DX LISTENING DIGEST 11-05, February 3, 2011
Incorporating REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING
edited by Glenn Hauser, http://www.worldofradio.com
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Searchable 2010 contents archive see
http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid0.html
NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but
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WORLD OF RADIO 1550 HEADLINES:
*DX and station news about: Australia, Burma non, Canada, China, Congo
DR, Cuba, Cyprus non, Czechia, Ecuador non, Egypt, Ethiopia, France,
Greenland, Iran, Italy non, Mexico, Micronesia, Nigeria non, Russia,
Solomon Islands, Sweden non, Turkey, Ukraine, UK, USA, Vanuatu
SHORTWAVE AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1550, February 3-9, 2011
Thu 1600 WRMI 9955 [confirmed]
Thu 2000 WBCQ 7415 [confirmed]
Thu 2200 WRMI 9955 [jammed]
Fri 0430 WWRB 3185 [confirmed]
Fri 1530 WRMI 9955
Fri 2130 WWCR1 7465
Sat 0900 WRMI 9955
Sat 1500 WRMI 9955
Sat 1700 WWCR2 12160
Sat 1830 WRMI 9955
Sat 1900 IPAR/IRRS/NEXUS/IBA 6090
Sun 0730 WWCR1 3215
Sun 0900 WRMI 9955
Sun 1630 WRMI 9955
Sun 1830 WRMI 9955
Mon 1230 WRMI 9955
Mon 2230 WRMI 9955 [NEW]
Tue 1630 WRMI 9955
Tue 2000 WBCQ 7415
Wed 0200 WRMI 9955 [NEW]
Wed 1630 WRMI 9955
Wed 2000 WBCQ 7415
Thu 0430 WRMI 9955
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
DXLD YAHOOGROUP: Why wait for DXLD? A lot more info, not all of it
appearing in DXLD later, is posted at our yg without delay.
When applying, please identify yourself with your real name and
location, and say something about why you want to join. Those who do
not, unless I recognize them, will be prompted once to do so and no
action will be taken otherwise. Here`s where to sign up:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dxld/
** ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS. 4760.02, 0035-0055 fade out, INDIA,
16+18.01 AIR Port Blair English news from Delhi // 4920, 5010, 0040
ad, talk in vernacular, string music, 25322 (Anker Petersen, from
Skovlunde, Denmark, done on an AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of
longwire, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD)
** ANGUILLA [and non]. 11775, Caribbean Beacon (an ID never heard on
the air), absent Jan 27 at 1432 and later chex during following hour.
6090, ``University Network`` still missing from night frequency, Jan
28 at 0711. At 1500, day frequency 11775 was back on, but mixing with
AWR theme underneath, then the latter playing an excerpt from
Concierto de Aranjuez. 11775 at 1500-1530 is AWR Turkish via AUSTRIA,
which was in the clear 24 hours earlier (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** ANTARCTICA. 15476, RN San Gabriel. 1/24 at 2035, 1/25 at 1315 and
1852, 1/28 at 1332, no signal from Antarctica (Lúcio Otávio Bobrowiec,
Embu SP Brasil, SW40 - Dipoles and Longwire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
Estimados amigos antárcticos:
Hasta el 12 de noviembre de 2010 pude captar casi todos los días
laborales a una señal aunque débil de su emisora en 15476 kHz. Pero
nada más entre las 12 y 15 TU a pesar de pruebas frecuentes.
¿Podemos esperar su regreso al aire pronto, a fines del verano? ¿O
cuál es el problema? ¿Tal vez cambiaron a otro horario?
Atentamente, Glenn Hauser, Oklahoma, Estados Unidos, WORLD OF RADIO
Jan 29 e-mail to LRA36; no reply and no bounce as of Feb 3)
** ARGENTINA. Onda Media Pirata --- 1610 kHz, 30/01/2011 2345 UT,
escuchada con calidad de emisora local. Radio Fósil en AM 1610,
Rosario, Provincia de Santa Fe emite los domingos durante la noche.
Pueden enviarse mensajes de texto al celular 341156543458. Algunos
slogans: "La radio de Alfredo que transmite música fósiles para
personajes que van de 0 a 99 años", "Radio Fósil el encanto de la
música sin tiempo". Está inscripta en el AFSCA (Asociación Federal de
Servicios de Comunicación Audiovisual) bajo el N 023123. "Seguiremos
en el aire hasta que se nos lo permita".
Alfredo José Angeletti se refirió al cierre de la Estación Relay de
RNW en Bonaire en respuesta a un msn de texto que le envié
refiriéndome al cierre de emisoras internacionales de OC. La emisora
dispone de un sitio WEB en construcción: http://www.radiofosil.com.ar/
Allí se publica un informe de recepción del querido y siempre
recordado amigo Gabriel Iván Barrera (Rubén Guillermo Margenet,
Argentina, condiglist yg via DXLD)
** ARGENTINA. AM 1620 Radio Sentir --- Amigos de la Lista, 1620 kHz,
RADIO SENTIR, es una nueva emisora de onda media de carácter "no
oficial", al parecer transmitiendo desde la localidad de Merlo,
Provincia de Buenos Aires, reportada el pasado sábado 22 de enero, en
momentos en que se estaba disfrutando del DX Camp en la ciudad de
Mercedes (Provincia de Buenos Aires) junto a Arnaldo Slaen y Enrique
Wembagher. La emisora anunciaba el teléfono de contacto: (0220)
470-4265. Sus directores serían el Sr. Daniel Barrientos y Estela
Sánchez. Se desconoce su QTH exacto (Marcelo A. Cornachioni, Lomas de
Zamora, Argentina, Jan 28, condiglist yg via DXLD) ¿potencia baja?
** ARGENTINA. 3090, harmonic or spur, AM 1600 Armonía, BA (2 x 1270).
0256, tango mx, ID. Cannot understand frequency correlation with
fundamental fq. QRK2/1, Jan 21 (Horacio A. Nigro, Valizas 2011 DX
Summer Vacation Log Part 2, 260 km E of Montevideo, a small fishermen
and summer village on the Atlantic coast of Uruguay, Jan 29, Kenwood
R600, longwire 100 m long on bushes towards Europe, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST) ?? Then why do you write 2 x 1270?? Perhaps there is
another transmitter on 1490 at same site; 1600 + 1490 = 3090 (gh,
DXLD)
** ARGENTINA. Excelente noticia: la continuidad de las ondas cortas de
RAE está asegurada --- January 27, 2011 11:16:11 AM
Estimados amigos: Estuve hasta hace unos minutos reunido con el
Director de Radiodifusión Argentina al Exterior, Luís María Barassi y
con varios compañeros trabajadores de las diferentes redacciones y
puedo contarles con gran alegría que por decisión de las autoridades
de Radio y Televisión Argentina Sociedad del Estado, la continuidad de
los servicios en onda corta de nuestra embajada radiofónica está
asegurada.
El apoyo de los oyentes a través de diferentes medios y la presión de
varios funcionarios de Estado de primerísima línea a lo cual hay que
sumar el empeño, entusiasmo y perseverancia de Luís María hacen
posible que el deseo de tantos se hiciese realidad.
Para que Radiodifusión Argentina al Exterior tenga su nuevo
transmisor, hace falta algo de tiempo pero el expediente ya está
marchando, lo mismo que las órdenes de reparación de antenas y demás
equipamiento. Tal vez no podamos encontrarnos en todo 2011 con cambios
concretos en la calidad de escucha, pero seguramente el año próximo
habrá modificaciones importantes ya que también estuvimos hablando de
cambios de horarios de transmisión.
Lo importante es que Radiodifusión Argentina al Exterior está más viva
que nunca, y sus ondas cortas continuarán a pesar de las tendencias
mundiales. 73 Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina (Via Yimber Gaviria, Colombia,
Jan 27, DXLD)
Como ya te lo expresé por la vía privada, la noticia es excelente.
RAE es uno de los poquísimos servicios latinoamericanos por OC que
emite en varios idiomas y aunque su tecnología no sea de primera
significa un verdadero orgullo para quienes apoyamos esta continuidad
que personalmente deseo contraste por mucho tiempo la nefasta
tendencia de las potentes emisoras internacionales por cerrar sus
emisiones.
Además, tendremos "Actualidad DX" para seguir escuchando, una forma de
honrar a nuestro querido GIB. Gracias Aldo por la buena noticia. RGM
(Rubén Guillermo Margenet, Argentina, condiglist yg via DXLD)
Sabes qué che --- se despertó un saludable interés de tipos que están
muy arriba en Radio y Television Argentina, Sociedad del Estado por la
onda corta. Increible? Seguro que sí y el director de RAE, Luis M.
Barassi, es una excelentísima persona, a quien conocí gracias a quien
si no, nuestro INOLVIDABLE Gabriel Iván Barrera y además es un tipo
que adora su trabajo y busca apoyo de afuera, como lo hace conmigo,
para aportar ideas y laburos concretos que estando en la planta
permanente no se pueden hacer porque chocas con la burocracia típica
de estas estructuras estatales. Pero sorprenden algunas cosas que iré
contando a medida que me den el OK en RAE para hacerlas públicas. Tiro
una --- estaría bueno volver a trasmitir en árabe y comenzar a hacerlo
en chino, no? (Arnaldo Salen, Jan 27, ibid.)
No lo puedo creer. ¿Volvió el árabe que se había rajado? ¡Emisiones en
chino! Seguramente por la apertura comercial que sigue creciendo.
Argentine Chungyang Kuangpo Tientai. RGM (Rubén Guillermo Margenet,
ibid.)
No volvió aún. Se habla de su regreso. La artística de la señal de
intervalo lo incluye pero hace añares que se dejó de txir en ese
idioma. Transmitir en chino es una necesidad imperiosa justamente por
nuestros vínculos comerciales y turísticos. Enviado desde mi
BlackBerry de Personal (Slaen, ibid.)
Excelente noticia. Precisamos manter as emissões da radiodifusão
internacional, para termos opçoes renovadas de informações e cultura.
A mídia ocidental está cada vez mais controlada por poucos e poderosos
grupos económicos; quem sabe o exemplo da Argentina não incentive o
próprio Brasil a se renovar nesta área (Sarmento Campos, Brasil,
radioescutas yg via DXLD)
15345, Radio Nacional, 2344-0006 Jan 23, man announcer in Spanish
hosting pop music program with selections from Bee Gees and Elton
John. Phone calls from listeners at 2351. Time pips at top of hour,
several IDs before talk by man and woman. Poor to fair. // 6060 was
fair (Rich D`Angelo, French Creek State Park, PA, DXpedition No. 39,
Ten-Tec RX-340, Drake R-8B and an Eton E1, 500-foot wire essentially
north for the RX-340 and 250-foot wire essentially northeast for the
R-8B and a whip antenna for the E1, NASWA yg via DXLD)
15345.04, Radio Al Exterior; 2208-2215+, 28-Jan; Panorama de Noticias,
Spanish news de Argentina & SAm. SIO=454; Chinese covers 11710 -- CNR
via China? (Frodge-MI)
11710.8, Radio al Exterior; 0231-0242+, 29-Jan; English ID as: Rae,
the international service of Argentine Radio, broadcasting from Buenos
Aires; English news & Sports Review. SIO=454-. 6060 covered by Habana
in Spanish & nothing on 15345 (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA,
Michigan Area Radio Enthusiasts DXpedition, Brighton MI, Drake R8B +
500 ft. SSWish unterminated bev & 85 ft. TTFD, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
6060, R Nacional, LRA31, Buenos Aires, domestic programming 0945-1034
2/1 [meaning Feb 1], national and regional news at tune-in by YL
including on-scene reports. OM mentions "...La Mañana en Noticias..."
possibly the name of program. 0952 YL t/ck "... de la mañana y 52
minutos . . ." At 0953 this transmitter changes over to RAE
international transmission, with IS of chimes sequence alternating
with YL and then OM saying "R - A - E . . . Argentina!", for several
minutes, over and over again. 0955 tune/out but still going at 1034
recheck and "... muy buenos días . . . Argentina... " (Ralph Perry,
Wheaton, Illinois, Drake R8B; Eton E1; Hallicrafters SX100; Knightkit
Star Roamer, Dentron Super Tuner + Ameco PLF-2, Longwire, HCDX via
DXLD)
** ARGENTINA. 13363-USB, unidentified relay, General Pacheco. 0021
January 27, 2011. Spanish vocals, poor. Same 0000 January 28 with
music across top-of-hour. Thanks Glenn Hauser and all others on this
one previously (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida USA, 27.55.83 N,
82.46.08 W, JRC NRD-535; ICOM IC-R75; Hammarlund HQ-180A; Aqua Guide
705 Radio Direction Finder; Sony ICF-7600GR; GE SuperRadio III;
RadioShack DX-399; 1 X roof dipole; 1 X in-room random wire, dxldyg
via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ARMENIA. 4810, 26/1 1530 Armenian National Radio, ID, talk, song,
good (Giampiero Bernardini with Dario Monferini in Bocca di Magra (La
Spezia province, Italy), at the seaside, for our Bocca di Magra DX
nights (Boc 22), Perseus & RFSpace SDR-IQ / ANT: Wellbrook loop LFL
1010, Jan 29, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ARMENIA. 9400, R Sadaye Zindagi via Yerevan, Armenia, 1508-1529*,
Jan 14, Dari talk, ann of postal address in Lahore, phone number and
e-mail, 35433. An undeterminated [? indeterminate?] QSL e-mail for a
report about this broadcast was received within 1 day from info @
afghanradio.org Patrick Robic, Leibnitz/ Ramsau am Dachstein,
Austria, DSWCI DX Window Jan 25 via DXLD) = Gavar:
** ARMENIA. Transmitter site photos:
1,2,3. Gavar-Kamo, Armenia.
[Gavar-Kamo, Armenia.9]
[Gavar - Kamo, Armenia. 3]
[Gavar - Kamo, Armenia. 2]
(Lev Lytovchenko, Canada, Jan. 30, shortwavesites yg via DXLD)
See also UNIDENTIFIED: 5825 DRM
** AUSTRALIA. 2368.5, Radio Symban. Back in August of 2010, sent a CD
MP3 / postal report to Radio Symban with recording of my reception
report. Hearing nothing after several months, sent a e-mail follow-up.
Received a reply from Tom Tsamouras that due to change in staff my
report was overlooked. He was going to look into my report and
apologized for the delay. Just recently, I received a Christmas Card
from Mr. Tsamouras, thanking me for my reception report and season
greetings. A better than anything yet so far reply (Edward Kusalik,
VE6EFK, Daysland, Alberta, Canada, Jan 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** AUSTRALIA. Week in Review: Aussies on 120M poor to fair all week.
Symban [2368.5] was readable on 1/25 at 1200 UT but not as loud as
last week.
Nothing on the new Australian on 3210. The whole month was difficult
with all the static produced by the storms. Hope you had more luck
(Bill, W1OW, Smith, Douglas MA, Jan 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
GOOD NEWS in Radio 3210 kHz the ex Pifo type transmitter is at
Schofields and has been testing since the 1st January 2011. Heard by
myself at 0810 UT with a religious loop tape, programming using 50 to
70 watts heard also by John Smith in Brisbane and Chris Hambly of
Melbourne and Craig Seager of Bathurst. Reports to myself
dxer1234 @ gmail.com or to 29 Milford Rd, Peakhurst 2210, NSW
Australia --- yep, doing the QSLing, rp appreciated as it`s my pocket.
More good news --- another Craig Allen station due on air soon, look
at 5050 kHz using the ex ARDS transmitter! Bet no one would guess
where the Pifo type transmitter would end up, 30 miles away from my
place and the ex Humpty Doo transmitter!!!!! That`s life! (Johno
Wright, NSW, Jan-Feb Australian DX news via WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DXLD)
3209.99, Nameless station, Schofields. Testing. Schofields 50 to 70
watts from near Richmond RAAF Base. 1/1 0810 heard whilst just with
nothing to do and tuning around. First to hear I believe. At a good
level, then told Chris Hambly, in Melbourne heard at poor level, then
John Smith in Brisbane, moderate strength (Johno Wright, Peakhurst NSW
(Icom R8500 + EWE antennae), Jan-Feb Australian DX News via DXLD)
Low powered transmitter operating from Schofields in Western
Sydney, very strong 0800 on 1/1 until much later with continuous U.S.
Gospel huckster, no IDs. Well heard on the communications gear here,
but also on a solar powered Galcom “Go-Ye” fixed tuned radio, with no
discernible antenna. This set was given to me by Craig Allen who
operates the 3210 transmitter. I was at his house last year to
purchase another radio (the Racal 6790 that was going to be his off-
air monitoring set). At that time he wasn’t sure about his
transmitting plans, but suggested I turn on the Galcom Radio every
few weeks “just in case”. Thanks to the phone tip from John Wright
(Craig Seager, Bathurst NSW (Icom R75, Folded Dipole), Jan-Feb
Australian DX News via DXLD)
Poor to fair level 0820 1/1/2011 after tip from John Wright, with
religious teachings, good after 0900 level improved with sunset (Chris
Hambly, Mont Albert North, Vic (Icom R75, Dipole), Jan-Feb Australian
DX News via DXLD)
The big news this month is the commencement of test transmissions from
a new station in Sydney on 3210, first heard by John Wright on 1st
January carrying continuous Gospel content. Said to be only 70 watts,
but heard here throughout local daytime at pretty decent strength (180
km), so I suspect it is pumping out a bit more power than that. There
is also a link with 5050, where the operator (Craig Allen) also plans
to transmit. Not on air as of time of publishing, but further details
when they emerge! You can see the transmitter location by going to the
following URL (which is also useful for other Australian licensed
transmitters):
A search on the Australian Geographical Radio Frequency map puts the
transmitter site address as Lot 39 Grange Avenue, Schofields.
http://maps.spench.net/rf/#pos=-33.6996182,150.8618818&zoom=17&type=hybrid&site=7194
Co-ordinates: -33.6996193364607, 150.861883825125
(Jan-Feb Australian DX News via WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DXLD)
** AUSTRALIA. RA/ABC'S LATE NIGHT LIVE CELEBRATES 20
This year marks an extraordinary anniversary in Australian
broadcasting as Phillip Adams celebrates 20 years as presenter of ABC
Radio National's flagship program, Late Night Live. Phillip's first
program was broadcast on 28 January 1991, and Late Night Live remains
one of the ABC's most listened to and downloaded programs.
If you're one of Phillip's Gladdies, Poddies or Noddies, click here
[where?] to leave your comments about Phillip and what Late Night Live
has meant to you (via John Figliozzi, NY, Jan 26, dxldyg via DXLD)
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/latenightlive/features/20years/default.htm
via ABC Radio Marketing (John Figliozzi, Halfmoon, NY, NASWA yg via
DXLD)
One of the best! LNL: 12-13 UT M-F on RA 9580, 9590, etc. (gh, DXLD)
Thanks for heads-up on this, John. I will be sure to leave a comment.
As I mentioned to you once in person, I was Phillip's "musical guest"
on LNL one night during my 1999 tour in Australia. I had discovered
the show on shortwave a couple years before that, and still listen
often online today. Simply one of the best! (Saul Broudy
(Philadelphia, PA USA), swprograms via DXLD)
** AUSTRALIA. RA programming is returning to normal following several
weeks of ``Summer`` substitutes --- don`t they realise that much of
their overseas audience is not observing summer? See
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/programguide/universal.htm
which we hope is again more or less correct.
9590, Friday Jan 28 at 1434 going from ``Movie Time`` to ``Artworks``,
talk by the ``Around the World in 80 Gardens`` guy about how gardening
is spiritual, makes global warming obvious to the gardener. This
episode not yet at
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/artworks/default.htm
so on RA ahead of the RN Jan 30 airing? When it is, will be podcast
and transcript available (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** AUSTRALIA. Radio Australia's Brandon Site In Cyclone's Path. I have
just seen this in today's "Brisbane Times"
Brandon is just north of the town of Ayr (where I used to live), right
where the cyclone, according to the map, is due to strike. Time will
tell if that actually happens. We had the remnants of a cyclone pass
by here overnight. It was very wet and is still windy this afternoon,
although fine.
RA 4QN Brandon site location is 62 kilometers southeasterly of
Townsville, and is right on the defined location area.
AUS ABC 4QN Brandon MW 630 kHz 50 kW
19 30 35.92 S 147 20 29.85 E
Radio Australia Brandon May Be OK
(William Hague, Australia, NWDXC, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Jan 29/30 via
DXLD)
I live close enough to the border, to get ABC-Queensland. They have
just said, that it's possible some or their stations may get knocked
off the air, due to the cyclone, expected to make landfall somewhere
nears Cairns, in just over 24-hours. Their back-up plan? They have
just announced on the air that people should listen to SHORTWAVE, if
their local ABC goes off. They will be using two Radio Australia
frequencies: 9710 and 6080. No word on when the simulcast will begin,
or whether it's only if the local AM/FM stations go off the air. But
it's relevant to this discussion [see INTERNATIONAL] and at least the
Australian government sees the value of SWBC with regards to getting
news into a stricken area. 73s (David Sharp, NSW Australia, 0652 UT
Feb 1, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Hi All, ABC Brisbane on 612khz is now being relayed on 6080khz due to
the expected tropical cyclone. Suspect this transmission started at
1000 UT. Regards (Tony Magon - VK2IC, Carlton - Sydney, Feb 1, dxldyg
via DXLD)
Thanks to this tip, I'm hearing ABC Brisbane at good level here in the
Columbus, Ohio, area. Right now, they're discussing preparations for
medical evacuations. Interesting listening! (Larry Cunningham,
Gahanna, Ohio, 1142 Feb 1, ibid.)
Twitter feed says Steve Austin is in the Rockhampton studio (John
Smith, Brisbane, 1216 UT 1 Feb, ARDXC via DXLD)
According to E-mail from Australian DXer:
0930-2130 UT 6080 kHz
2130-0930 9710 kHz --- I can receive 6080 kHz strongly in Japan (S.
Hasegawa, 1522 UT Feb 1, dxldyg via DX LISENING DIGEST)
'MONSTER' STORM BEARS DOWN ON AUSTRALIA Sky News 1 February 2011
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20110201/twl-monster-storm-bears-down-on-australi-3fd0ae9.html
A large area of northern Australia is preparing for what could be one
the of the biggest cyclones ever to hit the country. Cyclone Yasi is
500 km wide and bearing down on the state of Queensland, which has
already suffered from devastating floods.
The state premier, Anna Bligh, has described it as a "monster, killer
storm" and she predicted deadly surges inland.
It is likely to cross the coast sometime late on Wednesday local time
- and could hit anywhere along a 400-mile stretch between Cairns and
Bowen.
It already is a Category 3 cyclone, and is likely to intensify to a
Category 4, with gusts of wind expected to reach 160 mph.
Airlines are laying on extra flights to get people out of the area,
especially tourists with nowhere else to go.
But the storm is so wide that finding somewhere safe to move to will
be difficult for tens of thousands of people.
The holiday resort of Hamilton Island has already been evacuated, and
coal terminals in Bowen and Mackay have closed down in another blow to
the state's mining industry which has already been disrupted by
flooding.
Around 350,000 people live in the region, and they are being urged to
make preparations on Tuesday because heavy rain and winds could begin
to intensify while the eye of the storm is still a long way north.
Ms Bligh said the threat to life and property was compounded by the
possibility it could trigger a tsunami-like storm surge, especially if
its landfall coincided with a high tide (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via
DXLD)
If you go the Radio Australia website the cyclone has already reached
category 5 (Ray Browell, UK, 2101 UT Feb 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
ABC LOCAL RADIO CAIRNS ON SW --- For those interested due to the
Cyclone there are two temporary shortwave transmissions set up
broadcasting from somewhere around Cairns:
9710 kHz 8:30am to 8:30pm and 6080 kHz 8:30pm to 8:30am. Currently
getting 6080 into Brisbane OK at the moment. Regards (Matt)
From ICDX Yahoo Group. Times quoted are AEST (UT 2230-1030 1030-2230)
Tropical Cyclone Yasi is nearing the North Queensland, Australia coast
and is expected to be a category 5 when it reaches land. Radio
Coverage is being provided online or via shortwave (see below).
To see the current weather forecast go here:
http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDQ65002.shtml
ABC Local Radio Far North Link
http://www.abc.net.au/northqld/?ref=portal_m10
(Paul, NZ, 2355 UT Feb 1, HCDX via DXLD)
Tropical Cyclone Yasi --- Continuing ABC internet coverage for various
stations combined via 612 ABC Radio Brisbane at
http://www.abc.net.au/farnorth/programs/howtolisten.htm?ref=nav
Many areas are losing power so there are expected to be loss of local
radio signals, and possibly the internet, later. Also flash flooding
warnings being issued. This at:
http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2011/02/01/3128081.htm
"A cyclone warning is current for coastal and island communities from
Cape Flattery to Sarina, extending west across the tropical interior
to the Northern Territory border.
At 7 pm severe tropical cyclone Yasi, category five, was estimated to
be 150 kilometres east northeast of Innisfail and 175 kilometres east
of Cairns and moving west southwest at 29 kilometres per hour. Yasi
will keep moving west-southwesterly, and is expected to cross the
coast near Innisfail close to midnight.
Coastal residents between Cairns and Ayr are specifically warned of an
extremely dangerous storm tide as the cyclone approaches, crosses the
coast and moves inland. The sea is likely to steadily rise up to a
level dangerously above the normal tide, with extremely damaging
waves, strong currents, and flooding of low lying areas extending some
way inland.
The storm tide will persist for many hours after landfall of the
cyclone, and secondary peaks may occur around high tide on Thursday
morning. Higher than normal tides will exceed the high water mark with
damaging waves and flooding in low lying areas in remaining warning
areas to the south of Ayr."
(This is an extremely dangerous maximum category Force 5 Cyclone,
covering a wide area, feared to be the worst to hit Australia - Mike)
(via Mike Terry, 1016 UT Feb 2, dxldyg via DXLD)
Glenn and others. ABC News 24 is scrolling that due to the imminent
cyclone and probable damage to existing AM/FM plus TV senders,
listeners are advised to tune their battery radios to shortwave on
9710 in the daytime and 6080 at night. This has now also been picked
up by the commercial TV networks which are being relayed nationwide
like the recent Brisbane floods.
Ham radio WICEN emergency network in Queensland are likely to be
operational on 7080+- QRM during the night (Robin Harwood VK7RH,
Norwood, Tasmania 7250, Radio Monitor, SWLR-KS001, 1017 UT Feb 2,
dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
The ABC radio internet coverage from Brisbane is in parallel with
shortwave, and nationally. Press conference just started. The worst
time will be in 3 to 4 hours (Mike Terry 1034 UT Feb 2, ibid.)
The Queensland Premier speaking at the press conference is warning of
horrendous conditions over the next 4 to 5 hours and after effects for
some days, particularly flooding, and worse that much will be in the
dark. Lull of the storm now, little doubt that a major catastrophe
will happen.
I am listening to this on the other side of the world - the radio
coverage is frightening, people can do no more but pray that their
houses, indeed their lives survive. Many public buildings are not
cyclone rated. I cannot imagine how frightening this must be. However
phone calls coming in show people's resilience before the worst,
including humour and comments about the cricket! Lets pray the cyclone
moderates (Mike Terry, UK, 1055 UT Feb 2, ibid.)
The presenter just said that on ABC Radio via the internet, it`s so
true. They are announcing two emergency frequencies during the
cyclone: 6080 from now, 9710 from 8 am local [= 2200 UT]
We re-discover the power of shortwave in times of crisis; it`s a
salutary warning against all those closures that are taking place!
(Mike Terry, 1122 UT, ibid.)
TC Yasi Coverage on Radio Australia Frequencies
AT 0220 UT 02 Feb: TC Yasi general coverage and interviews on several
RA frequencies 15240, 15415, 17750 and maybe others with ABC Local Far
North Queensland on 9710.
But nothing on ABC websites or broadcasts to advise listeners in the
affected area that shortwave is available if/when their local
transmitters go down. 6080 was used last night. Tonight? (Ian Johnson,
Australia, ARDXC via DXLD)
Further to previous message: Most RA frequencies were carrying normal
programmes with Yasi figuring prominently. ABC Far North Queensland
finally announcing 9710 Daytime and 6080 Night (from 1000 UT)
(Ian Johnson, 0301 UT Feb 2, ibid.)
WICEN emergency guard frequency 7075 kHz
http://www.wia.org.au/newsevents/news/2011/20110202-1/index.php
(Edwin Lowe, 0554 UT Feb 2, ibid.)
G'day Ian, They advertised a number of FM & MW frequencies plus
shortwave 9710 on 612 this afternoon just before 3.30 pm local, I
think they said 9710 will be on till 8.30 pm local. Cheers (John
Smith, Brisbane, 0625 UT., ibid.)
Only frequency info I could find on ABC website
http://www.abc.net.au/emergency/cyclone/yasi/
ABC frequencies in Queensland
In addition to the frequencies listed on the link below, we are also
running shortwave services:
- Daytime: 9710 kHz
- Night time: 6080 kHz
- ABC frequencies in Queensland
Cheers (John Smith, Brisbane, 0650 UT, ibid.)
Listening on 9710 now and watching the cricket (Wayne Bastow,
Australia, 0654 UT, ibid.)
They fooled us all. Now (0735 [sic] UT) coverage is now on 6080.
Change-over times (8 PM/8:30 PM) given must have been daylight saving
times! IanJ, ibid.) However, timestamp on this post is:
Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2011 19:39:56 +1000 which should = 0939 UT! (gh)
Maybe RA thought it was 8 pm in the main part of Australia (just
joking)- I assume it is from Shepparton (Wayne Bastow, 0945 UT, ibid.)
6080 was observed here coming on at 0932, 2 February (Steve Lare,
Holland, MI, USA, dxldyg via DXLD)
Hi Everyone, Have been listening to coverage on ABC-Queensland. They
have been repeatedly mentioning, that people should tune to 9710 or
6080 kHz, "if (their) local ABC transmitter goes off." Then the
announcer added: "Shortwave is 'crackly' but at least IT WORKS!"
First World broadcasters, who think shortwave is redundant, TAKE NOTE.
One final thought -- it's good to see the Australian government
acknowledge the benefits of HF broadcasting, especially when in the
past, Radio Australia's future was uncertain. If the axe had fallen on
RA, how would people impacted by Yasi get their news (if the local
stations are off the air)? 73s (David Sharp, NSW Australia 1903 UT Feb
2, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Hi David, The signals on shortwave are being reported around the
world! I believe it`s a new 100 kW transmitter. I have been listening
to ABC radio on the internet; I feel so sorry for those in North
Queensland, it sounds a terrifying experience (Mike Terry, UK., ibid.)
From what I gather, what`s happening in Queensland may be as intense
or more so since the cyclone you have (spelled Hurricane in the US and
Canada) landed on land as a Cat 5. The only thing I know in the states
that was as intense was Hurricane Katrina when it landed in South
Mississippi [axually it was cat 3 by then]. It spent a lot of time
inland and was wider than a tornado. It finally dissipated in a small
town in East Central Mississippi by the name of Bay Springs. I hope
that you in Australia have a station like WWL (New Orleans, LA, USA)
which will go local with warnings and announcements and instructions
on what to do, where to go for help and general coverage and local
media to do the same in the local area away from inland stations. In
my experience there was damage inland. And enough trees and power down
to be a concern. And in the town I live in people were lined up to get
gas (petrol) and some stations were out of gas during the aftermath of
Katrina. I wish the Aussies the best of luck (Richard Lewis, dxldyg
via DXLD)
I took advantage of the breaks between blowing snow to listen to some
radio:
6080. Radio Australia / ABC Local Radio - Shepparton, 1330, 2/2/11, in
English. End of cyclone preparedness announcement: “Keep tuned to ABC
Local Radio for updates,” interview by woman with a man about the
cyclone bearing down on Australia. Fair. // 6020 Good (Mark Taylor,
Madison, WI, WinRadio g313e, Eton E1, Satellit 800; EWE, Flextenna,
dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Since local radio transmitters were in danger of being blown off by
category-5 Cyclone Yasi, relays of Queensland ABC services were set up
on SW via Shepparton, Victoria: 6080 at 1030-0030 UT, and 9710 at
0030-1030 [sic; times apparently off].
Feb 2 at 0632 I am getting 9710 with sirens, cyclone warnings of at
least 125 kph near Ayr. 0634 ``ABC Local Radio for Queensland`` ID,
and mentioning winds of 290 kph at another location. Warnings extend
as far as the NT border. No sign of WYFR on 9715 which often is
extremely strong. This is one of those nights with not much
propagating on 31m from inside North America.
9710 was not // 9660, the only other audible RA frequency, presumably
still with normal programming. 9660 is registered as Brandon, 10 kW at
21-08, and Brandon is certainly in the threatened area. If the RA site
there is hit, its frequencies might well be shifted to Shepparton.
6080 I start checking at 1348; has 12:12 timecheck, taking callers
such as one from Magnetic (?) Island, each describing how bad the
winds and damages are. I shortly find that RA 6020 is //, and 6020 has
a much better signal here. At 1406, all the audible RA frequencies are
// with Yasi coverage from Queensland, 5995, 6080, 7240, 9590. So much
for RA programming getting back to normal after summer vacations. I
listen for quite a while.
Anchor is Kelly Higgins, on air until 5 am EST, and she does a great
job calmly conversing with callers about the situation, debunking
rumor that the roof of a shelter had blown off, general advice about
safety. 1428 ID as ABC Local Radio Queensland. I suppose out of
Brisbane. At 1439 she hears from a colleague in Townsville where the
ABC studios had to be evacuated, so they can`t originate any coverage
there. At 1435 report that 6080 was arriving loud and clear somewhere;
but did not mention that all the other SW frequencies are now
available (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Special shortwave transmissions to N Queensland due to Cyclone Yasi
February 2nd, 2011 - 9:49 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Updated 1545 UT:
Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Yasi has hit the northern Queensland coast
between Cairns and Townsville. Much damage to houses, property and
infrastructure is anticipated within this area. Flooding and very high
winds will also be a major problem for those people who haven’t
managed to leave the area. Because of this the local ABC and
commercial broadcasters expect severe damage to landbased TV and radio
transmitters within the region. The ABC has requested Radio Australia
to transmit the ABC’s northern Queensland regional radio service using
a shortwave transmitter at Shepparton, Victoria to northern Queensland
until further notice.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting that Tropical
Cyclone Yasi will produce a very large rain depression which could see
around 350 mm fall into northern and central Australia.
Schedule
* 2100-0830 UTC on 9710 kHz 353deg
* 0830-2100 UTC on 6080 kHz 005deg
The transmitter being used is a brand new 100 kW Continental which is
DRM capable.
Internet links
* Latest news: http://www.abc.net.au/news/
* Latest meteorological information:
http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDQ65002.shtml
* View satellite display of Tropical Cyclone Yasi in almost real
time: http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDE00902.loop.shtml
(Source: Nigel Holmes/Radio Australia via Mike Bird), Media Network
blog via WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DXLD)
4 Comments on “Special shortwave transmissions to N Queensland due to
Cyclone Yasi”
1. #1 Chris Mackerell on Feb 2nd, 2011 at 09:57
9710 kHz has been fair all day here near Motueka, NZ.
6080 kHz is currently (0955 UT) booming in here.
AOR AR-7030 receiver with random wire antenna. 73 Chris
2. #2 John Watts on Feb 2nd, 2011 at 10:02
Coming in loud and clear here in Wellington New Zealand on 6080 kHz at
1000 UT.
3. #3 Roy Sandgren on Feb 2nd, 2011 at 15:37
The people needs a multiband SW wind-up radio, too !!
4. #4 Colin Miller on Feb 3rd, 2011 at 02:25
Short wave is still the most reliable means of transmission during an
emergency situation. I agree, a wind up radio would come in handy, if
available (Media Network blog comments via DXLD)
9710, Radio Australia, 0646 Feb 1, on extended sked (normal s/on for
this frequency is 0700) with discussion of how to prepare livestock
and how they react to floods, in response to recent floods and pending
cyclone in Australia. Fair (Harold Sellers, Vernon, BC, Listening
mobile, Eton E1, Sony AN1 antenna, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** AUSTRALIA. 6080, ABC Local Radio Queensland still being relayed
here in the wake of Cyclone Yasi, Feb 3 at 1329, Kelly Higgins taking
a call from Cairns. Poor reception today, weaker than Russia bleeding
music from 6075, and other RA frequencies are no longer //, such as
6020 with `Jazz Notes`.
6080 at 1337, clean-up advice, ``ABC Local Radio, your emergency
services network``. Yasi is now a tropical depression. 1342 mentions
widespread power outages, some of which may last up to four weeks.
(Meanwhile in Enid we are fortunate that there have been no power
outages here, as the current temp is +1.2 degree F! The low had been
forecast as -4.)
There has been a lot of contradictory info about the times for
switching between day and night frequencies 9710 and 6080, but Steve
Lare in Michigan monitored the change at 0930 UT the day before (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** AUSTRIA. 6155, Ö1, Friday Jan 28 at 0709 going from German OM to
English YL with token world news capsule from domestic service, still
airing M-F only, starting with Egypt, 0712 French; fair signal (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** AZERBAIJAN. Re: ``Radio Voice of Justice with an identification in
Azeri language "Edaletin Sesi Radiosu" was heard at the start of the
broadcast 1408 on the new frequency 9679.5. Broadcasts are on Tuesday
and Friday from Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh and talk about the peace
treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan. (Rumen Pankov, Radio Bulgaria
DX January 7 via Yimber Gaviría, Colombia, DX Listening Digest)``
WRTH 2011 has their schedule as 0600-0630 Wednesday and Saturday,
1400-1430 Tuesday and Friday, times variable, on 9677 (Mike
Barraclough, Feb World DX Club Contact via DXLD)
** BANGLADESH. 4750, Bangladesh Betar, 1144-1218 Jan 24, local vocals
hosted by a man announcer with talks in listed Bengali language. Tone
at 1200 followed by woman with ID and news. More vocals after the
news. Poor to fair with QRM from presumed RRI Makassar with SCI at
1159 [see INDONESIA] (Rich D`Angelo, French Creek State Park, PA,
DXpedition No. 39, Ten-Tec RX-340, Drake R-8B and an Eton E1, 500-foot
wire essentially north for the RX-340 and 250-foot wire essentially
northeast for the R-8B and a whip antenna for the E1, NASWA yg via
DXLD)
** BENIN. 1566, TWR Africa, Parakou, 0303, nice mx soul style by m. ID
by m, QSB till 0306. QRK 2/3, Jan 20/21 (Horacio A. Nigro, Valizas
2011 DX Summer Vacation Log Part 2, 260 km E of Montevideo, a small
fishermen and summer village on the Atlantic coast of Uruguay, Kenwood
R600, longwire 100 m long on bushes towards Europe, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** BOLIVIA. 3310 R. Mosoj Chaski, 2328, adstring in Quechua by m/w
"Agropecuaria", "Cochabamba", ID in Quechua at 2330, TC: "Siete de la
noche con 35 minutos". Several mentions or IDs as "Mosoj Chaski". QRK
3/4, QRN Jan 21 (Horacio A. Nigro, Valizas 2011 DX Summer Vacation Log
Part 2, 260 km E of Montevideo, a small fishermen and summer village
on the Atlantic coast of Uruguay, Jan 29, Kenwood R600, longwire 100 m
long on bushes towards Europe, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BOLIVIA. 5952.435, R. Pio XII, 0955, Spanish, talk by a woman with
local references, and ment "Boliviano." Into local music, but tough
copy. Splatter from 5950, and also jamming on 5955 (but no sign of
ELCOR xmtr). Slightly better copy in USB. 26 January (David Sharp, NSW
Australia)
6134.79, R. Santa Cruz, 0944, news program with stories alternated by
a man and a woman. Also field reports from a man. Many local
references, all alone on frequency and excellent copy at better than
S9+30. 26 January (David Sharp, NSW Australia: FT-950, NRD-535D, R8,
ICF SW7600GR, Timewave 599zx, etc., dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
6134.8, Radio Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz) (presumed), 2318-2333,
1/28/2011, Spanish. Slow Latin American music followed by a faster
selection. Talk by a woman after 2325. Moderate signal strength at
first, then fading down a bit, just as presumed R. Aparecida (Brazil)
on 6135 faded up. At tune out, Aparecida was on top (Jim Evans,
Germantown, TN, IC-R75, RX-340, E1, ICF-SW7600G, G6, Random Wire,
ALA100M Loops, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD)
6134.77, R. Santa Cruz, 1009-1045+ 1/30, good time to tune as usual
6135 QRM (initially) absent early morning. Sounded like remote
newsfeed at tune-in, 1018 brief música folklórica break and then OM
announcer 1019 and into romantic guitar ballad. 1021 local time check
and mentions of "boliviano ... La Paz" and "música del campo" and then
into extremely rustic música folklórica segment. Yelling/singing women
a cappella with only percussion accompaniment. 1027 taped ID by OM &
YL, clear mention "Radio Santa Cruz . . . onda corta . . ." 1029 ads
and another ID 1029:46, into slow huayno-type ballad by OM with
accordion-like instrument. QRM coming up at this point and big het,
but still able to follow until 1045 tune out (Ralph Perry, Wheaton,
Illinois, HCDX via DXLD)
6134.84, Radio Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, big beautiful
signal at tune-in 0955 Feb 1. All QRM gone, frequency clear. OM in
Spanish and romantic orchestral music. Very nice ID 1030 "Radio Santa
Cruz" and then into more MOR music. Heard several days now, stable on
this precise off-frequency (Ralph Perry, Wheaton, Illinois, Drake R8B;
Eton E1; Hallicrafters SX100; Knightkit Star Roamer, Dentron Super
Tuner + Ameco PLF-2, Longwire, HCDX via DXLD)
** BOLIVIA. Found Radio Illimani Bolivia? MS Virtual Earth, Google
Earth / Google Maps imagery. Some high resolution place. Google Earth
historical image.
Following my bizarre discovery of at least 22 masts in the hills to
the north of La Paz, I decided to hunt around for anything else. Lo
and behold right next to the airport I find Mount Illimani and at
16 30 23 S 68 10 01 W
I have found a compound with at least seven short masts which looks
suspiciously like it could be the site for Bolivia's main shortwave
broadcaster. What do you think? (Dan Goldfarb, UK, shortwavesites yg
Jan 29 via BC-DX via DXLD) Axually this was not posted on swsites (gh)
I really wouldn't like to guess. Some SW sites are located close to
airports. Other usages can be of utility nature. Without confirmed
data it is pure speculation.
One can often distinguish a multi antenna international broadcast site
from utility sites ... BUT when it comes to distinguishing small
domestic SW broadcast masts from comms/utility site masts from
ordinary GE images - I'm afraid I find it next to impossible to do. I
can recount several instances or where our presumptions have proven
inaccurate in the past.
One thing is for sure; when we find enough/all of the transmission
masts in an area, we can probably say we have uncovered at least one
of the sites that is of interest to us & many that would be of
interest to others, be it MW, FM, TV or utility broadcaster etc. You
may also wish to use the Panoramio images in the area as a guide.
I don't know of any Bolivian DXers in area that could be helpful.
There is the [Lista ConDig] that might
be a helpful resource. I sent out a help message to the group recently
regarding your suspected Radio Nacional Paraguay - 9735 kHz, but no
response :-(. Regarding the group I have only found a couple within
the group (from Costa Rica & Uruguay) of assistance in the past. I
don't think anyone in the group has any particular interest in TX
sites, which is a pity.
Could you possibly check out 16 27 40 S 68 09 57 W at the southern
end up to 16 25 02 S 68 10 29 W at the northern point. Is it a
massive cluster of all MW for La Paz, is it military, or is it
something else? Any ideas of your own?
Another great find. To me my first thoughts are that this is an area
of many private MW (and some SW?) transmitter masts (MW radio
stations). Could be other usages there as well. Lots of further
research & investigation required here :-) I could post another
message to the later (when more time)?
Also Dan, think about attempting to contact local ham radio operators
or even the image takers of Panoramio images as sources of further
information.
I know I keep saying it, but we need more researchers in our group to
seek out information. Most in the group are silent consumers of our
good (and often tiresome) work , but I'm sure that is typical of most
Yahoo Groups (Ian Baxter-AUS, SW TX site Jan 29, ibid.)
Close to the airport:
16 30 23 S 68 10 01 W Looks like aviation communication antenna
masts, of both civil and Bolivian air forces too?
Due of difficulties to glide land of airplanes on Lima airport, all MW
antenna mast buildings concentrated on the far northern Lima
altiplano. At least 42 like mediumwave range masts discovered on that
altiplano. . . [+ coordinates for all of them]
(Wolfgang Büschel, SW TXsite - wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Jan 29 via DXLD)
** BONAIRE. Re 11-04: news about Bonaire closing published in Spanish,
but not yet in English on the MN blog ---
It's here:
http://blogs.rnw.nl/medianetwork/rnw-bonaire-relay-station-will-close-in-october-2012
We actually didn't intend to announce it in the way it came out, but
due to a miscommunication our Spanish website already published a
story about it last Saturday before our clients/partners had received
the news formally from our Programme Distribution Department. So we
had to rush out an email to them after Kim Elliott asked me if he had
missed something in the weblog. I didn't even know the Spanish article
had been published :-( (Andy Sennitt, Jan 28, ODXA yg via DXLD)
We had it right away in the dxldyg (gh)
Re Bonaire SW site to close at end A12 --- Last night I was googling
around to find more information about the closing of
the RNW Bonaire relay in October 2012. I did not find any but came
across 2 interesting articles about the renovation of the station in
2006-2007. These I share with you below.
The First one is an article dealing with the antenna matrix switches
built by Siemens.
http://www.automation.siemens.com/wcmsnewscenter/details.aspx?xml=/content/10001666/en/gc/Pages/ideas-0803-S22-Shortwave-transmitter.xml&xsl=publication-en-www4.xsl
And the second one is from Andy Sennitt found in the RNW archives
telling all about the renovation plans.
http://static.rnw.nl/migratie/www.radionetherlands.nl/features/media/bon060518-redirected
Hope this is of use to you all (Jan Oosterveen, Jan 30, shortwavesites
yg via DXLD) See also NETHERLANDS
Bonaire SW site to close at end A12
It's a great pity, but very understandable because RNW has to face a
big many millions of Euro's budget cut by our rightwing government
over the coming years. If you like more pictures of the Bonaire
Transmittersite taken before the renewal of the site in 2006, you'll
find them on this link to download :
http://www.mediafire.com/?ftotiz07q51hj56
(Jan Oosterveen, Netherlands, Jan 28, shortwavesites yg via DXLD)
Hi Jan, Fantastic pictures, thank you very much! Whilst it may seam
premature to pay tribute to the Bonaire site, I'd like to say that
this SW site holds special significance to me for a few reasons.
1. It was the very first SW transmitter site I QSL'd back in October
1979.(1st QSL!)
2. It was either the first or second English SW transmission I heard
(9715kHz at 0730UT in 1979 to Aus/NZ) . Perhaps REE was the first via
Noblejas on 9630kHz at 0530UT in 1979?
3. I used to listen to more hours of English language transmissions of
RNW via this site compared to any other transmissions from any other
transmitter site around the globe.
The local late afternoon RNW transmissions to Australia were very good
in the late 70's to 90's etc. The excellent quality RNW English
transmissions direct from this site to Aust/NZ were sadly missed when
they ceased. Later; the replacement/ additional signals from the CIS
relays were never as good.
Yes...disappointing news, but not unexpected given the financial mess
much of Europe is in (Ian Baxter, NSW, ibid.)
Well, picture 6 shows the control console already set up for the new
transmitters. Look for the "Thomson 2" sticker on the TFT monitor (and
so the other one certainly is labelled "Thomson 1"). And to the right
are apparently the controls of the Brown Boveri rig, in the typical
design of the last Brown Boveri transmitter generation from the
eighties.
Picture 18 is a glimpse of one of the new transmitters. I particularly
like how some equipment still carries the Thalès label. Reminds me of
a recent railway signalling project in which Thalès came along with
containers still carrying the Alcatel imprint, much to be amusement of
observers who knew the story (while expelling the broadcasting stuff
Thalès had purchased the railway signalling business of Alcatel).
Also of already historical value is picture 5: No CRI audio feeds have
to be used at Bonaire anymore. The receiver for the encrypted Babcock
audio distribution system may no longer be needed as well (if it is
still the currently used system at all), since no BBC programming is
to be transmitted anymore.
And the fourth, modest power (forget the kW figure; was it 50?)
transmitter that was in use for some time was a Siemens, apparently an
elder one. Where did it come from and is it still there?
For reference the original item about the closure (no surprise it's in
Spanish only; RNW English has no bearing on this transmission facility
anymore):
http://www.rnw.nl/espanol/article/radio-nederland-cerrara-la-estacion-en-bonaire
(Kai Ludwig, Jan 30, shortwavesites yg via DXLD)
** BRAZIL. BRASIL: 4775, ZYG207, Rádio Congonhas; 2306-2400:24*, 29-
Jan; M in Portuguese with mostly Portuguese pop tunes, one possibly in
Spanish & English Hotel California. Brief ID at 2341 & full ID at
2355+ followed by religious commentary mentioning Santa Maria &
prayers. SIO=3+43 with minor ute trill & swiper from upfrequency
(Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Michigan Area Radio Enthusiasts
DXpedition, Brighton MI, Drake R8B + 500 ft. SSWish unterminated bev &
85 ft. TTFD, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BRAZIL. 4865.04, R. Verdes Florestas, 1000, presumed with talk by a
Portuguese man (sounded like he may have been reciting the Rosary),
then into EZL ballads. 25 January (David Sharp, NSW Australia)
4885.02, R. Dif. Acreana, 0945, good with ballads and Brasopops,
occasional talk by a male DJ. All alone on freq and peaking at S9+30.
25 January (David Sharp, NSW Australia: FT-950, NRD-535D, R8, ICF
SW7600GR, Timewave 599zx, etc., dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BRAZIL. 9592.5, Súper Rádio Deus é Amor, 2327-2339 Jan 23, man
announcer with religious sermon followed by fast talking man at 2330
before returning to preaching. Fair signal and //11805 (Rich D`Angelo,
French Creek State Park, PA, DXpedition No. 39, Ten-Tec RX-340, Drake
R-8B and an Eton E1, 500-foot wire essentially north for the RX-340
and 250-foot wire essentially northeast for the R-8B and a whip
antenna for the E1, NASWA yg via DXLD)
** BRAZIL. 9695.8, Rádio Rio Mar, 1041-1105 Jan 24, man announcer with
ID in Portuguese followed by several ads. News of the Amazonas region
followed with a woman announcer. Time pips at 1100 followed by music.
Fair (Rich D`Angelo, French Creek State Park, PA, DXpedition No. 39,
Ten-Tec RX-340, Drake R-8B and an Eton E1, 500-foot wire essentially
north for the RX-340 and 250-foot wire essentially northeast for the
R-8B and a whip antenna for the E1, NASWA yg via DXLD)
** BRAZIL. 9593.97, 1/2 0302, Súper Rádio Deus é Amor, usual religious
talks, fair
9645.33, 1/2 0306, Rádio Bandeirantes, talks // 11924.99 weak
9665.11, 1/2 0310, Voz Missionária, songs, talks // 11749.86 Good
11749.86, 1/2 0246, Voz Missionária, religious, weak
11815, 1/2 0251, Rádio Brasil Central, nice Brazilian songs, good
11924.99, 1/2 0255, Radio Bandeirantes, interview about Brazilian
politics & economics, sport, great ID. Good
15190.02, 1/2 0315, Rádio Inconfidência, songs, jingle, IDs, fair with
fading (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italia, Perseus, T2FD, dxldyg
via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BRAZIL. BRASIL: 15190, ZYE522, Rádio Inconfidência (presumed);
1829-1838+, 25-Jan; M in Portuguese with phone call; ad string at
1834+. SIO=2+42 with co-channel QRM. Got only a het [carrier?] on
about 15190.06 at 1602 (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, Drake R8B + 125 ft.
bow-tie; 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
15190, ZYE522, Rádio Inconfidência; 0243, 29-Jan; M in Portuguese with
mentions of Brasil. // 6010 ZYE521, both weak (Harold Frodge, Midland
MI, USA, Michigan Area Radio Enthusiasts DXpedition, Brighton MI,
Drake R8B + 500 ft. SSWish unterminated bev & 85 ft. TTFD, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
A Rádio Inconfidência em 15190 me pagou um QSL semana passada,
transmitindo com melhor sinal de recepção em Goiás depois das 2100
UTC, com os seguintes contatos:
Av. Raja Gabaglia, 1666- Luxemburgo
Belo Horizonte-Minas Gerais, Brasil
CEP30441-194
Tel: 55 31 3298-3401
Fax: 55 31 3298-3403
E-mail: diretoria @ inconfidência.com.br
73 a todos. RECEPTOR: MOTOBRAS RM-PF 121 AC. ANTENA:
FERRITE/TELESCÓPICA 1,5m
(Prof Carlos, PP2006SWL, Senador Canedo-GO
-16 44'09.01"
-49 05'32.24" Jan 30, radioescutas yg via DXLD
** BULGARIA. 11895-11900-11905, 31/1 1041, BNR Horizont DRM, Bulgaria,
"BNR Digital" Interview about Middle East and Arabic World, songs.
Strong signal, excellent audio (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italia,
Perseus & Icom R71E, T2FD 15 meters long, dxldyg via DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** BULGARIA. Radio Bulgaria's Program Schedule
Sunday
0000 News, Views behind the news, Keyword Bulgaria, Answering your
letters, (Time out for music)
0300 News, Views behind the news, Keyword Bulgaria, Answering your
letters, (Time out for music)
0730 News, News briefs, Answering your letters, (Time out for music)
1830 News, Views behind the news
2200 News, Views behind the news, Folk studio, (Keyword Bulgaria),
Walks and talks, (Folk studio)
Monday
0000 News, Views behind the news, Folk studio, (Keyword Bulgaria),
Walks and talks, (Folk studio)
0300 News, Views behind the news, Folk studio, (Keyword Bulgaria),
Walks and talks, (Folk studio)
0730 News, Answering your letters, (Time out for music)
1830 News, Events and developments, Sports
2200 News, Events and developments, Sports Keyword Bulgaria, Time out
for music
Tuesday
0000 News, Events and developments, Sports, Keyword Bulgaria, Time out
for music
0300 News, Events and developments, Sports, Keyword Bulgaria, Time out
for music
0530 News, Folk studio, (Walks and Talks)
1830 News, Events and developments
2200 News, Events and developments, Magazine economy, Keyword
Bulgaria, Time out for music
Wednesday
0000 News, Events and developments, Magazine economy, Keyword
Bulgaria, Time out for music
0300 News, Events and developments, Magazine economy, Keyword
Bulgaria, Time out for music
0730 News, Keyword Bulgaria, (Time out for music)
1830 News, Events and developments
2200 News, Events and developments, The way we live, Keyword Bulgaria,
Time out for music
Thursday
0000 News, Events and developments, The way we live, Keyword Bulgaria,
Time out for music
0300 News, Events and developments, The way we live, Keyword Bulgaria,
Time out for music
0730 News, Keyword Bulgaria, (Time out for music)
1830 News, Events and developments
2200 News, Events and developments, History club, Keyword Bulgaria,
Time out for music
Friday
0000 News, Events and developments, History club, Keyword Bulgaria,
Time out for music
0300 News, Events and developments, History club, Keyword Bulgaria,
Time out for music
0730 News, Keyword Bulgaria, (Time out for music)
1830 News, Events and developments
2200 News, Events and developments, Keyword Bulgaria, DX programme,
Time out for music
Saturday
0000 News, Events and developments, Keyword Bulgaria, DX programme,
Time out for music
0300 News, Events and developments, Keyword Bulgaria, DX programme,
Time out for music
0730 News, (News briefs), DX programme, Time out for music
1830 News, Views behind the news
2200 News, Views behind the news, Keyword Bulgaria, Answering your
letters, (Time out for music)
Consult Target Listening and World English Survey for frequencies
(via Programming Maters, Feb ODXA Listening In via DXLD)
** BURMA [non]. BURMA (not) – Heard a station yesterday afternoon on
5905 from 0009 to 0029 in a Southeastern Asian language with nice
signals. Station closed down at 0029. Sent an audio recording of the
last 30 seconds to the Democratic Voice of Burma email address in
Oslo, Norway, to see if it was them. Confirmed in this morning’s mail:
Dear Phil, This is to confirm you that this is our station and it is
incredible that you heard the transmission across the world. I am
afraid we don't have the system of QSL card and I hope you can take
this letter as confirmation to what you heard on the radio.
Best regards, Aye Chan
--
Aye Chan Naing
Executive Director/Chief Editor
Democratic Voice of Burma
P.O Box 6720
ST. Olavs Plass
0130 Oslo
Norway
Tel - 47 911 077 43
(Phil Finkle, Marietta GA, Jan 27, dxldyg via DXLD) BTW, this 5905
transmission at 2330-2430 is via Wertachtal, GERMANY, but next story
says they are dropping morning broadcast (gh, DLD)
** BURMA [non]. RADIO CHIEF INTERVIEWED ON PROGRAMMING CHANGES,
FUNDING ISSUES | Text of report by New Delhi-based Burmese opposition
Mizzima News Agency
New Delhi (Mizzima) - The Norway-based Democratic Voice of Burma
(DVB), which suffered funding cut recently, says it will eliminate
some morning radio programmes.
At the same time, as the sole exile TV broadcaster, DVB is making
preparations to expand its TV programmes.
Mizzima reporter Tun Tun interviewed DVB Executive Director Aye Chan
Naing on the funding cuts, trends in the exiled Burmese media,
stopping the short wave radio programmes and the implications and
changes in the policies of organizations that fund DVB and other
exiled media.
Q: What is the percentage of the funding cuts and what is the amount?
A: It's about 15 per cent and the amount is approximate 500,000
dollars.
Q: Because of the funding cuts what programmes in your regular
operations will be affected?
A: We have to cut our airtime in radio programmes and some
entertainment programmes. We have to reduce some of our office
operations, too.
Q: What will be the impact of the reductions in your operations?
A: We have to cut our airtime in shortwave radio programmes, but we
will expand in our TV programmes. I think the main impact will be on
our radio programmes. The impact will be severe in this area. But on
the other hand, we will balance programme cuts with overhead costs cut
at our Oslo office to minimise the impact on our listeners and
audiences in Burma. For instance, if we can significantly reduce
operational costs in the Oslo office, there will be no impact on our
programmes.
Q: What is likely to be the impact on the audiences inside Burma due
to some programme cuts?
A: I think there will be little impact on our audiences. In radio
programmes, we will stop our broadcasting of the morning programme.
There will be some impact on short wave radio programmes. But at the
same time, we will expand our TV programmes. Currently, we telecast
our programmes two to three times daily. We will now extend this
airtime considerably, especially for news programmes.
We have airtime for round the clock TV telecasts, so we will expand TV
programmes in many areas. The TV audiences inside Burma will be more
informed about what is going on in Burma.
Q: What are the reasons for the funding cuts?
They are not nurturing the media organization. Their [donors'] funding
is based on their political policy. If they change their political
policy, certainly it will have an impact on us too.
A: Actually, it's not a funding cut. The donors, for their own
reasons, may simply not make a contribution for some years. In the
long term, we could face similar loss of funds by other existing
donors. So we have to consider our long term plan in facing such a
financial crisis.
This is not a budget cut to DVB because of unsatisfactory performance
and operations. The lack of funding is due to their own problems and
policies.
Q: The BBC Burmese Service had similar funding cuts. Some online
exiled media had to stop their magazines and journals in the English
language. Do you see any structural changes in the exiled media under
the reduced funding situation?
A: I think there is one point that all of our exiled media should
consider seriously. Our donors are not giving funds to us as media
organizations. Their funding philosophy and objective of giving funds
to us is concerned with politics. They are providing these funds to us
because there is no media freedom in Burma and because of the
unfavourable political landscape for a free press. If they change
their political policy, certainly it will have an impact.
So there is a danger for us, challenges that are immense, because we
must commit to our schedule and programmes in advance. We cannot stop
our programmes. So we must have long term plans. If we cannot build
sound and reliable funding, the danger will be very serious to us and
to all exiled media, for Mizzima or the Irrawaddy or DVB. All of us.
What all the presentations made by the delegates sent by the SPDC
(junta) to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) today are lies. Only
the exiled media can expose such lies made in the international arena.
One more thing. What is even worse is the lack of media freedom inside
Burma. There are human rights violations inside Burma. The statements
made on Friday by the delegates sent by SPDC (junta) to the UN Human
Rights Council (UNHRC) are blatant lies. Only the exiled media can
expose such lies made in the international arena.
The domestic media cannot do so. So under this circumstance, the role
of exiled media is very important for the people of Burma, foreign
governments, NGOs and people in foreign countries. They need to know
what is really going on in Burma by relying on the exiled media. If
the exiled media cannot survive, it will be dangerous for everyone.
Q: Some observers are saying that the donors' priority is to channel
their funds into Burma?
A: Some of the rumours are true. Some are real. But I see also that
some of our donors, from Europe and the US, already have operations
inside Burma. At the same time, they have a commitment to continue
their funding to the exiled organizations too.
But on the other hand, we should ask what are they thinking, why have
they stopped funding some of us? We should consider the overall view
because all of these donors have supported and funded the Burmese pro-
democracy movement for 20 years. Now their ideology, their thoughts,
and their tactics are changing.
So all of us need to consider why they have changed. In our view, the
changes inside Burma are not real change, only cosmetic changes. They
conducted a general election, we have a Constitution now and a new
civilian government will emerge soon. If they [donors] really believe
in all these cosmetic changes, it must be because of our failure to
convince them these are just superficial changes.
Q: What will DVB do if you have more cuts?
A: We have started our own contingency plans. We must consider how we
can continue our funding and generate income from our current
operations. We have full faith on our existing donor organizations.
They also believe and recognise our important role. So we don't have
to worry about our funding for the next four to six years because the
role of the exiled media will be important as long as there is no
change inside Burma and there is no media freedom in Burma.
We don't have to worry about our funding for the next four to six
years because the role of exile media will be important as long as
there is no change inside Burma, and there is no media freedom in
Burma.
If the SPDC really changes by giving media freedom and everybody can
say whatever they wish; we don't need to stay as an exile
organization, we don't need to work here anymore. We will re-enter our
country. So I see all of these changes also to be dependent on the
Burmese government.
If they still gag the media, if they ban media freedom and freedom of
expression in Burma, our role will be important. So the democracy-
loving governments and Western countries will continue their support
to us and funding to us. I have no doubt of it. But we must prepare
ourselves to cope with the changes. Some Western governments might
have changed their tactics, but they are not naive enough to believe
all of what the SPDC is trying to tell them.
Another point I'd like to make about the policy changes being made by
these Western governments. They can change their policy, but there are
people, social communities and NGOs in their countries too. They
listen to and care about what these communities are saying. They
cannot alone change their policies.
Q: The people from Burma have concerns about DVB reducing its
services. What would you like to say to them?
A: We are extremely sorry for cutting our airtime in radio programmes
but on the other hand, we will try to maintain our present work
standards. Another good point in the changes is the expansion of TV
programmes by airing more programmes and more airtime in telecasting
news in almost real time. Unfortunately, for listeners of our short
wave radio programmes, which are accessible in all nooks and corners
of the country, this programming will be cut. TV programmes do have a
limitation. But we will try to telecast real time programmes daily,
maybe for the first time in our country.
Source: Mizzima News Agency, New Delhi, in English 0000 gmt 28 Jan 11
(via BBCM via WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DXLD)
** CANADA. CBC to expand its services
Everyone, Every Way: CBC/Radio-Canada`s strategy for the future
Ottawa, February 1, 2011 --- CBC/Radio-Canada today outlined its
strategy for the future. Everyone, Every way sets out what Canadians
can expect from their public broadcaster over the next five years.
``We want to be recognized by Canadians as the leader in expressing
Canadian culture and enriching democracy on their behalf,`` said
Hubert T. Lacroix, President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada. ``This is
what will drive all of our actions over the next five years.``
Everyone, Every way is about the future of public broadcasting in
Canada. It`s about transformation in the midst of a technological
revolution, and about evolving alongside a changing country. It`s a
strategy that binds CBC and Radio-Canada around common priorities.
But, it also respects the reality that execution of the strategy needs
to be tailored to the uniqueness of their respective markets.
Over the next five years, CBC/Radio-Canada will strengthen its
commitment to original, innovative, high-quality Canadian content. We
will also commit to airing at least 10 signature events per year in
English and in French --- events like Live Right Now and Concert
inaugural de la nouvelle salle de concert de Montréal avec l`OSM ---
which bring Canadians together in large numbers, are delivered on
multiple platforms, and have a meaningful impact on participants and
viewers alike.
CBC will be looking to expand its regional footprint, launching new
radio stations, introducing new local websites and services, and
increasing regional news and programming. Radio-Canada will enhance
its presence in regional life by producing engaging local programming
that can then be used for broadcast nationally, by delivering more
local and regional news, and by providing more local French-language
content on regional websites, especially those outside of Quebec.
And, in an evolving digital and on-demand world, CBC/Radio-Canada will
continue its leadership in new platforms and digital services,
doubling our investment over the next five years.
``The way forward will be about seizing the tremendous opportunity we
have before us to truly change our relationship with Canadians on a
national, community and personal level,`` says Lacroix. ``We can`t be
all things to all people, but we can and must in some way be something
for, and mean something to every Canadian. Everyone, Every way is our
commitment to Canadians, and it`s the measure by which we want to be
judged. We will meet their expectations. Nothing less.``
CBC/Radio-Canada will deliver on this commitment in four ways: by
creating and delivering original and innovative, quality Canadian
content; by reflecting and drawing together all Canadians; by actively
engaging with audiences; and, by being cost-effective and accountable.
To evaluate progress, we have developed metrics to track and assess
our performance by service and genre against the strategy twice a
year. Take a closer look at Everyone, Every way
About CBC/Radio-Canada
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, plus seven languages
for international audiences. In 2011, CBC/Radio-Canada is celebrating
75 years of serving Canadians and being at the centre of the
democratic, social and cultural life of Canada.
For additional information, please contact: Marco Dubé
Director, Communications Services and Corporate Spokesperson
CBC/Radio-Canada, (613)288-6039, marco.dube(at)cbc.ca
They have said there will be more detailed updates in March when the
CBC budget is released. We will see what new stations come about then.
Stay tuned. 73 Best of DX (Shawn Axelrod VE4DX1SMA, Winnipeg MB, Grid
square EN19kv, REMEMBER ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN HEAR FOREVER, AMFMTVDX
mailing list via DXLD)
** CANADA [and non]. CANADIAN RADIO SHOWS MARK ANNIVERSARY OF CUBAN
REVOLUTION http://www.chuo.fm/en/home
HAVANA, Cuba, Jan 26 (acn) Canadian radio stations dedicated two shows
to the 52nd anniversary of the triumph of the Cuban Revolution
featuring members of the Cuban diplomatic mission to Canada.
A reported posted on the Cuban Foreign Minstry’s website mentions the
CHUO 89.1 FM radio station of the University of Ottawa; and CKLN, 88.1
FM, of the University of Ryerson, in Toronto.
CHUO 89.1 FM dedicated part of its Dawn on the Ranch show to Cuba. The
program started with the Cuban national anthem and the reading of a
release on the anniversary of the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in
January, 1959. http://www.ckln.fm
The show included statements by Miguel Fraga, press attaché of the
Cuban embassy to Canada who noted that his fellow countrymen
celebrated the date proud of the history of his country.
Fraga spoke about the efforts and dedication of the Cuban people to
recover from terrorist attacks, hurricanes, as well as from the world
economic crisis that hit the island over the last few years.
The diplomatic official took advantage of the opportunity to call for
the release of the five Cuban anti terrorist fighters imprisoned in
the U.S. since 1998 and urge the American government to put an end to
the economic blockade against the island.
Meanwhile, CKLN, 88.1 FM had the Cuban general consul Jorge Soberon as
guest to one of its shows. Soberon answered to questions about the
Draft Economic and Social Guidelines of the Party and the Revolution.
Soberon thanked Canadian organizations for their several actions in
support of the Cuban government and people.
Source: http://bit.ly/he04Kz
(via Yimber Gaviria, Colombia, Jan 27, WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DXLD)
Is the following coincidental??? (gh, DXLD)
** CANADA. TORONTO CKLN LICENSE REVOKED --- Via Canada Newswire
OTTAWA-GATINEAU, Jan. 28 /CNW/ - The Canadian Radio-television and
Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today revoked the licence of
CKLN-FM, a community-based campus radio station located at Ryerson
University. The licence holder, CKLN Radio Inc., was found to have
been in breach of numerous regulations and conditions of licence. It
was unable to convince the Commission that it could operate the
station in a compliant manner going forward.
"Holding a broadcasting licence is a privilege that comes with
responsibilities and regulatory obligations, " said Konrad von
Finckenstein, Q.C., Chairman of the CRTC. "CKLN Radio was given
several warnings and opportunities to come into compliance. Each time,
it demonstrated an inability or unwillingness to address our concerns.
Taking away its licence is the only appropriate course of action in
this case."
The Commission began investigating CKLN-FM in July 2009 after
receiving numerous complaints about the station's governance
structure, day-to-day management and operations, programming and
ability to remain on air. At the time, the station experienced
significant infighting and the volunteers, staff and management were
locked out of the studio premises by the building manager. During the
seven-month lockout, CKLN-FM broadcast an intermittent loop of
programming without any ongoing community involvement or oversight by
the licensee.
Once it resumed normal operations, CKLN Radio Inc. lacked any
significant quality-control mechanism for its programming and there
was little involvement from the Ryerson University student body
despite its status as a campus radio station. It was also unable to
meet some of the basic requirements of all licence holders, which
include the submission of audible on-air tapes, program log and other
records, and complete annual returns.
Today's decision follows a proceeding that included a public hearing,
which was held on December 8 and 9, 2010 (Via Bob Wylie, Jan 28, ODXA
yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DXLD)
CKLN-88.1 licence revoked
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2011/2011-56.htm
It looks like the fundamental story is that there was a dispute over
control of the station that led the CRTC to lose confidence CKLN had
the *ability* to comply with the rules.
I'll defer to Saul, Bill, or Scott as to how likely this decision is
to be final. It doesn't seem to me to be nearly as blatant a situation
as the one that led to the "non-renewal" of CHSC-1220 last year (Doug
Smith W9WI, Pleasant View, TN EM66, 28 Jan, WTFDA via DXLD)
I'm shocked it came to this; did not expect such drastic action
without a step in between (Saul Chernos, Ont., ibid.)
Neither did one of the Commissioners, who issued a dissenting view
making exactly that point (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View, TN EM66,
ibid.)
I'll have an open channel to DX in Toronto, though 88.1 is hampered
north of the city (and at Burnt River) by a station in Penetanguishene
ON. But I'd rather have the station - it wasn't bad, and was getting
its act together.
I think there may be more to this than meets the eye. The CRTC has
been asserting its authority more than usual the last year or so.
There may be a power struggle going on between the CRTC chair and the
federal government.
The decision is an interesting read, particularly the dissenting
opinion of one commissioner. Stay tuned to this one - I would expect
an appeal to the courts (Saul Chernos, ibid.)
Even if they don't appeal (or the appeal fails) I would be surprised
if an available frequency in Toronto remains available for long.
Remember too that there is no non-commercial reservation of
frequencies below 92 MHz in Canada (Saul knows this but some of my
fellow south-of-the-border types may not).
So it would be possible for a commercial station to be authorized (or
for an existing one to move to) 88.1. But I agree: it's unlikely this
one will go away without a fight.
BTW, the theoretical drop-dead date is February 12th. I would imagine
there will be a temporary injunction/suspension/whatever that will
leave CKLN on the air while the legalities work themselves out (Doug
Smith W9WI, Pleasant View, TN EM66, ibid.)
I would prefer 88.1 stay on with their technically-inferior sometimes
there-sometimes not signal to keep 88.1 DXable. I would never have
gotten 88.1 Santo Domingo, Dom. Rep. if the CKLN technicians knew how
to properly keep a station operating at full power. ;-) wrh (Bill
Hepburn, Ont., ibid.)
You had the DR signal when the turmoil at the station was at its
worst. There was no one on staff at the time to fix anything. You were
awful lucky (Saul Chernos, ibid.)
Was there a period when they were at reduced power? The CRTC decision
says they were locked out of the transmitter room for a period.
There's certainly the implied concern something bad could have
happened RF-wise (transmitter being off-frequency/emitting spurious
signals/etc.) that couldn't have been stopped in a timely fashion, but
it doesn't say anything about any such thing actually happening (Doug
Smith W9WI, Pleasant View, TN EM66, ibid.)
CKLN was easily overridden; the channel filled up with semi-locals
such as CFRH Penetang, WUBJ Jamestown, WFRW Webster & CBEE Chatham
when the antenna was pointed away from Toronto.
When pointed at Toronto, CFRH at 112 miles and roughly the same
direction came in at equal or even greater strength at times. Even
today it doesn't seem like it's at the full 225 watts. wrh (Bill
Heburn, Grimsby, Ont.,, ibid.)
CRTC YANKS LICENCE OF RYERSON’S CKLN RADIO
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/crtc-yanks-licence-of-ryersons-ckln-radio/article1886385/
CRTC yanks licence of Ryerson’s CKLN radio
Ryerson University’s 28-year-old community-radio station will fall
silent in two weeks if the CRTC has its way.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
revoked CKLN’s licence, which wasn’t set to expire until 2014, saying
the station wasn’t complying with regulations.
Konrad von Finckenstein, CRTC chairman, said in a news release Friday
that CKLN had been given several warnings and opportunities to clean
up its act. “Each time, it demonstrated an inability or unwillingness
to address our concerns. Taking away its licence is the only
appropriate course of action in this case.”
The CRTC said the station had problems with in-fighting, which in 2009
resulted in the building manager locking out staff and volunteers for
seven months, during which time the station looped old content.
But according to Andrew Lehrer, a member of CKLN’s board of directors,
things are getting better. He said the CRTC decision focused on old
problems that had been remedied – such as the lockout and the
station’s failure to log all of its content.
CKLN has also adopted new bylaws, improved equipment, beaten down a
substantial portion of its debt and was on the verge of hiring a new
station manager, he added.
While Mr. Lehrer admitted there were still problems, he disputed the
CRTC’s claim that the station wasn’t addressing its concerns. “This
was the first hearing, and there were other options,” Mr. Lehrer said.
“They could have temporarily suspended our license. They went for the
most extreme option.”
While Ryerson Students’ Union president Toby Whitfield refused to
comment on the CRTC decision, he agreed that CKLN has been improving.
“The last six months, they’ve definitely tried to reinvigorate
themselves,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ryerson spokeswoman Janet Mowat said the university has
little to say on the matter. “At the end of the day, CKLN is an
independent community-run radio station that happens to be located on
the Ryerson campus, but that’s about the extent of it.”
However, the station does receive student fees – $10 a year from each
full-time student. According to the student union president, that’s
about 24,000 students, or $240,000.
Mr. Lehrer said they may appeal the CRTC’s decision before the plug is
pulled on Feb. 12.
“People have been phoning in crying,” he said. “They’re upset.”
With files by Shane Dingman (via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD)
Well, am I not I correct as a mis-informed Westerner that the
"original" station at what was then Ryerson Tech. Institute was the
highly-regarded CJRT, which is now a jazz station on 91.1. So
where/why did Ryerson as a university deserve to get "another" non-
commercial community licence? TD (Theo Donnelly, BC, ODXA yg via DXLD)
CKLN was just based at Ryerson, I don't believe it was licensed to the
school. As far as CJRT, here's a snippet from Wikipedia. I know
Wikipedia isn't always reliable but usually for these kind of things
it is.
"Ryerson owned the station until 1974 when, due to financial
restraints, the post-secondary institution announced it would
surrender its broadcast licence. Due to a public outcry in support of
the station the Ontario government of Premier Bill Davis announced
that it would fund the station through an independent corporation and
ownership was transferred to CJRT-FM INC, a non-profit corporation
which received over 60% of its funding from the provincial government
and the rest from donations by listeners and corporate and foundation
support.
In 1996 CJRT-FM's government support was discontinued by Premier Mike
Harris, forcing the station to restructure into a self-sustaining
public broadcaster. Regulated by the Canadian Radio-television and
Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), CJRT's license is categorized
under "other special FM", a third sector of Canadian radio
broadcasting that provides to Canadians a style of radio that is an
alternative to that available from the CBC or private commercial
stations. The radio station has since had to support itself entirely
by corporate and private donations and by limited commercial revenue.
Its licence from the CRTC prohibits it from running more than four
minutes an hour of commercials. " (via "John H" sudsyjkh, ibid.)
Media Release Friday, 28 January 2011 23:40
Thanks to everyone who has been calling in. If you want to express
your support for CKLN, please send your comments to board@ckln.fm This
e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript
enabled to view it and we will send them to the CRTC.
CKLN Statement on the CRTC's Decision
The Commission's decision to revoke our license is shocking, heart-
breaking and, according to CRTC Commissioner Louise Poirier,
"unprecedented".
CKLN has been faithfully serving a diverse Toronto audience for more
than 27 years. It is a place where anyone can get trained, learn about
broadcasting and speak to their community. We have provided a place
for new music, new voices and under-represented issues. We have been
the Voice of the Underground.
We were not in compliance while CKLN was off-air in 2009 and in
intermittent subsequent periods but this was completely unintentional
and once the problems were identified, we collectively undertook in
good faith to remedy them. We are responsible campus and community
broadcasters and the unprecedented decision of the CRTC to revoke our
license rather than issue a mandatory order took us and the broadcast
community entirely by surprise.
If this decision stands it is a huge loss for Toronto and for
community media across the country. CKLN is holding a general meeting
this Monday at 7pm in the Ryerson Student Centre, 55 Gould Street to
discuss the situation.
For more information, please email board @ ckln.fm This e-mail address
is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view
it or call CKLN's Board of Directors' Vice-Chair and Secretary Andrew
Lehrer at 416-597-2740 (CKLN website via Artie Bigley, DXLD)
CKLN BOARD ‘NOT GOING TO LIE DOWN’ AFTER LICENCE REVOKED
John Porter, a regular guest on a weekly show on CKLN called
Cinephobia, knocks on the door Friday trying to get in to do the show.
DAVID COOPER/TORONTO STAR Image [caption]
By Ashante Infantry Entertainment Reporter
Published On Fri Jan 28 2011
CKLN-FM’s “surprised” and “disappointed” board of directors called an
emergency session Friday after the Canadian Radio-television and
Telecommunications Commission revoked its licence, citing a lack of
quality control and numerous regulatory violations.
Although the seven-person board of the troubled community radio
station was anticipating the decision, which came mid-morning Friday,
and met the previous night to prepare for it, chair Ron Nelson was
floored by the outcome. . .
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/929855--ckln-board-not-going-to-lie-down-after-licence-revoked
(via Artie Bigley, OH, DXLD)
** CANADA. And on a very vaguely related point --- it looks like that
CARNTEST that was authorized on 98.7 last summer worked. A. Fitzroy
Gordon had filed for an African/Caribbean station on that frequency
back in 2006; the Department of Industry was unwilling to approve the
use of 98.7 (due to CBLA-FM at the same site on 99.1). The CRTC
granted Gordon a licence but contingent on finding a different
frequency. He tried but was unable to do so.
Today, he applied again, and the CRTC noted that this time, the
Department of Industry says the application is technically acceptable.
The CRTC hasn't approved it yet, but given that they've approved it
before and believe it's identical in its non-technical parameters, I
think it's almost certain they *will* approve it this time (Doug Smith
W9WI, Pleasant View, TN EM66, WTFDA via DXLD)
CANADIAN GOVERNMENT HELPS BLACK RADIO STATION GET TO AIR
http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2011/01/29/17082661.html
By BRIAN LILLEY, Parliamentary Bureau
Last Updated: January 29, 2011 3:45pm
OTTAWA - A new radio station aimed at serving Toronto’s black
community took a giant step forward Friday after years of struggle
including an ongoing fight with the CBC, which sought to block the
station.
CARN-FM, that stands for Caribbean and African Radio Network, was
originally approved to broadcast in 2006 but first needed to find a
frequency on Toronto’s crowded radio dial. A signal was identified at
98.7 but given how close that signal sits to CBC’s Toronto flagship
station 99.1, the CRTC told CARN they needed to work with the state
broadcaster.
“We would have had this radio station a long time ago if it wasn’t for
the CBC,” said Fitzroy Gordon, the man behind CARN-FM. “CBC fought me
every step of the way.”
CBC opposed CARN using the 98.7 signal, claiming that its own internal
testing showed the proposed station would interfere with CBC’s signal.
Gordon asked for the state broadcaster to share their engineering
tests showing his small signal would interfere with CBC, but they
refused. Even using the access to information system failed to shake
the reports loose.
CBC blacked out all the relevant information in the documents they
released.
Gordon said despite reaching out to CBC, the government-funded
broadcaster did what they could to block CARN from launching on 98.7.
“They said ‘we don’t mind if you have a radio station to serve your
population, but not in my neighbourhood,'" he said.
The ongoing battle required Industry Canada to step in and conduct
their own tests of the signal to see if CARN would cause problems for
CBC’s listeners.
“Based on monitoring and analysis of test transmissions using FM 98.7
MHz in Toronto, Industry Canada has determined that the IBN operation
would not cause harmful interference to the CBC’s FM stations in
Toronto, at 99.1 MHz or in Peterborough at 98.7 MHz,” the industry
department said in a statement.
On Friday, the CRTC posted notice that they would hold a “non-
appearing hearing” on the new CARN application, meaning the renewed
application will likely be approved without hearing new witnesses.
Gordon hopes to bring news, talk and sports programming to the
airwaves that will serve the interests of Toronto’s black community.
On the music side of things he hopes to offer something different than
the current hip-hop and top 40 that dominates.
“The basis of the music will be the old R & B style. Aretha Franklin,
the Supremes will be brought back. From yesterday to today with R & B.
We’ll have soca, jazz, reggae,” Gordon said.
Jason Kenney, the federal minister responsible for immigration,
citizenship and multiculturalism blasted CBC for their attempts, over
several years to block CARN.
“This is an effort by black leaders in the GTA to get programming on
the air that will attract young listeners in the black community with
a positive message,” Kenney told QMI in an interview.
"The CBC did everything they could to throw obstacles in their path. I
find it somewhat ironic given CBC’s lecturing on multiculturalism that
they did everything they could to stop a legitimate expression of
multiculturalism,” Kenney said. “In this case at least it was all
about a very narrow read of their own corporate interests.” (via Kevin
Redding, TN, Jan 31, ABDX via DXLD) What is the real call? Not CARN-FM
** CANADA. BC--Vancouver area--here is Mike Cherry's analysis of two
stations about to change frequencies:
``Hi, Mike. I notice where CFRO Vancouver is moving to 100.5 with 11
kw (h & v), 571 m, changing frequency with CKPK. When CFRO makes its
big move, please check to see if it might be embracing stereo. I have
listed it as mono.``
Currently, listener-supported, commercial-free CFRO "Co-Op Radio" on
102.7 is mono and has always been so. They have horrid, flat audio due
to either a poor or no processor. They struggle along on listener
donations & memberships. The Pattison Radio Group, owners of CKPK
100.5 "The Peak" want a better signal and discovered that 102.7 has
Class C status in Vancouver. They are paying for all of CFRO's costs
for the swap and this includes the current, stereo facility on 100.5
It's a good deal for "Co-Op Radio" as there is significant ca$h
attached to this for 5 years of operating costs. The proposal is
before the CRTC and my guess is that the CRTC will approve this as
there are so many benefits for CFRO in this package. Jim Pattison's
engineers always move swiftly any time they get CRTC approval for new
stations, so the swap will occur once the new 100 kW 102.7 plant is
installed, tested and ready. Pattison Group already has their own
tower, which includes their CJJR 93.7 "JR Country" so this won't take
long.
``Its primary will be 67 km. I list its music as pe (progressive rock
and ethnic), and nonID as "Co-Op Radio." I assume it will stay
noncommercial.``
It will stay non-commercial. I have no idea how you want to list it:
Calling it 'progressive rock' and 'ethnic' only tells a tiny picture
of this station's format: it is a typical community-run variety
station operated by volunteers with every flavour of talk, every genre
of music imaginable at some point in their broadcast week. The new
102.7 signal will travel south well until it hits adjacent channel
splatter from KZOK 102.5 as one nears the metro Seattle area -
probably around Everett, Wash is my guess based on antenna contour
pattern maps for this new proposal. Over on the Olympic Peninsula,
west of Seattle and south of Victoria, the new Class C CKPK on 102.7
should carry nicely down to Port Angeles, Wash.
``And CKPK is going to 102.7, 100000 watts horizontal (with no
vertical remaining), 590 m, for 91 km primary coverage radius. I
assume it will stay commercial, stereo, and retain its "The Peak"
identity (rock format).``
Yes to all of the above and as far as i know, their are no imminent
plans to change formats, but hey, this is radio, Bruce! It is
currently "AAA" aimed at the younger part of the demo: 18-34.
``Is CIOC-1 98.5 Salt Spring Island stereo?``
This isn't even on air, Bruce. It is only an application for a low
power signal 'fill-in' for the northern outskirts of the Victoria area
where it's main station is licensed to. The CRTC already turned down
Rogers' application for a 3 kW signal booster on 98.5 from Salt Spring
Is as it would encroach on the Salt Spring, Duncan and Nanaimo radio
markets. A community group wants to put a community FM on 98.7 from
Gabriola Island just north of here and vigorously opposed the CIOC
booster, Proposed suburban Vancouver station CKPM 98.7 Port Moody's
owner Matthew McBride also protested, as did tiny 5 watt community FM
station CICV 98.7 in Lake Cowichan on Vancouver Island. Provided CIOC
uses a directional antenna aimed towards the region north of ictoria
with only 10 - 20 watts, it's likely the CRTC will approve it, as the
main 98.5 signal suffers from multi-path on the Saanich Peninsula and
the town of Sidney-By-The-Sea.
``I hope you are fine. As ever, Bruce Elving``
Nice to hear from you Bruce - hope you and Carol are both in good
health and am making much use of the latest "FM Atlas" and keep an eye
on Kristine's "FMedia" blog. Take care, Bruce...
Mike -- CJJZ - 89.1 FM Stereo Sky Valley Radio - "C . JJazZ"
Website: http://www3.telus.net/skyvalleyradio
MP3 audio stream: http://89.238.166.245:9082/listen.pls
(all via Bruce Elving, Jan 30, DXLD)
** CANADA. 6069.99, CFRX, 0806, news (or similar) by woman, then into
talk show (hosted by a man). Missed ID if given. Mostly in the mush,
but fair on peaks. 24 January (David Sharp, NSW Australia: FT-950,
NRD-535D, R8, ICF SW7600GR, Timewave 599zx, etc., dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** CANADA [non]. QSL: 11955, Radio Sadaye Zindagi (Afghan One) via
Wertachtal. Full data (with power, site, azimuth and name of the
Broadcast indicated) ‘reaching nations one person at a time multi-
colour QSL Card, with schedule for a postal report sent to Bible Voice
Broadcasting, Toronto address. Reply in 15 days (Edward Kusalik,
VE6EFK, Daysland, Alberta, Canada, Jan 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHAD. 6165. 21/1 2115. RDN Tchadienne, nice songs, French talks,
good (Giampiero Bernardini with Dario Monferini in Bocca di Magra (La
Spezia province, Italy), at the seaside, for our Bocca di Magra DX
nights (Boc 22), Perseus & RFSpace SDR-IQ / ANT: Wellbrook loop LFL
1010, Jan 29, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
6165, Radio Tchad, 2202-2217 Jan 23, in the clear after Zambia [q.v.]
closedown with discussion in French by two male announcers. Fair to
good signal (Rich D`Angelo, French Creek State Park, PA, DXpedition
No. 39, Ten-Tec RX-340, Drake R-8B and an Eton E1, 500-foot wire
essentially north for the RX-340 and 250-foot wire essentially
northeast for the R-8B and a whip antenna for the E1, NASWA yg via
DXLD)
6165, RNT, 0427-0503, Jan 27. Did not hear any trace of them on the
air, only Zambia (Radio 2) in the clear (Ron Howard, Asilomar State
Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
6165, RNT in French, S=9+10dB at 2138 UT Jan 27, more than fair
signal. Deanovec Croatia co-channel not heard, registered on 3985 from
2130 UT instead. 73 wb df5sx (Wolffang Büschel, ibid.)
6165, RNT, 0427-0450, Jan 28. Today, unlike yesterday, clearly heard
the Chad IS under a stronger signal from Zambia (Radio 2); assume it
was propagation that made for segments of weakly mixing with Zambia
and other segment with no hint of Chad being on the air at all; always
poor to below threshold level (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA,
Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. 4800, CPBS-1, Gelmud. 0003 January 28, 2011. Fair with
Chinese female fast-paced talk, lots of brief bumper music,
commercials or program promos. Quickly faded down to nearly gone by
0020. Also, 4220 and 5060 ChiComs also poorly audible at the same
time. Next eve, 2359-0001 January 28/29, weaker, but good enough to
hear the slow Chicom time sounders at 0000 (Terry L Krueger,
Clearwater, Florida USA, 27.55.83 N, 82.46.08 W, JRC NRD-535; ICOM IC-
R75; Hammarlund HQ-180A; Aqua Guide 705 Radio Direction Finder; Sony
ICF-7600GR; GE SuperRadio III; RadioShack DX-399; 1 X roof dipole; 1 X
in-room random wire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. CNR 8 (Voice of Minorities) latest schedule:
Kazakh
0100-0200 15670, 11810, 11630, 9455, 1422, 1143
0200-0300 15670, 11810, 12055, 11630, 1422, 1143
0500-0600 15415, 11780, 12055, 11630, 1422, 1143 (9470, 7340 XJ)
0900-1000 15415, 11780, 12055, 11630, 1422, 1143
1400-1500 9645, 7445, 9630, 6180, 1143 (6015, 7340 XJ)
1500-1705 9645, 7445, 9630, 6145
Korean
2055-2300 5975, 5955, 1143
0400-0500 9610, 9440, 1143
0600-0700 9610=, 9440=
1000-1100 9785, 7410, 1143, 1017 (1206 HL)
1100-1200 6020, 5975
Mongolian
2300-0100 7445, 5955, 1143
0300-0400 11815, 9610, 1143 (9750 7270 6040 NM)
0700-0800 15415=, 11780=
0800-0900 11780=, 5955=
1200-1300 9615, 5955 1143
1300-1400 9645, 7445, 9630, 6180
+ not Tu. = not W (NDXC via Jan-Feb Australian DX News via DXLD)
** CHINA. EAST JAMMERSTAN: 8400, Crash & Bang Chinese Music Jammer;
1244, 30-Jan; No other audion heard; not there at 1301 (Frodge-MI)
10300, Crash & Bang Chinese Music Jammer; 1237, 30-Jan; No other
audion heard; not there at 1301 (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA,
Michigan Area Radio Enthusiasts DXpedition, Brighton MI, Drake R8B +
500 ft. SSWish unterminated bev & 85 ft. TTFD, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Firedrake Jan 30:
8400, at 1352, JBA with flutter
9380, at 1354, fair vs presumed DW in Chinese, not audible, not 1400+
Firedrake Jan 30, all //:
13960, poor-fair at 2342
14950, good at 2342
15900, fair at 2343
10300, good with flutter at 2347
8400, poor at 2348
During these few minutes I searched continuously between 8 and 19 MHz;
quite a good haul, five of them, for this time of day.
15550, while searching for Firedrake, one Chinese talk broadcast of
significance, at 2352 Jan 30 with usual over-assertive style in
dialog, announcements, fair with flutter; timesignal to 2400* and off.
Aoki shows this is jamming RFA via Tinian, also until 2400, while CNR1
supposedly continues until 0800, 100 kW, 175 degrees from Beijing 572
site, but none of that audible.
Firedrake Jan 31: after finding 5 frequencies 24 hours earlier, I look
again at 2327-2330:
8400, good, but very heavy flutter
10300, slightly stronger, also very heavy flutter
No sign of it anywhere else up to 18 MHz, including the three
frequencies heard yesterday, 13960, 14950, 15900. But the CNR1 jammer
on 15550 was again audible (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA [non]. 13650, CRI in Portuguese via CUBA, Jan 31 at 2314, VG
signal but very undermodulated, distorted; also with BFO one can tell
the carrier is slightly unstable. Disco-beat song about
``Internationale``, then announcement in Brazilian, at 2316 into
`Panorama Económico``.
During brief fades of 13650 at 2318, I can hear an echo, apparently 38
megameters by longpath, obscured without the fades by direct off-the-
back path of the 135 degree beam toward Brasil. Just before this,
during CRI talk segment, I could hear some very weak music underneath
13650, not even enough to make a SAH, no doubt R. Japan in Thai, 300
kW, 235 degrees from Yamata, also arriving here direct off its back.
Much stronger and clearer signal from Cuba`s relay of Venezuela on
13680. If the ChiCom only knew what crappy equipment their Cuban
clients are using for CRI relays: others on 5990, 13740, 15120 are
also inferior to the excellent modulation RHC manages to achieve on
some, but hardly all, of its own frequencies (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. CRI and QSLs. CRI is an excellent QSLer; however, over the
years I have only had luck once with them indicating the transmitter /
relay site on the card. Has anyone had any better luck and is there a
secret to having that detail added to the card? (Steve, Jan 27, NASWA
yg via DXLD)
** CHINA. Re: [dxld] Maoming Marine Meteorological Broadcasting, 3360
Do you have the other two stations' freqs/skeds? 73/Liz (Liz Cameron,
Jan 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Googled them up by searching DXLD archive
on ``Meteorological`` (gh) Viz.:
** CHINA. SHANGDONG SHIDAO MARITIME METEOROLOGICAL STATION
According to the Chinese DX’er Zhang ShiFeng, Shangdong Shidao
Maritime Meteorological Station started regular transmission in
Chinese at 0020 on April 3 on 6750 kHz USB. Their daily schedules are
at 0020 and 0920, the broadcast includes maritime meteorological
information on Bo Hai, Bo Hai Strait, and Yellow Sea (Huang Hai),
produced by Shandong Meteorological Agency and seven regional maritime
meteorological agencies. The broadcast is aimed to propagate as far as
1500km. When the warnings are issued, the station transmits at any
time. I confirmed the broadcast at 0920, continuing about 3 minutes.
Their address is: Shidao town, Rongcheng city, Shangdong 264309,
China (Takahito Akabayashi, Japan, May 7-8, DX LISTENING DIGEST 9-039)
** CHINA. According to Zhoushan Meteorological Agency
http://www.zsyqx.com Zhoushan Maritime Meteorological Radio Station
started official shortwave transmission on March 23. They broadcast
maritime meteorological information to about 100,000 ships in East
China sea at 0000, 0300, 1100. The signal is expected to reach as far
as 1000 km from the station. Shortwave was thought to be the best
solution for the “Last One Mile” problem to the fishery ships. The
program contains weather forecast of 2 hours ago by China Central
Meteorological Observatory, and disaster forecast by Zhoushan local
Meteorological Observatory in case of emergency.
The frequency was not given, but I found and confirmed the broadcast
on 3303 kHz USB at 1100. The broadcast was in Chinese for about 2.5
minutes every day, giving the weather information of Taiwan strait.
The mailing address of the station was investigated as, Meicen Road,
Putuoshan, Putuo District, Zhoushan, Zhejiang, China, telephone +86
580 8080277. Zhoushan is located on the island 100 km south east of
Shanghai (Takahito Akabayashi, Japan, April 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST 8-
048)
** COLOMBIA? 5909.988, Marfil Estéreo? Someone else? 1017, weak Latin
here, with news or similar by a man. Not the usual sort of programming
I'm used to hearing from Marfil Estéreo, plus, it's much weaker (if
indeed this). Try for this nearly every day and this is the first copy
I've had in over three weeks. 26 January (David Sharp, NSW Australia:
FT-950, NRD-535D, R8, ICF SW7600GR, Timewave 599zx, etc., dxldyg via
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
As already reported here, HJDH 5910v transmitter has been switched
away from Marfil Estéreo as program source, to Alcaraván Radio, 1530
5910-, Jan 28 at 0639, romantic music in Spanish; slightly on low side
of frequency; 0641 ``llanera`` folk music with harp akin to Venezuelan
style. Fair with deep fades. 0653 ID as ``15-30 AM Alcaraván Radio``,
more music. That`s the source for HJDH on this frequency now rather
than Marfil Estéreo (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
5910, Alcaraván Radio; 0041-0058+, 29-Jan; Classical guitar & Spanish
vocals; many IDs, spot at 0056 mentioned onda corta. SIO=343 with
brief ute bursts; strong co-channel QRM came up at 0058, sounded like
Radio Mundial in Spanish or Portuguese. Romania sked to come on at
0100 in Romanian.
0543-0601+, 29-Jan; M in Spanish with Andean & camp'o tunes; Several
IDs + full ID at ToH. SIO=443.
1142-1200+, 30-Jan; Religious program in Spanish re Jesus & the
internet; very good enunciator. Repeated IDs at 1159 & continued with
religious music program. SIO=3+33- in USB due to strong German on
5905, Deutsche Welle via Bonaire (presumed). 5905 went off at 1200,
then SIO=3+53+ in AM. Throughout these logs, heard one ID as R.A., one
as Colombia Alcaraván, and many as A.R. (Harold Frodge, Midland MI,
USA, Michigan Area Radio Enthusiasts DXpedition, Brighton MI, Drake
R8B + 500 ft. SSWish unterminated bev & 85 ft. TTFD, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
29 enero 2011: 5910, Alcaraván Radio, 0055-, 444, ID "Alcaraván Radio
1530 AM y en Onda corta 5910 en banda internacional de 49 metros,
estación de interés público, Alcaraván Radio.``
29 enero: 6010, LV de Tu Conciencia, 0105-, 444, con música
instrumental.
30 enero 2011: 5910, Alcaraván Radio, 0152-, 222, con música llanera,
co-channel con RRI.
6010, LV de Tu Conciencia, 0203-, 222, en español, mezclándose con
UNID. 73 de (Yimber Gaviria, Cali, Colombia, Feb 2, Sony ICF 7600G +
Kaito KA33 antenna, noticiasdx yg via DXLD)
5910, 1 Feb 0355, Radio Alcaravàn, Colombia, nice Colombian songs, at
0402 IDs, fair, QRM from close channels (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano,
Italia, Perseus, T2FD, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** COLOMBIA. 6035.054, La Voz del Guaviare, San José del Guaviare.
1125-1146 January 29, 2011. Folk vocal, ID 1127 by man, into ad string
till 1132, then long chatter by man and later joined by female, mostly
local events and news, telephone number. Fair and best USB to get away
from all the 6030 mess. First time heard here in ages (Terry L
Krueger, Clearwater, Florida USA, 27.55.83 N, 82.46.08 W, JRC NRD-535;
ICOM IC-R75; Hammarlund HQ-180A; Aqua Guide 705 Radio Direction
Finder; Sony ICF-7600GR; GE SuperRadio III; RadioShack DX-399; 1 X
roof dipole; 1 X in-room random wire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CONGO DR. Feb 1 at 1840 noted unid station on about 5066.33. Signed
off at 1900. Decent carrier but weak audio. Music and talks, maybe
French, maybe not. Real late for Radio Tele Candip, which at least
earlier used to sign off around 1630. And I haven't seen any loggings
of Candip for a long time. Could have been a harmonic of a pirate
around 1689 but I heard no fundamental there. Or then a spur from
somewhere (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, dxldyg via WORLD OF
RADIO 1550, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Hi Jari, The frequency offset is a strong indication that this is
indeed Bunia. It's been stable on 5066.3 for many years (Chris
Greenway, England, ibid.)
** COSTA RICA. 5954.27, ELCOR, Radio República relay, 0828, talk by a
Spanish man, fair despite heavy jamming. Periodically try for this but
haven't logged it prior. 25 January (David Sharp, NSW Australia: FT-
950, NRD-535D, R8, ICF SW7600GR, Timewave 599zx, etc., dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
5954.253, Radio República, YL ID at 0952, good signal 29 January
(Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, Florida US, Icom 746Pro Modified by
Dallas Lankford, NRD 535D [Gilfer], Drake R8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Any
jamming?
5954.23, 30/1 0038, Radio República, talks about Cuba, fair. Ciao
(Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italy, Perseus, T2FD 15 meters long, My
Short Wave blog: http://radiodxsw.blogspot.com/ dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST) How was the jamming level? (gh)
5954.20, R República booming in 1/31 at 0010, OM harangue in Spanish
against Havana (Ralph Perry, Wheaton, Illinois, Drake R8B; Eton E1;
Hallicrafters SX100; Knightkit Star Roamer, Dentron Super Tuner +
Ameco PLF-2, Longwire, HCDX via DXLD) No jamming? (gh, DXLD)
5954.24, Radio República, Guápiles. Turns out my unID indeed is Radio
República, the station targeting broadcasts to Cuba from transmitters
reportedly in Guápiles, Costa Rica. Heard 0236-0256 on 1/31, deep
fades, and lucked out with nice recorded ID by YL at peak of fade
cycle at 0238: "Ésta es Radio República, La Voz del Pueblo . . .
nuestro programa 'Sorprisa [sic] Musical' . . . la mejor de música . .
." and then a snippet from Queen's "We Will Rock You" as part of the
theme. Into program of hot merengue dance music and pops. At 0249
again, "....un lugar con la [sic] mejor de música . . . Radio
República . . .". At 0255, the sound of a fax machine and then words
said in English, haltingly, "World Wide Web". Sig was on bottom of a
fade cycle, but could hear a URL was being given, couldn't read it.
Frequency announcement too, "en la banda de 49 metros". (Ralph Perry,
Wheaton, IL, Drake R8B; Eton E1; Hallicrafters SX100; Knightkit Star
Roamer, Dentron Super Tuner + Ameco PLF-2, Longwire, HCDX via DXLD)
5954.23, 1 Feb 0344, Radio República, via Costa Rica to Cuba,
politics, fair (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italia, Perseus, T2FD,
dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
5954v, ELCOR, 0057-, 333, OM con comentario sobre Cuba (Yimber
Gaviria, Cali, Colombia, Feb 2, Sony ICF 7600G + Kaito KA33 antenna,
noticiasdx yg via DXLD)
** CUBA. 1620 kHz, Feb 2 at 0658 UT, news in Spanish dominating the
frequency which is unusual vs Waco/Omaha; 0700 timesignal and
``Rebelde en La Habana, emisora de la Revolución``. Is // and
synchronized with 5025; 0702 fades a bit audiblizing slight echo from
second // transmitter on 1620 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. Reception of Radio Havana here in London on 6060 from 0500 to
0700 UT is proving difficult. Between 0500 and 0600 with a number of
stations either on or near 6060 making reception difficult. One
unidentified station was heard sharing 6060 with signal strength
greater than Havana and went off air at 0650.
After 0600, reception tends to improve but moderate fading. Reception
of Havana here in London was much better during Autumn 2010. I am not
sure whether this due to propagation or the serious QRM problem we
experience at times here (Colin Ember from London, England, Jan 28, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA [and non]. Tuning across RHC Jan 27 at 1458 with IS, so I try
to copy the ensuing frequency announcement. 15120 and 15360 cut
modulation before it starts, so I retune to 11760. Tony Gómez starts
to recite them, 15120, 15360, 15390 (! Still saying that 2.5 months
after it was deleted in favor of 15230; is no one paying attention?);
from *13 on 13680, 13780 until 15*. Just before he could say ``11760``
that very frequency cut off the air, so I retune to 11730, where I
hear 11730, 11760; *14-20* on 11690; 6140 until 05*. BTW, just before
1500 it would be more helpful to list all the frequencies in use from
that hour onwards.
Meanwhile, 11730 has CCI under from RRI with IS, ``Romanian Rhapsody``
opening theme, Arabic. BBC Russian via Rampisham is also scheduled
this hour on 11730 but not heard.
At *1502, 11760 RHC cuts back on after transmitter or/and antenna
change, making it weaker than before. Some intermittent Spanish
modulation before staying on. 1524 check, now 11760 is as strong as
before, eclipsing 11730 and 11690.
6100, new frequency from RHC, Jan 28 at 0710, apparently instead of
missing 6150, VG and no spur, // 6120, 6060, 6050 in Spanish. This
pileup of hi-power transmitters on 49m leads to mixing products, and
receiver overload, hard to tell which is which, but I was also hearing
RHC with weaker signals on: 6170, 6200, 6070, 6140, 6000.
Altho 6140 is a fundamental at other times, now it`s probably a
leapfrog of 6100 over 6120, and/or 6060 over 6100! Likewise, 6000 =
6100 over 6050. 6070 = leapfrog of 6050 over 6060, too bad for the
comedians on CFRX. Also with squeal/hets, perhaps mixes from adjacent
spy-number transmitters.
6150, Jan 29 at 0625, RHC is here, not 6100 as last night, but I was
not up to monitor what happened after 0700. 6150 with music // English
service on 6060, 6050, 6010, what overkill!
At 0638, 6180 bore a mixture of Spanish and English, leapfrog of 6120
Spanish over 6150 English, and/or 6060 over 6120, both in Spanish.
RHC Sunday Jan 30 check: at 1412 the special ``Aló, Presidente``
frequencies are on, 13750, 15370 and 17750, the latter strong but
undermodulated with buzzes, but no separate programming, all //
mainstream RHC 11690, 11730, 11760, 13780, 15120, 15230; while 12040
and 15360 are absent. Recheck at 1655: 17750, 15370 and 13750 still on
and still no-show Hugazo, // others.
Gone again! Esperanto from RHC scheduled Sundays 1500-1530 on 11760,
but Jan 30 at 1510, just Spanish // numerous other frequencies in
filatelia show.
6010, RHC, Jan 31 at 0631, `Ed Newman` in mailbag says the USA is
refusing mail from RHC; in fact there is no postal service between
Cuba and USA now. Listeners have been wondering why they haven`t
received their 2011 RHC calendar cards. E-mail inquiries are being
replied with a Cuban government notice about this. Meanwhile, RHC is
(finally) designing an E-QSL. Naturally, RHC blames the US, while this
BBC story says it was Cuba`s decision to block all mail:
``CUBA STOPS POSTAL SERVICE TO US 'UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE'
21 January 2011 Last updated at 16:30 ET
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12257412
Large numbers of letters and parcels have been refused entry to the US
Cuba has suspended all postal deliveries to the United States until
further notice. The suspension follows the introduction of stricter
security measures by the US last year after the attempted mailing of
explosives from Yemen.
The Cuban postal service says large amounts of mail were refused entry
and returned in the following months. Correspondents say the cost of
so many returns may have led to the decision to stop the service.
Postal service between the US and Cuba had been suspended for 42 years
after Cuba's communist revolution, and only resumed in 2009 via third
countries.
[is this true? Weren`t RHC QSLs etc., getting thru somehow by P-mail
before 2009??? --- gh]
President Barack Obama's decision to renew the service was widely seen
as a move towards repairing relations between the two countries.
Its suspension is likely to be interpreted as a setback to the
president's efforts at easing tension and improving people-to-people
ties between Cuba and the US.
The US tightened its security on air cargo after bombs hidden in
cartridges were intercepted on route from Yemen to the US in cargo
planes.`` [see below for Cuba`s version]
Finally have discovered additional times for RHC`s Spanish DX program
`En Contacto`. UT Monday Jan 31 at 0733 I come across it on 6050,
6060, 6120, 6150, 5040 until 0746, so it must have started circa 0731.
Manolo was playing an old clip of R. Progreso, the station whose
building RHC shares at Infanta 105. Another anniversary/birthday, I
suppose.
Then he announced FOUR times for his show, with all the frequencies
for each: I hope I got them all copied as given very rapidly in
disorder.
1, to America, Caribbean, Sunday 1435 on 11760, 13750, 13780, 13680,
11730, 12040, 15360, 15120, 15230, 6140 [wrong: not all of these are
on, but instead on El Hugazo frequencies 15370, 17750, which start
circa 1400 on Sundays]
2, ``sobre las 2005``, meaning approximately, on 11730, 12040, 15230,
6140 [this is the interim `new` day-time I had been searching for but
never managed to find]
3, ``sobre las 2240``, on 11730, 12040, 9820, 15230 [not exactly: see
our previous monitoring of all frequencies in use at this time]
4, `0235 [UT Monday], on 6140, 11760, 6060, 6120, 15360, 15120; and to
Europe on 11770 [sic --- 15120 is certainly not on in the tarde, and
11770 Europe applies to 2240, not 0235!]
HOWEVER, I was axually hearing EC at a fifth time he still doesn`t
know about: UT Monday 0730v! [later: appears this and the 2005 airing
are goners, with transmissions cut back]
Next item referred to audio archive of his and many other Spanish DX
programs at http://www.geocities.com/programasdx/encontacto.htm
He listed the others, even including Mundo Radial de Glenn Hauser!
Unfortunately, this website ceased to be maintained a year or two ago,
and now is Unfound by geocities, nor even in the Wayback Machine as GC
suggests, which means it`s probably in the 6-month limbo period.
Instead, the current site for Programas DX is:
http://programasdx.com/
Including this very latest EC audio at
http://programasdx.com/encontacto.htm
(Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Cuba Stops Mail to US --- Hi Glenn, Received this e-mail a 2 February
2011 from RHC, from Rosario Lafita Fernández, Head of Correspondence
Department. 73's, (Ed Insinger, Summit, NJ, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.:
CUBA HALTS POSTAL SERVICE TO US UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
2011.01.22 - 12:06:51 / web@radiorebelde.icrt.cu
Havana, Cuba.- Cuban media outlets published on Saturday a note from
the Cuba Correos company announcing that Havana has suspended all
postal deliveries to the United States until further notice.
The suspension follows a slowdown in services after the United States
in November applied stricter measures to mail deliveries from all over
the world.
As a result of the security measures, the Cuban postal company said,
large numbers of letters and parcels have been refused entry into the
United States and returned to Cuba via third countries’ airlines —
which Cuba has to use due to the lack of direct postal service between
the two nations.
“Until further notice Cuban post offices cannot keep accepting any
type of mail for the United States, and all those returned will be
delivered to senders as soon as possible without any additional cost,”
the note reads.
Cuba had temporarily stopped mail service to the United States from
November 25 to December 8 for packages weighing more than 453 grams
(16 ounces) due to US measures to prevent threats from mail bombs.
(ACN) (via Ed Insinger, NJ, DXLD)
6010, 6050, 6060, 6150. RHC using four frequencies in same band for
English 0500-0700. All coming in well, Feb. 1 (Harold Sellers, Vernon,
BC, Listening mobile, Eton E1, Sony AN1 antenna, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
What a relief! RHC missing from all 49 and 60m frequencies, Feb 1 at
0706 when usually in Spanish: no 6150, 6120, 6060, 6050 or 5040;
however, the DentroCuban Jamming Command was still in business on 6030
and 5980, as was R. Rebelde on 5025, so not an overall power failure.
This allowed RN in Dutch thru clearly on 6120 –-- see NETHERLANDS
[non], and no QRM to NHK`s operatic excerpts on 6145; see JAPAN.
Before 0700, Harold Sellers in BC reported RHC 6010, 6050, 6060 and
6150 were all on the air in English.
Back to abnormal after sunrise: 13680 and 13780 still on the air at
1522 past nominal 1500*, hoary old Fidel speech on `Voces de la
Revolución`. 15360 was also still running, and unlike the others,
15230 had phone-ringing mixed into audio. It`s been quite a while
since we were treated to that on RHC! I feared 15120 would also still
be on, but no, Nigeria in the clear.
While all RHC`s Spanish frequencies were off the air after 0700 the
night before, at 0708 Feb 2, 6120 and 6060 are still going, but 6150
is off and 6050 is open carrier. And all these except 6120 always in
Spanish were funxioning normally a semihour earlier, plus 6010 in
English (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
30 Jan: 11770, R H Cuba, 2155 with nice cha-cha and other LA type
songs Was in // with 15230 and 11730 those times though 10 minutes
before they were not. At 2159 with a song paia carola [?] mentioning
Cuba then 2201:40 with ID of RHC. Signal for 11770 was S9-10 with
peaks to S20!!! (45544) but 11730 was S5 (35433) and 15230 was S4 and
after 2200 the two latter frequencies were just carriers !!!
(Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, Standard rig : ICOM R75 /
2x16 V / m@h40 heads Sennheiser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. RHC continues to curtail its overnight broadcasts, but as
usual it`s unclear whether this is a deliberate move or just random
variation. Feb 3 at 0751 check, none of the 6 MHz frequencies are on,
but 5040 is, with a replay of Revista Informativa de la Noche. Perhaps
6050 was still missing after 0825 when HCJB comes up; we can only hope
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA [non]. R. República logs are under COSTA RICA in this issue
** CUBA. Cubavisión streaming online --- Never did realize it before,
but Cubavisión broadcasts in streaming video online, for those who
tend to get them via Tropo or Es. They're on with some dramatic movie
now. I'm watching them on TVU Player, but it says Cubagrande and
Cubasi.cu also provide live streaming (Chris Kadlec, Fremont, Mich.,
Jan 28, WTFDA via DXLD)
Be aware that there are two Cubavision's --- the OTA version and the
International version. I can get both on the Hispasat satellite and
they are not usually parallel. wrh (Bill Hepburn, Ont., ibid.)
** CYPRUS. 15140-15165, Over-the-horizon radar pulsing, presumed from
here, Jan 27 at 1437. As if Oman 15140 did not have enough problem
already with weak signal rarely audible in English (Glenn Hauser, OK,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CYPRUS [non]. Radio Dardasha 7, new station from Jan. 17 via MBR:
0300-0330 on 7325 WER 125 kW / 120 deg to N/ME Arabic
0500-0530 on 6100 NAU 125 kW / 190 deg to WeAf Arabic
1700-1730 on 9440 WER 125 kW / 120 deg to N/ME Arabic
1900-1930 on 9430 WER 125 kW / 180 deg to WeAf Arabic, co-ch RL in
Russian 73! (Ivo Ivanov, Bulgaria, Jan 31, WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
What`s this? Googling soon finds:
From:
http://backtogod.net/global-ministries/arabic/
Has offices in Illinois and Ontario, but Arabic service:
Dardasha
http://www.dardasha7.com
“Dardasha” (which means Chat) is the name of the Arabic radio program,
broadcast 7 nights a week immediately following a popular Middle East
news program. The program, with its interactive format, draws younger
listeners to the website for additional information and discipleship
materials (via Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Arabic Ministry
MERF, PO Box 40052, 6300 Larnaca, Cyprus
* 011-357-24-65-2331
* 011-357-24-62-6311 (fax)
* merf@merf.org
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Checked them 31 Jan at 1705 tune-in on 9440. Pretty strong signal,
Arabic program, mentioned contact dardasha7 @ gmail.com Guess it's
Christian programming as their website suggests (Jari Savolainen,
Kuusankoski, Finland, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Full schedule of (Radio) Dardasha 7 is here
http://www.dardasha7.com/BroadcastTimes.htm
Dardasha 7 from Arabic=Chat, Chatting
73! (Ivo Ivanov, Bulgaria, Feb 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Radio Dardasha 7 to MIDDLE EAST target - via RMC Cyclops Cyprus MW
1233 kHz, 0825-0905 UT (10:25-11:05pm) LT
NORTH AFRICA target
1. New signal 6100 kHz, 49 mband 0500-0530 UT (6am-6:30am) LT
2. New signal 9430 kHz, 31 mband 1900-1930 UT (8pm-8:30pm) LT
SAUDI ARABIA PENINSULA target
1. New signal 7325 kHz, 41 mband 0300-0330 UT (6am-6:30am) LT
2. New signal 9440 kHz, 31 mband 1700-1730 UT (8pm-8:30pm) LT
Radio Dardasha 7,
P. O. Box 991,
Larnaca, Cyprus
SMS send to 0035 799 20 90 99
e-mail or
URL
or (R BULGARIA DX MIX News, Ivo Ivanov,
via wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Febr 1 via DXLD)
2 Feb, based on last DX Mix News: 6100, R Dardardsha [sic] with
several IDs at 0501 then talks by OM and YL 'bernemizh Dardarsha' then
with e-address on gmail.com S20 (Zacharias Liangas, Greece, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
"Radio Dardasha 7 (Chat from Arabic), new station from Jan. 17"
might rather be regarded as new on shortwave.
It turns out to be a programme of "Back to God Ministries"
http://backtogod.net/global-ministries/arabic/
a ministry of the Christian Reformed Church. If the google translation
of the www.dardasha7.com-site is correct, it seems, that the programme
left its medium wave slot on TWR Cyprus (Cape Greco 1233 kHz). (Dr.
Hansjoerg Biener) by `left` do you mean quit, or retained? (gh, DXLD)
I would like to add two off topic comments
1. Having turned to Christianity through international short wave
broadcasting, I used to learn very much from Dr. Joel Nederhood's
"Back to God Hour" who wanted to present the Gospel "in the light of
the historic Christian faith". Unfortunately, many of the more
respected Christian teaching or preaching programmes went off short
and medium wave and left the religious seeker alone with programmes I
as a German Lutheran pastor would rather not commend or comment on.
2. You may also want to have a look at
http://backtogod.net/global-ministries/russian/
Could this be a familiar person? (Dr. Hansjoerg Biener, DX LISTENING
DIGEST) Rev. Sergei S
According to Hiroshi blog http://hiroshi.mediacat-blog.jp/e62987.html
in Japanese:
Radio Dardasha 7 listed as Arabic Service of TWR program in the A10.
(A10) TWR-Arabic-The Hope-Dardasha 7
0030-0100 11860
1730-1800 11860
2045-2115 9485
2030-2100 1233 (MW)
(S. Hasegawa Feb 2, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Coming A-11 season instead ... 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, ibid.)
** CZECHIA [and non]. A special programme will go on air on the last
day of shortwave broadcast of Radio Prague i.e. 31.1.2011 with
memories of R Prague listeners. So, don't forget to tune in to Radio
Prague on 31.1.2011 via shortwave or via internet, http://www.radio.cz
(Swopan Chakroborty, Kolkata, India, Jan 28, dxldyg via DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
My one memory of Radio Prague was listening the evening that the
Warsaw Pact forces overran the border. The announcer made a simple
statement of the action, then the national anthem was played, and then
they went off the air for weeks (Chris Trask, N7ZWY / WDX3HLB, Senior
Member IEEE, http://www.home.earthlink.net/~christrask/ HCDX via DXLD)
Radio Prague's Swan Song --- Just a heads up that I just got off the
phone with Christian Falvey, of Radio Prague, who called to interview
me for their final broadcast on Monday January 31st. Whether my
comments make it on to the broadcast, who can tell? (Mark Coady,
Peterborough, ON K9J 6X3, Jan 28, ODXA yg via DXLD)
9955, WRMI, Jan 28 at 0646 unusually good signal (often there is none
at all in the nightmiddle), no jamming, with R. Praga in Spanish,
program about musical instruments, their names in Czech, some of them
derived from English or German. R. Praga again in Spanish at 1457
retune, giving full SW schedule in that language, but only as filler
following French at 1430.
Altho R. Prague will have a ``farewell to SW`` retrospective program
Jan 31, according to Swopan Chakroborty, Jeff White again comes to the
rescue, reaching an agreement with RP to continue relays on WRMI 9955,
but on a different schedule past Feb 1, already in effect.
Unfortunately, the hours for English are rather inconvenient for North
Americans sleeping normal hours; too bad the M-F 1500 UT slot was
ceded to RFI a few months ago. We asked Jeff White for the latest
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.:
OK, I've made the changes. The schedule on the website and Facebook
page are updated. The Radio Prague airings as of Feb. 1 (actually as
of today) are:
0630-0700 UTC Daily (Spanish)
0700-0730 UTC Daily (English)
0930-1000 UTC Daily (Spanish)
1000-1030 UTC Monday-Friday (English)
1930-2000 UTC Saturday-Sunday (English)
0300-0330 UTC Daily (Spanish)
The Radio Slovakia and World Radio Network times on the schedule are
also correct (no changes, I think). Note that we are off the air from
1700 to 2200 UT Monday-Friday until further notice, although we run
WRN during that time period, which is only on our webcast (Jeff White,
WRMI Radio Miami International, Jan 28, WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
Jeff White says 9955 IS on the air Sat & Sun afternoons, so look for
Prague at 1930, WORLD OF RADIO at 1830. Confirmed on the air at 1847
Sat and not jammed, tho weak. 73, (Glenn Hauser, Jan 29, ODXA yg via
DXLD) Well, I just tried to tune in at 1925 and it's sure jammed now.
:-( (John Figliozzi, Halfmoon, NY, ibid.)
7410 - R. Prague, Czech Rep., 0200 broadcast in English coming in with
very poor signal. Audio barely above noise level. To much static to
make out any program details. A disappointment if this is there last
broadcast (Stephen Wood, Harwich, Mass., UT Jan 31, NASWA yg via DXLD)
I was listening down at French Creek State Park in PA during the 0100
broadcast, which also did not propagate well even in a low-noise
environment. Not only do we listeners get frustrated when brodcasts
don't propagate, the broadcasters also get frustrated, as their work
then falls on deaf ears (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA, ibid.)
Stations cutting their own throat by closing down SW rarely give us
the specifix we need to monitor the very last broadcast, like what
time by UT? If the QRT date is January 31, does that mean turned off
at 2300 UT = midnight local? How about the repeats well into the next
UT day which ordinarily air to the Americas?
I know I can hear Radio Prague`s SW finale program on their preferred
medium of the web, anyway, so I am not monitoring before 2300 UT Jan
31, but at 2310 there is no signal on 5930, when French used to air,
nor at 2330 for English, so it`s already gone.
Alokesh Gupta points us to 17-minute audio access and full transcript:
http://www.radio.cz/en/section/special/ending-an-era-radio-prague-signs-off-on-shortwave
Guess what? WRMI is never mentioned as continuing to broadcast R.
Prague on SW; that would ruin the moment, detract from the not-really-
finale! R. Prague has used other relays before, like Sackville and
Ascension, which always got full respect, so why is WRMI any
different? Even before now, it was almost as if they did not really
want listeners to know about it!
Anyhow, Jeff White has assured us that RP has agreed for WRMI to
continue with R. Prague (from WRN), on 9955 in English daily at 0700-
0730, M-F at 1000-1030, and Sat/Sun at 1930-2000. Also in Spanish at
various other times, and apparently the French weekdays at 1430-1500
too (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Indeed a sad day. My first QSL card from Radio Prague was dated
December 1965 so I remember the austere communist days, the brave days
of The Prague Spring, sadly so many more communist days followed then
eventually the joy of freedom. Despite the dark political days with
their broadcast propaganda there were always friendly voices on Radio
Prague also talking proudly about their beautiful country and its
citizens, the spirit of the country shone through. Radio Prague was
indeed a wonderful radio station (Mike Terry, UK, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
The special feature on Radio Prague this evening was very moving. It
included an interview with Oldrich Cip, who has been their frequency
manager for more than 40 years and who, if I remember correctly, used
to run their DX programme under the name of Peter Skala.
I first listened to Radio Prague in the early 1960s. In fact, my first
experience of the station was listening to the morning repeat to
Australia of the one-hour show for North America which, surprisingly,
came through very well in the south of England. Later I found the
British service of Radio Prague and the Afro-Asian service, but
although I was in the UK I always preferred the North American
section, which had some very good announcers. My main memory of Radio
Prague, however, is of its brave attempt to tell the world what was
happening during the Warsaw Pact invasion in 1968.
I will not stop listening to Radio Prague now that its main platform
is the internet. Its programmes continue to be of a high standard and
I would urge all of Radio Prague's shortwave listeners who have access
to the internet not to desert this station. Remember, use it or lose
it! (Roger Tidy, UK, Jan 31, ibid.)
Listened to last day’s SW broadcasting on Radio Prague. News was
followed by a feature about their history with interviews with RP
people (Oldrich Cip among them), listener audio feedback and tapes
from 1930s and 1968.
I noticed they used a different rendition or arrangement of their
normal interval signal – was this especially for today or has that
been used for a while?
5930 kHz/21-2130 UT/Jan 31 2011. SINPO 54554 clear but with occasional
adjacent QRM.
Sad to see them go: I use web a lot for other things, including
international TV but rarely remember to chase international radio
services. Scanning my bedside portable at night or as I wake up in the
morning, however, I am always sure to “come across” a Radio Prague
transmission. It is just there as part of the audio landscape in a
way in which a web page is not (Dr Derek Lynch, Ireland, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
Nothing here at 0100 7410 kHz so I guess us poor westerners are out of
luck for final SW broadcast. 73 (Mick Delmage, Sherwood Park, AB, UT
Feb 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
The German section of Radio Prague actually celebrated the abortion of
short wave. In attachment R_PRAGUE_GERMAN_110131_1626UTC_via_web.mp3
[in dxldyg] you can hear
``Die Kurzwelle ist tot! THE SHORTWAVE IS DEAD!``
and then the celebration with drinks (Dragan Lekic, Serbia, dxldyg via
WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Lo de la tarjeta QSL por las emisiones via Internet debe ser una
broma, ¿no?. Acaso habrá algún colega que no lo tiene claro y
realmente enviará informes de esas emisiones para conseguir una
tarjetita. Por cierto según mi opinión si no emite via ondas herzianas
no es una radio, es un servicio de podcast y audio por demanda.
Despúes de 20 años escuchando Radio Praga ahora no es tiempo de tomar
el pelo. Cordialmente, (Tomás Méndez, Spain, http://www.amarantadx.net
Jan 28, noticias dx yg via DXLD)
Totalmente de acuerdo, Tomás. No creo que haya radioescuchas que
envíen informes de unos audios a demanda, en todo caso serán cazadores
de tarjetas QSL. ¿Al informar una de estas escuchas, cual debe ser el
SINPO? Un saludo (Javier Robledillo,
http://cuadernodebitacoradx.blogspot.com/
ibid.)
BROADCASTING WITHIN THE CZECH REPUBLIC --- Radio Prague broadcasts in
English, German and Russian in Prague and its surroundings from Monday
to Friday from 19:05 to 19:25 CET on 92.6 FM. You can also listen to
Radio Prague in French on Wednesdays from 16.10 to 16.30 CET and on
Saturdays from 11.10 to 11.30 CET in Prague on 99.3 FM.
Selected programmes of Radio Prague are also relayed by Radio Miami
International from Miami, Florida USA on 9955 kHz. The complete
programme schedule of RMI can be found at:
(R Prague-CZE website, Jan 31 via Wolfgang Büschel, dxldyg via DXLD)
Internet Radio Prague: New Programme Schedule
Monday
* News
* Current Affairs
* One on One
* Sport News
* SoundCzech (repeated series)
Tuesday
* News
* Current Affairs
* Czech History
* SoundCzech (repeated series)
Wednesday
* News
* Current Affairs
* Spotlight
* SoundCzech (repeated series)
Thursday
* News
* Current Affairs
* Panorama
* SoundCzech (repeated series)
Friday
* News
* Current Affairs
* Business News
* The Arts
* SoundCzech (repeated series)
Saturday
* News
* Czech Books / Czech Life
* Mailbox / Science Journal / Spotlight (repeat)
* From the Archives (repeated series)
Sunday
* News
* Music Show
(via Alan Roe, dxldyg via DXLD)
According to the rather oddly named page
http://www.radio.cz/en/static/about-radio-prague/frequencies-new
R. Prague live streaming schedule now has the six languages in a
regular rotation pattern repeating every two sesquihours, including:
Broadcast on the Internet (and Satellite)
Language (CET/CEST) UTC (summer) UTC (winter)
ENGLISH 0000 2200 2300
ENGLISH 0300 0100 0200
ENGLISH 0600 0400 0500
ENGLISH 0900 0700 0800
ENGLISH 1200 1000 1100
ENGLISH 1500 1300 1400
ENGLISH 1800 1600 1700
ENGLISH 2100 1900 2000
(Glenn Hauser, Feb 2, WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Sí, un día después que abandonó la onda corta y paso a ser virtual, o,
online, es conveniente analizar, ya que hace poco y muchas otras están
usando este termino ONLINE, de podcast, etc. Y como les decía, un día
después... seguirás escuchando a Radio Praga en Línea!!!???
El caso es para que no se pierda y continúe como un oyente regular o
irregular, como lo somos así en la onda corta.
Esquema de Transmisiones de Radio Praga en español
En el momento están usando streaming, y podcast; esperemos que
continúen así y no se pasen únicamente a podcast, apesar de que lo
usan. El día que únicamente lo dejen a podcast, así comienza otra
historia de RP. (...más cortes)
Horarios : 0000, 0300, 0600, 0900, 1200, 1500, 1800, 2100 UTC o
consultar
http://www.radio.cz/es/static/acerca-de-radio-praga/frecuencias-nuevas
Escuchar en streaming: http://rebel.radio.cz:8000/live-32
O en podcast a través de la página de Radio Praga:
http://www.radio.cz/es
Como escuchar streaming? Abrir su Windows Media Player.
En Archivo, luego abrir URL, copiar y pegar la dirección
http://rebel.radio.cz:8000/live-32 y luego OK.
Digo WMP, porque hay otras alternativa para escuchar, RealAudio
Player, Winamp, aunque esenciales también (Yimber Gaviria, Colombia,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
RADIO PRAGUE CONTINUES ON SHORTWAVE FROM MIAMI
Yesterday, January 31, Radio Prague ended its shortwave transmissions
from the Czech Republic. However, an agreement between Radio Prague
and WRMI will allow shortwave transmissions to continue to the
Caribbean and Latin America via Radio Miami International in English
and Spanish. As of today, February 1, the schedule for Radio Prague
programs via WRMI is:
0630-0700 UTC Daily (Spanish)
0700-0730 UTC Daily (English)
0930-1000 UTC Daily (Spanish)
1000-1030 UTC Monday-Friday (English)
1930-2000 UTC Saturday-Sunday (English)
0300-0330 UTC Daily (Spanish)
This schedule will remain in effect until further notice. All
broadcasts are on 9955 kHz with 50 kilowatts from Miami on an azimuth
of 160 degrees.
Jeff White, WRMI General Manager, said that "Radio Miami is happy to
be able to help Radio Prague stay on the air, just as we did with
Radio Slovakia International when its shortwave transmissions were
scheduled to end last December 31. We have had close cooperaton with
Radio Prague for many years now, and we hope this cooperation will
continue for many more years."
WRMI Radio Miami International
175 Fontainebleau Blvd., Suite 1N4
Miami, Florida 33172 USA
Tel +1-305-559-WRMI (9764)
Fax +1-305-559-8186
E-mail: radiomiami9@cs.com
http://www.wrmi.net (RMI press release via DXLD)
Czechoslovakia: Radio Prague QSL’d my reception report from earlier
January 2011 and enclosed a cardboard ruler with millimeter
gradations. This is a station for a lot of memories for me, which I
will indeed miss, dating back to 1968. At one point in time back then,
they also had an active “Radio Praha DX Monitor Club” and issued
certificates for QSL’ing countries in designated ITU regions worldwide
(Ed Insinger, Summit, NJ, Jan 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** DJIBOUTI. 4780, Djibouti *0300-0330+ 1/31, thanks to all who
suggested this (Don, Fergy, others). Heard tonight from 0250 open
carrier, orchestral NA at 0300 followed/by repeating IS of flute and
what seemed like fiddle-type instrument. Into Islamic morning Call to
Prayer at 0301.28-0317 (long form!). Then OM narration or news in
Arabic to 0332, when music show opened. Modern, western influenced,
pop-sounding Arabic recording featuring organ, base, flute and mixed
group of singers. S9+++ at 0335 tune out (Ralph Perry, Wheaton,
Illinois, Drake R8B; Eton E1; Hallicrafters SX100; Knightkit Star
Roamer, Dentron Super Tuner + Ameco PLF-2, Longwire, HCDX via DXLD)
** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. 6025, Radio Amanecer Internacional, 0136-0212
Jan 24, man and woman with long talk in Spanish. At 0202 another man
gave ID and several announcements. Light music followed. Poor to fair
with some splatter from co-channel stations (Rich D`Angelo, French
Creek State Park, PA, DXpedition No. 39, Ten-Tec RX-340, Drake R-8B
and an Eton E1, 500-foot wire essentially north for the RX-340 and
250-foot wire essentially northeast for the R-8B and a whip antenna
for the E1, NASWA yg via DXLD)
6025.06, tentative, Radio Amanecer, Santo Domingo, 1202-1240+ 1/29, OM
Spanish at tune-in talking about "La Familia . . . nuestra salud . . .
República Dominicana . . ." Fair to good sig, very deep fades and
lots of side splatter. 1211 music breaker by OM with time/check. Sig
fading by 1215 when OM mentioned "iglesia" and "dominicana". 1222 thot
caught the ID for R Amanecer but not 100% sure. Still going at 1240
with piano music, possibly hymn. This one needs more work (Ralph
Perry, Wheaton, Illinois, HCDX via DXLD)
6025.05, 30/1 0047, Radio Amanecer, religious talks and music. Great
ID on the hour, "Radio Amanecer Internacional presenta...". Fair. Ciao
(Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italy, Perseus, T2FD 15 meters long, My
Short Wave blog: http://radiodxsw.blogspot.com/ dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
6025.1, HIIJ Radio Amanacer; 1213-1231+, 30-Jan; M&W with religious
program in Spanish with Spanish & English hymns; ID at 1231. SIO=233+
with 6020 Australia splash & rapid ticking QRM (Harold Frodge, Midland
MI, USA, Michigan Area Radio Enthusiasts DXpedition, Brighton MI,
Drake R8B + 500 ft. SSWish unterminated bev & 85 ft. TTFD, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** ECUADOR. 4815, Radio El Buen Pastor, 1109-1132 fade out Jan 24, man
announcer talking in Quichua language with rustic vocals. ID and TC at
1118 followed by more music programming. Fair with CODAR slowly
getting stronger (Rich D`Angelo, French Creek State Park, PA,
DXpedition No. 39, Ten-Tec RX-340, Drake R-8B and an Eton E1, 500-foot
wire essentially north for the RX-340 and 250-foot wire essentially
northeast for the R-8B and a whip antenna for the E1, NASWA yg via
DXLD)
4814.96, presumed Radio El Buen Pastor, Saraguro, 1114-1150 on 2/1.
Ute QRM manageable this day. Couldn't snag clear ID but Saraguro
presumed the one as everything else fits, including widely-reported
"fingerprint" of precise decimal off-frequency. OM Spanish with
relaxed speech over mild instrumental music at tune-in, then over
Andes música folklórica at 1117; echo ads 1121 but hard to read. 1124
studio announcer again, clear GMT-5 time check and into huayno guitar
vocals. 1130 another t/ck "...6 de la mañana y 30 minutos...".
Holding on but fading down by 1150 tune/out. Again at 1119 check on
2/2, but under horrible ute and much more obscured (Ralph Perry,
Wheaton, Illinois, Drake R8B; Eton E1; Hallicrafters SX100; Knightkit
Star Roamer, Dentron Super Tuner + Ameco PLF-2, Longwire, HCDX via
DXLD)
** ECUADOR. Hello Friends: Some sad news to report -- our friend and
long-time DX Partyline host, Clayton Howard, passed away early this
morning at the age of 92.
Like many who were teens in the 60's and 70's, I looked forward to
tuning into Clayton and his wife, Helen, on HCJB's DX Partyline to get
shortwave tips and just know that there were many others who loved
this hobby as much as I did.
It was a dream come true for me to eventually host DX Partyline and
co-host my first four programs with Clayton himself! He was a soft-
spoken person -- maybe the most humble person I've ever met -- but
full of humor and, like many engineers, very logical!
I'll pass along the official biography as soon as it's released from
HCJB (Richard McVicar, AB2FN, On the outskirts of Navarino, New York,
Jan 27, via Dan Ferguson, NASWA yg via DXLD)
Back in the 80s, Arlene and I traveled to Ecuador and met Clayton and
Helen. Clayton took us on a tour of the HCJB compound and hospital.
He drove us out to the Pifo transmitter/antenna site. Then we had
dinner with them in their home. At one point, Clayton interviewed me
for an upcoming Partyline. It was a delightful time with two
delightful people. Farewell, Clayton, and peace! --don (Don Jensen,
WI, ibid.)
Their slow-paced and relaxed presentation style was perfect for we
DXers who wanted to take notes and make sure we got all the details we
were after. Their voices were also so distinctive, that there was
never any doubt who you were listening to, if you had heard them at
least once. Akin to Henry Hatch, Margaret Howard, Ian McFarland,
Jonathan Marks --- ahh, memories! Certainly they were a mainstay of
the day for DXers and DX Partyline, in those days, ranked as one of
the most popular DX programs on the air (and there were many in those
days!). I wonder how many stations would even put them on the air
today (Harold Sellers, Jan 28, ODXA yg via DXLD)
HCJB PROGRAM HOST/ENGINEER CLAYTON HOWARD DIES AT 92
(January 28, 2011 - by Ralph Kurtenbach and Harold Goerzen)
The longtime host of a popular shortwave radio listeners’ program,
Clayton Howard, died on Thursday, Jan. 27, in Tahlequah, Okla. He was
92. He had served from 1941 to 1984 as an engineer with Radio Station
HCJB, an international shortwave station in Quito, Ecuador.
For more than two decades he and his wife, Helen, hosted the “DX
Partyline” program. (“DX” is a radio term for distance; DXers are
listeners to distant radio stations.)
Clayton was born on Nov. 27, 1918, to missionary parents in Canton,
China. His father, Charles Howard, an entomologist and college
professor, and his mother, Anne, a biologist and teacher, served at a
Christian university and conducted research for the Chinese government
to develop a finer grade of silk. When Clayton was 9 years old the
family returned to the U.S. where his father developed the biology
department at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill.
At Wheaton Academy, Clayton loved learning about radio and
electronics. In 1939 he graduated from Wheaton College with a physics
degree followed by a year of graduate studies in physics at the
University of Chicago.
“I heard HCJB on Easter Sunday of 1940 while [the station was]
inaugurating a new 10-kilowatt transmitter,” Clayton once said in an
interview. “I had known there was a missionary shortwave station in
South America previously, but knew very little about it until 1940.”
Clayton contacted HCJB Global co-founder Reuben Larson who then
recruited him to join the technical team at La Voz de Los Andes (the
Voice of the Andes) in Quito. College Church in Wheaton later
commissioned him as a missionary, and he arrived in Ecuador to begin
serving at Radio Station HCJB in 1941.
Clayton’s marriage to Helen Marie Prestidge on Sept. 12, 1942, was
broadcast live from Quito via shortwave “so the folks back home could
hear it,” according to his son, Chuck Howard. The couple had met in
Wheaton, and Helen went to Ecuador after she graduated. It was her
father, a Baptist minister, and Rev. Evan Welsh, pastor of College
Church, who together prepared the phonograph record with the marriage
ceremony, leaving gaps for “I do” from the couple.
Many station employees remembered Clayton as a technician whose
special knack was keeping the tape recorders, record turntables and
mixing consoles going, according to Chuck, an HCJB Global missionary
teacher in Quito. Clayton served primarily in audio work, but he was
also involved in everything technical such as transmitters, antennas,
studios, power and remote programs. He was also actively involved in
the search for a new international transmitting site for the station,
eventually selecting Pifo.
A career highlight for Clayton was helping a fellow engineer at the
station, Clarence Moore, design and build the world’s first cubical
quad antenna. Also, in an era in which Ecuador’s communication
resources were marginal, Clayton actively handled remote broadcasts
for the Ecuadorian government. He contributed to the growth of HCJB
from a small radio facility to a major international broadcaster,
reaching out with the gospel message in many major languages.
Blessed with an excellent bass voice, Clayton loved his involvement
with regular live music programs in English and Spanish. He took part
in concerts each year to honor the station’s host city, Quito. In the
mid-1960s Clayton took over as host of “DX Partyline,” a semiweekly
program for shortwave enthusiasts.
Clayton and Helen also began Andes DX International (ANDEX), a club
for shortwave radio listeners, and the ANDEX magazine. The Howards
corresponded with people around the world. In addition to shortwave
listening tips, they shared “Tips for Real Living,” focusing on a
meaningful relationship with the Creator. It was their joy to lead
many to the Lord Jesus through the programs and follow-up
correspondence.
After their final “DX Partyline” program aired in June 1984, Clayton
received what Chuck referred to as an unusual tribute from an unlikely
source, Radio Moscow, which stated, “The living legend of the Andes
has retired!”
Upon retirement, the Howards spent 10 years in Florida, then moved to
Go Ye Village, a Christian retirement center in Tahlequah. “When
Clayton and Helen came to live at Go Ye Village,” said retired HCJB
Global missionary Don Schroder, “Clayton set up closed-circuit TV to
televise the Sunday chapel services, Bible studies and memorial
services. These televised services went into all the homes and
apartments of residents in the village.”
Clayton was preceded in death by his wife of 67 years on Jan. 3, 2010.
Survivors include three children, Chuck Howard of Quito, Leland Howard
of Missouri and Ruth Anne Leaf of Illinois (recently retired from
missionary service in Japan), as well as 11 grandchildren and 20
great-grandchildren.
He loved to share his enthusiasm for radio, and he enjoyed meeting
with radio clubs in the U.S. “On one occasion,” Chuck remembered his
father telling, “he was met at the door to the club by a lively group
of young men, all sporting T-shirts with his picture on the front!”
One such teenaged fan of Clayton and Helen’s radio show was Rich
McVicar who quipped, “It was one of the very few programs I would
actually listen to. The rest of the time, I was constantly tuning the
dial for new catches!”
Years later, when McVicar arrived as an HCJB Global missionary in
Ecuador, the Howards were there, having been coaxed back to Ecuador
for a short visit. “In fact, Clayton and I co-hosted my first four ‘DX
Partyline’ programs,” McVicar said. “Becoming the producer of ‘DX
Partyline’ was a dream come true for me, and being introduced to the
famous host of my teenage listening days was a uniquely wonderful
experience.”
Another young listener was John Beck. Upon Clayton’s retirement, Beck
was the program’s new host. “I was scared. I had listened to Clayton
and Helen since high school. But he told me not to worry and that he
would help me in the transition,” Beck said. “I watched him conduct a
couple of tapings, introducing me on the second to the audience and
then he turned to me and said, ‘OK, now it’s your program.’ I
stammered. ‘But I thought we would have a transition of at least a
couple of months!’” Beck said Clayton’s reply was, “Oh no … we leave
next week.”
“Clayton not only taught me over the air much of what I learned about
shortwave radio as a hobby,” added Ken MacHarg, who later hosted the
same radio program. “He was also the door through which I began doing
programming on HCJB.”
“Before my wife and I ever went there, he asked me to adapt portions
of my book, Tune in the World, for broadcast as a series,” MacHarg
explained. “I recorded profiles of various international broadcasters
who were featured in the book and sent them for use on the program.”
Chuck described his father as one who loved Ecuador and its people.
Although he was a practical joker at times, his passion for Christ was
evident. “He was a humble, rather private man who felt rather awkward
in large groups, but in his quiet way, he was a very effective servant
of the Lord,” Chuck said. “He didn’t preach, but he made it possible
for others to preach the Word to millions of needy souls around the
world.”
His life verses were, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and
lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge
him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6, KJV).
A memorial service is set for Go Ye Village Chapel at 1 p.m. Saturday,
Jan. 29. Source: HCJB Global (via gh, WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DXLD) OBIT
This story is also at
http://calloftheandes.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/radio-station-hcjb-program-hostengineer-clayton-howard-dies-at-92/
with photos, and 4:41 audio link to final DXPL by Clayton.
Notable for its absence is any mention in the above that DX Partyline
still exists, on the SW air at least via Kununurra, Hialeah, and
Rimavská Sobota, altho banned from HCJB Ecuador itself, nor anything
from its current host, the reverent Allen Graham (gh, DXLD)
Very sad news indeed. I met Clayton years ago at an ANARCon, and was
just fascinated with some of the stories he told, particularly of the
ministry work during the Boxer Rebellion in China. A thoughtful and
intelligent man who will be missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to
his family (Mike Agner, KA3JZZ, NASWA yg via DXLD)
1899-1901y, the Boxer Rebellion, before Clayton`s time (gh, DXLD)
** EGYPT [and non]. 11510, R. Cairo, Abu Zaabal. Service directed to
West Africa in English. Speaker dealing with moral values for women as
set out in the Koran. Good strength and best audio ever heard from
Cairo. 1916 10 December (Charles Jones, Castle Hill NSW (Sony 2001D
with 7m vertical antenna or 70m long wire antenna), DX-Pedition at
Ellalong, in the NSW Hunter Valley, Jan/Feb Australian DX News via
DXLD) So same equipment there?
Hi Glenn, Belated Happy new year! I hope it has got off to a good
start for you. I have not heard Radio Cairo on 6270 kHz past 2 days,
no German French or English 1900-2245 UT. Any ideas? Don't think they
closed the SW service, maybe tx fault. Would be grateful for any info
you may have. Cheers (Chris Lewis, UK, Jan 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Chris, Probably something to do with the riots there. I read that the
military were guarding radio and TV stations, etc. Why not check some
of the other Cairo frequencies in other languages and see if they are
missing too? (Glenn to Chris, via DXLD)
ERU Radio Cairo. In 2000-2100 UT slot noted this night Jan 27:
Only 4 transmissions, 3 x via Abis, 9855 via Abu Zabaal, acc HFCC,
but latter could also be via Abis now - instead...
9280 French service 2030-2230 UT.
9305 and 9990 in parallel, Arabic service.
9305 strongest transmission at S=9+30 dB level.
9855 separate Arabic HQ program to SouthEast Asia, ID and trumpet hymn
at 2059-2100 UT. 73 de wolfy (Wolfgang Büschel, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
Today there was a Russian program on 9280 kHz (Vitaliy Lisovskiy, Jan
27, ibid.)
There have been reports of some R. Cairo broadcasts missing such as
the European service on 6270, per Chris Lewis in England, but some of
them are still going:
13580, Jan 28 at 1509, R. Cairo Albanian service, good signal aimed
USward but just barely modulated, traces of talk at peaks. Normal for
this broadcast, regardless of riots and revolutions (Glenn Hauser, OK,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
For those who get BBC World (Television) their reporters seem to be
camped out across the street from the Radio and Television building in
Cairo (Fred Waterer, Ont., 1603 UT Jan 28, dxldyg via DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
6270, at 2159 Jan 28, R. Cairo English service is still missing.
9305, Arabic homeservice relay is on, with Arabic music; 2208 every
minute or two interrupted for announcement about Mubarak, presumably
that he is about to speak. 2214 Arabic ID, mentions Mubarak; 2217,
Mubarak is speaking.
Meanwhile I was also watching CNN and MSNBC. CNN joined Mubarak speech
immediately with translation by woman. MSNBC showed him, but did not
have any English translation available for a few minutes, finally has
a man translating. He concluded at 2228. Said something about forming
a new government, but himself not resigning.
11590, the scheduled English from R. Cairo to WNAm, Jan 28 at 2326,
poor signal and very undermodulated, could not be sure it`s in
English. Official versions of schedule keep showing this sesquihour as
Arabic.
Wolfgang Büschel suggests transmissions from the site near Cairo, Abu
Zabaal have been off the air, while the other site, Abis, much further
away near Alexandria, continues in operation. Would they be flexible
enough to transfer some of the frequencies from one to the other?
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
9305.00, 1920-2250, 28.01, R Cairo, Abis, Arabic emergency programme
on a day of severe riots when 19 were killed and more than 1000
arrested. Mostly non-stop Arab songs with frequent ID's like "Huna Al-
Kahira". Most times short news on full and half hours, but at 2100-
2135 extensive news and comments on the situation. For entertainment,
R Cairo also played two short dramatic radioplays! But at 2217
President Hosni Mubarak suddenly held his longly awaited Speech to the
Nation where he dismissed the Government! 2229 followed a Martial song
and at 2235 the announcer mentioned that it was the President we had
heard! 55544 AP-DNK Best 73, (Anker Petersen, Denmark, dx_india [sic]
yg via DXLD)
Ganz schoen flotte Saxophon Musik am Spielen, melancholisch oder
staatstrauermaessig klingt das nicht.
Um 0120 UT
6270 und 9305 in \\. 6270 S=4 hier, S=6 in England.
9305 S=9 hier und auch in England.
auch noch ganz duerftig auch 9900 kHz mit anderem Programm zu hoeren.
11590 kHz fuer Amerikas geht hier nicht.
1015 UT 15060 1015-1215 UT Arabic to SoEaAsia, S=7 in Europe.
17510 heard underneath and heterodyne of 200 Hertz, but
covered by AIR OverseasService in English, nx at 1015 UT,
0945-1100 UT from Delhi site. R Cairo not heard on 15800 and
21480 (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Jan 30 via DXLD)
** EGYPT. Glen[n]: are you aware of any amateur radio frequencies in
use by Egypt's hams? (Des Preston, KB8UYJ, Jan 28, sent from my
iPhone, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
See:
http://kimelli.nfshost.com/index.php?id=10581
including:
Werebuild amateur radio page: "Ham radio activists are receiving
signals in morse code from Egypt. When countries block web, we evolve.
Receive: 40m band 7050-7100 [kHz], 20m 14000-14050 [kHz]."
Some more specific logs:
http://werebuild.eu/wiki/Egypt/Ham_radio
(Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) More ham discussion below
Curious --- Is the term "Egyptian hams" offensive in a Muslim nation?
(Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
BBC News 28 January 2011 --- BBC Arabic correspondent Khaled
Ezzelarab, in Cairo, says despite the curfew, demonstrators are
surrounding the building of Egyptian radio and television ...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12311007
(1722 UT Jan 28, via Mike Terry dxldyg via DXLD)
28 January 2011, 1830 UTC: The European service on 6270 kHz, which
should have started at 1800 in Italian, cannot be heard here. Nor can
9250 be heard, which would be another service from the Abu Zaabal
site. However, the Abis broadcasts in Turkish (9280) and Hausa (9990)
are there with a strong signal, but with the usual poor audio quality.
Waiting for some language to come up that I understand. 73, (Eike
Bierwirth, Leipzig / Germany, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Unable to access http://radiocairo.com/ (Mike Terry, England, 1909 UT
Jan 28, ibid.) Temporarily overload? Now regularly working (Roberto
Scaglione, Sicily, 1912 UT Jan 28, ibid.)
All explained here
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20029862-281.html
(Mike Terry, 1913 UT, ibid.)
To make clear: http://radiocairo.com/ is nothing to do with the Radio
Cairo external service.
Just about all internet conectivity between Egypt and the rest of the
world was cut at 2230 GMT on 27 January. All mobile phone networks are
off too in some areas. Landlines are still working.
The famous TV and radio HQ on the Corniche by the Nile is reportedly
being protected by members of the presidential guard after coming
under attack from protestors. From recent TV pictures, I doubt that
many TV and radio staff will be able to get to work, even if they
wanted to (Chris Greenway, UK, 2016 UT Jan 28, ibid.)
But 9305 kHz in Arabic from 1900 is received well here in Copenhagen
at the moment. 6270 off. 73, (Erik Koie, Denmark, Jan 28, ibid.)
At 1925 UTC Jan 28: I am pretty sure 6290 and 6270 are off air. Could
be poor reception but there is absolutely nothing there, not a trace.
But I am hearing scratchy Arabic on 9305, presumably Egypt too (Dr
Derek Lynch, Ireland, Jan 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Hello DXers, I never thought that one day I'd make a report about
Egypt as a troubled country but ---
Radio and TV building is guarded by the Army (some sources say the
presidential guard) but as I see it, this is the Army.
Today 28/1/2011 the Egyptian government decided to stop all the
internet activities and mobile networks to prevent the demonstrators
to contact each other.
All the urls for live broadcast of radio and TV are not working.
The only source of info I get right now is via AlJazeera TV which is
broadcasting live from Cairo. the Egyptian government stopped the
transmission of Al Jazeera Live network as they were covering the
demonstrations live.
2100 UT, I managed to get the General program of Radio Cairo on 9305
with the news, claiming all is OK and the army is controlling the
situation after the deceleration of the curfew in Cairo, Alexandria
and Suez. The curfew was set to get the stability all over Egypt.
Phone calls to all the governors of the Egyptian states.
Nothing from President Mubarak, rumors are spreading all over,
hopefully an announcement will take place soonest for the Egyptian
people. More to come soonest. Best Rgds (Tarek Zeidan, Aalborg,
Denmark, 2130 UT Jan 28, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Please allow me to provide you a little break from the shortwave news
and move you to the microwave transmissions I monitor.
I am watching events unfold on both Egyptian state TV (I am watching
Al Nile - the news channel) as well as Al Jazeera English & Arabic
channels. Al Jazerra have reported that their outlets on Nilesat were
taken off air some hours before sunset (I am watching AJ Arabic on
Asiasat 5 & AJ English on AS3).
As I type I am currently on Al Nile, covering the unrest in full with
live pictures of the curfew not holding. It`s interesting that the
state controlled broadcasting outlets are providing full coverage of
the protesters ignoring the curfew and right now are broadcasting the
torching of both the ruling party state headquarters and other
government buildings (Mark Fahey, Sydney Australia, 2206 UT Jan 28,
ibid.)
Historic unique internet offline in Egypt totally. Most of the
internet provider services went down on Thur Jan 27 at 2234 Uhr
UT; see graph at
WITHDRAWN EGYPTIAN PREFIXES
http://www.netzwelt.de/news/85458-historisch-einmalig-ganz-aegypten-offline.html
As reported yesterday, due of the uprising most of the Radio Cairo
transmission are off since two days.
Jan 27, 20-21 UT only 4 transmissions.
Nothing on 6270 6290 6860 9250 9295 11510 11540 kHz.
Abu Zabaal transmitter site is out of service now?
Location is close to Cairo capital, a huge area to protect, see Google
Earth, not easy to protect against demonstrants?
at 30 15'50.07"N 31 22'28.50"E
is a 2.27 kilometer long area of three antenna mast centers.
Contrary Abis site location in the far north, is 166 kilometers away
of Cairo, close to Alexandria. Far away of uprising, police and army
clashes !?
- - -
Now Jan 28, at 2130 UT only,
9280 S=4 towards WeAF, poor - only some Arabic fragments noted.
but also co-channel YFR Yunlin Taiwan instead.
9305 S=8-9 in Arabic
nothing on 6270 6290 6860 9250 9295 9855 9900 9940 11510 11540 11760
kHz.
and from registered 2215 UT onwards only single shortwave
9305 S=8-9 with speech of President? in Arabic
73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, Stuttgart, Germany, ibid.)
11510 - 28/01/11 - 1926 - R. Cairo, Abu Zaabal, 250 kW to W Af,
English, YL news, announcements with echoes, YL-1 talks with low audio
modulation, music, YL-2 news much better audio response, conditions
increase as approach the receiver sunset, program World of Knowledge,
abrupt audio level decay but later recovery, music, ID Voice of
Africa, Radio Cairo, chant, short info about political clashes in
Cairo, ID, s/off 2028 - 23232 at 1930, 54455 at 2020.
9900 - 28/01/11 - 2225 - R. Cairo, Abu Zaabal, Portuguese to SAm, OM,
ID Rádio Difusora da República Árabe do Egito, poor audio, after while
abrupt audio level deep decay. Co-channel with CNR-1 - 53442.
Other R. Cairo´s frequencies monitored on the same day, all did before
Mubarak´s declaration:
6270 - noise
6860 - noise
9280 - nihil 1930, good sig 33342 but vy bad audio like overmod 2100
9295 - noise
9305 - nihil 1930, vy weak at 2030 (Flávio Archángelo PY2ZX, IC-706,
dipoles, Jundiai - SP - Brazil, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Dear DX-friends, Radio Cairo is booming in here with SINPO 55544 in
Arabic on 9305 kHz. Due to the heavy riots, it is an emergency
programme with non-stop Arab songs and short newscasts every half hour
(TOH, BOH). The TV House has just been reported occupied by
demonstrators while President Mubarrak is expected to deliver a TV-
speech. At 2007 and 2019 UT the songs were abrupted for important
messages. Tune in and follow the "revolution" live. Best 73, (Anker
Petersen, Denmark, via Dan Ferguson, SC, 2102 UT Jan 28, NASWA yg via
DXLD)
Abis - Panoramio --- Abis SW Site Blurry Image....
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/36133868.jpg
(Ian Baxter, NSW, Jan 27, shortwavesites yg via DXLD)
Tuned into 11590 for Radio Cairo at 2300 and found nothing there, but
waiting, the carrier came up at 2302 with Arabic music, then barely
audible ID, seemingly by YL announcer. Signal was weak, but with so
little modulation essentially useless (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, USA
Jan 28, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Same here in SW Wisconsin at 2305. Carrier is there at good strength
but so little modulation that all I can tell is whether it sounds like
music or voice (Mike Mayer, ibid.)
At present 0012 UT three transmitters on air. Undoubtedly all via Abis
site, 166 km north of uprising crowd in capital Cairo.
9250 S=7 Arabic program, and \\ 9900 S=3 and S=5 varying.
9305 separate Arabic program S=9 to S=9+5dB, booming in here in EUR.
Maybe 4th Abis tx unit follows, start at 0045 UT on 9915 kHz?
nothing on 6270 6290 6860 9295 9855 9940 11510 11540 11590 11760 kHz
73 (wb df5sx, UT Jan 29, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
On the Eutelsat Hotbird 6 satellite, Nile TV International has news in
English at 1438 Jan 29. Background is a static picture of a Cairo city
bridge over the River Nile. No dramatic scenes being shown. Rather
annoyingly the signal is lost every few seconds making it unwatchable.
Algerian TV on the same transponder has no such problem. Radio Cairo
is on in Persian at 1434 with no intermittent signal loss. Radio Cairo
in English is not until 2115. Regards (Harry Brooks, North East
England UK, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
``Al Jazerra have reported that their outlets on Nilesat were taken
off air some hours before sunset``
...and they reappeared on 7 degrees West on 10.949 GHz. Here it is
certainly no nerd stuff but an important detail that this is NOT
Nilesat but instead a Noorsat mux on the Eutelsat-operated Atlantic
Bird 4A, which happens to be co-positioned with the Nilesat birds.
Without the Eutelsat joker, Al Jazeera would indeed be off 7 deg. West
now.
To me this raises also the question about other programs like BBC
Arabic and Alhurra. They could have been kicked as well, something
that can't be checked out from Europe due to the tight spotbeams. A
transmission contract with Nilesat is obviously worth nothing now.
By the way, I already saw comments from people who host some online
stuff in Egypt and are now stunned, to say the least. This could have
an interesting aftermath in the economical field. We're not talking
Nepal or Burma here (Kai Ludwig, Germany, 1052 UT Jan 29, dxldyg via
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
The Egyptian Radio and Television Union website http://www.ertu.org/
still works fine as it did yesterday as well. Regards (Harry Brooks,
North East England, UK, 1158 UT Jan 29, dxldyg via DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
I just did a trace on ertu.org - interestingly it is being served from
Los Angeles at the moment. I wonder if this is always the case; it
could very well always be served off servers in the USA. Sent from my
iPad (Mark Fahey, NSW, 1218 UT Jan 29, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Hello, what do you mean by it is still working? I can't get any live
streams of any of the radio networks. Plus the news are dated almost 7
days ago !!! Can you work any of the live streams of the radio
networks please!? Thanks (Tarek Zeidan [Egyptian], Aalborg, Denmark,
0746 UT Jan 30, ibid.)
Hello DXers, the situation remains the same in Cairo; the Egyptian
radio stations on MW and SW are all working OK. Mubarak's regime is
still controlling the media, tuning to al parnamaj al aam (The General
program), I can hear them having the same daily programs that I used
to tune in to for the last 30 years or so. On SW the only frequency
that I can get here in N. Europe is 9305 around 2000 UT.
The only change I notced so far is changing the name of the station to
be (al Idhaa al Masreya), The Egyptian Radio instead of announcing the
usual ID (idhaat al parnamaj al allm min al qahira), the General
program network from Cairo. More updates soon. B.Rgds (Tarek Zeidan,
Aalborg, Denmark, 0802 UT Jan 30, ibid.)
11510 - R.Cairo on the air right now with YL in English. Audio is so
low, can only make out a word here and there. Into recitations at 1919
continuing for several minutes. Lots of static and fading. Poor signal
at best. Music at 2222 with group vocals. WRTH lists site as Abu
Zaabal. YL announcer back at 1929. ID and then into scheduled program
but again audio is much too low to really understand much of what is
being said. Sounds like Kor`an lesson (Stephen Wood, Harwich, Mass.,
1934 UT Jan 29, NASWA yg via DXLD)
Have Cairo in Arabic with Arab vocals and brief announcements by male
at 1950 on 9305. WRTH '11 says to Europe and North America. Fair to
good (John Figliozzi, Halfmoon, NY, Eton E1XM, A/D DX sloper, Jan 29,
dxldyg via DXLD) 9305 has a very agitated female caller at the moment
who the announcer is trying to mollify. At least that's what it sounds
like. I don't speak Arabic. Heard the word "justice" in English and
reference to Obama (John Figliozzi, Halfmoon, NY, 2050 UT Jan 29,
dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Re site transfer. ``Would they be flexible enough to transfer some of
the frequencies from one to the other? (Glenn Hauser, dxld Jan 29)``
That's depending of the available antennas to feed by 4 available txs
at Abis site. Around 2020 UT note various R Cairo programs:
9280 distorted Egyptian classical Arabic singer, but still French
9305 strongest signal here, S=9+10dB, Arabic
9855 20-22 UT different Arabic SouthEast Asia program.
9990 Arabic singer, poor signal.
Here in CeEUR I hear nothing on 11510 kHz.
73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, Jan 29, ibid.)
6270 Radio Cairo, 0200 UT (presumed of course, since I heard no ID and
most likely will not) with easy listening music, distorted as ever
with low modulation. No signs of any announcements, just music and
dead air between selections.
Finally a reason to turn on the radio but very happy and extremely
surprised to not have any local +80 dB religious broadcaster ruining
the situation 500 kilocycles wide. Programming reminds me of Radio
Madagasikara during their unrest in March a few years back (Stephen J.
Price, Johnstown, PA, January 30, 2011. R-5000 w/ 400 foot "L" and 200
foot buried ground, ODXA yg via DXLD)
Hello DXers, picking up Voice of Africa from Cairo on 15080 around
1300 with ID, followed by Quran and then a program called Egypt Today.
No mention what so ever to the current situation in Cairo. More to
come (Tarek Zeidan, Aalborg, Denmark, Jan 30, dxldyg via DX LISTENING
DIGEST) In Arabic, I assume (gh)
Hi all, Also picking up Cairo very faintly on 15065 at 1335 onwards
today (30 January) - not sure of the language, but is scheduled for
Dari at this time and then Pashto at 1400. Arabic music and talk (Alan
Roe. Teddington, UK, ibid.)
Nothing heard on 9280 / 9305 / 9250 / 9855 / 9990 at times (20xx) 30
Jan (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, Standard rig : ICOM R75
/ 2x16 V / m@h40 heads Sennheiser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
9305, Radio Cairo at 2100 GMT Jan 30: Arabic Programming with lots of
Middle Eastern music and "Huna sault al Misrah (something like that)
min al-Qahira" identifications. There have been many instances
throughout this local afternoon's broadcast where the studio announcer
goes out to a correspondent. Many orchestral interludes between
announcements and correspondent interviews. Programming style has been
quite repetitious for the past 3+ hours. Broadcast is pounding in the
clear. Not being familiar anymore with their broadcasts, is this
programming style different from normal considering the crisis?
(Stephen J. Price, PA, ODXA yg via DXLD)
S6 here in AZ at 2234z. Same hip foot tapping tunes (Gary, WB7CAG,
Glendale, AZ, ibid.)
Radio Cairo, 30 & 31 January 2011 on 6270 kHz in the 0130 to 0230 time
slot. I tuned in to see if it was possible to monitor the current
situation. On 30 January 2011 at 0100 UT, there was a program of
continuous music, which went past the regular 0200 sign on in English.
At 0215, it appeared that the regularly scheduled news began, but
transmitter/modulation problems plagued the audio and I could not
understand anything. In addition, there was an unusually high noise
level tonight, worsening overall conditions.
On 31 January 2011 at 0230 UT, I heard a program of rather “spirited”
music, unlike what I would normally hear over Radio Cairo. Once again,
modulation problems, causing an audible hum that could not be reduced
with pass band tuning or notch filter (not that I expected it would,
but I gave this a try anyway). The S9 + 20 dB signal on the R8A was
deceiving; signal strength sounded muted. So my efforts to receive
information from the source (if, indeed, it would have been broadcast
by the station) were highly unsuccessful (Ed Insinger, Summit, NJ, Jan
31, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
9305, R. Cairo general service in Arabic continues active, Jan 30 at
2336, VG but moderately distorted. Say, how are things going in
Tunisia now with everybody focused on Egypt?? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
Democracy Now coverage: http://www.democracynow.org/tags/egypt
MEDIA BLACKOUT IN EGYPT AND THE U.S.: AL JAZEERA FORCED OFF THE AIR BY
MUBARAK, TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANIES BLOCK ITS EXPANSION IN THE
UNITED STATES
Reporters from Al Jazeera, the Arabic-language news network, have been
arrested and forced off the air by President Hosni Mubarak. "This
regime, which couldn’t find the time to protect Egypt’s priceless
relics in the National Museum in Cairo, found the time to drag
journalists through the streets ... and found time to shut down Al
Jazeera," says Mohamed Abdel Dayem of the Committee to Protect
Journalists. Meanwhile, Al Jazeera English is broadcast to more than
200 million homes around the world, but it’s hardly available in the
United States. Critics have called it a media blackout by U.S. cable
and satellite providers. We speak to Tony Burman of Al Jazeera
English. . .
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/2/1/media_blackout_in_egypt_and_the
(Democracy Now via DXLD)
EGIPTO - SITUACIÓN POLÍTICA Y DE LA RADIOAFICIÓN
Se informa en: http://werebuild.eu/wiki/Egypt/Ham_radio que la
radioafición es una de las vías de comunicación durante la crisis
política en Egipto.
El sitio demora para cargar, pero hoy dijo:
"Activistas radioaficionados están recibiendo señales en código Morse
de Egipto. Cuando los países bloquean la Web, evolucionamos en
frecuencias y bandas de 40m 7.060-7.100, en 20 metros 14.000 - 14.050
"Nosotros siempre escuchamos en CW en 7080.8 kHz, frecuencia de
transmisión. Se puede llamar CQ, el mejor tiempo de las 18h-20h UT.
Por favor, difundir."
Nuestro agradecimiento a Andy, G0SFJ por la información anterior
[HK7AJE Plinio Roncallo] (via Dino Bloise, Feb 1, dxldyg via DXLD)
Watching compilation of videos re Egypt Crisis on CNN site today. One
report on prison breakout in Abu Zaabal. This, of course, is well
known to HF listeners as one of the Radio Cairo transmitting sites
(Derek Lynch, Ireland, 2303 UT Jan 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Hi Glenn, For me 11510 kHz around 2000 is the best service of Radio
Cairo even considering the transmission to Brazil (Flavio Archangelo
PY2ZX, Jundiai - SP - Brazil, Jan 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Egipto: Radio Cairo en la onda corta en español --- Ayer (29 enero)
estuve chequeando las frecuencias de Radio Cairo sin ningún
resultado. Abajo las frecuencias en español.
6270 0045-0330 Español, Ingles
9315 0045-0330 Español, Ingles, alterna 9915 0045-0200 Español (ERU,
Enero 2011 - BC-DX #999) Ultima actualizacion enero 24, 2011
Más idiomas: http://www.bclnews.it/b10schedules/cairo.htm
Alguno ha tenido resultados con la pagina de Egypt State Information
Service http://www.sis.gov.eg/ ? No abre aun (Yimber Gaviria,
Colombia, Jan 31, noticias dx yg via DXLD)
ESCAPED PRISONERS SAID TO SURROUND ABU ZABAL TRANSMITTING STATION ---
Could explain the lack of transmissions from that site! This refers to
the mass prison breakouts last Saturday-Sunday night.
http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-546631?ref=feeds%2Flatest
Abu Zabal (aka Abu Zaabal and Abu Zabaal) is on the northeast
outskirts of Cairo (Chris Greenway, UK, Jan 31, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
Hello DXers, I noticed that all the Egyptian networks are broadcasting
the same programs
819 General program
774 Middle East Radio
711 Youth and Sports
and the new ID as I mentioned before Al Idhaa Al Masreya (The Egyptian
radio). More to come (Tarek Zeidan, Aalborg, Denmark, 1832 UT Jan 31,
dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Thanks Tarek for the observations above! This confirms what is
observed on the Egyptian radio channels on NileSat 7 at degrees west.
In addition to the three stations you mention, some of the regional
radios, such as Greater Cairo, Matrouh, Wasat al-Delta and North Delat
have also linked up to relay this common service. Voice of the Arabs
and the Holy Koran Radio are still running their own programmes.
On TV, there has also been some merging of channels. Channel One TV is
being relayed by Al-Masriyah TV, Nile Comedy, Nile Drama, Nile Cinema,
ERTU 4 (regional channel for Suez Canal region), ERTU 5 (regional
channel for Alexandria) and ERTU 8 (regional channel for South Upper
Egypt).
The Nile News TV channel is being relayed by Nile Drama 2, Nile Life,
Nile Sport and Nile Culture. I speculate that, because of the crisis,
ERTU does not have the usual staff available to run all these separate
channels (Chris Greenway, UK, ibid.)
Radio Cairo on 11590: I had a quick listen last night. Strong carrier,
5-9 +15 but with deep QSB. From about 2330 no mod/very low modulation
with pre-recorded musak and magazine filler on arts, poetry, etc.,
with long no mods. between! At about 2358 modulation improved with an
Arabic by radio lesson (page 99 from sleepy memory!). No news or
current affairs. I assume a news blanket has been applied, but with
the new stance of the Army there might be developments today, we all
hope are peaceful. 73 de (Graham G3XYX Bedwell, Feb 1, BDXC-UK via
DXLD)
Radio Cairo's European services on 6270 kHz (English was at 2115-2245)
have been off the air for several days now, but some of their other SW
transmissions seem to be operating according to schedule, e.g.
Indonesian signed on at 1230 on 15710 with a good signal - now
carrying music.
In the evening, Arabic is still on the air on 9305 kHz from 1900 UT. I
have observed this the past couple of evenings in parallel with MW 819
kHz around 2200 UT.
Tarek Zeidan in DXLD reports that the domestic services have combined
into a single programme which is IDing as "Al Idhaa Al Masreya" (The
Egyptian radio) - this matches the IDs that I have heard on 9305. 73s
(Dave Kenny, UK, Feb 1, ibid.)
01 Febrero 2011: 6270, R. Cairo, Egipto, chequeando a las 0138-, SIN
SEÑAL, igual en 9315 en 9915 con música arabe (Yimber Gaviria, Cali,
Colombia, Feb 2, Sony ICF 7600G + Kaito KA33 antenna, noticiasdx yg
via DXLD)
9305, ERTU General Service, 0650 Feb 1, man in Arabic. Poor (Harold
Sellers, Vernon, BC, Listening mobile, Eton E1, Sony AN1 antenna,
dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Logs for 1 Feb: Egypt back? 9305, Egypt?? 2154 interview man to man in
Arabic, a song on 2203, news at 2204 with mention of Mubarak. Bad
audio and signal just S2-3. Nothing on other frequencies (Zacharias
Liangas, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Radio Cairo again on ONLY four txs noted here at 1300 UT Feb 2nd.
For security reason?, Abu Zaabal site is closed since 10 days now.
Abis site close to Alexandria, some 165 kilometers north heard
according Radio Cairo Winter schedule see under Egypt
Feb 2nd 1300 UTC 15065 S=2-3, 15080 S=6, 15710 S=6, and 17870 S=3. 73
(Wolfgang Büschel, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
"HAM RADIO NOT A VIABLE OPTION FOR EGYPT." BUT DIAL-UP IS.
Posted: 01 Feb 2011
IDG News, 31 News 2011, Nancy Gohring: "Despite the best efforts of
Internet activists who are trying to help Egyptians communicate with
the outside world, ham radio isn't a viable option in this situation,
experts said. ... [D]espite reports of ham radios being used to send
Morse code, there have been no confirmed transmissions out of Egypt,
said Allen Pitts, a spokesman for the National Association for Amateur
Radio. 'I haven't heard of any transmissions, period,' he said. ...
There is a long history of using ham radio in emergency situations,
but it is not ideal for the current situation in Egypt, Pitts said.
'Ham radio does do wonderfully in situations like this ... but in this
particular case, there's nobody transmitting,' he said. That may be
partly because there are few ham users in Egypt to begin with. 'Most
people cannot afford it or do not have the political connections
needed to get a license there. Those with licenses are apparently,
wisely, keeping low,' he said. They may be concerned about who is
listening and whether there will be consequences for what they say." -
- If those few radio amateurs in Egypt can be located and activated,
they could send non-political "health and welfare" messages from
foreigners in Egypt, letting their relatives know they are OK. These
could be transmitted by voice, on shortwave, to radio amateurs in
Europe, then passed on to the recipient via e-mail. See previous post
about same subject (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD)
** EGYPT. WRN advises that they have started availablizing R. Cairo`s
English broadcasts on their website.
http://www.wrn.org/listeners/#radio-cairo/
It`s the Europe service originally at 2115-2245 on 6270, a frequency
which has really been off the air since at least January 25.
I listened to the first part of the Feb 2 file. Program summary to
begin. News starts :15 minutes into it: rather straightforward but few
details about the situation in Egypt, giving more coverage to
instability in other Arab countries.
The announcer has such an accent that one needs perfect webcast
reception to have a chance of understanding every word. He also
presents the commentary which follows, stumbling through it as he
obviously is trying to read it cold. The musical pauses are quite
ragged, cutting off abruptly, and frequent miscues. Also a lot of
variation in the audio quality, but at least here the modulation
doesn`t drop into inaudibility. It`s great to have this available,
thanks to WRN (Glenn Hauser, OK, Feb 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EL SALVADOR. RADIO MARÍA COMPRA FRECUENCIA DE RADIO CADENA YSU
Tras más de 50 años de estar al aire, la histórica emisora llega a su
fin
La frecuencia de la Radio Cadena YSU, 107.3 FM, ha sido vendida a
Radio María. FOTO / EDH --- JAIME GARCÍA Martes, 25 de Enero de 2011
La tradicional e histórica YSU Radiocadena cerrará definitivamente sus
transmisiones a partir de febrero, tras la venta de la frecuencia que
hiciera a la Radio María, de corte católico.
En la red social Facebook algunos empleados informaron sobre el cierre
de su fuente de empleo y que quedarían cesantes.
La administradora de Radio María, Yamileth Valladares, confirmó a
elsalvador.com la compra de la frecuencia de la YSU Radiocadena, la
cual es 107.3 FM.
Valladares indicó que la intención de la compra es pasar la Radio
María de la Amplitud Modulada (AM) a la Frecuencia Modulada (FM).
La ejecutiva de la referida radio dijo que cuando comiencen a operar
se convocará a una conferencia para informar sobre los nuevos cambios.
Una radio con historia
La Radio Cadena YSU inició sus operaciones en diciembre de 1946, según
la página web de la emisora.
Durante el conflicto armado de los años ochenta, la YSU se abrió campo
en el mundo de las noticias.
"El surgimiento en diciembre de 1946 de YSU Radiocadena, marca un hito
especial, no sólo por su creatividad y dinamismo. En el centro de esa
década de convulsiones sociales mundiales, la decisión de instalar una
emisora con independencia política significaba, además de un especial
esfuerzo, seguir los dictados de una auténtica vocación de servicio.
Una vocación de servicio concretada, como en todo medio de
comunicación serio, en el compromiso de informar, opinar, anunciar y
entretener a la sociedad con capacidad y ética", dice su sitio web.
"La voz suprema del espacio", era su lema.
La convulsión de la década de los años 40 motivó a empresarios a
buscar medios radiofónicos para informar.
José Trabanino h. logró que el 19 de marzo de 1946 el Ministerio del
Interior autorizara la instalación de los equipos transmisores de la
incipiente radio.
Se inició con onda corta YSUA de 750 watts, transmitía en 7200
kilociclos. Asimismo se trasmitía en onda larga YSU de mil watts de
potencia, para operar en 1.050 kilociclos-.
Inicialmente se llamada YSU Radio Mil Cincuenta, pero comercialmente
operaba como Alma Latina.
Posteriormente Trabanino h. transfirió la licencia de instalación y
operación de la naciente emisora a su hermano Raúl.
Para transmitir el equipo fue instalado en la Quinta El Recreo, en la
calle a Montserrat, al final de la colonia San Antonio, en San
Salvador.
El 2 de diciembre de 1946, la YSU lanzó su primera señal a El
Salvador.
FUENTE: http://bit.ly/ebZ6Xm (via Yimber Gaviria, Colombia)
Note that the history says it started off in 1946y as a SW station on
7200; that was before my time. Does anyone remember hearing it? I
assume it also spawned the first/major TV station, YSU-TV on channel 4
(gh, DXLD)
** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. 6250-, Jan 28 at 0655, poor-fair signal in
continuous Spanish talk, mentions Bata, keeps going past 0700. I am
rather surprised reception is holding up this late as usually it`s
gone by 0630. And still JBA at 0715, 0722 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
6250, Radio Nacional (Malabo), 0547-0609, 1/31/2011, Spanish.
Combination of talk by man, two minute segments of highlife music,
multiple IDs as "Radio Nacional", and one rooster crow. ID at 0601 by
woman as "Radio Malabo", then talk by man with additional Malabo IDs.
Moderate to good signal strength with a couple of brief periods of
utility interference. My first log of them this year despite almost
nightly checks of the frequency at 0600 (Jim Evans, Germantown, TN,
IC-R75, RX-340, E1, ICF-SW7600G, G6, Random Wire, ALA100M Loops,
Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD)
6250.0, RNGE, poor Jan 31 at 0628 continuous Spanish talk, ute beeps
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. 15190, Radio Africa (presumed); 1809, 29-Jan;
English huxter waxing about prayer. SIO=253 (Harold Frodge, Midland
MI, USA, Michigan Area Radio Enthusiasts DXpedition, Brighton MI,
Drake R8B + 500 ft. SSWish unterminated bev & 85 ft. TTFD, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** ERITREA. 4770, With already at least 7 transmitters, heard with
news in vernaculars from 1500 and also on // 5980, 7120, 7165, 7175,
7185 on 11/1. Maybe there was one more transmitter on 5060 with
another program but here dominated CNR(?) station (Rumen Pankov,
Sofia, Bulgaria (Sony ICF 2001, 16m Marconi), Jan-Feb Australian DX
News via DXLD)
The ERI puzzle: That's how many transmitters altogether?
- Rumen Pankov, Jan 11 at 1500 UT: 4770 \\ 5980 \\ 7120 \\ 7165 \\
7175 \\ 7185 kHz; Dec 8: 7120 7160 7165 7175 7185 & 5060
- Patrick Robic, Jan 20: 4770 \\ 7175 kHz; 5060 \\ 7205 kHz.
- Olle Alm, Dec 31: the well modulated transmitters heard are on 4770,
5980, 7175 and the weaker and much undermodulated ones are on 7120,
7165, 7185.
- Brian Clark, Jan. 9, 1726 UT: 4770 // 7175, 7185, 7165, 7120
Most interesting hints are the logs of Rumen Pankov (Jan. 11) and Olle
Alm: In both cases it's the same six frequencies mentioned, while
three quite regular frequencies are unmentioned: 7205, 5060 and
9700/9710. I'm quite sure that the transmitter on 7205 is not used on
any of this sixpack of frequencies; and I believe I have heard it at
least once at a time when also six other frequencies were on. 31m
isn't mentioned at all above, but it's used often in the afternoons,
though not daily. I have heard it synchronously with all freqs of the
sixpack (though maybe not with all six at a time), but not with 5060.
9700/9710 is usually well-modulated and // 7175. 5060 is rarely
reported, also not reported as undermodulated, and seems to play an
extra role as // to 7205 or as // to some of the sixpack when they do
not broadcast //7175 (see reports from ETH, DXLD 11-02). All //s to
7175 seem to be operated from the same site, as they are usually
switched off one by one within a minute or so (var. from 1757 to
approx. 1810) while 7175 may switch off minutes earlier or later, or
at 2000 UT. 5060 reported to switch off much earlier and 9700/9710
sometimes signs on later than the others in the afternoons. So we
cannot prove that there are more than seven transmitters, but the
observations make me consider it as quite likely.
Today Jan 27, at 1600 UT 7205 and 9700 where on but 7185 was missing
and also 5060 untraced. 5980 co-channelQRMed at 1700 and 4770, 7120,
7165, 7175, 9700 signing off at 1800 (NA heard exc. 4770). So again,
no proof it's more then seven; Your bids? Anybody with eight? Any more
//-frequencies? (Thorsten Hallmann, Germany, Jan 27, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
7120, 24/1 1735, Voice of Broad Masses, Eritrea, talks, some music,
//7175 & 7165 weak to fair.
7165, 24/1 1743, Voice of Broad Masses, talks // 7120 7175 weak.
7175, 24/1 1740, Voice of Broad Masses, talks and music, // 7120 &
7165 good (Giampiero Bernardini with Dario Monferini in Bocca di Magra
(La Spezia province, Italy), at the seaside, for our Bocca di Magra DX
nights (Boc 22), Perseus & RFSpace SDR-IQ / ANT: Wellbrook loop LFL
1010, Jan 29, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
4770, Broad masses from Eritrea? 1716 28 Jan with HoA songs and some
talks and signal S5. Problem was that audio was very undermodulated
so that local QRN or possibly digital QRM was quite apparent (34231)
(Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, Standard rig: ICOM R75 /
2x16 V / m@h40 heads Sennheiser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ETHIOPIA. 6090, Amhara State Regional R., Gedja. In vernaculars
with news at 1857, next singing the NA and close/down at 1902 on 2/1.
It is a station which is dominating on Saturdays over World Of Radio
(Rumen Pankov, Sofia, Bulgaria (Sony ICF 2001, 16m Marconi), Jan-Feb
Australian DX News via DXLD)
** ETHIOPIA. 9705, Radio Ethiopia, 2032-2101* Jan 24, program of Horn
of Africa music hosted by a man announcer with Amharic talks. ID and
closedown announcements at 2058 followed by choral National Anthem.
Fair to good signal (Rich D`Angelo, French Creek State Park, PA,
DXpedition No. 39, Ten-Tec RX-340, Drake R-8B and an Eton E1, 500-foot
wire essentially north for the RX-340 and 250-foot wire essentially
northeast for the R-8B and a whip antenna for the E1, NASWA yg via
DXLD)
9705, Radio Ethiopia, 2030-2100:30*, Jan 26, local Horn of Africa pop
music. Some rustic local music. Amharic talk. National Anthem at 2059.
Fair (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg, PA, USA, Icom IC-7600, two 100
foot longwires, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
9705, R. Ethiopia, tentative, 2000-2100* 1/27. Big thanks to Brian
Alexander for the tip, an extremely enjoyable catch -- haven't heard
Addis Ababa in 30 years, so a fun way to rejoin the DXing world.
Frequency unblocked at 2000 when Family Radio (Meyerton) signs off,
revealing signal of R Ethiopia, weak at first but then fading in to
good level by bottom of the hour. 2000 news in progress, vernacular
lang by OM, into local music program around 2006. Terrific, very
listenable music selection, chanty vocals with twangy local
instruments and percussion accompaniment.
Some music with very Middle Eastern influence, other uniquely
different. Also more 'modern' (western?) sounding music during back
half of the hour; presume this is what Brian called 'Horn of Africa
pop'. (Sounded to me like Malaysian 'nightclub music', oddly enough.)
OM and YL occasional announcements in language, presumably Amharic.
Pre-shutdown news flash followed by electronic stinger around 2058,
breathy s/off announcement by YL. Couldn't catch ID. 2059 unfamiliar
anthem by funky oompah-type orchestra, then open carrier and cut after
2100 (Ralph Perry, Wheaton, Illinois, Drake R8B; Eton E1;
Hallicrafters SX100; Knightkit Star Roamer, Dentron Super Tuner +
Ameco PLF-2, Longwire, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD)
** ETHIOPIA. 7115, 7160 and 7185 at 15++ 28 Jan were covered by quite
strong white noise transmissions from Ethiopia with bandwidth of about
10-15 kHz (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, Standard rig: ICOM
R75 / 2x16 V / m@h40 heads Sennheiser, WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
ETH jammers back? Just heard today, Jan. 28, typical white noise on
7100, 7120, 7175, 7185, 9700, stopping at 1600* - really points to
Ethiopia. 73 (Thorsten Hallmann, 1611 UT Jan 28, WORLD OF RADIO 1550,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
After some months of (relative) silence, Ethiopian Jammers returned,
first heard Friday Jan. 28, but also Sat + Sun. Pattern seems to be
until 1700 against (suspected) Eritrean program. Usually noise,
sometimes open carrier, so potentially programming might be aired via
these transmitters at certain times also.
Frequencies on Sat/Sun were 5980, 7120, 7165, 7175, 9700/9705/9710; on
Friday also 7100 (Pakistan) and 7185. Six transmitters at least, heard
with significantly different signal strength. 73 (Thorsten Hallmann,
1045 UT Jan 31, ibid.)
Sad but true. 31 Jan at 1645 ETH noise jammers on (at least) 4770.
5980, 7120, 7165, 7175 and 9700 (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski,
Finland, ibid.)
** EUROPE. European SW-pirates testing to Japan this weekend - 29th &
30th Jan 2011 http://hkdx2.blogspot.com/
http://hkdx2.blogspot.com/2011/01/schedule-for-japan-test-weekend.html
(Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, Jan 28, dxldyg via DXLD)
SPECIAL DX PIRATE SESSION FOR JAPAN --- system used: R75 ICOM;
antennas : 2x16 inv V a/o 16 H wire; head: m@h 40 Sennheiser. the
local QRN coming from mainly DSL lines and possibly CFL lamps,
29-1-11:
14374.7, Shoreline radio 0804 with old rocks. OM IDed many times at
0805. Again ID 0817 followed with song from Deep Purple. Signal max S3
15433
12265, Space shuttle, 0812 with lively music (tango? Waltz? ) Max
signal S2 but most time under the local DSL QRN.
R Scotland on 15090 was not audible at 21xx
30-1-11:
Vacant frequencies were of Shoreline 14374, Mike radio 13900 and
possibly WRI 12256. Remaining stations heard:
F R Nova, 15068.4 at 0706 has been heard with old songs and signal S2.
Better at 0822 with signal 15342
??? WR International on 12256 at 0719 was probably not audible or just
sub marginal under the strong local QRN
Space Shuttle on 12264.7 AM was audible after 0838 with S2 level, max
S3, 1-2/5332. Heard a rock song
Old Time Radio on 15008.9 was very poor at 08xx though several times
could be heard marginally
Blue Star supposedly was heard on 14500 and at 0755 with a sub-
marginal signal
R Scotland on 15052 found at 0757 with a carrier of S3-4. At 0802 was
airing the song 'call me' by Blondie, then OM with talks calling
Japan, then with old song "I wonder', S4 max 25434. The station with
the strongest signal
Baltic Sea radio on 14350-U at 0818 with ID email and talks. S0,
15332. Best signal using the 16 horizontal antenna
and also !!! (not included in the listing):
Cupid radio, 15074.9. Dunno if he was transmitting for the occasion
but he was quite well audible as with the previous times I logged him.
He supposedly started at 0900 but I tuned in, at 0912 with ID and old
song, and signal level S3 max
Audio clips of the above receptions of 30-1 can be found in this link
(it is directory):
http://www.mediafire.com/?beyi2489oi2fcStandard
rig: ICOM R75 / 2x16 V / m@h40 heads Sennheiser (Zacharias Liangas,
Greece, Jan 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EUROPE. 6210, [UT Sunday] 30/1 0110, Laser Hot Hits, Pirate, nice
songs, several IDs, fair to good. Ciao (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano,
Italy, Perseus, T2FD 15 meters long, My Short Wave blog:
http://radiodxsw.blogspot.com/ dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** FRANCE. Radio France International English frequency changes: 0600-
0630 now on 9765 13680 15160, 0700-0730 now on 15605, broadcasts are
Monday to Friday (Allen Dean, Feb World DX Club Contact via WORLD OF
RADIO 1550, DXLD) `Now` meaning the usual February shifts (gh, DXLD)
** GABON. 9580 kHz - R Afrique no. 1 from Moyabi, website - to check
against shortwave:
is that program from Paris or from Libreville stream 24 hrs ? - or
different at part time?
(Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Jan 21 via DXLD)
9580, Africa Number One, 1950-2010 Jan 31, Noted a fair signal here
with highlife type music as an announcer comments in French during,
before and after the music. It amazes me that this station has
remained on the air and on this frequency for so many years. If they
can do it from Gabon, why can't the more prosperous countries do it?
As I listen, Radio Australia comes on the air with their theme
"Waltzing Matilda". Still Radio One remains audible. On the hour, RNO
gives ID followed by news. Radio Australia never starts broadcasting.
because they were signing off. Without any interference, Africa Number
One is "Fivers'. (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston FL, WR-G31DDC, 26N 081W,
DX LISTENING DIGEST) ANO is now partly owned by LIBYA (gh)
** GERMANY [and non] Some changes via Media Broadcast (MBR):
Radio Dardasha 7 (Chat from Arabic), new station from Jan. 17:
0300-0330 7325 WER 125 kW / 120 deg N/ME Arabic
0500-0530 6100 NAU 125 kW / 190 deg WeAf Arabic
1700-1730 9440 WER 125 kW / 120 deg N/ME Arabic
1900-1930 9430 WER 125 kW / 180 deg WeAf Arabic, co-ch RL in Russian
New schedule of Hamada Radio International from Jan. 24:
0530-0600 7350 WER 100 kW / 180 deg WeAf Hausa M-F
0530-0600 9460 NAU 100 kW / 185 deg WeAf Hausa M-F, additional freq.
1400-1430 17485 WER 125 kW / 180 deg WeAf Hausa M/W/F, cancelled
1930-2000 9840 WER 100 kW / 180 deg WeAf Hausa Daily, ex Mon-Fri
Lutheran World Federation-Voice of Gospel in Burmese:
1330-1345 17650 WER 250 KW / 075 deg SEAs Sun, cancelled from Jan. 2
Brother Stair (TOM) in English:
1400-1600 NF 17580 WER 125 kW / 180 deg CeAf, ex 1500-1600 17485
Bible Voice Broadcasting Network (BVBN)-Radio Sadaye Zindagi in Dari:
1600-1630 9445 WER 250 kW / 090 deg WeAs, cancelled effective Jan. 5
Bible Voice Broadcasting Network (BVBN) in Amharic/Oromo/Tigrinya:
1600-1830 NF 11965 ISS 100 kW / 131 deg EaAf, ex 13810, from Jan. 9
Bible Voice Broadcasting Network (BVBN) in Arabic:
1830-1900 6130 WER 125 kW / 120 deg N/ME, cancelled effective Jan. 16
(DX Mix News, Bulgaria, 2 Feb via DXLD)
** GERMANY. /USA, New security fence and gates replacement work at
Biblis site.
When I visited RFE site Biblis for the first time in 1963, it was an
open field area without any fence (Wolfgang Büschel, Jan 26, wwdxc BC-
DX TopNews Jan 30 via DXLD)
** GERMANY. DW BALD NICHT MEHR AUF DER KURZWELLE.
Kulturstaatsminister Bernd Neumann (CDU) sagt in der heutigen Ausgabe
des Koelner Stadtanzeigers (20.01.2011), dass die DEUTSCHE WELLE die
lineare Radioausstrahlung ueber Kurzwelle beenden wird. Die DW muesse
in Zukunft auf die Staerkung des Internets sowie auf regional-
fremdsprachige TV- und Audioangebote setzen. Eine Reform der
Uebertragungswege sei geboten.
Stellungnahme der Bundesregierung zum Entwurf der Aufgabenplanung der
Deutschen Welle (PDF) (29.5 KB)
bzw.
(Tom DF5JLT, A-DX Jan 20 via BC-DX Jan 30 via DXLD)
Das ist eine sehr bedauerliche Entwicklung - weil man m.E. von der
irrigen Annahme ausgeht, dass jeder ueberall Zugang zum Internet hat.
[von anderer Seite kommentiert: "Auf meiner Reise durch Ecuador habe
ich mich ueber DWL KW mit meinem 40 Euro Weltempfaenger Tecsun PL-380
sehr gut informieren koennen."]
Gestern auf dem Weg zur Arbeit hatte ich zufaellig D-RADIO-Wissen
eingestellt und hoerte ein sehr bemerkensertes Interview mit
Kulturstaatsminister Neumann (verwaltet den 273 Millionen EUR-Etat
fuer die DW) zu diesem Thema.
Hoert Euch das Interview an - das ist sehr bemerkenswert, wie dort
argumentiert wird - hoechst interessant !! Auf dieser Webseite gibt es
ganz unten die Moeglichkeit Kommentare abzugeben - ich denke diese
Moeglichkeit sollte man reichlich nutzen.
Ich bin sehr interessiert zu erfahren, was denn der DW-Rundfunkrat
gestern beschlossen hat. Ich stelle fuer mich als Steuerzahler und
direkter Finanzierer dieser fest, dass die DW sich aus der analogen
Radio-Verbeitung ueber Astra zurueckgezogen hat - nun gut das waere
aus Kostengruenden zu verstehen - aber letztes Jahr wurden auch die
digitalen Radiokanaele zusammen mit der DW-TV vom Astra genommen - ein
System das 300 Millionen Haushalte versorgt !!
Wenn man sich ohne Not von seiner Hoererschaft durch Abschaltung der
technischen Verbreitung verabschiedet, braucht man sich nicht wundern,
wenn man keine Hoerer / Zuseher hat. Mein Eindruck ist schon lange,
dass man diese frueher hochgeschaetze Anstalt letztendlich ganz
gezielt platt machen wird (via Wolfgang Büschel, Jan 22, wwdxc BC-DX
TopNews Jan 30 via DXLD)
** GREECE. Good morning Glenn: I haven’t heard a peep out of Voice of
Greece on 9420 kHz for the last 2 days. How is it doing in Enid?
(John Babbis, MD, 1613 Feb 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn: Voice of
Greece has 9420 here at SINPO 35333 at 2000 UT on Feb. 1 (John Babbis,
ibid.) Didn`t get a chance to check meanwhile (gh)
fs9420, VOG Feb 3 at 1438, good with Greek talk, while 15650 barely
makes it. John Babbis says 9420 had been missing earlier this week
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GREENLAND. 3815 USB, 2105-2214* 12+15+18.01, KNR, Tasiilaq.
Greenlandic ann, orchestra music, 2130 news, music and ann, 2200
Danish news 25332 - 13211 deep fades, utility QRM including Russian
airport calls (Anker Petersen, from Skovlunde, Denmark, done on an AOR
AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg
via WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DXLD)
And one more reminder, MW and SW are to be closed down Feb 11 (gh)
** GUAM. 5765 - USB, AFN, Jan 26. 1334 C&W songs; 1609 with the Z-Rock
program of rock songs; fair to good (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach,
CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
5765-USB, AFN, hit during a talk segment, PSAs and promos, Jan 27 at
1339 for http://www.letsmove.gov 1341 AFN promo for some stupid
football game on Feb 6. Then historical capsule about American
Revolution; the first nuclear-powered submarine, USS Nautilus
traversed the polar icecap totally submerged, approaching Siberia
without detexion, in 1958. 1343 ID as ``Mainstream Country from AFN``,
back to music at last; fair signal (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
[and non]. 5765/USB, AFN/AFRTS; 1136, 30-Jan; Detectable but weak &
covered by pulse QRM. Not // 5446.5/U & 7811/U via Key West (12133.5/U
not on). A bit better at 1206, but not much. 1343, 30-Jan; This is
Country C&W music pgm. "Start your Super Bowl chili now. It'll taste
better next week." AP Radio News at 1350. SIO=3+54, better than all 3
Key West stations, which were not // (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA,
Michigan Area Radio Enthusiasts DXpedition, Brighton MI, Drake R8B +
500 ft. SSWish unterminated bev & 85 ft. TTFD, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
see also U S A
5765-USB, AFN, Feb 2 at 1353, NPR Marketplace a few sex ahead of //
KOSU 91.7 which imposes its own digital delay to match its IBOC
duplicate which no one listens to. Glad to find AFN back on NPR, a
segment of Morning Edition, instead of country music, but who knows
what will happen the next day. Fair and clear signal today, no QRM
external or internal (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUAM. 12025, Jan 31 at 1520, English with S Asian accent about
Noah, Exodus, poor signal. HFCC shows it`s KSDA, 100 kW, due west from
Agat at 1500-1530 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUATEMALA. 4052.5, Radio Verdad, 0240-0312 Jan 24, noted with a
program of continuous instrumental music including a belated Christmas
song (``Let It Snow``). Man announcer with Spanish language ID and
announcements at 0255. Fair signal (Rich D`Angelo, French Creek State
Park, PA, DXpedition No. 39, Ten-Tec RX-340, Drake R-8B and an Eton
E1, 500-foot wire essentially north for the RX-340 and 250-foot wire
essentially northeast for the R-8B and a whip antenna for the E1,
NASWA yg via DXLD)
4052.5, TGAV, Radio Verdad (presumed); 0015, 29-Jan; M in Spanish with
very wide variety of tunes; opera, banjo, 20s vocal, soap opera organ.
SIO=3+52 (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Michigan Area Radio
Enthusiasts DXpedition, Brighton MI, Drake R8B + 500 ft. SSWish
unterminated bev & 85 ft. TTFD, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUIANA FRENCH. QSL: 7360, Family Radio, English to South America
via Montinsery. Full data (with site) 50th Anniversary QSL card, with
schedule and other religious material. For a follow-up letter
indicating the error listing of the transmitter site. Reply in 54 days
(Edward Kusalik, VE6EFK, Daysland, Alberta, Canada, Jan 28, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUYANA. 3290, Voice of Guyana 0605 troubled signal, some audio.
0950 Protestant sermon, 1005 news, financial crisis, Haiti news, Sec
of State Clinton, 1010 Messages "Georgetown Magistrate Court....
Commissioner of Police ...", into music, "Someone to Lean On", strong
signal, 31 January; 1015 Voice of Guyana ID on 29 January (Robert
Wilkner, Pompano Beach, Florida US, Icom 746Pro Modified by Dallas
Lankford, NRD 535D [Gilfer], Drake R8, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
3290, Voice of Guyana; 2256-2304+, 29-Jan; M in English with
subcontinental music to English ID at 2300 & BBC? promo; Ad string at
2302. SIO=3+52.
0122-0130+, 30-Jan; M in English; announcement about electrical supply
from GPL; ID into reggae tune. SIO=422+ with roar QRM (Harold Frodge,
Midland MI, USA, Michigan Area Radio Enthusiasts DXpedition, Brighton
MI, Drake R8B + 500 ft. SSWish unterminated bev & 85 ft. TTFD, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
3290, Voice of Guyana, 0631 Feb 1, with BBC news, “BBC News” ID, BBC
programming continued past 0700. Poor (Harold Sellers, Vernon, BC,
Listening mobile, Eton E1, Sony AN1 antenna, dxldyg via DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** HONDURAS. 3250.1, HRPC Radio Luz y Vida (presumed); 0108-0116+, 30-
Jan; Very low-key M in Spanish with religion & camp'o music; ad string
with phone #s at 0113+. SIO=332+ with het whine from 3252.5 (Harold
Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Michigan Area Radio Enthusiasts DXpedition,
Brighton MI, Drake R8B + 500 ft. SSWish unterminated bev & 85 ft.
TTFD, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDIA. Khampur Panoramio image
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/45726469.jpg
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/45726479.jpg
(Ian Baxter, NSW, Jan 27, shortwavesites yg via DXLD)
[Khampur - Delhi, All India Radio, 15040, 15075 kHz.]
[Khampur - Delhi, All India Radio, 1]
[Khampur - Delhi, All India Radio, 2]
(Lev Lytovchenko, Canada. Jan. 29, ibid.)
Kurseong, India, AIR.
[Kurseong, India, All India Radio.]
(Lev Lytovchenko, Canada. Jan. 29, ibid.)
** INDIA. 4775, 0030-0100 16.01, AIR Imphal, English/vernacular, local
string music, 0035 news in English from Delhi // 4920, 5010; 0040
local singing without music, 45333 (Anker Petersen, from Skovlunde,
Denmark, done on an AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, via
Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) See also ANDAMAN; SIKKIM
** INDIA. REPUBLIC DAY MONITORING OBSERVATIONS BY GAUTAM KUMAR SHARMA
It`s my pleasure to share the following monitoring Observations on All
India Radio (AIR)'s Republic Day Coverage on January 26th (2011) via
various transmitter sites & regional radio stations.
Geographical Location of Reception Place (Abhayapuri):
Longitude: 26º18´20´´North
Latitude: 90º37´50´´East
Receiver: Grundig YB400 (Digital)
Antenna: Long Copper Wire as external antenna (for all monitorings)
I monitored most of the frequencies between 0353-0433 UT. Nothing was
audible on the following frequencies during that period:
6155 (Bengaluru 500 kW), 15050 (Bengaluru 500 kW), AIR Guwahati on
7280, 15135 (Delhi 50 kW), AIR Kohima was not heard either on their
4850 or their daytime frequency on 6065, AIR Itanagar either on 4990
or their daytime 6150, AIR Lucknow on 7440, 5985 via AIR-Rachi, 6020
via AIR-Shimla, on 7210 via AIR Kolkata, etc.
Unusual Monitoring Observations:
And AIR-Shillong was noted during that period with good signal on
4970. But however AIR-Imphal was noted with good signal on their
daytime frequency of 7335. But the signal became slightly weaker &
noisy later.
And during that entire period AIR-Gangtok on 6085 was noted with good
& steady signal. AIR-Chennai was noted with satisfactory signal on
7380. As per my monitoring before 0353 on 7420, I heard with fair to
poor & slightly noisy signal of with music & with announcements in a
South Indian language. I have no doubt the station was AIR-Hyderabad.
And again I found satisfactory signal on 7430 of AIR's Republic Day
Coverage In Hindi & initially I thought it was AIR-Lucknow but later
checking frequency list & finding AIR-Bhopal on its morning frequency
on 4880 with no signal, I was sure its AIR-Bhopal. AIR-Jeypore was
noted with poor signal however on their morning frequency on 5040.
Reception With Poor signal plus facing QRM: On a few frequencies there
was weak signal plus also there was co-channel etc interference was
observed. On 11620 via Aligarh (250 kW), the signal was slightly
distorted & co-channel interefence was noted & the signal was also
weak. On 9810 via Delhi (50 kW), the signal was poor & facing strong
co-channel interference.
On 11830 via Delhi (50 kW), the signal was not audible & a distored
audio could be heard & also facing co-channel / side band splatter.
General reception: On 9595 via Delhi was noted with good signal & on
this frequency coverage in Hindi was heard. 5990 via Delhi (250 kW)
the signal was fair to poor & slighty noisy etc. With Best Wishes 73 &
55, Gautam Kumar Sharma (GK), Abhayapuri (Assam)(India) (via Jose
Jacob, Jan 29, dx_india yg via DXLD)
All India Radio Shilling noted on 7316.0 kHz during check at 0810 UT,
on air till 0930. Regards, (Gautam Kumar Sharma, Abhayapuri, Assam,
India, via Alokesh Gupta, new Delhi, 0830 UT Jan 30, dx_india yg via
DXLD)
** INDIA. 6280, Jan 28 at 2206, weak signal in talk, presumably the
only broadcaster scheduled on this marine band channel, AIR GOS, 500
kW, 320 degrees from Bengaluru (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
9950, 21/1 2150, AIR India, DRM, "HPT AIR KHAMPUR", songs, news in
English at 22, good (Giampiero Bernardini with Dario Monferini in
Bocca di Magra (La Spezia province, Italy), at the seaside, for our
Bocca di Magra DX nights (Boc 22), Perseus & RFSpace SDR-IQ / ANT:
Wellbrook loop LFL 1010, Jan 29, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDIA [non]. 9500, UZBEKISTAN, CVC The Voice Asia, 1218-1240 Jan
24, Hindi music until several IDs at 1225 in various languages
including English with contact information. News at 1230 followed by
more music. Fair to good with some co-channel QRM from Chinese station
(Rich D`Angelo, French Creek State Park, PA, DXpedition No. 39,
Ten-Tec RX-340, Drake R-8B and an Eton E1, 500-foot wire essentially
north for the RX-340 and 250-foot wire essentially northeast for the
R-8B and a whip antenna for the E1, NASWA yg via DXLD)
** INDONESIA. 3345 (presumed), UNID probably RRI, Ternate, 0328, with
talks by m, QRK 2/1. Het, Jan 21 (Horacio A. Nigro, Valizas 2011 DX
Summer Vacation Log Part 2, 260 km E of Montevideo, a small fishermen
and summer village on the Atlantic coast of Uruguay, Jan 29, Kenwood
R600, longwire 100 m long on bushes towards Europe, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
Improbably Ternate where it is almost noon, and not supposed to be on
air anyway at this hour. Instead: 3345, CHANNEL AFRICA, 0300-0400,
English, 100 kW, 5 degrees from Meyerton, per Aoki. Did the language
seem English? (gh, DXLD)
** INDONESIA. RRI Makassar in DXLD 11-04 --- Hi Glenn, Chuck's Jan 25
log of RRI Makassar has one correct frequency and two "4740.946". His
Jan 26 log was correct. A small matter, as it is clear from the
reference to 4750 which is the correct one (Ron Howard, California, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
I.e. my attempt to corect his typos, introduced more typoes of my own!
Proofraed, profreed!! (Glenn Hasuer, DX KUSTEBUBG DIGSET) 4749.946!
4750, RRI Makassar, 1158-1203 Jan 25, poking through Bangladesh [q.v.]
with familiar Song of the Coconut Islands followed by Jakarta news.
Very poor with Bangladesh dominating channel (Rich D`Angelo, French
Creek State Park, PA, DXpedition No. 39, Ten-Tec RX-340, Drake R-8B
and an Eton E1, 500-foot wire essentially north for the RX-340 and
250-foot wire essentially northeast for the R-8B and a whip antenna
for the E1, NASWA yg via DXLD)
** INDONESIA. 9525, VOI, Jan 27 at 1353 with some hum, and IADs during
music segment, English discussion of some pop performer. Usually on
Tuesdays there is a wrap-up at the end with RRI Banjarmasin guy but
none heard today, so was there an ``Exotic Indonesia`` excursion this
week?
9680, RRI domestic relay is rather more interesting than 9525, but
with weaker signal, at least atop the CCI, Jan 27 at 1357 with ``Anvil
Chorus`` from Verdi`s ``Il Trovatore``, no break at 1400, still going
at 1402 with other operatic warhorse excerpts; 1407 Indonesian
announcement mentions Johann Strauss, but next played ``Funiculì,
Funiculà``; 1411 Theme from ``Godfather``, neither exactly operatic;
1414 finally Strauss Sr`s ``Radetzky March``. 1417 talking about RRI
and Radio Nasional; 1422 over to pop song. Still on at 1506, now with
drama including SFX such as motorcycle, creaky door.
9525, VOI, Feb 1 at 1503 with news in English, unusual, plus usual
IADs interrupting. YL concludes already in less than a minute as
``this was Newslink from Voice of Indonesia in Jakarta``. Right back
into music with frenetic song in Brazilian, mentioning ``alegria``,
``Madalena``. 1507 self-aggrandizing slogan ``Voice of Indonesia,
being first, being different, being the best!`` And more pop music.
1511 ``Voice of Indonesia, keeping dignity alive``, and OM DJ with
back-announcement in Indonesian, including ``Macarena``, it sounded
like he said, but that was not the song heard earlier.
With every passing minute I grew more and more apprehensive that this
would cut off the air as I knew this transmission was on borrowed
time. And so it did, abruptly at 1511:20* (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDONESIA. VOI Cimanggis - Panoramio Images
Some recent images:
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/37397669.jpg
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/37396416.jpg
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/24303568
(Ian Baxter, NSW, Jan 27, shortwavesites yg via DXLD)
** INTERNATIONAL. B-10 schedule of BABCOCK Relays (ex VTC). Pt 1 of 3:
Voice of Vietnam
0100-0130 6175 SAC 250 kW / 212 deg NoAm English
0130-0230 6175 SAC 250 kW / 212 deg NoAm Vietnamese
0230-0300 6175 SAC 250 kW / 212 deg NoAm English
0300-0330 6175 SAC 250 kW / 212 deg NoAm Spanish
0330-0400 6175 SAC 250 kW / 212 deg NoAm English
0400-0430 6175 SAC 250 kW / 212 deg NoAm Spanish
0430-0530 6175 SAC 250 kW / 240 deg NoAm Vietnamese
1800-1830 5955 MOS 100 kW / 300 deg WeEu English
1830-1930 5955 MOS 100 kW / 300 deg WeEu Vietnamese
1930-2000 5955 MOS 100 kW / 300 deg WeEu French
2000-2030 5970 WOF 250 kW / 075 deg EaEu Russian
2030-2130 3985 SKN 250 kW / 121 deg WeEu German
2130-2230 7370 WOF 250 kW / 105 deg SEEu Vietnamese
Adventist World Radio
0100-0200 15445 TAI 100 kW / 250 deg SEAs Vietnamese Sat
Sudan Radio Service
0400-0500 13720 DHA 250 kW / 245 deg EaAf Arabic
0500-0530 13720 DHA 250 kW / 240 deg EaAf Arabic
0530-0600 13720 DHA 250 kW / 240 deg EaAf English
1500-1530 17745 SIN 250 kw / 114 deg EaAf English
1530-1700 17745 SIN 250 kw / 114 deg EaAf Arabic
1600-1700 17700 ASC 250 kW / 065 deg EaAf Arabic
1700-1730 9840 DHA 300 kW / 240 deg EaAf Dinka Mon
1700-1730 9840 DHA 300 kW / 240 deg EaAf Zande Tue
1700-1730 9840 DHA 300 kW / 240 deg EaAf Muro Wed
1700-1730 9840 DHA 300 kW / 240 deg EaAf Bari Thu
1700-1730 9840 DHA 300 kW / 240 deg EaAf Shiluk Fri
1700-1730 9840 DHA 300 kW / 240 deg EaAf Arabic Sat/Sun
1730-1800 9840 DHA 300 kW / 240 deg EaAf English
Radio Canada International
0400-0500 7265 SKN 300 kW / 110 deg N/ME Arabic
1700-1730 9555 RMP 250 kW / 048 deg EaEu Russian
1700-1730 11935 WOF 250 kW / 078 deg EaEu Russian
1900-2000 9510 SKN 250 kW / 177 deg NCAf French
1900-2000 11845 SKN 300 kW / 195 deg NWAf French
Radio Okapi
0400-0500 11690 MEY 250 kW / 340 degCongo French/Lingala
Radio Japan NHK World
0500-0530 5975 RMP 500 kW / 140 deg WeEu English
1700-1900 9575 DHA 250 kW / 285 deg NoAf Japanese
0400-0430 6035 ERV 100 kW / 222 deg N/ME Arabic
1500-1700 12045 SNG 250 kW / 315 deg WeAs Japanese
0500-0530 15205 TAC 100 kW / 131 deg SoAs English
1000-1030 11780 TAC 100 kW / 163 deg SoAs English
1300-1345 9720 TAC 100 kW / 131 deg SoAs Bengali
1345-1430 9720 TAC 100 kW / 163 deg SoAs Hindi
1430-1515 6200 TAC 100 kW / 170 deg SoAs Urdu
0200-0300 11860 SNG 250 kW / 340 deg SEAs Japanese
0800-1000 11740 SNG 250 kW / 001 deg SEAs Japanese
0945-1030 6140 SNG 250 kW / 140 deg SEAs Indonesian
1030-1100 11740 SNG 250 kW / 330 deg SEAs Burmese
1130-1200 11740 SNG 250 kW / 001 deg SEAs Thai
1230-1300 11740 SNG 250 kW / 001 deg SEAs Vietnamese
1300-1330 11740 SNG 250 kW / 001 deg SEAs Chinese
1430-1500 11740 SNG 250 kW / 330 deg SEAs Burmese
0230-0300 6145 SGO 100 kW / 060 deg BRA Portuguese
0930-1000 6145 SGO 100 kW / 060 deg BRA Portuguese
Bar-Kulan Radio/Meeting Place
0500-0600 15750 DHA 250 kW / 225 deg EaAf Somali
1600-1700 9960 MEY 500 kW / 020 deg EaAf Somali
Radio Damal (Voice of Somali People, Odka Bulshada Somaliyeed)
0400-0500 15700 DHA 250 kW / 225 deg EaAf Somali
0500-0700 15700 DHA 250 kW / 205 deg EaAf Somali
1830-1930 11740 WOF 300 kW / 122 deg EaAf Somali
1930-2130 11970 DHA 250 kW / 205 deg EaAf Somali
BBC
0500-0800 3955 SKN 100 kW / 121 deg WeEu English DRM
0700-0800 5875 MOS 040 kW / 300 deg WeEu English DRM
0800-0900 5875 WOF 100 kW / 114 deg WeEu English DRM
1400-1600 5845 NAK 100 kW / 290 deg SoAs English DRM
1400-1600 13590 TRM 090 kW / 005 deg SoAs English DRM
KBS World Radio
0700-0800 6045 SKN 300 kW / 110 deg WeEu Korean
1100-1130 9760 WOF 100 kW / 105 deg WeEu English Sat DRM
1800-1900 7235 RMP 250 kW / 062 deg EaEu Russian
2000-2100 3955 SKN 250 kW / 106 deg WeEu German
2100-2200 3955 SKN 250 kW / 175 deg WeEu French
2200-2230 3955 SKN 250 kW / 106 deg WeEu English
Voice of Croatia
0700-1100 17860 SNG 100 kW / 135 deg AUS Croatian/English
Cotton Tree News
0730-0800 11875 RMP 500 kW / 190 deg CeAf English/Local
IRIN Radio(Integrated Regional Information Network)
0830-0930 17680 DHA 250 kW / 225 deg EaAf Somali
IBRA Radio
1100-1200 9945 HBN 100 kW / 318 deg EaAs Chinese via T8WH Angel 3
1730-1800 11740 MEY 100 kW / 015 deg EaAf Somali
1730-1800 11785 SKN 300 kW / 140 deg CeAf Swahili
1800 1900 9420 RMP 250 kW / 095 deg N/ME Arabic
1800-1900 12045 WOF 250 kW / 114 deg N/ME Arabic
1800-2015 9635 SKN 300 kW / 140 deg CeAf Arabic
1900-2030 7445 RMP 500 kW / 160 deg WeAf Fulfulfe/Hausa
Eternal Good News
1130-1145 15525 DHA 250 kW / 100 deg SoAs English Fri
Deutsche Welle
1100-1400 15725 NAK 100 kW / 290 deg SoAs German DRM from March 1
1600-1800 5845 NAK 100 kW / 290 deg SoAs German DRM
1600-1700 13590 TRM 090 kW / 005 deg SoAs German DRM
0200-0300 15205 TRM 090 kW / 045 deg SEAs German DRM
Trans World Radio Africa
1300-1315 13660 KIG 250 kW / 030 deg EaAf Afar Fri-Sun
1730-1800 9775 DHA 250 kW / 230 deg EaAf Amharic Fri
1800-1815 5965 DHA 250 kW / 225 deg EaAf Tigrinya Mon-Wed
1800-1815 5965 DHA 250 kW / 225 deg EaAf Amharic Thu/Fri
1800-1830 5965 DHA 250 kW / 225 deg EaAf Tigre Sat
1800-1830 5965 DHA 250 kW / 225 deg EaAf Kunama Sun
1815-1845 5965 DHA 250 kW / 225 deg EaAf Tigrinya Mon-Fri
1830-1845 5965 DHA 250 kW / 225 deg EaAf Amharic Sun
Voice of Tibet
1330-1400 13755 DHA 250 kW / 075 deg CeAs Tibetan
(DX Mix News, Bulgaria, Jan 31 via DXLD)
B-10 schedule of BABCOCK Relays (ex VTC). Pt 2 of 3:
Radio Free North Korea
1200-1400 7505 DB 300 kW / 070 deg KRE Korean
1900-2100 7530 ERV 300 kW / 065 deg KRE Korean
Radio Free Chosun
1200-1300 11560 ERV 300 kW / 065 deg KRE Korean
1500-1600 5760 TAC 100 kW / 065 deg KRE Korean
2000-2100 7505 DB 100 kW / 070 deg KRE Korean
Nippon no Kaze
1300-1330 9950 TAI 100 kW / 002 deg KRE Korean
1500-1530 9975 HBN 100 kW / 345 deg KRE Korean
1530-1600 9965 HBN 100 kW / 345 deg KRE Korean
CMI Voice of Wilderness
1300-1330 6275 DB 100 kW / 070 deg KRE Korean Mon-Sat
1300-1400 6275 DB 100 kW / 070 deg KRE Korean Sun
1300-1400 9725 DB 100 kW / 070 deg KRE Korean
Furusato no Kaze
1330-1400 9950 TAI 100 kW / 002 deg KRE Japanese
1430-1500 9950 HBN 100 kW / 345 deg KRE Japanese
1600-1630 9780 TAI 250 kW / 045 deg KRE Japanese
JSR Shiokaze Sea Breeze
1400-1430 5910 YAM 100 kW / 280 deg KRE *(alt.5955/5985/6120/6135)
2030-2100 6045 YAM 100 kW / 280 deg KRE *(alt.5910/5955/5965/6135)
*Jap/Kor/Chi Tue; Jap Sun/Mon/Thu; Eng Wed; Eng/Kor Fri; Kor Sat
Open Radio for North Korea
1400-1500 7560 DB 100 kW / 070 deg KRE Korean
2100-2200 7480 ERV 300 kW / 065 deg KRE Korean
North Korea Reform Radio
1500-1600 7590 TAC 100 kW / 065 deg KRE Korean
Voice of Martyrs(Freedom)
1600-1700 6240 TAC 100 kW / 065 deg KRE Korean
Gospel for Asia
1600-1615 9820 DHA 250 kW / 100 deg SoAs SoEaAs langs
1615-1630 9820 DHA 250 kW / 070 deg SoAs SoEaAs langs Sun-Wed
1615-1630 9820 DHA 250 kW / 120 deg SoAs SoEaAs langs Thu-Sat
2330-2400 6160 DHA 250 kW / 085 deg SoAs SoEaAs langs
0000-0130 6140 DHA 250 kW / 085 deg SoAs SoEaAs langs
Southern Sudan Radio Service [for Darfur? Then not Southern --- gh]
1600-1630 11785 MEY 100 kW / non-dir EaAf Arabic Sat-Thu
1600-1630 17700 ASC 250 kW / 065 deg EaAf Arabic Sat-Thu
1630-1700 11785 MEY 100 kW / non-dir EaAf Fur/Masaalit/Zagawa Sat-Thu
1630-1700 17700 ASC 250 kW / 065 deg EaAf Fur/Masaalit/Zagawa Sat-Thu
SW Radio Africa
1700-1900 4880 MEY 100 kW / 005 deg SoAf English
Zimbabwe Community Radio/Radio Dialogue
1755-1855 4895 MEY 100 kW / 000 deg ZWE Ndebele/English/Shona
Radio Payem e-Doost
1800-1845 7480 KCH 500 kW / 116 deg WeAs Farsi
0230-0315 7460 KCH 500 kW / 116 deg WeAs Farsi
Radio Taiwan International
1900-2000 3955 SKN 250 kW / 106 deg WeEu German
1900-2000 3985 SKN 250 kW / 175 deg WeEu French
RTE Radio One
1930-2030 6225 MEY 100 kW / non-dir SoAf English
HCJB Global
2100-2145 12025 SAC 250 kW / 073 deg NoAf Arabic
Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation
2215-2245 6180 CYP 250 kW / 314 deg SEEu Greek Fri-Sun
2215-2245 7210 CYP 300 kW / 314 deg SEEu Greek Fri-Sun
2215-2245 9760 CYP 250 kW / 315 deg SEEu Greek Fri-Sun
Suaab Xaa Moo Zoo
2230-2300 5930 TAI 100 kW / 250 deg SEAs Hmong
FEBA Radio
2145-2215 11985 ASC 250 kw / 027 deg WeAf Pulaar Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri
1830-1845 15250 ASC 250 kW / 070 deg CWAf French
1600-1630 9940 ERV 300 kW / 192 deg EaAf Amharic Thu-Sun
1600-1630 9940 ERV 300 kW / 192 deg EaAf Guragena Mon-Wed
1630-1700 9940 ERV 300 kW / 192 deg EaAf Amharic
1600-1630 11875 KIG 250 kW / 030 deg EaAf Afar
1630-1700 9850 DHA 250 kW / 230 deg EaAf Tigrinya Sun-Wed
1630-1700 9850 DHA 250 kW / 230 deg EaAf Amharic Thu-Sat
1700-1800 9595 KIG 250 kW / 030 deg EaAf Orominya/Tigrinya
1700-1730 6180 DHA 250 kW / 230 deg EaAf Somali
1730-1800 7510 ERV 300 kW / 192 deg EaAf Silte
0800-0830 15220 MOS 300 kW / 115 deg N/ME Arabic
1900-1930 7235 WER 250 kW / 105 deg N/ME Arabic
1900-2030 9550 KIG 250 kW / 030 deg N/ME Arabic
0200-0230 6125 DHA 250 kW / 045 deg WeAs Pashto
0230-0300 6125 DHA 250 kW / 045 deg WeAs Dari (Radio Sadaye Zindagi)
0300-0315 6125 DHA 250 kW / 045 deg WeAs Mixed langs
1500-1530 9400 ERV 300 kW / 100 deg WeAs Dari (Radio Sadaye Zindagi)
0015-0030 7485 TAC 100 kW / 131 deg SoAs Bangla
0030-0045 7485 TAC 100 kW / 131 deg SoAs Hindi Sun/Wed
0030-0045 7485 TAC 100 kW / 131 deg SoAs Mixed langs Mon/Tue
0030-0045 7485 TAC 100 kW / 131 deg SoAs Bangla Thu-Sat
0045-0100 7485 TAC 100 kW / 131 deg SoAs Hindi
0130-0200 6140 DHA 250 kW / 105 deg SoAs Telugu Sun/Thu/Fri
0130-0200 6140 DHA 250 kW / 105 deg SoAs Mixed langs Mon-Wed/Sat
0200-0230 7315 DHA 250 kW / 060 deg SoAs Urdu Sun
0200-0215 7315 DHA 250 kW / 060 deg SoAs Urdu Mon-Sat
0215-0230 7315 DHA 250 kW / 060 deg SoAs Mixed langs Mon-Sat
0800-0830 15205 DHA 250 kW / 060 deg SoAs Urdu
1200-1230 15215 DHA 250 kW / 055 deg SoAs Tibetan
1400-1430 7230 NVS 250 kW / 195 deg SoAs Urdu
1430-1500 7230 NVS 250 kW / 195 deg SoAs Mixed langs
1400-1430 12045 DHA 250 kW / 110 deg SoAs English Sun
1400-1415 12045 DHA 250 kW / 110 deg SoAs Malayalam Mon-Sat
1415-1430 12045 DHA 250 kW / 110 deg SoAs Telugu Mon-Sat
1430-1445 9650 DHA 250 kW / 070 deg SoAs Urdu
1445-1500 9650 DHA 250 kW / 070 deg SoAs Kashmiri Wed-Sat
1445-1500 9650 DHA 250 kW / 070 deg SoAs Punjabi Sun-Tue
1500-1530 7485 TAC 100 kW / 131 deg SoAs Bangla
(DX Mix News, Bulgaria, Feb 1 via DXLD)
B-10 schedule of BABCOCK Relays (ex VTC). Pt 3 of 3:
Polish Radio External Service
1130-1200 11785 MOS 100 kW / 300 deg WeEu Polish
1130-1200 15175 WOF 125 kW / 082 deg EaEu Polish
1200-1230 17670 WOF 125 kW / 070 deg EaEu Russian
1200-1230 17715 RMP 250 kW / 076 deg EaEu Russian
1230-1300 9470 WOF 125 kW / 090 deg WeEu German
1230-1300 9850 WOF 125 kW / 082 deg WeEu German
1300-1400 9460 MOS 100 kW / 300 deg WeEu English
1300-1400 11860 WOF 125 kW / 045 deg NoEu English
1400-1430 13850 RMP 250 kW / 061 deg EaEu Russian
1400-1430 15245 WOF 125 kW / 058 deg EaEu Russian
1430-1530 11905 WOF 125 kW / 070 deg EaEu Belorussian
1430-1530 15245 WOF 125 kW / 074 deg EaEu Belorussian
1530-1600 11905 WOF 125 kW / 082 deg EaEu Ukrainian
1530-1600 9580 WOF 300 kW / 066 deg EaEu Russian
1600-1630 11905 WOF 125 kW / 078 deg EaEu Ukrainian
1600-1630 13835 WOF 125 kW / 092 deg EaEu Ukrainian
1630-1700 6100 WOF 125 kW / 090 deg WeEu German
1630-1730 6050 SKN 300 kW / 090 deg EaEu Polish
1730-1800 6050 SKN 300 kW / 090 deg EaEu Belorussian
1800-1900 5895 KVI 035 kW / 220 deg NoEu English DRM
1800-1900 9650 DHA 250 kW / 315 deg WeEu English
1900-1930 5920 WOF 300 kW / 058 deg EaEu Russian
1900-1930 7265 RMP 500 kW / 110 deg EaEu Hebrew
1930-2000 6040 SKN 300 kW / 090 deg EaEu Ukrainian
1930-2000 9490 RMP 250 kW / 080 deg EaEu Ukrainian
2000-2030 6040 WOF 125 kW / 090 deg EaEu Ukrainian
2000-2030 6135 WOF 300 kW / 082 deg EaEu Russian
2030-2100 3975 SKN 100 kW / 121 deg WeEu German DRM
2030-2100 6000 DHA 250 kW / 315 deg WeEu German
2200-2300 5980 DHA 250 kW / 315 deg WeEu Polish
2200-2300 5990 SKN 300 kW / 090 deg WeEu Polish
WYFR Family Radio
1800-1900 6090 RMP 500 kW / 095 deg CeEu Czech
1800-1900 7240 SKN 300 kW / 110 deg EaEu English
1700-1800 9430 SKN 300 kW / 110 deg SEEu Turkish
1800-1900 9885 RMP 500 kW / 105 deg SEEu Turkish
1800-1900 9660 SKN 300 kW / 140 deg NoAf Arabic
1800-1900 11875 ASC 250 kW / 065 deg WeAf Igbo
1830-1930 17660 ASC 250 kW / 085 deg WeAf French
1900-2000 9685 DHA 250 kW / 260 deg WeAf Hausa
2000-2100 11615 ASC 250 kW / 027 deg WeAf English
1900-2000 11665 ASC 250 kW / 065 deg WCAf Yoruba
1800-1900 9595 MEY 100 kW / 350 deg CeAf Kituba
1900-2000 9705 MEY 250 kW / 340 deg CeAf English
1900-2000 13740 DHA 250 kW / 225 deg CeAf Lingala
2000-2100 15520 ASC 250 kW / 065 deg CeAf English
2000-2200 15195 ASC 250 kW / 065 deg CeAf English
1700-1800 6045 DHA 250 kW / 225 deg EaAf Amharic
1700-1800 11665 RMP 500 kW / 120 deg EaAf Somali
1700-1800 21680 ASC 250 kW / 085 deg EaAf English
1800-1900 9895 DHA 250 kW / 230 deg EaAf English
1900-2000 9660 MEY 250 kW / 019 deg EaAf Swahili
1900-1930 9885 DHA 250 kW / 210 deg EaAf English
1930-2000 9885 DHA 250 kW / 225 deg EaAf English
1600-1700 6225 MEY 250 kW / 076 deg SEAf Malagasy
1500-1600 21840 ASC 250 kW / 115 deg SoAf English
1600-1700 9795 DHA 250 kW / 215 deg SoAf English
1600-1700 17540 ASC 250 kW / 085 deg SoAf English
1700-1800 6225 MEY 100 kW / 076 deg SoAf French
1700-1800 12045 ASC 250 kW / 102 deg SoAf English
1700-1800 17505 ASC 250 kW / 102 deg SoAf Shona
1800-1900 6045 MEY 100 kW / 015 deg SoAf English
1800-1900 9770 MEY 100 kW / 007 deg SoAf Kinyarawanda-Kirundi
1900-2000 3230 MEY 100 kW / 005 deg SoAf English
1900-2000 3955 MEY 100 kW / 076 deg SoAf Portuguese
1900-2000 6100 MEY 100 kW / 335 deg SoAf Portuguese
1700-1800 9530 SKN 300 kW / 110 deg N/ME Arabic
1300-1400 17735 DHA 250 kW / 100 deg SoAs Kannada
1300-1500 17810 DHA 250 kW / 100 deg SoAs Telugu/Tamil
1400-1500 9855 DHA 250 kW / 105 deg SoAs Marathi
1500-1600 9895 DHA 250 kW / 105 deg SoAs English
1400-1500 15520 DHA 250 kW / 090 deg SoAs Hindi
1500-1600 11995 DHA 250 kW / 090 deg SoAs English
1600-1700 11740 DHA 250 kW / 090 deg SoAs English
1200-1300 17505 DHA 250 kW / 090 deg SEAs Khmer
1200-1300 17545 DHA 250 kW / 090 deg SEAs Lao
Radio Australia
2200-2330 9630 DHA 250 kW / 105 deg SEAs Indonesian
2300-2330 5955 DHA 250 kW / 085 deg SEAs Burmese
0100-0130 11780 SNG 250 kW / 340 deg SEAs Burmese
1100-1300 6140 SNG 250 kW / 013 deg SEAs English
1300-1430 9965 HBN 100 kW / 318 deg EaAs Chinese via T8WH Angel 4
1600-1630 9965 HBN 100 kW / 270 deg SEAs Burmese via T8WH Angel 4
2200-2400 13590 HBN 100 kW / 270 deg SEAs English via T8WH Angel 4
0000-0030 17840 HBN 100 kW / 270 deg SEAs Indonesian via T8WH Angel 4
0400-0430 17840 HBN 100 kW / 270 deg SEAs Indonesian via T8WH Angel 4
0500-0530 17845 HBN 100 kW / 270 deg SEAs Indonesian via T8WH Angel 4
(DX Mix News, Bulgaria, 2 Feb via DXLD)
** INTERNATIONAL. SWBC in times of crisis. Hi Everyone, There's been a
lot of talk regarding the virtues of international broadcasting,
especially in times of crisis. So, let me just remind everyone of
what's happening in Egypt, and just how easy it was for the government
there to shut down cell phone and internet services! (Ex)
International broadcasters, especially the Europeans (but there are
others), which eliminated shortwave in favor of streaming on the
internet, would find their audience cut off.
I know in many instances, the cut-backs are budget-related. But IMHO,
if these broadcasters were serious about getting the word out, they
would at least have a shortwave transmitter on stand-by for
situations, like in Egypt. (Of course, the xmtr is of no use if the
aerials and transmitting station are dismantled!)
I would also argue that if budgets are a concern, it would be better
to forget the international service and just relay a domestic network.
Then the transmitter remains active and the station could put
together special programming in times of crisis. Just my 2-cents'
worth. 73s (David Sharp, NSW Australia, Feb 1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
And it`s better to keep at least some minimal service going on known
SW frequencies, so in times of crisis people will have an idea where
to tune, not being able to find out by other means (Glenn Hauser,
ibid.)
Relying only on the internet troubling --- As mentioned in the various
news articles about the situation in Egypt, people are using "old"
technology including fax, ham radio and modems as the internet is
blocked.
Blocking a range of IP addresses, etc is simple. Blocking content is
also easy. Turning off the ISPs even more so in a dictatorship.
Jamming a radio signal is not complete. I've spoken to several people
from the former Soviet Union. They all told me they could easily hear
VOA, Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty even through the Soviet
jamming efforts. 73, (Kraig, KG4LAC, Krist, Manassas, VA USA, Feb 1,
dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** IRAN. 5920, Jan 27 at 1331, fair with Qur`an. 1334 announcement,
Pashto? 1336 VIRI news choral theme with militaristic tone, news by YL
starting with Ahmedinajad as very first word. No, it`s Kurdish
scheduled 1330-1630, 500 kW nondirexional from Kamalabad; probably
long path (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** IRAN. 6065, VIRI (presumed), 0315-0323, Jan 28. Thanks to
Wolfgang Bueschel for the suggest about this station. Am almost
positive my UNID [q.v.] of yesterday on 6060.95 was in fact VIRI off
frequency. Heard today at about the same signal strength and also with
non-stop reciting from the Qur’an; today nothing on 6060.95. Thanks to
Wolfy for his assistance (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón
E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** IRAN. Intruder IRIB auf 14020 kHz 0630-0728 UT.
Gerd OE3GSA to Alex OE3DMA, melde INTRUDER:
22.01.2011 0725 UT 14019.90 kHz AM Dir 115 deg (QDM). weibl. Stimme in
Franzoesisch, dann Musik - shutdown 0729 UT (ohne
Verabschiedung ). (Jan 22)
Hallo Alex, hallo Gerd, ich gruesse Euch. Danke fuer Euren Bericht.
Genau die gleiche Station hoerte ich zufaellig heute Morgen von 0644
bis Sendeschluss um 0728 UT mit S=8-9. Sprache Franzoesisch - stimmt!
Anhand des Jingles, das vor Sendeschluss lief, bin ich sicher, dass es
IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) war.
Laut Sendeplan *) sind von
0630-0730 UT die QRGs 13600 und 15560 kHz mit Franzoesisch belegt. Ich
werde das morgen mal ueberpruefen. Als IM erzeugen diese QRGs aber
nicht 14020 kHz.
*) es muesste aber "accueil" heissen. Also auch mal
ausprobieren...
(Uli, DJ9KR, DARC Bandwatch via BC-DX Jan 30 via DXLD))
Tentative B-10 for The Voice of Islamic Republic of Iran (VOIROI /
IRIB)
ALBANIAN 0630-0727 13810 15235
FRENCH 0630-0727 13600 15560 (IRIB via wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Oct 29;
updated nach monitoring Oct 31, 2010)
Die uebliche Intermodulations-Formel aus zwei Fundamentalfrequenzen
vom gleichen Senderstandort, auch ohne Taschenrechner zu ermitteln.
Intermodulationen aus 13600 Franzoes. und 13810 Albanischer Dienst
auf 14020 und 13390 kHz.
2 x 13810 = 27620 minus 13600 = 14020 kHz - strahlt Franzoesisch.
2 x 13600 = 27200 minus 13810 = 13390 kHz - strahlt Albanisches.
Complaint already sent to IRIB Tehran also in Nov 2010, by German
Monitoring authority BNA ... 73 de wolfgang df5sx P11
(wb, Jan 22, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Jan 30 via WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DXLD)
** IRELAND. AUDIOCLIP: SHANNON VOLMET: FIRE AT GANDER AIRPORT
The usual met-transmission of Shannon Volmet, has been interrupted for
an important announcement about Gander Airport, CANADA that has been
evacuated due to "fire". The audioclip is avalable here:
http://blog.libero.it/radioascolto/9810141.html
73's (Francesco and Peppe (alias Joe), Central Italy, Jan 27,
condiglist yg via DXLD)
** IRELAND [non]. SOUTH AFRICA. 6225, RTE Radio Worldwide via
Meyerton, 2021-2031* Jan 24, close of feature program followed by
instrumental music. World Radio Network ID at 2028, news headline
followed by UN Radio program before carrier was terminated. Poor to
fair (Rich D`Angelo, French Creek State Park, PA, DXpedition No. 39,
Ten-Tec RX-340, Drake R-8B and an Eton E1, 500-foot wire essentially
north for the RX-340 and 250-foot wire essentially northeast for the
R-8B and a whip antenna for the E1, NASWA yg via DXLD)
It seems the South African operators don`t pay attention to the feed
and have a hard time cutting it at the right point; messy (gh, DXLD)
** ISRAEL. 6973, Galei Tzahal, Lod, Tel Aviv, 1812, Jan 14, easy jazz
guitar music, fair (Graham Bell, Cape Town, RSA, DSWCI DX Window Jan
25 via DXLD)
15785 31/1 1005 Galei Zahal, Israel, reports, fair, deep fading, at
1040 good (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italia, Perseus & Icom R71E,
T2FD 15 meters long, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ITALY [non]. Hallo IRRS, I send one reception report for your
transmission, please send me bye correct report your qsl for
transmitter --- thank. Report UT 18.12.10, 6090, 44444, Sangean 909
teleskop + 5 meter longwire on windows. 1919 World of Radio - Glenn
Hauser. Best greetings from eastpart from Germany Dresden (Helfried
Ahlheim, Jan 15, from a reception report to and via IRRS, via DXLD)
Dear Mr Hauser, Just to let you know I tuned in to IRRS on 6090 at
1900 UT Sat Jan 29 and there was no World Of Radio. The station faded
into the noise around 1915 and was unreadable even using my 80ft
longwire. I listened via the web just now instead. 73s from (Ian Evans
in the UK, WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
My fault this time: a typo in the unique file name for this audio file
prevented it from being found and aired by the automation (gh, WORLD
OF RADIO 1550, DXLD)
** JAPAN. 6145, good Feb 1 at 0705, NHK with operatic excerpts,
``L'amour est un oiseau rebelle`` from Bizet`s Carmen, soprano and
piano accompaniment, // much weaker 6165 as to be expected from 330 vs
35 degrees USward from Yamata; no CubaRM from 6150 as all RHC
frequencies were missing from 49m (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** JORDAN. 11960, R. Jordan, Al Karanah. Strong signal of ME songs
then announcements in Arabic. 0505 9/12 (Charles Jones, Castle Hill
NSW (Sony 2001D with 7m vertical antenna or 70m long wire antenna),
DX-Pedition at Ellalong, in the NSW Hunter Valley, Jan/Feb Australian
DX News via DXLD) So same equipment there?
15290 31/1 1221 Radio Jordan, Arabic songs, Arabic, good (Giampiero
Bernardini, Milano, Italia, Perseus & Icom R71E, T2FD 15 meters long,
dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KASHMIR [non]. 7100, 24/1 1729, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan, songs, good
(Giampiero Bernardini with Dario Monferini in Bocca di Magra (La
Spezia province, Italy), at the seaside, for our Bocca di Magra DX
nights (Boc 22), Perseus & RFSpace SDR-IQ / ANT: Wellbrook loop LFL
1010, Jan 29, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KAZAKHSTAN. QSL: 6225. BVBN / China One Broadcast via Alma-Ata. 2-
full data (wtih site, power, azimuth indicated) ‘reaching nations
..one person’ at a time multi-colour QSL Card, with schedule for a
postal report sent to Toronto address. Reply in 20 days (Edward
Kusalik, VE6EFK, Daysland, Alberta, Canada, Jan 28, DX LISTENING
DIGEST) See also CANADA [non]
5835, Jan 27 at 1337 poor signal with non-Camping preacher in English
obsessed with wicked people, sin, but God to rescue 200 million non-
wickeds on day of judgment. HFCC shows YFR via Almaty, 500 kW, 121
degrees at 1300-1500. If only the Kazakhs knew what krap in foreign
languages they are allowing out on their rentable transmitters (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) speaking of which:
CHRISTIANS IN KAZAKHSTAN INSULTED BY CARTOON PUBLISHED IN PAPER | Text
of report by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty website on 26 January
Qaraghandy, Kazakhstan -- Protestant church leaders in central
Kazakhstan have issued a joint protest against an article and
accompanying cartoon critical of Christianity printed in a newspaper
last month, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports.
Igor Pak, the pastor of the Kamo Gryadeshi (Quo Vadis) Protestant
church in Qaraghandy, told RFE/RL an article published in the
newspaper "Vzglyad na sobytiya" (A Glance at Events) in December was
"a lie" written by a reporter who visited his church.
Pastors from evangelical churches in Qaraghandy Oblast issued a
statement on the CNL-NEWS website that condemned the article and the
cartoon. The article implied that the church was involved in
brainwashing people to become Christians.
'Logical Thinking? We Do Not Give A Damn'
A cartoon accompanying the article showed a man in a doctor's robe
opening up another's man's skull and putting what appears to be a
Bible in his head. The man in the doctor's robe says: "Some words of
the Lord Almighty, a bit of spicy tricks with delirium about personal
growth; as for logical thinking ... we do not give a damn about that."
"Vzglyad na sobytiya" chief editor Andrei Menshchikov denied the
cartoon had religious overtones. He told RFE/RL that the cross on the
book in the cartoon looks to him like a medical cross, not a Christian
cross. He also said there is no pastor in the picture, but a man in a
doctor's hat and robe.
Menshchikov added that if someone sees any kind of blasphemy in the
picture it is the reader's personal problem. He said that "the last
time I checked freedom of speech is still legal in our democratic
country called Kazakhstan."
The Qaraghandy Oblast Interior Ministry told RFE/RL that Protestant
Christians had contacted the ministry requesting that the newspaper's
editors publicly apologize for the article and the cartoon.
Zhanatai Simbekov, chief of the Qaraghandy Oblast's State Language
Directorate, told RFE/RL that an expert group is working to define the
contents and possible implications of the article and the cartoon. He
said after the experts come to a conclusion, the directorate will
determine whether to take further action. Source: Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty website, Washington, D.C., in English 0000 gmt 26
Jan 11 (via BBCM via DXLD)
** KOREA NORTH. 6185, Voice of Korea, Kujang. North Korea. Now here
1000 s/on English good level 27/1 (Chris Hambly, Mont Albert North,
Vic (Icom R75, Dipole), Jan-Feb Australian DX News via DXLD)
** KOREA NORTH [non]. 5910, Shiokaze via JSR JAPAN still here and in
English 1400 on Friday, checked Jan 28 at 1425 with Sea Breeze ID
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
5910, Feb 2 at 1402, Sea Breeze, from Tokyo, another Wednesday in
English, which is not always the case. Good clear reception today, and
no jamming audible. YL says she will be giving data on abductees
today, starting with someone who disappeared from Osaka, July 3, 1960,
on the way to the movies (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KURDISTAN [non?]. 3929, unID site. A man singing a solo plus choir
with so called the National Song of Kurdistan and ID in Kurdish, “Eira
Dengi Kurdistani” from 0301 on 2/1. SIO=555 before the starting of
IRAN jammers.
The other station with same name and playing the same song at the
beginning at 0329 on 3971 and 4870 but with a different program is
with weak signal so maybe the stations are from different sites
(Rumen Pankov, Sofia, Bulgaria (Sony ICF 2001, 16m Marconi), Jan-Feb
Australian DX News via DXLD)
4870.04, *0227-0240, CLANDESTINE, 22.01, Voice of Iranian Kurdistan,
Salah Al-Din, Iraq. Kurdish Horn music 45444, 0230 Iranian jamming
started, Kurdish ID: "Ere Dengê Kurdistana Iranê", martial song,
frequency ann, Kurdish songs, 43443. In the background was R Voice of
Kashmir probably heard! (Anker Petersen, from Skovlunde, Denmark, done
on an AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, via Dario Monferini,
playdx yg via DXLD)
** KUWAIT. The State of Kuwait, Ministry of Information, Engineering
Affairs, Department of Frequency Management, P.O. Box 967, Safat, Code
No. 13010 Kuwait (that’s what the large brown envelope said) sent me a
very nice flip top 2011 desk calendar, printed on cardboard stock,
with scenes and pictures on the opposite side of the calendar. Perhaps
the QSL card for my report will be forthcoming as well (Ed Insinger,
Summit, NJ, Jan 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** LAOS. 6130, Lao National Radio, 1152-1214 fade out Jan 24, woman
hosting program of traditional music. Familiar seven gongs noted at
1200 followed by news. Poor, fluttery signal but glad to have after
not hearing this in several years (Rich D`Angelo, French Creek State
Park, PA, DXpedition No. 39, Ten-Tec RX-340, Drake R-8B and an Eton
E1, 500-foot wire essentially north for the RX-340 and 250-foot wire
essentially northeast for the R-8B and a whip antenna for the E1,
NASWA yg via DXLD)
** LIBYA. 17725, V. of Africa, better than usual, Jan 29 at 1409,
reggae song in English, ``Is it true, is it a dream, Qaddaffy . . . no
racist regime``, lyrix repeated over and over but could never copy
every word. 1414 on to ``special program`` about peace & stability,
mentioning ``Al-Fatah revolution``. // 21695 not propagating (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MALAYSIA/SARAWAK. 5030, 26/1 1535-1543*, RTM Sarawak FM, Malaysia,
slow music, talks, off 1443 (// with the web stream), weak but clear
(Giampiero Bernardini with Dario Monferini in Bocca di Magra (La
Spezia province, Italy), at the seaside, for our Bocca di Magra DX
nights (Boc 22), Perseus & RFSpace SDR-IQ / ANT: Wellbrook loop LFL
1010, Jan 29, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MALAYSIA. 9835, R. Malaysia, Kajang. Domestic Service. ID in Malay
at 1000 followed by news, also in Malay. Fair signal, but splash from
9830 on 27/12 (Dennis Allen, Milperra NSW (Icom R75, Dipoles), Jan-Feb
Australian DX News via DXLD)
9835, Very good on this NF, Islamic music 1105, occasional Malay
announcements. Unusual for RTM to initiate a frequency change, 29/1
(Craig Seager, Bathurst NSW (Icom R75, Folded Dipole), Jan-Feb
Australian DX News via DXLD) Not so much a change, ex-what? But
additional transmitter (gh, DXLD)
11665. R. Malaysia, Kajang. Domestic Service. Malay with “Suara
Malaysia” ID then mention of Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur before an
English version of “Silent Night” (I believe it was by Mariah Carey)
at 0918. Heard on 13/12 (Dennis Allen, Milperra NSW (Icom R75,
Dipoles), Jan-Feb Australian DX News via DXLD)
11665, Additional frequency, good mixed with RTI 1115 with children’s
educational program, 29/1. Rather interesting to hear the ABC song and
Baa Baa Black Sheep in Malay! (Craig Seager, Bathurst NSW (Icom R75,
Folded Dipole), Jan-Feb Australian DX News via DXLD)
9835, Sarawak FM, 1141-1235 Jan 25, woman with short Malay talks
hosting traditional music program. Two quick almost jingle-like IDs by
woman between songs. Fair (Rich D`Angelo, French Creek State Park, PA,
DXpedition No. 39, Ten-Tec RX-340, Drake R-8B and an Eton E1, 500-foot
wire essentially north for the RX-340 and 250-foot wire essentially
northeast for the R-8B and a whip antenna for the E1, NASWA yg via
DXLD)
Both 11665 and 9835 come blasting in at 0200, Jan 25 (Victor
Goonetilleke / UADX, Kolamunne, Piliyandala, Sri Lanka
http://www.dxasia.info Dxplorer via DSWCI DX Window Jan 25 via DXLD)
9835/11665 --- Maybe to counter the Free Sarawak radio!! RTVM Kajang
11665, carrying regular programming from Kuching via satellite feeds
24 hours. 9835, State Network "Sarawak FM" (Victor Goonetilleke, Sri
Lanka, 4S7VK, DXplorer Jan 25 via BC-DX Jan 30 via DXLD)
9835, Sarawak FM via RTM, via Kajang, 1547-1605, Jan 26. // 5030 (from
Sarawak). Fair to good in vernacular with pop songs; ToH choral
National Anthem; singing jingle; ToH became // 11665 and 5030 went
off; at 1603 Mission Impossible theme music with DJ playing pop songs
(some in English).
11665, Wai FM via RTM, via Kajang; 1547-1600, Jan 26. Clear IDs
for Wai FM; ToH became // 9835 (Sarawak FM) with choral National
Anthem; went off the air before 1605 check, with 9835 continuing on;
so looks as if they are starting to conform more to the HFCC B10
schedule (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg
via DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also SARAWAK
** MALI. 9635, R. Mali, Bamako. January, 29 0829-0839 African music,
female short talks in French, male segment in French talks. Weak,
23322 (Lúcio Otávio Bobrowiec, Embu SP Brasil, SW40 - Dipoles and
Longwire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MAURITANIA. 7245, Jan 27 at 0700, ORTM strummin` & gabbin`, not
much else on band 7200-7400 making it the SSOB within those limits,
S9+15. 0701 ID sounds like French but with heavy Arabic accent; or was
it Arabic with French accent? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. Greetings, Since you four are most of the guys I know that
are interested in DX'ing the MW XE stations, I wanted to pass this on
to you. Last week while listening to 1300 kHz I was hearing a SS
station that seemed to be ID'ing as "Radio México Noticias." I heard
this phrase (I suppose it might not have actually been an ID, but it
certainly sounded that way at the time.) I realize there's at least
two other XE stations that are at least listed (or at least used to
be) with that same station and or slogan: XEDN, Torreón, CO on 600 as
well as XEFIL, Mazatlán, Torreon on 870. I'm wondering if you fellas
had heard anything of this; any changes or reports that might shed
some light on what my aging ears seemed to hear there on 1300.
Hmm, seems like there used to be one on 1320 also if memory serves me
(which it often doesn't; who was that, maybe XECPN in Coahuila which I
guess IDs now as La Mexicana. Haven't listened there (1300) with any
luck since initially heard on 1/22 (UT) and it was at a late time of
1322 UT, so could be a US station, I suppose. Any help would be
appreciated. Thanks guys. 73 to you guys. I don't know about you all,
but I'm ready for warmer weather. 73! (Kirk Allen, Ponca City OK, Jan
26, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Hi Kirk, I heard this recently. I think it`s a news network name, not
name of an individual station and there are probably many more
affiliates around the country. In my experience, XEP is very dominant
here especially in the mornings, with 50 kW. 73, (Glenn to Kirk via
DXLD) Viz.:
``Dec 14 at 1451 UT, I decided to check MW for residual skywave
signals an hour after sunrise. 1300 had Spanish dominating briefly,
government PSA, timecheck for something 10 de la mañana, which had to
be an hour or two off, even if he was saying 10 till 10, ID as Radio
México Noticias. No doubt the 50 kW XEP from Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua,
where it`s 7:51 am. But this was probably a network program from the
DF at 8:51 am local (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)``
Tnx Glenn, I rather suspected that might be the case. I was just now
reading about your hearing programming in Spanish on 1670. I just had
some luck with getting an ID from the Moreno Valley Station (I was
hoping for the new XE in Estado de Mexico): Here's the report I filed
via the ULR List: [see USA] Tnx for all your help, mi amigo, and best
of 73, (Kirk Allen, ibid.)
Good Morning Guys, I am listening to 740 kHz this morning; during
fades of KTRH, I hear a Spanish speaking station underneath at 5:40
am. I hung around for a bit and at 5:57 am [1157 UT] Mexican National
Anthem was heard. At 5:59 am I heard the calls “XEKV” during slight
fade of KTRH --- New here!!! (James Niven, Cedar Creek, Texas, Jan 27,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
5/1 kW, 24h, Villahermosa, Tabasco (IRCA Mexican Log via DXLD)
** MEXICO. Glenn Hauser's Ears! Hi all, After I sent the post with my
XE on 1470, Glenn said that it sounded more like XEHI than my guess at
XEHM moving from 1480 to 1470. Been camped on 1470 with a N/S flag and
Jan 20 at 2201 local (Jan 21 0001 UT [sic that would be 0501 UT]) I
got this clip which seem to add another new one to the log. Any
comment on the attached will be appreciated
Name: XEHI-1470.mp3
Type: audio/mpeg
Size: 294657 bytes
Desc: not available
Url :
http://lists.nrcdxas.org/pipermail/am/attachments/20110128/d1cd60e9/attachment.mp3
73 (Wayne Heinen, Jan 28, NRC-AM via DXLD)
Wayne, I had a listen and definitely XEHI, ID is at :12 seconds into
the clip, very pronounced ID, sorry to dash your hopes of a new
station!! (James Niven, Cedar Creek, Texas, ibid.)
Same here -- XEHI (EH kees--EH--AHchay--EE) is what I hear :12 in.
(Randy Stewart, Springfield MO, ibid.) Also later in the clip,
``Ciudad Miguel Alemán`` (Glenn Hauser`s ears, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. 1670, MÉXICO, XEANAH Radio Anáhuac, Huixquilucan, Estado de
México. 1149-1215 January 29, 2011. Presumed the one based on format
and peak/fade time, definitely a Mexican, and the only one listed on
1670 on Fred Cantú's online listing. No joy in the eves with FOX
Sports 1670 WFSM, Dry Branch-Macon, GA so loud on the channel. So,
thought I'd give it a sunrise try and bingo, first try.
Tune-in to nonstop Spanish and English pop-ish vocals (nothing I
recognized though), seemingly across the top of the hour, then the
choral Mexican national anthem at 1210-1212, back to vocals and pretty
much gone by tune-out. Way under WFSM, but still a decent enough copy
at its peak. This is the newest XE X-bander, first reported elsewhere
a few weeks ago, 1 KW DA/N. Recheck January 30, 1159-1215, about the
same signal and format, down to the anthem at 1210 once again (Terry L
Krueger, Clearwater, Florida USA, 27.55.83 N, 82.46.08 W, JRC NRD-535;
ICOM IC-R75; Hammarlund HQ-180A; Aqua Guide 705 Radio Direction
Finder; Sony ICF-7600GR; GE SuperRadio III; RadioShack DX-399; 1 X
roof dipole; 1 X in-room random wire, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1550,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. 6185, R Education, XEEP [sic], noted 1/22 and daily since,
powering up carrier around 1057 with pre-s/on music, then into rousing
symphonic NA at 1058 and 1100 ID, "R Education . . . 86 años al
servicio a la cultura de nuestro país...". Others reported 76 years,
but it sure sounds like 86 to me (Ralph Perry, Wheaton, Illinois,
Drake R8B; Eton E1; Hallicrafters SX100; Knightkit Star Roamer,
Dentron Super Tuner + Ameco PLF-2, Longwire, Cumbredx mailing list via
DXLD)
This is strange: XEPPM, the 6185 callsign, is supposed to be on the
air 00-12 UT, NOT signing on around 1100. But has been consistently on
from 23 and sometimes a bit past 12. At 06-12 they are relaying MW
1060 XEEP rather than separate SW programming 23-06. Could be that MW
is playing anthem at 11 in continuous programming, but would expect it
to be at 12 UT during standard time, 6 am local. Surely 6185 would be
heard any time before 1057, as we always hear it as late as we are up,
to 0730 or so (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
6185, XEPPM, Jan 29 0630+ with Willie Nelson album cuts, later Oak
Ridge Boys, all in English (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. NEW LOW-BAND ANALOGS --- While looking up some database
info today, I found a new network is under construction in Mexico.
Named the "Organismo Promotor de Medios Audovisuales", if my Spanish
is up to the task it's a national public TV network. Several Mexican
states run public TV networks, and the National Polytechnical
Institute in Mexico City has a number of stations around the country,
but OPMA would seem to be the first nationwide public network.
Most of their stations are UHF, **however there are two on low-band
VHF**. XHOPOA-TV is on channel 2 in Oaxaca, Oaxaca in the southeastern
part of the country. XHOPME-TV is on channel 5 in Mérida, Yucatán.
These are not flea-powered operations either. Channel 2 is 40.99 kW;
channel 5 is 89.98 kW.
Yes, these are *analog* stations. Most if not all do already have DTV
("TDT", in Mexico [televisión digital terrestre; yet they have never
felt it necessary to specify analog TV as ``terrestrial`` --- gh])
channels assigned - and those DTV channels are all on UHF.
BTW, the OPMA station in Mexico City on channel 30 is a DTV station
with no analog signal. It's one of three DTV-only stations authorized
in Mexico City last year. To my knowledge those are the first DTV-only
stations in the country (there are 54 other DTV stations operating in
Mexico but they're all related to an analog station). There'll be more
information in the March VUD – (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View, TN
EM66, Jan 31, WTFDA via DXLD)
And for everyone keeping track of Mexico TV, here is the link to the
list dated 6-30-10 (which Doug is extracting information from).
http://www.cofetel.gob.mx/work/models/Cofetel_2008/Resource/736/INFRA_TV_JUN10.pdf
(Jim Thomas, wdx0fbu, Springfield, Missouri, ibid.)
** MICRONESIA. Reactivated: The Cross Radio, Pohnpei, Micronesia on
4755.44 kHz --- PMA - The Cross Radio - Pohnpei reactivated on 4755.44
at 0846 UT tune in on Jan. 29. Religious program in English by male.
ID at 0858 "You are listening to the Cross Radio" by male. Good to
fair conditions (S. Hasegawa, Japan, NDXC, 0923 UT Jan 29, dxldyg via
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Audio File:
http://gakuchunanbeidx.de-blog.jp/gakudx/files/the_cross_radio_2011129.mp3
by Gaku at 0826 UT (Hasegawa, ibid.)
Closing of `Turning Point`` program but no local ID on this. Sounds
more like MW than SW (gh, DXLD)
S/off at 0934 UT. Test? (Hasegawa, ibid.)
The website http://www.pmapacific.org/ministries/radio/shortwave.php
had not been changed for years since 4755 went off, but now it has,
including:
``Our short-wave station 4755 kHz is down at the moment - awaiting
engineer and parts``
Wow, what a long ``moment``! Also details on how to reception-report.
And linx to the February (already) 2011 issue of ``Island Echoes``
http://www.pmapacific.org/info/island_echoes/pdf/2011-1.pdf
which says:
``What a blessing “The Cross” FM Radio is in Pohnpei. As it broadcasts
24/7 uplifting music with a message, and Bible based teaching
programs, people listening are blessed, encouraged and equipped as
evidenced by the number of calls Sylvia receives everyday. What more
if we have the transmitters for the SW radio fixed and installed – the
radio programs would then be heard in the outer-islands of Pohnpei and
Chuuk. Please pray for the engineers to come the first month of 2011``
But nothing more specific (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA. 4755.44, 'The Cross' - Following tips
from Japanese DXers that this station was heard Saturday to close at
0934 UT, I have been keeping a watch on the reported frequency of
4755.44 kHz. Nothing heard yesterday, but today at 0630 I confirmed a
carrier on this exact frequency and there was audio by 0700 UT.
Syndicated religious programming and identification confirms this is
'The Cross', back on air after a brief stint on shortwave in late
2007. Very good signal level by 0800 (Bryan Clark, Mangawhai,
Northland, New Zealand, Jan 31, AOR7030+ and EWEs to NE, E & SE,
Google Earth: 36.11.70 S, 174.56.70 E, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1550,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
As if the Micronesians could not already hear plenty of syndicated
religious programming on countless other high-power international SW
stations. The raison-vrai d`être of this is for the enjoyment of DX
listeners, country collectors far outside the country (gh, DXLD) Viz.:
**"The Cross"**, Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, first heard
at 0732 with Christian music, announcements by male and female
(child?) from 0736 to 0738. Web address given, more Christian music to
0748, with ID of "The Cross Radio". All in English. Several Christian
music pieces with singing till 0758, anmts by M and F (child(?)) till
0802. No ID heard then, into religious discussion/sermon by male voice
past 0820, with talking and piano music following. Different M voice
at 0821 until 0825, with a possible ID during a deep fade event. More
Christian music followed to past 0833. Reception hampered by strong
deep fading (QSB) with QRN static crashes (Jim Young, Wrightwood, CA,
IC-756ProIII + 40 M yagi + antenna tuner, Jan 31, NASWA yg via DXLD)
It was s/off suddenly today at 1026 UT (S. Hasegawa, Japan, Jan 31,
dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Does anyone know what power they are
using (Mark Davies, Anglesey UK, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Dear
Mark, According to QSL: 4755 kHz V6MP 1 kW (S. Hasegawa, Japan, ibid.)
Dave Casement latest report on work with the 4755 transmitter:
http://dave-kathy.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2011-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-05%3A00&updated-max=2012-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=1
73, (Jari Savolainen, Finland, WORLD OF RADIO 1550, ibid.) Viz.:
Wednesday
Report from Ponpei, Micronesia - Jan. 25, 2011
Dave sent this e-mail for an update on his recent trip to Ponpei
Monday Jan 24 We arrived safe and tired with all our luggage intact
which is a real answer to prayer. We are tired but doing well.
Working well together and having good fellowship with Nob and Syliva
and their son Alex.
Tuesday Jan 25 - PTL! We all slept fairly well and are getting our
first day of work in. Have made great progress on the short-wave
antenna. David Creel is making progress on the generator and
switchover.
Wednesday Jan 26 We hope to have the short-wave antenna up and start
"fine tuning". Continue work on wiring in the generator and backup
system.
Thursday Jan 27 - Hope to have the short-wave antenna tuned. Open the
covers on the shortpwave transmitter to inspect condition before
turning on. Has been sitting and there is a lot of mold/rust in this
enviroment.
Friday Jan 28 - hope to have the short-wave on the air for testing and
the generator wired to the radio station.
Saturday Jan 29 - Men's prayer meeting. Testing short-wave and
generator.
Sunday Jan 30 - Worship and rest! (via DXLD)
And an earlier post:
Saturday News - Nov. 19, 2010 - Pohnpei, Micronesia
Pohnpei, Micronesia (south-west Pacific)
I am currently working with Pastor Nob to sort out details. We have
decided that I and maybe two other men will be traveling to Pohnpei
the last week of January and the first week of February. We need to
finalize details. I am now working with the computer software to
predict the signal strength within a 1000 km radius. It is time
consuming to find the time of day which gives the best signal to the
target area. It is a real challenge to get a strong signal into the
surrounding islands with the small antenna we have to work with. There
is not enough land to put up a larger antenna for short-wave. Please
pray for wisdom in this (via DXLD)
4755.44, The Cross, 0825, per Hasegawa tip, noted with contemporary
Christian music and ID by a man, "The Cross Radio." Then audio
abruptly cut, but carrier remained on. Then, quick audio fade-up
around 0900 and into sermon. Still had it past 1000 with fair signal.
Had tried for it prior to 0800 but no trace. 31 January (David Sharp,
NSW Australia, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Noted fading in at 0647 on 2 February after being absent 1 February.
The frequency appears to be still 4755.44 kHz today (Bryan Clark,
Mangawhai, Northland, New Zealand, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
My DX friend in Kanazawa, received The Cross of the test music at 1845
UT on Feb.1. And started service of Feb.2 (local time) by a opening
announcement at 1900 (S. Hasegawa, Japan ibid.)
See details here.
http://dxparadise.blogspot.com/2007/12/cross-radio-station-pohnpei-475525.html
(Mike Terry, ibid.)
?? As of 5 Dec 2007 anyway, illustrates QSL (gh, DXLD)
I can receive it today past 1200 UT. The schedule of FM at 1900-1300
UT (0600-2400 LT).
http://www.pmapacific.org/ministries/radio/thecross_schedule_11x17.pdf
Updated: 2008-01-08
(S.Hasegawa, ibid.) Also very old info (gh)
The Cross Radio on 4755.47 kHz by over night service with non stop
music at 1550UT on Feb. 2 (S. Hasegawa, Japan, dxldyg via WORLD OF
RADIO 1550, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
4755.45, The Cross, randomly from 1317 to tune out at 1644, Feb 2.
Non-stop contemporary Christian songs in English, except for IDs also
in English; poor to fair.
1330 – young girl: “Hi. My name is .. I listen to the Cross Radio”
1431 - young girl: "Hi. This is . . (gives name). The world is tuned
to ... the Cross Radio. You will like it"
1558 – young girl: “This is . . . on 88.5 FM”
1602 – man: “This is the Cross Radio. Please stay with us. We will
be back in a minute” (open carrier for about a minute, then continued
with their religious songs) (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA,
Etón E1, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
4755.45, PMA "The Cross Radio", 1152-1325, Feb. 2. Programming
consisted mostly of ballads, with occasional announcements by very
professional sounding OM, I suspect this may have been a syndicated
Christian music program. Caught their ID just before the ToH by a
young sounding female, "You are listening to the Cross Radio". Despite
freezing rain at the time, this is the strongest I have heard them,
and I was surprised that they were still audible as late as 1325 UT,
although the peak in reception was around 1200. Thanks for the tip on
the Kageyama BCL bulletin board: http://6103.teacup.com/akage/bbs/
SINPO 24222 (George Maroti, NY, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD)
Hi Glenn, Today 2/2 at 1045 on 4755.4 I possibly received The Cross
briefly with some religious music and two males conversing in English.
No ID and faded after 10 minutes.
Unfortunately, lots of static due to snow storm. I now have about 5
feet of snow and all the wires are coated with ice. Total mess. My TV
installation has succumbed although my 6' parabolic dish is still
attached. Hopefully, the Yagis are repairable. So far, one heck of a
winter (Bill, W1OW, Smith, WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
4755.45, PMA The Cross Radio (Pohnpei), 0710-0736, 2/2/2011, English.
Apparent syndicated religious program with talk by a man. Request for
donations at 0720 along with an unintelligible web site. Joined by a
woman at 0721 with info about their ministry and request for funds.
Contemporary religious vocal music 0724 to 0736 tune out. Weak signal
with fading and increasing local noise made program content extremely
difficult to understand. Heard on my PNG/South Pacific oriented wire.
At the same time also heard weak audio on SIBC's 5019.9 carrier (Jim
Evans, Germantown, TN, IC-R75, RX-340, E1, ICF-SW7600G, G6, Random
Wire, ALA100M Loops, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD)
** MONACO [non]. 5915, MONACO. Trans World Radio (Mont Angel), 0646-
0655, 1/28/2011, Polish. Talk by man. Musical bridge at 0652 followed
by more talk. Contemporary religious music at 0654. Moderate signal
strength with some fading. Similar strength parallel noted on 7220
(Jim Evans, Germantown, TN, IC-R75, RX-340, E1, ICF-SW7600G, G6,
Random Wire, ALA100M Loops, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD)
** MONGOLIA. Hi Everyone, 12085 kHz V. of Mongolia received today at
1030 for their English program until 1100. The full half hour came
through but sign on and off were weak. This is what I heard
http://www.box.net/shared/zqs5bpn95d
(Mark Davies, Anglesey UK, Jan 27, dxldyg via DX LISENING DIGEST)
** MYANMAR. 5985.87, 26/1 1505, Radio Myanmar, songs, fair (better in
upper AMS) (Giampiero Bernardini with Dario Monferini in Bocca di
Magra (La Spezia province, Italy), at the seaside, for our Bocca di
Magra DX nights (Boc 22), Perseus & RFSpace SDR-IQ / ANT: Wellbrook
loop LFL 1010, Jan 29, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) what is AMS??
(gh)
5985.88, 30/1 0044, Myanma Radio, talks, weak but clear. Ciao
(Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italy, Perseus, T2FD 15 meters long, My
Short Wave blog: http://radiodxsw.blogspot.com/ dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
A reminder that if you can hear their stations on 5985.83 and 5770, it
is not too difficult to ID them. The BoH (which is the ToH for their
local time) formats are very distinctive. If you hear the following,
you can be sure it’s them.
http://www.mediafire.com/?whlg6sa4s4c1qhw contains audio clip made Jan
27 at 1330, on 5985.83, of Myanma Radio. Fairly clear example of the
indigenous instrumental music and chimes. Above average reception.
http://www.mediafire.com/?oe2j5wj76tl2zow contains a recent audio clip
of a typical 5770 BoH format; indigenous instrumental music and
military march band. This is due of course to this being the Myanmar
Defense Forces Br. Station located at Taunggyi, the capital of the
Shan State (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
9731, Myanmar Radio and Television, Yangon. Slow, pleasant songs with
announcements in local language in between. Weak signal with noise
periods at 0940-0948 on 27/12 (Dennis Allen, Milperra NSW (Icom R75,
Dipoles), Jan-Feb Australian DX News via DXLD)
** NETHERLANDS [non]. Radio Netherlands Worldwide is increasing its
broadcasts to Egypt after the authorities shut down internet and
mobile services. RNW will increase its Arabic broadcasts using
satellites that are not controlled by the Egyptian authorities. RNW
journalists are also producing text-television which can be received
through satellite. RNW programmes which can be downloaded through
satellites are also broadcast on local FM stations. Satellite details
are now as follows:
1900-2300 UTC
* Hotbird 6, 13.0 East
* Footprint: Europe, North Africa and Middle East
* 11.604 GHz/H
* symbol rate: 27.500
* FEC: 5/6
* Channel: RNW4 left
1900-2000 and 2200-2300 UTC
* Hotbird 6, 13.0 East
* Footprint: Europe, North Africa and Middle East
* 12.597 GHz/V
* symbol rate: 27.500
* FEC: 3/4
* Channel: Sawt Al Alam
* Arabsat BADR 4, 26 East
* Footprint: Africa and Middle East
* 11.996 GHz/V
* symbol rate: 27.500
* FEC: 3/4
* Channel: Sawt Al Alam
* NileSat 101, 7 West
* Footprint: Africa and Middle East
* 11.765 GHz/H
* symbol rate: 27.500
* FEC: 3/4
* Channel: Sawt Al Alam
There are also extra shortwave transmissions in Dutch for the
estimated 8,000 Dutch citizens in Egypt:
* 0600-0700 UTC on 9830 kHz
* 1600-1700 UTC on 5955 kHz + 9750 kHz
* 1730-1830 UTC on 11615 kHz + 11655 kHz
Related stories:
* Al Jazeera demands Egyptian government stop broadcast interference
* Egypt cuts Internet, satellite TV and mobile phones (January 29th,
2011 - 17:31 UTC, by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via DXLD)
5 Comments on “RNW increasing its broadcasts to Egypt”
1. #1 CP on Jan 29th, 2011 at 22:08
It took 13 minutes to wipe out internet access and telephone service
to 80 million people in Egypt. There are some on this board that like
to “embrace” new technologies that are cheaper and mass produced but
ultimately for the reasons we have witnessed, there is still a place
for Shortwave broadcasts since it knows no borders and cannot be shut
off by a dictator.
2. #2 Phil on Jan 30th, 2011 at 03:31
No offence RNW, but wouldn’t it be better to have SW transmissions in
English or Arabic to Egypt rather than Dutch??
3. #3 Roy Sandgren on Jan 30th, 2011 at 10:10
Yep, all dutch people got a satellite dish on the beach. Lot of arabic
programs towards Egypt on mediumwave and shortwave too.
4. #4 Andy Foad on Jan 30th, 2011 at 10:15
Phil, second line down in the above report says:
“RNW will increase its *Arabic* broadcasts using satellites that are
not controlled by the Egyptian authorities. ” Hope this helps.
5. #5 Andy Sennitt on Jan 30th, 2011 at 12:47
Phil, we had shortwave transmissions in Arabic for a short time, but
listener feedback was negligible. But being part of the WRN Arabic
service Sawt Al Alam and using the Radio With Pictures system, we now
appear on the EPG along with TV channels, so millions of Egyptian
satellite users know we are there. Consequently we have a much bigger
reach in Egypt.
As for English, there’s no point as our English radio service only
produces features, not news, and we cannot broadcast live news
updates. Also there are plenty of other stations in English on
shortwave. Dutch people in Egypt need to know the latest advice from
the government, details of flights etc. (MN blog comments via DXLD)
Not so much additional SW: 11615 and 11655 prolonged by 30 minutes,
usually sign off at 1800. 9830 and 5955/9750 are just existing
transmissions.
Arabic has been expanded to four hours, but these four hours go out
only via some obscure feed channel. At least a year ago this was a
dual mono signal with a bitrate of 64 kbps each, good for not much
more than feeding audio for AM transmissions. If this is still the
case I much doubt that this signal will be listed in any third party
EPG. Cf. http://www.w4uvh.net/dxld9083.txt
But never miss an opportunity for a good PR stunt (Kai Ludwig, dxldyg
via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Comparing with the existing RNW shortwave schedule I see:
FREQ STN BTIM ETIM LANG RLY NOTES SOURCE
===== === ==== ==== ===== === ========== =============
5955 RNW 1600 1700 DUTCH RMP unchanged RNW blog 1/29
9750 RNW 1600 1700 DUTCH ISS unchanged RNW blog 1/29
9830 RNW 0600 0700 DUTCH WER unchanged RNW blog 1/29
11615 RNW 1730 1800 DUTCH MDG unchanged RNW blog 1/29
11615 RNW 1800 1830 DUTCH SMG x-AA/Sudan RNW blog 1/29
11655 RNW 1730 1800 DUTCH MDG unchanged RNW blog 1/29
11655 RNW 1800 1830 DUTCH MDG x-English RNW blog 1/29
I assume the content is not normal RNW Dutch language programming, but
is focused on getting needed info to Dutch citizens in Egypt (Dan
Ferguson, SC, NASWA yg via DXLD)
** NETHERLANDS [and non]. ``I wonder how long it will be before RNW
decides to close its Madagascar station?``
You have seen the idea of the Broadcasting Board of Governors to
"consolidate" the transmission facilities of "western" broadcasters?
As well known*) the BBC World Service plans to terminate all but a few
of its shortwave transmissions within the next three years. I expect
that closures of transmission facilities will be inevitable, since
their use will become so low that continuing their operation will no
longer be economical. The very reason now given for the closure of
Bonaire.
A rather close cooperation in the field of shortwave transmission is
already in place between IBB and RNW. It remains to be seen if the
BBC-owned and Babcock-operated (I understand that this is the
arrangement for sites outside the UK) transmitters as well as the DW
facilities will be viewed as part of such a "transmitter pool", too,
since I just can not imagine IBB and DW to let in for a "Babcock runs
anything" scenario.
It's the end of the world as we know it...
*) If not:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2011/01_january/26/worldservice.shtml
(Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 30, shortwavesites yg via DXLD) See BONAIRE
** NETHERLANDS [non]. 6120, with Cuba unexpectedly absent from all its
49m frequencies including this, something in Dutch was in the clear
Feb 1 at 0706, no doubt RNW and no doubt from anywhere but the
Netherlands.
Current sked shows via VATICAN at 0658-0759 daily, 0759-0859 M-F, and
0759-0900 Sat & Sun. Wonder what that extra minute on weekends
consists of? At 0759 beam from SMG changes from 266 to 4 degrees. 6120
is also via Nauen, Germany, daily at 0559-0658 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** NEWFOUNDLAND. Fire at Gander: See IRELAND
** NEW ZEALAND. 9885-9890-9895, 24/1 1800, R New Zealand
International, DRM, news in English, perfect for 5 minutes (Giampiero
Bernardini with Dario Monferini in Bocca di Magra (La Spezia province,
Italy), at the seaside, for our Bocca di Magra DX nights (Boc 22),
Perseus & RFSpace SDR-IQ / ANT: Wellbrook loop LFL 1010, Jan 29,
dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
RNZI 11725-AM and 11670-11675-11680 DRM were the OSOB, Jan 31 at 0643,
poor. BTW, on UT Saturdays around this time they have a variety show
from National including comedy (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
9765, RNZI the SSOB by far, Feb 1 at 0702, much stronger than
Australia 9660, and not much else at all from western and northern
hemispheres (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NIGER. 9705, La Voix du Sahel, 2106-2134 Jan 24, in the clear after
Ethiopia [q.v.] signed off with man announcer with French talk, brief
tribal vocals and phone calls from listeners. Poor to fair (Rich
D`Angelo, French Creek State Park, PA, DXpedition No. 39, Ten-Tec RX-
340, Drake R-8B and an Eton E1, 500-foot wire essentially north for
the RX-340 and 250-foot wire essentially northeast for the R-8B and a
whip antenna for the E1, NASWA yg via DXLD)
9704.99, LV du Sahel, 2100-2300*, Jan 26, audible after Radio Ethiopia
signs off. French talk. Variety of Afro-pop music and Euro-pop music.
Local chants at 2253. Sign off with short flute IS and National Anthem
at 2258 (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg, PA, USA, Icom IC-7600, two
100 foot longwires, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
9705, unID, but Niamey presumed 1/27, thanks again to Brian Alexander
for this tip re the "9705 Experience" hi hi. Revealed after Ethiopia
[q.v.] vacated frequency 2100aroound, but much weaker signal.
Rechecked 2140 and in the clear, Islamic-influenced African chant
music. Not heard well, but believe Brian has this one right. Another
fun logging, requiring more checks in the following days. Niamey used
to be a very tough catch back in the day (60s and 70s), and about the
only way to hear them was to get lucky and snag a few minutes of
their early morning programming after the unfortunately (for North
America) rather late sign on at 0700 GMT [then on 5020? gh] (Ralph
Perry, Wheaton, Illinois, Drake R8B; Eton E1; Hallicrafters SX100;
Knightkit Star Roamer, Dentron Super Tuner + Ameco PLF-2, Longwire,
Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD)
9705, Niamey (strongly) presumed, wonderful listening experience 1/28
2140-2300*. Terrific musical mix of Afro Jazz, highlife music,
traditional chants, W African pop songs hosted by YL with very
muffled, undermod announcements in what sounded like French, and
vernacular. Signal weak at tune-in 2140 but faded up to very decent
level toward end of transmission. Flute IS heard at 2158 and time pips
on the hour at 2200. Very deep fades, would disappear 20 seconds to a
minute, making me think it had signed-off, but then would come back.
OM announcer musical commercial 2243. Transmission shutdown came after
Islamic call to prayer at 2254, then flute IS again at 2258 followed
by choral NA and silence to 2259.55* carrier cut. Everything fits for
Niamey, from frequency, W African location, Islamic country, former
French colony, and so on; but didn't catch definite ID. Calling it 99%
sure, though and thanks again to Brian Alexander for initial
tip (Ralph Perry, Wheaton, Illinois, Drake R8B; Eton E1; Hallicrafters
SX100; BC221; Ameco PLF-2 preamp, Longwire antenna, HCDX via DXLD)
9705, La Voix du Sahel; 2015-2116+, 28-Jan; M in French with jazzy
music; ID at 2057+, bumper & brief announcement by W not in LL [not in
unknown language, ergo in French?]; announced next program in Arabic,
then anthem at 2058+. 2100 into Arabic with lengthy commentary to 2111
chant. ID at 2115. SIO=343, with weak co-channel vox QRM & brief rat-
a-tat bursts (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Michigan Area Radio
Enthusiasts DXpedition, Brighton MI, Drake R8B + 500 ft. SSWish
unterminated bev & 85 ft. TTFD, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NIGERIA [non]. Some changes via Media Broadcast (MBR):
New schedule of Hamada Radio International from Jan. 24:
0530-0600 7350 WER 100 kW / 180 deg WeAf Hausa M-F
0530-0600 9460 NAU 100 kW / 185 deg WeAf Hausa M-F, additional freq.
1400-1430 17485 WER 125 kW / 180 deg WeAf Hausa M/W/F, cancelled
1930-2000 9840 WER 100 kW / 180 deg WeAf Hausa Daily, ex Mon-Fri
(DX Mix News, Bulgaria, 2 Feb via WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DXLD)
** NORTH AMERICA. QSL: PIRATE-USA, 6924.8 AM, Radio Ronin Shortwave.
Full data ‘defending the shores of Free Radio from Invading armies’
QSL card, in response, to my e-mail report (Edward Kusalik, VE6EFK,
Daysland, Alberta, Canada, Jan 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
USA (PIRATE): Radio Ronin Shortwave, an interesting station with great
music (pop to light rock format) and clear ID’s interspersed, heard on
30 January 2011 at 2229 UT tune in on 6925 AM. Signal varied from very
good to barely audible, perhaps since the station and my listening
post are both located in New Jersey. ID’s at 2242: “This is Radio
Ronin Shortwave. You can reach us at Radioroninshortwave @ gmail.com”
(Ed Insinger, Summit, NJ, Jan 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NORTH AMERICA. 6940-USB, USA (PIRATE), WEAK. 1810 January 29, 2011.
Thanks D. Crawford online Trillian chat tip. Mostly very strong with
Lester Moran & His Cadillac Cowboys, old Nashville cover songs
incorporated into quite funny skits. Several female ID's as W-E-A-K,
Weak." Programming recycled at least once through tune-out sometime
after 1900. Another weak pirate the same time on 6875U, but did not
sit on it (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida USA, 27.55.83 N,
82.46.08 W, JRC NRD-535; ICOM IC-R75; Hammarlund HQ-180A; Aqua Guide
705 Radio Direction Finder; Sony ICF-7600GR; GE SuperRadio III;
RadioShack DX-399; 1 X roof dipole; 1 X in-room random wire, dxldyg
via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Pirate: WEAK, Weak Radio: 6940/USB, 1900-1938+, 29-Jan; Lester Moran
the Old Road Hog & his Cadillac Cowboys with C&W show from Rainbow
Valley on WEAK 17-50. SIO=353+ (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA,
Michigan Area Radio Enthusiasts DXpedition, Brighton MI, Drake R8B +
500 ft. SSWish unterminated bev & 85 ft. TTFD, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
6930-USB, Jan 31 at 2226, novelty songs past 2230; 2235 YL ID over
pumping music, something about ``still be a signal, Weak Radio``. 2243
same ID over music; until fully warmed up, the FRG-7 BFO drifts
gradually, and when the unexpected IDs come on, I miss the first part
trying to adjust BFO for proper pitch, not so obvious on the strange
music. How about a bit of reduced carrier to help us zero? 2249 ID now
spelled out, W-E-A-K; 2255 another same over music, and at 2259. A bit
after 2300, hard rock segués to rap. Still there at 2310 when I use
this to hit 1000 kHz below for R. Prague, which has already QRT its
own SW forever; see CZECHIA (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. KRMG 740 Tulsa OK appears to be operating daytime power
(50 kW) tonight. The station is broadcasting live news coverage due to
the snow storm today (Richard Allen, 36?22'51"N / 97?26'35"W, (near
Perry OK USA), Feb 1, IRCA via DXLD)
KRMG-740 is way on top of KCBS here in Arizona with storm coverage.
(Bill Block, Prescott Valley, AZ, 0343 UT Feb 2, ibid.)
No KRMG noted here off the Eastern Beverage, just Toronto presumed on
top as usual with Jack Benny program. KRMG puts little signal to the
NW though (Patrick Martin, Seaside OR, 0352 UT, ibid.)
KRMG is making a very rare appearance in Madison WI tonight in the
CFZM null. The last time it reached here with even a little regularity
was in the period after CBL went off and (then) CHWO came on. 73 (Bill
Dvorak, Madison WI, 0511 UT Feb 2, ibid.)
This is KRMG's day pattern
http://www.fcc.gov/ftp/Bureaus/MB/Databases/AM_DA_patterns/86669-108605.pdf
Some of you may not believe that on Phased BOGs aimed that way I could
in fall/winter/early spring, dig them out under the 250 watter from IA
in quieter pre-IBOC days even at noon. (Toronto had to be phased
nulled..Baraboo WI and others aren't a factor on WSW/SW antennas here.
Anyhow, KRMG may be heard thru Toronto much further east tonight. 73
KAZ Barrington IL (Neil Kazaross, ibid.)
** OKLAHOMA. 960, KGWA Enid, altho the original station of the AM-FM
combo, is now the poor stepchild no one really cares about: Jan 31 at
0650 UT, open carrier; came to life for newcast at 0703 check, but
back to dead air at 0707. So the automation can handle the news, but
not whatever else was supposed to be on.
I was checking because the usual mixing product with KCRC on 3310 was
not being heard, and I suspected one of them was off the air --- but
KCRC 1390 was nominal, and lack of modulation on 960 carrier should
not have affected the spur (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. 1000, KTOK, OKC, Jan 31 at 2139-2149 UT, I have never
enjoyed the Sean Hannity Show so much! Because KTOK was broadcasting
dead air for at least ten minutes while I dozed. This was not in the
middle of the night but the middle of the day. Rejoined abruptly at
2149 without so much as ``Due to technical difficulties, our regular
programming has been interrupted, but we now rejoin it in progress``.
No station makes such courtesy announcements any more, for it would
admit that someone is finally paying attention to their own output!
Way to go, Clear Channel (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. Re 11-04: Tulsa radio update --- Story in 1/27/11 Tulsa
World (page E-2) gives some more details on the story in the link
Glenn Hauser provided a few days ago.
Gaytan Broadcasting LLC purchased 1270 KRVT and 1570 KLZI this week.
1270 KRVT will become "Que Buena", formerly on 1530 KXTD. 1530 will
become a "rhythmic Latino pop" format. KLZI-1570 will become a
"religious-theme" station. New programming begins at "midnight
Monday", presumably 0000 CST 1/31/11. No mention of any new/different
call letters being involved (Bruce Winkelman AA5CO, Tulsa, OK, Jan 27,
DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.:
Gaytan Broadcasting adds two radio stations to Spanish-language fold
By KYLE ARNOLD World Staff Writer
Published: 1/27/2011 2:31 AM
Last Modified: 1/27/2011 5:54 AM
http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/article.aspx?subjectid=52&articleid=20110127_15_E2_DnIuDn68992&archive=yes
Don Imus, Dennis Miller, Lou Dobbs and OSU sports will be looking for
new homes on Tulsa's radio dials as two AM stations change to Spanish-
language formats.
Gaytan Broadcasting LLC, a Tulsa company that owns Que Buena KXTD
(1530 AM), purchased KLZI (1570 AM) and KRVT (1270 AM) from Reunion
Broadcasting this week.
{sic thruout: 1570 is really KZLI -- so much for the impact its
ex-`Smart Talk` format had on this writer --- gh}
"There's a sizable Hispanic Tulsa community, and it`s only going to
get bigger with or without immigration reform," said Allen McLaughlin,
operations manager and general sales manager for Gaytan Broadcasting.
The new programming, which begins at midnight Monday, means Que Buena
will move to 24-hour broadcasting from a daylight-only frequency.
KRVT 1270 is an oldies station that also is home to Oklahoma State
University football and basketball, and features talk show host Don
Imus in the morning.
KLZI 1570 hosts mostly political talk shows from personalities such as
comedian Dennis Miller, actor and former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson, and
former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs. Both stations transmit from Claremore.
With the acquisitions, Que Buena will move from 1530 AM to 1270 AM.
Que Buena's current 1530 frequency is a daytime-only station, which
cuts broadcasting time significantly in the winter months.
"It really limited what we could do sometimes," McLaughlin said.
The new 1270 signal is a 24-hour station. The other two stations
broadcast only during daytime hours.
KXTD 1530 will become a Spanish-language pop station that plays
"rhythmic Latino pop," a genre popular in Latin American countries
outside of Mexico.
KLZI 1570 will become a religious-theme station, primarily drawing on
the Hispanic community's strong Catholic roots, McLaughlin said.
The purchase gives the Tulsa area five Spanish-language radio
stations, up from three before the deal.
People who speak Spanish at home make up about 7.5 percent of Tulsa
County's population, or 40,393 people, according to the U.S. Census
Bureau's American Community Survey.
Gaytan Broadcasting's owner, María De León, is vice president of the
Tulsa Area Hispanic Chamber.
The ownership switch means the stations' current programming is up for
grabs. OSU sports probably will be picked up quickly by other
stations, McLaughlin said. OSU also licenses broadcasts to KFAQ (1170
AM), based in Tulsa.
Original Print Headline: Gaytan adds two stations to fold (via DXLD)
EE.UU: Gaytan Broadcasting agrega dos estaciones de radio de idioma
español
TULSA, Oklahoma, 24 de enero de 2011 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ --
Gaytan Broadcasting LLC ha firmado un acuerdo para comprar la cadena
radiodifusora Reunion Broadcasting y se encargara de operar sus dos
estaciones de radio en Tulsa. "Esta adquisición permitirá que Gaytan
Broadcasting mejore su servicio a la Comunidad Hispana de Tulsa y nos
permitirá expandir nuestro trabajo con la comunidad latina en
general", dijo María De León Propietaria y Directora Ejecutiva de
Gaytan Broadcasting.
Gaytan Broadcasting ha operado por mas de 14 años la radiodifusora
KXTD 1530AM con el nombre de "Que Buena" y está al servicio a la
comunidad hispana en el área de Tulsa. Gaytan Broadcasting LLC fue
seleccionada por la Asociación Nacional de Organismos de Radiodifusión
como finalista para los premios Marconi del año 2010 dentro de dos
categorías, la categoría de estaciones medianas del mercado, y la
categoría de estación de radio de habla hispana del año. La Sra. De
León también ha sido nombrada Co-Presidenta de la Cámara de Comercio
Hispana de Tulsa. Que Buena Tulsa KXTD 1530AM
FUENTE: http://bit.ly/fvzVTD (via Yimber Gaviria, Colombia, DXLD)
** OKLAHOMA. 1610, Enid NWS relay via WQCL720, Great Salt Plains State
Park, once again audible on caradio in western Enid, but mixed with
the roaring noise I had been hearing by itself, Jan 31 around 2030 UT.
Plus a slow pulsing, apparently SAH between two different transmitters
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. Update on Enid`s unlicensed FM stations, checked Jan 31
at 2150 UT:
97.7, Part 15 ``WECS`` at Emmanuel Christian School, usual loop by
kids with range of a few blox, for the week of Jan 31-Feb 4. This one
runs a couple minutes, much longer than usual, which is a pity, since
these particular kids are extremely inarticulate and have no business
behind even a play microphone. Furthermore, audio recording has a
problem with its own noise interference rising and falling, at times
overriding the voices.
99.9, GCN pirate, dead air only, and has been so all afternoon (Glenn
Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. Regional tropo enhancement in play morning of Jan 28, as
we are headed for an unusually warm day for January: at 1540 UT I find
analog 48 KWDW-LP Nichols Hills (OKC) Univisión relay is in well (tho
never snow-free) with 18.1 kW ERP, so I check for its sibling now in
DTV on channel 36, KHCM-CA, 7.33 kW.
That is decoding as 36-1, and I discover that they have added 36-2!
It`s carrying ``La Zeta`` KTUZ 106.7 audio and the video is just
continuous advertising, in several frames, similar to but not
synchronized with their website http://www.ktuz.com/
{BTW, ``aspect ratio cannot be changed`` on 36-1 or 36-2; we know
Univisión network is available in HD, as carried on 31 from Kansas}
By 1600, both are beginning to fade/lose decoding. Strangely enough,
http://www.rabbitears.info/market.php Market 50 info for OKC does not
show 36-2, nor 48 analog! The above info is from
http://www.w9wi.com/states/OK.html
Note: KTUZ-TV RF 29 (``30``) ``Shawnee`` full power is Telemundo with
no virtual channels. Tyler Media has wrapped up both rivals Univisión
and TM in this market. Sort of like being affiliated with both CBS and
NBC. Why don`t they put UNI as 30-2 instead of messing with these low-
power relays? (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. 24, KOKH, OKC on 25.2 subchannel Saturday Jan 29 at 1556
UT with e/i kidvid combining animation and live axion, instead of
Country Music Network, tho PSIP ID still claims it`s CMN. Titan TV
schedule shows nothing but ``TCN`` music videos 24/7 for this. 1559
outro logo for the kidvid shows The Country Network; 1600 local ID
combining KOKH, 25.2, The Country Network, and back to videos with
guitar bug lower-right. So is TCN = CMN? Why both?
Seems even obscure nets like this have to pay their e/i dues, even if
it mean breaking format, and they all cynically do it on Saturday
morning ghetto, leaving the poor kids nothing wholesome(?) to watch
the rest of the time (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. Antenna TV was launched January 1, on some DTV stations`
extra channels, but initial listings showed KFOR-TV OKC would not
start until late January. Now in very late January, 31, I check again:
http://www.antennatv.tv/affiliates/ now shows:
Oklahoma City KFOR 4.2 - Coming in May
Oklahoma City - Coming in May Cox 247
What`s the big holdup? Quite A few others have been delayed into Feb
or March, and a lot of TBAs, but I don`t see any others as late as May
(Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. Wendy, I was delighted to run across European Journal
from Deutsche Welle TV this evening [Thu Jan 27] --- ch 12, tuned in
at 5:25 and it lasted until 5:52 or so 2325-2352 UT]. I gather it is a
weekly soft-news magazine.
This doesn`t show on your program schedule at
http://www.pegasys.org/schedulecurrent.pdf
nor in the Eagle.
So what`s the deal? What are the real times you are carrying DW TV on
a regular basis? I wonder how long DW has been appearing as I don`t
often check ch 12 around this time.
While keeping Classic Arts much of the time, there is so much else you
could be providing from foreign news sources.
For example, see http://mhznetworks.com/
(I have no idea whether any costs are involved, but I would hope not,
in at least some cases.) Regards, (Glenn Hauser, to Wendy Quarles,
head of Pegasys, Enid`s cable-access channels, via DXLD) No reply
** OKLAHOMA. OKLA program juggling --- I`m glad to see the new post-
Ebert show and agree it should be first on Friday night, tho Thursday
would be even better. I`m also glad that the show it bumped, BBC
Newsnight, is still on the schedule, Sunday night. I`m not so glad
that White House Chronicle does not air until 12:30 am Monday, as a
result.
I`m not so glad that despite my suggestion months ago that you get rid
of McLaughlin One on One, since it`s rerun after rerun (and the
originals are getting pretty stale, obviously several years old, altho
they try to hide it with no (c) date, etc.; John looks a lot older now
on the Group), it`s still playing.
Fortunately, there is a solution for this: put WHC on at 11 pm, and if
you really must, swap MOOO into 12:30 am. McCuistion also seems to be
old/rerun stuff too, and I rarely try to watch it any more. Regards,
(Glenn Hauser, Enid, to OETA, via DXLD)
We'll definitely take your suggestion into consideration for our April
schedule. Thank you, (Holly Emig, OETA, Feb 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** OMAN. 15140, R. Sultanate of Oman, making a rare audible
appearance, but only poor, Jan 31 at 1459 with YL narrating something
in English, 1500 interrupted for switch to Arabic service, with louder
modulation, ID, fanfare, and presumed news. S9+10 peaks with deep
fades (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
15140, Radio Sultanate of Oman (Thumryat), 1727-1735, 2/1/2011,
Arabic. Traditional vocal music. Short announcement by woman at 1730
followed by alternating talk by woman and man, with an occasional few
bars of music. Generally weak signal with fading, sometimes up to
moderate strength (Jim Evans, Germantown, TN, IC-R75, RX-340, E1, ICF-
SW7600G, G6, Random Wire, ALA100M Loops, Cumbredx mailing list via
DXLD)
** PAKISTAN. QSL: Radio Pakistan via Islamabad 15490. Card shows View
of Alamgiri Gate, Shahi Fort, Lahore. Full data on reverse; Verie /
Signer was Muhammad Sajid Quereshi. Also received a nice letter
and a copy of Pakistan Calling magazine; haven't had one of these for
a decade! Air in 3 months for 2 IRC's and postcard (Johno Wright,
Peakhurst NSW (Icom R8500 + EWE antennae), Jan-Feb Australian DX News
via DXLD) see also KASHMIR [non]
** PALAU. 9950, Jan 30 at 1451, playing music including riff from
``Touch Me`` by The Doors, 1453 Japanese talk, 1457 giving URL with //
pronounced ``surashu, surashu``, and schedule mentioning kirohertsu
several times, to 1459*. Is Furusato no Kaze, 100 kW, 345 degrees from
Koror via T8WH; better signal than neighbor 9955 WRMI (Glenn Hauser,
OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) usually filed under KOREA NORTH [non]
** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Re 11-04: Probably the best in several months,
especially high band after 1530, to about 1550 UT.
1725, GA, PNG beacon strong enough with no audio filter (CW mode)
1737, KUT, PNG beacon strong enough with no audio filter (USB mode)
(Steve Ratzlaff, NE Oregon, R75, longwires, Jan 26, IRCA via DXLD)
Both PNG beacons good again today, at 1522 UT strong enough to hear
without a narrow audio filter. 1725 GA, PNG; 1737 KUT, PNG. KUT wildly
miskeying, only the "T" at the end consistently heard for a valid part
of the ident. 73 (Steve Ratzlaff, NE Oregon, R75, longwires, Jan 29,
ibid.)
** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Week in Review: No P/NG except for Radio East New
Britain, 3385, with a few bursts from underneath the utility
interference (Bill, W1OW, Smith, Douglas MA, Jan 30, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 7324.935, R. Wantok Light [sic], 0816,
contemporary Christian music, then woman with, "This is the Papua New
Guinea Christian Radio Network." Fair-to-good with a warbly
transmitter. 25 January (David Sharp, NSW Australia: FT-950, NRD-535D,
R8, ICF SW7600GR, Timewave 599zx, etc., dxldyg via DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** PERU. 4775, Radio Tarma, 2314-2333 Jan 24, woman announcer hosting
program of English lyric pop music. Several IDs and Spanish talks.
Fair (Rich D`Angelo, French Creek State Park, PA, DXpedition No. 39,
Ten-Tec RX-340, Drake R-8B and an Eton E1, 500-foot wire essentially
north for the RX-340 and 250-foot wire essentially northeast for the
R-8B and a whip antenna for the E1, NASWA yg via DXLD)
** PERU. 4954.98, R. Cultural Amauta, 1017, presumed with huaynos and
talk by a man. Very weak. 25 January (David Sharp, NSW Australia)
4974.77, R. Pacífico, 0931, rising above threshold, with talk by a
man, canned "Radio Pacífico" reverb ID. 25 January (David Sharp, NSW
Australia: FT-950, NRD-535D, R8, ICF SW7600GR, Timewave 599zx, etc.,
dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PHILIPPINES. On October 4, DZRJ-810 was rebranded as “The Voice of
the Philippines”, with an all-English newstalk format. Programming
includes live feeds from the VOA and BBC. The station has also
increased power to 50 kw (Philippine Star website
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=617785&publicationSubCategoryId=63
via Bruce Portzer, DX Worldwide II,
IRCA DX Monitor Jan 29 via DXLD)
** PHILIPPINES. 9570, Feb 1 at 1459, RVA ID in English twice from
Quezon City, introducing Russian hour about to start. 1500 bells and
Russian opening, but I do not hear the word ``Blagovest``. Maybe I am
just missing it and this is still the same program as before (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PHILIPPINES. 12055, Jan 29 at 0014, ``Jesus Saves`` IS, so it`s
FEBC. 0015 birds chirping and other dawn-chorus sounds. ID? and song
in unID language, fair and fading. HFCC shows multilingual service 100
kW, 305 degrees from Bocaue site at 2330-0115. Aoki refines this to
0015 transition from Tai-Lu language to Lahu. Of course!
Eibi shows: Tai-Lu is spoken by the Lu in S China, 0.25 Megapersons,
and in Burma by 0.2 Mp; Lahu is spoken in China by 0.4 Mp, and in
Myanmar by 0.15 Mp --- minority cultures at risk to the Christian
conversionists (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PHILIPPINES. Happy New Year in GE - Tinang, Philippines
IBB Tinang SW site, Philippines. Finally & happily the Tinang site is
revealed thanks to new GE imagery for 2011. Unfortunately the imagery
is horrible & also covered in some inconvenient cloud, but it does
give us the best look yet of the site. We listed this site as two
sites previously, but because of the quality of the imagery, at this
stage I can only determine one general area.
Start here with these coordinates: 15.362953 120.629300
Maybe the TXer building is here: 15.378903 120.625671
with most antennas now south of here & maybe some antennas northward
removed?? (Ian Baxter, NSW, Jan 27, shortwavesites yg via DXLD)
Bravo, missed often in past 3 years of Google search.
2 curtain arrays are located far from each other ...
2 curtains in the North
15?22'58.56"N 120?37'45.57" E
4 curtains in northeastern corner
15?22'51.57"N 120?38'04.07" E
TX house center
15?22'44.14"N 120?37'31.14" E
2 curtains on the northwestern side
15?22'58.82"N 120?37'13.67" E
2 curtains on the northwestern corner
15?23'05.47"N 120?37'11.62" E
TX house far northern
15?23'04.87"N 120?37'18.00" E
8 masts d i m m l y visible, log-per?
15?23'13.61"N 120?37'13.66" E
could be the movable former Poro 50 kW unit antennas ?
Called PHX in IBB/HFCC registrations.
7 curtains, around
15?22'23.14"N 120?37'31.62" E
rather not visible masts under the cloud, maybe also another TX house
under the cloud ??
15?22'02.98"N 120?37'38.90" E
15.362953 N 120.629300 E
is rather an antenna switching unit ..
12 masts on easterly side, rather lower power log-per?
15?21'53.10"N 120?38'18.59" E
5 curtains on the southern edge side
15?21'36.56"N 120?37'58.61" E
6 curtains on southwestern side
15?21'37.91"N 120?37'28.98" E
vy 73 wb and good night (Wolfgang Büschel, ibid.)
VOA relay station at Tinang, Philippines. 1984.
From "History of International Broadcasting" ,volume 2.
[Tinang, Philippines, VOA, 1984. 8]
2.3.4. Aerial photos by courtesy of Carlo Tonet,
the pilot from Manila.
[Tinang, PHL, VOA. 2]
[Tinang, PHL, VOA. 3]
[Tinang, PHL, VOA 4]
5. The Tx building at Tinang.
[Tinang, PHL,VOA - Radio Pilipinas.5]
(Lev Lytovchenko, Canada, shortwavesites yg via DXLD)
** POLAND [non]. PRES B-10 updated: see INTERNATIONAL, Babcock
** PRIDNESTROVYE. 6240, Radio PMR, Friday Jan 28 at 2159 playing
national anthem, 2200 OC briefly and off. This ``M-F`` service signs
off at local midnight Friday into Saturday, while on Sun-Thu it runs
until 2400; UT Sunday resuming at 2200, which is the beginning of
Monday there. No longer relaying Voice of Russia daily after 0000,
apparently moved to 7290, where signal is much worse here (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Radio PMR closed on 6240 at 2200 Jan 28 after presumed national anthem
and nothing heard on 6240 at 0027 Jan 29. Regards (Harry Brooks, North
East England UK, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Moved to 7290 (gh)
** QATAR [and non]. Englischprogramm von Al-Jazeera im Großteil der
USA aus Kabelnetzen verbannt --- Ein kritischer Artikel der (links-
liberalen) Huffington Post über die Gründe, warum Al Jazeera
International in den USA von den meisten Kabelbetreibern boykottiert
wird. Quelle: Huffington Post,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/30/al-jazeera-english-us_n_816030.html
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH BLACKED OUT ACROSS MOST OF U.S.
First Posted: 01/30/11 05:00 PM Updated: 01/31/11 04:44 PM
WASHINGTON - Canadian television viewers looking for the most thorough
and in-depth coverage of the uprising in Egypt have the option of
tuning into Al Jazeera English, whose on-the-ground coverage of the
turmoil is unmatched by any other outlet. American viewers, meanwhile,
have little choice but to wait until one of the U.S. cable-company-
approved networks broadcasts footage from AJE, which the company makes
publicly available. What they can't do is watch the network directly.
Other than in a handful of pockets across the U.S. - including Ohio,
Vermont and Washington, D.C. - cable carriers do not give viewers the
choice of watching Al Jazeera. That corporate censorship comes as
American diplomats harshly criticize the Egyptian government for
blocking Internet communication inside the country and as Egypt
attempts to block Al Jazeera from broadcasting.
The result of the Al Jazeera English blackout in the United States has
been a surge in traffic to the media outlet's website, where footage
can be seen streaming live. The last 24 hours have seen a two-and-a-
half thousand percent increase in web traffic, Tony Burman, head of
North American strategies for Al Jazeera English, told HuffPost. Sixty
percent of that traffic, he said, has come from the United States.
Al Jazeera English launched in the fall of 2006, opening a large
bureau on K Street in downtown Washington, but has made little
progress in persuading cable companies to offer the channel to its
customers.
The objections from the cable companies have come for both political
and commercial reasons, said Burman, the former editor-in-chief of the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. "In 2006, pre-Obama, the experience
was a challenging one. Essentially this was a period when a lot of
negative stereotypes were associated with Al Jazeera. The effort was a
difficult one," he said, citing the Bush administration's public
hostility to the network.
"There was reluctance from these companies to embark in a direction
that would perhaps be opposed by the Bush administration. I think
that's changed. I think if anything the Obama administration has
indicated to Al Jazeera that it sees us as part of the solution, not
part of the problem," Burman said.
Cable companies are also worried, said Burman, that they will lose
more subscribers than they will gain by granting access to Al Jazeera.
The Canadian experience, he said, should put those fears to rest. In
Canada, national regulators can require cable companies to provide
certain channels and Al Jazeera ran a successful campaign to encourage
Canadians to push the government to intervene. There has been
extremely little negative reaction over the past year as Canadians
have been able to view the channel and decide for themselves. "We had
a completely different process and result here in Canada -- a
grassroots campaign that was overwhelmingly successful," said Avi
Lewis, the former host of Al Jazeera's Frontline USA. (He now
freelances for Al Jazeera while working on a documentary project with
his wife, Naomi Klein.)
Media critics have begun to push for Al Jazeera's inclusion. "It is
downright un-American to still refuse to carry it," wrote Jeff Jarvis
on Sunday. "Vital, world-changing news is occurring in the Middle East
and no one-not the xenophobic or celebrity-obsessed or cut-to-the-bone
American media-can bring the perspective, insight, and on-the-scene
reporting Al Jazeera English can."
Al Jazeera follows a public broadcasting model similar to the BBC, CBC
and NPR and is largely funded by the government of Qatar, which Burman
said takes a completely hands-off approach to content. Al Jazeera is
the scourge of authoritarian governments around the Middle East, which
attempt to block it. The network, however, covers much more than the
Middle East, and now has more bureaus in Latin America than CNN and
the BBC, said Burman. "As proud as we are of our Middle Eastern
coverage, we are in other places in the world that are never, never
seen on television in American homes," he said.
Burman said that he will use the experience with the Tunisia and
Egyptian uprisings in upcoming meetings with cable providers as the
network continues its push. Comcast did not respond to requests for
comment.
"Why in the most vibrant democracy in the world, where engagement and
knowledge of the world is probably the most important, why it's not
available is one of these things that would take a PhD scholar to
understand," Burman said.
--
UPDATE I: A reader emails to say that Al Jazeera programming is also
being carried by the satellite channel LinkTV, which can be found on
channel 9410 on Dish Network and 375 on DirecTV.
--
UPDATE II: Another reader emails to say that Al Jazeera broadcasts
over some of the Pacifica stations, including WBAI (New York, 5-6 AM,
99.5 FM), KPFA (Berkeley, 6-7 AM, 94.1 FM) and KPFT (Houston, 5-6 AM,
90.1 FM).
--
UPDATE III: Comcast spokesperson Alana Davis responded to a HuffPost
request for comment. "We do not offer Al Jazeera English on our video
service," said Davis. Asked whether Comcast might reconsider its
position, Davis said: "We can't speculate; however, we regularly
examine our channel lineups and talk with a wide range of programmers
to ensure that we are bringing the content that our customers want the
most."
--
UPDATE IV: Free Speech TV shows Al Jazeera Headline News and The Riz
Khan show on Dish Network channel 9415 and DIRECTV channel 348,
according to a reader. Stephanie Misar, marketing director with MHz
Networks, an independent, non-profit public broadcaster, also provided
details as to where and how viewers may be able to find Al Jazeera
English. "Viewers can watch full time, 24/7 Al Jazeera English via MHz
Networks 5 in the Washington, DC metro on channels: Over the air
digital broadcast 30.5, Comcast 275, Cox 474, and Verizon FiOS 457,"
she said in an email.
Misar added: Weekday daily AJE newscasts (8 AM and 7 PM ET) and
weekend (7 PM ET) are available on the national channel of MHz
Networks, called MHz Worldview, in over 35 million households across
the country through our network of broadcast and cable affiliates in:
Los Angeles- KCET; San Bernardino, CA- KVCR; Chicago, IL- WYCC; San
Francisco, CA- KCSM; Washington, DC- WNVC/MHz Networks; Tacoma-
Seattle, WA- KBTC; Cleveland/Akron/Youngstown, OH- WNEO/WEAO;
Minneapolis, MN- MPS Cable; Miami, FL- WLRN; Denver, CO- KBDI;
Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne, FL- WCEU; Charlotte, NC- WTVI;
Nashville, TN- WNPT; Salt Lake City, UT- UEN (statewide); Grand
Rapids/ Kalamazoo/Beaver Creek, MI- WGVU; Spokane/Yakima, WA-
KWSU/KTNW; New Orleans, LA- WLAE; Las Vegas, NV- Vegas PBS; Richmond,
VA- WCVE; Flint, MI- WDCQ; Charleston, IL- WEIU; Plattsburgh, NY-
Mountain Lake PBS (WCFE); Lansing, MI- LCC TV; Moline, IL (Quad
Cities)- WQPT; Warrensburg, MO- KMOS; Topeka, KS- KTWU; Rochester-
Austin, MN- KSMQ; Charlottesville, VA- WHTJ; St.Paul, MN- St. Paul
Neighborhood Network; Stanford, CA- Stanford University Cable.
"The newscasts are also available on MHz Worldview nationally via
DirecTV channel 2183. Channel numbers and service providers are
available here.
"One on One with Riz Khan from AJE is also available on our national
channel on Sundays at 10:30 AM ET and can be watched via the network
of affiliates as well. MHz Networks is an independent, non-profit
public broadcaster, bringing international perspectives and
programming to globally-minded viewers throughout the United States."
Readers can demand Al Jazeera English here. Here are the contact pages
for Comcast, Time Warner and DirecTV (via Martin Prochazka, Austria,
Jan 31, A-DX via Wolfgang Büschel, DXLD)
Al Jazeera pro / con query
We are considering adding the Al Jazeera English language broadcast to
our schedule, since Pacifica has pledged to make it available. Among
the broadcast outlets available in our signal area the best news
sources about what is happening in Egypt right now are Democracy Now
and FSRN, both of which we already carry.
NPR's coverage has been pretty shallow and lackluster and the
commercial outlets coverage ranges from inadequate to offensive. We
note that many people are turning to the internet for their news on
this topic and that Al Jazeera is one of the principle sources folks
are relying on. A number of us feel that adding Al Jazeera would be a
service to our listeners, yet a few of our volunteers have expressed
concerns. Some are saying that A.J. is "too controversial" and that it
may sully our nascent reputation, or alienate potential listeners.
Others feel that Al Jazeera is "biased", "anti-American", "B.S.", and
a "Muslim-oriented operation". One of our volunteers is a Gulf war vet
who says that Al Jazera is "an insult".
Although it appears that none of the volunteers who are expressing
these concerns have actually listened to the Al Jazeera broadcast
prior to forming their opinions I think it is safe to assume that
their reactions are probably representative of the reaction we can
expect from a portion of the listening audience.
If people's reactions to Al Jazeera are based on misapprehensions and
prejudices isn't it our job to try to break those down? In doing so,
however, are we "choosing the right battles"?
I'd like to know what other folks opinions of Al Jazeera are, and,
especially, what your exeriences have been for those of you who have
begun to carry the program. Evan Davis, WCRSfm.org (Jan 31 via Des
Preston, MI, DXLD)
Evan: This morning I heard NPR's Diane Rehm and her guests discuss
Egypt. This evening I heard NPR's Tom Ashbrook treating the same
subject on his On Point program. My fellow Ann Arborite Robin Wright
was a guest on both programs. Both were quite surprisingly good and
didn't insult my intelligence. This was a very rare day. Normally I
find NPR's treatment of such things to be execrable. I saw no more
than forty-five seconds of the perennially clueless Charlie Rose
talking to his predictably meretricious think tank guests about Egypt
before acute and utter disgust forced me to turn the TV off again.
PBS/NPR is not part of my normal news diet which is very large and
highly variegated.
As several of my GRC and especially AMARC friends and colleagues on
this list know about me, some for as long as twenty two years, I have
uncompromisingly high standards for my sources of news. It is my well
considered assessment that Al Jazeera is a world class news operation
which now rivals and often surpasses the BBC. I strongly recommend
that your station carry AlJaz.
You may have difficulty using rational argumentation to defend airing
AlJaz. Some people are not responsive to reason. Glen Beck fans are
like that. Sometimes I use psychological warfare. I project an air of
coolness by being an AlJaz watching iPhone user. I treat CNNheads with
mild disdain and condescension. On ham radio, I react with surprise
when people tell me they haven't been watching Rachel Maddow or Amy
Goodman or AlJaz. I summarily dismiss Foxheads with more contempt than
pity.
At this one watering hole here in Ann Arbor this past Friday and
Saturday everyone I spoke to had been watching AlJaz. Cool people.
Let's take a look at your station's mission statement for a moment.
WCRS-LP FM is a non-commercial, listener-supported community radio
station serving Central Ohioans, providing quality programming to:
•Promote personal and civic responsibility, informed action and
thoughtful living;
•Challenge cultural and intellectual assumptions;
•Celebrate local cultures;
•Air alternative points of view and facilitate understanding through
dialogue;
•To provide media training and to foster community empowerment and
participation.
•To provide representation for under-served and under-represented
constituencies and viewpoints, and to provide news and information not
commonly found elsewhere on the airwaves.
Hm.
Challenge cultural and intellectual assumptions. Air alternative
points of view and facilitate understanding through dialogue. Provide
news and information not commonly found elsewhere on the airwaves.
Seems like a no-brainer to me. You can facilitate understanding
through dialogue with any skeptical listeners who are so disposed and
capable after you've been airing AlJaz for a while.
As for your volunteers who have an opinion about AlJaz without ever
having heard it or seen it or visited its website, I can only question
your station's recruitment policies and practices. As far as
fulfilling your mission statement in central Ohio without controversy:
Good luck with that (Des Preston, KB8UYJ, Sent from my AlJaz streaming
iPhone, Feb 1, to Evan Davis, WCRS-LP, via DXLD)
** ROMANIA. 15750, R. Romania International, Tiganeshti. NF for
English to Pacific, ex 21600. First heard 0640 at fair strength with
some noise. Heard again on 10/1. DX mailbag at 0649 (Dunn)
17780, R. Romania Int., Tiganeshti. Good reception with English to
Pacific, at 0652 on 20/1. RRI Sports Club mentioning Romanian tennis
players competing in the Australian Open, better than // 15750 (Glenys
Dunn, Geelong West Vic (Yaesu FRG-8800, 39m longwire), Jan-Feb
Australian DX News via DXLD)
15170, Jan 29 at 1423, RRI ID in Romanian service, yodeling morphing
into ``O Sole Mio``, nice folk music concert until rude, abrupt cutoff
the air at 1456* without so much as a ``la revedere``. This is in the
clear only on Saturdays when REE/Costa Rica takes a break (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENINBG DIGEST)
Listening to Radio Romania Int describe the demonstrations in Tunis
and Cairo, and the flight of Ben Ali, you could almost hear them
thinking: remember Christmas, 1989. But they didn’t actually mention
it at all. The most powerful punchline was the one not spoken. On 7310
after 2130, Jan 31 2011 (Dr Derek Lynch, Ireland, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ROMANIA. New images of Tiganesti, Romania
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/41996822.jpg
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/36534581
New GE image of site now available & much improved. IB
(Ian Baxter, NSW, Jan 27, shortwavesites yg via DXLD)
** RUSSIA: Chita - New Panoramio Images. A couple of pics. The first
one is a beauty.
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/39300994.jpg
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/31392812.jpg
IB (Ian Baxter, NSW, Jan 27, shortwavesites yg via DXLD)
** RUSSIA. 6075, altho R. Rossii, Pet/Kam sounds OK now, Jan 27 at
1347, motorboatingless music and Russian announcements, with BFO we
can tell the carrier is a bit unstable, so bet it will steadily
degrade again. See also UNIDENTIFIED 6074 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
[and non]. 6075, R. Rossii, no motorboating and not much program audio
either Jan 30 at 1359, but could hear 1400+ timesignal, mixing with
Taipei ID and then more Chinese from jamming. Hard to tell when
Pet/Kam carrier goes off, without the motorboating roar! No sign of
2MTL or 8GAL 6074 until 1402 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
6075, GTRK Kamchatka via Petropavlovsk-Kamchatka, 0710-0724, Feb 1. A
different, shorter format now with their local/regional programming no
longer being 50 minutes long; starts with IDs for “Radio Rossii
Kamchatka” and “This is Kamchatka”; this English ID was formerly
always given at the BoH; quickly into monologue (not in Russian; Mauno
suggests perhaps in Koryak) with many mentions of “Kamchatka”; 0724
back to Russian and regular Radio Rossii IDs; very good reception.
Attached audio has IDs. Mauno Ritola (Finland) comments: “you are
right, definitely not Russian. I suppose it must then be Koryak,
relaying Palana. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koryak_language
What a pity, that Palana 4520 kHz was closed long ago”; thanks to
Mauno for his feedback. Now is the time to catch this local program
while the audio is still fairly good (only slight hum), as recently
the strong motorboating/hum was fixed (Ron Howard, Asilomar State
Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** RUSSIA [and non]. Voice of Russia heard here in Texas with a fairly
good signal on 7290 just after 0130 UT Jan 27. Almost, but not quite
the same signal level as the old 6240 but slightly better than //
7250, and no co-channel QRM. Both 7250 and 7290 better level than the
Russian language service on 7220 at the same time (Steve Luce,
Houston, TX, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
I asked VOR about their use of 7290 kHz and dropping 6240 kHz via
Moldova. Their reply and latest schedule:
Thanks for your letter received today. We confirm that the VOR is
using 7290 kHz instead of 6240 kHz to North America. We are sending
you a current winter schedule. Please find attached.
The Voice of Russia wishes you all the very best. Sincerely yours,
Alexandra Kamyshanova, Letters Department, World Service, Voice of
Russia
THE VOICE OF RUSSIA WORLD SERVICE OCTOBER 31, 2010 – MARCH 26, 2011
AFRICA
Time (UTC) Meter bands Frequencies (kHz)
16.00-18.00 31 9470
18.00-19.00 25, 41 12060, 7270**
19.00-20.00 26 12060
ASIA
Time (UTC) Meter bands Frequencies (kHz)
04.00-06.00 19 15735*
08.00-10.00 240 1251
10.00-11.00 41 7205
11.00-12.00 41 7205
12.00-13.00 25, 31, 41 11660, 9695, 7350, 7340*
13.00-14.00 41 7205
14.00-15.00 25, 41 12055**, 11660, 7205
15.00-16.00 31, 41, 61, 240 9660, 7260, 4975, 1251
16.00-17.00 31, 41, 61, 309 9880, 7330, 7305, 4975, 972
17.00-18.00 31, 41, 61, 237, 240 9880, 7330, 7240, 4975, 1269,
1251
18.00-19.00 31, 41, 61, 240 9880, 7330, 7240, 4975, 1251
19.00-20.00 61 4975
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
Time (UTC) Meter bands Frequencies (kHz)
07.00-08.00 16 17805, 17665
08.00-11.00 16 17805, 17665
MIDDLE EAST
Time (UTC) Meter bands Frequencies (kHz)
15.00-16.00 61, 240 4975, 1251
16.00-17.00 31, 61, 309 9470, 4975, 972
17.00-18.00 31, 61, 240 9470, 4975, 1251
18.00-19.00 41, 61, 240 7305, 4975, 1251
19.00-20.00 61, 49 4975, 5985**
EUROPE
Time (UTC) Meter bands Frequencies (kHz)
06.00-07.00 227 1323
07.00-09.00 25, 227 11635*, 1323
09.00-10.00 227 1323
15.00-16.00 31, 49 9675, 5905*
16.00-17.00 49 6130
18.00-19.00 41 7330
19.00-20.00 25, 41 12060, 7330
20.00-21.00 41, 247 7330, 1215
21.00-22.00 41, 247 7330, 7290, 1215
22.00-23.00 41, 247 7300, 1215
23.00-00.00 247 1215
NORTH AMERICA
Time (UTC) Meter bands Frequencies (kHz)
23.00-00.00 41 7250
00.00-03.00 41 7290, 7250
03.00-04.00 22, 25, 41 13735, 12040, 12030, 7440, 7290, 7250
04.00-05.00 22, 25, 41 13755, 12040, 12030, 7290
05.00-07.00 25, 31 12030, 9855, 9840
LATIN AMERICA
Time (UTC) Meter bands Frequencies (kHz)
23.00-00.00 41 7250
00.00-03.00 41, 49 7250, 6240
03.00-04.00 41, 49 7440, 7250, 6240
04.00-05.00 49 6240
73, (via Kraig, KG4LAC, Krist, Manassas, Virginia USA, Jan 27, dxldyg
via DXLD)
The latest schedule above is still wrong as it still shows 6240 from
0000 to 0500 for Latin America which is not a separate service from a
different transmitter than that for North America merely a
continuation of the signal from North America onwards. The website
http://english.ruvr.ru/radio_broadcast/schedule/
still hasn't been changed by 1447 on January 27. Regards (Harry
Brooks, North East England UK, ibid.)
Harry, I asked VOR about 6240 for Latin America. Their reply.
"Dear Mr. Kraig Krist, Thanks for your e-mails received today. We
inform you that 7290 kHz is via Moscow. As for 6240 kHz that is used
for Latin America, we inform you that the Ministry of Communications
and Mass Media of the Russian Federation assigns radio frequencies.
The Voice of Russia wishes you all the very best for health, happiness
and success. We will be glad to answer your questions. Please stay in
touch.
Sincerely yours,
Alexandra Kamyshanova
Letters Department
World Service
Voice of Russia"
73, (Kraig, KG4LAC, ibid.)
Kraig, Sorry to have to contradict again. 6240 was used for Latin
America from 0000 to 0500 but not now. Radio Moscow/VOR have never
been particularly good with frequencies so this mail from them does
not surprise me at all. 6240 at 0000-0500 to LA was not separate to
6240 at 0000-0500 for NA. It was the same transmitter from the PMR so
if it's off to NA it's off to LA as well.
I shall check again this evening to see if 6240 is on 0000-0500 but I
suspect not. On a Friday Radio PMR is only 1800-2200 and not to 2400
so there is no midnight close to observe. 7290 from Moscow 0000-0500
explains why signal quality is not as good as 6240 from the PMR.
Monitoring this evening Jan 28 at 1935 VOR is only audible on 1
frequency here and totally unlistenable. 4975 was very poor and I
could only just make out that it was English. Radio PMR on 6240 on the
other hand was outstanding signal quality, S9+60db on my Yaesu
FRG8800. And the website schedule still hasn't been updated! Regards
(Harry Brooks, North East England, UK, Jan 28, ibid.)
** RUSSIA. Planned new transmissions via Russian transmitter site:
7200 0800-1500 27,28 S.P 200 215 0 203 RUS NEW GFC
I'll monitor this St. Petersburg outlet on coming week, due of wrong
band selection by Russian telecom authorities. 7200 kHz is NOT meant
for AM/DSB broadcast transmission next to amateur radio band 7.0 to
7.2 kHz (Wolfgang Büschel, Jan 29, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Jan 30 via
DXLD)
Noted this morning at 0855, thought it was too strong to be Yakutsk
which I haven't heard here lately. S9+10db at 1202, good modulation.
(Mike Barraclough, Feb 1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
> 7200 0800-1500 27,28 S.P 200 215 0 203 RUS NEW GFC
Thanks Mike, switched in here, late at 1220 UT - and noted 7200 kHz R
Rossii program in Russian via St.Petersburg site, S=9+25 dB super
signal. Not // R Rossii Moscow Taldom 12075 kHz til 1300 UT, and
starts on 7310 kHz at 1325 UT usually. 73 wb
[INTRUDER ALERT] Golos Rossiye (= Voice of Russia) on 7200 kHz
0800-1500 UT
----- Original Nachricht ----
Von: dj9kr @ arcor.de
An: intruderalert@iaru-r1.org
Re: Golos Rossiye (= Voice of Russia) on 7200 kHz 0800 - 1500 UTC
Dear Intruder Busters worldwide, DARC MONITORING SYSTEM is now 100 %
sure about the origin of the "new" intruder on 7200 kHz: This morning
sign on was at 0800 UTC. Some 15 minutes before there was a carrier
with measuring tone. Time pips were 2 seconds too late!
The announcement clearly was:- *** GOLOS ROSSIYE ***
which means *** The Voice of Russia ***
The location of the tx-er is St. Petersburg, and the program is from
0800 - 1500 UTC. Will you please inform your National telecoms.
authorities to take action. Thank you for your good work and good luck
yours, (Ulrich Bihlmayer DJ9KR, Vice Coordinator of IARU MonSys Region
1, Coordinator of DARC Monitoring System Intruder Watch via wb, WORLD
OF RADIO 1550, DXLD)
Subject: Re: [INTRUDER ALERT] Golos Rossiye (= Voice of Russia)
on 7200 kHz 0800-1500 UTC
Some questions. What's the problem if 7200 kHz will be in our schedule
during two last months of B10? hams have 195 kHz at least for their
SSB/CW operation during these daylight hours here in Europe, and that
is not enough? Maybe I am under a delusion, but 41 broadcasting m.b.
starts from 7200 kHz, or still from 7205 kHz? (Mikhail Timofeyev, St.
Petersburg, Feb 2, via Wolfgang Büschel, DXLD)
Dear Mikhail, USB - u p p e r side band mode transmissions from St.
Petersburg could be tolerated at 7200 ... 7208 kHz frequency range,
but pure AM - two side band mode transmission n o t ,
latter signal splatter down covers 7192 - 7200 kHz space, as intruder.
Same complaint by German Freq Authority BNA-Bundesnetzagentur happened
a year ago against 7200 channelusing of DTK now Media Broadcast
Cologne, and DTK left 7200 kHz within a week.
Today is a little late, but tomorrow I'll look on internet on ITU
Geneve website, to select the band plan comments by ITU of 7200 kHz
limit point. 73 wolfy (Wolfgang Büschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** RUSSIA. Planned NEW Voice of Russia on the following frequencies
5975 1400-1600 29SE,39,40 S.P 200 147 0 147 RUS VOR GFC
9680 0500-0800 27,28,29SW SAM 250 280 0 146 RUS VOR GFC
11870 0200-0600 44N,45 IRK 250 110 0 218 RUS VOR GFC
12010 0700-1100 44,45 NVS 500 110 0 218 RUS VOR GFC
15250 0200-0600 44N,45 IRK 100 110 0 218 RUS VOR GFC
15520 0200-0600 49 TCH 500 194 0 218 RUS VOR GFC
15700 0700-1100 44,50,54 IRK 250 152 0 288 RUS VOR GFC
(Wolfgang Büschel, Jan 29, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Jan 30 via DXLD)
** RUSSIA. 7320-7325-7330, 31/1 1135, Voice of Russia, DRM, reports in
German, music. No visual ID! It is possible to read only: "LABEL
SERVICE 0". They forgot something. Good signal (Giampiero Bernardini,
Milano, Italia, Perseus & Icom R71E, T2FD 15 meters long, dxldyg via
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
9840 & 9855, Voice of Russia, 0643 Feb 1, only 9855 was in English;
9840 was carrying Russian, not the listed English in // to 9855
(Harold Sellers, Vernon, BC, Listening mobile, Eton E1, Sony AN1
antenna, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Could be Vladivostok mixup,
but 9840 is always co-channel Moscow site in Russian (gh, DXLD)
** RUSSIA [and non]. As a DXer who collects QSL cards I have a bit of
news to report. This week I received a Voice of Russia QSL card. The
card has been re-designed and the line on which they have previously
indicated the transmitter site has been removed. Time, date and
frequency are still on the card as is my name. The switchover must be
very recent as a card less than a month ago still had the line for the
transmitter/relay site. I am not sure whether this new style card
replaces the old card or they now have two varieties. On the report
sent for this card I did request that they indicate the transmitter
site, which was Moldova (Steve, Jan 27, NASWA yg via DXLD)
** RUSSIA [non]. Voice of Russia now 24/7 in Washington DC: Distance
in Sweden now reports VOR on WZHF-AM 1390 kHz, Arlington, Virginia.
Best wishes (Barry :-) Davies, England, Jan 26, MWC yg via DXLD)
** RWANDA. 6055, Radio Rwanda, 2044-2101* Jan 24, man announcer with
long talks in French with short instrumental music segments
interspersed. Music stopped suddenly at 2100 with carrier remaining on
for another minute. Fair to good (Rich D`Angelo, French Creek State
Park, PA, DXpedition No. 39, Ten-Tec RX-340, Drake R-8B and an Eton
E1, 500-foot wire essentially north for the RX-340 and 250-foot wire
essentially northeast for the R-8B and a whip antenna for the E1,
NASWA yg via DXLD)
** SAIPAN. [NORTHERN} MARIANA ISLANDS. Odd-Jorgen Sagdahl, Norway
reporting via the Real DX Yahoo Group reports logging KCNM Saipan on
30 October after many years of chasing it. It is slightly off
frequency at 1079.910 and ident “This is KCNM-AM Saipan” was heard at
1000 UT (NZDXT via DX Worldwide II, IRCA DX Monitor Jan 29 via DXLD)
A new station at Garapan-Saipan has been assigned the call KKMP on
1440. Not yet on the air, has a CP for U1 3/0.5 kW but requests
amendment to U1 with 1.1 kW day & night (NRC via ibid.)
** SAIPAN [and non]. 12090, Jan 30 at 2255 Asian song, good signal
better than fluttery adjacent 12095 BBC. 2300 YL ``This is KFBS,
Saipan, from the Mariana Islands in the Pacific`` and immediately off,
as was BBC. Aoki shows 12090 at 2230-2300 in Vietnamese, 100 kW, 278
degrees from Marpi. BBC is 250 kW, 27 degrees from Ascension, taking a
one-hour break until 0000 resuming via Singapore (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** SARAWAK [non]. 11665 looking for R Sarawak on 1420 28 Jan I found
there CRI in English with signal S8. But after CRI leaves the
frequency, R S was very poor in a relatively moderate local noise
level S1.
Also the other frequency for R Sarawak, 9835 was a little better at S2
max at 1425 Jan 18 with an old Malay song, then hearing a man talking
about 'Sudirman' till 1430 when another old Malay song was played.
These songs reminded me of the times of early 90s when RTM [VOM] on
15295 was heard quite well and played the same nice kinds of songs! A
recheck at ca 1500 with QRM from RL Turkmen. Both checked only under
AM-Narrow band (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, Standard rig:
ICOM R75 / 2x16 V / m@h40 heads Sennheiser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
The above are usually filed under MALAYSIA, q.v., but are SARAWAK
[non] in the sense they are transmitted from West Malaysia. The Below
is SARAWAK [non] in another sense, as a clandestine from further
afield (gh)
** SARAWAK [non]. QSL: 7590, Radio Free Sarawak via Dushanbe-Tangiyul
Transmitter. Two Full data (with site) prepared QSL Cards, signed and
stamped, for a CD MP3 / postal report sent to Switzerland address.
Reply in 26 days. V/s: illegible (Edward Kusalik, VE6EFK, Daysland,
Alberta, Canada, Jan 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SAUDI ARABIA [and non]. 11915 - 28/01/11 - 2038 - B - R. Gaúcha,
Porto Alegre, Portuguese, sports at Rivera, co-channel BKSKA - 52434.
11915 - 20/01/11 - 2038 - BKSKA Holy Qur`an, Riyadh, Arabic, chants //
11930, co-channel R. Gaúcha - 42434.
11930 - 20/01/11 - 2040 - BKSKA Holy Qur`an, Riyadh, Arabic, chants //
11915, co-channel R. Martí - 52455 (Flavio Archangelo PY2ZX, IC-706,
dipoles, Jundiai - SP - Brazil, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SERBIA. 9505, 31/1 1110, International Radio Serbia, in Serbian,
Serbian economics and other reports. Good (Giampiero Bernardini,
Milano, Italia, Perseus & Icom R71E, T2FD 15 meters long, dxldyg via
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SIKKIM. 4835.00, *0058-0110, INDIA, 16+18.01, AIR Gangtok, Sikkim,
Nepali ann after AIR IS and "Vande Mataram" hymn, 0102 string music
and drums, 35333 (Anker Petersen, from Skovlunde, Denmark, done on an
AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, via Dario Monferini, playdx
yg via DXLD)
** SLOVAKIA. R. SLOVAKIA INTERNATIONAL: NEW WEBSITE
http://www.newweb.rozhlas.sk/radio-international-sk
Temporary URL; Should be officially launched on Feb 1. Regards (JM
Aubier, France, Jan 26, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SLOVAKIA. 10000 kHz, Intermodulation of fundamental 9510, and IMs
on 9020 and 10000 kHz, still on air. Noted yesterday on Jan 29 here in
Europe. Confirms, that IRRS still using Rimavska Sobota transmitter
site ... (wb) Viz.:
... wir hatten neulich das Problem: ein englischsprachiger
Kanzelredner auf exakt 10000 kHz. Es handelt sich dabei um die obere
Nebenwelle von IRRS 9510 kHz, die untere von 9020 kHz ist praktisch
genau so gut wie die auf 10000 kHz zu hoeren.
9020 kHz: -80 dBm
9510 kHz: -40 dBm
10000 kHz: 75 dBm
(Nils Schiffhauer, Germany, DK8OK; WinRadio Excalibur, SDR-IP/GPS,
Perseus, 2 x 20 m active quad loop (90 degr), 42 m windom, DX-One
prof; A-DX Jan 30 via BC-DX via DXLD)
** SLOVENIA. LISTENING IN ~ RADIO SLOVENIA WITH DARREN ROZIER
listeningin @ bdxc.org.uk
We’re taking an unusual foray into domestic broadcasting for this
month’s Listening In. Radio Slovenia isn’t strictly speaking an
international broadcaster. It’s the first programme (Prvi Programme in
Slovenian) of the Slovenian domestic public service broadcaster. It’s
not to be confused with Radio Slovenia International, which broadcasts
on local FM through the day and is carried on local medium wave (1170
kHz) overnight.
The output is similar to that of other Central and Eastern European
national channels. Compare it with Horizont in Bulgaria or the Czech
Republic’s main channel on 270 kHz.
The station broadcasts for 24 hours a day but, for three minutes at
10.30pm local time (2030 UT in summer, 2130 UT in winter), there’s a
bulletin in English, followed by a 3 minute bulletin in German. The
news bulletins sound quite old fashioned. Who remembers Radio London
with their news? (I don‘t, but I have listened to archive material).
They would always start by mentioning the location of the news before
reading the story.
As well as local FM, Radio Slovenia broadcasts on 918 kHz. It’s
normally quite easily receivable after dark, but propagation
conditions don’t seem to have been too good of late.
I listened to five bulletins over a week. Here are my findings.
Monday 11th October - 25523 - Roberts R9914.
The broadcast starts with three sounds of the cuckoo, then some music.
You then have a frequency announcement in English, then in German.
Ljubljana (the capital of Slovenia) - Mayor secures a 4th term.
Yerevan (the capital of Armenia) - Agreements to co-operate with
Turkey. There’s been agreement on the avoidance on double taxation.
Ljubljana - There’s a budget for 2011 and 2012. Although the financial
crisis is over, restraint in public spending is needed. There are
plans to freeze pensions and spending in the public sector.
Budapest - Negligence has been blamed for the recent toxic spill. The
government should take control of the company responsible. An
emergency dam is being constructed. Damages must be paid to those
affected.
Stockholm - 2010 is the year of the economic Nobel prizes. They’re
presented by the Royal Swedish Academy of Science. Four people have
been recognised for their analysis of the markets.
Weather - Tomorrow there will be fog in lowland areas. Temperatures
will range from minus 2 to plus 6 C.
Thursday 14th October - 33333 - Sony hi-fi LBT-N200.
Ljubljana - The government have endorsed a bill on railway transport.
There will be the establishment of a holding company and changes to
the endorsement policy. Story on property tax. Brussels - The
Slovenian Prime Minister and defence minister have attended a defence
conference. They’re talking about an alliance with NATO over the next
10 years.
Athens - There’s been a break in at the ancient Acropolis.
Brussels - Something about an official vehicle as a taxi. The signal
faded into a bit of a mess.
Weather - Tomorrow it’ll be 13 C.with temperatures at the coast
getting up to 19 C.
Saturday 16th October - 33323 - Sony hi-fi.
Ljubljana - The boss of a construction company is the best paid
construction worker in the country. Also the European Day of Organ
Transplantation has been recognised in Ljubljana.
Paris - 200 demonstrations have taken place over the retirement age in
France being raised to 62. Charles de Gaulle Airport has been
affected.
USA - A soldier has been court-martialed over the murder of Afghan
civilians.
Beijing - There’s been an explosion in a mine in Henan Province in
China. The treatment for the Chilean miners is still ongoing. One has
dental problems and another has vertigo.. Weather.
Sunday 17th October - 44433 - Sony hi-fi.
Ljubljana - A European wide anti drink-driving campaign took place
last night. Slovenia took part. Various night clubs were patrolled.
Zagreb (the capital of Croatia) - The Slovenian Prime Minister has
visited Croatia. It’s to do with a Croatia/ Slovenia treaty which is
still yet to become binding.
People are filling up at the petrol pumps across Slovenia as more fuel
strikes are expected. The retirement age is set to increase by two
years. Sundays are normally quiet at the pumps. Refineries are due to
close as part of the strike action.
Manila (the capital of the Philippines) - A category 5 typhoon is set
to hit the country. It’s due to hit the North tomorrow. Flooding is
expected and the country has been put on red alert.
Beijing - 26 are now confirmed dead in a collapsed mine in China. The
explosion was caused by a gas leak. Weather - Tomorrow there will be
showers and a strong wind at the coast.
Monday 18th October - 44444 - Sony hi-fi.
Ljubljana - Trade Union representatives have been protesting outside
Parliament House. Strikes have been taking place over pension reform
and over new job legislation.
Split (in Croatia) - A new Slovenian consulate has been opened in
Croatia. It’s time to deal with certain interests and economic ties.
Ljubljana – There are discussions over a border resolution with
Croatia. This is constitutional.
Manila - A typhoon has hit the country with winds at around 220 km/h.
There’s been a landfall and heavy rain. It’s the strongest storms in
the Philippines for 4 years.
Tokyo - Something about conserving life on Earth and the loss of
species in ecosystems. (Sorry, I didn’t understand it all). Weather -
Tomorrow it’ll be partly clear with temperatures up to 17 C at the
coast and up to 12 C inland.
Once the news in German finished there was a further announcement in
both English and German. It said you could listen to more news at
10.30 tomorrow evening. After this the station went back to regular
programmes. They were playing some very underground blues music.
The bulletins on Radio Slovenia are short and sweet, but you get quite
a nice digest of news from Slovenia and from a Slovenian perspective.
Although there’s only three minutes, they do whip through the stories
quite quickly so you learn a lot in a short space of time.
http://www.rtvslo.si/radio/
Let me know if you enjoy listening to Radio Slovenia’s English news
and let me know if there are any other domestic English bulletins from
other foreign countries you would like me to review in Listening In.
Until next time, 73s and God Bless. Darren (Nov BDXC-UK Communication
via DXLD)
** SOLOMON ISLANDS. SIBC on 5019.86 kHz extends broadcasts now at 1320
UT. I can receive music and a short announcement, but cannot copy an
announcement. Poor conditions and severe QRN (S. Hasegawa, Japan, Jan
31, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
5019.88, SIBC, randomly from 1319 to 1440*, Jan 31; extended schedule;
poor to almost fair in QRN; in Tok Pisin; mostly playing pop island
songs; interviews; weather; 1438 usual English sign off announcement
followed by National Anthem. Best in LSB due to Cuba QRM from 5025.
Per Sei-ichi Hasegawa's recent reports, Vanuatu has gone to 24 hour
broadcasting and “The Cross” has been reactivated, so the Pacific
is finally becoming more active on SW.
Attached audio is of sign off announcement and NA (Ron Howard,
Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
http://www.mediafire.com/?kcdwr7yiwcuyq3d
contains audio of sign off announcement and NA (Ron Howard, Asilomar
State Beach, CA, Etón E1, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD)
Probably on longer due to Cyclone near Vanuatu [q.v.] (Robin VK7RH
Harwood, Feb 1, Tasmania, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
5019.88, SIBC, Feb 1. Below threshold level, but open carrier noted at
0627; improved by 0646 and could make out announcements in English and
Tok Pisin (“For more information contact”, students should check on
the weather; phone numbers given for various services, etc.); poor but
improving; best in LSB (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1,
dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SOMALIA [non]. 11970 - 28/01/11 - 2041 - UAE - R. Damal
(tentative), Dhabayya, Somali, long music - 24422 (Flávio Archángelo
PY2ZX, IC-706, dipoles, Jundiai - SP - Brazil, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SOUTH AFRICA. 5910, fair Jan 30 at 2332, BBC News headlines, 2333
opening `Something Understood`, and then cutting off the air. Another
overrun by SENTECH, as BBC is supposedly only at 2200-2300, 100 kW,
330 degrees (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SPAIN [and non]. 11680 - 28/01/11 - 2116 - E - REE, Noblejas, PP,
vy good international nx, special report on Franco´s political period,
mx, ID, s/off 2156, fantastic signal and stability, service mixed with
SS pxs - 55555 (Flavio Archangelo PY2ZX, IC-706, dipoles, Jundiai - SP
- Brazil, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
9765 via COSTA RICA, Jan 27 at 1344 checked REE again since 24 hours
earlier there was no Basque as scheduled M-F at 1330. No Basque today
either; what has become of it? Did someone slip and say something pro-
ETA? Instead, Castilian discussion about Reyes Magos with novelist who
has a blogspot. Then promo for ``Sexto Continente`` literary contest.
Easy to tune, up exactly 4 MHz from AFN.
15385, REE Emisión Sefarad, fair Monday Jan 31 around 1445, interview
in Ladino with an Auschwitz survivor.
17595, REE`s foreign-language news capsules reconfirmed Feb 1 at 1530
starting in heavily accented Portuguese, then French, and from 1537.6,
English, story #1 being Cairo demonstrations, day 8.
I still need to reconfirm whether Basque is airing M-F at 1330 as that
was missing at least twice last week.
REE`s Basque service finally reconfirmed after missing at least two
days last week: 15170 via Costa Rica, Thu Feb 3 at 1330 is still in
Castilian with fútbol discussion, but by 1334 when I have tuned up to
17595 direct, both frequencies are now in Basque, but resorting to
Castilian terms such as gastronómico, tabaco, film, estreno,
Televisión Española (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SUDAN [non]. ASCENSION: 17700, Sudan Radio Service; 1622-1632+, 29-
Jan; M in Arabic, but using some English words; mentions of Sudan; one
apparent ID was not in Arabic, but Sudan Radio clear. SIO=454+. Not //
17745 via Portugal with mainly Afro music.
PORTUGAL: 17745, Sudan Radio Service; 1504-1517+, 29-Jan; Let's Talk,
English political program with commentaries & dramatizations; "Leaders
may not know the priorities of the people they represent." Not sure of
context, but sounded like the name of South Sudan may be Al-Jadida.
SIO=354-, fady (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Michigan Area Radio
Enthusiasts DXpedition, Brighton MI, Drake R8B + 500 ft. SSWish
unterminated bev & 85 ft. TTFD, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
17745, SRS, 1510 28 Jan with talks by woman and man. At 1512 a quite
lengthy jingle of the station was aired with HoA musical style, news
then followed. Signal started with S2 faded out to S0 then increased
to S7 (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, Standard rig: ICOM R75
/ 2x16 V / m@h40 heads Sennheiser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) via PORTUGAL
** SUDAN [non]. QSLs: GERMANY, 13730, Radio Dabanga via Wertachtal.
Full data (with site and name of broadcast) Card Four ‘Canal in
Dieman‘ QSL card from Radio Nederland’s (which Media Broadcast forward
to). This for an August 2009 report, which finally was able to get
verified. This Postal report was sent to Media Broadcast as a follow-
up.
13730, Radio Dabanga via Wertachtal. Received an e-mail response from
Mr.Walter Brodowsky, verifying my 2009 report (sent via Postal
directly to him).
In his response, he explained that Media Broadcast is now part of TDF
that changes with staff, and the interchange with TDF was taking
longer then expected. Hence, my reports not getting verified during
this transition. Further, I did send (via Postal) list of five
stations, heard, e-mail reports sent, but never verified, which only
two where actually verified from Mr. Brodowsky, via e-mail.
Four days later, received a Radio Dabanga QSL direct from the
organization, for a report sent direct to this organization.
QSL: 9650, Voice of America ‘Hello Durfur’ Broadcast via Wertachtal.
After sending a postal report, received this e-mail verification from
Walter Brodowsky, for this report. Indicated that my report would be
forward to the VOA, for their verification, which is still outstanding
and still waiting for their response (Edward Kusalik, VE6EFK,
Daysland, Alberta, Canada, Jan 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SURINAME. Re 11-04: ``914, R. Nickerie is observed (Renato in mw-br
@ yahoogrupos.com.br via ARC South American News Desk, Jan via DXLD)
Apparently replying to WRTH 2011 which says it is ``not heard``, nor
the two other private MW stations. On such a rare split frequency,
some signs of it ought to show up for NAm MW DXers; 3 kW (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)``
Even in the best of times -- an aurora in the 1970's when there were
lots of splits -- this one was rarely heard. The word was that they
had a poor ground system and other issues which reduced their
coverage. It hasn't been reported to either NRC or IRCA in well over 5
years (Russ Edmunds, 15 mi NNW of Philadelphia, Grid FN20id, WTFDA-AM
via DXLD)
Surinam-914 heard here several times with Hindi programming at good
level back in 1978-1979 but not since. Surinam-820 heard a couple of
times back in 1971-1972 but not since. Of course Surinam-725 was L&C
for many years - many years ago. :-) I actually have a QSL card from
them (Marc DeLorenzo, South Dennis, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
http://www.wtfda.info/showthread.php?t=228 ibid.)
** SWAZILAND. I also recently received a reply from TWR Swaziland. The
card is two pieces of paper partially glued together with a photo of
their antenna towers on the front and the time, date and frequency on
the reverse. However, they no longer include the name of the DXer /
recipient on the card. On the bright side, they did reply and the card
has its own charm (Steve, Jan 27, NASWA yg via DXLD)
** SWEDEN [non]. Radio Sweden is also still on SW 9955 thanks to WRMI,
but only on UT Wed-Thu-Fri at 0230-0300 when it is also on WRN to
North America; per latest WRMI schedule grid dated Jan 28 (Glenn
Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Radio Sweden again on shortwave, in English, thanks to WRMI. Just
started at 0230 UT Wednesday Feb 2, also scheduled UT Thursdays and
Fridays, but not any other days.
Loud and clear on webcast, following new airing of WORLD OF RADIO;
heavy jamming on 9955. Can anyone hear it there? Just jamming, says
Gilles Letourneau, Montréal; can hear a few words, but jamming is too
heavy, says Giampiero Bernardini, Milano (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF
RADIO 1550, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SWITZERLAND. Sottens back on the air --- A group of Swiss amateurs
have been granted permission to use the Sottens MW transmitter on the
amateur bands in February. The first I knew was when I found a
stonking CW (Morse) signal on 80m (3.5 MHz). It was the loudest signal
on the band. You can find more including pix at:
http://www.hb9mm.com/sottens-special-event-operation
(Steve (G0KYA), Jan 30, MWCircle yg via DXLD)
Not without a password. Instead: http://www.hb9mm.com/sottens/
Opération sottens HE3OM — filed under: LF, HF, Sottens
Lors du mois de février 2011, les radioamateurs vaudois ont
l'autorisation d'utiliser les antennes de l'émetteur à ondes moyennes
de Sottens pour faire des contacts radioamateurs. Cette page sera mise
à jour régulièrement pour vous tenir informé des opérations. Les OM
intéressés à participer à l'opération Sottens de manière active
peuvent s'annoncer.
Pylône de réserve de l'émetteur de Sottens Pylône de 125 mètres
Pylône principal de 188 mètres Pylône principal de 188 mètres
Les deux antennes Les deux antennes
Dernières nouvelles
* Un document pdf est à disposition pour annoncer l'opération à la
communauté radioamateur.
* HB9AFI prévoit d'être à la station mercredi matin 2.2.2011 de 6h
à 10h environ.
* HB9ASB prevoit d'être à la station LF vendredi 4.2.2011 de 12h à
22h UTC environ.
Modes: CW, Crossmode CW/QRSS, Crossband CW/KW (QSX announced in
CQ call). No QRSS transmissions this time.
Skeds are welcome (Nighttime is reserved for DX). Skilled
Operators are also welcome! . . . (via DXLD)
** TAIWAN. QSL: 6240 & 9280, Family Radio, Chinese to Asia via Bao-
zhong Transmitter. 2 - Full data (With site name indicated) 50th
Anniversary Cards, with a large packet of religious material/decals,
in 84 days (Edward Kusalik, VE6EFK, Daysland, Alberta, Canada, Jan 28,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TAIWAN. 7105, 22/1 2200, Voice [sic] of Hope, Taiwan, start
transmission with many IDs, then talks in Chinese. Very good
(Giampiero Bernardini with Dario Monferini in Bocca di Magra (La
Spezia province, Italy), at the seaside, for our Bocca di Magra DX
nights (Boc 22), Perseus & RFSpace SDR-IQ / ANT: Wellbrook loop LFL
1010, Jan 29, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
So you axually had Sound of Hope IDs in Chinese, ``Xi Wang Zhi
Sheng``? When I hear Chinese during this hour I think it is only CNR1
jamming. Aoki shows 100 kW, 325 degrees from Tanshui, which is
certainly more favorable for Europe than NAm vs jamming probably omni;
but ChiCom jamming as a rule is MUCH stronger than its victims as
heard here (gh, DXLD)
** TUNISIA. 7275, 0455-0535, 16.01, R Tunisienne, Sfax, Arabic, Call
to Prayer, 0500 ann, Qurán recitation, 0503 ann "..Allah..." , 0504 ID
"Huna Tunis, Idha´at al-wataniya at-Tunisiya", a man reading a
declaration mentioning democracy in Tunis, 0508 ID, Arab songs, 0516
ID, more songs, 0527 conversation about "Entifada" in Tunisia with
some laughter! 45444 AP-DNK
7335, 0755-0805* 16.01, R Tunisienne, Sfax, Arabic ann, orchestra
music, 45333 AP-DNK
7345, 1920-1930 16.01, R Tunisienne, Sfax, Arabic songs and ann, 45344
// 7225 and 9725 AP-DNK
9725, 1810-1920 16.01, R Tunisienne, Sfax, Arabic discussion with
phone-ins about the political situation, music, 35333 // 7225 (33432)
under BBC Cyprus in English reporting from Tunis. Best 73, (Anker
Petersen, from Skovlunde, Denmark, done on an AOR AR7030PLUS with 28
metres of longwire, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD)
** TURKEY. VOT was reported to have changed frequency for English to
NAm at 23-24: ``Frequency changes for Voice of Turkey effective from
Jan. 14: 2300-2357 NF 7335+EMR 500 kW / 310 deg to NoAm, ex 5960
English; + co-channel WHRI Angel 1/5 in English on Sat (DX Mix News,
Bulgaria, Jan 18 via DXLD 11-03)``
And I finally get around to checking it on Saturday January 29 at
2330: nothing but WHRI audible on 7335, but there is something weak on
5960, seems English, bothered by much stronger and bleeding
DentroCuban Jamming Command on 5955 against R. República on 5954.2v.
That could certainly motivate VOT to move, but onto a frequency
occupied by WHRI?!
To be sure, I listen again at 2352, and do hear the VOT IS on 5960. So
the change has NOT been made, or if it was, they have gone back to
5960, or even less likely, gone back on Saturdays only, possibly the
only day of week WHRI is really on 7335, altho HFCC shows 17 = Sunday
and Saturday.
Yet the latest HFCC also shows TRT on 7335 as if it had been there all
the time since 31 Oct! And no listing for 5960 where it really was and
is. Far too many changes in HFCC are masked by showing incorrect dates
in effect (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
5960, Voice of Turkey at 2323 with Turkish music, Fair Jan 28 (Larry
Flaitz, Rochester, NY, Sony ICF-2010, Your Reports, Feb ODXA Listening
In via DXLD) So also on a Friday 5960 (gh)
Hi Glenn, I monitored Voice of Turkey 2 days ago at 2300 UT on 5960
kHz. I don't know where the information came from about them changing
from 5960 to 7335 kHz. No mention of it in the 1/29/11 DX corner, or
within their announced frequencies or website either. 73's (Tim
Marecki, Tallahassee, FL, Jan 30, ptsw yg via DXLD)
5960, VOT English to NAm still here, Monday Jan 31 at 2303, poor in
English news, ACI from DentroCuban Jamming Command on 5955. Listed
frequency 7335 has no WHRI or VOT today, but something very weak,
presumably CNR2 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** UGANDA. 4976, UBC Radio, Kampala, 2018-2105, Jan 15, English
programme about the referendum for independence in Southern Sudan with
phone-calls and reports from correspondents from the "newest country
in the world". After a break of 1 minute at 2045 popmusic and Jingles
"Butebo - radio what the nation talks", 34333 (Patrick Robic, Leibnitz
/ Ramsau am Dachstein, Austria, DSWCI DX Window Jan 25 via DXLD)
4976, UBS [sic] Radio, 2037-2109 Jan 23, lively selection of group
vocals hosted by a man announcer with English talk. Plug pulled mid-
sentence ending broadcast. Fair (Rich D`Angelo, French Creek State
Park, PA, DXpedition No. 39, Ten-Tec RX-340, Drake R-8B and an Eton
E1, 500-foot wire essentially north for the RX-340 and 250-foot wire
essentially northeast for the R-8B and a whip antenna for the E1,
NASWA yg via DXLD)
** UGANDA [non]. 17725, Saturday Jan 29 at 1708, urgent talk in
Swahili or something, presumed Radio Y`abaganda, clandestine via
FRANCE, still active during this one quarter-hour per week (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** UKRAINE. Former Kharkov transmitter site schedule:
1500-1800 7435 Kharkiv 100 kW 055deg to Russia
1800-2100 6030 Kharkiv 100 kW 290deg to Europe
2100-2200 6140 Kharkiv 100 kW 290deg to Europe
[still OFF on Jan 27, wb.] (Wolfgang Büschel, BC-DX via DXLD)
UKRAINE WILL REDUCE AN ANNOUNCEMENT ON SW TO A MINIMUM
Since February 1, the International radio of Ukraine will leave on
short waves only one translation – in a direction of Russia 1500-1800
UT on frequency 7435 kHz. The International radio of Ukraine will be
accessible to other regions on companion [sputnik] Astra 4 (4,8
e.d.) with a cover zone in Europe, and worldwide through the Internet
to the address: http://www.nrcu.gov.ua (Directly from station) (Vadim
Alekseyev, Moscow / http://www.dxing.ru via RusDX Jan 30 via WORLD OF
RADIO 1550, DXLD)
** U A E. 15525, Eternal Good News via Dhabayya. Fair reception of
English preacher *1130-1145 on 21/1. Program aired Fridays only
(Glenys Dunn, Geelong West Vic (Yaesu FRG-8800, 39m longwire), Jan-Feb
Australian DX News via DXLD)
** UNITED KINGDOM. QSLs: 12070, IBRA Radio (Radio Ibrahim Service in
Fur & Arabic) via Woofferton. Full data (with site) E-mail
verification statement of Black African [sic] with short wave radio,
with accompanying letter in 55 days. This in response to an e-mail
report to IBRA Radio direct. V/s: Maria Lavendar.
17610, Deutsche Welle, German to West Africa via Woofferton. Full data
(with site) ’20 years of German Unity’ QSL Card in 40 days (Edward
Kusalik, VE6EFK, Daysland, Alberta, Canada, Jan 28, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** U K [and non]. We always try to catch BBC World News, the 2100 GMT
edition on weekdays, delayed one sesquihour on OETA OKLA DTV
subchannel to 2230. Main anchor Mike Embley always introduces it as
``also for PBS viewers in America`` (which America??), but they keep
fiddling with the format. In the first place, there are far too many
teasers, repetitive headlines and condescending ``stay with us, if you
can`` remarx, instead of one semihour of hard world news. Is that too
much to ask? Some expert must have concluded most viewers won`t keep
tuned otherwise. His bio:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/biographies/biogs/bbc_world/mikeembley.shtml
Don`t blame the anchor for all that`s wrong with it, but today Jan 31
it`s a new low, as the second half has no news, just a string of
promos for other BBC World programmes we have no chance of seeing via
OKLA, weather grafix, website promos, etc., etc.
Were they having a problem in the studio, or is this a permanent
change? This show always has gaffes, miscues, dead air, upcuts, etc.,
hardly what you would expect from a professional worldwide operation.
And with so much breaking news these days, delaying it a sesquihour
hardly does justice to the news, but that`s OKLA`s fault --- or maybe
not if that`s the only edition they have an opportunity to air, and
there is certainly more of an audience for news at 4:30 pm local than
3 o`clock (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Next few days no
more of that, but format broken to allow Lyse Doucet to anchor live
from Cairo for this first half or so (gh)
** U K [and non]. BBC SW FQS TWEETED BY BBC NEWSHOUR --- and this got
retweeted by somebody. I have to wonder how many people have their
computers on at the same time as their radios, hi.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/schedules/frequencies/index.shtml#east-gulf
(Clara Listensprechen, Jan 30, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K [non] SEYCHELLES/SOUTH AFRICA, BBC English to W Africa changes
Delete 7465 2100-2200 46S,47S,52 MEY 100 330 -15 216
additional new 9410 2100-2200 48S,53NW SEY 250 270 0 147
(Wolfgang Büschel, Jan 29, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Jan 30 via DXLD)
** U K [non]. Frequency changes of BBC:
0300-0400 NF 6040#CYP 250 kW / 101 deg N/ME, ex 6055* in Arabic
2100-2200 NF 9410 SEY 250 kW / 270 deg CSAf, ex 7465^ in English WS
# co-ch Vatican Radio in French/English/Spanish
* avoid REE in Spanish
^ avoid WWCR in English
(DX Mix News, Bulgaria, 2 Feb via DXLD)
** U K. World Service Cuts --- Sir John Tusa, former head of the World
Service, interviewed on BBC Radio 4 Today programme from 0851, will be
available soon on Listen Again. Needless to say he was extremely
critical of the cuts (Mike Terry, Jan 27, dxldyg via DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
Sadly, the BBC must be over staffed. Otherwise how could they send the
vast numbers of staff simultaneously to the same overseas events - for
example they had dozens of reporters representing different channels
at the recent Chilean mine rescue for several weeks on end. Also the
endless habit of putting a reporter live on location when there
actually is nothing to see (e.g. reporter stands outside 10 Downing
Street and talks live to camera for TV news) needs extra reporters,
camera/sound crew.
I admire the BBC but I doubt that they have felt as much pressure as a
commercial organisation to be as efficient as possible with their
resources. They are in a fortunate position of having predictable
income and not having to generate a profit, so what does it matter if
layers of bureaucratic management continue to expand, or if celebrity
salaries sky-rocket? 73 (Steve Whitt, UK, Jan 26, MWCircle yg vi DXLD)
I doubt if many of those on the Albanian or Caribbean services of the
WS will be on celebrity salaries. BBC Domestic TV may have to a degree
lost run of itself in terms of output and celeb shenanigans but as far
as I can see the WS still has incredibly high standards. I guess it
will at least free up a few more frequencies for VOA and CRI (Paul
Logan, Lisnaskea, N. Ireland, ibid.)
Re: BBC World Service cuts language services and radio broadcasts to
meet tough Spending Review settlement --- One wonders if a part of
this is a public negotiation process between the World Service and the
FCO and the BBC Trust --- as the funding responsibilities transition.
If this were to move forward, it looks like the end of 2014 will see
most shortwave use eliminated by the BBC.
The loss of "Crossing Continents" is unfortunate...while that has only
been on the World Service for a short while, it's a fixture on the
domestic Radio 4 service...wonder if it's a goner there too? (Richard
Cuff / Allentown, PA, swprograms via DXLD)
English language programmes [excerpt from above:]
There will be a new schedule for World Service English language
programming - a focus on four daily news titles (BBC Newshour, BBC
World Today, BBC World Briefing, and BBC World Have Your Say); and a
new morning programme for Africa. There will be a new daily edition of
From Our Own Correspondent; and an expansion of the interactive World
Have Your Say programme.
There will be a reduction from seven to five daily pre-recorded "non-
news" programmes on the English service. This includes the loss of one
of the four weekly documentary strands. Some programmes will be
shortened. Titles such as Politics UK, Europe Today, World Of Music,
Something Understood, Letter From., and Crossing Continents will all
close. There will also be the loss of some correspondent posts (via
gh, DXLD)
The closure of the BBCWS English beams to Russia is significant for
shortwave listeners in North America, as the morning/evening
transmissions have tended to have a decent signal here. Guess we'll
have to see what happens to the East Asia and West Africa beams which
are the other options for NA. I suspect the "two hours per day" for
Africa and Asia would mean an hour each in the morning and evening?
A lot of transmitter time will be opened up by all these cuts, along
with the planned SW reductions by Deutsche Welle. Will be interesting
to see if the transmitter operators/brokers slash costs, and who (if
anyone) buys the time (Steve Luce, Houston, TX, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
> The release of the A11 transmission/frequency schedule
> will certainly be interesting, if cuts aren't made sooner.
No need to wait any further:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2011/01_january/26/worldservice.shtml
So what will go away with the start of A11 (I assume March 27 will
indeed be the deadline) are 648 kHz, English/Spanish via Montsinéry
and WHRI, Standard Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Ukrainian, Azeri and
Vietnamese.
And presumably all that will be left as of A14 are two hours each of
English to Africa and Asia plus Burmese and Somali.
I think it goes without saying that this will inavoidably have
dramatic consequences for the transmitter infrastructure so far
associated with the BBC WS, outsourced to Babcock now.
Altogether this is just what was to expect, with the main exception
being the termination of shortwave radio to China which I think is a
real bummer. "Focusing instead, as appropriate, on online, mobile and
television content" -- how cute, considering that the Chinese website
of the BBC appears to be permanently blocked in China. Are they really
so naive or do they only pretend to be? (Kai Ludwig, Germany, dxldyg
via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
> So what will go away with the start of A11 (I assume March 27 will
> indeed be the deadline) are 648 kHz, English/Spanish via Montsinéry
> and WHRI, Standard Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Ukrainian, Azeri
> and Vietnamese.
... Hindi, Indonesian, Kyrgyz, Nepali, Swahili and the Great Lakes
service (for Rwanda and Burundi).
Wasn't Africa supposed to be the last stronghold of shortwave
broadcasting? Now the cuts start to be made here, too (Kai Ludwig,
ibid.)
Note the references in the various news stories to "phased reductions"
of shortwave, so it may be something like those of us in the Americas
saw in the period from 2001 to 2008, just on a faster timeline: First
dropping USA/Canada beams in 2001, then the Antigua closure in 2005
along with reduced output now from alternate sites, and in 2006 the
cuts to just two morning and two evening hours on shortwave (for the
Caribbean) before the plug was completely pulled in March, 2008 (Steve
Luce, Houston, TX, ibid.)
BBC TO CLOSE 5 SERVICES, END SHORT WAVE HINDI RADIO SERVICE
http://www.sify.com/finance/bbc-to-close-5-services-end-short-wave-hindi-radio-service-news-business-lb0t4cafhhj.html
(Alokesh Gupta, VU3BSE, New Delhi http://alokeshgupta.blogspot.com/
dx_sasia yg via DXLD)
Even tho India will NOT permit FM stations to carry news from BBC!
(gh)
BBC BANGLA IS CONSIDERING GOING OFF SHORTWAVE
BBC Bangla Editor Mr Sabir Mustafa said in an interview broadcast in
the 1330-1400 UT BBC Bangla transmission on 26th January 2011 that BBC
Bangla is considering going off the shortwave too like six BBC
worldservice language services like Hindi which will be taken off the
shortwave in March 2011. Mr Mustafa added that BBC Hindi will probably
cease transmission altogether since it is not available in the FM band
in India. Government of India regulations do not permit foreign and
private Indian operators to broadcast news and current affairs over FM
like in neighbouring Bangladesh.
BBC Bangla does not announce the shortwave frequencies on air nor does
it give out the latest frequency schedule in the internet. BBC Bangla
website carries a backdated and incorrect frequency chart.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bengali/institutional/2010/01/000000_how_to_listen.shtml
(Supratik Sanatani, 26Jan2011, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
From a Wall Street Journal Blog (part of Asian Wall Street Journal)
END OF AN ERA: BBC HINDI RADIO TO CLOSE - INDIA REAL TIME - WSJ
http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2011/01/27/end-of-an-era-bbc-hindi-radio-to-close/
* January 27, 2011, 6:18 PM IST By Diksha Sahni
Agence France-Presse/Getty Images [caption]
Peter Horrocks, Director of BBC Global News announced Wednesday
of the Corporation's plans to close down BBC shortwave Hindi
Radio from April 1.
Almost 70 years after its first radio broadcast in India, BBC Hindi
shortwave radio service has decided to shut shop, and those who know
the service well say it will be missed by everyone from farmers to
Maoist rebels.
BBC Global News director Peter Horrocks announced Wednesday that the
BBC planned to cut language services and radio broadcast because of
reduced funding.
Calling the decision "a painful day for the BBC World Service", Mr.
Horrocks said in a [99]BBC podcast, "We estimate that about 30 million
people out of the 180 million who use the World Service every week
will lose the World Service. We are making cuts in services that we
would rather not be making. But the scale of the cut in BBC World
Service's Grant-in-Aid funding is such that we couldn't cope with this
by efficiencies alone."
Signalling that the changes their offerings in select languages might
also have been due to a fall in their usage because of the rising
popularity of the Internet and FM networks, Mr. Horrocks said, "We
need to make savings in areas where we are less effective, maybe
slightly less needed than we were in the past...where markets and
audiences have changed."
The changes will also mark an end to radio programs in Indonesian,
Kyrgyz, Nepali, Swahili and the Great Lakes service (for Rwanda and
Burundi) and English language short wave and medium wave broadcasts to
Russia.
BBC Hindi was first broadcast in British India on May 11, 1940, in the
middle of World War II hostilities. After Independence and Partition
in 1947, the service was split too and an India section was started
with broadcasts by announcers like Zulfikar Bukhari and Balraj Sahni.
During the 1950s, I.K Gujral, who later became India's 13^th prime
minister, also worked for the BBC Hindi Service, according to the
service's website.
The service was among the first to break some of the biggest stories
out of India -- sometimes to Indians as well as the rest of the
world -- such as Indira Gandhi's assassination, among others.
Achala Sharma, who was the head of BBC Hindi for 11 years until 2008,
said the service was immensely popular in the Hindi-speaking northern
belt of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand.
"Our weekly show `Hum Se Poochiye' (Ask Us) had immense popularity.
People used to send in queries on science, history, space and politics
and we used to respond. For those who didn't have access to books,
internet and television, this was the only source of information,"
said Ms. Sharma. "Such was the popularity that when we reduced the
duration of the show, we got flooded with requests to get it back in
its original format and we had to do that."
Ms. Sharma said she was saddened by the news of the closing down,
especially for its almost 10 million listeners. "It is one of the
saddest days of my life --- Most of all I feel sad for the listeners,
for BBC Hindi gave a platform to the ordinary people from farmers to
even Maoists in the Jharkand belt."
Reactions on the closing also poured in from the political circles,
with BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi lamenting the decision. He told
the Asian Age daily that the service "has a major impact in India's
politics and is popular in rural areas."
The Asian Age report also said that BBC Hindi Radio is "one of the
most popular news sources" for the Maoist rebels in the forests of
Chhattisgarh state.
At present, BBC Hindi broadcasts for three hours both on shortwave and
mediumwave but will cease both services from the end of March. (via
Dan Say, BC, DXLD)
Reuters.com - BBC WORLD SERVICE TO CUT QUARTER OF JOBS BY 2014
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE70D11A20110126
(via Martin Gallas, Jan 26, DXLD) Viz.:
"BRITAIN'S GREATEST GIFT TO THE WORLD"
Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary-General, said in 1999 at the opening
of the BBC's Washington DC news bureau, "The BBC World Service is
perhaps Britain's greatest gift to the world this century."
Today the BBC announced cuts that it expects will lose it 30 million
listeners around the world. Hear today's interview with Peter
Horrocks, Director of the BBC World Service at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/news/2011/01/110126_horrocks_nh_sl.shtml
(via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) 4:05 minutes audio only
NATIONAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS (NUJ) PRESS RELEASE:
Journalists at the BBC World Service have welcomed the decision of the
House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee to hold an inquiry into
planned cuts in jobs and services at the internationally-respected
broadcasting organisation.
The NUJ members had written to the committtee seeking an inquiry.
Today (Wednesday) they demonstrated outside the Bush House
headquarters of the World Service in London against the management
plans which threaten 650 job cuts and huge reductions in output. The
language services facing the management axe are Albanian, Macedonian,
Serbian. Portuguese for Africa as well the English for the Caribbean
regional service.
NUJ leaders at the service wrote yesterday to the chair of the House
of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee Richard Ottaway and the chair of
the Culture Media and Sport Committee John Whittingdale, calling on
them to review thoroughly the BBC's plans for drastic cuts in the
service. The World Service has an audience of 241 million across
radio, television and online.
NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear said: "These ferocious cuts to a
valued national service are ultimately the responsibility of the
Coalition government whose policies are destroying quality public
services in the UK.
Attempts by Foreign Secretary William Hague in the House of Commons to
present the slashing of World Service programming as inevitable amount
to the pathetic excuse: 'It wasn't me, a big boy came into the
schoolyard and did it'. "
The World Service journalists say they hope that the Commons
committees will review these plans in the light of the recent licence
fee and grant-in-aid agreements reached between the BBC and the
government.
The letter from the World Service journalists points out that their
service attracts the biggest proportion of the BBC's international
audiences. In the English language, audiences are at historically high
levels. "But we fear that so many shortwave transmitters will be
switched off in the next year that the bulk of our audience will no
longer be able to listen to us in English.
"Overnight we will cut off millions of people in rural areas and by
2014, we will be leaving short-wave broadcasting to China and Russia.
Other decisions also concern us. For example, we have given up an FM
transmitter used for decades in Berlin for one which has so little
power that the signal can barely be heard. We are also concerned that
many language services will be closed or downgraded in key parts of
the world where the United Kingdom has an interest.
At the same time the BBC World Service News and Current Affairs
department will be severely affected. The World Service newsroom still
provides the core journalism for the bulk of the World Service and
plays an essential role in the BBC's international news coverage. Yet
its fate is uncertain and we are concerned that is being systemically
dismantled in favour of an alternative structure that we do not
believe will work. "
The journalists say a key part of top management's plan will mean that
many stories written by the World Service newsroom will not will be
produced or will become the responsibility of the surviving language
services. Many will be mainly staffed by people who will work in their
home countries - in Russia, Ukraine, Nigeria, Pakistan, India and
Bangladesh.
"Like many of our colleagues, we believe that the licence fee and the
grant-in-aid settlements have to be understood in the context of the
public outcry over executive salaries in the BBC. The plans that have
followed from these will do irreparable damage to the World Service.
We also worry that some of the BBC's independence from government has
been traded away."
The journalists conclude their letter to the parliamentary committees:
"We hope that you will take our concerns seriously.They arise from a
love of what we do, and our desires to stop the destruction of the
World Service and contribute to its future success."
Link to above plus interview with Jeremy Dear at the demonstration:
http://www.nuj.org.uk/innerPagenuj.html?docid=1892
(via Mike Barraclough, Jan 26, dxldyg via DXLD)
BBC WORLD SERVICE 'WILL BE ECLIPSED BY VOICE OF AMERICA'
NUJ says cuts will lead to sharp drop in news provider's reach
* John Plunkett * guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 26 January 2011 11.07 GMT
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/26/bbc-world-service-cuts-reaction
(via Artie Bigley, DXLD) comments:
mindfulkind 26 January 2011 11:55AM:
In contrast to President Obama's uplifting address to the Union, which
left the far right opposition, and bad mouthed warmongering, hate &
fear inducing media's gobbets in the gutter where it belonged, and
took people on a journey where they could see there was a better way
of speaking to one another, a better way of doing business, a better
way of looking at the world, and a better way of being that made you
feel good about yourself, a place where you look up rather than down,
we in the UK are being drawn against our will back to the dark, to
fear, and mistrust. The light that shone on other parts of the world
through the BBC World Service will be extinguished and replaced by
others whose influence could be corrosive and divisive as it has been
in its own country the USA. Who has ordered the cuts at the BBC to go
beyond the quota, and why haven't they asked for more money from the
Government to protect this jewel in the crown of broadcasting? This
Government isn't governing its simply demolishing in order to rebuild
in its own image, rather like the state of America when G.W. Bush was
its president. People around the world should speak up against this
before its too late.
JamesdelaMare 26 January 2011 11:57AM:
Kerrygold "Get used to our new place in the world .... "
That's not the point. This is about priorities; not about whether we
can find money for 650 BBC staff.
I listen extensively to the World Service and have done so for years.
It used to be excellent - 30-40 years ago. But it's dumbed down now.
Loads of trashy programmes (apparently) to make foreigners feel at
home with it, like most of the rest of British media. Many of the
programmes are not good, top-line, objective news reporting at all and
they aren't British "propaganda" either. They are about unimportant
aspects of foreign countries for foreign listeners, by foreigners. One
has to presume that the Government recognises this and doesn't want to
spend British listeners money on it.
Listeners in other countries do respect the BBC's objectivity and it
is - at its best - as good or better than anything else. Everybody
needs a reliable source of well presented objective news reporting and
it isn't regarded as "patronising" that it's in English. Put the World
Service back on track and there'll be money for it.
cosmiclandmine 26 January 2011 4:57PM:
The continued emasculation of The BBC generally and specifically the
BBC World Service is at the behest of the US State Department, aka US
Corporate interests. America, especially can’t stand broadcasts in the
Queen’s English to the Caribbean which, it been just down the road
from Washington, they regard as their back yard and therefore solely
in their sphere of influence. The pro-US dimwits on this thread don't
seem to have noticed or don't mind, that the UK is a US colony and has
been for sometime. Simple really (comments to the Guardian article,
via DXLD)
Ha ha! The VOA is doing its best to outpace the BBCWS in cutbacks (gh)
Re: BBC World Service cuts language services and radio broadcasts
One wonders if a part of this is a public negotiation process between
the World Service and the FCO and the BBC Trust; as the funding
responsibilities transition. If this were to move forward, it looks
like the end of 2014 will see most shortwave use eliminated by the BBC
(Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA USA, Jan 26, ODXA yg via DXLD)
It's a done deal. All the negotiations have taken place in the last
few months. I watched (most of) the presentation to staff, and there
are a lot more internal changes not mentioned in the press release
(Andy Sennitt, ibid.)
I'd imagine the 2011 portion is a done deal, but isn't the 2014
component part of the first year under the BBC Trust? Or is that done
as well? Perhaps I'm just used to the American approach: what is
passed one year is repealed the next year (Richard Cuff, ibid.)
It's already under the BBC Trust :-) See their separate press release
at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/news/press_releases/january/world_service.shtml
(Andy Sennitt, ibid.)
There goes that optimistic tone I was hoping to strike (RC, ibid.)
BBC World Service Director Peter Horrocks led a live session for all
BBC Global News staff on Wednesday 26 January at 1015 UTC. You can
watch it on-demand by clicking on the video or using the links on this
page
http://www.bbc.co.uk/atw/spending_review/spending_review_watch.shtml
(Duration 82 minutes). (Andy Sennitt, ibid.) Must see/hear (gh, DXLD)
Not a good day to be a shortwave listener to the BBC, in English or
any other language. I had wondered if this was the proverbial "shot
across the bow" and would then prompt handwringing and negotiation,
but according to Andy Sennitt it's a done deal. The only bright spot
is the daily edition of From Our Own Correspondent (Richard Cuff /
Allentown, PA USA, Jan 26, NASWA yg via DXLD)
To me, there are no bright spots here. This is an evisceration,
nothing less. Much the same thing is planned domestically as well,
though not quite as drastically. (Rupert must be chortling all the way
to the bank.) There has been some messaging that this is all to be
revisited --and some of it reversed -- when full responsibility for
the WS budget goes over to the BBC in three years' time. But I wonder
if any of that talk is serious, or just a way to try and deflect
immediate criticism. It seems "budget shortfalls" is the ready excuse
de jour for everything these days. (Sort of how cries of "9/11" seemed
to be the "excuse all" not that long ago.)
Meanwhile, we see China public diplomacy expanding on all platforms.
Voice of Russia has just inaugurated a 24/7 medium wave service via
1430 kHz. for NYC. The only departure from the retrenchment we see
across the board from Western broadcasters is Radio Australia which is
in the midst of an incremental expansion (John Figliozzi, Halfmoon,
NY, ibid.)
** U K. ** WORLD SERVICE 'SILENCED' BY CUTS **
The BBC has revealed the extent of the World Service cuts - and they
are, if anything, worse than was feared, says the BBC's Torin Douglas.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/news/uk-12293102
(via Ed Gardner, CA, Jan 26, DXLD) Viz.:
26 January 2011 Last updated at 18:41 ET
CRITICS WARN OF MAJOR IMPACT OF WORLD SERVICE CUTS
Torin Douglas By Torin Douglas Media Correspondent, BBC News
[captions:]
Protesters leave sign saying 'RIP World Service' outside BBC building
Protesters left flowers outside World Service HQ to "mourn" its loss
The BBC has revealed the full extent of the World Service cuts - and
they are, if anything, worse than people had feared.
Sir John Tusa, the former head of the World Service, said they were
"bad bad bad."
As well closing five of its 32 language services, the World Service
will end radio programming in seven languages, including Russian,
Mandarin Chinese and Ukrainian, and stop short-wave transmission of
six more, including Hindi and Swahili.
There'll be fewer English-language programmes and they'll be less
widely heard.
Three Russian-language programmes will continue on the internet, but
the Russian service will lose around half its staff. Altogether, 650
jobs will go over three years, a quarter of the current total.
The director of BBC Global News, Peter Horrocks, said the cuts had
been forced on the BBC by the reduction in its grant from the Foreign
Office, but it had tried to ensure that the most important services
were being preserved.
"Our lifeline services in countries like Somalia and Burma - where
there is no other source of independent information - are being
maintained, but there will be parts of the world which will no longer
be served by the World Service," he said.
"We regret the changes that we're having to make because of the
funding changes."
Like the BBC website, which also announced major job and service cuts
this week, the BBC World Service is using the restructuring to focus
more on new media, reflecting the global switch to the internet and
mobile devices.
But many World Service staff believe it is running ahead of the
audience in many parts of the world, where computers and mobiles have
low penetration and short-wave radio is still widely used.
'Cultural diplomacy'
So how far is the coalition government to blame for the cuts?
Sir John Tusa says the Foreign Office should have reduced its
International Development budget instead. He believes a £46m cut would
have had less impact there than it will at the World Service.
"It is awful for BBC World Service listeners, because they won't have
access to the programmes, and awful for British foreign policy because
they're now weakening substantially one of the most important elements
of international cultural diplomacy," he said.
Protesters outside World Service HQ === The NUJ says the cuts will
reduce the global influence of the BBC - and Britain [caption]
At Westminster, Labour MP Denis McShane clashed with Foreign Secretary
William Hague, saying the government was "axing the voice of the BBC"
in many countries.
He told Mr Hague: "You are doing in part what no dictator has ever
achieved - silencing the voice of the BBC, the voice of Britain, the
voice of democracy, the voice of balanced journalism at a time when it
is more than ever needed."
Mr Hague retorted that people wouldn't have known from those remarks
that the Polish, Bulgarian and Croatian services had been closed by
the previous government, of which Mr McShane had been a member.
He said the BBC World Service could not be immune from spending cuts
and it was right for it to move more of its services online as
audience habits changed with new technology.
"The World Service cannot stand still and services that have become
less well-used because of the rise of local broadcasters and falling
short-wave audiences sometimes have to close."
Mr Hague said the BBC and the previous government must also share some
of the responsibility.
"While any closures may be regretted, it would not be necessary at all
were it not for the inherited BBC pension deficit and the vast public
deficit inherited from the previous government."
The BBC says the cuts will mean that the World Service audience will
fall by more than 30 million people a week - from 180 million to 150
million.
The National Union of Journalists says this will take the World
Service's global audience below that of Voice of America and other
broadcasters funded by the US government, and that in turn is bound to
reduce the influence of the BBC - and Britain. (via Gardner, DXLD)
** BBC CONFIRMS WORLD SERVICE CUTS **
The BBC outlines plans to close five World Service language services,
cut up to 650 jobs and end radio programming in seven languages.
< http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/news/entertainment-arts-12283356 >
(via Ed Gardner, CA, Jan 26, DXLD) Includes videos
** U K. BBC TO TRIM WORLD SERVICE
By SARAH LYALL, WORLD | January 27, 2011
Facing a 16 percent reduction in its budget, the BBC World Service
said that it would close five of its 32 language services and reduce
its workforce by about a quarter.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/27/world/europe/27bbc.html?emc=eta1
(via Jim Renfrew, NY, DXLD)
FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE BBCWS CUTS INQUIRY CALLS FOR EVIDENCE
The Foreign Affairs Committee has announced that it will carry out a
short inquiry into the implications for the BBC World Service of the
service closures and other reductions in World Service activity
announced today.
The Committee will take oral evidence from representatives of World
Service staff, management and the Government. The inquiry will build
upon evidence already taken in the Committee's current inquiry into
"FCO Performance and Finances". Organisations and individuals
interested in making written submissions are invited to do so by
Friday 11 February 2011.
Full details:
http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/foreign-affairs-committee/news/bbc-world-service-cuts---new-inquiry/
STOP THE BBC WORLD SERVICE CUTS WEBSITE LAUNCHED
http://www.savews.com/
(Mike Barraclough, England, Jan 27, dxldyg via DXLD)
This brings back memories of the website and other attempts that were
made to stop the BBCWS Shortwave Cuts to North America and the Pacific
back 2001. http://www.savebbc.org/
It will be interesting to see if this effort is any more successful
than that one was. I wish it well and hope it does (Mr Sandy
Finlayson, Jan 27, swprograms via DXLD)
I think it's going to be tough, because all this has been orchestrated
behind-the-scenes for the past several months. However, we shouldn't
let this pass without as much public indignation as we can raise. It
can potentially help forestall further erosion at the World Service,
if nothing else (Richard Cuff, ibid.)
Today on Newshour I hear Con MP Louise Bagshawe make comments that
cutting shortwave in Chinese in China is because no one listens
because they are blocked. Yes it's try the Chinese jam. But there are
ways of going around the jamming. Her suggestion that internet is the
best way seems a little misguided. When I was just in China again
where I go a few times a month. I tried to use the BBC app for my
Iphone and Ipad and I was not able to connect. Why? It's blocked. I
did have my portable SW, where I did manage to tune to the BBC both in
English and Chinese.
I can tell you right now there are some very happy people in Beijing
when they heard the BBCWS will drop Chinese on shortwave.
A commentary on the dropping of shortwave to China has been uploaded
on the home page of http://www.pcjmedia.com
It includes comments made on Newshour by Con MP Louise Bagshawe which
are totally misguided. She is a loon!
http://www.radio4all.net/files/kperron@gmail.com/3101-1-COMMENTARY_on_THE_BBCWS.mp3
If you wish to make your feelings known, I invite you to email Mrs.
Bagshawe. Her email address is louise.bagshawe.mp @ parliament.uk
Also a reminder the January edition of Media Network Plus is ready to
go. This show has listener comments about the future of SW and
includes an interview with Victor Goonetilleke.
First transmission at 0200 UT January 29th on 9955 khz. Regards,
(Keith Perron, Taiwan, UT Jan 27, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Some notes on the SW implications:
1. Of the five services that are closing altogether, only Portuguese
for Africa is still broadcast on SW at present. The other four are
currently only aired locally within the target countries.
2. Of the seven services which will continue, but not with radio
programming, two (Turkish and Ukrainian) had already dropped SW a
while ago.
3. I've worked out that this means that the WS will still be
broadcasting radio programmes for transmission over the air (as
opposed to online only) from March 2011 in the following languages.
LANGUAGES IN UPPER CASE WILL STILL BE ON SW:
ARABIC, BENGALI, BURMESE, Cantonese, DARI, ENGLISH, FRENCH FOR AFRICA,
HAUSA, Hindi, Indonesian, Kinyarwanda/ Kirundi, Kyrgyz, Nepali,
PERSIAN (DARI/FARSI/ TAJIK), PASHTO, Portuguese for Brazil, SINHALA,
SOMALI, Spanish for Latin America, Swahili, Tajik, TAMIL, URDU, UZBEK.
(The languages in lower case will only be aired locally within the
target countries on FM and/or MW.)
The Hindi service looks problematic as India does not permit any
rebroadcasting of foreign radio news channels. If SW goes, it would
just leave BBC Hindi on 1413 MW from Oman.
4. The speculation must now start on the closure of various ex-BBC
transmitter sites in the UK and around the world. For example, will
Orfordness close in March, or will it limp along with DRM and the
Dutch Truckers' Radio for a few hours a day on 1296? Or perhaps
Caroline would like to take up 648? Ofcom can hardly claim it's not a
spare frequency!! If someone else doesn't claim 648, I bet CRI will
have a go (Chris Greenway, England, Jan 26-27, BDXC-UK yg via WORLD OF
RADIO 1550, DXLD)
The availability of 648 has already been noted:
http://members7.boardhost.com/PirateRadio/msg/1296056651.html
The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee are to hold an inquiry
into the cuts, BBC WS journalists have welcomed this:
http://www.nuj.org.uk/innerPagenuj.html?docid=1892
(Mike Barraclough, ibid.)
BBC WS CUTS INCLUDE CLOSURE OF 648 IN MARCH
Full BBC statement on World Service Cuts, these include the closure of
648 in March this year:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2011/01_january/26/worldservice.shtml
A group with the project working title of UK International has put in
an offer to lease time on Orfordness 648:
http://members7.boardhost.com/PirateRadio/msg/1296056651.html
(Mike Barraclough, England, MWC yg via DXLD)
The 648 should help in the East and South of England. Not such a big
issue here in Carlisle. Fingers crossed CRI don't jump on with a mega-
Watt 24 hour service hi! Best wishes (Barry :-) Davies, ibid.)
If the plan for BBC WS goes ahead it will be a very sad day, and will
leave the WS in a condition from which it may never recover.
One only needs to see how CRI is expanding to guess who will fill the
airtime void. I wonder if CRI will lease time from Orfordness 648 or
whether the site will be closed? 73 (Steve Whitt, ibid.)
** U K [and non]. NEW STATION PLANS TO TAKE OVER 648 KHZ FROM BBCWS
Paul Rusling has just posted the following announcement on the Garry
Stevens Message Board:
“It’s likely some of you will start seeing mentions of a new radio
station, using the project working title UK International (but it may
well become called England International or even London International
by launch time) and I just wanted to suppress some of the rumours
before it gets discussed too widely in sensational terms.
“Our plan is to use 500 kiloWatts on 648 kHz - now the BBC have
confirmed they will stop using the frequency in 2 months time.
“The station will be owned by a group of UK and Dutch media folk and
have a broad appeal, particularly to car drivers, and be a shop window
for various products and services. It will be presented in the style
of Top 40 radio, as we believe that is what will appeal to our target
listeners.
“We have put in an offer to lease the facility at Orfordness, our
preferred site, but if huge bureaucratic delays and problems are
encountered we have a second site available.
“That’s all I shall say about it for the time being; hopefully it will
avoid silly speculation.”
(Source: Garry Stevens Message Board)( January 26th, 2011 - 16:47 UTC
by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DXLD)
21 Comments on “New station plans to take over 648 kHz from BBCWS”
1. #1 haweeha on Jan 26th, 2011 at 18:42
Running from another site would be interesting because they need to
use a very directional aerial system to protect other users of the
frequency.
2. #2 ruud on Jan 26th, 2011 at 18:51
I have tried to hire 1296, 648’s sister station, and those were (part
of) the limitations. The price was rather high, to put it mildly.
I don`t think that the company (forgot the name, it used to be Merlin,
VT communications etc) who runs the TX’s will or may use the channel
in another place, or that the channel will be handed out to a private
party. This leaves a station in Dutch for Holland and Flanders, and
will certainly not raise enough money to even meet the electricity
bills.
Fair chance that Radio Netherlands International, RNW, that hires
1296, will go to 648 with much better coverage. (BTW 1395 is off,
maybe you can hire that one, you can start tomorrow, at a much lower
price.)
3. #3 Andy Sennitt on Jan 26th, 2011 at 19:02
The company that now runs it is Babcock:
http://www.babcock.co.uk/pages/markets/critical-infrastructure/communications/default.aspx
4. #4 Mike Terry on Jan 26th, 2011 at 19:03
Interesting times! Possibly Ofcom have regulations about the renting
out of UK transmitters.
5. #5 Andy Sennitt on Jan 26th, 2011 at 19:14
Well, 1296 has been used in the past by a couple of Dutch stations. I
don’t think Ofcom has any special regulations in place. If the company
is registered in the Netherlands, I don’t think it should be a
problem.
6. #6 Brian Winter on Jan 27th, 2011 at 11:08
I have come to take stories like this with a giant pinch of salt. I do
not know all the ins and outs but as I understand it 648 kHz was
allocated for UK use by the BBC in 1978 following the last frequency
review. Any redeployment of the channel for anything other than BBC
use would require a consultation followed by an auction as it would
then be offered on competative tendering. Furthermore there would also
be the cost of running such a high power transmitter. We all remember
what happened when Big L wanted to start an AM service on 1008 KHz in
Holland and how that fell flat on its face. A much better use would be
for the BBC to re-allocate it to Radio 5Live to improve reception of
that service in parts of the UK.
7. #7 Roy Sandgren on Jan 27th, 2011 at 12:23
How much is the present power today of 648 kHz??
8. #8 Andy Sennitt on Jan 27th, 2011 at 13:03
Officially 500 kW. But I don’t know if the BBC have been using it at
full power. For example, RNW runs at 300 kW instead of 500 kW on 1296,
because it costs a lot less and we don’t need the full 500 kW.
9. #9 ruud on Jan 27th, 2011 at 14:46
Part of my comment did not come through. The limitations for hiring
1296 were mostly that the programmes may not be directed to the UK,
and certainly commercials in English are forbidden, even when
targetted at a non UK country.
1296 has been hired by Radio Nationaal of Ruud Hendriks, and 1 day by
Caroline, paid for by the Dutch Caroline support group.
Radio Netherlands uses the channel now on a daily basis, and it would
be rather logic to swap 1296 for 648, which has a much better
coverage.
648 would be extremely expensive for just the Dutch and Flemish
market, certainly in these days when you cant make much money out of
AM commercial radio.
Including the UK would make a better business case, but the 648 TX is
directed off UK, and there are limitations as mentioned before.
For a station that wants to hit the NL, Be and UK market I have a much
better and more cost effective solution in mind.
10. #10 Roy Sandgren on Jan 27th, 2011 at 16:01
The 648 can be issued as a domestic licensed station with an omni
antenna if less power.
11. #11 Dave on Jan 27th, 2011 at 17:21
How about a nice DRM transmission of Country Music ?? In other words
something totally different not the same tired old radio the UK has to
put up with :(
12. #12 terry crompo on Jan 27th, 2011 at 19:44
Does anyone know just how many AM stations are all pushing out
\’pop\’music in the UK? (There are MANY MANY of them already!) It was
very handy to be able to listen to BBC World Service programs in the
car, but it seems someone thinks we need yet another pop-music station
that no-one will listen to.
AM/MW/LW is much more suited to speech than music, and also there’s
PLENTY of so-called \’music\’ on the FM band, [even though many FM
stations decide to waste their bandwidth / excellent sound quality by
transmitting phone-ins!] But if everyone else is sane, then I must be
the one out of step!
13. #13 Roy Sandgren on Jan 27th, 2011 at 20:06
With a correct format of music this station can be a great station,
like 828 or 747 kHz
all previous Top News issues #53 from October 1993 to #1000 may
download free via
File delivery started with 1200 Baud speed on ham radio Packet Radio -
a horror with sometimes 2...3 breaks and repeats;
and via CompuServe e-mail from 1992.
(Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Jan 30, 2011 via DXLD)
WRTH 2011 INTERNATIONAL RADIO SUPPLEMENT 1 - (B10 Update) (2 Feb 2011)
http://wrth.com/files/WRTH2011IntRadioSuppl1_B10SchedulesUpdate.pdf
Regards (Harry Brooks, North East England UK, Feb 2, dxldyg via DXLD)
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displays it as a graphic colour bargraph.
The WRTH Bargraph Frequency Guide has been carefully designed to give
the maximum information in a clear and easy to read format. It is
supplied as a pdf. More details:
http://www.wrth.com/whatiswrthcd.html
(Mike Barraclough, Jan 28, dxldyg via DXLD)
NEW BOOK: "HITLER'S RADIO WAR"
Members of this group may be interested in my book "Hitler's Radio
War", which was published on January 31.
"Hitler's Radio War" tells the story of the external service of the
wartime Nazi radio, with emphasis on what was broadcast and the
'personalities' behind the microphone.
Topics covered include German overt and clandestine broadcasts to a
number of countries and regions, including Britain,the USA, India, the
Middle East, France, Greece, Yugoslavia, the Soviet Union,South Africa
and Latin America, etc.
Also covered are the 'careers' of renegade broadcasters such as Lord
Haw-Haw, Mary of Arnhem and the two women who were prosecuted after
the war for being Axis Sally.
"Hitler's Radio War" is published in London by Robert Hale Ltd, and
can be ordered from www.halebooks.com or any reputable online or High
Street bookstore (Roger Tidy, England, Feb 1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
Hitler's Radio War [Hardcover]
Roger Tidy (Author)
Product details
Hardcover: 30 pages [sic in Amazon; surely more like 300?]
Publisher: Robert Hale Ltd (31 Jan 2011)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0709091494
ISBN-13: 978-0709091493
Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.8 x 2.6 cm
Product Description
This book tells the story of Nazi international broadcasting during
and before the Second World War. At its peak German radio stations
broadcast in fifty-four languages to a worldwide audience. For the
first time in an international conflict, citizens of the warring
nations could hear enemy propaganda in their own living rooms. Many of
the voices that they heard belonged to a new type of criminal, the
radio traitor. The nickname Lord Haw-Haw is still famous
internationally, but there were numerous other radio renegades
speaking on behalf of the Nazis. The Nazis' propaganda was sinister
enough, but they also ran a series of secret stations that spoke to
enemy audiences in the name of 'patriotic' dissidents who claimed to
be broadcasting from clandestine transmitters in their own countries.
Using archival material, "Hitler's Radio War" dissects the message
that Germany's overt and covert propaganda stations broadcast to their
audiences, as well as the lives and motivations of the broadcasters.
About the Author
A history graduate from Birkbeck College, London, Roger Tidy has been
interested in the use of international radio as an instrument of
propaganda all his adult life. He has worked for many years in the
broadcast-monitoring business and has contributed, as a freelance
writer and reporter, to numerous publications and radio programmes in
the UK and abroad. In the 1980s, during the Cold War, he published a
weekly newsletter for radio enthusiasts, charting the latest
developments in the ongoing struggle of the airwaves between Western,
Eastern and 'non-aligned' ideologies.
Link:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hitlers-Radio-War-Roger-Tidy/dp/0709091494
(via Yimber Gaviria, Japan Premium via DXLD)
QSL CARDS IN THE HERE AND NOW
There is lots of great information about DXing on the list, however
not as much about QSLing. So here I go.
Damaged & MIA QSLs. In the last six months I have noticed a problem
with postcards (including QSL cards) I have received. My local post
office has told me that their area has newer sorting and bar code
equipment. Letters and postcards travel on a belt-like sorting machine
and have to made turns or bends in the process of about 45 degrees.
Sometimes things don't go right. You may notice on letters little
divits or marks on the bottom outside of the envelope. However
postcards in my humble observation seem to fare far less well than
letters.
Recent postal encounters include a QSL card which had a piece chopped
off and arrived body-bagged, another with a piece of white tape on the
reverse side of the card and three cards mailed to me from a US
location to a US location that never arrived. I am not sure if this is
a problem with my local sorting plant or nationwide. Other postcards I
receive have similar problems. Has anyone else seen any charge in
their mail delivery of postcards?
Paper, plastic or the web? Just interested in knowing whether you send
QSL reports via email, postal or via the station`s web report form if
they have one. Also, is there is difference in the percentage of
responses you receive based on method. If a web form is available I
will use that. For larger broadcasters who do not have a web form I
use email. Smaller broadcasters who may not have a staff to deal with
emails, I use postal. And you? Over the years I have averaged about an
80% response rate. 73 and Good DX to All (Steve, Jan 27, NASWA yg via
DXLD) See also: CHINA, CUBA, RUSSIA, SWAZILAND, U S A: VOA
RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM
+++++++++++++++++++++
Wanted Sites [Current sites] WEBPAGE updated - more details wanted.
Hi folks,
https://sites.google.com/site/shortwavesites/wanted
Have just updated our WANTED [Current Sites] webpage (above), last
update was May 2010.
If anyone can provide any confirmed coordinates for any of the unknown
sites please drop us a line. Also if anyone can research any of these
sites for us & obtain coordinates please drop us a line. Thank you
(Ian Baxter, NSW, Jan 28, shortwavesites yg via DXLD)
CuteSDR: the new sound of RFSpace's SDR
Hallo - the new software CuteSDR provides exciting additions to
RFSpace's software defined radio, SDR. In this short video, two of
them are demonstrated:
* reception of a shortwave broadcaster (All India Radio "Vividh
Bharati", 9870 kHz) with synchro detection in pseudo stereo. This is:
the lower sideband on the left ear, the upper sideband on the right
ear. This gives the striking experience of phase differences in both
sidebands due to selective fading. Also a-symmetrical tuning of the
bandwidth is provided to cope with interference in one sideband. It
sounds like a merry-go-round. ["Shortwave on speed"]
* A very versatile AGC, which enhances intelligibility of not only SSB
signals. Here Shannon VOLMET from Ireland on 5.505 kHz has been used
as an example.
Look at YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxlSfewC8m4
Thanks to RFSpace, to having provided this software, working on a PC,
as even on a MAC! -- 73, (Nils DK8OK Schiffhauer, DK8OK, Jan 30,
Excalibur, SDR-IP/GPS, Perseus, 2 x 20 m active quad loop (90 ), 42 m
windom, DX-One prof, HCDX via DXLD)
INNOVATIVE DEVICE FROM TWR
Greetings, Look for the item below called Wielding the Sword. It
describes a device Trans World Radio is distributing in Africa, which
is a wind-up audio player with 2 GB of programs on it. It's an
innovative idea. The down side is it has to be turned in periodically
to put new programs on it. I think a better idea would be to have
programs on either SD cards or cartridges like the Library of Congress
is using now for books for the blind. 73, (John Wesley Smith, KC0HSB,
Jan 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.:
Wielding the Sword
TWR reports on a new venture to reach listeners in Kwazulu-Natal
The Bible describes the Word of God as a sword (Hebrews 4:12;
Ephesians 6:17), and it makes it clear that if you are a Christian you
are in a spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:11, 12). So, not only do you
need a sword (a Bible), but you also need to know how to use it. TWR’s
programming is all about teaching listeners how to wield this sword of
the Spirit.
Yet, when broadcasting on short or medium wave, mountains, valleys,
and winter weather can often prevent the programmes from getting
through! This is especially true in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa.
Add to this the broad displacement of people, the lack of electricity,
and the difficulty in acquiring batteries, and you have a challenge on
your hands!
TWR has risen to this challenge by distributing Sabers among KZN
listeners. No, TWR is not handing out literal swords! We are
distributing special devices called Sabers. They look like radios, but
they’re quite unique – they don’t need batteries! The listener can
generate the power required to operate the device by winding it up.
The radios also don’t need to receive a signal – they are embedded
with two gigabytes worth of TWR programming [including Thru the Bible
in Zulu]. Now listener groups can listen to TWR programmes anywhere,
anytime, on these robust MP3 players designed for Africa!
How is TWR doing this? A pilot project has started whereby 30 Saber
devices will be loaded with programmes and distributed within the next
two to three months. These devices will be given to various people
including farmers, pastors, and students who will in turn recruit
people to join their listener groups. Because the programmes can be
listened to at any time, several listener groups can use the same
device several times in a week.
Also, these people often do not have access to e-mail, post, or SMS,
and so it is difficult to hear from them. Now, with listener group
leaders, TWR can have direct contact with their listeners. After three
to six months, the devices will be returned to receive a fresh two
gigabytes worth of programmes and then be sent back out to train
Christians in handling the sword of the Spirit (via J W Smith, ibid.)
DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DTV See OKLAHOMA
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DRM See AUSTRALIA; BELGIUM; INDIA;
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ INTERNATIONAL; NEW ZEALAND; RUSSIA; UK;
UNIDENTIFIED 5825
DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- IBOC
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
IS AM IBOC STEREO?
I never have found out if AM IBOC is stereo. Does anyone know? Our
local Oldies AM is KRWZ (the former KIMN) on 950, and they are local
and live, believe it or not. They make an occasional on-air mention
of "HD" radio, and there is a plug for it on their site, but it
doesn't mention anything about it being stereo.
The laughable thing is that KRWZ managed to get on a translator
(103.1) about a month ago, so they have been spending far more time
and effort promoting their "FM" signal than their "HD" signal since
then. After all, just about everyone has FM, but just about nobody
has "HD", not to mention that the little translator signal probably
goes a lot farther than the so called "HD" signal anyway.
I listen to them on AM because it sounds better to my ears. They play
mostly 50s and 60s music, and the processing on AM is set the way I
like to hear it because it sounds like the stations did when that
music was current. In other words, "balls to the wall" compression.
The FM signal sounds very "mamby pamby" by comparison. It would be
better suited for elevator music.
Although the translator is actually a simucast, because of the delays
from the secondary "HD" signal from one of their FMs, plus the delay
of the "HD" on their AM signal, the FM is about 30 seconds behind the
AM. Very strange, but if you miss something on AM, just flip to FM
and you can hear it again. 73, (Kit Sage, W5KAT, Arvada, Colorado,
ABDX via DXLD)
AM IBOC is stereo capable. You have to be pretty much within 25 miles
to hear IBOC but it is possible.
> After all, just about everyone has FM, but just about nobody has
"HD", not to mention that the little translator signal probably goes a
lot farther than the so called "HD" signal anyway.
You can bet the farm that a 250W xlator will carry farther than an
IBOC signal. When history is written, IBOC on AM will be a disaster
and more ridiculed than AM stereo could ever be. IBOC was a non
starter from day one and destroyer of listenable signals. It`s proof
that the FCC is run by lawyers and corporate honchos instead of the
government controlling the airwaves for the people.
Can you tell I absolutely despise IBOC on AM. FM, that`s a great tool.
I don't mind it at all. AM no way. If it was all digital or all
analog, that would work. What they have now just plain sucks (Kevin
Redding, Crump, TN, ibid.)
Yes, AM IBOC is stereo, but the way it's set up on many stations, it
really doesn't matter. Either they still feed it with a mono source,
or they have a talk format, which could sound better, but often
doesn't. AM IBOC is a big disappointment here. Several stations have a
really annoying high-frequency ringing that makes me wish there were
an "HD OFF" button on the radio. It's especially annoying when it
repeatedly flips between analog and digital.
I am now driving my wife's minivan, which has the JVC HD radio, so I
have had more opportunity to listen to HD. I hardly ever listen to AM
these days - the only AM stations I listen to are KNX and KFWB, and
both of those are available as HD-3 subchannels, so I don't even have
to switch to AM to listen. Of the HD signals here, I find that KOST
103.5's HD-2 is quite good. They play some really good oldies, and the
signal is pretty strong throughout the Valley, only cutting out when I
am near my office in the Burbank area (pretty close to the Verdugo
Hills).
Other observations: KIIS 102.7's HD seems really weak. Often I won't
even get a flashing HD light - this is unexpected, since I've never
had any problem getting their analog anywhere locally. 97.1 - AMP
Radio's HD-2 is a simulcast of CBS's "Sophie" from San Diego - kind of
a nice bonus. 104.3's HD-2 is "Pride Radio", which is ok if you like
that sort of thing. They play a lot of dance mixes of current hits.
I am with Kevin on this one. AM HD is an abomination, and I wish it
would just die already. FM is useful, but I must say that the way it
is implemented on my radio is a pain. I don't like having to wait
until the HD locks in before I can hit the "up" button to select the
HD-2, and you can't set a button for an HD-2/3 - just the main
station.
Oh, while I am on one of my rare postings, I may as well note that the
other night, I was able to get the display to show KCBS-AM, though the
HD never actually locked in for any significant time. Not bad for 350+
miles. I was also hearing some other stuff that I don't think I have
heard on the Blaupunkt in the old car, so there might be some DX
waiting to be heard. I will try to find some time to do a bit more
listening (Brian Leyton, Valley Village, CA, ibid.)
My experience with KMKI 620 in Dallas was interesting. HD-AM on it was
locking, but without careful attention to getting rid of interference
sources, placement of the loop, etc. it was really had to get the HD
to actually go into stereo. Once in stereo, the musical tones of high
frequency instruments - dings, cymbals, etc were curiously aliased to
much lower in frequency. Away from the city, I was able to get HD lock
as much as 35 miles out, which I considered pretty darn good
considering the lack of robustness in the signal.
Just be way of comparison - KMKI is a regional on a low frequency, and
I've had no trouble getting them almost static free over 300 miles
away out to the west. Prior to them using HD, however. Before they
were using HD, they were using C-Quam. I actually used them - and KAAM
770 from Dallas, to bust a myth promoted by David Eduardo on the Radio
Info board. He contended that C-Quam limited the range of AM stations,
particularly in the valleys in Los Angeles. He therefore preferred HD
for his stations. I took my Sony SRF-A1 AM stereo walkman to what
would be the absolute worst case scenario for C-Quam - the Crosbyton
Canyon. Not quite as high a walls as the valleys of LA - but it
happened to be 290 miles from the Dallas stations! So if high valley
walls were going to attenuate anything, they certainly would attenuate
the Dallas stations at that extreme distance.
I initially doubted that the SRF-A1 would even get the stations on 770
and 620 - let alone decode stereo in C-Quam. But to my surprise, both
were there with a minimal amount of static, and the C-Quam was
decoding in stereo!
I had some real time to devote to the task, and spent a long time
hiking the river valley and accessible locations in that valley,
listening for any trace of platform motion or drop-outs. It was a
waste of time. The stations were solid, there was not a trace of
platform motion, all I did was PO some rattlesnakes and made the
janitor at the rest stop curious. Myth - BUSTED. C-Quam robust and
reliable even 290 miles out, nobody in Los Angeles would have anything
like that bad of a signal scenario.
I did have a small box loop with me. I used it to boost both stations
to local quality - no static at all. But - that did cause platform
motion on KAAM, because I was also getting KKOB 770 Albuquerque. This
leads me to believe that the whole "platform motion" criticism was
always due to conflicting carriers from distant stations, which would
happen a lot more at night than in the daytime.
Flash forward to the days of HD on KMKI and KAAM. Same radio. Same
valley. KAAM barely receivable, KMKI MUCH weaker. Back in Dallas, KMKI
HD hard to lock in. KAAM HD impossible to lock in 9.6 miles from their
tower. Which system limits reception range of the analog signal? HD.
Which system has better stereo range? C-Quam by a factor of more than
10:1. HD = BAD engineering solution. C-Quam = much better engineering
solution. HD signal reduction was so bad on WBAP - that relies on its
daytime groundwave and nighttime skywave for distant listeners that it
canned HD not long after they started. They certainly knew the
difference and probably defied management at the network to drop it.
Smart folks. I only hope the rest of the station managers across the
country follow suit.
The only lasting legacy of this failed experiment on AM is that it
probably finished C-Quam for good, which is a shame. But AM stereo was
too late - by the time it came into its own, AM had migrated to talk
radio which doesn't need stereo at all. In fact, stereo placement of
mikes has been tried and was irritating to listeners. So - WHY do the
big talkers even want (A) HD for their signal or (B) FM translators
for their signal. Both are a waste of spectrum for material that is
perfectly fine on a 3 kHz mono channel. End of rant (Bruce Carter, TX,
ibid.)
Re: HD for AM --- One important thing that is never mentioned about HD
Radio is the interference with EAS information. Five of my clients
monitor WBZ-1030 in Boston which has HD Radio on almost all the time.
On the very rare times they have HD off and run EAS tests or other
messages, it always decodes. When they do run HD, EAS is much more
intermittent for decoding on the Sage EAS units, receiving maybe half
or less of the transmissions. At night, EAS from KDKA-1020 and some HD
splatter from WINS-1010 almost always blocks EAS. Seldom received at
night. I'm quite sure this also happens to home EAS units such as
Sangean Public Alert. I hate to predict it, but at some point in the
future people will die because EAS was unable to warn them due to HD
Radio interference to receivers (Craig Healy, Providence, RI, Jan 26,
ABDX via DXLD)
May I direct your attention to:
http://topazdesigns.com/iboc/station-list.html
It`s a site that keeps track of HD stations on AM and whether or not
they broadcast at night. It is fairly accurate in my testing here out
west. If you see a mistake you can even email the guy and he changes
it pretty quick.
HD Radio should die on AM, but revive AM stereo on music stations, and
make a Sony XDR-F1HD that can decode it. I think it would be cool if
the Sony had an add on for the XDR that was easy to attach and gave it
C-Quam decoding abilities. I can dream can't I? (Justin - Dn51, ibid.)
I'm the guy, and I'd appreciate it if folks would check the list and
send me updates when you spot errors and omissions. That's the only
way it can remain the definitive list of who's doing what with AM
IBOC.
One thing is clear: there is a slow but steady drop in the numbers.
One fellow suggested it could be called the AM IBOC Death Watch, but I
haven't gone that far yet! (Barry McLarnon VE3JF Ottawa, ON, ibid.)
As I recall, 1250 in Tampa runs HD also. Perhaps because of the
nighttime problems with AM HD, I think the Tampa stations turn it off
at night, with the exception of 1380 Radio Disney (Dick W., ibid.)
Tampa has HD on 620, 970 and I think still on 1380, and has for a
while, so your guide's accuracy is suspect. The first two are Clear
Channel operations, and 1380 is Disney.
The only HD anywhere in this market that I think has ANY redeeming
value is WUSF 89.7 moving classical mx to their -HD2, for those that
can't hear WSMR Sarasota, which WUSF purchased to carry cl mx while
they moved their main signal to newstalk. The HD2 then matters because
many people in Tampa can't get WSMR off-air. 73 (Bob k2euh Foxworth,
FL, ibid.)
My Sangean HDT-1X does a nice job decoding C-QUAM AM Stereo signals.
73, (Kevin Raper, KJ4HYD, CE WCKI WQIZ, There is no limitation to the
fidelity of AM radio. From a mathematical standpoint, AM does better
in frequency response than FM. - Leonard Kahn, ibid.)
My Accurian does too! (but apparently not all the Accurians do ---
discussion a few months ago) (MJR n WYO, Michael Richard, ibid.)
AM iBOC is definitely stereo-capable, though many AM stations fail to
hook it up correctly. Even a talk station should be hooked up to
broadcast stereo in iBOC because guess what else you're listening to
for 22 minutes of every hour... Ad spots, liners, sound effects,
bumper music. All that material is originally recorded in stereo, and
believe it or not, any FM station would normally broadcast it that
way. There should be no reason AM iBOC stations can't operate the very
same way, what with today's digital-audio streaming protocols used for
STL's and stereo-ready studios (many of which were wired that way
prior to going iBOC). I can't answer the question as to why so many
don't. Of course, that's the same mentality a portion of AM
broadcasters clung to even during the heyday of analog AM stereo,
which should still be the standard today.
WBYU 1450 in New Orleans is full iBOC stereo, and is one of the best-
sounding AM HD stations I have heard yet. All music is tagged with
artist and song title on my radio's screen, the audio is smooth and
crisp (not gritty and metallic as if a low-bitrate MP3), and the
stereo separation is phenomenal. You'd be thinking you were listening
to FM stereo. WBYU's audio is properly engineered and processed such
that the highs come out natural rather than 'artifacty'. Many AM iBOC
stations do not re-equalize the highs, and that causes the stereo
separation to collapse as the processor tries to render the excessive
high frequency audio going in. The highs should actually be attenuated
slightly during pre-emphasis before going into the digital stream
audio input of the iBOC exciter, with modulation compression not
turned up beyond 100%. The digital stream's audio input level has no
effect on the analog audio modulation, so need not be aggressively
compressed as if it were going into the analog modulation audio input
(which is a completely separate deal). (Darwin Long, Empire, LA,
ibid.)
PROPAGATION
+++++++++++
BDXC PROPAGATION REPORT FEBRUARY 2011
Hi Glenn, Here is the February edition of the propagation report.
Propagation Summary
During January conditions have remained steady and February should
remain the same with the Solar Flux mainly at 82. Apart from a slight
fluctuation around 3rd February, the Boulder A index is likely to stay
at 5 and the K index at 2. ---
http://www.wm7d.net/hamradio/solar/27d_forecast.shtml
NASA Sun Spot Number predictions revised yet again.
NASA has revised their Sun Spot prediction once again and it is now at
the level of the Maunder Minimum of 1675-1715 when the climate was
much colder. The solar cycle 24 predicted sunspot maximum has been
reduced again - predicted peak down to 59 Max. Current prediction for
the next sunspot cycle maximum gives a smoothed sunspot number maximum
of about 59 in June/July of 2013. We are currently two years into
Cycle 24 and the predicted size continues to fall.
--- NASA Solar Physics, 3 January 2011.
http://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/predict.shtml
Cycle 24 Continues
"During the course of an approximate eleven year sunspot cycle, the
minimum phase, or quiet sun, is generally considered to exist during
the time when the smoothed sunspot number (SSN) drops, and remains
below 30. The smoothed sunspot number is a monthly index compiled by
the Royal Observatory of Belgium for measuring solar cycle progress.
An unbroken string of smoothed sunspot numbers has been recorded since
1750. The present period of quiet sun began as declining Cycle 23
dropped below the SSN 30 level during April, 2005. A period of
moderate solar activity is expected for the remainder of 2011,
reaching a sunspot count on the order of 60 by year's end. This six-
year solar quiet period was the deepest and most persistent recorded
in almost two hundred years. It mystified solar scientists, and it is
another example of how little is yet known about sunspots and of the
nature of the Sun itself." (George Jacobs, WRTH 2011)
Say Goodbye To Sunspots?
"Scientists studying sunspots for the past two decades have concluded
that the magnetic field that triggers their formation has been
steadily declining. If the current trend continues, by 2016 the sun's
face may become spotless and remain that way for decades - a
phenomenon that in the 17th century coincided with a prolonged period
of cooling on Earth.
The last solar minimum should have ended last year, but something
peculiar has been happening. Although solar minimums normally last
about 16 months, the current one has stretched over 26 months-the
longest in a century. One reason, according to a paper submitted to
the International Astronomical Union Symposium No. 273, an online
colloquium, is that the magnetic field strength of sunspots appears to
be waning."
http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/09/say-goodbye-to-sunspots.html
Sunspots may vanish by 2015. By William Livingston, and Matthew Penn.
"We have observed spectroscopic changes in temperature sensitive
molecular lines, in the magnetic splitting of an Fe I line, and in the
continuum brightness of over 1000 sunspot umbrae from 1990-2005. All
three measurements show consistent trends in which the darkest parts
of the sunspot umbra have become warmer (45K per year) and their
magnetic field strengths have decreased (77 Gauss per year),
independently of the normal 11-year sunspot cycle. A linear
extrapolation of these trends suggests that few sunspots will be
visible after 2015."
This article can be viewed in PDF format at:
http://wattsupwiththat.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/livingston-penn_sunspots2.pdf
Thanks to Ken Fletcher and Mike Terry for this month's articles. Links
to these articles can be found at: http://www.jameswelsh.org.uk
Regards (James Welsh, Jan 29, BDXC-UK via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Geomagnetic field levels were predominately quiet the entire summary
period. Solar wind speeds were fairly benign ranging from a high of
407 km/s at 24/0843Z to a low of 266 km/s at 30/1946Z The Bz
component of the interplanetary magnetic field did not vary much
beyond +/- 5 nT during the summary period.
FORECAST OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY 02 - 28 FEBRUARY 2011
Solar activity is expected to be at very low to low levels through
08 February. A slight chance for M-class activity is possible from
09 - 22 February due to the return of old Region 1149 (N17, L= 349).
Very low to low levels are expected for the remainder of the outlook
period (23 - 28 February). No proton events are expected at
geosynchronous orbit. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at
geosynchronous orbit is expected to be at normal to moderate levels
during 02 - 03 February, increasing to moderate to high levels for 04
- 09 February. Normal to moderate levels are expected for the
remainder of the outlook period (10 - 28 February).
Geomagnetic field activity is expected to be at quiet to unsettled
levels on 02 - 04 February due to combined effects of a recurrent
coronal hole high speed stream (CH HSS) and the 29 January CME.
Isolated active to minor storm periods are possible 02 - 03 February.
Predominately quiet levels will return from 05 - 08 February. Quiet to
unsettled levels are expected on 09 - 11 February due to another CH
HSS. Isolated active periods are possible on 10 February.
Predominately quiet conditions will prevail from 12 - 27 February.
Quiet to unsettled levels, with isolated active periods, are expected
by 28 February due to another CH HSS.
:Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt
:Issued: 2011 Feb 01 1755 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 2011-02-01
#
# UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest
# Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index
2011 Feb 02 82 12 4
2011 Feb 03 82 15 5
2011 Feb 04 84 8 3
2011 Feb 05 84 5 2
2011 Feb 06 84 5 2
2011 Feb 07 84 5 2
2011 Feb 08 84 5 2
2011 Feb 09 84 5 2
2011 Feb 10 86 8 3
2011 Feb 11 88 10 3
2011 Feb 12 88 8 3
2011 Feb 13 88 5 2
2011 Feb 14 88 5 2
2011 Feb 15 88 5 2
2011 Feb 16 88 5 2
2011 Feb 17 88 5 2
2011 Feb 18 88 5 2
2011 Feb 19 88 5 2
2011 Feb 20 88 5 2
2011 Feb 21 86 5 2
2011 Feb 22 84 5 2
2011 Feb 23 82 5 2
2011 Feb 24 80 5 2
2011 Feb 25 80 5 2
2011 Feb 26 80 5 2
2011 Feb 27 80 5 2
2011 Feb 28 80 10 3
(SWPC via WORLD OF RADIO 1550, DXLD) ###