DX LISTENING DIGEST AUGUST 2003 ARCHIVE HOME presents...
DX LISTENING DIGEST AUGUST 2003 ARCHIVE
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-157, August 31, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser 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 later at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd3h.html For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn NEXT AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1197: RFPI: Mon 0030, 0630, 1230, Wed 0100, 0730, 1330 on 7445 [nominal times subject to delay or pre-emption] WBCQ: Mon 0415 on 7415 WWCR: Wed 0930 on 9475 WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO [also for CONTINENT OF MEDIA, MUNDO RADIAL]: Check http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1197h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1197h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1197.html [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1197.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1197.ram UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL May I be allowed to issue a 'reminder' that if you are having any difficulty with Wordpad or Notepad, regarding Glenn's DXLD (or any other Text Files for that matter), that the best thing to do, seems to be to Download to your 'Favourite' Word Processer (Even a DOS one!). This is because Glenn very thoughtfully provides his DXLD primarily in Text (=.txt) form, which makes a VERY healthy contribution to its 'Universality'. You can also easily download to a Floppy Disk if you prefer, just make sure that either the Box at the top of the Save As shows Floppy A:\ or you can also insert, where it comes up DXLDxxxx. e.g. a:\dxldxxx, this of course can be used for other Partitions, Drives and Folders as well (Ken Fletcher, 0950UTC=1050UTC+1 August 30th 2003, BDXC-UK) ** AFGHANISTAN. Looks like autumn, also on the bands. AM was highlighted by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka last week. QTH this time: Jalasjärvi, Western Finland. Rx: Racal RA-1792, Yaesu FRG-100. wires: 700 m 100 grad, 500 m 180 grad, 500 m 270 grad, 700 m 290 grad. 1107, often 1630-, R. Afghanistan, Kabul. New 400-kW unit seems to be in top condition, but how long. 1296, every evening 1700-, Azadi R, Kabul. VOA Afghan programming, Dari & Pashto. Funniest moment was when the lyrics of country & western song were translated into local language by the speaker. Great signal. BBC sign-on 1927 UT spoils a bit of the fun (Jari Lehtinen, Lahti, Finland, Aug 20, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** ANGUILLA. After a modest absence, Caribbean Beacon on 11755 with Dr. Gene Scott program at 2100 tune in. Signal as strong as ever (Dale Thomas, location unknown, Aug 30, hard-core-dx via DXLD) You mean 11775, also confirmed here Aug 31 at 1948, poor, but better than WWCR 13845; more than modest, about a month (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. BRAZIL? Olá amigos, Existe alguma estação brasileira na "X Band", ou programação retransmitida por alguma emissora do exterior? Escutei hoje, por volta das 2330 PY, emissão brasileira religiosa (pentecostais) em 1610 kHz. O nome do programa era "Encontro com Jesus". Fiquei intrigado, até gravei trechos da transmissão em MP3. A emissora também dispunha de anúncios: sobre material de contrução, "Eletrônica Miller", etc. Citado endereços "Rua Bélgica, 654, Jd. São Luiz", "Av. República Argentina" duas vezes, uma como "Bairro Morumbi 1" e "Jd. São Miguel", "Foz do Iguaçú". Telefones "525-1730, 3025- 5574". Tel do programa "525-0999". O máximo de sinal era 43333, com interferência da Rádio 9 de Julho. Fica a questão para a turma MW-DX, HI! 73! (Flávio Archangelo, Jundiaí -SP, Aug 30, radioescutas via DXLD) Archangelo, Esta emissora está em Puerto Iguazú, Argentina; transmite em espanhol e português. Você poderá ouvi-la também em 6215 kHz como Radio Baluarte. Em Onda média (1610 kHz) se identificava como Rádio Maranatha; não sei se mantém os dois nomes ainda. 73 (Samuel Cássio Martins, São Carlos SP, ibid.) ** AUSTRALIA. After some discussions with Roger Broadbent from RA, detailed HF freq information is now included on the RA web site. the schedules may be found at: http://www.abc.net.au/ra/hear/ 73 (Glenn, VK4DU, Aug 31, EDXP via DXLD) Like pulling eyeteeth --- I guess that`s progress, but you still have to pretend your are in some target country, such as Christmas Island, and get only the transmissions for your area, and in local time! Is it still too much to ask for a comprehensive transmission schedule on one page showing all broadcasts in all languages, in UT? USA (never mind Canada), in three versions, East Coast, West Coast, and Central, is found under EAST PACIFIC, where else? But yay, the Great Center finally gets recognized, tho times are in UT -6, currently observed nowhere in the Central zone! We`d like to take it as a fraternal condemnation of DST --- But nice anyway for the non- Arizonan Montagnards, who are thus inadvertently recognised (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. Hundreds of employees at Australia's national radio and TV broadcaster ABC stopped work in Sydney in protest at the suspension of a presenter who had written an article for a major newspaper. More than 300 staff downed tools to take a vote on whether to take further industrial action if the Religion Report's presenter Stephen Crittenden was not given his job back. Crittenden was suspended six weeks ago for "serious misconduct" after his article appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald. --- Read more? http://tinyurl.com/lrs3 http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/08/27/1061663852060.html (via Georges Lessard, CAJ-list, via Ricky Leong, DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. The Howard government's attack on the editorial independence of the ABC, as reported in Saturday's New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/30/international/asia/30AUST.html (Chuck Albertson, Seattle, WA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER TAKES ON BROADCASTING SERVICE http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/30/international/asia/30AUST.html?ex=10 62820800&en=e40c055a2de379fa&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE (via Jilly Dybka, DXLD) Same: AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER TAKES ON BROADCASTING SERVICE August 30, 2003 By JANE PERLEZ http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/30/international/asia/30AUST.html?ex=10 63263806&ei=1&en=866361855f2ffafc SYDNEY, Australia, Aug. 25 - The government of Prime Minister John Howard is in a battle with the publicly financed Australian Broadcasting Corporation, accusing it of "biased, and in particular anti-American" coverage of the war in Iraq. Australia sent combat troops to Iraq, and the conservative Mr. Howard's battle with the well-regarded broadcasting system has focused public attention on the importance he places on Australia's relationship with the United States. The Ministry of Communications released a bill of particulars against a popular morning current affairs radio program, AM, citing 68 examples of what it contended was biased coverage during the conflict in Iraq. Among the complaints were that the program gave too much attention to accidental killings of soldiers by their own troops and to civilian casualties and that it gave too little prominence to successes, including the "strategic achievements" of the Australian troops, the ministry said. The system, known to Australians as ABC or just Auntie, includes a radio network and a national television channel. It is patterned after the British Broadcasting Corporation, including a multi-tiered system to review complaints. ABC's ombudsman, Murray Green, looked into the accusations and issued a report that rebuffed the government. Mr. Green found that only 2 of the 68 citations had merit: one story about the tenor of the daily Pentagon briefings veered toward sarcasm, he said; another dealing with President Bush's decision not to watch the televised first night of the bombing of Baghdad was too speculative. Mr. Howard, like Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain, is now waging political wars at home against both the public broadcasting system and against those who contend that the government exaggerated the extent of Iraq's inventory of weapons. A parliamentary inquiry that opened in the capital, Canberra, last Friday somewhat mirrors the British inquiry into the intelligence dossier that the BBC charged had exaggerated the threat posed by Iraq to make a stronger case for war. But statements by an Australian intelligence analyst, Andrew Wilkie, that Mr. Howard's office overstated the threat from Iraq's weapons have failed to raise anything like the firestorm that similar accusations raised in Britain. Mr. Howard appears to be benefiting from the fact that Australians supported their soldiers in Iraq, even if they were not largely in favor of sending them. Also, unlike Mr. Blair, Mr. Howard brought almost all combat soldiers home once the war was over. In his report, Mr. Green said he compared the 68 news reports the government found objectionable with reports on the same subjects filed by the international wire services, major American news outlets and statements by the Bush administration. In some cases, the wording of the ABC radio reports was exactly the same as that of the wire services and the American reports. For example, the ministry complained that the ABC had said the war was likely to result in "hundreds of thousands" of refugees. Mr. Green pointed out that wire services carried the same prediction based on public statements by the International Committee of the Red Cross. Many of the complaints turned out to be what some commentators here belittled as nitpicking, but what others said established a pattern of bias. The Howard government was not deterred by Mr. Green's findings. It sent its accusations to a five-member independent complaints review panel of literary and public service luminaries, which is now considering the case. If the government does not get its way with the review panel, it is likely to take the matter to the governing board, where most of the members are appointees of the Howard government. To drive home its displeasure with the ABC, the government last month turned down a request for an increase in the budget for this year. Unlike the BBC, which raises revenue from individual home license fees as well as the government, the ABC is entirely dependent on the government. Unlike the Public Broadcasting System in the United States, the ABC has no provision for private sponsorship of programming. There has been much speculation in the Australian press about why the Howard government has persisted with the case. Mr. Howard has criticized the ABC many times since coming to office in 1996, but this is the first time his government has charged a program with being unfair toward the United States. Many commentators have concluded that Mr. Howard is unhappy because the ABC is no longer the custodian of conservative views that he remembers hearing on the radio when, as a youth, he was molding his own political outlook. In those days, the ABC radio news opened with a piece of heraldic music, "Imperial Fanfare." Cricket matches from Britain were faithfully relayed for days on end, and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth was broadcast live from Westminster Cathedral in 1952. The organization is highly esteemed by Australians, who ranked it in a survey last year as second only to charities as a cherished institution - well above big business, which supports the Howard government. "Howard is fighting a cultural war with the ABC," said Gregory Hywood, a columnist in The Sydney Morning Herald. "He thinks it is biased to the left and wants to move it to the center, and he is using funding and continual complaints of bias for leverage." Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company (via DXLD) ** BELGIUM. Hello Glenn, I've seen that you used my Dutch language message in DXLD. Here is a translation that is probably of better use. Seen in Radio Vlaanderen Int`l 'Onder Ons' leaflet. RTBF is transmitting again via Waver. They are using the a.o. old VRT/RVI transmitters. RTBF transmits only on one single frequency. They use 9970 kHz the whole day long. Transmitting on one single frequency is not really a habit in the short wave world but without switching they hope to save the obsolete parts. (end quote) It was not specified what 'the whole day long' means but their web page at http://www.rtbf.be/ri/ says that 9970 is on air between 0400 and 1900 UT. So it is again possible to hear a Belgian transmitter-site on short wave. 73, (Guido Schotmans, Belgium, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Tnx, Guido; but I thought RTBF had been using 9970 for quite some time now after a brief break (gh, DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 4780.96, Radio Tacana, Tumupasa, 0230 - 0250, Aug 27, Spanish, Musical program, man announcer, tc, ID "4780 megahertz, banda de 60 metros, ésta es Radio Tacana", Very weak signal, better in LSB. 6054.46, Radio Juan XXIII, San Ignacio de Velazco, 2129 - 2135, Aug 27, Spanish, female announcer, news program, IDs "gracias por estar junto a Radio Juan XXIII" "Radio Juan XXIII presenta...", 23332 (Nicolás Eramo, Argentina, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 5045, R. Guarujá, 30 Aug 2338-2353, A few soft ZY romantic pop ballads, but mostly talk by live M announcer who liked to play the "Guarujá Guarujá, Brasil" shouted by M jingle often!! Gave a TC at 2346. Played a soul song at 2349 with M announcer voice-over again giving many "Guarujá"s and many IDs. Although there was something on 3235, I couldn't //. This frequency so nice it was an easy copy!!! (Dave Valko, DXpedition somewhere in PA? -- see EUROPE, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) Could have been PR romantic pop ballads (gh) Prezados, Seguindo a sugestão de alguns colegas da lista, fiz uma visita hoje à Rádio Guarujá, aqui de Florianópolis, para questionar o motivo de não responderem aos IR's enviados. Fui muito bem recebido pelo sr. Carlos Alberto Silva, executivo de contas da emissora, que me disse que tem respondido a todas as correspondências que recebe. Mas que atualmente tem recebido apenas cartas do exterior, nenhuma do Brasil. O que pode estar ocorrendo, segundo ele, é que os IR's chegam para setores da emissora que não dão importância e não encaminham a ele. Conversamos por um bom tempo e ele me garantiu que a emissora tem muito interesse em receber os IR's, pois assim fica sabendo da qualidade do sinal e das transmissões. Me disse que costuma responder com adesivos e cartas confirmatórias. Me mostrou inclusive uma correspondência de um dxista de Hannover (!) para quem respondeu enviando uma edição do "Dicionário Ilhéu". Ganhei alguns adesivos e a sugestão de repassar à lista o nome e endereço do sr. Carlos, para quem devem ser encaminhados os IR's. Aqui vai: Rádio Guarujá AM Rua Nunes Machado, 94 - 10º andar Centro - Florianópolis - SC CEP 88010-460 A/C Carlos Alberto Silva Um forte abraço a todos (Marcelo Herondino Cardoso, Florianópolis - SC, radioescutas via DXLD) IR = reception report; v/s given Amigo Marcelo, Que excelente iniciativa foi a sua! São atitudes como esta que demonstram o verdadeiro espírito radio escuta. A tua informação será de enorme valia para todos do nosso hobby. Nunca perca este entusiasmo ! Parabéns ! Um abraço (Adalberto, PY4WTH, Barbacena, MG, ibid.) ** BRAZIL. Hello Glenn! Many DXers have had for the last weeks problems with a religious station on 6060 kHz. Here in Quito I´m hearing Radio Tupi, Curitiba on 6060.18v kHz in // with 11765.03 kHz. Some months ago I also heard Tupi, Curitiba on 9565 (don´t remember the exact freq.) in // with these 2 frequencies. Tupi has the program "A Voz da Libertação" and "Iglesia Dios es Amor". I checked the ID this morning on 6060.18v kHz at 1058 UT = "Radio Tupi". 73s de (Björn Malm, SWB América Latina, Quito, Ecuador, Aug 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. Radio Canção Nova prepares the Second International Promoting Day to Canção Nova Communication System on September 13th. - ' D Day '. It will be one special day where TV, Radio and Internet will be live, all day long chatting, transmitting through TV and Radio commentaries from every part of Brazil and world about the initiatives to promote this communication system. If you want to receive our QSL confirmation, you can send us a recording to: Radio Canção Nova P.O. Box 57 Cachoeira Paulista SP, Brazil 12630-000 Or MP3 recording to: alemfronteiras@cancaonova.com Live contact during the day; just type: http://www.cancaonova.com/chat and chose Radio AM room radio reports to: alemfronteiras@cancaonova.com See you there. We confirm radio reports on the air and 100% QSL back. Program: Além Fronteiras (Beyound Boundaries) Every Saturdays: 22:00 to 23:00 (GMT) AM 1020 khz- SW 49m 6105 kHz -SW 60m 4825 kHz - SW 31m 9675 kHz - (Eduardo de Moura, RCN, dxing.info via DXLD) Beware: religious station (gh) ** CANADA [and non]. Loveline --- REUTERS OTTAWA --- A Vancouver radio station was reprimanded yesterday for running an episode of a U.S. show whose host mocked the Holocaust by saying "Burn those Jews. Gas 'em in the shower, baby." The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council said the broadcast by Mojo Radio last December had "exceeded any reasonable level of propriety" and ordered the station to make a public apology. The episode of Loveline featured a call from a telephone sex operator who wanted advice on how to make her clients stay on the phone longer. Adam Carolla, one of the show's hosts, suggested she use words like "Holocaust," "Vietnam" and "cancer" to dampen her clients' ardour. The sex operator then speculated she might tell a client, "Well I'm wearing a nice black garter. Mmm, just thinking about the Holocaust right now." Carolla laughed in response and said: "Yeah, yeah, burn those Jews. Gas 'em in the shower, baby. Yeah, yeah ... send 'em on the train to Krakow." The standards council said it understood the "intended humour" in the concept of advising a telephone sex operator to use words like "Holocaust" to prolong conversations with clients. "When, however, the hosts progressed to the level of `Yeah, yeah, burn those Jews. Gas 'em in the shower, baby,' and so on, even in aid of their sarcastic view of the ignorant `telephone actress,' they exceeded any reasonable level of propriety," it said in its judgment. "The laughter of the hosts directed at the notion of the concentration camp trains and lethal `showers,' which combined to exterminate 6 million persons, accentuated the inappropriateness." In its defence, the radio station said the use of the word "Holocaust" had been designed to make fun of the caller (Via Harry van Vugt, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RADIO BROADCAST RULED IMPROPER [same story] http://tinyurl.com/lnwk (Toronto Star Aug 28 via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** CANADA. SOFT LANDING --- VANCOUVER (CP) - Less than four months after being fired, popular open-line radio host Rafe Mair has landed a new gig. The irascible Mair, the bane of B.C. and federal politicians, was dismissed from Vancouver station CKNW after 19 years, apparently after his producer complained about the way he treated her. On Tuesday, Mair will launch a public affairs-oriented show on competitor 600 AM - CKBD - in his old morning time slot. Mair's first guest is scheduled to be B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell. Mair, 71, was a cabinet minister in the Social Credit government of Bill Bennett before becoming an open-line host. He was fired from top-rated CKNW in early June in what was called an internal matter that did not reflect on the quality of Mair's show. Fill-in host Peter Warren took Mair's 8:30 a.m.-11 a.m. slot until recently, when Bill Good, whose show had followed Mair's, was moved to the earlier slot. In an interview at the time, Mair suggested his firing was due to a clash of styles with Corus Entertainment, which took over CKNW a few years ago. His show had also been carried outside British Columbia on Corus's radio network. He said a rift with his on-air producer acted as a catalyst. She had allegedly complained Mair forced her to have coffee with him, to get his coffee and carry a bag of shoes down some stairs. Mair denied forcing her to have coffee or get his coffee but admitted telling her that she was acting like "a little girl with her knickers in a knot." Mair, who started in radio in 1984, became known for outspokenness on such issues as electoral reform and environmental threats to B.C. salmon stocks. He won a Michener Award for meritorious service to Canadian journalism in 1994 for his successful, year-long campaign to stop Alcan from completing a billion-dollar hydro-electric project in northern British Columbia because of its threat to salmon and the environment (via Harry van Vugt, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, DXLD) ** CHINA. BEIJING 2008 OLYMPIC BROADCASTING DEAL SIGNED | Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Beijing, 31 August: The organizers of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games signed a frame agreement for the establishment of the Beijing Olympic Broadcasting Co. Ltd (BOB) with the Olympic Broadcasting Services S.A. (OBS) here on Sunday [31 August]. The agreement, a crucial document for the successful broadcasting of the Olympic Games in Beijing, was signed by Hein Verbruggen, chairman of OBS and Liu Jingmin, executive vice president of the Beijing Organizing Committee (BOCOG). According to the frame agreement, the Beijing Olympic Broadcasting Co. Ltd will be jointly established by BOCOG and OBS. The new establishment will be in charge of producing the International Television and Radio Signals for the Olympic Games, building and operating the International Broadcasting Centre and necessary facilities and equipment at other venues. "The frame agreement establish a new era for the Beijing Olympics." said Verbruggen, also the chairman of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. "It will assure us to provide high quality services in broadcasting of Olympic Games. I hope the BOB will play a key hole in the highly regarded field of the Games with the cooperation of the OBS in the future," he said. IOC President Jacques Rogge, who arrived in Beijing on Sunday morning, BOCOG President Liu Qi and BOCOG Executive President Yuan Weimin were present at the ceremony. Source: Xinhua news agency, Beijing, in English 1206 gmt 31 Aug 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** CUBA. Back in July a bunch of us saw Cuban TV one afternoon on ch 5 and also color bars on ch 4. Jesús Pérez in Havana sent a letter with comments on those receptions. He writes: -------------------------------------------------------------------- What you watched on channel 5 that day at 5:59 pm was Telecubanacan from Santa Clara city in the center of the country. That transmitter on ch 5 is very strong. On that frequency of ch 5 they broadcast both Perlavisión from 4 to 5 pm and then TeleCubanacan from 5 to 6 pm and after that the transmitter starts running the Tele Rebelde national network with its central studios in Havana. Perlavisión is in Cienfuegos city but it also uses the Santa Clara city transmitter tower on ch 5 from 4 to 5 pm and also during the same period of time Perlavisión also uses the Matanzas city transmitter tower on ch 13. Then, after that at 5 pm TeleYumuri local station in Matanzas city starts its transmissions on their ch 13 frequency till 6 pm. ||| The color bars that you and other members of the club have been receiving on your TV sets on ch 4 was from the transmitter which is outside Havana City for "Canal Educativo", which is the only station here using color bars for long minutes. ||| Canal Educativo uses the frequencies of ch 4 and 12 for Havana city and Havana county. That station uses UHF frequencies for the rest of the country. Jeff, that's your answer re the color bars (Mike Bugaj, CT, Aug 27, WTFDA via DXLD) Thanks to Jesús for this information. However, I'm still a little confused. First of all, I've seen color bars from the direction of Cuba on channel 4 several times on weekday afternoons; but according to the Cubaweb site, the educational network comes on at noon. Second, I saw educational programs from the direction of Cuba on channel 4 at 1440 CT on April 30th (which would indicate that the educational channel is on at least some afternoons). Third, does the channel 5 in Santa Clara run a Phillips PM5544 TP all day, prior to s/on? (Danny Oglethorpe, Shreveport, LA, ibid.) ** DENMARK. ``Daemp Radioen`` -- see RADIO STAMPS below ** ECUADOR. 4815, R. El Buen Pastor, 30 Aug 1001-1029, Choral NA at tune-in, 1003 LA Pop and instrumental music with live M in Quechua giving opening ``Radio Alli Michic`` ID announcement with mention of "música del sur" and campesina. Then HC campo music with same live M host in Quechua. 1009 program segment with race car and rooster SFX and talk by M and W mixed with campo music. Mention of campesino and "Radio Michic" at 1006. 1014 brief canned Spanish announcement by M with mention of "frecuencia popular", followed by SFX of knocking on a door and rooster crowing repeatedly. 1015 canned Spanish simple ID by M as "En ?? R. El Buen Pastor, 4815 kilohertz onda corta". Another Quechua ID, more campo music and announcements by live M host. Good and still doing well by 1029 tune-out (Dave Valko, PA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** EUROPE. Went up to a new remote QTH for a micro-DXpedition. The site is a reclaimed surface mine, so laying out the Beverage was relatively easy. Used 300' laid across the tall grass at 180 degrees. Changed direction to 40 degrees for the Power 41 special NA transmission. PIRATE, 6245v, Power 41, 31 August 0156-0255, Noted a het here (6245.45) while I still had the antenna aimed at South America. Quickly redirected it to 40 degrees and found the signal had drifted up to 6245.76 when I returned at 0159. 0200:50 sign-on with "Axel F Theme" by Harold Faltermeyer, 0203 opening announcements by M announcer. 0204-0207 "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor. 0207 clear IDs by M over music; "This is Power 41, low power..." and mention of US. 0210 more IDs. During another announcement from 0213 to 0217, caught this "...once again... 17...9...5... number. Power 41. We're broadcasting..." Another song, then another announcement at 0220-0222 with M giving phonetics (address??). 0232-0235 "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes. 0235 IDs, mention of meterband, e-mail. 0237-0241 "Africa" by Toto. Then continued with more ID, song announcements and unrecognizable songs. At 0253, announcement again with mention of "write to us", 1 IRC, address, and ID. Weak with horrible ute QRM right on top from 0200 to 0230, and also a lot of QRN. The signal did weaken slightly towards 0300. In clear conditions, free of the QRM and QRN, I think this could've been copied 90% despite weak signal (Dave Valko, DXpedition somewhere in PA?, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** GERMANY [and non]. The Berlin-based home shopping station Kaufradio announces that it is testing DRM on 1485; see the enclosed press release. This is or at least used to be a single frequency network of three transmitters at Berlin-Frohnau, the Schäferberg site (Berlin- Wannsee) and at Rüdersdorf. I guess Kaufradio is put on 1485 permanently for the duration of the IFA fair; however, no such explicit statement is made in the press release. Kaufradio is otherwise carried on the 1.5 GHz DAB bouqet covering Berlin and the surrounding region. This bouqet is at present promoted by carrying the individual programs one after another in a rota system on 104.1, an FM frequency otherwise reserved for special event stations. Two years ago a special IFA program was carried on 104.1; this year the 97.2 frequency will be used for this purpose, not to speak about DAB: The IFA-Radio program is sponsored by the DAB marketing initiative. Re. 693: Recent observations indicate that the audio (reported as either Deutschlandradio Berlin or pop music nonstop) is in the clear, but apparently there are two additional, indeed encrypted data streams (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Aug 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: FUNKAUSSTELLUNG: KAUFRADIO TESTET DIGITALE MITTELWELLE Berlin (ots) - Der neue Shopping-Radiosender Kaufradio testet seit heute die Verbreitung über die digitale Mittelwelle (DRM). DRM steht für Digital Radio Mondiale und ist ein Verfahren, das es erlaubt, in den derzeitigen AM-Bereichen (Kurz-, Mittel- und Langwelle) digital zu senden. Die dabei erreichte Klangqualität ist um einiges besser als die des bisherigen Mittelwellen-Radios und wird allgemein als UKW-ähnlich bezeichnet. Ausgestrahlt wird das deutschlandweit neue Verbraucher- und Serviceradio in Berlin über Mittelwelle 1485 kHz. "Wir sind stolz, als einer der wenigen privaten Sender neben den großen Stationen wie DeutschlandRadio und Deutsche Welle, die neue Technologie testen zu können", sagt Kaufradio-Geschäftsführer Oliver Dunk. Mit DRM sei weltweit ein Sendeverfahren verabschiedet worden, das die Kurz-, Mittel- und Langwelle wieder attraktiver mache. Daher ist Dunk überzeugt, dass es bald eine Renaissance der Mittelwelle geben wird: "Bald haben wir Empfänger, die DAB-(Digital Radio) und DRM-Empfang ermöglichen. Das Radio wird digital." Im Jahr 2005 wird es DRM-fähige Geräte zu günstigen Konditionen im Handel geben. Das prophezeit der kaufradio-Chef. Der Shoppingsender plant perspektivisch sein Programm neben DAB auch über die digitale Mittelwelle zu verbreiten. Kaufradio ist der erste Hörfunkshoppingsender in Deutschland. Er wird seit dem 20. August 2003 in Berlin im Digital Radio (DAB) und zeitweise auf UKW 104,1 gesendet. ots Originaltext: Kaufradio Digitale Pressemappe: http://presseportal.de/story.htx?firmaid=52376 Für Rückfragen, Interviewwünsche und Fotos: kaufradio - der neue digitale sender c/o PART OF SUCCESS, Sebastian C. Strenger, Kleine Hamburger Straße 16, 10 117 Berlin Tel.: +49 (0)30 - 28 44 55 55 Fax: +49 (0)30 - 28 44 55 44 Mail: strenger@part-of-success.de http://www.kaufradio.de (via Kai Ludwig, DXLD) I'd be interested to know if any UK listeners have noticed QRM in recent evenings on 693 kHz, where a transmitter in Berlin is currently testing DRM in readiness for the IFA exhibition. Yesterday evening the BBC 5 Live signal in Naarden, about 20 km SE of Amsterdam, was almost wiped out in the late evening by what I presume was a DRM test. Fortunately I do not depend on 693 as I can get the station FTA [?] on satellite, but I'm curious to know how far the DRM signal is getting, and if it noticeably degrades the BBC signal in the UK. I know there will be some wry smiles amongst some of you :-) (Andy Sennitt, Holland, Radio Netherlands, MWC NL Aug 27) Last night I noticed severe digital interference on BBC R5 on 693 kHz around midnight. It sounded like strong jamming in the background. Apparently this was some sort of DRM test from the Funkaustellung exhibition in Germany. Here in the Reading area the signal strength on 693 and 909 kHz is much the same, but I always prefer to listen on 693 kHz because Droitwich has far better audio (6 kHz bandwith) compared to muffled 909 kHz from Brookmans Park (4.5 kHz bandwidth). Would be interested to know if anyone else in the 693 kHz coverage area is having problems with this DRM noise at night. Hopefully it will stop by 3rd September when the Funkaustellung ends. I would encourage anyone hearing it to complain to reception@bbc.co.uk --- hopefully they if they get enough reports they will be able to protest to the German authorities about it. The level of interference here last night was totally unacceptable (Dave Kenny, UK, BDXC-UK Aug 30) Re: DRM interference on BBC R5 last night. The 692/693 kHz channel used once by GDR stations at Wachenbrunn and later in new ITU plan from 1978 at Berlin Uhlenhorst, both with 250 kW of power. In Continental Europe both GDR transmissions suffered always also from the British co-channel signals, in past 44 (f o r t y four) years. After the collapse of the GDR regime, 693 kHz usage by Germany ceased approximately eight years ago. So the BBC listeners in Western Europe profit by the silenced German transmitter at Berlin (ex-Uhlenhorst), now located at Zehlendorf north of Berlin since that date. 693 kHz at Zehlendorf was used by [now bankrupt] MEGARadio for a short period of few months only during 2002 (wb Aug 30) When the GDR was on 692/693 it was not really audible in the UK under the BBC stations; maybe they used a directional transmitter then? The interference only seemed to start when Mega Radio launched. However this DRM noise is much worse than Mega Radio; it`s just like having jammer on the frequency continuously. I live within the coverage area of BBCR5 on 693 and my reception is being totally ruined by the DRM noise! If DRM becomes widespread I really fear, having heard 693 kHz, that it`s going to wreck MW and SW DXing. Very bad news (Dave Kenny, UK, BDXC-UK Aug 30) The dreaded DRM noise from Germany is audible again tonight (Saturday) on 693 kHz. I noticed it from tune-in at 10.50 pm. Once more it is totally ruining reception of BBC R5 here in Reading - it sounds just like having an old fashioned jammer in the background. I've emailed BBC Reception Advice to report the problem and would encourage others to - their address is reception@bbc.co.uk (Dave Kenny, UK, BDXC-UK Aug 30) 693 kHz - I hear RAI2 Milano Italy only here in Stuttgart, this morning and on daytime. Will check channel tonight towards U.K. and Berlin (wb, Aug 31) (all via Wolfgang Büschel, DXLD) De IFA Exhibition in Berlin loopt tot 3 september en heeft voor de aardigheid op 693 khz een DRM station in de lucht gebracht dat 's- avonds de BBC in Engeland moeilijk hoorbaar maakt (Max van Arnhem, Aug 30, BDXC via DXLD) More under DRM below ** GERMANY. Another page with pictures of transmitter sites in eastern Germany: http://home.snafu.de/macs/radio/sender.htm To pick out the AM's: http://home.snafu.de/macs/radio/britz.htm Berlin-Britz. First and seventh picture: Cross dipole for vertical incidence radiation, in the past used for 990 during nighttime. http://home.snafu.de/macs/radio/stallp.htm Berlin Stallupöner Allee. http://home.snafu.de/macs/radio/orburg.htm Zehlendorf. First picture: Main mast and the three masts of the trideco antenna in one shot. http://home.snafu.de/macs/radio/leipzig.htm Wiederau near Leipzig. First and second picture: Carrier of UHF antennas to the left, mast to the right TV/FM carrier and also self-radiating antenna for mediumwave. Pictures # 8, 9 and 10: Trideco antenna now used for 783 with noticeably poorer performance than the pipe mast (ground-/skywave congestion). Picture # 11: 51 metres tall mediumwave mast, a standard design found on most mediumwave sites in the former GDR for powers up to 20 kW. # 12: Former trideco antenna with the actual antenna wires obviously pulled down (Kai Ludwig, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HONDURAS. 3340, R. Misiones Internacional [sic] (presumed), 31 Aug 0046-0147, Alternating spiritual religious talk by W in Spanish and M in English(!!), similar format to KJES!!! Ended at 0101. Then, canned deep-voiced M over music, sometimes accompanied by W announcer until 0105. 0105-0147 nonstop soft romantic or religious songs. Finally same live W in Spanish again at 0147 with mentions of Palabra. No IDs heard. Fairly good signal but the QRN was too high. Have been hearing this regularly lately but just can't ID (Dave Valko, Dxpedition somewhere in PA? -- see EUROPE, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) 3340, Radio Misiones, 0115-0145 with "Radio Misiones" ID by OM, religious music but no ments de Honduras. Per Malm logs (Bob Wilkner, FL, Aug 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. 3516.7 (RSPK-Ngada) Aug 24 1341-1400* 24231-23231 Indonesian?, Music and talk by woman, 1359 announce by woman. 1400 s/off (Kouji Hashimoto, Yamanashi, JAPAN, Japan Premium via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS. Subject: World Mission Radio Dear Friends: Is there someone in your ministry who was connected with World Mission Radio which broadcast via Radio Caroline about 1988? Thank you (Bill Harms, USA, Aug 16 to Stg. Johan Maasbach Wereldzending via DXLD) Dear Bill, Please, let me know why you want this information. David Maasbach, Stg. Johan Maasbach Wereldzending/ Johan Maasbach World Mission Foundation Apeldoornselaan 2, 2573 LM Den Haag, HOLLAND tel. +31-(0)70-3635929 fax +31-(0)70-3107111 http://www.jmwz.com e-mail: information@jmwz.com Global Prayer Network: http://www.gpnetwork.com Hello David: When I lived in Germany in the late 1980's I heard a radio station that I believe was World Mission Radio, and I received a QSL card from the station. Unfortunately, the information on the card did not indicate the name of the station. You can see a copy of the card at http://home.comcast.net/~billqsl/w_mission_radio.html and http://home.comcast.net/~billqsl/WMR_via_R_Caroline-f.jpg I see that you have the same address and phone number as what is on the card. So it looks like there is a connection. I would like very much receiving an official confirmation that this card actually came from your office because the name of your mission does not appear on the card. Thank you. (Bill Harms) Dear Bill, I am sorry that I cannot confirm your question! The police force from England, France & Holland have taken Radio Caroline on WMR out of the air in the late 80. It is many years ago that this happen and that is what I remmember (David Maasbach, Stg. Johan Maasbach Wereldzending / Johan Maasbach World Mission Foundation, Aug 29 to Harms via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [and non]. NEW HURRICANE LIST IS UP - SEEKING ADDITIONS/CORRECTIONS --- Utility World (Hugh Stegman) The Utility World Hurricane Frequency List has been revised for 2003. There are a lot of minor changes. The list is taken seriously, and additions/corrections are always sought. More than one emergency manager has used this list or its several variations, so accuracy is essential. I would advise that people replace older copies, to eliminate some very old misinformation that still propagates around the net, such as Miami Monitor still being on HF. (Hasn't been in many years.) As always, the list lives at http://www.ominous-valve.com/hurricne.txt [correct!] (Hugh Stegman, WUN, Aug 29 via F. W. Ripken, BDXC via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. As of September 1, the 1700 UT broadcast will be extended to 15 minutes. (1700-1715 instead of 1700-1705). That's 1-1:15 PM Eastern [daylight time]. http://bet.iba.org.il/?lang=23 Israel radio announcement Israel radio announced Sunday that from Monday, September 1, the English news will be broadcast from 8 to 8:15 p.m. [Israel Time] 31.08.2003 14:11 (Doni Rosenzweig, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH. 6072.34, R. Pyongyang, A het long before 1100 30 Aug, then 1101 M announcer briefly followed by the R. Pyongyang IS. Fairly strong but weak modulation and QRM from 6070 (Dave Valko, PA, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. NORTH KOREA WANTS SOUTH KOREA TO DROP RADIO PROGRAM THAT IT VIEWS AS SUBVERSIVE. . . http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/ap08-28-225546.asp?reg=PACRIM (AP via Jilly Dybka, DXLD) Viz.: RADIO LIBERTY KEEPS ON AFTER SALVATION CLOSURE By SOO-JEONG LEE, Associated Press Writer SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- Every day, a South Korean public radio program broadcasts news, hit pop songs, talk shows and lectures over its northern border -- material that North Korea says it can't tolerate any longer. KBS's Radio Liberty program was created in 1948 to provide Koreans living in Russia, China, and North Korea with news of Korea. It used to contain condemnations of North Korea. Now it features interviews with North Korean defectors describing their new lives in South Korea, and provides information such as the number of computers in the two Koreas. Many South Koreans are unaware of the program. But for decades, North Korea has considered it a propaganda tool aimed at destabilizing the isolated communist state. Last month, North Korea halted its own three-decade-old anti-South propaganda radio, the Voice of National Salvation, and demanded that South Korea reciprocate by nixing the KBS program. KBS said it would not comply. "Since our program is one of the few means of providing truth to North Koreans, we have no intentions of halting our programs," Yoo Woon-sang, chief producer at KBS's radio overseas service department, said this week. "North Korea's hidden intentions seem to be to prevent outside information from coming into its country," said Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea expert in Seoul. The pressure to end the South Korean broadcasts came as North Korea held talks this week with the United States, South Korea, China, Russia and Japan to discuss its nuclear program. A U.S. government official said the North threatened to carry out a nuclear test. North Korea tolerates no independent news media and no public Internet access. Control of information buttresses Pyongyang's totalitarian rule over its 22 million people. In past weeks, North Korea has accused Washington of waging "psychological warfare" by sending transistor radios into its territory and boosting airtime of the Washington-based Radio Free Asia and the Voice of America. In North Korea, tuning into private radio broadcasts is banned. North Koreans in possession of private radios must report to authorities, who mechanically alter them to catch only local stations. Those caught listening to outside radio broadcasts can be sent to prison, according to North Korean defectors. Nonetheless, the number of North Koreans listening to outside broadcasts is rising with the help of radios smuggled from China, they say. People also remove the frequency jammers [sic] on their state- issued radios. "For many North Koreans, South Korean broadcasts make more sense than the local ones, and by listening to them, they spot inconsistencies in their regime," said Lee Joo-il, a 38-year-old defector who arrived in Seoul in 2000. For decades, the two Koreas waged fierce propaganda battles. The sides used balloons to scatter leaflets on each other's territories. Loudspeakers traded slander across the 2.5-mile-wide Demilitarized Zone separating the two countries. Radio stations infiltrated each other's populaces with political programs. They featured interviews of defectors, who typically described the countries they left behind as "hell" and how they were enjoying a new life in a "paradise." In both Koreas, it was illegal to listen to those broadcasts. Following a historic 2000 inter-Korean summit, such propaganda subsided. In July, the two sides even agreed to consider ending "slanderous broadcasts." North Korea's state-run media, which can be monitored in South Korea, still issues saber-rattling remarks against the United States and is full of praises of its leader Kim Jong Il, although its anti-South Korean slander has dwindled with progress in reconciliation (AP via Mike Cooper, Aug 29, DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH. Hi Glenn, The new station is called Arirang FM (as it is run by Arirang TV), but the Web site at http://www.arirang.co.kr/english/index.asp does not mention what the frequency is :-( 73, (Andy Sennitt, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEW ZEALAND. Here is a broadcast you do not seem to have in your listings. It is the official broadcast (Monthly) of the New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters http://www.nzart.org.nz/nzart/Update/Broadcast/ (Chris Wright, New Zealand, Aug 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: The NZART Official broadcast is made on the last Sunday of each month, except December when it is made on the Sunday before Christmas. The broadcast is made on 3900 kHz, and on the National System and local VHF repeaters. The broadcast is made at 2000 hours NZT, with a repeat at 2100 hours NZT. [Sun 0800 and 0900 UT currently; 0700 and 0800 during DST] Members and Branches are welcome to submit material to ZL2BHF, c/o NZART Headquarters, P O Box 40-525, Upper Hutt, for inclusion in the Broadcast. There is also a special Official Conference Broadcast made on the Sunday of the New Zealand observance of Queens Birthday weekend at 2000 hours NZT. The next Official Broadcast will be on Sunday the 31st of August 2003. Recent Official broadcasts are available here in MP3 format. Contact Jim Meachen if you have any comments: July 2003 OB in MP3 format 2.8Mbytes June 2003 OB in MP3 format 3.1Mbytes Conference 2003 OB in MP3 format 2.2Mbytes (via Chris Wright, DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. Radio New Zealand Int`l was not audible here Friday night (0630 8/30), and the RNZI Web site confirms that their SW transmitter is off the air due to a technical fault. Might be back on 0800 Sunday, 8/31 (Chuck Albertson, Seattle, WA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RNZI Has A Major Transmitter Fault. RNZI has been off air since at least yesterday [Aug 30th]. This message is on the website http://www.rnzi.com RNZI short-wave transmitter is off the air with a serious fault - we regret this interruption to our Pacific Service. We expect normal service to resume on Sunday at 0800 UT (Barry Aug 31) (later) ... I have just arrived at home from work at 1000 UT after recording yet another symphony concert, and I checked for RNZI on 9885 kHz. I heard nothing! (1008 UT, Barry Hartley, New Zealand, BC-DX Aug 31 via Wolfgang Büschel, DXLD) My morning check showed RNZ off air this a.m. at 0900. No het found so believe to be off air at this time (Bob Montgomery, swprograms via DXLD) FWIW, I couldn't hear them last night either, Bob. I monitored 17675 starting at around 2330 just to see when fade-in would commence. I was hearing them, but not well, around 0100-0200 or so (only an S3 signal with lots of noise). Sometime after that during the early part of the next hour, I lost them completely. To be honest, the signal had been so weak that it was hard to tell if the transmitter had gone off or the noise level on 16m just overwhelmed the signal. After reading your report, however, I now suspect it was the former. RNZI has had what I would call a higher than comfortable number of transmitter drop outs over the last few months (John Figliozzi, NY, Aug 30, swprograms via DXLD) Noted still off air last nite on 17675 and also this a.m. on 9885. Wondering if they have adopted new freq not listed yet. Can't seem to find them (Bob Montgomery, PA, Aug 31, ibid.) ** NIGERIA. VON used 17800 many years ago when they first got their high-powered transmitters. Also pays to check 9690, which seems to be in use periodically (Craig Seager, ARDXC via DXLD) Changed from 15120 to 17800 kHz on August 27/28th. Is an old VON frequency, also used by the station about 20 to 25 years ago. In 1983 used 7255 9690 11770 15120 and 17800 kHz. All these old units end rot in rust a decade ago. VON set up very new SW transmitter units few months ago on 15120 and 11770 kHz, and from July also on 9690 kHz. 73 (Wolfgang Bueschel, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** PAKISTAN: MORE THAN 30 PRIVATE RADIO, TV CHANNELS LICENSED | Text of report by Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency Islamabad, 29 August: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shaykh Rashid Ahmed on Friday [29 August] informed the National Assembly that PEMRA [Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority] has granted 26 licences to private Pakistani companies for FM radio stations and two TV channels for telecasting purely educational programmes while three satellite TV stations, ARY Digital, Indus Vision and AVT Prime, have been granted permission to operate from Pakistan. He was responding to a question of Mohammad Hanif Abbasi about the number of local radio and television channels functioning in private sector. The minister said two licences for FM radio stations located at Islamabad and Sialkot have been issued to the university for educational purposes only. Out of these, two radio stations have started test transmission. He said during the first phase, 26 licences including five in Karachi, three each in Islamabad/Rawalpindi and Lahore, one each in Peshawar, Multan, Vehari, Sukkur, Sarai Naurang, Gujrat, Sialkot, Abbottabad, Hub Chowki, Muridke, Changla Gali, Gwadar, Bahawalpur have been issued for FM radio broadcast. To another question about operating of more private radio and TV channels, Shaykh Rashid said PEMRA has finalized the process of granting licences for FM radio stations in cities other than those included in the first phase. He said the second phase would be completed within the next one and a half months. Details would be available after the process mandated by PEMRA Ordinance is completed, he added. To another question about any recruitment in PTV and Radio during the present regime, the minister said no recruitment has been made in the Pakistan Television Corporation and Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation and Shalimar Television Network during the present regime. However, PTV hires the services of resource persons on a consolidated payment basis in different areas of its operations to fill the professional gaps resulting from no recruitment for so many years. Source: Associated Press of Pakistan news agency, Islamabad, in English 1243 gmt 30 Aug 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) CYBER WING TO COUNTER PROPAGANDA, NA TOLD PEMRA grants 26 licences for FM Radio, 5 private TV channels PBC to resume Balochi bulletins from Islamabad soon ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has said that the Information Ministry has established a cyber wing which not only projects Pakistan's point of view and policies on its website but also takes measures to counter propaganda against Pakistan... http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_30-8-2003_pg7_27 (Daily Times via Jill Dybka, TN, DXLD) ** PERU. ACERCA DE RADIO VIRGEN DEL CARMEN, HUANCAVELICA El colega peruano Rubén Contreras Espinoza me cuenta que Radio Virgen del Carmen está operando desde Huancavelica por su frecuencia habitual de 4886 kHz pero en forma restringida. Ellos transmiten por la mañana desde las 1100 UT hasta las 1500 y, los fines de semana, desde las 1100 a 1400. Estos son los programas que irradia: 1100-1200 un programa de agricultura 1200-1230 La hora Cultural Educativa 1230-1300 La Universidad en el Aire, programa de la Universidad de Huancavelica. Actualmente la emisora está asociada a Radio Católica Mundial. La programación de la emisora es netamente religiosa (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, Aug 31, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** ROMANIA. Bonjour à tous, Radio Roumanie Internationale et Raymond Aupetit nous ont fait parvenir ceci: "JOURNEE DE L'AUDITEUR 2003 Chers amis, le dimanche 2 novembre, nous vous invitons à fêter ensemble LA JOURNEE DE L'AUDITEUR SUR RRI. V 1 - Nos amis du monde entier se sont certainement déjà habitués à célébrer aux côtés des journalistes de RRI la Journée de la Radio roumaine par un programme spécial, réalisé par la contribution directe de ceux qui, tout le reste de l'année, sont fidèles à nos ondes. V 2 - Cette année, notre Journée s'annonce spéciale, parce que le 1er novembre, la Radio roumaine fête ses 75 ans. V 1 - Alors, il serait gentil de faire un petit cadeau à cette vieille dame. V 2 - Elle ne veut pas de produits de jouvence, mais plutôt un cadeau symbolique qui porte votre signature! Nous vous invitons donc à nous communiquer votre opinion sur le rôle que la radio joue aujourd'hui dans "la société de l'information", aux côtés d'Internet, des offres multimédia, de la télévision transfrontalière, de l'immense nombre de périodiques à la portée de tous. V 1 - Selon vous, comment les radios publiques internationales peuvent-elles s'acquitter de la mission d'informer un auditoire extrêmement divers et dispersé, mais qui souhaite une information directement à la source sur tout ce qui doit marquer la destinée contemporaine de l'humanité? V 2 - Et nous, en tant que journalistes à RRI, que pouvons-nous faire à l'avenir pour mieux répondre à vos attentes? V 1 - Nous attendons avec intérêt vos pensées sur le sujet proposé, à l'adresse de RRI, 60 - 64 rue du Gl. Berthelot, BP 111, secteur 1, Bucarest, avant le 15 octobre prochain, date de la poste. Vous pouvez également nous écrire par fax, au n +40.21.223.26.13, ou par courriel: fran@rri.ro V 2 - Ceux qui souhaitent intervenir sur nos ondes avec leur voix dans nos programmes spéciaux consacrés à la Journée de l'Auditeur sont priés d'expédier leur contribution enregistrée sur cassette audio ou de nous faire connaître, dans un délai raisonnable, leur numéro de téléphone, ainsi que le jour et l'heure quand ils sont disponibles pour l'enregistrement. V 1 - Nous vous attendons tous, chers amis, à la "table ronde" du 2 novembre, sur le thème "Le rôle de la Radio publique dans la société de l'information", l'échange d'opinions organisé par RRI pour la Journée de l'Auditeur." En ce qui me concerne, quelques questions trouvent chez moi quelques résonnances (comme une antenne). Donc, une cassette audio sera enregistrée. Bonne Fête R.R.I. Daniel Wantz Union des Ecouteurs Français --- Radiodiffusions, utilitaires, radio- écouteurs, radioamateurs, techniques... Courriel: tsfinfo@magic.fr Web: http://www.radiocom.org U.E.F.: B.P.31, 92242 MALAKOFF Cedex, FRANCE (via Bill Westenhaver, QC, DXLD) V2 and V1 want to say?? ** SAUDI ARABIA [non]. Sounds like Al-Islah are still on shortwave; 15705 jammed, but a bit of weak talk heard in LSB. Can anyone confirm? (Hans Johnson, WY, Aug 30, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) No time Yes. S/off at 2000. Jammer still there alone at 2010. 73, (Mauno Ritola, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) CLANDESTINE (NORWAY TO SAUDI ARABIA). 15705, R. Al-Islah (presumed), 1800-2000*, sign-on with March-like songs. M announcer in language at 1806 but just too weak. Back to instrumental music at 1807. Came back at 1930 and noted a bit stronger with M announcer host and speech excerpts. M vocal singing at 1954. Men announcers then, but cut off in mid-sentence at 2000:33. Weak signal with quick QSB. Heavily jammed but still getting through with some audio (Dave Valko, Dunlo PA, 30 August, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** SOMALIA. Somalia Media Page --- Hello Mr. Glenn Hauser, Your media profile for Somalia was very well done. But there were some omissions of Puntland regional media. Puntland Newspapers Yamayska-- Galkacyo based private weekly newspaper. http://www.yamayska.com Puntland Post-- Bosaso based private newspaper. I'm not sure if it just internet based or printed as well in Puntland. http://www.puntlandpost.com Yool-- Bosaso based private newspaper. Sooyal-- Bosaso based private newspaper. War Ogaal-- Weekly Puntland based private newsaper. For reference for the last three newspapers see: http://www.freemedia.at/wpfr/Africa/somalia.htm ***** Sahan-- Private newspaper in Puntland Bossaso Bureau at: Tel # 6224 or 826111. Listed in a previous BBC Country profile: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/country_profiles/newsid_1072000/1072592.stm/ Cut and paste entire link to web browser. ***** Television/Radio Section Somali Broadcasting Corporation (SBC)--Private TV broadcaster based in Bosaso (Bari). Substation in Garowe(Nugal) and Qardo(Bari), all in Puntland. SBC Radio-- Private Puntland based FM Station. Both were shut down by the Puntland government in May 2002 but were reopened in May 2003. Here is the news link from the UN IRIN News report: http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=34022&SelectRegion=Horn_of_Africa&SelectCountry=SOMALIA Cut and paste entire link to web browser. ***** Radio Midnimo-- (Bosaso) based FM station. Reference: http://www.africaonline.com/site/Articles/1,3,43386.jsp Radio Galkacyo was included but the link wasn't. Please include: http://www.radiogalkayo.com ****** Puntland maps: http://www.radiogalkayo.com/banner/puntlandmap.php http://iquebec.ifrance.com/rolf1/info/nif/map008.gif Keep up the good work! Sincerely, (John Lewis, Aug 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Tnx, but my only `good work` in this case is re-publishing the work of Chris Greenway, BBC Monitoring, presumably what you refer to, and I wish people would cite issue numbers, back in DXLD 3-100. Please pay attention to the credit lines and do not try to attribute to me the work of others (gh) ** SOUTH AFRICA. MUSIC ``TORTURE'' CLAIMS HALT S AFRICAN TREASON TRIAL JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (Reuters) - The stop-start treason trial of 22 white South African right-wingers was again halted Monday, this time over defense claims that prison authorities were "torturing" their clients with loud popular music. Last week, 13 of the defendants, charged with seeking to overthrow South Africa's black-led government, complained loud "black" music piped over prison loudspeakers was driving them crazy. Judge Eben Jordaan postponed the trial Monday for one day to give defense counsel Piet Pistorius time to ready an application forcing prison management to stop playing Metro FM radio, which broadcasts a mixture of urban contemporary music. Pistorius said prison authorities had ignored Jordaan's earlier request to management to turn off the music. The group, dubbed the Boeremag or Afrikaner force, is charged with orchestrating a campaign of bomb attacks and the planned assassination of former President Nelson Mandela. Pistorius said the music was having a "drastic psychological effect" on his clients, not only hampering trial preparations but also infringing on their human rights, the South African Press Association reported. In a letter to prison management, the men complained that the music was being "forced upon them" 15 hours a day, "at horrendous noise levels," SAPA said. Pistorius also made further applications for a delay over accusations the prosecution had intercepted privileged defense information. Proceedings in South Africa's first post-apartheid treason trial were due to start in mid-May, but it has been bogged down by wrangling over procedural details that look likely to postpone the calling of the first witness for several weeks (REUTERS Aug 26 via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** SRI LANKA. THE FIRST FOOTPRINT ON THE BEACH WAS MINE After years of turmoil, Trincomalee in north-east Sri Lanka is opening up to tourism again. Go now and you'll have its beaches to yourself, says Jane Knight, Saturday August 30 2003 The Guardian http://observer.guardian.co.uk/travel/story/0,6903,1032493,00.html But did they mention the Deutsche Welle? Of course not! 73- (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** TAIWAN. RTI Global Exchange Mailbag Time bridges the gap between you and CBS. Each week we carefully select letters from our friends worldwide, read them on the air, play song requests and answer questions. RTI Global Exchange Every month, we pose a new question to listeners as part of our Global Exchange segment. If we choose your letter to read on the air, you will receive a souvenir and your answer may be shared in Taipeiwave. September What is the most unforgettable thing someone has ever said to you? Send entries to natalie@cbs.org.tw or to PO Box 24-38/ Taipei, Taiwan (RTI website via Swopan Chakroborty, Kolkata, India, DXLD) ** TIBET. CHINA (Tibet). 9490, China Tibet People's Broadcast Co. (presumed) 1104-1114 Aug 31. Talk by YL in English, until music at 1112 with voice-overs by OM and YL. At 1114 the program changed to Chinese. SINPO 23332 (George Maroti, NY, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** TIBET [non]. V. of Tibet today Aug 31, 1215-1300 UT heard on 15660 kHz, but couldn't trace any second channel of the broadcaster; 21560 was empty. Lousy conditions, maybe VOT moved back from 21 MHz band to 15 MHz (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UGANDA. UGANDA REOPENS CHURCH-OWNED RADIO STATION Last Update: Sunday, August 31, 2003. 6:01am (AEST) http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s935574.htm The Ugandan Government says it has unconditionally reopened a church-owned radio station it shut down in the north-east of the country last June after accusing it of abetting a rebellion in the region. "We reopened Radio Veritas on Saturday and asked the management to take up their obligation of informing the public," Information Minister Nsaba Butulo said, who later used the same Roman Catholic radio station to address the public in the Teso region. "We have, however, emphasised to them and they accepted that this should not be done at the expense of security and the security of our forces," Mr Butulo said. The head of the radio, Roman Catholic Father Ethanasius Mubiru, confirmed the announcement, saying Butulo and other government officials went to the station on Saturday morning and announced it was being reopened on the orders President Yoweri Museveni. "We immediately returned on air and we have been broadcasting since 10:00 am on Saturday," Mr Mubiru said. Ugandan police stormed the studios of Radio Kyoga Veritas FM on June 22 and stopped broadcasts, after accusing it of airing news about rebel incursions, instilling fear and abetting subversion. One of the programs featured interviews with people who had been abducted and released by Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels. "We asked them whether they were mistreated while in captivity, and they said no, interviews government officials said was promoting rebels," Mr Mubiru said after the radio was ordered closed. The radio, owned by Soroti Catholic Diocese's Integrated Development Organisation (SOCADIDO), features development and pastoral programs and had reported on the spate of attacks by the LRA in the north-east districts of Katakwi, Kaberamaido and Soroti. In one of the attacks in the region, the LRA raided a girls school where they kidnapped more than 100 schoolgirls, over a dozen of whom are still missing and believed to be in rebel hands. The LRA rose up against the Ugandan Government in 1988, ostensibly to replace it with a regime based on the biblical Ten Commandments, but it is infamous for the cruelty of its campaign, marked by abductions and brutal killings of civilians. The rebel campaign has displaced more than 800,000 people in the north and north-east Uganda, forcing them to live in squalid camps dotting the entire region. -- AFP (via Mike Terry, DXLD) FM, WTFK? Not SW ** UKRAINE. Glenn, Following is from Alexander Egorov of RUI. "No one frequency is absolutely available to North America from Europe on 9 or 7 MHz for time period 2300-0400. For B03 schedule I plan use 5905 kHz." 73, (Kraig Krist, VA, Aug 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. WELCOME TO THE FESTIVAL OF BBC BAITING Rod Liddle, Wednesday August 27, 2003, The Guardian Lordy, but you have to feel sorry for the inhabitants of Edinburgh. Having scarcely ridded themselves of a prolonged infestation of hilariously wacky Irish comedians, last weekend the skies above Holyrood Castle suddenly opened and a vast sack of London media monkeys and moppets was deposited upon the city, thousands of them, jabbering endlessly, hugging and petting each other and, late at night, behind the George Hotel, in George Street, having swallowed 12 spritzers apiece, vomiting copiously into their free Sky TV canvas goody bags. "When I hear the words culture supplement, I reach for my revolver," the locals muttered darkly to themselves as they watched Tamsin and Sara and Charlotte and Ben empty the ATMs and climb, still jabbering, into reluctant taxis to travel the 85 yards from their hotels to the conference centre for the morning's keynote session: "TV - is it vacuous shite, or what?" at the Edinburgh international television festival. . . http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4741049-103680,00.html (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U K. BBC TO LAUNCH ON-LINE ARCHIVE OF SHOWS By DAVID AKIN, Friday, Aug 29, 2003 The British Broadcasting Corp. plans to make much of its vast television and radio library, including portions of shows such as Dr. Who and Monty Python's Flying Circus, available for free on the Internet. It's an initiative that the BBC hopes will encourage other public broadcasters to do the same. The CBC, Canada's public broadcaster, already has a section on its Web site that contains clips from historically significant radio and television broadcasts... http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPPrint/LAC/20030829/BBC29/TPEntertainment/ (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) Thought you'd like to see this explainer on how the BBC could digitize and post its archives online. 73- Bill Westenhaver TAPED AT THE BBC --- CAN THE BEEB PUT ITS ENTIRE ARCHIVE ON THE WEB? webhead By Paul Boutin Posted Tuesday, August 26, 2003, at 4:24 PM PT For those of us still debating whether to shell out the 40-odd bucks for Fawlty Towers: The Complete Collection on DVD, BBC Director- General Greg Dyke may have settled the matter this weekend. At the end of his speech to an annual TV industry conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, Dyke announced that the Beeb plans to put its enormous TV and radio archives online and to allow anyone to download them --- free --- for non-commercial use. "Under a simple licensing system, we will allow users to adapt BBC content for their own use," Dyke said. "We are calling this the BBC Creative Archive." Giving away the BBC's content online is an eye-popping proposal, in part because it's such an ambitious project. The BBC produces eight TV channels and 10 radio networks, and it broadcasts the news in 43 languages worldwide. It's been doing television since 1936, and radio since 1922. How much of the Beeb's voluminous output could it really put online? Dyke and the BBC press office have refused to give out further details, but Beeb staffers had already discussed the project with two of the Net's leading big brains, Stanford law professor Lawrence Lessig and Internet Archive founder Brewster Kahle. Lessig chairs the Creative Commons project, which has drafted a set of free license agreements for people who want to give away their writing, art, or other works online without having their intellectual property claimed and resold by someone else. In both technical and legal terms, Kahle and Lessig agree: It would be easy for the BBC to put its future programming online, but tougher to pull old tapes from the vault. Kahle's napkin math on the project goes like this: DVD-quality video requires 3 megabits to 5 megabits of data per second. Over a year, that works out to about 10,000 gigabytes of disk space to store the ouput of one BBC channel, not including reruns and off-air time. That sounds like a lot --- 10 terabytes --- but it's not uncommon for a single array of disks in a corporate server room to hold hundreds of terabytes at the ready for instant access. Kahle's estimate, based on his 9/11 Television Archive project, is that a rack of low-cost Linux machines could store and serve one channel-year of television, plus a backup copy, on less than $50,000 worth of disks at today's prices. By the time the BBC gets rolling, you might as well cut that number in half: Disk prices have been falling even faster than CPU speeds are rising, halving every nine months by some estimates. If that rate continues, in three years, a year's worth of BBC One would fit on less than $4,000 of disk space. Serving those bits to Web surfers worldwide could be done by expanding the Beeb's existing deal with Akamai, which operates a global network of high-speed Web servers. (MSNBC, which served 85 million video clips during the Iraq war, is another Akamai customer.) With today's production software, digitizing the Beeb's shows to disk as they air or uploading a copy of each segment separately as it's produced would be easy. But what about the old shows? They can be digitized en masse from tape at an in-house cost of about $15 per hour of material, Kahle estimates. That adds up to around $100,000 per channel per archived year, which suggests it may be better to cherry- pick the best of the Beeb rather than try to upload the whole thing. The real roadblock to putting the old shows online isn't technical. It's legal. The Creative Archive's license could allow unlimited viewing, editing, and reuse of the digitized BBC programs, which are funded by an annual TV fee (don't call it a tax unless you're ready for a pub brawl) on UK viewers. The archive's license would contain specific language to prohibit resale or any use the Beeb sees as an attempt to cash in on Britain's public property. Here's one of the many thorny questions the project will raise: If Google crawls and indexes the whole thing, does that count? Whatever the new license's terms, though, it can't just be applied retroactively to existing material. As record companies and book publishers have already learned, the technical work of digitizing and distributing old works is far easier than resolving legal agreements that were crafted in the analog era. Until BBC lawyers go through the exhaustive work of clearing the rights to redistribute the old shows online, we won't know if the Creative Archive will include John Cleese classics or just old News 24 clips. Paul Boutin is a Silicon Valley writer who spent 15 years as a software engineer and manager (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** U K. The BBC's Annual Report has just been published and it seems they should spend more on UK radio!! SATURDAY 30th August 2003 TV BBC One - £859m BBC Two - £367m Radio Radio 1 - £17m Radio 2 - £21m Radio 3 - £30m Radio 4 - £65m Radio 5 - £54m BBCi on the internet - £72m On-air trails & Navigation - £26m http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/report2003/ With regard to the World Service (funded differently): "This division runs 43 language services financed directly by the UK Government, BBC Monitoring and the commercial television channel BBC World. The full BBC World Service & Global News review is in PDF format. Key points include: BBC World Service celebrated its 70th anniversary, and surveys showed it to be the most trusted and objective international broadcaster providing the greatest breadth and depth. Coverage of the war in Iraq war was provided by its biggest ever operation. BBC World Service played a pivotal role providing independent information to the Arab world. Audiences to short wave are falling and those to FM rebroadcasts and the internet service have risen." (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U K. M GIBLIN sends in a local press cutting about the BBC station in Ottringham, Humberside: "In 1943 Ottringham was home to the world`s most powerful radio transmitter carrying BBC Overseas and Home Services, including the wartime speeches of Winston Churchill. The Ottringham station was built mainly to transmit BBC radio broadcasts overseas, and transmitted across the whole of occupied Europe. It proved almost impossible for the German occupiers to jam, and may even have been used to transmit secret coded messages to resistance fighters. The station was heavily guarded and well camouflaged and did not sustain a single hit during the whole of the war. It also transmitted popular British programmes, and it was said that locally the signal was so strong that locals could listen using only a tin bath and metal spoon!" (via Mike Barraclough, Sept World DX Club Contact via DXLD) MIKE BARRACLOUGH has researched further: In a series of articles on black propaganda and the Aspidistra transmitter published some years ago in Contact MICHAEL BURDEN reported that "Throughout 1943, "Aspidistra" continued to relay the BBC European Service but early in that year it could no longer claim to be the `biggest Aspidistra in the world`. For, on 12th February 1943, the BBC brought into service a high-power Long Wave station on the east coast of England, situated at the village of Ottringham on the north bank of the Humber Estuary. The station consisted of 4 x 200 kW transmitters which had the facility to he coupled to give a combined output of 800 kW. This made Ottringham the most powerful radio station in the world at that time, and ensured that the BBC was heard with good reception in Germany, even during daylight hours on a standard domestic receiver. It operated on a frequency close to the German national "Deutschlandsender" home service. A Google search found Arthur Dungate`s home page, http://www.bbctv-ap.freeserve.co.uk/home.htm where he recalls listening to the BBC European Service from Ottringham on 167 kHz with 200 kW after the war in Blackpool. The internet site http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/sites/o/ottringham has a lot of detail on the site including two photographs of one section some of the original basement rooms in the control centre which still remain intact. Details of the Aspidistra site in Crowborough, with recent photographs are also linked to. The site was 94 acres with seven buildings and several 500 foot transmitter masts. It was owned by the Government, not the BBC. The transmitters were housed in 4 heavily protected surface buildings, possibly with earth revetments. These were driven and fed from a 5th building while the 6th building was the Central Combining House which contained the circuits to combine 200 kW at a time to a maximum 800 kW output. Although it was tested to 800 kW it never ran on programme to that level, 600 kW being the maximum used. The station was designed to broadcast with 200, 400, 600 or 800 kilowatts with up to four separate programmes simultaneously. The fourth transmitter was used to relay the Home Service to the East Riding and Lincolnshire. The station continued in service until well after the war but closed on 15th February 1953 because neither channels nor funds were available for it to continue in service. The site was dismantled shortly after closure and the transmitters were moved to Droitwich where they carried Radio 1 and Radio 4 on medium wave and Radio 2 on longwave well into the 1970`s. One of the aerial masts in still in use at Brookmans Park; the others are believed to have gone to other BBC HF sites. The site of the masts has returned to farmland, the rest of the site was cleared of buildings and is now an industrial unit, storage yard and lorry park. As a boy I lived in nearby Withernsea between 1952 and 1963 and can recall, when I was about 8, being taken round the Ottringham site. A local family friend, who was a farmer, was considering buying the land and took my father, his bank manager, accompanied by me, around the site as he was looking for a loan to cover its purchase (Sept World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** U S A. Re WRMI: BOY do I feel stupid now. Figured I was helping out and was totally wrong. I'm new to shortwave. I'll just crawl under a rock now... The show was something like "Apocalypse Chronicles". Radio of course faded out when host said his name. I see from today`s DX-Digest that it wasn't true. Sorry for wasting your time. Later (Steve, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Steve, Please don`t feel that way. No harm done; we are getting to the bottom of the item since you now say it was Apocalypse Chronicles. Well, of course something bad is always about to happen as far as they are concerned! (Glenn to Steve, via DXLD) ** U S A. A very good, "must read" article about Ibiquity's situation and the future of digital radio (actually discusses the problems with adjacent channel hash on AM!): http://www.radioworld.com/reference-room/guywire/gw-08-28-03.shtml (Harry Helms, W7HLH Las Vegas, NV DM26, NRC AM via DXLD) ** U S A. BRUCE PENNINGTON; GAY ACTIVIST HAD RADIO PROGRAM By Claudia Levy, Washington Post Staff Writer, Thursday, August 28 Bruce Pennington, 56, a chef, teacher and former radio broadcaster who was honored in June at Washington's annual gay pride celebration as a "Capital Pride Hero" for 35 years of activism in the city, died Aug. 26 at the Hospice of Washington. He had AIDS and had suffered a stroke. Mr. Pennington, an early member of the Gay Liberation Front in Washington, was a host of the "Friends" radio program from 1973 to 1982. The program, one of the first aimed at a gay audience, was launched on the Georgetown University radio station, WGTB-FM, and picked up later by Pacifica Radio, WPFW-FM... http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A56697-2003Aug27?language=printer (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** VIETNAM [non]. unID 7380 1321-1328* 8/30. Talks and music here in Asian language; ended at 1328 after a final song. Carrier went off a few minutes later. Was looking for Degar Radio - may have been them, although they are sked to 1400 (John Wilkins, CO, Cumbre DX via DXLD) This observation is correct, Degar Voice ends at 1330 now (instead of originally 1400), confirmed by Mauno Ritola, Finland. 73s, (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED [non]. Re: DXLD 3-156, 6069.7 with the religious network `A Voz da Libertação`. Per info available at PERU ON SHORTWAVE 1992- 2002 --- Monitored by Henrik Klemetz (1992-1998) and Rafael Rodríguez R. (1998-2002) (35 pages of pdf by frequency), http://homepage.sverige.net/~a-0901/hkperu-2.pdf the transmitter belonging to Radio JSV, in Huánuco, Perú, started relaying La Voz de la Liberación way back in 1998. (Previously, this shortwave transmitter had been idle for a good number of years). Some programs may be local in character, originating in Lima or even Huánuco, while others are relayed from Brazil. If in doubt, the São Paulo feed can be monitored at http://www.ipda.org.br/ (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, Aug 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 7571.95, Asian at 0030 Asian music, weak audio, fade with carrier remaining 0130+ (Bob Wilkner, FL, Aug 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) {probably Pakistan} ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RADIO STAMPS ++++++++++++ RADIO LICENSING: STAMPS, REMINDERS, SLOGANS The Aug 25 issue of Linn`s Stamp News has an article by this title on page 30, by David A. Norris, with five interesting illustrations, including the Danish slogan cancel from 1955 with a humorous cartoon drawing and inscription ``Daemp Radioen``, meaning ``Turn Down Your Radio``. I remember getting a bunch of those way back when R. Denmark had an external service and even a mailing list. Linn`s doesn`t seem to put much online, so check your library. Tnx to Mike Cooper for a hard-copy clipping (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES / DRM +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ IFA [non] I am just back from Berlin. Messe Berlin staff accepted neither the membership in a magazine's editorial board nor regular editorial contributions for a public broadcaster as sufficient for a press accreditation, contrary to the officially publicized guidelines. No idea if they would like to see an order from the director itself; anyway, I have still some second-hand news to offer: The promoted "special announcement" of DRM consortium and World DAB contained basically a common marketing in future, so nothing spectacular. Actual DRM transmissions: 693 DRM-only, 177, 603 and also 855 AM/DRM simulcast. My observations at Berlin fully confirmed the first findings I made on 177 for this frequency as well as for 603 and 855: the DRM component disturbs the analogue one noticeably, and it appears that hardly anybody is convinced of this mode. DAB: I was told that it appears to be widely recognized now that the idea to replace FM by DAB in the coming years (i.e. to shut down FM in 2010 or so) is merely wishful thinking. The already mentioned DAB promo on 104.1 is indeed operational with the weird RDS PS code _100_DAB. At 2000 UT the just carried program was abruptly cut off, followed by silence for at least 15 minutes, so the rotation works not really perfectly. After 2000 I also remembered to check 97.2 for the special IFA-Radio service and found only an open carrier. Not exactly convincing either. So much in a short, best regards, (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Aug 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Much more under GERMANY above EURORADIO 2003 - CALAIS, SATURDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2003 (This is one I attended a few years ago, and it was excellent - Mike). Euroradio 2003 commemorates twenty years of Radio Caroline's famous ship the Ross Revenge and will take place in Calais, France on Saturday 13 September 2003. Guests will include Peter Chicago Associated with Radio Caroline for many years during her offshore days, firstly as engineer on the Mi Amigo, when he was persuaded to jump ship from RNI. Chicago worked as transmitter engineer on the Ross Revenge and was on board during the infamous 1989 raid. Nowadays he works in broadcast engineering. Paul Graham A veteran of numerous offshore and free radio projects, Paul has worked in Irish radio, as well as deejaying on the Ross Revenge, during the time she started to drift. He now works in radio consultancy. Tony Campbell A former trawler captain and lifelong supporter of Radio Caroline, Tony got the opportunity to captain the Ross Revenge during the mid 1980's and the time of Eurosiege. Nowadays he runs nature sightseeing trips around the inland waters of Essex. He is also a talented artist. Dennis Jason If you've seen photos of the Ross Revenge, taken from the top of the 300 foot mast, you may also see part of the foot, of the man intrepidly climbed the mast to take the picture. Dennis Jason, as well as being a deejay, is an accomplished photographer. Euroradio starts at 2.00 pm local time [1200 UT], features a selection of offshore radio videos playing during the afternoon. We'll also be talking to our special guests. The Offshore Echo's [sic] Boutique will be open during the event, featuring a wide range of offshore radio related merchandise. In the evening there is a special Euroradio dinner, with fine French cuisine including wine, at the Georges V restaurant. Details at http://www.offshoreechos.com (via Mike Terry, UK, DXLD) RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ NEW RADAR SYSTEM WARNS OF ICEBERGS -- ALSO GUARDS AGAINST SMUGGLERS DEAN BEEBY, Canadian Press, Saturday, August 30, 2003 HALIFAX (CP) -- A cutting-edge radar system has begun providing early warnings of icebergs to the Hibernia oil rig off the East Coast. And the unique technology, more than a decade in the making, will soon be guarding against drug smugglers, illegal immigrant traffickers, foreign fishing vessels -- potentially, even terrorists -- lurking far out to sea on Canada's Atlantic seaboard. The radar uses the ocean's salty surface as an electronic conduit to track vessels and aircraft as far as 370 kilometres into the North Atlantic. The so-called "surface wave" system hugs the curvature of the earth, reaching to the very edge of Canada's 200-nautical-mile economic zone, unlike traditional radar technology, which is limited to lines of sight less than a quarter that distance. Two unmanned research installations in Newfoundland, at Cape Race and Cape Bonavista, are currently undergoing a $5-million upgrade that will make them the first in a two-coast network designed to increase Canada's maritime security. "It's been very promising -- it has tracked vessels in near real time out to significant ranges," said Lt.-Cmdr. Greg Bannister, the navy officer in charge of the project. "It's quite an achievement for Canada." The Newfoundland stations are already tracking threatening icebergs for the operators of the Hibernia oil rig. "That's the first practical application in the private sector," said Brian Smith of Raytheon Canada Ltd., the Waterloo, Ont.-based firm that since 1996 has been jointly developing the system with National Defence. The concept of surface-wave radar has its origins in Britain during the Second World War, but the concept was impractical until the advent of powerful computers that can decipher the signals. Canada's system is currently unique in the world, with competing technologies some 18 months to two years behind, says Smith. With National Defence as a partner, Raytheon has begun marketing the system to the United States. A demonstration was given in the Bahamas last year to a private-sector American company. And this summer in Key West, Fla., the U.S. Coast Guard was shown how the radar operates using a portable version. "The United States is very interested in the technology," Smith said in an interview, though there have been no contracts signed yet. Meanwhile, National Defence has been given $43.1 million to build as many as six additional sites on both the East and West coasts, with construction expected to begin in the summer of 2005. Internal military documents, obtained under the Access to Information Act, show the favoured locales are Baleine, N.S., in Cape Breton; Little Brehat and Taylor's Bay Point, Nfld.; and Ucuelet and Nootka Island, B.C. These "would provide continuous coverage of the seaward approaches to the St. Lawrence Seaway and Strait of Juan de Fuca," says the document. The network has been scaled back significantly from the 21 sites first envisioned. Canada currently relies on patrol aircraft, coast guard ships, conventional radar and other means to survey some 244,000 kilometres of coastline. Each day, about 1,700 vessels operate within Canada's 200-nautical-mile economic zone -- and not all of them announce their presence. Surface-wave radar installations cost about $5 million each to build and less than $200,000 a year to operate. Signals will be fed by telephone lines to a navy intelligence centre in Halifax. West Coast signals will be processed at Esquimalt, B.C. Costs are a fraction of the bills for military Aurora flights, coast guard patrols and fisheries surveillance flights, which run into the millions. For example, a single radar site could be operated for a tenth or less the cost of Provincial Airlines surveillance flights carried out on the East Coast for the federal government, an internal document estimates. The system has limits. Electromagnetic interference at night reduces the range, for example, and high waves can mask the presence of smaller vessels, such as fishing trawlers. Surface-wave radar is also ineffective over Arctic ice. At the same time, the signals are not affected by weather and the system provides real-time tracking, with updates of vessel locations every five minutes or so. The developers say surface-wave radar can act as an early-warning system to direct patrol aircraft and ships only to suspicious or distressed vessels and planes, a more efficient use of resources. The system can even be used to measure distant ocean currents to help build a clearer picture of the ocean environment. The data is not considered classified and can be readily used as evidence in court cases, unlike some electronic intelligence information that is regarded as highly sensitive and unavailable for prosecutions. "The navy will be using the data within the next year," says Bannister. "It's very impressive." Some facts and figures: Technology: Surface-wave radar uses the salty surface of the ocean as a conduit for its high-frequency signals. As a result, the signals hug the Earth's surface, travelling much farther than standard radar, which extends only to the horizon. History: The concept of surface-wave radar has been known since the Second World War, but only recently has computer technology allowed clear interpretation of the signals. Stations: Two experimental stations at Cape Race, Nfld., and Cape Bonavista, Nfld., built in the mid-1990s, currently undergoing $5- million upgrades to become fully operational. The data is already being used to track icebergs. Future: Up to six additional stations are planned for the East and West Coasts, the first being built in the summer of 2005. The project budget is $43.1 million. Savings: Unmanned stations can be built for about $5 million each, and operated for under $200,000 a year -- far less than for surveillance aircraft and coast guard ships. Prosecutions: Radar data is not classified and can be used in court to prosecute offenders, such as drug traffickers and ships that spill oil. © Copyright 2003 The Canadian Press (via Jill Dybka, DXLD) WTFK?? Note the above uses *high* frequencies, but along the surface, so presumably any ionospheric propagation would be minimised or incidental??? (gh, DXLD) POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ BPL (PLC) INTERFERENCE TO AM BROADCAST STATIONS? Here's the ARRL's position on BPL interference to medium wave broadcasting: (Chuck Hutton) Hi, Charles, None of my tests nor the claimed frequencies seem to affect below 2 MHz, so for the most part, I think AM BC radio will be okay. 73, Ed Hare, W1RFI, ARRL Lab, via Hutton, NRC-AM via DXLD) I think some caution is advised. I think many would believe (and I am NOT saying that Ed is, or is not, among them) that AM broadcasting QRM issues are just concerned with heavy interference to local signals. If there can be something like a 40 to 60 dB range between "local signals" and "DX-interest signals" you can easily come up with the scenario in which "no interference was noted" because the test site was able to copy a local signal cleanly, while the DX signal could have been covered up with some lower-level noise.. I think frequently, SW, VHF and HF Ham/BC are treated as a medium of weak-signal interest, whereas AM is not. But we in NRC and IRCA, for two, know better. Didn't Bruce Conti just recently report here serious problems on the AM BC band from this interference while at a demo site? Will a different s/n ratio standard be applied to AM than to HF? With the convention on, some discussion of this may have to wait a few days (Bob Foxworth, NRC-AM via DXLD) I doubt that even one "official" individual has tuned a receiver to anywhere in the MF AM broadcast band while measuring BPL HF QRN in the vicinity of powerlines. I've had dealings with W1RFI with powerline QRN in the past and he never really impressed me. I still think BPL is a threat to our hobby, especially the top 1/3 of the MF spectrum. 73, (Thomas F. Giella, KN4LF Space & Atmospheric Weather Forecaster Website Designer, 4208 Thackery Way, Plant City, FL, USA 33566, ibid.) I own an ICOM IC756PRO Ham rig. It is a great rig (on the ham bands) and supposed to be a sound to light receiver. 150 khz to 300 Mhz. I have this rig at my office which adjoins the Sarasota Airport. The outer marker transmitter for the Instrument Landing System is on 242 khz. Power is 25 watts. I cannot pick it up on this receiver. ARRL's own testing lab showed that this receiver needs 9.2mv to obtain a satisfactory s/n ratio at 1.2 Mhz. A receiver of this quality should be down around 0.5mv for a decent signal. They never mentioned this terrible performance. On the higher end of the AM band, I can sit in my office and receive 1600 from Key West during the day. Nice Salt water path to Sarasota for only 500 watts. Same with WWL out of New Orleans. Comes in great all day long. But 620 out of St. Pete has noise on the signal here. Did anyone read the glowing report printed in QST regarding IBOC and WOR? Never did they ever talk to any AM DXer to add balance to that report. It was nothing but repeating WOR's propaganda. So, I've learned to take any report from the ARRL with a grain of salt (Paul Smith, W4KNX, Located in Sunny Sarasota, Florida, ibid.) Yeah, that QST report on IBOC was a real piece of work. What was truly amazing was how they repeated the claims that you can add that huge digital component to an analog signal and still have everything fit into the same bandwidth as the analog signal alone. I knew ham radio was going straight to hell when they lowered the code speed for the Extra from 20 wpm to 5 wpm, and there's your proof (Harry Helms W7HLH Las Vegas, NV DM26, ibid.) I've discovered through Internet research that products already exist to remove BPL from power mains before it enters the house. Low pass filters allow the 50/60 Hz AC in while blocking high frequency interference. The claim is that BPL will not only interfere with broadcast reception, but it will also cause interference or stress to other household appliances and electronics such as programmable devices in microwave ovens, coffeemakers, etc. and audio/video equipment. One particular filter device is installed outside at the meter and provides USB outputs for connection to the computer. If (or should I say when) the FCC approves BPL, the public utilities should be required to install low pass filters on the meters of every non- subscribing household. In terms of AM broadcast interference, I expect that BPL will only worsen an already bad situation for AM listeners on the road. AM is already significantly compromised by powerline noise in suburbia. For the most part around here, AM is only listenable on the interstate highways where powerlines aren't overhead. In terms of DXing, a noise-reduced outdoor wire should do the job, just as it does now in terms of isolation from household interference. IBOC will likely represent a bigger challenge for MW DXing (Bruce Conti - Nashua NH, ibid.) You're right - until some real MW DXers say it's OK, it's not guaranteed to be OK. But Ed's note is still good news. I identified myself as a DX'er in my email to him, so at least he should have understood that the question is not "will local signals be trashed?". It was Fred V, not Bruce C that reported noise as best I remember. What was missing from Fred's report is something saying how much noise was there with no BPL. It's tough to say what Fred heard without a bit more information - maybe he heard a noisy system like Ben D's. And remember that with the modulation scheme used in BPL, there is no (repeat no) energy transmitted in MW frequencies (Chuck Hutton, ibid.) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ CUMBRE PROPAGATION REPORT A similar story to past reports. Flare activity has been very low over the last week, however the solar wind speed was elevated through until Aug 26 due to a coronal hole causing active/storm geomagnetic conditions and degraded propagation at mid and high latitudes. However periods of active conditions have persisted all week especially at higher latitudes with some absorption noted. Similar conditions should prevail for the next week with degraded propagation again forecast from Sep 3. A previously active region is returning to the eastern limb of the sun and may again produce some flares that will move into a geoeffective position over the next few days as well. Prepared using data from http://www.ips.gov.au (Richard Jary, SA, Aug 30, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) Book Review "THE HIGH LATITUDE IONOSPHERE AND ITS EFFECTS ON RADIO PROPAGATION", R. D. Hunsucker, J. K. Hargreaves, October 2002, Cambridge University Press, 617 pp. --- Here's what the publisher had to say about this great addition to the Space Weather field. The physical properties of the ionized layer in the Earth's upper atmosphere enable us to use it to support an increasing range of communications applications. This book presents a modern treatment of the physics and phenomena of the high latitude upper atmosphere and the morphology of radio propagation in the auroral and polar regions. Chapters cover the basics of radio propagation and the use of radio techniques in ionospheric studies. This book includes many examples of the behavior of quiet and disturbed high latitude HF propagation (SEC User Notes July via DXLD) AURORA OUTLOOK Earth is heading for a solar wind stream flowing from a coronal hole on the sun. Our first encounter with the stream could take place on Sept. 2nd, so that's when sky watchers should be alert for possible auroras. Visit Spaceweather.com for more information and updates (via Ary, BDXC, Aug 30 via DXLD) TIP FOR RATIONAL LIVING +++++++++++++++++++++++ MAKING THE WORLD SAFE FOR . . . THEOCRACY? By DOUG SAUNDERS, Saturday, August 30, 2003 - Page F3 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20030830/DOUG30/TPFocus/ (Toronto Globe & Mail via Gerald T. Pollard, DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-156, August 29, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser 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 later at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd3h.html For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn NEXT AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1197: WWCR: Sat 1030, Sun 0230 5070, 0630 3210, Wed 0930 on 9475 RFPI: Sat 0800, 2330, Sun 0530, 1130, Mon 0030, 0630, 1230, Wed 0100, 0730, 1330 on 7445 [nominal times subject to delay or pre- emption] WRMI: Sat & Sun 1800+ on 15725 WINB: Sun 0031 on 12160 [for last time] WRN: Rest of world Sat 0800, Europe Sun 0430, N America Sun 1400 WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO [also for CONTINENT OF MEDIA, MUNDO RADIAL]: Check http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1197h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1197h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1197.html [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1197.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1197.ram ** ALASKA. LF beacon gathers additional reports: A low-frequency (LF) beacon in Alaska has drawn confirmed reports from Canada and California. WD2XDW experimental beacon operator Laurence Howell, KL1X, in Anchorage, has reports from Steve McDonald, VE7SL, on Mayne Island near Victoria, British Columbia, and from Mike Silvers, KB6WFC, in Daly City, California. WD2XDW is on the air 24/7 at 137.77350 kHz using very slow-speed CW (called ``QRSS``) -- one dit every minute. McDonald said a week of monitoring had previously yielded ``small bits and pieces`` of the beacon signal, but conditions between British Columbia and Alaska turned excellent the morning of August 17. McDonald said the WD2XDW signal faded abruptly as the sun hit the D layer. McDonald is using an ICOM IC-R75 receiver and a J310 active whip at 25 feet (ARRL August 27 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** ANTARCTICA. 15475.99v, R. Nacional Arcángel San Gabriel, LRA36, 0100-0104 28 Aug, LA music, unreadable M announcer in Spanish, more music mixed with soft-spoken W and with same M announcer. Alternating M and W to at least 0120, but just below a readable level. Possible mention of Buenos Aires at 0110 by M. Faded down after 0115. Signal picked back up around 0140, but dropped back down. Seemed to go off at 0204. Gradually drifted also. Tnx to Gabriel Iván Barrera and Arnaldo Slaen for this special broadcast announcement (Dave, Valko, PA, 28 August, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Straggler A reminder of LRA36`s webpage: http://www.fcapital.com.ar/esperanza/pagina_otras.htm (via Adiel Bregado, SP, radioescutas via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. This is an interesting set of statements that Glenn reported (notes on RA Feedback Aug 22). Serving both external and internal audiences is certainly a challenge. I hope they continue to realize that just putting the national 24-hour feed (which normally wouldn't have repeats) on shortwave is not the answer. With today's digitizing of everything, even for production, I would think it ought to be "easy" to produce multiple feeds, albeit with the occasional "hiccups" of mistakes (such as those regularly pointed out among the various BBCWS feeds). A computer list of programs is all it should take to determine the schedule for a feed -- - perfect for the technofile in each office, leaving the actual program production to those who do it best. It can't be that more expensive or challenging, unless of course they haven't yet upgraded to an all-digital production methodology (such as RNW recently announced). But back to the original point of the message --- the program changes. It is too bad that we'll lose unique programming from yet another international broadcaster. The economy is affecting everyone. Cheers from Iowa, "where dreams come true" (Kevin Anderson, swprograms via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. Glenn: (With regard to your recent news about RA...) According to John Westland, English Service Exec. Producer, RA's program changes have been scaled back and there will be no modifications to the schedule until the weekend of 6/7 Sept. RA has renegotiated deals with music producers that will permit RA to maintain its weekday music programs for the time being. Weekend changes (from 6/7 Sept.) include the following: Music Show with Andrew Ford -- adding a first run at 0405 UT Sat in addition to its current 1205 UT broadcast. (It's a two hour package.) Business Show -- moves to 0005 UT Sat and is packaged during that hour with Ockham's Razor and Lingua Franca. Background Briefing -- adds an airing at 1005 UT Sat starting 13 Sept. Airing 6 Sept at this time will be a special forum on "smart societies". Keys to Music -- This is a new educational program, produced for ABC Classic FM and presented by Graham Abott and airing at 0005 UT Sun, with a repeat at 1005. The program's description says it "is designed to demystify fine music." (John Figliozzi, NY, Aug 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. NEED CASH? BECOME A CHARITY, ALSTON TELLS ABC By Annabel Crabb Communications Minister Richard Alston yesterday travelled to Ballarat to give the ABC board his latest idea on how the broadcaster can raise money - become a registered charity. . . http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/Weekly2003/08.26.2003/Australia6.htm (The Age Friday, August 29, 2003 via Jilly Dybka, DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. ABC JOURNALIST UNDER ATTACK --- By Marcus O'Donnell ABC staff yesterday threatened industrial action unless disciplinary proceedings against religion correspondent Stephen Crittenden were halted immediately. Crittenden, the presenter of Radio National's Religion Report, was taken off air six weeks ago and suspended on full pay following his publication of an article in the Sydney Morning Herald. The article explored `the clash of civilisations` stemming from the rise of fundamentalist Islamic movements and the west's militant response. . . http://www.ssonet.com.au/showarticle.asp?ArticleID=2557 A piece on the ABC's Stephen Crittenden from the Sydney Star-Observer, their major gay paper. (I hadn't realized that Crittenden was openly gay.) 73 (Bill Westenhaver, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ANGRY ABC STAFF WALK OUT OVER SUSPENSION By Barney Zwartz August 28, 2003 http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/08/27/1061663850604.html (via Jilly Dybka, Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. Hi Glenn, While typing this message about Voice International, Darwin, I`m listening to the CD of Finnish tango legends. On SW I heard I heard the VOICE INTERNATIONAL from Darwin on three frequencies: 13685 kHz in English signing off 15 UT. Hindi service with excellent reception on 13635, scheduled 11-17. The third frequency 7180 kHz is a bit mystery for me. Nice reception noted yesterday 1510 UT with in Bahasa Indonesian programme. Somehow Voice International, Darwin offers much stronger and clearer reception than HCJB Kununurra ever. 73`s (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku, FINLAND, Aug 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. HCJB on 15405, 1700-1730 Aug 29. Instead of scheduled Urdu program, nonstop religious contemporary music. English announcement that "normal programming will be continued as soon as possible" At 1730 s/off in middle of music (Silvain Domen, Belgium, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BELGIUM. Gelezen in RVI 'Onder Ons' --- De RTBF is opnieuw via Waver aan het uitzenden, ondermeer met de oude zenders die de VRT/RVI hebben opgegeven. De hele dag door op één frequentie 9970 kHz. De hele dag uitzenden op maar één frequentie is in de wereld van de kortegolf een beetje ongewoon. Maar hoe minder er geschakeld wordt, hoe kleiner de kans dat er iets kapot gaat. 73, (Guido Schotmans, Belgium, Aug 28, BDXC via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. Radio San Miguel en los 4906.58, a las 0321, el 29/08, SINPO 3/3. En virtual "colisión hertziana" con R. Zambia en 4910. El pasado 23/08 la capté en 4905.56, es decir, un poco más abajo (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Yaesu FT-890, Antena TH3MK3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. Amigos DXistas en Conexión Digital! Consulta número. 1: 4600.35 kHz --- aquí en esta frecuencia supongo que transmita Radio Perla del Acre, Cobija, pero parece que nunca se identifique. Perla del Acre ha estado fuera del aire durante largo tiempo. Hace, no recuerdo la fecha exacta, aproximadamente 1 mes comencé a escuchar esta señal siempre con OM-DJ y música. La última vez yo noté Perla del Acre era en la frecuencia de 4600.33 kHz. Alguien en la lista tiene una identificación positiva? (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, Aug 29, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 5045, 0104 24/08 R. Guarujá Paulista, Guarujá (SP). Música "La Bamba", "Love is in the air". Programa "Pickup Musical" com Edson Nunes, "os grandes sucessos de seu ídolo preferido". "Straight from the heart" com Bryan Adams. Programa "Viver e Reviver" com Maria Eli. ID ``ZYK590 1550 KHz; ZYG860 3235 KHZ Ondas Tropicais; ZYG850 5045 KHz Ondas Curtas - Rádio Guarujá Paulista - A Rádio da família - falando para o Brasil". Música Let's Twist Again com Chubby Checker. - 54454 (Marcelo Herondino Cardoso, Florianópolis - SC, radioescutas via DXLD) ** CHINA. China is the world`s 800-pound gorilla, in terms of both audience size and Internet interdiction technology. Xiao Qiang, executive director of Human Rights in China, an international non- governmental organization, told On Line Journalism Review that the People`s Republic ``can dedicate unlimited resources to devleopment and deployment of censorship and surveillance technology. It is impossible for a relatively small number of technically savvy users, Xiao said, ``to defeat state censorship through grassroots efforts without external help.`` Some Internet blocking technology, ironically, is thought to be supplied to Beijing by U.S. firms. The BBG`s Ken Berman, testifying at the Capitol Hill hearing of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, explained some of the measures being taken to counter the jamming of VOA and Radio Free Asia websites. ``What we have essentially instituted,`` he said, ``is a two-prong `push-pull` program that consists of separate but related efforts: ¨ The `push` component consists of pushing e-mail news to those users in China who would find the news interesting or a complement to China`s official, approved news stories. (The e-mails get through because they circumvent the central Internet Service Providers thoroughly filtered by Chinese authorities.) ¨ The `pull` component consists of circumventing an elaborate matrix of Chinese filtering and content filtering techniques to permit users to access the VOA and RFA websites and pull internet content into the browsers of their computers. Because of the support by the Office of Engineering, says VOA East Asia Division Director Jay Henderson, the VOA Chinese Branch now sends more than a sesquimillion e-mails a day. ``We`ve easily surpassed our goal for this year and hope that at the rate we`re going,`` Henderson adds, ``we might reach five million a day long before our 2005 deadline to attain that goal.` As for the `pull` element of the program, one each of those e-mails sent, there are links with two to six different proxy sites, those not prohibited by Chinese censors. The proxy sites contain a wealth of information, including VOA and RFA websites, and can be changed from day to day, just as broadcast engineers over the years have switched from some frequencies to others to confuse jammers. The struggle is onging. Reporters San Frontières, in a report just released, notes that Chinese specialists in April sent e-mails containing specially designed viruses to the VOA Chinese website, and that other sites such as those of the Falunggong movement and pro- Tibet organizations, also were attacked. The Australian TV network ABC reported on April 23 that its website also had been blocked for the first time, just a few weeks before the Dalai Lama was to visit Australia. But countermeasures to blockage of the Internet and the courage of people with a need to know have combined to demonstrate again that no nation can seal itself off electronically in the digital, satellite age of communications. Radio Free Asia Vice President of Programming Dan Southerland says China`s decision to finally announce the gravity of the SARS crisis came after a retired military doctor, Jiang Yanyong, revealed to RFA and Time Magazine that those infected in Beijing were ``a dozen times more numerous than top Chinese officials had admitted`` between January and April 2003. ``As unfortunate as SARS is,`` engineer Ken Berman observes, ``it has been a boon to the freedom of Internet information movement. Our news is anxiously followed, the VOA and RFA Chinese language traffic has doubled, and has allowed Chinese citizens free and unfettered access to a wide range of previously censored information. E-mail news (as of June 5) includes daily SARS reports and statistics, and links to the World Health Organisation and other sites.`` In the end, VOA`s Jay Henderson told the Commission`s June hearing, ``let us ask the Chinese every day between now and the opening of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing how they can expect the world to send its best athletes into their care if their government thinks the proper response to a health crisis is to cover it up. I hope, `` he concluded, ``that the next time a SAES-like crisis hits China, the first response will be: `Let`s get the word out`.`` (from ``China, Iran and the Internet,`` by Alan Heil, The Channel, AIB, July 2003 via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. Armónico de otra colombiana: Radio Mundial (si mal no escuché), se repite en los 2740 kHz, segundo armónico de 1370 kHz OM, con locutor y locutora que hacían comentarios religiosos. Música religiosa. Mucho más fuerte que el armónico de Radio María en 3160 (29/08, 0417 UT). (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Yaesu FT- 890, Antena TH3MK3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. Radio Habana Cuba: 27/08, a las 0417. 15230 (5/5), 11875 (5/5), 9550 (5/4), 11760 (3/2), 9600 (5/5 +40dB), 5965 (3/3). (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Yaesu FT-890, Antena TH3MK3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. More about our new transmitters tests. 11760 kiloHertz, 100 kiloWatts beaming to the East Coast of North America in Spanish from 00 to 05 UT, and we may soon add the 05 to 07 UT segment in parallel with 9820 and 9550 in English. Be on the lookout for this new RHC additional frequency that will soon be on the air; again the frequency is 11760 kiloHertz and the time from 05 to 07 UT, with our English language program. {not 3 Sept but heard in early Oct anyway} Sad day for Cuban radio: both broadcasting and amateur radio in Cuba today are mourning the death of Eduardo Fernández, CO7RR, the founder of Radio Rebelde station that from the Sierra Maestra mountains in 1958 made daily broadcasts telling the people of Cuba and the Americas about the revolutionary war in progress at that time against the Fulgencio Batista dictatorship. Eduardo was a very dedicated and enthusiastic radio amateur operator, and for a number of years was the President of the Cuban Federation of Radio Amateurs. I met him in 1959, just as he came down from the mountains where he was what could best be described as the chief engineer of Radio Rebelde. Eduardo Fernández loved radio and it he helped every one he could to become a radio amateur. Among his favorite aspects of ham radio was operating using radioteletype, a mode that he simply loved. From the days of the mechanical teletype machines, Eduardo patiently explained to every Cuban radio amateur willing to listen, how radio teletype worked, and his participation in several international RTTY contests was always much expected, because at one time CO7RR and later his newer call CO2BB were the only RTTY stations operating from Cuba. A very modest and humble person, he was promoted to the highest military rank of the Ejército Rebelde, the Cuban Rebel Army that fought against Batista, where he was one of the Comandantes de la Sierra. Saying good bye to my long time friend Eduardo Fernández Rodríguez, CO7 Radio Radio, today at the Cristóbal Colón Cemetery in Havana several hundred Cuban radio amateurs joined workers of Radio Rebelde and the many friends and compañeros he had in the military. Adios, mi amigo Eduardo, we will always remember you on the air !!! (Prof. Arnie Coro A., CO2KK, RHC DXers Unlimited Aug 26, via Bob Chandler, VE3SRE, ODXA via DXLD) ** CUBA. NEW ANTENNAS AN EFFORT TO JAM U. S.-BASED RADIO MARTÍ? http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y03/ago03/28e1.htm HAVANA, August 26 (http://www.cubanet.org) - The Cuban government has installed four large parabolic antennas in Palma Soriano, in easternmost Cuba, which experts have said could be intended to jam transmissions of U. S. -based Radio Martí. "The antennas are about six meters (about 19 feet) in diameter and have been placed in the tallest structures: the water tank on the roof of the Palma Hotel, the Popular Council building, about 80 meters (about 250 feet) high; another on the water works water tank, about 300 meters (over 900 feet) high; and the fourth on the roof of the printing plant, at more than 100 meters (over 300 feet) high," said Juan Carlos Cárdenas, a human rights activist in Palma Soriano. It is widely known that at San Felipe, in southern Havana province, there are several such antennas, as well as in several other places on the island (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) Versión original en español: http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y03/ago03/27a1.htm Satellite jamming: See INTERNATIONAL VACUUM {more on this in Sept} ** CUBA [non]. CUBA LIBRE: HERNÁNDEZ TAKES REINS --- Radio Martí Has a New Director With a Familiar Mission --- by Steve Sullivan For the heads of most radio stations, success is measured in terms of revenue. But for Jorge Luís Hernández, success will come with the transition of one nation's government from communism to democracy. . . http://www.radioworld.com/reference-room/special-report/02_rwm_marti.shtml (RW Online Sept 1 via DXLD) ** ECUADOR. Radio Quito, 4919, SINPO 33322, a las 0348. Noto que ya no está 24 horas en la banda tropical. (27/08). (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Yaesu FT-890, Antena TH3MK3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EGYPT. The French service of Radio Cairo announced two e-mail addresses for its listeners: frenchprog@erti.org and oridi@hotmail.com (Mohamed Kallel, Tunisia, Aug 27 DSWCI DX Window Aug 29 via DXLD) ** FINLAND. POWER OUTAGE BLACKS OUT HELSINKI AND VANTAA ON SATURDAY EVENING . . .The blackout disrupted traffic and emergency response centres in Helsinki. Hospitals and airports reverted to back-up systems and avoided emergencies. Emergency response centres were flooded with telephone calls, and all calls to 112 could not be answered. Citizens have been instructed to listen to radio station Radio Suomi in the event of a power failure. However, even Radio Suomi was off the air for eight minutes beginning at 8.45 p.m. Normally, the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) receives power from its own generators, but even this reserve stopped functioning for a short time. The generators failed to provide electricity, and the batteries that form the second back-up could not handle the entire required output. YLE head Arne Wessberg commented that the break in radio transmissions was unforgivable. "People have learned to rely on battery-operated radios during power cuts." YLE relays official statements from authorities during emergencies, but no such statement was prepared about the power outage on Saturday. . . http://www.helsinki-hs.net/news.asp?id=20030825IE3 (Helsingin Sanomat Aug 25 via Jilly Dybka, DXLD) ** GERMANY. Allerweltshaus Köln --- Quite interesting. The website (obviously not updated during the summer season) states that an Ethiopian group, an Uganda project called Vovi and a Kenya group called Tafungua http://www.tafungua.de meet there, to mention the ones that would fit to CIRAF 48, so to speak. I will try to find out more (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Aug 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Relatively new gospel station Evangelische Missions Gemeinden Deutchland via DTK-Wertachtal on 6015 at 1730-1759 Thu/Fri only (Silvain Domen, Belgium, Aug 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. DEUTSCHE TELEKOM T-SYSTEMS SUPPORTS OVER 30 BROADCASTERS The HF facilities at Julich and Wertachtal are now used by over 30 broadcasters on a leased basis. The complete schedule, as a PDF file, updated to August 18, may be viewed, downloaded and printed at http://engradio.org/t-systems.pdf It was submitted by member Alokesh Gupta, India (EDXP Aug 29 http://edxp.org by permission via DXLD) ** GERMANY. DW preview Aug 29-30: One of the topics on Spectrum, DW's weekly look at developments in the fields of science and technology: European DX council: Each year, dedicated listeners manage to tune in to radio stations from thousands of miles away on the AM broadcast band. In fact, the AM band is where DXing began. Back in the 1920s, the first radio stations were keen to know just how far away they were being heard. So they asked for reception reports from listeners, and promised to reply to reports with souvenir postcards confirming that the listener indeed heard the station. In fact, the entire hobby of short wave listening grew from those beginnings. Today, there are hundreds of DX clubs around the world. The European DX Council was formed in 1967 in Copenhagen, Denmark; it is not a DX club, but an umbrella organisation of DX clubs in 17 European countries with a membership of some 6,000. Luigi Cobisi, Secretary-General of the European DX Council, told Rajiv Sharma just how popular the hobby is today (World Radio Network WRN-English-Newsletter@wrn.org (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** GUATEMALA? 4698.71, R Amistad (tentative). I think they may have reactivated. 1100 Aug 29 with a strong carrier, but almost no modulation. Anyone else hearing something here with perhaps better reception? (Hans Johnson, WY Cumbre DX via DXLD) UNID 4698.70, Latin first noted on 18 August with fair signal 1015- 1030, noted since with Latin programming. Also at 0030-0045 . Never pulled an ID, station prone to deep fades. This is regards to Hans Johnson question in Cumbre DX (Bob Wilkner, FL, ibid.) Amigos DXistas en Conexión Digital! Consulta número 2: 4698.75 kHz - La señal está muy débil y de mala calidad. Encontré esta señal hace aproximadamente 14 días y ayer en la mañana escuché el programa "Mañanitas de Amistad". Por esto creo que sea Radio Amistad, San Pedro de La Laguna (Guatemala). Probablemente ha estado fuera el aire durante bastante tiempo. La última vez yo capté Radio Amistad, estuvo en 4698.75 kHz. Alguien en la lista tiene una identificación positiva? (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, Aug 29, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** GUATEMALA. 4780, Radio Coatán, 1100-1131 frequent IDs by M over religious music, excellent signal "estudios de Radio Coatán... las palabras de Dios". Frequency and station ID 1130 [Robert Wilkner, FL, Aug 29,DX LISTENING DIGEST] ** HONDURAS. Música religiosa en 3340 kHz, 0352, SINPO 23221. (27/08). (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Yaesu FT-890, Antena TH3MK3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HONDURAS. Radio Litoral fuera del aire (la medí en 4830.06, el 27/08), durante los días 28 y 29/08 (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Yaesu FT-890, Antena TH3MK3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Voz masculina, parecía un predicador. Cierre con marcha que asumo es el himno nacional, 3249.48 kHz, a las 0344 UTC. SINPO 3/2 (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Yaesu FT-890, Antena TH3MK3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Presumably Radio Luz y Vida (gh) ** INDIA. Glad to note this station AIR Thiruvananthapuram / Trivandrum 5010 kHz once again in the air. 1730 UT a five minute news bulletin in English. Then close down at 1735 UT with really nice reception. No trace of Madagascar. My Merriam Webster´s Geographical Dictionary (Third Edition) tells these facts about THIRUVANANTHAPURAM / TRIVANDRUM: Seaport city, Capital of Kerala, SW India, on Arabian Sea 140 mi. (225 km.) SW of Mandurai; pop. (1991c) 699, 872: produces copra; rope, textiles, soap; 18th cent. temple; observatory; zoölogical garden, museum, university; made of Capital of Kingdom of Travavancore mid-18th century. 73´s (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku, FINLAND, Aug 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. CABLE TV HITS SNAG IN INDIA India is a democracy, yet it controls the availability of broadcast news tightly. At the same time it has enjoyed a highly unregulated cable TV industry. Now there are moves to change that, with the introduction of conditional access television that could throw the cable industry in the country into chaos. It is estimated that there are over 30,000 independent cable TV operators who have rigged up interesting networks by stringing cables from telegraph poles and between trees to serve subscribers owning around 40 million TV sets -- half the total estimate of television sets in the country. Fees are low, ranging from 50 rupees in smaller towns to 400 rupees in the big cities where there`s a choice of 70 or more channels. A key problem is that revenues often don`t find their way back to rights owners --- channel operators --- and that technical standards are often low, with unclear pictures at the subscriber`s home. To solve these issues, and a raft of others --- such as channels using inflated subscriber numbers to attract advertisers --- the Indian government is introducing a conditional access system. Due to start in July in four major cities including Delhi and Mumbai, subscribes will have to rent or buy a new set-to-box with CA technology installed. However, the launch has been thwarted by a shortage of set-top boxes, so it`s likely that it will be the end of the year before the system is introduced (The Channel, AIB, July 2003, via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. Info from Roland Schulze, Philippines, u.o.s.: 3325, RRI Palangkaraya, Jul 30 and a couple of days up to Aug 08, obviously problems with the transmitter or antenna, because the signal is very weak and sounds like 1 kW or less! (Schulze) 3344.8, RRI Ternate was off the air Jul 30-Aug 08 (Schulze) 4753.6, RRI Makassar was off the air Jul 30-Aug 08 (Schulze) 4870, RRI Wamena is not on the air regularly and local evening broadcast times vary (Schulze, Aug 08) 4874.6, RRI Sorong is off the air at present (Schulze, Aug 08) However, it was back on 4870.9, 0924-1005* Aug 15, Azan Magrib call to prayer started followed by 0929 lagu padang pasir (desert songs, i.e. Arabic style) then tedious information but with many mentions of Sorong from around 0935 until unceremonious close. Crazy frequency choice as RRI Wamena not far away on 4870 at similar strength. However, Sorong may have no choice but to use their very old 10 kW transmitter. The usual but extremely irregular transmitter on 4874.6 was first mentioned in WRTH in 1978 and before that 4871v was used. From 1986-88 both transmitters were used, 4871 in local mornings and 4875 in evenings but since then only 4875 (Foster in DXplorer) 4925, RRI Jambi is not on the air regularly and local evening broadcast times vary (Schulze, Aug 08) 9743.6, RRI Sorong has a new time schedule mostly with relays of RRI Jakarta // 9680 and 11860 (Schulze, Aug 08) Heard closing down 0759* Aug 15, just after HCJB 9745 had s/on. Before that was weak but clear (David Foster, Australia in DXplorer) (all: Aug 27 DSWCI DX Window Aug 29 via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM [non]. CUBA E IRAN COMPLICES EN INTERFERENCIA A SATELITE DE E.U. Los países que apoyan al terrorismo no solo amenazan los intereses de los Estados Unidos en tierra, mar y aire, ahora se han unido para atacar a propiedades de los Estados Unidos en el espacio sideral. Al tener éxito en bloquear la señal de un satélite de comunicaciones de los EEUU que se mantiene en órbita sobre el Atlántico, los regímenes de Cuba e Irán han desafiado el dominio de los EEUU en el espacio y la presunción del libre acceso a las comunicaciones de satélite que hacen posible el indisputado poderío militar de los EEUU. . . http://www.lanuevacuba.com/nuevacuba/notic-03-08-2001esp.htm (By J. Michael Waller, Insight Magazine, Washington, E.U.; Traducción: Joaquín Sueiro Bonachea, La Nueva Cuba, Agosto 28, 2003, via Óscar de Céspedes, FL, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Original in English: IRAN AND CUBA ZAP U.S. SATELLITES Posted Aug. 6, 2003, By J. Michael Waller News, information and other programming broadcast by satellite from the United States into Iran fuels the democracy movement in that Muslim country. State sponsors of terrorism not only threaten U.S. interests on land, at sea and in the air, but now they have teamed up to attack U.S. assets in space. By successfully jamming a U.S. communications satellite over the Atlantic Ocean, the regimes of Cuba and Iran challenged U.S. dominance of space and the assumptions of free access to satellite communication that makes undisputed U.S. military power possible. . . http://www.insightmag.com/news/449580.html (Insight Magazine via gh, also via Óscar de Céspedes, DXLD) ** IRAN. Satellite jamming: see just above ** ISRAEL. ARUTZ 7 INCREASES ENGLISH BROADCASTS Mike Brand reports: Israeli commercial broadcaster Arutz 7 (Israel National Radio) has responded to recent cuts in the English language output of public broadcaster Kol Israel by expanding its own English language programming. The station, which describes itself as the Mideast's only independent newstalk network, now broadcasts in English in the mornings at 6.30 am Israel time (0330 UT) on mediumwave 1143 kHz and FM 105.2 MHz, in addition to evenings from 9.00 pm Israel time (1800 UT) on mediumwave 1539 kHz and FM 98.7 MHz. Live broadcasts can also be heard via the station's site http://www.israelnationalnews.com (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 29 August 2003 via DXLD) ** JAPAN [non]. Radio Japón en 9660, el 28/08, a las 0506, emitía su servicio en español para América Central. El problema: este servicio debe salir por la frecuencia de 11895. Lamentablemente, las antenas de los 9660 no está dirigidas hacia esta zona. Severamente interferida. SINPO 3/2. 73's y buen DX (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Yaesu FT-890, Antena TH3MK3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) via Guiana French ** KOREA NORTH. Re Voice of Korea on 6070: This frequency originates not from the foreign service transmitter centre Kujang but is listed as Kanggye 250 kW, obviously sharing the transmitter with KCBS 6100. Observations by Olle Alm left hardly a doubt that this is one of the Brown Boveri transmitters from the closed Swiss sites obtained by North Korea (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Aug 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA SOUTH. ENGLISH RADIO SET TO GO ON AIR http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200308/kt2003082818193011990.htm SEOUL (Yonhap) -- South Korea's first English-language radio station will begin broadcasting next week on the southern resort island of Cheju, a state-run cable television station said Thursday. Arirang TV said it will air 18 hours of FM stereo programs per day, mostly consisting of up-to-the-minute news on traffic conditions, weather and South Korea's tourist attractions and culture. The launch of English-language radio from Monday is part of the government's plan to boost the nation's image and tourism industry after last year's successful hosting of the FIFA World Cup finals, Arirang TV said. The station began its English-only television programs in 1997, but has yet to air radio programs. It aims to establish similar English radio stations in Seoul and Incheon [sic] next year and in all major cities and provinces by 2006 (via Mike Terry, DXLD) Not only WTFK, but what is the *name* of the station? Geez (gh) ** MONGOLIA. 4865v, Mongol Radio and TV, Dalanzad (presumed), 1300- 1400*, Aug 08 and 09, Mongolian talks by man and woman, typical Mongolian music. The audio is terrible, and the crystal is defect, so it drifts from 4864.90 to 4865.20 (Roalnd Schulze, Philippines, Aug 27 DSWCI DX Window Aug 29 via DXLD) 4895, Mongolian Radio, *2100-2104, Aug 20, Interval signal repeated several times till 2102, then an announcement and National Anthem (choir singing) followed. At 2104 male voice in studio started speaking. 35333. Much weaker on 4830 (I've been able to make a conclusion about program equality only during the Anthem.) Moreover, there was a strange tone signal on 4830 (Dmitiri Mezin, Kazan, Russia, in Signal via Aug 27 DSWCI DX Window Aug 29 via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. Change to RNZI Schedule Effective 9/1/03, Radio New Zealand International is going to a 24 hour schedule, and a new weekday Pacific current affairs magazine, ``Dateline Pacific,`` will join the schedule several times a day. As a result, please note the following changes to the information provided in this month`s SW Guide section (p. 55): 0308 M-F Dateline Pacific 0330 M New Music Releases; T Mailbox/RNZI Talk, W Tradewinds, H World in Sport, F Pacific Correspondent 1100 M-F Pacific Regional News 1108 M-F (as 0308 M-F) 1130 M-F (as 0330 M-F) 1300 S/A RNZ News, M-F (as 0300-0400 M-F) 1308 S Tagata o te Moana, A New Music Releases 1335 S/A tba 1400 D RNZ News 1405 S Touchstone, M-F relay National Radio, A In a Mellow Tone 1430 S Hymns 1500 S/A RNZ News, M-F (as 0300-0400 M-F) 1508 S/A Forces Radio 1600 D RNZ News 1605 S/A relay National Radio, M-F Mana Tagata 1630 M-F relay National Radio Additional information will appear in October`s SWG. In the interim, consult RNZI`s web site at http://www.rnzi.com (Sept MONITORING TIMES via DXLD) ** NIGERIA. Thanks to a tip in the latest DXLD 3-155 have just tuned in to Voice of Nigeria on new 17800 kHz. Strong and clear in English at this time (2145 UT on Thursday 28th). 73s (Dave Kenny, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 17800, V. of Nigeria 8/28 2235-2300*. Program "Global Peace", with man discussing "using democracy to achieve peace in Africa"; 2245-54 YL with news; 2255 "Mental Vision" feature; 2259 closing anmt, address, anthem. Good signal (John Wilkins, Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Drake R-8. 100-foot RW. Cumbre DX via DXLD) I was listening at the same time, Aug 28 from 2100 with a program on the arts, 2200 five minutes of news, and a mix of other features, plus numerous program promos giving several airtimes for each. But I never heard a frequency announced. If they were going to make a big move from 15 to 17 MHz, they should have been promoting it for at least a week in advance, at least on their own air, if not in press releases to the shortwave/DX media! Why am I not surprised that still on Aug 29, http://www.voiceofnigeria.org/frequency.html claims to be on 15120 with no mention of 17800. The female continuity announcer was relatively easy to understand, but not many of the other speakers, especially externally recorded actualities. Absolutely no interference, and a strong signal tho with some flutter, but the modulation as usual was not up to par. Nothing on 15120. However, on Fri Aug 29 around 1717 there was again a strong but very undermodulated signal, language uncertain, on 15120. By 2100 recheck, nothing on 15120, and a weak and very fluttery signal on 17800 again (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 17800, VON in English must be ex-15120. I haven't heard it for a few days. Thanx for that info! 11770, by the way, is not //7255. I heard them signing on at 1957 on 7255 a few times, but never before that time. Distorted yesterday (Thorsten Hallmann, Münster, Germany, Aug 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Voice of Nigeria is heard on air at tune in 0640 in English on 17800 today Aug.29. A very strong signal but co-channel with RFI via Issoudun in French. A presumed move from 15120, which is empty. 7255 is still operating and currently [0630] at fair strength in French. (Noel R. Green [Blackpool-UK], Cumbre DX via DXLD) Voice of Nigeria is still on 17800 kHz this morning (Friday 29th), heard in English from tune-in at 0845 UT with very strong signal. This frequency may replace 15120 kHz which is currently unheard. 73s (Dave Kenny, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 17800, V. of Nigeria, Tnx CumbreDX tips, 2236-2247 29 Aug, Interview of M by W in English to 2242. Horrible audio sounding as though it was recorded from inside a cardboard tube!! 2243-2245 program promos for "African Forces", "From the Bookshelf", and "Literary Corner". 2245 ID by W followed by news. Strong but quite undermodulated. Wonder if this is the old 19 mb transmitter (Dave Valko, Dunlo PA, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** PARAGUAY? Re PIRATE (South America). 11420.3, R. Piranha Internacional --- Mmm... it could be Paraguay, too... since there is no jungle in Uruguay, for what we just call "monte" (meaning woods. It is last sentence about BC SW activity that has cue for me --- since Paraguay has most of the channels inactive (Nacional, Encarnación, etc. have been inactive lately, only América but on irregular basis), meanwhile Uruguay has kept its modest presence) (Horacio A. Nigro Montevideo - Uruguay, Aug 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 4992.6, R. Ancash, Huaraz. Here in Chimbote there is a friend of mine working in R. Ancash and he helps me to get QSL verification for my friends. My address is: César Pérez Dioses, Correo Central, Chimbote, Peru (Pérez, Aug 27 DSWCI DX Window Aug 29 via DXLD) ** PUERTO RICO. La puertorriqueña "Notiuno", ha sido escuchada en los 910 kHz, a las 0406 UT, el 28/08, SINPO 3/3, con el programa "Contacto con Notiuno". Señal sostenida. También captada en los 760, con ID's como "Notiuno 630". Me llamó la atención que los programas de ambas frecuencias son diferentes en ciertos momentos y luego se enlazan entre sí. 810 AM, de Puerto Rico, con señal estable, el 28/08, a las 0427, con temas de Michael Sembello "Maniac" y Bee Gees "Night Fever" (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Yaesu FT-890, Antena TH3MK3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. 17705, new "Russian International Radio" program (Cf. DX- Window no. 225) via DTK (joint venture of Voice of Russia and private Russkoye Radio), popping on at 1356, Aug 24, just before published *1400. In mid-program, upbeat format, man talking; full ID at 1400, mentioned both "Radio Kompanya Golos Rossii" and "Russkoye Mezhdunarodnoye Radio," then seeming news by woman, into Russian pop vocals at 1406, ID again 1412, by which time reception had gotten noisy. Pretty good strength, tho still a little fady at this hour. Closed at 1500* after Voice of Russia IS. -- Also, 9405, maybe this one at 2045, Aug 23, poor signal under merciless RTTY, off at 2100, which is their published s/off time; seemed Russian, but nothing definitive on ID (Jerry Berg, MA, Aug 27 DSWCI DX Window Aug 29 via DXLD) "Russian International Radio" is based on an agreement on "strategic partnership" which the head of The Voice of Russia (VOR), Armen Oganesyan and Sergey Arkhipov, the president of the "Russian Media Group" (which owns Russkoye Radio), signed in February 2003. The new service is to be broadcast not only on MW & SW, but also on satellite for the Russian diaspora around the world. Oganesyan expects that the new service could more than double the audience of VOR's Russian language programmes which currently counts 100 million listeners worldwide. Russkoye Radio http://www.rusradio.ru is Russia's commercial network No 1. Not so long ago the station received an award by president Putin for promoting Russian language and culture (Bernd Trutenau in Dxplorer via Aug 27 DSWCI DX Window Aug 29 via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Re ** VIETNAM [non]. Degar Voice (via Atamanovka, Russia) Atamanovka is the transmitter site east of Chita (cf. WRTH 2003 pg. 527 with exact coordinates). 73s, (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, DX LISTENING DIGEST) a.k.a.: Chita (Kai Ludwig, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The Atamanovka site is listed on the following page under Chita. http://www.mindspring.com/~ttmdoc/shortwave_radio_transmitters_in_.htm (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SAUDI ARABIA [non]. UK-BASED SAUDI OPPOSITION TV REPORTEDLY STOPS BROADCASTING | Text of report entitled: "TV transmission stops 'hopefully temporary'. Radio channel still beamed on the old frequency"; published by Movement for Islamic Reform web site on 29 August Transmission of Al-Islah [satellite] television has ceased once again due to pressure from the Saudi government on Eutelsat, [the company] which owns the satellite through which the channel broadcasts. Eutelsat used the pretext of some missing documents and chose the end of the week in order make it difficult for officials in charge of the channel to resort to lawyers or official and legal parties. The movement [MIRA] hopes that the channel's disappearance will not be for long and that steps will be taken to resume transmission and force the party that discontinued the transmission to pay compensation for the duration of the stoppage. We want to point out that transmission on the radio channel is still being carried on the old frequency: that is, 11096 with vertical polarity. Information for the radio channel: Satellite: Hotbird 6 Satellite Channel: 129 Bouquet: Deutsche Telekom Polarity: Vertical Symbol Rate: 27500 FEC: 3/4 Video PID: 8191 Audio PID: 74 Source: Movement for Islamic Reform web site, UK, in Arabic 29 Aug 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) What about SW??? ** SOUTH AFRICA. Estación en idioma inglés en 3255.05 kHz, la cual a todas luces parece ser africana. ¿Liberia, Botswana? Señal más fuerte a las 0427. Demasiada estática. Ya desvanecida a las 0500. (29/08). (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Yaesu FT-890, Antena TH3MK3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) BBCWS relay from RSA, scheduled 0300-0500 (gh) ** UKRAINE [and non]. Early checking of RUI's new 9810 kHz. August 29, 2003 --- 0000 UT 9805 nothing; 9810 Arabic type music; 9815 unID; 9820 R. Habana Cuba positive ID. 0015 UT same as 0000 0030 UT 9805 R. Farda positive ID; others same as 0000 UT 0045 UT same as 0030. Unable to check August 28, 2003 as we were having terrible thunderstorms, again. 73, (Kraig Krist, VA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. Achala Sharma, head of BBC`s Hindi Service has been awarded the World Hindi Honour at the seventh World Hindi Conference held in Surinam. Sharma has been recognized for her ``significant contributions to the development and popularity of the Hindi language in the field of broadcast and literature``. For 18 years, Sharma has been instrumental in turning BBC Hindi into a leading Hindi-language radio and online service. Among other achievements, she has to her credit two collections of radio plays, `Passport` and `Jaren` (Roots) which were recently released in London. She has also authored two novels and three collections of short stories (The Channel, AIB, July 2003, via DXLD) ** U K. A few months ago I posted a NY Post editorial on the Kelly affair stating (while holding my nose) that it made some good points. That editorial at least had some factual basis for its mostly measured assertions. Today, the Post published a follow-up editorial on the matter and it should be noted that the paper has reverted to its more common, less measured and less factual approach. In short, the editorial is a load of you-know-what. Here it is, annotated with my comments: http://www.topica.com/lists/swprograms/read/message.html?sort=d&mid=1714317527&start=17985 (John Figliozzi, NY, Aug 28, swprograms via DXLD) Further discussion, response by Joe Buch in next message: http://www.topica.com/lists/swprograms/read/message.html?sort=d&mid=1714318704&start=17986 (Joe Buch, ibid.) And John Figliozzi replies: http://www.topica.com/lists/swprograms/read/message.html?sort=d&mid=1714319051&start=17987 (swprograms via gh, DXLD) BRITISH OFFICIAL DENIES ROLE IN NAMING BBC SOURCE By Glenn Frankel, Washington Post Foreign Service, Thursday, August 28, 2003; Page A20 LONDON, Aug. 27 -- Defense Secretary Geoffrey Hoon testified today that Prime Minister Tony Blair's aides, and not him, were behind the government's decision to identify a British weapons expert as the source for a BBC report questioning a public intelligence dossier on Iraq's access to weapons of mass destruction. . http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56091-2003Aug27.html (via Kraig Krist, DXLD) ** U S A. TRAILER PARK MINISTRIES MYSTERY SOLVED One of the longest running mysteries in North American pirate radio DX circles has revolved around The Voice of Trailer Park Ministries. First appearing on the shortwave bands in October 1989, this unusual religious pirate broadcaster created controversy right from the beginning. Host R. F. Fields transmitted religious sermons along with frequent station identifications. Those lengthy identifications normally were, ``Hello and good evening to all our radio friends, American Forces everywhere, and all the ships at sea. You are tuned in to Radio Voice of Trailer Park Ministry, America`s first shortwave pirate religious broadcaster. This is Rev. R. F. Fields.`` However, for more than a decade there has been some controversy about what the actual identification of this station is. Some DXers, including your editor, heard the ID as Radio Voice of Kramer`s Park Ministry. The station announced no address, and thus it had no means of responding to correspondence from listeners. Further, R. F. Fields did not provide any answers to this puzzle by publicizing his station. All of this coy mystery has now come to an end. As we see here, R. F. Fields has now been sending out QSL sheets for ancient receptions of his station by many DXers. They clearly show that Rev. R. F. Fields` station actually is called The Voice of Trailer Park Ministries. Further, Fields claims to be ``The only certified sane radio preacher.`` The text of his QSL sheet reads, in part: THE VOICE OF TRAILER PARK MINISTRIES Reverend Doctor R. F. Fields ``The only certified sane radio preacher`` ``I am sorry to take so long to send this QSL. My radio station has been off the air for over 4 years because an evil neighbor at the Shady Grove Trailer Park called the Orlando Police and said that my radio station interfered with watching Saturday Night Live and the police came out and talked to me and then they came back with a socialist worker and talked to me again and then they came back with the socialist worker and a ambulance and the ambulance drivers chased me and caught me where I was hiding under a doublewide down the street and strapped me down to a stretcher and took me to the hospital and the doctors at the hospital said that I has (sic) loose screws in the steel plate that the Army doctors put in my head after I was shot in the head by an artillery shell in the Vietnamese War and that they needed to fix the screws and that my brain needed a rest. They fixed the screws and put me in the State Hospital for my brain to rest and the nurses at the State Hospital would not let me get online because they said that I got agitated too easy and that my brain would not rest if I got online so I didn`t get to look up my reception reports until now because a doctor at the state hospital gave me a piece of paper that says I am certified sane and told me that they were letting me loose and I can get online now.`` ``I am sending out QSLs to my old listeners now and I want you to know that I am going to get me a new True Light Trailer and Emergency Drive-In Church after I get out of the half-way house where I live now and I will be able to return to the airwaves this fall or winter with an improved station and better coverage so listen for me around 6955 kHz on holiday weekends and other weekend nights around November and December 2003.`` Fields` QSLs also reveal that the station uses a B&W 5100B transmitter with crystal control and 120 watts. The signal is fed into a vertical antenna. As you see here, Fields has future plans to return to the shortwave broadcasting bands. If you hear this one, you will tune in one of the most mysterious pirate stations that has ever bounced a signal off the ionosphere. Also, you will know that the operator of this one actually has a sheet of paper providing medical certification that Rev. Fields is in fact ``The only certified sane radio preacher.`` If you hear him, let us know! (George Zeller, Outer Limits, Sept MONITORING TIMES via DXLD) ** U S A. Hey Glenn! LOVE DX Digest. Right, currently listening to WRMI out of Miami, USA, up here in Alberta, Canada. (My laptop battery charging nearby is adding an interesting background noise.) Figured I'd pass on that they're talking about cutbacks, and are recommending you keep up at their website http://www.wrmi.net as there are big changes afoot, including, amongst other things, frequency changes. Don't know if this is of use for DX Digest, but you ask for people to submit news, so there you go:) Keep up the good work (Steve, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Steve, Thanks for the news, but I am wondering if this really concerns WRMI itself, or some program carried by the station? When did you hear it? Was it Jeff White of WRMI or someone else speaking? Nothing new at the WRMI site, with the program schedule still dated July 1 Regards, (Glenn to Steve, cc to Jeff White, via DXLD) Glenn -- I don't have the slightest idea what Steve is referring to. As you say, maybe it's some program we broadcast (IBC? Christian Media Network?). We certainly haven't said anything like that, that I can recall (Jeff White, WRMI Miami Aug 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. 15650, Pan American Broadcasting, 1430-1445, broadcasts in Arabic under the name ``Catholique Broadcasting Radio``, 55444. The address as heard: PO BOX 144, Michigan, Victoria 3132 USA (Mohamed Kallel, Tunisia, Aug 27 DSWCI DX Window Aug 29 via DXLD) The ZIP-code is not complete. They can also be contacted by e-mail at gbernald@panambc.com (DSWCI Ed) 3132 is an Australian postcode, and indeed Google search on ``Victoria 3132`` produces a town called Mitcham! (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. MORE ABOUT CLASSICAL MUSIC ON RADIO Glenn: Having been the PD of five classical FM stations in the Monterey - San José - to San Francisco area over a period lasting a total of 27 years, I can say that this niche format is becoming harder and harder to "service". If you look at the posts to the newsgroup rec.music.classical.recordings you will see that almost no one agrees with anybody else, and that the really dedicated, advanced listeners are INCREDIBLY fussy to the point of neurosis. And even the ordinary "civilian" listeners who used to call and write the stations I worked for often contributed only criticism, never helpful support. It seems to me that this art form is so "delicate" that mass broadcasting to try to reach a common demoninator is next to impossible -- at least in this culture. Perhaps in the thirties, when the opera came on once a week, the Philharmonic-Symphony of New York and Boston Symphonies and Philadelphia Orchestra had their two hour network hookups, and when records of things like the Beethoven Seventh Symphony cost the equivalent of a working man's ENTIRE week's wages, broadcasting a LITTLE bit of mass-appeal classical music made sense. I think historians agree that perhaps 10% or even more of the overall audience heard at least SOME classical music, via radio. Now it's down to 1% --- or less. Figuring the change in population demographics, the number is still appallingly tiny. And if -- in that 1% of the total audience -- the listeners are SO fragmented, cranky, bigoted, opinionated, and picky - - you can see that it will be hard to generate audience satisfaction, station loyalty, and appreciative listeners who will provide supportive feedback to sponsors. Stations are much more likely to get a letter complaining about something than one praising an element in the broadcast. And the letters are all so self-cancelling! One guy HATES the harpsichord and baroque music; another one complains if Stravinsky or Copland or Messiaen are aired. I have even had people write that they dislike Mozart but like Haydn, and vice versa. What is one to MAKE of that? How can you SERVE these people? Now, given the perhaps 2 to 5 mile TOTAL radius of the mono coverage of an LPFM transmitter -- or the -- say -- 1 mile coverage of the stereo multiplex signal with any decent fidelity -- how are you going to reach enough folks to develop a satisfactory audience base? Especially if a large percentage of them -- that is, of the couple of dozen of souls in total -- seem to HATE so much music by so many composers of specific styles, and dislike so many artists' interpretations? Streaming via the web is such a great disappointment. As you pointed out, even the big players like the BBC cannot produce a reliable stream for something like the Proms concert. And can a web stream even BEGIN to deal adequately with the sonic demands of Mahler's Eighth? On the other hand, you can go to the neighborhood Tower store and pick up -- say -- the Sony Essential Classics CD edition of Mahler's Eighth conducted by Michael Gielen (an excellent performance, all contained on one disk) and acquire the piece for about $5-6. The sound is superb, better than ANY possible FM or web transmission; and it's not even a modern recording! It is from an analogue master tape that dates from 1981; yet it's VASTLY superior to the transmission capabilities of state-of-the-art FM stereo. It would be a tremendous technical challenge for a 100 kW multiplex stereo station to transmit this CD without significant compression or reduction in tone quality to a coverage area radius of about 20 miles; outside of that, the signal would be hissy, noisy, and unstable. How many folks are going to be in the coverage radius of the LPFM station that would have the temerity to play the Mahler Eighth? What damage is going to have to be done to the musical characteristics of Mahler's scoring in order to make the work intelligible? Is it worth the effort? Does it promote the culture of music with a significant impact to really help sustain it? I say no. It's time to face facts. Classical music survived BEFORE broadcasting. Schubert quartets were played and loved before Fessenden, De Forest, and Armstrong. They'll be played and loved long after DRM and IBOC are obsolete. We do not require the efforts of ineffectual, flickering, and inconsequential pipsqueak FM signals to keep "culture" alive in our hearts. All we require is the will to seek it out, each in our own individual way, be it via studying singing or playing, attending musical performances, or going to the public library for its available resources. Yours, (Steve Waldee - "reformed" radio station program director, Aug 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. LPFM: ALL THAT FUSS FOR NOTHING? Report Seems to Indicate That FM Dial Could Accommodate More LPFM Channel Allocations by Mario Hieb, P.E. The FCC has released a new study that could change the face of FM radio as we know it. Radio World asked me to study the report and share my observations. The report gives a green light to low -- power FM stations that would operate without third -- adjacent-channel protection to existing stations, and could open the door to more -- lenient assignments of full -- power FMs and FM translators. Lab tests also showed LPFMs are not likely to interfere with digital receivers; the HD Radio signals remained robust, Mitre stated. . . http://www.radioworld.com/reference-room/special-report/01_rw_lpfm_4.shtml (RW Online Sept 1 via DXLD) ** U S A. MAKING WAVES: COMMUNITY RADIO FOR A COMMUNITY THAT CARES LIVING By Kelly Crowley, Roundup staff reporter Tuesday, August 26 A "labor of love" is how John and Lu Carpino refer to their unique radio station, KRIM 96.3 FM. Nearly 20 years together, John and Lu Carpino have embarked on a new venture as the "co-management team" of KRIM 96.3 FM. "John has his forte and I`m his sidekick," Lu said. "We make a good team." Unlike the vast majority of radio stations, KRIM is a public radio station with a multi-format, which means that when you tune in to 96.3, you may hear anything from folk and reggae to jazz and blues. "We were approached by the Payson Council of Music Arts who had obtained a license for low-powered FM," Lu said. "Because of our combined experience in radio, they asked us to assist them in getting it started." Steve Bingham, president of KRIM received the first FCC low-powered FM license in the state of Arizona. When he told John that it would be a multi-format station, he got very excited. "All types of music are valid," John said. "We are trying to expand Payson`s musical horizons and do it in a way that is successful. We rely on community support, so we play music that is tasteful." "It`s kind of like a daily music lesson," Lu said. KRIM first went on the air waves amidst the Rodeo-Chediski Fire. "It was trial by fire," Lu said. "We started going to all the fire briefings and putting them on the air," John said. Between their motley mix of music, John and Lu updated evacuees on the fire. The two joke that while few Payson residents had discovered their new radio station, most of the evacuees were tuned in. "That`s how part of our mission statement came to be," Lu said. "I just happened to say, `community radio for a community that cares` -- and it stuck. Music and public service have always been a big part of life for the Carpinos. Nearly 20 years ago, the two met while they were both teachers in Yuma. "John was performing one night and I was there with some friends who encouraged me to get up on stage and sing with him, " Lu said. "The rest is history." The Carpinos have been a Payson fixture for years, performing, broadcasting and working in the Payson school district. But when the opportunity to run a public radio station came their way, they had to grab it. "Public radio is a beautiful thing," John said. "We are offering something totally special and unique to this area and the community is embracing it." KRIM has started a new alliance with the Sedona Cultural Center and the Putumayo world music label. Because of this new friendship, they have been able to interview international stars from their studio. "We were able to have Oliver Mtukudzi, Zimbabwe`s number one star, on our station -- talking to people in Payson," John said. "Music really is the universal language and we`ve slowly been expanding our selection to include world music -- French folk songs, Mexican music, South African music." No doubt, listeners will hear music that they won`t on stations that play the same top ten tunes every few hours. "I like discovering acts that I`ve heard about but never reach the top of the charts -- the hidden gems," John says. "If you want the top of the charts, you`re listening to the wrong station. We play quality artists with quality songs." Although they expose listeners to the lesser-known artist, the Carpinos still love to play the old favorites. "I`m a Flashback Fridays kind of girl," Lu said. Flashback Friday features music from the 50`s, 60`s and 70`s. While a large part of KRIM`s mission is to expand musical awareness, the fact that it is a public radio station also carries with it a responsibility, according to John and Lu. KRIM is radio by the people, for the people. "We are public radio which is a very different animal than commercial radio," Johns said. "We are a non-profit station run by a non-profit organization." "The station belongs to the community and they dictate what direction we go in," Lu said. The Carpinos have been pleasantly surprised by the positive feedback from the public. "People have really supported us and thanked us for bringing this kind of music variety to Payson," Lu said. The Carpinos make an effort to do a lot for the community through the station. "Part of our mission is to promote the creative and musical arts," Lu said. Several local and regional bands such as Hans Olsen, the John Scott Band, Code Blue and Walkin` Cane Mark, even the high school choir, have visited the KRIM studio and treated listeners to a live performance. John and Lu frequently invite representatives from local nonprofits to come on their morning show, Good Morning Payson, and talk about their organizations or an issue of interest in the community. "Town Manager Fred Carpenter comes in once a month to talk town business and play some music," Lu said. Every Friday morning, KRIM has a trivia game they do in conjunction with the Mazatzal Casino to raise money for charities in town. "When we connected with the casino, Mark Kaplan and I were able to iron out the details of our trivia game," Lu said. "For every correct answer, $10 is donated to a nonprofit." KRIM and the casino have already raised more than $2,000 for organizations such as the Time Out Shelter, the Salvation Army and the Rim Country Literacy Program. "Mark does a great job writing the trivia questions," Lu said. "We all have a good laugh and raise money for local charities." John and Lu Carpino have been a complementary duo since they first harmonized on stage 20 years ago. "John has his forte and I`m his sidekick," Lu said. "We make a good team." John`s creative ability and Lu`s business savvy have resulted in Payson`s very own community radio station -- the only one of its kind in the state. KRIM 96.3 BROADCAST SCHEDULE [UT -7 yearound] Monday through Friday 6 - 7 a.m., House Blend 7 - 10 a.m., "Good Morning Payson" with John and Lu Carpino. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., KRIM`s House Blend. A wonderful mix of light jazz, folk, blues and contemporary album cuts, spiced-up with some tasty hidden gems. Monday through Sunday 6 - 7 p.m., KRIM`s Classical Music Hour ... the music of the masters. 7 - 8 p.m., Big Band Serenade. The best in big band, swing & classic jazz Monday through Thursday 8 p.m. - 12 Midnight, Jazz in the Pines. Friday and Saturday 8 p.m. - 12 Midnight, T.G.I.F. & S. - Blues, Blues Rock and great Album Rock Sunday 6 - 9 a.m., Classical, Baroque and Renaissance 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., House Blend 4 - 5 p.m., The Arizona Music Scene 5 - 6 p.m., Local music spotlight Sunday 8 p.m. - 12 Midnight, Jazz in the Pines Saturday 6 a.m. - 2 p.m., The "Acoustic Siesta" ... our finest blend of acoustic music. 2 - 4 p.m., Bluegrass, Folk and Americana. 4 - 6 p.m., Reggae Under the Rim, Reggae & World Music Seven days a week 12 midnight - 6 a.m., The Night Shift ....Blues, Cool Jazz, Folk and Americana Don`t miss Thank You Thursdays and Flashback Fridays on Good Morning Payson, "Just Ask Lu" Wednesdays at 9 a.m., plus "Trivia Time," Fridays at 10 a.m. Copyright (c) 2002 The Payson Roundup, all rights reserved (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. FCC BLACKLISTS rfb FOR GOOD By IAN BISHOP Reformer Washington Bureau WASHINGTON -- Even with the community squarely behind them, operators of radio free brattleboro will never receive a federal broadcast license, federal regulators said Tuesday. http://www.reformer.com/Stories/0,1413,102~8862~1593867,00.html (Brattleboro Refoermer, Aug 27, via Jill Dybka, DXLD) http://www.thetranscript.com/Stories/0,1413,103~9054~1594492,00.html (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** U S A. ANNOUNCEMENTS Labor Day Specials, Monday (9/01) [UT -7] Songs that Work, 9 AM-Noon... An exploration of great American songwriting. Hosted by Liza Richardson. Work Song: A Labor Day Special, 1-4 PM... A look at American music that reflects life and work. Hosted by Rene Engel. Bob Hope: Thanks for the Memories, 4-5 PM... A remembrance of Bob Hope's life and career. Hosted by Susan Stamberg. The Music Makers: Gospel Into Soul, 7-9 PM... A private look behind the public persona of Patti LaBelle. Hosted by Whoopi Goldberg. Chocolate City, 9 PM-Midnight... A special three-hour edition. Hosted by Garth Trinidad (KCRW weekly previews via DXLD) HPFM, webcaster ** U S A. RADIO LISTENERS FACED WITH STATIC BY JULIEN GORBACH keysnews.com http://keysnews.com/285079715769926.bsp.htm Keys residents must wade through a sea of static at the left end of their radio dials because, for the past three years, a National Public Radio member station and a local Christian group have been at loggerheads over a federal license to transmit here. WLRN is the Miami-based station that carries NPR, the nearly 30-year- old, nonprofit content provider featuring news programs and talk shows. The station currently broadcasts to the Keys with four "translators"-- devices that are much less powerful than radio transmitters, and are rendered even less functional by the unique elongated geography of the islands. A person driving from Key West to Marathon has to switch channels three times to follow WLRN's broadcast, picking it up from the translators in Key West, Big Pine Key and Grassy Key. Christian radio listeners struggle with the same problem. Even in the areas where the translators are located, reception is uneven at best. On Feb. 17, 2000, WLRN applied for a license from the Federal Communications Commission to build a transmission facility in Marathon. Responding to the public notice, two more groups filed applications before the deadline, in late April and early May. The first was Broadcasting for the Challenged, a Memphis-based company. The second was Tower of Praise, a nonprofit based in Big Pine Key that has for years been interested in setting up a Christian radio station. All three groups are competing to transmit on 91.5, the last local channel that engineers have determined is still available for noncommercial broadcasts. The FCC never decided who should receive the license because its rules for judgment were challenged. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Washington, D.C. Circuit will hear the challenge next month. Regardless of the whether the rules are upheld or overturned, neither possibility promises good news for NPR fans in the Keys. Under the current system, Tower of Praise has the best shot at the license because the rules favor local applicants. If the rules are overturned, it would take about two years for a new system to be adopted, according to the FCC. WLRN manager Ted Eldredge said he has to explain the problem every day, when Keys residents call in to complain. With nearly 22 million listeners each week, NPR's audience equals the circulation of the top 42 American newspapers combined, according to NPR spokeswoman Jessamyn Sarmiento. "I am very frustrated," Eldredge said. "We have spent the best part of two years trying to find any alternative, and there is nothing that is affordable." Tower of Praise President Steve Lawes asked what National Public Radio was when he was reached about the issue. Lawes, the pastor at the Vineyard Fellowship Church in Big Pine Key, said he was under the understanding that his competitors were Broadcasting for the Challenged and the Miami-Dade school board. WLRN is licensed to the school board, and the board is the entity listed on the station's application. Eldredge said Tower of Praise had been unwilling to negotiate over the license, but Lawes said he knew nothing about negotiation attempts. "It's possible the lawyers all talked, I don't really know," he said. "I don't believe we have viewed ourselves as standing in anybody's way." Lawes believes the real problem is the lack of frequencies. He considers all three applicants legitimate, and said he would be willing to work with them to find a solution. "I am pretty amenable, I think," he said. Representatives of Broadcasting for the Challenged did not return numerous calls for comment. But the company, which has applied for hundreds of licenses nationwide, is generally willing to negotiate with its competitors, according to Marc Hand, managing director for Public Radio Capital, a nonprofit that assists public radio stations expand service by coordinating efforts on a national level (Keysnews.com via Jilly Dybka, DXLD) ** U S A. Public radio pioneer Phil Goodman, W5YVT, SK: Philip I. Goodman, W5YVT (ex-K4FXB), of Marietta, Georgia, died August 23. He was 70. Goodman was instrumental in establishing the Georgia Public Radio Network -- known formerly as Peach State Radio -- in 1985. The network now includes 15 stations statewide. An Amateur Radio operator since 1953, Goodman was an ARRL Life Member. He`d served as a communications officer in the US Navy and was an avid electronics enthusiast (ARRL August 27 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** U S A. MOVING DAY PART 3 A few months ago I wrote about stations moving on the radio dial to new frequencies. This month, I`m writing about stations that move in the traditional sense – from one city to another. These moves are usually trivial – moving from one suburb to another, etc.. But, occasionally the moves are significant. These changes can seriously affect your ability to DX certain frequencies. An example: WHTE-1690 is the expandedband permit for WDDD-810 Johnson City, Illinois. Johnson City is in extreme southern Illinois, roughly 80 miles southeast of St. Louis and roughly 300 miles south of Chicago. Obviously this station will not be a serious impediment to DXing 1690 in Chicago. Indeed, WHTE could actually be DX for a Chicago listener. However, WHTE has applied to move to Berwyn, Illinois. Berwyn is in northern Illinois; it actually borders on the city of Chicago. If the move is granted, 1690 won`t stay open in Chicago for long. AM moves are relatively simple. The station must show that it can operate with the requested power and antenna at the new location without interfering with other stations, and while providing a ``city grade`` signal across the new city. These are essentially the same conditions that would need to be met if a completely new station were proposed. Only one additional requirement is imposed: the move cannot deprive the original city of its only operating radio station. (WHTE has applied to move coöwned station WDDD-FM from Marion, Illinois, to Johnson City. This would ensure Johnson City would still have a radio station. Marion would still have WGGH-AM and WAWJ-FM.) For FM and television, another step is necessary. FM and TV stations can only be established on channels that are ``allotted`` to the community from which the station proposes to operate. For example, the owners of station WJOI-FM, Springfield, Tennessee, have applied to move the station to Oak Grove, Kentucky. Before they can move the station itself, they must move the station`s 94.3 FM allotment. Only after the new allotment is granted can the station apply to modify its license to specify the new city. It should be noted that translators and low-power TV stations are not required to use allotted channels. They may change city at will (provided interference-protection limits are met). As I noted above with regard to WHTE-1690, sometimes one change in one community triggers more changes. (Some recent moves in Alabama have triggered nearly a dozen changes in two states.) Often these ``cascading`` changes are purely administrative. In WHTE`s case, WDDD- FM already provides a ``city-grade`` signal to both its existing city (Marion) and the proposed new city. (Johnson City). The WDDD tower won`t move, and the station will remain on 107.3 FM. Chances are the only things that will change at WDDD-FM are the hourly identification announcement and the location of the ``public file.`` (Doug Smith, American Bandscan, Sept MONITORING TIMES via DXLD) ** U S A. AL FRANKEN: THROWING PUNCHES AND PUNCH LINES, by Howard Kurtz http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A56418-2003Aug27?language=printer (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. RADIO LAW: ANOTHER RF APPROACH TO ALERT MOTORISTS OF LOCAL EMERGENCIES SIDELINED The FCC`s Office of Engineering and Technology took only three days to dismiss the latest attempt to gain experimental access to broadcast frequencies for alerting motorists of nearby emergency situations. This time, TV Channel 7`s spectrum was in the cross hairs. The proponent was ``EVA,`` short for Emergency Vehicle Alert. While you won`t find this case mentioned in the FCC`s Daily Digest but the full scoop is available in cyberspace at http://www.earthsignals.com/add_CGC/EVA.htm (CGC via Amateur Radio Newsline Aug 29 via John Norfolk, DXLD)) ** U S A. RADIO INTERFERENCE CAUSES STATIC Local emergency communications hampered By JENNIFER FUNK, Staff writer PORT CLINTON [Ohio] -- Off and on interference on countywide emergency radio channels has prompted local Emergency Management Agency officials to ask for help from the federal government. Ottawa County EMA Director Jim Greer wants the Federal Communication Commission to pinpoint the source of the interference and "take the necessary steps to stop" it.. . . http://www.portclintonnewsherald.com/news/stories/20030827/localnews/140864.html (via Jilly Dybka, TN, DXLD) ** U S A. FCC INQUIRY TO STUDY TOWER IMPACT ON MIGRATORY BIRDS The FCC has initiated a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) to gather comment on the impact communications towers may have on migratory birds. ``One of the FCC`s critical responsibilities is to manage the expansion of communications towers in a way that best preserves the country`s environmental resources,`` the FCC said in a public notice. The NOI in WT Docket 03-187 appears focused primarily on commercial antenna support structures. The FCC said that it`s unaware of any studies sufficient to support a reliable estimate of the number of migratory birds that may have died as a result of collisions with communications towers. The NOI seeks comments and information on scientific research and other related data relevant to migratory bird collisions with communications towers. ``While some literature suggests that certain factors--such as tower height, lighting systems, type of antenna support structure, and location—may increase or decrease the hazards that towers pose to migratory birds, there does not appear to be systematic research on an adequate scale regarding exactly how and to what extent, if at all, these factors contribute to any risk to migratory birds,`` the FCC said. The NOI is available on the FCC Web site http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-03-205A1.doc Interested parties may file comments via the Electronic Comment Filing System http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/ ECFS (ARRL August 27 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** URUGUAY. See PARAGUAY ** VENEZUELA. Radio Amazonas ha sido escuchada en los 4939.66 kHz, a las 0345. Transmitía sólo vallenatos. SINPO 3/3. Inusual cierre a las 0404, ya que jamás está hasta tan tarde en onda corta. Con la ausencia de YVTO y de Radio Táchira del cuadrante, Radio Amazonas se convierte así en la única venezolana presente en la onda corta. (27/08). (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Yaesu FT-890, Antena TH3MK3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA. CONATEL: 200 PETITIONS TO START ALTERNATIVE COMMUNITY MEDIA STATIONS --- Venezuelan telecommunications regulatory body (Conatel) general director, Alvin Lozada reports that he has received around 200 petitions to set up community broadcast stations. "Currently there are 26 community stations on the air throughout Venezuela ... 20 are radio stations and the rest local TV channels." http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=10470 (via Jill Dybka, DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE. R. Netherlands Weekly Documentary, Sept. 3-6: Two years ago, the Zimbabwean government created the National Youth Service, allegedly to provide skills and teach patriotism to the southern African nation's youth. But the National Youth Service has a far more sinister goal: to intimidate and silence all opposition to President Robert Mugabe and his ruling ZANU-PF party. Former youth militia members recount the beatings, torture and murders they were forced to carry out. And victims speak of the youth militia's random and at times relentless persecution of anyone suspected of belonging to the opposition. Eric Beauchemin travelled undercover to Zimbabwe and reveals a chilling tale of brainwashing, political manipulation, and the undermining of an entire generation. Broadcast times (UT): Wed 10.00 (Pacific/Asia/Far East), 11.30 (Europe/East Coast USA), 12.30 (USA WRN), 13.30 (Europe WRN), 15.00 (Asia/West Coast USA), 18.00 & 19.30 (Africa), 21.00 (Europe), Thu 00.00 (North America), 04.00 (USA WRN) & 05.00 (North America), Fri 11.00 (Pacific/Asia/Far East/Europe/Eastern USA), 15.30 (Asia/West Coast USA), 19.00 (Africa), 21.30 (Europe), Sat 00.30 (North America) (RN weekly previews via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. unID - 5049.92 ARDS? 1153 8/29. YL talking, too weak to determine lang. If ARDS, down a bit from previous 5049.96. Something on 5050, also (John Wilkins, CO, Cumbre DX via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Estación de los 5134 kHz, en LSB, está definitivamente en portugués, aunque hay demasiada estática para identificarla. Captada a las 0341 UT (27/08). (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Yaesu FT-890, Antena TH3MK3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Luego: Hola Glenn, Ahora leyendo la lista me percato de que no es portugués. Sin embargo, las dos veces que lo he escuchado me ha parecido esa lengua. Lo que sí me extraña es que no usen el AM para las emisiones. ¿Desean cubrir más? Saludos, (Adán, ibid.) El uso principal --- si fuera Belarus` --- es para comunicaciones militares, también redifundiendo emisoras entre charlas para llenar la frecuencia y el tiempo (gh, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Re 6069.8v: Dear Noel, The programmes on 6020 and 6060 are not always the same. I noted the same program especially around 0700 or 0800, in relation to the 6069.8v. I listen at this moment at 2056 and 6060 is in // with 6069.7 with the religious network `A Voz da Libertacão`. At 2100 different program for a couple of minutes. From 2104 the same programme. According to `Radio List` published by DX Clube do Brazil, the station on this channel is ZYE765 R Capital from Rio de Janeiro also listed in a 2000 edition of TBL published by Willie H. Passmann. I only heard the ID on 6060 (Nicolás Eramo, Argentina, Aug 27 DSWCI DX Window Aug 29 via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Amigos DXistas en Conexión Digital! Consulta número 3: 6370.02 kHz - he tenido en esta frecuencia durante largo tiempo una estación no identificada, probablemente transmitiendo desde Brasil (hablando português de Brasil). Solamente he notado la estación en las mañanas entre aproximadamente 1000 - 1100 UT. Una señal bastante débil. ¿Algien en la lista sabe algo? (Bjorn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, Aug 29, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DRM +++ A couple of news items coming from the HFCC Conference: 1) There will be an NASB joint broadcast (of all members) in DRM and analog weekly, for 22 weeks, starting in the B03 season (probably the week of Oct. 26). More details soon. Also, NASB may make a proposal to host the first HFCC conference in the U.S. sometime in the not-too-distant future (Jeff White, FL, Aug 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I received this press release this morning by e-mail from MAYAH Communications... 2ND GENERATION RECEIVER FOR DIGITAL RADIO MONDIALE TO BE PRESENTED AT IFA IN BERLIN At the Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) in Berlin from August 29th to September 2nd, MAYAH Communications, leading developer of high quality solutions for the broadcasting and telecommunications market, will introduce the 2nd generation receiver for the new Digital Radio Mondiale standard. As joint development of MAYAH, Coding Technologies, Himalaya and AFG, the DRM2010 will be demonstrated at the ARD/DW/ZDF stand in hall 5.3/Stand 03 (technical and scientific forum of the IFA). The new DRM2010 is a multiband receiver for reception of Digital Radio Mondiale programs in the Long-, Medium-, and Short-wave bands, and is also supporting conventional FM and AM analog reception. As the successor of worlds first consumer DRM receiver as introduced by Coding Technologies in 2002, the DRM2010 is smaller and less expensive. MAYAH's general manager Detlef Wiese about the strategic goals: "This matches exactly our core business. We apply our know how in the professional transmission market to a consumer product. The DRM2010 applies newest technology and is an excellent opportunity to bring the next mile stone to the successful project of Digital Radio Mondiale. The co-operation with all involved partners has resulted in a very innovative digital receiver." For further info: http://www.mayah.com/content/press/releases/130803-drm.html (John Figliozzi, NY, Aug 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ AQUA FM TUNES IN THE POOL --- I.J. Hudson, Tech Reporter The swimming season is ending at a lot of pools, but not at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase YMCA, and we went there to try out the Aqua FM. It was developed by Amphicom, a French company specializing in underwater communications and marketed by Aqua Sphere. It's a snorkel with a built-in FM radio. . . http://www.nbc4.com/technology/2432053/detail.html What every DX'er needs. Now if only we can get one that picks up the BBC World Service!! (Message from Tom McNiff, DXLD) POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ireland looking at BPL ElectricNews.net http://www.enn.ie/frontpage/news-9372044.html reports that Irish Communications Minister Dermot Ahern has confirmed that the Irish government is launching a pilot program to deploy broadband Internet via electric power lines -- power line carrier communications (PLC) or what the FCC has dubbed ``BPL`` (Broadband over Power Line). The initiative -- part of a 50-million Euro project funded by the Communications Ministry -- would connect schools, homes and businesses in Tuam, County Galway. ``Powerline communications (PLC) systems have the potential to provide an alternative broadband infrastructure, which can compete with local fixed telephony, cable and wireless networks,`` Ahern said. The article asserts that PLC ``has been tested successfully`` in the US and Germany and that networks are operational in several areas. ``St Louis-based Ameren, for example, has been a leader in putting the technology in place and already thousands of people near the Missouri city are using PLC,`` says the article by Matthew Clark. It also notes that PLC trials are under way in Spain, Italy and Germany, while PLC is undergoing testing in Chile, Brazil and Singapore (ARRL August 27 via John Norfolk, DXLD) COMMENTARY ++++++++++ RUMORS OF DX DEATH GREATLY EXAGGERATED! Editorial by Doug Smith W9WI Tests of the new IBOC digital broadcasts have FM and mediumwave DXers nervous. Both AM and FM DXers are saying things like ``I`m going to catch all the DX now while I still can!`` I suppose some of you may wonder why there hasn`t been more concern expressed about IBOC in the pages of this magazine. Well, for one thing I don`t like to expend too much energy trying to change things I know can`t be changed... The LPFM (low power FM) proceedings made it obvious that when an industry with lobbyists wants something from government, they`ll likely get it. (I suppose scanner monitors can cite the ECPA and its amendments; and computer users can cite the DMCA.) If the National Radio Club can hire a team of Washington lobbyists, I suppose we might be able to stop IBOC. Somehow I doubt the NRC`s treasury could support such an effort. Existing broadcasters, and their lobbyists in the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), want IBOC. They seem to feel it`ll stem the gradual decline in radio listening by bringing CD-quality sound to the FM band and FM-quality sound to AM stations. Maybe more importantly, the IBOC system brings digital radio without changing the relative coverage areas of existing stations (unlike the Eureka system used in almost every other country that has digital radio). Radio hobbyists and media activists may try to stop IBOC, but without lobbyists bearing campaign contributions, I doubt they will have any effect. Why such a hullabaloo about IBOC? On the AM dial, the digital data is placed in the outer edges of the station`s assigned channel and in the adjacent channels. An analog station on 710 kHz occupies the area from 705 to 715 kHz; an IBOC station on 710 occupies 695-725. A listener with a good receiver can DX 700 and 720 even if he lives near an analog station on 710. If that analog station switches to IBOC, this listener will no longer be able to DX 700 or 720 kHz. On FM, IBOC stations do not spill into adjacent frequencies. However, they do occupy the outer portions of their existing channels. With analog, these areas are ``guard bands`` between stations. The effect is the same: it will prove impossible to DX frequencies adjacent to those used by IBOC stations. So chances are we will have IBOC in the United States. DXers have two choices: Live with it, or give up and take up a different hobby. DXers have learned to ``live with it`` before. Here are some of the developments that over the years have threatened to put an end to the DX hobby: • Seven-night-a-week AM broadcasting • The end of the typical midnight-6am silent period • Power increases on Class C channels, from 100 watts to 250 to 1,000 • FM • TV • Breakup of the ``clear`` channels • Radio Martí and the high-powered retaliatory broadcasts from Cuba • Docket 80-90 (which made hundreds of new FM stations and FM power increases possible) • Low-power TV • Low-power FM • The end of VHF TV in the U.K. • Blanket nighttime operating authority for most AM daytime-only stations • Internet ``radio`` • Cable TV • Satellite TV • Digital TV Yet the National Radio Club, International Radio Club of America, and Worldwide TV-FM DX Association are as strong as ever. People are still DXing. Sure, there are some things you can`t do anymore. You won`t hear California from the East Coast every night. You won`t log Hawaii with a table radio in St. Louis. Double-hop trans-continental TV skip is now a once-in-a-lifetime treat, not an annual event. Many (most) DXers don`t care. They get a thrill out of whatever they hear that`s new and unusual. Just in the last year, many DXers logged the Virgin Islands for the first time, thanks to the expanded AM band. The widespread adoption of unattended computer recording techniques have filled logs with new DX. Record-breaking 850-mile digital TV reception has been accomplished, and then surpassed when a digital TV signal was received via sporadic- E at a distance of over 1,050 miles. We have the first ever reliable report of reception of U.S. FM stations in Europe. And Australian DXers are receiving American UHF TV signals via reflection off the moon. DXers adapt. Wait and See Nor is it a foregone conclusion that IBOC will work. AM IBOC is still experimental; recent tests have left many participants unhappy with the ``codec`` – the software that ``tosses out`` redundant parts of the audio to make the data stream fit in the necessary bandwidth. Because of the adjacent-channel interference problems, the FCC is not allowing AM IBOC operation at night. For much of the year, commuters are driving home from work after sunset. These commuters are the most important radio audience. A digital radio system that doesn`t work at night isn`t going to work in the marketplace. Finally, IBOC is expensive for the station. At the very least, an expensive digital ``exciter`` is necessary. At many stations, the entire transmitter will need to be replaced. At some, an entire separate digital transmitter and antenna may be necessary. At AM stations, complete redesign of the antenna system may be required. Unlike AM and FM, IBOC is covered by patents. Those wishing to build IBOC receivers or transmitters must buy a patent license – and stations wishing to broadcast IBOC will also require this license. Many stations today (especially AM) can just barely afford to pay their existing bills. Extensive transmitter modifications and an IBOC patent license will be beyond their means. Many stations will remain analog. So, to be concise... IBOC digital broadcasting is coming. We can`t stop it. If it succeeds (and it may not), it will change domestic-band DXing. It will never eliminate it (Closing Comments, September MONITORING TIMES via DXLD) MUSEA +++++ HISTORY IN ACTION AT WTAG RADIO TOWERS Broadcast on site this Friday --- by Ria Megnin Holden --- For nearly 70 years, a small concrete building has kept watch over Shrewsbury Street and the WTAG-AM 580 radio towers broadcasting from its hill. This Friday, its doors will be open to the public for the first time in decades. A first-ever broadcast will be made from the site with WTAG`s "Breakfast Club" morning show stars Hank Stolz and Sherman Whitman. . . http://www.thelandmark.com/story.php3?story=6069 (Holden, MA, via Jill Dybka, DXLD) PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ VOICE OF AMERICA, A HISTORY --- BY ALAN HEIL Ask any shortwave listener the first station they heard, and chances are, they will respond ``Voice of America.`` Voice of America, A History, written by Alan L. Heil, Jr., is an in-depth history of the VOA`s founding in 1942 until its sixtieth anniversary. Mr Heil worked for the VOA from 1962 until he retired in 1998, serving (among other positions) as a foreign correspondent, chief of News and Current Affairs, and deputy director of programs. Using transcripts of radio broadcasts and numerous personal anecdotes, Heil has given the reader a closeup look into the major events of the past sixty years. The 540 pages provide a very interesting and enlightening story of the VOA through the wake of Pearl Harbor, the Cold War, the first steps on the moon, the Watergate scandal, civil war in Rwanda, and the intense drama of Tiananmen Square. Heil also relates the outbreak of HIV/AIDS in the 1980s, ethnic strife in the Balkans, the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and the continuing struggles in the Middle East. Alan Heil portrays the VOA as an organization continually underfunded and constantly struggling against congressional investigations, reorganization and leadership purges in an attempt to reshape VOA programming. This is a human history of the Voice of America, told by someone who has been there. The VOA, known by millions of people around the world, has delivered the news with fairness and accuracy. This insider`s story, now told to the world, should be on the shelf of anyone seeking a vivid look at events that shaped our history. Alan Heil reminds hobbyists how grand radio listening really is. Voice of America retails for $37.50. For additional ordering information, go to the Columbia University Press http://columbia.edu or ask at your local book store for ISBN (0-231-12674-3) Gayle Van Horn (What`s New, September MONITORING TIMES via DXLD) MONITORING TIMES EXPRESS The monthly magazine costs $26.95 a year in USA for hard copy, but only $19.95 for PDF. This may be downloaded either in low- or high- resolution, the latter running some 20 MB, but no problem with a cable modem or better. Only a few pages of the print magazine are slick, suitable for color, but some illustrations printed only in B&W show up in color on the PDF. MC, Visa, Discover accepted: 1-800-438-8155 toll free in US and Canada; elsewhere 1-828-837-9200; fax 828-837-2216; 7540 Hwy 64 W, Brasstown NC 28902. Or see http://www.monitoringtimes.com/html/mtexpress.html for info about a free sample (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ QST DE W1AW PROPAGATION FORECAST BULLETIN 35 ARLP035 From Tad Cook, K7RA Seattle, WA August 29, 2003 To all radio amateurs Sunspot counts were up this week, but so were geomagnetic indices. Average daily sunspot numbers rose 33% over last week and the average daily planetary A index was up 18%. Solar flux remained about the same. This week didn`t have an extremely stormy day, such as August 18 last week, but the higher A indices were sustained through the week. Active geomagnetic conditions declined through the week, with the most active days August 21-23 (our reporting week runs Thursday through Wednesday). The active days started August 21 because that is when the earth entered a high-speed solar wind, which continued over the next few days. The moderate conditions should continue through this weekend. The latest reading predicts a planetary A index of 12 for August 29-31, Friday through Sunday. Monday has a predicted planetary A index of 10, but Tuesday, September 2 may become active again, based upon recurring conditions from the previous rotation of the sun. Solar flux is expected to remain around 125 through September 1, and then rise gradually to around 135 for September 3-4. The days are getting shorter, and soon it will be the fall DX season, bringing better conditions. The higher frequencies should be opening during the day and 80 and 40 meters will open earlier and more reliably after dark. As an example, over the path from California to Japan, a month ago 10 meters offered no reliable communication. Currently 10 meters may have an opening on some days from around 2100-0430z. But around the equinox, the same California to Japan path on 10 meters looks quite good, with much stronger signals and reliable openings from 2130 to 0130z. On the new 60 meter band from California to Georgia, a month ago signals were very strong from sundown on the west coast until sunrise at the east end. Strongest signals would be from 0400-1030z, with reasonable openings as early as 0130 and as late as 1230z. Currently the strongest signals should run from around 0330-1100z, with possible openings from 0030-1300z. Around the third week in September, strongest results should be from 0300-1100z, with openings generally good from 0000-1330z. September will also have much lower atmospheric noise on the lower frequencies. One caveat about the equinox. During this phase of the solar cycle, although HF propagation should be better, there is also a greater chance of severe geomagnetic storms and aurora. This is because around late September the interplanetary magnetic field near earth tips far to the south. This makes the earth vulnerable to solar wind. For more on the interplanetary magnetic field and how it affects geomagnetic conditions, see http://spaceweather.com/glossary/imf.html For more information on propagation and an explanation of the numbers used in this bulletin see the Propagation page on the ARRL Web site at http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html Sunspot numbers for August 21 through 27 were 86, 126, 125, 132, 146, 124, and 116, with a mean of 122.1. 10.7 cm flux was 119.2, 120.9, 120.2, 116.4, 116.5, 120.8, and 125.7, with a mean of 120. Estimated planetary A indices were 53, 43, 44, 24, 21, 14, and 13, with a mean of 30.3. Copyright © 2003, American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved (ARRL via John Norfolk, DXLD) ABSOLUTELY FREE, IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN, FOR ALL RADIO HOBBYSTS AROUND THE WORLD... LA NUMBER UNO, ARNIE CORO'S DXERS UNLIMITED'S HF PLUS LOW BAND VHF PROPAGATION UPDATE AND FORECAST.... Solar flux still hovering around 120 units, and the A index still at rather high figures due to the most recent geomagnetic disturbances...The last week of August will take us into September, the month of the auroras in the northern hemisphere, so be prepared for some very interesting aurora E skip, and the classic auroral curtain reflection that is so noticeable on the 6 and 2 meter amateur bands (Prof. Arnie Coro A., CO2KK, RHC DXers Unlimited Aug 26, via Bob Chandler, VE3SRE, ODXA via DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-155, August 28, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser 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 later at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd3h.html For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn DX LISTENING DIGEST JULY HTML ARCHIVE IS NOW COMPLETE: http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd3g.html NEXT AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1197: WWCR: Thu 2030 15825, Sat 1030, Sun 0230 5070, 0630 3210, Wed 0930 on 9475 RFPI: Sat 0130, 0800, 2330, Sun 0530, 1130, Mon 0030, 0630, 1230, Wed 0100, 0730, 1330 on 7445 [nominal times subject to delay or pre- emption] WRMI: Sat & Sun 1800+ on 15725 WINB: Sun 0031 on 12160 [for last time] WRN: Rest of world Sat 0800, Europe Sun 0430, N America Sun1 1400 WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO [also for CONTINENT OF MEDIA, MUNDO RADIAL]: Check http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1197h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1197h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1197.html [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1197.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1197.ram WORLD OF RADIO WATCH WMQM 1600 Memphis: no longer carried after August 23; had been Sat 1530 UT since the station went on last November. WINB 12160 Red Lion: the UT Sun 0031 time is cancelled after August 31. A replacement time is being considered. SOLICITED TESTIMONIALS Re: Listening to WOR. I always run a tape of WOR on its first airing on WBCQ at 2200Z Wednesdays. Typically I'll tune the Satellit 800 to 7415 at 2030Z, pop in a 120-minute cassette into an auto-reverse deck, and let it go. I then listen to the last 30 minutes of the cassette later in the evening. The 800 has 'line out' jacks that allows very good tape recordings to be made. An alternate is to program a VCR I have set up in the shack (an old model that doesn't require a TV screen to program). I often listen to the WWCR "DX hour" 0200Z Saturday nights, and notice the audio quality on both DX Partyline and WOR is better that the respective HCJB/WBCQ broadcasts; there is a slight 'resonance' to the audio and seems to enhance the listening quality. Don't know exactly what they do it but it is better. 73s (Ben Loveless, WB9FJO, Michigan) As to when I listen to WOR, my most common time to listen is the Sunday 0230 UT (0330 UT in winter) on WWCR-5070. I occasionally listen to the first run on WBCQ-7415 (2200 UT summer/2300 UT winter), but don't always get home from work in time to do so. Yesterday (27 Aug.) I did get home in time, but 7415 wasn't in at all, and I'm wondering if the transmitter was even on the air (The 17 MHz frequency almost always skips over us here). 73- (Bill Westenhaver, Montréal) I was barely able to confirm 7415 was on then, but not 17495 (gh) ** ANTARCTICA. LRA-36 DX Special, UT Aug 28 on 15476 at 0100: Let the fun begin! Sign on at 0100 with ballad by OM, then IDs at 0104. SINPO 34343. 15475.9 kHz. Lots of IDs up till 0111 when there is extended talk in Spanish by YL. Her voice sounds distorted, possible microphone problems? [Later:] 15475.95, LRA36 R. Nacional Arcángel San Gabriel, *0100-0205. At 0100, opened with a ballad by a male, then alternating IDs by a man and woman at 0104. Brief pop music, then more IDs. SINPO during the first 10 minutes was 34343. Long talk in Spanish by a female at 0111, however her voice was distorted. More ID's and pop music excerpts. By 0116 the signal had degraded to SINPO 24332. Another program or feature by a male at 0142. Although I couldn't hear any audio after 0200, their carrier was still on at 0205. The signal was consistently best on my 150 foot longwire pointed south. Thanks to Gabriel Iván Barrera and Arnaldo Slaen for making this special transmission possible (George Maroti, Mt. Kisco NY, Cumbre DX via DXLD) No joy on the west coast, nothing but static (Don Nelson, OR, Cumbre DX via DXLD) No joy in Wyoming either (Hans Johnson, Cody, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Nothing heard from LRA36 on 15476 0100-0200Z last night, band was pretty dead anyway. Used a Grundig Satellit 800 & Kenwood TS450 ham rig with multiband ham dipole 30' elevation, to no avail (Ben Loveless, WB9FJO, Michigan, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Nothing in central Illinois but static (Ron Trotto, Waggoner, Illinois, wdx4kwi, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Had a very weak carrier from tune-in slightly after 0100 to well past 0200 UT Aug 28, with occasional bits of audio, but it was on 15475, not 15476, so must have been something else, such as R. Rossii, Irkutsk, beamed 60 degrees (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I'm getting a het and the Lowe sync whine indicates a signal is there, but I don't seem to be getting any audio. Sometimes I think I hear voices, but that's another problem entirely. :-) Seriously, it sounds like a woman's voice at times. Signal (if that's what it is) is weakening with time. Barely there at 0140 (John Figliozzi, Halfmoon, NY (halfway between NYC and Montreal) Lowe HF-150 "stack" A/D sloper oriented west to east, hard-core-dx via DXLD) I heard some first traces of the audio (woman's voice as well!) at about 0113, but at once it became clear that the station is not LRA36. The carrier was on 15475 kHz sharp (not several hundred Hz above as typical for ARG). Well, it turned to be Radio Rossii via Irkutsk, scheduled on 15475 kHz at 2230-1000, 100 kW. Signal was gradually strengthening, leaving no chance to find a weak Argentinian. I'm located in Kazan, Russia, 49 E / 56 N 73's, (Dmitry Mezin, hard-core- dx via DXLD) LRA36, Radio Nacional Arcángel, 15476. The special transmission was mostly a bust here in Maryland, USA. The signal was barely over the noise floor S1. I heard bits and pieces of a man and a woman talking and a couple of times, possible music. 0100-0200 28 Aug 2003. I appreciate the effort to put this special transmission on and hope we can have another chance in the future (Bill Harms, MD, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15474.90, LRA36, *0100 past 0128 (recheck) Aug. 28. Noted at 0100 with instrumental ballad sign-on, followed with announcements by male speaker at 0101, with long talks. Signal was just above the noise level and best heard on the sloper pointed due south. Rechecked at 0128 and heard a female with talks in Spanish (?) but audio was either distorted or they had a bad audio feed or something else. Signal was poor to marginal at best (Edward Kusalik, Alberta, Canada. Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) The exact frequency you give contradicts all the others, and LRA36`s usual position close to 15476, leading me to believe you were actually listening to Irkutsk, like me (gh, DXLD) I confirm that LRA36 was on the air on 28 August from *0100-0223*, according to personal communications with Base Esperanza. 73's GIB (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Argentina, DXing.info via DXLD) Perhaps you also need to confirm the exact frequency actually used on this occasion (gh, DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. Ich bekam soeben von Gabriel Ivan Barrera die folgenden Zeilen, nachdem ich ihm mitgeteilt hatte, dass die deutsche Sendung von RAE Buenos Aires z. Zt. nicht gehoert werden kann. Hier die deutsche Uebersetzung: "Rayen Braun hat zur Zeit gesundheitliche Probleme, durch (aphonia) hat sie ihre Stimme verloren, und sie wird zu der deutschen Sendung von R.A.E. zurueck kehren. Deswegen wird voruebergehend Spanisch statt Deutsch ausgestrahlt. Es ist sehr schwer, (in Buenos Aires) jemanden zu finden, der die deutsche Sprache sehr gut spricht, z. Zt. ist kein Ersatz fuer Rayen in Sicht." Currently Rayen Braun is with some health problems, she is having lost one's voice (aphonia), and she will return ASAP to German transmissions in RAE. Currently RAE is relaying Spanish programs in the meantime. And as final comments, here in Argentina is very difficult meet some people that speak very well the German language and Rayen currently have not replacement (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Argentina, via Uwe Volk, Germany, A-DX Aug 27 via BC-DX via DXLD) Strange; I thought the place was replete with German immigrants (gh) ** AUSTRALIA. NEW VOICE SPANS CULTURAL CHASM By Nicolas Rothwell, August 28, 2003 http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,7063442%255E7582,00.html When Richard Trudgen, a bushy bearded self-taught development expert, first arrived in north-east Arnhem Land he began to realise he was witness to the unfolding of a social crisis. It took two decades, though, before he came to his latest idea. He has just set up Australia's most shoestring media empire in a bid to change the pattern of turbulence in the indigenous communities around him. Trudgen, a driven figure who prefers results to theories, achieved fame three years ago when he published Why Warriors Lie Down and Die, an unsparing account of dysfunction in Arnhem Land, backed up by concrete proposals for remedies. On August 1, the most dramatic of his schemes to change remote communities fired into life: a short-wave radio station beamed across the vast eastern Top End, and covering with its footprint five communities and 90 outstations, or "homelands". "I said once," remembers Trudgen, "that I would crawl backwards naked down Pitt Street to get this radio service up – and that's almost what it took." The group Trudgen works with, Aboriginal Resource and Development Services, raised funds wherever it could, eventually securing some $280,000 for the basic operation, which sends out an exiguous signal, at one wavelength around the clock, from a transmitter station on Darwin's fringes, at Humpty Doo. The key to the idea, in keeping with Trudgen's arguments about development, is language. What's different about this station is that it provides its programs in the local Aboriginal language, Yolngu-matha. Its name, Djawarrkmirr Radio, comes from a word that once meant "town crier" in the dialects of Arnhem Land. Initial programs consist of detailed explanations of the diseases afflicting the Yolngu people of the region, discussions of economic topics, even local news. The aim is to turn the programming into a full-scale, language-based information network, with intensive participation from remote communities. "Our potential studio is as big as the telephone network," insists Trudgen. "People can participate from their homelands – everything said in English is translated at once into Yolngu-matha." For the team at ARDS, which has effectively turned itself into an independent media operator, radio is the way to unblock the failures of the system -- to empower and educate Aboriginal communities, not just in Arnhem Land but across the remote Centre and North. Trudgen's analysis of the crisis in traditional communities is still contentious, even though Why Warriors was enthusiastically circulated to the federal Cabinet when it first appeared. His view is that remote-area people are held back in great part because their language and conceptual schemes hinder them from grasping Western ideas and information: translation into their language is, then, the key to practical education, training and development. His book is a manifesto of his convictions: the radio network is a means to test them in practice. There are, unsurprisingly, teething problems. Broadcast systems have been allowed to decay in some areas, so relays are impossible; the short-wave signal is not ideal, since short-wave radio ownership is far from universal, and word the system is on air has yet to reach all target areas. Trudgen, though, believes he has the future in his grasp, if only he can spread his gospel: "Our aim is this: To educate the adult population to understand the world. If we can turn the adults, whose training has been neglected, into effective teachers of contemporary knowledge, then we will have 2000 informal instructors in the Yolngu world." For such teaching to be effective, it needs to be conducted in the special academic version of Yolngu-matha, which Trudgen does not speak well. Help from his partner in the project, Uniting Church minister Djiniyini Gondarra, is critical. But support from circles which might be expected to be supportive has yet to eventuate. The federal and Northern Territory governments pay lip service, but appear to regard the radio network as an alarming freelance intrusion into their spheres of operation: Trudgen, after all, envisages the creation of a vast "virtual classroom" with an alternative syllabus, and is scathing about current service delivery to the remote world. Trudgen's dream first took shape in a conversation with an old Yolngu friend 20 years ago, and has been expanding ever since. The game-plan now is to turn the signal into an AM/FM one, and to be ready for upgrade to satellite-to-digital-radio transfer, which would allow crystal-clear reception anywhere, and cost some $750,000 to establish. A high price tag for a shoestring operation, but next to nothing set against the vast sums poured into official development schemes in Arnhem Land. And Trudgen has more in store: an 1800 number for listener call-backs, even an expansion of the venture to other language groups in remote Australia. "If Aboriginal people across Australia whose second language is English could hear this signal now," he insists, "they'd be jumping up with joy and glee." (via Andy Sennitt, WORLD OF RADIO 1197, DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. ABC RADIO STAFF THREATEN ACTION OVER RIGHT TO PUBLISH By Barney Zwartz August 27, 2003 URL: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/08/26/1061663794344.html I'm not sure what times "The Religion Report" is broadcast on RA. However, I believe it's still on CBC Overnight Thursdays at 2:30 AM (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. HCJB WORLD RADIO-AUSTRALIA LAUNCHES URDU BROADCASTS Posted by: newsdesk on Monday, August 25, 2003 - 12:56 PM For the first time, HCJB World Radio began airing programs in the Urdu language July 21, making additional Christian broadcasts available to more than 80 million speakers across South Asia. Urdu speakers live mostly in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Malaysia. The programs air from HCJB World Radio-Australia`s new shortwave site in Kununurra, ``The Voice of the Great Southland.`` Director of Ministries Dennis Adams says initial response to the half- hour programs, which air each morning and evening Monday-Saturday, has been positive. ``Since we started the Urdu broadcasts we have heard from Lahore, Pakistan, that various groups have been formed to listen to the broadcasts, followed by a time of discussion. That`s exciting news!`` The programs complement longtime Urdu broadcasts to the region from Christian organizations such as FEBA Radio and Trans World Radio. Urdu is the first language other than English to air from the Kununurra site. The Urdu program, called ``Danish Kadah,`` was commissioned by partner ministry Asia Aflame Network and produced by Pakistan Christian Radio Ministries. ``The program content is arranged into modules designed to teach Christian doctrines to believers and help in church planting,`` Adams says. Asia Aflame has organized an extensive follow-up network to respond to listeners` needs. The Urdu broadcasts began about six months after the Kununurra station went on the air in January in English. The English programs have attracted a loyal audience across the region with hundreds of listeners responding via letters and e-mails from throughout the South Pacific and South Asia. ``Our English programming is designed to provide a balance that moves between pre-evangelism, evangelism and Bible teaching,`` says Adams. ``There are programs that focus on the various cultures such as the music of Asia, the Pacific, New Zealand and Australia. We also have an Australian country music program, a tourism program called `Destinations,` and special programming for teenagers and younger children.`` ``The next language to go on the air is most likely Hindi, probably in April 2004,`` Adams says. ``Other languages will probably not go on the air until we have a second transmitter. Hopefully this will be sooner rather than later! We`re hoping to begin 2.5 hours of morning broadcasts to East Asia before the end of this year, subject to the completion of a new antenna.`` (HCJB World Radio, press release Aug 27 via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. Emisora andina en 4905.56 kHz, a las 0239 UT, el 23/08. Locutor en evento público --- música de fondo --- menciones de la comunidad de Candelaria. Later: No había identificado: Radio San Miguel, en los 4905.56 kHz, captada el 23/08 (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Riberalta (gh) 4906, Radio San Miguel, 0915-0930 Aug 27. Noted a man in Spanish comments, IDing and presenting musical selections. It looks like the station has settled on 4906 kHz rather than the 4905.50 frequency they were using the other day. Hopefully, the station will not slowly creep up the band to their old frequency over time? Signal here was fair (Bolland, Chuck, Clewiston Florida, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Desde la mañana del 18 de agosto 2003 es audible en la nf de 4905.4 variable a 4906.4 hasta hoy día 28 de agosto, Radio San Miguel, Riberalta, Bolivia, que había estado en los 4930.0 hasta la mañana del 16 de agosto 2003. Con ésta son 33 las variaciones de frecuencia que RSM tuvo hasta ahora y que se ubican en el rango de 4905 a 4930 kcs desde septiembre 1992 en que es audible en la banda de 60 metros (ex- 3310 hasta agosto 1992), siendo 2003 el año de la variación de mayor magnitud (4905v a 4930) = 25 kcs. Anteriormente el año de la mayor variación había sido 1998 con 5 kcs. Supera como saltarina del dial y en magnitud de rango de frecuencias a la otra muy variable Radio Huanta 2000 del Perú. Glenn, deseche mi info si hay otra con más datos estadísticos y precisiones. Chau (Emilio Pedro Povrzenic (pronúnciese Povéryenich, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. Re Guarujá log on 5054: Mark, do you mean 5045 on this one, as reported by others previously?? (Glenn to Mark Mohrmann, via DXLD) Yes Glenn, it is a typo. 5045 is correct. Thanks (Mark Mohrmann, VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. ¿Por qué se repetirá la peruana de 6020.34 kHz, en 6060.19 kHz, a eso de las 0530 UT? (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Already discussed recently as a Brazilian, carrying the ubiquitous Voz de la Liberación gospel huxter program in Portuñol; or did you check on two receivers to confirm they were synchronized, in parallel? (gh) ** CAMBODIA. 11939.4-11940.1, National R, Phnom Penh, *1155 open carrier, *1200-1235v*, Aug 05-14, reactivated with programs in Khmer, maybe only for tests. Also heard with open carrier *2355 and program from *0000. They start with a national hymn, ID and pieces of an instrumental National Anthem. The program length varies - the longest lasted 35 minutes. There are still modulation problems and drift in frequency. Weak signal with splatters from 11945 (Roland Schulze, Mangaldan Pangasinan, Philippines, direct, BC-DX Aug 11; and DSWCI DXW via BC-DX via DXLD) ** CHINA. China Radio International 0900-1100 Pacific broadcast in English was heard August 27th on 15210, not moved to 15250 as reported last month (Mike Barraclough, UK, Sept World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** CONGO. Radio Congo en francés, a las 0534 UT, el 26/08, en los 4765 kHz. Tenía mucho tiempo sin oírla en esa frecuenca. "Golpeaba" bastante a Radio Kaduna en 4770 kHz. Llevo varios días sin poder escucharla en 5985 kHz, luego de que Family Radio deja el canal libre por unos minutos entre las 0445-0455 UT (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF BROADCASTING IN CUBA Manolo de la Rosa Hernández, Radio Havana Cuba Emma Almeda and Manolo de la Rosa from Radio Havana Cuba [caption] In 1922, in the month of October, station PWX was officially inaugurated by the Cuban Telephone Company, subsidiary of ITT. So began the first radio transmissions in Cuba. Since its beginning, this station and the others that came later were modeled after U.S. stations; that is, they were created as private entities without government participation. In 1934, with the penetration of great amounts of U.S. capital, radio achieved a high degree of development, and stations of considerably high powers began to be installed. This was necessary because commercial announcements filled the stations, almost all from the United States, because the large consortiums had sufficiently penetrated the economy of our country and took the place of any local advertisers. This occurred from 1930 to 1940 -- the commercial era. The decade of 1940-1950 was characterized by the appearance of large national radio networks, commercial competition between production companies and broadcasting plants, as well as the appearance of advertising agencies. This period was known as the monopoly, and it lasted from 1940 to 1959, when the Revolution took place. In the decade of the 1950s, a new phenomenon appeared that strengthened the development of the radio monopoly: television. This, without doubt, reduced the radio audience, especially in the nighttime hours. Nevertheless, by that time Cuba had reached a considerable development of radio broadcasting in comparison with the rest of Latin America. By the date that I mentioned -- 1950-1959 -- only two countries in Latin America had more stations (including repeaters of the national networks) than Cuba. These were Mexico and Brazil, which of course are much larger countries, geographically, than ours. Cuba had 156 stations, while Brazil had 630 and Mexico had 417. An interesting piece of information is that before the Revolution, 30 percent of the stations in the country were located in the capital, Havana. There were 31 stations in the city of Havana, and only one on the Island of Pines, now known as the Isle of Youth. There were four national networks: CMQ, CNC (Circuito Nacional Cubano), Unión Radio and Cadena Oriental de Radio. These four national networks, along with the rest of the local stations that operated in Havana, made up 64 percent of the country`s stations, principally in the provinces of Oriente and Las Villas. The mountainous areas of the country did not receive signals from these national networks because they were not fundamentally interested in that population, which did not have the economic power to buy products that were advertised in the capital. From the triumph of the Cuban Revolution on January 1, 1959 until May of 1962, radio and TV went through a brief transitional stage in which the media were transferred from private to state ownership. On May 24, 1962, law number 1030 of the Council of Ministers of Cuba created the Cuban Institute of Radio Broadcasting (ICR) an organization whose object was to control and operate all radio and TV broadcasts in Cuba. In 1976, as a consequence of acts by the First Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba, a new political-administrative structure was applied to the country, and the radio and television stations gained a new administrator called the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television (ICRT). On May 1, 1961, the shortwave station Radio Havana Cuba was created. Today, Cuban radio has six national networks: Radio Rebelde, Radio Progreso, CMBF Radio Musical Nacional, Radio Reloj, Radio Enciclopedia and Radio Taíno. Altogether, there are 71 stations. There are 18 provincial stations, and the rest are in the cities. There are 104 municipal studios, which are like stations without a transmitter. There are 1,130 hours of transmissions daily. Each day 3,011 programs are aired. Thirty-eight percent of the programming is news; 38.3% is music; 14.4% is varied programming; and 9.1% is radio drama. All national stations have their own web pages. They broadcast on AM and FM. Radio Rebelde also broadcasts some hours in the morning and at night on shortwave for Central America. Radio Havana Cuba broadcasts to the world on shortwave in nine languages. The AM and FM transmitters in the country are able to cover 98% of the nation`s territory. Television, for its part, has two national channels -- one called Cubavisión, and the other Channel 2 Telerebelde. There is a third channel which is educational, and very shortly a fourth channel -- also educational -- will be inaugurated (presentation at Mexican DX Encuentro via Jeff White, Sept NASB Newsletter via DXLD) Party line ** CUBA [and non]. Radio Martí only exists because wealthy Cubans have bought several congressmen over the past couple of decades in the US. Radio Martí is probably the worst possible example of how to engage in international broadcasting. It has hateful and racist overtones that a member of the US KKK can only explain (Max Power, WA, hard-core-dx via DXLD) I haven`t listened that closely. How is it racist? Cubans, whether dentro or fuera are multi-racial (gh, DXLD) Yawn..... We can only hope the Church of Fidel doesn't last any longer than its pontiff.... Here in Florida, the jammers of the most enlightened regime's Operación Titano seem to be winning on HF, mostly obliterating Martí, plus everything +/- 50 kHz, not to mention empty harmonics of Martí frequencies. Their MW counterparts stay busy also. One curious blobmitter blasts away at 820 kHz, and has for a few years now, with no evident clue as to what the target station might possibly be. The 1160 Radio Swan/ Americas jammer stayed on the air 15 years after that particular racist KKK station left the air, so targetless jamming might simply be a sign of utter centrally-planned incompetence on the part of the operators. All that notwithstanding, I'm curious as to which race Radio Martí might be overtoning against (David Crawford, Titusville FL, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Super Q (4959.86) también se escucha hasta bien entrada las 0430 UT; lo malo es que un emisor de la VOA también está en ese mismo canal a partir de las 0400 UT, si no me equivoco (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) São Tomé ** ECUADOR. Radio Quito ha estado ausente de su frecuencia por un largo tiempo. A menos por acá no se le pude captar en 4919 kHz. Hace un año envié un reporte de recepción a radioquito@elcomercio.com y todavía espero por la QSL (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Continued under KOREA SOUTH ** ERITREA [non]. Voix of Democratic Eritrea, le 25-08-2003 de 1700 à 1800 UT sur 15670 kHz, SINPO 43334. Des informations en langues locales et à 1725 de la musique régionale et à 1830 changement de langue (Mohamed Kallel, Sfax, Tunisia, FRG-7700 + 20M, Aug 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE. According to the homepage http://www.cielradio.com/ the French private radio broadcaster Ciel AM will open the mediumwave service on Paris 981 kHz, 5 kW already in August 2003. The Paris suburb/region transmitter location of Alfortville has not been used for any mediumwave service in the past. In September 2003 the common transmission wave of 1161 kHz will follow: Strasbourg Selestat ([maximum usable power of] 1000 kW, screening of 63 kW towards 90-130 degrees Bulgasria/Egypt. ITU plan shows maximum power radiation towards 20 degrees at 28-30 dB, minimum reduction of 14dB to Bulgaria/Egypt at 120 degrees, and of 10 dB towards UK at 300 degrees). And Toulouse 1161 kHz, 160 kW, will follow soon. [maximum power radiation at 22.1 dB] The given power figures are REGISTERED maximum usable carrier power in kilowatt, but don't reflect the present situation at the site. Instead TDF uses the transmtiter installations at Selestat with 200 [300, wb] kW and Toulouse with 100 kW of power. Until Dec 31, 1996 TDF did spread out the France Inter program from both sites (Dr. Hansjoerg Biener, Germany, Kai Ludwig, Germany, ntt Aug 15 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** GERMANY. Among the few changes asterisked in an 8/19 revision of the T-Systems = DTK schedule is something called AWH = Allerweltshaus Köln e.V. – another gospel huxter? Maybe not, unless a front; appears to be some kind of inter-cultural organisation as the name implies (gh) 17555 1500 1530 48 106 145 217 3456 030903 261003 JUL 100 AWH * 17555 1500 1559 48 106 145 217 17 030903 261003 JUL 100 AWH * (via Alokesh Gupta, India, Aug 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) So it`s Tue-Fri for half an hour, Sat and Sun for a full hour, silent on Mon, Starting Sept 3. Here`s their website I found: http://www.allerweltshaus.de/ where one thinks one is led to a welcome statement in English, but only gets this for a starter, nothing found about imminent brodcasts: Das Allerweltshaus Köln e.V. gibt es seit 1987. Als private Initiative von engagierten Einzelpersonen gegründet betreiben wir seit 13 Jahren ein interkulturelles Begegnungszentrum in Köln-Ehrenfeld und machen entwicklungspolitische Bildungs- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit. Schwerpunkte unserer Arbeit sind die Bekämpfung von Rassismus und einer Politik der sozialen Ausgrenzung. . . (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1197, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. 177 AM/DRM simulcast Today I finally had time to listen to 177 while running AM/DRM simulcast mode and to compare it with the AM-only 177 reverted back to around 1400. The digital component was obvious when tuning to 175 and 179, and also when tuning to 177 some background hiss remained audible. I also found the AM audio more muffled than otherwise, just as it was described from preliminary tests done on 855 in spring. In general the signal was weaker than in AM-only. Klaus Schneider gives on his http://www.drm-dx.de page 125 kW with a question mark; well, I would say this figure as AM carrier power would indeed fit to the observed signal level. Altogether the degradation of reception quality with this mode is quite obvious, and in general I got a feeling that the lively disputed IBOC in the USA must be of a quite similar appearance, although I guess the digital component of an IBOC signal is much more aggressive than the rather mild one on 177. A picture of the longwave transmitter inaugurated at Zehlendorf in 1999 can be seen at http://www.telefunken-sendersysteme.de/Produkte/AM_Sender/am_sender.html Behind the new transmitter what appears to be one of the three 250 kW PA stages of the old beast from 1956/1958 (which I understand is kept as a stand-by), in the left of the picture some pre-stages of the old rig. Also 693 was on in DRM today, as was Berlin-Britz 855. 603 is too weak here to say whether or not the simulcast mode was tested there, too. By the way, I couldn't detect any signal on 171. No more Radio Rossii from Bolshakovo? Bitrate of the DRM component on 177 today was a mere 13.2 kbps (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Aug 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HONDURAS. Hondureña reactivada en 3340 kHz, la cual capté el 22/08, a las 0004 UT, con un sermón religioso. SINPO 2/2 (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, WORLD OF RADIO 1197, DX LISTENING DIGEST) R. Misiones Internacionales as just reported here, 2/3 x 5010 ** INDIA. AIR Bangalore Home Service on 10330 kHz in Hindi. For those listeners that enjoy music from India, listen to this frequency from 0030 UT (6:00 am local India time). Reception has been excellent here recently during the first half hour to one hour of transmission with delightful music. For example on Thursday August 28, carrier was on at 0015 UT. IS (same haunting melody as on External Service) was on at 0024 UT. A song at 0026 UT (is it the national anthem?). Spoken word at 0027 UT in Hindi; kilohertz was mentioned. Music at 0028 UT and man reading the news (I presume) at 0030 to 0035 UT. The rest of the broadcast audible here was music. No English was heard. Initially the signal was like a local at S20 to S30. By 0120 UT it was S9 and by 0140 UT it was very poor and soon faded out after that. The same quality of reception has been heard on previous nights this week. According to "The Shortwave Guide" Volume 2 the power is 500 kW, and it certainly sounded like it during the first hour. This out of band frequency is probably overlooked by many DXers, but it is worth listening to at present, at least here in Ottawa (Bernie O'Shea, Ottawa, Ontario, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. 4870.90, RRI Sorong, 0938-1015. Noted program of music with a woman in Indonesian comments. At 1000 news, then back to music etc. Signal was fair to poor. This was on while RRI Wamena was also broadcasting - see below. 4869.95, RRI Wamena, 1000-1015. Tuned in at 1000 and noted steady music. As time passed, the signal improved, Using two receivers for this logging and hearing Sorong from one and Wamena the other. Signal was fair (Chuck Bolland, August 27, 2003, Clewiston Florida, USA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. Hi Glenn, just received via the NDB list... Hi All: Got this item from our local amateur radio reflector. If anyone hears it, a one-watt beacon from Mars would be "serious DX," even if that planet is now exceptionally close to ours (I observed Mars last night and could easily see its disc in 16x80 binoculars). 73, Andy Robins KB8QGF, Kalamazoo, Michigan USA MARS RELAY TRANSMITTER TEST SET (AUG 27, 2003) -- UNTIL AUGUST 29 NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) -- in cooperation with the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) -- will conduct a test of the Mars Relay transmitter aboard the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft now orbiting Mars. During the test, the spacecraft will transmitting a 1 W CW signal on 437.1 MHz for reception by the 46 meter dish at SRI. Amateurs with 70 cm EME-class stations using DSP techniques also may be able to detect this signal. ARRL member Andrew Bachler, N9AB, in Illinois was able to detect a similar transmitter aboard Mars Odyssey while it was on its way to Mars in June 2001 (see also, "New solar system record set"). This test will be somewhat more challenging as MGS will be 3 times further away. "MGS will be entering and exiting occultation--blockage by Mars with respect to Earth -- with each 118-minute orbit," says John Callas of JPL. "Furthermore, its UHF antenna -- with about 0 dBi of gain, EIRP ~30 dBm -- will only be viewable from Earth for a few minutes just before ingress and just after egress as it orbits." Callas says the viewing window is between five and 15 minutes. Details of the test timeline are available on the KM1P Welcome Page. Antenna pointing information can be generated with JPL's HORIZONS system. Announcements and discussions are available on the mars-net e-mail reflector. To join the list, send a message to majordomo@alum.wpi.edu with the words "subscribe mars-net" in the body of the message. The SETI League will issue a special extraterrestrial QSL card for documented successful reception of either Mars spacecraft beacon. _______________________________________________ Ndblist mailing list http://beaconworld.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/ndblist_beaconworld.org.uk 73, (via Eike Bierwirth, 04317 Leipzig, DL, DXLD) Find the current overall shortwave schedule on http://www.eibi.de.vu/ ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM [non]. The one-hour Mars Special was on KUNM Wed Aug 27 at 1400 UT, not 1500, sorry: anyhow, I, for one, could not get KUNM stream to work at 1500; has format really changed? I got it on WHYY at 0100 UT 28th while keeping another ear on 15476 and an eye on the southeast horizon, where Mars did brill later in the eve. Here it is again, on WUOT, Knoxville, as on their website Aug 27 --- we can only hope that the Friday referred to is the one coming up, Aug 29, as this is nowhere clarified; anyhow at 1600 --- or 1606 UT: SPECIAL -- SkyTour: Mars Close Up, Friday at 12 noon on 91.9FM. SkyTour is a one hour special on the science and the adventure of Mars, the obsession about life on Mars and the scientific expectations. Science and culture, facts and technology, commentaries, features, the latest from NASA, the ethics of exploring life on Mars, and much more. SkyTour is a joint production of WHYY and The Franklin Institute Science Museum (via Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAQ. NEW IRAQI RADIO STATION BROADCAST FROM BAGHDAD | Text of report by Iraqi independent newspaper Al-Zaman on 28 August A new Iraqi radio station called the Voice of Iraq, was launched in Baghdad yesterday [27 August]. It broadcasts on 1179 kHz medium-wave and covers the capital, Baghdad, and cities close by reaching Al- Mahawil, Ba'qubah and Al-Fallujah. Al-Zaman has learnt that the station is supervised by the International Agency for Free Media, a media institution that was active abroad during the previous regime and was run by Iraqis and covered Iraqi news and domestic developments via the Internet. After completing a one-month trial period, the station now presents two in-depth newscasts and domestic reports in addition to a daily review of the press. Source: Al-Zaman, Baghdad, in Arabic 28 Aug 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. 6070.4, V. of Korea 1233 Aug 28. Japanese talk; typical choral music at 1235. Fair signal, // 7580, which was good (John Wilkins, Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Drake R-8, 100-foot RW, Cumbre DX via DXLD) More QRM to CFRX ** KOREAS. POLICE PREVENT RELEASE OF BALLOONS CARRYING RADIOS TO NORTH KOREA Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières) called on South Korea today to explain why riot police prevented human rights activists releasing balloons that were to drop radio sets over North Korea. . . http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=7847 (via Jill Dybka, DXLD) RSF WANTS EXPLANATION FOR BAN ON BALLOON RADIO SCHEME Press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has asked South Korea to explain why riot police prevented human rights activists releasing balloons that were to drop radio sets over North Korea. "The government's job is of course to maintain law and order on its territory but how does sending tiny radio sets to North Koreans threaten South Korea's security?" asked RSF in a letter to South Korean Administration and Home Affairs Minister Kim Doo-kwan. Police prevented a score of activists releasing about 200 balloons carrying more than 600 radio sets on 22 August at Chulwon, near the North Korean border. A German doctor, Norbert Vollertsen, was roughed up by the police and hospitalised with a foot injury and bruises. He was trying to fill the balloons with helium despite the police ban. The project was launched by Korean-born American pastor Douglas Shin and Dr Vollertsen, who was deported from North Korea in 2001 for criticising the human rights situation there, and aimed to give hundreds of people in the north a chance to pick up Korean-language broadcasts by foreign stations, including Radio Free Asia, on the solar-powered sets. Radio and TV sets sold in North Korea can only receive the state-controlled media. According to the scheme's organisers, the South Korean foreign ministry had been told about the launch and had not formally objected. However, no official request for permission to stage it had been made. The law allows demonstrations to be banned if the organisers have already been involved in a violent demonstration or if the site of the protest is considered unsuitable (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 27 August 2003 via DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH. [Continued from ECUADOR] En cambio, la KBS, desde Corea, me envió un CD e información sobre las frecuencias en tiempo récord. El paquete salió de Seúl el 22/07 y llegó a mis manos el 1ero. de agosto. ¡Insólito! Tan lejos y tan cerca (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KURDISTAN. Voix of Kurdistan, le 25-08-2003 de 1700 à 1714 UT sur 8170 kHz, SINPO 35222. Les news en arabe et de la music kurde (Mohamed Kallel, Sfax, Tunisia, FRG-7700 + 20M, Aug 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) harmonique, 2 par 4085 (gh) ** MEXICO. For many many years I have enjoyed DXing the Mexican shortwave domestic stations at day on 49 meters, especially in winter when the D layer is weaker. A band scan today turned up nothing at all from Central Florida. Are they all gone now? 73, (Thomas F. Giella, KN4LF Space & Atmospheric Weather Forecaster Website Designer 4208 Thackery Way Plant City, FL, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Almost. This was discussed by Héctor García Bojorge on the Aug 22 RN Radio-Enlace, audio previously referenced here. 6045 R. Universidad de SLP was reactivated this summer; haven`t you heard?? 6010 R. Mil is supposedly active, but may be very low power. 6185 R. Educación is well heard, but only on air during the night 2300-1100 UT (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MONGOLIA. The transformation of the website of The Voice of Mongolia (resp. Mongolian National Radio) is continuing. A new English section was created http://mongol.net/vom/mnr2.htm containing an updated presentation of Mongolian Radio & TV. Among other things, the text is referring to the installation of new SW transmitters in 2003 (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Aug 27, WORLD OF RADIO 1197, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: Radio Transmission Central Station: The history and development years of the Radio and Television Technical Center of Broadcasting Systems /RTVTCBS/ begins with the date of first Radio program was aired and broadcast throughout the country for the first time on 1 September, 1934. The central radio transmission station Khonkhor of Ulaanbaatar municipal area, and local transmission stations in Bayan-Ulgii, Gobi- Altai, Khubsgul, Umnugobi, Dornod and Dornogobi provinces are the structural parts of the RTVTCBS. The central radio transmission center was established in 1960, with short wave stations of 5, 25 and 50 kWt and a long wave station of 150 kWt followed by an expansion in 1978 with 100 and 250 kWt short wave stations, in 1984 a 500 kWt medium and long wave station which enabled the program no.1 of the Mongolian national radio to be broadcast in the central area of the country, and the programs of the "Voice of Mongolia" radio station to be broadcast internationally in English, Japanese, Chinese, Russian and Mongolian. In 1978-1979 local radio stations of large capacity were built through USSR technical and economical grant aid, providing the current broadcasting network which covers approximately 90 per cent of the total territory of the country at present. In 1967, when television was being evolved, the Television Central Station in Ulaanbaatar was established and the major channel programs of the Mongolian National Television are broadcast in Ulaanbaatar city and its districts through a 5 kWt capacity station, but for the broadcasting in the outskirts, municipal areas of Ulaanbaatar a 300 kWt station is installed on the mountain Chingeltei. The short wave radio network project provided by Japan grant aid is being implemented in 2003 at the RTVTCBS, shall enable modern technical facilities of 50kWt short wave station in Ulaanbaatar, and 10kWt short wave stations in Altai and Murun available to broadcast the programs of the National Radio on two channels. At present RTVTCBS has more than 200 employers, within 70 percent are professional engineers (via Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, DXLD) ** NIGERIA. VOICE OF NIGERIA heard in English from 2200 to 2300* UT on a possibly new frequency of 17800. Signal was good but the audio was low, heard female with ID, into news (Ron Trotto, wdx4kwi, Waggoner, Illinois, Aug 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ex-, or plus-15120? Yes, new! (gh) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. PROVINCIAL RADIO STATIONS GO OFF-AIR THROUGH LACK OF FUNDING | Text of report by Papua New Guinea newspaper The National web site on 28 August Three National Broadcasting Corporation [NBC] radio stations in the Highlands are off -the-air and one is likely to follow suit due to non-payment of electricity bills. Radio stations at Mt Hagen, Wabag and Chimbu. Chimbu and Wabag were off-air for almost a year and Hagen has been out for two months. Reports yesterday indicate that very soon, Radio Southern Highlands will go off-air. This was after PNG [Papua New Guinea] Power gave two days notice to the management of Radio Southern Highlands for a bill of more than 15,000 kina [4,400 dollars]. NBC staff from the affected provinces said that they encountered funding problems since the responsibility for funding of the radio stations were transferred to provincial governments. Radio Enga has been off air for the last eight months because the provincial administration was confused as to who should fund its operations. This station owes PNG Power 15,000 kina in electricity bills. Anna Pundia, the manager of Radio Western Highlands yesterday said the Western Highlands provincial government would meet their electricity bill of 29,853.59 kina which was owed since 17 July. Mrs Pundai said that the provincial executive council and the acting administrator, Michael Wandil, have approved a submission for this bill and they expect to be back on air by the end of this week. An announcer with the Radio Southern Highlands said they were still on air but received red light from PNG Power on Monday [26 August] to disconnect the power supply due to non-payment of 15,000-kina outstanding bills. Radio Chimbu has been off air since the beginning of this year but The National could not reach them due to communication problems. Source: The National web site, Port Moresby, in English 28 Aug 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) PAPUA NEW GUINEA, JAPAN SIGN AGREEMENT TO UPGRADE RADIO STATIONS | Excerpt from report by Papua New Guinea newspaper The National web site on 28 August Five of the National Broadcasting Corporation's provincial radio stations in the country will benefit from a 24.81m-kina aid project from the Japanese government. The five stations earmarked to undergo refurbishment and upgrading are Vanimo, Mt Hagen, Goroka, Lae and Kimbe. The Vanimo, Lae and Kimbe stations will be facilitated with modern medium wave transmitter equipment while the other two will be upgraded to modern FM radio stations. These stations are under NBC's Kundu Broadcasting Service. The Kundu service aims to promote the development and welfare of rural people through local programs. Yesterday, the PNG and Japanese governments signed and exchanged papers to improve radio equipment and facilities for these stations. [Passage omitted] Source: The National web site, Port Moresby, in English 28 Aug 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** PERU. Peruana en 5009.63, a las 0236 UT, el 23/08, con música autóctona, locutor de guardia (audio opaco) y demasiado "fade". Indentificándose como "Nuestra radio...". (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Presumably R. Horizonte (gh) ** PERU. Radio Los Andes has replied to a congratulatory message sent to radiolosandes@starmedia.com by way of Program Manager Padre Antonio Campos Castillo of the Prelature "Virgen de la Alta Gracia", who says he will be happy to receive my reports (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. FIRST ELEVATOR TO BE RESTARTED AT OSTANKINO TV TOWER BY YEAR'S END | Text of report in English by Russian news agency ITAR- TASS on 27 August Moscow, 27 August: The first elevator will be restarted at Moscow's Ostankino television tower by the end of this year. A strong fire inside the tower three years ago claimed three lives and destroyed most of the equipment. "The world's second tallest television tower is returning to full- scale operation," the deputy director of the federal state unitary enterprise Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Network, Irina Maslova told TASS on Wednesday. All electric equipment has been restored and the first elevator will be back in operation soon. Those who work at the 524-metre altitude from where the signal is broadcast, have to climb a narrow spiral stairway for at least two hours, Maslova said. All elevators will begin to function next year. The observation floor at an altitude of 350 meters above the surface will reopen. It will be equipped with mini-telescopes and screens providing a bird's eye view of the city. The once-famous restaurant, "seventh Heaven" will host the first customers. Federal budget spending on repairing the television tower will total 180m roubles [6m dollars]. Over the three years since the fire the tower's look has not changed at all. The fire that occurred inside the building on 27 August 2000, for a long time disrupted the normal broadcasting of five main television channels. It took twenty-four hours to eliminate the fire. The 51,000-tonne Ostankino television tower was built in 1967. For a long time it remained the tallest man-made structure in the world. Source: ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, in English 1440 gmt 27 Aug 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** SWEDEN. RADIO SWEDEN -- Coming up on Radio Sweden: Thursday: "S-Files" (repeat) Friday: Our weekly review Saturday: Special on food and culture Sunday: In "Sounds Nordic" Aeysha and the new (SCDX/MediaScan Aug 27 via DXLD) ** SYRIA. Radio Damascus. La radio da la république de Syrie a été entendue le 17-08-2003 à 1330 UT sur 13610 kHz avec une émission dirigée vers la population syrienne qui reste sur la valée du Jourdan ocupée par les Israéliens. L`émission s`appelle ``Terre et racine dirigée à notre frère en Joulan [sic] la chère.`` Le signale est 55454 (Mohamed Kallel, Sfax, Tunisia, FRG-7700 + 20M, Aug 27, WORLD OF RADIO 1197, DX LISTENING DIGEST) En français? Surely Arabic. WRTH 2003 does not show any external service on 13610 before 1700 in Russian, and the only French is at 1905-2005. SW Guide, however, shows 13610 in use at 0100-0300 to NAm --- anyone ever noticed that? And 0500-1600 to NAf, both in the green language, which would be Arabic, presumably domestic service relay? (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1197, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SYRIA [non]. Arab radio, le 24-08-2003 de 1500 à 1530 UT sur 12120 kHz, SINPO 55555. Les émissions commencent avec du Kor`an; la première émission est `Parole des gens` (kalem el nes) et de la musique arabe avec une préférence pour le chanteur Abd Halim; la deuxième émission `entre nous avec les amitiés` (bini ou binek ma kales el hob). (Mohamed Kallel, Sfax, Tunisia, FRG-7700 + 20M, Aug 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TURKEY. Voice of Turkey, English 0300-0400 [to NAm] changes from 11655 to 9650 August 31st per their programme schedule (Mike Barraclough, Sept World DX Club Contact via WORLD OF RADIO 1197, DXLD) Didn`t they fail to make that switch on time a year ago? (gh, DXLD) ** UGANDA. Radio Rebelde estuvo fuera del aire por un largo rato y por tal razón Radio Uganda pudo oírse en inglés desde las 0353 UT, en los 5026 kHz, el 22/08, con SINPO 2/1 (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE [non]. Even though RUI doesn't begin using 9810 until September 1, 2003, I thought I'd check the frequency. RUI 9810 August 27, 2003 at 0000 UT = we have problems! 0000 UT 9805 what sounds like a jammer; 9810 hear a station, but I can not get ID; 9815 hear a station, maybe Arabic?; 9820 carrier, but no modulation. 0015 UT same as 0000 UT 0030 UT 9805 jammer and R. Farda?; other frequencies same as 0000 UT 0045 UT same as 0030 UT. Main problem is the broadcaster and jammer on 9805. I don't believe the broadcaster on 9810 will cause too much QRM to RUI. We were having terrible local thunderstorms so I can check again August 28, 2003 (Kraig Krist, VA, WORLD OF RADIO 1197, DX LISTENING DIGEST) From 1 September RUI will change 12040 kHz to 9810 kHz for its North American transmissions 2300-0400. Transmitter and azimuth remain the same: Mykolaiv, 1000 (500?) kW, 314 degrees (Alexander Yegorov, Ukraine, Aug 22, via Wolfgang Bueschel, DXLD) ** U K. Great show tonight [BBC Radio 2, Tue 1930-2030 UT, continued next week at same time]. Wonderful to hear the Caroline theme on the Beeb. Thanks to this programme, Radio London and Radio Caroline both received two mentions in the Radio Times dated 23-29th August, on pages 24 and 114. The following is what Susan Jeffreys has written about it in the current edition of Weekend - the television and radio guide in the Saturday edition of the Daily Mail. "Radio Caroline and Radio London both broadcast from stations off the British coast. While grey seas slapped away outside, a new breed of DJ`s - titans such such as Simon Dee (pictured in magazine article), Kenny Everett, and Tony Blackburn - brought a stream of pop music to young, grateful British ears. Before this happy dawn, you had to listen to Radio Luxembourg through a storm of static, or put up with the dreary outpourings of Sing Something Simple, pop arrangements by the Northern Dance Orchestra or Uncle Mac playing The Runaway Train and Big Rock Candy Mountain week after week. In the first of a two- parter, Pete Drummond looks at the beginnings of independent radio in the 1930s, with the gloriously named Captain Leanord Plugge." The Sunday Telegraph TV & Radio Guide previews the programme as follows. "In the 1930`s, only the BBC was authorised to use the British airwaves - until Captain Leanord Plugge, an unlikely broadcasting pirate, spotted a commercial opportunity. A radio transmitter in Normandy could reach England, allowing him to beam dance tunes and face-cream ads to Brittish citizens without fear of prosecution. Pete Drummond`s jolly two-part history names Plugge as the grandfather of radios London and Caroline, Kenny Everett and Tony Blackburn. And which BBC station epitomised the middle-aged easy listening these 1960s rebels scorned? The Light Programme, now Radio 2". MP. Also much in the press this morning. In the Daily Mail today, Martin Kelner had the following to say about the new pirate radio show. "The history of radio in Britain would have been very different without "pirate" broadcasters. They challenged the hegemony of the BBC, first from mainland Europe through stations like Radio Normandy and Radio Luxembourg, and later, in true pirate style, from ships moored in international waters off the coast. Radio`s 1 and 2, in fact, were born in response to Radio`s Caroline and London, which had 16 million listeners between them in the mid-sixties. The programme was also previewed in today`s edition of The Daily Telegraph, by Alexander Reynolds. "Pete Drummond sails into pirate radio history in the first of two parts on the phenomenon. Pirate "Euro-stations" of the Thirties matured into licensed giants like Radio Luxembourg. Tonight`s instalment focuses on the clash of the Titans: Caroline versus London. The Daily Telegraph preview has a photograph of the manager of the current UK land based version of Radio Caroline, sitting at the microphone in the station`s hired studios in Maidstone, Kent. The caption to the picture reads; "Pirate pioneer: Peter Moore of Radio Caroline, which is now enjoying a digital revival". Press extracts courtesy of http://usa.internations.net/pirategold/pirategoldnews.html (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. Glenn: As the retired program director, chief engineer, and sometime manager for five classical stations, I have been reading about LPFM in general, and this in particular, with some interest -- || WCNH-LP (94.7 Concord) ...Highland has struck a deal with New Hampshire Public Radio to provide access to NHPR's music library and other forms of support to the station, which will broadcast a 24-hour classical format to Concord and vicinity when it signs on, perhaps as early as October. That's what LPFM is supposed to be all about, we say ...|| I couldn't agree less. LPFM is NOT "all about" broadcasting classical music, which REQUIRES, demands, and is utterly dependent on wide dynamic range and frequency response. When you have squeezed a 100 w station in the sidebands of two high powered ones, you get neither one. So what will happen? The LPFM station trying to broadcast classical music must compress the signal to a 15 dB dynamic range. Then, the hiss from the original recordings will be oppressive, and somebody will get the bright idea to install a filter --- and the end result will be audio that is worse than a web stream. Now, add multipath. Far worse than a web stream. And add the sideband interference from adjacent high powered carriers. Infinitely worse than a web stream. Finally, TRY -- just try! -- to listen in a car, or on a portable set. Useless! LPFM will probably work for about two blocks around the transmitter and antenna site. I know whereof I speak: for five years I tried to put classical music on my university station, back in the early sixties. We had 80 watts from the top of a library building of 7 stories. Even with 20 dB of compression from the Gates limiter, you couldn't hear the signal two miles away. And that was in an unpopulated educational band with almost no stations; today the entire FM spectrum from one end to the other is just mush: the equivalent to driving from Santa Bárbara to Tijuana, wall-to-wall "town" without end. Even web streams are compressed to hell. For instance: WCPE. They have pleasant music, but the dynamic range is about 10 dB. It's worse than AM radio. When I was the CE and PD of classical KIBE, Palo Alto (back in the seventies) I tried to maintain a dynamic range on our AM signal of at least 27 dB, and a range of more than 35 to 40 dB on our FM transmission. We got top ratings and audience approval with wide dynamics, clean audio, brilliant highs, full, responsive bass. That was just before CDs hit the scene. A classical CD of orchestral music will have a dynamic range of 40 to 55 dB, typically; you simply cannot transmit that on LPFM and hear it clearly, cleanly, and intelligibly outside of the station's own CONTROL ROOM. After 27 futile years broadcasting classical music, I am extremely happy to enjoy it as it SHOULD be heard: from CDs, right on my own car or home players. No compression; no compromises; no dumbing-down to fit in to somebody's "concept" of programming or demographics, and no destruction of the audio. Classical music on FM is just about as obsolete as buggy whip technology. In fact, MONO FM transmission was actually better -- more honest -- for classical music than the lousy multiplex system we've been burdened with since 1961. Yours, (Steve Waldee - former radio CE and for twelve years, consultant to Orban Associates on the development of the AM and FM Optimod [tr] processing systems, DX LISTENING DIGEST) !! (gh) ** U S A. WBJX 1460 RACINE WI TOWER TOPPLED BY VANDALS Thanks to Tim Noonan for posting this on his excellent web site "Radio/DX Information from Wisconsin http://www.angelfire.com/wi/dxing/index.html "* WI Racine WBJX 1460 is silent as a result of vandals knocking down its tower. The station hopes to be back on from a temporary facility by the end of this week (Tim Cuprisin/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)" Here is the news story from Tim Cuprisin's 8/26/03 column: WBJX GOES SILENT Racine's WBJX-AM (1460), southeast Wisconsin's only 24-hour Spanish- language radio outlet, is out of commission after vandals knocked down its tower. Owner Robert Jeffers tells Inside TV & Radio that he hopes to have a temporary tower up and the station back on the air by the end of the week. Jeffers discovered that the tower had been toppled Monday morning when he noticed WBJX wasn't broadcasting. "In the last month, we've been having several cases of vandalism, and I've reported each one of them to police," he says. He doesn't have any idea who's targeting the station. "Usually, if it's kids, they try once or twice and they give it up," he says. (via Bill Dvorak, Madison WI, NRC-AM via DXLD) VANDALS DRIVE OFF RACINE STATION SPANISH STATION TO MOVE AFTER ITS TOWER IS TOPPLED By ALLISON L. SMITH Last Updated: Aug. 28, 2003 Original URL: http://www.jsonline.com/news/metro/aug03/165386.asp After vandals damaged the only 24-hour all-Spanish radio station in southeastern Wisconsin for the fourth time in less than a month, the station's owner said Wednesday that he will move operations from Racine to Milwaukee. Guy wires that stabilized the 200-foot transmission tower for Racine's WBJX-AM (1460) were cut Monday, causing the tower to topple and knocking the station off the air, said owner Robert Jeffers. "Where we're located now, we just don't feel comfortable or safe anymore," Jeffers said. "We've been considering moving to Milwaukee anyway to be closer to our advertisers, but this just makes our decision clear." This summer, vandals have waged an escalating war on the Latino station. First they cut its phone lines, then the electric cables, and recently sawed off the station's satellite dish, Jeffers said. Sheriff's deputies were called on each of the incidents but have yet to make any arrests or tell Jeffers of any leads, he said. "They said it's like finding a needle in a haystack," Jeffers said. Lt. Connie Mallwitz of the Racine County Sheriff's Department said Wednesday her agency has record of four reports of vandalism at the station since Aug. 6. She deferred further comment to the lead investigator on the case, who could not be reached. Jeffers said he has no idea of the perpetrators' identities, ages or motives. The station has not received any threatening calls or letters, he added. "I don't know if someone has a grudge against the station, or me, or doesn't like Spanish music," Jeffers said. Under a licensing requirement, the station's tower must remain in Racine. Only the studio and sales offices will shift to Milwaukee next month. The impending move is the second time vandals factored into Jeffers' decision to relocate, he said. In April 2001, a group of 12-year-old boys started a fire adjacent to the station's radio tower, then in Mount Pleasant. Several other vandalism incidents in 2000 and 2001 at its Racine offices and the tower site persuaded Jeffers to move a couple of miles north to the current location, 1661 Douglas Ave. Even after he moved to Douglas Ave., Jeffers said, vandals attacked the former location, smashing out all its windows and damaging the walls. "I don't know if the people now are the same people, but they seem pretty determined," Jeffers said. Jeffers describes the station he has owned since 1996 as a "ma-and-pa" business he runs with his wife, Patricia Martinez, who doubles as an afternoon on-air personality. "We're a small operation and don't have a lot of extra resources," Jeffers said. A temporary tower was being installed Wednesday, and Jeffers said he expects the station to resume broadcasting by Saturday. "This has been very challenging, because this is our livelihood," Martinez said. "But my husband and I are very optimistic people. You just keep fighting back tooth and nail and don't let anyone stop your dream." From the Aug. 28, 2003 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) Meanwhile DXers in the area are going after all the other stations on 1460 (gh, DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. Las transmisiones de Radio Amazonas (4939.66) ahora sobrepasan la barrera de la 0130 UT. Se puede captar hasta incluso las 0300 (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, WORLD OF RADIO 1197, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4940, VENEZUELA, R. Amazonas, 0342-0408*, 27/08, Spanish, continuous pop music and ballads, OM at 0403 over music, sounding like NA, positive ID. Fair music, weak voice audio (Scott Barbour, NH, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** VIETNAM [non]. Degar Voice (via Atamanovka, Russia) changed from 7115 to 7380 kHz 1300-1400 (Tue/Thu/Sat). (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Aug 27, WORLD OF RADIO 1197, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Atamanovka? Where`s that, a.k.a.? (gh, DXLD) ** WESTERN SAHARA [non]. ALGERIA, 7460.31, Polisario Radio "El Idaha el watania lljoumouria elarabia elsahrawia el watania". Yesterday night [Aug 18] around 2100-2130 I checked Polisario Sahara Radio on 7460.31 kHz, but thiny, very weak at this time of the year. No jamming from Morocco noticed so far. (later) On past three nights [Aug 18-20] I heard the Polisario Front Radio from probably Tindouf, Algeria on 7460.31 kHz, but very thiny poor S=1-2. Readable only few fragments of French language phrases. Always around 2100-2130 UT. This morning (Thur 21) the channel was empty at 0600 UT, but at 0700 UTC I noted a very weak signal, and a carrier on according measurement of my USB/LSB receiver settings (Wolfgang Bueschel, Stuttgart, Germany, Aug 21, BC-DX via DXLD) Yes, it has to be the Sahara station you are hearing around 7460, but signal strength here is also very much lower than it used to be, so something has altered. Perhaps lower power - re-directed aerials - or just a different location? (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Aug 21 all via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 4335.2-5, LA Station, 1040 Aug 27, Sounded like Peruvian. Andean folk music, with male announcer. 300 Hz upward drift over 10 minute period. Ute on top, best heard listening to LSB. Fair strength, but S9 static crashes (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Naylamp reactivated as in previous issues UNIDENTIFIED. Emisora en portugués ¿brasilera?, en 5134 kHz, a las 0310 UT, el 23/08. Música y comentarios. Techno, rock y pop. Demasiada estática. En Lower Side Band (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Are you positive it was Portuguese? Belarus` relay of Russia reported on this distinctive frequency as recently as 3-143, 3-134 (gh) UNIDENTIFIED. Transmisor de efecto "burbuja", cambiaba de frecuencia con relativa constancia: 5660-5650-5640 kHz, a las 0224, el 23/08. ¿Será la radio zapatista interferida? (Adán González, Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) More likely jamming against V. of Mojahed, Iranian clandestine (gh) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ NASWA FILES REPLY COMMENTS ON BPL On August 20, 2003, NASWA filed reply comments with the FCC on docket ET 03-104 concerning the interference which deployment of Broadband PowerLine technology will cause. The full text of the filing will appear in the September issue (with any luck at all) of the NASWA Journal in the Tech Topics Column. The response says in part: "There are several common threads that have been expressed by multiple BPL proponents that deserve further comment. Many of the proponents of using HF frequencies for BPL transmissions have made the point that their systems work at currently authorized Part 15 signal levels and should, therefore, be immediately authorized for commercial deployment. They assert that interference, if it occurs, can be mitigated by providing notches in the spectral mask for frequencies that are used for amateur radio. Many proudly proclaim that no complaints of interference from their technology have resulted from their test demonstrations. NASWA addresses each of these assertions in this response. (snip) "BPL must not be deployed commercially unless and until the industry clearly shows in open demonstrations that their systems will not interfere with shortwave radios operating on self-contained whip antennas in close proximity to home power wiring. Only after successfully demonstrating that BPL will not interfere with shortwave reception on ITU and FCC-allocated international broadcasting frequency bands, at existing Part 15 levels, can any prudent consideration be given to increasing the authorized levels. The test demonstration setups should be used to directly measure the available interference-free margin of a particular BPL implementation and those results used to guide establishment of any relaxed limits." ~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-., (Joe Buch, DE, Aug 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) -*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^ Here is an excerpt from a filing with the FCC by a SWL who lives in that area from the FCC web site. He used a Sangean-909/Radio Shack DX- 398: Dear Sirs, In the matter of Docket Number 03-104 (Broadband over Power Line) Reply to comments. In an earlier submission to this NOI (ref.1), the United Power Line Council, proponents of Broadband over Power Line (BPL), made the following (excerpted) statement: (snip) (1) A Field Study In order to garner a real feel for BPL's radiation effects, on August 15th. 2003 an expedition was made to Emmaus, near Allentown Pennsylvania, one of the current test sites for BPL, administered by Pennsylvania Power and Light (PP&L). Being reasonably certain that this controlled limited test environment was actually operating within the terms of Part 15, the endeavour was not to measure the actual amount of radiation, but to realistically establish its effects in context on very common, normal and expected usages of the spectrum the BPL scheme employs. With no advance information as to the exact whereabouts within Emmaus of the tests, the intention was to methodically cruise the town searching for noises not attributable to normal and known interference sources, using a portable short-wave receiver of good and known performance (ref.2); to that end, a fairly elaborate route had been mapped out. It proved entirely unnecessary. The noise took no finding. On arrival and on the very first pass down Main St., at the intersection with Second St. (pretty much in the centre of the town) strong interference attributable to BPL was heard. It took the form of irrythmic clicks, scratches and noise bursts, discernible between 3 MHz and 18 MHz, 'peaking' at around 6 MHz. Within those very broad constraints, it was completely broadband in character; there was no frequency checked free of the noise. It was very easy to track which power lines were carrying the BPL, and which weren't, and to easily scope out the limited 'service area' downtown. A small regimen of common, normal and expected uses of the radio spectrum was attempted at various locations within and just outside the BPL 'service area', varying from being parked directly under the power lines, on the opposite side of the road, in driveways of properties served, adjacent roads etc. Results in summary, for anywhere within the 'service area': Reception of typical amateur single-sideband and CW (Morse) transmissions on the heavily utilized HF bands at 3.5 MHz, 7 MHz, 10 MHz and 14 MHz was rendered almost completely impossible. Aeronautical service transmissions at around 6.6 MHz, 10 MHz and 13 MHz were inaudible. Reception of all but the strongest shortwave broadcast transmissions was seriously impaired. Those which were unimpaired were extremely strong (propagationally 'single-hop') signals from within North America, with intended target areas (with the exception of Radio Canada International) outside of the US. A few blocks away from the 'service area' the above common, normal and expected usage of the spectrum was unimpaired except for the usual radio noises found in an urban environment such as power-line noise, TV line frequency harmonics and computer/monitor products; amateur signals and normal to weaker broadcast stations were readily copiable, and the aeronautical stations which had propagation at that time of day were plainly audible. It is to be emphasized here that the deterioration in availability to the spectrum for these common, normal and expected uses was not subtle; it was not a matter of a 'worsened noise floor'; it was not 'a bit of interference'; it was almost complete obliteration. The BPL made *BAD* interference. (snip) Respectfully submitted, Stephen H. Dove Aug. 19th. 2003, DSP, P.O. Box One, Elm, PA 17521, USA ~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-., (via Joe Buch, swprograms via DXLD) -*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~ DRM +++ A cat is jumping out of the bag: http://www.drm-national.de/html/ifa_2003.html The HECA conditional access and encryption system. Quite interesting. During the recent days 693 was already fired up shortly, and indeed a DRM freak reports that he was unable to decode audio. Otherwise not only 177 will be used for analogue/digital mixed mode transmissions but also 603. By the way, I think they run 177 in the simulcast mode today for some time, there was some noise that probably was no local noise and the modulation itself appeared to be fainter and more muffled than usual. I am not sure about this observation because I was listening indoors only, but in just a couple of days we will know anyway (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Aug 23-25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also CONVENTIONS, next: CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ NATIONAL RADIO CLUB, DALLAS TX, LABOR DAY WEEKEND, WEBCAST Glenn: A heads up to the N.R.C. Convention's live broadcast starting around 2 PM [CDT?] on Friday from Dallas TX. The link to the audio is at http://www.nrcdxas.org right at the top left column (Fred Vobbe, OH, NRC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) CLANDESTINE RADIO SYMPOSIUM 12 SEPT - BOURNEMOUTH UNI Anyone with a special interest in clandestine radio may be interested in attending the DEHS (Defence Electronics History Society) Symposium on Clandestine Radio to be held on Friday 12th September (9.30 am-4.30 pm [BST]) at the Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus. Registration fee (for non DEHS members) is £16 - but you need to send in your remittance very quickly (by Aug 29 or not long afterwards according to the lady I spoke to at the University). Speakers will talk about: Polish Clandestine Radio in WWII German Clandestine Radio in WWII The Romney Marsh Clandestine Station Clandestine Radio in the Cold War Period Radio Surveillance in Modern Times. Full programme details at: http://histru.bournemouth.ac.uk/CHiDE/Events/Symposium.htm Registration/remittance form can be printed from: http://histru.bournemouth.ac.uk/CHiDE/Events/Symposium_registration.htm (via Dave Kenny, Aug 27, BDXC-UK via WORLD OF RADIO 1197, DXLD) EUROPEAN DX COUNCIL PHOTOS EDXC Hallo zusammen, Fotos von der EDXC-Konferenz sind auf der Homepage des RMRC, http://www.rmrc.de zu finden (Rubrik RMRC- Fotogallerie, oder direkter Link http://www.rmrc.de/gallery (Markus Weidner-D, A-DX Aug 19 via BC-DX via DXLD) 2003 MEETING OF MEXICAN DXERS AND RADIO LISTENERS --- by Jeff White NASB Exhibit Very Popular at Mexican Shortwave Meeting [caption] As the first part of a three-continent publicity campaign, the NASB inaugurated a major exhibit at the 2003 Meeting of Mexican DXers and Radio Listeners in Tizayuca, Hidalgo State, July 31-August 3. Assisted by my wife, I took the NASB exhibit from Miami to Mexico City on July 31, where a minibus met us to make the two-hour journey north to the town of Tizayuca. The exhibit, which is on loan to the NASB from member station WSHB, consists of five large interconnected panels which were laid out in a zig-zag pattern across the tops of two tables. On the panels were photos and posters from all of our member stations, plus many of our associate members and two organizations to which we belong -- DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) and AIB (the Association for International Broadcasting). The space on the tables in front of the panels was filled with dozens of program schedules and other brochures from our members and associate members. Many NASB members sent promotional materials such as pens, pins, keychains, stickers, T-shirts, bags, programs on cassettes and CDs, books, etc. Depending on the quantity of the items on hand, we either placed them on the tables for people to pick up, or we put them in one of two (free) raffles that were held during the meeting. We also placed some of the items in small gift bags which were given to everyone who filled out one of our NASB listener survey forms. (More about that later.) Some of our associate members such as Thales, TDP and Merlin sent limited quantities of certain brochures about their transmitters and other services, and we tried to distribute these mainly to the radio station representatives and others who would likely be potential users of their services. (Thales` credit-card-size mint boxes were popular, and there were enough for everyone!) Altogether we took nearly 200 pounds of brochures and promotional items to the event, for which we have to thank all of our members and associate members for their tremendous cooperation. Many items were completely exhausted. Those that were leftover were stored for use at the next NASB exhibit at the SWL Winterfest in Pennsylvania next March, or in some cases were given to the organizers of next year`s Mexican DX Meeting for distribution there. Time-sensitive items like program schedules and calendars were given to leaders of Mexican DX clubs to take back to share with their members in various parts of the country. Purposes of NASB exhibit The primary purpose of taking the exhibit to this four-day event was to tell shortwave listeners in Mexico about NASB and its member stations and associate member organizations. It`s safe to say that few, if any, of the listeners were aware of NASB`s existence beforehand, although many of them were familiar with some of our member stations which broadcast to Mexico and Latin America. Another major purpose of our presence there was to make contacts with the representatives of Mexican DX clubs, publications and DX programs on Mexican radio stations to make them aware of NASB`s existence so that we can provide them with press releases, articles and other items in the future in order to receive free publicity for our members within their publications and programs that reach shortwave listeners throughout Mexico. This was the ninth annual meeting of Mexican DXers and DX clubs. These meetings in Mexico are the largest and best-organized of their kind in Latin America, which is one of the three primary target areas of our NASB member stations. There are some regional meetings of this type in countries like Brazil and Argentina, but no annual national meetings that we are aware of. Over the years, the ``Encuentros`` as they are called in Spanish (meaning ``meeting`` or ``gathering``) have become more well-known, and despite the long travel distances and difficult economic conditions in Mexico, as many as 80-100 DXers often sacrifice as much as a month`s salary to attend these meetings. This year`s meeting was a bit smaller, with 60 or so attendees, perhaps because it was held in a relatively small town with only one hotel that was largely already full with a bakers` convention, so many of the shortwave listeners had to stay in hotels in Pachuca -- the capital of Hidalgo state -- about a half-hour`s drive north of Tizayuca. Nevertheless, listeners travelled to the Encuentro from as far as Chihuahua state in the north (near the Texas border) to Chiapas in the south (bordering Guatemala), and from Nayarit along the Pacific coast to Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico. And many of the attendees are club leaders, publication editors or radio program producers, so they will be sharing their experiences with other shortwave listeners throughout the country who were unable to attend the meeting. Also in attendance were several shortwave stations. Besides the NASB, representing 18 shortwave stations plus our associate members, there were representatives from China Radio International, Radio Educación (a shortwave station belonging to the Mexican Ministry of Education), Radio Mil (a well-known commercial station from Mexico City which has a shortwave outlet), two program producers from Radio Havana Cuba, the recently-replaced ex-director of Radio Mexico International (the government`s official shortwave station), and my wife Thaïs who was representing Radio Miami International. All of the shortwave broadcasters sat together in a Broadcasters Forum session where they were able to give updates on their station programming and plans, and listeners could ask questions of all the broadcasters. It might have seemed like rather strange bedfellows at the head table, but it was remarkable how well everyone got along together because of our shared passion for shortwave radio. There was a large exhibit -- even larger than ours -- from the folks at Radio Shack in Mexico City, who now have more than 70 stores throughout Mexico and sell a full line of affordable shortwave receivers under the Radio Shack and Grundig brand names -- the same as in the States. There were various seminars at the Encuentro, beginning with a basic introduction to shortwave radio (by the meeting organizer himself, Martín Herrera) for those new to the medium -- an explanation of frequencies, propagation, DXing, etc. John Killian, a biology professor from Virginia, talked about shortwave radio as a medium for learning languages (having just spent two weeks with his wife Kathy at a language school in Oaxaca prior to the Encuentro). Manolo de la Rosa and Emma Almeda from Radio Havana Cuba presented an overview of broadcasting in Cuba and the history of Radio Havana Cuba. (You`ll find the text of part of that presentation elsewhere in this Newsletter. [CUBA above]) Manolo and Emma are very popular among Mexican shortwave listeners, as they are the hosts of RHC`s weekly DX and listeners` mailbag programs, respectively. Emma also produces the daily morning news program in Spanish. Personally, Manolo is an old friend of my wife and myself since the first time we met at the European DX Council Conference in Barcelona in 1991, while he was ``on loan`` to Radio Moscow`s Spanish-language service. On Saturday, August 2, the Mexican listeners celebrated both ``Mexican DXers` Day`` and Manolo`s 61st birthday with a birthday cake and local pastries called ``pastes`` filled with meat, beans or pineapple sauce. Manolo had produced a special edition of his DX program ``En Contacto`` dedicated to the Mexican DX Meeting, which was played on loudspeakers in the meeting hall during the festivities. I was also asked by the meeting organizers to give a presentation about NASB and our participation in the recent HFCC (High Frequency Coordinating Committee) Conference in Johannesburg. I first explained a bit about the history of the NASB, its activities, and a brief profile of each member station and associate member. Then we presented a half-hour video of our trip to the HFCC in South Africa in February, another short video in Spanish provided by member station WEWN, and finally a raffle of some of the station souvenirs that members had provided us for this event. Everyone seemed to enjoy the presentation quite a bit. We saved the T-shirts from WEWN and VT Merlin Communications, as well as some of the other souvenirs, for a separate raffle the next day, where there were also items from the other stations present, plus the BBC, Radio Taiwan International and Radio Netherlands. DRM exhibition a PR success; listeners very impressed Perhaps the most ``newsworthy`` event at the Encuentro was the first- ever demonstration in Mexico of DRM digital shortwave radio. From a public relations standpoint, I think the DRM presentation was a great success. Engineers César Fernández and Rafael Grajeda of the Society of Radio Listener Engineers of Veracruz gave a very complete talk about DRM, covering the technical aspects of how it works as well as the practical aspects of what it means to shortwave listeners and how they can pick up and decode DRM transmissions. The general message was that DRM has the ability to revolutionize shortwave broadcasting and listening during the coming years. Engineer César Fernández demonstrates Ten-Tec DRM Receiver [caption] Unfortunately, the live special transmissions from Radio Netherlands in Bonaire and Deutsche Telekom in Jülich were not quite as successful as we would have liked, since we were only able to get short bits of audio intermittently, although the audio quality of what we did hear was excellent. César Fernández has been in touch with Jan Peter Werkman of Radio Nederland to try to determine if the difficulties were due to antenna azimuth, power levels, software problems or other causes, and we left the Ten-Tec RX-320D receiver with the engineers from Veracruz so they can continue to experiment with DRM reception from various sites. Ten-Tec provided the receiver to the event free of charge in exchange for the publicity they received. (See http://www.tentec.com for more info on their DRM-ready RX-320D receiver.) César was planning to travel to Holland and Germany shortly after the Encuentro, and he hoped to be able to meet personally with Jan Peter and with Guenter Hirte of Deutsch Telekom T-Systems to discuss the results in further detail. Incidentally, Veracruz was chosen as the site for next year`s Mexican National DX Meeting (in August of 2004), so the engineers will have plenty of time now to prepare another live demonstration for next year`s meeting with the same equipment. In spite of the limited success of the live audio demonstration, César and Rafael presented excerpts from the audio field tests on a DRM promotional CD-ROM so that participants could hear comparisons between analog and digital shortwave signal quality, and the listeners were extremely impressed. The basic reaction was: ``Shortwave has never sounded so good.`` Incidentally, Ms. Ana Cristina del Razo, ex-Director of Radio Mexico International (the government-owned shortwave broadcaster), was in attendance, and she indicated that she is planning to do a chapter about DRM in a university thesis she is working on about shortwave radio in Mexico. We were able to provide her with publicity materials on hand from DRM, Merlin, etc. We also provided DRM publicity materials to a reporter from the press office of the Municipality of Tizayuca, who was planning to distribute an article about the event to many newspapers and media outlets throughout the region. The President of the Municipality was present to officially inaugurate the meeting. NASB and the Encuentro organizers would like to thank everyone from DRM, VT Merlin, Radio Netherlands, T-Systems, Ten-Tec, VOA, etc. who helped make this DRM demonstration possible. I mentioned earlier that NASB distributed a shortwave listener survey to everyone at the event in Tizayuca. Forty-seven persons completed the surveys and returned them to us. This isn`t an extremely large sample by any means, but it was large enough to see some definite trends and tendencies, and I think you`ll find the results fascinating. This should certainly give some important audience background information and perhaps some programming and other ideas to our NASB stations that are broadcasting to Mexico and Latin America. An English translation of the survey and results, along with analysis and explanation, follows this article. It will be very interesting to compare these results with those at the SWL Winterfest in North America and at the European DX Council Conference in Europe if we conduct similar listener surveys at those events next year. Cultural aspects of the meeting Of course the meeting was not all business and hard work. A local orchestral group performed Mexican folk music at the meeting hall on Thursday afternoon during registration. A trio of musicians went from table to table at a welcoming party at a nearby restaurant on Thursday night, as participants sampled regional food specialties from Hidalgo. At the official inauguration on Friday morning, a local folkloric dance group called Hueyhueycoytl (that`s ``old coyote`` in the indigenous Náhuatl language) led by Professor Mariano Sánchez Ruíz performed regional folk dances in brightly colored costumes. Many participants took a side trip to a new fruit drink bottling plant in Tizayuca -- just one of many important industrial concerns in the area -- and on Sunday morning a large group from the conference took a bus trip to the nearby Teotihuácan archaeological zone to see some spectacular pre-Columbian pyramids. At the official closing of the meeting on Sunday afternoon, a vote was taken and next year`s meeting site was chosen. The 2004 Encuentro DX will be in the port city of Veracruz, on Mexico`s Gulf coast, probably the first weekend in August. As soon as details are announced, they will be posted on the website: http://www.aer-dx.org/encuentro Survey of Shortwave Listeners in Mexico --- by Jeff White This survey form (translated into Spanish) was given to participants in the 2003 Mexican National Meeting of DXers and Radio Listeners in Tizayuca, Hidalgo State, from July 31-August 3. The survey was completely confidential. Participants were asked to not put their name on the form. A small bag of souvenirs from NASB members was given to those who filled out and returned the survey to us during the event. Approximately 60 persons were at the meeting, and 47 returned the survey. This is obviously a rather small sample, but even so, some definite trends and tendencies can be seen. The analysis and explanatory comments in italics below are those of the survey`s author, Jeff White. . . (Sept NASB Newsletter via DXLD) Those interested in the survey, as well as the illustrations accompanying this article, should check the NASB website later at http://www.shortwave.org/news/NEWSLETTER_0309.PDF (gh, DXLD) ### QSLing and CONTESTS +++++++++++++++++++ AWR WAVESCAN September DX Contest, full details: http://english.awr.org/wavescan/scripts/ws452.htm (via gh, DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ POSSIBLE EXTENDED TROPO PROPAGATION? Walter Blanchard, G3JKV, writes that the weather forecast for this weekend indicates that a large warm anticyclone is building over the eastern Atlantic, with strong ridging to Newfoundland. ``By Monday, the 1st of September,`` Walter writes, ``the airmass could be tolerably homogenous over the Great Circle path Ireland to Newfoundland. There is of course absolutely no guarantee that it will produce abnormal refraction or ducting, but if anyone is looking for trans-Atlantic possibilities and has the right gear ready it could be worth switching on. It might just be this year`s only opportunity judging by previous years - this type of situation has never before occurred later than late August.`` (Radio Society of Great Britain GB2RS Main News script for August 31, posted August 27 on uk.radio.amateur by G4RGA, via John Norfolk, DXLD) SOLAR DATA FOR THE PERIOD FROM THE 18TH TO THE 24TH OF AUGUST compiled by Neil Clarke, G0CAS. http://www.g0cas.demon.co.uk/main.htm Solar activity was `very low` on the 20th and 23rd. It was `low` on the remaining days, except the 19th, when two small M-class solar flares occurred. The largest solar flare of the period was an M2/2F on the 19th. Solar flux started and ended the period at 116 but in between increased to 121 on the 22nd. The average was 117 and the 90- day solar flux average on the 24th was 127, the same level as last week. X-ray flux levels varied little day to day and averaged B3 units. Geomagnetic activity started at severe storm levels, with an Ap index of 86 units on the 18th. This activity would appear to be the result of a solar flare that took place on the 14th. Activity hardly had time to return to quieter levels when activity increased to sub-storm levels due to a coronal hole, with Ap indexes of 53, 43 and 44 on the 21st, 22nd and the 23rd respectively. The average was Ap 41 units, which makes it the most disturbed week so far this year. The ACE spacecraft saw solar wind speeds increase from 380 kilometres Per second on the 20th to 830 by the 22nd and 23rd. Particle densities were high, varying between 15 and 30 particles per cubic centimetre until the 23rd, when they declined to 3 particles per cubic centimetre. On the 18th Bz varied between minus 25 and plus 8 nanoTeslas, but the following day varied between minus 8 and plus 20 nanoTeslas. Those high geomagnetic figures obviously spelled trouble for HF Propagation and, from the 18th onwards, bands above 14 MHz were of little use for long periods and even 14 MHz was somewhat depressed. However, the HF operator`s loss was the VHF fraternity`s gain. Widespread auroral working at 50 and 144 MHz occurred on the evening of the 17th, most of the 18th and the afternoon and evening of the 21st. Also on the 18th an auroral E opening to Scandinavia took place with good signals on both 28 and 50 MHz. The 50 MHz beacon, JW8SIX, on Svalbard Island, in locator JQ94 was heard at good strength in northern England. This was an excellent opportunity to work well above the Arctic Circle on 50MHz. Also heard from the UK were beacons on the Faroes and in Greenland. A few stations on the east coast of North America were also worked. Visual auroral displays were reported in North America as far south as California. And finally the solar forecast. This week solar activity is expected to be mostly low. Solar flux is expected to be around the 130s. Geomagnetic activity is expected to be mostly unsettled but could become more disturbed around midweek due to a recurring coronal hole. MUFs during daylight hours at equal latitudes should be around 21 MHz for the south and 18MHz for the north. The darkness hour lows should be about 11 MHz. Paths this week to Australia should have a maximum usable frequency, with a 50 per cent success rate, of around 19 MHz. The optimum working frequency, with a 90 per cent success rate, should be about 14 MHz. The best time to try this path should be between 0800 and 1100 UTC. Sporadic E can now only be expected on the occasional day, with virtually no chance of an opening at 144 MHz. The RSGB propagation news is also available in a Saturday update, Posted every Saturday evening and for more on propagation generally, See http://www.rsgb.org/society/psc.htm Radio Society of Great Britain GB2RS Main News script for August 31, posted August 27 on uk.radio.amateur by G4RGA, via John Norfolk, DXLD) FORECAST OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY 27 AUGUST - 22 SEPTEMBER Solar activity is expected to range from very low to low levels during the period. There is a slight chance of isolated moderate activity from returning Region 424 after 28 August. No greater than 10 MeV proton events at geosynchronous orbit are expected during the period. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux is expected to reach high levels on 05 – 07 September, 10 – 12 September and again on 20 – 22 September. The geomagnetic field is expected to range from quiet to major storm levels. A returning coronal hole high speed stream is expected to produce active to major storm conditions on 02 – 05 September. Minor storm levels are possible from a smaller high speed stream on 08 – 09 September. Toward the end of the period a third coronal hole high speed stream is expected to return with active to major storm levels possible on 17 – 21 September. :Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt :Issued: 2003 Aug 26 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 Aug 26 # # UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest # Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index 2003 Aug 27 120 12 3 2003 Aug 28 120 12 3 2003 Aug 29 125 12 3 2003 Aug 30 130 12 3 2003 Aug 31 130 12 3 2003 Sep 01 130 15 3 2003 Sep 02 130 30 5 2003 Sep 03 135 30 5 2003 Sep 04 135 25 5 2003 Sep 05 130 15 3 2003 Sep 06 130 15 3 2003 Sep 07 130 15 3 2003 Sep 08 130 25 5 2003 Sep 09 130 20 4 2003 Sep 10 130 20 4 2003 Sep 11 130 15 3 2003 Sep 12 125 15 3 2003 Sep 13 120 12 3 2003 Sep 14 115 12 3 2003 Sep 15 115 12 3 2003 Sep 16 115 12 3 2003 Sep 17 120 40 6 2003 Sep 18 120 30 5 2003 Sep 19 120 30 5 2003 Sep 20 118 25 5 2003 Sep 21 118 20 4 2003 Sep 22 118 15 3 (from http://www.sec.noaa.gov/radio via WORLD OF RADIO 1197, DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-154, August 26, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser 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 later at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd3h.html For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn DX LISTENING DIGEST JULY HTML ARCHIVE IS NOW COMPLETE: http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd3g.html NEXT AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1196: RFPI: Wed 0100, 0730, 1330 on 7445 [nominal times subject to delay or pre-emption] WWCR: Wed 0930 on 9475 WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO [also for CONTINENT OF MEDIA, MUNDO RADIAL]: Check http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html [NO LOW VERSION THIS WEEK; SORRY] [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1196h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1196h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1196.html FIRST AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1197: Wed 2200 on WBCQ 7415, 17495-CUSB Thu 2030 on WWCR 15825, Sat 1030, Sun 0230 on WWCR 5070 Sat 0130, 0800, 2330 on RFPI 7445 Sat 1800+ on WRMI 15725 Sun 0031 on WINB 12160 SOLICITED TESTIMONIAL I hear WOR on WWCR 5070 on Sat evening, 0230 UT Sun. I get COM on RFPI when I can. This past week RFPI was weaker than norm on 7445. Can`t hear on 15039. I'm using terminal at the Mt. Prospect public library (William Hassig, Mt. Prospect, IL, Aug 25) See COSTA RICA ** ANTARCTICA. 15476 kHz, LRA36 Radio Nacional Arcángel San Gabriel, from Base Esperanza, will carry out a very special transmission next Thursday UTC August 28, between *0100-0200v*, this with reason of the 83 Anniversary of the birth of the Argentine broadcasting on August 27 (local time). The activation at this time, have been possible thank to my personal requirement for to give to the DXers & SWL's the opportunity to listen LRA36 in another schedule different to the usual one of 1800-2100. The blocks of the mentioned transmission, have been prepared in collaboration between Arnaldo Slaen and me. A QSL of LRA36 is being printed now, please send your reports directly to LRA36 in Base Esperanza. The outpower will be 3 kW as minimun. Comments also by e-mail to LRA36: lra36@infovia.com.ar (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Argentina, via Hans Johnson, Aug 25, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. This week`s Feedback on R. Australia was primarily an interview by Roger Broadbent with John Westland about the programing changes upcoming. A net cut of 2 percent in funding across the board will lead to all these changes, since the only place left to cut is in programming, primarily ``bought-in`` music programs that RA cannot produce itself. This is a pity, since musical relief is needed from the talk-heavy RA. On weekdays, repeated on weekends, have had shows specialising in Aussie pop, folk, blues, indigenous, country, fine music, and jazz. All but one or two of those are external productions. Cancelled: Blacktracker, which is unique to RA amongst the ABC networks; and Fine Music Australia, which was hardly adequate at 25 minutes a week to deal with classical music, but the producer made good use of the time available. Classical music causes the transmitters to work harder [?] so maybe 25 minutes is all they should be subjected to. However, some good replacements are in hand from ABC Classic FM network; but the scheduling will be different. Classic FM already has an internet-only jazz show which RA plans to take on and thus make it available on air as well. Two weekend programs are being cancelled since their funding arrangement is expiring, and one of the producers has already left RA: Australian Express, and Go Zone. Radio National`s weeknight eclectic music program, The Planet, now M-F at 2200-2400 AET (1200-1400 UT) will get a replay early Saturday afternoon, and a new Keys to Music will appear on Sundays. This will be a 1-hour educational show about classical music, with extracts, on how it is constructed, what makes it work, etc. The changes start Sept. 1 and the compulsory ones should be completed by the following weekend Sept. 7. A few more phased changes will go on beyond then, but ASAP in order that RA meet its budget figures by yearend. Having a 24-hour service puts RA in the company of much larger international broadcasters such as BBC and VOA; this has its advantages and disadvantages. When RA was shortwave-only, there was not so much a problem of running the same shows at different times for different targets. Now there is a variety of platforms. 24-hour local FM relays are in places such as Suva, and soon somewhere else. In Honiara, time is shared with SIBC. It`s more difficult to coördinate programming coming from partner nets in ABC, something like 3-D chess. Has to become a `local` radio station. On Wantok FM in Honiara, RA inserts special local announcements (for continuity as it alternates with SIBC programming). Technology makes it easier to have multiple streams, but this takes a lot of technological and human resources, which detract from producing own programs instead of adapting those from elsewhere. Only for WRN does RA re-package programming designed for its particular audience, available via WorldSpace to Asia at: 0000 UT M-F; 1300 and 1930 daily. It is too expensive for RA to have its own fulltime channel on WorldSpace. WRN`s channel ID there is 1302. In response to a would-be listener in Thailand, it was announced that the new evening service in English to that part of the world on SW will be at 1400-1600, including a repeat of the ``PM`` programme. RA now has much more control over its webpage [about time!! gh] and will keep the program info updated. More specific details of the changes, which are being kept to a minimum, will be on the website and on future Feedback programmes. Feedback`s page has been changed somewhat. Now there are transcripts available back thru May, including last week`s show about ARDS, and audio for that show is also available now: http://www.abc.net.au/ra/feedback/default.htm (RA Feedback, 0305 UT Aug 24, notes by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. Re DXLD 3-153: R. Tacana is Bolivia, not Peru. Original tip, by Hermod Pedersen does not indicate the country, and station was mentioned as 'Radio Tancana'. (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Sigh --- I wish they would not leave out the country (gh) ** BRAZIL. Radio Difusora, Macapá. 8-25-03 4915 kHz 0415-0430 UT; light pop format; ID at 0424. SINPO 44133. Using my aluminum rain gutter as antenna (John Sandin, Merriam, KS, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 3235.07, Rádio Clube Marília, Aug 18/19, 2325-0100, announcer with time checks, pop music, ads, jingles and announcements, many mentions of "Marília", tentative ID mentions "1550 khz AM", positive ID 0828 Aug 19. Fair to good signal both days. [what became of Guarujá Paulista?? But see 5054 -- gh] 3365.02, Rádio Cultura, 0840, Campo vocals, announcer with time checks and ID's, phonecalls from listeners. Very good signal. 4874.96 (tentative), Radiodifusora Roraima, Aug 24, 0916-0957, talk, pop vocals (maybe religious), announcements and ads with mentions of "Roraima", 0957 tentative ID, good strong signal but terrible QRN. 5054.00 (presumed), Rádio Guarujá Paulista, Aug 24, 0045-0103, pop music vocals, announcements, ads and jingles, announcer with telephone talk, 0103 sudden splatter from WWRB 5050. Good signal with terrible QRN (all: Mark Mohrmann, Coventry, VT, NRD 535D V-Beam 140m @180 deg. http://www.sover.net/~hackmohr/ DX LISTENING DIGEST) {correxion: 5045} ** CAMBODIA. FM RADIO STATION LAUNCHED IN NORTHWEST PROVINCE Cambodia's national television station carried in its 0500 gmt newscast on 26 August, a report on the inauguration of a radio station in Banteay Meanchey Province, northwest Cambodia, close to the Cambodian-Thai border. The report said that State Secretary Khiev Kanharit and first deputy governor of Banteay Meanchey Province, An Sum, inaugurated the FM 96.5 MHz radio station on 23 August. The construction of the radio station started on 4 July 2002 on a 47 metre by 100 metre plot of land next to Phnum Svay hill in Kou Than village, O Ampil commune, in Sisophon District. The report also says that the one-story masonry building housing the radio station is 16 metres by 20 metres with 11 rooms, including two broadcasting studios. The station is equipped with a 90 metre antenna and a 10 kW transmitter. The radio station is powered by two 100-kW generators. The total cost of the radio station is 210,000 dollars. According to Kung Bun-puoy, director of the radio station, initially the station will air two main programmes: short and major local news; and entertainment, including song requests. He also said, the station plans to extend the broadcast time to 16 hours a day, from 0600 to 2200, and add more programmes, such as education, health, general knowledge, and foreign news. Source: Television Kampuchea, Phnom Penh, in Cambodian 0746 gmt 26 Aug 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** CANADA. Lots of radio stations streaming special reports on Kelowna forest fire; Standard Radio in B.C. producing 24-hour coverage of forest fires: http://www.thesun.net/kelowna (CKUT International Radio Report Aug 24, notes by Ricky Leong via DXLD) ** CANADA. SPECIAL LABOUR DAY PROGRAMMING ON CBC RADIO This Labour Day, Monday Sept. 1, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., CBC Radio is setting aside its regular schedule to highlight the best of what the network's all about. The day will overflow with programming highlights from the past few months, along with a variety of new material designed to give listeners a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how radio is made and how CBC connects with Canadians. Radio One programming highlights include a rebroadcast of - and an update on - Karen Levine's award-winning documentary, Hana's Suitcase; a hilarious game show for obsessive radio listeners called The Pronunciation Challenge; a mockumentary on that classic CBC Radio institution, the Time Signal; a recurring segment called Thrills and Spills, in which various CBC Radio employees describe their most memorable moment; Bill Richardson welcoming Shelagh Rogers to Vancouver and this year's CBC True North concert from Ouje-Bougoumou, Que. Your favourite CBC Radio hosts, including Shelagh Rogers, Bill Richardson, Anna Maria Tremonti, Stuart McLean, Mary Hynes and Michael Enright, will meet up with each other throughout the day to guide listeners on a unique tour of the network. RadioTwo highlights include a roundup of award-winning music from the Junos, Grammies and Oscars on Music & Company with Tom Allen. Take Five host Shelley Solmes spins special requests from a number of her fellow CBC radio personalities, and In Performance features the Hannaford Street Silver Band as they celebrate their 20th anniversary with a concert of rousing marches, virtuoso solos, cherished classics and big band jazz. These specials provide a great way to spend the last day of summer - the best way, in fact - with CBC Radio at your side. For a complete listing of the day's events please visit http://www.cbc.ca/radioguide (via Ricky Leong, DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. RFPI reception --- Dear Glenn, I live in Morelos, Mexico and lately (matter of weeks) have great difficulty raising RFPI 7145 kcs -- depending on time of day it is frequently either inaudible or unreadable, due to interference from programs in Chinese language which counterpoint the Costa Rican broadcast. I imagine they have enough problems lately, and your being the most knowledgeable source of DX info available, I wonder if you could cast some light on this situation. The RFPI signal is sometimes also overpowered suddenly by a broadcast in Spanish of unknown origin. Since I can hear you only occasionally on this frequency, I hope I can learn more about it on your World of Radio website? (Ken Tepfer, Aug 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Ken, No doubt you meant to say 7445 --- if you had been trying 7145 you certainly would not get RFPI. RFPI has shared 7445 with Taiwan for a long time. There is a clash normally in the morning hours from a few hours before sunrise until a bit afterwards. There should be no problem in the evening (except maybe briefly around sunset in unusual conditions), or in the daytime if you are close enough to get any signal at all from RFPI. Possibly RFPI`s power is lower than usual, which would put them at a disadvantage versus Taiwan. I have no idea about the Spanish interference on 7445. Does it seem to be a broadcast or intermittent two-way communication?? What times do you hear this? I am not sure if you are aware that RFPI is going thru another crisis which could disrupt normal operations: http://www.saverfpi.org and http://www.rfpi.org Regards, (Glenn to Ken, via DXLD) Dear Glenn, Of course 7455 and not 71... Thank you for detecting my mistake. I tend to listen quite early so notice the Taiwanese interference a bit more. Still there is an occasional break-in in Spanish that is not local but broadcast quality, I will try to pay more attention to the content next time and I am aware of RFPI's recent problems but don't see how it relates. I think they've had to abandon their 15040 kc frequency or maybe shut down for maintenance which may have something to do with their problems with the landlord, University for Peace in Costa Rica. As you probably know their 40m operation is 30kw while the 19m only 10 kw, but the latter works fine for me here especially during the day so I hope it can be restored soon. Thanks again for your prompt reply. I'll try to furnish relevant DX news when I can (Ken Tepfer, Morelos, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15 MHz has been off since the beginning of August due to some technical problem, lack of parts, after one day of experimentation on 15115 instead (gh) Glenn, a quick question: Am I crazy, or is RFPI's signal wildly variable? Some nights, it's fine, some nights, it's barely there. I'm aware of the properties of propagation, but even this seems extreme. What's the output at RFPI? Is it only 30 kW? Also, any idea what happened to the scheme they had to rejoin 15 MHz? A funny thing to note: The music you use for WOR is from the same recording session or MIDI file as my son's mid-1990's computer-based game "The Adventures of Curious George". Each time your show opens, I smile a little, as I think of George scurrying around getting into trouble. Thought you might appreciate that trivia. Keep up the good work! (Todd Van Gelder, Maryland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn, we have been running on very low power the last three days and just got it up to 15kw yesterday. This has been caused by a blocking capacitor failure and the new parts should be here on the 7th. In the mean time the provisional parts will allow us to run half power (James Latham, RFPI, Aug 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Thanks Glenn. Good, comprehensive reporting and follow up as always! (Todd Van Gelder, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COSTA RICA. RADIO RELOJ PARA TODOS --- La emisora se ennfocará en la familia y alista una radiioemisora para nicaragüenses Ni ser la primera en deportes ni la primera en noticias. Ahora a Radio Reloj lo único que le interesa es cumplir su nuevo lema: ``La primera en el corazón de la familia costarricense``. La estación asegura estar recuperada de una racha en la que la mala administración y los rumores de cierre le embarrialaron el camino y anuncia que está en planes de expansión y que los miles de nicaragüenses residentes en el país están en la mira. Por eso el Grupo Reloj ya está haciendo las primeras pruebas de 730 AM Una Radio sin Fronteras, estación que se dirigirá a los pinoleros que viven acá. Pero lo anterior no quiere decir que la empresa descuidará a los ticos y por eso radio Reloj terminó de pulir su perfil y eliminó muchas horas de deporte (fútbol) para retomar al público familiar que había sido el fuerte de la estación por décadas. . . (Tetsuya Hirahara, who visited San José 28 July to 2 August, 2003, ``El Tiempo Hechicero`` DX News, Aug, via Radio Nuevo Mundo via DXLD) ** COSTA RICA? Re 3-153 the unID on 6230: Hello Glenn! Our house is up-side-down for the moment and I just can´t find my notes - perhaps I heard REE (España) on 6200.3 kHz (the unID frequency from Roland Åkesson July 24). I did not state for sure "Costa Rica" in the Swedish version of my scan but "Perhaps C.R.". Excuse me for the mess! 73s from (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. Re: 1060 Radio 26? OK - Final Judgement, total wisdom. Confirm new 1060 outa the Workers' Paradise as Veinte Seis, R. 26. Announcement on hour and half hour gives freq's as 1220, 1230, 1240. Bearings to 165 - 170 degrees from this QTH, consistent with other R. 26 lines in direction of Matanzas - Cárdenas metro area. Good signal today even with local stink bomb 1070. Best, (Paul Zecchino, 25 2300Z AUG 03, Englewood, FL, Manasota Key via Terry Krueger, FL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Cool, good work. A week or so ago, an e-mail source in Miami (semi- suspect he's really in Cuber-proper) reported this as a new 26 feed. I began checking and confirmed something from Cuber (is) here but what with the local TIS etc. on the channel -- day and night -- it was too rough for me to ID without spending any great time on it (which I don't seem to have). (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. The latest big radio story from eastern Germany: On Saturday (Aug 23) at 2159 UT, so roughly at midnight CET, the station formerly called Project 89.0 digital was rebranded into 89.0 RTL. At the same time the format was completely changed from New Rock to CHR. The change was revealed to the press only a few days in advance and not at all to the audience. No any announcements were made on the air; the contents on the http://www.fettesradio.de website were simply deleted a few minutes after midnight and replaced by a white, otherwise empty page until a redirect to the new http://www.89.0rtl.de site was established. This unannounced change caused a remarkable uproar of listeners; a bulletin board for radio freaks is literally overflowing from myriads of posts on this matter. Basically the posters emphasize that they are tired of all the uniform music played on all the CHR and AC stations around. The former Project 89.0 digital also had a heavy rotation and was voice-tracked for most of the day, so the only difference was the music format. I think it is notable that already such a difference is sufficient for many people to consider a station as an alternative one. Some background: In 2001 Radio Brocken, a state-wide commercial broadcaster in Sachsen- Anhalt (headquarters at Halle), decided to replace the soft AC format they until then, well, narrowcasted via DAB (Eureka-147) by a New Rock format. As a special coup they applied for and were allowed to transmit this program also on their main FM frequency 89.0, a far- reaching 60 kW outlet from the Brocken mountain. This appears to be strange, but the main program suffered from poor ratings, and it was actually a competitor for another station belonging to the same group, Hit-Radio Antenne from Hannover, broadcasting from the western side of the Harz mountains (Torfhaus site). So Radio Brocken put up with the loss of coverage. The FM split-away was officially justified as DAB promotion measure and limited for the period of one year, but nevertheless the new station was called after the FM frequency Project 89.0 digital, and -- of course! -- Radio Brocken was allowed to continue the Project 89.0 digital FM service beyond the original one year limit. In the meantime major shares on AVE, the company owning Radio Brocken, were sold to RTL, and even internationally reports spread that RTL intended some reorganization. This is now the first obvious result, and it is a banana republic behaviour; the 89.0 frequency was never put on tender as it would be necessary for a reallocation taking a proper course. I think this is basically the result of Radio Brocken being in serious economic trouble. A bankruptcy of this state-wide station is something that must be avoided for political reasons, and so the media authority obviously permits almost anything Radio Brocken (with its new backer RTL) applies for, including the establishment of a second FM network without any formal frequency allocation procedure (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Aug 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. A few days go I took the opportunity of a business trip to visit the Bayerischer Rundfunk mediumwave transmitter at Hof. The station is located in the western outskirts of Hof, on the road leading to the Nürnberg -- Berlin highway, and it is quite a walk from inside the town. The station grounds are also used as meteorological station; I think the transmitter in use today is no longer housed in the original station building but instead in a container next to the building, judging from a noisy fan inside this container. Nevertheless there are two satellite dishes mounted on the old station building, one of them likely being the actual audio source. Furthermore there are also FM antennas aiming at two different sites, certainly the backup for cases of satellite service failures. Years ago the transmitter was described to me as an old tube rig and the STL as a postal office line with 7 kHz audio bandwidth, but both statements could be obsolete by now; from hearsay, Bayerischer Rundfunk feeds the mediumwave transmitters via the Astra ADR output now to get rid of audio delay problems, and the mentioned container looks like the home of a current solid-state transmitter rather than an old beast. The mast is placed outside the old station fencing, fed not directly but through separate wires. This design already led to conclusions that the mast is only a carrier for the actual antenna, but judging from the insulator arrangement indeed the whole mast radiates, especially as the foot of the mast itself is obviously placed on an insulator. Walking back into the town on the main road I passed military barracks, reminding me of pictures showing the demolition of the RIAS transmitter. Indeed the location of the former RIAS site is described as the western outskirts of Hof, but unfortunately time did not permit an archaeological search for remains of this much larger transmitter. (40 kW on 684 7-18 local time only, shut down in September 1994, masts blown up only three months later. Site not identical with FM site Großer Waldstein, also listed as Hof in RIAS times.) (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Aug 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAQ [and non]. THE MEDIA IN IRAQ - UPDATED 26 AUGUST 2003 New publications continue to appear in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Husayn's regime in April 2003. At the time of writing, more than 180 newspapers and other publications are available. Many of the new papers are published by lesser-known organizations. The Iraqi Media Network (IMN), operated by the Coalition Provisional Authority, continues to dominate domestic broadcasting. The role of the IMN in shaping post-war national broadcasting in Iraq, and the extent of its powers, came under the international spotlight at the beginning of August, when senior IMN official Ahmad al-Rikabi, head of US-backed Iraqi TV, resigned. Rikabi complained that inadequate funding prevented the station from competing with rival channels from Iran and the Gulf states. The US authorities have appointed Simon Haselock as media commissioner to govern broadcasters and the press in Iraq, establish training programmes for journalists and plan for the establishment of a state- run radio and TV network, the Washington Post newspaper reported on 19 August. Haselock's last appointment was as spokesman and media supervisor for UN authorities overseeing Kosovo. An FM radio station describing itself as Iraq's first independent music station has been heard in Baghdad. Across Iraq as a whole, however, independent radio and TV stations have been slow to emerge. International broadcasters such as the BBC, Radio Monte Carlo-Middle East and the US-run Radio Sawa are all available on FM in Baghdad and some other Iraqi cities. Internet services are on offer in the capital, and the state internet service provider, Uruklink, is back in operation after several months offline. The Paris-based organization Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) on 23 July published a report on developments in Iraq's media in the previous four months. The full report can be seen on the RSF web site, http://www.rsf.fr The following new Iraqi press and broadcast sources have been traced since the previous 1 August 2003 issue of "The media in post-war Iraq": NEW RADIO BROADCASTS IN IRAQ SINCE 1 AUGUST 2003 IQ4 Radio Iraq -- In Baghdad, a previously unidentified FM radio station on 104.1 MHz playing continuous Arabic and Western pop music was observed on 16 August with the following announcement in English: "This is IQ4 Radio Iraq, Iraq's first independent music station, 104.1 FM". New Iraq Radio -- The previously unidentified radio station broadcasting in Arabic and Kurdish on 657 kHz mediumwave in Baghdad has now been identified as New Iraq Radio, Voice of the Iraqi Media Network. The US surrogate broadcaster Radio Free Iraq has been observed on a new FM frequency in Baghdad, 102.4 MHz, which is listed on their web site as 102 MHz. With the arrival of Polish troops in Iraq as part of the international stabilization force, public Polish Radio is setting up a correspondents' unit in Iraq and plans to start broadcasts for the Polish military contingent in the country, Polish radio reported on 9 August. NEW IRAQI PRESS SINCE 1 AUGUST 2003 . . . [exhaustive section snipped for DXLD) POST-WAR BROADCAST MEDIA --- RADIO FM BAND IN BAGHDAD (MHz) 89.0 - BBC World Service in Arabic 89.9 - Iranian Payam network in Persian 90.1 - Iranian Voice of the Mujahidin in Arabic 92.3 - Continuous US pop music - no identification announcements 93.0 - Iranian Javan (Youth) network in Persian 93.5 - Radio Monte Carlo-Middle East 95.0 - Radio Freedom from Baghdad in Arabic (operated by the PUK) 97.1 - Unidentified Western music 97.4 - Continuous US pop music (as 92.3) 97.7 - Continuous US pop music (as 92.3) 98.1 - BBC World Service in English 98.3 - Baghdad FM Radio 100.4 - US Radio Sawa in Arabic 101.6 - Iranian Javan (Youth) network in Persian 102.4 - Radio Free Iraq (RFE/RL) 104.1 - IQ4 Radio Iraq in English 107.8 - American Forces Network in English AM/MEDIUMWAVE (kHz) 531 - (Iranian) IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 540 - Radio Kuwait Main Programme in Arabic 558 - IRIB Radio Farhang network in Persian 576 - IRIB Arabic Service 585 - (Saudi) BSKSA General Programme in Arabic 612 - IRIB Arabic Service 630 - Radio Kuwait Koran Programme in Arabic 657 - New Iraq Radio, Voice of the Iraqi Media Network in Arabic and Kurdish 666 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 693 - US Information Radio in Arabic 711 - IRIB Ahwaz regional in Arabic 720 - Voice of the Mujahidin in Arabic 756 - Information Radio in Arabic 783 - BSKSA 2nd Programme in Arabic 819 - Syrian Arab Republic Radio Main Programme in Arabic 855 - BSKSA Koran Programme in Arabic 864 - Radio Nejat in Persian 873 - BSKSA Koran Programme in Arabic 900 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 909 - Radio Nahrain 936 - BSKSA Koran Programme in Arabic 954 - Radio Qatar in Arabic 972 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 1000 - Voice of the Worker Communist Party of Iraq 1026 - Iraqi Media Network - Radio Baghdad in Arabic 1053 - Republic of Iraq Radio, Voice of the Iraqi People in Arabic 1089 - BSKSA 2nd Programme in Arabic 1134 - Radio Kuwait Main Programme in Arabic 1161 - IRIB Arabic Service 1170 - (US-run) Radio Farda in Persian 1188 - IRIB Radio Payam network in Persian 1224 - IRIB Arabic Service 1242 - Radio Sultanate of Oman 1251 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 1269 - Radio Kuwait Modern Arabic Music Service 1278 - IRIB Kermanshah regional in Persian 1296 - Voice of Azerbaijan in Azeri - Radio Liberty relay 1305 - IRIB Bushehr regional in Persian 1314 - (US-run) Radio Free Iraq via Abu Dhabi 1332 - IRIB Tehran regional in Persian 1341 - Radio Kuwait 2nd Programme in Arabic 1395 - Voice of Armenia in Armenian 1422 - BSKSA Foreign Language Programme in French 1440 - BSKSA General Programme in Arabic 1449 - IRIB World Service in Russian 1467 - BSKSA General Programme in Arabic 1476 - Emirates Radio, UAE, in Arabic 1485 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 1503 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 1521 - IRIB Radio Farhang network in Persian 1530 - IRIB Radio Sarasarye network in Persian 1539 - (US-run) Radio Farda in Persian 1548 - (US-run) Radio Sawa in Arabic 1566 - Radio of the Land of the Two Rivers in Arabic 1575 - Radio Al-Mustaqbal 1575 - Radio Asia, UAE, in Urdu 1593 - VoA English/Kurdish/Persian + Radio Free Iraq Iraqi Media Network, Voice of New Iraq - operated by the Coalition Provisional Authority. Has also identified as Republic of Iraq Radio from Baghdad and Voice of Free Iraq (Sawt al-Iraq al-Hurr). Broadcasts on 98.3 MHz FM in Baghdad. On 27 May 2003 the station was observed on 1026 kHz announcing as Iraqi Media Network-Radio Baghdad. Shamin Rassam, an Iraqi-American, directs IMN's FM radio outlet as well as news bulletins on the mediumwave station, according to the Washington Post. IQ4 Radio Iraq In Baghdad, a previously unidentified FM radio station on 104.1 MHz playing continuous Arabic and Western pop music was observed on 16 August with the following announcement in English: "This is IQ4 Radio Iraq, Iraq's first independent music station, 104.1 FM". Radio Nahrain -- Since the end of March 2003, Radio Nahrain, also known as Twin Rivers Radio, has been transmitting on FM on 100.4 and 94.6 MHz from a location south of Basra. It has also been monitored on 96.0 MHz and 909 kHz mediumwave. The station is operated by British forces, but was due to be taken over at some stage by the Coalition Provisional Authority. With the arrival of Polish troops in Iraq as part of the international stabilization force, public Polish Radio is setting up a correspondents' unit in Iraq and plans to start broadcasts for the Polish military contingent in the country, Polish radio reported on 9 August. Voice of Freedom, Voice of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan radio in Arabic and Kurdish is operated by the PUK. It broadcasts daily from 1000-1900 gmt on 95.0 MHz. The station identifies on air as "Radio Freedom". Turkomaneli TV and radio was launched in Kirkuk in April 2003 and broadcasts on behalf of the Iraqi Turkoman Front. Turkomaneli Radio opened radio stations in Talla'far and Mosul on 6 and 8 May respectively, the Iraqi Turkoman Front newspaper Turkomaneli reported on 11 May. Dangi Komal-Kirkuk radio broadcasts on 1341 kHz in Kurdish, Arabic and Turkish to Kirkuk on behalf of the Kurdistan Islamic Group. The Worker-Communist Party of Iraq's "Radio Bopeshawa" is reportedly back on the air. The internet site of the Worker-Communist Party of Iraq http://www.wpiraq.org reports that Ila al-Amam (Forward) Radio [usually rendered as Radio Bopeshawa, meaning "Forward"], voice of the Worker-Communist Party of Iraq, broadcasts for one hour a day on shortwave from 1100 gmt (half an hour in Arabic and half an hour in Kurdish), to the areas of Arbil, Kirkuk and Mosul. The same programme is repeated between 0500-0600 gmt the next day. Identifies on air as "Voice of the Worker Communist Party of Iraq". The following are among stations in operation before April 2003 that continue to be heard inside Iraq: Voice of the People of Kurdistan, operated by the PUK Voice of Iraqi Kurdistan, operated by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Radio Azadi, Voice of the Communist Party of Iraqi Kurdistan Ashur Radio - The station reportedly began operation in April 2000 and is operated by the Assyrian Democratic Movement, an opposition organization in northern Iraq. It broadcasts in Assyrian and Arabic on shortwave, reportedly from a transmitter in Azerbaijan. Voice of the Iraqi People, Voice of the Iraqi Communist Party - The station broadcasts from northern Iraq, possibly using Kurdish facilities. Voice of the Mojahed, the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization's radio, may still be located in Iraq. This radio broadcasts via shortwave, satellite and with archive audio files on the Internet. Following the fall of Saddam Husayn, the station was observed to have ceased broadcasting for a few days in April. The station is currently heard on various shortwave frequencies and on the Telstar 12 satellite at 15 degrees west, on frequency 12588 vertical, in parallel with the terrestrial frequencies. The web site of the radio station is at: http://www.iran.mojahedin.org Al-Mustaqbal [The Future] radio is operated by the Iraqi National Accord. TELEVISION The Iraqi Media Network launched on 13 May. The Washington Post reported on 11 May that the US planned a nationwide Iraqi TV network to succeed the airborne Towards Freedom TV. The programme, initially for two hours but projected as a 24-hour full-service network, includes 30 minutes of news each night, including a local news segment, the report said. The station began broadcasts amid squabbling between its US and Canadian advisers, and complaints from its Iraqi journalists about "American censorship", international agencies reported. Since around 20 June the Iraqi Media Network TV has broadcast to Iraq from Eutelsat W1, located at 10 degrees east. The role of the IMN in shaping post-war national broadcasting in Iraq, and the extent of its powers, came under the international spotlight at the beginning of August, when senior IMN official Ahmad al-Rikabi, head of US-backed Iraqi TV, resigned. Rikabi complained that inadequate funding prevented the station from competing with rival channels from Iran and the Gulf states. The IMN's director, George Mansur, said in an interview with the French news agency AFP on 22 August that the network had received new equipment and would broadcast 24 hours a day "within a few weeks". "The move is hoped to end weeks of squabbles at the channel, seen by many as nothing more than a mouthpiece of the coalition authorities in Iraq," the AFP report added. According to the Washington Post, the IMN's television network is capable of reaching about two-thirds of Iraqi homes. Karbala - a local TV channel was launched on 16 April, according to United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi TV on 6 May. Similar small-scale local channels are reported to be operating in Najaf and Kut, according to BBC News Online reporter Tarik Kafala, who visited the stations in June 2003. Ninawa TV was launched in mid-July 2003. The Baghdad newspaper Al-Ittihad reported on 14 July that an independent radio station called Ninawa Radio also operates in the city. Freedom TV [Al-Hurriyah TV] is a PUK-sponsored television station that began test transmissions from Baghdad on 30 April. A PUK statement said viewers can access Freedom TV on UHF channel 38 from 1700-2200 gmt. Mosul TV was the "first station" to resume transmission in Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam Husayn, Dubai-based news channel Al-Arabiya TV reported on 10 May. Kirkuk TV channel started broadcasts on 23 April "under the supervision of the coalition forces", according to a report by the Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) newspaper Brayati on 25 April. Turkomaneli TV and radio was launched in Kirkuk in April 2003 and broadcasts on behalf of the Iraqi Turkoman Front. Turkomaneli Radio opened radio stations in Talla'far and Mosul on 6 and 8 May respectively, the Iraqi Turkoman Front newspaper Turkomaneli reported on 11 May. The Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization's (MKO) "Vision of Resistance TV" (Sima-ye Moqavemat) which was relayed by the former Republic of Iraq Television before and after normal broadcasting hours has not been reported on the air recently. Reportedly the studios were in Ashraf, north of Baghdad in Central Iraq. The only MKO TV programmes being traced at present are via satellite on the station "Simaye Azaidi Iran National TV" (Vision of Freedom National Iran TV), which is not located in Iraq but which the sat-address.com web site gives UK-based contact details. The web site is http://www.iranntv.com and satellites are the trans-Atlantic Telstar 12 at 15 degrees west (12588 MHz vertical), beamed to Europe and the Middle East. KurdSat, the television station of the PUK, has expanded its broadcasts to Kirkuk and Khanaqin. The KDP's television station Kurdistan TV now beams its programmes to Kirkuk and Mosul. The Iraqi newpaper Al-Qabas reported on 3 June that eight million satellite dishes would be imported from the United States, Japan, Korea and China. TV BAND IN BAGHDAD (sound frequencies in MHz ) VHF 194.75 - Iraqi Media Network Television 222.75 - Iranian Television First Channel UHF 484.75 - Iraqi Media Network Television 508.75 - Iranian Television First Channel 532.75 - Iranian Television Regional Service 604.75 - Iraqi Media Network Television 644.75 - Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Radio (in parallel with radio transmission on 4025 kHz) IRANIAN BROADCAST MEDIA ACCESSIBLE IN IRAQ -- TELEVISION The Iran-based Al-Alam TV channel in Arabic and English is a 24-hour news channel transmitted on four satellites (Arabsat, Asiasat, Telstar and Hot Bird satellites) and can be received in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and America. Al-Alam broadcasts into Baghdad from a powerful transmitter about 150 km away, just over the Iran-Iraq border. It is the only foreign channel that can be viewed by Iraqis without a satellite dish. That has sent its viewership soaring among Iraqis, who cannot afford a satellite dish and receiver. The Arabic channel began broadcasting in February 2003. English content currently is limited to horizontal news subtitles or news tickers. The station has a web site at http://www.alalamnews.com Sahar Universal Network 1 and 2 television, Iran's external satellite TV service on the Hot Bird 1-6 satellites, is viewable across Iraq and includes Arabic programming. It broadcasts on the 13 degrees East Hot Bird 1-6 satellite daily at 0500-2300 gmt. Its web site is located at http://www.sahartv.com Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran television in Arabic is based in Tehran and sponsored by the state-run Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It broadcasts daily to Iraq on the satellite parameter 11172 MHz V (6.8 MHz) 62 degrees East Intelsat 902. Al-Thaqalayn TV --- This channel, affiliated to an Iranian cultural institute of the same name, is targeted at viewers in Iraq and broadcasts religious programmes, the Tehran Times newspaper reported on 14 July. People in Iran's Ilam Province can watch the programmes as well, the report noted. Resistance Channel - this TV channel is called "Al-Estiqamah TV" in Arabic; in April 2003 it was reported to be using the facilities of Iranian radio and TV, including the aerial of Iran's Education Channel, to broadcast to Iraq. The station was inaugurated in early April 2003 by Ayatollah Baqr al-Hakim, the head of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq [SCIRI], according to the Tehran- based Baztab web site. The channel was untraced when checked from 5-7 July 2003, and may no longer be operational. A search of internet sites on 6 July revealed that the channel has left Intelsat 902, Hot Bird and Arabsat. RADIO Voice of the Mujahidin --- First observed on 17 April and broadcasting in Arabic, the station's content suggests that it is operated by the Iranian-backed Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI). In addition, the station is transmitting on one of several frequencies used by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting for its external transmissions. Has been heard on 90.1 MHz FM, in parallel with 720 kHz. The content generally parallels that of the main SCIRI web site located at http://www.majlesaala.com Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran (VIRI) external service in Arabic can be heard on mediumwave and shortwave inside Iraq as well as via the Internet at http://www.irib.com Voice of Rebellious Iraq - broadcasts in Arabic and supports the Iranian-sponsored Shi'i group, the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI); believed to transmit from Iran. The station was untraced when checked from 5-7 July 2003. INTERNATIONAL MEDIA Major international radio and television stations, such as pan-Arab satellite television stations, the BBC Arabic and World service radio, the Paris-based Radio Monte Carlo-Middle East, US Radio Sawa and US- sponsored Radio Free Iraq are available in Iraq. BBC World Service is now 24 hours a day in Arabic on FM in Baghdad and Basra. The FM frequencies are 89.0 MHz in Baghdad and 90.0 MHz in Basra in Arabic. In Basra, the World Service can also be heard in English on FM on 88.0 MHz and 98.1 MHz. Radio Monte Carlo-Middle East is now on FM on 93.5 MHz in Baghdad for 24 hours a day. Radio Sawa is on FM in Baghdad (100.4 MHz), Arbil (100.5 MHz) and Sulaymaniyah (88.0 MHz), as well as on 1548 MW. Since mid-May 2003, Libya has been broadcasting specifically to Iraq in Arabic. The shortwave broadcasts carrry the following announcement: "This is the general centre for broadcasts beamed from the Great Jamahiriyah: A message to the people of the two rivers [Iraq]." Libya broadcasts to Iraq daily on 17600 kHz at 1200-1300 and on 7245, 9605, and 11660 kHz at 1800-1900 gmt. Syrian Arab Republic Radio is the Syrian state-owned radio's external service. It broadcasts on shortwave on 12085 and 13610 kHz. It has also been heard in Iraq on the MW frequency of 819 kHz between 1100 and 1145 gmt. Its satellite parameters are 11572 MHz H (7.2 MHz) on 16 degrees East Eutelsat W2, and 3803 MHz LCHP 40.50 W NSS 806. Its broadcast times are from 1100-1145, 1350-1450, 1830-1915 and 2215-2315 gmt. Radio Kuwait is the state-owned Kuwaiti radio. It can be received in Iraq on the MW frequency of 540 kHz 24 hours. Voice of Israel is Israel's state-owned radio. It broadcasts daily in Arabic on shortwave at 0300-2115 gmt on 5915 kHz and 12150 kHz. Access to all broadcast media is limited by the availability of electricity, radio and TV sets and the satellite equipment. INTERNET Uruklink, the Iraqi state internet service provider, was observed back in operation on 12 July after several months offline. The web site at http://www.uruklink.net includes links to live audio streams from the BBC Arabic Service, Radio Sawa and Radio Monte Carlo-Middle East. The US-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) that is administering postwar Iraq has a web site http://www.cpa-iraq.org The web site carries transcripts of speeches by CPA administrator L. Paul Bremer and other officials, fact sheets on Iraqi ministries, public service announcements, press releases and official documents such as regulations and orders issued by the CPA. An official source at the Ministry of Transport and Communications announced at the end of June 2003 that internet services to private subscribers in Baghdad would be resumed soon, and would be "free of charge", Al-Shira newspaper reported. Source: BBC Monitoring research 26 Aug 03 (via DXLD) ** IRELAND. RTÉ TO LAUNCH LONGWAVE SERVICE ON 1ST OCTOBER Lennie Kaye, Technical Operations Manager (Radio) at Irish public broadcaster RTÉ, has told Media Network that the official launch of the longwave service of RTÉ Radio 1 on 252 kHz is planned for 1 October 2003. The transmitter has been testing in recent days, leading to a spate of E-mails to Media Network and other media sites. RTÉ acquired the transmitter from its previous commercial owners, TEAMtalk, when that station closed on 31 July last year. The longwave service is intended primarily for Irish expatriates living in the UK. At the same time, RTÉ has expanded its radio services on the Sky Digital platform by adding the stereo version of RTÉ Radio 1 on the Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) at 910. The existing Radio 1 service on EPG 892 has been re-named "RTE Europe" as it's carried on the Astra 2B satellite which has a wider footprint than the new stereo service on Astra 2D that covers mainly Ireland and the UK. The RTÉ Europe service carries the same alternative programming at certain times as the mediumwave transmitter in Ireland on 567 kHz (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 26 August 2003 via DXLD) RTE are testing 252 again today from 10am UTC, probably for most of this week if it's anything like last. They are putting out RTE Radio 1 as on their internet feed at http://www.rte.ie (Posted by Paul Strickland on August 26, 2003 at 06:34:39, LW Messageboard via DXLD) RTE is back on longwave 252 kHz again this morning (Tuesday), heard from tune-in at 1030 UT with a relay of RTE Radio 1. It seems stronger today than during the tests last week. 73s (Dave Kenny, UK, Aug 26, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** IRELAND [non]. RTÉ ALL IRELAND HURLING AND FOOTBALL FINALS 2003 ON SHORTWAVE Irish public broadcaster RTÉ has announced the shortwave frequencies for coverage of this year's All Ireland Hurling and Football Finals. The broadcasts will take place at 1425-1625 UTC on Sunday 14th and Sunday 28th September 2003 as follows: to North America on 13785 kHz to Central & South America on 15275 kHz to West Africa on 17860 kHz to Northeast Africa & the Middle East on 21590 kHz to the Far East & SE Asia on 7485 kHz (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 25 August 2003 via DXLD) ** ITALY. EUROPEAN MUSIC RADIO 49 METRES 5775 KHZ SUNDAY NIGHTS Dear EMR listener, It is time now for EMR to hit the air waves once again, this time we are via the Italian Radio Relay Service on 5775 kHz just outside the 49 metre band. The first transmission date is the 31st of August 2003 at 2000 to 2130 BST with hit music and IDs to Europe. All transmissions will be repeated within 7 days of the Main broadcast. EMR will be on the air every 3rd Sunday night of the month until April 2004 on the same channel from the 21st of September 2003. Starting in September 2003 EMR will be introducing a new jingle Package and programme schedule. All correct reports via E-mail will be verified with a free QSL card via post. EMR E-mail Address - emr@blueyonder.co.uk THESE ARE THE ON AIR DATES FOR EMR ALL TRANSMISSIONS ARE ON 5775 KHZ AT 2000 TO 2130 BRITISH STANDARD TIME. [1900-2030 UT until Nov, then 2000-2130 UT] 2003 DATES 31st AUGUST 2003 - Repeated 6th of September 21st SEPTEMBER 2003 - Repeat - (to be confirmed) 19th OCTOBER 2003 16th NOVEMBER 2003 21st DECEMBER 2003 2004 DATES 18th JANUARY 2004 16th FEBRUARY 2004 15th MARCH 2004 19th APRIL 2004 [1900-2030 again] There may be some transmissions on 13840 kHz sometime before April 2004. GOOD LISTENING AND GOOD RECEPTION 73s (TOM, EMR, Aug 24, BCLnews.it via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. ACTIVISTS THWARTED IN N. KOREA RADIO BALLOON BID SEOUL, Aug 22 (Reuters) - South Korean police on Friday thwarted a group of activists trying to launch balloons carrying transistor radios into North Korea in a bid to undermine the communist government, an activist said. Speaking by telephone from near the border between the two countries, activist Rev Douglas Shin said Norbert Vollertsen, who works on behalf of North Korean refugees, was slightly hurt in a scuffle with police, who said the demonstrators did not have a permit for a balloon launch rally. "We were told this morning that the government would not interfere, but in Cholwon we were told there was a change of orders," said Shin, a Korean-American human rights campaigner. He said Vollertsen had injured his knee in the scuffle. Local police could not immediately be reached for comment. The group of mainly South Korean activists had gathered at Cholwon, a town 80 km (48 miles) northeast of the South Korean capital, to try to fly more than 20 balloons, each six metres (18 ft) tall and carrying about 30 small radios, into North Korea. The "Give the Ear to a North Korean" campaign was aimed at overcoming North Korea's strict ban on its people receiving outside broadcasts. North Korean radios and televisions are built so they can only tune in to government channels, which run mostly martial music or praise of reclusive leader Kim Jong-il. The Voice of America and South Korea's KBS -- both government-run broadcasters -- air programmes aimed at North Korea, but face jamming. Vollertsen is a German doctor once decorated by North Korea for humanitarian work there, but was expelled in 2000 after condemning the communist state's human rights record. He has since campaigned to help North Koreans refugees in China secure asylum in South Korea and other countries, and helped plan a spate of incursions by North Korean refugees into foreign diplomatic missions in Beijing last year. Friday's incident came as the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia prepared to meet in Beijing next week in an attempt to defuse the North Korean nuclear crisis. REUTERS (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR: PRIVATE RADIO BREAKS STATE RADIO MONOPOLY OF NATIONAL COVERAGE | Excerpt from report by Malagasy independent newspaper L'Express de Madagascar web site on 25 August A [private] Malagasy radio station is now relayed on satellite. This is the good news offered by MBS [Madagascar Broadcasting System, owned by President Marc Ravalomanana and managed by his daughter, Sarah Ravalomanana] to radio listeners in Fianarantsoa [southcentral town]. This is an unexpected development. Indeed during a seminar on media legislation which we attended in Antananarivo in the year 2000, the manager of a private station had asked whether he could resort to satellites to relay his broadcasts to all corners of Madagascar. [Passage omitted] His request obviously was turned down by [Ratsiraka regime] officials who attended the seminar, and who clearly were eager to leave the venue of the debate without having to give an answer inappropriate to the prevailing situation [pluralism of information]. However, satellites may now be used to compete with the national radio station [broadcasting in short wave and therefore audible countrywide]. [Passage omitted] The [national radio station's] monopoly of national news coverage is now a thing of the past. Several parts of the national territory will now be covered by two stations: RNM [Malagasy National Radio] and Radio MBS which broadcasts simultaneously to Mahajanga [northwestern port], Toliara [southwestern port], Tolagnaro [southeastern port], Fianarantsoa [southcentral town] and, of course, to SAVA [Sambava, Antalaha, Vohemar, Andapa: vanilla-producing region on northeastern coast]. [Passage omitted] Regarding the radio's programmes, a MBS official said 60 per cent of them would be those of the MBS HQ in Anosipatrana [Antananarivo neighbourhood]. Live news bulletins [broadcast by MBS HQ in capital] are broadcast at 1230 [0930 gmt] and 1830 [1530 gmt] and the evening news will be rebroadcast the following day at 0615 [0315 gmt]. The official also said "the news bulletins in French will be broadcast from today (21 August)". He said the first trial on satellite took place on Friday 8 August, adding that the radio transmits daily [on satellite] from 0500 [0200 gmt] to 2300 [2000 gmt]. Source: L'Express de Madagascar web site, Antananarivo, in French 25 Aug 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** MEXICO. DX PROGRAMS (in Spanish) [primary surnames --- primer apellido --- are in caps to avoid confusion by non-Mexicans] DX 21 c/o Radio Mexico International Calle Real de Mayorazgo #83 Colonia Xoco, Del. Benito Juárez 03330 México, D.F., MEXICO Telephone: +52-5-628-1731, 628-1730 Fax: +52-5-604-6753 Contact persons: Alejandro JOSEPH, Juan José MIROZ E-mails: rmi@eudoramail.com, rmi@imer.com.mx Websites: http://www.imer.gob.mx http://www.imer.gob.mx/cartas/rmi/pdf Airtimes: Tuesday and Friday 2030-2045 UT on 9705 and 11770 kHz (subject to change) Note: This is the DX program of station XERMX, Radio Mexico International -- the Mexican government`s international shortwave station. We have been told that "DX 21" is more of an amateur radio program produced by members of the Radio Experimenters Federation and intended to introduce listeners to the world of amateur radio. In the past, Radio Mexico International has had other DX programs of more interest to shortwave listeners (including in English). At press time, the station was going through some major budget cuts which were causing changes in personnel and programming, so perhaps there will be changes in its DX program(s) in the near future. Encuentro DX c/o XEOI Radio Mil Onda Corta Apartado Postal 21-1000 04021 México, D.F., MEXICO Contact persons: Dr. Julián SANTIAGO Díez de Bonilla, Héctor GARCIA Bojorge E-mails: jusadiez@hotmail.com bojorge@servidor.unam.mx Website: http://www.nrm.com.mx/estaciones/radiomil/DX.html Airtimes (Central Mexican Time): Friday 1725; Saturday 0830 and 1930; Sunday 0900, 1725 (or 1825) and 2305 hours on 6010 kHz. Add five hours for UT in summer; add six hours for UT in winter. [see previous issue for schedule in UT, apparently rounded off times. Jeff White`s interview on Radio Enlace mentioned that gh`s Spanish DX report was also heard within this program, news to me --- gh] Note: Encuentro DX is actually a group of shortwave listeners in the Mexico City area. They produce a weekly DX program with the same name for the shortwave frequency (6010 kHz) of the popular commercial AM station Radio Mil in Mexico City. Dr. Julián Santiago speaks excellent English, has lived in the United States, and used to produce a regular DX program in English (which unfortunately no longer exists) for the government-owned Radio Mexico International. At press time, Radio Mil was about to move its studios to a new location on the outskirts of Mexico City, and it was unknown if Encuentro DX would be able to continue producing a weekly DX program for the station. In any case, the group will continue to exist as a local DX club. Sintonía Libre c/o Radio Educación (XEPPM) Angel Urraza 622, Colonia del Valle 03100 México, D.F., MEXICO Alternate address: Apartado Postal 21-465, CP 04021 México, D.F., MEXICO Main telephone: +52-5-1500-1050 (direct number to Shortwave Department +52-5-1500-1073) Studio telephone: +52-5-1500-1060 Other telephone numbers: +52-5-559-6944, +52-5-559-8075 Director General: Ms. Lidia CAMACHO Camacho (telephone +52-5-1500- 1051) Assistant Director for Production and Programming: Ms. Perla Olivia RODRIGUEZ Reséndiz (telephone +52-5-1500-1063) General e-mail addresses: radioeducación@yahoo.com informes@radioeducacion.edu.mx E-mail for Director General: direccion@radioeducacion.edu.mx E-mail for Asst. Director for Production and Programming: polivia@radioeducacion.edu.mx Website: http://www.radioeducacion.edu.mx Broadcast schedule for shortwave frequency (6185 kHz): 1800-0600 Mexico City time daily (add five hours for UT in summer; add six hours for UT in winter) Broadcast schedule for "Sintonía Libre:" Monday 1830-1900; Tuesday 2030-2100; Wednesday 2230-2300; Friday 1830-1900; Saturday 2030-2100; Sunday 2230-2300. These are local days and times. Add five hours for UT in summer; add six hours for UT in winter. Note that "Sintonía Libre" is actually a weekly program. The new program is first broadcast on Wednesday; the other days and times are repeats. Note: The Mexican government operates two shortwave stations. Radio Mexico International is the main international broadcasting station, although its technical facilities and signal are variable from fair to poor at press time. Radio Educación (i.e. Radio Education) is operated by the Ministry of Education, and its shortwave facilities are in very good shape with a good to excellent signal at local nighttimes when there is no co-channel interference. The station is quite committed to DXers and provides excellent coverage of Mexican DX events such as the Annual National Meeting of DXers and Radio Listeners. The station is quite popular among shortwave listeners in Mexico. (It was tied for sixth place in the NASB listener survey.) The station broadcasts in Spanish, with some English and French (Jeff White, 9th Mexican DX Encuentro report in Sept NASB Newsletter via DXLD) ** NICARAGUA [non]. See COSTA RICA, R. Reloj ** NIGERIA. NATIONAL BROADCASTING COMMISSION SHUTS ITV/RADIO, BENIN This Day (Lagos) August 23, 2003 Posted to the web August 25, 2003 http://allafrica.com/stories/200308250220.html Lagos --- National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has suspended the operations of the Independent Radio and Television, Benin. The chief public affairs officer of the commission, Mr. Ahmed Abdulkadir, in a statement said the suspension is due to the unprofessional conduct of both stations which relayed martial music on the radio and television stations following the death of a staff of the communications outfit on Thursday, August 21. "A lengthy broadcast of Martial Music, without accompanying educational or entertainment information, usually signifies a threat to political/ administrative situation in Nigeria, and should not be indulged in by a station for any reason whatsoever." The offence contravenes the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, which states that no station should, "broadcast information immediately leading, or likely to lead to a breakdown of law and order." The station's act, according to the statement, did cause panic in Edo and threatened to lead to a breakdown of law and order in the state and beyond, as its signals cover Edo, Delta, Ondo and Ekiti states. [sic -- something missing] w being investigated by the commission, the law-enforcement and security agencies (via allafrica.com via Jilly Dybka, DXLD) This Benin is a part of Nigeria, not the separate country formerly known as Dahomey (gh, DXLD) ** PERU. R. Victoria, Lima, 6020: in addition to the religious program La Voz de la Liberación, theyhave original info programs as follows: ``Radioperiódico Nuevo Mundo`` at 1200-1300 and 0000-0100 and ``Revista del Mediodia`` at 1730-1830, both M-F. Time may vary by dayf rom 5 to 15 minutes. In ``Radioperiódico Nuevo Mundo`` we can hear a sole ad for ``Producciones Monte Sinaí``. According to the telephone book, the station has two addresses: one is Arica 248, which corresponds to the national headquarters of Iglesia Pentecostal Dios es Amor, and the other is Reynal 320, as announced on the news. R. Nacional del Perú, Lima, 850 and 103.9: According to the ``Indicadores de Desempeño del Plan Estratégico Institucional 2002-2006, al Cuarto Trimestre 2002`` dated 05/02/2003 prepared by Oficina General de Planificación y Desarrollo, Instituto Nacional de Radio y Televisión del Perú at http://www.irtp.com.pe/irtp/archivos/05-02-2003/IDPEI_02-06_CT2002_Pl.pdf ``Radio Nacional AM went off the air from June 10 (2002) due to inundation at the transmitter site. So it was necessary to move the transmitter to transmitter site of Radio la Crónica. Due to the lack of budget for acquisition of three-phase power supply, it is not possible to put into operation. . .`` As reported in the last THDXN, Radio Nacional-AM was back on the air in late April 2003 [on 850 or 1320?? -gh] R. Unión, Lima, 880 and 6115: According to visit, I was told that their office\studios had moved from San Isidro to Miraflores. New QTH is José Pardo 138, Edificio Neptuno, Piso 16, Miraflores, Lima. Phone numbers, e-mail address, website appeared in 2003 yellow pages are no longer in use. I wonder if this unavailability is related to this move? Librería Nuevo Mundo: ``Los tres temas menos conocidos de la Radiodifusión Mundial``, by Enrique Ramírez Cortez, published by Universidad de Piura in 2000. ISBN: 9972-48-034-8. 144 pages in total. Price 25 Nuevos Soles (= US$7.2) --- This is an introductory book of a wonderful world of DXing by a Peruvian DXer. The prologue is written by Gabriel Iván Barrera. Theme 1 ``Historia de la radio``, Theme 2 ``Diexismo``, Theme 3 ``El lado oculto de la radio, la radiodifusión ilegal`` -- Interesting (Tetsuya Hirahara, who visited Lima 19 June to 28 July, 2003, ``El Tiempo Hechicero`` DX News, Aug, via Radio Nuevo Mundo via DXLD) ** PERU. R. Reina de la Selva, Chachapoyas; QSL card, personal letter, program table and photo in 52 days. The photo was ruin of pre-Inca in Chachapoyas. V/s José David Reina Noriega (Yukiharu Uemura, Kanagawa, Japan, Radio Nuevo Mundo Aug 12 via DXLD) Note Reina spelling ** PERU. A couple more Visitation Certificates collected by Takayuki Inoue Nozaki on his travels around Peru are reproduced in Radio Nuevo Mundo; compare to DXLD 3-130 for Nor Andina, with quite similar wording, sic with mistakes, minus the strikeovers I can`t reproduce: RADIO FRECUENCIA - VH - 4ta D.C. / ``La Voz de Celendín`` / Jr. José Gálvez 710 --- Celendín [letterhead] ``C O N S T A N C I A D E V I S I T A Hacemos constar que en la fecha 05 de Enero del año 1995 fuimos horadios con la presencia de nuestro distinguido amigo TAKAYUKI INOUE NOZAKI, quien en forma heroica y pacentera viene recorriendo muchos lugares de nuestro País el Perú, visitando especialmente diferentes medios de comunicación de las cuales una es Radio Frecuencia VH. ``LA VOZ DE CELENDIN``. Como muestra de gran reconocimiento y agradecimiento a la vez me permito elogiar la labor especial de nuestro distinguido vicitante y a nombre de todo el personal que laboramos en dicho medio de comunicación quiero desearle mucha suerte en esta magna tarea de difundir a todo el mundo las noricias que el aspecto comunicativo sigue extendiendose cada dia más y en diferentes categorías. Desde la Provincia de Celendín Región Nor Oriental del Marañon Republica del Perú Transmitimos el presente como un recuerdo para nuestro amigo aquien siempre lo recordaremos y le invitamos a que siempre nos escuhe en su Peis el JAPON. Celendín, 05 de Enero de 1,995.`` [Station circular rubber stamp, signed by Fernando Vázquez Castro, Director-Gerente] By 2001, a new letterhead had a new logo, a large V, perhaps of solar panels, overlain by two identical striped cylinders, presumably communications satellites which presumably Radio Frecuencia VH does not directly employ. The address, now moved to the bottom of the page, had changed to: Jr. José Gálvez No. 1030; tel (044) 855149. This time the message is a bit more succinct, apparently on the same typewriter, but better typist with no strikeovers: ``Por la presente hacemos constar que el sr. TAKAYUKI INOVE, nos visitó a nuesro pueblo Celendino en la fecha del Mes de Octubre, un día Sábado 06 de Octubre del 2001. Fue grato el momento que pasamos juntos relatando bonitas experiencias tanto de su Pais como el nuestro, nos sentimos muy emosionados y al mismo tiempo que le agradecemos muchisimo por sus gratas noticias de que en varios Paices del mundo hacen lo posible de escucharnos demostrando así su jovi. Como muestra de nuestro gran agradecimiento le extendemos la presente para los fines que crea conveniente. Celendín, 06 de octubre del 2001 [same stamp seal and signature]`` A third letter is reproduced, apparently a partial data QSL form, which reads in part [sic]: ``Anuestros Distinguidos Oyentes del Extranjero: Muy señroes Mios: Es grato el momento de saludarlos muy cordialmente y hacer amplia nuestras felicitaciones a cada uno de Uds. Por tener la amabilidad de captar nuestras ondas de RADIO FRECUENCIA V.H. ``La voz de Celendín`` en la frecuencia de los 4485 KHZ. OC. En forma sucinta comparto nuestra reseña histórica: Surgimos con un pequeño oscilador de apenas cinco vatios de potencia, artefacto que empesamos hacerlo funsionar con acumuladores de energía razón que no existia fluido eléctrico en nuestro medio, posteriormente adquirimos un trasmisor de 150 vatios de potencia en OC. El cual funsionaba solamente en horario nocturno. Hace aproximadamente 6 años que nuestra provincia cuenta con fluido eléctrico en las 24 horas del día servicio indispensable que nos sirvio para instalar nuestro equipo trasmisor de 500 vatios de potencia en la A.M. con la que funsionamos desde las 5.00 de la mañana hasta las 6.00 P.M. y desde las 18 horas nos proyectamos al eter en la frecuencia internacional de los 4485 KHZ.OC. hasta las 22 horas en hora peruana. En la mayoria de nuestras programaciones y/o en los diferentes horarios es nuestra caracteristica presentar la música Nacional de nuestro País (Folklore Bernacular Peruano). Con la inmensa alegria que nos causa el saber que nos escuchan en diversos paises del extranjero les escribimos estas breves notas dando muestra de nuestra amistad con uno de nuestrso amigos Q.S.L. Esperamos siempre tener noticias, nos suscribimos a cada undo de Uds. Atentamente.`` (From an exhaustive report in English on Radio Frecuencia VH, resulting from TIN`s visits, ``Por las Rutas del Perú (47)`` in Relámpago DX No. 139, March 2003, via Radio Nuevo Mundo, Aug 12, retyped by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. Re 3-153, R. Los Andes, 5030: One syllable seems to be missing from Thomas Nilsson's translation. It should read, "From a couple of our members,..." [not coup!] (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also BOLIVIA ** RWANDA. Special broadcast last night of R Rwanda on 6055 on occasion of the national presidential elections. 6055 R Rwanda, 26th of August, 0005-0100, national language, election results (as far as I could understand), nice African music, ID, some QRM by RAI on 6060, blocked by REE at 0100; SINPO 43423. Audio clip with a nice piece of music and ID (122 KB) on my homepage. vy 73 (Michael Schnitzer. Homepage: http://home.arcor.de/mschnitzer/ Location: Hassfurt, Germany, dxing.info via DXLD) ** SERBIA & MONTENEGRO. MIOMIR GRUJIC by Matthew Collin, Sunday August 24 2003, The Observer [unaccented and untransliterated Serbian names sic] The Serbian radio disc jockey Miomir Grujic, better known as Fleka, who has died aged 49, was one of the pivotal figures in Belgrade's avant-garde art scene and counterculture. In western Europe, he was best known for his vocal performance on a recording by the electronic rock band The KLF - The Magnificent, which appeared on the War Child charity album, Help (1995). But in Serbia, Grujic was renowned for his involvement in a huge variety of art, music and media projects dating back to 1980 and the communist regime of Tito. His late-night radio broadcasts on the independent station Radio B92, which was shut down four times in the 1990s by Slobodan Milosevic's government, were both radical and bizarre. Radio Bat, as his show was called, began in 1989 and mixed Grujic's surreal monologues with garage-punk, electronic music and psychedelic rock. Keen to awaken his listeners' unconscious and to hold a mirror up to what he called the "ugly face" of Belgrade in the Milosevic era, Grujic invited heroin addicts, criminals and people with AIDS to phone in and participate in long philosophical discussions. His aim was to discover truth and a sense of freedom amid the repression, militarism and isolation his country was enduring. "I want to be some kind of transformer, some kind of idiot, some kind of madman," he said. "I want to provoke people and make them react." His final broadcast, in 1999, came one day before the Nato bombing of the city began. Grujic was the central character in Marc J Hawker's 1995 documentary for Channel 4, Zombie Town. He resembled a veteran rock 'n' roll star as he growled his satirical pieces to camera, gold teeth flashing, eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses. Although blind as the result of a long-term debilitating illness, Grujic was a charismatic presence. Bill Drummond of The KLF describes him in his book, 45, as having a captivating, guttural tone "like a Slavic Howlin' Wolf", adding, "Some voices, whatever words they are saying, have that instant sound of authority, of being the real thing. Fleka had it." Grujic was asked to contribute a voiceover to The Magnificent, The KLF's drum-and-bass cover version of the theme from the film The Magnificent Seven as a replacement for Robbie Williams, who had turned down the offer to participate. The song later became a protest anthem during the mass demonstrations against the Milosevic government in 1996. Before Radio Bat started, Grujic had already established himself on the art and music scene in Belgrade. From 1983 until 1990, he worked as the programming director of the student nightclub Akademija. Like his radio show, Akademija was chaotic, innovative and unique in Belgrade. The music was inspired by the clubs Grujic had visited during a year spent in London in 1979 and the decor took its influence from American graffiti artists such as Keith Haring and Futura 2000. Born in Sabac, west of Belgrade, Grujic studied law and painting, and graduated from the Belgrade Fine Arts Academy in 1985. He approached all his enterprises as art projects, particularly Urbazona, a series of literary and artistic events that ran from 1993 until his death. He also edited an art magazine, 4F; founded a not-for-profit record label, Trotorock; exhibited his own artworks in Belgrade galleries; wrote for the theatre and television; and produced illustrations for the Serbian daily newspaper Danas. He is survived by his ex-wife, Jovana, and his son. Miomir Grujic, broadcaster and artist, born June 1 1954; died July 11 2003 Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** SUDAN [non]. 17660, Sudan Radio Service, sent letter verie on Education Development Center, Inc. letterhead, in 6 days for E-mail report to jgroce@edc.org which I also sent by postal mail with CD and in which I requested postal reply; also small EDC sticker. V/S Jeremy Groce, Radio Programming Advisor. Good verie statement, tho no details. Indicated questions should be sent via leteter or to srs@edc.org Tnx Scott Barbour for address, which is: 1000 Potomac Street, NW, Suite 350, Washington, DC 20007 (Jerry Berg, MA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** SWEDEN. ELECTION SPECIAL ON R. SWEDEN It was announced on Radio Sweden last Sunday that there will be a special program on Sunday, September 14 dealing with the national referendum (that takes place that day) on joining the European Community's single currency (i.e. the "euro"). It will air in place of "Sounds Nordic", a youth culture and music show that goes out each Sunday except for the first Sunday of the month, which is reserved for the listener contact program "In Touch with Stockholm". Broadcast times and frequencies from http://www.sr.se/rs/ (John Figliozzi, Aug 26, swprograms via DXLD) ** UKRAINE. George Poppin reports that he could hear no trace of RUI on 12040, in the 0000-0300+ UT period on Aug 21 and 22, and asked Alexander Yegorov: Alexander, Do we need new frequencies? (George J. Poppin San Francisco) Dear George, thank you for the report. Propagation has become bad on 12040, so from 1 September we will pass to 9810 kHz. Please, keep on the monitoring, and indicate QRMs on this frequency (Alexander Yegorov, RUI, via Poppin, DXLD) Glenn, Following info about RUI received from Alexander Yegorov on August 26, 2003. "Due to bad propagation for last period on 12040, RUI will change it to 9810 from 1 September." 73, (Kraig Krist, VA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. THE SMUG, UNRESPONSIVE BBC Thank you for publishing Barbara Captijn's letter ("The BBC Has Much to Answer For," Aug. 19), in which she bemoans the BBC's failure to respond to her complaints about anti-American reporting. This has been my experience as well. BBC Radio 4, the station to which I listen in the morning, is certainly self-satisfied: It often bills itself as objective and, according to presenter John Humphries, "civilizing." I have, however, been struck by the pervasive anti-American (and, incidentally, anti-business) views in much of its reporting. This seems to be the case regardless of whether stories are economic reviews of the U.S., reports on Iraq, or even the "thought for the day." Frequently, U.S. policy will be slated without U.S. officials giving any reply or mention being made that officials declined to comment. An example of this, in my experience, is the issue of prisoners being held in Guantanamo Bay. Perhaps the U.S. is indeed doing the wrong thing here, but it would be nice if U.S. representatives were given the opportunity to defend their country's position. I have also noticed that on cultural programs, which are otherwise pretty good on the BBC, Americans who are invited to speak are often clearly ambivalent about the United States. There is, of course, no problem giving airtime to critics of the U.S., but it gets a bit much when nearly all the commentary is one-way traffic. I have e-mailed the BBC a couple of times and have received no acknowledgment. Even some of my geeky friends have complained about the difficulty of e-mailing the BBC, and so I thought that perhaps my e-mails went astray. However, following Ms. Captijn's letter, I suspect the BBC may have some policy of not responding to or acknowledging the receipt of e-mails. But even if there is such a policy -- and even if there are good reasons for it -- the BBC displays a smugness that could only come from an enterprise with guaranteed access to taxpayer funds. Michael Schewitz, London, Updated August 26, 2003 (Letter to the editor of Wall Street Journal, via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U K. Why would the Conservatives want to close the BBC website? 73- Bill Westenhaver TORIES WOULD CLOSE BBC WEBSITE Tom Happold, Tuesday August 26 2003, The Guardian The Conservative party would switch off a swath of the BBC's digital services, including its website and the youth channel BBC3, if it won the next general election. The party's culture spokesman, John Whittingdale, told Guardian Unlimited Politics he was "not persuaded" of the case for a public service website and that he was "not convinced the BBC needs to do all the things it is doing at the present", including providing "more and more channels". "As a free-market Conservative, I will only support a nationalised industry if I'm persuaded that that is the only way to do it and if it were not nationalised it would not happen." Mr Whittingdale's comments will be seen within the BBC as a glimpse of what it can expect from the Tories' review of the corporation. The party launched the review, chaired by the outspoken former chief executive of Channel Five, David Elstein, earlier this year. "The BBC cannot continue doing what it's always done when everything around it in the broadcasting world has ultimately changed. "So you need to review what the BBC is there for, what is it providing that the market will not provide," he said. "Now I think there are certain functions that a public service broadcaster still needs to fulfil and that wouldn't be provided otherwise be done by the marketplace - it is public service broadcasting. "But I am not persuaded that there is necessarily a case for a public service website. I'm not persuaded that anything on the BBC site could not be provided elsewhere, [for instance] the newspapers are mostly providing sites, which provide news and comment. "They [the newspaper sites] are essentially trying to provide for the same market and therefore you can argue why does the licence fee payers need to be financing the BBC to do it when there are other commercial organisations who are doing the same thing." "The BBC site is fantastic but that's because it's had a lot of money thrown at it." Of the BBC's other digital services, Mr Whittingdale said: "I don't accept that the BBC should go on providing more and more channels. "I'm certainly not convinced that the BBC needs to do all the things it is doing at the present nor am I convinced it needs to £2.7bn of licence fee payers money to do it." "I watch BBC3 occasionally and it does not look particularly distinctive, and it looks pretty downmarket, to me - a pale shadow of E4. Mr Whittingdale also renewed his call for the BBC to come under Ofcom, the independent broadcasting regulator, claiming the "Kelly episode is a ghastly illustration" of the continuing problem of the corporation regulating itself. "Ofcom should have always been given the power to regulate the BBC, and had they done so then any complaints about bias or content would have ultimately gone to a body who are seen as separate from the BBC," he said. Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** U K. 'ROGUE RADIO WAVES' LOCK OUT DRIVERS ISABEL COCKAYNE July 29, 2003 19:36 http://tinyurl.com/l2ic Dozens of shoppers were stranded in Thetford today after their cars locked them out. Immobilisers and electric locking systems shut down, locking several people out of their cars parked at the Forest Retail Park. The mystery mass lock-out has been blamed on rogue radio waves. Although it is unclear where the radio waves were transmitted from, the incident is to be investigated by the Radio Broadcasting Commission. Sainsbury's staff provided cups of tea and help for stranded families, who had to wait for mechanics to fix the problems (EDP24 News via Jilly Dybka KF4ZEO, DXLD) ** U S A. ENGINEER GARLINGER HONORED BY SOCIETY OF BROADCAST ENGINEERS (This article was posted August 8, 2003 on RW Online, and is reprinted here by permission. Doug is a former vice-president of the NASB.) Douglas Garlinger is SBE's Broadcast Engineer of the Year. He will be honored during the society's national meeting on Oct. 15 in Madison, Wis. Garlinger, CPBE, CBNT has been employed by LeSea Broadcasting Corp. as director of engineering since 1980. LeSea operates the World Harvest Television Network, eight full-power TV stations, four LPTVs, two FM stations and three international shortwave stations. It also has two satellite uplink networks overseas. Garlinger wrote SBE's "Introduction to DTV-RF" and co-wrote its "Television Operator's Certification Handbook." He was SBE Educator of the Year in 1994 (Sept NASB Newsletter via DXLD) If Garlinger is such a hot engineer, we wonder why WHRI audio has been perpetually muddy, and a lot of downtime lately. Perhaps he is preoccupied with (D)TV (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. LIBERAL RADIO CHAT MOVING AHEAD A fledgling liberal talk-radio network launched by a Chicago venture capitalist hoping to counter the genre's rightward tilt is close to agreements that will put it on the air in at least seven cities, including Chicago. AnShell Media LLC, named for financier Sheldon Drobny and his wife, Anita, is wrapping up affiliation deals with stations here and in New York; Los Angeles; Boston; San Francisco; Boise, Idaho, and Albuquerque, NM. AnShell CEO Jon Sinton wouldn't identify the stations, but said he expects to announce the deals this week. Posted on 08/24/2003 - (A Web-only article from ChicagoBusiness.com via DXLD) ** U S A. NEW BUILDING BRINGS PUBLIC RADIO TOGETHER BIGGER FACILITY MEANS KPR STAFF CAN WORK AT COMMON LOCATION By Terry Rombeck, Journal-World, Tuesday, August 26, 2003 [KANU, 91.5, Lawrence KS] [illustrated] When you have a CD collection that includes 30,000 discs, moving and organizing it is no small task. That's one of the challenges facing workers at Kansas Public Radio this week as they complete their move from Broadcasting Hall on campus to a new building northwest of Memorial Stadium. . . http://www.ljworld.com/section/citynews/story/143395 (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) + previous story: http://www.ljworld.com/section/citynews/story/126867 (via gh, DXLD) ** U S A. POWELL'S LEADERSHIP HAS FCC BUFFETED ON ALL SIDES By MARILYN GEEWAX, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Aspen, Colo. -- As one of his first acts in office, President Bush picked Michael K. Powell to head the Federal Communications Commission, the agency that regulates phone service and broadcasting. The choice was popular. Many predicted that the bright, politically well-connected son of Secretary of State Colin Powell was on a career track that would lead to a Cabinet post, then the governorship of Virginia, and then perhaps higher office. Now the honeymoon is over. And consumer advocates are calling for his resignation. Powerful members of Congress, including many of his fellow Republicans, are pushing legislation that would undercut a key FCC decision that eases decades-old restrictions on media ownership. The FCC's decades-long tradition of unanimous rulings on major issues is in tatters following 3-2 votes on the media rules and on local telephone deregulation -- all in an atmosphere of partisan sniping among commission members. As the aftershocks of those votes continued to rumble last week, so did questions about Powell's leadership and the FCC's ability to set clear policies for communications. On Thursday, the FCC issued final rules implementing a February decision on how much regional telephone companies must share their networks with competitors. It was widely expected that some companies will fight the rules in court. A day earlier, Powell launched a counteroffensive against criticism of the media ownership rules, saying the FCC would take steps this fall to increase local programming and ensure minority voices were heard. But that move only seemed to fuel the firestorm around Powell. FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, a Democrat who opposed easing media ownership rules, issued a statement mocking Powell's localism initiative, saying it was "a day late and a dollar short." Consumer advocates were equally dismissive. "I have to say, my mind boggles" at the thought that Powell believes the localism effort could muffle opposition to his stance on media ownership, said Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, a media watchdog group. "I think Powell is desperately trying to salvage his political career, and his ego, by trying to prove that media concentration isn't really a problem," Chester said. No consensus-building His admirers urge him to stay on the job but shake their heads at his tactical missteps. They say Powell, though brilliant in many ways, has been slow to figure out how to build political support before making controversial decisions. "He can only do so much on his own," said William Daley, president of SBC Communications Inc. and former secretary of commerce under President Clinton. "To be very frank, he needs stronger allies in the administration and stronger allies on the Hill." Last month, the House voted 400-21 for a bill restoring a 35 percent cap on national broadcast audience, which the FCC had voted to raise to 45 percent. In the Senate, a bipartisan group is pushing legislation to erase all of the FCC's media ownership rule changes. The votes followed criticism from lawmakers that Powell had given little regard to public opinion before the FCC approved the media rules. "A bare, three-member majority of FCC commissioners has employed a 'damn-the-torpedoes, full-speed-ahead' strategy to hammer through one of the most far-reaching policy decisions in the history of media," said Sen. Fritz Hollings of South Carolina, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee. Speaking last week at the Aspen Summit, an annual technology conference, Powell repeatedly expressed dismay that lawmakers and other officials make decisions based on "emotional preferences" for government protections. "It's amazing," he said, that many Americans want a heavier government hand "despite how compelling the case is that capitalism and free markets around the world have provided greater prosperity." Despite the controversy, Powell's allies say he should stay the course. "When you are making big changes, there are going to be rough spots," said Tom Tauke, senior vice president for public policy at regional phone company Verizon Communications. "But if you're going to succeed, you can't just walk away. You have to instead redouble the efforts. And I think that's what he is doing right now." In the trenches Powell himself shrugs off speculation that he would resign, which first surged last February when some political pundits suggested that President Bush had urged fellow Republican Commissioner Kevin Martin to provide the deciding vote against him on the telephone deregulation decision. To fight for deregulation, "I think you better be prepared to be a really muddy infantry soldier," said Powell, a former Army platoon leader whose military career was cut short by serious injuries suffered in a training accident. He said he knows he must "take three steps forward, get shot back two, but keep going forward." FCC Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy, who also spoke in Aspen, said she believes Powell will continue serving and that the commission will be able to work well under his guidance in coming months. "I think he's a strong leader," she said. The current controversies "will settle down" before long and the commissioners will be able to put aside partisan disputes, she predicted. "We're all mature adults," she said. "We'll go forward and do our jobs." (c) 2003 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Aug 24 (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. A co-worker at WSM sent this --- he also did a lot of TV. This says a lot about the state of local television newscasts. in fact it could easily be expanded to include the garbage now being passed off as news on CNN and most of the rest of the so-called network news sources (Tom Bryant) ANOTHER VIEW: Ted Mandell --- The ten little secrets of local TV news From Indianapolis Star Op-Ed page: Aug 12 Dear Paula Anchorwoman, attractive, upbeat reader of our nightly local TV news: The charade is over. It's time for your viewers to let you and your happy-face sidekicks in on a little secret. We're not the naive, non-thinking couch potatoes you think we are. While you smile and tell us about the dangers of eating peanuts for men with oversized prostates, let me give you a history lesson in local news. After growing for 40 years and then rotting for the next 20, local TV news coverage has fueled this fear-stricken, head-buried-in-the-sod society of ours for long enough. It's time for an overhaul. Local news coverage was established to inform the public as part of a Federal Communications Commission license to broadcast. It was not intended to be a sea of teasers, shameless self-promotion and smarmy personalities. Let me whisper a few other secrets into your earpiece: * Delivering a sentence with dramatic pauses and roller-coaster nuances does not make the story important. Just read the script and quit auditioning for the next local production of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night." * The word "live" is a TV term from the 1970s and has no meaning in today's televised world. Neither does "exclusive." We also don't care if you "brought it to us first." No one is interested in hearing, "As we reported to you first last week." Quit bragging like an 8-year old boy. * No matter how many double dopplers, future tracks and weather guarantees, the meteorologist is only correct about half the time. And zero-percent accountable. Those aren't weather labs. They are pre-fabricated weather models sent from a consulting company. The weather reporter can stare at the Vegas-sized bank of video monitors all day long, but that won't make him capable of predicting Mother Nature with the pinpoint accuracy you claim. This just in, sky-view cameras don't show us anything at night except street lights. * Speaking of accountability, teasing a story with a question -- Could your garage door kill you? Do you know what's in your sink drain? Is your child safe playing in your front lawn? -- is blatantly irresponsible and unnecessarily provokes fear in the viewer, at least until after the commercial when we find out there's really nothing to fear. Stop asking me questions. I'm tired of screaming the answers back at you. * My city is not as dangerous as you make it out to be. The insistence in putting a beat reporter on the steps of the courthouse gives the daily impression that my neighborhood is full of rapists, thieves and arsonists. We're tired of seeing the same slow-motion footage of a low-life leaving the courthouse elevator every night. Ninety-nine percent of the people in my hometown are law-abiding citizens. Quit magnifying the few criminals. * There is no such thing as an anniversary of a murder. Move on and throw the old footage away. We don't want to see it. * Every story in the world is not logically linked to another. These waves of child abductions, plagues of Internet predators and flocks of armed schoolchildren are nothing more than an ocean of local muck- diggers desperately seeking some connection of every horrific event to their own hometowns. * Being "live on location" does not mean you have information to provide to the public. It means you have a satellite truck. Schools are closed at night. So are city halls and churches. What are you doing standing out in the dark? Hey, Belinda Standup, get out of the cold and back in the studio. * The newsroom isn't live, either. The cat's out of the bag. You're not answering impromptu, probing questions from your anchor. You're just reading a teleprompter of prepared text -- usually written at a third-grade level. * It's time to fire the pricey news consultant who has turned your 30-minute show into a clone of the other 150 newscasts he services around the country. Inventor of the insipid three-day special investigative report every sweeps period, his idea of creative marketing is slapping a cheesy slogan on your news team. "Taking Action For You," "We're There for You," "Together Making a Difference" -- Thanks, but no thanks. I think I'll go it alone. * * * * * Mandell teaches in the Department of Film, Television and Theater at the University of Notre Dame (via Tom Bryant, TN, Aug 24, WTFDA Soundoff via DXLD) ** U S A. About the blackout and radio --- Just think, for over 24 hours over 50 million folks were without power. It was stated over and over again that radio came to the rescue. Not local radio like it should have been except in a few instances, but the super big name Class A stations that gave us information. TV was almost worthless to those in the affected area because not too many people had battery operated TV, but if you own a car, you own a battery operated radio. Stations like WINS, WCBS, WJR, WTAM among others were able to put out information that was needed and used FAR BEYOND their normal primary service area. A case in point was that all the Toledo OH news talk stations were dark and the only real information filtering in was from WJR in Detroit. Toledo is not in their primary service area. Same for areas in upstate New York and most other affected areas. Let's fast forward a few years and say IBOC has been adopted by most stations. How would the folks in Toledo been able to listen to WJR if WSB in Atlanta was blasting it's IBOC sidebands as interference. Or how about WABC? What if both of them were on IBOC. WJR would be pretty much worthless to the folks that wanted and needed that information. I have written a letter to my US representative Katherine Harris (yup, that one) Asking that IBOC be looked at again in light of the fact that AM radio was about the only place people turned to during the blackout. Maybe all of us can do the same (Paul Smith, W4KNX, Located in Sunny Sarasota Florida, http://www.amtower.com NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. A HELPFUL TOOL FOR IDING PBS STATIONS While trying to ID WCTE-22 this AM I got forwarded to the PBS page. Note in the URL the calls and date. I found out that if I switched just the calls I could get another station's schedule right away for the same day (since I didn't change that part of the URL). While I've found some stations don't register (e.g., KXNE) you can try the network's flagship station and usually do fine. Some of the listings even have logos for the network or station! You might find this useful IDing which PBS station is which during skip or trops. Here's the link for WCTE's schedule within pbs.org; try changing calls and see! http://www.pbs.org/whatson/stations/daily.html?station=WCTE&date=2003-08-25 (Matthew C. Sittel, Bellevue, NE, Aug 25, WTFDA via DXLD) ** URUGUAY? PIRATE (South America). 11420.3, R. Piranha Internacional, full-data B&W card with "QSL" letters over Piranha on front, in 17 months after an E-mail verie at time of reception saying to send no postal mail. V/S Jorge R. García also enclosed 2-page personal letter with blue piranha logo, and CD of show aired in 1994 from Europe. Letter dated Mar 13, 2003 but hand carried to Europe and mailed from Sweden. From the letter: "We can't tell much about our exact QTH from where our operation are made, but I can tell you it is from the Rio de la Plata region, but not from Argentina! Also it's true when we say that we transmit from the jungle! We have also in several periods been the only short-wave broadcaster in the country!" (John Sgrulletta, NY, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** U S A. Out on Long Island, we're told Best Broadcasting's W208AU (89.5 Massapequa) has signed on, and it's not simulcasting WCNJ (89.3 Hazlet NJ), the station it applied to relay. Would you be surprised if we told you it was bringing in religious programming by satellite? We're not; the primary station there is WWBM (89.7 Yates GA), which itself has just signed on the air. Wonder if this will be the next big satellator primary? Up in VERMONT, Radio Free Brattleboro isn't staying silent --- and they want to make sure everyone knows about it. Forced off the air earlier this summer by FCC inspectors, the community station put out the word last week that it would sign back on Friday afternoon at 5 on a new frequency, 107.9, and that's just what they did, with a burst of media attention that landed them in every trade publication and even the Boston Globe. The RFB folks are making the case that, having been shut down for lack of "authority to broadcast," they've now obtained that authority - not through FCC channels but through a petition that they say has been signed by 2,000 people (in a town of barely twice that population) and through support from the local government and even the local paper. They also say - apparently with a straight face - that they have no idea whether or not the FCC will notice that they're back on, or care. Soapbox time: We've got to wonder at this point whether the RFB gang is more interested in broadcasting or in protesting. They must surely realize that all the publicity they've generated for their relaunch will draw an FCC van just as fast as it can get up the road from Quincy, and if they believe their lawyers that the "community authorization" defense will carry any weight in court, they need better lawyers. What's more, Brattleboro is one area where legal LPFM stands an excellent chance of finding available frequencies - and with 100 watts, a legal RFB could have covered the area much better than its 10-watt pirate signal ever did. (Even part 15 AM broadcasting has some potential in compact Brattleboro, yet RFB apparently rejected that idea with barely any consideration.) So we're left to conclude that RFB would rather make a big noise than seriously contemplate a future as a legal broadcaster, which is a shame after five years of what was reportedly some decent programming for an area without a huge amount of local broadcasting. By contrast, over in NEW HAMPSHIRE a new LPFM is about to launch under the aegis of some people much more interested in broadcasting than in fighting. WCNH-LP (94.7 Concord) is licensed to "Highland Community Broadcasting," which turns out to be a project involving Harry Kozlowski, PD of Concord's WJYY/WNHI, his wife Ginger, composer Patrick Lee Herbert and his wife Caroline, and Manchester musician Chris Lonsberry. Highland has struck a deal with New Hampshire Public Radio to provide access to NHPR's music library and other forms of support to the station, which will broadcast a 24-hour classical format to Concord and vicinity when it signs on, perhaps as early as October. That's what LPFM is supposed to be all about, we say (Scott Fybush, NE Radio Watch Aug 25 via DXLD) Sources? ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-153, August 25, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser 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 later at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd3h.html For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn DX LISTENING DIGEST JULY HTML ARCHIVE IS NOW COMPLETE: http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd3g.html NEXT AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1196: RFPI: Wed 0100, 0730, 1330 on 7445 [nominal times subject to delay or pre-emption] WWCR: Wed 0930 on 9475 WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO [also for CONTINENT OF MEDIA, MUNDO RADIAL]: Check http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html [NO LOW VERSION THIS WEEK; SORRY] [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1196h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1196h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1196.html WORLD OF RADIO, CONTINENT OF MEDIA, MUNDO RADIAL schedules updated: http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html MASTER SCHEDULE IN TIME ORDER, with additional programs: http://www.worldofradio.com/wormast.html ** ANTARCTICA. LRA36 TRANSMISIÓN ESPECIAL 15476 kHz, LRA36 Radio Nacional Arcángel San Gabriel, tal lo anunciado previamente, ahora les puedo confirmar 100% que se emitirá una transmisión especial el próximo jueves 28 Agosto, entre *0100-0200v*, ésta, con motivo del 83º aniversario del nacimiento de la radiodifusión argentina el próximo día 27 Agosto (hora local). Esta activación en el citado horario, ha sido posible gracias a mi requerimiento con el propósito de darle a los diexistas y radioescuchas, la oportunidad de escuchar a LRA36 en un horario distinto al usual de 1800-2100 de lunes a viernes. Los bloques de la mencionada transmisión, han sido preparados en colaboración con el amigo y colega Arnaldo Slaen y quien escribe. Les comento además que actualmente está siendo imprimida una tarjeta QSL de LRA36. Por favor, envíen sus reportes directo a LRA36 en Base Esperanza. La potencia de salida sera de 3 KW como mínimo y si las condiciones clim'aticas son buenas, posiblemente con un poco más. Comentarios a LRA36 por e-mail a: lra36@i... [truncated by yahoogroups] 73's GIB (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Argentina, Aug 25, Noticias DX via DXLD) Special broadcast confirmed at a time when propagation may be more favorable than the usual 1800-2100 schedule. UT Thu Aug 28 *0100- 0200v* on 15476; apparently only in Spanish, with 3 kW or maybe a bit more if they can push it (gh, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. Reference 5400.00, La 101 Dear Sir, The information given lately in your bulletin is not correct. The frequency of 5400.0 kHz belongs to the Argentine Armed forces and it is frequently used for communication with the Antarctic bases, also the frequencies of 15820.0 and 29810.0 (can have other). The frequency of 5400.0 is for the night and can be listened in LSB rebroadcast of different stations AM and FM from Buenos Aires city. Usually heard LS4 Radio Continental (590 kHz), LRL202 Radio Diez (710) and others, usually rebroadcast sport or cultural events and news. In 5400.0 USB can be listened LTF2 - LTF3 - LTF7 that are stations of the Army, with family or operative traffic. The frequency 15810.0 is for the day and it is the most used one. In LSB rebroadcast the stations from Buenos Aires, and in USB usually family traffic (RX on 14694.0). Generally the weekends and sometimes both signals at the same time. The freq. 29810.0 LSB it was listened in the southern summer and now it is not operative. Greetings (Tony Paredes via mail, SW Bulletin Aug 24 via DXLD) What`s not correct? Is he denying that La 101 was among the stations relayed, as it was certainly logged by more than one DXer?? (gh, DXLD) 5400-lsb, 0121-0145, LA 101, Aug 25. Playing oldies US Pop tunes. Johnny Be Good at 0116 and then Runaway at 0119 then to male announcer with comments in Spanish. Signal in lsb at S6 level with some slight fades but nice copy. At 0125 switches to Latin tunes. One time pip at boh and possible ID and promos. Then to news items. Intro as 'Infomativo Continental' Then weather at 0134, Ad for movie at 0135. Then ID heard as exclusivo Radio Continental. 0136 'Dancing in the moon light' tune. US oldies continued past 0145 (Bob Montgomery, PA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) So if it was relaying R. Continental when you heard it, why do you call it La 101? (gh, DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 5927.1, 18.8 -2356* Radio Minería, closed down after a pass of ads (among others Farmacia Cristal) to the tones of the film theme of Bridge over River Kwai, Q2. HeP 5952.5, 17.8 2330, Radio Pio XII, Q3, with Spanish Mass by foreign preacher, speaking Spanish almost like me... Even worse the singers sang also like me. Also a Spanish version of John Brown was performed. What do Catholic listeners in the third world have to withstand? HeP 5952.5, 19.8 0000, Radio Pio XII, Q4, almost boomed in when I fixed a new wire in my beverage all the meters where the cows as usual had eaten up. Gorgeous ID in Aymara, I guess and some Spanish ads, among others for a machine workshop in Oruro (located some bus hours away (if there had been not too much rain) when no buses at all run). HeP (Hermod Pedersen, Malmö, Sweden, SW Bulletin Aug 24, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. New Bolivian radio station on 4780.96 kHz! Radio Tacana, provincia Iturralde, departamento Pando. Aug 19 2003 - 0245 UT. It is absolutely impossible to have check on which stations are old or new, but to 100%. Radio Tacana ought to be a new one (correct me if I am wrong!). July 1 all in SWB got info direct from Quito via "SWB América Latina" regarding a new unID LA on 4780.89 kHz. Surely the same station as the one logged now: Radio Tacana. I don`t know if Tacana has been off air during the period from July 2 until now. Maybe it is hard to hear. The program with OM-DJ was nice music and frequent IDs. "Radio Tacana está transmitiendo en 4780 m(!)Hz banda de 60 metros onda corta". "Desde la provincia de Iturralde, el departamento de Pando en 4780 m(!)Hz banda de 60 metros onda corta transmite Radio Tacana". Also heard the following morning. Quito 20/08/2003 03:32:20 p.m. (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin Aug 24, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) Note: earlier written by BM as Tacána, I suppose to make clear where the stress in this unfamiliar name goes, tho no accent is really needed there (gh, DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 9665, 24.8 0525, Rádio Nacional do Brasil med sin experimentella utlandsservice "para os paises de língua portuguesa". Nu Música Popular Brasileira. 3-4 CB (Christer Brunström, SW Bulletin Aug 24, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) Rádio Nacional do Brasil noted on August 24 on 9665 kHz at 0606 with "Memoria Musical". Announced as an experimental transmission "para os paises de língua portuguesa". At one time they mentioned Portugal, all the Portuguese-speaking nations of Africa and East Timor (they forgot Macau). Email: radionacionaldobrasil@radiobras.gov.br (Christer Brunström, Sweden, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. E a Rádio Guarujá Paulista, de Guarujá (SP), resolveu investir mesmo em ondas curtas! Em 22 de agosto, o diretor da emissora, Orivaldo Rampazzo, entrou em contato com o coordenador do DX Clube do Brasil, Caio Fernandes Lopes, de Itajubá (MG), para confirmar que a programação da emissora já estava ativa em 5045 kHz, que é antiga freqüência da Rádio Difusora, de Presidente Prudente (SP). Não deu outra: às 0250, em Cochabamba, na Bolívia, o dexista brasileiro Rogildo Aragão captava o sinal da emissora, na nova freqüência! São os dexistas brasileiros gerando notícias de emissoras brasileiras! BRASIL - A Rádio Educadora, de Limeira (SP), foi captada, em Porto Alegre (RS), pela freqüência de 2380 kHz. Em 23 de agosto, às 0305, levou ao ar a seguinte identificação: "ZYK 531, Rádio Educadora, a rádio do povo!". Também tem sido monitorada, no Rio de Janeiro (RJ), por Sarmento Campos. BRASIL - Em mais um trabalho voluntário, Paulo Roberto e Souza, de Tefé (AM), informamos que a Rádio Clube, de Belém (PA), emite, em 4885 kHz, de segunda a sexta-feira, entre 0800 e 0400. Aos sábados e domingos, entre 1000 e 0400. O telefone é o seguinte: + 55 91 3084 0138. A direção postal é: Avenida Almirante Barroso, 2190, 3º andar, CEP: 66093-020, Belém (PA). E-mail: timaocampeao@expert.com.br BRASIL - A cidade de Porto Alegre, capital do estado do Rio Grande do Sul, tem três emissoras que emitem em ondas curtas: além de Gaúcha e Guaíba, tem a Rádio RGS, que pertence ao Sistema LBV Mundial que, atualmente, pode ser acompanhada, em diversos horários, pela freqüência de 11895 kHz. Uma dica é acompanhar a emissora quando há jogos de futebol dos times porto-alegrenses Grêmio e Internacional. Durante a jornada esportiva, a Rádio RGS apresenta a seguinte identificação: "Você ouve a LBV, a nova onda do futebol gaúcho!" BRASIL - Desde Ribeirão Preto (SP), Roberto Rufino informa que a Rádio Ribeirão Preto, conhecida como 79, já está com nova programação no ar. Agrega que a emissora pertence aos jornalistas José Luiz Datena e Jorge Kajuru. O prefixo da emissora, para a freqüência de 3205 kHz, em 90 metros, é: "ZYG 861". (Célio Romais, Panorama, @tividade DX Aug 24 via DXLD) ** CAMBODIA. 11940.1, 0004 Aug 24, National Voice of Cambodia, tent. the one signing on abruptly at this time with Asian language, two DJs and brief music interludes; within 4 minutes had wandered down to 11940.03 and kept drifting down very slowly to 11939.96 by 0015. Audio distortion, slight at first, increased gradually. Subject to signal surges rather than QSB. Despite these technical issues, the signal was better than over recent years (Paul Ormandy, ZL4TFX, NZ, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. KOREAN-LANGUAGE RADIO PROGRAMME TO BEGIN BROADCASTING IN VANCOUVER | Text of report in English by South Korean news agency Yonhap Seoul, 22 August: A Korean-language radio programme will start broadcasting for South Korean expatriates in Vancouver, Canada next month. The programme, Vancouver-radio Seoul, is to be offered from 7.00 to 9.00 [local time] each weekday morning on an FM frequency of 96.1 MHz, according to a press release by the station. Broadcasting will begin 11 September, coinciding with Chusok, Korea's fall harvest holiday. Its programming will feature news, health information, English lessons, as well as details on local community events. "Vancouver-radio Seoul will faithfully carry out its role as a bridge linking South Korean culture to its Canadian counterpart," the press release said, adding it will drastically increase its airtime in the near future. As of end of July, Vancouver was home to 62,700 South Korean immigrants, according to the Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry. This year marks 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Canada. Source: Yonhap news agency, Seoul, in English 0631 gmt 22 Aug 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** CHINA. Complementing the programme in this week's Radio Times (23rd-29th August) is a rare example of that venerable publication actually devoting no less than four pages to an article on radio. Emily Buchanan, presenter of Radio 4's "A World in your Ear" has even picked her top ten best global radio stations for the article. Pity neither she nor anyone else gives any mention of good old shortwave here though (Mark Savage, BDXC-UK via DXLD) And she puts China Radio International in her top ten claiming it gives you "everything you wanted to know about China". How absurd. She even emphasizes her choice by a picture of their website. The slightest bit of research on her part would show her that the station is a propaganda outlet of the Communist Party; it unashamedly admits this. "Everything you wanted to know about China" - such as the treatment of ethnic minorities, their policy in Tibet, jamming of foreign broadcasts, blocking of internet sites, imprisonment and "re- education" of citizens for publishing critical articles, breach of internationally accepted health and safety standards in Chinese factories etc etc etc. Does CRI report on this? Of course not, and they jam the stations that do (Mike Barraclough, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** CHINA. ANALYSIS: CHINA MEDIA LIBERALIZATION DEBATE PITS REFORMERS AGAINST CONSERVATIVES | Text of editorial analysis by Peter Feuilherade of BBC Monitoring Media Services on 21 August In recent months, the issue of media reform has filled thousands of column inches in the Chinese press. Officials from all levels of the Chinese Communist Party, right up to the Politburo, are involved in the current debate. The liberalization of the media is "still a sensitive topic in an otherwise rapidly reforming nation", in the words of the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post on 14 August. More than 2,000 newspapers and 9,000 other periodicals are currently published in China. Chinese State Council spokesman Zhao Qizheng noted during a visit to Russia on 18 August that the number of mass media groups in his country has increased tenfold during the last 20 years. China today has more than 3,000 TV channels and 450 radio stations broadcasting in Chinese and other languages, as well as some 47,000 web sites, Zhao Qizheng said in remarks reported by the Russian news agency Interfax. President Hu Jintao, addressing a Politburo session in Beijing on 12 August, said that with China's accelerated opening-up to the outside world, it was time to find ways to expand what he called the "culture industry" - a term grouping audiovisual entertainment, the news media and book and magazine publishing. Rounding up the prevailing Chinese official view, the South China Morning Post said: "The central government has largely accepted that as it stops subsidizing the industry, many media organizations should be treated as profit-driven economic entities. But the level to which the government relaxes its control will remain to be seen... Media observers said that the session essentially primed the Politburo to think in terms of how to make domestic media machinery more efficient while retaining party control over ideological matters." Analysts recalled that the central government is considering opening up China's domestic media to foreign investment. One proposal would allow foreign investors to take a stake of up to 40 per cent in mainland media firms. They would be entering a lucrative market. Official statistics show that China's media business has grown in volume by more than 25 per cent annually for three years in a row, a growth rate significantly higher than GDP growth. According to the most conservative estimate, China's publishing industry and media have advertising markets valued at 100 gigayuan (over 12bn US dollars) annually. The media reform debate follows a government directive banning mandatory subscriptions to unwanted party newspapers in rural communities, in order to reduce farmers' financial burdens. As a result, up to 1,000 papers affiliated to the Communist Party and government organs at all levels will be forced to close down or to consolidate. According to media sector experts cited by the official Chinese news agency Xinhua on 17 August, introducing a "survival mechanism" into China's newspaper industry and pushing newspapers and periodicals into market competition are the essence of the ongoing reform. "In China, newspapers and periodicals have always been rare resources. However, some newspapers and periodicals are operating without enough readership and producing no adequate social benefits and economic returns, thereby wasting an enormous amount of social resources," the Xinhua report added. Conservative party members remain staunchly opposed to any such plan, the South China Morning Post reported analysts as saying. As Reuters news agency explained in a dispatch on 10 July, "the struggle pits the Politburo's progressive media head Li Changchun, backed quietly by President Hu Jintao, against the hardline propaganda department led by Liu Yunshan, tied closely to Hu's powerful predecessor Jiang Zemin". However, analysts believe that while discord within the new Communist Party leadership could stall the drive to reform, the financial consolidation of the Chinese media is unlikely to stop. Source: BBC Monitoring research 21 Aug 03 (via DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. 6230.00 kHz: I think it was RÅ, Roland Åkesson, Sweden who in Glenn Hauser`s "DXLD" had an unID Spanish on this frequency. I have checked this frequency regularly without any results but a week ago I heard Spanish and REE (España)-IDs. So probably a harmonic from REE, Costa Rica (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin Aug 24, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) I don`t find any 6230 mentioned, unID or otherwise in July or August DXLDs to date ?? And harmonic of what? Certainly not 3115 (gh) ** CUBA. CASTRO LAUGHS OFF US PLANS TO STRENGTHEN TV MARTÍ Cuban President Fidel Castro says he is not concerned by the latest plan by the Bush administration to raise the profile of its TV Martí service. Last week the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) announced that it would shortly start beaming Radio and TV Martí into Cuba free- to-air via Hispasat. The BBG says a growing number of Cubans are receiving TV via satellite. The programming of TV Martí is also being revamped, with a heavy emphasis on news and information programmes. On the entertainment side, Major League baseball games will be broadcast on TV and Radio Martí, including the playoffs and World Series. But Castro predicts that the initiative will fail, like earlier efforts. "Up to now, experience has shown that it has gone badly," he said. "I read something about that and I was laughing. They are always inventing something." (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 25 August 2003 via DXLD) ** CUBA [and non]. O dexismo transpõe as barreiras ideológicas e políticas. Recentemente, o programa Rádio Enlace, da Rádio Nederland, levou ao ar entrevista feita por Jeff Whitte com o locutor da Rádio Havana Cuba, Manolo de la Rosa. Ocorre que Whitte é o proprietário da Rádio Miami Internacional, emissora que recebe interferências propositais do governo que comanda a Rádio Havana Cuba. Conversaram apenas sobre a oferta de receptores de ondas curtas na ilha de Fidel, entre outras amenidades (Célio Romais, Panorama, @tividade DX Aug 24 via DXLD) Escuchar el programa actual: http://download.omroep.nl/rnw/smac/sp_radioenlace.mp3 ** CZECHOLSOVAKIA. Re: Source?? CZECH RADIO MARKS 35TH ANNIVERSARY OF BATTLE FOR RADIO STATION --- This article is from the official Radio Prague Web site. 73, (Andy Sennitt, Netherlands, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. All my receivers are spread out by the wind, all my notes are put where I can`t remember and all my antennas are down. A hard hit for an avid DX-er. The 5 Indian building workers from Riobamba keep on to turn everything upside down. Several of our members are interested in my way of recording stations; please look at a short description in frontpage of SWB. So the contribution from Avda La Prensa 4408 y Vaca de Castro is only some short notes (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin Aug 24, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) See BOLIVIA, COSTA RICA, HONDURAS, PERU ** ECUADOR. Looking ahead to the B-03 season (and before) on HCJB: will drop most broadcasts to Europe at end of September, except the one-hour morning broadcast in German, but that will change frequency. Spanish frequency to Mexico will probably change, but not much else, says frequency manager Doug Weaver, as he heads off to HFCC, also representing HCJB Australia, which has its own frequency manager, Ernie Frankey (sp?), who recently moved there from Pifo, and works more or less independently of HCJB Ecuador. BTW, Ken MacHarg`s Tip for Real Living this week lasted 4:50, plus intro and outro (DX Partyline 0002 UT Sun Aug 24 on WINB 12160, notes by Glenn Hauser for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. Má notícia: a partir de 30 de setembro, a HCJB - A Voz dos Andes deixará de emitir, entre 0800 e 0900, em 9745 kHz, em português, para o Brasil. O corte faz parte dos planos de economia da emissora, conforme a apresentadora do DX HCJB, Eunice Carvajal. A programação em espanhol da HCJB - A Voz dos Andes leva ao ar o programa Aventura DX-ista também nas segundas-feiras, a partir de 0200, em 9745 kHz. O programa apresenta novidades das ondas curtas (Célio Romais, Panorama, @tividade DX Aug 24 via DXLD) ** FRANCE. La semaine prochaine (du lundi 25 au vendredi 30 août), France Culture diffusera une série de 5 émissions intitulées "La grande aventure des radios internationales". Du lundi au vendredi de 7h00 à 8h10 (0500 à 0610 TU) 25 Août 2003 Dans l'entre-deux-guerres, les ondes crépitaient, s'évanouissaient, revenaient en force, maintenaient un lien serré avec les expatriés et les coloniaux, répandaient aussi l'idéologie fasciste. Les programmes sur ondes courtes ont eu une importance capitale durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale (" La Voix de l'Amérique ", " Les Français parlent aux Français "). Durant la guerre froide, elles ont été massivement utilisées par Radio-Moscou et Radio-Pékin. Mais, à l'Ouest, elles ont aussi représenté un remarquable levier contre le système communiste (la BBC, Radio-Liberté, Radio-Europe libre). Elles ont transmis l'information, ont modifié les perceptions culturelles et artistiques (jazz, variétés, rock), ont pleinement participé au débat international. Le rôle des ondes courtes dans les rapports Est-Ouest. Des archives radiophoniques et des extraits récents d'émissions de radios internationales illustreront ce sujet. Les ondes courtes ont joué un rôle considérable auprès des élites et des opinions publiques dans les pays de l'Est durant la période des rapports Est-Ouest. Cela, notamment, lorsque le bloc communiste a été traversé par de graves crises internes : insurrection de Budapest (1956), printemps de Prague (1968), émergence du mouvement syndical Solidarité en Pologne (1980 et les années suivantes). A chaque fois, les principales radios américaines (surtout, Radio Europe libre) ont eu des comportements politiques différents. Il ne faut pas non plus oublier que ces radios (la Voix de l'Amérique, Radio Europe libre, Radio Liberté, la BBC. ..) ont exercé une influence notable sur les sociétés communistes : jazz, musiques de variétés, rock, débats d'idées. Finalement, leur rôle a été autant culturel que politique. 26 Août 2003 Les journalistes de radios sur ondes courtes. Des archives radiophoniques et des extraits récents d'émissions de radios internationales illustreront ce sujet Les ondes courtes ont joué un rôle considérable auprès des élites et des opinions publiques dans les pays de l'Est durant la période des rapports Est-Ouest. Cela, notamment, lorsque le bloc communiste a été traversé par de graves crises internes : insurrection de Budapest (1956), printemps de Prague (1968), émergence du mouvement syndical Solidarité en Pologne (1980 et les années suivantes). A chaque fois, les principales radios américaines (surtout, Radio Europe libre) ont eu des comportements politiques différents. Il ne faut pas non plus oublier que ces radios (la Voix de l'Amérique, Radio Europe libre, Radio Liberté, la BBC. ..) ont exercé une influence notable sur les sociétés communistes : jazz, musiques de variétés, rock, débats d'idées. Finalement, leur rôle a été autant culturel que politique. 27 Août 2003 Le poids des progrès techniques et le renouveau international. Des archives radiophoniques et des extraits récents d'émissions de radios internationales illustreront ce sujet Contrairement à ce que l'on peut imaginer, les radios internationales ont connu un renouveau essentiellement technique bien avant les bouleversements internationaux de 1989-1991. Que l'on pense à la diffusion par satellite, au relais par le câble ou à l'écoute sur modulation de fréquence. Ces prolongements géographiques et ce confort d'écoute ont exercé une influence sur le contenu des programmes. Par exemple, de plus en plus souvent, ces radios internationales se consacrent au traitement cde l'actualité (de préférence aux programmes), quand elles n'adoptent pas le principe de l'information continue. La couverture des crises majeures et des conflits armés (guerre d'Irak, 2003) en est-elle meilleure ? L'accent sera mis, entre autres, sur la BBC. 28 Août 2003 Radio France Internationale -- Des archives radiophoniques et des extraits récents d'émissions de radios internationales illustreront ce sujet Pourquoi et comment Radio France Internationale a-t-il constitué un effort majeur de l'audiovisuel public français, au début des années 80? Quelle a été l'évolution des priorités et des moyens ? Le mode de financement, les capacités techniques, la politique des langues utilisées, la relation aux auditeurs. Le virage significatif de l'information continue. RFI peut-elle jouer un rôle diplomatique --- Comment caractériser ses relations avec les gouvernements, notamment africains. Quel rôle joué par le site Internet. 29 Août 2003 La grande aventure des radios internationales La France et l'audiovisuel extérieur. Des archives radiophoniques et des extraits récents d'émissions de radios internationales illustreront ce sujet Pourquoi la politique de la France à l'égard de son audiovisuel public extérieur a-t-elle été si hésitante ou si changeante, au cours des récentes décennies ? Pourquoi un audiovisuel public dynamique et ambitieux est-il un élément de la puissance internationale -- Sur quels moyens, financiers, techniques et humains doit-il reposer? Quelles sont les raisons qui ont présidé au lancement prochain d'une chaîne télévisée française d'information continue ? Quelles sont les conditions de sa réussite ? Qui doit-elle associer, pour quels objectifs (f1tay, fr.rec.radio - 22 août 2003 + site Internet de France Culture) (informations issues de http://perso.wanadoo.fr/jm.aubier via DXLD) ** GUIANA FRENCH. Leônidas dos Santos Nascimento, de São João Evangelista (MG), descobriu uma maneira de receber os cartões QSLs da Rádio França Internacional: ele envia os informes diretamente para o TDF Outre-Mer, localizado na Guiana Francesa. Teve vários relatórios respondidos. Escreveu para: TDF Outre-Mer, Boîte Postale 7024, 97307, Cayenne Cedex, Guyane. Na Internet: http://www.tdf.fr E-mail: fabrice.esnay@tdf.fr (Célio Romais, Panorama, @tividade DX Aug 24 via DXLD) {do they also QSL from here for other TDF/RFI sites??} ** HONDURAS. Reactivated station in Honduras! 3340.00, Radio Misiones Internacional[es], Comayagüela. Aug 23 2003 - 0400 UT. Religious by OM and soft, quiet music. A reactivated station which I never have logged before. A somewhat dull audio so I had to turn up my MFJ-616 a bit to catch the ID at 0400 UT (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin Aug 24, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) As I recall, this was previously explained as 2 x 1670, the frequency which is normally tripled for the intended output frequency 5010 (gh, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM [non]. Look for a special one-hour program on public radio stations circa Wednesday August 27, for the Mars opposition; so far I`ve run across it listed for 1500 UT on KUNM, and 0100 UT Thu on the producing station, WHYY http://www.whyy.org/skytour/ : SkyTour: Mars Close Up --- One-Hour Astronomy Special on WHYY-91FM Wednesday, August 27, 2003 at 9 p.m. [EDT] The red planet Mars comes within 34 million miles of Earth for the first time in nearly 100,000 years on August 27, this year. This will be the best opportunity for observing Mars for everyone on our planet. The next close approach comes in 2829. In addition, NASA will launch two Mars rovers due for arrival in January 2004. SkyTour: Mars Close Up provides accessibility to the subject of Mars to everyone - regardless of age, training, or equipment. The show treats listeners to information about Mars that is relevant, comforting, timeless, enlightening, and even uplifting to the human spirit. The show features interviews, fact-nuggets, music, and astronomical quips. SkyTour strives to introduce some listeners to a lifelong pursuit of knowledge about the night sky. WHYY marks the close approach of Mars with a television special, as well. WHYY TV12 brings you "Bouncing to Mars," Tuesday, August 26, 9 p.m. The show takes you behind the scenes to tell the story of the design and development of NASA's twin Mars Exploration Rovers (via Glenn Hauser, Terra, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [and non]. August 23, 2003 Radio: Ian Johns Ruling the waves http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,1442-783875,00.html A new series capturing the golden age of pirate stations is a reminder of the value of those radio rebels of yore. Radio 2's new series The Radio Revolutionaries (Tuesday, 8.30 pm [1930 UT]) allows us to get misty-eyed for a time when listeners weren't deserting the BBC because of Sara Cox, but because of its lacklustre pop selection. In the Thirties Radio Normandy invented the disc jockey to challenge the BBC 's Reithian gloom-ridden Sabbath schedule. In the Sixties, pirate ships such as Radio Caroline were forcing Auntie into a mini- dress. In the Seventies and Eighties, neglected soul, reggae and acid house inspired a new breed of London towerblock pirates. Nowadays the capital's airwaves are so crammed that drum'n'bass and UK garage radio rebels broadcast from the suburbs. Of course it's easy to romanticise the pirates - they are knowingly breaking the law, possibly disrupting emergency services' wavelengths and failing to pay royalties. But they are tapping into a niche audience of 15 to 30- year-olds that Radio 1 is struggling to hold. Nowadays this age group can satisfy their musical cravings through digital stations and music TV, and the ultimate in DIY radio, the iPod, on to which your whole CD collection can be downloaded - and without the babble of daytime presenters. If the job of daytime radio is to provide background noise while we do something more interesting, then Radio 1 may be doing its job. But Radio 2, in which genuine characters talk intelligently while playing music from a variety of genres and eras, has seen its listenership rise above 13 million, which might say something about how to spin the platters that matter to its audience. Certainly the pirate stations, which by their nature attract strange characters, are capable of throwing up some fresh voices. DJs currently beavering away in semi- obscurity such as Dom Da Bom, Miss Giggles and the optimistically named Aylesbury Allstars might one day join such pirate-spawned luminaries as Roy Plomley, Kenny Everett and Trevor Nelson and get a national radio gig. And they probably won't even need to change their names. Unlike John Ravenscourt, who found that Radio London wanted a snappier moniker - but at least we got John Peel (via Mike Terry, DXLD) Thanks for saving me the trouble to buy today's Times, Mike. Pity this otherwise interesting article is flawed though by another "fact" some sub has missed! ``And they probably won't even need to change their names. Unlike John Ravenscourt, who found that Radio London wanted a snappier moniker - but at least we got John Peel.`` I think Mr Johns must be getting confused with a tube station on the District Line (Ravenscourt Park), rather than Ravenscroft which is actually John Peel's real name. Listeners to the June BDXC Tape Circle of course heard a rare example of JP broadcasting under that real name in his early career. By the way, complementing the programme in this week's Radio Times (23rd-29th August) is a rare example of that venerable publication actually devoting no less than four pages to an article on radio. Or should that be radios? Pages 24-28 are a mixture of an advert for digital radio manufacturers posing as editorial, and some helpful links to various websites and a glossary on the numerous different methods of receiving "radio" these days. Emily Buchanan, presenter of Radio 4's "A World in your Ear" has even picked her top ten best global radio stations for the article. Pity neither she nor anyone else gives any mention of good old shortwave here though (MARK Savage, BDXC-UK Aug 22 via DXLD) see CHINA ** ISLE OF MAN. From Hans Knot: 'A dear friend of Radio Caroline died yesterday - he was Sir Charles Kerruish, who was an MHK, then Speaker, then president of Tynwald until very recently. But in the 1960s he was the one who dared to stand up to the Labour Government and say, we will not have your Marine Offences Act, and we will not have it in the Isle of Man. We want Radio Caroline to stay. The world's press came to the Isle of Man that day to hear the plucky Manx Parliament take the stand against Wilson; even Ronan came and was in Tynwald that day to hear it. Sir Charles then flew to London to argue the case for Caroline with the Post office and with the Home Office, who were responsible for relationships with the dependencies like the Isle of Man. Harold Wilson was furious and got the Queen to sign a special order, never before or since used, to force the Isle of Man to accept the law, but it took a while longer - Caroline North was immune until the end of August 1967. Sir Charles only retired from Manx Politics a couple of years ago and was still a firm believer in freedom. He passionately believed that the Isle of Man should have its own radio station, which is where we will come in with the new station on Long Wave 279 (via Mike Terry, Aug 24, DXLD) ** ISRAEL. The updated Summer Kol Israel schedule (post last week's changes) is now available at: http://www.israelradio.org/summer03.htm The IBA website hasn't been updated yet (Daniel Rosenzweig, Aug 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: ISRAEL RADIO INTERNATIONAL --- KOL ISRAEL OVERSEAS SERVICE SCHEDULE From March 30 to October 25, 2003 [one hour later from Oct 3] 0400-0415 9435 Europe + N. America 15640 17600 Australasia and S. America 1010-1020 15640 Europe + N. America 17545 17525 S. Europe, N Africa 1700-1705 15640 Europe + N. America 17545 1900-1925 17545 Europe + N. America 15615 11605 15640 Africa (English portion only, via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. IBA MANAGEMENT CONSIDER BAN ON ARABIC TERMS Management at the Israel Broadcasting Authority are considering a new journalistic policy of replacing references to the Palestinian "intifada" and the "hudna," or truce that collapsed last week, with their Hebrew equivalents. Amongst other changes under consideration are replacing references to "the radical Islamic movement Hamas" with "the terrorist organisation Hamas" after the group claimed responsibility for last Tuesday's suicide bombing that killed 21 passengers on a Jerusalem bus. Journalists would also be asked to refer to Palestinian activists as "terrorists," or "mehablim" in Hebrew, whether they are accused of carrying out attacks on occupied Palestinian territory or in Israel itself. The occupied West Bank would be called by its biblical name, Judea and Samaria. The IBA has stressed that no final decision on these proposals has been taken (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 25 August 2003 via DXLD) I thought ``J&S`` was already SOP at IBA (gh, DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. From today's New York Times.. The article doesn't mention what brand of radio, or whether the radios they attempted to airlift covered AM FM, and SW (Mike Brooker, hard-core-dx via DXLD) http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/23/international/asia/23KORE.html South Korea Foils Airlift of Radios to North -- By JAMES BROOKE HOLWON, South Korea, Aug. 22 - All in all, it was a perfect day for breaking North Korea's information monopoly, and Dr. Norbert Vollertsen and his band of volunteers were determined to take advantage of it. A brisk wind from the south was driving clouds and, Dr. Vollertsen hoped, large balloons carrying transistor radios north over the barbed wire of the demilitarized zone into North Korea, a country closed off from the rest of the world. But before the specially designed cargo balloons could be inflated with helium, South Korean police officers clambered aboard the truck and subdued Dr. Vollertsen, who is German, so roughly that he needed medical treatment. "The law requires that organizers of rallies or demonstrations notify the local police 48 hours in advance," said Kim Bu Wook, Kangwon Province's police chief.. This was before a two-hour standoff degenerated into a shoving match between riot policemen and members of a growing international movement to break the half-century information monopoly that North Korea's Communist government has maintained over its 22 million people. Until 2000, South Korea's military sent thousands of balloons north from border towns like this one, usually in the summer when the prevailing winds were favorable. But under the so-called sunshine policy of reconciliation, South Korea has tried to avoid irritating North Korea. By blocking the private efforts to distribute radios, however, South Korea has placed itself on a collision course with Washington. Over the summer, both chambers of the United States Congress voted overwhelmingly to expand the daily Korean-language broadcasting of Radio Free Asia to 24 hours from 4 hours. By law North Koreans are allowed to have only radios and televisions that are locked onto the state frequencies. Residents with illegal tuneable sets can listen to Korean-language government broadcasts from China, Russia and South Korea, a Christian group in South Korea, and two stations financed by the United States government, Radio Free Asia and Voice of America. But few North Koreans have access to normal radios and televisions, and North Korean defectors say that information controls in North Korea are far tighter than they were in Eastern Europe under the Communists. South Korean officials said earlier this week that they would allow the balloon launchings to go ahead. But the government apparently reversed that decision to avoid provoking North Korea in anticipation of six-country negotiations over North Korea's nuclear program, scheduled to start in Beijing on Wednesday. 73 (via Mike Brooker, Toronto, ON, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** KURDISTAN [and non]. Iraq/USA: KDP paper criticizes US Radio Sawa for ignoring Kurdish affairs | Text of report by Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) newspaper Khabat on 24 August Following the war to liberate Iraq, [US-run] Radio Sawa became the most listened-to radio station. Many people listen to it in Arab countries as well. In our Kurdistan region, youths pay attention to it and listen to it eagerly. But, surprisingly, the radio station broadcasts only one Kurdish song in one hour or more, although the Kurds form a great part of the Iraqi people. It broadcasts other songs, like Arabic, English, French, etc, although there are no English or French people in the country. This is the radio's own policy: it does not pay attention to Kurdistan's politics and affairs. People listened to the Voice of Iraqi Kurdistan [which broadcasts in support of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, KDP], which carried a big message for the people, at home, in the markets, streets and roads, and it was getting a great deal of attention abroad too. With the beginning of the Iraq freedom war, the broadcasting of the nice Voice of Iraqi Kurdistan on FM stopped. The Kurdish songs and singers were stopped because Radio Sawa replaced it with its Arabic news and Arabic and foreign songs. This will have a great effect on the national feeling of our youths. It would be better if the Voice of Iraqi Kurdistan returned to the people immediately, as it was established because there was a historical need for it. We need it to educate our youths, to serve the cause of Kurdish culture and to deliver our political message. Restoring the service is a glorious historical task. Source: Khabat, Arbil, in Sorani Kurdish 24 Aug 03 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** KUWAIT [and non]. Yesterday evening no trace of Oman on 15355, which should be towards Europe. Furthermore Kuwait was noted with a strong signal on 9880, instead of 9855, parallel to 15495, after 22 UT. Kuwait on 9880 covered CRI-English co-channel, which is also to Europe via Taldom, Russia. Does anybody have some current information about Radio Kuwait, their schedule or if they, in their high-tech world, have managed to open a useful website? http://www.moinfo.gov.kw has apparently completely been shut down, http://www.radiokuwait.org only has news-on-demand, emails have always remained unanswered (as have normal letters, btw) 73, EiBi (Eike Bierwirth, Aug 21, hard-core- dx via DXLD) ** LIBERIA. LIBERIA'S SPLIT FAMILIES HEAL, CHILD BY LOST CHILD By TIM WEINER MONROVIA, Liberia, Aug. 22 --- "Good evening," said the voice of Radio Veritas, the Roman Catholic broadcast service in Liberia. "This is the Red Cross family tracing program. We bring you the names of children who are looking for their parents. . . The Red Cross managed to get the family retracing program fully running again on Tuesday, when Radio Veritas, knocked out last month by government shelling, came back on the air. .. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/23/international/africa/23KIDS.html?ex=1062216000&en=8ed1d58857375f2e&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE (via Jill Dybka, DXLD) Nothing more about radio in story ** MEXICO. Finally remembered to check XERMX at one more time when English is supposedly scheduled: Aug 24, Sun 2200 on 11770: music fill instead (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) A Rádio México Internacional vai de mal a pior nas ondas curtas. A própria direção da emissora confirmou que passa por situação financeira caótica, em entrevista concedida a Jeff Whitte, divulgada no programa Rádio Enlace, da Rádio Nederland (Célio Romais, Panorama, @tividade DX Aug 24 via DXLD) It`s a brief interview with Ana Cristina del Razo, ex-directora of RMI: says serious financial problems caused departure of the translators and announcers for English, French and Portuguese programs; Spanish programs were cut to 15 minutes each. There remains a long-standing future plan to transmit via Internet. See CUBA for audio link (Radio Enlace, notes by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. R. Mil, 6010, duplicates MW 1000 except for these times on weekends when Encuentro DX is aired: Fri 2200, Sat 1400, 2300, Sun 1330, 2300, Mon 0400 -- times converted from HCM UT -5 currently (Héctor García Bojorge, interviewed by Jeff White at Tizayuca, via Radio Enlace Aug 22-24, notes by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) Cf 3-154 ** MONGOLIA. 12085, 13.8 1005, Voice of Mongolia sände bl a en intressant intervju med två amerikaner som arbetat några år i Mongoliet. Bra ljud och hygglig signal. 3 CB (Christer Brunström, Sweden, SW Bulletin Aug 24 via DXLD) ** PERU. RADIO NYLAMP reactivated --- This short wave Peruvian station comes back to the waves after being off the air for a long time. In the past this station was reported on 4177 and 4299 kHz. Now it can be heard on 4335 with a good signal received here in Chimbote seaport. This station broadcasts from 0930 to 1300 UT and from 2200 to 0330 UT. Today I have telephoned to the General Manager Dr. J.J. Grandez and he told me that Radio Nylamp verifies correct Reception Reports with a QSL Letter. This Afternoon in the program regarding Social Greetings I was greeted by the DJ and to all Dxers all over the world. QTH: RADIO NYLAMP, Av. Andrés Avelino Cáceres # 800, Lambayeque, PERU. PHONE / FAX : 51-074 283353 73´s (CESAR PEREZ DIOSES, CHIMBOTE – PERU, Aug 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Stationen heter som bekant Radio Naylamp (Henrik Klemetz via mail, SW Bulletin Aug 24 via DXLD) 4335v, Radio Naylamp, Lambayeque, has been active the last week with fine signal and better audio than before. Female DJ and ID: "Radio Naylamp - la diferente". 5030.00, Radio Los Andes, Huamachuco: Info about Los Andes was sent out earlier via email and a "special preview". According to the DJ on duty this was a première transmission which I said in my comments. From a coup of our members, Henrik Klemetz/HK and Tore B. Vik/TBV, via email I received the info that this station is not new on shortwave even if it has been inactive for many years. Thanks Tore and Henrik! 5030.00, Radio Los Andes, Huamachuco, Provincia de Sánchez Carrión, departamento de La Libertad. Aug 13 2003 - 1030 UT. Was astonished when the station is listed in WRTH despite the DJ mentioned première transmission on shortwave. Maybe they earlier had performed some tests? I have never heard this station before. Very nice signal despite my temporary antenna. "Radio Los Andes - la radio total." Announced MW 1030 and SW 5030 kHz. Listen to the recording from this occasion at: http://homepage.sverige.net/~a-0901/ Info from "Ventanaperú": Provincia de Sánchez Carrión, cuya capital es Huamachuco. Sus distritos son: Cochorco, Curgos, Chungay, Huamachuco, Marcabal, Sanagoran, Sarin, Sartibamba; con una población total de 110,116 hab. Quito 13/08/2003 11:29:28 a.m. (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin Aug 24, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) {Correxion!! following item should be under BOLIVIA} ** PERU. 4780.96, 22.8 0010-0110, Radio Tacana, Q2, totally blocked by tone heterodyne until Mali closed down (I had to spend the time to log all the others). Seems to be heard better earlier, almost fade out at 0110. Also most of the time heavy utility-QRM for several minutes. When you could hear them they had disco pop music only interrupted by several IDs. Seemed to let a complete record run until changing to another one. HeP (Hermod Pedersen, Malmö, Sweden, SW Bulletin Aug 24, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) Q maybe means quality, i.e. Overall Merit, O of SINPO/SIO? (gh) ** UKRAINE. As of September 1, R. Ukraine International intends to move from 12040 to 9810 kHz. English to NAm at 0000 and 0300 UT (Erik Køie, Copenhagen, Aug. 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. In reference to the radio towers at Criggion, Wales (Date Set for Towers' Destruction, DXLD 3-152), the statement that they were "used to eavesdrop on Soviet radio signals" is erroneous. Criggion was a VLF transmitter site which sent CW and RTTY traffic to the Royal Navy, especially the submarine fleet, using callsign GBZ. I took pictures of the antenna during a visit to Wales, one of which appeared in Monitoring Times (March 1995, Below 500 KHZ). The six towers held up a kite-shaped array of cables which provided capacitive top loading for a vertical radiator. One of the station personnel, who came out to the fence and asked me to leave, volunteered the information that the three original self-supporting towers were on a ship bound for India when World War II broke out and were brought back to the U.K. An interesting feature of this antenna was that one corner of the array was anchored to the top of a 1200-foot hill (John Cobb, Roswell, GA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. BBCWS Preview: THE FUNNY SIDE OF FAITH A two-part series looking at the relationship between humour and religion. Is laughter compatible with worship? Can it ever be appropriate to tell jokes about God? The programmes examine how humour is used in a range of faiths, from the part played by the fool-saint Mullah Nasrudin, in mystical Sufism, to the satirical Christian website Ship Of Fools. Also featured are comedians performing Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and Sikh jokes. We find out how they are received by audiences in different worldparts and the dangers of treading the line between humour and blasphemy. From Aug 26: Ams: Wed 1545, 2145, Thu 0145 Eu : Wed 0945, 1445, 1945, Thu 0145 WAf: Wed 1045, 2245, Thu 0145 (via Ivan Grishin, BBC Programming, Aug ODXA Listening In via DXLD) [non] On a related subject: God help America --- US law insists on the separation of church and state. So why does religion now govern? Gary Younge, Monday August 25, 2003, Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1028758,00.html (via gh, DXLD) ** U K. BBC NEWS --- DYKE TO OPEN UP BBC ARCHIVE Greg Dyke, director general of the BBC, has announced plans to give the public full access to all the corporation's programme archives. Mr Dyke said on Sunday that everyone would in future be able to download BBC radio and TV programmes from the internet. The service, the BBC Creative Archive, would be free and available to everyone, as long as they were not intending to use the material for commercial purposes, Mr Dyke added. "The BBC probably has the best television library in the world," said Mr Dyke, who was speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival. "Up until now this huge resource has remained locked up, inaccessible to the public because there hasn't been an effective mechanism for distribution. "But the digital revolution and broadband are changing all that. "For the first time there is an easy and affordable way of making this treasure trove of BBC content available to all." He predicted that everyone would benefit from the online archive, from people accessing the internet at home, children and adults using public libraries, to students at school and university. Future focus Mr Dyke appeared at the TV festival to give the Richard Dunn interview, one of the main events of the three-day industry event. He said the new online service was part of the corporation's future, or "second phase", strategy for the development of digital technology. Mr Dyke said he believed this second phase would see a shift of emphasis by broadcasters. Their focus would move away from commercial considerations to providing "public value", he said. "I believe that we are about to move into a second phase of the digital revolution, a phase which will be more about public than private value; about free, not pay services; about inclusivity, not exclusion. "In particular, it will be about how public money can be combined with new digital technologies to transform everyone's lives." Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3177479.stm Published: 2003/08/24 11:47:38 GMT © BBC MMIII (via Dan Say, Tom Roche, DXLD) ** U K. BBC NEWS --- BBC ONLINE PROBE TO BEGIN The government is expected to name on Saturday the person who will lead an official review of the BBC's online services. Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell is due to get the review underway in earnest with the announcement at the Edinburgh International Television Festival. The review will weigh up whether the BBC has stuck to its original plans - approved by the government in 1998 - and what impact it has had on the commercial sector. The BBC's websites contain more than two million pages and reach up to 43% of the UK population each month, according to the corporation's latest annual report. 'Benefits' BBCi is "Europe's most widely visited content site" and costs £72m per year to run, the report said. A BBC spokesman said: "We will welcome the reviewer, whoever that may be, and will look forward to working with him or her. "We believe that we have worked within the terms of the original online consent and that we have brought benefits to the industry." The review will also form part of the charter renewal process that will reach its climax in 2006. BBC's role That is when the government will decide how the BBC has performed, what funding it should get and what its role should be. When Ms Jowell announced the timetable for the BBC online review in April, she said the detailed criteria would only be made public once the reviewer had been named. "These will, however, include a review of the service against the approval given and... an assessment of market impact together with an analysis of the role of BBC Online as part of the BBC's overall service." The results of a similar review of TV channel BBC News 24 - headed by former Financial Times editor Richard Lambert - were published last year. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/entertainment/3173909.stm Published: 2003/08/22 13:31:55 GMT © BBC MMIII (via Dan Say, BC, DXLD) ** U K. BSkyB chief rails at BBC licence fee [by?] PAUL GALLAGHER TELEVISION viewers are increasingly resentful of paying the BBC licence fee and the corporation should be overhauled for the multi- channel era, the chief executive of BSkyB told delegates at the Edinburgh television festival last night. In the festival`s keynote MacTaggart lecture, Tony Ball called on the government to rethink the terms of the licence fee as it prepares to renew the BBC's charter in 2006. Mr Ball said the BBC should be forced to sell off its most popular programmes, such as Fame Academy and The Weakest Link, to commercial channels and then use the funds to develop fresh ideas. . . http://www.news.scotsman.com/edinburgh.cfm?id=927642003 (Scotsman Aug 23 via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U K. BBC NEWS BOSS WAS READY TO MOVE GILLIGAN {Kelly affair} http://media.guardian.co.uk/huttoninquiry/story/0,13812,1028884,00.html (Guardian Aug 25 via Dan Say, DXLD) See also INTERNATIONAL WATERS non ** U S A. The current Ask WWCR admits that printed schedules from them can be more up to date than the website; and since there have been a number of changes, an unusual mid-month update has been made on the website http://www.wwcr.com Actually, the main page says August 14, but the schedules in txt themselves claim to be updated to August 1. (Why these dates seldom match is beyond me.) More importantly, the UT +5 difference from CDT has finally been taken into account for correct conversions of all the times, some 4 months after this year`s shift (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. BACH, BEETHOVEN AND BRAHMS TO RETURN PLANNED RADIO STATION TO HAVE ALL-CLASSICAL MUSIC FORMAT By ALLISON STEELE, Monitor staff Concord --- For the first time in almost three years, Concord's radio airwaves will again hum with the sounds of strings, horns and woodwinds. A small nonprofit group plans to bring a classical music station to town, filling a void left when New Hampshire Public Radio dropped the genre from its programming. The station hopes to be on the air by October. The project was developed by Harry Kozlowski, program director for the Concord radio stations WJYY and WNHI, along with local musician and composer Patrick Hebert and a handful of other music enthusiasts. New Hampshire Public Radio also gave the project a boost by offering the new station full use of its classical music library. In addition, the two stations have agreed they will promote each other on the air. "It was a generous offer, and much more than we expected," said Kozlowski. "We hadn't even gotten to asking about their library before they suggested it." "It's really hard not to be supportive of a project like this," said Mark Handley, president and general manager of NHPR. "There are a lot of people out there who are going to be really happy about this." The station, WCNH-LP at 94.7 FM, will broadcast 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To keep operating costs low, there will be no studio and few frills. Hebert will design the playlists. Kozlowski will act as station manager and the main voice and will read most station announcements. All music will be programmed a day in advance, and audio files will be transmitted to an unmanned network from a computer in Kozlowski's home studio. "It's going to be a very small project with a community group that does not have deep pockets," he said. "So we're trying to do this in a way that's sustainable." Highland Community Broadcasting must raise $25,000 to get the station set up. Soon, the group will begin a fundraising drive that may include a concert, and members will approach local groups and businesses that support the arts. Kozlowski estimates that WCNH will cost about $50,000 a year to run. The group will not be able to sell commercial time, but plans to keep it going through listener donations and corporate sponsorship. New Hampshire Public Radio stopped broadcasting classical music in February 2000, after research and surveys indicated that listeners were most interested in hearing continuous news and talk shows. "We did it with some reluctance," said Handley. "And we spent quite a few years trying to find a way to run two separate stations that addressed both of those audiences. But at the time, there were no more frequencies available. So we're really pleased about this." The project to create a classical station was born soon after NHPR dropped the classical programming. At the time, Kozlowski's daughter was taking piano lessons with Hebert, who lamented the loss. That same year, the Federal Communications Commission created a new class of low-power radio stations, a class specifically designed for community groups. Seeing an increase in the number of unlicensed stations popping up, the commission decided to make it simpler for people to create smaller stations. Kozlowski and Hebert decided to form Highland Community Broadcasting and applied for a license. Last month, the FCC granted the request. Currently, any radio listener in Concord with a yen for Bach or Beethoven has few options. Boston's classical station can't be heard past Manchester on most radios, and it's equally difficult to catch a clear signal from National Public Radio affiliates in Vermont and Maine, where classical music is still broadcast. Once operational, WCNH-LP should be heard clearly in Concord, Penacook, Bow and Hopkinton. Move north and, Kozlowski acknowledged, it might catch some interference from Mount Washington's transmission signal. Kozlowski's long-range plans for the station include broadcasting recordings of local concerts, and he's also hoping to start spotlighting young, local talent. "You can read about the star quarterback on a high school team, and go watch him play," he said. "But it's harder to hear about a young person who's a really talented musician. We'd like to be able to give people that chance." And Concord is a good market for a classical radio station, Kozlowski said. Many who live in Concord and its surrounding communities have an appreciation for the arts, and are hungry for more culture. "There certainly are a lot of people who've missed the music," he said. "And this won't only be classical, it'll be nonstop classical." Friday, August 22, 2003 (Concord Monitor via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** U S A. QUEER CHANNEL RADIO FCC keeps Grid Radio off the air and punishes its owner by JOHN GORMAN [Cleveland OH; illustrated:] http://www.freetimes.com/issues/1117/col-gorman.html It has been three years since the FCC shut down Jerry Szoka's Grid Radio. A non-licensed, low-power FM dance, music and community service station, Grid Radio's programming was targeted, but not limited, to the gay, lesbian and transgender community. Its 50-watt signal reached gay communities on the city's West Side, and Szoka chose the unused 96.9 frequency and outfitted Grid with technical equipment to prevent accidental signal bleed to other frequencies. Szoka's inimitable connections provided Grid Radio an inside track to play a continuous stream of unique dance mixes of current hit tunes, popular club tracks and techno. Grid Radio's limited broadcast day started weekday afternoons at 4 and weekends at 1 p.m. Sunday afternoons were reserved for a weekly upbeat and lengthy public affairs program. For the GLT community, this program was their lone radio connection for accurate news and information. Call it Cleveland's Queer Channel. Grid Radio's dance format attracted a sizeable straight following and became the weekend soundtrack for clubbers in the Warehouse District and Flats. Grid didn't run commercials, not even for the West 9th Street club of the same name, which Szoka managed and co-owned. In its third year, Grid Radio came in as the third most popular radio station with clubbers in a major beer company poll. Grid also showed up in a few Aribtron ratings diaries. That's impressive for a station which had limited on-air time, rarely identified itself, did no external promotion and had a signal reach limited to a minuscule slice of northwestern Cuyahoga County. Szoka, who is in his 40s and looks a youthful 30, still possesses the passion he had for radio when he was in his early 20s. His radio career started with a dance music show on Case Western Reserve University's WRUW-FM. A master electrician by trade, his desire to own his own club was sparked by Cleveland club entrepreneur Hank Berger, who hired him to wire and later DJ at his Trash and U4IA clubs in the late '70s. Szoka knows his clientele. Grid, now relocated to E. 13th and St. Clair, tops all local dance club polls and is nationally recognized as a trend-setting gay club. It also serves a refuge for straight and bisexual women who want to party and dance without being pawed by the drunken frat boys that congregate in the Flats. In 1995, Szoka finalized plans for a low-power FM station for the gay community. Compared to other cities of similar size, Cleveland was a pirate radio neophyte, well behind the national curve for renegades seizing the airwaves. There were less than a half-dozen low-power, regularly-scheduled pirate stations. Many other cities had dozens of low-power pirates, most programming to specific neighborhood, ethnic or lifestyle audiences. "I never applied for a license as there were no licenses available to apply for," says Szoka. "The FCC contends that I could have applied for a waiver, but that would have also been futile as they have only issued two waivers over 20 years ago for the hundreds of waivers applied for." Szoka's quandary started in the summer of 1996 when a WGAR engineer singled out Grid Radio and notified the local chapter of the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE). The group contacted Szorka and threatened to report his station to the FCC if he didn't cease broadcasting. He didn't and they did. Six months later, Szoka received the first of a series of warnings from the FCC to shut down the unlicensed station. When Szoka refused, the FCC took legal action. Notwithstanding FCC warnings and an impending court case, Grid stayed on the air and its popularity continued to grow. Szoka was even a guest on John Lanigan's WMJI-FM morning show, much to the chagrin of his co-hosts and WMJI's owner, Clear Channel. While Szoka battled the FCC, the agency's chairman, William Kennard -- noting the decline of local news and programming on commercial radio - - announced a proposal to create thousands of new low-power FM (LPFM) non-commercial stations to serve underrepresented community groups. The ruling called for an eight-year license, which couldn't be sold or transferred. Licenses would be awarded to community groups on a criteria system of residency -- the amount of local programming proposed and a 36-hour minimum broadcast week agreement. The proposal was sent to Congress, which quickly buckled under the lobbying strength of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). Congress trimmed the bill to 80 percent fewer stations than the original FCC proposal. Back in Cleveland, after years of court appearances and mountains of legal paperwork, Szoka was forced to pull the plug on Grid in 2000. Today, he is without legal support and is faced with an $11,000 fine and other costs from his battle with the FCC. "Just for goodwill, the FCC is fining me $11,000," says Szoka. "So I can never get one of the licenses I helped bring forth, and I have to pay $11,000 for having the nerve to prove to the FCC that they were wrong and that there is room for LPFM stations." There's no happy ending here. The FCC, now ruled with an iron fist by Michael Powell, has granted a very small number of LPFM licenses with the largest share going to Christian Right non-profit organizations. And Cleveland still hasn't gotten back its Queer Channel (Cleveland Free Times via Artie Bigley, OH, DXLD) ** U S A. The folks at Public Radio Weekend have posted a new pilot episode of their show. This time they're going for more substance and more of a "live" sound. http://www.publicradioweekend.org (Current, 10:21 AM EST Aug 25 via DXLD) We need another magazine show??? ** U S A. PROPOSED HISPANIC MEDIA MERGER IS UNDER FIRE By Frank Ahrens, Washington Post, Sunday, August 24, 2003; Page A08 The proposed merger between the nation's largest Hispanic television network and radio chain has drawn the usual antitrust scrutiny that accompanies every major media union. However, Univision Communication Inc.'s $3 billion bid to buy Hispanic Broadcasting Corp. is not just any merger, thanks to the participants -- it has spurred considerable political debate and hit ethnic hot buttons as well. The merger is seen as speeding toward approval at the Federal Communications Commission in the coming weeks; hence, backers and opponents have been lining up prominent lawmakers and Latinos on each side. Supporters say the merger will give the combined companies the marketplace clout required to compete for Anglo ad dollars against media giants such as AOL Time Warner Inc. and Viacom Inc. They say Hispanic media consumers watch English-language television as well, proving that the Latino and Anglo markets overlap. Opponents -- led by rival radio chain Spanish Broadcasting Systems, whose own bid for Hispanic Broadcasting was spurned last year -- say the English- and Spanish-language markets are separate. The combined Univision-Hispanic Broadcasting would create a monopoly that regulators would never allow in the Anglo market, they say. Further, they point out, Univision is not a Hispanic-owned company, but Spanish Broadcasting is. The struggle over the merger reflects Hispanics' growing political clout. They are the largest minority and one of the fastest-growing minorities; and despite the dominance of Hispanic Democratic lawmakers, some analysts believe Latinos have not pledged permanent allegiance to either political party. This is a point that Michael McCurry -- recently hired to lobby for Univision -- has been making to Democrats. "There is a rising importance of the Hispanic market in politics," said the former Clinton White House spokesman. They are a potential target of opportunity for Republicans, he said. McCurry was hired at the beginning of August to help educate the notoriously news media-shy and politically naive Univision on how to navigate Capitol Hill. Univision and Hispanic Broadcasting officials admitted they were blindsided by the opposition blitz of Raul Alarcon, president of Spanish Broadcasting. Univision Chairman A. Jerrold "Jerry" Perenchio is a major fundraiser for President Bush, and merger opponents -- and Hill Democrats -- fear he could use the combined reach of Univision and Hispanic Broadcasting to choke out liberal Hispanic voices. Recruiting Democrats in favor of the merger could help defuse concerns that the combined companies will be a Republican mouthpiece. Univision officials say the network's newsrooms operate independently from any corporate or individual ideology (via Matt Francis, DC, DXLD) ** U S A. In North Texas, major programming changes coming to the Dallas market. Common Es target KDTN-2 (which has been calling itself "KERA-2" on the air, leading to considerable confusion...) has been sold to the owners of KMPX-29. The channel 2 station will switch to the Daystar religious network. Their channel 29 will then be sold to Liberman Broadcasting, operators of KRCA-62 in the Los Angeles area, among other stations. KMPX will become an independent Spanish-language station. Note that KMPX has already filed for a substantial power increase. Another skip target will become more difficult to find (Doug Smith, TV News, Sept WTFDA VHF-UHF Digest via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED [non]. Re 4939.63: Amigo DXista Chris! You have heard Radio Amazonas, Venezuela! Quito 21/Ago/2003 9:12. 73 de (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, hard-core-dx? via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Glenn: I reported to you a couple of weeks ago my repeated reception of a carrier at 5006, with no apparent mod, as early as 0900 but generally after 1000. This morning I tuned it at 1420 and it was present very distinctly, and I could now hear fading modulation: a male voice, conversational, either scrambled or in a language that was indistinct and unidentifiable. If scrambled then this might explain the anomalous frequency. I also heard a carrier at 5005.38 as closely as I could determine, without apparent mod. I have been trying to get either Nepal or RN Guinea Equatorial with some degree of certainty. Wonder if that was the carrier from either station? Tibet Peoples' BS was coming in very well a few minutes earlier, with separate programs, on both 4820 and 4905 (Steve Waldee, San José, CA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Certainly not Eq. Guinea at that hour; before he saw last issue; the old item from DXLD 1-108 over two years ago under JAPAN, which however, makes no reference to voice, at http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/dxld1108.txt ``** JAPAN. I send you the information about the experimental SW station JG2XA. As I live in the neighboring city, the transmission is well received: University of Electronics & Communications, Chofu City, Tokyo started experimental SW transmission for research of HF-band Doppler-Shift (HFD). They had been using 5 and 8 MHz signals of former JJY, which ended transmission in March. They decided to set up their own SW station for this purpose. The new SW station, call sign JG2XA, started regular transmission on July 3. Frequencies: 5006 and 8006 (width 1.5 kHz) Power: 200 watt. Transmitter: Yaesu FT-860 + linear amp + lubidium generator (2 sets) Antenna: halfwave horizontal dipole. Schedule: 24 hours with continuous unmodulated carrier; ID in Morse Code is given at least every 30 minutes as "JG2XA JG2XA JG2XA UEC HFD STATION" in H3A mode. Addr: Tomizawa Laboratory, University of Electronics & Communications, Chofugaoka 1-5-1, Chofu City, Tokyo, 182-8585 Japan Tel: +81 42 443 5598 E-mail: tomizawa@ee.uec.ac.jp URL: http://ssro.ee.uec.ac.jp/lab_tomi/index.html (Takahito Akabayashi, Japan, Aug 5, BC DX via DXLD)`` UNIDENTIFIED. 6069.7: An unidentified station, which seems to be broadcasting religious programmes with a preacher similar to Peru 6020 and Brazil 6060, has been heard on air around 0615 very adjacent to Christian Voice, Chile, 6070. When heard Aug.22 the frequency was about 6069.9, and then thought in Portuguese. But heard again on Aug.24 on about 6069.7, and I couldn`t be sure if Portuguese or Spanish. The only other LA I can find listed for 6070 [besides Chile] is in the current WRTVH [pp 109/117] - Radio Capital from Rio de Janeiro - one I've never heard of. 73s, (Noel R. Green [Blackpool, NW- UK], Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) Dear Noel: On 6020 is Radio Victoria from Lima, Peru, and on 6060 is Radio Tupi from Brazil with the same religious program A Voz da Libertação. 73's (Nicolás Eramo, Argentina, ibid.) Hello Nicolás, Many thanks for the information. I have the ID of the two stations using 6020 & 6060 and have paralleled these frequencies with 6020 // 9720 and 6060 // with 9565 & 11765. All are often heard currently. But it's the one on about 6069+ that interests me. Hearing an ID will be difficult, to say the least, due to the amount of QRM present. What I hear is similar in content to 6020 & 6060, but does not appear to be in sync, so may not be the same programme. 73s (Noel Green, ibid.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ NTIA EXPRESSES ``BROAD CONCERNS`` IN BPL COMMENTS NEWINGTON, CT, Aug 19, 2003 -- The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has weighed in on the FCC`s Broadband over Power Line (BPL) initiative. While urging the FCC to ``move forward expeditiously`` with its inquiry into BPL, the NTIA expressed ``broad concerns`` about interference to government users. The NTIA also has launched an extensive modeling, analysis and measurement program for BPL. A Commerce Department branch, NTIA is the president`s principal advisor on domestic and international telecommunications policy. It also administers spectrum allocated to federal government users. ``Notwithstanding BPL`s potential benefits, the Commission must ensure that other communications services, especially government operations, are adequately protected from unacceptable interference,`` the NTIA said in late-filed comments in the BPL Notice of Inquiry (NOI) in ET 03-104. ``In tailoring its rules to promote BPL deployment, the Commission must be certain to provide all communications stakeholders with adequate protections against BPL emissions that may cause unacceptable radio frequency interference.`` A form of power line carrier (PLC) technology, BPL would use existing low and medium-voltage power lines to deliver broadband services to homes and businesses. Because it uses frequencies between 2 and 80 MHz, BPL could affect HF and low-VHF amateur allocations wherever it`s deployed. BPL proponents--primarily electric power utilities-- already are testing BPL systems in several markets, and one is said to be already offering the service. FCC rules already allow BPL, although industry proponents want the FCC to relax radiation limits. ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, has called BPL ``the most crucial issue facing Amateur Radio and the one that has the most devastating potential.`` ARRL Laboratory personnel already have visited several communities where BPL field testing is under way and documented the potential for extensive interference on HF frequencies in all field trial communities visited. In its comments, the NTIA indicated its apprehension regarding ``radiated emission limits and other measures`` that may be needed to protect the more than 18,000 HF and low-VHF federal government frequency assignments that BPL could affect. Until releasing its comments this month, the NTIA has been largely silent on the issue since last spring. In an April 24 letter, then- NTIA administrator Nancy J. Victory applauded the FCC`s decision to launch its inquiry into BPL, but called on the Commission to make sure that BPL does not cause harmful interference to other services. In early July, Frederick R. Wentland, NTIA`s associate administrator in the Office of Spectrum Management, told the FCC that the NTIA did not favor Current Technologies LLC`s request for a permanent waiver of the field strength limit specified for Class B emissions under FCC Part 15 rules. A Maryland BPL developer, Current Technologies already is field testing and marketing the technology. Wentland worried that the pole-mounted interfaces and outdoor power lines used for BPL could interfere with public safety communication in the 30 to 50 MHz range. He told FCC Office of Engineering and Technology Chief Edmond J. Thomas that the ``unobstructed and ubiquitous nature of this BPL application, and perhaps other aspects of BPL, differs considerably from the situations presently found in typical unintentional radiators`` operating under Part 15. Wentland also expressed concerns regarding compliance measurement techniques for BPL and the characterization of BPL emissions for use in compatibility studies. NTIA`s technical studies will include detailed measurements and analyses to ``help determine the least constraining BPL emission limits that would preclude unacceptable interference,`` Wentland told Thomas. Wentland, who has been named to succeed Victory as NTIA administrator on an interim basis, also invited the FCC to coordinate its own BPL measurement activities with those of the NTIA. In an attachment to its comments, NTIA summarized its measurement plan, which, among other things, will take ambient noise measurements and also ``quantify unknown aspects of BPL signals`` at several BPL test sites. The plan noted that as a result of nonlinear elements in the electrical power distribution system, ``BPL systems may radiate emissions at frequencies substantially higher than the frequencies actually used intentionally within the BPL system.`` The NTIA`s Institute of Telecommunication Science is carrying out the measurement program over a two-week period, coordinating its efforts with BPL network administrators. The data will be folded into the NTIA`s BPL modeling and analysis initiative. The NTIA said the results of its research will yield recommendations on radiated emission limits and other operational restrictions for BPL that are ``necessary to preclude unacceptable interference to federal government systems.`` The agency said it planned to conclude its research by year`s end. A copy of the NTIA`s comments--which had not been posted on the FCC Web site as of August 19--is available on the NTIA Web site http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/fccfilings/2003/bplcomments_08132003.htm The FCC extended the reply comment deadline in the BPL proceeding to August 20, and the ARRL plans to file reply comments. The League`s initial 120-page package of comments and technical exhibits is available on the ARRL Web site [at] http://www2.arrl.org/announce/regulatory/et03-104/ There`s additional information and additional video clips on the ARRL ``Power Line Communications (PLC) and Amateur Radio`` page [at] http://www2.arrl.org/tis/info/HTML/plc/ To support the League`s efforts in this area, visit the ARRL`s secure BPL Web site [at] https://www.arrl.org/forms/development/donations/bpl/ Copyright © 2003, American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved (ARRL via John Norfolk, DXLD) BPL ADVOCATES` COMMENTS LACK TECHNICAL SUBSTANCE, ARRL REPLY COMMENTS SAY http://www2.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/08/21/4/?nc=1 NEWINGTON, CT, Aug 21, 2003 -- The ARRL says Broadband over Power Line (BPL) proponents failed in their comments to the FCC to substantiate their claims that the technology will not cause widespread interference. In reply comments filed August 20 -- the FCC`s deadline to receive comments in the proceeding, ET Docket 03-104 -- the League said that if the FCC is going to rely on industry statements in making decisions on BPL deployment, the industry should back up its assertions with technical studies and hard data and make these public. ``Unfounded assurances that BPL will not cause interference are no substitute for real-world measurements,`` the League declared, ``and the FCC should rely on documented test results and an impact of interference potential based on scientific, not marketing, criteria.`` Generalized conclusions drawn about BPL`s interference potential in industry comments ``are premature and meaningless,`` the League said. A form of power line carrier -- or PLC -- technology, BPL would use existing low and medium-voltage power lines to deliver broadband services to homes and businesses using frequencies between 2 and 80 MHz. Some BPL proponents -- primarily electric power utilities – already are testing BPL systems in several markets and want the FCC to relax radiation limits. ``Power lines are ubiquitous, and attempts by the BPL industry to obtain relaxed emission classifications based on operating environment are obviously illogical and frivolous,`` the ARRL said, noting BPL would impact not only hams but public safety low-band VHF systems and other mobile systems. In contrast to the BPL advocates` ``blanket statements`` of no interference from BPL field trial sites, the ARRL said its own field tests ``lead inescapably to the conclusion that BPL will, if deployed, create widespread harmful interference.`` It predicted signal levels of up to 30 dB over S9 on a typical amateur transceiver, ``well beyond what would preclude amateur HF communications entirely.`` To dramatize its point, the League urged the Commission to view video shot during recent ARRL test-and-measurement forays to BPL field trial communities in four states. The ARRL said the type of degradation expected from BPL would transform 20 meters from a band with worldwide communication capabilities to one of limited regional communication capability. ``ARRL has, in fact, done what the BPL industry should have done-- brought an amateur station to the trial area,`` the League said. ``When it did so, the interference was manifest and widespread and would be so even to an untrained observer.`` Noting claims by Main.net http://www.mainnet-plc.com/ that it had received no reports of harmful interference in its worldwide trials, the ARRL countered that the tests had resulted in ``strong protests from Amateur Radio operators.`` Austrian amateurs documented ``massive interference`` on video, and, in an unusual move, the Austrian Experimental Transmitters Union (OeVSV) filed comments in the BPL proceeding. BPL proponents argue that the European power distribution system differs from that in the US. The League said measurements and testing should be done when the BPL systems are heavily loaded, treating the system`s entire emission as a single device. ``If all of the appropriate measurement factors are applied,`` ARRL said, ``no access BPL system would be found in compliance with FCC Part 15 regulations.`` The ARRL characterized some industry comments regarding the interference potential of BPL as ``wishful thinking`` and based on flawed premises. It said the League`s own technical exhibits-- attached to its initial and reply comments--show that BPL signals do propagate well and that overhead power lines make excellent radiators of HF signals. The League also noted that comments in the proceeding so far have been silent on the interference susceptibility of BPL to ham radio signal ingress. The League predicted that even as little as 250 mW of signal induced into overhead power lines some 100 feet from an amateur antenna could degrade a BPL system or render it inoperative. The ARRL called on the FCC to stop acting like a cheerleader for BPL. ``It is past time that the Commission acted in its proper role as a steward of the radio spectrum and recognized the interference potential of BPL to the sensitive incumbent licensed services in these bands,`` the League concluded. ``The Commission cannot stretch the Part 15 regulations as far as would be required to accommodate BPL.`` The League`s complete reply comments and technical exhibits are available on the ARRL Web site. See also the article ``BPL is a Pandora`s Box of Unprecedented Proportions, ARRL Tells FCC``. Additional information and video clips are on the ARRL ``Power Line Communications (PLC) and Amateur Radio`` page. To support the League`s efforts in the BPL fight, visit the ARRL`s secure BPL Web site [see url at the beginning of the article for links and diagrams]. Copyright © 2003, American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved (ARRL via John Norfolk, DXLD) CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ EUROPEAN DX COUNCIL Last weekend more than 70 shortwave listeners, DXers and broadcasters (including yours truly) attended the annual conference of the European DX Council (EDXC) in Koenigstein, north of Frankfurt. The event had been organised by a local DX Club , the Rhein-Main Radio Club (RMRC). As usual, it was a great occasion to meet old friends and make new ones, which is not difficult, because we all share an interest in international radio. Some are only interested in the technical side of the hobby, others only care about programme content, not to forget those who collect radio items, in particular QSL cards, or pennants. At this year's meeting, the emphasis was on DRM - digital radio mondiale, with most amazing presentations about this new broadcasting technology and the latest from the DRM receiver's front. The Secretary-General of the EDXC, signor Luigi Cobisi of Italy (left on photo, with predecessor Risto Vähäkainu of Finland), was pleased with the conference: SOUND Luigi Cobisi (listen to the programme via audio link on this page --- below) Meanwhile, the EDXC is in a bit of a crisis, or has been for several years now. It seems that in this age of new technologies, not only the DX hobby is in decline, but also the need of people to join up in special clubs or the need to publish club magazines. Everybody is hooked up to the internet anyway, and information can be exchanged more rapidly than ever before. In a move to save the EDXC Luigi Cobisi launched the idea to make it an organisation for individual members, not only collective members grouped in DX clubs. SOUND Luigi Cobisi Signor Cobisi is stepping down as Sec.-Gen. at the end of this year, and the future is uncertain. Who will step forward and take over, who will organise a conference next year? Nobody knows, we'll have to wait for another couple of months to see whether the EDXC can be saved. And, as on previous occasions when I had the pleasure of meeting Luigi Cobisi, I also asked him this time to say something in Italian to his DX friends, and our listeners, in Italy. SOUND Luigi Cobisi in Italian I don't think you want to hear what my Italian sounds like. Anyway, we'll hear more from the EDXC conference in Koenigstein in future editions of Radio World. http://www.vrt.be/wm/rvi/rw_HI.asx http://www.vrt.be/wm/rvi/rw_LO.asx FRANS VOSSEN (RVi Radio World Aug 24 via DXLD) CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES / DRM +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DIGITAL RADIO MONDIALE`S DEBUT SUMMER TO SIZZLE AT IFA 2003 AS MORE BROADCASTERS SEND DRM TRANSMISSIONS August 30th Press Conference to Include 2G Consumer Receiver, plus Special Announcement with World DAB Forum Berlin – The grand debut summer of digital radio system Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) will sizzle next week during IFA 2003, the world`s largest consumer electronics show. Just six weeks ago in Geneva, 16 leading broadcasters made radio history by sending the world`s first DRM broadcasts across the globe. Since then, the number of stations transmitting live, daily DRM programs and periodic specials has risen to 25. DRM will showcase live broadcasts on a range of receivers -- including the first, second-generation DRM consumer radio, for distribution later this year -- at IFA`s Technical & Scientific Forum (TWF) in Hall 5.3, Stand 3, at the Messe Berlin, from August 29 to September 3. DRM Chairman and Deutsche Welle COO Peter Senger will outline DRM`s latest successes and future plans in a press conference on August 30. Experts representing German network operators, broadcasters, research institutions and manufacturing firms will also be available for reporters` questions. Additionally, Mr. Senger will be joined by World DAB Forum President Annika Nyberg, for a special, joint announcement. The press conference will start at 13:00 in the TWF. DRM is the world`s only non-proprietary, universally standardized, digital system for short-wave, medium-wave/AM and long-wave that can use existing frequencies and bandwidth across the globe. With clear, near-FM quality sound and excellent reception that offers a dramatic improvement over analogue, DRM will revitalize radio in markets worldwide. Various DRM receivers are expected to be available in shops in late 2004. The press conference will be followed by a DRM Symposium, from 14:00 to 17:00 in the same location, in which DRM`s experts will delve deeper into the system`s technical and commercial advantages. Scheduled to speak are: Mr. Senger; Michael Pilath of T-Systems MediaBroadcast (who leads DRM`s Koordinations – Komitee Deutschland), Michael Knietzsch of Thales Broadcast & Multimedia; Christian Hoerlle of TELEFUNKEN SenderSysteme Berlin; Stefan Meltzer of Coding Technologies; Gerd Kilian and Olaf Korte of Fraunhofer IIS; Wolfgang Schaefer of Robert Bosch GmbH; and Markus Zumkeller of Sony International Europe (DRM press release Aug 25 via DXLD) Continued: RECEIVER NEWS ++++++++++++ DRM`s technical highlights at IFA 2003 will include: Coding Technologies (CT) will present the first, 2G DRM consumer radio, the DRM Receiver 2010. A joint development by CT, Mayah and others, the DRM Receiver 2010 is smaller and less expensive than the first-generation models. As the first mass-produced DRM receiver, it will be ready for distribution in late 2003. Fraunhofer IIS will present the DRM FhG Prototype Receiver, the NewsBox DRM Radio. It is a novel DRM receiver prototype designed to fit in a 19`` hi-fi tuner rack, developed in the BMBF project, RadioMondo. It plays DRM audio and text, and permits navigation within the new data application NewsService Journaline, conveying categorised news in text form. Fraunhofer will also showcase the professional receiver, FhG Software Radio and the DRM Software Radio. The DRM Software Radio Project, managed by VT Merlin Communications, is at http://www.drmrx.org. Robert Bosch GmbH will showcase a modified car receiver that receives DRM signals on long-, medium- and short-wave (49m band only), using a conventional integrated RF front-end up to the 1st intermediate frequency. Digital decoding of the DRM signal is managed by a PC. Data services including Internet pages, slide shows and text will also be demonstrated. This was facilitated by Radiomondo (DRM press release Aug 25 via DXLD) IS THE SW-77 GOING UNDER TOO? Hi Glenn: Thanks for keeping us informed. Here`s a lip-smacking tidbit: The Sony Store in Plaza Las Americas in San Juan Puerto Rico is selling the SW-77 for $300!!!! That`s a bargain considering there is no sales tax in the island. Is this part of a nationwide closeout? The sales people couldn't tell me. They were surprised when I said that the receiver sold for close to $469 through mail order catalogues. What caught my eye was their ostentatious display of the receiver in their window – hanging from invisible threads (Marty Delfín, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Aug 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RCA RP-3710 DIGITAL AM/FM TUNER RADIO AND ALARM CLOCK Was at the local Wal Mart Supercenter this morning and stumbled across the RCA RP-3710 Digital AM/FM Tuner Radio And Alarm Clock For $18.49. I just pulled it out of the box and it feels stout and has pretty good sound. Can't say I've ever comes a cross a radio with a lighted LCD digital readout for so low a price. I will give it a good going over today and then post a review of this nice little radio. As promised I put the RCA RP-3710 digital AM/FM clock radio through the DX grinder last night. First of all sensitivity with the internal loop stick is surprisingly good, with very deep nulling possible off the ends of the loopstick. Selectivity is also very good. I tuned to the local 5 kw pest on 910 kc a few miles away and there was no splatter on 900 or 920 kc; I was amazed. With the internal loopstick antenna I was able to null out WBBR NYC and WWBR Bartow, FL on 1130 and hear KWKH in Shreveport, LA in the clear. I'm not interested in FM DX so only checked local stations and all is okay there and sound is very good on AM and FM from the tiny front mounted speaker. As it's meant to be an alarm clock first, there is no external antenna input or audio output for headphones. Also no provision for battery operation but it does have 9 volt battery back up for time and memories. The digital frequency readout is LCD and approximately 1" high, which is easy on my eyes as I'm half blind in one eye and deaf in the other????? It also has a backlit display that is adjustable for brightness and 11 memories for AM and 11 for FM. It makes one wonder why RCA could put digital readout in an under $19 clock radio but GE could not do the same on it's Super Radio's I, II and III. I also put the radio it on the 2 foot box loop and man did it ever come alive for stateside DX, when I tuned for resonance via inductive coupling. It heard everything that my FT-840 and 130 foot inverted L did, including KOA 850 kc at times through the fading and blanketing auroral conditions. By the dimensions are 5 1/2" wide, 4" tall and 3" deep. See included photo. http://www.kn4lf.com/rcaradio.jpg 73, (Thomas F. Giella, Space & Atmospheric Weather Forecaster C/S KN4LF, {Tampa FL,} hard-core-dx via DXLD) PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ LOOK AT TRANSMITTER SITES FROM ON HIGH I found out about something last night at a radio club meeting and have had a ball playing around with it today. Since I recall a thread on this reflector about how almost all of you seem to be map freaks like me, I thought you might get a kick out of this if you didn't already know about it. I had never noticed until I heard it last night that MapQuest at http://www.mapquest.com/maps/ gives you the option of obtaining an aerial view of locations you request maps for. Not all locations in the USA have aerial view options (I tried areas in WI, TN, OH, MI, NY, VA and MD and only two -- just Northeast of Baltimore and in Eastern VA SE of Fredericksburg did NOT have the option of aerial views). MapQuest also gives you the option of searching for a location using geographic coordinates instead of a street address (just click on the "Lat/Long" option on the left side of MapQuest's page). So that means you can go to a site like Bob Carpenter's at http://www.qsl.net/w3otc/ and get the FCC coordinates for transmitter sites of BC stations, and then, once you plug them into MapQuest and get the street map for them, if an option appears just above the resulting map which says "Aerial Photo", that means an aerial photo IS available for the site in question and you can click on it and get it to display. The photo that comes up initially is quite wide in area, but I find that if you zoom in to the third zoom level from max, you will see the antenna farm quite easily. Since the photo is taken from almost vertically above, it is not always so easy to see the tower, but you can certainly see the tower bases, buried cable lines, etc. You can also see where the transmitter building is located and how to get to it from the main road if you are thinking of dropping in for a visit. Some towers show up very nicely from above, however, the WCBS/WFAN island location being one that comes to mind. One note about plugging the FCC-provided coordinates into the MapQuest program. Since the FCC figures give a coodinate such as 35 59.833 N you will have to convert the .833 to a whole number indicating seconds to make MapQuest happy. To get the number MapQuest wants just use your calculator and get the value for X as in: 833 X ---- = --- 1000 60 Just round off "X" to the nearest whole number, that's plenty good enough. And remember to type in the longitude with an initial minus sign as in -86 47 32 in order to get the program to work correctly for Western Hemisphere locations. Hope you have as much fun with this as I have. Regards, (Fred Laun, Temple Hills, MD, K3ZO, Aug 20, WTFDA via DXLD) WILLIAM HEPBURN SITE CHANGES In anticipation of my move from the Toronto Metro Area to the Hamilton Metro Area, I have had to make the following URL changes: Canada TV List now at http://www.iprimus.ca/~hepburnw/dx/tv/tv-can.htm Canada TV E-Skip logos now at http://www.iprimus.ca/~hepburnw/dx/tv/can/logo-2.htm Caribbean TV List now at http://www.iprimus.ca/~hepburnw/dx/tv/tv-car.htm DX Web Site: http://www.iprimus.ca/~hepburnw/ Tropo Forecast Maps : http://www.iprimus.ca/~hepburnw/tropo.html (Hepburn, Aug 19, WTFDA via DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ K INDEX AND SPORADIC E The K index got up to 8 last night according to an e-mail from one DX colleague. Look at what you guys got today. THIS HAS BEEN CONSISTENT THIS WHOLE SEASON --- One to three day bursts of Es starting a day or two after these warnings, and often but not always launching with an overnight Es session. I think this is a KEY part of the overall question (Saul Chernos, Ont., Aug 19, WTFDA via DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 3-152, August 23, 2003 edited by Glenn Hauser 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 later at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd3h.html For restrixions and searchable 2003 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn NEXT AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1196: RFPI: Sat 2330, Sun 0530, 1130, Mon 0030, 0630, 1230, Wed 0100, 0730, 1330 on 7445 [nominal times subject to delay or pre-emption] WINB: Sun 0031 on 12160 WWCR: Sun 0230 on 5070, 0630 on 3210, Wed 0930 on 9475 WRMI: Sun 1800+ on 15725 WBCQ: Mon 0415 on 7415 WRN ONDEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO [also for CONTINENT OF MEDIA, MUNDO RADIAL]: Check http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html [NO LOW VERSION THIS WEEK; SORRY] [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1196h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1196h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1196.html WORLD OF RADIO ON SIUE WEB RADIO Here are the CONFIRMED times for WOR and COM on SIUE Web Radio: WORLD OF RADIO: Friday 10:30 p.m. (UT Saturday 0330) Tuesday 10:00 p.m. (UT Wednesday 0300) CONTINENT OF MEDIA: Friday 10:00 p.m. (UT Saturday 0300) U times will be one hour later when the United States returns to Standard Time on the last Sunday in October (E. B. Stevenson, SIUE Web Radio, Aug 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ALASKA. RADIO STATION BROUGHT WORLD TO INTERIOR By MARY BETH SMETZER, Staff Writer http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113~7244~1581596,00.html The inaugural broadcast of Fairbanks' first radio station -- KFAR, "From the Top of the World to You" -- had all the trappings of a Hollywood premiere -- hoopla interspersed with music, speakers and self-congratulatory recognition. Fifteen minutes before its scheduled startup, Oct. 1, 1939, radio listeners tuning in early heard an organ prelude over the airwaves provided by Don Adler playing a Kimball organ keyboard in the Empress Theater. The "prelude broadcast," according to a Fairbanks Daily News-Miner article, was to aid faraway listeners across the territory in locating the KFAR frequency "to a hair" before the broadcast proper began. The music also provided a warmup to the historic Sunday evening event for excited Fairbanksans. The same article reported: "Hundreds filed into the Empress Theater where the program was released over the theater's amplifying system, and groups were clustered around radios in hotels, shops, and private homes to hear Interior Alaska's first "homemade" broadcast. "Thousands, too, crowded to the station's transmitter site on the Farm Road (today known as Farmers Loop) where engineers Stanton Bennett and August Hiebert showed old-timers and youngsters alike the "innards" of a modern broadcasting unit." At 7 p.m. sharp, station manager Jack Winston intoned, "KFAR is on the air!" Not surprisingly, the first airwave address from KFAR's penthouse atop the Lathrop Building was from Capt. Austin E. Lathrop, president of the Midnight Sun Broadcasting Co., proclaiming, "I can only say this is the happiest day of my life." Among the speakers during the first sesquihour live broadcast were Fairbanks Mayor Leslie Nerland; Leslie Baker, general manager of the Alaska Steamship company; Sgt. Leon Harper, officer in charge, U.S. Signal Corps and Alaska Communications System Fairbanks station; Ralph J. Rivers, district attorney; and Dr. Charles E. Bunnell, University of Alaska president. Bunnell lauded Lathrop's many accomplishments, calling him the "drive- on spirit of the pioneer" in his address. The 1,000-watt station on the dial at 610 kilocycles [per second] initially was on the air 12 hours a day, Monday through Saturday. Broadcasts ran from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and again from 5 p.m. to midnight. Sunday air time was 2 to 10 p.m. Fairbanksans were hungry for timely news, which KFAR provided despite being unable to link up with teletype news services like The Associated Press or United Press International. The station subscribed to Trans Radio Press, which transmitted news in high speed code of 40 to 50 words per minute that was manually copied by the station's engineers, Stanton and Hiebert. The station also provided local news and special features. Irene Richards, head of the KFAR continuity department, initially carried the microphone moniker of "Story Lady." At 5 o'clock every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Richards read children's favorites over the airwaves for 15 minutes. Her lead-in was: "If you like to hear a story, The kind that isn't borey, Sit back; listen to the lady tell Of the doggies, bears, and bunnies That you don't find in the funnies. For, it's these the Story Lady knows so well." Richards also aired a half-hour daily morning women's program with features on food, interior decorating, fashions, book reviews, music, club news and church socials. The KFAR offices and studios were housed on the fourth and uppermost floor of the Lathrop Building, which was completed in 1933. Lathrop had a four-room penthouse apartment gutted for the studio. The wall panels were knocked out and replaced with plate glass and soundproofed, and the room was "trimmed in decorative mahogany and finished in acoustic cork of a modernistic cut ... thickly carpeted and fitted with chromium and leather furniture." (via Jilly Dybka, DXLD) ** ALGERIA. Re: [BDXC-UK] DXLD 3-150; WOR 1195 - Algeria on SW? I'm surprised this question is still being asked as all Algerian shortwave transmissions were dropped at least 2 years ago! Guido is right to note a large number of new FM transmitters in Algeria, many of which have been confirmed in the UK this summer during several Sporadic E openings. I believe these new FM outlets replace lower powered mediumwave transmitters which have presumably been decommissioned. The only AM outlets listed now on the RTA web site (I believe this list is correct) are the high powered transmitters: 153 kHz Bechar 2 x 1000 kW - Chaine 1 in Arabic 198 kHz Ouargal 2 x 1000 kW - Chaine 1 in Arabic 252 kHz Tipaza 2 x 750 kW - Chaine 2 in French 531 kHz Ain Beida 2 x 300 kW - Chaine 1 in Arabic 549 kHz S. Hamadouche 2 x 300 kW - Chaine 1 in Arabic 891 kHz O. Fayet 2 x 300 kW - Chaine 1 in Arabic 981 kHz O. Fayet 2 x 300 kW - Chaine 2 in Berber dialects. (Dave Kenny, BDXC-UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANTARCTICA. Gabriel, Y ¿cuál de la emisión especial diexista proyectada para el 28 de agosto, que mencionó el 20 de julio? Si permitan los vientos, ¿se puede confirmar? Para quedarme antes del evento, lo menciono en la emisióm actual 1196 de World of Radio, como posibilidad... 73, (Glenn to Gabriel, Aug 22, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Sí, Glenn, la posibilidad sigue latente; el tema es que quiero la confirmación 100% desde Base Esperanza. Sólo espero comunicarme hoy con el operador para 'afinar' detalles. Todo está en manos de ellos, y..... del viento..... De todas maneras, puedes mencionarlo como altamente probable el 28/8/03 a 0100+ en 15476 khz. Ya he enviado todo el material realizado integramente en colaboración junto con Arnaldo Slaen. 73's GIB (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Argentina, Aug 22, ibid.) ** AUSTRALIA. Can't really imagine that I can find something of interest in the radio world that you may not have checked out, but: Western Australia Community Broadcasting Association is a vast website about the 200 + non- profit and largely nonprofessional stations in Australia. If you haven't looked, do peek and mourn for N America! http://wacba.com/ and the national site http://www.cbaa.org.au/ It also offered a chance to go to "our" alternativeradio.org – which I didn't know about, but which has some of my non- favorite liberals! And I'm a liberal. - HB (Howard Box, TN, Aug 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BAHAMAS. 1540: I heard them exactly twice, once very faintly during an aurora with little usable copy, and then again in Nov. 2001 during an extremely fortunate combination of circumstances. There was a really strong aurora which wiped out WPTR and KXEL an
