DX LISTENING DIGEST 10-02, January 12, 2010 Incorporating REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING edited by Glenn Hauser, http://www.worldofradio.com Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. Materials taken from Arctic or originating from Olle Alm and not having a commercial copyright are exempt from all restrictions of noncommercial, noncopyrighted reusage except for full credits For restrixions and searchable 2010 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2009 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid9.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn SHORTWAVE AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1495, January 13-20, 2010 [note WRMI is off the air as of Jan 12-13; see USA] Wed 2000 WBCQ 7415 [and 9330-CUSB confirmed at least at start] Thu 1300 WRMI 9955 Thu 2000 WBCQ 7415 9330-CUSB? Fri 0100 WBCQ Area 51 5110-CUSB Fri 0200 WRMI 9955 Fri 1230 WRMI 9955 Fri 1530 WRMI 9955 Fri 2130 WWCR1 7465 Sat 0900 IPAR/IRRS/NEXUS/IBA 9510 [resumed January 9? 2-weekly?] Sat 0900 WRMI 9955 Sat 1430 WRMI 9955 Sat 1730 WWCR3 12160 Sat 1900 IPAR/IRRS/NEXUS/IBA 6170 Sat 2000 WRMI 9955 Sun 0330 WWCR3 5070 Sun 0730 WWCR1 3215 Sun 0900 WRMI 9955 Sun 1230 South Herts Radio 5835 Sun 1615 WRMI 9955 Sun 2000 WRMI 9955 Tue 1200 WRMI 9955 Tue 1630 WRMI 9955 Tue 2000 WBCQ 7415 9330-CUSB? Wed 1630 WRMI 9955 [usually first airing] Wed 1930 South Herts Radio 3935 Wed 2000 WBCQ 7415 9330-CUSB? Latest edition of this schedule version, including AM, FM, satellite and webcasts with hotlinks to station sites and audio, is at: http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html or http://schedule.worldofradio.org or http://sked.worldofradio.org For updates see our Anomaly Alert page: http://www.worldofradio.com/anomaly.html WRN ON DEMAND: http://193.42.152.193/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 WORLD OF RADIO PODCASTS VIA WRN: http://www.wrn.org/wrn-listeners/world-of-radio/ http://www.wrn.org/listeners/world-of-radio/rss/09:00:00UTC/English/541 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO: http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html or http://wor.worldofradio.org ** AFGHANISTAN. NATO UNIT LAUNCHES RADIO STATION FOR RURAL AFGHANS By ALFRED de MONTESQUIOU The Associated Press Friday, January 8, 2010; 2:50 AM TORA, Afghanistan -- Working underground in an old Soviet bunker, a group of Afghan civilians and French Foreign Legion officers busy themselves with a couple of laptop computers and microphones until someone shouts for silence. "We're on air!" a sergeant chief warns, as a sweet tune of flutes and chirping birds rises from a sound box. "Welcome to Surowbi Radio, your radio, by and for the people of Surowbi," a voice says in Pashto, the language of the Pashtuns, Afghanistan's largest ethnic group. . . Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/08/AR2010010800249.html (Via Yimber Gaviria, Colombia) WTFK? ** ALASKA. Re DXLD 10-01, KYAK on 630 --- I seem to remember that this whole discussion happened once before, and I sent you some data about it. KYAK went on-air as a daytimer on 630 because the FCC had a freeze on fulltime applications at that time. It moved to 650 as a fulltime station and with 50 kW day 25 kW night when the first clear channel breakdown rulemaking was enacted. I know the whole history and if you want I will write it up, but I think I did so the last time the question came up! (I didn't do the original applications on 630 and 650 - Kenneth E. Williams, PE did them, but I was very familiar with all of it because I was DOE of Washington Telecasters (KAYO) which was the leading Seattle country music station, and the owner of KYAK used KAYO programming staff as consultants, and Ken was the consulting engineer to KAYO. I later, when I became a consulting engineer fulltime myself, did the applications to change KYAK over to omni-directional, since the old DA which protected the FCC monitoring station, was no longer necessary. I have a scar on my right elbow from an RF burn sustained from working on the KYAK directional antenna late one night when it was still light in Anchorage and I was more fatigued than I realized.) (Ben Dawson, WA, Jan 8, 2010, DX LISTENING DIGEST 10-02) Here is the previous thread from April 2008: ALASKA. Re 8-040, daytimer [KIMO-1180, a fantasy story for Apr 1, from Tim Hall, ABDX]: Glenn, An amusing piece. But there really was once an Alaskan daytimer! The original operation of what is now KENI, 650, 50 kW NDA [non-direxional antenna], unlimited, was with 5 kW NDA daytime only on 630 kHz! The station was put on the air by our old friend Bob Fleming in 1967, Anchorage's 5th AM station, during a period when the FCC had a freeze on nighttime applications. When that freeze and the restrictions on applications on the U.S. I-A clear channels were modified, the station moved to directional operation with 50 kW day 25 kW night on 650 kHz. The directional was to protect the absurdly located FCC monitoring station, and the 25 kW power reduction to protect Nashville. We modified it to 50 kW non-DA fulltime when the FCC changed the propagation algorithm and relaxed the protection requirement to the monitoring station. Oh, and the original call letters were KYAK (Ben Dawson, WA, April 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST 8-041) Re 8-041, MW daytimer: A daytime mediumwave station on Alaska indeed existed: I'm very curious about its schedule! Something like 2 AM to 12 PM in June/July, 11 AM to 1 PM in December / January? ?? (Kai Ludwig, Germany, April 4, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Anchorage is just 600 km south of the Arctic circle. I'm curious how this 630 kHz operation was run in mid-winter. They must have pre- sunrise and past-sunset authorizations, since running the station strictly from sunrise to sunset only (actually during the period between the sunrise and sunset times on the 15th of each month, as I understand the US "daytime" practice) would have been quite pointless, unless a substantial audience could be kept while cutting back to a short noon service for weeks every year. This also makes me think about the northernmost daytime allocation in Europe: It could be Kiel 612 kHz, available 6 AM to 7 PM if I recall correct, not defined to actual sunrise and sunset times. It was on air for the last time in January or February 2004 for a commercial station called Power Radio (which has since been revived as small FM operation around Berlin) from a 10 kW Siemens transmitter at NDR's Kronshagen site which meanwhile no longer exists. Kiel is not so high up, but already enough that around the summer solstice dusk turns into a still quite bright shine, wandering over the northern horizon eastwards and finally becoming the new day's dawn. It's even more impressive on the Sylt island, already close to a real white night (Kai Ludwig, Germany, April 5, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST 8-041) Re 8-042, Daytimer on 630: Glenn, Indeed, the 630 kHz "daytime only" operation of KYAK in Anchorage did have pretty restricted hours of operation in the winter, but it did have "pre-sunrise" authority. I no longer remember exactly when the rules were changed, but originally U.S. stations with pre-sunrise authority could operate with full daytime power from 4 AM local standard time (but 5 AM "daylight" or "summer" time) or sunrise, whichever was earlier. Then sometime in the late 1960's or early 1970's the pre-sunrise operation of most stations (but not including some on U.S. class A "clear channels") was cut back to 6 AM and 500 watts. There were also further restrictions relative to interference to foreign stations, and in the early days even U.S. fulltime stations could object, sometimes with success, to early morning operation which created "real" interference. So, indeed, when KYAK went on the air it had pretty early sign off time in the winter. Anchorage is officially at 61 13 05 x 149 54 01, and the FCC on-line program won't find SR/SS times for anything north of 60 degrees, so I can't off hand give you the time in December and January! I used to have a copy of the old license, but I'm not sure it has been retained in the firm's file size management efforts. Oh, and there was no post-sunset operation by U.S. stations in those days (Ben Dawson, WA, April 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST 8-044) ** ALASKA. Two particular Alaska receptions I had that were on opposite extremes. The good side was a presumed reception of KBBI/890 which ended up with a 2-3 day dialog back and forth with their program staff. KDXU [Utah] is pretty strong here, so KBBI was only able to barely sneak in with an ugly (yet discernible signal). I got an email verification from them based on the dialog (once we came to terms on time zone differences). KBBI is one of a handful of stations I have heard that just go against the grain of formats. They're more independent, and that gives them personality. That may not pay off commercially, but they build a fierce fan base. There is a station in northern California called K-PIG, which is a distant relative of the obsolete K-FAT. Anyone who has been in northern California since the 1970s looks back on K-FAT with respect (and a lot of head scratching). There have been several great stations here over time; probably true for many parts of the country. The bad side was a detailed reception report of KCBF/820 that was coming in armchair quality on a radio in a different room. I had a 90- minute report (which I abbreviated so they didn't have to read a book!) and even called them and made an on air request for a song. I never got a verification, and that was the LAST report I ever sent. It was one hell of a DX thrill hearing them coming in so strong, and its the ONLY time I ever heard them. I had been on the fence about QSLs before that, and they pushed me over the edge. I know what I've heard and what I haven't, and documentary evidence isn't necessary for me (amongst the piles of other documentation). (Mike Hawkins, IRCA via DXLD) ** ALASKA. ALASKA ALERT TEST REVEALS GLITCHES Radio World January 7, 2010 Anchorage, Alaska Wednesday's first-ever test of the nation's presidential alert system revealed a few flaws, KTUU-TV reports. The system was activated across the state of Alaska at 10 a.m. local time. . . http://www.rwonline.com/article/92766 (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) ** ALASKA. 6890, KNLS, Jan 12 at 1413 poor in English with a story about seeds that Jesus allegedly told. Checked a few more times during the hour, but got no better (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANGOLA. What's going on with them?! Too much oil and diamonds money spoiled on the wrong places? 4949.7, RNA-Canal "A", Mulenvos, 2233-, 10 Jan '10, Portuguese, talks, but no copy thereof as the modulation was extremely poor; 35333 (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANTARCTICA. XR9JA - GREENWICH ISLANDS, AN-010 ESTIMADOS AMIGOS DIEXISTAS, Les recuerdo que a partir del próximo domingo 10 de enero se activará la Antártica, código para el Concurso comunas Zona 12 de FEDERACHI: "120402" y "IOTA: AN 010", dos importantes QSO para estos diplomas. XR9JA - GREENWICH ISLANDS , AN-010 Activation en SSB, CW, PSK31, y Satélite AO-51 --- El Radio club de Concepción, Chile, activará la Isla Greenwich AN 010, desde el 10 al 25 de enero 2010, desde la Base Capitán Arturo Prat, de la Armada de Chile y estas son las frecuencias sugeridas de su operación: BAND SSB CW 10 28475 28024 12 24995 24894 15 21295 21024 17 18145 18074 20 14200 14024 40 7078 7004 80 3780 3504 73 y Buenos DX Amigos y Amigas, Atte, (Héctor Frías, Radioescuchas de FEDERACHI http://www.federachi.cl radioescutas yg via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. Re 10-01: questo significa che la trasmissione in Italiano non è più in onda; ADDIO a Sandro Cenci e Romano Martinelli. R.I.P. RAE !!!! (Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) Dario Monferini Dario, la información provista no parece ser "definitivamente" fuera del aire; sólo hay que esperar que los trasmisores nuevos, a pesar de la burocracia, sean puestos nuevamente al aire, creo yo según lo que leo de la información provista por GIB (Horacio A. Nigro, Montevideo, Uruguay, ibid.) E' stato acquistato un nuovo trasmettitore che dovrebbe arrivare da un momento all'altro, almeno queste sono le notizie che sono arrivate (Roberto Scaglione, Sicily, Jan 8, playdx yg via DXLD) They have obviously needed a new transmitter for many years. What kind of commitment did they have to ISWBC, running it into the ground before finally deciding to replace it? (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) Hello all, Listening to the French service of RAE Argentina tonight on my Sangean WFR-20 Internet radio. They talked about the shortwave transmitters are off air because of technical problems and that the only way to listen at this time is via internet. This was talked about in the French language service I am listening to right now at 0300 UT (Gilles Letourneau, Montreal, Canada, UT Jan 12, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARMENIA. 4810. V. of Armenia – Yerevan, in Arabic, 1/6, 1909-1930*. M talk for possible news till 1913 (mentioned Armenia); slow classic music, same M / talk till 1925; slow classic music with a chorus of white mute voices till 1928; again same M and talk mentioned Yerevan, very brief music break and chorus tunes, then sudden S/off at 1930; better heard in SSB & CW mode; moderate QSB with S9+15 of peak; mild rustle; almost good / fair (Giovanni Serra, Roma, Italy. Equipment: JRC NRD 525; Alpha Delta DX- SWL Sloper-S; RG 8 mini coaxial cable; JPS NIR 12 Noise & Interference Reducer-Dual DSP outboard audio filter; Intek PS-35 5 ampere feeder; JRC–NVA 319 external loudspeaker unit; Yaesu YH–77 STA stereo headphones; Zoom Corp. H2 handy digital recorder MP3 & WAV files; Oregon Scientific radio controlled clock; Interkart framed wall board political world map (1: 46,400,000); the DX Edge-Xantek Inc. (daylight-darkness desk world map), NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** ASIA [non]. Best wishes for the New Year. I have attached a link to RFA's New Year Greeting slideshow below. Please feel free to share it. Happy Holidays from all of us at R Free Asia! http://www.rfa.org/english/multimedia/YearEnd2009.html (A. Janitschek, RFA, DSWCI DX Window Jan 6 via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. Radio Symban, 2368.5, Jan 11, 1056, talk by man in Greek at best level ever noted. Talked right through the hour with no ID, then music and apparent ads. 'Radio Symban' ID by man at 1106. Voice of Australian Chinese, Brisbane, 1656 kHz, Jan 11, 1517, presumed the one with man talking in Chinese. Radio Brisvaani, Brisbane, 1701.05, Jan 11, 1515, talk in presumed Hindi by a woman including clear web site address as http://www.brisvaani.com (Nigel Pimblett, weekend DX session in Lamont, Alberta (with Don Moman and Mick Delmage) using Perseus SDR, beverage antennas, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. 5025, VL8K, Katherine, NT, *2130-2150, Jan 01, there was a loop announcing technical problems, a phone number in case of questions and that the regular program will resume later; the signal was unusually strong, 35333. On Jan 02, the normal program was there again (Rolf Wernli, Thalheim, Switzerland, DSWCI DX Window Jan 6 via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. 9880, Furusato no Kaze via Darwin, 1-10 1430 in Japanese with talks, folk music (Sheryl Paszkiewicz, Manitowoc WI, Grundig Sat 800 & whip, NASWA yg via DXLD) I had thought Darwin was to shut down Dec 31, but then I got word from Radio Australia that their broadcasts from Darwin would continue through Jan 31, so maybe I was wrong about the month? (Dan Ferguson, ibid.) Probably everyone gone on vacation during January, so making any change is difficult. It seems we are still hearing various other Darwin transmissions (gh, DXLD) ** AUSTRIA. Ö1 confirmed still with token English newscast relayed on SW 6155, Thu Jan 7 at 0708 after German, first item about the underpants-bomber; tightly squeezed between Cuba 6150 and CBC 6160. Presumably French followed at 0711 as per Jan sked discovered by Yimber Gaviría; however, no longer played back on the evening broadcast to NAm, just German as confirmed by Joe Hanlon, NJ, UT Jan 5 at 0039 on 7325 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. 4409.8, Radio Eco, Reyes per Lúcio Bobrowiec logs heard at 2340 on 9 January with CP music and OM DJ 4451.2, Radio Santa Ana, Santa Ana de Yacuma daily 2320 to sign off, thanks Lúcio Bobrowiec tips 5580.2, Radio San José, San José de Chiquitos, 2330, weak with music, on 25 December (Bob Wilkner, Pómpano Beach, Flórida, Jan 10, Drake R 8, Icom 746Pro DL, NRD 535D, noise reducing antenna, 60 meter band dipole, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. 5952.3, R. Pío XII, Siglo XX, 2325-2335, 07 Jan, Quechua, talks; 34422, adjacent QRM. 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. 4451.3, RADIO SANTA ANA. Santa del Yacuma. 09-01 2310- 2326. Mencionando el estado del tiempo en Santa Ana y el tipo de cambio Dolar/Boliviano"... en estas ondas de Radio Santa Ana..." presentando luego el usual pgm: El Mensajero de la Mosquitania. "...RSA..." 4796.5, RADIO LIPEZ. Uyuni. 09-01 2334-2345, Mencionando activiades de la Federeación de maestros bolivianos. Enviando saludos a oyentes en Ecuador, Perú e incluso Colombia! Baja señal. 4865, Tentativo, RADIO LOGOS. Santa Cruz, Bolivia. 10-01 0110-0220 Fuera del aire las brasilenas Rádio Alvorada y Verdes Florestas. SI una positiva ID. Programación de HCJB Alas, presntando el programa La Hora Adventista e identificaciones de esa cadena satelital. Luego de las 0200 programa Gracia con nosotros. Una lástima que no presentará programación local; es la primera oportunidad que tuve de escuchar esta emisora boliviana. 6134.8, Radio Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, 10-01 2202-2218 --- "...no importa cuán lejos estés, Radio Santa Cruz siempre te acompaña..." Anunciando el inicio de clases del programa El Maestro en casa del IRFA. Mensaje de la Administradora Boliviana de Carreteras. "...contigo está en cada momento Radio Santa Cruz, la mejor radio de esta tierra oriental..." Mencionan FM 92.3 y web en http://www.radiosantacruz.com.bo (Rafael Rodriguez R., Bogotá D.C. - COLOMBIA, en el municipio de Fomeque, Cundinamarca, distante una hora al sur oriente de Bogotá; escuchas realizadas con el Sony ICF 2010 y un pequeño dipolo de 8 metros, Jan 11, condiglist yg via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 4755, presumed R. Imaculada Conceição, Campo Grande, 0304, Jan 8. Past two nights, around this time, picking up a strong carrier with hints of whisper-quiet talk; sound Portuguese; very weak (Scott R. Barbour Jr. Intervale, N.H. USA, NRD-545, RX-350D, MLB1, 200' Beverages, 60m dipole, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. Estoy pasando unos días en familia en Chascomús. Alquilé una cabaña a 16 km del centro de la población. En plena zona rural. Entre muchas cosas interesantes capté a Radio Boa Vontade en 4860. ¿Desde dónde transmite??? (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, radioescutas yg via DXLD) Arnaldo Slaen: O que você está escutando em 4860 seria espúrio do TX de 49 metros em 6160 kHz, desde que foi reativado após 4 anos, voltando mal regulado. Atenciosamente: (Edison Bocorny Jr., Capão da Canoa RS Brasil, ibid.) You didn`t answer his question: Porto Alegre, where 6160 was listed, and 4860 is a mixing product, minus its 50 kW MW frequency 1300 = 4860 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. Rádio Aparecida OT --- Prezados amigos, Já de alguns dias tenho sentido falta da Rádio Aparecida OT 5035 kHz. Alguém sabe o que está havendo? Será que queimou alguma válvula do transmissor? Aqui onde moro, Várzea das Moças (Niterói/RJ), o melhor sinal da Rádio Aparecida é em OT, pois é intenso durante todo o dia, sem interferências de emissoras estrangeiras. Quanto às demais frequências, não consigo sintonizar em 25m. Sou ouvinte assíduo do "Encontro DX". 73 fraterno, (Fabiano Henrique, Niterói - RJ, Jan 6, radioescutas yg via DXLD) His from-name is ZYJ462, so is he connected with the 1400 kHz station, ZYJ462 Radio Rio de Janeiro, or merely honors it? (gh, DXLD) Fabiano, Percebi também a ausência da emissora nesta faixa; aqui onde moro este sinal começa a chegar mais intenso por volta das 18:00h e vai até 00:10h [locais? = UT -2] onde começa a sofrer várias interferências de emissoras internacionais. Ao longo do dia a qualidade do sinal fica divido desta forma: 05:30 às 08:40 = 5035 khz OT 60m [local time? Currently UT -2] 08:40 às 11:30 = 6135 khz OC 49m 11:30 às 16:05 = 9135 khz OC 31m (De acordo com a propagação) [sic; means 9630??] 16:05 às 18:00 = 6135 khz OC 49m 18:00 às 00:10 = 5035 khz OT 60m Já em 25m nos 11825 khz é impossível de ser sintonizada por aqui, mas é lamentável a inatividade em OT pois acompanho o Encontro DX já a 17 anos; desta forma estamos na expectativa quanto ao seu retorno. Forte 73! (Rogério Ferreira, Barão de Cocais - MG, ibid.) ** BRAZIL. Canção Nova inativa nos 60 metros? Faz alguns meses que a frequência de 4825 da emissora de Cachoeira Paulista (SP) não tem sido captada, e quando retorna, novamente "desaparece". Alguem sabe algo a respeito? Anhanguera com sinal "capenga" em 11830 --- O que aconteceu com a emissora de Goiânia nos 25 metros que tinha um dos melhores sinais e desempenho em relação às demais brasileiras? Desde outubro, vem apresentando problema no sinal e quando retorna, surge la no fundo do poço e não tem ficado no ar com a frequência de antes (Edison Bocorny Jr., Capão da Canoa RS, Jan 7, radioescutas yg via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 5970, R. Itatiaia, Belo Horizonte MG, 2323-2337, 07 Jan, lively Brazilian songs; 454333. 5990, R. Senado, Parque do Rodeador DF, 1021-1130, 08 Jan, folk music, talks, infos; 35443. I did not observe the fade out time, but must have been before 1200. [operates only in mornings, I think --- gh] 6000, R. Guaíba, Ptº Alegre RS, 2326-, 07 Jan, football match rerpot. Inter vs (?); 24421, adjacent QRM. 6060, SRDA, Curitiba PR, 2221-2235, 08 Jan, IPDA propaganda; 43442, QRM de ARGENTINA, rated likewise. 6080, R. Novas de Paz, Curitiba PR, 2332-2345, 07 Jan, R. Marumby religious propaganda program "Musical Evangélico"; 44433, adjacent & co-channel QRM. 6135, R. Aparecida, Aparecida SP, 1022-fade/out 1040, 08 Jan, religious propaganda; 24432. 6135 ditto, 2143-2202, 08 Jan, A Voz do Brasil until 2200, then religious propaganda program with talks & songs; 54433, co-channel QRM; \\ 5035 very poor, 9630, 11855. 6185, R. Nacional da Amazónia, Parque do Rodeador DF, 2238-, 08 Jan, songs; 53432, adjacent QRM; \\ 11780 fair-good. 9505, R. Record, São Paulo SP, 1949-1959, 07 Jan, advertisements, TCs, A Voz de São Paulo with infos; 35433; blocked by R. Farda. 9515, R. Novas de Paz, 1946-2010, 07 Jan, religious songs, TCs, religious propaganda at 2000; 35433; \\ 11724.9. 9550, R. Boa Vontade, Ptº Alegre RS, 2205-2220, 08 Jan, hymns, preaching; 24432, co-channel & adjacent QRM. 11895 not audible, if active at all. 9630, R. Aparecida, 2216-2229, 08 Jan, religious propaganda, songs; 44433; \\ 5035 very poor, 6135 very good, 11855 fair. 9645.3, R. Bandeirantes, São Paulo SP, 1849-1921, 08 Jan, news in "Serviço Bandeirantes", traffic infos, reports; 34433, adjacent QRM; \\ 11925.2. 9665.04, R. Marumby, Florianópolis SC, 2145-2208, 08 Jan, A Voz do Brasil till 2200 with its s/off tune abruptly cut for an announcement for R. Voz Missionária and its frequency, 5940; 34422. 9675, R. Canção Nova, Cachoeira Paulista SP, 2017-2038, 09 Jan, rosary, religious songs; distorted audio; 45444. 9694.9, R. Rio Mar, Manaus AM, 2019-2050 (s/off shortly prior to 2100), 09 Jan, Carnaval like songs & music, advertisements; distorted & muffled audio; 35433. 9819.43, R. 9 de Julho, São Paulo SP, 2211-2228, 08 Jan, sermon, musical background; 44433, not molested by CHINA 9820. 11724.9, R. Novas de Paz, 2017-.., 07 Jan, religious propaganda; 34433, adjacent QRM. 11734.94, R. Transmundial, Stª Mª RS, 1237-1320, 10 Jan, religious propaganda, ID + frequencies announcement at 1258 prior to program on mission work; 35433, worse at 1300, adjcent QRM. 11749.9, R. Marumby, 2306-2318, 09 Jan, shouting preacher; 35444; \\ 9665.04. [see below] 11780, R. Nacional da Amazónia, 1234-1319, 10 Jan, phone-ins, news at 1300; 35433, adj. QRM at 1300 & signal decrease. 11815, R. Brasil Central, Goiânia GO, 2024-2051, 09 Jan, Brazilian pops & ballads; 35444; \\ 4985. 11815 ditto, 1232-1330, 10 Jan, music, ID +frequencies announcement at 1300 prior to music program "Goiás Caboclo"; 35444, powerful audio. 11855, R. Aparecida, 2302-2319, 09 Jan, songs in religious propaganda program, 35433; \\ 5035 almost inaudible, 6135 splendid, 9630 good. 11915, R. Gaúcha, Ptº Alegre RS, 1230-1325, 10 Jan, advertisements, music, newscast at 1300 when better; 15431. 11925.2, R. Bandeirantes, 1904-1930, 08 Jan, Serviço Bandeirantes, with traffic info, reports, other infos including the health advice announcement "Saúde para todos" (health for all), advertisements; 35433; \\ 9645.3. 11925.2 ditto, 1222-2300, 10 Jan, football news; 25432, QRM at 1300. 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Many more logs of Brazilians from Carlos on lower frequencies appear unedited in the dxldyg (gh, DXLD) Fiquei surpreso com o retorno da Marumby (Voz Missonária) nos 25 metros em 11750. Quando inauguraram o canal 5940, prometeram reativar em breve os 25 metros (Edinho, Jan 10, radioescutas yg via DXLD) ** BRAZIL [and non]. [earlier:] 11749.9 or so, het with 11750.0, Jan 8 at 0648. The off-frequency one is surely Brazilian, at 0649 with Portuguese singing. PWBR `2009` shows 11749.8 for R. Voz Missionária, Florianópolis SC, which I think is correct despite LA-DX showing this only as a future plan on 11750, while also listing separately what is no doubt the same transmitter under its previous identity, but showing the frequency variation range: 11749.8v R Marumby, Florianópolis SC [2258-2319] (49.8-50.0) Mar08 B // 9665 (irr) 11750 R Voz Missionária, Florianópolis SC [FUTURE PLANS] Jul08 L (a)"Voz Missionária" // 5870v, 9665 As for 11750.0, Aoki and HFCC show three possibilities at this hour: CNR1 at 37 degrees, i.e. USward; CRIENG via Albania; and BBC Hausa via Ascension. 25m was quite open over night paths from Brazil, with signals ranging from very strong RNA 11780 to moderate 11815, 11925, to weaker carriers on 11765, 11895. Cuba was also VG on 11760, not always the case when longer skip is in. I had not noticed 11749.9v recently, but there was that het again 17 hours later at 2344 when it was definitely abutting CNR1 which starts at 2200 from Shijiazhuang 723 site (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Confirmo o log de Carlos Gonçalves desde Portugal, o retorno da Voz Missionaria nos 25 metros em 11750, desde Balneario Camboriu (SC), SINPO 35533 (Edison Bocorny jr. Capão da Canoa - RS, 1748 UT Jan 11, radioescutas yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DXLD) So you must be confirming mine too (gh) 11750, 11/Jan 1502, R. Voz Missionária, desde Camboriú. As 1503 UT ID, mas não informa a frequência de 11750 kHz. 35433, 73 (Jorge Freitas, Feira de Santana, Bahia, ibid.) ** BRAZIL [and non]. Jan 9 at 0647 noticed that RNA open carrier was on 11780 but no modulation yet. 6185 also still had XEPPM with Cuban music unimpeded. But at *0648:30, carrier and modulation from RNA cut on 6185 overriding XEPPM, and shortly after at *0645:45 modulation cut on // 11780 with a song about the madrugada in progress (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. 6660, CHU Time Signal Station, 1450-1500, Jan 9, 2nd harmonic. 2 x 3330. Fairly strong but occasional utility QRM (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) ** CANADA [and non]. 6160, where CBC`s RCI clashes with CBC Vancouver in the 14-15 hour: Jan 12 at 1416 the usual fast SAH, with RCI signal atop, except it was just barely modulated in Chinese, the relay via Kimjae, KOREA SOUTH, and could also hear CKZU in English underneath (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA [non]. CBC EXTENDS TENTACLES TO VERMONT, SORTA http://www.vpr.net/inside_vpr/press_releases/saturday_afternoon_schedule/ "VPR is the first station in the U.S. to broadcast Spark, a production of CBC Radio. Hosted by Nora Young, Spark is a weekly audio blog of smart and unexpected trendwatching. Topics include dealing with too many emails, and how the digital age has changed the way we learn and retain information. Spark looks at how technology is changing the way we learn, communicate, work, and play." ***** This is part of a remake of VPR's Saturday lineup, which took effect Jan. 9. Spark is on VPR at 1 p.m. ET [1800 UT] (Ricky Leong, AB, Jan 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. CBC RADIO 2: TRANSFORMERS --- Now that dust has settled from CBC Radio 2's controversial shift, new hosts such as Laurie Brown and Rich Terfry are smartly redefining the broadcaster's sound By T'Cha Dunlevy, Gazette Music Critic, January 9, 2010 Comments (6) MONTREAL – “Hi, I’m Laurie Brown. Welcome to The Signal.” These are a few of my favourite words. And I can hear them six nights out of seven on what just might be the best show on Canadian radio. It’s The Signal, like the lady said, on CBC Radio 2. Therein, Brown presents an array of evocative sounds, from the simply pretty to the esoteric and experimental, all with a fluidity and grace that can take you to unexpected places. Much like Radio 2 these days. The dust has settled following the station’s controversial makeover 16 months back, when it completed the transformation from an almost all-classical format to a more varied programming featuring everything from indie-rock to folk, jazz, world and pop, with a little classical thrown in for good measure. The overarching emphasis is on Canadian content. . . http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/Radio+Transformers/2420992/story.html (via Ricky Leong, AB, Jan 9, DXLD) Not everyone approves ** CANADA. RADIO ENFANT, 106.7FM --- December 21, 2009 – 4:45 am| Posted in Montreal, Radio --- This post has been corrected. A new radio station has snuck onto the airwaves in Montreal. It's calling itself "Radio Enfant" and transmitting on 106.7 FM. It's an initiative of two schools, and is operating over the holidays until the beginning of January. It's a low-power transmitter, so the signal is very weak, but I could pick it up for most of a late-night walk downtown after hearing about it on the Radio in Montreal group. Radio Enfant recently launched a station in Gatineau at 1670 AM, at a CRTC-approved 1,000 Watts of power. It decided, apparently on its own, to start something up on 106.7FM in Montreal, after learning that this frequency was vacated by Aboriginal Voices Radio, which decided to surrender its license for CKAV-FM-10 on that frequency. The only thing is that, unlike the Gatineau station, Radio Enfant hasn't been issued a CRTC license to operate a radio station in Montreal. It says it's planning to apply for one (or has already applied, but the CRTC hasn't released that application yet), but that's kind of backwards, and means the Montreal stations are technically pirates. UPDATE (Jan. 7): Sheldon Harvey, a local radio enthusiast, informs me that they have an experimental operating license from Industry Canada, which means they are operating legally. My apologies. Fortunately, Radio Enfant isn't interfering with any existing stations. Boom FM, a station in St. Hyacinthe on 106.5FM, still comes in fine (which is good, because it's an Astral Media Radio station, and Astral is a funding partner in Radio Enfant). There are no stations in the area at 106.9 - but there are in Trois Rivières, Sherbrooke and Ottawa that basically cancel each other out here. Short URL for this post: http://blog.fagstein.com/?p=7893 (via Dan Say, BC, DXLD) Plus comments ** CANADA. Se ha realizado una nueva actualización de la web de D&C, [Diexismo y Comunicación] que esta semana está dedicada por entero a la historia de la radiodifusión canadiense: http://www.dxradiomonitor.freehosting.net Esta misma historia puede ser escuchada a partir del sabado 9 de enero del 2010 en la página web del programa "Historias de Radio": http://www.historiasderadio.podomatic.com (Daniel Camporini, Villate 4534, B1605EKV Munro [ARGENTINA], Tel.: 1561573411, Jan 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA [and non]. Dear Ron, CNR-1 on 5030 kHz confirms that it does not broadcast it from morning of Jan. 8 (local time). I can confirm *2155 and 1600* on Sarawak FM via RTM-Sarawak. CNR-1 on 5030 kHz possibility QSY to 6125 kHz, I can receive CNR-1 of 2 stations on 6125 kHz. I can receive use daytime frequency on 9675 kHz of the same transmitter as 5030 kHz (S. Hasegawa, NDXC, via Ron Howard, Jan 9, DXLD) See also MALAYSIA ** CHINA. 5039.94, Fujian PBS, Fuzhou, 2300-2323*, Dec 25 and 26, Chinese/Amoy talks, 25122. Hum on transmitter which disappeared with the carrier at 2324* as scheduled! Not heard on // 4975 or 5005 (according to WRTH 2010) (Anker Petersen, Skovlunde, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Jan 6 via DXLD) ** CHINA [non]. CRI 5960, 11 JAN 2010, 2130-2200Z, SINFO 55444 (very mild QRN) with program "China Drive" on a Sony ICF-SW7600G with Dengen 31ms loop hanging in a first-floor office window facing north- northwest. Finally hearing something in the office! 73, (Don Pearce, N2EMT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Should be better in a northeast window: Via ALBANIA to Europe, 150 kW, 310 degrees, thence NAm (gh, DXLD) ** CHINA. All CNR -1 stops service on Monday at 1735-1955UT (including FM). Therefore it is 1700-2000 on Firedrake is transmitted to all Jamming in substitution for CNR-1. Frequency of nationwide CNR-1FM is announced in SW from 1730. de Hiroshi (S. Hasegawa, Japan, NDXC, Jan 6, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. Firedrake Jan 8 at 2348: good on 9000, JBA on 8400, not on 10210, 11300 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also BRAZIL 7105, 09/01 2253, Jammer chinês da CNR1 sobre a Xi Wang Zhi Sheng SOH. Ouve-se duas modulações distintas na frequência. Primeira vez que chega com um bom sinal, baixo nível de ruído e moderada propagação. 7540, 09/01 2302, Jammer chinês sobre a transmissão da R Free Asia. Sinal quase local e não se escuta ao fundo nenhuma outra modulação. 7550, 09/01 2305, Jammer chinês sobre a R Free Asia. Ouve-se a mistura das duas transmissões. Sinal fraco e sofre forte QRM do firedrake chinês em 7555 kHz. 7555, 09/01 2308, Firedrake chinês. Sinal forte, sem QRM. 8400, 09/01 2309, Firedrake chinês. Sinal moderado. Pela primeira vez ouço modulação chegando junto a música instrumental do firedrake. Em 9000 kHz sinal moderado apenas do firedrake chinês (Jorge Freitas, Feira de Santana Bahia, Brasil, radioescutas yg via DXLD) Firedrake check at 1439 Jan 12 found none on 8400, 9000, 10210, 11300 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA [non]. Re 10-01, CRI via KGBC Galveston: ``Keith previously revealed that one of his jobs while at CRI was getting the ball rolling for CRI relays via US stations (gh, DXLD)`` You`re correct, but it was for a 29 minute show. And my agreement with CRI to do this show and distribute it was that I would have editorial control over the content. For the almost 4 years I did Realtime China I would have almost daily fights with the censors. My walking out of CRI was in part due to one of these fights I had with them. I basically told them, if you want a propaganda show, get someone else to do it, and walked out. The following Monday I refused to even do it. Some 3 months later I told them what they could do and walked out and never went back. I should add this was after Li Ping left CRI for Singapore and Li Pei Chun took over the English Service. As far as I was concerned he was nothing more than a communist party brown nose ass-kisser. The show did survive a few months after I left, but then stations started dropping it (Keith Perron, Taiwan, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) So I would assume that this means the Chinese government will be more than happy to have the VOA broadcast on FM in Lhasa and Urumqi. wrh (Bill Hepburn, Ont., WTFDA-AM via DXLD) Well, if I were in the State Department, I'd send someone over to their Foreign Ministry who I never did care for to ask for such a thing (Curtis Sadowski, IL, ibid.) See also CUBA ** CHINA [and non]. TWR EQUIPS 100,000 CHINA CHURCH LEADERS [with] RADIO CHURCH KITS https://www.twr.org/campaign/word/china_radio_church_kit Monday, Jan. 11, 2010 Posted: 8:14:45PM HKT International broadcasting ministry TWR has equipped more than 100,000 house church leaders in China to date. The broadcaster has been distributing ‘Radio Church Kits’ each containing a Chinese Bible, Christian literature and a portable shortwave radio for recipients to plug in to its teaching programmes. The ongoing campaign, which began in 1994, has seen more than 101,500 kits being distributed to various networks and provinces in the country. TWR says the distribution is focused on the rural areas, which account for 57 percent of China’s population of over 1.3 billion people, and where there is acute shortage of fulltime pastors, Bible training and discipleship materials due to the dramatic growth in the number of Christians there. TWR President Lauren Libby said the project has made ‘significant’ inroads and will have an ‘innumerable’ multiplying effect. The ministry has received encouraging responses to its campaign. A beneficiary wrote: “I especially thank TWR and all the brothers and sisters who are supporting our churches. In recent years, our church has been growing very fast and the numbers of believers grew. However, some of our brothers and sisters cannot attend our meetings. With your Radio Church Kits, they can listen to your programmes at home and receive spiritual nourishment.” Nathanael Ng Source: http://sg.christianpost.com/dbase/ministries/1339/section/1.htm (Via Yimber Gaviria, Colombia, DXLD) Wow, a fifth column like this but the ChiCom ignore it and instead concentrate on jamming Sound of Hope (gh, DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. 6035, 6/1 0120, La Voz del Guaviare, really nice songs, heard again after months, poor/fair QRM from 6040 (Giampiero Bernardini, AOR AR7030, Drake R8, SDR-IQ, Yaesu FRG-7, Icom R71E, ANT T2FD, QTH: Milano, Italia, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6035 L.V. DEL GUAVIARE, San José, Colombia. 09-01 2015-2035 Reactivación luego de varios meses fuera del aire que me llevó a pensar que había cerrado su onda corta; no la escuchaba desde marzo- 09. Presentando programación musical. ID: "...desde Guaviare, La Voz del Guaviare, 1180 AM, HJFC, emisora afiliada a RCN..." "...éste es el programa número uno de la radio en el Guaviare, Fiesta RCN, RCN, Voz del Guaviare, disfrute de los grandes éxitos y las mejores orquestas, los ritmos que nos ponen a bailar y gozar, la verdadera fiesta de la radio está en RCN, Voz del Guaviare... (Rafael Rodriguez R., Bogotá D.C. - COLOMBIA, en el municipio de Fomeque, Cundinamarca, distante una hora al sur oriente de Bogotá; escuchas realizadas con el Sony ICF 2010 y un pequeño dipolo de 8 metros, Jan 11, condiglist yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. 2859.8, Radio San Carlos, Jan 10, 0059, man in Spanish over lite instrumental background music, then apparently closing announcements at 0100. Off at 0101 with carrier cut about 10 seconds later. Fair-good signal with slow fades. Didn't remember to check on Jan 11 until 0115, but no sign, so perhaps went off at 0100 again (Nigel Pimblett, weekend DX session in Lamont, Alberta (with Don Moman and Mick Delmage) using Perseus SDR, beverage antennas, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. The ADXB comprehensive schedule of Spanish SW broadcasts shows R. Rebelde, 5025 at 09-07, i.e. a two-hour break, but I thought it was 24 hours. Sometimes I am monitoring a bit past 0700, and Jan 7 it was certainly still running with music at 0707. If it were off, that would clear the frequency for VL8K from fade-in until its switch to 120m nominally at 0830 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Unmistakably it is still Cuba 5025 heard here at 0930 Jan. 8 with man/woman speech and a phone-in contribution, with musical breaks. A good signal, peaking to S8+, but slowly going down. I don't hear anything else in the background (Noel Green, NW England, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. Re 10-01: Can anyone in Florida or the Caribbean comment on [RHC 6110] signal strength at midday? How about those in locations even farther away, especially more than 1 hop away? (Jerry Lenamon, TX, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 11760 is probably consistently the worst RHC channel here in Clearwater, often threshold. All 49 mb channels are normally local level, when active, throughout the day (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida USA, 27.55.83 N, 82.46.08 W, Jan 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RHC missing from 6140, Jan 7 at 0709, while the other 49m frequencies were nominal, but most of them now QRMed: 6060 English vs Brazil; 6120 distorted Spanish vs RNW Dutch via Vatican; but 6150 Spanish in the clear. Shortly found where the 6140 transmitter probably went: 9640, VG in Spanish an echo apart from 6150, historical lecture about a European doctor in the XIX-XX centuries. At 0715, found 11760 still on in Spanish too. 9640 is officially on the RHC schedule only between 22-24 for the irregular Mesa Redonda show, so is this a mistake or an experiment? See also UNIDENTIFIED 13770. DentroCuban Jamming Command pulses still running on 5980, Jan 7 at 1437, despite R. Martí finishing with the frequency at 1300. Noise jamming, sounding just like DRM, around 7170, Jan 7 at 1438. At first figured it was part of the Ethiopian/Eritrean radio war, but then it switched to characteristic DCJC residual pulsing --- in the ham band?? I doubt the Cuban ham radio federation would dare to object. Perhaps a transmitter gone haywire, spur, or chasing some exile ham (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RHC heard on 9640 kHz on Jan 7th with identification in Spanish and a feature about the Santa Clara battle. SINPO 35543 at 0918 and good audio. Not heard the following days, maybe test or error 73s (Robert Foerster, Germany, Jan 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [and non]. Anomaly observations Jan 10: at 0628, RHC 6150 missing. 6140 in Spanish today, with bigger signal and modulation than usual, so suspected that was the ex-6150 transmitter, // 6120 with pre- revolutionary historical talk. However, at 0700 check, 6150 back on. 6060 was continuing in English after 6010 had gone off. At 1423, usual huge S9+22 signal on 13780, but modulation cutting on only at extremely distorted spikes; wiggle that patchcord! And the other equally big signal on 22m, 13680 was nothing but open carrier. // 13770 from other site and CRI relay 13740 were nominal, i.e. much weaker and somewhat undermodulated. At 1426, these two were mixing equally on leapfrog 13710 without any AIRGOS audible; but after 1500 interfering with the word of Allah from BSKSA HQS. At 1428, more problems: 15120 nothing but open carrier, 15360 OK with modulation. Next check at 1453, 13780 was back to normal modulation, but 13680 was off as often happens on Sunday due to pending Aló, Presidente requirements, whether el Hugazo is a no-show or not. See VENEZUELA [non] Residual DentroCuban Jamming Command pulses on 6030, UT Monday Jan 11 at 0616, vs detectable carrier, probably CFVP at this time. I guess it was bad for Ethiopia-seekers earlier. Also at the late hour of 1533, could still hear signs of jamming on 6030 against nothing, and stronger on 5980, both R. Martí frequencies, but RM is finished with 6030 at 1200, 5980 at 1300. Thus the DentroCubans once again demonstrate their incompetence even in jamming and total disregard for the rights of others who have nothing to do with the Cuban radio war (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Via Cumbre, Ian Cattermole in NZ reports continuous Spanish songs and no announcements on 6150 at 0640-0715+ on Jan. 12. I hear the same here at 0950, but with the RHC ID chimes now and again to ID what it really is. Frequency 6140 is in parallel. I don't hear any others on 6 or 9 MHz, but 11760 is on air mixing with BBC. I can't believe the studio staff are on strike - are they??? 6140, 6150 and 11760 are still going at 1030+. And now someone has arrived in the studio - or is this canned too? (Noel R. Green (NW England), dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Would not be surprised if they `automate` the overnight transmissions, so they would be even less reliable than when personned (gh, DXLD) ** CUBA. 5025, R. Rebelde, Bauta, 1020-fade/out 1120, 08 Jan, infos, news, music; 35433. 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Wow, how late. See also MALAYSIA 5025, No Rebelde! 2216, 9-Jan; Unfortunately, nothing else there. Strong OC only at 0529, 10-Jan. 5025, Radio Rebelde (presumed); 2131, 10-Jan; M in Spanish commentary re Guantánamo. SIO=322+ w/buzz & trill QRM. 5025, Radio Rebelde; 2318-2324+, 10-Jan; W in Spanish with Cubana music; rare ID at 2324, into Spanish commentary. SIO=4+44 with minor trill QRM (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, Drake R8B + 125 ft. bow-tie; 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see MALAYSIA ** CUBA. Re 10-01, Adán González, Venezuela, comments on Perron: First, I never said Capitalism was perfect. Revolutions save humans? Do you really think the people have been saved? All they do is blame the embargo for their own problems. The reality is the embargo is just a small, very small piece of the problem. Do you [know?] Coro? I worked with that opportunist for 3 years. He is two-faced and loves the American dollars sent to him each month from his son in the US. As I said before, if you offered Coro a US passport, he would be on the next plane to Miami and would be doing anti-communist radio programs faster than you can say Viva la Revolución! And I would say it again! (Keith Perron, Taiwan, ex-RHC, Jan 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. MEETING HELD BETWEEN CUBA OFFICIALS AND CRI My source within CRI today informed me a meeting took place January 7 and 8 at the Ministry of Communications, which included officials from the Ministry Of Culture, State Admin. of Film, Radio & Television, Ministry Of Propaganda, CRI and Cuban Government officials. The meeting was to discuss the leasing of land in Cuba to the Chinese. A few month ago I informed you about a ship that left Tinjian [you mean Tianjin?] Port that was bound for Cuba that contained a few containers of broadcast equipment. I managed to get a little bit more on the contents. 3 - 250 kW transmitters 2 - 500 kW transmitters Copies of Continental Electronics transmitters by a division of the Jiangxi Hongdu Aviation Industry Group Corporation. 5 - HRS type antennas Copies of Thalès Broadcast Multimedia that was once owned by France's Thalès Group. These were built by a division of the China Leihua Electronic Technology Company. I wish I had more for you, but at the moment I don't, so don't even bother to ask. If my source finds out more I'll pass it along (Keith Perron, ex-RHC, ex-CRI, Taiwan, Jan 10, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I guess if satellite imagery is updated regularly enough over Cuba we might have some idea as to where the equipment is installed ?? Could it possibly be an extension of an existing SW site or new site altogether? Guess we'll know within a few years (Ian Baxter, Australia, shortwavesites yg via DXLD) I guess the 21 SW curtain masts at Quivican are looking like really China mainland type fashion, at least 8 to 9 years now (Wolfgang Büschel, ibid.) ** CUBA. US SUBCONTRACTOR ARRESTED IN CUBA FOR INSTALLING SATELLITE EQUIPMENT? "Washington has long supplied Cuban dissidents with laptop computers and cell phones. But the Development Alternatives Inc. subcontractor arrested Dec. 5 in Havana worked with sophisticated telecommunications equipment. Analysts say the gear was probably designed to help Cubans talk or surf the web via satellite, circumventing the government network. Critics of U.S. policy say that makes his legal status there murky. 'The detained DAI subcontractor was not working for any intelligence service,' company president and CEO James Boomgard said in a statement Thursday. 'He was working with a peaceful, non- dissident civic group -- a religious and cultural group recognized by the Cuban government -- to improve its ability to communicate with its members across the island and overseas.' On Wednesday, the Cuban government publicly accused the contractor, whose name has not been released, of working for U.S. intelligence services. In a December speech, Cuban leader Raúl Castro referred to the man's 'sophisticated satellite communications equipment,' and added: 'the enemy is as active as ever.'" Frances Robles, Miami Herald, 8 January. Posted: 08 Jan 2010 (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) ** CUBA [and non]. Re 10-01, ARGENTINA: Glenn, On that Radio Martí on 6060 the other day, no, I am not sure? I realize that Cuba is on that frequency too, but that station interfering with Argentina sounded very much like Martí and also gave a couple of Martí mentions. I felt at the time that I was hearing an spur or harmonic of some kind? Or maybe Cuba was talking about Radio Martí? I am not a Spanish Linguist, so I sometimes miss the meaning? Anyway, I will check that out again when I have time and the temperature isn't so cold that my hands freeze on the radio dial. I'll check 6060 again. That could have been my receiver with too much gain or something? Who knows? Miami is only maybe 80 miles from me, so Martí could have been overloading my receiver? (Chuck Bolland, FL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) R. Martí does not transmit from Miami (tho most Cubans probably think so), but from Greenville NC, so distance from MIA is not really pertinent. However, the signal from NC is no doubt plenty strong when it hits S Florida from first bounce. RHC could have been talking about José Marti, their own national hero, not about the opposition station, tho of course they resent very much that the exiles have appropriated the name for the anti-Castro station. What the DentroCubans do not want to acknowledge is that the FueraCubans have just as much right to honor him from long ago, as he pre-dated the 1959 revolution. If it happens again, it should be easy to // what you hear with RHC or a known R Martí frequency. I really suspect RHC as they are pretty flexible about when they come on and off. 73, (Glenn to Chuck, via DXLD) ** CUBA [non]. 13820, R. Martí with another of its excellent apolitical cultural programs, Sunday Jan 10 at 1432, biography of modern-tango composer Astor Piazzolla with his music constantly playing in background, occasionally foreground. This frequency remained more or less atop the DentroCuban Jamming Command, unlike 15330, which is so paranoid it even has to block a program about Argentine music; I stuck with it for 25 minutes, instead of simultaneous La Cultura en Cuba from RHC with all its modulation problems, and risk of irrelevant revolutionary rhetoric. Martí show ended with final tango chords at 1457, but NO program outro, no name of show, no credits, right into H1N1 PSA. This really annoys me about R. Martí and it`s frequently the case. Also annoying was the otherwise excellent narrator butchering several foreign names, such as Nadia Boulanger, the French music guru to so many including Piazzolla, pronouncing her ``Búlanguer``. R. Martí website has a full-week program grid at http://www.martinoticias.com/rdprogramacion.aspx which automatically shows today`s date, and already starts tomorrow Jan 11 according to the headers, but what about today?! Also shows times in EDT and GMT rather than EST and UT! Wake up, OCB! As of next Sunday, anyway, this semihour must be ``Arte Latino``, and also airs Saturdays at 1430 (displaying 1330 GMT, but 9:30 am ``EDT``, so read the EDT times as EST, and ignore the GMTs which are one hour off.) Hotlink on the title http://www.martinoticias.com/programDesc.aspx?id=225 produces a javascript pop-up which is --- empty! Before starting ``Resumen Semanal``, at 1501 promo for ``Estéreo``, a somewhat misleading title for a shortwave program, airing M-F at 8 pm, with all the latest rock hits and interviews; sounds like a frenetic feast for the juveniles. Guess what --- no sign of it on the program grid supposedly dated for the week to come. Instead listed at 8 pm ``EDT`` is ``Revista Informativa – Contacto Cuba``. So any resemblance between what`s on the grid and what`s on the air is purely coincidental. But we also see ``Arte Latino`` again during that semihour on weekends (meaning UT Sun and Mon 0100-0130), and there are yet more airings listed Sat & Sun at 2130 UT, all of which must be confirmed before they can be believed. Geez, what a SNAFU operation, in its own way no better than RHC; or could it be that lack of concern for accuracy is just a Cuban cultural characteristic, Dentro- and Fuera-? (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CYPRUS [and non]. 15495-15520, OTH radar pulsing, presumed from here, Jan 8 at 1445. Bothered something weak on 15520, presumably YFR in Hindi via UAE as scheduled. It seems Kuwait is no longer using 15505, fortunately. 9100-9125, OTH radar pulsing, Jan 10 at 1409, presumed from here rather than China since it`s 25 kHz wide, atop some 2-way Spanish SSB circa 9119, and some digital utility in the middle of the range. OTH radar pulsing Jan 12 at 1440 on approx. 9132-9158, plus exactly same sound but weaker on 10150-10172, presumed from here, but I am having my doubts. The ~25 kHz bandwidth is typical of Cyprus rather than China, but propagationally could also be something Austral - Asiatic, and there are a number of other such radars (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CZECHIA. 3333.79, UNID Czech (?) Pirate, 0000-0035, Jan 01, Czech (presumed) late night show with much laughter, played "Yankee Doodle", a local song and pop music, announced e-mail address in English: rbh @ email.cz - instrumental hard rock music, slightly overmodulated; not a harmonic, 45344 (Anker Petersen, Skovlunde, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Jan 6 via DXLD) It is R Bila Hora - indeed, from Czech Rep. Station intended to start its broadcast Dec 31 at 1500 on 1233 MW, 3333 SW and 96.9 MHz; no info regarding the duration of the transmission. More info at: http://rbh.czechian.net/ (Vasiliy Kuznetsov, Moscow, Russia, via Dmitry Mezin / Signal, Kazan, Russia, Jan 2, DSWCI DX Window Jan 6 via DXLD) Their website is in the Czech language, but via Google Translator I understood that this pirate station is developed by a Czech man of about 35 years of age who always has been very technical minded. He lives near Prague. He built the first transmitter in 1991 called “Radio Clipper”. Better TESLA technologies were introduced in 2004 and he developed and tested the three transmitters which, besides tests, only were broadcasting each year on New Years evening and night! The SW transmitter used 100 watts in 2005, but may be more now. Since New Year 2006/07 is has been named “Radio Bila Hora”. At New Year 2006/07 it was heard in the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Poland, Italy, England and Sweden (Petersen, ibid.) Interesting details; this had already been identified in DXLD, and had been reported previously around this frequency inside the 90m band (gh, DXLD) Giovedì 31 dicembre 2009, 2223 - 3333 kHz, R. BILA HORA, Ceco, mx locale e IDs OMs live. Segnale sufficiente- buono; 1. Scariche temporalesche. 2. Solo il 31 dicembre (Luca Botto Fiora, G.C. 09E13 - 44N21, Rapallo (Genova), Italia, bclnews.it via DXLD) 3333, 31.12 1800, R Bila Hora med prat om tjeckisk TV. Sänder bara en gång om året och då på nyårsafton. Hade enligt QSL 200 w. DO 3334, 31.12 16, Radio Bila Hora med sedvanlig sändning på nyårsafton. Startade 1456 på 3331 kHz men efter ett antal sändningsavbrott och frekvenssprång drev man så småningom upp I frekvens för att under kvällen slutligen stanna på drygt 3334 kHz. Hördes tyvärr fortfarande vid 20-tiden. Orapporterbart musikprogram. QSA 2-4 SA 3333, 31.12 1800, R Bila Hora with talk about Czech TV. Only one broadcast a year - on New Tears Eve. According to QSL 200 W. DO (Dan Olsson, Sweden, SW Bulletin, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) 3334, 31.12 16, Radio Bila Hora with the usual transmission on New Years Eve. Started at 1456 on 3331 kHz but after several breaks and frequency hops and drift upwards they finally ended in the evening slightly above 3334 kHz. Unfortunately still heard at about 2000. The music program was impossible to report. QSA 2-4 SA (Stig Adolfsson, Sweden, ibid.) ** DJIBOUTI. 4780, 0400 to 0410 decent signal 10 January (Bob Wilkner, Pómpano Beach, Flórida, Jan 10, Drake R 8, Icom 746Pro DL, NRD 535D, noise reducing antenna, 60 meter band dipole, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. 6025, R. Amanecer, Stº Domingo, 2217-2232, 08 Jan, Castilian, hymns, rlgs. propag.; 43432, adj. QRM. 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EAST TURKISTAN. CHINA, 4500, Xinjiang PBS Mongolian Service *0000 UT. "East Is Red" IS twice, woman and man with brief announcements (probably IDs), "EIR" twice more, man in presumed Mongolian exhortation; fair level. Kazakh Service on 4330 kHz slightly weaker; Uighur Service (3990 kHz) and Chinese Service (3950 kHz) faintly audible at times through local electrical noise and ham QRM. All four channels still poking through at 0210 UT recheck (Bob Hill, MA, DXplorer and via wwdxc direct Dec. 31, Jan. 3, BC-DX Jan 8 via DXLD) ** ECUADOR. 3279.84, La Voz del Napo, Tena, Returned to air after several days silent, Thanks Scott Barbour tip, 1020 on Jan 10th. Good signal here at 1100 and 2350 (Bob Wilkner, Pómpano Beach, Flórida, Jan 10, Drake R 8, Icom 746Pro DL, NRD 535D, noise reducing antenna, 60 meter band dipole, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. Recibimos un e-mail de Allen Graham, dirigido a Jorge García presentador de nuestro espacio Radio Guía Internacional, que salía de forma mensual a través de Aventura Diexista y que dice lo siguiente: Hola Jorge. Gracias por enviarme RGI para enero. Lo tenemos listo para este fin de semana. Lamento mucho decirte que vamos a terminar la producción de Club de Amigos y Aventura Diexista con los programas del 30 de enero de 2010. Obviamente con el cierre de onda corta, ha reducido significativamente el ingreso de correspondencia para el Club de Amigos, entonces la decisión de cancelar los programas. Este significa que tu informe del 9 de enero será el último de AVDX. Sería bueno si quieres enviar una despedida que podemos usar este fin de semana también. Siento mucho tener que darte más noticias malas, Jorge. Allen (via Jorge García Rangel, noticiasdx yg via DXLD) Similar messages to other ADX contributors soon appeared on the Spanish-language DX lists, but there was an unfortunate misunderstanding. Word spread like wildfire that HCJB would not only be canceling these programs, but closing down the 6050 transmitter, the only one left on SW from Ecuador itself. I will spare us copying all that which turned out to be erroneous. Allen did say, as above ``with the closure of shortwave``, but he was referring to the previous closedown of the full SW facility at Pifo. It seemed unlikely to me that shortly after going to the trouble of setting up the new SW facility on Pichincha, they would close it down too, so I wrote directly to Allen (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) SW really closing down? Hi Allen, I have seen several reports on the Spanish DX lists about the end of Aventura DXista, and they seem to be jumping to the conclusion that the 6050 transmission just recently moved from Pifo to Pichincha is also closing down at the end of January. From what I have read, you did not say this explicitly, just referred to ``fin de la onda corta``. Could you please confirm whether or not the 6050 transmission is closing down, and thus there will really be no SW from HCJB transmitted from Ecuador at all? I thought that Aventura was airing on the 6050 schedule, and of course it gets numerous airings on WRMI, which would seem to be reason enough to continue it. And how about DX Partyline? Does the same rationale apply to closing that program? 73, (Glenn Hauser to Allen Graham, Jan 7, via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Re: SW really closing down? NO! Good morning, Glenn. Thanks for writing and asking. Amazing how things can get misconstrued. 6050 will continue from the new site on Pichincha. There are absolutely no plans to shut it down, especially since it recently moved! What I said in the note to the folks helping with different segments for Aventura Diexista is that we will end production on Club de Amigos and AVDX as of the January 30, 2010 program. With the closing of the international signals at the end of September 2009, correspondence from outside of Ecuador has dropped off considerably. Since Club de Amigos depends on listener letters for its primary content, the decision was made to bring the program to an end since it can no longer fulfill its objective. AVDX is a program that grew out of CDA, and will also be terminated at the end of this month. It's been great to have the airings from WRMI, and Jeff knows how appreciative we are for these broadcasts, but it is felt that our time can be used better elsewhere in the station. However, 6050 will continue. Thanks again for writing for clarification. DX Partyline will also continue. It's "lived on" for over three years now without broadcasts from Ecuador, thanks to the support of other stations who graciously air the program. All the best in this New Year, Glenn. 73! (Allen Graham, HCJB, Jan 8, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Subject: HCJB en onda corta --- Queridos amigos diexistas. Saludos desde la Mitad del Mundo y HCJB: La Voz de los Andes. Desafortunadamente, mi mensaje ayer acerca de los programas Club de Amigos y Aventura Diexista se ha generado confusión dentro la comunidad diexista. Les escribo hoy para aclarar el asunto y para que no haya más rumores ni mal interpretaciones de la noticia. 1. Las últimas producciones de Club de Amigos y Aventura Diexista saldrán al aire el fin de semana del 30 de enero de 2010. 2. La programación y transmisión en 6050 kHz seguirá al aire. No hay ninguna intención en cerrar esta frecuencia que recién comenzó su transmisión desde un nuevo sitio en el Mt. Pichincha, al oeste de la ciudad. He visto varios anuncios muy equivocados anunciando el cierre completo de onda corta desde Ecuador. Yo no dije nada de esto en mi correo electrónico informando de la cancelación de Club de Amigos y de Aventura Diexista. Hay suficientes golpes reales en el mundo del diexismo que no necesitamos generar rumores falsos. Hubiera sido más sabio y prudente buscar clarificación en el caso de cualquier duda en vez de enviar información falsa y errada. Aprecio su ayuda en hacer cualquier clarificación necesaria lo más pronto posible. Gracias por su apoyo de HCJB: La Voz de los Andes y del mundo del diexismo. Atte (Allen Graham, Coproductor, Aventura Diexista, HCJB: La Voz de los Andes, Quito - Ecuador, Jan 8, via Dino Bloise, dxldyg via DXLD, and via Yimber Gaviría, DXLD) ** ECUADOR [and non]. 11903 and 11937 the approximate centers of the mushy FMy spurblobs from HCJB via CVC Chile in Portuguese, Jan 8 at 2343. They do vary somewhat, previously around 11900 and 11940 or 11902 and 11938, but that`s no excuse. BTW, Allen Graham tells me HCJB`s Spanish mailbag show Club de Oyentes, and consequently the sub-program within it, Aventura Diexista, are being cancelled after January, due to declining audiences. CDO is only on the 6050 Pichincha transmitter, which is NOT being closed down as some rumors had it, while ADX gets plenty of play via WRMI. DX Partyline will continue to be produced, also aired via WRMI, HCJB Australia, et al. (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR [and non]. RADIO STATION HCJB PROGRAM CO-HOST HELEN HOWARD DIES AT 89 --- Source: HCJB Global, Jan. 8, 2010 A missionary teacher and broadcaster whose work with HCJB Global spanned more than four decades, Helen Howard, died Sunday, Jan. 3, 2010, at Go Ye Village in Tahlequah, Okla. She was 89. Born into a Baptist minister’s family in Pontiac, Mich., on March 29, 1920, Helen was raised in the Midwest. Missionaries, including HCJB Global co-founder Clarence Jones, were often in her parents’ home. She went on to obtain a bachelor’s degree in Christian education from Wheaton College in Illinois in 1942. While there she met Clayton Howard whom she later agreed to marry. In 1942 she sailed to Ecuador to serve with Radio Station HCJB in Quito, joining Clayton who had arrived in the South American country about a year earlier. Her voyage required travel in blackout conditions due to a threat of enemy attack on the Chilean ship during World War II. A year earlier, the Howards’ long-distance courtship had culminated in an on-air engagement announcement on the live program, “The Back Home Hour.” Helen and Clayton’s Sept. 12, 1942, wedding was also broadcast live on the international shortwave radio station. “They were probably the first couple to be married over shortwave radio so the folks back home could hear it,” said Chuck Howard, their son who serves with HCJB Global in Ecuador. Helen’s minister father in the U.S., along with Rev. Evan Welsh, pastor of Clayton’s home church, had sent a recording of the complete service to Ecuador with Helen, only leaving gaps for “I do” from both Helen and Clayton. During the next 42 years in Ecuador, Helen’s passion was in child evangelism. She began holding child evangelism classes in her backyard, and as others joined in these efforts led to the founding of Iñaquito Evangelical Church in Quito where she was a deaconess and teacher. She also did home visitation and counseled for the church’s Women’s Society. “I would often come home from school to find her in the front living room, leading someone to the Lord,” said Chuck. “She won many people to the Lord.” Helen assisted Clayton as host of the ever-popular shortwave radio listeners’ program, “DX Partyline,” as well as answering English- language letters from listeners worldwide. And she was involved in Andes DXers International, or ANDEX, a shortwave listeners’ club sponsored by Radio Station HCJB. She also did secretarial work, helped in the record library and taught kindergarten. “We remember Helen as our neighbor in Quito for many years and the beloved teacher of the mission’s Humpty Dumpty Nursery School,” said HCJB Global’s Doug Peters, now retired in Florida. “My heart has always been with children’s work,” Helen said in an interview in 1988. “We enjoyed going into the country and holding classes with children. Adults would also attend.” The Howards retired and left Ecuador in 1984, living for about a decade in Florida before moving to Oklahoma. In addition to her husband, Clayton, Helen is survived by three children—all involved in Christian work—as well as 11 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren. Her children include Leland, a pastor in Lamar, Mo.; Ruth Anne Leaf, who retired as a missionary to Japan; and Chuck, a missionary schoolteacher in Quito. Helen’s testimony and life continue to speak of her Savior. In Ecuador, Chuck received word of his mother’s death 15 minutes before teaching his youth Sunday school class. His lesson preparation had been on the death of an Old Testament character, Abraham. “I taught the class and just shared from my heart,” Chuck said. “Boy, those young people listened!” A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8, in the chapel of Go Ye Village. Memorial gifts in honor of Helen Howard may be designated either for HCJB Global or Go Ye Village. Memorial gifts may be sent to Clayton Howard in care of Go Ye Village (via Ralph Kurtenbach, HCJB Ecuador, Jan 11, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) We already heard about this on the current DX Partyline, airing on WRMI, including a tribute to her, some old recordings (gh, DXLD) GH: I was saddened to hear of the passing of Helen Howard, the co-host of the popular "DX Partyline" which started in 1961, before I got started in the SW Hobby. I have many memories of those classic programs. Helen was a very nice person, listening to her for many years along with Clayton. My Condolences to the Howard family on hearing of this loss. Thanks for sharing this with the group. Take Care! 73's, (Noble West, Tenn., dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Following includes somewhat fuzzy portraits, and even a YouTube of part of their final DXPL from 1984, audio only SW off-air recording: http://blogs.rnw.nl/medianetwork/hcjb-programme-co-host-helen-howard-dies-at-89 (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** EGYPT. Re 10-01: Kak De la Sergei, yes, right you are, almost like two years ago they signed a contract with the BBC World Service to broadcast one hour live (10:00-11:00 Local time) on the frequencies of the European local service all over Egypt. But --- as that deal was signed with the ex manager of Radio Cairo - she was just changed by media minister - I wonder if this deal will stay alive as the program news hour which is rebroadcast, sometimes criticize the Egyptian regime, which is not accepted by the Egyptian Government. And that's one of the main reasons that they are not letting BBC Arabic to go on FM band in Egypt, just like most of the Arabic countries right now. Anyway I hope some changes will take place in the future. All the best (Tarek Zeidan, Aalborg, Denmark, Jan 8, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EGYPT. 6270, Radio Cairo in English at 2201 UT with the Mailbag Show asking for suggestions on how to improve their transmissions. "Modulation" would be a start!!! The program "This Week in History" was good to start but the usual modulation issues continued throughout. Very Good [strength, that is] (Mick Delmage, AB Jan 10/10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. 5005, RNGE/"R. Bata", Bata, 1740-1807, 089 [sic] Jan, Vernacular, African pops; 45433, weakish audio, but not all the time. 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6250, Radio Nacional, Malabo, 0530-0600+, Jan 9, Spanish talk. Afro- pop music. Spanish pop ballads. IDs as “Radio Nacional” and “Radio Malabo”. Fair (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) RNGE making another sporadic appearance on 6250.0 (right on, compared to Vatican 7250.0), good S9+12 signal Jan 9 at 0625 with Spanish news mentioning Bata and Malabo, 0626 a timecheck for 7:21 so that explains why news often starts well past hourtop. Frequent stingers, fútbol news; 0627 ute beeps begin to QRM on lo side. 0648 still audible but weakening, as the equatorial sun rises almost vertically building up D-layer absorption. The accent sounded Castilian to me, to be expected but I wonder if native speakers could detect some ex-colonial accent pegging it on EqG? 6250, no sign of a signal from RNGE at 0627 Jan 10, while it was quite good 24 hours earlier. Later sign on, Sundays, or just another irregularity. 6250, RNGE again audible with Spanish news, frequent liners at 0618 Jan 11, altho missing 24 hours earlier, and not missing 48 hours earlier. 5005, Jan 12 at 0622 with weak talk, music, drumming, must be RNGE Bata, seldom heard and suspect not always on air in mornings. Then checked Malabo on 6250 at 0628 talking about human rights, enumerated lots of things that would be fixed for all citizens by the year 2020; 0629 ID as R. Malabo. 0630 into music; tried to determine if // 5005, but could not be sure due to much weaker signal there (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ERITREA. 5060.00, 0410-0450 fade out 07.01, R Bana, Asmara (ex 5100) Vernaculars, Horn of Africa songs, 0430 talks maybe news and more songs, 35333, but at times QRM from a voice utility station (Anker Petersen, on the AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, Denmark, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) ** ERITREA. 7164.8, Voice of the Broad Masses (presumed), Asmara, /1620-1625*, 10 Jan, Vernacular, talks, jammed 1621-s/off; 24432. If this was ERI, then ETH doesn't seem to bother jamming her own broadcasts. 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) I think the slant before 1620 indicates it came on air at odd time, which we normally indicate by another * --- its position before or after a time indicating whether it`s sign-on or sign-off. 7165 with HOA music, Jan 12 at 1437 but soon overridden by North American SSB hams, apparently a net tho none listed here in the final edition of Nets to You from April 1, 2007. At 1438, VOBME signal, probably long-path, faded up a bit, providing a BFO for hams with suitably weak signals (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ERITREA [non]. 9605, 9/1 1734-1758*, Voice of Assena, Clandestine to Eritrea, native language, talks, Horn Africa songs, music, fair to good because fading. Assenna seem to be the right name, see: http://www.assenna.com/ End of program at 1758 (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italia, RX: SDR-IQ, Yaesu FRG-7, Drake R8, AOR AR7030; ANT: T2FD, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Site? Aoki shows Samara, RUSSIA, 05015E 5317N, from TDP B09 schedule: 9605 Voice of Asena 1730-1800 .2.4... Tigrinya 250 188 Samara RUS 9605 Voice of Asena 1730-1800 .....6. Arabic 250 188 Samara RUS 9605 Radio Bilal 1730-1800 1...... Amharic 250 188 Samara RUS (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA. 6890, 05/Jan 2044, ETIOPIA, R Fana, em oromo, desde Addis Ababa área. Pop mx africana. As 2048 UT OM fala e nova sequência musical. As 2056 UT curta fala. As 2058 UT OM com as considerações finais da transmissão. As 2100 fim da transmissão. Sinal fraco. (Jorge Freitas, Feira de Santana Bahia, Brasil, Degen 1103, Dipole antenna, 19 meters - east/west - Balun 4:1, Skype: jorge.freitas.fsa Escutas (listening): http://www.ipernity.com/doc/75006 dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA. 7110, some broadcast talk weakly at 1437 Jan 12, presumably R. Ethiopia via long-path as was also getting 7165 at the time (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 7165, R. Ethiopia-External. Service, Geja Jawe, 1615-1620, 10 Jan, English, HoA songs; suddenly almost blocked by a jammer (ETH?) at 1621 and until approx 1625, then in the clear again; \\ 9561.1; 35432. There was a tone (on 7164.8) signal immediately prior to 1620, then talks - Eritrea? -, and one minute afterwards the jamming started; this second broadcast was gone before 1630. Check ERITREA. 9561.1 ditto, 1611-1628, 10 Jan, English, HoA music & songs, talks, fq announcement at 1625; 32431, adj. QRM. \\ 7165. 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA. 9704.18v, 9/1 1814. Radio Ethiopia, talks, fair, modulation a little low (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italia, RX: SDR-IQ, Yaesu FRG-7, Drake R8, AOR AR7030; ANT: T2FD, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA. Welcome to the January 2010 edition of “Signals Unlimited”. Fortunately, it’s the time of the year that I can take a break from lessons, lecturing and marking and focus on writing a column for “The Messenger”. I hope that everyone had a good Christmas and a Happy New Year. During my summer (still 7 months away!) break, I’ll be continuing my world travels with a trip out to Ethiopia and this marks my first excursion to Africa. Ethiopia is a relative hotbed of shortwave activity both in terms of transmissions that it makes and other groups which broadcast to Ethiopia. Ethiopia is one of the few countries in East Africa/Horn of Africa which I have never been able to hear. I always hope to be able tour/visit one of the shortwave stations in whichever country I am visiting and this time will not be another exception. Ethiopia is a landlocked country in Eastern Africa and is surrounded by Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia and Kenya. Map courtesy of http://www.ezilon.com/maps/africa/ethiopia-maps.html Ethiopia was one of the few areas of Africa which was never successfully colonized; however, the Italians did manage to occupy the country from 1936 to 1941. The Italians were driven out of Ethiopia by the British Army and the Emperor of the time, Haile Selassie, placed back on his throne. Ethiopia remained pro-west until 1974 when a Marxist revolution took place and Haile Selassie was disposed. The Marxists remained in power until 1991 when the junta was overthrown in a popular revolution. Two years later in 1993, Eritrea declared independence and this would lead to a full-out border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea in the late 1990’s. A truce has been in place for several years but the there still are ongoing disputes between the two countries over the border. The country has a population of nearly 86 million and the capital is Addis Ababa. The country is very poor and the economy is essentially based in agriculture. When most people hear of Ethiopia they think of famines and droughts. Food shortage is certainly an issue and has been for many years. Internet is by no means a prevalent medium in this country and radio is still very popular. There are quite a number of broadcasts to-and- from Ethiopia. The state-owned radio enterprise is the Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency, ERTA; http://www.erta.gov.et/ and is responsible for the regional, national and external radio and television services. Of course, I was unable to find and information concerning a shortwave schedule on the website and sent a comment that such information should be included (if you visit the website please you can make comments by clicking on the “Feedback” tab). One of the churches at Lalibela in the Gonder regiom. Photo courtesy of http://www.wayfaring.info/2009/06/10/lalibela-church/ The external shortwave station is known as Radio Ethiopia. Based upon the EiBi B09 schedule and Glenn Hauser’s “DX Listening Digest” (9-087, December 29, 2009), the frequencies of 5990 kHz (Geja Dera, Geja Jewe), 7110 kHz (Geja Dera) and 7165 kHz (Geja Jewe) are used by Radio Ethiopia. Radio Fana was founded by the current ruling party in 1994 and broadcasts in Amharic http://radiofana.com/ The website, at the very bottom of the start page, claims to use 6110 kHz and 7210 kHz. The use of 6110 kHz has been verified but it appears that 7210 kHz has been replaced by the use of 6890 kHz; the transmitters operate with 100 kW of power. Radio Fana operates a national commercial radio station. I had no luck in finding the location of transmitters for this station. Examples of stelae at Axum (Tigray region), Ethiopia. Photo courtesy of http://www.sacred-destinations.com/ethiopia/axum-stelae Another shortwave station in Ethiopia is Radio Oromiya which broadcasts on 6030 kHz. This may be a tough catch for DXers in the west as they have to contend with CFVP in Calgary. Adama City (also known as Nazret) is located about 100 kilometres southeast from Addis Ababa. This station, in all likelihood, uses the same transmitters as Radio Ethiopia but is a separate station. Oromia is the largest state in Ethiopia and occupies one-third of the country. Not too surprisingly, the station operates exclusively in the Oromo language and acts as a regional broadcaster for the state. The Tigray regional state government operates its own shortwave services. Tigray is in the northernmost part of Ethiopia and is home to the Tigray people. The station operating from this region is known as the Voice of the Tigray Revolution. Prior to 1991 this station operated as a clandestine. Currently this station is licensed and operates from the city of Mekele and operates on 5950 kHz and 5980 kHz in the Tigrinya language. I had trouble with this website with regards to display of fonts used in the webpage in spite of setting up Firefox to be able to display several of the Ethiopian languages but here is the website: http://www.dimtsiwoyane.com/ Their transmitters are located near Addis Ababa but they still maintain two 10 kW transmitters near Mekele. Photo of a priest climbing to the Debre Damo monastery in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. Photo courtesy of http://www.traveladventures.org/continents/africa/debre-damo-monastery.shtml And, finally, there is Amhara State Radio which also acts as a regional broadcaster. The station is believed to use the transmitters of Radio Ethiopia. The studios are located in Bahir Dar (south of Lake Tana) in Amhara State and they use a frequency of 6090 kHz. With Anguilla silent on 6090 kHz (at least of Dec. 15, 2009) this might be a good time to try for this station. I always hit the printed travel guides and websites looking for tidbits of interesting and useful information. The latest Bradt travel guide (edition 5) on page 86 makes the recommendation that travellers should carry a shortwave radio with them. A recommendation which I heartily endorse! My trusty Sony 7600GR will be making the trip with me and I hope to be able to do a little listening after a hard day’s worthy of touring around the various cities and countryside of Ethiopia. Tis Issat (Blue Nile) Falls located south of Lake Tana. Photo courtesy of http://omurtlak1.bloguez.com/omurtlak1/636539?googleimage This issue dealt with most of the legitimate shortwave stations broadcasting from Ethiopia and I hope to be able to verify most of the information presented here. However, the number of clandestine transmissions to Ethiopia is quite impressive and will be a topic for another day (Dr. John Barnard, Edmonton, AB CANADA T6J 4M6, Signals Unlimited, Jan CIDX Messenger via DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. via Samara, Russia, 7530, Ginbot 7 Radio, *1701- 1730*, Jan 9, Presumed. Abrupt sign on with talk in listed Amharic. Some Horn of Africa music. Fair signal. // 9610 - very weak under a strong Radio Canada Int. Tues, Thur, Sat only (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) ** EUROPE. Pirates --- 6220, Mystery R, I, 1212-, 10 Jan, English, pops, IDs for both Mystery R & Playback Int'l, but the latter was not audible on 6870; 35433. 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EUROPE. 6953, 9/1 1530-1610*, Jan van Gent Radio, Pirate, non stop folks songs, Northern & Balkanic style, later serious religious style, off at 1610, fair to good with strong slow fading. This is the radio without ID! Thanks to Doctor Tim who helped me (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italia, RX: SDR-IQ, Yaesu FRG-7, Drake R8, AOR AR7030; ANT: T2FD, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EUROPE. -PIRATE. 7610.05, Radio Amica, 0135-0200, Jan 9, lite pop music. IDs. Italian announcements. Poor in noisy conditions but occasional peaks up to a fair level (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) ** FAROE ISLANDS. Faroese Radio --- In this Arctic weather we're having, it felt right listening to Utvarp Foroya Radio from the Faroe Islands last night. Later in the evening, it was playing an incredibly mixed and eclectic selection of local, British, European and American pop music spanning many decades. I made a comment on this on my Twitter page last night (@soulfulscotsman) and woke up this morning to find a reply from @FaroePodcast, who told me they had just completed a podcast about radio from the Faroe Islands. The link to stream or download the podcast is http://faroepodcast.blogspot.com/2010/01/podcast-35-radio-radio.html It appears to have been produced for or by RAS2. They also commended the G! Festival, which takes place in July on the Islands. Details at http://www.gfestival.fo/ Enjoy the rest of your weekend, (Stephen Howie, (London NW9, UK - BDXC-UK No. 1458), Jan 10, 24/7 Soul, Jazz Funk and Soulful House http://www.soulcentralradio.com BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) ** FRANCE. 15300, checking for TURKEY [q.v.], at 1422 Jan 7 colliding with RFI playing music, and just after Turkey went off, ``RFI Musique`` ID --- a sign that another strike is in progress as threatened, over massive layoffs. So expect much more musique on all RFI transmissions which remain on the air. Despite threats of another strike at RFI, ops seem normal, e.g. 15300, Jan 9 at 1513 talk instead of Musique fill, 1524 phone interview with someone in San Francisco about latest tech news concerning mobile phones. At Media Network there have been no follow-ups to this Jan 6 story: http://blogs.rnw.nl/medianetwork/rfi-unions-call-indefinite-strike-from-7-january But Mike Cooper sent us this Jan 7: ``AFP reports today that the indefinite strike at RFI has been postponed for 24 hours, after only 2 percent of employees participated. RFI said 97 percent of its programs would air despite the strike`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Radio France Internationale: They want to get rid of 201 employees and offered a pay-off. Not just 201 but even 270 staff members indicated their interest in this offer, bringing the discussions about lay-offs to a sudden end. Now the union officials no longer demand RFI to keep all staff but instead demand that all 270 interested employees can get the pay-off package. At this point machine translations reach the limit of their capabilities, but it seems that even unionists consider this move as just ridiculous. If somebody is interested: The last German broadcast is, amongst other material, still available for download at http://www.rfi.fr/actude/pages/001/page_12.asp And two photos of the crowded studio 136 during this swan song: http://www.bnnnews.it/inter226.asp (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 12, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) "Susan Owensby takes over Club 9516 from David Page on Sunday 3 January 2009 [sic, probably means 2010]. Facebook follower Aspak A Chaudhury is sorry to see David go, as are we all. But cheer up Aspak! Susan has ambitious plans for the programme and would like listeners' feedback on English.service @ rfi.fr RFI, 5 January 2010. Posted: 06 Jan 2010 (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) RFI ADDS TWO ENGLISH BROADCASTS TO ITS LIVE STREAM Radio France International (RFI) in English has expanded its live stream to include its evening broadcasts to Africa at 1600 and at 1700 UT. All broadcasts are also available after the show on demand. This means that seven of the eight RFI English broadcasts - at 0400, 0500, 0600, 0700, 1400. 1600 and 1700 UT - are available live. Only the 1200 programme is not yet on the live stream. You can listen to the live stream by clicking on “Live” on the left-hand side of any page on the RFI website. (Source: RFI) http://www.rfi.fr/actuen/articles/121/article_6435.asp (January 10th, 2010 - 12:25 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DXLD) English broadcasts at 14 and 17, have not been on SW for some time, but are still on the menu as on-demand altho nothing plays; is this outdated? Above page also says: ``A strike called to protest at alleged discrimination in RFI's redundancy scheme and other aspects of management's reform of the station started on Thursday 7 December with little disruption to broadcasts reported.`` Surely referring to 7 January 2010 (gh, ibid.) ** GABON. Do you have any info on the Kilimandjaro music program that I used to be able to hear on Africa1? It should be on 15475 at 17 UT or thereabouts. I listen to WOR every week, and I hope you can tell your listeners how to hear this interesting program (Kent D. Murphy, New Martinsville WV, Dec 28, by P-mail retyped by gh for WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) As long as they keep it on the schedule at that hour, we can only await the eventual promised resuscitation of the 15475/17630 transmitter, or hope to pull it in on 9580, which is heard better at other times (gh, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DXLD) 9580 Africa #1; 2032-2043+, 9-Jan; M&W in FF w/great variety of Afro music; including a Gabonese rap?; IDs as ANU & Radio ANU--1st time I've heard "Radio" added. SIO=554 w/S20 peaks (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 125 ft. bow-tie; 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GAMBIA. 648, GRTS, Bonto, 2011-2011, 07 Jan, Vernacular, talks; 54433, QRM de ESPAÑA. Very powerful audio as usual. 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY [non]. LARRY WAYNE LOCATED IN SWEDEN! Christian, I saw in an old Glenn Hauser DX Listening Digest (8-082 from July 18, 2008) that you were wondering what happened to Larry Wayne of the Deutsche Welle. I have thought about him over the years, too, as he was one of my inspirations for becoming a radio announcer, I job I held for nearly 10 years. It has been 15 years since I've been behind a mic professionally, though, as I've been working in information technology for some time. As a young SWL and budding ham, I listened to Larry often. My radio club, the Chicago Area DX Club, had him as a guest speaker at a meeting in the Fall of 1986. Read about it in this link: http://home.earthlink.net/~dxchicago/CADX_meetings.htm I was away at college, and I called into the meeting long-distance. Anyhow, in looking for Larry I came across your posting in the DXLD, so I thought I'd pass along what I learned: I learned from a fellow former-CADX member, Austin Kelly, that Larry has a jazz show in Sweden where he now lives. You can learn more from this link: http://www.larryjazz.com/ Thanks to Austin for tracking that down. I also tracked down a link to Larry's book: "Radio Man" by Lawrence Wolfberg: http://www.lulu.com/content/hardcover-book/radio-man/3089856 And then I found an e-mail address for Larry, wrote him and he replied to me this evening: *** Please do not reproduce the e-mail I included above as it was written to me personally and Larry's permission to reprint it should not be inferred. *** I hope you enjoy this information and learning about what Larry is doing these days. 73 DE (Rob Sobkoviak, K9NYO, Jan 9, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) So his jazz program is Mondays at 20-22 UT. Link to the 103.9 FM station with live streaming: http://www.radioactive.se/ (gh, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DXLD) Rob: Wow! Wow! Absolutely fantastic! I'm glad you copied Glenn in on the communication too. I hope he can reproduce the non private part of this communication for other Larry Wayne or Random Selection fans. It`s amazing to learn how Larry had an influence on you. And great to learn that he still works on the air - even if it`s in Sweden. I used to listen to his show on Sunday nights and very much enjoyed the tongue and check [sic] look at Germany. I was thrilled when he read a few of my letters over the air (remember when we used to actually send letters and not email...LOL).. I really miss the shows on shortwave like his. Seems like the world seemed much larger than it does now - doesn't leave much for the imagination when you can click a button today and "see and hear it all live". Sitting next to the shortwave and really listening made it all so interesting. Perhaps the elements of the cold war did too. I recognize that Europe cut costs by ending transmissions to North America but I think they were a great way to hear news and European culture shows. Oh well, things change. In any case thanks so much for sharing the update about Larry. I`ll check out the links when I get home. 73s de (KA1TEF, Christian Tyrrell, ibid.) Thank you for this; also glad to know Larry Wayne is alive and well. I as well miss him and his program Germany today with Jezzy, the cat what am (Ron Trotto, IL, WDX-4KWI, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) By now I am afraid that Jezzy will not be. Its human must be in his 80s now, and his voice has certainly aged. I listened to most of the Jan 11 show, which started at 2003. He does it in English, but commercials are in Swedish. This week the topic was old jazz songs with `black` in the title (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) CADXers meet Larry Wayne of Deutsche Welle – Leona’s Pizza, Chicago, IL – Fall, 1986 http://home.earthlink.net/~dxchicago/CADX_meetings.htm The great GTG of fall ’86 met with mixed success. Turnout by the membership was spectacular, with Sheryl Paszkiewicz coming all the way from Manitowoc, and Rob Sobkoviak checking in by phone from Des Moines. The pizza from Leona’s was great, and the staff very helpful. The only problem was the guest of honor! First Larry was coming late, then he wasn’t coming, then he was. He actually arrived about desert time. When he did finally show (trouble with delayed flight to O’Hare) we had only a short time to talk. He did tell CADX that he grew up on the near-north side, worked for WBEZ about 25 years ago, and bounced all around the Gulf from one radio station to another before being offered a job in Bonn. He hated it and came back to the US, but was soon asked to come back to Cologne and work for Deutsche Welle. It seems that foreign-language services at DW are generally under budgeted, the English language department particularly so, and the North American Service is the step child of the whole station. However, they still manage to present quality programming by hijacking news and stories from other services. Apparently, the North American Service was briefly eliminated, and English in general is occasionally threatened by budget cutters, but so far that threat hasn’t gone very far. A week after the GTG I met Larry again to cut an interview about CADX. The original plan was to air it on October 18, but a letter I just got says it was aired on the 8th. Did anyone hear it? (Austin Kelly, DX Chicago – October 1986 via DXLD) ** GERMANY [non]. NETHERLANDS ANTILLES: Deutsche Welle relay is now on 9785, ex-9885 kHz, heard around 0910 with the German service on January 8th (Robert Foerster, Germany, Jan 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Re: NETH ANTILLES [Bonaire] Frequency change of Deutsche Welle in German from Jan 1: 0800-1000 NF 9785 BON 250 kW 230 deg to AUS/NZ, ex 9885* *to avoid Voice of Islamic Republic of Iran in Arabic from 0830 UT. (R BULGARIA DX MIX News, Ivo Ivanov, via wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Jan 4) [* rather interference by CNR CRI Beijing in Mandarin on adjacent 9880 kHz at 0800-0900 UT, according of mail from downunder New Zealand. And 9785 channel suffer by severe interference of DRM mode REE Noblejas, and CNR Xining-CHN next door 9780 kHz too. wb, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Jan 4] 9785 -- The reason DW changed from 9885 to 9785 kHz is that 9885 kHz was suffering severe interference from China National Radio on 9880 kHz in the period 0800-0900 UT. At times DW could not be heard. It was not providing stable and good reception in some of the primary reception zones, that's why it was changed. Unfortunately the move to 9785 kHz appears not to be a good one as the DRM transmission of REE Spain on 9780 kHz is causing QRM from 0800 UT, at least in New Zealand, which is the antipodes of Spain. Every transmission from REE ends up here. We used to get good reception during the Cold War of RFE and Radio Liberty from Spain and Portugal for that reason. The DRM transmission is scheduled to end at 0900 UT, but yesterday (2 Jan) it had finished before 0900 UT, I'm not sure exactly when. The move from 9885 kHz to 9785 kHz was initiated by DW Frequency Management, not RNW who operate on the frequencies specified by their client. So that's the background to the DW move! (Gordon Brown, NZ, NWDXC Jan 3, via BC-DX Jan 8 via DXLD) ** GREECE. The Greeks still on limited two transmitters only, on 9420 and 15630, carried same Greek program no Radio Filia relay today (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, Jan 8, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) VOG, Jan 10 at 0626, good on 7475 with Greek Orthodox chanting, // weaker 9420, so two transmitters are running, but is there a third? From a land where there is no separation of church and state, Sunday morning services taking up 2+ hours of public airtime. Fortunately, the rest of us can just enjoy this for the music without the baggage of belief, thank you very much to the broke Greek taxpayers (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) GREEK BAILOUT? Hello all: I do not seem to be getting any replies from the Voice of Greece on the status of the Avlis 3 transmitter on 9420 kHz. I am wondering if there is more to the problem than the transmitter breaking down. Perhaps they have shut it down to save electricity and even furloughed or eliminated positions at ERA 5 to save money. This letter that we received recently gives an insight as to what is going on with the people; my scenario would be that they are making cuts in the positions in the government, and Greek Radio is state-operated and funded. This is excerpted from the letter of December 7 that we received from Cousin Anna Petridou, who has apartments a block from the water at Thessaloniki, Greece. She was born in Washington, DC, graduated from high school there, and returned later with here parents to live in Greece: "We have gotten into the Christmas season. The store windows have put on their Christmas ornaments, trying to lure the people to shop, but due to lack of means, they just window shop. Greece is in debt on account of bad managements done by the alternating previous governments for the past thirty years. Greece is a step before bankruptcy. We owe a lot of money from borrowing. Billions of Euros! The European Commission is ordering us to cut down on expenses. Our government now is imposing on us a lot of taxes. Taxes on buildings, automobile cars, country houses, cigarettes, liquors, gas, food, clothing, electricity, and so on. Wages have been frozen for the last two years. Prices are going up, and the people are in despair. They are hoping that with the 13th wage they will be getting for Christmas, they will be able to mend some of the openings they have. I, myself, am lucky I have my own income." Click the below link and open hyperlink to read: http://snardfarker.ning.com/profiles/blogs/euro-brinkmanship-escalates-as (via John Babbis, MD, Jan 9, DXLD) NO TO LAYOFFS IN GREECE . . .Participating in the strike were also employees of the Greek state television and radio ERT, who will also be affected by new changes. Currently the total number of workers in the state media is about 6000 people, 1300 of whom are with civil contracts and with the advent of the New Year there is a real danger they will be unemployed. "We need to make changes, because the system is really not working. Our position is that if should be layoffs they need to be done based on objective indicators like work efficiency rather than political party affiliations and acquaintances," said an employee of ERT operating in conjunction with the methods of appointment in the administration. According to long term television workers during the management of New Democracy in the past five years, many people were appointed to permanent posts (with unreasonably high salaries) without meeting the necessary criteria and without actually having ever worked in the media. As a result, the budget of ERT has reached "fantastic" sizes, without increasing the quality of the aired programs. "We want structural changes that will objectively assess the team of ERT and will screen out employees who deserve employment contracts and security for the future," said an employee of ERT2, who has ten years of service in the TV and according to who the media can operate much more effectively with fewer staff if the management takes the right decisions to reform the administration. . . http://www.grreporter.info/en/no_layoffs/1677 (18 Dec 2009 via John Babbis, Jan 9, 2010, DXLD) ** GREECE. VOG B-09 PROGRAM SCHEDULE Glenn: Looks as though they do not break at 1000-1100 to maintain transmitters on Sun, Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat; only on Tuesday 0800- 1200 UT. Maybe there are layoffs, etc. Only one Greek in Style Now. John Babbis GREECE: VOICE OF GREECE B-09 PROGRAM SCHEDULE (Effective January 11 to March 28, 2010) --Greek unless otherwise specified-- UTC SUNDAY PROGRAM 0000-0005 News In Greek 0005-0010 Ecological Pages 0010-0100 History Of A Week 0100-0130 The Songs Of Company 0130-0200 The Third Bell 0200-0230 Money And Investments Of Saturday 0230-0300 The Songs Of Today 0300-0400 Persons Of The Week 0400-1000 Connection With NET 105.8 1000-1100 Connection With Second Program 1100-1105 News In Greek 1105-1200 True Word 1200-1300 Connection With NET 105.8 (Radio-Newspaper) 1300-1330 Greek Flavors 1330-1345 In Ilines, In Bilines 1345-1400 I Know Sea Songs 1400-1405 News In Greek 1405-1500 Greek In Style (In English) ***** 1500-2400 Connection With ERASPOR UTC MONDAY PROGRAM 0000-0005 News In Greek 0005-0105 Night Excursions 0105-0205 The Songs Of Company 0205-0235 Greek Flavors 0235-0250 In Ilines, In Bilines 0250-0300 From Where And Why 0300-0330 Gains And Losses 0330-0400 The Songs Of Today 0400-0700 Connection With NET 105.8 0700-0900 Greek Coffee 0900 0905 Fellow-Countrymen Bulletin 0905-0910 Athletic Panorama 0910-0915 From Where And Why 0915-0930 Greek Lessons 0930-1000 Mailman 1000-1100 Connection With Second Program 1100-1200 Traveling With Art 1200-1400 Connection With NET 105.8 (Radio-Newspaper) 1400-1500 Connection With Second Program 1500-1510 News In Greek + Fellow-Countrymen Bulletin 1510-1600 Small Greeces, Hello 1600-1605 From Where And Why 1605-1700 The Songs Of Company 1700-1800 ERA5-Network Without Borders (Mikonos Parlavatzas) 1800-1900 Connection With NET 105-8 (Radio-Newspaper) 1900-2000 ERA5-Network Without Borders (Theofilos Doumanis) 2000-2200 Live Line (Marina Hatzi) 2200-2400 Connection With NET 105-8 UTC TUESDAY PROGRAM 0000-0005 News In Greek 0005-0105 Night Excursions 0105-0205 The Songs Of Company 0205-0235 Greek Flavors 0235-0250 In Ilines, In Bilines 0250-0300 From Where And Why 0300-0330 Gains And Losses 0330-0400 The Songs Of Today 0400-0700 Connection With NET 105.8 0700-0800 Greek Coffee 0800-1200 BREAK FOR MAINTENANCE OF TRANSMITTERS 1200-1400 Connection With NET 105.8 (Radio-Newspaper) 1400-1500 Connection With Second Program 1500-1510 News In Greek + Fellow-Counyrymen Bulletin 1510-1600 Small Greeces, Hello 1600-1605 From Where And Why 1605-1700 The Songs Of Company 1700-1800 ERA5-Network Without Borders (MIkonos Parlavatzas) 1800-1900 Connection With NET 105-8 (Radio-Newspaper) 1900-2000 ERA5-Network Without Borders (Theofilos Doumanis) 2000-2200 Live Line (Father George Afthinos) 2200-2400 Connection With ERASPOR UTC WEDNESDAY PROGRAM 0000-0005 News In Greek 0005-0105 Night Excursions 0105-0205 The Songs Of Company 0205-0235 Greek Flavors 0235-0250 In Ilines, In Bilines 0250-0300 From Where And Why 0300-0330 Gains And Losses 0330-0400 The Songs Of Today 0400-0700 Connection With NET 105.8 0700-0900 Greek Coffee 0900 0905 Fellow-Countrymen Bulletin 0905-0910 Athletic Panorama 0910-0915 From Where And Why 0915-0930 Greek Lessons 0930-1000 Mailman 1000-1100 Connection With Second Program 1100-1200 Cultural Program 1200-1400 Connection With NET 105.8 (Radio-Newspaper) 1400-1500 Connection With Second Program 1500-1510 News In Greek + Fellow-Counyrymen Bulletin 1510-1600 Small Greeces, Hello 1600-1605 From Where And Why 1605-1700 The Songs Of Company 1700-1800 ERA5-Network Without Borders (MIkonos Parlavatzas) 1800-1900 Connection With NET 105-8 (Radio-Newspaper) 1900-2000 ERA5-Network Without Borders (Theofilos Doumanis) 2000-2200 Live Line (George Papazahariou)) 2200-2400 Connection With ERASPOR UTC THURSDAY PROGRAM 0000-0005 News In Greek 0005-0105 Night Excursions 0105-0205 The Songs Of Company 0205-0235 Greek Flavors 0235-0250 In Ilines, In Bilines 0250-0300 From Where And Why 0300-0330 Gains And Losses 0330-0400 The Songs Of Today 0400-0700 Connection With NET 105.8 0700-0900 Greek Coffee 0900 0905 Fellow-Countrymen Bulletin 0905-0910 Athletic Panorama 0910-0915 From Where And Why 0915-0930 Greek Lessons 0930-1000 Mailman 1000-1100 Connection With Second Program 1100-1200 Traveling With Art 1200-1400 Connection With NET 105.8 (Radio-Newspaper) 1400-1500 Connection With Second Program 1500-1510 News In Greek + Fellow-Counyrymen Bulletin 1510-1600 Small Greeces, Hello 1600-1605 From Where And Why 1605-1700 The Songs Of Company 1700-1800 ERA5-Network Without Borders (MIkonos Parlavatzas) 1800-1900 Connection With NET 105-8 (Radio-Newspaper) 1900-2000 ERA5-Network Without Borders (Theofilos Doumanis) 2000-2200 Live Line (Peter Dourdoubakis) 2200-2400 Connection With NET 105-8 UTC FRIDAY PROGRAM 0000-0005 News In Greek 0005-0105 Night Excursions 0105-0205 The Songs Of Company 0205-0235 Greek Flavors 0235-0250 In Ilines, In Bilines 0250-0300 From Where And Why 0300-0330 Gains And Losses 0330-0400 The Songs Of Today 0400-0700 Connection With NET 105.8 0700-0900 Greek Coffee 0900 0905 Fellow-Countrymen Bulletin 0905-0910 Athletic Panorama 0910-0915 From Where And Why 0915-0930 Greek Lessons 0930-1000 Mailman 1000-1100 Connection With Second Program 1100-1200 Cultural Program 1200-1400 Connection With NET 105.8 (Radio-Newspaper) 1400-1500 Connection With Second Program 1500-1510 News In Greek + Fellow-Counyrymen Bulletin 1510-1600 Small Greeces, Hello 1600-1605 From Where And Why 1605-1700 The Songs Of Company 1700-1800 ERA5-Network Without Borders (MIkonos Parlavatzas) 1800-1900 Connection With NET 105-8 (Radio-Newspaper) 1900-2000 ERA5-Network Without Borders (Theofilos Doumanis) 2000-2200 Live Line (Elias Kapetanakis) 2200-2400 Connection With Second Program UTC SATURDAY PROGRAM 0000-0005 News In Greek 0005-0010 Fellow-Countrymen Bulletin 0010-0100 ERA5-Network Without Borders 0100-0200 Radionewspaper 0200-0212 Greek Lessons 0212-0300 Hello Patriotes 0300-0330 Shipping News 0330-0400 Mailman 0400-0405 News In Greek 0405-0500 Small Greeces, Hello 0500-0515 Investing In Greece 0515-0530 Ecological Pages 0530-0600 The Songs Of Today 0600-0700 History Of A Week 0700-0705 News In Greek 0705-0715 Fellow-Countrymen Bulletin 0715-0745 Money And Investments Of Saturday 0745-0800 Ecological Pages 0800-0900 Persons Of The Week 0900-1000 Greece In The First Person 1000-1200 Connection With Second Program 1200-1500 Connection With NET 105.8 1500-2000 Connection With ERA SPOR 2000-2005 News In Greek 2005-2200 Live Line (Yannis Tzouanopoulos) 2200-2400 Connection With Second Program (Compiled by John Babbis, Silver Spring, MD, Jan 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GREENLAND. 3815, 2103-2214* 07.01, KNR, Tasiilaq (USB) Greenlandic talks and a couple of choir songs 35333, 2130 news in Greenlandic, 2150 jingle and modern music, 2200 Danish news and reports, 2212 song, disturbed by CWQRM 22322 (Anker Petersen, on the AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, Denmark, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DXLD) QSL: Hi all, 3815 kHz USB - KNR 30 gg [days], letter, v/s Nauja Brons, KNR, Box 1007, 3900 NUUK, GREENLAND e-mail: info @ knr.gl Ciao e buoni DX!! Ciao e good DX!! Ciao e Bonne DX!! (Mauro Giroletti, Jan 10, bclnews.it yg via DXLD) ** GREENLAND. 3814,98 30.12 1500 Tasiilaq med eftermiddagssändning. Föga upphetsande program. Cd vid drygt 1614 så det verkar som om den automatiska klockan fortfarande drar sig efter. Hörd även den 6/1 på em. 1-2 SA 3814.98, 30.12 1500, Tasiilaq with afternoon transmission. Quite unexciting program. Closedown just after 1614 so it seems the automatic clock is still behind. Also heard Jan 6 in the afternoon. 1- 2 SA (Stig Adolfsson, Sweden, SW Bulletin, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUINEA. 7125 at 0653 Jan 8, French interview on phone about political situation there, so RTG again on the air in the morning, outsticking sorethumbly in hamband (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Also most mornings subsequently in the 06- 07 period (gh) Conakry, 7125 R. Guinée, Sonfonya, 1944-2022, 07 Jan, Vernacular, African pops, same menu after 2000; 55444 (!). 7125 ditto, 1307-1603, 10 Jan, French, newscast, football news, sports program prior to another news bulletin at 1600; 35433, only sporadic amateur QRM. 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HAITI [and non]. The earthquake was just breaking as we were completing WORLD OF RADIO 1495 so we decided not to try to deal with it in such a preliminary manner. Nor in this issue of DXLD, but latest info radio-related is going out on the DXLD yahoogroup. As usual with these weekly issues, it takes us about another day to finish editing them after `closing` them, so there is little in this issue after January 12 (Glenn Hauser) ** HONDURAS [and non]. I have been making an attempt to keep updates for the Emisoras de FM radio directory posted on the WTFDA forums, under a thread for those specific updates. So far, its gone pretty good. But now - enter Honduras. Since the political restructuring of that country, all HELL has broken loose with regard to stations being granted to sign on the air and also a ton of technical changes being granted. I am under the impression (since I don't live there - hi!) that the previous administration was sitting on a lot of license actions. At any rate, it appears information currently is flowing better from Conatel and I have been deluged with a ton of updates and also clarifications of details pertaining to almost every FM radio station listing in Honduras. Some updated information goes back to December 2008. I've also been given privy to consult the Conatel FM radio station licenses, via their website. Wow! At any rate, there are now 554 FM radio stations and relays in Honduras ON THE AIR. I'll bet more are coming. In my estimation, IF I were to post the updated material, it would be easier to collect a *by the frequency* list of ALL of the Honduras FM's and post it, than attempting to remove stations from the list where nothing has changed. Its that dramatic. A list of 554 stations? I imagine that would be mind boggling to do such a thing on the thread I am using for updates. Hmmmm............. Any suggestions? I also have an update scheduled for El Salvador (more changes) but not until Honduras has been resolved. In case you didn't notice, in the past couple months I have completed READ and made updates in the Emisoras files for Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama. [Later:] Per my question, and by way of a suggestion by Randy in Florida, the best solution will probably be to make a PDF document and post it there. That is most likely what will happen, but not before mid-week this next week (Jim Thomas, wdx0fbu, Milliken, Colorado, (40 miles north of Denver), Jan 8, WTFDA via DXLD) ** ICELAND. Does anyone know the QSL policy of Iceland these days? I have sent two reports for my reception on 189 kHz with a CD and I have also sent two e-mails to inquire about my reports. I have not heard anything. Any help would be appreciated. I also enclosed $2 U.S. for return postage. Thanks. 73, (Patrick Martin, KGED QSL Manager, Jan 11, HCDX via DXLD) Patrick, I've had similar results. I sent a written report + CD in 2007 and followed up with an e-mail + MP3 last fall and not heard from them. The RUV website http://www.ruv.is lists e-mail addresses for most or all of the staff. However, the site is in Icelandic, and Google's English translation leaves much to be desired, so it's hard to know who to choose as an addressee (Bruce Portzer, WA, ibid.) ** INDIA. 4850, AIR Kohima, 1308-1402*, Dec 20, 30 (still on at 1530!) and Jan 01, usual format, ABBA with “I Believe In Angels”; after the news had item on water conservation and suddenly off; fair reception. Often open carrier (Hauser and Howard, DSWCI DX Window Jan 6 via DXLD) Another merged log; what`s the point? It only confuses. DXLD readers will know that all those details were from Ron. I have yet to definitely log Kohima, but did report an open carrier on frequency, as did Ron at other times. Contrary to the editor`s assumption here, I doubt that the open carrier was Kohima, and Ron does too! Likewise Walt Salmaniw (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. I had visited AIR Kurseong in year 2005, shared some moments with a senior staff there, (can't recall name, must be in my old notebooks), Got a brochure from them at that time; today digitised it, uploaded in box.net account, you might find it interesting check it here http://www.box.net/shared/fx6nrg95og Regards, (Partha Sarathi Goswami, Jan 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Includes detailed 5-year-old program schedule ** INDIA. AIR Bengaluru-Doddaballapur (Bangalore) 6180 kHz in English to Europe at 1800 UT [Jan 10?], SIO=444 to SIO=544, See schedule http://www.allindiaradio.org/schedule/ukweurope1.html 73 de (Matti Ponkamo, Naantali, Finland (KP10AK18), IC-718, dipole, HCDX via DXLD) [and non]. 9690, AIR GOS, Monday Jan 11 at 1435 in weekly mailbag Faithfully Yours, this time with M&M hosts, assuring that no IRCs or other return postage is wanted, and that on the European service, 11620 is no longer in use since Oct 25, instead 6180. Usual constant hum on 9690. 1445 Film Music, but could not understand details of introduxion to a long selexion; second piece was cut off at 1454 to promote a devotional program on next transmission to SE Asia at 2245 (0415 IST); 1455 final news summary including state visit of Bangladesh PM, heavy fog in Punjab, 300+ deaths due to cold weather. Semi-minute overlap at 1459:30 with fast SAH as Nippon no Kaze via Darwin was starting in Korean. 9870, enjoying the AIR VBS Hindi pop music, Jan 7, and at 1454 a familiar intro riff --- yes! It`s one of our favorites which the late lamented R. Solh, US psyop service for Afghanistan played every day at exactly the same hour. A real upbeat tune with great singing, instrumental interludes until 1459. I wish I knew the title, artist and more details about it. Further proof that a lot of Solh music was really Indian, probably Bollywood, not Afghan at all (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. AIR 15050 7035 --- 1. Yesterday 7 Jan 2010 at 1500-1600 UT I heard Baluchi on 15050 kHz at very strong level. It is not scheduled. Maybe Delhi Khampur forgot to switch off after Sinhala broadcast at 1500 UTC? Other scheduled frequencies in Baluchi were heard by me, viz. 6165, 7340, 9620. 2. Today 8 Jan 2010 from around 0210 UT strong carrier and low modulation heard on 7035 kHz. It must be Delhi Kingsway as 7235 kHz was not heard. 7035 kHz is in Ham band and it was causing lot of problems for our hams (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, National Institute of Amateur Radio, Hyderabad 500082, India, Jan 7, dx_india via WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DXLD) ** INDIA [non]. 2215 UT, 10000 kHz, ATA, National Physical Laboratory. I heard this one mildly on the side with the words "National QRX" was weak but copied it at s-4. Radio: Sangean 909, Antenna: 30 meter end fed, Location: Guam 73 de (Larry, n6hpx/mm, Fields, Jan 7, swl at qth.net via DXLD) We thought this time signal station closed down years ago. It no longer appears in the WRTH 2010 list of STFT near the back, nor was it in 2009 or 2008. However, it`s still on the list http://www.dxinfocentre.com/time.htm : H + 14, 29, 44, 59 ATA IND New Delhi 28 34 N 77 19 E Continuous which was last updated 12/31/08. So is it on the air or not? I think this has come up previously in DXLD. It was mentioned in passing a year ago in 9-005, in connexion with Brazil, not a log of ATA (Glenn Hauser, dx_india yg via DXLD) Dear Glenn, About the Indian Time Station ATA, it left the air about 10 years back. Several years back when I was not hearing ATA, I had contacted National Physical Lab, New Delhi which ran the station and they confirmed that it left the air some where around the year 2000. They moved to INSAT Satellite. An article about ATA written by Dr. Adrian M.Peterson of AWR is available at: http://www.qsl.net/vu2jos/art/ata.htm Another article of interest can be found in: http://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/2816/1/IJRSP%2036(1)%2020-26.pdf This is for your kind information. 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, National Institute of Amateur Radio, Hyderabad 500082, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Dear Jose, Thanks, I was hoping to have the correct info from you. Unfortunately the links to your QSLs in the AWR article do not work since geocities is gone. Do you have them online somewhere else? 73, (Glenn to Jose, via DXLD) Dear Glenn, The links to the ATA qsl cards are available at: http://www.qsl.net/vu2jos/qsls/npl_15k.jpg http://www.qsl.net/vu2jos/qsls/npl_10k.jpg 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, ibid.) Card is self-referential as ``chronohertz station`` --- I had suspected that Adrian Peterson, ex-Poona, had coined that term. At least this mistaken log led to a useful thread of info on ex-ATA (gh) Thanks for the notice Glenn, I will remove ATA from my list. Cheers, (Bill Hepburn, dxinfocentre, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hello Alokesh/Jose/All, Does any body have pictures of the antenna farm of ATA station> Where was it exactly located? Any coordinates / Google Earth tags?? Would definitely like to explore that place. Is anything there in its place?? Buildings/offices etc etc.? Please reply direct to groups. 73 (Ranajay Mallik, VU2ORO, Jan 11, dx_india yg via DXLD) It was located at Rajendra Nagar, Rajendra Place in the National Physical Lab http://www.nplindia.org/ Directions : http://www.nplindia.ernet.in/contact-us No info if the antennas are still there. Regards (Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, ibid.) Somewhere here? No exact address traced yet 28 33'10.86"N 77 14'28.33"E http://maps.google.de/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=de&geocode=&q=+28%C2%B033%2727.60%22N++77%C2%B015%2724.07%22E&sll=28.557668,77.24659&sspn=0.007021,0.013851&ie=UTF8&ll=28.557235,77.254765&spn=0.007021,0.013851&t=h&z=17 (Wolfgang Büschel, dx_india yg via DXLD) I heard this repeated for about an hour or more and was in the morning time on Guam, the constant comment National QRX was mentioned for a long time. It was only heard on 10000 kHz and I checked on the web and figured it must be it but again wondered if it might have been Russian. It was off frequency like some Russian station are but still on 10000. Hope to listen again soon as we`re at present near Zambonga, Philippines (Larry, n6hpx/mm, Fields, Jan 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Larry, Were there time announcements too? You did not say so. If not, this may have nothing to do with any timesignal station. What format, what timezone? Are you talking about voice only, or was there some code? The new Brazilian timesignal station on 10000 is Observatorio Nacional, but it`s very low powered. Surely whatever it was would not really be saying QRX. I don`t understand what you mean by ``off frequency but still on 10000``. What frequency was it really on? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. 3325, still audible with weak music Jan 7 at 1435, only station on band, presumed RRI Palangkaraya, which is in south central Kalimantan Tengah, inland from Banjarmasin. Only one or two other Indos are left on 90m, and I expect before long this one too will wink out, never to be heard again. Ishida shows only 3345 Ternate, Maluku Utara is still on, until 1500*; but tho also rated 10 kW, not heard like PK is (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 3325, RRI, Palangkaraya, 2222-2246, 07 Jan, Indonesian, light songs, IDs, jingle+TS+ID at 2230 prior to newscast till 2240, national anthem, local ID, talks; 35433. 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Jan 11 was a good morning for RRI on tropbands; at 1355, musical audio making it on Palangkaraya 3325; 1357 better signal with music on 4750 Makassar, YL singer continuing past 1400. Weak SAH from China or Bangladesh, and with BFO on, it was obvious there were two carriers, but RRI now right on 4750.0 compared to 9750, presumably Japan rather than Malaysia. At 1404, 4750 finally going from music to YL DJ announcement in Indonesian (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. 9526-, VOI with music Jan 7 at 1355, only fair signal today; 1401 English ID with usual info including imaginary frequencies 15150 and 11785, off at 1402:40* intentionally before any transition announcement to Malay hour, which apparently has been deleted. RRI Jakarta still on 9680 at 1442 with gamelan and singing. 9526v, Jan 8 at 1357 tuned in time to confirm VOI carrier was on today hetting 9530, but very poor and already off at next check 1402. Has the Malay service formerly at 14-15 been dropped, or moved elsewhen? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9525.973v, 9/1 1710, Voice of Indonesia, program in Spanish, talks about Indonesia and slow music, poor/fair, fading (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italia, RX: SDR-IQ, Yaesu FRG-7, Drake R8, AOR AR7030; ANT: T2FD, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9526-, VOI carrier detectable around 1355 Jan 10, and retuned just in time at 1406:30 to hear a few notes of music before it cut off the air at approximately 1406:38*. 9526-, Jan 11 at 1358 check, nothing audible, so VOI missing or closed earlier than usual. 9680 RRI was quite good until 1500:36*. Atsunori Ishida now reports at http://www.max.hi-ho.ne.jp/a-ishida/ins/ --- ``Voice of Indonesia has changed it schedule from January 2010. The contents are not completely fixed, but are almost as follows: 9526 -1000-1400* [1000: English, 1100: Chinese, 1200: Japanese, 1300: English] 9526 *1600- (cannot confirm the contents, due to weak signal) Chinese and the Japanese have changed to one hour from 30 minutes.`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL. Band Scan 1100-1200 Domingo 10 de enero 2010. Se excluyen las emisoras brasileñas. [gh added countries; see also BOLIVIA, COLOMBIA, PERU] 3280, LV DEL NAPO Ecuador 4747, RADIO HUANTA 2000 Perú 4775, RADIO TARMA Perú 4790, RADIO VISION Perú 4835.4, RADIO MARAÑON Perú 4950, RADIO MADRE DE DIOS Perú 4955, RADIO CULTURAL AMAUTA Perú 4974.7, PACIFICO RADIO Perú 5025, RADIO REBELDE mezclándose con RADIO QUILLABAMBA cochannel Cuba - Perú 5120.3, ONDAS DEL SURORIENTE Perú 5460.5, RADIO BOLIVAR Perú 5910, MARFIL ESTEREO Colombia 5939.3, RADIO MELODIA Perú 6010, LV DE TU CONCIENCIA Colombia 6019.3, RADIO VICTORIA Perú 6025, RADIO AMANECER INTERNACIONAL Dominican Republic 6035, LV DEL GUAVIARE Colombia 6104.8, RADIO CANDELA México 6134.8, RADIO SANTA CRUZ Bolivia 6174, RADIO TAWANTINSUYO Perú (Rafael Rodriguez R., Bogotá D.C. - COLOMBIA, en el municipio de Fomeque, Cundinamarca, distante una hora al sur oriente de Bogotá; escuchas realizadas con el Sony ICF 2010 y un pequeño dipolo de 8 metros, Jan 11, condiglist yg via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. I'd suggest if you're up for a challenge, scrounging up an old school satellite dish and buying a MPEG-2/-4 DVB receiver. NHK is available via two satellites for free while TV Japan turns encryption on and off. Also, you can get Euronews (they're like TV Japan when it comes to encryption), Russia Today, Al Jazerra, and a recent entry to the FTA market that I've been watching lately, France 24. Not to mention, you can get your fill of foreign news any time of the day on MHz Network on Galaxy 19. If you want news from the good ol' USA, there are local offerings such as ONN (Ohio News Network) and TXCN (Texas Cable News). (Jeff Kitsko, Unity Township, PA, Jan 8, WTFDA via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. WORLDSPACE INDIA TEAM APPEALS TO PM FOR INTERVENTION 300 employees of Worldspace India have, in a letter to prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh sent on Tuesday, urged for immediate government intervention to ensure that the the radio service continues in India; and that the exit of the radio service be allowed only after following the due process applicable to any other media or telecom service in India. The letter written to the PM also urges the government to ensure that the sale of the satellite assets impacting the India operations is duly publicized in India; and a just and equitable solution to the employees, subscribers, distributors, dealers, vendors, customer service support agencies is provided for. . . Source:http://www.radioandmusic.com/content/editorial/news/worldspace-india-team-appeals-pm-intervention (via Jaisakthivel, Tirunelveli, India, dxldyg via DXLD) More: http://kimelli.nfshost.com/index.php?id=8116 ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. AND, SO, THOSE WHO JAM PERSIAN-LANGUAGE SATELLITE BROADCASTS ARE NO GENTLEMEN "French regulators have asked the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to intervene with the Iranian government to persuade Tehran to stop jamming satellite signals from the BBC World Service’s Persian-language broadcasts into Iran, according to the director of France’s National Frequencies Agency (ANF). ... 'The ITU is really a gentlemen’s club ... It depends on the goodwill of its members. There is no mechanism for forcing an administration into compliance with the rules.' ... The BBC Persian programming carried on the Eutelsat Hot Bird 6 satellite stationed at 13 degrees east was jammed starting last spring during Iran’s elections, and it has continued intermittently ever since, particularly during the broadcaster’s coverage of the death of a reformist Iranian cleric. ... For the BBC, a solution to the problem is likely to involve using replacement capacity on Eutelsat satellites whose beams make it impossible for Iranian authorities to uplink interference to the satellite. ... BBC World Service did not respond to requests for comment about whether the use of other satellites will provide a permanent solution to the problem or whether the broadcast audience will be sharply reduced as viewers need to repoint their rooftop antennas to the new satellites." Peter B. de Selding, Space News, 8 January 2010. (from http://www.spacenews.com/satellite_telecom/100108-france-seeks-itu-signal-jamming-iran.html via kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) Recommended reading. This is one of the first stories I've seen that explains the complexities and consequences of satellite jamming. One temporary remedy would be for BBC Persian TV and VOA Persian News Network TV to put their audio on shortwave, and to remind audiences that the shortwave option exists. Kai Ludwig in Germany wrote on 4 January: "It seems that VOA TV Persian has two days ago been taken off Eutelsat Hotbird 8. The 'special mux' on 12.242 GHz is now empty, and the main IBB mux on 12.226 GHz contains only color bars as placeholder for PNN. This as reported at http://www.telesat-info.de/sat/002/002.htm My comment: How does this fit to the BBG statement from Dec 29 in which the private industry has been urged to 'stand united in the face of these authoritarian acts or risk even greater human rights losses'? Why has PNN been removed from the IBB muxes on Hotbird just four days later?" See previous post about same subject. Posted: 10 Jan 2010 (Kim Andrew Elliott, ibid.) ** IRAN. 9585, Jan 8 at 1432 Qur`an, 1434 into talk I thought was Urdu, poor-fair signal, much better than Iran`s Russian service at same time on 9575, which is just barely modulated as we have noted several dates recently, but better signal strength. 9585 also turns out to be VIRI, per Aoki in Hindi at 1430-1528, 500 kW, 102 degrees from Sirjan site, the same one as on 9575, 500 kW, 330 degrees (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN [non]. 13615, WYFR in Spanish, which used to own the frequency, now about equal level to R. Farda, Jan 7 at 1429 with two IDs, an echo apart from 15410; and propagational echo also on the 13615 transmission, which at 14-16 is 108 degrees via Lampertheim, GERMANY, while 15410 during same bihour is 95 degrees via Skelton UK. There`s something about Lampertheim, which always has a long-path or severe backscatter echo also on the VOA English relay, 11985, equally 108 degree azimuth at 14-15 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN [and non]. 4775.00, 1420-1545* 07.01, Jammer was here, but jumped to 4779.99 at 1432 and stayed there until sign off. No clandestine was heard and the Voice of Iranian Kurdistan only broadcasts in the morning! But R Djibouti in Arabic 4780 faded in and became stronger 23332 (Anker Petersen, on the AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, Denmark, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. IBA CONSIDERS LOCKOUT TO COUNTER RADIO STRIKE THREAT By Ophir Bar-Zohar http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1141286.html Technicians at the Israel Broadcasting Authority are expected to begin work sanctions on January 17 as part of their battle against the budget cuts being instituted at the state agency. Management is weighing various offensive and defensive measures to keep employers [sic; employees?] from taking control of the situation. On Sunday, IBA Director General Mordechai Sklar will ask the IBA board for authority to call a lockout. If that happens, the IBA could suspend broadcasts at Channel 1 television as well as at its several radio stations. Israel Radio fired the head of its technical department on Wednesday for refusing to cooperate with the budget cuts. Israel Radio director Aryeh Shaked said that Leonid Schrier had refused to prepare a new work plan for the engineers and technicians under him that conformed to the new budgetary requirements. Schrier's subordinates responded to the dismissal - the first to result from the IBA budget cuts - by announcing their refusal to replace him. "We'll ask the board to call a lockout in the event that the workers implement harsh measures," Sklar said yesterday. "The option exists, and we'll decide in accordance with the workers' actions." The lockout threat will increase the IBA's bargaining power vis-a-vis the workers, especially the union representing the technicians. In addition, if the technicians follow through on their strike threat, a lockout would enable the IBA to suspend wage payments to other workers at the facilities struck by the technicians. That would affect journalists and administrative employees (via Dale Park, HI, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DXLD) Whew, this no longer matters much since there are no more SW broadcasts in English (gh, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DXLD) ** ISRAEL. 6973, 9/1 1612, Galei Zahal, talks and music, fair, noise (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italia, RX: SDR-IQ, Yaesu FRG-7, Drake R8, AOR AR7030; ANT: T2FD, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6973, Galei Zahal (presumed); 2312-2318+, 10-Jan; M in Hebrew? With low-key pop tunes. SIO=342, has been much less reliable/weaker in recent weeks (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 125 ft. bow-tie; 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAPAN [non]. NHK via Sackville is a very good signal today on 6120 - in Spanish, and mostly on top of Radio Nederland via Wertachtal at 1025. SAC is to Ciraf 8, 10, 11 at 227deg and WER to Ciraf 27S, 28SW at 255deg. Frequency engineers these days seem to think that no clash would occur. I'm not in the target area for either service, so I wonder what this sounds like further south (Noel R. Green (NW England), Jan 12, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAPAN. Please be advised about the frequency change for Radio Japan Bengali language effective from January 11, 2010: (Current Frequency) New Frequency 15215 kHz 7400 kHz UTC 1300~1345 [source presumably direct from R. Japan] Best Regards, (Swopan Chakroborty, Kolkata, India, Jan 6, dxldyg via DXLD) Tashkent, 100 kW, 131 degrees both on old and new frequencies. That`s quite a band change, more than 50% downward; over night path. They must have really overestimated the winter MUF (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** JAPAN [non]. New QSL-card from Japan SW Club --- 2010 is the year of Tiger in the twelve signs of the Japanese and Chinese zodiac. So our QSL cards for 2010 are featuring a Tiger as shown in the cover of our January issue bulletin. We will send these beautiful verification cards to all correct reports to the Asian DX news in HCJB DX Partyline (every 4th Saturday) and our segments of AWR's Wavescan (the first Sunday of the month). Send your reports to JSWC, P. O. Box 44, Kamakura 248-8691, Japan. Please enclose 1 IRC. (No more US one dollar bill which does not cover an airmail stamp). (Toshimichi Ohtake/JSWC, Kamakura, Japan, DSWCI DX Window Jan 6 via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH [and non]. 5910, Shiokaze/Sea Breeze still here for 1400-1430 broadcast, Tue Jan 12 at 1409 in Japanese, and Juche jamming also audible, the oscillating noise but not enough to block it here (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA SOUTH. Re: DXLD 10-01, HLAZ-1566 kHz --- The English language lessons program of HLAZ-1566 kHz was started last August at 1800-1900 UT in Chinese. An announcement of "Basic English language course, and introduction to American people and culture" is heard at start 1801. This program is produced in FEBC-USA by the offer of the Qingdao Korean church http://www.qdkc.org/ in Qingdao, China (S. Hasegawa, Japan, NDXC, Jan 8, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA SOUTH. KBS WORLD RADIO NOW AVAILABLE ON NOKIA CELL PHONES KBS World Radio launched broadcast services Wednesday for users of Nokia portable gadgets around the world, which is a first for a domestic terrestrial radio broadcaster. By installing the Nokia Internet Radio on portable terminals, users can listen to KBS World Radio's programs and music in real time delivered in eleven languages at any place where Internet access is available. KBS World Radio's popular Korean language program "Let's Learn Korean" is also accessible via the service. Despite the growing popularity of Apple's iPhone, Nokia continues to lead in the global mobile market with a 37 percent share in cell phone sales and a 45 percent share in smart phones. The BBC, Deutsche Welle and Radio France Internationale also broadcast on Nokia Internet Radio. Best Regards (source? Via Md. Salahuddin Dolar, Global Radio Fan Club, Vill. +P.O. Chaumahani, P.S. Motihar, Rajshahi-6000, Bangladesh, Jan 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KURDISTAN. 3931.06, 1425-1431*, CLANDESTINE, 07.01, R Voice of Kurdistan, Sulaimaniya, Northern Iraq. Kurdish talk, music and closing ann 1431 with same type of jammer as heard on 4775. It stopped for 10 seconds during music at 1429 to check, if the clandestine still was broadcasting. The impatient jammeroperator signed off at 1432*! (Anker Petersen, on the AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, Denmark, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) See also IRAN [non] ** KUWAIT. Radio Kuwait is currently in Arabic on 11990 kHz instead of scheduled English service. Noted today, Jan. 09th, at 1815 with Koran and Arabic ID at 1822. Good signals and no trace of the English service, at least on 25 metres. 73s (Robert Foerster, Germany, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Other occasions English has been on 11630 instead (gh, ibid.) ** KYRGYZSTAN [non]. 9465/13755, RL in Kyrgyz but station played music till 1204. At 1206 talks (news?) with temperatures. At 1227 there were problems in the connection causing some dropouts and echoes like a CD sticking. Signals S7 (9465) and S10 (13755) (Zacharias Liangas, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Both via Iranawila, SRI LANKA (gh, DXLD) ** LAOS. (Tentativo), 7145, 11/01 0010-0045, Lao National Radio, Vientiane, YL e OM talks, a partir das 0025 músicas típicas. O Sinal é normalmente fraco e bastante interferido por amadores. Gravação feita a 0032 pode ser ouvida em http://www.ipernity.com/doc/76129 73 (Samuel Cássio Martins, São Carlos SP, RX - JRC NRD 525, longwire 15 metros, balun 9:1, radioescutas yg via DXLD) 7145, LNR, 1342, Jan 11. In English; “Local News” (item about Cuban anniversary [Jan. 1959] and talks about the good relations between Cuba and Laos, etc.); ID; “International News” (earthquake in Calif.); “That ends our program. You have been listening to the Lao National Radio, broadcasting from Vientiane, the National(?) Democratic Republic”; briefly relays FM program in Laotian; 1357*; poor reception. Audio attachment (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LAOS [non]. 7510, 09/01 2257, TAIWAN, Suab Xaa Moo Zoo (V of Hope), Hmong-Blue/Njua, desde Taipei. OM fala com fundo musical de música suave de Kenny G. Essa frequência está próximo de um bloco dos ruídos da minha rede elétrica. Chega com moderado sinal, sem QRM e boa propagação. As 2259 UT OM com as considerações finais do encerramento e fim da transmissão às 2300 (Jorge Freitas, Feira de Santana Bahia, Brasil, radioescutas yg via DXLD) ** LAOS [non]. 11785, Sat Jan 9 at 1506, Hmong up-and-down singing, i.e. Hmong World Christian Radio, reminding me that I had tuned past this frequency a few times in the 14-15 hour, and Hmong Lao Radio was missing, no WHRI transmission at all. What will happen Sunday at 14- 15? 11785 was lacking any WHRI signal Sat Jan 9 before 1500, so Hmong Lao Radio was gone again, and the same situation Sunday Jan 10 at 1413 check; just some weak Chinese audible on frequency, which is CRI via Kashgar, East Turkistan. WHR online program schedule search at 1630 Jan 10 claims HLR is still running on 11785 Sat & Sun 14-15 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBERIA. 6070, 10/01 0755, ELWA Monrovia, English, desde Monrovia. OM com eloqüente pregação. As 0756 UT outro OM com fala mais pausada. As 0755 sinal degrada tão rapidamente que às 0756 passa de um sinal moderado e com moderada falha de propagação para um sinal fraco. As 0800 ID por OM e gospel música. Sinal volta a melhorar às 0801. Transmissão não encerra às 0800 conforme a informação da lista Aoki, a lista EIBI informa a transmissão até as 0900 UT. Segue sequência musical de música gospel às 0805 UT. Sinal fica regular, com moderada falha de propagação e leve QRM (Jorge Freitas, Feira de Santana Bahia, Brasil, radioescutas yg via DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. 5010, R. Madagasikara, Ambohidrano, 1737-1812, 09 Jan, Malagasy, radioplay, talks; 45433. 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MADAGASCAR. RNW MADAGASCAR RESUMES FULL SCHEDULE ON 17 JAN There was a fire on Christmas Eve in the high voltage room of the external mains power supply at Radio Netherlands Worldwide’s relay station in Madagascar. Firefighters from the Madagascan capital Antananarivo managed to bring the blaze under control within hours. The fire destroyed the high voltage circuit breaker equipment, so broadcasts from Madagascar had to be suspended while repairs were carried out. Satellite and Internet broadcasts were not affected. All transmitters are now working again, but our colleagues in Madagascar still need to do some additional work to clean up after the fire and to create a reliable and safe situation. Therefore it has been decided that the station will return to its full schedule commencing Sunday 17 January 2010. In the meantime, the interim schedule below remains in effect (January 11th, 2010 - 17:15 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DXLD) ** MALAYSIA/SARAWAK. 5030, Sarawak FM via RTM, 1340, Jan 9. The usual presence here of CNR-1 was absent today! In vernacular; EZL pop songs; 1400 1+1 pips; “RTM” news; long music segment of repetitive indigenous drums accompanied by chanting/singing; phone conversations; sign off probably at 1600 (tuned away at 1545, but off by a check at 1602). If China continues to be off the air here, folks should have a decent chance to hear this station that is normally buried under CNR-1 (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Dear Ron, CNR-1 on 5030 kHz confirms that it does not broadcast it from morning of Jan. 8 (local time). I can confirm *2155 and 1600* on Sarawak FM via RTM-Sarawak. CNR-1 on 5030 kHz possibility QSY to 6125 kHz, I can receive CNR-1 of 2 stations on 6125 kHz. I can receive use daytime frequency on 9675 kHz of the same transmitter as 5030 kHz (S. Hasegawa, NDXC, via Ron Howard, Jan 9, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DXLD) [and non]. 5030, where I have been lamenting about CNR1 always covering Sarawak in our mornings, but not any more. As first observed by Ron Howard Jan 9, CNR1 is gone from this frequency. No help here yet as only a very weak carrier on 5030 Jan 10 at 1348, no match for adjacent Rebelde 5025. Now the challenge will be to pull in RMS late enough to have Cuba weakened, but not so late that itself is outfading; on until 1600* which is far too late here even in winter. Judging from the co-channel it used to impose under CNR1, 10 kW Kuching should make it adequately on a better day altho the CNR signal helped to muscle aside Cuba. WRTH 2010 says the RTM Sarawak IS is ``a musical phrase (played on a native instrument, the Sape), alternating between A and F``. S. Hasegawa confirms CNR1 is gone from 5030, possibly replaced by 6125, and 9675 in the daytime (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5030, Sarawak FM via RTM, randomly from 1440 to 1600*, Jan 10. Another day without CNR-1. In vernacular; ToH 1+1 pips; “RTM” news; singing “Sarawak FM” jingle; promo for Sarawak’s “Japanese Garden”; unusual rap song with many mentions of “Sarawak”; 1+1 pips and off (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) RTM Sarawak, 5030 still clear of ChiComQRM, Jan 11 at 1358 but too much Cuba 5025. A bit better comparatively at 1413 with YL announcement presumably in Malay after song, but still splatter from Rebelde especially during music which is most of the time. But RTM kept gaining on Cuba during the hour, and by 1503 with presumed news by YL, signal level had axually surpassed 5025. At 1510 finally understood something as YL concluded news with ``Salaam Aleikum``, 1511 music. Still audible until starting to fade out at 1533. This was almost two hours after local sunrise at 1343 UT (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RTM Sarawak, 5030, Jan 11, 1556, good signal with hip-hop tune, then EZL vocal to time pips at 1600. Woman announcer then said 4 or 5 words and carrier immediately went off (Nigel Pimblett, weekend DX session in Lamont, Alberta (with Don Moman and Mick Delmage) using Perseus SDR, beverage antennas, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5030, Sarawak FM via RTM, randomly from 1322 to 1526, Jan 11. In vernacular; segment of sports coverage; mostly DJ with requests for pop songs; they have an unusual station ID consisting of a long montage of music clips and sound effects. Very enjoyable listening and strongest reception since being in the clear! Audio attachment (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) One item of note. CNR-1 may have disappeared from 5030. There was something there this morning in what sounded more like a SE Asian language, and definitely not // 4460 which was // 639 but delayed by under a second. I notice the Aoki list dated yesterday no longer includes CNR-1 on 5030. Best wishes, (Nick Hall-Patch, Victoria, BC, Canada, Jan 11, IRCA via DXLD) 5964.92v, Klasik Nasional FM via RTM, 1700, Jan 10. In vernacular; “Klasik Nasional” jingle; 1+1 pips; “RTM Kuala Lumpur” headlines; EZL pop songs/ballads; IDs “Radio Malaysia Klasik Nasional”. Thanks to tip from Kevin Molander (CA) that KN was in the clear after DW signed off (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5030, RTM Kuching, Sarawak, Jan 12 at 1400 better than before, tnx to unusually weak Cuba 5025, and its own signal also improved and still without ChiComQRM. Talk in presumed Malay, 1404 music. 1424 DJs chattering and laughing after a song. (At 1456 I find that my oil heater puts a noise blob around 5020-5040, so shack will stay cold to hear this a bit longer.) Now 5030 is definitely stronger than Rebelde. 1500 unexpectedly loud two-pip timesignal, compared to the talk modulation: shows that program audio level could be boosted if they cared to. TS was about three sex late, so hardly reliable for navigation. I think the second pip was slightly prolonged but same pitch as first one. Into scripted news by YL. This is a simulcast of the Wai FM service but no such ID heard yet (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALI. 7285v not heard this year so far. Also possible alternative 11960 is still inactive, only 9635 heard 0800-1800 (Thorsten Hallmann, Münster, Germany, http://www.africalist.de.ms Jan 7, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5995 still on around 0700 (gh, DXLD) ** MAURITANIA. 783, R. Mauritanie, Nouakchott, 1901-1935, 07 Jan, Arabic, talks; 54444, QRM de SPAIN; \\ 4845 off this evening. 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) But we are usually hearing 4845 around 0630, not bother to report (gh, DXLD) 4845, Radio Mauritanie (Nouakchott). 0603. 2 Jan. Arabic. First log of this station since Feb-09. It is comforting to know that their programming has remained constant. OM with prayers. Fair (Joe Wood, TN, MARE Tipsheet via DXLD) They did it again, making themselves heard at midday. 783, Radio Mauritania, Nouakchott, 1254-1312, 11 Jan '10, Arabic, talks, newscast at 1 PM; 15441, adjacent QRM de SPAIN on 774 & 792; \\ 7245 very good (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4845, ORTM, Jan 12, 0624 at S9+12 level, but modulation not commensurate, usual soporific chanting around this time. Has been on rather reliably lately (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 4800, XERTA, 1100 with ID 8 January (Bob Wilkner, Pómpano Beach, Flórida, Jan 10, Drake R 8, Icom 746Pro DL, NRD 535D, noise reducing antenna, 60 meter band dipole, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. MÉXICO DIGITALIZARÁ LA RADIO CON ESTÁNDAR IBOC RADIO DIGITAL. Cofetel indicó que es posible que este mismo año inicie el proceso de transición a la tecnología digital en radio (Foto: Archivo EL UNIVERSAL) Adoptará el estándar estadounidense en el proceso de transición a la tecnología digital en radio, que se llevará a cabo este mismo año ANGELINA MEJÍA, EL UNIVERSAL, CIUDAD DE MÉXICO MARTES 12 DE ENERO DE 2010, 11:22 México adoptará el estándar estadounidense IBOC, para la digitalización de la radio, anunció José Luis Peralta, comisionado de la Comisión federal de Telecomunicaciones (Cofetel) Explicó que este órgano regulador ya tomó la decisión sobre la tecnología, y debido a que la Cofetel tiene todas las facultades en materia de radiodifusión, ya no tendrá que contar con la aprobación de la Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes. Hace seis años, el gobierno mexicano eligió la tecnología digital del vecino país para la televisión (ATSC), y quedaba pendiente la decisión de la norma digital para la radio. Peralta indicó que es posible que este mismo año o el siguiente inicie el proceso de transición a la tecnología digital en radio, sin embargo, será el pleno de la Cofetel el que determine los lineamientos. El actual comisionado aceptó que sí quiere ser el nuevo presidente de la Cofetel. mdz Fuente: http://bit.ly/7E6DEW En Wikipedia: http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-band_on-channel (via Yimber Gaviria, Colombia, DXLD) ** MONGOLIA. 4830, 2225-2315 05.01, Mongoliin R, HS 1, Altay. Mongolian announcement, orchestral music, opera and piano music 35433 Noy [sic; not, or now?] heard // 4895. New 4895, *2300-2330 05.01, Mongoliin R, HS 2, Murun Choral National hymn, Mongolian talk (news ?) with short musical interludes. 34433, now broadcasting HS 2 // 7260 7260, 2320-2330 05.01, Mongoliin R, HS 2, Khonkhor. Mongolian talk with musical interludes, children singing 23322 // 4895. Best 73, (Anker Petersen, on the AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, Denmark, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) ** MYANMAR. 5985, Myanmar R heard 1/6 from 1335 tune (recorded from 1430) with gradually improving signal to 1600* with woman in English and anthem. Adjacent channel QRM from 5990 gradually decreased but from 1500 to 1515 there was co-channel QRM from an unknown station - fortunately Myanmar dominated the frequency during this period. From 1430.5 to 1456 there was a nice program of traditional Burmese vocals with instrumental accompaniment, from 1456 to 1457 a woman in Burmese and from 1457 to 1529 there was a non-stop program of pop vocals including two C&W selections. The English program started at 1530 with an opening announcement by a woman followed by news and a weather report by the same announcer. Following news, there was a short program announcement (with a background echo) and then a program of popular music until 1559. The music started with a Burmese or Indian vocal, then pop songs by female artists. At 1559 a woman made closing anmts "We have come to the end of the English language program. Good night" followed by the Myanmar national anthem until a new station came on strongly at 1600 (R. Rossii?). SINPO 33533 (Bruce Churchill, Fallbrook CA, Jan 9, Cumbre DX via DXLD) From 1600 both CRI in Swahili via Beijing site, and VOR in Turkish via Moskva site are scheduled (gh, DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. RNW, Euro Hit 40 - COMPETITION - number 22: http://www.rnw.nl/english/radioshow/latest-show (via Yimber Gaviría, Colombia, DXLD) T-shirts to be awarded ** NETHERLANDS [non]. HEAR THE WORLD - ON AIR: 8 JANUARY 2010 - 9 APRIL 2010 The "Hear The World" programme series from Radio Netherlands Worldwide launches today. It promises to be a fascinating musical journey... Week 1: African artists "...Irresistible African grooves by top artists, recorded at various editions of the annual Music Meeting in Nijmegen. From Congolese rumba and soukous to Ethiopian soul and funk and from Malian Mandingo rhythms to North African dance grooves...." [RNW-host Dheera Sujan] With Papa Noël from Congo, Mahmoud Ahmed from Ethiopia, Sekou Bembeya Diabaté from Guinea, the Super Rail Band from Mali, Toumani Diabaté and Bassekou Kouyaté & Ngoni Ba from Mali, the Dutch-Senegalese band N'Dadje, the French-North African Orchestre National de Barbes and the Madagascan-Moroccan-Malian trio 3MA. Listen to this week's show: http://www.rnw.nl/english/radioshow/african-artists#comment-17916 (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DXLD) RADIO NETHERLANDS' RADIO BOOKS Today (Sunday January 10th) I caught Radio Netherlands on 12080 via Meyerton, South Africa, at 1937 with a dramatic reading from "On My Way" by Ellen Ombre (originally from Surinam) on "Radio Books". The book deals with an Amsterdam man who is the product of a Dutch Jewish man and a Creole woman from Surinam (Dutch Guiana). Today's reading dealt with the man's childhood in Surinam. It is an excellent book to listen to and I hope they continue reading from this book. There you go, Andy. I've actually said something nice about Radio Netherlands for a change (Mark Coady, Ont., Jan 10, ODXA yg via DXLD) Thanks. I have passed your comments to David Swatling who produces the programme (Andy Sennitt, RNW, ibid.) ** NETHERLANDS [non]. The RNW Dutchmens via M&B/DTK Nauen on 5955 hit the needle at S=9+60 dB level. So the de Mol pensioners at the breakfast table in Gran Canaria Islands will be happy (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, Jan 8, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS [non]. I am proud to announce the new look of the PCJ Media website. When the site was first launched in November it was just to get something online and it was done in less than 3 days. Now the PCJ Media site is up and running officially. Come by, pay a visit http://www.pcjmedia.com Also just a quick reminder of the interview with legendary singer Steve Lawrence at 1600 UT today. This special edition will also air January 9, 10, 11 on our various partner stations. Check out our site for broadcast details. The show will be available at the PCJ Media site from 1715. Special thank you to Colin Newell for all his efforts with the site. Must run now. Been ill for the past few days and my voice is gone, so some of your who’s ears I normally talk off will get a break. :):) Thanks and talk to you all soon (Keith Perron, Taiwan, Jan 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Special Happy Station Show this week --- Well, I'm back in Taipei, but in the middle of a very bad cold with no voice. So this week`s show is a special I did a while back that I was going to air in March, but moved it up a few months. My special guest is a guy that makes music from the sounds off shortwave radio. This show will air to all regions. Next week we will have as normal different shows for each of our target areas. For broadcast times go to http://www.pcjmedia.com 73, (Keith Perron, Jan 12, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEW ZEALAND [and non]. Re 10-01, 7.5 kW transmitters: Such 7.5 kW units were still visible on Ekala site at Ceylon in 1972 and at my Malaysia, Indonesia, Bali tour in 1977, at Tebrau (BBC Far East relay) close to new site now at Singapore Kranji, were they moved in 1979? Tebrau transmitter site was located only some 10 km across the frontier between SNG and Johor Bahru. A lot of tall Indian/Nepalese Sikh national soldiers (tall up to 1.90 meters and wearing turbans) protected that installation as security patrol (Wolfgang Büschel, Jan 4, BC-DX Jan 8 via DXLD) The two 7.5 kW transmitters of Radio New Zealand at Titahi Bay were built towards the end of WW2 and were built for the U.S. military. They were to be installed somewhere in the Pacific as communications units. However the war ended before they were delivered to the Americans and they ended up being bought by the New Zealand Broadcasting Service for a new shortwave service called "Radio New Zealand" which began in 1948. Both were capable of running either CW or AM modes but of course only ever were used in the AM mode. They were very large physically, probably as big as a current 500 kW transmitter would be. They were built by Amalgamated Wireless (Australia) Pty in Sydney on a "cost plus" contract, which meant that the more that they cost, the bigger the profit was for AWA! They were made of heavy duty steel cabinets and were built like the proverbial battleship. 7.5 kW was the most power they would deliver. I tried getting a few more watts out of them by tuning them precisely, but 7.5 kW was the limit! I have fond memories of them. One of them has been kept at Titahi Bay as a museum piece. I remember often hearing one of the BBC Tebrau 7.5 kW transmitters in the mid 1960's when I worked at the Quartz Hill Receiving Station. We used to relay the 1100 UTC [sic] BBC News on RNZ and Tebrau was normally used, 9725 kHz with 100 kW. The 7.5 kW unit was (I think) on 7230 kHz, but was never good enough to use for rebroadcasting. I also heard Greece with 7.5 and 5 kW, VOA Munich 3980 kHz 8 kW, Norway 21730 kHz with 5 kW and 25900 kHz with 1.3 kW which boomed in like 100 kW at times. Those were the days! I think it is time to clear up a misapprehension about the power currently used by Radio New Zealand International. At no time is transmitter power reduced to 50 kW, it is always 100 kW. The output of the transmitter is split between two antennas for a lot of the day, with 50 kW beamed at 35 degrees and the other 50 kW going to a 325 degrees antenna. The ITU/HFCC schedules confirm that. For instance look at this entry for 6170 kHz: 6170 1300-1600 51,56,64S,65S RAN 50 325 0 148 ENG NZL RNZ 6170 1300-1600 61S,62,63W RAN 50 35 0 148 Eng NZL RNZ 6170 1545-1900 61S,62,63W RAN 100 35 0 148 Eng NZL RNZ It clearly shows the pattern. The BBC Singapore Relay does the same thing. Look as this entry for 9740 kHz which is a 250 kW transmitter split between two antennas: 9740 0900-1600 49 SNG 125 13 146 English G BBC VTC 9740 0900-1600 51W,54 SNG 125 135 547 English G BBC VTC So the power used by RNZI is always 100 kW. Whenever someone quotes 50 kW, they are only getting half the story! (Gordon Brown, NZ, NWDXC Jan 5 via BC-DX Jan 8 via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. 6170. RNZI, 1415, 1/10/10. General news feature in progress. Mixing with equally strong, presumed, VOR Mandarin service, via Khabarovsk. Fair to good signal (Jerry Strawman, Des Moines IA, Drake R8B, Wellbrook ALA-100 with 75' Loop, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NORTH AMERICA. Pirates ------------------------------- Barnyard Radio: 6930/USB, 2219-2301+, 9-Jan; Elvis tribute program; including appearance on the Louisiana Hayride at age 19 and first TV appearance (Jackie Gleason Show?); IDs every few minutes; 2233 inserted chicken & cow sounds --- brought back memories of the old Radio Botswana IS; calling Dr. Benway & BINGO -- guessing this program is a few years old. SIO=354-, dropped off some after 2230 (Frodge-MI) Outhouse Radio: 6925/USB, 2244-2250*, 10-Jan; Yaweh bit; mentioned Ragnar; ad for chewable Valium. Went off to raspy buzz which quit at 2250:53. SIO=353-, tinny audio (Frodge-MI) WBNY (presumed): 6800.5/AM, 2109-2135+, 9-Jan; Pirates Week program; items from FRN & FRW; Chris Lobdell recovering from eye surgery; off- air clips; Zeller interview about MT's abandonment of SWBC & pirates. SIO=33-4 on peaks; deep QSBs & high-pitched buzz QRM (Frodge-MI) Wolverine Radio: 6925/USB, 2136-2208*, 10-Jan; Great Fire Sign Theater program including such topics as; The Eye of God, Pluto Water from the French Lick Springs Hotel, umlauts in Hitler's family name, boot licking, TV listings including the National Metallurgical Religious Conflagration, Pooh story where Piglet gives Eeyor a busted balloon; Scottish cloning produced the rock Band Ewe2, George Lucas buys Ecuador, ad for Darwin Monkey Stout beer. Great stuff! SIO=454 Pse QSL if you gottem (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 125 ft. bow-tie; 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NORTH AMERICA. Date: Sun, 10 Jan 2010 18:02:04 -0500 Subject: TCS Sunday Night From: tcsshortwave @ gmail.com Greetings friends. The Crystal Ship is on the air tonight on about 5385 kHz AM, with the Johnson Viking II. Transmission commencing about 2305 UT. Happy New Year! -- John Poet, The Crystal Ship The Free Radio Weekly: A weekly Email publication with the most current pirate loggings and information now being published anywhere! Send your free subscription requests to freeradioweekly@gmail.com and tell 'em that we sent ya! Free Radio Network. Message Boards: http://www.frn.net/vines/ Pirates Week Podcast: http://www.piratesweek.info H.F. Underground Forum: http://www.hfunderground.com/board/ (TCS mailing list via Will Martin, MO, Jan 11, DXLD) ** NORTH AMERICA [and non?]. ANNOUNCING THE 2010 AMPLITUDE MODULATION TRANSMITTER RALLY --- Contest and Operating Event On the HF Amateur Bands (160 meters to 10 meters) Saturday, February 6, 2010, 6:00 AM EST to 2:00 AM EST the following day. The purpose of this event is to encourage the use of Amplitude Modulation on the Amateur Radio Bands, and to highlight various types of AM equipment in use today. This event is open to any and all radio amateurs who are running full carrier amplitude modulation (standard AM), and any type of equipment may be used. Commonly used AM Frequencies: 160 Meters: 1880-1885, 1930, 1945, 1975-1995. 80 Meters: 3730-3740, 3870-3885. 40 Meters: 7160, 7280-7295. 20 Meters: 14286. 10 Meters: 29000-29200. These commonly used frequencies can be good starting points. As activity grows, expand to other frequencies to prevent congestion and excessively large round tables. As always, PLEASE be considerate of existing QSOs and Nets, and ensure that the frequency is clear before calling "CQ, the A.M. Transmitter Rally". Points are to be awarded as follows: a) 1 point for each station worked a specific band. If you work the same station on more than one band, you get 1 point for each band. b) 1 point for each state, country or Canadian Province worked. Note: Both you and station with whom you are QSOing must be using AM. Logging The following information must be included in your log for each contact to be counted: Time (local), Frequency, Call Sign, First Name, Their Location (state is OK), Their Equipment Log Format: Each item should appear in a separate column, one line per contact. Template logs are here: http://www.classeradio.com/amtrlog.xls (excel) http://www.classeradio.com/amtrlog.csv (csv) Please let us know about anything unusual or unique you hear and / or any nominations for stations in "unusual" categories or with unusual or unique characteristics. A description of your station equipment, power and any other interesting features should also be included as part of your submission along with your mailing and email addresses. Pictures (in electronic form if available) are also encouraged! Whenever possible, please use electronic submission of logs using Excel or CSV (comma separated values) (preferred) formats. Email logs to: amtr @ radioassociates.com If you do not own, or cannot use a computer, paper logs may be mailed to: Radio Engineering Associates AMTR Logging 79 Tyler Road Townsend, MA 01469 Awards and Prizes will be given for the following areas: * 1) Overall highest points: 1st, 2nd and 3rd place * 2) Highest points in each of the following categories for stations as follows: o a) Using a classic commercial AM Amateur transmitter (such as a KW1, Desk KW, Collins 32V3, DX- 100, etc.) o b) Using a converted AM Broadcast Transmitter. o c) Using a military transmitter. o d) Using a home built vacuum tube transmitter (vacuum tubes in the RF amplifier and modulator). o e) Using a home built solid state transmitter. o f) Using a low level transmitter and linear amplifier. o g) Using anything not covered by the above. Note: Special recognition will be given to stations that show up in many other folks' logs, even if these operators did not send in a log themselves. This is to recognize the spirit and importance of operating during the event, even if one is not actively participating in the "contest". In addition to point awards, other awards will be issued on an ad-hoc basis, depending on the specific situation. Examples of these are: * a) Very unusual or unique equipment * b) Most clip leads in the transmitter * c) Most hum or incidental FM * d) Longest transmission heard * e) Highest weight to power ratio * Etc, etc, etc. Hope to see you all there!! http://amfone.net/Amforum/index.php (W2INR, The AM Forum, via Fred Jodry, Jan 8, DXLD) ** NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS. IBB TO AWARD NEW CONTRACT TO OPERATE SAIPAN/TINIAN The US Broadcasting Board of Governors, International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) anticipates the issuance of Request for Proposal (RFP) Solicitation for a single contractor to operate and maintain the Robert E Kamosa Transmitting Station facilities with radio transmitting plants located on the island of Tinian and the island of Saipan, in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The contract term will be one year from date of award, with an option to extend for four additional one-year periods at the discretion of the Government. The Solicitation is expected to be posted on the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website on or about 1 February, 2010. * More information http://www.fbodaily.com/archive/2010/01-January/10-Jan-2010/FBO-02037917.htm (Source: FedBizOpps) Andy Sennitt adds: According to WRTH 2010, this contract is currently held by Rome Research Corporation (January 11th, 2010 - 12:50 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via DXLD) 2 Comments on “IBB to award new contract to operate Saipan/Tinian” 1. #1 Jonathan Marks on Jan 11th, 2010 at 18:19 Shall we apply for the tender? Apart from the occasional bad weather, sounds like a dream job! 2. #2 Calvin on Jan 12th, 2010 at 01:55 Hi Jonathan, Although I have qualifications in the area (though never with transmitting plant as large as that on Tinian) I doubt we would get a look in if we were to apply :-( A Pity, would be a nice location to live in - but a bit isolated - wonder if they have decent high speed \\\’net access ?? :-P I suspect the existing contractor (Rome Research) will get it again. The size of the operation would probably need about 6 to 8 people including a few special skills like antenna rigging to be seriously considered. The operation on Tinian certainly looks quite impressive from Google satellite imagery. All the best, Calvin - Brisbane Australia (MN blog comments via DXLD) Maybe the next can keep that Saipan transmitter from going haywire? What else does Rome Research do, anyway; research?? (gh) ** NORWAY / SWEDEN. 1584 MW. Arctic R Morokulien will broadcast the next transmissions from R Morokulien on Jan 06 at 1300-1430, Jan 10 at 1300-1430 and 2000-2200. The program consists of nostalgic music of the sixties. Programs in Swedish except occasional announcements in English. The 2000 program should be audible in North Europe. Morokulien is a “fun country” between Sweden and Norway. “Moro” means fun in Norwegian, “kul” means fun in Sweden. The “country” was christened the “Radio Realm of Morokulien” by the Norwegian and Swedish national broadcasters in 1959, when the two broadcasters created a joint entertainment kingdom in support for the Norwegian and Swedish refugee organisations. The “country” actually is located on the border, in the Norwegian municipality of Eidsberg. The municipality in the Swedish side is Eda. The radio country consists of a radio cottage that includes a radio shack, a big living room, a bath with shower and a small kitchen with a two-tier bed for sleeping. There is a tourist office wherein the entrance is smack on the border strip and the two wings on either side of the border. There you can buy the Morokulien passport. It is located right on the road between Oslo and Stockholm. The train also passes there. Morokulien is about 6 hectares big. It is called a “Republic of Peace,” not a nation. There is an 18-metre-tall Peace Monument erected in 1914 marking 100 years of peace between Norway and Sweden (after 400 years of war). The radio station amateur call sign is SJ9WL (Swedish call) and LG5LG (Norwegian call). Licenced hams can rent the radio stations. There is a regular ham chat on 3670 kHz (or thereabout) every Saturday at 0900 (Rolf Lovstrom, Oslo, Norway, DSWCI DX Window Jan 6 via DXLD) I`m surprised the DXCC haven`t tried to make it a countable separate radio country. Seems made to order (gh, DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. DEADLINE FOR KGOU SIGNAL EXPANSION PROJECTS About a year ago KGOU launched three projects to build new stations in Woodward, Ada and Chickasha, adding or improving service to areas of Oklahoma that have limited public radio options. Expanding Horizons projects We're entering the planning and equipment-purchasing phases of these projects. But before we make any expenditures, we need to know that support is there to go ahead. By mid-February, we'd like to have pledges for at least half of the funds that need to be raised for each project. The Woodward and Ada projects have been awarded federal grants to finance most of the costs, if we can raise the remainder. See more details of each project on our New Horizons pages, http://www.kgou.org/expand_campaign.php or contact us with any questions or help you can offer, and then select the Capital Campaign and Signal Expansion option on our online pledge form to contribute. And stay tuned for more updates in General Manager Karen Holp's "Manager's Desk" reports (KGOU e-Newsletter Jan 7 via DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. 1120, KEOR, Sperry, had been rather constant, but Jan 8 at 2030 UT found it missing and for several minutes as I was land- mobile. Signal became audible sometime after 2100, and since it was talk, figured it was now KMOX, until heard KJMU-1340 ID (only), the station it simulcasts in Sand Springs, back to Old School music (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. The afternoon of Jan 7 around 2015 UT, I was getting swishy intermittent noise ranging 1590-1700 kHz on the caradio as I drove around the east side of Enid, something new. It did not seem to correlate with proximity to powerlines. First suspect was KFXY-1640 putting out spurs from the middle of this range, altho transmitter site is some 20 miles away to the SSE. I parked, got out a portable radio, and quickly ruled that out as the noise did not match modulation peaks on 1640, and furthermore the direxionality was 90 degrees away from KFXY, i.e. ENE/WSW. A few miles to the west I did this again, and found the same bearing, so the source must be some distance away. Suspect some OG&E electric company problem, perhaps caused by high winds and extremely cold temps lately. At least we had no power outages here, unlike OKC. The noise persisted the next day but became weaker, and could also be detected on some lower MW channels (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OMAN [and non]. 15140, Jan 9 at 1440, fluttery signal averaging S9+5 with music but very undermodulated, so I felt better about yet again not having tuned in early enough to hear English news from R. Sultanate of Oman at 1430, since it probably would have been a strain to make anything out of. Similar signal level on decent Romanian transmitter 15170 was adequate to enjoy the music, understand the speech, without CRQRM (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAKISTAN. 9340, 9/1 1722, Radio Pakistan, in Urdu, songs, terrible modulation! Fair (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italia, RX: SDR-IQ, Yaesu FRG-7, Drake R8, AOR AR7030; ANT: T2FD, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PALAU. I was surprised to hear Spanish gospel huxter, ``La Verdad para el Mundo`` at 1431 Jan 9 on 9965. Speaker spoke good Spanish but North American accent detectable. First wondered if WRMI had pulled a fast one and shifted out from under 9955 jamming, tho jamming pulse splatter also bothered 9965, and altho WORLD OF RADIO was supposedly underneath Arnie`s noise at this time on 9955. La Verdad para el Mundo is in fact carried by WRMI at another time per http://www.wrmi.net/schedule.php And the signal level, modulation could have been WRMI. La Verdad para el Mundo closing mentioned Billy Graham, and was upwrapping with an apartado in Villa Rica, Georgia 30180! Did they pick that town just so they could use a Spanish name? It`s halfway to AL west of Atlanta on I-20. Top Google hit on zipcode to confirm that name also informed us V.R. had 45 registered sex offenders in 2007, helpful info. Here`s more than you would ever want to know about that town: http://www.city-data.com/zips/30180.html including the fact that it`s hardly a latino hotbed despite the name, presumably developer-chosen to appeal to affluent Anglos desiring a taste of the exotic: ``96.8% of residents of 30180 zip code speak English at home. 1.8% of residents speak Spanish at home (42% very well, 27% well, 25% not well, 6% not at all).`` But I digress. Back to the 9965 signal, whence if not WRMI? Retune at 1445 found open carrier, commercials giving 800 numbers for mortgages, 3-step plan, then USA network sports capsule about NBA axion. 1448 more dead air for a minute, 1449 finally World Harvest Radio ID, English gospel song. A new WHRI transmission to Latin America? No! at 1457 more WHR promos, not // another broadcast on 9930 which just went off at 1458:20*, and back to 9965 in time finally to hear a T8WH ID at 1458:30, then Peter Sumrall preaching. Palau in Spanish?! Perhaps for colonial remnants in Guam, Philippines (where many people have Spanish names whether they speak it or not). WHR website is not cooperating, failing to display program schedules, but does deny that such a program title exists in any of them. 9930 is also T8WH, both supposedly in Mandarin, which is not closely related to English or Spanish. Wrong feed? Who knows (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, it seems strange that Palau would broadcast La Verdad para el Mundo in Spanish to Pacific/Asia, unless the same programming airs simultaneously all the time on WHRI and Palau now (Jeff White, FL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) "...Villa Rica, Georgia 30180" >> and as any red-blooded Georgia native knows, it's pronounced, "VILL'-uh RICK'-uh". – (GREG HARDISON, CA, not in Georgia anymore, toad-oh, playdx yg via DXLD) Ha, but not on this program (gh) Re my previous report, T8WH 9965 carrying a Spanish program, Sat Jan 9 at 1430, La Verdad para el Mundo. On Jan 10 I am able to check the online schedule, which shows: 1430-1445 Sa Truth for the World Don Blackwell & Jim Dearman 9965 As if it were in English. Perhaps the programmers decided to switch to their Spanish version, or WHR downloaded the wrong one (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3385, Radio East New Britain , 11:59-12:20, 10- January-2010, in English / Pidgin. 1159 C&W Song, 1200: Station ID by female announcer followed by a modern religious song, 1215, female announcer w/ time check, followed by another modern religious song. Signal: Fair to good at times, other PNGs audible this AM, 3260, 3275, 3290, 3325 and 3365. (Ed Wlodarski, NJ, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** PERU. 3329.53, Ondas del Huallaga, Huánuco 1030 to 1100 most days 4857.37, Radio La Hora, Cusco 2330 on 8 January 5039.22, Radio Libertad, Junín 1100 5120.363, Ondas del Suroriente, Quillabamba 1120 music on 9 January 22 December 5460.11, Radio Bolívar, Cd. Bolívar 2320 noted with weak signal, OM, fading, 20 December (Bob Wilkner, Pómpano Beach, Flórida, Jan 10, Drake R 8, Icom 746Pro DL, NRD 535D, noise reducing antenna, 60 meter band dipole, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 4746.9, R. Huanta 2000, Huanta, 2239-2254, 07 Jan, Castilian, Indian songs in both Castilian & Quechua; 45433. 4775, R. Tarma, Tarma, 2245-2257, 07 Jan, Castilian, Indian songs; 24331, QRM de BRASIL. Better on 09 Jan, 2245, CODAR QRM only. 4790, R. Visión, Chiclayo, 2215-2228, 07 Jan, Castilian, ballads, classical music jingle + webpage info. for "La Cosecha" (religious propaganda) (this means "The Harvest"); 34332, CODAR QRM. It was good a bit later, at 2245. 4789.3, R. Atlántida, Iquitos, 2235-2244, 09 Jan, Castilian, IPDA propaganda program before a live audience; powerful audio; 34443, CODAR QRM. [??? Previous reports indicate R. Atlántida is not only off the air but no longer exists. Were you really hearing R. Visión again, even if on a varied frequency? Do you ever get both at the same time with a het? Chiclayo is also well-known for carrying IPDA. Or was there something else to connect 4789.3 with Iquitos? --- gh] [Glenn, I can't say I did hear the Atlántida ID, just local references that, maybe wrongly, made me assume it was this stn, but then I can't remember, and don't write down every detail that help me ID this or that stn, like local advs., currency, places. As to the heterodyne between Atlántida 4789.3 & Visión 4790, it was not noticed, but since they were logged on different dates, it's either what you say, i.e. Visión shifting to 4789.3, or some other stn, but... I checked previous logs of Visión, and they were on 4790: 4790.0 2240-2249 PRU 18/12 R.Visión, Chiclayo. Cast,rlgs propag. often ment'ing. "milagros".CODAR QRM 34432 CGS 4790.0 2247-2309 PRU 04/7 R.Visión, Chiclayo. Cast,rlgs propag.,ID+sl. "RV - una radio para todos." 35343 CGS and believe I've seen it on DXWindow bulletins logged on 4790 too. But if not Atlántida, if was not BOL either for I must *always* use my 225º Bev. for BOL whereas PRU is received via the 270º Bev. 73 Carlos] 4857.5, R. La Hora, Cusco, 2255-2304, 07 Jan, Castilian, songs, advertisements, ID+FM frequency announcement, program announcements, slogan "La Radio de Siempre", sports program "Deporte al Día" at 2300; 45433. 4950, R. Madre de Dios, Ptº Maldonado, 2217-2230, 09 Jan, Castilian, Indian songs; 34321, het with Angola 4949.7, but the latter was hardly audible. 5120.4, Ondas del Suroriente, Quillabamba, 2219-2234, 09 Jan, Castilian, songs, advertisements, announcement for land development program, municipality announcements; 34332, adjacent utility QRM. 73, (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 4747, RADIO HUANTA 2000. Huanta, Perú. 10-01 0051-0102* Musica folclórica y programación bilingüe a las 0100 con ID como cierre también: "...Transmite desde Huanta, bella esmeralda de los Andes; Radio Huanta 2000, OAZ5D, 4755 [sic] kHz onda corta; OCX5O 1160 kHz onda media y OCC5A 92.9 MHz FM estéreo..." luego Himno Nacional. 5939.3, RADIO MELODIA. Arequipa, Perú. 09-01 0103-0125 --- Fuerte QRM desde 5940 de la BBC. Melodías peruanas, entre canción "Melodía" luego de las 0115 con el programa Melodía en los Deportes. Con la programacion de partidos de fútbol de una copa local (Rafael Rodriguez R., Bogotá D.C. - COLOMBIA, en el municipio de Fomeque, Cundinamarca, distante una hora al sur oriente de Bogotá; escuchas realizadas con el Sony ICF 2010 y un pequeño dipolo de 8 metros, Jan 11, condiglist yg via DXLD) ** PHILIPPINES [non]. 11715, Jan 9 at 1507, RVA via Vatican, animated Tagalog W&W conversation, but throwing in English expressions, such as ``much happiness in the coming year``, ``join us in Facebook``. And another day with zero sign of KJES during scheduled transmission. 11715, RVA via VATICAN, Jan 10 at 1506 totally in English instead of Tagalog, with religious service, first a prayer interrupted by amens, guitar hymn, 1509 let us pray again, ``the liturgy of the word``, and lite reverb/echo. 1510 modulation drops down for a few seconds; at first thought an open carrier had come on atop. Further chex: 1521 still sermon in English with an accent I can`t place but maybe Tagalog, ditto 1529, 1541. So is it in English consistently on Sundays? At some points, especially the hymn with guitar accompaniment, one might have taken this for KJES, but no robokids, so surely still absent (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PORTUGAL. 15560, RDPI with weekend transmission to NAm, Jan 9 at 1511 was giving periodic but seemingly randomly scheduled detailed frequency/schedule announcement, including satellite info. Squealing slightly audible during pauses, but VG signal. SW included 21655, 15560, but added that because of technical problems, there would be no ``extraordinary`` transmissions to Africa after 2000, or weekends after 1700, i.e. silly ballgame specials. Perhaps Carlos can explain exactly what the cause is --- one transmitter or antenna out of order, or the usual lack of personnel available to make manual switching changes beyond 9-5? If they are still extending broadcasts to other targets, those should certainly be mentioned as audible in Africa for backup. But SW stations where people do not actually listen to SW, tend to think they have discrete targets with no overlap (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Re 10-01, RDPi: a visit to the HF site --- See the site on Google Earth: 38 47 06N 08 41 49W (Ian Baxter, Shortwavesites Yahoo Group via DXLD) 15560, 9/1 1410, RDP International, is the station I prefer because the music with Drake R8 6 kHz bandwidth and AMS (I use MS4 Drake speaker), in Portuguese, good (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italia, playdx yg via DXLD) AMS? ** PRIDNESTROVYE. Hi Glenn, This week I received a QSL letter from Radio Pridnestrovya for my reception report from 29 January 2009 at 2230 UT on 6240 kHz. B & W QSL letter of antenna array, Radio PMR building with satellite dishes out front. V/S Vlad Butuk, Engineer of Technical Service. The rest of the letter lists their broadcast schedule in SW, MW and FM. SW listed as follows: 6240 MHz at 500 kW, Sgdra rotation A-31A, Azimuth 306 from 0100 to 0230 UTC in EG, FR, GE 7370 MHz at 500 kW, Sgdra rotation A-31A, Azimuth 296 from 1700 to 2100 UTC in EG, FR, GE 7375 MHZ at 500 kW, Sgdra rotation A-31A, Azimuth 296 from 2100 to 2230 UTC in EG, FR, GE A small strip of paper enclosed with the QSL letter states: Dear Mr. Edward J Insinger! Sorry, but we have to kept your waiting, some problems before. Now all is okay. Many thanks for reception report! We hope you will listening our radiobroadcast next time, All the best to you and your family! (Note: copied here as written). Also gives e-mail address: radiopmr @ inbox.ru and web site http://www.president-pmr.org I don't know what he means by "Some problems before. Now all is okay." Four beautiful color stamps on the envelope. 73's, (Ed Insinger, Summit, NJ, Jan 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Ed, Tnx for the report. Was there a date on the letter, or legible postmark? That schedule looks imaginary. What does he know? 7370 was dropped a couple years ago, tho I see it and 7375 are still registered for brief periods via that site, probably relaying YFR or something on behalf of the Russians. They are again on 6240 of course, but at 2315-2400 only, UT Sun-Thu. I don`t think they were ever on at 0100+ UT, so the times are apparently wrongly specified or converted (Glenn to Ed, via DXLD) And I wonder what ``Sgdra rotation A-31A`` means Hi Glenn, The postmark on the envelope is 12120915, POSTA MOLDOVEI, C.P.. TIRASPOL. I don't know what the extra numbers on the date (15) signify. [probably time of day, like USPS used to reveal --- gh] There is also a post like stamp on the QSL Letter with writing around the circumference, which is illegible, In the center in large letters are the words PAANO NMP. [cyrillic for RADIO PMR, the Roman letters being an approximation --- gh] The MW and FM frequency languages are listed as Russian, Ukranian and Moldavien. As for the times, all are listed at the top of the chart schedule as TRANSMISSION TIME UT, so I was interpreting this to mean UT. I hope this sheds some additional light, Glenn. Thank you for the follow-up. 73's, (Ed Insinger, ibid.) ** RUSSIA. Re ORF-OE1 6155 Moosbrunn closure at 0711 UT. Now at 0900 UT Jan 1st Arkhangelsk 6160 kHz is finally more or less in the clear since Austria is no longer on the air after the morning transmissions. Good but fluttery signal here. Some splash from 6165 kHz. A fluttery weak carrier on 6165 kHz and a good signal on 6150 kHz (Olle Alm, Sweden, Jan 1, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Jan 8 via DXLD) Domenica 3 gennaio 2010, 0820 - 6160 // 5930 (Murmansk) kHz, R. ROSSII - Arkhangelsk, Russo, dibattito OMs, Segnale sufficiente-buono; R. Austria 6155 spenta, anche ieri pomeriggio (Luca Botto Fiora, G.C. 09E13 - 44N21, Rapallo (Genova), Italia, bclnews.it via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Log of Jan 8th: Yakutsk (Rossii) with Piaf singer: 7200 kHz // 7230 kHz, Greyline! From Jakutsk S=9+10dB in Stuttgart. Also Russian via Murmansk 5930 fair this morning (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, Jan 8, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Radio Rossii from Magadan noted around 0845 on January 8th on 7320 kHz. Weak signal, in parallel with Yakutsk on 7200 kHz and 7230 kHz, IDs and advertising in Russian. Have a nice week-end, good DX & 73s (Robert Foerster, Germany, Jan 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. Voice of Russia, Moscow in Russian. Programme Club DX. New schedule. Monday: 0333 UT 648, 972, 1503, 7220, 7260, 7305, 12070, 15240, 15735DRM 0933 UT 612, 972, 999, 1170, 1377, 7325DRM 1845 UT 630, 648, 999, 1026, 1089, 1170, 1431, 1503, 5985, 7225, 7230, 7290. 2333 UT 999, 1026, 7260. (Club DX # 974 / Aleksander Diadischev / "open_dx", RUSdx Jan 3 via BC-DX Jan 8 via DXLD) ** SAINT HELENA. 14210, ZD7VC, 2245, 1/3/10. Ham operator Bruce Salt in Jamestown, talking to US hams. Good signal for over 1 1/2 hours. Maybe this guy could offer some help to R. St. Helena (Jerry Strawman, Des Moines, IA, Drake R8B, Wellbrook ALA-100 w/ 75' Loop, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SERBIA [non]. Hi, I checked 6100 Serbia several times at the 1930 timeslot. The broadcast should be in English, but it was in Serbian. The program schedule from their website says 1930 English. Regards (Alex Wellner, Australia, Jan 10, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOLOMON ISLANDS. 5020, SIBC hrd Jan 8 from 0717 tune and recorded to 1600. At 0717 QRM from R. Rebelde was severe but thanks to the Perseus SDR's tunable passband and notching capability, decent audio could be captured under Rebelde's saturated audio covering 5015 to 5035. Highlights of this extended logging: At 1100 there was local news in English to 1109.5 and an SIBC ID by a woman at 1103. A request program hosted by a woman in English and Pidgin followed with an Australian caller heard at 1123. The songs were very pleasant island instrumental and vocal pieces by seemingly local bands. At 1158 a woman ID'd as "Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation, Radio Happy Isles" followed by closing in English and the Solomon Is. national anthem to 1200. QRM was nil to slight in this time period (SINPO 44544), but adjacent channel QRM gradually worsened after 1130, presumably from 5030. From 1200, BBC programming took over to 1600 tune out. BBC News heard at 1200 with man and woman announcers (Bruce Churchill, Fallbrook CA, Jan 9, Cumbre DX via DXLD) 5019.96, 9/1 1912, Solomon Islands BC, here in Milano I had only the carrier on 5019.96, but I could listen to them via a remote SDR receiver located at the University of Twente, in Nederland. Music, few talks. Very weak (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italia, RX: SDR- IQ, Yaesu FRG-7, Drake R8, AOR AR7030; ANT: T2FD, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5020, BBCWS sounder and news in English, Jan 12 at 1400, enough to be sure it`s the SIBC overnight relay, and Cuba was weaker than usual on 5025 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOUTH AFRICA. New address: QSL letter shows>>>>> Sentech Ltd PO Box 234. Meyerton 1960. S. A. Signer was - Sikander Hoosen (Ron Killick, NZ, Jan 8, HCDX via DXLD) ** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. 13810, Brother Scare, in a lather about something, Jan 12 at 1514, lite long-path echo // weaker 17485 but not exactly synchronized. I have seen some reports of 13810 attributed to USA, but certainly not. 13810 is Nauen, 17485 is Wertachtal per HFCC, tho Aoki still shows the latter in B-09 as Juelich, plus a few other listings --- I think not (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SPAIN. REE observed on new 9620 for the first time today, January 9th, around 1100 in Spanish with excellent signal, parallel to usual 15585. 73s (Robert Foerster, Germany, Jan 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SPAIN. EL SECTOR ACOGE CON ESCEPTICISMO EL PLAN PARA DIGITALIZAR TODAS LAS EMISIONES --- A Las emisiones de radio digital han pasado desapercibidas en España. La radio digital existe en España desde hace diez años, pero no la escucha nadie. El elevado precio de los receptores, la ausencia de una oferta diferenciada y las mejoras experimentadas en la calidad de las emisiones analógicas, que hacen poco apreciable el salto de calidad que supone la digital, son algunos de los factores que han frenado el desarrollo de esta tecnología en España, según fuentes del sector consultadas por este diario. Además, una legislación poco adecuada y la escasa rentabilidad de la radio digital, junto con los gastos que acarrea, dibujan un panorama poco alentador. . . Fuente: http://bit.ly/77z20H (via Yimber Gaviria, Colombia, DXLD) ** SPAIN. El mapa de la radio 'pirata' --- EL GOBIERNO SE COMPROMETE A ERRADICAR LAS EMISORAS FRAUDULENTAS DESPUÉS DE AÑOS DE DENUNCIAS - El sector calcula que hay 3.000 estaciones ilegales ROSARIO G. GÓMEZ - Madrid - 11/01/2010 REPORTAJE La piratería campa a sus anchas en las ondas. Más de 3000 emisoras de radio emiten de forma ilegal en España sin que nadie lo evite. En algunas comunidades el número de emisoras irregulares ha alcanzado tal volumen que triplica a aquellas que tienen licencia para operar. Tan alarmantes son los efectos de la piratería que los radiodifusores aseguran que está causando más daño que la crisis publicitaria. La pasividad de la Administración (tanto estatal como autonómica) y los subterfugios normativos han llevado al sector una situación verdaderamente límite y nunca vista en la historia del medio. Para erradicar el fenómeno, el Gobierno elaborará un mapa de la radio española, que permitirá limpiar el espectro y cerrar de forma rápida y contundente las emisoras que carecen de autorización. . . Fuente: http://bit.ly/8mRWCs (El País via Yimber Gaviria, Colombia, DXLD) Hi Glenn, Here's is the English version of the pirate radio story that appeared in our El País English edition on January 12, 2010. There are three sections all together. 73s, (Marty Delfín, Madrid, DXLD) WHY PIRATE RADIO RULES THE WAVES --- ESTIMATES PUT THE NUMBER OF ILLEGAL BROADCASTERS IN SPAIN AS HIGH AS 3,000 ROSARIO G. GÓMEZ, Madrid While lawmakers' attention these days seems to focus on illegal internet downloads, the fact is that piracy finds its greatest freedom on the airwaves. There are currently more than 3,000 radio stations broadcasting illegally in Spain, and nobody is doing anything about it. In some regions, the situation is so severe that there are three times as many unlicensed stations as there are legal ones. Licensed radio broadcasters argue that the effects of piracy on the industry are even more harmful than the ongoing advertising crisis. Despite years of protests, governments - both at the central and regional level - have dragged their feet on this issue, even as legal loopholes allowed pirate station to proliferate. This lack of action has led to a state of anarchy, despite the fact that authorities have the means and the tools to clean up the radio waves. But the situation has become so untenable that the government is finally taking action. A new government body called the State Radio Communications Agency, due to come into existence on June 1, will take over control of the airwaves and create a national map of Spanish radio stations, which will enable the government to swiftly shut down unauthorized broadcasters. The new agency is the result of the General Audiovisual Communications Law, which received approval from the Constitutional Committee in Congress last week and is due for review in the Senate in February. Before it can expel underground stations from the air, the government will first have to identify them, but much of this task has already been done. Since 2004, the Industry Ministry has a list of irregular stations, courtesy of the Spanish Association of Commercial Radio Broadcasters (AERC), which compiled the information in the hope that it would nudge the executive into action a little earlier than this. The AERC, whose members include all the major commercial stations - including SER, Onda Cero and Cadena Cope - tallied around 3,000 illegal stations, most of which were airing out of the Canary Islands, Andalusia, the Valencian region, Catalonia, Madrid and the Basque Country. The report also said that some licensed networks operated unlicensed stations on the side, and called the situation in Spain "a global radiophonic anomaly." The AERC noted that the government was more zealous about clamping down on any irregularity committed by the licensed operators, no matter how slight, than about eradicating the pirate stations. This, said the association, led to the paradox that in Spain it is more expensive to operate legally than it is to operate illegally. Since 2004, a few hundred pirate stations have been fined, but overall, these five years have seen an increase in their numbers, rather than a decrease. The sector is now applauding the government's project to put an end to radio piracy, and says that its 2004 report still reflects the situation "with 90 percent accuracy." "We were waiting for this," said an industry spokesperson. "It is time for the Industry Ministry and the regional governments to close down all the illegal stations." "We're going to end this illegal occupation" "At home I only pick up the illegal stations, not the legal ones, because their air space is occupied by the pirate stations," says Ana Oramas, a deputy for Coalición Canaria. Her complaint, which was voiced while the General Audiovisual Communications Law was going through Congress, was so convincing that many political groups immediately backed her proposal to swiftly eliminate all of the unlicensed stations from the airwaves. Under the new law, there will be requisites to broadcast legally and a clear procedure to shut down any station that fails to properly comply with the legislation. For Oramas, pirate radio stations are an especially sensitive issue, since the Canary Islands are the country's biggest haven for them. Around 500 underground stations operate out of the archipelago. "We're serious. We're going to end this illegal occupation of radio airspace," she stated. Until now, the regional governments skirted around the issue by deflecting the demands of licensed broadcasters over to the central government, which in turn sent the ball back to the regional courts. "Neither the regional nor the central governments dare touch this subject," said the spokesman for the Catalan coalition grouping CiU, Josep Antoni Durán i Lleida. Joan Ridao, of the ERC Catalan republicans, backed the zero-tolerance policy, as did the Socialist Party. "The radio sector cannot live side by side with piracy," said the Socialist spokesman Óscar López, who asked for a complete map of all current legal broadcasters as a first step to immediately shut down the unauthorized ones. Radio gaga - Illegal stations. With 482, the Canary Islands is the region with most pirate radio stations currently broadcasting. Then comes Andalusia (387), Valencia (318), Catalonia (183), Madrid (144), the Basque Country (143), Murcia (106), Galicia (103), Aragón (73), Cantabria (69), Castilla y León (68), Castilla-La Mancha (67), Asturias (40), Extremadura (27), Navarre (25) and La Rioja (4). - Legal stations. Legal radio stations have occupied a total of 124 frequencies on an irregular basis. See also: http://blogs.rnw.nl/medianetwork/spain-to-shut-down-up-to-3000-illegal-radio-stations#comments (via DXLD) ** SRI LANKA. 11750, 9/1 1645, Sri Lanka BC, (presumed) slow songs, at 1700 news in native language, and songs again, talks by woman, fading, poor/fair (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italia, RX: SDR-IQ, Yaesu FRG-7, Drake R8, AOR AR7030; ANT: T2FD, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN. 7200, SRTC, 0218-0250, Jan 9, local vocals. Arabic talk. Qur`an at 0241. Weak. Poor with occasional ham QRM (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) 7200. R. Omdurman, 0320, 1/10/10. Arabic talk. Music varied from a jazzy flute bumper, to a more traditional local music with plucked instruments. No sign of R. Sakha. Overall fair to good signal (Jerry Strawman, Des Moines, IA, Drake R8B, Wellbrook ALA-100 w/ 75' Loop, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN [non]. via Slovakia, 9825, Miraya 101 FM, *1459-1514, Jan 9, time pips & IDs at 1500. IDs as “Miraya 101” and “Miraya 101 FM”. English news at 1501. Arabic talk at 1513. Poor. Weak in noisy conditions. Co-channel QRM from VOA until their sign off at 1501 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) ** SUDAN [non]. via Wertachtal, Germany, 13740, Radio Dabanga, *1530-1627*, Jan 9, IDs. ID jingles. Arabic talk. Short music breaks. Poor. Mixing with a strong China Radio Int in English via Cuba. In the clear after 1600 when China signs off. Fair but high pitch tone on // 13800 - via Madagascar. via Issoudun, France, 7315, Radio Dabanga, *0430-0440, Jan 9, sign on with ID announcements. ID jingles. Arabic talk. Fair (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) ** SUDAN [non]. 11785, 9/1 1630, Sudan Radio Service, Clandestine via Meyerton, South Africa, talks in Arabic mentioning many times Sudan, good (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italia, RX: SDR-IQ, Yaesu FRG-7, Drake R8, AOR AR7030; ANT: T2FD, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)FS ** SURINAME. 4990, Radio Apintie (Paramaribo) (presumed), 0502-0515, 1/6/2010, Dutch (per schedule). Easy listening pop vocal music with a short announcement by a woman. Very poor signal, peaking above the noise about 30% of the time. Could not identify the language. No problem from the usual strong Brazilian on 4985 tonight (Jim Evans, Germantown, TN, RX-340, R8B, IC-R75, E1, ICF-SW7600G, Random Wires (90' and 200'), ALA100M, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4990, Radio Apintie, Paramaribo 0500, on Jan 7th, Chuck Bolland and Lúcio Bobrowiec tips (Bob Wilkner, Pómpano Beach, Flórida, Jan 10, Drake R 8, Icom 746Pro DL, NRD 535D, noise reducing antenna, 60 meter band dipole, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4990, presumed R. Apintie, Paramaribo, 0352-0403, Jan 9, vernacular. Continuous ballads & pop-like music thru ToH; poor-fair at best; been hearing this one fairly regularly lately during my local evenings, but I'll be damned if I can catch an ID (Scott R. Barbour Jr. Intervale, N.H. USA, NRD-545, RX-350D, MLB1, 200' Beverages, 60m dipole, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The big hint for me is when a Dutch language public service announcement is played, which seems to happen a few times an hour :) (Rik van Riel, NH, HCDX via WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DXLD) ** SWAZILAND. 3200, TWR Manzini, 0308-0317, Jan 8, listed Ndebele. Announcer with talk; music bridge with local contact info & phone number; presumably where program was produced?; vernacular gospel music; fair-good (Scott R. Barbour Jr. Intervale, N.H. USA, NRD-545, RX-350D, MLB1, 200' Beverages, 60m dipole, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SWEDEN / NORWAY. See NORWAY / SWEDEN Morokulien ** SYRIA. 9330, 9/1 1725, Radio Damascus, Syria, good signal but very low, but really low modulation, to be unusable! (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italia, RX: SDR-IQ, Yaesu FRG-7, Drake R8, AOR AR7030; ANT: T2FD, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TAJIKISTAN. Getting a nice, relatively clean signal, via 4765 at 0310, here in northern New Hampshire. Local music & announcers banter. Best I've logged from them in some time (Scott R. Barbour Jr., Intervale, NH-USA, UT Jan 9, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Nice catch, Scott. All I can get here in New York is a het and the faintest hint of a male voice which may or may not be an image (John Figliozzi, Halfmoon NY, Eton E1XM, A/D DX Sloper, 0327 UT Jan 9, ibid.) Is this Tajik Radio via Dushanbe? Nice s-7 signal though in a lot of noise (Steve Price, Johnstown, PA, NASWA yg via DXLD) Good tonight in South Florida from 0330 chorale music (Bob Wilkner, Pompano Beach FL, 0340 UT Jan 10, ibid.) Nice middle eastern music with nice s-7 signal and clear! Very tough language! (Steve Price, PA, 0442 UT Jan 10, ibid.) 4765, Tajik Radio, 0330 per Scott Barbour log, good but faded by 0345. 10 January (Bob Wilkner, Pómpano Beach, Flórida, Jan 10, Drake R 8, Icom 746Pro DL, NRD 535D, noise reducing antenna, 60 meter band dipole, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4765, Tajik Radio, Yangiyul, 0303-0336, Jan 9, listed Tajik. Familiar format with M & W announcers between pop-like music selections; taking listener phone-calls from 0313 thru tune/out; good-fair; surprisingly strong & clear signal at tune/in; best ever as far as I can recall, even from ex-4635; began to lose strength by BoH (Scott R. Barbour Jr. Intervale, N.H. USA, NRD-545, RX-350D, MLB1, 200' Beverages, 60m dipole, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** THAILAND. 8743, 9/1 1620, Bangkok Meteorogical Radio, info and interval signal at 1624, poor (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italia, RX: SDR-IQ, Yaesu FRG-7, Drake R8, AOR AR7030; ANT: T2FD, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) USB? ** TIBET. 4905, Xizang PBS-Lhasa, 1538-1557, Jan 10. New schedule for “Holy Tibet” program (now 1530-1600, ex: 1630-1700). Usual Sunday program of traditional Tibetan songs; IDs each song (“You are immediately going to hear the song named Qinghai-Tibet Railway”); fair. 4905, Xizang PBS-Lhasa, 1530-1600, Jan 11. “Holy Tibet” program in English; news items about Tibet (Jan 4 start of new non-smoking law for Lhasa, etc.); “Tibet Stories”; accent rather strong and hard to understand even though they had decent signal strength; // 4920, 6110 and 6200 (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TUNISIA. Tunez: RTCI Radio Tunez Canal Internacional con su programacion en español en la red: http://rtci.fm RTCI es una emisora pública afiliada a Radio Túnez. Usando este nombre desde febrero de 1986. Y toma su nombre de la distribución de sus programas en francés, italiano, inglés, alemán y español. Es una emisora generalista; sus programas son para la elite intelectual en Túnez, así como también a los expatriados y turistas. Todas las horas son en UT. Tiene una Programación diaria en: Italiano de 1400-1430 hs Aleman de 1430-1500 hs Ingles de 1900-1930 hs Español de 1930-2000 hs la página web es: http://www.rtci.tn Y escucharlos en: http://rtci.fm (Yimber Gaviria, Colombia, Jan 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TURKEY [and non]. 12035.0, VOT in English during Live from Turkey, Thursday Jan 7 at 1416. Usual distorted audio from this ailing Çakirlar transmitter, and lo audible het, but not clear whether that is from inside or outside the TRT transmitter. Too poor to get anything out of the program. VOR via Samara at 14-15, 250 kW at 130 degrees is on 12035 in HFCC, but not in WRTH, Aoki or EiBi, so may be wooden. Checked // 15300 at 1422 as final VOT IS was playing, fast SAH with RFI and off, so that frequency is useless too due to collision not avoided in poor B-09 planning, while there are plenty of clear spots on 19m. 9410 will always be a quintessential BBCWS frequency to me, dating back several sesquidecades, not too long ago virtually 24 hours in English, but now it`s partial and others are welcome to inmove. I was aware Voz de Turquía was using it for Spanish at 02-03, but now heard with another transmission, Jan 8 at 1358 with IS, 1400 timesignal a few sex late and opening in Russian, as in B-09 schedule from Çakirlar site. Then quick check of 12035 in English from a another transmitter in that hall showed the usual low het and somewhat distorted modulation. VOT has 11815 to itself, no REE/CR collision, on Saturday mornings, so Jan 9 at 1415 might have enjoyed the music on VG signal --- but modulation poor, rather like English on 12035. TRT really needs to work on the modulation, especially at Çakirlar site --- or, who knows, a problem feeding it without degradation from studio to site. VOT English at 1330-1420v on 12035 is getting worse and worse. Jan 9 audio was degraded, but Jan 10 at 1420 despite S9+15 signal level, just barely modulated as I could detect the sign-off in English; 1422 check // 15300, fast rippling het with RFI during last few notes of VOT IS. 12035, surprised to find a TRT-sounding signal here Jan 12 at 1444, long after this frequency is supposed to close around 1422 when English concludes. This was in a Slavic language, and believe I heard TRT mentioned, perhaps in an URL. Sure did not seem Russian; thought it might be ``Bosnian``, which TRT had last year at this time on 9525, but that`s among the many languages they have supposedly deleted. 12035 had the same audio distortion as heard during English, plus the low het tnx to someone off-frequency. Produxion style also was VOTish, with long program theme music following announcement of show title. S9+12 signal suddenly cut off the air at 1447 as someone realized their mistake, uncovering a weak signal from something else which produced the het, perhaps VOR Samara tho not in all listings. The only transmissions during this semihour on the TRT schedule are: 11815 Turkish (also heard, well) 9785 Kazakh 9410 Russian I did not check these until I had looked them up a few minutes later. By then, 9410 had a mix between BBCWS English via Oman and VOT Russian; 9785 dominated by ChiCom jamming and VOA Chinese via Philippines. It`s also noteworthy that all three are Çakirlar, so the Emirler site is not on the air at all at this time. Why would it not be in use? VOT has been caught several times before asleep at the switch, putting a following language on the previous frequency. Unlike the day before, TRT got 12035 Çakirlar turned off after English until 1422, no signal at 1432 check Jan 13 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U A E. Re: DXLD 10-01 VOA - R. Aap ki Dunyaa on 1539 kHz --- VOA- English News was broadcast for five minutes at 1800, 1900 and 2000 UT last autumn. It seems to be broadcast now only at 2000 UT (S. Hasegawa, Japan, NDXC, Jan 8, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) VOA-English News on VOA Urdu AKD is at 1900, 2000, 2100, 2200, 2300 and 0000 UT. Checked via VOA audio web archive for Jan. 07, 2010. 73 (Dragan Lekic, Serbia, ibid.) Thanks Dragan, I confirmed VOA-English News at 1900 UT on Jan. 9 on 1539 kHz. Unfortunately I cannot confirm 1539 in Japan after 2100 (S. Hasegawa, NDXC, ibid.) ** U K [non]. WRN Premier League Programme, 5800 KHz, via Ukraine. Received in 3 weeks full detailed electronic QSL (including name of the programme and transmitter site, simply "Ukraine"). Report sent to freqdept @ wrn.org v/s Michiel Wood (Artur Fernández Llorella, Catalonia, Spain, Jan 9, HCDX via DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. IBB NAMES ANDRE V. MENDES DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING Washington, DC, 01/07/2010 Andre V. Mendes has been named Director of Engineering and Technical Services for the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB), effective December 21, 2009. The IBB provides engineering support for the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), which encompasses the Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Radio Free Asia (RFA), the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN), and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB). Mendes is responsible for overseeing the management of the Agency's complex network of engineering and technical systems used to distribute programming worldwide over radio, television, the Internet and new media. Mendes will lead the development and enhancement of delivery strategies for BBG transmitting stations, digital satellite systems, and information technology functions, to meet the fast- changing needs of BBG`s global audience. Mendes most recently served as senior vice president, strategic planning and global CIO, for Special Olympics International, managing the organization's global technology infrastructure, the development of the 2011-2015 Special Olympics Strategic Plan and administering the Christmas Record Trust Fund. Previously he served as Chief Technology Integration Officer for the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), where he was responsible for both Information Technology and Broadcast Engineering during the Service's $1.8 billion transition to digital television and managed PBS' migration from a legacy tape-based environment to a ground breaking, entirely file-driven content workflow. Earlier in his career, Mendes was a technology and business-development executive for several start- up companies in the health-care and bio-technology arenas. As a globally recognized thought leader in the convergence of media and information technology, Mendes has received numerous industry awards for his work, including one of the 2008 MIT Awards for IT Innovation. Mendes holds a degree in Information Systems Management from the University of Maryland University College. Under the supervision of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) provides the administrative and engineering support for U.S. government-funded civilian international broadcasting (BBG Press Release via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, dxldyg via DXLD) See also NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS ** U S A [non]. 9760, VOA via PHILIPPINES, Jan 9 at 1453 ending ``On the Line`` interview on how to fight terrorism, using force, persuasion and some other tactic, with ``thanks for watching``. Standard rant about TV programs pretending to be radio programs and insulting non-viewing audience. As a matter of fact, aside from possible captioning, or lip-reading, even watchers would not get much out of it unless they were also listening! 1455 USG editorial about Yemen, SOS Clinton talks with Qatari PM (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9930, SRI LANKA, VOA Irana Wila, 1538-1559*, Jan 4, English. "Border Crossing" music program with brief bio and music from guitarist Mike Zito; taking requests from Kuwait & Ghana; very surprised to hear an ear bleeder from Killswitch Engage; Wow! I saw them open for Slayer back in 2004!; s/off announcements & frequency schedules for S. Asia; Middle East & S. African listeners cut off at 1559; fair (Scott R. Barbour Jr. Intervale, N.H. USA, NRD-545, RX-350D, MLB1, 200' Beverages, 60m dipole, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15770, Jan 12 at 1510, tonal African dialog mentioning Abuja and Nigeria, no doubt VOA Hausa as scheduled, but whence? Aoki says São Tomé, EiBi says Botswana (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 9480, WTWW, Lebanon TN, testing with open carrier only for a ``human exposure study``, Jan 11 from *2055 past 2141, with occasional breaks. Also heard at *2302-2307*. Running about S9+22, comparable to WWCR on 9980, i.e. a very strong signal. I was hoping for an ID or some modulation, but not yet. However, I am positive it was WTWW, since George McClintock advised me this test was about to start with 90 kW, later said it was 60 kW. There was only one small RF leakage problem near a window. The SWR is OK, no arcing problems. However, some guy wires were installed incorrectly, since he was inside the building working on the transmitter instead of supervising the crew outside. He says they were hoping to run another test, with heavy modulation early UT Jan 13 on 5755. Checking 9480 Jan 12 at 2100 in case WTWW were on for another test, it was not, but instead heard weak signal with 800 number, Harold Camping, so it`s a YFR relay. In fact, B-09 hours for ``BWW``, the imaginary callsign still in the updated FCC schedule as of Jan 7 http://www.fcc.gov/ib/sand/neg/hf_web/B09FCC02.TXT are 12-24, except for a break at 19-22, to accommodate YFR registered in HFCC at 19-22 via Nauen, GERMANY, due south. So we shouldn`t expect WTWW to be on 9480 during those two sesquihours aside from testing. WTWW was so strong on Jan 11 around 2100 that there was no trace of YFR under it here. Have yet to hear WTWW testing evenings on 5755, as of Jan 13 (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DX LISTENING DIGEST) More on YFR 9480 below ** U S A. 3215, WWCR (Nashville TN). 0714-0739. 9 Jan 10. Nice program hosted by YL named "Reilly" featuring music based on general knowledge questions answered by listeners followed by music based on the answer. This type of programming is what makes SW great. The only other place one is likely to hear something akin to this is on a low powered AM station. Ads for gold and silver and ID as "American Voice Radio." VG. (Joe Wood, TN, NASWA Electronic Flashsheet #414 Jan. 10, 2010 via DXLD) I do not know if this is "done" (responding to a Flashsheet log), but I'll do it and if I get smacked too hard I won't do it again. :-) Regarding the WWCR logging by Mr. Wood in Tennessee: The female host on WWCR 3215 overnights is Rollye James. She pronounces it like my city of residence, Raleigh, but it is spelled as above. Her promos say that she has been on over 35 radio stations in 30 years, so she knows the less glamorous side of the broadcasting world and she's lived all over the USA. She has one of the most eclectic shows around. It´s a talk show, but she loves obscure oldies so she features music frequently. Having DJed in Raleigh and other spots near here, she´s one of the few national radio hosts who knows and likes "southern" beach music. Her shows can range from music to politics to UFOs. She´s filled in on Coast to Coast before, so she´s accustomed to that range of topics. Politically she´s relatively conservative (moderate by WWCR standards :-), but occasionally she´ll get on a conspiracy kick (where left and right meet.) And she keeps her UFO stuff a little more mainstream and less wacko than does Coast to Coast, IMHO. She also caters some to long-haul truckers and topics of interest to them. From about 2003 to 2006 she was syndicated and her flagship station was "The Big Talker" WPHT 1210 AM in Philly. Her show was on from 10 PM to 1 AM Eastern, and since WPHT booms into NC, I used to listen to her often. (No local station carried her show.) WPHT yanked her show around 2006, and her syndication waned to really small stations, but she was (and still is) on XM. Now she´s just on XM and WWCR... so WWCR is giving us premium programming we´d otherwise have to pay for. Yet another benefit of SWLing. During the WPHT days she lived in Philly, but I don't know where she is based now. I´ve never met or talked with her (never called in), but I did have one semi-interface with her professionally. When I was doing a weekday radio show on a local 5000 watt daytimer, I had an interview with a old-time rocker from the late '50s to early '60s who was trying to make a comeback (circa 2004.) He wrote one song that most of you probably have heard (a hit for someone else in the early to mid-1970s), but I can't remember the song's name or his name. Since the management at this station gave me almost no advance notice of upcoming interviews (it was a music show), most of my interviews were tough because I had to come up with questions, an angle and try to keep it interesting "on the fly." BUT, in this case Rollye had interviewed this same person on her syndicated show a week or so prior, and I had heard it. No, I didn't steal her questions :-), but with the advance knowledge of this person's background the interview was easier and (I hope) more interesting. Her website is: http://www.rollye.net FYI. (Curt Phillips, CEM CMVP W4CP ex-KD4YU; WB4LHI ARRL Life; QCWA; SKCC; NASWA; OOTC; ODXA Tar Heel Scanner/SWL Group Scanner/SWL Net- Mondays, 9PM, 146.64 repeater Raleigh, NC USA w4cparrl.net -- Traveling the information highway since it was a dirt road, NASWA yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DXLD) "Southern" beach music ... is there any other kind? Dan [freezing in North Myrtle Beach] (Dan Ferguson, ibid.) Well, although beach songs were only a small part of their repertoire, many people outside of the southeast consider the music of the Beach Boys, Jan and Dean and Dick Dale to be “beach music”. :-) *I* refer to it has west coach beach music. I’m a fan of both types. 73, (Curt W4CP, in not quite so frosty (today) Raleigh, NC USA, ibid.) Rollye James is now scheduled 06-09 UT Mon-Sat on 3215 per WWCR Jan sked (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DXLD) 6800, weak mix of two audios from US station, Jan 12 at 0638, soon matched to WWCR on 5070 and 5935, as this is a leapfrog of one over the other at plus another 865 kHz. Had not heard this one before. I believe it was axually transmitted as could still hear it with attenuation on the FRG-7 and also on the YB-400. This led me to look for a corresponding leapfrog of 5070 over 5890, which at plus 820 kHz would land on 6710, and there was a trace of something there (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Not hearing KJES on 11715 in the 14-17 period for quite some time, I was also checking for any sign of KJES on 15385 during its scheduled 19-21 UT broadcast, Jan 6 at 1923: No. Nor was there anything on 7555 at 0241 Jan 7, where KJES is scheduled 0200-0330 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1494, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also PHILIPPINES [non] ** U S A. 9955, WRMI both propagating and unjammed, Jan 7 at 0715, discussion about Czechia, and this semihour is R. Prague via WRN, so yet another bonus broadcast on WRMI (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I guess it will be this station that I hear at the same time as Cuba [5025]. But this signal is weak, and the programme cannot be copied in local noise (Noel R. Green (NW England), Jan 8, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) WRMI 9955 transmitter problem: UT Sat Jan 9 around 0635, during La Rosa de Tokio segment about broadcasting in Bahrain, including a clip of an FM station (really off a webcast?), a few times a minute WRMI would irregularly dump off the air for a second or a split second. Fortunately, no jamming audible then (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also PALAU Glenn: Yes, we've been having a strange sort of intermittent problem with the transmitter that you described. Maybe it's just too cold (down to 36 degrees tonight!). We're keeping an eye/ear on it. We do have WOR at 1430 Saturday. Attached is an updated program grid. There will be other changes in the coming days, but note new program "Aires Andinos" UT Monday 0130- 0200 hosted by Luis Valderas of Chile, who is also a correspondent for Dino's Frecuencia al Dia. This is a nice Andean music program. Also beginning this coming Monday, Jan 11, Radio Libertad daily UT 0400-0500, 1300-1400 and Tues-Sat UT 0000-0100. Radio Libertad is a political program, but intends to reach a general Latin American audience (Jeff White, WRMI, Jan 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The latest program grid is available in the DXLD yg attachment files, but probably NOT on WRMI website which they have trouble updating (gh) 9955, no signal from WRMI, and no jamming either, Jan 12 at 0645 when should have been airing RCI via WRN relay; yet WYFR was inbooming on 9715, 9680, also on 9355, 9495, 9985, so I conclude WRMI must have been off the air. WRMI still absent from 9955, no jamming audible either, around 1515 Jan 13; I fear they are totally off the air at present. Yes: Jeff White replies at 1814 UT Jan 13: Glenn: We found out that the problem you noted the other night with audio switching off briefly was due to the high-power relay going bad. It's been sporadic, and finally went out altogether. We can turn the transmitter on, but it turns itself off after several seconds. We're trying to find a replacement relay somewhere, but no luck so far. That particular relay isn't made anymore, and we haven't been able to find used ones anywhere either. So we're looking at trying to make something ourselves to replace it. They are working on this right now, but I don't know exactly how long it will take. Fingers are crossed. Jeff`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Jeff, Sorry to hear that. What about the 5 kW backup? Can you use it in the meantime? (Glenn to Jeff, Jan 13, via DXLD) We're going to try it, but it's heating up quickly and kicking off also. We have an engineer who is working on a new exciter for this one which I am told should resolve the problem, but that wasn't scheduled to be ready until later this month. Bad timing! (Jeff White, WRMI, ibid.) ** U S A. 13570, WINB with Global Spirit Proclamation, the anapaestic preacher from Fence Lake NM also heard for hours on WBCQ 15420-CUSB, Jan 12 at 2123 with fundamental more unstable and distorted than usual, also putting out spiky spur on 13535, really covering 10 kHz, and a weaker one 35 kHz further down on 13500, and traces of yet another around 13465. But no matches on the hi side of 13570, rather just splattering up to 13585. The least stations should do is make their spurs match on each side, fairly balanced (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [and non]. 11855, WYFR English, at 1411 Jan 9 story time show in Saturday morning kidblock, had audio cutting off and on, mostly off. Unless attenuated FRG-7, during pauses could hear cross-mod from even more powerful 11830 WYFR Spanish, which was constantly, not intermittently audiblized. 11830 is 315 degrees OKward, while 11855 is 355 degrees ONward. 9440, at 1357 Jan 8, open carrier with hum, Russian-style tones on and off, 1358 tones stop, 1400 the WYFR opening joined in progress, Open Forum with Harold Droning. This is a relatively new transmission, which I first reported Dec 18, site unknown. Aoki now lists it at 14-15 only as 250 kW, 195 degrees from Novosibirsk-Oyash, starting Dec 24. That`s about 82 degrees E longitude, making it virtually transpolar from here, 97+ W. 9440 was about two seconds behind otherwise // 9770, similar signal but from elsewhere, 500 kW, 84 degrees from Nauen, Germany, and also at 14-15 only, says Aoki. 13605, Jan 8 at 1455 with instrumental hymn ``Softly & Tenderly`` but soon morphing into YFR ``Gott sei die Ehre`` theme until off at 1459*. It`s Uzbek, 250 kW, 75 degrees via Wertachtal, Germany at 14-15 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9310, KAZAKHSTAN, WYFR, Almaty, *1200-1214, Jan 4, listed Filipino. IS; S/on announcements and passing mention "Family Radio"; M announcer from 1202; music bridge at 1210 followed by various W announcers over music; back to M announcer at tune/out; fair-good (Scott R. Barbour Jr. Intervale, N.H. USA, NRD-545, RX-350D, MLB1, 200' Beverages, 60m dipole, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9480, GERMANY, Family Radio heard open forum (333), 2159 UT via Germany relay, Dec 9 UTC (Richard Lemke, AB, Jan CIDX Messenger via DXLD) GERMANY, 9480, Family Radio; 2058-2104+, 6-Jan; Open Forum with droning Harold Camping; a caller asked about HC's declaration of the end of the Church Age in 1988 and got a lot of Bible thumpage for an answer. SIO=353- (Harold Frodge, MI, MARE Tipsheet Jan 8 via DXLD) See WTWW above 15440, WYFR Family Radio, Okeechobee FL; 2230-2244+, 11-Jan; Harold droning on Open Forum taking calls about the upcoming end of the Earth (or Church Age as he's called it before). Sez he now has "proof" and has "great certainty" of the date in May 2011. Sed that the 1994 date was based on "very early evidence". Sed that Noah's flood occurred in 4990 B.C. and that the next rapture will be exactly 7000 years later. Can someone check and see if Family Radio has any relay agreements that go beyond May 2011? Wonder what Dead Dr. Gene thought about Harold droning? Does Rev. Barbi have a call-in program? I'd like her take on this. S25 (Harold Frodge, MI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Never ran across a call-in on TUN, DGS or PMS. I suspect most relay agreements are annual or shorter term, but things should get very interesting as the A-11 season planning approaches (gh, DXLD) 13700, S Asian language at 1515 Jan 12, good signal would have been fine if not for WYFR 13695 splash. 13700 is YFR via Nauen in Hindi, so it`s Camping vs Camping! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. 09/01/2010 [Sat], 1918 UT, 6170.0 KHz, SVK, IRRS Milano (EGR)-Rimavska Sobota, DX Glenn Hauser, Eng, 44333 (Antonio Madrid, QTH:Rubi - Barcelona - España, RX: Kenwood R5000, ANT: Doble Long Wire 25 Mts, WWW: http://www.elradioescucha.tk logsderadio yg via DXLD) ** U S A. 1480 in Wichita KS had been Radio Disney, but now as heard Jan 7 at 1957 UT it`s ``The Big Talker, 1480 KQAM``. Promo gave list of talkshow lineup, too quick to copy down, but not a one of them liberal and some of them far-right wackos, anything but in the public interest, such as Glenn Beck, John Gibson. At least they also have relatively moderate Joe Scarborough, and Jim Bohannon --- only America in the Morning, not his evening talkshow. If KQAM has its own website, it`s not showing up anywhere near the top of Google searches. But here`s the program list, CST = UT -6, as if they turn the transmitter off for weekends: http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/68784/kqam-wichita-unveils-talk-lineup?ref=search And another story about the transfer: http://news.radio-online.com/cgi-bin/rol.exe/headline_id=b12119 A big SNAFU at 2000 UT as commercials continued for the first half of the one-minute Fox ``News``, double audio; no loss. 2001 switches to Mid-America Network, owned by same group, for bitter cold weather forecast, 2002 market report (meaning ag, not stock), 2003 promo Imus show which includes local news breaks. Strangely enough, during the Radio Disney era, kept old calls KQAM, which don`t seem to relate to any cartoon character, and are still keeping them. KQAM was originally on 1410, and now that is co-owned with present 1410, sports talk, KGSO. Both put adequate daytime groundwave signals into Enid almost 200 km away. Steckline Communications already owned 1410, and FCC AM Query Jan 7 still shows 1480 owned by Disney. It also shows: 20-year Call Sign history of the 1480 facility, #61352: Current Call Sign: KQAM Call Sign Begin Date KQAM 09/23/1997 KZSN 02/01/1990 KLEO 12/31/1982 KWKN 09/01/1980 And of the 1410 facility, #53150: Current Call Sign: KGSO Call Sign Begin Date KGSO 05/01/2005 KMYR 09/23/1997 KQAM 09/15/1980 KEYN Will Radio Disney find another outlet in Wichita? The Radio Disney website thinx they are still on 1480: http://radio.disney.go.com/music/yourstation/wichita/index.html But by early UT Jan 9, had changed to ``this station is off the air`` (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 1480 is all but buried here in Topeka, thanks to slop from KTOP-1490, and the 1410 outlet nominally in Leavenworth covers signal that may be thrown this way from KGSO. KLEO-1480 for years was the premier rocker in Wichita; KEYN-1410, which long ago flipped to FM on 103.7, was more of what we used to call a "chicken rocker" and now would be categorized as soft rock or AdCon, I suppose. I can't imagine R. Disney anteing up for another AM'er in Wichita unless they need another tax writeoff in their lineup, lol -Paul Swearingen, Topeka NRCAM Some of the older calls of these stations, as heard by myself. 1410 KWBB Mar 51 (Iowa) & Dec 65 (Calif) 1480 KANS Oct 50 (Iowa) & Dec 57 (Calif) 1480 KLEO Feb 67 (Calif) (Don Kaskey, S. F. CA, IRCA via DXLD) ** U S A. 1370 DX --- I've been spending some time here with local WPAZ off for an undetermined time. Mostly I've listened at sunrise and sunset as overnight WXXI is usually dominant. Results have been good - just after noon today and on the car radio, got a nice ID from much-wanted WSHV-VA, but unfortunately no recording - I may need to bring the mp3 recorder along tomorrow. Last evening heard WKMC-PA for the first time here, also WVIE-MD with UMBC BKB, also new here. Have also noted WRWD-NY, WSPD-OH, WVLY-WV and WFEA-NH, all unneeded. Had WGIV-NC for another new one earlier in the week. WALK-NY is usually heard at sunset and sunrise but so far hasn't been. (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA ( 360' ASL ), [15 mi NNW of Philadelphia], Jan 7, IRCA via DXLD) Well, WGIV 1370 in Gastonia, NC is a chronic cheater. Yes, I SAID cheater as they had been previously (at their Gastonia, NC location) fined substantially for 'willful and repeated' failure to cut power on time. It took the Norfolk, VA office over two years to do anything --- *even* though other stations on 1370 were screaming to the FCC. Even after the FCC fined them, they continued to do this, and even do so on this date with the new 10,000 watt power. The claim to the Chattanooga 1370 engineer is, the owner cuts the power and one night "the button" got stuck. So, I think the lawyers for that Chattanooga group are going to scream at the FCC and have a special chat with the owners. Get them while you can. Don't expect a verification (Powell E. Way III, SC, ibid.) I remember hearing the former WLTC in Gastonia many times that way a number of years back (Russ Edmunds, PA, ibid.) The owner cuts the power, eh? My, my, my - in my day, the board operator did it, as well as taking several meter readings every hour. The owner (he would always live in the same town the station was licensed to; none of this absentee ownership and six stations under one roof nonsense) left these duties to the hired help. That was part of how you earned your $2.90 an hour (Steve Francis, Alcoa, Tennessee, ibid.) Wow - that beat my $1.90 an hour in 1968 at KVOE-1400 when I was changing the power there. Usually. I hated those meter readings (Paul Swearingen, Topeka, ibid.) That's the claim they told the CE for 1370. Yeah, riggght (Powell E Way, III, ibid.) $1.60 for me in April 15, 1968 working for WMHE-FM 92.5 in Toledo. The reason the station was really on the air was because their SCA was the local Muzak outlet for Toledo. I always remember the ops manager telling me that if I stayed in broadcasting I would become a rich man. I'm still waiting (Frederick Vobbe, Lima OH, ibid.) ** U S A. INDUSTRY NEWS — from Radio World. Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) introduced a bill that could add one electrical engineer or computer expert to the FCC. Society of Broadcast Engineers President Vinny Lopez said the bill would go a long way toward returning technical expertise to the Commission (via Bruce Elving, MN, Jan 7, DXLD) ** U S A. AUSTIN PIRATE FINE IS CONFIRMED Radio World January 7, 2009 http://www.rwonline.com/article/92758 Ten grand is the confirmed penalty for a pirate radio operation heard in Austin, Texas, in 2009. It's a case in which the station operators argued that the FCC doesn't have jurisdiction on broadcasts within one state. It's also of note because it came and went relatively quickly, as FCC enforcements go - it's been less than five months since the initial complaint - and also because the commission says the illegal broadcasts continued even after agents had notified the operators they were in violation and outlined possible penalties. The FCC this week upheld an earlier notice of apparent liability against Jerry and Deborah Stevens for operation on 90.1 MHz. The commission says the Houston office of the Enforcement Bureau in August used its direction-finding gear to source the signals at the Austin home in response to a complaint. It then issued a notice of unlicensed operation, which the Stevens acknowledged. They requested additional time to provide information in their reply. The commission granted 30 days to provide info but said its agents identified illegal broadcasts on two subsequent dates. The Stevens responded by admitting operating radio transmitting equipment, though only within the boundaries of Texas, and questioned the FCC's jurisdiction over intrastate communications. In November the FCC issued its notice of apparent liability. Jerry and Deborah Stevens then contested it, citing a question of FCC jurisdiction. They also questioned whether the resident agent who signed the NAL had the authority to do so. The FCC has now reiterated in its ruling that the law "explicitly sets forth the commission's jurisdiction over all radio transmissions, both interstate and intrastate." It also explained that "resident agents at each installation are delegated authority by the commission to act upon applications, requests or other matters, which are not in hearing status." And resident agents may indeed issue a written notice of apparent liability, it ruled. The fine was confirmed by the regional director of the South Central Region of the Enforcement Bureau (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) The FCC does not condescend to publish the *names* of the pirates it busts, but I assume this is one outlet (of several) of the so-called Radio Free Austin, run by far-right wackos with the connivance of the so-called Republic Broadcasting Network, which was also being relayed by a pirate in Oklahoma City on 107.1 (not heard the last time I was there a few weeks ago, but have not heard of any bust of it) (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Re 10-01, CHINA [non]: Chinese lease Galveston radio station One less station on my presets --- The problem, I think, with KGBC is that 50's through 80's music as a format was just too broad. If they had jumped on the bandwagon immediately when KGLK switched from oldies to classic rock - and filled the format gap with 60's and 70's oldies, they could have captured a huge portion of the oldies audience. By not taking immediate action when they had the chance, they lost the window of opportunity. They were also hampered by being on reduced power at the time. Even at full power, they don't cover the Western part of Houston very well. But neither does any other Houston AM, and their only oldies competition would have been KSHN FM in LIberty, which doesn't cover the Western part of Houston either (Bruce Carter, Jan 7, ABDX via DXLD) ** U S A. KHFM, Albuquerque NM, the classical music station where I announced in the 1966-1968 era, I still like to monitor occasionally via webcast, but Jan 9 at 0223 UT, I was hearing another ABQ station, gospel-huxtering KKIM (94.7 and 1000), coming thru the player still labeled KHFM! With Adventures in Odyssey from Focus on the Family. I suppose it`s now co-owned and somebody crossed wires, or blame it on Warp Radio. E-mailed one of my successor announcers about it, but no reply yet as of Jan 12. And next check of http://www.warpradio.com/Tuner.asp?id=13707 at 1642 UT Jan 9 still had a preacher instead of classical music. I`ve never been satisfied with the KHFM website, which does not provide a full program schedule, for starters, http://www.classicalkhfm.com but it does link to playlists post-facto. These pdf files are obviously internal log documents, with lots of unexplained terminology, but KHFM has decided to availablize them to listeners, as better than nothing. Overnight, 8 pm to 6 am MST they plug into WFMT (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** URUGUAY. 5776.xx v (no oficial) R. Chaná, Tacuarembó, 0204 en Ene 9. Todavía con emisión inestable en frecuencia, desplazándose 5774.xx, mx: Zitarrosa. QSB (Horacio A. Nigro, Montevideo, Uruguay, Jan 9, noticiasdx yg via DXLD) Por aqui no litoral do Rio Grande do Sul nada em 5750 Khz. A Distância aproximada seria de 600 km em linha reta. Creio que 35 watts ainda seja pouco, ja que na faixa dos 49 metros, chega a Sodre 6125 muito mal com 350 watts. A Sport 6045 desde que foi reativada não foi captada, igualmente a Montecarlo 6140. Ainda sobre a Sodre, a mesma emitia nos 31 metros em 9620 com apenas 150 watts e outra que não recordo em 6010. Atenciosamente: (Edison Bocorny Jr., Capão da Canoa RS, Jan 9, radioescutas yg, via DXLD Oi Edison, 6140 Montecarlo: inativa mais de um o dois anos; 6045 Sarandi esperamos pueda captarse de algum momento a outro no Brasil desde que emite em USB. Sodre e uma chave on/off... muitas vezes fora do ar. As outras fq's de SODRE (i.e.: 9620) inativas, mais futuros plans e de reativar, uma fq por vez no ar (Horacio A. Nigro, Montevideo, Uruguay, ibid.) E para completar, ainda transmitiam no Uruguay as emissoras Banda Oriental em 6155 Khz e Ciudad de Montevideu nos 9650? (Édison Bocorny Jr., Capão da Canoa- RS, ibid.) Nenhuma de elas no ar atualmente (Horacio A. Nigro, Montevideo, Uruguay, ibid.) Emisora Chaná, Tacuarembó-Uruguay --- Enero 10 de 2010 a las 2240 UT, Emisora Chaná en la variabilísima frecuencia de 5795.21 (subiendo) con avisos publicitarios "Centro Estético... 25 de Mayo 254"; "Taller Manzanito... "; "Pelos-Pelos peluquería para damas y caballeros.. ."; "Semanario Patovil (?)..."; "Herrería Chiché... Avenida Oliver"; "Transporte Nahuel..."; "Taller 19 chapa y pintura... Sarandí 91"; "Mueblería Godini estamos en Juan Ortiz 333"; "Tornería mecánica Lima..."; "Carpintería Centenario". 22:44 UTC ID "...Emisora Chaná, ciudad de Tacuarembó". A las 23:00 UTC estaba en la frecuencia de 5799,16 Khz y seguía subiendo! SINFO=35222 (Rubén G. Margenet, Argentina, condiglist yg via DXLD) Les mandaste el informe ya?--- yo aún no; pero lo haré después en febrero (Horacio A. Nigro, Montevideo, Uruguay, ibid.) Este sería el segundo... Lo haré! I will!... Y un tercero, quizás, por aquello de "No hay dos sin tres". ¿Alguien recibió reply? Horacio: Tengo un audio para enviar a la emisora. No hay forma de lograr un mail?... Aunque sea a través de la manicura Fabiana, dueña del Salón de Belleza?... Es raro que la emisora no tenga dirección de correo electrónico ¿No?... (RGM, ibid.) Hola gente! Saludos desde Chascomús!! Ayer pude escuchar Emisora Chana sobre las 0130 UT con una enorme cantidad de comerciales. Iba "navegando" por el dial. Desde los 5793 hasta casi los 5798 kHz. Excelente calidad de recepcion!!! Saludos (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, Jan 11, condiglist yg via DXLD) ** VATICAN. Radio Vaticana in USB? Buonasera a tutti. Ho una domanda. Stasera ascoltavo qua e là in onde corte e mi sono imbattuto sulla Radio Vaticana nella banda dei 75 metri e, "guardandola" con l'analizzatore di spettro ho notato che la sua trasmissione è "asimmetrica". In pratica, sembra trasmettere in USB e non in AM. Allora chiedo a voi che sicuramente ne sapete più di me: - trasmette effettivamente in USB? - lo fa perchè è adiacente al segnale DRM della BBC-DW e quindi non ha altre alternative in quanto, se trasmettesse in AM e quindi con entrambe le portanti, quella inferiore andrebbe ad intersecare lo spettro della trasmissione DRM? - oppure mi sono sbagliato del tutto ed ho preso fischi per fiaschi ??? Buon weekend a tutti (Ugo Depolo, Italy?, Jan 9, bclnews.it via DXLD) E' una osservazione che ogni tanto esce fuori, me la ricordo da almeno 15 anni, la mia ipotesi è sempre stata quella di una emissione a portante ridotta + USB, tipo quella che utilizzava IRRS quando trasmetteva su 7125. Molte altre emittenti hanno talvolta utilizzato questa soluzione (soprattutto) su trasmettitori di potenza non elevatissima per scavalcare alcune interferenze (Roberto Scaglione, Sicily, ibid.) WTFK? Guess referring to 4005 (gh) ** VENEZUELA [non]. Aló, Presidente check, via CUBA, Sunday Jan 10: At 1542, open carrier on 12010, a frequency used only for Aló, Presidente whether it be fulfilled or not. No carrier on 13750 yet. Weak carrier on 17750, could not tell whether Cuba, but nothing else is scheduled. However, at 1715 recheck, El Hugazo was proclaiming on VG 13750, much weaker 12010, and possibly 17750 as something was there, so A,P started sometime in between, unknown when. However, another frequency which previously and supposedly carries A,P, 13680, was instead in regular RHC programming, // 11730, 11760, etc. Too much RTTY on 11690 to be sure whether or which programming was on there. Say, what about RNV`s own SW service? Their new dentroVenezuelan site at Calabozo, south of Caracas, was supposedly going to be on air by December (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA. Respuesta de RNV a Rafael Rodríguez --- Saludos Glenn, Le llegó otra respuesta a Rafael Rodríguez, de Bogotá, 73 de Yimber Wed, January 6, 2010 2:36:30 PM Hola Yimber, Mira esto que me llegó hoy desde RNal de Venezuela; lo curioso es que la fecha de confirmación es la de hoy y no la del reporte en Diciembre 19. Además en el correo anterior prometían el envio de material. Les he escrito preguntado si con esta QSL Digital, no me la van a enviar por correo postal junto al otro material. Buen DX. Rafael R [viz.:] De: Canal Internacional RNV Asunto: Re: Informe y saludo desde Colombia A: "RAFAEL RODRIGUEZ" Fecha: miércoles, 6 enero, 2010, 9:54 am Aqui le enviamos su tarjeta QSL, esperamos le guste. El 21 de diciembre de 2009 15:13, Canal Internacional RNV escribió: Muy buenos días querido amigo, de antemano queremos enviarles un cordial saludo revolucionario y decirle que nos complace mucho recibir su correo, en esta oportunidad le confirmamos que la señal que pudo sintonizar, fue la señal del Canal Internacional del Circuito Radio Nacional de Venezuela, muy pronto le estaremos enviando su tarjeta QSL, folletos, afiches, postales de nuestro país y alguna otra información que usted solicite. Esperemos querido amigo que a partir de hoy sigamos cultivando esta amistad y nos mantengamos en contacto (de llegar a necesitar cualquier cosa que este a nuestro alcance, escribanos a nuestros correos y gustosamente se lo haremos llegar). Sin más a que hacer referencia me despido de usted, esperando su próxima correspondencia. Atte: Freddy R. Santos, Asistente de Producción. Canal Internacional (via Yimber Gaviría, DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. CHÁVEZ ASKS VENEZUELA TV TO MAKE ’SOCIALIST SOAP OPERAS’ Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez said yesterday that he has asked film producers to make “socialist soap operas,” with government help if needed, because there’s too much capitalism on television. “A while ago, I was in Cuba and they broadcast soap operas there, not capitalist soap operas but with a social content, “socialist” soap operas, President Chávez told a group of filmmakers and scriptwriters guested on his weekly radio and television show, “Alo Presidente.”"I’m going to ask that we make socialist soap operas (in Venezuela), instead of capitalist ones.” The firebrand leftist leader offered government help to producers following his advice. “We can also make good movies,” he added. “Not capitalist movies that are poison and incite our children to take drugs and even push them into crime.” In 2006, President Chávez opened Villa del Cine, a filmmaking center outside Caracas that produces full-length and short films and documentaries. (Source: AFP) (January 11th, 2010 - 11:20 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via DXLD) ** WESTERN SAHARA [non]. 6297.198v, 9/1 1834, National Radio of Saharui Rep. Clandestine based in Algeria, talks in Arabic and songs, very well this evening (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italia, RX: SDR- IQ, Yaesu FRG-7, Drake R8, AOR AR7030; ANT: T2FD, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** YEMEN. 9780, 8/1 1540, Republic of Yemen Radio, in Arabic, traditional songs, ID at 1602, hymn, then news, fair/good with fading (Giampiero Bernardini, RX: AOR AR7030, Drake R8, SDR-IQ, Yaesu FRG-7, Icom R71E, ANT T2FD, QTH: Milano, Italia, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZAMBIA. 6065, R. Christian Voice/CVC, 1608, Jan 9. In English; news; promo for “One by One with Christian Voice”; interview with health expert about breast feeding; mostly fair (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZANZIBAR. Sauti ya Tanzania Zanzibar 11735 not heard this year so far. Probably inactive since X-Mas or so (Thorsten Hallmann, Münster, Germany, http://www.africalist.de.ms Jan 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE. 3396, presumed ZBC Gweru, 0332-0345, Jan 4, vernacular. Indigenous music; brief announcer at 0338; right back to music; very weak-poor; deteriorating by tune/out (Scott R. Barbour Jr. Intervale, N.H. USA, NRD-545, RX-350D, MLB1, 200' Beverages, 60m dipole, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE. 6045, ZBC, Guineafowl, Gweru, 0017, Jan 05, hi-tempo local music with singer and guitars, male announcer in Shona (I think) with ID and telephone-calls, good audio. Irregularly on this frequency. This is 0217 local time (Graham E. Bell, Cape Town, South Africa, DSWCI DX Window Jan 6 via DXLD) Why not IBC Tamil which is scheduled during this hour?? 125 kW, 105 degrees from Wertachtal, Germany, an all-dark path. 6045 is normally a daytime-only frequency for Zimbabwe, 0530-1630 per WRTH 2010, but we all know that stations with day/night frequencies can get `stuck` on the wrong one. There on the other side of Zimbabwe this ought to be dominant if really on the air, but an IBC ID could be mistaken for a ZBC one. I suspect Shona is quite different from Tamil, but would be hard-pressed to separate them any further than ``S Asian`` and ``African`` (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Russian 1710 --- Noted a station on 1710 (well, a shade low) tonight with programming that sure seems to fit the Seattle area Russian station discussed some months back. It's not strong enough to be 100% certain it's Russian, but the music certainly fits. For some reason during the speech segment I was hearing two women speaking, almost like a second station, but it wasn't, as when the music resumed things returned to normal. If someone could confirm that the Seattle station is still on it would be appreciated. 73, (Nigel Pimblett, currently in Lamont, Alberta, 0246 UT Jan 11, IRCA via DXLD) Nigel, I'm probably about 140 miles South of the Russian speaking station that was being heard throughout the Pacific Northwest. Heard many evenings on the NW ewe and Kiwa loop. At 0419 I'm getting a very weak het about a level 3. Will continue to check throughout the evening. At 0423 very faint audio with man talking, can not ID language. Will continue to check throughout the evening. Best regards, (Dennis Vroom, Salmon Creek, WA, 0425 UT Jan 11, ibid.) 1710 is weaker. It has been for the past several months. I was going to post it, but it slipped my mind. I wonder if they got concerned on how well it was getting out? Maybe something else? 73, (Patrick Martin, Seaside OR, Jan 10, ibid.) Hi Nigel: I am about 15-20 miles WSW of the transmitter, and I heard a female voice WAY down in the noise last night. I couldn't tell if it was Russian, Martian or other. For some reason I was never able to get it very clearly when others were - the new indoor Super Loop is a lot quieter, so perhaps that is why I am getting something. So, if I am hearing anything at all, it must be fairly close, and may indeed be the Russian station. I will try again tonight. How about you guys in Seattle proper??? (Kevin Satya, Bainbridge Island, WA, Jan 11, ibid.) The best I've been able to do is a weak carrier at times and maybe traces of audio. I'm about ten miles south of it, so I'm too far to get the ground wave and too close for sky wave from it (Bruce Portzer, WA, ibid.) UNIDENTIFIED. 4755, weak carrier fading Jan 7 at 0718, probably Brasil, but one always hopes that PMA Micronesia will one day come back as still promised for 2+ years on their website. Could not pull any audio (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Pessoal, Neste momento (07/01/09 - 0010Z) escuto uma emissora com sinais fortes em 5950 ou 5949 kHz, na lingua espanhola, com fala e músicas latinas, porém em nenhum momento escuto o ID. Alguem sabe se é a Radio Bethel de Arequipa/Perú ou a Radio Cultura da Guatemala? Ambas contam no Eibi. Abraços (Marcelo Pera, Valinhos-SP, IC756PRO, Dipolo rigida 40mts PP5UA - 16mts altura + rotor, radioescutas yg via DXLD) What? R. Cultural, Guatemala, en EiBi on 5950? That`s been off the air for years and years. Was on 5955. NO, it is NOT in EiBi, tho does still show it on 3300, long gone too. Does show Bethel on 5949. Aoki? Has neither, but reminds us of Emisora Pio XII, Bolivia on 5952. Could that be it, since you are uncertain of the frequency? Major broadcaster on 5950 at that hour is WYFR, but supposed to be in English. Have not seen R. Bethel reported lately but it is in LA-DX as of December, reported in source B = DX Clube do Brasil: 5949.6v PRU R Bethel, Arequipa [2206-1130](9.60-0.35) Dec09 B SS rel (a)"..hora Bethel, frecuencia celestial" DSWCI DBS issued last May shows: B 5949.3 1 PRU R Bethel, Arequipa, Arequipa 1000-0300v S rlg, ID: "Somos Bethel la Radio", relays "CPN Radio" JAN09 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 6045.95, 1207-1230, Dec 22 (Bob Wilkner, FL, DSWCI DX Window Jan 6 via DXLD). Could it be R Sarandí, Uruguay ?? (Anker Petersen, Skovlunde, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window ed., ibid.) No, we already explained that this time is far too late into the sunny day there, and it has never been reported ~1 kHz high by those who definitely hear it nearby (gh, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 6115: Twice heard an unidentified station on 6115 kHz, both times in French, but only for a few minutes: First time on Sunday Jan. 3, 1645-1657 (sign-off?). Probably sports, fair signal, not heard again later, as Belarus and sideband QRM increasing. Again Jan. 4, 1805-1819, also mostly French talks, fair with weaker co-channel Belarus and probably sudden sign-off. No ID, but I think Congo is very likely. Though it wasn't very weak on both occasions, absolutely no trace Jan. 5 + 7 at the same times. 73 and all the best for 2010! (Thorsten Hallmann, Münster, Germany, http://www.africalist.de.ms Jan 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 6925, Jan 12 at 1412 singing on SSB, plus carrier, but it was hard to keep zero-beat, so maybe unstable; just too weak to catch any details; no doubt a North American pirate (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 7105, Jan 12 at 1436 YL talk in unID language, but had rising intonation at the end of most phrases. I was thinking Nei Menggu was still here, so did not pay much attention, but Aoki B-09 no longer has it and A-09 says it stopped Sept 1, leaving nothing but Madagascar listed now, which would be long-path like Ethiopia/Eritrea on 7110/7165 at same time (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [laster: it is Nei Menggu, Inner Mongolia, China, reactivated] UNIDENTIFIED. 7194.98, Re 9-086. Further carrier-only observations of tentative (or should I say presumed?) R Uganda sign-on times: 0606 (Jan 02), 0613 (Jan 03), 0621 (Jan 04), 0619 (Jan 05), 0605 (Jan 06), 0619 (Jan 07). I realize this may seem like a bit of a pointless exercise, but who knows one morning I might be lucky & catch something definite? Please feel free to join... 73, Martien Groot, Schoorl, Netherlands, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGESET) UNIDENTIFIED. 9547 or 9548, SSB intruder, intermittent 2-way amid stronger broadcast signals on 9545, 9550, Jan 8 at 2350. Could not tell whether it was Spanish, Asian language, or what, but noted here to encourage further chex (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 9735-9745, big buzz covering this range, Jan 12 at 2103. Not quite like BSKSA 15435, 11785, not quite like OTH radar either, and not quite like DRM. If it originates from a 9740 transmitter severely malfunxioning, that would be Kamalabad, Iran with the VIRI Albanian service, only thing scheduled (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 11532, the big open carrier again with brief data bursts, same-sounding as heard Jan 6 at 0620 on 11435, now heard Jan 8 at 0642-0644, big het on WYFR 11530. This is nothing new, and really clashes with WYFR, where they probably do not care due to their extreme redundancy. I wonder if any digital-mode types can make anything of these transmissions, likely from Cuba, at least nail down the exact mode. We suspect they are more sophisticated spy transmissions than the AM numbers and Morse cut numbers (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 13770, RHC now has a co-channel clash with something, Jan 7 at 1431, Arabic music making fast SAH. Nothing else is scheduled at any time on 13770, except AIR in Hindi to ME at 1615-1730, according to HFCC, EiBi and Aoki, so this is something new. Of course, with Cuba an outlaw nation refusing to participate in HFCC, any other station would assume 13770 was open for their use, failing to turn on a radio and check it, or failing to consult DX resources. No big loss for RHC, which has a much bigger signal next door on 13780 until 1500. A few months ago, Arnie moved the 13760 transmitter to 13770 to avoid Juche QRM, Commies vs Commies; now what? [later:] Altho I was hearing Arabic(?) QRM to Havana 13770, Jan 7 at 1431, unlisted, did not hear any 24 hours later, nor 48 hours later at 1443 Jan 9, so perhaps it was a mistaken transmission (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 15570, Jan 8 at 1442, big solid S9+18 open carrier, so steady I was toying with the idea it could be from something in the household, but 1443 brief tone-test and off at 1444*. Then I recall previous logs of this and assumption it is another test-only channel from IBB Greenville, not otherwise in use this season (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 15600, 10/01 0835, Emissora com música estilo da Eritréia, com instrumento de sopro, tambores, cantada por voz masculina. Sinal fraco. 73 (Jorge Freitas, Feira de Santana Bahia, Brasil, radioescutas yg via DXLD) This morning, 10/Jan, the 0835 UT, at 15600 kHz, heard a radio station playing African music style of Eritrea. I accompanied her to the 0901 UT, when the signal faded completely. I have not found in reference lists. There were no talk at any time, just a sequence of music. Does anyone have any information? 73 (Jorge Freitas, Feira de Santana Bahia, Brasil, dxldyg via DXLD) Still there at 0915. A few Hz below nominal. Was gone when rechecking around 0926 (Jari Savolainen, Finland, HCDX via DXLD) Maybe move to 19 mb ? IRIS/IRIN recently 17680 via Dhabbaya-UAE ? Eritrea ? on this time slot I see another Somali transmission registered via V-group on 17680 0830-0930 smtwtfs VTC Al Dhabayya 250kW 225deg Somali EaAF (Wolfgang Büschel, ibid.) Thanks for the tip. I meant that the music "sounds like" I listen in V of Broad Masses 2, but can be Somali music. Excuse my English 73 (Jorge Freitas, Feira de Santana BA, Brasil, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ In Celebration of 1500 episodes --- I have been listening weekly for the last 6 months. I download and listen on my blackberry again and again (Nicholas Feliccia with a contribution via PayPal to woradio at yahoo.com) DX-PEDITIONS ++++++++++++ NEW YEAR DXPEDITION IN LAPLAND AT -38 DEGREES Freezing your toes off in Arctic Lapland may not be everyone's idea of a great New Year 2010, but for Mika Mäkeläinen and Jari Ruohomäki it was a highlight of the winter. Join Mika and Jari for a DXpedition full of American and Chinese AM stations. See what an array of 11 antennas, each 1 kilometer in length, can capture from all around the world. A report of the 287th DXpedition to Lemmenjoki in Finland has been published at http://www.dxing.info/dxpeditions/lem287rep.dx 73 (Mika Mäkeläinen, Jan 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) MW DXPEDITION REPORT, ZION PA The report from a DXpedition held in central Pennsylvania 28-29 Dec 2009 is online at: http://www.radiodxing.com/zion/zion.html This was the first time that Don Moore, Dave Valko and I had met to DX together in nearly 30 years. About 30 countries were logged on medium wave during the course of the evening, and thanks to SDRs there may even be more logs to come (Brett Saylor, N3EVB, State College PA USA, amfmtvdx at qth.net via DXLD) Includes linx to lots of audio clips PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ FCC B09 SCHEDULE UPDATED The B09 schedule of SW stations on the FCC website was updated yesterday. Seems to be just housekeeping changes (Dan Ferguson, Jan 9, swl at qth.net via DXLD) http://www.fcc.gov/ib/sand/neg/hf_web/B09FCC02.TXT Ha! Hardly even that. Still lacks WWRB on 3145, still shows WTWW with imaginary call WBWW, lacks WJHR 15550, still shows extinct WBOH on 5920, etc. Dated Jan 7. When you check it later, try changing the 2 to a 3 for a further eventual update (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) QSL CARDS ON DISPLAY For those who enjoy seeing QSL cards: http://tinyurl.com/nw7us-qslcards 73 de (NW7US, Tomas David Hood - Bitterroot Valley of Montana Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist : http://tomasdavidhood.com Tomas David Hood on Facebook - Music Page = http://tinyurl.com/fb-tdhmusicfan Contributing editor: CQ Magazine, CQ VHF, Popular Communications Main Page: http://hfradio.org/ Twitter Space WX : @hfradiospacewx Twitter NW7US : @NW7US Podcast: http://podcast.hfradio.org/ swl at qth.net via DXLD) Collexion of 77 cards, with some really nice artwork and scenes, all amateur except for one broadcaster (gh, DXLD) VINTAGE ADS (RADIO) Check http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/ and input word "radio" to get a hundred of pages of topical vintage ads (Horacio A. Nigro, Montevideo, Uruguay, Jan 7, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) BANDSCAN ANALYSIS OF RADIO HANDBOOKS FOR 2010 by Anker Petersen, Denmark, January 01, 2010. © DSWCI. This article may be fully quoted, if the source is mentioned. On the 25th of October 2009 the B09 winter schedules became effective. Already on the 10th of December I received the "2010 edition of the World Radio TV Handbook" (WRTH) from its publisher Nicholas Hardyman, UK. The next day arrived the "2010 Shortwave Frequency Guide" (SWFG) with the 2010 Super Frequency List (SFL) on a CD from Joerg Klingenfuss, Germany. Both annual, printed Handbooks have kept their wellknown, but different format. The SWFG 2010 (14th edition) contains 440 pages in English (230 about Broadcasting and 210 about Utility stations). The Broadcasting part begins with an updated article about DRM including a list of DRM schedules on LW, MW and SW. It is followed by the comprehensive SW frequency list which for each frequency contains a line for each broadcast, practicably arranged in time order within each frequency. That includes exact times, transmitter site, language and target area. The Country section contains the same data listed by Station, but without details like geographical coordinates, addresses, web sites, QSL info, etc. Price: EUR 40,-. At the same time Klingenfuss has published the 16th Edition of the 2010 Super Frequency List (SFL) on a CD with the same 8,200 Broadcast frequencies and 8,400 utility frequencies in use plus 21,500 formerly active frequencies. This modern tool is very easy to use on a PC using Microsoft Windows and has excellent search functions for specific frequencies, countries, stations, languages, call signs and times - or any combination thereof! Price: EUR 30,-. More details at http://www.klingenfuss.org The SWFG is a Frequency List with SW schedules on all broadcast stations, but without any other details about the stations. I prefer the SWFG when I scan the SW broadcast bands, because the current schedule and language is available at each frequency in time order. But I have no use of all the 210 pages about utility stations. The WRTH 2010 (64th edition) has 672 pages, including 64 in full colour. Our good Italian friend Dario Monferini introduces himself as one of the numerous WRTH Contributors 2010. Next John Nelson reviews the following expensive SW-receivers Icom IC- 7600 and IC-7000, Etón Satellit 750 and these very low cost portables: Go World Band, Crown CRMR-1, Texon 4029 and Palito PA-6622 (the latter costs only 8 Euros!). After a nostalgic article about Cold War Classics (Collins R390, Racal RA17, Harris RF-590 and Rohde & Schwarz EK 070), John Nelson interviews the BBC Director of Future Media, Transmission & Distribution and the Director of the Global News Division about the future in Global broadcasting. Then follows a “Digital Update”, “Samoan Radio Journey” and the traditional update by George Jacobs on reception conditions. After the maps, on page 65 begin the fully updated sections with all details about National and International Radio, MW and SW Frequency Lists, International broadcasts in English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish. On page 606 is a useful list of current DRM International Broadcasts followed by terrestrial Television and on page 653 References. Read more at http://www.wrth.com Price: GBP: 23,- In contrary to the SWFG, the WRTH also contains LW, MW and some FM and TV information. Therefore I use the WRTH when I DX on the bands mentioned or need more information about the stations. It is highly appreciated that, like the two last years, an update free of charge will be published on their website in January 2010 [more like early Feb --- gh] and a full summer edition of the International Section will be available in May 2009. Spotcheck by bandscanning As in my previous analyses, I also scanned through the SW-bands in mid December. I listened to 50 broadcast stations at random in frequency band and time and identified them 100%, no matter what language, and made a comparative analysis. I then checked in the two Handbooks, if each particular broadcast heard, was mentioned in the Country Section and in the SW frequency list. This must contain the five essential details: Station name, frequency, scheduled at that exact time, exact language and site of transmitter. Half of the stations heard carried domestic broadcasts, and half of them international broadcasts. For further details on any of my results, please look at: http://www.dswci.org/specials/bookreviews/201001handbooks.pdf Analysis I consider the five details mentioned above to be essential for the DX-er during his listening and identification of the transmitter and broadcast. Thus it was checked for each logging, if the Handbooks have all these essential details and if they are correct. This is then marked ”+” in my detailed analysis. If just one is missing, the column got a "-". I still consider it useful, if the Handbooks also can provide the DX- er with additional information about Geographical Coordinates for his propagation calculations and Google Earth search, and ID in the language heard. Furthermore it is necessary to know current addresses (postal, e-mail and web) and QSL-policy for his reception report writing. For listeners with Broadband internet (ATDL) is it also useful to know if the station broadcasts live audio on the web. Most of these useful details can be found in the WRTH, but they are still missing completely in the SWFG ! Comparison I then counted how many essential details were correct for the 25 international and 25 domestic stations randomly heard. The results were (each figure out of 5x25 = 125 possible): SWFG WRTH Int. Dom. Int. Dom Analysis result 120 120 119 119 Sum (Max. 250) 240 (96%) 238 (95%) This year both the WRTH and the SWFG were missing a few essential details. Please be aware that changes in broadcast schedules occur nearly each day and also during the period from the editorial deadline till the printed Handbook reaches the listener. It has always been so. Because of this, it is almost impossible to achieve a 100% score! Conclusions It is evident that the editors of both Handbooks once more have done a tremendous work to gather up-to-date broadcasting schedules and other information for the B09 period and have succeeded in this to a very high degree! Each of the Handbooks are useful for the DX-er and ordinary shortwave listener. The details published are at a very high accuracy level and can hardly be much better! An important feature when searching for and identifying broadcast stations, is their complete frequency schedules, so that all parallel frequencies can be checked, e.g. as an identification tool. The schedules are easily available and very complete both in the WRTH and SWFG, and on the SFL CD-version (Anker Petersen, Skovlunde, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Jan 6 via DXLD) WORLD OF HOROLOGY ++++++++++++++++++ HOUR POWER By Charles Clover, Clive Cookson and Geoff Dyer -- Published: December 23 2009 02:00 | Last updated: December 23 2009 02:00 Tampering with time is a bold political statement. In 1793 revolutionary France imposed a decimal system, with the day divided into 10 hours of 100 minutes each. This lasted just 12 years before Napoleon reinstated the traditional 24-hour, 60-minute clock, which had originated in ancient Egypt and Babylonia. In 1949 Mao Zedong replaced China's five time zones with just one to symbolise the assertion of strong central control under communism. This has endured, though it causes distress in the west of the country, where people would spend most of their midwinter mornings in darkness if they stuck to official Beijing time. The latest big time-shifting idea came from Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, who last month proposed consolidating his country's 11 zones into four in the cause of economic efficiency. . . http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/936421d0-ef69-11de-86c4-00144feab49a.html?nclick_check=1 (Financial Times, via Mike Cooper, DXLD) RADIO PHILATELY +++++++++++++++ SURFIN': COLLECTING RADIO STAMPS By Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU Contributing Editor January 08, 2010 This week, Surfin' considers the connection between ham radio and stamp collecting. . . http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2010/01/08/11279/ (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD; via Yimber Gaviría, DXLD) DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DRM See also CUBA; GERMANY; RUSSIA; VATICAN; ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ UNIDENTIFIED 9735; PUBLICATIONS DI-WAVE 100 DEBUT'S ON UNIVERSAL FOR $300 http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/portable/0023.html (Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, Jan 12, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ``Supports`` DRM, not SSB! Looks very interesting, but strange that medium wave stops at 1620 kHz when sold in North America! 73, (Erik Koie, Denmark, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Também estou à espera do Uniwave há tempo. Tentei comprar, mas hoje a Universal Radio me respondeu dizendo que não vende para fora dos EUA. A propósito, já tive um nas minhas mãos. Estava na exposição do congresso da abert de 2009. Abraços (Lucio Haeser, Brasília, radioescutas yg via DXLD) Universal does not sell outside USA DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- IBOC see also MEXICO --- they fell for it +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ HD Radio — about 734,000 HD Radio receivers were sold in 2009 as of early December, twice as many as in 2008, according to iBiquity's Bob Struble. About 366,000 were sold in 2008, 140,000 in 2007 and 28,000 in 2006. About 1.3 million HD radios total have been sold to date, he said (Bruce Elving, MN, Jan 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ SWEDISH WITHDRAWAL OF POWER LINE ADAPTERS The latest issue of the EUROCOM newsletter has an item on the withdrawal by Sweden of polluting Power Line Adaptors (PLA). The 5 january 2010 edition of the IARU Region 1 EUROCOM newsletter produced by Thilo Kootz DL9KCE says: As most of you probably have noticed already, Sweden has withdrawn some PLT Modems of their market. The Swedish administration argued, that those PLT devices do not meet the protection provided by the harmonized standard and in many cases harmful interference could actually be measured. In those cases reception in accordance with ITU Regulation was no longer possible an therefore the essential requirements violated. I would suggest to every member society to write a letter to their administration asking to follow the very good Swedish example. If you need help, please let me know. ( e-mail: TKootz at gmx.de ) Previous issues of the EUROCOM Newsletter http://www.iaru-r1.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=262&Itemid=190 EUROCOM http://www.iaru-r1.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=44&Itemid=96 (Southgate via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ e-Radio Inc. and CBC/Radio-Canada team up to improve the way electricity is consumed TORONTO, Jan. 8 /CNW Telbec/ - e-Radio-Inc. (ERI) and CBC/Radio-Canada today announced that they have successfully tested a new technology that could revolutionize the way electricity is consumed across Canada and around the world. Consumers are looking for new ways of managing their power consumption in order to reduce both their utility bills and their carbon footprint. The introduction of "smart grid" technology by utility companies - enabled by the smart metres installed in households across North America - has accelerated the trend. Utilities are looking for technology to effectively utilize and supplement their investment in "smart grid" technology as they continue to look for balance between growth in demand, generation, supply and distribution constraints, and impact to the environment. e-Radio’s made-in-Canada technology harnesses the power of FM radio to wirelessly and securely activate "smart-grid" enabled devices and appliances like thermostats, washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, and in-home displays. How does it work? A homeowner loads his or her dishwasher at 7:00 pm - peak demand time - and walks away. The e-Radio technology then finds the appropriate time of night to wirelessly activate the dishwasher. Set it and forget it. New Smart Appliances are currently being developed that make use of the technology. CBC/Radio-Canada’s FM signals reach close to 99% of the Canadian population. Tapping into that infrastructure would mean that virtually every Canadian from coast-to-coast-to-coast could benefit from the technology. The transmission of data over FM frequencies has no effect on the quality of the radio signal. "In today’s market, suppliers and users of electricity need a low-cost and reliable communications method for pricing and grid status to make more informed power consumption with the additional benefit of reduced greenhouse gas emissions," said Jackson Wang, President and CEO, e- Radio Inc. "We, at e-Radio, believe that the inherent characteristics of radio - vast coverage, stable, cost efficient, point to multi-point nature - offer the proper fit to become the ’trusted club in the bag’ for the smart grid." "This is an innovative way for CBC/Radio-Canada to maximize the use of its radio infrastructure for the benefit of both Canadian consumers and the environment, without affecting the quality our radio service," said Michel Tremblay, Senior Vice-President, Corporate Strategy & Business Partnerships. "We’re proud to help pioneer this new made-in- Canada innovation." Today, e-Radio Inc. performed the first successful live transmission from CBC Radio 2’s 94.1 MHz frequency in Toronto to the ERI designed and manufactured FM RDS receiver module, triggering various load control devices. The groundbreaking test - performed with contributions from e-Radio, CBC/Radio-Canada and Direct Energy - provides proof that radio can be adapted easily for the modern interactive digital age. "Smart grid" applications based on this technology are ready to implement nation-wide now. e-Radio Inc. (ERI) provides a complete smart-grid communications solution. The Canadian-owned company operates wireless communications networks and designs and manufactures FM receiver modules that are integrated into a variety of smart grid devices. The company’s products are focused on residential and small commercial customer demand management programs using the global standard FM-RDS technology as the communications platform. CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, Internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages. -0- 01/08/2010 /For further information: Jackson Wang, P.Eng, President and CEO, e- Radio Inc., (416) 721-7272, jwang(at)e-radioinc.com; Angus McKinnon, Senior Advisor, Media Relations and Issues Management, CBC/Radio- Canada, (613) 288-6235, (613) 296-1057 (cell), angus.mckinnon(at)cbc.ca/ CO: e-Radio Inc.; CBC/RADIO-CANADA; News - Media ST: Ontario IN: RAD SU: -30- CNW 12:00e 08-JAN-10 (via Ricky Leong, DXLD) SHORTWAVE RADIO RECEIVER RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A NEWBIE After spending a few hours on the internet trying to find a suitable shortwave radio for emergencies with no luck, only confusion, I came across your website. I have no experience with shortwave radios and am requesting either a specific brand/model number or a reliable company to deal with that you are aware of. I want a radio that has a wind-up crank in case my batteries go dead. I was thinking that a digital tuner with memory capability might be easier to operate but if you have experience with an analog tuner that works well, that would be good. I am looking in the $75 to $150 maximum price range. I live in Huntington Beach, CA near a Fry's, Best Buy, and Radio Shack and have good access to the internet for an on-line purchase. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks (Paul Rubin, CA, Jan 10, to gh, via DXLD) Paul, I don`t make specific recommendations because I am not constantly trying out different radios myself. These are two reputable dealers which specialize in SW: http://www.universal-radio.com http://www.ccrane.com Since you have no experience with shortwave, I wonder if you know what you can really expect to hear on those bands, in what kind of emergency? Once you have some specific makes and models in mind, I am sure you can research lots of user reviews, and/or join listserves dealing with those receivers. You can also find some receiver reviews in these books: World Radio TV Handbook, latest issue 2010 just out, or Passport to Worldband Radio, latest and final issue 2009. Regards, (Glenn Hauser to Paul, ibid.) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ SUNSPOT TRACKING Interesting view of the continuing decline in the A-index: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/weekly/Ap.gif Lowest it's been in a very long time, apparently, in spite of increasing sunspots. I saw one graph going back 165 years, but can't quickly find the source. Best wishes, (Nick Hall-Patch, BC, Jan 7, IRCA via DXLD) Hi Nick. Interesting graph. There sure is a LOT of stuff on NOAA's SWPC site. I've been 'scraping' geomagnetic data off a few sites nightly for awhile, saving it in a MySQL database and using a PHP package called jpgraph to --- graph it. Here's one that shows the last 60 days of several indices that may or may not shed any light on DX MW reception: http://ibbva-133.his.com/jpgraph_example2a.php and here's one that shows mostly the same indices as reported every 3 hours for the past 7 days along with a rating [1 - 5] of TA and TP reception here in Alexandria, VA for each day: http://ibbva-133.his.com/box+graph_test.php If these are of any use to anyone, you're welcome to bookmark them and tell me something I should be graphing that I'm not (Bill Whitacre, Alexandria, VA, ibid.) There are two principles I've tried to apply to predicting geomagnetic conditions over the year. The first is to realize that some events are nearly spontaneous and may not be predictable beyond 24 hours out. This is either due to the cause being non-periodic or the cause simply being more obscure. The second is that if you're looking for patterns, you have to look at periods of consecutive 28-day patterns. The problem here is that this works best during periods where there are what I'll call 'average' conditions - i.e. not right at or around a cycle minimum or maximum. You can see recurrent patterns in the flux, A & K (I am not familiar with some of the other indices Bill is plotting and don't know if I should be) over those 28-day cycles. This is how we've (so far) been able to successfully select weekends for LBI for the past 4 years at a point 4 to 6 weeks out, based on the recurring patterns established over the prior 2-3 28-day cycles. That said, like any such methodology, we're probably due to get surprised either in 2010 or 2011 with unexpectedly poor conditions. (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA (360' ASL), [15 mi NNW of Philadelphia], ibid.) Geomagnetic field activity was at predominantly quiet levels during the entire period. There was an isolated unsettled period observed at high latitudes on 10 January. Observations from the ACE spacecraft showed solar wind speed varied between a low of 241 km/s at 04/1519 UTC to a high of 352 km/s at 06/0804 UTC. The density peaked at 12 p/cc at 04/0302 UTC. The southward component of interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) ranged between +7 nT and -6 nT. FORECAST OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY 13 JAN - 08 FEB 2010 Solar activity is expected to be at very low to low levels for the entire forecast period. Isolated moderate activity is possible from 01 - 08 February with the return of old Region 1040 (N30, L243). No proton events are expected at geosynchronous orbit. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to increase to moderate levels on 14 - 15 January. Normal flux levels are expected during the rest of the period. The geomagnetic field is expected to be at predominantly quiet levels for the forecast period. :Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt :Issued: 2010 Jan 12 2351 UTC # Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Weather Prediction Center # Product description and SWPC contact on the Web # http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wwire.html # # 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table # Issued 2010 Jan 12 # # UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest # Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index 2010 Jan 13 90 5 2 2010 Jan 14 90 5 2 2010 Jan 15 88 5 2 2010 Jan 16 87 5 2 2010 Jan 17 85 5 2 2010 Jan 18 83 5 2 2010 Jan 19 82 5 2 2010 Jan 20 80 5 2 2010 Jan 21 78 5 2 2010 Jan 22 78 5 2 2010 Jan 23 80 5 2 2010 Jan 24 80 5 2 2010 Jan 25 80 5 2 2010 Jan 26 80 5 2 2010 Jan 27 80 5 2 2010 Jan 28 80 5 2 2010 Jan 29 80 5 2 2010 Jan 30 80 5 2 2010 Jan 31 80 5 2 2010 Feb 01 82 5 2 2010 Feb 02 84 5 2 2010 Feb 03 86 5 2 2010 Feb 04 88 5 2 2010 Feb 05 90 5 2 2010 Feb 06 90 5 2 2010 Feb 07 90 5 2 2010 Feb 08 90 5 2 (SWPC via WORLD OF RADIO 1495, DXLD) ###