DX LISTENING DIGEST 11-28, July 14, 2011
Incorporating REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING
edited by Glenn Hauser, http://www.worldofradio.com
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WORLD OF RADIO 1573 headlines:
*DX and station news about: Australia, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil,
Canada, China and non, Costa Rica, Cuba and non, Cyprus, Ethiopia,
Gambia, Guam, India, Israel, Libya non, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco non,
Netherlands and non, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Romania, Russia
and non, Spain, Sudan non, Sudan South and non, Uganda, UK, USA,
Zanzibar
SHORTWAVE AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1573, July 14-20, 2011
Thu 0330 WRMI 9955 [jammed, inaudible]
Thu 1500 WRMI 9955
Thu 2100 WRMI 9955 [confirmed on webcast, inaudible, not jammed]
Thu 2100 WTWW 9479 [confirmed, not on webcast]
Thu 2130 WBCQ 7415 [confirmed on webcast, audible on 7415]
Fri 0330 WWRB 5051 [ex-5050]
Fri 0500 WRMI 9955 [NEW]
Fri 1430 WRMI 9955
Sat 0800 WRMI 9955
Sat 1500 WRMI 9955
Sat 1730 WRMI 9955
Sun 0400 WTWW 5755
Sun 0800 WRMI 9955
Sun 1530 WRMI 9955
Sun 1730 WRMI 9955
Mon 0300 WBCQ 5110v-CUSB
Mon 1130 WRMI 9955
Mon 1530 WRMI 9955
Mon 2130 WRMI 9955
Tue 1530 WRMI 9955
Wed 1530 WRMI 9955
Wed 2130 WBCQ 7415
Latest edition of this schedule version, including AM, FM, satellite
and webcasts with hotlinks to station sites and audio, is at:
http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html or
http://schedule.worldofradio.org or http://sked.worldofradio.org
For updates see our Anomaly Alert page:
http://www.worldofradio.com/anomaly.html
WRN ON DEMAND:
http://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/
** AFGHANISTAN [non]. 12130, SRI LANKA. Radio Mashaal (Iranawila)
(presumed), 1117-1126, 7/11/2011, Pashto. Talk by man and woman. Weak
signal with fading, above the noise about 50% of the time (Jim Evans,
Germantown, TN, Tecsun PL-380 with whip antenna, NASWA yg via DXLD)
** ALASKA. 11870, July 11 at 1201, KNLS IS and sign-on with calls,
``The New Life Station`` by YL, introducing OM co-host; poor and
fading, but with bad propagation today I wasn`t even expecting this
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ALBANIA. I still listen to Radio Tirana in English two to three
times a week, mainly at 1845 UT with good reception conditions. Rest
assured if there was an interference problem with the European
frequencies, then I would let you know straightaway.
Unfortunately, some transmissions still suffer from weak modulation on
certain days. The programmes are perfectly understandable here, but I
would imagine that in more distant targets, it would be difficult to
hear the contents above the atmospheric noise.
I am always disappointed that I cannot hear the domestic Radio Tirana
first programme very well. The signal from the non-directional antenna
is only fair on 7390 kHz in the mornings. Of course, 11 MHz would be
better, but I expect your target area is Italy and Central Europe,
where the signal is surely much stronger.
On a different topic, I still tune in to TVSH on the Eutelsat
satellite at 16E and enjoy the music programmes. There have been some
very good outdoor music specials lately. Of course, I also watch the
news (Lajme) and have sometimes seen the news in English at 6.30 pm
Albanian time. PLEASE can something be done to correct the problem
with the stereo sound on the TV channel. It has a really strange and
annoying effect and I have to switch my receiver to Mono instead.
Kindest regards to you and all radio Tirana staff members (Alan
Holder, Isle of Wight, UK, July 8, via Drita Çiço, R. Tirana, DXLD)
** ANGUILLA [and non]. 6090, July 12 at 0933, PMS is absent, altho
should be on here until 1000 switch to day frequency 11775, which was
not on the air either at this time; clearing 6090 for weak Brazilian,
no doubt R. Bandeirantes, which was not audible either on // 11925v.
At 1347 recheck, 11775 is on.
11775, July 13 at 1237, DGS very distorted, modulation problem altho
carrier seems OK; but also splatters 11765-11790; worse, at 1240, big
blob of garbage covering 11900-11935 matching music pause on 11775,
and then when resuming talk, only during modulation spikes. By 1247,
11775 and the spurs have gone off the air; let`s hope for good until
repaired. -NO:
11875-11935, again this morning, July 14 at 1220, still going at 1248,
The University Network on 11775 is putting out dirty scratchy spurs,
peaking 11905, matching distorted PMS modulation on fundamental 11775.
This time I also find a weaker match around 11635, i.e. approx 130-140
kHz on each side. Still on at 1341 with spurspikes around 11905 (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ARGENTINA. 15344.13v, R. Nacional, 0102-0200, July 10. IDs;
chatting in Spanish; LA ballads; poor to almost fair; drifting (Ron
Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** ASCENSION. 3 March at Ascension. BFBS on 100.9 MHz, 10 mile range
from the island, and AFN on 98.7, 50 miles. Aero beacon ASN on 360 kHz
(John Mattocks, Report from the Mid Atlantic, aboard the RMS St
Helena, July BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD)
** AUSTRALIA. 2368.5, Radio Symban, 1159-1306, July 11. Above
the norm; songs in Greek; announcers in Greek; ToHs series of
announcements; possible ads; poor with QRN (Ron Howard, Asilomar
State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** AUSTRALIA. 3210 and 5050, Ozy Radio. Seems possible that both
transmitters are finally being prepared to be moved to a new location.
July 10 and 11 both of them unmistakably not broadcasting.
3210 and 5050, Ozy Radio continues to be silent July 12. They are
indeed off the air now, as confirmed today by Craig Allen. Ozy Radio
will soon be via the web, with the shortwave station being back on the
air within 6 months. Craig has just uploaded an interesting video to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aEmfw-E5kU
showing his transmitter setup. So now we can see what we have been
listening to (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg
via WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** AUSTRALIA. 2485, VL8K Katherine NT, 1020 with audio first time in
weeks, 2310 and 2325 carriers only, 7 July (Robert Wilkner, NRD 535D -
Drake R8 - Icom 746Pro modified, Pompano Beach, South Florida, US,
HCDX via DXLD)
** AUSTRALIA [and non]. 6020, July 12 at 0932, heavy clash at equal
levels from R. Australia in Tok Pisin (I think) and RNW in Dutch,
which is still on 6020 this semihour only via BONAIRE to Caribbean
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** AUSTRALIA. CYCLONE RADIO IN AUSTRALIA: THE AFTERMATH OF CYCLONE
YASI
During the months of December & January, the three eastern states of
Australia, Queensland, New South Wales & Victoria, endured massive
floodings which submerged many areas even in one state capital, the
city of Brisbane (BRIZ-b’n) in Queensland. Multitudes of people had to
evacuate, and local radio was used as a very important means of
communication, informing people with significant news of events and
developments, and it was also a source of encouragement to the
bewildered.
Then, in early February, a massive cyclone struck the flood ravaged
areas of North Queensland, adding fury to the already existent wide
spread flood problems. For a few days, Cyclone Yasi with its wind
speed somewhere around 200 miles per hour, wreaked havoc along coastal
areas, and inland for several hundred miles. Once again, radio was a
lifeline to the people, informing them of power outages, strong wind
areas, and availability of supplies and emergency necessities.
The twin events, the intense Cyclone Yasi on top of widespread
flooding, have been described as the worst natural disasters in the
entire history of Australia.
The government radio service, ABC Local Radio in Queensland, provided
a remarkable service to the stricken areas from their studios in
Brisbane, and also in regional Townsville & Cairns. However, due to
the fact that the floods and the cyclone damaged the electrical
distribution systems, some of the many ABC local stations were off the
air.
As a result, Radio Australia was asked to co-operate once again and
provide widespread coverage on shortwave. It should be noted that
Radio Australia has provided a similar service on previous occasions
when cyclones have attacked the northern areas of Australia, in the
Northern Territory, Queensland, and Western Australia.
With information that was provided by Radio Australia, the ABC in
Queensland, Bob Padula in Melbourne, Jerry Berg in suburban Boston,
and our own monitoring observations in Indianapolis, we build up the
following picture of events during the onslaught of Cyclone Yasi.
At 12:45 pm, Australian time, on Tuesday February 1, Radio Australia
in Melbourne received a request from the ABC in Brisbane to relay the
programming of ABC Local Radio in Queensland on shortwave for the
benefit of listeners in the northern areas that were affected by
Cyclone Yasi. In response, states Nigel Holmes, Transmission Manager
for Radio Australia, the Queensland local programming was on the air
shortwave just 31 minutes later. The recent experience at Radio
Australia was based upon their similar earlier programming involvement
during Cyclone Larry back in the year 2004.
Radio Australia committed the usage of one of their shortwave
transmitters for Yasi coverage, operating on 9710 kHz during their day
and 6080 kHz at night. It is stated that the specific transmitter in
use for this purpose was a newly installed Continental transmitter.
It would seem then that this Continental transmitter was actually in
use on Guam in earlier years for the shortwave service of Adventist
World Radio under the callsign KSDA. A few years ago, the two
Continental transmitters at KSDA were removed from Guam and taken over
by Christian Voice in Darwin; and when the Darwin shortwave station
was closed and dismantled, the two Continental transmitters were taken
over by Radio Australia for installation at Shepparton in Victoria.
However, even though it was stated that only one transmitter was
diverted for Yasi coverage, it became evident that Radio Australia
diverted much of its programming for a few days in order to give wide
coverage to the events associated with the cyclone in Queensland. On
the morning of Wednesday February 2, for example, three transmitters
were noted at Indianapolis in parallel with live coverage from
Queensland about the impact of Yasi. Around 1315 UTC, these three
transmissions in parallel were noted on 6020 kHz, 9580 kHz & 9590 kHz,
all at an almost perfect level and clarity.
Interestingly, none of the these three channels was from the specially
dedicated transmitter which was allocated two other channels, 6080 kHz
or 9710 kHz. However, at that time, this Continental transmitter was
not audible in Indianapolis, not on either channel. This same program
stream was also available in perfect clarity via the internet, though
the internet stream ran several seconds behind the shortwave stream.
The programming during these few days of live broadcasts from
Queensland was identified on air as ABC Local Radio in Queensland,
with both pre-recorded identification announcements and also by the
announcer on duty. Many phone calls were taken, mainly from the
affected areas, though with some calls coming in from interested
listeners in other countries, including the United States.
This live programming was co-ordinated by the ABC state headquarters
in Brisbane, station 4QR, with their 50 kW transmitter near Bald Hills
on 612 kHz. At times, there was also input from the ABC regional
station 4QN located at Townsville, with its 50 kW mediumwave
transmitter on 630 kHz. In addition to mediumwave, the ABC regional
service in Queensland is also relayed through a large network of local
FM stations throughout the state.
On the Tuesday afternoon, orders were given to evacuate the ABC studio
building in Townsville, and three of the staff took accommodation in a
nearby hotel. With them was an accumulation of electronic equipment
for use in on air news bulletins and on the spot interviews. However,
much of the equipment became inoperable when the power at the hotel
went out.
Their one remaining instrument for communication was a mobile phone
with which they filed voice reports about the cyclone. Due to the fact
that laptop computers were no longer functioning, regional news
bulletins were written out by hand and read into the mobile phone,
while sitting in the hotel fire escape stairways with small candles
providing the only light at night. The announcer gave station
identification from this primitive emergency location, as “ABC Local
Radio in Queensland, here in Townsville”.
Some programming from Cairns, was also spliced into the emergency
programming, and the announcer up there stated that they had
transferred their live program production from the regular in town
studios to the Boardroom in the City Council Building. The local ABC
mediumwave station in Cairns, which is the large most northerly city
in Queensland, is 4QY with 2 kW on 801 kHz.
Cyclone Yasi stormed ashore from the Pacific soon after midnight at a
small coastal community located between Townsville & Cairns, known as
Mission Beach. As it meandered inland, it lost its power, but heavy
rains followed. A few days later, it became no more than a regular
rain storm as it crossed the state border from Queensland into the
Northern Territory (Adrian Peterson, IN, AWR Wavescan script March 6
via DXLD)
** BELARUS [and non]. Home Service of Belarus Radio heard with a
program of old songs from the 1930s, after 1920 h on 6010, 6070, and
on 7280 kHz with interference from The Voice of Vietnam (Rumen Pankov,
Sofia, R. Bulgaria DX July 8 via Yimber Gaviría, Colombia, DXLD)
** BELARUS.
6040 / 08.47 / 13/06 / BLR / Belarusian Radio 1 (Grodno, 5 kW), the
songs on Russian / 34443
6070 / 08.48 / 13/06 / BLR / Belarusian Radio 1 (Brest, 5 kW), the
songs on Russian / 34444
7235 / 08.50 / 13/06 / BLR / Belarusian Radio 1 (Mogilev, 5 kW), the
songs on Russian / 35443
7280 / 08.51 / 13/06 / BLR / Belarusian Radio 1 (Grodno, 5 kW), the
songs on Russian / 25432
(Alexander Beryozkin, St. Petersburg, Place of reception: Ushkovo,
resort area of St. Petersburg, Receiver: Grundig G3, Antennas:
internal magnetic, telescopic)
E-QSL received from the Belarusian Radio (Channel 1). Signed Anton
Vasiukevich. 0000-0030 6040 kHz, 1 hour. Wrote on: radio1@tvr.by
Receiver: "Eton" G3. Antenna: Telescopic. QTH-Locator: IO91WO (Sergei
Rogov, London, UK / "deneb-radio-dx" both via RusDX 10 July via DXLD)
** BHUTAN. Is back after being off the air for a while on 6035 kHz at
0100, 1130 UT. Pretty weak (Victor Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka, 4S7VK,
DXplorer July 4 via BC-DX 11 July via WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DXLD)
Has been Off since November 2010. Not even a carrier noted here at
0100, Jul 11 (Anker Petersen, DSWCI DX Window July 13 via WORLD OF
RADIO 1573, DXLD)
** BOLIVIA. 3310 9.7 2305 R Mosoj Chaski, Cochabamba, körde phone-in
vid denna tiden. En del utility-QRM med Q2-3 ändå. Lyssnade också kl
0120 UTC och då gick stationen helt enormt med fina ID:n! HR
3310, 9.7 2305, R Mosoj Chaski, Cochabamba, with phone-in at this
time. Some utility-QRM but although Q2-3. Listened also at 0120 UT
when the station was there with very good strength and lots of nice
IDs! HR (Hans Östnell, Biri, Norway, SW Bulletin July 10, translated
by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BOLIVIA. 4700, Radio San Miguel, Riberalta 1015 good signal, 7 July
4716.74, Radio Yura, Yura, noted with good signal 1044, 6 July
5952.34, Pio XII, Siglo Veinte, 1030 to 1035 om & yl en espanol, good
signal 7 July (Robert Wilkner, NRD 535D - Drake R8 - Icom 746Pro
modified, Pompano Beach, South Florida, US, HCDX via DXLD)
5952.49, R. Pio Doce, Siglo Veinte, 0113-0135, July 8, Spanish. Lots
of M & W announcer banter; a bit of music; 5 pips at BoH into ID;
poor-fair in ECCS-LSB with 5950 silent. [Also] 0043-0102, July 9. M &
W announcers with live event; speaking with several event
participants; ad string from 0051; back to live after ToH; poor-fair
in ECCS-LSB with 5950 once again silent; haven't logged this one in
years (Scott R. Barbour Jr. Intervale, N.H. USA, NRD-545, MLB-1, 200'
Beverages, 60m dipole, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
5952.45, Emisoras Pio XII, 7/8, 0113. Talk in Spanish by OM and YL,
indigenous music, more talk, ID at 0129; LSB to get away from station
on 5954.5; QS1R does a fantastic job of separating the two stations
(Ralph Brandi, Middletown, NJ, QS1R Quicksilver SDR, 300 foot mini-
Beverage antenna, NASWA Flashsheet July 10 via DXLD)
5952v - Radio Pio Doce --- Putting out a decent signal into northern
NH at 0117 with 5950 silent. Spanish talk & Bolivian ballads. I
haven't logged this one in years (Scott Barbour, NH, 0119 UT July 8,
DXplorer via Don Jensen, NASWA yg via DXLD)
[and non] Been on this one since 0102 with rustic yipyipping Bolivian
music like the good old days. At 0108 super big carrier came on 5950,
then R. República ID that totally blocked the Bolivian. I tuned away,
then spotted Scott`s note that they were audible at 0117. Went back
and, 5950 was empty again.
Now 0136, an excellent signal from Pio XX [sic], with some music, and
a lot of man and woman chattering. Like Scott, been decades since I
heard this one this well! Hints of other OA and CPs on 60 but this is
too much fun to leave. But enough chatter already; get back to that
great music. --don (Don Jensen, Kenosha WI, 0142 UT July 8, NASWA yg
via DXLD)
República returned (Don Jensen, 0234 UT, ibid.)
5952.38, Radio Pio Doce, Siglo Veinte, 0156-0229:05*, July 9. OM and
YL in Spanish playing some nice Bolivian music. At 0226 their usual
theme music which is the distinctive whistling "Colonel Bogey March",
written in 1914 by Lieutenant F. J. Ricketts (a.k.a. Kenneth J.
Alford), a British army bandmaster; often folks tend to now
incorrectly call it "The River Kwai March" from the movie (I have done
so myself in the past!); full ID; series of chimes and off . Assume
was also hearing a very weak R. República on 5954.22, with no jamming
noted (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via WORLD
OF RADIO 1573, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also CUBA [non]
5952.45, Radio Pio Doce, 0000-0117, July 10, Spanish talk. ID at 0027.
Ads, jingles, chirping birds. Radio-drama. Bolivian music. Abruptly
off the air at approximately 0117. Fair signal with Okeechobee not on
5950 until approximately 0145. Thanks to tips from Scott Barbour, Don
Jensen and others (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest)
Pio XII heard last night [UT July 10] from 0009 tune in with good
signal but really picked up dramatically after the adstring, which
included a bank, after the half hour and continued until the abrupt
pulling the plug at 0117*. Last night a virtual pipeline to here, with
signal S9+20 at times at almost armchair levels at times. Actually,
the program after the adstring was not a radio drama, though plenty of
dramatics. It was a live show, a celebration of some sort, perhaps a
local religious fiesta, a number of references to Santa María. Man and
woman with excited chatter, interviews with people in the audience. At
one point, the woman tried to interview a girl who, nervously,
couldn`t respond, but only giggled when asked questions. Live audience
with recorded music; took one or two phone calls earlier. Crowd noises
in background.
At one point, the male announcer said they were going out into the
plaza, where, clearly, celebrations were going on. A live band, the
oompah-pah typical municipal band with a tuba providing the rhythm,
played a couple of lively dances --- reminded me of a Bolivian version
of a ``tarantella``. The announcer got into the action too by singing
snatches of the music. Everybody was having a hellova good time there.
Then, abruptly, the party was over and the station simply left the air
at 0117. I was having a good time too! (Don Jensen, Kenosha WI, NASWA
yg via DXLD)
5952, R. Pio XII, Oruro, 0026-0117*, 7/10/11. Poor but with frequent
peaks to fair; broadcast of outdoor party or festival with lots of
lively talk in Spanish between man and woman; plenty of music and
happy shouting; sudden off at 0117. Tnx to Don Jensen for tip (Jim
Ronda, Tulsa, OK, NRD-545, R-75 + PAR-SWL, NASWA Flashsheet via WORLD
OF RADIO 1573, DXLD)
** BOLIVIA. 6025 14.6 0025, Radio Illimani, La Paz, med predikan och
gospel. Trodde först på Amanecer, med tanke på formatet men klckrent
ID 0058 rätade ut alla frågetecken. Tydligen delar man sändare med R
Patria Nueva, men vid detta tillfället ID:ade man som R Illimani. Q2.
HR
6025, 14.6 0025, Radio Illimani, La Paz, with preaching and gospel. At
first I thought it was R Amanecer, because of the format but a very
sharp ID at 0058 straightened out the questionmark. Probably they
share transmitter with R Patria Nueva, but at this occasion ID as R
Illimani. Q2. HR (Hans Östnell, Biri, Norway, SW Bulletin July 10,
translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** BOLIVIA. 6134.845, Radio Santa Cruz, 0050-0110 July 12, With a very
good signal, noted a program of music until the top pf the hour. At
0101 a full canned ID with name "... Radio Santa Cruz ... Bolivia".
This is followed with more promos mentioning "Radio Santa Cruz" often.
Unfortunately just when I was getting interested, the audio went off
the air at 0105 about the carrier was still up but with dead air, as
they say (Chuck Bolland, 26N 081W, Clewiston, FL, Excalibur, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** BOLIVIA. TIENE MEDIA SANCION LA NUEVA LEY DE TELECOMUNICACIONES
El proyecto de ley de telecomunicaciones fue aprobado ayer en grande
por la Cámara de Diputados en la que se destaca principalmente la
creación de una nueva repartición del espacio electromagnético dentro
del país. Sectores opositores manifiestan que el partido de Gobierno
trata de consolidar su dominio de las comunicaciones mediante esta
ley.
Según la oposición, el MAS, organizaciones sociales y comunidades
indígenas afines al partido de gobierno apunta a controlar el 67% del
espectro electromagnético de las frecuencias de radio y televisión del
país, relegando al sector privado a un 33 por ciento que pujará en una
licitación internacional.
El diputado opositor de Convergencia Nacional, Luis Felipe Dorado,
manifestó que ésta es una ley que busca el control estatal de los
medios de comunicación, como la televisión y la radio porque el
gobierno central tendrá un 33%, el 17% a los sectores sociales y
comunitarios y el 17% a Pueblos Indígenas Originarios Campesinos.
“Nosotros proponemos que el 33% estatal sea distribuido en partes
iguales entre el gobierno central, las gobernaciones departamentales,
gobiernos municipales y universidades públicas y que en el 17% social-
comunitario tengan participación no sólo las organizaciones pro-
oficialistas, sino también otras, como los comités cívicos”, destacó.
En esa misma línea, Alex Orozco (CN) señala que la Constitución
establece que la Asamblea Legislativa Plurinacional sólo aprobaría una
ley básica, pero que la reglamentación y ejecución estará en manos de
los departamentos, sin embargo, el proyecto de ley no está teniendo
esto en cuenta. “Es tan centralista que el artículo 19 determina que,
para autorizar la instalación de antenas, los municipios necesitan una
autorización previa de la ATT”, arguyó.
Por su parte, el Diputado del Movimiento Al Socialismo, Darwin
Choquerive, expresó que esta nueva ley busca que exista una major
distribución de la señal en el país para mejorar la cobertura dentro
del territorio.
“El Gobierno ha tomado unas medidas a favor del pueblo y estas medidas
son también a favor del pueblo, con esta ley, de alguna manera se va a
garantizar las telecomunicaciones en todos los puntos de Bolivia, yo
creo que es un avance bastante importante”, sostuvo.
Además, remarcó que lo que se pretende es regular y no quitar
licencias a los medios ya establecidos sino de darle mayor énfasis a
las comunidades y dice que existe una campaña de desinformación como
lo sucedido con la Ley antirrascismo.
El primer vicepresidente del Comité pro Santa Cruz, Nicolás Ribera,
reprochó al gobierno que en la actualidad con el proyecto de ley de
Telecomunicaciones están consolidando el proceso neoliberal en
Bolivia, al buscar el monopolio del Estado a través de Entel en contra
de las cooperativas de comunicación en el país.
“El neoliberalismo se ha instalado en el Gobierno nacional, tanto han
criticado a los neoliberales y ahora lo que están buscando es
consolidarlo”, señaló Ribera.
Para Ribera, la nueva ley de Telecomunicaciones apunta a crear una
competencia desleal favoreciendo a Entel en perjuicio de los
operadores privados que existen en el país como el sistema cooperativo
y comunitario.
“Obviamente para generar su liquidación y crear un monopolio
absolutamente intolerable e intolerante”, señaló. Con relación a las
licencias de medios de comunicación dijo que es otra forma de acallar
a medios de comunicación que no comulgan con el gobierno (Tomada de El
Mundo, Bolivia via GRA blog 13/07/2011 via DXLD)
** BRAZIL. 4775 10.7 0015 R Congonhas (tent.) med blandad pop. Id
mellan varje låt. I mina öron låter ID som "Radio Difusora" och HK
säger att det lika gärna kan vara "Radio Congonhas" som hörs på min
inspelning. Får lyssna vidare. Q3 iallafall. HR
4775, 10.7 0015, R. Congonhas (tentative), with mixed pop. ID between
each tune. In my ears it sounds like "Rádio Difusora" and HK (Henrik
Klemetz) says it very well could be "Rádio Congonhas" on my recording.
Must listen a little bit more. Q3. HR (Hans Östnell, Biri, Norway, SW
Bulletin July 10, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** BRAZIL. 4805, Brasil, Rádio Difusora do Amazonas, Manaus, 0940 to
1010 fade with música and om, good signal 8 July [Wilkner]
4985, Brasil, Rádio Brasil Central, Goiânia, 2340 noted with strong
signal 6 July (Robert Wilkner, NRD 535D - Drake R8 - Icom 746Pro
modified, Pompano Beach, South Florida, US, HCDX via DXLD)
** BRAZIL. Martedì 5 luglio 2011:
1755 - 15189.9v kHz, R. INCONFIDENCIA - Belo Horizonte (Brasile), PP,
parlato maschile e telefonate. Segnale insufficiente- sufficiente
Ricevibile anche alle 2105.
2114 - 11815v kHz, R. BRASIL CENTRAL - Goiânia, PP, prob. cronaca
sportiva OMs. Segnale sufficiente-buono. QRM BSKSA Holy Quran 11820.
2117 - 10000 kHz, OBSERVATORIO NACIONAL - Rio (B), PP, IDs OM e
segnali di tempo. Segnale sufficiente-insufficiente
2140 - 5939.8v kHz, VOZ MISSIONARIA - Camboriú (Brasile), PP, parlato
OM/YL. Segnale insufficiente- sufficiente
2146 - 4885 kHz, R. CLUBE DO PARA - Belem (Brasile), PP, pubblicità e
jingles. Segnale sufficiente-buono (Luca Botto Fiora, G.C. 09E13 -
44N21, Rapallo (Genova) - Italia, bclnews.it yg via DXLD)
** BRAZIL. 5990, July 12 at 0929, VG signal with novelty songs in
Brazilian, 0931 interjexion of `Manhã Sertaneja` program title, more
music. It`s R. Senado, Brasília. I seldom hear this due to its strange
schedule requiring monitoring just before sunrise. Is not on late at
nite, nor evenings either. (Michael L Ford, UK, did report it to WDXC
Contact as late as 2103 on 21 June.) Why the Senate station isn`t
solely devoted to C-SPAN-like legislative coverage I have never been
able to figure out (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** BRAZIL. 5939.85, Radio Voz Missionária, 0530-0545, July 10,
Portuguese religious music. Poor with adjacent channel splatter. //
9665.10 - weak but readable (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest)
** BRAZIL. 6010.02, Radio Inconfidência, 0045-0105, July 9, Portuguese
talk. Weak. Poor with adjacent channel splatter. Very weak
unidentified station on 6009.85. Perhaps Colombia’s Conciencia. //
15189.99 - weak but audible after WYFR 0045 sign off (Brian Alexander,
PA, DX Listening Digest)
** BRAZIL. 9550 9.7 2127* OID Brasse körde musik och stängde efter en
kort annonsering när jag inte hunnit lyssna I stort mer än en minut.
Tentativt Radio Boa Vontade i Porto Alegre. Ska se om inspelningen
kan ge svar. Q3, så länge det varada... HR
9550, 9.7 2127*, UNID Brazilian with music and close down after a
short announcement when I had listened less than a minute. My guess is
Radio Boa Vontade in Porto Alegre. Hope the recording will give the
answer. Q3 during the short minute. HR (Hans Östnell, Biri, Norway, SW
Bulletin July 10, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** BRAZIL. 11815, July 8 at 0548, Brazilian W&M DJ conversation, poor
with deep fading. Hadn`t heard R. Brasil Central here in quite a
while. No other significant ZY signals on 25m (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** BRAZIL. 11765, July 9 at 0521, Brazilian talk, i.e. SRDA Curitiba;
unlike 24 hours earlier, no sign of 11815 RBC which was the only
Brazilian on band (OBOB) at that time.
Looking for others now, weak het on 11925, no doubt caused by always
off-frequency R. Bandeirantes vs BBC South Africa. WRTH 2011 shows
*11925 but it`s not inactive, just irregular. 25m conditions were
quite different than usual, with Spain and NZ both very weak.
9565, July 9 at 0525, Brazilian talk, i.e. SRDA Curitiba too. Not at
the moment with wacky wailing preacher David Miranda, unlike 9586.8
approx. squeezed between on-frequency stations, i.e. the variable R.
Globo, São Paulo, a.k.a. CBN which was as high as 9592-9593 in January
as in DXLD 11-02 and 11-07 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
~0330-0400Z 10 July, Miranda easily heard on 11765 and under 6060 in
Metro Vancouver; as well as under RHC on 6120?? That's a new one for
me. TD (Theo Donnelly, primetimeshortwave yg via DXLD)
** BRAZIL. 11815, Rádio Brasil Central, Goiânia, 0920-0935, 08-07,
program "Na Beira da Mata", male, comments and music. 24322. (Méndez)
11925, Rádio Bandeirantes, São Paulo, 0922-0946, 08-07, male and
female, Portuguese, comments. 14321. (Méndez)
15190, Rádio Inconfidência, Belo Horizonte, 0912-0940, 08-07, program:
"Trem Caipira, Inconfidência", "6 e 17", male, comments, Brazilian
songs, "Em Trem Caipira o trio Parada Dura". 34433. Also 1940-2047,
08-07, with soccer match between Brazil and Paraguay, Copa América.
22322 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Logs in Friol, 27 Km. W of Lugo,
Grundig Satellit 500 and Sony ICF SW 7600 G, Cable antenna, 10 meters,
facing WSW, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BURMA [non]. via Yerevan, Armenia, 11595.00, Democratic Voice of
Burma, *2329-0030*, July 8-9, sign on with test tone. Local
instrumental music at 2330 and talk in listed Burmese by man and
woman. Short breaks of instrumental music. Many mentions of Myanmar.
Weak at sign on but improved to a fair to good signal after 0000
(Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest)
** BURUNDI. RFI announced on its Web site that it added a third FM
relay in Burundi on July 11, on 99.5 MHz, broadcasting in French and
Swahili. The transmitter is located on Mount Mutumba in the Kirundo
region of northern Burundi (Mike Cooper, July 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CANADA. AM 690/940 Montreal: applications delayed --- applications
to reactivate 690 and 940 in Montreal have been withdrawn from the
agenda for a hearing on July 18th. They will be considered at a later
hearing. This does not *necessarily* mean the proposal is dead (Doug
Smith W9WI, Pleasant View, TN EM66, July 9, NRC-AM via DXLD)
** CANADA. CRTC has approved an application by the CBC to move the
transmitter site for CBR 1010 kHz Calgary:
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2011/2011-413.htm
The CBC wishes to vacate its current site in southeast Calgary as
urban development is creeping ever closer to the antenna. It will be
moving some 25 km northeast, near to the intersection of Hwys. 1 and
9.
Here's a link to the original application documents, which include
maps and such:
https://services.crtc.gc.ca/pub/DocWebBroker/OpenDocument.aspx?AppNo=201105479
73, (Ricky Leong, http://yellowjournalist.wordpress.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rleong101/ DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CANADA. Calgary back on SW again --- 6030, Calgary - CFVP relaying
CKMX (AM 1060). Had been off the air due to "a flooding issue at our
antenna" per DXLD 11-26; back on the air 0413-0430, July 11; C&W
songs; ads; frequent IDs ("Southern Alberta born and raised, Classic
Country AM ten sixty"); PSA for Calgary census; 0501-0510 "I Love A
Rainy Night" Eddie Rabbit, "Ode To Billie Joe" Bobbie Gentry.
Respectable signal for only 100 watts, but bothered by heavy QRN.
Clearly not heard earlier from 0327 to 0330, when I heard Radio
Oromiya (ETHIOPIA), with their distinctive repetitive xylophone
sounding IS mixing with the pulsating Cuban jamming. Jamming gone by
0413 reception of Calgary. Nice to have them back again! (Ron Howard,
Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** CANADA. RCI has reduced the length of its Portuguese and Spanish
broadcasts, still with several repeats, and so it has with English. A
few days ago I was listening to `The Link` around 2050 on
17735/15330/15235, when Ian Jones came back from vacation and
mentioned that there is no longer a second hour of that program.
On July 5, Andy Reid in Ontario found BBC instead of RCI on the 3 am
hour of CBC Radio One. On July 7, Ricky Leong in Alberta still heard
`The Link` on CBCR1 during the 2 am-local hour. And the 50% reduxion
is confirmed:
``Well, Glenn, straight from the horse's mouth:
http://www.rcinet.ca/english/program/the-link/home/
"The Link is an hour-long daily radio show aimed at connecting people
to Canada and Canada to the world." So there you have it! Ricky``
RCI has put up all-new schedules effective June 27 at
http://www.rcinet.ca/english/schedule/
IIRC, the second hour of `The Link` was even more for domestic
consumption than the first and wasn`t on SW anyway since the 2-hour
block on 31m in the mornings to NAm was dropped some months ago
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
I was listening to the 2 a.m. hour of The Link early Thursday morning,
so the program is still airing. Did not stay up late enough to hear
the 3 a.m. hour, however. 73, (Ricky Leong,
http://yellowjournalist.wordpress.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rleong101/ DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CANADA. RCI JOBS ELIMINATED, IMMIGRATION MANDATE SET ASIDE -- Filed
under MANDATE, UPDATE by Admin RCI Action on May 24, 2011 at 20:52 no
comments
Last week was tough for Radio Canada International employees as we
finally found out the impact of the $500,000 budget reduction because
of the station leaving Sirius Satellite Radio. RCI’s new director
Helene Parent had warned employees back in February (See Update from
the new RCI Director) that because of the drop in revenues, cuts had
to be made.
Last Monday, May 16, she individually spoke to each employee that was
cut. Then the next day in a public meeting with employees she
announced that seven (7) contractual positions, mostly researchers,
would be eliminated. She explained that she did not cut back all the
contractual positions that had been created by the Sirius increase in
revenue, and the longer duration of programs. She announced she was
keeping one position extra in each language section so that there was
manpower to work on more web oriented content.
She also announced that as of June 27, the English and French daily
programs, The Link and Tam Tam, would be reduced from two hour, to one
hour programs. And that all the one hour language programs, would be
reduced to half hour programs. Untouched would be the English and
French weekend programs.
She was asked about how many RCI employees had taken a special
retirement package, but preferred not to name the exact number, saying
it wasn’t totally official yet. But it’s clear that at least four
employees, and probably five in total took the package. A retirement
package that offered a bit more money to eligible employees than
normal. And it also eliminated those jobs permanently from RCI’s
staff. What this means is that RCI has five fewer permanent staff
positions. (This retirement package was offered across all of the
domestic English and French networks.)
Two days later, on Thursday, May 19, Helene Parent held two meetings
with staff to outline her vision of RCI until 2013. She first reminded
everyone of the Order-in-Council that outlines RCI’s obligation to
raise awareness of Canada abroad. She very quickly also said that the
immigration mandate of talking to future immigrants abroad or to those
already in Canada, would no longer have a central role in RCI
programming.
As she did in the past, she emphasized the increasing importance of
the Internet and the RCI website, while admitting that the present
website has serious problems. She outlined a comprehensive list of
ways RCI could interact with listeners and web users. And she
suggested there should be more collaboration between RCI and the
domestic English and French networks – CBC and Radio-Canada (RCI
Action Committee blog via WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DXLD)
** CANADA. CBC Webcast tip: IDEAS --- I`ve mentioned `Ideas` in years
past; it`s a weeknightly documentary program on the domestic CBC Radio
One that covers a wide range of topics, spending a minimum of one
episode (53 minutes) --- sometimes multiple episodes --- on a
particular topic. Used to be you had to catch the program live, as
archived audio wasn`t available. Nowadays, however, nearly all eps can
be listened to on demand. It`s quite a treasure trove of interesting
listening. Ideas never was part of the RCI-relayed CBC programming,
but I`d wager that if you want something interesting to listen to, and
you`re otherwise stumped, you can find it in the Ideas archive,
http://www.cbc.ca/ideas (Richard Cuff, Easy Listening, July NASWA
Journal via DXLD)
** CANADA. Canadian TA signals --- Some signals on Ch A2, 3 and 4 are
coming in now in Portugal (Hugh Hoover, 1203 UT July 8, WTFDA via
DXLD)
[Later:] Hi, NTV Newfoundland on Ch A3 was the strongest signal with
"Canada AM" around 1200 UT:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMwb3Bo2Vh8&feature=player_embedded
(Hugh Hoover, ibid.) 6 minute clip, strong but ghosty
** CANADA. DX Sherlock 6m Es map shows heavy activity over NE USA,
with linx to Europe, so I aim NE as I turn on the analog TV, July 9:
1415 on 2, CCI from NE; 1443 maybe CBC logo goes by
1453 on 2, local ad mentions Sault Ste. Marie (do French Canadians
pronounce it Soo too or really soh?), so CHBX. Nice to be sure I`m not
seeing the other CTV station in Ont., CKCO2 Wiarton.
I don`t notice it toward Mexico, but with antenna NE, I have a local
QRM problem: some neighborhood device makes pulses on channel 2, but
fortunately not any higher ones. There are 4 pulses repeated 7 times
starting every 48 seconds or so (sometimes more frequently), breaking
up whatever weak DX video and audio I am getting. Any idea what device
would do that? Quite regular; at least that rules out a short in my
antenna system.
Apart from the above, the whine caused by video co-channel QRM, wavers
slightly, as if at least one of the participants has an unstable
transmitter, if not some Doppler effect; from further afield? [see
below!]
1512 on 2, ad for something ``in Hamilton`` which implies originating
near Toronto, i.e. CIII2, Global, this transmitter in Bancroft, Ont.
1524 on 2, Global promo, how-2 show, 1529 outro as `Power-Boat
Television`; 1532 `Going Green for Green`
1600 on 2, fades in stronger than any of the above, starting
documentary about CFL football, ``The Extra ---` something. Listings
show it`s from CTV, ``The Extra Yard: Inside the 2011 Argos``,
whatever that means [see below]. That net goes back to CHBX or CKCO2.
Mostly outfaded by 1630.
BTW, entering M5W 1E6 as my `local` postcode to get the Canadian
listings, zap2it still frames them as ``SignOnSanDiego.com`` from last
night`s research into Mexican listings (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
CKCO-TV-2 (Wiarton, ON) and its carrier frequency
CKCO-TV-2 Wiarton, Ontario (yes - it is still on, despite the fact
that its closure was announced years ago) has been a semi-regular here
since the analog shutoff in the US took local WJBK off the air on
channel 2. It is nearly always too weak to produce sound nor picture
on a TV set, but its visual carrier (and, less often, its audio) can
be heard when I hook a TV antenna up to my amateur radio handie talkie
(which has proven to be indispensable for checking offset frequencies,
DXing while mobile, hearing audio when the video is useless, and
detecting weak signals that may warn of Es on the way).
I was noticing every time Es brought in a channel A2- station, there
would be a higher (then usual) pitch beat between the DX station and
the video carrier of CKCO2. I has always taken it for granted that
foreign stations from Latin America had very loose offsets.
Recently, I had a good signal from CHBX in Sault Sainte Marie by tropo
(a very strange tropo - as nothing else to the north of me was showing
the slightest sign of tropo), beating with CKCO2. Listening to the HT
I heard the same higher-pitch beat, and, watching the video on a TV,
it produced many thin bars, not a pulse or a few thick ones.
Just now, with CKCO2 fairly strong on tropo, I dragged a another radio
to the living room and hooked up the TV antenna. It turns out that the
visual carrier of CKCO2 is not only a little off - it is also a very
slight "siren".
I pegged its carrier at right about 55.24075 (750 Hz above standard
minus offset), and varying, irregularly, between 55.24073 and 55.24078
(but not in any consistent pattern). Something to look for when
dealing with TAs of Canadian unIDs on channel 2 by Es.
BTW: CKCO2 is CTV (as is CHBX). I wonder how CHBX and CKCO2 were both
assigned the minus offset, as they are the closest channel 2 stations
to each other (Robert Grant, July 2, WTFDA forum via WORLD OF RADIO
1573, DXLD)
CKCO-2 also drifts around in frequency. I've had them measured as
thus...
55.240.00 CHBX Sault Ste Marie, ON
55.240.66v CKCO-2 Wiarton, ON
BTW Glenn, the top level hockey team in Sault Ste. Marie is called the
"Soo Greyhounds" http://www.soogreyhounds.com/ (yes it is also "soo"
in French, except the Ste. is "saunt" in French - rhyming with "taunt"
- rather than the English "saint". English translation is "St. Mary's
Falls") wrh (Bill Hepburn, Grimsby, Ont., WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
I know how SSM *ought* to be pronounced in proper French, and
``Sainte`` is like a short-a nasalized; but was wondering if English
influence had modified that. There could also be a variation between
English Michigan vs English Ontario. Pronouncing `Sault` in English as
`Soo` (or Sioux? Hi) is really nonsensical. If you`re going to
Anglicize it, why not `salt` as in somersault? (Glenn Hauser, ibid.)
Glenn, You were originally correct in your assumption that Sault is
pronounced 'soh' in French. Sault Ste-Marie translates to St. Mary's
Rapids (and not falls) in English. I am a native French speaker, and
have lived in Ontario all my life. Regards, Jon (Jonathan Hamilton, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
I am a native French speaker, and a lifelong Franco-Ontarian. Sault
Ste-Marie translates to St. Mary's Rapids in English. Sault is
pronounced 'so' in French, and not 'soo'. Also, Sainte/Ste. is
pronounced like the English 'saint', only with a nasal 'ain' sound. I
know French-Canadians from that area, and have heard the city name
pronounced numerous times in French. Jon (Jonathan Hamilton, version
for WTFDA via DXLD)
The City of Sault Ste. Marie claims the nickname 'Soo' came from
English-speaking sailors. English influence has not modified the
pronunciation of Sainte in French.
http://www.saultstemarie.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=174&Itemid=138
(Jon Hamilton, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Glenn, French is definitely my third language, but I know enough so
it's not a mystery, and I live in a region where French names are
common. In New England mill cities, Arsenault and Thibault would
definitely be pronounced AR-sen-oh and TEE-boh. It's probably Soh,
although I can't say if a Great Lakes dialect has made it Soo. In
Quebec, falls is usually la chute, and rapids may be sault or des
rapides. Hope this helps. 73, (Dan Malloy, KA1RDZ, Everett, MA, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
The Extra Yard is a special program when a camera crew was filming
during the training camp of the Toronto Argonauts ("Argos") of the
Canadian Football League in 2011 (Terry Keyowski, Regina, Sask.,
Canada, amfmtvdx at qth.net via DXLD)
** CANADA [and non]. Just a bit of weak unID sporadic E analog TVDX,
presumed Canada as it was from the NE, UT July 12 at 0105 on 2; 0117
some weak video briefly lox in on 6.
Sporadic-E analog TVDX barely funxioning the evening of July 12 = UT
July 13:
0141 on 2, tune-in with antenna S from Mexico earlier, but hearing the
giveaway fluxuating het caused by the CKCO-TV-2 video transmitter in
Wiarton, Ont., beating against some other station with a stable
transmitter: so I rotate to NNE and do hear some English audio, also
weak signals on 3, 4 and 6.
0144 on 2, Global network promo; I still have that strange local
pulsing QRM when aimed that direxion on ch 2 only: 4 quick pulses
repeating 7 times, pausing less than a minute, repeating.
0154 on 2, altho still aimed NNE, now I hear some Spanish! So rotate
back to SSW, but by then not much Spanish to be heard. Anyhow, at
least briefly there could have been double-hop DX between Mexico and
Canada. Earlier on July 12, there were several such logs between New
England and Mexico. As usual, I am too close to the middle of paths to
benefit from double-hop.
0253 on 2, Canadian news northward, CCI but no longer the CKCO-2
variable het. Also algo on 4
0320 on 3, French audio, CCI
0358 on 2, occasional video with antenna NNE
0415 on 2, 3, peaking from NNW; ad in English on 3; algo on 4
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CANADA. CANADA CONVERTS TO DIGITAL
It's Canada's turn to switch to digital TV.
The Globe and Mail has several articles regarding what is being done
between now and the end of August. Here is a place to start:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/cbcs-switch-to-digital-tv-transmission-will-leave-some-viewers-without-access/article2092806/
You'll see a nice map of the CBC's main transmitter sites and much
more (Karl Zuk, N2KZ, July 11, WTFDA via DXLD) Viz., but WTFK? No chs:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/cbcs-analog-signal-towers-across-canada/article2092884/?from=2092806
(via gh, DXLD)
** CANADA [and non]. Elevator Music Podcast --- There are those on
this list that love elevator music. CHLY FM 101.7 in Nanaimo, BC has
lots of podcasts. They have one called the Elevator Club. Subscribe or
download the podcast here.
http://chly.ca/the-program-schedule/listen/podcasts/
Scroll down to get to Elevator Club and listen away your stress (Kevin
Redding, Crump, TN, July 10, ABDX via DXLD)
A lot, I`ll say --- some of them from external sources, e.g. link to
DEMOCRACY NOW! (gh, DXLD)
** CHAD. 6165, RNT, 2215-2231*, July 8, French talk. Afro-pop music,
including a remake of a Michael Jackson tune. Sign off with National
Anthem at 2230. Poor in thunderstorm static (Brian Alexander, PA, DX
Listening Digest)
** CHINA. 5050, Beibu Bay Radio (BBR). Finally heard in the clear now
with the absence of Ozy Radio; random checks 1220 through 1356, July
10 and 11; in Vietnamese; pop songs; ToH and BoH multi-language IDs
(“FM 96.4 Beibu Bay Radio”); frequently with multi-language series of
“Hello B-B-R”; often with slogan in English “The road to health” (Ron
Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** CHINA. UPCOMING ZHAOJUN CULTURAL FESTIVAL VIA PBS NEI MENGGU
Hi Glenn, For those of us lucky enough to be able to hear the Chinese
Service of PBS Nei Menggu, I suggest we tune in on July 15, for the
special coverage in Chinese and English of the 12th annual Zhaojun
Cultural Festival held in Hohhot, capital of the Inner Mongolian
Autonomous Region. Last year’s coverage of the opening ceremony
started about 1255 on 7420 and 9520, but we should probably start
checking somewhat earlier. Last year’s theme was “Heavenly Grassland”
and presented many musical selections from the USA (“Country Roads”),
Africa, China, etc. and the sound of fireworks.
http://www.box.net/shared/3e1vuu5beyy72z1dgsp2
has an MP3 audio of last year’s opening announcement in English. Hope
it will again be well heard and be as entertaining as last year’s
festival! (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, July 12, dxldyg via WORLD OF
RADIO 1573, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. 7215, July 13 at 1342 music and then Japanese // better
7325. HFCC shows conflicting registrations this hour on 7215, CRI in
Japanese, 500 kW, 73 degrees from Xian to southern Japan, plus CRI in
Chinese, 500 kW, 190 degrees also from Xian for Malaysia and Sumatera!
But the latter not heard. Aoki also lists them both. Running two 500
kW broadcasts on same frequency at same time from same site but in
different direxions is certainly a way to conserve frequencies, but
somehow I doubt it is really happening. Does anyone south- or westward
from China hear Chinese on 7215 during this hour? While 7325 is 500
kW, 59 degrees from Jinhua to northern Japan and regular here every
morning, also USward (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also
EAST TURKISTAN
** CHINA. Re 11-27: Wolfgang Büschel has added the transmitter sites
to go with the site numbers in the CNR1 and CNR2 schedules, so here
they are again:
China National Radio, CNR 1, A-11, May 22, 2011
SW 1955-1735 (not Tue 0600-0850) UT
[This appears to be the official schedule. CNR1 is axually heard on
numerous other frequencies not listed here, i.e. as JAMMERS gh-dxld]
17890 572 BEI 0000-1000(=17725)
17725 723 BEI 1000-1200(=7290)
17605 572 BEI 0030-1000(=11710)
17595 723 BEI 2300-1100(=6125)
17580 725 LIN 2330-0900(=11925)
17565 572 BEI 0100-0730(=9830)
17550 572 BEI 0100-1030(=9845)
15550 572 BEI 0000-1100(=7345)
15480 572 BEI 0100-1300(=5945)
15380 572 BEI 2300-1100(=7275)
15370 723 BEI 0100-1100
15270 491 BEI 0200-0900(=9775)
13610 954 NNN 2300-1300(=9810)
12055 725 LIN 0300-0500, 0700-0900, 1000-1100
12045 572 BEI 2300-1200(=9860)
11960 572 BEI 0000-0900(=6175)
11925 725 LIN 1955-2330, 0900-1735(=17580)
11760 723 BEI 0000-1200(=7365)
11750 723 BEI 2200-1000(=7305)
11720 723 BEI 2330-1100(=9710)
11710 572 BEI 1955-0030, 1000-1735(=17605)
11630 725 LIN 1955-2400, 0300-0500, 0600-0700, 0800-0900, 1000-1400
(=CNR8)
9900 572 BEI 1955-2300(=12045)
9860 572 BEI 1200-1735(=9900)
9845 572 BEI 1955-0100, 1030-1735(=17550)
9830 572 BEI 1955-0100, 0730-1735
9810 954 NNN 1955-2300, 1300-1730(=13610)
9775 491 BEI 2055-0200, 0900-1605(=15270)
9710 723 BEI 1955-2330, 1100-1735(=11720)
9675 572 BEI 2300-1000(=5030)
9645 572 BEI 2330-1100(=6000)
9630 916 GEM 2300-1200(=6080)
9630 725 LIN 1200-1300(=CNR8)
9500 723 BEI 1955-1735
9455 725 LIN 1955-0100(=CNR8/12055)
7365 723 BEI 1200-1735(=7215)
7345 572 BEI 1955-2400, 1100-1735(=7345)
7305 723 BEI 1955-2200, 1000-1735(=11750)
7290 572 BEI 1955-2400, 1100-1735(=17890)
7275 572 BEI 1955-2300, 1100-1735 (=15380)
7230 594 XIA 1955-1735
7215 723 BEI 1955-2400(=11760)
6175 572 BEI 1955-2400, 0900-1735(=11960)
6125 723 BEI 1955-2300, 1100-1735(=17595)
6125 572 BEI 1955-2300, 1000-1735(=9675)
6080 916 GEM 1955-2300, 1200-1735(=9630)
6030 572 BEI 1955-1735
6000 572 BEI 1955-2330, 1100-1735(=9645)
5945 572 BEI 1955-0100, 1300-1735(=15480)
4800 916 GEM 1955-1735
4750 2021 XIN 1955-1735
CNR 2 A11 May 22, 2011 (English: China Business Radio)
Shortwave 2055-1605 not Wed 0600-0855
17625 491 BEI 0000-1200(=9515)
15540 b BEI 0100-1100 not Tue 0600-0900(=11740)
15500 491 BEI 0100-1000(=6155)
12080 724 BJI 0200-1000(=9755)
11915 724 BJI 0030-1000(=7335)
11845 594 XIA 0000-1100(=9820)
11835 594 XIA 0000-1300(=7425)
11800 491 BEI 2300-1200(=7375)
11740 b BEI 2055-0100, 1100-1605(=15540)
11670 491 BEI 2330-1200(=6065)
11660 594 XIA 0100-1100(=7315)
11610 491 BEI 2300-1300(=7370)
9820 594 XIA 2055-0100, 1100-1605(=11845)
9810 724 BJI 0100-1230(=7265)
9755 724 BJI 2055-0200, 1000-1605(=12080)
9720 722 BJI 0000-1000
9620 491 BEI 2300-1300(=7245)
9515 491 BEI 2055-2400, 1200-1605(=17625)
7425 594 XIA 1300-1605(=7395)
7395 594 XIA 2055-2400(=11835)
7375 491 BEI 2055-2300(=11610)
7375 491 BEI 1200-1605(=6040)
7370 491 BEI 1300-1605(=7375)
7335 724 BJI 2055-0030, 1000-1605(=11915)
7315 594 XIA 2055-0100, 1100-1605
7265 724 BJI 1230-1605(=725 LIN5)
7255 724 BJI 2055-0100(=9810)
7245 491 BEI 2055-2300, 1300-1605(=9620)
6155 491 BEI 2055-0100, 1000-1605(=15500)
6065 491 BEI 2055-2330, 1200-1605(=11670)
6040 491 BEI 2055-2300(=11800)
site QH 916 100kW
[refers to following? Originally on different page]
9570gm 0100-1000(=6090) gm=Geermu
7220gm 2300-1300(=3985)
6190gm 2055-2300(=7220)
6090gm 2055-0100, 1000-1605(=9570)
3985gm 1300-1605(=6190) (Nagoya DXC, Japan, via July ADXN/ARDXC direct
and via dxld July 7 via BC-DX via DXLD)
** CHINA. 13500, 1445 UT 16 June, Sound of Hope, Taiwan site listed,
continuous drum music, SIO 252 (Steve Calver, Letchworth, Herts., July
BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) Most likely Chinese music jammer
(Stephen Howie, ed., ibid.)
[and non]. Firedrake July 8, before 1300:
14700, fair at 1234
13920, fair at 1236
12980, fair-good at 1236
12270, fair-good at 1237
11500, poor at 1238
10300, poor at 1240
After 1300:
17705, at 1313 tentatively FD mixed in with AIR Chinese, CNR1 and
BSKSA Arabic; after 1315 only BSKSA left
15545, very poor at 1317
14700, very good at 1317
13920, fair-good at 1317
13850, good at 1318, but heavy ACI from WWCR 13845 with Es boost
12025, 1319, JBA vs something talking
10300, poor at 1320
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Firedrake scan from 7000 up to 19000, from 1423 to 1443, July 8; all
heard with fairly strong signals.
7990, 10300, 13850, 14700 and 15770 against SOH.
11595, FD and CNR1 jamming of VOA, scheduled via Kuwait, in Tibetan.
Another day of all out maximum jamming by the PRC to prevent anyone
hearing about the Dalai Lama’s ongoing visit to the US.
15275 and 17560 against VOT till 1430 (Ron Howard, Asilomar State
Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Firedrake July 9:
7990, JBA at 1239 under 4+1 TADIL-A bonker
10300, good at 1246; good at 1317 when there are no others
11500, poor at 1247
12980, very good at 1254
13920, very poor at 1256
14700, very good at 1256, good at 1327
15900, JBA at 1251
Firedrake July 10:
15900, poor-fair at 1325
14700, poor-fair at 1325
13970, very poor at 1225, poor at 1325
13830, poor at 1154; target is RFA in Tibetan via Tajikistan; no
others except 11500 before 1200, checking 7970-16100
12980, very poor at 1225
11500, poor at 1159; fair at 1225
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Hi Glenn, I was DXing this morning in a rural area and had great
reception. Several Firedrake frequencies that were not audible by you
(10300, 14970, 15275 and 16980)
July 10, 2011
10300 JBA 1240
11500 Weak 1231, 1321, 1356
12980 Good 1232
13970 Fair 1234,1353, 1457 Good 1317
14700 Good 1318
14970 Weak 1233 JBA 1318
15275 JBA 1359
15900 Weak 1257, Fair 1318, 1358
16980 Weak 1258 and 1317
(S. Handler, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Firedrake July 11 with very poor propagation:
0450-0458, none found 10-18 MHz
1150-1159, none found 7-19 MHz
1238-1242, none found 10-18 MHz
Generally poor signals from everything, but CNR1 jamming still:
15670, poor at 1159, 1200 5+1 timesignal; none such on targets
Firedrake July 12:
15760, good with flutter at 1338
13920, fair with flutter at 1338
13700, good with flutter at 1338
11500, fair at 1343; no others found in 10s, 12s, 14s, 16s, 17s
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Hi Glenn, Similar poor propagation here for July 12
At 1235, tried all known frequencies nothing heard
At 1258, tried all known frequencies, only 15745 heard fair
At 1314, 11500 weak, and 13920 fair, nothing else on all known
frequencies
At 1332, 11500 Fair, 13920 Fair-Good, 14700 Fair and 15760 Good
nothing else on all known frequencies (S. Handler, IL, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
Firedrake July 13:
11500, poor at 1234; fair at 1252; good at 1338
12980, very poor at 1244; poor at 1333
13920, fair at 1254
14700, JBA at 1246, poor at 1256
15970, JBA at 1256
Firedrake July 14, all with flutter, in two time groups:
11500, good at 1226
12980, good at 1231
14700, very good at 1233; none in the 10s, or 15-18s
16980, very poor at 1336
15275, poor at 1338
14700, good at 1338
12980, poor at 1340
11500, fair at 1343
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA [and non]
Dueling With the Fire Dragon
Copyright © 2011 By Steven Handler, All Rights Reserved
Every day a “mystery” shortwave station chooses to broadcast beautiful
Chinese music on numerous frequencies. Unlike most other shortwave
broadcasting stations, the originator of these broadcasts chooses not
to identify itself. Rather, each day the same music is played without
a single spoken word being broadcast.
Shortwave listeners that discovered this station nicknamed it
“Firedrake” after the mythical fire breathing dragon. Firedrake’s
broadcasts have been reported to be transmitted from inside the
People’s Republic of China.
The propagation between China and the United States has been good
early morning (1000- 1500 GMT) allowing listeners in the United States
to hear the distinctive Firedrake musical broadcast aired
simultaneously on up to a half dozen frequencies. The number of
frequencies in actual use by Firedrake during this time period is most
likely greater. However, propagation limits reception of some of those
frequencies for US listeners.
What is Firedrake’s purpose? Circumstantial evidence would point to
this station being used to disrupt and jam the broadcasts of other
shortwave stations. Presumably this is done to broadcasts which the
government of China does not wish people to hear.
Although China engages in economic capitalism, its government is in
large part controlled by the Communist Party of China. Why would
China wish to disrupt, censor or jam broadcasts? From their actions it
appears that the Chinese Government may feel that some shortwave
broadcasters are attempting to interfere with China’s internal
affairs. Currently, most of Firedrake’s shortwave broadcasts are
transmitted on frequencies which are also used by three different
shortwave stations: the Sound of Hope, the Voice of Tibet and Radio
Free Asia.
The Sound of Hope is headquartered near San Francisco. This not-for-
profit organization uses transmitters in Taiwan and Tajikistan to beam
Chinese language programs to the people of mainland China. One of
their stated goals is to provide the people of China with news and
diversity of opinion from a source not controlled by the government of
China. (Footnote 1)
The Congressional Research Service identified the Sound of Hope as one
of several mass media outlets affiliated with the Falun Gong.
According to that same report, Falun Gong practitioners combine an
exercise regimen with meditation, moral values, spiritual beliefs and
faith. (Footnote 2). The government of China apparently views the
Falun Gong as a threat to its society. In 1999 they outlawed the Falun
Gong and similar organizations. Since that time, they have reportedly
arrested and/or detained thousands of Falun Gong supporters.
Firedrake broadcasts appear to be used by the Chinese government to
limit the ability of the Sound of Hope to be heard by listeners.
However, has the Chinese government’s actions contributed to the
popularity of the Sound of Hope? There is research that seems to
indicate that in some cases, censorship often backfires (Footnote 3).
Sometimes the “forbidden fruit” is sought out simply because it is
forbidden. Jamming the Sound of Hope’s broadcasts may cause more
people to want to hear their broadcasts and pay more attention to
their message.
Further, the interference with the frequencies being used by the Sound
of Hope might have the side effect of enhancing their ability to raise
funds to support their broadcasts. It puts the Sound of Hope in the
position of being David engaged in battle with the Goliath that is
China. This might actually be a fund raising advantage with those who
tend to favor the underdog.
Why is the Voice of Tibet receiving similar treatment by Firedrake?
The relationship between Tibet and China is very complicated and would
take volumes to explain. However, for the sake of brevity, after the
People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949, their military entered
Tibet to assert China’s authority. The new Chinese government, like
its predecessor the Guomindang, maintained that Tibet was actually
part of China. Over the course of years, the hostilities between the
Tibetan Government and the Chinese government continued. This resulted
in the Dalai Lama fleeing Tibet for an exile in India and China
ultimately controlling Tibet.
The Voice of Tibet is headquartered in Oslo, Norway. Its editorial
office is located in Dharamsala, India. It has several daily shortwave
broadcasts in the Mandarin and Tibetan language. These broadcasts are
reportedly aired using 100 kW shortwave transmitters located in
Tajikistan as well as 250 kW transmitters in the United Arab Emirates.
The goals stated on their website include providing unbiased news and
information, educating people in issues of democracy and human rights,
preserving Tibetan culture and boosting the spirits of Tibet and the
exile communities. (Footnote 4) From Firedrake’s actions, it appears
that the Chinese government may feel that the Voice of Tibet is also a
threat to their internal affairs.
Most shortwave stations broadcast on frequencies that are multiples of
5Khz. Some of the Voice of Tibet frequencies are between are in-
between the traditional 5 KHz shortwave frequency spacing. These
frequencies include 15537, 15543, 15562, and 15568 KHz. Firedrake,
whose frequency use conforms to the traditional 5 KHz frequency
spacing, often broadcasts above or below the Voice of Tibet’s
frequencies. For example Firedrake was observed by me using 15565 KHz
and 15570 KHz during the Voice of Tibet’s scheduled 1330-1400 GMT
broadcast on 15568 KHz.
How many shortwave transmitters does Firedrake have available for its
transmissions? Ludo Maes’s web site, the Transmitter Documentation
Project, reports that the Chinese government’s internal shortwave
broadcaster, China National Radio, and the external service, China
Radio International, combined have over 70 shortwave transmitters
located at several transmitter sites . (Footnote 5) Presumably many of
these transmitters are available for Firedrake’s use.
The Sound of Hope broadcasts from Taiwan use many different low power
frequencies. In addition, they use smaller number of higher powered
frequencies from leased transmitter sites. To avoid or limit the
efficacy of Firedrake's jamming, the Sound of Hope changes frequencies
often, sometimes from day to day and sometimes even intra-day.
Presumably, Firedrake’s silence at the top of each hour is used to
check which frequencies are in use by the Sound of Hope. Firedrake
then adjusts their broadcast frequencies and antenna beams to target
specific Sound of Hope frequencies in use. This game of “Follow the
leader” and the resulting silence at the top of each hour provides a
period for Sound of Hope to be heard in the clear. Also, the Sound of
Hope's frequent changing of frequencies sometimes leaves some of their
frequencies in the clear without any Firedrake opposition, allowing
their broadcasts to reach their target audience.
Unlike the Sound of Hope, Firedrake's other targets, the Voice of
Tibet and Radio Free Asia’s Tibetan broadcasts, have not adopted the
Sound of Hope’s anti-jamming strategy of using many low powered and
some higher powered frequencies and also changing frequencies often.
As a result, the Firedrake broadcasts seem to be much more effective
against the Voice of Tibet and Radio Free Asia’s broadcasts.
The mystery of how Firedrake distributes its musical broadcast to the
various transmitter sites was solved a few years ago. Mark Fahey, of
Satdirectory.com, located a satellite feed used by China to get the
Firedrake broadcast to the transmitter sites. Fahey found a Circuit
named “Lzh8Rdjy” on the Chinese ChinaSat 6B satellite. It was being
broadcast on 4175 MHz (Vertical Polarization). The left audio channel
carried China National Radio’s CNR-8 broadcast, the Voice of the
Minorities. At the same time the right audio channel broadcasts the
Firedrake music. Mr. Fahey found that the shortwave transmitters used
this live broadcast and were in sync with the satellite feed.
(Footnote 6).
The Firedrake satellite feed to its transmitter sites is exactly an
hour in length. Currently none of Firedrake’s shortwave transmitters
appears to broadcast the entire one hour satellite feed without a
break. Broadcasts have been lasting between 40 and 50 minutes in
length. They start between eleven and twenty minutes after the hour
and continue until their sign off at the top of the hour. The time in
which Firedrake is silent may be used to allow its monitoring staff
time to determine which Sound of Hope frequencies are in use at that
time and allocate which transmitters are then turned on. In the past,
the silent time at top of each hour lasted just a few minutes in
length. Today this break is much longer. The reason for the increase
is not known.
I have noticed that on many (but not all) days there are actually two
groups of Firedrake frequencies in use. There is a group that I call
the “main group”. This group has the largest number of frequencies
broadcasting on any given day and the music broadcast on each
frequency is in exact sync with the other frequencies in the main
group. A second group of frequencies that I call the “Outliers” also
exists. Smaller in number, these are usually two or three frequencies
on which the Firedrake music is significantly out of sync (by many
minutes) with the “main group,” but in sync with each other.
Only a small number of the Firedrake frequencies have been observed in
the Outlier group. The frequencies of 14700 and 11500 KHz are
currently the most often heard Outlier frequencies, with 7970, 10965,
and 13850 KHz also being heard. It is interesting that no frequency is
exclusively an Outlier. Each of the Outlier frequencies has days when
they are not part of the Outlier group but rather are heard in sync
with the “main group”.
Since Firedrake broadcasts are fed to the transmitter sites by
satellite and broadcast live, all of the frequencies should be in sync
no matter which transmitter site is being used. Why the Outlier out of
sync transmissions are happening is a mystery. One possible logical
conclusion is that the main group and Outlier frequencies are out of
sync on purpose. If so, the unanswered question is, why?
Something else that is unusual involves the ending of each broadcast.
At the top of each hour Firedrake's broadcast carrier for all of the
main group frequencies abruptly ends. However, the Outlier frequencies
have been noted often broadcasting for several seconds
after the main group ceases.
Firedrake’s sign on pattern is also a bit of a mystery. I suspected
that not all of their transmitters sign on at the same time. Scanning
the Firedrake frequencies, I tried to establish the sign on times. I
noticed that after the first transmitter was heard, it could take a
minute or more for other synced frequencies to sign on.
Although I have listened to many Firedrake broadcasts I have only
heard music. I never heard a station identification, nor any spoken
words (in any language). However, it is my opinion that the source of
the Firedrake broadcasts is China. I based this on several factors,
including published reports of others. I also base it in part, on
what I heard while monitoring Firedrake broadcasts on two consecutive
days, June 24th and June 25, 2011, and also again four days later on
June 30, 2011.
On June 24, 2011 I tuned in at 1242 GMT to 15670 KHz, one of the
frequencies used by Radio Free Asia for their Tibetan broadcast. On
that frequency I heard two additional transmitters broadcasting. The
first was a transmitter broadcasting China National Radio’s (CNR-1)
Mandarin program. The second transmitter that I heard was
broadcasting Firedrake’s musical jamming. At 1259:55 GMT the
Firedrake music ended followed by several time pips, and then at 1300
GMT by CNR-1’s Mandarin language broadcast. I listed for several
minutes during which time the CNR-1’s Mandarin broadcast continued
using the Firedrake transmitter.
The next day, June 25, 2011, I again monitored 15670 KHz. I started
listening at 1248 GMT. From 1248 GMT, until 1259:55 GMT, I heard one
transmitter broadcasting Firedrake’s musical jamming and a second
transmitter broadcasting CNR-1’s Mandarin language broadcast. Once
again I assume that both CNR-1 and Firedrake were targeting RFA’s
Tibetan language broadcast which uses the same frequency. At 1259:55
GMT when the Firedrake music ended I heard the same transmitter
broadcast several time pips followed at 1300 GMT by the broadcast of
CNR-1’s Mandarin program on the Firedrake transmitter.
Four days later on June 30, 2011, I tuned in to 15670 Khz, Radio Free
Asia’s Tibetan language frequency, at 1129 GMT. Although I was
unable to hear RFA’s signal, I did hear two different transmitters on
the frequency. One of the transmitters was broadcasting the Mandarin
language broadcast of CNR-1 and the other transmitter was broadcasting
Firedrake’s musical jamming. This continued until 1159:55 at which
time Firedrake’s music stopped and the Firedrake transmitter then
broadcast a series of time pips followed at 1200 GMT by the broadcast
of CNR-1’s Mandarin program.
The author believes that the apparent use of the same transmitter to
broadcast both the Firedrake musical jamming and then CNR-1’s Mandarin
program is strong evidence that the probable source of the Firedrake
musical jammer is China.
The Firedrake broadcasts contain many mysteries. Despite the artistic
beauty of the repetitive music broadcast by Firedrake, the method used
for its broadcasts, the selection of frequencies, and other
circumstances tend to support a conclusion that Firedrake’s broadcasts
constitute intentional jamming. Perhaps in the future, more details
about the mystery of the Firedrake broadcasts will be brought to
light. Until then, it may continue to breath the Dragon Fire of
disruption against those broadcasters whom China feels are interfering
in its internal affairs.
Table -1-
Shortwave broadcast frequencies used by the Sound of Hope and on which
the author heard the Firedrake musical jamming in May, June and early
July, 2011 between 1030 GMT and 1500 GMT. Not each frequency was
used each day and not each frequency was used continuously within the
day.
Khz
7970
10300
10965
10970
11500
11920
12180
12240
12270
12500
12600
12980
13130
13500
13800
13850
13920
13970
14400
14700
14720
14900
14950
14970
15275
15755
15760
15765
15780
15800
15900
15970
16100
16980
17170
Table -2-
Shortwave Frequencies used by the Voice of Tibet on which the author
heard the Firedrake musical jamming in May, June and early July,
2011. Some of the Firedrake broadcasts were on the same frequency used
by the Voice of Tibet, and other Firedrake broadcasts took place on
adjacent frequencies. Each of these frequencies were heard between
1200 and 1400 GMT with the most common time being 1330 to 1400 GMT.
Not each frequency was used each day or continuously within a day.
Khz
15430
15440
15525
15530
15535
15440
15545
15550
15555
15565
15570
Table -3-
Shortwave broadcast frequencies used by Radio Free Asia for Tibetan
language broadcasts on which the author heard Firedrake’s musical
jamming in June and early July, 2011 between 1130 GMT and 1400 GMT.
Firedrake jamming of these frequencies was sporadic and not
necessarily daily. In addition to Firedrake, both of these RFA
frequencies were regularly jammed by the Mandarin broadcasts of CNR-1.
KHz
13830
15670
FOOTNOTES
(1) Sound of Hope website
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=zh-CN&u=http://soundofhope.org/&ei=dG3NTaXOF4WltwfXyaH8DQ&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCYQ7gEwAA&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dsound%2Bof%2Bhope%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26prmd%3Divns
(2) China and Falun Gong by Thomas Lum. Specialist in Asian Affairs.
Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division Congressional Research
Service-Library of Congress August 11, 2006 Page CRS-2 CRS-8 et al
http://www.usembassy.it/pdf/other/RL33437.pdf
(3) “Exposing and opposing censorship: backfire dynamics in freedom-
of-speech struggles” by Sue Curry Jansen and Brian Martin, Pacific
Journalism Review Vol. 10, No. 1, April 2004, pages 29-45
http://www.bmartin.cc/pubs/04pjr.html
(4) Voice of Tibet http://www.vot.org/about.html
(5) Mr. Ludo Maes’s Transmitter Documentation Project
http://www.tdp.info/chn.html
(6) “Firedrake - The Source of China’s Jammer Found on ChinaSat 6B”
http://www.satdirectory.com/firedrake.html
In May, June and early July, 2011 I made a concerted effort to
document the Firedrake transmissions. The Firedrake shortwave
broadcast frequencies and times listed in this article reflect the
authors monitoring of those broadcasts.
[used by permission from Steve Handler; this is an updated revised
article to his original published in the July NASWA Journal --- gh]
** CHINA [non]. 1190, WCRW, VA, Leesburg – 5/12 1829 [EDT] – China
Radio International programming. "People in the Know" just finishing.
"Life In China" looked at earthquake survivors. "Chinese Studio," ToH
ID at 1859: "Contact us at 1 877 913 3889 or email mydj@gmail.com WCRW
AM 11-90 Leesburg Washington DC" into "City News" (Kraig Krist, VA,
NRC DX News June 6 via WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DXLD)
+++ 4/30 1930* – Now here, ex-WAGE-1200, with China Radio
International programming (but rarely calling itself that), sounding
much like CHIN-1540 with local but Chinese-oriented news on the hour,
programs like “Music Safari,” and CRI-origin features. Very good
signal into DC, but already being bothered by early sunset QRM at 1900
at the home location, just 23 miles NW of the day site. Sign-off at
1930, so night site must not be ready yet (David Yocis, WV, ibid.)
** COLOMBIA. 6010, La Voz de tu Conciencia, Puerto Lleras, 0701-0733,
09-07, religious program in Spanish with Martin Stendal: "El Huerto e
Dios", "Los pueblos católicos apostólicos". At 0727 religious songs.
14321 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Logs in Friol, 27 Km. W of Lugo,
Grundig Satellit 500 and Sony ICF SW 7600 G, Cable antenna, 10 meters,
facing WSW, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CONGO. 6115, R Congo, Brazzaville, 1915, Jul 08, male singer in
local song with hectic percussion, ann [announcer, or announcement?]
in French, sounded like a live party, good (Graham Bell, Cape Town,
South Africa, DSWCI DX Window July 13 via DXLD)
** CONGO DR. 5066.3, R Tele Candip, Bunia, 0419, Jul 05, male and
female speaker in vernacular, hi-tempo local music clips, fair (Graham
Bell, Cape Town, South Africa, DSWCI DX Window July 13 via DXLD)
** COSTA RICA. R. República logs and [non]: see CUBA [non]
** CUBA. 5040, July 11 at 0500, RHC is still going with deportes
report; RadioCuba pulled the plug at 0500:50* with no sign-off and no
chance to hear the wrong sign-on frequencies again (Glenn Hauser, OK,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA [non]. 5954.25, COSTA RICA, R. República, 0903, July 6,
Spanish. M & W announcers with talk and music bits; several mentions
Cuba; ID at 0905; weak but clear (Scott R. Barbour Jr. Intervale, N.H.
USA, July 11, NRD-545, MLB-1, 200' Beverages, 60m dipole, dxldyg via
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
5954.22, CR, Radio República, 2335 to 2350 with IDs as such, poor
jamming. 73s de Bob (Robert Wilkner, NRD 535D - Drake R8 - Icom 746Pro
modified, Pompano Beach, South Florida, US, HCDX via DXLD) No date,
but other logs in this report were July 6-8 (gh)
5954.3, OPPOSITION, Radio República, Limón [sic], CTR, 0853, 7/6/11,
in Spanish. Frequencies, “piano” ID, program promo, start of program.
Fair. Also heard 0908, 7/7/11, Fair (Mark Taylor, Madison WI, Winradio
g313e, Eton E1, Satellit 800, Kaito 1103; Flextenna, EWE, attic
mounted Eavesdropper, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD)
5954.3, COSTA RICA, Radio República, 7/8, 0131. Talk by OM and YL in
Spanish, mentions of Barack Obama, full IDs at 0159, complete with web
site address, “Radio República la presenta Informativas” [sic];
crushed by CRI 5960 at 0200 (Ralph Brandi, Middletown, NJ, QS1R
Quicksilver SDR, 300 foot mini-Beverage antenna, NASWA Flashsheet July
10 via DXLD)
At various chex during the day on July 7, and maybe July 6, there was
no jamming on 9965, and no sign of R. República either, also July 8 at
1243. July 8 at 0544, 5955 was also free of both, audiblizing RN in
Dutch via Sines, PORTUGAL.
So is República gone from this presumed ELCOR transmitter in Costa
Rica? Or moved? Look for new jammed frequencies otherwise unexplained.
The Cubans are not going to stop jamming a frequency unless they are
positive the target is gone.
However, earlier UT July 8, Scott Barbour in NH reported hearing R.
Pio Doce, Bolivia at 0117 on 5952v, in absence of R. República and
jamming; in the NASWA list, Don Jensen in WI was hearing Bolivia too,
but ``at 0108 a super big carrier came on 5950, then R. República ID
that totally blocked the Bolivian``, but clear again for Bolivia after
0117. RR on 5950, not 5954.2v?? New transmitter site trying to get
going? 5950 is still on the WYFR schedule, but not until 0145,
presumably warmup for RTI relay at 0200.
{Bob Wilkner, S Florida reported R. República on 5954.22 at 2335-2350
with IDs, poor jamming, no date but his other items ranged from July 6
to 8}
Is RR still via Sackville on 9490 in the evening? That`s not in latest
HFCC, but not sure it ever was. Not in EiBi either. Aoki lists it only
as: ``9490 2300-2400 CAN Radio Republica Spa Sackville 34567``. But
surely it was also on after 0000 UT when Tue-Sat would make sense
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Jeff, I am no longer hearing any jamming on 9965 daytime, or 5955 at
night, nor any sign of R. Republica on either. Have they moved or quit
these transmissions? Still on 9490 Sackville? (Glenn to Jeff White,
via DXLD)
Glenn: They are still on 9490 Sackville with same schedule, only
Saturday and Sunday nights 7-10 pm ET. I have absolutely no idea
what's going on with the 5955/9965 transmissions (Jeff White, RMI,
July 8, WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
While R. República was missing from both frequencies July 8, on UT
July 9 at 0532, RNW via Portugal 5955 now has a het from 5954+. That
has to be the ELCOR transmitter tho I can`t make out any audio but the
Dutch. And still no Cuban jamming. More QRM from WYFR which had
resumed modulating RTI in English on very strong 5950.
Then July 9 at 1332 I check 9965, T8WH PALAU in Asian language,
unjammed in the clear but with very weak het slightly on the hi side,
which is exactly where ELCOR has been. Whether they are still trying
to broadcast R. República is not yet clear.
Jeff White has ``no idea whatsoever`` what is going on with 5954/9965,
but confirms that the RMI broadcast of R. República is still on
Sackville, CANADA 9490, weekends only, contrary to the Aoki schedule
in last report, Sat & Sun 2300-0200 UT Sun & Mon.
9965, July 11 at 1151, wall-of-noise jamming is back, which may mean
that victim R. República, via ELCOR, Guápiles, Costa Rica is also
back. Same level of jamming on 9955 blox WRMI with WORLD OF RADIO
Monday 1130 broadcast. Tnx a lot, Arnie!
5955, July 12 at 0533, heavy jamming is also back here, and a het
underneath, no doubt 5954.2 RR/ELCOR vs RNW/Portugal. At same time
9955 WRMI is jamming-free with R. Praga in Spanish. During the jamming
hiatus, lots of listeners logged Bolivia earlier on 5952v.
5955, July 12 at 0939, heavy jamming of noise and bubbling over algo,
presumed RR. At 0958 retune, 5954.2v R. República is amazingly atop
with good carrier, but weak modulation for sign-off announcement
giving schedule for 31 and 49m, also 9490 [Sackville] weekends, theme
music, and off at 0959* sharp.
9965, then checking RR daytime frequency, July 12 at 1000, but
inaudible vs noise jamming now running here (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD
OF RADIO 1573, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
5955 and 9955, July 14 at 0958, wall-of-noise jamming against R.
República and WRMI respectively; after 1000 the jamming on 5955 was
ramping down to distinguishable pulses, and had ramped up on 9965 to
WON, matching that on 9955. Nothing from either victim was audible,
unlike 48 hours earlier when I could hear R. República on 5954.2v
until 0959* (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA [non]. CORRUPT EX-DIRECTOR OF RADIO-TV MARTI OFFERS CHEAP
COURSE ON CUBAN REGIME
Jean-Guy Allard, I N T E R N A T I O N A L, Havana. June 30, 2011
THE Institute of Cuban and Cuban-American Studies (ICCAS) at the
University of Miami, headed by a former CIA analyst and funded by
USAID, is announcing a special course: Fidel Castro and the Political
Process in Cuba, taught by Pedro Roig, Mafiosi [sic] ex-director of
Radio-TV Marti.
It is a fact that Roig has a MA in Arts from the University of Miami
and a degree in Law from Saint Thomas University. His credentials as a
supporter of terrorism and an annexationist are also equivalent to a
doctorate.
Roig was a hard-line buddy of the deceased Jorge Mas Canosa, CIA agent
and creator of the Cuban-American National Foundation (CANF), the
organization whose secret paramilitary committee directed and financed
international terrorist Luis Posada Carriles. Mas Canosa and Roig
share the dubious honor of having been together in CIA terrorist
training camps with this "star" of the local mafia, the old killer who
was Commissar Basilio with the DISIP, the secret police of Venezuelan
President Carlos Andres Perez, and then became a trafficker of drugs
and arms in Central America, before acting as security advisor to a
number of repressive regimes in the hemisphere.
Pedro Roig is a big buddy of Herminio San Roman, another ex-director
of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB) who, with Roberto
Rodriguez-Tejera, Julio Estorino, Frank Diaz-Pou and other
disinformation mercenaries, initiated the stations conversion into a
den of obsessive conspirators and other extremist capos.
The aim of the ICCAS course, according to its publicity, is to analyze
among other things "the cult of violence, the pedagogical and
political training of Fidel Castro, his arrival in power and the
destruction of Cuban institutions." This was stated by a man who
trained for Operation 40, a plot to exterminate Castro supporters,
which was to have gone ahead in parallel with the 1961 mercenary Bay
of Pigs invasion.
The cost of Roigs course is $50 for the two classes. Free with the
lectures comes Pedro Roigs book The Death of a Dream: A History of
Cuba (unavailable in Spanish) and an ICCAS diploma. The ICCAS is
managed by former CIA analyst Jaime Suchlicki who, incidentally, was
Roigs professor in what circumstances it is not exactly known.
According to Carlos Alberto Montaner, the CIA intellectual, "Pedro
Roig is a prime source of the history of Cuba, not only as a historian
and spending his life reflecting on the problem of this country, but
also because of his revolutionary efforts as an adolescent." On
expressing this opinion, Montaner did not specify that, in his youth,
Roig placed explosive devices in Havana movie theaters and stores,
which he did.
Radio and TV Marti are nothing less than a den of nepotism and
favoritism, where only the privileged members of the executives circle
of friends survive, according to a wide-ranging report on the
English-language website of Poder 360DEG, an important business
magazine circulating in various Latin American countries.
A report from the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations revealed
that Alberto Mascaro, the nephew of Pedro Roigs wife, was appointed
director of the Latin American service of Voice of America thanks to
Roig.
The report also details how in February of 2007, the former program
director of TV Marti, jointly confessed in a federal court, with a
(non-identified) relative of a Congress member, to having received
close to $112,000 in legal commissions on the part of an OCB
contractor.
To enroll for the course, call the Institute. "Capacity is limited,"
they are saying.
Editor-in-chief: Lazaro Barredo Medina / Editor: Oscar Sanchez Serra.
Granma International: http://www.granma.cu/
(c) Copyright. 1996-2011. All rights reserved. GRANMA
INTERNATIONAL/ONLINE EDITION. Cuba. (via Mike Cooper, DXLD)
Above might be slightly more credible if it weren`t so one-sided with
such an obvious ax to grind. Sic: they themselves leave the accents
off in order to appeal more to English readers (gh, DXLD)
** CUBA [non]. 9805, July 12 at 0944, R. Martí well atop the
DentroCuban Jamming Command, discussing the MLB All-Star Game at 8 pm
Tuesday, focusing on the Cuban and other Latino players involved. May
have been soundtrack of TV Martí. That`s 0000 UT Wednesday, but
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2011/
has a countdown clock indicating it starts on Fox at 2300 UT; an hour
of pre-game? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING SPORTS PRESENTERS IN THE NEWS.
Broadcasting Board of Governors press release, 7 July 2011. "Former
Major League great and Cuban defector Orlando 'El Duque' Hernandez
will provide color commentary during the live Radio/TV Marti broadcast
of the 82nd annual Major League Baseball All-Star Game from Chase
Field, in Phoenix on July 12. ... Radio and TV Marti will broadcast
the All-Star game as part of their ongoing cooperation with Major
League Baseball, which includes broadcasting three games a week, plus
the playoffs and World Series." (kimandrewelliott.com Posted: 13 Jul
2011 via DXLD)
Radio Martí verified my reception report in Spanish by their own QSL
card (signed but cannot read the signer's name) printed in Spanish
after 40 days. Fact Sheet and frequency schedule (all the transmission
on shortwave is now over Greenville) in English, Program description
in Spanish were also enclosed. $2.00, I enclosed, was returned
(Takahito Akabayashi, Japan, July 11, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Their fact sheet needs to be updated to reflect transmissions from
Sackville: 11775 at 0100-0300 and 13820 at 2000-2200, as in the HFCC
list. df (Dan Ferguson, SC, ibid.)
And part of the 9565 transmission in B-season was via Sackville
(instead of 13820), but now all Greenville 17-24 (gh, DXLD)
** CYPRUS. BBC CYPRUS RELAY DOWN --- Glenn, From the Daily Torygraph
(which I'm perusing on a regular basis these days, along with the
Guardian, for news on the Murdoch scandal, which seems to break about
every hour -- I'm *really* enjoying this): Regards, (Chuck Albertson,
Seattle, July 11, WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
12 KILLED IN CYPRUS WHEN IRANIAN ARMS DEPOT EXPLODES
At least 12 people were killed when a depot containing seized Iranian
arms exploded at Cyprus's main naval base, destroying the island's
biggest power station resulting in widespread blackouts.
By Richard Spencer 5:02PM BST 11 Jul 2011
The 98 barrels containing an estimated 2,000 tonnes of high explosive
had been stored for two years in the open, in temperatures of up to
102F (40C), despite concerns of officers from the Cypriot National
Guard.
The explosion at the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base, on the southern
coast of the island near the town of Zygi, happened shortly before 6am
local time. Fire services had been called to a blaze at the base,
apparently in the brush, at 4.24, but the flames enveloped two of the
barrels, setting off the blast.
The shock wave could be heard 40 miles away in the capital, Nicosia.
The country's defence minister and military chief both resigned in the
wake of the explosion, which also injured 62 people.
Television footage showed the walls stripped from the power plant at
Vassilikou, next to the base, which supplies more than half Cyprus's
electricity. The authorities urged residents to cut down their use of
both electricity and water, since much of the island's drinking
supplies comes from desalination plants.
Also affected by the power outage was a BBC relay station, six of
whose transmitters, broadcasting English-language services to the
Middle East, were disrupted. . .
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/cyprus/8630547/12-killed-in-Cyprus-when-Iranian-arms-depot-explodes.html
(via Chuck Albertson, DXLD)
Includes one-minute video, in Greek, and four large radio towers are
visible in the distance, final scene. Apparently it is just a power
interruption to the BBC relay, no damage there (gh)
-- Those transmitters, located at Zygi, are used for more than
English. Indeed, the explosion of the seized Iranian arms might be
affecting BBC Farsi transmissions from the site (Kim Andrew Elliott,
kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD)
You will find a number of BBC entries from other sites on the entire
Babcock schedule dated as starting 11-Jul or 12-Jul, perhaps because
of this:
http://hfcc.org/data/schedbyfmo.php?seas=A11&fmor=BAB
Not many of the above go with ``Limassol``, where transmissions have
merely been reduced rather than changed
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
BBC/Babcock Cyprus adjusted schedule
A recent explosion at Cyprus' Zygi port has required reductions in the
operations at the BBC/Babcock transmitting station at Limassol. The
current Limassol schedule, including MW is:
FREQ STN BTIM ETIM LANG DAYS TARGET PWR AZI
===== === ==== ==== ======= ======= ========= === ===
639 BBC 0300 0329 English s...... 500 180
639 BBC 0300 0329 English .mtwtfs 500 180
639 BBC 0329 0330 Arabic smtwtfs 500 180
639 BBC 0330 2100 Arabic smtwtfs 500 180
720 BBC 0300 2100 Arabic smtwtfs 500 110
1323 BBC 0200 0729 English .mtwtf. 200 150
1323 BBC 0200 2300 English s.....s 200 150
1323 BBC 0900 2300 English .mtwtf. 200 150
5875 BBC 0030 0100 Dari smtwtfs WAs 300 077
5875 BBC 0100 0130 Pashto smtwtfs WAs 300 077
5875 BBC 0130 0200 Dari smtwtfs WAs 300 077
5875 BBC 1700 1800 Arabic smtwtfs Arab.Gulf 300 101
5875 BBC 1800 1900 English smtwtfs Gulf 300 090
5925 BBC 2215 2245 Greek s....fs W.Eur 250 314
6195 BBC 0130 0200 Dari smtwtfs WAs 250 077
7220 BBC 2215 2245 Greek s....fs W.Eur 300 314
7375 BBC 0500 0600 Arabic smtwtfs E.Med. 300 173
7375 BBC 0600 0700 Arabic smtwtfs E.Med. 300 173
7375 BBC 1700 1900 Arabic smtwtfs NE Af 300 173
7445 BBC 0030 0100 Dari smtwtfs WAs 300 081
7445 BBC 0100 0130 Pashto smtwtfs WAs 300 081
7445 BBC 0130 0200 Dari smtwtfs WAs 300 081
9760 BBC 2215 2245 Greek s....fs W.Eur 300 317
12095 BBC 1900 2100 English s....fs SAf 250 177
13820 BBC 1400 1500 English smtwtfs Gulf 300 090
13820 BBC 1500 1700 English smtwtfs Gulf 300 090
15370 BBC 1300 1600 Somali ......s EAf 250 160
15420 BBC 0500 0600 English s.....s EAf 300 177
17680 BBC 1300 1400 Somali ......s EAf 300 160
17680 BBC 1500 1600 Somali ......s EAf 300 160
21470 BBC 1400 1700 English smtwtfs EAf 250 175
(via Dan Ferguson
North American Shortwave Assn: http://www.naswa.net
Combined SWBC skeds .xls & TEXT - updated July 14 at 1500 GMT:
http://www.hfskeds.com/skeds/
shortwavelistening yg via DXLD)
** DIEGO GARCIA [and non]. 4319-USB, AFN, 1306, July 8. “The best of
Dr. Joy Browne” call-in show. Even with the close of the Casey
Anthony trail, AFN-Guam [q.v.] on 5765-USB is still not // with DG.
4319-USB, AFN, 1339, July 11. Standard AFN SW programming; Dr. Joy
Browne call-in show; fair; routinely heard; not // 5765-USB (AFN Guam)
(Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** EAST TURKISTAN. 17720, July 14 at 0522, song in uncertain language,
but 0527 announcement in German followed by Chinese clip, ergo CRI as
scheduled 05-07, 500 kW, 308 degrees via Kashgar to Europe. This was
second SSOB after 17750 Madagascar. Then found weaker // 15245, same
parameters except site is Wulumuchi (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** ECUADOR. 6050, HCJB, La Voz de los Andes, *0824-0833, 09-07, flute
tuning music, anthem, female, quechua, comment and identification:
"HCJB Quito ... 6050 onda corta". Equatorial music. Very weak and
fading out due to daylight in the site of listening. 14321 (Manuel
Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Logs in Friol, 27 Km. W of Lugo, Grundig Satellit
500 and Sony ICF SW 7600 G, Cable antenna, 10 meters, facing WSW,
dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
6050, HCJB (Quito-Pifo [sic]), 1020-1029, 7/11/2011, Quechua. Ballad
music. Time, other announcements, and religious talk by man at 1023.
Upbeat song by children at 1026. Identification by man at 1029. Good
signal with minimal fading (Jim Evans, Germantown, TN, Tecsun PL-380
with whip antenna, NASWA yg via DXLD) The Pifo site has been
demolished / dismantled. HCJB now comes from the Pichincha site (gh,
DXLD)
** EGYPT. CHAOS ON THE EGYPTIAN AIRWAVES
Dozens of new private TV channels have started broadcasting in Egypt.
The new spirit, powered by the revolution, is said to be behind the
extraordinary multiplication of these private channels. However, media
experts and professors are suspicious about the channels chiefly
concerned about religious affairs.
Warning that these channels are systematically attempting to exploit
the people’s faith and minds, worried media experts are campaigning
for a code of ethics, which could put an end to the chaos on the
airwaves. Furthermore, Al-Akhbar newspaper was told that, without
strict rules and ethics to be announced immediately, the contents of
these religious programmes could eventually lead to more tragic
sectarian strife.
¦Read the story from the The Egyptian Gazette
http://213.158.162.45/~egyptian/index.php?action=news&id=19803&title=Chaos%20on%20the%20airwaves
(July 14th, 2011 - 9:44 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via
DXLD)
** ERITREA. 9730.03, Voice of the Broad Masses of Eritrea, *0256-0315,
July 9, sign on with IS. Vernacular talk at 0300. Horn of Africa
music. Poor with adjacent channel splatter. Stronger on // 7174.99
(Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest)
** ETHIOPIA/ERITREA. 7190, Heavy white noise - wideband - jamming -
probably - by ETH government against Eritrea broadcast at 0440 UT on
July 11 (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews July 11 via DXLD)
Hi Everyone, A recording of the battle on 7170 tonight, maybe of
interest. Similar was noted on 7180 last week
http://www.box.net/shared/t7j5ksafd12x6y8ennj2
(Mark Davies, Anglesey, Wales, 1800 UT July 12, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** ETHIOPIA. 6030, Radio Oromiya, 0327-0330, July 11. Grayline
reception; my sunset 0330, their sunrise 0312; finally could hear
distinctive repetitive xylophone sounding IS at 0327 (perhaps signing
on at that time?); mixing with pulsating Cuban jamming; R. Martí was
of course off the air by this time on Monday (UT) (Ron Howard,
Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DX
LISTENING DIGEST) See also CANADA: CFVP
** ETHIOPIA [and non]. Giovedì 7 luglio 2011, 0458 - 9705 kHz, R.
ETHIOPIA - Gedja, Musica locale. Segnale buono-sufficiente, Co-ch La
Voix du Sahel s/on 0501 (Luca Botto Fiora, G.C. 09E13 - 44N21, Rapallo
(Genova) - Italia, bclnews.it yg via DXLD)
Piccolo log - Certo che è il colmo con tutte le frequenze disponibili:
NIGER - 9705, Voix du Sahel, Niamey, 0515-0525, Jul 12, local music
with vocals, good mixed with R. Ethiopia, Geja Jewe // live stream on
http://www.etvlive.gov.et/national.html - good
-- *Leonardo* TaccuinoDX blog: http://taccuinodx.blogspot.com
twitter: taccuinodx *--->>> DX is here to stay <<<---*
(Leo Peppe, Italy, playdx yg via DXLD)
** FRANCE [non]. SOUTH AFRICA/FRANCE, 9910, Wahrscheinlich wegen der
co-channel DRM Mode Aussendung der Voice of Russia aus Taldom Moskau
hat RFI Portugiesisch den 9870 kHz Kanal verlassen.
9910 (ex-9870) 1700-1730 UT 52 MEY 500 kW 330 Grad Port AFS RFI TDF
(Ivo Ivanov, Bulgaria, July 7 via BC-DX 11 July via DXLD)
MADAGASCAR [sic] Frequency change of Radio France International in
Portuguese: 1700-1730 NF 9910 MEY 250 kW / 330 deg to SoAf, ex 9870
(DX Mix News, Bulgaria, 11 July, via DXLD) see also BURUNDI
The RFI transmission was from SOUTH AFRICA on the former frequency and
presumably still is, MEY not meaning Madagascar! It was 330 degrees
toward Angola, not South Africa (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GAMBIA. GAMBIAN STATE BROADCASTER GOES LIVE ON THE WEB
Dave Kernick writes: Government-run public broadcaster Gambia Radio
and Television Services (GRTS) now offers live streams of its national
radio and television services from the organization’s new website at
http://www.grts.gm
GRTS Radio is on the air in local languages and English at 0600-2400
local time/UTC daily, with news bulletins in English observed at 0700-
0710, 1300-1310, 1800-1810, 2200-2230, and finally a brief news
summary at the close of their broadcast day (on weekdays, all timings
may vary at weekends). The service identifies on air variously as
“GRTS Radio”, “Gambia Radio and Television Services” or “GRTS Digital
FM”; notwithstanding the latter identification the station’s closedown
announcements indicate that in addition to 96.0, 98.6 and 102.6 MHz FM
they also transmit on 648 and 747 kHz mediumwave.
GRTS Television broadcasts terrestrially on VHF channel E11 in Banjul,
and since 2009 has also been available on the Intelsat 901 satellite
at 18 degrees West, 4140 MHz frequency, left-hand circular
polarization, symbol rate 3500, FEC 3/4. Their live video stream
appears to be having teething troubles and was only working
intermittently at the time of writing, however the website does have a
link to their YouTube channel, which is an on-demand archive of 10-
minute clips identified by time and date. One of the current clips
labelled GRTS-05-07-2011:2130 includes a 6-minute filmed news report
about new GRTS radio and TV transmitter sites undergoing construction.
GRTS Radio is Gambia’s oldest radio station, going on air (as Radio
Gambia) on 4820 kHz shortwave in 1962, initially only on weekdays for
a couple of hours in the evening. The government commissioned a TV
service in 1995, prompting a change of name for the organization to
Gambia Radio and Television Services. (Source: Dave Kernick, Interval
Signals Online) (July 8th, 2011 - 11:57 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media
Network blog via WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DXLD)
4 Comments on “Gambian state broadcaster goes live on the Web”
#1 lou josephs on Jul 8th, 2011 at 18:24
On the day of the final shuttle launch not bad; the audio is clean but
they hotpot and don’t ride levels very will. Very enjoyable to hear
this rare place (MN blog comment via DXLD)
#2 David Kernick on Jul 11th, 2011 at 16:11
I’ve found the TV stream has been working fine for the past couple of
days.
#3 Richard Cuff on Jul 14th, 2011 at 15:39
Neat; conceptually like listening to domestic shortwave used to be
#4 Ehard Goddijn on Jul 14th, 2011 at 16:52
The URL of their audiostream is: http://196.46.232.22:8000/grts.ogg
(MN blog comments via DXLD)
** GERMANY. Wachenbrunn antenna demolition --- The two 142-metre-tall
masts that acted as antenna for 882 kHz were supposed to be demolished
today at 1 PM.
A TV report is announced for MDR Thüringen-Journal today at 19:00 CET.
This programme can be seen also via Astra 1H on 12,110 GHz, on "MDR
Thüringen". It must be this one, not "MDR Sachsen" or "MDR
Sachsen-Anhalt". Don't get confused by the circumstance that outside
the 19:00-19:30 slot all three labels point at the same program stream
-- the regional magazines are indeed different program outputs from
the Erfurt, Dresden and Magdeburg studios, respectively (Kai Ludwig,
Germany, July 14, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Seen a 30 seconds report of blown up action at 19.19:30 to 19.20:00
local time CEST July 14. Former 692/693 kHz 250 kW antenna masts of
Deutschlandsender/Voice of GDR German domestic service program from
1959 til GDR collapse in October 1990. 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, ibid.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vznFOvPuuvc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7_TnOoPyJs
[second one is better, sharper and steadier; the two towers fall
across each other]
Actually it was on 882 kHz since the eighties, until then used by
Königs Wusterhausen with 100 kW (with the 1939 vintage transmitter
moved in from Berlin-Tegel), where it has been replaced by 603 kHz
with 40 kW (as of 1987 with a new Tesla transmitter) plus availability
of 1359 kHz for Radio DDR 1 in the morning, when 603 was in use by
regional programming from Potsdam.
At Wachenbrunn 882 kHz carried Stimme der DDR, as of February 1990
again called Deutschlandsender until April 1990, when it was replaced
by a full-time regional service from Weimar which since 1964 was on FM
only, cf. http://www.sender-weimar.de
As of January 1992 it was replaced again by MDR Info (during the first
weeks relaying the no longer existing MDR Life at night) and the power
had been reduced to 150 kW. In 1993 the high power transmitter had
been shut down completely and only the 1947 vintage 20 kW Lorenz
transmitter, moved in from Erfurt in 1974, been used anymore (this
unit was before during the eighties in use on 1044, then moved in 1987
to 1089, then in 1990 to 1431, to mention only the last three
frequencies --- and until 1990 there was also another 5 kW transmitter
on 1188, together with other sites like Reichenbach near Görlitz which
is still in use). In 1998 this ancient transmitter was finally
replaced by the Thomson M2W that was on air until ten days ago (Kai
Ludwig, Germany, ibid.)
** GERMANY [non]. Adiós Deustche Welle --- Amigos, Si hay alguna
similitud en las informaciones relevantes que se repiten en los
últimos años a través de este medio, sin dudas, refiere a la
desintegración de la onda corta internacional.
Es una realidad que no falla, efecto dominó, síndrome, esnobismo,
competencia tecnológica, estupidez humana; Llámenla como quieran, ya
da lo mismo. Quizás para algunos suene a evolución. Sin embargo,
cuando el progreso deja a millones "en banda" (en este caso no
justamente de ondas cortas) es una involución.
Hablando en términos de radiodifusión a distancia, es una enorme zona
de silencio la que nos invade cada vez más, es la preconizada
globalización, una suerte de esperanto de las comunicaciones. Europa
va al frente de estas muertes anunciadas, ahora le toca a DEUTSCHE
WELLE, La Voz de Alemania.
He recibido una carta fechada en junio 14 de 2011, de Andrea Schulz,
encargada del servicio de monitores (Customer Service) de DW, en la
que textualmente me dice:
«Estimado Señor Margenet:
Por muchos años han monitoreado nuestra señal de onda corta en su
región y nos han mantenido constantemente informados con sus datos y
estadísticas. Esta información siempre ha sido de gran ayuda en la
planificación de las frecuencias de la DW. Nosotros no tenemos como
agradecerles su valiosa y confiable colaboración.
Rápidamente se acerca el día en que vamos a interrumpir el servicio de
onda corta en su región. A partir del 30 de noviembre de 2011 no habrá
programación de la DW-RADIO/Alemán y la DW-RADIO/Inglés (al Español lo
mataron el 31.12.1999 para que sobreviva la DW-TV), en el futuro
nuestro servicio de onda corta sólo estará disponible en África. Esto
será, probablemente un día triste para ustedes. Yo también echaré de
menos tener un contacto regular con Uds. "mis" monitores. Trabajar con
el equipo de monitores fue siempre una gran parte del trabajo de
nuestro departamento. Muchos de ustedes mantuvieron un contacto
abierto con nosotros a través de cartas, correos electrónicos y fotos
y nosotros siempre esperábamos con interés sus noticias.
Estaríamos muy agradecidos si pudieran continuar entregando sus
informes de recepción hasta el final de nuestras transmisiones.
Queremos garantizar la calidad de recepción en nuestras regiones
durante el tiempo que la Deutsche Welle se mantiene en el servicio de
onda corta.
Pero esto no debería ser un adiós, todo lo contrario. Esperamos que en
el futuro continúen en contacto con nosotros. Nuestros colegas que han
analizado durante años sus informes de recepción, serán ahora
responsables de supervisar la accesibilidad a los contenidos de video
y audio en la página WEB de la DW. Ellos resolverán con total agrado
sus preguntas e inquietudes.
El equipo de atención al cliente desea continuar en estrecho contacto
con todos los usuarios de la DW y mantenerlos informados sobre
nuestros nuevos productos y servicios. Sería para nosotros de gran
ayuda si usted puede rellenar el cuestionario que enviamos adjunto.
Esto nos dará la oportunidad de ofrecerle la información que mejor se
adapte a sus intereses.
Esperamos que usted continúe siendo en el futuro tan entusiasta de los
servicios de la DW como hasta ahora y continuemos con estos largos
años de estrecha relación.
Cordialmente,
(firma)
Andrea Schulz»
Adiós Deutsche Welle, durante 35 años estuve analizando tus
frecuencias (Rubén Guillermo Margenet, Argentina, July 7, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
Rubén, El signo de los tiempos. Nunca fui monitor de DW, pero sí
conocí a colegas CX desde los tiempos que me inicié en el DX, que eran
monitores. Era proverbial la cortesía de la emisora en los "obsequios"
a sus monitores: el WRTH, los IRCs, y los regalitos de fin de año.
Recuerdo algunos como la regla calculadora, un juego de papelería para
correspondencia que parecía digna del Kaiser. Incluso, cuando alguno
de ellos se quedó sin receptor para continuar el monitoreo, por
desperfectos, la emisora a través de la embajada le dió en comodato
uno (ITT SChaub Lorenz, ni más ni menos). (Horacio A. Nigro,
Montevideo, Uruguay, condiglist yg via DXLD)
** GREECE. Observations of R. Filia, V of Greece and ERA2:
Monday-Friday:
0500-0548 11645 & 0552-0600 on 17705 - R Filia in Bulgarian
0600-0748 17705 & 0752-0800 11645 - VOG in Greek, both // 9420, 15630
0800-0900 11645 - R Filia in German
0500-0800 9420 15630 - VOG in Greek
Mon/Wed/Thu/Fri:
0800-1000 9420 15630 - VOG in Greek
0900-1000 11645 - R Filia in Russian and French
Saturday:
0500 Albanian, 0515 English, 0530 French, 0545-0548 Spanish on 11645 -
R Filia
0600-0748 17705 - VOG in Greek // 9420 15630
0800-1000 11645 - ERT2 in Greek (Cosmos program)
0500-1000 9420 15630 - VOG in Greek (Rumen Pankov, Sofia, Bulgaria,
13-18 June, DX News, July BDXC-UK Communication, retyped by gh for
DXLD; nothing about Sunday)
** GUAM [and non]. 5765-USB, AFN, 1339, July 11. After years of this
being // with DIEGO GARCIA (4319-USB), this is no longer doing so;
Guam is now routinely relaying CNN’s Robin Meade morning show
(segments “Off The Beaten Path”, etc.); AFN spots are added
occasionally. So this CNN formatting is a fairly new development! (Ron
Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO
1573, DX LISTENING DIGEST) also see DIEGO GARCIA
** GUAM. 12105, fair July 14 at 1227, YL spelling out e-mail address
in English, sounds like @vofc.com, wanting contacts, apparently end of
English-teaching show; 1228 in Chinese but now it sounds like vofc.cn.
Probably not vofc but phonetically similar. Maybe vohc as in voice of
hope china, but can`t find that on their websites. Scheduled as KSDA
at 11-13, 100 kW, 315 degrees from Agat; in absence of WTWW 12100, no
longer 24 hours? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUINEA. 7125, RTG (Conakry), 0653-0700, 7/8/2011, French.
Alternating talk segments by two men. Fanfare at 0659 followed by more
talk. Strong, steady signal, the best reception this year (Jim Evans,
Germantown, TN, Tecsun PL-380 with whip antenna, Cumbredx mailing list
via DXLD)
7125, Rdif Nationale, 2245-2302*, July 9, French talk. African hi-life
music. Abrupt sign off. Fair to good (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg,
PA, Icom IC-7600, two 100 foot longwires, dxldyg via DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** GUYANA. 3290, Voice of Guyana 0830 to 1000 eclectic programs mixing
jazz, ministry and subcontinental music. 6 July (Robert Wilkner, NRD
535D - Drake R8 - Icom 746Pro modified, Pompano Beach, South Florida,
US, HCDX via DXLD)
** HAWAII. PROPOSAL FOR HIGHEST FM TRANSMITTING ANTENNA IN U.S.
"Future Modulation Broadcasting" has filed an application for a new
full-power FM station at Kihei, Hawaii. The station would operate on
100.7, with an antenna 2,102 meters above average terrain. That's
almost 6,900 feet. If granted, it would be the only full-power station
with an antenna height in excess of 2,000 meters (and thus obviously
the highest full-power station in the U.S.)
There are seven pending applications for translators with higher
antennas. That said, height above average terrain is a common source
of mistakes in FM applications -- more than once I've seen the height
above sea level (not above average terrain) entered. Or, the HAAT is
entered in feet instead of meters. I'm pretty sure the Kihei figures
are correct, but I'm not so sure about the translators. -- (Doug
Smith W9WI, Pleasant View, TN EM66, WTFDA via DXLD)
Of course, there are lots of higher antenna sites ASL, such as scads
of Albuquerque stations on Sandia Crest, but they all have to run
reduced power to compensate (gh, DXLD)
** INDIA. At least in the last two days AIR Port Blair has been off
4760 kHz which made me thrilled hoping I could get Leh, but only
Swaziland. What a disappointment having waited for this situation!
(Victor Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka, 4S7VK, DXplorer July 4 via BC-DX 11
July via DXLD) a.k.a. ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS vs KASHMIR
** INDIA. 4820.75, AIR Kolkata, 1304-1334, July 12. Rather ironic to
find them off frequency, as it was on July 11, 2010 that I also
reported then on 4820.72; best in USB to get away from PBS Xizang
(Tibet) on 4820.0 (// 5935). Normally of course Kolkata is on 4820.0
(Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via WORLD OF
RADIO 1573, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDIA. 4970, AIR Shillong, 1230-1235, July 10. Not often I can hear
this in the summer; news in English; // 5010 (AIR Thiruvananthapuram)
and 5040 (AIR Jeypore). Not // 4775 (AIR Imphal); 1235 Shillong local
program of pop songs in English (Jimmie Rodgers “Kisses Sweeter than
Wine”, etc.) (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg
via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDIA. 9425, AIR Bengaluru - National Channel, *1318, July 9. AIR
IS; YL who only said: “Vande Mataram”; played the song “Vande
Mataram”; fair (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg
via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDIA. 9690, July 13, 1340, AIR GOS ``ending this news bulletin``,
with signature hum on this frequency. With some effort it would have
been readable, as the 1330-1500 transmission is beginning to show
again; much better signal than 9870 VBS, and no signal from 9425
National Channel, all supposedly from Bengaluru.
9870, July 8 at 1244, Indian pop music from AIR VBS, only poor, but
haven`t heard it at listenable level for many months. Hope it will
gradually make a seasonal comeback, close to transpolar from here
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDIA. SOMETIMES OPTIONS ARE GOOD: AIR CONSIDERS STREAMING AUDIO
Used one of the web-connected Global Tuners in Europe to listen to
`Faithfully Yours`, the Monday mailbag on AIR via SW; I caught the
2115 airing that is audible in NAm especially in colder months. In
Europe the 2045-2230 broadcast of the GOS is ``easy listening` quality
from my past travels.
On June 20, hosts mentioned that audio streaming of GOS was being
investigated; no word as to whether would be live or on-demand. Any
way to simplify access to AIR programming is helpful (Richard Cuff,
Easy Listening, July NASWA Journal via WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DXLD)
** INDIA. 24/7 NEWS CHANNEL PART OF PLANS TO MODERNISE AIR
New Delhi, July 8, DHNS --- The government plans to launch a 24-hour
news broadcast channel of All India Radio (AIR) as part of its
sweeping modernisation programme in the next five years. [. . .]
As digitalization will enable AIR make its broadcast available on
alternate platforms including mobile services, the ministry proposes
making 20 channels available through webcasting and podcasting to
serve listeners having internet connectivity besides offering content
by SMSes, e-mails and also on iPhones on request.
While the reach of the national channel is proposed to be extended to
the whole of the country, the external services of the AIR will also
be strengthened through digitalisation of shortwave transmitters. . .
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/174820/247-news-channel-part-plans.html
(via Mike Terry, dxldyg and Alokesh Gupta, dx_india yg via DXLD)
ALL INDIA RADIO EXTERNAL SERVICES WILL "BE STRENGTHENED THROUGH
DIGITALISATION OF SHORTWAVE TRANSMITTERS."
Deccan Herald, 8 July 2011: "The government plans to launch a 24-hour
news broadcast channel of All India Radio (AIR) as part of its
sweeping modernisation programme in the next five years. ... While the
reach of the national channel is proposed to be extended to the whole
of the country, the external services of the AIR will also be
strengthened through digitalisation of shortwave transmitters."
(Posted: 10 Jul 2011, kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD)
-- No mention here of AIR's previous plans to provide an all-news
service to all parts of India, no matter how remote, using DRM digital
shortwave. Whether for Indian or international audiences, there will
have to be digital shortwave receivers, at reasonable cost, which do
not deplete a set of batteries each day, if DRM digital shortwave is
to be a viable medium (Kim Andrew Elliott, ibid.)
afaqs!, 8 July 2011, Nandana Das: "The Indian government has finally
given a nod to the clearance of the much-delayed FM radio expansion
Phase III, which will allow private radio channels (FM) to broadcast
news of All India Radio (AIR). The cabinet has also increased foreign
direct investment (FDI) and foreign institutional investment (FII)
limits in FM radio broadcasting companies, from 20 per cent to 26 per
cent. Though this is a very minor increase, the expansion of the
medium to 300 cities will make it a truly pan-Indian medium, with
proposed 839 new FM radio channels. However, radio operators do not
seem very enthusiastic about broadcasting news from AIR as they are
unlikely to fit into the tones and renditions of the private FM
stations.
Prashant Panday, chief executive officer, Entertainment Network India,
says, 'We are all large and responsible media houses. It is ironical
that we have to take news from AIR.' 'This is not a comment on AIR's
news quality - it is just that we believe this policy is anachronistic
with the times.' However, Vineet Singh Hukmani, managing director,
Radio One, a Mid-day Multimedia and BBC Worldwide joint venture,
comments, 'We have waited for so long for doors to open - so we are
satisfied that at least a window has opened.' Hukmani echoes Panday's
views of letting the radio stations package the news bulletin in "the
channel's way". He adds, 'Each FM station follows a particular style.
We should have been allowed to abide by it.'"
(kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD)
-- So, while newscasts of AIR will be allowed on private Indian FM
stations, those of international broadcasters will not, for the time
being. International bradcasters have been yearning for access to
Indian FM stations as a way to compensate for lost shortwave
audiences. Nevertheless, as private Indian FM stations become
increasingly commercial, the appeal of most international
broadcasters' content may not be much greater than that of AIR (Kim
Andrew Elliott, ibid.)
** INDONESIA. 4790, RRI Fak-Fak // 4750 RRI Makassar 1030 to 1044,
thanks to XM Cedar Key tip, 7 July (Robert Wilkner, NRD 535D - Drake
R8 - Icom 746Pro modified, Pompano Beach, South Florida, US, HCDX via
DXLD)
4789.96, RRI Fak Fak. July 8 and 9 off the air: confirmed by Atsunori
Ishida (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST) Not reported since Feb 2011 (Anker Petersen, DSWCI
DX Window July 13 via DXLD)
** INDONESIA. 9526-, July 9 at 1313, VOI has improved to a quite poor
signal, sufficient to detect that the YL is starting the `Today in
History` segment, but not the details or whether there are IADs (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. MEDIA NETWORK PLUS GOES WEEKLY ON A GLOBAL
BASIS --- See the Official Media Network Plus Blog:
http://medianetworkplus.wordpress.com/
(shortwaveamerica, July 14, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.:
Beginning July 30th Media Network Plus will have a weekly edition air
on the World Radio Network at the following times:
Saturday Africa & Asia from 1000 to 1030 UT
Saturday Europe from 1300 to 1330 UT
Saturday North America from 2100 to 2130 UT (via DXLD)
** ISRAEL. Just to let you know that I located Galei Zahal from July
10, on the new frequency of 9235 kHz, which seems to have replaced
6977. Poor to fair on a perfectly clear channel throughout the
evening here after 1800 and heard again in the local morning hours
before fade-out around 0600 UT. 15850 remains in parallel. Regards,
(Alan Holder, Isle of Wight, UK, WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
9235 NF, Galei Zahal, 0055-0125, July 13, new frequency. ex-6977.
Local pop music. Local rap music. Weak. Poor in noisy conditions.
Thanks to Alan Holder tip. // 15850 - poor to fair (Brian Alexander,
PA, DX Listening Digest)
** JAMAICA [and non]. 7/12 Es - strong Cuba/Jamaica > SC
7/12 Es still at top of FM dial with Irie FM Jamaica stations in on
107.1 107.5 107.7 & 107.9. 107.1 has RDS PI: 4F29 - 'KXXX' and PS:
Punk... Cuba ATV ch 2-6 a real mess. Ch 6 is strong! No telling how
high the muf is now, as 107.9 Jamaica has completely swamped locals.
(Fred Nordquist, Moncks Corner, SC, 33.21756N 79.95798W, KJ4BUG, Grid
FM03AF, 1758 UT 12 July, WTFDA via DXLD)
** JAPAN [and non]. 6160, July 14 at 0944 NHK`s `Sakura` mixing with
CKZN until 0945*. Scheduled as R. Japan in Korean at 0915-0945, 300
kW, 290 degrees from Yamata. Aside from the Brazilians and R. Rossii,
Monchegorsk, this semihour is now the only major broadcaster clashing
with the lowpower CBCanadians on 6160.
The English broadcast of R. Japan at 1000 incomes well here on three
31m channels for those awake, July 14 on 9605, 9625 and 9840, the
first two for Asia, and somewhat better on the last, 85 degrees from
Yamata to Hawaii, CIRAF 61. Many R. Australia broadcasts include 61
among a lot of other Pacific region target zones, but HFCC shows 9840
from NHK is the ONLY broadcast from anywhere specifically for Hawaii,
where they have to stay up until 12:30 am to hear it, ex 0900 UT; why?
61 has Hawaii in its NE quadrant and not much else islandic in the
other three (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UZBEKISTAN: Radio Japan, 9720 via Tashkent, full/data ``Winter
Sentries (Niigata Prefecture)`` card in 39 days. Oversized program
schedule was received (Rich D`Angelo, PA, QSL Report, July NASWA
Journal via DXLD) At what dimension does it become oversized?? (gh)
** JORDAN. 11960, Radio Jordan (Al Kharana) (presumed), 0446-0449,
7/5/2011, Arabic. Middle Eastern pop music with announcements by
woman. Poor but steady signal (Jim Evans, Germantown, TN, Tecsun PL-
380 with whip antenna, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) Only on the air
during this hour or a little more (gh)
** JORDAN. Jordan Ch E3 Double hop in Portugal today. Received on E3
(55.25 MHz video, 60.75 MHz audio) earlier. Double hop Es, first hop
near Sicily probably. Common here in summers.
http://www.wtfda.info/showthread.php?6311-Jordan-Ch-E3-Double-hop-reception-in-Portugal&p=19834#post19834
(Hugh Hoover, Portugal, July 13, WTFDA via DXLD) Mostly music video
** KOREA NORTH [non]. 5985, Shiokaze/Sea Breeze via Yamata, *1330,
July 8. Jamming was already here waiting for their sign on; another
Friday in English; usual segments “Today’s News Flash” and “Today’s
News on North Korean Issues”; IDs “This is Shiokaze Sea Breeze from
Tokyo, Japan”.
A message given in Thai from 1338-1343; message repeated in their
second half hour English segment (1400-1430). First time I have noted
this language used and wonder what message they would be giving in
Thai?
As a semi-regular listener to Shiokaze, I was interested in a story in
the April 2011 issue of The Atlantic magazine. Here is a portion of
Robert S. Boynton article “North Korea’s Digital Underground”:
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/print/2011/04/north-korea-8217-s-digital-underground/8414/
“GIVEN THE GRIP that the North Korean regime retains on information,
the mission of these subversive organizations can seem quixotic — an
act of faith as much as it is journalism. Of all the narrowcasters
tenaciously targeting North Korea, the narrowest is Shiokaze (“sea
breeze,” in Japanese), a station created by the Investigation
Commission on Missing Japanese Probably Related to North Korea, or
COMJAN.
In the late 1970s, North Korea began randomly abducting Japanese
citizens from beaches and parks, and holding them captive in Pyongyang
for the next quarter century. Their families assumed they had either
eloped or died. Precisely why they were abducted has never been clear,
although it most likely has to do with training spies. Even the exact
number of abductees isn’t known. At a 2002 summit with Japanese Prime
Minister Junichiro Koizumi, Kim Jong Il confessed to having taken 13
Japanese, five of whom were still alive (and were soon returned to
Japan).
The Japanese government insists that at least 17 were kidnapped, and
refuses to believe that the others have died. From the third floor of
a less-than-spiffy apartment building near Tokyo’s Iidabashi railway
station, COMJAN advocates on behalf of abductees not officially
recognized by the Japanese government, and hopes to reach them with
its radio broadcasts.
On the day I visit, Araki Kazuhiro, a professor of Korean studies and
COMJAN’s chairman, is sitting in the tiny, makeshift plywood radio
booth, reading news about recent nuclear-arms negotiations for one of
Shiokaze’s twice-daily shortwave broadcasts. After he finishes, we sit
at a conference table and have some tea. Araki says he believes that
more than 400 Japanese have been abducted, and that the kidnappings
continue even today. As with many of the other shortwave broadcasts,
North Korea often jams Shiokaze’s signal. Shiokaze regularly switches
frequencies, but the North quickly locates the new one, and jams it.
While the Daily NK and other outlets occasionally interact with their
listeners, Shiokaze operates in a virtual void. Other than the five
Japanese released in 2002, no abductee has ever been heard from. I
reluctantly broach the subject: Does Araki have any evidence that
anyone in North Korea — abductee or not — has ever heard the
broadcast? Araki and his producer consult with each other. “Well, we
once heard about a high-school student who was able to pick up the
program in Pyongyang, but we’re not sure about that,” he says. After
more tea, Araki excuses himself and returns to the booth. It is almost
noon, and he needs to finish one more Korean-language segment before
the afternoon program is beamed across the sea and into North Korea.”
(Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST) ? but it is certainly analog (gh)
** KOREA SOUTH. KBSWR has a comprehensive, if somewhat complex,
website with live and on-demand audio in a 2-month archive. You can
read news and transcripts of features. KBS also offers smartphone apps
in Android and iPhone versions. The iPhone includes two channels of
live audio; one is in 11 languages in rotation, the other is music.
http://world.kibs.co.kr/english (Richard Cuff, Easy Listening, July
NASWA Journal via DXLD)
** LESOTHO. 1197, Family Radio relay, Maseru:
2011/07/02 sat 1732-1734 It's "Open Forum" with Harold Camping, "and
shall we take our first call….." Good. Jo'burg sunset 1528.
2011/07/03 sun 1805-1806 Harold and Open Forum. Still going strong at
later check, 1815. Poor. Jo'burg sunset 1529.
2011/07/05 tue 1835-1842 Harold, with caller asking why he's still on
the air. Clearly a repeat of a post-rapture pre-stroke programme. Fair
- poor. Jo'burg sunset 1530 (Bill Bingham, RSA, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** LIBYA. Libyan Jamahiriya Broadcasting Corporation, no/data
``Welcome to Libya / Land of Hospitality`` card in 11 months
(Nawrocki, NC, QSL Report, July NASWA Journal via DXLD) You gotta be
kidding me, land of hospitality? (Sam Barto, CT, ed., ibid.)
** LIBYA [non?]. Libya/Int’l Waters/Airspace --- BTW, I have heard US
psyops again today, very clear 1300-1320 UT 10404 kHz USB. English and
Arabic. Saying Qaddafi in violation of UNSC resolutions. Asking Libyan
military to go home to their families, stay away from military
facilities. Speaks for NATO, not U.S., though English is obviously
American-accented. There’s no specific ID (like “Information Radio”)
but it most definitely is U.S. psyop station. There was no jamming,
unlike two weeks ago when I heard bubble jammer there. I am no longer
hearing 8500 kHz in the evenings (Libya domestic). (Derek Lynch,
Ireland, July 9, WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Sabato 9 luglio 2011, 1012 - 10404 USB kHz, COMMANDO SOLO TO LYBIA,
AA/EE, nxs OMs. Segnale buono-sufficiente (Luca Botto Fiora, G.C.
09E13 - 44N21, Rapallo (Genova) - Italia, bclnews.it yg via WORLD OF
RADIO 1573, DXLD)
** LIBYA FREE. LIBYAN REBEL RADIOS LIVE ON THE WEB
The off-air (from 675 kHz) relay of Voice of Free Libya in Benghazi at
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/benghaziradio
is no longer available.
A new live internet stream of the benghazi station is at
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/free-libya-radio-675
though unavailable at the time of writing. It had been available on 9
and 10 July.
Meanwhile, a new off-air (from 1449 kHz) relay of Voice of Free Libya
in Misrata is now available at
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/misrataradio
Clear, but obviously an off-air relay.
A separate stream of the same source is at
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/misurata
I'm not sure if this is off-air or not. It could be a direct feed from
the studio, or a relay from FM. Unfortunately, spoilt a bit by being
overmodulated at times.
Both of the Misrata live streams are available at the time of writing.
Clear IDs "Huna Sawt Libya al-Hurra min Misrata" heard (Chris
Greenway, England, July 11, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** LUXEMBOURG. New transmitter for RTL Beidweiler [234 kHz]
Reading RadioWorld magazine I discover that RTL Beidweiler LW Site has
a new 1500 kW solid state transmitter! Check here for photos & news:
http://www.broadcast-transradio.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=132%3Aref-beidweiler&catid=35%3Areferenz-stationen&Itemid=106&lang=de
73 (Andrea Borgnino IW0HK - HB9EMK
http://www.mediasuk.org/iw0hk
http://www.mediasuk.org/archive
http://www.biciurbana.org
http://iwohk.tumblr.com/
July 12, shortwavesites yg via DXLD)
Further discussion of RTL, closing MW 1440:
http://blogs.rnw.nl/medianetwork/reports-of-rtl-closing-marnach-transmitter-are-premature#comment-2142121
(Media Network blog comments via DXLD)
** MADAGASCAR. 17690, July 13 at 1259, tune-in to rock music, fair
signal; 1300 3+1 timesignal with last one prolonged, and a few notes
of the R. Japan IS, then open carrier until finally off at 1303:20*.
This was overrun from NHK in French relay at 1230-1300, 250 kW, 305
degrees from Talata and also USward, commonly heard here
15730, July 13 at 1325, poor in HOA language, 1327 dramatic music bits
and then HOA music only, adding YL vocalist until 1331 ``VOA`` sung ID
jingle. It`s Somali via Madagascar, 250 kW due north at 1300-1400
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
My colleague Rocus de Joode has written a piece for our staff Intranet
about the installation of new high-voltage equipment at our Madagascar
relay station. Rocus has kindly given me permission to translate and
publish it in the Media Network Weblog, which I have just done. There
are some nice pictures to accompany the article (Andy Sennit, Media
Network newsletter July 14 via DXLD) Viz., but see the illos!
NEW HIGH VOLTAGE EQUIPMENT INSTALLED AT MADAGASCAR
July 14th, 2011 - 13:59 UTC by Andy Sennitt.
http://blogs.rnw.nl/medianetwork/new-high-voltage-equipment-installed-at-madagascar
Rocus de Joode of RNW’s Programme Distribution Department writes:
Despite the uncertain future, RNW’s shortwave broadcasts are
continuing as normal for the time being. This also applies to the
relay stations in Bonaire and Madagascar. In Madagascar, a special
project worth mentioning was completed last week.
You may recall that on Christmas Day 2009 a fire broke out in the high
voltage protection equipment at the station, and the equipment was
completely destroyed. Since that time, the high voltages needed for
the transmitters have been switched manually. This of course is an
undesirable and dangerous situation because we are talking about 20
kv. Hence, a project started in early 2010 to replace the equipment.
Led by Andrianatrehina Fanjaniaina, this project was successfully
completed last week.
To replace the equipment, the station had to be taken off the air
completely for several days. That meant a lot of extra work for the
Programme Distribution Department, and in particular for our colleague
Leo van de Woude who had to do a lot of consultation with other
broadcasters. In addition to our own programmes, Madagascar plays an
important role in radio broadcasts to Africa from organisations such
as NHK-Radio Japan, Voice of America, Deutsche Welle, Free Press
Unlimited and Vatican Radio, as well as other Christian organizations
that provide radio broadcasts to Africa. We managed to move almost all
the transmissions of RNW and the other organizations to alternative
shortwave sites.
On to the next project!
The next project for Madagascar is now in full swing, i.e. the
installation of some second-hand transmitters. Again, this may seem
odd given the uncertain future of the station and staff. But we
acquired these transmitters, previously used by Radio Sweden, for a
bargain price last year. And because these transmitters are much more
energy efficient, they can play an important role in a possible
relaunch of the station (Media Network blog via DXLD)
Substitute sites for a few days! This may mean some list-logs were
incorrect. Why weren`t we informed timely of all the temp changes?
What was the date/timespan this was in effect? (gh, DXLD)
** MALAWI. 594, MBC Radio One, Lilongwe // 756. 2011/07/02 sat 1653-
1701, Chichewa. OM's and YL's talking excitedly. ID at 1659 "Malawi
…Blantyre". At 1700 "MBC Radio One". Fair - good.
756, MBC Radio One, Blantyre // 594. 2011/07/02 sat 1712-1715
Chichewa. Quick dip back into 594 to confirm //. Fair. Jo'burg sunset
1528 (Bill Bingham, RSA, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MALAYSIA. 5964,7 13.6 2045 RTM Klasik Nasional FM fläskade på med
inhemsk smörsång. Hygglig styrka på signalen, men hårt splashad av RCI
på 5960. Nyheter på heltimmen, fölt av annonseringar för aktuella
begivenheter. Q2-3. HR
5964.7, 13.6 2045, RTM Klasik Nasional FM, good signal and domestic
soft music. Badly splashed by RCI on 5960. News just before toth,
followed by local announcements. Q2-3. HR (Hans Östnell, Biri, Norway,
SW Bulletin July 10, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** MALAYSIA. 9835, July 9 at 1246, fair signal with pop music, surely
the peninsular relay of RTM back to Sarawak; 1300, 2-pip timesignal
but 4 or 5 seconds late, into YL Berita in Malay; 1310 outro says RTM,
Salaam Aleikum, then several mentions of Sabah and Malaysia.
Meanwhile at 1249 I tried 11665, as always dominated by ChiCom echo
jamming blocking RTI in Chinese, and almost thought I could hear //
music from Malaysia way underneath (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO
1573, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
9835, RTV Malaysia (Sarawak FM) (Kajang) (presumed), 1045-1100,
7/11/2011, Malaysian. Pop music at tune-in. Announcements by woman at
1048, then Koran-like slow singing by man, but too upbeat and wrong in
phrase spacing for Koran recitation. Talk by man and woman at 1052.
Kor`an recitation at 1054 followed by dramatic talk by man over music
at 1057. Music at 1059. A couple of pips at 1100, then announcement by
woman and talk by man. Poor to moderate signal strength with rather
quick fades (Jim Evans, Germantown, TN, Tecsun PL-380 with whip
antenna, NASWA yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DXLD)
** MAURITANIA. Mercoledì 6 luglio 2011, 0604 - 7245 kHz, R. MAURITANIE
- Nouakchott, Corano OM. Segnale sufficiente-buono (Luca Botto Fiora,
G.C. 09E13 - 44N21, Rapallo (Genova) - Italia, bclnews.it yg via DXLD)
7245, ORTM, *0557-0605, July 9, abrupt sign on with Qur`an. Good
signal (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest)
** MEXICO. QSLs: 750, XEOH, Cd. Camargo, Chih. PPC, N/D letter, 19
stickers, and large 400-page book written by the station's Director-
General. The book is titled "Radio - Causa y Cauce" and is apparently
a manual for students aspiring to enter the radio field. All this in
19 days for a f/up to Camargo with no return postage. Package was sent
from Puebla via UPS. PPC was signed by Soledad Sosa Salinas, Gerente
General. This was for a 2001(!) logging. XE verie #115 (John Wilkins,
Wheat Ridge CO, NRC DX News May 2 via DXLD)
960, XEFAMA, Cd Camargo, CHIH. PPC, nice letter, and 8 x 11
certificate on heavy stock in 41 days for f/up. V/S Francisco Antonio
Muñoz Muñoz, Director General. Loosely translated, the certificate
says "La Indomable Fama 960 presents this Recognition to Sr. Jhon
[sic] Wilkins for being our listener en Wheat Ridge, Colorado, USA".
This was sent via Priority Mail from and mailed from Hidalgo, Texas.
Now why can't other stations be just half as nice? This was a f/up for
a 2003 logging (Wilkins, NRC DX news June 6 via DXLD)
** MEXICO. Re 11-27: Estimado Sr. Hauser. Le escribo para informarle
que en Mérida, al igual que en Chetumal los canales 2 y 4 también
están ocupados. En Chetumal el 2 XHROO por XEW-TV Canal 2 y el 4 XHCCN
por XHGC Canal 5 ambas de Televisa. En Mérida el 2 por XHY (inicia a
las 1100 UT), un canal local y el 4 por XHGC. Espero mi información le
sea de utilidad. Atte.: (Ing. Israel González Ahumada, M.I., Yucatán,
July 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
As often happens, after heavy Es openings for a few days, the
sporadic-E layer apparently takes a breather to `recover`. I keep my
analog TV on channel 2 much of the time anyway, usually aimed at
Mexico for the snow. UT July 8 at 0152 I begin to see some signals on
channel 2, mix of CCI roughly from the S. On channel 3, however, the
peak is from the WSW with the now-signature almost-zero beat bars
between the two BCN stations. Nothing ever comes in well enough to
view; still some CCI on 2 as late as 0400.
July 8 at 1607, a signal briefly appears on 2 with antenna S,
tentatively Azteca Trece bug in UR.
Rotating to WSW, 3 comes in with good signal typical of XHBC Mexicali,
ads including for mattress, then out again; back briefly at 1625.
Let`s hope it`s the start of another good opening, but rather anemic
so far. At least there is some Es up to 62 MHz.
Sporadic-E analog TV DX starting July 8, into UT July 9:
2355 on 2, soccer in Spanish from south
0022 on 2, novela with seagull logo and XHI-TV ID bug in UR, i.e.
Ciudad Obregón, Sonora; weak and soon gone
0211 on 2, weak Spanish soccer fades in, seems from SW
0211 on 3, XHBC/XHTJB, BCN, signature almost-zero CCI from WSW, one
with soccer and one with news. At first I figured XHBC would be the
newser, but something doesn`t add up: the soccer has bug from Net 5 in
UR, never to be seen on IPN`s Once TV, but possibly on Televisa`s
XHBC, altho not normally taking that network feed.
Consulting zap2it listings via San Diego Union (grrr, overwriting my
local listings cookies), confirmed that at 7-7:30 pm PDT, XHTJB has
news, and until 8 pm XHBC has ``Fútbol Copa América Perú vs. México,
Estadio Malvinas Argentinas en Mendoza``. So the Mendozans are still
pissed about the Falkland Islands affair. The field was so bright I
would have bet it was in daytime, and the players did appear to be
non-female.
0213 on 6, something starting to show, probably XETV Tijuana
0229 on 5, trace of something; tried FM but nothing
0240 or so, the opening is gone, until –
0250 on 3, football from net-5, XHBC is back
0255 on 2, peaking SSW, ads, novela; 0304 drama with net-2 bug UR
0308 on 2, ad for something costing $34.95 (presumably pesos) at
Soriana
0309 on 4, f logo lower-left, = Foro TV net-4, maybe XHTV itself
0326 on 3, ads for PRI, banco
0333 on 2, variety show closing credit roll
0351 on 3, novela with TV3 bug in UR = XHP Puebla; end of opening
Bits and pieces of Es surpassed 55 MHz now and then July 9-UT July 10:
1945 on 2, tune-in to Spanish from SSW, LR bug says EXCLUSIVO under a
big W, so presumably net-2, tho did not see its regular UR bug.
2335 on 2, Spanish yelling peaking from SW, perhaps a lucha-libre
dispute; then made out the seagull/XHI-TV bug in UR. Ciudad Obregón,
Sonora.
2335 on 4, signs of something, then fade up briefly to good clear
signal, no QRM, with net-2 bug UR, CANTANTE DE RANCHERO on screen,
apparently a category in a game/quiz show, maybe 1-2-3 MEXICO as also
seen. This stayed in briefly after XHI-2 faded, and was also peaking
from the SW. Only 2 on 4 anywhere in that area is XHBS-TV in Los
Mochis, Sinaloa, 100 kW.
0053 on 2, net-2 for a moment, weak
1459 on 2, fade-in just in time for ID? Spanish, gobierno federal PSA,
with antenna SSW; I think I saw an X- ID go by in center screen, but
unreadable.
1552 on 2, fade-in and out, and in at 1555, SpongeBob from net-5, SSW
Sporadic-E analog TV DX opening, continued from last report, but short
on definite IDs, July 10 in UT:
1557 on 2, net-7 promo. About 4 possibilities
1559 on 2, unfamiliar bug UR, CCI building up
1601 on 2, net-5 dominant, SpongeBob; then movie opening credits with
dubbed Spanish recitation of star names which movies never do in
English, including Johnny (Jhonny?) Depp and Wynona Ryder. From
another net? See below
1604 on 2, soccer
1611 on 2, movie is from Azteca Trece, UR bug
1620 on 2, movie fades in, Hárrison Ford seen now
1630 on 3, drama in Spanish, net-5
1657 on 4, SKY logo (satellite service), CCI, net-2 deportes report
1703 on 4, f bug UR, i.e. XHTV Foro TV net-4, maybe XHTV itself
1722 on 4, infomercial for CELUNUVEL, remedy for diabetes. Googled it
to check spelling. Seems Mexico has a lot of Big Pharma products we
have never heard of in US --- because they wouldn`t be legal here?
2024 on 2, soccer from net-2
Nothing seen on July 11, but Es is back on July 12, UT tune-in:
1424 on 2, Wendy Williams Show dubbed in Spanish, I think, southward
with 10 kHz CCI. No, after a bit, audio switches to English in
discussion of Charlie Sheen returning to `2.5 Men`. The Spanish was
from another station, and WW must be XHRIO Matamoros, Tamps. Checking
show site
http://www.wendyshow.com/tv-listings/ it says 10 am weekdays but
http://www.foxrio2.com/programming/ confirms she is at 9 am (CDT).
WW can appear quite voluptuous, but IIRC, she has admitted to sporting
fake hair and fake breasts.
1429 on 2, Kaplan College ad in English, must still be XHRIO, but:
1430 on 2, mix from Azteca-7 promo, likely Tampico down the coast.
1443 on 2, net-4 talk show with f (ForoTV) bug in lower left, probably
XHY-TV Mérida, Yucatán
1446 on 5, some video is poking thru
1446 on 3, net-5 toons, XHBQ Zacatecas always being prime suspect
1510 on 4, `La Cocina de Yolo` show with A-13 bug UR; Recetario de
Yolo bug in LR, as recipe is displayed
1510 on 5, net-2 HOY bug in LL, 21C 10:11 bug in LR, video only
1519 on 3, Televisa with health PSA (ad?) by a sports figure speaking
Italo-Spanish; then ad for Denny`s from Calexico, El Centro to Yuma,
so XHBC Mexicali is back, and usual almost-zero CCI from XHTJB
Tijuana. The two take turns fighting it out.
1521 on 5 aimed WSW, so XHAQ Mexicali, bug in LR square shows AM, the
show name, and below it PDT of 8:21; then feature about Tijuana
1524 on 3, interview with a band, Elan in LL, strange bug in LR reads
todo on one line, un below it, plus some leaves design(?) to the left;
mixes with recipe show. XHBC as below.
1527 on 3, f bug lower left, and this time it really is a plug for
Facebook also on screen, not net-4`s ForoTV --- their two lower-case
f`s are very similar!
1558 on 3, TV Once promo for their oddly-timed 7:45 pm show (Wed?
Tue?) with a repeat Sun at 6:30. It`s definitely XHTJB Tijuana; then
mix with XHBC ad for Mexicali
Meanwhile signals from the S/SW remain in but mostly CCI.
1617 on 3, ad for something called COCK, large letters diagonally in a
circle. No, not a Cuban call sign, and presumably has a different
connotation in Spanish than English.
1623 on 3, net-5 with Smurfs toon; still/again at 1635
1625 on 6, weak video in Spanish, and not WSW, more like SSW, so not
XETV.
1640 on 4 from SSW, self-help lecture or sermon by OM; predominant CCI
of somewhat less than 20 kHz beat bars.
1643 on 3 from WSW, talk show with three women flanked by two men on a
couch, apparently about celebrities, local or otherwise, with clearer
view of bug in LR: the first and last words are in script, harder to
read, maybe: De Todo Un Fan? And PDT = 9:43 clock; at times music in
background. On coffee table is a placard reading Plaza La Cachanilla,
which Googles right to a mall in Mexicali: so XHBC
1652 on 6, video and tthen audio in English with SAN DIEGO LIVING in
LL, so XETV Tijuana is making it. 1655 promo for something on the CW.
Opening continues as I need to wrap up report and starting trying FM.
Continuing the sporadic E analog TV DX opening from last report, July
12, UT:
1701 on 6, still XETV Tijuana; during this hour it`s `The 700 Club`.
Notwithstanding item at 1718 about safe rooms in Tulsa OK, not the
late lamented KOTV, but part of 700 Club.
With MUF this hi, it is time to start monitoring FM. Already at 1706 I
was getting a bit of Spanish on 90.7, but did not develop further.
Onward to USA [q.v.] logs from Southern California.
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
XEWO-2 Guadalajara Video, 2316 miles: This seen at 10 am this morning:
http://www.wtfda.info/showthread.php?6307-XEWO-Ch2-Guadalajara-Video-2316-miles-3727km&p=19824#post19824
or
http://tinyurl.com/6y37owx
Distance measured with Google Earth from the top of my house to the
center of Guadalajara (Mike Bugaj, July 12, WTFDA via DXLD) Viz.:
XEWO Ch2 Guadalajara Video 2316 miles/3727km
Seen on July 12th at 1400UTC (10am ET).
A Winegard PR-5030 feed into a 25db preamp and into the TV Card on my
computer but recorded on DScaler software. I thought this might beat
my skip distance to Mexicali a couple of years ago, but not quite.
Last edited by Mike-CT; 4 Hours Ago at 05:35 PM.
Mike Bugaj, Enfield, CT -72 30' W/41 59' N FN31RX
(via DXLD) 30-second clip, shows MAS VISION toward the end (gh, DXLD)
Analog Es TV DX July 13, UT:
1353 on 2, tune-in to Spanish with antenna SSW, adstring including one
for HDTV; then CCI from a station with much louder audio.
1357 on 4, talk show appears; 1358 lower-right bug shows name is AM,
CDT as 8:58 and below that rotating temps for abbreviated cities all
over country (current or forecast highs?).
1358 on 4, same-offset CCI to above, net-5 toons, Televisa
credit/promo.
1359 on 2, becalos.mx PSA, another gobierno federal PSA mixed with ads
1403 on 2, loud-audio station has news about Suprema Corte ruling,
then can see in lower-left the f bug for Foro TV net-4, and peaks SSE,
so is relay by XHY-TV Mérida, Yucatán. Fadeout by 1420. Only
occasional signs of video skip on lower channels next sesquihour
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
After the tropo session from TX panhandle, see USA, I look for analog
Es from Mexico, and July 14 at 1608 UT a signal fades in on ch 2 from
the SW, a kidshow, Azteca-13 bug UR, I think.
1637 on 2 from SSW, talkshow, poor with no audio
1654 on 2, English, `Are You Smarter than a Fifth-Grader`, from S, not
N, so likely XHRIO. Yes, chex with their program schedule for 11:30 am
1713 on 5, cooking show from WSW, briefly snow-free; A-13 bug UR, and
recipe details crawl across bottom of screen; XHAQ Mexicali
1714 on 3, weaker than 5, but adstring including ``Mexicali`` yelled,
so XHBC; soon back into novela from net-2 bug UR. Some CCI on 2 but
mostly gone before 1800.
BTW, the midpoint of my frequent Es reception of Mexicali and Tijuana
is about 50 miles WSW of Albuquerque --- hmmm, wonder if the Very
Large Array is sporadically heating the ionosphere above it? But
supposedly it`s only for Very DX reception, not transmitting.
XHBC-3 Mexicali and XHTJB-3 Tijuana are short-spaced, a situation in
which normally stations would be offset 20 kHz for lots of little beat
bars, but these two are on the same [zero] offset, meaning heavier
QRM, a few wide beat bars against each other (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD
OF RADIO 1573, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. BUSCAN CONSOLIDAR REDES DE RADIO OPERADAS POR NIÑOS MAYAS
Notimex 2011-07-05 17:41:00
http://sdpnoticias.com/nota/114611/Buscan_consolidar_redes_de_radio_operadas_por_ninos_mayas
Mérida, 5 Jul. (Notimex).- El director de la radio indígena maya
XEPET, Víctor Canto Ramírez, afirmó que el objetivo central para el
ciclo escolar 2011-2012 será consolidar las redes de radio
experimental en la entidad, operadas por niños mayas.
El funcionario de la Comisión para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos
Indígenas (CDI) señaló que esa instancia pretende consolidar la
radiodifusión cultural indigenista, mediante las radiodifusoras
experimentales operadas por niños y jóvenes de los albergues escolares
de Chemax, San Antonio Dzodzil, Yaxcopoil y Samahil.
Recordó que Radio XEPET "La voz de los mayas", es una instancia que
desde hace 28 años trabaja a favor de la difusión y consolidación de
la lengua, cultura y tradiciones mayas, pero también es básico ampliar
estos espacios a las nuevas generaciones, a través de la radio
experimental.
"La Red de Radios Experimentales surgió para apoyar a los niños en sus
procesos formativos, a fin de que estos tengan un espacio donde puedan
dar cauce a su creatividad, ejercer su libertad de expresión, su
derecho a jugar y divertirse, a través de la difusión de sus
tradiciones, costumbres y creencias", expuso.
Para el ciclo escolar 2011-2012, el objetivo es consolidar esta red de
radios experimentales, cuya programación es distinta a la de XEPET,
razón por la cual cuentan con los permisos de la Secretaría de
Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT) desde 1997.
"El impacto del proyecto es contribuir a la formación integral de los
niños, es una tarea de la que debemos estar muy orgullosos, al
considerar que la finalidad no es precisamente hacer radio, sino
incidir en la formación de los niños y en función de que tengan mejor
formación podrán dar un mejor servicio a través de la radio", explicó.
"La Red de radios experimentales surgió para apoyar a los niños en sus
procesos formativos, a fin de que tengan un espacio donde puedan dar
cauce a su creatividad, ejercer su libertad de expresión, su derecho a
jugar y divertirse, a través de la difusión de sus tradiciones,
costumbres y creencias", enfatizó.
Canto Ramírez refirió que para el próximo ciclo escolar, los niños que
participan en las radios experimentales entrarán en una nueva dinámica
de capacitación con cursos de noticias, operación de equipos, géneros
musicales, programación y continuidad.
Al mismo tiempo, se les impartirán talleres de identidad de la radio
con el objetivo de que los niños asuman que están encargados de una
tarea muy especial que es la radiodifusión cultural indigenista.
Dijo que el Sistema de Radiodifusoras Culturales Indigenistas (SRCI)
comprende 20 emisoras que transmiten en la banda de amplitud modulada
y siete más en la banda de frecuencia modulada, operadas cuatro de
estas con la participación de niños y niñas mayas en los albergues de
Yucatán.
La programación de las radios experimentales se ubican en los
cuadrantes XHCHX-FM Chemax 90.5 mhz, XHSMH-FM Samahil 95.9 mhz, XHYAX-
FM Yaxcopoil 96.5 mhz y XHSAZ-FM San Antonio Sodzil 91.5 mhz.
Además, las emisoras del SRCI son las únicas, en todo el país, que
transmiten en 31 lenguas indígenas en cumplimiento del derecho de los
pueblos indígenas a ser informados en su propio idioma, convirtiéndose
en facilitadoras de procesos educativos, del uso de las lenguas y de
su fortalecimiento.
En el caso de XEPET, en el 730 de amplitud modulada, se ubica en el
municipio de Peto, su cobertura es de unos 700 mil mayahablantes
radioescuchas, su señal llega a 98 municipios y 414 localidades de
Yucatán, Campeche y Quintana Roo, de estas el 93 por ciento son
población indígena mayahablante.
[following is somewhat duplicative, a rewrite of the Notimex story or
vice versa? gh]
http://www.sipse.com/noticias/110745--consolida-radio-cultural-operada-ninos-mayahablantes.html
MÉRIDA.- Internos de los albergues escolares se encargan de las tareas
de locución, operación, programación y producción entre otros.
Miércoles, 6 de julio de 2011. 05:23 SIPSE.COM Yucatán [caption?]
SIPSE.com, MÉRIDA, Yuc.- La Comisión Nacional para el Desarrollo de
los Pueblos Indígenas (CDI) en Yucatán pretende consolidar la
radiodifusión cultural indigenista a través del proyecto de
radiodifusoras experimentales operadas por niños y jóvenes de los
albergues escolares indígenas, aunado a la conservación que desde hace
28 años se procura con XEPET "La Voz de los Mayas".
El proyecto de Radios Experimentales es único a nivel nacional y tiene
la característica de que son los propios niños internos de los
albergues escolares quienes se encargan de las tareas de locución,
operación, programación y producción entre otros. Actualmente son 4
ubicadas en Chemax, San Antonio Dzodzil, Yaxcopoil y Samahil, y el
proyecto opera desde 1997 con resultados de alto impacto en la
formación de menores quienes muestran mayor seguridad, autoestima y
nivel de razonamiento, entre otros aspectos.
El director de Radio XEPET Víctor Canto Ramírez, resaltó que el
objetivo para este ciclo escolar 2011-2012 es consolidar esta Red de
radios experimentales, que no son réplicas de la programación de
XEPET, sino que cuentan con permisos de la Secretaría de
Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT) otorgados en el año 1997.
En entrevista, Canto Ramírez refirió que el impacto del proyecto es
contribuir a la formación integral de los niños, "Es una tarea de la
que debemos estar muy orgullosos considerando que la finalidad no es
precisamente hacer radio, sino incidir en la formación de los niños y
en función de que ellos tengan mejor formación para que puedan dar un
mejor servicio a través de la radio".
La Red de radios experimentales surgió para apoyar a los niños en sus
procesos formativos a fin de que estos tengan un espacio donde puedan
dar cauce a su creatividad, y en donde puedan ejercer la libertad de
expresión, su derecho a jugar y divertirse a través de la difusión de
sus tradiciones, costumbres y creencias.
Para el próximo ciclo escolar, los niños que participan en las Radios
Experimentales entrarán en una nueva dinámica de capacitación con
cursos de noticias, operación de equipos, géneros musicales,
programación y continuidad, al mismo tiempo se les impartirán talleres
de identidad de la radio con el objetivo de que los niños asuman que
están encargados de una tarea muy especial que es la radiodifusión
cultural indigenista.
El Sistema de Radiodifusoras Culturales Indigenistas (SRCI) comprende
20 emisoras que transmiten en la banda de amplitud modulada y siete
más en la banda de frecuencia modulada operadas, 4 de estas con la
participación de niños y niñas mayas en los albergues de Yucatán.
Las emisoras del SRCI son las únicas, en todo el país, que transmiten
en 31 lenguas indígenas en cumplimiento del derecho de los pueblos
indígenas a ser informados en su propio idioma. Durante este cuarto de
siglo las radios indigenistas han sido facilitadoras de procesos
educativos, del uso de las lenguas y de su fortalecimiento. Pero sobre
todo, se han convertido en un puente de comunicación entre el mundo
indígena y la sociedad en general.
En el caso de XEPET ubicada en el municipio de Peto, su cobertura es
de poco más de 700 mil mayahablantes radioescuchas, su señal llega a
98 municipios y 414 localidades de Yucatán, Campeche y Quintana Roo,
de estas el 93% son población indígena mayahablante. Se sintoniza en
el cuadrante 730 de Amplitud Modulada (AM).
El área de radio cultural indigenista en Yucatán dispone este año de
un millón de pesos; el año pasado su presupuesto fue de poco más de
850 mil pesos.
Como parte de sus metas, la CDI se compromete a trabajar más para
lograr que el sistema de radiodifusoras culturales indigenistas de
México se convierta en un espacio accesible y altamente participativo
para más pueblos indígenas, que cumpla con el papel de un medio de
servicio público de comunicación hacia estos pueblos, y que asegure
ser una instancia de información e interlocución entre las comunidades
indígenas y otros actores de la sociedad.
Las emisoras
La programación de las radios experimentales se ubican en los
cuadrantes de la siguiente forma:
XHCHX-FM Chemax 90.5 mhz,
XHSMH-FM Samahil 95.9 mhz,
XHYAX-FM Yaxcopoil 96.5 mhz
XHSAZ-FM San Antonio Sodzil 91.5 mhz.
XEPET ubicada en el municipio de Peto, 730 de AM
[end of article; Fiesta DX blogger concludes:]
Su opinión es muy importante, al igual que sus colaboraciones donde la
radio y los medios son noticias. Hay DX para rato, mientras exista la
radio y los medios de comunicaciones, bien sea navegando o espiando el
éter hasta encontrar una señal de radio o actividad radial, allí
estamos los Diexistas (Dxistas) captando y sintonizando.
Desde este punto DX, en cualquier parte del mundo, me despido de
ustedes hasta la próxima edición, un fraterno y fuerte abrazo latino,
rompe costillas. JAPromard. Edición #52: 08 de julio de 2011
(via Fiesta DX Plus #52, via JA Promard, ed.,
http://fiestadxplus.blogspot.com/2011/07/boletin-52.html
via DXLD)
Beware: blog autolaunches live audio from R. Nederland in Spanish
whether you want it or not, interrupting whatever you are already
listening to; how rude. Also has a strange color scheme (gh, DXLD)
** MICRONESIA. 4755.4, July 12 at 0941 and still at 0952 I can barely
detect an extremely weak carrier on the signature off-frequency of PMA
The Cross, using BFO comparing to WTWW 5755.0. With the hi local line
and ambient storm noise levels here, that`s all I can expect (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MONACO [non]. 7220, Trans World Radio (Mont Angel), 0540-0546,
7/8/2011, Polish. IS. Music at 0544. Opening announcements by man at
0545 followed by talk. Weak signal with a small amount of fading and
very heavy ARO interference. Extremely weak parallel heard on 5915
during IS (Jim Evans, Germantown, TN, Tecsun PL-380 with whip antenna,
Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD)
** MONACO [non]. Estoy escuchando 17260 kHz en USB, no tengo idea qué
es, parece francès; alguien está para verificar? (Ernesto Paulero,
Argentina, 1736 UT July 10, condiglist yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1573,
DXLD)
Dice EiBi a otra hora:
17260 1100-1103 Mo-Fr MCO 3AC Radio Monaco F Eu /F
73, (Glenn Hauser, ibid.)
Acá no escucho ninguna portadora en USB 17260 ¿Aún sigue en el aire?.
Son las 1826 UT (Rubén Guillermo Margenet, Argentina, ibid.)
No, ya salió del aire a las 1800; adjunto el audio a ver si la
identificas, Rubén (Paulero, ibid.) No attachment reached me (gh)
Nada de nada en este momento, 1920 UT por Baires (Arnaldo Slaen, ibid)
El servicio de comunicación marítimo de Monaco, Radio Monaco
http://www.naya.mc/fr/detail-monaco-radio/monaco-radio/48-diffusions-hf.cfm
tiene boletín meteorológico a las 19:30 local = 1730 TU en Canal 1607
= 17260 según
http://www.listenersguide.org.uk/pdf/com.pdf
17260 Duplex Phone, Coast Channel 1607 USB
Como informado antes, a otras horas retransmite un breve boletín de
noticias de la radiodifusora del país con nombre al revés, Monaco
Radio. 73, (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1573, ibid.)
MCO 3AC Monaco Radio, maritime receiving station
43 43'55.01"N 07 25'38.59"E
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/857096.jpg
and 3AC transmitting station at 43 45'47.03"N 07 25'21.29"E
(Wolfgang Büschel, shortwavesites yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DXLD)
3-element beam with traps on a rotor, amateurish (gh, WORLD OF RADIO
1573, DXLD)
** MOZAMBIQUE. 873, Rádio Moçambique Delegação de Beira Sofala
(Beira). 2011/07/03 sun 1808-1810 Portuguese, but unreadable. Very
poor. Jo'burg sunset 1529.
738, Rádio Moçambique Emissão Nacional, Maputo. 2011/07/02 sat 1709-
1712, Portuguese, OM's talking. Fair - good.
1008, Rádio Moçambique EI [Emissora Interprovincial] Maputo e Gaza.
Maputo. 2011/07/03 sun 1810-1813 Portuguese, 2 or more x OM talking.
Poor.
810, Rádio Moçambique EP [Emissora Provincial] Gaza, Xai-Xai.
2011/07/02 sat 1715-1720 Portuguese, with easy listenin' music. Good.
1026, Rádio Moçambique EP Manica, Chimoio. 2011/07/02 sat 1724-1726
Portuguese talk. Poor.
963, Rádio Moçambique EP Tete, Tete. 2011/07/02 sat 1723-1724 Afro
music. Poor.
1179, Rádio Moçambique EP Zambézia, Quelimane. 2011/07/02 sat 1731-
1732, Portuguese, OM talking. Fair.
1206, Rádio Moçambique national service, Inhambane. 2011/07/02 sat
1734-1736, Portuguese, talk. Fair. Also 2011/07/03 sun 1815-1817
Portuguese with afro music. Fair. Jo'burg sunset 1528-1529 (Bill
Bingham, RSA, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MYANMAR. Today 4th July (Happy Independence day guys!!) was
listening at 1130 UT they were on 7185.75 kHz and nothing on 7200 kHz.
They keep changing the transmitters for this service going up to 1300
UT. Some days use both transmitters although it is thought the
transmitter on 7200 kHz is producing a spur 15 down and 15 up (Victor
Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka, 4S7VK, DXplorer July 4 via BC-DX 11 July via
DXLD)
7185.74, Myanma Radio, 1220:11*, July 8. In vernacular with sign off
announcement; fair with no OTH radar today.
7185.74, Myanma Radio, 1211-1221:05*, July 9. Keeping to their
new sign off time and new closing theme music (indigenous); fair
5770, Myanmar Defense Forces Br. St., 1234, July 9. Not often I hear
them in the summer; poor; in vernacular and pop songs.
5985.83, Myanma Radio, 1248, July 9. Adjacent QRM; in vernacular with
pop songs (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NAMIBIA [and SOUTH AFRICA]. A VHF surprise! At 0930 GMT on 20 Feb,
some 320 miles west of the Namibian coast, a weak German station could
be heard on 96 MHz plus an African ``clicking`` language on 106.4 MHz
(fair) and a religious service on 102.8 MHz (fair to good).
At 1630, KFM could be heard on 94.8 MHz and a Cape Town local on 95.3,
this at 700 miles NW from the city. By 1300 GMT on 21 Feb, 1100 miles
NW, the VHF band was full of S African and Namibian stations with
strong signals, including KFM on 94.8. I can only conclude that this
was due to oceanic ducting (John Mattocks, Report from the Mid
Atlantic, aboard the RMS St Helena, July BDXC-UK Communication via
DXLD)
WRTH shows KFM is a private network from Cape Town, the 94.8
transmitter, 17 kW in Springbok. IIRC this is a heavy area for tropo
ducting, like Hawaii-California, altho at 700-1100 mile distances,
sporadic E could also funxion there especially in the summer.
Are the first group axually from Namibia, or RSA? German suggests the
former, as there is an entire German-language network in Namibia
including three transmitters on 96.0. 106.4 could be the Damara/Nama
Service. I don`t see any NBC on 102.8, but that frequency area would
most likely be the Herero Service. All networks have their own
specifically grouped frequency segments, with some exceptions (Glenn
Hauser, DXLD)
** NETHERLANDS. RNW is beginning to shut down :(
http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2011/07/07/dutch-government-to-slash-radio-netherlands-worldwide-focus-on-regions-needing-free-speech/
Dutch government to slash Radio Netherlands Worldwide, focus on
regions needing “free speech” --- Dutch Prime Ministher Mark Rutte
announces changes to Radio Netherlands
As part of a government austerity program, the Dutch Prime Minister
Mark Rutte announced plans to make significant cuts in the budget of
shortwave broadcaster Radio Netherlands Worldwide. RNW has been relied
upon by both Dutch expatriates and other listeners around the world
for a unique take on world events, in addition to news from the
Netherlands.
In a press conference Rutte praised the service and articulated its
revised mission:
“Radio Netherlands Worldwide will limit itself to one role, promoting
free speech. I think the other tasks RNW performs are nice, valuable,
but not enough to finance them with public money.”
As part of this plan RNW will be moved into the government’s Foreign
Ministry.
The cuts at RNW come at the same time as other international
broadcasters are scaling back as well. Germany’s Deutsche Welle is
ending shortwave and mediumwave (AM) broadcasts while Radio Australia
is also phasing out shortwave in favor of internet broadcasting. In
general governments have cited the ability to reach listeners more
easily over the internet as a significant reason for ending
terrestrial international broadcasts. The Dutch government’s revised
focus for RNW reflects this trend to retain terrestrial broadcasts
only to regions that still rely on shortwave for international news
and information.
However, that doesn’t mean that RNW and other prominent supporters
will go down without a fight. The network has assembled testimony from
a variety of prominent international voices in support the station and
retaining its full broadcast service. Dutch national Willem Sools
discusses the important role RNW played for him while being held
hostage in Somalia in 2008:
“The whole time, we were able to listen regularly to a little radio,
to stations including Radio Netherlands Worldwide. I wanted to thank
you, even though you weren’t aware of it. I was able to hear
everything about the Netherlands: interviews, documentaries, the news
and, at Yuletide, typically Dutch stories about Saint Nicholas and
Christmas – fantastic. Your broadcasts strengthened me a lot. Thanks.”
As the BBC and Deutsche Welle have phased our their broadcast service
to North America, Radio Netherlands Worldwide has remained one of the
stations that I could reliably tune in for high-quality world news in
English on the shortwave band. Admittedly, shortwave radio is not a
primary information service for me at this point in time, nor is it
for most people in North America. However, I’ve appreciated the
service in times when I was traveling and there wasn’t another good
news source on the AM or FM dial, or when there’s been a power outage
and I’m tired of hearing “traffic and weather on the 8s.”
I suppose it is a good thing that the Dutch government seems to want
to maintain broadcasts to the developing world and regions where it
wishes to promote free speech. However, it is hard not to lament that
the era of ubiquitous global shortwave broadcasting is coming to an
end (via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD)
Would an NPR affiliate in the Netherlands help fill the void caused by
the demise of Radio Netherlands Worldwide?
-- I'm not sure that "broadcasts" will describe what RNW -- or
whatever it will be called -- will do in the future. In any case, RNW
is now only partly shortwave, and has become truly multimedia.
But an idea came to me while reading the above. With so many medium
wave channels recently vacated in the Netherlands, could this be an
opening for an English-language radio station in the Netherlands to
serve the expats and other anglophones (there are many of them) in the
Benelux? The same radio could be heard worldwide by internet audio
stream, and portions of it rebroadcast on affiliate stations in other
countries (such as "The State We're In" is broadcast on many US NPR
affiliates).
In fact, this Dutch radio station could become an NPR affiliate, to
help fill its day with programming. The station could correspondingly
hold the pledge drives which Benelux listeners will find as annoying
as we do, but could provide the funds that the Dutch government
probably won't. And, like NPR stations in the United States, BBC
programming would fill part of the schedule (Kim Andrew Elliott,
Posted: 10 Jul 2011, kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD)
The future of RNW SW broadcasts --- According to reliable sources, it
appears that the SW broadcasts from RNW will be until December or
perhaps a little more. They might run a frequency for the Caribbean
from a transmitter in Guyana [GUIANA FRENCH]. These decisions will be
announced between October and November. Regarding the Spanish section
is likely to be smaller, this will be known better in next September
or October (Horacio A. Nigro, Montevideo, Uruguay, July 13, dxldyg via
WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
I had speculated earlier that the Bonaire closing might be brought
forward a season or two, so this might support that theory? A long
window for a shutdown (18 months) was probably not a good idea as
program quality would severely deteriorate as the staff moves on to
other opportunities. An earlier shutdown might mean more in the pot
for any severance packages, as well (Steve Luce, Houston, Texas,
dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
There's no significant news to report regarding the forthcoming
reorganisation at RNW, but there's plenty going on behind the scenes.
I keep seeing messages on mailing lists from people who don't work
here about what they claim is going to happen, but as I've said
before, unless attributed to a named individual at RNW then it's just
a rumour. Nothing is definite yet - there will be a lot of meetings in
the coming weeks (Andy Sennitt, Media Network newsletter July 14 via
DXLD) see also MADAGASCAR
[Not posted re RNW in particular but on this general topic:]
Unfortunately, shortwave radio is mainly a vehicle for propaganda. As
funds dry up, as countries no longer feel the need to "win over the
hearts and minds" of others, international shortwave radio is looked
upon as a very expensive expenditure --- an expense no longer afforded
or justified in these difficult economic times.
It is sad for many of us that shortwave radio is dying. Stations are
going dark and towers are dismantled as those in control, those in
leader positions, feel there are more cost effective delivery methods.
In my opinion, a big mistake not taken into consideration is "whom
will listen?". I don't believe I've heard or read this point being
considered when international shortwave radio is replaced by
web/internet "broadcasting". Using a portable shortwave receiver I'm
able to listen just about anywhere. With web broadcasting I'm forced
to sit at my PC with a high speed internet connection to listen. Or,
download an mp3, wav, etc for listening. While internet broadcasting
is inexpensive, as compared to shortwave radio, for the broadcaster,
web listening is not convenient or practical for the listener.
It is interesting that we've made a hobby, quite often a lifetime
hobby, of listening to propaganda. 73, (Kraig Krist, KG4LAC, Manassas,
VA USA, dxldyg via DXLD)
Hi Kraig, Only if we choose to listen to it! For myself, I will take
the wide variety of musical programming available via SW or non-
propaganda local shows from Malaysia, PNG, Australia, etc.
I still get a lot of enjoyment from my daily trip to the beach to hear
my old favorite stations and to look for anything new (Ron Howard,
Monterey, CA, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NETHERLANDS [non]. NEW NOVEL BY FORMER RNW PRESENTER NOW AVAILABLE
Ruth Deborah Ray (formerly Dody Cowan of Radio Nederland) writes: A
quick note to let you know that the printed (Strengholt, the
Netherlands), signed and dedicated edition of my novel The Sleeping
Madonna is now available at: Blog: deborahrey.wordpress.com
The book looks gorgeous (522 pages) and is going like hotcakes.
The Sleeping Madonna
A Madonna statue that turns out to be a beautiful, but very dead old
lady, the perplexing likeness between film actress Roxane Fontaine
and Ana Rosa de Fontes Fonsqua, the old lady’s niece who mysteriously
disappeared twenty-one years ago, three people who have loved each
other since childhood…
Let The Sleeping Madonna take you to Portugal’s Douro Region, to
cradle of the country’s famous Port Wine, take part in the vindimas
and the corta (the harvest and treading of the grapes), but most of
all watch the rebirth of a unique, extremely sensual concordat of love
between Roxane Fontaine, Rui Cabral and Celeste de Fontes Cabral, his
wife. Their Triangle of Love, a ménage à trois that lasts for forty-
two years and within which the three of them share life and all it has
to offer. (Source: Ruth Deborah Ray) (July 8th, 2011 - 12:09 UTC
by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via DXLD) Costs 17.5 Euro
** NEWFOUNDLAND. It's not "The Great Eastern," but former "Eastern"
host Mack Furlong is currently hosting CBC-Newfoundland's "Weekend
Arts Magazine," the show he effectively parodied.
http://www.cbc.ca/wam/ (Mike Cooper, July 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
See also CANADA: TA TVDX
** NEW ZEALAND. Re 11-27: RNZi Rangitaiki heard again on slight odd
frequency 15719.986 kHz this morning July 9 at 0130-0145 UT, S=5
signal. 73 wb DF5SX (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** NIGER. 9704.99, LV du Sahel, 2215-2235*, July 8, vernacular talk.
Euro-pop music. Afro-pop music. Abrupt sign off. Irregular. They
usually sign off around 2300 but lately they have been abruptly
signing off at odd times. Poor in noisy conditions.
9704.99, LV du Sahal, 2230-2257*, July 13, Irregular. Indigenous
vocals. Rustic instrumental music. Vernacular announcements. Qur`an at
approximately 2250 followed by short flute IS and National Anthem at
2255. Five seconds of test tone at 2257 and off. Poor to fair, but at
times only a threshold signal (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening
Digest) See also ETHIOPIA
** NIGERIA. Sabato 9 luglio 2011, 0954 - 15120 kHz, VOICE OF NIGERIA -
Ikorodu, Inglese, annunci YL e musica reggae. Segnale buono-molto
buono. 9690 era spenta. Cambio definitivo? Errore? Qualche emissione
speciale per qualche evento locale? (Luca Botto Fiora, G.C. 09E13 -
44N21, Rapallo (Genova) - Italia, bclnews.it yg via DXLD)
** OKLAHOMA [and non]. 1640, KFXY, Enid, July 12 at 0952 UT during
local weather break, 100+ temps continue with no respite in sight, has
a slight het, I think on the hi side. Either it or some other 1640 is
a bit off-frequency. WTNI Mississippi is the usual backgrounder, and I
read that they are back to full-power now, which is only 1 kW at
night. Then with KFXY back to gospel music, could not hear the het
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
1640 is also one of the DFW Arrival and Departure gate information TIS
stations (I Think), but I don't think that it would go that far. I
would think that they would go silent at that hour, though (David R
Block, Carrollton TX, ptsw yg via DXLD)
David, Tnx for the reminder, but I wonder if it is still on the air.
Have not seen it reported in years. Have you (or anyone reading this)
been thru DFW lately or can you hear it? (Glenn Hauser, ibid.)
You are probably correct. I see that we have a 1630 station, so 1640
is a no-go. Pardon my brain belch (David, ibid.) See also USA: FM/TVDX
** PAKISTAN. Dear Glenn, I received from Radio Pakistan the exact time
table of English emissions.
0905 - 0910 UT 15725; 17720
1100 - 1105 UT 15725; 17720
1700 - 1710 UT 11590; 15265 --- Kind regards (Dario Gabrielli, (North
of Italy), July 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
11590/15265. Today again break on R Pakistan schedule, due of main
power lost which appeared often on past days. Nothing heard in 1700-
1735 UT July 14. 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, ibid.)
Thanks, but for the time table please also see:
http://wrth.com/files/WRTH2011IntRadioSuppl2_A11Schedules.pdf
page 26:
Key: * News in English: 0904-0910 & 1100-1104;
** News in English: 1700-1710.
That's close enough, isn't it. 73, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, ibid.)
** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3205, NBC Sandaun. July 9, 10 and 11 off the air
during random checks.
5960, R. Fly, 1356, July 11. Jazz instrumental and pop songs; poor;
unable to confirm // 3915. Pleased to learn my QSL card was mailed
yesterday. Will not be long now! (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach,
CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PERU [and non]. Re 11-27: Glenn, Con las disculpas del caso. Por
responder oportunamente. mxf = música folklórica y/o local
UTC 12:19 en Perú 7:19 la modificación ya fue considerada. Tnx y 73’s
(Pedro F. Arrunátegui, Perú, July 11, DX LISTENNG DIGEST)
** PERU. 3329.53, Ondas del Huallaga, Huánuco, seems to sign on 1020,
excellent program of OA music, 6 July [Wilkner]
4774.9, Radio Tarma, Tarma, seemingly the one 1100 to 1110 en espanol,
7 July (Robert Wilkner, NRD 535D - Drake R8 - Icom 746Pro modified,
Pompano Beach, South Florida, US, HCDX via DXLD)
** PERU. INTERESANTISIMO --- Estimados: Hay un video de algo más de 13
minutos sobre la planta transmisora y equipos transmisores de Radio
Manantial, Huancayo. Hagan click en http://www.somosmanantial.com/
Recuerden que esta emisora puede escucharse en la onda corta en la
banda de 60 metros! (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, July 8 radioescutas yg
via DXLD)
O, yes, I believe we saw that last year. Engineer at site keeps
referring to the transmitter as ``la máquina``. Just below the little
video player is this newer notice: (gh)
Ultimos Eventos: onda corta
Inauguración de la Nueva Planta Transmisora de Radio Manantial:
Un Patrimonio de la Iglesia Evangélica Pentecostal de Jesucristo.
Templo la Hermosa. En el Cerro Vista Alegre del Distrito de Viques a
los 3800. Metros sobre el Nivel del Mar está Ubicado la Nueva Planta
Transmisor de la Radio Manantial 960 Am. 4985 [sic] KHZ. Onda Corta.
Cubriendo a Nivel Nacional E internacional SENAL CADEMNA [sic] DE
Milagros. Día de la Inauguración. 5 de Marzo del 2011. De donde se
transmitirá en vivo, la concentración masiva de todo el Pueblo
Cristiano de toda [sic] las Iglesias del Valle del Mantaro. Hace esta
invitación el Fundador y Pastor Leoncio Paco y Esposa Susana Canales.
Y más todo los Programadores y operadores de esta emisora (via gh,
DXLD)
** PHILIPPINES. 15285, R. Pilipinas/VOP, randomly from 0203 to 0330*,
July 10. Sunday they have a completely different format than any other
day; in English; songs by Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., etc; two YLs
chatting about religion; off with National Anthem; started poor and
come up to almost fair (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1,
dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PHILIPPINES. 9615, July 12 at 1013 Chinese with good signal; at
first thought maybe KNLS, which has used this frequency before, but
now registered as RVA at 10-12, 250 kW, 355 degrees from Palauig site
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ROMANIA. 7333.73, R. Romania International, 0308-0338, July 9
and 10. How long have they been off frequency? In English; poor;
played some nice folk music (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach,
CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Never heard before that. I'll check the whole RRI schedule now. Thanks
cheers de wb --- Ron informed tonight that one of the RRI - RadioCom
transmitter is odd frequency.
At 0700-0757 UT on odd 9698.363 [nominal 9700 kHz 300 kW from
Tiganeshti], 11970.0 15260.0 17720.0
At 0800-0857 UT on odd 15697.356 [nominal 15700 kHz 300 kW from
Tiganeshti] // 11870.0 11970.0 15450.0 kHz
At 0900-0957 UT on odd 17597.038 [nominal 17600 kHz 300 kW from
Tiganeshti] // 11830.0 15240.0 15380.0 kHz
RRI in French at 1000-1057 UT on odd 15377.416 [nominal 15380 kHz
300 kW from Tiganeshti] // 11830.0 15240.0 17785.0 kHz
RRI in English at 1100-1157 UT on odd 15207.440 [nominal 15210 kHz 300
kW from Tiganeshti] // 15430.0 17510.0 17670.0 kHz
RRI in German at 1200-1257 UT on odd 9673.372 [nominal 9675 kHz 300 kW
from Tiganeshti] // 11875.0 kHz,
and Romanian 7300.0-Saftica, 11920.0, 15195.0 kHz
RRI in Chinese at 1300-1327 UT on odd 17597.040 [nominal 17600 kHz 300
kW from Tiganeshti] // 15435.0 kHz,
and Romanian 1200-1357 UT 11920.0, 15195.0 kHz
RRI in Russian at 1330-1357 UT on odd 15137.458 [nominal 15140 kHz 300
kW from Tiganeshti] // 11835.0 kHz,
RRI in Arabic at 1400-1457 UT on odd 15487.400 [nominal 15490 kHz 300
kW from Tiganeshti] // 11830.0 11945.0 15160.0 kHz.
RRI in French at 1600-1657 UT on odd 9678.373 [nominal 9680 kHz 300 kW
from Tiganeshti] // 11950.0 kHz. Also Romanian 1600-1657 UT on even
9690.0 11825.0 kHz.
RRI in English at 1700-1757 UT on odd 11733.032 [nominal 11735 kHz 300
kW from Tiganeshti] // 9535.0drm kHz. Also Romanian 1700-1957 UT on
even 11970.0 15310.0 kHz.
RRI in German at 1800-1857 UT on odd 7238.783 [nominal 7240 kHz 300 kW
from Tiganeshti] // 9495.0drm kHz.
RRI in Spanish at 1900-1957 UT on odd 11713.035 [nominal 11715 kHz 300
kW from Tiganeshti] // 9700.0 kHz.
RRI in English at 2200-2257 UT on odd 9788.351 [nominal 9790 kHz 300
kW from Tiganeshti] // 5960.0 7435.0 kHz.
One of the Tiganeshti transmitters has "an even frequency failure" on
July 9th and July 10th ! [also copied to officials at Radiocom.ro]
Checked RRI Tiganesti sporadic yesterday July 11, and now at 1000 UT
again July 12.
July 11
RRI in French at 1600-1657 UT on odd 9678.374 [nominal 9680 kHz 300 kW
from Tiganesti] \\ 11950.0 kHz. Also Romanian 1600-1657 UT from
Galbeni site on even 9690.0 11825.0 kHz.
RRI in German at 1800-1857 UT on odd 7238.787 [nominal 7240 kHz 300 kW
from Tiganesti] \\ 9495.0drm kHz.
July 12
RRI in French at 1000-1057 UT on odd 15377.700 [nominal 15380kHz 300kW
from Tiganesti] \\ 11830.0 15240.0 17785.0 kHz. 73 wb
[partial schedule, for further checking]
ROMANIAN 0700-0756 9700 11970 15260 17720 "Curierul romanesc" Sun
0800-0856 11870 11970 15450 15700 "Curierul romanesc" Sun
0900-0956 11830 15240 15380 17600 "Curierul romanesc" Sun
1200-1256 ^7300-Saftica site. 11920 15195
1300-1356 11920 15195
1500-1556 9855 11895
1600-1656 9690 11825
1700-1756 11970 15310
1800-1856 11970 15310
1900-1956 11970 15310
ENGLISH 1100-1156 15210 15430 17510 17670
FRENCH 1000-1056 11830 15240 15380 17785
1600-1656 9680 11950
GERMAN 1200-1256 9675 11875
CHINESE 1300-1326 15435 17600
RUSSIAN 1330-1356 11835 15140
ARABIC 1400-1456 11830 11945 15160 15490
RUSSIAN 1500-1556 9690 *11615drm 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, dxldyg
via WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** RUSSIA. (European), R. Rossii, 9480, Radio Center 3 via Taldom,
full/data e-mail letter with attachment photo of transmitter site in
12 days. Said they will forward my report to their HQ for an official
QSL. My report was sent to: rc-3-buch @ mail.ru V/s Andrey Shaydurov.
Addr: Radio Center - 3, Taldom, Moscow Region, Russia (Kivell, FL, QSL
Report, July NASWA Journal via DXLD)
** RUSSIA. Radio Radonezh (Russian Orthodoxy Station) verified my
reception report with 1 IRC in Russian after 1233 days (about 3.5
years!) by QSL letter in Russian via surface mail! QSL was signed by
Mr. E. K. Nikiforov of Russian Orthodox Society. I received their
Vladivostok frequency on 675 kHz, but they marked 846 kHz, the Moscow
frequency. The number of QSL was marked No. 1 for 2011. Address: yl.
[sic] Pyatnitskaya 25, Moskva 115326, Russia ---- the same as Voice of
Russia!
E-mail: info @ radonezh.ru
URL: http://www.radonezh.ru
Telephone: +8 495 772 7961
Frequencies: Moskva 612 kHz 864 kHz (Noginsk site)
St. Petersburg 684 kHz
Vladivostok 675 kHz
and many FM frequencies in Krasnoyarsk region
BTW, Russian post office does not accept the letters with addresses
written in Cyrillic alphabet to foreign countries, so DXers should
write their names and addresses in Roman alphabet even if they are
good at writing in Russian (Takahito Akabayashi, Japan, July 11,
dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** RUSSIA [and non]. VOR ON MW IN NYC AND WASHINGTON DC
VOR has acquired 24/7 MW (AM) leases of 1390 kHz in Washington and
1430 in New York. Furthermore, VOR is originating US-oriented
programming M-F at 6-9 am and 4-7 pm ET, complete with local weather,
temps in F [i.e., drivetime, 10-13 and 20-23 UT].
Programming is news and current affairs, somewhat like NPR`s `Morning
Edition`, but with young and mostly inexperienced announcers, and not
much of a global correspondent network. One program, `Capital to
Capital`, includes one Angela Davis in Moscow. The Angela Davis, as in
former leader of the Communist Party USA, frequently mentioned by R.
Moscow in the 1960s and 1970s? Sounds like it might be.
This new VOR service seems to emulate RFE/RL Russian, available on
1044 kHz MW in Moscow, and focusing on the Russian domestic affairs.
It will be an uphill struggle for VOR, transmitting on the relatively
unpopular AM band, and not filling much of a niche in its programming.
OTOH, VOR WS programming that fills the rest of the 24/7 schedule does
offer some interesting alternatives to US radio [standard disclaimer]
(Kim Andrew Elliott, International Broadcasting [no longer Kim`s
Column], July NASWA Journal via WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DXLD)
On the Voice of Russia AM-band service for Washington and New York
City, I have been hearing the program "Capital to Capital," i.e.
Washington and Moscow. The presenter in Moscow is Angela Davis. The
Angela Davis? As in the former leading light and twice vice
presidential candidate of the Soviet-affiliated Communist Party USA?
Frequently reported about on Radio Moscow from the 1960s to the 1980s,
though rarely mentioned in the US media? If it is she, at age 67,
Davis sounds youthful and energetic. Granted, her gig on Voice of
Russia only involves a few minutes of microphone presence per weekday.
(Listen to mp3 audio excerpt, 1 min 38 sec, from 8 July.) (Kim Andrew
Elliott, July 9, kimandrewelliott.com via WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DXLD)
Hi Kim, You`ve probably been Googling Angela Davis more than I, but
here`s one location I found for her.
http://wgs.syr.edu/FacultyStaff.htm
Of course she could still be in Moscow at the moment (Glenn to Kim,
via DXLD)
Hi Glenn, Her Wikipedia entry also lists Syracuse U as her most recent
gig. But this item says she was a distinguished visiting professor for
one month back in October...
http://campaign.syr.edu/2010/10/14/scholar-activist-angela-davis-to-give-free-lecture-oct-12/
And there is no Angela Davis in a faculty/staff search at the main
Syracuse U website. So I think she might be in Moscow. Russian
international broadcasting seems to have deep pockets these days, so
she is probably enjoying the steady income and a bourgeois lifestyle.
Thanks for checking. If you find any recent audio of her, that could
be useful for comparison (Kim Elliott, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Kim: Thanks for bringing up "Angela Davis" issue :) It appears that an
English-speaking lady in Moscow had a not very bright idea of picking
up this formerly famous name as her on-air name. I noted that Ms.
"Davis" from Moscow pronounces all Russian names very well and doesn't
have much of a southern accent (the real Angela Davis is from
Alabama).
For voice comparisons here's Angela Davis' interview to Al-Jazeera
from 2008: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU-PNWxhjr8
RT reported on Davis, too
http://rt.com/politics/angela-davis-american-icon-for-the-ussr
Pretty balanced report. I disagree that Soviet women wanted her
haircut, though. Actually from my childhood memories it was quite the
opposite. - The women would jokingly say: "Sorry, I look like Angela
Davis today." Meaning, "I'm having a bad hair day..." Note that RT
didn't manage to get Angela Davis' interview.
According to Wiki, the real Angela Davis is currently a Distinguished
Visiting Professor in the Women's and Gender Studies Department at
Syracuse University. She's mentioned here:
http://wgs.syr.edu/FacultyStaff.htm
73! (Sergei, via Kim, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Hi Glenn, My Angela Davis is in Moscow hypothesis has quickly
crumbled. Typical. Sergey is spot on about it being "not a very bright
idea" to purloin the Angela Davis name (Kim Andrew Elliott, WORLD OF
RADIO 1573, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Kim: I did some googling in Russian. According to Russian state TV
Rossiya report from June 20, 2011, "Angela Davis" is the onair name
for Linda Heward-Mills who is "half Russian, half American"
http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=482721&cid=9
She has been working at VoR since December, 2010. Facebook account:
http://ru-ru.facebook.com/people/Linda-Heward-Mills/100000910727978
Interestingly, in the same report TV Rossiya is quoting VoR's Chairman
Andrei Bystritsiy as saying: "Radio audience in the U.S. is growing,
not declining. This is a rather curious phenomenon because, as a rule,
the audience of traditional media is decreasing." (Sergei via Kim,
WORLD OF RADIO 1573, ibid.)
``In this studio, Angela Davis is my program here for six months.
Sounds intriguing. But the name of the well-known human rights
activist once - this is just an alias journalist Linda Hevordmils
[sic]. Half Russian, half-American, working in air, which, in fact,
also by half: the production - the Russian, the audience - English-
language, with its peculiarities.`` (Google translation of pertinent
graf from Vesti above, via DXLD)
** SAINT HELENA. The DX opportunities for here are fantastic but my
location was poor, down in the deep gully in which Jamestown sits.
Radio St. Helena transmits on 1548 kHz but was putting out a weak
spurious signal on approx. 638 kHz (John Mattocks, late Feb 2011,
Report from the Mid Atlantic, from aboard the RMS St Helena, July
BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD)
O o, another one fooled by a 2 x 455 kHz IF receiver image, internally
produced, not a spur from the transmitter (gh, DXLD)
** SAINT HELENA. NEW MEDIA COMPANY TO BE FORMED IN ST HELENA
The Saint Helena Government (SHG) is planning to set up a new
community-owned company to provide improved media services on the
island. This “not for profit” company will provide three new radio
services, all on the FM band, and a newspaper. The first radio station
will focus on popular and country music with news summaries. the
second station will maintain the Radio St Helena brand, and the third
station will be dedicated to the BBC World Service.
The new Company will be fully independent of Government and the
current St Helena News Media Services organisation will be wound up.
Following an expression of interest from Mr Mike Olsson to sell off
Saint FM and the Independent Newspaper, SHG had begun negotiations
with him for the acquisition of both the radio station and the
newspaper.
An opening offer was presented to Mr Olsson for the purchase of Saint
FM and the Independent, but unfortunately Mr Olsson has advised that
he wishes to withdraw from any further negotiations. SHG still intends
to press ahead with its plans to facilitate the setting up of the new
community owned company and it is also hoped that a way can be found
to recommence negotiations with Mr Olsson with a view to reaching an
agreement that is satisfactory to both parties.
(Sources: St Helena Herald/St Helena Independent)(July 12th, 2011 -
12:54 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via DXLD)
** SARAWAK [and non]. Re: Sarawak on 7270.24 --- Hi Ron, It seems the
Iban language programming from RTM Sarawak has been extended and moved
from Wai FM to a separate network called "Sada FM" on Kuching 101.3
MHz, while Wai FM continues in Bidayuh and Kayan-Kenyah on Kuching
106.1 MHz. Both Sada FM and Wai FM are scheduled at 2200-1600 UT.
Kuching 7270 kHz has been silent for a few weeks, but perhaps it was
carrying Sada FM while Kajang 11665 kHz was relaying Wai FM. Both
networks would relay RTM news from Kuching or KL at times, so they
might often be in parallel with news bulletins after the top of the
hour. Best regards (Alan Davies, Asia, July 13, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST) See also MALAYSIA [the rest of it]
** SINGAPORE. 11685, July 13 at 1334 in S Asian language, poor and vs
constant RTTY QRM circa 11688 also bothering Cuba 11690. Gone at next
check 1348. Chex with HFCC as R. Japan in Bengali via Singapore, 1300-
1345, 250 kW, 315 degrees (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See
also MADAGASCAR
** SOUTH AFRICA. FM DX into the South Atlantic: see NAMIBIA [and non]
** SPAIN. REE has had on-demand programming for streaming and podcast
the past year, but limited to features; news and current affairs were
not offered in the daily update.
As of late May, the full weekday program is now available for nearly
all days. Only the weekday programs are saved, as weekend programming
is simply a rehash of the previous week`s features.
I`ve long enjoyed REE – dating back to the 1980s when I resumed
SWLing; REE doesn`t try to cover the world like the BBC, or even the
continent, like DW; rather, REE covers issues and culture from the
Spanish-speaking world, including Latin America, a region that has
long been underrepresented in English language international
broadcasting.
Unfortunately the English service is somewhat buried on the website,
which itself is within the national RTVE site. Specific URL for REE is
http://www.ree/rne.es [sic --- see below] --- English section is then
visible on the page.
REE`s English Section is a small group, and always seems to be in
danger of losing funding; consider sending them a note to let them
know you`re listening: englishbroadcast @ rtve.es or Radio Exterior de
España, English Language Broadcast, P O Box 156.202, Madrid 28080,
Spain (Richard Cuff, Easy Listening, July NASWA Journal via WORLD OF
RADIO 1573, DXLD)
REE is even more impressive if you listen to their Spanish service. If
you haven`t learnt Spanish, please do so now (gh)
The url http://www.ree/rne.es is messed up. Something may have been
transposed or left off in the posting. http://www.rne.es/ree will get
you to the Spanish version of the REE web site, and then you can click
to the link for the English version (Bruce Portzer, WA, dxldyg via
WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
9775-9780-9785, July 8 at 0539, REE is back in DRM noise, after having
been in AM when last checked July 5.
[non]. 11880, July 10 at 1230, REE via COSTA RICA gives timecheck as
``14 horas``! Then `Amigos de la Onda Corta`. Maybe their TCs are on
an out-of-synch automation system? Or that of RNE domestic which I
think they were relaying before then (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** SRI LANKA. THE ‘HAUNTED’ PAST OF RADIO CEYLON
by Chamari SENANAYAKE
Walking into the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) buildings
at Torrington Square, one would immediately feel the historical value
of the place, but most people would not know just how valuable it is.
Our SLBC is Asia's first broadcasting corporation. Radio Ceylon
started in Sri Lanka then Ceylon, paving the way for many other radio
stations that later came to be celebrated around the world, inspiring
countries such as Hong Kong, Korea, India and Singapore to enter the
world of wireless media.
Full story with photos at :
http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2011/07/10/spe01.asp
(via Alokesh Gupta, VU3BSE, New Delhi, July 11, dxldyg via DXLD) ex
lunatic asylum
15745.01, SLBC, *0125-0140, July 9, sign on with local drums. National
Anthem at 0126 followed by more local drums and local music. Opening
English ID announcements and preview of upcoming programs. Lite
instrumental music at 0131. Poor to fair (Brian Alexander, PA, DX
Listening Digest)
** SUDAN [and non]. 13620, July 9 at 0517, R. Dabanga but no tone
jamming! Irregular fading may however have come from the tone jammer
carrier SAH. The other jamming on 13730 seemed JBA. Wonder if the
emergence of South Sudan will affect this or other clandestine
services.
13620, July 10 at 0519, tone jammer is back as usual under R. Dabanga
via MADAGASCAR.
13620, July 11 at 0454 check, R. Dabanga via MADAGASCAR is once again
without the continuous 1000 Hz tone jamming, but still with the
carrier from same producing SAH.
13620, July 12 at 0520, same; at least I think there is a second
carrier.
13620, July 13 at 0513, R. Dabanga good via MADAGASCAR, and once again
with the continuous tone jammer also causing SAH (Glenn Hauser, OK,
WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
13620, July 14 at 0526, R. Dabanga, for Darfur, good signal via
MADAGASCAR, but continuous tone jammer is also stronger than usual
with heavy SAH too. At 0527 when RD ends, a semi-minute of something
in English, maybe RNW satellite program feed erroneously until
0527:30* after which the tone jammer was in the clear. *0528 OC on
13840 maybe same Talata transmitter prior to NHK French from 0530.
RNW Programme Distribution via Media Network blog has a new full
schedule for R. Dabanga effective July 18, with confusing site
switches, I reorganize by frequency:
13620 MDC 0430-0527, NAU 0527-0557
13730 MDC 0430-0459, WER 0459-0557, MDC 1529-1627
15550 UAE 0430-0527
15720 WER 1529-1627
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.:
NEW SCHEDULE FOR RADIO DABANGA EFFECTIVE 18 JULY
Dutch-based Radio Dabanga, which broadcasts to the Darfur region, will
have a revised schedule as from Monday 18 July 2011:
0430-0527 15550 (Dhabayya 500 kW) and 13620 kHz (Madagascar 250 kW)
0430-0459 13730 (Madagascar 250 kW)
0459-0527 13730 (Wertachtal 250 kW)
0527-0557 13620 (Nauen 500 kW) and 13730 kHz (Wertachtal 250 kW)
1529-1627 15720 (Wertachtal 500 kW) and 13730 kHz (Madagascar 250 kW)
(Source: RNW Programme Distribution) (July 12th, 2011 - 16:06 UTC
by Andy Sennitt, via WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DXLD)
** SUDAN SOUTH [non]. VOA LIVE COVERAGE OF SOUTH SUDAN INDEPENDENCE
CELEBRATION SATURDAY, WITH HIGHLIGHTS AT 1500-1600 UT.
VOA press release, 8 July 2011: "Voice of America will provide live
coverage of South Sudan’s independence celebrations on Saturday, with
reports from the new country and Washington, including interviews with
key leaders who have guided the historic transition. Sudan in Focus,
VOA’s popular English language radio program to the region, will be
renamed South Sudan in Focus to mark the occasion. ...
VOA reporters in South Sudan will contribute to the special live
broadcast, which will be hosted by John Tanza in Washington and
Charlton Doki in Juba. VOA broadcasts to southern Sudan on shortwave,
FM affiliate stations and is streamed on the Internet. VOA language
services broadcasting to neighboring countries will pre-empt regular
programming to broadcast Saturday’s Independence Day ceremony. ...
Other U.S. international broadcasting coverage will include live
reporting of the July 9th events on Alhurra TV's Arabic-language
satellite broadcasts as well as expanded radio newscasts on Afia
Darfur, broadcasting to Darfur and Eastern Chad (Posted: 08 Jul 2011,
kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD)
-- From this page
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/special-reports/world-and-regional/Sudan-Elections-in-Focus-86961342.html
we learn that the a South Sudan in Focus with "highlights of the
independence ceremony" will be 9 July at 1500 to 1600 UT, on 15480 and
17895 kHz shortwave, "or tune to VOA's Africa live stream." A link to
the VOA Africa live stream is at the top of http://www.voanews.com ---
This implies that live coverage will occur earlier, at some time, on
VOA English. We'll just have to listen to the live stream Saturday and
see what happens. (Presumably the VOA FM relays in South Sudan, per
the BBG deal reported in the previous post, are not yet on the
air)(Kim Andrew Elliott, ibid.)
Update: Disregard all of the above. I heard no live coverage on VOA
before 1500 UT. Now, at 1530, when the South Sudan in Focus special
should be on, I'm hearing "Hip Hop Connection" on the VOA Africa live
stream. At the Sudan in Focus web page, the audio links lead to
yesterday's program, still called "Sudan in Focus." Today's South
Sudan in Focus may well be transmitting on shortwave, but I can't find
a live internet stream.
Live coverage of South Sudan independence ceremonies elusive but
available on Al Jazeera English. Posted: 09 Jul 2011
On 9 July, I woke up early -- well, okay, I usually wake up early --
to witness the South Sudan's independence ceremonies. The official
proclamation was supposed to be at 0845 UT, but that has been delayed.
At 0706, I heard on BBC World Service (via WAMU, 88.5 MHz FM in
Washington), a special combined edition of "The World Today" and
"Network Africa." At the beginning of the program, the presenter said
something about independence being "seconds away." Towards the end of
the program he noted that the independence ceremony has been delayed.
But because it was still 45 minutes away, how did he know? Was he
perhaps confused by the bizarre time notation at the top of the BBC
World Service website home page, which provides not GMT, but GMT + 1?
During the 0800-0900 UT hour, BBC World Service broadcast "The Forum,"
this program an obviously pre-recorded discussion about divorce,
rather tenuously drawing parallels to the separation of Sudan and
South Sudan. Briefly after 0900, BBCWS was back in live mode, covering
events in Juba, but recorded and off-subject "Witness" took over after
0915.
VOA had advertised live coverage of Sudan's independence ceremonies,
but, on the VOA Africa Live stream, during the 0800-0900 hour I heard
the very-pre-recorded "Jazz America." More pre-recorded music
programming after 0900.
Now desperate to see the independence ceremony, I went downstairs,
turned on the television, and switched the channel to Al Jazeera
English, available here via the MHz Networks digital terrestrial
service. Here, finally, I could see live video of the independence
festivities. AJE was ready at 0845, but the dignitaries were not. AJE
live coverage continued after 0900. It was spoiled by a bit too much
commentary covering up the actual speeches and music from the site,
and breaking away to news about other subjects.
What I really wanted was a C-Span-like uncut feed of the independence
ceremonies, and I even tried the C-Span website. Unfortunately,
several Google searches turned up no such live television feed (Kim
Andrew Elliott, July 9, kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD)
9740, July 9 at 1335, BBCWS English via Singapore is interviewing
Sudanese on both sides about the South`s independence, eliciting
rather mixed feelings.
VOA press release said it would broadcast a special about that, July 9
at 15-16 on 15480 and 17895, but both were inaudible here. Meanwhile,
CNN and MSNBC had more pressing domestic news to cover (Glenn Hauser,
OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
FWIW best TV coverage was Al Jazeera (as compared to BBC World, CCTV,
CNN, FNC and Sky). They carried entire ceremony, with very few breaks.
73s (David Sharp, NSW, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Subject: [Lista ConDig] Alguien sabe que emisora es? 15480 kHz, 1500
UT en adelante, hablan mucho sobre Sudàn (Ernesto Paulero, Argentina,
1526 UT July 9, condiglist yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DXLD)
Refiere a South Sudan, el nuevo país (Rubén Guillermo Margenet, ibid.)
http://www.short-wave.info/?station=RADIO%20SAWA
Ahí dice que puede ser Radio Sawa desde Greenville...¿?
(Marcelo Filipo, LU1EOT, ibid.)
Como informamos la noche previa en DXLD, 15480 para una emisión
especial de la VOA, sitio transmisor desconocido, pero no Greenville.
No pudimos captarla. 73, (Glenn Hauser, ibid.)
Ernesto Paulero sent us a clip distributed on the dxldyg and also at:
http://www.kimandrewelliott.com/audio/15480_kHz_1515UTC.mp3
Later, another one from Ernesto Paulero at 1558 July 9 as they were
signing off:
http://www.w4uvh.net/VOASSudan1558.mp3
(Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
South Sudan in Focus Special transmission
----------------------------------------------------------------
July 10, 2011 1700-1800 utc, STREAM (wma, 32 kbps, dual mono):
http://www.voanews.com/wm/voa/africa/engl/ENGLISHTOAFRICA_SUDAN_SPECIAL.asx
(via Dragan Lekic, Serbia, July 11, dxldyg via DXLD) Same program as
26 hours earlier on 15480?? (gh)
DX Show on South Sudan:
http://archives.ckut.ca/128/20110710.10.30-11.00.mp3
(Artie Bigley, DXLD)
I.e. this week`s `International Radio Report`, also expected on Area
51, UT Monday July 11 at 0330v on 5110v-CUSB following WORLD OF RADIO.
Part about Africa starts halfway in. If you move the bar up to 15:00
on the winamp player, it resets as starting 00:00 and you can`t get
back to the real beginning without restarting; strange. It seems that
co-hostess Janice has been to South(ern) Sudan (gh, DXLD)
** SUDAN SOUTH. There has been interest expressed about future
broadcasting from the newly independent South Sudan. Radio Peace,
operated in the 60 mb, at various times from 2003-2009, but has
been off the air for about two years. Radio Peace was owned an
operated by a non-profit religious corporation, Educational Media
Corp. of Spotsylvania, Virginia. I am informed by EMC that the
transmitting equipment, once operated from an unofficially not-to-be-
disclosed location in South Sudan, generally thought to have been in
the vicinity of Narus Town, has been moved to Juba, the capital and
major city in South Sudan.
EMC no longer owns this transmitter/equipment, it having been donated
to the Episcopal Diocese in Juba. EMC spokesman indicated that he
understood that the Episcopal bishop was attempting to get permission
to return the shortwave station to the air. I have inquires out to
Episcopal authorities in Sudan for details (Don Jensen, WI, NASWA
Country List Committee Chairman, July 11, NASWA yg via DXLD)
Thus we are now expecting that the European DX Council will update its
basic publication ”EDXC Radio Countries” at
http://www.edxc.org/lists/200707edxc_landlist.pdf
(Anker Petersen, DSWCI DX Window July 13 via DXLD)
Republic of SOUTH SUDAN --- On Jul 09 this new state could celebrate
its independence from the Muslim government in Khartoum as agreed by
both parties after two decades of civil war between Sudan and the
Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army. At a voting in January 2011, 98.83%
of the participating voters in South Sudan were in favour for
independence. The area of South Sudan is 644.329 square kms – about
one fourth of the Republic of Sudan – or the area of the United
Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany together! Its only 8.26 million
inhabitants are mostly Christians or Animists.
A Broadcasting Bill is ready for South Sudan with one TV channel and
three public radio channels and additional other channels, cf.
http://www.article19.org/pdfs/analysis/southern-sudan-public-service-broadcasting-bil.pdf
The WRTH lists two regional MW stations in South Sudan: Juba 693 kHz
(100 kW) and Kadogli 1602 kHz (5 kW).
The only known shortwave station in Southern Sudan has been R Peace
which was a very small religious station owned and operated by
Educational Media Corp. (EMC), in Spotsylvania, Virginia. Its station
manager was Peter Stover who had about five employees. It was
broadcasting from the Nuba Mountains with 4 kW on 5895 and 1 kW on
4750, but moved later to 4740 to avoid QRM from R Dunamis, Uganda. But
in Sep 2009 when it became evident that the Nuba Mountains [would]
stay as a part of North Sudan, the station ceased operations and
relocated to the future capital of South Sudan, Juba. It has not yet
been heard by DX-ers. The best hours to try for it are at *0230-0415*
and *1600-1800* (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window July 13 via
DXLD)
** SUDAN SOUTH. SOUTHERN SUDAN [sic] - Glenn Johnson, W0GJ, NCDXF Vice
President, sent out the following on July 6th: "The Northern
California DX Foundation (NCDXF) is pleased to announce a major grant
to the Intrepid DX Group http://www.intrepid-dx.com/
and the DX Friends http://www.dxfriends.com/
who have joined together to activate the new entity of the Republic of
Southern Sudan. Licensing is imminent and operation could begin in the
next few days.
"
ST0, SOUTHERN SUDAN (Update). The Southern Sudan is now the world's
newest country as they celebrated its independence on Saturday, July
9th, with a flag-raising and a swearing-in ceremony for the new
president in the capital Juba. The special ceremony was attend by U.N.
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and several other world delegates. On
Friday, the U.N. Security Council approved a new peacekeeping force
for South Sudan. The United Nations Security Council will endorse the
Republic of Southern Sudan to become a member before the General
Assembly on July 14th. The Southern Sudan is then expected to be the
193rd member/nation of the U.N.
The ARRL should recognize this new country once they obtain UN
admission. Meanwhile, Paul, N6PSE, reports that the Intrepid-DX Group
and the DX Friends/Tifariti Gang is expected to activate this newly
created country. They have had several meetings with this new
government and they have obtained a valid license for this DXpedition.
A team of 18 international operators are hoping to make 100,000
contacts over fourteen full days of operation on each amateur band and
mode. If exact days for their operation are announced during the week,
look for a special bulletin to be sent out. Stay tuned! For more
details and updates watch:
http://www.dxfriends.com/SouthernSudan2011
(both via Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin No. 1018, The Ohio/Penn DX
PacketCluster, July 11, 2011, Editor Tedd Mirgliotta, KB8NW
Provided by BARF80.ORG (Cleveland, Ohio), via Dave Raycroft, July 10,
ODXA yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DXLD)
Apparently, official name is Southern Sudan, not the commonly used
`South Sudan`. Once this is confirmed, we will reverse-list it as
SUDAN SOUTHERN. Presumably the rest of the ex-SUDAN will still be
called merely SUDAN, not SUDAN NORTH/NORTHERN? (gh, DXLD)
** TAIWAN [and non]. 15290.135, Heavily disturbed by China mainland
jamming on even 15290.0, noted RTI in Mandarin Chinese on this odd
Tainan outlet, on July 11 at 0420 UT S=9+10dB on remote SDR unit in
Japan (Wolfgang Büschel, BC-DX 11 July via DXLD)
** TAIWAN [non]. 5950, July 8 at 0541 past 0600 and still at 0648
check, WYFR relay of RTI is only a strong open carrier, no modulation.
Okeechobee now has no other reason to stay awake after 0500, so maybe
they were depending on it running without supervision (Glenn Hauser,
OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Resumed modulation next night; see CUBA [non]
** TATARSTAN [non]. 15110, RUSSIA, Tatarstan Wave, 0411, 6/27/11. Poor
with fragments of talk and into lively flute music and song by woman;
steadily improving by 0416; also heard on 6/29 with sudden peaks to
fair. Tnx to Don Jensen for this tip (Jim Ronda, Tulsa, OK, NRD-545,
R-75 + PAR-SWL, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD)
15110, Tatarstan Wave/GTRK Tatarstan, via Samara, *0410-0439, July 9.
Brief IS; two IDs (one: “V efirye programa na volnye Tatarstana”);
sounded to be in assume Tatar, as it was not in Russian; interview;
dramatic reading of a story; some nice ballads; scheduled till 0500*;
started poor, but steadily improving (Ron Howard, Asilomar State
Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) `V efirye` means
literally ``in the ether``, how quaint and archaic (gh, DXLD)
15110, Tatarstan Wave/GTRK Tatarstan, via Samara, 0431-0459*, July 11.
Mostly in assume Tatar; OM and YL chatting; nice selection of
traditional ballads; mostly fair (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach,
CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** THAILAND. 7260, Radio Thailand (Udon Thani), 1108-1117, 7/11/2011,
Vietnamese. Talk by man. Traditional music at 1112. Identification by
man and schedule in English at 1114. Chimes at 1115 followed by
English and presumed Cambodian IDs by man, then switch to Cambodian
language program with talk by man. Strong signal, one of the best
receptions of Radio Thailand in recent years (Jim Evans, Germantown,
TN, Tecsun PL-380 with whip antenna, NASWA yg via DXLD)
15275, R. Thailand, HSK9, 0039-0102, July 10. In English; business
news; sports news; “Take on Thailand” (tourism); “Weather Flash”; many
IDs; pips, chimes; “The time is now 8 AM in the Kingdom of Thailand”;
choral National Anthem (Phleng Chat); into Thai; poor-fair (Ron
Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** TIBET. China Tibet Broadcasting (Xizang People`s Broadcast Station)
7240, full/data ``Tibet Palace`` card in 23 days for mint stamps,
$2.00 and a local post card. Beautiful QSL envelope with Chinese
stamps. Addr: CTB, Lhasa City, Beijing Middle Road no. 41, Tibet
85000, China. E-mail: www.en.tibetadio.cn [sic; via?] (Kivell, FL, QSL
Report, July NASWA Journal via DXLD) QSL reporters have no first names
** TURKEY. 15450, July 14 at 1321 after some enjoyable Turkish pop
music filling out the 1230 English broadcast, VOT only fair signal
with multi-lingual ID spiel, but not all of them as formerly: only
counted eleven including English thrice. News headline, something
about the TRNC. YL *still* announces wrong time and frequencies for
this, ``1330-1430 on 15520 for Asia, 15450 for Europe``. 1322 almost
nine repetitions of the identical IS, variations having been banished,
until 1324.7* (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** UGANDA. 7194.94, 28.6 2100, Radio Uganda very strong. ID “UBC
Radio” TN (Thomas Nilsson, Sweden, SW Bulletin via DXLD) New evening
schedule (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window July 13 via DXLD)
7194,94 28.6 2005 UBC, Kampala, blandade romantiska ballader av bl a
Cool And The Gang och Tracy Chapman. ID som "UBC Radio" och DJ med
ruggig basröst som skulle fått Barry White att bli avundsjuk. C/d utan
krusiduller 2106. Q4+. HR
7194.94, 28.6 2005, UBC, Kampala, mix of romantic ballads by among
others Cool And The Gang and Tracy Chapman. ID as "UBC Radio" and a DJ
with a very low bass voice that would have got even Barry White full
of envy. Close/down without any frills at 2106. Q4+. HR (Hans Östnell,
Biri, Norway, SW Bulletin July 10, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson
for DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Mercoledì 29 giugno 2011, 2135 - 7195 kHz, Inglese, tk OM/YL e
telefonate. Segnale buono-sufficiente. Può essere l'Uganda a tale
orario? 4976 era libera. Non sembrava dallo stile un'emittente pirata
(Luca Botto Fiora, G.C. 09E13 - 44N21, Rapallo (Genova) - Italia,
bclnews.it yg via DXLD)
What seems Uganda on 4976.04 at 0329 and still going at 0347 with very
nice signal Now with mellow african rhythms. Not heard with this
strength in many years (Don Jensen, Kenosha WI, UT July 10, NASWA yg
via WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DXLD) 4976 Not reported since Feb 2011 (Anker
Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window July 13, ibid.)
** UGANDA [non]. via France, 15410, Radio Y’Abaganda, *1700-1715*,
July 9, sign on with African choral music. Vernacular talk at 1704 to
sign off. Poor. Weak in noisy conditions. Sat only (Brian Alexander,
Mechanicsburg, PA, USA, Icom IC-7600, two 100 foot longwires, dxldyg
via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K. CHRIS GREENWAY had a letter published recently in the BBC
staff newspaper, Ariel, the sentiments of which will no doubt be
shared by many other BDXC members. It was given star letter treatment
and headlined 'No way to say goodbye to old friend':
"The last weekend of March saw the end of broadcasts by various World
Service teams. The close-downs of the Caribbean and Russian services,
among others, were marked in an appropriate manner in their final
transmissions, so that the BBC said goodbye to listeners with respect
for them and dignity for ourselves. Not so the end to more and 71
years of daily medium wave transmissions from the UK to Europe.
Instead, as the final minute of 26 March ticked away, listeners to WS
English on 648 kHz heard the usual pre-recorded sequence of trailer
jingle and the canned announcement 'Wherever you are, you're with the
BBC'. Then came the pips. And, at the very stroke of midnight, the
signal fell silent. Aside from the discourtesy of switching off a
transmitter without any warning to those listening at the time, this
was so disappointing for those like myself who had tuned in specially
for the final minutes. It was also out of character for an
organisation which normally makes a point of observing such historic
moments." (Open to Discussion, July BDXC-UK Communication via editor
Chrissy Brand, DXLD)
** U K. BBC JOURNALISTS WILL HOLD ONE-DAY STRIKE 15 JULY OVER
COMPULSORY REDUNDANCIES AT WORLD SERVICE, MONITORING, etc.
journalism.co.uk, 8 July 2011, Rachel McAthy: "Journalists at the BBC
have announced they will take strike action next week in a dispute
over compulsory redundancies. Members of the National Union of
Journalists voted in favour of strike action earlier this week, with
72 per cent of those who voted saying they would be prepared to
strike. According to the NUJ, more than 100 people are at risk of
compulsory redundancy at the BBC World Service. Union members are also
said to be at risk in divisions including BBC Monitoring, BBC Scotland
and potentially at BBC Wales, BBC 4, BBC Sport and TV Current Affairs.
Today the union confirmed a one-day walk out will take place on 15
July."
Irish Times, 8 July 2011: The National Union of Journalists "said its
members had a 'long-standing commitment to the policy of no compuslory
redundancies at the BBC'. ... Two NUJ members at BBC Monitoring will
be forced to leave their jobs next week and the week after, despite
what the union said was its offer of 'viable solutions'." (Posted: 08
Jul 2011, kimandrewelliott.com via WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DXLD)
** U K. BBC published its annual report, including the financial part:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/annualreport
(Sergei, July 12, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
BBC WORLD SERVICE AUDIENCE DROPS BY 14M[illion] IN PAST YEAR
Journalism.co.uk By Rachel McAthy 12 July 2011
The BBC World Service's global audience has dropped by 14 million in
the past year, according to the broadcaster. Overall audience for the
year has been estimated at 166 million, down from 180 million last
year. However, it claims online the World Service's audience has risen
by 40 per cent in the past 12 months.
In the BBC World Service annual report, published today, the
broadcaster blamed the overall fall on the numerous service closures
and changes which were implemented following cuts to its funding.
In January, the broadcaster warned that budget cuts at the World
Service would ultimately cost the broadcaster more than 30 million
listeners, as it announced the planned closure of five of its foreign
language services.
The World Service was seeking savings of 16 per cent - around £67
million - over the next four years, following the government's
spending review in October last year, which saw the World Service's
Grant in Aid from the Foreign Office cut.
Funding is due to be taken over by the licence fee from 1 April 2014.
"The 2010 Spending Review settlement meant that cuts have been made to
services, languages and platforms. Where services have closed, wholly
or in part, or it is planned that they will do so shortly, their
audiences have not been counted in this year's global estimate. This
has resulted in a loss of 16.8 million weekly, mainly radio listeners.
"There have, however, been increases in some other countries, meaning
that overall the global audience estimate for World Service has
decreased by 14.1 million. "Had audiences affected by service cuts not
been removed, the overall audience estimate would have increased this
year to around 184 million."
However, online the broadcaster claims to have yielded much stronger
results, with figures said to indicate 10 million weekly unique users
of World Service websites, up by 3 million in 2009/10.
According to the report, over the past year the reach of BBC World
Service mobile sites increased 494 per cent to 453,000 unique users,
which was said to be primarily driven by the Arab world.
"Total audio requests on BBC World Service sites increased 44 per cent
to 18.5 million, and total video requests increased 56 per cent to
38.8 million, mainly due to high usage of Arabic content," the report
added.
In February alone, BBC Global News online (BBC World Service and
bbc.com) reached 31 million weekly unique users in total, up by 6.6
million on the same period last year.
Significant decreases were felt by Afghanistan services, where overall
listening to BBC radio was down 3.6 million and Pakistan services,
with Urdu short wave audiences down from 5.1 million to 1.3 million
since 2008.
"We've had to make considerable changes to the World Service over the
past year due to the cut in our funding from the government and this
was always going to result in a drop in our audience figures," Peter
Horrocks, director of BBC Global News, said in the release.
"The World Service has been looking hard at the best way to provide
impartial news and information to our audiences going forward, and
it's encouraging to see improvement in key areas. The strong
international journalism from the World Service, particularly during
the Arab Spring, has been a key part of the significant increases for
online, English radio and Arabic television.
"We are also pleased to see that we are doing so well in the UK with
audiences accessing World Service through digital radio, freeview and
live streaming online. We will continue to look for the best fit for
the audience - online, radio, tv, mobile - wherever it suits them
best."
Last month foreign secretary William Hague pledged an additional £2.2
million a year to the BBC World Service following concerns raised at
the impact of the cuts facing the service. At the same time the BBC
Trust announced the reallocation of £9 million worth of existing World
Service funding to editorial investment over three years.
http://www.journalism.co.uk/news/bbc-world-service-audience-drops-by-14m-in-past-year/s2/a545096/
(via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD)
BBC publishes Annual Report and Accounts 2010/11
The BBC has today published its Annual Report and Accounts for
2010/11. Details can be found on the BBC Trust website here.
The full report is available here: BBC Annual Report and Accounts
2010/11
The BBC World Service’s Annual Review is also published today.
BBC Worldwide’s Annual Review is available here: Annual Review
2010/11.
The Executive’s pay strategy, also being published today, can be found
here: BBC action on pay.
More links and downloads for a number of reports and research
published by the BBC alongside the Annual Report and Accounts
available here.
for linx see
http://blogs.rnw.nl/medianetwork/bbc-publishes-annual-report-and-accounts-201011
(Source: BBC Press Office) July 12th, 2011 - 10:34 UT by Andy Sennitt,
Media Network blog via DXLD)
-- After 35 years of international broadcasting audience research,
I've learned that it takes about a year before shifts in broadcasting
output are reflected in audience surveys. The major BBC WS cuts were
announced in January, so perhaps the biggest drops in audience size
await next year's annual report. Also, I don't think "World Service
websites" includes the English-language international-facing bbc.com
website. Note that the annual report is black on white, with no flashy
graphics, befitting the times (Kim Andrew Elliott,
kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD)
** U K [and non]. Glenn, The BBC was received in the Metro Washington
DC area with very good strength and intelligibility on 08 June at 2300
UT on 5935 kHz. The broadcast is not listed on short-wave.info. It is
being received on a pocket radio with a wire antenna, and sounds like
a transmission with the same strength as a transmission from Bonaire,
Sackville, or from a domestic site (Joe Noussair, Alexandria, VA, USA,
2316 UT July 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Joseph, In HFCC, BBC relay via South Africa is scheduled on 5935 at
22-23. They are quite sloppy and have been heard running overtime
before. How much longer was it on? Possibly they have added another
hour by some other relay if you were receiving it so well (Glenn to
Joe, ibid.)
Hello again, Glenn - It ended at 2321 UT, but was too strong for it to
have been from South Africa. At 2321 another transmitter seems to have
masked it (warming up or testing).
When I tuned back in some 10 minutes later only one transmitter was
operating on that frequency, and it seemed to be a religious
broadcaster who also wasn't listed. Not that listings can be assumed
to be continuously maintained.
It was too strong to be an image from another frequency. I believe it
was likely an error or a relay. All the best - (Joseph Noussair, July
9, ibid.)
South Africa, 3255, BBC WS relay, Meyerton:
2011/07/04 mon 1545-1611, Lucy Kellaway's brief but entertaining slot,
followed by nine minutes of boring sport at 1550. Meyerton must have
started the transmission early; according to HFCC, Aoki and EiBi it
should start at *1600. Strong signal s9+20, but very low modulation;
maybe they had a transmitter problem; at 1559 there suddenly developed
an echo and rapid severe pulsing of the carrier, it cleared up just as
suddenly at 1602. Probably change of transmitter? Modulation normal
after 1600 with signal still s9+20. Jo'burg sunset 1529.
2011/07/05 tue 0545-0700*, Network Africa, followed by "The World
Today" at 0600. BBC WS now here regularly after the theoretical 0600*
listed by latest updates of HFCC, Aoki and EiBi. A welcome extension
and not interfering with anyone else. Very good at start, reduced to
good - fair by 0615.
2011/07/06 wed 0550-0700*, Network Africa followed by "The World
Today" at 0600. Fair at start, but poor by 0615. Jo'burg sunrise 0456
(Bill Bingham, RSA, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
12095, July 12 at 0521, BBCWS in English in well, in absence of WTWW-3
12100. Registered as due east from CYPRUS at 0500-0700; however, there
might have been a site substitution due to the arms explosion nearby
July 11, disrupting power to the Zyyi site.
11680, July 12 at 0523, Arabic from BBCWS, 168 degrees from Rampisham,
very bothered by RNZI DRM 11670-11675-11680. Tight selectivity and/or
side tuning to the hi side might minimize it.
15790, July 14 at 0533, good signal in Arabic. It`s BBCWS at 05-07,
250 kW, 140 degrees from Woofferton, i.e. 320 degrees USward would be
directly off the back (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 10000, WWV has now put the propagation minute back to its
original slot, :18 past the hours, no longer displaced by
announcements about its possible demise and then continuation, ex :19
past, confirmed at 1618 July 9 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1573,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [and non]. 15590, July 10 at 1212, VOA Spanish transmitter at
Greenville has problems: continuous clicking, `Top 10 USA` music(?)
and announcements fade down and up, silent for a while. Carrier itself
seems OK on BFO, and then checking // 13750 and 9885, they sound OK,
as does 15590 after 1215.
15130, July 14 at 0529, ME vocal music, fair, 0530 SW Asian language
talking about Mubarak. It`s VOA Kurdish, per latest HFCC via
Iranawila, SRI LANKA at 05-06, 250 kW, 316 degrees; contrary to Aoki
which shows Nauen, presumably earlier site replaced. CRI in Chinese
scheduled to collide, but not heard.
15715, July 14 at 0534, good signal in S Asian language mentioning
Pakistan. HFCC shows a `Pakistani` service of IBB at 04-09, 250 kW, 90
degrees via Wertachtal, GERMANY. Aoki refines this to R. Mashaal in
Pashto (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see AFGHANISTAN non
** U S A [and non]. Updated summer A-11 for Voice of America, 1 of 2:
Afan Oromo
1730-1800 on 11905 11925 12140 13570 13870 Mon-Fri
Albanian
0500-0530 on 5945
1600-1630 on 6040
1830-1900 on 6065
Amharic
1800-1900 on 11905 11925 12140 13570 13870
Arabic to Libya, Tunis, Egypt "Radio Sawa"
0800-1100 on 990 1170 1548 15780 17880
1100-1300 on 990 1170 1548 15780 17840
1300-1430 on 990 1170 1548 13690 17530
1430-1500 on 990 1170 1548 17530 17785
1500-1600 on 990 1170 1548 17540 17785
1600-1630 on 990 1170 1548
1630-0400 on 990 1170 1431 1548
0400-0800 on 990 1170 1548
Arabic to Sudan "Hello Darfur"
0300-0330 on 5945 7330 9815
1800-1830 on 9815 11665 11745
1900-1930 on 9600 9800 11830
Azerbaijani
1730-1800 on 7435 9850 13600
Bangla
1600-1700 on 1575 7475 11790
Burmese
0000-0030 on 1575 5955 7430 9320
0130-0300 on 11820 15110 17775
1130-1230 on 11965 15350 17775
1430-1500 on 1575 5865 9320 11910 12120
1500-1530 on 5865 9320 11910
1500-1530 on 1575 Sat/Sun
1530-1600 on 1575 5865 9320
1600-1630 on 5865 9320
2300-2400 on 6185 7430 9320
Cantonese
1300-1500 on 1170 7365 9355
Chinese
0000-0100 on 9545 11830 11925 15170 15385 17765
0900-1100 on 11825 11965 13610 13740 15250 15665 17485 21695
1100-1200 on 6110 9845 11785 11825 11990 12040 15250
1200-1300 on 6110 11785 11825 11990 12040 15115 15250
1300-1400 on 6110 9845 11785 11805 11990 12040 15115
1400-1500 on 6110 9845 11615 11805 11990 12040
2200-2300 on 6135 7205 9510 9845 11805 11925
Croatian
0430-0500 on 5945
1830-1845 on 3995 5910
Dari Radio Ashna
0130-0230 on 999 1296 9335 11565
1530-1630 on 999 1296 9335 15090 15380
1730-1830 on 999 1296 9335 11565 11580
1930-2030 on 999 1296 7555 9335
English to Afghanistan
2030-0030 on 1296 7555
English to Eu/ME/NoAf
0100-0130 on 1593
1500-1600 on 13570 15530
2000-2100 on 5930 9480 Mon-Fri
English to FE/SoAs/OCE
0100-0200 on 7430 9780 11705
1100-1200 on 1575 Sat/Sun
1200-1300 on 1170 7575 9510 12075 12150
1300-1400 on 7575 9510 9760 12150 Sat/Sun
1400-1600 on 7540 7575 12150 Mon-Fri, 9405 cancelled
1500-1600 on 7540 7575 12150, 9405 cancelled
2200-2230 on 5895 5915 7480 7575 11955 Sun-Thu
2230-2400 on 1575 Fri/Sat
2300-2400 on 5895 5915 7575 11955
English to Africa
0300-0400 on 909 1530 4930 6080 9885 15580
0400-0430 on 909 1530 4930 4960 6080 9855 11670 15580
0430-0500 on 909 4930 4960 6080 11670 15580
0500-0600 on 909 4930 6080 11670 15580
0600-0700 on 909 1530 6080 11670 15580
1400-1500 on 4930 6080 12080 15580 17545
1500-1600 on 4930 6080 12080 15580 17895
1600-1700 on 909 1530 4930 6080 15580
1700-1800 on 6080 12015 15580 17895
1800-1830 on 6080 9850 12015 15580 Mon-Fri
1800-1830 on 909 4930 6080 9850 12015 15580 Sat/Sun
1830-1900 on 4930 6080 9850 12015 15580 Mon-Fri
1830-1900 on 909 4930 6080 9850 12015 15580 Sat/Sun
1900-1930 on 909 4930 4940 6080 9850 15580 17895
1930-2000 on 909 4930 4940 6080 15580
2000-2030 on 909 1530 4930 4940 6080 15580
2030-2100 on 909 1530 4930 6080 15580 Mon-Fri
2030-2100 on 909 1530 4930 4940 6080 15580 Sat/Sun
2100-2200 on 1530 6080 15580
Special English
0000-0100 on 1593
0030-0100 on 1575 1593 7430 9715 9780 11725 12005 15205 15290
17820
0130-0200 on 1593 7465 9820 Tue-Sat
1500-1600 on 6140 7465 7520 9485 9760
1600-1700 on 1170 11890 12080 13570 Mon-Fri
1600-1700 on 11890 12080 13570 Sat/Sun
1900-2000 on 7485 9630
2230-2300 on 7460 9570 11840 15340
2300-2400 on 1593 7460 9570 11840 15340
(DX Mix News, Bulgaria, 10 July via DXLD)
Updated summer A-11 for Voice of America. Part 2 of 2:
English to Zimbabwe
1730-1800 on 909 4930 7210 12130 Mon-Thu
1810-1820 on 909 4930 7210 12130 Fri
1720-1740 on 909 4930 7210 12130 Fri-Sun
1830-1900 on 909 7210 12130 Mon-Fri
English to Sudan "Sudan in Focus"
1630-1700 on 9675 12015 13830 Mon-Fri
French to Africa
0530-0600 on 1530 4960 6095 9880 13710 Mon-Fri
0600-0630 on 4960 6095 9880 13710 Mon-Fri
1100-1130 on 11925 13770 15715 17630 Sat
1830-2000 on 1530 9815 17530
2000-2030 on 6170 9815 12080 15730 17530
2030-2100 on 9885 12080 15185 15730 Sat/Sun
2100-2130 on 9815 9885 12035 12080 Mon-Fri
Georgian
1600-1700 on 9435 13745
1700-1800 on 11940 13860
Hausa
0500-0530 on 1530 4960 5995 6045
0700-0730 on 4960 11785 17530
1500-1530 on 13830 13870 17525
2030-2100 on 4940 6170 7320 9810 11990 Mon-Fri
Khmer
1330-1430 on 1575 5955 11540
2200-2230 on 1575 6060 9320 11765
Kinyarwanda and Kirundi
0330-0430 on 6100 7340 11905
1600-1630 on 11695 15620 17895 Sat
Korean
1200-1300 on 1188 7225 9490 13585
1300-1500 on 1188 7225 11935 13585
1900-2100 on 648 5870 6060 7365
Kurdish
0500-0600 on 11905 15130 17750
1400-1500 on 1593 11645 15130 17750
1700-1800 on 11645 15130 15380
2000-2100 on 1593
Laotian
1230-1300 on 1575 9810 12010
Ndebele to Zimbabwe
1800-1830 on 909 4930 7210 12130 Mon-Thu
1820-1830 on 909 4930 7210 12130 Fri
1740-1800 on 909 4930 7210 12130 Fri-Sun
Pashto Radio Ashna
0030-0130 on 999 1296 7555 9335
1430-1530 on 999 1296 9335 15090 15380
1630-1730 on 999 1296 9335 11565 11580
1830-1930 on 999 1296 7555 9335
Pashto Deewa Radio
0100-0400 on 621 9390 11535 12015
1300-1900 on 621 7495 9310 9380 9780
Persian
0230-0330 on 5970 6095 7345
1530-1630 on 1593 7295 9390 11780
1630-1700 on 1593 6040 9390 11780
1700-1730 on 1593 6040 9370 11780
1730-1800 on 1593 6040 7510 9370
1800-1830 on 648 1593 6040 7510 9370
1830-1900 on 648 6040 7510 9370
1900-1930 on 6040 7510 9370
Portuguese to Africa
1000-1030 on 17740 21590 Sat/Sun
1700-1800 on 1530 9800 13630 17820
1800-1830 on 1530 9800 13630 17820 Mon-Fri
Shona to Zimbabwe
1700-1730 on 909 4930 7210 12130 Mon-Thu
1800-1810 on 909 4930 7210 12130 Fri
1700-1720 on 909 4930 7210 12130 Fri-Sun
Somali
0330-0400 on 5945 11670 15730
1300-1400 on 11665 15730
1600-1630 on 1431 11665 15730
1630-1700 on 11665 15730
1700-1800 on 11665 13680
Spanish
0000-0100 on 5890 9885 12000 Tue-Sat
1130-1200 on 9885 13750 15590 Mon-Fri [The 1130-1200 portion of
Spanish has been missing for a few weeks. How much else here is
outdated? Probably from VOA`s own A-Z language schedule -- gh]
1200-1300 on 9885 13750 15590
2300-0000 on 5890 9885 12000
Swahili
1630-1730 on 9855 15620 15740
Tibetan
0000-0100 on 7250 9480 9855
0300-0600 on 15265 15490 17735
1400-1500 on 7465 11510 11595 17760
1600-1700 on 7330 9565 17670
Tigrigna
1900-1930 on 11905 11925 12140 13570 13870 Mon-Fri
Urdu Radio Aap Ki Dunyaa
0100-0200 on 972 1539 7460 11975
1400-1500 on 972 1539 13620 15725
1500-0100 on 972 1539
Uzbek
1500-1530 on 9945 11940 12120 15780
Vietnamese
1300-1330 on 1575
1500-1600 on 1170
(DX Mix News, Bulgaria, 11 July, via DXLD)
** U S A [and non]. Re 11-27 under ETHIOPIA [and non]
VOA HORN OF AFRICA CHIEF SUSPENDED
The Voice of America (VOA) has been accused of censoring itself and
suspending its Horn of Africa Chief, David Arnold, over fallout with
the Ethiopian government. The suspension of Mr Arnold was directly
related to his comments in a news report that was broadcast on VOA
Amharic service on 23 June, informed sources have told Addis Voice.
Mr Arnold was part of a seven-member delegation headed by three
members of the Board of Broadcasting Governors (BBG), Susan McCue,
Dana Perino, and Michael Meehan, who met officials in Ethiopia,
Nigeria and Southern Sudan from June 21 to June 28.
Mr Arnold had revealed on the VOA Amharic service that the Ethiopian
government demanded that VOA deny a platform to its vocal critics as a
precondition of cooperation with VOA. He said that the mission of the
BBG delegation was “to make sure that they address some of the issues
in Ethiopia concerning free press because for many years the
government has objected to some of our broadcasts.” He also pointed
out that the BBG governors discussed with Ethiopian officials the
constant jamming of VOA transmissions in Amharic, Oromiffa and
Tigrigna.
In what appears to be an unprecedented move in VOA’s history, bosses
ordered the removal of the audio as well as text files of the news
report in question from VOA’s website and archive pages in less than
24 hours after Ethiopian officials lodged complaints about the report
on “confidential” matters, it was learned.
In an email sent to Addis Voice, VOA’s Director of Public Relations,
David Borgida denied allegations of censorship. “VOA always strives to
be accurate in its reporting. That includes material on our websites.
There was a misinterpretation of what went on during a recent meeting
between Ethiopian government officials and visiting BBG Governors, and
so the recent item you cite, which appeared on the website of the VOA
Amharic service, was taken down.”
Read more from the Abugida Ethiopian American Information Center
http://www.abugidainfo.com/?p=18338
(July 8th, 2011 - 12:56 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via
DXLD)
[Viz., picking up skipped grafs and the rest of it]:
It emerged that the meeting between the BBG delegation and Ethiopian
government officials was fraught with problems and tension as Mr.
Simon and his cohorts have reportedly launched a scathing attack
against the media organization in a 41-page long litany of complaints
about VOA broadcasts.
Mr. Simon was said to have complained that the June 23rd report ruined
ongoing talks. He threatened to cancel further talks with the
delegation and cease any future cooperation. Before the VOA chief was
suspended, he was reportedly admonished for expressing critical views
and airing sensitive information without seeking clearance from the
delegation.
Asked to explain why VOA did not publicly issue corrections instead of
deleting the whole content, Mr. Borgida declined to comment.
Addis Voice also asked why the Horn of Africa chief was suspended.
“”We do not comment publicly on personnel matters,” he said.
When I pressed Borgida to explain if the “personal [sic] matter”
included his comments contained in the news report in question,
Borgida said that VOA would not give any further statements on this
matter.
But Addis Voice has confirmed from two reliable sources that VOA
bosses were not pleased with Arnold’s comments on sensitive issues
that they felt needed clearance.
The renowned Ethiopian artiste Tamagne Beyene is one of first people
to notice the removal of all the contents of the June 23rd VOA Amharic
broadcast from the online archive page. He says that the measure taken
by VOA is unjustifiable and a pure act of censorship.
Tamagne asked VOA to come out of the closet and tell its listeners the
truth why the news was deleted and a highly experienced staff member
was suspended for reporting the truth.
“This is a classic case of censorship and shooting the messenger. If
this is not censorship, what else can VOA call it?” he asked.
“This case of suspension and censorship has shocked so many people at
VOA. Some people are wondering how a professional journalist like
Arnold with over three decades of experience can be suspended and
censored to assuage the anger of a dictatorial regime in Ethiopia,”
said one of the sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“Arnold only reported the truth accurately. I am personally confused
to witness politics overriding the First Amendment, which is as one of
the pillars of the Constitution of the United States,” the source
added.
“The Minister [Bereket Simon] is willing to consider any new
initiatives but he is going to wait to see if we change the way we
broadcast,” Arnold had said.
Arnold had dismissed the demand as contrary to the mission of VOA and
basic principles of free press. According to him, Simon, not only
complained about the contents of VOA broadcasts but also pointed out
that the Ethiopian government had problems with some of the
journalists working for VOA. During the 2005 election turmoil in
Ethiopia, the government charged five VOA journalists, along with
local journalists and opposition leaders, with high treason. The
charges were dropped in the course of the trial under pressure from
the U.S. government.
During their visit, the delegation posted pictures and brief accounts
of their experience on a dedicated blog, VOA on the Road Africa. In
Ethiopia, the delegation that included four VOA staffers including the
English to Africa Chief, Sonya Laurence Green, talked to senior
Ethiopian government officials on issues related to the persistent
jamming of VOA its transmissions and press freedom violations.
Alemayehu Gebremariam, a constitutional law attorney and professor of
political science at California State University, San Bernardino,
says: “Disclosure of a few names from an illegal list of names
prepared by a foreign government to be blacklisted by the VOA presents
no basis for legal or administrative action against him.
“Telling the truth in a news broadcast is not a crime. That is what
Mr. Arnold has done. Journalists are censured and punished for
reporting the truth in places like Iran and Ethiopia,” he noted.
Prof. Gebremariam further pointed out that the First Amendment
guaranteed American citizens and inhabitants of the U.S. the absolute
right to publicly criticize, denounce, condemn and berate any
government institution or leader with impunity.
He said: “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press, which simply means that no government
official or institution has the power to restrict, censor, suppress,
restrain, muzzle or blackball any American citizen or inhabitant of
the U.S. from exercising their right to free speech or restrain the
independent press from performing its institutional functions.”
In March 2010, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi publicly threatened to jam
VOA. “We have been convinced for many years that in many respects, the
VOA Amharic Service has copied the worst practices of radio stations
such as Radio Mille Collines of Rwanda in its wanton disregard of
minimum ethics of journalism and engaging in destabilizing
propaganda,” Zenawi told reporters in Addis Ababa.
“We have to know before we make the decision to jam, whether we have
the capacity to do it. But I assure you if they assure me at some
future date that they have the capacity to jam it, I will give them
the clear guideline to jam it,” he added.
The government of Ethiopia has now developed a capacity to jam
shortwave and satellite TV broadcasts. A few weeks ago, the Ethiopian
Satellite Television issued a statement urging the government of China
to stop providing technology and technical support that has enabled
the Meles regime to jam its transmissions to Ethiopia.
In October 2010, Human Rights Watch released a special report,
Development Without Freedom: How Aid Underwrites Repressions in
Ethiopia, that accused western governments of complicity in
repressions by turning a blind eye to the fact that “development aid
flows through, and directly supports, a virtual one-party state with a
deplorable human rights record.”
The Meles regime, which is a key U.S. ally in the Horn of Africa,
receives over 3 billion dollars in aid annually from Western donors.
One-third of the money comes from the coffers of the U.S. treasury in
the form of relief and development aid.
———–
Related links
Removed webpage
http://www.voanews.com/amharic/news/amh_voa_ethiopia_6_23_11-124452979.html
Deleted but cached on Google
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:9KEkXuDtGoAJ:www.voanews.com/amharic/news/amh_voa_ethiopia_6_23_11-
124452979.html+www.voanews.com/amharic/news/amh_voa_ethiopia_6_23_11-
124452979.html&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=gmail&source=www.google
.com
Cached webpage JPEG (attached)
http://addisvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/VOA-deleted-page.jpg
Missing page: Where is June 23?
http://addisvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/VOA-June-23-file-missing.pdf
Removed news report (Amharic audio)
http://addisvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/VOA-removed-audio-file.mp3
VOA on the Road Africa
http://voaontheroadafrica.tumblr.com/
——
Abebe Gellaw can be reached for comment at editor @ addisvoice.com
(via DXLD)
See previous post about same subject.
http://www.kimandrewelliott.com/?id=11572
More sources needed. A clash, perhaps, between those who conduct
themselves as diplomats, and those who conduct themselves as
journalists? (Kim Andrew Elliott, kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD)
VOA EXECUTIVE EDITOR SAYS DELETION OF VOA HORN OF AFRICA WEB CONTENT
WAS FOR "ACCURACY," NOT "SELF-CENSORSHIP." Posted: 11 Jul 2011
Tadias (New York), 11 July 2011: "Voice of America’s Acting Director
and Executive Editor, Steve Redisch, has told Tadias Magazine that the
recent controversy surrounding the removal of a June 23rd content from
the broadcaster’s Amharic website was 'consistent with VOA’s standards
of accuracy.' Redisch also said VOA’s characterization of a meeting on
June 22nd, 2011 between members of the U.S. Broadcasting Board of
Governors and Ethiopian Communication Affairs Minister Bereket Simon
was ‘inaccurate.’ Abebe Gelaw had reported last week on his regular
column on Addis Voice, quoting 'informed sources' inside the VOA, that
the suspension of David Arnold, VOA’s Horn of Africa Chief, was a
result of a dispute related to his comments in a news report that was
broadcast on VOA Amharic service on June 23rd. Mr. Redisch did not
specifically deny Mr. Gelaw’s reporting. ...
Mr. Redisch said. 'Contrary to the VOA report, at no time did
Ethiopian government officials ask the Board members to prohibit any
individuals from appearing on VOA programs … Consistent with VOA’s
standards of accuracy and not for reasons of self-censorship, the
report was taken off the website.' Mr. Redisch adds: 'The inaccurate
reporting of the meeting has overshadowed the intent of the Governor’s
mission. Simply put, it was an opportunity to advance VOA’s mission:
to provide reliable, accurate and balanced information to our
audiences. And those audiences will be the barometer of our future
success.'" See previous post about same subject (kimandrewelliott.com
via DXLD)
VOA reinstates Horn of Africa chief
The Voice of America (VOA) has reversed its decision to suspend its
Horn of Africa chief, David Arnold. After Addis Voice published a
disturbing story on censorship and questionable actions taken against
Mr Arnold for comments he made recently in a June 23rd VOA report, VOA
bosses held a series of crisis meetings and decided to reinstate him,
informed sources disclosed.
Addis Voice briefly talked to Mr Arnold who confirmed that he got his
job back. But Mr Arnold declined to make comments on the issue. He
directed any inquiries on this matter to VOA’s public relations office
to which we have posed a few more serious questions.
Meanwhile, VOA Acting Director and Executive Editor, Steve Redisch,
has written to Addis Voice saying that the 23 June VOA report on three
Board of Broadcasting Governors’ visit to Ethiopia was “inaccurate”.
“There have been inaccurate reports about the tone and substance of an
official meeting on June 22 between members of the US Broadcasting
Board of Governors and Ethiopian Communication Affairs Minister
Bereket Simon,” he said. According to Mr. Redisch, the controversial
report “aired on 23 June on VOA Horn of Africa programmes and
appearing on its website inaccurately characterized the nature of
Ethiopian government complaints about VOA’s programmes.
“Contrary to the VOA report, at no time did Ethiopian government
officials ask the Board members to prohibit any individuals from
appearing on VOA programmes. Consistent with VOA’s standards of
accuracy and not for reasons of self-censorship, the report was taken
off the website,” Mr Redisch said in a brief statement he sent to
Addis Voice.
However, Addis Voice says one of its sources has contradicted Mr
Redisch’s statement. “Bereket Simon has indeed made the outrageous
demands. Sooner or later copies of the controversial document will be
made public,” he said. (Source: abugidainfo.com)(July 13th, 2011 -
9:53 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via DXLD)
** U S A [and non]. THE CHINA MINEFIELD --- Posted: Tue, Jun 28, 2011
http://www.afge1812.org/SaveStory.cfm?newID=113
“Who knew shortwave in China was a land mine?” wondered Mr. Walter
Isaacson, Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors which
oversees Voice of America and its four sister networks, in a New York
Times article entitled: "A New Voice of America for the Age of
Twitter."
Well, VOA staffers could have told him if they had been consulted
before a decision was made. And there lies one of the main divides
between the BBG/VOA management and VOA staffers. Management INFORMS
employees of its decisions, rather than reaches them together through
an honest discussion.
Yes, management can often be heard saying that it welcomes employees'
input. But we at the AFGE Local1812 don't buy that argument. We have
seen plenty of input given in the past years, with management charging
ahead with the very same plans it wanted to implement all along. No
wonder morale is abysmal and apathy has set in, as reflected in the
low participation in the annual employee satisfaction surveys.
The fact is that time and again in the past several years, employees'
input has been summarily dismissed by management with disastrous
consequences, if we look at comments made by Mr. Isaacson to the New
York Times.
The BBG wants to prioritize new technologies. VOA staffers do not
argue against new technologies, but only that their systematic use is
not the most rational use of limited resources. What works for CNN
will not automatically work for VOA. Different markets, different
technologies, different missions as we have said, ad nauseam. There
are regions of the world where it makes no sense to air intermittent
TV programs to populations who have intermittent access to
electricity. Just because said populations may one day, in five years
say, have better Internet access does not mean you should be twitting
in the void until they get broadband.
"Mr. Isaacson’s solution sounds like the blueprint for a state-owned
CNN: create a state-of-the-art global newsroom that would gather all
the programming generated by the five networks and send it out via
television, the Web, social-media services, mobile phones -- even
shortwave, where it still makes sense", states the New York Times
article.
We beg to differ. VOA is not CNN, never has been and never should be.
Its mission is not to copy a US commercial broadcaster, its mission is
to present America to the world -- its way of life, its ideals, its
democratic principles, its government. Ironically, by trying to turn
VOA into a CNN, the BBG may deprive it of its only chance of survival
in a brutal international media environment. As a pale CNN imitation,
the VOA stands little chance. It does not have the means and our
mission is not one that will ever deliver large ratings. Besides, why
should people bother with a CNN imitation when they have access to the
real thing? As a broad window on America -- what it was in the past -
- it can appeal to a significant and important audience around the
world who admire our country and crave better understanding of it.
The New York Times article also mentions that: "During his two years
in Afghanistan, (new VOA director David) Ensor said, one of his
biggest achievements was helping set up an Afghan company that offers
SMS text messaging services." Well, that's great, but unless these
SMS text messages somehow help Afghans better understand the US and
its goals in their country, what's the point? Might as well save the
taxpayers' money and let CNN relay those SMS text messages.
More Union grievances against VOA management:
http://www.afge1812.org/NewsAndViewsSummer2011.pdf
(AFGE Local 1812 via DXLD)
ANOTHER FORMER EMPLOYEE SUES RFE/RL.
http://www.news.az/articles/society/40116
News.Az, 9 July 2011: "Journalist Aygun Muradkhanli has sued Radio
Liberty, her former employer. The journalist claims she sued the radio
as it violated her labor rights. 'At the end of last year they signed
a three-month contract with me unlike other journalists and said they
will extend the contract later. But they declined to extend the
contract after it terminated and dismissed me on 31 December without
indicating any reason,' the journalist said. ... Muradkhanli said she
has filed a suit with the Yasamal District Court adding that she will
demand the Radio Liberty to pay $150,000 in compensation."
(Posted: 11 Jul 2011, kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD)
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1572 monitoring: Thursday July 7 at 2100+
confirmed VG on WTWW 9479 until 2129 but WTWW-1 webcast still not
funxioning. WRMI inaudible on 9955 tho no jamming either, but
confirmed on webcast from 2100. WBCQ 7415 confirmed on webcast from
2132. WWRB confirmed at 0331 UT Friday July 8 on webcast and still on
5051, not 5050; but there is a lite het. I myself missed the new
Friday 0500 airing on WRMI 9955, but at 0538 check R. Praga in Spanish
still had considerable pulse jamming from the DCJC.
Next WOR airings on WRMI: Friday 1430, Saturday 0800, 1500, 1730,
Sunday 0800, 1530, 1730. On WTWW: UT Sunday 0400 on 5755. On WBCQ: UT
Monday 0300v on 5110v-CUSB. On WRN via SiriusXM 120: Sat & Sun 1730,
Sun 0830.
A reminder to check for WORLD OF RADIO at our new weekend times: UT
Sunday 0400 on WTWW 5755; UT Monday 0300 on WBCQ 5110v-CUSB. See also
WORLD OF TELEPHONY!
WORLD OF RADIO 1573 monitoring: first airing UT Thursday July 14 at
0330 on WRMI 9955, totally blocked by jamming; tnx a lot, Arnie! At
0520 with a program in Spanish about Mexico, no jamming heard on 9955.
Further WOR on WRMI times: Thu 1500, 2100, Fri 0500, 1430, Sat 0800,
1500, 1730, Sun 0800, 1530, 1730.
On WTWW: Thu 2100 9479, UT Sun 0400 5755.
On WBCQ: Thu 2130 7415, UT Mon 0400 5110v-CUSB
On WWRB: UT Fri 0330v on 5051
On WRN via SiriusXM 120: Sat & Sun 1730, Sun 0830
Full schedule at:
http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html
The Thursday 21-22 UT feast of three WORLD OF RADIO broadcasts
confirmed July 14:
WTWW at 2106, altho webcast of WTWW-1 still not working, 9479 VG altho
this transmitter has a squeal on it
WRMI at 2105, confirmed on webcast, but inaudible on 9955, not jammed
WBCQ at 2150 check JBA on 7415 in high noise level, loud and clear on
webcast also with new 1573 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 15825, Friday July 8 at 2035 checking WWCR but inaudible! So
don`t know if I am still `Unshackled`. Any time you hear that show you
know it`s unpaid filler when they might as well put something useful
in, like a DX program.
15610-15730 and 15500-15570 approx., WWCR scratchy spurs from
modulation spikes on 15825, which was extremely strong S9+25 July 10
at 1155, with sporadic-E boost not reaching VHF. All other signals on
19m were poor, including others in NAm, and hardly anything
extracontinental arriving above 12 MHz.
10000.6, WWCR spur from 9985 puts a constant het on WWV/WWVH before
they start their own tones, July 12 at 1000. This is really not
surprising, since it`s the WWCR-1 transmitter at 09-11, which is
always accompanied by plus and minus 15.6 kHz spurs on all its other
frequencies, 15825 at 11-21, 7465 at 21-02, new 7520 at 01-02, and
3215 at 02-09. Then I find the matching carrier on 9969.4 aside the
9965 jamming. I don`t recall either of these being reported before.
Phil Patton is periodically lauded on `Ask WWCR` as a great engineer,
but why hasn`t he fixed this? Along with these, there is constant
squealing in the background of 9985 like the other WWCR-1 frequencies
when strong enough. The 10000.6 het clearly heard again during the
tick-only minute at 1015 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
9985, July 14 at 0955, WWCR inaudible, and consequently no 600-Hz
spurhet audible on WWV/H 10000, unlike 48 hours earlier. WWCR 5935 and
5890 were also weakened to only fair rather than solid, with MUF much
lower (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [and non]. 12100, July 8 at 0552, happened to catch WTWW-3 in
an ID break, which appear at odd times rather than hourtops, and we
finally find out who is behind this all-Bible-all-the-time service:
Bible Worldwide, in Bellvue CO. I checked the spelling and looked it
up: guess what, it`s a tiny town of 400 right next to Laporte, quite a
coincidence neighboring the client of WTWW-1. It`s a ``mammoth non-
denominational ministry``; 0553 on to Psalm LXXI during English block.
Good reception as usual even in the nightmiddle.
12100, WTWW-3 has occasional absences, I think really off the air tho
very poor propagation might fool me: July 12 at 0521, no signal, tho
BBC 12095 was in well. Normally WTWW masks any BBC beside it. On in
Arabic at 1343 check.
12100, July 13 at 0515, WTWW inaudible again and assumed off, whilst
12095 BBC was OK with report on Karzai. Still no signal on 12100 at
1245, but on at 1332, VG in Arabic.
12100, WTWW inaudible again, July 14 at 1227 when KSDA was unQRMed on
12105; but WTWW back on in Arabic at 1340 check. I`ve yet to catch
exactly when they come on now, ex-24 hours? If on, should have been
propagating earlier as neighbor WWCR was, on 13845, 15825 (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 15420-CUSB, Saturday July 9 at 2140 checked whether `Radio
TimTron Worldwide` was on again like last week, but no signal. I think
WBCQ was really off tho propagation was rather poor; the other US SSB
SWBC station, low-power WJHR in Milton FL, was audible on 15550-USB.
And it`s official: 7415 is totally off the air on Saturdays-UT
Sundays. Could be why TimTron put his show on 15420 anyway last week
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.:
Happy Independence Day from the Planet --- Monday, July 4th, 2011
Greetings to all our listeners. Some schedule changes of note:
Saturdays on 7415 is now all available time, as all the paid
programmers have ceased production on WBCQ. Gone are "It Can Happen
Here! with Dr. Ari Ben-Tzvi," "The Medical Conspiracy," and the "QSO
Radio Show." Radio Timtron Worldwide will continue Saturdays 7 to 9 pm
eastern time on WBCQ 5.110 MHz (from http://www.wbcq.com/?tag=schedule
via DXLD) Yet:
UNITED STATES, Maine, WBCQ, 7415, 0315 GMT, English, 333, July 10, Two
OMs with comments plus a YL at tomes. Another Noisy frequency (Stewart
MacKenzie, WDX6AA, Huntington Beach, California, United States of
America, Kenwood R5000 and Grundig Satellit 650, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
That was UT Sunday. I wasn`t checking WBCQ around that time, but was
it really back on Saturday night? Those `program details` are hardly
helpful. Nothing about such a resumption on the WBCQ website, but it
often lags behind what is happening (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** U S A. Glenn, Don’t always agree with your criticisms of religious
broadcasters. However, there is a really loony - class of an amadan,
as we would say here in Ireland, on 5050 kHz in the middle of the
night UT who screeches loudly every 2 minutes or so. Who on Earth (or
in Heaven or Hell) is this? I know WWCR had something similar on 15
MHz a decade ago, but I put that down to a stylistic thing with
southern black churches and their congregations. This fellow is white
and I think there is more venom in what he is saying too. Think it’s
WWRB, but who’s da man? Lol! (Derek Lynch, Ireland, July 9, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
Derek, I think I have heard this too, but I am sure there are more
than one who would qualify for this description. If you could be a
little more specific than middle-of-the-night, perhaps you can locate
the program and then maybe the pastor, from this schedule in EDT = UT
-4.
http://www.wwrb.org/schedule/global_1/combined.pdf
(Glenn to Derek, via DXLD)
WWRB, 5050, 0136 GMT, English, 33333, 12-JUL. According to WWRB's
website, this program is called Unshackled! This guy is all over the
place. Talking about the Bermuda Triangle, passes through the center
of the earth, & stuff in the Bible (Nathan Adams, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
See schedule above. `Unshackled` is at 0030 UT Tuesdays. Sked is in
EDT, not specified, rather than CDT where the station is located
(barely). At 01-02 UT Tue-Sat is `Truth House`, presumably what you
really heard. `Unshackled` is an old-time-radio style drama complete
with organ music, always on religious/moral themes, and is widely used
as a filler for unsold time (gh, DXLD)
** U S A. WHRI - World Harvest Radio, English A-11 schedule valid till
30th [October] 2011:
0400-0800 9825 kHz daily
1500-1600 15195 kHz Sunday
2000-2100 15665 kHz daily
2100-2200 13660 kHz daily
2100-2200 15665 kHz Friday
2200-2300 9850 kHz daily
2300-2400 9850 kHz Saturday
Addr: P.O.Box 12, South Bend, IN 46624, USA
Web: Annmt: This is World Harvest Radio
International (Benelux DXC Bulletin Juli via BC-DX 11 July via DXLD)
That`s all? Altho WHR website has very excessive claims of SW
transmissions, I think this can`t be all of them. E.g. I hear them on
7385 in the mornings around 1200; also reported evenings on 5920
(Glenn Hauser, DXLD)
** U S A [non]. 9830, 1845 25 May, WYFR via Rampisham, hymn singing
and ID every 15 minutes, ``Family Radio apologizes for the break in
normal programming``, still on despite cancelled contract with
Babcock; SIO 444 (Jonathan Kempster, London, July BDXC-UK
Communication via DXLD) Was it really canceled, already as of 22 May?
(gh, DXLD)
11560, July 12 at 1345, poor signal with English preaching, mentions
`Open Forum` but not Harold Camping`s voice. Not in HFCC, so must be
YFR via TAIWAN, banned from HFCC by the ChiCom. Yes, in Aoki: 13-15,
English via Hu Wei site (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [and non]. FAMILY RADIO WORLDWIDE Revised complete schedule
Days Area kHz
Amharic
1600-1700 daily EAf 15750wer
1700-1800 daily EAf 9790dha
Arabic
1600-1700 daily ME 13645wer
1700-1800 daily ME 11885iss
1700-1800 daily ME,NAf 13700skn, 13840wer
1800-1900 daily NAf 11955wer, 13720skn
1900-2000 daily NAf 9590wer
2000-2200 daily NAf 6115wer
2200-2300 daily NAf 7420wer
Assamese
1400-1500 daily SAs 15450tac
Bengali
1300-1500 daily SAs 17580wer
Burmese
1100-1200 daily SEA 6220huw
1200-1300 daily SEA 11570tai
1300-1400 daily SEA 9365alm
1800-1900 daily SEA 1503fan
Cantonese
0800-0900 daily EAs,SEA 1557kou
Chinese
0000-0200 daily EAs,SEA 1503fan
0500-1000 daily EAs,SEA 1503fan
0900-1000 daily EAs 11565tai
0900-1000 mt..... EAs 9945tai
0900-1100 daily EAs 9545tai
0900-1400 daily EAs,SEA 1557kou
1000-1100 mtwtf.. EAs 9945tai
1000-1100 daily EAs 9920tai
1000-1200 daily EAs 1098min
1100-1600 daily EAs 6240tai, 9280tai
1200-1300 daily EAs 11535tai
1300-1400 daily EAs,SEA 747min
1700-1900 daily EAs,SEA 1557kou
2000-2100 daily EAs,SEA 1359fan
2100-2400 daily EAs 9280tai
2200-2400 daily EAs 6230tai
2200-0300 daily EAs,SEA 1557kou
2300-2400 daily EAs 9540tai
English
0000-0100 daily SAm 7360guf, 7520yfr
0200-0245 daily CAm 5985yfr
0300-0400 daily CAm 11740yfr
0300-0500 daily SAf 1197msu
0900-1100 daily SEA 9465tai
1100-1200 daily EAs 15560alm
1300-1400 daily SAs 13820alm
1300-1400 daily SEA 11520tai, 12160alm
1300-1500 daily SAs 11560tai
1400-1500 daily SEA 9365alm
1400-1700 daily EAs,SEA 1557kou
1500-1600 daily SAf 17580asc
1500-1600 daily SAs 6280tai, 11605dha, 15520dha
1600-1700 daily SAs 11850dha
1600-1800 daily EAf,CAf 17545asc
1600-1900 daily SAf 1197msu
1700-1800 daily CAf,SAf 7395mdc
1700-2000 daily SEA 1359fan
1800-1900 daily WAf 13750wer
1800-1900 daily SAf 5905mey, 9770dha, 9925wer
1800-2000 daily CAf,SAf 7395mdc
1900-2000 daily SAf 3230mey, 9775dha
1900-2000 daily CAf,WAf 7270mey
1900-2200 daily CAf,WAf 9610wer
1900-2100 daily SAf 6020mdc
1900-2200 daily EAs 1557kou
2000-2100 daily WAf,CAf 15195asc
2000-2200 daily SEA 1503fan
2000-2200 daily CAf,WAf 12060asc
2000-2300 daily SAf 1197msu
2300-2400 daily SAm 11580yfr, 15255yfr
Farsi
1600-1700 daily ME 13615wer
1700-1800 daily ME 13740nau
French
0000-0100 daily SAm 15255yfr
1700-1800 daily SAf 6100mey
1830-1930 daily EAf,CAf 17585asc
1900-2000 daily WAf 11840wer
2000-2100 daily CAf,WAf 9595nau
2100-2200 daily CAf,WAf 9715nau
Gujarati
1500-1600 daily SAs 15495iss
Hausa
1900-2000 daily WAf 9685dha
Hindi
1400-1500 daily SAs 15520dha
1400-1600 daily SAs 15670nau
1600-1700 daily SAs 6280tai, 11680wer
Hungarian
1800-1900 daily Eu 3975wer
Igbo
1800-1900 daily WAf,CAf 11875asc
Ilocano
1100-1200 daily SEA 9900vld
Indonesian
0000-0100 daily SEA 11865tai
1100-1200 daily SEA 11550tai
1200-1300 daily SEA 11520tai
1400-1600 daily SEA 1359fan
2300-2400 daily SEA 1359fan
Kannada
1300-1400 daily SAs 17735dha
1500-1600 daily SAs 17800wer
Korean
0800-0900 daily EAs 11895tai
Malagasy
1600-1700 daily SAf 6100mey
Malayalam
1400-1500 daily SAs 15690iss
Marathi
1400-1500 daily SAs 9595dha
1500-1600 daily SAs 11655arm
Oriya
1400-1500 daily SAs 15565nau
Oromo
1600-1700 daily EAf 15160nau
Pashto
1500-1600 daily WAs 12130smf
Portuguese
0000-0100 daily SAm 11580yfr, 17725yfr
0100-0145 daily SAm 11550yfr
0100-0200 daily SAm 11530yfr
1900-2000 daily SAf 1197msu, 3955mey, 6100mey
2200-2300 daily SAm 17725yfr
2200-2400 daily SAm 7360guf
2200-0045 daily SAm 15190yfr
2300-2400 daily SAm 7520yfr
Punjabi
1500-1600 daily SAs 11505erv
Russian
1500-1700 daily CAs 9955tai
Sindhi
1400-1500 daily SAs 17800wer
Somali
1700-1800 daily EAf 15255rmp
Spanish
0000-0100 daily SAm 5930guf
0100-0145 daily LAm 11855yfr, 17725yfr
0100-0200 daily SAm 7570yfr
0100-0300 daily SAm 11580yfr, 15255yfr
0200-0300 daily CAm 11740yfr
0200-0400 daily CAm 9385yfr
0300-0345 daily CAm 6875yfr
0400-0500 daily CAm 11740yfr
2200-2300 daily SAm 7520yfr, 15255yfr
2200-2400 daily SAm 9935guf
2200-0200 daily LAm 5985yfr, 15440yfr
2300-0045 daily SAm 6915yfr
2300-0100 daily SAm 11530yfr
Swahili
1600-1700 daily EAf,CAf 9590mdc
1900-2000 daily EAf,CAf 5930mey
Tagalog
1000-1100 daily SEA 1359fan
1100-1200 daily SEA 11520tai
1200-1300 daily SEA 1359fan, 13820alm
1300-1400 daily SEA 1359fan
2200-2300 daily SEA 1359fan
Tamil
1400-1500 daily SAs 17715dha
1500-1600 daily SAs 13790iss
Telugu
1300-1400 daily SAs 17715dha
Thai
1900-2000 daily SEA 1503fan
Turkish
1700-1900 daily ME 17690wof
Urdu
1400-1500 daily SAs 12065arm
1600-1700 daily SAs 11505erv
Uzbek
1400-1500 daily CAs 13730wer
Yoruba
1900-2000 daily WAf,CAf 11855asc
Vietnamese
0000-0100 daily SEA 11630tai
1000-1100 daily SEA 9455tai
1200-1300 daily SEA 7460tai
1300-1400 daily SEA 7260tai, 9960tai
1300-1500 daily SEA 1503fan
1600-1700 daily SEA 1359fan
1700-1800 daily SEA 1503fan
2100-2200 daily SEA 1359fan
2300-2400 daily SEA 1503fan
Note: Parts of transmissions scheduled in other languages, may be
replaced with English (WRTH Update July 13 via DXLD)
** U S A. AMERICAN STATES ON SHORTWAVE: UTAH
THE INTERNATIONAL STORY OF SHORTWAVE KUSW/KTBN
The first attempt at shortwave broadcasting in the state of Utah took
place in the year 1939. At the time, the shortwave broadcasting
station W9XAA was on the air in Chicago with a 500 watt transmitter
located at suburban Downer’s Grove. Experimental shortwave station
W9XAA was owned by the Chicago Federation of Labor, who also operated
the well known mediumwave station WCFL.
The Chicago Federation of Labor in Chicago wanted to sell its co-owned
shortwave station W9XAA to mediumwave KSL in Salt Lake City in Utah.
They lodged a request with the FCC to sell the station, increase its
power, and move it to Saltair, near Salt Lake City. However, in
September 1939, the FCC denied this request, and so this first attempt
to establish a shortwave station in Utah came to nothing.
A second attempt to go shortwave in Utah was also associated with the
mediumwave station KSL. In 1962, the International Educational
Broadcasting Corporation, IEBC, in Salt Lake City bought the well
known historic shortwave station WRUL near Boston in Massachusetts.
Two years later, Bonneville International was formed, they took over
IEBC, and then they purchased KSL. Then four years after the purchase
of the shortwave station WRUL, the callsign was changed to WNYW.
This second attempt on shortwave in Utah was thus more successful,
though the studios were in New York City, and the transmitters were at
Scituate Beach near Boston in Massachusetts. However, due to the fact
that this well known shortwave station was out of state, we will
reserve the details of that story for another occasion.
In the meantime, we go back to Utah and the story of their next
shortwave station, KUSW-KTBN. In 1987, the total facility for this new
station was constructed in just five months at a near country
location, south west of Salt Lake City in the Salt Lake Valley. The
offices, studios, and the 100 kW Harris transmitter were all installed
into the same building, and the TCI log periodic antenna system was
supported from two towers, 145 ft tall.
Super Power KUSW Worldwide Radio was owned by Carlson Communications
who also owned a small network of AM mediumwave and FM stations in
three adjoining states, Utah, Nevada & Arizona. Soon after the
shortwave station became airborne, reception reports began to arrive
at the rate of around 30 each day. One reception report came from the
pilot of an American air force plane who was listening while in
flight. All reports were acknowledged with their one QSL card, showing
an artistic representation of the distant mountain range.
At that time, Carlson Communications was already producing full time
programming for its AM & FM stations in the three state network.
However, the programming for shortwave KUSW was produced independently
and specifically for a shortwave audience.
On December 20, 1990, the programming from shortwave KUSW was relayed
via an American navy vessel off the coast of Panama during the
downfall of President Manuel Noriega. It is possible that the navy
vessel that carried this unusual relay was the USS Vreeland. When the
staff at KUSW were informed that their station was under relay off the
coast of Panama in Central America, they went live with special
programming.
* KUSW Station Identification
Excerpts from the programming of shortwave station KUSW
Just four years after station KUSW was inaugurated, it was sold to the
Trinity Broadcasting Network for around $2 million. The last day for
broadcasts as KUSW was on December 16, 1991; and the first day of
broadcasts under the new callsign KTBN was two days later, December
18. The programming from KTBN was always a relay of the audio channel
from the satellite services of the Trinity Broadcasting Network.
However, a little over 17 years later, this same station was closed
again, this time on March 31, 2008. The station, under the two
consecutive callsigns, KUSW & KTBN, had been on the air for a total
period of 21 years. The entire facility, shortwave transmitter,
antenna system and associated equipment in Utah, was dismantled and
shipped to Anguilla in the Caribbean where it was absorbed into the
electronic equipment already on air at the station known as the
Caribbean Beacon.
While on the air as KTBN, a total of three different QSL cards were
issued, one in black & white and two in color, though each card showed
exactly the same scene with the antenna system and the backdrop of the
distant mountain range.
As an interesting side note, the audio channel of four different
television programs produced by the Adventist Media Center in
California and in South Bend Michiana were broadcast over this
shortwave station when it was on the air under the callsign KTBN. At
the time, these syndicated TV programs were broadcast worldwide over
the multi-satellite networks that were carrying the mainstream TV
programming from the Trinity Broadcasting Network.
These Adventist TV programs, with the sound track on shortwave over
KTBN, were:-
It is Written
McDougall MD
Lifestyle Magazine
The Evidence
At the time, a news release from Adventist World Radio alerted
listeners in the international shortwave world that courtesy QSL cards
would be issued confirming the reception of these programs on
shortwave, and a few cards were indeed issued (Adrian Peterson, IN,
AWR Wavescan script for May 22 via DXLD)
** U S A. Night of Nights coastal special UT July 13
**Contributor for this Issue:*****************************************
Paul Dobosz Noblesville IN
SPECIAL EDITION
SPECIAL EDITION
SPECIAL EDITION
SPECIAL EDITION
There are lots of less time sensitive logs and stuff awaiting
publication, however, we would be remiss if we didn't 'expedite' the
publication of this info, so ....
Paul Dobosz reminds us of a special event coming TOMORROW
Utes --- There will be a lot of maritime CW (Morse) activity for the
Night of Nights celebration commemorating the end of the Maritime
Morse coastal stations. These are a few of the stations and vessels
expected to participate. Great opportunity for ute QSL’s from ships
and stations that usually aren’t heard on CW.
Fire up the rigs, and warm up your brain to copy code. Here are the
details from the (edited) official announcement, but bear in mind
that many other stations may also be heard calling the main 'shore'
stations listed here. Keep an ear out!
Night of Nights 2011 - Official Announcement
On air time: 12 July 2010 Pacific time, 13 July 2011; 0001 GMT
[Details are subject to change. Check
for updates.]
Each year the Maritime Radio Historical Society (MRHS) commemorates
12 July 1999, the date on which the supposed last commercial message
was sent in the US. On that date we pick up the thread, keep the faith
and maintain the traditions of maritime radio communications so that
the skills and traditions of all the radiotelegraphers who came before
us will be maintained.
While MRHS station KSM is on the air every Saturday, on Night of
Nights we originate stations KPH and KFS in addition to KSM. We hope
that other stations will join us on the air this year including KLB
and WLO.
Station and frequency information (subject to change):
KPH
KPH will transmit on 426, 500, 4247.0, 6477.5, 8642.0, 12808.5,
17016.8 and 22477.5kc.
MF and 22Mc will be on Henry transmitters, rest of KPH HF on 1950s
vintage RCA K and L sets. KPH operators will listen for calls from
ships on ITU Channel 3 in all bands. The Channel 3 frequencies are
4184.0, 6276.0, 8368.0, 12552.0, 16736.0 and 22280.5kc on HF and 500kc
on MF.
KFS
KFS will transmit on 12695.5 and 17026.0 - 12695.5 will be on a 1940s
vintage Press Wireless PW-15, formerly at the KFS transmitter site in
Palo Alto, CA and one of the transmitters on the air on 12 July 1999.
17026.0 will be on a Henry transmitter. KFS will listen for calls from
ships on HF Channel 3 (see KPH listing for frequencies).
KSM
KSM will transmit on 426, 500, 6474, 8438.3 and 12993kc. We don't have
enough antennas to accommodate the other KSM frequencies when KPH and
KFS are on the air. A failure of any of the RCA transmitters may cause
a KSM transmitter to be diverted to cover KPH. KSM will listen for
calls from ships on 500kc and HF Channel 3 (see KPH listing for
frequencies).
WLO
WLO will transmit on 2055.5, 4343.0, 8658.0, 12992.0 and 16968.5kc
WLO will listen for calls from HF Channel 3 (see KPH listing for
frequencies).
KLB
KLB will transmit on 488, 500 (A1 & A2), 8582.5kc. KLB will listen for
calls from ships on 500kc and 8368.0kc.
(via Ken Zichi, ed., MARE Tipsheet 0230 UT July 12 via DXLD)
Note the retro `kc` is nonsensical, as a time constant is required.
Properly expressed is kc/s = kilocycles per second. Or shall I bring
up MegaHausers again, defined as megacycles per hour? (gh, DXLD)
July 13 at 0507 heard KFS on 12695.5 with weak and choppy signal. It
went off or just faded out around 0532 (Jari in Finland Savolainen
[former ship radio op], dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
FOR A NIGHT EACH YEAR, THE AIRWAVES BUZZ WITH MORSE CODE
By JESSE McKINLEY July 13, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/14/us/14morse.html?ref=todayspaper&pagewanted=print
POINT REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE, Calif. -- It has been a little more
than a decade since the last of the nation's commercial Morse code
radio stations officially went off the air, as new technology sank a
system that had been a lingua franca of maritime communication since
before the Titanic.
But like transmissions that continue to travel through the cosmos long
after their original senders are gone, there are some things that
refuse to die. And on Tuesday, several outposts of Morse code blazed
to life again, if only for a night, with the help of a group of
enthusiasts bent on preserving what they call "the music of Morse,"
one key tap at a time.
The occasion was an annual radio reboot known as the Night of Nights,
held every year on the anniversary of the last Morse code broadcast
from a coastal California station in 1999, which included a
traditional sign-off ("We wish you fair winds and following seas") and
more than a few teary-eyed former radio operators.
On Tuesday, though, some of those old key men were back on the job,
broadcasting from the former headquarters of a marine Morse station in
Northern California, KPH, and joined on air by two other stations
outside Seattle and in Mobile, Ala., all to honor a system that linked
the world long before the Internet, e-mail and Twitter.
"It's just beeps in the air, but it just meant everything to people,"
said Richard Dillman, a self-described "radio squirrel" who serves as
president of the nonprofit Maritime Radio Historical Society, which
sponsors the event. "And we are the only thing standing."
Or buzzing, as it were, as more than a dozen volunteers assembled at
KPH's receiving and transmitting stations, two dusty but rock-solid
structures that are now part of the Point Reyes National Seashore,
northwest of San Francisco.
Closed in 1997, the station's receiving headquarters is like a living
time capsule, stuffed with communications relics, including Teletype
machines, manual typewriters and rotary phones -- and, of course, all
manner of telegraphy keys, ranging from the versions like those used
in Samuel Morse's time to shiny new models favored by some modern-day
ham operators. A dusty calendar from 1997 still hangs on the wall, as
does a copy of the famous distress call from the Titanic.
Many of the station's ancient machines were ablaze on Tuesday,
spitting out clicks, whistles, white noise and -- of course -- dots
and dashes. (Or "dits" and "dahs" as they were often known in the
business.)
And at just past midnight Greenwich Mean Time, the first message,
tapped out at breakneck speed by Mr. Dillman, was beamed into the air.
"On this date in 1999 the death of commercial Morse was announced," it
read. "But Morse still lives."
The KPH property -- an Art Deco cube built between 1929 and 1931 by
the Radio Corporation of America -- was acquired by the National Park
Service in 1999. Shortly after that, Mr. Dillman made a remarkable
discovery while visiting the station's headquarters.
"As I got close to the operators' room, I started hearing static and
hearing Morse code and ships calling," Mr. Dillman said. "It was like
they had left 20 minutes ago. The voice was gone, but the ears were
still on."
Indeed, KPH had been shuttered, but not completely shut down. Jack
Martini, a former manager at the station, said he had left the
receivers on as both a sign of affection and -- he hoped -- of
possible preservation.
"I loved the place," said Mr. Martini, 72, who also spent years as a
Morse code operator at KPH. "And it saved the receivers. You turn off
the receivers, you get the moisture in there, and they're done."
And so it was that KPH was eventually reborn as KSM and began
broadcasting in Morse a few hours each Saturday, a development that
attracted the attention of other aficionados.
"We're doing the radio equivalent of Civil War re-enactments," said
Bill Ruck, one participant on Tuesday.
Another of those drawn in was Dave Wolfe, 62, a longtime enthusiast
who had served as a radio operator in the 1960s and early '70s, at sea
and on land.
"We had eight people in there, almost on roller skates," Mr. Wolfe
recalled. "You got paid, and reasonably well, for doing what was
basically a hobby."
Not that it was easy work. Operators during Morse's heyday worked
grueling shifts, staffing stations 24 hours a day as ships sent
messages to shore and vice versa. Experts in the form said the secret
was to never count the dots and dashes, but to listen.
"You had to think of it as a rhythm," Mr. Martini said. "You had to
kind of be a musician."
Sure enough, on Tuesday night, the symphony of dits and dahs continued
for hours at the receiving station, as amateur Morse operators from
around the world chimed in to say hello. At the transmitting station,
meanwhile, another crew staffed banks of refurbished and rescued
devices, some dating to World War II and complete with glowing mercury
vapor tubes.
"You're running antiques," said Steve Hawes, who staffed the control
room. "But we haven't had anything let off a giant bang or blow up in
smoke yet."
But as the night wore on, the one thing that was not heard was any
commercial traffic, though Mr. Dillman said that occasionally a ship
would still call in during the station's Saturday hours, wondering how
the station was still alive. But even if the ships did not call, he
said, the die-hards at Point Reyes would continue to listen.
"Even if there were no ships out there, we'd be keeping the faith,"
Mr. Dillman said, before adding, "Of course, it's thrilling when they
call." (via Mike Cooper, DXLD)
** U S A. I haven`t been trying much MW DX, but one should really not
stop in the summer; altho noise levels are higher, there are so many
signals on each frequency that they tend to suppress it.
1460, July 12 at 0958 I make a quick scan of the upper MW band, and
find a loud & clear signal surged to the top here, with ID ``Oozing
with makismo, testosterone, and (something I scribbled illegibly in
the dark), this is Des Moines` sports station, KXNO``.
I spell it makismo because they stupidly mispronounce machismo with a
`hard` ch. I suspect ignorant gringos think such a word has to sound
hard rather than softly effeminate as in real Spanish. A few minutes
later, 1460 was just a jumble (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. Sporadic E TV DX opening from BCN earlier on July 12 (see
MEXICO, and previous report), led me to check FM – there are some
lowband LPTVs and translators presumably still analog in Southern
California, but I have yet to see any trace of them.
1730 on 87.75, English audio presumed from XETV overcome by Spanish,
YL talking about depresión; 1740 YL Spanish ad about naturopathy
practitioners. On the DX-398 with whip and headphones, stereo pilot
and icon cut on and off as signal fades. No, it is not on 87.7 or any
other frequency but centered on 87.75 (could be offset .74 or .76 – I
can`t distinguish that closely, but listed below at 87.74).
This must be a `Franken FM` low-power TV station masquerading as a
radio station, and using the FM-radio broadcast standards for stereo,
not the different standards for former analog TV stereo audio, even
tho it is on the audio frequency of analog TV channel 6.
Then another YL joins in discussion. Prices mentioned are in dólares,
not pesos. 1749 mentions in passing what may be program (infomercial?)
name, `Aprendiendo a pegar el tiempo`. Then several mentions of an
address in Apple Valley, California, and phone numbers 760-912-5597,
760-403-7993, Grupo Guardianes de la Salud.
The first number leads to a general contractor in Victorville CA,
Johnny Dutto, at 21530 Bear Valley Road Ste B. This resembles the
address I heard, but did not copy it for sure. I don`t get a match on
the second.
1752 mentions that this program is martes a 10 am -- = 17 UT. 1753
refers to ``todo el condado de Ventura``. 1756 mentions Saint George,
Utah, as well as Ventura. (I had also noted the strange St. George
connexion in a previous log.) 1800 YL continues in Spanish mentioning
the English words ``new vision``. Fades in and out and no ID heard.
Apple Valley is close to Victorville in western San Bernardino county,
north of that city on the way to Barstow on I-15. {Ventura is the next
county to the west, not too far away, north of LA.}
The 87.75 Franken-FM station must be, as listed in the TV database of
W9WI.com, KCIO-LP in Victorville, obviously no longer relaying KTBN-40
(the last item in every entry below, deleted; tho who knows what is on
their video). There are four listings derived from FCC, from three
different transmitter sites. I`ll go with the one showing licensed
with 990 watts:
Victorville, CA KCIO-LP 0.990 0.00 - 34-36-44.00N 117-17-29.00W TX-APP
Victorville, CA KCIO-LP 0.499 0.00 - 34-15-19.00N 117-21-43.00W TX-CP
Victorville, CA KCIO-LP 0.990 0.00 - 34-40-10.00N 116-55-50.50W TX-LIC
Victorville, CA KCIO-LP 0.010 0.00 34-15-19.00N 117-21-43.00W LD-APP
More about it from FCC TV Query itself:
Offset is minus on the non-digital versions; that`s what the hyphen
means. Also shows the LIC one has a null our way, with major lobe
toward 240 degrees.
A December 2008 article about Franken FMs
http://www.rwonline.com/article/concerns-raised-about-39franken-fms39/4609
has a sidebar listing this:
KCIO(LP), Victorville, Calif.
Almavision Hispanic Network
http://www.almavisiontv/6.html
http://www.justin.tv/almavisonradio
But the first URL can`t be found now and the second one is about
Miami. There is another one on 87.75 which I have DXed before, closer
to Los Ángeles, KSFV, also in Spanish but Catholic, and might have
mixed in some items confusing the above log.
This seems to be a real website but about the ch 6 ``87.7`` in Miami:
http://www.almavision.tv/
Meanwhile back to my other FM logs from this session:
1731 on 90.7, something by Es fading in on one of my more open
frequencies; 1733 it`s a talk show about baseball, Dodgers, mentions
it is also heard on KPFA (Berkeley) so this is KPFK in LA. 1737 show
is called `Letters & Politix`, apparently. At 1743 noted in $tereo but
no RDS. Still in at 1803 with some music, then out.
1738 on 88.1, talk about the San José Jazz Festival and sweepstakes to
win tickets, by pledging to `your jazz station`, 1-800-767-3688. RDS
shows KKJZ, static centered between spaces. 30 kW from Long Beach.
1746 on 88.5, soft rock music squeezed between locals. Probably KCSN
Northridge. FM Atlas XXI shows it with only 370 watts. I had no idea
it was that insignificant, having listened to it a lot online, before
they got rid of most of their distinctive programing, but still with
the `KCSN Opera House`, UT Mondays 0300, hosted by the clever Bill
Toutant: http://www.kcsn.org/kcsnoperahouse.html
1754 on 92.9, adstring including Shakey`s, San Diego County Credit
Union; 1759 Hemet Auto Mall; HD Radio ad! $ but no RDS. Out before any
ID but I figured it would be easy to look up as a San Diego station --
- but no. FCC query on 92.9 in CA finds the closest one to SD County
is KXFG in Sun City, Riverside County, close to Hemet; owned by CBS,
so that would explain all the commercials. (The closest Mexican on
92.9 is XHFZO, XS 92.9 FM, Ensenada, B.C., 15,000 watts, per Cantú.)
Several scans up to 100 MHz did not turn up any other DX signals. Our
local LP on 92.1, however, KAMG was running dead air but stereo pilot
thruout this period from 1733, still at 1859 UT (Glenn Hauser, Enid,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
FM FL>NY To the top of the dial (WIRK 107.9). Also have/had Almavision
/ WEYS-6 strong enough to check for SAP --- NADA. So I don't know how
they get the preacher audio out. Ch 6 audio is salsa music with DJ
type format. The video is that preacher. Oh well??? (Jim Pizzi, NY
1920 UT July 12, WTFDA via DXLD)
** U S A. 88.1, KWOU Woodward OK, July 14 around 1400 UT was in solid
on breakfast table portable, with NPR `Morning Edition`, rather than
usual marginal signal under dead conditions, so I know tropo is up
from the west. After my waffle, turn TV antenna that way and start
tuning TV:
1420 on RF34, KOMI 24.1 Woodward in solid too; and much weaker but
intermittently decoding on RF35, KUOK Woodward with Univisión. They
*still* must not be up to full licensed power, which would be way
stronger than KOMI.
Then I check all the channels in analog for signs of life:
1422 on 23, PBS kidvid! Never saw that before. Is // KETA-13 but a few
sex ahead of it via analog cable. Letterboxed, but lacking the e|i bug
in UR, and the OETA-HD bug in LR, so it`s not an OETA translator. Only
fit is:
K23EC, Canadian TX, translator of KACV-9 (``2``) Amarillo. (We
frequently go thru Canadian on US 60 to or from New Mexico). So this
xltr is still in analog; W9WI lists as 603 watts; FCC shows site is N
of Canadian, halfway to Lipscomb in the NE TX panhandle, and its
normal coverage area does not even reach the OK border. When it
convert to DTV, will be 585 watts of which only 73% will go out at 80
degrees toward Enid, i.e. 427 watts. Distance: 225 km, 140 miles. At
603W, that makes 4.3 watts per mile, or reciprocally, .23 mile per
watt. Fades out before 1454, so not going to get a TOH ID.
KACV website shows:
http://www.kacv.org/index.php?module=article&id=36
KACV Translator Systems
City Licensee PBS Ch V'Me Ch
Canadian C. L. & O. Translator System 23 N/A
Childress Red River Valley Translator TV Association 52 N/A
Clarendon KACV 2.1 2.2
Follett C. L. & O. Translator System 47 N/A
Memphis Cruze Electronics 2.1 2.2
Quitaque KACV 2.1 2.2
Perryton C. L. & O. Translator System 62 N/A
Tulia City Of Tulia 55 N/A
Wheeler Wheeler County Translator System 47 N/A
[V-ME is a Spanish language service I had never heard of, carried on
subchannels of many public DTV stations, map:
http://www.vmetv.com/estaciones/ --- the website and a lot of its
programming looks suspiciously commercial]
Who knows if the above is up-to-date, but we may assume that all the
channels not involving a decimal are still analog. Perryton 62 is
another I should seek in the same NE Panhandle area, and Wheeler 47.
Then I look up channels for other translators in Canadian TX: 29, 31,
33, 35, all probably digital and all blocked by nearby OK stations.
1433 on 49, weak video from west. Could be K49AQ in Clarendon, xltr of
KVII-7, but that`s ESE of Amarillo halfway to OK; more likely K49BB in
Follett, a KAMR-19 (``4``) Amarillo translator. 1436 fades out without
determining network.
I went thru five atlases in my collexion before finding Follett in the
index. Latest Rand McNally road atlas lacks it, but it`s on their map
as the northeasternmost town in the extreme corner of the TX
panhandle.
1437 on 53, (above the current UHF DTV band), I am getting weak analog
video here, which matches for Follett, K53EE, translating KCIT-15
(``14``) Amarillo, so it`s not yet DTV either. Map via FCC shows site
is SW of Follett, coverage area not even reaching Follett! Distance
for both is 214 km = 133 miles.
Listed are two other analog translators in Follett, on 45 and 51, all
four running 1040 watts, but no sign of them. That makes 7.8 watts per
mile, or .13 mile per watt.
At 1440 UT I do a complete DTV channel scan with the antenna still
west: undecoding signals detected on (skipping OKC and Enid locals):
6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 17, 19, 20, 22, 26, 36, 42, 45, 47, 48! However,
DX is also in from the east as even pointed west, I briefly decode
Tulsa`s 45-KOTV ID.
For future reference I note the DTV RF channels of the five major
full-power stations in Amarillo itself: 7-KVII, 9-KACV, 10-KFDA, 15-
KCIT, 19-KAMR (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. FEDERAL COURT REJECTS MEDIA CONSOLIDATION IN PROMETHEUS VS.
FCC --- Ruling represents second historic victory for Prometheus Radio
Project this year --- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 7, 2011
CONTACT: Brandy Doyle. Prometheus Radio Project
(215) 727-9620 x518 brandy @ prometheusradio.org
PHILADELPHIA - On Thursday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third
Circuit issued its long-awaited verdict in Prometheus Radio Project v.
the Federal Communications Commission, rejecting the FCC's attempt to
further deregulate media ownership. The Court threw out FCC rules that
would have allowed one company to own a newspaper and broadcast
stations in the same market. The Court also upheld the FCC's other
limits on local broadcast ownership, and agreed with Prometheus and
other public interest groups that the FCC failed to consider the
impact of its rules on women and people of color.
"We won on almost every point. This decision is a vindication of the
public's right to have a diverse media environment," said ANDREW JAY
SCHWARTZMAN of Media Access Project, who argued the case on behalf of
Prometheus.
This is the second major victory this year for the Prometheus Radio
Project, whose ten-year effort to pass legislation expanding community
radio succeeded when President Obama signed the bipartisan Local
Community Radio Act into law on January 4. The law will result in
thousands of new community radio stations, and the FCC will be
accepting applications for stations as early as next summer.
Both victories are the result of widespread, bipartisan grassroots
organizing. The Third Circuit Court's decision referred to the
testimony from thousands of people who participated in FCC ownership
hearings nationwide, finding that the FCC failed to give people
adequate opportunity to weigh in on the rules.
"Media matters. Thousands of people fought to pass the Local Community
Radio Act, and thousands more spoke out loudly when the FCC tried to
further consolidate broadcast media. We've won these battles, but we
must continue to push the FCC to do the right thing for community
radio.
Industry voices always have the ear of the FCC, but thanks to the
nationwide clamor for a better media, we have their attention now,"
said BRANDY DOYLE, Policy Director at the Prometheus Radio Project.
On July 12, the FCC will again propose new rules, this time to
implement the Local Community Radio Act. The rules must comply with a
mandate from Congress to ensure that channels will be available for
low power FM community radio in urban markets. They will set a balance
between low power stations and translators, which repeat the signals
of larger stations. Prometheus and other public interest advocates are
working for rules to give urban communities a voice on the airwaves.
"We look forward to seeing the FCC's proposal on July 12, and we are
ready to push for stronger rules if necessary," said Doyle.
"Commercial broadcasters must share the airwaves with the urban
churches, schools, and non-profits who have waited more than a decade
to serve their communities with radio."
Preparing for that opportunity, volunteers nationwide are mobilizing
community groups to apply for stations through Prometheus' Radio
Summer outreach campaign. http://www.radiosummer.org/
Prometheus first won its landmark case against the FCC in 2003,
blocking the FCC from dramatically consolidating broadcast media
ownership. In 2007, the FCC tried to deregulate the industry again,
seeking to end a 35-year old ban on newspaper/broadcast cross-
ownership.
Today the Court rejected that effort.
In today's win, Prometheus and Media Access Project were joined by
public interest allies including Free Press, the Georgetown Institute
for Public Representation, Media Alliance and United Church of Christ.
The Prometheus Radio Project advocates for a more just media system
and builds low power community radio as a tool for social justice
organizing and community expression. http://www.prometheusradio.org
PROMETHEUS RADIO PROJECT
P.O. Box 42158
Philadelphia, PA 19101
United States
(via Benn Kobb, July 7, DXLD)
** U S A. FCC: LPFM vs. Translators --- The FCC has released a Third
Further Notice (FCC 11-105) which proposes to break the LPFM vs.
translator stalemate. It proposes to allow for processing some 6,500
pending translator applications, and opening another LPFM window. It
also proposes to lift the limit of ten translator applications per
applicant.
A "market-based" standard is proposed. FM translator applications
would be either processed or dismissed depending on the availability
of channels for LPFM or lack thereof. For example:
existing: available: pending apps:
City FX LPFM LPFM ch. FX grant FX?
======================================================================
Atlanta 19 4 4 31 no
Milwaukee 2 0 6 22 no
Nashville 14 2 6 55 yes
Buffalo 11 0 5 13 no
Boise 9 0 1 2 no
Reno 31 0 1 50 no
Sheboygan 8 0 14 4 yes
"FX" = FM translators
The first two columns show how many of each type of station are
already licensed in the market. Next is the number of available LPFM
channels, then the number of translator applications still pending,
then an indication of whether translators applications will be
processed in this market under the plan (if not, all translator
applications will be dismissed).
I've still got 34 pages to read so there may be more to this (Doug
Smith W9WI, Pleasant View, TN EM66, July 13, WTFDA via DXLD)
** U S A. NYC'S NEW K-LOVE STATION COMPLAINS TO FCC ABOUT "JAMMINZ"
PIRATE SIGNAL --- Monday, July 11, 2011
http://www.radio-info.com/news/nycs-new-k-love-station-complains-to-fcc-about-jamminz-pirate-signal
From today TRI Newsletter: The Educational Media Foundation tells the
FCC “this pirate station is having a significant impact on the
reception [of what is now WKLV] in portions of its service area.” It
has a very good idea where the pirate’s hiding out: “in East Orange,
New Jersey, specifically near South Maple Avenue and Sussex Avenue,
west of the Garden State Parkway.” “Jamminz” isn’t exactly hiding,
however. EMF claims that “Jamminz Radio’s programming is…open and
notorious.”
The K-Love folks paid Cox $15.5 million and put their contemporary
Christian network “K-Love” format on the former WCTZ, Port Chester NY
at 96.7. That was going into the Memorial Day weekend, and now EMF
asks the FCC to “immediately take actions to terminate ‘Jamminz’” -
also on 96.7. The pirate is running commercials and operating a
website that contains contact information for potential advertisers.
There’s a Facebook page, for “New Jersey’s #1 hottest Jamaican radio
show on 96.7 FM.” EMF’s attorney David Oxenford asks the FCC to “take
all steps necessary to cause Jamminz Radio to immediately cease
illegal operations.” K-Love has another friend in high places they can
summon: the New Jersey state law that confers extra enforcement powers
on local authorities.
Talk about the situation with K-Love and "Jamminz" on the New York
Board of Radio-Info.com, here.
http://boards.radio-info.com/smf/index.php?topic=193946.0
(via Artie Bigley, DXLD)
** U S A. KBSU 730 SELLING OUT, JAZZ LEAVING AM
RADIO --- Say Goodbye to Boise State Radio on the AM Dial
POSTED BY GEORGE PRENTICE ON WED, JUL 6, 2011 AT 3:48 PM
Boise is about to get yet another talk-radio station on the AM dial.
Citydesk has learned that Boise State Public Radio is about to finish
a deal selling KBSU 730 AM to the Impact Radio Group, owners of BOB
96.1 FM, V 99.1 FM, WILD 101.1 FM and LA PODEROSA 100.7 FM. Sources
told Citydesk that the format will be "similar to other stations on
the AM dial," but will be the only privately and locally owned station
in the market.
KBSU 730 AM has been broadcasting jazz and news programming with
15,000 watts daytime and 500 watts at night. Boise State Public Radio
has been trying to sell the station for a few years and got the final
OK from the State Board of Education to complete the sale earlier this
year. The programming change is expected by the end of July (via Kevin
Redding, TN, July 8, ABDX via DXLD)
Yep - "same programming as other AM stations in the area". This is a
glaring prime example of why the new owner WILL NOT succeed with their
new acquisition. That's EXACTLY why AM broadcasters are failing even
BEFORE the word "GO" --- all sounding alike.
If they said "programming VERY DIFFERENT FROM what is on the AM band",
then I'd think they would have a very successful future. The demise of
KBSU is sad. They were an excellent sounding AM stereo jazz station.
I still have several hours of stereo recordings to remember them with
(Darwin Long, Empire, LA, ibid.)
Darwin, I knew when I posted the message that I would not be the only
one that mourned the loss of a great station like KBSU.
They and KNBR came in to Phoenix all winter every day. I could run the
Kenwood R-1000 into a 100 foot wire and listen all day long. It was
nice to hear jazz on the AM band. Guess an era is over and its what
you call progress. I already miss them but I will never have the
chance to hear them on the air ever again (Kevin Redding, Adamsville,
TN, ibid.)
I agree with you; KBSU was top-notch. It's a shame it'll be gone. I
heard it better in Phoenix than I do in Seattle (Rick Lewis, ibid.)
** U S A. DX alert: KXEL 1540 was knocked off the air by a strong
thunderstorm. They say, on their website, http://kxel.com right now,
that should be back Friday (Tom Nyberg, IA, July 14, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST) Evidently powerlines down, not damage to KXEL (gh)
** U S A. IDIOCY IN FLORIDA
Jun 1, 2011 People, Public radio, Stations
http://www.insidethearts.com/scanningthedial/
Governor Rick Scott of Florida has suddenly cut all state funding to
public radio and television stations in the state. You can read more
here.
http://flaglerlive.com/22690/rick-scott-pbs-veto
The veto means that each one of Florida’s 13 public radio stations,
including WMFE in Orlando (90.7 FM) and WJCT in Jacksonville (89.9
FM), both of which can be heard in Flagler County, is losing $61,715.
You might remember that in 2009 WMFE moved its classical service off
the main channel to an HD channel, but the news station was doing well
and meeting its goals. The Governor called public broadcasting -- both
radio and TV -- a "special interest." What do YOU think? I guess I
wasn't very neutral in the headline to this post (Inside the Arts blog
of Marty Ronish, via DXLD)
** U S A. FAREWELL, NEW JERSEY NETWORK --- The New Jersey Network
signed off for one last time at midnight Friday (July 1), several
years after the state announced it would no longer fund the pubcaster.
http://www.current.org/funding/funding0808njn.shtml
The Star-Ledger reported its final moments:
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/06/njn_signs_off_today_leaving_13.html
"The broadcast cut to a small room of empty cubicles. The lights
turned off, and a small, blue NJN sign glowed on the back wall. The
screen faded to black. 'New Jersey Network. April 5, 1971 – June 30,
2011.' " The paper includes a video link to that last segment, a five-
minute overview of NJN's history.
Also as of Friday, 130 staffers are out of work. The station is now
NJTV, run by a nonprofit subsidiary of WNET/Thirteen in New York City.
http://www.njtvonline.org/
The NJN news team was placed into the sad situation of calmly,
professionally covering its own demise. "We thought about reaching out
into people’s living rooms and asking, ‘Please help us,’" Michael
Aron, 65, a veteran political correspondent and 29-year employee told
the paper. "In some subtle ways, we did. We reminded people how long
we’ve been on the air, and that we would soon be gone. But that was
about as far as we were willing to go."
About a week ago, crews working in the trucks once parked outside the
Statehouse turned the magnetic NJN signs upside down. And for the
first time in 20 years, the station did not to air the Senate and
Assembly budget vote live. The cameramen could not bear to watch
anymore, Aron said (via Current.org via DXLD)
** U S A. IN SOUTH CAROLINA, GOP LAWMAKERS STAND UP FOR ETV
Lawmakers rebuked South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley for vetoing $5.9
million in state funding for ETV, the statewide network of public TV
and radio stations, taking three separate votes on June 29 to restore
all of the subsidies. Legislators then proceeded to override nearly
all of Haley's vetoes, adding more than $200 million to programs that
the governor had targeted with her veto pen, according to the State,
the Columbia-based daily newspaper. House Majority Leader Kenny
Bingham -- a Republican, like Haley -- delivered an angry speech on
the House floor, complaining that Gov. Haley reneged on an agreement
to restructure state funding for ETV. Haley's veto would have
eliminated more than 60 percent of ETV's $9.6 million budget
(Current.org Jun 30, 2011 via DXLD)
** U S A. WILDFIRES DOWN KSFR'S TOWER, BUT ITS NEWS CREWS KEEP ON
REPORTING
The news staff at KSFR in Santa Fe, N.M., continues reporting on the
wildfires that knocked out the station's tower last week. Newscasts
are only streaming online, "which is a big blow," KSFR reporter
Charles Maynard told WBUR's Here & Now, because the station has the
largest radio news department in the state. KSFR's tower is on the
Pajarito Mountain in the area of the Las Conchas fire near the Los
Alamos National Laboratory (Current.org June 30 via DXLD)
** U S A. 979.85, KMIN, NM, Grants – 5/13 0726 [EDT] – Local (Grants,
Laguna) spots, weather, C&W music, "KMine Country," slogans, with
mentions of 980 AM and 96.7 FM; signal up and down (mostly down), but
easily separable on LSB; legal ID at 0802: "96.7 FM translator K244DT
Grants and 980 on your dial, this is KMIN Grants-Milan, New Mexico, K-
Mine Country" and into "Country Morning Show". Noted next few days
still off frequency (John Wilkins, CO, NRC DX News June 6 via DXLD)
** U S A. A new TIS logging from earlier today:
1610 WA, Bremerton, 1600 7/10 TIS station IDing as "Naval Base Kitsap
Information Advisory Radio" with info on road work, etc., taking place
on the base. Fair signal. Did a Google search and found this TIS has a
Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=199819493377975&comments
(Bruce Portzer, WA, IRCA via DXLD) Viz.:
NBK AM Alert Radio Station is operational
by Naval Base Kitsap on Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 11:18pm
Naval Base Kitsap is proud to announce our Alert Radio, AM 1610, is on
the air. The station broadcasts continuously and covers a 3 to 5 mile
radius around Naval Base Kitsap Bangor and Bremerton. The broadcast is
primarily for emergency notifications and information related to
disasters and emergency situations. In non-emergent situations we will
provide information on anything relating to travel (e.g. traffic
information, road conditions, weather reports and forecasts,
installation drills, and exercises, construction, road/gate closures,
hazards and detours). General information about installation projects
(e.g. renovation or scheduled events) affecting installation traffic,
gates or parking may also be included. We will be also broadcasting
drill information during our up-coming security exercise (21-25
FEBRUARY) as a test for the system. We encourage all personnel to add
AM 1610 to a preset on their AM radio dial and listen in. Please
provide any suggestions and feedback to POC below.
POC: George Nixon,
Naval Base Kitsap Emergency Management Officer
360-396-1405
george.nixon @ navy.mil
(via DXLD) Point of contact? Person on call?
** VANUATU. 3945, Radio Vanuatu, 1214 July 14. Woman with announcement
in presumed Bislama, followed by orchestral anthem and silence at
1216. Don’t know why they signed off early this day. Fair with
occasional ham (Harold Sellers, Vernon, British Columbia, Listening
from my car with the Eton E1 and Sony AN1 active antenna, dxldyg via
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Hi Harold, Was also listening to them today. 1214 sign off
announcement followed by National Anthem; 1216*; transmitter off as
usual at 1224, as on a timer. Audio sometimes runs right up to 1224,
but often ends before that. Ham QRM is from a weather net on
frequency (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, ibid.)
Thanks Ron. I had thought they stayed on much later than that, but
obviously not (Harold, Editor of World English Survey and Target
Listening, available at http://www.odxa.on.ca ibid.)
** VATICAN. 15595, July 8 at 0555, nice classical organ music filler
which VR usually runs after the 0530 Mass, until 0600 IDs, into news
in Italian, and I believe English was to follow (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** YEMEN. 9780.3, Republic of Yemen Radio, Sana’a, 0358, 7/4/11. Flute
IS; into talk in Arabic at 0400; songs beginning at 0402; poor but
marginally improving by 0405; also heard on 6/28 and 6/29 (Jim Ronda,
Tulsa, OK, NRD-545, R-75 + PAR-SWL, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD)
Giovedì 7 luglio 2011, 0455 - 9780.1 kHz, YEMEN RTV - Sana'a, Arabo,
nxs YL. Segnale buono-sufficiente. Poco prima che inizi REE in DRM
(Luca Botto Fiora, G.C. 09E13 - 44N21, Rapallo (Genova) - Italia,
bclnews.it yg via DXLD)
9780.14, Republic of Yemen Radio, 0306-0355+, July 13, Irregular. On
the air earlier than usual with Arabic talk. Traditional Arabic music.
Good (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg, PA, USA, Icom IC-7600, two 100
foot longwires, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ZANZIBAR. 6015, Voice of Tanzania, Dole, Zanzibar, 0439, Jul 03,
animated ad about Zanzibar in Swahili, good (Graham Bell, Cape Town,
South Africa, DSWCI DX Window July 13 via DXLD)
6015, RTZ, *0300-0401, July 11. Grayline reception; my sunset 0330,
their sunrise 0335; open carrier already on by 0255; started with
xylophone sounding IS; 0304 pips (seemed their timing was off, as in
the past the IS normally would have started about 0257, but later
segments seemed to have adjusted somehow to be timed correctly); not
the usual reciting from the Qur’an, but instead singing; 0308 OM with
monologue. Broke away to check for Radio Oromiya from 0320 to 0330.
By 0332 reception had improved; brief reciting from the Qur’an; 0340
usual segment that sounded like YL in the studio getting live reports
from sporting event(s); 0356 EZL music till their normal signature
drum music till pips at ToH and into what must have been the news;
some adjacent QRM/splatter; one of their better receptions. Enhancing
my listening enjoyment was the beautiful sunset out over the Pacific
Ocean! (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via
WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ZIMBABWE [non]. Giovedì 7 luglio 2011, 0450 - 9870 kHz, V of THE
PEOPLE (TO ZIMBABWE), Talata V. (Madagascar), Inglese, commenti
OMs/YLs. Segnale sufficiente-buono (Luca Botto Fiora, G.C. 09E13 -
44N21, Rapallo (Genova) - Italia, bclnews.it yg via DXLD)
Hi Everyone, From last night: 7330, V of the People to ZWE via MDG
1800-1900: YL unID lang (strange) then highlife section, ID in English
along with programming details frequencies etc. Also received again
tonight, IDs and programme details by OM in English.
http://www.box.net/shared/2hlceiz2np3f3qat6dsb
(Mark Davies, Anglesey, Wales, July 14, dxldyg via DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 4110, UnID Latin, 2335 to 2340, lost signal, 7 July
(Robert Wilkner, NRD 535D - Drake R8 - Icom 746Pro modified, Pompano
Beach, South Florida, US, HCDX via DXLD)
Varied from 4111 or 4115? Or 3 x 1370 (gh, DXLD)
UNIDENTIFIED. 4850.07, 2340 to 2345 faded out 6 July (Robert Wilkner,
NRD 535D - Drake R8 - Icom 746Pro modified, Pompano Beach, South
Florida, US, HCDX via DXLD)
UNIDENTIFIED. 5700, KOREA?, 1257, July 9, anthem; ToH pips; seemed to
be in Korean; poor (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1,
dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Presumably 2 x 2850 as usual (gh)
UNIDENTIFIED. 6811 approx. July 13 at 1343, intermittent 2-way in SSB,
but could never tune it in or ascertain language, because it was
employing speech inversion, a mild but sufficient privacy/security
measure for those not equipped to re-invert it. Occasional tones
between transmissions (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. Sabato 9 luglio 2011. 0812 - 8000 kHz, Segnali di tempo.
Segnale sufficiente-insufficiente. L'ho già sentita qualche giorno fa
la mattina verso le 0600. Ad altri orari ho provato, ma non c'è o non
è ricevibile (Luca Botto Fiora, G.C. 09E13 - 44N21, Rapallo (Genova) -
Italia, bclnews.it yg via DXLD)
Segnale molto interessante! Su quella frequenza trasmetteva il
Giappone, off air nel 2001 mi pare. Sicuramente da monitorare!
(Leonardo Peppe, http://taccuinodx.blogspot.com playdx yg via DXLD)
UNIDENTIFIED. Som estranho, o que será isso??? Uma curiosa e
repetitiva melodia, ouvida em 07/07/2011, entre 0130 e 0200 UT,
frequência de 8100 kHz. O áudio era o mesmo, tanto em AM quanto em
USB, e está disponível em meu blog http://pu2pkb.blogspot.com/
[later:] Number station X06 Mazielka. Sinistro. Receptor: Yaesu FT-
817ND; Antena: plano-terra. 73's (Alexandre - PU2PKB, radioescutas yg
via DXLD)
Six rising notes over and over; no numbers on the clip (gh, DXLD)
Olá Alexandre! Eu tenho uma mesma gravação deste modo de transmissão
feita no ano passado. O nosso amigo Ivan Dias, grande conhecedor de
utilitárias, me respondeu sobre o que era isto. Peço licença à ele
para reproduzir sua resposta aqui. Segue a resposta do Ivan e abaixo o
link com a minha gravação:
http://www.4shared.com/account/audio/gzyT24_h/9060KHz_2310UTC_04OUT2010_edit.html
(Davi Lucas Pinto de Sousa, July 8, ibid.) Viz.:
Davi, Sua gravação é da estação conhecida por X06 pelos membros do
grupo Enigma 2000 (dedicado a escuta de estações de números). Trata-se
do sistema Mazielka de chamada seletiva usando 6 tons de áudio. 73
Ivan Dias Jr. - Sorocaba/SP http://ivandias.wordpress.com (via Davi,
ibid.)
UNIDENTIFIED [and non]. 17750, July 14 at 1303, mystery continuous
1000 Hz tone test, poor, still at 1320, 1325, better by 1330 at S9+8.
Off around 1350, leaving a weaker carrier from something. Next check
1414, something talking in SW Asian language, i.e. VOA Kurdish via
Wertachtal. HFCC shows 17750 as an open frequency 1000-1400. Had not
heard any of these tone tests since last week.
FWIW, I compared the 17750 tonesignal which had little fading, to some
others from probable vicinity around 1334: Saudis Qur`an on 17615 and
weaker // 17625 had flutter; 17705 BSKSA no flutter and at S9+18
considerably stronger; 17530, Sawa via Kuwait peaked S9+10 with
somewhat more fading than 17750. Libya 17725 carrier JBA (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. Re: 17880, July 6 at 1256 DRM again, and this time on
the DX-398 I make sure this is the center frequency, not 17875 where
HFCC has N scheduled for Guiana French. 1309 still going. Is there
anything anywhere near either frequency now listed at
http://www.drm-dx.de/ of course not! How about the DRM fora for any
logs on 17880? Or course not!
How about http://groups.yahoo.com/group/drmna/messages --- the drmna
yg? Nothing about that frequency since Nov 24, 2010, when TDF were
testing from GUF to Brasilia (Glenn Hauser-OK-USA, dxld July 7)
Nothing heard on 17875/17880 on July 7 at 1405 UT (Wolfgang Büschel,
BC-DX via DXLD)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS
++++++++++++++++++++++++
Many thanks to Clayton Stapleton, who made sure we got the domain
http://www.worldofradio.com years ago, and which has just been renewed
(Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
PUBLICATIONS
++++++++++++
WRTH A11 MID-SEASON SCHEDULES UPDATE
A11 mid-season schedules update pdf has been uploaded to
http://www.wrth.com
Many thanks to Mauno Ritola for collecting and checking the data.
WRTH Facebook page, July 14 (Mike Barraclough, UK, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
Odds and ends, 3 pages, but of primary interest, full new YFR
schedule; see USA [and non] above (gh, DXLD)
25-76 MHZ FM STATIONS
I've published my first attempt at listing 25-76 MHz STL's, remote
broadcast pickups, IFBs, and background music stations. So far just
USA & Chile. The USA stations are the fixed stations only (no mobiles
or very low power units). This should cover the most common ones.
There are likely many unlicensed ones operating as well. I also
believe that there are several Chileans operating on off-channel
frequencies - once F2 gets rolling we can improve the listings.
The list can be found at ... http://dxinfocentre.com/STL.htm
As usual, any updates welcomed. Bill Hepburn
-- (William R Hepburn (VEM3ONT22)
Grimsby ON CAN 43 10 59.4 -79 33 34.5
http://dxinfocentre.com/hepburn/ WTFDA via DXLD)
ARMY MARS MANUALS ONLINE
Department of the Army: "TC 9-64 - Communications-Electronics
Fundamentals: Wave Propagation, Transmission Lines, and Antennas"
United States Marine Corps (USMC): "MCRP 6-22D - Field Antenna
Handbook"
(BC-DX 11 July via DXLD)
HITCHHIKERS GUIDE TO DXING RE-RELEASED
Jonathan Marks writes, “It is thirty years ago since I wrote a rather
silly parody on international radio broadcasting and based on my
favourite radio series at the time, the Hitch-Hikers Guide to the
Galaxy. There seemed to be so much to make fun of at the time…the
boring propaganda at the height of the Cold War, jamming, the waste of
energy shouting from one country to another, and the variable quality
of reaction from listeners.”
Parts one and two of this classic series are now available to download
from the Media Network Vintage Vault. The rest will follow shortly.
http://jonathanmarks.libsyn.com/
(July 13, 2011, 11:36 UT by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via DXLD)
SHORTWAVE MUSIC
+++++++++++++++
MUSIC FOR DXING
Hello, Just alerting you to the new LP by electronic artiste Spunkle.
"Music for DXing" is out now on First Fold Records and is 16 tracks
inspired by and dedicated to the hobby of DXing.
See here for more information
http://www.firstfoldrecords.com/?page_id=1321
including links to stream and download the LP, videos and an
interview. Lots of shortwave noises on there. 73s CD! (The Plant
Waterer, July 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.:
Spunkle --- Music For DXing
DOWNLOAD VIA HALCYON DOWNLOAD ON ITUNES DOWNLOAD ON AMAZON
Music For DXing is a suite of sixteen songs rooted in the hobby of
listening to the radio. Originally released amongst friends and fans
in 2003, Music for DXing mixes the sounds of shortwave with primeval
electronica in a drumless, bassless, trebleless midrange landscape of
anticipation.
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
For insight, read
Nine Questions about Music for DXing
http://www.firstfoldrecords.com/?page_id=1397
Review at Halcyon Records
http://halcyonline.com/2011/first-fold-kicks-of-2011-with-three-promising-new-offerings/
(via DXLD)
MUSEA
+++++
INTERNAL FIRE MUSEUM OF POWER, TANYGROES, UK
Recently returned from a relaxing holiday in Newgale, west Wales, is
TIM BUCKNALL:
My Dad is a fan of stationary engines so we stopped by the Internal
Fire Museum of Power at Tanygroes on the A487
http://www.internalfire.com/
I nearly stayed in the car DXing as the name didn't exactly scream
RADIO! but thank goodness I went in! They have the generator that
drove the Moorside Edge MW transmitters until 1984. I only was six in
1984 but I remember Dad listening to the Radio 2 on Saturday mornings
on medium wave back then, so I would definitely have heard this
generator being used. Hi Hi!
They also have an excellent collection of radios including the famous
RCA AR88 which, if I recall correctly is sometimes called the best
receiver ever made. It was up and running connected to a pc decoding
morse on 7 MHz, an excellent fusion of old and new! I got to hear its
fantastic noise floor and killer audio for myself. They have a "19
set" with Cyrillic writing on just like my Dad remembered from his
Army days (they were built for the Russians but surplus sets ended up
being used here in the UK). Anyway I can't rate it highly enough,
definitely worth a visit. We're donating an old PYE set to them (Tim
Bucknall, UK, Open to Discussion, July BDXC-UK Communication via
General Editor Chrissy Brand, DXLD)
IMPORTANT NOTICE ON RADIO HISTORY WEBSITE
Dear all, Due to lack of time to do a proper job, I have decided to
abandon my project European LW/MW History
http://radiohistory.hermanboel.eu
Because of the wealth of information I leave the website online for
now. However, if anyone believes (s)he can take over the website and
maintain it properly, please feel free to contact me (via private
mail, not over this list). This decision will have no effect on the
EMWG, which will of course be maintained as usual. Kind regards,
(Herman - Boel, July 12, MWCircle yg via DXLD)
LANGUAGE LESSONS Sault Sainte Marie: see CANADA; machismo: USA: KXNO
++++++++++++++++
GOOGLES ÖVERSÄTTNINGSMASKIN
I senaste SWB citeras den amerikanske DX-are Don Moore. Han säger att
han är väldigt duktig i spanska - har undervisat i språket osv - och
han tycker att Googles datoriserade översättning från engelska till
spanska är jättebra. Snart behövs inga spanskalärare tror han.
Jag delar inte hans synpunkter. Men om jag säger det, så står förstås
ord mot ord. Vad bättre då än att låta en infödd spansktalande bedöma
textens kvalitet? Sålunda petade jag in hans engelska text i Googles
"översättningsmaskin" och började läsa upp den spanska
Googleöversättningen för Josefina.
Jag hann bara läsa tre rader så viftade Josefina med armarna och
började skrika: Oj oj oj, det låter förfärligt, ``qué desastre``
(Henrik Klemetz)
GOOGLE TRANSLATOR
In latest SWB [and DXLD], the American DX-er Don Moore is quoted. He
says he is very good in Spanish – has been teaching the language, etc.
– and he thinks that the computerized Google translator is very good.
Soon there is no need for teachers in Spanish, he believes.
I am not sharing his views. But if I say so, word stands up against
words. What is better than having a native Spanish speaking person
judge the quality of the text?
Thus I entered his English text in the “Google translator machine” and
started to read the Spanish Google translation for Josefina. I just
managed to read three lines before Josefina started to wave her arms
shouting oh oh oh, it sounds awful --- qué desastre (Henrik Klemetz,
Sweden, SW Bulletin July 10, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
MILWAUKEE RADIO GET-TOGETHER, SATURDAY, AUGUST 20
The 18th annual Madison-Milwaukee Get-Together will take place on
Saturday, August 20, 2011, beginning at 1 p.m. This year the event is
in the Milwaukee area, hosted by Tim Noonan and his family in south
suburban Oak Creek. It is an all-band event, and anyone interested in
the radio hobby is welcome. For more information, please contact Tim
at DXing2 @ aol.com We will post one reminder on these same lists as
the date draws near (Tim Noonan, July 13, swl at qth.net via DXLD)
WORLD OF TELEPHONY
++++++++++++++++++
YET ANOTHER WAY TO HEAR WORLD OF RADIO ON THE PHONE
Glenn, I can't remember if you have mentioned this, or if you know
about it. There is a phone system called "Conversation Station." It
has personal mail boxes, pod casts, chat rooms, and many other
features which I have not checked out. You can also hold conferences
and invite people. I think it is run mainly by, and for blind people,
though, of course, anyone can join. It is completely free. If you were
to want to get a personal box, people on the system could leave you
messages. (This can eat up a lot of time if one isn't careful.)
World of Radio is one of the podcasts. They seem to get it up Thursday
night, so, the most current one is there. I guess it stays for a whole
week, to be heard whenever you want. To access WOR:
1. Call: 231-224-7222.
2. Press "pound" to bypass the rules file.
3. Select 4, for podcasts.
5. Select 2, pound, for WOR.
Within a pod cast:
7 and 9 lower and raise volume.
6 and 4 go forward and back by about ten seconds. 5 takes you to
beginning of broadcast.
1 gives you elapsed time, 3 gives you remaining time on pod cast. 2
is pause. It works great. It will probably be my main source for World
of Radio. WWRB and WTWW are simply not reliable here, because I am in
their skip zone. Hope you find this useful (Tim Hendel, Huntsville AL,
July 9, DX LISTENIG DIGEST)
WORLD OF HOROLOGY
+++++++++++++++++
POWER GRID CHANGE MAY DISRUPT CLOCKS
June 25, 2011 12:48 AM AP EXCLUSIVE
http://www.tinyurl.com/3uzut3g
(AP) WASHINGTON (AP) — A yearlong experiment with the nation's
electric grid could mess up traffic lights, security systems and some
computers — and make plug-in clocks and appliances like programmable
coffeemakers run up to 20 minutes fast.
"A lot of people are going to have things break and they're not going
to know why," said Demetrios Matsakis, head of the time service
department at the U.S. Naval Observatory, one of two official
timekeeping agencies in the federal government.
Since 1930, electric clocks have kept time based on the rate of the
electrical current that powers them. If the current slips off its
usual rate, clocks run a little fast or slow. Power companies now take
steps to correct it and keep the frequency of the current — and the
time — as precise as possible.
The group that oversees the U.S. power grid is proposing an experiment
that would allow more frequency variation than it does now without
corrections, according to a company presentation obtained by The
Associated Press.
Officials say they want to try this to make the power supply more
reliable, save money and reduce what may be needless efforts. The test
is tentatively set to start in mid-July, but that could change.
Tweaking the power grid's frequency is expensive and takes a lot of
effort, said Joe McClelland, head of electric reliability for the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
"Is anyone using the grid to keep track of time?" McClelland said.
"Let's see if anyone complains if we eliminate it."
No one is quite sure what will be affected. This won't change the
clocks in cellphones, GPS or even on computers, and it won't have
anything to do with official U.S. time or Internet time.
But wall clocks and those on ovens and coffeemakers — anything that
flashes "12:00" when it loses power — may be just a bit off every
second, and that error can grow with time.
It's not easy figuring what will run fast and what won't. For example,
VCRs or DVRs that get their time from cable systems or the Internet
probably won't be affected, but those with clocks tied to the electric
current will be off a bit, Matsakis said.
This will be an interesting experiment to see how dependent our
timekeeping is on the power grid, Matsakis said.
The North American Electric Reliability Corp. runs the nation's
interlocking web of transmission lines and power plants. A June 14
company presentation spelled out the potential effects of the change:
East Coast clocks may run as much as 20 minutes fast over a year, but
West Coast clocks are only likely to be off by 8 minutes. In Texas,
it's only an expected speedup of 2 minutes.
Some parts of the grid, like in the East, tend to run faster than
others. Errors add up. If the grid averages just over 60 cycles a
second, clocks that rely on the grid will gain 14 seconds per day,
according to the company's presentation.
Spokeswoman Kimberly Mielcarek said the company is still discussing
the test and gauging reactions to its proposal, and may delay the
experiment a bit.
Mielcarek said in an email that the change is about making the grid
more reliable and that correcting the frequency for time deviations
can cause other unnecessary problems for the grid. She wrote that any
problems from the test are only possibilities.
In the future, more use of renewable energy from the sun and wind will
mean more variations in frequency on the grid, McClelland said. Solar
and wind power can drop off the grid with momentary changes in
weather. Correcting those deviations is expensive and requires instant
backup power to be always at the ready, he said.
The test makes sense and should not cause too much of a hassle for
people, said Jay Apt, a business professor and director of the
Electricity Industry Center at Carnegie Mellon University.
But Tom O'Brian, who heads the time and frequency division at the
National Institute of Standards and Technology, expects widespread
effects.
He said there are alternatives if people have problems from the test:
The federal government provides the official time by telephone and on
the Internet (via CBS News via CGC Communicator July 11 via Kevin
Redding, ABDX via DXLD)
POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS
++++++++++++++++++++++++
Here, my shortwave reception has been spoilt by some neighbours using
what we call "PLT" (powerline telecommunications). This is a new,
crazy system that people can purchase to set up broadband distribution
in their house. The signals travel on the mains electric wiring. The
system uses 4 through 22 MHz and if close by to a shortwave receiver
(less than about 500 metres), the shortwave reception is blocked and
unusable.
The European Commission and British Telecommunications Regulator have
authorised this system, but it does not comply with Electromagnetic
Interference Legislation. I have managed to stop two neighbours from
using this system, but another remains; however the interference from
his house is very low and only affects a few frequencies. I am praying
that this system will be banned altogether, or shortwave reception in
the UK will get worse and worse over the years until it becomes
unusable. Then there will be another reason for the "death of
shortwave" (Alan Holder, Isle of Wight, UK, July 8, via Drita Çiço, R.
Tirana, DXLD)
DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DTV See CANADA; USA TVDX logs
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DAB
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
DRAWBACKS OF DIGITAL
It has already been noted that a digital radio becomes unstable at a
higher signal strength than an analogue receiver, therefore a digital
transmitter gives a smaller area of acceptable coverage than an
analogue transmitter. More digital than analogue relay stations would
have to be used to cover a given area. Circuit design is an old art,
and it is extremely unlikely receiver performance can be significantly
improved to reduce this shortcoming since it is now limited by basic
physical parameters e.g. inter alia Schottky, and thermal noise.
Additionally, the digital system is corruptible by cropping data rates
in order to squeeze more stations into the radio spectrum enriching
manufacturers and entrepreneurs in exchange for degraded audio
quality.
Digital receivers cost more, and consume more power, than analogue
receivers.
At the start of its journey a digital signal carries less data than
an analogue signal – just as a keyboard scale contains less
information than a glissando of equal frequency span.
Digital systems are useful over lines since signal degradation is
less than that suffered over radio propagation paths: line signals can
be boosted en route
Push-button station selection used on digital receives does not
allow the listener to tune to the best balance of bass and treble to
suit his / her specific hearing response as one can on an analogue
set. To most people this action is instinctive, surely. Push-button
selection is either dead on-frequency or off – no compromise.
The limited range of digital transmissions, and the use of digital
access coding, would enable authorities to insulate public awareness
from internal national affairs and events overseas, potentially
rendering those responsible for our nation's welfare, unaccountable.
We already know that internet news backups are breakable, as has
reportedly occurred recently in the Middle East. Access coding would
also make it possible to charge you for listening by the hour or
programme, perhaps ultimately to deprive the poorest of peoples
worldwide of their only link with information and entertainment.
Much money has already been spent by government, and without much
publicity, on new digital transmissions nationally, as if it is
presupposed that we will 'go digital' whether the public wants or
benefits from it or not. Government states that if, or when,
listenership exceeds 50% we will change over. Who is in a position to
check such a claim? Present declared listenership figures seem to be
well above what I have heard about peoples' opinions on listening to
digital radios among non-DXers, with the exception of some of those
who will profit commercially from a switchover.
I'm particularly concerned about the digital issue because in spite of
the digital system appearing to be intrinsically inferior to analogue,
the government is spending large amounts of money to establish it.
Why? True, fiscal and manufacturers' returns will swell, but at the
expense of a new credit-squeezed consumer who will be compelled to 'go
digital'. Some payback for an inferior and potentially manipulative
substitute! Moreover, we have a shaky democracy (?) in which
corruption and incompetence have been exposed by the news media, so
that action is being taken to muzzle the press.
Logically, radio will be next (remember the fight to get citizens'
band?). So more than ever, we are going to need radio that is within
everyone's reach, is fit for the purpose, transparent and free.
Therefore, shouldn't the blinkered wise up with the 'digiphobes' and
rally against being sold a dangerous pup? Or am I barking up the wrong
tree….or even barking mad? Answers, please, to Open To Discussion as I
need a second opinion.” (Tony Edge, Open To Discussion, July BDXC-UK
Communication via DXLD)
DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DRM see also FRANCE; INDIA; ROMANIA; SPAIN;
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ UK; YEMEN; UNIDENTIFIED 17880
Una nueva oportunidad para la radio en AM
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 7:34 AM
PRUEBAS EXPERIMENTALES REALIZADAS EN BRASIL. [test van:]
http://www.basqueresearch.com/upload/irudiak/3413_Brasil.JPG
Las emisoras de radio se pelean por hacerse un hueco en la más que
concurrida FM, en detrimento de una AM con una calidad de sonido más
pobre. Sin embargo, las bandas por debajo de los 30 MHz (las de AM)
podrían tener una nueva oportunidad, de la mano de la radiodifusión
digital terrestre. El consorcio internacional Digital Radio Mondiale
(DRM) trabaja en el desarrollo de un sistema universal que ofrecería
una nitidez cercana a la de la FM, además de otras ventajas como la
opción multilingüe en los programas o una reducción del consumo
eléctrico del 40-50 %. El ingeniero Iván Peña, que trabaja con DRM a
través del Grupo de Tratamiento de la Señal y Radiocomunicaciones de
la UPV/EHU, se ha centrado, concretamente, en el estudio de la banda
de 26 MHz. Su tesis se titula Planning factors for digital local
broadcasting in the 26 MHz band (Factores de planificación para la
radiodifusión digital local en la banda de 26 MHz).
La investigación de Peña consiste en el estudio de modelos de
propagación y factores de planificación para implantar servicios DRM
en la banda de 26 MHz. Con este propósito, ha llevado a cabo pruebas a
nivel local en países como México, Brasil y Alemania. Concretamente,
las de México y Brasil han sido las primeras realizadas con este
sistema en sendos países. Además, la de 26 MHz es una banda que
raramente se ha podido utilizar hasta ahora, por lo que su
optimización tendría una gran repercusión. Razón por la cual las
investigaciones de Peña y el grupo al que pertenece han tenido una
buena acogida en congresos internacionales, así como en la revista
IEEE Transactions on Broadcasting, que ocupa el puesto siete en la
clasificación JCR de telecomunicaciones.
Hasta ahora, solo por onda ionosférica
Tal y como se explica en la tesis, el único modo contemplado hasta
ahora para la radiodifusión a larga distancia mediante la banda de 26
MHz ha sido la propagación por onda ionosférica. En este caso, la onda
se refracta progresivamente, hasta regresar a la superficie terrestre
desde la ionosfera. Sin embargo, debido a que este método está
influenciado por la actividad solar y la frecuencia, no siempre es
posible utilizarlo.
Con el objeto de explotar las frecuencias de 26 MHz de manera más
eficiente, se ha experimentado de manera local con los otros dos modos
de propagación que podrían facilitar la implantación de servicios DRM
en dicha banda, los cuales no se han empezado a probar para este uso
hasta hace apenas una década. Se trata de la propagación por visión
directa (la onda se compone de un rayo directo, un rayo reflejado y
rayos refractados por las irregularidades de la superficie terrestre)
y la propagación por onda superficial (la onda se propaga por la
discontinuidad tierra-aire, adaptándose a la curvatura del terreno).
Tal y como explica Peña, a pesar de las pruebas, existe aún un
desconocimiento del comportamiento del sistema cuando se usa esta
banda. Su tesis contribuye a caracterizar a nivel teórico este tipo de
radiodifusión, mediante la interpretación de los datos obtenidos de
manera experimental.
En primer lugar, Peña ha realizado un análisis de la propagación por
onda terrestre en esta banda (en los modos de visión directa y de onda
superficial), y ha desarrollado un modelo de predicción para poder
identificar la cobertura local de redes DRM que se encuentran en dicha
porción del espectro en cada situación. Además, ha estudiado las
condiciones de propagación ionosférica que, en estas frecuencias,
podrían provocar interferencias entre servicios de radiodifusión
digital local. Finalmente, otra contribución de este ingeniero ha sido
la determinación de los niveles de ruidos actuales y la
caracterización de otras perturbaciones electromagnéticas que podrían
influir en la calidad y fiabilidad de recepción de este tipo de
señales.
Sobre el autor:
Iván Peña Valverde (Barakaldo, 1977) es doctor en Ingeniería de
Telecomunicaciones. Ha redactado su tesis bajo la dirección del Dr.
Pablo Angueira Buceta y la Dra. Amaia Arrinda Sanzberro, ambos
profesores titulares del Departamento de Electrónica y
Telecomunicaciones de la Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería de
Bilbao (UPV/EHU). En la actualidad, Peña es investigador en este mismo
departamento, donde ha realizado la tesis. Asimismo, para llevar a
cabo su investigación ha colaborado con las siguientes instituciones:
DRM, Radio Educación (México), Universidad de Brasilia y Radiobras
(Brasil), y Universidad de Ciencias Aplicadas Georg-Simon-Ohm de
Nuremberg e Instituto de la Tecnología de las Comunicaciones de la
Universidad Leibniz de Hanover (Alemania).
FUENTE: Basqueresearch.com: Noticias - Una nueva oportunidad para la
radio en AM http://bit.ly/nho3Nm (Via Yimber Gaviria, Colombia, DXLD)
But, but, if it`s DRM it`s NOT A-M, by definition!! Geez (gh, DXLD)
RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM see also PUBLICATIONS above
+++++++++++++++++++++
Re 11-27: ETON E1 TEMPORARILY DISABLED BY HIGH RF FIELD?
Did you twist on the "Display Contrast Knob" behind the battery access
panel? This has a small adjustment range only. Maybe is prone on
temperature ranges at zero temperature or on very high temperatures in
sunshine on the beach? Or your battery rate went down?
"Display Contrast Knob" Placed located left of the Factory Programming
Connector, just above the E1 Radio Reset Button. 73 wb (Wolfgang
Büschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Thanks Wolfy, I'll include your comments in the August issue of
Contact magazine. I also downloaded a small diagram of the battery
access panel from the Eton E1 Manual, which I'll include (Alan Roe,
ed., ibid.)
NO LONGER DX'ING -- AT LEAST FOR NOW
Hi Everyone, As a courtesy, I have already told my "inner circle" of
log recipients. But for everyone else. I will have to put my DX'ing on
hold, UFN. Not because I want to, but because I have no choice. Sadly,
my neighbor's new plasma TV spews so much RF, it wrecks my reception.
I can tell "to the minute" when the set switches on and it wrecks the
entire spectrum. I get spikes every 50 kHz or so, and white noise
between the spikes. We've tried EMI/RFI filtered power strips, etc,
nothing works. (And since they have kids, the TV is on A LOT.)
Called the local electricity provider for advice. They had none. It
appears the TV's RF is feeding back in to the power grid, which leaves
no place to relocate my aerial. My entire property is noisy.
I'll be back if I can somehow resolve the situation. But I can
understand why people give up the hobby, when common devices like
widescreen TV's can all but wreck reception.
Even more irritating, is that I just rebuilt my aerials a week ago,
and invested in a Quantum Phaser (for MW reception). While on the
subject, I might as well say, the Quantum Phaser is the best I have
ever used.
Hoping to sort out the issues and return soon (at least my neighbors
are cooperating with efforts to resolve the problem). 73's (David
Sharp, NSW, July 13, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Hi David, Perhaps in the future more and more listeners to SW will
need to do what Harold Sellers and I regularly do – make a DXpedition
to a location that does not have any EMI/RFI, or at least not as much.
A portable receiver with an external antenna at a quiet RF location is
more and more becoming of greater importance than having an elaborate
tabletop receiver attached to an effective antenna system at ones
home.
Sometimes location trumps gear! Of course I hope that you can quickly
resolve your situation so you can get back to some enjoyable listening
again. Good luck! I shall miss you informative postings! (Ron Howard,
Monterey, CA, ibid.)
Unfortunately, David is far inland, so can`t drive to the seashore
every day; but neither can Harold (gh, DXLD)
I agree with Ron. If I couldn't do my mobile DXing, I would have to be
content to just listening to the internet. This way I can do both.
(Harold Sellers, BC, Editor of World English Survey and Target
Listening, available at http://www.odxa.on.ca ibid.)
EVERYTHING LIGHTSQUARED
o The FCC has set a comment deadline regarding the GPS-LightSquared
technical working group report:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-11-1133A1.doc
o The big question is: How did LightSquared ("LSQ") receive such
favorable treatment from the FCC when Commission staff undoubtedly
knew the LSQ system would cause serious interference to GPS? First a
John Eggerton report, then a fascinating article from the National
Legal and Policy Center:
http://tinyurl.com/EggertonOnLSq
http://tinyurl.com/NLPConLSq
o Congressional hearing on LightSquared's bizarre plan (an interesting
but long video -- 2 hr. & 15 mins.):
http://tinyurl.com/LightSqrdHearing
(CGC Communicator July 11 via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD)
SHORTWAVE CAR STEREO CDX-GT180
Once again available, Sony car stereo with SW:
http://tinyurl.com/6drky33
One thing I like is being able to tune in 9 KHz steps for MW
transatlantic DX. If my factory car stereo were to fail, I'd be
looking into this as it would be way cheaper plus add SW and world
tuning capability for MW DX. But, as any wise consumer knows, copy,
paste and google to read reviews etc. to see if it would be good
before plunking down your hard earned loonies or greenbacks (Phil
Rafuse, VY2PR, Stratford PE Canada, July 12, ABDX via DXLD)
50 YEAR ANNIVERSARY [sic] OF FM STEREO
Radio Journal July 13, 2011
The actual anniversary date slipped past us, but it’s not too late to
wish a happy 50th birthday to multiplexed FM stereo in the United
States. Experiments with stereo and multiplexing dated back to the
earliest years of FM -inventor Edwin Armstrong even worked on his own
system... more at
http://ftp.media.radcity.net/ZMST/Journal/2011/RJ9951.pdf
(via Mike Terry, July 14, dxldyg via DXLD)
ZOOM H4N DIGITAL RECORDER
Finally, I'm not sure if this is more a matter for 'Ether to Speaker'
but anyway I purchased a Zoom H4n digital recorder with the idea of
possible recording DX on it but sadly it radiates hash all over the
bands, so there’s one to avoid, I'm not too annoyed as I also use it
to record live concerts for which its perfect.” (Tim Bucknall, UK,
Open to Discussion, July BDXC-UK Communication via General Editor
Chrissy Brand, DXLD)
FCC READY TO SHARE DONATED TOYS
Posted on July 14, 2011 by Mitchell Lazarus
Unlicensed Operations and Emerging Technologies
http://www.commlawblog.com/2011/07/articles/unlicensed-operations-and-emer/fcc-ready-to-share-donated-toys/
“Technology Experience Center” to give FCC personnel and select
visitors hands-on experience with the latest in communications
technology.
Last November we told you about the FCC’s request for donations of
technical communications devices to its planned Technology Experience
Center (TEC), described as an on-site lab that will provide hands-on
experience with the latest in communications technology.
The doors of the TEC are now open. Moreover, the FCC has announced
there will be themes for each coming month. (If nothing else, that
will keep the press releases coming.) This month, July, is about
“Innovation & Spectrum.” Future months will feature education
(August), public safety (September), healthcare (October), small
business (November), and energy (December). The FCC has not said so,
but we’re willing to guess rural broadband and disability-related
issues are somewhere on the list for next year.
We are all in favor of regulators keeping abreast of new technology.
But we have a couple of concerns. For one, the TEC appears not to be
open to the public, but rather to be limited to FCC staff and “select
visitors from the community.” We’d like to play, too. How do we get an
invitation?
Opening-day exhibits are provided by these companies: Comcast,
DirecTV, GENBAND, Grooveshark, Globalstar, HTC, iBiquity, LexisNexis,
LG Electronics, Livio Radio, Microsoft, Motorola, Open Mobile Video
Coalition, Panasonic, Research in Motion, Samsung, Sonos, Sony, and
Verizon Wireless.
And that’s another concern.
This initial list seems disproportionately tilted to giants in their
fields. No doubt the large companies generate some share of
technological innovation. But we were hoping the FCC would use the new
TEC at least in part to present the work of the smaller, innovating
entrepreneurs who come up with many of the most exciting ideas in
technology (and some of whom are our clients). After all, Comcast and
Verizon have no trouble reaching the investors and partners they want,
with or without the FCC. But the companies that might have used the
boost from a TEC appearance to fuel the spread of genuinely new ideas
appear to have been left out -- making it all the more likely they
will eventually succumb to being bought by one of the giants.
One more thing. The FCC’s announcement includes some serious
disclaimers: donation of items to the TEC is “not contingent on and
does not imply any expected benefit to the donor”, and acceptance of
any item by the FCC “does not constitute endorsement” of the item by
the FCC.
The FCC can disclaim all it wants, but we think donors expect to
realize some benefit from their largess. After all, their
brainchildren are being presented center stage to an elite corps of
Very Important Decisionmakers. Isn’t the opportunity to step out of
the competitive crowd and into that spotlight a benefit in itself?
Not to mention the derivative benefits that might flow from positive
reception by that influential audience. If the FCC is favorably
impressed by a piece of gear, we figure it’s less likely to adopt
rules that disfavor that gear; it might even come up with rules that
foster the gear. Sounds like a benefit to us.
And as to whether or not acceptance into the TEC constitutes an
“endorsement”: unless the FCC accepts anything and everything that
happens to be submitted, it must be making threshold determinations.
We’d be surprised, for example, if the FCC accepted the wind-powered
Time Machine we’ve been working on (even if we can get that pesky
broadband component working). So any item that makes the cut probably
has something going for it in the eyes of somebody at the FCC. That
may not rise to the level of a formal endorsement, but the FCC can’t
really believe that getting one’s whizbang gizmo in the door at the
TEC won’t be perceived as some measure of approbation.
Once we get our Time Machine working, we’d be happy to retrieve the
Steves (Jobs and Wozniak) or maybe Bill Gates and Paul Allen, back
from the 1970s, when they were still tweaking their then-cutting-edge
ideas that have since become ho-hum mainstream. Until then, though, we
think the FCC should be careful not to ignore the current-day
counterparts of such pathfinders, in order to try to get an early
handle on what will be ho-hum mainstream 30 years from now (CommLaw
Blog via Benn Kobb, July 14, DXLD)
BIZARRO COMIC MADE TO ORDER FOR GH
Look for the Bizarro comic for July 11 in your newspaper. Current ones
are delayed about a month before appearing on the website here:
http://www.kingfeatures.com/features/comics/bizarro/about.htm
(Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
PROPAGATION
+++++++++++
Geomagnetic Indices (From Phil Bytheway)
Geomagnetic summary tabulated from daily e-mail data, June 2011
Date Flux A K Space Wx
1 114 10 2 no storms
2 112 9 1 no storms
3 107 3 1 no storms
4 103 11 5 minor
5 103 26 2 moderate
6 100 6 1 no storms
7 96 8 4 minor
8 90 11 2 minor
9 88 12 4 no storms
10 87 9 3 no storms
11 85 12 2 no storms
12 85 10 1 no storms
13 87 8 2 no storms
14 99 8 2 minor
15 102 7 2 no storms
16 103 5 1 no storms
17 104 11 2 no storms
18 99 6 1 no storms
19 99 5 2 no storms
20 96 7 2 no storms
21 95 8 2 no storms
22 93 10 3 no storms
23 96 17 3 no storms
24 96 13 3 no storms
25 94 6 2 no storms
26 90 7 1 no storms
27 89 6 2 no storms
28 87 5 1 no storms
29 87 3 1 no storms
30 89 3 1 no storms
(NRC DX News July 11 via DXLD)
SOLAR-ACTIVITY FORECAST FOR THE PERIOD JUL 8-14, 2011
Activity level: very low to low
Radio flux (10.7 cm): a fluctuation in the range 80-105 f.u.
Flares: weak (3-15/day)
Relative sunspot number: in the range 35-65
Astronomical Institute, Solar Dept., Ondrejov, Czech Republic
e-mail: sunwatch(at) asu.cas.cz (RWC Prague)
____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _
Geomagnetic activity forecast for the period Jul 8 to Jul 14, 2011
quiet: Jul 9, 13, and 14
quiet to unsettled: Jul 12
unsettled: Jul 8, 10 and 11
active: 0
minor storm: 0
major storm: 0
severe storm: 0
Geomagnetic activity summary:
geomagnetic field was quiet on Jun 30, Jul 2 and 3,
quiet to unsettled on Jul 6, unsettled on Jul 1, 4 and 5.
RWC Prague, Geophysical Institute Prague, Geomagnetic Dept,
Czech Republic e-mail: geom(at)ig.cas. cz
____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _
Geomagnetic activity forecast for the period of one solar rotation
Geomagnetic field during the following solar rotation should be:
mostly quiet: July 24 - 26
quiet to unsettled: July 13 - 16
mostly unsettled: July 8 - 12, 17 - 18, 22 - 23, 27, Aug 2 - 3
unsettled to active: July 19 - 21, 28 - 31, Aug 1
Survey:
mostly quiet: June 29 - 30
unsettled: July 2 - 3, 6
unsettled to active: July 1, 4 - 5
Notices:
High probability of changes in solar wind which may caused
changes in magnetosphere and ionosphere is expected about
July 13 - 14, 19 - 21, 28 - 31
Petr Kolman OK1MGW, Czech Propagation Interested Group
e-mail: kolmanp(at)razdva.cz
(via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD)
GOOD VIDEO ABOUT AURORA FORMATION/Buen video sobre auroras
http://vimeo.com/25811412
This video explains how particles originating from deep inside the
core of the sun creates northern lights, also called aurora borealis,
on our planet.
See an extended multimedia version of this video at forskning.no (only
in Norwegian):
forskning.no/artikler/2011/april/285324
-----------
This video is produced by forskning.no in collaboration with the
Department of Physics at the University of Oslo.
Production, animation and music: Per Byhring
Script: Arnfinn Christensen
Scientific advisors: Jøran Moen, Hanne Sigrun Byhring and Pål Brekke
Video of the northern lights: arcticlightphoto.no
Video of coronal mass ejection: NASA
(via Horacio A. Nigro, Montevideo, Uruguay, dxldyg via DXLD)
SUNSPOT CYCLE UPDATE
The latest smoothed sunspot number prediction on page 13 at
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/weekly/pdf/prf1870.pdf
shows the numbers for December 2010 through December 2011 slightly
lower. Last month's prediction showed smoothed sunspot numbers for
that period at 30, 34, 38, 41, 45, 49, 54, 59, 63, 66, 68, 71 and 74.
The latest has the values for those same months changed to 29, 32, 36,
39, 43, 47, 52, 57, 61, 64, 66, 69 and 72. The reason that in July we
see last December's number change is because the smoothed sunspot
number represents an average of data over one year. The data for
approximately six months after December 2010 wasn't completely known
until the end of June, and each successive month after that contains
one more month of predicted data, instead of data that is actually
measured.
NASA has a new (monthly) solar cycle prediction. Because these are
not archived and the URL never changes, tracking the updates can be
a bit daunting, but here are the changes from a month ago.
In paragraph 9, this sentence: "We find a starting time of May 2008
with minimum occurring in December 2008 and maximum of about 59 in
June/July of 2013" in last month's prediction changed to "We find a
starting time of October 2008 with minimum occurring in December
2008 and maximum of about 69 in June/July of 2013" in this month's.
So they now believe the cycle started five months later than
previously reported, and that the smoothed sunspot peak will be 10
points or seventeen percent higher. These are international sunspot
numbers, not the Boulder numbers used in this bulletin, which are
higher.
Also changed at the end of that same paragraph, from last month's
prediction: "At this phase of cycle 24 we now give 40 percent weight
to the curve-fitting technique of Hathaway, Wilson, and Reichmann
Solar Physics 151, 177 (1994). That technique currently gives
highly uncertain (but smaller) values to Ohl's method" to "At this
phase of cycle 24 we now give 50 percent weight to the curve-fitting
technique of Hathaway, Wilson, and Reichmann Solar Physics 151, 177
(1994). That technique currently gives somewhat uncertain (but
similar) values to Ohl's method" in the latest prediction. So 40
percent was changed to 50 percent, and "smaller" was changed to
"similar".
In the current July 2011 issue of CQ Magazine, Tomas Hood, NW7US for
his monthly Propagation column has this headline: "Don't Believe
the Pessimistic Forecasts!" complete with exclamation point. He
points out that predictions have been all over the place and are
revised frequently. He also notes that some might be tempted to
just turn off the radio because of forecasts, but this is
self-defeating, because if stations aren't listening and
transmitting, then there is nothing to work. I would also note that
while marvelous new tools for solar observation exist now that even
a decade ago we didn't have, there just hasn't been enough data
(only 23 sunspot cycles so far) to make predictions with complete
reliability. Maybe after another millennia! (QST de W1AW
Propagation Forecast Bulletin 27 From Tad Cook, K7RA, Seattle, WA July
8, 2011 To all radio amateurs, via Dave Raycroft, ODXA yg now also to
non-amateurs, via DXLD)
Geomagnetic activity ranged from quiet to active levels during the
period, with an isolated minor storm period observed early on 05
July due to a nighttime substorm. From 04 - 08 July, activity was
primarily at quiet to unsettled levels with isolated active periods
observed on 05 and 06 July. An increase to quiet to active levels
occurred on 09 - 10 July due to the onset of another CH HSS.
FORECAST OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY 13 JULY - 08 AUGUST 2011
Solar activity is expected to be at very low to low levels during
the forecast period. No proton events are expected at geosynchronous
orbit.
The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is
expected to be at high levels from 12 - 14 July due to enhanced wind
speeds from the currently geoeffective CH HSS. Normal levels are
expected to return from 15 - 19 July before increasing to moderate
to high flux levels again 20 - 27 July after an anticipated period
of elevated solar wind speeds associated a second recurrent CH. Flux
values should return to normal levels 28 July - 02 August, before
another brief period of moderate to high levels on 3 - 4 August.
Normal levels are expected to prevail for the remainder of the
period.
Geomagnetic field activity is expected to be at quiet to unsettled
levels on 13 July due to CH HSS effects. Unsettled to active
conditions with the chance for a minor storm is expected to begin on
14 July and persist for a day or two due to the anticipated arrival
of the CME from 1103 UTC on 11 July. Mostly quiet conditions should
return 16 - 17 July. An increase in activity ranging from quiet to
active levels is forecast for 18 - 23 July due to another
geoeffective HSS from a recurrent negative polarity CH. Conditions
are forecast to be mostly quiet from 24 July - 03 August, with the
exception of more CH HSS effects expected 27 - 29 July and 31 July -
02 August. Each of these events should each produce mostly unsettled
and possibly even brief active conditions. Mostly quiet conditions
are forecast to return on 03 August, before a SSBC from negative to
positive polarity is expected on 04 August, when mostly unsettled
conditions should occur in advance of yet another CH HSS that is
expected to produce mostly unsettled conditions for the remainder of
the period.
:Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt
:Issued: 2011 Jul 12 1959 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 2011-07-12
#
# UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest
# Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index
2011 Jul 13 92 12 3
2011 Jul 14 94 15 4
2011 Jul 15 94 7 2
2011 Jul 16 94 5 2
2011 Jul 17 94 5 2
2011 Jul 18 92 8 3
2011 Jul 19 90 10 3
2011 Jul 20 92 10 3
2011 Jul 21 92 10 3
2011 Jul 22 90 8 3
2011 Jul 23 90 8 3
2011 Jul 24 90 5 2
2011 Jul 25 88 5 2
2011 Jul 26 88 5 2
2011 Jul 27 88 8 3
2011 Jul 28 86 10 3
2011 Jul 29 88 8 3
2011 Jul 30 88 8 3
2011 Jul 31 85 8 3
2011 Aug 01 85 10 3
2011 Aug 02 85 8 3
2011 Aug 03 85 5 2
2011 Aug 04 85 8 3
2011 Aug 05 85 12 3
2011 Aug 06 90 12 3
2011 Aug 07 90 12 3
2011 Aug 08 90 8 3
(SWPC via WORLD OF RADIO 1573, DXLD) ###