://www.itu.int/ITU-R/terrestial/broadcast/hf/refdata/maps/ (Bob Padula, EDXP Jan 19 via DXLD) DRM +++ This morning (Tuesday) at 0915 I heard an extremely strong DRM signal on 5945, most likely from Norway. The signal reached S9+60 in periods and produced spurious signals that were audible, more or less, throughout the 49 meter band. At +/- 20 to 30 kHz the noise level was about 50 dB below the center frequency level, i.e. it was peaking at S9+10. Even the sturdiest supporters of the DRM technology will have to admit that spurious signals at this level are unacceptable and have to be remedied before regular DRM transmissions are launched (Olle Alm, Sweden, 21 Jan, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Don`t count on it (gh) RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ THE DRM SOFTWARE RECEIVER This is a low cost version (public use only, non-commercial) of the professional FhG Software Receiver. The actual software version of the DRM Software Radio is 1.0.18. It now can be purchased at http://www.drmrx.org Questions on the FhG Software Radio: contact fhg-swr-support@iis.fhg.de Questions on the DRM Software Radio: please refer to the FAQ and Forums at http://www.drmrx.org Test Transmissions: the schedule of test transmissions can be found at http://www.drm.org/system/globfieldtrial.htm and http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/html/drm_latest.html Gerd Kilian (FhG-ADTM, Erlangen, Germany) (EDXP Jan 19 via DXLD) PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ POPTRONICS CEASES PUBLICATION Poptronics magazine -- which evolved from the former Popular Electronics and Electronics Now magazines – ceased publication with the January 2003 edition (Vol 4, No 1). "After 94 years of publishing electronics magazines Gernsback Publications is no longer in operation," said Larry Steckler, Poptronics' editor in chief and publisher. "Negotiations are under way to provide an alternative publication to Poptronics subscribers." Steckler says a new on-line edition of Poptronics will soon be available. Poptronics Interactive, a separate on-line, paid subscription site announced in the October issue of Poptronics, also is scheduled to return soon, Steckler said. The company plans to post the latest information on its Web site http://www.Poptronics.com The site has been undergoing "remodeling," but Steckler said it should be back in operation by the end of January. Many veteran amateurs may recall the "Carl and Jerry" stories by John T. Frye, W9EGV (SK), which appeared in Popular Electronics in the 1950s and 1960s. The tales involved the ham radio-related exploits of a couple of teenaged hams (The ARRL Letter Vol. 22, No. 03 January 17, 2003 via Brock Whaley, WPE4IPK in 1965, who adds: the first magazine I subscribed to is gone; DXLD) WRTH 2003 AND AMAZON Here at WRTH we have been amazed that Amazon seems not to be able to ship WRTH 2003 and we are very sorry for all our readers who have not yet got a copy as a result. Here are the details in case it helps: Amazon.com ships the US edition of WRTH. This is published and distributed in North America by Billboard Books (a division of Watson- Guptill Publications). The ISBN of this edition is 0-8230-5967-7. Amazon.de ships the German edition of WRTH. This is published and distributed in Germany, Austria and Switzerland by Gert Wohlfarth GmbH. The ISBN of this edition is 3-87463-341-1. At this site you should click on 'German edition'. Amazon.co.uk ships the UK edition of WRTH. This is published and distributed throughout the rest of the world by WRTH Publications. The ISBN of this edition is 0-9535864-3-X. I will ask our American distributor to try to sort out the muddle with Amazon.com. With apologies, (Nicholas Hardyman, Publisher, World Radio TV Handbook, Jan 20 via DXLD) AMATEUR RADIO TODAY Jan 17, 2003) -- The ARRL is offering a new video presentation, Amateur Radio Today, that tells Amateur Radio's public service story to nonhams. The video presentation, produced and edited by Dave Bell, W6AQ, and narrated by former CBS news anchorman Walter Cronkite, KB2GSD, runs approximately six minutes. Full story at: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/01/17/3/?nc=1 (via Mike Terry, DXLD) SATELLITE TV MAGAZINES NEEDED To the members in USA: I am doing a survey on the current satellite TV situation in USA and I am looking in printed material (mostly newsstand based magazines) for making this survey. Your assistance by dropping a message to me by e-mail will be STRONGLY appreciated otherwise this article will NEVER be made! See http://www.schoechi.de/crw/crw-sat.html (Zacharias Liangas zliangas@athena.compulink.gr Jan 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ SWL WINTER FEST I got word from Richard D'Angelo, one of the organizers of the 2003 Winter SWL Festival, that Victor Goonetilleke, the well-known DXer from Sri Lanka, will appear at the event in Kulpsville, PA USA, scheduled for March 6-9. I have also learned through listening to this weekend's DX Partyline show on HCJB in Ecuador that Adrian Peterson, from AWR, will also appear at the Fest. Victor, can you please post an e-mail about your coming to the US for this event? I'm looking forward to meeting up with you again... (Joe Hanlon in Philadelphia, USA, Jan 19, dx_india via DXLD) I suppose I have no choice but to comment on it now that you have brought it up Joe. The visit to the SWL Winterfest is verymuch on the cards. however this is an extension of an official visit to the US which luckily coincides with the SWLFEST, so all depends on the official engagement which is still not confirmed as of today given the volatile International situation. Hope for the best and if it goes through will be at the FEST 7-9th and hope to meet for the 1st time many many long time friends over my 35 years as a DXer and catch up with some like you and Rich D'Anjelo who I had the pleasure of meeting in 2000. Keep fingers crossed and wish us luck! 73 (Victor Goonetilleke, ibid.) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 22 January - 17 February 2003 Solar activity is expected to be low during the period. At the time of this report activity on the east limb suggests a potentially active region rotating onto the visible disk. This is expected to result in isolated moderate levels early in the period and low during the latter half of the period. No greater than 10 MeV proton events are expected during the forecast period. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux is expected to reach high levels on 25 - 28 January and again on 01 – 02 February due to recurring coronal holes. The geomagnetic field is expected to be at quiet to isolated major storm levels during the period. Isolated minor to major storm conditions are possible on 23 -24 January due to a returning transequatorial coronal hole. Isolated active conditions are possible on 30 - 31 January due to a smaller recurring coronal hole. :Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt :Issued: 2003 Jan 21 2211 UTC # Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Environment Center # Product description and SEC contact on the Web # http://www.sec.noaa.gov/wwire.html # # 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table # Issued 2003 Jan 21 # # UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest # Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index 2003 Jan 22 135 15 3 2003 Jan 23 125 25 5 2003 Jan 24 125 20 4 2003 Jan 25 120 15 3 2003 Jan 26 120 15 3 2003 Jan 27 120 12 3 2003 Jan 28 120 10 3 2003 Jan 29 125 10 3 2003 Jan 30 135 10 3 2003 Jan 31 145 15 3 2003 Feb 01 150 12 3 2003 Feb 02 160 8 3 2003 Feb 03 160 8 3 2003 Feb 04 170 10 3 2003 Feb 05 180 10 3 2003 Feb 06 185 15 3 2003 Feb 07 185 12 3 2003 Feb 08 175 8 3 2003 Feb 09 170 8 3 2003 Feb 10 165 8 3 2003 Feb 11 155 8 3 2003 Feb 12 145 8 3 2003 Feb 13 140 8 3 2003 Feb 14 135 12 3 2003 Feb 15 130 12 3 2003 Feb 16 135 12 3 2003 Feb 17 130 12 3 (http://www.sec.noaa.gov/radio Jan 21 via WORLD OF RADIO 1166, DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-011, January 19, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser, ghauser@hotmail.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 HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldta03.html For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid2.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn WORLD OF RADIO 1165: RFPI; Sun 1830, Mon 0630, 1230, Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on 15039 and/or 7445 WBCQ: Mon 0545 7415 WWCR: Wed 1030 9475 WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1165.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1165.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1165h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1165h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1165.html WORLD OF RADIO ON RADIO STUDIO X, ITALY, 1584 Hi Glenn, sorry but I must correct my last e-mail. The only change about WOR on Radio Studio X concerns the Saturday programme which moves from 12,30 am to 1 am (30 mins ahead [behind]). The Sunday programme remains at 9.30 pm as before. Always local time, of course. We apologize but we're in middle of great schedule changes and realized of that mistake only right now ... Best regards, (Massimiliano Marchi, RADIO STUDIO X, Jan 18) And in the original version of last issue I managed to misconvert both times. The correct UT should now be Sat 0000, Sun 2030 (gh) UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL Incidentally, could I also mention HOW EASY it is to save your .txt bulletins to a Floppy Disk. Old Fashioned perhaps but IT REALLY WORKS and so quickly. PLEASE never 'drop' .txt, in favour of 'html' which causes me horrendous problems. I save some of these for referring back to, and can even put the 'txt Bulletins on to MSDOS (LocoScript Word Processor), SPLENDID for my 'unusual' Set-Up Here. All the Best for 2003 and 'Cheers' (73's) (Ken Fletcher, UK, 1040 UT 18th January 2003, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. 11710, 0257-, Radio Nacional Jan 2. Excellent trans Pacific reception with full Spanish ID at 0300. Much stronger than normally heard in the Pacific Northwest (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. 2485, VL8K, Katherine, 0945 Jan 18, VL8K was airing coverage of the Australian Open. The match I heard was between Lleyton Hewitt and Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic. Nice copy on 2485, but poor on 2310 and 2325. The terminator was over the middle of Australia, during the time of reception (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. I received a message from Mr Ian Williams that the start up for HCJB-Australia broadcasts to India on 15480 has been again delayed till the 26th January. Regds, (Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, Jan 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. 11755, HCJB-Australia, being heard better than the first few days, tho still poor, occasionally nudging the low side of "fair." Reception is highly variable, in general "best" around 1030-1130; earlier they seem to go into significant fades at times, not like a MW signal but more than you would expect. Finland is generally absent except around 1130-1200, by which time they have faded in and started mixing, with varying results. I heard DXPL at 0930 Jan 11, tho I could understand only pieces of it. Cuba-11760 TVI-like emissions accompanying their s/on at 1100 spill over and vary in intensity; otherwise little Cuba QRM if you tune 11755 in LSB. IDs I have heard, all on Jan 11: 1028--"The Voice of the Great Southland. Radio from the heart." 1044--"HCJB Australia. Radio from the heart." 1058--"Waltzing Matilda" followed by "It's 1100 hours UTC. You're tuned to HCJB Australia, the Voice of the Great Southland, on 11755 kHz.," then into "Country Down Under" country music program. (Interesting to hear "Waltzing Matilda" followed by an HCJB ID.) 1159-- "You have been listening to the Voice of the Great Southland, HCJB Australia, on 11755 kHz [sounds like he is saying 11725] on the 25 mb. Broadcasting will resume to the So. Pacific at 0700 hours UTC tomorrow. Good night and God bless." This is about as good as the signal has gotten here (Jerry Berg, MA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** BANGLADESH. 9550, 1813-, Bangladesh Betar Dec 27. Monitored this station on many days in Maui, but on most days, signal plugs the meter of my Sony 2010, but there is a loud buzz and very little audio. Parallel to 7185, almost as strong. English talk by YL. IS at 1815. Monitored at 1745 on 29 Dec with same buzz, into English Voice of Islam programming, again at very low level. The only day that modulation was strong was on 6 January. Tune-in at 1819. At 1821, strong clear ID as: 'This is the external service of Bangladesh Betar giving you the news'. Minimal distortion, and no buzz. Reports requested at 1859 to the Director of the External Service, Bangladesh Betar. Following days, back to the usual loud buzz and weak audio. On 10 January, heard IS and ID at 1744 as, 'This is the Voice of Islam for the External Service of Bangladesh Betar' (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BELARUS. 7235 new. I came across a station on 7235 around 0810 this morning [Jan 15]. Signal strength was poor - only tipping the meter up to about 3 - and with co-channel American hams on the LSB. However, I would describe the program as classical songs, and announcements were in a "Russian" lang. The program was not Rossii and it was not \\ BLR 279. I forgot to try Ukraine until it was too late, and the signal had gone. Interesting - maybe - Hrodna 7110 was audible same time peaking to about 5 and this was \\ 279. Could 7235 be Brest - and a move off 7265 ? Unless they use this transmitter for something else we don't know about there should be no reason to adjust frequency unless they mean to. I cannot hear Brest 7265 due to the strength of SWRF Rohrdorf Germany (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Jan 15 via DXLD) Brest 7265 with BR2 (Kanal Kultura) is unchanged and heard well here in Vilnius. Later: BR2 on 7265 is supposed to be Hrodna (not Brest), heard well here in Vilnius (Bernd Trutenau-LTU, BC-DX Jan 15) And thanks to Bernd and Mauno for identifying 7235 as BR-2 from BLR. So there are now two stations on SW broadcasting this program. I have three lists of BLR local SW txs plus DBS (DSWCI), Passport and the WRTVH, and only the WRTVH shows Hrodna on 7265. All the others list Brest. So I guess it will now be necessary to positively identify locations of 7265 and new 7235 somehow - unless the person responsible for submitting the location of 7265 to the WRTVH actually knows ! Most certainly, 7110 was much stronger than 7235 today - if that means anything about location. Admittedly, my information is one year old - via Rudnev RUS-DX via Klepov with added info from Olle listed: Minsk using 6080 6115 & 7210; Brest 6010 6070 7265; Grodno 6040 7110 and Mogilev 6190 & 7145, and DBS also had Brest 5950 reported in Aug 2001. Bernd's initial report lists BR1 on 6010/6040/6070/6190/7110/7145, BR2 on 7265, and we know that 6115 has also come back on, and Olle has been hearing 6080. Just 7210 is still missing (Noel R. Green-UK, BC-DX Jan 15) This morning (Thu Jan 16) I heard 7235 in \\ with the BR-1 channels (6115 etc.). I also heard another voice from time to time (BR-1 female, UNID male), but could not make out more due to TV interference. Mahiliou 7145 not audible, is it active? (Olle Alm, Sweden, BC-DX Jan 16) 7235. There is a lot of incorrect data circulating; the info on Hrodna and all other BR info in WRTH2003 is based on official and confirmed data from 2002 (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, BC-DX Jan 16) Thanks for this latest information - I will correct my lists accordingly. 7235 was a little stronger this morning around 0745, but Hrodna 7110 was less strong and I could not hear 7145. (Noel R. Green- UK, BC-DX Jan 16) 1170 kHz. Have a fresh info on broadcasting in Belarus`. It has been gathered by Sergey Alekseichik, Hrodna, Belarus`. He phoned some control rooms, so the data can be considered as reliable. Sasnovy. 1170 kHz is used for Sodruzhestvo service of the V of Russia (in Russian), 1200-1700, 800 kW, antenna directed to the West (they did not tell the exact azimuth) 279 kHz carries Belarussian R 1, 0400- 2200, 500 kw, omnidirectional. [beam 244 degr, ed] Kalodziczy Starting 3 Jan, 6115 kHz has been reactivated, 75 kW, 252 deg. 7210 kHz only carries the foreign service, relaying of domestic broadcasting (BR1) is not planned at present time. 6080 kHz, 150 kW transmitter, signal beamed to Ukraine. 873 kHz (formerly Kanal Kultura) is inactive. 1125 kHz carries Kanal Kultura, 0500-2200, 150 kW, omnidir. (Sergey Alekseichik, Belarus`) (I presume 6115 and 6080 are for BR1 program? - DM) (Dmitry Mezin, Ruissia, BC-DX Jan 11 via DXLD) ** BIAFRA [non]. "First Day Transmission". In his handwritten letter, Mr. C. Osondu tells me that "we are involved in a struggle to librate our people from the criminal Nigerian government. We don't have money to make QSL cards and we like the one you did. Can you make a few copies and send to us at Voice of Biafra; 733 15th Street; Washington DC 20005. Thanks. Ch.... Osondu". (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Argentina, DXplorer Jan 10 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** BOTSWANA. 4820, Radio Botswana Jan 7. Very strong signal with the usual barnyard IS. Solid 5-5-5 (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Here's notice of an upcoming DX test... PLEASE NOTE: Even if you don't hear a test, be sure and drop a card, letter, or e-mail to the station personnel, thanking them for going to the trouble to run a test! Sunday, February 2, 2003 - CHWO-740, Toronto, ON, Canada will conduct a DX test from 12:30-01:30 am EST [0530 to 0630 UTC]. At 12:30 am EST, the station will have a voice and Morse code ID and will repeat same every 15 minutes until 0130 am EST. The station will have continuous music between each ID. Songs that will be played include: Colonel Bogey March - Mitch Miller St. Louis Blues March - Glenn Miller Beer Barrel Polka - Andrew Sisters Ricochet Romance - Teresa Brewer Spin, Spin - Gordon Lightfoot Something To Sing About - The Travellers The Battle of New Orleans - Jimmy Driftwood California Here I Come - Al Jolson Reception reports and / or tapes may be sent to: Brian Smith QSL Manager AM 740 Box 161, Willowdale Stn A Toronto, Ontario Canada M2N 5S8 E-MAIL: am740@rogers.com (via Lynn Hollerman, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Since CHWO is already the dominant station on 740, 50 kW non- direxional, unlike most DX tests this should not involve any different facilities than usual --- just the MCW and advance notice of tunes to help people identify it. Hope there is something distinctive in the IDs, as the tunes are already identified -- but not their precise times (gh, DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. 7445, 0627-, RFPI Dec 30. Best signal on 41 meters at this time of the evening in Maui. Went into WOR at 0630. Good reception (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [non]. Glenn, Look for the radio reference.... R Swan? http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20030114&Category=APN&ArtNo=301140763&Ref=AR Luís Andrés Vargas Gómez, former Cuban prisoner, dies at 87 The Associated Press [I am not going to put all the accents back in:] Luis Andres Vargas Gomez, a former economist, diplomat and anti-Fidel Castro activist who spent 21 years in Cuban prisons, has died of kidney failure. He was 87. Vargas Gomez, the grandson of Gen. Máximo Gómez, a hero of Cuba's wars for independence, died Monday at his home in suburban Coral Gables. "He was a great Cuban, a fighter until the end," said Juan Pérez Franco, president of Brigade 2506, a group of veterans from the 1961 Bay of Pigs. Vargas Gomez served as Cuba's ambassador to the United Nations shortly after Castro took power in 1959, but quit two months later because of a political falling out with the Cuban leader. Vargas Gomez moved to Coral Gables in 1960 and was involved in the planning of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, serving as director of a clandestine radio station. Five days before the invasion, Vargas Gomez slipped into Cuba with his wife and dog. He was captured after he was refused asylum at Ecuador's embassy. His wife and the Dalmatian managed to return to South Florida. "He couldn't leave his dog and he found it difficult to hide with the dog," said Radio Martí director Salvador Lew, a friend of Vargas Gomez. "But that just shows you what kind of a humane person he was. He had the blood of his great ancestors." He was originally sentenced to death by firing squad, but the punishment was commuted to 30 years. Vargas Gomez ended up serving 21 years at various prisons before his release in 1982. He was allowed to leave Cuba when civil rights activist Jesse Jackson persuaded Castro to release him and 25 other Cuban prisoners in 1984. Once in South Florida, Vargas Gomez served as a college professor and international trade consultant for Miami's Department of Economic Development and International Trade. He was active in Miami's Cuban-American community, helping form Unidad Cubana, a coalition of anti-Castro organizations, in 1991. He also wrote a column for El Nuevo Herald from 1986 to 1999. Vargas Gomez is survived by his wife, stepdaughter, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Last modified: January 14. 2003 12:10PM (via Ulis Fleming, DXLD) ** ECUADOR. 3289.9, Radio Centro, 1000 Jan 18, High paced commercial format with Andean pop/folk music. Canned ID given at 1015 followed by announcer`s ID a minute later. Strong signal but much adjacent channel QRM (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EL SALVADOR. 17835.4, 1744-, Radio Imperial Dec 28. Not really a logging. More an observation. Het was heard most of the day in Maui, but the most I ever got was very weak sub-threshold audio. I suspect with a decent antenna and conditions, this would propagate OK (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ERITREA [non]. As promised here's my report about the V. of The Democratic Eritrea. Around 1739 UT I picked it up on 15670 [via T- systems Juelich site], ID in Arabic: "Idhaat Sout Eritrea Al Demokratia", (V of Democratic Eritria in English) a song in Tigre, followed by a man reading a letter sent to the human right watch from the Eritrean refugees in Sudan, talking mainly about how bad is the situation with the human rights in Eritrea, followed by another song in Tigre around 1745. Another ID by OM wishing all the listeners all the best and hoping they've enjoyed their transmission went off the air suddenly (Tarek Zeidan, Egypt, SU1TZ, BC-DX Jan 17, via DXLD) 5925 -- There was a clear announcement and ID in Tigrinya and (Sudanese) Arabic at 1758. Yes, same powerhouse here in Stuttgart. Asked Tarek Zeidan in Cairo to listen 2nd part of the transmission also on Monday & Thursday, to make it clear, which language or accent is heard then. After break at 1529-1530 UT I recognized also the lang as Arabic 1530- 1559 UT, not Tigre. V of Democratic Eritrea, EAf 1500-1530 Sat Tigre 5925 JUL 1530-1600 Sat Arabic 5925 JUL V of Democratic Eritrea, EAf 1700-1730 Mon/Thu Tigre 15670 JUL 1730-1800 Mon/Thu Ar 15670 JUL (Wolfgang Bueschel, BC-DX via DXLD) ** ERITREA [non]. 9990 Voice of the Eritrean People. This Saturday, Jan 11, I checked again the Merlin test on 9990 at 1650-1710, but there was no test ! This indicates that the test program was on Mon-Fri only. (wb, Jan 11) The spill-over of Norwegian programs have often been noted here from Kvitsoy e.g. when R Afghanistan began its relays on 18940, so there is no doubt to me that the transmitter testing on 9990 at *1658-1715* is Kvitsoy. It was heard again on Jan 10 with the Afghan interval music from Merlin (Anker Petersen, Denmark, BC-DX Jan 10) Furthermore it was noteworthy that the Norwegian program from NHK starting at 1700 UT could be heard well here on all four Norkring freqs: Sveio 13800 and 18950, and Kvitsoey 7490 and 9980! The latter was not heard on Jan 08 and 09 during the Merlin test, but first signing on at 1727. This is a clear proof that the transmitter on 9990 is the same as Kvitsoey on 9980 (Anker Petersen, BC-DX Jan 12) Yes, totally agree with. Voice of the Eritrean People, Tigrigna 1630-1700 Suns only 9990 KVI 1658-1715 Mon-Fri fanfare 9990 KVI Voice of the Eritrean People at 1630-1700 on 15735 (to Af and ME), replaced; is really Suns at 1630-1700 UT via Kvitsøy, Norway on different frequency of 9990 kHz. Audio quality is different, the presenter in the studio performed a fine audio signal. But in contrast there was a guest speaker, fed in - I assume - via an Internet phone service or via .MP3 audio file of very extreme exceeded audio on the sound card. At 1657:10 UT cut off midst in sentence, transmitter down. Then I checked all R Norway domestic service frequencies immediately. Only Sveiø 13800 and 18950 came in on the clear with very strong signal. But both 9980 and 7490 missed at 1700 UT. 7490 On latter frequency a very strong Diesel engine type jammer from Iran was/is still in progress against Persian Clandestine CHA R International, scheduled at 1730-1830 UT. Now at 1742 UT CHA Persian R International program is well in the clear, but the Iranian jammer is now silent. [I ask again: what does `CHA` stand for?? -- gh] On Sundays there are two Norkring Kvitsøy transmitters OFF, to cover MERLIN services of two more or less Clandestines. Maybe this site even had both in action for the broadcasts heard on 9990 and 7530 on Suns only? So to conclude: Suns only 9990 1630-1657, 7530 1700-1727, 7490 1730-1827 Weekdays 9990 1654-1715, 9480 1727-1757, 7490 1700-1757 Voice of the Eritrean People, Tigrina 1700-1727 Suns only 7530 KVI [Sun Jan 12] Voice of the Eritrean People, Tigrina 1630-1700 Suns only 9990 KVI [1630 carrier, Norkring program underneath, 1638-1645 Merlin fanfare, 1646-1657 Sun Jan 12) 1630-1700 Mon-Fri fanfare 9990 KVI [1657-1715 Merlin fanfare in week- 2], from 1727 then on Norkring NOR/DEN program to 9980 kHz (Wolfgang Bueschel) Merlin registration for a Norwegian transmitter Voice of the Eritrean People has been confirmed on 9990 kHz. Voice of Democratic Eritrea: 1500-1600 5925 JUL 100 kW / non-dir Sat to Eu Tigrina 1700-1800 15670 JUL 100 kW / 130 deg Mon,Thu to EAf Tigrina At 1801 I heard this ID in Tigrinya: "Demtsi Democrasiyawit Eritrea" and at 1830 when the Arabic program started: "Idha'at Sawt Eritrea al- Demokratya". SINPO 35434 deteriorating to 25343. I checked with my tape recording of the program heard yesterday on 7530 at 1700-1727*, and it was exactly the same initial announcement in Tigrinya! So that station relayed Sundays via Kvitsøy is: The Voice of Democratic Eritrea, and not the Voice of the Eritrean People! Yesterday I also wondered, that it was quite different voices I heard on 9990 at 1646-1657* and on 7530 at *1700-1727* (Anker Petersen, Denmark, BC-DX Jan 13 via DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA. 9560.4, 1601-, Radio Ethiopia Jan 10. English programming with fair reception. At 1630, ID 'You are tuned to the external service of Radio Ethiopia.' Then Big Ben-type gongs, local and UT time check, and into English news (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA. 6210, Radio Fana, I noted regional folk music with various announcements in local language. Confirmed with parallel reception of the outlet on 6940. Fair copy here (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. I am not sure just what is going on regarding 6085. It was reported that Bayerischer Rundfunk was taking economy measures by, amongst other things Closing Down 6085 overnight (UT), to save electricity. It seems that at about 2300 modulation terminates, BUT as far as I can gather the transmitter carrier is left on All Night; so much for saving power??? I THINK you should be able to verify this yourself, if you wish, from there, however this MAY NOT be possible as the Days lengthen, especially during what would have been called M03 and J03, (The 'Old' Frequency Periods). (Ken Fletcher, UK, 1040 UT 18th January 2003, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Hi Glenn, RFE/RL will be testing on 75 meters, via Biblis, 21 through 23 January: Belorussian 0400-0600 on 3985, Ukrainian 1800- 2100 on 3980. 73 (Kim Elliott, DC, Jan 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUAM [and non]. First I wanted to pass on to you that as of yesterday afternoon, around 1500 local time. Tropical Depression 01w [sic] became A Tropical Storm and was called TS 01w. This storm this morning as copied on NOAA weather radio 162.400 was about 165 nmile east of Guam. The island stayed in Typhoon condition ready 3 until around 11 am, when the storm passed the island. Only Saipan and Tinian were still in typhoon conditions and it was called condition 4 to upgraded to 3. The storm was located at the time at 13 degrees North Latitude by 147 east longitude and had a max wind of 40 miles per hour. As of this time the storm was well to the north. The Guam Civil defense issued warning on what to expect and how to prepare for the worst. The hard part was what to do with the already over loaded junk that was gathered from the last Typhoon. My first day off in 2 months and I spent it wisely listening to the sounds of DX. 73's from (Larry Fields, n6hpx/du1 on Guam Island, Jan 8, swl... via DXLD) only 40 mph? ** GUINEA. STATE TV AND RADIO LAUNCHES NEW FM STATION | Text of report by Guineenews web site on 8 January Now that Guineans seek precise information on the state of their president's health, who is ill and hospitalized in Rabat, Morocco, the [state-owned] Guinean Radio and Television (RTG) is launching a new radio station. Indeed, Radio Guinée Internationale started broadcasting music on 7 January. It is presently at an experimental phase. Programmes are broadcast every day from 1000 to 1230 gmt, in the morning, and from 1600 to 1830 gmt, in the afternoon. In the capital, Conakry, programmes are broadcast on 91.7 FM. The radio station also broadcasts in short wave. For now, it has only been broadcasting music punctuated by the announcement of future programmes. From the announcements, we learned that the new radio station will broadcast cultural, musical, business and news programmes. The programmes will be in French, English, Spanish and Portuguese. That is all that we know so far. It should be noted that the Guinean Radio and Television comprises many stations: the National Station, which broadcasts its programmes in short wave and FM. Some divisions have FM relay transmitters that only cover the perimeter of their towns. Apart from the National Station, there is the Rural Radio Station that broadcasts its programmes in medium wave. It has transmitters and studios in Labe [northwestern Guinea], Kankan [western Guinea] and N'Zerekore [southeastern Guinea]. The Labe rural radio station covers all of central Guinea and many African countries. It is also known as Radio Fouta Internationale (RFI). The rural radio is a proximity radio station whose programmes are broadcast in the local languages - Pular, Malinke and the Forest languages). Other proximity radio stations include the community radios that broadcast for a specific group of prefects. They broadcast their programmes in FM and in the local languages. As for television, the RTG has successfully broadcast its images by satellite since October 2001. The "satellite progress" as the journalists of the station like to call it should especially help the reception of television images in remote areas of the country, because the microwave relay system was virtually out of use, so much so that television programmes were only received in the capital and its outskirts. The new system consisted of the establishment of a satellite dish in each prefect to receive the images broadcast by the satellite and another one to broadcast the images in the area. The two satellite dishes and the satellite receiver are powered by photovoltaic energy. From a technical point of view, the operation was successful. Unfortunately, there are few prefects where electricity is available to power television sets. Even in Conakry, power rationing has resumed. Beyond Camyenne, there is electricity only from 1800 to midnight gmt or until 7 o'clock in the morning (0700 gmt). Concerning the liberalization of the audiovisual sector, everybody, including the chairman of the National Communication Council, has been talking about it and has been hoping for it to take place, but it still has not happened. Source: Guineenews web site in French 8 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) WTFK?? on SW --- same old 7125? ** HAWAII [non]. Folks, spent three weeks on the north shore of west Maui. As always, DXing is a lot of fun, and with the lovely temperatures very easy. Unfortunately, our accommodations were quite noisy (due to those awful screw-in neon bulbs), and pretty unsympathetic grounds keepers (my 75' or so of a very fine wire was cut by 2/3 before 0700 local), so I had to do with much shorter lengths. I did some of my listening at a vacant lot a few hundred meters from the resort using either just the built-in whip, or random wire of about 50'. Sony 2010 was my receiver. Briefly listened one morning in Kihei on the beach at 0700 local with better conditions than on west Maui (Walt Salmaniw, Jan 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Walt`s logs are scattered thruout this issue ** ICELAND. 13865, Radio Reykjavik (Útvarp Reykjavík SW relay), 1215 Jan 18. Transmission began with a recording of times and frequencies the shortwave relay can be heard, then abruptly switched to the Channel One feed in mid sentence. Then there was the usual vocal/piano interlude before the news. ID and time check at 1218. Into the news after that. Fairly good signal, but much QRM including very strong CW, sent in 5 character clusters, consisting of only letters. These letters did not spell out words, but appeared to be encoded like spy letter station transmissions (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA [and non]. The Hindu on a content swap deal between AIR and VOA, and AIR and BBC. This is the first I've heard about the VOA/AIR deal, and I don't know the details yet. http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/02172208.htm 73 (Kim Elliott, DC, Jan 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: AIR TO HAVE SLOTS ON VOA, BBC New Delhi, Jan. 17. (UNI): In a decision that is expected to cater to the Indian Diaspora overseas, All India Radio is to have slots for Indian programmes on the domestic channels of the Voice of America and the British Broadcasting Corporation radio. Both BBC and VOA had approached AIR for slots on its channels, and Prasar Bharati had in turn asked for similar slots on their domestic channels in the United Kingdom and United States. Briefing media after the 51st meeting of the Prasar Bharati Board, Chief Executive Officer K. S. Sarma said that while the deal was strictly on a barter system and there would be no exchange of money, AIR could sell advertising time unlike BBC and VOA which had mandates against soliciting commercials. Thus, AIR will keep whatever it earns by way of revenue through these programmes. Sarma said that while Aajtak, SAB, MTV, Discovery, and CNBC had earlier telecast programmes through Doordarshan, this was the first such deal for All India Radio. Prasar Bharati today decided to find ways of utilising about 500 to 600 acres of surplus space lying with 213 AIR stations and 59 Doordarshan kendras and offices in various stations and channels all over the country to bring in additional revenue. (The Hindu, Jan 17, via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ``Domestic channels of VOA``??? Are they in for a rude awakening --- unless this mean AIR would be relayed on Delano and Greenville, à la V. of Greece, which would be a VERY welcome development! Let`s hope they include more English than the Hellenes do (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Guess not. As if to clarify, here`s a revised version the next day: BBC, VOA ALLOWED TO USE AIR STATIONS ON RECIPROCAL BASIS By Our Special Correspondent NEW DELHI JAN. 18. The Prasar Bharati Board on Friday decided to allow British Broadcasting Corporation and the Voice of America to use the All India Radio platform to broadcast some of their programmes; provided the AIR is allowed to use their radio stations to air its own programmes. Since both public broadcasters are governed by rules which do not permit them to raise revenues, the Prasar Bharati has decided to market the programmes they bring in and keep the revenue. Also, in the case of VOA --- which does not have a domestic channel --- the Prasar Bharati has retained the option of charging the broadcaster a slot fee if the AIR does not want to air programmes on its overseas radio stations. A decision to this effect was taken after both BBC and VOA approached the Prasar Bharati. While the Board warmed up to the idea on a reciprocal basis, it has been stipulated that neither broadcaster would air programmes relating to news or remotely connected to current affairs. The Prasar Bharati was apparently influenced by the manner in which private television channels --- be it NDTV or Aaj Tak --- entered the business using the Doordarshan platform. Wiser by the experience, it decided to make use of the window of opportunity opened by the request of BBC and VOA to its own advantage and take AIR's programmes on to other media vehicles. As part of the ongoing effort to generate revenue, the Board also decided to lease out land across the country. Apparently, between the 213 AIR stations, 59 DD Kendras and other offices, Prasar Bharati has about 600 acres lying idle. (Source: The Hindu http://www.hinduonnet.com/2003/01/19/stories/2003011902800900.htm National via Jilly Dybka, DXLD) ** INDIA. INDIA/CHINA. Besides V of Tibet 15795 and US propaganda programs on SW towards China, also AIR Delhi Chinese program is always object of strong jamming from China mainland. NE ASIA CHINESE 1145-1315 11840 15795 17705. News at 1215 . There is also a Tibetan service of AIR: TIBET TIBETAN 0130-0200 9565 11900 13700 news at 0145 TIBET TIBETAN 1215-1330 7410 9575 11775 news at 1230 (Wolfgang Bueschel, Jan 13-17, BC-DX via DXLD) So is AIR`s Tibetan service also jammed? (gh, DXLD) ** INDIA. 4895, AIR, Kurseong (presumed), 1210 Jan 18, Subcontinental music with female singer. Fair to poor. Strong polar flutter due to southward magnetic field BZ component (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4860, AIR, Delhi, 1228 Jan 18, ID at 1230 "This is All India Radio..." then into news read by a woman in English. Fair to poor. Strong polar flutter (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. 3223, 1630-, AIR Shimla Dec 28. Good reception, presumed AIR. Pegs the meter, with Indian music into local language at 1630 (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) INDIA 3315, 1631-, AIR Bhopal Dec 28. Good reception with local talk (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) INDIA 3945, 1708-, tent AIR Gorakhpur Dec 28. Excellent reception at 1708 with classical music, and into Indian music (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM [and non]. Since an Israeli is on the current Space Shuttle Columbia mission - here is some information regarding 'tuning in' to the Space Shuttle live. STS-107 Mission Schedules, Status Reports http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/ WA3NAN - Rebroadcasts of Shuttle Audio (live) http://garc.gsfc.nasa.gov/garc-home-page.html http://garc.gsfc.nasa.gov/retransmission/shuttle_faq.html "Retransmission of Shuttle air-to-ground audio from WA3NAN may be heard on the following frequencies: Frequency (MHz) Mode Antennas 3.860 SSB LSB N-S/E-W Dipoles 7.185 SSB LSB N-S/E-W Dipoles 14.295 SSB USB 3-element Yagi 21.395 SSB USB 5-element Yagi 28.650 SSB USB 4-element Yagi 147.45 FM Simplex Phased vertical Where SSB is Single-Side-Band and LSB, USB indicate either Lower and Upper Side Band. A short-wave receiver possessing a Beat Frequency Oscillator (BFO) is needed to receive these transmissions." Other shuttle rebroadcast frequencies which may be used: http://www.amsat.org/amsat/sarex/shutfreq.html NASA TV/ Online / via Cable TV/Satellite "For those with satellite dishes, NTV is available through AMC2 (formerly referred to as GE2), Transponder 9C at 85 degrees West longitude, vertical polarization, with a frequency of 3880 Mhz, and audio of 6.8 Mhz. This is a full transponder service and is operational 24 hours a day. Mission audio is also available during crew working hours -- 1:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Central Time (06:30 - 21:30 GMT) daily -- on GE-2, Transponder 13, with a frequency of 3960 MHz. Many cable television companies throughout the United States provide a channel for such coverage during missions. If you are unable to find NTV on your cable television system, you may want to contact your service provider." The Schedule and link to live NASA TV online (they have both 'broadband' and 'dialup' feeds): http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/nasatv/schedule.html One item of note in the schedule: ISRAELI PAO EVENT Tuesday 10:39 AM EST 15:39 UTC A few minutes ago, the entire "Blue Team" crew was interviewed, including the Israeli astronaut (The Red Team is sleeping). The Space Shuttle is scheduled to land on Sat morning, Feb 1. (Daniel Rosenzweig, Jan 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN. Other Iranian jammers against US Farda program in Persian noted at present on 9435, 13680, and 15290. But not all IBB frequencies are affected. Maybe the jammer personnel like the light pop mx? (Wolfgang Bueschel, Jan 12, BC-DX via DXLD) Yesterday afternoon [Jan 16] noted strong Iranian jamming on 1593 kHz on the car radio at Stuttgart Germany downtown, at about 1600 UT. Used VDO Audi car radio with HIRSCHMANN active backward window antenna system, with IF diversity performance (Wolfgang Bueschel, ibid.) ** IRAQ [non]. HIA-BASED UNIT TRIES TO 'GET INSIDE IRAQI HEADS' GUARD UNIT TRIES TO SOFTEN IRAQI TROOPS Wednesday, January 08, 2003 BY TOM BOWMAN Of The Patriot-News http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.xsl?/base/news/104202181270600.xml For the third time in 12 years, midstate Air National Guard aviators in the 193rd Special Operations Wing headquartered at Harrisburg are dropping leaflets on Iraq and broadcasting radio programs telling soldiers not to shoot at allied coalition aircraft. "Coalition air power can strike at will. Any time, any place. ... The attacks may destroy you or any location of Coalition choosing. Will it be you or your brother? You decide," some leaflets read. Members of the 193rd began dropping the leaflets in mid-November and started broadcasting on five radio frequencies Dec. 12, targeting Iraqi soldiers and citizens. "In essence, what they are doing is saying, 'Hey, we can control your radio and TV and you guys really don't have a say in it,'" said 1st Lt. Ed Shank, spokesman for the 193rd. "We're going to broadcast what's really happening in the world. Because psyops doesn't work unless we tell the truth." Psyops, or psychological operations, by NATO definition are psychological activities designed to influence attitudes and behavior. The 193rd's motto, "Never seen, always heard" tells the unit's story. Members of the 193rd fly EC-130 air cargo planes that carry radio and TV transmitters. The airplanes circle an area near Iraq, trailing antennas from giant planes. After the 1991 Gulf War, the Defense Department gave the 193rd an award crediting it with the surrender of more than half of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's troops. Soldiers with the 4th Psychological Operations Group at Fort Bragg, N.C., prepare the leaflets and the radio shows. Members of the 193rd distribute the messages by dropping leaflets or by radio broadcast. Shank said the 4th Psychological Operations Group employs Iraqi nationals who work with them on the messages. "Culture has a lot to do with this, language, using one word instead of another," Shank said. "They definitely get inside [Iraqi] heads." Today's gulf mission is not secret, as missions were decades ago when the 193rd flew in Southeast Asia supporting troops in Vietnam. It's also a kinder, gentler message than what was sent to the Taliban 14 months ago in Afghanistan. There, the 193rd warned that "highly trained soldiers are coming to shut down once and for all Osama bin Laden's ring of terrorism and the Taliban that supports them and their actions." Broadcasts to Iraqi soldiers in recent weeks have sought a common ground, talking soldier to soldier. "Soldiers of Iraq. Since the beginning of time, there has been no profession more honorable than that of a soldier. ... Soldiers are the defenders of their people, and the protectors of women and children. ..." the 193rd broadcasts say, according to U.S. Central Command transcripts. "Saddam has tarnished this legacy. Saddam spews forth political rhetoric along with a false sense of national pride to deceive these men to serve his own unlawful purposes. Saddam does not wish the soldiers of Iraq to have the honor and dignity that their profession warrants," transcripts say. The difference between this and the Taliban broadcasts, Shank said, is that the United States is not at war with Iraq. The 193rd's mission is its third in Iraq. It deployed to the gulf on Aug. 27, 1990, and returned in February 1998 as are part of President Clinton's military buildup to force Iraq to comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions and allow arms inspectors full access to Iraqi weapons sites. Richard D'Angelo of Reading is a short-wave radio enthusiast who specializes in listening to utility broadcasts, including those of the military. D'Angelo said he heard the 193rd when it flew over Afghanistan but has yet to hear it near Iraq. "The big problem is they are only broadcasting in our afternoon. They stop around 3 o'clock our time," D'Angelo said. The broadcasts can be hard to hear in North America, but reception is good in Europe. D'Angelo said the 193rd broadcasts have been heard in Japan, Australia and New Zealand. The broadcasts are on 9,715 kHz and 11,292 kHz. Like other short-wave listeners, D'Angelo reports the time and date he hears a broadcast and mails a report to the Pennsylvania National Guard. In return, D'Angelo hopes to receive a confirmation card indicating that the Guard checked its broadcast logs and that D'Angelo actually heard the broadcast. After the 193rd returned from Afghanistan in May, the unit sent D'Angelo a confirmation. "It has a picture on one side, an eagle and a flag," he said. "A little abstract, but you can tell all this. The back side, they thank you for tuning in the broadcast. Basically, thanks for tuning in and we need to remember the people who died on Sept. 11. It's kind of patriotic and kind of touching." (via Brian Alexander, PA, DXLD) ** ISRAEL. See INTERNATIONAL VACUUM [and non] ** JAPAN, 3607.5 USB, NHK feeder, 1025 Jan 18, Very weak, but audible commentary and music. Confirmed with parallel reception on 9750 and 11815. Nice to know this one is still active (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 3925, Radio Tampa, 1043 Jan 18, Their typical commercial pop music format today; though occasionally I have heard avant-garde classical music recordings on this outlet. Parallel reception on 9595 (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAPAN. NHK WORLD e-GUIDE NHK World Radio Japan. Former NHK World Radio Japan German broadcast personality Prof. Friedrich Greil passed away on January 3, 2003. He had just celebrated his 100th birthday only a few weeks earlier on December 8, 2002. Mr. Greil broadcast information about Japan for 40 years, from the start of German broadcasting in 1937 until 1986/1993, with the exception of a 9-year hiatus in Radio Japan broadcasts. I remember one time when he showed me a yellowed old piece of paper scribbled with hard-to-read German writing. It was the news manuscript for that famous outbreak of war between Japan and the United States which said: "The Imperial army and naval forces entered a state of war with U.S. and British forces early this morning in the western Pacific Ocean." Mr. Greil had frantically translated the news and read it himself from the handwritten script. He also read the news about the end of the war. In addition, Mr. Greil made great efforts to introduce Japanese culture through a wide range of exchanges, including with Kabuki actors and musicians. He was, literally, R Japan's living witness. Even now, the German language section continues to receive letters and e-mail messages of condolence from listeners (Minoru Sakuma, Senior Program Director, German Section, Jan 17, BC-DX via DXLD) ** KURDISTAN [non]. 3985, 1710-, Voice of Iranian Kurdistan Dec 28. Two cochannel stations, with slight het. Stronger station is probably the clandestine, with lots of mentions of 'Arabiyah'. The weaker station is presumably CNR 2nd program (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KYRGYZSTAN. 4010, 1712-, Kyrgyz Radio 1, Dec 28. A very regular station in Maui around this time. Heard with Russian news at 1712 until 1714. Often quite good reception, but usually at fair level, fading up as the morning wore on. Parallel to much weaker 4795. Classical music at 1735. Listened on subsequent days for IDs at TOH, but did not hear any. Lots of mentions of 'tsentralnaya azeeya', including weather forecasts (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KYRGYZSTAN. 4050, 1735-, Hit Shortwave, Dec 28. This program does not appear to be regular. Some mornings around this time I could hear pop music (never as strong as 4010), but most mornings, all that is heard is local talk in a central Asian language, presumably Kyrgyz Radio's home service (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LITHUANIA. R. Vilnius (Sitkunai), 9875, Jan 17 2346-2400* noted with English program about teachers in Lithuania. Concluding announcement in what sounded like Lithuanian, and then in English as "Radio Vilnius, Lithuania". Transmission ended at 2400. First time I've heard Vilnius on shortwave from its own territory! (Jim Renfrew, NY, Drake R8, longwires, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MADAGASCAR. RTV Malagasy, 5010, Jan 19 0258:30 began with a very weak flute IS (appeared to be the same as played on the Interval Signals Archive), talk at 0300, then flute music and talk at 0302. Barely above the noise floor (Jim Renfrew, NY, Drake R8, longwires, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MADAGASCAR. 5010, 0259-, RTV Malagasy, Jan 7. NA and ID at 0259. Good reception. 10 January, heard at 1653 with French talk at good level. 'Radio Madagascar' ID at 1659, just before TOH. Parallel 3287.7 at poor level (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MADAGASCAR. 3215, 1626-, AWR, Dec 28. Generic AWR IS and multilingual ID before sign-off, using just the whip on my Sony 2010. Fair reception (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALI. 11960, 1730-, Radio Nationale Malienne, Jan 5. Very enjoyable French language programming. Many IDs for Radio Nationale, including one by a YL for an FM frequency. Canned ID starting at 1758, mentioning all SW frequencies, but suddenly off at 1759. Very strong reception. On 10 January, much weaker parallel of off channel 9633.4 heard at 1748 (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALI. 9636.36, This morning around 0800-0830 UT RTM Bamako was on air very odd 9633.36 kHz [sic ---- means 9636.36 here too, as also below?], nothing heard on \\ 11960 due to Arabic station (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, Jan 15, BC-DX via DXLD) 9633.36. It had been almost on nominal 9635 but no longer. I also noted c7284.5 this morning but cannot hear 11960. The Arabic will be Jordan [powerhouse at Stuttgart too], and it goes off c0810. The frequency was then clear today. I'm not sure which transmitter shifts to which frequency at 0800 but suspect that 4835 moves to c9635. The one using 5995 is always more or less on nominal frequency until 0800, but I cannot hear if 4785 is on air due to a co-channel digital signal. That one was always offset in frequency and low in audio, and I suspect it may shift to 7 MHz (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Jan 16, via DXLD) ** MYANMAR. 5985.0, 1555-, Radio Myanmar, Jan 10. EZL non-vocal music, then 'We have now come to the final transmission for the day. Good night.' Into NA. Good/very good (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MYANMAR. 6570, 1605-, Myanmar Defence Forces Radio, Jan 10. Good to very good reception with SE Asian vocals (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS ANTILLES. EXTRA DRM TRANSMISSIONS FROM BONAIRE From Jan-20, Bonaire will conduct extra DRM transmissions towards New Zealand and SE Australia for a period of 7 days at 0600-0655 on 12025. Programming will be in Dutch (Bob Padula, EDXP via DXLD) see PORTUGAL ** OMAN. 15355, 0315-, Radio Sultanate of Oman, Jan 7. Was one of my favourite stations on my last visit a few years ago to Hawaii. News headlines at 0315, then into a Hank Williams song. Same female DJ as in previous years. Birthday greetings at 0324 to Nicholas Cage, then happy birthday is sung. Not as strong as previous years (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. Hello everywhere, when there is poor reception on the tropical bands, the higher frequencies offer sometimes surprising results. 9504.7 R Tacna, January 17th, 2320-2345, Spanish, several reports, one about the struggle against drogues ("la batalla contra la droga"), temperatures in Peruvian cities and weather forecast, announcement of a soccer match on the next day, ID: "Gracias por su sintonía, transmite Radio Tacna ... información deportiva de Radio Tacna"; the station drifted from 9504.7 to 9504.6; weak signal (the station has 200 watts only), but good audio; SINPO 13432. Bye (Michael Schnitzer, Hassfurt, Germany, Receiver: NRD-525, had-core-dx via DXLD) ** PORTUGAL. DRM Sines, 15440 at 1020 UT Jan 12 covered 13.03 kHz wide! Add 2.5 kHz on both sides to avoid interference, they need 18 kHz wide space, when AM and Digital mixes on same band portion (Wolfgang Bueschel, BC-DX via DXLD) and see NETHERLANDS ANTILLES above ** ROMANIA. RRI had very, very lousy audio on 17790 kHz 1000-1100 Sunday Jan 12, special to mariners. Despite remaining channels carried fine audio: 15245, 15380, 15390, 17735, 17745 (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, BC-DX via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. 6085, 1756-, Radio Rossii, Jan 10. Presumed Krasnoyarsk with Radio Rossii ID. Good reception (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. 7200, 0618-, Radio Sakha, Yakutsk, Dec 30. Heard most evenings while in Maui, but I never did hear any local IDs. I especially monitored at 10 min past the hour, as others have heard IS and IDs, but not here (including 0610, 0710, and 0810). This evening, they were playing 'Have yourself a merry little Christmas', then John Lennon's 'So this is Christmas'. Parallel to 7345. Fair to good (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA: Winter B-02 schedule Voice of Russia until March 1, 2003: 0000-0100 Portuguese 9965 9810 9480 7570 7440 7410 7390 7350 6185 0100-0200 Spanish 9965 9860 9810 9480 7570 7440 7410 7390 7350 6185 7180 7125 0200-0300 English 15445 13665 12020 9765# 7250 7180 Russian 17595 17565 15595 12010 7440 7260 7240 7125 648 Spanish 9965 9945 9860 7570 7440 7410 7390 7350 6185 0300-0400 English 15445 13665 12020 7335 7250 7180 Russian 17595 17565 15595 12010 7440 7350 7260 7240 7125 0400-0500 English 17595 15595 15445 13665 12020 12010 7330 7180 7125 1548 693 0500-0600 English 17595 15595 12020 12010 7330 7180 7125 1548 693 0600-0700 English 21790 21485 17665 17655 15470 15275 12010 11770 1548 1323 693 0700-0800 English 21790 21485 17665 17655 15470 15275 12010 11820 11770 1323 693 0800-0900 English 21810 17665 17655 17525 17495 15470 15275 12010 11820 11770 1323 1251 693 0900-1000 English 21810 17665 17525 17495 15470 15275 11820 11770 1323 1251 693 1000-1100 German 15540 12010 1386 1323 1215 603 Korean 11695 9450 7490U 7390 7355 7305 3955 1251 648 1100-1200 Chinese 9450 7490U 7390 7355 7340 7305 6145 5940 3955 1251 801 648 585 1100-1300 German 1386 1323 1215 603 1200-1300 Chinese 9470 7340 7305 6145 5940 1251 1080 801 585 Japanese 7490U 7155 6170 5930 720 630 Korean 9450 7355 3955 648 Russian 1143 1170 972 936 "Sodruzhestvo" Urdu 15490 12055 9940 7350 Vietnamese 15460 6205 603 1300-1330 Mongolian 15550 7305 5940 1080 801 1300-1400 Chinese 9470 7340 3955 1251 585 Hindi 12055 11500 9940 7350 1269 Japanese 7355 6170 5930 720 630 Russian 15510 15460 9490 9450 7365 7155 7105 6185 6145 5925 1548 1431 1386 1323 1215 1170 1143 999 972 936 603 1300-1500 Pashto/Dari15535 11655 9900 5995 4975 4940 648 1330-1400 Mongolian 15550 7305 5940 4850 1080 801 209 1400-1500 Chinese 9470 7340 7305 6145 3955 1251 1080 801 648 585 Russian 15510 15460 9875 9490 9450 7315 7155 6205 1386 1323 1251 1215 603 Russian 7365 7105 6185 6045 1548 1431 1314 1278 1143 1170 999 972 936 "Sodruzhestvo" Urdu 12055 9940 7350 7305 1500-1530 English 11500 9875 7350 7315 6205 1386 1323 1215 1143 693 Hindi 12055 9940 9900 7305 1500-1600 Russian 12015 7445 7365 7170 6185 6045 5995 1548 1431 1278 1143 999 972 936 "Sodruzhestvo" Turkish 9830 9470 6005 1170 Urdu 12055 7305 4965 1500-1700 Persian 9840 7510 7155 5935 5925 648 1530-1600 Bengali 12055 9940 9900 7305 1530-1600 English 11500 9875 7350 7315 6205 1386 1323 1215 1143 693 1600-1630 Albanian 9450 7370 7340 7330 5920 Russian 12015 9470 7445 7440 7170 6185 6045 5995 1548 1431 1278 1143 1089 972 936 "Sodruzhestvo" 1600-1700 English 9830 7305 7260 6005 4965 4940 1494 1251 972 German 7390 7380 7300 7125 6145 5940 1386 1323 1215 603 Russian 12055 9875 7315 1314 1170 612 603 1630-1700 Russian 9470 7445 7440 7170 6045 5995 1431 1278 1143 1089 972 936 Sodruzhestvo" 1630-1800 Serbian 9450 7370 7330 5920 1548 1700-1800 Arabic 9480 7510 7390 7130 6090 6005 5935 5925 1431 1314 1170 English 9830 9470 1269 648 French 11510 9875 9865 7440 7360 7335 6130 5940 German 7340 7300 7290 7125 6145 1386 1323 1215 603 Romanian 7380 7320 999 Russian 7445 7170 7155 6185 6045 5995 1314 936 612 "Sodruzhestvo" 1800-1830 Arabic 9480 7510 7390 6090 6005 5935 5925 1431 1314 1170 Finnish 6175 5950 1494 Mon-Fri French 9875 9865 7440 6130 5940 1800-1845 Hungarian 7380 7310 6030 1170 1800-1900 Bulgarian 7330 7320 6000 5920 1467 English 11510 9830 7340 7335 7290 6175* 5950* 1494* 1251 German 7300 6235 1386 1323 1215 603 Italian 9450 7425 7370 Polish 7215 7125 1143 Russian 7360 6145 1089 Russian 7445 7170 7155 6185 6045 5995 1143 936 "Sodruzhestvo" 1830-1900 Arabic 9480 7510 7390 7130 6090 6005 5935 5925 1431 1314 1170 French 9875 9865 7440 7230 6130 5940 Norwegian 6175 5950 1494 Tue/Thu Swedish 6175 5950 1494 Mon/Wed/Fri 1845-1930 Czech 7380 7310 6030 1170 1900-2000 Arabic 9480 7510 7390 7130 6090 6005 5935 5925 1314 English 11510 9875 7440 7360 7340 7335 7290 6235 6175 5950 French 7370 7230 6145 6130 5975 5940 German 7300 7215 1386 1323 1215 603 Greek 9830 9450 7350 7320 6170 6000 5920 1467 1431 Russian 7445 7170 6045 1089 936 "Sodruzhestvo" 1930-2000 Slovak 7380 7310 6030 1170 2000-2100 Bulgarian 6000 1467 936 English 15735 7390 7340 6235 6175 5950 5940 1548 1386 French 9480 7420 7370 7300 7230 6130 5975 1323 Russian 7445 7360 7310 7170 6190 6170 6145 6045 1215 1170 1143 936 612 603 2100-2130 French 7230# 1323 Portuguese 7360 6145 2100-2200 English 15735 7390 7340 7300 6235 6175 5950 5940 1494 1386 1323 Russian 9480 7445 7370 7170 6045 1143 1089 999 693 612 2100-2230 Serbian 6000 1548 2130-2200 Spanish 7360 6145 # via SMG/VATICAN * Sat and Sun 73 from (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 17, via DXLD) ** SIERRA LEONE. 6139.1, Radio UNAMSIL, 0307-0358 Jan 17, program of regional music hosted by a man with various announcements and dedications. Apparent ID around 0325 mentioning United Nations. Didn't appear to be all English but a mix of English and other stuff. Surprisingly clear with poor to fair signal tuned in to in lower sideband to avoid DW splatter from 6145 until BBC-Delano opened on 6135 at 0358 making this a mess. Again, Jan 18 around the same time with similar programming but not as strong (Rich D`Angelo, PA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** SLOVAKIA. Rimavska Sobota had a strong spurious outlet tonight on 5775, 1630-1830 UT. Formula: 6055 minus 5915 kHz = distance 140 kHz, minus 5915. Both 250 kW towards Western Europe, 275 / 305 degrees at same time slot. 73 (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOUTH AFRICA. 11985, 1830-, AWR, Jan 5. 5-5-5 reception via Meyerton with AWR's Wavescan program for the week of 2nd January (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOUTH AFRICA. 3255, BBC Meyerton relay, 0347 Jan 18, Regional news service in English. Fair copy (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SRI LANKA. The only Station heard in Colombo on 98 MHz is Suriyan FM in Tamil. Jose the FM band is so full with Private stations that it will be hard to hear anything from the LTTE Radio. I think the station will be located inland while studios will be in Jaffna (Victor Goonetileke, Sri Lanka, Jan 18, GRDXC via DXLD) ** SRI LANKA. 15745, 0210-, SLBC Jan 7 End of English news and ID heard, followed by C&W music. No cochannel at this time. Fair reception (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SWAZILAND. 3240, Trans World Radio (presumed), 0338 Jan 18, Nice African choral music. The male announcer spoke in a local language. Good signal strength. Signal was gone by 0348 (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TAJIKISTAN. 7245, 1645-, Radio Tadzhikstan, Jan 6. Poor reception with IS and ID for the English service of the Tadzhik world service. Listened again on 10 January. IS was heard 4 times, with ID heard as 'This is the world service of Radio Tadzhikstan'. Transmitter is a bit buzzy (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UGANDA. 5026, 0359-, Blue Channel, Jan 7. First tuned in at 0335. A bit stronger at TOH with African music, then English news. Was parallel to weaker 4976 at 0400. Mentioned Uganda, but overall fair at best. Decreased levels by 0412 (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE. 7375, 0417-, RUI, Jan 7. Surprised to hear the Star Spangled Banner, and pledge of Allegiance. Good to very good. Program was about the Peace Corps, serving in Ukraine (there are 600). Good to very good. Nice to hear the 1000 kw transmitter back on the air (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. I wonder if anyone has any further info on the CFA [Crossed Field Antenna] tests in Shropshire. It must be nearly 2 years since this project began. Did they ever get the aerial to work, i.e. put out a signal on 972 kHz or has this project died a death? Also is there real proof that the thing (CFA) really works on a transmitting site anywhere in the world or is it all hearsay? (Paul Ewers Brill, BDXC 953 Jan 11 via DXLD) See http://www.rwonline.com/reference-room/special-report/rw-antenna3.shtml Above is a link from the last real news I heard towards the end of 2001. I also found a web site at http://www.antennex.com/preview/Folder02/cfa_5.htm with information about how to build one, with a postscript saying not to build it because there is an error in the matching network. Quote: "do not use the phasing/matching network described in this article. A flaw was found in the phasing/matching network and has been revised in two additional construction articles in the issue for February 1999 now in the Reading Rooms." The "reading rooms" appear to be a pay-site for the replacement aerial matching circuit .... why give duff gen for free? I heard unofficially that the team has problems matching the transmitter to the aerial and that it was therefore not possible to radiate any appreciable signal. I am sure that if the test had been a great success we would have heard by now. This is a shame as our local LPAM college station, for which I have done some aerial work, could do with a nice compact AM antenna to launch the 1 watt ERP.... I think that the signals from the IOM 279 kHz aerial are going to be very interesting to hear. I found this, article from an amateur who seems quite pleased with his homebuilt CFA. If I had definitive diagrams I would try making one. However on the shortwave/HF frequencies a little radiation goes a long way. The proof of the CFA will only be by comparing the longwave signals we hear at roughly equal distances on 162, 183, 198, 234, 252 and then 279. CFA Success in VK6 and an alternative matching network From: Phil... VK6APH Date: 30 Jul 1999 ... (via Chris McWhinnie, UK, BDXC_UK via DXLD) ** U K. The BBC is on Monday launching a new website showcasing some of the top stories featured on BBC News over the past 52 years. The On This Day site will feature a selection of stories from the BBC News archives, with audio or video footage of the original broadcast. There will be nearly 1,500 stories when the site goes live with at least three reports for every date of the year. All are written as if they were current. The site can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/onthisday (Waveguide) To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: uk-radio-listeners-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com (PAUL DAVID, Wembley Park, England, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. MINISTER ORDERS MAJOR REVIEW OF BBC http://media.guardian.co.uk/Print/0,3858,4584395,00.html (via Daniel Say, Jan 16, swprograms via DXLD) ** USA. US SPOKESMAN SAYS MEDIA PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN IN MUSLIM WORLD "SUCCESSFUL" | Excerpt from daily press briefing by US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher on 16 January, published on US State Department web site .. Question: I wanted to ask you about Charlotte Beers and the Shared Values campaign if -. Mr Boucher: Change the subject? Question: It's for everyone. Question: Yeah, that's not hypothetical. If a major newspaper was to write a story that said - (laughter). No? Question: I'm curious when the decision was made and by whom, at what level, to suspend the campaign and why, if Arab public opinion was the reason it was suspended, that wasn't considered earlier? Mr Boucher: Well, the story is wrong. I do not know how else to say it. We have not suspended the Shared Values initiative. Two of my people talked to the reporter yesterday and were not asked, "Have you suspended it?" - and they would have immediately said, "No, absolutely not." So I do not know why it says that in the newspaper. We have not suspended the Shared Values campaign. Let me bring you up to date on where we are. The first phase was five mini-documentaries for television, radio and print, with Shared Values messages for key Muslim countries. It was specifically designed to run during Ramadan. Ramadan is over. We have completed that phase successfully. As a result of the success of this initiative, the documentaries have now been modified slightly for extended use in other Muslim countries. We have basically taken out the Ramadan time-specific messages and they are currently running now in countries in Africa and in Central Asia, both through paid placements and also free to people who wanted them. There - remember, it is not just the ads. There are other components to this campaign. There are several other components that are actively under way. There are speaker tours going on. One just ended in Kuwait. We have a satellite town hall meeting between audiences in the United States and Indonesia coming up. It will be taped in early February and air on Indonesian television shortly thereafter. To date, we spent about half of the 15m dollars and we are finalizing plans on how we continue and move into a new phase with the programme of Shared Values. It will be similar components: paid media, speakers tours, public appearances. The focus will probably be on other aspects of shared values as we develop this, including ways in which the United States contributes to the peoples and countries of these various regions. Question: Did you have the negative feedback that was mentioned in the story? Mr Boucher: I think, by and large, we believe that this was a very successful campaign. Remember what it was directed to do. It was directed to talk to people on a different level, not to argue policy positions with them - we do plenty of that to our embassies and ourselves; not to tell them - not to go through the policy debate, but to talk to people who are not part of that normal debate, tell them a little bit about who we are and what we stand for, and to establish a certain identification with each other on which basis we can go forward with further messages and discuss things. We feel it is quite successful in that regard. The number of countries that we got to, we think there was an audience out there already of almost 300 million, maybe more, for these messages. They have aired in a lot of major Muslim countries as well as pan-Arab media. And so we think in terms of starting to reach an audience that we hardly talked to before, that this was a very good and successful campaign, and as I said, one that continues and will continue in other ways. Question: And the only changes that were made to the original first phase - I mean, the ones that are currently airing in Africa and Central Asia, the only changes between them and the ones that were in December are the omission of - mention of Ramadan? Mr Boucher: I believe so. There might have been. I mean, it would be smart to make any other adjustments that we felt necessary after seeing the initial reactions, but I think the principal changes that were made were just to take out the Ramadan. Question: Richard, could you provide us - I mean, you've done it in bits and pieces on parts of the programme, but could you provide us afterwards, unless you have it at hand, every country where something has aired or a speaker tour has occurred throughout the programme? Mr Boucher: I think the answer is yes. I do not have it all in my head even though my staff does it. But I have named a few of them. I will have to - every country is a harder thing. I will try to get it for you. Question: Can you tell us which government television stations declined to your advertisements? Mr Boucher: I think you knew - Question: Well, Egypt and Lebanon, I think. But there are some others, too? Mr Boucher: I do not know if I will have a complete list of that, but you can go ask anybody who is not on the list of the places where they aired. Question: You said it's successful. How are you judging its success? And also, you mentioned that it was running in some areas. Do you know what specific countries it's actually running in now? Mr Boucher: I was just asked that question and I will get it for you. Question: But how do you judge success? Mr Boucher: I think generally, the feedback we have had in terms of the way it has been discussed and debated, the kind of reaction we have had. I think they have done some focus groups already to see whether the message was getting across. It is just meant to sort of start to open minds, start to tell people a little bit about who we are and who they are and how that might work together. So I think we have generally felt that we have had that impact on the people we wanted to talk to - the people who do not know that much about it, who do not travel here, you know, four times a year, who are not engaged with us already on the level of discussing policy. Now, that sort of measuring that in more depth, I think, that will come as this proceeds. But you cannot do all that right from an initial reaction because of the kind of message it is. Question: Is it successful enough? I mean, you only have 15m dollars, which is not a lot of money for advertising. Mr Boucher: No, it is not. Question: Or spending. Mr Boucher: We are spending it very carefully. Question: Is it successful enough that you want more money to be used for that purpose? Mr Boucher: We want - certainly, we want to be able to do this kind of thing more and again. As we design what you might call the next phase, we will be talking more specifically about the things that the United States does in the world that are of benefit to people around the world. We will have to see how much that might cost and ask for money accordingly. We want to be able to continue in this vein. How much more in out years [as published] it might require, I cannot say at this point... Source: US State Department web site, Washington, in English 17 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** U S A. RFA B-02 updated schedule of January 16th, 2003. 0000-0100 LAO 11830I 13830 15545T 0030-0130 BURMESE 11535 11570 13710S 13815I 15155T 0100-0300 TIBETAN 7470 7560 9570H 11695UAE 15220T 17730 0100-0200 UIGHUR 7485 9365 9580UAE 9690UAE 15270T 17570T 0300-0600 MANDARIN 13625T 13760T 15150T 15665T 17495 17525 17615S 17880S 21540T 0600-0700 MANDARIN 13625T 13760T 15150T 15665T 17495 17525 17615S 17880S 0600-0700 TIBETAN 17515 17540 17720 21570T 21715UAE break 1100-1400 TIBETAN 7470 9365 11540 13625T 15435UAE 15185H-(from 1200) 1100-1200 LAO 9355S 9775T 15555I 15680 1230-1330 CAMBODIAN 11510 13725I 15395T 1300-1400 BURMESE 7550 9355 11795T 12105I 15250T 1400-1500 CANTONESE 9825S 11950T 15255T 1400-1500 VIETNAMESE 9365 9455S 9920Y 9930W 11535 11605N 11760T 13635P 13660I 15470T 21625I 1400-1500 KOREAN 5855 7475 12000T 13790T 1500-1600 TIBETAN 7470 7495 9920 15385UAE 1500-1600 MANDARIN 7540 9905P 11945T 13695T 13745T 15510T 17565T 1500-1700 KOREAN 11870S 13625T 1600-1700 UIGHUR 7515 7530 9865UAE 11720T 13725I 1600-1700 MANDARIN 7540 9455S-(fr 1630) 9905P 11945T 13695T 13745T 15510T 17565T 1700-1800 MANDARIN 7540 9455S 9905P 11850T 11945T 13695T 13745T 15510T 17565T 1800-1900 MANDARIN 7455 7540 9355S 9455S 11745S 11790T 11945T 13695T 13745T 15510T 17615T 1900-2000 MANDARIN 7455 7540 9355S 9455S 9875P 11745T 11790T 11945T 13625T 13695T 13745T 15510T 2000-2100 MANDARIN 7455 7540 9355S 9455S 9875P 9885T 11900S 11950T 13625T 13745T 15510T 2100-2200 MANDARIN 7540 9455S 9875P 9885T 11900S 11950T 13625T 13745T 15510T 2200-2300 CANTONESE 9570S 9845P 11740T 11785T 2200-2300 KOREAN 7460 9455T 11775S 11905T 2230-2330 CAMBODIAN 7185I 7530 9930P 15485T 2300-2359 MANDARIN 7540 9905P 11785T 11995S 13800T 15430T 15550T 2300-2359 TIBETAN 6010UAE 7415 7470 7550 9875H 2330-0029 VIETNAMESE 7515 9490 9930P 11580 11605N 11670T 13720S 13865I Additional transmitter sites have been researched but deleted from this list upon request of RFA to suppress this info, to avoid pressure from China upon the host countries. Are we to assume that China has no way to find out this sensitive info except through DX publications? [gh] (various sources, updated on January 16th, 2003, by Wolfgang Bueschel, DXLD) ** U S A. CRUNCH TIME AT THE FCC, by Michael Copps One of the most important votes of 2003 will be cast not in Congress or in voting booths across the country but at the Federal Communications Commission. At stake is how TV, radio, newspapers and the Internet will look in the next generation and beyond. At stake are core values of localism, competition, diversity and maintaining the vitality of America's marketplace of ideas. And at stake is the ability of consumers to enjoy creative, diverse and enriching entertainment. But most people and most journalists are ignoring this momentous vote. Last year FCC chair Michael Powell announced that the commission would vote this spring on whether to scrap, modify or retain our media concentration protections. These rules currently limit a single corporation from dominating a local TV market; from merging a community's TV stations and newspapers into one voice; from merging two major TV networks; and from controlling more than 35 percent of TV households in the nation. And now we are on the verge of dramatically altering the nation's media landscape without the national debate that this issue merits. What will happen if these rules disappear or are significantly loosened? We have some history to guide us. The FCC eliminated many of its radio consolidation rules in 1996. This action has already caused real problems, according to numerous media experts. Conglomerates now own hundreds of stations across the country. One company, Clear Channel, owns more than 1,200. Today there are 30 percent fewer radio station owners than there were before the commission abandoned its rules in 1996. Most local radio markets are oligopolies. More and more programming originates outside local stations' studios-- far from listeners and their communities. Media watchers like the Media Access Project, the Center for Digital Democracy and Consumers Union argue that this concentration has led to far less coverage of news and public interest programming and less localism. A study by the Future of Music Coalition strongly suggests that consolidation has led to the homogenization of music. Many observers say that radio now serves more to advertise the products of vertically integrated conglomerates than to inform or entertain Americans with the best and most original programming. In addition, the work of the Parents Television Council shows that offensive and indecent programming has grown more pervasive on radio. As programming decisions are wrested from our local communities and made instead in distant corporate headquarters, our children are exposed to more and more offensive material. Despite this history, we are now about to decide whether to eliminate the rules that govern the rest of the media world. If all these rules are scrapped or if the FCC seriously weakens them, one company could dominate a region's access to information by controlling its radio stations, television stations, newspaper and cable system. And those who believe the Internet will save us from this fate should realize that the dominant Internet news sources are owned by the same media giants who control radio, TV, newspapers and cable. The fate of cable television and the emerging fate of the Internet should teach us that new technology alone, without rules that protect against its being co-opted by media giants, will not guarantee healthy, independent local media. Yet the FCC is charging ahead without adequately studying the vast consequences of its actions. It has resisted calls to hold public hearings. Only under pressure did it agree to hold one lone official hearing in Richmond, Virginia. Most Americans don't even know that momentous decisions are about to be made. It is the FCC's responsibility to tell them and to solicit their thoughts. Failure to do so disserves the public interest and makes it appear that the commission is trying to eliminate concentration protections in the dark of night. But it is also the media's responsibility to bring this story to the public. That hasn't happened yet. Indeed, some very important media enterprises have financial interests riding on the outcome of the ownership proceedings. The very institutions we rely on to be a forum for this debate are the institutions most affected by its outcome. The media are at pains to assure us their newsgathering operations are independent of their corporate interests. Here is an opportunity to test that claim. Suppose for a moment that the FCC votes to remove or significantly modify the concentration protections. Suppose that turns out to be a mistake. How would we ever put the genie back in the bottle? The answer is that we could not. That's why we need a national dialogue on the issue and better data and analysis. We need this debate in Congress, at the commission, among concerned industries, in the media and all across America. The future of the media, a key part of the infrastructure of democracy, hangs in the balance. This article can be found on the web at: http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20030203&s=copps Visit The Nation http://www.thenation.com/ Subscribe to The Nation: https://ssl.thenation.com/ (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** U S A. KKSU *580 Manhattan KS signed off the air at 5:30 pm Nov. 27, with WIBW Topeka taking over the frequency fulltime. K-State traded education for athletics, read the headline to an article by Susan Mintert, Manhattan. She was a producer at KKSU from 1986 to 1995. ``Big money was too much of a lure, as K-State sacrificed its venerable radio station.`` It left disturbing questions as to whether a state entity can be sold without approval of the board of regents or the legislature. ``Kansans deserve to know the facts in this disgraceful episode,`` Mintert wrote in the Salina Journal (Jan FMedia! via DXLD) Searched for the entire article, but instead could only find this: THE LOSS OF K-STATE'S RADIO STATION WILL BE TOUGH TO BEAR Kansans will soon lose a longtime radio companion. In December, the KKSU radio station, heard on 580 AM from 12:30 to 5:30 on weekday afternoons, will go off the air. For many of its listeners around the state, quality of life won't be as good. Since 1928, Kansas State University has carried out the spirit of a land grant university by reaching beyond the campus to bring news, information and ideas to the general public. Now the university has made a settlement with the out-of-state owners of the WIBW radio station to give back rights to broadcast on its frequency in exchange for a relatively modest sum of money and the exclusive rights to broadcast the university's football games. Officials at the school are not pursuing acquisition of substitute airtime. Indeed, the money received is probably not enough to acquire suitable air time on a strong frequency. Instead, President Wefald and his administrators have a rather vague plan to offer radio stations around the state a chance to "pick up" KSU-produced programming. Most likely, such programming would be sports or agriculture-related. What does this mean for listeners? The term "cultural wasteland" comes to mind. What fun to live in a state where the choices on the radio dial are Dr. Laura, Rush Limbaugh, country music, "oldies," and lots and lots of commercials. Buffalo Commons, here we come! Yes, we appreciate our public radio stations, but KKSU has filled in the gaps for people wanting more. We were treated each day to a great variety: the latest in health news, consumer information, gardening advice, Kansas tourism tips, book reviews, BBC World News, segments on appreciating the Kansas landscape, chats about food, history lessons - - all in addition to in-depth agricultural news needed by the rural populace. Some of this varied programming was of KSU origin, but much was from other sources such as Minnesota Public Radio and Public Radio International. KKSU has helped make its listeners content with living in rural Kansas. We have less of a hankering to live in Kansas City, Dallas or Denver when we can get mind-stimulating radio here without traffic jams and suburban sprawl. The university does itself a disservice in discontinuing KKSU. The station has generated much good will for the university. Listeners have sent their children and grandchildren there to be educated, and have generously supported the university with their tax dollars and gifts. It is hard to put a dollar value on what the loss of KKSU will be to the university's future, but it will be significant. K-State football fortunes will come and go, but Kansans' need for quality radio programming will always be there. Thanks for the memories, you good folks at KKSU, both past and present. We will miss you. Devoted KKSU listeners can write letters of protest to the Federal Communications Commission asking them to reverse the sale (DONICE APPLEQUIST, Salina, letter to the editor, Salina Journal Nov 12 via DXLD) ** U S A. COMING SOON TO YOUR RADIO DIAL By Bob Quick, The New Mexican, 01/14/2003 http://santafenewmexican.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=2144&dept_id=367947&newsid=6689425&PAG=461&rfi=9 Longtime Santa Fe radio entrepreneur Will Sims will soon be back on the air with a new FM radio station featuring an eclectic music format and local news shows. KENC-Enchantment FM, which is licensed in Pecos and based in a Cordova Road office in Santa Fe, is expected to go live in mid-February. The station has 25,000 watts of power using a transmitter in Pecos and a 5,000-watt booster in Santa Fe to provide coverage of both communities at 102.9 on the dial. The station will be on the air 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Sims estimated it will cost about $150,000 to get the station up and running, funding provided by himself and his business partners, who include Jim Duncan, a Santa Fe resident and radio-industry analyst, and Don Hall, an Albuquerque radio-station owner and engineer. "There is no station quite like KENC anywhere,'' Sims said. "The format will encompass many musical forms, including jazz, blues, world, acoustic, Latin, even some classical and more.'' But there will be limits. "There will be no rock 'n' roll or country music,'' Sims said. "We will play quite a few local artists.'' Duncan added: "Basically, we're trying a format that no one's ever really done. We hope it works here in Santa Fe.'' Duncan will serve as the station's on-air host from 5 to 9 p.m. weekdays. Mark Bentley, owner of KRSN, an AM radio station in Los Alamos, and former colleague of Sims, said he expects Sims' new station to do well. "I think it's quite reasonable because he's proposing a format that's not in this market,'' he said. "It's not something that's been done before.'' Bentley added: "Will is a format master.'' Sims created two other Santa Fe FM stations - KLSK in the mid-'80s and Coyote Radio in the early '90s - using a similar eclectic format. In a career that stretches back to the 1960s, Sims has started 14 radio stations. He most recently was on the air with KSFR, the public radio station at Santa Fe Community College, where he hosted an early- morning news show. "Radio is all I know,'' Sims said in explaining his decision to start another new station. "I've done radio for nearly 40 years.'' Sims said he expects to make the new station succeed financially by establishing a niche and "finding sponsors who believe in what you're doing and court them.'' He explained: "The key is to keep it small and simple. Our studio is in a space a little less than 1,000 square feet in size, and we will have only six full-time employees. Keeping cost down is really important.'' Sims will co-host the morning show on KENC with Angela Taylor, who was most recently with KSFR. Taylor also will handle local news reports and host a live noon-hour show. Another on-air personality will be Jack Kolkmeyer, also known as "Dr. Feelgood,'' who will return with his "Brave New World'' show Sundays from 6 to 10 p.m. KENC will affiliate with Associated Press Radio Network for national news. To find the three advertising sales persons he needs at the new station, Sims will hold a mini "job fair'' Saturday starting at 10 a.m. at the Church of Religious Science, 505 Camino de los Marquez. An open house at KENC, which is two blocks away, will follow. All three positions will involve radio sales and marketing, client management and community involvement. "I want to be upfront,'' Sims said. 'This is a startup. It will be a lot of work. ... We're a small company. We will ask those who want to be involved to start at $10 an hour.'' (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) That explains why the KENW translator in the same area moved from 102.9 into the E-band (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. My friend Watt Hairston at WSM told me the beacons around the property were indeed for aeronautical marking. Because tall vertical radiators were relatively new when that tower was erected, the Feds asked WSM to propose a scheme of lighting. But WSM's lighting isn't quite as cool as the guard house tower at the WLW site (Mark Durenberger in the Colorado Rockies, NRC-AM via DXLD) Mark, I also found it interesting that the rules said that any towers still painted black and yellow must be changed to the "new" international orange and white color scheme the next time they are painted (Patrick Griffith, CBT, Westminster, CO, USA, ibid.) ** U S A. IMAGINATION THEATRE STATION LISTING -- All times are local 560 KPQ Wenatchee, WA Sunday 11:00 PM 570 WNAX Yankton, SD Sunday 11:00 PM 590 WARM Scranton, PA Sunday 9:00 PM 600 KGEZ Kalispell, MT Sunday 11:00 AM 610 KDAL Duluth, MN Saturday 10:00 PM & Sunday 11:00 PM 620 WWNR Beckley, WV Saturday 8:00 PM, Sunday 6:00 AM & 7:00 PM 640 WFNC Fayetteville, NC Sunday 7:00 PM 650 KENI Anchorage, AK Sunday 9:00 PM 730 KULE Ephrata, WA Sunday 9:00 PM 730 WSCC Charleston, SC Sunday 9:00 PM 760 KFMB San Diego, CA Sunday 8:00 PM, Saturday 2:00 AM & 4:00 AM 770 KKOB Albuquerque, NM Saturday 7:00 PM 780 WJAG Norfolk, NE Sunday 11:00 AM 790 KGMI Bellingham, WA Saturday 7:00 PM 800 CJAD Montreal, QC Sunday 4:00 AM, Sunday 7:00PM 830 WCCO Minneapolis, MN Saturday 11:00-1:00 AM & Sunday Midnight 850 WRUF Gainesville, FL Sunday 10:00 PM 860 KPAM Troutdale, OR Saturday 11:00 PM & Sunday 9:00 PM 870 WHCU Ithaca, NY Saturday 9:00 PM 880 KIXI Mercer Island, WA Saturday & Sunday 9:00 PM 910 KCJB Minot, ND Sunday 4:00 PM 910 WEPG South Pittsburg, TN Friday 8:00 PM & Saturday 6:00 PM 910 WPFB Middletown, NY Saturday 6:00-8:00 AM & 6:00-8:00 PM 920 KSHO Lebanon, OR Sunday 6:00 PM 920 KXLY Spokane, WA Saturday 9:00 PM 920 WMEL Melbourne, FL Tuesday 10:00 PM 930 WSLI Jackson, MS Saturday 6:00 AM 950 KMTX Helena, MT Saturday 6:00 PM & Sunday 8:00 PM 950 WSPA Spartanburg, SC Saturday 9:00 PM 950 WVTS Charleston, WV Sunday 9:00 PM 960 KALE Richland, WA Saturday 8:00 PM 960 WERC Birmingham, AL Sunday 9:00 PM 960 WFIR Roanoke, VA Sunday 8:00 AM 970 KNUU Paradise, NV Saturday & Sunday 9:00 PM 970 WTBF Troy, AL Sunday 4:00 PM 970 WWYO Pineville, WV Sunday 5:00 PM 980 WRNE Gulf Breeze, FL Sunday 9:00 PM 980 WSUB Groton, CT Sunday 9:00 PM 1010 KIQN Tooele, UT Sunday 9:00 PM 1100 WCGA Woodbine, GA Saturday & Sunday 5:00 PM 1110 KFAB Omaha, NE Saturday 6:00 PM & Midnight 1120 KPNW Eugene, OR Saturday 10:00 PM 1150 KQQQ Pullman, WA Sunday 10:00 PM 1150 KSAL Salina, KS Sunday 8:00 PM 1150 WNDB Daytona Beach, FL Saturday & Sunday 12:00 AM 1160 KENS San Antonio, TX Sunday 6:00 & 8:00 PM 1170 WDIS Norfolk, MA Sunday 12:00 Noon 1230 KATO Safford, AZ Saturday 6:00 PM 1230 KHDN Hardin, MT Saturday 9:00 PM & Sunday 8:00 PM 1230 KYSM Mankato, MN Sunday 8:00 PM 1230 WMFR High Point, NC Sunday 8:00 PM 1230 WODI Brookneal, VA Saturday & Sunday 9:00 PM 1240 KGY Olympia, WA TBA 1240 KICD Spencer, IA Saturday 11:00 PM 1240 WAYZ Hagerstown, MD Sunday 11:00 PM 1240 WCNC Elizabeth City, NC Sunday 9:00 PM 1240 WPAX Thomasville, GA Friday 10:00 PM 1270 WKBF Rock Island, IL Sunday 8:00 PM 1310 KNOX Grand Forks, ND Saturday 11:00 PM 1310 KXAM Mesa, AZ Saturday 5:00 PM 1310 WHEP Foley, AL Sunday 12:00 Noon 1310 WIBA Madison, WI Sunday 11:00 PM 1320 WJGR Jacksonville, FL Saturday 8:00 PM 1330 WCVC Tallahassee, FL Saturday 12:00 Noon 1340 KHUB Fremont, NE Sunday 9:00 PM 1340 KLKI Anacortes, WA Saturday & Sunday 9:00 PM 1340 KROC Rochester, MN Sunday 9:00 PM 1340 KTCR Kennewick, WA Sunday 8:00 PM 1340 KWLM Willmar, MN Sunday 7:00 PM 1340 WBIW Bedford, IN Sunday 10:00 PM 1350 WQNX Aberdeen, NC Saturday 3:00 PM & Sunday 10:00 AM 1360 KRWC Buffalo, MN Saturday 7:00 PM 1370 WHEE Martinsville, VA Saturday 6:00 PM 1380 KHEY El Paso, TX Saturday 9:00 PM (Website says KTSM) 1400 KAYS Hays, KS Sunday 7:00 PM 1400 KESQ Indio, CA Sunday 9:00 PM 1400 KODI Cody, WY Sunday 8:00 PM 1400 WANI Opelika, AL Sunday 6:00 PM 1400 WLLH Lowell, MA Sunday 8:00 PM 1400 WSTC Stamford, CT Sunday 9:00 PM 1410 KLFD Litchfield, MN Saturday 9:00 PM & Sunday 6:00 PM 1410 KQV Pittsburgh, PA Sunday 8:00 PM 1420 WKWN Trenton, GA Saturday & Sunday 7:00 PM 1430 WOWW Germantown, TN Sunday 8:00 PM 1440 KMED Medford, OR Sunday 9:00 PM 1440 KVON Napa, CA Saturday 6:00 PM 1450 KOBE Las Cruces, NM Saturday 8:00 PM 1450 KTIP Porterville, CA Sunday 9:00 PM 1450 WCTC New Brunswick, NJ Saturday 6:00 PM, Sunday 11:00 PM, 1:00 AM 1450 WGNS Murfreesboro, TN Saturday 8:00 AM 1450 WKXL Concord, NH Saturday 9:00 PM 1470 WBKV West Bend, WI Saturday 4:00 PM 1490 KRSN Los Alamos, NM Sunday 10:00 PM 1490 KUGR Green River, WY Sunday 8:00 PM 1490 WNDA Deland, FL Saturday & Sunday 12:00 AM 1490 WSTP Salisbury, NC Sunday 6:00 AM 1500 KJIM Sherman, TX Sunday 8:00 AM 1520 WKVQ Eatonton, GA Sunday 9:00 PM 1540 WBTC Uhrichsville, OH Saturday 5:00 PM 1570 KPYK Terrell, TX Sunday 2:00 & 9:00 PM 1580 WLIM Patchogue, NY Saturday 8:00 PM 1590 WSMN Nashua, NH Sunday 5:00 PM 1600 WAAM Ann Arbor, MI Sunday 6:00 PM & 10:00 PM 1620 WHLY South Bend, IN 8:00 PM 89.9 KUNM Albuquerque, NM Sunday 10:00 PM {NOT -- I keep up with their schedule -- gh] 91.5 KTXK Texarkana, TX Friday 6:00 PM & Saturday 8:00 PM 93.5 WCFR West Lebanon, NH Sunday 8:00 PM 93.9 WMXR Woodstock, VT Sunday 8:00 PM 94.1 KTIL Tillamook, OR Sunday 7:00 PM 94.7 WTBF Troy, AL Saturday 4:00 PM 95.7 KDAL Duluth, MN Saturday 10:00 PM & Sunday 11:00 PM 96.9 KQRV Deer Lodge, MT Sunday 9:00 PM 96.9 WXBQ Bristol, VA Sunday 9:00 PM 97.7 WBKK Amsterdam, NY Sunday 10:00 PM 98.9 WSPA Spartanburg, SC Saturday 9:00 PM 99.9 KXLY Spokane, WA Saturday 9:00 PM 102.3 WFNC Lumberton, NC Sunday 7:00 PM 103.7 WRUE Gainesville, FL Sunday 10:00 PM 103.5 KYSM Mankato, MN Sunday 8:00 PM 103.9 WLEN Adrian, MI Sunday 6:00 PM 104.3 KLKS Breezy Point, MN Sunday 8:00 PM 104.7 WAYZ Hagerstown, MD Sunday 11:00 PM 106.9 KROC Rochester, MN Sunday 9:00 PM (Art Blair, Folsom, CA, Jan 17, IRCA via DXLD) I hope the other listings are more accurate than the one for KFAB, as previously reported here (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. New x band sign-on KHPY owns 1670 here at night. I was not aware they were on earlier today so I can't say how well they will do here during the day. The jock was reading a list of cities they had gotten calls from; it was nothing unexpected. I'll be in Northern California this weekend so I'll have to check them out from there. They are using silent KHPI-1530's towers, which are a quarter wavelength on 1530. The are 10KW/9KW DA-2. Radio-locator.com doesn't show their patterns yet. The pattern info on the FCC's web site is Greek to me. I'd love to hear from anybody who knows what their patterns are or can explain the DA data on the FCC web site. I believe only they and WWRU-1660 in New Jersey are the only x banders that are not 10 KW/1 KW ND. WWRU is 10 KW fulltime DA-N. Most of their night signal is aimed at New York City. I wonder how they convinced the FCC to let them run 9 times the night power of other x banders and let them pump it in a particular direction (Dennis Gibson, Gilroy? CA, Jan 16, IRCA via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. Hola Glenn! Saludos desde Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA. -Te informo que el e-mail ondacortavenezuela@hotmail.com fue escuchado por este servidor a través de Informativa 630, la cual transmite todos los días a la 1 de la madrugada [0500 TU] la programación del Canal Internacional (inactivo en 9540 kHz), y eso fue hace ya unos cuantos meses. En vano he intentado comunicarme a través de esa vía con Radio Nacional. Otro de los correos-e es rnv2000@hotmail.com, el cual tampoco acusa recibo siquiera. Al parecer, la comunicación vía Internet es imposible por ahora. Radio Táchira no es la única venezolana activa en banda tropical. En 4939.8 kHz está Radio Amazonas, todos los días, pero con señal irregular ya que sale varias veces del aire durante la transmisión. También YVTO está en 5000 kHz, con la hora legal. Por cierto, desde la salida del aire de VNG en Australia, YVTO puede ser oída en algunas partes de la isla-continente como Melbourne, según un reporte de Cumbre DX de hace dos semanas. Tal como te he informado en otros correos-e, Ecos del Torbes está inactiva desde hace varios meses atrás, en 4980. Saludos desde VENEZUELA (Adán González, Jan 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** YEMEN. 9780.4, 1758-, Radio Sana'a, Jan 10. Interval signal with strong, clean modulation. Into NA, then ID in English, but unfortunately the speech was not clear and much weaker than the IS and NA (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZAMBIA. 4965, 1730-, Christian Voice, Dec 28. 5-5-5 signal with modern vocal Christian music (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZAMBIA. 6265, 1735-, Radio One, Dec 28. What a joy it is to listen to this very entertaining station with local reception quality (it's useful to have Zambia at the antipode to Hawaii!). Loud 5-5-5 signal many hours after my local sunrise. Very lively African music. The following day at 1759, there's an amusing ad for 'Handyman's Paradise'. 'Hurry, hurry, limited stock'. They sponsor the English news at 1800 which is carried on both networks (R1 on 6265 and R2, the English network on 6165). Both frequencies exceptionally strong. This African station is my choice for pleasant background music! (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZAMBIA. 6265, Radio Zambia, 0409 Jan 18, Very good copy, with regular S9 peaks. Traditional folk music was played, which made for enjoyable listening. An ID was given at 0415 by the announcer in the local dialect (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. MADAGASCAR 7120, 0328-, Voice of the People, Jan 7. Extremely strong signal with OC at 0328. 1000 Hz tone for about 30 seconds, then into sign-on tune, then 'This is Radio Voice of the People. My name is....'. (Walt Salmaniw, Maui, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ SONY ICF-2010 R.I.P. The announcement that came down this week regarding Sony's decision to stop production of the ICF-2010 receiver -- the one that changed how we listen to international shortwave, with its then-innovative "synchronous detection" to eliminate adjacent-channel interference -- has resulted in a sad conclusion for many radio enthusiasts, some who were actually waiting to buy the last '2010's in stock. Universal Radio in Ohio sent a note to some potential owners of the '2010 that the receiver is now no longer available, as it is not in Sony's production line after over 17 years. So, from this longtime owner of a '2010, who in 1986 got his radio from an old friend of mine, Saul Berger (hey, do you remember the days of the Philly-based "Solar Light Co." where Saul used to sell cassette controllers for this radio?), and still has it around in his listening post for backup use, I say farewell to a legend of a radio, which has been proven to be a great, well-made midsize portable -- and a rugged one at that if you have seen the reviews in past PWBRs. Lucky you if you still have a '2010 that's over 15 years old and still pulls in those tough DX signals just like it did when it first made waves back in those days of Live-Aid and "Out of Africa"... adiós and R.I.P. (Joe Hanlon in Philadelphia, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Anyone who was planning to snatch up a ICF 2010 before the supply runs out can forget it. Bob Brossell (in Milwaukee) placed an order with Universal shortly after it was learned production would end in December, rather than March. According to Bob's conversations with Universal when he called now and then to check the status of his order, Sony had been telling the folks at "6830" they'd be getting the last 50-60 units - later even saying the units were in transit. But Universal has just learned there were never any more coming in from Japan, so Bob, along with a hundred or so others, is out of luck (Gerry Dexter-USA, DXplorer Jan 17 via BC-DX via DXLD) This is terrible news. Dollar for dollar the 2010 is the finest radio on the market, a "Zenith Trans Oceanic of its time." It has been my major radio since perhaps 1990, and to get a better radio would cost twice as much, and even then, might not be THAT much better. (e.g. the overpriced and user unfriendly Drake SW8). I anticipate using mine for many years to come and wouldn't sell it for $500 (Roger Chambers, Utica, NY, Jan 15, ODXA via DXLD) Radio has been in production since 1985 -- an eternity in the field of consumer electronics. They tried to end production twice before, only to find the market too good to pass up. But Sony's grand old man died recently and, although he had a soft spot in his heart for shortwave, his successors do not. As the banner says, it is the "end of an era". (John Figliozzi, ibid.) CODAR "The Swiper" "The Swisher" "The Sweeper" "The Smoocher" "The National Windshield Wiper Synchronization Signal" [large images; loads slow] http://www.sover.net/~hackmohr/swiper.htm (via Jilly Dybka, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ WORLD RADIO TV HANDBOOK 2003 You may be interested in a review of the WRTH 2003 written by Bob Padula, available at http://www.dxing.info/shop/review_wrth2003.dx - "this edition of the WRTH is very good", Bob summarizes. 73s (Mika Makelainen http://www.DXing.info via DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ And now amigos, as always at the end of the show, here is Arnie Coro's HF plus 6 meters exclusive and not copyrighted propagation update and forecast... Solar activity moving down, towards an expected minimum sunspot count to be reached in about ten days or so. The nature and structure of the sunspots seen at this moment is such, that it is unlikely that significant solar flares may be generated during the next five to seven days. Solar flux will slowly decline until reaching a minimum of about 100 to 115 units , and then will start to climb back again as the new 27 solar rotation starts... Low ionospheric absorption is expected during the days of minimum activity and that will be the delight of those of you that enjoy low frequency and medium wave band frequency DXing amigos !! See you all Tuesday and Wednesday UTC days at the same times and short wave frequencies at the mid week edition of DXers Unlimited, your favorite [sic] radio hobby program (Arnie Coro, CO2KK, RHC Jan 19 via Bob VE3SRE Chandler, ODXA via DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-010, January 17, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser, ghauser@hotmail.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 HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldta03.html For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid2.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn WORLD OF RADIO 1165: WRN : Rest of world Sat 0900, Eu only Sun 0530, NAm Sun 1500 WWCR: Sat 0700, Sun 0330 5070, 0730 3210, Wed 1030 9475 RFPI; Sat 0730, 1330, 1800, Sun 0000, 0600, 1200, 1830, Mon 0630, 1230, Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on 15039 and/or 7445 WBCQ: Mon 0545 7415 WRN ONDEMAND: [see INTERNATIONAL VACUUM below] [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1165.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1165.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1165h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1165h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1165.html WORLD OF RADIO on RADIO STUDIO X Hello Glenn, how are you ? First of all, our best wishes for the 2003 from all our staff. I'm writing to inform you that following a re- organization of our schedules since January 2003, we were forced to move WORLD OF RADIO to the following times: On Saturdays from 12:30 am to 1:00 am (local time). On Sundays from 9:30 pm to 09:00 pm (local time) Please, take note of these changes so as to inform your listeners in one of the next editions of WOR. Regards, (Massimiliano Marchi RADIO STUDIO X 1584 KhZ AM STEREO) So in UT: Sun 0000, Mon 2000 {NOT: corrected to Sat 0000, Sun 2030} MUNDO RADIAL Emisión de enero y febrero en el aire a partir del 17 de enero en WWCR, 9475, los miércoles a las 2200, viernes a las 2215v, y además: Parte I Corriente: http://www.k4cc.net/mr0301a.ram Parte I Bajable: http://www.k4cc.net/mr0301a.rm Parte I Texto: http://www.worldofradio.com/mr0301a.html Parte II Corriente: http://www.k4cc.net/mr0301b.ram Parte II Bajable: http://www.k4cc.net/mr0301b.rm Parte II Texto: http://www.worldofradio.com/mr0301b.html Y dentro de un importante RADIO ENLACE en Radio Nederland: Corriente: http://www.omroep.nl/cgi-bin/streams?/rnw/spaans/programa/radioenlace/radioenlace.rm Guión: http://www.rnw.nl/sp/toolbar/radioenlace.html UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL Thanks for WOR. It's kinda geeky, but in a cool sort of way :-) (Bradley A. Bellaver, contributor via PayPal) ** AFGHANISTAN. FRANCE STARTS BROADCASTING RADIO PROGRAMMES TO AFGHANISTAN - Iran radio | Text of report by Iranian radio from Mashhad on 17 January The French government started broadcasting radio programmes to Kabul, the Afghan capital, on Thursday [16 January] with duration of 75 minutes a day. The programmes which are in the Persian, Dari and Pashto languages are broadcast at two times 35 and 40 minutes every day through a large transmitter of the Afghan government. Mrs Sella [phonetic], a radio staff member, told journalists that the radio called Radio Aaina [Radio Mirror] would broadcast every day a 35-minute round table programme where experts express their opinions. She added that the radio would also broadcast another 40-minute programme entitled ''What is going on in the provinces?'' which assesses the social, political, economic and cultural affairs of different Afghan provinces. She also said that programmes of Radio Aaina would also be broadcast through local transmitters of 15 provinces of Afghanistan. Source: Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mashhad, in Dari 0330 gmt 17 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) Large? WTFK?? * ALASKA: The new 100 kW transmitter for KNLS in Alaska is expected to arrive on site in March. The on air date for programming to Asia in Chinese and to Siberia in Russian from this second transmitter is expected to be October 1 (Adrian Michael Peterson, AWR Wavescan Jan 12 via DXLD) ** ALASKA. HAARP POSES GLOBAL THREAT --- THE USE OF THE NEW GEOPHYSICAL WEAPON MIGHT LEAD TO THE GLOBAL CATASTROPHE. 18:08 2003- 01-15 http://english.pravda.ru/main/2003/01/15/42068.html (via Jilly Dybka, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** AUSTRIA. 17895, R Afrika International verified an e-mail report in 28 days from v/s Préfet Mat Mathurin Butusolua. Although my report was sent to the station's e-mail address in Passport, the reply came from his personal e-mail address mathurin54@hotmail.com Quoting from the e-mail: "I CHECKED THE REPORT. You have really listened to our Station. But I apologize, because of our financial crises, you have to wait still the QSL will be ready. For all informations, have a look at our homepage http://www.radioafrika.net I hope you will stay our truly listener and motivate other Americans to listen to Radio Afrika International. I am Préfet Mat Mathurin Butusolua from the Dem. Rep of Kongo and one of the staff of RAI. I am a moderator and every Sunday I have a programme called "correspondance and exchange". On this broadcast, I used to read all receptions reports and dedicate songs. To you i dedicate today, Dugu Kamelemba, a song by Oumou Sangare from Mali." Naturally, I was out of the house when the dedication took place, hi! (Rich D`Angelo, PA, DSWCI DX Window Jan 15 via DXLD) ** BELARUS`. VOICE OF RUSSIA RADIO REJECTS BELARUS'S EXPLANATION FOR CUTTING ITS BROADCASTS | Text of report by Russian news agency ITAR- TASS Moscow, 17 January: The state radio and broadcasting company Voice of Russia has denied that its broadcasts to Belarus` have been stopped owing to "a lack of funds in the republican budget to finance retransmission of the Russian radio programmes". ITAR-TASS was told at the radio station today that between 2000 and the end of 2002 it had paid for retransmission on time "from its own budget and in strict accordance with the obligations agreed with the Belarus` Republic's Ministry for Communications and Information Technology. In addition to Voice of Russia, retransmission on Belarus` VHF of programmes by the Russian radio stations Mayak and Yunost was also stopped at the beginning of the year "for economic reasons". The stations have not yet commented on this. According to Belteleradiokompaniya [Belarus` television and radio company], the receivers which retransmitted Russian radio programmes have been given to the Belarus` radio station Stolitsa and to regional radio broadcasting. Several months ago, Belarus` also significantly cut the volume of retransmissions to the republic of Russian television channels - Channel One, Russia, Culture and NTV. A new national channel - Naslediye - will soon appear on the frequencies used by the Russia and Culture channels, according to Belarus` Minister for Information Mikhail Padhayny. The minister said "these issues have already been agreed with the heads of the Russian channels". But the All-Russia State Television and Radio Company, which incorporates the Russia and Culture channels, says there has been no such agreement with Belarus. Source: ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, in Russian 1609 gmt 17 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** BELARUS`. 5256.0 USB, Minsk Utility transmitter, 0600-0615, Jan 11, Belarusian, IDs of ``Radio Stalica`` (pronounced Stalitsa), U.S. pop songs, 0615 weather forecasts with low temperatures, 0618 Belarusian pop songs, not // Minsk 6115. 34444. No other known Minsk Utility frequencies were heard in the 2-6 MHz range (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** BIAFRA [non]. The pictures of the first returned ppc's from V of Biafra International can be seen on : http://www.schoechi.de/pic-cla.html#Nigeria (Martin Schoech - PF 1136 - 06201 Merseburg - Deutschland, DXLD) ** CAMBODIA. MINISTER DEFENDS BAN ON VOA, RFA REBROADCASTS Phnom Penh Television (TVK), Cambodia's government-run television station, in its 1200 GMT newscast on 6 November 2002, carried an interview with Secretary of State for Information, Khiev Kanharit, regarding the ministry-imposed ban on Sambok Khmum's FM-105 relay of US-based Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA). Kanharit said, "The reason is this. In principle, in each country, if a local radio station wants to sell broadcasting hours to a foreign station, it has to go through the government". The ministry had previously closed down Roat Theani Radio, after it entered into an agreement with Australian radio for live rebroadcasts without first seeking permission from the authorities. "If we think this is infringing upon the freedom of disseminating information", continued Kanharit, "this is entirely false". Kanharit went on to say that if a multitude of foreign stations bought air time without going through official procedures this would lead to "chaos in the administration and dissemination of information". Furthermore, he maintains that if the radio station happened to belong to the government, it would "cause a clash between governments". Kanharit continues, "French radio, the BBC radio, and so on, before they set up stations here, went through the Foreign Affairs Ministry. In other words, there was an agreement between governments, in principle, and then it was down to the Information Ministry. Sambok Khmum radio station used to be only one kilowatt strong. It can be heard only in Phnom Penh. Even if we ban it, people throughout Cambodia can still listen to VOA and RFA. So those making this accusation do not understand the law and possibly have some political motives in accusing the Information Ministry for banning Samkok Khmum radio from relaying the broadcasts of VOA and RFA. This is the procedure and the principle in running a state." Source: Television Kampuchea, Phnom Penh, in Cambodian 1200 gmt 16 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** CANADA. INUIT RADIO NETWORK WANTS TO GO IT ALONE Non-profit Canadian broadcaster Taqramiut Nipingat Inc. (TNI), based in Nunavik, plans to launch its own regional radio network this summer. Since the early 1980s, TNI has broadcast its Innuttitut language programs via the CBC Northern Quebec service. These are on the air for three hours a day Monday-Friday. It is now negotiating a grant of $124,000 with the Quebec ministry of Culture and Communication to run its own radio network, which will allow it to double its daily programming from 15 to at least 30 hours a week. TNI wants to use the extra airtime for fundraising to help eliminate its deficit. CBC guidelines do not allow on-air fundraising or advertising. TNI has been using the CBC radio network because it has transmitters in each of Nunavik's 14 communities. TNI plans to use the Quebec government's grant to install temporary transmitters of its own in each community, and open a radio station in Kuujjuaq (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 17 January 2003 via DXLD) ** CANADA. LEBANESE AMBASSADOR SAYS MEDIA IN CANADA CONTROLLED BY ZIONISTS --- WebPosted Thu Jan 16 08:50:17 2003 The following is a news item posted on CBC NEWS ONLINE at http://cbc.ca/news OTTAWA -- Hussein Hoballah never guessed his small Montreal newspaper would end up sparking a major diplomatic incident. At issue, an interview with Lebanon's ambassador to Canada. The subject of the discussion was Canada's recent decision to list Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, a move the Lebanese government opposed. Hezbollah is considered a legitimate political party and liberating force in Lebanon. Ambassador Raymond Baaklini in a small Montreal newspaper Ambassador Raymond Baaklini blamed Ottawa's ban on what he called a "Zionist group in Canada." "As you know, this group is controlling 90 per cent of Canadian media, and it receives instructions and assistance from Zionist societies, whether in Canada or abroad," he said. Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham called the comments unacceptable. But that didn't stop the Lebanese ambassador. In a second interview, also in Arabic, given to Radio Canada International, Baaklini repeated his claim of "Zionist media control in Canada." But he revised his figure to 40 per cent. The ambassador singled out the Asper family, owners of The National Post and the Southam chain of newspapers, for making unconditional support of Israeli editorial policy. When asked if he considered the CBC to be an instrument of Zionism, the ambassador replied, "I can't precisely say yes or no." On Thursday the foreign affairs minister will meet with ambassador Baaklini to express his concern. But government sources say expelling the diplomat is unlikely. It only happens in highly exceptional circumstances and this isn't one of them. Copyright © 2002 CBC All Rights Reserved (via Ricky Leong, DXLD) ** CHINA. Hi Glenn, The Ying Lian mystery is finally clarified. Best regards (George J. Poppin, Audibility Monitor, San Francisco, Jan 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: Dear Mr. Poppin, My name is Shang Chunyan and I'm in charge of letters from Americas. But as you know, our collective name is Ying Lian to make our work more convenient. Thank you for your long time cooperation. This report is especially of help for us, for we'll adjust our programs accordingly. Sincerely yours. (Ying Lian, English Service, crieng@cri.com.cn Jan 15 via Poppin, DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. R@dionet has reduced the number of stations from 10 IN 1997 to just 4 today. They are: 590 Medellín, 700 Cali, 850 Santafé de Bogotá, 1270 Bucaramanga - all transmit 24 hours. Héctor Arboleda 1613.1 HJ.. R Ideal, Umbita heard here, nom 1600 kHz. Address: Calle 16A N 3-58, Umbita, Boyacá. Rafael Rodríguez Radiodifusora Nacional in Colombia will return to the air in 5 departments; Boyacá, Casanare, Guajira, Meta and Santander. The AM frequencies will be 610 for Guajira and 960 for stations in Boyacá, Casanare and Santander (Rafael Rodríguez, ARC LA Newsdesk via Tore Larsson, DXLD) ** CONGO DR [non]. Congo Dem. Rep (Kinshasa), 9770, 1730 Jan 13, OM with long French talk about Zimbabwean opposition party pressuring Mugabe to step down, then YL with call for aid to the starving in Zimbabwe, singing by French YL. Fair to good with co-frequency QRM (Joe Talbot, at Don Moman`s, Alberta, swl via DXLD) That`s via GABON ** COSTA RICA. TIRWR is on the air. Dave Gauvin, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada reports hearing TIRWR owned by the evangelist Dr. Gene Scott (University Network) on 6150 and 9725 kHz. Dr. Scott's website identifies it only as ``Secret 12.`` Dr. Gene Scott's website, http://www.drgenescott.com/swave.htm reports the following schedule. 7380 [sic - 7375] Nighttime, 11870 Daytime, Transmitter 1 To all of Costa Rica 9725 24 hours a day Transmitter 2 South to Brazil and all South America 13750 Daytime Transmitter 3 North to Cuba, USA and Canada 5030 Nighttime Transmitter 4 East to The Caribbean, Europe and Africa 6150 Nighttime Transmitter 5 To North & South America I'm hearing the station on 9725 at 2200-2315 UT (Dan Sampson, WI, Prime Time Shortwave, http://www.triwest.net/~dsampson/shortwave/ DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Glenn, I'm looking for some contact information on TIRWR, Dr. Gene Scott's station in Cahuita, Costa Rica. I'd like to QSL them, but a brief mention of it in your DXLD is the only mention I've been able to find of it other than Dr. Scott's own website, which has no information beyond times and frequencies. Do you know anything more about it? 73s, (Dave Gauvin, Moncton, N.B., CANADA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Dave, I don`t know of any local verie-signer, or address, if that`s what you`re looking for. I expect QSLs if any would emanate from Box 1. Cahuita is just a transmitter site and they wouldn`t have program logs, anyway. I don`t quite understand the excitement evidenced above. Has been on the air for years doing nothing but duplicating what the windbag has on several other transmitters. 73, (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** CUBA. Glenn, Was tuning the 19 meter band just before 2100 today (Jan 16th) and splatter crap aplently all over the lower end of the band. Guess what (should only take one ??), it's good old Cuba on 15120 (in Spanish) producing this. The 15120 signal itself is full of buzz and hum as well.....huffda !!!! After 2200 the splatter was not quite as bad but still nasty indeed !!! Regards, (Dave Zantow, WI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [and non]. 27500, Radio Habana Cuba; 2002-2016+, 14-Jan; M&W alternating items re Cuba in Portuguese. M commentary after 2014. 2 x harmonic weak/messy w/fair peaks. Fundamental 13750, SIO=4+34 (Harold Frodge, MI, MARE via DXLD) Yes, rng 27140-27690 cd be fruitful 4 2nd hx de 13 MHz bcers, if one cn overcome alla CB/freebander infestation, e.g.: (gh, DXLD) PIRATES: 27555/AM The Int'l Silly Calling Channel; 2020-2115+, 14-Jan; Continuous entertainment; check-ins included The Old Fudge Packer; assorted sound effects, incredibly poor singing and a lot of pent-up anger. Most Good (Harold Frodge, MI, MARE via DXLD) ** CZECH REPUBLIC. NEW QSL CARDS: The new series of QSL cards from Radio Prague International, eight in number and reproduced in beautiful color, show World Heritage Sites, buildings, thoughout Czechia (Adrian Michael Peterson, AWR Wavescan Jan 12 via DXLD) ** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. CHINESE TEAM INSTALLING TWO NEW SHORTWAVE TRANSMITTERS A group of 17 Chinese engineers and technicians in charge of the rehabilitation of Radio Bata, on the mainland of Equatorial Guinea, on 14 January held a meeting with the authorities of the regional directorate of information, tourism and culture "to present the specifications of the new radio station and a request for cooperation in keeping with the provisions of the agreement signed between the two countries for the execution of the project", Equatorial Guinea radio reported. The meeting was attended on the Equatorial Guinea side by the director-general of information for radio and television, Frederico Abaga Ondo; the general manager of Radio Bata, Sebastien Aloh Aseko; the deputy general manager, Honourate Evita; and the station's technical director, Simeon Ndong Mozui. The head of the Chinese group called on the Equatorial Guinean side to provide them with the logistics and transport stipulated in the agreement. He also called for the urgent preparation of the building and the clearing of the entire transmission field of Radio Bata within the next two months, "given that after this period, it will be virtually impossible to carry out the work, as the station will already be testing". Two 50-kW shortwave transmitters are being installed at the station, along with two antennas, one domestic and the other external. However, the Chinese technicians pointed out that the existing aerials are still in good shape and will not be removed, but shall be painted and raised to a higher capacity. The project also envisages the installation at the central studios of Radio Bata of a 300-watt FM transmitter, replacing one of 50 watts. Source: Radio Nacional de Guinea Ecuatorial, Malabo, in Spanish 0600 gmt 15 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) Wonder if new SW transmitters will wind up broadcasting American gospelhuxters, as R. Africa? (gh, DXLD) ** ERITREA [non]. 5925, Voice of Democratic Eritrea, via Jülich (100 kW), 1542-1559*, Sat Jan 11, talk rather in Sudanese Arabic than in Tigrinya about Ethiopia, Eritrea, Medina and Dictator; Horn of Africa music, 1658 ann in Tigrinya and ID in Arabic: ``Idha`at Sawt Eritrea al-Demokratya, Sawt (eyu haiteri?) Eritrea...`` Sat only, not heard Wed Jan 08 or Sun Jan 12. Scheduled 1500-1530 in Tigre and 1530-1600 in Arabic. It is noted that this broadcast directed to Eritreans in Western Europe is one hour earlier during summer, whereas the other broadcast for East Africa on 15670 is at 1700-1800 all the year around. Heard on 5925 extremely strong (S9 + 35-40 dB!) in Denmark. 54554 nearly completely covering Voice of Russia in Farsi 5925 which on other days and after 1600 is heard with QSA 4 // 5935 (Bueschel and Petersen, DSWCI DX Window Jan 15 via DXLD) 7530, Voice of Democratic Eritrea, via Kvitsøy, Norway (?), *1700- 1727*, Sun Dec 15 and Jan 12, was also here on Sundays only (cf. 9990). Tigrinya ID as on 15670, talks, Horn of Africa music and folksongs. In the opening ann were mentioned two broadcasts each with one frequency. Eritrea was mentioned at least ten times. 55555 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Jan 15 via DXLD) 15670, Voice of Democratic Eritrea, via Juelich (100 kW), *1700-1759*, Mo Jan 13, Tigrinya: ID 1701: "Demtsi Democrasiyawit Eritrea" and at 1730 when the Arabic programme started: "Idha`at Sawt Eritrea al- Demokratya". SINPO 35434 deteriorating to 25343. Cf. 5925 & 7530. (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Jan 15 via DXLD) 9990, Voice of Eritrean People, via Kvitsoy, Norway, *1630-1657*, Sun Jan 12, here on Sundays only, ex Kvitsoy 15735. The audio first came on 1646 with Tigrinya program already in progress mentioning Eritrea and Mogadishu. Good reception except for a guest speaker fed in with of very extreme exceeded audio. 44444 with QRM from timesignal station on 10000 kHz. The carrier went off 1657 in mid sentence, but came back for a few seconds at 1704. At that time NRK was heard on 13800 and 18950 from Sveio, but not on the usual 7490 and 9980 from Kvitsoy! The 9980 transmitter was used here and the 7490 transmitter for R International. Merlin tests were heard on Jan 08, 09 and 10 *1700v- 1715* with ``Afghan music`` interval signal (Bueschel, Ivanov and Petersen). The only broadcast on 9990 may have been on Jan 12 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Jan 15 via DXLD) ** FINLAND. The SWR broadcasts on Dec 25 and Jan 04 were heard best in Denmark around midday on 25 meters, but never on 49 meters, or at other times on 25 meters. At 1200-1300 on Jan 04 there was an animated, live report in Finnish from an Iglu outdoor with minus 23-25 Centigrade! DJ Madman later confirmed to me that they also had some "handmade" technical equipment there to make a hole in the ice of the Lake, etc... Here we call such people ``Vikings`` ! (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Jan 15 via DXLD) ** GUAM [and non]. * Narrator: THE ATTACK OF TYPHOON PONGSONA One of the most devastating typhoons ever to hit the island of Guam in the western Pacific unleashed its fury for a period of around ten hours on Sunday evening December 8. All of the wind speed indicators were destroyed by the high winds, though it is estimated that wind gusts reached as high as 190 miles per hour. This sustained and aggressive storm destroyed and damaged a huge number of houses and other buildings, and it completely interrupted the normal flow of business and other activities throughout the island. Schools were closed, radio stations left the air, highway traffic was completely suspended, and ships could not enter the harbor. At the beginning of the stormy events an explosion started a fire at the oil storage tanks near the harbor, a fire which burned for six days before it could be extinguished. The Adventist clinic at Agaña was damaged and they were without power for several days. Their emergency generator malfunctioned and they imported a similar though larger unit from the nearby island of Saipan. The large and ornate Adventist church in Agaña was badly damaged, and water intrusion destroyed both the organ and piano. Four classrooms at the Adventist school were destroyed. The roof was torn off the Micronesia Mall; long rows of concrete electrical poles were snapped at the base and overlaid the roadways; the island-wide telephone service was inoperative; at one stage radio station KGUM was on the air for an hour or two using battery power; the rain was so heavy that it was described as a white out; heavy furniture was sucked out of houses; motor vehicles were flipped; and so the story goes on. The outside windows of a ninth floor unit of an apartment building were sucked out by the high winds, and the family could not open the doors to get out of the apartment due to the strength of the wind. All flights to the island were cancelled or diverted. Due to the fire at the oil storage tanks, gasoline was rationed, and at one stage, only government vehicles were permitted to buy gasoline. People near the fire area experienced for several days what they called ``black rain``. The sustained high winds caused considerable damage at both of the shortwave stations located on the island of Guam. Later in this program, we will tell you the story of what happened at our own AWR station KSDA, and next week in Wavescan, we will tell you the story of what happened at the other shortwave station, Trans World Radio`s KTWR. There are three more shortwave stations in the area, located on the islands of Tinian and Saipan. However, the strength of Super Typhoon Pongsona missed both of these islands, and they experienced no more than occasional gusting of strong winds, though some damage was sustained on both islands. No significant damage has been reported at KFBS, the shortwave station operated by the Far East Broadcasting Company near the northern end of Saipan, nor at the IBB station located at the southern end. The Voice of America reports that they were on the air at half power for a while at their large station on Tinian to reduce the possibility of arcing in the antenna systems during the heavy downpour of rain. We continue in our saga about Super Typhoon Pongsona with the story of what happened at our AWR shortwave station, KSDA, on the island of Guam. Much of this information comes from reports prepared by Brook Powers, who is the station manager for AWR Guam. We are pleased to mention too, that AWR Guam returned to the air on Friday evening January 3 and it is now back to its regular broadcast schedule of transmissions to the areas of Asia and the Western Pacific. Originally, the weather service had forecast that Typhoon Pongsona would veer away from Guam, but instead, the full force went straight across the island. Soon after 4:00 pm on Sunday afternoon December 8, the full force of the wind storm was felt at the AWR stations, with winds gusting up to 190 miles per hour. High winds were experienced for nearly ten hours. The shortwave station with its four transmitters at 100 kW and its four tall curtain antennas was closed down in advance of the storm as a precautionary measure. Late Sunday night when the fury of Super Typhoon Pongsona had abated, an inspection was made of the antenna system. Because of the damage they had sustained, it was considered unwise to attempt to return to the air at that time. During the next couple of days, repair work was performed on the four antennas, with some transmissions returning to the air using the emergency generator as the power source. However, on the Thursday morning, the emergency generator failed and it was declared as unrepairable. Thus AWR Guam was without electrical power, for a total of 22 days. During the interim period when no electricity was available, an additional emergency schedule was implemented, using leased transmitters in the United Arab Emirates and Taiwan. Power was restored to the station by the local electrical authority on Friday evening January 3 and transmissions began almost immediately on three transmitters. The fourth unit was re-activated some hours later. The interim emergency schedule of fill-in broadcasts to Asia was terminated on Sunday January 15 (Adrian Michael Peterson, AWR Wavescan Jan 12 via DXLD) Narrator: SUPER TYPHOON PONGSONA & TRANS WORLD RADIO KTWR As you will remember, here in ``Wavescan`` last week, we presented the story of Super Typhoon Pongsona, with its impact on the island of Guam, the damage that it caused to our AWR station KSDA on Guam, and the valiant recovery efforts that put KSDA back on the air once again. At the end of our program last week, we promised that we would tell you the story this week, of the impact of Super Typhoon Pongsona on the other shortwave station on the island of Guam, Trans World Radio, KTWR. This is what happened. The shortwave station KTWR is located almost against the hillside in a very picturesque location right towards the south end of the island of Guam. They on the air with five transmitters at 100 kW and five curtain antennas. This station was launched in 1977 for shortwave coverage into Asia. The Super Typhoon with the Korean name Pongsona also wreaked severe damage at the TWR shortwave station, completely destroying three of their curtain antennas and severely damaging the other two. The transmitter building also sustained a certain amount of damage with salt water damage to two of their transmitters, KTWR2 and KTWR4. Among the immediate results of the super strong typhoon winds was that the south roadway was covered with debris and impassable, there was no water at the transmitter site, and no electricity. A local pastor reported that in his new home, the winds sucked out doors and windows, and even the countertops in the kitchen. The cost estimate for the damage sustained at the international airport on Guam is $100 million. The cost to the TWR shortwave station for all of their damage is at least $100,000 which is the deductive figure for their insurance policy. Shortwave station KTWR was off the air for three days while antennas and feed lines were repaired. The first transmitter to be re-activated was KTWR5 feeding into curtain antenna 5. Towards the end of the same week, KTWR2 was re-activated feeding into antenna 4. The transmitters KTWR1 & KTWR3 were ready to go back on air, but it would take several weeks before new antenna parts arrive from the United States and the antennas are re-built. For the initial return to the air, the Trans World transmitters were energised with power from their emergency generators. During the interim period before all five transmitters are on the air again through all five curtain antennas, station KTWR is broadcasting a modified schedule of composite programming, with major segments chosen from each of their language streams. Incidentally, Trans World Radio established and operated for many years a mediumwave station on the island of Guam This mediumwave unit was KTWG, with 10 kW on 801 kHz. However, the American monthly magazine, ``Monitoring Times``, stated recently that this station was sold towards the end of last year to a Christian businessman. Over the years, many mediumwave DXers in Australia and New Zealand have received QSL cards from station KTWG under the ownership of Trans World Radio. These cards are now accorded a real historic value (Adrian Michael Peterson, AWR Wavescan Jan 19 via DXLD) First to let you all know that according to KGUM 570 kHz, the island`s power is up to 73% now. There is a little war memorial park near the Naval station called Apaca point and I sometimes go to the viewing area to listen with my Sony 7600g receiver. The other night as I was listening to AIR on 10330. I was watching the night lights of AWR in the distance. Its a great sight after 40 days without lights. This park many come to do nighttime spear fishing. Went over to KTWR an looked around and it looked like some progress going on. The antennas looked like one was being worked on but the other was still a mess. Took the picture of the Beached sail boat and my old navy driver mentioned it was nicknamed Lucky. 73's from (Larry Fields, n6hpx/du1 on Gilligans island aka Guam, Jan 15, swl via DXLD) If you have been reading the posts and news about Guam`s last Super Typhoon you might have asked what next. Well at 1500 local time here on Guam, the NOAA weather report issued a Tropical Storm warning. Located about 755 nautical miles to the south and headed towards Guam. The weather service put Guam in Tropical storm condition 3 and Saipan, Rota and Tinian at storm warning 4. You can view this storm 1W TD on http://www.osei.noaa.gov So it looks like the weather will get a little more wet and windy for the island. The winds of this storm are over 40 km [sic] and are being reported as intensifying. I felt some winds this morning. As a result of this, the ships are being given 12 to 24 hour warnings. On the shortwave side, Radio Barragata [sic] is still in same condition as was seen during the first few days after the last super typhoon. It looks like no attempts are being done to repair it. I will attempt to email more later (Larry Fields, n6hpx/du1, Guam Island, Jan 16, swl via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. UK: The World Radio Network promised to switch to a new web-site today, Jan. 16 but it seems that things didn't work out for them. For a while, the visitors to WRN.org could choose between the old and new designs. Yesterday the link to a "new" site didn't work. And today even the link itself disappeared. Only the old site is accessible right now (Sergei Sosedkin, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, I had the same problem getting to new site, tho I had looked at prototype some weeks earlier. Among the changes, as you may have noticed, there is no longer a 3-month archive of World of Radio, just the latest one. I haven`t been able to find out if this be a temporary transitional problem, or a permanent change. However, they do talk about most programs being ondemand for a `full week` (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn: The WRN's site has finally switched to a new design. The good thing is that the site doesn't have links to non-existent broadcasts anymore. The unfortunate thing is that WRN started using stations' IDs in various languages which only complicates the search. The World of Radio program isn't even mentioned anywhere. Instead, WRN is using your name to identify your broadcast. Of course, your first name is misspelled - only one "n" there. Surprisingly, the "Glen Hauser" program is found not under H or G but under W! (Sergei Sosedkin, IL, Jan 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This is now our page: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 To find the audio go to the Archive section and click on the little T or other symbol under the right or wrong day of the week. As of 0435 UT Sat, the icon on the right led to last week`s 1164, and the one on the left to this week`s 1165, which I found out by clicking on a player selection on the next pop-up page. Why make it all so complicated, inexplicit and non-intuitive? (gh) ** IRAN [non]. Dear Mr Hauser, I was hearing a station in a Middle Eastern language at 1630-1700 UT on 9375 kHz since 8.1.03 and on 9, 15 and 16. Now I think this is the promised Voice of South Azerbaijan (Hans Dieter Schultz, Berlin, Germany, Jan 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Schedule matches if Sat & Sun. Did you try this on weekdays too? (gh) ** IRAN. Re The Voice of the Iranian Kurdistan (radio of the Democratic Party of the Iranian Kurdistan, Bernard Chenal`s report in DXLD 3-001: Since December the station has replaced 4195 with 3975 also for the mentioned morning broadcasts. It was heard e.g. Jan 13, *0257-0459* in Kurdish with ID's ``Aira dangi Kurdistan Irana``. Language could not be determined while it was covered by R Budapest *0357-0458* (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Jan 15 via DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. 11575, Voice of Iran, via Kichinev, Moldova (?), *1629- 1640, Jan 01, light instrumental tune, fanfare, hymn and Farsi ann and ID: ``Radio Seda-ye Iran``, political talk about Iran and ex-President Rafsanjani. Weak jammer. 44544 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Jan 15 via DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. 9715, Information R via Commando Solo Aircraft, 1945- 1957*, Jan 12, mainly songs by the younger singers in Egypt..modern style music like R. Sawa type, with ID ``Idhaat Radio Alma`lomat`` which is very strange ID as ``Idhaat`` means Radio. So it would be ``Radio, Radio information``. I don`t get it. I got a recording from http://www.dxing.info done by Mr. R. Mauno with a different ID ``Mahatat radio alma`lomat `` that makes some sense, because ``Mahatat`` in Arabic means Station. So it would be ``Information Radio Station``! ..but the ID of Jan 12 was really a bit strange. Around 1957 ID followed by best wishes by both OM and YL wishing all the listeners a good night and till we meet tomorrow!!! In conclusion, it seems they sometimes use both IDs ``Idhaat Radio Alma`lomat`` and ``Mahatat Radio Alma`lomat`` (Tarek Zeidan, Egypt, DSWCI DX Window Jan 15 via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. More on this radio and royalties fight in Israel. AND THE BEAT GOES ON By Michal Palti The anchors on the radio stations Army Radio and Galgalatz were forced to start talking yesterday. A restraining order issued by the Supreme Court about 10 days ago at the request of Acum (Hebrew acronym of the Association of Composers and Lyricists) took effect Sunday at midnight and barred them from playing any music under copyright protection because of the plaintiff's argument that they did not pay royalties as required by law. Therefore, throughout the night, Army Radio broadcast talk shows only and Galgalatz went off the air. According to the court order, even the opening themes of some of them programs were off limits because they were taken from works that have copyright protection.... http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=252059 (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. USA/KOREA (NORTH): RADIO FREE ASIA TO DOUBLE OUTPUT OF KOREAN SERVICE Radio Free Asia (RFA) will on 16 January double the output of its Korean service, in response to the current tensions between Washington and North Korea. The station said on the 15th that it was acting to satisfy the "hunger for news" inside the communist state. North Korean listeners had shown "extraordinary ingenuity to secretly hear our broadcasts," said RFA President Richard Richter. "We are pleased that we can now provide them with more programmes to help satisfy their hunger for news from outside their closed society." Shortwave broadcasts will expand from two to four hours daily from 1400-1700 and 2200-2300 gmt, and are also available on the station's web site http://www.rfa.org RFA's Korean service began broadcasting in March 1997. Source: BBC Monitoring research 16 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) U.S. STATION DOUBLING BROADCASTING TO N.KOREA From: http://www.forbes.com/markets/newswire/2003/01/15/rtr848843.html WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Radio Free Asia, a short-wave radio station financed by the U.S. government, said Wednesday it will double its broadcasting to North Korea to four hours a day because of the tension between Pyongyang and Washington. "The expanded broadcasts were authorized this month by the Broadcasting Board of Governors, in response to rising tensions related to Pyongyang's decision to openly resume its nuclear program," the radio station said in a statement. The increased hours were to begin Thursday. The president of the station, Richard Richter, said listeners in North Korea has shown "extraordinary ingenuity" to pick up the broadcasts in secret. "We are pleased that we can now provide them with more programs to help satisfy their hunger for news from outside their closed society," he added. He did not say how he knew what North Koreans are listening to. Under the new schedule, Korean-language broadcasts will run from 1400 to 1700 GMT and from 2200 to 2300 GMT. It did not give the previous broadcasting times (via Artie Bigley; Ulis Fleming, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** KURDISTAN [non]. 7560, Voice of Komala, via Kvitsøy (ex Samara), *1700-1757*, Su Dec 15 and Jan 12, Su only: Kurdish and Farsi Komala- ID, political talks about ``Regimie Islamie Iran``. Sign off with martial song. 54444 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Jan 15 via DXLD) ** KYRGYZSTAN. 4050, unID via transmitter in Krasnaya Rechka, Bishkek, *0226-0310, Jan 11, Central Asian pop music. 0240-0310 covered by Utility QRM, but after that talk in Farsi (?) about Iran. It was not heard // to clandestines 3975 Voice of Iranian Kurdistan or 4025/4415 Voice of the People of Kurdistan. 0327 orchestral music and fade out 0330 due to local sunrise. 23222 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** LEBANON (non). The pro-General Aoun, Lebanese opposition V of Free Lebanon, V of Liberty (sawt al-huriah) which tested (via TDP brokered facilities in Samara?) on 11515 from 22 Nov 2002 (until Dec 22) daily 1600-1700 is to resume broadcasts for 2 hours a day according to this item on the Free Patriotic Movement website from Lebanon's Daily Star: from: http://www.tayyar.org/files/radionews/daily030215_fpmradio.htm FREE PATRIOTIC MOVEMENT TO START RADIO BROADCASTS 16 Jan 03 Daily Star Maha Al-Azar The Free Patriotic Movement is preparing to officially start broadcasting the "viewpoint of the opposition" from its fledgling off- shore Radio Liberty, which concluded its one-month trial last month. "We are preparing news programs and improving the technical quality of the transmission so we can be ready to resume broadcasting within a few weeks," said an FPM representative, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The FPM started broadcasting on a trial basis for one hour on Nov. 22 on the shortwave 11,515 from Belgium [sic] "to avoid any type of transmission interference from pro-regime forces who wish to silence us." The spokesman also said that transmission would probably be restricted to two hours per day, but "we will be calling a spade a spade." "For instance, we will call Syrian occupation 'occupation,' not presence. Corruption will be called 'theft,' not squandering; and the regime will be described as a 'vassal' of Syria, not one that cooperates with it," said the spokesman. It is most likely that the two hours will be split into a morning and an evening broadcast. With a two-hour broadcast costing about $300, the FPM will be counting on its supporters in Lebanon and abroad to back it financially, "so we can stay independent." A team of mostly French-based FPM activists with journalistic experience will be feeding the station with "objective reports and analyses, not propaganda." The trial broadcasts, which had consisted of a address by FPM leader, exiled former army commander Michel Aoun, followed by patriotic songs, were meant "to test the quality of transmission as well as people's interest in such a venture." The spokesman said the FPM web site http://www.tayyar.org had received at least 300 e-mails with comments and feedback about the broadcasts and many people also bought radios with short wave transmission (via Alan Pennington, BDXC-UK Caversham UK, and via Martin Gallas, IL, and via Artie Bigley, DXLD) How many of those were from DXers with no real stake in Lebanese politics? No date on this item, but I assume quite recent. It was supposed to have resumed on Jan. 6 after the break (gh, DXLD) A radio station identifying itself as "Voice of Freedom" was heard broadcasting in Arabic on 11515 kHz from 1600-1700 gmt from 22 November 2002. The Lebanese newspaper The Daily Star on 20 November reported that the station broadcast on behalf of the France-based Rally for Lebanon, part of the Free Patriotic Movement of former Army Commander Michel Awn. Gen Awn has been in exile in France for the past 11 years. However, the Free Patriotic Movement web site refers to the station (in English) as "Voice of Liberty" (BBCM via DXLD) FREE PATRIOTIC MOVEMENT WALKS LONELY AND RISKY ROAD THROUGH NATION'S POLITICS --- FPM activists and supporters face violence, arrest and isolation Reporting about the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) is difficult business in Lebanon, due to the reticence of a rank-and-file that has regularly faced harassment from the country`s security forces over the last decade... http://www.dailystar.com.lb/15_01_03/art6.asp (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** LESOTHO. Lesotho, 4800, Radio Lesotho, 2307 Jan 13, a program of Afro harmony group mx, winning against co-frequency Chinese station. Fair-Good. Heard twice during DXpedition. In 1983 I visited the Radio Lesotho studios in town, meeting the staff and read the reception reports the QSL secretary, handed me asking me if I knew any of these DXers, I remember several reports from eastern Canadian DXers. I made the long walk up Lancer's Gap to the transmitter site, a very curved paved road blasted thru a mountain, forming a "Gap" for the road to pass. The on duty engineer called the CE and it was decided that I would stay in the dorm and meet with the CE in the morning. In Africa it is considered very disrespectful to turn down a place to sleep or something to eat (Joe Talbot, Alberta, at Don Moman`s, swl via DXLD) ** LIBERIA. R. Veritas, 5469.97, Jan 11 0740-0805+, Af hi-life music, English announcements with happy-birthday greetings. IDs at 0758 and 0800; good (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBYA. V. of Africa, new 11635, Jan 5 [Sun], English news and ID for two minutes at 1822, 1923, 2121. Good and strong, weak on \\ 15435. French news follows the English (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LITHUANIA [non]/USA. PRESIDENT, MPS URGE USA TO KEEP FUNDING FOR RADIO FREE EUROPE | Text of report by Lithuanian LNK television on 15 January President Valdas Adamkus and almost one-third of the Seimas [parliament] MPs have appealed to the US administration and Congress with a request not to suspend funding for the Lithuanian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The draft 2004 budget being drawn up in the White House does not include any funding for this radio service. The letter to US officials emphasizes that this radio station has not only played a significant role in re-establishing Lithuania's independence, but still remains an important source of comprehensive and unbiased information. Source: LNK television, Vilnius, in Lithuanian 1645 gmt 15 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) LITHUANIA URGES US TO CONTINUE RADIO FREE EUROPE Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus and 40 members of parliament have sent a letter to the the Bush administration and the US Congress urging the US not to cease financing the Lithuanian broadcasts of Radio Free Europe (RFE). "We are distressed to learn that Congress is considering a budget that will eliminate funding for the Lithuanian service of Radio Free Europe," said the letter, which went on to say that RFE "played an important role in helping Lithuania re-establish its independence and continues to play a crucial role in our transition to a democratic society and free market". Former prime minister Andrius Kubilius, one of the signatories, told the AFP news agency it was too early to shut down the service. "This is an unbiased source of information, and Lithuania needs it because some media here could easily be influenced by money and lose their independence," he said (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 16 January 2003 via DXLD) LITHUANIA URGES US TO CONTINUE RADIO FREE EUROPE http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s764574.htm (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** MEXICO. On a radio oriented to favor N/S signals, found Spanish dominating 1300, Jan 16 at 0600, quick ID in passing as XEP. That would be Ciudad Juárez, Chih., listed 50 kW day and 500 watts night; again on top when checked around 0635 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MOLDOVA. Radio Moldova. Very interesting 3 pages letter signed by Valentina Roshu (sub chief of the Russian service of Radio Moldova Int`l) and Yuriy Moraru (director of the RMI Department). Also, 3 view cards, calendar and 2 stickers. 112 days for 1 IRC. My ppc not used. Actually, I sent my report to the local Radio Moldova address (like in WRTH); they gave it to the RMI which doesn`t broadcast on any wavelength except the Web http://www.trm.md/radio they`ve got the on- line service in Russian on weekdays at 20 UT, also 5 days archive is available). (Igor Zhurkin, Pravdinskiy, Moscow region, Russia, Jan 17, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** MONGOLIA MARKS INTRODUCTION OF INTERNET SERVICES | Text of report in English by Mongolian E-mail Daily News service on 17 January 17 January marks the 7th anniversary of Internet in Mongolia. On a bitter cold day in January, seven years ago, engineers from around the world focused their efforts on bringing up the first Internet connection to Mongolia. A combined effort of dedicated individuals in Ulaanbaatar, Beijing, California, and Virginia worked around the clock to configure and bring the Internet connection into service at Datacom Company. Using PanAmSat, and Sprint Internet in Stockton, California, Datacom engineers first "pinged" the Sprint router at Stockton, then sent an email message to Sprint's office in Beijing announcing Mongolia's entry to the worldwide Internet of data networks. It was quickly sent around the world, generating congratulations and a warm welcome from the global Internet community. Over the past seven years Internet has grown to influence nearly every resident of Mongolia's cities and soums. Very few people know of, or would recall the commitment and sacrifices of those engineers who started with that first connection, subsequently growing to seven major Internet providers, nearly 100 Internet cafes, all Mongolian universities, and more than 50,000 dedicated users. Today you cannot walk 200 metres without passing an Internet cafe, computer store, or technical school teaching the next generation of Mongolians the skills they need to compete and lead Mongolia into the global economy and marketplace. MagicNet, MiCOM, BodiCom, Erdemnet, Mobinet, MCSCom, and Railcom can proudly reflect on the contributions they've made to Mongolia, and the fact that Mongolia will never be the same. Source: E-mail Daily News, Ulaanbaatar, in English 17 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. This is what's currently on the Media Newsdesk page. The story is still developing, so please check the Web site for latest updates. http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/html/medianews.html RN JOURNALISTS DISMAYED AT PROPOSED JOB LOSSES --- 16 January 2003 Journalists at Radio Netherlands have reacted with dismay to the publication yesterday of the new plan for the organisation. It envisages that 60 current posts will go, while 15 will be created as a result of planned new projects. The biggest losses will be in the Dutch language department, as it's proposed to cut the current daily transmission for Dutch expatriates in Europe from 10 hours to 3 hours, except in the summer months when Dutch holidaymakers swell the potential audience. The Employees' Council has requested an urgent meeting with Radio Netherlands management. A representative of the Dutch journalists' union, the NVJ, will address a meeting of Radio Netherlands staff at 1430 UTC today (Thursday). (via Andy Sennitt, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RN DIRECTOR-GENERAL TO ADDRESS STAFF ON STRATEGIC PLAN 16 JANUARY 2003 Radio Netherlands Director-General Lodewijk Bouwens has agreed to a request from staff representatives to address a mass meeting on Monday afternoon. Many staff reacted with dismay to the publication on Wednesday of the new strategic plan for the organisation. It envisages that 60 current posts will go, while 15 will be created as a result of planned new projects. The biggest losses will be in the Dutch language department, as the plan proposes cutting the current daily transmission for Dutch expatriates in Europe from 10 hours to 3 hours, except in the summer months when Dutch holidaymakers swell the potential audience. On Thursday afternoon, a meeting of more than 100 RN employees was addressed by a representative of the Dutch journalists' union, the NVJ. Following the meeting, the NVJ and the CNV (the National Federation of Christian Trade Unions in the Netherlands) issued a joint statement in which they described the plan in its present form as 'unacceptable.' The unions say there is a big contrast between the vagueness of the new plan and the 'concreteness' of the job losses. They feel the plan gives insufficient guarantees of the journalistic independence of Radio Netherlands, especially in projects where external partners are involved. The short time frame for the implementation of the plan is deemed "unacceptable." Mr Bouwens will have the opportunity to clarify the management's position on these and other issues on Monday (Radio Netherlands Media Network via Daniel Say, DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. Ayer miércoles 15 de enero del 2003 los directivos de Radio Nederland dieron a conocer los planes de una reorganización. Te adelanto algunos puntos: La sección brasileña (que forma parte de nuestro Depto. Latinoamericano) desaparece. Las emisiones en onda corta en holandés e inglés (actualmente unas 18 y 12 horas al día respectivamente) quedarán reducidas a unas 8 horas en cada idioma. Las emisiones en español no escapan a los recortes. Actualmente transmitimos un total de 14 horas y media al día (de las cuales 6 horas y media se difunden por onda corta). A partir del 24 de octubre de este año, pasarán a ser 15 horas al día vía satélite (un aumento de 30 minutos). Pero en cambio la onda corta quedará reducida a lo mínimo, como sigue: Dos emisiones de La Matinal para las Américas de media hora cada una, a las 1030 y 1100 UTC. Y una ÚNICA emisión de dos horas para todo el continente americano de 2000 a 2200 UTC. A primera vista un horario muy conveniente para Europa. Pero no olvidemos que la emisión va destinada a las Américas. De los 400 empleados que trabajamos en Radio Nederland, se teme que entre 60 a 100 (o más) serán despedidos. Como te puedes suponer estamos abiertos a recibir los comentarios y protestas de los oyentes (tal y como se desprende de la entrevista que le hicimos a José Zepeda). Recibe un fuerte abrazo (Jaime Báguena, RN Jan 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) From: http://www.rnw.nl/sp/toolbar/radioenlace.html José Zepeda Vara, Director del Departamento Latinoamericano de Radio Nederland [caption] El pasado miércoles 15 de enero, la dirección de nuestra emisora ha comunicado una serie de profundos cambios que afectarán sensiblemente nuestra habitual manera de informar y divertir a nuestros oyentes. Algunos ejemplos de las medidas que se implementarán a partir de octubre de este año: la eliminación de la sección portuguesa. La reducción en onda corta de las casi 18 horas de emisión en inglés y holandés respectivamente a tan sólo 8 al día en cada idioma. Todo eso conlleva también a una reducción en la plantilla. En la actualidad Radio Nederland cuenta con 400 empleados. Se calcula en entre unos 60 y 100 el número de despidos. En lo que a nuestras emisiones respecta éstas también quedan afectadas. En la actualidad, de las 14 horas y media de emisión por satélite, 6 y media se transmiten por onda corta. A partir de octubre serán 15 horas en satélite (un aumento en treinta minutos), pero en onda corta se reduce a tan sólo 3 horas al día. A saber: dos emisiones de media hora (el programa informativo La Matinal) a las 10.30 y 11 TU. Y una ÚNICA emisión hacia todo el continente americano de dos horas, entre las 20 y 22 TU. Sobre estos devastadores recortes conversamos con nuestro invitado, José Zepeda, director del departamento latinoamericano de Radio Nederland. Escuche la entrevista en real Audio: http://www.omroep.nl/cgi-bin/streams?/rnw/spaans/programa/radioenlace/radioenlace.rm And later in the program is our new DX report. The head of the LA department is not at all happy about this. It looks like we are in for a rather public conflict from inside the halls of Hilversum, Keeping Spanish to America, but moving it to the local afternoons instead of primetime is particularly asinine. Is the Wereldomroep trying to eliminate locally overnight shiftwork, regardless of the consequences? Perhaps the same fate is in store for English to North America (via gh, DXLD) RN HEADS OF DEPARTMENT CRITICISE 'BIG BANG' APPROACH TO REORGANISATION The heads of department at Radio Netherlands have issued a formal reaction to the strategic plan published by management on Wednesday. While they are in broad agreement with the objectives outlined in the new mission statement, they question the need for a 'Big Bang' approach. The plan envisages that 60 current posts will go, while 15 will be created as a result of new projects, and all by October 2003. In their joint statement, the heads of department say they disagree with the complete dismantling of the Portuguese section. The last reorganisation [in 1994] taught them that it was important to keep some expertise in house. They also disagree with the ending of special broadcasts for the Netherlands Antilles and Surinam, with which The Netherlands has special ties, as well as the TV programme Studio NL. They say they are already in discussion with management about ways of reaching an acceptable solution. On Thursday afternoon, a meeting of more than 100 RN employees was addressed by a representative of the Dutch journalists' union, the NVJ. Following that meeting, the NVJ and the CNV (the National Federation of Christian Trade Unions in the Netherlands) issued a joint statement in which they described the plan in its present form as 'unacceptable.' The unions say there is a big contrast between the vagueness of the new plan and the 'concreteness' of the job losses. RN management said today that it believes 15 full time employees, at the most, will become redundant. The others are expected to be successful in transferring to other jobs within Radio Netherlands or elsewhere in public broadcasting. The NVJ and the CNV feel the plan in its present form gives insufficient guarantees of the journalistic independence of Radio Netherlands, especially in projects where external partners are involved. Concern on this issue was also expressed by the heads of department, who said that journalistic independence must not be put at risk under any circumstances. RN Director-General Lodewijk Bouwens has agreed to a request from staff representatives to address a mass meeting on Monday afternoon. Mr Bouwens has been on business in Geneva this week (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 17 January 2003 via DXLD) ** NORWAY. A noticeable reduction in signal strength was heard already Jan 14 at 1800 ! (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. Oklahoma's Public Radio welcomes "The Weather Notebook" to its weekday program schedule. "The Weather Notebook" is two minutes of light-hearted weather wisdom produced by New Hampshire's Mount Washington Observatory, home to some of the world's worst weather. Host Bryan Yeaton explores the human side of weather through compelling stories written by staff and correspondents from distant places including Nepal and New Zealand as well as from across the United States. The goal of The Weather Notebook is to teach the science of weather but in its production the art of a good story is combined with the science, resulting in a light-hearted look at weather fact and folklore, which is both informative and fun. The Weather Notebook begins Monday, January 20, at 9:00 a.m. -- All Times - Central Time [1500 UT -- or really 1459?] (KOSU Weekly via DXLD) ** PERU. 5384.3, R Huarmaca, Huarmaca. The SW outlet is currently on the air at 1200-1600 and 2100-0100 from Mo to Fr and 1200-0100 on Sa and Su. The SW outlet uses a 0.3 kW transmitter, made by Alberto Lozano Puitiza. The station also transmits on a nominal frequency of 1000 kHz with a transmitter of 0.5 kW, built by Alberto Lozano Puitiza. The MW outlet broadcasts at 1200-0100 daily. Address: Jirón 9 de Octubre No. 110 frente al Parque Leoncio Prado, Huarmaca, Provincia de Huancabamba, Departamento de Piura, Perú. (TIN) 6479.7, R. Altura, Huarmaca. The SW outlet is currently on the air at 1030-1500 and 1900-0200 daily. The SW outlet uses a 1 kW transmitter which was made by Milciades Echeverria Puitiza. The station also transmits on a nominal frequency of 1110 kHz with a transmitter of 1 kW, built by Alberto Lozano Puitiza. The medium wave outlet broadcasts at 1000-0200 daily. New address: Prolongación San Martín s/n, Huarmaca, Provincia de Huancabamba, Departamento de Piura, Perú. (TIN) 6782.6, R. Ondas del Pacífico, Ayabaca; broadcasts at the following schedule: 2100-0300 from Mo to Fr and 1900-0300 on Sa and Su. The morning transmissions were suspended due to expensive electricity in Jun 2002. The station was established by Herminio Velasco Cruz on Nov 09, 1999. R. Ondas del Pacífico uses an old Collins brand transmitter, which was remodeled by Enrique Becerra Rojas. Its effective power is 0.6 kW. Address: Calle Cusco s/n, Manzana H Lote 5, Barrio San José Obrero, Ayabaca, Provincia de Ayabaca, Departamento de Piura, Perú. (TIN) 6956.8, R. La Voz del Campesino, Huarmaca. The SW outlet is currently on the air at 2100-0100 from Mo to Fr, 1900-0100 on Sa and 1000-0100 on Su. The SW outlet runs with an output of 1 kW. The station also transmits on a nominal frequency of 1050 kHz with 1 kW and broadcasts at 1000-0100 daily, however, it was tunable on 1045.5 kHz according to my monitor in Huarmaca. Address: Avenida San Francisco de Asis s/n, Huarmaca, Provincia de Huancabamba, Departamento de Piura, Perú. (TIN) 7141.6, R. Real, Huarmaca; had ceased its shortwave transmissions about two years ago and its transmitter was transferred to Lonya Grande in the Department of Amazonas according to Nelson Hamilton Aldeán Tineo, ex-announcer of Radio Ayabaca. It was in late Dec 1999 that R Real was established by José Requjo Lozano and his son José Heli Requejo Aldeán, ex-founders of R Ayabaca. The station nominally operated on 7150 kHz with a transmitter of 0.25 kW which was manufactured by Milciades Echeverría Puitiza (all: Takayuki Inoue Nozaki, visiting Peru, DSWCI DX Window Jan 15 and Relámpago DX Jan 14 at hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Radiogazeta Slovo, Sankt Peterburg, 684. Full data colorful QSL # 3 and my ppc signed by it's founder and chief redactor Suvorov V.P. It`s the unique station in modern Russia, Radio for antiglobalism and Russian people`s patriotic radiostation, different in many things from several other opposition stations. PPC and SAE in 115 days. Before that, Mr Suvorov sent me the e-mail saying that soon I`ll get the letter. Might be, some of yours could be interested to know the sked 06-09 and 21-22 UT, 684 kHz, 10 kW, tx`er TPR 3 near the Volodarskiy bridge, 75 meters of sloped wire aerial (Igor Zhurkin, Pravdinskiy, Moscow region, Russia, Jan 17, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. For a moment I thought the WS of VOICE OF RUSSIA had changed its name. Heard before Finnish px 18 UTC 1494 kHz ID: "This is the World Service of RADIO MOSCOW". Obviously there`s somebody yearning Soviet communist era or was it just a slip?! Next ID was back to normal: the World Service of the Voice of Russia. Maybe it was just a funny coincidence. 73 (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku FINLAND, Jan 17, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Is all the same location: Station location is really Tbilisskaya. But different sources call it Armavir [nearest city], or Krasnodar oblast [state]. ITU = Armavir. Russian FCC Mr. Titov and Deutsche Welle call it Krasnodar. 73 wb (Wolfgang Bueschel, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA [non]. 9925, Voice of Reform, via Kvitsøy, Norway, 2120-2127*, Jan 13, Arabic political talks heavily jammed from Saudi Arabia. 32433. Now on the air here *1830-2127*, ex 9930 and 7590. Jamming until -- 2137* (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Jan 15 via DXLD) ** SRI LANKA. The BBCWS continues to defame the medium which made it great, shortwave: (gh) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2664293.stm [illustrated] Thursday, 16 January, 2003, 11:16 GMT TAMIL TIGER RADIO GOES LEGAL Tamils have had to make do with shortwave until now Frances Harrison, BBC correspondent in Colombo Tamil Tiger rebels have started broadcasting on FM radio in northern Sri Lanka. The shift from crackly shortwave was made possible after a controversial decision by the government to allow the rebels to import the necessary equipment. I don't think you should deprive the parties to the negotiations of the opportunity of expressing their point of view GL Peiris government spokesman [caption] The idea is the programmes will help support the current peace process aimed at resolving 20 years of civil war. But critics of the move say the government has handed the rebels a powerful propaganda tool. For years, Voice of Tigers, as the rebel station is known, was illegal. But the government recently allowed the Tigers to import more than $100,000 worth of sophisticated broadcast equipment, including two FM transmitters and enough machines to outfit a modern radio station. Freedom of speech Questions were asked about the security implications of the move, with critics arguing it is too early in the peace process to issue the rebels a licence to broadcast legally. But government spokesman GL Peiris says it is healthy to allow all sides in the peace process to put their views across. "Now the parties are talking to each other and they're trying to arrive at a political resolution of the conflict," he told the BBC. "Under those circumstances it is not sensible to gag one party. I think both parties must have the capability to express their views. "Let the public decide whether their views are right or wrong, convincing or not convincing." Changed times The Tigers have expanded their output to eight-and-a-half hours a day of programming in two different languages. They say their aim is to inform people in the conflict areas about the peace process. But it is likely to be a one-sided view of events. Voice of Tigers has been the official propaganda organ of the movement. Over the years it has specialised in broadcasting battle reviews, biographies of famous suicide fighters, as well as educational programmes and local news. But it is a remarkable sign of how much things have changed in Sri Lanka that the clandestine radio station the Air Force repeatedly claimed it had knocked out in bombing raids is now a legitimate broadcaster on FM (BBC News South Asia Jan 16 via Ivan Grishin, Artie Bigley, DXLD) LANKA-LD RADIO LTTE RADIO ENDS CLANDESTINE OPERATIONS, EXPANDS COVERAGE http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?gid=30&id=112353 COLOMBO, JAN 16 (PTI). Ending their decade-long clandestine transmissions, Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels opened a new radio station today with a broadcast on the peace talks, officials said. The new station in Jaffna Peninsula, broadcasting on the superior Frequency Modulation (FM) band, will extend the coverage of the Voice of Tigers radio service substantially and will also carry programmes in the language of the majority Sinhalese community for the first time, they said. The timing of the broadcast has gone up to four hours from one, the officials said. The LTTE was allowed to import a five kilowatt transmitter last October as part of the cease-fire agreement it signed with the government. They recently obtained a license for the new station. Government spokesman G L Peiris said the Tigers obtaining a licence and legitimising their clandestine operation was a "good sign". "We cannot have a peace process with one party gagged," Peiris said. "They will be able to put across their point of view to the people who will eventually decide if they agree or not." The first broadcast today gave news and commentaries on efforts to resettle the Tamils displaced during the 19-year-old civil war. Earlier, it was known for its battlefield news (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) BBC Monitoring has noted that Voice of the Tigers broadcasts on 98 MHz (BBCM via DXLD) LTTE`S UPGRADED RADIO TO START TODAY Jaffna, Jan. 15: Sri Lanka`s Tamil Tiger rebels will upgrade their radio broadcasts, reaching a wider area with more programmes, to educate Tamils about ongoing peace talks, officials said on Wednesday. The Voice of Tigers will expand its services using a newly opened broadcast station in Jaffna, home to Tamil minority. The radio can be heard on FM at 98 megahertz starting on Thursday. The station uses new equipment which the rebels were allowed to import as part of the government`s peace efforts aimed at ending the civil war. It was not immediately clear if the new services will reach Tamil Nadu. Residents in Colombo could hear the programmes during a trial run that started last week. The decision to allow the import of the new radio equipment has been criticised by Lankan media, but the rebels` political leader, S P Thamilselvan, said the new services would help keep the Tamil people informed about the peace process. http://deccan.com/neighbours/default.shtml#LTTE's upgraded radio to start today Via Deccan Chronicle, Hyderabad 73 (via Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, ATOJ, DXLD) [not clear where the above URL ends...] VOICE OF TIGERS BEGINS FM BROADCAST, By V.S. Sambandan COLOMBO. Jan. 16. The Voice of Tigers (VoT), the radio of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) today started its controversial FM transmission in northern Sri Lanka amid mixed political reactions and continued apprehensions that the broadcasts would reach pockets in southern India. The twice-a-day broadcasts — 6.30 a.m. to 8.00 a.m. and 7.pm to 10 pm — were heard by residents in the northern Jaffna peninsula. Rebel-held northern Sri Lanka follows the IST, rather that the Sri Lankan time which is 30 minutes ahead of IST. For its daily broadcasts, the VoT has lined up a variety of programmes, including a Sinhala slot. On all days, both the transmissions start with a two-minute `invocation to martyrs' (maaveeravanakkam). In addition to listeners' choice, regional issues, programmes for farmers, sports events and dramas, slots have been provided for programmes such as songs of the motherland (thaayaga paadalgal) and "lessons from history'' (varalaaru sollum paadam). Three news bulletins have also been scheduled daily. According to sources in Jaffna, the transmissions, still on an exploratory basis, are expected to go "Eelam-wide'' in a few days.Though the VoT has been on air since November 20, 1990, the broadcasts from today are with a stamp of legality, following the grant of a license by the Government late last year. In line with a recent trend of marking the deaths of senior cadres and leaders with an Indian involvement, today's commencement of FM broadcasts was timed to commemorate the death anniversary of Kittu, who blasted himself in 1993. Before the VoT was started as a clandestine operation in the 1990s, the Tigers ran an experimental TV, Nitharsanam, between 1985 and 1987. (via d. prabakaran, tamilnadu, Jan 17, DXLD) ** SUDAN [non]. 10000, Voice of Sudan (tentative), *1926-2040 (fade out), Jan 13, Arabic talks and music. The timesignal station had faded out, so the SINPO was varying between 15111 and 15221! (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Jan 15 via DXLD) Not the Jordanian spur? Several others have heard this (gh, DXLD) ** UKRAINE. [Alex:] 11980, An extremely weak signal (the signal strength bar was not even visible on my AOR AR7030!) was audible Sat Jan 11 at 1145-1158 after which CRI from Kunming covered the frequency with its English broadcast. I heard a man and a woman talking and some music and folksong. The weak signal made it impossible to identify the language, but it was not parallel to R Rossii 11990. SINPO 14121 with slight CWQRM. On Sun Jan 12 a similar talk programme was heard 1100- 1135 fade out. At 1000-1100 11980 was covered by a weak (S2) spurious signal from the Voice of Russia in German on 12010 (S + plus 10-25 dB). A similar spurious signal was also noted on 12010 + 30 = 12040 from the Bolshakovo transmitter in Kaliningrad. I am confident, however, that these spurious emissions have now been removed (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Jan 15 via DXLD) ** U S A. Washington, D.C., Jan. 15, 2003 -- The Voice of America today doubled its Kurdish language broadcasts from one to two hours daily to Iraq and the surrounding countries. The new 60-minute radio broadcast, airing from 9:00-10:00 p.m. local time (1:00-2:00 p.m. EST), [1800-1900 UT] includes the latest U.S., world and regional news, along with correspondent reports on local developments in Iraq, and features on science, technology, and American culture. The increased programming will include on-scene dispatches from VOA and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reporters in Iraq. The new broadcast will supplement an existing hour-long news and information program from 7:00-8:00 p.m. local time (11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. EST). [1600-1700 UT] "This extra hour of Kurdish language programming enables VOA to be an even more effective broadcaster to an important audience at a critical time," said Homer Dizeyee, chief of VOA's Kurdish Service. To further increase its impact, VOA plans to double its Kurdish broadcasts again at the end of January, increasing its transmissions from two to four hours daily via shortwave and the Internet at http://www.voanews.com/Kurdish Other U.S. international broadcasts to the region include Radio Sawa, a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week Arabic-language radio network, and Radio Farda, a 24-hour Persian language station jointly operated by Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Radio Farda complements VOA's Persian radio and television programs to Iran, which include Roundtable With You, a weekly 90-minute radio/TV simulcast call-in show, and Next Chapter, a popular 60-minute weekly TV show aimed at Iranian youth (VOA Press release Jan 15 via DXLD) ** U S A. Taking another look at the material in 3-003 about the VOA Museum coming up at Bethany, I am surprised at the heavy emphasis that the station was so essential for the Cold War. This gives the mistaken impression that it actually broadcast to Europe and the Soviet Union. It may have in earlier days, but once Greenville, not to mention expanding overseas relays, were online, Bethany concentrated on Latin America and Africa, which it was obviously better suited to do for geographical and propagational reasons (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Tuning around 75m I happened upon a strong AM signal, and then a weaker one on 3879.8 with a voice I immediately recognized, Tim of WBCQ, Jan 17 at 0650. He talked for about 20 minutes and finally IDed as WA1HLR. Before getting into a discussion about antennas, take- off angles, etc., he was talking about WBCQ program changes, which is useful since the http://wbcq.us website has been down for repairs, it must be two weeks now. Said R. Caroline is gone, as I recall had been on Thu-Fri-Sat? at 2100? --- the time sold to a paying customer. A new show Thursdays at 2230-2330 UT is, get this, the `Doom & Gloom Hour`, and there`s another new show on Sunday evenings, no time given, Attorney-Busters, I think he called it, or something like that. Had some choice remarks about Brother Scare, ``a lecherous old bastard`` and other `Bible-beaters`, ``a big waste of airtime`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. FCC NTIA WARC-03 HFBC PROPOSAL Glenn, The US will now propose that WARC-03 allocate no additional HF Broadcast spectrum between 4 and 10 MHz (Donald Wilson, Jan 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) viz.: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-03-91A1.pdf DA 03-91 January 15, 2003 THE FCC'S ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR THE 2003 WORLD RADIOCOMMUNICATION CONFERENCE APPROVES DRAFT PROPOSALS Comments should refer to specific proposals by document number. The deadline for comments on the draft proposals and NTIA letters is January 31, 2003. Page 28 to 31: DRAFT PROPOSAL FOR THE WORK OF THE CONFERENCE Doc. WAC/168(08.01.03) (This is an NTIA revision of a draft proposal from Informal Working Group 6 that appeared in Public Notice DA 02-1779, Released July 25, 2002.) Agenda Item 1.36: to examine the adequacy of the frequency allocations for HF broadcasting from about 4 MHz to 10 MHz, taking into account the seasonal planning procedures adopted by WRC-97; All of these bands identified by ITU-R Working Party 6E to accommodate new broadcasting allocations are currently allocated to the fixed and/or mobile services and are extensively used. Sharing between the fixed, mobile and broadcasting services is not practical. Therefore, no additional allocations can be made to broadcasting service in the 4 to 10 MHz bands. Reasons: The requirements of existing services preclude the allocation of additional spectrum to the broadcasting service (via Wilson, DXLD) ** U S A. WCNY-FM Classic FM, Syracuse NY, station manager Paul Dunn laments that their webstream is so popular and consumes so much bandwidth, that its present provider must start charging for it. Listeners are urged to contribute, take a survey and listen via http://www.wcny.org/classicfm/tunerlaunch.asp (Marie Lamb, WCNY/WAER, DXing with Cumbre Jan 17, notes by gh for DXLD) Seems the webcast with an annoying embedded player lacking the usual features, is often down. WCNY`s most distinctive show is one of our favorites, Orgelwerke, UT Mon 0100-0200. Per online schedule, Jan edition of which was 9 days late, they also run Syracuse Symphony and some other locally performed music (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. A recent issue of the American journal, ``Radio World``, states that Mt. Wilson in California is considered to be the location with the highest concentration of transmitting antennas in the United States. Mt. Wilson is 25 miles north east of Los Angeles, it is 5,710 feet high, and 45 FM and TV antennas are erected on its summit (Adrian Michael Peterson, AWR Wavescan Jan 12 via DXLD) ** U S A. What is believed to be the first radio broadcasting station in the United States to operate entirely on wind generated electricity was launched a few months ago on a mountain top in northern Nevada. This station, KBSJ-FM, is a 3.7 kW FM facility located on top of Ellen D. Mountain with wind speeds sometimes as high as 175 miles per hour. No other form of electricity is available in this isolated area (Adrian Michael Peterson, AWR Wavescan Jan 12 via DXLD) ** U S A. Just recently, there were two FM stations on the air in Augusta Georgia using the slogan, KISS FM. This is a very popular station identification throughout the United States even though the actual callsign may be very different. These two stations were WAEV 94 FM and WSIS 104 FM. In a court ruling, station WAEV was granted the usage of the KISS slogan in Augusta due to the fact that the parent company owned the copyright to this usage (Adrian Michael Peterson, AWR Wavescan Jan 12 via DXLD) ** U S A [non]: A recent brochure from Trans World Radio states that they are on the air world wide in 165 languages for 1,500 program hours per week and they are heard regionally over more than 1,000 local radio stations. Their annual mail count reaches 1.5 million from 160 countries. They own and operate major transmitting stations in seven different countries (Adrian Michael Peterson, AWR Wavescan Jan 12 via DXLD) ** U S A. e-BILLBOARDS TAILOR MESSAGES TO MOTORISTS http://abcnews.go.com/sections/business/TechTV/techtv_advertising (via Tom McNiff, Burke, Virginia, DXLD) ** U S A. Did a bit of domestic MW DXing UT Jan 16: 1570 at 0603 UT, ESPN news, dominating frequency, no XERF audible at first, then Mexican anthem fading up. Local weather had a low of zero degrees, and ID as ``ESPN 1570, The Ticket``. From NRC AM Log, and the temp, this must be KVTK, Vermillion SD, 500 watts day, and doing a helluva job for 71 watts at night. Or must we assume all stations cheat unless proven otherwise? 1330 at 0635 UT, ID amid music as KLBO -- that would be Monahans, TX (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 2060 (1030 x 2), WUFL Sterling Heights, MI 1645 Jan 10, Religious program SIO=333 1700, Sterling Heights Info Radio, Sterling Heights, MI 1640 Jan 10, Public information 1700, Westland City Info Radio, Westland, MI 1430 Jan 11, Public info; heard en route to Detroit Metro Airport (Joe Miller, Helen of Troy MI, MARE via DXLD) ** U S A. Don Kaskey reports that KHPY-1670 Moreno Valley, CA has (finally) signed on (1/16/03) with regular programming which seems to be an oldie format. This one, if you remember, is U4 10000/9000 throwing most of their signal toward Hawaii (215-216 degrees from their site). GooDX, (Bill DDXD-West Hale, TX, Jan 17, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. WSM HISTORICAL QUESTION Following my visit to the WSM transmitter site a couple years ago I asked if anyone knew what the large, antique looking beacon with a red lens located on the roof of the transmitter building was about. I think I've found the answer to that question. I recently acquired a very nice copy of the 1939 FCC "Standards of Good Engineering Practice Concerning Standard Broadcast Stations." Under the section titled Standard Lamps and Paints (for towers) is the following passage: Under particularly hazardous conditions and in areas of heavy traffic, it may be necessary to add a 24-inch 500- or 1,000-watt red rotating beacon equipped with an automatic lamp changer, to mark the installation. The beacon may be installed on the roof of the transmitter building, provided the point will provide proper visibility, otherwise it may be necessary to install the beacon on a separate tower of proper height or the radio tower itself. The recommended setting of this rotating beacon is such that the center line of the light beam shall be approximately 3 above horizontal (Patrick Griffith, CBT, Westminster, CO, USA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. SPECIAL MARCONI 100TH ANNIVERSARY STATION On the evening (UT Sunday morning) of January 18, 2003, KM1CC will re-transmit the 1903 message from President Theodore Roosevelt to King Edward VII. followed by the message from President George W. Bush. 3.539 CW 7.039 CW 14.039 CW 0000 UT (7:00 PM EST) 3.885 AM 7.260 LSB 14.260 USB 0030 UT (7:30 PM EST) The CW and Phone messages will be repeated hourly for the next two hours. That is 0100/0130 UT (8:00 PM EST) and 0200/0230 UT (9:00 PM EST). All message transmit frequencies are + - 10 KHz A certificate will be available to all who correctly copy the CW Presidential messages. Please send your CW copy with a large 9" x 12" self addressed stamped envelope (80 cents) and $ 5.00 (USA) and $ 7.00 (DX) to R. J. Doherty, PO Box 1193, Lakeville, MA. 02347 Further info: http://www.qsl.net/w1aa/w1aa_1001.htm (Jarmo Patala, Finland, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** U S A. CNET SCRAPPING RADIO VERSION Radio World Newsbytes Date posted: 2003-01-16 San Francisco-based CNet Networks Inc. is ending its techie radio program as of Jan. 31. According to the San Jose Business Journal, the two-year effort could not gain enough ad revenue to justify expenses. A spokeswoman told the Journal "several" employees will lose their jobs and CNet is canceling its agreement with Clear Channel station KNEW(AM) in Oakland, Calif., where the show is produced. CNet is shifting its focus back to its Web site and also plans to begin a twice-daily technology program to be delivered digitally to registered subscribers. Company officials believe those who follow technology news are looking to the Internet for that information. After the cuts, total employment for the technology information company is reportedly 1,500 people (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** U S A. FIRST NON-EXPERIMENTAL AM DIGITAL RADIO STATION ON AIR | Text of press release from US transmitter manufacturer Broadcast Electronics on 12 January Quincy, Illinois, 12 January: The first non-experimental AM HD Radio system went on the air just before the New Year at WJLD-AM in Birmingham, Alabama. using Broadcast Electronics' ASi 10 signal generator and a BE AM-1A transmitter. "This installation marks the passage of HD Radio technology into a fully commercial licensed product that significantly improves AM radio," said Glynn Walden, vice president, broadcast engineering for iBiquity Digital Corporation in Columbia, Maryland. WJLD station owner and engineer Gary Richardson reported full 15 kHz fidelity and stereo separation comparable to FM during listening tests of the station's rhythm & blues programming through an HD Radio- capable receiver. "Switching between analogue and digital was like switching from AM to FM," he commented. WJLD broadcast hybrid digital AM and analogue AM signals on its licensed frequency of 1400 kHz. No additional spectrum was required. HD Radio signals are generated by BE's new ASi 10 and injected into WJLD's existing BE transmitter for broadcast through the station's antenna system... Total equipment cost to upgrade the station to an HD Radio system came to less than 25,000 dollars, excluding processing units. "This is the future of AM radio, so this is definitely money well spent," said Richardson. The station adopted HD Radio technology in time to take advantage of a perpetual licence waiver offered through December by iBiquity Digital Corporation. The waiver will save WJLD an estimated 11,000 dollars in licensing fees to iBiquity. "The opportunities that HD Radio technology brings to the AM broadcaster allow for new programme formats and improved sound quality - a change that hasn't occurred in nearly half a century. We look to supporting our longtime partner, Broadcast Electronics, in their endeavours to successfully implement HD Radio systems in stations across the US," said iBiquity's Walden... Source: Broadcast Electronics press release in English 12 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** U S A. I am taking the liberty of forwarding this from the broadcast mail-list as there was some debate here about the quality of the HD recordings on the WOR site 73, (Bob Foxworth, NRC-AM, via DXLD) IBOC Audio Hi, gang! We have a faulty IBOC reference receiver. Heard WOR-HD on a Visteon radio today....in stereo. Sounds fine....no artifacts, no "funky" stereo effect. I will have a new reference receiver early next week and will be able to post accurate IBOC AM audio. Thomas R. Ray, III, CSRE Corporate Director of Engineering, Buckley Broadcasting/WOR Radio New York 212-642-4462 fax: 212-921-4751 (Tom Ray, WOR, Jan 15, broadcast.net via DXLD) BTW, have you guys caught onto the fact that the tests are very controlled? On the analog side, the recordings were made on a Belar Mod Monitor. If you normally listen to radio off a mod monitor, please raise your hand. The only time you listen off a mod monitor is if you're testing something (ie: your station). It's really not a practical test. And on the digital receiver side, again, who has the receiver and how is it being recorded? Maybe someone can get Tom to let them borrow the magic box and do a real comparison. In fact, do we really know if the recording even existed on RF? (Fred Vobbe, NRC-AM via DXLD) I'm speaking as an average guy, who loves music, but doesn't have the ears or the equipment to really notice "digital artifacts" or minor differences in quality. I can easily listen to 32k mp-3's or internet radio without being driven up the wall. In other words, I'm a lot like the average radio listener. I listened to a few of the samples, and to be perfectly honest, the digital samples had a little more fullness to them. If there were digital artifacts, I didn't notice. I suspect that if you stuck a few "average" radio listeners in front of the speakers, and played the samples, they'd probably tell you the digital ones sounded better. That certainly doesn't mean that the digital samples were technically more or less accurate representations of the original source material, it just means that to the average non-audiophile, they sound more pleasing (though not nearly enough to make me plunk down any serious money for new radios). So I have a feeling that this whole IBOC thing is not going to be decided on the true merits, but on the "digital is better" concept, backed up by canned samples such as Tom's. It's a lot like jpeg photos - they're not truly accurate representations of the original image, but they're close enough that the average person will never notice the difference. Indeed, the only real advantage of IBOC is that by being digital, they can theoretically provide a static-free signal. Of course we all know that the range of that static-free signal is going to be REALLY small. Especially when the IBOC stations start interfering with each other. My own prediction: Ibiquity's only chance at making any money is if they can get enough stations on the air in the shortest amount of time. Because once they go on the air, then it will be obvious to all that the Emperor really has no clothes. No one is going to buy the radios, and the whole thing will collapse under its own weight. At least I hope so... (Brian Leyton, Valley Village, CA, ibid.) It does seem as if Tom presents an inordinate number of 'equipment problems' when he's under heavy fire, doesn't it ? With the pressure of the whole program focused on WOR, one has to wonder how accurate whatever files he puts out there will be..... (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA, ibid.) WCHB-1200 in suburban Detroit will be testing during the night over the next few days, measuring field strength and sideband emissions. What we could use is some good reports of signals from 1200, 1190, and 1210 when they are running IBOC and not running IBOC. Recordings would be *super*, as long as you document what is on the tape. The best way is to speak briefly and say something like "20:14 Eastern, 1200 kHz, 1000 foot longwire, Sony 2010." and then record what you're hearing. Can be sent to me cassette, reel, CD, or E-mailed as an MP3 (at least 256 bit rate) or WAV. Reports should indicate the usual data (time, location, equipment, antenna), but it would help knowing if you are hearing the IBOC hiss. I think this could be a great learning experience if we all monitor and then share our reports. It would help to gain better knowledge of the impact on analog services since it will be turned on and off. (Fred Vobbe, Jan 16, ibid.) Last night WCHB had the IBOC off all night, and I assume were always on night pattern/power as I didn't hear a peep out of them. Tonight. starting around 10PM, Ken Wallace, CE of WCHB, will be running some additional tests of unknown facilities. IBOC may be on and off through the evening. Again, keep your ears open and report the results here. Recordings welcomed (Fred Vobbe, Jan 17, ibid.) The interesting thing to me is that after many people commented on lists that the audio was not so good, all of a sudden a faulty receiver was found. And this isn't the first "faulty" equipment found so far; "faulty" is a misnomer used during the development stage that really means "unstable platform" or "software / hardware problem of undetermined origin" or "we haven't seen it do that before!" or "it doesn't work as well as we thought it would". They're having their late-development-phase bugs, it seems to me. Somewhere in iBiquity some engineers are scrambling and working late to get a new software load for WOR next week that won't embarass them. "Embarass them" means minimal artifacts as Tom Ray's "no artifacts" is likely to be a pipe dream with the PAC coder and the bit rates used. But most importantly, the fact that Tom would post unacceptable audio from a "faulty" radio doesn't speak well for his audio judgement. All of us (and a lot of the rest of the world) seems to have picked up on the fact that IBOC has not been tested well. Given the fact that it has been around for a while, you can only decide that this is a question of structuring the "tests" to put a spin on things. Having said that, Tom's mod monitor file isn't without precedent. When doing subjective testing of audio quality, the industry standard methodology is to give the listener the pure, unadulterated, perfect file and tell them so and that it gets a score of 5.0. Tom's mod monitor was down the chain from the original so isn't a perfect reference, but it is a reference of sorts and I assume that was his intention (Chuck Hutton, ibid.) Yeah, I guess it was kinda funny that the files he put up were these gigantic .wav files (so as not to introduce any additional distortion), except that both versions were "processed" to some degree. Anyone have CD's of the clips he used that can be posted as .wav files for comparison? (Brian Leyton, Valley Village, CA, ibid.) I've worked with and for a lot of Chief Engineers and not all of them had decent "ears" when it came to the audio quality of their stations. Most notable was the late Alan Roycroft who used to call me up at 3:AM and ask "how does it sound now?" more than once. He was deafer than the average rock! How does it sound off the air has always been my criteria for audio quality. The super duper speakers and sound system in the Account Manger's office means nothing if the source comes off the chain somewhere. It's how it sounds "out there" that really counts. Well -- - it used to! I think I'm glad I'm retired! (Chuck Boehnke, Keaau, Hawaii, ibid.) ** ZANZIBAR. RTZ, 11734.1, Jan 4 2025-2100* talk by woman in listed Swahili. Local ME style music. Sign-off with short 40-second NA. Weak- fair. Best in ECSS-LSB to avoid unID SWBC station on 11735 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RECEVER NEWS ++++++++++++ SONY ICF-2010 R.I.P. That's sad news but not unexpected. It was discontinued outside the US several years ago. IIRC, my 2010 is almost all plated through technology, parts with metal leads that are inserted into holes in printed circuit boards then soldered, and there are little if any surface mount components. Surface mount components are tiny compared to plated through components, cheaper, easier to install on boards and result in a much smaller radio. My Sony 7600GR is almost all SMT parts and is tiny compared to the 2010. Just the packaging of a receiver the size of the 2010 is expensive compared to the 7600GR. The 2010 is nearing 20 years old and I would imagine some of the molds and test fixtures are beginning to show their age. I wish Sony had made a case for the 2010, my only complaint about the radio. I know from building QRP (low power) ham radio gear, traditional plated through components particularly some integrated circuits, are becoming more difficult to obtain. There are still plenty of traditional type parts like capacitors and resistors, but the more specialized integrated circuits are beginning to be offered only in surface mount packages. Look through a Maxxim catalog to see how few of their new ICs are available in plated through packages. Now lets hope Sony will offer a replacement receiver with a tuning knob, synchronous AM, SSB/CW, 10Hz readout, wide and narrow filters, maybe even DSP in a package half the size of the 2010. It could happen (Rick Robinson, KF4AR, Hendersonville, NC, NRC-AM via DXLD) Not only do Sony not produce the 2010 anymore, but apparently they have also discontinued the production of certain spare parts, which means you may have trouble getting your 2010 repaired if it happens to malfunction (Richard Lam, Singapore, Jan 17, EDXP via DXLD) END OF THE LINE FOR THE SONY ICF-2010 Sony has finally discontinued production of the ICF-2010, probably the most successful shortwave portable receiver ever made. It first saw the light of day in 1985, and was so popular that two previous attempts discontinue the product were abandoned due to consumer demand. Now, with less than 6 months to go until the start of regular digital shortwave broadcasts, Sony has finally decided to stop the production line. Once remaining stocks are cleared from dealers' shelves, there will be no more. Those wishing to get their hands on a classic shortwave receiver need to act fast, or wait until used examples start appearing at inflated prices on the Internet auction sites (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 16 January 2003 via DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ Some smallish flares on Jan 9 are about all to report for this period. Coronal hole effects diminished during Jan 11, and at this time the sun was quite noisy probably due to sunspot activity. Conditions were mildly depressed at this time with some intense sporadic E over southern latitudes. The Sporadic E and depressions continued over the next 3 days gradually drifting to equatorial latitudes. Propagation conditions are expected to be only fair Jan 19-20 due to morning period depressions then good. Degraded HF propagation is also expected to poor Jan 22-24 with the magnetic field reaching active levels these dates. This is due to an encroaching coronal hole expected to mildly elevate solar wind speeds. Prepared using data from http://www.ips.gov.au (Richard Jary, Australia, Jan 17, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-009, January 15, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser, ghauser@hotmail.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 HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldta03.html For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid2.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn WORLD OF RADIO 1165 first airings: WBCQ: Wed 2300 on 7415, 17495-CUSB, Mon 0545 7415 WWCR: Thu 2130 on 9475, Sat 0700, Sun 0330 5070, 0730 3210... RFPI; Fri 1930, Sat 0130, 0730, 1330, 1800, Sun 0000 15039 and/or 7445 [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1165.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1165.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1165h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1165h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1165.html [from Thu] ** ANTARCTICA. Radio San Gabriel Arcángel [sic] na Antártida: En las últimas semanas la noté inactiva. Generalmente estaba en el aire de lunes a viernes entre las 19 a 21 UT [15476v] 73's (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, Jan 13, radioescutas via DXLD) Usual summer break? (gh, WORLD OF RADIO 1165) ** ARGENTINA. Red 92, La Plata, 1630.0 kHz, 0730-0802, fair on Nov 3. Singing jingle ``Cada dia más, Red 92`` at 0800. Tnx to Hideki Watanabe (Yukiharu Uemura, Kanagawa, Japan, Radio Nuevo Mundo Dec 8 via DXLD) Quite a catch, long haul from Japan, about 18.5 megameters, close to antipodal, which would be more like just west of Korea (gh) ** ARMENIA. 4810 with IS and anthem at 1445 (I checked the web site - it matches) on Saturday Jan 11 (Nigel Pimblett, Alberta DXpedition at Don Moman`s via Moman, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ASCENSION. 6005, BBC 0615 Jan 12, news in English re death row pardons. QRM that sounds like snoring (Jilly Dybka, TN, Cumbre DX via DXLD) I was also noticing this on 6005, but would describe more like multiple tones (gh) ** AUSTRALIA. 5994.80, Radio Australia, Brandon, 1055-1110 Jan 15. Noted mainly comments and IDs. On the hour, news presented. This transmission listed as only 10 kW in reference material. Also significant, the transmission was off frequency by 200 Hertz when measured. What do you think about them being off frequency? I would expect RA to be exact. Signal was initially threshold, but improved to poor by 1110 (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston, Florida, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. World Region News: HCJB WORLD RADIO-AUSTRALIA SHORTWAVE STATION GOES ON THE AIR Posted by: newsdesk on Tuesday, January 07, 2003 - 03:18 PM from http://www.hcjb.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=63&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0 HCJB World Radio-Australia`s new shortwave station at Kununurra in the northern part of the country went on the air Sunday, Jan. 5, with its first five-hour transmission to the South Pacific. This culminated more than five years of planning and praying. Staff members are repairing storm damage to the Asian antenna that is expected to go on the air this weekend [not]. ``Praise God, He has done it!`` said Director of Ministries Dennis Adams from the Australian office in Melbourne following a dedication service. ``What a moving moment it was as pastor John Rush said `amen` at the conclusion of his prayer of dedication to hear the sounds of `Advance Australia Fair` ring out at precisely 7 a.m. (Greenwich Time). ``There was hardly a dry eye in the building. Some 60 people had come together for an hour-long service of celebration and dedication in the lead up to the start,`` he said. ``It was a wonderful occasion with the emphasis being a celebration of what God has done and a time of dedication to Him for all that lies ahead.`` HCJB World Radio President David Johnson took part in the inauguration via telephone link from Colorado Springs, Colo. He offered words of congratulations and challenged the staff to carry on the vision of HCJB World Radio cofounder Clarence Jones who urged programmers to keep the gospel at the forefront. ``That`s essential, that`s basic, that`s final,`` Johnson said, quoting Jones. ``Nothing can be added to it, nothing need be subtracted from it. It`s spiritually sound; it`s the dynamic --- the power of God unto salvation. . . . It`s the everlasting message of God to sinful men in a dying world.`` Johnson then listened as the switch was pulled and the first special half-hour broadcast began—a ``launch program`` that had been prepared at HCJB World Radio-Australia`s studios in Melbourne. The program featured recorded greetings from Board Chairman Ron Cline and various World Offices along with special music. When the facility is in full operation, the shortwave signal will be within hearing range of more than 3.5 billion people, 60 percent of world`s population. Including the Asian antenna, 10 hours of English programming will air daily: five hours to the South Pacific and five hours to Asia, plus a weekly program in Oromo to Ethiopia. Although the broadcasts are going out on a 100 kw shortwave transmitter designed and built at the HCJB World Radio Engineering Center in Elkhart, Ind., the transmitter is still running at low power, but this will be increased ``gradually`` as testing continues. Plans are to eventually expand to five transmitters and 16 broadcast towers as land and funds become available. The station came as the result of HCJB World Radio-Australia Director David Maindonald`s longtime vision to start an international shortwave station in the country. This initially seemed like an impossible dream. The prospect that Australia would allow a privately owned international station --- including Christian ones --- seemed unlikely, and even mission leaders were skeptical about the plan. But instead of giving up, Maindonald trusted God. ``I am filled with a great sense of awe at what God has done to bring about this new Asia-Pacific service,`` said Maindonald at the dedication service. ``These past seven years I have seen God do so many wonderful things. . . . The staff has worked tirelessly to build buildings, erect transmission lines, towers and antennas, re-equip studios and prepare programs. . . . It is my pleasure to dedicate the radio ministry of HCJB World Radio-Australia to the glory of God.`` Here is a brief timeline of the project: 1997: A donor unexpectedly gives 200 acres of prime land for the project near a dam and close to the northern tip of Australia—ideal for sending signals across Asia, the South Pacific and much of Africa. Dec. 22, 2000: After three years of vigorous discussions with the government, the laws are changed, opening the door for entities other than Radio Australia to obtain international broadcasting licenses. April 19, 2001: HCJB World Radio-Australia was awarded not one, but four licenses, to broadcast via shortwave. April 3, 2002: Despite an intense misinformation campaign about the project by local opponents, the ministry obtains all the local approvals needed to begin construction. Late 2002: Staff members from the HCJB World Radio Engineering Center in Elkhart, Ind., work with local volunteers to install the 100 kw shortwave transmitter built and designed in Elkhart. Jan. 5, 2003: The first five-hour block of programming to the South Pacific goes on the air (HCJB website via DXLD) News from Dennis Adams, HCJB Australia: Startup of Asian service has been further delayed until Jan 19. Also waiting for additional tests to be completed so can increase power of SPac release. Staff in Melbourne and Kununurra are working hard to correct different problems that have surfaced, part of the learning curve (Allen Graham, HCJB DX Partyline Jan 11, notes by gh for WORLD OF RADIO 1165, DXLD) ** AUSTRIA. Hola Glenn. Aquí está el concurso de MUNDO DX; este está correctamente redactado. Es el del sitio web de MUNDO DX CONCURSO 20 AÑOS DE MUNDO DX EN RADIO AUSTRIA INTERNACIONAL El próximo 19 de Enero el programa MUNDO DX cumple 20 Años de emisiones. Desde aquel mes de Enero de 1983, al principio de forma mensual y después semanal, la Asociación DX Barcelona (ADXB) les ha llevado la tecnología, las telecomunicaciones, las últimas noticias, las frecuencias, la onda corta, internet, satélites, en resumen todo para estar al día en los avances tecnológicos. Para agradecer la fiel escucha de nuestros oyentes, hemos preparado un Concurso. El único requisito escuchar, a partir del 15 de Enero todos los programas semanales de MUNDO DX en Radio Austria Internacional, y anotar todas las palabras clave que se mencionen en el programa. Las dos primeras palabras clave a partir del 15 de Enero. Cada semana dos palabras clave, hasta un total de doce. Todas las palabras deben enviarse antes del 15 de Marzo por correo a Radio Austria Internacional, 1136 Viena, Austria, o al correo electrónico: roi.hispano@orf.at Se sortearán diferentes premios entre todos los acertantes. Suerte a todos y no dejen la sintonia de Radio Austria Internacional Con saludos cordiales, (via Julio Trenard, Apartado Postal 41, Cumaná 6101, Venezuela, Jan 14, DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. Radio La Cruz Del Sur, 4876.8, Jan 13/03 at 2333 UT. Could not believe my ear with the strength of this one in SS with local Bolivian music and talk by man with many IDs (Mick Delmage, Alberta DXpedition at Don Moman`s, DX LISTENING DIGEST, WORLD OF RADIO 1165) As well I had great R. La Cruz del Sur s/on at 0930 on Monday morning Jan 13, but you guys logged that later at a more respectable hour! (Nigel Pimblett, Alberta DXpedition at Don Moman`s via Moman, DX LISTENING DIGEST, WORLD OF RADIO 1165) See writeup about the SWL Weekend at bottom ** BOTSWANA. 4820, R. Botswana, 0408-0414- 01/14 EG/Vern. End of news re Congo(DR). News ended with mention of R. Botswana broadcasting (peace?) talks at 7 AM (local). Afropops and English ballad "Lay your head on my pillow" Good (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., Intervale NH, hard- core-dx via DXLD) ** CANADA. CKZN, 6160 with CBC Overnight program way over Vancouver, first noted 0755, clear to DW s/on at 0900, and even after that heard the NA and switch into local programming at 0930. This was on Saturday Jan 11 (Nigel Pimblett, Alberta DXpedition at Don Moman`s via Moman, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. 18020, RCI, 1607 Jan 12, news about polls and politics. presume this is a spur, parallel 13655 (Jilly Dybka, TN, Cumbre DX via DXLD) 17710 mixing with 17865-Austria relay, 155 kHz apart (gh) ** CHECHNYA [non]. Frequency change for Radio Liberty in Russian/Avari/Chechen/Cherkessi: 0500-0600 to CAs NF 11780, ex 11935 (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 14 via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. Hi Glenn: From the January 14 El País (Cali) ...edited for relevance, as they say, but you can judge whether it's relevant enough! ALIAS 'LAURA' ESTÁ SINDICADA DE DIRIGIR LA EMISORA DEL BLOQUE OCCIDENTAL -- CAE JEFE DE COMUNICACIONES DE LAS FARC Enero 14 de 2003 Yira Paola Bolaños fue detenida en un apartamento de la Carrera 8C con Calle 46 del barrio La Castellana, en el sur de Cali. Después de tres meses de investigaciones, miembros de la Dirección de Inteligencia de la Policía, lograron encontrar a esta mujer, conocida con el alias de 'Laura', y quien está solicitada por un fiscal de Popayán por el delito de rebelión Según el comandante de la Policía Metropolitana, alias 'Laura' también era el contacto entre los frentes subversivos del Valle, Cauca y Nariño con el Secretariado de las Farc. Asimismo, la señora Bolaños está sindicada de ser la responsable de la emisora La Voz de la Resistencia, la cual es una frecuencia ilegal utilizada para difundir las proclamas del grupo insurgente, indicó Naranjo. [...]onde según informantes, residía alternativamente esta mujer. "Este es uno de los principales golpes que les hemos propinado a las Farc, especialmente al Bloque Occidental, ya que esta mujer era muy cercana a Pablo Catatumbo", indicó el jefe policial. "También trabajamos para ubicar la emisión de frecuencias clandestinas que funcionan en las montañas del Cauca. Estas emisiones, que buscan desinformar a la comunidad y enviar proclamas contra el Estado colombiano, funcionan en las frecuencias AM y HF", agregó. (via Richard Stoller, Coordinator of Selection and International Programs, Schreyer Honors College, 10 Atherton Hall, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802-3905, Jan 14, WORLD OF RADIO 1165, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COLOMBIA. La Voz de Tu Conciencia, Bogotá, 6010.8, Jan 11/03 at 0828 UT in Spanish with religious talk, nice ID at 0851. Good, but better after het left at 0900. On Jan 12/03 at 0657 better than the night before. Same again on Jan 13/03 at 0548 with nice ID. Great signal (Mick Delmage, Alberta DXpedition at Don Moman`s, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CYPRUS TURKISH. CYPRUS, NORTHERN. 6150, Radio Bayrak, 2200-0150. No ID but a tourist promo for Northern Cyprus at 0140 followed by a ABBA- medley. Poor audio, fair signal. Receiver: NRD-535 Antenna: Long wires in different directions, all about 500 meters long. 73 (Claes Olsson, Norrköping, SWEDEN, Jan 15, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** ERITREA [non]. Voice of the Eritrean People in Tigrina noted on Jan. 12: 1630-1657 Sun only on NF 9990 (55555) to ME, ex 15735 1700-1727 Sun only on NF 7530 (55555) to ME, ex 9990 (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 14 via, WORLD OF RADIO 1165, DXLD) ** FINLAND. Additional transmissions for YLE Radio Finland effective from Jan. 13, 2003: 0630-0700 Daily 6055 POR 250 kW / 220 deg to WEu 0800-0900 Sat/Sun 21670 POR 500 kW / 090*deg to SEAs/Au || ex 075 deg 0930-1030 Daily 21800 POR 500 kW / 060 deg to NEAs 1100-1200 Daily 21800 POR 500 kW / 090 deg to SEAs/Au 1900-1950 Daily 9805 POR 500 kW / 175 deg to ME/EAf 2000-2100 Thu 9805 POR 500 kW / 310 deg to NAm 2330-2345 Daily 11895 POR 500 kW / 060*deg to NEAs || ex 090 deg (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 14 via WORLD OF RADIO 1165, DXLD) ** GEORGIA. Georgian Radio, 11805.2, Jan 13/03 at 0627 in Lang(?). At 0629:30 their interval signal was played and then s/on announcements in English at 0629:45. English news for 30 seconds and then carrier dropped. Back on 0636 (approx). Gave ID as ``This is the World Wide Broadcast from Tblisi, Georgia`` at 0642. Carrier dropped off for good at 0647. Good signal but bad audio (Mick Delmage, Alberta DXpedition at Don Moman`s, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUAM. Sorry for not posting for a few days; my ship has been busy getting ready to get under way and it`s only a short cruise and then back here. I was in a chat mail with Marie Lamb and had mentioned seeing another station here called Family Harvest radio which operates on 88.1 FM. I discovered it by accident as I was on a hill above Radio Baragatta [sic], where the ham club had mentioned once of putting their repeater. I found a place there with a a lot of antenna farms and in the midst was this station. I heard it on FM and it`s a religious station. Went for a short drive to the other side of the island and went past KTWR and noticed some repairs are being done; looks like it will still be a few weeks, but may be sooner. Also went by AWR and one of the station engineers was going inside but wasn't able to find out anything. He looked like he was in a hurry. The unofficial Native News here says the power is about 60% and it`s starting to show. A lot of unlit lights are showing life now. But the artificial traffic lights are still doing their part. The US National Guard have been in place since the power went out. Now over 40 days for some. I got time coming soon and will spend some of it listening again. P.S. I have plans to take a picture of what might be my next QSL card, one of the sail boats now beached here since the storm went through. Since I am a seaman it might be a neat QSL. 73 (from Guam island, Larry Fields n6hpx/du1, Jan 14, swl via DXLD) ** HAWAII. 870, Honolulu KAIM. Back on the air after supposedly signing off for good Jan 1, 2002 at 1000 UT. Noted 11/25 [sic -- very old item just now appearing?] with praise music (light Christian AC), plus numerous PSA's and shortform features such as Dr. James Dobson. Slogans include "Hawaii's Christian Music Station." Signal is strong in East Honolulu but audio was weak, and in nearly buried by spurs in the Kalihi area and westward. This may indicate that owner Salem Media was using the 50 KW transmitter on Moloka'i but not cranking up the audio. Still have not got an answer why station has returned. (5P-HI Dale Park, HI, IRCA DX Monitor Jan 18 via DXLD) I had heard that the transmitter site on Moloka'i was taken down and that Salem has been using a local Honolulu site. A new site on Moloka'i? (Pat Martin, ibid.) ** HONDURAS. Björn & Others, What about R. Litoral from Honduras? They carry this sort of religious programs regularly. A few days ago I noticed a similar sudden s/off as in your case, but I assumed it was R. Litoral. Characteristic for R. Litoral is (at least it was last year) that the exact frequency is not 4830.00 but 4830.04 (+/- 0.01 kHz). Regards, (Aart Rouw, Bühl, Germany AR7030+20m longwire/MLB, hard-core-dx via DXLD) See VENEZUELA earlier ** INDIA. AIR Chennai 4920, Jan 12/03 at 0035 UT in EE with News to 0040 then into programming in local language. Poor AIR Delhi 4860, Jan 11/03. External service in presumed Urdu (or at least mention of) from 1459 to 1600 (fading). Good AIR Aligarh 9445, Jan 11/03 at 2204 UT with English News. Very Good. AIR Shillang 4970, Jan 12/03 at 1355 in EE with a game show (including questions about AIR). Good AIR Mumbai 4840, Jan 12/03 at 1526 in LL with man and women (news?) talking. Very Good signal but Very Bad audio. AIR Hyderabad 4800, Jan 12/03 at 1535 in EE with News and sports. Fair with Sweeper interference. AIR Ranchi 4960, Jan 13/03. Good (Mick Delmage, Alberta DXpedition at Don Moman`s, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. RADIO STATIONS TO BE SET UP BY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS | Text of report by Indian news agency PTI New Delhi, 13 January: About one thousand radio stations are likely to be set up this year in the country by educational institutions like universities, IITs [Indian Institutes of Technology], IIMs [Indian Institutes of Management] and residential schools, following government's nod to the Community Radio Station Scheme. Anticipating a "radio revolution" in the country, Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj Monday [13 January] said in an era of convergence and optical fibre, an inter-disciplinary approach has become necessary. Only entrepreneurs who keep abreast of the latest technological developments, innovate with technology applications and come out with products to meet genuine felt needs of the consumers will get the early bird advantage, she said presiding over the launching of Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunications Engineers. Calling upon engineers to seize upon the opportunity and make the new radio stations operational, she asked them to take initiative at a "micro level" so that at the "macro level" the nation as a whole takes a quantum jump. She said the focus must be kept on the 20 million strong diaspora which has among the best electronic, computer, communications, broadcasting engineers and IT experts and larger collaborations between Indians and Indians abroad could help in "making us the world leaders in the knowledge based sunrise industry." Source: PTI news agency, New Delhi, in English 1259 gmt 13 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) It`s about time ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. FREE WORLDWIDE BROADCAST OF 1/18 ANTI-WAR RALLY The Voices of Solidarity -- Satellite Uplink Project will carry the full, 4 hour live coverage of the Saturday, January 18, 2003 National March on Washington Against the War in Iraq, and will uplink that coverage to satellite for free distribution to media outlets and public access stations in the Middle East, Asia, Europe, the United States and worldwide. This satellite uplink is organized by Multi- Media Group, Peace TV, Free Speech TV and World Link working with the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition. The Voices of Solidarity -- Satellite Uplink Project will bring a message of peace to millions around the world. A UNIQUE COMBINATION OF HIGH TECHNOLOGY AND GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY This is a historic undertaking of international solidarity, a unique combination of high technology and grassroots democracy that counters the pro-war message being sent by the Government and the corporate media who seek to falsely convince the world that the people of the United States support George W. Bush in his call for aggression against Iraq and first-strike use of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. A MESSAGE OF SOLIDARITY FROM THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES TO THE WORLD On January 18th, on the weekend commemorating the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, in the tradition of the U.S. civil rights movement, tens of thousands will assemble at the U.S. Capitol to march against the war -- and to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters around the world who seek peace and deserve justice. This massive demonstration is also a message of solidarity from the grassroots, from the people of the United States to the people who are most directly affected by the U.S. war and interventions in Iraq and in the region. It is a message that must be heard and seen globally, without the editing and bias of the pro-war corporate media. Voices of Solidarity Satellite Uplink Project will broadcast on Saturday, Jan 18 From: 11:00 am to 3:00 pm ET -- This is: 16:00 to 20:00 GT [= UT] Within the U.S., public access stations and many universities have the facilities to downlink this historic demonstration. Media outlets around the world can use this service. The 4-hour live coverage (including the rally, march and interviews) can be down linked FREE for immediate live broadcast or taped for later use. THE FREQUENCIES ARE LISTED BELOW: For U.S.A., Caribbean, Mexico, Canada Satellite Telstar 6 K Dig, Orbital Slot 93 degrees WL, Transponder: 07-Ch A, Bandwidth: 9 MHz, Uplink Freq: 14158(H), Downlink Freq: 11858 (V) For Middle East, Europe, Africa Satellite NSS 7, (Ku) dig, Orbital Slot 338 degrees EL, Transponder:H8L/Ch 2, Bandwidth:9 MHz, Uplink Freq: 14447.5(V), Downlink Freq: 11657.5(H) For Asia Satellite PAS 2 C Dig, Orbital Slot 191 degrees WL, Transponder:12-Ch A, Bandwidth: 9 MHz, Uplink Freq: 6242.5(V), Downlink Freq: 4017.5(H) ********** For more information on the January 18 National March on Washington DC and joint action in San Francisco, see http://www.internationalanswer.org Make a TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION to help stop the war before it starts: http://www.internationalanswer.org/donate.html For a list of CITIES ORGANIZING TRANSPORTATION, go to: http://www.internationalanswer.org/campaigns/j18/j18contacts.html Help spread the word! DOWNLOAD the NEW FLYER at http://www.internationalanswer.org/campaigns/resources/index.html For LOGISTICAL INFORMATION (directions, housing, parking, etc.), go to: http://www.internationalanswer.org/campaigns/j18/logistics.html YOUTH & STUDENT ACTION: JAN. 18-19 http://www.internationalanswer.org/campaigns/j18/students.html FOR MORE INFORMATION: http://www.InternationalANSWER.org http://www.VoteNoWar.org dc@internationalanswer.org New York 212-633-6646 Washington 202-332-5757 Los Angeles 213-487-2368 San Francisco 415-821-6545 Email circulated by: A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism) Sign up to receive updates (low volume): http://www.internationalanswer.org/subscribelist.html ------------------ Send replies to answer@action-mail.org This is the ANSWER activist announcement list. Anyone can subscribe by sending any message to answer.general-subscribe@action-mail.org (via WORLD OF RADIO 1165, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. BIG NEWS FOR EUROPE AT LAST CAROLINE TAKES TO THE 'SKY' http://www.radiocaroline.co.uk/news.htm Our new 28 degree channel that has been long in the planning, came on air on Mon 13th Jan at 2.30 pm. This makes us accessible to the 6.5 million homes (28 million people) who have Sky equipment in the UK. Our service for the Continent continues on Hotbird 6 for the foreseeable future. UK listeners, should tune to 11623 GHz. H polarity. 27.5 Symbol Rate and 2/3 FEC. Overseas listeners can use Hotbird 6 at 13 degrees. 12597 GHz. V. 27.5. 3/4. It would help us greatly if you could tell friends and work colleagues how to tune in to Caroline. We will be using these channels to promote the portability of our service sent by Worldspace. New models of Worldspace radio sets will soon be available. Now we need a short rest while we consolidate our new channel, before we look toward the next phase of expansion for Caroline. We would like to thank everyone who helped us achieve this new channel (via Mike Terry, Jan 13, DXLD) What`s the fuss? Do they have any programming that is intellexually stimulating? (gh, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. GM TO OFFER XM RADIO IN 75% OF 2004 MODELS -- - SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE GETS TIMELY BOOST By Renae Merle, Washington Post Staff Writer, Wednesday, January 15, 2003; Page E05 Washington's XM Satellite Radio Inc. announced yesterday that its subscription radio service will be available in 75 percent of General Motors Corp.'s 2004 models, expanding its presence at a critical time in the 16-month-old firm's development. The investment community has long considered XM's installation in new cars critical to the success of the company and to its embryonic industry, because consumers are less likely to wince at its $150 to $300 initial price tag and monthly subscription fee when they're spending tens of thousands of dollars for a new vehicle. GM, which is XM's largest shareholder, installed the service in the 2002 models of its high-end Cadillac cars. But to reach a wider audience, the company will make the service available in cheaper and higher-volume vehicles such as Chevrolet's Cavalier and its truck models, said spokesman Mike Merrick. "We're hitting the truck segment pretty hard," he said. For 2003 car models, XM was available in 25 of GM's 54 models. It will be available in 44 of the 57 2004 models. GM expects to install XM equipment in 350,000 to 400,000 cars this year, Merrick said. XM and its New York-based rival, Sirius Satellite Radio Inc., are both losing money. They are locked in a race to attract subscribers accustomed to AM and FM radio to their subscription format. The satellite services offer 100 channels of mostly commercial-free music and news stations. After spending more than $1 billion each to launch service, the battlefield has shifted from retail outlets such as Best Buy to car showrooms. By the end of 2003, 50 percent of XM's subscribers are expected to come from new car sales, said XM spokesman Chance Patterson. The deal with GM is unrelated to a $450 million refinancing package announced last month and partially funded by the auto manufacturer, Patterson said. That deal is critical to XM's survival, giving it enough funding to stay afloat until mid-2004, when XM forecasts it will have enough customers to support itself. Analysts have been skeptical of that prediction, saying XM may need another cash infusion by late 2004. And Sirius could pose more competition after it completes a $1 billion refinancing package, according to Salomon Smith Barney, which has an investment-banking relationship with XM but not Sirius. "If it can complete this deal, we believe it will be in a stronger position," Salomon's J. Armand Musey said in a research note Monday. "XM Radio is better situated with strong support from GM. . . . However, we believe that Sirius's proposed restructuring would leave it with more attractive capital structure," he said. © 2003 The Washington Post Company (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM [non]. OLD SATELLITE STATION NOW PLUSH HUNTING RESORT IN ALABAMA By JAY REEVES The Associated Press 1/13/03 1:02 AM ESTILL FORK, Ala. (AP) -- The 18-inch satellite dish atop the Paint Rock Valley Lodge and Retreat isn't anything compared to the space-age monstrosity out back. Owner Edley Prince has converted an old satellite ground station -- complete with a steel dish 60 feet across and about 90 feet tall, pedestal and all -- into a destination hunting resort in the Appalachian foothills of northeast Alabama. Hunters like Danny Fitzpatrick, a manager with New York's transit authority, drive hundreds of miles for a chance to shoot deer on the 4,200 acres of land surrounding the lodge. Fitzpatrick and four buddies who accompanied him said the drive and the cost -- $250 a day -- was worth it considering the hunting and the amenities that Prince added. The lodge's extras include an indoor, heated swimming pool; a hot tub; a mini-theater; two pool tables; a stone fireplace; double beds; fine Southern cooking; and, of course, satellite TV. "We were up in Canada and it was so rustic they didn't have electricity," said Fitzpatrick, sitting in the dining room in a Mets T-shirt after a morning hunt. "This is great." Dozens of high-dollar hunting reserves have opened across the South in recent years as entrepreneurs began taking advantage of two of the region's more plentiful resources: land and game. Just recently wildlife officials opened a "quail trail" of bird preserves across Alabama. But Prince's stands out. It is located in an old Western Union facility that once captured satellite signals from space and relayed them to Atlanta, about 100 miles to the southeast. The remoteness that makes the spot attractive for hunting made it good for a downlink station. "The reason they picked out this site was that the mountains kept out all the outside interference," said Prince, a native of the lush Paint Rock Valley, named for the colorful agate in the surrounding mountain. The retreat is in its tenth season. Prince, 58, said residents of the tiny Jackson County community of Estill Fork didn't know what was going on in the mid-1970s when satellite dishes began pointing skyward outside a big, newly constructed concrete building. "You should have heard all the talk," said Prince. "People thought it was for spies and all kind of stuff." The station operated until the mid-'80s, when changing technology made it obsolete. The building was still full of electronic equipment and teletype machines when Prince purchased it. "There ain't no telling how much wiring was in this thing. We hauled it off and gave it away," he said. Prince completely renovated the interior, constructing 18 bedrooms and adding the swimming pool to the back and a shady porch with rocking chairs on the front. The interior walls are lined with rough-cut lumber and cedar logs for a rustic touch, and trophy deer and turkey decorate the big TV room. Deer meat is processed outside and packed for shipping. The hollow concrete base of the station's second huge antenna, which was sold to a company in New Zealand, serves as a small reading room that's popular with wives who come along with their hunter husbands. "We get a lot of repeat customers," said hunting guide Cale Prince, the owner's son. "That's what we want." Deer season ends Jan. 31, and the next big rush of hunters will be for spring turkey season, which opens March 15. During the off season, the lodge is the site of corporate and church retreats. A bluegrass festival is held in September before hunters begin arriving for bow season in October. Advertising on the Internet and in magazines, Prince has been surprised with the success of his satellite installation-turned hunting lodge. The big antenna seems out of place, but it's a conversation starter. "I've sold the dish twice but the guy hasn't come to pick it up," said Prince (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** IRAN. Frequency changes for VOIROI/IRIB effective from Jan. 5: Bengali 0030-0127 NF 9520, ex 6085 0030-0127 DEL 6005 to ME 0830-0927 NF 11705 to ME || new transmission English 0030-0227 NF 6120, ex 6135 French 2330-0027 NF 6120, ex 6135 2330-0027 NF 9790, ex 9740 Hebrew 0230-0257 NF 6120, ex 6135 Malay 1730-1827 on 9805 and 11875 || cancelled 2230-2327 on 9785 and 11750 || new transmission Spanish 0030-0227 NF 9555, ex 9650 Tajik 0030-0227 on 5950 || extended, ex 0100-0227 Urdu 1330-1457 ADD 9830 (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 14 via DXLD) 9580, VOIRI, 0037 Jan 11, "welcome to the news from the Voice of the Republic of Iran" by YL and into news by OM and YL." (Jilly Dybka, Nashville TN, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** IRAN. PAPER ON RADIO, TV STATIONS RUN BY "FUGITIVE ANTI- REVOLUTIONARIES" | Text of report by Iranian newspaper Jomhuri-ye Eslami web site on 15 January Fugitive anti-revolutionaries have increased their propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Corrupt elements belonging to the tyrannical regime of the shah, assisted by Western countries, are running many satellite [radio and TV] networks in Farsi [Persian] from the European countries and America. The tone of these networks is becoming more political and they are trying to insinuate that the courageous people of Iran now regret the revolution - which they created some 24 years ago led by His Eminence Imam Khomeyni, God bless his soul, and resulted in the removal of the corrupt regime of the shah - and wish that the situation would return to what it was then. Western governments, particularly America, and their satellite television stations are interested in the role played by such [radio and TV] networks in creating unrest and agitation under any pretext such as the removal of the hejab, Students Day, protest against the detention of [reformist academic Hashem] Aghajari and any other subject which could be turned into a political issue. Managers of such corrupt networks take the most advantage of domestic differences which divert the attention of the country's politicians from their essential work and stops them from thinking about the designs of the enemies of the system. While they [officials] are missing the opportunities here [in Iran], they [enemies] are creating them [over there]. Source: Jomhuri-ye Eslami web site, Tehran, in Persian 15 Jan 03; p2 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** IRELAND. Hi Glenn. I understand from "Shortwave Magazine" (January 2003 edition) which is available here in England that the transmitter once used first by the station Atlantic 252, then by TeamTalk 252 has apparently been activated once again. A listener in England has reported that they heard the LW 252 kHz (Clarkestown, Eire) transmitter on air in December 2002 which was "powered and undergoing tests". I wonder what is going to turn up this time? Best wishes and 73s, (DXDave [Harries], Bristol, England, Jan 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. COURT LIFTS MUSIC GAG ORDER ON ARMY RADIO, GALGALATZ From today's online Haaretz newspaper: Supreme Court Justice Dalia Dorner on Tuesday ordered a 60-day delay in implementing an injunction barring Army Radio and its all-music and traffic reports subsidiary station Galgalatz from playing contemporary popular music as attempts are made to reach a compromise agreement with Acum. Donner proposed a compromise agreement to the sides, according to which Army Radio would pay Acum five percent of its annual budget (NIS 1.7 million for 2003). Acum has been demanding seven percent. The sides will attempt to come to an agreement over the next two months. The four-year row between Acum, the performing artists organization that collects royalties for musicians, lyricists and composers, and Army Radio over how much the station should pay in royalties for music it broadcasts, silenced the popular radio station and Galgalatz Monday night at midnight. And... In a typical Israeli compromise, the Israeli High Court has just ruled to give the two sides in the dispute two more months to come to an agreement about royalties. Army Radio head Avi Benihu said "The high court realized that it is impossible to silence a radio station over such an issue" As written above, the two sides now have 60 days to come to an agreement (Mike Brand, via Mike Terry, Jan 14, DX LISTNENING DIGEST) ** JORDAN. Radio Jordan, 11690, Jan 13/03 at 1700 with World News in English. Very Good (Mick Delmage, Alberta DXpedition at Don Moman`s, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LESOTHO. Radio Lesotho (presumed) 4800, Jan 13/03 at 2240. No positive ID as thru the hour fighting out with China also on the frequency. Lesotho was winning but as they only played uninterrupted African music for 20 minutes, between songs I heard the Chinese chatter. Top of hour there was an announcement in LL, but I`ll have to say I did not hear any IDs. Good (Mick Delmage, Alberta DXpedition at Don Moman`s, WORLD OF RADIO 1165, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Bob Padula reported the same problem when Les on after 2000, tho 2240 seems rather late in UT+2 zone; WRTH 2003: 0300-2200 (gh) 4800, 0300-0320, R. Lesotho Jan 13, At tune in sounded like a NA till 0302 with what sounded like an ID. Then a pipe organ, short tune. Male announcer not in English with prayer as he says 'Amen' at the end of the talk. Then possible sermon has male announcer ranting. S8 signal level. Definite African language but not English. Hymn heard at 0311 by mostly female choir. Then to piano music at 0312. A tune written by Elton John, 'Rocket Man'. 0316 male announcer short statement and then to what sounded like a barnyard, cow's mooing and to African chant tune. Excellent reception. 0317, different male announcer in African language (Bob Montgomery, Levittown, PA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) 4800v, R. Lesotho 0416-0423 01/14. Presumed here with talks between 2 OM and a YL. An ad in English was heard, something for "$29.95". Talks resumed. No ID noted. Poor, "data" QRM (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., Intervale NH, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** LIBERIA. R. Veritas, 5470, audible Jan 14 at 0715 with continuous talk in English, but modulation not up to par and could only understand a word here and there, fortunately including R. Veritas IDs at 0728, 0730:30. If this was a VOA relay, I could not tell without checking for parallels. After 0732 into mostly music, and signal only starting to fade a bit by 0755 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MADAGASCAR. RTVM, 5010 (presumed), Jan 12/03 at 1556 to past 1700 fadeout. Language with possibly mention of an ID at 1600. African tunes. The language was not French but close. Good (Mick Delmage, Alberta DXpedition at Don Moman`s, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Malagasy? 5010, 0308-0330, R. TV Malagasy Jan 14. ID heard at 0302 after IS. Unbelievable copy at S7 level. Best copy ever of this station at my QTH. Male announcer and then to short tune with male and female announcer. Then to some awesome Malagasy tunes with female announcer at 0313. Rapid erratic fades but totally above noise floor. Starting to drop down by 0320. Sunrise is about 0230. Still going past 0330. (Bob Montgomery, PA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** MALAYSIA. 1475, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah - Presumed; great expectations were raised on AUG 28 and 29 with a huge carrier. Again on SEP 23 at 1056 and OCT 13 at 1111. No audio due to high noise level. No significant carrier since. Nine direction finding bearings averaged 335 vs. 330 true, typical skewing for signals grazing the edge of the auroral zone (Ray Moore, North Fort Myers FL; Homebrew receiver, R8, R1000, Comdel preamp, 23-inch spiral MW loop, 23-inch SW loop, rsmcomm@usa.net NRC IDXD Jan 10 via DXLD) ** MALDIVE ISLANDS. Elucidating recent discussion of VOM here, which now has a webcast, the 2003 WRTH says English is at 1200-1400 including news at 1300; SW: occasional operation with reduced power on 5998.5 with 1 kW (tho this hasn`t been reported in years) and they also have a F.Pl for 10 kW SW transmitter and a regular SW service, possibly in 11 MHz band (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1165, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALI. Radio Mali 4835.5 (Very Good) // 4782.5 (Fair) Jan 13/03 at 2230 in French with talk between woman and man (Mick Delmage, Alberta DXpedition at Don Moman`s, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MARSHALL ISLANDS. 1098, Majuro, OCT 27 1007-1118 - Presumed; instrumental music. + NOV 5 1125 - Soft voiced woman. + DEC 22 1102 - Big carrier, no audio. This is the most consistent transpacific carrier month after month. Many times seems to be only open carrier. Tentative ID based on direction finding and program content noted in previous years. [non] This has been the worst season for "down under" stations since I've been in Florida. Only occasional weak carriers on 1611, 1548, 1512, 1503 and 738 kHz have made it (Ray Moore, North Fort Myers FL; Homebrew receiver, R8, R1000, Comdel preamp, 23-inch spiral MW loop, 23-inch SW loop, rsmcomm@usa.net NRC IDXD Jan 10 via WORLD OF RADIO 1165, DXLD) ** MAURITANIA. Radio Mauritania 4845, Jan 12/03 at 0625 with tone to 0627 Interval Signal and s/on announcements in Arabic at 0629 then into Kor`an reading for 25 minutes. Nice signal. Also Jan 13/03 at 2200 in Arabic with a HUGE Signal. Need I say more (Mick Delmage, Alberta DXpedition at Don Moman`s, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MYANMAR. Radio Myanmar, 5040.6 Jan 12/03 at 1359 in Language. Signal was very good but transmitter had a bad hum. Checked 4725 with nothing and 5985.8 which is now on exactly 5985 and at 1444 with English news, well under Radio Canada International from Japan. Re- check at 1458 with songs the like of Doris Day, now in the clear but weaker (Mick Delmage, Alberta DXpedition at Don Moman`s, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS. Hello from Hilversum, This is a special edition of the Media Network newsletter. Today Radio Netherlands is issuing a press release setting out our strategy for the 21st Century. What follows is the English version of the official press release. In the days and weeks ahead, Media Network will be publishing more detailed information on some of the points highlighted in the press release. Your questions and comments are very welcome at media@rnw.nl and will be put to Radio Netherlands management for their response. NEW MISSION REVITALIZES DUTCH INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTER Hilversum, January 15th 2003 Radio Netherlands, Holland's international broadcaster, has just announced major revisions to its global mission. These will ensure that the activities of one of Europe's most respected broadcasters remain focused and relevant in a changing world. In the last decade Radio Netherlands has built relationships with more than 6000 partner broadcasters. An active dialogue is now in place between people in The Netherlands and selected audiences in foreign countries. Radio Netherlands will now focus its production on selected global themes, making increased use of Dutch expertise both at home and abroad. "The thematic approach to our work will give us new opportunities in the increasingly complex media markets." explains Lodewijk Bouwens, Radio Netherlands' Director General. "Our policy of building partnerships in Latin America has succeeded. We have already established ourselves in that region as a catalyst for discussion on such issues as migration, democratization, globalization, and religious tolerance. We now want to strengthen the number of active partners in selected parts of Africa and Asia. Daily production in three languages is essential for this task: the world languages of English and Spanish, plus Indonesian. Indonesia has historical links with the Netherlands. It is an important economic force in Asia as well as the world's largest Muslim country." Radio Netherlands will also organize more thematically driven events and projects. Activities in Arabic involving TV production and websites will be initiated. Successful French language educational projects and co-productions in Africa will continue. "We expect to start new projects in countries such as Turkey, Morocco and the new members countries of the European Union" says Bouwens. " Our existing audio and video networks will also offer a global broadcast platform for discussions produced with other partners. For instance, we've recently done co-productions and training with UNESCO, Bernard van Leer Foundation, and Médecins Sans Frontières. The current budgetary constraints in the Netherlands will mean that this shift to a more thematic and project driven organization will lead to personnel consequences. More extensive co-productions will be needed with our domestic broadcast colleagues to maintain a radio, TV and Internet service for Dutch speakers living abroad. Radio Netherlands will eliminate any duplication of effort and consolidate some of its shortwave radio distribution within Europe, to Latin America and the Pacific. Lodewijk Bouwens stresses that although the organization will see many changes between now and March 2004, Radio Netherlands will retain its journalistic independence. High value is placed on the trust and respect Radio Netherlands has built in the last 55 years. (Media Network newsletter Jan 15 via DXLD; also via Sergei Sosedkin, WORLD OF RADIO 1165) What does ``consolidating SW radio distribution`` really mean, and what ``personnel consequences`` --- firings or lay-offs? (gh, DXLD) MAJOR CHANGES AT RADIO NETHERLANDS Radio Netherlands has announced a revised mission statement, a more thematic approach to its broadcasting content and more emphasis on partnership. The changes result from an internal process of analysis to define the station's role in the 21st century. The station will continue to broadcast in Dutch, English, Spanish and Indonesian and other language areas will be served on a project basis. The changes, which will go into effect by October this year, will mean the loss of around 60 jobs (From the Radio Nederland website via Harry van Vugt, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, Jan 15, WORLD OF RADIO 1165, DXLD) ** NORWAY. Some deleted frequencies for Radio Norway/Radio Denmark: [no doubt to accommodate new clandestine customers at Merlin –gh] 1300-1330 RN 13800 KVI 200 kW / 035 deg 1330-1355 RD 13800 KVI 200 kW / 035 deg 1630-1655 RD 13800 KVI 200 kW / 145 deg || Sun only 1700-1730 RN 7490 KVI 200 kW / 095 deg || Sun only 1730-1755 RD 7490 KVI 200 kW / 095 deg 1730-1755 RD 9980 SVE 200 kW / 180 deg 1830-1855 RD 7490 SVE 200 kW / 180 deg (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 14 via DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA [and non]. KVOO 1170 in Tulsa was doing well with classic country and changed to news/talk KFAQ. Ratings dropped from 5.1% to 1.3%. The worst thing was dumping the call KVOO, a big mistake. KVOO was known as the "Voice of Oklahoma" many years and had been a successful country station since 1971. The same company "Journal", also dumped the call WOW in Omaha both on AM and FM. At least they run a music format on the new KOMJ 590. I wouldn't be surprised if next they dumped WTMJ in Milwaukee, their original station (John Tudenham, Joplin MO, IRCA Soft DX Monitor Jan 18 via DXLD) ** PAKISTAN. Re: Reference numbers on letters from R. Pakistan to Mr. Ifthikhar Hussain Malik... Can you please explain the meaning of the reference numbers you are using? I remember these numbers have been used in late 80'ies, too!. My number was Eng/FM/A-28/02 .. I told other radio listeners about it and one of them in the US had the same reference number .. so all mail from the English department has the same number in one year? (Martin Schoech, Germany...) From: "Controller FM" cfmpbchq@isb.comsats.net.pk Subject: Re: Letter to Mr. Ifthikhar Hussain Malik Date sent: Mon, 13 Jan 2003 14:40:29 +0500 Dear Mr. Martin Schoech, Thank you for the Compliments and greetings. The number you referred is actually the file Number through which we correspond to our listeners relating to our programs directed towards Europe. Therefore all the mail regarding these programs will bear this number. You are quite right, we are using this and all the other numbers of our different services are very old. I hope you will keep writing to us in future as well and for any further query please do not hesitate. With best wishes and very happy new year. Iftikhar H. Malik. --------------------------------------------------------- (via Martin Schoech, Germany, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** PATRIA. Dear Glenn: Thanks for visiting Patria and putting some info on Ramrajyavani on DXLD. I don't have a page totally dedicated to radio. A long time ago I made a logbook of Patria's AM and FM stations. I never even typed it on a computer, let alone put it on the web. Most of the AM stations changed frequencies in 1978, when Patria (along with most of the world outside the Americas) moved from 10 to 9 Khz spacings. Here are the AM and FM stations in Castoropolis (Kashipura), Patria's capital city. [old 10 kHz frequency in square brackets] AM Radio stations: PCRC, 531 kHz (ethnic, variety) [530] PCGE, 595 kHz (Hindu) [590] POKX, 648 kHz (right-wing talk) [650] (formerly Patria's major top 40 rocker) PHTN, 792 kHz (Ramrajyavani-II) [790] PMC, 846 kHz (news, talk, information) [850] PRCC, 918 kHz (Ramrajyavani-I) [920] PTE, 1017 kHz (Hindu) [1020] PTCN, 1071 kHz (Ramrajyavani-III) [1070] PMBC, 1152 kHz (all sports) [1150] PHN, 1251 kHz (liberal-left talk) [1250] PVOG, 1350 kHz (Christian, brokered ethnic) [1350] PKBY, 1404 kHz (Nostalgia/MoYL) [1400] PECR, 1512 kHz (business news) [1520] PGBS, 1557 kHz (ethnic) [1560] FM Radio stations: PHUP, 88.1 MHz (educational/public, Hindu University of Patria) PNIT, 88.9 MHz (educational/public, Patrienish National Institute of Technology) PUC, 89.7 MHz (educational/public, University of Castoropolis) PCCC, 90.5 MHz (educational/public, City College of Castoropolis) PGBS-FM, 91.3 MHz (adult contemporary) PMC-FM, 92.5 MHz (classical, jazz) PREM, 94.9 MHz (new age) POKQ, 96.1 MHz (hot hits) PRCC-FM, 99.1 MHz (Ramrajyavani-IV) PPIX, 103.7 MHz (rap, dance, hip hop) PMBC-FM, 104.9 MHz (C&W) PCGE-FM, 106.7 MHz (classic rock) PRKO, 107.9 MHz (oldies). Ramrajyavani-I : popular music, news, information, documentaries, English/Patrienish. Ramrajyavani-II: Hindu devotional music, Sanskrit. Ramrajyavani-III: all-news. Ramrajyavani-IV: classical music, drama, poetry, arts. A commemorative stamp issued in 2001 for the 75th anniversary of Ramrajyavani is on the Patria Post page http://www.geocities.com/patria1818/patriapost.html The interval signal for Voice of Dharma, Radio Patria, or whatever I called the shortwave service (originally known as RCWS - Radio Castoria World Service - when I used to use Castoria and Patria interchangeably) was taken from Handel's Royal Fireworks music. 73 (Mike Brooker, Toronto, ON, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 9504.60, Radio Tacna, presumed, 1115-1125 Jan 15. Noted a man in steady Spanish Comments. Signal was at a poor level and needed enhanced using the ECSS process (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston, Florida, DX LISTENING DIGEST) http://www.orchidcitysoftware.com/ ** POLAND. PAN EUROPEAN RADIO ``MYSTERY`` SOLVED Here are the facts at last about the mysterious Pan European Radio testing in December from (as Berndt Trutenau could tell) Koszecin in Poland on 1080 kHz with high power. In a QSL Bert Van Schaick, MD, at Pan European Radio (P.O. Box 10386, Beverly Hills, CA 90213, USA) says: ``We hereby confirm and thank you for the reception report concerning our test transmission on 1080 AM in December 2002. The tests have been monitored by our staff in Germany, Sweden, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Results varie from extreme good reception in Sweden to moderate in the Netherlands and poor in the UK. This image is confirmed by the reception reports that have been sent in from these countries. Your reception report fits this picture as well and is hereby confirmed. The transmitter used is a 350 kilowatt with a non directional aerial. Pan European Radio is not a radio station but an organisation that facilitates other radio stations. The test is a step in our quest for high power AM frequencies in order to offer the radio stations we are connected with the best pan European coverage possible. We thank you again for taking the trouble to send us the information we can hardly do without. At this stage there is no solid plan to involve the 1080 in our range of terrestrial output. Should we decide to use the frequency it`s not very likely this will commence any earlier than 2004. For efficiency reasons I have asked our branch in Europe to distribute this letter. Yours sincerely, Bert VanSchaick, MD`` The letter was distributed from Zwolle, The Netherlands (Jan Edh, DX- ing from Fredriksfors, Sweden, Jan 14 hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Freq change for Voice of Russia via VLD 100 kW / 220 deg: 1000-1100 Korean 1100-1200 Chinese 1200-1300 Korean 1300-1500 Chinese all on NF 3955, ex 4010 (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 14 via DXLD) [non?] Voice of Russia on 7240: There is a good chance that this frequency originates from the Ukraine as the "Simferopol`" registration suggests. If memory serves right Voice of Russia already tested 7240 from Kopani (or probably Krasne instead) during the recent months. Best regarda, (Kai Ludwig, Jan 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOLOMON ISLANDS. SIBC 5020, Jan 11-13/03 around 0630 in Language and again daily checked around 1400 when they re-broadcast BBC. Always there it seemed and always good (Mick Delmage, Alberta DXpedition at Don Moman`s, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOUTH AFRICA. Radio Sondergrense, 3320, Jan 13/03. In what sounded more Dutch than Afrikaans, they was a program dealing with world health issues of the day. The health teams were in English (Cloning, Islets, steam cell research). No positive ID at 0000. Very good but fading by 0000 (Mick Delmage, Alberta DXpedition at Don Moman`s, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SWEDEN. R. Sweden this morning announced the following changes: Effective Wednesday 1/15/03, Broadcast to Asia & Australia on 9445 will change to 9400, at 2030 and a new broadcast to Asia & Australia will start at 1330 on 17505 in addition to 9430 (Wm. "Bill" Brady, Harwood MD, Jan 14, WORLD OF RADIO 1165, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Dear Glenn, With regard to the info on Radio Sweden in your latest bulletin, this morning I heard the following frequency announcements on that station. From this Wednesday at 2030 UT they are replacing 9445 by 9400 kHz to Asia/Australia. At 1330 to Asia additional frequency of 9430 will be added in parallel with 17505. So 17505 is indeed mentioned by them. Sincerely, (Jose Jacob, India, WORLD OF RADIO 1165, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** THAILAND. 1575, Bangkok JAN 6 1146-1200 - Best reception ever with VOA Burmese service parallel to 9890 kHz (Sri Lanka), 1200-1205 fade out music and woman in unknown language. Finally got tape of top of hour announcement, "This program comes to you from the Voice of America" when station went silent, carrier still on, while 9890 kHz continued with the Yankee Doodle theme and then cut their carrier. 1575 kHz went on to the new program. Also produced audio JAN 2 1152- 1207, JAN 1 1201-1204, and DEC 25 1142-1154. This station comes in directly over the pole and is reminiscent of the Urumchi, China station which was often heard in the east around sunset in the 1960s and '70s on 1525 (later 1521) kHz. These stations often come in when the ionosphere is disturbed and nothing else is heard, while signals from the Far East which skirt the auroral zone (Japan, Sabah) usually need prolonged periods of ionospheric quiet (Ray Moore, North Fort Myers FL; Homebrew receiver, R8, R1000, Comdel preamp, 23-inch spiral MW loop, 23-inch SW loop, rsmcomm@usa.net NRC IDXD Jan 10 via WORLD OF RADIO 1165, DXLD) ** THAILAND. Radio Thailand World Service, 9535, Jan 12/03 at 1956 in English with sports and mention of Canadian female hockey player Wickenhueser playing with a men`s team in the Finnish League. National anthem at 1958, Interval Signal at 2000 and S/On in English and then going into the German Service. Absolute killer signal (Mick Delmage, Alberta DXpedition at Don Moman`s, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TIBET [non]. CLANDESTINE, 11975, Voice of Tibet, 1428 Jan 12, test tones into Tibetan prayer with chod drums, jammer started, man and woman in TB (Jilly Dybka, TN, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** TOGO. Radio Togo, 5047, Jan 13/03 at 2315 in French. There but lots of splatter from US Station on 5050 kHz (Mick Delmage, Alberta DXpedition at Don Moman`s, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U A E. Early this morning Jan 14, Radio Farda was again identified on 1539.08, so obviously they are still making use of the Sharjah facility, known to be off frequency to the upper side. At the same time I could not hear Farda on 1593. Normally I am hearing 1593 but not 1539, so these two seem to be audible under different propagation conditions. Observer mentions 500 kW for Kuwait 1593. Isn't this some kind of future plan or wishful thinking? I have not seen any previous mention of 500 kW for this frequency. The case may be the same for 1539 (Olle Alm, Sweden, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Olle, do you know that the transmitter location is Sharjah and not Sadiyat or al-Dhabiya? 73, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I have only mentioned the site as listed, which of course may be incorrect at the source. Recent WRTHs mention Sharjah, as does the Geneva plan, but some years back Sadiyat (today's Dhabayya) was mentioned by the WRTH for 1539, when the frequency was listed at all. Sadiyat is the Abu Dhabi site, so Gaines Johnson may be perfectly right when he mentions Abu Dhabi. The point with my report is that the offset frequency is characteristic of the transmitter traditionally using the frequency (Olle Alm, Sweden, Jan 14, 2003, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. Part of a long thread about BBCWS on the swprograms topica list (where you may read everything without being a member): I do not think the BBC is at rest. If anything it is charging ahead at break-neck speed. I just wonder if it knows where it is going. Momentum is a property of matter that keeps it moving, once moving, in a specific direction unless acted upon by an outside force. It appears that the BBC World Service has plenty of momentum that keeps it headed onward to who knows what. I simply suggest that the problem we are having with what appears to us to be arbitrary class discrimination against North Americans and our ANZAC cousins may in fact be simply likened to a big ship with rudder damage. It sails in circles with no apparent objective. The BBC World Service of today is simply a vehicle for projecting the UK's version of events and the promulgation of their cultural identity. So today BBC World Service broadcasts silly ball games, dreadfully dull listings of football scores, and soap operas instead of concerts and serious drama. Where it once broadcast uniquely British humor, comedy appears to be totally absent at least from the World Service. The image I get of the UK from listening to the World Service is of a culture that has moved in the last 50 years from an appreciation of good music and literature to one that is obsessed by the same pop-culture influences that seem to have kidnapped most of our own media and the minds of our youth. The original objective of binding together the English-speaking world through easily received broadcasts on relatively cheap receivers has been tossed aside. No objective that I can clearly define has since surfaced. What kind of opinion forming should they be trying to do? Try a Google search on "BBC World Service Mission Statement". You won't find one. You can find a good but wordy mission statement for the Foreign Office which funds the BBC World Service but not the World Service itself. Could the absence of a clear mission objective be responsible for what we perceive as arbitrary discrimination against the major English-speaking former colonies? If the BBC World Service could clearly define its objectives on the back of an envelope maybe it would have a better idea of what it is trying to do and then figure out how best to get there. To be fair, I am not picking on the Brits. Most people under 40 in the USA get their daily fix of what is going on in the world by watching Jay Leno's monologue or Entertainment Tonight. That is why people attach such political significance to the uninformed rantings of folks like Sean Penn and Barbara Streisand. With so much cultural drivel coming out of Hollywood, we in the USA could certainly use a good dose of the old BBC General Overseas Service. On the other hand, I am getting pretty old and crotchety. The world is evolving into something I don't like very much and I can't get off. (I can't get off the world is what I meant. The nasty interpretation you came up with is too far off topic.) ~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-., (Joe Buch, DE, Jan 13, swprograms via DXLD) -*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^ Actually, it goes further than just news and current events. Cultural artefacts have been one of the UK's great export successes over recent decades, whether it be fashion, music, television programs, film, books, whatever. By narrowing its focus in regards to North America and the Pacific region to simply news and current affairs, the BBC harms a potentially useful tool in rejuvenating their now-flagging cultural industries. (British bands, for example, rarely have hits in America these days.) Nevertheless, Bush House has decided that in North America, at least, their brand name means news, and they seem to have no interest at all in telling their cultural story over here any more. It's a curious choice, and one I don't understand. They have this great tool for reaching a sizable, *motivated* audience who listen with great fervor, but instead they prefer to reach a largely uninterested audience who hears them passively. That seems like a misallocation of UK taxpayers' money to me. Go figure (Ralph Brandi, NJ, ibid.) ** U K [non]. LATVIA: Time changes for World Bible Network & Laser Radio effective from Jan. 12: 1500-1600 Sun only (ex 1700-1800) on 5935* World Bible Network in English 1600-2100 Sun only (ex 1800-2300) on 5935* Laser Radio in English *strong co-channel Voice of Russia 1500-1700 in Persian and 1700-2000 in Arabic (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 14 via WORLD OF RADIO 1165, DXLD) One has the impression Latvia has been stuck on 5935 for sesquidecades ** U S A [non]. Some frequency changes for Voice of America: 0100-0200 Spanish NF 9560, ex 9590 0300-0430 Kirundi NF 9785, ex 9585 1130-1200 Burmese NF 6140, ex 6100 1200-1230 Dari ADD 1143 1500-1530 Uzbek ADD 9890 1600-1700 Bangla NF 15160, ex 15265 1700-2030 Persian DEL 1593 1730-1800 Hindi NF 12040, ex 11920 (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 14 via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. Frequency change for Radio Farda via Iranawila, Sri Lanka, 250 kW / 299 degrees: 0800-1400 Persian NF 21575* ex 21475 *QRM RFI in French on 21580 from 0800 and REE in Spanish on 21570 from 1000. 73 from (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 14 via DXLD) ** U S A. Public radio station KVMR in Nevada City, CA has old clips (including ads) today (1/15/2003) from Tom Donahue's pioneer freeform station KSAN (San Francisco's "Jive 95") in the late '60's/early '70's. They stream using MP3. (so RA or WMP or Winamp will all work) from http://www.kvmr.org By the way, they also have reruns of the CBC's Dead Dog Cafe, Wednesdays around 9:15 A.M. GMT -8/-7. (Joel Rubin, NY, Jan 15 swprograms via DXLD) ** U S A. Re: [NRC-am] WCHB IBOC WCHB 1200 MI also tore up 1190 and 1210 at Burnt River. We even noticed effect atop WHAM 1180 this past weekend. IBOC does sound like hell, but when the lawyers get going the viewing may be spectacular. (Saul Chernos, Ont., Jan 13, NRC-AM via DXLD) I hear the same thing both here in Almont, MI and on down into Oakland County Michigan. WCHB is so strong I can just about hear them in the fillings of my teeth. 1190 and 1210 are completely obliterated and totally unusable here. This was not the case prior to IBOC. I have looked at the stations signal spectrally using an IFR 20GHz spectrum analyzer and an IFR 1200 service monitor (built in spectrum analyzer), and am still shaking my head. The DSP in my NRD-545, very tight IF filtering and ANL in my AR7030, and external audio DSP using a DSP- 599zx are all ineffective against the IBOC buzz. I did attempt to contact the station a few times, but never got any response. I was hoping for a chat with the CE, but nothing materialized (Rick Kunath, ibid.) Barry, Here in N.E. MN their signal is not real big right now, but 1190 and 1210 have been trashed for weeks. [or longer]. Gone are the days when you could hear other stuff on 1210 besides the "Big Talker". Last spring I was hearing 1kW CFYM Kindersley, SK on SRS. Fat chance any more (Paul LaFreniere, Grand Marais, MN, ibid.) FYI, Barry and all, WCHB "claims" to have authority to run IBOC at night. Does anyone know where this can be proven or disproven? (Fred Vobbe, ibid.) The only night authority can be a STA for testing ONLY. In fact you have to get a STA just to use it during the daytime (Powell, ibid.) Although some of the noise may be coming from computers, dimmer switches, TV sets, etc., 1190 is getting creamed big-time! 1210 less so. Even without IBOC, WCHB-1200 are a major pest here. 73 (Mike Brooker, Toronto, ON, ibid.) The CE is Ken Wallace. Here's what he told me: Barry, I got a forwarded message concerning WCHB and the running of IBOC at night. WCHB is currently a test station for Ibiquity corp. and is operating under an experimental license. This license permits IBOC at night on an experimental basis. If you have any further questions, please forward them to my attention and I will attempt to answer them. Sincerely, Ken Wallace, Chief Engineer, Radio One, Detroit kwallace@radio-one.com He did reply to a message I sent him, so you might want to try his email, Rick. As for whether they have authorization for night tests, apparently so. It would be interesting to know the details of what is permitted, though... I guess the only way to find out would be to ask the FCC. He told me that WCHB was of particular interest for tests because they have 10 towers. However, the full 10 tower array is only used at night, which should form a tight main lobe aimed north (site is south of Detroit). There's no way they're using a pattern like that right now - they appear to be on day pattern most, if not all the time... and maybe day power too. Wonder if their experimental license allows that? (Barry McLarnon, Ont., NRC-AM via DXLD) I haven't run across any STA's on the FCC site and have a suspicion they are not being reported by the FCC. Is there any place we can get a dump of IBOC STA's???? (Chuck Hutton, ibid.) From the FCC AMQ page: WCHB does have an STA, granted 7/02 BSTA- 20020605ABQ (Robert LaFore, ibid.) The fact that WCHB has 1190 trashed should just about eliminate any chance of hearing WBMJ for everyone except those in Puerto Rico. (Paul LaFreniere, MN, ibid.) DX test scheduled in early Feb Not trashed here, not the way that WOR trashed 700 and esp. 720. I can hear hash on WOWO, but by no means the unlistenable mess that was WGN during the WOR test. I can hear hash on 1210, too, but to a lesser level. What's completely gone is any hope of hearing anything on the adjacent splits, 1197 and 1206. Wonder what this does to WOWO's signal into northern Indiana? Isn't that still part of WOWO's "local" area? (Gerry Bishop, Nicequietyearsofarhereville, FL, ibid.) And it is pretty hard to hear in most of Puerto Rico, too (David Gleason, CA, ibid.) || A really great system, can't broadcast in Stereo yet and if you don't have a HD radio you are indeed going to hear a hiss in the signal. WHY would anyone want to use IBOC in its present form? || And that's the least of your worries. This is what I absolutely loathe about the rabid anti-IBOC people. They give this new system, approved by the FCC on an experimental basis only, no chance at all. || Oh absolutely hogwash. I listened to the files MULTIPLE times. On 2 different computers with high speed connections. I was flabbergasted. And I will say kudos for Tom Ray for the posting of the files.|| Apart from the blatant lies propagated on web sites such as digitaldisaster.org, I have never seen such wholesale negativity about new technology in my life. || Well get used to it. It is not going to get an awful lot better. The bandwidth problems alone will destroy the MW band's usefulness, but I realllllly think that's what IS intended. I can't say anything about the FM, as I have never heard it. And I do like new play toys...when I can afford them. I just see the emperor has NO clothes.|| I'm old enough to remember platform motion while listening to FM stereo through an unlocked decoder and color TV that looked absolutely horrible...but I don't remember anyone suggesting that we throw either of those technologies down the crapper. I still have the original color TV my parents bought in late 62 as a 63 model. It's interesting to note that a friend and I worked on it for hours one night and got the convergence within a phosphor dot. Ugly color pictures can be from any number of reasons, lots of them user error, even on newer sets. || The FCC in all its wisdom says X-banders can run IBOC, but must be in AM Stereo, something that can't even be done yet! Does anyone know if the IBOC radios at the CES convention had AM Stereo capability?|| If this person (one of the "I must have my AM stereo" crowd, no doubt) had bothered to actually READ the R&O, he would have found out that the requirement for AM stereo in the expanded band is dropped for those stations choosing to use IBOC. No one is suggesting that this newfangled IBOC thing is perfect, and we know even less at this point about public acceptance. But to pronounce it dead in its infancy because of some growing pains, or because it upsets those who cling to dead-and-buried technologies, is just plain stupid (Sid Schweiger, WRKO, broadcast.net...) No this will bring MW broadcasting to a low not imagined, if not it's death due to interference. I'm glad I have about 500 CDs I can rely on! (Powell [E. Way?] (above dialog via Mark Durenberger, NRC-AM; was Powell the other || || speaker thruout? Who knows?) IBOC is nothing more than using the force of government by corporations to shake your pockets out of any money you may have in there. It`s been a while since I have seen corporations so openly use the government to fleece the public. It would be OK if it was E147 on the band with Canada and we got to choose but this time we don't have the option. It`s all about corporations using force of government to take your money without your input. Canada may be a little more free than the US as at least they give the listener the choice (Kevin Redding, AZ, NRC-AM via DXLD) First, please recall that WCHB was periodically leaving the day rig on overnight last season and before, so this isn't new. They were heard here several times. When they 'behaved' they were rarely heard. WBMJ [1190 Puerto Rico] was heard in North Jersey in the 1970's on regular schedule, although it was during auroral conditions only. So, if WCHB stays on night power, and if we have even moderately auroral conditions, the test could still be heard in the East. (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA, ibid.) WCHB will be turning off their IBOC tonight at local sunset. Any observations and signal reports will be welcomed. Please report to the list any information (Fred Vobbe, OH, Jan 14, ibid.) ______________________________________________________________________ Subject: Re: AM BANDWIDTH VS. CHANNEL SPACING Newsgroups: alt.radio.broadcasting, alt.radio.pirate Date: 2003-01-13 02:11:43 PST We have yet to hear ANY digital broadcasting format that can sound anywhere near as good as its analogue counterpart. Over here in Europe, we have "Eureka 147" digital audio broadcasting. It started out almost OK, but then the broadcasters decided to reduce the bit rate progressively to allow more "channels". The "quality" is now a poor joke, and usually sounds worse than a poor MP3. The broadcasters can't understand why nobody wants to buy the (expensive) radios to receive this "service". The IBOC trials and demonstrations we've heard (and yes, we were represented in Las Vegas) have been poorer than the European equivalent. It's truly appalling! It suffers from really obvious digital aliasing effects and all manner of distortion artifacts that just make it unlistenable. It also causes HUGE amounts of interference either side of the carrier (which will please the big corporates - half as many stations in each market on the FM band). IBOC is NOT the way to do digital broadcasting! The interference it causes will certainly give rise to a large number of lawsuits from minor stations, but the FCC have a great history of defending the indefensible..... It will probably be the death of broadcast radio in the USA (BIAS COMMS via Kevin Redding, ibid.) Kevin: This is an interesting viewpoint. Do you know who "BIAS COMMS" is, and what their background is? (Vobbe, ibid.) Bias Comms seems to be a legal and legitimate maker of low power transmitters in Europe (Kevin, ibid.) The principal of Bias Comms appears pretty regularly on the pirate news groups. I believe he is also a legitimate designer and contractor of LPFM type stations. I tried to do a Google search on the company, and don't find anything interesting, though. Still, form my dialogue with the guy I find him fairly well documented, with an obvious non- corporate radio perspective. Definitely more than an idle flamer (David Gleason, CA, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. Recién he recibido respuesta a un email por parte de Radio Nacional de Venezuela, y su Jefe Onda Corta Radio Nacional de Venezuela, me informa que pronto estarán en onda corta mientras se hacen los ajustes necesarios, y que al momento salen en 630 y 1050 onda media. No se hace referencia a 15570 y 9540 khz. Respondieron desde ondacortavenezuela@hotmail.com que fue la dirección informada en la Lista por José. Aprovecho de citar, que la persona que respondió el e-mail fue: C. Ali Méndez Martínez, Jefe Onda Corta Radio Nacional de Venezuela. 73's GIB (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Jan 15, Conexión Digital via WORLD OF RADIO 1165, DXLD) Hoy quiero informarles que Radio Nacional de Venezuela todos los días a la 1 de la madrugada, 0500 UT, transmite a través de la Onda Media [1050 et al??] su programación correspondiente a la Onda Corta. Hoy por cierto, tuve la oportunidad de escuchar esta programación y mi sorpresa fué mayúscula, cuando pude oir que estaban leyendo los correos electrónicos de queridos amigos que escribieron a la radio a través del que suministré en la lista. Por cierto de la ciudad de Barcelona donde resido, nombraron al colega y amigo Néstor Vargas, y a José Elías y me alegró bastante cuando leyeron los correos de los colegas diexistas Gabriel Iván Barrera y Arnaldo Slaen de Argentina y Rafael Rodríguez de Colombia. Esta grabación la tengo en mi poder y está a la orden. En cuanto a los horarios de transmisión de RNV en onda corta, actualmente se están promocionando los siguientes horarios: 11:00 UTC............14:00 UTC....................18:00 UTC 21:00 UTC............00:00 UTC....................03:00 UTC Pero como dijo el colega diexista Gabriel Iván Barrera en su correo, pronto estarán de nuevo en el aire, mientras hacen los ajustes necesarios. También se pueden enviar informes de recepción a la siguiente dirección: Radio Nacional de Venezuela. Apartado Postal 3979 Caracas 1010. Venezuela Queridos amigos diexistas, lo que informo aquí es tomado textualmente de la transmisión escuchada y grabada por mí de la programación de RNV via Onda Media. Lo que si pude oir, es que ellos siguen promocionando la frecuencia 9540 kHz como la de el Canal Internacional de Radio Nacional de Venezuela. Por cierto, pude escuchar el Programa Aviación al Día y como amante de los aviones, sus historias, accidentes, frecuencias etc etc, les puedo decir que es muy bueno. Ya para despedirme, quiero decirles que para mañana les comentaré sobre la programación de RNV correspondiente al Jueves en la madrugada. Reciban un abrazo cordial y que sigan teniendo muy... pero muy... buenos dx (José Elías Díaz Gómez, Jan 15, Cumbre DX via WORLD OF RADIO 1165, DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. En estos momentos todas las televisoras privadas están enlazadas con RCTV, cuando los Círculos violentos están atacando a un equipo del Canal RCTV, en la Plaza Madariaga en Caracas. Conéctense en vivo al siguiente link: http://www.auyantepui.com/Web/noticias_medios/television/estaciones/ Vean por ustedes mismos la salvajada de estos seguidores del gobierno, y jusguen quién es el violento en este país. ¿A quién le puedo creer? Al Canal del gobierno donde nunca pasan nada, ó a al Vicepresidente Rangel, que siempre dice: "Aquí todo ésta extramadamente - Normal". Atentamente, (Jorge García Rangel, Barinas, Venezuela, Jan 14 3:51pm, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** ZAMBIA. 6265, R. Zambia, ZNBC 0424-0431 01/14. Talks with 2 OM mentioning "Zambia". Music with drums, chorus of OM. Snippet of "Fish Eagle" IS and drums at 0430. OM with news. Fair/poor (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., Intervale NH, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** ZANZIBAR. Hi Glenn; This station has been intriguing me for a long time with its interesting music, but only now have I taken the time to look into it. The combination of music suggested Mauritania at least to me, but I was pleasantly surprised: 11734.1, R. Tanzania Zanzibar (presumed) 2025-2100 Jan 12. Mideastern music, with occasional African-influenced music. Alternating M and F announcers, poor modulation with voice about 50%, with music being somewhat better quality. Anthem at signoff, seemed to match the Tanzanian national anthem at http://www.thenationalanthems.com performed by slightly out- of-tune brass band. A buzz-modulated signal that was moving slowly around within approx. 300-600 Hz of the frequency made positive ID of the anthem somewhat difficult; this interference was not local in origin. George Maroti logging in DXLD 2-186 helped give me a starting point on this station. Signal: 42233 (Steven Zimmerman, Milwaukee, WI, Drake R4A and calibrated signal generator, 80 meter half-wave dipole and coupler, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 1710 kHz, Jan 14 0815-1000 with deep fades every quarter hour, and finally did not reappear after 1000. Nothing but music, Spanish, calypso type like you would hear from Venezuela. Fade out would be around sunrise in that area (Ron Trotto, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The Lubavitcher pirate in NYC has really been getting out lately, and never heard of anything in LAm on 1710. I wonder if they play music which could be described as above (gh, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. This concerns Harold Frodge`s unID in DXLD 3-008. That certainly sounds like RWM based on the times it is transmitting 'pips' and when it is not. I usually get best reception here listening on 4996.5 LSB. Harold is listening on 4995 USB, and therefore listening 'up' in the passband. Whereas I was listening 'down' in the passband. At any rate, the best way to resolve it is to listen for the CW ID, which RWM transmits at 9 and 39 minutes past the hour (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ JANUARY 10-14 2003 SWL WEEKEND, By Don Moman ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Participants: Joe Talbot Nigel Pimblett Mickey Delmage Don Moman Heard lots of good stuff. The others will likely send you some of their loggings and info as well when they get a chance. As always, your DXLD compilations formed the basis of our target lists. I hope I've included the relevant details of what we've heard. [countries mentioned in following text, for search/reference purposes: ANGOLA / AUSTRALIA / BOLIVIA / BRAZIL / CANARY ISLANDS / CHINA / CYPRUS TURKISH / EL SALVADOR / GEORGIA / GHANA / INDIA / LESOTHO / LIBERIA / MALI / MYANMAR / NEPAL / NEW ZEALAND / SAO TOME / SIERRA LEONE / SOLOMON ISLANDS / SOUTH AFRICA / TANZANIA / THAILAND / TOGO / UZBEKISTAN / VANUATU / ZAMBIA. Many more loggings are in country order above] This is a bit of a long rambling recount of the last 4 days, spent with good friends and good propagation. DX hilites were, at times, coming fast and furious and not always obliging with an ID while I skimmed by, so some can only be an educated guess. Times are all UT, dates start Fri afternoon Jan 10th. Our group of four have been getting together for these DX weekends for many years now and the routine is pretty familiar. Nigel Pimblett has about a 7 hour drive to get here, Joe Talbot about 2 hours and Mickey Delmage just 30 minutes away. My location is near Edmonton, Alberta in western Canada. The antennas are located on 80 acres of rural farmland with generally little man made noise. Routinely we expect the K index to soar whenever we plan these things but even if conditions are terribly disturbed (I am at 53 degrees north, even a small solar disturbance can disrupt everything), we have always found that somewhere, on some band there is a bit of unusual DX just waiting to be discovered. The forecast looked pretty good for this time around, another bad sign. While waiting for the gang to arrive I check out the bands. It`s Friday afternoon here and I remember the religious service from the Canary Islands on 6715 for Korean fisherman is on late only on Fridays. Sure enough there is talk and church music audible. Not great but it`s only 100 watts and at 2200, we are 1.75 hours before local sunset. The signal improves as I listen while getting the radio shack ready for the others. The antenna distribution system is the main item; I need to make sure all the coax cables to the various listening positions are functioning. A bit of background on what is involved. The main SWL antenna is a rotatable log periodic covering 4 thru 30 MHz. For amateur radio use there are many towers supporting full size beams for 10, 15, 20, 40 and even 80 meters. Some pictures can be seen at http://narc.net/ve6jy/ There are also a number of beverages for the lower bands. All receiving antennas are routed through their own 32 channel multicoupler, a device that amplifies, isolates and splits the signal so that up to 32 receivers can be connected without interaction. Each listening position has 2 coax feeds, one directly to the 4-30 log and another to an antenna selector that lets one choose between the log and the various beverage antenna. Everybody brings their own radios --- Nigel travels with a pair of Kenwood R-5000s, Mickey with his ICOM R71A and Sony ICF 2010 and Joe lugs his heavy Collins HF-2050 (Nigel and Mickey leave theirs at home!). I use a pair of ICOM 756PRO transceivers, it has an excellent receiver for SWL and the spectrum display is a huge asset in spotting signals. While hooking things up I check 6715 again at 2330 and find the signal is gone. Nearly all signals are gone. Suspecting I made a wrong connection I check things, but nothing is wrong other than a bit of a solar flare has knocked the bands for a loop. Just then Joe arrives, for a typical start to our weekend – a flare just at the beginning. Once Joe gets settled in I notice the bands are recovering a bit. They continue to recover slowly and at 0345 Joe hollers that 4820 must be Botswana. I`m skeptical but after listening agree it must be them. The bands have recovered after all. VOA São Tomé on 4960 is also in with sports news at 0425 with a good signal. Zambia on 6265 has English news past 0500. By then Mickey and Nigel have also arrived and everyone gets down to the serious business of chasing DX. I notice that Liberia on 5470 at 0600 has a good signal. I rotate the log periodic from Africa to the South Pacific. At 0830 ZLXA New Zealand on 3935.1 is putting in a fair signal. Vanuatu on 7260 is noted just past 0900 (2 am local), as I turn in for some sleep. While there are many prime listening times, some are ``primer`` than others and one of my favourite times in December and January when daylite hours are short is the English news at 1530 from the various All India Radio regionals on 90 and 60 meters. Propagation at that time of morning to India can be excellent and today is no exception. The others tell me about the good DX catches they made earlier; while I don`t make notes it has been a good morning to lose sleep. Joe has been exchanging emails and has set up a ham radio schedule with a SWL friend KG4TUY David Hodgson in Tennessee. Another SWL we know, Bill, W5USM also calls in to say hello. Our sked frequency was 28740 in the 10 meter band which provided excellent signals between us but not between David and Bill (too close, the signals skipped over them) so we couldn`t make a good round table QSO. We chat with Bill and then David for the better part of an hour, exchanging some of the DX catches we`ve made on the first night. Up here, 49 meters is open all through the daylite hours and if things are good 60 meters as well. One of the targets is Bayrak Radio, Cyprus on 6150. Earlier I heard Russian there at 1933 and Chinese there at 2130; at 2200 the channel is clear but no sign of Bayrak. I do note a extremely weak het at 2153 on 6139.1 as I was checking for UNAMSIL, Sierra Leone. Another solar disturbance hits and the bands shut down. The rotator for the big log periodic antenna is a home made affair and doesn`t have a directional indicator built in. Instead I use a small video camera at the base of the tower, looking upwards, to see where it is pointing. At night I have a spotlight I can switch on, but the bulb ceased to function last night, so I need to replace the bulb. While the bands have taken a bit of a fade, the tower work is done. We are now beamed south east from here, which seems to be the best path (long path) for India from here in the late afternoon. Just after 0010 UT (Jan 12th) Nigel mentions that AIR 4790 has signed on and has an excellent signal. It`s way stronger than the CODAR sweeper that bothers that part of the band, a good sign. Other AIR signals on 5010, 5040, and 4990 come on shortly with their haunting Interval signal. The bands have recovered! Two signals which we didn`t have a ``best guess`` for were 4880 (Bangladesh?) and 4980 (maybe China). 0700 UT, midnight local time, so while turning the log again to the Pacific, the Solomons on 5020 rises out of the noise to a solid S9. It`s the pilot signal from that part of the world as sunset reaches it first. Thankfully the recent typhoon hasn`t seemed to affect its antennas. No sign of the new HCJB Australia on 11755 near 0700 though. Time to sleep. Up at 1330. Tashkent on 5060 is parallel 9715 with good signals, 6025 is much tougher. Nepal is good on 5005 but // 6100 is poor. Nigel mentions that they had English news at 1415. Myanmar on 5040.5 doesn`t seem to have English near 1445 but Nigel and Mickey discover their other frequency 5985 does. After the news, some oldies like ``Speedy González`` and ``Lipstick on your Collar`` are nice to listen to. No sign of 4725. Another good morning for AIR regionals as 1530 rolls around. 4635 presumed Tajikistan is audible now too. Checking near 1600, I note 6940 (Ethiopia) with weak audio, 6570 (Burmese Defence FBS) with good signals. Mickey is chasing 5010 Madagascar which has a good signal in the morning long path African opening. He reports an ID at 1600. I was chasing the signal on 5050. I suspect Tanzania to be the one with the Burl Ives song under the dominating Chinese station at 1620. SIBC on 5020 is still solid with BBC news. It lasts until 11 am local (1800 UT). The marine weather broadcast from VMW Wiluna, Western Australia on 6230 usb was like a local at 1630. Geez, those forecasts sound a lot nicer than our –23 deg C weather currently. Still, we have had a mild winter so can`t really complain. I check out another ute frequency: 4610 usb from LaRonge, Saskatchewan, a remote radiotelephone service for the north country. They give a short weather broadcast at 1800 - they are talking about –35 degree weather. We`re not so cold after all. 9535 at 1955 has Thailand just ending their English segment and then into German. I keep an ear on 6150 again, hopeful for Bayrak. Yesterday`s pattern of Russian and then Chinese up to 2200 repeats but there is faint audio thru 2200 but no pips and nothing discernible. Afternoon African signals on 60m got hit by another solar flareup so there is a bit of a lull. 4850 with English gets me interested but just turns out to be language lessons from China. Nigel has been chasing the 17835 Radio Imperial, El Salvador most of the afternoon and finally reports an ID around 0 hours. Jan 13th and the AIR regionals aren`t doing very well at 0020. I must have snoozed off as I`m awakened by Joe telling us he has English news on 4820 – we`re sure it`s Botswana. Great signal. 6265 Zambia also in like a local. Mickey is chasing Georgia on 11805 for their English at 0630. Strong signal but poor audio and frequent transmission breaks but the ID and schedule come thru OK. It`s our last morning and the AIR regionals are poor earlier, tricking Joe into going back to sleep. However they rapidly improve by 1530 and improve to the best and longest lasting opening of the 3 days. The low absorption allows an early fadein for the rare eastern African signals. 4976 Uganda has fair audio thru 2000 (that`s 1 pm local time) and the São Tomé VOA site on 4950 is doing very well. Also hearing Botswana on 4820, we assume. Our daily little solar blip (seems to be about an hour earlier each day now!) prevents the signals from building. Nigel has a 7 hour drive back so is the first to leave. He kids us that signals will improve when he is gone. They do. By 2245, 60m is full of African, Brazilian and Chinese stations. Mali on 4782 and 4835 are doing very well, I don`t recall noting them previous days. Ghana 4915 is huge but starting to lose to the co- channel Brazilian. At 2300, 4800 Lesotho is fighting it out with the Chinese station and winning, Joe reports. I tune by an ID from Angola on 4950 and on my second receiver, note Togo on 5047 doing fairly well, but no where near the signal it had in past years. The US station signing on nearby on 5050 isn`t appreciated. I check 90 meters near 2330 using the big 80m yagi; it works slightly better down here than the log periodic. 3320 South Africa has a great signal with some sort of phone in show. Several Brazilians – 3205 3365 (and nearly co-channel 3366 Ghana) are good as is 3375 (Brazil or maybe Angola – not sure) are audible. 3310 seems too loud to be the listed Bolivian but anything is possible. Mickey hollers over that La Cruz del Sur, La Paz on 4876.75 is IDing frequently so that helps convince me my 3310 signal is also Bolivian. Our usual 0020 India opening has 4790 AIR Chennai with a huge signal way over the CODAR sweeper. It signs off at 0045. Mickey and I check our unID 4980 again, it has the best signal of the 3 nights and we hear good time tones at 0100 but nothing discernable as far as an ID. Conditions take a bit of a fade and everyone remaining decides it is time to pack up and get on the road. We all have agreed that it was one of the best listening weekends we`ve had in some time. I`m not into QSLing so don`t keep the detailed notes I might but the others are and they`ve got enough program details and cassettes to keep them busy until summertime, but that won`t prevent us from getting together again around Easter to do it all again (Don Moman, Alberta, Jan 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ SONY ICF-2010 R.I.P. We are writing today regarding your backorder for the Sony ICF-2010. We have just received notification from Sony that the ICF-2010 has been discontinued. We were previously assured that this item would be available until March 31st and that there would be additional production. However, Sony has changed their mind and has elected not to produce any more units. We regrettably have had to cancel your backorder. If you paid by check, a refund check will be mailed very soon. If you ordered using a credit card, you card was never billed. Please feel free to call us toll-free at 1-800-431-3939 to discuss alternate choices. Thank you for your understanding. ---------------------------------------------------------------- (Universal Radio, Inc., Jan 15, via Bill Smith via John Figliozzi, swprograms via WORLD OF RADIO 1165, DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ TRANS-EQUATORIAL FM DX I live in the south of Brazil. Currently I am able to tune to several Caribbean FM stations because of the transequatorial propagation. I tuned to Radio Saint Lucia, Voice of Barbados, WGOD (from American Virgin Islands), Liberty FM (from Barbados), The Wave FM (from Saint Lucia), WORO and WZNT (from Puerto Rico), Hot FM (from Barbados) and some other stations that I could not identify (Márcio Roberto Polheim da Silva, Brazil, Jan 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) He had asked me for address of WZNT-93.7 (gh) FORECAST OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY 15 JAN - 10 FEB 2003 Solar activity is expected to be low to moderate during the forecast period. There is a slight chance of M-class activity from Region 251/255 complex early in the period and again late in the period when it is due to return. No greater than 10 MeV proton events are expected during the forecast period. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux is expected to reach high levels on 17-18 January, on 25 – 28 January and again on 01 – 02 February due to recurring coronal holes. The geomagnetic field is expected to be at quiet to major storm conditions during the period. Isolated active conditions are possible on 15-16 January due to a weak recurring coronal hole. Minor to major storm conditions are possible on 23 -24 January due to a returning transequatorial coronal hole that was 30 degrees wide during its last rotation. Isolated active conditions are possible on 30 – 31 January due to a smaller recurring coronal hole. :Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt :Issued: 2003 Jan 14 2211 UTC # Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Environment Center # Product description and SEC contact on the Web # http://www.sec.noaa.gov/wwire.html # # 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table # Issued 2003 Jan 14 # # UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest # Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index 2003 Jan 15 160 10 3 2003 Jan 16 160 10 3 2003 Jan 17 155 10 3 2003 Jan 18 155 10 3 2003 Jan 19 155 12 3 2003 Jan 20 155 12 3 2003 Jan 21 145 12 3 2003 Jan 22 135 15 3 2003 Jan 23 125 30 5 2003 Jan 24 120 20 4 2003 Jan 25 115 10 3 2003 Jan 26 115 12 3 2003 Jan 27 115 12 3 2003 Jan 28 115 10 3 2003 Jan 29 125 10 3 2003 Jan 30 135 10 3 2003 Jan 31 145 15 3 2003 Feb 01 150 12 3 2003 Feb 02 160 8 3 2003 Feb 03 160 8 3 2003 Feb 04 170 10 3 2003 Feb 05 180 10 3 2003 Feb 06 185 15 3 2003 Feb 07 185 12 3 2003 Feb 08 175 8 3 2003 Feb 09 170 8 3 2003 Feb 10 165 8 3 (http://www.sec.noaa.gov/radio Jan 15, WORLD OF RADIO 1165, DXLD) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-008, January 13, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser, ghauser@hotmail.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 HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldta03.html For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid2.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn WORLD OF RADIO 1164: RFPI: Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on 7445 and/or 15039 WWCR: Wed 0930 9475 WJIE: M-F 1300, daily 0400 -- maybe; Sun 0630, Mon 0700, Tue 0630 7490 WRN ONDEMAND: http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1164.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1164.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1164h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1164h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1164.html ** AFGHANISTAN. AFGHANISTAN TO JOIN GLOBAL INTERNET NETWORK - IRAN RADIO | Text of report by Iranian radio from Mashhad on 12 January A protocol on joining the Internet network has been signed between the Afghan Ministry of Communications and a private company, Neda Company Limited. In accordance with the agreement, Internet services, [word indistinct] and telephone links will be established first in Kabul and later in all other cities. By establishing the system, Afghanistan will join the global Internet network. A Ministry of Communications source told the Afghan official news agency, Bakhtar, that the Neda Limited Company project involves investors from Afghanistan, Belgium and the USA. In the first stage, they will invest 2.5m dollars, and in the second 22m dollars, to implement the plan. Source: Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mashhad, in Dari 0330 gmt 12 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. RADIO STATION MANAGER FOR AFGHAN INDEPENDENT RADIO Here is a message received from Community Radio India groups. Hope you find it of interest. Sincerely, Jose Jacob, India To: air@radiogroup.org Subject: [Airdaily] job in Afghanistan The AIR Daily Mailing List A unique opportunity --- posting for Sarah Chayes. Job Title: Radio Station Manager Organization: Afghan Independent Radio Job Location: Kandahar, Afghanistan Start Date: Immediate Sponsors: Afghans for Civil Society & The Carr Foundation Background Afghanistan is emerging from more than two decades of war, which has shattered the very foundations of its society. With the establishment of a new government after the fall of the Taliban, there is currently a window of opportunity to build institutions of civil society that can provide an alternative to extremist elements still active within and around the country. Among such institutions are free and professional media. To date, all the radio and television stations in Afghanistan are state -sponsored, in the tradition of the old Soviet-style media. Each is firmly under the control of the regional powers, wherever it is operating. To offer an alternative, Afghans for Civil Society and the Carr Foundation are launching an independent radio station in Kandahar. As the second-largest city in Afghanistan, the historic capital, and also the former Taliban stronghold, Kandahar is key to the evolution and future stability of the country. It is a conservative city, which suffers a pariah status due to its Taliban past. But if Kandahar and the Afghan south are left behind, the current experiment in democratic nation-building will fail. Afghans are avid radio-listeners, and a truly independent, responsible radio station, providing informative programming, dialogue and debate, culture, and pure entertainment will make a significant contribution to forging a new space for Afghan citizenship. The station will be operated primarily by local broadcast professionals and journalists, under the stewardship of international professionals for the first several years. The broadcast day will be 12-16 hours from the start, with a goal of 24 hour/day programming. The range will be the city of Kandahar at first, with a goal of using FM repeaters and/or an AM frequency, to eventually reach the entire Afghan southwest, or some 1.5 million listeners. The broadcast languages will be Pashtu primarily, but with significant programming in Farsi, and some English or English-teaching. The position of international station-manager for Afghan Independent Radio (AIR) is currently open. Duties and Responsibilities Oversee the radio station. The manager will be responsible for the team of journalists and technicians, eventually in tandem with an Afghan counterpart. He/she will coordinate the operations, personnel and budget, and will report to the Board of Directors. Develop the content and scheduling of programs, in consultation with local staff and international mentors, on loan from leading Western public radio outlets. Establish and apply standards of journalism by working regularly with the journalists on broadcasting standards, weighing of evidence, conflict of interest and professionalism, monitoring program content, and conducting regular post-mortem discussions after programs have aired. Handle the technical infrastructure by purchasing equipment, maintaining it and supervising repairs, in conjunction with the technical staff. Write semi-annual reports for the Board of Directors. Assist the Board of Directors in long-range planning and fundraising. Liaise with media organizations operating within Afghanistan (both local and international) to share content and to find other ways to collaborate. Arrange for the establishment of an internet café to operate next door to the radio station. Skills and Competencies Required A solid background in public radio, including program development, reporting or editing, production, and personnel management. In general, strong organizational, personnel-management, and conflict- reduction skills. Initiative Ability to communicate -- and facilitate communication -- in a clear manner likely to defuse potential tensions. Basic budgeting, accounting and bookkeeping skills Capacity to adapt to local customs and traditions Ability to live in severe field conditions and to work effectively in a stressful, multi- cultural environment Fluency in written and spoken English Driver's license. Desired Previous work experience in developing countries Aptitude for learning languages Knowledge of history and politics of the region or another Muslim society Proposal writing skills Contract Contract will last six months (renewable). Sponsors will cover accommodation and round-trip transport to Afghanistan. Termination of contract will require 6 weeks notice. Salary is negotiable, depending on candidate`s previous experience and range of expertise. Sponsors Each sponsor has one seat on the Board of Directors. Afghans for Civil Society Afghans for Civil Society (ACS) is a Kandahar-based nonprofit with American offices in Boston and Baltimore. It seeks to help change the basic concept of community life in Afghanistan from one of war to one of civil society, using a two-pronged approach. First, a policy center is being established in Kandahar dedicated to giving a voice to the ordinary Afghans and to strengthening public participation in the decision-making process. These objectives will be achieved through democracy-building, leadership training, research, and independent media. The second focus is on community reconstruction projects that aim to address the immediate needs of Afghan society, while at the same time instilling a sense of ownership within the aided communities. The American offices of Afghans for Civil Society are involved in fund- raising, channeling resources and publicizing issues of concern to Afghanistan. Scholars and journalists wishing to visit Afghanistan should contact the Boston office. Carr Foundation The Carr Foundation is dedicated to human rights education and the arts. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the foundation endowed the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. It also established the Market Theater, a venue dedicated to new playwrights and productions, and one that often explores provocative themes. In the spring of 2001, the Carr Foundation purchased a former neo- Nazi compound in Northern Idaho, razed it, and created a peace park and human rights education center to replace it. The Foundation is supporting a five-year human rights campaign through the Association of Idaho Cities and recently founded The Museum of Idaho in Idaho Falls, dedicated to cultural and natural history. To Apply Send a cover letter and résumé to sidney@carrfoundation.org , evelyman@afghanpolicy.org , and schayes@afghanpolicy.org Clearly indicate the job for which you are applying. Afghan Independent Radio Job Description Radio Station Manager ************************************* [Via / From / Thanks to and/or excerpted from the following: ] _______________________________________________ Airdaily mailing list Airdaily@airmedia.org http://three.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/airdaily Association of Independents in Radio (AIR) http://www.airmedia.org =================================== Barry Rueger Bagatelle Communications & Management 107 Victoria Avenue South, Hamilton, Ontario L8N 2S9 Phone: 905-308-9179 Fax: 905-308-9732 http://www.community-media.com AIM ID: AppalBarry --------------------------------------------------------- cr-india mailing list cr-india@mail.sarai.net http://mail.sarai.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/cr-india (via Barry Rueger, Jan 7, Association of Independents in Radio via Georges Lessard, CAJ-List, et al., via cr-india, via Jose Jacob, via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. Durante os últimos dias, as emissões da Radiodifusão Argentina para o Exterior, em 15345 kHz, em vários horários, tem apresentado algumas distorções. Às vezes, o sinal chega a ser ouvido em 15340 kHz (Célio Romais, Panorama, @tividade DX Jan 12 via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. 11755, HCJB via Kununurra, 1128 Jan 9, end of some program that had a Miami, FL address to write to. At 1130, a male announcer said, "The Voice of the Great Southland. HCJB Australia. Greetings, friends. HCJB Australia." Then a program by Dr. John Rush "brought to you by the studios of HCJB Australia." At 1158 he gave the Melbourne address for correspondence. Transmission ended with "You've been listening to the Voice of the Great Southland, HCJB Australia on 11755 kHz in the 25-meter band broadcasting to the South Pacific and also at 0700 hours UTC tomorrow. Good night. God Bless." Some music notes heard. Also heard unID language after the music, but maybe from a different station after HCJB sign-off? (John Sgrulletta, Mahopac, NY, JRC NRD-515/K9AY & A/D Sloper, Cumbredx mailing list Jan 12 via DXLD) ** AUSTRIA. Hola Glenn! Saludos cordiales. Por medio de la presente te informo del Concurso aniversario del programa MUNDO DX de Radio Austria Internacional. Consiste en una serie de palabras clave que se darán a partir de la emisión del 15 de enero durante los próximos seis programas, dos por cada uno. Como te comenté, este 15 de enero darán las primeras 2 palabras clave. Una vez recolectadas las 12 palabras clave la respuesta debe ser enviada a: Radio Austria Internacional, Programa MUNDO DX, Argentinierstr. 30a A-1040 Viena, Austria o al Correo electrónico: roi.hispano@orf.at Hasta la próxima, Glenn (Trenard Julio, Venezuela, Jan 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ¿Premios? ** BOTSWANA. 4820, R. Botswana 0400-0410 UT Jan 14. News by woman followed by music at 0409. Very strong signal tonight. SINPO 43333 (Jim Evans, TN, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. From Eduardo De Moura on http://www.dxing.info/ South America Forum: Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2003 1729 U Post subject: Radio Canção Nova transmitting in 19M - 15.325 Rádio Canção Nova hope to reach foreign land with its programming through 19 m - 15325. Nowadays the Brazilian radio has been receiving radio-reports for AM, 31, 49 and 60m. which has paid back by QSL card. On January 06th Rádio Canção Nova opened its new band. We confirm radio reports on the air and 100% QSL back. Program: Além Fronteiras (Beyond Boundaries) Every Saturday: 2200 to 2300 (GMT) AM 1020 khz- SW 49m 6105 kHz -SW 60m 4825 kHz - SW 31m 9675 kHz - [I asked Eduardo if the new 19mb outlet was via the transmitter of Rádio Gazeta, São Paulo on 15325 kHz?? He replied:] From last January 6, Rádio Canção Nova rented this radio station in São Paulo, has the right to operate it. Rádio Gazeta will transmit all programming from Rádio Canção Nova, which has it headquarters in Cachoeira Paulista - SP - Brazil. Which confirms this item in DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-004, January 7, 2003 (via Alan Pennington, Caversham, UK) HOWEVER, following says Gazeta also carries some student programming only half an hour a day at 0930 (gh) {later: 3h per day} ** BRAZIL. Durante breve período, a Rádio Gazeta, de São Paulo (SP), transmite o programa Gazeta AM Universitária, produzido pelos alunos da Faculdade Cásper Líbero. Paulo Roberto e Souza esteve no Rio de Janeiro e acompanhou o programa, em 7 de janeiro, entre 0930 e 1000, em 5955 kHz. Nos demais horários, a programação é da Canção Nova. A Gazeta também transmite em 9685 e 15325 kHz. BRASIL - A rádio Globo, de São Paulo (SP), permanece ativa em 9585 kHz, em 31 metros. Recentemente, foi monitorada por Rudolf Grimm, em São Bernardo do Campo (SP). Transmite, atualmente, programação em conjunto com a rádio Globo, do Rio de Janeiro (RJ), que também está ativa, em 6030 e 11805 kHz. É o que a instituição chama de Globo Brasil. Na verdade, é mais uma tentativa de economizar dinheiro, cortando empregos. Será que os ouvintes paulistas gostam de ouvir um apresentador carioca falando do Botafogo na segunda divisão do futebol brasileiro? E será que os cariocas gostam de ouvir o apresentador paulista falando das agruras do "Parmera" fora da elite do futebol brasileiro? BRASIL. A rádio Difusora, da cidade mineira de Poços de Caldas, é uma emissora que tem o cheiro da roça em sua programação. É uma das emissoras que ainda leva duplas caipiras para tocar ao vivo nos estúdios. Confira na programação noturna da emissora, pelos 4945 kHz. Vale lembrar que a Difusora responde todos os informes que recebe (Célio Romais, Panorama, @tividade DX Jan 12 via DXLD) BRASIL. O programa Amigos do Radio, programa Dexista da Rádio Transmundial, é apresentado as quartas feiras as 1430 e 2045 UT, sábados as 2315 e domingos as 1000 UT. As frequencias usadas são 5965, 9530 e 11735 kHz. Escreva-nos enviando os seus comentários e impressões. Nosso endereço é: Programa Amigos do Radio, Caixa Postal 18300, São Paulo-SP, 04626-97. O nosso e-mail é amigosdoradio@t... [truncated] (Carlos Felipe da Silva, Produtor e Apresentador do Amigos do Radio, Rádio Transmundial, @tividade DX Jan 12 via DXLD) ** BURKINA FASO. 5030 kHz - Radio Burkina, Ouagadougou. Non data QSL letter in French acknowledge the receipt of my reception report. The letter was prepared on an official letterhead of Radiodiffusion of Burkina, stamped and signed by Tahéré Ouedraogo. I sent by registered mail a reception report in French, CD with recording of the broadcast, post card of New York. Replied in 52 days (Marcelo Toníolo, Greenvale, NY, Jan 12, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC. LIBYA PULLS OUT OF THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, by Tawanda Majoni [Reference to radio station called "Peace and Liberty", paragraph 5!] THE Libyan government has announced the pullout of its troops from the Central African Republic (CAR) following a peace deal after more than a year of civil strife in the tiny country. The Libyan soldiers withdrew on December 28th 2002, together with Sudanese and Djibouti forces, according to a news bulletin released this week by the Libyan government. The withdrawal was in accordance with a resolution made by the Community of Coast and Sahara States (Cen Ssad). Forces from CAR, code-named SIMAC, are replacing the exiting troops. "The Great Jamahiriya (the Libyan mass movement) has celebrated the return of its forces from the Central African Republic after completing the mission of peace, security and stability," read the news bulletin. Libya hailed its military involvement in CAR as a "peaceful, humanistic mission as well as a practical manifestation of the decrees, objectives, means and principles of the African Union and Cen Ssad. The Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi was instrumental in the transformation of the Organisation of African Unity into the African Union, which was launched in August last year in South Africa. The participation of Libya in CAR has been dogged by controversy, with the country being accused of embarking on an imperialist crusade meant to extend its influence in the sub-Sahara region. There were outcries recently when Libyan troops were accused of bombing civilians in CAR. However, the Libyan Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mahmoud Azzabi has dismissed the bombing allegation as false. "It is not true that our soldiers bombed civilians. Those are the words of detractors who do not want to see us promoting peace in the whole of Africa," Azzabi told the Sunday Mirror. The news bulletin also dismisses the allegations of imperial ambitions by Gaddafi and the Libyan government. "We would like to state once again that this peaceful and kind process (of military involvement in DRC) is far from any kind of external intervention. It is deliberately an internal African process within the Cen-Ssad and the African Union." Gaddafi in May 2001 sent Libyan tanks, weaponry and soldiers to CAR to help President Ange-Felix Patasse put down a rebellion by CAR mutineers. Libyan soldiers fought side by side with loyalist troops to suppress the rebels led by former President, Andre Kolingba, who in addition to storming the presidential residence, seized control of the radio and television stations. The Libyans went on to set up a radio station called "Peace and Liberty" to enable Patasse to address the nation. Libya's intervention was seen by analysts as an ambitious plan to penetrate sub-Saharan Africa after falling out of favour with the Arab League to the north. Libya has also been involved militarily in several other countries. The country has sent troops to Liberia, Sierra Leone and the Ivory Coast to quell civil unrest following coup attempts. Azzabi said his country was the first to get into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in an attempt to avert the war that was to be dubbed "Africa's World War". Azzabi hoped that the peace process in CAR would hold. He added that time had come for Africa to shape its own destiny and that Africa had the capacity to solve its own problems. http://www.africaonline.co.zw/mirror/stage/archive/030104/national1746 .html (via A. Sennitt, Holland, Jan 4, 2003 for CRW via DXLD) ** CHECHNYA. See RUSSIA ** CHINA [non]. World Falun Dafa Radio, 9315, nice "Truthfulness- Benevolence-Forberance" [sic] card, same as Ed Kusalík received; spaces for full-data on back, not filled in. But accompanying letter from "Jennifer" said, "We listened to the enclosed CD and verified it is our program." Also sent a brochure and bookmarks. This for Dec 2000 reception; in one month for first CD follow-up to this address; from P.O. Box 93436, City of Industry, CA 91715 (J. Berg, MA, Jan 5, 2003 in DXplorer-ML via CRW via DXLD) ** ERITREA [non]. Glenn, Wolfgang, Thanks to Wolfgang - who tracked down the relevant Merlin registration for a Norwegian transmitter - Voice of the Eritrean People has been confirmed on 9990 kHz. Heard here (Nairobi) in progress at 1640 on Sunday 12 January with music, a poem and an anti-Eritrean government commentary in Tigrinya. Good signal. The transmitter was suddenly cut at 1657 before the commentary ended and so no closing announcement was heard. (So no ID was heard - but this must be the station we have been looking for.) Next Sunday I will try to catch the start of the broadcast at 1630. One remaining mystery remains their broadcast to Europe, said to be 1700 Sundays on 7530 (Chris Greenway, Kenya, Jan 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Checked 7490 today Monday Jan 13, 1700-1830. Is undoubtedly a Kvitsøy, Norway site outlet in winter season B-02. Voice of the Eritrean People: No Merlin tests on 9990 kHz at 1657-1715 UT observed today Jan 13. Instead Norkring had a Norwegian domestic service transmission on all four frequencies at 1700-1727 UT on 7490, 9980, 13800, and 18950. DEN? today Jan 13, at 1730-1757 on 9980, 13800, and 18950. 9980 was much stronger at 1700-1727, than at 1730- 1757, towards E Russia (95 / 35 degrees). So seemingly southern direction antenna (110 / 165 degrees) in use at 1700-1727. 73 de wb (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA. Radio Fana. I have been listening to Radio Fana on 6210 and 6940 from about 1755 to 1830. Reception has been fair with 6940 giving a stronger signal here but this frequency suffers some modulation problems so 6210, although weaker gives the better reception at this time of day (6.55 am here in New Zealand) I e-mailed my reception report to rfana@mail.telecom.net.et and received the following verification. ``Dear Ian, We are very pleased to receive your e-mail regarding reception of our SW broadcast frequencies of 6210 and 6940 kHz on Tuesday Jan 7/2003. We assure you that what you detailed in your reception report was part of our daily broadcast to the general public. The transmitters for the two frequencies are 10kw each with their antennas positioned in such a way that will enable us to get to, primarily, our country wide audience and secondly to listeners in the neighboring countries of east Africa and the Middle East. However, to be heard by audiences as far as Newzealand heartens us very much. We thank you once again for your information and hope to hear from you in the future. With best Wishes, Haile Tiku`` (via Ian Cattermole, New Zealand, Jan 13, Cumbre DX via DXLD) 6209.92, 0356-0430, R. Fana, Jan 11 noted // 6940 but far better copy on this frequency, slightly unstable, as if drifting back and forth. Otherwise fairly nice copy at S8 signal level on this frequency and // 6940 above and below noise floor. Male announcer at TOH with tentative ID (Bob Montgomery, PA, Jan 13, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** HONDURAS. 4830.1, Radio Litoral in this evening at 0300 Jan 10 with full ID after program whose mailing address was Miami, FL. I had listened earlier (around 0030) and suspect it was also Litoral. On Jan 3, Litoral was on 4832 and on Jan 9 it was Táchira [see VENEZUELA] on 4830. On each of these 3 days, only the reported station was heard. If only all co-channel stations would coöperate like this!!! Again no sign of even a het that could have been Jammu (John Sgrulletta, Mahopac, NY, JRC NRD-515/K9AY & A/D Sloper, Cumbredx mailing list Jan 12 via DXLD) ** INDIA. 9470 kHz, FM II via Aligarh, 0315 Jan 6. Per report on DX India website from Jose Jacob, I am able to hear quite well them testing. Had male and female announcers with commentary and news including an item on the stolen private plane over Frankfurt. Appeared English lasted to 0330 then into language (Hindi per Jose) by male and female with music program. Quick fade around 0400. This was parallel to Bangalore who was also testing on 9425 but with an 8 second delay to Aligarh. Signal poor to fair. Have not heard this station the last few days, so maybe tests have ended or suspended for now (John Sgrulletta, Mahopac, NY, JRC NRD-515/K9AY & A/D Sloper, Cumbredx mailing list Jan 12 via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL. MARITIME MOBILE SERVICE NETWORK CELEBRATES 35TH ANNIVERSARY The Maritime Mobile Service Network (MMSN) marked its 35th anniversary on January 3. The net now operates on 14.300 MHz. According to Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, the net's original purpose was to assist those serving in the US military during the Vietnam War. In its early years, the MMSN saw a lot of phone patch traffic. "Our primary purpose now is that of handling legal third-party traffic from maritime mobiles, both pleasure and commercial, and overseas deployed military personnel," said Graves, who serves as the nets schedule coordinator and Webmaster. He said the net also helps missionaries in foreign countries. The MMSN has grown from its original nine founding members to nearly 60 net control stations and relief operators. It's recognized by the US Coast Guard and has been instrumental in handling hundreds of incidents involving vessels in distress. During severe weather, the net also acts as a weather beacon for ships and relays weather warnings and bulletins from the National Weather Service and the National Hurricane Center. "The Maritime Mobile Service Network has a legacy of serving people and will continue to do so," Graves said (ARRL Letter Jan 10 via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL INTERNET & VACUUM. Glenn, This is in response to the comments in DXLD 3-005 about Deutsche Welle's plan to end English broadcasts to North America and the suitability of internet streaming audio as a replacement. Some contributors disputed the idea that streaming audio could be a satisfactory replacement for shortwave broadcasts and cited their own experiences (such as a slow dial-up connection) to support their arguments. A common mistake is to consider one's own experience to be indicative of the entire population. Just how popular are streaming audio services with the general public? Real Networks was the company that launched the streaming audio revolution with their server and client software, including the popular Real One player. While Real Networks is facing stiff competition from Microsoft, it is still the most widely used streaming media software. As a publicly traded company, it must report its financial results to the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC). Real Networks offers a service known as the Real One SuperPass. This is an enhanced version of the Real One player that allows subscribers to listen to various types of music, sporting events (such as NFL and MLB games), and over 1700 radio stations from around the world on their PCs. A current subscription is (with discounts) $24.85 for three months. As of September 30, 2002, Real One SuperPass had over 850,000 paid subscribers. However, one doesn't need to subscribe to Real One SuperPass in order to receive streaming audio from radio stations around the world. Anyone with the free Real One player can listen to numerous stations from around the world, including Deutsche Welle and the BBC World Service. The link for this is: http://radio.real.com Since 850,000 persons are paying almost $100 a year for a Real One SuperPass subscription, it's logical to assume the number of people who are listening to radio stations using the free Real One player must be greater. I'm one, and I know of many more people, none of them DXers, who listen to distant radio stations (such as from their old homes towns) via the internet with Real One. Microsoft is challenging Real Networks with its Windows Media client and server streaming software. Many radio stations stream in both the Real Networks and Microsoft formats, and an increasing number are using only Windows Media. Adding it all up, it's clear the number of people in the United States who listen to "radio" via the internet must be in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions. It certainly is much greater than the number of people who listen to shortwave (and, as James Tedford so cogently argues in DXLD 3-005, the number of shortwave sets sold is not an accurate indication of how many people actually listen to shortwave). The case for the internet being a more cost-effective way to reach a larger potential audience than shortwave is very compelling, despite what die-hard shortwave hobbyists have argued. Satellite radio is another non-traditional delivery vehicle that is growing rapidly. On January 8, XM Satellite Radio announced it has over 360,000 subscribers (at $10 per month) with 145,000 of those coming in the last three months of 2002. The BBC World Service is carried on XM, meaning you get clear, fade-free reception on the same frequency day and night no matter where you are in the United States. Can the same be said for the BBC WS via shortwave? 2003 marks my fortieth year in the SWLing/DXing hobby, and I have a great emotional investment in shortwave. I still get pleasure out of receiving a weak, fady signal from some distant place via the ionosphere. But I recognize that the era of shortwave as the best, most effective way to reach an international audience with audio programming has passed. It's time for international broadcasters and shortwave listeners to also recognize that and instead start thinking creatively on how to reposition shortwave among these new audio options. (Harry Helms AK6C, Ridgecrest, CA DM15, Jan 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAQ. IRAQ DISCONNECTS THE INTERNET On Friday, the Iraqi government shut down all Internet access as well as its two E-mail servers. No official explanation was given, and a partial service was resumed on Saturday morning. The government's action appears to be a response to a blanket E-mail campaign by the US military urging dissent and defections. Other messages warned against carrying out any order from President Saddam Hussein to use chemical or biological weapons. The Internet was only introduced in Iraq in 2000. Baghdad has about three dozen public Internet centres, and other major cities have several each. There, customers (mostly young men and students) surf the net for 2,000 Iraqi dinars (about 45 US cents) an hour. That's still quite expensive: the take-home pay of a government employee is only $10 a month. An E-mail subscription is even more expensive: $80 per year. It's widely assumed that E-mail is heavily scrutinised by Iraqi security services, which probably explains the speed of the decision to block access (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 13 January 2003 via DXLD) {Temporarily?} ** ISRAEL. Re Galei Zahal, DXLD 3-007: Of course, Galei Tzahal can be heard live in Israel or on shortwave (referring to GLZ's website - I would've typed in the exact time - but for some reason, I suddenly can't reach their website) 6973 kHz (evenings) 15785 kHz (day) (the SW broadcasts are meant for Europe, but 6973 can frequently be heard in the evenings, here in New York) or you can listen via the Internet http://glz.msn.co.il (Daniel Rosenzweig, NY, Jan 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBERIA. 5470, Radio Veritas, 0652-0701 Jan 13, Regional news in English until 0658. The announcer concluded with "That's Radio Veritas' early morning news, I'm (then he gave his name)". After that there was a time check, then station ID at the top of the hour. That was followed by "Daybreak Africa" from the VOA. Good signal strength and audio quality, though the VOA feed was a bit low in volume (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LITHUANIA. 3330 Afternoon. Here is the 5th harmonic from Lithuania on 666 kHz. (SA= Stig Adolfsson, Sweden, SW Bulletin Jan 12, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) see UNIDENTIFIED ** MYANMAR. [Re: Hans Johnson`s Dec 20 report of 4725]: Hans, just returned from Hawaii, and heard Myanmar on 5985ish on my 2010 with very nice reception just before sign-off sometime last week. Don't recall anything on 4725 or 5040 (Walter (Volodya) Salmaniw, MD, Victoria, BC, Canada, Jan 12, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** PERU. unID 6324.35, 1022 Jan 13, Peruvian station, with high paced Spanish speaking announcer playing Andean style folk music. Mark Morhmann's DXing from Vermont website http://www.sover.net/~hackmohr/ lists this as: Radio diff Comercial, Nuevo Cajamarca. Fair strength, but poor copy due to strong interference from a utility station IDing in CW as NMC (Dave Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. ARMEN OGANESIAN: ``THE VOICE OF RUSSIA`` IN THE THREE- CENTURIES-OLD HISTORY OF RUSSIAN JOURNALISM January 13 will mark 3 centuries since the release in Moscow of the first Russian newspaper set up by Emperor Peter I under the official title ``News about Military and Other Events Worthy of Knowledge, Which Occurred in the Moscow State and in Neighboring Countries``. During the last 7 decades of the more than 3-centuries-old history of Russian journalism, the Voice of Russia state radio company has been telling listeners across the world about life in this country and its position on urgent international issues. The Voice of Russia President Armen Oganesian is in our studio today: - Speaking about how foreign audiences were being informed about the internal and external policy of the Russian Empire in the 19th century, we should mention poet and diplomat Fedor Tyutchev, philosopher, poet and publicist Alexei Khomyakov and other well-known figures who contributed to the process by publishing articles about Russia in leading French and German newspapers. The government in the person of State Chancellor, Prince Alexander Gorchakov, lent comprehensive support to and actively encouraged this initiative of the Russian gentry. Up to the 1920s the corresponding activity was within the competence of the Russian Foreign Ministry, as who but the Russian diplomats abroad could have a better idea of the biased nature of publications about Russia in foreign newspapers. Surprisingly, no matter what was happening in Russia, the bias was always there. - And it`s probably one reason why the Voice of Russia will always have listeners abroad, who are keen to know more about this country and will tune to our programs to get first-hand information. Being a bridge between Russia and the world has been and will remain our main task. Today the Voice of Russia is the third most popular foreign language radio broadcaster in the world. I am happy to inform you that a couple of Voice of Russia programs invariably rank among the top ten short-wave broadcasts on the annual list compiled by the US-based International Jury known as PWBR. We now broadcast in Russian for our compatriots abroad and these broadcasts can also be received in various regions of Russia, and we are also broadcasting to member-countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Voice of Russia programs evoke a warm response from our new audiences. Their letters coming from many countries and our emotional contact with them are very dear to us. A few years ago the Voice of Russia began broadcasting in the Internet. On our Internet website you can listen to Real Audio broadcasts in 7 languages. The Internet-encyclopedia Britannica.com ranks the Voice of Russia website among elite Internet sites. We maintain fruitful contacts with our foreign colleagues, for one, with the European Broadcasting Union grouping top-class TV and radio journalists. The so-called ``through`` serials are now very popular in the West. And we are planning to cooperate with our French and German colleagues in the already existing formats. I do hope that soon there will be an international radio station carrying best programs from national foreign language broadcasters. The WRN network has been working a very interesting project with the Voice of Russia taking part. We are developing successful links with our CIS colleagues, including Ukraine and Belarus. I am sure our future lies in deeper cooperation (01/13/2003 VoR.ru via Sergei Sosedkin, IL, DXLD) ** RUSSIA. KREMLIN-STYLE NEWS MANAGEMENT --- By Donald Jensen The Russian media scene today is characterized by continuing government efforts at all levels to centralize and manage -- both directly and indirectly -- news coverage. While there is little outright censorship, the commercial and professional weaknesses of many news organizations provides ample opportunities for official manipulation of the news. The federal government, for example, sometimes tries to influence coverage by claiming that critical media violate tax or other regulations. Many national media are linked to large corporate interests, which, in turn, are close to the government. The Kremlin's campaign to assert control over Moscow-based national television networks in 2001 -- conducted in the name of business rationalization -- has resulted in a homogenization of news coverage and the avoidance of controversial issues, as journalists increasingly practice self-censorship. Moreover, the close ties between many businesses and leading media have undermined media credibility in the eyes of many Russians. In the regions, the small advertising market means that the media there are almost totally dependent on local politicians or a few businessmen who control access to transmission facilities, printing presses, and even office space. Official pressure on the media sometimes relies on strong armed methods as well. In November 2002, the Federal Security Service conducted searches of newspaper offices in the Urals city of Perm and in the northern city of Petrozavodsk -- both papers had run major reports on corruption among local bureaucrats. Chechnya is another hot topic for the Russian authorities. Reporters are only permitted to go there on official tours closely supervised by the Russian military. Even refugee camps for those who have fled the ongoing fighting in Chechnya are increasingly off-limits to reporters. In December, reporters from Reuters and RFE/RL were not allowed to film a refugee camp in Ingushetia; police informed them that failure to obtain prior written permission to do so could result in their arrest. Officials, politicians, and businessmen who do not like what they see or read about themselves in the media can take advantage of Russia's vague libel laws, which they often deploy in the courts to protect themselves against corruption charges. The prominent independent Moscow newspaper "Novaya gazeta" was almost forced to close this year due to repeated heavy court-ordered fines. The relatively few investigative journalists in the country practice their profession at considerable risk. In the Pacific-coast city of Khabarovsk in December, a husband-and-wife journalist team was beaten by masked men wielding metal rods. Environmental reporter Grigorii Pasko is currently serving a four-year prison sentence for espionage for reporting on massive pollution by the Russian Pacific Fleet. According to media watchdogs in the West, seven journalists were killed in 2002 for their professional activities. None of these murders have been solved, and official investigations are usually perfunctory. There are indications that further media centralization may be in the offing. On 15 November, the State Duma passed in its first reading media-law amendments that would expand the grounds on which the government could revoke broadcast licenses. According to one provision, for example, media outlets may have their licenses revoked if they do not make full use of their assigned frequencies. Although President Vladimir Putin on 25 November vetoed amendments to a bill meant to regulate coverage of antiterrorism operations, the veto appeared largely to be a public-relations exercise. A reconciliation commission empowered to work on the bill is likely to recommend further press restrictions. Donald Jensen is the director of RFE/RL's Communications Division. Compiled by Catherine Cosman THE COSTS OF WHITEWASHING THE CHECHEN WAR Writing in "The Wall Street Journal" on 8 January, Cynthia Scharf observes that the "truth about the blood-stained catastrophe that is Chechnya remains one of the last things the Russian public is likely to hear from its leaders -- or its media." According to the author, "three years of hideous carnage have been publicly whitewashed by Russian authorities." In the aftermath of the two recent terrorist acts in Moscow and Chechnya, the Russian government has stepped up efforts to control reporting on the war. These efforts include the arrest, kidnapping, or death threats against those Russian journalists, such as Anna Politkovskaya and Andrei Babitskii, who have covered the Chechen war in depth. Journalists who manage to get into Chechnya are subjected to rigorous military control over their movements, while reporters whose coverage is seen as too critical by the Russian government are simply denied entry. "Journalists, including foreign reporters, have been detained, interrogated, physically threatened and expelled from [Chechnya] by security forces for refusing to comply with the Russian authorities' "see-no-evil, hear-no-evil" guidelines," the author writes. As a result, "Chechnya - - and now its neighbor Ingushetia -- [have become] walled-off ghettos," and the Russian people are left with "a whitewashed portrayal of the Chechen conflict with little sense of the war's true costs." Since a perceived Russian victory in Chechnya is the key to "Putin's political future, coverage of the war is a matter of vital concern to the Russian president." Putin is well aware that accountability depends on information. "In perpetuating the mixture of denials and lies that feed this war...[Putin] is jeopardizing the security of all [Russia's] citizens...he is compromising not only his country's security, but also its conscience." CC (both: RFE/RL Media Matters Jan 10 via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. V. of Russia, 7240, 0400-0600, jumped on co-channel Turkey at 0400-0455, well after the start of the season (David Crystal, 19125 Israel, undated aerogramme received Jan 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SLOVAKIA. Answering a question from an Argentinian listener on their listener`s tribune, the English team of Radio Slovakia International confirmed the beginning of a new transmission in Spanish on March 2003 with the new A03 season (Ramón Vázquez Dourado, Spain) Estimados amigos: Ayer 12 de Enero pude escuchar cómo las presentadoras de la sección inglesa de Radio Eslovaquia Internacional, contestando la pregunta de un oyente argentino, confirmaban el lanzamiento de una nueva transmisión en español a partir del mes de marzo, coincidiendo con el nuevo período de transmisiones A03. Buenas noticias desde el corazón de Europa !! (Ramón Vázquez Dourado, España, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SWEDEN. R. Sweden in English, 17505, 1330-1359. This is not in their program schedule and it is not announced with the other frequencies // 18960, 9490) at the beginning of the program. I hear it very well, not on 9490 (David Crystal, 19125 Israel, another undated aerogramme received Jan 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SWITZERLAND. Some pictures of the mediumwave sites in Switzerland: http://mypage.bluewin.ch/oldradio/site10.htm (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE. Radio Alex: I've stayed tuned since 0640 Jan 12; very weak carrier, no modulation noted. At 0900 drifting upwards (11980.8 -- 11982.3+), 0900-0915 not readable (maybe just testing with OC). Finally they launched UR1 feed (// 207 LW) at 1011, 11980.182, seemingly still drifting). Will wait for something "local." Signal S5+, fair despite R. Russia-11990 splatter (Vlad Titarev, Ukraine [200 km NW of supposed transmitter QTH], DX-plorer via DXLD) ** U S A. BUCK SLIP By Al Kamen, Monday, January 13, 2003; Page A19 Your tax dollars at work: The State Department's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has a telephone hotline folks can call with complaints and allegations of wrongdoing against other officials. Somebody called a few months back, according to an OIG "communication report," to allege that Broadcasting Board of Governors member Norman J. Pattiz had acted improperly to get a friend, Betty Barber, hired as director of marketing. The anonymous tipster said that the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) personnel office had changed the job description "at least twice to make her eligible." Also, the tipster said, executive director Brian T. Conniff was "also possibly involved in fixing the bid for Barber." But OIG investigators wrote the IBB to say that "the information does not fall within the investigative purview of our office; however, the issues raised may be of interest to your office." Doubtless of great interest, since the OIG letter, containing those and other allegations, was sent to the office of none other than the aforesaid Brian Conniff. "Accordingly, we are forwarding this information to your office for whatever action you deem appropriate," wrote Kathy A. Friebel, assistant IG for investigations. "Please respond to our office within 45 days on how you intend to address each issue." Unclear what the outcome was, but the IBB issued a statement saying Barber's hiring was conducted properly and "in accordance with U.S. government regulations and policies" and that she was the best-qualified person. Also, Pattiz "did not know Barber prior to her hiring and had absolutely nothing to do with her hiring." Meanwhile, not only was the OIG letter sent to one of those accused, but also it was the wrong form letter, because the issues raised do "fall within [OIG's] investigative purview." The 10 Best Dishes And now, the winners in the In the Loop Best Dish Contest, which is to help the Clinton Foundation raise money with its new cookbook. Here are the 10 best entries, as judged by Washington Post national copy desk chief Vincent Rinehart: The Robert Rubin Sandwich.... (© 2003 The Washington Post Company Jan 13 via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. WWRB, 5050, before and after 0500 UT Jan 4, a call-in show, not religious (David Crystal, 19125 Israel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Then must have been political ** U S A. 5070 5 Jan [Sun] at 0700, WWCR with "This week in Americana". WWCR has in fact quite a lot of programs not of religious type. This program is about American folk music. 3-4 (CB = Christer Brunström, Sweden, SW Bulletin Jan 12, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. SPECIAL EVENT FROM FORMER WCC TO CELEBRATE MARCONI CENTENNIAL Special event station WA1WCC will be on the air during "Marconi Week," January 11-19, from the former WCC Marconi-RCA-MCI shore station operations center in Chatham, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. Look for WA1WCC on or about 7.040 and 14.040 MHz on CW and 7.260 and 14.285 MHz SSB. The event, sponsored by the WCC Amateur Radio Association, marks the 100th anniversary of Guglielmo Marconi's first successful wireless transmission between the US and Europe. A message was sent by the Marconi station in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, on January 18, 1903. By 1914, Marconi had built a new safer and more up to date station in nearby Chatham. The former WCC facility will be open to the public from 9 AM until 5 PM Eastern Time. Plans are under way for Marconi's daughter, Princess Elettra Marconi, to visit Chatham January 16. She is scheduled to visit another special event, KM1CC, at the former Eastham Coast Guard station on January 18. At one time, WCC was described as the busiest ship-to-shore station on the US eastern seaboard. The Chatham Marconi Maritime Center is sponsoring a series of educational events for the public during Marconi Week (Chatham Marconi Maritime Center Inc newsletter via ARRL Letter Jan 10 via DXLD) ** U S A. FCC TO HOLD OPEN COMMISSION MEETING The FCC will hold an open meeting Wednesday, January 15, at 9:30 AM in Washington, DC. The Meeting will focus on presentations by senior agency officials regarding implementations of the agency's strategic plan and a comprehensive review of FCC policies and procedures. Presentations will be made in four panels: Panel One consisting of the managing director. Panel Two consisting of the chiefs of the Enforcement and Consumer and Governmental Affairs bureaus. Panel Three consisting of the chiefs of the Office of Engineering and Technology, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and the International Bureau. Panel Four consisting of the chiefs of the Wireline Competition and the Media bureaus. The audio portion of the meeting will be broadcast live on the Internet via the FCC's Internet audio broadcast page at http://www.fcc.gov/realaudio/ (FCC via ARRL Letter Jan 10 via DXLD) ** U S A. NPR GETS FOURTEEN MEGADOLLARS FROM MacARTHUR FOUNDATION The Associated Press 1/12/03 2:01 PM WASHINGTON (AP) -- A private foundation is giving $14 million to National Public Radio, $10 million of which will support news and public affairs programs at the network's 714 stations. The other $4 million from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation of Chicago will go to an endowment for NPR's long-term financial stability and innovations. "This extraordinary, historic commitment ... gives NPR enormous new reserves, at a crucial time, to carry us forward and expand our service," said NPR's president, Kevin Close. The donation, largest in NPR's 32-year history, brings the foundation's contributions to the organization to more than $31 million. The foundation is best known for its "genius grants," the no-strings- attached awards given to scholars, artists and others since 1981 to free them to pursue their work without having to worry about making a living. In its announcement, the foundation called attention to NPR's emphasis on international news, saying it was "considerably more than most commercial network news." NPR claims an audience of nearly 20 million listeners weekly. (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. LOW POWER AM SITES Here are a couple of web sites that might be of interest. http://www.talkingsign.com/index.htm has information about the talking sign transmitters that have been popping up in various areas. http://www.issinfosite.com/nps_stations.htm has a listing of some of the National Park Service TIS stations. ISS is a manufacturer of TIS equipment. I believe this list only includes stations with transmitters supplied by this company (Patrick Griffith, CBT, Westminster, CO, USA, Jan 12, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. Re IBOC: Annoying is the opportune word here. Just the few seconds of listening to those clips [on the WOR NY site] puts my teeth on edge. On their FAQ page, they state: WHAT DOES THE DIGITAL SOUND LIKE? It sounds like FM. Sorry, but to me it sounds like a low-bandwidth streaming web feed, or a low sample-rate MP3 file. I, for one, would not pay a dime for a radio to listen to that quality of audio, either music or talk. I guess it remains to be seen if consumers can be persuaded to part with their money for it. My gut says not, but .... (Brett Saylor, N3EVB, State College, PA NRC-AM via DXLD) WCHB-1200 [Detroit] continues to blast away with IBOC at night. They're so strong here, I can hear them with just a modest null on my local 1200 blowtorch, CFGO. And the IBOC sidebands are really doing a number on 1190 and 1210. They must be on day pattern to put out that kind of signal to the east. Am I the only one hearing this? (Barry McLarnon, Ottawa, Ont., Jan 13, NRC-AM via DXLD) More excerpts from the IBOC thread on the NRC-AM list, dating from December 15-16::: The IBOC nighttime operation petition indicates in one scenario that a radio station (790 WMC) would broadcast the IBOC signal only on the lower sideband to eliminate interference to the adjacent channel on the upper side. I thought that reception of both the secondary upper and lower sidebands was required to receive minimal IBOC digital. If only one sideband is required to receive IBOC, then doesn't that open the door to possible digital DXing using ECSS or SSB? Digital DXing would obviously be much more difficult if both sidebands were required, but if only one sideband is required then it should be easier - Only one frequency would be tuned in rather than two frequencies adjacent to the center frequency. Did I miss this in the FCC Report and Order (iBiquity spec), or is this an untruth in the petition? (Bruce Conti - Nashua NH, ibid.) Bruce: Nothing in the public documents from NAB or iBiquity defines a mapping of modes to OFDM carriers. I've tried to get that info but no luck so far. Without it, there's no way to know exactly what they are putting in each of the digital sidebands (Chuck Hutton, WA, ibid.) So the lawyers and FCC know something about IBOC that the rest of us don't? Based on an inference from the petition that only one sideband/adjacent digital IBOC signal is required for reception, it means that I can continue to hold optimistic. In fact there will be three opportunities to receive an IBOC station; upper sideband/adjacent IBOC digital, center frequency analog, and lower sideband/adjacent IBOC digital. In other words, if I can't hear 640 KFI analog, maybe I can receive 650 KFI IBOC, or 630 KFI IBOC. I guess I refuse to sign on to the doom and gloom scenario. However with so many pushing the death of DXing, I can't help but wonder when it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Carry on (Bruce Conti - Nashua NH, ibid.) And you will only receive stereo if reception is optimum; it will default back ot mono, and narrrower digital until it drops back to analog. When analog is gone, it just drops out. WHEE! (Powell E. Way, ibid.) This is a BIG DISAPOINTMENT, I imagine most stations won't bother with AM Stereo, of which I am a big fan. I still have my '91 Chevy pickup with Delco AM Stereo radio and I still think AM stereo done right beats FM Stereo. Only 2 stations in Houston that do AMS, KWWJ [Gospel 1360] which sounds great during the day and KRTX [Tejano 980] which only uses stereo at night on their 4 kw pattern and sounds pretty decent. Now this leads to another question in my mind, when IBOC radios are sold in vehicles I wonder if they will have Stereo capability? If IBOC becomes mandatory on radios, AM stereo should also be mandatory. 73 (Mike Oswald, TX, ibid.) || ...is digital radio in Stereo? || It's optional. Similar to when there used to be mono and stereo FM radio stations, it'll be up to the individual radio stations to decide how they want to utilize digital broadcasting. It will require a station to use both sidebands to generate the familiar tune called the "IBOC hash". Even then it won`t sound as good as analog stereo. The digital garbage has way too many artifacts in it to sound decent (Bob Carter, Operations/Engineering, Max Media Radio Group, ibid.) And there's a lot of useless big corporate stations. Well, a lot of stations do NOT serve their local metro or community. THESE stations aren't locally programmed, and some of them the local TOH ID isn't even locally produced. And as Fred says in time of disaster, they just plod on their merry way. And there are VERY few full service stations left. Often you'll find these in smaller markets and locally owned. These will be the first to go. There's a lot of FM's that don't. Too many 80-90 docket and rimshots that once provided local service to an outlying area and when the owner had millions waved under his nose, bailed. For IBOC to work we'll have to have a mass deletion. AM? Back to 1950 level? Half the FM's? And then the manufacturers will have to learn how to make a good receiver, something that was forgotten some 25 years ago (Powell E. Way, ibid.) From my perspective, the results of IBOC tests were not just a DX matter but a matter of general public interest. It is not just DXers who will be affected by the increased AM band noise and other changes IBOC will bring. For some reason, I get the feeling that some IBOC advocates seem to be more interested in squelching dissenting observations than factually rebutting them. I wonder why? (Harry Helms AK6C, Ridgecrest, CA DM15, ibid.) What I don't like is that there is no choice. If the band were split in the beginning with IBOC from 1500 to 1800 at first, then everyone else from 540 to 1490 were AM stereo, then I could buy it. Then as stations added IBOC, the IBOC band would expand. I could buy that. It`s not done that way. It`s done in a way that is destructive to everything if it`s done as is planned at this point. I love the image of every small town home with small town radio stations being jammed with IBOC within five years. What a lovely picture, WOPP and all the denizens of Opp, Alabama, going to digital for the luxury of high school football, because there's "a lot of New York money" gone in it. Nobody in New York ever gets excited when a lot of other money goes into something. But I love the picture it creates. I can already see the Walmart trying to sell a radio that nobody's gonna buy, because I can't see the station ever having the cash stream (they're too poor, these Mom and Pop's, right Dave Gleason?) to buy and license IBOC. And when the truth comes out about IBOC in the small towns, I hope for the sake of Ibiquity it's a busy day for news overall. If the jamming of IBOC becomes the lead story, Ibiquity and IBOC are dead 'round these parts. Grandma doesn't want a new radio to get the morning ag news. The one she's got serves just fine, thank you (Gerry Bishop, NicebutreallyshouldbeAlabamawhenyoulookatitville, FL, ibid.) Gerry; You are right-on with your statement. People in Seaside, Oregon don't care about IBOC either, or Waterloo Iowa, or most other cities and towns in the US. Sure NY, LA, Washington, etc, maybe they care, the big station owners, but John Q Public on the street would really care less. I think if IBOC is mandated and becomes a reality on AM, I think it will kill the AM dial. People now have so many choices for entertainment. If the AM Band in noisy, then they will go to FM, Satellite, or whatever. 73s, (Patrick Martin, Seaside OR, KAVT Reception Manager, ibid.) At the IBOC manufacturing level, I don't think there is a conspiracy plot. I do think that the electronics manufacturers need a new product like the CD or the DVD to push replacement market devices. And at the radio level, everyone is concerned with the fact that teens don't use radio like they used to... digital devices being the reason. AM stereo was never well implemented or promoted. IBOC has consensus support. Similarly, digital cassettes were never widely licensed or manufactured, unlike CDs and CDRs. There are a lot of useless corporate stations. Lots of consolidation deals included bad AMs or defective FMs. Stations that might have eventually gone dark. Corporate ownership allows certain economies that permit niche formats that could not exist as a stand-alones. Serving the community by today's standards may be plying a nice mix of soft songs that you can listen to at work. Serving may be not interrupting that soft blend with news and traffic, something those listeners don't want. Most people have come to realize that dull Sunday morning shows don't serve anyone; a good format with the right music or talk or news is service. Not every station needs to do news, not every one needs to do public affairs shows. Generally, each thing of interest will be programmed somewhere, and all listeners will be served. Disaster coverage should be and is supposed to be coordinated by and through the EAS system. In big disasters, most radio and TV is off the air; in smaller ones, the EAS needs to send people to the right station for news. There are plenty of full service stations left. Most are news/talk, like KFI or WLW or KTWO or WWL. They are stations with good signals and there are not many of these any more. The problem is that they are so costly... and with more stations on the air than ever, it is hard to finance them. 80-90 did produce move-ins and upgrades. Prior to Bonita Springs, such was not doable due to the jeopardizing of the license. But many 80-90s were in Live Oak or Blythe, markets that could barely support the stations they had prior to 80-90. The first to go was local programming. Where does it end? I am not a seer or a psychic (David Gleason, ibid.) They want to make money. They saw that there was NO mandate for AM Stereo and if they NEED to get one for this to work also. AM Stereo and the NRSC stuff for receivers was never mandated. No one wanted to spend the money on a halfway decent receiver. Yes, even FM sections on most receiving equipment is a mini step from being close to defective. Consensus? Not really. It was, however MADE to be the only game in town. In my market even good AM's and FM's have become mostly useless. Corners cut to the bone. Dead air, 2 and 3 audio sources running at once. Voice tracking where the names of areas, towns and events are grossly mispronouced. Or programmed elsewhere and sound like it and people will turn off. It is true not every station needs to do news or public affairs. Disaster coverage through EAS has never worked, and it never will work properly. As Fred said when the big tornadoes came through his area, the big corporate stations were on autopilot and ignore mode. I am a skywarn spotter and storm chaser. A lot of the LP-1's are so bad they need to have their status revoked. But these command (for now big rates and get it). But when IBOC gets into full implementation they'll have maybe a digital coverage of 1/3 or less of their solid analog coverage. I cannot say what will happen to the FM band, but with 100% IBOC implementation, I expect I will be able to receive 3 stations at night where I am. Where I want to move to, I will have NO MW reception possible. FM will be spotty (Powell E. Way, ibid.) There was a mandate that stations who wanted to move to the expanded band had to run AM C-Quam stereo... and 99% of them are running in stereo. Now this document comes out From Glen Clark that is saying that ALL expanded band stations be allowed to run 24/7 IBOC... There is a problem with Running IBOC on ALL expanded band stations. First off, C-Quam being mandated and second, you cannot run C-Quam and IBOC at the same time. They will have to change that. As an expanded band station engineer, I cannot see my station running IBOC. It won`t work, with 1680 and 1660 only about 30 miles apart. From what I hear from the WOR signal, both stations would kill each other with hash and become a total wasteland. I thought for IBOC to have full bandwidth it needed both sidebands, and both stations would be transmitting IBOC on 1670. 1680's lower and 1660's Upper. This document claims you only need 1 sideband for it to work. To me that limits the digital bandwidth. If that's the case, why bother with IBOC at all. My C-Quam sounds great. Cost me a fortune to put the lines in to make my station AM Stereo; why would I change it? They never mandated AM stereo receivers; that's the only problem with AM stereo. Nothing wrong with the AM stereo technology. It works and works well. If we got the FCC to mandate AM stereo receivers, that would solve the AM stereo problem. If manufacturers won`t spend the money on a known working technology, why would they spend it for IBOC? C-Quam does not hash up the spectrum like IBOC does. I can park my truck right under my station`s tower at night at 1 kw and still hear 1660 with no problems. No front end overload as claimed with IBOC (Neal Newman, ibid.) Broadcasting has changed. Much has been because of economics, some has been through listener preference changes. Radio only cared for DXers in a very early part of its existence. Radio in the last few decades has been forced to stop caring about any kind of non-local listening, mostly due to the profusion of stations everywhere. Radio changed. We as DXers can not stop that. This latest change, if night IBOC is authorized, will definitely change the hobby. There is nothing I can do to stop a technical innovation if broadcasters think it will help them compete with other media. My slowing down the conversion of an AM or two will not help, and my arguing at NAB that the system sucks will do no good as no one else seems to think so. The jury is out on night IBOC; if it happens, we will have to adapt. Love of DXing will not stop it. There is probably an R4C with a digital IBOC module in design now (David Gleason, CA, ibid.) The problem here is that Neal goes into the executive's office, says "stop IBOC" and the execs ask "why"?? Since few people have actually heard the IBOC damage so far, it seems to me that what we need are some carefully labelled and edited audio files that can be used as examples. A great thing would be to have simultaneously recorded files for the IBOCér, and the 1st and 2nd adjacents on each side, each with a file name and ID3V2 (if mp3) or clip info (if RealAudio). It would be great to have a "without IBOC" recording of each of the channels. Any chance of getting them put on the new IBOC page, Fred? (Chuck Hutton, ibid.) Try to get a radio to work in downtown Atlanta. Even as far back as 86 a solid state radio was totally useless downtown through midtown. My bakelite 8 tube Zenith purred along merrily much to the dismay of friends who bought expensive receivers that got all the stations all the time all over each other (Powell E. Way, ibid.) I am the chief engineer for Multicultural Broadcasting (MRBI), the station`s owner, which is great. But there are things in the works I cannot discuss in an open forum. However, I am against IBOC because of what I am hearing on the band by listening to the Warren test station and WOR's signal and what it`s doing to a few of the little local daytimers on their second adjacent; this is not hearsay. This is what my own two ears are hearing. Not on one but several different radios. Several of us have asked for proof as to which radios Ibiquity and the WOR engineering staff have tested with no hash on the second adjacent and we are all still waiting for an answer that I really don't expect to get. Because they cannot prove it. I do know fact of what I hear on my station`s signal in my .5mv contour up in Warren, NJ. Why should I care about this when the parent Company (MRBI) does not? OK, I`ll fess Up. I'm not only the station`s Chief Engineer, I am also the designated Chief Operator and a partner of the LMA that's actually running the station, so my concerns are valid as far as losing listeners and advertisers, and getting hashed by the the test station. And the station really does sound good in full AM stereo. Why should I change to IBOC. If the 50 watt test station is doing what it`s doing in my contour, can you imagine what would happen if two 10 kw stations on the second adjacent that have contours that overlap, like my station and 1660. Our IBOC signals will kill each other. Do I know this as fact? NO, because it has not been tried. But I would be willing to bet 2 years of my services for free that it would. That's how sure I am about it, and from what I have read, only the first adjacent is protected. Maybe they (FCC) should change it to the first and second adjacent like they do on the FM band. If IBOC is approved. The first adjacent is fine with no IBOC. With IBOC it should be the first 2 adjacent channels. I see this as the time for a rule change, for IBOC to work on AM or all hell will break loose (Neal Newman, NJ, ibid.) Of course there`s a conspiracy. All the people in the consortium that is Ibiquity conspire to bring about IBAC and later IBOC. Just because there is a conspiracy doesn't mean anything other than the people got together and talked and decided to bring this to market. There is a conspiracy to push replacement products. David, digital is but the smallest and least important part. I talk to teens all the time. My neighborhood is full of people my age who have lots of teens at home and some in college. I ask them many times, why they don't listen to radio. They say consistently, "the music s*cks." None said that it sounds like crap, they say "the music s*cks." Perhaps you were out of the country doing your LA thing in Ecuador but I remember in the mid to late 60s when "underground rock" came out. Before this, kids were saying "the music s*cks" but when the music changed to underground rock on FM, then FM took off like a shot! Sure, do the digital thing, but the programming is awful these days. You remember how everyone was on the AM stereo bandwagon in 1983 and I could buy a Sony, Sanyo, Sangean, Radio Shack, Panasonic, Aiwa, Carver and a host of other brands to include Delco and Chrysler Infinity car radios. AM stereo WAS promoted, its just that people have short memories. The people didn't think that the difference in cost was enough to make the difference to their ears. To the public the cost/benefit equation was not on the balance to the consumer enough. I am half thinking that IBOC may be the same. The difference between IBOC and AM stereo is that AM stereo did not destroy everything on the band for listening. Your mono AM radio didn't care. IBAC is going to be really ugly and the listeners will not be happy when many stations begin to interfere with each other. One very large corporation is one that is keeping useless stations afloat. These stations ought to be dropped but the large corporation I am thinking about is afraid that someone would get these stations and put something that would draw listeners so they won't be sold or dropped. How does Clear Channel or HBC or Cumulus allow niche formats when they are voice tracking stations all over the nation? What niche format is being allowed by a large corporation. In my opinion radio is bland now and there is little diversity. The big corporation will program the blandest and narrowest play list possible as not to offend anyone. This is what turns off teens. How can a station be full service if they are only news talk and have no music? (Kevin Redding, [I think], ibid.) Long before IBOC was even in testing, stations were either not implementing AM stereo or taking it off. In its first decade, AM stereo had awful platform motion, something that could make a listener in a car actually get sick. Even now, AM stereo causes some awful artifacts in the null areas of directional stations. I killed AM stereo on KTNQ in 1995 and within a year we had several hundred percent more listeners in the null areas than before; we all believe turning off the stereo is why. AM stereo was defective, not promoted well, not a consensus decision, and too little too late for an analog solution to AM competitiveness. (David Gleason, CA, ibid.) Uh, if only one side can be used, (say the lower side), then why don't they solve the problem by shifting up the center of the IBOC signal 2.5 kHz? I'm not sure how they are doing the modulation, as iBiquity has not responded to two requests for an interview, but logic tells me if it can run with only one 5 kHz signal, move it and center it so it causes *less* problems. If I want to listen to WLW, and WOR is causing all kinds of QRM (as they have), then I think that I, "as a citizen and listener", and not a DXer, have a right to send a letter to WOR and the FCC complaining about the problem. If WOR wants to take that as DXers being a pest, then I don't think there is anything I can say that would not insult them. But I maintain that I do have a right to tell a station that their neglect is causing harm, and loss, to something that I have had interference free for quite a while (Fred Vobbe, OH, ibid.) Instead of beating ourselves to death, how about this: NRC officially writes the FCC and the IBOC testers and Ibiquity. Volunteers the services of the active members of the NRC as "people with sophisticated equipment and receivers who are knowledgeable about allocations, station interference prior to IBOC and similar matters" and offers to make observations on tests and implementations available to all parties in an effort to "protect the existing stations, particularly smaller market ones, from destructive interference." A simple "press release" could be sent to R&R, Inside Radio, RBR and Radio World as well. We could advise through it that we are concerned with the degradation of AM service, especially to underserved areas, and the potential for IBOC interference. And we want to help develop a system that satisfies all broadcasters. Thoughts? (David Gleason, ibid.) Wonderful. And potentially productive. I'm happy to see an idea that uses the NRC in an informational way. We (NRC) are well positioned to do one thing that the others can't do easily - tune a bunch of receivers to a bunch of frequencies from a bunch of locations and say what was heard. I do hope the club can get behind this, and do it in a way that will get the message across to the industry. There's a real potential problem for us - the industry tries to ignore us as a wacko hobbyist group and the "IBOC sucks" type of comments won't help. One thing though... I wouldn't wait for iBiquity to accept our offer. Or the FCC and anyone else for that matter. I'd try and get the message out through the commercial press, who will be more receptive to us and also just might view it as a way to get a real story. We should try the people you mentioned, but I'm betting iBiquity will blow us off and the FCC will ignore us (Chuck Hutton, WA, ibid.) That was tried in the past with a small group, and because the NRC is a non-profit hobby group, and there was no record of calibrations for sophisticated monitoring, the FCC found no credence in the offer. There are a *few* of us who do have the ears of the FCC if we say it's a problem, and that's due to the fact of our credentials, history in the business, and the equipment we own. For example, if Joe DXer says, "I know WAAA didn't do their pattern change because I didn't hear it on my GE SuperRadio III", the FCC will blow them off as a crank. However, if I was to report it as "At 17:00 WAAA drops to night pattern. The transition from day to night at a location of 40:44:54.600N 84:08:19.871W traditionally yields a field strength of 8.6 mv/m down to .90 mv/m under normal operation. Tonight, and for the past 14 days, there has been no change in field strength from the 8.6mv/m reading", which report do you think the FCC will believe. I would be willing to bet, that out of ALL the members, there is only about 10-20 that have the tools and the education to make precise measurements and observations. And that is what the FCC and the IBOC testers are wanting. Out of that 10-20, there are about 4 in this list that I would trust to make accurate observations and readings. I do think, however, that we can all help with the issue spot checking at times, and reporting to stations and the FCC what we hear. That's pretty much how the hams do it (Fred Vobbe, OH, ibid.) Makes sense to me - and will probably get no response from Ibiquity. But it could (especially with decent promotion in the trade media you mentioned, something I can help arrange for at least two of those outlets) begin opening the eyes of smaller-market broadcasters to the fact that "digital" does not necessarily = "better" where their signals are concerned. Count me in. -s (Scott Fybush, NY, ibid.) Scott and others have a good point. No one in the engineering profession wants to singly come out against IBOC; their owners are also owners of IBOC (have you seen who owns the thing... go to the Ibiquity page). No one will do their job in over the 0.5 mv/m contour. But if there is evidence it does not work, then we can make a position that it is not of value. It does work on FM; let FM do it. But differentiate for AM until a real solution is developed. I think that well written observations based on high familiarity with normal conditions of reception provide the sort of listener based empirical evidence that the FCC would consider in a service context as opposed to an engineering one. I don't think anyone is going to take a field strength meter home, or buy a spectrum analyzer to do DX observations. However, comments based on "I can normally listen to WLW at my location on all but the most static-filled storm days. Since the IBOC tests began, I can not listen to it at any time between the usual monitoring hours of 8 PM and 11 PM due to the extreme sideband interference form WOR which did not previously exist." (David Gleason, CA, ibid.) Ah, the relentlessly optimistic Mr. Conti. :-) Yes, it is probably true that it is possible to still demodulate the core IBOC data stream when one of the primary sidebands gets clobbered. This is not because the sidebands are replicas of each other, but because there is a large amount of redundancy in the data stream for error correction. But (and this is big BUT), the remaining sideband would have to be pristine, since all of the error correction capability has been used up to compensate for the missing sideband. On a typical skywave channel, the signal will be far from pristine, so I don't think zeroing in on one sideband will do the trick. Let's say you try to get the KFI upper IBOC sideband on 650. To begin with, the signal level is 16 dB (or 22 dB, per the Clear Channel recommendation) below the level of KFI's analog signal, so it's probably in the noise. Even if it isn't, there's the interference to consider: co-channel analog on 650, and IBOC from other stations on 640 and 600. How are you gonna null them all? And even if you miraculously deal with the interference, the IBOC signal will be impaired by multipath. Digital signals just don't make it over skywave channels without bit errors occuring. With no error correction capability left, the IBOC digital signal simply can't be demodulated successfully. I spent a number of years working on modem designs for HF data systems, so I'm not just talking through my hat. The hybrid IBOC system will perform dismally on skywave (Barry McLarnon, Ont., ibid.) I think it should be easy to answer this "can we DX IBOC?" question. Hams have been able to transmit data streams for years. They can transmit slow scan TV, ASCII, and I'm sure other stuff. Now all you hams, how easy is it to hear a weak, fading ASCII stream as compared to a weak, fading voice transmission? The answer should tell us something about the DXability of IBOC. Oh, since IBOC is a broader, richer signal than a pure ASCII stream of data, IBOC would be another notch or two harder to DX than ASCII. (Rick Kenneally, CT, ibid.) Then the only solution seems to be, lower the bandwidth so it's half the width centered on carrier, lower the analog bandwidth so it does not interfere, and then it should co-exist happy as ever. Or, re- engineer the IBOC transmission so it fits as described, and turn off the analog component. Do either, or. We know it does not work with both. Barry: And why is that? I assume that the linearity of the IBOC signal must be preserved in all cases, and that a short selective fade would cause an immediate drop out (Fred Vobbe, OH, ibid.) David or someone who knows IBOC, If I'm in the "distant" coverage area (the 0.5 mV/m) of a station, how effective will that station's IBOC signal be for me? Thanks, (Rick Kenneally, CT, ibid.) Probably non-existent. Most stations really only value down to the 5 mv/m or event he 10 mv/m in large metros. Beyond that, man made interference is an issue (David Gleason, CA, ibid.) You are unlikely to have any digital service from that station. The field test data from Ibiquity showed that the daytime digital service area extended to approximately the 2 mV/m contour, and it shrank back to about the 10 mV/m contour (or worse) at night. If you read the test reports carefully, you'll also find that the stereo data stream is less robust than the mono data stream, so there's a good chance you'll only get mono audio if you're near the edge of digital coverage (Barry McLarnon, Ont., ibid.) But here's the thing, David. I go to NAB, too (we really should actually MEET each other one of these days...) and I hear plenty of people in the business, some of them in positions of quite a bit of importance, who don't think much of IBOC, day or night. David and I (and others on this list) are also on several mailing lists meant entirely for broadcast engineering professionals, and there's plenty of doubt there about IBOC, too. And the tone at regional SBE meetings and such is very clear: as long as they're not on the record about it, I've yet to find one engineer who's not actually running IBOC who has anything good to say about it. That said, the political tide is hard to mistake, and it's in favor of IBOC, RIGHT NOW and without too many pesky questions. I have little doubt that this is one reason Tom Ray [WOR] has reacted the way he has to some of the questions we DXers and others have been aiming his way; he's under a great deal of pressure to make this thing work and get it pushed through quickly. And while David's right that the reality of broadcasting today is that DX reception doesn't matter, we DXers (David included) know better than anyone that the reality of the MF band today is just as it's always been - skywave exists and there's no way to keep signals tightly confined within a single market --- which means that if you don't have the blowtorch signal and clean local frequency environment of a WOR, the coming of IBOC *will* cause significant interference WITHIN THE LOCAL MARKET to every AM signal that's even slightly less than a blowtorch across its full market. That knocks out everybody in Boston except WBZ, everybody in Dallas except WBAP and maybe KRLD, and so on. And in Los Angeles, I have to believe there are areas where KTNQ's analog coverage will suffer, perhaps badly, when IBOC goes on the air at KOMO and Roswell and KTWO and all the lesser signals on 1010 and 1020 and 1030 and 1040 (and that's at night; by day, IBOC at 1010 in Delano and Palm Springs and 1030 in San Luis Obispo and 1040 in San Diego will do their own damage...) I've used this analogy before: we DXers are the canary in the coal mine where broadcast reception is concerned. Smart broadcasters would do well to listen; I don't believe it's too late for IBOC to be stopped, *if* some of the groups that have been fence-sitters on the technology step up and make their voices heard. (And not just at the FCC, either; the leadership of NAB's radio board comes largely from the mid-sized groups like Hubbard and Saga, whose smaller signals would suffer mightily if IBOC becomes reality.) -s (Scott Fybush, NY, ibid.) Web sites like techcentralstation.com and instapundit.com have covered such issues in depth, and take a more nuanced, comprehensive look at the issues than slashdot.com's binary, "techie" perspective. This is really nothing new --- remember the attempts in the 1970s to add a "recording industry tax" on cassette tapes or to outlaw home recording of TV shows in the early 1980s? The outfits opposing the Recording Industry Association of America and their ilk are not lightweights; they include Microsoft, Intel, and most other computer/electronics hardware companies (collectively, a much larger, much wealthier group than media and entertainment companies). They are actively fighting RIAA, and you'll find a lot of lawyers who'll tell you the Digital Millennium Copyright Act won't stand a chance when it reaches the Supreme Court. It's definitely something to be watching, but the entertainment industry will ultimately be just as successful in their current battles as they were in their previous battles over cassette tapes and VCRs (Harry Helms AK6C, Ridgecrest, CA DM15, ibid.) Well, I do think that issues of interference do belong in a station's public inspection file. If not the first instance, and repeat performances of interference. Any station worth its salt would then respond to the complaint with an honest appraisal of how the problem was solved, etc. Should the station not answer the letter is their choice. I would not just do this just for IBOC interference, but also when a station has a technical issue, or forgets to power down, etc. Also, I should point out that it should not be used as a badger tool against a station. It's only in those specific cases when a station is impacting your normal listening habit. Dialing around looking for IBOC is not a normal listening habit. However, if I'm trying to listen to a station that I normally listen to, say WJR-760, and WABC-770 QRMs WJR to the point where it's unlistenable, then I think a letter is in order (Fred Vobbe, OH, ibid.) It all depends, Dave. Will I write WOR's public file? No, because although I have heard WOR testing and blowing WLW out of the water at times, it did not impact me. Will I write WLW's public file? No, because there is nothing that I listen to on 690 or on 710. However, I can think of several cases where a letter is quite appropriate. If I'm trying to listen to WLW for specific emergency information and WOR is causing QRM, I think a letter is in order. If my habit is to listen to WJR at night, and through no fault of my own WABC or WSB cranks on IBOC and now I can't listen to WJR, a letter is in order. If, in my monitoring of WOWO in Ft Wayne on my EAS receiver, the IBOC from WCHB, or WHAM causes reception problems, and especially decoding problems, then I really think an overnight letter to the station is in order. I'm not advocating that we all go looking for stuff to write in about. Doing that is a waste of time. If you want to complain about IBOC the best thing you can do is write letters to Congress and the FCC. If I find an issue such as splatter, failure to power down or pattern change, I can usually write a polite letter or call the station and kindly advise them. However, as we know, the business has changed and now stations either don't care or are ignorant to the damage they do. In cases where it directly affects your personal listening habits, and especially the safety and security issues, then I really think you need to address this to the public file and make it a public issue (Fred Vobbe, OH, ibid.) Great to have you around, Neal. What is needed is caring professionals like yourself to catch the ears of other professionals and not just the engineers, but the owners as well. Let them hear and realize what a mess IBOC, in its current sloppy form, will make of the stations on 1660 and 1680 in NJ unless they quickly decide to reduce emissions on adjacent frequencies. The FCC couldn't care less about a bunch of DXers crying "we can't DX due to all the IBOC hash on other channels", but let them hear from owners and chief engineers who realize that this slop will effectively reduce their coverage areas and that will result in them being able to sell less ads and reduce the value of their station(s). Then maybe, just maybe, the FCC will take notice and have more stringent requirements for IBOC. 73 and thanx for your help....KAZ (Neil Kazaross, Barrington IL, Dec 16, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. 4830 kHz, R. Táchira, 0059 Jan 9. Excellent signal at tune-in with nice music program and male host. ID at 0110 as "Radio Táchira, La Voz de Táchira en Venezuela". Full ID at sign off 0130 included frequency and meter band. Short song after ID to close, but not NA. Instead some song about Táchira or Radio Táchira (John Sgrulletta, Mahopac, NY, JRC NRD-515/K9AY & A/D Sloper, Cumbredx mailing list Jan 12, 13 via DXLD) Hi DX-friends, On Jan 11th at 0045 UT I heard an unidentified Spanish talking station on 4830. It talked about "Buen Pastor" and started a religious programming from "La Voz de la Liberación" from "Iglésia Diós". I also heard mentioned the name "Radio Mil Sesenta ..." (?). At 0054 the station abruptly was off, which points to the irregular transmissions of Radio Táchira (heard earlier the same night). Is there anyone out there who could help me to identify this station (or is it, as I suspect, Radio Táchira?)? Thanks in advance for any help. 73 from (Björn Fransson on the island of Gotland, Jan 13, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. CHAVEZ THREATENS TO REVOKE TV BROADCASTING LICENSES CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - President Hugo Chávez threatened to revoke the broadcasting licenses of Venezuela's main TV and radio stations, accusing them of supporting opposition efforts to overthrow him through a six-week-old strike. Chávez said Sunday the stations were abusing their power by constantly broadcasting opposition advertisements promoting the strike, which has dried up oil revenue in the world's No. 5 oil exporter but hasn't rattled the president's resolve to stay in power. Venezuela's main television stations have not broadcast any commercials during the strike except the opposition ads. Media owners say they adopted that stance because Chávez incites his supporters to attack reporters. "They are worse than an atomic bomb,'' Chávez said during his weekly radio and television show Sunday. "If they continue to use their licenses to try to break the country or oust the government, I would be obligated to revoke it.'' He spoke as tens of thousands of his opponents marched on Los Próceres park outside the Fort Tiuna military base in Caracas, seeking military support for the strike. Troops lobbed tear gas at the protesters but they quickly regrouped, shouting "cowards'' at hundreds of soldiers facing them with armored personnel carriers. Troops also kept back dozens of Chávez supporters protesting nearby. The first marchers to arrive at Los Próceres park, which is outside the Fort Tiuna military base, stomped down barbed wire blocking the entrance, but they did not try to break past security lines. Hector Castillo, a photographer for the local newspaper El Mundo, was injured by rubber bullets that some soldiers fired into the air, Caracas Fire Chief Rodolfo Briceño said. Eighteen other people were treated for tear-gas asphyxiation, he said. The park is one of eight security zones in Caracas decreed by Chávez. Protests are banned in those areas unless authorized by the Defense Ministry. The military - purged of dissidents after a brief April coup - has supported Chávez during the strike, with troops seizing oil tankers, commandeering gasoline trucks and locking striking workers out of oil installations. Top commanders have professed their loyalty to the government. In Colombia, Foreign Minister Roy Cháderton dismissed the possibility that Venezuela was heading toward civil war. "To have a civil war, two (sides) are needed, and the government doesn't want that,'' Cháderton told The Associated Press. "We are not preparing ourselves for civil war but to preserve peace and reconciliation.'' Venezuela's largest labor confederation, business chamber and opposition parties began the strike Dec. 2 to demand that Chávez resign or call early elections if he loses a nonbinding referendum on his rule. The National Elections Council scheduled the referendum for Feb. 2 after accepting an opposition petition signed by 2 million people. Chávez says the vote would be unconstitutional, and his supporters have challenged it in the Supreme Court. He was elected in 1998 and re-elected in 2000, and his term ends in 2007. Venezuela's constitution allows a recall referendum halfway through a president's term - August, in Chávez's case. Cháderton said the government would consider providing funds for the vote if the Supreme Court upheld it. "An opposition that contributes ... to strangling the country's economy and calls for tax evasion ... is demanding funds for a vote. How curious,'' he said. "But at an opportune time, after the judicial institutions make their decision, we will decide.'' Opponents accuse the president of running roughshod over democratic institutions and wrecking the economy with leftist policies. The opposition has staged dozens of street marches, called for a tax boycott and held a two-day bank strike last week. Chávez accuses opponents of trying to provoke a coup. He has fought the strike by firing 1,000 workers from the state oil monopoly, where some 30,000 of 40,000 workers are off the job. The strike, which is strongest in the oil industry, has caused fuel shortages and is costing the country an estimates US$70 million a day. The country's crude output is estimated at about 400,000 barrels a day, compared with the pre-strike level of 3 million barrels. Exports are a fifth of the 2.5 million barrels a day the country usually produces. In Vienna for a meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, Oil Minister Rafael Ramírez vowed production would be 2.5 million barrels a day by mid-February (AP via Star Online Jan 13 via Ulis Fleming, DXLD) ** ZANZIBAR. Voice of Tanzania, Zanzibar, 11734, email from CE Ali Aboud Talib who promised verification card shortly. I had sent my report to Chief Engineer Abdulrahman Said, as per latest WRTH. But unfortunately he died two years ago! (CB=Christer Brunström, Sweden, SW Bulletin Jan 12, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ZANZIBAR 11735 kHz - Voice of Tanzania, Zanzibar. QSL card full data signed by Mr Khalid H. Rajab. He wrote on the card that they broadcast on 11735 kHz everyday from 18 to 24 hours local time in Swahili. I sent him a reception report in English, CD with 1 hour of recording, post card of Long Island, 1 US$ and 1 IRC. The QSL arrived in only 26 days (Marcelo Toníolo, Greenvale, NY, hard-core-dx via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 3330 Jan 5, 1417. ID might probably have been R. Comores. Had not switched on my recorder! The language was French until 1445. 1-3. 1445 a program in Russian about the tango in Argentina! I doubt it is the same station. The Russian programme continues and the signal increases towards 1500 but disturbed. The station is in the time zone UT +3h based on the time signal (OB= Olle Bjurström) (See below! /editor) Here is the 5th harmonic from Lithuania on 666 kHz (SA= Stig Adolfsson, Sweden, SW Bulletin Jan 12, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) COMOROS would be a very pleasant surprise, but don`t expect them to return after many years gone (gh, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 4937, 5.1 1350, discussion in French. Switched off the transmitter abruptly at 1357. 2-3. Listened a few times later on the frequency but never heard anything (OB= Olle Bjurström, Sweden, SW Bulletin Jan 12, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 4995/U, 2143-2214+, 12-Jan; 1 second pips with occasional double pip and missed pip. Only long pip on each minute, no voice. At 2150 changed from pips to continuous chatter (fast pips). 2200 went to continuous tone till off or lost at 2208. 1 second pips back at 2209. Only hear in USB and on 4995, not 4996 (RWM Russia). S6 signal with minor QRM (Harold Frodge, MI, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TRANSMITTER NEWS ++++++++++++++++ RADIO DJ TOY TRANSMITTER Five or six weeks ago someone mentioned the availability of a "Radio DJ" unit at Toys Ya Us for slightly under $10. Never being one to turn down an el cheapo AM transmitter, I bought one. It's not bad, and grounding it to a water pipe and stringing out horizontally the 6' antenna wire which comes with it, the signal gets out better than what I got out of the much more expensive Ramsey. It is fix-tuned at 1610 and comes with a bright "On Air" light, mic, an external input, a modulation level light and four fixed-level effects (laughing, a zapper, etc.) It covers the house just fine, no mean feat since (1) I have a semi-local TIS on 1610 and (2) I have a local on 1620. It would make a fine backup transmitter for WNRC... I have no idea if it is still available (Pete (why bother growing up) Taylor, Tacoma, NRC-AM via DXLD) PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ WORLD RADIO TV HANDBOOK 2003 The latest edition of the World Radio TV Handbook was published recently. We've been putting it through its paces. If you're wondering whether to purchase, read our review. (13-01-03) http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/booklist/html/wrth.html (RN Media Network via DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-007, January 12, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser, ghauser@hotmail.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 HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldta03.html For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid2.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn WORLD OF RADIO 1164: RFPI: Mon 0030, 0630, 1230, Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on 7445 and/or 15039 WBCQ: Mon 0545 on 7415, first airing having been Wed 2300 7415 17495-U WJIE: M-F 1300, daily 0400 -- maybe; Sun 0630, Mon 0700, Tue 0630 7490 WWCR: Wed 0930 9475 WRN ONDEMAND: http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1164.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1164.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1164h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1164h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1164.html ** AFGHANISTAN. PIRATE AFGHAN RADIO BROADCASTS From http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-2312605,00.html Saturday January 11, 2003 8:40 AM KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - A pirate radio station operating in eastern Afghanistan is broadcasting appeals to overthrow the fragile central government and attack U.S.-led coalition forces, area residents said Saturday. The broadcasts have been picked up sporadically by residents of Paktia province around the area of Khost, said a local businessman reached by satellite telephone. The area is a hotbed of anti-government activity linked to remnants of the extremist Taliban militia, who are being hunted by troops from the United States and its allies. The station's signal often fades in and out and can be received in different places at different times, possibly indicating it is being operated from a car or a van, said the businessman, who asked not to be further identified. Such low-wattage stations require little equipment beyond a transmitter and a power source. It wasn't clear if the broadcasts were live or had been prerecorded. Afghan state radio earlier reported that a station calling itself ``Voice of Afghanistan's Resistance'' was broadcasting anti-government messages irregularly in parts of Paktia, which lies about 90 miles southeast of Kabul. The broadcasts are an indication of continuing resistance to the efforts by President Hamid Karzai's interim government to expand its influence beyond Kabul. Much of Afghanistan remains in the hands of local warlords who maintain private armies and offer mere lip service to Kabul's authority. Accused of sheltering the al-Qaida terrorist organization blamed for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the Taliban were driven from power in late 2001 by U.S. bombing attacks and ground forces led by a coalition of Afghan resistance groups based in the country's north. U.S. and Afghan authorities have blamed Taliban remnants, al-Qaida terrorists and supporters of former Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar for attempting to destabilize the government, including launching rocket strikes on Kabul and U.S. installations in the country. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2003 (via Mike Terry, DXLD) {Also same story:} REPORTS: PIRATE AFGHAN RADIO BROADCASTS By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN, Associated Press Writer (Austin American-Statesman via Artie Bigely, DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. FEEDER: 15820-LSB, FM Vivir, San Miguel, Buenos Aires province, // 87.5 MHz, 0955-1004, January 12. This is a station non authorized from Ministerio Caudal de Vida Church. It's the first occasion I heard this station on SW! Spanish transmission. Gospel Music. Announcement religious activities in church headquarters: "...El Dia de Gloria está aquí, en 4 reuniones... del Ministerio Caudal de Vida... a dos cuadras de la Plaza San Miguel...". Complete ID as: Radio Vivir...87.5...". At 1005 s/on Radio Diez (// 710 kHz) in this frequency and transmission mode. The station address is: Domingo Faustino Sarmiento 1840, San Miguel, Buenos Aires province, Argentine. SINPO: 34433 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, hard-core-dx via DXLD) So the Argentine military/government is propagating one particular religious viewpoint --- another country badly in need of the concept of separating church and state. Not to mention apparently endorsing an illegal station. But they have bigger problems... (gh, DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. ASTRONOMERS ANGRY ABOUT LOSS OF SHORTWAVE TIME SIGNAL http://www.abc.net.au/brisbane/stories/s753457.htm Presenter: Spencer Howson, Tuesday, 24 December 2002 There's a radio station broadcasting from Llandilo, west of Sydney, that you've probably never heard of. From New Year's Day, it will be no more. It's called VNG, and is a time signal broadcasting 24 hours a day on shortwave. Amateur astronomers, like Peter Anderson from the Astronomical Association of Queensland, are angry about VNG being taken off air. Why? Because Peter, and others like him, use VNG to record the exact time that astronomical phenomena occur. Peter Anderson speaks with Spencer Howson... (Audio in RealMedia format) http://www.abc.net.au/brisbane/stories/m522534.ram (via Jilly Dybka, NASWA Flashsheet Jan 11 via DXLD) ** BELARUS`. The reduced schedule for the low power relays of Belarusian Radio in the 41 and 49mb (BR1 on 6010/6040/6070/6190/7110/7145, BR2 on 7265) with s/on at 1600 is no longer in effect. It was introduced in early 2002. Now these transmitters are on the air daily 0400-2300 (BR1) resp. 0500-2200 (BR2). (Bernd Trutenau, Vilnius, Lithuania, Jan 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. R. Nacional Amazônia, huge signal on new 9665, Jan 12 around 0700 with mile-a-minute announcer, at least on weekends, \\ weaker 11780, no 6180 any more. Anyone in the way on 9665 would be well advised to evacuate, as Habana apparently already has. Wonder if ramping up government SW broadcasting is on Lula`s agenda. Fidel could use some borrowed transmitters (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) And what has become of Marumby? (Christer Brunström, Sweden, SW Bulletin Jan 12 via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 9695, 11.1 2205, Rádio Rio Mar med programmet "Brasil Caboclo" i vilket man presenterade genuin brasiliansk folkmusik och lokala poeter. 3 CB (Christer Brunström, Sweden, SW Bulletin Jan 12 via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 6813.60, UNID Brazil. Jan 6 2003 - 1104 UT. Only heard this date with strong signal and distorted audio. Probably located in Amazonas and ID sounds like "Radio Macará", but uncertain (from Quito /Bjorn Malm, SW Bulletin, Jan 12, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COLOMBIA. 4530.00 harmonic, HKJ93**, La Voz del...., unknown QTH. Jan 2003 - 0000 UT. Decent strength with ID: "La Voz del..., HKJ93 1510 kHz AM, La Voz del.....". I am sure of the prefix and "LV del....." but the prefix is not listed in WRTH. Close down 0100 UT. Harmonic from MW 1510.00 kHz. In "Emisoras Mundiales Católicas de Onda Corta" at http://www.aciprensa.com/radio/colombia.htm you find the following information: "Mutis: HKJ93 103.2 FM (200 wats). Parroquia Nuestra Señora Mercedes. Mutiscua L.C. Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de la Mutiscua". So maybe a new station on MW? (from Quito /Björn Malm, SW Bulletin, Jan 12, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) In 1995, from my Bogotá listening site, I used to tune in to La Voz de La Unión, in La Unión (Antioquia), on their 3rd harmonic, 4532.1. I have also visited the station, which is owned by the Catholic church. They never used any callsign on the air or even on their stationery, so Malm´s unid appears to be something new. The location he mentions is in Norte de Santander, which is in the NE, next to the Venezuelan border (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, Jan 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. Arnie tells me that his wife Olguita is coming along okay and is resting at home with medical personnel visiting on a daily basis. (Unlike in many parts of the world Cuban doctors still make housecalls!). Arnie tells me that he is at home playing "substitute nurse" looking after Olguita. I'm sure I speak for all of us in being happy that she's okay. 73 de (Bob VE3SRE Chandler, Jan 11, ODXA via DXLD) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC [and non]. Hello Glenn! Thank you very much for your help as the meringue music was a new Dominican on 600 and not Nicaragua which was barely in over Rebelde et al for 20 or 30 seconds // Internet twenty minutes later, at 0154 UT JAN 10 and meringue (the HI, I would think) at 0128. Here is a report I received this morning from Dave E. Crawford in Florida: Here on the east coast of FL I've been receiving a Dominican IDing as "Seis Cientos A-M, desde Santo Domingo", no ads, callsigns, or additional ID noted, local nights, mostly merengue and bachata, good signal peaks. WRTH 2002 lists only RTVD El Seybo. So, this may be a new one. No sign of Radio Ya here yet. Have been sitting for weeks on another UNID Dominican on 930.08, mostly merengue, no clear IDs, best around 0400 but difficult through Reloj blobmitter. Maybe Ondas del Yaque. Radio Puerto Rico is usually strong co-channel (David E. Crawford, Titusville, Florida via Bodan) It seems like 600 is the most interesting LAm channel here these times. That's it for now ! 73 and good DX, (Bogdan Alexandru Chiochiu, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. When I looked for information about "Radio Virgen del Carmen" at: http://www.aciprensa.com/radio/emisoras.htm I found this interesting notice: 3300 kHz, HCJX6, La Voz del Santuario in Baños, Ecuador 0500-2000. I visited the station about 5 to 6 years ago and asked the question if there were any plans to start transmissions on shortwave. The answer at that time was the same as when I the other day telephoned them on number 03 740-962: nothing on shortwave and no intentions whatsoever. It would have been natural that the small town of Baños has got this frequency. LV del Santuario is the only MW-station on 960 kHz and FM 98.7 MHz. Some years ago the whole population of 20000 people in the area escaped in panic when the volcano "Tungurahua" was very near an explosion. If so, the most charming town of Ecuador had ceased to exist. Three brave vicars were the only people who stayed preaching in the church "Iglesia de la Virgen de Agua Santa de Baños" - LV del Santuario has their office and studio in the same church. High mountains and deep valleys are not the best when transmitting so a SW transmitter should be of great help in an emergency. So perhaps the friendly man is not aware that they have got a SW license already! (from Quito /Björn Malm, SW Bulletin, Jan 12, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also BRAZIL, COLOMBIA, MEXICO, PERU This station has been inactive on shortwave for some 30 years. In the mid-60s where they operated a tiny shortwave outlet on 2470, which was later moved to 3300 in parallel to mediumwave 955. From then on they used to identify themselves as La Voz del Agoyán. I first visited the station in the mid-70´s and again some ten years later, during the construction of the Agoyán power plant. DXing from the CEA (Consorcio Escandinavo Agoyán) camp, where I was living, was truly fascinating. It was actually at that time, and by way of World of Radio, where one of Don Moore`s Peruvian travelogues was read verbatim, that I started to dig deep into Andean DXing on the tropical bands. No QSL has ever been reported to Scandinavia -- there is no record in the LA QSL List, issued by the Swedish DX Federation - and visiting the station, which is inside the town Cathedral, I did not see any reports either, though they may have been heard outside of Ecuador when active. For an impressive overview of the town of Baños, see http://www.disaster-info.net/andino/volcanes.htm The Cathedral is at the left at http://www.hoy.com.ec/iconos/guaga/banos08.gif (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, Jan 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EGYPT [non]. Heard today (Jan 12) another 'buzzy engine type jamming' against Radio Cairo in Arabic towards West Africa on 15220 kHz, scheduled 1300-1600 UT. Radio Cairo transmitter performed well; that's NOT a failure of Cairo's transmitter. The jamming was a separate operation. 73 (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Who would? ** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. WMLK claims program relay via Africa WMLK's "The Sacred Name Broadcaster" 11/2002 lists in its "Radio Log" section a broadcast to "West Africa, Radio Africa, Equatorial Africa (sic) 7190 SW Sunday 6:15-6:30 p.m." I suppose that is local time in target area (Larry Russell, MI, Jan 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Haven`t seen that frequency reported in a long time; is it really active? Or 15185v for that matter? Not sure this `relay` is anything new (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ERITREA [non]. NEW SWEDEN-BASED OPPOSITION RADIO UNHEARD ON 12 JANUARY | Text of report by Monitoring research on 12 January Please note that BBC Monitoring could not hear the Sweden-based new Eritrean opposition radio, Radio of the Voice of the Eritrean People, on Sunday, 12 January, on 15735 kHz. Source: BBC Monitoring research in English 12 Jan 03 (via DXLD) KVITSØY 9990 VOICE OF THE ERITREAN PEOPLE 9990 - came a little bit late; switched on the receiver at 1646 UT Sunday Jan 12, and Tigre program was already in progress. As Chris Greenway said in his e-mail of Jan 3rd: Voice of the Eritrean People "at 1630-1700 on 15735 (to Af and the ME)" -- is really Suns at 1630-1700 UT via Kvitsøy, Norway, on different frequency of 9990 kHz. Audio quality is different; the presenter in the studio performed a fine audio signal. But in contrast there was a guest speaker, fed in - I assume - via an Internet phone service or via .MP3 audio file of very extreme exceeded audio on the sound card. At 16.57:10 UT cut off midst in sentence, transmitter down. Then I checked all Radio Norway domestic service frequencies. Only Sveiø 13800 and 18950 came in on the clear with very strong signal. But 9980 and 7490 missed at 1700 UT. (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) continued under IRAN [non] ** ERITREA/ETHIOPIA [nons]. UNITED NATIONS/UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: 21715 Radio UNMEE, Al Dhabayya, 0932-0952, January 12. English. Commentary about Nigeria and other African countries. Complete ID at 0946 with transmission`s days, hours and frequencies. Announcement and ID as: "...the news from Radio UNMEE...". Very nice African song. 34443 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** FRANCE. French magazines Telerama and TeleSatellite report that RTL [LUXEMBOURG] (the French-language service that used to be available on SW on 15350) is no longer the top radio station in France, ending a 20-year run. NRJ, a more youth-oriented station, became France's No. 1 radio station on November 18 because of rating service Mediametrie's decision to begin including ages 13 and above in its surveys. Previously, only those 15 and above were considered (Mike Cooper, Jan 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Estimado Glenn: Aquí te envío una buena noticia que me remitió mi amigo KARL MICHEL, de Reims-Francia. ALEMANIA: El colega Karl Michel de Reims, Francia informa que el anunciado cierre de las transmisiones por onda corta de la Bayerischer Rundfunk (6085) ha quedado sin efecto. La noticia la recibió directamente de la emisora, a fines del pasado mes de diciembre, a través de un mensaje electrónico. Antes del 31.12.02 en 6085 kHz se transmitieron los diferentes canales según el siguiente esquema, con algunas variaciones el sábado y el domingo: 0700 - 0900 Bayern2Radio 0900 - 1000 B5Aktuell 1000 - 1200 Bayern2Radio 1200 - 1300 B5Aktuell 1300 - 1400 Bayern2Radio 1400 - 1800 Ballén 1 1800 - 1900 B5Aktuell 1900 - 2000 Ballén 1 2000 - 2200 Bayern2Radio 2200 - 2400 B5Aktuell. Referencias: BAYERN 1 = Canal Popular BAYERN2RADIO = Canal Cultural B5AKTUELL = Canal Informativo Pese a lo que había sido anunciado, las transmisiones en 6085 kHz continuarán en 2003 con la reserva de que ya no se transmita el programa "mixto" (ver Referencias) sino únicamente el canal informativo B5AKTUELL; además, la potencia de la emisora en Ismaning cerca de Münich (actualmente 100 kW) podría ser reducida. La programación mixta, dice Karl, "era algo único y excepcional para la OC ... con frecuencia escuché uno u otro de los espacios, muy variados y sumamente interesantes. Actualmente, y desde el 01.01.2003, se transmite solo el canal informativo B5Aktuell, y lo siento, aunque sea mejor que nada". (Rubén Guillermo Margenet, Argentina, Jan 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY EAST. Hi Glenn, a few further notes on the OPS programmes from RBI: For my knowledge these broadcasts were listed in the FF dabei program schedule magazine amongst the other RBI services, so they are hardly a clandestine operation. The mediumwave transmitter was the same one at Berlin that carried also other RBI services. The shortwave frequencies were the usual ones for RBI European services, and perhaps it is also of interest that 9730 originated from the Wiederau site near Leipzig then, carrying not only RBI stuff but also Radio DDR 1 during daytime. Probably of less interest for people abroad but something we were not able to find out so far: The FM frequency used for OPS at Berlin. My suspect is the former 95.05 outlet (better know for being the cradle of DT64), others think 99.7 (then carrying Berliner Welle, a special program for West Berlin, discontinued in the early seventies, too) is more likely. {FF dabei = Fernsehfunk = TV Companion} Re Deutscher Soldatensender 904: These programs were indeed first transmitted on 904. If I remember correctly they started on 904, then moved to 908, probably later back to 904 despite the resulting hets. Regards, (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GREECE [and non]. You may be interested in knowing that the VOG is currently using the unusual off-band channel of 5865. Noted here with excellent signals from s/on at 1858, carrying Greek programming to Europe and the Atlantic Ocean. The "Interprogram" service, in various languages is currently 1400-1800 on 15725 [sic -- see below], 1800-2000 on 7475, to Europe. English is 1930-2000. The only other English service from VOG is 0930-0945 on 9420 and 11630, for Europe and the Atlantic. I believe that this may also be carried on 11900 (via Delano) within the two-hour Greekl block to Australia and Japan, 0600-0800. Rarely reported anywhere, the Macedonia Radio Station, Thessaloniki, currently uses 9935 1100-1650 and 7430 1700-2250, for Europe, Greek programming. Noted here at good level on 7430 around 2200. This station responds directy to good DX reports. Regards! (Bob Padula, Mont Albert, Victoria, Australia, Jan 12, EDXP via DXLD) As discussed here two+ months ago, Greece moved off 15725 early in the season due to conflict with WRMI (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GREENLAND. Your Greenlandic seems in need of a slight brush-up, referring to a recent WoR. Kalaalit is pronounced galaashlit (like SHIT with an extra L) Nunaata - almost as it is spelled, just the t is a d. Pronounced: nunaada Radioa - like it is written, more or less. I was at the KNR in Nuuk several times in the 1980's, and attached please find the opening (sign on) at 7 o'clock local time. First their interval signal, then 'nellanargudak' meaning 'the time is', syv nul nul (which is Danish: seven zero zero). Then the ID Kalaalit Nunaata Radio, followed by announcement saying in Greenlandic and Danish that now follows the weather forecast for Wednesday, April 17 (1985). Good luck! (Erik Koie, Copenhagen, Jan 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. SPECIAL HAJ BROADCASTS. Dear Friends, Every year thousands of Muslim pilgrims from India visit their holy place Mecca in Saudi Arabia for Haj. At this time AIR broadcasts special programs for those pilgrims. This year's special broadcasts are as follows: Dates : 14 January to 14 March 2002 Time : 0530 to 0600 UT kHz : 13620 (Bangalore) & 15770 (Aligarh) Language: Urdu 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS/AT0J, National Institute of Amateur Radio, Hyderabad, India, dx_india via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL INTERNET. GOING GAGA FOR ONLINE RADIO --- If the Archers bores you, tune in to US police departments, writes Paul May Paul May, Thursday January 9, 2003, The Guardian Is the audio card in your PC pulling its weight? Unless you're a committed gamer, it's probably only being used to emit the odd "ping" when a piece of email arrives in your box. But that modest card can be your gateway to a whole new world. Audio feeds in RealAudio and Microsoft Windows Media format can whisk you to the police patrols of American cities and even bring you the "singing" of the earth itself. You might want to exhaust the traditional stations before you sample the web's odder audio feeds. BBC radio listeners will know they can catch up on their favourite shows via the BBC's website. Radio-Locator lists 2,500 audio feeds from radio stations around the world at http://www.radio-locator.com There's every kind of music, as well as Bible-belt talk. Radio-Locator was "formerly the MIT List of Radio Stations on the Internet" and sells its own branded merchandise, so don't expect anything too way out. As the home of DIY enthusiasts, the web offers a vast selection of amateur internet radio stations. Live 365.com has a cute brushed-metal tuner as an interface, though it also has annoying pop-up ads. But $4.95 per month will eradicate them. If you have a spare $6.95 a month, you can become a broadcaster. But top of the list for anyone bored with traditional radio must be the police and other emergency service channels. Many such frequencies are now patched into the net. The majority are based in North America, where it is legal to listen to emergency channels - and where no one will laugh if you say "10-4". Choosing a police scanner for your tastes and mood can be as difficult as finding the right piece of music. For early afternoon listening, I enjoy tuning in to the good people of the Naples, Florida, police department as they cheerfully query addresses, issue descriptions and - sometimes - laugh at the latest circulars handed down from the top brass. The department also broadcasts short bursts of modem fire, so you might be able to analyse some of the data flying around the city's early morning streets at http://www.naplesnews.com/special/crime/crime.html Other good value channels include the Cincinnati, Ohio police at http://wcpo.com/video/policescanner.html, and the Manhattan Fire Department at http://www.thebravest.com There's an excellent list at http://bobc_3.tripod.com/live.html maintained by a former member of the Sarasota, Florida, PD. Now for something a little more challenging. The time difference between the UK and Sydney is the only factor likely to affect the would-be aviator's enjoyment of air traffic control at the city's Bankstown Airport. But for an insomniac interested in flying, http://www.basair.com.au/ is the place to be. Not only can you hear the radio traffic between the tower and the aircraft, complete with authentic Oz g'day's, you can also study maps of the approaches and weather and windspeed data. More sedate thrills are on offer at live auctions. DoveBid runs industrial auctions around the world, and lists them all at http://www.dovebid.com/ If an auction is in progress, you can listen live as the items go under the hammer. Each auction's catalogue is also shown. Listening to a professional auctioneer in full stream is a treat - especially when there's no danger that you might accidentally buy a factory by wriggling your nose at the wrong moment. If you want to bid then you have to register first. I was impressed with the courtesy that the auctioneer offered to newbies bidding by phone in a two-day sale of distressed computer equipment held in Birmingham. The web is good at bringing far-flung places to your desk, and audio can further your understanding of how people live in other places. The governor of Alaska is regularly aired by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, via its gavel to gavel Alaska feature at http://www.ktoo.org Mindful that many citizens vote by post, Governor Murkowski recently reminded voters that they can vote at "most larger airports". He likes to complain good-naturedly about the traffic, too. Working at home, with a fast connection to the net? You can use audio feeds to create the feel of a work environment. Try listening to the drivers and signal personnel talking incomprehensibly on the railways around Vancouver, Washington at http://www.live365.com Or for a baffling but atmospheric white-collar backdrop, head over to the live and archived hearings of the Texas Commissioner for Insurance at http://www.tdi.state.tx.us/commish If your tastes lean more towards the amateur, then you can eavesdrop on radio hams from your PC. Bill, Bob and their friends in the Dallas, Texas area have rigged their amateur band scanners to the net and unleashed them at http://www.3819khz.net/listen.htm After the frenzy of live conversation, why not relax with the Earth's "songs"? The Inspire VLF (Very Low Frequency) radio receiver at Nasa's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, broadcasts the hidden sounds of our planet around the clock at http://spaceweather.com/glossary/inspire.html These sounds are variously known as sferics, tweeks and whistlers, but they all derive from lightning. Dusk and dawn are the best times to catch the Earth singing to herself, though to this untrained ear, much of it sounds like a rodent munching on a forgotten floppy disk. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2003 (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. Posted WRN schedule for English to NAm makes no mention of DW, despite newsletter statement cited earlier this month in DXLD that "January 1st 2003 saw the launch of Deutsche Welle Radio on all WRN English language networks." I do note that R Vlaanderen International has replaced YLE Radio Finland in the 1030 UT (5:30am EST) slot. Times listed for DW airing on WRN to NAm are currently filled by Swiss Radio International, so maybe SRI will disappear from WRN when DW is added (Mike Cooper, Jan 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN [non]. [continued from ERITREA non]. On 7490 a very strong Diesel engine type jammer from Iran was/is still in progress against Persian Clandestine CHA, scheduled at 1730-1830 UT. Now at 1742 UT Jan 12, CHA Persian program is well in the clear, but the Iranian jammer is now silent. 73 wb (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Now, what`s CHA? (gh, DXLD) ** ISLE OF MAN. More on this story from Caroline Central at http://www.carolinecentral.com 2003 is set to be the year of MusicMann 279, the working title of the Long Wave radio station set to give complete coverage to the UK and Ireland. The final hurdle has been overcome, and a Summer launch is now being planned. MusicMann 279 will broadcast from a sea platform anchored four kilometres away from the Island, using a specially constructed aerial system. Programmes have not yet been revealed but a number of well-known names have been drawn in to help put them together. The project was first mooted over ten years ago, and during the last five years Paul Rusling, the main driving force, has faced a constant battle to keep it on track. Rusling, famous in anorak circles for his book 'The Lid Off Laser', and his appearances on the 1970s Radio Caroline, feared that the whole project might be destroyed when an objection was made to the final site-plans for the floating aerial platform. However, the High Court dismissed the objection, which leaves the station free to come on air as soon as it is ready. "It is good news for Ramsey and excellent news for the Isle of Man," said Paul Rusling. "We can at last get on with building the facility and get the radio station on the air. Its coverage of the entire British Isles, and beyond, will put the Island firmly on the map and enhance its international profile." (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Due to ongoing negotiations between A.K.U.M (The songwriters and performers guild) and the Army Radio stations Galei Zahal and Galgalatz, which are taking place at a slow pace, the Ministry of Defence has asked to postpone the enforcing of an injunction of playing music protected by A.K.U.M, which was due to go into force today (12/01/03). According to the Army Radio's management, A.K.U.M are being " very stubborn " and they are refusing any compromise that is being offered. The Tel-Aviv District court has agreed to postpone the injunction until Tuesday (14/01/03), to give the two sides a little bit more time to reach a solution. Meanwhile on the airwaves, the two Army Radio stations are broadcasting pleas to its listeners to call a phone number, and there, to leave a message of support against the impending closure of Galgalatz (the traffic and music station), and the severe restrictions that could be put into force on the main Army Radio station - Galei Zahal (Mike Brand, radioanoraksuk yahoogroup via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** ITALY. Please visit my web site: http://www.radiomagazine.net Until November this program were broadcast from AWR Europe, but now it is out of AWR. On the page "ascolta in linea" you can listen my program with real player. Also from the page: http://www.radiomagazine.net/trasferimenti/riversare325.htm In MP3 mode, studio quality, for the radios who have interests to rebroadcast my program. Special greetings from Naples. Thank you. (Dario Villani, Jan 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH. 3249.564, 1300 Pyongyang // 3319.995, upphetsat tal och högstämd fosterlandsmusik. Hörs ofta. SA (Stig Adlofsson, Sweden, SW Bulletin Jan 12 via DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH. Hola Glenn: La Jefa de la Sección Española de Radio Corea Internacional -Sonia Cho- me ruega redifundir la noticia de la nueva dirección en Argentina: KBS - RADIO COREA INTERNACIONAL Casilla de Correo 950 2000 Rosario ARGENTINA La primera carta recibida es de BRASIL !!!; la remitió Leónidas Dos Santos Nascimento de São João Evangelista - MG. El cierre de la programación diaria de Radio Corea Internacional ya incluye la mención de la nueva dirección en Argentina en la voz de Francisco "Pacho" Bermúdez. Se espera con esta decisión se incremente el número de correspondencia tanto de los oyentes argentinos (que no pueden resistir el impacto del excesivo aumento en las tarifas postales) como así también de los demás países latinoamericanos que se ven beneficiados con un costo de correo mucho menor. Te solicito emitas un resumen a través de RadioEnlace. Gracias Glenn! 73 (Rubén Guillermo Margenet, Argentina, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBERIA. ELWA GETS NATIONALIZED The NEWS (Monrovia) November 19, 2002 Precious S. Seboe, Monrovia The Eternal Love Winning Africa (ELWA), a Christian institution which runs a radio station and a hospital in addition to the preaching of the Gospel, has embarked on a "National Initiative." In a statement at a press conference yesterday, the General Manager, James Kesselly said prior to 1996, the ministries at ELWA were run by SIM (Serving in Missions) International, based in North Carolina, the U.S.A. He however said due to the repeated evacuation of missionaries during the nearly seven years of civil war and the destruction of its facilities, Mr. Kesselly said SIM pulled out. However, he added that shortly after the April 6, 1996 fracas, former Liberian employees returned to salvage and secure what was left of the facilities for the return of SIM personnel. Since then, the ELWA has been undergoing the nationalization process in close collaboration with its mission partners, SIM and its national partners, the Committed Liberians for Christ (CLFC) working out of the United States. The medical ministry of ELWA offers maternity, laboratory, out patient consultation, hospitalization and other related services. The media ministry resumed its broadcasting on FM in October 1997 and by March 2000 had resumed its short wave broadcast. At the moment, the ELWA Radio broadcasts in nine Liberian languages. Since the late 1950's and until the civil war, radio ELWA broadcasts its programs as far as parts of North and Central Africa, and all of West Africa. In addition to its long-range media outlet, the ELWA operated one of the most reliable referral hospitals in the country. According to the current Liberian management team, one of the major challenges being faced by the nationalization initiative, is raising funds for the operation of the various facilities. "Many people are not aware that ELWA is now being run and funded by Liberians," General Manager Kesselly said. Mr. Kesselly then said, "We are challenging the Liberian Christian Community to join forces with us in rebuilding the ELWA Ministries, considering the fact the 'leadership torch' has been passed on to the Liberians," adding that, "The Management Team desires to keep this torch burning, but will need the collective efforts of the Liberian community to make this a reality. (from http://allafrica.com/stories/200211190348.html via Jilly Dybka, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** LIBYA [non]. LIBYA/FRANCE, 15660 & 17880, Voice of Africa/ Libyan Broadcasting Service. A nice surprise came in the form a multi-colored envelope covered with Libyan stamps. Enclosed was a stamped and signed Date only letter (no transmitter site indicated per my request) along with a plastic coated reception report form(!) and a folder postcard depicting Libya's riches, in 58 days. v/s illegible (Edward Kusalik, CANADA, Jan 11, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** MEXICO. 6010.02, Radio Mil, Ciudad de México. Jan 2003 - 1044 UT. I have not noticed this station for a very long time. I don`t know if that depends on relatively low effect or inactivity. ID as "Radio Mil 4-47". Who can give info what ?4-47" means? (from Quito /Björn Malm, SW Bulletin, Jan 12, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) UT -6 timecheck, three minutes off. Usually blocked even here by Conciencia, Colombia, 6011v; was that not on at that moment? (gh, DXLD) ** MEXICO [mostly non]. STATIONS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING XTRA By Jim Carlisle, January 10, 2003 {call is really XETRA} XTRA [sic](690 AM) finally merged this week with KXTA (1150 AM) and it's up to listeners now to figure out if, after all that stirring, the finished product is worth tasting. The problem is -- to extend this already tedious cooking analogy even further -- the pot isn't big enough to hold all the combined ingredients. The end result is that listeners may find the stew needing a little more of this or a little less of that. Frankly, I'm not much of a fan of talk radio. As far as I'm concerned, you could take all the sports talk radio stations in the world, toss them into the ocean and, except for the resulting oil slick, the world would be better off. Ninety percent of sports talk shows aim right for the lowest common denominator and I don't know about you, but I don't like to be thought of that way. The new lineup on the stations -- or "superstation," as they now like to refer to themselves -- consists of Tony Bruno from 5 to 9 a.m., Jim Rome from 9 to noon (once again airing live on 690), "Loose Cannons: Steve Hartman and Bill Werndl from noon to 3 p.m., Lee Hamilton from 3 to 7 and JT The Brick from 7 to 10. Late-night and overnight slots are filled with programming from Fox Sports Radio. Gone are the "Vast Morning Wasteland" program with Scott Kaplan and Billy Ray Smith from XTRA, the midday "Kiley and Booms" show with Kevin Kiley and Chuck Booms on KXTA, John Kentera at night on XTRA and Chris Ello on weekends on XTRA. XTRA is moving its operations to Los Angeles. Both stations are owned by radio giant Clear Channel Communications. San Diego area newspapers have had numerous accounts of how Clear Channel management kept its on-air talent dangling right up to the end of the year before finding out officially if they would be retained or fired. Why the change in the first place? Because XTRA, the San Diego station with the 77,000-watt transmitter booming out of Tijuana, is too big for its own good. It beats the pants off the competition, even in the L.A. market and even its own sister station, KXTA. According to North County Times TV-radio columnist John Maffei, XTRA has topped KXTA in every rating period. In the 51/2 years the stations have competed for listeners in L.A., Orange and Riverside counties, KXTA has lost somewhere between $50 million and $60 million while XTRA has been profitable. As an example, Maffei says XTRA bills nearly $21,000 an hour in advertising for Hamilton's afternoon drive-time show. KXTA has nothing anywhere close to that. The merger means that Clear Channel will be able to attract more L.A. advertising dollars onto the 690 and 1150 dial settings. "Absolutely," said XTRA program director Bill Pugh. "X amount of advertising dollars in San Diego are worth more in L.A. We as a company are beholden to our shareholders to give them the best return we can for their investment." The stations now have much more of an L.A. feel, right down to the traffic reports. Pugh said the merger was done for more than just financial reasons. "It's maximizing what we have as far as our properties in Southern California are concerned," he said. "That means finances, ratings and product, everything that is part of the Clear Channel world we need to maximize." For listeners, it means fewer choices, saying farewell to some familiar voices and a hard lesson of how the broadcasting business works (Ventura County Star Jan 10 via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** NICARAGUA [and non]. I still haven't found the identity of the unID meringue station on 600 [see DOMINICAN REPUBLIC]: it is NOT Nicaragua, which was also in occasionally but very chopped among LA's/WICC and nulled CKAT (country music), and was also new, but tentative because of the huge QRM; I did copy the word Ponce (a city in Puerto Rico) in // with the www.live365.com/stations/clickaya Internet stream of La Nueva Ya (Ya en la noche), but there was too much QRM to be really sure of it. So I can say I hear Nicaragua, mixing with Radio Rebelde, WICC and the merengue station. But who was playing meringue? Maybe our friends in Venezuela can help here... Into the logs now: 600 Nicaragua, YNLD, Managua JAN 10 0154 (+/-) - talk about Ponce during sports segment. // to Internet broadcast in (Rebelde/unID/WICC) mess. This is the first time I really heard it. Thanks to Henrik Klemetz for pointing to me their web-site! (Chiochiu-PQ) 600 unID, JAN 10 0126 - Meringue music. Fair-poor with QRM mainly from Cuba. Not // La Nueva Radio Ya Internet. Jumped back and fourth between the basement and my radio to give tips to Latin MWDX, so maybe I missed some possible IDs on this one? What kind of music the Colombian on this freq. in Barranquilia (HJHJ Radio Libertad) do play? (Chiochiu-PQ) 600 Cuba, CMKV Radio Rebelde, Urbano Noris JAN 10 0138 - overtaking the unID meringue music station with "Deportivamente", // 1180 (Bogdan Chiochiu, Pierrefonds-Est-Montreal, Québec, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NORWAY. Due to lack of electricity in Norway (!) the Kvitsøy and Sveiø transmitters will be on half power, approx. 200 kW, from January 15 to March 15 (Erik Koie, Copenhagen, Denmark, Jan 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also ERITREA [non], IRAN [non], UK [non]. Bad for biz? ** PAKISTAN. 5027.20, PBC Quetta (Presumed) 1334 Jan 12, talk by man, in clear, very weak. Occasional flute like music. Weakened a lot by 1353. Just past sunrise greyline (Dan Ziolkowski, RX-320, 100 foot wire, Franklin, WI 53132, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** PATRIA. Patria's state-owned broadcasting corporation and counterpart to the BBC, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Société Radio-Canada, Australian Broadcasting Corp., or All India Radio, is Ramrajyavani, Sanskrit for "Voice of Ramrajya". The network, popularly known as "R-vani" or "RV", is heavy on Hindu devotional broadcasts (e.g. "Back to the Gita", "Radio Yoga Class"), Sanskrit chanting, on- air hatha yoga classes, etc. The Hindu programming on Ramrajyavani's television network (Doordarshan, to use the Sanskrit term) stops dead in its tracks at 8 p.m. on Saturday nights to make way for "Hockey Night in Patria". Voice of Dharma, the international shortwave service of Ramrajyavani, broadcasts in English, Sanskrit and many other languages and is a welcome relief from HCJB and the many other high- wattage mostly U.S.-based right-wing fundamentalist Christian Bible- thumpers crowding the SW bands. Of course, it's not all dharma and karma on Patria's airwaves. Continue down this page for a glimpse of Patria's thriving private, secular radio broadcast industry.... [Question of the week: ``Other than DXing, describe one or more hobbies or interests you have that compete with the DX hobby."] Micronationalism: Since 8th grade I have created a "micronation" or virtual country that exists only on paper or on the web, that I call the Inner Realm of Patria. http://www.geocities.com/patria1818 This is apparently almost exclusively an adolescent boy's activity (like DXing was, when I first got into it also as an 8th grader) Doesn't really compete with DX, but if you want to see a few logos and a 1978 survey chart from some of Patria's radio stations, go to http://www.geocities.com/patria1818/popcult.html The Patrienish Hockey League page http://www.geocities.com/patria1818/phl.html has the flagships for the PHL teams (Mike Brooker, Toronto, Ont., NRC-AM via DXLD) Great fun, and well-done, imaginative, and artistic. This led me to... (gh) ** PERU [and non]. FUN FACTS TO KNOW AND TELL ABOUT QUECHUA http://www.zompist.com/quechua.html (via gh, DXLD) ** PERU. 4886.63, "Radio Católica Mundial" I take for granted that it is "Radio Virgen del Carmen", Huancevelica. Jan 2003 - 1030 UT. ID as "Radio Católica Mundial" as usual but also in the form of a singing- ID. Who have information? [relaying WEWN?? --- gh] 18060.66 harmonic, Radio Victoria, Lima. Jan 2003 - 2340 UT. 3rd harmonic from the station 49 mb frequency: 3 x 6020.22 kHz. Info from "Ventanaperú": LIMA se encuentra dividida en las siguientes provincias: [file for future reference] 1. .- Provincia de Barranca, cuya capital es Barranca. Sus distritos son: Barranca, Paramonga, Pativilca, Supe, Supe Puerto; con una población total de 114,051 hab. 2. .- Provincia de Cajatambo, cuya capital es Cajatambo. Sus distritos son: Cajatambo, Copa, Gorgor, Huancapón, Manas; con una población total de 9,475 hab. 3. .- Provincia de Canta, cuya capital es Canta. Sus distritos son: Arahuay, Canta, Huamantanga, Huaros, Lachaqui, San Buenaventura, Santa Rosa de Quives; con una población total de 10,996 hab. 4. .- Provincia de Cañete, cuya capital es San Vicente de Cañete. Sus distritos son: Asia, Calango, Cerro Azul, Coayllo, Chilca, Imperial, Lunahuaná, Mala, Nuevo Imperial, Pacarán, Quilmaná, San Antonio, San Luis, San Vicente de Cañete, Santa Cruz de Flores, Zuñiga; con una población total de 152,378 hab. 5. .- Provincia de Huaura, cuya capital es Huacho. Sus distritos son: Ambar, Caleta de Carquín, Checras, Huacho, Hualmay, Huaura, Leoncio Prado, Paccho, Santa Leonor, Santa María, Sayán, Végueta; con una población total de 163,174 hab. 6. .- Provincia de Huaral, cuya capital es Huaral. Sus distritos son: Atavillos Alto, Atavillos Bajo, Aucallama, Chancay, Huaral, Ihuarí, Lampián, Pacaraos, San Miguel de Acos, Santa Cruz de Andamarca, Sumbilca, 27 de Noviembre; con una población total de 126,025 hab. 7. .- Provincia de Huarochirí, cuya capital es Matucana. Sus distritos son: Antioquía [N.B., unlike the Colombian department which does not have an accent on the I --- gh], Callahuanca, Carampoma, Casta, Cuenca, Chilca, Huachupampa, Huanza, Huarochirí, lahuaytambo, Langa, Laraos, Mariantana, Matucana, Ricardo Palma, San Andrés de Tupicocha, San Antonio, San Bartolomé, San Damián, San Juan de Iris, San Juan de Tantarache, San Lorenzo de Quinti, San Mateo de Otao, San Pedro de Huancayre, Sangallaya, Santa Cruz de Cocachacra, Santa Eulalia, Santiago de Anchucaya, Santiago de Tuna, Santo Domingo de los Olleros, Surco; con una población total de 59,057 hab. 8. .- Provincia de Lima, cuya capital es Lima. Sus distritos son: Ancón, Ate, Barranco, Breña, Carabayllo, Cieneguilla, Comas, Chaclacayo, Chorrillos, El Agustino, Independencia, Jesús María, La Molina, La Victoria, Lima, Lince, Lurigancho, Lurín, Magdalena del Mar, Miraflores, Pueblo Libre, Pachacámac, Pucusana, Puente Piedra, Punta Hermosa, Punta Negra, Rímac, San Bartolo, San Borja, San Isidro, San Juan de Lurigancho, San Juan de Miraflores, San Luis, San Martín de Porres, San Miguel, Santa María del Mar, Santa Rosa, Santiago de Surco, Surquillo, Villa el Salvador, Villa María del Triunfo; con una población total de 5'706,127 hab. 9. .- Provincia de Oyón, cuya capital es Oyón. Sus distritos son: Andajes, Caujul, Cochamarca, Naván, Oyón, Pachangara; con una población total de 17,279 hab. 10. .- Provincia de Yauyos, cuya capital es Yauyos. Sus distritos son: Alis, Ayauca, Ayaviri, Azángaro, Cacra, Carania, Catahuasi, Cochas, Colonia, Chocos, Hongos, Huampará, Huancaya, Huangascar, Huantán, Huanec, Laraos, Lincha, Madean, Miraflores, Omas, Putinza, Quinches, Quinocay, San Joaquín, San Pedro de Pilas, Tanta, Tauripampa, Tomas, Tupe, Vinac, Vitis, Yauyos; con una población total de 27,746 hab. 73 (from Quito /Björn Malm, SW Bulletin, Jan 12, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. Tacna, 10 de Enero 2003 [resend of Dec 29]. Señores Conexión Digital, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Estimados señores: Al hacerles llegar mi saludo, desearles hayan pasado una feliz navidad y augurarles un nuevo año 2003 de éxitos en esta encomiable labor de editar virtualmente los informes dominicales de Conexión Digital, la cual sigo número a número en mi servidor. Esto lo vengo haciendo desde hace varios meses desde que comencé a recibir sus despachos. Como Gerente de Operaciones de Radio Tacna en Tacna - Perú, tengo a mi cargo a parte de las actividades administrativas, el mantenimiento técnico de los equipos de transmisores de la emisora. En varias oportunidades he leido reportajes de sintonía de nuestra señal en onda corta que opera en la frecuencia de 9505 kHz banda de 31 metros, aunque nuestra potencia es limitada, solo 200 watts, sin embargo en condiciones faborables somos sintonizados en diversos países de Europa del norte en países como Noruega, Finlandia, de igual manera de Italia, Alemania, en el Asia con mayor frecuencia en Japón; en el ámbito latinoamericano la cobertura durante el día está centrada en el norte de Chile, norte argentino, Bolivia oeste de Brasil e interior del territorio peruano. Radio Tacna tiene una antigüedad de 62 años y el horario de operaciones de la onda corta es de 5 Am. a 7 Pm. hora de Perú [1000-2400 UT]; también transmitimos en OM en 1470 con 1000 Watts y en FM en 104.3 con 250 Watts. En varias ocaciones hemos recibido reportajes de sintonía en el mismo Bs. Aires y sur de Chile; hace una semana nos llego un E-mail desde Nigeria en Sudáfrica [sic] y una de U.S.A., lo que nos llena de satisfacciones y siempre que encuentro en sus informes alguna escucha desde alguna parte del mundo, nos alegra sobremanera. Por el momento el correo electrónico de la emisora es el que estoy empleando y al que ustedes remiten sus informes, es probable que sea cambiado, para lo cual se los haré conocer en su momento pues no me pierdo ninguno de sus boletines. Estamos en estos montos en tratar de reactivar nuestra página web en la que incluiremos servicios como noticias locales y nacionales y lo más importante, colocar el audio en tiempo real de la transmisión que efectuamos en AM. Los estudios se están efectuando para definirlos a mediados del mes de enero. Al agradecer la atención a la presente y hacerles llegar mis felicitaciones y desearles un buen año nuevo, me despido cordialmente su fiel lector (Ing. Alfonso Cáceres, Gerente de Operaciones, RADIO TACNA, Tacna - Perú, Jan 10 via Nicolás Eramo, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** RUSSIA/C I S. FOREIGN RELAY VIA SHORT WAVE TRANSMITTERS OF THE COUNTRIES OF CIS 27/10/2002 - 29/03/2003 kHz UTC kW Radiostation Armenia 5855 1655-1840 100 TWR 6240 1200-1215 100 TWR 7475 1400-1500 100 RFA 7550 2300-2400 500 RFA 7560 0100-0300 500 RFA 9365* 1100-1400 500 RFA 9920* 1400-1600 500 RFA 11520** 1400-1600 500 RFA 11590** 1100-1400 500 RFA 11790 1400-1500 100 VOA 17540 0600-0700 500 RFA Moldova 7460 0230-0315 500 RPD 7480 1800-1845 500 RPD 11530 1300-1700 500 MSP Kazakhstan 5905 1430-1530 200 DVB 7530 2230-2330 200 RFA 7550 1300-1400 200 RFA 9355 1630-1700 200 VOO Tue, Fri 9490 2330-2430 200 RFA 11510 1230-1330 200 RFA 11535 1400-1500 200 RFA 11570 0030-0130 200 RFA 13830 0000-0100 200 RFA 15680 1100-1200 200 RFA 19m*** 1215-1300 100 VOT Tajikistan 4760 0100-0200 100 RFE 4760 1630-1700 100 RFE 4995 1500-1700 100 RFE 5035 0200-0300 100 RFE 6035 1600-1630 100 RFI 6150 1900-2000 100 RFE 6160 0200-0300 100 RFE 7415 2300-2400 200 RFA 7455 1800-2100 500 RFA 7470* 0100-0300 200 RFA 7485 0100-0200 200 RFA 7495 1500-1600 200 RFA 7515 2330-0030 200 RFA 7515 1600-1700 200 RFA 7530 1600-1700 200 RFA 7540 2300-2400 500 RFA 7540 1500-2200 500 RFA 9355 1300-1400 200 RFA 9365 0100-0200 200 RFA 9365 1400-1500 200 RFA 11535 0030-0130 200 RFA 11540 1100-1400 200 RFA 15660** 0100-0300 200 RFA 17495 0300-0700 500 RFA 17515 0600-0700 200 RFA 17525 0300-0700 500 RFA 19m*** 1215-1300 100 VOT Uzbekistan 6210 1710-1740 100 VAT 7375 0200-0230 200 BBC 7430 1330-1445 200 BBC 7430 1500-1530 200 BBC 9445 2315-0200 200 TWR 9445 1130-1630 200 TWR 9865 1430-1600 100 VAT 11850 0100-0300 100 VIN 12070 0100-0200 200 HLR Fri 12070 1330-1625 100 RNW 15675 0500-1300 200 MSP 17690 1200-1230 100 RVI 21780 0800-0830 200 BBC 25m*** 1430-1515 100 VOT 13m*** 1215-1300 100 VOT * Till 01/03/2003 ** From 02/03/2003 *** Various frequencies in the specified metre band BBC = British Broadcasting Corporation DVB = Democratic Voice of Burma HLR = Hmong Lao Radio MSP = Voice of Mesopotamia RFA = Radio Free Asia RFE = Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty RFI = Radio France Internationale RNW = Radio Nederland Wereldomroep RPD = Radio Payam-e Doost RVI = Radio Vlaanderen Internationaal TWR = Trans World Radio VAT = Radio Vaticana VIN = Voice International VOA = Voice of America VOO = Voice of Orthodoxy VOT = Voice of Tibet (via Nikolay Rudnev, Belgorodskaya oblast, RUS-DX Jan 11 via DXLD) ** SOMALIA. MOGADISHU-BASED RADIO HORNAFRIK GOES OFF AIR AFTER GUNMEN STORM STATION | Excerpt from report by Somali Radio HornAfrik on 11 January Radio and TV HornAfrik was off air for about six and half hours last night. It resumed broadcasting at about 1015 [1915 gmt]. Ilmi Usman Farah Bonderi has details: [Bonderi] TV and Radio HornAfrik went off air after gunmen stormed their premises in Mogadishu yesterday afternoon. The gunmen forced radio and TV transmissions to go off. The gunmen... did not cause any destruction to the equipment nor harm any of the staff at HornAfrik other than forcibly switching off the transmission. The militiamen later left the premises peacefully. The TV and radio staff apologized to all listeners in Mogadishu for the period they were off air. It is said the incident will not in any way affect the programmes and schedules of the station. Source: Radio HornAfrik, Mogadishu, in Somali 0500 gmt 11 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** U K. VETERAN DJ ATTACKS BBC, By Sherna Noah, PA News Sir Jimmy Young has used his new career as a newspaper columnist to launch a stinging attack on his former employer, the BBC. Insisting he has "no axe to grind", the veteran DJ accused the broadcaster of having a "frightening" and "brutal" history. In a bitterly-worded column for the Sunday Express, he also asked readers whether the BBC's licence fee should be scrapped. The 81-year-old described his 50-year relationship with the BBC as "loose" and "semi-detached". He added: "I was going to write that I had enjoyed that relationship but that wouldn't be true. "Sometimes enjoyable, often not, would be a more accurate description." Sir Jimmy, who presented his show on Radio 2 for 29 years, thanked his loyal listeners for their messages "ranging from dismay to outrage, at the BBC's decision to axe my enormously successful, award-winning programme". He presented his farewell show on Radio 2 last month, telling listeners it was not his idea to go. In today's column, Sir Jimmy goes on to chart what he calls "one of the BBC's many instances of brutality" when a producer cut short the career of an unnamed pop group because he had lost an argument with its manager over the treatment of a song. "Back in 1949 the BBC was a virtual monopoly and its power was frightening," he said. "Benevolent if it liked the cut of your jib, brutal if it didn't. "I could quote many instances of its brutality, just one will do." He went on to describe the Old Boys' Club that he says existed 50 years ago, calling BBC bosses of the time amateurs "who relied on their subordinates ... to get things done". He said: "Things have changed a very great deal over the past 54 years. "People no longer automatically tune to the BBC as the authoritative voice of the news. "ITV changed that when it proved it could mount news programmes just as well and sometimes better than the BBC. "Consequently I wonder whether the BBC licence fee can still be justified ... As it has moved increasingly into the commercial world, is the BBC trying to have its cake and eat it?" (via Mike Cooper, Jan 10, DXLD) ** U K [non] / NORWAY. Reports in DXLD 3-001 and 3-003 mention Norwegian shortwave broadcasts of NRK Alltid Nyheter, a domestic news service that often relays BBCWS in English. The same relay arrangement allows BBCWS to be heard via Norway for many hours a day through MP3 and Windows Media streams. The best of these streams is 128K MP3, faster than any stream offered directly by the BBC. http://media.hiof.no/streams/m3u/nrk-alltid-nyheter-128.m3u BBCWS European stream is carried Mon-Thu 2100-0500 UT; Fri 2003-0800; Sat 1106-1130, 1206-1300, 1406-1500, 1506-1600, 1847-0800; Sun 1006- 1030, 1106-1130, 1206-1300, 1406-1500, 1506-1600, 1706-1800, 1847- 0500. Note that these hours include the entire European overnight (evenings in NAm). (Kevin Kelly Arlington, Massachusetts, USA PublicRadioFan.com Jan 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. GREECE. 15290, R. Farda via Kavalla 0705-0730 Jan 11. Fair strength but usually OK, occasional periods of what sounded like data transmission interfering. Mix of English and ME pops, IDs and occasional talk including soundclip from Tony Blair (Richard Jary, SA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Hi Richard, jammed on few channels, suffers by Iranian BUBBLE jamming, on others NOT, also both MW are free of jamming. The Farda change from the quiet 21475 to the noisy 21575 is official, both in the Farda and the IBB websites. Jamming on 15290, 13680 and 9435. I've been noting jamming on such as 13680 and 9435 of the Iranian bubble ype. Heard strong BUBBLE jamming today at 0600-0800 on 15290, and after 0800 on 13680, well ahead of FRD. 73 wb df5sx (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, ibid.) ** U S A. BROADCASTING BRITNEY SPEARS TO YOUNG IRANIANS MAY GET THEIR EAR. BUT WILL IT CAPTURE THEIR MINDS? BY DAN GILGOFF From usnews.com Millions of Iranians flooded the streets to torch American flags and chant "death to America" last winter after President Bush implicated their country in his "axis of evil." So you might not expect those same folks to welcome a new radio station that mixes contemporary Persian songs with western pop from the likes of Britney Spears and Enrique Iglesias --- and that's funded by Uncle Sam to boot. You might be wrong. Since beaming its AM signal into Iran last month from two nearby transmitters, Radio Farda (Farsi for Radio Tomorrow) has tallied more than a thousand E-mails from its fans. "It has been really nice to hear a radio which is nonstop music," writes a 19-year- old from Tehran. "Our young Iranian generation is tired of these hellish politics [that have] made a black Iran, full of sorrow." Hellish politics were a mainstay of Radio Azadi (Radio Freedom), a U.S. government-sponsored service launched in 1998 and replaced in December by Radio Farda. While Azadi pumped five hours of original news, analysis, and cultural programs into Iran each day, Farda offers a round-the-clock diet of pop music sprinkled with hourly 12-minute newscasts and two half-hour daily programs of news analysis. The broadcast hopes to attract 20 percent of all Iranians-up from the roughly 2 percent who tuned in to Azadi --- by targeting listeners under 30, fully 70 percent of the population. "We wanted the largest possible audience," says Norman Pattiz of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the presidentially appointed panel that supervises U.S. broadcast efforts abroad. "So we had to marry our mission to the market." The strategy has met with stunning success in the Middle East, where Voice of America's talk-heavy Arabic service was replaced last March by a musically inclined broadcast called Radio Sawa. The information- driven VOA model didn't work there, says Pattiz: "If listeners don't like our policies, you can't lead with them." Instead, Radio Sawa relies on weekly audience research to hone a playlist of Arabic and western pop tunes. News reports are kept short and punchy-and the result has been a shot in the arm for listenership. In a recent survey from Jordan, 39 percent of young people cited Sawa as their most trusted news station, about double the number who picked state-run radio. No escape. But because anti-Americanism runs so much lower among Iranians than among Middle Eastern Arabs, Radio Farda has come under fire for playing more music than necessary to retain Iranian audiences. Azar Nafisi, an Iranian literary scholar and author of the forthcoming Reading Lolita in Tehran, would prefer a combination of Farda's snappy pop-culture sensibility and Azadi's hourlong public- affairs shows. "We don't want the music to be just an escape for Iranians," she says. "We need to explain why the act of choosing to listen to music is vital to the creation of a democratic society." But Farda steers clear of didacticism. It seeks to give the people what they want and has canvassed Iranians outside their country to gauge their tastes, a total departure from the Azadi model. "We aimed for Iranian elites-professors, activists, even some reform-minded members of the clergy and government," says Stephen Fairbanks, Radio Azadi's former director. "These were people who were more effective in bringing about change in the country." Farda management holds that the intelligentsia still listen to its hourly news reports and to VOA's Farsi service. But a University of Tehran political science professor who requested anonymity doubts that elites listen to either. "Radio Farda is going to lose a very influential audience" to international broadcasters like the BBC, the professor says. "And youth are going to enjoy the music and ignore the news." So far, Radio Sawa's surveys in Jordan suggest otherwise. And Farda news director Ali Farhoodi cautions that bopping to western pop in Iran isn't as mindless as it may seem, with the vice police enforcing bans on much western music and restrictions on women singing in public. "Listening to pop in Iran isn't like listening to American FM," he says. "It's a political statement with a risk involved." Which makes Britney and Enrique sound downright subversive (via Mike Terry, Jan 12, DXLD) ** U S A. LOU GENTILE SHOW Glenn -- The Lou Gentile paranormal show will not be aired on WRMI because, as you noted correctly, we don't have airtime available at the time the show is on the air. I believe there was some discussion about it being carried on WJIE, but I don't know for sure if that deal was finalized, or if it has begun yet. Coincidentally, we will begin airing a paranormal show during a weekly five-hour block of time being purchased by an organization called Jupiter 400 (see http://jupiter400.net for more info). This is UT Mondays from 0500-1000 on 7385 kHz, beginning Jan. 13. The paranormal show will be on sometime during that five-hour block, and will be hosted by Dr. Wayne Haley. Here's a bio I've been given: Biography Dr. Wayne E. Haley, Host of Dr. H's "EDGE OF REALITY" Dr. Haley has been a professional psychoanalyst and paranormal researcher for over thirty years. Recently retiring from the University of California system, Dr. Haley now works exclusively on research in the area of the unusual and bizarre. He is presently the Director of HRL, Inc. a not-for-profit scientific research organization. Over the past twenty years he has written books, screenplays and various professional articles. He is still practicing analysis in the State of Washington where he specializes in UFO abductions and with patients that have had unusual encounters with the paranormal. His current late night radio program is designed to introduce listeners to the strange and unusual world as well as the enigmas that surround us all (Jeff White, WRMI, Jan 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. FEDS CONTINUE INVESTIGATION OF IMPRISONED MILITIA LEADER http://www.dailypressandargus.com/cgi-bin/LiveIQue.acgi$rec=44413?news The question of whether charges will result from the November raid on imprisoned militia leader Mark Koernke's home remains to be seen as federal agents continue their investigation. Firearms and an assortment of radio broadcasting equipment were taken from the Webster Township home [Michigan] by agents from the U.S. Marshal's office and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) Nov. 6. The short-wave [sic] radio station and Web site "Patriot Broadcasting Network," operated by Koernke prior to his imprisonment and later by his family, were shut down during the raid. A warrant obtained through the Federal Communications Commission maintained Koernke had no license to operate the station. The issues of the firearms and the broadcasting equipment are being handled separately. According to U.S. Attorney's Office spokesperson Gina Balaya, the defendants must file a claim for the seized radio equipment by the end of this month or it will be permanently retained by the government regardless of the results of the litigation. Meanwhile, the ATF is continuing its investigation of the weapons that were taken from the home based on a warrant. "We don't know if this will have an outcome with any charges -- that would be a determination based on evidence," said ATF spokesperson Vera Fedorak. "Any evidence seized on that property is being examined as to whether or not any firearms were illegal in and of themselves." Nancy Koernke, Mark Koernke's wife, said some of the weapons belonged to her husband and had been brought into the home from a leased storage facility recently for the purpose of cleaning and appraisal. She said she planned to sell them so her husband could return to the home if released on parole. The weapons were shotguns, some of which were semiautomatic, she said. Nancy Koernke believes the raid on her home represents a ploy by the federal government to extend her husband's prison term unjustifiably. "It's come back to me through the grapevine that there are some people in the FBI who would really like to seem him in (prison) for a long time -- as well as the state police," she said. Mark Koernke was convicted in 2001 on a list of charges, including assault with a dangerous weapon, resisting and obstructing a police officer and fleeing a police officer. He was sentenced to three to seven years at Kincheloe's Chippewa Correctional Facility. The charges stemmed from a 2000 incident in which Koernke was involved in an hour-long police chase in Livingston and Washtenaw counties and down Interstate 94 after reportedly being mistaken for a bank robber. Prior to his arrest, Koernke made a name for himself as "Mark from Michigan," broadcasting a short-wave antigovernment radio show called "The Intelligence Report" on a frequency from the family's home. The so-called "Patriot Broadcasting Network" could typically be heard within a three-mile radius of the residence on station 92.7 FM, Nancy Koernke said. Koernke will be eligible for a parole hearing Sept. 11, 2003 (By Kasey MacAllister, LIVINGSTON COUNTY DAILY PRESS & ARGUS Jan 3 via Jilly Dybka, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** U S A. The WKQV pirate from S FL has been active on 1610 the past couple of nights; pulled plug at 0108 tonight, on well past 0400 the previous night though. Dominates the frequency here when it's on. (David Crawford, LatinMWDX via Bogdan, DXLD) ** U S A. SALEM COMMUNICATIONS ANNOUNCES DENVER AM FORMAT CHANGE SALEM'S KBJD 1650 CHANGES TO KNUS II CONSERVATIVE NEWS/TALK DENVER, Jan. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Salem Media of Denver, a division of Salem Communications (Nasdaq: SALM), the leading radio broadcaster focused on religious and family themes programming, announced today the addition of a full-time conservative talk format on KBJD 1650 AM. The programming change will now be a companion format to Salem Media's 710 AM KNUS conservative talk station, adding its new moniker of KNUS II. The programming change features the addition of live conservative talk shows from nationally recognized hosts G. Gordon Liddy (8AM), Michael Medved (2PM), and Michael Savage (5PM). An emphasis on business and financial news will be highlighted with programs from Dave Ramsey (12PM) and Bruce Williams (8PM). Plus local news, traffic and weather will be featured each morning with veteran local news anchors Bill Jones and Chris Sealy. KNUS II Operations Manager, Kelly Michael commented, "With the growth of 710 KNUS over the past few months and the demand for more news and talk information during these changing economic and political times, we felt this was a natural programming choice, and a great compliment to our Denver cluster." Additional programming content beginning on KNUS II (1650 AM) includes the addition of regular SRN News, local sports, and Dow Jones Business reports each hour. SOURCE Salem Communications -0- 01/03/2003 Web site: http://www.salemcommunications.com (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A: WFUV is tightening up on its compliance with DMCA restrictions limiting how frequently songs from the same album or artist can be played over its web stream. DJ's apparently have the option of making their song selections fit the rules, or blocking their shows from the web stream. The first casualty, effective immediately, is Vin Scelsa's famously eclectic Saturday evening program Idiot's Delight. Besides vanishing from the live stream, the archive of 80+ shows will be withdrawn imminently. For further details: http://www.wfuv.org/streamdmca.html (Kevin Kelly, Arlington, Massachusetts, PublicRadioFan.com Jan 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. SPRINGDALE [ARKANSAS] PUPILS HIT THE AIRWAVES Sat, Jan 11, 2003 By Jeff Smith The Morning News/NWAonline.net SPRINGDALE -- Evan McCarville was bored in class and looking for something to do. Now he wants to build a radio empire from a small office in his elementary school. The Elmdale Elementary School fifth-grader hopes the school's small radio station, which is designed to provide information to patrons, will grow to broadcast throughout Springdale. A small group of pupils huddled in the back corner of the principal's office Friday and patiently listened to their teacher give directions. Following a slow count to three, the pupils burst into gleeful unison: "This is K-E-E-N radio, 91.7." And with that, they signed on to the school's low power, FM radio station in northwest Springdale. The pupils air school announcements through a small antenna atop the school that only transmits about two city blocks. School officials hope to extend the antenna 10 feet so the news can reach the entire Elmdale attendance zone. The best part of the radio station, officials said, is that the information is broadcast in both English and Spanish. The pupils make most of the content decisions and even decide the order of the stories. After a short discussion, the 10 students chose Friday to lead with a story about an upcoming parents' night at the school. Rachel Hornback read the announcement into a small recording device that eventually will be played into a digital recorder for broadcast. The recorder allows the announcements to play repeatedly throughout the day. After Hornback finished, she handed the recorder to Silvia Pena, who translated the script into Spanish. Pena said she wanted to inform parents who do not know English. "I wanted to help parents know everything that is going on at Elmdale, and I wanted them to know it in Spanish," she said. Jim Robinson, the radio club's sponsor, said the station allows the school to effectively communicate with parents while teaching students strong communication skills. Pupils who achieve proficient or advanced levels in their writing are allowed to broadcast their work as a way to motivate the students, he said. "Who doesn't want to hear their voice on the radio?" asked Robinson, who has taught 20 years at Elmdale. He said the station did not have to be licensed with the FCC because of its low power. Officials chose 91.7 FM because it had the most static between commercial stations in the area and would provide the least interference. The Elmdale Eagle's Nest broadcasters work twice a week -- once a week before school -- and record on Fridays. The school's Parent Teacher Association paid $3,500 for the radio equipment. Elmdale Principal Don Johnson said the station builds school pride and self-esteem in the pupils and helps bridge cultural and ethnic differences. "It helps them feel good about themselves when they hear themselves on the air," he said. "It's just one more opportunity and maybe a few more dreams." (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** U S A. I am still hearing WA0RCR near St. Louis with ham radio news, on 1860 kHz AM, UT Sundays, around 0630-0730, including Amateur Radio Newsline. Could be mistaken for a broadcast station, slight propagational fading but no SAH as on every other MW frequency, as nothing is co-channel. What is the entire schedule? From http://www.wa0rcr.com it is Sat 1900-0800 UT Sunday: WELCOME TO THE GATEWAY 160 METER RADIO NEWSLETTER ON 1860 WEB SITE North America's most Comprehensive Voice Bulletin Service; The Gateway 160 Meter Radio Newsletter, Saturdays on Top Band 1860 KHz. Serving the Amateur Community on 160 Meters for the past 21 years. Serving 42 states and 6 Canadian Provinces Saturday nights from Wentzville, Missouri on 1860 KHz AM. ON THE AIR Saturday afternoon 1pm, until 2am Sunday (Central time) on 1860 KHz (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. IBOC, here we come http://www.radioandrecords.com/Subscribers/TodaysNews/homepage.htm IBiquity announced today not only that Greater Media would convert all 19 of its stations to HD Radio technology early this year, but also that Clear Channel, Infinity, Entercom, Radio One, Cox, SBS, Hispanic Broadcasting, Susquehanna, Bonneville, Beasley, Journal and other groups - as well as a handful of colleges and individually owned stations - have licensed the new digital-radio technology. iBiquity says stations in 40 markets throughout 26 states plan to launch HD Radio broadcasts early this year in most of the nation's top markets - including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Dallas - along with many mid-sized and small markets (Jan. 11 2003 Brock Whaley for DXLD) Tom Ray has new samples up on the site. I listened to the delliberately restricted analog and then the IBOC. I think the analog was far less annoying to listen to. These are new samples. He seemed proud of them. I think he needs a hearing aid. The artifacting was UNacceptable. http://www.wor710.com/Engineering/iboc/audio_samples.htm Powell @ WKDK (Powell E. Way? Jan 12, NRC-AM via DXLD) I listened to them, and I have to agree with you... quality is awful. If this is an improvement, I would start questioning more and more of the claims (Fred Vobbe, OH, ibid.) To be fair, they should offer a comparison of the digital audio with the best that can be done with analog AM, not with the stripped-down analog component of hybrid IBOC. But of course, this process is not about fairness, it's about selling new stuff to broadcasters and consumers (Barry McLarnon, Ont., ibid.) More excerpts from the IBOC thread on the NRC-AM list, dating from December 15-16::: They'd rather all terrestrial MW die than let IBOC die. Just watch, IBOC ***WILL*** be mandated on all radios made after a certain date, and then analog will be deleted. I still stand by my contention that it will eventually be ILLEGAL to own a radio capable of analog reception! I expect that there will be a quick mandate for receivers, and analog will have a less than 5 year turn off date after that receiver mandate. But as some of us have said, these folks care not-a-whit for the consumer, just that they get their money from the manufactures of transmitting and receiving equipment, and of course the broadcasters will have to shell out money to Ibiquity yearly as licensing fees. I don't expect them to be mamby-pamby about it (Powell E. Way, Dec. 15, NRC-AM via DXLD) There are a small number of radio groupies and DXers and other radio related hobbyists who do immeasurable harm to al the rest. I've seen fake reception reports, nasty DX letters, demanding requests for bumper stickers (that we don't always have) and so on. Were I not a DXer, I'd think, as so many station staff does today, that DXers are nutcases and part of the lunatic fringe. As to answering questions, all I can say today is that none of the people at the station level like me know what will happen with AM IBOC. There may be a reduced night injection level, there may be a station by station process, or they may just open the floodgates. What I do know is that stations have multiplied nearly 20-fold from the time when rural coverage and out of market coverage was useful, actually used by the listener, and practical within man made interference levels. Today, stations serve their local metro or community. Nearly none care about anything more than a few miles away. Losing that coverage beyond the trading area would not hurt, because the FCC has licensed so many stations that those areas are already covered by other stations anyway. Just as the 1-A clears have adapted to covering part of a state instead of all of the nation, a few broadcasters will have to adapt to a new situation. Remember again... radio is not a uniformly profitable thing. The oldest financials I found are 1962. Over half the stations lost money or barely broke even. Roll to the different studies of the 80's and early 90's. Nearly 60% of stations lost money. Now, how much community service and altruistic programming does a money-gushing station do? Answer: damn little. The famous full service stations and the ones that win the awards are nearly always possessed of a uniform quality: they are successful and they put back money into the market or community. Remember, with today's urban sprawl, consolidation of rural market areas and consolidation in the retail and distribution fields, probably 70% of US AMs don't fully cover their own market day and night today... maybe more. IBOC won't change the fate of these stations for the better or worse. It just may change the timetables, and that's all (David Gleason, CA, ibid.) I'm sticking by my prediction: IBOC will only hasten the demise of the AM band by driving more listeners to FM (where skywave IBOC QRM will be a non-issue except for DXers) and satellite services. AM's problems have nothing to do with the technology, and everything to do with the execrable level of programming. AM IBOC is a doomed attempt to fix a content problem with a technical solution (Harry Helms AK6C, Ridgecrest, CA DM15, ibid.) The bottom line is this. The stations have tried everything they could, for many years, to stop skywave on AM. They tried all kinds of antennas and things because they want the signal to be loud and stay put in their market. I understand why and it`s financial. The signal can't be kept in one place with analog and antennas, so they are ready to accept whatever interference they get in fringe areas to get max signal in the market. The people outside the major cities do not count. Period. They don't bring in enough money to make it worth the station`s time to send them a signal. If you are not in a major city, you are useless to the station. The government has given up on caring for its own people who don't live in the major metropolitan areas because there isn't enough of them to vote someone into office. With the last presidential election where the red and blue map show, it can be seen that by next election, 51% of the votes will come from the metro areas and they will increasingly abandon any help for the people outside the population centers. This attitude will cause, at least for a time if not forever, major disruption and possibly the end to DXing on MW and VHF broadcast bands as a hobby. That`s about it in a nutshell (Kevin Redding, AZ, ibid.) See http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/sf01844e.html Reports of actual interference to Canadian stations would normally to go to the nearest district office (and to the station affected, of course). For comments about IBOC in general, I guess you could try the contact email address on that web page (Barry McLarnon, Ont., ibid.) ** VENEZUELA. E-Mail de Radio Nacional de Venezuela Saludos colegas diexistas. Espero que todos se encuentren muy bien y ya dispuestos a disfrutar de un buen sábado. Escuchando en la madrugada de hoy la señal 1050 AM de Radio Nacional de Venezuela, logré captar la siguiente información que debe ser muy buena para los colegas diexistas que han reportado la señal Onda Corta de Radio Nacional de Venezuela. Hay una promoción que dice: "La Onda Corta de Radio Nacional de Venezuela, cuenta ahora con una nueva dirección de correo electronico, agrademos tomar nota para que nos reporten nuestras emisiones diarias y así poder hacerles llegar su merecida tarjeta de QSL. Nuestro nuevo correo electronico es: ondacortavenezuela@hotmail.com -- nuevo correo electrónico de radio Nacional de venezuela, Antena Internacional. Y gracias por su reporte. Colegas diexistas, si han enviado informes de recepción anteriormente y no han recibido respuestas. Traten ahora por esta dirección de correo electrónico. Atte: (José Elías Díaz Gómez, Jan 11, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. CHÁVEZ AMENAZA A MEDIOS PRIVADOS CON REVOCAR CONCESIÓN OPERATIVA --- EFE 12 de Enero, 2003 El presidente Hugo Chávez amenazó, en su programa dominical radial y televisivo "Aló, Presidente``, a los canales de televisión y emisoras radiales privadas con revocar las concesiones estatales para su funcionamiento si siguen "apoyando" a la oposición "fascista y terrorista". "Si no recuperan la normalidad (los medios) en la utilización de la concesión y siguen utilizándola para tratar de quebrar el país o derrocar el Gobierno estaría en la obligación de revocarles la concesión para que operen los canales", advirtió el mandatario e informó que ya ordenó revisar el "ordenamiento jurídico" a través del cual se les otorgó la concesión a algunos medios, sobre todo a las cuatro principales estaciones televisivas. "Ellos tienen una concesión que igual como se les dio se les puede quitar", dijo Chávez, desde la aduana de La Guaira, litoral central venezolano, desde donde se transmitió su programa. Advirtió a los dueños de los canales y las emisoras privadas que de continuar "en su empeño irracional por desestabilizar" al país y "darle pie a la subversión en este caso fascista" podría revertir el permiso de funcionamiento dado por el Estado. Chávez nombró individualmente a los dueños de las principales televisoras, Marcel Granier (Radio Caracas Televisión), Gustavo Cisneros (Venevisión), Omar Camero (Televen) y Alberto Ravell y Guillermo Zuloaga (canal de noticias Globovisión). "El principal apoyo que tienen los golpistas y fascistas son los cuatro jinetes del apocalipsis", dijo en alusión a los cuatro canales de televisión privados. Chávez acusó públicamente a Cisneros de intervenir en el golpe de Estado del pasado 11 de abril, que lo separó por 48 horas del poder. "Cisneros fue uno de los cabecillas del golpe de abril. Lo acuso públicamente ante Venezuela y el mundo. En el canal 4 (Venevisión) se fraguó el golpe de Estado del 11 de abril", afirmó Chávez. Insistió que "Cisneros ha dicho delante de presidentes del mundo que él está resteado (decidido) y que usará todo su poder para que Chávez se vaya de la presidencia", relató. Chávez señaló que de revocar las concesiones a algunos medios radioeléctricos privados abría que buscar a otras personas para que los operen. "Hay muchos dispuestos", advirtió. El mandatario pidió a los opositores "democráticos" los que "tienen ideologías" salir a la palestra pública y dirigir a los opositores hacia "canales democráticos" e impedir que sigan siendo liderados por "fascistas y terroristas". Desde el pasado 2 de diciembre el Gobierno de Chávez enfrenta una huelga general y petrolera, liderada por la liga opositora Coordinadora Democrática que presiona para el llamado a elecciones o la renuncia de Chávez al poder (Union Radio, Venezuela, website Jan 12, 2003 via Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, DXLD) ** VENEZUELA [non]. Hola amigos. Durante esta mañana desde las 1410 y continúa en el aire la señal de Radio Nacional de Venezuela a través de los 15570 con música venezolana, mensajes contra la "Descordinadora Antidemocrática" o "Coordinadora terrorista", además con llamados a no sintonizar los medios de comunicación facistas y terroristas (un medio oficial no debería llamar al libre flujo de la información que garantiza la constitución ??); además de mensajes de Fé y Alegria. Creo que debe ser a través de Cuba ya que mencionan la proxima transmisión del programa Alo Presidente No. 135, pero hasta el momento no ha empezado. "...usted escucha el Circuito RNV por su variedad de estilos, canal clásico 91.1 FM con lo mejor de la música selecta, 1050 más que una señal, con lo más destacado de la música folclórica venezolana; antena internacional con información de lo mejor de nuestro país para el resto del mundo y RNV informativa definitivamente la radio de la información con 24 horas de noticias y comentarios, Circuito RNV contenido para todos los gustos, somos la radio de Venezuela..." Luego de escuchar esta emisora recuerda más a emisiones propagandísticas clandestinas que a un medio oficial de radiodifusión nacional (Rafael Rodríguez, Colombia, Jan 12, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Amigos de la la Lista, Esto es increíble!; después de casí 3 años de indolencia por parte del gobierno de Hugo Chávez hacia Radio Nacional donde el Canal Internacional de RNV ha permanecido en silencio por la "falta de recursos, ya que muchos saben de lo mudo que ha permanecido la frecuencia de los 9540 kHz, ahora resulta que de ser cierta esta noticia de Rafael Rodríguez, de la noche a la mañana [sic] están probando por los 15570. Será acaso que es ¿una ayuda "desinteresada y humanitaria" de Radio Habana Cuba, en pro de nuestra "Revolución"? Qué lindo son ellos! Gracias! (Jorge García, Barinas, Venezuela, Jan 12, ibid.) This is nothing new unless it extends beyond the usual Sunday morning hours (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Rafael Rodríguez, in Colombia, in ConDigList reports hearing a station announcing itself as Circuito RNV (Radio Nacional de Venezuela) on 15570 from 1410 onwards, Jan 12, where listeners in Venezuela are warned from tuning in to "fascist and terrorist communications media". In other messages warnings are issued against the anti-governmental Venezuelan "Coordinadora democrática", which is labeled "Descoordinadora antidemocrática" and "Coordinadora terrorista". Rafael says that the aggressive tone of this broadcast surprises him. It is different from what you would expect from an official or public broadcasting station which is the case of Radio Nacional de Venezuela. It rather sounds like a clandestine station, he says. He thinks the signal may be an authentic RNV broadcast relayed by Radio Habana Cuba while waiting for another "Aló Presidente" broadcast (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, Jan 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Tässä uusi UNID pähkäiltäväksi. Reilu tunti sitten uuvuttavan iltavuoron jälkeen päivääni elävöitti UNID ARABI 10000 kHz 1915 UT. Sekä kieli että mx oli arabimaailmasta ja kuuluvuus sanalla sanoen aika surkea. Aikamerkkiasema ja kiinalainen (!) numerotäti 1930 UT vaikeuttivat kuuntelua. 73´s JKH (Jouko Huuskonen, Finland, Jan 10, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Olisiko clandestine -asema 'Voice of Sudan' aktivoitunut? Lähetteli takavuosina tässä. Tietoa asemasta täällä: http://www.clandestineradio.com/archives/inactive/sudan.htm 73 de PUL (Pentti Lintujärvi, ibid.) Yesterday evening 1915 UT I heard an UNID ARABIC station on 10000 kHz. Pentti Lintujarvi suggested it could a re-activated clandestine The VOICE OF SUDAN. 73´s (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku, FINLAND, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Could also be mixing product from Jordan, reported many times before here, or similar cases such as India (gh) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ New group about SW for French speaking swl: http://fr.groups.yahoo.com/group/ondescourtes 73 from (French SWL F-14368, Frank Parisot, France, Jan 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) http://swlcontest.homestead.com RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ WIRELESS NETWORK QRM ON MW I was wondering whether anyone else on the list has experienced this: I recently installed a wireless network in the house, so I can use the laptop downstairs to access the Internet and check E-mail. It's a 3Com 11 Mbit system. Since then, I noticed that on mediumwave 909 kHz (which I use to listen to BBC 5 Live) it emits what I at first thought was a beacon signal of some sort, but later realised was a warbling sound of varying pitch, exactly in sync with the flashing green light on the device :-) It's not a major problem, as I can turn it off, but I wondered if this is a commonly encountered phenomenon. I find it quite irritating, even though it's probably only about S2. (Andy Sennitt Jan 7, hard-core-dx via DXLD) In North America, there have been a wide array of new Wireless LAN devices in the marketplace and some discussion as to the impact on radio enthusiasts. Unfortunately, there has been little regard as to the consequences of dumping a lot of this activity right in the middle of the shortwave bands, since, according to industry, there is nothing in those "wavebands" that anyone uses, other than amateur radio. As a person who works in the Computing and Network services division of a large University, I see an interesting push on from Industry to get everything wireless as soon as possible with little worry about security or potential interference issues. Perhaps most of us have heard of the activity called "war-chalking", in large cities, like London, England and Washington D.C., where people roam the business districts of these cities with their laptop and wireless ethernet receivers looking for free network connections. The fall-out for the average listening enthusiast is the ever increasing cacophony of digital noise that will pervade the broadcast bands, particularly in the U.S. of A. where bands are not really "allocated" but "bought" in auction by the highest bidder. In Victoria, B.C., Canada, one can cruise around in their car whilst tuning the medium-wave broadcast band and listen to variety of whoops and swoops as one passes through various neighborhoods. Progress is a wonderful thing! (Colin Newell, editor - http://espresso.ts.uvic.ca http://www.coffeecrew.com in hard-core-dx via DXLD) MORE ON DAB RECEIVER Hi Glenn, Just did some net searching for the product I saw at Radio Shack, and discovered that the radios I previously describer are made by a company called Perstel. Their products can be found here: http://www.perstel.com/frame_product_dab.asp (Product numbers DR 101 and DR 201) They appear to be the only portable DAB receiver being sold in Canada. Regards, (Ricky Leong, QC, Jan 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) VANU BOSE DREAMS OF SOFTWARE RADIO From http://news.sify.com/cgi-bin/sifynews/news/content/news_fullstory_v2.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1594947338.1042336951@@@@&BV_EngineID=dadcgeeifedkbemgcfkmcgedng.0&article_oid=12384454&category_oid=-20608&page_no=1 The New York Times has this to say about Vanu Bose, son of Amar Bose, a MIT professor: "It is too soon to describe the Bose family as an audio-world version of the Bush and Kennedy clans in politics, but they are off to a good start." Quite a heady compliment from the adjective-stingy newspaper. But Vanu, who founded Vanu Inc, deserves every word of the accolade. In 1964, Amar Bose, a MIT professor, created a sound system company that bears the family name. Now, Vanu is gaining recognition for radio-design technology every bit. He is a prominent innovator in the effort to use software rather than hardware to control how radios, cellphones and wireless communications devices recognise and manage signals. Early versions of such software radio are being used by the military. Alright, but what is the objective? In simple words, it is to develop software that recognises various radio wave forms and chooses the right application to process them. A single device could provide cellphone service irrespective of format or frequency, exchange wireless messages with laptop or palmtops and communicate with walkie-talkies. Yet another benefit is to be able to incorporate technical improvements by downloading software, rather than replacing hardware. "Why build a system to do one thing when you can build it with software to do many things and be upgradable to boot" Vanu asks. Experts in the field share Vanu's optimistim about the software radio's potential. Vanu got into the world of FM radio signals while typesetting a research paper for his father as a MIT undergraduate. "That solidified my interest in the field and the math behind it," he is quoted as saying in NYT. For awhile, Vanu appeared to be heading for a career in medical technology. He did graduate research on using skin patches as alternatives to needles or pills and spent two-years with a flying eyecare hospital for third world countries. But he was lured back into signal processing by Professor David Tennenhouse who persuaded him to lead a software radio study financed by the Pentagon, which wants software radio to allow all its military arms to talk with each other. The result of the four-year project produced an early software radio format, a PhD for Vanu and the core technology used to found his firm. Vanu swears by common processors, open-source products like Linux and reusable software. The industry, meanwhile, is waiting with bated breath for further developments. Says consultant Peter Cook: "If a company like Vanu can break through with one big customer, the market could come tumbling after them." (via Mike Terry, DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ January 4 saw the geomagnetic field reach overall active levels with severe storm at south polar monitoring stations. This was due to a coronal hole earlier in the week. At this time high latitude propagation was only fair. The effects were only short lived with conditions almost back to normal the following day. Another coronal hole started affecting us on Jan 9 but the effects from this one are only mild. Solar activity has also been fairly low with only a few small M class flares happening later in the week. Currently on Jan 11 degraded propagation conditions are in effect around the Australian region however this should only last today. Over coming days solar activity may start to pick up with the return of some previously flaring areas. Prepared using data from http://www.ips.gov.au (Richard Jary, Jan 11, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-006, January 10, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser, ghauser@hotmail.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 HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldta03.html For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid2.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn WORLD OF RADIO 1164: WWCR: Fri 0700, Sat 0330 5070, 0730 3210, Wed 0930 9475 RFPI: Sat 0130, 0730, 1330, 1800, Sun 0000, 0600, 1200, 1830, Mon 0030, 0630, 1230, Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on 7445 and/or 15039 WJIE: M-F 1300, daily 0400 -- maybe; Sun 0630, Mon 0700, Tue 0630 7490 WBCQ: Mon 0545 on 7415, first airing having been Wed 2300 7415 17495-U WRN: Rest of world Sat 0900; Eu only Sun 0530; NAm Sun 1500 WRN ONDEMAND: http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1164.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1164.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1164h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1164h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1164.html ** AUSTRALIA. HCJB AUSTRALIA BROADCAST TO INDIA REVISED START UP DATE Dear Mr Gupta, I am just writing to let you know the start up date for HCJB Australia's broadcast to India has been delayed till the 19th January. I will advise you of any change to this. I will be away till the 17th Jan and will be unable to check emails. We will appreciate very much your help with reports from New Delhi. In my spare time I operate on the 14mHz amateur band under my amateur call sign of VK3MO. Recently I have made quite a few contacts with stations in India with good signals. Best wishes (Ian Williams, Frequency Manager, HCJB Australia, via Alokesh Gupta, India, DXLD) Out of curiosity I have checked the reception of the replacement transmission for Ecuador of the new HCJB Australia to the S Pacific on 11755 kHz beginning at 0700 UT. The call themselves on air "HCJB Australia, The Voice of the Great South Land." Since it was announced that Australia would replace Ecuador for this transmission, I have wondered about the wisdom of replacing the Pifo transmission which comes from the east of N.Z. with one that comes from the west at that time, as historically the darkness path from the east has provided good signals whereas from the west stations such as BBC Kranji, Singapore, don't really do well until close to 0900 UT as most of the transmission path is in daylight until then. On both of the last two days (6 & 7 January) the Kununurra transmission as received in Auckland has been totally unusable until about 0900 UTC for two reasons, poor signal strength and co-channel interference from Finland which is very strong and totally dominant. Even after that time the interference from Finland is still quite obvious, more so than it used to be when the HCJB transmission came from Ecuador although Finland could always be heard under it. So it seems to prove the old maxim: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"! Even if reception was good, I wonder who would listen to the station. The programs sound to be of a more fundamentalist nature than those from Ecuador although to be fair, I never spent any time listening to them. I usually heard them in passing while tuning up or down the dial. One program I heard on 6 January was attacking the theory of evolution and promoting creationism. Amazing that some people still believe that in the 21st century. Only the truly brainwashed could listen to this stuff; it sounds like the American SW bible hucksters with Australian accents! Is the world really waiting to hear this? (Barry Hartley, New Zealand, BC-DX Jan 8 via DXLD) HCJB Ecuador has been pushing creationism for ages; I don`t think this is any different. David MainDonald, head of HCJB in Australia, is the main guest on this week`s Feedback on R. Australia; catch it if you can at 0605 UT Sat, 0305 UT Sun. Tho in Melbourne too, it was a phone interview with Roger Broadbent. Among many other things, he said that HCJB eventually hope to have four transmitters and many high-gain antennas at Kununurra (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA [non]. As anticipated, the time signal station VNG closed down on December 31. It operated on several frequencies, including the 60 metre band channel of 5000. That channel is now clear of the previous high-intensity wide-band radiation output from VNG, which spread from 4985 to 5015. Interestingly, the Venezuelan time signal station at Caracas on 5000 is now audible via short path propagation in the local Melbourne evenings around 0800, co-channel with WWV (Colorado) and WWVH (Hawaii), and also via long path propagation around 2100 (Bob Padula, Victoria, EDXP Jan 9 via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA [and non]. The tentative frequency plan for Voice International, from March 30, shows the continuing use of the new relay at Tashkent, Uzbekistan. This is listed for 11850, 0100-0400 to India. The station is also scheduled for the 22 metre band, with these frequencies registered for Darwin: 13620 2200-0000, Radio Australia relay, English 13635 1100-1400, VI, Hindi 13660 1300-1800, VI, Indonesian 13685 0900-1300, VI, English 13690 1300-1700, VI, English (Bob Padula, EDXP Jan 9 via DXLD) ** BIAFRA [non]. QSL Clandestina: 12120 khz, LV de Biafra Internacional, recibida una QSL preparada con todos los datos, por su primer día de transmisión, directamente desde las oficinas de la emisora, en 466 dias firmada por C. Osondu, quien dice que ellos luchan por liberar a su pueblo del régimen criminal nigeriano y que no tienen presupuesto para imprimir QSLs. Su QTH es: Radio Biafra Int.; 733 15th St NW Suite 700; Washington DC 20005; USA. 73's GIB (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Jan 10, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Folks, I hope some of you are up and DX'ing because this is a rare opportunity to hear Brazil with WTAM off. R. Globo São Paulo is fading in and out with talk and promos. Amazing! Time is 0625z, location in upstate New York. Kaz, are you getting any of this? (Jim Renfrew, Byron NY, Jan 9, amfmtvdx via DXLD) Right now, at 01:30 EST, 1100 WTAM in Cleveland, Ohio, is off the air. I am not getting anything except adjacent channel interference from 1090 and 1110. Good DX! (Michael Procop, Bedford, Ohio, ibid.) For those of you who want to ease your ID... http://www.radios.com.br/cgibin/search.cgi?query=globo (Rick Shaftan, ibid.) Web cast very nice - maybe some delay, but they opened with the wolf whistle I heard at 0600, and now the man and woman are speaking that I was hearing on the last fade up. I heard a definite Radio Globo ID at 0630. First time Brazil heard here. [Later:] After careful listening, I'd have to say that the webcast is not the same as the signal I'm hearing. The webcast is a talk program, and the signal is full of promos, DJ raving, ads, etc. I have two 1000' wires to play with, and no WBAL. At 0751 WTAM has begun turning an open carrier on and off. Although at 0803 it is off again. Even so, I heard a Globo ID through the OC. This one may be more possible than we would normally think (Jim Renfrew, ibid.) And summing up for DXLD: ** BRAZIL. R. Globo, 1100 kHz, São Paulo, Jan 9 0600-0730+.- Neil Kazaross' tip that WTAM was off sent me right to the radio, where I heard a "wolf whistle" at 0600, Portuguese talk first suspected at 0606, mention of "Brazil" and definite Portuguese at 0615, then an ID at 0630, ID's subsequently heard at 0719 (with wolf whistle accompanying) and 0720. Long fades, but fairly good signal at peaks. Rich Shaftan send me a web cast address which allowed me to select Radio Globo 1100, but I finally had to conclude that the programs were different, not just delayed on the web. Although I have some long wires, I have nothing really aimed at Brazil, not even off the back end. Medium Wave country #56. 4997 miles from western New York, my furthest MW reception to the south, just barely past the Tropic of Capricorn. And thank you Kaz! (Jim Renfrew, NY, Drake R8, beverages and Quantum Phaser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I gather WTAM was off again the next night, but nobody heard Brazil (gh, DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Bom dia! Rádio Nacional da Amazônia heard using 9665 at 0830 in // 11780 with usual phone in programme and, at 0900, "Jornal Nacional". 9665 seems to replace 6180 which has not been heard for a few days. No trace of signals from Marumby 9665. Radio Senado on 5990 heard opening at 0756 and giving clear Senado IDs and frequency. A very strong clear signal until VRT via JUL exploded onto 5985 c0758. 73 (Noel R. Green, Blackpool-NW England, Jan 9, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Amigos, já há alguns dias vemos em 9585 o retorno da Radio Globo SP 1100 nas ondas curtas. Até pouco tempo atrás este canal de frequencia era ocupado pela CBN-SP 780, depois, um tempo de silencio, e agora verificamos a Radio Globo SP retornando aos 31 metros. 73s, (Rudolf W. Grimm, São Bernardo, SP - Brazil, Jan 9, radioescutas via DXLD) ** CANADA. Hi Glenn, You asked: So does the current occupant of 940 do that? (gh, DXLD) No, because CINW's towers are about 10 km away from my house -- CBC's towers are about 1 km away (Yes, they are still there!). (Ricky Leong, QC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. When I visited China Radio International in October they were saying, in the English department, that their target audience was English speakers (students and foreigners from other countries whose second language might be English) inside China. They've reduced their letters department to a few and seem to be expanding their web work, dreadful as it is (Daniel Say, BC, Jan 10, swprograms via DXLD) ** CUBA. I wrote Arnie Coro of RHC that they should move their 49 meter frequency of 6005 [sic] down to around 5 MHz or at least out of the high traffic area of 49m, to provide better reception on the dark cold damp nites of the Pacific N'West, but it sounds like from his response that the antenna work required is out of the question for now (Hue Miller, Jan 10, swprograms via DXLD) ** ERITREA [non]. Hi Mathias, seit 1. Dez wird eine weitere Tigre Aussendung erwartet, aber bisher nur tests mit Fanfarenmusik gehört. Siehe Texte unten. 73 de wolfgang [Re Chris Greenway`s inquiry]: NORWAY [to ERI-ETH and EUR] Voice of the Eritrean People not heard on air yet. {see also similar schedule as Voice of Democratic Eritrea under T-systems Juelich Germany, ed.] Merlin test series via Kvitsøy, Norway facility occurred. Chris asked for this service recently, somewhere on 15735? kHz, but couldn't trace any monitor log yet. But found test outlets on 9990 instead, seemingly for VOE - Voice of the Eritrean People in Tigre language towards ERI/ETH, to be 1630-1700 or 1700-1730 UT Suns only? On Sats there is another test registered on 5925 (I guess to EUR audience in Tigre?), at about 1500-1600 UT. Checked the test on 9990 kHz Jan 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, *1658-1715* UT. 1658 UT sign-on. But from the neighbour [9996] channel you will hear the time signal pips, at the minute/hour. 1659 UT time pips. 1700 UT time pips. UNDERNEATH, you can hear the Norwegian domestic service relay program with female and male announcer, and even a piece of speech (from UN?) in English. \\ channels 7490[powerhouse], 13800, and 18950 at this time, all were monitored here with fine level. No signal on 9980. Maybe 18950 kHz service is coming from Sveio site then? 1701:40 UT classic orchestra music played over and over again til 1714 UT stop of music, again some pieces of Norway program underneath could be traced again. 1715 UT transmitter s-off. At 1720 [and 1727 the other day] UT I checked again the NOR/DEN channel 9980 towards East Russia/Siberia, and the program could be heard then, (til 1755)... so I guess 9990 was replaced by 9980 speedy after the test (wb, Jan 5-9) (Wolfgang Bueschel, Stuttgart, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) MNO Kvitsøy tests. I checked 9990 today Jan 9 at 1650-1820 and it was the same pattern as yesterday, except that the MNO I/S (what I call Afghan music) began today sharp at 1700 and lasted till 1715*. The carrier signed off at 1716 and was back on 9980 at 1727 for the programs of NRK and RD. I noted that it returned on 9980 at *1727 with relay of the last minutes of NRK, and then ready for the R. Denmark broadcast at 1730- 1755 (which R Denmark pays for !!) (Anker Petersen, Denmark, BC-DX Jan 8-9 via DXLD) via Juelich: Voice of Democratic Eritrea: 1500-1600 5925 JUL 100 / non-dir Sat Eu Tigrina 1700-1800 15670 JUL 100 / 130 Mon,Thu EAf Tigrina (Wolfgang Bueschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Deutsche Welle has confirmed that all English services to Australia, New Zealand, and the Americas will cease from March 30. At present, DW has 18 hours of German, and 90 minutes of English programming intended specifically to Australian and Oceania. The English output from March 31 will be: 0000-0100 India 0400-0500 Af 0500-0600 Af 0600-0700 Af 0600-1900 Eu (single frequency of 6140 - special service) 1100-1200 As 1600-1700 India As 1900-2000 Af 2000-2100 Af 2100-2200 Eu Af 2200-2300 As 2300-0000 As This major reduction in output represents several hundred frequency- hours per week (Bob Padula, EDXP Jan 9 via DXLD) ** GERMANY. New updated schedule of Deutsche Telekom (DTK) as of Jan. 10, 2003: Hrvatska Radio/Voice of Croatia: 0000-0200 9925 JUL 100 kW / 230 Daily SAm Croatian 0200-0400 7285 JUL 100 kW / 300 Daily NAmE Croatian Dec.20* 0400-0600 7285 JUL 100 kW / 325 Daily NAmW Croatian Dec.20* 0600-0800 9470 JUL 100 kW / 230 Daily AUS Croatian 0800-1000 13820 JUL 100 kW / 270 Daily NZ Croatian [also English, Spanish] Athmee Yatra He/Gospel For Asia (GFA): 0030-0130 9490 WER 250 kW / 090 Daily SEAs Asian languages 1430-1530 15680 WER 250 kW / 075 Daily SEAs Asian languages 1530-1630 15425 WER 250 kW / 090 Daily SEAs Asian languages 2330-0030 9765 WER 250 kW / 075 Daily SEAs Asian languages Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: 0230-0330 6010 WER 500 kW / 090 Daily ME Pashto 0330-0430 6010 WER 500 kW / 090 Daily ME Dari 0630-0730 21690 WER 500 kW / 090 Daily ME Pashto 0730-0830 21690 WER 500 kW / 090 Daily ME Dari 0830-0930 21690 WER 500 kW / 090 Daily ME Pashto 0930-1030 21690 WER 500 kW / 090 Daily ME Dari 1230-1330 21690 WER 500 kW / 090 Daily ME Pashto 1330-1430 21690 WER 500 kW / 090 Daily ME Dari 1500-1600 6055 JUL 100 kW / 075 Daily CAs Kazakh 1600-1700 6180 JUL 100 kW / 070 Daily CAs Tatar Bashkir 1600-1700 7105 JUL 100 kW / 070 Daily CAs Kazakh 1630-1730 12140 WER 500 kW / 090 Daily ME Pashto 1730-1830 12140 WER 500 kW / 090 Daily ME Dari 1800-1900 9785 JUL 100 kW / 100 Daily ME Arabic 2230-2330 12140 WER 500 kW / 090 Daily ME Pashto 2330-0030 12140 WER 500 kW / 090 Daily ME Dari Voice of America: 0400-0600 11875 JUL 100 kW / 115 Daily ME Arabic 1230-1300 17555 JUL 100 kW / 080 Daily CAs Uzbek 1700-2000 12110 JUL 100 kW / 100 Daily ME Persian United Methodist Church/Radio Africa International: 0400-0600 9815 JUL 100 kW / 160 Daily NAf French 0600-0800 11690 JUL 100 kW / 190 Daily NAf French 1700-1900 11735 JUL 100 kW / 160 Daily NAf English 1700-1900 13820 JUL 100 kW / 145 Daily EAf English IBRA Radio: 0500-0530 9710 JUL 100 kW / 115 Daily ME Arabic 1645-1700 5840 JUL 100 kW / 075 Daily ME Pashto 1700-1715 5840 JUL 100 kW / 075 Daily ME Dari 1730-1745 15120 JUL 100 kW / 130 Daily EAf Somali 1900-2000 13840 JUL 100 kW / 200 Daily NWAf Hausa 1930-2000 13840 JUL 100 kW / 200 Daily NWAf Hausa Jan.01* 2000-2100 9470 JUL 100 kW / 175 Daily NAf Arabic Swiss Radio International: 0600-0800 9885 JUL 100 kW / 160 Daily NEAf Fr/Ge/It/En 0600-0800 13790 JUL 100 kW / 200 Daily NEAf En/It/Ge/Fr 1630-1815 9755 JUL 100 kW / 115 Daily NEAf It/Ar/En/Fr 1630-1815 13790 JUL 100 kW / 115 Daily NEAf It/Ar/En/Fr 1830-2130 13660 JUL 100 kW / 165 Daily NEAf It/Ar/En/Ge/Fr 1830-2130 15485 JUL 100 kW / 145 Daily NEAf It/Ar/En/Ge/Fr Deutsche Welle: 0600-1900 6140 JUL 100 kW / 175 Daily Eu English Radio Netherland Wereldomroep: 1130-1325 6045 JUL 100 kW / non-dir Daily Eu English 1130-1325 9860 WER 125 kW / 300 Daily Eu English Digital Radio Mundiale(DRM): 1305-1455 5975 JUL 040 kW / 060 Daily Eu Digital test WYFR/Family Radio: 1700-1800 13720 JUL 100 kW / 165 Daily NAf Arabic 2000-2100 9595 JUL 100 kW / 115 Daily ME Arabic Salama Radio 1830-1915 13855 JUL 100 kW / 175 Daily C&SAf Hausa 1915-2000 13855 JUL 100 kW / 175 Daily C&SAf English Democratic Voice of Burma: 2330-0030 9435 JUL 100 kW / 080 Daily SEAs Burmese Bible Voice Broadcasting Network/BVBN/: 0030-0100 7315 NAU 250 kW / 095 Mon-Sat SAs Bengali Dec.02* 0800-0915 5975 JUL 100 kW / 290 Sat/Sun WEu English Dec.07* 0900-1000 21590 JUL 100 kW / 145 Fri EAf/ME Arabic Dec.13* 1600-1700 13810 JUL 100 kW / 130 Tue EAf Amharic Dec.24* 1630-1700 13810 JUL 100 kW / 130 Thu-Mon EAf Amharic Dec.26* 1700-1730 13810 JUL 100 kW / 130 Wed EAf Amharic Jan.08* 1900-1930 9470 WER 250 kW / 120 Thu ME English Jan.02* 1900-1930 9470 WER 250 kW / 120 Fri ME English Jan.03* 1900-2000 9470 WER 250 kW / 120 Sat ME English Dec.07* Universal Life/Universelles Leben: 0100-0130 9435 JUL 100 kW / 090 Sun SAs English 1600-1630 15275 JUL 100 kW / 175 Sun NAf French 1730-1800 6015 JUL 100 kW / N-D Tue,Wed,Thu Eu German 1800-1830 11840 JUL 100 kW / 155 Sun EAf English 1900-1930 9470 JUL 100 kW / 115 Sun ME English RTBF: 0400-0600 9490 JUL 100 kW / 160 Mon-Fri Af French 0530-0600 9490 JUL 100 kW / 160 Sun Af French 0530-0700 9490 JUL 100 kW / 160 Sat Af French 0600-0810 17580 JUL 100 kW / 160 Mon-Fri Af French 0600-0905 17580 JUL 100 kW / 160 Sun Af French 0700-1100 17580 JUL 100 kW / 160 Sat Af French 1100-1215 21565 JUL 100 kW / 160 Mon-Sat Af French 1200-1315 21565 JUL 100 kW / 160 Sun Af French 1600-1815 17570 JUL 100 kW / 160 Sun-Fri Af French 1700-1815 17570 JUL 100 kW / 160 Sat Af French AWR/Adventist World Radio: 0500-0600 9885 JUL 100 kW / 115 Daily EEu Bulgarian 0600-0700 9840 JUL 100 kW / 200 Daily NAf Arabic 0700-0730 9840 JUL 100 kW / 200 Daily NAf French 1000-1100 15195 JUL 100 kW / 145 Sat,Sun Eu Italian 1730-1800 5840 JUL 100 kW / 110 Daily EEu Romanian 1800-1900 12015 JUL 100 kW / 115 Daily EEu Bulgarian 1900-2000 11845 JUL 100 kW / 200 Daily NAf Arabic 2000-2030 11845 JUL 100 kW / 200 Daily NAf French VRT/Radio Vlaanderen Internationaal: 0600-0755 13685 JUL 100 kW / 115 Daily ME Dutch 0800-0825 5985 JUL 100 kW / non-dir Daily Eu English 1830-1855 13650 JUL 100 kW / 115 Daily ME English 1900-1955 13650 JUL 100 kW / 115 Daily ME Dutch 1900-2055 5910 JUL 100 kW / non-dir Sat Eu Dutch Voice of Democratic Path of Ethiopian Unity: 0700-0800 21550 JUL 100 kW / 145 Sun EAf Amharic 1830-1930 11840 JUL 100 kW / 140 Wed EAf Amharic Radio Rainbow/Kestedamena Radio: 0900-1000 6180 JUL 100 kW / non-dir Sat Eu Amharic 1900-2000 11840 JUL 100 kW / 145 Fri EAf Amharic WSHB/Christian Science Monitor: 1000-1100 5985 JUL 100 kW / 115 Sun Eu German Evangeliumsradio Hamburg: 1000-1125 6045 JUL 100 kW / non-dir Sun CEu German 1830-1900 6015 JUL 100 kW / 200 Tue WEu Spanish Jan.07* 1830-1900 6015 WER 125 kW / non-dir Wed CEu German 1830-1900 6015 WER 125 kW / non-dir Thu Eu German Jan.09* TWR/Trans World Radio: 1130-1200 7340 JUL 100 kW / 105 Sat Eu Slovak 1330-1345 5945 JUL 100 kW / 130 Mon-Wed,Fri,Sat Eu Croatian 1330-1345 5945 JUL 100 kW / 130 Thu,Sun Eu Slovenian 1700-1745 5850 JUL 100 kW / 115 Sat EEu Romanian 1700-1745 7180 JUL 100 kW / 125 Sat EEu Romanian Brother Stair/TOM: 1300-1400 13810 JUL 100 kW / 115 Daily ME English 1500-1600 6110 JUL 100 kW / 290 Mon-Sat WEu English Dec.16* 1500-1600 6110 JUL 100 kW / non-dir Sun WEu English Dec.15* 1600-1800 6110 JUL 100 kW / non-dir Sat WEu English Dec.14* Voice of Hope/High Adventure Ministries: 0700-0745 5975 JUL 100 kW / 290 Mon-Fri WEu English Jan.01* 1330-1430 15715 JUL 100 kW / 070 Daily Vietnam Vietnamese 1530-1630 15775 JUL 100 kW / 090 Daily SEAs En/Urdu Jan.02* 1530-1615 9860 JUL 100 kW / 115 Fri ME English 1530-1630 9860 JUL 100 kW / 115 Mon-Thu ME English 1530-1700 9860 JUL 100 kW / 115 Sat,Sun ME English 1615-1630 9860 JUL 100 kW / 115 Fri ME Arabic 1630-1700 9860 JUL 100 kW / 115 Mon-Fri ME Persian 1700-1730 9860 JUL 100 kW / 115 Daily ME Arabic 1900-1945 5910 JUL 100 kW / 060 Mon-Fri EEu English Jan.01* Voice of Democratic Eritrea: 1500-1600 5925 JUL 100 kW / non-dir Sat Eu Tigrina 1700-1800 15670 JUL 100 kW / 130 Mon,Thu EAf Tigrina Tigrean International Solidarity for Justice and Democracy: 1600-1630 15275 JUL 100 kW / 145 Wed,Sat EAf Tigrina Radio Huriyo: 1630-1700 15670 JUL 100 kW / 130 Tue,Fri EAf Somali Voice of Ethiopian Salvation: 1600-1700 15670 JUL 100 kW / 145 Thu,Sun EAf Amharic Voice of Oromo Liberation (Sagalee Bilisummaa Oromoo): 1700-1730 15670 JUL 100 kW / 145 Tue,Wed,Fri,Sun EAf Oromo 1730-1800 15670 JUL 100 kW / 145 Tue,Wed,Fri,Sun EAf Amharic Radio Reveil Paroles de Vie: 1830-1900 11840 JUL 100 kW / 155 Thu Af French JUL=Juelich NAU=Nauen WER=Wertachtal *=changes from... [number after kW / is the azimuth; N-D = non-direxional] 73 from (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 10 via DXLD) ** GUAM [and non]. KSDA and the MARC group: For some of you who have wondered about the Guam amateur radio club, I attended one of their meetings last night an we met in a very unusual spot, the lobby of the studios of KSDA. From what I was told, the station is not running as good as it once was. And can be heard very weak on parts of the island. There were about 15 hams in all. Including the club President KF6ILA\KH2, along with the engineer of KTWR NH2CW, and a few more. Unfortunately the old timer KH2JU Dany wasn't present. The club was going through a post conference on what happened and how badly the club got torn up during the typhoon problem. Duncan, KF6ILA mentioned about the damaged antenna to the repeater, an interesting comment about how had taken the new antenna up 4 flights of stairs. He noted how the bolts of the cell tower antenna were ripped out of place and had crashed onto the club`s repeater antenna. One key note here was when he looked into the parking lot of cars below. The cars were parked 3 high on top of each other. Plans are in the makings to install a new system, and the system will be a Packet unit, which will be linked to the Saipan repeater, so there is a planned digitpeater involved. And the present repeater is also going to be moved so it can be linked with the Saipan island group. I did listen to Saipan on mediumwave and the signals were very strong, they were on 1080 kHz and heard another one on 1494. The lights along the highways are still down, an if your an interested star gazer this would be a great spot but the roads are hard to see. There are some lights that seem to have a mind of there own. As there hanging upside down an those ones are actually lite up. The Red cross is here but their communications system is also down and they need work on their antennas. I was told by a friend of mine, Rachell Lewellen, who was a member of my local ham radio club from home, who flew here personally for the relief. She and I were a member of the East Bay amateur radio club in Richmond, Calif., (W6CUS). As it may take a while. The big question here and is everyday. GOT WATER YET!? One place turned it on only to turn it off due to water quality and pump pressures. 73 to all from (Larry Fields, N6HPX/DU1, Jan 8, swl via DXLD) While I was driving around this morning the local radio station KUAM FM mentioned that it`s going to take another 30 days or more before power is restored here on Guam. As they are waiting for more of those Buck type trucks they use to install the wires. Still very dark on parts of the island. Heard KTWR last night in the parking lot of a nearby park. 15330 at 0900 UT. 73's from Guam (Larry Fields, N6HPX/DU1, Jan 9, swl via DXLD) ** INDIA. AIR GOS in English continues to be best heard here on the other side of the planet on 11620. Jan 9 at 1930 top-of-the hour news in English, 1935 some nice Indian music, ending English after frequency announcements at 1945, carrier stayed on and at 1946 opening in Hindi. Good with only lite flutter, tho the great-circle path between Bangalore in south India and Enid almost grazes the geographic pole, peaking at 85 degrees north on the Atlantic side --- now if they would clean up the muddy microphone audio and speak with an American accent, at least some of the time, we could get something out of the talk. Then found another Bangalore frequency, not so strong, 13605, which was not \\ any longer, listed French to Africa, tho playing music when I checked (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. 15150v, Voice of Indonesia; 2003-2021 Jan. 8, English service with news of East Timor and UN peacekeepers, Indonesia to be certified by W.H.O. ,as polio-free, in 2005. Commentary, tourism feature and native music. ID as "General Overseas Service, Voice of Indonesia". Fair. 11785 was inactive, seem to flip-flop between the two frequencies at random (Scott R Barbour Jr, Intervale,NH,DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. Gay Radio Network Announced by Matt Johns, 365Gay.com Newscenter On Assignment In Las Vegas http://365gay.com/NewsContent/010903gayRadio.htm (Las Vegas, Nevada) One of the biggest radio station chains in the US is going after the gay market. Sirius Satellite Radio announced Wednesday that it is developing a channel featuring news and talk explicitly directed at the nation's gays and lesbians. The company said it expects to have the station up and running in about 90 days. The announcement was made at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. No name has been determined for the gay channel. So far, the only host aboard is John McMullen a founder of the now defunct online radio station GAYBC. Sirius charges $12.95 per month for 100 radio channels beamed to car stereos via satellite. "This is a big idea. Nobody has done this," said Larry Rebich, vp programming and marketing development at Sirius. "It's estimated that there's 20 million gay people in the United States, and they're not served well on radio." Rebich said famous gays and lesbians from film, TV and music are expected to participate. "We'll be talking to a broad range of celebrities," he said. "Those who don't end up as hosts, I'm sure will be guests." (©365Gay.com Ltd® 2003 Jan 9 via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. SIRIUS yesterday announced the addition of two new talk streams addressing political opinions in the USA. Folks on the left of center, like AL Gore, have recently publicly lamented the lack of programming to balance the right wing opinions rampant on US talk radio. Previous attempts by representatives of the left wing have failed to attract significant audiences and have gone off the air. Mario Cuomo and ex-mayor Koch of New York City are among those who have unsuccessfully attempted such shows in the past. This channel will likely do better since customers cannot opt out of paying to support the opposition views. SIRIUS Right will focus on conservative leaning issues with debate and perspective offered from a hard-hitting lineup led by such prominent voices as Oliver North and Bob Dornan. SIRIUS listeners can tune in for strong opinions on national and international issues from well- known names and up and comers on shows including Common Sense Radio with Oliver North, Dateline Washington, anchored by Greg Corombos, and The Jason Jarvis Show. On the other end of the political spectrum, SIRIUS Left launches its new talk lineup reflecting all degrees of liberal ideology. With a focus on progressive issues and commentary, SIRIUS Left provides listeners with opinions, analysis and perspective, including commentary on political and social issues from personalities such as Peter Werbe, Ernie Brown, Mike Malloy, consumer advocate Davide Horowitz and SIRIUS' own John McMullen. Listeners can tune in to hear the John McMullen Show, Battle Line with Alan Nathan, and FIGHT BACK with David Horowitz. "One of the exciting things about creating new content for SIRIUS is being able to offer listeners their choice of diverse programming that covers many different viewpoints," said Larry Rebich, Vice President, Programming & Market Development. "We offer both ends of the spectrum of alternative talk and progressive talk programming. So, if you have a more conservative viewpoint, you can listen to SIRIUS Right all day long, but listeners also have the chance to hear another point of view by tuning over to SIRIUS Left." [among other channel lineup changes] ~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-., (Sirius press release? Via Joe Buch, Jan 9, swprograms via DXLD) -*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^ ** IRAN [non]. Re new clandestine V. of Southern Azerbaijan, 9570, Wed & Thu 1630-xxxx which so far has failed to appear: Israeli squabble with Iran? Former clandestine Southern Azerbaijan Radio, heard in the Nineties did originate from Yavne transmitter site in Israel (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, BC-DX Jan 10 via DXLD) Ahá --- its no show could be explained by the unexpected storm damage to Yavne antennas, also messing up Israel`s own transmissions (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISLE OF MAN. MAST OBJECTORS LOSE COURT BATTLE From http://www.longwaveradio.com/News.html ISLE OF MAN - re licence awarded to Isle Of Man International Broadcasting plc to operate station on 279 kHz longwave: News release from http://www.longwaveradio.com/ The High Court has dismissed the Petition of Doleance being brought by the Bride Commissioners against the Department of Transport objecting to its award of a Siting Licence for the long wave transmission facility in Ramsey Bay. Bride Commissioners had raised seven objections to the licence, most of which were dramatically withdrawn halfway through the court hearing. They claimed that they ought to have been consulted as the platform will be only four kilometres from their coastline. In court however, it was pointed out that an extensive Environmental Impact Assessment showed that there would be no effect on the parish other than minor distant views of the installation. Suggestions of a risk from pollution had been proven unfounded by a study conducted by leading oil industry experts. The Commissioners had sought a quashing order however, the Acting Deemster, Jeremy Storey QC, had agreed that such an action was not a matter for the Court - it could only decide whether the process of licensing was right and, if appropriate, order the Department to reconsider the award. Finding that the Commissioners` legal rights had not been improperly infringed or impaired and that they could not satisfy an important legal test of being a *party aggrieved*, the Acting Deemster dismissed the Petition. "It is good news for Ramsey and excellent news for the Isle of Man," said Paul Rusling, the project's founder. "We can at last get on with building the facility and get the radio station on the air, hopefully during the Summer. Its coverage of the entire British Isles, and beyond, will put the Island firmly on the map and enhance its international profile." 9 January 2003 (radiocaroline mailing list via Mike Terry, and Alan Pennington, DXLD) ** ITALY. Radio Roma has reduced the number of frequencies used for its daily English transmission to Asia, the Far East, and Japan. This may now be heard from 2200 to 2225 on the single outlet of 11895. The Italian broadcast to Australia and Oceania is from 1000 until 1100 using 11920 from the relay at Kranji, Singapore. On Sundays, Radio Roma transmits special sporting programming in Italian from 1350 until 1730, using 21520 to North America, 21535 to South America, 9670 to Europe, and 21710 to Central Africa. The station is also using these three new frequencies in the extended bands: 11670 to Europe from 1335 until 1455 in Albanian, Slovenian, German and Croatian; 12030 and 9840 to the Americas from 2240 until 0335 in Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese (Bob Padula, EDXP Jan 9 via DXLD) Rai to NAm at 0055, 9675 and 11800 --- sometimes no show one or the other or both for English (Bob Thomas, CT, Jan 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAPAN. Death of Prof. Friedrich Greil, the very first presenter of Radio Tokyo's German service from 1937-1993. Reader of the Japanese Capitulation announcement of Emperator Hirohito in August 1945 via Radio Tokyo's shortwaves dies on January 3rd, 2003. Today I heard sad news. Some Japanese newspaper said Prof. Friedrich Greil is dead. He was 100...and one month... Newspaper also said what he died in Japan (Gaku Iwata, Japan, Japan Premium Jan 6...) Die entsprechende Nachricht kann auch heute auf dem Webserver von Radio Japans deutschem Programm http://cgi2.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/german/body.shtml in den Nachrichten (9. Minute) gehoert werden. Er ist am 3. Januar gestorben (Thorsten Koch, Germany, A-DX Jan 6...) Frau Kodaira schrieb mir vor etwa fuenf Stunden: "Ja, das stimmt leider, am 3. Januar 2003 ist Friedrich Greil friedlich fuer immer eingeschlafen. Er war sich "seines Abgangs" bewusst gewesen. In den Tagen zuvor hat er mehrmals gesagt, dass es nun genuege und hat sich bei allen um ihn herum immer wieder fuer ihre Pflege, Muehe und Hilfsbereitschaft bedankt. Am kommenden Sonntag [Jan 12] wird das Japanorama ihm gewidmet sein. Ein vollendetes Leben, welch ein Glueck fuer ihn. Liebe Gruesse, Uta Kodaira, Japan, NHK World R Japan German service." (via Thomas Kubaczewski-D, BC-DX Jan 8...) Zu dem gebuertigen Halberstaedter Prof. Friedrich Greil - genannt "Die deutsche Stimme aus Japan" - hatte ich in den letzten Tagen recherchiert und haenge diese Biografie der Email an alle Listenteilnehmer mit an. Beste Gruesse aus dem Ostharz, Walter Grube Die deutsche Stimme von R Tokyo. Halberstaedter Friedrich Greil feierte in JPN seinen 100. Geburtstag. 1902 als Sohn eines Reichsbahnbeamten geboren, zog er mit seiner Familie nach Quedlinburg, weil der Vater an der dortigen Bank seinen Dienst aufnahm. Der Junge entdeckte, dass er das Alphabet gelernt hatte, sehr frueh seine Liebe zu Buechern, die sein Leben lang nicht nachliess. Als Zehnjaehriger kannte er bereits alle Buchhandlungen und auch die Leihbibliothek Gebecke in Halberstadts Nachbarstadt. Als 13jaehriger hatte er nicht nur Karl Mays gesamte Werke gelesen, sondern auch das 20baendige wissenschaftliche Werk "Koenig der Germanen" des damals beliebten schriftstellernden Historikers Fritz Dahn. Schon bald widmete er sich den Klassikern, las Goethe und Schillers Werke mit Begeisterung. Bilder gemalt. Nach der Mittelschule nahm Friedrich Greil erst Unterricht an der Quedlinburger Handelsschule, dann nahm er eine Stellung bei Beck & Co. an. In seiner Freizeit besuchte er viele Theatervorstellungen in Berlin. Ausserdem erlernte er nebenbei Sprechtechnik beim beruehmten Mentor Ferdinand Gregori. Weiterhin nahm er Verbindungen zur Kunstakademie und Kunstgewerbeschule in Dresden auf, versuchte sich in Oelmalerei und Grafik, wandte sich dann letzterer ganz zu und schuf vor allem Bildnisse bekannter Persoenlichkeiten. Theaterfreund. Weitere Theaterbesuche brachten dem jungen Mann Verbindungen mit Schauspielern und Autoren wie Alfred Bassermann, dem erfolgreichen Buehnenbildner dieser Zeit, sowie zu den Dichtern Wilhelm von Scholz und Klabund. Japan-Reise. 1925 und 1926 unternahm Greil Reisen durch zahlreiche europaeische Laender und beschaeftigte sich mit deren Kunst, Kultur und Architektur. 1927 blieb er in Quedlinburg und betrieb literarische Studien. Zu dieser Zeit wurde er zu einem Besuch Japans angeregt und wandte sich an das Deutsch-Japanische Kulturinstitut. Er bekam ein Empfehlungsschreiben, mit dem er sich ins ferne Asien begab. Dort begann fuer ihn, der eigentlich nur fuer "ein paar Monate" in das asiatische Inselreich wollte, um dort Literatur und Kunst zu studieren, ein neuer Lebensabschnitt, von dem er damals nicht ahnen konnte, dass er viel mehr als ein halbes Jahrhundert andauern wuerde. Seit er im Oktober 1928 im Hafen von Shiminoseki in Sued-JPN das Land betreten hat, ist er dort geblieben. Bei Radio Tokyo. Friedrich Greil arbeitete fortan als Lehrer fuer deutsche Sprache an der medizinischen Hochschule Tokio. Dort lernte er die Studentin Masako Sasaki kennen, die mit dem Kaiserhaus verwandt ist und spaeter Aerztin wurde. Er heiratete sie. Mit seinem Freund Hideichiro Yamakawa gruendete er 1937 die erste deutsche Abteilung der japanischen Rundfunkgesellschaft R Japan - NHK World. Am ersten Juni 1935 hatte Radio Tokyo mit einer Sendezeit von einer Stunde taeglich den Ueberseedienst nach Nordamerika und Hawaii in Englisch und Japanisch aufgenommen. Nach Probesendungen im April und Mai wurden um den 20. Juni 1937 Sendungen in deutscher Sprache dreimal woechentlich und noch im gleichen Jahr taeglich ausgestrahlt. Greil war von der Stunde Null an dabei und wurde einer der bekanntesten deutschen Kurzwellensprecher der Welt. Seine deutsch gesprochenen Nachrichten konnten ueber das Kurzwellenprogramm auch in Europa empfangen werden. Nach dem Krieg. Nach der japanischen Niederlage im Zweiten Weltkrieg im August 1945 verstummte der Auslandsrundfunk. Friedrich Greil verlas auf Verlangen der Amerikaner die japanische Kapitulationserklaerung bei Radio Tokyo auch in deutscher Sprache. Im Februar 1952 wurde der Auslandsdienst unter dem Namen Radio Japan wieder aufgenommen. Regelmaessige deutschsprachige Sendungen begannen zwei Jahre spaeter. Anfangs bestanden sie aus einer bunten Mischung fernoestlicher Exotik mit Hochtechnologieinformationen garniert. Es war fuer die Kurzwellenhoerer eine echte [technische] Herausforderung, die Stimme aus Japan zu hoeren. Bis 1993 im Dienst. Seit der ersten Sendung bis in die 80er Jahre war Professor Greil Ansager und Moderator des "Tokyo Scherzo", ein Kaleidoskop aus dem Alltag in Japan. Es wurde mehr als tausend Mal gesendet. Und als er 1993 aus dem Dienst vom Radio ausschied, blieb Greil, weiter in Japan lebend, der Hoererschaft und der Redaktion freundschaftlich verbunden. Prof. Greil schrieb auch eine 50teilige Sendereihe "Deutschland und Japan" und verfasste das Buch "Die Begegnung - 25 Jahre Deutschland und 50 Jahre Japan", seine biografischen Memoiren. Von ihm stammen auch die Buecher "Bildnisse 1928" mit eigenen Grafiken sowie "Traum und Wirklichkeit" mit Aufsaetzen japanischer Studenten. Hoch dekoriert. Er hatte von 1950 bis 1978 einen Lehrstuhl an der Hitotsubashi- und an der Chiba-Universitaet. Fuer seine Verdienste bekam der gebuertige Halberstaedter im Kaiserpalast von Kaiser Hiroito mehrere Orden und Ehrenzeichen. Ende der 80er Jahre wurde ihm vom damaligen Bundespraesidenten Richard von Weizsaecker das Bundesverdienstkreuz ueberreicht. Mehrmals besuchte Greil Europa, wo er Vortraege hielt. Er pflegte engen Kontakt nach Deutschland, liess sich von seiner Schwester in Bremen ueber das Geschehen in Deutschland informieren, insbesondere Neuigkeiten aus seiner Geburtsstadt Halberstadt und aus Quedlinburg. Am 8. Dezember 2002 feierte Prof. Greil im fernen JPN seinen 100. Geburtstag. Am 3. Januar 2003 ist Prof. Greil in JPN verstorben. Walter Grube, Klusstrasse 5, 38820 Halberstadt (ADDX Jan 8 – all via BC-DX Jan 10 via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. North Korean defectors explain how limited radio listening is in North Korea and urge Bush administration to flood the country with free radios. More- http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/09/international/asia/09KORE.html (via Hans Johnson, Jan 9, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** KURDISTAN. On Jan 5, heard a male announcer with mid-east language on 4402.2 kHz at 0333 tune-in. Heard a clear mention of Kurdistan around 0400. Then tonight (Jan 6 UT) at 0440, I checked 4402 but nothing there. However, it sounds like the same announcer is now on 4413.2 as I type this (John Sgrulletta, NY, DXplorer Jan 5 via BC-DX via DXLD) For a few weeks now, the Voice of the People of Kurdistan in Al- Sulaymaniyah, NE Iraq has replaced 6995 with 4400v. However, yesterday it had drifted to 4413.4, and right now, Jan 07 at 0330, I hear it on 4415.2. It can always be heard \\ their other channel on 4025 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DXplorer Jan 7 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** LESOTHO. The Lesotho National Broadcasting Service at Maseru has resumed SW operations after an absence of many months. It uses 4800, with good signals in Melbourne around 1800, until sign-off at 2000, in local languages. Close-down time varies; when operating later than 2000, there is strong interference from China National Radio's Network 1, opening at 1958, also using 4800. Prior to 1745, the channel is also used by All India Radio, Hyderabad, which provides a hefty signal across Australia (Bob Padula, EDXP Jan 9 via DXLD) ** MALI. 11960, Radio Mali 0830 Jan 5, half-hour call and response song, very good (Jilly Dybka, TN, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** MEXICO. Mexico's government has given two TV stations an ultimatum to resolve an ugly fight over control of a contested channel, saying officials would take over the frequency if the broadcasters cannot resolve the dispute. On December 27, workers from major Mexican broadcaster TV Azteca took over the transmission tower of CNI Channel 40, one of Mexico's few independent TV stations, and replaced CNI's signal with Azteca's. The two stations have been embroiled in a long- running legal battle. The government did nothing for 11 days as a public debate raged over the domination of Mexico's leading broadcasters and the power of big business, which often takes the law into its own hands. The government finally stepped in, telling the two sides to resolve their differences or the government would take over the Channel 40 broadcasting frequency. The Interior Ministry gave the stations three days to negotiate a compromise. Although CNI Channel 40 is a low power, money-losing station, the takeover reminded Mexicans how few television options they have outside of the two huge companies that control nearly all the stations. Azteca and rival Grupo Televisa dominate the television market, absorbing well over 90 percent of the audience. Struggling financially, CNI Channel 40 entered into a partnership with Azteca in 1998, accepting $25 million from Azteca in exchange for running Azteca programming and splitting advertising revenues, but the deal fell apart two years ago and led to the protracted legal battle. Azteca said an international dispute arbitration panel had ruled in its favor because Channel 40 had backed out of the deal without repaying the $25 million, giving Azteca the right to take over Channel 40's transmission facility. Legal experts said whether or not Azteca is in the right, a private company cannot take over another company's facilities under Mexican law (Reuters via SCDX MediaScan Jan 8 via DXLD) ** PAKISTAN. ANALYSIS: INDEPENDENT RADIO AND TV STATIONS COMING TO PAKISTAN | Text of editorial analysis by Peter Feuilherade of BBC Monitoring's Foreign Media Unit President Pervez Musharraf's military rule in Pakistan, now in its fourth year, has been marked by increased freedom for the print media. Now the government is liberalizing its policy on broadcasting and allowing the formation of private radio and television stations. The former monopoly of the state over the airwaves has been eroded, with several private companies receiving licences to set up FM radio stations. Entrepreneurs hoping to run private TV channels have also been promised licences in the coming months. In the words of a BBC correspondent in Islamabad, "Pakistan is doing what India did several years ago - to open up the airwaves to independent broadcasters. After more than five decades of complete control on the electronic media, a highly liberal approach is being adopted to allow private companies to set up their own FM radio stations. And the response has stunned many people in the government." In the first phase, nearly 100 people applied for independent radio licences. After assessments of their financial status, 22 companies received permission to set up FM radio stations. Initially, these private radio stations will only be allowed to broadcast music and entertainment programmes, but a senior official said they might be given permission to broadcast news at a later stage. The TV market is still dominated by state broadcaster Pakistan Television Corporation, which runs two channels, PTV1 and PTV2 and a cable channel PTV World. In addition there is Shalimar Television Network (STN), part state and part privately owned and available in 12 cities, with about 40 per cent national coverage. There is also a pay cable service called Shaheen Pay TV (SPTV) with around 10,000 subscribers. SPTV is owned by the Shaheen Foundation, the commercial arm of the Pakistan Air Force. Several illegal cable companies also operate. The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) also plans to issue licences for Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service (MMDS) and Local Multipoint Distribution Service (LMDS) in the country. Approval has also been given for four new digital TV channels intended exclusively for educational purposes. Under one-fifth of homes have satellite TV access. Indian channels such as Zee TV and Star TV are growing in popularity amongst those who can receive them. Media analysts say much of their popularity stems from the fact that they circumvent censorship in Pakistan that is far more restrictive than in India. Though the government's policy also allows the setting up of private TV channels, a more cautious approach is being adopted in this area. Although the government has said it may soon give permission to seven new TV stations, it is not clear whether private companies intending to set up independent news channels will also get licences. "The government's media managers are seriously worried about the popularity of a couple of Pakistani satellite TV channels that are broadcasting news from Dubai and the UK, and are reluctant to given them uplinking facility from within the country. But pressure is growing, and media experts say the competition coming from across the border in India may eventually compel the government to make the domestic electronic media completely free," a BBC correspondent noted. Source: BBC Monitoring research 3 Jan 03 (via DXLD) ** PERU. Hola Glenn, Saludos desde Venezuela. El día 06/01 al fin pude identificar a la emisora en 6536 kHz. Se trata de Radiodifusora Hua[n]cabamba, transmitiendo también por los 820 kHz y los 100.1 MHz de la FM. Con música andina y comentarios, hasta cierre a la 0100 UT, el 06/01. Bastante desvanecimiento de la señal (Adán González Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PHILIPPINES. 9581.68, Philippine Broadcasting Service (presumed). Jan. 2 at 2323-0003. SINPO 33332. Male talk in Filipino and pop songs were heard. News from 0000, but ID was not heard clearly (NAGATANI Iwao, Kobe, JAPAN, Japan Premium Jan 10 via DXLD) ** ROMANIA. Finally! RRI Bucharest is announcing English to North America as follows: 0200 and 0400 9550 11830 2300 9510 11940; also to WEu 7195, 9570 1200 17790 to Eu At 2300, 9510 is good, but 11940 is taken out be REE Spanish 11945 At 0200, 9550 is good, 11830 – sometimes no show on both At 0400, 9550 usually nil, ditto 11830. Either just not making it through or not on (Bob Thomas, CT, Jan 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA/CIS. Advance 60 metre band frequency registrations for the A03 period for Russia and the former CIS show a continuing decline in operational requirements. Here's the tentative frequency listings, effective from March 30: 4010 Kyrgyzstan, Bishek, 2300-1800, DS 4635 Tajikistan, Dushanbe, 1400-1100, DS 4795 Russia, Irkutsk, 2100-1700, DS 4810 Armenia, Yerevan, 0200-1415, DS and FS 4810 Armenia, Yerevan, 1600-2015, DS and FS 4825 Russia, Yakutsk, 1900-1500, DS 4930 Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, 0100-2100, DS 4940 Tajikstan, Dushanbe, 1200-1600, Voice of Russia 4965 Tajikstan, Dushanbe, 1200-1400, 1500-1600, Voice of Russia 4975 Tajikistan, Dushanbe, 1200-1600, Voice of Russia 5015 Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, 2100-1900, DS 5025 Uzbekistan, Tashkent, 0230-0330, 1545-1630, 1730-1830, 1930-2200, DS and FS 5035 Uzbekistan, Tashkent, 1930-2030, Voice of Russia 5040 Uzbekistan, Tashkent, 1330-1500 DS 5060 Uzbekistan, Tashkent, 1330-1500 (Bob Padula, EDXP Jan 9 via DXLD) {NOTE: above are not yet in effect} ** RUSSIA. 6990 spur signal. Muy buenas, auf der Suche nach Harald's Spanier auf 6990 stiess ich auf dieser Frequenz auf die V of Russia. Von 1900-2000 empfange ich da ein Programm auf englisch. Das Signal ist reichlich duenn, aber die ID war eindeutig. Offenbar wird nur waehrend der Woche gesendet (Enzio Gehrig, Spain, A-DX Jan 5...) Muy buenas noches, ich habe zwar die Original-Mail nicht (mehr). Das koennen nur Spurious Signal (Intermodulationen an der Sendestation) sein. Hier in Stuttgart heute nichts zu hoeren. Aber ein, zweimal wurde diesen Winter schon ueber Spurs aus dem 41 mb von den Sendern in der Umgebung Moskaus berichtet, vor allem die alten 60/120/240 kW Einheiten, wie Olle Alm in Schweden berichtete. Hier die von mir heute beobachteten English Aussendungen im 41 mb, und die passenden Kalkulationen. Bei 7440 wuerde sogar die spaetere Spanischsendung sprechen. Meine Theorie: Spanish - Spain 2030-2100 9480, 7440 Um 1950 UT waren 7215 und 7440 die staerksten einfallenden Russische- Stationen. Moegliche Ausloeserfrequenzen: freq-1 freq-2 kHz kHz distanz/halbe distanz English 7440 German 7215 450 225 = 6990 kHz English 7360 7175 370 185 English 7340 7165 350 175 English 7335 7162.5 345 172.5 scheidet aus. English 7290 7140 300 150 Ein anderer Ausloeser von Spurs in diesem 6990 Bereich war auch schon Amman Jordanien 7155 in den vergangenen Jahren (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, Jan 5, BC-DX via DXLD) ** SAIPAN. Radio KFBS, Saipan B'02 updated schedule Radio KFBS, Saipan, FEBC Radio International Program Schedule Effective date: December, 2002 0855-1059 11.650 Russian 1100-1129 11.650 Mongolian (Chi, Halh) 1130-1359 11.650 Russian 1400-1459 9.465 Russian 1500-1529 9.465 Russian 1530-1544 9.465 Udmurt (Su,Tu), Tatar(M), Mari(W), Uzbek(Th), Kirghiz(F), Chuvash(Sa), 1545-1559 9.465 Udmurt(Su), Tatar(M,Tu), Germ(W), Ossetic(Th), Kazakh(F,Sa) 1600-1629 9.465 Russian(Su-F), Ukrainian(Sa) 1630-1829 9.465 Russian 1830-1845 9.465 Russian (Su,Tu,Th,Sa), Ukrainian (M,W,F) 1845-1900 9.465 Russian (Su,Th,Sa), Ukrainian (M,Tu,W,), German (F) 0955-1600 11.580 Mandarin (Chinese) 1600-1615 11.580 Uighur (Minority Chinese) 1615-1630 9.855 Uzbek (Su,Sa), Ossetic (M), Kazakh (Tu,W), Kirghiz (Th,Fri) 1630-1645 9.855 Udmurt(Su,Th,F), Mari(M), Ukrainian(Tu), Chuvash(W), Tartar(Sa) 1645-1700 9.855 Udmurt(Su,F), Tartar(M,Sa), German(Tu,W,Th) 0800-0829 15.380 Banjarese 0830-0859 15.380 Gorontalo 0900-0929 15.380 Makassarese 0925-0959 15.380 Bugisnese 1000-1029 15.380 Sundanese 1030-1059 15.380 Javanese 1100-1229 15.380 Indonesian 1230-1259 15.380 Baku 1300-1359 12.120 Vietnamese 1400-1430 12.120 Vietnamese(M,Tu,Th,T.Sa) Koho (Su), Hmong (W) 2230-2330 12.090 Vietnamese Note: Saipan local time is 10 hours ahead of Universal Time Co- ordinate [sic] (UTC). Robert Springer, Director Phone: (670) 322-3841 Far East Broadcasting Co. Fax: (670) 322-3060 P.O. Box 500209 E-mail: saipan@febc.org Saipan, MP 96950 USA http://www.febc.org (via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, Jan 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) GUAM ** SAMOA AMERICAN. KJAL, 580 kHz, 5 kW, confirmation email letter in 8 days for email report from Vickie Haleck, Station Manager. Says station has been on air now for 7 months and they're very happy with progress. First known QSL from either WDJD (original callsign) or KJAL. Pacific QSL #90 (excluding A/NZ) and American Samoa #3 (David Ricquish, Wellington, New Zealand http://www.radiodx.com Jan 10, hard- core-dx via DXLD) ** SWEDEN. RADIO SWEDEN--Coming up on Radio Sweden: Thursday: "GreenScan" Friday: Our weekly review Saturday: "Sweden Today" Sunday: In "Sounds Nordic" another chance to hear the best of 2002, music and interviews Because of interference from All India Radio on 9445 kHz during our English broadcast to Asia at 2030-2100, for the next few days we're testing a parallel transmission on 9400, during the second quarter hour, that is 2045-2100. We very much welcome reports from listeners (George Wood, SCDX/MediaScan Jan 8 via DXLD) Re truncated address of the frequency manager of Teracom: it`s magnus.wiberg@teracom.se (Olle Alm, Sweden, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** THAILAND. 6765U, Bangkok Meteorological Radio, Dec. 29 1555-1625, 33333, Weather information in English and unknown language (ISHIZAKI Kyoshiro, Mie, JAPAN, Japan Premium Jan 10 via DXLD) How about Thai? ** TOGO. Radio Togo, Lomé. 5047, f/d "Logo over globe" card (white and yellow striped card, silhouette of Togo on left-hand border) in French. Full schedule included with details. v/s Fransai Auglais, Langues Nationales. Nice "Répubique Togolaise" postage stamp of woman in head-dress. This in 47 days for 1 IRC and an English report. Very pleased! (Scott R. Barbour Jr, Intervale, NH, hard-core-dx via DXLD) That v/s must be pulling your leg, or perhaps misinterpreted. Slightly misspelt, it means `French and English, national languages` (gh, DXLD) I was afraid of that. This morning I checked Martin Schoech's QIP pages and saw a Togo QSL from years back that featured the same mistake, though the card indicated a minority language. I used the services of freetranslation.com, entering all the info except for what I assumed was the verification signer. See what happens when one assumes! (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TURKMENISTAN. Turkmen Radio, Ashkabad, 279 kHz observed at 2316- 2329 Dec 28 providing an outstanding signal of 45444, program consisting of talks and traditional tunes. \\ 5015 was also audible, but very poor underneath Brazil. 279 also heard the following days at very good level and at earlier times in the evening (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, BC-DX Dec 28 via DXLD) ** UKRAINE. DNIEPER'S WAVE FROM UKRAINE WITH LOW POWER ON 11980 KHZ Broadcasting company Alex from Zaporizhzhya, Ukraine, is transmitting on shortwave using the name Dniprovska Hvylya (in Ukrainian) and Dneprovskaya Volna (in Russian). According to Alexander Yegorov in WWDXC, this "Dnieper's Wave" is broadcasting on Saturdays and Sundays from 1000 to 1300 UTC (presumed UTC instead of local time) on 11980 kHz shortwave. The transmitter power is only 100 watts and the modulation is AM with a reduced carrier. A dipole antenna directed to the south and north is used for the transmission. Yegorov says that most of the time the station relays Ukrainian national channel UR-1, and that schedule may be revised because of interference caused by CRI from 1200 hours. The station can be contacted at Alex TV & Radio Broadcasting Company; 48, 8th Bereznya St, Zaporizhzhya, 330068 Ukraine (DXing.info, January 10, 2003 via DXLD) ** U A E. 1575 may be an ECNA possibility; someone here reported 1575 activity recently. Incidentally ra's al-khaimah can translate as "tent point", possibly a reference to its historic early past. And it's certainly close enough to Kuwait to think there would not also be activity there on 1575 as well. The use of Malayalam, spoken in Kerala state, reflects the huge number of south Indian laborers now working in the UAE etc. (Bob Foxworth, FL, Jan 8, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U K [non]. LATVIA Subject: Airtime Change Commencing Sunday 12 January we will be On-Air from 1500 until 2100 UT on our usual frequency of 5935. Ulbroka temperatures dived to Minus 33 C last Sunday evening causing very severe icing on feeder cables and our main antenna system; as a result our signal was badly affected after 1930 UT. We have therefore decided to REPEAT last Sunday's programmes on Sunday 12th January. Programmes for Sunday 12.1.2003: 1500: Relay Service (World Bible Radio Network); 1600: Geoff Rogers; 18h00: Stewart Ross; 2000: Media Show Repeat with Julian Clover (From laserradio group at Yahoo! Groups, via Sergei Sosedkin, IL, Jan 9, DXLD) ** U S A. VOA'S CANTONESE LAUNCHES ALL-NEWS FORMAT Washington, D.C., Jan. 7, 2003 - The Voice of America's (VOA) Cantonese Service launched a new all-news format this week specially designed for audiences in the bustling region of southern China. The new format features regional and local news reports alternating with world news every 15 minutes during the daily two-hour broadcast. The program debuted Jan. 6. VOA Director David Jackson remarked, "This new fast-paced, all-news format shows VOA's agility and flexibility. Our Cantonese audience wants up-to-the-minute news about the world, so we've created this to meet that need." The newscasts open with headlines every quarter hour, with short news briefs of world, regional and local events, followed by correspondent reports on U.S. policy issues and China news as well as short features including English language lessons. The all-news format was designed in response to listener feedback that VOA's accurate, comprehensive and balanced news was listeners' most liked programming element. "We`re already getting calls on our Cantonese hotline saying they love the new format," said Jackson. "Several callers describe it as `very dynamic.`" The new, quick-paced format will reach audiences in China from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. locally via shortwave [1300-1500 UT, frequency and time change already reported in DXLD], medium wave (AM) and the Internet at http://www.voanews.com/chinese VOA broadcasts twelve hours a day in Mandarin and two in Cantonese, including daily one-hour radio/ TV simulcasts to China. VOA also broadcasts to China in Tibetan, English, and Special English (VOA press release Jan 7 via DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. culturebox Listen Up CAN POP MUSIC MAKE THE ARAB WORLD LOVE US? By Lee Smith, SLATE, Posted Thursday, January 9, 2003, at 10:18 AM PT Imagine it were possible to stem the rising tide of anti-Americanism in the Arab world. (I like to think this is the kind of speculative, optimistic sentence tossed around all the time at the State Department.) You would want to target an audience of middle-class and working-class men between the ages of 18 to 30 --- the demographic most likely to attack Americans and American property. To that end, the State Department recently announced that it is exporting an anthology of American writers, in the hopes that this will persuade Arabs that the American experience is more varied, and less evil, than the state-controlled Arab media say it is. Regardless of whether you buy into this kind of cultural marketing, it's clear that the State Department chose the wrong medium. American book publishers can tell you that American men between 18 and 30 don't read a lot of books. The Arab street reads even fewer --- just one book, mostly: the Qur`an. The United States should have followed the lead of Arab governments, which know that music is the region's most powerful form of expression. That's why they use it for propaganda --- and also why they ban so much of it. The classic example of this is Umm Kulthoum, the voice of Egypt, the diva of the Arab world. In 1975, her funeral, legend has it, drew an even larger crowd than Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser's in 1970. Nasser's rise to power coincided with a golden age of Egyptian music, and in Umm Kulthoum he found a willing participant in his campaign to promote the image of a charismatic nation on the rise. She recorded several nationalistic songs, like "Watani Habibi Watani el Akbar" ("My Beloved Nation, the Greatest Nation") (scroll to the bottom of the page, and listen to the second clip), which are still widely known in Egypt --- as are a host of singer Abdel Halim Hafez's patriotic numbers, like "Ya Gamal, Ya Habib El Malayeen" ("Gamal, Beloved of Millions") and "Ehna El Shaaab" ("We Are the People"). Of course, few Arab leaders have enjoyed as loyal a supporting chorus as Nasser did. Many have had to check the efforts of musicians not in sympathy with their policies. Sayyid Darwish is more or less the founder of the engaged, or oppositional --- the sense is like the French intellectuals' sense of "engagé --- school of Arab music. His "Quom Ya Masry" ("O Egyptian Arise") is one of the earliest examples of music used to wage cultural war against an unpopular government; it served as one of the forces driving the 1919 revolution. The song was banned at the time, but today every Egyptian knows it by heart. Marcel Khalife, a Lebanese musician, is the contemporary leader of the engaged school. His albums are officially unavailable in Egypt; many of his songs are powerful and subtle odes on the Palestinian issue, which the government fears will further flame resentment against Israel. Khalife's very beautiful "Ana Yussef Ya Abi" ("Oh Father, I Am Joseph"), from a poem by the Palestinian writer Mahmoud Darwish, takes the biblical --- and Quranic --- story of Joseph's treatment at the hands of his brothers as a metaphor for Palestinian suffering. Curiously, while the Egyptian censors banned Khalife's quiet songs of protest, they more or less ignored Egyptian singer's Shaaban Abdel Rahim's recent hit, "Bakrah Israel" ("I Hate Israel"). The censors probably aren't making any genuine aesthetic discrimination here; they tend to distinguish simply between what's merely embarrassing and what is truly threatening to the Egyptian government. Hence Rahim's latest song, in praise of Osama Bin Laden (with its catchy chorus, "Bin Bin Bin Bin Bin Bin Laden"), was removed from the airwaves. After all, Bin Laden and other hard-core Islamists haven't targeted only America but also Arab regimes that cooperate with America. Evidently, the Mubarak regime acted so quickly and forcefully that Rahim, a commercially and politically savvy buffoon, denies that he ever made any song about Bin Laden. This has got to constitute one of the more compelling chapters in the psycho-biography of the Arab street. It's a testament to the power of a police state that the song now remains only in the memory of the masses --- but the fact that it remains suggests that the memory of the masses may be yet more powerful. This only makes the goal of reaching the Arab world's frustrated unemployed (and underemployed) young men all the more important. Unfortunately, this is where the State Department miscalculated again. The people most likely to read a book about America are the Arab world's well-educated professional and intellectual elite, who --- unlike the underclasses --- already have extensive experience of America and the rest of the West. Not only are they the least likely to change their minds, they're the ones, like members of the Arab media, who have been most active in fanning the flames of anti- Americanism. What the State Department ought to have done to reach those underemployed young men, then, is call Miles Copeland, a music producer who specializes in world music (like that of Cheb Mami, a French-Algerian singer, and the Egyptian singer Hakim). Copeland became interested in Arab culture while he and his brother Stewart, the former drummer for the Police, were growing up in the Middle East, where their father worked for the CIA. Maybe Copeland can start turning out Arab-American fusion hits for another federal agency, the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees Voice of America and its latest initiative, Radio Sawa, an Arabic-language news and entertainment station with frequencies throughout the Middle East. In any case, the State Department needs to recognize that Arab culture is predominantly an aural one. This is largely due to the Qur`an itself, which institutionalized the sovereignty of the spoken word. From the outset, God's word to the Arabs came to its audience --- including the Prophet Muhammad --- primarily as a heard text, not a written one. Arab Muslims still mostly experience the Qur`an that way and listen to it all day long, in taxis, coffee shops, stores. Qur`anic reciters are something like pop stars. (One of the major figures from the heyday of the Egyptian school of recitation, Sheikh Abdel Baset, can be heard here.) Long before the Qur`an, classical poetry in Arabic issued from an oral tradition; it wasn't written down until well after the text of the Qur`an was established. The Arabic language itself, its rich vocabulary, argues for the overwhelming pleasure of sound in a culture that was not very visually interesting. There are, I believe, nine different words for "desert" in classical Arabic --- which reminds you that 1,500 years ago most Arabs were looking at desert most of the time. Even today, as one Egyptian pointed out to me, Arab cityscapes are all of a piece. In Cairo, the sands and sun have worn art-deco apartment buildings down to the same dulled gold as the pyramids. So, she said, we stay at home and listen to the music of singers like Umm Kulthoum, marveling at her perfect diction, piecing out the phrasing, the repetitions, the variations. The battle for the hearts and minds of the Arab world, then, should go through CD players, cassette decks, and radios, not libraries. Lee Smith, who lives in Brooklyn and Cairo, is writing a book on Arabic culture. Photograph of Shaaban Abdel Rahim by Marwan Naamani/AFP. [caption] (Slate via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** U S A. This must be the paranormal show I heard mentioned on Stock Talk Live, on WRMI; it`s from the same IBC Radio network. It looks as if WRMI could also be the station to carry this show, but nothing more than `shortwave` claimed on the show website; no details of other affiliates either at the appropriate links. Trouble is, at 0400-0600, WRMI is already fully booked, including the English halfhour of Prague until 0430. And WRMI can`t exactly claim to cover Europe except by accident. Doesn`t Art Bell already have a successor on his own network? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING CORPORATION ANNOUNCES CONTINUED SPONSORSHIP OF 'THE LOU GENTILE SHOW' AND EXPANSION TO SHORT-WAVE RADIO AS ART BELL RETIRES Story Filed: Tuesday, December 31, 2002 8:00 AM EST SANTA MARIA, Calif., Dec 31, 2002 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- International Broadcasting Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: IBCS) announced today that it would continue to sponsor the paranormal radio talk show "The Lou Gentile Show." The Company also says that the show will expand to short-wave radio starting January 2002. Lou Gentile is a paranormal investigator who has personally experienced ghosts and violent hauntings for over 20 years. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and grew up in 2 haunted houses. "The Lou Gentile Show" explores such topics as angels, ghosts, demons, devils, exorcism and possession, religious mysteries, cults and the occult, lost civilizations, UFOs and alien abductions, government cover-ups, hauntings, and the like. "The Lou Gentile Show" will be broadcast five evenings per week from 11 PM to 1 AM (EST) on short-wave radio. "The Lou Gentile Show" starts at 10 PM and will now end at 1:00 AM (EST). "I added an extra hour to the show for my listeners as well as our sponsor. It is important to expand the show now since it has been long overdue," says Lou Gentile, Host of The Lou Gentile Show. He continues, "Our website http://www.lougentile.com offers so many FREE perks for our listeners like Archives of Shows, 2600+ Paranormal Media Files, Daily Paranormal News, 7 Independent LIVE Net Streams, 2 Independent LIVE Video/Audio Streams of the studio, Interactive CHAT, Message Board, Toll Free Call in numbers and for the first time we introduced a system where internet listeners may also call into the show using their computer and a microphone, etc. This is the future of Paranormal Talk Radio." The short-wave broadcast will be on a station (More Info on his website listed above) that has a powerful signal reaching the midwest, the entire eastern United States, Europe and beyond. A collateral effect of short-wave broadcasting is that the signals actually reach all over the world as they bounce off of the ionosphere. Traditional AM and FM signals do not work like this. IBCS has been airing "The Lou Gentile Show" on its Internet radio station, IBC Radio, since May of 2002 and backed the show in its National Radio debut on ABC STARGUIDE III in October of 2002 to affiliates across the United States. IBCS owns approximately 15 minutes of airtime per show (3hr Show). IBCS will fill this airtime with commercial spots for its clients as well as the different services offered by the Company. "This sponsorship is important so that the International Broadcasting Corporation name and our content continues to reach out to the masses," says Daryn P. Fleming, President and CEO of IBCS. He continues, "The commercials that we have been running have brought huge exposure to our Company and stock. With PREMIERE Radio Network's paranormal talk show host Art Bell leaving the airwaves we believe 'The Lou Gentile Show' will acquire much of this 'night owl' audience." International Broadcasting Corporation is a developmental stage company that endeavors to develop successful publishing, media, and broadcasting related businesses and ventures. The Company is focused on developing and providing online information and entertainment content through three units -- OTCBB News Network, IBC Radio, and IBC Entertainment Group. IBCS recently acquired an on-demand, streaming online movie website called Cultmoviesonline.com [Standard `forward- looking` stock disclaimer] (via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Hi Glenn, Speech/press release by Sen. Russell Feingold (D- Wisc) about concentration in U.S. radio industry. He might introduce legislation dealing with this issue. 73 (Kim Elliott, DX LISTENING DIGEST) U.S. SENATOR RUSS FEINGOLD AT THE FUTURE OF MUSIC COALITION POLICY SUMMIT [excellent, long piece] http://feingold.senate.gov/~feingold/speeches/2003/01/2003107828.html (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** U S A. THE FIGHT FOR THE FUTURE OF MUSIC from THE NATION 01/06/2003 @ 4:14pm America stands on the cusp of a sweeping set of shifts in federal media ownership rules that could dramatically alter the nature of what we see, hear and read, warns Federal Communications Commission member Jonathan S. Adelstein. Dialogue and debate about these proposed changes must be ramped up quickly if the public interest in to be protected. But first, how about a harmonica solo? Before delivering his first major policy address at the annual conference of the Future of Music Coalition, Adelstein wowed a crowd of several hundred there by playing a mean harmonica during a performance by Lester Chambers of the groundbreaking 1960s group The Chambers Brothers. Adelstein, a Democrat whose appointment to the five-member FCC was recently approved, could not have chosen a better way to introduce himself to the musicians, journalists and advocates who crowded an ancient hall on Washington's Georgetown University campus. Appearing on a stage that had been occupied during this year's Future of Music Coalition conference by rock stars like Patti Smith and Living Color's Vernon Reid, jazz players such as Alfonzo Blackwell, producers like the legendary Sandy Pearlman and media personalities such as Ira Glass, host of the This American Life radio show, Adelstein knew he had to perform. And he got high marks for his able riffs during Chambers' performance of "People Get Ready." But he got higher marks for his eyes-wide-open report on the devastating impact of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 on radio diversity. Before an audience filled with people who worry that the Congress or the FCC just don't get it, Adelstein came across as a commissioner who understands what is at stake when regulators allow media corporations to dominate whole communications systems. "The 1996 Act entirely eliminated a cap on the number of radio stations a single company can own nationwide. It also relaxed local ownership limits, permitting a single owner to control up to eight stations in the nations' largest markets. As one might have predicted, the relaxation of these rules led inevitably to more stations in fewer hands," Adelstein said. "According to one FCC report, in the six years since the adoption of the 1996 Act, the number of radio station owners in the United States declined by 34 percent, even though the number of commercial radio stations increased by 5.4 percent. The FCC found that the decline is primarily due to mergers between existing owners." To illustrate the dramatic nature of the changes that have taken place, Adelstein noted that, "In 1996, the two largest radio group owners consisted of fewer than 65 radio stations. Six years later, the largest radio group owns about 1,200 radio stations. The second largest group owns about 250 stations. Their influence is even larger than their numbers suggest, because they are concentrated in the largest markets in the country." Adelstein hailed a Future of Music Coalition report that showed how more and more programming on local radio stations is being done at the national level by media conglomerates rather than at the local level by hometown disc jockeys. "We must consider how consolidation affects all of you as artists," Adelstein told the crowd of several hundred recording artists and music industry players who attended the conference Monday. "Years ago, as a new artist, you might have gotten your first airplay on your local station - in a town where the DJ heard you at a local club the night before and wanted everyone in town to hear you, as well. As national groups buy out more local stations, that town may no longer have a local DJ at all." "Consolidation," Adelstein warned, "often leads to the homogenization of programming. We must ask ourselves: At what point does consolidation come at the cost of the local expression that makes radio so unique and so special in this country? At what point does allowing consolidation undermine the public interest - and the quality of what we hear on the radio?" The answer, according to many of the artists attending the conference, is that the point of impact has already been passed. "Because of radio consolidation and the emphasis of strict formats and constant cost cutting by media companies, musicians and fans of music are losing out," says musician Jenny Toomey, who serves as executive director of the Future of Music Coalition. "Consolidation has led to less diversity." One member of Congress, US Senator Russ Feingold, has sought to address the negative impacts of the Telecommunications Act with legislation. The Wisconsin Democrat's Competition in Radio and Concert Industries Act seeks to address concerns about media monopolies, the loss of diversity and the return of old-fashioned payola scandals. But before Feingold's legislation even gets a hearing in Congress, the FCC could take steps that will lead to greater consolidation and conglomeration within media industries. At issue in coming months are proposals to ease rules that prevent a single television network from controlling stations that reach more than 35 percent of the national audience, as well as rules regarding the number of television and radio stations that one company could own in a single region. Another proposed rule change could allow one company to own a major daily newspaper and the major television and radio station in the same community. FCC chair Michael Powell and at least two other FCC commissioners are believed to be sympathetic to demands by media corporations for further relaxation of ownership rules. But Adelstein continues to argue for caution, and he suggested that activism by musicians and music fans could yet change the character and the direction of the debate. "Congress's relaxation of the rules on radio consolidation has been the canary in the mine, testing whether it is safe to go in before miners dare enter," Adelstein explained. "The miners in this case are all the consumers affected by FCC rules that govern the ownership of television, radio, cable and newspapers," he said. "The FCC better carefully consider the health of that canary before we proceed further, because changes to the FCC's media ownership rules potentially could alter the media landscape as much or more than the 1996 actions by Congress changed the radio industry." Recalling a line from "People Get Ready" the song he played harmonica on a few minutes earlier Adelstein said: "Lester Chambers got it right: There's a big train a coming." And if musicians and music fans don't want the train to roll over them, Adelstein suggested, it's time to get active. "In order to insure that there continues to be a range of voices heard over the airwaves and through all of the media, we need to continue to hear you voices loud and clear before the FCC and throughout the government," Adelstein said. "So turn it up!" (via Kirk Bjornsgaard, Jan 8, OK Greens via DXLD) ** U S A. Arbitron website checked tonight indicates it will do away with programming information in its Station Information Profiles. Getting to the nugget of the story as far as usefulness to DX'ers is concerned, Arbitron says, "Stations no longer need to submit program/personality/sports information to Arbitron." In the FAQ (or maybe FEQ = frequently expected questions), Arbitron says, "Since Arbitron will no longer be collecting programming information, there will be no programming information to post on the Web." No further comment (John Callarman, Krum TX, Jan 8, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. Is David Letterman's radio deal over already? Letterman himself suggested just that on Monday night when he joked about the recently launched simulcast of his nightly TV show on a number of Infinity radio stations across the country. Infinity spokesperson Dana McClintock declined to comment, citing the company's long-standing policy of not commenting or responding to rumors. http://www.radioandrecords.com/Subscribers/TodaysNews/homepage.htm (via Brock Whaley for DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. En la banda extendida de onda media, en esta época del año pueden oirse varias estaciones caribeñas y estadounidenses en Catia La Mar. El 5 de enero a partir de las 0230 UT se oyeron las siguientes: Radio Disney en 1650; en 1660, La Gigante de Puerto Rico, con el programa "La Noche", a las 0240; Information Radio Network desde Orlando, en 1680, a las 0253; y finalmente en 1690, News Talk 1690, desde Maryland, a las 0300, con retransmisión de CNN HEADLINE NEWS. Buen DX y 73's (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. I heard from the CE at WCHB, who confirmed that they have authorization to run IBOC tests at night, and in fact are currently running IBOC most nights. With a local 1200, it's a bit difficult for me to tell what WCHB is doing, but I think they probably have it on tonight. I'm getting quite a bit of noise on 1190 (especially on LSB) and 1210 (especially on USB). If you're within earshot of Detroit, check it out. Another IBOC station is WJLD-1400 in Birmingham AL, presumably daytime only. I don't expect to hear this one anytime soon, but if you happen to be nearby (Les?), you may want to have a listen (Barry McLarnon, Ont., Jan 9, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. 4830, Radio Táchira, 1042 Jan 9. Noted a man giving ID and frequency, followed by a lengthy song about Radio Táchira. After a couple of minutes, programming turns to regular Venezuelan music. Signal was good (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston, Florida, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Comes and goes ** VENEZUELA. Radio online desde Venezuela: http://www.unionradio.com.ve/audio/ Estoy escuchando excelente audio desde esta emisora venezolana. ya que la Onda Corta es bastante inaplicable para este pais, puede resultar util conocer este enlace, como una de las tantas fuentes de informacion a tener en cuenta. Se puede escuchar tanto con el Media Player o el RealPlayer (Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, Jan 10, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA [and non]. The AP has evidently appointed Roy Chaderton, whoever the hell that is, to the position of Venezuelan Foreign Minister.... (David Crawford, FL, DX LISTNEING DIGEST) VENEZUELA WON'T PRESS CHARGES 'FOR NOW' AGAINST MIAMI DJS The Associated Press Jan 8, 2003 CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Venezuela's government won't press charges "for now" against two Miami radio hosts who called President Hugo Chávez and used recordings of Fidel Castro to get him to believe he was talking to the Cuban leader, the foreign minister said Wednesday. Roy Chaderton said WXDJ-FM disc jockeys Joe Ferrero and Enrique Santos "committed two crimes according to Florida law" when they taped a telephone conversation without authorization, a felony, and abused someone being interviewed, a misdemeanor. Asked if the government planned to take legal action, Chaderton said, "We're not considering that for the moment." Ferrero and Santos did not immediately return calls for comment. On Monday, they convinced aides at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas to put Chávez on the line by playing disjointed snippets of a private conversation between Castro and Mexican President Vicente Fox, which the Cuban leader released last year. Venezuelan Information Minister Nora Uribe confirmed the call occurred. She said Chávez "caught on and hung up." But a recording provided by the Cuban-American radio announcers has Chávez talking for about two minutes. He happily answered what he thought would be a friendly call Monday morning from Castro, one of his closest allies. On the other end of the line were Ferrero and Santos, who ended the conversation by calling Chávez "terrorist" and "animal," along with a few expletives. Chávez is struggling to end a month-old opposition strike intended to topple him. AP-ES-01-08-03 1615EST This story can be found at: http://ap.tbo.com/ap/florida/MGA9PNXRPAD.html (via David E. Crawford, Titusville, Florida, Jan 9, DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FREQUENCY MANAGEMENT [non] ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING PLANNING The first meeting for 2003 of the High Frequency Coordination Conference (HFCC) is set down for Sandton, South Africa, from 3-7 February. This is a joint meeting with the Arab States Broadcasting Union. The output of the meeting will be in the form of a Master Schedule, setting down actual operational requirements for the A-03 Transmission season, which runs from 30 March until 26 October. The most recent meeting was in Bangkok, Thailand, in August 2002, which was augmented by the attendance of delegates from the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU-HFC), which produced the schedule for the B-02 season, which concludes on 29 March 2003. Some 130 frequency managers, from 57 broadcasters, physically participated in that meeting. The South African meeting is being hosted jointly by the HFCC Secretariat and the Sentech organisation, and will be held at the Hilton Hotel, with attendance now open to anyone. The registration fee is US$75 per delegate, and participants had been invited to complete their registrations in November 2002. This meeting is somewhat of a "hard-sell" for both South African tourism and the Sentech company. The keynote address will be delivered by Zandile Mbele, Sentech's General Manager, Corporate Affairs, and delegates have been invited to take full advantage of pre- and post-meeting tourist activities. The output of the meeting will be compiled into a Master Schedule, and a truncated version of that file will be made available at the HFCC's website http://www.hfcc.org in due course, for anyone who is interested. The HFCC is an approved body within the ITU. Regrettably, there has been increasing concerns across the industry at professional level that much of its output is subject to frequent and ongoing alteration during the transmission season. This has been caused by hopelessly flawed initial frequency assignments, with many allocations being made with little regard to actual channel occupancy in the primary target areas. Whilst is it acknowledged that there is a need to modify schedules part way through a season extending for several months, the amount of amendments made during the B02 season (barely 8 weeks old!) has been massive, with major change b sing made by some broadcasters almost on a weekly, basis. From the viewpoint of the customer (meaning listener), trying desperately to discover the actual operating frequency for some broadcasters is virtually impossible, not helped by the tendency by many stations to conceal their schedules from the global listening community! Tentative requirements are submitted to the HFCC several months in advance of the start of the season, and the frequency management process is supported by a computerised management information system, which calculates Optimum Working Frequencies for particular propagation routes, using predicted solar data. which are then used at the meeting to analyse "frequency collisions". Changes are then made on an iterative, manual basis at the meeting. Unfortunately, there is no major physical representation either from the ABU-HFC or several large broadcasters at the A03 meeting, and from an engineering planning perspective, it seems inconceivable that major decisions on operational requirements can be driven without such direct input. The effectiveness of the process is further constrained due to the very high dependence on theoretical considerations, with little regard being given to transmitters on the same frequencies, located around the world. With high power of 500 kW now commonplace, propagation worldwide is now normal, irrespective of the theoretical "intended" area of reception! The current absurdity of HCJB Australia using 11755 at 0700-1100 simultaneously with Radio Finland is an example of rickety frequency selection, where the Finnish station is well heard across Australia, even though it is "intended" tor Europe. Pori actually has an azimuth of 220 degrees, 500 kW, which puts out lots of energy into Australia via the long-path across the South Pacific. This has not been recognised by HCJB Australia. Propagation reciprocity also applies: HCJB Australia would also disturb the Finnish transmitter! Another example is the use of 7285 by the Voice of Vietnam and the Voice of America (Thailand) at 1100, for the same target area! Shortwave radio is on shaky ground, and these unsound frequency planning processes don't help. Bringing together 130 "frequency managers" as a Committee in some swanky hotel, twice a year, for a week, at huge expense to their employers, to develop highly questionable engineering solutions, does not seem to me to be the way to go. It seems to me that the entire thing has gone off the rails: a committee of 130 people seems overkill, acknowledging that many of these people have little or no technical qualifications or engineering planning expertise. The money could be better spent in upgrading transmitter infrastructure and distribution, and in developing and strengthening improved communication to the customers - the listeners. No, I will not be going to South Africa! (Bob Padula, EDXP Jan 9 via DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ SAMPO TAKES OVER GRUNDIG - NEW START IN NEW MARKETS - 8. January 2003 Nuremberg/Taipei, 08th January 2003. The future of the entertainment electronics company Grundig is secure. The previous main shareholder Prof. Dr. Anton Kathrein and Felix Chen, Chairman of the Board of the Taiwanese Sampo company, signed the corresponding contracts for take- over the majority of shares of the Nuremberg-based company on the 8th of January 2003. This agreement was preceded by extremely intensive discussions during the past weeks between the board of Grundig and representatives from Sampo. Under the terms of the contract, Sampo will become the majority shareholder and therefore take over the direction of Grundig AG. This especially applies to the areas of Home Intermedia systems, Car Intermedia systems, office communications, professional SAT systems and hotel communications. Another important part of this is the area of research and development – over 400 engineers and developers are employed in this sector by Grundig in Nuremberg. The parties have agreed to remain silent on the issue of the purchase price. "I am pleased to have found in Sampo a partner for Grundig that is not a purely financial investor but a partner whose product range and market understanding will fit in well with the company tradition" said Prof. Dr. Anton Kathrein at the signing on the contracts. "This agreement will give the company the necessary room for manoeuvre to implement new ideas and innovations in our products and in our positioning in the market. I am especially glad that I have been able to fulfil my promise to guide Grundig to a secure future." Prof. Dr Anton Kathrein spoke about the complicated search for a partner and the contract negotiations: "We took our time when looking for a partner to ensure we found the most suitable one. This was not always the easiest path to choose which is why at this point I would like to thank the banks and credit institutes who supported us throughout this time and who, like ourselves, never lost sight of our ultimate aim. Both they and the pension guarantee association played a major part in saving the company." Prof. Dr. Anton Kathrein especially thanked the Bavarian State Minister for the Economy, Transport and Technology Dr. Otto Wiesheu, MdL, who actively campaigned to keep Grundig going and secure the jobs of its staff and under the protection of the regulatory principles of the Free State of Bavaria suggested and advocated highly constructive solutions. H.C. Ho, President and CEO of the Board of the Sampo group, spoke of his confidence in Grundig's future: "We can already see today that the measures taken by the Grundig management are reducing costs and are improving profit margins. The Grundig brand and sales network with 30,000 partners throughout Europe will give us a direct route into the important European market of the future. By joining with Grundig we will attain many synergies which will greatly support us on our way to becoming a leading brand world-wide. We will be able to market our products in Europe and establish 'classic' Grundig products in the Asian market. H.C. Ho added that in addition the "excellent research and development work of the renowned German company" will be closely linked with its counterpart at Sampo in Taiwan. The new main shareholder did not make any comments about the reorganisation of the company. The Sampo company, which was founded in 1936, employs a staff of around 5400 today and has an excellent position in Asia, USA and especially in its domestic market in Taiwan in its core businesses of household electronics and multimedia (TV, LCD and DVD players and PDP). Sampo is also one of the leading manufacturers of electronic components (OEM) world-wide. Its products are sold mostly in the USA, Australia, Hong Kong and China. Sampo has an annual group turnover of US$ 1.4 billion and is listed on the stock exchange of Taiwan (via John Figliozzi, Jan 10, swprograms via DXLD) Further evidence that an era is ending.... (John Figliozzi, ibid.) This might have nothing to do with the Grundig-branded shortwave radios distributed by Lextronix of California -- except that Sampo might now be getting the licensing-agreement fee for those Grundig radios. (...Kim Elliott, ibid.) DAB RADIO ON DISPLAY AT MONTREAL RADIO SHACK I stopped at Radio Shack on my way to work for some window shopping and spotted two tiny FM/DAB radios (only about 3 x 4 inches). In my rush, I forgot to note the manufacturer/brand. The thinner one of the two sells for CAD$299; the thicker one can play MP3s as well and sells for CAD$399. Both require headphones for listening. I got the salesman to show me the smaller one; I didn't have time to "test" it properly though. Each radio is equipped with a telescopic whip antenna that can extend to several inches long; it is about 1 to 2 inches completely retracted and fits neatly and unobtrusively along the side. I did not have time to tune around FM with the device; it was locked to CKOI 96.9 FM, a 308,000 watt-grandfathered over-power station. Reception was fine. I tried in vain to receive a DAB station, but I couldn't find one. (Besides, I didn't know how the thing really worked anyway.) But I surmised at the time that the radio was scanning through the available frequencies and, like all good digital receiving devices, the audio was muted until something got found. It seems as though being in the second basement of downtown Montreal's largest shopping mall was an impairment to DAB reception -- bad news for city cores, because FM reception for mid- to high-powered stations is OK down there on a regular walkman-type radio. Perhaps I'll return on an off day and fiddle around with it again. That's all for now. Cheers, (Ricky Leong, QC, Jan 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) COMMENTARY ++++++++++ Response to James Tedford: James' comments are on the mark, but emphasize the learning curve requirements for shortwave and neglect the portability and serendipity factor of shortwave, long touted here as an advantage of shortwave. Another area James could have highlighted was that both shortwave and local rebroadcasting of international broadcasting require the user to pay attention to occasionally inconvenient broadcaster schedules, and on-demand programming doesn't carry this disadvantage. However, that spin doesn't discount the fact that this was very thoughtfully written (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA, swprograms via DXLD) PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ If you are interested in beacons quite a bit, we have the NDB mail list on the Beaconworld domain. As it is our own domain you receive no SPAM from this list. Go to the following for more info. http://www.beaconworld.co.uk/ Ndblist-request@beaconworld.co.uk 73 de (Phil KO6BB Atchley, swl via DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-005, January 8, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser, ghauser@hotmail.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 HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldta03.html For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid2.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn WORLD OF RADIO 1164: WWCR: Thu 2130 9475, Fri 0700, Sat 0330 5070, 0730 3210, Wed 0930 9475 RFPI: Fri 1930, Sat 0130, 0730, 1330, 1800, Sun 0000, 0600, 1200, 1830, Mon 0030, 0630, 1230, Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on 7445 and/or 15039 WJIE: M-F 1300, daily 0400 -- maybe; Sun 0630, Mon 0700, Tue 0630 7490 WBCQ: Mon 0545 on 7415, first airing having been Wed 2300 7415 17495-U WRN ONDEMAND: http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html [de Fri] [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1164.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1164.ram [High – available Thu] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1164h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1164h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1164.html [available Thu] ** AFGHANISTAN. ANTI-GOVERNMENT RADIO BROADCASTING IN SOUTH-EAST - CHINESE REPORT | Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Kabul, 7 January: An anti-government radio has started its broadcasting in east Afghanistan's Paktia province, about 100 km south-east of Kabul, the state new agency BIA reported on Tuesday [7 January]. The radio, which named itself "Resistance Voice of Afghanistan", recently broadcast an ultimatum to instigate local people to resist the central government led by President Hamed Karzai. The location of the radio, which broadcast with changing frequencies, was not clear, the BIA report said. Afghan Information Minister Sayd Makhdum Rahin told Xinhua that such anti-government broadcasting was from mobile radio transmitters on vehicles among mountains, covering limited areas. He said the government was concerned about anti-government broadcasting and would take measures against such activities. [Radio Netherlands "Media Network" web site on 6 January quoted a report by the Pakistan-based News Network International (NNI), an independent news agency, as saying that "anti-American elements" in Paktia province in southeastern Afghanistan had set up a radio station and were calling for a "holy war (jihad) against America and the provisional government of Hamed Karzai".] Source: Xinhua news agency, Beijing, in English 1602 gmt 7 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. Johno, I emailed them yesterday and received a reply today stating the address as: HCJB Australia, P.O. Box 291 Kilsyth, Vic. 3137 Sincerely, David C. Maindonald, Australian Director (Wayne Bastow, Jan 6, ARDXC via DXLD) ** BELARUS`. Hi, this morning - 8 JAN 03 at around 0700 UTC - I heard Radio Stalica (pron. Stalitsa) from Belarus relayed on 4246 and 5256 kHz, both in USB. GOOD DX, (Karel Honzik, the Czech Republic (Czechia) AOR AR-7030 30 m Long Wire, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** BULGARIA. He recibido e-mail de Ludmila Petra de Radio Bulgaria en Español: Gracias Glenn por la atencion. RADIO BULGARIA PROGRAMME SCHEDULE October 27, 2002 - March 30, 2003 E U R O P E LANGUAGE TIME UTC kHz LOCAL TIME SPANISH 0700 - 0730 15700, 17500 Madrid 0800-0830 1200 - 1230 15600, 17500 Madrid 1300-1330 1730 - 1800 9700, 11700 Madrid 1830-1900 2200 - 2300 6000, 7300 Madrid 2300-2400 S O U T H A M E R I C A LANGUAGE TIME UTC kHz LOCAL TIME SPANISH 0000 - 0100 5900, 11600 Buenos Aires 2000-2100 0200 - 0300 5900, 11600 Buenos Aires 2200-2300 C E N T R A L A M E R I C A LANGUAGE TIME UTC kHz LOCAL TIME SPANISH 0200 - 0300 7500 Havana 2100-2200 (via Dino Bloise, NJ, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Re KVAN`s local interference problems: When CBC Radio One used to be on 940 AM broadcasting from its towers near my house, we could faintly pick up the station on my father's antique (early 1970s vintage) hi-fi amplifier. Turn it up high enough, and you could hear it clearly with a loud hum/hiss in the background. It would occasionally show up on the phone lines too. Regards, (Ricky Leong, QC, Jan 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) So does the current occupant of 940 do that? (gh, DXLD) ** CUBA. I learned that Arnie's wife Olguita was rushed to the hospital this morning with an as yet unknown illness just prior to him writing the script for tonight's programme. I'm sure all of us send our best wishes to Olguita for a speedy recovery. 73 de (Bob VE3SRE Chandler, Jan 7, ODXA via DXLD) in this issue: PROPAGATION ** GERMANY. This just in from Wolfgang Bueschel: Does a new crusade loom? 73, (Glenn Hauser, Jan 7, swprograms via DXLD) Hi Glenn, as mentioned widespread in the DX press already, DW Cologne will cease its AUS/NZ/PAC English service on March 29th. Here is an other comment: "Our board of directors decided to drop our English service for America[!], Australia and New Zealand for economizing, from the new season A-03 on." The South East Asian / South Asian / African services will remain. But no details of the East Asian service future is available yet. 73 wb (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, Jan 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I guess we can expect this and more. If we have become a nation that says it doesn't care what anybody else thinks, it is our way or the highway, why should they bother telling us what they think through English Service programming beamed to the "arrogant Americans?" (Vern Modeland, Listening to less and less from the Arkansas Ozarks, USA, swprograms via DXLD) OK folks, Haven't we been here before? Boy, this is really getting tiresome. If this latest report about DW cutting SW to NAm/Pac is true, I'm going have one heck of an online hissy-fit. Again. I can hear the excuses from DW executives already. I have provided responses below, even before they've even opened their mouths. 1) Shortwave is too expensive to maintain/operate. Then you may need to change from your traditional practices. Traditional international broadcasting is done in two seasons, using a (very) wide range of frequencies at absurd power levels (500 kW) so that the broadcaster can overcome a) ionospheric interference and b) other stations/jamming. Perhaps it is time broadcasters went to a four season schedule, fewer frequencies and lower power. This would solve the problem a whole litany of problems and make SWL more enjoyable too. If broadcasters didn't run so many transmissions at once beamed to the same place, and if everyone used fewer frequencies at lower power, there would be less interference, I would imagine. This saves energy costs too. It just might be possible to make programs more listenable. Who's jamming? Cuba and China, listing right off the top of my head. No need for high power anywhere else. It doesn't help ionospheric interference, but then again, higher power doesn't help solve this problem anyway. 2) There's nobody listening on shortwave in North America. This, I concede, is SWL's Achilles' Heel at the moment. What can I say to that? No one among the big-gun broadcasters is really promoting SWLing in North America. Maybe they want SW dead. (Or am I inferring too much?) 3) There is no listener response in North America. (A variation on the previous possible answer from the higher-ups.) I don't have the time to write to you every week. It doesn't mean I'm not here. 4) World news and information is affordable and widely available in North America through cable news channels, the Internet and other sources. This is true if you are able to afford such services. But cost/affordability isn't everything. High speed Internet from the phone company (ADSL) is not even available in my neighbourhood. That leaves a cable TV monopoly to service me, and that service is too expensive compared to ADSL. I'll have dial-up, please. With that, I get the most rudimentary of multimedia activities. Forget online radio or TV, I just don't have the bandwidth. If Internet is cheap for us, it certainly isn't cheap for you (the broadcaster). Don't tell me it's cheap to stream for thousands of people over the net. Servers and bandwidth are finite, and they cost a lot of money to maintain. (Wish I had solid figures...) I admit, I have satellite TV at home on which I get BBC World (Television), but services are carried in packages. To get BBC-TV, I also get a miscellany of other channels I never watch -- even though I pay for them. There are no international audio services on my dish, either. And I've harped on this before: quantity isn't quality. Just because we're getting news on different channels doesn't necessarily make it well-reported or unbiased news. 5) North America will get indirect coverage. My kneejerk reaction will be as follows: I will stop listening to DW Radio. I won't go looking for you elsewhere. Besides, the timing's all wrong for most "normal" people with 9 to 5 jobs. (Example: my listening to BBCWS has dropped off dramatically. I don't listen online at all. CBC relay? 3:30 a.m. is a bit too late/early, depending on the circumstance. 15190 & 5975 kHz aren't always good here.) 6) Audio quality is inferior to other methods if delivery. So, you're already having doubts about DRM, eh? :) DRM was supposed to make SWL more marketable in the developed world, where we apparently have a liking for clear, wide frequency-response audio. Why abandon SW now? And besides, stopping broadcasts won't improve broadcast audio quality, now will it? And it seems these big-wigs have never had to endure audio drop-outs due to net congestion. (This even happens in high-bandwidth situations like my computer at work.) I would much prefer having some signal I can tweak with my radio than be at the beck and call of temperamental servers and routers, thank you very much. This is all I can muster tonight. Maybe I'll be angry again tomorrow and write some more. (I sigh. The list gags in disgust. I sigh some more.) ;) (Ricky Leong, QC, Jan 7, WORLD OF RADIO 1164, and DX LISTENING DIGEST) [Later:] Glenn, Thanks for alerting me (and all SW Programs listers) about the (supposedly) imminent doom of DW in NA/Pac. I suppose it never hurts to be on the alert for bad news from SW broadcasting directors who think they know it all. :( But before I rant again, I should consider the quote in my signature more carefully. That's why I put it there in the first place! :) 73s, (Ricky Leong, DXLD) viz.: -- At its best, the Internet can educate more people faster than any media tool we've ever had. At its worst, it can make people dumber faster than any media tool we've ever had. - Thomas L. Friedman, NY Times I'm not clear on what they're cutting, the programming or the HF (Scott Royall, ibid.) It's likely the HF they're talking about. The programming isn't as targeted as you'd hope (Ricky Leong, ibid.) Let's find out first just *what* is being cut. You're making the same assumption I am, but what if they are cutting the programming altogether? Now that would be really sad (Scott Royall, ibid.) And since they got rid of their mailbag program to North America a while back, that's one more reason not to write. Call me vain, but I enjoy hearing my letters heard on foreign broadcasters. (Which reminds me that I have to e-mail Radio Vilnius and wish them a belated happy new year.... ;-) – (Ted Schuerzinger, ibid.) I hope that if lobbying is unsuccessful and there are cuts, it is simply in delivery method, not programming. They don't have that much live programming in English, just a few hours a day they repeat over and over and over again to different regions. Cheers, (Ricky Leong, ibid.) I tend to chuckle at the en masse running to internet delivery; each time I sell a PC at work, I mention internet radio, and people could literally care less about it. I think I fall into that same category. I wonder if anyone at Deutsche Welle who think the Internet will be the way to deliver programs to NAm and the Pacific is looking at their website right now (0515 UTC) --- because the link to bring up the present English transmission is not working; nah, the guys in the suits that decided this may occur or will occur are too busy snoring away. (Bill KA2EMZ Bergadano, ibid.) Scott was correct in counselling me (any anyone else, I guess) to exercise caution. I may have jumped the gun by ranting about what I *believe* the situation might be. (It had been a long day, and I really didn't need to hear that one of my hobbies -- SWLing -- would be further restricted by a further lack of intelligent things to listen to.) Let's wait for the suits to respond. Perhaps my next set of rebuttals will make more sense. :) In fact, let's hope there will be *something* to rebut! Cheers, (Ricky Leong, ibid.) They've been concentrating on Asia and Africa for several years and have announced new initiatives with DW=TV. They were ubiquitous on the air when I was listening in Manchuria a few months ago. Mulitple frequencies, several languages. If you read your local newsstands German magazines in North America, you'll also find that they are cutting back distribution as the overseas Germans age, or become as comfortable with the English medias. Death of Letterbox to NAm was a strong sign that they are dropping NAm, probably Oz. The German media, outside of government like DW, are all in trouble. Kirch's TV, Sat and cable collapse have been well documented in American media. Suddeutsche Zeiting recent warning of huge losses, along with FAZ are more signs of market failures with the old models. Have a scan with Kress sometimes. Linkname: Kress-Report URL: http://www.kress.de/ (Daniel Say, ibid.) I will be certainly disappointed if DW does indeed drop HF service to North America. It would be yet another loss to the viability of shortwave for NA listeners. On the other hand, while I certainly like the quality of DW programming, I haven't been a regular listener. Mainly because of their insistence on beaming only a 45 minute program. What an awkward length of time. If I catch their 0300 broadcast, at 0345 I'm left trying to figure out something to do for 15 minutes until the 0400 broadcast of RVi. As such, then, I've stopped listening to DW. Instead, lately, I've been catching an hour of CBC's As It Happens as it is relayed through a local NPR MW station here in Iowa, which is 2100 local (currently 0300 UT). I will be patient and write my letters later, after you all have figured out what is happening. Cheers from Iowa, (Kevin Anderson, Dubuque, Iowa, ibid.) You know what, I work for a non-profit. I've done budget cuts. (I'll probably be doing them again in about three weeks if I'm reading the tea leaves correctly.) If they can't afford it, fine. I can deal with that. What bugs me is when (as with the BBC) they try to paper over it and make it look like it doesn't matter because, gosh, nobody listened anyway, and the ones who did listen weren't really important. Of course it's too early to tell how DW is going to spin this (Kyle Barger, ibid.) A well-placed source at Deutsche Welle tells me that "...with an ever shrinking annual budget, (DW management) have decided that by ending shortwave broadcasts to the USA and Canada with the start of summertime 2003 (i.e. the end of March) roughly 250,000 Euros can be saved annually. I understand that shortwave broadcasts to the Pacific (Australia/ New Zealand) will also be stopped and more emphasis be put in both areas on gaining more rebroadcasters. Experience tells me that this will be a futile exercise as far as the United States are concerned." My source also mentions that 35 million Euros are spent annually on the German TV pay channel in the United States, even though it has less than 3,000 subscribers. It needs 70,000 subscribers to break even (Kim Andrew Elliott, Jan 8, swprograms via WORLD OF RADIO 1164, DXLD) Yikes! Assuming even 3,000 HF listeners to DW, it would be far more cost effective to drop DW television at 35M Euros and pay the 250K Euros! It is probably the same "opinion makers" is many cases anyway (Kevin Anderson, ibid.) Let's see, 35,000,000 / 3,000 = 11,666.67. I hope they buy all of their subscribers a widescreen HDTV as part of the money they're spending.... :-) German TV pay channel? When I got DW-TV a few years ago, it was free.... (Ralph Brandi, NJ, ibid.) I've decided that almost everything I regard as logical is not regarded in the same way by most others in positions of authority. Since I know I'm not crazy; I have to assume that they are. :-) As a personal psychological exercise and, more importantly, as a tribute and show of support to those at DW who actually do the work and create the product (i.e.: not the folks in the board rooms and corner office), those that disagree with this latest example of unimaginative and uninformed management should be encouraged to protest the decision. As with the BBC, however, no one should labor under the perception that these people will respond in what you are I would consider to be a logical fashion (John Figliozzi, ibid.) I don't think Kim is talking about DW-TV (whose "Journal" program can be seen on both Newsworld International and World Link TV), but about German TV, a pay channel which, IIRC, has rebroadcasts from the German service of DW-TV and the two terrestrial German broadcasters ARD and ZDF. I went to their web-site and noticed that the price was so high (at least $10 a month) that I wouldn't pay for it. Heck, on DirecTV I can get the nine or so Showtime channels for $12 a month, and if I get a second package, that would be multiple channels for $10 a month. A much better deal than one German-language channel for $10/month -- and I don't think I could get German TV on the mini dish. I went to the website of the pay-TV channel, and noted that it cost something like $10 per month. I wouldn't pay that much for the channel. It might be better if they could come up with some way to get their programming on DirecTV and/or Dish Network (Ted Schuerzinger, ibid.) Not all doom and gloom at DW's English service? This article is on the DW site at: http://kleist.dwelle.de/english/dpradio/dp_thema2.html A FACELIFT FOR THE ENGLISH SERVICE DW-Radio's English Service will experience the biggest facelift in its 40 year history with the start of summer time at the end of March 2003. We plan to increase substantially the number of news bulletins we broadcast every day from 13 to 24. News on the hour every hour is a must for any radio service that wants to be taken seriously internationally and in future DW-Radio News24/7 will be our visiting card. We also plan to broadcast Newslink, our flagship current affairs programme, round the clock producing special editions tailored to meet the requirements of audiences in the respective target regions. This means there will be three live editions of Newslink for the Asia-Pacific Region, two for Africa, with repeats, two for North America and two for Europe every weekday. In future Newslink will not only highlight top world, European and German stories but will provide a special focus on news and developments in the respective target region. In future we will be able to cover breaking stories faster and in greater depth than ever before. Changes will also be made to our feature programming with an increased emphasis on rebroadcasting successful programmes such as "Arts on the Air", "Living in Germany", and "Inspired Minds". The same applies to "Money Talks" or our science programme "Spectrum". "Africa Kaleidoscope", our weekly programme for and about Africa, will tackle the latest stories and developments. And last but not least there will be two new 30 minute programmes for Asia and Africa: This means that "Development" will finally get a weekly slot and more attention will be being paid to the environment. In future our team of feature editors will have more time to devote to their successful co-operation with organisations like German Technical Co-operation, the World Wildlife Fund and UNESCO (via Daniel Atkinson, UK, swprograms, via WORLD OF RADIO 1164, DXLD) And, as with the BBC, I'm sure anyone with a decent receiver and/or antenna will still have ample opportunity to hear DW English Service broadcasts targeted outside NA and Australasia. Heck, I still listen occasionally to SRI and they haven't had a NA service for some time now. jaf (John A. Figliozzi, ibid.) I second John's suggestion. Unlike the BBCWS, the DW website is not intuitive. I will be less likely to listen to their programming online, since it's tough to find it. This decision seems to be a visible sign of the budgetary constraints facing the German government these days. It still would be interesting to understand the thought processes that are going into these decisions. Perhaps if we better understand those, we can develop better counterarguments. Unfortunately, we may be frustrated to find out that these decisions are neither logical nor well thought-out, so reasoning with these folks might be futile (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA USA, ibid.) PORTUGAL. 9640, Deutsche Welle (Sines Relay) 0300-0345 Jan 2. Although an easy catch in North America, they did not follow their usual program sked, instead 5 minutes of news and 40 minutes of folk songs from around the world. What a treat to hear "Greensleeves" and "Swanee River" sung in German (Joe Miller, Troy Michigan using a Grundig Satellit 800 Millenium receiver, Cumbre DX via DXLD) {feed failure or holiday program?} ** GERMANY. Additional transmissions via Deutsche Telekom (DTK): Voice of Hope/High Adventure Ministries: 0700-0745 5975 Mon-Fri JUL 100 kW / 290 deg WeEu English from Jan 01 1530-1630 15775 Daily JUL 100 kW / 090 deg SoAs En/Urdu from Jan 02 1900-1945 5910 Mon-Fri JUL 100 kW / 060 deg EaEu English from Jan 01 Brother Stair/TOM: 1500-1600 6110 Mon-Sat JUL 100 kW / 290 deg WeEu English from Dec 16 1500-1600 6110 Sun JUL 100 kW / non-dir WeEu English from Dec 15 1600-1800 6110 Sat JUL 100 kW / non-dir WeEu English from Dec 14 Bible Voice Broadcasting Network/BVBN/: 1600-1700 13810 Tue JUL 100 kW / 130 deg EaAf Amharic from Dec 24 1630-1700 13810 Thu-Mon JUL 100 kW / 130 deg EaAf Amharic from Dec 26 1700-1730 13810 Wed JUL 100 kW / 130 deg EaAf Amharic from Jan 08 1900-1930 9470 Thu WER 250 kW / 120 deg ME English from Jan 02 1900-1930 9470 Fri WER 250 kW / 120 deg ME English from Jan 03 Evangeliumsradio Hamburg: 1830-1900 6015 Tue JUL 100 kW / 200 deg WeEu Spanish from Jan 07 1830-1900 6015 Thu WER 125 kW / non-dir Eu German? from Jan 09 IBRA Radio 1930-2000 13840 Daily JUL 100 kW / 200 deg WeAf Hausa from Jan 01 (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 7 via DXLD) ** INDIA. All India Radio National Channel in Hindi and English noted on Jan. 4-6: 1315-0045 on NF 9400*, instead of 9470 \\ 9425 *co-ch 1500-1600 Radio Bulgaria in Russian to CeAs 1600-1700 Radio Bulgaria in Bulgarian to ME 1700-1900 Radio Pakistan in Urdu to WeEu 0000-0045 Radio Bulgaria in English to NoAm (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 7 via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. Hi, Glenn! I see entries in this section in recent DXLDs that list frequencies in the 11,000 - 13,000 GHz range. Are those correct, or should they be down by a factor of a thousand? Those would be teraHertz and wouldn't they be pushing into the infra- red range up there? Or is that yet another step? Or do satellites really use that range now? 73, (Will Martin, MO, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I don`t think so. Perhaps another case of using commas for decimal points (gh, DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. Was waiting for the début of V. of Southern Azerbaijan, Wed Jan 8 at 1630 on 9570: very poor signal here way down in the noise, but could detect a male soloist at the start, which may or may not have been this. Occasional brief peaks of M&W talking, alternating with music as we stayed with it until 1600. PWBR `2003` claims Qatar and Nigeria are already on 9570. Try again Thursday, as these are the only two days of the week VOSA is supposed to be on. But how long is each broadcast? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) No sign of it here, only Romania and Vo Iraqi People on 9570 kHz. 73, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, Jan 8, Cumbre DX via WORLD OF RADIO 1164, DXLD) Hi Mauno, Not heard in Germany as well... I got the Arabic Clandestine co-channel with Tirana in Deutsch. - (Mahmud Fathi, Jan 8, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Voice of Southern Azerbaijan: I tried 9570 at 1630 today, Wednesday. A Qur`an station was there already from 1500, and then R Romania from 1600. Nothing happened at 1630. The Qur`an station was slightly low, so there was a low frequency het with RRI (Olle Alm, Sweden, 8 Jan, WORLD OF RADIO 1164, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALDIVE ISLANDS. Dear Glenn, You asked about English from the new web audio service of the Voice of the Maldives. I am listening to it right now (Jan. 8) and English started at 12 UT as quoted in the WRTH '03. http://www.vom.gov.mv/ 73, (Erik Koie, Copenhagen, Jan 8, WORLD OF RADIO 1164, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAKISTAN. A short time ago I received a verification letter from Radio Pakistan. (Unfortunately the card and sticker, mentioned in the letter, were missing.) The number on the envelope was also ENG/FM/A- 28/02. I wonder if they use this number for all English language correspondence? (Scott R Barbour Jr, Intervale, NH, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** PUERTO RICO. Special MW DX Test Sunday, February 2, 2003 - WBMJ-1190, San Juan, PR and WIVV-1370, Vieques, PR will conduct a DX test from 12:00-2:00 am AST (11:00pm-1am EST) [0400-0600 UT]. This test will be run simultaneously on both stations. At 11:59 pm AST, the stations will come out of a youth program - "Life on the Edge" - and then run a minute of DX information, including Morse code IDs. Then the stations will return to their regular programming from the Moody Broadcasting Network. The same procedure will be repeated at 12:59 am AST and 1:59 am AST. WBMJ will be broadcasting at 5 kW; WIVV at 1 kW. Reception reports (with return postage) may be sent to: Bert Johnson Operations Manager WBMJ Radio/WIVV Radio PO Box 367000 San Juan PR 00936-7000 E-MAIL: bjohnson@cem-wbmj.org (Arranged for the IRCA CPC) If you try for (or hear) any of these tests, PLEASE post a message letting me know, and please, drop the station personnel a note, via e- mail or snail mail, thanking them for running the test! Lynn Hollerman ircamember@ircaonline.org (IRCA Soft DX Monitor via DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA [non]. NORWAY(non): Frequency and time changes for Voice of Reform in Arabic from Dec. 23: 1830-2130 NF 9925*(not 9930) via KVI 200 kW / 120 deg, ex 1900-2100 on 7590 *totally blocked by RVI in Dutch till 1857 (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 7 via DXLD) ** SEYCHELLES. FEBA RADIO TO WIND DOWN OPERATIONS IN SEYCHELLES http://www.seychelles-online.com.sc/archives/2070103.html The FEBA (Far East Broadcasting Association) radio station in Seychelles will be winding down its operations during the course of this year, after thirty years of broadcasting across forty countries. Explaining the reasons behind such a move, a communiqué from FEBA Radio says: "Growing difficulty in maintaining a station, which uses 30-year-old technology, and increased competition from less expensive broadcasting outlets coupled with the difficulty of broadcasting to India because of difficulties with sunspots in 2003/4/5, indicate that the timing is set for change. It is a different communication world from the one that welcomed the Seychelles station 30 years ago and FEBA is eager to adapt to meet a new generation of listeners." FEBA already broadcasts from a number of other outlets and this is set to expand, the communiqué says, adding that rapid communication technology will ensure that the programmes are even more able to reflect a changing and news-orientated world. "FEBA believes that it is entering an exciting period of challenge and change. We must move with the times if we are to be good stewards of our resources. This strategy means that we can better meet the needs of our listeners in the twenty-first century," says the communiqué. FEBA currently broadcasts in over 60 languages to more than 40 countries, ranging from India, Nepal, Central Asia and the Middle East, to Kenya, Ethiopia, Mozambique and the Indian Ocean Islands. It aims to provide listeners with entertaining programmes that are both informative and relevant while sharing the good news of Christ in a non-threatening way (Seychelles Nation online via Artie Bigley, Jan 7, DXLD) ** SOUTH CAROLINA. I received a personal letter from Brother Stair in the mail yesterday (7 Jan). At least it was printed to appear that way-the signature isn't real. He listed his MW broadcasts that are readily heard in SE Michigan: WWKB 1520 at 0430 from Buffalo nightly; WSAI 1530 at 0700 from Cinci nightly, also Mon at 0230; and KXEL 1540 at 0300, presumably nightly. He basically says Yahshua is coming, send me money. I was on his mailing list for a bit years ago just to see what he prints. Never have sent him money. So he must be desperate if he's sending out letters to old time listees. Thought you might enjoy this tidbit (Liz (I mean Sister Cameron), MI, Jan 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SWEDEN. This just in from Swedish Teracom and may be of interest to members: Regarding our problems on 9445 2030-2100 UT we now on test basis run 2045-2100 on 9400 kHz. We will run it at least until the end of this week and are very interested in reports. Would be most happy if you could check and if you could drop the info on appropriate DX-forums. Comparisons on 9445 and 9400 kHz are of special interest (9445 on air with regular transmissions in English 2030-2100) and top priority from the target area South East Asia and Australia. Reports will be checked and QSL (incl. Teracom test card) will be used to verify correct reports. Also a number of T-shirts will be given away so add the preferred size in the report. Reports can be sent to magnus.- @teracom.se and/or anders.-@sr.se [truncateds by topica] Or by ordinary mail to: Att. Anders Bäcklin, Radio Sweden, 10510 Stockholm, Sweden. Yours sincerely, Magnus [Nilsson] (via Craig Tyson, WA, Jan 8, EDXP via DXLD) ** TUVALU. Bob Girdo sent me this link to his website following a visit to the island and repairs at Radio Tuvalu. Note, the 621kHz outlet is out of service and it could be some time before it's back on air. http://www.girdo.com/tuvalu/tuvalu17radio.htm Cheers, (Paul Ormandy, New Zealand, Jan 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K [non]. WAMC, Northeast Public Radio, has added the BBCWS to its schedule overnights (12M-5am) on weekdays [0500-1000 UT]. WAMC, from its flagship on 90.3 MHz. and its various regional FM transmitters from Plattsburgh, NY to Middletown and Newburgh, NY and West Stockbridge and northeast CT to Canajoharie, NY, can be heard throughout much of New England and New York State (John Figliozzi, NY, Jan 8, swprograms via DXLD) ** U K. BBC WS 'THE SECRET OF OUR SUCCESS' Britain's broadcasting icon celebrates 70 years of delivering news to far-flung corners of the world By John Ghazvinian, NEWSWEEK WEB EXCLUSIVE Jan. 3 - Its broadcasts were beacons of hope for citizens of occupied Europe during World War II. More recently, the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) has emerged as one of an independent voice in volatile areas of the world. United Nations' Secretary-General Kofi Annan once said "the Beeb" might even be Britain's "greatest gift" to the world. LAST MONTH, AS THE BBC's World Service marked its 70th anniversary, there was reason to celebrate. Despite the proliferation of media outlets on cable television and on the Internet, the BBC has added 30 million foreign listeners during the past decade, giving it a total of 150 million. In the United States, audiences have reached their highest levels ever. World Service director Mark Byford spoke to NEWSWEEK's John Ghazvinian about the reasons for its success. NEWSWEEK: Your listenership has gone up 25 percent in the last decade. Why? Mark Byford: I think it's because of the quality and distinctiveness of the programming. People recognize that the World Service is a unique service in terms of trust, impartiality, objectivity and the richness and breadth of the international agenda. How do you think that sense of trust and distinctiveness has been built? It's been built over many, many years. In part, it's time. At times when the WS [World Service ] has been tested, whether in terms of war or in terms of difficult editorial challenges, the WS has been shown strongly to be a service whose integrity and objectivity is its lifeblood . We pride ourselves on being a "world" service, not a British service provided by Britain, but a world service that happens to be delivered by the BBC. In the last 10 years, postcommunism and in the time of CNN and multichannel television, some people were asking whether the WS had had its day. Actually, in a world where people have a thirst for greater understanding, for connection with different communities around the world, for knowledge, the WS has a major role to play. If it's so international, why should the British taxpayer be funding it to the tune of $320 million a year? Because it brings huge credit back to Britain-but not because it's necessarily a promotion of British news or putting Britain in a good light. The WS is celebrating values that they [the taxpayers] themselves, I think, would hope were then associated with Britain: independence, tolerance, freedom, accuracy, fairness, objectivity. We're independent of government, and that is critical and fundamental to its success. We're not a government mouthpiece. We're there to provide an independent objective view of the way the world is. One of the ways in which the United States is trying to improve its image in the Arab world is by producing a new pop-music-based radio station, Radio Sawa, in Arabic. Your view of this effort? We ourselves are adapting our services all the time in response to audience expectations and needs, but we remain firm that speech-led services, with a clear focus on strong news, current affairs and depth of analysis are the things that will make us stand out. We don't think music-led services with some news is the right focus for the BBC. But we're absolutely aware that we need to be attracting younger audiences, too. Where has your listenership been going up the most? In Africa, we've seen some very significant gains. In South America. In the United States, our audience is at its highest level ever. Twenty-five percent of opinion-formers in Boston, Washington, New York are listening to the WS every week. We're seeing gains in Australia and parts of Asia-Pacific. Why do you think you've been doing so well in America? People appreciate the breadth of [our] agenda. [They] value the caliber of our correspondents, our eyewitness reportage around the world, the depth of our analysis-the fact that we get interviews with major players ... In the most mature broadcasting marketplace in the world, there is still a clear thirst and appreciation for what the WS can provide. And now you've been quietly investing in Afghanistan.... The WS didn't just start to think hard about Afghanistan in the last two years. We've been present for many, many years, broadcasting in Persian [since 1940] and in Pashto for the last 20 years. And we've had a tremendous impact in the region. Limited surveys show 60-70 percent of heads of households listening to us. But it's not just been a source of news. "New Home, New Life," our new soap in Afghanistan has been a major source of entertainment. Since September 11 [2001], we have extended services in Persian and Pashto, we've improved audibility in the region. We've also been heavily involved with supporting the reconstruction of the media in Afghanistan. What about Iraq? We know that very substantial audiences listen to us from across Iraq, but we can't do independent authoritative measures. Our sources in Baghdad [tell us] that we're listened to and used at the highest levels, on a very regular basis. And China will also prove important in coming years, won't it? China is a fantastically important area. We have some challenges in terms of delivery, with the Chinese service still being jammed and our Internet service still being blocked within China, but that doesn't stop us from trying to deliver the best service to China that we can. Will the World Service still be around in another 70 years' time? I know I won't be, but I passionately believe the WS will be around - -- if it maintains the core values of the last 70 years of being a service of trust, objectivity and impartiality. Just because it's been 70 years, it doesn't mean that you've got to change those. © 2003 Newsweek, Inc. (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. (non): Updated schedule of RFE/RL/Radio Farda in Persian as of Jan. 5, 2003: 0030-0400 1539 DHA 500 kW / 010 deg 1593 KWT 500 kW / 005 deg 9515 BIB 100 kW / 085 deg 9585 MOR 250 kW / 075 deg 9795 LAM 100 kW / 104 deg 0400-0600 1539 DHA 500 kW / 010 deg 1593 KWT 500 kW / 005 deg 9585 LAM 100 kW / 096 deg 9795 LAM 100 kW / 104 deg 12015 KAV 250 kW / 112 deg 15290 KAV 250 kW / 095 deg 0600-0730 1539 DHA 500 kW / 010 deg 1593 KWT 500 kW / 005 deg 9585 LAM 100 kW / 096 deg 15290 KAV 250 kW / 095 deg 17675 KAV 250 kW / 100 deg 0730-0800 1539 DHA 500 kW / 010 deg 1593 KWT 500 kW / 005 deg 9585 LAM 100 kW / 096 deg 15290 KAV 250 kW / 095 deg 17675 MOR 250 kW / 075 deg 0800-0830 1539 DHA 500 kW / 010 deg 1593 KWT 500 kW / 005 deg 9585 LAM 100 kW / 096 deg 13680 KAV 250 kW / 100 deg 15290 KAV 250 kW / 095 deg 17675 MOR 250 kW / 075 deg 21475 IRA 250 kW / 299 deg [see below] 0830-1400 1539 DHA 500 kW / 010 deg 1593 KWT 500 kW / 005 deg 13680 KAV 250 kW / 100 deg 21475 IRA 250 kW / 299 deg 1400-1700 1539 DHA 500 kW / 010 deg 1593 KWT 500 kW / 005 deg 9435 KAV 250 kW / 104 deg 13680 KAV 250 kW / 100 deg 15410 WOF 300 kW / 105 deg 1700-1800 1539 DHA 500 kW / 010 deg 1593 KWT 500 kW / 005 deg 11705 LAM 100 kW / 108 deg 11845 IRA 250 kW / 315 deg 1800-1900 1539 DHA 500 kW / 010 deg 1593 KWT 500 kW / 005 deg 11705 LAM 100 kW / 108 deg 11845 IRA 250 kW / 324 deg 1900-2000 1539 DHA 500 kW / 010 deg 1593 KWT 500 kW / 005 deg 6140 DB 100 kW / 264 deg 11960 KAV 250 kW / 095 deg 11985 LAM 100 kW / 104 deg 2000-2130 1539 DHA 500 kW / 010 deg 1593 KWT 500 kW / 005 deg 11960 UDO 250 kW / 300 deg 11985 LAM 100 kW / 104 deg 2130-0030 1539 DHA 500 kW / 010 deg 1593 KWT 500 kW / 005 deg 73 from (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 7 via DXLD) ** U S A. R. Farda moved from 21475 to 21575 today or yesterday. No buzz heard on 1539 now, so it may be true that R. Farda is now from Dhabayya as listed, though possibly with lower power than 500 kW. Two Iranian refugee families are living across the backyard from my apartment, and one of these families has a teenager who for some time played his music so that everybody in the block could listen. The music he was playing was exactly the kind of mix now offered by Radio Farda. (Personally I find this mix attractive and very listenable, though not necessarily through the air across the backyard.) (Olle Alm, Sweden, Jan 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. Just heard the tail end of a broadcast from Adventist World Radio, The Voice of Hope on 15150. I tuned the station in at about 1355 UT when it was broadcasting instrumental Islamic(?) type music. The signal was good here in Clewiston, Florida, USA. At about 1357 a woman came on and gave the ID in English, "... Adventist World Radio, The Voice of Hope. A minute later the station left the air. My reference material (WRTH 2002, PPTWBR03, SWL Guide), isn't that up to date, so I accepted the fact that this frequency wasn't listened for AWR for this time frame. However, an earlier transmission from Guam was listed in the PPTWBR. I went to AWR's web page hoping to find the Freq listed there, but that was also a bust. AWR never came back with a subsequent transmission on 15150 during the next half hour; however, there was a station on the frequency that may have been AWR beaming into another area which might have reduced the signal to a threshold at my location? That's just spectulation (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston Florida, http://www.orchidcitysoftware.com/ Jan 8 DX LISTENING DIGEST) Current schedule, tho last updated Nov. 7 at http://www.awr.org/listener-services-program-schedule.html shows AWR`s only usage of 15150 is 1330-1400 Tamil via UAE (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. NEW VENTURES ARE COUNTRY, CLASSICAL http://www.indystar.com/print/articles/9/013759-1779-031.html The ever-animated Bill Shirk discusses his life and career from his offices in the Pyramids on the Northwestside. He's still stunt-crazy, with plans to be "buried alive" under the frozen pond at his Zionsville home. -- Rob Goebel / staff photo [caption] STAY TUNED: RADIO VETERAN RETURNS; NEW VENTURES ARE COUNTRY, CLASSICAL --- By Thomas P. Wyman January 06, 2003 The phone rings and it's radio man Bill Shirk and his mouth starts running a mile a minute. Sorry to be slow returning the call, he apologizes. Just got back from Tahiti. And surgery. Seems his gut went crazy on the island and surgeons in L.A. sliced him open from here to there -- a bunch of stitches -- but they didn't find a thing. Later he wails, "That was about as bad as any stunt I ever did." Ponytailed at 57, Shirk, like the fast-paced medium of commercial radio that finally brought him riches, seems to abhor subtlety and closely guarded personal secrets. Ex-disc jockey, station owner, pro wrestler, admirer of Houdini and P.T. Barnum, and publicity-hungry stunt man -- he once buried himself alive with a python and a pair of tarantulas -- Bill Shirk is making a comeback. But not in the wild, wacky world of for-profit radio, a space where he once ran a station known as Hot96. After 25 years, he exited that business three years ago with half of a cool $40 million. He and partner Bill Mays hit that jackpot when they sold their local stations to Radio One, the nation's largest black-owned broadcast enterprise. In his latest reincarnation, the high-energy Shirk is coming back as a low-power, noncommercial radio mogul. If that's the word for a businessman whose two tiny stations are losing $25,000 a month. His not-for-profit company, Hoosier Broadcasting Corp., operates WIRE country music station (91.1-FM) in Boone County and Radio Mozart (WSPM, 89.1-FM), a classical music station in Cloverdale. These stations can't sell advertising. They can, however, encourage business to underwrite the cost of operations -- hand over cash in exchange for limited on-air mentions of products and services. A third station is on the drawing board, targeting black listeners in Indianapolis. Another station, more listeners. And more losses? "It was never about the money," he insists, and laughs. "It wasn't. It's about the game. The fun. The excitement." There's not much fun or excitement in radio as operated by broadcast corporations like Clear Channel and Radio One, says Herb Terry, who teaches broadcasting at Indiana University. What there is, Terry says, is homogeneity. Coast to coast, radio sounds pretty much the same everywhere you go. "People who love radio don't like what Radio One and others have done to it," he says. Shirk no doubt loves radio, but he proclaims himself a fan of consolidated ownership in the industry. And why not? For him, consolidation meant a payday that bought a 12-acre property in Zionsville, a trust fund for his daughter and money to play in noncommercial radio. But from a distance now, Shirk looks back on commercial radio with a certain sense of exasperation. "Everybody's got the formula right," he complains. "But somehow they forgot about the fun. You don't want to listen to something that's no fun. It's such a simple word, but so difficult to do. You can fail at it miserably." Bruiser buddy By his own standards -- making money and having fun -- Shirk has succeeded admirably. But how much business sense can a man possess when the following appears on his resumé: ? Worked as sidekick wrestler with the late Dick the Bruiser, aka Dick Afflis, an Indianapolis native. ? Dangled upside down off a city bridge while strapped inside a Houdini-like straitjacket. ? And, let's not forget, shared a coffin with a 10-foot reptile and those arachnids, a promotion for radio and a charity. Answer: If he's Bill Shirk, more than you might expect. Amos Brown, who worked in radio with Shirk for eight years, describes him as "a very astute businessman." "He's the kind of businessperson his competitors would underestimate," Brown says. "And then he ends up beating them, or being successful and having the last laugh." In the late 1970s, Shirk persuaded a reluctant Federal Communications Commission to approve an additional broadcast license for Indianapolis, Brown said. Then Shirk bested a host of competitors to win the license -- and the profits it offered. He describes himself as a hands-on manager. "There's always been two Bill Shirks," says Shirk himself. "There's been Bill Shirk who is basically 95 percent of the time a businessman. "And then there's Bill Shirk who could go on national TV like 'Ripley's' . . . and do stunts that Houdini could never dream up, let alone do." Little too racy There was one Shirk stunt, of a sort, didn't go over well at all. In 1994, when his media holdings included WAV-TV, he elected to take cheaper satellite-fed programming to cut costs at the money-losing station. Included on the programming schedule was a syndicated show that featured what critics labeled sexually explicit material. Shirk called the material only "borderline." Viewers complained, and Shirk drew heat. Years later, he still sounds defensive. "I was in a financial crunch," he says. "And sometimes when you are in a financial situation, you put things on the air that you compromise yourself for doing -- to pay your employees so they can feed their kids." But Shirk didn't hesitate to roil listeners during his commercial broadcast career -- if he could make money doing it. In 1994, he hired Stan Solomon after the ultraconservative talk show host lost his job at WIBC. "Why not give the guy a voice?" Shirk says. "Plus, he had huge ratings. It's all about ratings and money." About his name For the record, Bill Shirk isn't his full name. Not even Shirk calls it his real name. He was born William Shirk Poorman, son of Robert and Betty Poorman. Mom gave her son her maiden name as his middle name. And years later Dad, who operated a radio station in Muncie -- WERK - - gave his son a job in radio. "I didn't really want to be known as Poorman," he says. "It didn't sound like a radio name. Poorman." So Poorman disappeared, and Bill Shirk took his place. Besides, he says, the new last name rhymed with WERK. "And I was absolutely crazy," he says. Crazy enough to begin dabbling with stunts as he bulked up for his brief wrestling stint in the '70s. Buried-alive escapes became a specialty. And one he's not willing to give up yet. One more time he plans to try it -- wrapped in chains, handcuffed, boarded up in a box, and slipped under a shelf of pond ice at his Zionsville home. Does his wife, Elizabeth, object? "No, I wouldn't do that," she says. "Bill is who he is, and that's why I married him." And she adds, "I'm sure it will be spectacular, whatever he does`` [sidebar:] About Bill Shirk ? Title: President, Hoosier Broadcasting Corp. ? Age: 57. ? Birthplace: Muncie. ? Residence: Zionsville. ? Education: Ball State University, bachelor's degree, 1967. ? Family: Wife Elizabeth, daughter Maxine. Bill Shirk's career ? 1974: Launches first station, an AM operation from his garage. ? 1977-79: Professional wrestler. ? 1993: Joins chemical company owner Bill Mays to create Hoosier Radio & TV. ? 2000: Hoosier Radio assets sold to Radio One Inc. of Lantham, Md., for $40 million in cash and stock. ? 2002: Not-for-profit Hoosier Broadcasting Corp., with Shirk as president and Mays as chairman, launches classical music station. About Hoosier Broadcasting Corp. ? Location: 3500 DePauw Blvd., Indianapolis. (The Pyramids office towers.) ? Number of employees: 3 full-time, 2 part-time. ? Properties: WIRE-FM, Lebanon. WSPM-FM, Cloverdale. Bill Shirk on: ? His early radio days: "I'd get on the radio, and it was the most fun you could have in the whole wide world." ? A lesson from his father: "He always believed you need to control your own destiny. Sometimes others will get in your way." ? His belief in his prospects for success: "I believed it 24 hours a day, and I pleaded with anybody that had anything to help me prove that I could do it." Others on Bill Shirk: ? Herb Terry, communications professor, Indiana University: "He was always doing, in some ways, a fringe thing." ? Amos Brown, former radio colleague: "People look at the showman part of Bill and his hobbies, and they forget (his) business sense." ? Tom Cochrun, a friend, and co-founder of Nineteenth Star, a television production company: "I think he truly is a rare bird." (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) Unable to find a website, let alone a stream for WSPM (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. That is quite awesome to listen to [1530 Cincinnati] WSAI's oldie format with (what appears to be but might not be) live jocks and jingles... the Drake-style News sounder. News at either 5 or ten before the hour. A nice touch that I try to humbly emulate sometimes when I did DX tests and fill in 70s era hits specialty shows in the waning year of WGSR 1570 Fernandina Beach, FL. I'm all ears on 1530...! (Ron Gitschier, pit stop in Harrisonburg, VA enroute to Jax, FL, Jan 8, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. Some of the names have surfaced in the cutback announcement at GAYLORD's WSM-A/NASHVILLE yesterday (1/7). ALL ACCESS announced yesterday that 6 full-timers and 2 part-timers were cut loose including OM/PD KYLE CANTRELL, a 20 year station veteran. GAYLORD PR spokesman JIM BROWN said that it was company policy not to release the names of the exiting employees, with the exception of CANTRELL. However, this morning's TENNESSEAN is reporting that APD/MD TRISH MATTHEWS, and middayer ALLEN DENNIS were among the casualties. Also, THE TENNESSEAN is reporting that MATTHEW GILLIAN and JOHNNY KOVAL hosts of the long running overnight show, OPRY STAR are also exiting. OPRY STAR has been on WSM for 50 years and is the show that brought legendary personality RALPH EMERY prominence. In addition, Promo Asst. TRISH MATTHEWS and Online Content Dir. K.K. WILSON will exit, as will KYLE CANTRELL's assistant, CAROLYN DAVIS. (from http://www2.allaccess.com/ via Whaley) Kyle was very DXer friendly. Gave tours of the transmitter plant (Brock Whaley for DXLD) ** U S A. Renegade talking house: Sun Country 1640-Longwood, Florida I recently submitted this to the The Master List of Part 15 Radio Stations of North America and thought you would want to know also. Frequency-1640 Khz. Type-FCC Part 15, 100 mW AM antenna Name-Sun Country 1640 Longwood, Florida (Wekiva neighborhood) Date of commencement of operations-January 2001 Format-Classic Country Music (50s through early 90s)/NOAA Weather Radio during severe weather Hours of operation-24/7 Started as a yardcast for personal use until neighbors began reporting listening. Primarily a music station, Sun Country 1640 simulcasts NOAA Weather Radio during severe weather events. A radio version of the local Neighborhood Association newsletter is also broadcast each month. Website URL-N/A Mfr. and number of transmitter(s) Main-Realty Electronics, Inc. "Talking House" transmitter. Back up-Vectronics 1290K AM transmitter kit. Will the station QSL? Not at the present time (Dean O'Neal, Sun Country 1640, Jan 6, via Terry L. Krueger, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. FCC STUDIES MEDIA OWNERSHIP RESTRICTIONS Tuesday Jan 7 Yahoo News By DAVID HO, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - Rules on delivering news and entertainment to the public are on the verge of a broad overhaul that could pave the way for more media mergers and alter the landscape of television and radio programming. The Federal Communications Commission is studying whether decades-old ownership restrictions are appropriate in a market changed by the Internet, satellite broadcasts and cable television. The review is expected to be completed within a few months. It's widely believed FCC Chairman Michael Powell and the two other Republicans on the five-member commission are intent on loosening regulations. Powell has expressed concern that many of the agency's rules are antiquated. Jonathan Adelstein, one of two Democrats on the commission, used his first public speech since joining the agency last month to warn that more mergers could mean less diversity in programming. "Any changes that the FCC makes to its media ownership rules could massively and irreversibly change the media landscape," Adelstein said Monday at Georgetown University. "The FCC must proceed very cautiously, because if we permit further media consolidation and it turns out to be a mistake, we will find it difficult, if not impossible, to put the toothpaste back in the tube." Blair Levin, a former FCC official and now an analyst with the Legg Mason investment firm, said the FCC's two Democrats can bring attention to the issue, but are unlikely to alter the outcome sought by Powell. A 1996 telecommunications law required the FCC to periodically review ownership rules in light of greater competition and other changes in the industry. Separately, the FCC is considering relaxing rules involving the leasing of telephone networks, changes that could benefit regional Bell companies who have been required to provide parts of their local networks to competitors at discount rates. The agency is also considering exempting high-speed Internet service over phone lines from certain restrictions to promote investment in that broadband technology. To get public opinion on the six media ownership rules under review, the FCC plans to hold a hearing in Richmond, Va., next month. The agency already has received nearly 1,700 comments, with many of the major supporters and critics weighing in last week. NBC; News Corp.'s Fox Entertainment Group; Viacom Inc., which owns CBS, MTV and UPN and the Paramount movie studio, joined in asking the FCC to abolish all of its media-ownership rules. The companies said FCC regulation "unfairly and unnecessarily constrains very able and effective competitors." Walt Disney Co., owner of the fourth major television network, ABC, submitted a separate comment urging an overhaul of the rules. An array of groups representing consumers, broadcasters, writers, entertainers and other media workers say the existing restrictions should remain to prevent a handful of giant companies from controlling what people watch, hear and read. Opponents of the six media ownership rules under review already have successfully challenged two of them in the courts. Viacom was one of several companies that questioned a rule prohibiting any company from controlling television stations that, together, can reach more than 35 percent of U.S. households. An appeals court ruled last year that the FCC's rule was too sweeping and sent the regulation back to the agency. The courts also last year rejected restrictions on companies that want to own two television stations in the same market. Other rules under review concern the number of television and radio stations a company can own in one market; a ban on mergers between the four major television networks - NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox; limits on radio station ownership; and a restriction prohibiting one company from owning a broadcast station and a newspaper in the same market (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** ZANZIBAR. 11735 kHz - Voice of Tanzania, Zanzibar. QSL card full data signed by Mr Khalid H. Rajab. He wrote on the card that they broadcast on 11735 kHz everyday from 18 to 24 hours local time in Swahilli. I sent him a reception report in English, CD with 1 hour of recording, post card of Long Island, 1 US$ and 1 IRC. The QSL arrived in only 26 days (Marcelo Toniolo, Greenvale, NY, Cumbre DX via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. As one listens to SW programming, every now and then there is odd repeated interference one hears over and over and gets used to. For example, when listening to lower frequencies like 5745, there is often what sounds like soft breathy whistling co-channel, almost like someone blowing over the open top of a bottle. It's on day after day and seems to have been around for years. What IS that? Could it actually be intentional deliberate interference? Another type of interference often heard is the sort of whining squeal that accompanied the VOA CW Talk to America New Year's special on the one-time Americas frequency of 17635 kHz from 1700-1800 UT 1/1/03. That was on the frequency before the 1700 beginning of programming but went away when the programming ended at 1800 UT. (That frequency was still better than the 9775 kHz alternate, even with the squeal.) Could this have been a transmitter defect? 73, (Will Martin, St. Louis, MO, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ TROPICAL STATION LIST Finnish DXer Raimo Mäkelä maintains a good updated concise list of tropical band broadcast stations. It can be found at http://194.252.88.3/rswebpri.nsf/sivut/tropical.htm (IRCA Soft DX Monitor via DXLD) SUNRISE/SUNSET MAPS 12 maps showing 15 minute sunset and sunrise times for the US and 12 maps showing hourly sunset and sunrise times for the World. Explanation includes use of the maps and examples of DX made possible by knowledge of SR/SS times. Prices: IRCA/NRC members - $2.25 (US/Canada/Mexico/sea mail), $2.75 (rest of the Americas airmail), $3.00 (Europe/Asia airmail), $3.50 (Australia/New Zealand airmail). Non-members: add $1.00 to the above prices. IRCA BOOKSTORE, 9705 MARY NW, SEATTLE WA 98117-2334 (IRCA Soft DX Monitor via DXLD) RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ AD BOUNDARIES CHANGING AS RADIO GOES HD From http://www.mediapost.com/dtls_dsp_news.cfm?newsID=191265 By Frank Saxe, Monday, January 06, 2003 In Las Vegas this week the next generation in radio technology will make its debut, as digital radio prepares to make its way from audio engineers' drafting boards to receivers in electronics stores. At the annual Consumer Electronics Show, eight companies will be debuting prototypes for in-car HD Radio receivers, with another two launching at-home stereo units, all capable of tuning in radio's next generation of audio signals. Beyond better sound quality, its developers say HD Radio will broaden radio's advertising possibilities. After more than a decade of planning, digital radio has begun what will likely be the decades long process of replacing analog signals. Columbia, MD-based Ibiquity Digital has created a system that will allow broadcasters to simultaneously transmit their stations in both analog and digital, allowing listeners to seamlessly convert to HD Radio at their own pace. Broadcasters, who will spend as much as $100,000 per station to upgrade to digital, hope better sound quality and added services will encourage users to buy new receivers sooner rather than later. So far, urban radio giant Radio One is the only radio group to commit to spending the money to convert all its stations, although Ibiquity is owned by the 15 largest broadcast groups, including Clear Channel, Viacom/Infinity, and ABC, so it is widely expected each will back its investment in Ibiquity and convert its stations to HD Radio. "IBOC is the digital future of AM and FM radio," says Susquehanna Radio president David Kennedy. Helping the odds is a list of Ibiquity's other owners, which range from tech companies like Texas Instruments to Ford Motor Company, which could offer HD Radios across its eight product lines. Ibiquity says it has about 100 radio stations in 25 states committed to HD Radio, two-thirds of which are FM stations. So far, about half those have been built, with the other half still implementing their plans. Throughout 2003, it will focus on six priority markets, including Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Miami. "There is a tremendous amount of interest in two areas," explains Joe D'Angelo, Director of Wireless Data and PAC Business Development. The first, he says, is the ability to stream a second channel in the FM band that could create an on-demand channel, which could, for example, allow listeners to hit a button to hear the weather. The second, and perhaps more important to advertisers, is a new pipeline to consumers. The first generation of HD Radio receivers will had a simple display space that will allow a station to send message like song titles and artists into a user's radio. It will also give advertisers a new visual component to their radio ad. "Whether it's as simple as an URL or a telephone number, you can free-up some of the audio time of an ad and convey the information to the receiver. That's going to be the initial way that broadcasters test the waters with advertiser and how compelling can they make that display," predicts D'Angelo. He says some receiver makers are also developing a "recall button" that stores text until the user is able to write down the information. "It gives the radio advertisement a little more duration," he adds. A similar type of service, already being tested by Clear Channel in southern California, has found advertisers are willing to pay to add a visual component to their radio ads. There, advertisers have been paying a 10% premium to add a visual, says D'Angelo. "Depending on the economic relationship, it can either be done to retain business and given away, or they could seek to capture a 10% or so premium on an audio-only ad. The jury is still out as to which one is going to get the most traction." Even so, D'Angelo believes it will require tens of thousands of units in any given market before the advertisers start to pay for these types of services, but based on conversations he has had with agencies and broadcasters alike, he predicts there will be testing and experiments going on right from day one to determine what works best in preparation for the mass consumer penetration. Ibiquity engineers are also developing other ancillary uses of the receivers, such providing traffic information to navigation systems like OnStar. The broadcast industry already has a tremendous amount of this content, they say, so it's not a far reach to put some of these pieces together. For the first few years, the capabilities of HD Radio receivers will be small, with limited graphical capabilities. Beyond 2004, however, it is expected the units will be able to carry larger visuals into a home or a car unit, particularly the emerging rear-seat entertainment units. "When those type of capabilities are enabled by the broadcaster, you're looking at a whole new opportunity for program sponsorship and branding," says D'Angelo. Looking even further down the road, developers foresee a day when the receivers have a return chip that will enable m-commerce from the back seat. "That's when you can take advertising from a broadcast media and a broadcast message to direct response marketing," says D'Angelo, adding, "It's really not that far off." (via Mike Terry, DXLD) COMMENTARY ++++++++++ IS SHORTWAVE RADIO STILL WORTH PURSUING? If the U.S. follows through with its threats to attack Iraq, a familiar radio-related phenomenon will occur: sales of shortwave receivers will surge. Units will fly off the shelves of local Radio Shack stores, and there will be a surge of orders to the major mail order dealers. As with the last few world crises (Y2K, September 11) a rise in international tensions will precipitate an interest in international news. Many will turn to shortwave to hear events, in the parlance of radio ads, "live around the world as they happen." Most who do so will likely be disappointed. After some initial frustration of trying to use them, the shortwave sets will either be relegated to listening to local AM and FM, go into a closet, or get sold on EBay. While there is a lot of hype in the hobby press and radio marketing about "hearing events as they happen" without the censor of domestic media, the reality of shortwave listening is in fact much different. Shortwave is, for most people, a hassle to use. It's not a matter of switching on the set and hearing the news from overseas. Depending on where you live, a modestly-priced shortwave radio will, out of the box, pickup a dozen or so of the larger international broadcasters. In some areas (such as the Pacific Northwest, where I live) it won't even do that. Putting up an external antenna will be necessary. Most folks aren't willing or able to do that. (Drive through your neighborhood and count the number of radio antennas you see.) Wherever you are, there will likely be all manner of electrical noise and interference. This noise is the number one obstacle to shortwave listening. Even when the noise is bearable, shortwave signal quality is an iffy proposition. A given station may be clear as a bell one night, noisy and weak (or not there at all) the next. I doubt many people will put up with that for long. (I expect Tom Brokaw would have fewer viewers if his nightly television newscast were subject to periodic fade outs and interference.) Then there's the time thing. Shortwave operates on Universal or Greenwich Mean Time. Be prepared to do the math. Most stations broadcast at most a couple of hours per day, at a specific time, so unless you want to rig up a Rube Goldberg tape recording scheme, you better be parked in front of the radio at the appointed time. By contrast, once war starts, there will be plenty of 24-hour television and internet coverage, and video recorders are ubiquitous, and easy to use by comparison. If you willing to string up an external antenna, learn the schedules, and generally endure the hassles and noise of the shortwave bands, what will you hear? Maybe not as much as you were led to believe. Reliable news, commentary and analysis will be pretty much limited to a half a dozen or so shortwave outlets. There will also be quality coverage in English language coverage from Radio Netherlands, Germany's Deutche Welle, Radio New Zealand International, Radio Australia and Radio Canada International. An hour or so a day, broadcast on a specific schedule. Be there or be square. The Voice of America will also ramp up its coverage, but their News Now format is nothing you can't get from CNN Headline News. Breaking news and perspectives direct from the region of conflict? Forget it. With the exception of a half an hour a day from Israel, there are no reliable English shortwave voices from the region. Want to know what the Saudis think? How about Iran, Iraq, Jordan and Syria? Unless you speak Arabic or Farsi, their perspective on this war won't be found on shortwave. Even if you do, their shortwave services tend to be unreliable and difficult to hear in North America. European listeners may have better luck. If you are really persistent, you might pick up a broadcast from Egypt or Turkey in English. Not that they will say anything illuminating, thanks to their heavily-controlled media. You will come across other loud signals, in English, from other locations: China, Taiwan, Russia, the two Koreas, Japan and Cuba. Most of what they will have to say about the Middle East crisis will range from the excruciatingly boring to the downright laughable. In nearly 30 years of shortwave listening, I can count on one hand the number of useful and interesting newscasts I've heard from these stations. (In the case of the Koreas, Cuba and Taiwan, I'm still waiting.) You'll also hear all manner of Christian pitchmen and right-wing kooks putting their spin on things. If that's your bag, shortwave will be heaven for you. This is not to say that shortwave radio is totally useless. Assuming you can make it work, it can supplement the information you get from local sources. But the delivery system of over-the-air analog broadcasts is becoming increasingly cumbersome, given the alternatives available. Given a choice, I would say one would be well advised to invest in a broadband internet connection instead of a shortwave setup. If you already have a radio, dust it off and check out BBC frequencies at their schedules and frequencies page. But on the whole, shortwave has become a secondary means of news and information to those of us in the developed world. Which is really kind of sad, given that it was the audio window to the world such a short time ago. http://www.radioenthusiast.com/swl_today.htm © 2002 James Tedford Updated 12/16/02 (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) See also: http://www.radioenthusiast.com/world_crisis_monitoring.htm PROPAGATION / RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ TV DX IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND - BOB COOPER While visiting in the states during September, and perusing the latest goodies in Radio Shack, a sale on handheld 2" region LCD TVs caught my attention. I have a PAL version of this "gadget" acquired at home (New Zealand) which we use when installing cable TV drops to perform a quick and dirty "go - no go" test on drop lines. Using the 21" whip antenna, stuck up close to a piece of RG6 which we hope is "hot" with signal, the installer has an instant way to know whether he requires more elaborate procedures. People in New Zealand are gardening fanatics and repairing buried RG6 drop lines goes with the territory. The NTSC version of this (RCA branded) device is (after currency conversion) less than half of the New Zealand version and on top of that they were having a sale. So I parted with US$59.95 and left RS with a new "TV DX toy." I had selected the RCA Catalog # 16-3050, with a 2.3" color LCD screen. Four AA batteries later I was just another American walking through the shopping mall tuning for weak TV signals in the palm of my hand. Our family returned to the states in November while heading for the Turks & Caicos Islands and this meant I would have several clandestine opportunities to see what Mr RCA could do at various heights up to 38,000 feet surrounded by a thin shell of protective aluminum and travelling at 500 miles per hour. In the 60s and 70s and 80s, I had several hundred opportunities to "TV DX" at altitudes up to 10,000 feet while flying in private planes throughout North America and the Caribbean. It was not unusual to find 600 mile UHF signals even on a short whip antenna. Alas that was then and today anyone who flies knows that you are not allowed to use, (1) any form of radio or TV receiver, (2) cell phone, (3) ham radio etc. aboard a commercial airliner from the time they close the door prior to takeoff until you have landed and the door is again opened. But my curiosity of what might be happening at 38,000 feet was far stronger than the oft repeated warnings from the captain and crew and so under a blanket to hide the glare of the LCD screen I turned it on. It happened I was sitting on the aisle (3 abreast) and my son Seth had the window seat. I negotiated a seat trade so I might be able to gently lay the 21" whip against the plastic inside window pane. Think of the windows in a 747/757/767 (et al) as "directors" on a yagi antenna. The opening is approximately the width of a director element on a yagi antenna that would fall between VHF channel 13 and UHF channel 14. Which means UHF signals can sneak through the opening unencumbered while VHF signals will have their "edges" cut off by the airplane's shell surrounding the window opening. One analogy for the technically inclined is the window approximates a piece of waveguide transmission line with a cut-off frequency of around 350 MHz. But before I negotiated the move I feinted being asleep under the airline blanket and allowed the RCA to scan through low band V, high band V and then UHF. I was mildly surprised how well it worked some distance from the nearest window on UHF but saw only a few fleeting images on V. Then I decided to slide it into my shirt pocket and use the bathroom - one at the back end of the 757, located in the center of the airliner. No open windows here of course and I was dead center from both sides. Being the only bathroom occupant, and finding no signs warning me NOT to use a TV set in the tiny cubicle (!) I hung out there for as long as I felt I could get away with tying up a valuable limited-quantity resource - the toilet. The partitions around the bathroom probably contain some metal (which of course would act as a shield or "wall" to block TV signals that somehow were sneaking into the airliner) but I was still amazed at what could be done on UHF. Reception was every bit as good (number of stations, quality of reception) as from my aisle seat. Plus I did not have to hide scrunched up under a blanket - far more comfortable! Lacking a WTFDA Station Guide (boy - did I wish for one at the time!) and not dead certain where we might be (someplace between Los Angeles and Miami, obviously), it didn't take long to work out that Mexico has far more UHF stations than I might have otherwise guessed - clear up to the top end (channel 83). We were someplace above El Paso when I worked out that Houston was dead solid on several UHF channels even in the bathroom. I would see them stay with us for more than two hours - distances to 500+ miles at the extremes. The RCA handheld has a channel scanner function. You select the band (VHF or UHF) and push a scan-start button (two choices - scan upwards in frequency/channel number, or, downward) and away it goes until it finds a signal. It locks on signals too weak to view which is handy as I shall shortly point out. It restarts the scan when you push scan again. Along the bottom of the screen are printed numbers suggesting channel numbers; VHF channels are much easier to work out than UHF simply because of the fewer number of channels. At 38,000 feet (*) the receiver stops very frequently because nearly every channel has something on it. (* I also found the receiver tunes the mid-band frequencies (88 - 174 MHz) in the VHF position plus up to perhaps (I am guessing here) at least 250 MHz - which means if you lay the whip antenna up next to a cable TV outlet carrying the usual VHF-plus these channels, the cable line radiating into the whip produces extremely high quality cable reception.) From the negotiated window seat the whip antenna could be fully extended and placed carefully against the inner plastic window pane. Carefully? My son advised me he could see a "glow" under the blanket which any seven year old would quickly work out was a TV screen. Not wishing to incur the wrath of a steward/ess police person, finding a position under the blanket where the TV screen could be seen, the receiver scan tuned and the whip antenna would not show while laying up against the window was a challenge. I managed 15 minutes of VHF tuning before I was nabbed by a lady who sincerely believed my miniature TV set might cause the plane to divert off course and crash. VHF. Well, first of all there is CCI. Gobs of CCI. I actually believe the entire airplane acts like some sort of semi-resonant gigantic antenna and the windows are simply "peep holes" through which some of the intercepted RF "leaks" into at least the inner window frame. High band VHF borders on impossible at first and then one discovers that a very tiny move of the antenna (within the region circumscribed by the window edges) can totally eliminate two or three or four of the co- channel signals. How tiny a move? Say 1/2" or less which is far too small a move at VHF wavelengths to be explained by changes in signal coverage patterns. Moreover, once you make such a change the signals you have "phased out" stay phased out as long as the antenna is held steady in the new position. Remember the entire airplane is moving at 500+ miles per hour so you cannot "explain" the lock [sic] solid reception as a change in signal coverage of the transmitting stations as you might while standing on earth. This is such an important point I will take space to explain it another way. First, signals are not simply flying from the transmitter through the air to my 38,000 foot location and gliding through an open window to the tiny whip antenna. That might be partially what happens at UHF but not at VHF. Rather it appears the airplane outer surface may be a series of resonant and semi-resonant antennas all somehow interconnected. And the windows are "peep holes" through which energy is "coupled" to the whip antenna on the inside of the plane's metal shell. An example: While someplace slightly east of Houston (over the Gulf but along the coast) channel 8 Houston was easily received but with horrendous co-channel. Working at a physical disadvantage (hiding under a blanket and scrunched over) the whip antenna could be moved a half inch and channel 8 in New Orleans took over the channel. As long as I left the antenna's position alone against the window and frame, New Orleans was solid. But move the antenna another half inch to inch and bang - away went both of these signals to be replaced by Tampa (at easily 500 miles). It was while I was working out the "calibration" of the antenna's position (it was tempting to take a pen and write call letters on the window frame but I did not) that I got careless, the blanket dropped just as super- stewcop rolled by and nabbed me. End of the fun for awhile. Low band VHF signals are possible but it was difficult to locate a spot where the antenna could couple into the outer shell of the plane at LB. I never had enough time to find a location where I could "phase" LB channel signals - when I found the signal(s) CCI was incredible (similar to but worse than what you might have during the most intense Es opening you ever experienced). There might be a "spot" or two where phasing could be done and of course it would be nice to replace the whip antenna with a dipole but that's another story. It was a few days later than this LAX to MIA experience that I stood on the beach in the Turks & Caicos Islands fingering the RCA. There are no (as in none at all) off-air TV signals there, only the 75 channel cable. I thought to myself, "This is early December, it is late in the afternoon - could there be an Es cloud about?" Sure enough after a few minutes I found a CCI laden signal on channel 2 and another on 4. My family was waiting for me to attend a social event so I gave it up before working out the source of the Es signals - I believe them to have been Baltimore on channel 2 and Washington on channel 4. Prior to flying MIA to PLS we spent two days near Fort Lauderdale with a relative. Naturally I had to work out the apparent sensitivity of the tiny TV and whip while wandering about his backyard and walking around a lake in the development. Normal early morning trops in South Florida this time of year is good for a couple of hundred miles or so with a suitable outdoor antenna and bulky receiver. On the tiny RCA, I saw Tampa on channels 8 and 13 (around 175 miles) and lots of CCI on UHF. It was at this point that I had a new (for me) thought. One of the attractions of ham radio (stay tuned - I have a point to make) is the wide variety of sub-interests one can indulge in while sitting under the ham radio umbrella. For example, there is something termed "QRP" which means only using a low power transmitter (such as 5 watts or less - sometimes much less). The challenge is to see just how far you can work (or how many states/countries) using low or QRP (power). In a way, these handheld TV sets are akin to QRP - very limited capability. But far from being totally useless! For example, while wandering around the manmade lake in Fort Lauderdale, I discovered how with very careful minute adjustments of the whip antenna one could obtain an effect similar to the airplane observations on high band. While receiving channels 8 and 13 from Tampa on trops I thought I saw CCI on channel 6 (Miami). Could it be Orlando? First I walked in a circle of about ten foot diameter looking for improved signs of CCI. When I found the best spot (around a foot square - not very large) I then began making adjustments to the whip antenna. As inside the airplane, sure enough there was one location and one position of the whip where the CCI came very close to wiping out Miami. Very tiny adjustments made a huge difference in first the level of channel 6 Miami (we are going for a null here) and the peak signal from the CCI station. When you can make the null of one and the peak of the other coincide, BINGO! Normally with an outside rooftop antenna you are stuck with the phase relationship of the antenna system. You can't push it up or bring it down, twist it sideways or otherwise do much more than rotate the fixed-in-place antenna system. But the tiny whip actually has advantages over the fixed-in-place antenna system. DXers with two (or more) separate VHF (or UHF) antennas and the ability to switch between the two have made the same "discovery"; sometimes one works better (far better) on the distant signal than the other and it may simply be because the stronger local or semi-local is nulled by the secondary antenna system. So a challenge. Get yourself one of these Radio Shack handhelds (when they are on sale of course - they have four or five different models to select from) and then probe your own backyard. You will quickly discover locations where the stronger local and semi-local signals are dropped down or totally nulled out. These would be spots where when conditions are favorable you would return to with the handheld to see if the DX stations override the stronger local signals. Next, like the QRP hams, start a separate log of only the stations you log with your handheld. There are bound to be some pretty decent DXing spots around you which are not suitable for a full blown portable DX system but where you can with your handheld do some amazing things. Let's see who will be the first to log 100 stations with a handheld - no, airplane trips should not count in the same category as being on the ground! And if you "couple" another antenna system to the handheld TV, that pushes you into the "assisted" category. There is something quite magical about these tiny tools. While visiting in Bakersfield, California I discovered two spots where quite decent Los Angeles reception was possible (over the top of the 8,000 foot plus Tehachapi Mountains and 125 miles distant). The mountain tops act like prisms refracting (bending) the LA signals into some small patches (one was in the middle of a cotton field 50 yards from the nearest roadway - probably the first time anyone ever stood in this field watching distant Los Angeles TV!) - a form of wave propagation known as "knife edge refraction." In a matter of minutes you can scan an entire area for the elusive distant signals - something you could never do with traditional TV sets requiring connection to a 120 volt outlet and an external antenna. Now, when will RS release a handheld digital TV receiver? (Bob Cooper, New Zealand, Jan 1, WTFDA via DXLD) I suggest that the Icom R3 LCD TV and radio scanner would be best for portable DX monitoring. The scanner features wideband VHF/UHF coverage, with 5 kHz minimum tuning steps. AM, FMn, and FMw modes are provided. One advantage is the digital frequency readout. This means you simply tune the dial to 55.25 MHz, and you know the TV is spot on ch 2. Varicap dial tuning is used, and there is no mute! Audio and video 1v p-p outputs are supplied for feeding DX signals into a monitor or VCR. Different antennas can be used with the R3. Perhaps a 50 MHz variable length whip would be ideal for ch 2-6 DX. The sensitivity is hot on band 1. The only drawback is the relatively simple front-end RF stage. This means that even though the IC- R3 is quite sensitive, overload may be possible if within line of sight local TV transmitters. A good combination for portable TV DX would be a Yupi 7100, 7200, or 9000 portable hand-held scanner, and Icom R3 TV. 73, (Todd Emslie, NSW, ibid.) PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ QSL INFORMATION PAGES WITH A NEW LAYOUT As announced earlier the QSL Information Pages start to shift to a new layout which should give a much better overview for the readers. QIP presents more than 31500 QSL logs from 6968 broadcast radio stations coming from 229 radio countries. The address is http://www.schoechi.de/qip.html At the moment the coming layout of QIP can only be seen on the pages of Algeria, Angola, Ascension & Benin. But all other pages will follow. As you can guess these tables were created using a database. The QIP homepage tells you more about the ordering conditions for that database (short version : subscription is 2 USD per year, regular contributors to QIP can get it for free). This database is offered in addition to the html-pages, but it will get more updates than these pages since its easier to update the Excel-file than the html-pages. Thank you to all contributors in 2002 and all the best for 2003 ! --------------------------------------------------------- Martin Schoech - PF 1136 - 06201 Merseburg - Deutschland --------------------------------------------------------- E-mail: radio@schoechi.de Website: http://www.schoechi.de --------------------------------------------------------- (via hard-core-dx via DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ And now amigos, as always, at the end of the show here is LA NUMERO UNO, the most popular section of Dxers Unlimited, Arnie Coro's exclusive and not copyrighted HF plus 6 meters propagation update and forecast... Solar flux moving slowly up, and a peak for this 27 day rotation is expected in about a week or so... We may still see the flux peaking as high 180 solar flux units, but this may be the last rotation of this cycle with such high activity... Propagation conditions on the higher bands will continue to improve during the next several days, so enjoy nice listening on the 13 meters international shortwave broadcast band during the local daylight hours. Nightime reception of the shortwave broadcast bands is going to be at its best in the range from 6 to 12 megaHertz, but you will notice a sharp drop in the maximum useable frequency as the local night advances. 6 meter band operators should continue to monitor the magic 50 megaHertz band, especially during the local evening hours, as we are seeing some very interesting nighttime sporadic E skip in North America and the Caribbean (Arnie Coro, CO2KK, RHC DXers Unlimited Jan 7-8 via Bob Chandler, ODXA, DXLD) FORECAST OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY 08 JANUARY - 03 FEBRUARY Solar activity is expected to be low to moderate during the forecast period. There is a chance of isolated M-class activity early in the period and again late in the period due to Regions 242, 243, and 244. There is a slight chance of a greater than 10 MeV proton event during the forecast period. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux is expected to reach high levels on 17-18 January and again on 25 – 28 January due to recurring coronal holes. The geomagnetic field is expected to be at quiet to active conditions for most of the period. Isolated active conditions are possible on 15-16 January and again on 30 – 31 January due to recurring weak coronal holes. Minor to major storm conditions are possible on 23 -24 January due to a returning coronal hole that was 30 degrees wide and centered on 00 latitude during its last rotation. :Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt :Issued: 2003 Jan 07 2211 UTC # Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Environment Center # Product description and SEC contact on the Web # http://www.sec.noaa.gov/wwire.html # # 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table # Issued 2003 Jan 07 # # UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest # Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index 2003 Jan 08 145 10 3 2003 Jan 09 155 10 3 2003 Jan 10 160 15 3 2003 Jan 11 165 12 3 2003 Jan 12 165 8 3 2003 Jan 13 170 8 3 2003 Jan 14 175 8 3 2003 Jan 15 170 15 3 2003 Jan 16 165 12 3 2003 Jan 17 165 10 3 2003 Jan 18 160 10 3 2003 Jan 19 155 15 3 2003 Jan 20 155 12 3 2003 Jan 21 145 12 3 2003 Jan 22 135 15 3 2003 Jan 23 125 30 5 2003 Jan 24 120 20 4 2003 Jan 25 115 10 3 2003 Jan 26 115 12 3 2003 Jan 27 115 12 3 2003 Jan 28 115 10 3 2003 Jan 29 125 10 3 2003 Jan 30 135 15 3 2003 Jan 31 145 15 3 2003 Feb 01 150 12 3 2003 Feb 02 155 8 3 2003 Feb 03 155 8 3 (de http://www.sec.noaa.gov/radio via WORLD OF RADIO 1164, DXLD)### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-004, January 7, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser, ghauser@hotmail.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 HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldta03.html For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid2.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn WORLD OF RADIO 1163: WRN ONDEMAND: http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1163.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1163.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1163h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1163h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1163.html RFPI: Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 7445 and/or 15039 WJIE: M-F 1300, daily 0400 -- maybe; Sun 0630, Mon 0700, Tue 0630 7490 WWCR: Wed 1030 9475 WORLD OF RADIO 1164 first airings: Wed 2300 on WBCQ 7415, 17495-CUSB Thu 2130 on WWCR 9475 Fri 1930 on RFPI 15039 UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL Enclosed is a donation in support of your fine efforts and the online DXLD. It adds so much to my enjoyment of the hobby and broadcasting in general (Brock Whaley, GA, Jan 1) Thank you! BE IN STYLE (more) A few more items of DXLD style, not covered in the previous piece, which I reëmphasize is a only wish-list by your editor, and entirely optional. I do not throw out material which doesn`t match. But a little help from you will make what I do more efficient, and make your material more readable in the end, not only here but wherever else you may send it! These guidelines will be available (and added to as needed) at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxstyle.html URLs: some programs can handle this and some not, so to be safe, do not put any punxuation, such as commas, periods, parentheses, next to URLs. Always put in the http:// at the start to ensure it will convert to a hotlink. It may look strange if there is no period when an URL comes at the end of a sentence, but it`s worth it. Unless an item ends with a parenthetical remark before the parenthetical credit line, I think it looks better to omit the final period (like this) Country names: I realize that DXLD has a different way of doing this than many other publications, but following our system would be appreciated, e.g. KOREA NORTH, not NORTH KOREA nor PDR KOREA; CONGO DR, not DR CONGO [and don`t confuse with the other plain old CONGO]; you can see how we do it, and how [non] goes after the country if it is a broadcast to rather than from a country, a clandestine, relayed elsewhere, etc. Country name headers are always in English and without accents upon them, in order not to confuse searching. Not only do we not use ITU country abbrs. in headings, we detest them in the body, and in the credit line --- another thing to spell out unless really necessary in a table with limited spaces. In credit line, when giving your state, province or country, do not connect to your name with a hyphen, but comma, space. US and Canadian postal abbreviations are preferred; spell out other countries. If you have a program detail or title that is non-generic, specify the day of the week along with the date. Do not use // to indicate a parallel frequency. Some programs convert this symbol, for unknown reasons, to ``file``. Try the backslashes \\ instead and leave a space before and after. Tabs are to be avoided, since they often display incorrectly. If you have something in columns, the proper number of individual spaces should be between them. Tho gh once constructed a 2-letter language abbr. system, including EG for English, we prefer to spell out these words here. Words, abbreviated or not, such as announcement, announcer, mention, man, woman can often be omitted with no real loss of useful info. You`ll notice in this very piece we avoid cluttering with quotation marks, but they should be used where specifying a direct quotation is important. Spaces: one space, not two, please, after a period before the next sentence starts. Do not indent paragraphs, but leave a line between them. BTW, DXLD has 70-space lines, exceeded only by long URLs, but as it`s prepared originally in MS Word, we can adjust this. However, if your text has hard returns at much less or more than 70, it takes a lot of our time to reformat. Headline, if the item has one, should be in all-caps. It`s amazing that most professional news sources do not do this, but with text-only DXLD, lacking bold, italic, underlining, we need this way to set them off. Another symbol to avoid using is @ when you really want to say the word at, as in before a time. Why bother to shift for one symbol when you can type two letters without shifting??? If you have a sequence of program items heard at specific times, they are easier to follow if you always give each time first, and then what was heard at that time. Then you won`t even need to say at. If you are forwarding something and can disable the string of arrows at the left, please do so. We just have to remove them. These symbols should also be avoided as they convert to other symbols without warning. Don`t use them for emphasis, or to point something out. We sometimes replace them with ||. And arrows are not needed around URLs. You will certainly notice that these style standards are not always met. I let some things pass to save time, and make my own mistakes: even a comma splice in last issue, fixed later by removing a verb. Not only English, but some Spanish and German writers do this a lot, making me wonder if this be acceptable in those languages. Seems to me the same logic against it as in English should apply. Thanks (Glenn) ** AFGHANISTAN. RADIO STATION BEGINS BROADCAST IN AFGHAN CAPITAL 07 January 2003 http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/southasia/view/29020/1/.html A radio station has been set up in the Afghan capital of Kabul, where only military radios and those used by foreign media once ruled. It has been more than a year since the Taliban regime in Afghanistan was ousted. In Kabul, the voice of Afghanistan's first free journalist was heard in a programme called 'Good Morning Afghanistan'. In just a few months, the radio station has become the most listened to, as more than 20 journalists are involved in daily reporting. The reporters from 'Good Morning Afghanistan' have seen it all. Their first studio was built around a kitchen table, and the technical material was installed in less than a week by experts who were funded as part of a European Union programme. It is to underline the humanist aspect that the European Union has created a free radio for the Afghan people. But what were the women doing before September 11? At the time, hidden under their burkas, they would never have imagined that one day, they would be doing radio reports and speaking openly. Sharifa Zormaty-Ward, Journalist of 'Good Morning Afghanistan', said: "You've already forgotten the period of the Taliban. To be seen in a car with foreigners and to be filmed by them, they would have killed us, and they would have cut off your nose and ears." 'Good Morning Afghanistan' is broadcast every morning, between 6 am 7 am. On August 26, due to public demand, the director of the station came up with a sister program 'Good Evening Afghanistan' from 6 pm to 7.30 pm. Barry Salaam said: "It's a new radio station in Afghanistan. There is good information and fresh news every day and evening. Good morning and good evening." (via Mike Terry, Jan 7, DXLD) I`m not sure the preceding story is anything new; does it refer to the service occasionally sent back on SW? The following about R. Azadi apparently does not refer to the US` R. Free Afghanistan service of the same name, nor to the defunct service to Iran of the same name... (gh, DXLD) INDEPENDENT AFGHAN RADIO STATION TO EXTEND COVERAGE TO WHOLE COUNTRY Hoover's, January 6, 2003 From http://www.afgha.com/?af=article&sid=28776 Radio Azadi [Liberty] has lately started its broadcasts on different frequencies. It has won the favour of the audience in such a short time with its interesting broadcasts. In an interview we asked Sidiqollah Sahel, the editor of Radio Azadi, about the programmes of that radio and his comments are as follows: Radio Azadi is financed by ISAF [International Security Assistance Force]. It was inaugurated in a ceremony by Sayd Makhdum Rahin, information and culture minister, and Akin Zorlu, the general commander of international peacekeeper forces, on 4 August 2002. As we can see from its name, this radio has once again liberated Afghans from restrictions. Its programmes, which are produced according to people's wishes, are broadcast round the clock. With reference to the programmes of Radio Azadi, respected Sahel said: Our programmes include news, reportages, commentaries, Greetings [a programme], and different eastern and western music according to the taste of all citizens. Programmes are prepared and produced with the coordination of German and Afghan journalists. Elaborating the assistance of Germany in setting up that radio, Mr Sahel said: As it is clear to everyone, our friendly country Germany of has always wanted to assist Afghan people and their relations with us go far back in history. They want to assist us in social, economic, cultural and other aspects and their humanitarian assistance has been visible in different spheres. Esteemed Sidiqollah Sahel continued: The staff of Radio Azadi consist of skilled and experienced journalists, presenters and authors, who have an ambition to create entertaining, informational, scientific, economic, etc., programmes to meet the demands of the people. Radio Azadi is an independent radio, free of any sort of political and governmental interference. All its broadcasts, which are free of any personal influence, are realistic and its reports reflect the reality of the shattered Afghan society. Regarding their future plans about the enhancement of their countrywide programmes, he said: We are expecting to install some new antennas and a repeater station to expand the broadcasts of Radio Azadi and they will cover the whole country. Our broadcasts only cover Kabul city at the moment and our audience can only receive our programmes in Kabul on frequencies of 88.5 MHz FM. About their future plans for improving the quality of the programmes of Radio Azadi, esteemed Sahel said: According to the observations and the incoming cards and letters from our audiences we can say that the number of our audience has multiplied. It reveals that our programmes are interesting for our audience. We welcome the constructive suggestions, ideas, and criticism, which will help enhance the programmes of Radio Azadi and we will utilize them to improve our broadcasts. Source: Anis, Kabul, in Dari 4 Jan 03 (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. "AFGHAN RADIO STATION CALLS FOR JIHAD" A report by the Pakistan-based News Network International (NNI) says that "anti American elements" in the Pakita province of eastern Afghanistan have set up a radio station and are calling for a Holy War (Jihad) against America and the provisional government of Hamid Karzai. According to a source who asked to remain anonymous, US-led allied troops have been trying to locate the station and apprehend those responsible, but have failed so far. The troops are said to have requested "sophisticated intelligence equipment" to help find the station. One of its announcements says "Hamid Karzai is just a puppet in the hands of Americans and the governance in Afghanistan is non- Islamic. Therefore Jihad is the obligation of all Muslims, especially those living in Afghanistan. Get up and organize yourself in the name of Allah to protect your country from the hands of non-Muslims." (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 6 January 2003 via DXLD) WTFK??? ** ARGENTINA. RHC has not been on 11705-USB for a couple of months, English to NAm 0100-, so a great chance to hear RAE English weekdays 0200-0300 on 11710 (Bob Thomas, CT, Jan 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. Hello Glenn, HCJB Kununurra logged in Sweden. I logged HCJB Kununurra on 11755 on the 5th of January at 0955-1025 despite Radio Finland with 500 kW about 300 km away. It was made at a DX-camp in Delsbo, Central Sweden, about 300 km north of my town of Västerås. Antenna used: beverage 500 m, 285 deg. 73 de (Lennart Weirell, Västerås, Sweden, DX LISTENING DIGEST) What was the I in SIO? 11755, 5 Jan at 1000, HCJB Kununurra Australia with ``Sunday Night Alive`` Regards, (Lennart Weirell, Västerås, Sweden, EDXP via DXLD) 11755, not sure which site as no ID, but decent level at 1040 as I await one (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo, Texas, Jan 6, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Dear Mr Gupta, I greatly appreciate your comprehensive report and the fwding of various other reports and comments. The transmitter was running with 13 kw only as we are still in the testing phase. It is most interesting you were able to hear the signal in India off the back of our antenna. I have requested our studio people email you the program schedule. Our team of people in Kununurra are finalising the India antenna to commence transmission on the 12th January. I will keep you informed. Thank you again for your very valuable assistance. Best wishes (Ian Williams, Frequency Manager, HCJB Australia via Alokesh Gupta, India, Jan 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Local morning [0700 - 1200] propagation from Australia is currently poor most days, but today [Jan. 7] there is speech on 11755 in English at 1000 under a strong Finland. It's only audible in quiet periods and impossible to copy, but - not knowing of any other station using this frequency at this time - I assume it is coming from HCJB Australia. Shepparton 11880 is also well audible today, despite strong side- splash. When via Ecuador, HCJB on 11755 often caused co-channel QRM to FNL - especially in the winter period. 73s (Noel R. Green [Blackpool - NW England, Jan 7, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. CHRISTIAN RADIO STATION BROADCASTS TO PACIFIC Monday, January 6, 2003. Posted: 08:40:22 (AEDT) A Christian radio station has achieved a five-year goal to broadcast overseas from its base in the Kimberley. The group, Heralding Christ Jesus Blessings, went to air for the first time yesterday, broadcasting to islands in the South Pacific from its property near Kununurra. The station has faced considerable local opposition to its plans to broadcast Christian and other programs into Asia but last year it won an appeal against the local shire's rejection of its plans. Manager Mike Moore says within weeks the station will expand its reach to India. "Certainly there will be people that still don't want us to be on air, but on the whole we believe that people have accepted us and certainly as far as the church community, they've been very, very supportive and there's a lot of other people in the community that have been very supportive as well," Mr Moore said. (ABC News Online Jan 6 via Artie Bigley, DXLD) Rather lacking in detail. What was the basis for the local shire`s rejexion? ** AUSTRIA. 17895, Radio Afrika International via Moosbrunn, 1543-1558 Jan 3 with continuous up-beat dance music in vernaculars, with several noted IDs in French. Signal blocked by the Voice of America sign-on at 1558 in English (Edward Kusalik, Alberta, Jan 6, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** BELARUS`. Good signal on reactivated 6115 this morning, same programme as 279 and 6080. 6080 is still somewhat buzzy, so seems to be unchanged. Later in the day heavy splash from Finland 6120 on 6115. There are also some spurious signals from 6115 on 6010/6220 and 12230. No other new or reactivated frequencies found. [non] Re gh`s question about Russia on 6115: The Radio Rossii transmission (actually at 310 from the Taldom site using 250 kW) has no connection with the Belarus` transmission. It has been there since the beginning of B02 and goes off at 0500. I assume that Belarus` goes on at 0400, which is their normal sign on time on LW 279 (Olle Alm, Sweden, Jan 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn, in answer to your question about Radio Rossii on 6115 kHz: this is not the transmitter in Belarus, but one in Moscow which is scheduled 0200-0500 (at 310 degrees, towards North Atlantic). 73s, (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BELGIUM. Eugene Gebruers (sp?), former contributor of DX news and recordings to RVi Radio World, passed away in October. He was born in 1923. This show, still ondemand Jan 6 tho a new one ought to be there, was a nice tribute to him. Mentions that he and gh used to listen to and quote each other`s news. Unfortunately, I did not hear about this in time for SW Year in Review 2002 (Frans Vossen, RVi RW Dec 29, notes by gh for DXLD) ** BELGIUM. FLEMISH EXTERNAL BROADCASTER LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE | Excerpt from press release in English from Radio Vlaanderen Internationaal (RVI) on 7 January From now on RVI [Radio Vlaanderen Internationaal, the Flemish external broadcaster] will be serving its audience not only via de radio, but also more than ever via its thoroughly revamped website, http://www.rvi.be When you open the new RVI site you will find news in text, supplemented with photos and sound excerpts: first the major Flemish and world news, then local news, sport, a daily press review and a review of the past week. The RVI website also provides links to all sorts of organizations and institutions that offer useful information about Flanders and Belgium, such as travel advice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, information about flights or train journeys to Brussels, information about art and culture. Moreover the RVI site has an interactive section, where surfers throughout the world can comment, react to what others have to say, give helpful hints, suggestions, etc... Thanks to the combination of these three aspects: news, service, and the development of an international community of Flemings, RVI's slogan "at home in the world" is now more appropriate than ever. The Dutch language pages of the site are the most comprehensive, but there is also a generous offering in English, French and German. As with the previous website, the text stream is accompanied by audio information. RVI's radio programmes can be listened to both via livestream and by clicking up programmes "on demand". Within the VRT, RVI has played a pioneering role in Internet applications. RVI was the first VRT [Vlaamse Radio en Televisieomroep, the Flemish public broadcaster] radio network to have its own fully- fledged website. This new site is a great step forward for RVI and thus for VRT-Radio in general. It does not mean however that RVI is abandoning "traditional" radio. That is apparent from RVI's new winter schedule. RVI's challenge continues to be to reach its audience to the best of its ability, in function of the means of communication at the disposal of that audience. Its website is an important tool, but radio - via short wave, medium wave, satellite, DAB and cable-FM - remains its core activity. The interaction between radio and Internet can only be an inspiration for both media. Source: Radio Vlaanderen Internationaal press release, Brussels, in English 7 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Desde o dia 1º de janeiro, as freqüências da rádio Gazeta, de São Paulo (SP), retransmite a programação da Rádio Canção Nova, de Cachoeira Paulista (SP). A programação católica, agora, pode ser ouvida nas freqüências habituais da Canção Nova: 4825, 6105 e 9675 kHz e pela Gazeta, em 5955, 9685 e 15325 kHz. (Célio Romais, @tividade DX Jan 6 via DXLD) so not de-religifying itself as previously reported ** BRAZIL. A Rádio Cultura, 17815 KHz, São Paulo, está de novo no ar retransmitindo os 1200 KHz! As demais freqüêencias da Rádio Cultura retransmitem o seguinte: 6170 KHz, retransmite 103.3 Cultura FM, e em 9615 KHz retransmite as ondas médias, 1200 KHz (Rudolf W. Grimm, São Bernardo, SP - Brazil, Jan 7, radioescutas via DXLD) ** CANADA. DE, 6310, 0140 Nov 27. English/German language lesson, 0145 RCI ID and cut-off in mid-word; poor. DRM test or just wrong frequency input? (Tom Williamson, Ont., Jan ODXA Listening In via DXLD) We have explained cases like this, and this specific case time and again --- we can give away reams of knowledge and info, but can`t make people read it! One more time: Sackville is worse than most SW sites in putting out mixing products. The antennas/transmitters are not sufficiently isolated from each other. All you have to do is find two frequencies nearby emanating from that site, which are equidistant from the spur (Of course, now that RCI treats its relay deal schedule as Top Secret, despite giving such away with RCI IDs, it`s not so easy to look up). In this case, it`s DW on 6040 and Vietnam on 6175 which produce the mix on 6310, 135 kHz apart (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. 6285 kHz, Jan 5 2003, 2258 UT tune-in, nonstop Chinese instrumental music. Off abruptly at 2330. If this is a jammer, what is it jamming? Also heard Family Radio on 6300 around this same time with ID in English, into Chinese talks by OM and YL. Presumably from Taiwan. Thanks (Jilly Dybka, TN, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** CUBA. After last issue, confirmed another airing of RHC`s Spanish DX program En Contacto, at 0140 UT Mon Jan 6. Judging from point in progress, must have started a bit before scheduled 0135. Only frequency heard was again 15230; cursory check for other known RHC frequencies did not uncover any, but surely there are more, unless some of the transmitters are down (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) A programação em espanhol da rádio Havana Cuba responde às cartas e informes de recepção dos ouvintes nas segundas-feiras. Confira em 15230 e 9600 kHz, a partir de 0200. A dica é do Oséias Fantinelli, de Jacutinga (RS). (Célio Romais, @tividade DX Jan 6 via DXLD) RHC has not been on 11705-USB for a couple of months, English to NAm 0100-, so a great chance to hear RAE English weekdays 0200-0300 on 11710 (Bob Thomas, CT, Jan 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [and non]. R. Martí survey news item from http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewForeignBureaus.asp?Page=%5CForeignBureaus%5Carchive%5C200301%5CFOR20030107a.html DISSIDENTS SPLIT ON RADIO MARTI'S REFLECTION OF CUBAN LIFE By Jim Burns, CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer, January 07, 2003 (CNSNews.com) - A survey of dissidents living in Cuba shows an overwhelming majority like the news they hear on America's Radio Marti, but barely half believe the broadcast service to the communist- controlled island represents Cuban society. The survey, conducted by a group called the Cuba Commission, involved secret interviews with 343 Cubans, and some of the survey results were withheld because the commission said survey participants feared retribution by the government of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. Among the omitted results was the percentage of Cubans who actually listen to Radio Martí, which is broadcast via short wave and medium wave radio. Cuba Commission officials said in a statement Saturday that 93 percent of those surveyed think Radio Marti's Cuba and foreign news is "credible" and has the "right focus." An unspecified number of respondents said Radio Marti's educational and entertainment programming should be increased, and some participating in the survey want the U.S. to take steps to overcome what they called "Cuban government interference" of Radio Marti's broadcasts. The dissidents were more closely split on the question of whether Radio Marti represents Cuban society. Fifty-two percent said Radio Marti well represented Cuban society while 40 percent said it did not completely represent Cuban society. The remaining eight percent said it did not represent Cuban society at all. Some dissidents also suggested the installation of a transmitter at the U.S. Navy base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, a question that U.S. Office of Cuba Broadcasting Director Dr. Salvador Lew declined to answer. "This is a technical matter," said Lew. "I just believe that we have to look at several options. But the best person to answer that is probably the resident of the White House." The White House did not return phone calls Monday seeking further comment. But when Lew was appointed by President Bush in July 2001 to head the Marti broadcast operations, Bush made his position clear. "My number one priority is to make sure that Radio and TV Marti are broadcast clearly to Cuba," said Bush. "In order to do that, I have instructed him [Lew] to use all available means to overcome the jamming of Radio and TV Martí." ADIOS, RADIO MARTI? While Bush and a majority of Cubans in the survey want to see Radio Marti continue broadcasting, there are some in Congress and in the Cuban-American community who would like to see it cease broadcasting completely because of financial considerations and the belief that Castro is jamming the broadcasts and preventing them from reaching the Cuban people. The Cuba Policy Foundation, a group that wants the economic embargo lifted against Cuba, considers Radio Marti and its television counterpart, TV Marti, failed programs. "If the United States wants to flood Cuba with the flow of ideas and tools for building democracy, rather than wasting tens of millions of taxpayer dollars on a failed program, American tourists and investors should be allowed into Cuba," said Sally Grooms Cowal, foundation president. "The broadcasts are just another example of the pattern of failure in U.S. policy toward Cuba," Cowal said. Others would prefer to better spend the money currently used to pay for broadcasts to Cuba, including Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz). "We would like to see more independent news back on Radio Marti," said Matthew Specht, a spokesman for Flake. "Since they moved it down to Miami, it has become an anti-Castro station and Cuban people already know that and they don't need to be told that Castro is a bad guy," he said. The Cuba Working Group, a bipartisan coalition of congressional lawmakers who want to ease U.S. trade and travel restrictions against Cuba, said both Martis should be eliminated. "The U.S. government has spent over $400 million in taxpayer money on radio and television broadcasts directed at Cuban citizens. In principle, this is a worthy effort, but in practice its record has been mixed," the group said in a statement on its website. "TV Marti operates when nobody watches because international broadcast rules require that the U.S. not interfere with Cuban broadcast transmissions," the group claimed. "Consequently, TV Marti reaches no audience in Cuba and is utterly without purpose." But some Cubans have found an important purpose in the broadcasts. Ernesto Díaz Rodriguez, a Cuban exile writer who spent 23 years in Cuban prisons, said he and many of his fellow inmates used to huddle in jail cells to hear Radio Marti, which he called a voice of hope from the U.S. Rodríguez believes the broadcasts should continue because of Castro's hold on state-run Cuban media. "We have to remind those who have apparently forgotten that the right to information also applies to the citizens of this island nation that exists just 90 miles off the North American coast," Rodriguez said (via Alan Pennington, BDXC-UK, Caversham UK, DXLD) ** CYPRUS TURKISH. R. Bayrak, 6150, (best in 6149.99 LSB) very weak 2200-2205 Jan 6 with nearly inaudible talk. Just before someone else's pips at 2203 I heard the "Radio Bayrak" ID, the "International" part if there was one, obliterated by the pips. Of course, I will need to hear more to be able to send a report to the station (Jim Renfrew, Byron NY, Drake R8, longwires, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. R. María, 3279.5, Jan 7 0510-0600 with lots of IDs by sweet-sounding female, 0600 into rosary in Spanish (Ron Trotto, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ERITREA [non]. Glenn, Wolfgang, Has anyone yet confirmed hearing the new Eritrean opposition station, Voice of the Eritrean People? You'll recall that it was due to have begun broadcasting, on Sundays only, on 1 December. Reports on the putative schedule have been rather confused, but it has been publicized as 1630-1700 on 15735 (to Africa and the Middle East) and 1700-1730 on 7530 (to Europe). I can hear nothing at the advertised times. 7530 is difficult in any case in this area (east Africa) because of co-channel Hargeysa and China. But 15735 is clear. I've also tried 15375. It has just occurred to me that I also ought to try 17535. Frequency usage suggests a European site. Any ideas? Juelich? Happy New Year, (Chris Greenway, Nairobi, Kenya, Jan 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Also heard nothing Jan 5 (Greenway, Jan 6, ibid.) ** GERMANY. I ask Heidi Lucas of DW Technical regarding the future of English broadcasts to Australia and she asked the head of DW departments Peter Senger. He stated that he will know more and be able to give a statement following the directors` reunion next week. So, at the moment we still do not know; when and if I hear anything further, then I shall inform you all (Michael Stevenson, Port Macquarie, N.S.W., Australia, June 6, EDXP via DXLD) ** GERMANY. The DW German language course, Deutsch, Warum Nicht? Is really quite good. You can listen on the radio, or you can go to the very extensive section on the internet. The programs themselves are downloadable in mp3 format, and the texts are downloadable as .pdf files. The courses are available in a number of languages, too. A commendable effort by Deutsche Welle (Fred Waterer, Ont., Programming Matters, Jan ODXA Listening In via DXLD) ** GERMANY. Today only B5 Aktuell was carried throughout the day on 6085, so the Bayern2Radio and Bayern 1 slots are indeed gone and 6085 is now all news all the time (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Heard a B5 Aktuell ID myself Jan 7 at 0700 in splash of DGS Antigua (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY EAST. Hi Glenn, Just a small correction to the piece by Roger Tidy: to my recollection the mediumwave frequency of O.P.S. Berlin (and of the Danish transmitter) was 1430 kHz, not 1421 kHz. I believe this was the transmitter at Burg that also broadcast the other clandestine operations Freiheitsender 904 (which despite its name was actually on 908 kHz) and der Deutsche Soldatensender on 935 kHz. All of these had the same pattern of several 30 minute transmissions a day. 73, (Andy Sennitt, Netherlands, DX LISTENING DIGEST) {re: 3-003} Hi Glenn, I heard and QSLed Out Post Station Berlin for reception on August 26, 1968 on 9730. A taped report resulted in a normal RBI QSL card and accompanying letter from RBI noting their technicians were surprised the service was audible in the United States. (I had hoped for a special O.P.S.-Berlin QSL!). At some point, 9730 was dropped from service for O.P.S.-Berlin (Bill Matthews, OH, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This is all very interesting to me, as I must admit I have no recollexion of such a service. Of course, I was otherwise occupied in August of 1968! (Glenn Hauser, USAF ret., DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GREECE. How does VOA justify the weird frequency of 7980 (or is it 7890?) for its Greek language relay? Full DSBAM, high power, at around 0730 UT (Hue Miller, WA, June 6, swprograms via DXLD) {really 11900?} ** GUAM. Subject: [SWL] MY VISIT TO KTWR The trip to KTWR takes you down a winding road on one side of the island. Past many homes, where you can see where roofs were torn off. It also takes you Past AWR and you can pull alongside the road to see the spectacular antennas. They are very close to the Pacific Ocean and it`s a beautiful site. On this same road further down in the distance you begin to see the site of KTWR. But, you have to drive a lot further and it`s easy to get lost towards the entrance to the station. Just as I was parked near the path to it, the station engineer came past me. If you ever get the chance, you should come to Guam and check out these antennas. By the way, many power line men were busy along the roadside putting the power lines back in place, and also many street lights were hanging from the poles but not in the normal position. Yesterday I mentioned about being able to view the transmitter site of KTWR. And also I made mention of a few other things. I carry several HT radio's, a Vertex VR5, Yaesu FT 530 an a Pro 25 police scanner tuned to the aircraft bands. My FT530 instantly picked up a buzzing noise as I approached the station area. The engineer met me in the parking lot and allowed me to come inside to witness them turning the keys to the transmitters. A Harris transmitter. As we were talking, he opened a panel to one and I saw some of the instruments to it. He reached up and pushed the button to the exciter, which he said he likes to warm up about 6 minutes before turning on the transmitter. I heard a short noise about a few minutes later. That was the warning device that said to you it was ready. He temporarily closed the door to activate the transmitters. I noticed on this door no frequency counter telling you what frequency it was on as I had seen one at the FEBC station on Saipan about a year ago. The engineer tells me the tubes are about $6,000 apiece and there were about 6 of `em. The transmitter pushes about 100,000 watts or more. Later he and the other engineer went into a little room and pushed some control knobs that set everything in motion. Station identifier was coming through the speakers. And unlike the FEBC studios, there was no one behind the microphone. It was preset from somewhere else. In parting, I asked if he had any frequency information and brochures I could have; he handed several but not with frequencies. The QSL cards that some people get when they ask, was one I picked up. Unsigned of course. As we started to part from the station and went into the parking lot area where my rented car was, I was shown a rather large box that looked like it weighed about a ton. He informed me that these were the repair parts for the antennas. They had just arrived a few days before and were waiting to be uncrated. I was a little nervous about turning on my shortwave receiver being so close to the antennas and figured I better wait till later. But never found the chance to do so, as I was driving past the same site of AWR. I witnessed the beautiful sunset behind it. Today I went around and looked to see if any progress with Radio Baragatta [sic] and it wasn't. It will probably take a while for this one. As there was nothing seen as to anyone trying to untangle the web that was damaged. Some sad news: we`re due to sail from here soon around the 21st, but due to come back in March for a yard period, so maybe I will be able to see more again. Plan to attend the Mariana Amateur radio club (MARC) meeting tomorrow. Will let you know what`s up with that. Heard there is a second repeater on the island said to be on 145.430 and they claimed it had echo link but never heard a peep yet. 73's from Gilligan's other island Guam, (Larry Fields, n6hpx/du1, Jan 6, swl via DXLD) ** HONDURAS. Re. Luz y Vida, 3250.04, Jan 1 0545-0605+ on late for NY with Spanish talk, IDs, local rustic music. Good-strong (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. Tests noted from AIR Chennai (?) on 9535 with relay of AIR Delhi FM II programs. Presumed schedule is 0130-0530 0930-1230. This is in parallel to 9425 (Bangalore), 9470 (Aligarh) 9470 is also tested from Delhi for National Channel at 1320-0043. Look out for tests from Chennai at 1245-1840 soon on 9 MHz. ===== 73 (Jose Jacob, India, Jan 6, dx_india via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL. RALLY PARIS DAKAR EN EL ÉTER No sé si aún continúa el desarrollo de la competencia de Rally Paris- Dakar, pero esta info, que había guardado en "una bandeja", la envió el colega Manuel Jesús a la Lista Radioescutas: Hello radioescutas, Informo que se encontra activa a estação especial que acompanha a 25ª edição do já celebre Ralli PARIS/DAKAR, cujo partida teve origem Hoje dia 01/01/2003. Todos os radioescutas e radioamadores que escutem ou contactem esta estção especial terão direito a um cartão QSL especial. Esta estação especial tem sido aguardada com grande expectativa, vai ser feita uma experiência muito interessante, a estação irá ser operada de 5 Países diferentes a saber: França; Espanha; Tunisia; Libia e Egypto. Os operadores desta estação especial serão os radioamadores (F5PN) Jean Gabriel (Francês) e (S525K) Marko amador (Esloveno). As emissões são feitas em paralelo com o Ralli e de locais escolhidos e devidamente autorizados nos diferentes Países. Estas emissões são aguardadas com muito interesse em especial dentro da parte Africana do Ralli. As frequências previstas para emissão são as seguintes na modalidade de SSB, atenção aos radioescutas programem os vossos radios com a modalidade de SSB, ajustanto os vossos receptores com a função do BFO: 7.085 MHz; 14.210 MHz; 18.135 MHz; 21.310 MHz; 28.510 MHz. Em Morse CW: 7.025 MHz; 14.020 MHz; 18.075 MHz; 21.020 MHz. A variação em frequência será de + ou - 10 kHz dependendo do QRM. Votos de boas escutas. (Manuel Jesus, Sintra, Portugal, Visite: http://www.syrian.pt http://www.fabulastikus.com (via Arnaldo Slaen, Jan 7, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Maybe over now; it`s been a week (gh, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. I'd like to add Sirius Satellite Radio to this discussion. While XM seems to be the more "healthy" of the two services (at least relative to one another), it seems to me that Sirius has the more diverse programming offerings --- especially for someone interested in international content. Both have more than enough diverse music services; but XM seems lacking in the spoken-word genre. Yes, XM has the "Americas stream" BBCWS, but unfortunately it ends there. Sirius has the less diverse BBCWS news and info stream, but has WRN --- which offers a variety of international radio services (RN, RA, RNZI, Channel Africa, R. Prague, more) --- in addition to NPR Talk, a separate NPR service for satellite listeners, a PRI satellite service, and CSPAN radio. (XM does have CSPAN, but none of the others.) Here's the dilemma: XM pluses: BBCWS "rich mix", more versatile receivers (home, car, boombox a la Delphi), lower monthly cost, healthier corporate financials (though only relatively speaking) (and, perhaps, better technology as discussed by Joe Buch in this forum some time ago. I wonder about the significance of the latter as I've not heard anyone complain about Sirius' performance or audio quality, nor compare Sirius audio unfavorably with XM). Sirius pluses: Much more diverse news and info offerings (as detailed above), less expensive selling cost of hardware (relative to XM). While XM's plus list is longer, I would suggest that to those who frequent this forum, the first plus listed for Sirius would carry enormous weight. (It does with me.) Since I can get more than satisfactory music selection and performance from my CD player, the kicker for me when it comes to sat radio is the potential to have more diverse news and info programming in the car--preferably from international sources. To be honest, if Sirius were to debut something similar to the Delphi slew of versatile "receivers", I'd probably sign up for Sirius right now. As it is, I'm still on the fence. Maybe it's prudent to wait for XM to absorb Sirius or see how DRM turns out? What's a poor boy to do? :-) (John Figliozzi, NY, swprograms via DXLD) XM DOES have a hefty "spoken word" schedule; it's just that BBC is basically all it offers in "international" content. But they do have CNBC, Fox News, CNN (2 channels), CSPAN, CNN en Español, Bloomberg News, and even CNET radio, as well as several sports talk channels like ESPN Radio, and several fringe channels like an all-African American talk channel ("The Power"), "Ask!" (ask experts, sort of like that NPR show with the car guys), "Buzz XM", which advertises "America's Hottest and Most Controversial Talk Stars" (read: Art Bell), and even "Sonic Theatre", with audio books and radio dramas (along with the previously mentioned all Old Time Radio channel, "RadioClassics") (Craig Seufert, swprograms via DXLD) WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- XM Satellite Radio Inc., a satellite radio broadcaster, said this week that it reached financing agreements totaling $450 million that should provide the cash needed until its operations reach break-even. XM stock jumped more than 10 percent following the news. The Washington-based company said the package includes $200 million from a sale of notes convertible into common stock at $3.18 a share, and a small concurrent stock sale. Also, General Motors Co., which is installing XM radios in 25 different 2003 vehicle lines, has agreed to $250 million in payment deferrals and related credit facilities through 2006, XM said. "With this financing package, we believe we have achieved full funding through cash flow break-even," XM President and Chief Executive Hugh Panero said in a statement Monday. XM and rival Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. have struggled to remain viable as the market for the capital-intensive satellite radio industry ramps up. Both XM and Sirius have lost money as they try to attract subscribers. Sirius said in November it was preparing for bankruptcy if debtholders did not approve a restructuring that included a debt-for-equity swap. XM shares were up 39 cents, or 13 percent, at $3.39 on Nasdaq in early trade. Sirius shares were up 1 cent at 55 cents, also on Nasdaq. In addition to the financing package, XM said it will start an offer this week to exchange its $325 million of outstanding 14 percent senior secured notes due 2010 for new 14 percent senior secured discount notes due 2009, warrants and cash. Based on sales to date and projections through the end of the year, XM said it expects to have more than 350,000 radios sold and ready for activation by December 31, either through retailers or automakers. The actual year-end activated subscriber total is expected to be 340,000 to 350,000 (via Craig Seufert, NH, Jan 5, DXLD) I think John Figliozzi did a marvelous job of boiling down the issues into a concise statement of the situation. Let me try to clear up a few misconceptions I have seen in this thread recently as expressed by others: 1. XM says they now have enough cash to reach the "cash flow" break even point. The Reuters' article is wrong on this count. Cash-flow break even is different and less than actually breaking even. You can have positive cash flow and still be losing money. It is typical of start-up situations that they become cash-flow positive before they become earnings positive. In fact securities analysts use the cash- flow break even point as an early indicator that the company may actually earn some money soon. Cash-flow break even simply means you are taking in more revenue than you are spending each month. That means you should not have to go back to the well for more cash to continue business operations. 2. The total number of subscribers at year end should be about 350, 000 not the 100,000 somebody tossed out here. XM has still not announced their year-end numbers to my knowledge so this is somewhat of a guess. I am somewhat worried that they may have missed their 350,000 target because after the past quarters' end they have been quick to announce their subscriber totals. Here we are almost a week into the next quarter and still no announcement. Maybe this week? 3. General Motors just completed their best December sales in history due to zero percent interest rate and price incentives. GM is not making any money on these cars but what they are doing is pushing a lot of cars out the door. Many of these cars will have XM radios installed as factory equipment and the subscription price will be folded into the monthly payment. So I would expect these customers to be more or less locked in for the duration of their payment contracts which can range up to 5 years. At zero percent interest there is no incentive to pay off the car sooner than five years so my guess is that most buyers would opt for the longest payment cycle available to minimize the payments. General Motors loses but XM could make out fine. The early take-up rate for the XM service among Cadillac purchasers was around 85%. I have seen no recent data on this aspect. In effect they are giving away the factory receivers as the cost of the receiver is amortized over five years at zero percent interest. If the price of the receiver option is $200, then the buyer would be paying $3.33 per month over 60 months. In terms I can relate to, that's less than a 6 pack of beer per month even if you drink cheap beer. The radio and the subscription fee cause no pain for the buyer because they are buried in the $300-$500 per month car payment. 4. In my opinion Sirius is out of the immediate woods. Their recent refinancing deal will screw the existing common stockholders by reducing their equity in the surviving company to only about 7%. But even 7% is better than nothing which is where Sirius was headed before they cut their refinancing deal. 5. Art Bell is no longer heard on satellite or terrestrial channels. He has retired. Disclaimer: I am not a licensed securities analyst or advisor. I just play one on the swprograms mail list. ~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-., (Joe Buch, DE, swprograms via DXLD) -*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^ ** IRAN [non]. Clandestine (Iranian). 11575, Voice of Iran via Russia [France? -- gh] *1630-1705 Jan. 2. Sign-on with orchestra anthem, pause at 1631 (then the signal changed levels as if antenna/direction change). Followed with up-beat patriotic song. Noted at 1633 with a station ID for ``Seda-ya Iran, sedya-ya Iran`` (repeated), followed with schedule/frequencies. This was followed with a long commentary about the Kor`an, the teachings and messages set forth. Many references to the Taliban and to al-Qaida. Noted to 1700, pause, into another ID and newscast followed. Signal was good at a fair level (Edward Kusalik, Alberta, Jan 6, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. VOICE OF SOUTHERN AZERBAIJAN TO START BROADCASTING TO IRAN ON 8 JANUARY | Text of report by Azerbaijani news agency Turan Baku, 6 January: Voice of Southern Azerbaijan [northern Iran] will start broadcasting programmes to Iran on 8 January, the National Revival Movement of Southern Azerbaijan has told Turan. The whereabouts of TV and radio facilities is kept secret, the same source said. It is planned that the radio will broadcast on 9570 MHz radio frequency at 2000 Tabriz time (2030 Baku time [1630 gmt]) on Wednesdays and Thursdays. In February, the radio will start broadcasting every day. It will be aired to Azerbaijan and Iran. Source: Turan news agency, Baku, in Russian 1620 gmt 6 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. A look at Info Radio`s latest leaflet: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030105/168/2z7qv.html (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** ITALY [non]. HIGH POWER SHORTWAVE (INTERNATIONAL) BROADCASTS Dear Sirs, I just found your email address on your Web site, and thought you may be interested in our Int'l radio operations. We are a non profit, volunteer based association of broadcasters http://www.nexus.org and since 1988 our mission has been to provide relaying facilities from Europe to several radio stations and program producers from all around the world. Some of us here have more than 40 years experience in the field of International (Shortwave) broadcasting. We have just recently upgraded our shortwave transmitting facilities, and we can now offer airtime at very competitive rates with 10, 50, 100, 250 and 500 kW from Europe to any location in the world. We can cover especially well: China, India, Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East including Israel/Palestine, the UK, and the whole of Western Europe. Directional antennas may be used to beam a broadcast to any desired area, on any available frequency during your preferred time of operation. We are also able to offer parallel broadcasts beamed to different regions at the same time. Our Network Control Centre is located in Milan (Italy) with additional high speed Internet facilities in Frankfurt (Germany) and Los Angeles (USA), and uses the latest digital technologies to operate all audio feeds to our station. For example, we can receive your programs via the Internet for live or later broadcast, saving a lot money on a satellite or phone feed. If you are interested in a quotation or a sample coverage map, please let me know your desired target area, time, and number of hours per day, and we will get back to you. Please do not hesitate to call or email if you need additional information. Thank You, and best seasons' greetings from Milano, Italy. Ron -- (Ron Norton, NEXUS-IBA support, PO Box 11028, 20110 Milano, Italy e-mail : sales@nexus.org or ron@nexus.org Jan 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) It`s quite clear now that they are just brokering/reselling time on existing major SW facilities, as they are also trying to sell their own low-power transmitters, but any customers yet? Not sure what the point is, and why whatever clients want or need to be identified with IRRS in Milan when this is done. We shall see if IRRS be as secretive as TDP as to actual facilities used. Let us hope not, but IRRS has a history of not being candid. One might ask: why the middleman? Could not a client get a better price by dealing direct with DTK, Merlin, or whatever? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JORDAN. R. Jordan, 11690, Sat Dec 28 1715-1731*, English, ``Jordan Weekly`` news program. IDs. Surprisingly good, strong signal over RTTY (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH. CORÉIA DO NORTE - A Voz da Coréia, antiga P`yongyang, considerada uma emissora muito fechada pelos ouvintes, também possui um espaço de interatividade em sua programação em espanhol. Aos sábados, responde às cartas e informes dos ouvintes. Um dos horários em que transmite é a partir de 0000, em 11735 kHz. Recentemente, Oséias Fantinelli, de Jacutinga (RS), ouviu os locutores da emissora responderem carta de Leônidas dos Santos Nascimento, de São João Evangelista (MG). (Célio Romais, @tividade DX via DXLD) ** KURDISTAN [non?]. On Jan 5, heard a male announcer in mid-east language on 4402.2 kHz at 0333 tune-in. Heard a clear mention of Kurdistan around 0400. Haven't listened to entire tape yet. Then tonight (Jan 6 UT) at 0440, I checked 4402 but nothing there. However, it sounded like the same male announcer was on 4413.2 when I scanned over to there. Now at 0450 as I type this, a female announcer was heard along with some mid-east music. 73s- (John Sgrulletta, Mahopac, NY, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** LESOTHO. 4800, 5 Jan 0246, R. Lesotho, Maseru, Música local, Hino Nacional e ID por YL em sesotho às 0300, 35443. Emissora reativada depois de alguns meses fora do ar. Também ouvida por Caio Fernandes Lopes em Itajuba-MG. 73 (Samuel Cássio Martins, DX CLUBE DO BRASIL, São Carlos SP, Conexión Digital via DXLD) 4799.99, Radio Lesotho, 0245 Jan 6, Southern African vocal music, time pips at TOH, Lesotho national anthem matches http://www.countryreports.org/sounds/lesotho.mid --- ID, frequencies, address, in vernacular language; reactivation, confirming Jari Savolainen's tentative report on DXing.info (Ralph Brandi, AOR AR-7030 Plus, 250-foot mini-Beverage Tinton Falls, New Jersey, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** LITHUANIA [and non]. I just found this in my mailbox. If this is true, there are regular transmissions from Sitkunai on 1386 since last night, daily at 2300 with the religious programme "Freundesdienst" from Switzerland. Would be really ironical because this broadcaster leases airtime also on Voice of Russia German service, so in fact would transmit on 1386 from both Bolshakovo and Sitkunai. ---Ursprüngliche Nachricht--- From: "Sandro Blatter" Subject: [A-DX] Radio Freundesdienst Hallo Runde, Radio Freundesdienst sendet - laut Programmheft - seit 1.1.2003 zusätzlich (neben RTL und Stimme Russlands) über die Sendeanlagen von 'Radio Baltic Waves'. Täglich: ab 23.00 Uhr UTC Frequenz: 1'386 khz Keine Ahnung ob die Sendungen hörbar sind, da ich eben die Info entdeckt habe. Berichte über die anderen Sendungen werden innert Tagen (am besten mit einer PPC) beantwortet. Die Adresse in der Schweiz: Radio Freundesdienst; CH-5023 Biberstein. Gruss aus einer sehr stürmischen Region -- Zürich Sandro (via Kai Ludwig...) [Later:] Indeed, Sitkunai with Freundesdienst programming on 1386, starting at 2300, could be 150 kW. Transmitter was already on before 2300 with ID loop, deep underneath co-channel Bolshakovo which signed off as always at 2300 after conclusion of the VoR Sodruzhestvo program, leaving Sitkunai in the clear for now. So what could be transmit after 2300? Mayak would be suitable audio... (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LITHUANIA. From January 1st "Radio Baltic Waves International" started regular broadcasting on 1386 kHz (daily at 2300-2315 UT, 750 kW, ND, Sitkunai). Best wishes, (Rimantas Pleikys, Lithuania, via Rachel Baughn, Jan 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NICARAGUA. R. Miskut, 5770, RC-USB, Jan 1 0055-0655* on late for NY with Spanish talk, ID, variety of Spanish pops/ballads, US oldies, local rustic music. Weak but occasional fading up to a fair level (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. KTUL-TV, channel 8, Tulsa, is still running NWS on its SAP, which was coming in nicely Jan 7 around 1550 thanks to fog in the area. Most voiced by that new automaton, but Perfect Paul still butts in with timechecks, and I even heard a real human briefly for one item. The new machine waxes poetic, pronouncing wind with a long I! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA [and non]. SOONER RADIO NETWORK AFFILIATES 750 KSEO Durant, OK 810 WHB Kansas City, MO 950 KFSA Fort Smith, AR 960 KGWA Enid, OK 1150 KNED Mcalester, OK 1170 KVOO Tulsa, OK [outdated call --- now KFAQ] 1430 KALV Alva, OK 1450 KGFF Shawnee, OK 1510 KCTE Independence, MO 92.5 KPRV Heavener, OK 93.5 KRKZ Altus, OK 93.7 KICM Krum, TX 94.3 KXOO Elk City, OK 95.5 KITX Hugo, OK 95.5 KQMX Clinton, OK 95.9 KYBE Frederick, OK 96.7 KBEL Idabel, OK 98.1 KJMZ Lawton, OK 99.3 KADA Ada, OK 99.3 KLOR Ponca City, OK 100.1 KYFM Bartlesville, OK 101.1 KWOX Woodward, OK 102.1 KTFX Warner, OK 103.1 KRWA Waldron, AR 105.1 KBLP Lindsay, OK (Art Blair, Folsom, CA, Jan 6, IRCA via DXLD) Guess this has something to do with stupid ballgames? Never thought I would run a sports network list in DXLD, but, hey, it`s about Oklahoma! (gh, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAKISTAN. 21465 kHz, RADIO PAKISTAN, full data QSL card in English (transmitter site 'near Islamabad' mentioned on extra sheet), card shows 'Miar Glacier Golden Peak 7027 m, Hoper Nagar, Gilgit'. The glacier picture and the people on it look like those pictures in the 'discover the Himalaya' books from the 60s. V/s on personal letter Ifthikar Hussain Malik, Senior Broadcast Engineer, Frequency Management Cell. He answered all my questions from my report, but 'pennants are out of stock', suggests to send reports via E-mail, also enclosed a sticker, in 64 days for a report without r.p. to Radio Pakistan, National Broadcasting House, Constitution Avenue, Islamabad - 44000, Pakistan. This was my first report to them since 14 years, but they still use the 'reference numbers' (on the envelope) they already used in the 80s! Mine was Eng/FM/A-28/02! (M. Schoech, Germany, Dec 2002, Cumbre DX Jan 7 via DXLD) ** PERU. 6536, RD HUANCABAMBA. Huancabamba. 2348-0102* Ene. 5. Luego de varias semanas fuera del aire retorno la señal de esta emisora con programación presentada por su dueño Federico Ibañez, mencionando un sabotaje que tuvieron los equipos de la emisora por parte de rivales políticos, ya que él aspiró a la Alcaldia Provincial en las elecciones de Noviembre y por sus continuas denuncias de corrupción administrativa. ``...Desde la ciudad que camina, Huancabamba tierra de hermosas y atractivas lagunas, en 100.1 frecuencia modulada, 820 Kcs en amplitud modulada y 6535 Kcs onda corta, ésta es RD Huancabamba, la poderosa...`` La frecuencia en onda media no está listada en el WRTH 2002 (Rafael Rodríguez, Colombia, Conexión Digitalk via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. 6115: see BELARUS`; TAJIKISTAN ** RUSSIA [non]. GERMANY - 1323 kHz, VOICE OF RUSSIA, full data QSL card in English (transmitter site not included), card shows '3 old towers of the Kremlin' as well as a modern radio. V/s on personal letter Alla Smirnowa, Deutschsprachige Redaktion, also enclosed a sticker and a program-guide, in 70 days for a report without r.p. to Stimme Russlands, Deutscher Dienst, Pjanitskaja 25, 113326 Moskau, Russland (M. Schoech, Germany, Dec 2002, Cumbre DX Jan 7 via DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA. MEDIA TYCOON PLANS "MAJOR PROJECTS" TO PROMOTE ISLAM | Text of report in English by Saudi newspaper Arab News web site on 7 January [note the mention of a radio station in English – on shortwave??] Prominent [Saudi Arabian] businessman Salih Kamil, chairman of [investment group] Dallah al-Baraka [and founder of Arab Radio and Television, ART], said yesterday that his investment group has plans to launch four major media projects to present the true picture of Islam and Muslims to the outside world. Speaking to reporters after a ceremony organized at King Abd al-Aziz University here to award him an honorary doctorate from Lakehurst University, Kamil said his group will launch an international news agency which will supply news and photos to media organs worldwide, a radio station broadcasting in English, a television channel in all major world languages and a public relations company in the United States. The US university decided to award an honorary doctorate to the Saudi tycoon in recognition of his contributions to mass media. Makkah Governor Prince Abd al-Majid attended the ceremony. Lakehurst President Prof Cliff Hesse delivered the opening speech. In his acceptance speech, Kamil underscored the importance of mass media as the bridge of globalization and the most articulate and explicit means of interaction in the present world. Kamil pointed out that the scope of cultural dialogue has become broader and more extensive now than ever. He described the compensation suits filed in the United States on behalf of the relatives of the victims of 9/11 as unscrupulous attempts by some US attorneys to extort money from innocent people. Source: Arab News web site, Jedda, in English 7 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** SOMALIA. GOVERNMENT TO PROVIDE EQUIPMENT FOR RADIO MOGADISHU | Text of report by Somali government radio on 6 January The minister of state in the prime minister's office of the Transitional Government of Somalia [TGS], Ahmad Dahir, today pledged to provide media equipment to [state-owned] Radio Mogadishu and the Ministry of Information. For more details, here is our reporter Abdinur Fodey: [Reporter] The minister of state in the prime minister's office toured Radio Mogadishu's facilities in the city, including studios and offices. The minister listened to all the managers of all the sections he visited. He also listened to a speech by the head of Radio Mogadishu, Hon Muhammad Abdi Alin [phonetic]. The minister finally met all the staff in the meeting hall. He listened to tales of the plight of the staff that were presented to him by the head of Radio Mogadishu. Addressing the Radio Mogadishu staff, the minister praised the role played by them in the media and the programmes the station has aired over recently. The minister promised to support Radio Mogadishu to receive the latest equipment that will improve its reception. The prime minister also said the government is willing to support its national broadcasting station. Source: Radio Mogadishu, Voice of the Republic of Somalia, in Somali 1700 gmt 6 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** SWEDEN [non]. LITHUANIA - 9980 kHz, RADIO NORD, full data QSL card in English (transmitter site Lithuania), card shows 'a ship'; the special program commemorated the 40th anniversary of the close down of Swedish offshore station Radio Nord, v/s Ronny Forslund, Programme Producer. Also enclosed promo for 'Rock'n Records by R. Forslund, large envelope with nice stamp, in 165 days for a report with 1 USD to Radio Nord Special Programme, Light Valley Media, Box 90, SE- 82723 Ljusdal, Sweden (M. Schoech, Germany, Dec 2002, Cumbre DX Jan 7 via DXLD) Lithuania. 9980 Radio Nord Memorial Programme via Sitkunai. Full data photo of vessel with radio tower, included a brochure for Rock'n Records, in 6 months, v/s Ronny Forslund, Programme Producer (Edward Kusalik, Alberta, Jan 6, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** TAJIKISTAN. Please note that the transmitter on 801 kHz with IBB relays is not located in the capital Dushanbe, but at the high power transmitting centre Orzu in southern Tajikistan. The abbreviation "DB" (Dushanbe) in the IBB material is misleading. I assume that these codes are supplied by the transmitter providers and the IBB (like other relay broadcasters) are using them without alterations. There are many similar examples, like Armenia: 864 and 1314/1350 "ERV" =Yerevan, but the real location is Gavar in NE Armenia. 73s, (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Jan 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TAJIKISTAN. Parallel program in ME language heard Jan 7 at 1307, poor on 4940, better on 4965; female announcer with light classical music. No ID heard, but Klingenfuss lists both as V. of Russia, via ``Dushanbe`` in Dari/Pashto (Ron Trotto, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) PWBR `2003` and HFCC agree; SW Guide also lists but noncommittal on site ** UKRAINE. Checked RUI`s new 7375 Jan 1. Very good! Slight splash from 7365 and jammer at 0100; near excellent at 0400 (Bob Thomas, CT, Jan 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Radio Ukraine gives strange reception reports. It's an English language program but the reception reports are for programs only in the Ukrainian language. The announcements before are still useful (Wm. "Bill" Brady, Harwood MD, DX LISTENING DIGRST) ** U K. BBC PLANS FOR BROADCASTING HOUSE CHALLENGED The BBC is facing a hitch in its plans to re-develop Broadcasting House into the world's largest news hub. Howard de Walden Estates, which owns a large amount of property in the immediate vicinity, has filed a writ at the High Court in London seeking an injunction against the development. The company argues that it would reduce the value of its properties. Managing Director Simon Baynham told the Financial Times 'We sold the site to the BBC in the Thirties. At the time of the deal, the BBC signed a restrictive covenant promising not to build on the site above a certain height. These proposals breach that covenant.' Construction work is due to begin in February. It's thought the BBC may offer Howard de Walden Estates an out-of-court settlement (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 6 January 2003 via DXLD) ** U S A. My VOA New Year's Day special which included interviews with Juhani Niinistö (YLE Radio Finland), Jonathan Marks (RNW), Jean Larin (RCI), Jean-Gabriel Manguy (Radio Australia), and Barry Langridge (BBCWS) is now available at ... http://www.voanews.com/real/voa/english/comm/interview.ram Barry Langridge, BBCWS head of Middle East/Africa region, was especially interesting. The unabridged interview with him is at ... http://www.voanews.com/real/voa/english/comm/langridge.ram (Kim Elliott, DC, Jan 6, swprograms via DXLD) ** U S A. WWCR --- EQUAL OPPORTUNITY HATE George Gentry Ministries is so obscure, that a google search turns up nothing but a reference to the program schedule on the WWCR website. I heard this broadcast quite by accident after a late night of tuning the dials. The program comes on at 630 am Sundays local time, 1130 UT on 5070, surrounded by some other (unusual) ``ministries``. Show seems to start abruptly, end abruptly. I`ve listened about 2 or 3 times and never heard a mailing address. He mentioned he was on WWCR --- no mention of any other station. No link on the WWCR page. Mr. Gentry seems to believe that white people are the source of all the world`s problems. This program, like other programs of this nature (I would include American Dissident Voices and Kingdom Identity Ministries in this category) has a mish mash of theology pushed, prodded and pulled into a grotesque shape designed to fit the presenter`s viewpoint. The most recent program railed against ``so-called black, conservative Republicans`` and other uneducated (by the ``so-called education system``) blacks. Conservative is another word for the Ku Klux Klan, which is marching daily in the streets of Washington. Toward the end of his program, he reminded listeners that black people are the descendants of the tribes of Israel (quoting a scripture reference I missed) and that only blacks will go to heaven. Furthermore Jesus was black. As far as heaven goes, there will be no whites there. I wonder if Pete Peters got the memo. While I am no great theology student, my understanding is that Jesus was neither white, nor black. Mr. Gentry and Mr. Peters seemingly have more in common than either would like to probably admit (Fred Waterer, Ont., Programming Matters, Jan ODXA Listening In via DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. DR GENE SCOTT After all these years, I still don`t get his act. It`s sometimes amusing to listen to him, sometimes disturbing and sometimes astounding. I used to be amused to hear him demand to be supported before he would ``teach``. He would then proceed to do nothing more than read from some pseudo-scientific book about UFOs or the Bermuda Triangle that anyone could pick up at a used bookstore for a couple of bucks. Heard him in early November with his usual blend of cool music and bombast. He was in a particularly cranky mood, threatening to walk out and just leave an empty chair on screen (might make for better radio). He was barking orders to the ``sheep`` to get busy and get on the phones, get their ``passes`` for that weekend`s church service and of course to send him money. And apparently they do. I shake my head sometimes and wonder if it shouldn`t be called the Co-dependent Church of Christ --- Of or relating to a relationship in which one person is psychologically dependent in an unhealthy way on someone who is addicted to a drug or self-destructive behavior, such as chronic gambling --- http://www.dictionary.com Improbably he just seems to keep rolling along (Fred Waterer, Ont., Programming Matters, Jan ODXA Listening In via DXLD) ** U S A. AMERICAN DISSIDENT VOICES No longer heard on WWCR, I have not heard this program in ages on shortwave. I was perusing their website however, which has the program in a number of formats on demand. Since the death of the chairman of the ``National Alliance`` Dr William Pierce, Kevin Alfred Strom has once again become the voice of the program. In many ways he is more dangerous than Pierce ever was. Pierce came across as the bitter old hateful man that he was. Strom is pretty smooth; his rhetoric can be a bit more subtle. Perhaps a little too smooth. Usual rhetoric about the controlled-media (read Jewish control) and threats facing the white race (Fred Waterer, Ont., Programming Matters, Jan ODXA Listening In via DXLD) ** U S A. Stocktalk Live confirmed started already on WRMI 15725, when checked after 1430 Jan 7. Rather informal monolog by host pointing out micro-cap stox that seem to be on the way up. Frequent mentions of being on SW 15725 now, but it`s only for one hour until 1530, when without his saying goodbye, WRMI switched to the ---yechh--- hummy, lo-fi Christian Media Network for another hefty dose of New World Order paranoia. I guess what`s in this for STL is getting people to their website to sign up for `premium` services. Inviting listener input on exactly how to do this program. Judging from program promos within, IBCRadio network also has an evening show on the paranormal, with a well-known host whose name I couldn`t catch. I think I will take all this with a grain of salt, if I listen again at all (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. SPANISH BROADCASTING ACQUIRING THREE CHICAGO STATIONS Hispanic Radio Advances in Chicago FM-Market January 3, 2003 Spanish Broadcasting System Inc. (SBS), the nation's largest Hispanic- owned radio operator, has entered into a definitive asset purchase agreement with Big City Radio Inc. to purchase three Chicago radio stations for $22 million in cash. The acquisition, which is subject to regulatory approval, would involve the stations WDEK-FM, WKIE-FM and WKIF-FM all of which broadcast in the greater Chicago area. "We are excited about this expansion opportunity in Chicago FM radio," says Raúl Alarcón, president and CEO of SBS. "The three stations will be simulcast with a new Spanish format. They will add to our existing WLEY-FM leadership position and provide us with clustering efficiencies in this important core market." The Coconut Grove, Fla.-based broadcaster owns 24 station in some of the country's largest Hispanic markets, including San Antonio, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco and Puerto Rico. Locally, the company operates KLEY-FM and KSAH-AM (from sanantonio.bizjournals.com via Sosedkin...) Wow, the guys from Coconut Grove are fast! As of Monday, Jan. 6 WDEK- FM, WKIE-FM and WKIF-FM (92.5 and 92.7 MHz) are already broadcasting in Spanish. I heard some Latin American pop-music today. The stations were rather unique for Chicago FM-market since they carried (in a simulcast)lots of European dance music under a slogan "Energy 92.7/5." From my observations, they were extremely popular with a younger crowd of the Eastern European immigrants. Their old site can be accessed at http://www.energy92fm.com/index2.shtml (Sergei Sosedkin, IL, Jan 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. HISPANIC RADIO NETWORK: http://www.hrn.org/stations.html (Art Blair, Folsom, CA, Jan 6, IRCA via DXLD) Not to be confused with Tegucigalpa ** U S A. NATIONAL NETWORKS EWTN Radio: Format: teaching, preaching, interviews, call-ins, some music. Eternal Word Television Network. 5817 Old Leeds Road, Irondale AL 35210. (205) 271-2900. On air December 28, 1992. Radio general manager: Frank Leurck. Radio Marketing Manager: John Pepe. Program Director: Thom Price. Website: http://www.ewtn.com. E-mail: radio@ewtn.com (In the Diocese of Birmingham) Affiliates: Alabama: WEWN Birmingham, WQOP-FM Birmingham, †WMCJ Cullman-Decatur; California: †new Greenville, KJOP Hanford-Tulare- Visalia, KHOT Modesto, KSMH Sacramento, KWG Stockton; Florida: WQOP Jacksonville; Illinois: WOLG Carlinville, WIHM Springfield; Kentucky: WMJR Lexington, WLCR Louisville; Michigan: WDEO Ann Arbor, WCAR Detroit, †WDBC Escanaba, WOAP Owosso, WMAX Saginaw. †WADW Sault Ste. Marie; Minnesota: WMIN Minneapolis-St Paul; Missouri: WRYT St Louis; Nebraska: KVSS Omaha; Nevada: KIHM Reno; New York: WLOF Buffalo; Ohio: WNOP Cincinnati, †WPAO Youngstown-Sharon, Pa.; Pennsylvania: WISP Philadelphia; South Carolina: WNFO Hilton Head Island-Beaufort; Tennessee: WHHQ Johnson City-Bristol-Kingsport; Texas: KMHF Austin, KBMD Marble Falls, KJBC Midland-Odessa; Washington: KBLE Seattle, KHSS Walla Walla; Wisconsin: †WYNW Antigo-Wausau, WDVM Eau Claire, WJOK Green Bay, †WKBH La Crosse, WHFA Madison, †WGLB-FM Milwaukee, WMMA Wausau-Stevens Point. †not on the air yet. Radio Católica Mundial (EWTN Spanish) -- California: KYNO Fresno, KSMM Minneapolis-St Paul. Florida: WOTS Orlando (Catholic Radio Directory, Jan via DXLD) ** U S A. NORTHEAST VANCOUVER: RADIO STATION POWERS UP TO 50,000 WATTS Sunday, January 5, 2003 By SCOTT HEWITT, Columbian staff writer The power is up, and the heat is on. Radio station KVAN is now broadcasting at its long-sought target power of 50,000 watts during the day from towers in northeast Vancouver [WA], and station manager Mark Ail is already experiencing a backlash of signal-interference complaints from nearby neighbors. East Vancouver residents long have blamed radio signals from the towers, at Northeast 34th Street near 155th Avenue, for everything from noisy phone lines and snowy television pictures to garage door openers and microwave ovens that go on and off by themselves. On Friday, Ail said KVAN has received 22 complaint calls since Dec. 20, when the broadcast power began cranking up from 10,000 watts to 50,000 watt. Despite the spike in complaint calls, Ail said he has a hard time imagining turning the juice back down. "At this point we've pretty much rebuilt the transmitter and done all the work at the transmitter site. Other than routine maintenance, there's nothing else the FCC requires us to do. We anticipated the power increase would lead to an increase in calls, and we will continue to respond to them." Answering complaints KVAN answers complaints by sending an engineer, at no charge, to try various fixes at residents' homes. Sometimes that means installing phone line filters or replacing electronic equipment, and sometimes it means enlisting the help of telephone company Qwest to address problems that originated with phone lines. KVAN, 1550 AM, now broadcasts at 50,000 watts during the day and 12,500 watts at night, Ail said. Sister station KPAM, at 860 AM, also broadcasts from the same towers -- at 50,000 watts during the day and 5,000 watts at night. The transmitter power increase, aimed at blanketing Clark County and Portland with a stronger, clearer radio signal, was delayed for years, partially by complex engineering problems. But there also were spikes in neighborhood complaints of telephone interference and other equipment problems when the radio station cranked up its power for testing. Tower neighbors That doesn't bode well now for the neighborhood around the towers. Resident Pat Costello of nearby 158th Court said she's noticed a definite worsening of her interference problem lately. She hadn't known that KVAN's long-sought power boost had just occurred. "All I know is in the last five days, I've noticed I'm picking up more stuff," she said. "I was on hold with somebody, and while I was waiting I was listening to the radio, listening to a talk show, over the phone. This is like it was before we put in filters and stuff." Until now, Costello said, she's been reasonably satisfied with the phone-line filters and other interference fighters provided by KVAN's house-calling engineer since she moved in last spring and promptly discovered the interference problem. In the past few days, she said, she's found herself wandering from room to room with the phone to her ear, seeking out a spot in the house that doesn't have interference. "I have a critically ill husband, and I'm doing lots of phoning," she said. "It's making it a lot harder right now." The chairman of the Parkway East Neighborhood Association, Michael Detlef, said he hasn't noticed any increase in the interference he deals with at home -- but he's done a lot of his own interference- busting work on his house, he said. He expects interference to be worse during the summer than during the winter, when damp earth aids electrical grounding. "The problem is, this is the time of year you're not going to notice the interference. This is the ideal time for those guys to do something like this," he said. Modern problem There seems to be plenty of blame to go around for the interference problems that have plagued the residential area surrounding the radio towers. Engineers have fingered everything from unshielded home wiring to aged and deteriorating telephone lines to cheap electronic equipment. The FCC's position is that interference results when equipment and appliances aren't well shielded against radio signals. The government doesn't require broadcasters to fix interference problems. But KVAN has been working its way down an endless list of complainants, some of them repeat callers, for years. Some problems have been easily fixed in a matter of minutes, Ail said, and others seem to drag on for years. "We're going into every home to mitigate the problem, and every home is unique," he said. Gus Potter, a co-chairwoman of the Parkway East Neighborhood Association, said her interference problems were solved after a KVAN engineer did some home rewiring. She hasn't noticed any resurgence in recent days, she said (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. WMQM, Lakeland, TN noted from 5.26 PM EST on Jan. 5 with Salvation Army program, ID after program which was followed by another brokered program. Signal was good and strong till at 5.42 PM when the FL stations started to take over the channel- seems to be getting out well. Off to a good start this year! Happy Listening! GM Clearwater, FL (Greg Myers, NRC-AM via DXLD) This is the first DX report of WMQM `Memphis`, subject of numerous items here in December, that I have seen! Times = 2226 and 2242 UT, before LSS which is now 2315 for January, half an hour later than Dec, whilst official sunrise is at 1315, a quarter-hour *later* than Dec – due to this oblate planet we inhabit. Should now try just before and after these times respectively when presumably on 50 kW ND day power. But still not heard here, not in the 2235-2315 UT period Jan 6. The only station consistently emerging from the QRM is KATZ, Gospel 1600, St. Louis, with much lower power; how come? (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** U S A. On 1439.7, KPUR is generally separable from the weak 1440 stuff with Westwood One's football playoff coverage and I caught a "Sports Radio AM 1440, The Score" ID at 1945 EST. I presume the SS NFL coverage on 1009.8 is KTNZ. 73 KAZ Barrington IL (Neil Kazaross, NRC- AM via DXLD) Both in Amarillo TX, The MW Engineering Capital of the World ** U S A. ALL THINGS CONSIDERATE -- HOW NPR MAKES TAVIS SMILEY SOUND LIKE LINDA WERTHEIMER. By Brian Montopoli Last May, I had the chance to participate in an NPR fellowship for young journalists interested in public radio. There were eight of us in all, each of whom worked with a mentor to produce a story that would become part of a Web-based news magazine. In order to decide who would host the magazine, the mentors and NPR folks held auditions: One by one, we were required to stand up and read a few lines to the assembled crowd, who would then compare notes. We weren't allowed to watch the auditions. As we waited in the hallway, some of us tried to make small talk; others found a quiet corner where they could go over their lines. But we were all thinking about the same thing: The Voice, the NPR Voice, and how the hell we were going to pull it off. The Voice is tough to describe, but you know it when you hear it: It's serious, carefully modulated, genially authoritative. It rings with unspoken knowledge of good wine and The New York Times Book Review. We were terrified of it. As it turned out, I couldn't quite manage The Voice --- the hosting gig went to someone else --- but I quickly realized that if I wanted anything to do with NPR, I'd need to figure it out pretty quick. NPR's ascendancy has been striking --- "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered," its drivetime shows, are the second and third most popular radio programs in the country, and the network's listenership continues to grow--up 18.5 percent in 2001 alone. A big part of the reason is the unparalleled quality of its news coverage. NPR's journalism is in-depth, accurate, fair, intelligent, and, not insignificantly, virtually commercial-free. In the sea of vituperative right-wing radio, NPR is an island of sanity, civility, and seriousness. And its reporters and personalities are truly talented: Their ability to explain complex issues in plain, sharp, value-neutral language may be unsurpassed in all of broadcasting. But the network has also become something of a victim of its success. If you listen to a lot of NPR, you realize how similar it all sounds: no matter who is talking, or what they're talking about... http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2001/0301.montopoli.html (Washington Monthly, Jan-Feb, via Daniel Say, swprograms via DXLD) ** U S A. NEW FCC COMMISSIONER AGAINST MEDIA CONSOLIDATION By Pamela McClintock WASHINGTON (Variety) - New Democratic FCC commissioner Jonathan Adelstein made it clear Monday that he's against further consolidation of the media business, questioning the wisdom of a Republican campaign to relax an unprecedented number of ownership rules. In his first public speech, Adelstein wasted no time in challenging the agenda set by FCC chairman Michael Powell. He said the agency is charged with protecting a variety of voices on the airwaves and that ownership regulations are a key component. "In practice, that means we must promote competition, diversity and localism so that the marketplace of ideas can flourish. A great thing about my new job is that I am passionate about this mission, and it is my sworn duty to carry it out," Adelstein said during his address at the Future of Music Policy Summit in Washington. Adelstein's choice of words made it clear that Powell will have trouble achieving a consensus as he forges ahead with the agency's review of the regulations. Powell already had his work cut out for him in wooing Democratic commissioner Michael Copps, who is adamantly opposed to wholesale deregulation. Both Adelstein and Copps are veteran Capitol Hill aides, meaning they have direct access to key solons -- and not just Democrats. At the music policy summit, Adelstein said massive consolidation of the radio business proves why ownership regulations are crucial. Unlike the TV biz, the radio industry was allowed to consolidate to its heart's delight after 1996. In 1996, the two largest radio groups consisted of fewer than 65 stations. Now, Clear Channel -- the largest radio group -- owns 1,200 stations. The second largest group, Viacom's Infinity Broadcasting, owns 250 stations. Adelstein said he disagrees with a FCC study suggesting that consolidation of the radio business hasn't hurt diversity of programming. "Ownership consolidation in local markets by definition reduces competition and puts programming decisions into the hands of comparatively fewer, often national players," Adelstein said in his speech. "Therefore, we must consider how consolidation affects the programming choices available to listeners and the level of local public affairs coverage," he said. Adelstein said radio consolidation is the "canary" in the coal mine. He said the FCC better consider the health of that canary before further relaxing media ownership rules. Other regulations up for grab include the following: = A rule prohibiting a TV broadcaster from reaching more than 35% of the national audience. This means that media giants including Viacom Inc. and News Corp. can't grow beyond a certain point in terms of their stables of TV stations. = A rule blocking a company from owning a TV station and newspaper in the same major market -- without a waiver, that is. = A duopoly rule barring one company from owing multiple media outlets in one community. Last week, all sectors of the TV business made massive filings with the FCC laying out their respective arguments with respect to the rules (Reuters/Variety Jan 7 via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA [non]. RADIO TRICKSTERS DUPE CHAVEZ INTO CHAT WITH 'CASTRO' --- Carl Limbacher, Newsmax.com, January 6 http://www.newsmax.com/showinsidecover.shtml?a=2003/1/6/180026 Two Miami radio hosts today got embattled Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on a private line by pretending to be his idol: Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. "We still can't believe it. He fell for it," snickered Enrique Santos, co-host of El Vacilon de la Manana (The Morning Joker), on WXDJ-FM 95.7, a Spanish-language salsa station. The Miami Herald reported, "The joke was part of a segment called Fidel Te Llama or 'Fidel's Calling You,' in which Santos and his co- host, Joe Ferrero, call various people and play snippets of a controversial conversation between Castro and Mexican President Vicente Fox that Castro made public in 2001. "Hearing Castro's distinctive rasp, the unsuspecting recipients of the call usually believe it is the comandante himself on the phone. After a few minutes of a disjointed conversation in which the same nonsensical sentence fragments are repeated, the victims get suspicious." Here's how the comical commie "conversation" went: Chavez: "Hello, Fidel!" Recording of Castro: "Did you receive my letter?" Chavez: "Of course I received it. I spoke with German." Castro: "I'm all set to collaborate with you." "As the nonsequiturs start, El Vacilon fakes trouble on the line to disguise the rejoinders that don't make sense," the Herald reported. 'Brother' Dictator Chavez: "Yes, brother, how's it going?" Castro: "I'll do what you're asking me to." Chavez: "I don't understand." Castro: "But I'm going to be harmed, I confess to you. Everything's set for Tuesday." Chavez: "Everything's set for Tuesday? I don't understand." 'Terrorist!' Santos reveals he`s calling from Miami. He yells at Chavez: Terrorist! Animal! Murderer! &#%$! You're finishing off the Venezuelan people!" End of conversation. Callers flooded the station's switchboard. Among them: the owner, Raul Alarcón Jr., whom Santos described as "not very happy." (via Ulis Fleming, DXLD) DOS DISC JOCKEYS MIAMENSES GASTAN UNA BROMA PESADA A HUGO CHÁVEZ CHRISTINA HOAG http://www.miami.com/mld/elnuevo/4885655.htm Fue una broma pesada que podía haber funcionado demasiado bien: Dos disc jockeys de Miami, conocidos por sus bromas pesadas, consiguieron hablar hoy a través de la radio con el presidente venezolano Hugo Chávez, diciendo que le llamaba Fidel Castro desde La Habana. "Todavía no lo creemos", dijo Enrique Santos de El Vacilón de la Mañana, programa de la emisora El Zol 95.7. "Chávez se lo creyó". El dueño de la emisora repudió la broma y los jockeys esperaban esta tarde las posibles consecuencias. La broma fue parte de un segmento radial llamado Fidel te llama, en el que Santos y su compañero Joe Ferrero suelen llamar a diversas personas y reproducir trozos de una conversación grabada en cinta en 2001 entre Castro y Vicente Fox, presidente de México. Al escuchar la voz distintiva de Castro, los oyentes normalmente creen estar hablando con el mismísimo comandante. Después de unos minutos de una conversación sin sentido, las víctimas empiezan a sospechar una broma pesada. Inmediatamente después, Santos y Ferrero les notifican que han sido objetos de una broma del programa radial. Hoy lunes, Chávez, que considera a Castro un fuerte aliado y sin ningún pudor piensa que Cuba es un régimen modelo, fue la víctima de este programa. Los irreverentes DJs habían empezado a llamar al Palacio de Miraflores en Caracas el viernes pasado. Hoy a las ocho de la mañana, usando una voz femenina cubana que pretendía ser operadora en La Habana, consiguió llegar a un asistente presidencial que se identificó como el Teniente Arcia. La operadora insistió en que el presidente Castro estaba en la línea y quería hablar con Chávez. En la cinta, se podía oír la voz de Castro, haciendo creer al teniente que el dictador estaba esperando. El oficial sugirió que el presidente Chávez devolvería la llamada a Castro inmediatamente. Pero la operadora insistió en que el líder cubano se encontraba en un lugar secreto y no recibía llamadas. El oficial entonces dio el número privado de Chávez a la emisora, que inmediatamente contactó al presidente: "¡Hola Fidel!" gritó Chávez. "¿Recibiste mi carta?" preguntó Castro. "Claro que la recibí", respondió Chávez. "Hablé con Germán". "Estoy listo para cooperar con ustedes", dijo Castro. Al aparecer las incongruencias, El Vacilón fingió tener problemas en la línea para disimular las respuestas sin sentido. "Sí, hermano. ¿Cómo va todo?", preguntó Chávez. "Haré lo que me pidas que haga", respondió Castro. "No entiendo", contestó Chávez, sorprendido. "Pero te confieso que me van a hacer daño", dijo Castro. Silencio en la línea. Castro continuó: "Todo está listo para el martes". "¿Todo está listo para el martes...?", repitió Chávez, obviamente confundido. "No entiendo". En ese momento Santos interrumpió el diálogo y anunció que la transmisión venía de Miami. Silencio absoluto por parte de Chávez. Santos entonces lanzó una larga diatriba contra el presidente: "¡Terrorista! ¡Animal! ¡Asesino!", además de una buena selección de palabrotas. "¡Estás acabando con tu propio pueblo!" Santos entonces colgó el teléfono. La pareja irreverente de Miami quedó asombrada por su éxito, lo que dio origen a una serie de epitetos en inglés a través de las ondas. La emisora se inundó con llamadas del público, inclusive del dueño de la estación, Raúl Alarcón Jr., al que Santos describió como "poco entusiasmado con la broma". Ferrero se dio cuenta del alcance de esta situación durante su conversación con Chávez. "No sabíamos qué hacer", dijo. "Era una conversación entre dos presidentes". No se consiguió un portavoz de Miraflores para que comentara sobre el asunto esta mañana. No es la primera vez que Ferrero y Santos han causado revuelo a través de este programa. En abril del año pasado anunciaron un concierto con Julio y Enrique Iglesias en AmericanAirlines Arena, diciendo que las primeras personas presentes en la línea para adquirir boletos, entrarían gratis. A causa de esta broma, el estadio se inundó de admiradores de los Iglesias y la emisora suspendió a la pareja tres días con sueldo. (El Nuevo Herald Jan 6 via Henrik Klemetz, DXLD) Copiada la dirección deberá poderse encontrar la nota sin problema. Lo he comprobado nuevamente a las 1830 UT y no tengo ningún problema en escuchar por Windows Media Player el audio que tiene una duración de 6 minutos con 31 segundos. ----- Véase http://www.unionradio.com.ve/noticias/nacionales/Notanac2003010613839.htm para leer *y escuchar* la broma que gastaron al presidente venezolano Hugo Chávez cuando desde la emisora El Zol 95.7 en Miami lo llamaron por teléfono diciendo que era de parte del "Comandante Castro". (Henrik Klemetz, Suecia, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** VIETNAM. VOV has an interesting perspective, available thru its SW broadcasts and its very interesting website http://www.vov.org.vn Many of their programs are available via the website on demand (Fred Waterer, Programming Matters, Jan ODXA Listening In via DXLD) ** VIETNAM. 4795.80, Son La Broadcasting Station. After receiving an envelope with just a schedule back in November, I re-sent my report, indicating that I had received their reply but since the envelope was opened that the possibility existed that the verification reply had gotten lost. Received a reply to my follow-up, indicated in the letter was that since the program details where for a Regional station at Son La that they could not verify my report. It seems that the Radio Voice of Vietnam now has taken a new policy change to verifying regional stations` reports. Son La is the only station which I need verified, to close my list. Reply in 44 days with another schedule (Edward Kusalik, Alberta, Jan 6, Cumbre DX via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. WWV usually dominates 5000 here in the evenings, but by 0738 UT Jan 7, it was skipping over, and WWVH could be heard at equal level, along with the mystery station whose pips are offset about 1/3 of a second. This may well be Cagigal, Venezuela, which seems to have a voice ID at the same time as WWV, and which has been known to be imprecise in the past. This offset is far too much for propagation delays to account for, and if a ``timesignal`` station can`t do better than that, it has no business on the air (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. I was looking around on New Years Eve, to see what I might find. I found this on 6923.5, sideband, though I cannot remember if it was USB or LSB. It appears to be some kind of military communications network in a Latin American country. Maybe like our MARS? Anyway, on the run-up to midnight, they were playing salsa music, interrupted with greetings by various stations. At midnight (eastern time zone) the apparent net control gives a count-down and greetings and then other stations chime in with greetings. Judging by the time zone, this could be one of several countries, but I think the accent sounds Colombian, and one of the people is called Jairo, which is a rather common Colombian name. They do some talking back and forth, and then quit. There was what might have been an I.D., but it was lost in some local line noise, and I can't figure out what they say (Tim Hendel, AL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) From Tim`s tape, I believe I heard them mention the frequency as given above, and ``La Paz`` --- or was it ``la paz``? Nothing likely on or near this frequency in Klingenfuss 2002 (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. I`ve suspected that the remark some while ago that Tunisia on 7190 is a spur of 7225, and not a `real` frequency be unjustified. Arabic music was coming in well on 7190, with nothing on 7225, Jan 7 at 0657, but unfortunately it cut off with no ID a sesquiminute later. HFCC B-02 does in fact show Sfax on 7190 at 0400- 0700 but not 7225; both are on the air at same time in evening, on different beams (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ RADIO RECEIVER AS A NATIONAL SECURITY RISK JUDGE REJECTS SHOE-BOMBER'S BID FOR RADIO Thu Jan 2, 4:48 PM ET BOSTON (Reuters) - A federal judge on Thursday rejected Richard Reid's request to keep a radio in his jail cell after the U.S. government argued that giving such a device to the convicted shoe-bomber posed a national security risk. In a courtroom hearing, Chief U.S. District Judge William Young sided with the government against Reid, a British citizen who last year publicly pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden and admitted to being an enemy of the United States. Prosecutors argued in a court filing last month that Reid, whom they called a "committed and dedicated international terrorist," should not be allowed to have a radio because it might prompt him to send messages to the outside world. Giving Reid a radio would violate the special terms of his imprisonment that are designed to prevent him from "directing terrorist acts outside the prison that could harm national security," federal prosecutors said. To support their claim that Reid might try to make contact with the outside world, they said prison officials in June discovered a metal object in Reid's cell that could have been used "as an antenna in a radio frequency receiver or transmitter." They added, however, that FBI investigators had been unable to determine the intended use of the object, which comprised a wire wrapped around a small metal disk that had a circuit board glued to its bottom. Reid, who is being held in Massachusetts jail, has extremely limited access to the outside world. The government allows him to receive Time magazine on a weekly basis, but only after it vets the publication for possible terror-related material. Reid's lawyer, Owen Walker, did not return a telephone call seeking comment. Reid pleaded guilty in October to trying to bring down American Airlines Flight 63 on Dec. 22, 2001, as it flew to Miami from Paris. Passengers and flight attendants overpowered Reid as he tried to ignite explosives in his athletic shoes. He was tied up with belts and headphone cords, and the plane landed in Boston under escort from fighter jets. Reid is scheduled to be sentenced later this month. He faces between 60 years and life in prison. Prosecutors said the Briton will most likely serve out his sentence at the Federal Correction Center in Florence, Colorado (via news.yahoo.com via Sergei Sosedkin, DXLD) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-003, January 5, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser, ghauser@hotmail.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 HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldta03.html For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid2.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn WORLD OF RADIO 1163: WRN ONDEMAND: http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1163.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1163.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1163h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1163h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1163.html RFPI: Mon 0030, 0630, 1230, Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 7445 and/or 15039 WBCQ: Mon 0545 7415 WJIE: M-F 1300, daily 0400 -- maybe; Sun 0630, Mon 0700, Tue 0630 7490 WWCR: Wed 1030 9475 PAY PAL If you wish to make a contribution, we can accept money in this way, to our accounts wghauser@hotmail.com or ghauser@hotmail.com Thanks! BE IN STYLE I don`t want to discourage anyone from including DXLD on their mailing list, but how about letting the other guys do the editing fix-ups for a change in 2003y. You can reduce gh`s workload by submitting your loggings and reports in DXLD style. This can be perceived by taking careful note of how material ultimately appears in DXLD, but to be explicit, some of the points: I don`t mind putting in our distinctive two asterisks and a space (if your material also goes elsewhere). Country header is always in caps and ends with a period. Do NOT use caps in your credit line, name or location. Credit line is always enclosed by parentheses. Always give your full name and location. If you mention equipment, include that in the credit line. DATES should go right next to the first time mentioned, not in the credit line!!!!! Always specify the date with each logging; otherwise all we can do is put the date of your *report* in the credit line, which may not be the same. Since numerical dates can be ambiguous, use a 3-letter month abbr., e.g. Jan 5. If you submit a long list of loggings, we are going to need a credit line at the end of each one of them used, or at least each country. You can copy and paste this over and over as needed. It helps to have material in alphabetical order by country [or non]. Avoid truncating words, but spell them out. We can spare the bits to make your material more readable! Do not put UTC after every time or kHz after every frequency. We all know these units apply. At most mention UT only once in an item. If there is any doubt you are using UT, or something needs to be mentioned in local time, specify that. If you include a unit, do NOT attach it to the number, but leave a space between them. USB and UT (not UTC) should be in caps, as should most other initialisms. Do not use colons or periods within times, unless you are specifying seconds within a minute. Please follow our convention of using a dot rather than a comma for a decimal point. Avoid clutter in general, but do not hesitate to use punxuation to make your material read more smoothly and expressively. For SW frequencies, use kHz, not MHz. Separate phrases and clauses by commas or semicolons as appropriate. Do NOT connect two or more independent clauses with commas (comma splice). Use three dots only to indicate something is omitted from a quotation. Otherwise to show a pause use three hyphens --- or a semicolon, if not a period. If using the 3-hyphens (amounting to a dash), do not connect them to the words before and after. Since different character sets do not agree on what represents an apostrophe or quotation marks, we use the grave accent mark ` (upper left on our keyboard) once or twice, respectively. Avoid the key next to ENTER. Learn and apply the difference between its and it`s. Putting `s after 73 is redundant and nonsensical. Avoid using the & symbol unless it`s part of a common title or name, not just to avoid writing out a-n-d. Selecting material: when in doubt, send it! But DXLD does not routinely publish everything received; isn`t it large enough already? We are more likely to publish material sent exclusively to us; secondly, to us directly among others; thirdly, anything else we find on lists and other publications. But it must be of some interest beyond the routine: a station you, and nearly everyone has logged countless times before is not news, unless there is a frequency, time change, or something to make it stand out, such as a clever remark or observation about the programming heard. This is all very subjective, and gh appreciates your accepting his constant editorial decisions about what to include and what to leave out. As a rule, material original to this publication is credited to DX LISTENING DIGEST, spelt out, while material from elsewhere uses the abbreviation ...via DXLD. We often receive multiple copies or links to press items. While we try to credit everyone who reported them, this is not always possible, especially if some meet a deadline and others do not (and no, we cannot specify in advance when a deadline for any given issue will be.) Ideally, it`s best to have a copy of a story and a direct link to it, so we can either run it all or link to it, depending on space available, relevance, etc. Sometimes we have to close an issue which has reached the 100K arbitrary limit before we have rechecked all our usual sources and E- mail accounts. But anything missed will likely be in the next issue if it is not duplicative. If English is not your native language, do not worry. We are constantly fixing errors and improving syntax, etc. If you make a point of re-reading your material once it has appeared in DXLD, this could amount to some lessons in English, which could help you. Before sending, please proofread your material for typos, especially in numbers. Acquaint yourself with spell checker if you have not already. Did you leave anything out, notably the frequency! We do not like to have the frequency first in every item --- this doesn`t read well. The only reason this has been encouraged is to make it less likely the frequency be forgotten. If you do put a frequency first, place a comma after it. Thanks for your coöperation. Oh yeah, accents are welcomed and encouraged. If they are missing in French, Portuguese, Spanish, etc., I have to put them back in one by one (Glenn) ** ANGOLA. Inactiva Ecos del Torbes en 4980 y Cima 100 (Santo Domingo) en 4960. Por el contrario entra muy bien Rádio Nacional de Angola en 4950, a partir de las 0445, cuando la señal empieza a oirse con más fuerza, hasta después de las 0540 (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Jan 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. HCJB: South Pacific release adds programmes to regionalise service; Au government asked us to include programs originating in Au. First half hour each weeknight (0700): Mon, Music of Australia including Au culture, history, folklore. Tue Music of Asia. Wed Music of NZ. Thu Music of S Pacific. Fri Music of Asia, another edition. 0800 each weeknight, Great Destinations, tourism program, in Pacific and Asia. Weekends. Country Down Under, on Au country music. Sunday night, Sunday Night Alive, done by Dennis, hour long music, info, interviews, etc. [not clear if 0800 applies to these too] Asian service, a lot of the same, but additionally, Radio Classroom, M-F 1430, teaching English ASL, with assistance of Bible College of Western Australia, 3 nights a week, with another program 2 nights a week, by longtime teacher of the Gospels (Dennis Adams, Melbourne, DXPL Dec 28, which was finally put up ondemand Jan 5, along with the Jan 4 edition, notes by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) This week`s report on DX Partyline, again interviewing Dennis Adams, in charge of the operation in Melbourne, originally live on the 0200 UT Sat broadcast: It`s been a hectic week, including getting ISDN links established (pray they will not fail), to feed to Kununurra. Ready to go `tomorrow`, i.e. UT June 5, at 0700-1200 on 11755 to Pacific. Has also tested the last few days, VG signals reported, but no further details known here. Why will the Asia service be delayed? There was a major windstorm at the site, knocking down the antenna to Asia, quite severely damaged. Still working on it. So will be delayed a few days, and start not later than next Sunday, 12th. Schedule: 0700-1200 11755, Pacific, same frequency which had been used by Pifo at 0700-1100. When ready, 1230-1730 to Asia, QSY to 15480 as of two days ago, because in the two months since the ABU conference, other stations had occupied the frequencies originally planned, 15130/15135. [Checked the 15480 area Jan 4, and it was pretty empty here at the moment ---gh]. {not so exactly; see below} Tests to Ethiopia [at 1800] will be delayed further, perhaps a couple of weeks, since that antenna was also damaged. Power on 11755 is starting at 25 kW, and will gradually be cranked up to 50 kW, in order to evaluate how much power will do the job. It is thought that from this proximity the full 100 kW, as used from Quito and to Asia will not be necessary. The office e-mail address given last week has been flooded with E- mail, so about reception, please use instead: english@hcjb.org.au Program schedule TBA, including new DX programs (?). DXPL will also be carried, Sat 0930 and 1430 (HCJB DXPL 0300 UT Jan 5 on 9745, notes by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) Did anyone hear HCJB-Australia testing since Dec. 26? There was a report on Radio Bulgaria's DX program this weekend (compiled by Rumen Pankov) saying that the Kununurra site was testing between 0700 and 1730 UTC on one of these frequencies: 15310, 15135, and 11755 kHz. I heard this news on the DX show at 0330-0340, UT-Jan. 4 on 9400 kHz, beamed to North America (Joe Hanlon in Philadelphia, USA, EDXP via DXLD) Believe was this I heard testing with preaching at 0250 UT Jan 5 on 15465. Can you hear it? (Chris Hambly, Victoria, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Not a thing here (gh, OK, DXLD) 11755, HCJB Kununurra, heard at s/on with loop announcement and music from 0655 thru to Australian national anthem at 0700. Suffers heavy QRM from Finland and only about 30% intelligible here in its target zone. I understand that they are not currently running full power. Now it's 0730z and Finland is totally dominant, HCJB audible weakly in the background (Paul Ormandy, New Zealand, DX LISTENING DIGEST) HCJB-Australia 11755 good in Adelaide, South Australia at 0920, no sign of interference. Not as strong as previous night's broadcast via Ecuador however, though from this location I am probably within the first hop from the transmitter plus it is aimed in a different spot. ID as "The Voice of the Great South Land, HCJB Australia". (Richard Jary, Cumbre DX via DXLD) 5 Jan '03, HCJB-Australia inaugural broadcast on 11755: Nothin' was heard between 0700-0900; after 0900 faint signals but surprisingly good signals here in New Delhi for a 25 kW transmitter after 1000. Was able to hear with signal strength of 3-4 with no QRM. There was an interview with director of HCJB-Australia Mr David between 1000-1030 UT. After that regular Sunday programming with Christian music and devotional talks. Regds (Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, EDXP via DXLD) Hi, checked this at 0655-, no sign of HCJB at all here in Finland, only very powerful audio from Radio Finland with echoing signals, also via the long path (this is a 500 kW unit) but at our local noon time at 1000 UT, Radio Finland's signal was decreasing a little bit and HCJB was tentatively heard with religious songs and talks about Sunday night. Very difficult to read the signal, maybe some other frequency will give better results. I wonder when are the local sunrise/sundown times at Kununurra? Rx: Palstar R-30 Ant: Wellbrook ALA-1530 73 (Jarmo Patala, Hyvinkää - Finland, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Just checked here, thought sign on was a bit later :-) Weak and noisy, nowhere near as good as the same freq was from Ecuador last night with DX Partyline (Richard (Adelaide) Jary, UT Jan 5 0727, ARDXC via DXLD) Finland started getting stronger as the introductions progressed here just north of Sydney. I was able to get most of the broadcast until about 0720 and Finland made it harder after that (Wayne Bastow, ibid.) It`s 0835 and it`s booming in here in Blue Mountains NSW fighting with Finland (I guess). Sometimes its heaps stronger then Finland, sometimes a touch weaker. Either way, it`s a poor choice of frequency/time as far as listenability is concerned. 73 de (Jem Cullen, ibid.) Listening to HCJB World Radio broadcasting from Kununurra in Western Australia on 11755 at 0655 with their first broadcast to the Pacific in English, reception was good at 0700 at 45444. By 0730 YLE Radio Finland was well and truly fading in causing moderate QRM at 43433. By 0800 and 0830 the situation was slightly worse at 43433 to 42432. With only 25 kilowatts of power from Kununurra, once Finland fades in with it's 500 kilowatts it seems to have an effect upon the signal. I do hope that this level of QRM does not continue for HCJB Australia's sake; otherwise an increase in power or a change of frequency may have to come about. How is reception in your area?? Just having a quick listen now at 0900 has revealed Finland fading a little to leave HCJB at 43433, certainly quite able to understand was is being said on their News (Michael Stevenson, Port Macquarie, N.S.W., Australia, Sangean ATS-909 with outdoor 15 metre longwire strung north/south, Jan 5, EDXP via DXLD) I don't know why 11755 was retained for the Kununurra service at 0700-1100, as the channel has for many years been occupied by Radio Finland, well heard throughout Australia via long-path. This is a further example of an inappropriate frequency selection, with the planning process hopelessly flawed by inadequate analysis of channel occupancy in the primary service area - in this case Australia and the Pacific. Conversely, and this should be part of the process, the Australian transmission on 11755 would also be audible in Europe, via the same propagation path, causing disturbance to Finland in its primary coverage area. HCJB ought now to select a better channel, free of other signals, and they can only do this by actually observing spectrum usage as actually monitored across Australia and the Pacific! Prior to the start up of HCJB Australia, I had attempted unsucessfully to contact someone/anyone in the Australian organization about the Finland clash, but no reply was ever received from several E-mails, FAXes, and telephone calls! In the end I gave up, completely exasperated. I believe that they will run into further severe problems by attempting to use 15480 from 1230-1730 to Asia. Don't they know that 15480 is currently occupied by Voice of America, Philippines, 1300- 1500, to the same target area, AND by Voice of Russia, Samara, 1300- 1600, also to the same target area? Are these frequencies being merely selected at random? Again, has an analysis been made of actual monitored spectrum usage in the principal target area on 15480? (Bob Padula, Mont Albert, Victoria, Australia, Jan 5, EDXP via DXLD) {Later: IBB usage is no longer in effect} I don't know but from the results I read this morning (in the USA) it seems as if the people who choose frequencies for HCJB-Australia just don't have a clue about the best channel to reach the target audience! I guess they wanted to retain 11755 simply because that was the channel used for the last few years from the Pifo site. Now, they may have to look at a channel in the 11.55-11.7 range if they want to reach the desired target with such low power. I myself had no luck trying for Kununurra earlier today: 0700 nothing heard; and before 1200 I had YLE-Finland with some audibility (a church service) on 11755... no trace of HCJB-AUS at all! When will frequency managers finally get the idea that a clear frequency is the best option to reach distant areas via shortwave, not on a channel that has other stations using it --- whether they are targeting the same area as the station in question or not? I'll tell you, now Havana is using 6195 (possibly to the Caribbean) after 0300 in Spanish, where BBCWS to Europe is very good at my location, and sometimes RHC can cause interference with BBC depending on propagation conditions (Joe Hanlon in Philadelphia, USA, Jan 5, EDXP via DXLD) ** AUSTRIA. [Historical item]. [see also under Germany]. And in Austria - the American operated Blue Danube Network lists Salzburg 0.35 kW on 9617 and 5080 plus a MW network operating 0600-2400 in English. Then there was Sendergruppe Rot-Weiss-Rot (also in the American Zone) operating in German on 9562 with 10 kW (location could also be Salzburg) plus Vienna 755 100 kW, Linz 773 100 kW and Salzburg 1250 10 kW. In the French Zone there was Landessender Tirol using listed 6000 with 0.5 kW while in the USSR Zone there was RAVAG at Vienna using 7245 & 9665 both 0.3 kW. Their address says "Oeffentliche Verwalter fuer das oesterreichische Rundspruchwesen" but ID as "Hier is R Wien" so RAVAG may mean something else? The British had a station but for BFN and via three MW only (Graz & Klagenfurt 565 and Vienna 868). As said, I can remember hearing 5470 and 9617, but not the other frequencies on SW (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Jan 2 via DXLD) ** BARBADOS. Barbados Advocate columnist thinks Barbados should have a shortwave station HOW ABOUT DIFFERENT RADIO STATIONS? Web Posted - Fri Jan 03 2003 Showtime Commentary By David Hinkson EVERY now and again the Broadcasting Authority reveals whether there are new applications pending for radio stations in Barbados, but I haven`t heard anything new in this regard lately. Is this confirmation that we probably have too many stations? If so, that is a shame, really, because even though we have easy- listening stations (BBS and Love), youth-oriented stations (HOTT, Liberty and Mix), traditional stations (900 AM and VOB) and religious stations (Faith and Gospel 790) depending on the time of day you can hear the same music on practically all of them. How about coming with something totally different? I think that jazz and classical music have enough of a following to generate advertising revenue for a specialised station, and in terms of local content there are enough local jazz musicians producing good material that can get some exposure on such a station. Right now the only time we hear any real jazz on the radio is when the Jazz Festival is coming up, and as we all know not all of the featured performers are jazz musicians per se. With regard to classical music, we have enough of those musicians around as well, and what could also be useful would be highlighting the Youth Orchestra and the bands from our secondary schools. Steel pan music could also be highlighted here. A news radio station could also be a good idea bringing news not just from Barbados but also from the region and the rest of the world. Along with local news programmes catering to all the aspects of news (sports, business, human interest and so on) we could also bring such programmes from the region and from the BBC, especially if in the case of the latter they deal with major issues such as globalisation and the Gulf situation. It might be useful to convert the station currently bringing broadcasts from Parliament (100.7 FM) to that purpose, and what could also be helpful is if programmes were brought where various parties discussed the day`s proceedings in Parliament and the Senate, especially if a major matter was before the House, for example at Budget time or if major bills were being passed in one of the key sectors of the country`s affairs. These shows can take the forms of both discussion and call-in programmes. In the absence of such a station, however, I would hope that when and if the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) gets fully back onto its feet again, it can seriously look into this area, and as was once suggested by a former head of the Broadcast Authority, it might be good to put a news station on the short wave band so the region can truly have a voice on the world stage. http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/NewViewNewsleft.cfm?Record=11387 (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** BELARUS`. The transmitter in Minsk on 6115 kHz has been reactivated for Belarusian Radio 1 (-1150- UT) // 6080 kHz. Contrary to info in certain DX lists, 6115 has been totally silent since the switch-off in early 2002. Another earlier key frequency for Belarusian Radio 1 in Minsk, 7210 kHz (which also was switched off in 2002), is remaining silent so far (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, 5 Jan, Cumbredx mailing list, via DXLD) So is the following really Belarus` transmitter? (gh) {No: 3-004} RUSSIA. 6115, 0155-, R. ROSSII, Jan 4 Test tones till toh then stopped. To time 5 pips, then to short IS and male announcer with ID as R. Rossii in Russian. Then to possible news items in Russian. Signal level at S8 but rapid fades. Nice clear signal till 0206 when some side splatter started but mostly audible (Bob Montgomery, Levittown, PA USA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) BELARUS` STOPS RE-BROADCAST OF RUSSIAN RADIO | Text of report by Belarusian news agency Belapan Minsk, 3 January: The re-broadcasting of Russian FM radio stations Mayak, Golos Rossii and Yunost will be stopped, according to a press release from the Belarusian Radio and TV Broadcasting Company. The decision was adopted due to "the development of regional radio broadcasting and expanded broadcasting by the radio station Stalitsa". Transmitters that were used to re-broadcast Mayak and Golos Rossii will be assigned to Stalitsa, while transmitters that relayed Yunost will be broadcasting a regional radio station. "Re-broadcasting of these radio stations was previously financed from the Belarusian state budget. This is no longer possible due to the shortage of budgetary funds. Russian radio stations should themselves take care of rebroadcasting their programmes in Belarus by concluding contracts with the Ministry of Communications," the press release says. Source: Belapan news agency, Minsk, in Belarusian 1850 gmt 3 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) NO RUSSIAN RADIO IN BELARUS - DEPUTY MINISTER | Excerpt from report by Belarusian news agency Belapan Minsk, 4 January: Regional broadcasting will be expanded in Belarus in 2003. "I cannot say anything about TV channels, but radio stations will be opened in all regional capitals and Minsk," Deputy Minister of Information Syarhey Bulatski has told Belapan. He also said that a TV channel similar to Russia's Kultura will be created. Bulatski pointed out that the concept of the operation of Russian radio stations in Belarus will undergo change. "There will be absolutely no Russian radio stations. If a Russian radio station sets up shop in Belarus, it will have to carry from 30 to 50 per cent of local content," Bulatski said. [Passage omitted: details of potential Russian, Belarusian media projects] [Belarusian state radio and TV recently announced that three Russian radio stations would no longer be re-broadcast in Belarus. See Belapan news agency, Minsk, in Belarusian 1850 gmt 3 Jan 03] Source: Belapan news agency, Minsk, in Belarusian 1320 gmt 4 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. R. Nacional de Huanuni, Dec 31, 0540-0656 on 5964.77 kHz, the station made a special extended transmission, playing much folklore music (cuecca, sanjuanito, etc). (Shoji YAMADA, Tokyo, Japan, RNM, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. I heard a station today 4 Jan UT at 0415 on 4935 and I can't figure out who it was. Male announcer in Spanish with talk radio format until 0435 then possible ID (which I can't make out) and into music with a different male announcer. I have a Windows Media File at http://dybka.home.mindspring.com/jill/radio/4935.wma If someone is curious and can figure out who this is :) Thanks (Jilly Dybka, TN, Cumbre DX via DXLD) It`s R. Capixaba, Brasil, in Portuguese, not Spanish. ID can be heard at 1:05 into the file. Apparently is 24 hours, 1 kW (Glenn Hauser, OK, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** CUBA. Trying to reconfirm times and frequencies for En Contacto, RHC`s Spanish DX program. The website http://www.radiohc.cu lists it on Sundays at 1335-1350 and UT Mondays 0135-0150 when I have not yet checked. I did hear it at a time missing from the posted schedule, but when it used to be on and no doubt has been for years, Sun 2155 UT or so Jan 5, tuned in at 2203 to the end of a feature on R. Venceremos, El Salvador. Later Arnie Coro phoned in a propagation report, ended at 2210. The only frequency I could find this on was 15230, not on any other listed or unlisted Habana frequencies. I suppose they don`t bother to mention this timing since is part of a magazine Revista Iberoamericana --- but that`s no excuse (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also AUSTRALIA ** CUBA. From a story about James Cason, new head of the US Interests Section: He has continued the controversial radio giveaway program that earned his predecessor, Vicki Huddleston, the nickname "radio ambassador." In the past four months he and his staff have handed out about 2,000 Chinese-made short-wave receivers to Cubans, an initiative meant to increase access to foreign stations, especially Radio Marti, the federally funded, Miami-based station generally blocked by the Cuban government. Castro has denounced the initiative as meddling and subversive, claiming it violates Cuba's sovereignty. Cason counters that U.S. embassies give away radios in many countries and that Radio Marti is not programmed or marked on the dial. "Isn't this an irony?" Cason said. "The world's largest communist country is making a radio that Cuba is afraid of." http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/cuba/sfl-hbauza05jan05,0,1277527.column?coll=sfla-news-cuba (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** CYPRUS TURKISH. 6150, R. Bayrak Int'l, 2202 Jan 3. Presumed them with rock music after China off. Have heard the Baby Love by the Supremes mentioned by George Maroti and Steve Lare, but tonight they had Smooth by Rob Thomas and Santana on at 2207. They were actually strong enough that I could tune them in on 6148.5 to avoid going to LSB. By 2215 they were hard to hear even on LSB. This during a snowstorm with about 5" on the ground as I listened (John Sgrulletta, Mahopac, NY, USA JRC NRD-515/K9AY & A/D Sloper, Cumbre DX via DXLD) 6150, Bayrak Radio International, 2156-2212 Jan 3. Jazz music after CRI signed off, then brief talk by OM. Some more jazz, then an ID in English by the OM, mentioning shortwave. Rap style jingle ID, ("Bayrak, Bayrak, Bayrak International"), then some rap and soul music. Santana's "Smooth" at 2207. Signal faded out by 2212, but SINPO was 33333, with S8 signal strength at tune-in. Modulation was weak however (George Maroti New York, Drake R8B, K9AY loop, 100 foot T2FD, 45 meter long dipole, 150 foot LW fed by coax and noise reducing impedance matching transformer, EDXP via DXLD) ** CZECH REPUBLIC [non]. 8963, 0218-, R. PRAGUE, Jan 4, English broadcast which I found // 6200 in USB format. Strange but was clearly in USB on this freq. IS heard at 0227 with ID at that time on both frequencies. Poor audio quality in USB format but was audible. Have never noticed this before. IS and ID by female heard again at 0230 with email address (Bob Montgomery, PA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** DJIBOUTI. DESTITUTE DJIBOUTI PINES FOR U.S. AID --- PLENTY OF MONEY ALLOTTED TO FIGHT TERROR, LITTLE TO BOOST ECONOMY, RESIDENTS SAY Mark Fineman, Los Angeles Times Saturday, December 28, 2002 Djibouti -- Just beyond the barbed-wire berms and guard posts that mask the U.S. military's secretive special operations base, past a cratered road strewn with scrap heaps and human waste, Kadija Omar expects the Americans to deliver.... http://www.sfgate.com/cgi- bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/12/28/MN108493.DTL (via San Francisco Chronicle, via Jilly Dybka, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) Mentions upcoming `VOA` station ** ECUADOR. I continue to be awed by the odd pronunciation guesses by Jeff Ingram, who is entrusted with reading so much material for DX Partyline. Doesn`t anyone at HCJB notice or care? On the Jan 4 show, he read Christer Brunström`s monthly Christian radio feature, this time about World Harvest Radio. He must never have heard this fellow Christian broadcaster, since he pronounced LeSEA ``Lacey``; Marie Lamb became Mary; and Joe Brashier, ``Brashler`` (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE. re 3-001: ``Even France Inter stopped broadcasting across France on longwave in 1997.`` Sic, must read mediumwave; frequencies were amongst the ones just put on tender (675, 1071, 1161, 1350). Longwave 162 is still in use of course. And the longwave stations operating from Monaco, Luxembourg and Saarland are not really foreign ones, just let me mention the term "peripherical stations". (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. 6085, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Munich – Ismaning, Jan 2, 3 and 4, *0500-0515 German, opening without I/S, but straight on with TA and ID: ``Es ist sechs Uhr. B5 Aktuell --- Das Informations Radio``, news from Bayern 5 Aktuell including information on severe flooding and road conditions. SINPO 44434. Also heard Jan 2, 3 & 5, 1920-2300*, also B5 programming. 43443 QRM Deutsche Welle in German 6075 and Deutsche Welle in Chinese 6090. The Ismaning carrier was off between 2300 and 0500, thus the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk programs are no longer relayed at night! Instead these stations were noted here in Denmark on 6085: WYFR Family R in English 0000-0100, VoIRI Tehran in Bengali 0030-0130, 0050-0200 tentative Krasnoyarsk in Russian (ex 5290), and *0200-0220 R Oman strong with readings in Arabic from the Qur`an. Best 73, (Anker Petersen, Denmark, Jan 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. 1953 history: You may remember I mentioned AFN Germany using SW - part of my "voyage of re-discovery" is that in 1953 Bayreuth is listed on 5470 kc/s 55.03 m 0.35 kW operating 0500-2400. The MW outlet for Bayreuth was 665 with 10 kW. This town did not have an AFN studio, so what the purpose of 5470 was I cannot guess. You might also be interested to know that Frankfurt had 6190 1.2 kW - the NWDR had lost its SW to a foreign service -- see under future plans: The German Foreign Service on SW from NWDR will probably start its service in the course of January (1954) . The programs will be beamed to five areas on the seven SW frequencies used by NWDR - another 20 kW station under construction in Norden-Osterloog. 7290 & 11795 were listed as either 20 kW or 0.4 kW. 6270 with 0.4 kW and 0.35 kW on 9735 15275 17815 & 17845. Some of those seem very familiar to this day! Suedwestfunk Baden-Baden had 6320 1 kW - Muehlacker had 6030 20 kW and RIAS Berlin Britz 6005 20 kW. The GDR had a list of stations but not their frequencies - they were shown separately. SW were 6115 7150 (used for Berlin I) and 9730 (used for Berlin III). The address was at Nalepastrasse 18-50 in Berlin- Oberschoeneweide. I think that must be the end of today`s History of Radio lesson! It's difficult to close an old WRTH once it has been opened. The 1953 edition had 136 pages and cost 10 shillings and 6 pence in old British currency, 55 pence in the new. I think around 0.75 Euro [I'm not sure how to express that properly - is it 75 cents?] (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Jan 2 via DXLD) see also AUSTRIA ** GERMANY EAST. PROPAGANDA BROADCASTS TO US TROOPS Glenn, A recent contributor wrote about hearing "Professor Lobo" broadcasting to the American armed forces. I can confirm that these broadcasts, on the air from around 1961-68, came from East Germany and were broadcast under the title "O.P.S. Berlin" (a nice military title, don't you think!). These transmissions went out nightly for half an hour from 2200 or 2300 UT on mediumwave and two or three shortwave frequencies. I think the MW frequency was 1421 kHz, a frequency used by Danmarks Radio until about 2210. Both signals were heard in southern England at about equal strength until the Danish station closed down, after which O.P.S. was well received. The shortwave transmissions were on the 6 and 7 MHz band (nearly 40 years after, I am a bit vague about the details). The opening announcement for O.P.S was: "This is O.P.S Berlin, the programme that entertains and informs. We broadcast nightly for Americans in West Germany and Europe." The O.P.S. programme went out as the final broadcast of the night on Radio Berlin International's European service. RBI did not list it in their English schedule and O.P.S did not often reveal that it was part of RBI, although it did mention that fact occasionally. I was first alerted to its existence when I saw it listed as a "clandestine station" in the bulletin of the Danish Shortwave Clubs International, although it was not a true clandestine in the sense of other stations emanating from East Germany, such as Deutsche Freiheitssender, Deutsche Soldatensender and Bizim Radio (beamed to Turkey). Actually, its style reminded me of tapes I had heard of Nazi wartime broadcasts to Allied troops, except that it was smoother and the politics were very different. Professor Lobo spoke with a deep African-American accent and came across as the wise guy who knew the answer to every problem. Most of the records played were by black artists, creating the impression that black servicemen were the main target. There were sometimes very subtle suggestions, in speech and music, that listeners might consider defecting to East Germany. Between items there was relaxed banter between Lobo and a female announcer. The news bulletins, which were different to those of mainstream RBI, frequently juxtaposed items about Vietnam and racial oppression in the US in order to establish a psychological connection between the two problems. The people behind this effort were well versed in propaganda techniques! I think I heard some of the voices from O.P.S. a few years later on Radio Habana Cuba. O.P.S. was not heard (at least by me) after 1968, when its mediumwave frequency was taken over, during the invasion of Czechoslovakia, by an East German "black" clandestine station broadcasting in Czech ("Very bad Czech", according to a comment I heard on Radio Free Prague). Another interesting fact: O.P.S. used an address in Berlin W8, which listeners probably thought was in West Berlin; in fact it was in the eastern part of the city. Every weekend O.P.S broadcast a radio play entitled "Conspiracy of Silence", designed to expose real or imaginary Nazis holding high positions in West Germany. I remember that the closing announcement for the feature said something like (referring to the alleged Nazis) that "whether you wear the uniform of the armed forces or civilian clothes, whether you are coloured or white, you should know that these inhuman criminals are at liberty in the so- called Free World". And a final note: Britain's leading expert on radio warfare, Sefton Delmer, wrote about the station in his autobiography: "Nearer home the Soviet Germans in East Berlin have been broadcasting a counterfeit of the US forces' radio to the American troops involved in the dispute over Ulbricht's Berlin wall....(they) can even chalk up one small success for this operation. They forced the American troops to abandon their amiable habit of wearing their names on their uniforms. For Communist spies copied the names and the radio men then used them to embellish stories in the broadcasts of their counterfeit radio just as we would have used the names of German officers on Calais or Gustav Siegfried Eins during the war. They were less happy in their choice of a theme song for the station. Whether they knew it or not, the tune the Soviet Germans and their American Communist radio men were playing to introduce their broadcast was that of 'Don't fence me in...!", a somewhat double-edged jest for the defenders of Ulbricht's wall." (Source: Black Boomerang, Secker and Warburg (London), 1962, pages 296-297). (Roger Tidy, UK, Jan 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) {Clarification: see 3-004} ** GERMANY EAST. Re WWII propaganda stations: 1430 OPS - Out-Post-Station. OPS - Out-Post-Station was a special service from RBI-GDR Radio towards US soldiers serving in West Berlin and Western Europe. Started service on August 25, 1961 as "Berlin Island Station". Renamed from August 26, 1961, on air till Januar 1972 as "Out Post Station". RBI MW frequencies at this time span: 1133, 1430, or 1511 kHz. But OPS used 1430 kHz from 1961, and some SW broadcasts also, like 6080 7185 7300 9730, not 6115; from 1968: 6080 6115 7185, and 9730. All at 2300-2330 UT. Also a small FM transmitter was on air in East Berlin-GDR on UKW 98.6? MHz, targeted towards the American Sector of (West) Berlin. In German "IHRF Handbook 1965/1966" also a noon service at 1100 UT was mentioned on 1430 kHz. "This is OPS Berlin, the program which entertains and informs. We broadcast nightly to Americans in West Germany and Europe." And after a transmitter switching procedure from 1430 to 1511 kHz of 15 minutes, a similar program in French language registered: MW 1511 kHz 198.5 mb 2345-0015 UT "Cette nuit à Berlin" SW 6080 6115 7300 9730 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany West, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUAM. 9465 kHz, KTWR, 1200 Dec 29 with IS then into Japanese. Was awaiting the English part of the Japan SW Club broadcast. At 1214 there was one sentence spoken in EG but then a number of people were all talking at once. Then at 1220 a male talking about the history of the JSWC interrupted the program. Just as they started an interview with Toshi Ohtake on his trip to "last week's Winterfest" the transmission cut back in mid-sentence to JP. Either poor editing or transmitter troubles due to the Super Typhoon. Signal strength was good but much noise that appeared on the channel only after the broadcast started (John Sgrulletta, NY, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** GUAM. KTWR update --- retraction of an earlier report. Hello to the group, I went back to KTWR and decided to check on something. Seemed I saw something on a picture I took and it didn't look right. Turned out my feelings were right. KTWR did sustain some damage to two of its antennas and it was quite a shock as I hadn't noticed it before. I thought it had gone untouched. As I was standing there in the path to take a picture, one of the station engineers, NH2CW, called to me to come get a closer look at the station, plus I was given the chance to view inside the transmitter room in which he was just about to throw the switch. This was at 1730 local time [0730 UT]. The antennas sustained an estimated damage of 1/2 million dollars, but fortunately the towers were unharmed. So I hope it gives a better idea here. Sorry for the confusion but I hope it helps out. I know that many of you are also wondering about the hams here, and if you read the article by KF6ILA, then you will notice many are fine and well. I think that if any of you have any extra antennas you don't need and may want to donate to the club here. It would be helpful. There are no radio stores here for 5000 miles (73's from Guam this is Larry Fields, n6hpx/du1, Jan 5, swl via DXLD) ** INDIA. For the last couple of days AIR Aligarh is noted testing their new 250 KW transmitter on 9470 at various times: e.g. 0200, 1100 etc. (Note: 9470 is also used by Delhi at 1350-0043 for National Service now but the new Aligarh transmitters will take over this transmission once their tests are over.) Another new transmitter of 250 kw will also be tested by Aligarh very soon. There are four old transmitters of 250 kw at Aligarh site and these 2 new transmitters replace two of them. 73 (Jose Jacob, Jan 4, dx_india via DXLD) The schedule of test transmissions from the new 250 kW of AIR Aligarh is as follows: 9470 0130-0530, 0930-1230. It relays AIR FM II programs from Delhi in Hindi & English. Parallel frequency is 9425 Bangalore 500 kW which is also testing (Jose Jacob, Jan 5, ibid.) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. The rest of the story: the new DW airings on WRN replace SRI (Kevin A. Kelly, MA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM [non]. PROMINENT RADIO ASTRONOMER DIES HERE IN TASMANIA You probably have heard about this and I have met hams who knew him but I personally never met him. He mainly kept to himself although he constructed a huge long-wave antenna for radio astronomy. Yes, that is right, he used to map the sky on LW! When he started it was electrically quiet but the HT lines from the Electricity grid made it difficult. He lived in the sparsely populated Central Highlands near Bothwell/Ouse and as the article below says lived here since 1954 but he periodically returned to the States. Grote, as far as I am aware, never took out a VK7 callsign, although he was instrumental in the Tasmanian University getting involved in radio astronomy. Remember the film" Contact" with Jodie Foster? In the credits they acknowledged the pioneering work of Grote and inspiration for the film. Ironically, the film was shown on the local TV channel just a few weeks prior to his death. The majority of Tasmanians were unaware that he lived here. Grote died on December 20th at the Ellendale Multipurpose Health Centre and it was not publicly announced until the 28th (Robin L. Harwood, VK7RH/ Editor, ``Spotlight on SWLing", Norwood, Tasmania, Jan 4, swl via DXLD) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ He was one of those radio pioneers I would love to have met INTERNATIONAL SILENT KEYS: RADIO ASTRONOMY PIONEER GROTE REBER, EX- W9GFZ, SK Grote Reber, ex-W9GFZ, one of the earliest pioneers of radio astronomy, died December 20 in VK7 Tasmania, where he had been living since 1954. He was 90. Reber was the first person to build a radio telescope dedicated to astronomy, and his self-financed experiments laid the foundation for today's advanced radio astronomy facilities. "All radio astronomers who have followed him owe Grote Reber a deep debt for his pioneering work," said National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) Director Fred Lo. Reber was the first to systematically study the sky by observing something other than visible light. "This gave astronomy a whole new view of the universe," Lo said. Reber constructed a parabolic dish antenna in 1937, using his own funds, a nine-meter (31.4 feet) dish antenna in his backyard. The strange contraption attracted the attention of curious neighbours and became somewhat of a minor tourist attraction, he later recalled. In 1941, Reber produced the first radio map of the sky, based on a series of systematic observations. Reber's research results were published in a number of prestigious technical journals. He also received numerous honours normally reserved for scientists professionally trained in astronomy. Ohio State University conferred an honorary doctorate on Reber on 1962. In a 1977 paper, "Endless, Boundless, Stable Universe" http://personal.nbnet.nb.ca/galaxy/G_Reber.html Reber concluded: "Time is merely a sequence of events. There is no beginning nor ending. The material universe extends beyond the greatest distances we can observe optically or by radio means. It is boundless." Reber's amateur call sign, W9GFZ, now is held by the NRAO Amateur Radio Club in Socorro, New Mexico (written text NRAO news release by Dave Finley, N1IRZ; Tom Crowley, KT4XN via the arrl letter. Audio thanks to SPECTRUM TASMANIA.) (via Robin Harwood, DXLD) ** IRAN. FINES FOR VIOLATORS OF SATELLITE DISH CODE From http://www.tehrantimes.com Wednesday, January 01, 2003 The Majlis on Sunday set an amount of cash fines for importers, dealers, and owners of illegal satellite dish equipment. The deputies approved a bill stipulating that the equipment will be confiscated and illegal importers and distributors of such equipment will be required to pay a total cash fine of 10 to 100 million rials (U.S.$1,250 to 12,500). Also, owners of unauthorized satellite facilities will be required to pay a fine of one to three million rials (U.S.$125 to 375). (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. The press service of SANAM also says that the first independent radio of Southern Azerbaijanis "Voice of South Azerbaijan Radio" will be broadcasted in near future. The radio will broadcast programmes directed towards South Azerbaijan, beginning the first week of January. The radio-programmes to be broadcasted twice a week (Baku Today via Jilly Dybka, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) WTFK?? ** KOREA NORTH. The webmaster of this country`s official and only website, http://www.korea-dpr.com --- Alejandro Cao de Benos, who is in Spain, was interviewed on NPR Weekend Edition Saturday Jan 4: http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/wesat/20030104.wesat.03.ram Site features the cult of personality of the Leaders, includes some links to nice stereo music, as long as we can`t understand the lyrix. P`yongyang is truly a winter wonderland (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. Foreign correspondent, now Ohio University professor, wants RFA Korean on MW to North Korea Also helpful, he said, would be to begin broadcasting "real, solid, impartial news" via Radio Free Asia into North Korea on the AM band rather than shortwave, seeing as very few North Koreans own shortwave radios. Though the United States has said it hasn't been able to get permission from neighboring countries for radio towers, Martin scoffed at this excuse. "If you can arrange wars, surely you can arrange signal towers," he said. http://www.athensnews.com/issue/article.php3?story_id=11121 (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) Also says acting president Bush should withdraw NK from the Axis of Evil club --- doing that set off Dear Leader`s fear he`s next for US military action, and consequent escalation (gh, DXLD) ** LIBERIA. 5470, R. Veritas, 0602-0635 01/04 English. Hi-life music followed by ID ``Radio Veritas from ..(?).. center with news, entertainment and spiritual programs. Today is January 4, 2003; Welcome``. Continuous Up-beat/reggae-like music with religious themes until 0623 when announcement for ``brothers and sisters`` and meeting reminder for ``council members`` at 9 and 11 AM. More music and ID ``Radio Veritas; your friendly station`` at 0632. Good, strong signal; much better than 11/03/2002 when I last heard them (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., Intervale, NH, Sangean ATS 818, RF Systems MLB-1 kit; RS longwire kit & RBA-1 balun, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5469.97, Radio Veritas, 0604 Jan 5. Religious service, prayer "Glory be to the father and to the spirit", scripture reading from Ezekiel, African gospel music, ID @ 0613, schedule, another ID @ 0614, program "Sunday Messages" about Biblical readings, this edition "The Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord" (Ralph Brandi, NJ, Cumbre DX via DXLD) 5470, R. Veritas, 0722 Jan 5, English commentary on "complimentary health care systems and then into Bing Crosby vocals (don't tempt me in ?) for 10 secs and then "you have been listening to.. Radio Veritas, weak but intelligible (David Norrie, Bucklands Beach, Auckland, NZ, AOR 7030, hard-core DX via DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. 5010, Radio Madagascar 0301 sign-on Jan 5, Malagasy national anthem --- matches anthem at http://www.countryreports.org/sounds/madagasc.mid --- talk in Malagasy with mentions of Madagascar and possible ID, Malagasy pop music; faded out by 0330 (Ralph Brandi, NJ, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** MEXICO. Note especially the sections on IBOC, and on shortwave. FOX Y LOS RADIODIFUSORES: La CIRT acepta renovación legal Fernando Mejía Barquera Tras cuatro años de discursos repetitivos y previsibles en los cuales el presidente Zedillo se volvió monotemático al pedir a los radiodifusores que se ``autorregulen`` pues él, según advirtió, no promovería reforma alguna en materia de medios electrónicos, la Semana Nacional de Radio y Televisión que organiza la CIRT tuvo por fin motivo de interés: la presencia de Vicente Fox como invitado especial en una cena con los empresarios radiofónicos y de tv el 6 de octubre en el ex convento de San Hipólito. Había la expectativa de conocer las posturas del Presidente electo y los radiodifusores sobre un tema que se espera relevante en el sexenio foxista: la probable reforma a la legislación sobre medios electrónicos. Tanto Fox como los radiodifusores mostraron sólo algunas de sus cartas, como esperando que la contraparte muestre más claramente sus intenciones en los próximos meses. La CIRT, a través de un discurso enviado por su presidente, Joaquín Vargas Guajardo *quien no estuvo en el encuentro con Fox debido, según se supo, a problemas familiares*, aceptó que ``la legislación a todas luces debe ser modificada``, pero sostuvo que ninguna reforma deberá hacerse sin la participación de los concesionarios: ``Los empresarios de radio y televisión *dijo* tenemos mucho que aportar, por lo que tampoco concebimos la modificación del marco jurídico actual sin tener en cuenta nuestras opiniones``. Finalmente dejó claro el rechazo de los ra diodifusores a la propuesta que diversos grupos, partidos y personas han manejado en el sentido de que se constituya un organismo de carácter autónomo *un consejo o comisión* que tenga facultades decisorias en la función de otorgar concesiones de radio y TV: ``Estamos en desacuerdo *expuso Vargas* en que esas facultades se trasladen a un grupo determinado sin haber explicado previamente y con absoluta claridad los propósitos y alcances, sus normas de actuación y sus respectivos controles``. Y remató: ``Ni para el otorgamiento de las concesiones ni para los refrendos debe someterse a los concesionarios a presiones o chantajes``. Por su parte, Vicente Fox prefirió dar una imagen conciliatoria y afirmó que ``el gobierno de la República habrá de acudir al diálogo para llegar a acuerdos; las transformaciones se deberán tener con la participación de la CIRT (y) también con los usuarios``. El punto de partida en el probable proceso de reforma a la legislación sobre medios electrónicos parece estar claro. Los concesionarios estarían dispuestos a ``aceptar`` modificaciones a la ley pero condicionándola a: 1) que por ningún motivo se les margine del proceso; 2) que la forma de otorgar o revocar concesiones permanezca inalterada o, en su caso, tenga alteraciones mínimas. La pregunta es: ¿cuáles serían las modificaciones a la ley que los concesionarios sí aceptarían? RADIO DIGITAL EN MÉXICO Una de las actividades más interesantes y menos atendidas por los medios dentro de la 42 Semana Nacional de Radio y Televisión fue la presencia de representantes del consorcio iBiquity Digital para ofrecer a los radiodifusores mexicanos información sobre el avance en Estados Unidos del sistema de radio digital llamado IBOC (In Band OnChannel). La radio digital permite recibir señales de audio con ``cali dad compact disc`` y será de uso cotidiano en el siglo XXI sustituyendo a las actuales transmisiones ``analógicas``. En el mundo hay actualmente dos tipos de tecnología en materia de radio digital: las que exigen emplear frecuencias distintas a las habituales de AM y FM, y las que tienen precisamente como objetivo difundir señales digitales dentro de estos parámetros, es decir, en la banda de 535 a 1605 kilohertz para el caso de AM y de 88 a 108 megahertz en el de FM. Todas ellas están en proceso de experimentación. En EU se ha desarrollado el sistema IBOC que ofrece la ventaja de transmitir audio digital a través de AM y FM, e iBiquity Digital es la empresa que encabeza el esfuerzo por convencer a la Comisión Federal de Comunicaciones de Estados Unidos (FCC) para que ese sistema sea aceptado como norma técnica o ``estándar`` para las transmisiones de radio digital en ese país. El consorcio iBiquity se creó en julio de este año y es resultado de la alianza entre dos empresas: Luncent Digital Radio y USA Digital Radio. Entre las empresas que apoyan la adopción del sistema IBOC como ``estándar`` para las transmisiones digitales en Estados Unidos están 15 de las más importantes cadenas de radio en esa nación, así como importantes empresas fabricantes de equipo y diseño de tecnología, entre ellas la cadena ABC, Clear Channel Communications *que, por cierto, tiene inversión en México dentro del Grupo ACIR*, Cox Radio, Hispanic Corporation y Harris Corporation (esta última la productora de equipo más importante de Estados Unidos). Para iBiquity acercarse a la Cámara Nacional de la Industria de Radio y Tele visión *que agrupa a los concesionarios de 747 es taciones de AM y 377 de FM* es estratégico, pues sería un extraordinario alia do para impulsar la adopción del sistema IBOC para las transmisiones de radio di gital en México, un merca do muy atractivo en términos de compra de tecnología y de equipo. CUCO SÁNCHEZ Figura en la época dorada de la radio *1940 a 1960* y gran vendedor de discos aun en la actualidad, Cu co Sánchez (José del Refugio Sánchez Saldaña), creador del blues mexicano, como lo definió en alguna ocasión Parménides García Saldaña, falleció el 5 de octubre. Nacido en Altamira, Tamaulipas, el 3 de mayo de 1921, Cuco debutó en la XEW como compositor y cancionero en 1940. Aunque no colocó en las listas de popularidad tan tas canciones como, por ejemplo, José Alfredo Jiménez, sí hizo llegar al hit parade mexicano melo días que han devenido clási cas como ``Fallaste corazón`` (1954), ``Grítenme piedras del campo`` (primer lu gar de popularidad en junio de 1956), ``La cama de piedra`` (primer lugar en enero de 1957) y ``No soy monedita de oro`` (1958), además de otros grandes éxitos radiofónicos y dis cográficos como ``El mil amores``, ``Nube pasajera``, ``Qué manera de perder`` y, por supuesto, ``Anillo de compromiso``. ONDA CORTA Uno de los temas casi olvidados en el ámbito de la radio es el de la onda cor ta. Durante el encuentro de diexistas mexicanos (es decir, la gente que escucha onda corta), celebrado en Oaxaca en agosto, se conoció una interesante estadística elaborada por el doctor Julián de Santiago y el ingeniero Héctor García Bojorge, del grupo Encuentro DX. En México existen autorizadas 17 estaciones de onda corta, de las cuales sólo cuatro funcionan regularmente, tres lo hacen de manera ocasional y las diez restantes permenecen inactivas. Las que funcionan con regularidad son: XEOI, Radio Mil (6010 khz); XEPPM, Radio Educación (6185 khz); XERMX, Radio México Internacional, del IMER (5985 y 9705 khz) y Radio Huayacocotla (2390 khz). Las que transmiten una temporada sí y otra no son: XERTA, Radio Transcontinental de América, concesionada a Roberto Nájera Martínez (4800 khz) en el DF; XEYU, Radio UNAM (9600 khz), y XEQM, Candela, una estación concesionada al grupo RASA en Mérida (6105 khz). Las que de plano han dejado de transmitir son: XEQK, del IMER (9555 khz); XEQQ de Televisa Radio (9680 khz); la histórica XEWW (con tres frecuencias: 6165, 9515 y 15160 khz), también de Televisa; XEUJ, Radio Linares, del Patronato Cultural de Linares, Nuevo León; XEXQ, Radio Universidad de San Luis Potosí (6045 khz); XEBR, La in vasora (11820 khz), del grupo MVS en Hermosillo, Sonora; XEUDS, Radio Universidad de Sonora (6115 khz); XECMT, Radio Fes tival (6090) de Ciudad Mante, concesionada a Organización Radiofónica Tamaulipeca; XEFT, La jarocha (9545 khz), controlada por el grupo FIRMESA en Veracruz; y XEUW (6020 khz) El eco de Sotavento, bajo control del grupo RASA en Veracruz. Mientras en otros países la radio de onda corta sigue siendo un recurso importante para la comunicación nacional e internacional, en México hay frecuencias ya asignadas que no transmiten. Los concesionarios que están desperdiciando ese recurso y la Secretaría de Comunicaciones que permite ese dispendio tendrían que decir algo al respecto. RADIO EN RED Es intención de esta columna, en cada una de sus entregas, proporcionar al lector un pequeño tip acerca de sitios de Internet que proveen información sobre radio o difunden audio con formatos radiofónicos en la red. La primera que señalamos es http://www.mexicoradiotv.com página elaborada por Fred Cantu (así, sin acento) un periodista chicano, reportero de la televisora KVUE de Austin, Texas. Es una página útil porque reúne las direcciones de los grupos radiofónicos mexicanos que tienen presencia en Internet, de las dependencias e instituciones privadas que participan en la actividad radiofónica, así como ligas con sitios vinculados a la radio en diversos países. http://www.etcetera.com.mx/3.asp (via TK Wood, Alexandria USA, DXLD) ** MEXICO. According to a reply from Grupo ACIR Puebla, they have 3 AM stations: XEPOP (1120), XEHR (1090), XEPUE (1210), and 3 FM stations: XHNP "La Grupera" (89.3), XHJE "Mas 94" (94.1), XHRH "La Romántica" (103.3). (Shoji YAMADA, Tokyo, Japan, RNM, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEWFOUNDLAND. 2 more stations I am looking for. VOCM 590 and CKVO 710. I heard several rumours about VOCM not QSL-ing, and other rumours who said that occasionally some people did receive VOCM QSLs. I can't find the address from CKVO, but it seems to be an sister station of VOCM, so I am afraid this one will be difficult too. So, any info about these stations, like QSL-address and if anyone received an QSL from them recently will be appreciated. Maybe there is an DX-club in New Foundland or an active DX-er that can do something to stimulate QSLing there...... MERRY XMAS!!!!!!!!!! "Dx-ing from the car out in the field" Located in East-Holland, using AOR AR7030plus and fixed beverages: 160m towards Africa and 450m 2- wire beverage for Asia/S. America Specialized in antennas and (low- band) broadcast DX (Dick van der Knaap, Dec 24, dxing.info via DXLD) VOCM has always been a poor verifier. Since they simulcast their programmes via Internet they stopped QSLing completely. In 99 I just got an e-Mail-QSL for a follow-up for a report from 1996, because that covered a reception done before they started streaming. Harold Steele harold.steele@vocm.com wrote: "Because VOCM and Magic-97 have real audio on the WWW, we do not make it a point to answer QSL reception reports." Several reports before remained unanswered. But who knows, these policies are not made for eternity, and perhaps you can persuade them to QSL. Address is in the WRTH. Greetings, (Martin Elbe, Germany, ibid.) There is more than one reason why stations like VOCM stop answering QSL requests. Until September 2002 I lived in St. John's, Newfoundland, and I visited VOCM on a number of occasions. VOCM is a first-rate company with a very high reputation in Newfoundland. It is easily the most popular station on MW in St. John's. It is heard regularly by DXers in Europe (although it is a tough catch for North American DXers outside of the Atlantic region). Consequently, it receives many reception reports from European DXers. About 10 years ago, prompted by appeals from a number of QSL-hunters, I took up the issue of reception reports with the engineer at VOCM. He used to reply to the reports from time to time. He showed me the accumulated stack of reception reports, which must have numbered at least 100. I looked through them, and in my opinion there were less than 10 that were worth a reply. There were a few cases of obvious fraud. For instance, one listener in California (the only letter from the US) claimed reception at a time that was just after noon in St. John's. However, the majority of letters from DXers were boring, rude or fragmentary. I would not have believed that someone capable of picking up a transatlantic signal would waste stamps on a form letter with ``I heard your station. Send me your QSL card.`` But there were many of these. Isn't it written all over the place that for local stations you should use local time, do not use SINPO, and clearly state your evidence for hearing the station? It is no exaggeration to say that more than half of the reception reports had no real programming details at all. Also, many reports were written on ``Report Forms`` that had been generated either by the DXer or by a DX club. Is there anything more boring to read? On a happier note, there were three or four really excellent reports. These contained all of the required elements of date, time, frequency, reception quality and programming details, plus they were interesting for a non-DXer to read! All of these reports came from Finland. The engineer, who I should say died of cancer about three years ago, answered these reports with QSL letters. (I don't know the present engineer.) So what is the moral of the story? Commercial stations that receive lots of reception reports fall into two QSLing categories. The first category will QSL almost everything as a public relations gesture. (Nowadays, E-mail QSLs cost nothing.) Such QSLs are obviously not worth much as confirmation of reception, although I will acknowledge that a nice card or a letter on good paper might be a decent souvenir. The second category, which includes VOCM and its affiliated stations, regard reception reports almost the same junk mail. It is not news to them that they can be heard in Europe. If someone insists on trying to QSL stations like VOCM, then I think that the letter must really stand out. This means a really interesting and original letter. Finally, I would suggest one write to the ``station manager`` or some on-air personality. The engineers have seen enough from DXers. I still travel to Newfoundland from time to time, but I'm sorry to say that I won't visit VOCM or any other station on behalf of QSL-hunters again. It is too simply embarrassing. With best wishes for Christmas and the New Year to everyone! (Jean Burnell, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, Dec 24, ibid.) ** NORWAY. Re BBCWS on "Radio Norway" frequencies: In fact Radio Norway is dead and gone. Instead NRK puts also the all-news network Alltid Nyheter on the shortwave feed, and Alltid Nyheter relays the BBC Worldservice at times. So BBC relays on NRK / Radio Danmark frequencies are simply NRK output. Regards, (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) in English?? ** OKLAHOMA. HAMS HELP OUT DURING OKLAHOMA TELEPHONE EMERGENCY Hams responded to fill a communication gap December 23 after the town of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, experienced a city-wide telephone outage that left telephone customers unable to call outside their local exchange. Broken Arrow implemented its Telecommunications Failure Plan as a result. A request went out for amateurs to assist at the local emergency operations center (EOC) and at three area hospitals. Several hams in and around the town of 75,000 residents responded to the call. Four Broken Arrow Amateur Radio Club members staffed positions at the Broken Arrow EOC and at three hospital emergency rooms. Tulsa Amateur Radio Emergency Service member Joe Iverson, KD5KKZ, reported to the City of Tulsa EOC. "All in all, things went smoothly," said Broken Arrow ARC president Steve Bradley, KB5ZSD. "The city officials were again very impressed and appreciative with the amateur community's commitment to service and response to the emergency. It is times like these that such partnerships between local government and the local hams become invaluable." The operation lasted about five hours. In addition to passing traffic between the EOC and the hospitals, lines of communication also were opened with the Oklahoma State Department of Civil Emergency Management in Oklahoma City via the EOC's HF amateur station. The telephone system troubles were traced to the loss of a digital protocol needed for call routing (ARRL Letter Jan 3 via DXLD) ** PERU. R. La Reina de la Selva, Chachapoyas. Dec 30, 1030-1110 on 5486.74, heard many huaynito criollos. Simple IDs with timechecks were given, "5 de la mañana con 34 minutos, 5.34 de la mañana. Ésta es Radio La Reina de la Selva.", etc. (Shoji YAMADA, Tokyo, Japan, RNM, DX LISTENING DIGEST) {Actually Reyna, the owner`s name, wordplay} ** PERU. Hola Glenn... Saludos desde Venezuela y Feliz Año Nuevo... Te cuento que escuché el pasado 04/01, a las 0200 UT, una estación de radio que transmitía desde el municipio de Huancabamba. Con música tradicional y comentarios de un locutor con críticas a los políticos y consignas de apoyo a los campesinos. En ningún momento identificó la radio. El programa terminó a las 0231 UT y la señal quedó fuera del aire a las 0232. La señal se desvanecía mucho. Frecuencia 6536.0 (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Jan 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. 5920 kHz, R. Gardarika, 2223 Dec 22 with mostly music I didn't recognize (some of it techno-pop). A number of Radio estudios IDs heard. At 2252 there was an announcement in English by both M & W starting with "Broadcasting live .". I heard the numbers 29801 (the end of a phone number?) plus that this was a special broadcast and Radio Gardarika. Same English announcement made at 2300 as the broadcast ended. Fair signal (John Sgrulletta, Mahopac, NY, USA JRC NRD-515/K9AY & A/D Sloper, Cumbre DX via DXLD) 5920, Radio Studio, 2248-2301* Dec 30, pop vocals with IDs in multiple languages at 2055. Woman announcer with closing announcements followed by jingles and "Radio Studio" ID in English. Program ended at 2300 with carrier cut a minute later. Poor reception (Rich D`Angelo, PA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) Did they really stop after Dec 31? (gh) ** RWANDA. Has anyone received a QSL from Radio Rwanda lately? The 2002 Passport gives BP 404, Kigali, and the 2002 WRTH give BP 83, Kigali as addresses. I'm inclined to follow Passport, but maybe one of you has some information about this? Also, my e-mail to the 6715 Canaries station at pulse@121.net bounced back immediately as undeliverable. So I am trying the fglc@jet.es address. Thanks! (Jim Renfrew, Byron NY, Cumbredx mailing list, via DXLD) Jim, Whenever I have a similar question, I first consult the QSL Information Pages, an excellent resource and database for QSLs: http://www.schoechi.de/qip.html The most recent Radio Rwanda QSL reported in QIP is from April 2002, and they used the BP 83 address (George Maroti, ibid.) ** SERBIA-MONTENEGRO. A name change for R. Yugoslavia to R. Serbia- Montenegro? How about shortening it to "Radio S&M". I could say that anyone listening to them would have to be a masochist, but then that would be sadistic & mean! 73, (Ivan Grishin, Ont., Jan 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SIERRA LEONE. Glenn, I note your query about "UNAMSIL" pronunciation. What I heard hardly qualifies as a solid ID, but it sure sounded just like you would pronounce it in English: You-namm- sill (but said quickly, of course). (Jim Renfrew, NY, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Presumed Radio UNAMSIL on 6139.1 kHz, from 0301-0315, playing rap, reggae, and hi-life. SINPO is 33433, and their signal is better than in the past, provided you can get away from the strong QRM from 6145 kHz. This is not a problem for the R8B in LSB sync mode (George Maroti, NY, Jan 4, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** SRI LANKA. SLBC spurious noted on 11850 of the original frequency of 11905 at 1430 UT on 4 Jan 2003. TWR tuning signal noted on 873 kHz for a short time at around 2228 UT on 4 Jan 2003. It suddenly changed to the original 882 kHz and started regular transmission from 2230 (The same transmitter is used on 882 by TWR and SLBC on 873 at different times) (Jose Jacob, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Is there any reason for the inconvenience of changing MW frequencies other than to `distance` the two stations from each other? (gh, DXLD) ** TAJIKISTAN. Afghanistan: VOA relay station heard on 801 kHz signing off at 1930 UTC on 31 [sic] Jan 2003. (Jose Jacob, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Current IBB schedule admits this actually from Dushanbe, Tajikistan, 230 the azimuth thruout: 801 0000 0030 RFE AFG DA DB C 230 801 0030 0130 VOA AFG PASH DB C 230 801 0130 0230 VOA AFG DARI DB C 230 801 0230 0330 RFE AFG PA DB C 230 801 0330 0430 RFE AFG DA DB C 230 801 1230 1330 RFE AFG PA DB C 230 801 1330 1430 RFE AFG DA DB C 230 801 1430 1530 VOA AFG PASH DB C 230 801 1530 1630 VOA AFG DARI DB C 230 801 1630 1730 RFE AFG PA DB C 230 801 1730 1830 RFE AFG DA DB C 230 801 1830 1930 VOA AFG PASH DB C 230 801 2330 2400 RFE AFG DA DB C 230 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TURKMENISTAN. 4930 (USB + carrier), Turkmen Radio 2 0026-0103 Jan 4. Alternating talk by YL & OM, with distorted audio. ME sounding vocals at 0034. When I checked on this at 0058, there was either a test tone, or a het. At 0102 an anthem-like song was heard. Thanks to Karl Van Rooy who pointed out who this was while we were both listening to the web radio based in Sweden. SINPO 34333. 5015, Turkmen Radio 1, 0044-0112 Jan 4. Exotic ME vocal music at tune- in, then talk by YL & OM. Some contemporary music. SINPO was 34344 at this time. I re-tuned at 0105, and the signal was degraded, and I started to think this might be Brazil. I tuned to a web radio in Sweden, and found it with much better strength, but delayed about 6 seconds. ID heard at 0110 by the OM (George Maroti, NY, Drake R8B, K9AY loop, 100 foot T2FD, 45 meter long dipole, 150 foot LW fed by coax and noise reducing impedance matching transformer, EDXP via DXLD) ** UGANDA. 4975.96, R. Uganda, Kampala, JAN 5 0318-0420+ - tuned in to a weak signal with a man talking/preaching, reappeared a bit stronger at 0333 with what sounded like Afro-pop, at 0354 two men (fishermen, CIA agents, astronauts?) speaking in Spanish decided to occupy the frequency, but I could tell that English news began at 0400 but very difficult to hear any details, the Spanish talkers left around 0403, finally a clear "Kampala" ID was spoken at 0416:55, followed by what might have been an ad, then more news, still going as I write this. This is a new country for me, after many years trying for it! (Jim Renfrew, Byron NY, Drake R8, longwires, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE. Here is a link to a 2 minute (approx) recording I made of RUI on January 1, 2003 beginning at 0059.40 UT. I made the recording so Alexander could hear the jammer. Caps matter for SWL in the following URL: http://www.erols.com\kkrist\SWL (Kraig Krist, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Do you think the jammer is bleedover from the one against Martí on 7365, or something else. Wonder if the changes in its sound were the result of your tuning during the recording? 73, (Glenn to Kraig) I believe jammer is attempting to cover R. Martí on and around 7365 in case R. Martí slightly changes frequency. On the evening of December 29, 2002 I checked 7375 again. I noticed the jammer from 7340 to 7375. No, I did not tune during the RUI recording. Perhaps, sound changes were due to receiver's DSP or because I recorded on cassette tape and then converted into MP3. What times of the recording have the change? I'll listen again. It's interesting hearing, on the latest WOR, your poor reception of RUI. 73, -- (Kraig to Glenn) Kraig, Well, I`ve never known R. Martí to use the frequency-variation technique, just multiple frequencies and sites and as much power and gain as possible. The different sounds to the jammer may well have been produced by the jammer itself, which often offset frequencies (Glenn to Kraig) I hope others will find the brief audio recording useful. I've already heard from Alexander of RUI. He finds the jammer very interesting. I'm glad we have the technology for me to allow him to hear what I've been trying to describe. In general I think the recording worked well. Perhaps, I'll do more often of interesting listening. Almost forgot. Ukraine was not listed in the 1st 2003 DXLD contents summary. 73, (Kraig Krist, VA, Jan 4, DX LISTNENING DIGEST) Tnx, fixed ** U A E. Middle East: Radio Asia noted on 1575 kHz with Malayalam songs around 2300 UT on 3 Jan and following days. This station moved to this frequency from 1152 kHz on January 1, 2003 and is broadcasting 24 hours in Malayalam which by the way is my mother tongue. There are lot of expatriates speaking this language in the Middle East. Malayalam is the mother tongue of the people of the Kerala state in South India (Jose Jacob, Hyderabad, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K [and non]. Chicago Sun-Times column about BBCWS favorite song contest DIVIDED WE STAND ON WORLD'S GREATEST SONGS January 5, 2003 BY MARK STEYN SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST Well, it's January 5th and you, the loyal reader, have a right to expect that we media types have given up sloughing off lame-o ''Best Of The Year'' lists for another 11-1/2 months. But not so fast. If I were compiling a ''Best Lists Of The Year'' list, my best list of the year would be this one: the BBC World Service poll of the Top Ten Songs Of All Time.... http://www.suntimes.com/output/steyn/cst-edt-steyn05.html (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** U K. DYKE ORDERS THE BBC TO MAKE ITS ULTIMATE DOCUMENTARY From The Independent Director general seeks to preserve Corporation's story in words of those who were there --- By Louise Jury Media Correspondent 2 Jan 2003 Greg Dyke, the director general of the BBC, has been seeking inspiration for the future in the corporation's past. As he considers how to reform the Beeb for the digital age, he has watched hours of old interviews with Hugh Greene, a Fifties predecessor, to learn how he shook up the stuffy BBC of the post-war era. The interviews form part of a unique in-house archive chronicling the story of broadcasting in Britain in the words of those who were there, but which has operated on the BBC's margins. Now Mr Dyke has decreed this "oral history" must be expanded and properly preserved, alongside the technical artefacts that help to tell the corporation's story. For years, it was often enthusiastic technical staff who saved important pieces of BBC heritage. Engineers would take home interesting items of old equipment rather than see them end up on the tip. Now this ad hoc system has been formalised in a special department, under a dedicated head of BBC heritage, Robin Reynolds. An appeal to old staff has already brought in equipment of historical value. And Rory O'Connell, a curator who started work at the BBC from the Museum of London just before Christmas, aims to track down other pieces languishing in corners of Broadcasting House and Television Centre. They may be brought together in a dedicated museum, or they go on show in the BBC's offices as a reminder of the past. The BBC is determined to preserve its history through the spoken word. A long-standing programme of recording interviews with senior executives will be widened to take contributions from other BBC employees and popular on-screen faces. Other staff members are expected to contribute to a full understanding of, for instance, the unpopularity of the reforms of John Birt, Greg Dyke's predecessor. Mr Reynolds admits the problem is largely a question of who to leave out. "You can't do everyone," he said. "It would have been great to do [the football commentator] Kenneth Wolstenholme before he died, on the [1966] World Cup." Other interviews capture in detail broadcasting milestones such as the funeral of Princess Diana and the Millennium celebrations. All are given on the basis that they will remain confidential until the interviewee dies. The aim is to extract full and frank disclosure about controversial events, such as the 1985 row over Real Lives, a programme about Northern Ireland which the then Conservative Government demanded should be banned, or more recent events such as the decision to establish new digital channels. Mr Dyke and the BBC chairman, Gavyn Davies, have watched the interviews conducted with Hugh Greene, who tried to shake up the BBC to meet the challenge of its new rival, ITV. Mr Reynolds said Mr Dyke was interested because he too, wanted to change the culture of the BBC, notably in his "cut the crap" campaign. Mr O'Connell said with major developments planned for Broadcasting House in London and in cities such as Glasgow and Birmingham, his team expects the next couple of years to be busy. "Museums usually get to pick over dead history. This is a mixture of the museum world I know, and working in a living industry. It's completely fascinating." (via Mike Terry, DXLD) And a rather different angle by the same writer, same publication... BBC RECORDS ITS OWN SECRET HISTORY From The Independent, By Louise Jury Media Correspondent, 2 Jan 2003 The "oral memoirs" of senior BBC figures, including Sir David Attenborough, are to be preserved in an archive of broadcasting history ordered by the director general, Greg Dyke. The candid videotaped interviews with broadcasters and executives who have played central roles in the corporation's history are to be recorded on the promise that their contents will remain secret until the contributors die. Although the project has existed on a small scale for decades, Mr Dyke is said to be determined that the full story of British public service broadcasting be preserved for the nation and has significantly expanded the list of interviewees to reflect the breadth of the organisation. The move forms part of a wider project to bring together the thousands of artefacts that chart the BBC's history. Mr Dyke has made the initiative a priority to ensure that no important pieces of equipment or works of art are lost during the £400m redevelopment of Broadcasting House in Portland Place, London. For decades, the views of directors general and chairmen of the BBC have been recorded when they left office. But Mr Dyke and Gavyn Davies, his chairman, are now interviewed at least once a year to capture new developments. The list of other interviewees is secret, but has been extended recently to include entertainers and senior executives. Sir David is understood to have been given a place not just as controller of BBC2 in the 1960s but as one of the most popular broadcasters (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U K. DIGITAL RADIO IS A CRUEL JOKE An extract from The Times Online, December 30, 2002, By Chris Campling THE REVOLUTION will not be televised? Listen, it isn't even being broadcast on the steam radio - well, not to all of us, anyway. Look at the map helpfully provided by the BBC --- on http://www.bbc.co.uk/digitalradio --- and you will find that the part of the country capable of receiving digital, either within the home or by means of a simple outside 740ft aerial, begins just to the south of London, and then travels up in a thick, but not thick enough, band to Glasgow. Above that, nada. Same to the west, mostly, and to the East, once you're past Essex. Put simply, the biggest news in radio for 2002, and 2003, is not being received by swaths of the country. The Beeb will tell you that its digital signal can be received by 65 per cent of the population. Well, of course it can, since London alone comprises 12 per cent of the population. So once you add in the other big conurbations you're pretty close to the 65 per cent without even trying. The Beeb also says it intends to reach 85 per cent of the nation digitally by the beginning of 2004. Which means that the signal may just creep far enough into East Anglia to be received by me, with my trusty little 740 ft aerial. The rest of the country, presumably, can go on whistling Dixie. This means no crystal-clear reception, no vast choice of stations, no sense of being at the front line of the white heat of technology thingie. I wouldn't really care, except that sports fans are missing out. And I'm a cricket fan. Twelve years ago I would sleep next to my stereo because that was the only way I could be close to source when I woke from a fitful doze to catch the latest Ashes disaster as it happened. These days I have a long-wave trannie and sleep with earphones on - but this did not help me during the one-day ICC Trophy tournament in October, or the current one-day series between England, Australia and Sri Lanka. For ball-by-ball coverage of both these tournaments was/is available only on digital radio. Radio apartheid is here. I'll tell you who I feel really sorry for - it's the ones in the Outer Darkness who lashed out hundreds for a digital car radio, only to find they had to drive for miles just so they could listen to it. Look, I know there are ways around the problem. Owners of digital TV boxes can tune in that way, while digital radio coverage is available on the internet. But excuse me; I did not fall in love with radio so that my family and I could cluster around the computer of an evening. The great power of radio is its portability, and its ability to blend with and provide a background to whatever activity the listener is pursuing. (more on web site) (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. WRMI, 15725, is still filling with classical music, at least on Saturdays. Jan 4 from 1445 past 1500, sounded like Mozart`s Requiem. Now they need to learn *how* to present classical music. Each piece should be identified before and after, with composer, title, performers, including orchestra and conductor as a minimum. Classical music shall not be chopped off or even faded out or in. At 1500, as always happens on WRMI, the music was chopped off and on for a canned ID --- shortly after it came back there was a natural pause where the ID could have gone (tho purists, which I admit to be, would not interrupt it here either --- classical pieces should always be played in their entirety without interruption or talkover, and there should be at least a respectful one-second pause before and after, NOT tightly produced). US stations are allowed to delay IDs beyond Top of Hour in such cases, and ought to be *required* to do so. Wagner was the victim at 1600. Still classical past 2000, and tho I`ve not kept track, I think I hear the same war horses, and never any announcements. Perhaps they are rotating a few CDs (Glenn Hauser, ex- classical music programmer and announcer, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. In compiling my yearender, I came across last April`s Monitoring Times, which judging from the sealed plastic wrapper around it, I never got round to reading (it was a busy month). Such as this: AFRTS CONTRACTS BOEING US Armed Forces Radio and Television service programs are broadcast from a number of transmitters located around the world, including the Florida Keys on 4278.5 and 12689.5 kHz USB. Initially handled by the U.S Navy when the broadcasts started in 1998, the day-to-day operation of the Florida Keys site has now been contracted out to Boeing. Boeing tells MT that the transmissions are from the NCTS [Naval Computer Telecommunications Center] facility on Saddlebunch Keys, which are about 15 miles east of Key West. The station is visible to the north from US Highway 1, but a locked gate, apparently a post - 9/11 development, blocks entry. Two 1-kW transmitters are connected to a couple of whip antennas. Both are operated 24 hours a day. Altho AFRTS Washington DC has QSLed these transmissions, the site also welcomes reports. You can write them at : NCTS-Jacksonville-Detachment Key West, Building A1004, Naval Air Station Boca Chica, Key West, FL 33040 (Hans Johnson, Communications, Apr 2002 Monitoring Times via DXLD) ** U S A. And on the end of VOA Communications World: Speculation here is that the VOA, in the aftermath of September 11, had become squeamish about producing the kind of program that inevitably must discuss broadcasting-related activities (like clandestine radio operations) that involve less transparent aspects of U.S. policy. For his part, being a journalist, Dr. Elliott could not consent to restrixions on his reporting and something had to give. Of course, I could be all wrong about this... (John Figliozzi, Program Highlights, April 2002 Monitoring Times via DXLD) ** U S A. BUSHISMS ADDED TO LIST OF BANNED WORDS SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. (Reuters) - Overused clichés, wordy redundancies and hyperbolic phrases -- including the Bushism "make no mistake about it" -- were declared banished on Wednesday by the university overseers of an annual list of banned words. Other favored utterances of President Bush such as "material breach," "weapons of mass destruction," and "homeland security," were the tired targets of the New Year's Day list compiled by the public relations staff at Lake Superior State University. This year's list of 23 worn-out words and phrases was whittled down from 3,000 entries submitted to the school from around the world to its Web site, http://www.lssu.edu/banished "Make no mistake about it" was nominated by several contributors, one of whom commented, "Who's mistaken, anyway?" As usual, the media and advertising worlds came in for ridicule. In response to the catch-phrase "must-see TV," contributor Nan Heflin of Colorado wrote: "Must find remote. Must change channel." The list- writers added: "Television once pitched entertainment. Apparently now it's taken on a greater imperative. (It) assumes herd mentality over program taste." Another linguistic target was "now, more than ever," which contributor Matthew Lowe of New Jersey said "has become overused since the (Sept. 11) terrorist attacks ... from warnings to be safe, to stores having sales ... It has to go." Advertisers would be better off finding another superlative other than "extreme," which contributors complained had evolved from an adjective denoting dangerous sports into a promotional tag for products from cars to deodorant. "Branding" too has morphed from something burned into a cow's rump into "any activity that supports a company's desire to clearly define its products," said Nancy Hicks of Virginia. Irritating to many contributors were the overused "having said that" and "that said," to which David Patrick of Indiana said: "I heard you the first time." To those who trumpet facing one "challenge" after another in their lives, Ray Lucas of Michigan suggested keeping quiet and locating a solution. Sports clichés such as "got game" -- referring to a player with skills -- and "mental mistake" -- is there any other kind? -- also came in for criticism. And "There is no score," is merely a misnomer for a score of 0-0, a contributor opined. Tautologies such as "frozen tundra," which by definition is frozen, and "an undisclosed, secret location," as in references to Vice President Dick Cheney's position, repeat themselves. Finally, the list gave the heave-ho to the self-important obituary writer's phrase, "untimely death," which seems to suggest some deaths are more tragic than others. "Has anyone yet died a timely death?" asked Donald Burgess of California. 01/01/03 07:12 ET (via AOL Canada news via Fred Waterer, Jan 3, DXLD) ** U S A. ART BELL, W6OBB, RETIRES Art Bell, W6OBB, bid a final farewell to his Coast to Coast A.M. radio show as 2002 gave way to 2003. Over the fifteen years he hosted the show, Bell took it to the very top of the ratings peak. It was over 450 radio stations in North America, heard world wide over the Internet and had an audience estimated in the 10's of millions. Bell had departed the show once before due to a family situation that needed his full time and attention. The show did not do well under the substitute hosts. Bell returned the following year and and rebuilt the program to its powerhouse position on the Premiere Radio Network. Often, after the program, Bell could be found on 75 meters chatting with his friends. In saying goodbye to his listeners, W6OBB explained that this is not the end of his career in radio. Actually it's a new beginning. Bell says that he and his wife have made one of their dreams come true. They built their own radio station, KNYE, located in Pahrump, Nevada and it`s now on the air. Bell says that building KNYE into the station he wants it to become will be the next challenge in his broadcasting career. Meantime, you can still hear -- and talk to Art Bell, but only if your signal can be heard in Pahrump. Just listen on or near 3.840 MHz for the call sign W6OBB. If you hear Art, please say hello and you might add -- "...thanks for the ride." (ARNewsline Jan 3 via DXLD) WTFK?? ** U S A. ARRL CONCLUDES 5-MHz EXPERIMENTS, AWAITS FCC DECISION ON NEW BAND Without fanfare, the ARRL allowed its WA2XSY 5-MHz experimental license to lapse January 1 rather than request renewal for another year. Last May, the FCC proposed going along with the ARRL's 2001 request for a new domestic (US-only), secondary HF allocation at 5.25 to 5.4 MHz. Discussions with various governmental agencies--including the Interdepartment Radio Advisory Committee (IRAC) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)--continue on how to accommodate amateur operation in the band, which is primary for several governmental agencies including the military. The NTIA regulates radio spectrum allocated to the federal government. "At this point, we have every reason to believe the FCC will act on its proposal early this year," said ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ. "As to what the outcome will be as far as 5 MHz is concerned, we cannot predict." In a December 24 letter, Sumner thanked the 15 Amateur Radio clubs and individual amateurs who took part in the 5-MHz experimental operation that began in January 1999 and largely concluded in 2002. "You assisted in providing an important part of the groundwork for our petition for a domestic allocation to the Amateur Radio Service in this frequency range by demonstrating the desirability and feasibility of a shared allocation," he wrote. "We hope it will not be long before amateurs throughout the country are able to enjoy the fruits of your efforts." Sumner said the ARRL chose not to request another renewal of the WA2XSY license because it already had obtained sufficient information to justify its petition for the band. Until surprise opposition surfaced last fall from the NTIA, the FCC had the League's request for a new 60-meter band on the proverbial fast track. In a letter filed with the FCC last August --- after the comment deadline had passed --- the NTIA recommended that the Commission not go forward with the 5-MHz proposal. The NTIA said several government agencies with allocations in the proposed spectrum had expressed reservations about allowing amateurs to use the band, even on a non-interference basis. The ARRL has been working with the federal agencies involved to resolve the impasse the NTIA letter raised. The NTIA said critical federal agencies, including the Department of Justice, the US Coast Guard and the Department of Defense, were making extensive use of 5 MHz frequencies. The FCC's May 2002 Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) fails to adequately protect these "critical government operations" from harmful interference, the NTIA asserted. The ARRL has called the 5 MHz allocation "an urgent priority of the Amateur Service." In its July 2001 petition, the League told the FCC that a new band at 5 MHz would aid emergency communication activities by filling a "propagation gap" between 80 and 40 meters. Experimental operations on 5 MHz continue on a very limited basis in the United Kingdom and in Canada. In Newfoundland, the Marconi Radio Club's VO1MRC has been operating under experimental authority from Industry Canada and an endorsement from Radio Amateurs of Canada to conduct experiments on 5 MHz. On December 21, VO1MRC completed a cross-band (5 MHz/7 MHz) CW contact with VK7RO in Tasmania (ARRL Letter Jan 3 via DXLD, also via Mike Terry) ** U S A. The most heavily top-loaded tower that I have seen is the Loran tower near Gillette WY. Even though it is 700 feet tall, that is a very short 25 degrees at the VLF frequencies it operates on. The upper guy wires serve as a capacitance hat almost all of the way back down to the ground. There are photos of the site on my web page at http://community.webtv.net/AM-DXer/ Tab down to Loran Station (Patrick Griffith, CBT, Westminster, CO, NRC-AM via DXLD) Fred, do you know of any broadcast stations using Phillystran? (a non- conductive material that can substitute for steel guy wires. Hams commonly use it if they're going to mount an antenna on the side of their tower --- they don't want the guy wires affecting the antenna. It's really expensive, though. There must be commercial applications as I don`t see any way ham radio could create enough sales to cover the development costs.) I`ve also seen guy wires broken up where they pass a side-mounted FM antenna, or a studio-transmitter link dish. WGNS-1450 in Murfreesboro, TN used a variation on this design (the tower collapsed a few years ago and I've not been back since it was rebuilt, don't know if they stuck with the same scheme). It was a self-supporting, grounded tower with what looked like water pipe (*not* coax) exiting the back of the transmitter building and attached to a leg of the tower maybe 30 feet up. Works pretty well, too; their signal is pretty good for a graveyard station (though the swampy location probably helps). While you can't say a tower isn't AM because there's no base insulator, you're probably safe to say it *is* AM if there *is* one. There will be a few exceptions, but not many (Doug Smith, TN, ibid.) Doug, when I visited KRVN [880 Lexington NE] several years ago, it had 100% Phillystran for all of the guy wires on all of the towers. No metal at all in the guys. When KPOF [Denver 910] replaced their 50-year-old 4-leg self- supporting tower with a uniform cross section tower in the early 80s, the old self supporting tower with its 4 base insulators was left in place. The base insulators were bridged to ground with straps but they were still visible and looked intact. A detuning system was installed since it was only 1/4 mile from the new tower. It then continued in service for another 10+ years as a land mobile tower. The detuning skirt ran up 2 legs and made the tower look very much like a folded unipole with base insulators. It finally reached the point where the tower maintenance folks refused to climb it for painting and relamping. After cutting 2 of the 4 legs with a torch it still wouldn't fall. So they had to re-weld the 2 cut legs, then climb part way up and tie a cable to the tower, then cut the 2 legs again, and finally pull it over with a bulldozer! (Patrick Griffith, CBT, Westminster, CO, USA, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. Radio Táchira, 4830, 0314-0345 Jan 1, man announcer with Spanish announcements, ads, TC and ID followed by lively Latin male vocals. Alternating between chatter by the man and lively vocals. Fair to good signal with some heterodyne from 4832, presumably Radio Litoral forced to move back to this location on the dial (Rich D`Angelo, PA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) Often inactive ** VENEZUELA. Por primera vez en muchos decenios, Radio Nacional de Venezuela vuelve a ocupar los primeros lugares de sintonía en el país, disputándose el encendido con las radios de mayor popularidad, las cuales siempre han sido las privadas. El noticiero del canal 630, "RNV Noticias" (con cuatro emisiones diarias), es uno de los más sintonizados en hogares y automóviles. Saludos, (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Jan 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Re unID in Spanish on 1009.8, DXLD 3-002: Is it not true that "La Raza" is a term used by Mexican immigrants to the USA to describe themselves/their culture? I would think this slogan and the ranchera mentions would pin this station as somewhere in the U.S. (Doug Smith, W9WI, ibid.) KTNZ, Amarillo TX, has the slogan "La Raza" (per the Arbitron web site -- if you haven't used this site yet, follow the instructions on my links page http://www.inetworld.net/halls/dx/links.html And has been reported by other DXers on 1009.78 kHz. Nice catch! 73, (Tim Hall Chula Vista, CA, amfmtvdx via DXLD) KTNZ is from Amarillo and this certainly should be what JW has here. The pura música ranchera and La Raza mentions as well as the ranchera music in the slogan are clear. 73 KAZ (Neil Kazaross, IL, ibid.) I guess I'm going with KTNZ. Many thanks to all ! Will keep checking for them, hoping for a better ID. 73, (John WB9UAI, Milwaukee, ibid.) UNIDENTIFIED. Thank you for your original idea of pursuing the medium of shortwave radio forever and ever Amen. I was lucky to be introduced to shortwave as a youngster, and was and still am (40 years later) tuning in to WWV regularly. I recall listening to broadcasts from Greenbelt MD, sans voice announcements, with Morse ID every five minutes. Now, having proven my geezer status, could you tell an old man who is putting out this discordant time signal on 5 Megahertz, every evening? It is most certainly not Caracas, Venezuela, who have done a fine job in the past. Very compatible. No, this must be someone else, very far away, about a third of a second off in time, and causing an extremely annoying beat approaching 10 Hz. Best Regards in the New Year, (Sigurd Rottingen, location unknown, Jan 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) {YVTO still seems likely; see 3-004} ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PROPAGATION +++++++++++ SOLAR UPDATE Wave bender Tad "Who can make the sun shine, on a cloudy day?" Cook, K7VVV, Seattle, Washington, reports: Last week we reported sunspot numbers dropping dramatically. This week it became a trend. Average daily sunspot numbers for the past three weeks were 206.1, 164.4 and 55.3. Average solar flux was 188.7, 169.1 and 117.1. The real shocker though was Monday, with a sunspot number of only 44! I thought it possible that the sunspot number had not been that low since the other side of the solar cycle (before the peak), but we actually saw lower values of 27 and 38 on September 11 and September 12, 2000. On September 26, 1999, it was also 44 --- and that was probably on the other side of the peak of the current cycle. Last year was surprisingly good in terms of high sunspot activity. The average daily sunspot number for Calendar Year 2002 was actually slightly higher than any of the three previous years. Average daily sunspot numbers for the years 1997 through 2002 were 30.7, 88.7, 136.3, 173, 170.3 and 176.6. Note the 176.6 value is lower than the 178.3 reported in last week's bulletin as the average sunspot number for the first 359 days of the year. The drop in sunspot numbers over the past week was so dramatic that it actually dropped the yearly average by nearly two points! Average daily solar flux for the same six years was 81, 117.9, 153.7, 179.6, 181.6 and 179.5. What is the trend? Let's look at quarterly averages. Average daily sunspot numbers for the past eight quarters were 147.3, 164.8, 170.4, 198.1, 178.3, 165.3, 193.5 and 152.7. Average daily solar flux for those same quarters was 164.4, 166.7, 175.5, 219.1, 203.9, 156.4, 178.1 and 164.2. As you can see, there is quite a bit of variability in the values. Solar cycles only appear smooth when looking backward and doing a moving average of the data. Currently Earth is entering a solar wind from a small coronal hole on the sun. Conditions could be unsettled on Friday and Saturday. The projected planetary A index for Friday through Monday is 15, 15, 10 and 8. The projected solar flux for those same days is 120, 125, 125 and 130. Sunspot numbers for December 26 through January 1 were 62, 63, 70, 51, 44, 50 and 47, with a mean of 55.3. The 10.7-cm flux was 127.4, 116.5, 116.9, 114.8, 113.8, 115.1 and 115, with a mean of 117.1. Estimated planetary A indices were 15, 37, 19, 13, 15, 11 and 10, with a mean of 17.1 (ARRL Letter Jan 4 via DXLD) TEAM UNRAVELS SUNSPOT MYSTERY In what may be one of the most important steps in understanding sunspots since they were discovered by Chinese sky watchers more than two millennia ago, researchers at Rochester, along with researchers at the University of Colorado, University of Cambridge, and University of Leeds, have reported an answer to several sunspot mysteries in the current issue of Nature. [Note: this is a replacement for the link that was expired for this item last week--Jilly] http://makeashorterlink.com/?L18225CE2 or http://www.rochester.edu/pr/Currents/V30/V30N21/story07.html (via Jilly Dybka, NAWA Flashsheet via DXLD) [HCDX] EMERGING TECHNIQUES IN HIGH-TECH DX The portable computer can profoundly change the way you DX. A group of four experienced American DXers shows you how in this new HCDX feature article, Emerging Techniques of High-Tech DX. http://www.hard-core-dx.com/nordicdx/dxlab/hitechdx/hitechdx.html Here DXers Guy Atkins, John Bryant Nick Hall-Patch and Don Nelson, all of Proceedings of Fine Tuning fame, explain in detail how to best use modern computer software to enhance you DXing. Subjects range from software that is familiar to most DXers to some that will be new to virtually everyone in the hobby and include: Sunrise-sunset: GEOCLOCK Information/Reference Management Semi-Automated Reception Logging: B-LOG Laptop as Tape Recorder: TOTAL RECORDER and THE AMAZING SLOW DOWNER Direct Receiver Control: GNRX320, ERGO3 and ERGO4 Other laptop Applications: Hall-Patch's DX RADAR And it will not cost you a lot. "We have a general tendency to to adopt the simplest and least expensive software available that is highly effective. Several of us use laptops similar to those currently available on ebay for under $300," explains HighTech DXer John Bryant. "Three of the programs that we discuss are freeware, and only two of the eight software packages require any learning curve to operate effectively. Further, most of the programs that we discuss are quite small and undemanding of computer resources." (Hermod Pedersen, hard- core-dx Jan 4 via DXLD) Also up on DXing.info at http://www.dxing.info/articles/hitech.dx as an HTML file, and also an MS Word file at http://www.dxing.info/articles/hitech_dxpeditioning.doc 73s (Mika Mäkeläinen http://www.dxing.info/ Corazón DX via DXLD)_ QSL DAYS CALCULATOR Glenn, As an example of javascript I created a QSL Days Calculator allowing one to calculate either Days between the Report Sent and QSL Received Dates, calculate the Report Sent Date or calculate the QSL Received Date. I've also provided a ZIP file, for downloading, containing a JavaScript and a VBScript example of the QSL Date Calculator. People are free to modify the QSL Days Calculator as needed. Please see http://www.erols.com\kkrist\SWL 73, (-.. . Kraig, KG4LAC, Krist, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-002, January 3, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser, ghauser@hotmail.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 HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldta03.html For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid2.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn WORLD OF RADIO 1163: [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1163.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1163.ram [High version from Wed or Thu:] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1163h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1163h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1163.html RFPI: Sat 0730, 1330, 1800, Sun 0000, 0600, 1200, 1830, Mon 0030, 0630, 1230, Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 7445 and/or 15039 WWCR: Sat 0700, Sun 0330 5070, Sun 0730 3210, Wed 1030 9475 WJIE: M-F 1300, daily 0400 -- maybe; Sun 0630, Mon 0700, Tue 0630 7490 WBCQ: Mon 0545 7415 WRN: rest of world Sat 0900, Eu only Sun 0530, NAm Sun 1500 ONDEMAND: http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. NORWAY: R. Afghanistan via Kvitsøy 18940, Jan 3 1545-1630* - as reported in DXLD (12/31) no program, just an Interval Signal endlessly repeated, and suddenly off at 1630 (Jim Renfrew, Byron NY, Drake R8, longwires, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Amigos, já há algum tempo percebe-se um sinal de rádio em 18940 KHz (15 metros), e as bases de informação (PWBR, WRTH e ILG) apontam ser a Radio Afeganistão. O curioso é que ouve-se esta emissora, vindo de um relay na Noruega, em pleno meio dia. Ou melhor, das 11 e meia da manhã às 2 e meia da tarde. Confiram. Vale à pena. Nota-se uma comunicação muito simples ainda, e as listas européias já anunciaram que este é o inicio de um grande projeto que faz parte da reconstrução daquele pais. Há longos periodos de execução de uma música, uma música repetitiva que não tem mais do que 10 acordes sequenciais. Uma melodia tocada com sintetizadores e orquestra. Já foi verificado quase uma hora seguida com esta música repetitiva, creio que por falta de programação própria, e para ocupar espaço na frequencia. Vale à pena conferir. Arrisquei ontem enviar o meu primeiro informe de recepção para Kabul, que tenho quase certeza que não será respondido. Mas, se não tentasse muitas vezes, não teria conseguido algumas pérolas. Um forte 73 a todos e boass escutas (Rudolf W. Grimm, São Bernardo, SP - Brasil, Jan 3, radioescutas via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. 11710, Radio Nacional, 0238-0303 Jan 2. Music program of very nice Latin and South American music. Announcers in Spanish. Radio Nacional ID at 0301 followed by a presumed NA. Strong, clear signal. My schedule lists English service M-F at 0200-0300. Could this have been special New Years programming? (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., Intervale, NH, Sangean ATS 818, RF Systems MLB-1 kit, RS longwire kit & RLD balun, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. VNG (Australia's only HF Standard Frequency and Time Signal service) was unceremoniously switched off at 2344 UTC on 31 December 2002, 15 minutes earlier than the official close down time. Let's hope WWV/WWVH is not next. If you wish to listen to the "last" minute of VNG broadcast, look down this page to see a MP3 recording of the transmitter being switched off at 2343:43 UTC on the 31st Dec 2002. http://tufi.alphalink.com.au/time/time_hf.html (posts in rec.radio.shortwave via Mike Terry; link also via David Zantow, DXLD) As anticipated, the time signal station VNG has closed down. 5000 kHz is now clear of the previous 24/7 high-intensity wide-band radiation output from VNG which spread from 4985-5015 kHz. Interestingly, the Venezuelan time signal station at Caracas on 5000 is now audible in our local Melbourne evenings around 0800, co-channel with WWV and WWVH (Bob Padula, Mont Albert, Vic, Australia, Jan 3, EDXP via DXLD) GOODBYE VNG According to letters sent out from the chronohertz station VNG in Llandilo (LAN-DIE-LOW) in New South Wales Australia, this station was closed down a few days ago at the end of the old year. It is planned that calibrations by GPS satellites will replace the signals broadcast by shortwave station VNG. It is possible however, that the low powered 1 kW service on 2500 kHz for the Sydney area may still remain on air. The history of the chronohertz station VNG, with its familiar ticking sounds, goes way back more than 50 years. Test broadcasts from a 2 kW transmitter at Lyndhurst in Victoria under the callsign VLX were noted back in March 1946. At the time, this transmitter was carrying a relay of the ABC programming in parallel with the other shortwave station VLR. Soon afterwards, this transmitter began to broadcast only time signals with a standard tone on a constant frequency. The callsign was changed to VNG reminiscent of earlier time signals that were emitted by maritime radio stations as XNG. The NG stood for navigation and the X was an abbreviation for transmission. An improved service was introduced on September 21, 1964, using a 10 kW STC transmitter. Subsequently, two more transmitters at 10 kW were installed at Lyndhurst for this chronohertz service. The ABC closed their Lyndhurst radio station in 1987 though the VNG service remained on air for a few months longer. During the following year, 1988, four of the 10 kW STC transmitters were removed from Lyndhurst and transferred to Llandilo in New South Wales where they were re-installed at the International Transmitting Station operated by the Civil Aviation Authority. A few years later, VNG bought two more transmitters; one was the 10 kW ABC unit VLQ near Brisbane in Queensland and the other was a 2.5 kW Harris transmitter at commercial station 2KA in the Blue Mountains out from Sydney. Over the years, various transmitter configurations have been used on various frequencies at VNG Llandilo. Their QSL card shows four main frequencies; 5000, 8638, 12984 & 16000 kHz. All four transmitters were STC units at 10 kW, with the old VLQ in operation as a standby unit. The transmitter for the Sydney coverage on 2500 kHz is listed as a 1 kW Harris transmitter. The antennas for the four main transmitters are described as quadrant dipoles, and the antenna for the Sydney service was a vertical monopole. Chronohertz station VNG was noted as a good verifier, from both offices in Canberra and Sydney. The Canberra QSLs in the form of folded sheets were signed by Dr Marion Leiba who is noted in Australia for her research into earthquake phenomena. Some QSLs were actual photos of transmitters and antennas. Anyway, whatever QSLs you do hold from VNG are now unique, in view of the fact that they represent a part of Australia's radio history. Incidentally, the VNG authorities are now looking for a suitable place to house all of these old transmitters in their retirement. A museum somewhere maybe? (Adian Michael Peterson, AWR Wavescan Jan 5 via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. 3rd Jan'02 Dear All, AS per Mr Ian Williams, Frequency Manager, HCJB Australia, the start of transmission to India has been delayed till the 12th January on a new frequency of 15480 kHz (1230- 1730 UT) instead of earlier announced 15130 and 15135. HCA HCA: Delete 15130 1230 1430 41 KNX 100 307 0 148 1234567 271002 300303 D ENG AUS 15135 1430 1730 41 KNX 100 307 0 148 1234567 271002 300303 D ENG AUS ADD 15480 1230 1730 41 KNX 100 307 0 148 1234567 271002 300303 D ENG AUS With season's greetings, (Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, Jan 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Greetings once again to all on the EDXP E-NET. Happy New Year and good DX in 2003! Thanks to many of you who joined me last weekend on the DX Partyline when we spoke with Dennis Adams of HCJB Australia about the new transmitter site in Kununurra, Australia. The final preparations are in place for the South Pacific release to begin from Kununurra this Sunday, 5 January 2003. Dennis will join me again this weekend for a last-minute update, especially regarding the scheduled release to Asia, which will now begin 12 January 2003. I will be with Dennis live for the India release of the DX Partyline Saturday at 0200 UT. The interview will then be repeated in the subsequent releases of the program. I hope you can join us again. It'll be great to have your company! As of today, the planned schedule for broadcasts from HCJB Australia Kununurra are as follows: Starting 5 January: Daily 0700-1200 South Pacific 11755 kHz 25 kW Starting 12 January: Daily 1230-1730 Asia 15480 kHz 100 kW I cannot confirm at this moment with the HCJB Australia office if the test broadcast to Ethiopia will also be delayed. The new broadcast times for the DX Partyline will be Saturdays at 0930 UT to the South Pacific and 1430 to Asia. You are invited to send your Reception Reports to: HCJB Australia GPO Box 691E Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 3001 E-mail reports, especially for test transmissions, may be sent to: office@hcjb.org.au Thanks again. Many blessings your way today from Quito! (Allen Graham, HCJB, Jan 3, EDXP via DXLD) {Later: please use instead: english@hcjb.org.au} ** BURKINA-FASO. The international religious Reintegration organization of the Réinsertion des Marginaux (Remar) wants to create television channels and radio in deprived Burkina and in the fifty one other countries where Remar is implanted. It is at least learnt on the occasion of the world congress, which was from 13 till 15 December 2002 in Ouagadougou. Created by the Spanish pastor Miguel Diez, Remar works in the reintegration of all kinds of marginalized and takes advantage of it to make known to them divine word (Source: Sidwaya, 17/12/02) http://www.sidwaya.bf/sitesidwaya/sidawaya_quotidiens/sid2002_17_12/societe_8.htm (via Bernard Chenal, France, Jan 3, DXLD) ** CANADA [and non]. The last two or three days have seen quite spectacular ionospheric conditions, as signals from North America have crossed the North Pole into Northern Scandinavia from complete daytime! I have logged CBX Edmonton AB 740, CFCW Camrose AB 790 and others at 1900 UT, that is 12 noon in Alberta! Also in one instance I heard KSL Salt Lake City UT at 2200 when the sunset line crossed the CET area. It is not uncommon around winter solstice to hear northern (Canadian) high-powered stations somewhat prior to local sunset, but never have I encountered such extremes! Alaska stations have had huge signals well into mid-Scandinavia - most uncommon (From the world's northernmost DXer, Bjarne Mjelde, Berlevag, Norway, Receivers: AOR AR7030+, JRC NRD-525Mod, Antenna: K9AY, Jan 2, dxing.info via DXLD) ** CANARY ISLANDS. Yoido Full Gospel Church, Las Palmas, Jan 3 2208- 2315 - noted for the first time with a weak but steady signal, best in USB, began with male vocals and preaching, then all preaching from 2214, strong utility QRM began at 2228. Recheck at 2314 showed some more talk and then a instrumental music piece, with an "amen" bar at the end. Hardly audible towards the end. Too weak to ID language, so this is a presumed logging (Jim Renfrew, Byron NY Drake R8, longwires, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. CHINA SIGNALS ON 9 MHZ EXCELLENT IN EARLY EVENING The 9 MHz band is currently vigorously alive in the Melbourne early evening period for transmitters located on the Chinese mainland, in the time-span 0830-1030, about an hour before our sunset. There are signals there which I haven't come across previously, so here's the summary as at Jan-02: 9470 CNR8-Minorities Network, Kazakh, 0905 9510 Xinjiang PBS, Urumqi, Mongolian network, 0930, parallel with 7230 where also heard 9530 CNR1, Mandarin, 0900, co-channel Voice of Vietnam Domestic Service 9560 Xinjiang PBS, Urumqi, Uyghur Network, 0930 9600 CNR1, Mandarin, early fade-in 0845 9600 Xinjiang PBS, Urumqi, Mandarin Network, 0830, co-channel CNR1! 9610 CNR8-Minorities Network, Korean, 1005, parallel with 7120 where also noted 9620 CNR2, Mandarin, 0900 9645 CNR1, Mandarin, 0905 9675 CNR1, Mandarin, 0900 9800 CNR1, Mandarin, from around 0840 9810 CNR2, Mandarin, audible as early as 0830 9820 Guangxi Foreign Network, Nanning, Mandarin, 1020, parallel 5050 where also heard Chinese transmitters are also audible on 4 and 7 MHz in our early evening, including: 4525 Nei Menggu PBS, Hohhot, Mongolian Network, 1015-1030 4785 Nei Menggu PBS, Hohhot, Mongolian Network 1000-1100 7105 CNR1, Mandarin 0900-1000 7110 CRI, Russian, 1000-1100 7120 CNR8, Minorities Network, Korean 1000+ 7155 Xinjiang PBS, Urumqi, Mandarin Network 0930-1000 7160 CRI, Russian 1000-1100 7190 CRI, Japanese, opening at 0930 7200 CNR2, Mandarin, 0900-1000, co-channel Russia Far Eastern transmitter 7230 CNR1, Mandarin, 0900-1000 7230 Xinjiang PBS, Urumqi, Mongolian Network, 0900-1000, co-channel CNR1 7245 CRI, Russian, 1000-1100 (new channel) 7255 CRI, Russian, 1000-1100 (new channel) 7280 Voice of the Strait, Mandarin 0830-1100 7340 CNR8, Minorities Network, Kazakh, 0900-1000] 7350 Heilongjiang PBS, Harbin, Mandarin, 0930-1030 The 60 mb is dominated by Chinese transmitters later in our evening, after around 1100, before the Indian stations become audible. I have still to QSL several of the Chinese Regionals, and am working in these! I usually wait until English Teaching lessons or narratives are broadcast. I would be interested in knowing the spectrum usage in the period 0800-1100 for Chinese transmitters on 7 and 9 MHz, as observed outside of Asia-Pacific? Regards! (Bob Padula, Mont Albert, Victoria, Australia, EDXP via DXLD) ** CUBA [and non]. More Zephyrs from Zecchino (Dec 30) A fine repast was enjoyed by a most eclectic concatenation of electrophiles aboard an elegant ocean liner. Due to security concerns, Mr. Kobayashi sent a Mr. Kint as his personal representative. It was discovered that 1572 is the spot on the dial for Cuba's beloved R. Encyclopedia, bearings fix west of Holguín, possibly Las Tunas. Encyclopedia is thankfully back on the air on 1270 from Torriente, whilst Ciego de Ávila is the home of this most tranquil music staple on 1560. The jammer is faithfully still on 820 from a point east of Holguín. Mr. McManus will understandably deny such, but his family is believed to own substantial landholdings in that area which reportedly bloom with MW curtain arrays. Progreso on 660 from Santa Clara and 690 from Jovellanos are both back with vigor, as is Progreso on 890 from Santa Clara. In the waters to the northeast of the Oriente one hears with clarity unexpected the dulcet tones yet again of R. Encyclopedia as it triumphantly trounces RJR, on 1050 R. Victoria sits below 1060 and 1070, where one hears R. Trinchera Antimperialista and its message of truth, freedom, hope. Be sure to tune in 1150 when close to the Granma Province to enjoy R. Entronque Bueycito. Nothing tops the thunderous preaching heard in the past on WIBS, R. Caribe, QTH Guayama, Puerto Rico replete with earthquakes for percussion, multilingual orator who renders Demosthenes as inarticulate. Of course, Mr. Hockney had no way of knowing that Reloj is ever strong on 1010 from Jobabo, Las Tunas. Lest one forget, Haiti on 840, fresh, exciting, in Creole (Paul Vincent Zecchino, Englewood FL. NRC International DX Digest Jan 3 via DXLD) ** CYPRUS TURKISH. Audible right now in New York, SINPO 33333, but modulation is a bit weak. ID by a male at 2200 in English, including a brief rap jingle ID ("Bayrak, Bayrak, Bayrak International"). They were playing soul music, now with Santana's "Smooth" as I type this 2210 UT). (George Maroti, NY, Jan 3, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** CZECHOLSOVAKIA. The CSDXC (Czechoslovak DX Club) homepage address changed after some time of parallel operation: old address: http://www.csdxc.cz --- new address: http://www.dx.cz We are sorry of those who do not visit our pages so often, so they did not notice the blinking warning and now complain that the page is not available. Please note the change, thanks. Best wishes (Karel Honzik for CSDXC, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** FINLAND. New Wonderful Year 2003 has just started! Let`s start it together with us! Scandinavian Weekend Radio is once again ready to rock whole day long with you. Our transmission will began today, Friday 3rd January at 22 hours UT. Keep on mind our frequencies 5980, 5990 and 6170 on 48 mb and 11690 and 11720 on 25 mb. Our programme and frequency schedule is available on our web-page http://www.swradio.net On 25 mb we will direct our aerial towards NA from 22 to 06 UTC. Hopefully you are able to pick our signal there and let us know of that. Our HOT-LINE is open for calls and SMS's during transmission +358 400 995 559. SWR will be on the air following days this year: 4th January, 1st February, 1st March, 5th April, 3rd May, 7th June, 5th July, 2nd August, 6th September, 4th October, 1st November, 6th December and 25th December. So we have transmission every first Saturday of Month and on Christmasday. New 2003 QSL-cards are now available for hunting! Send your reception reports with 2 EUR/ 2 US-$ or 2 IRC's to: SWR Reports, P.O.Box 35, FIN-40321 JYVÄSKYLÄ, FINLAND. Uuh… we do it, baby!!!! (DJ Madman, Scandinavian Weekend Radio via Alpo, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE. YEAR END REPORT - RADIO FRANCE INTERNATIONAL The Year End report from Radio France International, RFI, reveals the fact that this broadcasting organization has developed a massive worldwide network for the electronic dissemination of information and entertainment. RFI is the international segment of the government broadcasting service with headquarters in Paris, France. For the past three years, RFI staff are working at the level of a 35 hour working week. The cost of operating RFI for this past year has been 121.7 million Euros. The international radio broadcasting network that has been established for RFI coverage of the world is so large that it is almost impossible to list all of its facilities. Here is a summary of their broadcast outlets:- 46 shortwave transmitters in France, Guyana in South America, and Gabon in Africa. It should be remembered that 31 of these transmitters are rated at 500 kW each. In addition, they are on the air from from several relay transmitters in Japan & China, and they have a big new shortwave station under construction in Thailand. For coverage of Europe, they are on the air mediumwave in France from 5 mega-power transmitters, and for the rest of the world they are on relay via 275 local AM and FM stations including one in Beijing, China with a super-power output of one million watts. The programming from Radio France International is also available on 32 direct broadcast satellites and on 45 cable networks. Radio France International is on the air globally with 3 program services in the French language as well as in 13 additional languages (Adrian Michael Peterson, AWR Wavescan Jan 5 via DXLD) ** GERMANY. DW goes on WRN: see INTERNATIONAL VACUUM ** GUAM. ADVENTIST WORLD RADIO After a period of 22 days without electricity, the large shortwave station of Adventist World Radio on the island of Guam is back on the air again with its regular schedule of broadcasts to Asia and the Western Pacific. Local electricity was restored to the station on Friday afternoon January 3. It was on Sunday evening December 8 that Super Typhoon Pongsona attacked the island of Guam for nearly ten hours causing a devastation that is considered by local residents to be the worst ever. All four of the tall curtain antennas at AWR Guam, station KSDA, sustained serious damage, and the emergency generator failed and was declared irrepairable. During the interim period while AWR Guam was off the air, AWR programming was transferred to leased transmitters at other shortwave stations located in the United Arab Emirates and on the island of Taiwan. This interim emergency schedule will be discontinued on Sunday January 5. Although the local electrical authority on Guam has not yet restored electrical power to all of its customers, power was re-connected to the AWR shortwave station on Friday afternoon January 3 and transmissions resumed almost immediately on three transmitters. The fourth unit was re-activated a few hours later. Although the programming in English and Asian languages is beamed primarily towards Asia, the signal from KSDA Guam can be heard at optimum times of the day in almost every country of the world. (Adventist World Radio, Dr. Adrian M. Peterson Co-ordinator - International Relations, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUAM. Drove by Radio Barragatta [sic] and decided to look a little more at the damage, There is a sign on the road leading to it saying "Government Property do not enter", but the main highway leading past it gives a better view. I counted 11 towers were damaged from the storm and one is leaning at a 45 degree angle. That one if it was put in upward position would be in good shape. In the background are 10 other towers, like those commercial broadcast types and there still in good shape. The log periodics I had seen so many times before are missing and they may have been taken down for repairs. Up date of the local Ham groups: Heard KF6ILA mention to another ham that there is a new vhf antenna on order for the repeater but the shipping cost is $1200 by way of DHL. The antenna is coming from Texas. There is a local Radio shack here but they don't have enough parts or products to fill any Dxer's needs. I purchased a mag mount to work the 2 meter repeater and had the last one on the shelf. They have only 1 scanner and no CB's, shortwaves. Only one 2 meter HT. 73's from Guam island (Gilligan's other home) (Larry Fields, n6hpx/du1 Jan 2, swl via DXLD) ** INDIA. Ever since AIR National Channel started transmissions on 9470 at 1320 to 0043 from Nov. 21, 2002, the External Service on 7410 to Europe in English & Hindi at 1745 to 2230 was not heard. It is now learnt that it is the same transmitter at Khampur in Delhi that is being used. So 7410 to Europe at 1745-2230 in English and Hindi now stands cancelled. 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS/AT0J, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. 4775 AIR, Imphal 1205-1221 Jan 2. News in English, able to make out talk of ``Prime Minister`` and ``End of the news from All India Radio`` at 1211. Acoustic style music and singing; sounded devotional/religious. Fair (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., Intervale, NH, Sangean ATS 818, RF Systems MLB-1 kit, RS longwire kit & RLD balun, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. Heard 9950 kHz channel at terrible audio quality level last week around 20 UT (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, BCDX Jan 3 via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. Welcome to Deutsche Welle Radio from Germany! January 1st 2003 saw the launch of Deutsche Welle Radio on all WRN English language networks. WRN is happy to offer its audience the opportunity to listen to DW Radio`s flagship current affairs magazine `Newslink` as well as to a wide variety of special interest and feature programmes such as `Inside Europe`, `Man and Environment`, `Spectrum`, `Money Talks`, and `Living in Germany`. Deutsche Welle Radio can be heard on WRN English to North America daily at 1am Eastern Time / 10pm Pacific Time, 6am Eastern / 3 am Pacific, 4pm Eastern / 1pm Pacific, 7.30pm Eastern / 4.30 Pacific, as well as Mondays to Fridays at 10am Eastern / 7am Pacific. [what`s that in UT? -- gh] In Africa and the Asia-Pacific region daily at 10.00 UTC (12.00 CAT / 21.00 AEDT), 15.00 UTC (17.00 CAT / 02.00 AEDT), 18.30 UTC (20.30 CAT / 05.30 AEDT), as well as Mondays to Fridays at 00.30 UTC (02.30 CAT / 11.30 AEDT). Listeners in Europe can tune into DW Radio via WRN daily at 00.30 UTC / 01.30 CET, 06.00 UTC / 07.00 CET, and Mondays to Fridays at 11.00 UTC / 12.00 CET, and 15.00 UTC / 16.00 CET. In the upcoming weeks, we will provide you with additional programme information on DW Radio programmes in our Newsletter updates (WRN Newsletter Jan 3 via DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. Re: The station ID has been reported as `` Idha'at Radiyo al-Ma'ulumat``, but that means ``Radio Radio Information`` in Arabic! The correct ID is ``Idha'at al-Ma'ulumat``! (Liangas & Zeidan, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) Strange but true, yet that is how the ID goes! - listen to the clip on the Interval Signals Archive at http://www.intervalsignals.net/countries/clandestine-active.htm Regards, (Dave Kernick, UK, Jan 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Information Radio, the ID by my Arabic speaking neighbour was, he suggested, "base of Information", the interpretation is the station as the base of information, so if want information/news you listen to Information Radio (Johno Wright, Jan 2, ARDXC via DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. Radio al-Mustaqbal 1575 kHz, 1440-1528* 16/12 KWT, Arabic, Arabic traditional music, talk about Iraqi people and Saddam Hussein; heard clear ID (shorter version): "Huna idha'atu al- Mustaqbal", sign-off 1528 23442 (R. Petraitis, Lithuania, Dec 16, 2002 for CRW) Twin Rivers Radio heard on Dec. 14th, at 1831 UT on 1566 kHz with SINPO 33333 with arab popmusic and many IDs "Idha`atu Wadi al Rafidayn" (P. Robich, Australia, Dec 14, 2002 for Clandestine Radio Watch via DXLD) Both from KUWAIT ** IVORY COAST. Situation in Ivory Coast is about to sink into anarchy. There are now four rebel movements hostile to Laurent Gbagbo, the legitimate and controversial president of Ivory Coast. The oldest movement is the MPCI (Patriotic Movement of Ivory Coast) which would be supported furtively by Burkina Faso. Another connected movement seems to the MPCI, Popular Movement of the Ivory Coast of the Big - West (MPIGO); refers to former general Robert Gueï murdered in Abidjan on September 19. The MPIGO is anchored in the extreme the West of the country and would recruit at Yacoubas, region known under the name of Nimba which would be of the border zone with Liberia. Experts claim that this region is Charles Taylor's "military reservoir" and that it would lend strong hand to rebel movements. The MPIGO would be in fact connected to the MPCI, quite as the third rebel, Movement for the Justice and Peace (MJP). Another movement appeared, the national Armed forces of Ivory Coast (Fanci). The MPCI would have a radio station called "the Voice of the Mutineer" (la Voix du Mutin) and the MPIGO of another station called "the Voice of the Big West (la Voix du Grand- Ouest)". It is credibly about local or deprived stations FM taken by the opponent Names in French of four rebel movements MPCI = Mouvement Patriotique de Côte-d'Ivoire MPIGO = Mouvement Populaire Ivoirien du Grand-Ouest MJP = Mouvement pour la Justice et la Paix FANCI = Forces Armées Nationales de Côte d'Ivoire French version La situation en Côte d`Ivoire est sur le point de sombrer à l`anarchie. Il existe maintenant quatre mouvements rebelles hostiles à Laurent Gbagbo le président légitime et controversé de la Côte d`Ivoire. Le plus ancien mouvement est le MPCI (Mouvement Patriotique de Côte d`Ivoire) qui serait soutenu en sous main par le Burkina Faso. Un autre mouvement lié semble-t-il au MPCI, le Mouvement ivoirien du Grand-Ouest (MPIGO) se réclame de l`ancien général Robert Gueï assassiné à Abidjan le 19 septembre. Le MPIGO est ancré dans l`extrême Ouest du pays et recruterait chez les Yacoubas, région connue sous le nom de Nimba qui serait frontalière avec le Libéria. Des experts prétendent que cette région est le "réservoir militaire" de Charles Taylor et qu`il prêterait main forte aux mouvements rebelles. Le MPIGO serait en fait lié au MPCI, tout comme le troisième groupe rebelle, le Mouvement pour la Justice et la Paix (MJP). Un autre mouvement est apparu, les Forces armées nationales de la Côte d`Ivoire (Fanci). Le MPCI disposerait d`une station de radio appelée " la Voix du Mutin " et le MPIGO d`une autre station appelée "la Voix du Grand Ouest". Il s`agit vraisemblablement de stations locales privées FM pris à l`adversaire (via Bernard Chenal, France, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JORDAN. 12020. Oddity during the day. Jordan at around 06-08 UT. 12020 UNRESOLVED (\\ at that time to 11810 and 11920). (Vlad Titarev, Ukraine, Dec 24, BC-DX via DXLD) You would expect a mixing product from those to land on 12030 (gh) ** KOREA NORTH. OPINION: LET PSYWAR LIBERATE NORTH KOREA Nick Grace of Clandestine Radio Watch says Washington no longer has the luxury of appeasing and containing North Korea. He argues that the US should apply pressure through psychological warfare [overt and covert broadcasting, other methods]. The time for appeasement on the Korean peninsula is over. Now that Pyongyang has shown its nuclear hand and total disregard for the conventions of international law, the Bush administration has the best chance ever to isolate North Korea from its allies and help spark a process that can lead to the liberation of its people... http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/features/html/korea030103.html (RN Media Network Jan 3 via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. "THE OFFICIAL PROPAGANDA IN THE DPRK: IDEAS AND METHODS`` By Andrei Lankov, 1995, excerpt: Since the outside world is seen by North Korean authorities as a source of danger and ideological corruption, the utmost care is taken to seal all possible channels by which unauthorized data from the outside could otherwise filter into the North Korean information space. Obviously, of these channels, radio is the most "natural" source of unwanted information: it is easy to use, relatively cheap (even by North Korean standards), and portable, as well as capable of being received at long-distances -- i.e. from foreign or South Korean radio stations. Thus, radio is a source of the special attention by the authorities and is kept under particularly harsh control. Pyongyang does not follow the old Soviet example of jamming foreign radio stations. The North Korean authorities have found a cheaper, and more reliable solution: they have simply banned the domestic sale and use of the free-tuning radio receivers. The small lamp receivers which can be bought in North Korean shops (of course, one has to have special permission to buy even this piece of vintage technology) are fixed on the wave-length of the official broadcasting station. Certainly, a person with some technical knowledge can easily make the necessary changes and transform such a receiver into a real radio set. To prevent this from happening, the police undertake periodic random inspections of all registered receivers. Controlling the "right" use of radio receivers is also an important task of the heads of the so- called "people's groups" (inminban) {*1}. According to some reports, the head of inminban can break into any house at any time (even in the dead of night) to check whether there is a non-registered receiver present. Such measures, obviously, are not water-proof, since at least one of the author's North Korean acquaintances had access to a "normal" radio with free tuning and listened to foreign programs with his family, but this was, no doubt, a rather risky business... http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/champion/65/propaganda_lankov.htm (via Nick Grace, Clandestine Radio Watch Dec 31 via DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH [non]. THE TRUTH ABOUT THE VOICE OF NATIONAL SALVATION (NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC FRONT BROADCAST) Statement by the Republic of Korea National Intelligence Service, 2001 Published on the www.nis.go.kr Web site (URL now broken) The Voice of National Salvation is a malicious anti-South propaganda radio broadcast aimed at South Koreans. - It was initially launched on June 1, 1970 under the name of the Voice of the Revolutionary Party for Reunification. The broadcast changed its named to the current Voice of National Salvation on August 8, 1985, following the renaming of the Revolutionary Party for Reunification as the National Democratic Front for South Korea (in fact, the Korean Worker's Party). - Thereafter, the broadcast station increased its frequency range, broadcasting hours and output, to intensify its function as ideological indoctrinator of pro-North student activists and instigator of anti-government struggles in the South. The broadcast is transmitted from the "Mt. Chilbo Liaison Office" under the United Front Department. - All broadcast and recording scripts prepared by party organizations undergo proofreading by South Koreans (defectors or abductees) to disguise the broadcast as one originating from the South. Word choice, spelling and pronunciation are carefully checked to make them sound natural. The broadcast starts with the opening, "This is the Voice of National Salvation of the National Democratic Front for South Korea reporting from Seoul." - Anchors are mostly defectors and abductees from South Korea. Song Kyung Hee and Jong Kyung Suk, who were kidnapped and taken to the North when their plane (Korean Air) was hijacked to the North in 1969, work as anchorwomen. Yoon Noh Bin, a former professor at South Korea's Pusan University, who defected to the North through Singapore, also works as an anchorman. The station operates one medium-range and six short-range frequencies. They are transmitted from Haeju, Wonsan and Pyongyang to all of South Korea for 16 hours a day, with 30 minutes of English service each day. (via N. Grace Dec 27, 2002 for CRW via DXLD) VOICE OF NATIONAL SALVATION Quoted from the Congressional Research Service: Report for Congress 94-933 S, November 29, 1994 http://www.fas.org/spp/starwars/crs/94-933s.htm Through clandestine publications (the quarterly Ch'ongmaek in particular) and the Voice of National Salvation broadcasts, North Korea urged South Koreans of all walks to rise up in "anti-U.S., pro- independence" struggles. To that end, Pyongyang in August 1985 inaugurated an anti-U.S./anti-R.O.K underground organization called the "South Korean National Democratic Front"--actually a renaming of the North Korea-based "Reunification and Revolutionary Party" at the disposal of Pyongyang since 1969, as an instrument of propaganda, agitation, and disinformation against U.S./R.O.K. interests (via N. Grace Dec 27, 2002 for CRW via DXLD) VOICE OF NATIONAL SALVATION PROFILE --- By North Korea Today, 1998 http://www.koreascope.org/newdocs/etext/sub/2/1/nk7_2.htm The Korean People's Democratic Front Radio is an organization disguised as an anti-regime organization in the South, pretending that it exists in Korea. This is the mouthpiece of the "Korean People's Democratic Front" (its name was changed in July, 1985, from the Unified Revolutionary Party), which airs propaganda in the name of the "Voice of National Salvation." This radio employs kidnapped South Koreans as announcers in order to pretend to be airing from within Korea in the dialect spoken in Korea, but in reality its transmitting station is located on Mt. Namsan in Haeju City, Hwanghae Province, and the "Chilbosan Liaison Office" (located in Hungbudong, Pyongyang City), under the North Korean Workers' Party United Front Department, controls its broadcasting. The contents of the broadcasts consist typically of false rumors devised to stir up disorders in Korean society, and the propaganda to praise the North Korean system, also making efforts to agitate leftist activists in the South to lead anti-government struggles. The Korean People's Democratic Front Radio stands proxy for North Korean agencies in propagandizing anti-South revolutionary lines, advertising that Juche ideology should be the basis for a world view, and contending that Korea must be unified in the formula of a confederacy through ceaseless struggles to attain the objectives of "independence from the United States," an "anti-fascist democracy," and finally "national unification." At the same time, the radio agitates for the pullout of the U.S. troops from Korea and the overthrow of the present Korean government. In fact, the People's Democratic Front Radio had a great influence upon leftist students and subversive forces in South Korea, giving birth to the organization of a leftist group called the "Juche Ideology Faction," which was indulged in listening to the Voice of National Salvation and struggling against the government according to the instructions of the radio, although lately the strength of the faction has been considerably reduced (via N. Grace Dec 27, 2002 for CRW via DXLD) NORTH KOREA'S NEW YEAR MESSAGE AND JUCHE (SELF-RELIANCE) IDEOLOGY FACTION Anonymous letter to the Chosun Ilbo, January 14, 2001 http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200101/200101140304.html South Korean left-activist students may undergo more drudgery than North Koreans in memorizing North Korea's New Year message to its people in its entirety, as reported in the North Korean Report, for the former are required to completely master the (South) Korea Nationalism and Democracy Front's New Year message as well... Though the front is claimed to be a vanguard organization of the Juche ideology faction operating in the South, its' generally accepted that it in fact exists in the North. Broadcasts of the "Voice of National Salvation" aired from a transmission tower in Haeju, South Hwang hae Province, North Korea, the Juche ideology faction in the South takes notes and disseminates them. The Nationalism and Democracy Front also issues a New Year's message every year. The left-activist group has a small team, specializing in listening to the "Voice of National Salvation" radio, compiling its contents into booklets and distributing them. They are distributed on January 2 or 3 every year without fail, titled, "Friends," "National Salvation Front," "Voice of No-defeat," "Patriotic Voice," or "Lighthouse." Printed in them are Kim Il Sung's New Year's message, the Nationalism and Democracy Front's address, annual evaluations and prospects, and New Year's discussions, issued by the Front. Debates take place on them among seniors first and then by juniors. In the course of conducting about a dozen debates, the activist students naturally learn them by heart. Shameful as I am, I too recited Kim Il Sung's New Year's message in full, perfectly imitating his voice... Two sentiments assail me as I write this letter. One is a sense of guilt toward North Koreans. Once I read a story about a person who was beaten to death in a political detention camp in the North for having failed to memorize the New Year's message, in the memories of a North Korean defector named Ri Sun Ok. The story made me agonize. Another is a sense of pity toward some South Korean leftist students, who appear to be filled with admiration for "comrade Kim Jung Il's greatness and affection." (via N. Grace Dec 27, 2002 for CRW via DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH. RKI TRANSMITTER DAMAGE BY TYPHOON Dear All, RKI transmitting facilities in Kimjae, in the southern part of Korea, were severely damaged by the recent typhoon Rusa. As a result, reception conditions on the frequencies 15575 KHz (23:00~04:00 UT) and 13670 (07:00~11:00 UT) are not sounding their best... However they are trying to repair it. Regards, (Md. Azizul Alam Al-Amin Rajshahi, Bangladesh, hard-core-dx Jan 3 via Mike Terry, DXLD) This was some months ago. And I believe the below even predates the above (gh) From RKI web site: Located in Kimjae, North Cholla Province, some 270 km south of Seoul, the station was built and opened in 1975. Having assumed its role as RKI's major transmitting station, Kimjae presently operates 7 transmitters (three of 250 KW and four of 100 KW) and a sprawling network of 17 antennas, controlled by computer. Information related to the broadcasting schedule is entered into the computer well ahead of the actual transmission time. A comprehensive switching matrix can connect any of the transmitters to any of the antennae. It has been true, however, that as years went by, some facilities at Kimjae had become fairly old, rather naturally. Most recently, some of them have been replaced with new ones. To be more specific, in late August of 2001, the station completed re-engineering work for two old antennas which had been torn down in late December, 2000. The two new antennas now target Indonesia (A3) and Southeast Asia & South China (A4). If you happen to visit Kimjae, there you'll find that they have erected three high-rise steel towers, and installed two sets of horizontal, elliptical antennas, one each between the two towers (see the picture below). While installing the antennas, they previously employed the "1 bay 2 stacks" mode . But, this time, they changed to the "1 bay 4 stacks" type. This helps to enhance the efficiency of the antennas. With the recent official dedication of the new facilities, RKI began using the new antennas, starting on October 1st, for five hours of transmission on a trail basis. The schedule is then incorporated into part of the more full-fledged service for the B01 schedule, as of October 28th, 2001. A3 antenna - targets Indonesia (9.570 MHz three hours) Indonesian 12:00-13:00, 14:00-15:00 English 13:00-14:00 A4 antenna - targets Southeast Asia (Indochina, South China, Malaysia) (9.755 MHz, two hours) Indonesian 22:00-23:00 Chinese 23:00-24:00 Meanwhile, we hope the re-dedication of antennas at Kimjae will continue to allow Radio Korea International to further increase the scope of the exchange of relay hours with its foreign partners or to lease its facility to other customer broadcasters wishing to send their program signals to their target areas from Kimjae in Korea (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH. SPURIOUS. 8300 harmonic [sic]. I've tuned to 8300 a bit later. And faced something interesting (after 18 UT): mix of barely audible French and something hardly discernible, another 'voice'. After first short reaction: "something wrong with my 7030". I`ve tuned R399 (with quite different circuitry) and find the same mix ... Just before 19 UT I've caught ID in French: "RKI Seoul". To shorten the story, after some analyzing RKI's sked and exploring calculator, Kimjae fault was discovered: 15575-7275=8300. Unfortunately 15575 does not propagate into Ukraine now to confirm this theoretical conclusion. Another possibility - second 'mirror' on 22850 kHz. Not the best moment I guess, nevertheless, who is in daylight, worthy to check that (Vlad Titarev, Ukraine, Dec 24, BC-DX via DXLD) 8300 being where you might expect to hear New Star --- or is it really Star Star --- Taiwan numbers station, earlier around 1400. Please, understand what a harmonic is! Only an integral multiple of a fundamental frequency, such as 2x, 3x, 4x... (Well, sometimes we have semi- and sesqui-harmonics but nothing more complex than that). The above is a *mixing product* (gh, DXLD) ** KYRGYZSTAN. When I tuned to 4050 just after 0300 this morning (31 Dec) there was a talk program in what appeared to be standard Persian (rather than Tajik or Dari). Because of the currently very disturbed propagation there was no chance to pick an ID, but finally we may get to know within the next few days who has been planning to use this channel (Olle Alm, Sqweden, BC-DX via DXLD) ** LIBYA [non]. FRANCE. Voice of Africa/Radio Jamahiriya (Libya) 15220 at 1743 January 3, man in English with strong accent reading world news till 1745. Switched to French with ID "Ici La Voix Afrique de la Grand Jamahiriya...". Arabic from 1752 until cut in mid-sentence at 1757 and off. Good signal with some QRM (Harold Sellers, Newmarket Ont., ODXA via DXLD) ** MAURITIUS. Since December 16, 2002, Top FM became the third Mauritian private radio to broadcast in frequency modulation (FM). It follows close by its colleagues and rivals, both launched in 2002, Radio One (in March 12) and Radio Plus (in April 13). Top FM is a chain with musical dominant, with also broadcast of stray and flashes every hour. The radio arranges three frequencies of broadcast, according to every covered region: 104.4 MHz, 105.7 MHz and 106 MHz. The launch of December 16 was in fact only a simple stake in appetite, because during almost a week Top FM had restricted itself almost only morning slice of two hours (western, local and oriental music with a accent on the Indian songs). Previous weeks, Top FM had diffused the music by way of technical attempts. The launch of Top FM was foreseen for June 2002, but technical constraints decided on it otherwise. The new radio has moreover the only presenter of Top FM not to use a pen name in the antenna. The name Top FM was preferred to that of initially foreseen Sunrise Radio. Indeed, Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA, authority of Regulation) imposed on Top FM is a subsidiary of the skywave company. This suspension is motivated by the fact that the Mauritian public Radio TV (MBC) already reruns Sunrise's broadcasts (Source: Le Mauricien in French, 12 décembre, 2002 http://www.lemauricien.com/mauricien/0216/so.htm#4 via Bernard Chenal, France, Jan 3, DXLD) I assume Bernard is running these thru a machine translator, which I have fixed up slightly, but can`t always figure out what was meant (gh) ** MEXICO [non]. BORDER RADIO: BACK WHERE IT ALL BEGAN Karen Gleason, The Del Rio News-Herald, Published December 22, 2002 "I feel a hot wind on my shoulder, And the touch of a world that is older, I turn the switch and check the number, I leave it on when in bed I slumber, I hear the rhythms of the music, I buy the product and never use it, I hear the talking of the deejay, Can`t understand, just what does he say? I`m on a Mexican radio. . ." - "Mexican Radio" Wall of Voodoo Old-time border radio is coming back to Del Rio. On Feb. 14, 2003, the stage of Del Rio`s Paul Poag Theatre for the Performing Arts will crackle with the likes of Dr. John Brinkley and Wolfman Jack, brought back to life in Border Radio Show, a stage play developed by Gene Fowler and Bill Crawford, authors of the book Border Radio: Quacks, Yodelers, Pitchmen, Psychics and Other Amazing Broadcasters of the American Airwaves. Fowler and Crawford held a press conference at Memo`s restaurant Tuesday to announce the play`s opening here. Billed as "A Nuevo Vaudeville Documentary Performance," Fowler said Border Radio Show grew out of a two-person talk he and Crawford developed as they were promoting their book. "It went so well that we decided to expand it," Crawford said. Ludlum, who with business partners Nick Khoury and Bobby Paul, is responsible for bringing Border Radio Show here, said he is delighted. "The place (Fowler and Crawford) said they`ve always wanted to play is Del Rio." "It had to be done here," Fowler agreed. Part of Border Radio Show is devoted to Del Rio`s Dr. Brinkley. In their book, Fowler and Crawford`s first chapter deals with the man they called "The Big Daddy of Border Radio." Brinkley moved to Del Rio in the early 1930s after receiving permission from the Mexican government to build what would become the most powerful broadcasting station on earth. At one million watts of power [so the legend grows --- gh], Brinkley`s "border blaster" radio station XER, physically located across the Rio Grande from Del Rio in then-Villa Acuña, carried the good doctor`s messages around the world. "Because of Dr. Brinkley, Del Rio became known throughout the English-speaking world," Fowler said. "Border Radio Show" will showcase the vocal talents of Crawford and Fowler, as well as those of Rick Perkins and Anna María García. The play itself will feature many of the product advertisements for which border radio became famous: Mineral Wells` "Crazy Water" and psychic readings by another Del Rioan, Rose Dawn. Del Rio Mayor Dora G. Alcalá was one of the guests at Tuesday`s press conference. She described herself as "a devoted listener" of border radio. "I grew up with border radio," the mayor recalled. "I would run home from school to listen to novelas en Español. I remember listening to Wolfman Jack, and I remember wanting to order every product that was advertised -- the autographed picture of Jesus, the baby chicks, everything." Crawford, a resident of Austin, is the author or co-author of more than a dozen books, including Stevie Ray Vaughan: Caught in the Crossfire. Fowler`s non-fiction books include Crazy Water and Mystic Healers and Medicine Shows. Tickets are $15 apiece and will go on sale after the first of the year. For more information about Border Radio Show, visit its Web site at http://www.borderradioshow.com Del Rio News-Herald. 73 (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** NEWFOUNDLAND. A look at the CKZN-6160 antennas, Nov 2001: http://members.aol.com/baconti/xckzn.htm (via Bruce Conti, DXLD) ** NICARAGUA. In the Dec 28 edition of DXLD, you wrote, "600 is thought to be the best chance for Nicaragua in North America." I've found 620 to be a best bet. It's been logged in New Hampshire and Maine on a few occasions over the years. 600 - never logged (Bruce Conti - Nashua NH, Jan 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Like Bogdan said http://members.aol.com/baconti/bamlog.htm ** NIGERIA [non]. Jakada R., 12125 M-F at 1900-1930: HFCC frequency registrations for the current broadcasting period indicate that the transmitter site used is Armavir, Russia (BC-DX via DXLD) ** NORWAY [non]. See SRI LANKA ** PAKISTAN. 5083, R. Pakistan, Dec 29 1551-1604 33333 Urdu, Talk. ID at 1559. 1600 News (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan Premium via DXLD) This one must vary quite a bit; last reported less than one kHz above and below 5080 (gh) ** PAKISTAN. PAKISTAN OPENS AIRWAVES FOR PRIVATE RADIO After five decades of complete government control of broadcasting in Pakistan, the country has opened up its airwaves and granted licences to more than 20 private radio stations. Pakistani authorities also say that seven new television channels could also be given permission to start transmitting. Initially the private stations will not be allowed to carry news, but sources in Islamabad say pressure from broadcasters based in India and elsewhere could eventually compel Pakistan to give total freedom to its electronic media (From ABC Online News, Sat 4 January 2003 -via Matt Francis, McLean, VA, Jan 3, DXLD) ** ST. PIERRE & MIQUELON. Hello, Glenn. Happy New Year! While tuning around on mediumwave this afternoon, I came across a fairly good signal from RFO-St. Pierre et Miquelon on 1375 kHz. They were featuring the music from the concert for Queen Elizabeth earlier in the year. While listening to the music, I decided to search on the Internet to see what I could find out about the station. I came across this site which not only gives some information and an on-line audio link to RFO St. Pierre, but links to all other RFO services. This could be a useful link for the DXing community. Here is the URL: http://www.rfo.fr/st_pierre_et_miquelon_ie15m.php I haven't explored the whole site yet. I was mainly looking to find an e-mail address for the station, but haven't tracked it down yet. Perhaps I'm just missing it. Anyhow, hopefully this if of interest to everyone. Best wishes, (Sheldon Harvey, Jan 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SAUDI ARABIA [non]. Radio Islah is on 9925, with the bubble jam still on. Sign on at 1830 till 2130 UT. They have a room on http://www.paltalk and that's how they get the opinions of the listeners, mainly Sa`udis living in KSA! About the transmitter QTH, I reckon, not sure, it's coming from Bulgaria!! not confirmed. Best 73s from Cairo Egypt, SU Land (Tarek Zeidan, Jan 3, dxing.info via DXLD) ** SERBIA. The forces of stabilization of the NATO (Sfor) in Bosnia searched yesterday the premises of a radio belonging to Sonja Karadzic, girl [friend? Daughter?] of Radovan Karadzic, the former leader of the Serbs of Bosnia who is suspected of genocide. The radio is installed at Pale (12 km east of Sarajevo), where Radovan Karadzic possesses a house and where lives his wife. Vehicles of Sfor blocked the entrances of the building, while several helicopters glanced through the village with low height. Karadzic is looked for by the international penal Court for ex-Yugoslavia. He is charged with genocide and war crimes for the acts during the Bosnian conflict (1992-1995). He would hide in the Serbian part of Bosnia, Republika Srpska, protected by a network of partisans and bodyguards, and would leave by chance Bosnia to go in nearby Montenegro (AFP via l'Alsace (local newspaper) in January 3, 2003 via Bernard Chenal, France, DXLD) ** SERBIA-MONTENEGRO. Radio Yugoslavia still IDing with this name today at 0100 sign-on, 7115 (Harold Sellers, Ont., UT Jan 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SIERRA LEONE. R. UNAMSIL 6139.1, JAN 2 2154 - very poor reception, best in LSB, hard to distinguish between talk, music and/or noise. However, at 2154 I noted a strong voice saying what sounded like "Radio Unamsil". Wishful hearing, perhaps, so I will keep at it (Jim Renfrew, Byron NY, Drake R8, longwires, DX LISTENING DIGEST) How is the name pronounced, exactly? (gh, DXLD) Kann es sein dass, radio unamsil etwas nach oben auf 6139.15v driftete? (Thomas Lindenthal, Germany, A-DX Dec 29) Ja, duerfte so sein, wurde in Amerika gestern ebenfalls auf 6139.1 geloggt (Christoph Ratzer, Austria, OE2CRM, A-DX Dec 29, die beide via BC-DX via DXLD) ** SRI LANKA. LTTE RADIO MAY REACH INDIA Colombo: Sri Lanka`s Tamil Tigers will start their upgraded radio broadcast services from January 16, reaching a wider area with more programmes, LTTE sources said on Thursday. The Voice of Tigers will expand its services using a newly opened broadcast station in the island's northern jungles. It was not immediately clear if the new services will reach the nearby Tamil Nadu, having traditional ties with Lankan Tamils (from http://deccan.com/neighbours/#LTTE Deccan Chronicle, Hyderabad, January 3, via Jose Jacob, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Another version: LANKA-RADIO LTTE TO EXTEND RADIO BROADCASTS COLOMBO, JAN 2 (PTI) --- Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels will expand their newly legitimised radio broadcasts from mid January with the deployment of controversially imported transmitting equipment even as a leading Opposition party warned that its reach could undermine India's security. The Voice of Tigers radio, which the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ran for over a decade as an underground station will transmit programmes for longer periods and to cover a wider area from January 16, the Tamilnet website said. President Chandrika Kumaratunga's People's Alliance said through their new equipment, the Tigers could expand their radio broadcasts to Southern India which could undermine India's security. There was no immediate reaction from Indian diplomats here on the matter. Kumaratunga herself wrote to Norwegian Prime Minister Kijell Magne Bondevik protesting the conduct of Oslo's envoy here Jon Westborg, in importing the equipment. The expanded broadcasts will coincide with the death anniversary of a top Tiger leadeb, Kittu, who committed suicide when his ship bringing arms to Sri Lanka was intercepted by the Indian navy in 1993. The Tamil net did not say what would be new reach of the VOT station, but the government had said the transmitter used by them and put into test transmissions currently was five kilowatts. http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?gid=&id=108954 (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** SRI LANKA. Finally answering my question, what is PA? :: [Sinhala ethnic opposition Party Alliance -D.P.] (via CRW) A very lengthy report, including parts list of all the radio equipment imported into SL for the Tigers with the help of Norway reached us some days ago, but we have continually put off publishing it in toto in DXLD. Now we can link to the latest issue of CRW where it does appear, along with much else, including before and after it a lot of other LTTE stories, many of which have appeared here, but not all, such as the one about LTTE civil administration. This is about 2/3 down into the file. Or search on the title or author. Here`s how it starts: (gh, DXLD) INSIDE STORY OF LTTE`S RADIO BOOTY, By Frederica Jansz An apparent sinister move by the LTTE to import an entire consignment of radio equipment from Singapore has surfaced as being nothing more than an attempt to evade a Rs. 2 million customs duty. An in-depth investigation by The Sunday Leader has found that the recent controversy over the government having allowed the LTTE to import new radio equipment for its station the ``Voice of Tigers`` boils down to the fact, the Tigers involved the Royal Norwegian Embassy to facilitate the import in order to avoid paying over Rs. 2 million in customs duty. The radio equipment in reality was not a gift from the Norwegians to the LTTE.... http://www.schoechi.de/crw/crw123.html (via gh, DXLD) [non]. NORWAY REJECTS SRI LANKAN COMPLAINT OVER VOICE OF TIGERS Norway has rejected criticism by the president of Sri Lanka over its role in the importing of a new radio transmitter for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). President Chandrika Kumaratunga sent a letter to the Norwegian prime minister on Monday accusing Norway of breaking Sri Lankan laws. But in reply, Norway said there have been some misunderstandings in the Sri Lankan media about the role of the Norwegian embassy, which had simply responded to a request by the Sri Lankan government to help the rebels set up a private radio station as part of peace efforts. President Kumaratunga does not support the peace policy of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, and is concerned that relations with India will suffer if Voice of Tigers broadcasts reach into southern India (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 3 January 2003 via DXLD) ** TAIWAN. REPUBLICA DE CHINA. Radio Taipei Internacional realizó un programa especial de inicio del nuevo año (1/1/2003) en el que participaron sus locutores Patricia Lin, Bonnie Cheng, Elena Chen y Pablo Wang. La siguiente es la reproducción de un comentario muy interesante, especialmente, para los oyentes de idioma portugués: "...También recibimos regularmente muchísimas cartas de amigos brasileños, a veces nos escriben en portuñol, a veces nos escriben en portugués directamente y, a pesar que nosotros entendemos el portugués, nos resulta un poco complicado responder algunas de las preguntas; no comprendemos perfectamente al portugués, por su puesto, y también hemos recibido algunas sugerencias para abrir una sección en portugués, digamos emitir programas en portugués o un programa en portugués, por lo menos"(Pablo Wang). "En realidad hemos hablado del asunto con los superiores pero actualmente debido al problema del presupuesto nos es imposible abrir una nueva sección pero... ¿Quién sabe? a lo mejor en un cercano futuro ustedes van a poder escuchar los programas en portugués a través de CBS Radio Taipei Internacional" (Patricia Lin). Posteriormente, Bonnie Cheng agradeció al oyente brasileño Caso Caruso por haber demostrado mucho interés a través de sugerencias y deseos de colaborar en favor de la reactivación del servicio en portugués de RTI (Rubén Guillermo Margenet, Jan 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TURKMENISTAN. Very interesting propagation this evening. Both R. Bakhara 4930 (USB+carrier) and 5015 are audible between 0100 and 0126, SINPO was 34333 on 5015 at one time. 4930 has distorted audio (George Maroti, NY, Cumbredx mailing list, UT Jan 4 via DXLD) ** UKRAINE. Glenn, Between the thunder on January 1, 2003 I managed to check RUI at 2200 UT on 5905 kHz. 2200 VOA in Mandarin, positive ID, on 5905. Barely heard RUI ident signal. RUI useless. 2215, 2230 and 2245 same as 2200 UT. 73, (-.. . Kraig, KG4LAC, Krist, VA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Re Olle's message concerning RUI --- I heard 7420 close-down at 0800 today [Jan 3]. 17760 was running a carrier and came on a few minutes before 0800. I THINK I heard 6020 before 0800 but am not certain after then due to a co-channel (maybe Brazil). 11825 11840 and 13590 listed in the tentative schedule from Jan 1 were not heard, so I assume this has not come about --- only the change from 9810 to 7375. So where does 7420 come into it --- in the tent. sched it is listed for Kyiv 074 deg 0100-0500 and not listed at all in the "part 1 minimum sched". (Noel R. Green, UK, Jan 3 via Wolfgang Bueschel, DXLD) ** U K. I've uploaded "Shortwave News" for January which has Part One of my visit to BBC Bush House, and that means that International Listener is now officially back on the web! Please help spread the word! http://www.internationallistener.com (Ed Mayberry, TX, Dec 31, swprograms via DXLD) ** U S A. Hi Glenn: My live 1700-1800 new year's call-in show is available indefinitely on-demand in either video or audio formats and I`ll ask Tom Sundstrom to link them from the CW website: TTAM News Year day audio program link address; http://www.voanews.com/real/worldnet/ttam/engl/ttama0101.ram TTAM News Year day video program link address; http://www.voanews.com/real/worldnet/ttam/engl/ttamv0101.ram 73 (Kim Elliott, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Today's Washington Post has a profile of David S. Jackson, the director of VOA. Online at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3923-2003Jan2.html (Matt Francis, Counsellor, Public Diplomacy, Australian Embassy, Jan 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: PLAYERS: DAVID S. JACKSON --- A VOICE AT THE HEART OF THE ACTION By Christopher Lee, Washington Post Staff Writer, Friday, January 3, 2003; Page A17 As a longtime foreign correspondent for Time magazine, David S. Jackson explained the world to an American audience. These days, the new head of the Voice of America explains American values to the world. Jackson, 52, took over as the 26th director of the government-owned broadcasting service in September after a yearlong stint running a Pentagon Web site devoted to the war against terrorism. Before that, the Nashville native spent 23 years working for Time in the United States, the Middle East and Asia. "I wanted to write and I wanted to have adventures," Jackson said of his career choice in a recent interview at his VOA office in downtown Washington. "I wanted to be where it was happening." It was happening in Iran, where Jackson covered the Islamic revolution in 1979 and the Iran-Iraq war during the 1980s. And in Egypt and Lebanon, where he reported on Palestinian refugees and the contentious politics of the Middle East. And in Asia, where he wrote about a coup in Thailand in the early 1990s. These days, the VOA is at the heart of the action. The 61-year-old service, which broadcasts news, educational and cultural programming in 53 languages to 94 million people, gained a higher profile after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The VOA director's job, always a tricky political balancing act between providing news and pushing government policy, became even harder under the new spotlight. Two of the three principles in the VOA charter call upon the service to present U.S. policies and project "American thought and institutions" abroad, missions that gained new importance as fallout from the attacks revealed considerable hatred toward Americans in many parts of the world. "I am trying to get a message across," Jackson said. "The message is about who we are in the United States and what we believe in. . . . The charter obliges us to present U.S. policy and it also obliges us to present responsible discussion and opinions on that policy. And we will do that." But free-speech advocates and some VOA staff members worry that a renewed emphasis on selling U.S. values abroad might come at the expense of the VOA's first mission, also laid out in the charter, to be an "accurate, objective and comprehensive" source of news. That tension, long a part of VOA's culture, is exemplified in the debate over Radio Sawa and Radio Farda, two new foreign-language services that officials hope will reach a broader audience in the Middle East and Iran. The services, in Arabic and Farsi, began last year and broadcast pop music geared toward younger audiences, with news mixed in throughout the day. Radio Sawa replaced the VOA's Arabic Service, and some at VOA fear the agency's Farsi Service will be the next to fall, limiting not only outlets for news, but for serious explanations of U.S. policy. The programming shifts "show that the United States has disengaged itself from being involved in credible discussion of critical issues in the Middle East and Iran," Gary A. Marco, a broadcast technician at VOA and president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees local, wrote in a recent letter to The Washington Post. "Both Sawa and Farda insult the intelligence and cultures of Arabic and Iranian people." Jackson and officials with the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), the presidentially appointed panel that oversees the VOA, defend the new services as a way to attract larger audiences. Radio Farda won't mean the demise of the agency's other Farsi-language programming, Jackson said. "VOA is in some ways like a daily newspaper," he said. "We have news, we have features and, in some places, we even have sports. It doesn't all have to be news to get our message across." Other challenges await Jackson. The budget impasse on Capitol Hill, for example, has frozen VOA's funding at the fiscal 2002 level of $148 million, delaying the arrival of money to pay for replacing outdated hardware with digital equipment. Jackson also must earn the respect of VOA's 1,353 employees while maintaining the confidence of the nine-member board. "He's in a tough spot," said Tim Shamble, a VOA radio production specialist and president of the American Federation of Government Employees local. "The BBG is calling the shots. There's really not a lot he can do." BBG Chairman Kenneth Y. Tomlinson said Jackson has shown his independence, recently arguing against a push by some officials to diminish the VOA's Persian news service when Radio Farda started. "David fought to keep VOA strong," he said. "And it has turned out to be very, very important. Because if you are going to offer programming to a youth-oriented under-28 audience, you'd better have your McNeil- Lehrer [-style] backup for your more mature audience." Jackson and his wife, Susan Reed, a CNN journalist, moved to Washington in August 2001 when Jackson accepted an early retirement package at Time. After Sept. 11, Jackson called Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke, an old friend from his reporting days, to see how she was doing. She offered him a job as editor of DefendAmerica.gov, a new Web site devoted to news about the war against terrorism. He took it, motivated by the desire to help the country during a difficult time. BBG officials approached him about the VOA post last summer. When then-VOA Director Robert Reilly resigned in August after less than a year on the job, officials announced Jackson as his successor. Jackson, a Republican, said he was not picked for his political views. His strength, he said, is that he is a longtime journalist with a lot of experience in the troubled parts of the world that the VOA wants to reach. "I know how people in those parts of the world look at us. I know how they think of us, I know why. I know how to talk to them," he said. "And I'm grateful for the opportunity to try to help us get our news out." © 2003 The Washington Post Company SIDEBAR: In Profile: David S. Jackson Title: Director, Voice of America. Education: Bachelor's degree in psychology, University of California at Berkeley. Age: 52. Family: Married; one child. Career highlights: Editor in chief, DefendAmerica.gov, Department of Defense, 2001-2002; correspondent, Time Magazine, 1978-2001; staff writer, Chicago Sun-Times, 1978; staff writer; Chicago Daily News, 1974-1978; reporter, City News Service, 1972-74. Pastimes: Bicycling, jogging, reading. (via Matt Francis, DXLD) ** U S A. VOICE OF AMERICA MUSEUM UNDER WAY First phase will cover interior, safety work in 1940s building By Jennifer Edwards, The Cincinnati Enquirer, Friday, January 3, 2003 WEST CHESTER TWP. - The first phase of a three-part plan to recreate the 1940s Voice of America broadcast building as a public museum should be complete by the Fourth of July. The VOA Bethany Station began relaying news and entertainment around the world in 1944. While broadcasters delivered reports from Washington and New York, the signals were relayed to the Tylersville Road station in what is now West Chester Township and broadcast in more than 50 languages, waging war on Nazi Germany's radio propaganda. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, it closed in 1994, and the big radio towers came down in 1997. Now West Chester owns the VOA building and is converting it into a museum to honor the facility's legacy throughout World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars and the Cold War era. West Chester Township and MetroParks of Butler County are transforming their portions of the 625 acres into parklands with recreation fields, a lake and other amenities. The museum will be the only place the public can come to listen to an archive of VOA broadcasts. Some will be available for purchase. State Sen. Scott Nein, R-Hamilton, grew up riding past the radio towers that hummed nonstop for 50 years. Each time the family drove past the towers, his parents pointed them out, speaking in awe of their important role and historical legacy. "We shouldn't ever forget about the Cold War and what the country endured during that time," Mr. Nein said. "You always learn from history; and if you forget any of it, we are probably going to be in bigger trouble down the road." The first phase of the estimated five-year project will cost about $100,000. It involves taking down interior walls and making the one- story museum safe. It was originally constructed in the Art Deco style with two separate units. The administration section is two stories tall with a four-story central tower that served as a guard station and revolving searchlight beacon house. The transmitter section was designed to accommodate six transmitters with their associated equipment. Subsequent work will include heating and air conditioning, restorations inside and out, improved drainage and additional bathrooms. That phase will take the brick building to the point of being a public museum. Township Trustee Catherine Stoker is helping to spearhead the project and the fund raising that will pay for it. "VOA is probably one of the most important facilities in Ohio from World War II through the Cold War," Ms. Stoker said. "The Voice of America agency does not archive its broadcasts, but there are interested individuals and organizations who have archived some of them, so we are going to put out a call to collect those we can to build up a library." The West Chester Amateur Radio Association restored one transmitter and the control console at the VOA building. It also dismantled and removed the remaining two transmitters. The 30-member organization with the call sign WC8VOA will install an amateur radio station at the museum. from: http://enquirer.com/editions/2003/01/03/loc_voa03.html (via Alan Pennington, BDXC-UK, Caversham UK) ** U S A. WC8VOA is an amateur radio club located at the old VOA Bethany transmitting site... http://www.wc8voa.com 73 (Kim Elliott, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. SPECIAL EVENT, SPACE CONTACT TO MARK MARCONI TRANSMISSION CENTENNIAL Special event station KM1CC will be on the air January 11-19, 2003, to mark the 100th anniversary of Guglielmo Marconi's inaugural wireless transmission between the US and Great Britain January 18, 1903 (January 19 UT). On that date, from the sandy Cape Cod cliffs overlooking the Atlantic, Marconi --- using a powerful (35 kW) rotary spark transmitter coupled to a massive antenna system -- transmitted a 54-word greeting from President Theodore Roosevelt to England's King Edward VII. The monarch promptly acknowledged receipt of the message via land line and cable, literally igniting the spark of global communication. The Marconi Radio Club, W1AA, and the Marconi Cape Cod Memorial Radio Club, KM1CC, are working in partnership with the National Park Service at Cape Cod National Seashore to organize the celebration. The special event will take place at the former Coast Guard station at Coast Guard Beach in Eastham, Massachusetts, which is near the original Marconi site. Operation will include several amateur modes, including SSB, CW, FM, digital and satellite. Marconi Radio Club President Robert J. ``Whitey`` Doherty, K1VV, says operators will be on the air 24 hours a day from January 11 through January 19. ``We have a half dozen operators who will live at the station for the full period,`` he said. The special event station will open to the public from 9 AM until 5 PM EST (1400-2200 UT). An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) school contact --- the first of the new year with US students --- is to be scheduled during the weeklong celebration. Doherty says that selected students from three Cape Cod high schools will speak via KM1CC with a member of the new Expedition 6 ISS crew. l. Marconi's daughter, Princess Elettra Marconi, is scheduled to attend the a reenactment of the groundbreaking wireless transmission on January 18, when KM1CC will transmit the text of Roosevelt's original message to King Edward VII. KM1CC QSL card requests from US amateurs (include a self-addressed, stamped envelope) go via Barbara Dougan, KB1GSO, Cape Cod National Seashore, 99 Marconi Site Rd, Wellfleet, MA 02667. DX stations are invited to QSL via the W1 QSL Bureau. Additional details are on the Marconi Radio Club Web site http://personal.tmlp.com/k1vv/w1aa/ (ARRL Letter Dec 27 via DXLD) ** U S A. WSAI-AM SWITCHES FORMAT, HIRES RHODES AS MORNING HOST http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2002/12/30/daily29.html 15:38 EST Thursday Clear Channel's WSAI-AM Channel 1530 announced a slew of changes Jan. 2, including a format change and a new morning host. The longtime Cincinnati station said it is switching from an adult standards format to oldies, featuring hits from the 1950s and '60s. And with the format change comes a new morning host: Dusty Rhodes, who also serves as Hamilton County auditor. Rhodes replaces legendary broadcaster Nick Clooney, who earlier in the week said that his contract with the station had not been renewed for 2003. Rhodes rejoins the station, where in 1964 he was part of the WSAI "Good Guys" and was instrumental in sponsoring the Cincinnati appearance of The Beatles during the group's first American tour. Since then, he has worked with several other Cincinnati radio stations including WKRC-AM, 700 WLW and WGRR-AM. WSAI-AM said the format change will be effective Jan. 3. © 2003 American City Business Journals Inc. (BTW, semi-local WTTI 1530 Dalton, GA burnt to the ground in late December. WSAI winter sky wave fades around 10 AM local, but is back by 2 PM now) (Brock Whaley, Atlanta for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. CC STARTS SILENCING INTERNET STREAMS (AGAIN) - 1/3 - Radio And Records reports that Clear Channel has starting halting the internet streams of some of its key stations. "This time it's not webcast performance royalties that are being blamed, but the streaming royalties charged by BMI and ASCAP," says R&R in reference to the discontinuance of the streams about a year ago. We do hear that many of the streams of CC's eight DC stations (DC101, WIHT, WMZQ, WASH, WBIG, WTNT, WWRC, and WTEM) and three Baltimore stations (WPOC, WXFB, WCAO) have been pulled. R&R says that CC outlets in places like NYC, Houston, Miami, and Dallas have also yanked theirs. Broadcasters are in a dispute with performing-rights organizations over whether to pay additional fees for internet simulcasts of over-the-air programming, R&R adds... (dcrtv.com via Kim Elliott, Jan 3, swprograms via DXLD) ** U S A. IBOC: I can comment to some extent on the local scene here in the Washington, DC area. The WKDL-730 transmitter that Doug lists is only 9.8 miles WSW of me with 5 KW and a two-tower array which pumps a field of 793.82 mV/m at 1 km in my direction. It has indeed been giving IBOC a try during the daylight hours though the IBOC transmissions appear to have ceased for the time being. The station, being only about 10 miles south of the FCC's main offices in downtown Washington longways down a mostly all- water path (the Potomac River) should have given FCC personnel a good chance to hear for themselves how IBOC works with AM transmissions. Semi-local WGOP-700 which is about 50 miles away from me to the North with 5 KW and 3-tower array with major lobe just about 20 degrees off of me was severely affected by hash from WKDL-IBOC. In addition there were distortion products which sounded like a slope-detected carrier edge which bothered WBMD-750 Baltimore and even slightly affected WCBM-680 Baltimore. As for trying to hear WOR-710 which is usually the strongest of the NYC area powerhouses here during daylight hours, forget it! Earlier IBOC experiments involving WILC-900 with a 2 KW transmitter 19.6 miles away from me put hash on WCBS-880 which made listening to that NYC station very uncomfortable. As to FM, WETA on 90.9 with 75 KW at 827' asl 12 miles away from me has been using IBOC quite consistently and at my place you can't hear anything on 90.7 or 91.1 even with my Denon in the sharpest IF mode. And when I am over in the Arlington VA area where the transmitter is located and where the wife and I shop quite frequently, I can forget about listening to one of my regular music sources, all-classical WBJC 91.5 from Baltimore. I hope this isn't what lies ahead for our future. The test procedure described by a post to this list some time ago certainly didn't sound like a real-world test to me. It looked like parameters were carefully chosen to avoid discovering problems, and even at that at the last minute the agreed-upon-in-advance testing procedure was severely modified anyway (Fred Laun, Temple Hills, MD, W3ZO, Dec 30, WTFDA via DXLD) I think this is EXACTLY what the future will be. These guys are trying to sneak it in and the FCC is part of it (witness their close association with the WOR IBOC transmissions, especially the night time tests to determine the amount of IBOC power to be used at night on AM). Just the fact that WOR has not been very forward mentioning that they are using less power on the IBOC sidebands than what normally would be used should raise some red flags. And the story that when they first ran IBOC and caused considerable interference was because of a bad IBOC exciter or two? Wanna bet? Probably was the full IBOC power that will be used in the future. The future band will be 15 stations (X 2 as IBOC has the 2nd program channel capability) and 85 channels of buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. By the way, in my correspondence with Tom Ray of WOR he complained of one listener who reported the IBOC buzz all the way up to 1030. Naturally he dismissed the claim as B.S. (well, it wasn't on his $45,000 HP Spectrum Analyzer). But if the listener was pretty close to the WOR towers, in the heart of the pattern, I wouldn't be surprised to have the IBOC noise all over the dial. The FCC has authorized IBOC for FM and AM daytime only. It will be adopted by at least some stations and, quite frankly, every time I turn on the MR-78, I get nervous about tuning around the dial as I might find that a half a dozen stations have embraced it. As I see it, the only two things that can stop it are that as more and more stations start broadcasting in it, the interference downside of it is recognized and the people who make the big decisions in broadcasting come to their senses. Some lawsuits between stations would help a lot, too, as stations lose coverage to IBOC. The other thing that might stop it is rejection or neglect by the public. Supposedly IBOC will add $100-$200 to the cost of a radio which many will find too steep. And, because of the power consumed by the IBOC chips/circuits, supposedly portables will not have enough battery life to make them feasible at this time (now that's a really great technology...brings us back to the 40s when the battery life in tube portables was less than 15 hours). One other comment. Someone made the comment about the fact that WOR is an example of a best possible case where IBOC could succeed and where the interference aspects get very little notice. I agree with that 100% and I remember a remark made to me by Tom Ray --- he claims the FCC approached WOR about doing IBOC testing which infers this is the reason they are doing it. Obviously something within the FCC is driving to get IBOC adopted on a large scale (Joe Fela, NJ, WTFDA via DXLD) I find it hard to believe that broadcasters have not yet collectively figured out that IBOC (er, IBAC) will mean substantially less coverage area, and therefore a drop in the value of their stations. Do you really think that they are ignorant of the implications of this technology --- or are the broadcasting associations that support IBOC dominated by large corporate conglomerates that see an opportunity to squeeze out the smaller independents- by chewing up three times the spectrum per station? Another question: What's IBOC gonna sound like in a car radio --- when all sorts of digital sidebands mix together and interfere with one another --- is the technology good enough to discriminate between signals? One can imagine that listening to IBOC signals in a car radio outside of the strong signal primary coverage area would be maddening, as the radio struggles to discriminate various digital signals and flips between the digital and buzz-laden analog signals to provide a continuum to the ear. While the fixed-receive location application of IBOC seems straightforward, its performance in mobile applications piques my imagination. It shall be interesting to see it (try to) work. I hate to sound like some regressive anti-progress loser, but this IBOC seems like a "if it ain't broken, don't fix it" deal. The benefits just don't seem to outweigh the costs at this point- is the "CD quality audio" that IBOC is supposed to provide that much better than what we get from FM now? I guess the answer is yes if you are one of the nutcases like us that enjoy crackly, hissing signals from afar. But a majority of the public largely listens to local stations and I doubt the sound quality difference justifies the addition spectrum costs. Yes, yes I know there will be additional channels for streaming digital information --- I predict this information will be about as welcome and useful as internet pop up ads. In the process, the minority rural and fringe listeners are done a disservice, variety is quashed, and the rest of the public gains what I think will be a pretty marginal benefit. This IBOC push also seems at odds with the policies on LPFM. LPFM will get destroyed in a IBOC dominated world --- won't it? I do not understand the agenda of the FCC relative to IBOC. Who's back pocket are they in? I guess if I were a government conspiracy theorist I would be shouting "government mind control" but I am not willing to go that far --- yet. I get my digital quality music off of the satellite, and that works just fine for me. Leave it there. Regressively yours, (Paul Froeloch, Lodi, WI, Jan 2, WTFDA via DXLD) You can answer this question with one word: greed. The large station groups own the dominant stations on AM and FM and want to retain their investments as technology progresses. IBOC provides a way to hold on to their precious frequency and power allocations. IBOC is a nightmare for technical types like us who understand the workings of the system. We all know that this step-forward really requires it's own spectrum like FM was given in the 1940s. The end-user is not aware of the technical issues, at least in the prospective of the large station groups. If listeners to small stations migrate to major stations because the small stations can no longer be heard, the major stations can charge more for their ad rates and eventually the station groups can buy out and close down the smaller operations. Less competition, less cost with the same listenership. A delight for accountants and CFOs. What the big stations groups don't understand is the lack of local content and the lack of small stations for the young to learn the crafts in this profession is slowly killing the beast. Combine this with new avenues of entertainment, like satellite radio, and your 100 million dollar major market FM will eventually be worth a lot less. It kills me because I used to love radio. I can't listen to much of it anymore. Even the college stations have gone "public" (read: commercial). Even colleges have seen how much income radio stations can provide. Why waste these resources on students? (i.e the tragedy of WFUV-FM in NYC) When the rules concerning multiple ownership and public service were removed, the public sustained a heavy loss. McDonalds, USA Today, Walmart and American radio. Maybe it works for you, Clear Channel, but I'm not listening. Not even a little. Thanks for the soap box, (Karl Zuk, N2KZ, NY, ibid.) NRC MAKES THE GONSETT COMMUNICATOR #555 AM "HD RADIO" IS ON THE AIR, BUT NOT WITHOUT CONCERNS Will AM IBOC adjacent channel interference be a "real world" issue? And, what's the future of nighttime AM IBOC? National Radio Club http://www.nrcdxas.org/ maintains some interesting and candid comments on the matter from both sides of the issue, at: http://www.nrcdxas.org/digital/article_summary.html CGC Communicator (via Kevin Redding, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. A thread from the broadcast@broadcast.net list... Jan 3 Some of us here are already members of that list, I know, but for those who aren't, there's been a lot of discussion there today about the continuing need to protect skywave coverage. Here's my two cents on behalf of the DXers... ----- someone else's post quoted ----- The Class A, being protected anywhere from 750 to 900 miles is the crazy for our day and time. Now I could understand somewhat 50 years ago, but not NOW! Chris, one of the things that has kept the Class A stations protected is some of the DXer's across the country. Back when WLIB, a former daytimer in NYC purchased WOWO in Ft. Wayne, the folks at WLIB did some mighty big changes to WOWO to bring it down to (from what I understand) 10 kw, DA at night, away from WLIB. When Inner City filed those apps. for WLIB to get what it has nighttime and to change the class and night power of WOWO, if my memory serves correct, those old DX guys were screaming to the commission about what they were doing to WOWO, and petition the commission against WLIB's application for night authority. Well guess who won! You`re right, who cares in Houston about a sale of furniture at a local furniture store in Chicago. Nobody in Houston is listening to a Chicago station who will be going out to that furniture store, bright and early next Saturday Morning for that big sale of furniture at the local furniture store in Chicago! ----- and then my comments ----- Those old DX guys don't pay the bills! I was one of those "old DX guys" at the time (and to think I was only twenty-something :-), and the answer is that Inner City won. But protecting the class A signals' skywave coverage is NOT about being able to hear WSM or WLS or KOA in Houston. It's about preventing the immense amounts of nighttime skywave noise that has severely hurt the ability of most of the class B and C AM signals out there (the old class III and IV stations) to provide useful night service to large portions of their markets. Allow the 650s in Texas and Massachusetts and Minnesota and so on to run 5 or 10 kW at night, and two things will happen: they'll still only cover a portion of their markets, because the received interference from Nashville won't go away - and listeners to WSM, even those fairly close in to Nashville, will begin experiencing objectionable skywave interference from the newer night allocations. The net effect, I'd submit, is that the AM service becomes less useful, on the whole, to listeners. (Why put up with noisy buzzes and whistles and interference when you can just switch to FM?) So what this is really about is being able to get a rock-solid, clear, noise-free signal at night from WLS in someplace like Joliet or Kankakee - or from KOA in some of the fringe areas of the (physically very large) Denver market where it's the *only* AM signal with full coverage. There's really only one number that the experts in AM station acquisition and upgrades look at these days, and that's the nighttime interference-free (NIF) contour, which is really a function of what else is on the channel elsewhere in the country as much as it's a function of a station's own signal. It's not at all uncommon these days to see a station that was once a blowtorch in its market (like the little 1kw here in Rochester on 950) that now has a theoretical NIF of 25 or 30 mV. Care to guess how small the 30 mV contour is on a station like that? You could throw a rock farther in some directions. Look at a market like Chicago, and the only AMs that are able to fully compete with the FMs in their markets are the former I-A signals; everything else has been so severely hurt by additional nighttime interference (including the many AMs that don't power down or sign off when they should) and by the suburban sprawl that's grown far beyond their NIF coverage that they're either barely viable or have moved into a niche like leased-time ethnic or Disney. Worse yet, ask any graveyard-channel (today's class C, yesterday's class IV) owner about just how much benefit they derived when those stations were allowed to up night power from 250 to 1000 watts. In nearly every case, the additional 6 dB of signal was more than drowned out by the addition to the noise floor of all the OTHER additional 6 dBs of signal out there. The lesson of the "old DX guys," for the broadcasters who care to pay attention, is that skywave exists, whether you like it or not, and MW broadcasting can never be a purely local medium as a result. Something has to give, and the current regulatory climate (particularly as we enter the era of IBOC) says it's going to be fringe coverage - and those "fringes" will fall closer in than most broadcasters (at least the non-engineering types) are expecting. I understand Scott's position here - he's a small owner/operator of what's essentially a daytimer on 1560 outside Nashville, and a good guy who deserves every break he can get in the business. But when the 1560 in New York City has to fight so much man-made interference (not to mention illegal operation from Cuba and Miami) that it needs every ounce of its 50kw night authorization just to cover its city of license (and even then has serious deficiencies in some areas), what's the solution? Allowing all the other 1560s to add night service would raise the noise floor substantially in New York (and Bakersfield, which is actually the priority allocation on this channel); powering down 1560 New York to make it happen would remove what's now one of only about a half-dozen full-city AM signals in the market. Allow the other 1560s to add night service at the same time that WQEW stays at 50kW and you've replaced what's now a usable AM channel in one place with a channel that's nearly useless almost everywhere (and at the top of the dial, yet, where winter skywave can sometimes last all day!) If there's a good solution to this out there, a lot of station owners are waiting to hear it...and in the meantime, the DXers are really just the canaries in the coalmine (Scott Fybush (member, National Radio Club), via NRC-AM via DXLD) ** ZANZIBAR. 11733.88, 2025+ Jan 2/03. OM with Swahili talk, mentions of Zanzibar at BOH, howl on audio, great signal! (Joe Talbot, Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. Cumbre DX via DXLD) Well: lower than 11734! UNIDENTIFIED. Still chasing a positive ident on that off frequency station under CFRB on 1009.8 kHz heard in Spanish since late in November. The ident they keep playing sounds like "... una música, la raza ...". I have a short .wav file at http://members.aol.com/j999w/DX (152k) I can best hear it LSB on my west EWE with CFRB nulled, then filtering the rest of the 200 Hz het out of the audio. I'm thinking KALT in Houston, TX. Help! (John Wilke, WB9UAI, Milwaukee, WI R71a, EWE, hard-core-dx via DXLD) {Amarillo: see 3-003} UNIDENTIFIED. On 3 Jan 2003 on 4800 I heard a station in African sounding language at 1850 with phone-ins. They passed 1900 TOH with just time pips and continued the program. The signal was weakish with rapid fading. Had nasty QRM on both sides of frequency. At 2000 the frequency was blocked here by China signing on. Alf Aardal in Norway heard this station at the same time. This might be Lesotho reactivated, but no positive ID heard. By the way, Botswana on 4820 was silent at this time. Any observations appreciated (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, Jan 3, dxing.info via DXLD) {Yes, LESOTHO; see 3-004 and later} ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DRM +++ The interference being caused by Juelich transmission on 5975 is very similar to what Olle recently described hearing on 7130. I have also found that the splatter from 5975 (BVB on Sat/Sun) is so intense that it creates QRM to HCJB 5965 and splatters up the band to c6000 (there is so much splatter from HOL 5955 that it's difficult to tell how low in frequency it spreads). The Juelich relay of VRT on 5985 c0758-0827 also causes tremendous splatter - it more or less obliterates a S9+10dB signal from Brazil on 5990. As Kai suggests - it seems very unlikely that LUX 6090 and BR 6085 could co-exist in DRM mode, from what we've heard so far. (Noel R. Green-UK, BC-DX Jan 1) RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ Re: Most Grundig SW receivers have been manufactured in one China or the other for years now, anyway (gh, DXLD) Developed on GRUNDIG headquarter in Fuerth-Germany, and have been built in Portugal, Taiwan, Singapore, or Mainland China (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, BC-DX via DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ GEOMAGNETIC INDICES phil bytheway - Seattle WA - phil_tekno@yahoo.com Geomagnetic Summary December 16 2002 through December 30 2002 Tabulated from email status daily Date Flux A K SA Forecast GM Forecast Etc. 12/16 203 5 2 minor minor 5 17 213 4 2 minor minor 3 18 197 4 1 minor minor 2 19 193 18 3 minor minor 9 20 197 13 3 moderate minor 8 21 184 19 1 minor minor 7 22 172 11 4 minor minor 4 23 159 21 3 minor minor 9 24 147 17 3 no storms minor 7 25 132 14 3 no storms no storms 7 26 127 14 3 no storms no storms 6 27 117 26 3 moderate minor 8 28 117 17 2 no storms no storms 6 29 115 12 3 no storms no storms 5 12/30 114 14 3 no storms no storms 4 ********************************************************************** (IRCA Soft DX Monitor via DXLD) No solar flares worth mentioning since Dec 22. Coronal hole activity saw the geomagnetic field become active on Dec 27-29 with storm levels reached at high latitudes and poor high latitude propagation conditions and absorption. There is a small coronal hole that might lead to slightly active conditions for the next 2 days, otherwise conditions are expected to remain good from Jan 6-15. There are no forecast return of flare regions in the near future. Prepared using data from http://www.ips.gov.au (Richard Jary, Jan 3, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) HARMONICS EXCEEDING 30 MHZ 30+ MHz BROADCAST HARMONICS MONITORED IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA, DEC 2/3/5/7 [from a report covering all of December, so only dates propagating?] Dec 2 30.860 H2 0726 CBS Taipei Variety Px, 30.320 0725 Pyongyang H4, 30.520 0855 H2 India Delhi HS poor, 30.420 0935 CRI H2 EE Px 5x5, 30.560 1001 Phl H2 Rfe/Rl RR Svce to E Asia Het S4, Dec 3 30.880 0013 Japan R France via Tokyo H2 35.205 0204 H3 Pyongyang 11735 Poor, Dec 5 30.420 1015 CRI H2 5x4,50.110 1020 VK2YOY 5x4 36.250 1040 India Gorakpur Het S3.5, Dec 7 30.410 2355 H2 VOA via Phl 4x4 health Px, 30.880 0056 RFI via Asia poor, 73's (David Vitek, Adelaide, South Australia, All Times UT, ICDX via harmonics yahoogroup Jan 1 via DXLD) SIMILAR LOGS FROM HOLLAND: 29-12-2002 30.5200 at 1055 AIR INDIA DELHI Radio 50 kw with music {harmonic radio am-modulation} 30.5200 x 2 = 15.2600 khz 31.3500 at 1100 Voice of Mesopotamia (Denge Mesopotamia) in Kurdish. with news program {harmonic radio station am-modulation} 31.3500 x 2 = 15.6750 khz 30-12-2002 30.4200 at 1010 CHINA Radio international PEKING 100/600 KW {harmonic radio am-modulation} 30.4200 x 2 = 15.210 khz 31.3500 at 0933 Voice of Mesopotamia (Denge Mesopotamia) in Kurdish. with music program {harmonic radio station am-modulation} 31.3500 x 2 = 15.6750 khz. GOOD DX ALL 73s JAN (Jan Griep, city-Kreileroord, Netherlands 52.845 north 5.078 east vhf-skip list via harmonics yahoogroup via DXLD) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-001, January 2, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser, ghauser@hotmail.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 HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldta03.html For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid2.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn WORLD OF RADIO 1163: [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1163.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1163.ram [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1163h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1163h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1163.html WBCQ: Wed 2300 7415, 17495-CUSB, Mon 0545 7415 WWCR: Thu 2130 9475, Sat 0700, Sun 0330 5070, Sun 0730 3210, Wed 1030 9475 RFPI: Fri 1930, Sat 0130, 0730, 1330, 1800, Sun 0000, 0600, 1200, 1830, Mon 0030, 0630, 1230, Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 7445 and/or 15039 WJIE: M-F 1300, daily 0400 -- maybe; Sun 0630, Mon 0700, Tue 0630 7490 WRN: rest of world Sat 0900, Eu only Sun 0530, NAm Sun 1500 ONDEMAND: http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html [from Fri] 2002: THE SHORTWAVE YEAR IN REVIEW, BY GLENN HAUSER, partially for VOA (download) http://www.worldofradio.com/swyir02.rm (stream) http://www.worldofradio.com/swyir02.ram (full text) http://www.worldofradio.com/swyir02.html ** AUSTRALIA. SCHOOL OF AIR GOES HIGH TECH For more than 70 years, crackly teachers' voices down the airwaves have helped thousands of outback students complete their schooling. But all that is about to change. New technology, terrestrial telephone, will replace the old radio communications for Queensland's famed School of the Air. HF radios and hand-held two-ways will be tossed out in favour of phone headsets, teleconferencing, email, and internet through a $1 million project announced by state Education Minister Anna Bligh. The scheme will see three schools switch over permanently in 2003 following a successful pilot at Charleville, with the remaining three distance schools to convert by the end of 2004. The benefits include an end to crackly radio interference and greater interaction between students and teachers, access to more information, quicker marking turn-around and less reliance upon postal services. Mt Isa School of the Air principal Karin Redman is looking forward to the switch. "The big advantage of the telephone is the clarity of voice communication," Ms Redman said. "HF radio can be very good, but it can also be subject to the vagaries of the ionosphere, so sunspots affect our radio transmissions and you hear a sort of radio background noise. "We've often had interference on HF radio from fishing boats up in the Gulf and out in the ocean who are using radio communication - they can be quite an interruption." Clarity is vital for the Mt Isa school whose 220 students are scattered across a vast region extending from the Gulf in the north to Birdsville in the south, and east from Richmond to the Northern Territory border. The area equates to roughly half the size of Queensland and twice the size of Victoria and Tasmania combined. Almost 1,000 students are enrolled at five other distance schools across the state including at Cairns, Charters Towers, Longreach, Charleville and Capricornia. But for many rural and remote students, their phone and internet services are often perceived as inferior to those of their city counterparts. Marianna Campbell, who has two children studying through Mt Isa's School of the Air, is particularly concerned. Their cattle station lies 28km outside of Mt Isa in what locals call the "donut zone" - outside of the town's service ring and outside of Telstra's Extended Zone which begins at hokum. Homesteads located in the zone are entitled to a free satellite dish and installation giving access to broadband internet services. "Even though we're quite close to town, we don't get decent service," said Mrs Campbell, whose internet access is seven times slower than that in the cities. Broadband internet access problems have been anticipated by Ms Bligh, who has called on her federal counterpart to extend its zonal conditions for distance education families. "Approximately 68 per cent of all school of distance education students live in Telstra's Extended Zone," Ms Bligh said (AAP Dec 16 via ninemsn via Jilly Dybka, NASWA Flashsheet Dec 28 via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. A couple of loggings from this morning 1/2/03 6134.80 Radio Santa Cruz, 0944 Noted Spanish comments from a man and woman. Plenty of ID's during promos and program schedules: "en Radio Santa Cruz. Signal was good. 3310, Radio Mosoj Chaski, 0955, Generally noted Spanish comments between a man and woman. Signal was good until about 1010 then faded. I reported this yesterday with a very poor signal at nearly the same time. Today it was good. What a difference (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston FL, Jan 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOTSWANA. NY monitoring: see SOLOMON ISLANDS ** CANADA. RCI has a Cantonese service, a weekly program transmitted by mp3 thru internet, which is now well developed in China. Can download thru our website, says Jean Larin, RCI director, but then adds that the RCI website is not open, but can get access thru E- mail... (VOA Communications World special Jan 1, notes by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) If RCI website is blocked by China, why in the world is Canada so kind as to relay CRI on SW??? (gh, DXLD) ** CANADA. SIGNALS CROSSED ON FATE OF DIGITAL RADIO by Keith Damsell, Media Reporter, Toronto Globe & Mail, December 28 The jury is out on digital radio. There's little agreement among broadcasters about the future of the format, a crystal-clear signal broadcast across the digital spectrum. Supporters at CHUM Ltd. describe digital radio as potentially the next big thing set to revolutionize the way Canadians listen to music. Meanwhile, the head of Standard Broadcasting Corp. Ltd. is reluctant to broadcast in the new band because "Nobody is listening." The rollout of digital services has divided the industry. Incumbents - - including CHUM and Rogers Communications Inc. -- are the most vocal supporters of the new technology. At the same time, there's a growing chorus of critics wondering whether the industry has backed the wrong horse in the race to secure their position in radio's future. The bottom line is digital radio faces some enormous obstacles and its future is less than secure. "The CBC, at one point, was convinced this was the future for radio. Our position has become this may be the future or it may be one of a number of alternatives how people may receive radio in the future," says Philip Savage, senior manager of regulatory affairs for the public broadcaster's English-language services. He says he would be surprised if there were more than 500 people listening to the CBC's four digital stations in Toronto. "We're not backing off on our commitment to digital radio in any way but we're not going to be investing huge amounts in this and wasting taxpayers' money until we have actually seen some further consumer acceptance." Digital radio or digital audio broadcasting (DAB) has had a brief and troubled history. DAB was first developed with an eye to commercial use in the late 1980s. Via a digital radio technology called Eureka 147, broadcasters can transmit a complex signal with many potential applications, not the least of which is a crystal-clear sound. As CD- quality music plays, a radio display will show the song title and artist. Press a button and you can order the CD. Press another and you can order concert tickets. Stations can be personalized according to a listener's needs with the latest weather, traffic or stock market quotes available upon request. DAB is key to radio's "survivalist strategy of the future," says Duff Roman, CHUM's vice-president of industry affairs and digital radio operations. Radio is the last non-digital electronic medium and must embrace the growing consumer taste for the digital world, the veteran Toronto disc jockey says. "People are saying 'Jeez, I got to get this thing.' That's the reaction I'm getting from my 13 year old and his gang," Mr. Roman says. The federal broadcasting regulator agreed and, in 1995, released a policy for the introduction of digital radio. The Canadian Radio- television and Telecommunications Commission "foresees digital radio services as coming to replace existing AM and FM services over time," setting the framework for incumbent players to access the L-band, a valuable chunk of digital spectrum set aside by Industry Canada. The past seven years have seen steady but unremarkable growth. At present, there are about 57 AM and FM stations simulcasting their signals in digital formats in four cities: Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and, in a failed attempt to persuade Detroit's auto makers to install digital receivers in new cars, Windsor, Ont. Another 16 Ottawa stations are expected to go digital next year. To launch services with a single digital transmitter costs about $40,000 per radio station. To blanket an entire city with eight digital transmitters costs about $300,000 per station. While Europe's major broadcasters embraced Eureka 147, it was a very different story in the United States. Concern that a new dedicated digital band would undermine the value of FM stations prompted the United States to support a made-in-America compromise called IBOC (in band/on channel). The IBOC plan requires no new spectrum and squeezes new digital signals within the existing FM and AM radio bands. IBOC, recently rechristened HD Radio, was approved by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission in October and has the support of 14 of the country's top 20 radio broadcasters. HD Radio has been met with much hostility by Canadian supporters of Eureka 147. They claim the U.S. plan will mean an inferior digital radio signal for the world's largest commercial audience. "You're left with the conclusion why did they [U.S. broadcasters] bother? They ended up with a system that isn't particularly useful," says Steve Edwards, vice-president of corporate engineering and technology at Rogers Media, a unit of Toronto holding company Rogers Communications Inc. More important, HD Radio has created a major stumbling block for the growth of Eureka 147. The two formats are not compatible and require separate digital receivers. To date, consumer demand in Canada for costly digital radio equipment has been "virtually non-existent," says Michael Nedelec, vice-president of consumer electronics and appliances at Future Shop, a Burnaby, B.C.-based subsidiary of Best Buy Inc. "It's extremely doubtful at this time whether DAB will take off in Canada," Mr. Nedelec says. Broadcasters are resting their hopes on a single retailer, InterTan Inc., the Barrie, Ont.-based parent of Radio Shack. In November, about 250 stores in digital-radio-serviced cities began offering a $299 digital receiver and a $399 model with a built-in MP3 player. "We knew out of the gate there wouldn't be huge demand," says Bill Bishop, senior audio buyer for InterTan. Like many across the industry, he equates digital radio's current status to the "chicken- and-egg thing" -- few digital radio stations means few receivers and vice versa. Complicating matters further is the emergence of competing technologies. In the United States, Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. and XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. have each quickly built an impressive base of subscribers willing to pay a monthly fee to listen to commercial-free radio. These satellite radio rivals have lost millions in the process and the business case has yet to be proven. At the same time, Internet radio has built a strong following, especially among a hard-to-reach youth audience that is attractive to advertisers. Many AM and FM stations simulcast on the Net, but a money-making stand-alone Internet radio format remains elusive. "When this [digital radio] all started, there was no Internet. There were no kids on computers listening to the radio and downloading files. It wasn't happening then and it's happening now. I think we maybe missed the boat," says Gary Slaight, president and chief executive officer of Standard Broadcasting. Mr. Slaight, an investor in on-line radio services, is the industry's most vocal critic of digital radio. "Before we spend millions and millions of dollars as an industry . . . let's make sure we're not going to be sitting here in two years saying 'This is a stupid thing to do, nobody is really interested in it.' " The CRTC is watching events closely. There is no time frame for the industry's largest players to launch digital services, but sources report there is an increasing "use it or lose it" view of rights to the L-band spectrum within the commission and Industry Canada. In September, the CRTC heard for the first time Toronto applications from prospective broadcasters interested in launching stand-alone digital radio services. Supporters are quick to compare digital radio's slow birth to FM, a band that took about 30 years to capture the public's imagination. "My glib answer is it takes as long as it takes," says CHUM's Mr. Roman. "There's a whole sort of inertia that we have got to deal with. . . . If you tell people about DAB, their first reaction is to find a way of getting out of it rather that making a commitment. You have to break that down." (via Theo Donnelly, Burnaby BC, Daniel Say, BC, Harry van Vugt, Ont., Mike Terry, DXLD) The iBiquity system has little or nothing to do with Eureka 147's struggles in Canada. The Eureka system is also struggling in Europe, where iBiquity is not even on the radar screen. It is struggling because the receivers are still too expensive, and because it is not viewed by the public as a breakthrough in terms of offering new services or dramatically improved quality. Digital radio is a hard sell, and the iBiquity proponents are about to find that out as they join the struggle (Barry McLarnon, Dec 30, Ont., NRC-AM via DXLD) We live close to Windsor, ON, which is a market that has gone digital. We went to Windsor, on a lark, and bought one of the portable DAB receivers from Radio Shack. The DAB website made it seem like Ann Arbor might be in a coverage area. It was laughable. Battery life was absurd. Maybe 20 minutes on two AAs. And better still... we could not get it to work. We received analog stations, but the DAB channels were no where to be found --- even in Windsor. The receiver was quickly returned (Patrick Rady, ibid.) ** CONGO DR. R. Kahuzi, Bukavu, tho rarely reported by DXers, is confirmed on the air, 6210, by a staff member who called in to VOA`s CW Talk to America special Jan. 1. Said primary language is French, but in the past they relayed some VOA news, and even Communications World (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) and said that their power is 800 watts (Hans Johnson, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. Faro del Caribe back on 9644.6 during the 1200 hour Dec 31 but just a buzz on the 5054.6 (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** CYPRUS TURKISH. Hi Glenn, I just noticed in the new DXLD that Anker Peterson had Turkish Cyprus, Radio Bayrak, as his 234th country heard using the EDXC Country List. Coincidentally it was my 234th country using the NASWA Country List. Yes, hearing a new country does get scarce! My first 'new one' in quite a while. Now if I can get a QSL, it will be my 214th country QSL'd. Happy New Year, (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) That does not mean, I am sure, that the two lists are identical! (gh) 6150 also heard 2202-2220 with US/UK pop music. Ann and ID in English by female speaker at 2219 ("... every Saturday evening on the Bayrak International...") followed by male speaker in Arabic. This was a Wednesday, but no matter! (Graham Bell, Kent, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** DENMARK [non]. R A D I O D E N M A R K Dec 17, 2002--Mar 29, 2003 UT Target (primary coverage in brackets) kHz Tx Beam 12.30-12.55 Far East 12070 K 35 Europe, Mediterranean, Canary Islands 13800 S 180 South East Asia, Australia (west), Russia 15735 K 80 North America (east), Carribean 18950 S 280 13.30-13.55 Europe 9590 S 180 South East Asia, Australia (west), Russia 15735 K 80 North America (east + central), Greenland 18950 S 300 14.30-14.55 Russia, Europe (south east), Middle East (east), South Asia (India) 13800 K 95 North America (east + central), Greenland 17555 S 300 15.30-15.55 Middle East (west) 15735 K 120 North America (west), Greenland 17525 S 315 16.30-16.55 Europe (south east), Middle East (west), Africa (east) 13800 K 145 North America (west), Greenland 18950 S 315 17.30-17.55 Europe (south east), Middle East (west), Africa (east) 13800 S 145 Russia 9980 K 95 North America (east), Carribean 18950 S 280 18.30-18.55 New Zealand 9980 K 35 Africa, Europe (south) 13800 K 165 North America (east + central), Greenland 15705 S 300 19.30-19.55 Europe, Canary Islands 7490 S 180 North America (west), Greenland 13800 S 315 20.30-20.55 Europe, Canary Islands 7490 S 180 21.30-21.55 Europe, Canary Islands, Africa (west) 7490 K 195 Australia 9510 K 65 22.30-22.55 Far East 7470 K 40 South America, Canary Islands 7530 S 235 23.30-23.55 North America (east), Carribean 7470 S 280 South America 7530 S 235 South East Asia, Australia (west) 7490 K 80 Far East 9920 K 40 00.30-00.55 North America (east), Carribean 7470 S 280 South East Asia 7490 K 80 01.30-01.55 North America (east), Carribean 7470 S 280 South Asia (India) 7490 K 95 North America (east + central), Greenland 9945 S 300 02.30-02.55 North America (east), Carribean 7470 S 280 South Asia (India) 7490 K 95 North America (east + central), Greenland 9590 S 300 03.30-03.55 North America (west), Greenland 7470 S 315 Middle East (east) 7490 K 110 Europe (south east), Africa (east), Middle East (west) 9945 K 145 04.30-04.55 North America (west), Greenland 7470 S 315 Russia, Middle East (east) 7490 K 95 Europe (south east), Africa (east), Middle East (west) 9945 K 145 05.30-05.55 Europe (south east), Middle East (west), Africa (north east) 7465 K 140 Russia, Middle East (east) 7490 K 95 06.30-06.55 Europe 5945 K 165 Europe, Canary Islands 7180 S 195 Europe (south west), Canary Islands, Africa (west) 9590 S 220 Africa, Europe (south) 13800 K 165 07.30-07.55 Europe 7180 K 165 Europe, Canary Islands, Africa (west) 9590 K 195 08.30-08.55 Australia, Europe (south west), (South America) 13800 S 235 Far East, New Zealand 15705 K 40 09.30-09.55 Australia, Europe (south west), South America 13800 S 235 Far East, New Zealand 15705 K 40 Middle East (east), South Asia (India) 18950 K 95 10.30-10.55 Europe, Mediterranean, Canary Islands 13800 S 180 South America, Canary Islands, Africa (west) 21765 S 235 11.30-11.55 Europe, Mediterranean, Canary Islands 13800 S 180 South America, Canary Islands, Africa (west) 21765 S 235 Stations: Kvitsoy (K) and Sveio (S) each have two 500 kW transmitters. (via Erik Køie, DR Radio, Dec 30, DXLD) Note time periods when there are only one or two frequencies. Likely then are Merlin relays of other broadcasters underway. But what about all the times when only 3 of the 4 are shown? (gh, DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA. 6210/6940. R Fana. The QSL schedule published in DX- Window no. 210 seems to be an old one! I heard the station on 6940 on Fri Dec 20 until 1859* and on Sun Dec 22 until 1830*. This is in accordance with DBS-4 published in May 2002. It has been seen before: Even the General Manager signs a QSL with an outdated schedule! DX-ers have to check the information received! (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Jan 1 via DXLD) ** FRANCE. AM Radio in France. After 50 years of neglect, medium wave broadcasting is attracting new attention. While FM stereo is available on most radio receivers there is no longer any room available on the FM dial particularly in Paris and other large cities. With the exception of public broadcaster Radio France only a very few private broadcasters are using AM in France. But this was not always the case. In 1920, after World War One, radio had demonstrated its strategic value to the military and was beginning to grow into civilian applications. Among the political figures of the day there were many advocates for establishing a state run monopoly, but an emerging radio industry, backed by influential newspapers and wealthy industrialists, favoured free competition on the airwaves. In the end the government exercised little control over broadcasting, and a mixture of public and private broadcasters established themselves in Paris and the provinces. Nearly all these stations transmitted on medium wave with 0.5 kw to 5 kw of power. By 1930 about 30 radio stations served 500,000 listeners in France. Half of the stations were private, financed by advertising and tolerated by the government. This contrasted with the situation in the UK where the BBC had a monopoly. Some stations carried English programmes, the most famous of which was Radio Normandie. Certain public stations were supported by listener contributions and advertising. In 1932 the government purchased Radio Paris from its private owner. The station, broadcasting on longwave with 150kw of power, could be heard across the country and it became the official voice of France. Just before World War Two more than six million radio receivers were in use across France and, during the war, in both Nazi occupied and Vichy France, broadcasting evolved as a propaganda tool, making the transmitters military targets. By the end of 1944 the national longwave centre at Allouis and 95% of the medium wave radio transmitters across the country had been destroyed. After liberation the Resistance established a monopoly on broadcasting, commandeering all the private stations to rid the airwaves of political or economic meddling. The founding of Radiodiffusion Télévision Française was one result of this action. RTF broadcast across the nation from the Allouis longwave station, which was supplemented by regional medium wave programmes from Paris. French listeners could also tune broadcasts on longwave and medium wave from the neighbouring nations, Radio Luxembourg, Radio Andorra, Radio Monte Carlo and Europe Number One. Gradually the network of regional mediumwave stations was recreated using dozens of small transmitters. But the growth of AM programming stalled in the 1960s with the spread of FM broadcasting from Paris to other cities across the nation. To highlight the audio benefits of FM the public service broadcaster launched France Musique and it began relaying its long and medium wave services on FM. As new FM transmitters went on the air across the countryside the public adopted FM receivers and the medium waves fell into disuse. With the liberalisation of the airwaves in the 1980s many new stations and broadcasters have filled the FM waveband but the medium waves have remained calm. Even France Inter stopped broadcasting across France on longwave in 1997. {Not so: see 3-003} In 2001 however Ciel AM brought private radio back to medium wave in France for a time and other companies applied for licences. A conference was held in Paris by the Convention de l'Association de Développement de la Modulation d'Ampltude and much interest was expressed in the use of the DRM system (Franck Ernould, Radio World via JACK FITZSIMMONS via MIKE BARRACLOUGH, Jan World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** GERMANY. Deutschlandfunk concluded the old year with the national anthem, the record they play every day. After a pause they welcomed the new year with "chimes of Europe". Could be called impressive if it would have been live, but I feel we can safely assume that this was merely a record prepared days in advance. The Fritz network of Ostdeutscher Rundfunk Brandenburg was a real disappointment, their way to welcome the new year was by far less impressive than one year ago: They did it with a shabby show opener within a meaningless remote (from some club in Berlin, who cares?). Just another sign for some changes at this station, the same changes that make any further shortwave broadcasts of this network really unlikely now. When tuning around other FM stations it was quite apparent that ABBA's "Happy New Year" is especially popular as first song to be played in the new year amongst German broadcasters (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. 6085 was on air today as always. Both Olle Alm and Willi Stengel noted that the transmitter was running open carrier overnight. Scenario: The main control in the radio house removed the audio from the feed circuit but nobody at Ismaning cared about switching off the transmitter. It remains to be seen what will happen during the following nights (nothing I could track by myself because I am in the dead zone at night), but so far it appears that the shortwave relays of Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk are indeed history. Tomorrow we will know if also Bayern 1 and Bayern2Radio programming will be still carried or if they indeed go back to merely B5 aktuell. Today anyway nothing but B5 aktuell was due according the old shortwave schedule they still have at http://www.br-online.de/br-intern/technik/kw.html (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUAM. [SWL] Hello from N6HPX/DU1 on Guam Hello to the group, I somehow lost my connection to the group and don't know why that happens. I guess it was due to my bounces while on a ship to Panama some time back. KH2JU: I heard him on the local 2 meter repeater here about a week ago, said his gear is up and running. The island is still a mess after the typhoon and I have never seen such since my time in Olongapo when Mt. Pinatubo exploded. It`s like a bomb hit it. My ship arrived a few days after the storm and it was a total shock for us. I usually call this the Gilligan island of the Pacific as it`s a very nice place and very quiet. After the explosion of the fuel tanks out here, many homes were forced to ration gas and the only places issuing were the ones that had reserves and those went to emergency vehicles. Hams with generators were like standing in line and waiting. I saw KTWR and AWR yesterday again and they appeared to have gone undamaged no problems. I actually got within 100 feet of the KWTR towers and could hear what sounded like a transmitter running. But Barragada has about half the tower down; some look like a spider web where the flies are clinging to the wires as parts of the towers are hanging in the air along the sides. One local Ham KH2QP identified the station to me along with others. There are log periodicals there but didn't get a chance to view `em up close. So many comments here as to what they should have done, but Murphy played a big role. Cement telephone poles were snapped in two parts, and the others looked like they were picked up and laid on their side. It`s weird to see. Power in some areas are still slow and the Kmart store here closed at 6, since they didn't have enough power to light the parking lot. Our ship is a reefer type and we were providing huge blocks of iccce to the navy and some of the facilities. USNS Concord. email me at n6hpx_du1@yahoo.com Any one who does chat mail, I have messenger set up as well (Larry Fields, n6hpx, Guam Island, Dec 31, swl via DXLD) I wonder why so many hams express their callsigns in lower case?? That always looks wrong to me and I usually fix them (gh, DXLD) Happy new year to the SWL group.... Hello to all the group and I hope to post more often. Sorry for the off topic here but wanted to let some who were asking what it was like here on Guam since the super typhoon ripped Guam apart. Sorry for my long time away from the group. I had difficult accessing the machines for a while due to a Ocean going Tug. All my past emails were bouncing and I had no way of contacting the outside world. The call sign here is n6hpx/du1 mainly cause I spend a lot of time living in the Philippines. But for those who do chat mail or other wise stuff you can reach me at n6hpx_du1@yahoo.com or n6hpx_du1@hotmail.com I came to Guam by ship, which is actually homeported here and we carry a flight crew who also live here. We arrived around the 14th, and the place looked like a bomb hit it. The 146.91 repeater was up and running but barely hitting parts of the island areas. It was knocked off the air by a cell phone antenna that collapsed on it. I felt (pardon my comment) naked without a rig, as for so many years I always had a HF with me. But vowed that I would never have that happen again; am now looking at Icom 706mk2g or Ten Tec QRP rig. As mentioned, I went around the island a few days after I arrived and viewed the 3 radio stations and was very happy to see KTWR and AWR in full tack. I stood about 200 feet from the KTWR antenna and heard what sounded like a transmitter running inside. But did not have my shortwave with me. Later went by Radio Barragada and discovered that about half of the towers were destroyed; some were just hanging in the air by the wires an others were bent in half. There are log periodics but could not see `em well enough from the road. It looked like a giant spider web with the towers being caught. It was sore site to see. In question about the hams here, they were up and running as well as possible, since 3 out 5 oil tanks were destroyed or on fire. And the gas stations were issuing gas only to police, fire and ambulances. The Navy and Air force were doing shuttles to and from town. There was a curfew of all residents, not to be on the streets after 5 as the place was total blackness. The stars were brighter than ever. I did talk to KH2JU on VNF and he said his station was unscathed and was operating. I also hear from NH7C who mentioned he passed about 700 messages to the world but propagation for him was only as far east as Hawaii. KF6ILA mentioned that even after the power came back phones were still a problem, and for almost 3 weeks no water, or power in some places. Saw some power lines about 1 or 2 inches thick (steel cables) snapped in half and power poles the same way. I hope to be more active with the group and sorry about the off topic here. Take care and big 73's also Happy new year. p.s. for those who ever been to Guam and remember the place, the famous Uncle Bob bar was totally flattened in this. It`s a place where most sailors go for a good cold beer (Larry Fields, n6hpx, Jan 1, ibid.) KTWR was noted back on the air during the JSWC special programmes in Japanese on Dec 28 & 29. They were heard in Denmark as follows: 9465 Dec 29, 1200-1230 with fair reception: 34444 going down to 33433. BCQRM. 11690 Dec 28, 2100-2130 with poor reception: 22332 and CWQRM. (Anker Petersen, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) [non]. The current emergency schedule for AWR broadcasts from other sites while the AWR station on Guam is without electrical power following the devastating typhoon in early December is listed on the AWR web site http://www.awr.org Although it is not known as yet just which transmitter bases on Taiwan are involved, it could be that one, or even more, new AWR sites could be in use. The emergency scheduling will be discontinued as soon as electrical power is restored to the southern areas of the island of Guam, including the AWR shortwave station KSDA. I could recommend that you check the temporary new scheduling as given on the AWR web site, log and QSL as many of the new and temporary broadcasts as possible, and when the full information becomes available, it could be that new and temporary AWR sites could be revealed (Anker Peterson, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** GUATEMALA. 4845, Radio K`ekchí also back during the 1200 hour Dec 31 (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** GUATEMALA. I notice recent logs of 4800v as R. Coatán, not R. Cultural Coatán as before. I wonder if this mean that the *real* R. Cultural (tho it is hardly cultural, but evangelical), TGN, which claims ownership of the name, has finally persuaded Coatán to give it up (Glenn Hauser, Radio Enlace, via DXLD) ** INDIA. Dear Glenn Hauser, With reference to your query in DXLD 2- 205, All India Radio Home Service English news is indeed there at 1430-1435 on the following frequencies: 4840 5040 6085 9425 9470 9575 9835. This and other info on AIR is available from the files section of dx_india@yahoogroups.com With new year wishes, (Jose Jacob, India, Jan 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) AIR Home Service started tests from today on 9425 from Bangalore 500 kw transmitter with relay of AIR FM II programming in Hindi & English. The schedule is 0130-0530, 0930-1230. This daytime service will be inaugurated soon. Last year tests were conducted on 11645 also. 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS/AT0J, Jan 1, dx_india via DXLD) ** IRAN. I received the following email from sw@irib.com: Dear Patrick, Hello from Iran! I am working in IRIB in SW department as a technical engineer, meanwhile searching the internet I found out your email address, could you give me a hand please? IRIB broadcasts English program that you can find it¹s schedule below, could you send a report of our program in Sheffield? Best regards, Yousef Ghadaksaz, IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting). He wanted reports on 6110 and 7320 1930-2030 English and 15084 1930-2030 in Farsi. (Patrick Travers, UK) Are they so short of feedback that they have to do internet searches for shortwave listeners!? (Mike Barraclough, Jan World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. 4650, Voice of Mojahed 1, Iraq, Dec 22, 0345-0500, Farsi political talks, New frequency, jumping 4650/ 4660/ 4670 to avoid Iranian jammer – stronger than // 5350v and 5650v 43443 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Jan 1 via DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. 9535, Voice of Islamic Revolution in Iraq, via VOIRI Iran, Dec 28, 0350-0412. Weak signal of male speaker in (assumed) Arabic, improving in strength to fair level (Charles Jones, Australia, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. 9715, Information R, Dec 18 & 19, 1921-2000*, always disturbing Deutsche Welle, Wertachtal, in Russian on the same channel was off the air, and Command Solo was heard in Italy and Greece with poor to very good signal, best in USB. Arabic songs, IDs, talks about America, UN, and the ``Rais``, [president -- -gh] an announcement at 1958, then song till DW returned on the air. Tentatively also heard Dec 27, 0625-0645, Arabic announcement and Arab songs. 22332 with sideband splashes (Bernardini, Liangas and Petersen, DSWCI...) 11292, Information R, Dec 20, 21 & 26, 1454-1700, short Arabic talks and Arab songs. 23222. QRM Russian utility conversations and noise. (Liangas, Pecolatto and Petersen, DSWCI...) The station ID has been reported as `` Idha'at Radiyo al-Ma'ulumat``, but that means ``Radio Radio Information`` in Arabic! The correct ID is ``Idha'at al-Ma'ulumat``! (Liangas & Zeidan, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) {No; see 3-002 and later} ** ISRAEL. Amigos, confirmação recebida: 11605, Radio Voice of Israel, Jerusalem. 1 dia. Recebido: Confirmação eletrónica. V/S: Raphael Kochanowski ( RaphaelK@i... ). End. Eletrónico enviado: engineering@i... [truncateds] Tomo a liberdade de comentar alguns aspectos no recebimento desta confirmação: 1. Evidentemente desejava receber a resposta pelo correio, mas enviar informes pelo email às vezes dá nisso. Mas, mesmo assim me dou por satisfeito pela confirmação. Não esperava, sinceramente, recebe-la, pelos rumores recentes de que a Voz de Israel não estava mais confirmando. 2. A carta (email) recebida foi de teor agradabilissmo, manifestando o V/S a alegria de terem sido ouvidos no Brasil, confirmando os dados. 3. Junto ao email, no mesmo corpo, não no anexo, veio impressa a frente do conhecido QSL da Kol Israel. 4. Agora, o mais importante: Graças ao ILG (ferramenta fantastica!), que auxiliou nesta escuta, ao ouvir em 25 de dezembro os 11605 da Voice of Israel, a TRANSMISSÃO ERA EM IDIOMA RUSSO, sem entender russo, é claro. Se não fosse o ILG, poderia ter confundido de inicio com qualquer outra emissora que transmitisse em russo, inclusive a propria Voz da Russia. 5. O mais intrigante: Mesmo não entendendo uma palavra em algum idioma desconhecido, podem entender-se em certos momentos com um pouco de esforço e atenção, nomes de cidades, personalidades, expressões locais, caracteristicas de canções, etc... que permitem a nossa aproximação com os objetivos, que é o de se procurar obter a confirmação. No caso, frequentemente ouvi as palavras 'Israeli, Iraki, Internet, Shabat, Shalom, ....'. Anotado tudo, e colocado no padrão de um informe de recepção, obtive a resposta da Voice of Israel (embora, como escrito acima, desejasse é claro, o cartão QSL). 6. Desculpem-me, não vou muito longe, mas as palavras do Passport2003 não são estimulantes. Na referencia ao endereço eletronico engineering@... há a menção da publicação de que a Voice of Israel só aceitam informações sobre problemas verificados na recepção, e não para se obter confirmações. Um paradoxo. Ponto para nós, dexistas brasileiros! 7. O desafio meu e de todos: Mesmo não sendo aconselhados pelo WRTH, ou Passport, ou quem quer que seja, se estamos determinados a buscar uma confirmação, é seguir adiante. Não importa se o idioma é russo, japonês, chinês, tibetano, ou pashtu, vamos em frente com o padrão conhecido de informe de recepção, e há grandes chances de sermos atendidos. Confirmei a Radio Nepal 5005, em nepalês, sem entender uma palavra deste idioma desconhecido para mim e para muitos. O IR foi em inglês. Quem desejar tentar a Voice of Israel em russo, e escrever para o Raphael Kochanowski, o horário que Israel foi sintonizado foi 1900 UTC em 11605 KHz. Um forte 73 a todos, e um feliz 2003 (Rudolf W. Grimm, São Bernardo, SP - B, http://www.radioways.cjb.net radioescutas via DXLD) [Is pleased with getting QSL from Israel, even tho it was for a Russian broadcast he could not understand, by E-mail, despite reports they would not QSL. DXers should not hesitate to try to QSL broadcasts in languages they do not understand] ** JAPAN [and non]. Hello Glenn, NHK World Radio Japan Tokyo in Japanese language of Dec 31, 1500 UT, Midnight in Japan, via Skelton relay in Cumbria on 6175 kHz. Noisy matter. 53rd Year End Hitparade of NHK 1030-1910 UT. On SW via relays in Sri Lanka, Gabon, England, Ascension, French Guiana, and Canada. - - - - Shortwave Log Dec 31, 2002 NHK World New Year Hitparade 1030-1910 UT kHz UTC Dec ITU Stn Lang, Remarks SINPO 6175 1500 31 G NHK Skelton Jap, New Year Hitparade 55555 9750 1510 31 G NHK Rampisham Jap, New Year Hitparade 55555 6175/9750/6010/9565 UK, one second behind 12045 direct from Yamata, Japan. 12045 1515 31 J NHK Yamata ? Jap, New Year Hitparade 34433 21630 1520 31 ASC NHK Ascension Jap, New Year Hitparade 22332 21600 1700 31 GUF NHK Montsinery Jap, New Year Hitparade 24222 15165 1710 31 ASC NHK Ascension Jap, New Year Hitparade 35533 15355 1720 31 GAB NHK Moyabi Jap, New Year Hitparade 25332 11880 1725 31 SLK NHK Ekala Jap, New Year Hitparade 21221 QRM RL Briech-MRC 11885. CRI Beijing Pushtu co-ch. QRM at 1500 RAI Rome in Italian co-ch. 6010 1900 31 G NHK Skelton Jap, New Year Hitparade 55555 9565 1910 31 G NHK Woofferton? Jap, New Year Hitparade 32322 QRM RRI 9570, TRT 9560 11705 NHK Sackville, Canada, always underneath other stations, like TRT and IBB Tinang/Lampertheim. 9750 from Yamata didn't propagate into Europe due of lousy condition. rx AOR AR7030, Sony ICF 2010 + 2001, Kenwood R-1000, Drake SPR-4 ant 12 metres longwire, Yaesu FRT 7700 antenna tuner (Wolfgang Büschel DF5SX, Stuttgart, Geogr. Coordinates 09.200E 48.740N, Germany, Jan 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JORDAN. 11690, R. Jordan 1500-1507+ 12/25 in English with time check for "5 PM," brief news bulletin, and ID as "Radio Jordan 96.3 FM"."UK Top 40" was presented at 1505, beginning with #40. Good with co-channel RTTY (John Wilkins, Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Drake R-8, 100- foot random wire, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Jordan was noted off the air on 11690 at 1400-1730 on Dec 29 & 30 maybe due to the same storm [as hit Israel]. It was back Dec 31 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** KURDISTAN [and non]. The Voice of the Iranian Kurdistan (radio of the Democratic Party of the Iranian Kurdistan steered since 1993 by Mustafa Hedjri and in April, 1995 by Abdullah Hassanzadeh) is audible in the morning in France on 4195 kHz from 0430 GMT. The Democratic Party of the Iranian Kurdistan had former two leaders who were murdered by the authorities of Iran. On July 13, 1989 the Dr A.R. . Ghassemlou in Vienna (Austria) and on September 17, 1992 in Berlin, the Dr Sadegh Sharafkandi with three of his companions, Fattah Abdoli (representing in Europe) and Homayoun Ardalan, representing in Germany. The DPIK was founded on August 18, 1945. The DPIK possesses a secret radio station since October 13, 1980 which diffuses since the North of Iraq (in the region of the Kurdistan). One German court accused publicly the highest dignitaries of the Iranian regime for having sponsored the murder of Sadegh Sarafkhandi and three other companions. The two responsible for the DPIK are buried in the cemetery of the Father Lachaise in Paris. The Voice of the Iranian Kurdistan (Persian = "Seda-ye Kordestan-e Iran" , Kurdish = "Ira Dangi Kurdistani Irana") was agreed the first time in 1973- 1975 and again in 1980. After an absence of three months in 1995 due to rivalries between the Democratic Party of the Iranian Kurdistan and the Patriotic Union of Jalal Jalabani's Kurdistan the station is again of return since this date. In August, 1995 the Voice of the Iranian Kurdistan announced to emit in the bands of 75 and 41 metres (7300 and 4000 kHz). In past the station used a big number of frequencies situated in beaches of 7050- 7420, 4890-5080, 4630-4665, and 3870 and 3965 kHz. The Voice of the Iranian Kurdistan is jammed regularly by Iranian authorities on all frequencies. 0330-0430 in Kurd on 4195 kHz 0430-0530 in Persian on 4195 kHz 1430-1600 in Kurd on 3975 kHz 1600-1630 in Persian on 3975 kHz There is a broadcast in the afternoon which is not got here in France, probably at 1430. The temporary seat of the DPKI is in Paris. Contact : P.D.K.I, c/o A.F.K (French Association of the Kurdistan) PO Box 102, 75623 Paris, Cedex 13 Fax : 01 85 20 93 (for the foreigner to make the 33) Web site : http://www.pdk-iran.org/ (in English, German and French) Web site in French: http://www.geocities/pukfrance/pukfrance.html (Bernard Chenal, France, Jan 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 3900.0, Voice of Iraqi People, Iraqi Kurdistan, Dec 22, *1725-1855*, Opening tune, 1730 Fanfare and ID: "Huna sawt al-Shab al-Iraqi, idha'atu al Hizb al-Shuju'i al- Iraqi", political talks and same ID 1839. There was no programme in Kurdish ! 34333 4400, Voice of the People of Kurdistan, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, Dec 22, 1412-1435, Kurdish news, ID: "Aira dangi Gelli Kurdistana", music, New frequency ex 6995, 24333 heard // 4015 from its fade in at 1430 (24222) (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Jan 1 via DXLD) ** LAOS/THAILAND/VIETNAM. 7145: These three countries are still unable to coordinate their use of this frequency! On Dec 13 & 15 I heard: 1105 Voice of Vietnam in Spanish, 35533. *1300 R National Lao in French, and *1300 Voice of Vietnam in French, and *1300 R Thailand in Malay! The Voice of Vietnam dominated this frequency here (Roland Schulze, Philippines, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** LEBANON. LEBANON BANS PROGRAMME ON SAUDI ARABIA The authorities in Beirut cut the satellite service of a private TV station to prevent a programme about Saudi Arabia being aired: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/2620711.stm (via M. Fathi, Cumbre DX Jan 1 via DXLD) ** LEBANON [and non]. Below is info on Voice of Charity - Sawt al Mahabba. Hope it would be of interest. Informational activities of the VOC and future outlooks (SERGEY KOLESOV e-mails via Paul Youngs, World DX Club Contact Jan): 1 May 1997: VOC starts broadcasting daily 30 min. instructional programs on the shortwave band 9645, 11715 in direction of the Middle East. Radio Vatican provided the VOC with the means to do so through Santa Maria de Galeria. The program is broadcast at 6:30 am Rome time. Its aim is that the Word of God should reach all the Arabic Churches of the Middle East. On the 1st of September the VOC became the pioneer Lebanese radio station to start broadcasting its programs 24hrs/day live on the Internet to the whole world on the following electronic address: http://www.radiocharity.org.lb August 1997: saw the VOC dedicating its operating wavelength 107.7 to French and English programs as well as broadcasting French programs in association with the French Speaking Community of Christian Radios (Communauté française des radios chrétiennes) which emits via satellite from Paris. The VOC has concluded an accord of cooperation and exchange of experiences with regards to programs and technical advancements with Radio Maria - Italy an internationally oriented Italian station. The VOC is currently studying the possibility of broadcasting via satellite so that it may reach all the Lebanese across the world. Another of Rich D'Angelo's excellent DX Target features, on the Voice of Charity, follows later in this issue of CONTACT Magazine (Alan Roe, WDXC ed.) Viz.: DX TARGET: THE VOICE OF CHARITY "WHEN YOU NEED TO BE IN PEACE, JUST LISTEN" By Richard A. D'Angelo Located in the heart of one of the world's most troubled areas, the Voice of Charity provides an alternative for many listeners in Lebanon. The station has a major presence on FM throughout the country. Unfortunately, its shortwave broadcast transmissions are limited to relays via the facilities of Radio Vatican. Nevertheless, this relay provides an opportunity to tune another interesting DX Target. The Country Lebanon is located in the Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and Syria. It gained independence on 22 November 1943 from the League of Nations mandate under French administration. The capital city is Beirut. The country's weather is mild to cool with wet winters and hot, dry summers. The mountains in Lebanon experience heavy winter snows. The Nahr el Litani is the only major river in the region not crossing an international boundary. Rugged terrain has historically helped isolate, protect, and develop numerous factional groups based on religion, clan, and ethnicity. The country has approximately 3.7 million inhabitants. About 70% of the population are Muslim (including Shi'a, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri) and roughly 30% are Christian (including Orthodox Christian, Catholic, Protestant). Major resources include limestone, iron ore, and salt, plus a water- surplus in a water-deficit region and arable land. Major industries are banking, food processing, jewelry, cement, textiles, mineral and chemical products, wood and furniture products, oil refining and metal fabricating. The country's major export commodities include foodstuffs and tobacco, textiles, chemicals, precious stones, metal and metal products, electrical equipment and products, jewellery, paper and paper products. The 1975-1991 civil war seriously damaged Lebanon's economic infrastructure, cut national output in half, and all but ended Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern enterprise and banking center. Peace enabled the central government to restore control in Beirut, begin collecting taxes, and regain access to key ports and government facilities. A financially sound banking system and resilient small- and medium-scale manufacturers helped the economic recovery. Banking services, manufactured and farm exports, and international aid provided the main sources of foreign exchange. Lebanon's economy made impressive gains since the launch in 1993 of "Horizon 2000," the government's $20 billion reconstruction program. During the 1990s annual inflation fell to almost 0% from more than 100%. Lebanon has rebuilt much of its war-torn physical and financial infrastructure. The government nonetheless faces serious challenges in the economic arena. It has funded reconstruction by borrowing heavily from domestic banks and the government has failed to rein in the ballooning national debt. Lebanon has made progress toward rebuilding its political institutions since 1991 with the end of the devastating 16-year civil war. Under the Ta'if Accord, which is the blueprint for national reconciliation, the Lebanese have established a more equitable political system. Since the end of the war, the Lebanese have conducted several successful elections, most of the militias have been weakened or disbanded, and the Lebanese Armed Forces have extended central government authority over about two-thirds of the country. Hizballah, the radical Shi'a party, retains its weapons. Syria maintains about 20,000 troops in Lebanon based mainly in Beirut, North Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley. The Station The Voice of Charity is a Christian voice, of a cultural and social nature. The station was founded in 1984 by order of the Lebanese Missionaries or Kréimists in collaboration with the order of the Holy Spirit for Missions and a number of lay men and woman, priests, monks and nuns. The station transmits mainly in Arabic (20 hours a day), French (3 hours a day), and English (1 hour a day). There are occasional broadcasts in Armenian, Tagalog, various African dialects, Latin and Greek. The day's broadcasting begins at 0600 hours local and continues throughout the day. The station's purpose is to bring comfort by the sound and the word for the families, children, young people, patients and those, which live in loneliness and misery. The Voice of Charity aims to spread civilization and peace among the Lebanese people. Its orientation is to reach out to every person in Lebanon in an effort to build the society in the country. The station's slogan is "When you need to be in peace, just listen". The radio station's personnel consist of 15 full time staff and more than 50 volunteers. They share in the preparation and the presentation of programs with the bishops, priests and monks, all of who are members of the Christian Churches of Lebanon. The Voice of Charity's activities are supervised by the Parliament of the Patriarchs and Catholic Evêques in Lebanon. In co-operation with the Episcopal Committee for the social communications emanating from the Parliament, directed by the Congregation of Missionaries Maronites Lebanese (Kréimistes). The responsible director currently is Father Fadi Tabet. The Voice of Charity is the only radio station in Lebanon that broadcasts diversified and elaborate programs in the Arabic language. It broadcasts to Christians and non-Christians. The station has not aligned itself with any political, regional or ethnic factions in Lebanon. The Voice of Charity transmits for Lebanon and the bordering countries by means of the FM band using frequencies between 105.8 MHz to 106.2 MHz. The 105.8 MHz frequency covers Beirut, Jounieh, Jbeil and Bekaa. The 105.9 frequency covers the mountains of North Lebanon to Syria. The 106.0 MHz frequency covers Jounieh while 106.2 MHz covers the mountainous areas and South Lebanon to the Holy Lands and some areas of Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Cyprus. The station broadcasts utilizing 14 transmitters distributed dispersed throughout Lebanon. Seven of these transmitters are primary outlets covering most of the Lebanese territory, and the other 7 are secondary or repeaters for difficult to reach areas due to the mountainous nature of country. The programs of the Voice of Charity target the young and adults as well as those committed in faith and those with less commitment. The broadcasts are diversified with a theological and educational emphasis. Some of the station's programs are transmitted live which allows for the participation of listeners in sharing their experiences and enlivens program content. There are special broadcasts of events of local and international church activities. Another aspect of the programs are religious hymns and prayers. The station is a Christian radio operation focusing on human, cultural and social issues. With its array of broadcasts, it supports spiritual growth along with the teachings of the Church. The identity of the Voice of Charity was and continues to be Catholic. In May 1996, the Voice of Charity started to broadcast its Christian programs toward the Middle East by means of shortwave using the facilities of Radio Vatican. Currently, it broadcasts daily in Arabic on 11,715 kHz at 0430 to 0500 UT via the Santa Maria di Galeria transmitter facilities of Radio Vatican. Often it is a live broadcast utilizing a satellite feed. Consequently, the station considers itself an integral part of the Church's ministering in the Middle East. The Voice of Charity is a good verifier of listener reception reports. English language reception reports accompanied with return postage (US$1.00 or 2 Inter-national Reply Coupons, will generate a friendly postal letter reply. A prepared card is helpful since the station doesn't have its own QSL cards. If an electronic reply is of interest, try sending your reception report to: email@radiocharity.org.lb Postal reception reports can be sent to: Voice of Charity, Father Fadi Tabet, Post Office Box 850, Juniyah, Lebanon (Richard A. D`Angelo, Jan World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** LIBYA [non]. Checked [English half hour reported at 2100 on 11635 via France] a couple of times here but in Arabic so may be irregular. English news has been noted regularly 1140-1145 on 21675 21695 (Mike Barraclough, England, Jan World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** MALI. 9633.36, Radio Mali 0813 Jan 2, lengthy talk in language, ID in French at 0831, African and Cuban music; // 7285.48 (Ralph Brandi, AOR AR-7030 Plus, 250-foot mini-Beverage, Tinton Falls, NJ, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** MAURITANIA. 7245, Radio Mauritania, Jan 2 0904, ID at 0905, talk by YL in Arabic intermixed with music; transmitter cutting in and out, off at 0915 (Ralph Brandi, AOR AR-7030 Plus, 250-foot mini-Beverage, Tinton Falls, NJ, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** NEPAL. R. Nepal was off the air on all SW channels: 3230, 5005, 6100 and 7165 on Dec 15 & 16 at 2315-0200 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** NORWAY. On 23rd December observed BBCWS in progress on 12070 via Kvitsoy at 1220 followed by Radio Denmark at 1230. On 26th December 15735 began with news in Norwegian, 1205 into BBCWS Newshour in English, 1230 Radio Denmark, 1300 news in Norwegian of Radio Norway, 1304 announcement in Norwegian for the BBCWS and Outlook programme which began at 1305, 1330 into Radio Denmark relay (Edwin Southwell, UK, World DX Club Contact via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) ** PAKISTAN. R. Pakistan, Islamabad has some changes in its domestic relays on shortwave: API-2 : 5915 0045-0200; 9645 0600-1115; 5965 1615-1700; 6065 1350-1400 [Balti news] and 1420-1428 [Sheena News]. API-4 : 7105 0200-0400 & 5080 [x 7105] 1300-1800 [Current Affairs]. 7105 & 5080 have been heard by Olle Alm in Sweden. I suppose there are no changes to Peshawar, Quetta and API-8 (Azad Kashmir on 4790) (Noel Green, UK, DSWCI DX Window Jan 1 via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. NY monitoring: see SOLOMON ISLANDS ** POLAND. The latest issue of Offshore Echoes has this item headed "Patron Saint of Pirate Radio": Probably the only clandestine broadcaster ever established and run by a saint: Radio Niepokalanow (Militia of the Immaculate) was set up by St. Maximillian Maria Kolbe. St. Maximilian was a Franciscan friar, head of the nonviolent Militia of the Immaculate, and amateur radio operator SP3RN. After being denied a broadcasting licence by the anti- clerical Polish government of the time, he began clandestine broadcasts over a borrowed Polish Army transmitter, broadcast from August 12th 1938 until 1939. When Poland was invaded by the Nazis in 1939, St. Maximilian was ordered to cease broadcasting. He was arrested by the Gestapo and eventually ended up in Auschwitz. Shortly after his arrival, he offered his life in place of another prisoner. He was placed in a "starvation bunker" and, after 14 days without food or water, was finally executed by lethal injection. His body was cremated in the gas ovens. He was named a Roman Catholic saint in 1982. No recordings of his broadcasts are known to have survived World War Two. The present day Radio TV Niepokalanow 2nd, a Catholic broadcasting network in Poland, considers itself the successor to this clandestine broadcaster (Jan World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** ROMANIA. Romania Actualitatsi on 1152 until 2200 with Romanian folk music, followed by chimes from a grandfather clock, the very same tape they already used two years ago. Then they opened the studio mikes for some guys yelling around like being already drunk. Brutal cut-off inmidst of the yelling, so Cluj transmitter closing down at midnight, like, is there anything particular tonight? But Tâncâbesti 855 stayed on (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. Hello, I also preferred to stay home last night; here a few notes about my listening to Russia: Radio Rossii on 171 prior to 2100 with speech (by president Putin?), concluding with welcoming the new year and the new time, into Kremlin chimes, followed by full version of Russian anthem. Then lady announcer pouring out sparkling wine while greeting listeners (the sparkling wine could have been just a tape but it sounded like indeed done live). (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. 6005, Adygei/Kabarda, Tbilisskoye, Dec 20, *1800-1900*, Vernacular news, orchestral music. New transmission. QRM Berlin 33333 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Jan 1 via DXLD) ** SAIPAN. NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS. KFBS audible some days opening at 1615 with English identification on 9855 (Allen Dean, UK, Jan World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA [non]. 7590, Voice of Reform, via Kvitsøy (?), Dec 21, *1859-2058*, Arabic political talk continued (from 9930) by the same man. Saudi jammer was here at least from 1857-2102*, 33443. It was silent on Dec 30. 9925, Voice of Reform, via Kvitsøy (?), Dec 30, 1940-2127*, Arabic talks. Moved from 9930 maybe to avoid QRM from Iran, and the Saudi jammer followed (of course). 23443 improving to 34443. Kvitsøy was not used at 2012 for the scheduled broadcast of NRK ! But this transmitter returned on the air at *2128 on 7490 with the NRK-programme // 9510 ! Both these frequencies continued 2130 with the ordinary R Denmark broadcast (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Jan 1 via DXLD) I also pick the Voice of Reform up on Hotbird Satellite 24 hours a day! This opposition group has a room on http://www.paltalk.com and they get listeners views via this room on PAL Talk. That is why the transmission always is having some disconnecting !!! But listeners mainly giving out their points of view against the Saudi Government. (Tarek Zeidan, Egypt, ibid.) 9930 Voice of Reform, via Kvitsøy (?), Dec 21, *1830-1857, Arabic talks mentioning Iran. Cf. 7590 ! QRM VOIRI 9935 in Arabic (QSA 4) 34333. Back here same evening from 7590 at *2059-2127* with talks continued in Arabic by the same man until cut off in mid sentence at transmitter sign off. 35333 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Jan 1 via DXLD) ** SERBIA-MONTENEGRO. On January 01, 2003, the Republic of Yugoslavia is going to change name to ``Serbia-Montenegro`` as one of the final steps of the disintegration of former President Tito`s Yugoslavia. The Republic of Serbia which includes the autonome Provinces of Kosovo in the south and Vojvodina in the north, nowadays has a total of about 10 million inhabitants, out of which 63% are Serbians, 17% Albanians and 3% Hungarians. Its capital is Beograd. The Republic of Montenegro has about 600,000 inhabitants with the capital Podgorica. Both Republics have severe democratic problems, since they had referendums during the past month, but were unable to elect new Presidents, because less than 50% of the electors showed up. On shortwave R Yugoslavia is strongly heard again via the transmitters at Bijeljina, Bosnia-Hercegovina (Anker Petersen, Ed., DSWCI DX Window Jan 1 via DXLD) So must R. Yugoslavia also change its name to R. Serbia-Montenegro?? (gh, DXLD) ** SEYCHELLES. FEBA-RADIO WILL BE CLOSING THEIR SHORT WAVE STATION This was announced in a letter to supporters, sent out by International Director John Bartlett in late December 2002: ``Over the next year programmes from the Seychelles station will be moved to other stations throughout the world. This will enable us to expand our programming base; get more ministry for our money; and reach a new audience of listeners - like those in Central Africa. This means that the Seychelles station will wind down over the coming year. We are grateful to have had this wonderful tool for ministry over the past 30 years especially as it was only intended to last 10 years! But now is the time to develop into other areas and use technologies that are more up to date. To facilitate these exciting programme developments we will be opening a new international broadcasting office in Cyprus. - Feba's ministry is expanding and who knows where our inspiring God will lead us in the future? Our vision is still to reach people with the Gospel through radio. To reach the unreached across barriers of culture, distance, geography and isolation. And to glorify God wherever we work.`` FEBA-Radio has been broadcasting from the Seychelles since the early 1970s and currently operates three 100-kW short wave transmitters to target areas from East Africa to South Asia. The station was first established for broadcasting to India but also took over the Middle Eastern activities of Radio ELWA and started broadcasting to Africa. Since the 1980s there has been increasing co-operation by Protestant missionary stations sharing each others transmitters and jointly buying time on commercial transmitters. Although in 2002 the FEBA- Radio made first use of the Al Dhabbaya short wave station in the UAE, activities do move on to medium wave and FM. In recent years FEBA- Radio also started establishing FM stations in East Africa with more to follow over the next five years (Dr Hansjoerg Biener 2 January 2003, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Previous reports mentioned increasing problem of housing development near the FEBA coastal site; is this why they give up? (gh, DXLD) 9464.97, FEBA, 0242 Dec 30 talk in language, interval signal (once) (Ralph Brandi, AOR AR-7030 Plus, 250-foot mini-Beverage, Tinton Falls, NJ, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** SIERRA LEONE. 6139.1, possibly R UNAMSIL, Dec 28, 2148, familiar Xmas music interspersed with many telephoned greetings, usually starting with the announcer saying "Hello, hello." After 2200 the music seemed to switch to African stuff, but phone calls continued. Language was accented English at least part of the time. LSB was needed to avoid het from above, although things got unexplainably noisy after 2200 even though the hetting station went off. Still there at 0600 check, battling DW-6140 (Jerry Berg, MA, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** SOLOMON ISLANDS [and non]. Hi Glen[n]. First I would like to wish for a prosperous and safe New Year to you and yours. I caught some of the New Year's celebrations on shortwave this year. Here's my rundown on a few of them. The Solomon Islands on 5020 had the best on air party by far. They were rocking from 1121 tune in until 1306 with great music, phone calls from listeners, and a constant countdown. At 1155 (a little more than an hour from their midnight) they wished everyone in Kiribati well as they would celebrate next. When the time came, the countdown was followed with many shouts of ``Happy New Year`` and drawn out chants of ``It's 2003``. Of course, ``Auld Lang Syne`` was played followed by Abba's ``Happy New Year``. At 1306, the Governor General gave his 20 minute New Year's Address that was preceded and followed by ``God Save the Queen`` and the national anthem. At 1326 it was back to the party and they announced that they would be staying on till way past 0100 local (1400 UT). By then the noise floor was rising so I couldn't stay with the party. Botswana's party on 4820 was a close second. At 2151 they had an open air concert of Afropops and the announcer walked through the crowd talking to several people in Setswana. The final ten seconds were counted down in English and the crowd went wild with joy. The concert soon continued. National Radio of Papua New Guinea on 4890 was good but subdued. They had a program of island and pop music with phone calls being taken. At 1353 the Prime Minister gave a brief (like a couple of minutes) address. From 1356 there was a rising crescendo of Big Ben chimes, drum beating, and two versions of ``Auld Lang Syne``. At 1401 some crowd cheering was heard followed by the national anthem. The biggest disappointment had to be Uganda. Their showing was the absolute pits. I tuned in on both 4976 and 5026 at 2037 noting that they were both // with classical music. Then they went to a long- winded New Year's address from the president that lasted till almost 2130. Boring stuff, for sure! The sentimental favourite with me is always the BBC and the chimes of Big Ben at midnight GMT. The New Year cannot begin until I hear them. It send shivers down my spine. By the way, when I was at our local liquor store on Tuesday morning, the manager wanted to know if I was going to party hearty tonight? I said no, I'll be in bed early. I'm too old for that - besides, I started partying at 6 AM when it was New Year's in Tonga (Mark Coady, ODXA, Bridgenorth, ON, Jan 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SRI LANKA. TAMIL REBELS TO EXTEND RADIO BROADCASTS | Text of report by the TamilNet web site on 1 January Voice of Tigers (VoT) announced in its daily nightly broadcast today that it will increase its broadcast time and distance from 16 January marking the 10th memorial anniversary of Colonel Kittu, said sources in Vanni. Colonel Kittu was known for his relentless efforts to implement the vision of leader Pirpaharan to expand the quality and reach of Tamil media reflecting the struggle of Tamil people, VoT said. It is a fitting testimony to Kittu's efforts to introduce a significant milestone on LTTE's media operations to celebrate his memorial day, VoT added. ``It is disheartening to witness orchestrated opposition by the chauvinistic elements in the south to the import of broadcast equipment by LTTE,`` said S.P. Thamilchelvan to the VoT technicians in a ceremony held to open a new VoT building in Vanni. ``We have been working on importing new broadcast equipment for VoT for the past several years. Current peace climate has made this possible now. ``We regard the new equipment as very essential in this climate of peace. It is our cardinal duty to inform Tamil people on all issues affecting the current peace talks so that Tamil people can express their opinions on matters affecting them. ``Recent efforts by the People Alliance (PA) and other extremists to draw the Norwegian government into this matter, condemning the involvement of the Norwegian government and creating a controversy over this can only be viewed as an ill-conceived attempt to sabotage the peace process,`` Thamilchelvan added. VoT is broadcast on waveband FM 98 [MHz], sources said. Source: TamilNet web site in English 1 Jan 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) VOICE OF TIGERS TO EXPAND NEXT WEEK Voice of Tigers (VoT), the radio station of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), has announced that in a news bulletin that its broadcasting hours and coverage area will increase from 16 January. That date marks the 10th anniversary of the death of a senior LTTE commander, who was killed when the Indian Navy surrounded the arms ship he was aboard. The expansion follows the controversial decision by the Sri Lankan government to permit the import of new equipment for VoT, and to issue it with a licence to operate and maintain an FM transmitter in Kilinochchi. The Sinhala National Front has filed a writ application in the Colombo Court of Appeal seeking the nullification of the licence. The petition says the granting of the licence is a clear violation of the normal and accepted procedure, and therefore the Appeal Court should order its annulment. Chief of the LTTE's political wing, S P Thamilselvan was quoted by VoT as saying that the new transmission equipment was essential to inform the Tamil people on all issues affecting the current peace talks. ''We regard the recent efforts by the People's Alliance and others to draw the Norwegian government into this matter, condemning the involvement of the Norwegian government as an ill conceived attempt to sabotage the peace process,'' he said (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 2 January 2003 via DXLD) ** SYRIA [non]. 7470 very strong at 1600 December 31st, 12085 weak under buzzy carrier (Mike Barraclough, UK, World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** TAIWAN. CLANDESTINE --- 8300, New Star Broadcasting Station, *1400- 1419* Jan 1. Presumed with usual s/on and YL numbers routine, all in Chinese. Heard a couple of other times this week, no parallels noted (John Wilkins, Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Drake R-8, 100-foot random wire, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** THAILAND. See LAOS ** TURKEY. 6900, Turkish Meteorological Radio still active, heard December 17th 1550-1643, nonstop music, sign off with no announcements. Fair though often open carrier on channel (Mike Barraclough, England, World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** UGANDA. NY monitoring: see SOLOMON ISLANDS ** UKRAINE. Glenn, I was listening at the same time [0407 Jan 1] and had rather good signals on both 7375 and 7420 in English. Considering the poor propagation right now, I am not surprised that even the Mykolaiv megawatter failed to penetrate the auroral belt to North America (Olle Alm, Sweden, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE. Glenn, Happy New Year. Here is a quick check of R. Ukraine Int English sked. All are January 1, 2003. 0100 7375 S9 to S9 +44 dB. QRM moderate from jammer on and around 7375. 9610 not heard. 0115, 0130, 0145 and 0200 same as 0100. 0400 7375 S6 to S9 +27 dB. Jammer slight to moderate on and around 7375. 7420 not heard. Severe QRM on 7420 from WEWN on 7425. 0415 7375 same as 0400. 0430 7375 S8 to S9 +27 dB. QRM slight from VOA on 7370 and slight to moderate from jammer on and around 7370. 7420 same as 0400. 0445 7375 S9 to S9 +37 dB. No QRM detected. 7420 same as 0400. 0456 7375 same ast 0445. 7420 same as 0400. Both the 01 and 04 UT broadcasts were also well received on a Sony ICF-SW7600G portable receiver using the built in antenna. 1200 17760 not heard. QRM severe from DW on 17765. 1215, 1230, 1245 and 1255 same as 1200. Will check the 2200 UT EE broadcast later today. 73, (-.. . Kraig Krist, KG4LAC, VA, Jan 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. RADIO WAVES: ANNUS MIRABILIS From The Times, December 29, 2002, By Paul Donovan: Four days ago, the Queen gave her annual message to Britain and the Commonwealth. How many people realised this was the 70th anniversary of the monarch's Christmas broadcast? If ever there were a documentary crying out to be made, rich in archive and anecdote, and chronicling a changing nation, it was this. But there was nothing. Months ago, I suggested to Buckingham Palace and the BBC that they ought to mark the birthday in some way, but there was no interest. It would have created both a good programme and good PR for the royals - who desperately need it in the wake of the Paul Burrell trial. That apart, 2002 has been a veritable feast of anniversaries: 10 years of Classic FM, Britain's first national commercial radio station, which has grown so much in its first decade that it has just launched a classical version of MTV; 25 of The News Quiz and File on 4; 30 of I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue; 35 of Just a Minute; 50 of the BBC Concert Orchestra; 60 of Desert Island Discs; 70 of the BBC World Service; and 80 of the BBC itself. Most of these events spawned festive shows or concerts. In addition, Radio 4 offered extensive and admirably balanced coverage of the golden jubilee, much enhanced by the subtly nuanced Nicholas Witchell, who always manages to set the right tone (unlike Radio 1's Sara Cox, who remarked of the late Queen Mother last year: ``She smells of wee, but we all love her``). However, the programmes marking the 20th anniversary of the Falklands war were un-revealing and lacked impact. Radio 1's chart show was overtaken in the ratings by the rival Pepsi chart, which may explain why its longtime presenter, Mark Goodier, left Radio 1 shortly afterwards (and starts on the more sedate Classic FM this week). Radio 2 nurtured an increasingly confident host in the attractive shape of the soul singer Mica Paris, and made many polished music documentaries. It was tarnished by the maladroit manner in which it axed Sir Jimmy Young, who, when he returned for his final fortnight, was so sharp, he sounded as if he had never been away. Radio 3, shamefully, killed off The Brains Trust, but mounted its first world-music awards. Radio 4 was the most popular station in London for the first time, and broadcast, among many other things, what was thought to be the first programme on grouse-shooting. Radio Five Live scored with its World Cup coverage - and saw off its short-lived sports rival TEAMtalk, formerly Atlantic 252. But minority sports continue to be overlooked, and all sport is undercooked on Radio 4, in a way that it never was when Cliff Morgan was on the air. The year's uniqueness, of course, lay in the launch of five new national stations. The frustration lay, and continues to lie, in the dearth of digital radio sets on which to listen to them. Digital technology continues to make radio evolve: online use of the BBC World Service has grown phenomenally this year, and dozens of BBC radio shows are now available on the internet for a week after they first go out, a service thousands of people are now making use of (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U K. BBC SEES NEW YEAR IN WITHOUT A BONG From The Times, January 01, 2003, By Laura Peek LISTENERS across Britain who tuned in to BBC Radio 4 last night to see in the new year to the sound of Big Ben were left with nothing but dead air. The sound of silence lasted for 30 seconds - an eternity in radio - before a continuity presenter came on air and apologised for the mistake. He then introduced the midnight news. A senior member of the Radio 4 news team said: ``Obviously there was a major technical mistake. It is the last thing we wanted to happen. It is a nightmare on radio to have dead air time. ``It is every producer's nightmare. In television if the sound goes down you still have pictures but in radio you have nothing. Everyone was horrified. We have no idea what happened but obviously there was a major technical hitch. It is all very embarrassing.`` A live microphone is rigged to Big Ben to transmit the chimes. It is a tradition in households across Britain to turn on the radio to hear Big Ben strike the new year (via Mike Terry, DXLD) Fortunately we were listening to BBCWS on SW 12095 where the chimes aired unhindered (gh, DXLD) ** U K [non]. Laser Radio is now broadcasting every Sunday 1800-2300 on [Latvia] 5935, first hour of the broadcast is a media programme. (Edwin Southwell, Mike Barraclough, Jan World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** U K. PROTESTS STEPPED UP OVER 'SATELLITE TAX' ON BROADCASTERS From The Times December 30, 2002, By Raymond Snoddy, Media Editor OPPONENTS of a government plan to impose new fees on satellite broadcasters and equipment manufacturers are to step up their efforts to see the so-called ``satellite tax`` abandoned. The Government is planning to introduce the new charge as part of the Communications Bill that is passing though Parliament at present and will come under close scrutiny in the new year. SES, the Luxembourg-based satellite company that runs the Astra television satellite system, fears that if the charge is applied to all its satellite capacity, the bill could amount to £24 million a year. The levy would ultimately be passed on to satellite television viewers in the UK and this worries broadcasters, who fear that any increased costs could deter consumers from taking their services. The issue has united satellite broadcasters and electronics companies. In addition, the Commons Trade and Industry Select Committee has opposed the new levy. The committee said that it was difficult to disagree with the description of the concept as ``a protection racket``. The charge arises as a result of government efforts to manage the broadcasting airwaves more efficiently. The Recognised Spectrum Access (RSA) initiative is designed to guarantee that broadcasts from satellites to viewers in the UK are free of interference. Critics say that the Radiocommunications Agency, the body responsible for the spectrum, already has an obligation under international agreements to carry out such work. They add that the risk of interference, in any case, is low. Mike Chandler, managing director of Astra in the UK, said that the charge would run counter to the Government's hopes of switching off analog television broadcasts by 2010. ``Any additional costs imposed on the satellite industry will do nothing to encourage digital take- up,`` he said. Apart from satellite operators and broadcasters such as BSkyB - in which The News Corporation, parent company of The Times, has a 36.3 per cent stake - the RSA charge is also being opposed by Intellect, the body representing more than 1,000 companies in the IT, telecommunications and electronics industries (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. From FCC: Tuesday December 24, 2002 Report IHF-00039 Modification Allan H Weiner WBCQ IHF-MOD-20020806-00003 P --- MODIFICATION TO LICENSE (IHF-LIC-20010202-00001) TO ADD ANOTHER TRANSMITTER AND ANTENNA. Renewal Good News World Outreach WRNO IHF-RWL-20020702-00005 P Renewal Eternal Word Television Network Inc WEWN IHF-RWL-20020708-00004 P (via Benn Kobb, DXLD) ** U S A. WWRB registered 1300-2300 on 9320 12172 and 2300-0600 on 5050 5085 6890 (FCC database via Mike Barraclough, Jan World DX Club Contact) ** U S A. VOA Cantonese currently runs 1300-1400 and 1500-1600 GMT. Beginning January 6, the 1500-1600 broadcast will be deleted. A new hour at 1400-1500 will be added. The schedule will be 1300-1500 GMT on 9705, 11865, 15160 kHz. During 1330-1500 it will also be on 1143 kHz MW (Dan Ferguson, IBB, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Subject: using journalists to spin the news STRETCHING THE TRUTH TO CONFUSE THE ENEMY - AND US, By Pat M. Holt January 02, 2003 edition of the Christian Science Monitor: WASHINGTON - There is a debate going on in the upper ranks of the government over how this country ought to present its image abroad. This particular debate has gone back and forth ever since the days of the Voice of America (VOA) in World War II. On the one hand is the school that says: Present a full and fair picture, the blemishes along with the bright spots. On the other hand is the school that argues: Don't say anything negative. (snip) The full and fair picture, which the VOA has followed most of the time, is flexible enough for most days; but some days the White House - or Defense or State - wants to make a point so badly that it is tempted to stretch the truth or even (here comes the dangerous part) to make it up. This happened in the cold war, and it could happen again in the war on terror if we are not careful. For example: During various periods, the CIA paid foreign journalists to write editorials or to slant news stories for prominent foreign newspapers or magazines. Among other matters, these articles promoted anticommunist labor unions in France and the Christian democratic political parties in Italy and Chile. This sometimes gave rise to what is called ``blowback`` - a story inspired by the CIA in a foreign newspaper and then picked up by an American news service as an example of foreign public opinion. An even more egregious example of US government manipulation of opinion arose in Libya. The Reagan administration identified Libyan agents as having bombed a West Berlin nightclub in April 1986, killing two US servicemen. Later that month, US Navy planes bombed Libya in retaliation. In addition, President Reagan called for a disinformation campaign designed to increase pressure on the Libyan Army, which in turn, it was hoped, would be driven to overthrow Libyan dictator Gen. Muammar Qaddafi. Somewhat later, the Reagan administration leaked to The Wall Street Journal that the White House was completing plans for ``a new and larger bombing of Libya.`` A story was published on Aug. 25, 1986. The White House called the story authoritative, but as more questions were asked, it turned out to have been made up. Worse, neither the president nor then-Secretary of State George Shultz was at least remorseful. (snip) full story at: http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0102/p09s02-coop.html (via Deborah Jones, CAJ-list via Ricky Leong, DXLD) ** U S A [non]. RICHARD LOWIS writes: ``I found the item on WW2 propaganda stations very interesting, it brought back the memory of a station I heard probably in the 1960s very late one night. The station was broadcasting in (American) English, and the guy at the end of the microphone was using the pseudonym Professor LOBO. The broadcast consisting of modern pop music and messages to soldiers I believe this would be during the Vietnam war. The person reading the messages was a very sexy sounding oriental speaking female, and such messages as 'This is for Johnny from Utah, we are sorry Johnny but your wife left you for a guy from the next street, she says she is sorry and sends her regards.`` This programme went on for about 1 hour, playing what I believe were phoney requests and reading false messages. I remember requesting a QSL card for this broadcast, and think it was a transmission from Radio Berlin International, I no longer have my 60s QSL cards, but I am sure I received a confirmation. Does that information fit in with anything anyone else heard around that time, and can anyone else remember such broadcasts? `` //MIKE BARRACLOUGH replies ``Was this on medium wave or shortwave Richard. I remember hearing Radio Berlin International transmitters on medium wave late evenings with a programme for American forces in Germany with an American accented announcer playing jazz records, can anyone remember the name of the station, it did not announce as Radio Berlin International despite using the same transmitter. There were broadcasts to US forces in Vietnam from Hanoi and some recordings of them can be found at http://www.earthstation1.com/Hanoi_Hannah_Radio_Hanoi.html Transcripts are: ``How are you GI Joe? It seems to me that most of you are poorly informed about the going of the war to say nothing about a correct explanation of your presence here. Nothing is more confused than to be ordered into a war to die or be maimed for life without the faintest idea of whats going on. Isn't it clear that the warmakers are gambling with your lives while pocketing huge profits`` and ``You are new here and we don't expect you to believe us when we tell you how bad it is. It is a flat scary jungle thick with scrub trees and tall grass, hot and wet in intermittent rain and strong tropical dragonflies and Vietcong sniper bullets. You are a long long way from Fort Riley now and there is no jersey(?) coffee in town on Washington Street where you can sit around on counters eating hamburgers and sipping coffee without having to be afraid a bomb might go off like it did at that restaurant in Saigon a few weeks back. You can get killed here, get out while you are still alive and before it's too late.`` (Jan World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** U S A. KID'S DAY IS JANUARY 4! The next Kid's Day is Saturday, January 4, 2003, at 1800-2400 UT. The twice-annual event, held in January and June, is a chance for amateurs to invest in the future of Amateur Radio by participating in a simple, but rewarding, Amateur Radio event. Now entering its ninth year, Kid's Day typically attracts more than 1000 participants for each running. Kid's Day is intended to encourage young people --- licensed or not -- - to enjoy Amateur Radio. It gives youngsters on-the-air experience so they might develop an interest in pursuing a license in the future. It's also intended to give hams a chance to share their station with their children. Activity for Kid's Day http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/kd-rules.html takes place on 20, 15 and 10 meters --- and perhaps on local 2-meter repeaters. It's an opportunity to introduce youngsters to the magic of ham radio and perhaps spark a lifelong love for the hobby. The suggested exchange for Kid's Day is first name, age, location and favorite color. You are encouraged to work the same station again if an operator has changed. Call ``CQ Kid's Day.`` Suggested frequencies are 14,270 to 14,300, 21,380 to 21,400 and 28,350 to 28,400 kHz, and 2-meter repeater frequencies with permission from your area repeater sponsor. All participants are eligible to receive a colorful certificate. Visit the ARRL Kid's Day Survey page http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/kids-day-survey.html to complete a short survey and post your comments. You will then have access to download the certificate page or send a 9x12 SASE to Boring Amateur Radio Club, PO Box 1357, Boring, OR 97009. Originated by the Boring Amateur Radio Club, Kid's Day now is sponsored an d administered by the ARRL with the cooperation and assistance of the BARC (ARRL Letter Dec 27 via DXLD) ** U S A. [ham-hist] EX HAM OPERATOR/HACKER TO RETURN TO INTERNET WASHINGTON -- A man the federal government once labeled ``the most wanted computer criminal in U.S. history`` has won a long fight to renew his ham radio license and next month can resume surfing the Internet. Kevin Mitnick, 39, of Thousand Oaks, California, served five years in federal prison for stealing software and altering data at Motorola, Novell, Nokia, Sun Microsystems and the University of Southern California. Prosecutors accused him of causing tens of millions of dollars in damage to corporate computer networks. Mitnick was freed in January 2000. The terms of his probation which expire January 20, require him to get government permission before using computers, software, modems or any devices that connect to the Internet. This travel and employment also are limited. Mitnick has been allowed to use a cell phone for a couple of years and received permission this year to type a manuscript on a computer not connected to the Internet. ``Not being allowed to use the Internet is kind of like not being allowed to use a telephone,`` Mitnick said Thursday. Mitnick said he is starting a firm to help companies protect themselves from computer attacks. David Ho, Associated Press (Ham-Radio-History@YahooGroups.com via Horacio Nigro-Uruguay, Dec 27) ** U S A. Report for your next DX Listening Digest: just one thing, hope the tests are soon over and no more IBOC will be allowed by the FCC afterwards... I have too some comments on this drastic and ``impossible`` change which may be made. By reading a September issue of the DX Listening Digest, I found out the real truth: stations and group directors do not really care about listenerships, ethnic/religious, etc... but only about having more and more money. No, nope; I don't know what a 15 years guy may do with this, but if for example WABC-770 use IBOC, then it would be THEORETICALLY impossible to hear RCN Colombia on 760 from Barranquilla which is sometimes excellent here in the Montreal area, despite my equipment. Also, if IBOC is used on FM, you can forget about e-skip. I have 2 QSL's of stations on 93.3 (KIOA in Des Moines, IA) and KKNG (in OK), which would be hammered completely by CBC-2. Further, e-skipers may hammer each other; you can hear hash on 90.7 from 90.9, even tough you don't have a local on either frequency; I think the FCC should THINK, before authorising definitively this. I do not want to lose my hobby just because of a money question. Radio is hearing voices at a distance, not just hearing your neighborhoods a block away. And, despite this few broadcasters carry on their fringe area listeners. Save the AM: well what makes AM superior to FM (during the fall and winter mostly) is the nighttime skywave and the extended groundwave that occurs during the day-light hours (the same way tropo occurs on FM, occasionally). Well, with these 2 characteristics gone, AM will be much less listened, especially by listeners in a fringe area. If the radio moved to UHF, then we could easily hear foreign countries or west coast states/provinces on 2Es without having QRM from single- hop stations, and trans-Pacific DX would be possible from the East Coast, at dawn, on AM. There has been some talk about an Eureka system; it should be used, it would be much better than to ``save`` the AM band which doesn't need to be saved if all we like to do is having local targeting. UHF is much better, even for the fringe areas. There is much more space I would like to post this comments on a site about IBOC, I hope the lawer [?] would not authorize IBOC, That's it for now!, 73, good DX and hope everyone have a happy New Year's Day (Bogdan Alexandru Chiochiu, QC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. I couldn't let this pass. ``Your Tax Dollars At Work``. From the people that backed the Telecommunications Act of 1996, DTV, IBOC, and coming in 2003 the ability of one person to own every media in your community .... it's ``RESOLUTIONS``. http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-227340A1.pdf NEW YEAR`S RESOLUTIONS FOR TELECOM CONSUMERS Washington, DC – The FCC`s Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB) has some suggestions for New Year’s Resolutions to help telecom consumers in 2003. 1. I will check my telephone bill carefully every month to be sure I have not been slammed http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/slamming.html or crammed http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/cramming.html 2. I will investigate whether a pre-paid calling card could save me money on my longdistance calls http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/prepaidcards.html 3. When signing up for wireless phone service, I will read the contract thoroughly, insist that I be given a period of time to test the phone and service before being tied to a long-term contract, and educate myself on wireless service in general http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/wirelessphone.pdf 4. I will learn about the nationwide conversion to digital television, the most important change in television since the introduction of color. I will learn how it will affect my television broadcast service, and what steps I must take myself to receive TV programming after the conversion is complete. http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/digitaltv.html 5. I will familiarize myself with the rules about telemarketing calls, including when the calls are allowed, the information the caller must give, how to get on the caller’s do-not-call list, and what I can do if the calls continue http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/tcpa.html These are just a few suggestions to get you started. CGB has much more information for consumers on the web site http://www.fcc.gov/cgb In addition, you can call CGB’s Consumer Centers with inquiries or complaints at 1-888-225-5322 (CALL FCC) voice; 1-888-835-5322 (TELL FCC) TTY. Both numbers are toll-free. - FCC - (via Fred Vobbe, NRC-AM via DXLD) Yes, master.... (gh) ** UZBEKISTAN. 9715, R. Tashkent *1330-1358* Jan 1 in English with news and features, mostly about New Year's celebrations in Uzbekistan. English end at 1358. Good signal // 5975 also good with co-channel QRM. Think 5060 and 6025 were also // but too much band noise to tell (John Wilkins, Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Drake R-8, 100-foot random wire, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. 4830. R. Táchira is still active, but irregular. 4980, Ecos del Torbes has not been heard here for many weeks now. (Rafael Rodríguez, Colombia, Dec 19, DSWCI DX Window Jan 1 via DXLD) ** VIETNAM. See LAOS ** YUGOSLAVIA. See SERBIA-MONTENEGRO ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ GRUNDIG TO BE SOLD TO TAIWAN FIRM? Reports from Germany indicate that the sale of German consumer electronics company Grundig is likely to be concluded before the end of January. The reports quote comments made on Bayerischer Rundfunk by Anton Kathrein, who owns 89% of shares in the company. Kathrein declined to name the buyer, but informed sources say it's the Taiwan firm Sampo Technology. Grundig is one of the world's major suppliers of shortwave receivers. (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 2 January 2003 via DXLD) Most Grundig SW receivers have been manufactured in one China or the other for years now, anyway (gh, DXLD) ###
